Grace joined the Tala crew in the summer of 2023 and, as of this month, is now the new manager of the Highwood location. All the way from Hartford, Wisconsin, Grace made the big move to Illinois to study international relations and environmental studies. You’ve probably seen her in the cafe with a big warm smile on her face. You can come see her at Tala most days of the week!

Have you ever wondered what we’re listening to during our time in the iconic Tala van? We asked some of our frequent Neighborly drivers for their go-to playlists, songs, artists, podcasts, and more. Here’s a glimpse of what you might hear from the Tala van as it travels to and from our roastery:

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! Learn more about your favorite Winnetka barista in this interview.

Sydney started working at Tala as a Neighborly delivery driver in the summer of 2022. Long before she was an employee, Syd was a regular at the cafe—partly because her sister Lucy worked with us, but also because it’s where she did homework almost every day after school. After doing Neighborly for a few months, Sydney joined the cafe team and has worked steadily ever since!

Currently Tayah works full time as a Shift Supervisor and our Event Coordinator. She is also one of the youngest on the Tala Team, although her maturity would make that hard to guess. Even when she isn’t on shift, Tayah can often be found hanging out at the cafe. If you’re a Highwood regular, you may already know a few things about Tayah. Let’s see if you learn anything new!

“You can make it in the morning for caffeine or whatever and that’s great and definitely a benefit but to another extent, it’s a way to put time aside in the morning and slow yourself down. If you’re doing the pour over or if you’re just sitting down with a drip and just drinking it. At least for me it gives time in the morning and it’s definitely just a dedicated part of the day type of thing.” Jesse Taylor, creator of the song amoret