Introduced by
Have you met Tony Santoro?
Husband. Father. Owner of Enderly Coffee.
Hi! Have you met Tony Santoro?
Go straight to the answers to the questions below his picture. They paint a perfect picture of who Tony and Enderly coffee are. Way better than I could ever explain.
I recently had the opportunity to visit Tony at his new shop for Enderly Coffee. The people, conversation and coffee were all awesome. I run a small business myself and know first hand that making money is a priority but finding ways to support the communities we are a part of is essential. Tony understands this. He’s doing this. Built into the foundation of Enderly at it’s core is community. How can everything it becomes make peoples lives better. I love this. It’s incredibly inspiring. Tony is awesome.
Again, read the answers to the six questions below.
What are you most passionate about?
Of course you might expect me to simply say I am passionate about coffee. But as we talk, you will find that my passion is not necessarily “the coffee” (though I LOVE great coffee and am committed to roasting great coffee and improving on my ability to roast great coffee), but my passion can be found in what we are able to accomplish with our “coffee”. When I think passion, I think about what energizes me. What energizes me is when I realize that I am adding value to someone’s world or when I am helping other people realize they have value to add to this world. Oh… and Gummy Bears. I am passionate about Gummy Bears.
What is your greatest memory?
Time for a cliche. The days that each of my girls were born are my greatest memories, especially our first. The moment I realized that I was a father, something happened in my brain. My purpose became greater. My world was different. My joy hit a whole new level. Now that my girls are 3 and 1, I find moments where I am reminded how lucky we are.
Finishing the Detroit Half Marathon last year with my 60 yr old father-in-law was a great memory that can bring me goosebumps. Neither of us are runners, but decided to sign up and go for it. It ended up being such a great experience in such a great city with such a great person. Though October mornings are cold in Michigan, we loved it so much that we signed up again for this October’s half marathon. I have not ran in 6 months and I am pretty sure he is going to be in better shape than me this year.
What frustrates you more than anything?
Injustice in our systems. Politics. Aspects of public education. I spent 7 years in math and science classrooms with teenagers at schools that were 90% or above free and reduced lunch. I have seen some interesting things. I’ve learned so much about our broken systems in our country, in our county, in our city… I get frustrated when individuals do not recognize that our “systems” are propelling some people forward and holding some people back.
What was the conversation around feelings and emotions in the house you grew up in?
We had big brooms. So big and so fast that they were able to sweep any unwanted conflict, feeling, or emotion under the living room rug before we even knew what happened. Thank goodness my wife had therapy-like super powers to get me to open up a little when we were dating (also had lots of patience with me as I learned how to clean out what was under the rug). She has called out the “elephant in the room” on many occasions.
Who would you love to get recognition or approval from and why?
Honestly, I am not a recognition or approval seeker. I do not do what I do for another person’s recognition. I do what I do because I believe loving others is the best way to live. If we are talking “attention from” rather than “approval from”, then I would say I would love to receive some media love from some Charlotte magazines. Also I’d love to meet Chef Jim Noble.
The person whose opinion means the most to me is my wife. I wouldn’t say that I seek approval or recognition from her, but a “You did a great job!” or “Thanks for working hard for our family!” from her would mean more than anyone else I can think of.
Kayla Dugger wants to know if you believe in ghosts?
I still get weirded out from my grandparents creepy cellar/pantry in the corner of their basement (probably because of memories from my childhood of being locked in there with the lights off by my older brother until I cried). As a kid, I really loved the shows and documentaries on real haunted mansions or UFO experiences or unexplainable events. Today do I believe in ghosts? No. I do love Ghostbusters. Great movie.
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