I sit here in the middle of my last weekend bartending in NYC. I’ve begun to trim down my belongings, pack my shit and look east. For those of you who aren’t familiar with who I am, my name is Bryan Lindner. I designed a cocktail bar at the restaurant Saraghina in Bedford Stuyvesant, BK. It was Saraghina that allowed me a creative space to dive deeper into quality cocktails and thus, gain more interest in the origins of ingredients and how they’re used to produce quality food, beer, wine and booze. Utilizing a few connections that came my way, I set up one hell of a trip for this next year. Ya see, I’m flyin’ out on the 29th of April for Europe. My first stop is in Italy for six months of winemaking. I’ll head up to the Alps for some bartending and snowboarding during the winter. Germany for beermaking comes next. Then Belgium for cheesemaking. And mixed up throughout all of that, whatever the hell the world feels like throwin’ at me that throws me for a curveball.

As simple and elegant as I put it above, the reality is this is a journey that (very classically) will shape a greater part of my adulthood. My plan is to open bars and restaurants that reflect the level of quality that I believe should be the standard for all food and drinks while still remaining grounded and accepting of anyone who comes through the door.

I had initially planned on just going to Italy, as I wasn't seeing just how much of a trip I could make this into. It evolved with planning and as I look back at to the extent of its evolution, I can firmly believe that it won’t go precisely as planned, however the direction remains the same.

I’m searching for quality and integrity. My developing style is showing some traits that are shaping who I am. I like to be at the roots. In the soil. There’s a certain feeling of love, memories and soul that ring more rich around quality. It feels a bit like the sixth sense to me. When I began to spend more time around quality, I found a new meaning. Across the world, entrepreneurs who craft everything from soap to tables, tools to wine. It was this epiphany that made me sit down and add up my skills, interests and set a direction in my life. I feel that adding quality to everyone’s lives will help the world as a whole. I’ve found that quality does not always run parallel to a higher pricetag, and with a bit of DIY inspiration, I feel quality is achievable in small ways that will add up to an overall sense of life improvement and hope to inspire people daily.