Monkeywrench

Address: 53 East Gallivan Avenue

Telephone:

Website: monkeywrench-109928.square.site

District: Central City

 

“We brand ourselves here as anti-dairy.” When Monkeywrench opened in 2017, the words beneath its logo were meant to do exactly what they still do today in 2026 - interrupt the familiar and invite a second thought. For some, the phrase sparks curiosity. For others, confusion. Either way, it lingers.

By the time Monkeywrench came to life, Roxy Carlson and Alex Jamison had already spent several years building plant-based businesses together. They met in Salt Lake City in June of 2012, at a moment when both were still finding their footing. Six months later, they opened Buds.

Roxy grew up in the Cottonwood Heights area, the youngest sibling in a family where her brothers and sisters were much older than she was. She spent a lot of time alone as a child, guided by imagination, music, and quiet observation. After studying at Salt Lake Community College, Roxy moved to Los Angeles to attend a special effects makeup program for film and television, only to return home with student loan debt and the realization that the industry was not the right fit. She worked as a nanny and felt untethered when she met Alex.

Alex, meanwhile, had already made choices that would shape the rest of his life. He had been vegan since 2006, long before it was widely understood or accepted in Utah. His commitment was not performative or rigid. It was practical, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in values. Food, for Alex, became a way to express those values without confrontation. “Food felt palatable,” he said. “Here is a bowl of chili. Eat that. It is delicious. Cool. It is vegan.” He was less interested in convincing people than in removing barriers - showing that plant-based food could feel familiar, satisfying, and generous.

Where Roxy brought intuition and emotional intelligence, Alex brought curiosity and systems thinking. He liked figuring things out. He liked the mechanics behind why something worked. Together, they shared a belief that food could be both accessible and principled, and that small businesses could quietly shift culture without shouting.

Monkeywrench grew out of that shared mindset, but also out of necessity. Roxy and Alex were looking to open a second Buds location downtown when a lease restriction prevented another sandwich shop in the space. Already invested, they pivoted rather than walked away. “Let’s do something else,” Alex suggested.

At home, Alex had been experimenting with vegan ice cream using a small countertop machine. What began as curiosity quickly became fascination. He was drawn to the balance of texture, temperature, and flavor, the way minor adjustments could change everything. “It was great,” he said. “I loved it.” Instead of guessing their way forward, they sought formal training, traveling to Austin, Texas, to attend Cool School, a week-long program focused on vegan ice cream. “They showed us the ropes,” Roxy said. “We learned how to develop flavors and how to run a scoop shop.”

Monkeywrench became the result of that process: a small-batch vegan ice cream shop in downtown Salt Lake City, serving sixteen rotating flavors each day, all made from scratch. “If there is a cookie dough in there, it is a cookie dough that we made,” Roxy said. “If there is a piece of cake in there, it is a cake that we made.” Waffle cones, brownies, milkshakes, and sundaes follow the same rule. Everything is housemade. “I am a firm believer that making things from scratch always comes through in the final product.”

The city-owned property included two units. One became Monkeywrench. The other became Boltcutter, an all-vegan taco shop that opened alongside it. Boltcutter closed during the pandemic, but plans are underway for a reemergence in 2026. Monkeywrench adapted in real time. During Covid, the shop shifted to a window-order model and kept it. “It makes people feel safer,” Roxy and Alex admitted. “And it fits downtown.”

The name Monkeywrench references The Monkey Wrench Gang, Edward Abbey’s novel about environmental activists disrupting destructive systems. Boltcutter followed the same tool-based logic, drawing from imagery tied to resistance and liberation. The messaging is intentional. “Anti-dairy” is not just a dietary label. It is a stance. “I think it is telling how surprised people are by it,” the couple shared. “Why would you be opposed to dairy?”

Alex sees value even in that brief moment of reaction. “Those two words do not go together. Your brain wants to make sense of it.” For them, that pause matters. Monkeywrench is not about preaching. It is about offering something joyful that quietly challenges assumptions. “Planting a seed,” Alex said. “Even just people walking by.”

And for anyone willing to try a scoop, the invitation remains simple. “We are anti-dairy,” Roxy said. “Try some ice cream.”