The Story of Toya Jones
It all began with a girl who was destined to become a creative. Toya first became fascinated with music at a very young age. She was 8, when she began to make makeshift drum sets out of things that mimicked the sound of a five-piece drum set. Her grandfather took notice to her interest in music and bought her very first keyboard when she was nine. She spent every waking hour playing her keyboard by ear and composing her own music. By the age of 12, her love for music had grown even deeper. Not only was she composing her own pieces, but she had begun to write songs and then later, poetry. In her early twenties, Toya Jones spent countless hours tucked away in coffee shops, near and far, chasing inspiration one cup at a time. From that creative solitude, a new vision began to take shape.
Born in Roanoke, Virginia, her formative years in the Grandin area, attending Virginia Heights Elementary and Huff Lane Intermediate, were filled with experiences that sparked her deep appreciation for music and poetry.
Toya studied music and business in junior high and high school. After graduating from Patrick Henry High School, Toya planned to attend a recording engineering program in Arizona. Though life took a different turn, her passion for music never faded. She continued writing and immersed herself in the industry—earning internships at both Roanoke Unplugged and Flat Five Recording Studio by sheer determination and heartfelt letters expressing her drive to learn and grow in the field.
Toya, the Founder and CEO of Morning Brew Coffee Company, has always been passionate about food, music, poetry, and cultivating warm, welcoming spaces where people can connect—and where creativity can thrive over an amazing cup of coffee.
Toya’s resilience and ambition carried her into senior management roles in the corporate world, where she quickly climbed ranks. But in 2008, she began crafting a different path--a business plan for a coffee shop and bookstore, where she could ride her bike to work, write poetry, and someday travel the world for culture and inspiration.
Connecting the pieces, entrepreneurship has always been in her blood. At just nine years old, Toya also started her first business—baking and selling homemade peanut butter cookies throughout her grandmother's neighborhood. Clearly this little business sparked interests for something much greater.
While holding a traditional job, Toya launched side ventures—including a music equipment shop. In 2008 she opened her very first coffee shop. In 2012, she made a bold decision to leave the corporate world completely and pursue her dreams full-time, founding Vivid Property Maintenance. The company quickly took off, earning contracts with MKB Realtors and expanding into Vivid Lawncare under the umbrella of Vivid, LLC. This business move afforded her the opportunity to invest in her long-term goal of owning more food establishments.
In 2014, Toya purchased and transformed a short bus into a thriving food truck--The DOJO Grill. By 2015, it had become a regional favorite, booked for festivals, weddings, office events, and more. Her journey continued in 2017 with the launch of The Vatican Bistro, a music venue and eatery that welcomed both local and international artists. A year later, it evolved into Morning Brew Coffee Company, with a new home inside the Taubman Museum of Art in Downtown Roanoke. In 2019, The DOJO Grill food truck won Platinum for Best Food Truck in the Roanoker Magazine’s Dining Awards.
From food trucks to restaurants, juice bars to coffee shops, and music venues to mentoring the next generation--Toya Jones is a creative force, blending passion, purpose, and business savvy. She continues to build, inspire, and give back to the city that shaped her.
Toya enjoys writing poetry and music, photography, travel, and—of course--spending time in cozy coffee shops with ocean views and a notebook in hand.
It all began with a girl who was destined to become a creative. Toya first became fascinated with music at a very young age. She was 8, when she began to make makeshift drum sets out of things that mimicked the sound of a five-piece drum set. Her grandfather took notice to her interest in music and bought her very first keyboard when she was nine. She spent every waking hour playing her keyboard by ear and composing her own music. By the age of 12, her love for music had grown even deeper. Not only was she composing her own pieces, but she had begun to write songs and then later, poetry. In her early twenties, Toya Jones spent countless hours tucked away in coffee shops, near and far, chasing inspiration one cup at a time. From that creative solitude, a new vision began to take shape.
Born in Roanoke, Virginia, her formative years in the Grandin area, attending Virginia Heights Elementary and Huff Lane Intermediate, were filled with experiences that sparked her deep appreciation for music and poetry.
Toya studied music and business in junior high and high school. After graduating from Patrick Henry High School, Toya planned to attend a recording engineering program in Arizona. Though life took a different turn, her passion for music never faded. She continued writing and immersed herself in the industry—earning internships at both Roanoke Unplugged and Flat Five Recording Studio by sheer determination and heartfelt letters expressing her drive to learn and grow in the field.
Toya, the Founder and CEO of Morning Brew Coffee Company, has always been passionate about food, music, poetry, and cultivating warm, welcoming spaces where people can connect—and where creativity can thrive over an amazing cup of coffee.
Toya’s resilience and ambition carried her into senior management roles in the corporate world, where she quickly climbed ranks. But in 2008, she began crafting a different path--a business plan for a coffee shop and bookstore, where she could ride her bike to work, write poetry, and someday travel the world for culture and inspiration.
Connecting the pieces, entrepreneurship has always been in her blood. At just nine years old, Toya also started her first business—baking and selling homemade peanut butter cookies throughout her grandmother's neighborhood. Clearly this little business sparked interests for something much greater.
While holding a traditional job, Toya launched side ventures—including a music equipment shop. In 2008 she opened her very first coffee shop. In 2012, she made a bold decision to leave the corporate world completely and pursue her dreams full-time, founding Vivid Property Maintenance. The company quickly took off, earning contracts with MKB Realtors and expanding into Vivid Lawncare under the umbrella of Vivid, LLC. This business move afforded her the opportunity to invest in her long-term goal of owning more food establishments.
In 2014, Toya purchased and transformed a short bus into a thriving food truck--The DOJO Grill. By 2015, it had become a regional favorite, booked for festivals, weddings, office events, and more. Her journey continued in 2017 with the launch of The Vatican Bistro, a music venue and eatery that welcomed both local and international artists. A year later, it evolved into Morning Brew Coffee Company, with a new home inside the Taubman Museum of Art in Downtown Roanoke. In 2019, The DOJO Grill food truck won Platinum for Best Food Truck in the Roanoker Magazine’s Dining Awards.
From food trucks to restaurants, juice bars to coffee shops, and music venues to mentoring the next generation--Toya Jones is a creative force, blending passion, purpose, and business savvy. She continues to build, inspire, and give back to the city that shaped her.
Toya enjoys writing poetry and music, photography, travel, and—of course--spending time in cozy coffee shops with ocean views and a notebook in hand.
