Barista Charles Babinski of G & B Coffee - Biography

As a kid growing up in Colorado Springs, Charles Babinski always knew that the small-town life was not for him. So once he mustered up the moxy and the funds, he made his pilgrimage to New York City. He started working in restaurants cooking on the line, aspiring to be a chef. But Babinski soon realized that the back of the house was not for him. So, he sought employment as a barista, thinking it would be a more relaxed life.

Babinski got his first sip of the coffee industry at Sicaffe on the Upper East Side of Manhattan where he learned the basics and gained a rudimentary knowledge of professional coffee preparations. This experience sparked a personal interest and he started asking his peers where they went for the best cup-a-joe. Ninth Street Coffee on the Lower East Side was a popular answer. Babinski became a regular there and when he mentioned he was moving to Chicago, they suggested that he apply for a job at Intelligentsia Coffee. A few months later, he was hired and eventually worked his way up to a trainer position that took him to Venice, California. At Intelligentsia Babinski worked with Kyle Glanville. The two took to each other and broke off from Intelligentsia to open G&B Coffee in 2013 and Go Get ‘Em Tiger soon after—pumping caffeine and local color into Downtown and Central Los Angeles.