RE Farm Café Honored for Sustainability

Years of planning and work made Duke and Monica Gastiger’s RE Farm Café a reality when it opened this past summer in Patton Township. Now the unique restaurant at 1000 S. Fillmore Rd. has been honored with two awards for its green building and sustainability practices.

The U.S. Green Building Council Central Pennsylvania awarded RE Farm Café the Green Building of the Year Award for 2019. The award recognizes a project that ‘has demonstrated exceptional leadership in green building through the design, construction, or operations of the building.” 

The PA Restaurant and Lodging Association also honored the café with its Eco-Hero Award for 2019, which ‘recognizes a business that has developed a culture toward integrating superior environmental management and sustainable practices that improve everyday operations while maintaining quality service and meeting customer expectations.’

Sustainability is built into the fabric of RE Farm Café. It’s located on the site of the 57-acre Windswept Farm, which along with other locally  sourced food provides a true farm-to-fork dining experience and serves as a community resource through education and community supported agriculture.

The café utilizes solar energy and is designed to meet net positive water and energy standards. It uses induction cooking, which is high-efficiency without burning fossil fuels. Constructed with reclaimed and locally sourced materials, the regenerative nature of the property is apparent in every detail.

“The hardwood floors were originally from the State College Area High School that we repurposed, and these doors were recovered from an old church,’ Monica Gastiger told Town&Gown in October. ‘Our plates and bowls are mix-and-match because they are all from thrift stores or were donated to us.”

Even the napkins are each hand-sewn from donated or salvaged fabrics.

In addition to its dining experience — which is offered through advanced reservations and weekly pickup options — RE Farm Café also offers a variety cooking and agricultural classes throughout the year.

For more information, visit refarmcafe.com

RE Farm Cafe was awarded the Eco-Hero Award by the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association. Pictured from left are Jim Fris, PRLA chair; Duke Gastiger, RE Farm Café; and Tim Zugger, PRLA vice chair. Photo provided