I’ve been working behind the bar for 15 years. From Ritual, to Blue Bottle, to Andytown, I’m a veteran of high-volume cafes.

At The Crown, I built a full barista training and ongoing education program while leading the staff to open the Tasting Room and training center. I also managed the menu, including service and drink QC and development of signature beverages.

Technique, precision, and practice are essential for every barista. My passion for efficiency and excellence has led me to become an expert in “flow” and mise en place behind the bar. Learning how to give consistently excellent customer service is an equally important skill, and one that staff rarely receive training on; I like to change that by offering a two-part series on how to give excellent service to customers of all types and needs.

A key part of successful barista training is support from management; after years managing barista teams, I am an expert in what good leadership looks like and how to improve staff morale.

I’ve been roasting since 2015; there are few things that give me as much joy as the zen flow of a successful production day.

In that time, I’ve helped companies grow from a one-location brand with a 5kg roaster to having multiple locations and multiple roasters, increasing their production volume astronomically.

I’ve managed coffee menus of up to 20 single origins and blends, built roast profiles, designed packaging, built out production spaces, built and maintained QC systems, and managed inventory at multiple locations.

I spent 5 years working at a coffee importer in the Bay Area focussing on their line of top-tier coffees. I became intimately familiar with harvest and arrival seasons for different producing regions, got to see large-scale market trends and local buying preferences firsthand, participated in several cup quality competitions and auctions and collaborated directly with coffee producers.

I’ve cupped thousands of coffees and done extensive coffee analysis, including screen size sorting, density readings, moisture and water activity readings, sample roasting, home roasting, production roasting, cupping, and brewing.

I have close relationships with producers in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Brazil, and look forward to continuing to expand my global network of high-quality coffee.

I have always had a knack for event and project management. In 2009 I was a founding member of the US National Tango Championship, and my love of event organizing was born. Since then, I’ve hosted numerous events as the Bay Area Coffee Community’s Events and Volunteer Coordinator, organized the Prep Rally and other large-scale events at The Crown, and built community through events like Cata Latina and weekly Latte Art meetups (Lil’ Latte Lessons and Fee Fi Foam Fun).

For five years I was chair of the Coffee Committee for the Good Food Awards, and in 2022 I oversaw a full Awards cycle, including the Entry Period, Blind Tasting, and Vetting as Interim Director of the Good Food Foundation.