The Mellow Mug

When a cup of coffee is first sipped, a sense of mellowness melds with energy. For many coffee lovers, they seek comfort from the aroma, taste, and atmosphere. They seek a smooth “aromatic” morning and afternoon from coffee shops or coffee trailers.    

 

Jazz Pizani is the owner of The Mellow Mug coffee trailer. She serves the sense of mellowness out of her trailer window many sun-peaked mornings and afternoons. While she hands out espresso-based specialty drinks (or simple Americanos), mushroom wallpaper envelops customers with a sweet seventies’ mood.

 

“They used to have a pizza place in New Orleans named Mellow Mushroom and I loved the name of it, so I wanted something similar. I also wanted something that fit my aesthetic. I love seventies décor/ retro and mushrooms: things that are vintage. So, I came up with the name, The Mellow Mug,” Jazz said.

 

Mellow Mug’s window opened to the public this past February (2024). With the help of Jazz’s husband, Terrill Pizani, and his navigation skills, he parks the trailer at the appointed locations. On occasion, he also assists with a few coffee orders.

 

Just like a little “village” of mushrooms under a tree, Jazz’s family is her village that helps her business shoot up and grow umbrella-like mushroom success.

 

“My mom comes to my house at 5am to watch my kids so I can open at 7am. One hundred percent I could not do this without her. Also, my cousins and family help whenever they get the chance,” Jazz said with appreciation.

 

Alexis Duplantis is the main employee in Jazz’s “mushroom patch” that assists with coffee orders and serving the “down the bayou” area. Her service area includes Thibodaux (on occasion), Lockport, Raceland, Larose, Galliano, and Golden Meadow.

 

“I’ll try and alternate every other week. One week I’ll set up in Lockport and Raceland and the other week I’ll set up further down the bayou,” Jazz stated.

 

Mellow Mug’s hitched homebase is Lockport. Before the “unhitching” began, Jazz worked as a Respiratory Therapist and then fully transitioned into an experienced barista.  

  

“When I was in college, I worked as a barista at a coffee shop. Then, I graduated with a degree in Respiratory Therapy. I worked as a Respiratory Therapist for the past five years at Ochsner. When I realized, this was going to take off, I quit Ochsner in February,” Jazz said.

 

Jazz’s outlook on her business is mellow and relaxing like her hanging plants that trim the trailer. She wants to keep the entrepreneurship uncomplicated and smooth like the espresso that is pulled (pulling the shot). Her modest minded approach puts her in the center of the trailer window, serving the community with personable presentation.  

 

“With a brick-and-mortar business you’d have to be there almost every day of the week, and I have two children. I would also have to get someone to help run it and multiple employees. I would have to be more on the back side of the business. I’m hands-on,” Jazz stated.

 

“I want to be the person they see in the trailer every day. I care about the business because I started from the ground up,” Jazz said with a caring heart.

 

The tamp and grind process passionately propelled because of Jazz’s fondness for coffee and her fervor for helping the community. Therefore, she has consistently parked at various local boutiques and businesses and has “pre-heated” patronage pursuits. Mellow Mug’s appearance helps contribute hustle and bustle to the based business.    

 

“I started the business because I enjoy making coffee and I like the aspects of coffee. I like learning about it,” Jazz stated.

 

“I like the idea of going to different places and drawing people to these different businesses. I also have fun doing different events. Around here, everyone helps each other,” she added.

 

The hands-on mindset that Jazz adopts initiates the brewing process of benevolent actions. Therefore, friendliness and patience extend out of Mellow Mug’s window. She is graceful in explaining different coffee/ espresso terms and helps with selections that suit each person’s taste personality.

 

“Coffee can be so confusing with so many different words that people don’t understand. I want to explain to them what everything means and help them find what they like,” Jazz said.

 

When a customer chooses their preferred specialty coffee, Americano, or latte, they will experience the rich and smooth notes of jazzy New Orleans. The grounded coffee beans that attribute to the moody blues taste is from the roaster, Mojo, located in “The Big Easy.”  The fresh beans are shipped to Jazz every week. With tasty quality and freshness in mind, she aspires to serve coffees within one to two weeks of the beans being roasted.

 

“I go with the higher quality beans and syrups because I think quality is so important. I tried maybe ten to fifteen different roasters to see which beans I liked,” Jazz stated.

 

Customers can taste the selectiveness of the high excellence espresso and appreciate the dedication to each hand ground drink.  

 

“I’m far from a true coffee connoisseur, but I know a good cup of coffee when I taste one, and that’s exactly what Mellow Mug is delivering to the bayou region. Jazz and Terrill are the sweetest souls that source fresh espresso beans then hand grind for each drink. A practice common in authentic coffee shops that they’ve managed to replicate on wheels,” Klint Landry, Mellow Mug customer, stated.

 

Some other fresh bean customer favorites are Crème Brule, Turtle, and Pumpkin Brule (served during the fall). The Mellow Mug also offers kids “coffee” (chocolate or strawberry milk). The name for the chocolate milk pretend coffee is Roro’s Cocoa - Jazz’s nickname for her daughter. She also serves pup cups, which is a cup filled with whipped cream for your loyal friend.  

 

The ultimate ambience that jazzes around Jazz’s coffee trailer and the espresso itself is soothing and sparks sweet-noted conversation. Hints of helpfulness also note Mellow Mug’s surroundings.

 

As Jazz peeks out of her trailer window daily, she wants to observe customers enjoying quality coffee and inclined conversations that mellow out time.    

 

“I want to support other businesses and get people together. For example, this past weekend, we had a pretty long line. I peeked out and we could hear groups of people who wouldn’t normally be talking, conversating under the shade. Even though we don’t have a real coffee shop for people to go in and conversate, people still get together and that’s nice to see,” Jazz ended.

 

Visit The Mellow Mug on Facebook to see a full menu, dates and times at upcoming locations, and seasonal coffee offerings (fall, winter, etc.):

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553715563260&mibextid=kFxxJD