(By CHRISTINA CANNADY)

TEXARKANA, Texas — Chuck Taramona, coffee connoisseur and manager of Brewster’s on the Boulevard, has a lot of insight into the coffee scene in Texarkana, Texas.

“I have extreme taste buds and I’m very well aware of that. If we ever do try new things… it’s kind of honed in on each specific person and that’s why there’s lots of options,” says Chuck, who will prepare coffee pretty much however you want. “Flipped upside down? Great. You want to light it on fire? Let me get a torch, it’ll be great.”

Chuck was born in Abilene, Texas and spent most of her life in Dallas. Coffee has always been her game. Her first barista job was at the Lighthouse coffee shop in Rockwall, Texas.

“My dad was born in Germany; was there for a little bit when he was young. And then his mom was from Germany, and they just always had really good coffee,” Chuck says.

She explains that her parents had a big influence on her work ethic and that her life mantra would be, “Do it right and be efficient. And then take a nap. Naps are important.”

Between coffee shops, Chuck worked in construction and as an insurance agent. Despite coming and going, she always comes “back into coffee, coffee, coffee.” She was sent out to help train baristas at a coffee shop in Mount Pleasant, Texas before they opened.

“I can tell people to put stuff in cups, and I can fix things. I can do it,” Chuck says.

Chuck moved to Texarkana in September of 2019 to take on the role of manager at Brewster’s on the Boulevard. When the owners were searching for help and inspiration, they met Chuck.

“I loved my job in Mount Pleasant, I had no reason to leave. I wasn’t unhappy. I was having a great time and I had my regulars. And thinking about it, Brewster’s didn’t even have a name at that point,” Chuck recalls.

After helping the owners, she went to leave her card in the door of the shop in case they had any further questions. As she did that, she was not expecting the team to be there.

They told her about the person they were about to hire, who was sitting in the middle of the room. Chuck thought she was there to help him get the gig. “It was a God thing. I was here to help.”

The team turned to look at Chuck and asked if she was there for the job. The original person lined up had a change of plans and was moving to New York in two weeks.

“It’s kind of just like a godsent thing. Just falls at your feet, and here I am. Not my plan at first, but glad it’s there. Glad it’s my plan now,” Chuck says.

Brewster’s on the Boulevard opened in October of 2019. Shortly after, COVID-19 began surfacing in the news. “I think it’s intense. I think that it’s better safe than sorry,” Chuck says.

“When COVID did happen, we had our lockdown and honestly, we saw an outpour of love from the community, which was absolutely astounding and awesome. Breathtaking,” she says.

She and assistant manager, Libby Hernandez, worked together to keep the store open by running individual shifts.

“It was hard because there were long shifts,” Chuck says. “But because of how many smiling, happy people we got to talk to and just be able to, instead of focusing on the pandemic, we got to just stop for a moment, breathe and talk about coffee or tea.”

Libby says Chuck has been such a role model in so many ways.

“She asked me to come on as assistant manager and it was easy. We both have the best intentions for the shop and we want to make sure everyone else feels invested in making the shop a place for healthy relationships,” Libby says.

“Chuck is an amazing manager,” adds barista Madison Stanfill. “I would consider her like an older sister. She is always there to look after me and give me advice.”

Madison explains how Brewster’s has impacted her life.

“I truly think that I have grown as a person and it has made me happier than ever before,” Madison says. “Everyone is always so happy to be at work. It makes working there not even feel like a job.”

Libby agrees.

“I couldn’t imagine anyone else having a more wonderful time at a job,” Libby says. “Working there is like my everyday therapy.”

With her Sunday’s off, Chuck likes to go to the park or attend a service at City Church, which is in the same lot as Brewster’s. “I do spend a lot of time in the shop, just because I do love to be here. It’s my job and my hobby.”

Chuck says that she is glad to be where she is today.

“Hey, you made a sacrifice, hopefully it pushed you in the right direction,” she says. “We want to be able to give back to the community and just be a place where everybody can hang out, just be happy and not have to worry about maybe some of the crises that are going on outside of the doors and be aware of things that are positive and good happening in the community and just kind of just be bursting with sunshine.”

In the future, Chuck wants to start having latte art competitions among the crew and attend a Specialty Coffee Association convention since the one they planned on attending in April got cancelled due to COVID-19.

And if you ever find yourself at Brewster’s, both Chuck and Libby recommend the Blue Jasmine Tea Lemonade, while Madison recommends a Nitro Cold Brew with hazelnut, white chocolate and caramel, with a splash of almond milk.