The following post was written by Michael Butterworth (Thanks to Joanna Miller for photos.)
One of the best parts about going to coffee competitions across the country is meeting the other baristas. When I first met Cabell Tice, he was a fellow first time competitor at CoffeeFest NYC. The unknown barista competing out of Boston shocked a lot of people when he took home first place- a feat he's since repeated twice. But Cabell is not just good at drawing pictures with milk. Cabell is a gifted photographer and has managed an extremely high-volume cafe called The Thinking Cup.
Cabell has now packed up and taken his talents from Boston to the Pacific Northwest and we were lucky enough that he took a several hundred mile detour to work a guest shift at Quills Cardinal Towne. When I say that Cabell is an ace barista, I don't just mean the symmetry and contrast of his latte art. His attention to detail, efficient work flow, and ability to connect personally with customers are the true marks of a skilled barista. Many people who came in during his shift had no idea that Cabell was a guest barista because he seamlessly adapted to our context and service style. Hopefully it's not the last time we see Cabell behind the bar in Derby City.
Best of luck in Oregon Cabell!
