The road to hospitality is often paved with drumming, touring, and recording. Chris McClish grew up in the golden era of punk and post-punk music. The Richmond, VA and surrounding music scenes crept into a burgeoning pianist and influenced him to be a drummer. The thankless life of being a drummer led him to great opportunities at Sound City, The Troubadour, and more. But as many personalities collide whilst playing in a confined space with one another, Chris set course for NYC and the hospitality industry began to take control of his career. In his just emerging one year in Austin, Chris has worked at Jeffrey's and now reigns as the bar manager at Juniper, Austin. His earnest and simple take on flavors show their true form at Juniper and are delicately coupled with brilliant Italian bites. We chat live music, being 40, and bourbon.
From the school of hard knox, to Austin, TX. Jeremy has started from humble beginnings and turned these experiences into successful bar ownership with 3 concepts now under his belt. Tennessee and Longview, TX don't begin to describe Jeremy's backstory but working as a door man at Beauty Bar just might. An often private persona with a penchant for delicious whiskey, Jeremy has just opened his third concept Kitty Cohen's as an homage to the 70's and a feisty family member. We sip whiskey, chat second marriages, and not revealing our last names to the public.
The balance between romance and the hospitality industry is a complicated one. Madelyn Kay is a rising start in the cocktail scene and represents a lot of the complications brought on by technology. As a Speed Rack competitor, shaker and stirred at Vox Table, her career is building but at what social cost? This chat is broken into two parts, the latter being more up close and personal with Madelyn as she returns from a brilliant European trek. We chat texting, psychology, starting a family, and the future.
Salud Bon Vivants! Today's guest Whitney Hobbs cut her teeth with sandwiches and brunches before joining the Ancho Reyes/Tequila Ocho team. What started as a path paved in volleyball veered sharply into hospitality since mean coaches can really change the trajectory of one's life. A few stabs at academia and living the Rocky Mountain high later, Whitney stepped into yet another chapter of her story, the Texas chapter. With a great familiarity and passion of agave spirits and great cocktails, it's no wonder that she now traverses the states honoring some of the greatest spirits made today. We chat Snooze, love, Houston, and sacrifices.
Magic number 80, Trevor Schneider is another great mind and personality on the William Grant and Son's roster. He has seen a life of popularity, tragedy, and male persuasion. Talking to him you think Tom Cruise, but he has the mind of an insightful Tom Waits. An unexpected baseball injury propelled Trevor into a different stratosphere of sensory perception and future. He landed somewhere in the middle of the hospitality industry and now travels the world speaking the praises of Reyka Vodka. A captivating presence and wonderful person to get to converse with, Trevor is the guy you rally behind. We chat the meaning of life, vodka-bitters, JR Mocanu, and being attractive.
Music often spawns other creative endeavors and WG&S's Fred Parent is a true master of the arts. Aspiring screenwriter, musician, and gin peddler, Fred has an academia focused lens on the world around him. As the new Hendrick's Gin ambassador, Fred integrates his love of aesthetic, history, and the arts into a Gin-fueled roadshow. Often brandishing his massive cucumber, an eccentric blimp, Fred shares the nutty and Terry Gilliam inspired spirit of Hendrick's Gin. We talk typewriters, cigarettes, Thomas Edison, and the lucrative field of modern bartending.