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Of the way Kansas City is emerging as a leading specialty coffee region, Pete also notes About The Coffee (ATC), founded by Marty and Tooti Roe, a shop they call "a toy store for coffee fanatics" where people can try out all sorts of gear. "We cater to the coffee curious that want to try out brewers, machines, grinders, tampers, and so on, without having to view online only," Tooti says. "No attitude here, and we keep it very loose and chill. We welcome the hard-core fan all the way to the beginner." Before the 2013 South Central Regional Barista Competition, ATC opened its space to any competitors who wanted to practice on the competition Aurelia T3 machine, which Nuova Simonelli had provided. After Pete won the regional, and then the USBC, ATC helped him get ready for the WBC. "It was kind of obscene," Pete says. "They had all kinds of resources. It was like, 'Are you kidding me?' They even gave me a ride to the airport on the way 60 barista magazine out of town." After Pete won the WBC, the Roes were going to send a limo to pick him up, but he needed more space for his equipment than would fit—so they sent a shuttle van instead. "The support that ATC provided to Pete was really part of the atmosphere that we try and facilitate in the K.C. coffee community," says Tooti. "That is, if we can help in some way, we are going to try our best. If we cannot help directly we may know someone who we can contact. It really wasn't anything monumental; we just tried to support Pete by making ourselves available to tend to small items, allowing Pete to focus his attention on his coffee and presentation. "When Pete won the South Central," she continues, "we were elated, and as he advanced [through the competitions] our excitement grew. When it got down to the Pete and Matthew Perger, it was pretty tense, and when Pete was announced as 2013 WBC Champion, we