Taste of the trade: Training for You cafe serving rock'n'roll beverages

Bex Carr with her latest cohort of Hospitality students at the Training for You campus cafe. Photo / Karen Hughes

Whanganui café-goers have a new place to get their coffee fix, while giving hospitality trainees valuable experience at the same time.

After last year's successful season, education provider Training For You has once again opened its barista teaching venue with a new cohort of trainees.

Twelve students on the Hospitality Level 2 course have been refining their barista skills for 10 weeks and are welcoming the opportunity to serve customers in a real-life café environment.

The current group has transformed its training room into a rock-n-roll themed café, called Hall of Fame.

Located on the Training for You campus on Ingestre St, they welcome Whanganui locals to visit and enjoy hot and cold drinks, in return for a gold coin donation.

Training for You Hospitality tutor Bex Carr said her students had a lot of fun getting their venue ready for the public.

"I've particularly been impressed with their teamwork, and with their ability to adapt, considering the impact that the lockdown had on their programme schedule," she said.

The course provides learners with fundamental skills for the hospitality industry.

Students are trained in different styles of coffee brewing; espresso coffees on a commercial espresso machine, filter coffee and french press.

The drinks menu is a playlist of café hits – everything from a Short Black Sabbath coffee to a Bohemian Raspberry tea. Iced drinks like the Iced Mocha Jagger will also go down a treat.

Campus manager Emma Murphy said the success of last year's event was such that members of the community have eagerly been anticipating a repeat season.

"We had a lot of patronage from the community. It's great that people are willing to get in behind this initiative to support the students with what they are working towards."

*The Hall of Fame cafe opened at the beginning of the week and will be operating until July 3, from 9.30am-2pm, Monday to Thursday.