FEBRUARY 2026 16 In the Kitchen with Thomas Porter, owner of The Coffee Builders 901 S. 7th St., Phoenix • thecoffeebuilders.com In the Kitchen T homas Porter’s career path has wound through massage therapy, music, woodworking, and restaurant design before landing behind the counter at Coffee Builders. What began as a hands-on showroom for his company evolved into a café that brings intention, imagination, and a love for creating experiences that make people feel welcome. You’re an Arizona native? I was born and raised in Phoenix, on the west side. I was homeschooled until junior high and went to New School for the Arts when it was in Scottsdale. I was a massage therapist for 12 years before woodworking and music, and coffee is my latest ‘poker in the fire.’ What industries were your parents in? My mother was a controller for a construction company and later a massage therapist. My dad owned an alarm company and did commercial landscaping. Completely different industries. Where did the inspiration for the coffee shop come from? I built out a lot of restaurant interiors with my other company, Porter Barnwood, so I wanted to create a space where restaurateurs could come in and see what we were capable of building. I also wanted to become the customer; I wanted to learn more about the operations and the practices and what it took to set it up. I created Coffee Builders and had a really good time doing it. The shop took on a life of its own and has surpassed all my expectations so far. We opened two years ago. When opening the shop was there ever a moment where you thought, ‘What am I doing?’ Yes! I know quite a few chefs and people in town in the industry, so I spoke with tons of them. Every single one of them said the same thing: Don’t do it [ laughs ]. I kept thinking, ‘Wow, is it really that bad?’ And I was reminded of the stress and I see it, but it’s been a wonderful experience! Everyone romanticizes a coffee shop, and I think those that get into restaurants maybe haven’t been able to experience the building process. It’s like doing a home remodel. It’s hard to put together, but that’s what I do, so it wasn’t my first rodeo. It was, however, my first time employing people in that industry and setting up those processes, but I wanted to learn. I also didn’t want to go anywhere for lunch [ laughs ]. What was that hiring process like? Every industry seems to have its own vibe. My woodworkers are different from my ironworkers and my concrete guys and so on. My people at Coffee Builders… well, there’s something to be said about young energy and hospitality. It’s hard to put it into words. You have such a vibrant energy in your teens and 20s that kind of goes away a little as you get older. We have an incredible team at Coffee Builders. What was the building used for before it became a coffee shop? I used it for storage but before that it was a storefront for a big junkyard. We used it as a temporary showroom when I was building Porter Barnwood, but it was basically sitting there empty until we came up with the coffee idea. Because I own the space, because we could walk in and do all the work ourselves, we had such an advantage cost-wise. There was a committee of one making decisions [ laughs ]. Did you always know it would be coffee? I wanted food and coffee. It’s tough, because it’s a small space, but I knew I wanted coffee, and I knew I wanted a café. There was a little café growing up that I loved, named der Kaffeekuchen , which is German for ‘the coffee cake.’ This little German guy used to own it, and I would go in there and get these strawberry rhubarb pastries and coffee on a regular basis. I would go whenever I could. It was amazing. They sadly went out of business and when I was creating Coffee Builders, I searched for the German baker for a long time… sure enough, I found him out in Sun City! We had lunch together and he brought me his old recipe book with all the pastries and cakes they’d make. It was so great to meet him. How did you come up with the menu items? Most of the businesses I own focus on things that no one else has. The coffee shop – even though there are a lot of coffee shops around here – really has a different vibe. We focus on continual creative flow. That’s the inspiration, is to create something that’s next level. It’s like that with the furnishings, the interior, the food. Phoenix has a great food and coffee scene, but sometimes we get bored. A lot of restaurants have similar menu items, I think. I wanted to make I wasn’t bored with this food. Tell us about the themes. I like to introduce themes because it gives us a muse. We’ve had special guests come by, like Bob Gurr, who was a legendary Imagineer that helped build Disneyland. At that time, a lot of the drinks focused on storytelling. Without trademark infringing [ laughs ], one recent theme rallied around fantasy [think wizards]. To me, a coffee shop is an escape from reality. I want to go somewhere where I can cozy up with friends or family and enjoy good food and drinks. Themes are a way to create an environment where we’re all having fun together and letting creative juices flow. Is there a staple menu that’s always available? Yes! We have a regular coffee shop menu, so if you’re looking for a flat white, we’ve got that. We have a specialties menu, plus a rotating menu with seasonal or themed drinks. Those are what I’d consider a little more high-end. Where do the beans come from? All over the place. We roast a lot of our single origins ourselves but have a local company that does the roast for our espresso blend, which is an Ethiopian-Yirgacheffe- Sweet Brazilian mix. We have a distillery that roasts a bourbon-barrel-aged bean for us. That is done in Kansas. We’ve got Sumatran, single-origin Mexican… beans from all over the world. Which drink and food item are most popular? We have a drink called the Abuelita cocoa, which is a spiced Mexican chocolate mocha. We have one that I won a chef competition with a while back called the Kentucky

17 FEBRUARY 2026 Fire and Ice. It’s an iced bourbon barrel-aged cold brew with a mixture of different milks. It’s smoked with white oak chips at your table – it sounds dangerous but it’s lovely. The cabernet latte is also very popular and bougie. It’s a cabernet and Arizona honey reduction and has this chocolate-covered cherry quality to it. Do you work with your team to come up with recipes? I like to involve them in the thematic, rotating things, but a lot of it is just me. Cooking and making these combinations is a form of catharsis and stress relief. I find inspiration from reading. There are a lot of recipes from all over the world that I’ve seen, so I read about those and bring the ingredients in and mess with them. Is there place you’ve traveled that piqued your inspiration? I’ll tell you somewhere I need to go that has to do with smørrebrod , an open- smørrebrod , an open- smørrebrod faced Danish sandwich that we have on the menu. When I saw them for the first time I thought, ‘Why is no one doing this, these are beautiful.’ Noble Bread makes our custom bread for these sandwiches. Copenhagen is on my list! What is one item in the kitchen you find yourself using all the time? Oh, there’s so many. If I could choose one thing in my personal kitchen, it’s a grill. I know that sounds basic, but I love fire and natural grill flavors and smoke. What are your hobbies outside of work? Music. We play a lot of bluegrass and country stuff. I was playing regionally with a bluegrass band for a while and my son and I will travel back east and go to conventions and recording sessions. He’s one of my baristas now but I think he’ll end up going into music. Who are some of the chefs that inspire you? Chris Gross is one of my favorites. I don’t know him that well but I’ve had the pleasure of eating at his restaurants and as far as the quality and artistry… he tells stories with his food. Chris Collins – we’ve built a lot of stuff for him. He’s got this rare mix of energy and good food and a focus on service that I love. I love what he’s doing. He’s one of my culinary heroes. Chris Bianco is a friend of mine and all three Chris’s are different from one another but Bianco comes in like your favorite uncle. I just want to hang out with him. What is your favorite part of the restaurant industry? My favorite experience is being able to provide someone with something you can see genuinely excites them. I hate to say that I love the short term satisfaction that we provide, but in the other industries, we work with customers over the course of months, and some of that initial magic wanes after a bit. The romantic part of the business is 10 percent of the whole industry – 90 percent is you cleaning [ laughs ]. It’s magical to see someone experience something for the first time. We get an opportunity to do that on a regular basis. … least favorite part? Cleaning – no, just kidding! Anytime you have a large group of people in one place, you can’t avoid some outside drama making its way in. It’s not just staff, it’s also customers, but we do a really good job of having a space where that doesn’t exist. We’re always focused on ‘everybody eats, everybody drinks, and everyone feels loved.’ What restaurants would you recommend to a Valley newcomer? I guess it depends on if they’re tourists or moving to the Valley, but Rito’s first off – it’s the best green chile burro I’ve ever had. That’s top of my list. Hana Sushi, the owners are very sweet and very particular about their sushi. There’s a Vietnamese place that has good pho. These are all hole-in-the-wall places but they’re so good. What’s next for Thomas Porter? I am in the process of putting plans together for two restaurants here at Porter Barnwood in the near future. We’re going to start doing some fun experiences. We’re going to do a Galentine’s and Valentines custom roasting experience. We have a roaster and we’ll have a tasting and food menu along with some education of the different beans and attendees can make their own coffee roast that day. It’s going to be really fun! It’s magical to see someone experience something for the first time. We get an opportunity to do that on a regular basis. FREE ADMISSION FOR LOOKERS & SPECTATORS! Exhibitor Registration Fee (donation): $20 with advance sign up $30 on event day at the gate. Trophy Classes Include: Best Classic Car, Best Truck, Best in Show, Best Muscle Car, Best Sports Car, plus more. Sunday, March 22, 2026 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Hopi Elementary School 5110 E. Lafayette Blvd., Phoenix AZ 85018 Details at www.ACMNA.org/events Sponsored by: Sponsored by: Sponsored by: 8th Annual 8th Annual