After undergoing nearly two years of renovations, Pullen Park has reopened full of improvement, including a new cafe that supports locally produced food.

The park has been under construction since December 2009 and the project cost about $6 million to complete. Pullen Park is North Carolina’s first amusement park; it was established in 1887.

On Saturday, the park opened for the first time since construction started. Students and Raleigh families alike strolled through the new park where they were able to enjoy updated facilities, including a new climate-controlled carousel house.

In addition to the updates made to original park facilities, a new cafe has been added. Pullen Place Cafe and Catering offers healthy eating options for park visitors that are locally produced.

“We’re a cafe located in the park serving locally sourced food at low prices. We want to be a food destination for N.C. State students and the people of Raleigh,” Steve Mangano, one of the Pullen Place founders, said.

According to Mangano, providing local food was one of the main priorities of the business. The menu will be seasonal in accordance to what local producers are able to provide.

“It’s something that we’re very passionate about. The park is a place where the whole community comes together, so the opportunity to offer locally produced food to the public was too good to pass up,” Mangano said.

The menu of the café is very different from standard amusement park fare; while it does include hotdogs and hamburgers, things like hummus and pita, deli sandwiches and salads are also available.

Mangano said that offering healthy options was one of the most important things to the owners. The menu has a wide variety and a fairly low price point, with no individual items priced at over $7.

“Students can come by to get something quick and then return to the park and enjoy their day,” Mangano said.

While the Pullen Place facilities are small, Mangano says that serving large quantities of people at once will not be an issue. It is a walk-up service and there are 50 outdoor seats available near the café in addition to covered areas interspersed around the park.

“We’re able to serve a lot of people. Storage is really our biggest issue, not so much volume,” Mangano said.

Rianne Whittington, freshman in political science, says she is excited to visit the newly updated park since it has consistently been under renovation since her arrival at the University.

“I definitely want to go see it sometime soon. I’ve heard a lot of people talk about it but I have never visited it before,” Whittington said.

Whittington is excited to see a cafe offering local food and healthy menu options.

“The only options on campus are the dining hall or places like Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell, so it’s good to have some healthy options off-campus,” Whittington said.

Matt Walker, senior in communications, found it interesting that Pullen Park not only added a cafe, but that it provides so many healthy eating options.

“I find it interesting that it’s a healthy food place and not something like a McDonald’s,” Walker said.

Walker also said that having a full-service cafe makes Pullen Park stand out as a city park.

“I’ve never seen a city park with a cafe. It makes it different and more attractive,” Walker said.