Maurice Wallace takes bartending to another level

Maurice Wallace sees the real skill of bartending as being able to understand people.

“Bartending isn’t just pouring. You have to be a friend, a psychiatrist, sometimes a comedian.”

Over time, he has learnt to read the room, knowing when a guest needs a listening ear, a laugh, or simply good service and good company. For Wallace, bartending is about much more than mixing drinks; it is about understanding the people on the other side of the counter.

The Fort George, Westmoreland, native, now 40, is a fixture behind the bar at Margaritaville in Montego Bay, St James. But the path to becoming what he calls a “startender” was anything but straightforward.

Wallace grew up in a family of six children.

“I grew up in a big family,” Wallace recalls. “My father was a farmer, my mother stayed home. We didn’t have plenty, but we had each other.”

Those early years shaped his outlook on work, family and perseverance. Athletics also played an important role in his youth. He ran track and field at Claude McKay High School and represented Jamaica at the junior level, gaining discipline, focus and a sense of pride from the sport.

For a time, however, Wallace imagined himself pursuing a very different career.

“I wanted to be a pilot, until I realised how high 35,000 feet really is! So, I just decided that farming was in my blood, so that’s what I was going to do,” he shared.

After high school, he ventured into agriculture, working as a demonstrator at Ebony Park. The work connected him to his father’s farming background, but it was not where his career would ultimately settle.

His brothers, both bartenders, saw potential in him behind the bar.

“They told me, ‘You’re more jovial than us, you belong behind a bar.’”

Taking their advice, Wallace joined Margaritaville as a porter, carrying ice and assisting the bartenders.

“I was strong from athletics. Some called me Hulk, some called me The Rock,” he says with a smile.

The move eventually opened the door to bartending, where Wallace discovered that his personality and ability to connect with people were just as important as his physical strength.

That connection has become central to how he approaches the profession.

“I never call myself a bartender. I aim higher. I’m a startender. Always learning, always elevating.”

That mindset has pushed Wallace to pursue opportunities to sharpen his craft, including the Desnoes & Geddes Foundation Brewtender Programme, supported by Red Stripe. The programme covers advanced beer service, responsible alcohol management and customer experience, and has trained 140 bartenders since its inception last year.

For Wallace, the training reinforced the possibilities within hospitality.

“Being part of the Brewtender programme made me realise how much opportunity there is in this field. It gave me the confidence to take my craft seriously, to see myself as an ambassador for Jamaica, not just someone behind the bar.”

Wallace also wants young people to view bartending as a profession in which they can build a future.

“Not everyone’s going to be a doctor or lawyer. If you work hard and treat people right, bartending can take you far. Be confident, be conscious, always be learning,” he said.