I was with Coffee, Cake & Kink in 2006 - 2007. I started as staff, and later became a supervisor. I did what everyone else did – serving the café, working the retail, helping at events, keeping things clean and organized, figuring out how to make everybody happy and seeing what needed to be done. On some evenings, after the cafe closed, I chilled with other staff consuming cake and watching kinky movies in the CCK lounge - one of special team perks at CCK1).
Now in Berkeley, California (as you might tell from the Big Sur photo - yes, I am somewhere in it :)
Coffee
I drink coffee even more rarely than I did at CCK. It makes my heart palpate so it takes a certain courage to drink it. But I do enjoy the flavour.
Cake
Chocolate sauce.
Kinks: Interests, Quirks or Peculiarities
Hm...
What attracted you to Coffee, Cake & Kink? (Why CCK?)
I really enjoyed the sex-positive and open, respectful atmosphere.
3 years on, how do you remember your time at Coffee, Cake & Kink?
Very positively. I learned so much personally, professionally and sexually.
Is there anything that still makes you laugh / cringe?
There are a lot of memories that make me smile. No cringing though. Well, maybe when I left the bag of coffee open for a few hours during a very busy evening...
Why did you leave CCK?
My time in London was over.
Is there anything in particular you remember about that final period?
It was hard knowing that I would be leaving all the fantastic and wonderful people behind.
What did you do / where did you go after CCK?
I went to California and continued my complementary health studies while working at some retail jobs.
How did it compare with CCK?
It just didn't. After learning from such amazing two mentors (Sonia and Alana) about how to run a business, it was hard working for anybody else after that and watch how they don't measure up. I also never had such a respectful and kind customers again..
What skills or experience that you gained with us turned out to be most beneficial post-CCK?
Besides understanding business so much better, I learned how to interact with people in a different manner (more professionally). I learned more about myself, my communication skills improved, and I learned more about kink than ever before or since.
What do you put on your CV when presenting your time at Coffee, Cake & Kink to prospective new employers?
I have put everything and nothing, depending on the circumstance. Lately it has not been relevant enough to keep; my CV is rather long in full length.
Have you ever found yourself needing to explain it in more details? If so, how did you go about it? What was the result?
I have not been asked to explain further.
Overall, have you found "Kink" on your CV to be more advantageous (quirky, attention-grabbing etc.) or disadvantageous (prejudice)?
It has been subjected to some exclamations. I believe that it was advantageous in my job right after CCK, I don't know about the rest. I think the manager, who was coming from a very corporate world, did not quite know what to do with me.
Have you stayed in touch with anyone from your CCK years?
I have done my best to stay in touch with Sonia & Alana, as well as a couple of co-workers.