Brooks’ Balanced Kitchen Opens Downtown

Troy and LaQuita Brooks, owners of Brooks’ Balanced Kitchen, 731 N. Jackson St. Photo taken May 25, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.

Personal trainers LaQuita and Troy Brooks have been helping Milwaukeeans reach their fitness goals for years through their wellness business, Brooks Balance 7. But earlier this year, the couple took their health-conscious pursuits one step further, launching a counter-service cafe stocked with convenient, nutrient-dense meals.

Brooks’ Balanced Kitchen opened in late March at 731 N. Jackson St., serving healthy and satisfying breakfast, lunch and snack options.

“Our goal is just to make sure that people think that wellness and taking care of yourself is fun and cool,” LaQuita Brooks said. “And we want to build that throughout the community.”

The 500-square-foot cafe occupies a ground-level space in the Wintrust bank building, which also houses Fit Pro Milwaukee, where the couple work as personal trainers. The previous tenant, Java Corner Cafe, closed during the pandemic.

Menu items at the cafe run the gamut from salads and smoothie bowls to waffles and pastries. A common thread, however, is that most items contain a balance of carbs, protein and fat; the combination makes for ideal fuel at any time of day, but especially post-workout.

Most mornings, Troy Brooks leads 5 a.m. workout sessions with his clients downstairs, then brings the group up to the restaurant for a post-workout meal.

“Having the restaurant is a blessing because it motivates people to come up and think about their actual nutrition,” Troy Brooks said. “That’s something we’ve always wanted our clients to understand, that this is the way you do it. You can’t just hit the weight room and think that everything’s going to be fine. You’ve got to have it all together, you’ve got to have that full spectrum of balance.”

The cafe also offers breakfast sandwiches, fresh fruit, breakfast potatoes and yogurt parfaits. For lunch, there’s a variety of wraps stuffed with grilled chicken or turkey, cheese and vegetables, as well as soup, rice and vegetable bowls and freshly-baked pizzas.

Beverages include juice, almond milk, protein drinks and Colectivo coffee.

“I like to give people the freshness, that’s what they deserve,” Troy Brooks said. “You deserve sustainable energy throughout the day. And that’s what most of our menu entails. When you get something from Brooks’ Balanced Kitchen, it’s a different bite to it.”

LaQuita Brooks told Urban Milwaukee that promoting wellness and balance is a top priority for her and her husband, and they strive to lead by example for both their clients and their two young daughters.

“I think it’s very important to have options available, and then not to punish yourself, you know, we are all at different stages of life,” LaQuita Brooks said. “I think my role at Brooks’ Balance 7 and Kitchen is to make sure that people know those options are available, and that you have to love yourself at every moment.”

Both LaQuita and Troy follow a stoplight approach to nutrition, which gives a green light to food groups like vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats, fruits and whole grains, while still allowing for treats like chips and candy, though the latter get the yellow light and should be consumed with intention.

“The reason why we have ‘balanced’ in our title is so we can provide that. We know that it’s extremely important to eat healthy,” LaQuita Brooks said. “But we also want to have room for desserts, for trying different things — just not as frequently.”

The couple laid out a series of short and long-term goals for the business, which includes purchasing a food truck this summer with the intent to deliver healthy foods throughout the city. Eventually, the Brooks plan to open a second location on the North Side.

In the long-term, the couple said they hope to expand with more restaurants throughout the state and beyond. But their loyalties will continue to lie in Milwaukee, as evidenced by their strongest desire — that the Milwaukee Bucks pay the restaurant a visit.

“Hey Jrue, Giannis, Khris, Brook, y’all guys gotta get down here if you want that good good,” Troy Brooks said with a laugh. “I’m serious guys, everybody from the Bucks organization come down.”

Brooks’ Balanced Kitchen is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.