One of the strings to my bow happens to include being a once-upon-a-time industry nominated UK Bartender of the Year. Of the many hats I have worn in my working life, working in F&B was one of the most rewarding and valuable experiences for me; in terms of developing super-refined soft skills, as well as seeing the immediate impact on a customer/client for a job well done. It could be hard work for sure, but the personal satisfaction, pride and of course fun was a worthy reward.

Working in many areas of the industry before, during and after my student days in the UK, I stepped away from that world while in a role as head bartender and management team for an award winning boutique UK restaurant and bar group. This role required a great deal of time devoted to attending training, workshops, tastings, ambassadorial roles at industry events, competitions (winning one or two along the way!), and of course one of the aspects I loved most, developing new recipes, creating menus, pairing and balancing flavours to complement food offerings.

As someone who thrives on being hands on and of a creative bent, this line of work was fantastic... Anyway, let me introduce Wetwork, dedicated to combining my professional expertise as an F&B pro with my time served as a design and comms pro. 

The aim here is to present both formal and informal creative work associated with the on-trade, but also serve as a point of contact for any consultation or commissions that might come my way This may relate to the service side, the product, the venue itself and of course any VI and marketing-related needs. I was prompted to put this together after doing a little bit of moonlighting recently as consultant, staff trainer and recipe creator, alongside duties on the communications side for a few restaurant and bar venues. I've also had a couple of recent magazine features on cocktail related matters. 

So expect to see design work, plus a handful of words on the subject, photography and indeed showcasing recipes and other related topics that will be of interest to anyone in the trade, people looking to bring onboard any of my skill-set and folks with a passing interest in liquor, spice and all things ice.