Joy Bus Diner: A restaurant for good

Started by Chef Jennifer Caraway, who founded the Joy Bus Foundation, the Joy Bus Diner nonprofit restaurant helps to make our Valley a happier place, one meal at a time.

Caraway started the diner with money she won from the television show “Chopped.” Caraway created the foundation in honor of her friend Joy who had cancer. After Joy passed, Caraway realized that many cancer patients don’t have a support system or someone to bring them nutritious food. With the help of local chefs and volunteers, Caraway and her staff create meals and deliver them to homebound cancer patients.

The Joy Bus Diner serves breakfast and lunch, and the money goes to the foundation to serve more meals to cancer patients. 

“The menu that we have at the diner is all from scratch,” Caraway said. “I would say the most popular dish right now is the chilaquiles.”

“Check, Please! Arizona” guest Cathy Bonnell shared this restaurant as her top spot in the Valley. Bonnell visits the Joy Bus Diner once a week without fail, mostly for her favorite dish, the avocado toast.

“The toast varies, as you know, from place to place,” Bonnell said. “But at the Joy Bus Diner, it’s this big chunk of avocado on the most fabulous bread.”

Guest Brittany Acevedo stops by the diner for the eggs Benedict. She goes on to describe the dish as “phenomenal and delicious. The bread was toasted perfectly, and then they made this poached egg, a potion of perfection,” she said. 

Guest Jeannie LaMarche recommends the two eggs breakfast with peppered bacon and seasoned potatoes. “It was a little bit spicy, but it was yummy.”

For the grand finale, LaMarche orders the mason jar cherry pie. Her remarks could be wrapped up in one word: “awesome.”

In addition to enjoying the diner, you can also volunteer with the foundation either by decorating the meal bags or delivering meals.

Overall, Joy Bus Diner is a memorable favorite among this week’s guests.