Coffee skills meet life skills

Americano. Espresso. Making the perfect froth on a cappuccino.

Erika Birkenes, 17, learned to brew them all when she took a Barista Basics class at Chop’s Teen Center. But she already knew her favorite cafe treat.

“I am quite addicted to coffee,” she said. “I’m a mocha girl.”

As with other culinary activities at the Railroad Square teen center, the goal of this two-week class is teaching teenagers marketable life skills, and having fun along the way.

Chop’s Teen Club, funded by an endowment from Charles “Chop” DeMeo and other private donations, is equipped with a recording studio, climbing wall, night club, pizza oven and espresso machine.

Its goal is to provide teens with fun activities in a safe environment. Director Diana Curtin also aims to teach them the art of social interaction at a time when many have turned to e-mails and text messages as a way to keep in touch.

“It’s more than just barista skills,” Curtin said. “We’re teaching them customer service skills, too. Eye contact, how to greet people, how to have a two-way conversation … This is the first generation that’s really grown up online.”

Brian Munoz recently started teaching the culinary and barista classes at Chop’s. In addition to covering solid knife skills and the basics of making pizza dough from scratch, he hopes to teach students how to get along with co-workers and sneak in a few math lessons along the way.

“You would not believe the math, even in culinary arts,” he said.

Munoz is excited to teach the students “latte art,” the delicate skill of carving shapes like hearts and leaves into cappuccino foam.

The class delves into the history of coffee, lessons about where the beans are grown and just what parts of the coffee bean impart flavor.

The curriculum was developed with information from the National Barista Association, with the help of Sebastopol-based Tailor Made Farms, Curtin said.

“If you try to get a job in a coffee shop, it’s not that easy,” she said. “But the more you know about the basics of espresso making … you definitely have a better chance.”

For Birkenes, the class paid off, although not in the way she originally had expected. She had hoped to work at Peet’s coffee but found out they weren’t hiring.

Then she heard about a lobby assistant’s job right there at Chop’s. She applied and was offered the position. Birkenes credits an early networking lesson  with helping her land the job in a tough economy.

“In the time before and after class, I would hang out and talk with the other students, and make friendships,” Curtin said. “So when I went in to apply for the job, they already knew me and were rooting for me.”

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