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way related to hospitality skills. Whether or not all of those details were requested or expected, they each have an impact. Some of the questions that kicked off the discussion were: What is it to be hospitable? What is it to teach hospitality? What is it to embody hospitality as a leader? The consensus was that each person who walks through the door of a café should feel welcome, comfortable, important, and understood. While these goals can look different from the outset, Brandon and Nik emphasized the importance of fostering an environment in which this can take place. After an intense day of education and sharing, participants joined up with the larger Seattle barista and coffee community for a big party hosted by Cherry Street Coffee House and Barista Magazine. Sponsors Dillanos Coffee Roasters, Stumptown Coffee, Matte & Gloss, and Tony's Coffee each contributed to the awesome food, beer, and custom coffee cocktails enjoyed by guests. For entertainment, the NW Cup Tasters League debuted with participants cupping through two timed triangulations. In the end, Caffe Ladro educator Sam Brandvein was the top cupper of the night. Day two of the summit kicked off with Nathanael May of Portland Roasting and Ben Schultz of Steadfast Coffee Tech PDX teaching "The Trainer as Bargain Tech and Other Pitfalls." This session tasked the class with listing everything educators have been asked to do that did not fall under their job description. Sure, switching out gaskets is no big deal, but where's does an educator draw the line, and how? Nathanael and Ben talked about the differences between techs and baristas, how each has his own vocabulary, and therefore it can be a challenge for the two to communicate. The group brainstormed strategies for closing this gap. Ryan Willbur of La Marzocco led the final discussion on the topic of training versus innovation, beginning with accounts of how some pretty significant coffee developments came to fruition. Ryan emphasized the importance of a trainer being an inquisitive and constant learner in addition to a teacher. Innovation, he explained, is the result of people in the coffee industry continually challenging the way things are done and seeing what would happen if they were done differently. The success of the Northwest Coffee Educators' Summit proved its necessity, not only in the Pacific Northwest region, but anywhere there are educators with questions— and that pretty much means everywhere. Ben's insistence on developing the event as a grassroots forum, using trainers and experts who would share their wisdom at will, and above all, offering all of the education for no cost to participants, is a large part of why the Northwest Coffee Educators' Summit was such a success. Participants left feeling inspired and informed, as well as part of a larger and supportive community of educators. Folks are already clamoring for a second event, and Ben's already designing the platform. Stay tuned for details on Barista Magazine's blog, www.baristamagazine.com/blog. —Terika Raak 23 www.baristamagazine.com B o o k 1 - 4 6 . i n d d 2 3 Book 1-46.indd 23 5 / 1 5 / 1 4 1 0 : 2 8 P M 5/15/14 10:28 PM