Jessi Pollak of Spoon and Stable talks about training, seances and staying true to herself.
MINNEAPOLIS — Jessi Pollak is a self-described witchy goth kid from Florida who never meant to stay in Minnesota. She's also the best bartender in the country.
Pollak moved here with her parents as a teen, and immediately began dreaming of a way out. But instead of packing up once her independence hit, she found work in the cocktail room at Du Nord Social Spirits in south Minneapolis. Despite being a novice in the hospitality world, she quickly fell in love with the art of working with seasonal ingredients, building flavor and serving guests. That job lit a spark that eventually propelled her to lead the bar program at the North Loop's prestigious Spoon and Stable restaurant.
