Jeanine and Keith Walashek opened Amped Coffee Company after raising their children. (Photo courtesy Jeanine Walashek)
the butter, almond and chocolate French pastries. Double chocolate, blueberry and banana nut muffins are offered as well. For those who want something lighter, there are Caesar and chicken Caesar salads. Grilled pita sandwiches – grilled cheese, ham and cheese, spicy Italian, chicken pesto, roast beef and green chile and Sonoran chicken wraps – are available. Want something to share at the table? There are mixed olives; chips and salsa; veggies and hummus; pita and hummus; Knight bread; grabbers; tomatoes and burrata; and the Plowman’s platter (meat and cheese board). The music end of Amped was inspired by their son, Austin, who’s a local musician and the booker at the eatery. “The music scene is just as important as the rest of the place,” Keith says. “We actively seek
out really good talent here in Arizona. Fridays and Saturdays you’ll see higher-caliber singers here.” Among those were Sophia Humbert, an Anthem singer-songwriter who hosted a concert there recently. “That was a good night for her,” Keith says. “She’s an Anthem gem.” In May, Amped is having auditions for its music competition, similar to “American Idol” and “The Voice.” The winner will receive a monthly, paid rotation at the venue. “Austin, Keith and I wanted to be able to give a new musician an opportunity to play here and what a better way than competition style,” she says. “They can learn and grow as the competition gets bigger and bigger. We give them a reward at the end. A paid gig is what every musician wants, right?” Amped is all things to the community, too. A 15-person conference room upstairs is frequently rented by Realtors and other businesspersons in the area. “They use Amped as their office, which is nice,” he says. “We all benefit. They don’t have the rent to pay and they have a nice place to bring their clients.” All around, the timing was perfect for Amped Coffee Company. “Restaurants are such a risky endeavor,” he says. “The failure rate is high. With the kids in the house, we didn’t want to take that risk and mess with the dynamics going on. The timing was perfect with them out of the house.” “Plus, Keith loves beer. I love coffee and we love music. It’s great.” Austin Walashek takes over the mic at Amped Coffee Company. (Photo courtesy Jeanine Walashek)
The baked goods at Amped are made fresh in-house daily.
Amped Coffee Company 3434 W. Anthem Way, Suite 102, Anthem 480-462-6733 ampedcoffeeco.com
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4220 W. Opportunity Way, Anthem, AZ 85086 (714) 552-6030 • www.desertlotusboutique.com MAY 2019 |
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