Two New Orleans Bartenders Receive Flo Woodard Bartending Scholarship
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Jill Odom and David Bridgewater are the scholarship’s first honorees, receiving admission to the Crescent City School of Bartending Management Course.
NEW ORLEANS, LA—July 16, 2010 The New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society and Crescent City School of Bartending are pleased to announce that New Orleans bartenders Jill Odom and David Bridgewater are the first recipients of the Flo Woodward Memorial Bartending Scholarship. Odom and Bridgewater will each attend Crescent City School of Bartending’s Bartending/Beverage Management Course, a 12-week program taught by Daniel Victory and valued at $3000.00.
“Choosing the recipients was a tough decision but the passion that Jill and David have shown for their craft and their eagerness to continue learning was what really set them apart,” said Ann Tuennerman, Executive Director of New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society. “ I have no doubt they will go on to do contribute things in the cocktail industry.”
Odom is currently the manager of Pirates Alley Café while Bridgewater is a bartender at Desire Oyster Bar located at the Royal Sonesta. Both have expressed a desire of one day owning their own bars in New Orleans.
“Over the years a lot of people have asked me why I’m still doing what I do, and why I haven’t ventured on to a more ‘career’ oriented path. It’s simple…I love what I do. I’ve tried other types of jobs, but I always come back to bartending,” said Odom.
The New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society and the Crescent City School of Bartending partnered to create the Flo Woodward Memorial Scholarship in April 2010 to honor Floria Woodward, a long-time bartender at the Court of Two Sisters. During her 30-year career behind the bar at the Court of Two Sisters, Ms. Flo’s award-winning drinks and affable personality brought scores of loyal bar patrons to the Court of Two Sisters.
“Ms. Flo reminds me of the bartenders that I bar backed for when I was learning the trade,” said Bridgewater. “They knew that a bartender is a psychologist, a party host, a chemist, and a friend all rolled into one. They all took the science of bartending and elevated it to an art form.”
About Tales of the Cocktail
Tales of the Cocktail is an internationally acclaimed festival of cocktails, cuisine and culture held annually in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event brings together the best and brightest of the cocktail community—award-winning mixologists, authors, bartenders, chefs and designers—for a five-day celebration of the history and artistry of making drinks. Each year offers a spirited series of dinners, demos, tastings, competitions, seminars, book signings, tours and parties all perfectly paired with some of the best cocktails ever made.
About the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society
The New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society is a non-profit organization committed to preserving the unique culture of dining and drinking in New Orleans and the storied bars and restaurants that have contributed to the city’s world-wide culinary acclaim. This organization supports members of the hospitality industry through education and the production of events like Tales of the Cocktail and, most recently, Trails of the Cocktail, a scholarship program for emerging talent in the New Orleans cocktail industry.
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