Cafe 180
“We believe everyone deserves good food.”
CAFE 180 is a sacred place. For fifteen years, this light‑filled corner cafe in Englewood has welcomed neighbors to share good food with gracious hospitality. The promise of the cafe is profound: the way a meal is served with dignity cultivates belonging. “We’ve been really careful to never change the way we serve people or the way we present food depending on how much someone’s paying for it,” says Sarah Lesyinski, Executive Director of One Good Turn, the parent organization of CAFE 180
Founded in 2010, CAFE 180 was born from a vision that neighbors flourish when they eat together and work together. Over the last decade and a half of serving food in Englewood, the business model has adapted with the changing needs of the neighborhood. But their core mission remains true: food, dignity, and community. Over 15 years, CAFE 180 has served over 150,000 meals to people experiencing food insecurity, with 100,000+ volunteer hours, and more than 1.5 tons of garden produce that has been donated and used in meals.
CAFE 180 remains a constant presence in a neighborhood of shifting cultural and economic changes. It is open weekdays for breakfast and lunch and provides catering across the Denver metro area. All proceeds go to support preparing meals for neighbors experiencing food insecurity. “We are serving anywhere from six to seven hundred meals per week,” Sarah notes, which is a reminder of the need and the tangible way the cafe loves their neighbors. When you walk inside CAFE 180, you find a lunch‑forward menu—sandwiches, soups, salads, pizzas—made with care and priced for families to be able to go out to eat. It is an attractive restaurant that refuses pretense. A place where regulars are known by name, and newcomers are inspired by how their $10 lunch can be a small part of meeting the bigger needs of the community.
The stories of CAFE 180 are as nourishing as the food. Sarah smiles sharing David’s story. David first came in to work for a meal while experiencing homelessness. He volunteered around the cafe for six months, then one morning, when volunteering, he fixed a problem with the electricity in the cafe—drawing on his 35 years as an electrician. His gifts that had been hidden by hard seasons were welcomed back. “Watching people use their gifts and talents in a way that they don't typically get to, happens all the time here at the cafe. It is so special, because people have a lot of gifts and talents, and you can't always see that when you first see them,” says Sarah.
Being rooted in place has led to being rooted in community responsibility. As housing costs rise and the neighborhood changes, CAFE 180 expanded its care—partnering with the city and schools, hosting community dinners, and educating neighbors about the often‑hidden reality of food insecurity. Sarah shares the truths about operating an organization at the intersection of community and food insecurity. “Food always brings people together. Sometimes that's easy, and sometimes that's really challenging. It feels over our 15 years the cafe has held both stories.” Her passion for the people and place is palpable: “My hope is that the cafe feels steady, a place of belonging, a place where people feel known.”
CAFE 180 is a living parable. It is a place of shared meals and shared lives. Its living legacy is a place of nourishment and belonging. A corner cafe where neighbors are known, their stories are heard, and the dignity of every person who walks through their doors is held. CAFE 180 is a sacred place.
Thank you to Sarah Lesyinski for her compassion for the deep needs of belonging and nourishment in our city, and her joyful conversation and contribution to this article.
