Summer Lag
New Look Crew (once again)
Almost a year has passed. Let’s see how many crew lineup changes we’ve made during our first eleven months (for the sake of nostalgia):
1.) Cashier – Nica; Barista – Jabez; Cook – Joyce
2.) Cashier – Retz; Barista – Jabez/Julius; Cook – Dan
3.) Cashier – Retz; Barista – Jabez/Neil; Cook – Dan
4.) Cashier – Retz/Majals; Barista – Jabez/Neil; Cook – Tracy/Padeys
5.) Cashier – Retz/Padeys; Barista – Jabez/Neil/Tracy; Cook – Tracy/Dan
6.) Cashier – Retz; Barista – Jabez/Neil; Cook – Bessy/Marc
7.) Cashier – Retz; Barista – Neil/Ramhil; Cook – Bessy
Honorable mentions include Yell, our volunteer barista last summer, and Tonio, our first OJT busboy.
A lot has changed; most have moved on and pursued different careers apart from the café. And some have gone back to school to focus on their studies. It’s refreshing for us to remember and give props to those who have helped us get through it all during the course of this amazing year. We always thank our customers on our blogs but we seldom give kudos to those people on the “inside”. These people, no matter how long they’ve worked at the café and whatever position they’ve held, have made history by being one of those who have brought the café to where it stands today.
We’re turning 1 next month, and we couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you very much, Nica, Dan, Tonio, Majals, Tracy, Padeys, and Julius. Saka ka na Marc, isang linggo ka pa magtatarabaho dito, hehe.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Upgrading, Rebuilding, Improvising - Welcome to Our World
I was still in Singapore the last time I wrote a blog entry. That was early in the morning in our room at the YMCA. Since then a lot has happened.
I went to Singapore for the sole purpose of upgrading my skills as a barista. I knew that it would be beneficial for both our cafe and myself. When I came back last, last Saturday I went straight to the cafe and immediately taught Neil (our barista) the things I learned. Coming back to Highlander after 2 years got me inspired to work again at our cafe with renewed excitement and a revived passion for what I do and what I like. When things get dull and routine takes over your life, it’s good to take a step back and get a bird’s eye view of your whole life. Then you will tell yourself, “So this is what I’m living for, I haven’t seen it this way for a long time.”
I would like to thank my instructors at Highlander, Phil and Cedric Ho, and their very talented barista, Li. Thanks guys, hope we could come up with something here soon.
We’ve been working at the cafe for almost a year now, next month will be our 1st year anniversary (April 14). And it’s really an achievement that we’ve been able to maintain an establishment for that long. We’re kids with big dreams, and getting stuck in a hole doing the same thing everyday is really quite challenging. But what’s good is that we’re learning to persevere believing that everthing we have sacrificed will be all worth it in the end.
NEWS
The cafe’s been doing very well this March. We had back-to-back 11k Fridays for the past two weeks (117 and 113 customers respectively). That’s something new to us and we’re very thankful for the support of our customers despite the “hell month”.
Neil and I are training a new barista to replace me full-time in the near future. You might have seen him last week helping us out, his name is Kuya Ramhil. I decided to hire him and really concentrate on developing him as a barista so that I could focus fully on managing the cafe.
The MOCHACCINO DIABLO is becoming very popular thanks to its exotic spicy flavor. It’s still available until the end of March.
Yummings (http://yummings.multiply.com) has new creations for sale at the cafe: blueberry cheesecake and chocolate mousse, both only 35 pesos each.
DISCLAIMER
If you’ve noticed we had smaller cups last week, and our frothiccinos tasted a little different. That’s because we ran out of supplies last week, we had to improvise a little. But don’t worry, our supplies came yesterday so everything’s back to normal. We apologize for the inconvenience. I apologize to my friend, Kim, he didn’t get to order his white mocha frothiccino.
March On March!
Our FoM for March is the MOCHACINNO DIABLO. A drink inspired by the month of March being the “hell month” for students. For the first time, we didn’t use our signature frothiccino mix for this drink. Instead, we used the sheeeer powerrrrr of our houseblend espresso. For those looking for a kick for that extra energy to stay awake, this drink is definitely for you. Try it starting Monday, March 2, for only 120 pesos.
We’ve been having multi-cab adventures for the past few days, just to try something different. Last Friday, the staff and a few of our friends played charades at the Jollibee parking lot in Paseo de Sta. Rosa. The next day we went to Burger King in Calamba and then passed the time at Starbucks at Petron, SLEX.
This week, Dan and I will be in Singapore. I’ll be attending a workshop in the same school I went to 2 years ago, the Highlander Academy of Coffee. Dan will be applying in a photography workshop. So you won’t be seeing me for quite a while.
Please pray for my trip, see you soon!