Klamath IDEA Talks! Season Kickoff, Featuring Keegen Mueller

Klamath IDEA kicks off its 2025-2026 IDEA Talks season with a local flair! Our featured entrepreneur is Keegen Mueller, owner of A Leap of Taste in downtown Klamath Falls.

In partnership with The Ford Family Foundation's Growing Rural Oregon (GRO) program, the season kickoff also serves as the opening event for an annual gathering of the three communities in the current GRO cohort (Klamath Falls, Independence, and St. Helens).

"We're thrilled to host our peer communities for this convening, and look forward to sharing IDEA Talks as part of the shared learning that will take place during the two-day event focused on entrepreneur-led economic development and entrepreneurial ecosystem building," said Darin Rutledge, Executive Director of Klamath IDEA.

"Keegen's story will reinforce the importance of the work that Klamath IDEA and our peer communities are doing - bolstering resources for entrepreneurs, creating a culture that celebrates and supports existing entrepreneurs while developing new ones, and stewarding an ecosystem that fosters diverse and balanced economic growth in our communities."

Many consider Keegen Mueller as the imaginative culinary alchemist of Klamath Falls. For many years, he has been the spirited force behind A Leap of Taste, the cozy café nestled in the historic Oregon Bank Building at 907 Main Street. Not one to settle for a standard “just another eatery” label, Keegen turned the café into a community compass—serving up more than just exceptional food and coffee. When a whimsical piano found its way to the sidewalk outside the café, he leveraged it into providing a new experience for his customers and other visitors outside his storefront. He also worked with the City of Klamath Falls to create "Plaza Park" in the enlarged sidewalk space at 9th & Main, proving that a great idea doesn’t always need a recipe—it just needs vision, a dash of daring, and occasionally, 88 keys.

Beyond the café, Keegen is an entrepreneur with an instinct for turning local culture into a thriving business environment. His past service on the Klamath Falls Downtown Association’s Board of Directors and as its Economic Vitality Committee chair was marked by championing revitalization projects, supporting small business growth, and cultivating the kind of downtown where people want to linger. With a knack for balancing creativity and strategy, Keegen has been a steady advocate for the idea that strong communities are built the same way great meals are—one thoughtfully chosen ingredient at a time.

Whether crafting a seasonal menu, steering downtown development efforts, or finding unconventional ways to make people smile, Keegen serves up a rare combination of resilience, artistry, and heart. He’s proof that in Klamath Falls, the recipe for success is equal parts entrepreneurial grit, community spirit, and a willingness to make something extraordinary out of the ordinary.

This month's event will take place at the Running Y Resort at its Outdoor Pavilion (located just east of the lodge). Appetizers and one drink ticket is included in the $15 per person admission. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. Doors open at 5:15pm for networking and the IDEA Talk will start at 6:15 p.m.

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Klamath IDEA is a community initiative committed to developing a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Klamath County to strengthen existing small businesses and innovators and inspire and support the emergence of new ones. In that effort, entrepreneurial-minded informative talks modeled after TED Talks are held – known as IDEA Talks – to benefit business owners, entrepreneurs, and anyone else interested in the growing entrepreneurial culture in Klamath County.

The 2025-2026 IDEA Talks season is sponsored by Pacific Crest Federal Credit Union and the Klamath Community College Small Business Development Center. Additional support is provided by the City of Klamath Falls, The Ford Family Foundation’s Growing Rural Oregon program, and through Oregon State Lottery Funds administered by Business Oregon.

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