Smells like team spirit

I was listening to a podcast recently, and heard someone say, “If I’m trying to build a winning team, I’m not going to recruit five point guards.” It’s no coincidence that Michael Jordan won all six of his championships alongside Scottie Pippen. They say, “Behind every great man, there is a great woman,” but like Scottie Pippen, some positions on the team just don’t get the recognition they deserve.

My father used to ask me, “Are you a leader or a follower?” Of course, my sister and I knew what answer he wanted to hear, but what defines a leader? And how many leaders can there be on a team before that team just becomes dysfunctional? In the restaurant industry, we call that, “too many chefs in the kitchen.” Indeed, the traditional French kitchen is defined by its militant hierarchy. Too many times have I seen or heard horror stories of chefs of all genres throwing pots, screaming like banshees, much to the terror of their meek subordinates, scrambling like mice to desperately mop up the spilled bouillabaisse, or re-plate the broken sous vide egg yolk. We all need leaders, but wasn’t Scottie Pippen the Chicago Bulls’ leader in assists?

I never got to play team sports in high school; I was always more interested in the individual events — surfing, Kajukenbo, equestrian — most of which I didn’t discover until my early 20s. Working in the hospitality industry was my first real exposure to the realm of “teamwork makes the dream work.” From the hostess seating your table to the bartender slinging your drinks, everyone had a hand in driving this well-oiled machine, and everyone sat down to share a meal at the end of the night, and divvy-up the fruits of their labor.

While legally, no establishment can tell you if or how you share your tips, many restaurants do have “tip-out” or “full-house pool” policies to which employees may agree to upon hiring, and which stipulates that each worker gets their own slice of the pie, while also determining the size of the slice based on said worker’s subjective contribution to the team.

With the current labor shortage, there is much debate these days over whether the kitchen and back-of-the-house staff should be included in this privilege traditionally reserved for front-of-the-house workers, not just in practice, but by law. Yet, with the majority of privately owned businesses running on razor-thin margins, it would seem the logical solution to look to the customary tradition of tipping for help evening out the playing field.

However, many servers are up in arms about having to split the pie into even smaller portions, and according to Census Bureau statistics, they have the liberty to be choosy. One popular spot rewards its patrons’ generosity with bells and cheers from the whole house if someone remembers to take care of the kitchen.

Another offers a menu item which can be ordered if you want to show your culinary appreciation.

While FOH servers may be the point guards and shooting guards driving the machine, perhaps what my dad was suggesting is that real leaders look out for the team as a whole, not just by directing them, but by setting the example. It’s true, no one can tell you what to do with your money, but should anyone really have to tell you to (please) take care of your teammates, or the people who serve you? After all, when you score, it’s just common courtesy to say, “Thanks for the assist!”

April 9 was National Gin and Tonic Day, and while this seemingly antiquated highball often is the first to get overlooked on a cocktail menu, the craft cocktail movement has breathed new life into the old juniper and quinine favorite. While Sea Spirits, a local, organic company based in Kula, Maui, creates a delectable Fy Gin, with five local botanicals including lavender, ginger, and sugarcane, other companies like Bacardi USA’s Bombay gin have come up with a clever twist on the classic bramble cocktail, infusing blackberries and raspberries to create the refreshing and summery Bombay Bramble. But it’s not all about the driver. Coming in for the assist is none other than Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic, with essences of rosemary and lemon thyme, beautifully rounding out ripe berry flavors in this laudable libation, perfectly exemplifying the saying that, “The whole (really) is worth more than the sum of its parts.”

1 1/2 ounces Bombay Bramble gin

1 ounce fresh lemon juice

1/2 ounce housemade rosemary simple syrup*

2 ounces Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic

Directions:

Build all ingredients and pour over ice into a Collins glass. Garnish with mint sprig and skewered raspberry.

*To make housemade rosemary syrup: Add 6 ounces of sugar to 6 ounces of water on the stove, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and steep 3 large sprigs of rosemary in the syrup and remove immediately from heat. Let infuse for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove rosemary sprigs.

Cover, date and store in fridge up to 2 weeks.

Alicia Yamachika is a bartender and craft mixologist, who currently is the key account manager at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits on Oahu. Follow her on Instagram (@alicia_yamachika). Her column will appear every second Wednesday in Crave.