Continued from Page 12
Kristy Cross,
owner of The
Rusty Cup in
Astoria.
Lissa Brewer
“We spent practically every summer
in Seaview when I was a kid,” Cross
said, “I thought I could live there and
find a job, but full time jobs were hard
to come by.” Back in Seattle, she spot-
ted an advertisement for a downtown
Astoria coffee shop for sale. She had
been a barista during her college days
and thought “I could do that.”
“I bought the place without ever
seeing it,” Cross said, laughing. “I
don’t know what possessed me. I
couldn’t do that now. But when you’re
young, you do some crazy things.”
Crazy or not, The Rusty Cup has
proven a wise decision. “Not only was
it serendipity that I got the place, but
I ended up marrying Greg (Cross, of
NW Lending Group), the realty mort-
gage guy next door,” Cross adds,
seeming not to quite believe the luck
herself.
Still hands on at her shop, Cross
works side by side with a part-time
staff of three, making and serving cof-
fee as well as breakfast and lunch
items. “It’s fun working together, bak-
ing, and dreaming up new breakfast
burritos and sandwiches, like our gour-
met grilled cheese with avocado,”
Cross said. “We kind of all do every-
thing. But my favorite thing still is
making dry cappuccinos.”
A dry cappuccino is a rich espresso
drink with steamed milk and a smooth
layer of foamed milk on top. “I think
you can’t really mess up the foam, the
appearance of that marshmallow fluff.
But I like getting a really good micro
foam just right,” Cross said. “It’s hard
to explain. And a hard technique to
teach. I care about it especially when
it’s so smooth without any big bubbles.
I guess it’s a skill I’ve acquired. Sort of
what happens after doing it for almost
20 years.”
“I definitely have days when I’m
tired and think I might give it up ... But
I still love it, and honestly, I don’t feel
like I’ve gotten any older. Most days
I’m still like that enthusiastic, first-time
owner. It’s funny, but this last year has
been our busiest ever,” Cross said.
“Someday, I suppose, I’ll retire,”
Cross said. “And one day I’d better
pass on the barista crown, but no time
soon.” It’s Cross’ grin and warm laugh-
ter that get you in this downtown cof-
fee spot. No wonder Cross is a crowd
favorite.
THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022 // 13