Andrea Schultz is the owner and founder of HQ Coffee, the walk-up, Asian District shop that’s finally (FINALLY!) introduced Asian-inspired flavors to OKC’s coffee scene. She is responsible for two of my three favorite lattes in the metro: black sesame and ube. She incorporates flavors and ingredients like houjicha, li hing mui, genmaicha, and even White Rabbit candy, and in addition to coffee service, HQ offers soft serve pop-ups, outstanding matcha, and baked goods. In the episode, she discusses expansion plans, so I’ll leave that for her to tell. Schultz — Anj to her friends — is a former executive director of the Asian District Cultural Association, a freelance writer — she’s my colleague at Luxiere magazine — and a social media wizard, among many other roles. Keeping up with her projects is a full-time job, and she also has projects in Tulsa.

When Jenny Nguyen closed Bun Box, Schultz was already working on another building down just a block down Classen for HQ Coffee. Nguyen offered her good friend the option of just taking over the Bun Box building. Schultz loved the location, and her time in other cities exposed her to walk-up coffee shops, so she pivoted quickly to making Nguyen’s building work. The semi-outdoor patio is lovely, and she has a ton of space inside, which will contribute to her expansion plans. The truth is that even before the Vietnamese resettlement program of the 1970s, Asian immigrants had already shaped the cuisine and culture of Oklahoma, and what Schultz is doing should probably have happened decades ago. We’re just glad she’s bringing her taste, style, and drive to projects that make OKC and Tulsa better places to live, and I’ve rarely met someone as effortlessly cool as Anj Schultz.