It’s amazing how sometimes when you walk into a restaurant, a store, or cafe you can immediately feel the atmosphere that the owners are aiming for. This is exactly what happened to me the second I stepped foot in Jade’s Cafe, it was as if there was an enchanting aura that enveloped the entire space. The vibe that the owners, Halle and Mason Squires, are trying to achieve is a laid back cozy cafe, somewhere you feel right at home. In Halle’s words, “My favorite, we have this lady that comes in with her mom. Her mom’s old enough that the one time she gets out is to come get breakfast, and I loved creating a place for them to do that” she continues, “I’ve loved getting to host different groups of people, and just creating a place for people to come out and enjoy something together.”
Jade’s Cafe opened in the summer of 2023. It’s always been Halle’s dream to open a coffee shop, and name it Jade’s Cafe, Jade being her middle name. Any time she vacations she insists on finding the cutest shops, on her most recent vacation she visited four in an hour just to see which was her favorite. Describing her dream becoming a reality, Halle says, “I always wanted to open it. I had envisioned how I wanted it and everything, I just didn’t know how it was going to be possible. But then, after we were married, I told Mason my interest in it, and he was like, ok, let’s do it, I’ll make it possible. So, he figured out all the logistics, and then I figured out how to make it pretty.” And make it pretty she did, the decor is reflective of the theme of the restaurant, “Food for the Mountains.” Rustic furnishings, deep rich colors and warm light, and lots of beautiful vintage photos of Halle and Mason’s family on what Halle calls the ancestor wall. The beauty and attention to detail shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone because Halle has a background in interior design. She owns and runs Nomad Soul with her mom and sisters, the store right next door to Jade’s. They’ve been running a very successful interior design business at other locations, but decided when they found what Halle describes as their “forever store” they would attach a cafe, “So it’s like, you come out with your girls, shop, eat, it’s a whole experience.” If cozy and comfy are what you’re going for, you’ll find it at Jade’s Cafe.
The view from the restaurant can not be beat, and it’s so appropriate with the theme of the restaurant, looking directly out you have the most spectacular view of Mount Timpanogos. When I mentioned how inspiring the view was, both Mason and Halle touted it as one of the reasons they love this location, describing it as magical. Mason fondly recalls always visiting Heber Valley from the other side of Timpanogos, a short drive through Provo Canyon from his home town of Alpine. He says,“This is the perfect place to be up in the mountains, there’s three really great lakes for fishing close by.” So why “Food for the Mountains?” Mason relates, “I don’t know if you’re like me and my wife, we never like eating the same thing all the time, we like to try something new.” Halle continues, talking about Jade’s Cafe, “It’s hearty. It’s real food. That’s what I told our chef when he was like, ‘What do you want it to be like?’ I’m like, ‘I want it to be something that your mom would make for you in the morning but better.’ And so it’s just good home cooking, nothing so out of the norm that you’re not sure what it is yet, but it’s good.” Their menu is quite distinctive, it has your standard items like steak and eggs (for breakfast from 7 am to 2 pm) but it also features some more unique options like sticky pork belly (offered at dinner from 4 to 9 pm.) Halle gets a whole restaurant named after her, but don’t you worry, Mason gets his fifteen seconds of fame too, Mason’s Jar is a brownie and pudding dessert served in a mason jar, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Dinner is a newer addition to the cafe, they were both excited when they started serving dinner, “I think it was fun to see our chef get to do a whole new category. He’s so creative, and he has so many ideas. I feel like we tasted a small little bit of what he could do with breakfast, and now we’re getting a little bit more with dinner, and then it will just be ever changing.” Their goal is to hold on to their menu for a season or so and then give their chef, Michael Grieco, a chance to dazzle the cafe with something new. Maybe you’re only looking for coffee, it is a cafe after all. They have a great selection, their hot blend comes from Stumptown Coffee out of Portland, while their cold brew comes from a local roaster called Pink Elephant just down the road in Heber.
In Halle and Mason’s estimation, what they love most about Jade’s Cafe is getting to meet all the different people that stop by. Halle describes one group in particular that she loves, “We have a ladies coffee club that comes in once a week.
It is so enjoyable to see them come and have a place where they feel comfortable, can sit and chat for hours and just enjoy it. I think that’s been the most fun.” The Squires love being in a smaller area like Heber because of the great community that it espouses. They’ve taken ownership of that community and the service that they are providing to this town, they want to take that service even further. Ultimately, it’s Halle’s goal to open more Jade’s Cafe locations. She states, “We’re looking to open in Saint George next and that will be ‘Food for the Desert’ and kind of just moving to each location, targeting exactly the environment, the landscape of each place, and making it [the cafe] feel like wherever you are. For other locations we would only pick small towns, so that we can get to know our people and be a part of the community.” I love the idea of emphasizing the things that make a community great and theming a restaurant after them, Jade’s is the perfect example of that. Wherever the future takes Jade’s Cafe, Heber Valley is a better place for having Mason and Halle building our community with a place everyone can go to enjoy something together.
Drop in for a hearty meal, a visit, or a cup of coffee at Jade’s Cafe.
200 Gateway Drive, Heber City | jadescafe.com
