Let me introduce you to our team here at Neighborhoods Cafe!  

Most of us are Baristas, though a few are specialized in crepe-making or baking.  Hopefully this will help you get to know us a little better.  We can't wait to get to know you!

Marissa Jackson:

I bring a bubbly personality and always a smile.

I love that Neighborhoods Cafe supports the local community and its workers and brings so much positive attention to the Fair Trade movement. 

A few years ago, I traveled to Guatemala for a service trip themed around fair trade coffee and community projects. In one week, I was able to learn so much about organic coffee and the Fair Trade industry. We worked with local growers helping them pick coffee beans and saw the process of how they were prepared to go out locally and globally. This memory was an eye opener and allowed me to understand so much more about the work that goes into the coffee I drink on a daily basis. 

I’m a Sociology and International Affairs student at Northeastern University. I would love to work internationally in the field of Public Health.

When I’m not serving coffee, I also enjoy running and doing yoga.

My favorite tea drink is a Chai Tea Latte with Skim Milk and lots of cinnamon.

Birthday: February 18th

Jodi Montagna:

I bring dedication, joy and fun to the workplace.

I'm in love with caffeine and oatmeal is my friend.

You will probably find me baking something in the back.

Birthday: November 23rd

Justine Park:

I bring coffee knowledge and a smile.

I was hired for my first Barista job in Georgia with no prior experience because the manager graduated from Boston University and saw that I attended there from my resume.  I got extremely Lucky.

My favorite coffee-related memories involve walking to classes during the chilly fall weather with a warm cup of tea or latte in hand.

My dreams and aspirations are to perfect my latte art and to go into Immigration Law to help others. 

My favorite coffee drink is a Pumpkin Spiced Latte and my favorite tea drink is Moroccan Mint Tea.

Birthday: August 19th 

Chloe Skewis:

I bring my love of coffee, my dedication to growth, my vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free friends, and positive energy.

I love the fact that Neighborhoods has such a strong emphasis on local industry and the personal side of business, featuring everything from an "Entrepreneur of the Month" to the coffee growers themselves. 

I'm an extremely involved student who focuses on philosophy, political science, and women's studies. When I'm not drinking or serving coffee, you can find me studying, at my internship, or at my school's Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Activism where I serve on the leadership board. I have a phobia of fish and am secretly (or not so secretly) obsessed with Rihanna and Johnny Depp.

A good mug makes all the difference.  For me it has to be thick enough so my hand doesn't burn off, and if there's a handle I personally like it to be wide enough so all my fingers can wrap around it.

Choosing a favorite drink is like asking my grandparents to choose their favorite grandchild...it's impossible! (Even though everyone knows I'm the favorite).  Soy Lattes are always a safe bet, but I love trying the seasonal or special roasts at the different cafe's I frequent.

Birthday: May 30th

Tim Reynolds:

I bring a vast enjoyment of coffee and a hobbyist approach to understanding the various blends, roasts, and other specifics as to what makes each coffee taste the way it does.

My favorite coffee memory is actually one of my all-time favorite memories. It was the first date that I'd ever taken my wife on. We went to Crema Cafe one summer evening and took our coffees outside and just sat on the square talking for literally hours. It was a foreshadowing of many more to come.  

When not drinking or serving coffee, I love playing guitar, going on long runs along the river and spending time with my wife and friends. I am also an avid reader and lead worship at my local church where I attend a discipleship training school.

My favorite coffee drink is a Spanish Latte from Urth Cafe in Los Angeles.

Birthday: December 4th

Sean Randall:

I bring the enthusiasm of my personality!  I love the atmosphere at Neighborhoods.  I can't wait to be working with such a great team.

I have a dream of sending people to complete their own dreams! 2 of the reasons why people don't go through with what they want to do, lack of money, lack of people believing in them.  I want to make money not be an issue and encourage people I know and meet to be all they want to be, all they need to do is believe that they can! 

I normally try to fly under the radar, but I the weird skill I have is laughing like Spongebob.

I drink enough coffee that it could be considered more harmful than good, but I don't care! Whenever I am not around coffee, I love playing cards and dominoes with friends.  Oh and eating, ya I love eating.  Create a feast, and I will eat it, then ask for more or complain that I am hungry. 

Coffee with Hazelnut is where it is at!

Birthday: March 17th (St. Patrick's Day!)

Ashley Vineyard:

I bring my enthusiasm and passion for customer service and latte art.  

I love the strong sense of community at Neighborhoods Cafe, as well as the use of local products!

As a very busy college student, I don't even want to imagine what my life would be like without coffee or tea. It gives you the energy to tackle your day, with the added benefit of deliciousness.

In the future I wish to travel the world, perhaps through Peace Corps, and improve the public health of communities in need.

My favorite coffee beverage is a Vanilla Latte, hands down.

Birthday:  May 2nd

Shani Ogilvie:

I bring a great attitude! I have strong relationships with those around me including co-workers and customers. I try to be positive to everyone each day because sometimes people are having bad days and all they need is a strangers smile to brighten it.

In high school, it was tradition to go to a cabin for a weekend retreat during your senior year. It wasn't mandatory, but it was something that everyone wanted to do, even the teachers because it would be the last time that the graduating class could get to know one another and the teachers that they spent the last 4 years with. Our last night in the cabin we had hot chocolate, tea, and coffee and sat in the common room writing anonymous cards about what we like about each person. It was a wonderful experience.

One day I aspire to be a Naturopathic doctor because I believe that health and well being are not localized, it has to do with the entire body. I believe in medicine being preventative as opposed to treating a problem after it has occurred.

I am learning American Sign language. So far I'm fluent in understanding and semi fluent in communicating.

My favorite drink is definitely a caramel latte with whipped cream. There's something about the caramel and the coffee and the whipped cream that make it comforting to sit down to during the evenings after a long day.

Birthday:  January 27th

Ally Healy:

I bring smiles to Neighborhoods as well as great service.

Coffee and tea are so special to me because they can perk you up and leave your belly feeling happy and warm. Hot drinks act as a natural medicine and can make you feel better no matter what the time of day.

My favorite memory would definitely be the day I found my favorite coffee shop back home, and I went there every week from that day forth. I hope that Neighborhoods can become that memory for people just like mine.

When I'm not obsessing over coffee and tea I'm playing ice hockey, watching 90s sitcoms, listening to music or working on my art.  Someday, I dream to be a graphic designer living on a houseboat in Sausalito, California.

My favorite drink is a Vanilla Chai Latte with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Birthday: April 25th

Steph Braman:

I bring an eagerness to master the skills of a barista, an excitement to connect with each and every guest that visits the Café, and a heart filled with enthusiasm, creativity and humility.

What's so special about coffee?   Well, to quote Isidore Bourdon, "The discovery of coffee has enlarged the realm of illusion and given more promise to hope."

Over the past few years I’ve traveled out to Chicago to visit friends at North Park University where they have “Fika” every Friday afternoon. Fika is the Swedish word for coffee. Essentially, it’s an open house event with plenty of free coffee, unique mugs, delicious pastries and tons of people to mingle with. I always loved Fika because it combined two of my favorite things: coffee and community!

 My future plans include, but are not limited to: being the best friend that I can be, living simply so that others can simply live, traveling to faraway places and collecting stories from the people I meet along the way, fighting for justice through personal sacrifice and living a life of service to others in the name of Jesus.

The most listened to album on my iTunes and iPod is “All the Right Words” by Boston subway musician, John Gerard. I’m convinced that I must be his biggest fan.

My favorite coffee drink is a peppermint mocha with skim milk and sugar free syrup!

Birthday: January 30th

Zoe Watkins:

I bring a smile!

My favorite drink is white chocolate mocha, mint tea

My favorite memories of tea involve hanging out with my friends after school during snow storms and making tea and waiting for the snow to stop.

I want to write and produce television one day.  I work for BU's television channel, BUTV, and I watch far too much television in my free time.

Tea is best accompanied by biscotti.

Birthday: May 21st

Michele Kelly:

I bring dedication to providing a delicious product (both baked and brewed), a patient and calming demeanor, and a joy for striking up conversation and serving Neighborhoods’ customers

I am excited to be a part of the Neighborhoods Cafe community because I recognize how important honesty is in fostering a good business and am happy to be a part of a team that is dedicated to supporting local businesses and hard-working producers abroad. I also appreciate the cafe’s commitment to fostering life-giving and energy-boosting community. 

Culturally speaking, coffee and tea really are quite remarkable beverages. They provide a primary excuse for socializing and building relationships. They are revered as elixirs for awakening our minds and inspiring innovative ideas. And they appeal to so many of our human senses!

My aspiration is to be an instrument of change in healing God’s world. Part of my dream is to explore the possible union between the fields of theology and health because I believe that the human commitment to ameliorate disease, hunger, and other health problems could benefit from a stronger notion of the spiritual in our lives.  

When not at Neighborhoods, I usually have my head in a book pondering the existence of and human’s relation to God (I’m a graduate student in theology, it’s what we do), researching about health disparities, and just enjoying another year in Boston. I particularly take joy in long conversations with friends, learning to play guitar, singing, salsa dancing, and taking yoga classes when I can find the time.

My favorite coffee beverage is a cappuccino.  My favorite tea is jasmine green tea.

Birthday: January 5

Kristy Johnson:

I bring a love for people and the earth which God has gifted to us,  experience with and an understanding of the importance of a good cup of coffee or tea (I personally prefer tea), and an affinity for cleanliness and order (some call it OCD... :).   

God tells us that the greatest commandment is to love Him with all our heart soul mind and strength, and that the second is to love our Neighbor as our self.  I want to be a practical part of both.

As per baked goods, I am ADDICTED to a good muffin (I am pretty picky, but a well-done pumpkin is typically my fav) with a cup of Numi tea.  I also LOVE crepes.  Peanut butter and banana with cinnamon=YUM!

My favorite tea flavors are Gunpowder Green, Decaf Black Vanilla, and, because it is CRAZY flavorful, Dry Desert Lime.  I also LOVE Numi's flowering teas, which taste amazing, look amazing, and can be enjoyed in a beautiful glass teapot over a few hours of great conversation with a friend!

Birthday: December 21st

Betsy Hill:

Owner, mother of 3, wife, and friend.  Betsy can oft be found smiling and sipping something hot.

Charlotte Mosinki:

Nicknamed "Char-latte," Charlotte is a manager, as well as a "regular." 

Birthday: October 10th