Today we’d like to introduce you to Noemy Santos Turpin.
Hi Noemy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, my name is Noemy Santos Turpin.I’m originally from Durango, Mexico and moved to the states at the age of 14 with my parents looking for a better life When I moved to the United States I got to Oklahoma City knowing no English at all my parents enrolled me in school.
Going to school in the United States was a little bit much hard for me because I didn’t know the language. I probably cried every single day after school for being picked at for not knowing English. Eventually, I learned the language and graduated from high school.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
After finishing High school, I moved to Charleston, South Carolina where I started cosmetology school, to get my self trough school I started working as a server in a Mexican restaurant, I graduated from Cosmetology school to find out it wasn’t my cup of tea and started training behind the bar and I fell in love with it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Bartending is fun. It is one of the few careers that gets me excited about working every shift. I don’t have to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day. Sure, working on my feet anywhere from 8-12 hours may not be the best for my legs and joints in the long run, but I feel better walking around for the entirety of my shift rather than sitting.
Meeting people from all walks of life: The bar is one of the few places where any type of individual could be a guest. Regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, socio-economics, age (as long as over 21), celebrity, or gender, I will treat each person with the same level of respect and service as the guest sitting next to them. Bartending has led me to forge some incredible friendships I would have never encountered otherwise.
The happiness factor: It’s amazing how one cocktail, a few minutes of listening to someone vent, or even a quick compliment could make a guest’s day. I work in the service and hospitality industry – this is my job! There is nothing more satisfying than serving a drink that causes a guest to grin from ear to ear (whether it be a well-made Old Fashioned, Malibu Bay Breeze or even a Coors Light). I don’t care what you order, as long as I can serve it to you to help ease the pains of your long day and create a comfortable environment and experience.
Artistry: Bartending allows me to exercise my cocktail creation skills. However, over the past years, bartending has taught me that There is no greater feeling than serving a beautifully crafted cocktail in front of a guest and watching their tantalized eyes widen in amazement, partly due to the look and style of the drink including the color, glassware and garnish. Every time I dream up a new drink I take these three categories into account to develop a cocktail that will evoke this response from guests.
Working for what I get: I work in the service industry. I do not roll up 40 hours a week and automatically get a paycheck for the same amount deposited into my bank account every Friday. It’s a line of work that has a direct correlation – the greater effort I put into my job results in a greater financial benefit. You don’t like talking with people, have low energy, despise long drink orders or lack patience for all types of people? Well then, honey, bartending is NOT for you. Bartenders should not expect or feel entitled to a certain amount of tip from guests. That number should be (and hopefully is) a direct result from their interaction and how well the bartender did their job. I know, sometimes bartenders feel that tips are unjustified, such as those times when you make 6 different craft cocktails in under 8 minutes for a group and get a $4 tip for your time. But remember those moments when all you did was pour a beer and some nice individual left you $2. I try my hardest during every shift to make sure my guests have incredible experiences and even when they sign out their tabs, I never look at the amount that they leave for a tip. I know that my actions will result in a justified financial outcome because of the service I provide and my experience has proven my theory correct.
9. The knowledge: We work in an industry dripping in historical value that is often underutilized. Bartenders – take a second to pick up a book or two about our line of work and how it shaped policy and influenced the development of societies. I mean, America’s first taxation was on grain whiskey because so much of it was being produced. Drop that little bit of knowledge on some guests as a conversation starter, I guarantee they will be amazed and will remember that fact.
I bartend for the phrase, “So, what shifts do you work here and when can we come back to visit you?” This is the ultimate compliment a bartender can receive. Sure, it’s nice to hear that your drinks are fantastic and the atmosphere is unmatched, but if you are snooty, and arrogant and don’t interact with the guests, they won’t return for another round of drinks. We create experiences for these people and an escape from the real world right outside the doors to our bars. You may be serving vodka sodas all night long and will still be hailed as one of the best bartenders in town because of your actions and steps of service. To me, this embodies the ideals of the best bartender because they are the ones well revered by the public.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
My goals and dream is able to open up my own restaurant/bar and write a book with all of my recipes.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/mimysantos23
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noemyalejandras
Image Credits
Sam Ayala
