Turning Tables Transforms Bartender Training in New Orleans [Video]

Bar work is a common career path in the cocktail-loving city of New Orleans, but finding stability and upward mobility in the hospitality industry is a challenge, particularly for young workers who face racist assumptions about their abilities and dedication.

To combat this issue, industry veteran Touré Folkes developed Turning Tables, a 12-week program that gives Black and Brown aspiring hospitality professionals a 360-degree view of the spirits, beverage, and hospitality industries. “Turning Tables is the only organization in New Orleans that offers what we do,” says Folkes. “It provides technical training, education, industry exposure, job placements, and extensive community resources, including mental health care.”

During “Rum Week,” for instance, the cohort tours a local distillery and learns about tasting and the process of making sugarcane-based spirits from Ari Ballard, a recent graduate of the Turning Tables program. Just as importantly, they are taught the historical context of the sugar and rum trades and their intrinsic links to slavery,

“It gives the …