A Café in Miniature

A “miniaturized café” is how Patricia Henz, Smith’s manager of retail and catering, describes a new campus eatery that opened June 10 in Chapin House.

The smaller café will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. through August 15 while renovations are underway at the Campus Center Café. Those plans include energy-saving changes to the kitchen, open-air beverage unit and other parts of the Campus Center Café.

The Chapin House snack bar will serve most of the usual café menu items, including soups, pizza, fresh salads, sandwiches, beverages and vegan and vegetarian offerings, Henz said. “We also do breakfast to order,” she added. “And we’ll be doing catering all summer” for departmental events.

The air-conditioned small café “is a great grab-and-go place,” Henz said. About the only thing the smaller setup cannot accommodate is credit card transactions, though Smith One Cards will be accepted.

Melinda Buckwalter, program assistant for the Five College Center for East Asian Studies, was among the small café’s first customers on opening day. “I love the Campus Center Café but this one is fun!” said Buckwalter, who was picking up a curried chicken salad and an “extra stash” of chocolate for her office.

“It’s got a different, cozier feel,” she added. “And it has all the menu familiars.”

For questions about Chapin House café services, call Henz at 585-2300.