The Industry

This weeks guest is Ashley Hoar who joins us from Hamilton, Ontario. Ashley is a Personal Holistic Chef and owner of Real Roots Kitchen. Ashely is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist turned Chef with 8+ years in the Personal Chef Business. Ashely I make client’s needs her main focus. Ashley caters to many different families/individuals with different styles of preferences and diets. Ashley describe...

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...

Jenna Elie , based in Atlanta Georgia jumped into the whisky industry 8 years ago and started Whisky A Go Girl . Since then Jenna has been featured in film, The Water of Life , worked with spirits brands around the globe, and judged cocktail and spirits competitions. Jenna has also held the role of The National Ambassador for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America for 5 of those years, one of t...

This weeks guest is Tyler MacLellan who joins us from Chicago, Illinois. Tyler is currently one of the managers at 3 Dots And A Dash bar in Chicago - a tropical themed speakeasy. Tyler was originally born in California, but grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin . This is where Tyler got his start in hospitality, starting from the ground up and working in all positions before moving into management. Event...

This weeks guest is Lea Colla who joins us from Paris, France . Lea is currently a Senior Le Syndicat in Paris. Le Syndicat has been voted as one of the 50 best bars in the world. Lea started her barmaid career in Sweden at @pharmarium . Initially, Lea's plan was to only work in a bar for a few months. Lea realized that working behind the bar was her passion and decided to make this her career mov...

This week's guest is Lindsey Johnson who joins us from Louisville, Kentucky . Lindsey is the Founder and Creative Director at Lush Life Productions - the first dedicated Bartender Advocacy Agency. Along with her work at Lush Life, Lindsey has gone on to found and manage Camp Runamok , a Bartender Summer Camp hosted on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Portland Cocktail Week , a hospitality worker foc...

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 wo...

This weeks guest is Marcela Hernandez Gonzalez who joins us from Toronto. Known for orchestrating record-breaking "Pop-Up" events, Marcela embodies the essence of a consummate host, curating unique experiences that weave an atmosphere of warmth and conviviality, compelling patrons to return time and again. From immersive celebrations like " Dia de Muertos ," paying homage to he...

This weeks guest is Chef James Frangos who joins us for an in person interview. James made his first appearance on Episode number 3 of our podcast and makes his triumphant return for episode 188. In this episode we catch up with James and talk about his experience opening a restaurant two weeks prior to covid being declared a pandemic in March 2020, we talk with James about getting away from the h...

This weeks guest is Phil Morgan who joins us from Brooklyn, NY . Phil is a multidisciplinary design and strategy leader with 25+ years of experience building brands and places where people love to be. A serial entrepreneur opening the first of his many restaurants in 1994 and later founding a notable restaurant design firm in Brooklyn, creating 150+ incredible new spaces in the hospitality market....

Livio Lauro is a Drink expert and a Cocktail historian. He started his hospitality career 30 years ago in Southern Italy on the Amalfi Coast. Livio is widely recognized as one of the most instrumental figures in the resurgence of the United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) and served as National President from 2004 to 2010. Since 2001, Livio has been employed by Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits (...

This weeks guest is Cassandra Brownrigg who currently resides in Kitchener, Ontario. Cassandra is currently the head chef at The Rich Uncle Tavern . Cassandra was born in Kitchener but while still very young, she moved to Central New York with her family. While in high school Cassandra worked at a grocery store which piqued her interest in cooking. At 18 she moved out of her parents house and got...

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 @hellqueencocktails @sugarrunbar @babylonsistersbar @the_ind...

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 Ita...

This weeks guest is Melanie Paradin who joins us from New York City. Melanie is the North American brand ambassador for Antique Pelinkovac . With over 10 years of experience in the service industry, Melanie's journey from self-taught bartender to creating her own menus showcases her dedication and passion to the industry. Melanie began her career at hotel bars like The Roxy and Ace Hotel , and has...

This weeks guest is Anastasia Artamonova who is a creative entrepreneur and public speaker based in Milano, Italy. Also known as Nastia, she is the founder and creative director of Nice and Nasty – a bar without a bar and an edutainment platform that connects mind, body, and spirits. Sharing wisdom from behind and beyond the bar for people to heal, grow, and have fun, Nastia's main focus in the in...

This week we are joined by the returning Ty Miners who joins us for an in person interview. Ty got her start in the industry close to a decade ago when she landed a job at Jack Astors as a server. Ty stayed there for about a year and a half before moving on to Chucks Roadhouse to help open the first location in Kitchener. Ty worked there for about a year when she had a desire to move into a more s...

This weeks guest is Pamela Wiznitzer who joins us from New York City. Since 2006, Pamela has been working throughout NYC and globally to bring cocktail culture to life. Pamela was nominated as one of the top 10 bartenders for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 "American Bartender of the Year" award at Tales of the Cocktail and was named the "2014 Bartender of the Year" by the Village Voic...

Rob Miller returns to join the show this week for an in person interview. 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 an...

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 sc...

This weeks guest is Brandon McDonald who joins us St Augustine, Florida. Brandon has spent the last 15 years in the service industry, opening and operating bars and restaurants across the US. After spending a decade in Gainesville, FL, he made the move to Denver, Colorado to continue honing his craft. In 2020 Brandon returned to Florida, and now splits his time between bartending and his podcast,...

This weeks guest is Shawn Telo who joins us for an in person interview. Shawn has been involved in the hospitality industry for over a decade in the local Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph areas. Shawn originally got his start in the Industry when he landed a job as a driver for a food service company. Shawn eventually worked his way up to a sales rep. Due to Covid, Shawn last his entire territory due...

This weeks guest is Lisa Talbert who joins us from Portland, Oregon . Lisa is a career bartender with over 15 years behind the bar in a variety of bar settings. This ranges from dive bars, upscale dining, family dining, casinos, distilleries and craft cocktail lounges. Lisa started her drinkstagram journey in the wake of the pandemic as a hobby, and a little break for herself from having to homesc...

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 consult...

This weeks guest is Rick Sousa who joins us from Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. Rick has been working aboard various cruise ships since 2004 and has recently taken on the role of Brand Ambassador Remy Cointreau Dominican Republic and Global Cruise Ships. Rick values the importance of learning and educating oneself as he has earned the following accreditations over the course of his career...