Serves You Right

From tiki bars to temples, from corporate cocktails to ancient consciousness, Mattias Dylan Horseman has seen it all…and stirred it with grace. In this heartfelt, wide-ranging conversation, Mattias shares the real story of what happens when a world-class brand ambassador leaves the job, the platform, and the identity to search for a little magik. We explore his journey across Peru, Bali, the Himal...

In this episode of Serves You Right , I sit down with Daniel Frazier , Director of Operations and General Manager of The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden in Nashville. Starting as a host, Daniel worked his way up the ladder and now oversees a fleet of restaurant concepts…including a food hall, a beer garden, and an airport location, each with its own challenges and quirks. Today we had an...

What happens when a Master Sommelier rewires how he sees, smells, and thinks just to pass one of the hardest exams in the world? In this episode, I sit down with Tim Gaiser, Master Sommelier, author, educator, and possibly the only human who tastes Zinfandel and visualizes cafeteria trays of fruit. We dive deep into Tim’s decades-long obsession with wine, his uncanny tasting method (involving inte...

This week, I sit down with actual master chocolatier Randy Page: a chocolatier whose viral pistachio bar may or may not be involved in causing an international nut shortage. (You’ll see.) Randy’s story stretches from the kitchens of fine dining to the counter at Cricket & Fig , his much-loved chocolate shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We talk about how a TikTok-fueled chocolate bar from Dubai created...

In today’s episode, I sit down with Kayla Herrera: Director of Education and Training at Iconik Coffee Roasters, latte art competitor, and one of the most intentional service professionals I’ve ever worked with. We talk about the hidden emotional cost of great hospitality, what it takes to train a world-class barista, and how to find meaning in a career that many people see as “just a job.” Kayla...

This is me, talking to the wise and wonderful and rambling...me. Glad you can listen in. Each week, I typically sit down with world-class bartenders, winemakers, programmers, poets, and the occasional wildcard, to talk shop, life, craft, failure, redemption, and what it actually takes to serve others without losing yourself in the process. See you all at mead stampede next year! Service starts now...

00:50 The Journey of Writing and Sharing Knowledge 03:33 Cocktail Crafting: Learning from Mistakes 06:48 Respecting Classic Cocktails 09:41 The Art of Tasting and Developing Cocktails 12:37 The Design Process in Cocktail Creation 15:36 Navigating the Bar Scene and Mentorship 18:43 The Evolution of Bartending and Management 21:39 The Importance of Flavor Memory and Experience 24:34 Judging Spirits...

00:00 Introduction and Background 01:57 Exploring Alcohol Knowledge and Education 09:59 The Journey of Starting a Winery 19:48 Navigating the Wine Industry and Regulations 30:10 The Differences Between Master Sommelier and Master of Wine 39:47 Blind Tasting and Personal Preferences 49:46 Conclusion and Future Endeavors How many times can different organizations call you a master??? Doug Frost is o...

What if your greatest power wasn’t hustle or grit, but attention?  00:00 The Discipline of Mindfulness 03:21 Understanding Thoughts and Emotions 09:18 Changing Relationships with Emotions 11:59 The Power of Observation 19:45 Mindfulness Techniques and Tools 24:02 Mindfulness in the Modern World 27:06 The Role of Gratitude 31:29 The GLAD Practice 36:13 Attention as a Superpower 39:08 Getting Starte...

00:00 Introduction to DYNE and Its Mission 02:43 The Role of Technology in Restaurants 05:53 AI and Marketing Automation for Restaurants 09:03 Demand Forecasting and Inventory Management 11:50 Personalization and Customer Experience 14:47 The Future of Restaurants and AI 18:09 Challenges and Opportunities in the Restaurant Industry 20:44 Conclusion and Future Outlook “Most restaurant owners are bl...

What if everything you’ve ever heard about booze was wrong? This episode isn’t just about spirits: it’s about truth, myth, and the fight to preserve real history in a world flooded with marketing fluff. Today, I’m joined by Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller, two of the most prolific drink historians alive. Between them, they’ve authored nearly 40 books, deciphered 17th-century distilling manuals wr...

Today’s guest is Matthew Justice : a rare breed of software engineer, educator, and retro game creator who has seen the machine from the inside out. He spent years debugging the Windows kernel at Microsoft, helping fix bugs in one of the most complex and used systems on the planet. He’s the author of "How Computers Really Work" , a book that breaks down the myth of tech as magic and show...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Henry Roediger: professor, cognitive psychologist, and co-author of the book that changed how the world learns: Make It Stick . This conversation is a deep dive into the science of memory, why struggling is the secret ingredient to retention, and how decades of research are finally being used to transform schools, businesses, and individual lives. Whether you&#...

In this powerful and unfiltered conversation, I sit down with Mark Johnson: a hospitality veteran, sommelier, educator, and now national sales director for a cold-pressed juice company. Mark’s journey is a masterclass in transformation. From a music student waiting tables to managing top restaurants in Nashville and Santa Fe, studying under legends like Doug Frost, and mentoring future wine profes...

What if the thing you always wanted—the ownership, the freedom, the legacy—ended up being the thing that taught you just how much you didn’t know? This week’s guest is Max Scott, a former bartender turned restaurant owner, artist, and now construction entrepreneur. He helped transform one of Santa Fe’s most iconic bars—not just with sweat equity, but literal rewiring, plumbing, and vision. We talk...

You’re not burned out. You’re disconnected. This episode cuts through the noise of trendy “mindfulness hacks” and dives deep into something far more useful: how to actually wake up in your life, your job, and your head. Dr. Shalini Bahl is a former marketing professor with a PhD, a top-tier publication record, and the courage to walk away from it all. What made her trade career accolades for medit...

What if the best wine class you ever took wasn’t about wine at all? What if it was really about friendship, redemption, and whether you can really come back from rock bottom? This week’s guest is my old friend Brian, someone I studied wine with, worked late nights alongside, and haven’t seen in over a decade. In this episode, we reconnect to trace the wild paths we’ve both taken since Santa Fe: fr...

What do pharmacy school, cookbooks, and Polynesian pop culture have in common? Today’s guest, Tiki Lindy , connects those dots and a dozen more. From her early days bartending in the South to becoming one of the leading voices in the modern Tiki scene, Lindy has carved out a space all her own: equal parts chef, scholar, and cocktail alchemist. We talk Tiki, not the Instagram hashtag, but the messy...

What if the difference between $100 in tips and $1,000 wasn’t your wine list—but your mindset? This week’s guest, Julio of Waiter, There’s More , joins us from Sweden to share his mission: training the next generation of hospitality pros not just to serve, but to elevate . From starting as a coffee boy to building a service training empire online, Julio has seen it all—and filmed a lot of it, too....

Picture this: thirty‑year agave plants hauled by burro through Oaxacan dust, corn fields reborn as gold in your glass, and a mango eau‑de‑vie so juicy it will drive you mad. That wild collision of flavor and story is exactly what today’s guest, Nat Harry , lives for. Nat’s a former bartender turned spirits buyer, San Francisco World Spirits Competition judge, and newly minted author helps guide us...

What if everything you knew about wine and food pairing was wrong? This week’s guest, Tim Hanni, Master of Wine , drops bomb after bomb on the wine world’s biggest myths: from the nonsense of “red wine with red meat” to why sweet wine drinkers may actually have more taste buds. We also get deeply personal. Tim shares his journey from drinking three bottles a day to getting sober, while still worki...

🍺 Ever heard of Lithuanian pickle beer? Join us for an epic chat with Chris Campbell, a veteran of Santa Fe’s vibrant bar scene, in this must-listen episode! 🍸 From slinging drinks at high-end restaurants to managing the bar at Susan’s, Chris spills the tea on surviving the pandemic, pivoting to a dream schedule with weekends off, and stocking wild brews like that pickle beer. 🌵 Discover how he...

What happens when a pioneer in mixology decides to walk away from booze—and starts writing about mythical cats instead? This week, I sit down with Natalie Bovis, aka The Liquid Muse , and it’s a wild, funny, deeply heartfelt ride through festival burnout, artistic rebirth, and the unexpected magic of letting go. Natalie is a true force to be reckoned with. There's no way I could capture everyt...

What happens when a former executive chef walks away from the kitchen—and realizes she never learned how to take care of herself? When she brings up mental health the response is a best lukewarm, and at worst dismissive??? Link to transcript here . This week’s episode hit me hard. Jasmin Parks-Papadopoulos brings honesty, depth, and a kind of courage you don’t hear every day. And, I’m very excited...

What exactly happens when one jumps ship and goes from working on the floor to distribution? This week I had the pleasure to catch up with a tour de force in the Santa Fe Community, James 'by the glass' Selby. This episode explores what kind of life you can expect as a wine and spirits rep. Link to transcript . Expect to learn just how powerful a trip to the Loire Valley can be. How much y...