All-around ‘A Good Time’ at Jessie Jean’s on 25th
Anna and Ron Davidson, owners of Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
The coffee mug trading shelf at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. Customers can take a mug home with them if they like just bring another mug to replace it.
The salad bar at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Customers dine at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Unique hot sauces at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Black Lotus Coffee is roasted by Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Cheesecake and Black Lotus Coffee at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Smothered Burrito at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Mike's O'Brien breakfast at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
The Roasted Garlic Burger at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
The Crafty Pig sandwich with pulled pork and homemade Mac n' cheese at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Justin Price, cooks up a burger at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Anna and Ron Davidson, owners of Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Anna and Ron Davidson, owners of Jessie Jean's on Historic 25th Street in Ogden, are pictured Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Furloughed IRS workers come pick up a free meal box at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street during the government shutdown in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Ron Davidson hugs Emalee Rausch, IRS customer service representative, outside Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden after receiving free meal box for furloughed IRS workers on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
The Crafty Pig sandwich with pulled pork and homemade Mac n' cheese at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Mike's O'Brien breakfast at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Smothered Burrito at Jessie Jean's Homestyle Cafe on 25th Street in Ogden on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
OGDEN — Fill your cup, your plate and your heart with “A Good Time” at Jessie Jean’s on Historic 25th Street.
No, really, “A Good Time” is one of the stellar coffee blends that you’ll find brewed up each day at this local diner.
But it’s also what your taste buds will be having and your heart will be feeling.
Jessie Jean’s started out in Roy back in 2000, when coffee shops were hard to come by. It built up a devoted clientele and business was brisk, but Anna and Ron Davidson, co-owners, needed space to grow.
When a spot opened up on Historic 25th Street in 2018, the Davidson’s plotting and scheming came to fruition and the beloved diner moved to a new location.
It’s taken time, but Anna says the new location has “transitioned into home” for them.
“I love the space and it’s finally getting personality into it,” she said. “People know it’s the same Jessie Jean’s as in Roy.”
The same personality-wise. The menu has changed a bit, and some new ways were tried.
After a stint with table service, where a server comes to your table to take your order, Anna opted to return to counter service. She wasn’t seeing the teamwork happening with table service, and it didn’t feel quite right.
This transition was hard for Eva Snousnou who was hired as a server. At a meeting to talk about her struggles, Snousnou said she couldn’t multitask. Anna’s response was, “I’m going to teach you to bake.”
Baking the Anna way means being creative. She sees baking as an art form and taps into her creative side instead of simply following a recipe.
“I cook from a box,” Snousnou confided. But she learned the basics of baking and adds flavor combinations that Anna comes up with.
Now Anna has a baker helping in the kitchen, and Snousnou has kept her job — albeit not the job she was expecting. She even brought in her own recipe, for Texas sheet cake, that she got from her sister.
These sisters in the kitchen make different cheesecakes and other tasty pastries every day. No cheesecake is ever the same because of Anna’s artistic style of baking — which means you should try every cheesecake, even if you’ve tried that combination before.
In addition to dessert creations, you’ll find traditional diner dishes on the menu, along with some different takes and some modern favorites. What is consistently “diner” about all the dishes is the portion sizes.
Stopping in for breakfast? You can fortify yourself with oatmeal, sandwiches, bagels, eggs and more. The Old Timers is good old eggs and toast.
If you want some potatoes and meat to start your day, try Mike’s O’Briens — a huge plate full of diced red potatoes cooked just right with peppers and onions, topped with cheese and ranch with your choice of ham, bacon or sausage, plus an egg and toast. Be prepared to take at least half of this home. It’s as good re-heated as it is fresh.
For those who like their breakfast sweet, there are classics like pancakes, waffles and french toast; along with scones and muffins that are sometimes traditional flavors like blueberry and sometimes uniquely fashioned with trendier flavors like lavender — all made fresh in-house.
Don’t forget the coffee. Unlike a traditional diner, you have a bevy of choices, all roasted by Ron under the name Black Lotus — yes, it’s the same as the one on Kiesel Avenue. You can get traditional blends like Mexican and Italian, ranging from dark to light, or the flavor of the day.
Head over to the mug exchange if you’re dining in. Choose a mug that calls to you, fill it and fix it and stay for a while. If you like the mug, take it home and bring one to add to the exchange next time you stop in.
For something a bit stronger, try a latte. All lattes were created in Roy by Anna, customers and employees. Anna said the lattes range from “candy-like to not as sweet.” You can even make up your own.
Not the breakfast-any-time-of-day type? Jessie Jean’s has you covered with sandwiches, burgers, wraps, soup and more. Again, you’ll find traditional diner styles and delicious creations.
All soups are made from scratch. They range from fun takes on classics like spicy tomato soup, to new tasty concoctions like crack chicken.
Meats — including pork, brisket and bacon — are smoked in-house. The sirloin for the burgers and meatloaf is ground in the kitchen. Ron even makes the sausage.
Even the french fries are freshly cut and fried when you order them.
The ultimate comfort food meal is the Crafty Pig — it’s also Anna’s favorite. It’s a porker of a sandwich that includes melty mac and cheese, homemade bacon and pulled pork smoked in-house, topped with barbecue sauce.
On weekends, the creativity flows with out-of-the-box specials. These are posted on social media and served until they’re gone.
But the best thing about Jessie Jean’s is the love — the good time for your heart. It’s baked, smoked, cooked and roasted into the food and drinks. And it’s the driving force behind the business. Food and coffee are how the Davidson’s bring people together.
And they’re serving the community too.
Anna said business at the new location had been great … up until the government shutdown.
“Business is progressively getting worse the longer the shutdown goes,” Anna explained. “We’re not seeing the faces from the IRS office.”
Last week, Anna posted a special for government workers. Later that day, Amir Jackson from Nurture the Creative Mind stopped in and handed her some cash “to help cover the cost” of the special.
Anna posted about the donation on Facebook and money has been pouring in since. With tears in her eyes, Anna gushed about how amazing people have been.
She’s using the funds to create meals for the people working without pay. They made spaghetti, pork and meatloaf dinners, then Anna posted videos asking employees to come in and get the meals.
“We’ll keep doing this until the shutdown ends,” she said.
And Jessie Jean’s will keep being a supportive and loving community center for Ogden — feeding your body and soul while providing a space for you to be your authentic self.
ADDRESS: 195 Historic 25th St., Ogden
HOURS: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday, 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday
PRICES: $1-$15
PHONE: 801-779-8000