Hailing from the canals of Venice Beach, Gabrielle has been a SF representer for nearly 7 years. Just a step away from achieving Tequila Demi-Goddess status, both novices and enthusiasts alike are welcome to engage in friendly conversation on this Agave distillate. She was an opening employee at Tres Agaves and has made nearly 5 trips to the roads of Jalisco, Mexico, in search of Tequila knowledge. Something of a cocktail classicist, with a long stint at Bourbon and Branch, this lady loves old-school libations. She definitely won’t be serving any Cadillac Margaritas with salted rims, at least not without suggesting our far superior house Margarita, that is…

The path that led Jordan Mackay to his place behind the bar at Cantina was as long, grueling and hard-to-follow as many of his cocktail recipes. But he considers the hardships endured through a life of hard work and residences in some of the world's most dangerous places to be the key to his famously ecstatic bar-side manner. Mackay learned taught presence under fire in stints as a professional wrestler on the Wal-Mart circuit in the rural South, as a mime working the corners of the Montmartre neighborhood in Paris, as an armed mercenary for Blackwater USA (http://www.blackwaterusa.com/) helping lock down a secure compound in Medellín, and as a front line operative for the Dog-Catchers-Without-Borders campaign against rabies in the Ukraine. Yet his obvious joie de vivre came from more life-affirming work: as a middle manager in the Scottsdale, Arizona office of the IRS, or as a breakfast line cook in the Trenton, New Jersey Ramada Inn, as co-host (with Emmanuel Lewis) of the Lifetime Network reality show So You Think Your Fat Step-Mom Can Dance?, or as a late-night street vendor of contraceptives on Khao San Road in Bangkok. Today he leads a more simple life. When he's not found mixing up mean Milk of Millennias behind the bar at Cantina, he can usually be found working on a definitive version of the Mackay family tree, practicing speaking Canadian with people he met online over Skype (www.skype.com), or knitting jammies for his niece, Clementine, out of yarn spun from the cat hair shed by his two black cats, Fernet Branca and Roger Thornhill. Happily married to the most beautiful sommelier in America, Jordan also is the wine and spirits editor for 7x7 Magazine (where he writes its online "Buzzed" column, a local drinking blog — http://www.7x7sf.com/blogs/buzzed) and the drinks columnist for Chow, the online food and drink magazine (www.Chow.com). His first book, Passion for Pinot Noir is being published in March, 2009 by Tenspeed Press.

Originally hailing from the paradise of Cut N’ Shoot, Texas, Duggan holds great pride in his coal mining ancestry. Hooked on booze at an early age from travels through the pubs and clubs of Western Europe at a tender age, he now laughs in the face of intolerance. Alcohol intolerance, that is. Still a traveler, he’s visited breweries, wineries and distilleries on 5 continents. (Now, that’s a write-off!) The world of beverage is a damned fine pleasure, one he’s sure his coal-mining kinfolk would be proud to join. An improviser of cocktails and a Savant of Spirits  he’s had his work featured a few mediums of media, including the New York Times, VOGUE, Chow.com, the Wall Street Journal, Wine Enthusiast, Food & Wine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition to slinging suds and haranguing his guests, Duggan enjoys scribbling fiction and non; writing boozy travelogues, short stories, et al, and along the way he garnered an M.F.A. in Writing from the University of San Francisco. He eagerly anticipates your thirst and imminent arrival…

Janell spends a shameful number of hours each day thinking about what she’s just eaten, what she will eat next and where she will eat it. She believes there is a drink for every occasion. Laughing is her substitute for daily situps. Books and bookstores literally make her smile. She believes humans like back scratches just as much as dogs (We’re just too proud to beg for them). Bitten by the travel bug years ago, she’s spent a year in Spain; and trying to cure this affliction, she’s traveled to Africa, Europe, and Latin America, but she came to realize it’s incurable. Beautiful Seattle will always be home; and, embarrassingly enough, she already has a massive head start on the old lady’s pastime of crocheting; she found a wonderful outlet for her allegedly over-analytical and always-curious mind in the department of Anthropology at UC Berkeley; and working, in any way, for social progress and a just world lets her sleep a little better at night. Janell brings to Cantina 12 years of restaurant and bar experience. And, if you must know, cheesy early-90’s music gets her going every time. Salud.

Known as Mr. Mojito amongst friends while moonlighting as the Director of Mixology for Southern Wine and Spirits of California, David has worked in the restaurant industry for 23 years, with 21 years of bartending experience. David has competed in many cocktail competitions and won first place in the 2004 Bacardi Martini Grand Prix world cocktail competition in Torino, Italy, for the “Best Italian Aperitif Cocktail”. David has pursued his love of the restaurant business since being a Liberal Arts student at California State University, Northridge. David's introduction to the restaurant business began and has been steeped in the tradition of integrity and professional Barmanship, grooming him to become a leader in the Beverage Industry.

Jason has spent a quarter of his life tending bar in San Francisco, beginning with 3 years at MacArthur Park Restaurant where Elane Danoff and Richard Brill taught him the fundamentals. At Frisson, from its opening in 2004, he learned what he likes to call the “Alice in Wonderland" style of tending bar from Duggan McDonnell. In 2006, he opened and ran the bar at Bong Su restaurant and lounge in San Francisco’s SOMA, named one of Esquire magazine's “Top 20 New Restaurants in America” it also won SF Weekly’s 2007 award for “Best Cocktails.” Jason chose Cantina wanting to work with the Best of the Best in the bar industry. He’s always felt that speed and consistency are the most important fundamentals in creating a cocktail. He took these skills and applied them at Cantina, where guests know, after taking that first sip, their money spent and every second spent waiting was worth it. From fresh, seasonal ingredients to measuring every portion for consistency, his approach to bartending focuses heavily on technical proficiency. Some have said it’s fun to watch him work. - If you like that, wait ‘til you taste your drink. Please, pop through on a Friday or Saturday, and say, Hi.

Aaron Prentice began his illustrious bar career at Wild Ginger, Seattle’s “most popular” restaurant. After cutting his teeth as a barback, he quickly moved up to bartender, under the watchful eye of top Seattle bartenders Paul Brown and Nathan Reynolds. While shaking away at “The Ging” he met his partners in love and booze, Christine Larsen and Duggan McDonnell.

Aaron later left the bar business for a few years, but continued his love affair with booze. While on vacation in San Francisco, with his soon-to-be-wife Christine, they hooked up with Duggan McDonnell again…
A few more years and bottles of Tequila later, we have Cantina.

In his free time, Aaron enjoys sailing the windy waters of the San Francisco bay, terrorizing the streets of San Francisco on his motorcycle, and studying to finish getting his pilots license.

Christine Prentice got into the business of booze via theatre. While working at Teatro Zinzanni Seattle, she discovered an intense interest in quality wine and spirits.

She received the level one sommelier pin from the Court of Masters, but jumped ship to finish the International Sommelier Guild’s Diploma program. Christine is currently finishing up the Wine and Spirits Education Trust’s Diploma program, on a quest for the ever-illusive Master of Wine.

Christine met Aaron Prentice and Duggan McDonnell while working at the Wild Ginger in Seattle, Washington. At the moment, she travels extensively, working as Director of Liquids for the Heavy Restaurant Group, which includes the Purple Café and Wine Bar’s three locations and restaurant Barrio in Seattle.

Christine loves going to the theatre, running with her dog Roman, and doing anything and everything with her husband.

Anson began his career in the hospitality industry in 2001, and after a few years of hard work and gaining valuable knowledge, he was ready for the Big League. He moved to San Francisco in 2004 and began work at a microbrewery where he learned the history of beer and the process of brewing. Moving on to fine dinning, he quickly learned the finer points of service and went on to train others. Inspired by the culinary creations of fine food service establishments, he enrolled in culinary school. And there, while attending the California Culinary Academy he developed an affinity for wine. With his combined knowledge of the culinary arts and extensive wine education he fine-tuned his palate; he stepped up his game and moved into the position of Assistant Wine Director at Teatro Zinzanni, San Francisco. Still craving more knowledge, he transitioned to working at Bacar. Exponentially increasing his palate for food and wine, there he found a new love: Mixology. Intrigued by this craft, he chose the next logical step in career advancement. Now, at Cantina, he learns the Way of the Mixologist and hopes to one day open his own Kitty Kennel.