Gold Winner Zane Kelsall, Two If By Sea Cafe
Silver Winner Henry Whitfield, Starbucks
Bronze Winner Kate Atkinson, The Coastal Cafe
Zane Kelsall can’t imagine a working life without coffee. “I’ve been a barista for 10 years in one capacity or another,” says the 27-year-old co-owner of Two If By Sea Cafe. “Whenever I try to do something else, I realize that’s what I really want to do.” Earlier this year, Kelsall was busy getting TIBS’ Historic Properties location off the ground. Kelsall now gets to share his time between the cafes, delighting customers with his caffeinated works of art on both sides of the harbour. “I like to be consistent, fast and friendly and approachable,” says Kelsall, who describes baristas behind the bar as the “face of the cafe.” If you want to put a smile on his face, order the drip coffee he and his team have been perfecting for the past year. Also, look out for TIBS’ cold brewed coffee arriving in May at the Halifax location. You’ll be taking a sip after it’s been steeped for 18 hours and triple filtered. Yeah, we think Kelsall is a coffee chemist, too.
