Shannon and Alton, all smiles! Congratulations to Cenote for winning the Austin Chronicle's Best New Coffee Shop category for 2012! Needless to say, it came as no surprise to me since I'm up there all the time and see just how incredibly special this place is. From Chino's handmade kitchen delights with daily specials made with local garden produce - to the historic building saved from the developers' wrecking ball and renovated into the most unique and beautiful shop anywhere to be found (they received an award for historical renovation) - to the absolutely incredible staff, all of whom I have come to adore very much.... Cenote is truly a very special place.
And speaking of staff, a few special people are pictured here. Some were experts in all things coffee already, having served up coffee in Austin for several years before Cenote was a twinkle in Cody's and Mary's eyes -- I'm thinking specifically of Shannon here who is pictured above with Alton Jenkins, Cenote drummer-in-residence who takes and delivers your order with the best smile on the planet.
But even the veteran Shannon (who makes Cenote's home-made chai - and it's soooooo good!) admitted to me that she truly enjoys the ongoing barista education offered by Cenote in conjunction with local roaster Cuvee, purveyor of fair trade and organic coffees purchased often IN PERSON from the farmers themselves throughout Central and South America. (Cenote took home the Statesman poll award for 'best coffee' just three months after it opened, so I think that pretty well says it all about Cuvee's attention to good coffee.)
And speaking of staff, a few special people are pictured here. Some were experts in all things coffee already, having served up coffee in Austin for several years before Cenote was a twinkle in Cody's and Mary's eyes -- I'm thinking specifically of Shannon here who is pictured above with Alton Jenkins, Cenote drummer-in-residence who takes and delivers your order with the best smile on the planet.
But even the veteran Shannon (who makes Cenote's home-made chai - and it's soooooo good!) admitted to me that she truly enjoys the ongoing barista education offered by Cenote in conjunction with local roaster Cuvee, purveyor of fair trade and organic coffees purchased often IN PERSON from the farmers themselves throughout Central and South America. (Cenote took home the Statesman poll award for 'best coffee' just three months after it opened, so I think that pretty well says it all about Cuvee's attention to good coffee.)
Zac Collier whipping up a latte. And then there are others behind the counter like Zac Collier pictured at right who took the barista training and became barista extraordinaire before he even turned 21! (He makes a killer 'Australian Americano'!) Zac is also famous for being one of the only ones who can figure out the very unique ratio of carbon dioxide to brew when setting up and maintaining the iced-coffee-on-tap, which as far as I know is completely unique to Cenote at this point in time. (omgoodness, it is THE BEST thing on a hot Austin summer day!)
Many more people to mention here, and I'll get around to posting more of their photos soon. Needless to say, they're all very special folks. I love these people!!
Many more people to mention here, and I'll get around to posting more of their photos soon. Needless to say, they're all very special folks. I love these people!!
RSS Feed