Welcome to Bartender in the Kitchen my newsletter on Substack.
In Bartender in the Kitchen, I intend to regal you with behind the scene stories & tall tales from my long career, interview some of the most intriguing and influential people & characters in the hospitality industry, provide you with a fun and integrated approach to home entertaining, provide recipes from my stock of a gazillion cocktail recipes and cooking repertoire, how to cook WITH cocktails and spirits, talk barbecue (I am a certified KCBS and PNWBA judge, and certifiable BBQ junkie!), revue some wines, review some cocktail bars and coffee bars, and so much more.
In the section “Nick Mautone Straight Up” I discuss numerous topics that helped me build a successful hospitality and consulting career. These will include Leadership and Core Values, Enlightened Hospitality, my proprietary program of Hospitality Sabermetrics and so much more.
While most people know me as a mixologist, author of Four Cocktail Books, and the first brand ambassador for Grey Goose Vodka, I have been a restaurant owner, operator, consultant and investor for over 4 decades. I have worked with some of the most iconic brands and businesses in the hospitality industry. For many years I was the managing partner of Gramercy Tavern in NYC. Started my own consulting practice where I helped to open, or consulted to, a couple of hundred businesses including the Television Food Network, and where I brought the iconic Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center back to its historic significance and turning it into one of the highest-grossing food-service operations in the world.
So, whether helping to organize and expand Towson Hot Bagels in Maryland (the best bagels in Baltimore!), upgrading the operational efficiency & reducing COGS for Standard Hotel Highline (coolest hotel anywhere!), upgrading service & processes for The Allendale & Mahwah Bar and Grills in New Jersey (best burgers in Jersey), The Television Food Network and separately Rachael Ray and Geoffrey Zakarian, Origen Holistic Vodka & Harmony Gin or so many other amazing businesses I have always been the guy envisioning, inspiring, creating or uplifting the beverage programs and always doing so with one eye towards the kitchen and the amazing food they are putting out.
One thing I can assure you…I do not give negative reviews or comments about any brand, any bar, any restaurant or any person. I have staked my entire career and my lifelong reputation on my personal Core Values and caring for those I work with. Therefore, I live by the credo that if you cannot say something nice don’t say anything!
I’m looking forward to sharing my love of all thing’s cocktails, cooking, wine, entertaining, travel and the “Gioia di vivere”. I hope you’ll join along for the ride.
Arrivederci!
Nick
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