Tangent reporter, Cassie Manz, sat down with Kira Albiez (‘12), manager of the Four Winds, the student-run cafe on campus. Albiez has worked at Four Winds since the fall of 2015. She also attends school at the State College of Florida (SCF). In her free time she likes to go to the movies and spend time with her friends.
Bio:
Kira Albiez (‘12)
Four Winds Manager since the fall of 2016
Born in England and moved to Sarasota with her family when she was seven years old.
AOC: International Studies and Development
Favorite Professors: Associate Professor of Anthropology Erin Dean, Professor of Political Science Barbara Hicks and Associate Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies Frank Alcock.
Favorite spot on campus: The bayfront or the tables outside the front of Four Winds
Zodiac sign: Pisces-Aries Cusp
Coffee or tea: Coffee
Something you probably don’t know: She is part of the American Cheesemonger Association
- What is your favorite meal at Four Winds?
K: It’s usually one of the specials every week, so it changes all the time because I think the specials are great. This year (co-Managers) Annie and Lorraine make the specials and last year (co-Managers) Sofia and Ava made the specials so it’s usually one of those. I also really go for a Russian Princess every once in a while.
- What is your least favorite thing to make at Four Winds?
K: Oh, cream cheese, because it comes in these three pound blocks and then we have to put it in the food processor to whip it so that we can spread it and it just takes a long time and it’s so much cream cheese every week. Like so much cream cheese. Like pounds and pounds of cream cheese. It sort of has put me off of eating cream cheese too much.
- What is one place you’ve always wanted to go?
K: Oh, there’s so many places. I guess, Nigeria. I did my thesis on Nigeria and South Africa and I did my study abroad in South Africa. I’ve wanted to go to Nigeria for a long time.
- How would you describe Four Winds in five words?
K: Like five different adjectives or like a sentence? All I can think of is “a place for people to eat.” I think it’s six words. It’s the basic description, like the very standard description for it. Because when I think of Four Winds I think of a lot of different things, depending on how the day’s going too.
- What do you think of?
K: What do I think of when I think of Four Winds? Generally, I really… I really love everyone I work with so I think about the people here and I think about also customers, especially regulars that come in and how they’re doing. Then also, always a list of things I need to check is what I think about a lot when I think of Four Winds, like do we have milk? When’s the food order coming in? Sort of stuff like that. A lot of times, like if I think of Four Winds when I’m just envisioning it, I think of sitting here and being outside of it.
- What is your favorite thing about being manager?
K: Definitely the people. Especially staff and assistant managers, you know, everyone who works here. That’s my favorite part, is being around the people. I also like food, but I think that’s neither here nor there.
- Out of your tattoos, do you have a favorite?
K: No, I like all of them differently. Like my sunflower, my mom has the same one, so that’s nice. I like that, but I like all of them.
- In five years, what does Four Winds look like to you?
K: I think if the school expands, we’ll need to update Four Winds. We don’t even have a stovetop back there. So, hopefully with that, maybe a kitchen that’s actually more like a commercial kitchen, that would be awesome. I think if the school gets bigger, that would be something that would be great. I think it’s still probably going to be the same sort of vibe though, of where students can come and eat and also hang out and sort of try to do homework–and just relax. I think first and foremost, [Four Winds is] a community space, so hopefully a little more shows and events going on, that would be nice. But I think some things, like that it’s for the students, that should always be there but maybe with an updated actual kitchen situation. That would be great in five years.
- Do you have a dream job?
K: Yes, I want to be a nurse. I’m doing that, I’m going to school now for it.
Do you know what kind of nurse?
K: Hopefully, trauma, so emergency room nursing. I’m really excited.
- Do you have a favorite memory at New College, or at Four Winds, something funny?
K: I don’t know if there’s anything specific that I can think of. There’s just lots of nice moments, throughout my New College career and then also being manager here, like funny moments. I think of moments where I’m laughing with people, those ones are my favorite types of moments, when I’m just with people and laughing, like sharing nice time. But there’s not one particular thing that stands out.