In a town like Olympia that has a coffee shop or Asian food restaurant every 10 steps, a couple of the more highly contested awards handed out in this year's Best of Olympia Readers' Poll figured to be Best Barista and Best Thai Food.

Apparently to our readership, however, there was no doubt about the former. They overwhelmingly named Angie Dalton Best Barista. The Northern Illinois native has been behind the counter pulling shots at Caffé Vita for the last three years.

Dalton got her start in coffee in Chicago in 1992. But the Midwest soon began to wear on her. It was a chance outing with her mom doing something she had never done before that would change her life forever - they went gambling and Angie hit big.

"It was the only time I've ever gambled, and I won. I got my tax return the same week," says Dalton, "so I bought a car, said goodbye and drove to Olympia."

That was 11 years ago, and Dalton hasn't looked back.

When asked if she has a signature drink that she makes better than anyone else, she humbly laughs it off with an "Oh, no," and the endearing traces of a kid that grew up on the Wisconsin border come out.

"Maybe straight shots of espresso? Eugenio (Aliota, owner of Trinacria, native Sicilian and espresso connoisseur) says that me and one other gal here are the most consistent, so I guess I should feel good about that!" Dalton laughs.

That's probably one of the most instantaneously noticeable things about Dalton. She exudes happiness. She's always smiling and cheerful, even if she's at Vita on a closing shift after having been up since dawn baking.

Since moving to Olympia, Dalton has kept herself very busy. In addition to being a world-class barista, she's also a world-class baker. She worked at Blue Heron Bakery for eight years, and has been doing all the desserts at Ramblin Jack's for the last three years as well, concurrent with her stint at Vita.

Dalton is also a huge music fan. When she's on the machine, Dalton likes to keep it chill for the coffee crowd, preferring to bump stuff like mellow hip-hop, lots of international beats or one of her personal favorites, the Be Good Tanyas.   

If you happen to catch Dalton at a show, or perhaps down at McCoy's smashing the knuckleheads from KOZO at Video Bowling, buy her a drink and say congratulations.

And make sure you put a little bread in the tip jar next time she pulls you a shot.