Profiles & Spotlights

The hospitality community in our city offers some incredible opportunities to make a good living.  And one of the most lucrative jobs can be bartending, especially for those who are professional and personable. There is a saying that a bad bartender can ruin a great bar, but a good bartender can make a mediocre one great. It’s all about perspective.  My Bartender … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight – January 2024

New Orleans has a lot of magical qualities that draw people to her (yes, I like to think of our 300+ year-old city as a Grand Dowager full of stories, history and sass) such as our architecture, cuisine and the artistic scene.  But we have another huge draw, our cocktail culture.  The cocktail may not have been invented in New Orleans but we have been a renowned … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight – December 2023

Bartenders are performers. I believe they make the best actors since they go through a range of emotions on a daily basis dealing with their patrons. Like actors, bartenders are chameleons turning into a different character to suit the situation or customer.  They can be the understanding father figure, the bitchy next door neighbor, the gossip girl or the protective … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight – November 2023

Southern Decadence is always a crazy time in NOLA and this year brought bigger crowds than ever before. Bars were packed with people celebrating the largest gay holiday in the city.  But through the chaos and my drunken revelry, I discovered my Bartender-of-the-Month for October.   Brian-Eric Lugo, or Pony as he is affectionately known, works at the … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight – October 2023

In New Orleans, the LGBTQ+ community is very fortunate to have many safe queer and gay spaces with our bar scene being especially large.  And the bartenders who work in these establishments are probably some of the finest people you can meet.  This month, my Bartender Spotlight is someone who is truly special to anyone who walks into Crossing NOLA.  I am talking about the … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight – September 2023

My Bartender for the Spotlight this month has made quite a name for himself in the LGBTQ+ Community of New Orleans in a very short time since he moved to the city.   Jimmy Gale works in public health.  In his role, he helped organize one of the largest vaccinations for the Monkey Pox virus last year in our community., which ultimately helped stop a situation that … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight – June 2023

Many skills come together to make a good bartender, particularly in New Orleans, a drinking city where the cocktail is king.   Here a bad bartender usually is not employed long.  We are more than a party city for tourists; we are a place where locals love to drink and go out frequently. To be a great bartender in the Big Easy you need to have a personality, be … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight – May 2023

Bartending during a major holiday in New Orleans is like doing a triathlon in my opinion.  You need strength, determination and stamina, especially if that holiday is Mardi Gras.  This wonderful bartender was an easy choice because he possesses all those characteristics and many more. I am talking about none other than Jerek Ace Edora who works at the Allways Lounge & … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight: March 2023