Brendan the Navigator, In Memoriam
|
Brendan was born in August of 1993 and left us on May 2, 2008. Having been born under the sign of Leo, he was naturally the center of attention wherever he went. He grew up in Second Read Books & Coffee, guarding the fantasy/science/fiction section and providing quality control for the daily pastry selections. A subsequent alarming weight gain forced him into a lateral transfer to the roasterie, where he oversaw coffee quality control and cupping. Brendan's loss has left a huge hole in the hearts of his family and his many fans. We were all enriched by knowing his joy and mischieviousness, his gentleness and enthusiasm for everything. For those who want to see a montage of Brendan throughout the years, click here. |
Patrick Reilley, Owner & Roastmaster
|
After several unremarkable careers in California, Patrick
found himself on the East Coast in the midst of a coffee
wasteland. In a desperate act of self preservation and to
attempt to alleviate the coffee drought, his partner, Susanne
Ward, and he opened one of the first espresso bars in Maine.
The dogged pursuit of great coffee naturally led them to
roast their own. |
Kevin Malmstrom, Roaster's Assistant
|
Kevin often finds himself drinking up to five cups of Rock City Coffee a day because like Mr Pib and Red Vines he thinks it’s crazy delicious. In addition to drinking coffee, Kevin, as roaster’s assistant, schleps 150 bags of green beans around the store, measures out the magic beans for roasting, and even makes the occasional espresso drink. Kevin spends his free time as a media junkie and stomping n00bs on Xbox Live with his lovely girlfriend Rhiannon (you can find her working at Second Read) and his Boston Terrier, Robot. When he’s feeling creative, he likes to draw his own comic strip, which he says “is a cockeyed caffeine-injected reflection of my own life.” We’re still waiting to see if he’ll give the rest of us a glimpse of that vision. |
Susanne Ward, Owner & Retail Manager
|
Susanne spent the first part of her life as a military brat, being dragged quite happily to exotic lands around the globe. It is still one of her favorite pastimes. She spent her high school and college years in California, working in a wide variety of jobs, from running a Mexican restaurant to teaching. Along the way, she has picked up a number of passions, including a love of gardening, an obsession with the Irish pipes and a fondness for kung fu movies. When she and her partner Patrick Reilley decided to leave the land of blue skies, they were drawn by the ocean, the magnificent mountains and woods, and the people in Maine. United in their love of coffee and books, they decided to put the two together to create an artistic and intellectual focal point for the Midcoast community. The result was Second Read Books & Coffee, opened in 1992. Second Read, now known as Rock City Books & Coffee, works in tandem with Rock City Coffee Roasters to provide the highest quality coffee to be found in Maine (and many other places). |
Yvonne Smith, Roaster
|
Yvonne had a typical American coffee upbringing—Folgers and Sanka. She was so offended by the coffee of her parents, she couldn't figure out why people could stand the stuff. Then a friend brought back beans from Africa. And it all started to make sense. Another friend brought back beans from Colombia, and all of the sudden a door had opened, and wonderful tastes were coming through it. In 1998 Yvonne came to work at Second Read Books & Coffee. Owners Patrick and Susanne had a dream that involved roasting their own beans. A couple of years later Rock City Coffee Roasters opened and Yvonne was thrilled that she now had to try all sorts of delicious coffee as part of her job. Could it get any better? Why yes it could! In 2005, Patrick took Yvonne on as his assistant roaster. Now she not only gets to brew the best coffee and espresso for our customers, she also get to roast the beans that go into that wonderful tasting brew. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
