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Show THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 8 Volume X Issue II May 1, 2004 Drew . . . the Coffee Guy By Drienie Hattingh The tall lanky man with the long blond hair and sunny disposition jokes as usual as he prepares my favorite coffee drink. He makes my coffee drink, like he calls it: “Drienie size” with lots of foam on top. Every now and again he peeks through the window at Valley residents pulling into the Valley Market parking lot. “There’s Packer John—I better get his Milkyway ready!” he says as he hands me my foamy latte. “Thank you!” I say, but as usual he answers, “No! Thank you Drienie!” I sit on one of the new oak stools at the counter running along the windows and take in the charming interior of this new addition to Eden. A coffee shop! How absolutely wonderful! I remember how enthralled I was when we discovered this awe inspiring Valley on a cold winter’s day. I wanted to warm up with a steaming cup of Mocha Latte but there wasn’t a coffee shop in the Valley! I thought that would be one of the things I would have to give up. But soon I met Drew, the coffee guy, at the Valley Market and all was not lost; he made the best coffee and before long I learned about his dream . . . Now, here I am . . . sitting in a delightful little coffee hut with a beautiful atmosphere interviewing our very own coffee guru! The décor is an unlikely mixture of Celtic wall hangings, original jungle art, a colorful snow board, vintage skis, and rough mountain style oak fixtures! And, amazingly, it forms a wonderful union! “It radiates good karma to go with my good karma coffee!” Drew adds. Drew was born in Minnetonka, Minnesota. After high school graduation, he went to college in Southern California. “I went to classes if they did not interfere with “Grateful Dead” concerts, beach parties, or surfing.” Then his car broke down and he had to find a job so he could fix it; that was the end of college. For a while he went back to Minnesota until he found himself sitting on his bed one morning at two o’clock, realizing that his life wasn’t going anywhere and that whatever was meant to be, wasn’t going to happen in Minnesota! He had to do something with his life, get on with it and find a purpose. He walked into his mother’s room and woke her up and asked for $20.00. He put on his jacket, stuck out his thumb, and hit the road. He ended up in Oregon and he never looked back. The exciting unknown was beckoning him forward, and the unhappy past was left behind for good. On a dreary, rainy Oregon day in March of 1991, Drew was offered a job at a resort on the Rogue River. That started his career in resorts and he began traveling all over America. He went from resort to resort, from state to state, through transfers, promotions, or the stirrings from his restless spirit. In December of 1993, while working in Otter Rock, Oregon, Drew met the first coffee guru, Sonny, who would have a huge impact on his life. Drew and his constant companion Tasha (his Labrador) went to Sonny’s coffee shop every morning and talked “coffee.” While sipping good coffee and inhaling ocean breezes, he watched whales in the bay and Drew’s coffee-shop-dream took root. For the first time he felt something that made him excited for the future. It was during this time that Drew met another interesting guy, Mike Litewa, who also started working at Otter Crest. Mike became a good friend and would also play a large part in Drew’s future. As Drew moved from place to place, he could not find a sense of belonging that held him to a community. In all his travels he also never met that special person that he wanted to share his life with. So on that sunny morning while he sat talking to Sonny—learning all about good coffee and watching whales play in the cold ocean waters—a dream was born. Years came and went and Drew kept on moving from place to place, from resort job to resort job and then one day, in the winter of 1998, he rolled into Montana. Between working his regular resort job, he took another job; it was his first “Barista” job—his first, so to speak, on-the-job-experience with coffee! He was intrigued and soon learned all about coffee—how it was grown, harvested, and brewed. After moving to Sandpoint, Idaho, Drew got a call from his old friend Mike Litawa. He told Drew about a place called Eden in a valley between the Wasatch Mountains. He was going to work at World Mark at Wolf Creek in the Upper Ogden Valley and asked Drew to come and do the same. This one move would bring three illusive dreams within reach of this Minnesota native. Drew loaded up his car and set off for Utah. “I drove through this canyon that seemed as though it would never end. Then it did end and the Valley was there with mountains and a reservoir—it was awesome!” He remembers that there wasn’t much snow at first but then it started snowing and snowed every day for a month straight! This might very well be the place where he would stay. Drew’s job at Worldmark included overseeing pools and maintenance, then the front desk. Then enter his second dream, a beautiful, petite young woman with long dark brown hair, eyes Sometimes dreams do come true to match, a lovely smile, and an even lovelier personality. Deja worked in the recreation center that Drew managed. When Drew invited Deja to a 4th of July celebration, she accepted. “It was our first real date and we attended a spectacular firework show.” Then he said, in his typical jesting way, “It’s been fireworks ever since.” Drew the Coffee Guy stands in front of his new location adjacent to Valley Market When Mike Litawa left Worldmark and went back to Washington, Drew decided to leave the resort also. But now he had a problem, he did not want to move on as usual! He was happy in the Valley—he wanted to stay. Soon after, Drew met a second coffee guru, Randy Wirth. Drew asked Randy to help him accomplish his third dream—a coffee shop! But a lot of money was involved, money that he did not have. Perhaps one day . . . While Drew was planning his perhaps-oneday-dream he and Deja spent a week in Jackson Hole and Drew saw an amazing thing! A coffee shop inside a supermarket! He could hardly wait to get back to the Valley and talk to Roger, owner of the Valley Market. Roger loved the idea from the very start and was very helpful. Soon Drew was setting up a coffee cart inside the Valley Market and this dream was on its way to becoming a reality. Drew stops telling me his life story and gets serious for a moment. “Roger is truly the unsung hero in all of this.” Drew waves his arms around his coffee hut. “First Roger agreed and helped me put up my coffee cart inside the Valley Market, and then he agreed to letting Deja and me build our very own coffee shop on his property!” Drew looked around again at his dream come true. “If it weren’t for Roger, none of this could have ever happened!” Drew looks back at his years in the Valley Market. “It was a wonderful time. The Valley Market was a good way to introduce myself to the residents of the Valley. Coffee drinkers or not—I made a lot of friends. And during the Olympics, the Valley Market was the “Epi Center” of activity! Coaches, athletes, chefs, and spectators from all over the world came and went and drank my coffee! I was so fortunate to be in the Valley Market then! It was great being part of such a historic event.” But still, Drew had a lingering dream of having his own place. All the while he was planning and plotting to make his dream come true. Most commercial property he looked at was too expensive. But Drew did not give up. Perhaps he could build something himself with minimal help and money. He spoke with Roger and, again, Roger came through and said that Drew could lease the property right next to the Valley Market. Drew decided on a temporary building, he would build the real thing in the future when he could afford it. But county officials stated that a temporary structure was in violation of Weber County Building Codes. Drew had already started work on his temporary building; cement Pylons and walls had already been erected. He had to take it all down. Now Drew had to decide if he was going to put his dream on hold or build a permanent coffee shop. He went for the latter. It was a hard and long road. He paid for every stage of the building as it was completed, one step at a time. Drew worked hard not only in his coffee shop; he had to get money to pay for the new building. After he closed shop for the day selling coffee, in the evening he serviced swimming pools and hot tubs at businesses and homes. He put in long hours, which sometimes made him not his usual optimistic self when he stood behind his coffee cart at 7:00 a.m. at the Valley Market the next morning. Sometimes he got a bit discouraged. But, says he, fellow Valley residents kept cheering him on. But that’s not all the Valley people did—they helped in ways that he could not believe; they donated skilled labor and building materials! This touched Drew deeply and he gained renewed strength, working harder than ever. After nine months, his own coffee shop was completed with all the required stamps of approval from the county; Drew’s dream that had begun in Oregon in the company of whales and a coffee guru, is, today, a reality! On the May 1, Drew and Deja will welcome everyone to share his dream at his new coffee shop. Come and share in the grand opening of the Eden Coffee and Cocoa Company. From 7:30 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon, Drew will be offering treats and his specialty drinks—coffee, cocoa, and chai tee—all for $1.00. St. Florence Catholic Community MASSES: Saturday: 5:00 p.m. Sunday: 8:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. WEEKDAY MASS: Tuesday: 6:30 p.m. followed by The Rosary Phone: 745 - LORD Huntsville, Utah PASTORAL ADMINISTRATOR: Fr. Charles Cummins 399-9531 RECONCILIATION: 30 minutes before Mass Come celebrate with us God’s good news. Intersection of Highway 39 & Snowbasin Road Community Yard Sale and Open House Da t e : T im e : Pla c e : Sa t urda y & Sunda y M a y 1 st & 2 nd 8 :0 0 a .m . - 4 :0 0 p.m . Old Fire H ouse Child Ca re L.C. 2 6 1 2 N . H w y 1 6 2 , Ede n 7 4 5 -5 6 0 0 We are accepting any unwanted sellable items April 26th-30th. If you need us to pick up items, give us a call. All proceeds will benefit Old Fire House, and their School Age Summer Camp. We have MANY fun activities planned for children ages 5-12, such as golf lessons, tennis lessons, hiking clubs, art classes, computer classes, lunch dates, and much more! It is our goal to ensure that all children enrolled in our summer program can participate in all planned activities. es Raffl rizes tP Grea Dra w Tim ing t.b.aes . Come and support your local childcare and preschool. |