If you've worked in a bar with a medium to large bar team you know the importance of having an enforcer on your side, the one who knows the rules and sees when they are not being followed, the one who sees when a diamond can be made by pressure and when the pressure becomes too much. David is the very best one I've had the chance to work with, a man of few words, but at the same time one of the kindest and most generous human beings I've ever met. On the show we talked about how he went from being raised in Serbia to working behind the bar in Chicago, and what eventually brought him to California and later on Miami, where you can find him at Sunny's Steakhouse.

Recorded on April 2026

Next up in the starting 5, was the head of the pack, with Columbian roots but Miami through and through Jonathan Cano has been making a name for himself in the hospitality industry for well over a decade. Currently with the prominent bar programs of the Scapegoat and Maes in the grove, there are few bartenders in the industry that match his drive for giving superior service and thirst for even more bar knowledge then this guy. On the show we talked about the struggles of making cocktails for the Italian palate and the opening the second Sardi's location, as well as Jonathans tour of South American and Mexican bars and his personal impressions of the bar that is being set for hospitality.

Recorded on April 2026

(This episode was hit by massive delays because of the amount of time it took to get internet up and running in Borgomasino, and it also was deleted by Capcut multiple times which meant insane amounts of hours were wasted)

A change in format and preparation? Perhaps, perhaps not. Episode 4 begins the Starting 5 Arc, the best bar team I have ever been a part of starting from 2020 to 2024 at Amara at Paraiso, in the heart of the Covid 19 Pandemic. Butler from North Carolina, brought the southern excellence and charm, we discussed the creation of project drink_clarified and how it evolved from a Milk Punch beach bottle experiment, to bar takeovers and guest shifts and to being sponsored by brands like Brugal 1888, Macallan 12y and No3 Gin. We talked about our time together in Miami, the challenge of taking over the bar program as head bartender of a new generation, and of course a little sports talk with some questionable predictions.

Recorded on December 2025.

The first live hospitality guest, is an OG he started working in restaurants on Washington Avenue in Miami Beach at the age of 16 and was my first exposure to the human capability of carrying 5 plates at the same time. Currently holding down the fort in the big apple since 2018, also happens to be my older brother and completes the brother trilogy of volume 1. This episode begins with a heart scare, takes a dip in the political pool, and dives in to the topic of Tip Culture in America Vs Europe, and much more.

Recorded on November 2025.

And then there was light! A snapshot of how life began, and how life is going. Guest is current head of maintenance of the Sardi's Group and full time carpenter for the major Canavese area, the younger, cooler and more mysterious brother. Join in on a journey through the history of our family home, the town of Mazze, Piemonte and an insight on how it feels to be an Italian who grew up in American Culture, but wanted nothing more then to return to his home in Italy.

Recorded October 2025 in the guests Workshop.

The Pilot. It all starts on a late night drive home from a shift with a coworker who can't properly pronounce a name and an iphone with some empty voice memos. Guest is a ceramic artist and creator of kks ceramica, former international model, and wife of the host and mother to their daughter.

Recorded in August 2025 in the Villa Imperia Ceramic Studio.