Cave Creek residents feel right at home when visiting Local Jonny’s Tavern & Café.

The coffee shop that grew into a tavern, music venue, and gathering spot, and soon a Local Landmark. The Cave Creek Museum will present the bronze plaque at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, honoring the business for its role in shaping the town’s cultural identity.

Co-owner Lauren Van Winkle said the recognition still feels surreal. 

“I am so stunned and really honored to be a part of the group that has already been established,” she said. “It doesn’t even make sense in my brain somehow.”

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The building at 6033-6037 E. Cave Creek Road has a storied history. In the 1950s and ’60s, it was the Highway Variety Store, a desert lifeline for household essentials. Later came the hardware shop, the barber, the locksmith, the auto repair shop and Lauren’s Feed and Tack.

But its most iconic chapter began in 1997, when Cave Creek Coffee Company (C4) opened and quickly became a cultural anchor. With specialty coffee roasting, art exhibitions, community events and an outdoor venue that seated 200, C4 helped define downtown Cave Creek’s creative identity. 

The building was shuttered in 2012 — until Van Winkle and her husband, Jon Oughterson, stepped in. They leased the building in 2014, sharing it with the Flat Tire Bike Shop. 

In those early days, Local Jonny’s was a small coffee counter with a few breakfast items and four tables out front. Flat Tire Bike Shop occupied most of the building. But as Cave Creek’s needs changed, so did the business.

When the bike shop moved out in 2019, Oughterson and Van Winkle invested in a full tavern build‑out. Then came the pandemic — and a turning point.

“We were happy and honored to be able to help our community during that very uncertain time,” Van Winkle said. 

Local Jonny’s shifted to curbside service and began selling essentials and groceries. The café became a lifeline for residents navigating lockdowns and shortages.

By 2021, Local Jonny’s officially rebranded as Local Jonny’s Tavern & Café, expanding into breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails and craft beer. Live music returned as a nod to the building’s C4 legacy.

“During breakfast, I love our Flat Tire burrito,” she said. “It has bacon, sausage, potatoes, eggs and cheese, and our homemade salsa, which is really delicious. We’ve had it since day one. It’s really popular. But our burgers are the best. They’re so good.” 

The Chacons, a local band who played at Oughterson and Van Winkle’s wedding, remain regular performers. “They’re really great,” Van Winkle said. “They keep up with current music, so it’s always changing.”

Oughterson’s connection to the building runs even deeper. He started as a 20‑year‑old barista at C4, grew up working in the space and eventually became an owner. 

“It is such a pleasure to be included in the community we call home and to be an integral part of all things local,” he said.

Local Jonny’s is one of three Local Landmarks selected for the 2026-27 season. The program highlights iconic buildings and spaces that tell Cave Creek’s story, connecting each site to a storytelling map that visitors can explore.

For Van Winkle, the honor aligns with the town’s identity. 

“Cave Creek is our home,” she said. “We live half a mile behind the restaurant. The building has so much history, and the character of the town really goes hand in hand with what we do.”

When the bronze plaque is unveiled on Oct. 8, it will mark a decade of organic growth, community support, and a business that has become a home to locals and visitors.

“We didn’t set out to do it; we just kept going,” Van Winkle said. “And it turned into this.”