Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Hazelmyer
Hi Whitney, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started bartending at the age of 16 in Minneapolis. I was mostly slinging beers at concerts. As time went on, older bartenders took me under their wing and I started to learn a lot more. In 2013, I landed in Baltimore at a James Beard Award winning restaurant where I really started cutting my drink slinging chops. After a few years in there, my husband and I came to Austin for a visit and here we are almost a decade later.
I was excited to keep learning as I came on to the bartending scene in Austin, but I quickly was nominated Austin’s Best Bartender as well as a couple more accolades. I opened up Central Standard at the South Congress Hotel in 2016 and quickly moved to the Otoko adjacent Speakeasy – Watertrade. In 2020, I had my first child and with COVID, I ultimately quit my job and started teaching cocktail classes along side my best friends Aaron (former Otoko chef) and Megan (formerly Event Coordinator of Hotel Ella) of Let’s Eat Austin.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Owning a small business is never a smooth ride. We launched cocktail classes early in 2020, so that quickly had to pivot to private birthday parties or personal anniversary gifts. I have been grateful for all the experiences, that’s for sure.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Let’s Eat Austin is better than any restaurant you’ll ever eat at in town (no, I’m not lying). If you’re tired of smoke and mirrors with instagramable- but flavorless and overpriced dishes, then learning to cook from Aaron, Megan or I is just for you. We are located in a cozy, residential home with a beautiful garden full of ingredients, a chicken coop and more recently beehives. Allegedly, back in the 1980s, Austin was THEE spot for cooking classes. I had a guest recall how amazing and special the experiences were (he took a class from a well known NYTimes food writer) and how Let’s Eat Austin was revitalizing that feeling. We love big groups and celebrations so bring your work team or a bachelorette party, we would love to have you.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The restaurant industry is already collapsing. Big investors throw money into projects that are ultimately money pits because running a fine-dining restaurant just isn’t sustainably lucrative. Couple that with wage theft, understaffing and grossly expensive food costs and BOOM you’ve got yourself a large crater where a food-scene used to be. Hopefully this will put a nail in the fine dining coffin and we can start to see the rise of down and dirty food trucks and dives come back to life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.whitneydoes.com
- Instagram: @Whitneydoes
- Youtube: @Whitney_Does
