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Hello, Eaters! JJ Coffee Co., at 330 E. 400 South, on the ground floor of The Exchange apartments in downtown Salt Lake City, is the second location of a coffee shop started by husband-and-wife team Trevor and Brooke Schultz.

At JJ Coffee, you’ll find specialty coffee, fun takes on matcha, housemade bottled syrups available for purchase, a brief but delicious food menu, and a space you’ll be drawn to hang out in.

I recently had a good chat with co-founder Trevor Schultz and paid a visit to the new Salt Lake City location. He told me that at JJ Coffee, they’re in “the business of affordable luxuries.”

The origin story: Trevor Schultz is from Canada, and Brooke Schultz is from Virginia, but the two of them actually met in Australia, when Trevor was studying abroad. In time, they moved back to the United States, got married in Virginia, and then moved to Utah to start a family.

Trevor told me his first job in coffee was at Starbucks at age 17, but he gained his specialty coffee education in Sydney, where the coffee scene is “insane,” he said. Brooke always had a dream to open a coffee shop, he said, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, they came up with a plan for JJ Coffee Co.

They named their business using the first initial of the middle name of Trevor’s mom, Barbara Joan Schultz, who died in 2019, and Brooke’s dad, David James Price, who died in 2017. Trevor and Brooke opened their first location, in Orem, in 2022, and their SLC location in November.

The vibe: Brooke Schultz came up with the aesthetic of JJ Coffee’s SLC location, Trevor Schultz said. It’s modern and urban, with a concrete floor and exposed ceiling, but it also has glowy lanterns and touches of dark wood that keep it inviting and human. Lots of Gen Z hang out here, which is cool. You can watch the train and bustle of the city through an abundance of large windows.

The menu: People come to JJ Coffee for their flavored lattes — made with the small-batch syrups I mentioned earlier — the avocado toast, the banana bread (made from Brooke Schultz’s recipe) and the matcha lattes, Trevor Schultz said.

As far as food goes, in addition to avocado toast, JJ Coffee also serves bagels from Baby’s Bagels and pastries from Neighborhood Bakery, plus paninis.

A note on JJ Coffee’s matcha: On a recent trip to Japan, the Schultzes found that the Japanese are not strict about the way they drink matcha, like Americans can be. They saw it was actually really common for people to consume matcha sweetened, in fun flavors, and in whimsical forms (like matcha KitKats). At JJ Coffee, you can find matcha in fanciful drinks like the coconut ube matcha and the coconut water matcha.

To read about my order, scroll down to “Coffee & Treats of the Week.”

The hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

Food News

• Two of Salt Lake City’s most acclaimed chefs are teaming up for a one-night event. Nick Zocco, executive chef at Urban Hill, and Viet Pham, founder and chef of Pretty Bird, will collaborate on a six-course tasting menu, scheduled to be served Wednesday, July 29, at 6 p.m., at Urban Hill, 510 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City. Zocco and Pham both are James Beard Award finalists, and both have been victorious on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.” (Pham also beat Flay on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.”) Tickets for the event are $195 (optional beverage pairings and full bar available for an added charge), and can be purchased at Resy.com.

• Have you tried the Art Garten yet? The new pop-up gathering spot at 150 S. Main St., Salt Lake City — in the spot that used to be the Pantages Theatre — has been going for a couple of weeks now. It’s got a beer garden, rotating food and beverage vendors, lawn games, visual arts and family-friendly entertainment. It’s presented by The Blocks, the Downtown Alliance’s art program, and Hines, the developer for that bit of downtown real estate. Look for it Thursdays and Fridays, 5 to 8 p.m., now through September.

Openings:

• Former Utah State Sen. Aaron Osmond and his wife, Nancy, are planning to open the first Utah franchises of Juice It Up!, a national chain that sells health-conscious smoothies, superfruit bowls and raw juices. According to a news release, the Osmonds have signed a multi-unit development agreement to bring the brand to Utah — starting with a location at Herriman’s Copper View Plaza. No opening date was mentioned in the release. (And, yes, Aaron Osmond is related to the singing Osmonds; Donny is his uncle, and Marie is his aunt.)

Closings:

• Italian restaurant Cucina Toscana, at 282 S. 300 West in downtown Salt Lake City, closed last week after almost 30 years in business, according to a Facebook post. “The memories we’ve created together will stay with us forever,” the post said.

• Mountain View Mushrooms in Fillmore, which has been growing tasty fungi for 23 years, has closed for good, according to the farm’s website. (The Millard County Chronicle Progress covered the closure; thanks to The Tribune’s Heather May for spotting the story.)

Has a restaurant opened or closed in your neighborhood? Let us know at food@sltrib.com.

Booze (and Drink!) News

• Bar a Vin, the wine bar at 917 S. State St. in Salt Lake City, is looking for a new owner. In a post Thursday on Instagram, the bar’s operators announced “the next chapter,” and that it’s “seeking its next steward — a buyer, investor or operating partner who believes in what we’ve built and is excited about where it can go from here.” (The post makes it clear, in all caps, that “this is not a closing announcement.”) The current owner, Kasey Newman, pleaded not guilty last September to charges of sexual assault in two separate cases, which are both pending.

• High West Distillery is bringing prix-fixe dinners back to The Nelson Cottage, 651 Main St., Park City, the whiskey maker announced in a news release. The dinners — with seatings at 5 and 8 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays — feature seasonal flavors curated by High West’s culinary team, paired with the distillery’s whiskeys. Cocktails, wine and a selection of craft beers also are available. Dinners are $110 per guest, and reservations can be made at highwest.com.

Coffee & Treats of the Week

At JJ Coffee Co., I ordered an iced latte flavored with Brooke’s Banana Bread Syrup ($6.75), the classic avocado toast ($10) and a slice of banana bread ($5).

That syrup was dynamite, filled with warming spices and baked banana flavor. While sipping my latte, I fantasized about fall, even though it’s WAY too early to be thinking about fall.

As I ate the toast, I realized I’ve never ordered actual avocado toast before. I’d made it at home and thought it was lackluster, but I see the appeal now. This avocado toast is made with a slice of sourdough bread from Scott’s Bread and a generous fanning of avocado slices, with an olive oil drizzle, everything seasoning and fresh sprouts on top. Wow, wow, wow.

The banana bread was like my mom’s. Enough said.

— Tribune deputy enterprise editor Sean P. Means contributed to this article.