Professional bartending
course to start Tuesday
PHILIPSBURG--The drink mixing and bar keeping skills of some 25 persons in the bartending field will be sharpened during a month-long course being organised by the St. Maarten Timeshare Association and the training arm of Windward Islands Federation of Labour (WIFOL).
The professional bartending course which starts on Tuesday, May 15, will be facilitated by multiple-award winning local Bartender, Michael Arrindell.
Arrindell who brought home the Gold at the 2005 Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition, and who has several other bartending awards under his belt, said the course will cover a wide range of areas such as bar cleanliness, preparing your work space, appearance, setting up bar, mixing drinks and glasses and their use.
The course will be intensive. Class will be held one day per week over a four week period from 9:00am to 5:00pm and includes lunch and a coffee break.
A total of some 25 persons are being catered to in the programme which is being funded entirely by St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) Dollar a Day Programme.
Participants won’t have to go into their own pockets to pay for the course.
SHTA and Timeshare Association members will get preference.
Michael, who has some 36 years experience in the bartending field, said his intention is to set up his own professional bartending school in the future. “I’ve seen some bartending and I think the level can be improved,” he told reporters at a press conference at WIFOL’s office on Wednesday.
All those who complete the course will be certified to be bartenders on the island.
President of WIFOL and its training arm Caribbean Institute for Social Education (CIFSEF) Foundation Theophilus Thompson said CIFSEF will be conducting more courses in the future including one for room attendants and another aimed at better management.
Persons interested in registering for the bartending course can do so at WIFOL’s office at the Walter Nisbeth Road (Pondfill) or at their places of employment. Thompson said hotels and resorts with bartenders should have copies of the registration forms.
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