More Room at the Table: Trinity Church Expands Popular One Table Cafe Community Meals to Offer Lunches

One Table visitors enjoy dinner together. Photos by James Scott.

Princeton’s newest lunch spot offers tasty food prepared by the Momo Brothers, reasonable prices, and the chance to meet people from all walks of life in the Princeton community.

Trinity Church has expanded it popular One Table Cafe to cater to the lunch crowed three times a week. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between noon and 1 p.m., you can stop by the church at 33 Mercer Street and enjoy a simple lunch that includes soup, salad, fresh bread, sandwiches, and great company.

“It’s so much fun to sit down at a table with people you might have never met otherwise,” says Julie Denny, co-chair of Trinity’s outreach committee. “You can come alone or come with friends, and expand your horizons. It’s a wonderful way to build community and make friends.”

At One Table, seniors, seminarians, local business people and members of area civic groups mingle in an informal setting. The payment policy for One Table is “pay as you can.” Some people pay more than what the meal would cost, while others pay $1. The system has worked well so far, organizers say.

The original monthly One Table dinners, held on the third Friday of each month, began about a year ago. The program was created to break down racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and other barriers and foster a sense of community.

While the lunch program is more casual and is served buffet style, the monthly One Table dinners are more formal, with table service and touches like candlelight and flowers. There is also usually a speaker or performance offered in the evenings. The dinners are also so popular that you need to book a seat in advance. In January, the One Table dinner served 160 people. The next One Table dinner will be served Feb. 17.

Trinity decided to expand One Table to offer lunches with the encouragement and support of the Momo Brothers. The dinners are underwritten by participating restaurants, and the Momo Brothers provide the lunches at cost.

Seven people attended the first lunch program this Monday, and 14 people came on Wednesday. If the success of the monthly dinners is any indication,  as word of the lunch program spreads the numbers will continue to grow.

Denny encourages people working downtown, passers by and those in search of some company or a desire to meet new people to check out One Table on their lunch breaks.

“We don’t take reservations for lunch,” she says. “Just drop in and join us.”

For more information about One Table Cafe visit www.onetablecafe.org.

The Rev. William Carter (c), performs with Jeff Nathanson (r), exec. director of the Arts Council, at a One Table dinner.
Princeton area residents get acquainted at a recent One Table dinner at Trinity Church.