Every week or two, we’ll be using the blog to reacquaint you with some familiar faces: our baristas. Find out how they got into this mess in the first place and more. We’re moving on to round five with Mikaela Kieffer.
Name: Mikaela Kieffer
Store: Started out at the Logan Circle store, but moved to manage Dupont Circle about 9 months ago.
Years with Dolcezza: 1 and a few months
How do you take your coffee? I usually take my coffee in the form of a gibraltar or cappuccino. I also enjoy the mystical Dirty G.
What made you want to work for Dolcezza? I was fresh out of college, and had worked in the coffee world for 4 years prior to Dolcezza. I interviewed at multiple coffee shops, but when I met the people at Dolcezza, I was instantly drawn in by the friendliness and creative atmosphere.
What do you do when you’re not at work? I love to bake and cook, so you can usually find me in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes. I’m also working on becoming accredited by the US Green Building Council in LEED, which deals with sustainable design and architecture.
Favorite coffee region: East Africa
Affogato of choice: Chocolate Peanut Butter
Favorite music to play at work: It depends on what mood I’m in. If I want something fun, definitely the 80s. But when I feel really in the zone on bar, I dig some suave Latin vibes or opera.
Funniest/weirdest Dolcezza story: This is by far the hardest question to answer. I’ve had so many crazy things happen during my time here, but one thing that is consistent with each situation is how awesome my customers are. I have some very eclectic, interesting people who are so down to earth. About a week ago, we had the door open for fresh air and somehow, a bird wandered in and then panicked. For about 20 minutes it flew wildly around the store, all the while every person in the shop was trying to help get it out. It was chaotic in the moment, but in the end, it became a funny story for strangers to share.
