The Industry

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...

This weeks guest is Levi Vixie who currently resides in Moscow, Idaho. For those unfamiliar with Moscow, it is a city in northern Idaho along the Washington State border. Moscow is the home of the University of Idaho. Just across the state border is Pullman Washington, home of Washington State University. Together, the two universities fuel the local economies and provide an endless clientele for...

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 Fl...

This weeks guest is Brie Dema. Brie’s career in hospitality spans 15 years, of which many were spent in the Kitchener Waterloo area. Three restaurants in particular shaped her professional path - Ethel’s Lounge, Wildcraft, and Langdon Hall; the first where she learned to wait tables, the second where she planted the seeds of a career in wine, and the third where she worked for the first time as a...

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, K...

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...

Dan Moran joins the show this week. Currently, Dan is one of the co-owners of Red Rabbit in Stratford. This is part of a co-op style ownership group that also includes Old Man and Son, Pollo Morto and Somewhere a Sandwich which are all in Stratford Ontario. Dan was born and raised in Gananoque, Ontario - a border tourist town and subsequently got his start early in the service industry. In 1988, D...

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 Eas...

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 year...

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, G...

This week we are joined by longtime friend John Kent. John got his start in the Industry while still in high school washing dishes at the age of 17. At the end of his university career John started working as a waiter and bartender at East Side Marios. After several years, John moved on to working in fine dining and became a wine rep for an independent wine distributor. Over time, an opportunity a...

Andrew Coppolino is a writer-broadcaster and is food columnist with CBC Radio in Waterloo Region. A former restaurant reviewer for the Waterloo Region Record, he is author of Farm To Table: Celebrating Stratford Chefs School Alumni, Recipes and Perth County Producers (Swan Parade Press) and co-author of Cooking with Shakespeare (Greenwood Press). He has published in newspapers and magazines across...

Jill Sadler owner of Swine and Vine joins the show this week. Jill got her start in The Industry as a busser at Oscars and eventually moved on to serving and then worked at several local establishments such as Jacks in St Jacobs, the Charcoal Group and then Red House in Waterloo. Jill wound up leaving the business and spent a few years working in a group home until she was eventually drawn back to...

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 Gro...

Happy Mother’s Day! In today’s episode, we talk with long time friend of ours John Goldsmith. John got his start in the Industry working at Jack Astor’s while in University and subsequently moved on to Charcoal Group of Restaurants, The Keg, Chainsaw and currently as a Senior Manager at Shark Club in Victoria BC. John gives us his perspective on the pros and cons of working for a corporate vs inde...

Today’s episode, we talk with Wes Klassen of Purple Teeth Consulting. Wes has spent the last 20 years in the Service Industry. He achieved his sommelier certification in 2013 and was integral in opening several local restaurants - Wildcraft, Berlin and Loloan Lobby Bar. In our interview with Wes, he talks about how he got his start in the industry in 2000 at a restaurant in St Jacobs as a busser,...

This is Part 2 of our interview with Glenn Smith. The interview stars with the Pop The Gator era and continues to present day with Ethel's Lounge. Glenn discusses the challenges of growing a business and present day marketing.

Glenn Smith is this weeks guest. This is Part 1 of a 2 part interview with Glenn. In Part 1, Glenn outlines his entry in the bar and night club business up to his time with Pop The Gator.