The Industry

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 hol...

Louise Wilson Cormier Master of Wine During her 30+ years of industry experience, Louise Wilson Cormier has specialized in sales, marketing, export, procurement, retail and hospitality. Today, she is the owner of Wilco Fine Beverage , an Ontario-based beverage alcohol agency and one of 10 Masters of Wine located in Canada. A Master of Wine, also known as an MW, is a beverage industry professional...

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 his...

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 h...

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...

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 surrou...

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...

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 intervi...

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 Indu...

This weeks guest is Mila Chernii . Mila joined us for the interview from her temporary home in Barcelona, Spain. Mila was born and raised in Vinnytsia, Ukraine . Mila is the co-founder and co-owner of NightHawks bar in Vinnytsia. Mila is also the Chief Editor of Barout Media and an Ambassador for BARTA Tools (Ukrainian designed and crafted tools for bartenders in Spain. ** Prior to opening NightHa...

Alexandra Evans joins us this week for an in person interview. Alex started her hospitality career over four decades ago in her teenage years working at a French café a few blocks from where she grew up in midtown Toronto. A few years later, Alex lied her way into a waitressing job at Toby’s Goodeats - very popular burger chain in Toronto in the 1980’s. Alex loved the late nights and fast cash and...

This weeks guest is Brittany Sobisch who joins us from Edmonton , Alberta. Originally from Kitchener-Waterloo, Brittany got her start in the Industry in her teenage years and has worked in almost every role in the front of house and back of house and in every environment from night clubs, dive bars, pubs and fine dining and music venues. Spending a good portion of her working life in Toronto, Brit...

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...

This weeks guest is Danielle Pingert who joins the show from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan . Danielle has been in the service industry for fifteen plus years. Danielle’s first bartending job was at a hotel bar where she learned the basics as well as speed and efficiency. At this point, Danielle fell in love with the Industry. Danielle eventually moved on to work at a high end cocktail lounge where she s...

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 l...

This weeks episode is a 2 part show. In the first part of the show - Roger Watson - a highly acclaimed chef now working as a private chef joins us from Indianapolis, Indiana . Roger was born and raised in Doncaster in South Yorkshire in England. Roger started cooking in 2001 while still in high school when he landed a job at a local restaurant in his home town. Roger eventually enrolled in a hospi...

This weeks guest is Danielle Crowley who joins us from Whistler, BC . A very passionate and creative bartender, Dani is originally from Aurora Ontario and has been in the industry for over a dozen years now. Dani has worked in multiple facets of the industry from golf courses, cafes, nightclubs, train travel service and everything in between. Dani has also started competing in cocktail competition...

This weeks guest is Christen LaRochelle . A professional booze hustler for over 20 years, Christen started working in the restaurant and hospitality industry at 13 years old and segued those skills into a career in the wine and spirits supply and distribution world. Today, you'll find Christen managing a portfolio of fine wine and craft spirits in the Northeast and regularly leading educational ev...

This weeks guest is Mike Derry. Mike currently splits his time between Cartagena Colombia and New York City . Originally from Penticton in British Columbia, Canada, Mike waited tables and bartended through college. Mike has spent his working life in various careers - teacher, commercial production in Los Angeles, legal recruiter in NYC until he came back to his dream - bar life! Mike opened his fi...

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, Mi...

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 cu...

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...

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, at...

This weeks guest is Kate Boushel who joins us from Montreal, Quebec . Kate is currently a Partner, Beverage and Education Directo and Bartender for the Barocco Goup . After leaving the restaurant and bar industry for a successful public and government relations career, it’s Kate’s passion for local flavours, spirits, and cocktails, as well as her natural inclination toward the art of hospitality t...

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...