Baristars
I know you’ve all been waiting for the news on the outcome of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regional Barista Championships, held this week at the Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, Penna. Well, the news is great. Murky Coffee General Manager Katie Carguilo won the contest, besting the field of 17 with the excellence of her cappuccinos, espressos, and her signature drink, the Café Garguilo: espresso, cherry juice, chocolate, and a whip cream made from pistachio gelato. Sounds pretty excellent, Katie; will we be seeing this on the Murky menus anytime soon? Adding to the happiness is Tryst’s David Fritzler taking fourth in the competition. Congratulations to both of them!

Carguilo’s win cements Murky Coffee’s dominance of the Eastern U.S. coffee culture, since owner Nick Cho won the competition for the ten southern states back in the fall with his coffee creations anchored by an homage to Aida Batlle–a producer from El Salvador–which combined cupped coffee and espresso from Batlle’s beans, melon, dark sugar, and honey. Katie and Nick will be off to the U.S. National Barista Competition the first week in May in Long Beach, Calif. to trounce those wusses from Seattle. If one of them wins there, he or she will be representing our whole country at the World championships in Tokyo. Nothing’s final, but with two in the race, we like our chances.

Stop by your local Murky or Tryst to congratulate Nick, Katie, and David personally.

Tasty Nation
Are you looking for something to do after a week full of liturgical ceremonies or fancy food after stuffing yourself with stuff from your seder? Yeah? Good. Monday, April 9 is Taste of the Nation, the 19th annual festival of taste-making and food-eating for charity. With over 50 of the Capital region’s best chefs and 20 vineyards supplying the event, Taste of the Nation is something you foodies don’t want to miss.