'Dream come true': Autism, ADHD no hindrance as 12-year-old opens food business

From needing a chair to stand on to reach the cooking utensils to baking cupcakes, cookies and rum balls as gifts for family, friends and teachers Archer's foodie dream was realised when his parents bought a mobile food van earlier this year. The Little Café was born.

But the journey wasn't all sugar and sprinkles.

Archer's family is neurodivergent, but the Palazzis work hard to focus on abilities, not disabilities and within his family the young cook and baker found an inclusive and supportive environment to develop his business and social skills.

"As a parent of a child with autism and ADHD the journey is long and difficult," Archer's mum, Hayley, said.

"The degrees vary so much on the individual child on how much support they need - there's always a battle ... with medical experts, with teachers, with strangers and even with your own family on what's best for your child, all the while dealing with your child's needs.

"It's exhausting, but it's a journey that cannot be avoided."

Mrs Palazzi said she and husband Aaron acknowledged early on that Archer and his two brothers were on the autism spectrum with ADHD/ODD, but it wasn't going to be a diagnosis that would hold their children back from making their dreams come true.

"After many dead-ends we were able to find the best specialists to help our children and us as a family," Mrs Palazzi said.

"Whilst we have never sugar coated our sons' conditions, we also never wanted them to view themselves as "disabled" - we have taught them that their autism and ADHD/ODD are absolute strengths to be proud of."

And when Archer came up with a business idea - what else could his family do but support him.

Early on the young entrepreneur realised that specialising in cookies would be a good way to progress his business when many people asked him for his secret recipe.

Via his mum's social media accounts, he started taking orders for choc-chip cookies.

In 2021, Archer noticed that when he visited Darwin Ice Skating events there were no baked treats to go with coffees for spectators.

"Archer approached the owners of the centre about supplying his cookies to their kiosk and negotiated his own rate so that both parties made a profit," Mrs Palazzi said.

"That's absolutely the best outcome ever that he has that level of self-belief."

In March 2024, Archer and his parents purchased a small coffee van in a bid for the whole family to support Archer's business ideas for expansion into coffee, cold drinks and other home-cooked treats, in addition to his famous cookies.

"We have taken the time to teach Archer about managing finances, customer service, ordering supplies and maintaining his equipment.

"He definitely knows what's required, but we are easing him into it, almost so that he has a graduated pathway to employment that he owns - that he is in charge of, rather than having to work a job for someone who may not understand him.

"Ultimately, we have to face the fact that Archer will one day have to live without us and it's our responsibility to make sure that he can earn a living and take care of himself."

Archer's vision became reality when he celebrated the opening of his business at a popular campdrafting event in Katherine, NT.

"It feels really great to make this dream come true," he said.

"Going to different places and meeting different people while doing one of my favourite things, cooking, is really good."

The tiny businessman said while juggling school with cooking, sport and travelling to events, as well as feeling anxious about talking to new people, were some of the challenges that came with running his mobile food van, he was thrilled about the encouragement he has been receiving.

"The people were very kind, supportive and nice and willing to wait for their orders and left a lot of kind feedback," he said. "This made me feel like we had all done a good job."

For his parents, the development from watching their nappy-clad toddler mixing cupcake batter in their kitchen to running his own business has been heartwarming.

"We cannot believe how far Archer has come, in his confidence and communication skills. It's breathtaking to watch him shine in his element, talking to customers about how he makes cookies or how much he likes his coffee cart."

For other parents trying to support a neurodivergent child, Mrs Palazzi has a simple message: "Do not give up."

"No matter what, you must stay the course," she said. "Turn over every stone until you find a supportive specialist to give you a diagnosis and a management plan. This will set your child up for the best successful life tailored to their needs, and, in time, allow you to find the joy in autism as you watch your child blossom into their fullest potential."

And while he's running a business at only 12 years of age, Archer has big dreams beyond his café.

"I want to do many things: be a pilot, game designer, artist, and author," he said. "Starting my business is just the beginning."