After a career as a Director of Training for marine mammals and over 4,000 live shows under my belt, I now find myself as the Director of Training at Canada’s Premier Bartender Training School! But now instead of a team of dolphins, sea lions, and seals, I work with a team of some of the most incredible instructors I’ve ever met! They spend their time helping others learn to bartend. I spend my time supporting them and the students who are in their classes. Who could have predicted that I would wind up doing this? Certainly not me! The bartender training we provide is the best anyone has to offer and I constantly find myself smiling just because I get to be part of this!
In 1998, which seems like a lifetime ago, I had the pleasure of working with Gavin MacMillan for the first time. We both worked at Canada’s Wonderland and we were both ball-busting managers in our respective areas. Little did we know that several years later, Gavin would create a bartending school in Toronto called BartenderOne.  After my career training animals, I went on to be an operations and general manager and then to fundraising and special events management. When the time came and there was an opportunity for me to join this incredible company as the Director of Corporate Events and Training… there was no thought in my mind other than YES!  I didn’t know exactly what I was in for but I knew it was gonna be nothing less than fabulous!
For me, working at BartenderOne is exhausting, in all the right ways. There is so much going on behind the scenes at any given time and I don’t think anyone would know it if they weren’t told. From planning upcoming classes and workshops, to answering calls with questions and taking registrations, to marking and posting test results, to posting classes online and preparing for class… it never stops. Registrations come in 24 hours a day, the phones ring at all hours and the emails never stop. The instructors are in and out of the office, running errands and commuting between our various training locations. And beyond the time they spend as instructors providing bartender training, they also find time to do special events and to work shifts at their respective bars! At the end of my day I don’t get to work in a bar but instead I go home to my job as a mom and my little bartenders-in-training who are 3 & 6 years old. They practice their flair bartending in the bathtub and as soon as they’re old enough, they’ll be in class and getting ready for flair bartending competitions!
There is never a dull moment here since we also do workshops, private events, corporate events and teambuilding events on top of the bartender training that goes on.  We have instructors traveling around the country doing flair training right now. We have instructors shuttling back and forth from Ottawa to open our newest location there. Never mind all of the events we are doing!  So even though it may seem like we are just doing this bartending school Toronto type stuff… there is so much more to BartenderOne! I love what I get to be a part of here and the amazing team of people I work with.  Over the next few weeks I am going to share some more of what goes on behind the scenes at BartenderOne including what it’s like to work with this crew of instructors and the entire B1 team. Andrew, David, Ryan, Krissy, Jeremy, Jay, Jair … even the infamous Gavin! They truly are the best and I’m thrilled to be a part of this team!
Until next time…
Mel
IBC Finals Spring 2012
With a new crop of budding mixologists, eager to showcase their learnings from the past 5 weeks, the stage was set for the final exam for IBC 5. 6 new cocktails from each mixologist, thoughtfully assembled and balanced to a tee… well almost!
The vodka, rum, gin, whisky, tequila and brandy cocktails of the evening ranged from simple to complex… here are the highlights!
Faye MacLauglan scored well in many categories with her Sage Advice, Heat Wave and Brandy Twist cocktails however she scored highest in the rum category with her Tiki Tea cocktail pictured below.
Tiki Tea Cocktail
Lili Shi came up with some imaginative cocktails using ingredients that seldom show up on cocktail menus and scored best with Her Gin (Green Teeth) and Whisky (Bite your Heart shown below) cocktails.
Bite your Heart Cocktail
Claire Liu made some straight classics (the Sea Breeze) and some Asian inspired new age libations like her aptly named Yellow Tail (pictured below.)
Yellow Tail Cocktail
Jordan Sanders came up with some of the most inventive and creative applications for cocktails, including a smoked rum cocktail that had a great flavour, and a lesson about using the right amount of smoke in a cocktail, along with the binding and aroma containing elements of egg whites in a cocktail.
Jordan's Ceasaritza Cocktail
Sunny Meng Du tried her hand at some crafty molecular techniques, her Whisky (Sea Salt Whisky Caramel) and Brandy (Nice and Warm) cocktails were both highlights of her flight of drinks.
Sea Salt Whisky Caramel Cocktail
The night turned out to be a night of great cocktails, made from every spirit category. Â Stay tuned for full recipes coming soon!