March is "Bar Month" on OnMilwaukee. Get ready to soak up more bar articles, imbibable stories and cocktailing content all month long. For more of our Bar Month stories click here!
Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge has long been a training ground for great bartenders, all of whom get a taste of the industry as they work their way through the bar’s extensive catalog of cocktails and ice cream drinks.
Among those bartenders is Jeff Kinder, a Kansas City native whose work at Bryant’s led him to a position as bar manager at The Jazz Estate and lead bartender for longterm cocktail pop-up at Zocalo Food Park during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During this week’s podcast, we chat with Kinder about life behind the bar, what it’s been like to adjust service for the pandemic and how inventive pop-ups have proven to be a good solution for serving customers while keeping them safe. Along the way, we learn more about Kinder himself, his career as a bartender and the drinks that inspire him.
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Curious about more FoodCrush content? Check out some of our FoodCrush Live features (including our recent escapade climbing Arby's Meat Mountain).
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
