Training staff to become productive, competent, and confident members of the team is a massive challenge all coffee shops face. In spite of our best efforts we often end up with baristas who have completed training but are still not ready to work the bar effectively and this brings about frustration for everyone. There is a better way and today we are going to explore that way with one of the nations top barista trainers, David Castillo.  David has worked in specialty coffee for the past decade as a barista, manager, and trainer, and has competed in a few barista competitions along the way. Originally from New York, he moved to Los Angeles in 2018 and is now the Training Manager for G&B Coffee and Go Get Em Tiger.  David's philosophy and best practices in training have come about through a massive amount of focused experience in the field. Through failures and success he has honed in on what I think are the most critical element to successfully train baristas and the and create the professionals we need in our coffee shops.  We cover: Early experiences + Connecting music to coffee Learning to learn and train Biggest mistakes Training lab vs reality The role of the manager + Effective feedback  The “why” and the “how” Becoming open minded Revamping the training process Training the whole professional Redefining success in training  Links: www.gget.com GGET Instagram David IG   Visit our sponsors! www.prima-coffee.com/keys www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com