Wild Turkey’s Benny Hurwitz has no problem working any gig on the totem pole. For him, mastering even the smallest of things, leads to a much better and well-rounded life. After realizing the suit and tie lifestyle wasn’t for this skateboarding Maryland native, he entered the freeing world of hospitality. This land of little structure, no lectures, and a lot of creative freedom set his career on a whole new path. With his great experience at the Columbia Room and Jack Rose Dining Saloon, he attending his first session of Behind the Barrel. This connection to the Wild Turkey family continued to grow and now he travels the states sharing…
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Ep 254 – Amy Florez: Diverse Tastes Across Diverse Places
Dalla’s Amy Flores started down the straight and accepted path of college and a “real” job. For some this is a fine and regular endeavor, but as Amy’s mind grew more creative and sought out more diverse experiences, a desk job just wasn’t enough. Enter Hospitality stage left, and then a connection between people, spirits, and stories enrich Amy’s life forever. After years behind the bar, time in distribution, and now as an educational liaison for Collectif 1806, Amy shares some of the finest Remy Cointreau products to the masses while conducting roundtable chats about insights with industry legends. We chat Bon Iver, Cognac, community college, and more.
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Ep 249 – Al Young: Been Around the Bourbon Block
The legendary Al Young has shared the beauty of Four Roses Bourbon for over 50 years. He’s traveled the world, seen consumer tastes change, and now still stands at the forefront of Bourbon discussion as it returns to favor. Starting as a man of the stage, Al fully intended on studying drama, but love and commitment drove him to find a 9-5 day job. Starting with Seagrams in 1964, the impressive journey took foot. We chat actors, dedication, a fulfilling marriage, and good Bourbon tales.
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Ep 248 – Dev Johnson: Stay patient, Stay Humble
Employee’s Only’s Dev Johnson is a LA native who’s drift away from acting led to a massive dedication to hospitality. As many actor’s find work far and few between, they seek out hospitality jobs to cover their expenses. Sometimes this empowers the career, and sometimes it creates a career change. Dev Johnson found that bartending became the perfect intersection of people skills and learning. Now years later, and one of the longest serving bartenders at Employee’s Only, what does patience, dedication, and humility do for your career? Bonus: we chat Monkey Shoulder with Vance Henderson.
