Adelaide airport Dream Donuts coffee and donut franchise barista takes championship title

The Adelaide airport Dreamy Donuts coffee and donut franchise is celebrating the success of their lead barista, Tom Sullivan, at the fifth annual Foodco Barista Championships held this July.

The comical and confident 20 year old barista 'creamed' his competition in the grand final after knocking out more than 300 competitors from across Australia and New Zealand to get there.

Sullivan produced 12 cups of aromatic coffee in just 12 minutes before an expert panel of judges to be declared the 2011 Dreamy Donuts Barista Champion. He impressed with the tactile balance, consistency and colour of the crema in his espresso, the creaminess of the froth and smoothness of the milk in his cappucino, and the all round flavour and presentation of his signature Macadamia Delight Affogato. His friendly nature also did not go unnoticed.

“My signature drink is a creamy black coffee with cinnamon and macadamia-flavoured ice cream. It’s called a Macadamia Delight Affogato and I’m not surprised the judges liked it! It’s a delicious stroke of genius,” says Sullivan.

The 2011 Foodco Barista Championships Grand Final event was attended by the crème de la crème of Australian coffee making, including current Australian Barista of the Year and third place winner at the 2011 World Barista Championships, Matt Perger, former three time Australian Barista of the Year, David Makin, and master roaster and Foodco resident coffee guru, Fred Vains.

Fred Vains was just as impressed with the high level of customer service and technical skills demonstrated by this year’s barista finalists as he was with the flavour, volume and appearance of the coffees they served.

“All 14 finalists proved their genuine talent and passion for coffee-making by simply making it to the final round of the competition. They’re all excellent baristas and should be very proud of their achievement," says Vains.

“As Tom demonstrated however, the secret to being a Champion barista is the ability to adjust your technique to master the extraction process and make great coffee swiftly and in spite of external pressures - all the while flashing a warm smile,” he adds.

In addition to the coveted title of 2011 Dreamy Donuts Barista Champion, Sullivan was awarded with a host of prizes including a $1,000 travel voucher and a state of the art coffee machine and grinder.