One of the most impactful buildings in my life was the Banner Elk cafe. The Banner Elk cafe was a restaurant in the center of the small town I grew up in. It was owned by my good friends father who was also my soccer coach growing up. Often times after practice of a big game we would go back to the cafe and eat pizza and watch sports together. In my early years the Cafe was a place where I made friends, and bonded with my teammates but as we all got older and the team broke up the Cafe turned into something new. It was where I had my first ever job at the age of 16 and where I learned the importance of hospitality and work ethic. Working at the cafe in thought me so many life lessons and it was my first real taste of the real world. If you’re ever find yourself in the small ski town of Banner Elk, NC do yourself a favor and order the baked penne pasta and thank me later.