Lovin’ Cup Cafe Shows Off Owner’s Personality

The Lovin’ Cup Cafe in Huntsville comes by its name honestly — first, from the Rolling Stones song that chef/owner Jeff Tyler often played with his band. And secondly, “It fits well because soups are a major part of what we do here.”

I recently did a Standard-Examiner story about Tyler’s restaurant, which opened last fall at 7355 E. 200 South, next door to the legendary Shooting Star Saloon.

Tyler’s signature “lovin’ cup” soup is his thick, creamy New England-style clam chowder. He grew up near Boston, and developed his from-scratch clam chowder while working at the Appalachian Mountain Club in New Hampshire.

  Tyler took the long scenic route to get to Utah, traveling and working in Australia and New Zealand, and then taking a summer job in Idaho.

He spent 20 years cooking in Ogden restaurants, including Rooster’s and Jeremiah’s. 

  In 2017 he opened First Class Catering, and began selling his soup at the Ogden Farmers Market. Then, he heard that the Huntsville location was available.

  “I’ve skied a lot up here, and I think it’s beautiful, and it’s growing,” said Tyler. “I wanted to get in here while it’s young.”

The Lovin’ Cup’s building, which was most recently occupied by the Blue Coyote, has an Old Frontier look, with log beams and wood flooring. But inside, Tyler has decorated it with posters of concerts he’s attended, such as Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Jeff Beck and Widespread Panic. And there’s one that he didn’t attend — the 1966 Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Martha and the Vandellas concert. Tyler didn’t elaborate on where that poster came from.

  The menu combines chef Jay Tyler’s love of cooking with his love of music, and has both healthy and hearty items, so there’s something for just about everyone. And it’s pretty much all made from scratch.

The Rock ‘n’ Cinnamon Roll is baked in-house, and “our French toast is made with our own banana bread,” Tyler said.

 The menu reads as if you’re attending a concert, starting with “Openers,” or light breakfast fare such as the Bruce Banner (a green smoothie with avocado mixed greens, fresh banana and organic vanilla protein powder. There’s also the Purple Haze Bowl of acai berry blended with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and banana topped with local honey, coconut and housemakde granola.

Next there are “Headliners” or hearty breakfasts. Then there’s the “Second Set” of sandwiches; “With Special Guests” featuring sides, soup and salads; and “After Party,” of desserts.

   Many of the Lovin’ Cup items have song references. For instance, Born on the Bayou (the Creedence Clearwater hit) is a three-egg omelet with Andouille sausage, peppers, onions, tomatoes, cheddar and jack cheese, served with Cajun potatoes (breakfast potatoes with Cajun seasoning) and toast.

  I Am the Eggman (from the Beatles’ “I’m The Walrus”) is a breakfast sandwich with two over-hard eggs, tomato, cheddar and jack cheese on grilled sourdough. The sourdough is made  in-house from a starter that’s seven years old and counting.

  There are a couple of smoked salmon dishes on the menu — Loxed, Stocked and On A Bagel, (house-smoked salmon on a toasted bagel with cream cheese, caper and red onion). And the Smoked Up Salmon BLT ($13.99), where the salmon is layered with thick-cut bacon, lettuce, tomato and lemon aioli.

 “We use Atlantic salmon, and we smoke it ourselves.” Tyler said.

  Currently, the restaurant is open daily except Tuesdays, from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Tyler hopes to expand the hours and add a nightly dinner special, when he’s able to hire more staff.  His daughter, Holly, is one of his staffers.

  “It’s important to me to give people a good job and pay our servers a living wage,” he said. “I’m trying to make it a good healthy work environment instead of high-stress with everyone yelling at everybody. That just doesn’t fly anymore.”

  The top-selling breakfast is the What’s Shakin’ Bacon and Eggs, consisting of two “Farmhouse” eggs, three stips of thick bacon, and Cajun potatoes . The eggs are referred to as “Farmhouse” because it’s a song by the band Phish, said Tyler. “I hope to use local eggs soon.”

  His own personal go-to meal is the K.B. Burrito – a giant flour tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, Cajun potatoes, cheddar and jack cheese, for $9.95. You can add bacon or sauage for $2.50.

  “It’s the one-handed multi-tasker,” Tyler said. And by the way, K.B. stands for “Killer Breakfast.”

  The restaurant has indoor seating for about 45, mostly upstairs, with large windows offering views of Ogden Valley. In summer, there will be plenty of outdoor seating due to the wraparound porch, large back deck, and upstairs balconies. Right now, skiers can tank up on a big breakfast on their way to Powder Mountain or Snowbasin.

“But we also have to get through the shoulder seasons,” Tyler pointed out. “We have to make this a destination because we don’t have a lot of foot traffic.”

Getting there: 7355 E. 200 South, Huntsville

Contact: 385-364-4200; thelovincup.com

  Prices: $3.95-$13.95

  Hours: Closed Tuesdays; 7 a.m.-3 p.m. the rest of the week.