The Café at Newly Reopened Greenwich Library Is a Destination for Everyone’s Favorite Eats

By Stella Santini and Kathryn O’Donnell, GHS Class of 2021

After undergoing renovations, Greenwich Library has reopened with a new and improved Café. 

During the winter months, the library was open by appointment only, and the Café was limited to curbside pick-up.

While this kept things going during the pandemic, residents are now able to enjoy breakfast or lunch in the interior Café space.

Michelle Yoon with Cardinal Critic Kathryn O’Donnell at the newly reopened Café at Greenwich Library. Photo: Stella Santini

The Café serves food from several local businesses, including Arcuri’s, Happiness Is Back Country Market, Garden Catering, and Upper Crust Bagel Co. Coffee is from Shearwater Organic Coffee.

They also serve an array of snacks that pair nicely with morning coffee and are welcome during a break from a study session.

Cardinal Critics Stella and Kathryn had the pleasure of trying the Cafe’s delicious cheddar Chicken Panini. They also tried the new iced cold brew coffee, which was strong and delicious, paired with a scrumptious raisin scone.

Kate Petrov, the public relations officer for the library, said that the Café had been gaining traction since the library reopened.

“As more people come to the library, more people can come to the lovely Café,” she said.

Michelle Yoon at the counter at the Café at Greenwich Library. Photo: Stella Santini

The Cardinal Critics were blown away by the immense changes made to the space, and admired the abundant natural light that spills into the Café from the Baxter Courtyard.

“We stayed within the footprint of the library, but we were able to reorganize the space to make it much more useful and last into the future,” Petrov said.

As it anticipated reopening, the library looked for an organization to run the Café and found the ideal partner in Abilis.

Abilis is a local organization that works to provide employment for adults with disabilities. They do monumental work throughout Greenwich and Stamford including Abilis Garden & Gifts, Therapeutic Services, and partnering with local businesses, like the Café at Greenwich Library. This partnership in particular is part of the Abilis Competitive Employment program that works with adults to design a career path. 

“We really love that they are a very mission-driven organization, just like the library is, so it’s a really great partnership,” Petrov said.

During our visit, we had the pleasure of meeting Michelle Yoon, an employee of the Café through Abilis. She talked about her plentiful responsibilities at the Café, which include serving customers.

“I had the honor of serving First Selectman Fred Camillo,” Michelle said, adding that Mr. Camillo was one of the first customers at the new Café. 

With more events on the schedule at the library, the Café will be a great extension to serving patrons for gallery openings, films, or other community gatherings.

With the changing of the season, Summer Storytime will take place in the new Baxter Courtyard, located right outside of the Café for young children on Wednesday mornings at 10:00am. After hearing a story, families can enjoy all the new Café has to offer. 

See also:

ReImagine, ReNew and RePurpose: Greenwich Main Library Includes Remarkable New Features

Cardinal Critics logo courtesy Spencer Grabel

While the students either attend or graduated from GHS, where the mascot is the Cardinal, the views expressed in Cardinal Critics reviews are not affiliated with Greenwich High School.

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