The awning outside 731 N. Jackson St. may be new -- and so is the improved dining area inside -- but the tastes, smiles and good vibes at the Java Corner Café haven't changed in the past 3 1/2 years.

Java Corner Café isn't your ordinary "in a hurry and gotta eat" type of place. Sure it's fast, but it's not fast food. Sure it's grab and go, but it's homemade grab and go with family-recipe cookies and bars and "nice banter back and forth with our people," as co-owner Lisa Iafelice puts it.

Iafelice and her partner Geralynn Nelson operate Java Corner every weekday with smiles, a handful of employees and sweat equity, supplying salads, sandwiches, wraps, soups and breakfasts to the downtown workforce. Customers call and fax in orders, but walk-ups are best since the staff will customize your order or make you something that's not even on the menu.

"They do a great job whether I need a quick lunch or I need to cater in for a business meeting," says regular customer Nick Curran, whose Executive Search Partners is a tenant in the building.

Java Corner also caters and delivers.

With more than 40 years of combined restaurant experience -- Nelson managed a Rocky Rococo's in Wauwatosa and Iafelice worked at Colonel Hart's -- the owners pursued their entrepreneurial dream, opening Java Corner in October 2001 and are considering expanding.

"We enjoy it and are having fun," says Nelson. "We're looking at couple of other downtown buildings."

And it shows in the personal touch not always guaranteed at other places.

The Java Corner Café Web site is javacornercafe.com.