Café Serving Sustainable Fare to Open in New Bass Library

“Nothing but the fresh” might be the motto of a new café in the Bass Library, which opens its doors on October 23.

The Bass Library Café is a joint project of library staff, Yale University Dining Services and the Yale Sustainable Food Project and is another milestone in Yale’s ongoing green campaign.

The eatery will serve a wide variety of food items, all handcrafted from fresh ingredients, and its menu will change with the seasons. The café will aim to source its produce from local farms, in an effort to support Connecticut agriculture, and serve organic eggs and hormone- and antibiotic-free meat. Some of the desserts and breakfast pastries will be produced in New Haven bakeries. All take-out packaging material will be biodegradable, and food eaten inside the café will be served in real plates, bowls and cups.

Open for business during library hours—Monday–Thursday 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 12 to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 1:30 p.m.—the café will be a place where students, staff and local residents can work, study or linger over a sustainable snack, meal or drink.

The Yale Sustainable Food Project was founded in 2001 by Yale students, faculty and staff, Yale University President Richard Levin and Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant. It was established with the understanding that many of the world’s most important questions regarding health, culture, the environment and the global economy are deeply connected to what we eat and how it is produced. The Sustainable Food Project seeks to foster a culture that draws meaning and pleasure from the connections among people, land and food.

For more information about the Project, go to www.yale.edu/sustainablefood.