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A few years back, Rosendale was bookended both geographically and ideologically by 32 Lunch, no-nonsense blue-collar diner, on one end, and Rosendale Cafe, vegan, hippie cafe with brown rice and a weekly salsa night, on the other. Now, 32 Lunch’s successor is trying to span the gap with fresh-made American diner classics that appeal to everyone. Local stone mason Gerard Swarthout spent countless lunches sitting at the counter at 32 Lunch, watching the steady trickle of customers, the town drama, the political debates, and anecdote-swapping. “It was 20 years of market research,” he says. “This place was not so fancy, but you could still get a good egg sandwich. I knew what a gold mine it could be.”