July 24, 2008
UW Tower is home to new cafe
If you’re looking for a new and different campus eatery, you might want to try Housing and Food Service’s most recent addition, the Tower Café, located in the UW Tower. The café, which is on the fourth floor mezzanine of the building, even has a view.
The Tower Café occupies part of the old cafeteria space from when the tower was owned by Safeco. Foods are prepared in the old kitchen, and there’s plenty of seating in the former cafeteria. The menu includes gourmet sandwiches and salads that are made on the premises, prepared fresh each morning and paired with a soup du jour. The Essential Baking Company, a certified organic bakery located in Wallingford, provides the organic sandwich breads and rolls, artisan pastries and desserts. Bagel Oasis, located in Ravenna, provides the bagels, which are all natural and boiled, then baked in the authentic New York style. Mighty O Donuts, located in Greenlake, supplies the organic, dairy-free donuts.
The café serves 100 percent certified fair trade, organic, shade-grown espresso. Tully’s Coffee provides the coffees, which are hand-crafted in small batches using vintage cast iron roasters from the 1950s. Tower Café offers a full espresso menu, including organic teas, tea lattes and iced drinks. It will also offer casual catering services perfect for morning and afternoon meeting breaks.
The café opened for business on July 14, said manager Tracy Trumbull, who also manages a number of HFS’ “little” cafés — those not next to a kitchen.
“It’s been great to be in a ‘new’ building where everyone is just moving in,” Trumbull said. She said the opening of the café had been smooth.
The café will be available to UW Tower staff as well as faculty, staff, students and guests in the building for official business. It’s open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A grand opening is planned for the café in the fall.
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