I’ve never been shy about how much I love the people I work with behind the bar.
And it’s no happy accident—I pick people to work at the two Portland, Oregon, bars I manage, Clyde Common and Pépé Le Moko, that I want to spend time with. Think about it: sometimes we spend more time with our colleagues than we do with our loved ones at home. And I’d argue that a team of folks that get along well, actually make better drinks and offer our patrons a much better experience.
So, I’d like to introduce you to my staff. In my continuing effort to show that there’s much more to bars than just alluring photos of dimly lit bar tops and beautifully styled cocktails, almost none of these portraits were taken behind the bar. Over the past six months, I’ve been hounding my staff to let me capture them doing something they love, other than making drinks.
To everyone who participated in this project my heartfelt thank you. This is my love letter to all of you.
