E106 Mallory Lee

This week's guest is Mallory Lee. He joins the show from Dubai. Originally born in ways in the United States, Mallory left the US without a plan when she was in early 20s. She bought out one-way ticket to Istanbul and has a look back since.

Mallory has lived and worked in Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, and now Dubai. We talked with Mallory about her many experiences working abroad and how this has impacted her career. Mallory is currently working as a brand ambassador for a Shifar of the Cures and Serbs, spending her time between Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and France. Mallory has a lot of great stories and this is another terrific episode you'll definitely enjoy.

Welcome back to the industry podcast, another episode coming your way. Right now, my name is Kip, this is Dan, what's happening? Yeah, another day to another hangover. Yeah, yeah, well that's good.

We'll start on your tomorrow's hangover right now. Correct, I think so. What's going on with you? Not much, man, you know?

Business at bars. Business is good, so I keep forgetting to promote my own fucking bars on this show, but Sugar Run in Downtown Kitchenery is getting back to normal, it's busy again, and you should come check that out. Check for the password and everything on our Instagram at Sugar Run Bar. And then the bar up town in Waterloo, Babylon's sister's wine bar, it's new.

You should come check it out at Babylon's sister's bar on Instagram. And yeah, things are getting back to normal, so it's good. But I guess they're first full week with no basket violence? That's correct.

We're recording us on the 27th of March and people can now see my face again at the bar. That's true, that sucks for them. Yeah, so that's pretty much all we got to talk about, I guess. We have a great guest as always, Mallory Lee is going to be joining us in just a second.

We should mention that if you like the best way to support it is to subscribe, rate and review. And if you wish to be a guest on the show, you can email us at info at the industrypodcast.club or you can DM us directly at the industry podcast on Instagram. Zach Hannah is our graphic artist who does all the amazing work for our Instagram page, so you should check out his work at zach Hannah.co. And as always just check out the show notes for all the links that we talk about during the episode.

Yeah, so without further ado, let's bring in Mallory Lee coming to us from Dubai. How are you Mallory? Good, how are you guys? It's nighttime, as you can see here, yeah?

It's like it's middle of the afternoon, it's early here, I had to walk over to Dan's house and we're in a fucking blizzard today and my face is super struggling. I'm jealous. Yeah, that's pretty cool right now. Oh, god damn.

Meanwhile, we're struggling in Dubai, you know the heat is relentless. So good PR for Dubai just now. Yeah, I feel like we need straight spots right now. All right, so you are, I believe our first guest who by our time is in Dubai.

We had a couple of missteps with time differences with people in Dubai. But so talk to us a little bit. Let's just start right there and we'll get into your history a little bit. But what's the cocktails you like in Dubai?

Yeah, I think as you can imagine Dubai is crazy. I mean, there's so much wealth and because of that, there's always new places opening and each one is crazier than the last place. And it has it's kind of a bit of a turnover in terms of culture. Like you see bars open, they have like five, six year time run and then they recycle.

Then it's another one. So it's very, very fast paced. I think the cocktail culture has really improved because now we have bartenders from all over the world and it's really, really a diasporic or it's a melting pot of cultures. And so it reflects obviously in beverage programs in cocktails and in restaurants as well.

That yeah, I can imagine. So talk to us a little bit about like what are some of the crazier concepts you've seen in Dubai for far? I think one of the crazier ones I've seen. I think just in general, it's crazy because everyone you go to, the view is better than the last one.

And you think that you know, you think that you're just you're standing or you're sitting in front of bush for anything. You know, it's like directly in front of you or then you go somewhere else and you have a few like a full skyline of all of Dubai and it's like panoramic views, glass floors. I mean, anything you can imagine, you know, like the other day I had to get like custom ice and I went to the ice shop. The guy is putting in real gold flakes, like, you know, not even just eyeball, it's like real gold flakes into the ice and he's like, man, I messed up this one.

He's like, I have to throw it out, you know, because it was a perfect sphere. And I was like, maybe we can just let it melt. I mean, I don't think you need to throw it. It's just, it's just crazy, you know, like the amount of money that these places put into their venues and just the high volume, the operation that these places like have to perform at to succeed.

Yeah, that's crazy. I can't even imagine. Okay, well, let's let's back it up a little bit. You were you're from New York originally?

I'm originally from Bay Area. Then I moved to New York when I was 17. So yeah, I kind of moved around a lot, but then I was like 17 to 21 in New York. So yeah, then I left, but New York is fantastic.

Right. And so that's sort of where you started your career in the service industry was in New York. Exactly. Like right before I left New York, I was working at two restaurants, one in flat iron called the Brazilian and one in Tribaca.

So I was at these two places and obviously like I'm still young, you know, but I was just so amazed and kind of starstruck by watching the bartenders there and very inspired, you know, by what they were doing and the performance behind it. Well, we were going through your biography before we started recording and we were thinking it was pretty fascinating for someone so young to have like done the traveling you did, like right from the job. So when you're 21, you go from there to Istanbul and you did like about a one-way ticket. Yeah, it's, you know, like at the time, nothing ever seems crazy.

And then like in retrospect, you kind of were kind of like, that's a bit mad, you know, like, yeah, so I was 21, 21, 22, I think. By one way ticket to Istanbul, pack all my stuff. I move out of my apartment in Bushwick. And I just was like, okay, I don't have a plan because at the time I had been working for a startup in, besides doing working at the restaurant, I was working at a startup.

So it was like a food, it's kind of like rub-up seamless, all of these, but it was in its initial phases. So I was working for them. The company didn't work out. So they're like, okay, everyone's like, oh, they give us three months of severance pay and I was like, fuck it.

That was my time because the most money I ever had is three months of severance pay, you know, I'm going to travel. So I buy one way ticket to Istanbul, no plan, nothing. And everyone is like, who knows me? They're like, you're not coming back.

I was like, yeah, I'm trying to say, yeah, just to ease my family and you have something coming back. In my head, I was like, let's just see what happens. So I was in Turkey for a good amount of time. Then from there, I went to Greece and then end up in Beirut.

But throughout this time, I'm working in different places. So end up in Beirut and it became, I was there almost five years. Okay, so let's talk about, because I've been to Istanbul and it's amazing city, but it's also like crazy populated, right? Like, it's just like, you walk the streets and it's just, like, it's insane.

Like, I don't have to describe it. Like, it reminds me of a season like Tokyo, when people try to get on a subway. But what I don't remember a whole, but like, I'm considerably older than you, I was there a long time ago. But there wasn't a, there certainly wasn't a big craft cocktail, anything like that in Istanbul.

When I was there, it was more like, lots of places to drink tea and my carpets. And, but then most people seem to drink beer. But maybe you were there more, way more recently than me. So talk to me a little bit about what was going on in Istanbul.

I mean, I was there more recently, but that was still, I think now it's eight years ago, but I was there because now I'm going to be 30 this year. So when I was there, I mean, I was still kind of drinking in the same way, even though I'm working on the bar, I'm still drinking in the same way if I'm in a hospital, you know, you go get an ego for a beer and then maybe you have like Rocky on the side, which is like their form of like, custody. It still turns my stomach when I hear the word. I want to work my life on that shit.

It's brutal. You're supposed to be having it like with a barbecue. This is like in general, these kind of an East flit, you know, base, the tears that are coming from the region. They should be half of the barbecue, you know, but hey, oh my God, Rocky, it's the national spirit.

Tuck, tuck, tuck. And you feel it. Oh God. Yeah.

I mean, as far as the bar scene in Turkey, I remember this one night and it's funny. I haven't thought about this night in a very long time, but we were not in Istanbul at the time. We were in Izmir. And Izmir is a bit more seedy of a place.

It's a poor town and it's definitely like two worlds, you know, like you have your wealthy and then you have like the opposite. So I don't remember. We're just wandering the street and we end up in this like, it's not a brawl hole, but there's a lot of women coming in and out, you know, and it ends up becoming like the craziest night. And I look back on this and I was so naive, you know, like it was the first country I had been to by myself.

And I was like, yeah, like, of course, I'll couch surf. Oh yeah, of course I can do this. Of course I can do that. And now where I see where I am now nine years later, I'm like, I would not do that the same way.

If I go back to Turkey, I'm going to stay at a hotel. I'm going to do it this way. But I think the Kokto scene is really going growing. Like I know in the south like Baudram area, it's a bit more touristic.

I know there are cocktail bars. Istanbul also, there's a lot of cocktail bars popping up now. So Ho is kind of like the one that's leading over there. So it's interesting.

It's interesting. I need to go back. Yeah, I mean, too. It's almost like you talk about these places like all over the world and I think all the times I call it happen to be a cocktail scene there.

But it pretty much the correct cocktail scene is taken over the fucking globe. Like there's almost nowhere you can go now that doesn't have some sort of a scene happening. Did you agree with that? Agreed 100%.

I mean, I guess I'll segue into Beirut now. Yeah. Because when I when I ended up in Beirut, so before Beirut, I was living in a small island in Kodlezos, it's like closer to Turkey, but it's a Greek island. So I was like, where am I going to go to next?

And I was living with this girl from Switzerland and she was like, go to Beirut. And I was like, it's not even on my radar, you know? So I go to Beirut, I get drunk in a bar, they offer me a job. And I start working there, but I was baffled by how amazing the cocktail scene was until they say, even though I've traveled so much, Beirut is one of the best scenes for for cocktails, cocktail culture, hospitality, they've really perfected hospitality in a way that a lot of places as he haven't.

Now it's a bit different because the situation there has gotten pretty rough since 2019. But when I got there, 2015, wow, it was incredible. What would you say? Can you give us an example of some a certain way that they're doing service to the next level in Beirut that you don't see in other places?

I think it's so like part of Lebanese culture, it's like Arabic culture, it's that you share everything, right? Like when you have a meal, you share. So like you will see like all the food is in a style, right? Because it's supposed to be an engagement, it's supposed to be like an act of doing something with someone else as an experience.

Like you don't eat to fill your stomach, you eat to, if for the company around food is kind of how I perceive it. And that translates to the cocktail culture there as well. So like the bartender is so active in making sure that you're having good time on his behalf, his or her behalf. And they're always, you know, like from the owner, the owner is engaged, you always see the owners in the bars in the restaurants, they're giving you shots, the staff only by name.

And also classic cocktails, you could go to almost any bar in Beirut, you can order really classic cocktails, you know, and they're gonna know their shit. That's interesting. I would never have guessed it, probably you neither before you went there, right? No, not at all.

Like, you know, it's a another thing I think it's like they always say is Lebanese kind of live on this mentality that always have to live it up like every single day, because everything is uncertain, because there's been so much uncertainty in their region, specifically that why are you not gonna party on a Monday night when you have worked next day on a Tuesday night when you have worked next day on a Wednesday night XYZ, you know, so it's kind of, you know, you walk on the street on a Monday night, it's packed, you know, every, all the chairs are packed on the sidewalks, you know, every, every place is booming. And it's like this consistently, and you finish from one place, there's some place that's still open, and it just you can, you can keep going. That's super interesting concept. I never thought about that before, but that makes sense.

Whereas like here in North America, we're very privileged. So we don't have a lot to worry about. We're not constantly worried about death coming around the corner, well, at least pre-pandemic. But and so as a result, we're almost like too tight into making sure that we make it to work on time the next day and like, not that you don't want to do that stuff, but like, it's interesting.

That's an interesting concept how like just almost fear for your own life leads you to do a more part of the atmosphere, but it's a great way to look at it. I mean, it's, it's, and it's infectious. I think this is the part about Beirut, that people who have visited there always say it's like, you become very addicted to the chaotic kind of lifestyle that's there, not just, I'm not saying, I mean, there's a lot of commotion. How you're saying about Istanbul, you know, it's busy, and it's hectic.

But once you understand that that kind of chaos within it, and you find your way within it, you feel bored in any other city. You know, like, sometimes I would travel to Europe, and I was like, everything is so organized, everything is so neat. And there's garbage in the trash cans, it's too clean here. And I think, like, even till now, I, if I could, I would go back, I would go back, but now the situation's a bit tricky.

Right. And so I was reading in your bio that like one of the, like, well, essentially the reason that you split was because of the revolution, correct? So what happened exactly? So I had just started working at, they have a bar there called Central Station at the time, it was top 50.

So I was, I was super excited because there's so much, I had just started with them. And basically, like a month or so in, we start getting like text on our WhatsApp, you know, they're sending, we're at work and they're like sending videos of like, I don't know, trash bins on fire and like, all this stuff going on. I was like, okay, it's, this happens sometimes, like, it's, it's going to be okay, you know, like, it's just a flare up, like a political flare up. And then everyone started feeling like it was a bit different, you know, like the next day, really, everyone was on the street, everyone was protesting, and it felt that it was the first time there was like, going to be a big shift.

But it also felt a bit dicey. Like, I was never, until even when I left, I wasn't afraid, but it just felt okay. It's something's about to happen. And I don't think, and I was already questioning is it still, is there still more for me to like, what's next for me in this, in this country, you know, like, I'm not on, I'm not on a working visa, I'm on a tourist visa this entire time.

And so I already been thinking about it. So when this happened, and there's a few other things also going on in my life, I was like, okay, it's time to go to Dubai. And so why did you pick Dubai? Next, I further, maybe the obvious reason, it seems like a cool spot to go to.

You know, because I wanted to stay in the region. And Dubai was one of the only places where I had some connections, not a lot, but I was like, I have enough to go there without a job and figure my shout out. Right. And when do you say that you sort of developed your own style of craft cocktailing, making drinks, and your own bartending, would that be as far back as Istanbul, or did it really come to fruition in Beirut?

I think really in Beirut, to be honest, you know, like, I think, because one thing that I really liked about all my owners, they have like a philosophy that if they, if they push you behind the bar, then they trust you behind the bar. And so you get creative freedom because it's like, okay, we were very selective on, we picked. Now we're not going to micromanage them as much. The first place I worked at in Beirut, they were very, very strict, like, it's funny because I got the drop because I was drunk.

And like, we were expected to get drunk there also. But like, in terms of like, if a drink gets sent back to the bar, they're throwing the drink at us, like, who made this drink? Who did this? You know, like, it was like, in a front to their ego, you know, how dare you make something like this, you know, it's the customer.

But, you know, it, they were really, really stuck on classics. And so from there, I got a really good, I really strong foundation, you know, because before I'm doing like, you know, high bowls or like beers, very basic. And then from there, it was like, okay, you have to know the anthology of classics, and you have to do it our way and perfect it. So we couldn't be as creative as we wanted.

We could be a bit flexible, but it was still pretty, we were in boundaries. And then the next place I moved to was, I was working at a classic, like, whiskey cocktail bar. And so it was like, we had like 150 single molds. And it was like a massive, and we had like a lot of gins and it was a, and it was all like pre-provision style.

And there that's when I started getting really much more into it, I think. I talked to obviously a bunch of bartenders by now. One thing that comes up a lot is like, how getting that sort of base knowledge of the classics is how you end up creating your own style, because everything comes from the originals, right? Yes.

I agree completely. Like, for me, the classics are everything, you know, like, if you don't understand the families and how, why they have such longevity in the cocktail anthology, then how can you ever expect you're gonna create the next specs the best thing? For me, it's all about understanding, you know, the ratios and like the prep, and then you can get creative, okay? I need to ask a component, then I can be playful, or then I, you know, I need a sweetener.

Okay, now I can be, but I know the specs or I know the ratios at least. So for me, families are very, very important. And I think that, I think that in bartending people like always give like one step, it's always a different step, you know, like either you have the families or you maybe you miss that step and then you jump into like you're just very creative, or then maybe you miss the spirits, knowledge. I mean, it's always hard to get hit every point, I think.

Yeah, and the people who end up being the most successful are the ones who do that back work and have all those steps in place, I think. I think so too. I mean, going off that point, like the one like whiskey place we were working at, we have like 45 classics on the menu. So yeah, it was quite a lot.

And it was like not, it was like all the Jerry Thomas classics, you know, so this is amazing, you know, at the time, I mean, you, because it also, you're developing your palate so much, you're developing your palate on foundation. And this is what I always liked my, my owners, because they're always like taste every drink you make, taste every drink you make, like never sent a drink out without your tasting it. So you before you know it, you don't exactly what's wrong in any of your drinks. Yeah, that's like definitely the most important thing is making sure that you serve the dual function, like you said, of like opening up your palate, so you can appreciate what something is supposed to taste like.

But it's also like if you fucked up in some way, you'll know immediately, but if you don't taste it, just send it out then. But you know, I bring up this point because Dubai, so we say Dubai has all of this and XY said, but there's a lot of places that don't let you taste your cocktails when you're working in Dubai, because they every ML every CL counts, you know, so, so you taste it, they're gonna consider you drinking on the job. I was lucky that at least the second place I worked in Dubai was a bit chilled, but the first place I worked at, I was a bar manager there and I come in, I'm seeing the bartenders are not tasting any of their drink, why are you not tasting your drink? We can't drink on the job.

And I was like, baseball, you know, like the cat, this is, how can you, how can you serve something that you don't know what it tastes like? How can you recommend something you don't, you've worked for seven years, you've never tried your drink. Right, yeah. And the other thing, you don't even have to fucking swallow it at the end of the day.

Like, so what are we talking about here? Right? Like, that's crazy. I mean, I think that that was the hardest adjustment for me coming to Dubai.

Lebanon, it's very, very, you're with owners every single day, you know, I would finish my shifts and I would be taking shots of like Oban or Fernet with my owner, like, you were sitting, then it comes to Dubai, the owners are looked at like some mythological creature, you know, like, ah, Papa, Papa, this is how they refer to them. And I'm kind of like, my owners used to scrub the stations with me when I closed the bar, you know, they were like on their hands and knees. And because they're with me, I want to work harder. So when we're referring to someone as this like presence, you know, what does it do to the staff?

What does it do to the entire line of hierarchy that they've created? It's a strange dynamic in Dubai, I think. Yeah, and that must be a major adjustment. How was it?

So I kind of brings it back into a couple things I want to talk about. Like, because you've bartended so many different places, how would you describe the difference in like ownership of coworkers? You started all down that path and then also like the crowds, like the guests in the different areas? Well, the crowds is an interesting one, but as far as like coworkers, and so one thing that's very cool about Dubai is like, you meet people from everywhere, you know, like one of the places I was working at, I think if you calculated how many countries were represented, it's like 15 minimum, you know, so it's very, very interesting.

It's a bit difficult in Dubai because you have two types of like hospitality professionals. You have people who have come in more as migrant workers and they will kind of take any job, they're like, they have like someone who like just puts them into different jobs. And so they kind of will fall into hospitality because of that. So it's not necessarily like a career ambition, but it's like, okay, fine, I'm here and I'll do this.

Then you have the opposite, like more people, they're coming from like, I guess Europe or the states, not so much the states, mostly Europe, and it's like their profession, you know, so it's like we're professional bartenders, we're professional F&B and but this creates a very weird divide also, right? Because in your place, in the restaurants, it's not like everyone is there because of passion, you know, sometimes it's like the best alternative and it's also Dubai, you're working on huge volume, the volume, the turnover, like an average night, like where I used to work, it's like 450 covers. And so you're working on like, that was not even the top one, you know, there's ones with like, I don't know 750 or 1000, they're doing that, you know, it's crazy. So so you kind of, you kind of become a robot into by and unless you're really, really passionate about it, it's and even if you're very, very passionate about it, it kind of it's hard to maintain the love that you have for it because you're so exhausted, because of the hours that are demanded of you, because you're working most times six days a week, you know, and you're doing like, you can do 12 hours a day.

I mean, it's, it's yeah. And so that was also a huge adjustment for me. I mean, I was in Lebanon, I was working six days a week also, but I'm working five to close. That's normal.

This is fine, you know, here I was doing so many split shifts, you know, it was like, okay, you come in 11, you worked till three, then you come back in six and then you close. So you're there till two 33, you know, it breaks your body. So I think it's, I think in terms of how F and B, I hope it starts, there's becomes a shift. I hope people start because even the pay doesn't really align with with the hours that you're putting into it.

So I really hope that Dubai advances in terms of restaurants value people who are in the industry, because it's a chosen career path, and they value them also in terms of giving them better hours, giving them better salaries, giving them better rest, you know, because you need more than one day off, you need to reset. Yes. And I mean, honestly, that's a problem in the industry all over the world still, but it sounds like it's very extreme there. So yeah.

Culture like in Dubai. So we have like service charge that's always like attached, it's like 10% of a charge, but this isn't necessarily mean it's going to the staff. So people get confused on this. They'll read on their check, 10% service charge, but sometimes we're not seeing it.

It depends. It depends. Right. So sometimes it's going for breakage or I was going for X, Y, I mean, it's not it kind of disappears.

So we were always pushing people to to cash directly. I mean, you have places, you know, they have insane their bills will be, they can go up to like $15,000, you know, their bills, people people are spending. So you have, you have two sides, you know, you have the size where they're spending so much, they are going to give you so much tips. And then you have like average, like I would say between five to 10% on top of the service charge, but the drinks are so expensive are so expensive.

Yeah, like give us an idea of sort of. Yeah, the baseline. Yeah. I think I think in dollars, the baseline would be like very good at math, clearly.

I would say like $22 is starting. Oh, do you? Yeah. I'm going to start bringing that here to Canada.

And mind you guys, it's a single service, a 30, a 3CL. Oh, really? Wow. Yeah.

So I'll tell you, obviously in Lebanon, a single service is 60. And it's amazing. People were coming from Dubai, they were coming to Lebanon and they were like, okay, can I get a double? Yeah, I'm sure you want a 120?

Yeah. I may have a second to US several times. Okay, so let's talk a little bit about the guests in all these different countries. Like how would you describe the difference between like the guests are getting in Istanbul, in Greece, in Beirut, in Dubai?

All over. Yeah. They're so fun. Honestly, like I would say between all of the places, I mean, they really want to, I'm going to kind of separate Dubai, but I'm feeling like I'm hating on Dubai and I'm really not hate, I don't hate Dubai.

I just think there's things that need to be improved within the F and B sector. But like the other three countries, like it's a really fun vibe. And it's kind of like everyone, if you don't know the person next to you know them by the end of the night. And it's a very fun that you go out and it's like a New York bar in a lot of ways, you know, it's very inclusive.

I always felt that, you know, even I remember like just sometimes when I was working, I would kind of look out and I would watch how, like everything that's going on. Because you know, you kind of sent to yourself, you're like, what am I doing here? You know, like, how did I end up here in my life right now? Like I'm 24, I'm in Beirut and I will be, so I would take a moment, center myself.

And I always felt the camaraderie, I guess in the cultures. And I felt very, even I felt very included, I never felt, I never felt like outside. I didn't, I felt that they were very inclusive. Dubai is like a bit more insular.

And I don't know if it's because of COVID. Like I have only been here two and a half years, like I'm going into three. So I can't have an off a lot of it during the pandemic. Yeah, a lot of it during the pandemic.

Yeah. So but it is generally I find a bit more insular, like, you know, you take your table, you stay on your table. That's it for the night. And I mean, you see the same regulars, but it's, I didn't, I didn't make as many friends from the regulars as I did in other countries, you know, like so many of my best friends became from people I saw every day at the bar.

And here in Dubai, it was like, because I think because it's so expensive in Dubai, it's a certain type of class goes to the bar specifically. And so it's not necessarily the people that I would hang out with every single day, just because it's really, really expensive to go out here. Right. So obviously you're getting a lot of very wealthy people at the bar all the time.

I don't want to stereotype, but a lot of wealthy people can be real assholes to service to us. So you have any terrible stories from like being treated like shit? You know, in not so much. I mean, I had actually one, it's funny.

I have one from when I was working in Lebanon. I had a guy, I was working on the bar and he slapped me with his phone across the face. Why? I mean, I started, I don't know why.

I mean, I was like, dude, and I know him. He was like a regular. He was like, and then obviously like all the guys I was working with, you know, one crazy and kick him out, you know, but I don't think that was well related. I think that was an anger management problem.

I don't know why. But in Dubai, no, not so much. I think it's more the kind of the comments you get, you know, like, ah, you're an American. What are you doing here?

Or just side-side jobs. Like I guess something must have been wrong in your life for you to end up being my server tonight. Yeah. Okay.

Like it's, yeah, you think it's exactly, I mean, this kind of thing, but nothing, nothing too bad. Okay. So at some point you transition into doing the, you're working for Gifford Lagueras. Exactly.

You can take the French away. Exactly. And so talk to us about how to land that gig. What do you do for them?

You can plug the products if you want to know. We can plug the products. You can see them here on my back. No, no, so this was super cool.

You know, like when I first moved to Dubai, I was looking for jobs and I was applying to like a lot of different things. And I know, like I saw an opening for a brand ambassador for the distribution team, Ojifar here. So if you're not familiar with your Farge, your Farge is like a French LeCure company, they're based in Anjay and they're since 1885. So they have a Cures Serups, like a Ranger fruit from X, which is like curation sauces.

That's my only, uh, my brand plug. There it is. So I was like, okay, cool. Like for me, I was kind of, I've been like, it was like seven years in hospitality.

I was like, I'm ready to transition into something else. So like, I'll just apply, maybe I can do sales. I hear nothing back and I was like, okay, whatever. Already, I started working as the bar manager.

So I was not thinking about it. Like three months later, I get an email from the regional director. And he was like, Hey, you had like a really interesting CV. And he was like, but we picked someone else.

We're just waiting on them to sign blah blah blah. And I was like, it's fine, because I wasn't really looking to be a brand ambassador for distribution because it's a bit, it's always stable, those jobs. So I told him, like, no worries, like, let's just like come to the bar where I work and like, come have a drink. And so he was like, okay, cool.

So we came to have a drink at the bar. I was working out with like really got along very well. And I told him, look, if anything comes up, like just stay in context. I'm not expecting anything.

But like we had like a nice conversation. So I don't hear anything back. And then like eight months later, they were doing, they were featuring like a bartender for a magazine called Cater magazine. And so they contacted me, they said, Mallory, can we teacher you?

We need this from you? I said, yeah, sure. So they come to the bar, they shoot. And I think in a lot of ways, I was like kind of marketing wanted to see how I would do behind a camera and they wanted to see how I could actually know if I at least had presents when I'm standing behind the camera and I have to talk.

So we do shoot. I think I don't, they asked me to do one more shoot with them. And I'm still not thinking about anything, you know, I was just like, cool. I mean, these guys, they're really fun.

Let's see what happens. And then in January of last year, I got contacted by the regional director. He was like, okay, we're opening up applications for like UAE brand ambassador. Are you interested to apply?

Fuck yeah. Let's do it. So we do the whole application and it's, it takes so long. So started in January and it was like seven rounds of interviews.

And then in July of this year, I was in Ukraine and then they gave me a call. Congratulations. So it was a bit rigorous. Like they, it was really, you have to do so many different levels to get to the next, but it's been amazing, honestly.

Yeah, that sounds awesome. And so what do you specifically do for them? Yeah, so I hear some kind of like seen as like the tool for sales and the tool for marketing. So I work really closely with our distribution teams here.

So here we have basically four different distribution teams. And I will do training for all their sales teams in terms of like product knowledge. If for example, they have a customer who is interested in starting with our product, then I will go I'll do a demonstration. I'll do a drinks presentation.

I can do staff trainings for their staff. I also do like a lot of master classes. And yeah, just kind of like a face of the brand. Now I'm working so originally, I was just UAE and now I'm starting to branch out to do covering meet a region, which is honestly super cool.

So I just got back from Kaido like a week and a half ago. So we launched to GFR in Egypt two weeks ago. So that was huge. Are you still working in a bar right now as well?

No, just doing this. Okay, so I can say how the fuck are you doing the six days a week? I retired. That's good for you.

Not bad at 29. You know, even like I have I have some like now when I travel for work, you know, I remember the first time I was traveling like back in September, but okay, Mallory, like you have to get your ticket to France and like I'm still like in childhood mindset, you know, I'm like on Sky Scanner looking for like the cheapest ticket. My nurture is like, what are you doing? Go on Emirates.

Why the ticket? You need to find the best deal. So it's been a very surreal experience. I find it also very humbling because I didn't expect this to happen.

You know, I when I look back kind of at how the last eight, nine years have gone, it's it's really cool. Yeah, it's pretty amazing, especially to be and again, I don't mean to harp on your rates, but you're so young, I've already like done all these experiences in different bars, different areas of the world. And now you're pretty much already able to hang it up and do the ambassador thing. That's amazing.

Yeah, I feel very excited. I feel very humbled, I think by the whole thing, you know, it's um, yeah, I just I don't think I saw it happening this quickly. I think that for a lot of people, they knew that like at one point, I wanted to become a brand ambassador, but it's so competitive and it's so difficult. And I didn't think it was actually like plausible, you know, I didn't, I because it's so competitive, especially in UAE, you know, like for a position like this, it's a coveted position.

So no, it's been really, really cool. And we're super small, our team is just me and the regional director and we're doing the least and it's, um, yeah, it's been fun. Yeah, it's awesome. Well, now you're back in the travel scene, which is obviously a PLC as well because you clearly like to travel around the world.

So you've sort of gotten to combine both of your joints here. When during the pandemic, when you were sort of shot, I can't imagine anything worse for you. But like, how did you, especially when you're there in Dubai, you move out the right of stuff, like how did you get through that? What did you do during the?

Yeah. So I had basically right before I right before COVID, I had found my own apartment and it was because they have like a lot of staff accommodations. So I was in staff accommodations, which is like shared living, but like three weeks before the pandemic or before lockdown, I took my own apartment, but it was a studio. I think it was like 350 square meter, no balcony, whatever.

I'm just moving in here, you know? And then it was locked down. And it was the first time I'll slow down in a long time. It was the first time, I mean, I kind of structured it as a very, I became very regimented, which is weird because I think I had to in order for like my psyche, like I would wake up, I love writing a lot.

And so I was like right in the morning, and then I would do, I think I was in the best shape of my life during COVID. So working out like two or three, I had nothing else to do, like I can't leave it. But you know the one good thing, I mean, really, you handled it in a great way, as far as as COVID, I mean, we were basically in lockdown for two and a half months. During that time, you can't leave the house without a permit.

So you have to download a police application, you have to have a permit. Even I was going to the pharmacy, the police thought, make sure me or show me your permit. Yeah. But because of this, and like there was fines, you don't have your mask on, is this amount of second, second offense, this amount, third of them, they have so many rules in place, and it was very, very, intense.

But by July of 2020, restaurants were open, not full capacity, like 40% capacity, but we didn't suffer as much as everyone else in FMB. Because like, for example, you know, you could only have nine people on the table. I think this is how much it was, you don't have the nine people on the table. If it's an ID, if I'm like official comes in, they see your restaurant has more, boom, first fine, then second fine.

So they were very regulated, but at least like we still had salary. We didn't have people sitting on the bar. So during this time, the restaurant, I was working out, we took a section for bartenders and would work on the floor just to make tips. So the bar staff, we have our tips, but we didn't feel it as much as everywhere else.

I mean, until now, just last week, we could take our masks off outside. Inside, we still have to wear masks. I mean, it's very, very strict. And at first, I was like, you know, like, how can they do this to us?

I want this, I want this, you know, but we didn't suffer, you know, we were July 2020 out of lockdown, we never went back in lockdown. Oh, well, yeah, that's, uh, we handled it a lot differently here. It's still not great. Back and forth.

Yeah. Back and forth. We had all these really crazy, logical rules where there was a stretch where you could only have 10 people in your bar, no matter the size of the bar, no matter where your capacity was, and you had to close at 9 p.m. These these these curfy rules, I mean, honestly, to be fair, as a bartender, because we had some curfy rules here, it was amazing when they were like, okay, 10 o'clock, oh, yeah.

Yes. The ownership side is way shittier because we had the one, the one bar we didn't even get busy till 11. So it's like, we had to be close at nine. I'm like, oh, all right.

Well, you don't seem like a type of person is going to be satisfied in one position or spot for too long. So like, you're happy with your new job now because it leads to get to travel. But like, what do you think is in the future for you? I mean, honestly, you know, like, I think that is just a transition of going from, uh, industry to kind of being behind the scenes a bit has been a big learning curve for me.

Like, I didn't, I didn't know so much about sales and distribution before. And I find it very fascinating. Like, I have so much room to improve and a lot of things. And also, I feel like, as I, as I start taking on more of like Middle East, North Africa, this is a, this is quite project, right?

This is a massive, this is a massive market. And I feel like that's one thing I really like about my job now. It's like every day, um, learning something new and it's not consistent. I mean, it's not routine.

I'm not having, I'm not having repetitive days. Um, so I don't think I'll take a while to get bored. I did however, I told I told friends that I want to intern at their R&D site. So I want to learn how likiers are produced.

I want to, like, I want to intern with their specialists and spend like a couple months at some point, uh, really focusing on that because that's super cool. I'm sure they love hearing that too. Cause it's like, you're not just, you're not just in a front. They're like, well, matter, you want to go to the lab.

They're like, you might get bored after two weeks in the lab. And I was like, no, I want to go to the lab. I mean, the lab. Well, thanks so much for doing this, Maui.

That was super interesting. You got a pretty interesting life while we're delivering gels. We're stuck in a fucking blizzard outside right now. I hung over blizzard.

I hung over blizzard. It's the worst guy. Well, thanks again for doing this. Let us know, uh, let our listeners know where they can find you on social media and learn about your brand.

Yeah, sure. So our brand on Instagram, it's Jafarred underscore likiers underscore syrups. That's like the international page. And then my Instagram, it's now MAL, Jafarred, G-I-F-A-R-D for Instagram.

Awesome. Well, thanks again. We'll let you go to sleep now if that's about that time for you. Thank you guys.

Thank you guys. Bye bye.