Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Sasser
Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I came to LA about 13 years ago via New York and needed to get one of those “survival jobs” waiting tables that would allow me to audition and pursue music. I’ve always been a hard worker and a people pleaser so hospitality came pretty naturally to me, but I was really able to hone my skills because getting a good serving or bartending job in Los Angeles at that time was pretty cut-throat. I had waited tables in high school, however the attention to detail and menu/ingredient knowledge required by most places here was next level. I don’t think I’ve ever studied harder than I did when training for my first serving job in LA. I compare it to jumping through rings of fire; exhilarating and terrifying with little room for error! After waiting tables and moving up the ranks I became pretty burnt out and knew I needed to further my career – so I became a bartender, HA! But actually bartending allowed me to challenge myself, learn new skills, and use my creativity in a way I had never tried to do before. After deciding to make the shift, which meant taking any job behind a bar I could find and working my way up, the rest was history. The magic of being where I am, opening The CanTiki, running the bar program at All’Acqua, and leading tastings and cocktail making classes for clients is really just the result of hard work and that work ethic has lead to opportunity. I take great pride and am still humbled that people have entrusted me with their cocktail menus. I love flavors and pushing the envelope with cocktail mixtures – seeing just what I can get away with!
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?
A bar business is a roller coaster! It’s this organism that is constantly growing and changing. When you start out you think how glamorous owning a bar is. Maybe you have to work really hard the first two years and then it will run itself, but the reality is something is always breaking, someone is always calling out, paperwork is endless, HR is necessary, and the creative exciting fun part can get suffocated by all the other stressors. It’s a bit of a personal sacrifice to own a bar, because you are on call 24/7.
I think the biggest struggle for me personally is balancing work and life. So many of my relationships have stemmed from my work and it can feel all consuming, but that is also the best part! You just have to remember to take care of yourself, unplug and re-plenish your own glass so you can fill up someone else’s.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love singing, performing, and writing music. It’s how I’ve always expressed myself. I shared a love of music and food with my granddad. There was always a song in our hearts, drink in our glass (boozeless mind you:) and food on our table growing up. It’s an honor to do that for others.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Honestly, I’m a calculated risk taker. Im uncomfortable just rolling the dice, but I love to shake things up. I’m a rule follower, but I’m constantly doing things that people say you can’t/shouldn’t do – with cocktails that is! For instance, my most controversial cocktail at CanTiki is the Kill Mai Pain. It has a whipped pineapple coconut curry in it so it has this very umami quality and folks either love it or hate it and they are not shy about letting you know!
I dislike being told there is a right way and a wrong way. I think there are multiple ways and maybe they haven’t all been discovered yet.
I think it’s important to do something that scares you. Opening a bar was terrifying, but it has been rewarding in experiences and challenges I’ve never faced before.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @asassyact ; @thecantikila
Image Credits
Photo Cred for Shot of me with ponytail mixing a cocktail and the 5 cocktail shot – Levi Kaminkowitz @levikam
