Café Myriad Montreal - Coming Soon
Anthony Benda and Scott Rao are opening what without a doubt will become a go to coffee destination in the heart of Montreal.
Some of you may have already heard of Scott Rao as he recently published a very well received industry book titled The Professional Barista’s Handbook – An Expert’s Guide to Preparing Espresso, Coffee and Tea. Anthony Benda, is a passionate barista who has decided to take the leap and use his skills, dedication and hard work towards something most rewarding, his own café.
Lucky for me, I had a chance to sit down with Anthony last week over a cuppa at Veritas. It seems in the Canadian Coffee Scene, Anthony Benda was a name that I continually stumbled across. So it was not only not nice to put a face to a name, but also a great chance for me to ramble on about coffee to someone who might actually be interested. As I’ve always found it to be true, in this “biz”, if you show even a small amount of serious interest, you are welcomed with open arms.
I’m sure our conversation sounded ridiculous, as there were little to no formalities and it was less about getting to the know the other person, more about sharing ideas, techniques and coffee cultures on our first brief encounter. Anthony certainly knows his stuff and his love of all things coffee is no secret. Interestingly enough, although he is very skilled and knowledgeable on the espresso machine, I have a feeling a large part of his focus will be spent on “regular coffee” that is still in very high demand here. Now I know most Aussie’s would say “ew” or “why?” because of the little to nonexistent black coffee culture downunder. However, just like espresso, when done well, there is much more to a North American “regular” coffee than meets the eye, which I will certainly share with you as soon as I get my hot little hands on one.
Also deserving of a mention is Anthony’s 3rd place in last years Canadian Barista Competition. He will be taking the stage again in this years national competition in Montreal this October. He qualified for the nationals by placing second in the 2008 Eastern Canadian Competition, which includes Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces.
I think I’ve actually even surprised myself, with the genuine excitement I am feeling towards the opening of Café Myriad. Stay tuned .. as I think they are open for business within the month.
Yay!
Jen
blog comments powered by Disqus