57 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com At Abbracci in North Mount Pleasant, lead bartender Brayan Duarte got the assignment. Pull up a seat at the bar and meet him for yourself. Abbracci, Italian for “hugs,” pairs pasta and coastal-influenced cooking with wine and cocktails, but Duarte understands that what happens across the bar matters as much as what is poured into the glass. Duarte, 32, found his passion for hospitality when he quite literally set sail from Colombia to work aboard cruise ships. He had not yet learned English, so connection had to come before conversation – a smile, attention and the ability to make someone feel welcome. Hospitality quickly became its own language. His work also took him to Italy, where he fully immersed himself in the culture, the people and the food. All of it eventually led him to Abbracci, a restaurant that gives him, as he put it, “the capacity to continue to learn and grow.” He recognized something else familiar in the Lowcountry. “The people here are very charming,” he said. “They love to be around family, having fun and gathering around food.” Duarte sees hospitality as an “assist and guide” role, helping guests discover a drink, a flavor or maybe their next favorite experience. A selfproclaimed “very chatty” bartender, he wants to know the people sitting across from him. “I want to talk to people, learn their stories and, yes, see pictures of their dogs,” he said. A “few nice words and a warm smile can change the direction of someone’s evening.” It is service with a twist of kindness, connecting human to human; the part of hospitality that cannot be taught. Duarte credits Abbracci’s manager, Joey, with creating a culture that keeps him excited for every shift. The team values learning, supporting one another and finding a work-life balance that can be difficult in this industry. From the welcome to the final goodnight, they want every moment to matter. His favorite cocktail, the classic Negroni, follows much the same philosophy. Made with equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, it is bitter, sweet, strong and balanced. Three simple ingredients leave little room to hide. Made well, it is beautiful; made carelessly, it can go tragically wrong. That feels a little like hospitality itself. “Charleston gave me a chance,” Duarte said, describing a city that has given him room to deepen his heart for service. “I just try to treat people the way I want to be treated.” Jerry Thomas once wrote, “A new beverage is the pride of the bartender, and its appreciation and adoption is his crowning glory.” More than 160 years later, Duarte is still chasing that same idea: keep learning, value the experience and never forget the actual human being across the bar. Behind the Bar BY ANGIE COLYER DUPREE Jerry Thomas inside the Best Friend Lounge In the 1850s, Jerry Thomas worked behind the bar at the Best Friend Lounge inside downtown Charleston’s Mills House. He later became known as the father of American mixology, publishing the first bartender’s guide in 1862 and helping define modern bartending as a profession that combined craftsmanship, showmanship and hospitality. food & beverage
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