As the sun rises each day in Philipsburg, the “council of elders” gathers over breakfast, cups of coffee, and freshly baked pastries inside Coco’s Coffee House at Brown Dog Catering. The group comes in each morning to gather and talk with one another about life, plans for the day, and anything else that pops up.
Their daily conversations earned the nickname from William DeBoer and the rest of the team at Brown Dog Catering.
“We are an extension of their living room. They are happy to be here and we’re happy to have them,” DeBoer explains. “That’s how we feel about everybody who comes in the door. We want you to feel at home — welcome.”
Together, DeBoer and his wife, Kristin Rigby-DeBoer, own Brown Dog Catering. The business includes catering, Coco’s Coffee House, and Chef’s Table events.
The DeBoers attended Penn State and spent time working in the food industry before opening Brown Dog Catering in Philipsburg. They moved to their Pine Street location in 2018 and rebuilt after a fire in 2020. Coco’s Coffee House emerged from the ashes and has since become a favorite of locals and travelers for caffeine and sweets.
“We’ve had people from pretty much all over the world,” DeBoer says.
Coco’s Coffee House serves lattes, espressos, cappuccinos, and other specialty drinks. Each month features a rotating special flavor, which sparks interest from customers.
“It keeps it fresh, and people never get bored,” Rigby-DeBoer says.
General Manager Erica Stover says they recently created their own take on a TikTok trend, banana bread lattes, which had taken over users’ feeds in May.
“You have to lean into it,” Stover says of the social media trends.
“We can never get rid of them after that either,” DeBoer adds. Customers will often ask for the monthly special even after the calendar has turned.
Coco’s menu includes breakfast sandwiches and potato casserole and is expanded on the weekends with “brunch-wiches” and fan-favorites like the Avocado Toast (sliced avocado, whole grain toast, sliced tomatoes, everything bagel seasoning, and an over-easy egg) or Grilled Cheese Scramble (two scrambled eggs inside a grilled cheese). Guests can add breakfast meats or fresh produce to the sandwich for more flavors.
While guests can dine in, Coco’s Coffee House also features a ready-to-go case full of pastries. Two of their bestsellers are the Josie and Jack Muffins, named for the couple’s beloved four-legged friends.
“We’re dog people,” says Rigby-DeBoer.
The duo has had multiple dogs, including Jude, Josie, Joey Coco, Jack, and June. The overall business name is a nod to Jude, their chocolate Lab. His likeness hangs in a portrait near the kitchen. Jude and Josie have crossed the rainbow bridge.
The Josie Muffin is named after Josie, a miniature dachshund. The muffin is brown and white with a cinnamon batter and white chocolate chips. Blueberries baked inside the muffin are a nod to the color of Josie’s eyes.
The Jack Muffin is named for a black and white Lab mix whose favorite snack is a little troublesome — rocks. His muffin is chocolate with a cream cheese filling, like his white tummy. Since Jack enjoys eating rocks, his muffin is topped with safe-to-eat candy rocks.
“You won’t even get in trouble for eating these rocks!” Jack says on a card displayed next to his signature offering.
The humans at Brown Dog Catering offered dinner services through “The Kitchen” until March 2025. Now Chef’s Tables showcase always-new curated menus.
The Chef’s Tables are popular and intimate evenings, serving 35 to 40 people at each iteration. The event includes a 12-to-15-course tasting menu including hors d’oeuvres, amuse-bouche, soups, appetizers, salad, fish, bread, meat and fish main courses, cheese, palate cleansers, and dessert, with complementary drinks.
“Each menu is totally different from the next,” Rigby-DeBoer says. “It just depends on what strikes either one of our fancies.”
The crew may design a menu around a theme like Mardi Gras, or one dish, or even ingredients. A recent Chef’s Table showcased garlic and onions. The dinners start at 6 or 7 p.m. and last several hours; reservations go fast. The DeBoers introduce each course and discuss the ideas, background, and techniques used to prepare each dish.
“People come in with their group and by the end of the night they’re talking to everybody else,” Rigby-DeBoer says.
Stover adds, “I frequently do community seating as well. There’s more interaction and more of an experience.”
Above all, DeBoer, Rigby-DeBoer, and Stover emphasize that Brown Dog Catering and all the businesses under it are for everyone. Their customers matter and become friends and family.
“We want you to feel at home,” DeBoer says.
The crew is adding a free-meal program, an idea they credit to The Garbage Pit, a restaurant in DuBois.
“You can come in and buy a meal and hang that meal ticket on the wall. Then someone who doesn’t have food can come in and take that ticket off the wall and get a free meal,” DeBoer says.
T&G
Hannah Pollock is a freelance writer in State College.
