Michael Cubero is one of the nicest guys you'll meet. The guy is patient, calm, considerate and unabashedly nice. He also cares about his trade and the people he serves on a daily basis. It's a great equation in making an adept barista, by any standards. It also doesn't hurt that he grew up in Costa Rica, surrounded by coffee. Grabbing a couple makeshift seats in the back room at Manic, surrounded by miscellaneous bins and whatnot, we chatted about Costa Rica, caring customers, Delaware Ave. and Motown. Obviously.

There's a flock - a herd? a gaggle? a brace? - of baristas at the counter when I drop into R Squared near Queen and Palmerston, and a lineup constantly forming. I don't know who I'm supposed to talk to, but the owner pulls me aside and introduces me to Matthew. We head to the back of the shop where the music is a bit quieter and there's a gap in the laptops.

When I walk into Jimmy's Coffee on an unseasonably warm December morning it's rammed inside. There's a warm buzz to the place. I ask for Lachlan. The barista behind the counter says he's out front, somewhere. As I start to walk to the door, the barista asks me to also take Lachlan's single Americano for him, as it's now ready. Sure, why not? I walk out the front door as Lachlan turns the corner from the alleyway beside Jimmy's. I call his name not knowing if it's him or not and he glances back with a wry smile. "Yeah?" he responds with a slight Australian lilt. "You the writer?" We proceed to take a seat out front of the King West coffee spot so I can get to know him a little better.

Toronto is a hub of photography. In addition to being one of the most photographed cities in the world, some of the best professional and amateur photographers out there can be found roaming our streets with camera in hand. To keep tabs on all this local talent, every Saturday we feature the work of a Toronto-based photographer in our series "Toronto through the lens of."

Damien Zielinski is a pretty stand-up guy. He has a way of putting you at ease with a soft, slow nod. He nods when you walk in the door. He nods when he's listening. He nods when he agrees with something you say. And as co-owner of Capital Espresso, that friendly joint in Parkdale that opened just a year ago in the old Vice office (they were formerly at Blondie's), Damien damn well loves his espresso. The guy has been serving up spro (that's their slang name for espresso) for 13 years, nearly half his life. And albeit Damien is pretty extroverted and not all that secretive, we wanted to get to know him a little better. The following is the result.

Ben Mulroney is no stranger. Once known chiefly as the second son of the 18th Prime Minister of Canada, he's been introduced to a whole new generation as co-host of etalk where he dishes on the latest celeb gossip and interviews the likes of Jolie and Pitt at the Academy Awards. He was also host of the short-lived Canadian Idol. Now, he's a got a new gig as National Ambassador to WaterCan, a Canadian not-for-profit which brings sustainable fresh water and sanitation solutions to African communities.

This past week, Mulroney was at the Spoke Club to kick-off WaterCan's latest campaign, the Kilimanjaro Climb for Life. In support of the campaign, Mulroney is scheduled to lead the climb up the slopes of Kilimanjaro next October. Here we talk to him about training for the climb, where he likes to shop for clothes and one of Toronto's favourite pastimes: brunch.