About a month ago, Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix from Speed Rack asked me to be on the Media Panel for the annual Speed Rack Symposium. I was extremely honored to be asked to be a part of the panel, especially because of who else was on the panel: Kate Krader Food Editor at Bloomberg Pursuits, Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau of Punch, and Amanda Schuster of Alcohol Professor. Dana Cowin, formerly the Editor-in-Chief of Food and Wine Magazine led the conversation (and did a banger job).
Needless to say, I cleared my calendar to make sure I could be a part of it.
It was incredible to be on a panel surrounded by professionals that I deeply respect on so many different levels. The conversation ranged from brand building, to how far the cocktail industry has come in the last decade, to thoughts on being a woman in a male-dominated industry. The most poignant take-away for me was that female bartenders don't want to be called out as female bartenders anymore, they just want to be acknowledged for doing great work. Writers: stop pitching "Top 10 Female Bartender" stories. Seriously, stop it.
If you have an hour, please listen in. It was an amazing conversation, one that I learned a great deal from. I also had an opportunity to wax on poetically about many of the behind the scenes moments of working on Gastronomista: from the failures, the successes, to the daily struggles. A rare, raw moment from this Boozy Babe.
Get your headphones ready, and please leave comments below to continue the conversation:
