Behind the Bar with Molly
Our “Behind The Bar'“ series highlights one of our team members, celebrating their unique contribution to the Tala experience. We believe the connection across the bar can be meaningful and impactful. Our team puts a smile on the faces of so many each day by simply serving delicious beverages and being an authentic presence in each person’s day. Learn more about what makes each person on the Tala Team unique with this personal interview.
Molly has been an integral part of the Tala team since the opening of the Winnetka Café in November of 2023. She had previously worked at Brothers K, a wonderful coffee shop in Evanston which has been serving Tala Coffee since the fall of 2022. Having become acquainted with Tala through Brothers K, Molly jumped at the opportunity to try something new when we opened a cafe closer to the Evanston area where she lives with her husband, Elijah. Molly has been a part of the Winnetka team since day one and is currently training to become the cafe manager. You can catch her opening the café almost every day!
Q: What do you do when you’re not at work?
A: I love going for walks or runs, reading (lots of reading lately), lots of printmaking, and I try to bake here and there. I have been printmaking since I was in middle school and it became my medium of choice because I am partially color blind, and printmaking is mostly black and white. Making a print is very meditative; it is very smooth and slow. I mostly do flowers or animals. Animals have been my go-to ever since I was a kid. It is a lot of fun to do in my free time and I really hit it hard when COVID started. I had a breakdown and made 150 prints and I sold every single one of them.
Q: What is your favorite thing to bake?
A: My favorite thing to make is scones. They are so versatile, and you can do so much with them. My husband does not like scones, so I don’t bake them too much, but they are my favorite.
Q: What is one topic that will always get you talking when you’re on bar?
A: Literally anything. I can talk about anything to anyone. I will always try to relate to everyone. I will get excited if it is music, art, baking, or beekeeping. I want to be a beekeeper so bad. My grandparents have a farm and I really want to be a beekeeper.
Q: Who is your favorite musician and why?
A: My favorite band currently is Alvvays and I have seen them live a couple of times. I really like alternative rock, garage rock, indie, and indie pop.
Q: What is a fun fact about yourself?
A: I have 10 siblings (2 brothers and 8 sisters) and they are all homeschooled. We all moved around a lot together so we are all best friends. Every single person in my family is an artist which is really cool. My oldest sibling is 38 years old, and my youngest sibling is either 14 or 15. They all live in Houston, Texas except for my oldest sister who lives around this area.
Q: What is one thing you wish you were an expert at?
A: I really wish I could hone my painting skills. I stayed away from it being color blind and I am kind of diving into it, but it’s not going great. Or beekeeping. If I could be proficient in beekeeping, I would quit everything and do that full-time.
Q: Do you have a secret or obscure talent?
A: I really enjoy skateboarding, but I am not good at it. I shattered my elbow and skinned my entire arm skateboarding. I don’t do it anymore.
Q: If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you move and why?
A: I think I would move to the mountains in Greece. I have been there before and it is quiet, gorgeous, so peaceful, and the weather is so warm. It is similar to Southern California and I grew up there so it is very nostalgic. It is a completely different country, but it reminds me so much of Southern California. Southern California would be second on my list.
Q: What’s your biggest hot take or most controversial opinion?
A: I do not think anybody should drink milk. I think that milk is poison and people just don’t know it. I think that cow milk is poison for everybody. Alternative milks are the lesser sin. But I do drink oat milk. Also, I think that coffee shops are milk shops, not coffee shops.
Visit the Winnetka Café and strike up some conversation with Molly spanning all things art, music, and beekeeping, or you could even request her renowned scones or prints! Molly said that she has many more hot takes, so don't hesitate to delve into some conversations on her controversial opinions.
Abby McKinley
Abby was born and raised in Kentucky, but is currently studying business management and entrepreneurship at Lake Forest College, which is how she came to work at Tala! Abby’s drink of choice is the Mermaid, and when she isn’t at school or work she enjoys playing tennis or skiing.