Cup of Job Cafe serves coffee, pastries and community
Recently opened, a Jacksonville nonprofit coffee shop with the motto “Seek. Serve. Sip…” is on a mission to serve the community more than just a cup of freshly roasted coffee and homemade pastries.
The Cup of Job held its grand opening Sunday at 934 Edgewood Ave. S., next to the Murray Hill Theatre in the heart of the neighborhood’s business district.
This cozy little cafe occupies the storefront of the former Vagabond Coffee Co., which closed on Dec. 23 after nine years. Cup of Job is across the street from Vagabond Roastery, one of its coffee suppliers.
The Murray Hill coffee shop is Cup of Job’s second brick-and-mortar location. The first opened five years ago in Jacksonville Beach. Cup of Job also has a mobile coffee truck, “Job on the Go.”
Cup of Job is part of Lifework Leadership First Coast, a non-denominational leadership development program based in Ponte Vedra Beach
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“Seek. Serve. Sip.” is the cafe’s motto and guiding philosophy.
“It’s seeking Jesus, serving others one sip at a time. And that’s the heart of coffee,” Tammie McClafferty, CEO of Lifework Leadership First Coast, told the Times-Union. “I don’t want to be a drive-in. I want you to come in and feel the love of coffee and the love of people.”
Lifework is nondenominational and partners with more than 150 churches and at least 60 nonprofit organizations, McClafferty said, noting that its motto is “transforming leaders to transform the city.”
“We train business leaders and professionals for eight months to teach them how to integrate their faith into their workplace,” she said. “It goes from what you’re legally allowed to do to what’s tactfully appropriate. … We’re now the largest faith-based networking network in the city,” McClafferty said, adding that Lifework helped launch the Northeast Florida Christian Chamber of Commerce.
She said that once participants complete the Lifework course, they must choose something to do in the city that will allow them to give back to the city.
Lifework then took it a step further by creating the first Cup of Job café five years ago at 119 First Ave. N. Jacksonville Beach.
Highlights of the Coupe du Travail menu
Made to order, Cup of Job offers freshly roasted coffee and espresso as well as frappes, cold brews, teas and smoothies.
The shop’s primary coffee blend is Beach Blend from Jacksonville’s Condaxis Coffee and Tea, which previously provided Cup of Job with its first coffee machine.
In honor of Vagabond Coffee and its many contributions to the Murray Hill community, the cafe also offers one of Vagabond’s blends, she said.
“Our small is called ‘blessed,’ our medium is called ‘stressed,’ and our large is called ‘pray for me,’” she said of the coffee sizes, which range from 12 to 20 ounces.
Lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos cost $4.50, $5 or $5.50. Cold brews cost $4 to $5.50; Cuban coffee costs $3.50 for a 3-ounce cup, while espresso costs $3 for a 3-ounce cup, according to the menu. Frappes and smoothies cost $5 for a 12-ounce cup, $5.50 for a 16-ounce cup and $6 for a 20-ounce cup. Hot chocolate costs $3 to $4 depending on the size chosen.
The Murray Hill store also offers its own specialty drink: the Murricane, which is non-alcoholic.
“We have a blended and shaken Murricane, which is like a smoothie. It has lime, passion fruit and orange. It’s very tropical and very delicious,” she said.
Cup of Job also offers muffins, cinnamon rolls, pastries, frittatas, avocado toast, bagels and bagel sandwiches, as well as a “create your own sandwich” option. Customer favorites include:
- Frittata ($4)
- Avocado toast ($6)
- Avocado toast with egg ($6.50)
- Cream Cheese Bagel ($3.50)
- Bacon, Egg and Cheese Bagel ($5.50)
- Create your own sandwich ($6) with a choice of breads, meats, cheeses and vegetables
They make their own pastries, but Village Bread makes the bagels and other breads, she said.
McClafferty said the Cup of Job will be open and serve as a concession stand at the Murray Hill Theatre when it hosts a concert or other special events each month.
Coffee reflects biblical scriptures
The name and philosophy of the coffee shop reflect the biblical passage Job 22:21: “Submit yourselves to God and be at peace with him, so that it may go well with you.”
Each of the three Cup of Job companies has partnered with other local nonprofits to provide job skills and placement programs that help either the homeless, victims of sex trafficking and other sexual abuse, or refugees living in the city.
Murray Hill Coffee partners with Rethreaded, Hadassah’s Hope and Girls of Virtue to help women who have experienced sex trafficking or other sexual abuse.
“Our goal is to be able to hire these women to work here,” McClafferty said.
In Jacksonville Beach, the coffee shop works with the homeless in partnership with Beaches Rescue Recovery Mission. The Cup of Job coffee truck works with Beyond90, which serves refugees and immigrants, McClafferty said.
“We found that the number one problem for refugees is transportation. They don’t have a driver’s license so they can’t get to work. With the mobile truck, we can hire them, pick them up, they go to an event and then we take them home,” she said.
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The Cup of Job in Murray Hill has about 35 seats inside as well as several outdoor tables in its backyard.
The cafe is open from 7am to 4pm Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, 7am to 6pm Friday and Saturday, and closed on Monday.
Teresa Stepzinski is the Times-Union’s food reporter. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or contact her by email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
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