The Infatuation - Setting The Bar: John deBary

“When I started, PDT was still kind of a neighborhood place. It was this chef-y hang where Wylie Dufresne would be shooting the shit with you, and it wasn’t this huge thing that took hours and hours to get in. It was still pretty casual and truly kind of a speakeasy in a sense that not many people knew about it. But also you can’t ignore the fact that I’m a tall, able-bodied white dude who talks nice and went to a nice school. People just tend to take my word for what I’m saying. So there were a lot of things that came together to try to make that happen. A lot of luck.”

Hairy Butthole - I'm OK With My Mom Dying But I Draw The Line At Hilary Clinton Losing

CW: death. This week I talk to John deBary about the death of his mother from brain cancer. John had no emotional reaction to her passing only to suffer a mental breakdown two years later after Hilary Clinton lost the presidential race in 2016. We talk about how we both tend to repress strong emotions and how it's conditioning from our childhoods. John also talks about his family history which he can trace back one thousand years. His last name is actually Bary Bary which also sounds like how my Korean mom would describe him: "John is Bary Bary white!"

Southern Foodways - Service Not Included

For deBary, just embarking on his career as a bartender with the Momofuku Group, it was like a bible. But in an op-ed published last year in Food & Wine, he argued it was time to rethink Meyer’s philosophy of hiring workers with “emotional intelligence” who thrive on caring for others. When I spoke to deBary, he explained that it created a norm where servers had to “capitulate to every desire of the guests. Maybe it was true to an extent, but it got kind of weaponized and went from this rarefied luxury to something expected.”

In Yo Mouth - Mixing It Up w. John deBary

“This week bar expert, author, activist, & cocktail entrepreneur John deBary joins Muñoz to shake things up! Join these two pourers and shakers as they explore John's extensive journey into becoming a sought-after mixologist, his non-alcoholic drink Proteau, what PRIDE means to him, and what it is to be oneself behind some of NYC's iconic bars!”

Gear Patrol - What I'm Drinking to Keep Dry January Actually Dry

“Proteau has some serious cred behind it — the non-alcoholic aperitifs were made by John deBary, a former cocktail expert at Momofuku. The drinks are a mix of botanicals that result in a not-too-sweet beverage that's good on its own or in a mocktail. Proteau currently offers two expressions: Rivington Spritz, a sparkling hibiscus-forward option, and Ludlow Red, a tannic blackberry-like concentrate that's juicy and satisfying.”

Wine Enthusiast Podcast - It’s No Big Deal if You Don’t Drink

https://www.winemag.com/2022/01/19/non-alcoholic-drinks-culture/

In this episode, Associate Managing Editor Emily Saladino explores non-alcoholic drinks culture with John deBary, a semi-retired bartender who is also an author, creator and CEO of Proteau, and cofounder and board president of Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation. They’re joined by Dylan Garret, another semi-retired bartender and senior editor at Wine Enthusiast.

No Proof Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/kh/podcast/john-debary/id1540833041?i=1000547014225

“I was thrilled to chat with JdB after the monumental years he had with 2020 and 2021. More than that, I've always found him to have such an inclusive outlook on the industry, and a fascination with that his voice brings to the overall conversation. Interviewing someone with the number of accolades his bio holds is always intimidating, but his warmth, grace, and hospitality made for a great conversation. In this episode, I chat with JdB about his decision to not drink alcohol in 2020, why he chose to create Proteau, and the future on the n/a space.”