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P U L L : E V E N T S NORTHWEST COFFEE EDUCATORS' SUMMIT ACHIEVES MISSION IN GRASSROOTS FORMAT ON APRIL 4–5, COFFEE EDUCATORS from Oregon and Washington gathered at the La Marzocco USA training lab for the first Northwest Coffee Educators' Summit. More than 25 trainers engaged in two days of passionate discussions about anything and everything related to the role of a coffee educator. A rough outline guided the topics of discussion, but there was plenty of space for conversation and natural flow. Event founder and director Ben Jones, of Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters in Olympia, Wash., opened the summit with education theory on curriculum development. During an icebreaking exercise, it became obvious just how large of an area the umbrella of the educator role often covers, and how different the position can look depending on the context. Often educators are promoted into the position because they are the best baristas on staff, yet this hardly guarantees their ability to teach others. Tackling this contradiction, participants brainstormed about curriculum development stemming from some basic questions: What to teach? How to teach? How to verify it? Ben reflected on how different intelligences require the educator to use varying techniques for effective training. While one barista may pick up ideas and instructions just from the trainer explaining them, another barista might need those concepts written out. Still another may need to physically engage in the techniques before grasping the ideas. Whether baristas are visual, auditory, or physical learners, trainers must be equipped with skills to address these wide-ranging learning styles as effectively as possible. Laila Ghambari, director of coffee for Cherry Street Coffee House in Seattle (and, as of this printing, newly crowned United States Barista Champion) lectured on the topic of developing an effective training program. Having recently developed training curricula for Caffe Ladro and Cherry Street, Laila shared her experiences—both challenges and triumphs—in the daunting but essential task of crafting an entire training program. She divided the task into four subgroups: assessing the situation; creating standards; executing effectively; and integrating a system of checks and balances. She said that often educators feel obligated to reinvent the wheel because their position has no preexisting model within a café. Faced with that exact situation, Laila said she chose to base her training manual on the United States Barista Championship judging standards, as well as conversations with other educators about their processes. Nik Virrey and Brandon Paul Weaver of Slate Coffee Roasters and the cocktail catering company Matte & Gloss, led a popular session on hospitality training and etiquette. Their primary message was that every single detail that makes up an experience is in some Ryan Willbur (standing in doorway) leads an interactive workshop on training and innovation at the inaugural Northwest Coffee Educators' Summit, which was held in April in Seale. Organized and produced by educators and industry leaders in the Pacific Northwest, and, offered for no cost, the two-day forum aimed to be transparent, accessible, and above all, useful for aendees. The conference, which included hands-on sessions about curriculum development, tech for trainers, hospitality etiquee, and more, was so successful and popular that the second edition is already in the works. PHOTO BY LAILA GHAMBARI 22 barista magazine B o o k 1 - 4 6 . i n d d 2 2 Book 1-46.indd 22 5 / 1 5 / 1 4 1 0 : 2 8 P M 5/15/14 10:28 PM