Viktoria Belle
Viktoria Belle is the founder of the Dandelion Initiative and the Safer Bars & Spaces Program, she had worked in the food, beverage and hospitality industry while she built her practice and knowledge as an educator.
For over a decade she has worked as an educator and has held diverse senior roles with not for profit organizations, she has contributed to many different publications and movements with a focus on gender-based violence and safety.
She has a deep devotion to survivor centric programming and research, her programs have trained and educated thousands of people across Canada so far and continue to grow. Viktoria is passionate about food, art, community and safer spaces! She continues this passion through her work in policy development and advocacy.
She has delivered keynotes and seminars across Ontario and Canada bringing gender based violence prevention and response to communities and change makers. Viktoria uses her story and the story of the Dandelion Initiative to build feminist movements and spaces for all survivors.
Evelyn Chick
Evelyn’s career in hospitality started in Vancouver. Throughout the years she has accumulated pedigrees such as: BarSmarts, WSET, Certified Specialist of Spirits, while finding success in multiple national & international cocktail competitions, including a win at the Global Beefeater MIXLDN championships in 2015; representing Canada against 31 other countries. She was given the opportunity to travel the world promoting Canadian cocktail culture.
She was previously the Bar Manager of PrettyUgly Bar in Toronto. Drawing from her experiences in leadership, she is an advocate for building a solid, inclusive and integrated bar community within the Canadian market. In the last few years, she took over as the Canadian coordinator of Speed Rack, an all female charity speed bartending competition. Alongside Christina Veira, they hope to build a platform in which female bartenders can showcase their skills in a male dominated industry, while simultaneously raising funds for breast cancer research and education. She was also the beverage director for the Bar & Beverage Pavillon at Restaurants Canada Show 2019, building dynamic, forward thinking educational programming for the restaurants industry. Needless to say, she is thrilled to be involved with our industry’s rapid growth.
Farzam Fallah
Farzam Fallah is a Pastry Chef, recently turned Bartender in the city of Toronto. Farzam started in the industry at a young age, doing an externship as a line cook at the age of fourteen. He quickly turned to Pastry and found his passion through the balance of science and art. Throughout his twelve years as a Pastry Chef, he has worked at some well respected restaurants, including Terra, Ruby Watch Co., and Pizzeria Libretto. At twenty, he became the opening Pastry Chef for Richmond Station, where he grew within the community to accomplish some of his personal milestones; including speaking at Terroir Symposium, appearing in TV competitions, and being publicized in the National Post, Globe and Mail, and many more.
Farzam then moved to Hong Kong to work with Black Sheep Restaurant Group, where he was the Head Pastry Chef overseeing all newly opening restaurant’s dessert programs. Currently, Farzam is finding a new love of science and art in the world of Bartending. Although his focus is now to learn how a restaurant runs as a whole, he is presently doing freelance pastry work, because he always wants to remain strongly connected to the world of desserts.
Chantelle Gabino
Chantelle Gabino is a Canadian born, award-winning bartender that is always eager for a new adventure, especially when it involves Food and Drinks. With over a dozen years of professional hospitality experience as a Bartender, General Manager, Beverage Consultant, Events Coordinator, and Brand Ambassador; Chantelle has garnered industry accolades such National Winner of Bombay Sapphire’s “Most Imaginative Bartender 2016”, as well as the 2019’s National Winner and “Top Ocho Global Finalist” for Bacardi Legacy.
As a woman that wears many hats, you can catch Chantelle Bartending at the iconic “Drake Hotel” in Toronto, working as a Beverage Director for Events Bar Co. “Mersey Cross”, sitting as a Board Member for grassroots non-profit organization “The Dandelion Initiative”, or proudly representing her Canadian pride as a Brand Ambassador for award winning Empress 1908 Gin and Bittered Sling. To follow her adventures follow @chantigabino
Robin Goodfellow
“Robin Goodfellow, founder of Little Bones Beverage company is part owner of Bar Raval, Prettyugly, and Harry’s Burgers. He has designed many other successful bars in Toronto and is currently excited to open the long anticipated Paradise Theatre on Bloor and his new 4000 square foot spot at King and Portland.
Robin is quite passionate about the categories of Fortified Wines and Amari, which is why his bars heavily focus on them on his menus.
Currently he loves training new bartenders, fine tuning his existing establishments, helping new proprietors develop their bar programs, and throwing unique and creative events that push the beverage industry to new territory.
Recent Achievements:
Bar Raval:
2015 #96 World’s Best Bar – 2018 #70 World’s Best Bar (only Canadian entry)
2018-19 #1 Canada’s Best Bar.
Prettyugly Bar:
2018 #8 Canada’s Best Bar – 2019 #4 Canada’s Best Bar.
2019 Chicago Drink Style Bar Fight Participant. (First non-American participant).
Gord Hannah
Gord Hannah is the Head Bartender & Cocktail Ambassador for the Drake Properties. He has worked with the Drake for 15 years, first as a bartender, and then as part of the opening teams for Drake One Fifty, The Drake Devonshire, Drake Commissary and the Drake Minibar. As a working bartender since 1992, he has watched the cocktail scene grow around the world and has seen what was once a part time job evolve into to a viable and well respected career. Education and hospitality are the pillars of his brand. Gord is one of the four founders of Toronto Cocktail Conference as well as a core team member of the Toplack Sessions.
Megan Jones
Megan Jones has worked in many facets of the hospitality industry in Toronto for the last 15 years. She has had the pleasure of working & learning in some of Toronto’s best and award winning bars such as Reposado and Bar Chef and is currently the co-owner of The Gaslight and Noble Coffee Co. both located in the Junction Triangle.
Shane Mulvany
Born and raised in Ireland, Shane Mulvany got his start pulling pints in his homeland. After university, he moved to New York on a student visa and learned how to create cocktails. After his experience in New York, it was time to return to Europe and he knew that London was the only place he wanted to be. In London he worked for 2 Michelin star chef Marcus Wareing and then went on to work at the award winning 69 Colebrooke Row and Zetter Townhouse. Along the way he met his wife and in 2012 they moved to her native Canada. Shane arrived at an opportune time in Toronto when the food and drink scene was exploding. He helped open many of the city’s best bars and restaurants including DaiLo and Alo. Shane consistently entered cocktail competitions throughout his career and was fortunate to win many. He has represented Canada three times at the global stage including competitions with World Class and Havana Club. In 2018 Shane and his family moved to New York City where he has worked at both the world famous Dead Rabbit and Dante.
Sarah Parniak
Sarah Parniak is the Canadian Market Manager for Seedlip, the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirits.
She’s also a drinks writer with a bottomless curiosity for beverages. Her work has been published in Toronto Life, enRoute, Foodism, Quench and NOW Magazine, where she wrote the Drinks Column for years.
In a former life she spent most of her time behind bars, from Cold Tea to Alo, and has represented Canada in international cocktail competitions.
Find her on Instagram @s_parns & Seedlip Drinks @seedlipdrinks
Kelsey Ramage and Iain Griffiths
Trash Tiki is the anti-waste punk pop brainchild of bartenders Kelsey Ramage and Iain Griffiths. Launched at the end of 2016, Trash Tiki has become the bartender’s resource for all things environmentally minded. Originally planned to be nothing more than an online platform to share recipes, the response quickly lead the pair to start doing a series a pop ups.
By early 2017, Trash Tiki had taken off, literally, with Kelsey & Iain leaving London and their positions at the world renowned Dandelyan, to embark on a 10 month around the world tour, with the aim of bringing their anti waste drinks and transparent attitude towards this new evolution in bartending, to every corner of the globe possible.
Having a strapline such as “Drink Like You Give a Fuck” it was pretty clear what Trash Tiki’s mission was from the get go, to inject some fun, honesty and creativity into the dull notion of sustainability. The punk attitude well and truly alive in both of them, it then became about creating recipes that were open source for all to copy, enjoy and improve.
The reception since first launching has now taken the pair to over 100 markets globally, with an estimation of over 3000 bartenders already receiving further education with a more environmentally minded approach to venues now firmly cemented as part of the a modern bartender’s skillset. Since then, the pair have become the Global Sustainability Ambassadors for Pernod Ricard, helping to shape the 2030 Roadmap for the company
With all this now nestled under the The Trash Collective company & Kelsey and Iain calling Toronto home since April 2018, the company now also has it’s first permanent space, Supernova Ballroom, which opened in September 2019.
Trash Tiki has become a common name in the bartending world. Bigger than it’s two creators, it forms part of the global conversation the food & drink world is in the middle of, that everyone on either side of the bar is participating in.
To have a greater respect for the products we use and consume, end the 20th Century attitude of single use ingredients and do all that with a light hearted, fun and hospitable attitude, that is what Trash Tiki stands for everytime they scream “drink like you give a fuck”.
Shawn Soole
Shawn exported himself from Australia over 10 years ago to Canada. Based in Victoria since arriving, Shawn has helped evolve Victoria into a world-renowned cocktail destination.
Soole started Soole Hospitality Concepts in 2015 seeing the opening for a multi-faceted consultancy firm specializing in the industry; including spirit research & development, brand strategy as well as bar & restaurant design and construction.
In 2019, he created Human Construct Branding & Design partnering with Colin Parks, graphic design to take the branding and logo design section of the business to the next level; focusing on British Columbia’s distilleries and restaurants.
Dr. Andrew Toplack
A medical doctor and cocktail enthusiast for many years. Andrew runs a “non for profit” importing spirits into Canada.
Andrew is a well-known supporter of bartenders and all that they do. Being a regular at cocktail bars during Toronto’s cocktail renaissance, Andrew recognized a desire from bartenders for more continuing education in their profession.
Having made many contacts locally, nationally and internationally by frequenting cocktail bars and by attending global spirits and cocktail conventions. Andrew has made it his mission to repay the hospitality provided to him by bartenders by hosting informative educational sessions curated to benefit the working bartender, industry professional and cocktail enthusiast.
Working closely with Jonathan Humphrey and Gord Hannah at The Drake Hotel. Andrew co-created and developed Bartender Appreciation night and the Bartenders Benevolent fund (with Jon Gray). Andrew has spoken at Tales of the Cocktail, The Toronto Cocktail Conference and Toronto Cocktail Week.
Toni Weber
Toni Weber is the Beverage director for Giulietta, an award winning Italian restaurant from chef Rob Rossi. With over a decade of experience in hospitality, she has held sommelier positions at some of Canada’s top restaurants, including Alo and Canoe.
Robin Wynne
Robin has been an industry veteran for over 25 years in the hospitality trade. Having been a chef for 10 years and General Manager and Bar Manager at various points for another 15yrs, he brings wisdom and expertise to the business.
Robin’s adventures abroad as a well travelled bar manager have lead him to visit many distilleries and wineries where he works with distillers, blenders, and brands to help familiarize and educate the bar/hospitality industry and consumers alike. Having been in the Caribbean on numerous occasions, his love of rum, rum culture, and rum education is unmatched. His passion for authentic rum and transparency in production methods has led him on a quest to promote and champion brands with a quality spirit and best work practices.
Robin calls Miss Thing’s Hawaiian restaurant and cocktail bar his rum home in Toronto. As General manager and bar manager, he regularly hosts rum masterclasses, tastings, and the popular Rum Lovers dinner series where master distillers and master blenders come to share their rum and passion in an exclusive dinner engagement.