St Andrews Barista Hailed Top Shot

A St Andrews coffee maestro, who started his career as a Saturday dishwasher, has been voted the best Barista in Scotland!

Mark Edwards (21), from Broughty Ferry, was presented with the award at the prestigious Scottish Italian Awards 2015 recently in honour of his ‘daily grind’ with Jannettas Gelateria in St Andrews.

Jannettas, who have premises in both St Andrews and Perth, were also a Finalist in the ‘Scotland’s Best Gelateria’ category.

The Scottish Italian Awards pride themselves on being ‘the fairest contest in the country, handing power over to the people who really matter, the general public’. Voters had the chance to opt for their favourite Italian businesses across Scotland, from the best delis and pizza restaurants to best Barista, wine list and of course Gelateria.

Mark, who started working with Jannettas as a dishwasher at the age of 15, worked his way up to the kitchen a year later and gained full-time employment after leaving school, waiting tables and making coffee to become one of the Cafe Supervisors. He went onto to perfect the art of coffee-making with online tuitions and demos, and continues to do so today.

Mark said, “I’m absolutely delighted and really excited to have been voted the Best Barista in Scotland. Here at Jannettas, we pride ourselves on creating the real thing, not only when it comes to our award-winning gelato but teas, coffees and cakes too. If I had to say what the most popular coffee is, it would be Americano with cold milk on the side but I love making Lattes and Cappucinos too. With such an international client-base, two days are never the same and I absolutely love perfecting the art of coffee making to suit the customer’s personal taste and preference. I hope this award opens many doors for me in the future but, for now, I will continue to do what I do best – making the best coffee for our discerning Jannettas’ customers!”

Owen Hazel, co-owner, Jannettas added,” While Mark has no formal barista training, he is an enthusiastic and charismatic member of the ‘Jannettas family’ and has always had a flair and genuine determination to improve and strive to give our customers a perfect coffee experience. That’s why we call him our 'barista extraordinaire', and are absolutely thrilled that he has received the recognition he rightly deserves for all his endeavours. It's also particularly high praise coming from the prestigious Italian Awards!"

In 1908, the Great Grandfather of Nicola Hazel, Owen’s wife, started the family business in St Andrews as a soda parlour and tobacconist. Nicola and Owen have been running the business for the last 21 years.

For more information, please visit http://scottishitalianawards.co.uk

Jannettas Gelateria, St Andrews is open between 9am and 10pm, seven days a week. The Perth Gelateria is open from 10am until 8pm, seven days a week. For more information, visit www.jannettas.co.uk.