Some businesses serve food and drinks. Others become part of the rhythm of a community—the place where mornings begin, friendships grow and milestones are celebrated. For Katie Fine and her family, Karma’s Coffee House and Jubilee Kitchen + Bar may offer two distinctly different experiences, but both were created with the same purpose: to make people feel welcome, connected and at home.
Katie is often asked how her family came to operate both a coffee house and an upscale kitchen and bar. Sometimes, she admits, she asks herself the same question. Over time, however, she has come to believe this is what she was meant to do.
Karma’s had already developed a strong personality and sense of nostalgia when the Fine family was approached about the space that would become Jubilee. Rather than recreate what had already been established, Katie saw an opportunity to offer Cullman something new.
“People often feel like they have to drive to Birmingham or Huntsville for a unique dining experience,” Katie says. “I thought, why can’t we have that here?”
Karma’s Coffee House has been part of Cullman since 2015. From the beginning, Katie wanted every person who entered to feel an immediate sense of belonging. There is no single “type” of Karma’s customer. People of different ages and backgrounds walk through its doors for different reasons—morning coffee, lunch with a friend, a meeting or a quiet place to work—but everyone is welcomed.
After more than a decade, regular customers have become part of the Karma’s story. The team knows their usual orders, notices when someone has not visited recently and watches families return through different seasons of life. Children have grown up there, coffee dates have become family traditions and the shop has been present for retirements, milestones and even difficult goodbyes.
The employees have also become part of the extended Karma’s family. In 2025, former team members returned to celebrate the coffee house’s 10th anniversary. For Katie, seeing how those employees had grown was especially meaningful. What began as teaching young people to cook macaroni and cheese, sweep floors and serve customers also became an opportunity to teach life skills and watch them find success.
That same commitment to connection extends beyond the coffee house through Karma’s rentable coffee cart. Created as a way to take the experience beyond its four walls, the cart now serves weddings, corporate events and other special gatherings. It has traveled from sorority houses in Tuscaloosa to events for some of the country’s largest technology companies.
Karma’s is continuing to grow in other ways, too. The business has introduced K-Cups featuring its Karma’s Breakfast Blend, expanded its breakfast and lunch catering and continued developing the seasonal menus customers anticipate. Katie hopes more local businesses will choose locally owned coffee to stock their offices rather than automatically turning to a national brand.
While Karma’s is woven into Cullman’s daytime routine, Jubilee Kitchen + Bar offers an intimate, elevated experience for evenings out and special occasions. Inspired by the building itself and the vision for the surrounding property, Katie imagined an intimate, elevated dining experience where people could enjoy memorable evenings and special occasions right here in Cullman.
Jubilee’s menu places a creative twist on familiar classics. Guests can share selections from an expansive tapas menu, enjoy heartier entrées or choose one of the restaurant’s popular pizzas. Seasonal dishes and cocktails keep the menu fresh, while the Wine Wall offers 24 wines from around the world. Guests may select the size of their pour, sample something unfamiliar and purchase a bottle of a newly discovered favorite to enjoy later.
Whether it is date night, a girls’ night, dinner with friends or simply a cocktail and something delicious, Jubilee was designed to be a place where guests want to linger. The restaurant has even played a part in love stories, including couples whose first dates at Jubilee eventually led to marriage.
New additions continue to make Jubilee a gathering place. Its dedicated private-event space can accommodate rehearsal dinners, showers, birthdays and corporate dinners, with food and beverages provided by Jubilee or Karma’s. The restaurant’s wine dinners are another favorite, using communal seating to encourage guests to meet new people while enjoying great food, wine and conversation.
Among Jubilee’s most requested dishes are the meatballs and empanadas served with house-made chimichurri. Quality ingredients and preparing as much as possible in-house have remained priorities from the beginning. Behind the bar, Jubilee’s espresso martini has become a signature drink, made with fresh espresso from the restaurant’s own machine.
For those visiting either business for the first time, choosing just one item may be nearly impossible. At Karma’s, Katie recommends the sausage balls or a Sweet Home Alabama Amazebowl paired with a Kurt Kobean, Golden Yang Latte or seasonal beverage. At Jubilee, she suggests a signature cocktail or espresso martini with the Wild Salmon served over gouda grits with Dijon cream sauce and arugula.
Looking ahead, the Fine family’s vision extends beyond opening more businesses. With Jacob’s background in horticulture, they are developing a family farm and hope to eventually source some ingredients for Karma’s and Jubilee themselves.
More than anything, Katie wants Cullman to know how deeply her family believes in this community. Entrepreneurship runs through their family, and she hopes her children will grow up seeing what is possible through hard work, creativity and the courage to take risks.
Karma’s and Jubilee may serve different parts of the day, but their heart is the same. Both reflect a family committed to hospitality, quality and investing in the place they call home—one cup, one plate and one meaningful connection at a time.