The Industry (The Industry)
Explorez tous les épisodes de The Industry
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jan 2025 | E219 Lia Dionisio | 00:35:06 | |
This weeks guest is Lia Dionisio who joins us from Bergen County, New Jersey. Lia is a WSET II Certified spirits industry professional. Over the last thirteen years, Lia has worked in various aspects of spirits including marketing, PR, event production, spirits education and more. Lia has worked for leading brands including Johnnie Walker, Jose Cuervo, Hendrick’s Gin, Maker’s Mark and has reached thousands of consumers in NJ/NY through her own cocktail and events company - Jersey Drinks. She has also been featured on ABC News and Forbes and served as guest speaker and educator for brands including Shop Rite, The Financial Diet and Seaton Hall University. Lia currently works as the US Brand Manager for the world’s largest tequila company and continues to host cocktail experiences in NJ/NY and sharing her passion with all those who attend. To learn more and see what’s currently shaking, check out @jerseydrinks on Instagram. A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia for setting up our new website theindustrypodcast.club. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and drink nerds and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more features……Imbiblia - check it out! Looking for a Bartending Service? Or a private bartender to run your next corporate or personal event? Need help crafting a bar program for your restaurant? Contact Alchemist Alie for all your bartending needs: @alchemist.alie LInks email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club | |||
| 27 Jan 2025 | E221 Brittany Brennan | 01:01:07 | |
This weeks guest is Brittany Brennan. Brittany is currently the Director of Beverage & Bar Manager of Goodnight Cocktail Club. Brittany fell into bartending accidentally 12 years ago when applying for a serving job at a bar on York University’s campus and fell in love with it immediately. Some of the notable establishments Brittany has worked at include the following: Laissez Faire, The Drake Hotel, Church Aperitivo Bar, Poetry Jazz Cafe, Oretta, Hunters Landing, Moxies, Shopsys Sports Grill. Some of Brittany’s previous endeavours and projects include the following:
A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia for setting up our new website theindustrypodcast.club. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and drink nerds and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out! Looking for a Bartending Service? Or a private bartender to run your next corporate or personal event? Need help crafting a bar program for your restaurant? Contact Alchemist Alie for all your bartending needs: @alchemist.alie Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club | |||
| 01 Mar 2021 | E50 Zac Hoffman | 00:49:14 | |
This week we are joined by Zac Hoffman from Washington, DC. Growing up in Northern Virginia, Zac began his hospitality career cooking in a small wine bar in Leesburg with a tiny kitchen. Working at night and attending a vocational High School during the day, the itch to create art with food took hold. After a few years of cooking in large and small kitchens, Zac attended The Culinary Institue of America where he graduated twice, being an incredibly involved student throughout his educational career. Once graduated, Zac found an opportunity in West Virginia at the storied Greenbrier Resort where he completed an MIT (Manager In Training) program before returning home to the DC area. Working with chefs like Bryan Voltaggio, Kwame Onwuatchi, and Frank Rutta, several opportunities arose to be a part of many different restaurant opening teams in and around DC. In 2018, a local political campaign would shift everything when Zac became an outspoken leader for the industry, leading bar and restaurant workers to the steps of the DC StateHouse to have their voices heard. Zac Co-found the DC Bar and Restaurant Workers Alliance with other industry veterans, ran for public office, and uses his experience to work with national and local groups supporting the Industry during the pandemic. Links Twitter: @zac_hoffman Instagram: @zac90210 DC Bar and Restaurant Workers Alliance - dcbrwa.org Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 17 Jan 2022 | E94 Kadrian Possul | 00:51:02 | |
This weeks guest is Kadrian Possul who joins the show from Norway. Originally born in Tallinn Estonia, Kadrian has been working in the Industry for over a decade. Kadrian got her start in the Industry when she got her first summer job as a restaurant. Realizing that the money was good, Kadrian keep the job all through her high school years. Once Kadrian had completed high school, she went to work on a ferry that travelled between Tallinn and Helsinki. It was while working on the ferry that Kadrian received her first proper training for waitressing and bartending. This piqued her interest in the Industry as a career. As a result, Kadrian attended a bartending training program at the Estonian Bartending Association. Once her training was complete, Kadrian moved on to working at different bars all over Tallinn. First as a bar back, and then eventually as a bartender and then the last few years as a bar manager. Over the last five, six years, Kadrian has spent time working in Spain and New York City. At the end of November 2021, Kadrian moved from Estonia to western Norway to help open up a new bar in a small town south of Bergen. The bar is named Yos By The River. Links: email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 15 Jul 2024 | E201 Julianna McIntosh | 00:41:27 | |
This weeks we are joined by Julianna McIntosh. Julianna started the platform Join Jules as a cocktail blog back in 2020, and has quickly grown into a major brand and platform. Join Jules was created with the idea that everyone ought to be able to enjoy a craft cocktail at home. In a mixology world dominated by male bartenders and almost overly complicated cocktails, Jules sought to create a new understanding of what cocktails could and should be. Join Jules’ mission is to spotlight the importance of fresh flavors and showcase delicious and accessible recipes for the at-home bartender. Join Jules is a community for anyone with a passion for travel, lifestyle, and of course, a well-crafted cocktail with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients and visually appealing cocktail recipes. Join Jules Cocktails is becoming a brand that invites any and all to come together, and is helping break the barrier between high-brow mixology and at-home craft cocktails. Jules has a new booking coming out on July 23, 2024 titled Pretty Simple Cocktails. Pretty Simple Cocktails sprang from the notion that everyone should be able to whip up the happiest of hours right in the comfort of their own home. It’s all about fresh ingredients, top-notch spirits, and crafting drinks that are both delicious and simple to make. And a big thank you to this weeks sponsor - Elora Distilling Company. Elora Distilling Company produces handcrafted, premium products in a grain to grass distillery and the grains are sourced from local farms in Waterloo and Wellington counties. There are over 25 products on the Elora Distilling company’s roster including gins, vodkas, rums, whiskeys, liquors and pre-mixed products. All products are available for wholesale to restaurants and bars. Follow them @eloradistillingco or check out EloraDistillingCompany.com Links The Art of drinking with Join Jules and Your Favourite Uncle Podcast email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 01 Aug 2022 | E122 Alfonso Esquivias | ||
This weeks guest is Alfonso Esquivias who joins the show from Long Beach, California. Alfonso starting working in the restaurant industry back in 2011 when he landed a job at a small Mexican restaurant named Taco Surf in Seal Beach, California. In 2018, Alfonso moved on to Mama’s Comfort Food and Cocktails. In 2021, Alfonso began getting into craft cocktails at home and started buying books and bottles which led to a never ending hobby. Then, in July 2021 Alfonso launched his mobile bar business, Drinks With Fonz LLC and that endeavour has proved to be successful. Afonso is still working at Mama’s while running Drinks With Fonz and other projects in the industry. Links @drinks.with.fonz @sugarrunbar email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 12 Jul 2021 | E69 Julie Mecteau | ||
This weeks guest is Julie Mecteau aka ‘Jukie’. Born in Québec City, Jukie was raised in the hospitality industry by restauranteur parents and learned the word “workaholic” at a very young age. After 17 years in the service industry, obtaining 6 wine and spirit certifications and living in Australia, Montreal and NYC, she refocussed her hospitality experience to pursue her career as a Brand Ambassador. Now living in Toronto, Jukie is rocking her dream job as the National Brand Development Manager for Tequila Tromba, running on passion and Taking Life By Storm every day! Julie AKA Jukie is known as the Tequila Fairy for Tromba Canada. Her spirited creative mind is bottomless and this is how she takes life by storm everyday. Although she can come up with millions of delicious and unique tequila cocktail recipes, you'll find her simply sipping on a crisp Tromba & Soda in her favorite Toronto bars. Links: Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 26 Jul 2021 | E71 Jon Rennie | ||
Jon Rennie has spent 20+ years cooking in restaurants in Waterloo Region. As a constant; he has had the pursuit of flavour in mind throughout his life. Always striving to be better; this mentality has taken a drastic switch in focus to mental health (especially in the industry), sustainability beyond food sourcing to his coworkers and their lives, and bettering industry environments wherever he can. Jon has spent the last few years raising money and awareness for mental health supports through @rest_for_restaurants while taking time away to recuperate from a stressful career and to learn whole animal butchery. Turning his focus back to restaurants and tossing aside “the way it’s always been” Jon and his closest friend Wes Klassen have set their sights set on a restaurant as both social enterprise and a “community first, restaurant second” mentality. Links: Jon Rennie @cookjonrenniecook Wes Klassen @purpleteethconsulting Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 31 Mar 2025 | E228 Jenae Hyland | 00:35:53 | |
This weeks guest is Jenae Hyland, who joins us from Chandler, Arizona. Jenae is a powerhouse beverage operations strategist and Forbes trained mixologist and the creator and owner of The Pretty Libationist - a full service mobile bartending company servicing events like weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, parties and in home custom cocktail and mocktail experiences, mixology classes and more. Jenae has a flair for creativity and a passion for crafting unforgettable drinks and elevating the art of mixology to new heights. Check out the Pretty Libations platform on the web prettylibations.com and on Instagram @theprettylibationist and @pretty_libationist A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia for setting up our new website theindustrypodcast.club. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and drink nerds and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out! Looking for a Bartending Service? Or a private bartender to run your next corporate or personal event? Need help crafting a bar program for your restaurant? Contact Alchemist Alie for all your bartending needs: @alchemist.alie Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kypp@babylonsisters.ca for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club | |||
| 01 May 2023 | E151 Ben Kingstone | 00:37:20 | |
Ben Kingstone is a hospitality professional with a passion for creating exceptional guest experiences. Ben entered the industry to pursue a career that feeds his drive for knowledge and excitement. With expertise in crafting unique and innovative cocktails, Ben was a finalist for Diageo World Class in 2023. With experience in roles such as Beverage Director & Director of Operations, Ben has curated and managed beverage programs for a range of venues, including a 400-room hotel and some of Canada’s top restaurants and bars. Ben's ability to curate excellent beverage programs, leverage beverage partnerships and manage large teams has contributed to his success and reputation for in the industry. With experience and passion like Ben’s it’s no surprise that he’s also been nominated this year for Forbes Top 30 Under 30. Ben is also set to release a bar book later this year, showcasing his knowledge and love of this industry and all its many facets. Ben believes educating the next generation of hospitality workers is critical and his commitment and passion for this is evident in the video series Beyond The Bar with NOW Magazine & his upcoming book release. Links @sugarrunbar @babylonsistersbar @the_industry_podcast email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 15 Jun 2020 | E13 Greg Brow | 01:28:13 | |
This week we are joined by good friend Greg Brow. Greg started working in the industry while in high school in 1985 as a bus boy in the first Red Lobster in Kitchener-Waterloo. That was followed up with a stint at Reuben & Wongs. It was at that point, that Greg realized that a career in the Hospitality Industry provided him with a lot of freedom and a good living. After attending university, Greg spent some time following the Grateful Dead on a summer tour and eventually moved out to Vancouver. While out west, Greg worked at a Red Robin Burger Emporium franchise. Eventually Greg returned back to Kitchener-Waterloo and worked at several places such Garrets Tavern in downtown Kitchener, Mrs Robinsons, Circus Room, a long stint at local landmark Ethels and is currently working in Sales at Wellington Brewery. Instagram @wellygreg Twitter @wellybrow | |||
| 19 Sep 2022 | E127 Brian "Twist" Orr | ||
This weeks episode is sponsored by The Case for Wine. Get $25 off your first purchase when you mention 'The Industry Podcast' The Case For Wine has been importing quality artisanal wine for over 20 years. Founded in 1998, The Case For Wine sells its products through an assortment of channels including LCBO Vintages, LCBO General Products, the Consignment channel, and to private collectors. Contact Rick Baroncelli for all your wine needs for home and commercial at rick@theaseforwine.com Get $25 off your first purchase when you mention 'The Industry Podcast' This weeks guest is Brian "DJ Twist" Orr. Twist has been featured throughout print and TV media and performed on stage in front of thousands of people in over a dozen countries and more than 100 cities. Several of Twists's notable media appearances include Live! With Kelly Ripa, Good Day New York and Keeping Up W The Kardashians. Since starting a family, Twist has turned multi-city performing into multi-family investing, turning his first $30K investment into currently over $1 million. Links email: brian@djtwist.com email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 11 Jul 2022 | E119 Ashly Levi | ||
This weeks guest is Ashly Levi aka Miss Agave who joins us from Miami, Florida. Ashly is a bartender who focuses on Agave Spirits education. Ashly originally got her start in the industry when she moved to Australia at the end of 2015. Ashly’s first job was at a tequila and Mexican food themed restaurant. It was this first job that sparked Ashly’s interest in agave spirits. Ashly’s passion is the education of agave and we discuss the many types of agave as well as some of Ashly’s favourites and her recommendations. We also talk with Ashly about developing her own brand, we discuss the Miss Agave platform and Ashly’s plans moving forward. Make sure you check out Ashly on Instagram @missagave and on Tik Tok @missagave Links Links Instagram @missagave TikTok @missagave email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 21 Sep 2020 | E27 Richard Beltzer | 01:01:54 | |
This weeks guest is Richard Beltzer. Richard currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. Richard grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. One of his earliest passions was must. He has playing guitar for over 20 years, learned piano and taught himself drums and guitar. After high school, he earned his degree in Psychology and planned to focus on music therapy. It was while he was in school, that Richard entered the Industry. To pay his way through school, Richard got a job at TGI Fridays. He started off as lunch server and eventually moved up to evening bartender. This move triggered Richard’s interest in cocktails. While there wasn’t a huge cocktail scene in Anchorage, Richard moved on to an establishment named Ginger specializing in Pacific Rim cuisine. While working at Ginger, Richard and a cohort built the cocktail program to be one of the premier cocktails programs in Alaska. During this time, Richard had done work at various apprentice programs like Tales of the Cocktail, San Antonio Cocktail Conference and Pop in Kansas City. With a desire to work in a larger market, Richard moved to Chicago, Illinois. Prior to the covid pandemic, Richard was employed as the head bartender at Bad Hunter. Working at Bad Hunter helped turned Richard into the bartender he is today. While at Bad Hunter, they had a true mentorship program - but just like many others - a bar family. ‘Good Drinkers’ is how Richard like to call them! Despite the closure of the bar due to Covid, Richard is still close friends with this group and they continue to be creative as possible. In fact - Richard and a few of this friends are currently working on a cocktail delivery platform to be launching soon. Awards: Bad Hunter (Best Restaurant Bar - Timeout) Punch - Bartender in Residence - May 2020 Spirited Award Nomination - Best Restaurant Bar 2017-2019 Regional Finalist for Bartender of the Year 2016 Tenzing Coupe Bronze Medal Instagram @beltzerseltzer Podcast Artwork @zak.hannah | |||
| 24 Apr 2023 | E150 Sidney Kendall | 00:37:34 | |
This week we are joined by Sidney Kendall who currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Kendall has been in the Industry since she was 15 and has worked her way through fast food, casual and fine dining restaurants; sports and dive bars and cocktail lounges. Kendall has moved extensively in her life as she has lived in California, Illinois, Nebraska and now lives in Arizona. Currently, Kendall is the Beverage Director for TruColor Concepts in Phoenix. Kendall oversees the bar program for the Sip & Coffee locations, 36 Below and The Rose Garden. Kendall works with a terrific team that allows her a lot of creative freedom and continues to push her out of her comfort zone. Kendall also teaches Meditation and Breathwork with Intuitive readings. Kendall has managed to find a beautiful balance to do both passions and is excited to see where these opportunities take her! Links @kendallkocktails @thecatalystexperience @sugarrunbar @babylonsistersbar @the_industry_podcast email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 31 May 2021 | E63 Elissa Dunn | 00:52:40 | |
This weeks guest is Elissa Dunn who currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Originally born and raised in South Florida, Elissa decided she wanted a change of careers while in her mid 20’s. Elissa left the corporate world for a career in the Hospitality Industry. Elissa is primarily self taught, and to gain a wealth of experience she decided to take a unique approach by road tripping across the USA and working in different locations for several months each year. Some of the places where she’s worked include the following: Dallas, TX Fort Myers, Fl Santa Barbara, CA Jupiter, FL Coeur d'Alene, ID Delray Beach, FL Currently, Elissa is the bar manager of a fine dining restaurant in old town Scottsdale. Along with her bar manager position, Elissa is launching a pop up company @boltconcepts - that will produce small cocktail pop ups designed to make us think about the way we drink. The first one being “closed looped classics” and complete classic cocktail menu where she will use repurposed ingredients and no fruit goes in the trash. Completely seed to skin. Links: Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah Aaron Hatchell @akthospitality | |||
| 04 Apr 2022 | E105 Jose Mariano | ||
Jose Mariano joins the show this week. Currently residing n Tulsa Oklahoma, Jose is originally from Modesto California. Jose is a quick learner and has developed a keen interest in the craft cocktail world. Jose is a rising star in the hospitality scene and you can find Jose's profile on Instagram. Jose’s bio in his own words: “My name is Jose Mariano, from Modesto California. I’m someone with a high drive willing to learn and adapt quickly with greatest ambition. Coming from a family with nothing allows me to stay dedicated to success. No matter how difficult job duties get I’m willing to get the job done and create an amazing atmosphere for myself and my team. With Only a few years in the industry, I’ve learned to adapt to the restaurant and bar scene. Whether making drinks, serving, or even being a busser. Bartending has been my greatest decision and with my skills and knowledge, I’m willing to improve everyday and create new memories with amazing people and influencers.” Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 18 Nov 2024 | E214 Beckaly Franks | 00:53:19 | |
This weeks guest is Beckaly Franks, who joins us from Hong Kong. Originally born in Hawaii, but raised in Idaho, Beckaly moved to Hong Kong in 2015. Beckaly co-founded The Pontiac, which has been featured on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars for 7 years and is credited with pushing for female empowerment and creating an inclusive space where everyone is welcome. More recently, Beckaly founded Hungry Ghost with her wife and opened venues Call Me AL and Artifact Bar. Beckaly is a born leader and the legion of acolytes who have received her mentorship, sampled her drinks or, simply, spent an evening in her consuming, intoxicating presence, will agree that she is well deserving of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award for Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023. Hungry Ghost - Founder includes venues: Call Me AL, ARTIFACT Bar Asia 50 Best Bartenders Bartender 2023 The Pontiac - Co-Founder from 2015-2024 Asio 50 Best list for The Pontiac 2016-2022 (7 years) LInks email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 29 Mar 2021 | E54 Aaron Male | 00:53:21 | |
Aaron Male is an award-winning Toronto, Ontario based bartender, mixologist, and sous chef, with almost twenty years of industry experience. Recently stepping into the role of Canadian Brand Ambassador for Tia Maria and Disaronno, he has worked at some of Toronto’s more popular establishments. He has worked at places like Miss Thing’s, an extremely popular tiki bar and restaurant as well as being the bar manager at the cozy speakeasy style cocktail bar, The Cloak. He also spent several years at Hamilton’s legendary and longstanding restaurant, La Cantina. Aaron’s bartending style focuses on maximizing flavor with the fewest number of ingredients, always focusing on freshness. Career highlights include the creation of custom cocktails for multiple television segments and running multiple cocktail classes and competitions. Links Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 28 Jun 2021 | E67 Kypp Saunders Part 1 | 00:51:15 | |
This weeks guest is Kypp Saunders - the host of this podcast! Kypp is currently co-owner of Sugar Run in Kitchener Ontario and the soon to be open Babylon Sisters in Waterloo, Ontario. Growing up in Kingston Ontario, Kypp started working in the Industry while still in high school. After finishing high school, Kypp moved to Waterloo Ontario to attend the University of Waterloo. It was at this time that Kypp started working at the Bombshelter Pub - one of the on-campus bars at the University. Upon graduation Kypp worked at a number of spots for several short stints before finding himself a home at Ethel’s Lounge in Waterloo. Kypp spent a total of roughly a decade and a half working at Ethels in two separate stints. Several years in to his first run at Ethels, Kypp decided he wanted to try the day job life and left Ethels to work at telecommunications provider Rogers. It was while working at Rogers that Kypp realized that working in the industry was the career choice for him. He subsequently left Rogers and returned to working at Ethel’s once again. Eventually, Kypp decided that he wanted to move in to the ownership side of the industry, and together with a business partner, opened up White Rabbit in Waterloo. Several years later, Kypp exited from White Rabbit ownership, and moved on to a new venture in downtown Kitchener - Sugar Run - a speak easy themed bar. Kypp is currently in the process of opening up a wine bar in uptown Waterloo in Summer 2021 named Babylon Sisters. Links: Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 29 Jun 2020 | E15 Martine McLarney | 01:34:14 | |
This week we are joined by Martine McLarney. She has over 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Martine got her start in the Industry as a bartender and server at the Caledon Inn. It was a Fine Dining establishment upstairs and an English pub downstairs. Several years later, while Martine was pursuing a post-secondary education in Art & Design, she was hired as a bartender at East Side Mario’s. (Owned by Prime Restaurants at the time - but has since been bought by Recipe Inc.) Eventually, Martine worked her way up through the corporate ladder and became a trainer for their New Store Opening Team. She was promoted to Site Lead for New Store Openings and travelled across Canada opening new restaurants and training their staff, management and franchisees. In 2010 Martine had the opportunity with her family to move to Honduras and build something from the ground up. She lived there for 8 years and together with some partners built the first main land Cruise Ship Port in Honduras. Martine was tasked with building, opening and operating the main attraction, Campo del Mar. It was a Restaurant, Beach Club, Plantation, Fruit Orchard and had an Animal Rescue Centre. Martine and her partners also built a Tour Company - Banana Coast Tours. In August 2016 Martine gave birth to her son while still in Honduras. At that point, she made the choice to move her family back to Canada as living in a third world country with a child was a whole different ballgame. Martine has been working for Langdon Hall since her return where she is currently the Dining Room Supervisor. She also recently started a hospitality consulting business - A&M Hospitality with previous podcast guest Aaron Hatchell. Furthermore, she is studying to become a certified sommelier and has completed a number of different courses and programs: Court of Master Sommeliers – Introductory Sommelier Certificate Independent Sommelier Guild – Intermediate Wine Certificate Wine & Spirits Education Trust – Award in Sake Level 1 Award in Wine & Spirits Level 2 Award in Wine Level 3 Instagram: @martinemcl @aandmhospitality | |||
| 14 Mar 2022 | E102 Matt Basile | ||
Matt Basile is the founder of the Toronto-based street food brand, Fidel Gastro's, which, within four years, went from an underground sandwich pop-up to an internationally recognized food brand. Now almost a decade later, Matt has a still growing business of food experiences, restaurant consulting and new and exciting foodie-filled projects on the way. Matt always strives to be different in an industry steeped in tradition. For two seasons, Matt was the host of the internationally aired, reality TV show, Rebel Without a Kitchen, seen on Netflix, the Travel and Escape Channel, the Cooking Channel, and the Asian Food Channel. In 2015, Matt was nominated for a coveted Canadian Screen Award for Best Host of a Canadian Reality Series. In spring 2020, Matt starred in CBC’s new reality show, Fridge Wars, which will see two celebrity chefs challenge each other to make the best meals possible using only ingredients found in Canadian families’ homes across the country. Matt is also the author of the bestselling cookbooks, Street Food Diaries and Brunch Life, which was nominated for a Taste Canada Award and a World Gourmand award. He has also contributed as a food writer for Huffington Post and Vice, and is a regular guest on programs such as Global Morning and Breakfast Television. The Fidel Gastro’s brand celebrated six phenomenal years with their brick and mortar gastro pub, Lisa Marie, which was featured on various TV series, including You Gotta Eat Here! and Chef In The City. It was also ranked as the ninth best brunch spot in Canada by OpenTable magazine. Today, in addition to growing Fidel Gastro’s brand, Matt collaborates with brands and food personalities over his popular social media and YouTube channels. He also posts original recipes and hosts cooking series via YouTube, including Chefs in Cars Getting Takeout, Date Night with Grandma, and YAAA Brunch. Links: Instagram @chefmattbasile TikTok @chefmattbasile Chef Matt Basile Youtube Channel email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 11 Apr 2022 | E106 Mallory Lee | ||
This week we are joined by Mallory Lee who currently lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Originally born and raised in the United States, Mallory started working in the Industry at a young age while living in New York City. Mallory has worked the entire chain of positions such as hostess, waitress, bar back, bartender and bar manager. Mallory left the US when she was 22 without a plan and a 1 way ticket to Istanbul. Mallory spent some time working and living in Turkey, Greece and Lebanon before moving to her current home in Dubai. Currently, Mallory is employed as the Brand Ambassador for Giffard Liquers and Syrups and splits her time between Abu Dhabi, Dubai and France. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 13 Jul 2020 | E17 Chris Kim | 01:29:11 | |
This weeks guest is Chris Kim - a long time mainstay of the local dining scene in Kitchener-Waterloo. He got his start back in High School as a dishwasher at local KW landmark Gulf Steak House. Chris spent several years working back of house at McGinnis Landing/McGinnis Front Row and the Huether Hotel. Eventually, Chris started working front of house and worked at Hannah's. It was while working at Hannah’s in fine dining that Chris learned the art of serving by creating a dining experience for the customer. He learned to make clients feel like they were invited to an exclusive party and to sit back and enjoy the ride. From there, Chris worked at Uptown 21. After several years, Chris started up his own food truck business - West of Seoul. This was followed by stints at Berlin, Janet Lynn’s Bistro, Grand Trunk Saloon and Public Kitchen and Bar. Currently, Chis has spent the last year and half in corporate fine dining at the Elora Mill. | |||
| 16 Jan 2023 | E141 Meredith Barry | 00:37:31 | |
This weeks guest is Meredith Barry who joins us from St Louis, Missouri. Meredith Ann Barry was immersed within the hospitality industry at an early age, her father placing her to work in the country club that he managed some time ago. Although she held many roles throughout her time there, the excitement of creating drinks for others to imbibe seduced Meredith. From the humble beginnings of mini bottles and Island Oasis Pina Coladas, to creating craft cocktails at one of the top bars in the city of Chicago it has always been about giving a genuine experience. Meredith believes in the power of acting, speaking, leading, and being consistent in expectations, commitments, and passions to those around her—whether at home or in the work place. Meredith is forged in the heat of passion for the love, respect, validation and commitment to every individual who walks through the door. In Chicago, Meredith has worked at Ombra, Sable, and Volume 39. She was the national champion of Compass Box’s Scotch Competition in 2018 and an national finalist in the Gra’it Grappa Competition in 2017. Meredith is the co-owner of the bar Platypus in St Louis, Missouri and has also appeared as a contestant on Drink Masters on Netflix. Links drinkplatypus.com @drinkplatypus @whiskeygirltavern @meredithbarry92517 @sugarrunbar @babylonsistersbar @the_industry_podcast email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 03 Jun 2024 | E195 Jody O’Malley and Kirstie Herbstreit | 00:51:59 | |
Grown from a mutual respect over perfectly cooked calamari, The Culinary Studio is a partnership between Red Seal trained Chefs Jody O’Malley and Kirstie Herbstreit. Jody and Kirstie have been in the food industry for over 20 years (although you wouldn't think so!). After both completing University degrees, they set off to culinary school, in Stratford & Calgary respectively to feed their need to cook. After restaurant apprenticeships and college-level instruction, Jody and Kirstie came together to open Kitchener-Waterloo's Premier Recreational cooking school. After 10 years of in-person teaching, The Culinary Studio evolved into a global online cooking class platform in 2020. Jody and Kirstie quickly learned that there are no boundaries to share their knowledge, their humour and of course their love of food & time honoured cooking techniques. Recipes taught are tried and true with absolutely no sacrifice in flavour. You will be amazed and empowered with what you create in your own home kitchen! The Culinary Studio motto: no cook is left behind! The Jody & Kirstie guarantee: The Culinary Studio online cooking classes educate, entertain, and guarantee you restaurant results in your own home kitchen! And a big thank you to this weeks sponsors - Civil Pours and Elora Distilling Company. Civil Pours is a ready to pour, premium cocktail program that blends the highest quality, proprietary ingredients into shelf stable, top selling cocktails delivered to you in draft-ready kegs. All you do is pour, serve, and savour a seamless experience designed to captivate your customer and smooth your service. To get in touch contact sales@civilpours.com or check the website civilpours.com Elora Distilling Company produces handcrafted, premium products in a grain to grass distillery and the grains are sourced from local farms in Waterloo and Wellington counties. There are over 25 products on the Elora Distilling company’s roster including gins, vodkas, rums, whiskeys, liquors and pre-mixed products. All products are available for wholesale to restaurants and bars. Follow them @eloradistillingco or check out EloraDistillingCompany.com Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 09 Nov 2020 | E34 Gareth Berg | ||
Gareth Berg is currently the Restaurant Coordinator at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph Ontario. This public facility is owned by the City of Guelph and is home to the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League. In addition to hockey, this 5000+ seat venue also hosts concerts and conventions. Gareth oversees the 240 seat restaurant, 5 bars, 3 kitchens, 32 private suites and 55+ staff. Additionally, Gareth also teaches at Conestoga College in the Culinary and Hospitality programs. Gareth got his start in The Industry as a dishwasher at Benjamin’s in St Jacobs Ontario. Being a hard worker, he quickly moved up to cook’s apprentice. From there he moved on to La Costa in downtown Kitchener and eventually followed that up by going to Culinary School at Niagara College. Gareth starting working at Trius/Hillebrand Winery under Tony Deluca. Eventually, he moved on to Chef at the Merchant Ale House. In 2006 Gareth went back to school for a degree in Business Management - Hospitality at Niagara College. While working on his degree, Gareth worked at a number of bartending and service jobs in Niagara Falls and Niagara-On-The-Lake. Upon graduating, Gareth starting as the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager at Zee’s Grill in Niagara-On-The-Lake. Eventually, he moved on to Fionn MacCools in Cambridge Ontario. The job at Finn McCools involved taking his staff to open and train additional Finn McCools franchises as well as training incoming franchisees and their teams at the Cambridge location. Eventually, Gareth moved on to the Breadalbane Inn located in Fergus Ontario as the General Manager/Maitre’D for several years before finally entering his current roll in 2014 at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph where he remains to this day. Podcast Artwork @zak.hannah | |||
| 07 Feb 2022 | E97 Heather “Foster” Kjollesdal | 00:41:26 | |
This week guest is Heather ‘Foster’ Kjollesdal. Heather is currently the Dressing Room Coordinator for both Metallica and The Rolling Stones. Heather’s job is essentially to take care of the band and ensuring that they have everything they need while on tour. Heather started working in The Industry when she got a summer job while in high school as a dishwasher. Within a few months, Heather was being trained on the line as a cook. At age 18, Heather moved on to a new summer job at a catering company that catered all the concerts and major events in Toronto as both cook and dining room service. This included venues such as Massey Hall, Maple Leaf Gardens, Exhibition Stadium on the CNE grounds and many more. The company catered every show or event that came through Toronto from Bette Midler to the Indy car race, to Guns N Roses with Metallica, The Rolling Stones, etc. After the summer job ended, Heather attended university and worked at various restaurants as a line cook. Once Heather completed her post secondary education, she returned to Toronto and worked various jobs. Several years later in 2002, Heather got a call from the catering company she had previously worked for and they had asked her to go on tour with he Rolling Stones as the front of house caterer for the crew. This launched Heather’s career, and she has never looked back. Some of the notable acts and tours that Heather has worked for include the following: 2003 - 2004 Metallica dressing rooms 2005 - U2 rehearsal in Vancouver for a month as crew caterer 2005-2007 The Rolling Stones dressing room caterer 2007 Van Halen tour management - Canadian tour 2008 John Mellencamp crew caterer - Canadian tour 2008 -present Metallica dressing room coordinator 2012 - present The Rolling Stones dressing room coordinator Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 10 Apr 2023 | E149 Hugo Gamino | 00:51:38 | |
This weeks guest is Hugo Gamino who is currently a writer and food content creator. A classically trained chef, Hugo spent over ten years in the professional kitchens of multiple brigades across the United States where he held various positions such as sous chef, chef de cuisine, executive chef, and some stages at Michelin starred kitchens. Hugo then made a transition into the fashion industry, attending fashion design school and working for brands like Brooks Brothers, and TOM FORD. Hugo would ultimately make his way back to the hospitality industry, working for the Chicago Cubs baseball organization as Director of Operations Premium where he was tasked in creating and developing restaurant concepts, hospitality programming menu development. Hugo now resides in Phoenix Arizona with his wife and two boys and is in the process of developing his short story cookbook of the industry. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 25 Jan 2021 | E45 David Suk | 00:37:01 | |
This week we are joined by David Suk, Saint Luna Spirits Co-founder and CEO which produces the Premium Saint Luna Charcoal Filtered Moonshine. Prior to starting up a craft distillery, David was working as COO of aden + anais - an award winning lifestyle brand for babies and children. Having developed a solid background in marketing and branding, David came up with the idea to create a modernized version of moonshine. He could take something historically significant in America and modernize it - elevate it and make it more craft - and the seeds for Saint Luna were sown. Eventually David quit his job at aden + anais to pursue his new found passion full time. Together with his partners Raegan Moya-Jones, TJ Rutkowski and Scott Smith - Saint Lina Spirits came to fruition and is now available nation wide in the United States and is currently working on entering the Canadian market as well. Available for purchase online in the United States at the following sites: Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 20 Jun 2022 | E116 Madison Cashubec | 00:39:34 | |
This weeks episode is sponsored by The Case for Wine. The Case For Wine has been importing quality artisanal wine for over 20 years. Founded in 1998, The Case For Wine sells its products through an assortment of channels including LCBO Vintages, LCBO General Products, the Consignment channel, and to private collectors. Contact Rick Baroncelli for all your wine needs for home and commercial at rick@theaseforwine.com This weeks guest is Madison Cashubec. Born in St Jacobs, Madison moved to Kitchener-Waterloo around the age of 10. Madison started her career in the Industry when she landed a job as hostess at Wildcraft while working on her undergrad in Languages at Wilfrid Laurier University. Madison eventually moved on to working catering events and serving. This was her introduction to Hacienda Sarria - a wedding events venue in Kitchener where Madison worked for several years as a bar tender and eventually the bar manager. Madison moved on to 21 Fir, a cocktail-focused bar where she was able to expand her knowledge of spirits and creativity. Currently Madison works at the Grand Trunk Saloon where she manages the bar program. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 21 Mar 2022 | E103 Yelena Anter | ||
This week we are joined by Yelena Anter from Las Vegas Nevada. Yelena is the driving force behind Cocktail Vision - an online platform that guides you through your journey in the cocktail and spirits world with recipes, products and consulting advice. Yelena is a fantastic guest with an incredibly interesting story that originates in a small village in Russia listening to Elvis Presley records that were smuggled in behind the iron curtain and how this helped fuel her motivation to move to Las Vegas. This is a interview that you will enjoy listening to! This is Yelena's story in her own words: “Just look pretty, sell as many frozen drinks as possible, and sell an extra shot or two of booze,” my boss instructed me. This where my mixology journey began, like all great things, in sleazy obscurity. At the age of twenty one, I was hired as a bartender for a daiquiri bar on The Las Vegas Strip. Originally from a small village in Russia, I had no clue what comprised a Rum and Coke or Gin and Tonic, except perhaps the Coke. I was strong even in high heels, carrying as many drinks as would fit onto two trays at once. It fascinated me how different a blue, red or yellow slushy tasted, depending on what spirit was added to it. I was instantly hooked on the entire scene. My twenties flew by with increasing sophistication and decreasing crushed ice, at the same time “high-end” cocktails became mainstream. I found myself and the industry evolving away from those simple, sweet ole’ days selling yard-long slushees taking nothing away from that quintessential Vegas experience. I also found myself closer to my Russian roots of resourcefulness and stylistic restraint. With extremely limited options for ingredients, I was accustomed to improvisation and creativity ever since I was a child. Artisanal mixology is, after all, best achieved combining well-chosen ingredients sparingly in a shaker instead of dumped into a blender. Whether recreating a beloved classic or fashioning a novel libation, I approach the craft of mixology as a chef would create an entree. An intimate knowledge of ingredients and their synergy is key. Traveling the world, I’ve been blessed to have experienced a wealth of cultures, their unique cuisines and their rainbow of distillates. Classically trained in art, I understand the essence of good orchestration — a perspective I use to build and integrate the flavor components of a cocktail. My special power, were I a superhero, is my mental library of flavors I’ve cataloged over the years. My second superpower is my ability to imagine the interaction of those thousands of flavor combinations in my head. It saves money on booze, trust me. I find my purpose leading people through a well-provisioned cocktail journey, as does a seasoned expedition guide through the jungle. The spirit safari, if you will, begins upon opening the menu — better yet, the spirit story book. What enchanted libation will you be experiencing tonight? “Peachcraft” or “Voodoo Brew”? Each masterpiece is custom built, uniquely garnished and lovingly poured to evoke the senses and help carry you away on an unforgetable cocktail adventure. I achieve my inner zen in the joy shown on the faces of others while sipping my creations and enjoying the journey I’ve thoughtfully curated for them. Let Cocktail Vision be your spirit guide! Links: Website: cocktail.vision Recipe Book on Amazon - Christmas Cocktails And Shenanigans email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 17 Oct 2022 | E130 Rick Baroncelli | ||
Rick Baroncelli is a wine professional from Waterloo, Ontario representing “The Case For Wine, Vinexx”. Rick has over 37 years’ experience in the restaurant industry, most notable was his 20 years at iconic Canoe Restaurant in Toronto. At Canoe, he served food and wine to a high-end clientele; it is there where he really discovered his love of wine and his passion for honing sommelier skills. The Canoe environment had a great wine list but also focused on tasting menus, so food and wine pairings were a top priority. Canoe has a reputation as a high-profile restaurant and is a foodie destination. This enabled Rick to be on episodes of Food Network shows such as, MasterChef Canada, Top Chef Canada, Fink, and Michael Smith’s Chef At Large. Rick has also served high profile people such as, David Beckham, Shania Twain, Justin Trudeau, and every Canadian bank CEO, to name a few. Once leaving Toronto Rick worked at Langdon Hall, The Bruce Hotel, and ran the wine program at The Berlin in Kitchener. Currently, Rick works at The Elora Mill as a Sommlier. While managing a busy work schedule Rick also enhanced his wine knowledge by completing courses with the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS), WSET, and the Italian Trade Commission and is a Sommelier candidate with the CMS. A lifelong learner, Rick obtained his Honors Degree in Political Science at York University. After graduation he continued to study accounting and economics at the University of Western Ontario. His love of numbers lead him into day trading, where he has traded for over 13 years. He is currently a Proprietary Trader of Futures at Leeloo Trading. Futures are a form of investment derivatives and is one of the many investment vehicles day traders choose to trade. Rick keeps busy with many projects and is currently working on perfecting his food and wine pairing program that can easily be presented to groups. Also in the works is a wine tasting program that studies the effect of salt, sweet, and acidity on the wine taster’s palate. A believer that the balance between food and wine can make or break a pairing, and he always strives for balanced pairings. His favorite white wines come from the Loire Valley in northern France and reds from Barolo. The portfolio of old and new world wines that the The Case For Wine offers, coupled with Rick’s experience, creates many wine pairing options, whether a clean crisp Sancerre, a buttery Chardonnay, or a bold California Cabernet Sauvignon… Links: Contact Rick: rick@thecaseforwine.com kyppsaunders.ca email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 25 Apr 2022 | E108 Jules Ouroumis | ||
This week we are joined by Jules Ouroumis who is currently employed as the Brand Specialist for Flor De Cana Rum. Jules is originally from the Greater Toronto Area and joins the show this week from Pickering, Ontario. Before Jules discovered the world of fine wine and spirits, Jules played hockey for Brock University. Jules started her career when she graduated from Brock University and moved out west to British Columbia. Jules landed a job at arguably one of the most beautiful wineries in Canada, Mission Hill. Jules started as a Sommelier/Server at their fine dining restaurant ‘The Terrace’. Jules quickly fell in love with sales and the Industry itself as she eventually became a territory manager for the Mark Anthony Group. Jules also continued with positions in Key Accounts and Territory Management. Jules career has taken her to Whistler, Kelowna, Vancouver and Toronto. She has represented brands such as Moet & Chandon, Rodney Strong, Veuve Cliquot, Buffalo Trace and Hennessey. Jules has sold the range from fine wines to that bourbon that should be on your bar cart - she has sold it all! Several years ago while on a backpacking trip to Nicaragua, Jules discovered Flor De Cana Rum - one of the most sustainable rum brands on the planet! When an opportunity eventually arose to work with Flor De Cana Rum - Jules jumped at the chance and has not looked back since. Jules loves to talk about all things Flor De Cana - make sure you check her out at one of her many upcoming Flor De Cana appearances at an establishment near you! Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 27 Mar 2023 | E147 Rob Wigg | 00:21:15 | |
This week we are joined by Rob Wigg of From Barrel To Bottle. Founded in December 2017 by four friends, From Barrel To Bottle's Creative Director, Erik, was contracted by a whisky company for images of their bottle in the mountains. After delivering these images and looking around online, Erik realized there was a major gap in the market. He proposed that the group of four friends start reaching out to other brands with examples of their work and companies were thrilled! Slowly, From Barrel To Bottle began learning more about whisky and the industry, and they started pushing their creativity to find new ways to capture the beauty of whiskey. The From Barrel To Bottle team traveled to Scotland and fell in love with whiskey and the people and processes behind it. As their knowledge of whiskey grew, they were able to produce better and better content and started working with more and more brands on bigger and bigger projects. By 2020, the From Barrel To Bottle team had been all over North America and Scotland helping brands create world class content, and they had built a strong following on Instagram of whisky enthusiasts. They started shifting a lot of their production to videography. Now in 2023 a large part of what From Barrel To Bottle do is create commercial quality videos for product launches, brand refreshes, and advertising. Links @frombarreltobottle frombarreltobottle.com @sugarrunbar @babylonsistersbar @the_industry_podcast email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 27 Feb 2023 | E144 Steph Soulis | 00:47:44 | |
This weeks guest is Steph Soulis who is the President and CEO of Little Mushroom Catering currently based out of Cambridge, Ontario. She created LMC in 2010 as a natural extension of her love for food and quality service. Stephanie was featured in a commercial for CTV in Libro’s Share the Future campaign. She is past Chair of the Board for the Kitchener Public Library, past Chair of the Board for Foodlink Waterloo Region, and was a Director with the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce. Stephanie also sits on the Waterloo Region Food System Round Table and is Chair of the Conestoga College Hospitality Program Advisory Committee. Stephanie currently sits as a Director on the Board for Libro Credit Union. She is a volunteer with the Business Education Partnership program, Junior Achievement, and a proud member of 100+Women Who Care Waterloo Region. Stephanie has been a guest speaker at the KWBWA, IAAP, Rotary, the Marketplace Conference, Social Media Breakfast, 140ConfOnt, Scouts & Guides groups, Junior Achievement Graduation, and several other community groups. She’s been featured in the Women of Merit Magazine, and was a regular contributor to Neighbours of Grand River. In 2016, Stephanie won the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneur Award, the Libro Growing Prosperity Award and she was awarded the inaugural JA Alumni of Distinction Award in 2015. Links @littlemushroomcatering littlemushroomcatering.ca @littlemushroomdininglounge @sugarrunbar @babylonsistersbar @the_industry_podcast email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 11 Jan 2021 | E43 Daniel Henderson - Part 1 | 00:55:47 | |
This is Part 1 of a 2 part interview. Daniel Henderson began his hospitality career in Waterloo, Ontario. Graduating from both Chef Training and Food & Beverage Management programs at Conestoga College, he pursued his Red Seal Qualification at the Waterloo Inn and Conference Centre. Striving for change, Daniel moved west to Vancouver Island where he began studying the art of Sushi under several Japanese Chefs. Landing in Victoria, B.C. with the Oak Bay Marine Group, Daniel worked his way through the Island at several Japanese Sushi Restaurants until finally managing the Sushi Bar at beautiful April Point Resort and Spa. Ready for his next challenge, Daniel returned to his roots in Ontario in 2004, to French and Mediterranean kitchens. He worked at the Cambridge Inn and Conference Centre as Executive Sous-Chef and as Chef for Blackshop and Sole restaurants. It was in 2008 that Daniel took his passion back to the Asian cuisine and joined Bento Sushi as their Corporate Chef. In his role at Bento, Daniel managed culinary development for over 1300 chefs in over 400 locations across North America including 4 restaurants in Manhattan, New York. With Bento, Daniel opened more than 75 locations as well as led all culinary development during Bento’s rapid expansion to the North Eastern United States. During his time at Bento, Daniel’s sushi training also brought him to Japan where he experienced the art of Sushi first hand. While leading the culinary team at Bento, Daniel completed his Certified Chef de Cuisine designation in 2012. Alongside his C.C.C., Daniel’s other achievements include having won the Alumni of Distinction award from Conestoga College and being nominated for the Ontario College Premier Award in 2013. Moving on from Bento, Daniel led the Food & Beverage team at Holt Renfrew in 2014, helping define dining and food moments and refining Food & Beverage concepts within the luxury retailer, while leading the opening of 2 Holts Café locations in Yorkdale & Vancouver. Shifting to the growing digital consumer demand, Daniel took his next step joining Chefs Plate in 2015 – Canada’s leading direct-to-consumer meal kit delivery service. In his role as V.P. Culinary Innovation, Daniel led the Culinary, Sourcing, FSQA and Operation teams with a focus on rapid production development to provide Canadians fresh, speed scratch dinner solutions for time starved families coast to coast. Daniel led these teams to acquisition when Chefs Plate was acquired by the world Meal Kit leader, Hello Fresh in October, 2017. Today, Daniel works at Loblaw Companies Limited as Senior Director, Product Development – Meal Solutions. Currently, Daniel leads the Culinary, Sourcing, FSQA and Operations teams within Meal Solutions at Loblaw under the PC Chef brand - focused on helping Canadians solve dinner through both digital & traditional store fulfillment channels. The recent pandemic has led the Meals team to launch pcchef.ca – a next day delivery service of PC Chef and local restaurant meal kits with daily delivery. Instagram: @chef.hendo.eats Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 11 Nov 2024 | E213 Jake Richards | 00:54:55 | |
Jake Richards joins the show this week for an in-person interview. Jake is a certified sommelier who is currently working at Loloan Lobby Bar in Waterloo, Ontario. Jake got his start in the Industry at the age of 12 when he landed his first job at a pizza restaurant and he’s been employed in the industry ever since. In our conversation with Jake, he talks about his first steps in becoming a sommelier when he had an accidental injury early in his career. While not being able to work on his feet, Jake enrolled in a sommelier training program and his career took off from there. Jake talks about the rigorous training involved, such as developing a strong sensory memory, and the art of guiding customer to discover new wines and spirits and the importance of creating a welcoming, unpretentious experience for customers. We also talk about the challenges of running a niche liquor business, especially in a smaller market like Kitchener-Waterloo, the challenges of working in the restaurant industry, including dealing with no show reservations. In the closing minutes of the show, we reference a tv show that we couldn’t recall the name of during the recording - the show is named ‘Drops of God’ and we finish off with a humorous anecdote about Jakes first customer that he encountered in his very first serving role in his career. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 26 Jun 2023 | E157 Keely Rollheiser and Yelena Anter | 00:54:33 | |
This week we have another 2 part episode. The first interview is with Keely Rollheiser and Yelena Anter of Cocktail Vision returns to close out the episode with our second interview. In the main part of the show - our first guest is Keely Rollheiser - Keely is originally from Chilliwack BC but recently moved to Providence, Road Island. Keely started her career in the Industry at age 19 when she landed a job at a corporate chain restaurant. Within six months of getting hired, Keely became the bar manager. Keely loved the pressure of performing like she had something to prove. As Keely puts its “it was sort of a baptism by fire”, and she found her groove quickly. A few years into Keely’s career, she wanted the freedom to be more creative than the corporate structure could provide her. Keely started working for a family owned and new restaurant. Keely found this to be an amazing experience opening a new spot and being able to put her personal flair on the bar and make it her own. Keely also found the process to be very humbling starting from scratch and finding what worked through trial and error. Keely loved being able to create seasonal menus and experiment with local ingredients. Two years later, Keely moved to Cork, Ireland, with her husband where he was finishing his degree and she quickly immersed herself into the Irish bar culture! Keely helped open a really unique cocktail bar in the middle of the city. The bottom floor was a speakeasy with a lounge feel, and the upstairs was a full on nightclub. Keely loved working and collaborating on menus with bartenders that had different ideas, experiences and ingredients than she was used to. Keely recently relocated to Providence, Rhode Island and is excited to see where her career in the Industry will take her next! Yelena Anter - joins us from Las Vegas Nevada. Yelena is the driving force behind Cocktail Vision - an online platform that guides you through your journey in the cocktail and spirits world with recipes, products and consulting advice. Links cocktail.vision - Website email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast. | |||
| 18 May 2020 | E9 Natalie Herzing | 01:28:02 | |
Today’s episode we talk with Natalie Herzing. Natalie has worked at a number of places since her start at Charcoal Steakhouse as a hostess. She has spent time working in French fine dining, and some notable past and present local establishments such as Lucy's Seafood, Ennios, Boa Nova, Nith River Chophouse, Firkin at the Tannery, Imbibe plus a few others. She has since returned to The Charcoal Group in a management role and also has her own art business - you can find on instagram @blonderedheadco - enjoy the show.
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| 12 Dec 2022 | E137 Alie Kudoba Returns | 00:35:35 | |
This weeks guest is Alie Kudoba who is currently the head Bartender at The Bauer Kitchen in Waterloo, Ontario. Alie returns for her second appearance on the show. Alie joins us while vacationing in the Dominican Republic. We start off talking about Alie’s side hustle - her bartending and cocktailing business. We also cover the work that goes in to crafting a cocktail list for a corporate large capacity bar. We discuss the many different factors that influence the final outcome and how you draw that fine line between creativity and the corporate reality that relies on cost and efficiency. If you’re interested in booking Alie for your next private or corporate event, you can find her on instagram at alchemist.alie - Enjoy the show! Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 01 Jul 2024 | E199 Wyn Vida | 00:43:36 | |
This week we are joined by Wyn Vida - a beverage and hospitality consultant who current resides in Austin, Texas. Originally from Southern California, Wyn moved to Portland, Oregon after finishing college before currently settling down in Austin. Wyn got her start in the Industry in her early teenage years working as a barista and this continued through her college years when Wyn got into the world of bartending. Upon completing college, Wyn moved to Portland and landed a job as general manager of a steakhouse. It was shortly after this point in her career, that Wyn came to the realization that a career in the hospitality industry was indeed for her. Wyn is also looking forward to eventually opening her own bars and restaurants. Currently, Wyn is working with Empress Gin and Dulce Vida Tequila as their in House Mixologist and Senior On-Premise Market Manager for the South, US. And a big thank you to this weeks sponsor - Elora Distilling Company. Elora Distilling Company produces handcrafted, premium products in a grain to grass distillery and the grains are sourced from local farms in Waterloo and Wellington counties. There are over 25 products on the Elora Distilling company’s roster including gins, vodkas, rums, whiskeys, liquors and pre-mixed products. All products are available for wholesale to restaurants and bars. Follow them @eloradistillingco or check out EloraDistillingCompany.com Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 27 Dec 2021 | E91 Tyler Smith | 00:52:36 | |
This weeks guest is Tyler Smith. Tyler is an accomplished chef with over two decades of experience in The Industry. Tyler has worked in many difference facets of the food industry since his first job in fast food over 20 years ago. Tyler has worked every position, station, job and title in the kitchen. Everything from porcelain and stainless steel steward (dishwasher for those unfamiliar with the term) to executive chef and everything in between. Tyler attended Conestoga College in the Cook Apprenticeship Program. Tyler has worked for some recognizable names and companies in Waterloo Region over the years including the Charcoal Group, Fat Sparrow Group and Hannah’s Bella Bistro just to name a few. When Tyler is not cooking, he loves to travel (when it was allowed - damn you Covid) and he is deeply inspired by the cuisines he encounters on his travels. Tyler is currently working at Ethel’s Lounge in Waterloo and does private catering on the side. Links: email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 13 Apr 2020 | E4 Cara Lichty | 01:05:12 | |
Cara Lichty joins the podcast this week and discusses her entry in to the world of hosting, waitressing, bartending and managing in the Service Industry. Cara discuss interactions with various clients over the years as well as the sexualization of servers by both management and clients. | |||
| 02 Oct 2023 | E167 Cressida Lawlor | 00:38:08 | |
This week we are joined by Cressida Lawlor who currently resides in Manchester, England. Cressida works in high end hospitality and has done so for many years. Cressida was named to Double Dutch Trailer Blazers 2023 List and Top Four IWSC Emerging Bartender 2022. During the Covid lock downs, Cressida decided to take her knowledge of cocktails and hospitality and turn it into a successful youtube channel named The Pump Room Bar. Currently, Cressida is in the process of opening up the Manchester location of Sexy Fish - a high end cocktail bar and restaurant. Furthermore, Cressida is currently travelling the length of the UK filming a documentary series on being queer behind the bar. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 15 Mar 2021 | E52 Tequila Tromba | 00:50:52 | |
This week we are joined by Rodrigo Cedano and Nicole McCallum of Tequila Tromba. Rodrigo Cedano CEO & COO MEXICO, Apprentice Distiller Some of us search to find our place in the world while others are born into their ideal setting. Rodrigo Cedano took some of his first steps amongst the agave and has literally grown up developing a passion and unparalleled knowledge of the tequila industry. Son of Marco Cedano, Tromba’s Master Distiller, Rodrigo has been instilled with deep traditional values for the soil, the agave and the art of tequila distillation, while embodying a youthful energy and restlessness to question convention and bring a modern aesthetic to his craft. As one of Tromba’s co-founders, he works side by side with his father to ensure the exacting standards of every batch of Tromba, while taking on the additional roles of CEO Mexico and COO. If you enjoy a fun fact - don’t mess with his man bun - he’s also a master in Martial Arts! Nicole McCallum VP MARKETING With 2 decades of experience in marketing, brand expansion and consumer engagement, Nicole has helped develop and grow brands across a variety of lifestyle segments. From creating events in the music, sports and entertainment industries, to hosting radio shows, launching national digital platforms for global travel and strategizing media across a variety of spirit brands, she enjoys the challenge of connecting with consumers through emotive, meaningful content across a variety of channels. As the global lead for Tromba’s marketing, Nicole gets to work across an inspiring team, from the co-founders and Master Distiller, to the brand ambassadors and sales teams, bringing this amazing brand to life. Fun fact - if you want to hear her sing, your chances will greatly improve after a Tromba cocktail. Links Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 18 Dec 2023 | E177 Shamez Amlani | 00:38:45 | |
This weeks guest is Shamez Amlani. Having grown up in Toronto, 19 year old Shamez got a summer job as a busser at Le Select Bistro on Queen Street West back in 1989. Little did he know this was the beginning of a lifelong career in the restaurant industry. Quickly moving into his favourite position behind the bar, he found his passion creating opportunities for strangers to meet and setting the scene in that third place - not home, not work, where one can be free. After extensive travels in Europe and a return home to hone his knowledge as waiter and bartender, Shamez re-located to Paris in '93 to start a new life. There he managed a small bar while continuing to travel and have many adventures touring with a band, pretending to be a writer, teaching English, eventually returning to Toronto in '97. He came back to Le Select as bar manager while his new life partner Maria Flawia Litwin forged a career as fashion designer and eventually contemporary artist. By the time 2000 had come around, he realized the only thing to do next was open a place of his own, so with friend and chef Mike Harrington and Maria, they opened La Palette in Kensington Market, imagining that their humble French Bistro would last a year, maybe two. Instead, the place became well entrenched in the neighbourhood and Shamez discovered a passion for community activism while helping to create Pedestrian Sundays, car-free neighbourhood celebrations where street food and live music were king. In 2005 they bought out their chef partner and continued to push the boundaries of what a restaurant could be as they laid down deeper roots in Toronto. When the lease came up for renewal, La Palette cast its net wider and opened a second, bigger and more ambitious place on Shamez's old stomping grounds of Queen West. After closing the original location, he vowed never to run two businesses at the same time again, a promise he couldn't keep. In addition to running the new place with tall ceilings, open kitchen, and a long bar, La Palette was also involved with an artist collective called Fedora Upside Down where he ran the bar and catering at legendary events that brought thousands of people together to celebrate diverse global music traditions. All of these inspirations came together with the birth of a new venue a block away, Drom Taberna in 2018. It was an Eastern European Tavern that was casual and affordable with live world music every day and a kitchen that stays open very late. Maria and Shamez invited some of their staff to be partners in the business with the opportunity to work off their share with sweat equity. It quickly became a staple on a street known for great bars and live music venues. Drom is as much a community centre as it is a venue, for the staff and artists that fill the space with great vibes and the public that find it to be an incredibly safe, multicultural and queer friendly space. When the pandemic hit, everyone involved with the two places was too stubborn to quit, having lived the immigrant experience which held creative problem solving and perseverance as core tenets. La Palette became a wine shop and Drom a deli and grocery store, with both places staying a moving target while navigating outdoor dining, repeated lockdowns and re-openings, and insurmountable economic and emotional hardships. Now, both places continue to be vibrant cultural hubs where you'll usually find Shamez at his favourite place behind the bar at La Palette, enjoying the buzz of a busy night, or on the dance floor by the stage at Drom. One couldn't ask for a better job, making fun for so many friends and strangers alike. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 14 Nov 2022 | E133 Kate Gerwin | 00:34:08 | |
This weeks guest is Kate Gerwin who joins us from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kate is a widely celebrated bartender and hospitality consultant, is well-known in the drinks industry for being the first woman and first American to win a global bartending championship for Bols Around the World Bartending Championship in 2014, but this is just one of her many worthy accomplishments. In her more-than-20-year career, Gerwin has been named by Drinks International as one of the industry's "Top 100 Most Influential Figures in the World" (2019 & 2022), she has worked as a certified advanced master sommelier for some of Napa’s top wineries, consulted on the TV docuseries Bar Rescue, taught at the Le Cordon Bleu campus in Scottsdale, Arizona and the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vt. And we’d be remiss not to mention, as she puts it, her "favorite crowning moment:" being inducted into the Tales of the Cocktail Dame Hall of Fame, which celebrates the contributions of hard-working people to the spirits and cocktail industry. But it is her new distillery and cocktail bar, Happy Accidents, that she is most passionate about, specifically for the industry changing work they are achieving with a new “distillery bar” concept, enabling them to operate on whole new “post pandemic” level. Buying bulk spirits directly from distilleries, distilling in house, and acting as a blending facility, they have open the door to a myriad of possibilities and profits, enabling them to operate a more equitable company for their staff. Living wages, benefits, profit sharing and partnership are only the tip of the iceberg for this 100% bartender owned, industry changing operation which puts “staff first” in all operational decisions. They offer over 70 cocktails on the menu, all of which have base spirits uniquely designed for the cocktail itself. The bartenders have the freedom to adjust not only a spirits flavor profiles and ingredients, but even the proof of the spirits that they select for their libations. Not only is each cocktail carefully curated, but the spirits themselves are designed by each bartender to compliment the intended result. Full control from still to glass. Happy Accidents, has won TWO Best New Bar in the U.S. awards, one from Tales of the Cocktail and one from liquor.com in their inaugural awards. She is also currently on the Netflix competition series, Drink Masters. Links happyaccidents.info @sugarrunbar email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 20 Nov 2023 | E173 Devon Trevathan | 00:41:53 | |
Devon Trevathan is the cofounder and co-owner of Liba Spirits, a nomadic distilling company. After living in Taiwan for a year, Devon returned to the states and got her start in the distilling industry at Corsair Distillery in Nashville, Tennessee. Devon has held a variety of positions in the Industry from beverage alcohol–spirits journalist, brand ambassador, bartender, server, marketing consultant, tour guide, wine retail manager, that person at the party who talks way too much about what you have in your glass. Now, Devon is the cofounder of an exceptionally unique and ambitious distilling company in which she and her business partner Colton Weinstein travel all over the globe, renting space in different distilleries to distill their own spirits. Above all, she is a human, flawed and rushed at times, who would nevertheless love to meet up for a drink! Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 05 Dec 2022 | E136 Matt Hassen | ||
Matt Hassen joins us on our latest episode from Kelowna, British Columbia. Matt has had over a 20 year career in the industry. Originally getting a start as a bar back, Matt quickly moved on to bartending, managing and currently as a head bartender. Matt has successfully worked his way up to being one of the top 10 bartenders in Canada through Diageo World Class. Matt is also a recipient of a kidney transplant 5 years ago after living with kidney disease for over a decade. Matt discusses how overcoming his health issues have helped him to focus on his career. Currently, Matt is working as the Head Bartender at Skinny Duke’s Glorious Emporium in Kelowna and you can find him on Instagram @matt.tender. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 09 Oct 2023 | E168 Jacob Mentel | 00:37:20 | |
This weeks guest is Jacob Mentel who currently lives in San Diego, California. Jacob is a bartender at The Realm of 52 Remedies in San Diego. Jacob's bar history consists of opening Youngblood Cocktails, working at Noble Experiment, and assisting with menus at Polite Provisions. Jacob has had the privilege of being trained by Sam Ross and Erick Castro. Jacob is an avid mental health advocate as he has been diagnosed with Anxiety/ Depression / ADHD/ Autism. Jacob is extremely open about this and his struggles in an effort to allow for conversations to happen and people to seek help. Jacob is also working with Chilled Magazine to do a series of columns interviewing well known industry professional about their own struggles and how they were able to push through and become resources for others. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 04 Oct 2021 | E79 David Hudyma | ||
This weeks guest is David Hudyma. David has been a bartender in Toronto for the last 6 years. David has primarily worked in Cocktail bars through his career. This includes such places as the following: Project Gigglewater, Famous Last Words and the Cloak Bar as well as a few others. David is a giant spirits nerd which led him to spend 6 months in Scotland in 2018 in order to visit distilleries and fully immerse himself in the whisky culture while there. David is a recent graduate of the Niagara College Artisan Distilling program, and is currently employed as a Distiller at Nickel 9 Distillery in Toronto. Links Email Us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 25 Sep 2023 | E166 Lex Ward | 00:28:43 | |
This weeks guest is Lex Ward who joins us from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Lex got her start in the industry while still in high school when she landed her first job at a coffee shop. This sparked Lex’s interest in the Industry as she eventually moved on to waitressing and bartending and hasn’t looked back since! We talk about the local scene in the beach town of South Kingstown and the surrounding towns and cities in Rhode Island, we talk about the time Lex spent several years attending Ole Miss and her experiences working for a packed and busy college bar. Lex is currently working for Horizon Beverage. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 12 Feb 2024 | E183 Ray White | 00:46:03 | |
This weeks guest is Ray White who joins us from Tel Aviv, Israel. Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia Ray relocated to Tel Aviv over a decade ago. Over the years, Ray has become recognized as one of the top female bartenders in Tel Aviv. Ray's journey began in her late teens in an Irish pub, where she cultivated her bartending skills. Starting with whiskey and beer, Ray immersed herself in Italian restaurants to explore wine, cigars, and chef cuisine. In her early 20s, Ray's passion for cocktails led her to own a small beach bar for a summer season. Fast forward to 23, and Ray relocated to Tel Aviv, managing renowned cocktail bars like Bellboy, Spicehouse, and Bushwick. Ray has not only competed and judged in cocktail competitions but also served as an ambassador for Mezcal IBA for four years and Beluga vodka for two years. Currently, Ray is a co-owner of R2D (Ready to Drink) with her husband and another partner. R2D offers bar consulting services that include crafting cocktail menus, bars, and providing service and alcohol history lessons. R2D organizes private and large-scale cocktail events, tailoring experiences from boutique affairs with handcrafted syrups to massive festivals. The company also produces products like AI Foam (a vegan foam) and AI Mix (foam + sweet + sour). R2D supply draft cocktails in beer kegs throughout Israel. Beyond Ray's professional endeavors, she is also a proud mother of three kids. Despite the demands of her dynamic career, Ray also finds time to host a monthly alcohol TV show called "SaneDrink" and actively contribute to the local bartenders' school by teaching a special Mixology course. Ray's goal is to share her expertise and passion for cocktails, inspiring the next generation of bartenders. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 20 Jul 2020 | E18 Katrina Zoltak | 01:29:44 | |
This weeks guest is Katrina Zoltak. Katrina got her start in the Industry shortly after high school when she enrolled in the Culinary Management program at Fanshawe College in London Ontario. After graduation, Katrina started working at Philty McNasty’s in Waterloo - the classic family eatery by day, and nightclub at night - a common staple of the era of the 90’s and 2000’s. After several years, Katrina moved on to the Westmount Golf and Country Club, followed by stints at The Revolution and Flying Dog, The Huether, and local institution Ethel’s. After working at independent establishments for most of her career, Katrina started working at Boston Pizza, local chain Bauer Kitchen, and currently at the Keg in Cambridge Ontario. | |||
| 03 Aug 2020 | E20 Yancy Violi | 01:27:55 | |
Yancy Violi aka Mr. Bar & Bowtie, is NYC’s newest Celebrity Bartender, newly moved to Portland Oregon, making waves in both the drink scene and social media. Before his cross-country trek, he was the head bartender for Charlie Palmer’s newest cocktail collective, Ava Social, as well as owner and operator of Bar & Bowtie, a full-tiered events activation and pop-up company. Yancy, a south Florida native, began his career at restaurant bars and nightclubs throughout college before being asked to join the team at Junior’s Cheesecake and open their second Times Square location as Bar Director. After just one year in New York, Yancy’s personality and skills drew the attention of Netflix, Bella Magazine, and many others to create cocktails and bartend events at various locations. During this COVID scene, you’ll find Yancy, in Portland, scoping out the latest in bar hospitality and doing his flair behind the bar. barandbowtie.com yancy@barandbowtie.com Instagram: @barandbowtie @yancyvioli Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 19 Feb 2024 | E184 Elissa Dunn | 00:44:12 | |
Elissa 'HellQueen' Dunn returns to the show. Joining us from Phoenix, Arizona, Elissa discusses rebranding from The BadassBartender to HellQueen Cocktails. Elissa discusses Arizona Cocktail Weekend, the bar scene in Phoenix and surrounding areas plus a host of other topics. You can find Elissa's on Instagram @hellqueencocktails Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 28 Sep 2020 | E28 Josh Lindley | 01:21:33 | |
Josh Lindley is the co-founder and driving force along with his wife Jessica Blaine Smith behind the website Bartender Atlas. Launched in 2016, this website is a worldwide community of bartenders created for bartenders and cocktail lovers alike. On Bartender Atlas, you can check out the feature articles, cocktail recipes, Bar Hops and other content from leaders in the bartending industry. Josh originally started working in radio back in the early 2000’s. He was on air personality at Toronto radio station 102.1 The Edge for several years. He eventually left that job to tour with bands and help run a record label. After several years of cross country travel Josh made another career pivot in life. In 2006, Josh stated off as bar back at the Drake Hotel. Eventually, Josh moved on to bartending in 2007 and has been bartending since that time. He has worked at a couple of restaurants that gotten on the Best New restaurants in EnRoute and won several cocktail competitions. He has also worked as the Canadian Brand Ambassador for Hendrick's Gin. He was bar manager at Campagnolo and a hired gun at Bar Isabel. He has contributed to many magazines, tv shows and newspapers with his recipes and opinions. Currently pouring at Bitter Days and Le Phenix, he enjoys being an ambassador to Toronto and talking about horror movies, punk rock and basketball. To reach Josh or Jessica by email: bartenderatlas@gmail.com Instagram: @bartenderatlas @bitterdaysto @joshflindley Podcast Artwork @zak.hannah | |||
| 05 Jul 2021 | E68 Kypp Saunders Part 2 | 00:40:44 | |
This is Part 2 of our 2 Part interview with Kypp Saunders - the host of this podcast! Kypp is currently co-owner of Sugar Run in Kitchener Ontario and the soon to be open Babylon Sisters in Waterloo, Ontario. Growing up in Kingston Ontario, Kypp started working in the Industry while still in high school. After finishing high school, Kypp moved to Waterloo Ontario to attend the University of Waterloo. It was at this time that Kypp started working at the Bombshelter Pub - one of the on-campus bars at the University. Upon graduation Kypp worked at a number of spots for several short stints before finding himself a home at Ethel’s Lounge in Waterloo. Kypp spent a total of roughly a decade and a half working at Ethels in two separate stints. Several years in to his first run at Ethels, Kypp decided he wanted to try the day job life and left Ethels to work at telecommunications provider Rogers. It was while working at Rogers that Kypp realized that working in the industry was the career choice for him. He subsequently left Rogers and returned to working at Ethel’s once again. Eventually, Kypp decided that he wanted to move in to the ownership side of the industry, and together with a business partner, opened up White Rabbit in Waterloo. Several years later, Kypp exited from White Rabbit ownership, and moved on to a new venture in downtown Kitchener - Sugar Run - a speak easy themed bar. Kypp is currently in the process of opening up a wine bar in uptown Waterloo in Summer 2021 named Babylon Sisters. Links: Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 21 Aug 2023 | E163 Denis Hernandez | 00:45:17 | |
This weeks guest is Denis Hernandez who joins us for an in person interview. Originally born in Woodstock, Ontario, Denis is of El Salvadorian background where cooking, eating and sharing food plays a prominent role in life. Denis’s mother and aunts are a big influence on his passion for the industry. Denis has been in the culinary filed for the past 16 years. Denis started his journey in the Industry when he attended the Niagara Culinary Institute after high school. It was during that time that Denis began his apprenticeship at Peller Estates at Niagara On The Lake which really opened up his mind to the creativity of the kitchen. Over the last decade, Denis has moved around Ontario and has had the opportunity of working with some of the most talented chefs in the province. In Denis’s career he has been the recipient of many accolades and rewards and has given his time and effort back to the community. Some of these include becoming Feast On Certified; Canadian Chef at the Stratford Chef School; Awarded Top Dishes in Waterloo Region; Les Marmitons Guest Chef; Canadian Mental Health Association Guest Chef; Carizon Guest Chef. Denis is currently operating his own food and catering business H86. You can find more information on Instagram @h86.co or try his food out at the Argyle Arms in Cambridge. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 07 Sep 2020 | E25 Paige Henderson | 01:21:06 | |
This weeks guest is Paige Henderson. Paige is currently employed as the Manager at Swine and Vine in Kitchener, Ontario. We talk with Paige about topics such as the ongoing debate about tip culture, making a liveable wage in the industry, sexual harassment - more specifically the differences between treatment of genders when it comes to work colleagues as well as treatment from guests. Paige got her start in The Industry while in high school by getting a job in Tim Hortons. This introduction to corporate restaurants and structure eventually led to a job at McDonalds for the next several years off an on. This was eventually followed by a stint out west in Banff working at the Fairmont Banff Springs resort for a season. Once her stint working out west completed, Paige moved to Quebec and more specifically the Montreal suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux where she got her first job as a host. Eventually, Paige moved back to Kitchener-Waterloo and worked at popular Uptown Waterloo spots such as Fox and The Fiddle and Taco Farm. After several years at Taco Farm, Paige spent several months travelling in South East Asia. Upon her return, Paige moved on to working at Swine and Vine and continues to work there today. Swine And Vine @swineandvine Podcast Artwork @zak.hannah | |||
| 21 Feb 2022 | E99 Jonathan Gushue | ||
This week’s guest is Jonathan Gushue - one of Canada’s finest and most decorated chefs. After training in the Japanese Alps for one year, Jonathan accepted an apprenticeship with the Savoy Group in London. Jonathan later moved on to the Novelli Group and Pied a Terre also in London. Upon returning to Canada, Jonathan made his way across the country and back again working in St. John’s, Toronto and Vancouver. In 2002 Jonathan was named head chef of the famed Truffles Restaurant at the Four Seasons in Toronto, where he developed his passion for regional cooking. There he maintained the restaurants 5 diamond status for 3 years. In 2005, Jonathan became executive chef of Langdon Hall, a Relais and Chateaux property just outside of Toronto. Some regard its kitchen to be the finest in Canada. Most recently Jonathan and his kitchen have received the Tattenger Award of Excellence, #77 in S. Pellegrino top 100 and the Pinnacle award for Canadian Chef of the Year. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 30 May 2022 | E113 Christie Collins | ||
This weeks guest is Christie Collins. Christie has worked in a multitude of restaurant settings from breakfast places to brew pubs to casual fine dining establishments and golf courses and many more. Currently, Christie is the driving force behind growprepcreate.com - an online platform dedicated to helping people cook, meal plan and prep in a way that supports your health goals and delights your tastebuds. You can also find Christine online at christiecollins.ca and on Instagram @grow.prep.create Born and raised in Kitchener-Waterloo, Christie grew up in a very large, close family where all of the gatherings entered on food. There was a love and appreciation built for amazing spreads, pot luck style where every family contributed a dish or two with the dishes and presentation getting fancier as everyone got older. Having worked in all sorts of restaurant settings through the years, Christie has gained a deep understanding and appreciation of cooking, dining, wine and enjoying life. Each place Christie has worked, she has always been one to ask a lot of questions to the chefs and cooks about any new dishes or ingredients. Along the way, Christie developed a wealth of knowledge regarding specific techniques and flavour combinations from some amazing chefs. Loving food and beverages (wine.. mostly wine) has been a huge part of what has lead Christie to nutrition - wanting to find a way to indulge in delicious food everyday, but still leading to a healthy life. Also a big thank you to our sponsor - thecaseforwine.com Contact rick@thecaseforwine.com for all your wine needs - both personal and commercial. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 07 Oct 2024 | E210 Jay McNeely | 01:00:47 | |
This weeks guest is Jason McNeely who joins us for an in person interview. Currently, Jay is the Lead Bartender at Area which is in The Well complex in Toronto. Jay got an early start in the Industry when he started washing dishes at his grandparents restaurant in Gananoque, Ontario. Jason eventually worked in all the roles from dishwasher to cooking to sever before he eventually left to go to school in Ottawa. Initially, Jay did a quick stint at University of Ottawa studying physics before realizing that this wasn’t the career for him and switched over to culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu and completed the Superior Cuisine Diploma. Jay worked in both corporate and private establishments while in school, and decided to focus on working in smaller establishments shortly thereafter. Jay eventually wound up working back at his family’s restaurant to help them out for a while. After a fire at the restaurant, Jay moved in to becoming a sales rep, as he became a food sales rep. This in turn led to Jay becoming a rep for a microbrewery. As all good things eventually come to an end, and Jay decided to move back to working front of house at a restaurant, and decided to take on the job of becoming a bartender. This has been a terrific move for Jay as he has gone to run several bar programs, manage and open numerous bars as well as compete in the region finals of World Class a couple of times. Jay also has a successful Instagram page that you can find @jay.mcn Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 22 Jun 2020 | E14 Aaron Hatchell | 01:17:42 | |
This week we are joined by Aaron Hatchell. He started as a dishwasher when he was 15 years old at Kelseys in Woodstock Ontario. Having a strong interest in cooking, Aaron eventually worked his way through the kitchen, including running the line until he turned 17. Shortly thereafter, Aaron who is also an accomplished figure skater, joined up with Disney on Ice. After touring the world for two years, Aaron returned home to continue pursuing his education. Upon his return to Woodstock, Aaron worked at Montana’s as a server and bartender for 6 years on and off through school. He graduated from the University of Toronto with honours with a double major in Criminology and Environmental Geography. Additionally, Aaron is an openly queer bartender. Currently, Aaron is employed as Lead Bartender at Langdon Hall. Aaron also has a long list of notable accomplishments and accolades: World Class Canada National Finalist 2020 World Class Canada Regional Finalist 2019 Bacardi Legacy Regional Finalist Tales of the Cocktail Apprentice 2019 Tiki By The Sea Alumni Published Cocktails in Relais and Chateaux “The Art Of The Garden” Founder of SOBC (Southwestern Ontario Bartender Community) which he started in January 2020. Cofounder of A & M Hospitality. Also founded recently, to feature local business and eventually bring elevated hospitality to the masses, through product knowledge, menu building, and community engagement. Instagram @aaron_hatchell @aandmhospitality | |||
| 07 Jun 2021 | E64 Angela Aiello | ||
This week we are joined by Angela Aiello for a terrific conversation on all things wine. ANGELA AIELLO Wine Expert, Journalist, Educator and On-Air Host Contact information: ask@superwinegirl.com Website: www.superwinegirl.com IG: @SuperWineGirl Who Is Angela Aiello Angela Aiello has been changing the world of wine for the past 20 years. Seeking to make wine endlessly fascinating, she goes by the moniker “Super Wine Girl” and is currently the TV host for the CTV Morning Live, CHCH Morning Live, Dine & Dash Radio and has spent the last decade hosting on-air wine segments for TV and radio. Angela has regular wine columns in Horizon magazine, WanderEater.com and ViewtheVibe.com. She also hosts “The Juice,” her very own wine show and is a freelance consultant and journalist. What has she done? At the age of 25, Angela Aiello founded one of the most engaging wine clubs for millennials in Canada. This was the start of her journey to democratize wine, which she has continued to do since 2006 (coincidentally it started at the beginning of the social media boom). Her wine club was based in Toronto, Canada and focused on educating wine enthusiasts. Angela has been curating hundreds of wine tasting events and also ran a wine institute for 10 years. She believes we are no now in a Wine Renaissance period - where wine is finally modernizing itself with the times. Angela has taught countless wine school classes and even hosted fun and celebrated classes like “how to Saber”. She has helped thousands of Canadians learn about wine in a non-pretentious, yet educational way both in person and also now virtually. She is a trailblazer, fearless entrepreneur and is dedicated to helping grow and change the global wine community. Before the pandemic, she owned two hip wine venues, one a ‘wine cave’ on Queen Street West and a second private event space in a townhouse on King Street West. Her not for profit work includes: Angela currently has an on-going campaign that highlights #WinesThatGiveBack and she has also sat on the Board of Directors for Femmes du Vin, a not-for-profit organization that supports women in the wine trade. She was an integral part of the “Don’t Poke the Bear” wine launch campaign in Canada, which won an ELSI award from the LCBO and in 2018, she became part of the PIWOSA Women in Wine community where she volunteered her time to work a harvest in Stellenbosch, South Africa. She also has shared her entrepreneurial story as part of the Fuckup Alumni community of speakers who share their business stories to support other entrepreneurs. Other Things about her: She can often be found sitting on industry panels, openly sharing lessons and learnings from her years of experience and sipping coffee with someone new in the industry helping them with connections and referrals. She will donate her time, knowledge and wine expertise to many of the not-for-profit community organizations in Toronto, to bridge wine with new and emerging cultures, events and audiences. She believes in bringing alternative voices into the world of wine and changing the industry to a more inclusive and diverse space. She is a creative writer working on her memoir and loves to interview chefs, sommeliers and celebrities including names like John Malkovich, Christine Cushing, Priyanka Chopra, DLynn Proctor, and Max Riedel just to name a few. She hosted Nelson Mandela’s Daughter and granddaughter in her wine cave when their wines launched in Ontario, is a social media influencer, travel and culinary enthusiast and amatuer photographer. Angela grew up in Niagara, Canada and began her career at Vineland Estates WInery and Peller Estates winery, both 4 diamond restaurants. She has a business Communications B.A Honours from Brock University, attended the Sommelier program at George Brown College and has a Spanish WIne Certificate from Wines from Spain. Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 20 Jan 2025 | E220 David Schaub | 00:42:50 | |
This weeks guest is David Schaub who joins us from Ottawa, Ontario. Trained and raised in Waterloo, Ontario, David Schaub spent a decade learning his craft in the area’s restaurants, caterers, and butcher shop. Most notably, Dave spent nearly five years at Bhima’s Warung, learning the foundations of his career. Settling in Ottawa in 2010, Dave worked his way through some of the city’s kitchens before perfecting his ketchup recipe at The Black Cat Bistro. He started bottling small-batch condiments as The Ketchup Project in 2017. A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia for setting up our new website theindustrypodcast.club. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and drink nerds and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more features……Imbiblia - check it out! Looking for a Bartending Service? Or a private bartender to run your next corporate or personal event? Need help crafting a bar program for your restaurant? Contact Alchemist Alie for all your bartending needs: @alchemist.alie LInks email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club | |||
| 12 Aug 2024 | E204 Katie Auth | 00:36:32 | |
This weeks we are joined by Katie Auth, a New York City based bartender. Katie has been working in hospitality for over a decade. She’s know for her culinary style cocktails, with influence from food and dishes from across the globe. Katie hopes to help impact the community positively with her focuses on healthy living and fitness. Currently, you can find Katie working at Record Room in Long Island City, Queens. And a big thank you to this weeks sponsor - Elora Distilling Company. Elora Distilling Company produces handcrafted, premium products in a grain to grass distillery and the grains are sourced from local farms in Waterloo and Wellington counties. There are over 25 products on the Elora Distilling company’s roster including gins, vodkas, rums, whiskeys, liquors and pre-mixed products. All products are available for wholesale to restaurants and bars. Follow them @eloradistillingco or check out EloraDistillingCompany.com Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 24 Aug 2020 | E23 Andrea Grujic | 01:19:50 | |
This week we are joined by NYC bartender and resident Andrea Grujic. Just call her Dre. At the time that the interview was recorded, Dre was back in her native Serbia for a 2 month vacation enjoying some well deserved rest and relaxation time. Being the daughter of a diplomat, Dre grew up with a nomadic lifestyle. Born in Belgrade, raised in Budapest, she spent some time in Oslo and now resides in New York City. Dre got her start in the Industry about 5 years ago. She started off as a waitress and soon moved on to the bar scene once she mastered the basics. Dre spent a few years working in random bars to make ends meet and pay for school. However, once she started working at The Highwater in NYC, everything changed for her. Dre learned about making homemade syrups and bitters, smoking cocktails and fat washing spirits. She was pushed to create her own drinks. At that point, she fell in love in the creativity behind cocktail culture. This new found passion drove Dre to immerse herself in this world. Dre spent her time researching and learning as much as she could about various spirits, crafting a cocktail program, bar management and industry networking. This was time well spent as she subsequently spent several years as a bartender and beverage director. Dre is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Media Management. She plans to intertwine her education with the bar industry as she plans to do branding and content production within the bar industry. Instagram: @by__dre Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 09 Aug 2021 | E73 Laura Nielsen | ||
This weeks guest is Laura Nielsen - Territory Manager for PMA Canada. Currently living in London, Ontario, Laura originally grew up in St Thomas, Ontario. Laura got her start in The Industry while still in high school when she got a job at a local pizzeria. After a year or so, Laura eventually landed a job as a Sandwich Artist at Subway. It was while at Subway, that Laura moved in to a management role. This would become the first of many management roles that Laura has had through her career. After graduating high school Laura moved to Guelph Ontario. Laura attended the University of Guelph where she graduated with a B.A. in Criminal Justice. Having a love of musical theatre, Laura got herself an agent in Toronto to help her land auditions and roles in acting/singing/modelling/theatre. It was during this time that Laura got a job at Wine Rack where she eventually moved into a Supervisor/Manager role once again. Laura eventually moved on to working as a bartender/server/manager/supervisor while going to auditions in Toronto for 4 years. In 2011, Laura moved back to London and worked at a corporate Moxie’s for 3 to 4 years as a supervisor/keyholder/head trainer. From there, Laura moved on to McCabes where she was hired as a manager and then shortly thereafter became the General Manager and stayed there for 6 years. Laura gained loads of experience with opening a restaurant and managing people….hiring…firing…training…creating menus….admin work…and being on call eight days a week! Eventually, Laura moved on to PMA Canada in April 2019. Links: The Story of Jumbo the Elephant PMA Canada - https://www.pmacanada.com Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 02 Aug 2021 | E72 Responding To Online Comments And Reviews | ||
This week’s episode takes a different approach as our intrepid host Kypp Saunders responds to online comments and reviews from Reddit and Google. We also add in a couple of rants about customers and coworkers. We may make this format a short segment for each show in the near future. If you have any rants or comments about customers or coworkers - feel free to reach out to us either by DM @the_industry_podcast or send us an email which you can address to info@theindustrypodcast.club. We also encourage sending voice recordings of your rants as well - email them to us. Enjoy the show! Links: Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 13 Jun 2022 | E115 Danil Nevsky | 00:48:23 | |
This weeks episode is sponsored by The Case for Wine. The Case For Wine has been importing quality artisanal wine for over 20 years. Founded in 1998, The Case For Wine sells its products through an assortment of channels including LCBO Vintages, LCBO General Products, the Consignment channel, and to private collectors. Contact Rick Baroncelli for all your wine needs for home and commercial at rick@theaseforwine.com This weeks guest is Danil Nevsky, a Russian globe trotter currently living in Barcelona. Dan is the Founder and CEO of Indie Bartender. Dan has been nominated among the Top 100 Most Influential in the Hospitality Industry and also addresses himself as ‘The Independent Bartender’, has a diverse range of international experiences and over 15 years in the hospitality industry. Dan has successfully completed the ‘Vagabond Project’, 16 Months when he worked free full time in 11 different bars and 11 Countries. Ambitious, unfiltered & always interested in pushing the limits of the Hospitality industry, Dan’s main goal is to provide independent meaningful marketing solutions for spirit brands and empower the bartenders worldwide. Links @cocktailman thecaseforwine.com email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 14 Apr 2025 | E229 Esther Dawson | 00:52:12 | |
Esther Dawson is a Certified Sommelier based in Ontario with over eight years of experience in hospitality. Esther currently works as the Sommelier, Cellar Lead, and F&B Content Creator at Langdon Hall Relais & Châteaux, where she’s not only on the floor pairing wines and opening bottles, but also involved in the marketing and media side—crafting content, managing promotions, and helping tell the story of the restaurant’s food and beverage program. Esther began her journey in wine while working in hospitality, with formative years spent at The Elora Mill and nearly a decade at Langdon Hall, where she officially became a sommelier in 2023. She holds certifications from both the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET Level 3), and is currently preparing for her Advanced Sommelier certification. Esther also works as a consulting Sommelier for Sarnia Golf Club and other private clubs, bringing curated wine experiences and events to members and guests. As if that isn't enough, Esther is also involved with the InVintory app as one of their consulting Sommeliers. With a background in Vocal Music, she brings creativity, curiosity, and a warm, approachable style to everything she does. When Esther’s not talking about wine, she is likely traveling the world or spending time with her adorable Toy Poodle puppy, Reggie—who’s quickly become the star of her off-hours life. A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia for setting up our new website theindustrypodcast.club. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and drink nerds and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out! Looking for a Bartending Service? Or a private bartender to run your next corporate or personal event? Need help crafting a bar program for your restaurant? Contact Alchemist Alie for all your bartending needs: @alchemist.alie Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kypp@babylonsisters.ca for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club | |||
| 11 Oct 2021 | E80 Alie Kudoba | 00:52:36 | |
This weeks guest is Alie Kudoba who is currently the head Bartender at The Bauer Kitchen in Waterloo, Ontario. Born and raised in Kitchener Ontario, Alie got her start in the industry as a barista at Second Cup while still in high school. It was Alie’s first test of a fast paced customer service environment. At that point in time, Alie realized she enjoyed the challenge of making drinks beautifully but also with speed and efficiency. Alie eventually moved on to Molly Blooms in Kitchener, where she started serving and bartending. Alie worked with the greatest people at that little dive bar which included one of her very best friends still to this day. After two years at Molly Blooms, Molly and a couple of her friends moved out to Whistler, British Columbia together. At the time, Whistler would not hire anyone in the industry without a minimum of 3 years serving/bartending experience, so Alie settled for another barista job. During her time in Whistler, Alie met an Australian boy, and decided to move to his home town on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland Australia. While in Australia, Alie got a job working at a fine dining restaurant on the beach. Eventually, the Australian romance fizzled out, and Alie moved back to Whistler BC. Now that Alie finally had 3 years of serving and bartending experience, Alie was hired at Earls Whistler in the dead season of summer. However, her job did not start until September. Running low on funds, Alie reached out to her mom. Her mom’s advice was to move back to Ontario and live at home and save up some money until Alie could go back out west on her own dime. Alie’s plan was to work at The Bauer Kitchen in Waterloo for 6 months and then move back to Whistler. However, while working at The Bauer Kitchen, Alie met the love of her life. Being close to home and family and with a new romance, Alie decided to end her backpacking plans, and call Kitchener-Waterloo her home. Alie has now been working at The Bauer Kitchen for 8 years now. During the early stages of the covid lockdown, Alie has also started her own side hustle. Under the name “Alchemist Alie” - she started hosting online mixology courses through zoom, paired with cocktail kits and bar tools. From there, she gained private bartending gigs and is now venturing into bottled cocktails with a friend who owns The Grazing Table in KW. You can find Alie on instagram at @alchemist.alie. Links @alchemist.alie email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 11 Sep 2023 | E164 Dave Nitzel and Dave Domzalski | 00:51:50 | |
This week we are joined by Dave Nitzel and Dave Domzalski - who are successful hospitality coaches, entrepreneurs and authors. Most recently, Dave and Dave released a book that they co-authored titled “Hospitality DNA”. Dave and Dave interviewed elite and award winning industry talent from around the globe to find out how they operate in the bar and restaurant business. Together with the interviews and their own research, Hospitality DNA is a compilation of story telling chapters of great challenges and achievements woven into meaningful business lessons. Dave and Dave have also published another award winning book several years ago titled “The Bar Shift” - a compilation of best practices for managing your bar and restaurant specifically targeting concepts and processes that will improve results and work-life balance. Dave and Dave run a joint hospitality consulting venture - Dave and Dave Hospitality - you can find more information on their website daveanddave.co Links Hospitality DNA on Amazon Canada Hospitality DNA at Apple Books The Bar Shift on Amazon Canada email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 04 Jul 2022 | E118 Yelena Anter Returns | ||
Yelena Anter returns this week for another interview on The Industry. Originally from a small village in Russia, Yelena currents lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Yelena has a very strong entrepreneurial spirit and is the creator and the driving force behind Cocktail Vision - an online platform that guides you through your journey in the cocktail and spirits world with recipes, products and consulting advice. You can find all of Yelena’s products on Chef Rubber. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 02 Sep 2024 | E206 Matt Maretz | 00:34:57 | |
This weeks guest is Matt Maretz who joins us from New York City. Matt has worked as a bartender in NYC for the last 6 years and during the last 5 he has worked through the program at Employees Only and now is a Principal Bartender and Assistant Bar Manager at the world renown bar celebrating it’s 20th year this year. Originally from San Diego CA, Matt studied Acting at Syracuse University receiving a BFA and worked in various acting projects before turning to hospitality and falling in love with the bar industry. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 14 Dec 2020 | E39 Andi Whiskey | 00:55:38 | |
Andi Whiskey is a successful entrepreneur who has been running businesses since she was 16. This ranged from a skateboard magazine to a private event bartending business to an ecommerce business to a luxury barbershop. Andi is now offering the lessons learned through her experiences with her ventures to bars and restaurants with her hospitality consultancy business. The food & beverage industry has always been her passion. The goal is to help hospitality businesses grow and thrive. Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 24 May 2021 | E62 Alexis Tinoco | 00:52:49 | |
This week’s guest is Alexis Tinoco. Currently residing in Chicago Illinois, Alexis has been working at the Aviary for over seven years where the past five have been dedicated to managing and helping to build the bar program. The bar program at Aviary was chef designed and is meant to explore unique techniques and serviceware via cocktails. The Aviary is well known for their culinary approach to beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and the ice program which includes everything from hand-chipped ice to flavored ice to their infamous "In the Rocks." Prior to Alexis’s time in Chicago, she was living and working in New York City. Before getting involved in the restaurant and bar industry, Alexis was a student at Arizona State University and The University of Arizona studying Biochemistry. Alexis had hoped to eventually get her Ph.D. At that point, Alexis moved to New York to take a break from her studies and started working in restaurants. This is where Alexis met her husband and they eventually moved to Chicago to pursue continued careers in hospitality. They have been living in Chicago ever since. Alexis and her husband hope to one day open their own restaurant and bar. If you are interested in an Au Stage (interning) at the Aviary - contact Alexis through email: alexis.tinoco@theaviary.com Alexis: @slayy_her Aviary: theaviary.com Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah Aaron Hatchell akthospitality.com Matt Hewson @matt.hewson | |||
| 10 Jul 2023 | E159 Natalie Bovis | 00:45:45 | |
This weeks guest is Natalie Bovis. Natalie’s first high school restaurant job was as a busser in her hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico, back in 1985. Since then, Natalie has held every front-of-house position imaginable in restaurants, bars, and nightclubs from Los Angeles, Paris, Washington DC,to a small town on the Costa Brava in Spain. Natalie has been a restaurant publicist, and is currently a culinary event producer, and cocktail book author. Natalie was one of the first women blogging about mixology when she launched The Liquid Muse in 2006. From there, she has taught mixology seminars at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, at the Bols House in Amsterdam, Portland Cocktail Week, Arizona Cocktail Week; consults for liquor brands; and co-founded OM Chocolate Liqueur, which is now available in 18 states and the Caribbean. In 2015, she created New Mexico’s first annual mixology festival, and she is also a Culinary Producer for the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America national dinner series. Natalie's latest book, Drinking with My Dog: the Canine Lovers’ Cocktail Book, came out earlier this year, and her next book Cocktails with My Cat: Tasty Tipples for Feline Fanatics comes out next Spring. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 24 Jan 2022 | E95 Andrew Daw | 00:55:12 | |
This week we are joined by Andrew Daw - Canadian Brand Ambassador for Crystal Head Vodka and Signal Hill Whisky. Andrew was born and grew up in St John’s, NewFoundLand but currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. Andrew started working in The Industry at the age of 19 when he landed his first job as a bouncer/security at Club Bounce in St John’s. From there, Andrew eventually moved over to the Sundance where he got his first taste of working behind the bar as he now moved on to being bar back as well as a bouncer. Andrew spent over a decade working the bar and restaurant strip of George Street in St Johns in many different facets of the bar and restaurant industry as he has worked the dish pit, food runner, promotions, bar back, bartender, server, supervisor and bar manager. In 2015, Andrew entered his first bartending competition when he competed in the Best Caesar in St. John’s where he placed 2nd. A few months later, Andrew completed in the MIXXIT on the Rock Best Bartender in St John’s where he placed 1st. It was at this point that Andrew started taking bartending more seriously as he had developed the confidence required to grow his skills. Andrew stared entering additional competitions and conducting bar training sessions. In 2018, Andrew moved to Toronto where he was hired as part of the opening team at Don Alfonso 1890. From there, Andrew moved on to the The Shore Club where he eventually landed the role as Bar Manager where he spent the next year and a half. In January 2020, Andrew stared his current role as Canadian Brand Ambassador for Crystal Head Vodka and Signal Hill Whisky. Dan Aykroyd is the creator and major owner of Crystal Head Vodka. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 07 Mar 2020 | E2 Jess Sharkey | 00:51:08 | |
This week we talk with Jess Sharkey. She discusses her life working in The Industry and the many different aspects of her career. | |||
| 23 Nov 2020 | E36 Round Table On Tip Culture | 00:54:21 | |
This week we are joined by guests Adam Hynam-Smith Executive Chef of Dispatch Restaurant in St Catherines, Ontario and Eric Robertson Chef of Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Jordan Station, Niagara, Ontario. We talk about tip culture and the benefits of moving to a no-tip structure at restaurants in order to provide a steady income, liveable wage and security for employees in the service industry. Adam Hynam-Smith is the executive chef and proprietor of Dispatch Restaurant. Dispatch was named one of enRoute Magazine’s Top Ten Best New Restaurants in Canada in 2019. With global cuisine and a beverage program that evokes a sense of place while focusing on low and no waste preparations. Dispatch is located on Niagara’s wine route in the up and coming arts district of downtown St. Catherines, Ontario. Dispatch is a certified living wage employer that offers an elevated, Australian-inspired culinary and hospitality experience without the fuss of fine dining. Adam is the author of Curbside: Modern Street Food From A Vagabond Chef, and has appeared on multiple Food Network Canada series, including Restaurant Takeover, Eat St., and Firemasters. At Dispatch Restaurant, the team of hospitality professionals are pleased to provide exceptional service without the need for guests to offer a gratuity. Eric Robertson is the Chef (co-chef with Daniel Hadida) of Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Jordan Station, Niagara, Ontario. They serve an ever changing multi course menu of the best ingredients of Niagara Region inspired by seasonal French Cooking. In 2018, Pearl Morissette topped enRooute’s Best New Restaurants in Canada and in 2019 reached number 14 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list. The restaurant is on the grounds of the Pearl Morissette winery. Restaurant Pearl Morissette opened as a non gratuity establishment in order to provide a sustainable and secure working environment for the staff. Eric is a graduate of the Stratford Chefs School and has spent time working at Michelin starred restaurant De Wulf in Belgium and Langdon Hall in Cambridge Ontario. Chef Adam Hynam-Smith @chef_ahs Dispatch Restaurant @dispatchresto Chef Eric Robertson @_eric.robertson_ Restaurant Pearl Morissette @restaurant_pearlmorissette Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 22 Jul 2024 | E202 Madison Homewood | 00:39:11 | |
This weeks guest is Madison Homewood. Madi is an award-winning bartender known for her innovative cocktails and exceptional service. Named one of the top 30 under 30 in foodservice and hospitality, Madi has left an indelible mark on the industry. Currently, Madi serves as the Head of Research and Development at Civil Pours, where she leads groundbreaking initiatives in beverage creation and flavor development. Madi's passion for cocktails extends beyond crafting drinks; it encompasses pushing the boundaries of flavor and technique. Madi's commitment to excellence and her ability to blend tradition with modern trends have positioned her as a leader and influencer in the field. With a relentless pursuit of perfection and a dedication to elevating the drinking experience, Madi continues to inspire and shape the future of hospitality. And a big thank you to this weeks sponsor - Elora Distilling Company. Elora Distilling Company produces handcrafted, premium products in a grain to grass distillery and the grains are sourced from local farms in Waterloo and Wellington counties. There are over 25 products on the Elora Distilling company’s roster including gins, vodkas, rums, whiskeys, liquors and pre-mixed products. All products are available for wholesale to restaurants and bars. Follow them @eloradistillingco or check out EloraDistillingCompany.com Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 03 Mar 2025 | E225 Amy Probasco | 00:49:13 | |
This weeks guest is Amy Probasco who joins us from Chicago, Illinois. Amy has been a hospitality professional for nearly two decades. A Virginia native, she has worked throughout the country in high volume clubs, award-winning restaurants, and nationally recognized craft cocktail bars. Named by the Chicago Tribune as one of city's top bartenders in 2012, she went on to establish the bar program at the James Beard Awarded Girl & the Goat restaurant and implement bar systems and operations for the opening of Soho House Chicago. Amys's cocktail recipes have been featured in Forbes, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and Punch magazines. Though working in bars and restaurants will always be her first love, Amy has enjoyed traveling the country as a cocktail consultant - helping streamline beverage programs, create focused drink menus, and lead trainings on cocktail technique and spirits history. Amy is currently an in-house mixologist for Beam Suntory, managing the bar at their North American Headquarters in Chicago. A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia for setting up our new website theindustrypodcast.club. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and drink nerds and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out! Looking for a Bartending Service? Or a private bartender to run your next corporate or personal event? Need help crafting a bar program for your restaurant? Contact Alchemist Alie for all your bartending needs: @alchemist.alie Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kypp@babylonsisters.ca for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports. LInks email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club | |||
| 24 Feb 2025 | E224 Josh Lindley Returns | 00:50:25 | |
This weeks guest is Josh Lindley who returns to the show. Josh began his spirits quest in 2006 after short stints in the broadcasting and music industries. Josh has worked behind bars at notable Toronto establishments like Bar Isabel, Chantecler and Civil Liberties. Josh also worked as brand ambassador for an unusual gin. In 2016 he and life partner, Jessica Blaine Smith, created Bartender Atlas, a worldwide online directory of bartenders. Together, they travel the globe tasting exciting cocktails made by the most passionate bartenders. Jessica and Josh are also co-creators of the Toronto Cocktail Conference and execute events for bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts all over the world. In 2023 Josh made a Spirited Awards Top Ten Nominated Podcast called “The Blackbird” and in 2024 he made sequel called “The Shaft”. Josh’s preferred style of drink is “bitter and stirred” and his preferred style of music is “desperate”. **WHAT IS THE SHAFT? ** In 2022, Bartender Atlas traveled to Victoria, British Columbia to visit some old friends and taste some of the city’s most interesting cocktails. Jessica and Josh found what they were looking for and more. One thing in particular was a cocktail known as “The Shaft”. This creamy coffee concoction was entirely new to the Bartender Atlas crew. Jessica Josh needed to know where it came from and how it became so ubiquitous in this Western Canadian Capital. What they found out was that there is nothing simple in the story of this three ingredient drink. A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia for setting up our new website theindustrypodcast.club. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and drink nerds and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out! Looking for a Bartending Service? Or a private bartender to run your next corporate or personal event? Need help crafting a bar program for your restaurant? Contact Alchemist Alie for all your bartending needs: @alchemist.alie Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kypp@babylonsisters.ca for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports. LInks email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club | |||
| 07 Dec 2020 | E38 Alex Danger | ||
This week we are joined by Alex Danger. Alex grew up in a hospitality family in Malmö, Sweden in the early eighties. He always enjoyed hanging around kitchens and dining rooms from an early age, and Alex’s parents often brought him to both work and parties. Alex was always fascinated by the idea of hosting, taking care of a crowd and doing everything to create a good atmosphere, but it was ultimately one of his fathers books that got him hooked. It was one of those 80's cocktail books with layered drinks, artificial garnishes and sweet cordials. After studying English at University, Alex decided to take a year off and take a bartender education in Gothenburg, Sweden. A year later, he was working his way around bars in Malmö and making cocktails at friends parties. A few years later, Alex was the bar/club manager at a late night hotel-bar in Malmö. It was during this time that Alex stumbled on an opportunity to earn a new kind of education in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on personal development & business creativity. After acquiring his degree, Alex started working in the arts and culture sector by using his passion for mixing drinks for events and pairing cocktails with artwork and exhibitions. Flash forward to 2017, when again Alex found himself shaking potions at a high end cocktail bar. On slow weekday nights, he would spend his time creating new recipes and posting his creations on Instagram, which rapidly took off. Since then he has worked in several of Rotterdams best cocktail bars, traveled to Mexico in search of Agave spirits (and love), and more recently - used his time during lockdown to educate himself in spirits via WSET along with rigorous self-studies. Alex is an outgoing person and somehow always manages to land with his feet on the ground, so he has also managed to pay his bills via his delivery cocktail service and being a freelance brand ambassador. Check out his Instagram account for cocktails @dangerousdrinks & and his rum-focused account @alltherums to see what Alex is up to next! Mixologist @ instagram.com/dangerousdrinks/ Rum-nerd @ instagram.com/alltherums Bartender @ mavis-rotterdam.nl Community Curator @ v2.nl Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 19 Dec 2022 | E138 Lauren Mote | ||
Lauren Mote is the Global Director of On Trade Excellence for PATRÓN Tequila, developing the global PATRÓN trade advocacy agenda for the Tequila brand, and leading the global PATRÓN Perfectionists Bartending Program. Lauren is also a founding partner of the award-winning Bittered Sling cocktail bitters company, Nightcap Media marketing agency and Women Celebrate social enterprise. Lauren is an active member and educator within the global spirits industry, Lauren has led Bar Convent Berlin and Sao Paulo seminars, Athens bar Show, Barometer, London Cocktail Week, TED Vancouver , Tales of the Cocktail and presented at World's 50 Best Bars Awards. Lauren is a part of the Tales of the Cocktail's Culture, Education and Spirited Award committees, serving as the Co-Chair for the Tales of the Cocktail Business Education Committee, and member of the European Spirited Awards Committee. Her industry peers recognized Lauren as the “International Bar Mentor of the Year” at the 2022 Spirited Awards Ceremony with Tales of the Cocktail, and in the past has been recognized as one of the top 4 International Brand Ambassadors of the Year 2019, and top 4 Best Bar Mentor 2021 & 2020. Lauren was also recognized in 2015 as the first Canadian woman inducted into the "Dame Hall of Fame" by Tales of the Cocktail. Lauren is often included in the industry's best lists, including the Bar World 100 by Drinks International, celebrating the very best of the global drinks industry, for the past 3 years. This year is Lauren’s 22nd year in drinks, and 26th in the hospitality industry. Lauren’s first book, "A Bartender’s Guide to the World" [Appetite by Penguin Randomhouse] launched on October 25, 2022 worldwide. IG Links @academia_patron @patron @laurenmote @bittered_sling @mobofmentors @appetite_randomhouse Web Links academiapatron.com bitteredsling.com Bartenders Guide To The World on Book Depository Bartenders Guide To The World on Amazon Additional Links @sugarrunbar @babylonsistersbar @the_industry_podcast email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 16 Oct 2023 | E169 Ellen Slots | 00:40:16 | |
This weeks guest is Ellen Slots who joins us from Orlando, Florida. Ellen is an accomplished and customer-centric professional with 5+ years of experience in food and beverage, hospitality, and operations management within the hotel and hospitality industry. Having worked as the lead sommelier for Michelin star restaurants and beverage director for 5-star Forbes hotels, Ellen possesses a solid history of success in managing overall operations, while providing excellent customer service, developing and implementing standard operating procedures, and preparing/managing budgets to meet financial requirements. Skilled in event planning and execution, team development and leadership, quality assurance and control, and asset management. Ellen graduated from University of Southern California with honors and two bachelor degrees; Psychology and English Literature. After graduating college, Ellen soon discovered a passion for wine. When Ellen moved to Chicago for graduate school, she worked developing her passion for wine, despite pursuing a career in corporate America. Ellen has a track record of working as a Program Director for a non-profit organization, Marketing Manager for a real estate development company, and Event Director for a conference production company. After obtaining her business acumen in the corporate business world, Ellen decided to turn her passion of wine into a career and dedicated her entire time working in the hospitality industry. Since her career conversion, Ellen has worked as a server, bartender, manager, general manager, event director, sommelier, lead sommelier, and beverage director. She has managed multiple beverage programs at one time and has been responsible for educating staff and management, equipping staff with sufficient knowledge to increase overall business. During COVID, Ellen decided to hone her skills into her own business: Providing beverage consulting to small businesses that were trying to regain momentum. Since then, Ellen moved from Miami and is now a permanent resident in Orlando, Florida. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 16 Nov 2020 | E35 Olivia Lindstrom | 01:10:35 | |
This weeks guest is Olivia Lindstrom who currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born and raised in rural Eastern Pennsylvania, Olivia moved to Pittsburgh, PA after highschool to pursue a Biology degree at the University of Pittsburgh. Olivia had always gravitated towards science as a way to understand the world around her. After her laboratory job's project concluded in her junior year, Olivia decided to try her hand at serving to get through her final year of college. She spent 6 months working as a server at a restaurant attached to the DoubleTree hotel called the Bigelow Grille in downtown Pittsburgh. In 2016 Olivia started working at Spork which would be the job that foraged her current career path. Spork is a chef owned restaurant dedicated to fresh and local ingredients. Olivia worked her way up from a backwaiter to bartender, but had a pretty unconventional path of getting there. She has only really defined herself as a bartender for the last 2 years. This was due to the fact the she had pursued wine pretty intensely before stepping behind the bar. Olivia successfully passed the Certified Sommelier Examination in 2018 through the Court of Master Sommeliers. At that time Olivia had fallen in love with the hospitality industry and also how a lot of it overlapped with her love of science. While still working as the Sommelier, Wine Director, and bartending at Spork, Olivia decided she also wanted to try her hand at high volume craft cocktail bartending. She was able to get a job at one of her personal favorite bars in Pittsburgh, Acacia. Being a part of a smaller staff allowed for creative contributions and influence on general operations of the bar. 2018-2020 was a whirlwind of time for Olivia as she dedicated her time outside of work to the industry and gathering as much knowledge as possible. After passing both her introduction and certified levels in the Court of Master Sommeliers, Olivia was also elected President of Pittsburgh's USBG chapter in 2019, nominated for Women in Whiskey through the local Brown Forman team, attended the 2019 Tales Of The Cocktail as a CAP, and was finally apart of the 2020 Team Taco at SACC. Before the pandemic cancelled the majority of events Olivia was going to compete in Speed Rack for the first time and attend Camp Runamok. Since being laid off in March Olivia has made a move to Philadelphia and have been living the exciting life of unemployment and enjoying some much deserved down time. Instagram: @liviajade Podcast Artwork @zak.hannah | |||
| 08 May 2023 | E152 Michael Anderson | 00:42:07 | |
This weeks guest is Michael Anderson. Currently, Michael is a Sommelier, Restaurant Manager and Restaurant Director at the Elora Mill located in Elora, Ontario. Michael got his start in the industry over two decades ago while he was earning his diploma in Recreation and Leisure Services. Michael worked at various independent and family restaurants as a server, bartender and manager. Eventually, Michael earned his Sommelier certification from CMS and CAPS in 2010. From there Michael worked as a Sommelier at various fine dining establishments and eventually became a wine agent for Nicholas Pearce Wines. During this time frame, Michael also started working for the Cambridge Mill which is part of the Pearle Hospitality Group and this led to where he is today at the Elora Mill. Links @sugarrunbar @babylonsistersbar @the_industry_podcast email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 26 Oct 2020 | E32 Ulises Sanchez | 01:13:44 | |
Born in Moscow Russia, while his Cuban parents worked for the Cuban Embassy during the reign of the USSR, Ulises grew up between his family home in Havana, Cuba and Moscow, Russia. In 2008 he immigrated to Vancouver, Canada where he had his first bartending job at the Russian House VIP bar during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He has since moved to Ontario and settled in Stratford, Ontario where he worked behind various local bars and in 2017 became the Head Bartender & Bar Manager of 21 Fir Whiskey Bar & Kitchen in Waterloo where he has remained since. Ulises has taken numerous courses in the bar and spirits realm. These include the Bar Chef International certification, WSET level 1, 2 & 3 in wine and WSET level 1 & 2 in spirits. He is a member of a local sommelier tasting group as well as being listed in the Bartender’s Atlas. Ulises has competed in and judged the KW Collective Cocktail competition and was awarded the top prize in Sep 2018. Instagram:@superuli81 Podcast Artwork @zak.hannah | |||
| 12 Sep 2022 | E126 Kevin Kos With Bonus Yelena Anter | ||
This weeks episode is sponsored by The Case for Wine. Get $25 off your first purchase when you mention 'The Industry Podcast' The Case For Wine has been importing quality artisanal wine for over 20 years. Founded in 1998, The Case For Wine sells its products through an assortment of channels including LCBO Vintages, LCBO General Products, the Consignment channel, and to private collectors. Contact Rick Baroncelli for all your wine needs for home and commercial at rick@theaseforwine.com Get $25 off your first purchase when you mention 'The Industry Podcast' This week we are joined by Kevin Kos in the first and main segment of the episode. In the bonus segment at 25:14 Yelena Anter makes her monthly return to the show. Kevin Kos, is a 32-year-old bartender from Slovenia, working in hospitality since he was 16, which means that this year marks the point where Kevin has been working in this fascinating industry for half of his life! But bartending happened randomly, since Kevin originally enrolled in a civil engineering school. When he finished school, Kevin stuck to the job he worked at, and had fun in. After winning the Havana Grand Prix 2018 competition in Slovenia, Kevin's career and motivation took off and he quickly realized that he will be bartending for a long time. Kevin was offered a head bartender position in Niagara Cocktail Bar in Maribor where he has now worked for 5 years. At Niagara, Kevin started with his own Thursday evening called ‘Unknown Taste’ where he served a three-course cocktail menu with food pairings. This themed evening pushed Kevin even further in learning new things and techniques. Ever since Kevin expanded his knowledge about bartending and mixology - he wanted to share the knowledge with his staff; and; more recently on his YouTube channel called “Cocktail Time with Kevin Kos”. This is a project where Kevin works with two of his good friends, Sašo Veber (Director of Photography) and Robi Fišer (the Director). More recently, Kevin is focusing on the channel with the hope that his social media following will grow and that he could teach an even wider audience about the beautiful world of cocktails. Yelena Anter - joins us from Las Vegas Nevada. Yelena is the driving force behind Cocktail Vision - an online platform that guides you through your journey in the cocktail and spirits world with recipes, products and consulting advice. Links Website: cocktail.vision email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 22 Apr 2024 | E190 Carolyn Sandler | 00:45:16 | |
This weeks guest is Carolyn Sandler who joins us from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Carolyn is a born and bred Torontonian with a passion for all things dessert related. Carolyn’s been freelancing in Film and TV with a strong focus on logistics and culinary for the last 15 years. In addition to set work, Carolyn has taught food media, tourism and culinary theory at a local Toronto College and loves working alongside her international students to discover the best of Toronto’s food landscape. Carolyn has also managed catering and events for some of Toronto’s biggest chefs including Fidel Gastro’s. Carolyn is an avid traveller, always hoping on a plane to visit an exciting new country! With 35 countries visited, Carolyn is always looking for new food adventures to discover. When Carolyn’s not working with food on set or in the classroom, she can be found, snacking, getting tattooed, traveling, learning new dishes and languages and waterfall hiking. Carolyn loves true crime, a substantial charcuterie board, and cuddling with her Min Pin / Chihuahua, Chance. You can find Carolyn online at Instagram @miss_sugarskull and her Etsy storefront Fig And Fortune. And a big thank you to this weeks sponsor - Civil Pours - A ready to pour, premium cocktail program that blends the highest quality, proprietary ingredients into shelf stable, top selling cocktails delivered to you in draft-ready kegs. All you do is pour, serve, and savour a seamless experience designed to captivate your customer and smooth your service. To get in touch contact sales@civilpours.com or check the website civilpours.com Links: Fig And Fortune Etsy Storefront email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 25 Oct 2021 | E82 Liz Furlong | 00:36:04 | |
This week we are joined by Liz Furlong. A Canadian based out of Costa Rica, Liz Furlong has become known as one of Central America's most prominent mixologists. Experimenting with local botanicals and ferments, she takes advantage of her fertile surroundings to forage and collect ingredients for her cocktails with a style she likes to call “Jungle Bartending” Since 2012, Liz has spent her time working closely with chefs and farms, consulting for restaurant and hotel clients throughout Latin and North America. Her bar, Bebedero, opened in 2017 in the historic center of San José, Costa Rica. Bebedero was one of the country’s first cocktail bars, focusing on the use of local ingredients from the rainforests of Central America to encourage biodiversity and conservation. In 2020, Bebedero was a Tales of the Cocktail Regional Top Ten Honoree for Best International Cocktail Bar in Latin America and the Caribbean. Bebedero will soon reopen its doors, but for the moment they are offering services online and directly to the comfort of your home. You can also expect a new bar project, Curandero, based out of San José, Costa Rica, from her soon. Liz is also the founder of La Sociedad del Cóctel (The Cocktail Society), a bartender’s guild offering free training and lifestyle tools to bartenders in Central America. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah | |||
| 18 Sep 2023 | E165 Jonathan Mateer | 00:39:13 | |
Jon Mateer is the Beverage Manager at TPC Sawgrass with the PGA Tour. Jon has worked in bars and restaurants over the last 12 years and places a major focus on craft cocktails. Some of the highlights along the way include being part of the opening bar team at the prestigious Death & Co. in Denver, where he worked as a bartender and education lead. During his time there, the team received numerous accolades from the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation including being a finalist for both “Best New American Cocktail Bar” and “Best American Bar Team.” Jon has been fortunate enough to have been selected as a Top 100 Bartender in The United States by Diageo World Class in 2022 & 2023! Last year, Jon claimed the title of U.S. National Champion of the Giffard West Cup and traveled to France to compete in the International Finals. Locally, Jon serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Bartender’s Guild in Jacksonville, Florida. In his spare time, Jon has a podcast called Bardtenders where he and a few fellow bartenders take a break from putting liquids in cups. Bardtenders is a Dungeons & Dragons podcast run by a group of bartenders who traded in their shakers for sets of dice. While they play D&D, “…one of our other major focuses is providing on-the-job education for hospitality industry employees and also giving them access to mental and physical health resources!" Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 30 Oct 2023 | E171 Rob Miller | 00:59:27 | |
This weeks guest is Rob Miller. Rob has worked the floor as Sommelier at some of the top restaurants on the continent including Langdon Hall, Alo (#1 restaurant in Canada for the 5th year running), Giulietta and Daniel (Daniel Boulud’s eponymous ** Michelin Star restaurant in Manhattan, NYC). Rob is certified with both the International Sommelier Guild and the Court of Master Sommeliers. Rob holds the prestigious Diploma from the Wine & Spirits Trust in the UK, an organization he also teaches for. As well as a Certificate in Oenology & Viticulture from the University of Guelph, Mr. Miller also holds certifications from the Wine Scholar Guild, Society of Wine Educators, Vinitaly International Academy, and both Wines of Chile & Wines of Portugal! Rob has worked with The Vine Agency import firm for over a decade and started his own agency, The Road Wine Imports, during the end of the pandemic. Links email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.co | |||
| 03 May 2021 | E59 Thalita Cacho | 00:49:02 | |
This week we are joined by Thalita Cacho from Brazil. Camilla Gama also joins the podcast and is the interpreter for the interview. Currently, Thalita lives in Recife-PE but considers herself a Citizen of the World. Thalita is an accomplished Beer Sommelière, and obtained certification in the Master in Styles, Brewing Technique and Beer Expert through the Science of Beer Institute in Brazil. Thalita also has acquired an International certification and Specialization in Beer Pairing and Beer Mixology. Furthermore, Thalita completed the Handcrafted Brewery Technique through Senai-RN. Additionally, Thalita has graduated from UniCesumar University in the Superior Course of Technology in Brewery Production; Mixologist and Bartender by Cocktail Brasil School, Diageo Institute and Senac-PE ; Trade Expert at Johnnie Walker Brazil. Thalita acts as Teaching Coordinator and Professor of Beer Mixology at the Science of Beer Institute in Recife-PE, Natal-RN and Salvador-BA. She is an Educator / Teacher for Diageo in the Learning for Life program and Ambassador of the Diageo Bar Academy Brasil program. Thalita is an Associate of Acerva Potiguar-RN, Maria Bonita Beer and Divas do Malte. Furthermore, Thalita has judged several Beer Competitions (CBC, Acervas, Brasil Beer Cup, Solares) and Counselor in the Consultative Council of the Brazilian Beer Competition in Blumenau-SC. Thalita also writes for several publications. She writes the following columns: ”Universo das Bebidas" for the seasonal magazine UP Magazine "Virados um Mói de Farofa" for the Farofa Magazine “Liquid Gastronomy" in the magazine and website Arquitetando Styles. Curator and Organizer of the "Balcão do Bar" area at the International Gastronomic Festival "Mercado das Tulhas" in São Luís-MA. Speaker at Gastronomic Festivals and the like. Thalita is also the owner of TC Sommelieria e Mixologi - where she provides Consulting as well as training for Beer and Cocktail menus for bars, restaurants and breweries. Links Instagram: @thalitafcacho Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 17 Aug 2020 | E22 Jonathan Stanyard | 01:17:54 | |
Jonathan Stanyard is a Seattle based bartender and a veteran to the industry. His career started in the Bay Area, California in 1999 at a friends’s Italian Restaurant. This opportunity took him from the dish pit, to working the floor, management and of course - behind the bar. In 2014, Jonathan moved to Seattle, Washington to continue the pursuit of excellence in the cocktail world. In 2019, he launched his own specialized line of bitters - The Bitter Gringo Company. It was also the year he began competing in various local and national cocktail competitions. By the end of 2019, Jonathan participated in five regional finals and took first in two and was runner up in another two. Most recently, Jonathan was Bar Manager for Brother Barrel, a craft cocktail bar with 18 taps of barrel-aged and sour beers. From dimly list jazz clubs to high-end French steakhouses, cafes and private events, Jonathan has immersed himself in all styles of service. He has a razor sharp focus on his pursuit of becoming the best bartender and to create the most unique and complete cocktail experiences, both physically and digitally. Instagram: @thebittergringo jdstanyard@gmail.com Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||
| 28 Dec 2020 | E41 Victor Urosevic - Part 1 | ||
This is Part One of a Two Part Interview. Victor Urosevic joins the show this week. Vic has made a career of working in security in the bar, nightclub and entertainment scene. Vic has worked at many notable landmarks in Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding areas such as the Volcano, Lyric, Denim, Palace NightClub, Phils, The Bank Nightclub, Club Abstract, Rum Runners, Jane Bond, Ethel’s, Startlight, Rayna, Night School, White Rabbit, Malt and Barley, Dive Bar and many more. We talk with Vic about how his love of live music led to his start in The Industry, the difficulties of keeping composure in the heat of the moment, de-escalating tense situations, plus a whole host of stories from his career. Instagram: @sinner66613 Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah | |||