In this episode of Barvox, we sit down with Catalina from Tandem Weddings, a wedding photographer who left Romania swearing she would never shoot another wedding, and now works across Europe with her husband Andrei.

We talk about what working events actually costs you. The pressure of a day you cannot redo. Vendors who bring their ego to work. Twelve to sixteen hour shifts, and the drive home where you cannot speak.

Catalina shares how a camera her mother bought for a month's salary became a business, how her creative agency died three months after launching when the pandemic hit, and how in 2023 she opened her calendar, found one booking, and almost closed everything down. She talks openly about imposter syndrome, the heart intervention that forced her to change how she works, and the term she only learned this winter that finally explained why every event left her empty: emotional labour.

If you work behind a bar, in a kitchen, or on an event floor, this conversation is about your job too.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why she swore she would never shoot a wedding again, and what changed her mind
• The camera that cost her mother a full month of salary
• Building a business in a new country with no language, no network and no contacts
• Why the first three to five years decide whether you survive
• What separates a great event manager from an average one
• Vendor egos, and why the client should never see the conflict
• Why there are no bad clients, only bad communication
• Imposter syndrome and the voice that asks who do you think you are
• The rebrand that took her from one booking to fully booked
• Running a business with your husband, and dividing work by what you are actually good at
• Why turning your passion into a business can kill the passion
• Emotional labour, post-event crashes and the drive home
• The health bill: push, but don't try to kill yourself

Catalina / Tandem Weddings: https://www.tandemwed.com/

Instagram: / tandem.weddings

Connect:

Email Questions & Feedback: hello@barvox.com

Newsletter Signup: https://barvox.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barvox

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barvoxpodcast

Manuel Lica: https://www.instagram.com/itsmanuellica

Mihai Paul: https://www.instagram.com/c_m_paul

Production:

#bartenders #chefs #hospitality

In this episode of Barvox, we sit down with Sune Urth, Head of Communication and Education at Copenhagen Distillery, author, educator, and former bar manager at some of Copenhagen’s most influential venues.

We talk about cocktail history, Nordic drinking culture, and why understanding drinks is very different from simply memorizing recipes. Sune shares how trends used to move through bars in waves, from Sex and the City making Cosmopolitans explode to the rise of Caipirinhas, and why pop culture has always shaped what guests order.

We also dive into akvavit, what it actually is, why it is Nordic rather than just Scandinavian, and how dill seed, caraway, history, and identity all play into one of the region’s most misunderstood spirits.

Sune reflects on the difference between bar work and office work, why bartending gives you a clear finish line, and how moving into communication, education, and strategy changed the way he thinks about work, knowledge, and hospitality.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why cocktail trends come in waves
• How Sex and the City changed what people ordered at bars
• Why bartenders don’t need to memorize 400 recipes
• The difference between knowing recipes and understanding cocktails
• What akvavit actually is
• Why akvavit is the Nordic cousin of gin
• How history helps bartenders understand the present
• Why AI is a multitool, not a replacement for knowledge
• The danger of too much wrong or unsorted information
• What changes when you move from bar work into office work
• Why hospitality skills transfer far beyond the bar

Sune's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suneurth

Connect:

• Email Questions & Feedback: hello@barvox.com
• Newsletter Signup: https://barvox.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barvox
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barvoxpodcast
• Manuel Lica: https://www.instagram.com/itsmanuellica
• Mihai Paul: https://www.instagram.com/c_m_paul
• Production: https://copencast.com/

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#bartenders #chefs #hospitality

In this episode of Barvox, we sit down with Anders Fox, a bar magician and guest experience consultant who has built his career around one simple idea: people don’t come to bars for drinks, they come for connection.

We talk about how hospitality has shifted away from human interaction, why many bartenders focus on the wrong things, and how understanding guests on a deeper level can completely transform the experience.

Anders shares stories from behind the bar, including the moment a funeral party changed his entire perspective on service, and how performing magic taught him to read people, build trust, and create unforgettable moments.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why guests don’t actually come for drinks
• The difference between service and real hospitality
• How to read a room and understand guest intent
• Why “average” service is worse than bad service
• How bartenders can build community, not just transactions
• The mindset shift that turns staff into performers

Anders Fox: https://www.andersfox.dk/

Connect:

• Email Questions & Feedback: hello@barvox.com
• Newsletter Signup: https://barvox.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barvox
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barvoxpodcast
• Manuel Lica: https://www.instagram.com/itsmanuellica
• Mihai Paul: https://www.instagram.com/c_m_paul
• Production: https://copencast.com/

#bartenders #chefs #hospitality