#barista jobs sydney no experience

[kokomeong]

The End of An Era - A Tribute to Milk! Records

How fast time passes us by, so why don’t you hold them - Remedy Waloni

I am writing this piece as I sip on a tall hot latte at a Starbucks inside a chain bookstore near my campus, a scene that I would have never imagined when my girlfriend took me to Seven Seeds in Carlton near her campus nine years ago. Her senpai took her there on her first week in Melbourne and she ordered hot chocolate, not convinced that the famous Melbourne coffee was different and would win her over. She used to not be able to stand the smell of second-wave coffee and coffee shops. In the early 2010’s, my brand new (and still alive) iPod video consisted of Alvvays, Bon Iver, Beirut, DCFC, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Wild Beasts. Teguh Wicaksono regularly made a super indie playlist for National Geographic Traveler. It was an exciting time. We went from spending our time going to Periplus Malioboro just to stare at Frankie to finding them at news kiosks everywhere in Australia. The third-wave was taking over in the peak of the hipster years, and we were relieved that the same trend had occupied Yogyakarta when we returned home a year later. Light roast direct trade coffee with manual brew and single origins were introduced perhaps not very successfully by snobbish male baristas as the market preferred cheap iced coffee with condensed milk as their go-to drink and young male smokers remained loyal to the dark roast americano with sugar added.   

I was reminded of all the buzz about the end of an era as Ronaldo and Messi left the European football scene when I heard that Milk! Records announced that they will close its doors in 2023. It was the heart of Melbourne independent music scene. I learned and took so many references from that music label and its community. It was the year Real Estate released Atlas, the year I was hooked by the brilliance of Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s Portlandia. Courtney Barnett released Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, Methyl Ethel and Twerps completed their second album, and Dick Diver finished Melbourne, Florida, a staple of their distinctive Australiana sound.

Melbourne was a manifestation of an idea of how diverse the communities can be in a city. It could not be better: multiculturalism, the rising awareness of indigenous issues, Palestine, and animal rights debates, farm-to-table dining and direct trade sustainable produce, the tram lines, queer people kissing in front of old houses in Brunswick, the radical ideas of what a library is and can be, the New Year’s Eve fireworks in River Torrens, all the bookshops and empty wet streets, Papa Gino’s in Carlton, the A1 bakery in Sydney Road, Al-Alamy in Coburg, taking a book conservation training under the supervision of Karen Vidler, summertime bus ride along the majestic Adelaide coastlines, Adelaide Showground, the morning view from a room in Sturrock Street, a summer evening in St Kilda, my obsession with Steph Hughes’ illustrations, and the bitter smell of cheap morning to-go coffee in an unnamed stall in Adelaide station, introduced to me by a woman who worked in my apartment. They ground the beans and made the coffee in a proper espresso machine. There was always a long line of blue collar workers. The beans were dark roast, so bitter that you cannot drink it properly without sugar. I remained one of their regulars during those beautiful days in Adelaide because what is coffee even for if not to be romanticized.

That era in Australia changed (if not solidified) me, and I could not feel more fortunate to do my Master's there. I was a nobody, a 23 year-old working administrative-level job under a yearly contract dying to escape my routine and dysfunctional family dynamics. It was a small chance as the scholarship mainly goes to civil servants with a solid experience and career path. I didn’t have much to offer so I had to make it seem like I knew what I was doing somehow and they bought it. I spent all of my savings to give the best care to ten stray cats I rescued. My parents did not give me any money when I left for Australia, despite their ‘success’ in their respective career. I even gave mom my last 100,000 at the airport because I knew she needed the money.

When I rode my Tokyobike slowly for a morning commute to campus, I felt that it was surely the end of an era. The new young Indonesian bands I can no longer relate to, the fact that my hair is no longer perfectly straight and surrenders to my mom’s curly genetics, the way I managed to understand Japanese cashiers and their many questions before letting me pay for my order, reminiscing the Sefton Park suburb while indulging in the views of Zuibaiji river and the vast open rice fields everyday on the way to campus.

Australians enjoy a slow brunch, the Japanese eat a very effective breakfast. Australians spend a long summer holiday, the Japanese take a week-long summer break. Australians invented their perfectly balanced flat white, the Japanese preserved and perfected their simple drip coffee.

They are totally in contrast, yet from the life I have here and there I learn something in common: that you can be the kind of people who do not define yourself with your titles, job positions or external achievements. The kind of people who have a life outside their job. The people who are more interested in enriching their lives than pursuing the conventional idea of success. People who take seemingly trivial things seriously and deeply. They read, bike, walk, garden, bake, brew, ferment, cook, eat, drink, taste, feel, meet, see, write, watch, and listen consciously. They keep searching for something new and they are excited to learn.

Some people need to advance their career so much they are willing to do literally anything and sacrifice others when they realize they can’t do achieve anything just by relying on their skills and competence. They’re the type who might not appreciate walking to a green space, getting joy from looking at the ducks in the pond, being overly excited to see wild turtles in the river. But there’s no need to be so stressed out about going down if you can just choose to not go up.

Your titles and privileges can and will end, but ideas and knowledge go on. Rest in Peace, Milk! Records.

#hidup di kota #weekend #melbourne #naarm #australia #milk! records

[catchtraining]

Things you will learn from a barista course

There are a lot of things you can learn from the right barista course in Sydney. Keep reading to know how one of these courses can benefit you.

A barista course in Sydney teaches you a lot of valuable skills. Baristas do a wide range of tasks in a restaurant, coffee shop, or bar. You can build valuable and transferable skills when you work as a barista. The right course will also prepare you for other roles.

You should learn about the training needs and abilities you will develop as a barista. This will help you determine if it is a great job for you.

What is a barista?

Baristas create and serve coffee, tea, espresso, and other beverages. They may also prepare and serve bakery items such as muffins or croissants.

Baristas have a lot of responsibilities in addition to coffee preparation. Their responsibilities include answering questions about menu items, greeting customers, maintaining knowledge of menu items, building relationships with customers, informing customers of special products on the menu, following drink and food recipes, recommending options when requested, taking payments and giving change, keeping the store clean, and following food and service safety and health policies.

Salary

A barista can be full-time or part-time and receive hourly pay. The amount of money they make depends on the type, size and location of their place of employment. A barista’s salary is also affected by the experience. Baristas receive tips that aren’t calculated into their normal salary.

Training requirements

A barista receives on-the-job training. He can also take a barista course at a reputable school. New baristas shadow an experienced employee and start working with customers directly after some time. A barista learns how to make different types of beverages and perform operations around a restaurant or shop. It can be helpful to have experience either as a barista or in a typical restaurant setting. But this is not a requirement. A lot of coffee shops hire entry-level baristas and train them. On-the-job training can help a barista learn the aspects of the shop or store where they work. This can include the following:

Menu knowledge

A barista must learn how to make and customise every menu item. The barista may be able to answer questions that customers ask and make suggestions as necessary. Baristas know the specifications for every food and drink item on the menu and this means that they can create uniform orders. They also know when to make substitutions.

Cleaning and preparation

Baristas should maintain a clean workstation to follow health and safety guidelines. They may know how to keep equipment clean and in excellent working condition. They may know how to clean the equipment after someone makes an order to prevent contamination. They may also monitor stock and notify managers when stores are low. Baristas may know that these amounts vary with seasons and prepare for this.

Drink and food safety

A barista course in Sydney also teaches food safety. Baristas know how to follow drink and food safety guidelines. This enables them to prepare items for people with allergies. They make sure things stay separate. This helps prevent customers from getting into trouble with allergens, and to avoid issues like contamination.

[jakemoogle]

How is it so seemingly difficult to find a full time hospitality/barista job nowadays, especially in Sydney? I’m trying to get back into hospitality, specifically a barista role in a cafe, and despite my hospitality experience from years ago, I seem to be unable to secure even an interview.

I’m absolutely over office work, or at the very least sitting at a desk. To achieve my long term goal of what I want to be doing in 5-10 years time (own and run my own cafe) I need to get back into hosp work to get that fresh experience again but it seems so hard. I’m just exhausted.

#job hunting in itself is a job #god I hate it so much

[wickedsrest-rp-archive]

Name: Raina Im Species: Human (Spellcaster) Occupation: Barista Age: 26 Years Old Played By: Ci Face Claim: Bae Suji (Suzy)

“I just think it’s important to be kind is all. It doesn’t cost anything!”

Tw: Terminal illness, chronic illness, parental death

Five years prior to Raina’s birth, Im Jae Ho and Sydney Jung had a chance meeting, albeit a dangerous one. Sydney, in a precarious position due to being a spellcaster, made a deal with the devil, so to speak. Unfortunately, Sydney always had her nose where it did not belong, and for once, it got her into trouble. Unaware of lampades, or their intentions, Sydney was temporarily held captive, the fae feeding on her magic. Jae Ho, despite his nature, found the situation terrible-- how could they take a girl who had stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time captive? He had seen what his family had done to past spellcasters and humans-- fae had no room in their hearts for humans, even ones who cast magic. He would like to think of himself as different.

After Jae Ho and Sydney escaped, they ran as far as they could. Jae Ho knew that he could not return to his family after what he had done, and even though it was nothing close to treason, he had betrayed them. He had put a human life above their own needs, and there’d be no excusing that fact. Eventually, Sydney and Jae Ho fell in love, and as a test to their love, Sydney began allowing Jae Ho to feed on her magic, at least enough to keep him satiated. Several years later, they had welcomed their first and only child into the world during a spring storm.

For the most part, it seemed as though she was normal. It wasn’t until she was five did strange happenings begin to follow Raina around-- it was in moments of extreme anger, fear, or happiness that a pipe would burst, or a kettle full of water would begin to steam. It was apparent that Raina had the gift of water, and though Sydney knew she should encourage her child’s talents, she decided it was a dangerous game to play. So instead, she kept her mouth shut.

When Raina turned fifteen, her father grew sick. What with, it had never been clarified, but she knew that unlike other families, they did not turn to the hospitals. Instead, her mother took care of Jae Ho. Her parents lied to her, explaining that she missed when the nurse would come in and take care of him, how it was always when she was at school. Little did Raina know, her mother was a healing witch and had attempted to revert the sickness that he began to experience, and instead progressed the illness and made it much more deadly than it originally was. One night, Raina woke to the sound of her mother’s cries and hushed, tense whispers. The following morning, Raina learned that her mother had left in the dead of night, too terrified of her father’s condition to stick around. Heartbroken, Raina fell into resolve and poured her attention into caring for her father.

Jae Ho’s sister, Soo Jung had come to Knoxville in order to assist with his illness. Due to the fact that she, too, was a lampade, there was hope between the two adults that she would be better suited to care for him. Unfortunately, his body was too far gone. The magic that Sydney had cast onto him had accelerated the illness, rendering him untreatable. At the age of nineteen, Raina lost her father.

Soo Jung remained in Knoxville, seeing Raina through college-- something that Raina only did in order to find normalcy. It was then that with her mixed emotions, that her powers began to manifest in bigger ways. it was all… strange. Unknown to her, her aunt had begun to distribute texts about magic in places that she would find them. It was then that Raina began to study and research what she was-- a witch.

The call for Soo Jung to return to her family, despite them not knowing where she  had disappeared off to was a hard call to follow-- she had a niece she wanted to ensure got help, but knew that it was too dangerous to stay by her side. The humans in Knoxville would no longer suffice. She needed magic. Soo Jung made it clear to Raina that though they were related by blood, she would need to forge her own path, and that she could no longer be of assistance. In dropping that bombshell, Soo Jung also left whispers behind her of White Crest, a town that perhaps Raina would fare well in, with her own kind. Raina followed her aunt’s advice and took off from Knoxville, just a bit after turning 26.

Character Facts:

Personality: Caring, energetic, passionate, self-reliant, understanding, youthful distractible, loquacious, overimaginative, shy, codependent, wishful 

Raina was born and raised in Knoxville, TN.

She is a “water witch” which– the irony is not lost on her, due to not only her name being Raina, but the fact that she was born in the rain due to her parents neglecting to take her to the hospital.

Raina, to this day, still does not know that her father was a lampade, or that her mother was a witch, but she has growing suspicions that something was not right.

Despite having an art degree, Raina opted out for a simple job– one that would help her get to know the locals. Maybe when she’s feeling more like herself she’ll try to take a stab at art, but for now she’s content leading a simple life after all her loss.

Raina has a bit of a southern drawl and is maybe too kind / welcoming for her own good.

Has a habit of heating up her tea, or other beverages, with her magic instead of household appliances.

Raina has a necklace made from shed lampade antlers that her aunt gave her, from her dad.

#terminal illness tw #parental death tw #chronic illness tw #retired

[thruheavenandhighwater]

Holiday Series - Luke

[Michael] [Calum] [Ashton]

Pairing: Luke Hemmings/ Female OC

Requested By: N/A

Word Count: 3,974

Summary: Coffee shop AU in which barista Luke get stuck working on Christmas. 

Luke sighed as he checked the time on his watch. 8:42 am. Less than an hour into his shift and he was seriously contemplating closing up and telling his boss where to shove it. But he couldn’t do that, and he knew it. As much as this job sucked, it was the only one he could find in the city that allowed him enough time off to travel back home a few times a year, so he needed to keep it.

He picked up an old blue rag and began to wipe down an espresso machine when the bell above the door chimed. The cheerful sound signaled to Luke the first customer of the day. He looked up to the door and saw a girl walking through it, a few stray snowflakes following her inside before she was able to close the door behind her.

Her shoulder length brown hair was contained beneath a grey beanie that matched the scarf that she held tightly around her neck. Luke watched her shiver slightly as she stood in front of the closed door, the heat of the coffee shop warming her from the Christmas snow storm that had been raging outside since the night before. Her eyes closed for a moment as she took a deep breath before slowly unwrapping the scarf around her neck and removing it.

She opened her eyes and directed her attention to Luke behind the counter. He felt his breath catch in his throat as she smiled at him from across the room. She pulled off her black mittens, shoving them into the pocket of her coat as she made her way to the counter. Luke suddenly became very aware of the coffee stain on his blue apron and the fact that he’d barely put any effort into getting ready this morning. He ran a hand through his long, blond curls in an attempt to tame them, even though he knew that they always had a mind of their own.

“Morning.” Luke offered with a smile as she got closer to him. Her own smile grew as she greeted him in kind.

“Good morning!” Her voice was soft and sweet, almost like a song in a way that Luke couldn’t quite put his finger on. “You have no idea how glad I am that you’re open today.” She sighed, pulling her wallet from the bag slung over her shoulder.  

“Yeah, I guess someone needs to keep the people caffeinated, even on Christmas.” Luke laughed. She giggled along with him, the corners of her lips pulling up just slightly more than they already were. He couldn’t help but to notice that her giggle was somehow even prettier than her speaking voice. The way it fell so easily from her lips made him want to hear it over and over again. “So, uh, what can I get ya?” He asked, his hands gripping the sides of the register a little too tight.

“Uh, just a venti latte, please.” She answered, looking away from him to the wallet in her hand. He rang in her order and read out her total. He pulled his hand away from hers quickly, nearly dropped her money when she handed it to him. She smiled at him again as he handed her change back to her.

“And a name?” Luke asked her, picking up a cup and pulling a marker from the pocket of his apron.

She looked over her shoulder to the empty coffee shop with another giggle. “Are you afraid you’re gonna give it to the wrong person?” She asked, raising her eyebrows as she faced him again.

He felt his cheeks go warm at her question. A small chuckle fell from his lips as he dropped his chin to his chest. “Sorry,” He said. “It’s a habit.”

“It’s fine.” She told him, waving her hand. “It’s Ariel.”

Fuck, even her name is pretty. Luke smiled to himself as he jotted her name on the side of the paper cup. She removed her beanie, running a hand through her hair as she walked to the other end of the counter.

“So, how’d you get stuck working Christmas?” She asked him, leaning over the counter and resting on her elbows as she watched him prepare her drink.

Luke shrugged his broad shoulders, not looking up from his task as he answered. “I usually end up working holidays because I don’t have any family here in the states to spend them with.”

Ariel put a hand over her heart as she pouted her lips. “Oh my, that is so sad.” She sighed. “I mean, my family is far away, too. But I can usually get back to visit them for holidays.”

“Are you from out of town?”

“Oh, yeah.” She laughed. “A tiny little town near Boston.”

Luke hadn’t been expecting that. He finished her drink, capping it before sliding it across the counter to her waiting hands. “So why aren't you there for Christmas?”

This time, it was her turn to shrug. “I'm, like, extra poor this year.” Luke raised his eyebrows as he nodded, that was definitely a struggle that he understood. “Plus, I'm Jewish.”

“Mazel tov!” Luke exclaimed, throwing his hands up next to his face.

Ariel dropped her face, looking down at the paper cup in her hands as she laughed out loud. “Do you even know what that means?” She questioned when she looked back up at him.

“I, uhh…” Luke stammered for a moment, fiddling with the edge of his apron before answering with a giggle. “No, I don't.”

She laughed again at his answer. Her lips pulling up high on her cheeks, showing off her teeth as she smiled up at him. The sound filled Lukes ears and he felt his chest swell with pride that he was able to pull such a beautiful sound from her.

“So how’d you end up in Chicago?” Luke asked once her laugh had subsided.

“School, originally. Ended up dropping out, though.” She answered with a smile. “How about you?”

“Oh, I wanted to be in a band. It wasn’t working out back home, so I packed up and moved here a few years ago. I was completely convinced I’d go back a home a rockstar.” He finished, laughing at himself and his own naivety.

“I take it the band thing didn’t work out?”

“Kind of did for a while, actually.”

“So what happened? Why aren’t you a rockstar?” She asked him as she stood up straight.

“Egos.” He answered simply. “Mine and theirs. They’re still great guys, we just didn’t get on well.”

Ariel nodded, bringing her cup to her lips. Luke watched as she cautiously sipped the hot drink. Her eyes fell closed again and Luke took a moment to appreciate the way the lights in the shop caught the slight shimmer in her nude eyeshadow.

“Well, at least you’re still young.” She told him as she pulled the cup away from her lips, taking a step back from the counter. “There’s still time, rockstar.” She winked at him before turning away. Luke felt his stomach tie itself into about fifteen different knots at the sight.

She took a few steps away from him, stopping at the nearest table and setting her drink down. She began to shrug her coat from her shoulders, revealing an emerald green sweater that hugged her frame beautifully. “Mind if I hang out here for a bit?” She asked. “It’s like the end of the world out there.”

“Fine by me.” Luke answered with a smile. She hung her coat on the rack by the door and sat down at her table, pulling a book from her bag and opening it. The pair were silent for a while. Nothing but the sounds of people outside, snow crunching beneath boots, and the playlist of Christmas songs playing on the speakers around the coffee shop.

The silence was somehow comfortable and unbearably awkward all at once. At least, that was how it felt from Luke’s point of view. Ariel sat at her table, her legs crossed beneath it as she read her book and sipped at her coffee. Since he was on the clock, Luke was trying to find something to fill his time on the off chance that his boss made an appearance. He picked up a broom from the back room and walked into the shop.

“Is this your way of telling me to beat it?” Ariel asked with a smile when he started to sweep up.

“What? No, of course not.” Luke stammered. Why was he so eager for her to stay? He didn’t know her. Hell, they’d barely even spoken since she walked in half an hour ago. “Just, uh, trying to keep busy.”

“Ya know, if you wanted to take a break, I promise I won’t tell on you.”

Once again, Luke felt his cheeks heat up as she spoke to him. He smiled as he leaned the broom against a wall and walked over to where she sat. He put his hand on the back of the chair across from her. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” She answered. She placed her bookmark into the spine of her book before closing it and setting it down on the table between them. “I’m sorry, but I have to ask. Where is home for you? I’ve been trying to place your accent and I just can’t figure it out.”

“Australia.” He answered with a chuckle. “West Sydney, specifically.”

“Really? You don’t sound very much like Steve Irwin.”

“Ouch.” Luke whined, putting his hand over his heart and furrowing his brows.

“Sorry!” Ariel said, reaching across the table and placing her hand on his arm.

Luke’s smile quickly grew to a toothy grin as he looked down to where her hand rested delicately on his wrist. “It’s fine. Every time I go home all I hear from my family is that I need to move back because I’m getting an American accent.” Ariel laughed at him. She removed her hand from his wrist and he instantly felt less whole at the loss of her soft touch.

“I don’t know if I’d say it’s quite an American accent.” She said, picking up her cup and bringing it to her lips again. She took a long drink, licking her lips as she set the cup back on the table between them. “But then again, I never got to hear your accent before so who am I to say?”

“If you’ve ever been to Sydney, especially West Sydney, you’ll know that they definitely don’t sound like this.”

“I haven’t been. But I’d love to visit someday, when money isn’t so tight.” She sighed. “I want to see the world. All of it. Every nook and cranny of the every beautiful city the world has to offer.”

“You sound like me.” He said with a grin. “That was one reason I wanted to be in a band, actually. See the world, meet new people, experience new cultures.”

“Well, if the band thing works out, I volunteer to be your merch girl. You don’t even have to pay me.” She said with a laugh as she pushed some hair from her face. “Just take me around the world.”

“Deal.” He answered. “And hey, even if the band doesn’t work out, I’d still happily be your tour guide around Sydney when you go.”

“Well, how can I say no to being shown around a foreign country by a native?”

“I guess you can't.” He told her with a beaming grin.

Just as Ariel was about to speak again, the bell above the door chimed for a second time. Both Luke and Ariel jumped at the sudden interruption. A middle aged man in a long tan coat walked in, shutting the door quickly.

“Storm of the century out there.” The older man said as he walked to the counter. Luke stood from his seat and walked to the back of the counter to help the man. He placed his order, paid, and turned back to Ariel. “Have you been out there?” He asked her.

“Yeah, a little bit earlier. Been here about 45 minutes, though.”

Luke finished pouring his coffee, capping it and sliding it across the counter in same fashion he'd done for Ariel. The man thanked Luke and started towards the door. “If you'll take a nickel's worth of free advice, I'd stay in here as long as he will let you.” He told her, nodding his head to Luke who still stood behind the counter. “It's getting worse out there by the minute.” Ariel smiled at him and offered a silent nod as he opened the door and walked back into the storm.

“Looks like you might be stuck with me for a while, rockstar.” Ariel said as the door closed.

“Could be worse.” Luke shrugged. “At least I've got some company. Hey, you want a refill while I'm back here? On the house.”

“I will never say no to free coffee.” Ariel answered, smiling as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear once again.

Luke returned her smile quickly before turning his attention to making her a fresh drink. He found himself being extra careful while he made it. For some reason, he was sure that if this drink wasn't exactly perfect, she'd leave before he wanted her to. And he just couldn't have that.

He finished the drink and set it in front of her, picking up her cold drink and throwing it away for her. He decided that he needed to find ways to stay busy again. He began wiping down already sparkling machinery and filling cream dispensers. The pair continued talking while Luke cleaned the entire shop.

They discussed their childhoods, laughing together at notable differences between growing up in America versus Australia. “Wait,” Ariel said, leaning forward, her eyes closing as she shook her head in an attempt to make sense of something Luke had just said. “They really feed that to children?”

“What?” Luke laughed. “It's just buttered bread with sprinkles.”

“I'm sorry, but that sounds disgusting.” She told him, laughing with him as she sat back in her seat. “I can't believe kids would even eat that.”

“Don't knock it till ya try it.”

“Fair enough. Maybe I'll pick up some sprinkles on my next shopping trip.”

A few hours passed when suddenly, Luke's stomach growled loudly from where he was on a step ladder cleaning windows. He checked his watch, it was after 1 p.m. It was definitely much later than he normally ate, but he hadn't even noticed that he was hungry. He was too preoccupied with Ariel and their conversations. Had she really been here for nearly four hours already?

“Hungry, rockstar?” Ariel laughed from her table as she looked up at him.

“Starving, apparently.”

“Good, because I am, too.” She smiled. “Are any restaurants even open today?”

“The chinese place down the street definitely is.” Luke answered. He stepped down from the step ladder and pulled his phone from the pocket of his apron. The part of his brain that never quite left high school wanted to ask Ariel for her number. He pushed the thought away and instead, opened his messages and began to text his order to Eric, the delivery boy from the restaurant. “Wait, you like Chinese, right?”

“Love it.”

Luke’s smile grew as he continued to type out his usual order. “What do you want?” He asked, finally looking up at her.

“Sesame chicken.”

“Rice?”

“Fried, please.”

Luke added her order to the end of his text before tacking on a few emojis and hitting send. “Should be 10 minutes, give or take.” He told her as he replaced his phone in his apron pocket and took his seat across the table from her.

“So,” Ariel started as he sat down. “Am I supposed to keep calling you ‘rockstar’ forever, or are you gonna tell me your name?”

“Luke.” He answered, his teeth showing as he laughed at her. “But if you want to keep calling me rockstar, I’m not going to stop you.”

“No,” She said, her smile growing. “I think I like Luke.” He would conservitavely guess that he’d heard his name approximately 800 billion times in his twenty-two years of life, but hearing Ariel say it for the first time? Easily one of the top five greatest sounds he had ever heard. Even if he’d tried, Luke wouldn’t have been able to contain the joyful grin that quickly covered his entire face.

A few minutes later the door to the coffee shop opened, bringing a huge gust of wind and a man carrying two plastic take out bags with it. Luke stood from his seat and walked towards the man, taking the bags from him and setting them in front of Ariel. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and started to pull a few bills from it.

“Man, you know mom won’t let you pay.” The guy laughed, shoving Lukes hand away.

“It’s been like three years, she’s gotta let me pay eventually.”

“No, she likes you better than any of us. You’re good for life.” He said, laughing. His eyes swept over the shop before landing on Ariel. “I take it you’re the sesame chicken?” He asked with a smile.

“How’d ya know?”

“I’ve never known this one to get anything other than sweet and sour pork.”

“Interesting.” Ariel said, nodding her head. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

“Okay, okay. If we’re done discussing my diet, I’d like to eat now.” Luke commented as he pulled out his chair. “You hanging out?” He asked Eric, turning to look at him as he began to pull take out boxes from the bags.

“Can’t. Mom needs me back to run more deliveries. See ya.” He answered, taking a few steps towards the door.

“Later.”  Luke nodded, still unbagging your food as Eric stepped through the door.  “Hope you like egg rolls. Looks like Mama Kim hooked us up.” He laughed as he opened a box containing at least a dozen eggs rolls.

“Mama Kim, huh?” Ariel asked as she reached across the table to pluck an egg roll from the box.

“Yeah,” Luke laughed. “I met Eric like my second day in the states and his parents more or less adopted me. Good thing, too. I'd have starved to death if she didn't insist on sending me home with a months worth of food every other day.”

“She sounds sweet.” Ariel said with a smile.

“Yeah, she's the best.” Luke told her as he took a bite of his egg roll.

As they were finishing their lunch, Lukes phone began ringing from his apron pocket. He pushed his chair away from the table as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “It’s my boss.” He said to her, taking a few steps away from the table as he answered the call.

Ariel tried not to listen, sure that whatever the call was about was none of her business anyway. Instead, she focused her attention on cleaning up the takeout boxes that were scattered across the table. She dumped the boxes into a trash can next to the door just as Luke was hanging up his call.

“Did you get in trouble for sitting down at work all day?” She asked as she walked back over to him.

“No,” Luke laughed as he replaced his phone into his apron pocket. “He just wanted to know if we’d had any customers today. Told me to close up shop.”

Was he seeing things or did her smile actually drop a little?

“So you’re finally kicking me out, huh?”

“Well, technically my boss is making me kick both of us out.” He answered.

Ariel returned to her seat and started to pack up her bag. “It’s been really nice hanging out with you today, Luke.” She told him, smiling up at him from where she was stuffing her book into her bag.

“Yeah,” He returned her smile. “Today definitely turned out to be more fun than I thought it would be. I’m glad you came in.” He was searching every corner of his mind to find ways to make her stay just a little longer as he walked to the window to turn off the neon ‘OPEN’ sign. As he flipped the switch, the opening notes to Baby, It’s Cold Outside began to play over the shops sound system.

Ariel gasped from her seat and put her hand over her chest. Luke spun around quickly to look at her, caught off guard by the sudden sound. “I love this song.” She sighed, her eyes falling closed as she began to sway in her seat.

This is it. This was his chance and he knew he had to take it, or risk kicking himself in the ass for the rest of his life for letting it slip away. He took a few slow steps towards her, praying she would respond well to his plan. He listened to the song and grinned to himself as he watched her mouth along with the words.

I really can't stay.

This is it. This is his moment. He took a deep breath as the woman singing finished her line.

“But, baby, it’s cold outside.” He sang. His voice was quiet, too afraid of her reaction to sing much louder than a whisper. Ariel’s eyes shot open, her smile wider than it had been all day as she looked at him. He swore that her brown eyes actually glowed as she chimed in.

“I've got to go away.”

“But, baby, it’s cold outside.” He sang again, slightly louder this time as he put his hand out to her.

“This evening has been so very nice.” She sang back to him as she took his hand and stood in front of him.

“I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice.”

“My mother will start to worry.”

“Beautiful, what's your hurry?” Luke placed a cautious hand behind her back, just below her waist.

“My father will be pacing the floor.”

“Listen to the fireplace roar.” Her smile grew along with his as he started to move with her.

The pair spun in slow circles as they continued to sing the classic holiday tune to each other. At some point, Ariels free hand found its way to Lukes shoulder. This was working. He moved his hand to the middle of her back, pulling her into him just slightly.

Before he knew it, the song was coming to an abrupt end. He’d never realized how short of a song it actually is. The last lines of the song played, both of them singing the words to each other, and before he could stop himself, Luke was leaning in. His eyes closed as his face inched closer to hers. He hoped he looked cool, but every single alarm in his body was going off in that moment. The instant his lips met hers, though, all of them silenced.

It was a quick kiss, quicker than he would have liked. But it was beautiful. It was perfect. It was everything that Luke always thought a first kiss should have been. Luke felt her smiling as his lips landed on hers.

Luke broke the kiss, pulling away first. He opened his eyes to see her grinning up at him. A lock of her brown hair had fallen into her eyes. He moved his hand from her back to tuck the fallen piece behind her ear, earning an even wider grin from her as he rested his hand on her neck just below her ear.

“Smooth move, rockstar.” She whispered to him as she leaned forward, her lips pursing as she kissed him again.

~~~

As you can see, this is the first part of a Holiday Series! I’m really excited about all of these and I cannot wait to post all of them! Can’t wait to hear what you all think of this and the rest of the series. 

Happy Holidays! 

Tag List: @crownedbyluke @thecashtonexpress @blue-skies-are-alright @lmao5sosimagines @therainydays4 @rosecth @thesoundsyoumake @kinglyhemmings @a-little-international @harryandthelesbians @lukescherrypie @ashotofblues @youngblood199456 @rexorangecouny @cashton-queen @tothemoonwithclifford @babylon-uncrowned @asht0ns-world @abitloudforanaccousticset

#luke hemmings fanfiction #luke hemmings fluff #luke hemmings holiday fanfiction #luke hemmings christmas fanfiction #luke hemmings coffee shop au #5 seconds of summer fanfiction #5 seconds of summer fluff #5 seconds of summer holiday fanfiction #5 seconds of summer christmas fanfiction #5 seconds of summer coffee shop au #5sos fanfiction #5sos fluff #5sos holiday fanfiction #5sos christmas fanfiction #5sos coffee shop au #my words #holiday series

[chaletnz]

Ring of Kerry tour

On my middle day in Cork, a grey sky between two sunny days, I woke up early to walk into the city to a small cafe called Filter. I was one of the first customers for the day and chatted to the barista over his customised Black Eagle coffee machine as he made my flat white and recommended places to job hunt in Galway. I wanted cash for my tour and visited 3 ATMs that only had €50 bills and nothing smaller, luckily the 4th ATM had €20s but not a €10 in sight!

The tour guide was named Marie, a soft spoken, mid 40s, stocky woman who would be taking us through the Ring of Kerry today. As we drove out of the city we learned that Cork was named by St Finbarre and translates from Irish (Gaelic) to mean "marshy land". Cork city is home to 125,000 people, however the county is home to 400,000 and is the second largest county in Ireland. Strangely enough, the Cork harbour is the second largest natural harbour in the world after Sydney. Our tour would trace the River Lee all the way back from Cork to its roots in county Kerry. Ireland experiences 30% more rainfall on average than any other country in Europe hence the nickname the Emereld Isle. A big dairy country, 40% of Ireland's exports are comprised of dairy products and have created over 400,000 jobs. After an hour or so we arrived in Killarney which is the tourist town at the entrance of the national park. Although it began to drizzle lightly I loved walking around and looking at all the small shops and admiring all the shiny coffee machine investments made in the cosy cafes. I couldn't resist a flat white and French toast with bacon at the Curious Cat cafe. They had a Black Eagle there too and yet I was the only person in the cafe the entire time! Back on the bus our drive began on the Ring of Kerry passing by the Hotel Europe and Michael Fassbender's home. The first notable town we passed through was Killorglin which hosts a street festival each year to celebrate a goat called King Puck (how quirky) and shortly afterward we arrived at the bog village. Bogs indicate watery land and grow rushes which are used to craft the St Brigid's Cross originally used to protect houses from fire. Nowadays people just peddle them to tourists and it made sense as the bog village and pub was a total tourist trap. We were all invited in to use the bathrooms and conveniently inside was a table lined with shots of Irish whiskey and bartenders ready to make Irish coffees for extravagant prices. Marie learned that somehow we had accidentally left 2 people behind in Killarney and after making arrangements for them we carried on driving to the Caragh Bridge scenic lookout and the Dingle Peninsula lookout. Both were impressive but grey skies disappointed us. We passed Daniel O'Connell's birthplace Caherciveen and his namesake memorial church, the only one in Ireland not named after a saint. O'Connell was a Catholic member of parliament representing the rights of Catholics in Ireland. We stopped for lunch in Waterville, the holiday destination of Charlie Chaplin, and the sun came out for a brief time while we watched the waves and wandered around. After lunch we reached the Ring of Kerry lookout point that was so windy I could barely open me peepers. It was top-of-Icelandic-waterfall level wind! I was very interested to learn that in the 1900s there was only a 1% forestry cover in Ireland, compared to 11% at present day. 1900s Ireland must have looked similar to present day Iceland with 1.5% cover. We took a short rest in Sneem for an ice cream as it is apparently a popular spot for just that! We drove om past several lookout points without stopping until eventually our driver pulled in so we could take a glimpse of Muckross Lake and Lough Leane at Ladies View before arriving back into Killarney National Park and visiting the Torc Waterfall in the middle of a mossy forest. This concluded our tour and we were subjected to the hits of ABBA and Rod Stewart for the next hour or so on the bus until we arrived in Macroom and I hopped off early to grab a bite with one of my old colleagues from Amsterdam, Fionn, his partner Danielle, their baby son Harry and dog Chica. We ended up at Val's fast food diner as it was the only place open and I enjoyed a Philly cheesesteak (Macroom castle was the home of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania in the USA hence the connection!) and the Irish family shared some fish and chips. Later we took Chica out for a run around in the woods and then Fionn drove me back to Cork.

#Ireland #Cork

[mariaclaragomez276]

Independent Minds: Girish Jhunjhnuwala, Ovolo Hotels

A self-proclaimed Negroni enthusiast and neon sign aficionado, Founder & CEO of Ovolo Hotels, Girish Jhunjhnuwala has been shaking up the boutique hotel scene with his disruptive creativity in Hong Kong and Australia since 2002. While his inspiration comes from the rock legends of the 1980s, Girish is very much a man ahead of his time.

Hong Kong born and raised, Girish inherited his strong sense of entrepreneurship from his father while working in his family’s watchmaking business, before taking a chance on a serviced apartment building where the Ovolo brand began. Colourful, cosmopolitan, and contemporary, each Ovolo property has an up-to-the-moment urban edge with a touch of rock and roll. The attention to detail can be felt throughout the wonderful world of Ovolo, immediately recognisable for its distinctly daring approach to design – from the statement lighting at Ovolo Central Hong Kong, the loud wallpaper at Ovolo The Valley Brisbane, to the exposed industrial beams at Ovolo Woolloomooloo, a former wool warehouse in a trendy Sydney district.

Not only breaking the mould when it comes to design, Girish has instilled a fresh and flexible ethos into his hotels by creating a sense of “effortless living” for his guests with the modern traveller in mind – think 24-hour pools, barista-crafted coffee, requestable gaming consoles, and a cocktail menu with a different drink for each day of the week. A firm believer in being “anti-chain and anti-same”, Girish has personally crafted every element of the Ovolo brand to stand out from the creative crowd and stay that way for years to come.

What does being ‘Independently Minded’ as an hotel owner mean to you?

I have created Ovolo Hotels with an underlying ethos of connecting with guests emotionally and being personable, which to me is the meaning of hospitality. With a unique design, unique interiors and passion that can’t be found anywhere else, this is how an independent hotel stands out. Some may think that from a guest perspective, there’s not much of a difference between stepping into a chain hotel and stepping into an independent hotel. I think it makes all the difference. A hotel that’s independently operated tends to have more passion and heart behind it, often telling a story that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. A chain hotel on the other hand is exactly the opposite – the whole point is that you will find exactly what you expect, down to the furniture, replicated in another location.

The brand and the experience mean a lot to me, and 10 years later I still choose the wallpaper, the music, the art, and all the above – it’s the part of my job that I love the most – development. I get involved in crafting it from day one. This is a huge reason how and why Ovolo strays away from the cookie cutter approach. Each hotel is different, allowing us to be more nimble, agile and able to change with the times. Thinking from the customer’s perspective has been the cornerstone of Ovolo’s management and is reflected in everything we do, including the way our hotels are designed. That’s why operational freedom is so important to us.

I started Ovolo not only because I had a passion for hospitality, but because there were wrongs that I felt needed to be corrected within the industry. I believed the hotel industry needed disruption. The model hadn’t changed in a long time, and its traditional way of things made life difficult. There was no personality – you couldn’t tell one from the other. I also had a vision – of effortless living and inclusivity. I simply created my ideas based on things that made me angry. Finding things that you disliked, things that provoked you to create something better. Ovolo’s ethos is effortless living – and is inspired by everything that my hotel stays were not: effortless.

What was the inspiration behind the hotels, and where do you continue to find sources of inspiration?

Having grown up in an entrepreneurial family, a lot of dinnertime discussions and chats with my father were about his business, and I was able to learn a lot from him this way. Now having started my own business, I also very much made it a family affair – in my first hotel, my three children would work weekends, make beds, and get hands-on. I’d like to think that they would be able to take as much away from this, as I did from my father.

The way that I came to purchase my first property was definitely a happy coincidence. Hospitality was always a dream of mine, but funnily enough I stumbled upon it by accident. My wife was looking for a location for her restaurant in 2 Arbuthnot Road, the location of my first property. I distinctly remember the agent telling us, “It’s for sale!” to which I said, “Of course it’s for sale!” and he replied, “No! the whole building’s for sale!”. I followed my gut, bought the building, and here we are!

Of course, a lot came from passion. Passion was and is a key part of my entrepreneurial journey. In the initial stages however, I was just looking to survive. Passion came from survival and my ability to survive and persevere led me to be more and more passionate about what I did. People call me a disruptor – but that’s not how I saw myself. I simply created my ideas based on things that frustrated me. Finding things that you disliked, things that provoked you to create something better. So the experience and space that I have created all boils down to one thing: connecting emotionally with our guests. That is something that I will never, and have never, compromised on.

How do you think your hotels stand apart from other boutique hotels?

Bringing back the notion of human connection and emotional experience, I think what sets us apart is our emphasis on making sure everything we do revolves around that. Boutique hotels are naturally more personable and intimate than a chain hotel, however I like to think that we take it one step further.

One of my favourite initiatives that we do (pre-Covid, of course) was the social hour. Guests come down to the lounge, enjoy a couple of drinks and most importantly, socialise with other guests staying in the hotel, or the staff itself. GMs attend the social hour everyday and get to know our guests, whether that be offering up a simple restaurant recommendation or delving deep into personal stories and experiences.

Guests are also able to directly send me an email, telling me about any comments they had during their stay. A CEO feedback email is displayed throughout the hotels, because I always want to hear about my guests’ experiences no matter how big or small the feedback.

If you only had 24 hours to get a taste for the Ovolo experience, what would you recommend a guest must do?

All of our rooms are very nice, but of course I would choose to stay in any of the suites. Named and styled after rock and roll icons, the suites at any of our hotels scream Ovolo.

In terms of what to choose for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I would say any of the F&B offerings that we have within our properties. We just recently went vegetarian in all of our restaurants, so what better way to start and end your day than with a nice, hearty, vegetarian meal? Negroni will always be the cocktail of choice. My personal favourite, Ovolo is all about the Negroni.

In terms of outdoor experiences, my favourite is definitely hiking. With a hike you can best get a glimpse of the city from afar, and you’re getting your steps in as well!

How would you describe your own perfect luxury experience?

For me, a perfect luxury experience would be a safari. I would love to take a couple days and explore the wildlife in Kenya, South Africa, and the likes because this way you truly feel away from home. Returning to a luxurious tent or resort room after a long day in the wild is the perfect experience for me.

On the other hand, there is a lot that disappoints and frustrates me about hotel experiences – which is why I started Ovolo. I couldn’t believe that such luxurious hotels were nickel and diming their guests, and that with every touch-point, there was payment involved. At my hotels, once you step inside all the touch-points are seamlessly included – no paying for a bottle of water in the mini-fridge or a cocktail at happy hour.

Do you have a vision for the future of your hotels?

I think it’s more important now than ever to move ahead with any visions that we have. The hospitality industry is undergoing a massive shift, and it only makes sense to change with it rather than be left behind. Now that the industry is headed towards an uncertain direction, it’s important to be part of shaping the industry rather than just riding along and taking the back seat.

In times of uncertainty, guests are also increasingly scrutinising companies to provide a sense of reassurance. This is when companies need to be proactive, giving them what they need before they even knew they needed it.

Which is why we have very recently launched our new initiative, Year of the Veg. For 365 days, all Ovolo restaurants are going vegetarian! We want to be conscious about what we’re consuming and practice sustainability as much as we can because we believe this can have an enormous impact on the environment and humanity at large. To that end, we’re evolving our food offerings so that our guests can continue enjoying great dining experiences in a more sustainable manner. After going vegetarian across all their restaurants, we will continue to incorporate sustainable and ethical practices throughout our properties as much as possible.

Do you see any new trends emerging for 2021 in luxury hotels?

Design-wise, I believe there will be a trend shifting towards de-cluttering to minimise touch-points. Urban hotels will become more modern with more indoor-outdoor spaces and open windows, as people are starting to value space and openness more than before.

Technologically speaking, I do believe that many restaurants may look into scanning QR codes for the menu and ordering to reduce physical touch-points, but this is not something Ovolo is interested in. As mentioned previously, we value connecting with customers. For me, you go to a restaurant so a waiter can explain the food to you, and for the service. If not, why not just order take-out?

We don’t believe in technology for the sake of technology. Ideas have been floating around regarding a key card that can be integrated into your mobile phone, but checking in at the front desk and being welcomed the way you should be is what makes your stay all that different. Luxury hospitality always needs human to human contact, but technology will find other ways to reinvent our spaces.

Wellness will be given a huge boost as well because of health consciousness. This trend has been on the rise for a while now but has recently become more pervasive with the pandemic, so it will be interesting to see how hotels will incorporate this into their spaces – such as how hotel gyms keep their cleanliness, keeping yoga mats in rooms, walking pads, spas, and such.

I do anticipate that the general trend of travelling will gear towards staycations and domestic travel for the rest of the year, but the travel industry has the ability to bounce back very quickly because of pent up demand. Travelling is a huge part of many people’s lives whether it be for leisure or business, and that is not something that can be replaced. Therefore, although staycations will become more popular amongst those that are wary, international travel will have its momentum back soon enough.

The post Independent Minds: Girish Jhunjhnuwala, Ovolo Hotels appeared first on Small Luxury Hotels.

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[vitmelbourne]

Benefits and Program Out Comes Of Hospitality Training in Melbourne

The Hospitality Training in Melbourne is designed to provide employees with the practical skills and basic information necessary for good customer service and improved communication and organizational skills in each organization. They offer a large number of courses that are suitable for those who are new to the industry or already have experience in the hotel industry, but would like to continue their education. It focuses on nationally recognized qualifications for recognized professionals.

The tuition fees are depending on the course. The Hospitality Training in Melbourne courses last on average three years and include a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Hospitality Management, Event Management and Business Management with a focus on Marketing and New Media Management to give you an idea.

Graduate programs include a Masters in International Business, Management and a Certificate of Commerce with a main term of 2 years. The VIT Australia is a Best institution that conveys a sense of community with around 1,200 students. It is located on the beautiful Sydney. The Hospitality Training in Melbourne system combines curriculum and hands-on experience in classrooms.

They also offer diploma and advanced diploma Hospitality management

Certificates and diploma of hospitality management Australia are offered for the areas of hotel and management, the restaurant in front of the house, the barista, the use, the knowledge of the bar, the restoration, the cooking and the control of security and surveillance. There are so many options — we recommend that you search your website and find what suits you best.

The hospitality course of diploma includes internships in industry where students complete two six-month internships and students require a six-month internship. Internships in industry often lead to jobs and provide students with real operational experience to reinforce what they have learned theoretically. Management of hotels, restaurants and kitchens — Discover the operation and monitoring of hotels and restaurants. Ideal for those who want to own or own their own business.

Attracts students from around the world there is a diverse group of students who are connected through formal and informal activities. The Student Engagement Team encourages students to take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

Student Ambassadors play an important role in student life and become church leaders. Their task is to support the marketing of the hotel school. This includes the participation of prospective students, their parents and their advisers on behalf of the school. Student Ambassadors work with student marketing and recruitment teams to share their learning experience with potential students through a range of collaborative and personal activities.

Why Advanced Diploma Of Hospitality Management?

The hospitality management sector is booming and with this boom, the need for professionally qualified workforce is also increasing. For new graduates, the choice is easy; they can pursue a full time course in hospitality management. But, what about those who are already into the industry? Even they need the professional qualification like diploma of hospitality management to accelerate the growth of their career graph, don’t they? The Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management Australia is an extremely useful option for such people.

The course Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Sydney is a good course to pursue. If you are really passionate about it. Advanced Diploma of hospitality management Courses not only gives you industry knowledge but also improves you as a person as the most important thing to learn in this course is time management. If you want to work as a Restaurant Manager, Bar Manager, Hotel Manager, than managing time management will be the most important thing for very number of reasons.

The Quality of the lessons

University professors of Hospitality Training in Melbourne are the highest honors in Australia has won more Australian awards for higher education than any other university. With passion for great ideas and small details, students learn from teachers and specialists who are world-renowned experts in their field. The students learn to ask questions. They learn to look for answers. The teachers share their knowledge and current ideas to inspire and guide the students. The students learn to put the theory into practice, to deepen their understanding and to stimulate their thoughts.

The teaching staff and research staff of the VIT are committed to providing students with training that enhances them as individuals and improves the lives of people around the world. The courses are designed for careers. Industry experts advise on the contents of the program and make graduates very attractive in the job market. Students do a lot of hands-on work to complete their academic studies through internships, network activities and field visits. You also have the opportunity to study abroad at another university.

For getting more information visit here VIT — Victorian Institute of Technology

14/123 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

1300 17 17 55 (or) [email protected]

#Hospitality training in australia #Hospitality training in Melbourne #Hospitality training in Sydney #Diploma of hospitality management Australia #Diploma of hospitality management Melbourne #Diploma of hospitality management Sydney #Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Australia #Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Melbourne #Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Sydney

[gothhabiba]

A second snapshot of racism in public expands Yancy’s ambushing and relates it to the deflection, distancing and denial of racism that are key to the separation of racism as event from racism as structural and routine which is key for understanding how the frozenness of racism facilitates its motility. At a Sydney café owned by a ‘temporary migrant’–‘Steven’ from China – Nilson Dos Santos, a Brazilian barista, was refused a job because he is black. The ambushing can be seen in the general response that focused on the displacement of racism, from the barista to the café owner, in ‘Steven’s’ account of his rationale, and in Dos Santos’s relativization of his experience vis-à-vis his overall view of Australians as non-racist.

The public reaction was evident in the countless messages posted on social media that failed to set Australian racism in the context of how ‘race and racialised preferences are core structuring mechanisms of Australian culture’ (Stratton 2006, 663), seeing it instead as a foreign importation. For example, ‘So “Steven” the café owner moved here from China twelve months ago. This is how “Australians” get labelled racist because of new arrivals with attitudes like this. Maybe “Steven” should go back, he’s not the sort of person we want here in Australia.’ Arguably, however, Steven was ambushed by whiteness in that he was responding to what he thought are Australians’ preferences. He told the Daily Mail, ‘There are a lot of white customers at the café and I think the clients here want local people, not African [sic.] people’ and ‘We need to offer good service at this café and I think the coffee culture is more about white people.’ The reactions that did take this on board were more angry about Steven’s perception of white Australian preferences: ‘He isn’t even an Australian citizen and he’s telling us what we prefer in OUR country.’

The assumption behind Steven’s decision not to hire Dos Santos – the racism of Australians – is not entertained, but then is unwittingly reinvoked in the public’s response. The event, experienced both ‘in real life’ and virtually through social media, allowed for a performance of distancing, deflection, and denial. Several staff and customers reacted by walking out. Commentators used the experience to perform a denial of Australian racism, underline the exceptionalism of the event, and applaud the public’s reaction, casting it in terms of the national character. The Race Discrimination Commissioner, echoing Hocking in our earlier case, said ‘This should give all of us some heart, it is clear that Australians are emphatically committed to racial equality.’

From this perspective, racism is construed as the problem of individuals, this time an individual cast as an outsider. Thus racism is not only externalized, but anti-racism is reclaimed as a national value. As a foreigner, Steven was not playing by the ‘rules’ according to which racism has no place in public life. By casting racism onto the foreigner, albeit also the object of racism, the participants in this everyday episode, recast as extraordinary because of its status as an ‘event’ replayed through the media, redraw the definitional boundaries of racism. This act of contouring through externalization by attaching the racism to Steven, the racialized subject who has himself internalized Australian racism, entails the dual processes of freezing and motility I earlier described. The bluntness of Steven’s words to Dos Santos – customers don’t want their ‘coffee made by black people’ – is instantly recognizable as racism. As with Donald Sterling, it is the utterance of the words that cause the outrage; the urge to distance oneself from them is obvious. This is ‘frozen’ racism, it instantly evokes blacks at the back of the bus, separate drinking fountains, and so on. Motile racism comes into play in the easy shift from an examination of what Steven’s words have to say about Australian racism – ‘I’m not [sic.] have any racist discrimination I just want to give customers good service’ – to the deflection from it. Racism is thus excised from its origins, in this case in the Australian context to which Steven rightly or wrongly thought he was responding. Ignoring Steven’s actual remarks, he is presumed to have brought his racism with him to Australia, which is construed as post- or non-racial, a location emptied of its racial and racist history.

okay so

a Chinese man immigrates to Australia & engages in a public act of antiblackness

a bunch of white Australians respond by directing racist rhetoric a la “go back to China” against said Chinese man all the while claiming that they themselves / their society are not racist & he does not represent their values, even though

said Chinese man claimed to be acting on behalf of what he assumed to be (antiblack) Australian values, & he probably had reason to assume as much

it’s unclear whether the cafe owner himself made coffee--does he assume that white Australians only want white baristas & only hire those or does he assume that the problem that white Australians have is primarily with “blackness”? because

“I think the clients here want local people, not African [sic.] people” positions “local” whiteness (which is, btw, not local) as a diametrically opposite position to “African”ness, specifically. so..

this essay then argues that this supposedly isolated incident cannot be removed from the racial history & politics of Australian society, which is true, but

doesn’t talk about the specifically antiblack nature of this discrimination (/ the negative valuation being ascribed onto this black Brazilian man’s body) even though the only way for Australians to react negatively to a display of racism by someone who is himself an “object of racism” is for them to recognise a difference in the racialisation of the cafe owner & Dos Santos--merely calling “Steven” a “racialised subject” does not account for that. not to mention that

I’m not sure how viable it is to call the “Australian context” the “origins” of this act of antiblackness given that if you told me that “Steven” had never had an antiblack thought in his head before coming to Australia I wouldn’t believe you.. it is vital to name Australian society as the grounds on which this played out (where the alternative, which is what Lentin is arguing against, is to accept Australia as a racism-free haven into which “Steven” has brought his own isolated racist contagion), & to talk about how this shapes the rhetoric, itself racist & yet acting to render racism invisible, which white Australians brought to bear against him, but I have to wonder

what place does the specific character of Chinese antiblackness (& the history and politics thereof) have in this discussion, if any? & how can we name antiblackness as a global phenomenon, while also remaining sensitive to the separate contexts of its specific instantiations, and also not letting this man off the hook bc “that’s just Australian society,” but also not acting like the issue is with any one individual?

#this is too many words but I didn't want to link to this essay w/o acknowledging this at all #long post / #antiblackness / #racism / #readings

[holisticpassport]

Love on the Weekend

I haven’t written in two months for two reasons, one being I needed to see where and when my life would settle for good. The other reason, because I wasn’t in the correct head-space to write this-- I needed to be somewhere between a total state of bliss, throwing all cares to the wind but also taking deep breaths to acknowledge the overwhelming notion that this is most likely where my journey alone ends. 

Last I wrote, I moved back up to Shepparton to pursue things with Coca Cola man and begin work at Noble Monks, a restaurant/cafe. In that time, we adventured to Sydney on an eight hour drive for a four day weekend where I finally saw the Opera House, walked the Circular Quay, flounced in a dress under the sun of Bondi Beach, and took a ferry to Manly Beach while staying in one of the most luxurious and peaceful studio Airbnb’s I’ve ever stayed in. Sydney was the vibe I initially thought Australia would be and that I wanted when I moved here, but in comparing Melbourne to Sydney, Melbourne wins simply because of the art, coffee, and overall eclectic culture. Over these four days, it was also a time of assessing and being honest with myself about the proposed prospect of traveling more with him in Europe come mid-August, which I eventually decided was not the route I wanted to take. 

The month I had been back in Shepparton, my mind felt clouded/confused and guilty because my feelings towards Coca Cola man were blocked from progressing based on several factors, among the main ones being I met someone in those two brief weeks in St. Kilda that had a significant impact on me. Introducing Barista Guy but since he’ll be sticking around a while, his name is Cameron. I used to frequent a cafe on the Acland strip before I moved back to St. Kilda for a second time, so I decided to head there again with my friend, Ria, before we ventured off one morning to look for jobs. We walked into Ground Yourself Cafe, and from the moment he took our orders and walked away I turned to Ria and said, “I will have two of him to go, please”. I was mildly smitten, so I went in again the next day. I wanted to go in again, I couldn’t go in three days in a row or he’d get suspicious, but as fate or coincidence would have it, a few days later I was heading to my old workaway’s house for dinner a half hour early and we ran into each other at the same tram stop. In this short 20 minute conversation, it was like ticking off every box to an imaginary list I had made for my dream man: spirituality, living for the moment, traveler, from New Zealand aka sexy accent, perfect age (32), vegetarian lifestyle, fit/active of his own will, musician, good conversationalist, handsome, sexy tattoo, barista, quotes lyrics and literature.... all this.... in 20 minutes of talking. To say he kind of took my breath away is an understatement. I messaged my mom and might have said something to the effect of meeting my husband. 

I went back to the cafe a few days later and pretended to need help with basic barista stuff but tuned out listening halfway through trying to figure out what the forest tattoo on his forearm meant and analyzing little things like his haircut and lips. But something was off in our interaction that made me feel he wasn’t into me. I also hadn’t found any work yet and it was drab/cold in St. Kilda during winter. Coca Cola man offered housing, a job via his sister’s work, a spare car to use, and comfort of a potential relationship so I weighed my options, and I went back, which I’m still glad I did because I learned even more lessons that I wouldn’t have had things lined up or worked out with Cameron right from the start. 

I got the opportunity to gain better skills as a waitress and also my own designated day as head barista on Sundays, thus developing the skill of latte art. I learned how to see things from another perspective based on my relationship  that allowed me to reflect and truly let go of my heartbreak from earlier this year. I discovered my future plans were not actions that were going to lead me to my best self so I decided to not work for Stoke Travel at Oktoberfest in September. I realized the people I want to surround myself with are not people who talk about others behind their back but rather talk about events, music, and ideas which show their maturity and growth as a person. Above all, I learned that I kept saying I didn’t want a serious relationship, but in fact I didn’t want a serious relationship with the wrong person again because putting in so much work, vulnerability, soul, and effort to not have it reciprocated in our values, mentalities, and goals wasn’t worth it. I had a clear idea of what I wanted, and I think the universe knew I was finally in a space to accept it into my life after everything this year had brought me. 

Remember how I said I always had the goal of going to Paris from the time I was eight? My other goal, as anti-feminist and patriarchal as this is, but from the same age it has always been to find my soulmate and be the best wife I can be. It was never a goal to have children, be a doctor or vet (I may have wanted to chase tornadoes but realized I was really bad at science), but it’s why I’ve never ultimately settled for mediocre relationships despite people saying they were better than most. I wanted ‘the one’ to travel with, make music with, and be disgustingly in love in every way imaginable. I’d begun to lose sight of that kind of romance being that it’s been elusive and diluted by experiences, but that tiny thread of hope held out, and I’ve started to rebuild the notion that it does exist. 

Fast forward through me telling Cam I had feelings for him and vice versa, spending the past three weeks having some of the deepest, most intense and long conversations I’ve ever had in my life, meeting friends, family, claiming sound advice from sources about cautious optimism, and truly listening to my intuition like I have always done. 

I am here, back in St. Kilda (third time’s a charm) now living with this incredible human, already sharing a beautiful life knowing it’s only going to get better. Sure, I’ve gotten backlash about how it’s fast, and trust me, both his and my mind were frantically searching for reasons this wouldn’t work. Our minds were racing the first night I moved in and we took a lot of those deep breaths I talked about earlier. We both know how it feels at the beginning of something new, with intense obsession and teenage butterflies. We both have endured enough pain and mistakes to enter this relationship with a clear vision of who we want to be and the kind of life we want together. The difference with the beginning of this union is we aren’t trying to impress each other or anyone else. We are being as transparent about our emotions, mental states, weirdness, quirks, tantrums, freak-outs, perfections and everything in between because we don’t want to play games anymore. Everything I went through this year just makes sense now that I’ve ended up here and I would go through all of it again to get to the same place. Our intuition is so insanely connected. We constantly know what the other person is thinking and feeling which makes our relationship easy and natural. We respect each other’s emotional, physical, and creative space, and feel secure and safe to express anything we need to. We are in awe of each other, confused of how lucky we got in this life. The foundation we have already built is strong, and very real. 

Because of this transparency, we decided to book round-trip flights together back to California and Ohio for Thanksgiving and Christmas. While my visa expires in November, I may come back on a different kind of visa. ;) 

[speakouthospitality-blog]

About This Blog

Hi, I’m a freelance producer who currently works in the hospitality sector. I am intending to gather information on the uncomfortable elements of the hospitality sector, the side that everyone knows but doesn’t talk about. The bits “that come with the job” but shouldn’t. I want to talk about underpayment, overworked employees, job insecurity, discrimination and harassment and poor work conditions. I want to get your stories, gather your experiences and create dialogue through any means available in order to raise awareness on the issue. 

This blog was borne out of the frustrations of listening to the unions and public debate around weekend penalty rates. In mid-2017 debate emerged around the cut to penalty rates on the weekend and after hours. Young people, unionists and supporters of Australia’s civil society rallied to protect the wages of some of the most vulnerable workers in the country. 

I fully support those who oppose the cuts to weekend rates however I felt a crucial part of the discussion was not addressed - the non-regulation of these rules and the widespread acceptance of an exploitation of hospitality workers. I’ve worked for what feels like forever in the hospitality sector, I’ve worked as a waiter, deli worker, kitchen hand, delivery driver, bartender and barista. I’ve worked in catering, fast food, grimey cafes and high class restaurants. In almost every one of these jobs I have been underpaid, almost always receiving below the award wage, often below minimum. Barring two exceptions I have never received weekend rates and one of those was still below the amount required under the changes that occurred two years later. 

I know that in many of my workplaces I could have asked for more, at times I did. Sometimes I was successful, often I was told that “this is our rate”. I knew that this was standard, that I’d find another job if I went looking but it would be much the same. Quite often I, and others, knew that there were foreign workers, students or travellers being paid far less because their visas limited their work rights or because there was an understanding that back home the money would be worth much more.

I know other whom I have worked with have been in situations where they are paid far below the minimum wage or that they have been paid per day rather than per hour and forced to work longer than they agreed to. I know that hospitality staff are regularly harassed sexually and emotionally and it’s considered a part of the job, and often the culprits are coworkers. I know that there is racism in the picking process of staff, in particular when it comes to the front of house. 

What this means is that this is not an issue that has to be engaged with on a simple employee-employer basis but rather needs to be addressed systematically. There needs to be a nationwide discussion on the reality of hospitality work. We need to discuss uncomfortable topics like pay, bullying, racism, sexism. We’re all proud of the long hours we have pushed through but we need to recognise that we should be entitled to fair breaks, penalty rates and earn enough to maintain a good work life balance. 

If your workplace cannot afford to pay their workers fairly they should reconsider why they have the right to be open. 

I’ve worked in areas that have some of the highest rental rates in Sydney. In these areas, it is not uncommon to find the average coffee prices to be higher, because other cafes are subject to the same rental market they would be cutting their margins short by not following suit. The customers accept this, and while some grumble, the areas are some of the busiest spots for cafes and restaurants in the city. 

So please take the time to fill out our survey (which will be up soon), contact me if you wish to be interviewed, or email me the specifics of your hospitality story. 

#sydneybarista #melbournebarista #foodie #aussiechef #foodporn #sydneybartender #melbournebartender #Speakouthospitality #workrights #protectourweekends #student visa #workingholiday #newtown #bondi #northsydney #therocks #oxfordstreet

[baristabuzz]

The Best Barista Training in Sydney

Ask any foreigner what they find unique  about Sydney , and they’ll always tell you, it’s how well they known their coffee. No, it’s not just the sights, like the beautiful harbour or the awesome seafood.  It’s the long queues of coffee enthusiasts lining up at their favourite cafe, waiting patiently to get that early morning kick or the mid day social experience by sharing a cup of coffee with their friends or work colleagues.           (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});   Locals of course wouldn’t find that out of place, because for them, it’s their way of life.  People of Sydney know all the types of coffee available and expect you to know them as much as a tech savvy person who raises their brow when you don’t know why an iPhone 6 is so different from iPhone 5.  They know about ristrettos, macchiatos, or a mug-a-cino, as well as a fashionista may tell apart a Louis Vuitton from a Michael Corrs just by looking at it.       The downside of this is that expectations are quite high from a barista (messing up a coffee is a crime!).  The upside is that local knowledge is great, with a lot of learning opportunities. Sydney coffee schools are a gold mine of information. You will not just learn about great coffee (or they so called liquid gold), but also learn specific coffee art for which people are willing to pay a hefty amount which makes for a great Sydney barista job experience.      But in Sydney there is no such thing as ‘just’ a cup of coffee.  Trying out your luck as a barista sounds both fun and interesting in Sydney. Schools and qualifications run in the same vein as mentioned above, so I’ll just list some Sydney coffee schools to try out:  1. ‘Barista’ course from ‘The Sydney Coffee Academy’ lasting 6.5 hrs for $295 leading to TAFE PLUS Statement   Clean and maintain espresso machine  Growing beans and roasting them  Extraction process  Customer service  Coffee menu in a general café   2. Serve Espresso Coffee’ from ‘The Sydney Coffee Academy’ lasting 1 hr for $125 leading to Statement of Attainment  3. ‘Barista Advanced Course’ from ‘ The Sydney Coffee Academy ’ lasting 3 hrs for $149 leading to TAFE PLUS Statement  4. ‘Coffee Course Level 1’ from ‘Hospitality Training Australia’ lasting 3 hrs for $75 leading to ‘Certificate of Attendance’  These were just a few institutes for a barista training Sydney experience. Other institutes to check out for Sydney coffee courses include:  5. Barista Basics Coffee Academy  6. The Coffee Gang (for both training and job referral)  7. The Toby’s Estate Espresso School: Workshops held for all types of skill set and experience, a worthwhile experience to be had in Sydney!  So as you can see, Sydney barista courses are not so hard to locate. Watch out, there might even be one just around the corner!  Some of the best cafes are found in Sydney, and it must be every barista’s passion to be able to get into one of them. Single Origin, with beans from around the globe, is the true original café in Sydney.  The famous Rocks Aroma Festival is also part of the coffee highlights of the city. A one day celebration taking place in the historical area known as ‘The Rocks’, it has visitors of approximately 90,000 in the month of July.  It is a great chance for a barista to find out from these people what they want to see in their  coffee , and more importantly, in their barista.  And if, after all the training, you think that you are game enough, then why not be a part of the Home Barista Competition organised by Danes Specialty Coffee.  You get to show off your skills against some of Australia’s finest, and even has the most sophisticated coffee machines as the prize for the top winners. Even if you don’t win, the experience will be great in grounding you as a solid barista.             //     You might also get a chance to meet up with the previous winners and learn from them, not just about good coffee making, but about their progress as a professional barista.  The post  The Best Barista Training in Sydney  appeared first on  Barista Buzz .

http://www.baristabuzz.com.au/best-barista-training-sydney/

#coffee #barista #australia

#coffee #barista #australia

[table-talker-blog]

Drinking and Not Eating in Adelaide: The Crisis of the Outshone City

I’m a hospitality guy. I am in love with my job and my industry. Being able to have fun while I work and share my passion for great booze with strangers is what I live for. Working at Biggies at Bertram has been the great experience of my life so far. I’ve met new and interesting people, some who I now call some of my dearest friends, all from working behind the bar. And after spending this past year travelling the country, enjoying amazing food and booze, partying with fresh faces, I can’t help but notice this gaping hole in Adelaide’s dining/nightlife culture.

First off the bat: this is not a skewering of Adelaide; I adore this town. Is there fantastic places to go eat and drink? Absolutely, some of the finest bars and restaurants in the country are on our doorstep (and of course it doesn’t hurt that if you call yourself an “Adelaidian”, you’re about 20 minutes from some of the best wine and produce in the world). Hains & Co., Pink Moon Saloon, The Wheatsheaf and NOLA are some of the great watering holes in Australia. Without a doubt eating at Africola on my father’s birthday was the best dining experience i’ve had in recent memory. There are plenty of great little pubs around town to sit back and sink pint after pint of Coopers Pale. Billy Bob’s BBQ jam at The Grace Emily is the best thing you can do on a Monday night, one of the best things you can do all week even. Wednesday night beers at the beloved Crown & Anchor (long live the Cranka) is a time honoured tradition. I’ve had too many (a.k.a not enough) knock-offs turned club nights at The Exeter Hotel. And my own haunt Biggies is the best place in town you can have a pretentious free boogie whilst enjoying some of South Australia’s best beer and wine. There is certainly no lack in the quality of our bar and restaurant scene. Quantity is another thing entirely.

It’s amazing in Melbourne and Sydney how easy it is to find a phenomenal place to drink or eat without even trying. You can walk down a street in St. Kilda on a Monday night and drink have cocktails until 1am, on a public holiday even! After a recent trip to Melbourne with some friends, walking down Chapel St. on the New Years Day public holiday, we were able to enjoy some amazing craft beer at The Local Taphouse, and then stumbled on Holy Grail, a fantastic little cocktail haunt, and were able to drink until it struck 1am and had to close up shop (shout outs to the bartender who let us close up with him and hang around to 3:30am though). In Adelaide, the streets would be completely empty, and for us hospo folk, the venues that stay open (pokies rooms and casino’s excluded) are look upon like Gods. Even food! Whilst at Holy Grail, we asked where we could get some food at that hour, and the barman just pointed out the door to a great pizza spot. The same thing happened 2 nights later at The Rook’s Return, great pizza just across the road (okay, we like pizza when we’re drinking, sue us). In Adelaide, it’s a scavenger hunt to find great pizza. You know your nearest pizza spot sucks. We’ve got very few and far between great local watering holes if you live outside the CBD, only pubs and pokies rooms with all your favourite lagers on tap. Again, nothing wrong with a pub and a pokies room, i’ll sit and drink beers in a pokies room bar till the day I die, but you can’t deny Melbourne has got us beat in the outer suburbs. Not a TKO, a full first round knock-out loss. As far as our restaurants go, Sydney wipes the floor with us just the same. To every really great restaurant in Adelaide, there is probably 10 of the same caliber in Sydney. From the upper echelon of places like Quay and Sepia, to the fringe, casual but experimental joints like ACME and 10 William St, there is just an enormous bag of brilliant places to go eat. You look at the most recent Top 100 Australian Restaurants list, it is littered with Victorian and New South Wales restaurants, South Australia’s first placing is at 47 (Africola) with only 5 in total (Orana 48, Peel St. 95, Hentley Farm 96, and Fino 98 rounding us off). And it’s not like Adelaide’s population is too small, it’s about 1.2 million at the moment, and I can’t stress this enough, our produce is incredible! It’s all in our basket, but more often than not, we don’t take the opportunity.

What I really think it stems down to, is that for the most part, the general population are extremely unwilling to go out and spend their money on a great meal, they’d rather stash their pennies and travel. And again, there is nothing wrong with that at all, it’s a fantastic thing to do with your hard earned cash, I do the same thing myself. But when we go and travel, we go out and we eat fantastic food, we drink amazing beer, wine and spirits, and we come home and tell everybody how amazing the food is in such and such is, we document it all on Instagram, and we miss out on the brilliant things going on just around the corner. In contrast, in Melbourne I like to ask the local single 20-somethings how often they go out for a drink or some food. The general response is about 3-4 times a week. For us Adelaide folk, it’s generally once, twice on a good week, only on weekends. There is very little of a midweek night out if you work the traditional 9-5 hours, the city generally teems with hospo folk. Maybe the binge drinking culture is a bit more prevalent in Adelaide. There has always been the culture of rocking up to a venue and asking “what’s the cheapest drink?” so you can smash back as many as you can. There’s a time and a place for that, and for us Adelaide heads, that means Saturday, when we don’t have to go to work the next day. Having a few glasses of wine with an amazing meal is an underrated experience in this town. Adelaidians are very unwilling to part with their cash if they’re not drunk by the end of it.

What I think contributes to this is the lack of understanding of why it costs to go out, and an under appreciation of hospitality workers. When you ask why it costs $20 for your breakfast and a coffee, you’re forgetting about the cook who made it, and the barista who enables your caffeine addiction. The food and drink in front of you is the cheapest part of the transaction, everything else costs far more than some smashed avocado and eggs on toast, you’re paying for someone to make it for you, and better. What i’ve noticed more in Melbourne and Sydney, is a higher amount of respect and admiration for a hospitality professional. There is an understanding that they are good at what they do and make a mighty fine cocktail. They know they put up with a lot of slack. They know without them, they would have a far less vibrant and fun city. They know they are the people that make their lives better. Of course there are people in Adelaide that understand this plight, but the next time you complain it being $9 for a pint of beer, you can go to the bottle shop down the road, buy a carton cheaper, go home, hang out with the same group of friends you’ve known since high school, get pissed, make yourself steak and veg for dinner and complain about being bored, then you might understand what you’re paying for.

I’m now at the age where a large portion of my friends are now moving to Melbourne, and i’d be lying if i haven’t had the same fantasy. Every time I visit I say I will move. But then I get back home and I see the potential of this city, and all I want to do is be a part of the collective of people who could make this city into a new tourist destination. But every year, I see more and more cool and interesting people with fresh ideas and a brilliant work ethic move to Melbourne. There’s far more opportunities available and there is more money for them, it’s a no brainer. This town has this old white liberal air about it. The State government will quickly spend tax payer money on infrastructure preparing for population development, rather than create ways to increase tourism and coerce people to make the move to South Australia. And look, i get that, infrastructure is an important aspect of how cities progress and makes day to day living more comfortable and easy (side note: Melbourne is again far superior in this aspect. But we’ve got Sydney covered no worries). But comfortable and easy is not on the radar of an under 30 year old, career opportunities and things to do are their priorities, and that demographic, the young people with bright minds are how Adelaide as a city is going to move forward, rather than making the people who are moving towards retirement more comfortable. It’s why people make fun of this city, using phrases like “Great place to raise your kids” and follow it up with “I went to Adelaide once. It was closed”. But then I look at Duncan Welgemoed. He’s a chef from South Africa who has worked at The Fat Duck under Heston Blumenthal and at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. But he’s made Adelaide his home, winning Chef of the Year at Bistro Dom in 2013, and opening the oft mentioned in this piece Africola. He’s been one of these people who has made this town more vibrant and exciting, but he also moved here with his wife to start a family. But he opened an amazing restaurant, using the phenomenal produce that is around us, and has been reaping the rewards ever since. Unfortunately the youth of this town aren’t doing the same kind of thing.

In saying all this, I have to concede that we are getting better. I remember the days when Peel Street was a dank alleyway of our infamous nightclub strip Hindley Street. Now it is occupied by brilliant bars like Clever Little Tailor and Maybe Mae, and fantastic restaurants like Gondola Gondola and Peel St. It’s teeming with the kind of people that need to stick around. And I can’t stress this point enough: Mad March in Adelaide, with the Fringe and the Adelaide Festival going on, during that time of year, Adelaide is the greatest city in this country hands down. But around the country, there are cities that can keep that kind of vibrance pumping all year round. Being a part of Biggies of Bertram, I feel like one of those people who have added something to the city, and I think there are better days for Adelaide yet. There is a wealth of under utilised opportunities. But i’m holding on to the hope that this will happen before all my friends and people I admire ex-communicate to Melbourne. So for those of you playing at home in Adelaide: go out and eat, it’s only money. Drink less and drink better. Respect your hospitality workers, it’s not advisable to piss off the people making your coffee/food/drink. Make this city as fun as it could be. Give back and send forth positivity.

But at least we can get a beer at 2am. Sorry Sydney.

#adelaide #melbourne #sydney #food #booze #alcohol #wine #thinkpiece #dining

[michaelfallcon]

The Sprudge Coffee Guide To Mumbai

Mumbai is a sensational city. India’s economic capital, the home base of Bollywood, is a food-loving metropolis, offering a pleasing, intense mixture of stimuli. There is always something around the corner to experience, eat, or drink in Mumbai.

The beverage of choice here is not coffee, but chai. The tapri chaiwallah (chai vendor) is as prevalent here as a bagel shop is in New York City or palm trees are in Hollywood. Sold in tiny 7mL cups and consumed multiple times a day, the chaiwallah’s job never ends. Chai (as many westerners now know) is generally prepared using black tea, sugar, and one of several spices, including saffron, ginger, and lemongrass. Each chaiwallah prides themselves on their technique and produces several hundred liters of the stuff daily for the insatiable thirst of the Mumbaikar.

Mumbai’s first real exposure to espresso-based beverages was in 1996, when the national chain Cafe Coffee Day, or CCD, opened its bright interiors to the country. A menu of espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, and sweetened espresso beverages, iced and cold was offered up in a stylish, comfortable setting. A big hit among students and urban professionals, the chain capitalized on sugary-sweet beverages presented in kitschy cups. Today, the big green giant Starbucks has also found its niche in Mumbai as it increases locations and tests the limits of expensive coffee. A testament to the wealth and spending habits of Mumbai is that a cup of coffee costs more at a Starbucks in India than it does anywhere in the world. And its profitability is growing.

The Third Wave initially hit Mumbai in 2009 when theindianbean.co and Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters started selling their ethically sourced coffee beans from single farms across southern Indian states. South India is the prevalent grower of coffee in India. Baba Budan, a Sufi saint, is said to have smuggled seven coffee beans to India in the 16th century and planted them in what is today known as Chikmagalur.

Today, Mumbai’s coffee scene is an amalgamation of hungry entrepreneurs and self-taught or professionally trained coffee enthusiasts. Some are trying to expand their presence overseas, while others are consciously choosing to remain local. For lovers of coffee, all this means is something that can be best phrased using a Hindi colloquialism: “picture abhi baki hain“—the show is just getting started.

Let’s dive in.

Kalopsia Artisan Coffee

Co-founder Aasma Khan is a passionate barista trainer with five years of coffee experience. Today, along with wildlife researcher Prakash Borana, she’s created a bright, fun, and quaint space to exhibit some of the finest Indian coffees. Focused on microlots and rare varieties, Kalopsia is the newest cafe on this list, but if you’re a true speciality coffee lover, the first sip will be enough to convince you that it’s by far one of the best coffee shops in Mumbai today. They face some stiff competition with some major chain coffee and tea shops situated right next to them, but their moderate pricing and exemplary service are getting them noticed—and fast.

One of the two shops in the country using Sanremo espresso machines, they’re pulling the most consistent shots of coffee I’ve had the pleasure of tasting in a decade. Definitely try the microlot Tattvamasi for a bright, juicy and creamy mouthfeel of pomegranate, jackfruit, and orange rind. Khan and Borana’s attention to detail can be found in the beautifully hand-painted décor and most definitely in every single coffee they serve.

Kalopsia Artisan Coffee is located at Shop No. 5, Pearl Heaven Society, Chappel Road, Opposite Salt Water Café, Near Lilavati Hospital, Bandra (W), Mumbai.  Follow them on Instagram.

  KC Roasters

Founded by a trio, now the show is run entirely run by one man: Australia native Shannon D’Souza. D’Souza’s grandfather owns and runs a coffee farm in South India and has been consistently delivering speciality coffee to Australia and other countries for decades. Combining the family tradition of coffee and his love for the Sydney coffee culture, D’Souza is making just more than amazing flat whites in Mumbai. Inside his cozy Chium Village cafe, you’ll find a complete black interior with a majestic Probat 150 taking up most of the space. Initially, customers would put their coffee cups to rest inside the cooling tray of the Probat, leading D’Souza to innovate an actual tabletop for the machine. You can sip an Amrut-cask-aged pour-over from the Kelagur Estate or have it as a honey-processed dark roast, served on the actual roaster!

Their Maravullah espresso is to date one of the most flavorful espressos I’ve had in Mumbai—by a long kilometer. The small cafe gets busy with regulars chatting away with each other as well as the baristas. The local expat community and older native residents have welcomed KC Roasters with open arms into their Mumbai.

KC Roasters is located at 6, Chuim Village Rd, Khar, Chuim Village, Danda, Khar West, Mumbai. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

  Blue Tokai Coffee

Everything about Blue Tokai Coffee fits right in with what you’d expect from a modern speciality coffee shop. Subdued colors, easy-going vibes, and a happy mingling of coffee driven people. A small shelf offers a variety of manual brewing equipment and accessories along with roast-date-printed coffee bags. Founders Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana started Blue Tokai as an e-commerce platform, selling coffee beans and equipment online before opening their cafe. (They also feature some of the best sesame seed bagels in Mumbai.) Blue Tokai roasts its own coffees, sourced ethically from farms across India. They also work closely with some small farmers to ensure fair prices and try to get as involved in the harvesting process as possible. Try the Vienna Roast pour-over or request a Silver Oaks blend as an AeroPress if you’re longing for floral, raisin, and nut tasting notes.

The shop is always filled with a smattering of TV and film personalities, directors, and aspiring screenwriters due to several film offices in the neighborhood. The shop is also a stone’s throw away from the recently cleaned up Versova Beach, giving you a perfect excuse to grab a coffee on the go.

Blue Tokai Coffee has multiple locations around Mumbai. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  Bombay Island Coffee Roasters

Opened in 2018 Bombay Island Coffee Roasters offers superior coffee in an industrial warehouse setting. Cofounder Rupal Jain, a chartered accountant by profession, fell in love with coffee while studying for her accounting exams. So much so that she decided to leap to Singapore to obtain her SCA certification for coffee roasting. The first thing she did after returning was to buy a Probat 150 and start roasting. Today, Bombay Island supplies coffee to cruise ships, restaurants, and small coffee shops around the country. Located in Malad, Bombay Island Coffee Roasters resembles a hipster cafe that you’d find in any nook of the world. A wide variety of coffee paraphernalia adorns its neatly organized shelves. Coffee decals are stuck onto the walls, a Nuova Simonelli espresso machine tops the bar, and the star of the shop is the roaster, positioned for all to marvel at. An ode to the spices of India, their signature spiced iced latte features freshly ground star anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg combined to make a delicious coffee experience.

Bombay Island Coffee Roasters is located at 33 New Sonal Link Industrial Estate next to Navnit Motors, New Link Rd, Malad West, Mumbai. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Dhaval Mehta is a digital marketing consultant based in Mumbai, India. This is Dhaval Mehta’s first feature for Sprudge.

The Sprudge Coffee Guide To Mumbai published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

[shebreathesslowly]

The Sprudge Coffee Guide To Mumbai

Mumbai is a sensational city. India’s economic capital, the home base of Bollywood, is a food-loving metropolis, offering a pleasing, intense mixture of stimuli. There is always something around the corner to experience, eat, or drink in Mumbai.

The beverage of choice here is not coffee, but chai. The tapri chaiwallah (chai vendor) is as prevalent here as a bagel shop is in New York City or palm trees are in Hollywood. Sold in tiny 7mL cups and consumed multiple times a day, the chaiwallah’s job never ends. Chai (as many westerners now know) is generally prepared using black tea, sugar, and one of several spices, including saffron, ginger, and lemongrass. Each chaiwallah prides themselves on their technique and produces several hundred liters of the stuff daily for the insatiable thirst of the Mumbaikar.

Mumbai’s first real exposure to espresso-based beverages was in 1996, when the national chain Cafe Coffee Day, or CCD, opened its bright interiors to the country. A menu of espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, and sweetened espresso beverages, iced and cold was offered up in a stylish, comfortable setting. A big hit among students and urban professionals, the chain capitalized on sugary-sweet beverages presented in kitschy cups. Today, the big green giant Starbucks has also found its niche in Mumbai as it increases locations and tests the limits of expensive coffee. A testament to the wealth and spending habits of Mumbai is that a cup of coffee costs more at a Starbucks in India than it does anywhere in the world. And its profitability is growing.

The Third Wave initially hit Mumbai in 2009 when theindianbean.co and Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters started selling their ethically sourced coffee beans from single farms across southern Indian states. South India is the prevalent grower of coffee in India. Baba Budan, a Sufi saint, is said to have smuggled seven coffee beans to India in the 16th century and planted them in what is today known as Chikmagalur.

Today, Mumbai’s coffee scene is an amalgamation of hungry entrepreneurs and self-taught or professionally trained coffee enthusiasts. Some are trying to expand their presence overseas, while others are consciously choosing to remain local. For lovers of coffee, all this means is something that can be best phrased using a Hindi colloquialism: “picture abhi baki hain“—the show is just getting started.

Let’s dive in.

Kalopsia Artisan Coffee

Co-founder Aasma Khan is a passionate barista trainer with five years of coffee experience. Today, along with wildlife researcher Prakash Borana, she’s created a bright, fun, and quaint space to exhibit some of the finest Indian coffees. Focused on microlots and rare varieties, Kalopsia is the newest cafe on this list, but if you’re a true speciality coffee lover, the first sip will be enough to convince you that it’s by far one of the best coffee shops in Mumbai today. They face some stiff competition with some major chain coffee and tea shops situated right next to them, but their moderate pricing and exemplary service are getting them noticed—and fast.

One of the two shops in the country using Sanremo espresso machines, they’re pulling the most consistent shots of coffee I’ve had the pleasure of tasting in a decade. Definitely try the microlot Tattvamasi for a bright, juicy and creamy mouthfeel of pomegranate, jackfruit, and orange rind. Khan and Borana’s attention to detail can be found in the beautifully hand-painted décor and most definitely in every single coffee they serve.

Kalopsia Artisan Coffee is located at Shop No. 5, Pearl Heaven Society, Chappel Road, Opposite Salt Water Café, Near Lilavati Hospital, Bandra (W), Mumbai.  Follow them on Instagram.

  KC Roasters

Founded by a trio, now the show is run entirely run by one man: Australia native Shannon D’Souza. D’Souza’s grandfather owns and runs a coffee farm in South India and has been consistently delivering speciality coffee to Australia and other countries for decades. Combining the family tradition of coffee and his love for the Sydney coffee culture, D’Souza is making just more than amazing flat whites in Mumbai. Inside his cozy Chium Village cafe, you’ll find a complete black interior with a majestic Probat 150 taking up most of the space. Initially, customers would put their coffee cups to rest inside the cooling tray of the Probat, leading D’Souza to innovate an actual tabletop for the machine. You can sip an Amrut-cask-aged pour-over from the Kelagur Estate or have it as a honey-processed dark roast, served on the actual roaster!

Their Maravullah espresso is to date one of the most flavorful espressos I’ve had in Mumbai—by a long kilometer. The small cafe gets busy with regulars chatting away with each other as well as the baristas. The local expat community and older native residents have welcomed KC Roasters with open arms into their Mumbai.

KC Roasters is located at 6, Chuim Village Rd, Khar, Chuim Village, Danda, Khar West, Mumbai. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

  Blue Tokai Coffee

Everything about Blue Tokai Coffee fits right in with what you’d expect from a modern speciality coffee shop. Subdued colors, easy-going vibes, and a happy mingling of coffee driven people. A small shelf offers a variety of manual brewing equipment and accessories along with roast-date-printed coffee bags. Founders Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana started Blue Tokai as an e-commerce platform, selling coffee beans and equipment online before opening their cafe. (They also feature some of the best sesame seed bagels in Mumbai.) Blue Tokai roasts its own coffees, sourced ethically from farms across India. They also work closely with some small farmers to ensure fair prices and try to get as involved in the harvesting process as possible. Try the Vienna Roast pour-over or request a Silver Oaks blend as an AeroPress if you’re longing for floral, raisin, and nut tasting notes.

The shop is always filled with a smattering of TV and film personalities, directors, and aspiring screenwriters due to several film offices in the neighborhood. The shop is also a stone’s throw away from the recently cleaned up Versova Beach, giving you a perfect excuse to grab a coffee on the go.

Blue Tokai Coffee has multiple locations around Mumbai. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  Bombay Island Coffee Roasters

Opened in 2018 Bombay Island Coffee Roasters offers superior coffee in an industrial warehouse setting. Cofounder Rupal Jain, a chartered accountant by profession, fell in love with coffee while studying for her accounting exams. So much so that she decided to leap to Singapore to obtain her SCA certification for coffee roasting. The first thing she did after returning was to buy a Probat 150 and start roasting. Today, Bombay Island supplies coffee to cruise ships, restaurants, and small coffee shops around the country. Located in Malad, Bombay Island Coffee Roasters resembles a hipster cafe that you’d find in any nook of the world. A wide variety of coffee paraphernalia adorns its neatly organized shelves. Coffee decals are stuck onto the walls, a Nuova Simonelli espresso machine tops the bar, and the star of the shop is the roaster, positioned for all to marvel at. An ode to the spices of India, their signature spiced iced latte features freshly ground star anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg combined to make a delicious coffee experience.

Bombay Island Coffee Roasters is located at 33 New Sonal Link Industrial Estate next to Navnit Motors, New Link Rd, Malad West, Mumbai. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Dhaval Mehta is a digital marketing consultant based in Mumbai, India. This is Dhaval Mehta’s first feature for Sprudge.

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