Acerca de mí
My career began in 1986 as a cook on the beaches of New Jersey, under New Orleans’ renowned chef Duke Locicero. I went on to cook, serve, manage and bartend in Boston, Orlando, Washington DC, Vail and Phoenix before completing an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird (where I also bartended). My degree landed me in Geneva, Prague and Madrid where I spent several years traveling and studying the flavors, agriculture and traditions (as well as the distilleries, wineries and breweries) of Europe. After the completion of my MBA, I worked in several countries, industries and positions, building small and medium-sized companies as both an employee and consultant. In January 2003, I left the corporate consulting world to return to my passion, the bar business. By November I had restored one of the oldest saloons in San Francisco and reopened it as Elixir.
Since the heyday of the Barbary Coast years, San Franciscans have been whetting their whistles on the corner of 16th and Guerrero under several owners, and under this proprietorship, they’re doing it with some of the finest beverages in contemporary California. On that corner, the second oldest saloon location in this Wild West town, Elixir’s menu revives the pre-Prohibition cocktail culture of the Barbary Coast while incorporating a focus on utilizing California’s abundant agricultural resources and San Francisco’s infamous creativity and artistic vision. As the first Certified Green bar in California, Elixir’s expansive cocktail menu and spirits collection focuses on the vintage, the organic, the local and the original, all while remaining a friendly corner bar. The bar has won numerous accolades for its cocktails, marketing programs, and atmosphere.
As Brand Ambassador and Mixologist for Square One Organic Vodka, I launched and continue to grow the brand across the United States and was nominated for Brand Ambassador of the Year at the 2007 and 2008 Tales of the Cocktail events in New Orleans, where I also lectured, designed 5 course cocktail and meal pairings, and competed in the 2007 Bar Chef Competition. I have designed custom cocktails for bars and restaurants around the country as well as product companies like R.H. Phillips Winery, hotels like the JW Marriott and exclusive private clubs like Mayacama. In 2006, I founded Cocktail Ambassadors, a consultancy for bar and restaurant operators as well as the product and service companies that supply them. I am a Co-Founder of San Francisco Cocktail Week, the Vice President of the United States Bartenders Guild San Francisco Chapter and a member of The Museum of the American Cocktail. My cocktail catering arm, Elixir Cocktail Catering, provides quality cocktails on a mobile basis to the whole of California and I am currently in the process of designing my next beverage venue. I can be found in Elixir just about every day of the week!
Influencias de Cocina
Chef Duke Locicero (Café Giovanni, New Orleans); Chef Rick Kangas (Grouse Mountain Grill, Beaver Creek); California, Rocky Mountain, Mediterranean, New Orleans and Latin American cuisines
Premios, Reconocimientos, y Sociedades
My cocktails and bar have appeared in GQ (Top 20 Cocktails in America 2008), Esquire (Best Bars in America 2008), Food and Wine (Top Tastes to Try in 2008; 2008 cocktail Book); Men’s Health, Imbibe, Valley Lifestyles, 7x7, San Francisco Magazine, Smoke Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, Beverage Media, Benefit, Restaurant Industry News, Nightclub and Bar Magazine (Cover story), Food Arts, MSNBC.com, Tablehopper.com, CocktailTimes.com, ArdentSpirits.com and TheLiquidMuse.com.
Otros Servicios
Spirits, Mixology and Bartending Education for Professionals and Non-Professional, Cocktail Catering, Cocktail Design, Bar Programs, Brand Development, Entertainment Events and more! Visit www.cocktailambassadors.com
Chef Estados Unidos
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