Page 45 - #59 English

Francesco Masciullo, Italy

I think being a barista is the best job in the
2017 Barista Champion in Italy
world, just because one cup of coffee can link
people all around the planet, just one sip can create
a connection between you and the people that work
in the coffee business. Ok, seriously, maybe it’s not
the best job in the world but, hey!, it’s cool.Hon-
estly speaking though, the barista’s job is not seen
as a high paying one, especially in Italy. To explain
it better, the way an Italian bar works is not the
best one.. there is no training nor education, so
making a cup of coffee what is definitely not easy
– well, in Italy it seems like anyone can make one
good cup of coffee, but not for me. First, education
and training, and then practice, practice and some
more practice.As for my parents, it did not seem as
a really good idea to work as a barista, but then they
saw how I grew in this coffee industry, from being
simply a barista at the local coffeehouse to working
in London and study specialty coffee, and in the end,
of course, my victory at the Italian barista champion-
ship. Now they are happy for me and satisfied with
what I do. My friends don’t really care that I’m the
Italian barista champion, but when we meet and
we talk about it, they ask me everything, they want
to know all the little things and details that happen
while you make a coffee. Now, there are no secrets
for them anymore! I also try to teach them how to
balance a cup, because the most important thing,
in the end, is to balance the cup of coffee that you
want to serve to the customer. So it’s really cool to
talk about my job, even with my friends.

As we can see, starting your career as a barista might be fun and hard at the same time. Parents always want to protect
you and might doubt your decisions while friends are always curious about everything you do. All in all, they are all
happy for you when you start moving up in your career and conquer more and more picks. Kristen Kovaletz, Miki Suzuki,
Francesco Masciullo, Benny Wong and Jeffry Pan one more time proves that success is the matter of time and practice and
that you should prove yourself and others that you have made the right choice.

# iamabarista

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