If you've ever ordered from us at any of our three locations, Addi Gastelum has almost certainly had some hand in the crafted beverage you sip. Whether she poured it herself or carefully concocted the components, she's got a special talent for creating pleasing flavor palettes (among other talents - more on this later). We've been lucky enough to have Addi here at Cirque for almost a year, and during that year, she's made her rounds through the different realms of production. She was originally brought onto the team to make burritos for the containers, but quickly proved herself in the kitchen and moved to syrup making when the position became available, knowing she would enjoy the process. Since then, she's taken on barista shifts at the Utica container on top of her weekly syrup cooking.

When I walked into the kitchen this past Tuesday, Addi was almost finished for the day, yet she didn't seem exhausted in the slightest. She looked calm and put together. I caught her pouring the fresh Cinnamon Toast Crunch syrup into containers for transportation without spilling a drop. She welcomed me in as she was just beginning this week's batch of her new caramel recipe. I watched as she tasted as she went along to ensure the best flavor, and was thoroughly impressed at how efficiently and smoothly she moved through the kitchen.

Addi preparing three of our signature syrups.

Even though she wears many hats when here at Cirque, Addi still finds time for her personal creativity. We can talk all day about how amazing our team is at what they do, but what is the most interesting and important thing is who they are outside of Cirque. Addi herself is a musician and a songwriter. She is self-taught on the guitar, which she picked up at age 14. Not long after that, she was writing her own music. “Music has always been a place for expression for me,” she said. “A lot of what I write about is based on my personal life experiences”.

And in her free time, she is gaining those life experiences. She really values her time with friends and family (including her brother Ezekiel - who you may know from managing the cafe and Riverside container. We often joke that we are slowly becoming the Gastelum family business). You can find Addi playing her original music on Instagram as @addi_jo_ and on TikTok as @addi__jo.

And her creativity also soars on shift. Making syrups may seem like just following recipes each week, but Addi has refined so many of our recipes to become what you know and love. When it comes to seasonal signature drinks, cafe manager Chelsea West creates recipes to be loved for the season, and reworks them each year. She sits down to go over each one carefully with Addi to ensure consistency. But Addi makes sure our year-round signature recipes are always evolving. Most recently, as you may have already tasted (and if you haven’t, speed over and try it ASAP), she mixed up what is known in our app as Addi’s Caramel. From firsthand experience, I can tell you it is incredible. Sweet, cozy and savory with a bitter smokiness on the back end of the palette, it really elevates the standard for coffee shop caramel. It took a couple of attempts. The first time, the white sugar ran out, so Addi tried brown sugar - which wasn’t quite what she wanted. The second time around, she nailed it. Sugar, vanilla, maple syrup, a hint of tobacco bitters, and a special process made for the tastiest caramel syrup we’ve ever had. I had the pleasure of tasting it fresh with Addi as she finished up a batch of it. This new recipe became our official House Caramel.

Beyond the caramel, Addi has reinvented some of the recipes you’ve been loving for a long time. For example, she adjusted our signature bourbon vanilla to be made with real vanilla bean. She has perfected the brew of our chai, and refined our strawberry syrup to use an even more natural and efficient method than before. On her work with her new recipes, she has said “I feel that our syrups should be made with just as much care as our coffee”. This kind of dedication is why we all trust and admire her so much.

Now, this is no easy task, of course. Some syrups take longer than others - like our OG tonic syrup. It requires a large amount of peeled ginger and a total of 64 peeled citrus fruits. In total, the amount of syrup to be made each week varies, but Addi estimates she makes 25 gallons of syrup each week in a matter of roughly 3.5 hours. Talk about hard work!

Just a few gallons of freshly made syrup flavors.

Getting to be in the kitchen with Addi was such a treat and a learning experience. It was inspiring to see her attention to detail and dedication with such an important task. As I speak more with our team, it is so satisfying to learn how much everyone here truly cares about their craft, no matter where they are in production. I couldn’t have said it better than she did, concluding our conversation by saying “It’s such an honor to be a part of Cirque, and to be the one who makes our syrups. I just want to do the best [that I] can!”

You can find Addi pouring and slinging ‘spro at the Utica container and playing her original music on Instagram as @addi_jo_ and TikTok as @addi__jo. Come by and try Addi’s Caramel Latte next time you’re out!

Go, Addi Jo!