Please send us the name and email address of the individual you think qualifies as an Aspiring Bar Chef and why you feel they should be nominated.. 

We will then contact them to tell them of their nomination and to get information about them and their goals.

As told by Elba… I started at Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, NJ as a bar wench at 18 years old.  There I learned the fundamentals of spirits and the universal setup of the speed well (vodka, gin, rum, tequila…).  I even learned how to make a killer Long Island Iced Tea.  From Medieval Times I moved on and left the industry for a desk job.  I quickly found that I couldn’t sit still.  Something in me longed to be behind the bar.           

At 21 years old, I made the decision to pursue bartending and with the help of my childhood friend, realize I could make a career of it.  I was on a mission for the right bar and decided to go to Bartending School and get my certification.  I worked at several sports bar in 2003 and finally in 2004, I came across an opportunity to bartend at the Velvet Lounge in Fairfield, NJ.  I quickly put to use the skills I had developed.  Velvet Lounge introduced me to a great group of bartenders who passed along valuable information that helped me find my way.            

After Velvet Lounge, I joined a promoting company in New York City as a guest bartender and was welcomed at Prey Lounge and Alibi Lounge in 2005.  In 2005, I helped open The Bar Room in Union, NJ with Joe Seabras and Bonnie Neville and joined as the head bartender.  Here I was given free reigns of the spirits and was able to play with recipes I had only read about.  I had great support from the owners and from the crowd!  I decided in July 2006 that I needed more experience.  I went on to bartend at The Graycliff, a banquet facility, in Moonachie, NJ and also at Azucar Cuban Cuisine & Restaurant in Jersey City, NJ.  At Azucar I specialized in making mojitos and being of Cuban/El Salvadorian decent, the mojito is very familiar to me!           

I moved on at the end of 2006 taking with me the joy of mixing and the urge to learn.  I joined Restaurant.MC, in Millburn, NJ, in September 2006 and helped open the restaurant in January 2007.  At .mc, I was apart of the opening staff and had the opportunity to train with an excellent sommelier, Evelyn Hsu.  She also introduced me and my fellow bartenders to Dushan Zaric, of Employees Only in New York City, and had the fortune of training with a great mixologist.   I learned how to use unique ingredients, like green cardamom, cayenne pepper, and house-made hibiscus syrup.  I quickly discovered that herbs like thyme in .mc’s Blueberry Thyme, created a new level of cocktails that was enjoyable and it was the introductions of herbs in a cocktail that I found my new love of experimenting.  I experimented with sage, rosemary, basil, and tarragon, which would be the winning ingredient in my “Silver Granate”. It was through Evelyn that I was introduced to Ultimate Bar Chef and the Ultimate Cocktail for a Cure Competition.  She encouraged the bartenders to work on a recipe using Hendrick’s Gin and Pama Liqueur for the competition.  I began working away and developed a recipe for the Silver Granate that I submitted for consideration.  Sure enough, I not only received the call from Ultimate Bar Chef that I placed in the Top 20, but received a second call that my cocktail was selected by the judges for the Top 5 cocktails.  August 12^th was a day to remember…it was the day that I received notification by email that the judges name me and the Silver Granate the winning cocktail. I won my first competition and this has only created an appetite that I am on the road to fulfill. 

I have had amazing experiences along the way and especially at Restaurant.mc exposed to opportunities that I can only be forever grateful.  I was introduced to a new level of hospitality, a new level of cocktails, and my passion for mixology. I have decided to pull my reigns and step away from the bar…temporarily…so that I can complete my last year at Rutgers University and my Bachelor’s in Management and finally walk down that graduation aisle; only to return to the industry and do what my heart longs for. ****See you soon***

We did this month a little different....Mirjana (Mindy) has such energy...we wanted you to see exactly how she describes herself and let you pick up her enthusiasm for the craft...

I have been bartending for five years and love it. I have been in the service industry for eight years and started by waiting tables  at Landry's Seafood House in Kemah, Texas. I started working for Hilton Hotels Corporation at the Hilton-Americas in downtown Houston in February 2005. After cocktailing at the Lobby Bar for seven months, I transferred to Spencer's for Steaks and Chops, a restaurant inside the hotel, as a bartender. That is where I found my love of mixing cocktails. A reporter for the Houston Chronicle was interviewing our executive chef, Joel St. John, and asked him if he knew any great bartenders for an article she was writing, and he recommended me! I came to work that night and my general manager, Troy Roth, told me to be at work a little early because the photographer would arrive by 10:30 am. I had a confused look on my face and he realized I had no idea what he was talking about. the article came out the following week in the Dining Guide of the Houston Chronicle May 2006.

I then transferred to the Hilton Austin on Fifth Street, where I entered a national drink contest for Hotel F&B Executive magazine sponsored by Gran Gala Triple Orange Liquor.  I entered my Front Porch Swing and  won second place and $500. In July 2007, Hilton and Doubletree were having a national mixology contest sponsored by Coca-Cola. I entered my Hot Summer Night and won a trip to New Orleans to have my drink judged by a panel of judges including Tony Abou-Ganim. I won the title Hilton Top Bar Chef, $500, and a VIP trip for two to Puerto Rico, which I will be enjoying in December. While in New Orleans, Tales of the Cocktail was just beginning. All the contestants went to dinner and have drinks with Tony Abou-Ganim at the Hotel Monteleone, that is where I met Sean Bigley and discovered Ultimate Bar Chef.

Cheers Debbi!

Humberto Marques has been tending bar since 1998 in various competences, be it Bartender, Bar Manager or Brand Ambassador. He prefers been see as a Mixologist rather a Bartender, he believes there is a big difference between theme, which he explains in his philosophy: A bartender is someone who works behind the bar and simply gets you a drink. A Mixologist is someone who assumes the craft of mixing cocktails to perfection.

Jeffrey Morgenthaler, of Eugene Oregon, has been tending bar since 1996 in various capacities, be it bartender, bar manager or consultant.

Morgenthaler graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Architecture, but soon realized that his calling was exploring the culinary side of cocktails and using the abundant resources of Oregon to create fresh, balanced and inspired cocktails.

In 2001, he was offered the chance to open the bar at Bamboo for James Beard nominee Stephanie Pearl-Kimmel.  When the restaurant closed, he was asked to help open the wildly successful bar at Red Agave.  When the owners of Red Agave decided to open El Vaquero, a large, upscale restaurant and lounge in 2005, Jeffrey worked closely with local purveyors to create an innovative bar that focused on original cocktails and twists on the classics.

Jeffrey also maintains a very successful website, www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com,  devoted to mixology and the bartending profession.  The website is popular with cocktail enthusiasts around the world (including UltimateBarChef.com).  His drink recipes have been published in Wine Enthusiast Magazine, and he has been widely quoted as an expert in the field of bartending by local and national magazines and newspapers.

In 2006, Jeffrey started a grassroots movement to encourage Americans to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition on December 5th.  The first Repeal Day was a groundfloor success, and this year he plans to launch another website, this time devoted entirely to spreading the word about Repeal Day.

Cheers Jeffrey!

Zole Andahazy is a native Californian, born and raised in San Francisco. With so many great chefs in the area, he started working in the restaurant business at an early age and went on to serve, bartend and manage at some of the best restaurants in the west. Marché in Eugene, Truffula in Tahoe City, Lahontan in Truckee, and the legendary Lodge at Pebble Beach have all played a major role in his career.

At this time he is living with his wife, Karin and son, Silas in Carmel Valley working for Bernardus Lodge, home of Wickets Bistro and Marinus, rated one of the top restaurants in Northern California by Zagat.

Zole attributes his greatest influence to Larry Dunning, owner and chef of Truffula in Tahoe City and most currently of Sezmu in Reno, Nevada. Through food and wine, Larry was able to impress the importance of the blending of flavors and textures in which developing his palate.

In 2004 Zole received his introductory Sommelier Certificate and was busy working as a sommelier and bartender on the Monterey Peninsula. It was when he started working at Bernardus Lodge under Chef Cal Stamenov, as bar manager and Wickets Restaurant Manager that he was able to use his wine and food pairing experiences to make great cocktails. The same local fruits, vegetables and herbs used in the kitchen inspired Zole to create a drink menu to parallel the wonderful food they serve. In sync with the kitchen, he has developed a bar menu that corresponds with the fresh produce being grown in Monterey County and changes seasonally.

Most recently Zole was spotted in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Bar and Nightclub convention where he competed in his first mixologist competition- “Shake it Up”. He placed in the top 5 with his drink “Strawberry Splendor” and went on to receive third place in the overall competition.

What’s in the future for Zole? Continuing to build Bernardus’ bar program to mirror the food produced while improving service at Wicket’s Bistro is at the top of Zole’s list. You also might see him mixing it up in a few more contests as well. Keep an eye out for the blending of fresh, seasonal produce as a signature “Zole” cocktail. Zole loves coming up with new and interesting flavor profiles and putting a twist on the classics; but the thing he will tell you he finds most troubling is naming his concoctions.

Cheers Zole!

Originally from Chicago, Jennifer moved to Las Vegas and started working in the food and beverage industry when she was 17 at the Pink Taco in the Hard Rock Hotel and then at Simon Kitchen & Bar. Jennifer then went to Boa Steakhouse at Caesars Palace, where she got her first opportunity to become a bartender. Learning to tend bar, she was trained and motivated by master Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim. It is through Abou-Ganim that she truly drew a passion for creating dynamic, intense, cocktails.

In May of 2005, Jennifer moved back to the Chicago-land area and began bartending in downtown Chicago at Ballo Restaurant and Discotheque.  In the fall of 2005, she decided to hone in on her craft and became a Restaurant Manager/Beverage Director at A Righteous Tavern & Grill in Naperville. It was there that she had the first opportunity to implement her skills and create a beverage program where the cocktail list was based off of her signature creations. During her employment in Naperville, Jennifer was referred to Bridget Albert of Southern Wine & Spirits of Illinois and the United States Bartenders Guild.Albert was the guiding light in evolving Jennifer into a very successful competitive mixologist. She graduated the Academy as Valedictorian and upon becoming an active member of the U.S.B.G., entered her first cocktail competition sponsored by 10 Cane Rum where she placed 3^rd. 

In December of 2006, Jennifer moved her professional career back to the city of Chicago to open new River North restaurant- Graze, as a restaurant manager. At Graze, she continued to study within the beverage industry and was designated a Certified Bar Manager with the International Food Service Executives Association in January of 2007.

Cheers Jennifer!

Jesse Cimino started his career at the Riz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas and continued learning his craft at the Melting Pot.  While at the Melting Pot, Jesse learned more about the beverage industry from inventory to wine menus.  While at the Melting Pot, Jesse was approached to take the Academy of Spirits and Fine Service course at Southern Wine and Spirits.

After completing the course with top honors, Jesse joined the United States Bartender's Guild where his hard work paid off with a position on the Council.  During this time period, he honed his skills and made some excellent connections which gained him a job bartending a the Bellagio Hotel and Casino where he can still be found today.

Jesse prides himself on his experience from his start in the industry to the present and he continuously spends the effort to make the best cocktails using the best ingredients and spirits.  His quote is "All the knowledge I have gained I use every day at my job, and I am happy doing it."

Cheers Jesse!

George grew up in East Bridgewater, MA and worked at the famous Black Rose in Boston where he first learned a passion for the spirits industry.  While attending college in Fort Collins, CO he tended bar at Bisetti's Italian Restaurant and where he also added a substantial education in wines.  While in Colorado, George gained a mentor in Jonathon Rashleigh who assisted in polishing his techniques in building cocktails.  George has continued his education by attending the Academy of Fine Spirits in Las Vegas and joining the United States Bartenders Guild.

George now can be found at the Downtown Cocktail Room (one of the best new bars in the downtown area!) where he moved to from the Sidebar Lounge in Las Vegas where he worked under the management of Bill Haskins (formerly of Harry Denton's Starlight Room in San Francisco).  If you visit his old hangout - Sidebar, you can find some of the best made cocktails in this city made with the finest ingredients.  This establishment is reminescent of old Vegas, with the classic cocktails made to the highest standards.

Stop by and see George...ask him to make you one of his favorite cocktails, a Negroni (which is one of the best in the business) or perhaps a Elijah Craig 18 Year Single Barrel Manhattan.  Or if you are in a adventurous mood try one of George's own creations like the Mint Bourbonilla (Ultimate Recipes Page) or his Fleur L'Orange with Hangar One Mandarin Vodka.

Cheers George!