Between bottles, martinis, shakers and tequilas, under the dim light of the candles that barely illuminate the bar of the Margaret’s Officein Northern Rome, two sounds mix: the distant echo of the mariachis and the crash of ice against a vaso old fashion.
In the middle of that atmosphere is Viridiana Cano, 25 year old bartenderoriginally from the Mexico Citywho found her place behind the bar, a space traditionally dominated by men.
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He shared that he left his career Industrial Chemical Engineering to enter the sector food and drinks, starting at a hamburger restaurant. On his own initiative, he began research recipes and to understand the operation of a bar, from inventories to personalized service.
Over time an opportunity came that marked a leap of demand and quality: join one of the restaurant groups most important in the country. Although he started as an assistant, he soon stood out for his commitment and talent.
“At first they wanted to make me feel less. It was a inexperienced girl in a sexist environment. It was difficult, but I used that as a driving force to show that my gender didn’t matter, my work was going to speak for me“, he said in an interview with 24 HOURS.
Viri, as his friends call him, recognizes that more than once he lost his “glamour”because the job requires physical strength– Carry ice bags and move beer cartons throughout the shift.
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He stated that within his favorite cocktails is found Naked and Famous and the Martini Express; She assured that she will continue training and certifying herself in different distillates and fermentations, convinced that preparation is key to standing out. “Can’t eradicate machismo from the unionbut it does change the perception of female capacity,” he stated.
Viridiana knows that this is just the beginning of a long road to balance the participation of women in the restaurant industryand invites others to fight for their goals and take life “in a single gulp, in a shot, without thinking about it.”