Brooke Woffinden opened up Urban Pioneer Café 10 years ago. When it was time to find a new location, she wasn’t sure where she would end up. Lucky for her (and us!), the person who cleans the hoods over the fryer also cleaned the hoods here at SMBB. With the exchange of a business card, Brooke was able to apply to move into the café in the building. It was going to take a lot of work and a whole new business model, but from what I learned in this interview, Brooke isn’t the type to shy away from a challenge.
Urban Pioneer Café started off as Urban Pioneer Foods in Salt Lake City. They started with food focused catering made from scratch with high quality ingredients. In 2014 they started making prepared meals to heat at home. When the pandemic hit, catering virtually disappeared. Brooke was presented with a challenge, and of course, she stepped up. Switching gears to focus on prepared food to warm at home, she never had to close her doors. They stayed in that building for 9 years. Brooke says that the space “…brought so many amazing people into my life, challenged me in so many ways, gave me an incredible purpose and drive, made me appreciate my victories and talents, and was a huge part of my life for close to a decade. I’m ready to say goodbye – on to the next chapter!!! I will always be thankful for your shelter!”
Now she has a new menu, a new crew, a new location, and a brand-new business model. Here at SMBB, her approach is much more café oriented. Applying her 47 years of experience, she offers homemade comfort food rooted in global traditions. Things like her favorite, the Pot Roast Bahn Mi Dip. This sandwich combines Pot Roast with Thai sauces and pickled veggies, and is all stuffed inside of a French baguette. But that’s not all! A seasoned au jus is provided to dip this sandwich. Yum! Faculty, students, and staff can come in and order from her menu that includes both breakfast and lunch items. You can also pick up daily baked pastries, fruit cups, and pasta salads. Breakfast is served all day, and they also offer a full espresso bar, salads, and sandwiches. Everything is made in house with local ingredients. She also uses compostable packaging if you need it to-go, but there are dishes and tables available as well. Sustainable AND delicious!
Brooke goes above and beyond when sourcing her ingredients. Utilizing the relationships with local growers, she is able to find home-grown ingredients for her home-made food all year. Using great ingredients makes her food great, and it is only going to get better. Soon she hopes to have take-and-heat dinners available for people to pick up on the way home. There are also plans in the works for a website with online ordering available. Plans to include more grab-and-go options are also in motion, with a hope of box lunch and catering included in the future plans. Big things have come from Brooke, and I think there are even bigger things in the future.
Please stop by and support our new café. Open Monday – Friday, 8am-3pm. Located on the west side of the Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building (SMBB).
MENU