Early Spring/School Week/ N.Y.C.

Great weather – great weekend & a busy week ahead starting today with the sold out class at ABC’s!   Once again great people… who traveled from far and near.  The weatherman tells us one more warm day in PDX. – It is truly like springtime here with temp’s in the 60′s.
Matt spent his Saturday in Astoria on the coast to open our former student Denise’s new coffee bar named “Street 14 Coffee” – I love this shot Matty sent from his iphone.  Opening day was packed.  Everyone loved the bar and big cudos on the WAC coffee too.

Mike from Espresso Supply  was in town from Indi to install our new “Della Corte Evolution” machine @ the school.  Given he is a major music freak we took him  to the Dharma Bums reunion show that was truly amazing.

We had such a great time.  Jeremy was “like always – overly amazing” – such positive energy for the sold out show at the Crystal Ballroom. 

Tonight and tomorrow night will find me finishing up a full length feature article for Fresh Cup Magazine for the upcoming SCAA edition.

Then Friday it is N.Y.C.!   I heart NY and plan to check out a few plays along with some of NY’s cool in the coffee scene thanks to a post and blog…http://twitchy.org/?p=442 that will be a significant aid in the search for the newest of the new wave.

The Whitney Biennial VIP opening is tomorrow night – but the show opens to the public and non-VIP’s like myself this weekend.

This is a very big deal in the art world so I am hoping the crowds will not be too massive week one.  If so I will catch it this summer.

The MOMA hosts a Tim Burton show and after seeing his hour long interview about his art on Charlie Rose – this is a definite must see also.
After all the fun it is time to truly go to work in N.J. for the East Coast 2010 Coffee Fest Show.  It will be great like always to see all of my extended coffee family after a long winter break from shows.  More later from NY or NJ.

Back in the Bellissimo office for a while…

Marrakesh is only a blur now – a wonderful one I must admit. Our work in Morocco has only begun and this project will keep us busy for a all of 2010/2011 for starters. Such a fun and exciting project with wonderful clients – I look forward to returning soon.

Today is Presidents day and the beginning of a week that will have our entire staff in the office extremely busy – We are in the midst of a half a dozen design and layout jobs as well as working on multiple and interesting business plans for companies large and small. Downstairs…The American Barista & Coffee School is full 4/5 days this week training the McMenamins bartenders (a different group each day). McM. truly understands the meaning of quality in their operations and will be taking their staff to the next level in the coffee arena. This is a company that is a legend in the Northwest with pubs, hotels, theaters, even golf courses – They roast their own coffee – make their own whiskey and of course brew some wicked micro-brews just for starters. We feel honored to be a part of their training team.
It is nice to see the classroom full – Next weeks Feb. class has been sold out for some time and our March filled by the middle of Feb. as well. We do have space left in a special 2 day – barista training on March 25/26 – Check out http://www.coffeeschool.org if you are interested in that class – which is a great one to improve ones skills on the espresso machine. And finally @ ABC’s we are proud and happy to announce the arrival next week of a new Dalla Corte SCAE competition machine This machine brand famous around the world is now being represented by Espresso Supply – long time friends of Bellissimo in Seattle. Mike will be personally coming out this weekend to install and train us on the machine. And as a treat we will be taking him to the 18th Year reunion show of the Dharma Bums who will be playing Saturday night at The Crystal ballroom… Best of all Jeremy Wilson – the lead singer and driving force of the group is one of Matt’s and my dearest friends – We are all really looking forward to the show and the insane positive energy that should flow from the 18 year break -Scott McCaughey says they are his favorite live band ever and as a member of The Minus 5 and R.E.M, he ought to know a thing or two about a live show. Other DB went on to join other bands such as The Decemberists, Elliott Smith – etc. etc. Back in the day Kurt Cobain and Nirvana used to open for them.

A great busy week ahead ending with great music and friendship. Ciao