From coffee to cuisine

By Wendy Brown | The New Mexican

12/9/2007

Joan Glover, owner of The Lucky Bean Coffee House & Goods in Rancho Viejo, has always "gone with the flow" when it comes to adding new items to the menu.

Over time, going with the flow has meant adding sandwiches, pizza, salads, quesadillas and other items to the menu, to the point where Glover now considers the establishment a restaurant.

Most recently, Glover said, she has applied for a restaurant beer and wine license from the state.

A sign soliciting comments from the public is hanging inside the business on Cañada del Rancho in a small shopping center. Santa Fe County hasn't yet set a date for a public hearing, but comments are due Dec. 19, the sign says.

And Glover said she also plans to add take-out soups and salads so people can stop by and pick up food after work and bring it home.

"People love our food," she said. "It's really fresh."

All the restaurant's coffee is organic and fair trade, Glover said. Agapao, a Santa Fe company, provides the coffee. And whenever possible, Glover uses organic and local ingredients. The milk is hormone free; the eggs are cage free and contain no antibiotics; and the meat is cage free.

The coffee shop opened in April 2006, and Glover said she was the first business in the shopping center. "I was a trailblazer, but I didn't mean to be," Glover said.

The coffee house is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Glover said.

If the state approves the liquor license, Glover said she plans to expand the restaurant's hours.

Glover said this is the second coffee house she has owned. In 2001, she moved to Santa Fe from Denver, where she owned a coffee shop and a night club. Her first business was a window-washing business, she said.

Joey Jacques, a regular at the restaurant, said the Lucky Bean is a great place to get breakfast, but he also goes there because everyone is super friendly.

"I've lived in Rancho Viejo for four months, and it was really nice to find out there was a coffee house here with great coffee," Jacques said.

Comments on the liquor license can be sent to: Santa Fe County Clerk, 102 Grant Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87501.