What if the difference between $100 in tips and $1,000 wasn’t your wine list—but your mindset?

This week’s guest, Julio of Waiter, There’s More,

joins us from Sweden to share his mission: training the next generation of hospitality pros not just to serve, but to elevate. From starting as a coffee boy to building a service training empire online, Julio has seen it all—and filmed a lot of it, too.

Expect to learn the art of invisible service, the myth of perfection, and why most waiters never make it past “good enough.” We dig into his online course (40+ hours of waiter self-development, filmed live on the job), the dirty truths behind viral hospitality videos, and the real difference between knowing your stuff and connecting with a guest.

Oh, and the course name? My inner marketer is super jealous, no doubt about it…

🧠 Expect to Hear:

• Why 95% of restaurant staff stay stuck—and how to break out

• The power of anticipatory service (and the pear juice test)

• Going viral for the wrong reasons

• Why hospitality is part psychology, part magic trick

• How to get paid while getting better

Whether you’re new to the floor or leading the team, this episode will sharpen your edge.

Service starts now.

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, and people that I wish I could have heard from when I was coming up in restaurants. Altogether I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠⁠⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠⁠⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

Picture this: thirty‑year agave plants hauled by burro through Oaxacan dust, corn fields reborn as gold in your glass, and a mango eau‑de‑vie so juicy it will drive you mad. That wild collision of flavor and story is exactly what today’s guest, Nat Harry, lives for. Nat’s a former bartender turned spirits buyer, San Francisco World Spirits Competition judge, and newly minted author helps guide us towards what is truly important in the world of fine spirits.

Expect to learn just how big of a geek I can be over spirits. Expect to hear us geek out on mezcal sustainability (“distilling coral‑reef liquor,” as one master sommelier quipped) , debunk “older is better” whiskey myths, and learn why the word “smooth” drives pros crazy....unless you ask the right follow‑up question.

If you pour for a living or just pour over bottle labels for fun, stick around: this conversation is fun, fiery, and guaranteed to leave your tasting glass (and your notebook) overflowing.

Service starts now.

Links:

-Nat's Instagram

-Nat's Website

-Cask

-Omnivore Books

-New York Kitchen and Letters

-Leopold Bros

-Kilchoman scotch

-Rey Campero Mezcal

-Mezcal Vago

-Real Minero

-Rhine Hall (Mango Eau de Vie)

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

What if everything you knew about wine and food pairing was wrong?

This week’s guest, Tim Hanni, Master of Wine, drops bomb after bomb on the wine world’s biggest myths: from the nonsense of “red wine with red meat” to why sweet wine drinkers may actually have more taste buds.

We also get deeply personal. Tim shares his journey from drinking three bottles a day to getting sober, while still working in the wine industry. We talk perceptual science, umami, ADHD, and why true hospitality means adapting to each individual guest, not showing off your wine vocabulary. And that's just for starters (he may even include his actual cell number in the convo).

🔍 Expect to Learn:

• Why wine language is broken

• The science of perception and taste

• Umami, steak, and red wine pairing myths

• The real reason sweet wine gets a bad rap

• Tim’s story of addiction, recovery, and reinvention

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Jeremiah Tower
• Tim's Website
• Tim's Book
• Contact Tim

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

🍺 Ever heard of Lithuanian pickle beer? Join us for an epic chat with Chris Campbell, a veteran of Santa Fe’s vibrant bar scene, in this must-listen episode! 🍸 From slinging drinks at high-end restaurants to managing the bar at Susan’s, Chris spills the tea on surviving the pandemic, pivoting to a dream schedule with weekends off, and stocking wild brews like that pickle beer. 🌵 Discover how he’s thrived in the quirky, challenging world of Santa Fe’s hospitality industry, found love, and built a life he loves. Perfect for foodies, bartenders, or anyone curious about life behind the bar!

🔥 Highlights:

The scoop on Lithuanian pickle beer and other crazy brews 🍻

How Chris went from bartending grind to work-life balance

Navigating Santa Fe’s unique restaurant culture

Heartfelt reflections on longevity and love in a tough industry

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

What happens when a pioneer in mixology decides to walk away from booze—and starts writing about mythical cats instead? This week, I sit down with Natalie Bovis, aka The Liquid Muse, and it’s a wild, funny, deeply heartfelt ride through festival burnout, artistic rebirth, and the unexpected magic of letting go.

Natalie is a true force to be reckoned with. There's no way I could capture everything she does in just one description, so I’ve linked to her About Page—make sure to set aside some time to really take it all in, it is a LOOOOT!

Natalie’s journey takes us from the heights of the mixology world—creating the first cocktail festival in New Mexico —to the quiet clarity of pandemic reflection, full-time caretaking, and rediscovering her creative soul. She opens up about leaving the alcohol industry, grappling with its dark undercurrents, and channeling her energy into something radically different and more fulfilling: writing about cats, gods, and the mystical intersections of art and nature.

Expect to learn about:

• How the pandemic helped her reset her life

• The evolution of her Cocktails & Culture Festival (and Taco Wars!)

• Starting Mind, Body, Spirits to promote balance in hospitality

• Writing “Cat Gods, Goddesses, Deities & Demons”—and launching a deck of oracle cards!

• Her upcoming children’s book and a retreat in Spain rooted in culinary and cultural healing

This is an episode about identity, transformation, and what it means to live in alignment with who you are—not just what you’ve done.

🎟️ Check out the Cocktails & Culture Festival and NM Cocktail Week HERE
📚 Get “Cat Gods, Goddesses, Deities & Demons” and the oracle deck
🐾 Learn more about Natalie at The Liquid Muse

If this kind of conversation speaks to you, please like, share, and subscribe—it really helps.

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life. You can find more of my work at ⁠my blog⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

What happens when a former executive chef walks away from the kitchen—and realizes she never learned how to take care of herself? When she brings up mental health the response is a best lukewarm, and at worst dismissive???

This week’s episode hit me hard. Jasmin Parks-Papadopoulos brings honesty, depth, and a kind of courage you don’t hear every day. And, I’m very excited to say, a vision of a better possible future and hope. She’s part of CHOW!—Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness—and her story is one so many of us in the industry will recognize: long hours, blurred boundaries, trauma bonds, adrenaline highs, and a haunting quiet once the shift is over.

We talk about what it means to lead with empathy after years of leading with fear. About how dysfunction can feel familiar—and even comforting—if you grew up in chaos. And about the brilliant, deceptively simple power of asking someone how they’re feeling... on a scale of rare to well done!

Expect to learn why so many of us mistake survival for strength. Expect to hear about the cracks in the system—and the real work being done to fix them. And expect a conversation that might just make you rethink what hospitality could be.

Link to the organization HERE!

If this kind of honesty speaks to you, please like, share, and subscribe—it really helps.

Thanks for being here. I’m Andrew.

I talk to people in and around the service industry, trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life. You can find more of my work at my blog, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

What exactly happens when one jumps ship and goes from working on the floor to distribution? This week I had the pleasure to catch up with a tour de force in the Santa Fe Community, James 'by the glass' Selby. This episode explores what kind of life you can expect as a wine and spirits rep.

Expect to learn just how powerful a trip to the Loire Valley can be. How much you might expect to work as a liquor rep. What kind of service James actually gave at the compound, and how James sees the future prospects of the industry as a whole.

If this sounds like your kind of conversation, please like, subscribe, and share—it really helps!

Some links for things we mentioned in the show:

Court of Master Sommeliers

La Playa

Compound

El Farol

San Francisco Street Bar and GrillAldo Sohm

Storyworthy Book

And…that’s it for this week! Thanks for listening! My name’s Andrew.

I record strange, fun things and try to make sense of this weird, beautiful life. You can find more of my written work at ⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠. All of my social links are at the bottom of that site. You also have a contact page there. Please let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, or notes for improvement!

I’m just here, taking notes as I go, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers!

What happens when two bartenders reunite after a decade…and finally talk about a night when things went sideways? This episode dives deep into the highs, lows, and healing of life behind the bar

This week, I was truly lucky. This is an episode near and dear to my heart. Chris Milligan is a force to be reckoned with. He has more depth and encyclopedic knowledge of bar lore and mixology than any human I have ever met. Here is a glimpse into how everything started for me. Secreto bar, my time as a barback. We don’t hold back from nodding to our booze consumption back then, and we finally get to make amends for past disagreements.

Expect to learn just how working in a busy bar doesn’t mean you’ll be happy. Expect to hear how life often does seem sweet on the other side of a bottle. And expect to hear what happens when success, ego and alcohol mix…and why some of the most respected people people in the industry feel at a loss sometimes.

Notes:

Chris mentions Reiki and Ho’oponopono.

If this sounds like your kind of conversation, please like, subscribe, and share—it really helps!

And…that’s it for this week! Thanks for listening! My name’s Andrew.

I record strange, fun things and try to make sense of this weird, beautiful life. You can find more of my written work at ⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠. All of my social links are at the bottom of that site. You also have a contact page there. Please let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, or notes for improvement!

I’m just here, taking notes as I go, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers!