Friday, November 10, 2006

Cool Melburnian Jobs

#1 Latte Artist
No kidding! There are professional baristas and home coffee makers who actually turn a cup of coffee into an artpiece by decorating it. Here are excerpts from The Age (4 Nov 06):

Toshi Ishiwata, St Ali, South Melbourne
"He's not always the one turning out the delicate rosettas (the industry name for a pattern that looks like a fern leaf) and love hearts that appear on St Ali coffees....But Ishiwata is a dab hand with a triple rosetta, one of the trickiest patterns."

Marika Pluta, The Maling Room, Canterbury
"...Marika turns out a sexy, silky milk-based coffee. Her technique is so deft, she's finished pouring a stunning rosetta before customers even realise what she's creating."

Chris Phillips, Flavours of Lakhoum, Richmond
"The latte etchings at FOL are unique works of art (www.artoncoffee.com.au). Women's faces with waxy hair and soulful eyes look back at you from the top of a latte....Phillips creates patterns from what he "sees" in the coffee as he pours it, never seeming to tire of the daily challenge."

And you thought a latte was a latte was a latte. If I ever get a chance to look in on one of these cafes, I will take the trouble to admire my latte before I sip it.

#2 Househusband

Michael Spiteri, 42, househusband, Berwick
"Only 3 months after he took over the childminding and housework at home, his elder son Daniel stopped having bad dreams at night. The boy had spent 2 years in full-time child care when Michael was working as a chef and his wife Andrea was a health inspector. When 2nd son Harry was born Andrea suggested to her husband that he stay home and look after the boys. Michael, who had worked in kitchens for 26 years, was ready for a change."

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