This weeks guest is Thomas Yeo. Thomas is currently living in Montreal, Quebec and bartending at the Atwater Cocktail Club - one of the top cocktail clubs in Canada.
Thomas got his start in the Industry working at Studio East in Halifax, Nova Scotia - a charming little South East Asian gastropub. He worked opening night and the owners quickly realized that he was passionate and driven. They hired The Clever Barkeep as consultants to give Thomas the resources and training he would need to build a proper cocktail program. Building upon his new found knowledge, the owners of the gastropub let Thomas run with it as head bartender.
While Thomas was working at Studio East, one of his favourites places to go for a bite, a cocktail and great conversation was the Field Guide in Halifax. A close friend of his was the head bartender at Field House, so when Thomas left Studio East, he wound up working at Field Guide as a bartender.
After spending some time at Field Guide, Thomas moved on to Highwayman in Halifax. Highwayman was a place that Thomas had dreamed of working at when he first got into the scene. The talented owners and chef consistently put out excellent Basque style tapas and impeccably balanced, classic inspired cocktails. This was the job that turned Thomas into the bartender that he is today.
Eventually, Thomas decided to leave Halifax and move to Montreal, Quebec. Within the first week of moving to Montreal, Thomas landed a job at the Atwater Cocktail Club. In terms of dream jobs, the Atwater Cocktail Club was at the top of his list. This raucous, high volume cocktail bar has been ranked consistently on the list of top 50 bars in Canada. The beverage director at ACC - Kate Boushel - was and still is someone Thomas admires and enjoys working with as she has been a major influence for him. Thomas has now moved up to head bartender and he’s been at Atwater Cocktail Club for the last 18 months.
Awards and Achievements:
Made With Love - Current Canadian Champ
Bacardi Legacy - National Finalist
3 time World Class national finalist and finished top 4 last year.
Amari Club Alumni for 2019
Toured Europe doing pop ups at some of the world's best bars with #accontour
Atwater Cocktail Club was named the 3rd best bar in Canada for this year.
@thomas.b.tending
@atwatercocktailclub
Podcast Artwork @zak.hannah