In other news...
Earlier, I headed down to
Joe - The Art of Coffee down on Waverly Place to have my mocha latte prepared by an 8th-Grader.
Yes, an 8th Grader.
Today was the "final exam" of a special program they've been running with
Citizen Schools. Over the past 10 weeks, the folks at Joe have been mentoring a group of 8th graders from a school in Brooklyn. The students not only learned how to make a good cup of coffee - via "pour over" and Chemex - and pull a proper shot of espresso, they also received training in front of house duties such as manning a cash register and managerial duties.
It took a few extra minutes to get my mocha, but the students did a wonderful job, and they were also offering free samples of their Kenyan blend to everyone in line.
*I do have to say that the thought of 8th graders buzzed on caffeine is a little frightening to me - they apparently also tasted many varieties over the past couple of weeks - but what a wonderful program with benefits for the students and the mentors. There were also a bunch of regulars who came in, and they had high praise for the budding baristas.