Toolbar
 |
Printer Friendly |  |
 |
|
 |
RSS Feed | |
|
Bookmark |
Home 
Celebrity Chefs USA Midwest
HOLLAND, MICHIGAN, USA – When you think about coffee hot spots in the United States, Seattle and San Francisco come immediately to mind. But you might be surprised to learn that java junkies from all over the world are making pilgrimages to the small town of Holland, Michigan. Why? Because Holland is home to the Midwest Barista School, the only school of its kind in the world.
Housed inside an actual working coffee bar, would-be coffee entrepreneurs come here to learn all there is to know about running a successful coffee business. There’s a lot to learn if you want to make “perfect” coffee drinks likes espressos, cappuccinos and the like. According to Barista School owner Jack Groot, “50% of coffee bars in the US serve substandard coffee.”
His graduates will never end up in that percentile. The school's curriculum covers the fine points and details of creating perfect drinks including how to pull the ultimate espresso shot (hint: it takes 20-30 seconds, more than 30 and your coffee gets bitter elements, less than 20 and it is too diluted) and how to create foam so perfectly balanced it drinks as smoothly as the coffee and you can create decorative works of art with it.
Cappuccinos here come topped with delicately swirled foamed milk designs like hearts and flowers. These never fail to elicit oohs and ahhs from amazed coffee bar patrons. In fact, they regularly hold latte art competitions.
According to Groot, “super automatic machines can never do what a good barista does.”
But it isn’t ALL about making great coffee drinks. The school also teaches advanced techniques of teas and blender drinks including how to market them, the ins and outs of the coffee industry, and coffee business management.
Midwest Barista School students have gone on to open coffee carts, espresso bars and coffee house around the world. Of course, Jack’s own employees who work at the adjacent JP’s Coffee House train here too. The shop is so serious about good coffee that new employees don’t touch the bar for at least 6 months. In the meantime they learn other aspects of the business. The system allows Jack to have an exceptionally trained crew who are capable of running the business without him constantly having to be on premises.
All the employees here are energetic and enthusiastic coffee geeks. I spent an afternoon learning to make latte art with young Justin DeWaard. Justin’s auspicious coffee career started when he was in jgrammer school and started selling espresso drinks to neighborhood kids for a quarter. He later got involved in a high school project sponsored by the Barista School in which students ran a coffee bar on campus. Justin had found his true calling. “After that,” laughs Groot, “we couldn’t keep him out of the shop, so we finally gave up and gave the kid a job.” It worked out well for everyone and Justin now works at both the shop and the Barista School. He couldn’t be happier.
Coffee School for Consumers
Those who love java but who aren’t ready to jump into a full fledged coffee business can sign up for one-on-one workshops that will have you creating exceptional coffee drinks that will impress friends and family for years (of course they include how to do latte art). No time to take a class? No problem. You can still stop into JP’s Coffee House for one of the best coffee house drinks you’ll ever have.
Check out the Related Travel article links below for details of our favorite things to do see and eat in and around Holland, Grand Haven, and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Midwest Barista School and JP’s Coffee House are located at 55 E. 8th St. in Holland, MI 49423. Phone 616-546-9412 or visit their website at www.jpscoffee.com.
For more information about visiting Holland, Michigan, visit the Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau website at www.Holland.org or phone 616-394-0000.
For information about visiting Michigan in general, check out the official Travel Michigan website at www.Michigan.org or phone 800-373-2489.
Celebrity Chefs USA Midwest
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
HOLLAND, MICHIGAN, USA – When you think about coffee hot spots in the United States, Seattle and San Francisco come immediately to mind. But you might be surprised to learn that java junkies from all over the world are making pilgrimages to the small town of Holland, Michigan. Why? Because Holland is home to the Midwest Barista School, the only school of its kind in the world.
Housed inside an actual working coffee bar, would-be coffee entrepreneurs come here to learn all there is to know about running a successful coffee business. There’s a lot to learn if you want to make “perfect” coffee drinks likes espressos, cappuccinos and the like. According to Barista School owner Jack Groot, “50% of coffee bars in the US serve substandard coffee.”
His graduates will never end up in that percentile. The school's curriculum covers the fine points and details of creating perfect drinks including how to pull the ultimate espresso shot (hint: it takes 20-30 seconds, more than 30 and your coffee gets bitter elements, less than 20 and it is too diluted) and how to create foam so perfectly balanced it drinks as smoothly as the coffee and you can create decorative works of art with it. Cappuccinos here come topped with delicately swirled foamed milk designs like hearts and flowers. These never fail to elicit oohs and ahhs from amazed coffee bar patrons. In fact, they regularly hold latte art competitions.
According to Groot, “super automatic machines can never do what a good barista does.”
But it isn’t ALL about making great coffee drinks. The school also teaches advanced techniques of teas and blender drinks including how to market them, the ins and outs of the coffee industry, and coffee business management. Midwest Barista School students have gone on to open coffee carts, espresso bars and coffee house around the world. Of course, Jack’s own employees who work at the adjacent JP’s Coffee House train here too. The shop is so serious about good coffee that new employees don’t touch the bar for at least 6 months. In the meantime they learn other aspects of the business. The system allows Jack to have an exceptionally trained crew who are capable of running the business without him constantly having to be on premises.
All the employees here are energetic and enthusiastic coffee geeks. I spent an afternoon learning to make latte art with young Justin DeWaard. Justin’s auspicious coffee career started when he was in jgrammer school and started selling espresso drinks to neighborhood kids for a quarter. He later got involved in a high school project sponsored by the Barista School in which students ran a coffee bar on campus. Justin had found his true calling. “After that,” laughs Groot, “we couldn’t keep him out of the shop, so we finally gave up and gave the kid a job.” It worked out well for everyone and Justin now works at both the shop and the Barista School. He couldn’t be happier.
Coffee School for Consumers
Those who love java but who aren’t ready to jump into a full fledged coffee business can sign up for one-on-one workshops that will have you creating exceptional coffee drinks that will impress friends and family for years (of course they include how to do latte art). No time to take a class? No problem. You can still stop into JP’s Coffee House for one of the best coffee house drinks you’ll ever have.
Check out the Related Travel article links below for details of our favorite things to do see and eat in and around Holland, Grand Haven, and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Practicalities
The Midwest Barista School and JP’s Coffee House are located at 55 E. 8th St. in Holland, MI 49423. Phone 616-546-9412 or visit their website at www.jpscoffee.com.
For more information about visiting Holland, Michigan, visit the Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau website at www.Holland.org or phone 616-394-0000.
For information about visiting Michigan in general, check out the official Travel Michigan website at www.Michigan.org or phone 800-373-2489.
|
Comments
There are no comments for this item
Be the first to leave a comment
You must be a registered member to leave a comment. So why not sign up now?
- Recently Added
-
- Jul 8, 2009
- Jul 8, 2009
- Jul 8, 2009
- Jul 8, 2009
Submit a recipe for publication on FabulousFoods.com
|
