You are an eclectic professional figure, your skills ranging from industry journalism to communications, from working with various venues to an award-winning bartender to a beer expert. You have a very in-depth knowledge of the beverage industry, in the broadest meaning you can give to this term, so you are definitely able to express a 360-degree opinion on the drinking out environment. What does the situation look like for you? In your vast experience, has the awareness of drinking well in this last decade improved or are we witnessing a barbarization of the concept of drinking?
"The current situation is certainly more complicated than it was a few years ago, but this should not be a brake on the sector much less the alibi and excuse for every action that does not support consumption, the spread of culture and the development of the sector itself. I cannot understand, however, why exactly this happens. The idea I have is that too often the world of out-of-home dining is seen exclusively as a business, but when you operate solely with this view, you get the opposite results. I am referring in particular to venues and small businesses, those who live in contact with consumers on a daily basis, and not to large corporations or multinationals that operate solely on the strength of marketing and communication. Managers, bartenders, distributors, sales agents, each work in their own direction and it is difficult to see them making a common front to achieve a goal: each one selfishly thinks of his or her own trade ignoring that today success is also built with partnerships and projects. Operating in the out-of-home means responding to both work-related needs, thus service needs, and leisure-related needs, thus often futile needs. Operating in the out-of-home means confronting people and their changing moods on a daily basis. Today, consumption is diversified to the maximum and has reached an impressive pulverization as people do not want to give up anything: therefore, the economic availability dedicated to out-of-home consumption has to compete more with status symbols, fashion, the gym and the car. People have not stopped spending, but they are looking for a good reason to do so, especially when they have to attend a club. As far as awareness of good drinking is concerned, I think we are witnessing a deep divide: on the one hand there is a small improvement and on the other hand a great impoverishment and barbarism. I say small, because too often it is more appearance than anything else, as culture needs a path of entrenchment to have a lasting effect; it cannot just be a fad. Even the current focus on cocktail history and the classic with the twist or the molecular mixologist and the barchef represent an uplift in the quality of drinking away from home, but they are white flies: too often they are poorly attuned to the realities of the market and find a more measured response than they deserve, because it is not easy and simple to propose them to the general public. Decay, on the other hand, is the direct consequence to what has been said: trends lead to an exaggeration of the concept preventing effective growth. This is thanks to the rampant flattening of professionalism, the lack of training and updating."
Bars and clubs proliferate in all large metropolises and provincial towns, but we witness rapid births and deaths, clubs that go out of fashion too quickly, that fit into a trendy vein and are unable to reconvert the business when the trend changes, sometimes dying already at the end of a season. In your opinion, is the cause due to lack of professionalism and experience, or should this not be a cause for concern and is it precisely the future of venues that will be more and more "temporary," being born and changing, disappearing and being reborn at an increasingly fast pace?
"In my opinion, a venue cannot have an expiration date, if anything, it must be conceived with the idea of evolution, that is, it must be able to respond to changing needs or better yet anticipate them or be able to stimulate new consumption. Rapid closures are the effect of different causes: first is the lack of professionalism that prevents one from seriously addressing the market and its changes. Second, fashions must be dictated and not suffered: eventually one must be able to take inspiration and make a trend one's own, perhaps building a working methodology. In fact, copy and paste leads to an impoverishment of the proposal: if we make a photocopy of a photocopy the image is always less clear. Speaking of professionalism, all too often there is a lack of willingness and even more a lack of humility to learn: in this profession there is never a middle, if anything, goals."
For your profession you often taste new products and new beers, you research new ideas of accessories and equipment to improve your technique and the presentation of your creative ideas. What really intrigues you right now? What markets, companies and ideas do you think are the most interesting?
"What intrigues me the most is the search for details and perfection in the presentation of a drink, the cleanliness of the movements during service and the positive exaggeration of the concept of welcome and hospitality. I love all bartending accessories as they represent the personality of the bartender, as well as the choice of glasses, preparation techniques and the selection of products in the bottle. The markets worthy of interest are the European one, characterized by a large number of professionals who can 'lay down the law,' although the U.S. is always a great reference and the Japanese one represents an interesting point of view. As far as companies are concerned, I am less global and appreciate those that constantly offer professionals the possibility of finding the right accessory: often buying abroad is not so easy. If I have to name names, I cannot fail to mention RG, not only for the friendship that binds me to Giorgio Negri, but also for the professionalism and constant research that his company makes available to anyone. Same for beverage: buying outside our borders is not always convenient and then it can involve tax risks. Ideas: I think those that make even the most extreme concept easy to approach are ingenious. Difficult yes, but when you succeed there is none for anyone!"
What do you think of industry publishing? What important book do you think is missing from the national and international scene?
"I think magazines should be a reference point for readers and have the freedom to communicate and sometimes criticize. Granted that advertising fuels the market, we should not run the risk of turning magazines into catalogs or house organs. Readers, in addition to commercial information, want to find something more: they want insights, ideas, news, they want to know and discover. This is why the Internet today is the most widely used tool: with one click a world opens up. Today information must be global in whatever format it is. A book that is missing? I think none: if anything, some should be eliminated! All kidding aside, perhaps one is missing: the one that tells the true meaning of this profession, but if there isn't one, perhaps there will be a reason!"
If you could at this instant become president of a new trade association, what association would you like it to be? With what goals?
"Association? Another one! Associations represent irreplaceable realities where people come together to share a passion and an idea, as well as having a common goal. When interests acquire a higher value, however, there is a risk that individuality prevails and a sense of community is lost. Instead, I believe there is a lack of direction at the institutional level. Let me explain further. In this sector, there should be a super partes body that guarantees, instead, the interests of consumers by ensuring the presence of serious professionals: we must not forget, in fact, that food and beverages are administered, as the license states, but it takes very little to get it! Today anyone and at any time in their life can open a venue: lots of regulations to follow, rightly so, but no reference to professional preparation."
TO KNOW YOU BETTER
Now tell us about yourself, what are you involved in right now? What projects, upcoming or future ideas?
"I am currently taking care of my new place, a gourmet café and cocktail room, a project in which I am trying to condense all my experiences and ideas, but also my expectations as a customer. It is, however, a starting point and not an ending point. Here I can also test all my creations and service techniques, those that I then propose during my consultations and courses."
Favorite films, actors and directors
"I love all the cinematography of Totò, I love Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Quentin Tarantino. I like Italian cinema, the one made with seriousness. If I have to choose, I prefer to see a thriller or a comedy."
The book that marked your life
"Oh my God! Let's move on to the next question! I'm always embarrassed to answer this question because I'd like to mention great novels and important authors, but the only books I read are about food & beverage."
The music you listen to?
"I range from classical to modern, through jazz and hip hop: for every situation there is the right song. When I'm in the car only Radio Deejay unless I have to go on long trips and I prepare an appropriate soundtrack."
What can't miss in your refrigerator?
"Beer and wine! To eat? Boh: I cook with what's there."
What really outrages you and what instead engages you more than anything else?
"Falsehood, hypocrisy, selfishness, mindlessness, and overwhelm at all levels. Instead, I am involved with a good laugh and everything that is unprecedented and creative: let's say I am like a child who is surprised when he knows something new."
If someone would like to get in touch with you, how can he or she track you down?
"At my place in Brescia, Il Duca café gourmet and cocktail room in viale Duca degli Abruzzi, 31 or via e-mail at sebastiano.garbellini@bartender.it."
Sebastiano Garbellini after direct experiences that saw him manage a small hotel and restaurant business and collaborate with a number of venues, including restaurants and cafeterias, he began to work with several national newspapers specialized in the world of food&beverage, entertainment and hospitality, dealing with every single aspect that characterizes this market. His continuous confrontation with high-level professionals and active role in the industry are complemented with constant training and regular updating. Several successes have been achieved, including 1st Place at the A.i.b.e.s. Ischia National Competition 2006 in the emerging bartender category and 2nd Place at the Calvados Nouvelle Vogue International Trophies Normandy 2010 in the international journalist category. In addition to freelancing for Locali Top, The World of Beer, Drink'n Food, GBI, Bartender.it, online mixologist magazine, and Barmood, b2b network, he is a taster for the Beer Academy and is frequently called upon as a speaker in various training and refresher courses, seminars and tasting days. He has been a beer trainer for Planet One bartending and training center. He is the promoter and director of profession:beer®. Finally, he consults and teaches courses specifically for the horeca channel with a focus on both individual venues and large companies.
Interview by Monica Palla
