Today we’d like to introduce you to Jojo Martinez.
Jojo, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was in high school, I would attend parties. I found myself drawn to the area where the bottles and juices would be and start to create random concoctions for partygoers to try. As soon as I knew it, there would be a group of friends just hanging around the bar area excited to try my “cocktails.”
I entered bartending school when I was 21. I did well. I got a job as a barback in a popular strip club in my hometown. I was a hard worker right out of the gates. And boy, did that job give me the first taste of intense exertion. But it was a fun environment. I was young and I naturally had the energy. I had my eyes set on that bar to become a bartender. Over time, I earned the trust to become a fill-in bartender. I remember my first official order from 3 gentlemen guests… 3 watermelon kamikazes. The anatomy of the Kamikazee from my bar schooling kicked in as soon as they ordered. Aware of my need to please the management I also wanted to prove that I can sell just like the other senior bartenders. I operated the transaction with what seemed natural confidence. That and I can also hear my favorite quote in my head by Heather Locklear, ” You can get away with anything if you act like you know what you’re doing except neurosurgery.”
I attended college during my nightclub work life. After four years of working in hospitality, I asked myself what can I possibly do to elevate the experience for my guests? I heard about the flair bartending. I decided what the hell. This was before YouTube. I hopped online and bought some practice bottles and a “how-to” flair bartending instructional DVD. Yes DVD, lol. I practiced and perfected the routine. During that time, I had run into an acquaintance Peter Montejano who competed in flair. I beg and asked for his number so he can teach me. The very next morning I was in his yard practicing. Two weeks later, he entered me in my first competition. Oh boy! The adrenaline I felt on that stage! I do great during practice but the nerves on stage really messed with my routine. I never let that stop me. I was hooked. Back then, Hospitality USA organized a state circuit of flair bartending competitions directed by Dave Yelverton. Meanwhile, in school, I excelled and loved education. Anything I committed to, I always gave my all. I maintained a 3.8 GPA and was involved in a couple of clubs. I hit a weird time in my life all of a sudden. I experienced this difficult depression and anxiety. I had got an official diagnosis from my doctor. It was intolerable and had no clue how to alleviate it. I ultimately quit school and work. Shortly then, my aunt suggested that I move to Houston where she was currently living.
After 10 years of hospitality in my hometown, I made the move to Houston for a new beginning. It turned out to be the best decision of my life. Equipped with my experience Houston availed opportunities. It was amazing to experience that Houston was like a “culinary Hollywood.” All of my passions and experience were met with respect and value for what I did and what I wanted to do for my career. I immediately bartended in high volume nightclubs, fine dining then help build a restaurant and bars with amazing beverage directors and owners. One of my first craft mentors Kris Sowell suggested I quickly become a member of the United States Bartender’s Guild Houston Chapter. And then, I found out there were craft competitions. I worked with amazing chefs and immersed myself in cuisine studies to sell to guests better. I immediately discovered the tie between history, regions, food with the beverage. I essentially put together the love I had for my college education with my passion for service.
Six years ago, I started my own freelance. While serving a guest at a bar she observed my techniques and asked if I could help bartend for her events. I had got my first taste in events back in 2001 when I help an event planner with the grand opening of Jaguar-Maserati. The setting was straight out of a movie. The theme was “Tomorrow Never Dies” James Bond film. They had a convertible candy painted Jaguar with rocket launcher props built in it. We were dressed in costume like futuristic space racers. We were offering signature cocktails, beer, and wine. The guests were sophisticated with trimmed suits, fur coats, and diamonds. Then, the peak happened, drinks were flowing the music was pumping. All of a sudden, it was a full-blown good time. Guests were enjoying the service and one woman even started to dance with a server holding a tray. You couldn’t write this shit. I thought it was the most hilarious freeing thing to experience as a hospitality professional. Circa 2013, my good friend in sales took me to the County Clerk’s office and I registered my company J. Martini Services.
Here we are, I have collected high profile individuals, organizations and companies as my clients. From Hawaii to Belize, my work continues to reach clients of all cultures and backgrounds. I have a team of passionate and experienced professionals who I also get to call friends. I get to help anywhere from students, “mom and pop” businesses, to corporate chains. I am included in beverage direction with my team to help our amazing clients produce the most elaborate events in the state. It feels good to be trusted with other people’s passions.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No. Fun, rewarding, and hard as hell.
Yes, I can express my passion for work all day but when I met the challenges of really learning business, that’s when the bout would take place. I have endured so much on my own and really had to learn to push through. Now, I am thankful for that resistance training. I can wake up each day and look at most challenges the way I decide what to have for lunch that day.
In the early years, the challenge was that society is saying that my passion for service is not a respected job to have as an adult. Those days it was my heart battling the outside noise. It’s amazing how easier the noise gets once you make a decision, a plan and just pursue it. During my work, I would on occasion struggle with the ol’ symptoms of depression and anxiety. I was left alone with my work (the alcohol). Just as a lion tamer who is all of sudden being tamed by the lion, if I wasn’t careful I was managing the stress with the alcohol. At times, I didn’t like who I was becoming. Thoughts of business constantly, testing ideas, failing embarrassingly. Then, I found people didn’t care to be around me anymore. I became so obsessed with work that I didn’t see what I had become. Back when I had my first significant depression and anxiety, I would look up to God because I was desperate. I had learned to ask for help with a higher power because I couldn’t do this myself. All the while, I knew who I was inside, I just had to hold on tight. After numbing through the demands of my work, I experienced a mental breakdown. My business mentor and good friend Hanh Nguyen sent me to rehab during the busiest time of my career which was the holidays. I spent Christmas and New Years in treatment but I met the most magnificent women who were in my shoes, too. I just had to have faith in this move. I couldn’t keep living with a negative controlling me.
At times, the silence was great for my creativity and at times the noise in my head was too overbearing. I just had to take care of myself and I was committed to surviving and healing. After rehab, I felt confident in my recovery. I was back at work. I did have a couple of relapses but if it wasn’t for my support system at home armed with education and counseling of rehab I would’ve been super hard on myself and I probably would have crashed again. Nonetheless, I took it day by day. I am currently 11 months sober exactly today with a spit bucket by my side, lol. I guess all that hard work paid off because now, I am having an interview with Voyage Houston Magazine, lol.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
When I first started as a freelancer, I noticed how other event staffing companies or bars and nightclubs operated with basic service. No one trained their staff in elevated or educated beverage service. When I attended events or went to bars, I noticed bartenders would serve things incorrectly or had processed garnishes and ingredients from the 1980s. It was a no brainer when event planner Venus Ruben asked me to do her event the first time in Houston. The light bulb went off.
Now, we help consult with brands and bar owners. We passionately cater food & beverage. We also offer flair bartenders for events who are like my brothers growing up in the Texas competitive circuit. So, J. Martini Services offers not just a staffing service, but entertainment as well. We have very recognized mixologists who love to geek out with me on client projects. When we serve, we can also speak cocktail education simultaneously while producing true classic cocktails with histories. We are wine geeks who chat it up with guests about the pairings that they are enjoying. Our amazing executive chef friends are with me serving their magic as well. And that’s what I feel the industry was missing. We truly believe in going above and beyond because of experience matters. We are a bunch of hard-working hospitality geeks who are committed and the guests see that. While the competition is excited to go home when the invoice is reached. I am still there with the family checking on them as if they are my own. And that’s what the clients remember. And that’s why we stay busy with our work. We always find something to perfect in our work. We have very successful clients that challenge us and we are thankful because if it wasn’t for them, we’d be stagnant. I would still be working for someone else’s company as a bartender. I get to be the business owner who recognizes my staff’s professionalism and find a need for their amazing hard work. I get to treat them the way I always wanted to be treated as an employee. I am so thankful to meet the needs of many.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I automatically replace luck with a blessing. I am not self-made, I am God made. Back when I first struggled with depression, I found my higher power. There is no way I could have done it on my own. I don’t even know if depression will come back. But I do know where to look when I’m in that valley again. It all has been a spiritual journey. All the while respecting my friends’ spiritual practices. I had a partner who is Muslim and a mentor who is a Buddhist. It’s all about respecting others’ faiths and culture meanwhile finding what balances for you. I am very thankful for all what seemed like darkness at times but now, I see where it had had to take me. I am still enamored with the places it has taken me. I pinch myself when I think of what my business actually involves.
Contact Info:
- Website: jmartiniservices.com
- Phone: 8327561129
- Email: jojo@jmartiniservices.com
- Instagram: @jmartiniservices
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