Mary palac

Mary was born in the Philippines but grew up in the Bay Area, California. She has worked in hospitality for nearly 20 years and has been bartending for over 12 years. She is a founding member of USBG Silicon Valley, and an alumna of the TOTCF CAP program, BAR 5 Day, Camp Runamok, and many other industry programs. She was the Season 7 Ms. Speed Rack CA, and 2 time BARMANIA champion. Her recipes and views have been featured in several national publications, including Liquor.com, PUNCH, Saveur, and USA Today.

Mary was featured in the documentary Rum Rising with liquor.com and Appleton Rum. In 2019 she was honored with a commendation from the City of San Jose for her contributions to the city’s food and beverage community, and in 2020 was named a Top 4 Honoree for American Bartender of the Year through the TOTCF Spirited Awards. She has travelled all over the world to visit bars and distilleries in order to explore the world of spirits. Her home bar is Paper Plane in San Jose, CA.

In episode 14, Alex chats with Mary, long time bar manager of Paper Plane in San Jose, CA. In their conversation they touched on topics surrounding accountability for not just others but also for themselves, struggles with anxiety surrounding recognition and wanting to be the best that they can be, and of course how to make our industry a better place to live and to work.

Fans of the podcast can contact Alex via email at alex@fohealth.org to provide feedback and ideas for the podcast, or to become a guest on the show.

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Sponsored by Most Imaginative Bartender

FOH @fohealth

Alex Jump @axljump

Mary Palac @mixtressmary