The Industry

Erik Rooker joins the show this week. A long time main stay of Ethel’s Lounge in Waterloo, Ontario , Erik grew up in Grimsby, Ontario . Erik got his first start in the Industry as a young teen working at a truck stop. From there, Erik worked many different back of house jobs while working his way through high school. Towards the end of the decade in the 90’s, Erik moved to Kitchener-Waterloo to pu...

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...

This is Part 2 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...

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...

This is Part Two of a Two Part Interview.  Victor Urosevic joins the show this week. Vic has made a career of working 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, R...

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 , Startligh...

Adrienn Tomcsanyi joins the show this week. Currently living in Helsinki , Finland - Adrienn grew up in Budapest , Hungary . The first time Adrienn got introduced to the bartending industry was back in her high school days when she studied hospitality and management back in the mid to late 2000’s. It was during this time that Adrienn had an opportunity to travel to Poland and to Finland as an exch...

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 industr...

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 ultimat...

Grace Guber - creator and host of The Family Meal Podcast joins the show this week. The daughter of an executive chef, Grace Guber has spent her whole life in and around the restaurant industry. As young as 12, she would work alongside her mother in their tiny kitchen for her mother’s catering company. At 16, she got her first official job in a restaurant as a food runner and since then she has at...

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 Jord an 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...

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...

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, G...

Leah has been a craft cocktail bartender and consultant in New York and Australia for the past seven years. Pre-quarantine, you'd find her slinging drinks at The Flower Shop on the Lower East Side and running the bar program for Live Axe in Tribeca. She recently moved to Portland, Oregon, where she runs the only blog for movie reviews accompanied by craft cocktail pairings, created specifically fo...

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...

Parker Luthman currently resides in Providence, Rhode Island, where he attended Johnson & Wales University with a focus on learning about business and entrepreneurship. Developing a love for the restaurant industry while in high school, Parker’s original intent was to graduate with his B.B.A. and then enroll in the university’s Culinary Arts Program. While on breaks throughout college, he...

Joey Smith joins the show this week. Joey is currently the head bartender at NoMad in New York City. Joey grew up in Colorado and got his start in The Industry at fast casual restaurants while still in high school. While attending college in Boulder Colorado , Joey got a job at SALT the Bistro where he was introduced to cocktail culture. Once Joey graduated college, he moved to Vail Colorado where...

This week we are joined by Mary Palac from San Jose, California. Originally born in the Philippines, Mary along with her family, immigrated to the Bay Area of California in the 1980’s. Mary got her start in the Industry as the age of 15 when she started working in restaurants. She has been bartending for the last 12 years. Mary is a founding member and President of the Silicon Valley Chapter of Th...

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 o...

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 t...

This weeks guest is Chef Brian McCourt. Chef Brian is Currently the Culinary Director of the Ignite Restaurant Group in the Region of Waterloo. Several of the brands that are under this corporate umbrella include The Rich Uncle Tavern, Graffiti Market in Kitchener and the soon to open Crowsfoot Smokehaus in Conestogo. Chef Brian McCourt’s culinary style draws inspiration from his Irish heritage, h...

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 h...

This weeks guest is Thomas Yeo. Thomas is currently living in Montreal, Quebec and bartending at the Atwater Cocktail Club - one of the top cocktail clubs in Canada. Thomas got his start in the Industry working at Studio East in Halifax, Nova Scotia - a charming little South East Asian gastropub. He worked opening night and the owners quickly realized that he was passionate and driven. They hired...

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...

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 la...