Our Crew

Chelsea

Chelsea was born in Whitefish, Montana.  She has lived in Alaska for over ten years and enjoys all Alaska has to offer.  Chelsea enjoys hiking, playing hockey and anything with a little adventure.  She is a very talented musician.  Chelsea is also my sister-in-law and one of the greatest employees we have ever had.  She will be headed back to school this fall.  She teaches speach at the State School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  She will be helping out here and there, so she won't be leaving us forever.

Doug

Doug is our cook.  He was born in Washington state, but has lived in Alaska for most his life.  He has been all over the state and if you have any questions about Alaska, he is the guy to ask.  Like Chelsea, he is also a musician and can be found supporting local bands.  He has broadened our musical horizons to include a little blue grass and "waffle stompin" music as he calls it.  Doug also enjoys playing darts, poker and of course long walks on the beach:)

Riah

Riah is the newest addition to our team.  She was born and raised in Alaska.  She loves being outdoors, fishing and camping.  Riah also enjoys traveling.  One day she hopes to become a flight attendant so that she will be able to see the world.  We told Riah that part of her job description was to give Doug a hard time.  So far she is fitting in perfectly. 

Anamarie

Anamarie was born in Bethel, Alaska, but has lived all over the state.  She attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks for several years to study Culinary Arts and Business.  She is planning on going back to school and possibly studing medicine at UAA.  Some of her hobbies include  snowboarding, traveling, and enjoying the outdoors.  And lucky for us she loves to bake.  There will be no cookie shortage here. 

Lindsay

I was born in Yakima, Washington.  I moved to Alaska to attend UAA on an athletic schoolarship for Cross Country Running and Track and Field.  I gratuated in 2004 with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Communication.  After several career choices I think I have finally found the right fit.  I enjoy hiking, running, camping, and photography.  I like to spend time with family and friends.  I also supplement my income with substitute teaching for the Anchorage School District.  This usually gives me some great stories for my regulars.  I hope to be able to find time to do some volunteer work  in an elementary school this year.

Who We Are

My husband, Michael Williams, and I (Lindsay Williams) set out on this adventure in January of 2007.  I had been in the restaurant industry several years  before I realized my dream of one day owning my own cafe.  For ten months we kept our eyes open in search of the perfect opportunity.  When we found the Lucky Monkey we knew it was going to be a lot of work, but that it had the potential to become everything I had envisioned.  I wanted to create a space that was warm and inviting.  Where people could come to relax, and their minds could find sanctuary from the stresses of everyday life.   I wanted to serve the best coffee I could get my hands on and feel good about each cup I poured.  For months I  perfected recipes so that each item on our menu could be prepared from scratch.  We are passionate about great  food and outstanding service.   

   This cafe has also helped us to realize and carry out some of our beliefs and values.  We recycle plastics 1 and 2, newspaper, glass, tin cans and all of our cardboard boxes.  Even though Anchorage has yet to develope a convientent way  for businesses to recycle, I personally make the trip across town to recycle each week.  We are doing our part to minimize our impact on our environment and I encourage you to do the same.  We also use Green Ware Products.  They are made out of recycled materials, corn starch, and sugar cane stalk.  These products are 100% percent biodegradable and won't leach. 

   Fair Trade has become an important issue in the past few years.  Fair Trade is a sustainable system that endeavors to proved a fair wage to producers of goods and farmers.   It has empowered people to know that hard work and skill can pay off.    There are still some problems with the system, but we believe we are getting closer to a more fair way of conducting business and trading goods.    Not only are several of our coffees Fairly Trade, we are also an approved wholesaler or World of Good.  

  Being located in the downtown area has also opened up the opportunity to participate in First Fridays and feature local musicians.   We are so excited about this cafe and its future.

*We hope you find joy each day in this life you have been given.