Rize Cafe
Delivering scratch-cooked breakfast comfort foods with a creative twist, Rize Cafe (122 Lafayette Road, North Hampton, rizecafe.co) is the brainchild of chef and co-founder Jonathan Vogt, whose culinary journey has thus far taken a unique path. A Henniker native, Vogt initially pursued marketing in college before later finding his passion in the kitchen. After various restaurant roles, he discovered his love for cooking and hospitality through experiences as a grill cook, expeditor and eventually a chef at several establishments across New England. Earlier this year, Vogt and longtime friend Tom MacKenzie co-founded Elevated Eats, a catering company focused on high-quality, chef-driven food for weddings, private events and corporate gatherings. While building Elevated Eats, Vogt noticed a gap in the local food scene for quick, casual breakfast options that didn’t sacrifice quality or creativity. That insight led to the launch of Rize Cafe, which opened July 23 in the former Pogo’s Peppers storefront in North Hampton. Paired with locally roasted coffee and inventive drinks like espresso tonics and cold brew shandies, Rize offers a creative, yet approachable, ingredient-driven menu of breakfast burritos, tacos and sandwiches — all made from scratch and designed to bring bold flavor to familiar comfort foods. The Scene recently caught up with Vogt to talk about how a catering venture led to a neighborhood cafe, the inspiration behind Rize’s standout menu, and what it means to build a food business rooted in quality, community and connection.
What makes Rize Cafe unique?
Everything here is made from scratch — nothing is frozen or canned. We’re really taking the time to make sure everything is the way it should be, [by] not cutting any corners. … The other piece of what makes us unique is the service. We really focus on how the customer feels [from] when they walk in to when they leave.
What is your favorite thing on your own menu?
For me, personally, my favorite is probably the Upgrade. It’s a [sandwich with] egg, your choice of cheese — I go cheddar — shredded potatoes, bacon or sausage — I go bacon — and that’s all on our Everything ciabatta. I also like to add our kimchi ketchup to that. It’s really, really good.
What is something that everyone should try?
I’d say there are two. The one that I feel pretty confident most people will like is the Heavy Hitter, [which] can be a burrito or a taco. … It’s egg, brisket, hash, cheddar and salsa roja. … The other thing that I am most excited about that I think will surprise people if they give it a shot is a breakfast sandwich that we call the Seoul Morning. [That has] egg, cabbage, onions, scallion, carrot, ham and kimchi ketchup, on griddled white bread. … The vegetables are cooked on the flat top, and then the scrambled egg is mixed into it. It’s phenomenal.
Name a celebrity you would like to see eating at Rize Cafe.
He’s obviously not alive anymore, but Anthony Bourdain would have been a cool one. … I’m also a huge sports fan, so any of the stars from the Boston teams — Brady, Bergeron, Pierce — any of those guys would be kind of cool.
What’s one essential skill needed to successfully run a restaurant?
I’d say multitasking and time management. Those go hand in hand, I think.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
I love the sense of community, and the fact that people for the most part are super friendly — everybody is either on their way to the beach or on their way to the golf course. I also love the atmosphere and being by the water.
Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.
