Last week, premium hospitality experts Restaurant Associates hosted their annual Barista Championships, an event designed to celebrate both the art and skill of coffee-making, as well as business excellence across the business.

Close to thirty baristas competed across nine heats, making the event a true celebration of talent and creativity. Each participant demonstrated their latte art skills using Restaurant Associates’ own roast ‘Blend 53’ coffee and state-of-the-art Victoria Arduino espresso machines and grinders, with just two minutes to craft the perfect coffee. The event was exciting and visually stunning for all involved, bringing out the best in each competitor as they showcased their technical abilities to both an audience and a judging panel featuring Jaciano Moro from UCC Coffee and David Rickenback from Victoria Arduino.

The winners of the event were Marta Dragowska, who took first place and will experience an incredible trip to visit Victoria Arduino’s espresso machine factory in Italy, and Paulo Pestana and Salvatore Russo, who secured second and third place. All three baristas who competed in the final work in premium corporate settings, demonstrating the high level of expertise they deliver to their clients daily.

Marta Dragowska, a barista at Restaurant Associates in Slough, was thrilled to be crowned the winner of the Barista Championships. Reflecting on her achievement, she said: “This was my first-time taking part in the Barista Championships. It was my manager who told me about it and said I should enter. I thought, ‘let’s give it a go, life is short.’ Winning first place is so surprising and I am really excited to visit the factory. For anyone thinking of taking part in the future – it is such good fun and a great way to meet up with fellow baristas.”

Organiser of the Barista Championships and Head of Coffee at Restaurant Associates, Jack O’Keefe was incredibly impressed with the talent displayed across the event. “We hosted the event in Victoria Arduino’s training room in Camden, which certainly provided an inspiring backdrop, and we were blown away by the energy in the room. Marta, our winner, entered the competition with confidence and excitement, and her artistic ability really shone through. This event is all about giving a platform to our coffee teams and celebrating the individual baristas – it was a fantastic afternoon!”

Held annually, Restaurant Associates believes in the power of creating great things together, and events like these demonstrate the vital role every team member plays within hospitality.