Cafe Mollie with Meghan
For my first interview of the project, I had the delight of meeting with my eighth grade science teacher; let me introduce you to Ms. Trimaloff! As I write this, I’ve realized it’s probably more appropriate if I call her Meghan. I saw Meghan as the perfect first interview candidate for multiple reasons: she’s a longtime Phoenician AND a small business owner! I see her posting all the time on Instagram about her journeys to try new food and drink around town, so I reached out to see where she could take me.
Meghan’s hidden gem is Cafe Mollie, a local cafe serving Vietnamese coffee, matcha, boba, and a variety of pastries and other experimental beverages. After our long overdue reunion, we sat down to enjoy some matcha - I got strawberry and she got toasted coconut. I don’t venture out for matcha very often, so I stuck with something I knew I would like; which may have been a missed opportunity on my part. Meghan found this place through her scrolls on Instagram, and tried it out due to her affinity for matcha. She likes the slow release of the caffeine, making it much less intense in comparison to coffee. It also has the potential to be a bit sweeter, fun for an afternoon treat. “I haven’t had a bad one.” she said when talking about Cafe Mollie’s matcha. She also noted the “cozy and conversational” environment, perfect for the conversation we had; and something she thinks is harder to find nowadays.
A true local, Meghan has lived in Phoenix for most of her life, moving here from La Jolla when she was two years old! She attended Desert Mountain and then went to ASU where she studied education. After graduation, she taught in the Cave Creek Unified School District before coming to Shea Middle School (where we met!) I asked her about why she chose middle school, which I never have been able to see the appeal in. Meghan sees middle schoolers in a much more positive light than most: “They have a wide enough vocabulary to where they can understand more in-depth topics, but still haven’t lost their love for learning” – middle school is a very transitional period, and she enjoyed being able to see kids as they “came into their own”. In 2020, while still working full-time as a science teacher, Meghan started her small business “Valley + Vetiver”. Valley is used to represent the city she lives in, and vetiver references a personal favorite candle smell of hers. In 2023, Meghan went full time with her business, working to better her craft and offer the best quality products to her worldwide customer base. Meghan is especially passionate about mixed media art forms, creating and selling polymer clay jewelry pieces that reflect her personal style and creativity.
Meghan enjoys the Valley of the Sun with her husband and Australian shepherd. She believes that Phoenix, and Arizona as a whole, is magical in its opportunities for exploration. Our state is one of the most (if not THE most) biodiverse places in the world, and she loves being able to spend time exploring what Arizona has to offer – most recently, she ventured up to the Utah/Arizona border! Aside from her passion for art and creating, Meghan loves photography, and talked with me about her current obsession with film photography.
It was so great to connect with Ms. Trimaloff – she was one of my favorite teachers and we spent a lot of time reminiscing about students in my class and how much has changed since I last visited her at Shea. I’m glad we were able to reconnect after the last few years!
Definitely check out her website or drop her a follow on Instagram, Valley + Vetiver has a ton of amazing items available!
If Meghan were on a deserted island, she would bring Coldplay’s discography with her.
