Written by jena
Look For The Helpers: Joanna Carpenter
“We need activism everywhere,” says Joanna Carpenter. “From fights to close the wage gap and abolish exploitative practices, to racial and gender equity, to local and national organizing around elections. I get deeply frustrated with the lack of engagement in hospitality—we could be so powerful, and we choose not to use our voices.”
Look for the Helpers: Diamond Dogs
So often, we are told that politics and bars don’t mix. But can a bar affect positive change in the political sphere? One Queens bar owner aims to empower his neighbors to run for office and champion the candidates that he feels strongly and passionate about. His hope is to represent in political office the demographics of the community in which his bar exists.
Look For The Helpers: Chef Run Initiatives and Chef Mike Cain
Independent restaurants like Gertie need lifelines to survive this pandemic. Through the work of some creative chefs, those lifelines are anchored to a sense of purpose and provide a way to give back to the communities around them.
Look For The Helpers: Michael Toscano and Woodford Reserve
The first few days of shut down, we were hungry for information on how to help those in the hospitality industry struggling from the effects of Covid-19, but at a loss on where to find it. Seemingly overnight, Michael Toscano, a NY-based brand ambassador for Woodford Reserve, shifted from planning events to finding ways to support the community.
Look For The Helpers: Thirst Group
While we are finding creative solutions to help those in need, what about the protections that were supposed to be in place in case of disaster? According to the Insurance Information Institute, insurance companies have $847 billion in reserves, an estimated $380 billion that could go to pay the claims of establishments who are struggling—establishments that were under the impression that “business interruption insurance” included events such as COVID-19.
Bartenders Share Their Most Epic Quitting Stories
There is not a single one of us in the food and beverage industry that has not fantasized about ripping off an apron mid shift and taking a Half-Baked inspired exit.
The Steamy Reality of bartenders dating their barbacks
Over the years, I've heard enough barback hookup stories to challenge any bodice-ripping romance novel aficionado. And it makes sense: These dudes lift kegs to pay their bills (hello, biceps!), they listen when you talk, and, oh, they have the same schedule as female bartenders. More and more, my girlfriends have been showing up with steamy stories of "accidentally" sleeping with their barbacks. And now I’m sharing those tawdry tales with you.
Bartender Superheroes: Watching Your Back from Behind the Stick
From the LES to Bushwick, Harlem to Hell’s Kitchen—show me a concentrated block of bars and I’ll show you a mass text thread between the neighboring staff. Used primarily for fun, that text chain is also our Bat Signal. We are the Watchers on the Wall, the eyes in the candle-lit room, and we are quick on the draw with our iPhones. Here are four stories from the files of just one of the world’s many crime-fighting rings of bartenders.
Queens beer week
“Queens has always been the place where many New Yorkers sleep and new New Yorkers come”, Dan Bronson said over some guacamole at Fatty’s Cafe. Bronson is the beverage consultant for Crescent and Vine and one of the masterminds behind Queens Beer Week–a new annual event created to foster and explore the beer community in our borough. “And there’s a power in beer-it’s the common drink of common people”, in the past few years our borough has seen eight new breweries open and flourish.