BROADWAY - BROADWAY BARISTA OF THE MONTH

The Broadway Barista of the Month for March/April 2008 is Talya Strader.  Talya has been with Intelligentsia for about a year, but has worked in coffee shops for the past seven years.  She is not only a Barista in the café, but also a Barista competitor for Intelligentsia.

Talya has always had dreams of owning her own coffee shop.  She started working in coffee in order to get the experience she would need to one day open her own.  “During college I would try to convince myself that I wanted to do other things, venture out into different professions, but I would always try to connect that career to coffee.  In the end, you can’t beat your original dream.  I fell in love with Intelligentsia when I moved to Chicago because of their stellar coffee and their commitment to farmers.  It took awhile, but finally Shane Duke (previous Barista of the Month) put in a good word for me and here I am a year later and I could not be more thrilled.”

Talya’s favorite drink to make is a single traditional cappuccino.  “Two single traditional cappuccinos in a row!  Good practice for competition!”  She also likes making small soy lattes because that was her first drink at the café it’s also one of her favorite customer’s usual drink.

Talya is a busy gal, juggling her time between Intelligentsia and her second job at Inspiration Corporation.  You’ll hear no complaints from her though.  “There are so many things I love to do and I fill up my time with them, but it never seems like they aren’t part of the routine.  I work a second job and I love it!  I am training for the Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition and I love it!  My passion is social justice concentrated in a more international sense.  If I find myself with spare time I will write letters to the leaders of countries asking them to stop genocide, human trafficking, and sweat shops.  I love people; people are my source of energy and without seeing and talking with my friends and family regularly I would not be able to become the person I hope to be.”

As a Barista, Talya feels a large amount of pride.  “Coffee is a big deal; it connects people, it starts off their morning, and becomes more than a routine for many….it becomes a passion!”  Through being a Barista, Talya works hard to do her part in the coffee chain.  “It is easy to screw up and can be very challenging to make it right.  With our culture being so addicted to the stuff, it can make or break anyone’s day.  I love being that part of someone’s every day life in a way that’s positive.  From the crop at origin to the Broadway café, the product is touched by so many loving hands and I enjoy being a part of the chain.”