With 18 years of experience in hospitality under his belt, Joel Bartosh feels lucky to have travelled the world doing what he loves - opening and operating hospitality venues.
"Hospitality is both vibrant and lively. Working closely with creatives always keeps things exciting."
He began his journey in hospitality by working in hotel kitchens during high school, before entering the beverage and cocktail business. Bartosh is currently the Operations Manager at Hoppers Garden Bar.
Located in Ponsonby, Hoppers embraces the local farm-to-table concept by serving a diverse selection of sharing plates made from local and seasonal ingredients.
"We source our ingredients from local butchers and cheesemongers. I feel it speaks to the freshness of the bar's ingredients and is a great way to contribute to the local community and economy".
Hoppers also focuses on serving the best of New Zealand's craft beer. With 18 taps that rotate through a variety of craft beer from across the country, the bar is proud to support and showcase New Zealand's talented breweries.
Its seasonal gin menu, which features gin from local and international distillers, is also a nod to Hoppers' emphasis on supporting the community. The bar's gins are served with seasonal local botanical garnishes, including sea grapes, nori and kawa kawa.
Bartosh's advice for those interested in venturing into operations and menu designing is to follow trends and produce drinks customers want to order over and over again. While it is important to think of fresh new ideas, he said that bartenders can get hung up on developing new techniques and flavours, while neglecting the taste of the drink.
"A great mixologist is like a good cocktail - a balance of different ingredients, technical skills and a story behind a spirit or brand you like to use".
Staff shortages, increasing produce prices, supply chain issues and uncertainty around consumer spending, are all issues that Bartosh says face the hospitality industry.
While the past few years have been challenging for Hoppers, he is optimistic that being creative and working together as a community will help to combat some of these issues.
Looking forward, Hoppers hopes to continue evolving and re-inventing its offerings to create novel experiences for its customers.
