In Chittenango, NY, a little under a half-hour from campus, Sarah Beagle has opened one of the newest and trendiest hotspots for coffee lovers – Serendipity Cafe. I spoke with Sarah virtually to ask her about the cafe and how it came to be.

Not only does the cafe have a delightful menu for handcrafted drinks, there are always handmade baked goods for sale, which are made by Sarah as well.

“I started baking at home in 2018 and started making cupcakes for friends & family,” she says. “By summer of 2019 I was booked every weekend for graduation parties, weddings, birthdays etc.” But, she always wanted to open her own bakery as well.

She says that she also found herself searching for cute cafes in the area, of which there were none. Not a chain like Dunkin’ or Starbucks, but a spot for people to gather, do some homework, and stay awhile. Alas, Serendipity Cafe – a combination of her love for baking and her desire to introduce a place she felt the area was missing.

Sarah says she loves how creative this job allows her to be. She gets the freedom to come up with new drinks and baked treats constantly. Not only this, she says that the cafe allows her to “connect with the community” and “talk to people [she] normally wouldn’t interact with” 

The cafe prides itself on service and being customer-oriented in order to provide a good experience for everyone. Sarah adds that “creativity and individualism” are values their workplace holds strong to.

Creativity at Serendipity is all around you. From the second you walk in you can feel how unique and fun the space is, and the menu isn’t like anything else in the area, making them truly one of a kind. 

I asked Sarah to describe the process of creating new drinks for the menu, and she told me a little of the trial-and-error process of finding the perfect drinks. She handcrafts a syrup to perfection in house, something not many cafes do, and then gradually adds the syrup to a latte little by little until the drink is exactly how she wants it to be. This process is more time consuming than simply buying syrups from a wholesale site or retailer, but you can certainly taste the difference because the handmade syrups are absolutely to die for. 

For Valentine’s Day, Sarah created a red velvet latte, which is a personal favorite of mine. It tasted exactly like red velvet cake in a cup of coffee, topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. Another fan favorite is their caramel macchiato and their Nutella latte. She adds that they “go through pounds of Nutella a week.” For a little sneak peak of their upcoming spring menu, Sarah mentioned they will be doing a Lucky Charms cereal milk latte for St. Patrick’s Day.

Since the cafe’s opening in January, it has gathered quite a diverse crowd. Sarah says they frequently see families with kids on the way to school or day care, older people meeting to catch up, high school students, and young adults. But, they do already have a few regulars they see every single day.

Even though the cafe is quite new, this is not stopping Sarah from taking the world by storm with her plans for the cafe’s future. Her plan for the near future is for “Serendipity to be available to rent out for bridal showers, baby showers, and birthday parties.” And, for the more distant future, she would love to have Serendipity switch over from a coffee cafe to a wine bar at dinnertime, which is yet another creative and bright idea to bring to Chittenango.

Fun drinks and baked goods aren’t all the cafe sells; they have a retail section filled with shirts, cups, candles, and other goodies made by small businesses from Etsy stores. 

To connect with Serendipity Cafe on social media, they can be found @serendipitycafe315 on Instagram, and on Facebook as Serendipity Cafe. Sarah mentions she enjoys customer ideas and recommendations, so feel free to reach out.

If you’re looking to stop by the cafe to try out a drink or some fresh baked goods, it is located at 620 E. Genesee St. in Chittenango, NY. Monday through Friday they’re open as early as 6:30 a.m., and they open at 8 a.m. on the weekend.

(Photos featured in this story are from Serendipity Cafe’s Instagram page, @serendipitycafe315)