Foodlink Community Café

At the Foodlink Community Café, everyone is welcome!

Our healthy, delicious meals are prepared by our culinary apprentices launching their new careers. We are a “pay-it-forward café,” a nonprofit restaurant concept that aims to bring people together and nourish everyone with dignity at our downtown Central Library location.

Guests can purchase their meal, or choose to pay it forward to help cover the cost for those who can’t afford to pay the listed price on the menu. Generous donations enable us to offer a healthy, affordable Community Meal option for our customers. 

All proceeds support Foodlink’s mission of ending hunger and building healthier communities. 

Visit Us

Open weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We are located inside the Central Library’s Bausch & Lomb Building.
115 South Ave., Rochester, NY 14604

Foodlink Career Fellowship

The Foodlink Career Fellowship is a unique culinary apprenticeship that builds pathways to prosperity for people who have experienced barriers to employment. The yearlong program includes both classroom and hands-on training within Foodlink’s state-of-the-art Community Kitchen, and at the Foodlink Community Café! Fellows play an integral role in preparing thousands of healthy meals daily for Rochester children and café customers, all while increasing the core competencies needed for large-scale food production.

Check out our Cafe commercial!

Partners + Napier has been an amazing supporter of the café since we opened, and created this beautiful ad about the café in 2022!