Syracuse grab and go cafe opens as first ‘spark’ for creative corridor - syracuse.com

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Syracuse, N.Y. — Jake Roberts and his partners have a lot of creative plans for the corridor along East Fayette Street just east of Interstate 81.

And a lot of those plans have changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But there is a starting point: It’s Edible Marketplace Café, a combination grab-and-go food market, coffee shop, local products boutique and, potentially, a culinary education and demonstration space.

Edible is located 712 E. Fayette St. and is operated by Crystal City | Creative Spaces LLC, a cooperative development company founded by Roberts that now has 50 partners. It may be best known for its involvement with the Spark Contemporary Art Space, which closed in April 2019 and is still looking for a new home.

Other Crystal City projects in the works include a wellness apothecary and grocery to be located in the Sylvester Building at the corner of East Fayette and Irving Avenue, and a collaboration with University United Methodist Church on a food pantry/commissary at the corner of East Genesee Street and University Avenue.

Those aren’t exactly the original plans that Roberts and Crystal City envisioned, but they’re still excited about them.

“Like everyone else since this (pandemic) began, we’ve had to learn to pivot,” Roberts said. “I think at this point we’ve learned to pivot pretty well.”

The Edible Marketplace Café is the first visible piece. It opened quietly in early October and continues to add to its offerings.

Roberts uses many terms to describe it, including bodega, typically a small convenience market and meeting place in an urban neighborhood.

“It’s made for the city, and people living in and visiting the city," he said.

Edible was initially planned as a culinary demonstration kitchen, where chefs would show off their skills and customers would dine in.

It still has tables, but the pandemic has shifted the focus more to takeout. The menu includes pastries and baked goods, soups, sandwiches, salads and flatbreads, and coffees roasted by several local companies, like Kubal and Recess.

Think avocado toast, hummus and lots of greens. It’s vegetarian-friendly and makes use of as much local seasonal produce as possible. There’s also brunch and all-day breakfast, or “brekkie.”

Edible is looking to add other foods produced locally, such as Pasta’s Daily Bread, Sweet Praxis bake shop, Glazed and Confused donuts and more.

“A big part of what we want to do is promote other local businesses,” Roberts said.

Edible will aim to keep prices “fair,” Roberts said, while also donating some proceeds to charity.

The dining area is decorated with work from local artists.

The culinary demonstrations and other dining features may come eventually, but are currently on hold. The hours are also evolving: For now it’s open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, but will likely expand in the future.

Meanwhile, Crystal City’s initial plan to locate some elements of the Spark art space to its spot in the Sylvester Building is currently “on the shelf.” Instead, the health and wellness shop will go there.

“It’s more of a grocery experience, with a focus on health and nutrition,” Roberts said.

The food pantry/commissary at University United Methodist includes prepared and boxed foods to feed families, plus some space for people in need to help make their own.

Through various leases, Crystal City has “control of a lot of real estate” in the East Fayette Street area, Roberts said.

He foresee that corridor becoming a thriving urban district, especially with the completion of the bike pathway on and near Erie Boulevard and the potential for major changes with Interstate 81 through the city.

“This is an area that has great potential,” he said. “That’s why we want to be here.”

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Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.

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Syracuse grab and go cafe opens as first ‘spark’ for creative corridor - syracuse.com
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