Team Spotlight: Mara Mullen
Mara Mullen, Beverage Manager, Politan Row at Ashford Lane
Hometown?
I was actually born in Marietta, but I was raised in South Georgia in a tiny town called Tilton. It's in Talbot County in South Georgia. We moved to the Atlanta area um when I was like 13 or 14. My mom was a patient at Shepherds final Clinic, so we ended up having to come back up here so she could have receive the medical attention that she needed.
What’s your origin story?
I graduated high school in 2009 and immediately went to college, but I didn't really transition into a collegiate lifestyle very well. It was a little rocky for me in the beginning. I was working in restaurants to support myself, since I've been on my own since I was very young. I struggled through undergrad, but finally finished up. Then I decided, “well, you know, I want to keep going with my collegiate career,” so I continued on and got my master's degree. I graduated with a master's in exercise physiology. The whole time I was in school through undergrad and grad school, I worked in restaurants. Once I was finished with grad school, I worked in recruiting in the pharmaceutical industry and life sciences. I found that I didn't really have a passion for those jobs, and the execution of that work really didn't fulfill me. I just kind of thought about what I enjoy doing every single day and I've always loved being in restaurants. I've always loved being behind the bar. And so at that point I thought how hard I’d been working to get away from it, but it is what I truly love. So, I decided to embrace it and I’m not looking back. I absolutely love the service industry. There’s not a single part of it I don’t love.
Not even the occasional unruly customer?
I feel like those always just give you an opportunity to see really what you're made of, and how you can you handle people. It's like problem solving on the fly, so I still actually really enjoy that.
What are your favorite things to eat at the food hall?
Oh, it's a tough question, but I would say top five are definitely um the brisket Banh Mi from Master Pho That's phenomenal. I also love the chicken parm sandwich at Bucatini. The Sheesh fries are always a solid choice and I eat those probably once a week. They are a staple in my diet at this point.
What would you say is your favorite drink at Okay Anny’s?
Oh, that might be your toughest question yet. I’ll give you a top three. Now these are going to be what I call like our “off menu back pockets” where they're consistently available, but maybe not always on the menu. One is the Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum daiquiri. I absolutely love that one. I think it's so fun and delicious. Next is probably the Javascript. This is our rum based espresso Martini. I sourced this really cool coffee infused rum that is just toasty and delicious. Lastly, I'm going to say Smoke and Pepper. That's like a bright citrusy smoky classic. It's got all my favorite things in it.
What are currently loving at bar Politan?
I always can crush a margarita at Bar Politan, but if it's not a margarita, the Paper Plane is one of my favorite cocktails. It’s very balanced and whiskey based.
When you're not working, what are you doing? Any hobbies?
Since my master's is in exercise physiology, I love staying active and either being at the gym or running. I also have a new seven month old puppy who does not run out of energy, so I'm constantly trying to get him to run around with me to try to burn off some of his energy. I’m definitely spending a lot of time lately with the dog running in the nature trails around here. I also enjoy going to check out new places in Atlanta and experiencing all the new really cool bars that are popping up.
What are you thinking about long term? Any big dreams that you’d like to make happen for yourself?
Really, I just want to continue to grow. I have a really great background in academics, so what I'd love to see happen is try to foster more of a scientific approach in the bar community. I've got this little side project that I've been kind of brewing for a little while now. I'm still working on it, but I'd love to start hosting some invite only master technique classes for people in the industry. Right now it's just at the idea stage, but I'd love to see it though. It would be a place in Atlanta to go to learn a new skill that's specific to our industry. Basically, I’m thinking structured continuing education for bar community. I think it would be a really cool thing to invest in. Other than that, I’m also really focusing on growing with our company. I have a feeling it's like being tied to a rocket ship and we're halfway through the launch, We're going to outer space, and I'm just for the ride, enjoying every minute of it and just trying to make sure that I execute my work at the highest quality.