This weeks guest is Alex Black, Director of Bars at Our House Hospitality Company. With over 20 years immersed in the world of bars, Alex has refined his craft and passion for hospitality to a high level. Originally from Winnipeg, Alex had the privilege of working in some of Canada’s most esteemed establishments. In 2011, he began calling Vancouver home, significantly contributing to the city’s vibrant cocktail scene. In 2024, Alex embarked on a new chapter in Toronto, excited to explore fresh opportunities and bring my experience to a new and dynamic community.

Alex’s journey is supported by a broad range of certifications and credentials, establishing him as one of Canada’s most knowledgeable and certified bartenders. Alex holds a Level 3 Diploma in Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), as well as certifications from the International Sommelier Guild, Beverage Alcohol Resource Group, West Indies Rum and Spirit Producers Association, Consejo Regulador del Tequila, Society of Wine Educators, and Pernod Ricard & École Hôtelière de Lausanne.

Alex’s career has also been enriched by valuable time spent working in distilleries across the globe, deepening his understanding of the craft from the ground up. In 2018, Alex was honoured with the title of Vancouver’s Best Bar Personality and the Global Winner at the Tahona Society Bartender competition, a recognition that reflects his dedication to advancing mental health conversations within the hospitality industry. As managing partner and creative director for acclaimed Vancouver establishments, Alex played an instrumental role in securing accolades, including being named Canada’s Best New Bar by Canada’s 100 Best and earning regional honours for World’s Best New Cocktail Bar by Tales of the Cocktail.

blacktending.com

@blacktending

A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and cocktail lovers alike and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out!

Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kyppsaunders@gmail.com for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports.

Links

kyppsaunders@gmail.com

@sugarrunbar

@the_industry_podcast

email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club

This weeks guest is Paul Lachowich - Director of Operations & Head Distiller, Elora Distilling Company. As the first employee hired by Elora Distilling Company, Paul has been instrumental in shaping the company’s operations and product offerings.

Paul’s career highlights include the following:

Head Distiller: Recipient of 2 Gold Medals and 2 Silver Medals at the Canadian Artisan Spirit Awards ; Designed and launched a diverse product line, including over 40 products such as gin, liqueurs, RTDs, rum, vodka, and whisky

Beer, Brewing, and RTD Blending: Brewed beer and blended ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, combining technical expertise with creativity. Served as a beer judge for the Canadian and Ontario Brewing Awards, showcasing deep industry knowledge.

Hospitality: Developed and curated the tap list at Birreria Volo, a premier Toronto craft beer destination.

Paul’s extensive hospitality background provides a unique understanding of consumer preferences and market trends, enabling him to craft products that resonate with customers while demonstrating a mastery of distillation. This combination makes him a key figure in Canada’s growing craft spirits landscape.

@plachowich

@eloradistillingco

eloradistillingcompany.com

A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and cocktail lovers alike and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out!

Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kyppsaunders@gmail.com for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports.

Links

kyppsaunders@gmail.com

@sugarrunbar

@the_industry_podcast

email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club

This weeks guest is Nadia Hrkać, a Toronto based Luxury Food Importer who works closely with farms and producers in Europe - mainly Italy, to create custom recipes, and private labels. She will introduce you to the highest quality artisanal products from around the world.

Nadia has been importing Fresh Truffles particularly from Italy, Croatia, Spain, France and Australia for many years and supplying restaurants, hotels and specialty food shops in Canada. Nadia’s catalogue of products also includes extra virgin olive oils and vinegars, caviar, sea water spirits, and wine plus many other artisanal foods. Given her Holistic Nutrition background, Nadia is also very conscious of ingredients when selecting items for her catalogue.

You can find more information on Nadia's product line at nadiyya.com

A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and cocktail lovers alike and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out!

Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kyppsaunders@gmail.com for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports.

Links

kyppsaunders@gmail.com

@sugarrunbar

@the_industry_podcast

email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club

This weeks guest is Vanessa Gouachi who joins us for in person interview. With over two decades in the industry, Vanessa has enjoyed a long and storied career. Initially starting as a dishwasher, Vanessa moved to numerous roles in the family business from back of house, to front of house and eventually bartending. Eventually Vanessa moved to Toronto for school and continued in the Industry by working in corporate restaurants, night clubs and events. Eventually, Vanessa moved out west and left the industry.

After experiencing difficulty getting a suitable job in the industry despite the wealth of experience, Vanessa landed a job working at a hotel and discovered a new world of hospitality. Since that time, Vanessa has worked at numerous hotels that have allowed her to work in locations such as Pender Island in British Columbia, Muskoka in Ontario and the Cayman Islands.

Vanessa eventually moved back to south western Ontario, and has spent the last decade opening restaurants, developing cocktail menus, and training bar teams. Today, you can find her running the beverage program for the Charcoal Legacy group as the beverage manager for the Charcoal complex in Kitchener which includes - Del’s Italian Kitchen, Martini’s Bar & Patio and the Charcoal Steakhouse.

@nesstothesess

@muddypawstreatco

A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and cocktail lovers alike and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out!

Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kyppsaunders@gmail.com for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports.

Links

kyppsaunders@gmail.com

@sugarrunbar

@the_industry_podcast

email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club

This weeks guest is Chef Franck Desplechin, author of the new book Relentless Growth: Cultivating a Chef’s Mindset for Professional Fulfillment. Chef Franck is not just another chef with battle scars from the kitchen. He has a remarkable journey: entering kitchens at 15, dedicating over 25 years to leading Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury hotels, and now helping professionals unlock deeper fulfillment through his consulting firm, Incrementum.

Relentless Growth skips the usual surface-level advice and goes straight into the real world pressures, resilience, and mindset that drive authentic leadership. Franck’s perspective is as direct as it is motivating—he understands that technical skills get you started, but it is the relentless pursuit of growth that carries a career to the next level. He’s passionate about showing how grit and adaptability aren’t just survival tactics, but the keys to evolving in any industry.

cheffranck.com

@chef_franck_84

Franck Desplechin

Relentless Growth: Cultivating a Chef’s Mindset for Professional Fulfillment

A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and cocktail lovers alike and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out!

Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kyppsaunders@gmail.com for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports.

Links

kyppsaunders@gmail.com

@sugarrunbar

@the_industry_podcast

email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club

This weeks guest is Jasmyne Colín who joins us from Denver, Colorado. Jasmyne aka “Malort Mami” is a self-proclaimed “bar-activist”. She has competed in many competitions such as Speed Rack and won the Malort competition Denver. While Jasmyn loves bartending and the freedom it gives her to be creative, her passion lies in activism. Jasmyne received her degree in Political Science and Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2021, right around the time she joined the industry.

Jasmyne’s ethos as a bartender is centred around community and connection. Over the past year and a half, Jasmyne has found ways to blend her two passions of activism and bartending, proving that the two are not mutually exclusive. One such as example was hosting the first ever Latine focused party at PDXCW, that centred culture and community. Jasmyne strongly believes that as members of the service industry, we are stronger together and that we have the power to impact our communities in a profound and unique way.

Currently, Jasmyne bartends and is the Social Media Manager at Pony Up Denver.

@malort_mami

@ponyupdenver

A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and cocktail lovers alike and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out!

Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kyppsaunders@gmail.com for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports.

Links

kyppsaunders@gmail.com

@sugarrunbar

@the_industry_podcast

email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club

On this weeks episode of The Industry podcast, Garrett Stewart joins us for an in-person interview. Gary has been bartending for 4 years at an “upscale casual” restaurant that focuses on local, sustainable and ethical products. Over the course of his career, Gary has taught kindergarten, worked in youth shelters, was employed as a carpenter, a tree planter, and a cherry picker, but he always somehow wound end up in hospitality.

Gary landed his first job in the industry at 16 and most of his experience has been in pubs and dive bars. He never really started exploring the art of bartending until his current job. This year Gary entered his first cocktail competition and won the coveted “Golden Shaker” award from Elora Distilling.

Gary is also currently in the process of launching his Uncle Gator brand which is focussed on event curation, menu development, and consultation - basically the elements he loves about his chosen profession.

Gary also plays in a band called LUVR with an incredible group of friends. In his spare time he snowboards, makes silly art, and spends time reading at the bar.

@unclegator666

@luvrmusic

A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and cocktail lovers alike and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out!

Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kyppsaunders@gmail.com for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports.

Links

kyppsaunders@gmail.com

@sugarrunbar

@the_industry_podcast

email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club

This weeks guest is Blake Canning who joins us from Toronto, Ontario. Blake is the National Canadian Brand Ambassador for Bearface Whisky. In his role as a Brand Ambassador, Blake has travelled across this great country educating on all that his brand and Canada have to offer. From unique cask blends to the patented Elemental Aging Process, Blake always attempts to share what makes Bearface and Canadian whisky so unique and important,

@bearface.blake

@thebitterendbar

@bearfacewhisky

A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and cocktail lovers alike and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out!

Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at kyppsaunders@gmail.com for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports.

Links

kyppsaunders@gmail.com

@sugarrunbar

@the_industry_podcast

email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club