Courtney Luciano Photo at work.
Maissie Musick was whipping iced lattes, cold brews, and drip coffee — and, in between serving walk-in customers, claiming to be a summer girl through and through.
Musick was welcoming the approach of warmer weather — and more customers with it — while working a solo shift at Kaiyden’s at 595 Chapel St. in Wooster Square.
A minute into the segment, Musick prepared an iced latte for a customer. She has been a barista for the past five years. She used to work at Starbucks in a Target, she said; that experience made her confident in manning the counter alone for her entire shift.
The coffee shop opened last September. That’s the same time when Musick began the job. The menu offers a wide variety of hot and iced coffees, lattes, matchas, and teas. Milk options including whole, skim, soy, oat, and almond (or just regular creamer), with flavors like hazelnut, caramel, vanilla, and coconut. Pastries to pair with a coffee such as croissants and muffins are available as well.
“I started the job when I moved here from Nashville,” Musick said. “I moved here with my husband, because he’s going to Yale. He’s getting his master’s in theology. I’m originally from Illinois, but we moved to Nashville so that he could get his first master’s degree. Now we’re in New Haven for his second master’s.”
The couple have been married for four years this July. Musick, who is 26, works at Kaiyden’s five days a week, the only full-time barista.
“My shifts change every week,” Musick said. “I’m usually here from 6:30 in the morning until 1 p.m.”
While Musick is supportive of her husband, she doesn’t wish to follow in his footsteps in earning a degree.
“I definitely want to go back to school, eventually but just for fun. I don’t have any big career goals. My career goal is not to work,” Musick said. “But I do miss academia.”
Lisa Reisman Photo
Musick said that is the biggest difference between the people who live in New Haven compared to those back in Nashville.
“People work really hard, too, in Nashville. Don’t get me wrong,” Musick said. “But over here, it’s like you run into someone, and they’re like, ‘I’m working on getting my fifth master’s degree.’ And I’m like ‘That sounds awful …”
Writing is Musick’s passion. She said her goal is to write a book eventually but “right now I just don’t have it in me to write a full novel.”
Musick said that New Haven is different from any other place she has ever lived. “In a good way but I definitely miss Nashville,” she said. “I’m still getting used to it.”
When Musick isn’t working, she’s watching movies at home in East Rock. That’s what she planned on doing for the rest of her day once her shift ended at 1 p.m.
“I watch like six movies a day,” Musick said. “My favorite movies are definitely horror movies. If I’m not watching a movie, then I’ll read.”
Overall,Musick is looking to get the full experience of living in a city, she said. “I grew up on a farm so I’ve always been very land-locked.”
After the conversation ended, a handful of customers entered the store. Music played, the steamer roared, and Musick carried on serving, with a smile on her face.
Click above to watch the full conversation with Maissie Music on the "Word on the Street" segment of WNHH FM's "LoveBabz Love Talk."