The Alley Cat Cafe is known for its adorable cats (from Browncoat Cat Rescue) and welcoming environment. Some people know the cafe from its feature in the Netflix documentary “Inside the Mind of a Cat.” Alley Cat Cafe is where you go when you need relief from the hustle and bustle of Cornell life. After spending time with the cats, you can order the purrfect drinks, sandwiches and treats to satisfy your taste buds —or perhaps cope with not leaving with one of the cats that has sat on your lap for 20 minutes and began making biscuits on your hoodie. One thing you may not know about this cafe, however, is how deeply it’s connected to its community. According to the owner, Kristin, Alley Cat Cafe works with a diverse list of small businesses specializing in a wide variety of goods.
Beautiful black kitty hiding in front of the entrance of Alley Cat Cafe’s cat space on Feb. 11, 2024. (Taryn Chung/Sun Staff Photographer)
Madeline’s Bakery
Madeline’s is the bakery behind many of the Cat Cafe’s sweet treats. Madeline’s is a (primarily) wholesale business that’s an “independent, small, minority, women-owned business.” Their cupcakes come in chocolate, mocha, vanilla, lemon and red velvet flavors. Their buttercream icing comes in vanilla, chocolate, mocha, coconut. Madeline’s also offers white or dark chocolate ganache as frosting. As a sweet bonus, all cupcakes come with sprinkles. In addition to cookies, scones and custom layered cakes, Madeline’s also makes specialty cakes and other desserts, some of which can be made vegan and/or gluten free upon request. Alley Cat Cafe does offer some of Madeline’s gluten free and vegan options, ranging from tiramisu, creme brulees, flans, pots de creme and several kinds of chocolate mousse.
Cakes from Madeline’s Bakery on display on Alley Cat Cafe, pictured on Feb. 11, 2024. (Taryn Chung/Sun Staff Photographer)
Little Tiger Bakery
Little Tiger Bakery also provides Alley Cat Cafe with other pastries including Alley Cat’s famous “meowcarons” (macarons). Little Tiger Bakery is a queer-owned home bakery supplying private and wholesale orders in Ithaca. Little Tiger Bakery’s Instagram page documents numerous masterpieces created for Alley Cat Cafe in addition to macarons: a cat-shaped cake, vegan cardamom cupcakes, scones alongside vegan and gluten free chocolate cake topped with fresh strawberries.
Gil’s Honeybees
Alley Cat Cafe also sells honey that can be purchased by the jar. Gil’s Honey is a family-owned apiary (a place where beehives are kept) in Ithaca that’s run by three generations of beekeepers. Gil’s produces “raw artisan honey” preserving “the natural pollen, enzymes, and nutrients” using a process free of added chemicals. Gil’s harvests different kinds of honey during spring, summer and early fall. In addition to honey by the jar, Gil’s also sells beeswax products, offering an assortment of beeswax candles and self-care products such as lip balm and skin cream.
Oak & Crow Coffee
Oak & Crow is a small, wholesale coffee roaster based in the Finger Lakes, started “as a way to bring delicious coffees to musicians, articles, cyclists and blue collar workers that keep our communities running at a reasonable price by keeping operations simple.” Oak & Crow also operates a coffee bar in Angelhearts Diner located on East State St in Ithaca (Angelhearts Diner is currently closed for renovations with plans to reopen early 2024, according to their website).
Remembrance Farm
Based in Trumansburg, Remembrance Farm is an 100-acre biodynamic vegetable and dairy farm specializing in “growing salad greens and root vegetables for sale to local stores and restaurants.” Remembrance also provides households with greens through a cooperative Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program called Full Plate Farm Collective. They also farm dairy, providing organic raw milk, cheese and yogurt to people in Remembrance Dairy CSA.
Lively Run Dairy
Alley Cat Cafe utilizes goat cheese from Lively Run Dairy, “one of the longest operating commercial goat dairies in the country.” Production began at Lively’s family-owned and -operated creamery in the Finger Lakes Region of New York in 1982. Lively Run has a section on their website dedicated to their goats; their herd “consists of French Alpines and Swiss Sannens.” All goats are fed a “wholesome diet of local forage and feed” and they love the attention of guests. People can visit the herd from May through October.
Alley Cat Cafe works hard to be an inclusive space not only for its customers, but also for the businesses they work with. By collaborating with so many small and local businesses, Kristin emphasized how the Alley Cat Cafe provides community for people from all walks of life, in the same way that food can bring people together. “We want to nurture people’s bodies as well as their hearts,” providing a space where both felines and humans alike can bond and knead “biscuits.”
Owner of the Alley Cat Cafe, Kristin, posing in front of collections of tea. (Taryn Chung/Sun Staff Photographer)
Daniela Rojas, dining editor, is a third-year student in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].