While most restaurants exist to make a financial profit, Café at 407 exists to help others.

I recently went to Café at 407 and absolutely loved it. Not only did I enjoy the food, but I liked their whole concept. Café at 407 has a simple mission: to serve seasonal, homemade food, made with love. The café’s overall mission is to nourish the body, feed the soul and build a community around it.

Café at 407 opened in 2009 to provide a place of community and fund Ophelia’s Place, which is a nonprofit focused on helping people with eating disorders and body dissatisfactions. Ophelia’s Place aims to change the way people think and talk about body image.

Café at 407 is known for having a sustainable menu. Their specialties include fresh salads, sandwiches and smoothies. They use whole ingredients to make their food.

The café does not use any high fructose corn syrup or other artificial ingredients to make their food. I was excited to try one of the salads on the menu but didn’t know which one to choose. I finally made up my mind and ordered the Café Classic Salad, which consists of tomatoes, chickpeas, a hard-boiled egg, Parmesan cheese and bacon, served on fresh greens with roasted chicken.

My dressing of choice was balsamic vinaigrette. I thought that the ingredients blended together well. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the Parmesan cheese added a nice touch. I definitely think the salad should have been chopped, but other than that I really enjoyed this dish.

I couldn’t leave the café empty-handed so I decided to bring some dessert back to school to try later. I couldn’t resist all of the delicious-looking baked goods sitting right in front of me, so I ordered one of each. I got a chocolate chip cookie, oatmeal raisin cookie, blueberry muffin, pumpkin scone and an orange scone.

I tried a piece of each and fell in love with the orange scone. The combination of fresh orange and shortbread melted in my mouth. The pumpkin scone was scrumptious and flavorful. I had a black coffee as well and thought it had fragrant, balanced flavor.

On the flip side, I didn’t love the chocolate chip cookie because it was too crunchy for my liking — I preferred the oatmeal raisin cookie. The blueberry muffin was subpar as well.

Everything is made with fresh ingredients and is “as real as possible,” the front of the house manager Robin Winsor said. They get some of their ingredients, like fresh eggs, from local farms in Cazenovia, New York. They even offer gluten-free bread that is imported from The Cookie Connection in New York City.

The café has a very laid back atmosphere. When you walk in, there are couches and tables all around. Soothing music is played and there is free Wi-Fi. Throughout the café there are quotes and inspirational messages on the walls like “Warrior” and “Everybody is beautiful.” In fact, Café at 407 sells T-shirts and cups with these messages on them. All of the profits made from the merchandise goes straight to Ophelia’s Place.

The café does not offer any student discounts, but it’s reasonably priced. It is a nice getaway for students to come to when they need a break or a quiet place to do work.

Café at 407 hosts “slow suppers” every month where they have a tasting menu and several courses. They set up a long table with a variety of food cooked by the chef. The price ranges from $40 to $50. The next one will take place on Oct. 16. and will feature the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac cover bands.

Published on September 20, 2015 at 9:29 pm

Contact Callie: caweinst@syr.edu