Tell us how you got started in the hospitality industry.
I got into the industry entirely by accident. I was a new father to my oldest child and was kind of spiraling in my personal life. I have a bit of a checkered past, but being a father, I had to make some different decisions in my life and started my career as security in nightclubs here in Chicago. One fateful night I was thrown behind a bar because the venue was short-staffed, and even though I had ZERO knowledge of what I was doing, it sparked something inside of me, and now 17 years later, I'm still here!
What was your motivation for creating Brown & Balanced, and how did you make it come alive?
Brown and Balanced was created out of a necessity for some diversity and inclusion in the industry. I was tenured, and people knew who I was, along with some other Black Bartenders across the country. But at major cocktail events and festivals, and publications, the only people I saw representing bartenders were young white males who fit a specific description. White, suspenders, tattoos, A LOT of gel, and in my neighborhood and the bars and clubs I frequented, no one looked like that. So me being me, I was fortunate enough to be working with LUSH LIFE PRODUCTIONS, and they believed in my crazy idea to travel across the country identifying Black bartending talent and hosting events where they could showcase their talents in front of people, brands, and influencers. The thing about the hospitality industry as a whole is that it was BUILT on the backs of Black people. When we were forcibly brought to America, WE were the bartenders, servers, chefs, hosts, etc., so why were we part of all the features? I took it upon myself to be one of the people who would lead the charge to change things.
How has Brown & Balanced impacted the Chicago bartending community as well as the larger community of Black and Brown bartenders?
Normally I don’t like answering this question because I tend to want to stay humble, and I don’t like talking about myself a lot; but I can say PROUDLY that not just in Chicago, but across the entire country, EVERY Brown and Balanced bartender has moved upward in the industry. They’ve opened bars, became brand reps, and some have even moved across countries to run programs. Some have even gone on to start their own movements similar to Brown and Balanced. In the words of my beautiful sister, “I did that.”
Tell us how you got started in the hospitality industry.
I got into the industry entirely by accident. I was a new father to my oldest child and was kind of spiraling in my personal life. I have a bit of a checkered past, but being a father, I had to make some different decisions in my life and started my career as security in nightclubs here in Chicago. One fateful night I was thrown behind a bar because the venue was short-staffed, and even though I had ZERO knowledge of what I was doing, it sparked something inside of me, and now 17 years later, I'm still here!
What was your motivation for creating Brown & Balanced, and how did you make it come alive?
Brown and Balanced was created out of a necessity for some diversity and inclusion in the industry. I was tenured, and people knew who I was, along with some other Black Bartenders across the country. But at major cocktail events and festivals, and publications, the only people I saw representing bartenders were young white males who fit a specific description. White, suspenders, tattoos, A LOT of gel, and in my neighborhood and the bars and clubs I frequented, no one looked like that. So me being me, I was fortunate enough to be working with LUSH LIFE PRODUCTIONS, and they believed in my crazy idea to travel across the country identifying Black bartending talent and hosting events where they could showcase their talents in front of people, brands, and influencers. The thing about the hospitality industry as a whole is that it was BUILT on the backs of Black people. When we were forcibly brought to America, WE were the bartenders, servers, chefs, hosts, etc., so why were we part of all the features? I took it upon myself to be one of the people who would lead the charge to change things.
How has Brown & Balanced impacted the Chicago bartending community as well as the larger community of Black and Brown bartenders?
Normally I don’t like answering this question because I tend to want to stay humble, and I don’t like talking about myself a lot; but I can say PROUDLY that not just in Chicago, but across the entire country, EVERY Brown and Balanced bartender has moved upward in the industry. They’ve opened bars, became brand reps, and some have even moved across countries to run programs. Some have even gone on to start their own movements similar to Brown and Balanced. In the words of my beautiful sister, “I did that.”
