Get a Latin-inspired coffee and a ‘warm welcome’ at this Redwood Road cafe

This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter. To get the full newsletter every Wednesday, subscribe at sltrib.com/newsletters.

Hello, Eaters! Utah County folks are already well acquainted with Guayoyo Cafe’s original location in Pleasant Grove, which opened last summer in a cute historic building that has a seating area out front.

But I didn’t hear about Guayoyo Cafe until owners Numa Parra and his wife, Emilia Garcia, opened a second location in June, at 7173 S. Redwood Road in West Jordan.

The new Redwood Road location — next door to Jurassic Tacos — doesn’t have that charming outdoor seating area, but the interior is gorgeous, with a knickknack shelf full of colorful mugs, plus lots of windows, greenery and soft lighting.

Parra brought his family to the United States from Venezuela in 2014, and he and his wife have started multiple businesses here. With his son David Fuenmayor translating, Parra said he got the idea to open a coffee shop partly because he’s a big fan of coffee.

The result was Guayoyo Cafe, a Latin-influenced coffee shop named for a type of Venezuelan pour-over coffee, where you can find multiple members of Parra’s family taking orders and serving drinks. Fuenmayor said achieving a homey feel at the cafe was a main focus.

“We try to get that familiar, warm welcome, so everybody will feel comfortable,” he said.

Parra’s daughter Ana Parra said that when the family first came from Venezuela, they lived in Miami for a few years, and found a strong sense of “cultural unity” there.

But when they moved to Utah, they found “there wasn’t a place where people from all over the world could come in and feel like home,” Ana Parra said.

So they drew inspiration for their menu from a variety of countries, “where everybody could have something that they liked,” she said.

Inspired by Argentina, they brought in baked empanadas (which are outstanding, and come with some really great sauces). Their coffee comes from Colombia, Guatemala and Costa Rica. The picanha sandwich comes from Brazil, and the coffee drink called “El Bombon” comes from Spain (read about both in the “Dish of the Week” section of the newsletter).

Whatever coffee drink you order will be gorgeous; all of the drinks at Guayoyo Cafe have tons of visual appeal, with dashes of cinnamon and drizzles of syrups and sauces making them perfect for your Instagram. If you really want to go all out for a photo, get a coffee flight, which comes with four different mini drinks and little cookies.

The food menu is pretty simple at the moment, but Ana Parra said they plan to expand their menu soon with brunch offerings.

The West Jordan location of Guayoyo Cafe is open Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

Food News

• The next farmers market at Central 9th Market,which the business started in July, is happening Thursday, Aug. 14, from 5 to 8 p.m., according to an Instagram post. The event at Jefferson Street and 900 South will feature local produce, flowers, eggs, honey, pastries and freshly made food.

• Woodbine Food Hall, at 545 W. 700 South in Salt Lake City’s Granary District, is now open Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to an Instagram post. If you’re an early riser in the mood for coffee, stop by Old Cuss’s new Woodbine booth, which is also now open on Sundays starting at 8 a.m.

The current lineup of vendors at Woodbine includes Mozz Artisan Pizza, Salt City Barbecue, Chunky & Co., Yakuza Ramen, Dom’s Burgers, Shwe Letyar Sushi, Deadpan Sandwich and Old Cuss Cafe.

• Utah cheese maker Beehive Cheese won three medals at the American Cheese Society Competition in July in Sacramento, according to a news release, including a first-place award for its Barely Buzzed, rubbed with espresso and lavender. You can pick up multiple flavors of Beehive Cheese at Harmons grocery stores.

• Another Utahn has made a splash on the Food Network. Former Brigham Young University gymnast Rebekah Bean Ripley, known for a “Barbie”-themed floor routine that went viral, is one of the contestants on the current season of “Worst Cooks in America.” (The season was filmed months ago, before the death of co-host Anne Burrell in June.) This season features people who have performing or artistic skills that don’t extend to the kitchen. Ripley squeaked through the season’s first episode, which aired July 28, and was safe on this Monday’s episode. (Sean P. Means)

Openings:

• Sugar House Pizza is now open in the front of Fiddler’s pub at 1063 E. 2100 South in Salt Lake City. When I talked to the owners of Fiddler’s in June, they said Sugar House Pizza will be a family-friendly, quick-service restaurant with pizza by the slice. It’s open Thursday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

• Moena Cafe opened last week in Daybreak, at 11098 S. Grandville Ave. in South Jordan, according to a news release. Started by Eric and Nicole Chang in Hawaii, Moena Cafe serves Hawaiian-inspired food like loco moco, native-flavor pancakes and fresh seafood, the release said.

Booze (and Drink!) News

• A secret panel of judges has whittled down the list of contenders in this year’s Mountain Mixer Park City cocktail contest to 10 finalists. They are:

Alpine Sunset Frosé – Sara Sergent, Park City Social Aid & Pleasure Club

Gin Rummy – Robert Coman, Pine Cone Ridge

Lavender Summit – Victor Wilson, Pine Cone Ridge

Melt – AJ Anderson, Handle

Nebbia – Katelyn Fraser, Butcher’s Chop House & Bar

R&R Sour – Megs Miller, The Brass Tag – Deer Valley

Smokey & The Bourbon – Jason Yelton, Butcher’s Chop House & Bar

The Cryptid’s Call – Liam Bridgham, High West Saloon

Ube Halo – Charles Vincent Franco, Grub Steak Park City

Wildflower 75 – Elena Filote, Cena Ristorante

These bartenders will move on to participate in the live, in-person competition on Aug. 21. Tickets are available here.

Dish of the Week

For lunch at Guayoyo Cafe, I got the “El Conquistador” sandwich, filled with slices of a type of Brazilian steak called picanha, along with truffle aioli, sriracha aioli, arugula tossed with salt and pepper, chimichurri made in house, Swiss cheese and red roasted peppers.

This sandwich was so tasty: The meat was unbelievably tender and flavorful, and the combination of all the different components just really sang.

To go with my sandwich, I got the “El Bombon” coffee drink, made with equal parts condensed milk and coffee, and topped with vanilla cream. It was the perfect combination of sweet and robust, even while I asked for half the typical amount of condensed milk. But really, you can’t go wrong with any of Guayoyo Cafe’s signature coffees.