BizBeat: Green Leaf Cafe to open Monday

The Green Leaf Cafe & Coffee Bar will debut with a soft opening Monday.

Owner Brandy Rodriguez said the cafe at 512 Ellis Blvd., Unit U, in Jefferson City, will open with limited food service Monday, allowing the new cafe to work out kinks before a grand opening scheduled July 9.

"We're getting all of our ducks in a row," Rodriguez said. "We've been testing everything."

After the grand opening, Green Leaf Cafe will serve pastries, coffee and bagels with a New York flair. Rodriguez's husband, David, hails from New York, so they tried to bring a bit of the Big Apple to the Midwest.

The Rodriguezes initially opened the Green Leaf Cafe at a different location in January 2017. Its run ended up being short-lived, as the cafe closed after 11 days when the owner of its building sold.

The couple also owns local child care center The Academy of Innovative Learners at 2216 Stonehill Road. The original cafe location was designed to serve families and staff members at the nearby child care center.

"It was off the beaten path, " Rodriguez said. "We're ready to get it open and get going."

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