introducing barista, mark wu.

If there is one word to describe Mark, it is “passionate”. He has passion for guest service, the quality of each coffee that goes out, the speediness of each order, and the overall experience for each guest in Giovane. He is the cafe’s supervisor and, as our colleague, Parker, described him, is like Batman. He does anything and everything he can to make our cafe the cafe to go to for both quality of food and coffee as well as service. World, meet Batman Mark Wu. Batman Mark Wu, meet the world.

1. First Kitchen Job: where and when?
   Starbucks, where I learned the basics of coffee.
2. What drew you to Giovane?
   Too many things – pastries made in-house in our pastry kitchen, Italian-style deli (pizza and panini), latte art and our coffee (roasted specially for Giovane by 49th Parallel)
3. What is your favourite pizza, panini, and pastry in the cafe?
   Pizza: This is a tough one. I would have to go with Diavola or our weekly pizza special – it’s always a good surprise!
   Panini: Charcuterie
   Pastry: Chocolate Zeppole
4. Favourite foodie spots in Vancouver?
   Hapa Izakaya, Motomachi Ramen, Landmark hotpot for their late-night seafood congee.
5. Did you go to school for hospitality or were you pulled in by interest?
   Yes, finished off my degree in UBC and went on to obtain a diploma from Vancouver Premier College.
6. What is your favourite part about working in the cafe?
   Being a full on cafe within a high-end hotel, we get the chance to be casually creative and formal at the same time. Every day is different, every day we get to interact with different types of people from local work force to people around the world.
7. Dream country to visit based on food – describe/list the foods you’d like and, if you’d like, the regions you’d like to get it from.
   Anywhere with good rack of lamb, steak and fresh sashimi.
8. Last meal?
   I would have to start off with some buffalo wings followed it with rack of lamp with lemon dijon crust and drizzled with balsamic reduction, steak covered in satueed mushrooms, asparagus with butter. Fresh lobster sashimi, mirugai sashimi (geoduck) and uni (sea urchin) and finished it off wit ha pint of beer.
9. What food/flavours do you not like?
   Not a whole lot, off the top of my head, bitter gourd, bleu cheese/goat cheese, and licorice.
10. What do you want people to know most about the food we serve at Giovane?
    We are a liquor licensed cafe. We come up with specialty drinks made from a variety of spirits every month!