I am a 27-year old transplant from Ontario. In my five years in Kelowna I’ve managed to make great friends and develop many strong professional relationships. When not behind the bar you can find me shredding Big White in the winter and beach in the summer. I started to break out of my comfort zone by making music and playing guitar. I enjoy woodworking and spending countless hours with my pup, Stella. I’ve been told I’m a bartender extraordinaire, but you’ll have to come to Central Kitchen + Bar to find out for yourself.
Was the job description accurate?
I think that a lot of people have this perception of bartending as just slingin’ beer and shaking up cocktails. The thing a lot of people don’t realize is that you kind of have a lot of emotional and psychological responsibility. The customers become regulars and regulars often see you as part of their close circle of confidence and, to some extent, as family. You become responsible for their well-being, on some level, and become a confidante. Lines become blurry. Then there’s the point at which you become responsible for people’s physical safety. It’s a hard line to tread - you’re in charge of making sure they have a good time, but you’re also in charge of making sure they get home safe.
Describe your ideal shift?
Patio’s open, drinks are flowing, everything goes well. Good people at the bar, servers all in good moods, joking around with the kitchen guys. I like a mix of old and new faces at the bar, meeting new people, but seeing familiar faces is kind of reassuring. Busy AF, head in the well, just pumping out drinks. I like being slammed and coming out the other end of dozens of drink orders and that sense of satisfaction that’s like, heck yah, I cleared those orders.
What are some of the challenges?
Like I mentioned before, it gets kind of difficult to cut off people that have become friends. But, at the same time, I am legally and morally responsible if they drive and get hurt, or hurt someone else. It’s also tough when you are in a bad headspace - there are no bad moods behind the bar. It’s like being an actor except you’re on stage 8 hours a day, 5 times a week and you don’t get to have a bad day. Hangovers aren’t the greatest either.
How have you grown from working the job?
I’ve started to learn to control my temper just ever so slightly… slightly LOL. Patience is critical and I sometimes don’t have much. My creativity has increased as I’ve had to think more about expanding bar offerings. Central Kitchen & Bar has grown so much since I started that it’s forced me to adapt quickly to the changing dynamics of my role - bartender, manager, etc., Jared Lee and Devon Murray have been instrumental in giving me a shot - letting me get my hands dirty and try new things. Without them I wouldn’t be the bartender I am today. Mark Veriker and Jerry Jobe have also been critical to my growth as a bartender. Working alongside Mark during my Krafty days, and the support and encouragement from Jerry since day one of becoming a Tarbender. They’ve taught me tricks of the trade that every bartender should know, but not all do. It’s also crazy how close you become with your coworkers - I’ve grown as a friend, too.
Most memorable moment on the job?
It’s hard to pinpoint. Building the back bar at Central has got to be up there. I stayed overnight to finish the bar and the wood shelving behind it. That’s not in the job description either. But if you’re a really good bartender you’re also really invested in the well-being of the place you work. If I ever leave my job at Central I’ll know a part of me is built into the framework. Or the time I did a Coyote Ugly strip tease dance on top of the bar for the ladies on New Years. Pretty epic.
Favourite drink to make? To drink?
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
