United States Barista Championships

I'm pleased to announced that one of MY baristas, Steve Fritzen, is a serious contender at the United States Barista Championship, March 10-13 in, where else, Seattle.  It was a happy day when I learned that I could find not only a good, but exceptional, 16 oz. mocha (no whip),  artfully presented,  just blocks from my bungalow at the very independent Coffee Hound.  I didn't really know about the "artfully presented" part until last fall, when a trophy puck, awarded to Steve, appeared on the counter at the Hound last fall.  Steve's placement (third) at the Great Lakes Regionals earned him a spot at Nationals.  It was great to talk to him in the weeks preceding the competition, his determination and confidence evident. Here's the 13-page handbook of rules and regs for the competition, lest you think this is hobby-grade activity.

Over the past month, I've learned that several of the baristas take their work and art seriously, and also compete.  Most recently, Barista Chris Weber placed second at the Midwest Regional Barista Jam in Chicago (and told me that his friend and colleague, Peter, was "robbed").   I'm hoping to be able to link to pictures from this competition, as well as the nationals.

The bummer about this is that "espresso beverage preparation"  hasn't gottten the same attention as other culinary endeavors, including bartending.  I asked Steve if this was going to be filmed by Food Network, or some other organization, and he didn't think so.  I'm hoping that baristas make it into the culinary mainstream soon--a well-prepared latte is much more accessible to most of us than the high-end cuisine that's featured in televised competitions.   Televised or not, I'm cheering from a distance, and glad that I can witness such artistry, live, any day of the week.