The O-town Scene

Casual Chit Chat Each week, we have a casual conversation with a member of the community. This week, Coffee Man David Zummo of the Latte Lounge and Cassandra Miller chit chat, 1. Why do you prefer shorts to pants, even on a cold November morning? For me, shorts are easier to work in. I do a lot of bending and moving around, and I just wear shorts year-round. 2. What’s your favorite coffee drink? I would say a good, black full-bodied one _ like an Ethiopian or Viennese roast. It represents the bean as the best it can be. 3. What drink do people most often mis- order? Caramel macchiato. Star- buck’s bastardized that drink. In Europe, from what I hear, a macchiato is a double shot of espresso with a dollop of steamed milk. When people come in and order one. I have to stop them and tell them what it really is. It’s the wrong label for the drink. Also, there are those automated coffee machines at convenient stores that serve what they call cappuc- cinos. They’re not cappuc- cinos; they’re an extract with syrup covered in hot milk. A cappuccino is espresso with steamed milk and foam. 4. Pretend you had to present Latte Lounge in a casually. speed-dating situa- tion, how would you describe it? It can be very private and in- timate if you’re sitting in the back, or you can sit by the door, by the windows and watch everything and be exposed to all of the per- sonalities of people walking through the door. You can be a part of the Latte Lounge culture, or you can choose to sort of blend in. 5. What kind of per- son works at the Latte Lounge? Friendly and self-motivated. They have to have a lot of confidence; this can be a stressful place to work. 6. If you were a pot, would you be a coffee pot, a tea pot or a flower pot full of pink tulips? I would be a percolator. Because, throughout my day, I just perk along. I get things started, and at the end of the day, I’m ready for my 3 p.m. nap. I make the brew; when the brew is done, I take my nap. 7. You studied at the Culinary Institute of America; what’s your wow-’em meal? I do make a mean cedar- planked, grilled salmon. I serve it with roasted eggplant and garlic mashed pota- toes and oven-roasted root vegetables. 8 O-Town Scene Nov. 11, 2010 8. What do you do with your non-Latte Lounge time? I’m responsible for three businesses (Latte Lounge, Captial City Roasters and soon-to-open Prime 289). They keep me busy. My real escape is riding my motor- cycle. 9. What are three of your favorite songs? “Kashmir,” by Led Zeppelin “Bittersweet Symphony,” by The Verve “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love,” by Barry White 10. What’s the best part about living in Oneonta? Everybody knows your name. I think it’s the local recognition on the street that we give each other versus liv- ing in a faceless, nameless city.

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