Cafe The Lodge received the Most Original Soup Award on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at the 8th Annual Souper Bowl for Chef Allen's Creamy Pumpkin & Chorizo Soup.
2022
RHD Community Service Award
The Lodge received the RHD Community Service Award at the Resources for Human Development 22nd Annual Values Celebration "Making an Impact" — people from 13 states celebrating the accomplishments, hard work and dedication to uplift and educate the communities we serve.
2014
Tribute to the Arts Award
Cafe the Lodge received a 2014 "Tribute to the Arts Award" from the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission, recognizing the Lodge's contributions to the arts. The award was instituted in 1991 and honors individuals, organizations, educators, innovators or businesses engaged in making, supporting or encouraging artistic endeavors that enrich the community.
Press Coverage
PressLehigh Valley Style
Learn How Café the Lodge is Breaking Down Barriers
It's the guiding principle behind the Lodge — Fairweather Lodge Housing is named after psychologist George Fairweather, who found that patients with mental illness fared much better during recovery if they lived and worked together in a community. "Something I always tell the people I work with is that no matter who you are, mental illness or not, if you aren't engaged and living a productive life, you aren't going to be well. We are our best when we are living meaningful lives and our program is here to help people find and achieve those meaningful lives."
Located on Bethlehem's South Side, Fig Bethlehem's 2019 Social Mission Partner Café the Lodge not only has a diverse selection of great food and a tranquil terrace in the back, it also explicitly employs and empowers those with mental health diagnoses. The Lodge offers guidance in establishing independent living routines and wholesome lifestyles, providing employment and volunteer opportunities as well as recreational and educational events for its members and for the community at large. Make Café the Lodge a regular breakfast and lunch dining destination — it's a delicious way to support their mission!
Fig Summer 2019Fig Bethlehem
Cafe the Lodge: Food, Art & Community
Cafe the Lodge in South Bethlehem is not only a hardworking nonprofit that employs and empowers up to 18 individuals with mental health diagnoses to practice skills for independent living and competitive employment in the community — it's also a vibrant art space that features artwork from residents, staff and community members, in exhibits that rotate throughout the year.
Just InFig Bethlehem
2019 Fig Bethlehem Social Mission Partner
"Café the Lodge is thrilled to be Fig's Social Mission Partner of 2019," said Ian Panyko, Director at Café the Lodge. "We are looking forward to showing the valley that the employees of Café the Lodge are the faces of mental health recovery!" Cafe The Lodge with delicious, freshly prepared food and tranquil terrace in the back, one might forget that Cafe the Lodge is also a hard-working nonprofit that employs and empowers up to 18 individuals with mental health diagnoses.
Bethlehem Mural on PBS 39PBS 39 / Morning Call
Mural artist to bring 'colorful mindness' to South Bethlehem
Renowned mural artist Pau Quintanajornet believes through her work she provides food for the soul. Her latest piece — a mural adorning the exterior of Cafe the Lodge in South Bethlehem — seeks to bring awareness about mental health. 'Calma' is a 43-foot wide by 35-foot tall painting created on the west wall of Cafe The Lodge, part of the 2019 SouthSide Arts & Music Festival. "I look forward to this experience and hope to bring some colorful mindfulness to Bethlehem and its community," Quintanajornet says.
RHD FeatureResources for Human Development
RHD's Cafe the Lodge takes on an important role in its community
Cafe the Lodge's unique focus on recovery and art caught the attention of the 2019 SouthSide Arts & Music Festival, which selected the Cafe as the site for a mural by renowned artist Pau Quintanajornet. "With each person that comes into the Café, we are given the opportunity to show them what recovery looks like," said Director Ian Panyko. "This project shows that we've had an impact and that people support what we're doing. The community was engaging the artist while she was working — it was very common to see her sitting with community members having breakfast and waxing philosophical over a cup of coffee."
LVP PublicationBethlehem Press
'Chrissy's PAW'some Art' at the Lodge
Art is doggone good. Just ask painter Christine (Chrissy) Hamscher and Sadie, her certified emotional support animal — an adorable Marshmallow (Maltese/Shih Tzu mix). Their joint exhibit "Chrissy's PAW'some Art" is on display in the Cappuccino Room of Café the Lodge. "I'm an advocate for fighting against the stigma of mental health diagnosis," Hamscher said. "Everyone is in a different point in their mental health journey." Café the Lodge at 427 E. Fourth St. is a full-service café that employs people in recovery from mental health challenges and displays artwork from artists in recovery.
LVP PublicationLVP Publication
Celebrating healing through art
Kevin McCabe, assistant director of Café the Lodge, explained the café offers transitional employment to people of Northampton County who have a mental health diagnosis that is a barrier for employment. "We work on the barriers and help them find competitive employment," McCabe said. There's also a residential program for residents of Northampton County who are low income, have a mental health diagnosis and are struggling with independence. "We're two separate companies but one big community," said Angela Lender of Recovery Partnership and Cafe the Lodge.
Restaurant ReviewThe Morning Call
Bethlehem's Cafe the Lodge is good for the soul and stomach
Cafe The Lodge in Bethlehem is a full-service cafe that employs people in recovery from mental health challenges. Clients prepare and serve quality coffee, tea, pastries and wholesome breakfasts and lunches in an environment that affirms self-determination. Chef Allen Singer holds a Cuban Sandwich featuring sliced ham, pulled pork, a dill pickle, Swiss cheese, and garlic aioli — alongside a Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with harvest salad featuring baby greens, apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, and red onion with a raspberry vinaigrette.
FeatureBethlehem Press
Cafe the Lodge offers more than a job to those with mental illness
Opened in March 2012, the Lodge is open to the public with easy access through a gate off the South Bethlehem Greenway. Located in the former Connell Funeral Home, Café the Lodge's backyard with its benches and goldfish pond welcomes anyone seeking relaxation in a peaceful setting. Where friends celebrate greatness in self and others.
Bethlehem PressBethlehem Press
'Like a wink and a smile'
We take a tour through a local neighborhood to find out what's made in South Bethlehem. Cafe Lodge doesn't just make good food — they make good jobs for people who may not have them otherwise. "Our mission is to take away the stigma," says program director Aaik Van Munster. What makes Cafe the Lodge unique as a business is its dedication to providing work and a sense of purpose for those with mental illness. "The coffee is great. The Cuban sandwich is great."
