This is Van Anthony Quilatan.
Van was born in the Philippines and moved to Montreal when he was 3 years old. He speaks French, English, and Tagalog. He studied Criminology at Cégep Champlain and later did his WSET III at ITHQ.
Van started to work in the hospitality industry as a cook at a St-Hubert restaurant. He was 18 years old and just left his parents’ house. He realized that he needed to make more money faster and decided to try the service side. Starting as a busboy, he already admired bartenders. He was looking at the work, being the star of the show and being in control. He was super impressed and decided he wanted to be a bartender as well.
He applied for a bartending position but didn’t get the job because he hadn’t done a bartending class. Therefore, he joined the bartending program at B1. When he finished the course, he went back to the same place and the very same manager told him he still couldn’t hire him because he had no experience. And that was an important moment for him. He understood the difference between education and experience. Since then, he decided to focus on gaining as much experience as he could. And it worked!
Van has worked in many bars and nightclubs in Montreal. It was at Mme Lee that he fell in love with the nightclub life. He worked there for 3 years and then went to work at Flyjin for 2 years. Van knew for a long time that he wanted to work with Hennessy, so he manifested his intentions quite clearly. He participated in most of the events organized by Charton Hobbs, taking part in their cocktail competitions, tagging them on social media, promoting their products at the bar he worked at, etc. His intentions were so clear that at some point, he was offered the position he was looking for with the company. Today, he is the portfolio specialist for the Moët Hennessy and Sazerac portfolio.
Van is a good example of someone that doesn’t take no for an answer and just goes for what he wants. He managed to gain an impressive amount of experience in the bar industry and is now exactly where he wants to be.
For his cocktail creation, click here!
A little bit more about Van Anthony...
The three words that describe him best: perfectionist – ambitious – creative
His life motto: Never stop, never settle.
A fun fact about him: He has two cats and he walks them on a leash. He really loves cats.
The biggest lesson his job taught him: To be humble and to stay down to earth.
A piece of advice he offers to future brand ambassadors: Never stop, never settle. If you want to move on to the corporate side, identify yourself as a brand. Look at the different brands out there, look at their philosophy, find one that appeals to you. And if you find one that truly resonates with you, do everything that you can to get it.