Roberto Temple is a 29 year old bartender from Lima, Peru. A student of Tourism and Hospitality, Roberto’s life as a bartender started in Puerto Maldonado. Here he learned the basics of bartending and cocktails but it was enough to motivate him to learn more and finally decide bartending is what he wanted to do moving forward. Having learned from the likes of Jorge Kanashiro, Holger Umpire, Pablo Llontop and Giancarlo Apazza – to name a few – Roberto developed a deeper understanding of cocktail creation and came to know flair bartending for the first time. Having won his first cocktail competition he was motivated to push himself further, particularly with flair bartending.
Like so many bartenders in the modern age, his next step was of course the internet and flair videos of the biggest names as they took on tournaments such as The Roadhouse, Legends, Quest and more. In 2014 Roberto competed in his first international competition as an amateur, pledged to spread the art of flair bartending across South America and generally hasn’t looked back:
“At first it seemed very hard to do the thing I saw flair bartenders doing in their videos online, the real breakthrough for me was when I found someone who I could train with and teach me professionally. The more i practised flair, the more I fell in love with it and there is always more I want to achieve. At the moment, I am trying to spread my love for flair to others in South America, training new bartenders using the WFA grading system. This year I have been on a tour of South America, starting in Columbia in February. So far I have certified bartenders in Medellin, Bogota, Manizales, Cali, Narino, Quito, and Cuenca – where I currently am. Later I will continue on to Guayaquil, Ibarra and then into Peru, Argentina and Mexico”.
How do you think WFA Gradings can help?
“I have found the WFA grading system to be the best way to gradually learn and evolve your flair bartending – I would have personally preferred to have learned flair this way! I think the system is particularly good at helping bartenders understand where best to apply the flair once you have learned it. How it is broken down into the different disciplines is very helpful. This really aids your understanding of whether this is craft flair that can be used consistently during service, or something that is more suited to exhibition flair. Not only does it teach you all the basics and everything in between right up to the expert level – but it also encourages you to work with style behind the bar as well as ensuring you are making cocktails in the best and most professional way. One thing is for certain, if you are serious about working in the world of bartending, WFA gradings will cut your learning curve considerably.”
Why would you encourage new and experienced bartenders to give WFA Gradings a go?
“I think one of the great aspects about it is that it motivates you to continue your training and get better. The levels are set our clearly and each one is achievable if you have completed the last. Short term objectives are always easier to achieve, or they at least seem that way. If you step back and reflect on what you have learned even half way through the grading process, you will realise you have a huge amount to offer in your service – not only in what you can do, but also what you know. This will prove invaluable in terms of impressing people who are hiring for some of the better bartending jobs out there”.
What is the best part for you about teaching WFA Gradings?
“For me it is the experience of watching the bartenders start from scratch, knowing almost nothing about flair and then watching how they progress – even just to complete their Yellow level. We always have guests and sponsor brands that attend the graduations and as well as a level of skill, completing the course shows a level of dedication and a desire to learn, which are all very attractive to these brands and companies. I have even have students return to me and thank me for what they learned on the WFA gradings course because they have even earned extra tips out of it on their next job. I like to stay in contact with my students and track how they are doing – is the best feeling watching them develop and grow as flair bartenders. I hope to continue to do it in South America for some time to come”.
If you want to check out Roberto Temple or book in for a lesson in South America check out #FlairbarTemple and #Flair4ever and @Flairbartemple
For more info on WFA Gradings, please check out our gradings page here: https://test-wfa-vs4.pantheonsite.io/gradings/