![]() Thousands of people entered and then it went down to the top 100. You're actually submitting a mindful menu that's tied to your local community. So, it's also storytelling, ingredient creation, speed and knowledge of spirits. And it was the first moment that I looked at it and thought "Yeah, I could be part of that." This year, I just decided it was my year.Ī: You have to make great cocktails, but many, many, many bartenders around the country can make really great cocktails. Everyone was so kind and so genuine and so talented. Through my involvement with the Guild, I worked the event and so I got to watch it. Q: How did you become aware of this competition?Ī: In 2019, the Midwest regional competition was here. Our program is a reflection on me, not just Spoon and Gavin. Last summer we started to really find our voice, and honestly I just got more comfortable being a leader. We had a little bit of turnover during the pandemic, but not much. Q: When did the post-pandemic tide really turn and you felt like you had the breathing room to really jell the team and bar program as your own?Ī: Summer is when we got to a place where the team really came together. ![]() You should come work here." They had an opening. Not long after that, he reached out to me and was like, "I won, but not by much. I was in a competition against Nathaniel Smith. But we did have the pandemic in the middle, which was a weird, elastic kind of time.Īctually, the way I got hired here was funny. I've been in charge of this program for nearly three years. Eventually he started preparing me to take over. Q: How did you come to work at Spoon and Stable?Ī: Robb Jones, who now owns Meteor, took an interest in me right away and saw that I was ambitious, thirsty and wanted to learn. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. We sat down with Pollak in Spoon and Stable's sun-soaked dining room to talk about all things cocktails and how an impromptu séance helped bring home the title. in Sydney, Australia, where she hopes to bring home the title of World's Best Bartender. ![]() "It was so incredible to see someone work so hard for something and be rewarded for that hard work. It's like any athlete training," said Kaysen. "I remember we would be in for prep in the kitchen at like 10:30 a.m., butchering fish, and there would be Jessi, practicing and working on her speed. She would speak to the wall, honing her cocktail presentations. (Kaysen is team president.) She then took those pointers and got to work, coming into the bar early in the morning, pouring bottles filled with water to practice her speed and precision. To prepare for the competition, Pollak asked Kaysen how he and Team USA trained for the Bocuse d'Or, the world's most prestigious cooking competition. Not only do they throw a no-hitter, but they hit a grand slam," said Gavin Kaysen, chef/owner of Spoon and Stable, of Pollak's win. "This is the underdog shows up for the World Series. Pollak beat 15 of the country's top bartenders after two days and four challenges at the competition, held in Nashville in late June. Bartenders' Guild national competition, which pits the best of the best against one another for the title of U.S. Just four years after starting at Spoon and Stable, she entered the U.S. That job lit a spark that eventually propelled her to lead the bar program at the North Loop's prestigious Spoon and Stable restaurant.īut she didn't stop there. ![]() Despite being a novice in the hospitality world, she quickly fell in love with the art of working with seasonal ingredients, building flavor and serving guests. But instead of packing up once her independence hit, she found work in the cocktail room at Du Nord Social Spirits in south Minneapolis. Pollak moved here with her parents as a teen, and immediately began dreaming of a way out. ![]() She's also the best bartender in the country. Jessi Pollak is a self-described witchy goth kid from Florida who never meant to stay in Minnesota. ![]()
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