034 : Pour Over & Batch Brew w/ Ryan Soeder

Chris DeferioBarista Craft, Coffee Tech, Podcast, Training

Pour over coffee is often seen as a sign that you take coffee seriously. It implies a level of quality not usually reserved for plain ol’ batch brew. Batch brew is seen as a bit more pedestrian. Customers may even assume that, compared to pour over, batch brew is inferior in quality. The truth? It all depends. Today we take …

033 : Founder Friday w/ Katie Startzman / Owner of Native Bagel Co. Berea, KY

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Leadership, Management, Podcast

KATIE STARTZMAN Click to SUBSCRIBE! Katie Startzman was raised in the northeast but has called Berea, Kentucky home for more than 20 years. Before founding Native Bagel Company, she worked in the nonprofit world, organized a large community garden, and wrote “The Knitted Slipper Book.” She decided to explore the food business because nothing makes her happier than handing people something …

032 : Making Order out of Chaos : Dealing with Groups Ordering in the Cafe

Chris DeferioBarista Craft, Hospitality, Management, Podcast, Training

Fear, frustration, stress…we all have experienced one or more of these feelings when we deal with groups in the cafe. Be they a family, friends, or study group we can sometimes have trouble managing the group dynamic and the chaos that can often accompany it. In spite of all this though the group does not represent a hurdle to jump over …

Tips for Conducting Great Staff Meetings

Chris DeferioPodcast

SHIFT BREAK #31 Regular staff meetings are one of the most important tools for energizing, equipping, informing, and affirming. In order to get the most out of these meetings we will be covering several tips that I have seen work wonders in conducting…

Patience & Passivity : Career Advice for the Long Game

Chris DeferioPodcast

SHIFT BREAK #30 One of the most important thing you can have in your journey through the coffee industry is patience. One of the most deadly is passivity. Today we use a helpful analogy  to talk about trusting the process, playing the long game,…

Thankfulness : The key to joy in the journey

Chris DeferioPodcast

SHIFT BREAK #28 : On this years Thanksgiving I am so grateful for all of you listening to this show and for the amazing guests who have shared their knowledge and wisdom with us all! This is simply a note to remember gratitude as it is key to a…