Brought to you by Nuffnang and Piazza D’Oro (S1 Post)
Back in September, I wrote a post about the Piazza D’Oro Barista of the Year competition, and the finalists have been announced. Congratulations to:
New South Wales
Apryl Curtin from Bar 2101
Jan Duan from Coffee Fest
Marius Beullens from Margot Espresso
Victoria
Wael Bou Karroum from Station Stop Café
Alex Petroulias from Urban Chill
Jesse Carrington from Skyblitz Café
Giacomo Dalla- Zuanna from Little Figs Café
Henry Elcheikh from Goldies Café
Queensland
Alyssa Day from Kedron Wavell Services Club
West Australia
Harrison Lewis from Rydges
The ten national finalists will head to The Barista Workshop in Sydney on the 26th of November to compete in the Piazza D’Oro National Finals so I’ll keep an eye on that and let you know how it goes. This competition is part of Piazza D’Oro’s commitment to training their baristas so they can develop their technical knowledge. And this is behind the delicious coffee I love so well.
When I found out about this initiative, I set myself my own little challenge: the aim was to visit many different Piazza D’Oro cafes on my travels, just because I love coffee AND new places. I believe it’s important to keep doing the things you love when you become a parent, you just sometimes need to find a different way to do them, scale them down a little or weave them into your life in a sustainable way. I wrote about it here. So this coffee thing is an example of me putting it into practice.
Over the last few months, I visited many different cafes using the Piazza D’Oro app to find them. Not only did I feel like I had this secret joy about me, an amazing…well only small really, but still amazing thing happened. Let me take you on some of my travels:
Going Home from Holidays
My first stop on my challenge was on our way back from holidays at the Sunshine Coast. I love sipping on coffee in the car. It’s like a little luxury.
On my way to a family day out
Setting my day up well.
On My Way to the Country
I headed out to visit my cousin with my kids on this particular day. I drove through the city and stopped off near the Brisbane River at a café. I have a close relationship with my cousins and we have kids the same age so that’s special.
Shopping for Birthday Dinner
It was my husband’s birthday and it was a frantic day (and he wasn’t going to be home late) but I wanted to spoil him with his favourite meat pie. So I dashed to the shops before a meeting, grabbed a coffee, raced around throwing what I needed into the trolley before my next job on the list.
General Errands
I needed to go to a Post Office, and this time, instead of going to my local one, I decided to head out a little further from home, close to where a Piazza D’Oro café was. I ended up meeting a lovely lady in the post office and while I was there, I made a connection important for some projects I have coming up. THEN I went close by for a quick coffee stop. I ordered my regular, latte please, when the lady behind the counter said to me, “You won’t need to pay for that.”
I said, “What do you mean?”
She smiled as she replied, “Someone before you paid for the next 2 coffees so it’s already been paid for!
Just a small random act of kindness, and it made my day! I said to myself that I would do the same at my next coffee stop.
Before School Pick Up
I had a small window before school pick up one day, and I dropped in for a coffee and a spot of window-shopping. As I promised myself, I also paid for the next person’s coffee whoever that would be. Pay it forward. Enjoy!
Sporting Days
Our daughter plays a lot of Basketball, and many Saturdays will find us travelling somewhere to watch her game. On this day it was at Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. I used the app to find a great café to help us through the afternoon and drive home. My husband and I were exhausted, and yet we just felt so happy to be together doing family things and this picture captures that.
And so there it is: Don’t give up what you enjoy as a parent, live with joy and a spirit of giving and splash the beauty of it all everywhere you can.
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