For nearly 11 months, the lights were off at Juicy Kitchen.
The popular Ann Arbor café, known for its fresh, locally sourced breakfasts, smoothies, and prepared foods, sat silent after a freezer fire forced it to close. What began as what many hoped would be a straightforward restoration quickly evolved into an extensive renovation filled with construction delays, insurance hurdles and unexpected code requirements.
When the doors finally reopened, owner Kelby Ziola said the moment was almost beyond belief.
“Surreal, thrilling, amazing! It was such a long road to get to reopening day and there were many times it felt like we might never make it, so when it actually happened, we were just so completely thrilled,” Ziola said. “Our community is everything to us, and to be welcomed back so enthusiastically by the people we love and care about so much was just so heartwarming. It made it feel like the past 11 months of hardship were all worth it.”
A terrifying evening
Ziola has been with Juicy Kitchen for a decade, first joining as front-of-house manager in 2016 before she and her husband, Aaron, purchased the café in January 2019.
The evening of the fire after cafe hours remains in their memory.
“We were in absolute shock when our wholesale team called to let us know there was a fire at the cafe,” she said. “The restaurant is our baby, our livelihood, and such a huge part of our identity.”
Their wholesale crew comes in after the cafe closes.
She and Aaron rushed to the café.
“There were multiple firetrucks in the parking lot and smoke billowing out of the building. It was just so scary.”
She credits both the café’s wholesale team and the Ann Arbor Fire Department with preventing an even greater disaster.
“We’re so grateful to our wholesale team for being there to notice the fire and put it out and enduring such a scary accident as well as to the Ann Arbor Fire Department for helping us put it out quickly,” she said.
A restoration that became a renovation
As work progressed, rebuilding the café proved far more complicated than expected.
The age of the building meant many systems no longer met current codes, creating repeated setbacks during inspections.
“Our building is very old and there were a lot of improvements that needed to be made to bring the space up to code,” Ziola said. “When working with insurance companies, they want you to do a one for one replacement to keep costs minimal, which almost always resulted in a failed inspection due to things not being up to code. It felt like everything took so much longer than it should have.”
Although the delays tested everyone’s patience, Ziola said she never completely lost faith that the café would reopen.
“We knew we would reopen eventually, but there were definitely times we feared exactly how long it would take. It felt like we hit every speed bump possible, but we kept pushing forward for our team and for our customers.”
A community that refused to let Juicy Kitchen disappear
Throughout the closure, support from customers became a constant source of encouragement.
“The support we received from the community is truly what kept us going through the restoration,” Ziola said. “Knowing that people were rooting for our return made the hard work and gruesome wait all worth it.”
That support also helped sustain the café’s employees. Insurance funds and a GoFundMe campaign allowed Juicy Kitchen to continue paying staff members during the first six months of the closure.
The café also relied on a group chat to keep everyone informed.
“Our team is so special and many of them have worked for us for years, so we are so grateful for their continued loyalty and dedication,” she said.
A brighter café with room to gather
The unexpected renovation also created opportunities to improve the customer experience.
Among Ziola’s favorite changes is expanded indoor seating. A new built-in deli cooler replaced standalone refrigerated merchandisers, freeing up valuable dining space while still allowing the café to sell its prepared foods.
She also points to a handcrafted bench built by friend and regular customer, Nick Durrie, along with new equipment, fresh décor, and updated paint.
“The cafe has been open for 13 years, so I am also excited about all of the new equipment, decor, paint, and overall vibe of the cafe,” she said. “It gave us an opportunity for a much needed refresh which has been a huge silver lining.”
Customers have noticed. She said, “So many customers have commented the past couple days on how bright and cheery and bigger the space feels now.”
The favorites are back
Despite the lengthy closure, many of Juicy Kitchen’s longtime local suppliers immediately resumed their partnerships.
“We are so pleased that we were able to pick up right where we left off with our local purveyors,” Ziola said, noting the café continues to serve products from Roos Roast Coffee, Arbor Teas, Crust Bakery and The Brinery.
She also expressed gratitude to wholesale partners such as Argus Farm Stop for continuing to carry Juicy Kitchen’s prepared foods.
And as for customer favorites?
“Our breakfast burrito, power bowl, smoothies, and energy balls had a cult following before we closed, and after being reopened for two days, I can say that has not changed!”
During a recent visit, the café was bustling, a testament to the loyal community that has embraced Juicy Kitchen’s return. We sampled two smoothies: the banana mango orange, a bright, tropical blend that was refreshing without being overly sweet, and the PB&J, which delivered all the nostalgic comfort of the classic sandwich in smoothie form.
For lunch, the southwest hash stood out with generous portions of sweet potatoes, a colorful mix of vegetables, and locally sourced Sparrow Market chorizo that added just the right amount of savory spice. The JK club featured moist chicken, fresh avocado, house-made tomato jam, and hearty nine-grain bread from Crust, creating a satisfying sandwich that balanced freshness with rich flavor. Judging by the steady stream of regulars, the quality extends throughout the menu.
Ziola also shared additional insights into the café’s reopening, its commitment to local ingredients, and what guests can expect in this new chapter.
“We are always rotating specials, and our newest special is our coconut pistachio latte. We are the least busy first thing in the morning and on weekdays,” she said.
Looking ahead
After surviving both the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating fire, Ziola said one lesson stands above all others.
“Community is everything,” she said. “We have now weathered both a global pandemic and a fire at our restaurant, and the support of our community carried us through both times.”
Whether through donations to the café’s GoFundMe campaign, encouraging words, or showing up in large numbers on reopening day, she says the community continually reminded her why Juicy Kitchen matters.
“Aaron, myself, and our team pour so much love and care into what we do, so to see it come back to us from the community when we’ve needed it is so gratifying.”
As the café begins its next chapter, Ziola hopes customers continue to feel something that cannot be renovated or rebuilt.
“I hope that when guests walk through our door, they feel at home,” she said. “We strive to offer a really personalized, warm and welcoming experience at the cafe, whether it be by learning our guest’s names, how they like their coffee, or reminding them when they forgot a modification they typically make to their order.”
“I am so proud of the special place the cafe is, and I just hope to preserve its special identity in the future while always looking for ways we can improve and make it even better.”
Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
