Sorenson Community Spotlight: Golden Harvest Bakery & Cafe

Joel Reed and his family own and run Golden Harvest Bakery & Café in Rochester, NY where they serve the deaf and hearing communities (and also find a way to support Rochester Deaf Kitchen in a very practical way).

He shared with us the journey that led to him opening Golden Harvest and how (and why) his customer base grew during COVID.

(And don’t those donuts in the video look absolutely yummy?)

TRANSCRIPT

Hello, I’m Joel Reed. I'm the owner of Golden Harvest Bakery and Cafe. It is a family-run business with myself, along with my wife and my five children, who range from the age of 7 to 16. They help me run the business along with several other employees.

A little background: I grew up in Pennsylvania, in the same area where the Amish live in Lancaster. When I was about 25 -26 years old, I moved to Brazil to teach at a deaf school in Central America, and I stayed there for five years until I made the decision to come back to the States.

When I got back, I moved back to the Pennsylvania area, but I missed the Deaf community, and I wanted to be involved in the community. There were some deaf people in the Lancaster area, but not many.

I heard about Rochester and decided to visit, and while I was there, I met so many deaf people in the community. And I would visit back and forth for a time until I finally made a decision in 2017 to sell my home and to move for good to Rochester. Initially, my plan was just to be involved in the community and to find employment, but during that first year I lost my job three times and I had to figure out how I was going to support my family.

One of my former employers that I had a good rapport with told me that the bakery was shutting down in Scottsville (SV) because the owner was retiring. I talked it over with my wife, and we decided to see about it.We went in and discussed finances, some doors opened for us, and we were able to open a business. And since that time, we've been running it for six years now. Yeah, it's been six years.

And we started in 2019 until now in 2025. Three years in the old place, and three years here.

Community response

The deaf community has responded fantastically. We've met so many deaf people. I told my wife, “I’ve lived 40 years and met deaf people from time to time. Then we opened this place and we’ve just met so many deaf people.”

It’s great to see cool signs for the word donut. I think it’s cool and welcome seeing other signs in different deaf accents. I've met people from France, Philippines, and Indonesia. It's been a really cool experience to encounter other deaf businesspeople and also deaf people who are motivated to become businesspeople. Yeah, I think it's been a great experience meeting so many people.

Sharing the work

We employ about 13 people here at Golden Harvest. Our hearing employees mostly work in the kitchen, serve the customers, and make coffee drinks. Our deaf employees do the same thing, and also cook, wash dishes, get food ready for the next day, clean up, and bring food out.

Yeah. We serve both deaf and hearing customers. I would say most of our customers are hearing – a high percentage of our customers are hearing.

As a deaf person, I'm able to work with deaf customers, and my hearing wife works with the hearing customers. And it's been a smooth process. I've never faced any difficulties in doing that. And it's been nice because I'm able to teach the employees sign language to converse with the deaf customers. I'm able to interact with both deaf and hearing people.

Rochester Deaf Kitchen partnership

We partnered with Rochester Deaf Kitchen (RDK) because its founder, Zach, visited us before opening RDK. We chatted, and he shared his vision of starting RDK to help people facing food insecurity.

That conversation inspired an idea: our bakery is closed on the weekends. After we close on Saturday, we’re closed Sundays and Mondays, so, why not donate what is left over at the end of the day on Saturdays. I shared the idea with Zach, and he was thrilled. I was happy to share the food with RDK so it doesn’t go to waste.

Since then, we've been partnering with him and his volunteers every Saturday afternoon. We share what's left from our shop, so it can be distributed to those in need.

It’s inspiring to see other deaf-led organizations thrive. It reminds me that I'm not alone. If they can do it, I can too. And so can others. I always encourage deaf entrepreneurs. We can do it.

Covid and economic impacts

During Covid and the economic downturn, the impact was deeply felt. I remember when people were panicking and we considered shutting down for safety, but the health department told us, "please stay open. So many businesses have closed, and people will need you."

So we stayed open, taking precautions like wearing gloves and masks. Surprisingly, our business grew rapidly during that time because we were one of the few places still operating. People had no other places to go so they came to us. We were really busy, which was good for us.

Now, with more recent changes in the economy, we haven't felt too much impact, like rising egg prices, because we partner directly with local farmers. That relationship has helped stabilize our costs.

Of course, prices have gone up since Covid, just like everything else. We've had to adjust. When we opened, our donuts were $1. Today, they’re $1.95. That helps us cover the costs.

Advice to Deaf entrepreneurs

My advice to deaf entrepreneurs who want to start their own business.

When we first started, I reached out to an agency called SCORE. It's a national organization that offers free guidance on how to set up LLCs and more. They were incredibly helpful to me, and they're accessible across the US, including right here in Rochester.

Second, remember this word "commitment." You have to be committed and passionate. Without those two things, you won't succeed. Don't even try. But if you are motivated and you want to make an impact, if your heart is in it, you can do it.

It can be challenging. One of the hardest parts for me is waking up early to prepare bread, donuts, and cinnamon rolls. Some mornings I just want to stay in bed, but I push myself.

Thanks and inspiration

I want to thank the Rochester community, both deaf and hearing, especially the deaf community from NTID.

I've met so many amazing people with different passions, careers and majors. Hearing their stories inspires me to keep going with my own passions here at the bakery. It’s encouraging when I hear their stories. I am truly thankful to be part of this community.

TRANSCRIPT END