Wash Perk Staff!!

Jessica Engman, Barista 

Jess is a 2009 English Literature graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay (Yes, she’s a Packer fan). She came to Denver in July 2011 to attend the Denver Publishing Institute at DU… But after a few hikes in Estes Park and far too many days of warm, sunny weather, she decided to call Colorado home. Jess has a passion for books and loves to write and edit, and is working on building a career in book publishing.

As an unendorsed local coffee shop and latte connoisseur, Jess is always on the search for great coffee shops and excellent coffee. This search quickly led her to Wash Perk. She loves the community/hometown-feel, and having a wonderful place to relax, read, have a latte, and meet interesting people. Jess is very excited to be part of the Wash Perk team and is looking forward to getting involved in Wash Perk’s community-role and many local activities!

MK Sagaria 

MK came to Wash Perk because she loved coming into the shop as a customer and thought working here would be just as great (she was right)!  A transplant to Colorado from Ohio, MK has found that life in the wild west is great fun! She keeps busy in her garden, teaching yoga, cooking up a storm, moving as much as possible, be it on a bike, running, or line dancing and two stepping. A lover of traveling and seeing the world, one of her many goals in life is to never let her age exceed the number of countries she has vistited…so far so good!

 

Mekenzie Edelman, Bus Peep 

Mekenzie Edelman attends school at the University of Colorado at Boulder where she is studying Psychology. She enjoys playing basketball and running cross country. In her free time she is cuddling up with her dogs or hanging out

with her family. She is very excited to be a part of the Wash Perk staff!

Chelsea Acers, Barista

HI! My name is Chelsea, but I have been referred to as the Chels-onator. My soul-mate is my cat named Elvis, he is the king. I am passionate about animals and I am obsessed with pigs. I am crazy goofy, and I love a good sense of humor. I am aspiring to be a marine biologist and I am a full time student. College is pretty much my life, along with making delicious coffee. I have been a barista for 3 years and finally found my perfect little coffee house. 

Amber Adams, Barista (welcome back!

Amber Adams has lived as many lives as a quarter of a century physically allows.  At the wise old age of seventeen she joined the Army Reserves to pay for school (education can be quite pricey) and shortly after found herself sweating through fatigues off the coast of Kuwait. It wasn’t quite where she expected herself to be for her twenty-first birthday, but so it goes.  Before deployment she was working on her Bachelor’s degree in English and upon her return she graduated in the fine class of 2009 from Regis University, Cum Laude.  In the fall of 2011 she will be attending Denver University seeking a MA in Literature focusing on themes of trauma and the effects of war on a culture and on language.  One day she hopes to regale somewhat interested students with the works of her literary icons which are (in no particular order): Virginia Woolf, Thomas Pynchon, Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut and James Joyce.   As a side note, she listens to entirely too much Radiohead and travels excessively for a barista budget.

Kate Hatch is a Colorado native and has been dancing for the past twelve years. Family and friends are the most important thingsin Kate’s life and she is grateful for all of their support. Kate is really excited to be apart of  a non profit modern dance ensemble, Dream Project which has biannual performances and all proceeds go to charity.  She’s been a barista and cafe manager for several years and we are very lucky to have her join our team.

Name & Position: Andrea Eder, Busser

Favorite Wash Perk Drink: Vanilla Latte with Vanilla soy milk

What drew you to Wash Perk?: Austin’s mother telling me there were hopes of a job, I’m so glad there were! Now I never want to leave!

Favorite book: Perks of Being a Wall Flower

Favorite Movie: The Incredible Mr. Limpet

Name & position: Leah Rich, Barista

Favorite Wash Perk Drink: double shot with sugar and cream

What drew you to Wash Perk: the smell of coffee!

favorite books: vonnegut, alan watts

Favorite Music: rock and roll, folk, bluegrass

What is something customers would never guess about you?: i am learning tight rope walking.

What do you love to do the most in your life? Being outside with nature, living respectfully

Have you been out of the country? Where? Doing what? Yes, i traveled through Hungary, Romania and Greece with friends this past June.

What are your plans for the future: very happy with what i am doing at the moment. eventually want to learn permaculture farming and start a band.

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Name & position: Zoe Leanza, bus-person/register

Favorite Wash Perk Drink: Plum-chamomile iced tea! I’m still not certain who originally thought to put the two together, but Austin first introduced me, and it’s fantastic.

What drew you to Wash Perk:
I owe thanks to my mom for the discovery. After she suggested our first visit, it became routine to stop for coffee after Saturday work outs at Wash Park Rec Center. (Being a land creature, I would run, and, her amphibian ways persisting, she’d swim.)

Favorite book/song/band/movie/tv show (answer any or all):
My favorite book is either My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult or The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.
Currently, my favorite songs are “Kids” by MGMT and “Fireflies” by Owl City, but they change like Colorado forecasts. I’m a big fan of local bands (Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind, & Fire went to East High School, and I find this awesome.) Vampire Weekend, though far from Denver, is also a favorite.
“Little Miss Sunshine” remains the best movie I have ever seen, but “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is a close second. Grey’s Anatomy is the only TV show worthy of my academic procrastination.

What do you love to do the most in your life?
Aside from reveling in the satisfaction of a coffee cup scrubbed clean, I love writing. It’s best if I’ve spent some time jumping on a trampoline first, for the adrenaline, and if I have a really awesome pen and a composition notebook. And an incredibly comfortable sofa of some sort. Ideally, all of this would take place on the roof of a parking garage, in early September.

What are your plans/interests for your future?
College, some traveling, a moderate amount of happiness. I don’t know if true love is too much of a cliche, but that’d be cool too. I’ve considered going into medicine, and of course, on the weekends, I’ll make time to be a famous author.

What is something customers would never guess about you?
I was born at 9:31 in the morning. 9+3+1=13. Thirteen is the atomic number of aluminum, which boils at 2519 degrees celcius. 2+5+1+9=17. I will be seventeen in August. Creepy? I think so.

Have you been out of the country? Where? Doing what?
I have not yet been out of the country, and I reprimand my parents for this every chance I get. It’s one of my most prominent life goalsName and position: Ashleigh, Barista 

 

Favorite Wash Perk drink: Cafe au lait made with breve

What drew you to Wash Perk: I randomly drove by one day and popped in to see if the Perk was hiring… met Teri and I was hooked from that day on.

Favorite band as of this week: Flyleaf

What do you love to do the most in your life? Even though I love being social, sometimes I love to be alone, especially up in the mountains… having my dog with me is the second

best thing.

What are your plans/interests for your future? Let’s just say that my plans are endless and right now I am focused on the present. I want to be in the moment each and every second.