How Kyisha Davenport, Tanám’s bar director, is transforming hospitality in Boston
"We've been trying to figure out ways to enjoy our craft but also take care of ourselves," the Somerville bar director said.
Kyisha Davenport is on a mission — a few missions, actually. The Tanám bar director is an advocate for employee-owned businesses, a champion for Black bartenders. She believes that people who work in hospitality deserve more. “People really underestimate what kind of skill and talent you have to have to really navigate this industry,” she said. Oh, and she mixes a bomb aperol spritz, too. On Thursday evening, Davenport joined the Boston.com Cocktail Club for a virtual class mixing Aperol Spritz cocktails. We spoke with the bar director over Zoom from her Chelsea apartment while sporting a Brown and Balanced T-shirt, about employee ownership, kitchen-sink cocktails, and finding community within Boston’s hospitality industry.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=260876125493935
Tell us about your work with Tanám.
Being a worker-owner at Tanám [and] advocating for employee-owned spaces is really about self-empowerment, about not being ashamed to say that I know what I’m doing. I’m capable of potentially doing it better. The pandemic has shown us that we have an issue with how we focus on workers, how we prioritize workers, and who’s essential and who’s not. Employee ownership is this prime opportunity to change up that narrative and start centering on the people whose lives are always on the line.
What’s your go-to drink these days?
It’s been real “kitchen sink” around here. I live alone … I’ve been trying to be a lot more conscious about waste. So I’ve had red cabbage martinis. I’ve had sweet potato margaritas. I’ve had chili paste that’s about to expire, and it’s like, “let’s put it in a Bloody Mary.” It’s been a lot finding what’s in my cabinet: Put it in some booze, add some sugar, add lemon or lime, and let’s get busy.
What’s been helping you get through the pandemic?
I’m a plant parent … I’ve been spending a lot of time in this space and making it a place that I like to spend time in. I’m from New York City, and I never lived alone. I have 13 siblings. There’s no such thing as being “alone.” So this was a good opportunity — crazy circumstances, but alright, you have a cool place to be — to put some coin on it.
When you’re not at work, what are you doing?
I sing. I walk around the house. I dance. I internet. I’ve been working on getting through this bookcase. … I live in Chelsea. If I’m outside, I get to take a walk down to the water every now and again. I see my friends. We try to go on walks and bike rides. We were working part-time at Movement Ground Farm in Tiverton, R.I., last summer. They took volunteers a couple times a week, so we’d go up there and get into the land, get sunburned, get bitten, and go to the beach later. It was really freeing.
What are you singing?
What am I not singing?! No shame in my game. There’s a K-Pop group called Shinee. They just dropped an album, so I’ve been listening to “Don’t call me” a lot on repeat. A lot of oldies too, but it’s been a Shinee household.
What do you like about Aperol?
Aperol just loves you. I drink a lot. You know you go to the doctor and they’re like, “how many drinks do you have per day, per week?” and you’re like “I don’t want to talk about this!”A lot of bartenders like myself, we’ve been trying to figure out ways to enjoy our craft but also take care of ourselves with as much moderation as possible. Aperol has just got that level. It’s got that balance. It’s low ABV, and delicious, and we’re seeing a trend where a lot of brands are releasing low or no-proof spirits, which is really dope. But Aperol is just a bad girl brunch. It’s your best life. It’s your baddest outfit. It’s the beat face. It’s the sunlight hitting you. It just evokes a really fun, lively vibe. And not too many cocktails or individual spirits/liquors will just immediately transport you there. I always find no matter where I go, if I’m, like, in the dark dive bar — if they have Aperol, that’s a miracle in itself — or the nice beachfront bar, Aperol will always hit. It just does it.
What do you hope a post-pandemic Boston will look for bars and restaurants?
Obvious answer: more employee-owned spaces. I think refining patio season will be the biggest long-term outcome for bars and restaurants because so many people who have space are holding onto space — and almost hoarding space — and didn’t even realize how useful it could be.It’s not perfect. There’s still a lot of plywood tables, but they’re getting it done. … It really allows you to kind of connect a little more outside of the four walls and the energy it can bring. The cars won’t like it. The parking already sucks. But it has been very enjoyable to rediscover restaurants for me, honestly.
Any upcoming projects to share?
Yes! Bar Noir Boston is a mission of mine. It started in 2017-2018, wanting to meet and connect with more Black folks in the hospitality industry, and find community. What it has become is: How do we start to really advocate for ourselves on a larger level? And how do we just get to make drinks and have fun together? We’re dropping a Bar Noir Black Box. It’s going to be a limited-edition collector’s item of cocktail flights in partnership with Uncle Nearest Premiere Whiskey. We’re working on four different flights that take you through our perspective of Boston and what we love about the bar scene. There will be some goodies in there as well from Black makers. That is coming within the next month or so. You can follow me on Instagram at Bar Noir Boston or shoot me an email.
How can readers support you and your colleagues right now?
Venmo @kyi-davenport. I’m a living person; I have bills to pay. But pouring resources into Bar Noir Boston is all I see in 2021. If you’re looking to support Tanám, we are still doing kamayan boxes to go. You can go make a reservation ahead of time, pick up your box, take it home, take some selfies, and you rub. It’s always delicious. I’m really loving Roots and Libations right now. Their cocktails are delicious.
Join our next cocktail class
Join us at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 11, with host Jackson Cannon and his special guest Patty Hernandez, bar manager at Stillwater. They’ll be making cocktails with Irish Whiskey, catching up about the Boston restaurant and bar scene, and sharing tips the pros use to make great drinks at home. They’ll mix a variation on the classic Whiskey Sour and a version of the ever-popular Mule. Everything you’ll need is listed here.
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