Garden Variety

At 26 years old, Alex Azzizzo is bright-eyed and full of gregarious energy. He’s greeting customers, wiping down tables, and telling everyone within earshot about his favorite flavor—cherry-brasberry. He’s the perfect evangelist for Rita’s Italian Ice: a man who loves the product and wants to tell everyone about it.
“It’s my favorite part of the day. Yeah. My favorite. When I get to have ice,” Alex shares with a smile.

Serving up such flavors isn’t always a perfect science, and to be honest, it’s not Alex’s favorite part of the job. What he truly loves is meeting people, and cleaning.

“I like to clean. Cleaning is the best,” he says.

Owner Cara Washington, says, “He’s the best cleaner we have; Alex’s attention to detail to second to none! I’d take a hundred of him if I could.”

Of course, hiring Alex required a leap of faith for the entrepreneur; until now, Cara had no prior experience with neurodivergent employees like Alex, who has autism. But it was equally a leap of faith for Alex’s mother, Lisa Azzizzo, although she had good reason to be optimistic.

“From the moment we started coming here, [Cara] never treated Alex any differently than she treated other kids. I saw the way she interacted with her employees, and I wanted that opportunity for Alex, but you never know,” she says. “Autistic employees have their own unique challenges, and not everyone is up for that. But when I finally asked her if Alex could help out a couple of hours a week, Cara didn’t even hesitate.”
Cara shrugs off the compliment with a warm smile. “I knew when I opened this place, I wanted to work with teens and young adults. I wanted a place where they could have their first job, where kids could learn about life in a fun, flexible environment. Adding Alex into the mix just seemed like a natural fit. And he’s really a delight, such a hard worker.”

For Alex, the few hours per week that he works at Rita’s is part of Lisa’s larger goal of ushering him toward independence. The Azzizzo family, who moved to Winter Garden a year ago in June, built Alex his first studio apartment, where he lives on his own. Several days a week, Alex rides his bike up the West Orange Trail to downtown Winter Garden, whether it’s for work at Rita’s or Axum Coffee, where he’s also been welcomed with open arms. After months of practice—and a tracking app on her smart watch—Lisa now rests comfortably with Alex’s safety and growing independence.

Back in New Jersey, Alex’s twin brother, Anthony—who also has autism—is working toward a similar goal under the watchful eyes of Lisa’s eldest daughter. The separation brings tears to her eyes, but seeing Alex thrive in his new home is worth the heartache.

“Winter Garden has been amazing for us as a family,” she says. “The work opportunities have given Alex purpose, meaningful community moments, and independence. The acceptance, patience, kindness, and understanding extended to our son is truly heartwarming. We have never seen Alex this happy! The way this community has welcomed him, how they take care of him and watch out for him … it’s everything we’ve wished for. It’s a dream come true.”

Alex agrees. “A dream. We love Florida. Florida is home,” he smiles, lips stained purple from his post-work treat. “Want some ice?”