1. Rayland Fuentes
“The best craft is not in the cocktails but in the connection that a bartender makes with his guests.
Magic happens as soon as a first time customer becomes a regular, a friend, and sometimes part of your family”
­ Rayland Fuentes
Rayland “Ray” Fuentes is currently the head bartender at Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak in Los
Angeles where he runs the bar program for the restaurant. Seasons change and so do the
cocktails that he creates for the bar and restaurant providing a sense of freshness in their drink
selection.
His path in becoming a bartender is very unlikely, but his love for flavor and creativity brought
him to work in the hospitality industry for over a decade. He graduated from Loyola Marymount
University with a degree in finance and upon graduation, went straight to working for companies
such as Comerica Bank as a foreign exchange trader and then to Sony Pictures Entertainment as a
financial analyst.
He decided to take a year off to reflect on his career in the financial world and in the meantime
took a part time job with one of Wolfgang Puck’s restaurants as a server. A week after he was
hired, a bartending position became available. His manager asked him if he wanted to bartend
and fill the position. With no bartending experience, he said yes and went straight to Barnes and
Noble after work and read every bartending book that they had on their shelves.
He later went on to work for the Patina Group helping launch Joachim Splichal’s award winning
restaurant Ray’s and Stark Bar at the LACMA museum. It is there that he met his friend and
mentor Michel Dozois whose bartending lineage goes back to Sam Ross and Sasha Petraske of
Milk and Honey in New York. He worked for Dozois’ consulting company helping train
bartenders and run events around Los Angeles.

2. Ray went on to become the head bartender at Ray’s and Stark Bar creating his signature cocktails
such the “Rhubarbara Streisand”, a Fizzy Stawberry-Rhubarb Sour, as well as the “Holy Smokes!”
a concoction of smoked pineapple, Laphroaig Scotch, and vanilla bourbon. His success with the
Patina Group led him to connect with the Michael Mina Group where he found his new home
creating cocktails for Bourbon Steak in Glendale.
Along with running the bar program at Bourbon Steak, Ray also runs other businesses with his
wife Elizabeth. They have a healthy pet food business called Yummsky Wholefood for Dogs
where they cook and deliver fresh, homemade meals and treats for dogs. They also have an event
staffing company called CraftStaff L.A. where they provide craft bartending services as well as
cocktail servers for special events and charities all over Los Angeles. Recently, Rayland unveiled
his own unique brand of quinine free tonic water called Cherry Blossoms that he has been
developing for over a year. His tonic water is featured in one of Bourbon Steaks spring cocktails
called “In The Cherry Blossom’s Shade.”
His plans for the future include growing his businesses as well as starting a non-profit
organization that helps children. He and his wife are currently involved in an organization called
Young Storytellers Foundation where they have mentored dozens of children in telling their
stories through writing screenplays.
Contact:
Rayland Fuentes
mailto: ​ray@yummsky.com
phone: 310.918.5587
CraftStaffL.A.
www.Craftstaffla.com
Yummsky Wholefood for Dogs
www.Yummsky.com
Young Storytellers Foundation
www.Youngstorytellers.com