Popular caterer to open café in dramatic space in Rochester

A dramatic glass-and-steel building next to Innovation Square (formerly Xerox Square) will soon be home to a new eatery, the fourth since the space was renovated in 2018.

Sarah and Mike Hasenauer, the husband-and-wife owners of the catering company Farmhouse Table, will open a café and restaurant by the same name. By day, its street-level first floor will serve breakfast and lunch. By night, it will host private events in the space's mezzanine and third floor, which also encompasses part of the Rochester Skyway. The business will have a liquor license.

In February the Hasenauers purchased Bite Rochester, which opened in the space in September 2021. Since then, they've been learning the ropes, getting a sense who their downtown customers are and what they are looking for. Now they have closed Bite Rochester and are remodeling the space to make it their own.

Farmhouse Table got its start in 2015, when the Hasenauers started making baked goods from a small commercial kitchen and selling them at the Brighton and Charlotte farmers markets. After getting to know farmers at the markets, they started catering events, emphasizing locally sourced foods. Farmhouse Table now encompasses a 5,000-square-foot production space, a 1,000-square-foot event venue in Irondequoit and a cozy retail shop at the intersection of St. Paul and Lakeshore Boulevard in Irondequoit.

Having a presence downtown has always been a part of their long-term plan, Mike Hasenauer said. They are excited to have signage on a busy thoroughfare, and note that location puts in them in proximity to many businesses, theaters and events.

"I think the timing is right," Hasenauer said. “We’re trying to take advantage of the new life that’s being breathed into downtown.”

In addition to locally sourced breakfast, lunches and brunches, the café will offer grab-and-go items for busy downtown workers, as well as a retail section similar to the selection in Irondequoit.

The Hasenauers haven't set an opening date for the downtown Farmhouse Table, but expect it to be in the summer.

The first business to operate in the space was Café Sol, which was open for breakfast and lunch; a companion business called SKYWAY ROC, a cocktail bar and dance club, launched a month later. Both closed in July 2019. That was followed by VOLO Osteria and Enoteca, which closed in February 2020 after roughly 5 months in business.

This story includes reporting by Marcia Greenwood.

Tracy Schuhmacher covers Rochester's food and drink scene. Notice something open or close in your neighborhood? Send tips to tracys@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Farmhouse Table to open cafe in dramatic space in Rochester NY