Mayo Barista Joanna is set to compete at national final
A MAYO Barista, Joanna Tomaszewska, will compete next week to impress judges at the inaugural Aramark National Coffee Crafting Competition, Brew School.
Joanna lives in Castlebar and runs the Grumpy Mule coffee cart in Mayo University Hospital.
Behind the steady hiss of steaming milk, the whirl of blenders and the splash of coffee filling cups you’ll find passionate, hard-working baristas like Joanna who handcraft beverages for customers each and every day.
Aramark’s Brew School aims to recognise these baristas and their beverage artistry through their national coffee competition which takes place on Tuesday, November 13, in Bewley’s Grafton Street, one of Dublin’s most iconic and celebrated landmarks.
After multiple competitive regional rounds, focused on coffee skills and acumen, Aramark is now giving its six regional winners the opportunity to showcase their expertise along with their beverage crafting skills at the live final. Each barista will be tasked with making 4 espressos, 4 milk-based drinks and 4 signature drinks.
Joanna will be competing against Galway resident Evan McCormack, Clare native Jim King, Ravi Soniah who is originally from Mauritius but who now calls Dublin home, Brazilian Amanda Nieto de Almedia. also now resides in Dublin; and Marta Michalewicz from Dublin.
Speaking ahead of the final Joanna said: “I’ve really enjoyed the competition so far and I’ve learn a lot. The competition has allowed me to demonstrate my love for coffee and how much I value my work as a Barista. It means everything to me, because I do it for the people, for our customers, and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”
Shane Flynn, managing director, Aramark Food Services Ireland, said: “Coffee now seems to fuel the nation and because it drives so much demand, we are continually looking for new innovative approaches and blends.
"Much of this shift is fuelled by changing expectations and the introduction of new coffee categories and specialty beverages. For us at Aramark, meeting consumer and employee demands for coffee means much more than just providing a good cup of coffee.”
“Our baristas play an instrumental role in delivering an unparalleled, unique experience to each and every customer every day. All of our finalists have demonstrated to a very high standard both in their knowledge and passion for coffee in their respective regional heats and I wish them all the very best of luck in what looks to be a very tough final.”