Meet Thalia Tamayo | Bartender

We had the good fortune of connecting with Thalia Tamayo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Thalia, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m originally from South Central LA. Yup, the hood indeed lol. I guess you can say that it’s very much like the movies. There’s violence, racial tension and poverty. Most of us who grew up here have been a part of at least one of those things that I mentioned above. I myself have been a part of all of them, but it has never completely stopped me from “the hustle”. Being from a city that has a bad reputation has allowed me to push myself into doing better in life and proudly stating where I’m from without being ashamed. The only thing that saddens me is that sometimes people here are not able to afford the services I offer at my current price, but it’s understandable, it’s hard out here for everyone including myself.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

OK, so technically, I’m a mobile Bartender, but sometimes I like to consider myself more of mixologist because I am very creative when it comes to the taste of my drinks, but most importantly  how they look, that’s how I went viral. It all started back in 2014 when I did my first gig for my family and I really liked it. I was the person in the family who always made the pretty drinks for everybody else. I was told that they were really good, but it was hard for me to believe sometimes because I just thought to myself maybe they’re too lazy to do it themselves lol.

I was more of a word-of-mouth bartender, and only did events for family and friends. I was focused on make up at that time because it was really popular and bartending wasn’t making as much money as it was for make up, again at that time. I didn’t promote myself much because I didn’t have a car or sometimes Edith (my partner who’s a DJ) made more money than I did, and her stuff would take over the car that we had at that time so we weren’t able to fit everything in there. It wasn’t until 2019 that I started a Chamoy gummy business with Edith and we were selling snacks along with mock tails in big cups. I was getting creative with the flavors as well as the garnishes and people were attracted to that I thought to myself, I should go back to bartending and officially start my business And which I did because two clients gave me the opportunity to bartend for them, and since I mentioned, I was a word mouth Bartender, one thing lead to another. I started as “Rainglowmitas after dark” due to the fact that my gummy business was “Rainglowmitas” (IYKYK) so I wanted to keep the same logo because it was a cute mango gummy with cute eyelashes lol, but a lot of people didn’t understand the word, or didn’t know where it was coming from since me and Edith made it up. I finally decided to change the name after contemplating so many times because I didn’t wanna start from scratch but literally one day I sat down in my throne (aka toilet) and said “Come on Thalía, THINK THINK THINK” and then BOOM! Boozejeria was born. Something that I haven’t mentioned in the interview is that I’m very much into Halloween/horror themed things which helped me named my business and come up with a logo to fit my liking. I know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s sure my cup of tea and that’s all that mattered to me. I finally re-launched in 2022 on Halloween because hello why not lol. Only people who understand and speak Spanish normally understand my name and love it. The “Jeria” part comes from the word “Brujeria” in Spanish which means “Witch craft”. So, I removed the “Bru” and added “booze” and the rest is history! You can say I am the booze witch lol

My work speaks for itself. You can tell how much attention and detail I put into my garnishes. I always try to fit the theme whether it’s an actual theme or just theme colors even my make up matches the theme of the event. Sometimes when I’m prepping for a event a day or two before I don’t sleep a lot, because I literally try my best to come up with garnishes that I haven’t done in the past, and most importantly, match the theme for the client satisfaction as well as mine too. It wasn’t easy to get where I’m at now and the reason why is because my prices were low back then which only allowed me to do so much, but when people started to accept my new prices, it allowed me to spend more and do more willingly. I also went viral on TikTok and Instagram so that’s what helped me a lot too. I once worked events with a coordinator who had me work with influencers and a celebrity so I guess you can say that’s what the challenge was. I always try to impress all my clients no matter who they are.  I’ve learned a lot of lessons and one of the biggest lessons that I learned is that there are people who truly support you because they want to see you grow versus the people that support you when it’s beneficial. Not everybody is your friend in the industry and that’s another lesson that I learned the hard way because I’m a crybaby and I cried a lot. I got depressed and almost wanted to give up because I was going through personal things as well,  but honestly Edith help me get through them and never allowed me to give up. I’m not a cocky person, but sometimes I had to have a self talk to Tell myself that I am a bad b lol excuse my language, but it’s the truth. The list goes on with the lessons. You never stop learning them because every experience is different.

What I want the world to know about my brand is that everything that I do I do it out of the love that I have for bartending and my clients. As a bartender, you’re not only serving a drink but you’re also getting to know your clients, their guest and potentially meeting your new friends I’ve met so many clients who are good friends of mine, and they continue to support me. We can be a therapist and don’t get me wrong. I love the chisme even though most of the time people are expressing themselves because of liquid courage ,but sometimes they just wanna be heard and if I have the time I’m there for them. I also want people to know that I am a very much kindhearted person, and I mean no harm I’ve come along way, and I plan to continue to be a better person despite the challenges and lessons I’ve had in the past!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
To be very honest with you, despite the fact that I am a bartender, I don’t go out much. I do always like to try new types of food, but sometimes I’m just so tired from weekend events that I go to my usual spots lol, but you know what? My basement is a good time so if my friend is coming over from a long trip, I’m going to treat them as I would any other client and serve them my delicious and beautiful, creative drinks lol.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s a a lot of people who have shown me unconditional love and have been a part of my journey in business so for starters I’d like to shout out EVERYONE who ever hired me to service an event for them no matter the occasion, time or year! My business partner Edith is the main person who deserves most of the credit due to the fact that she has always had my back in the ideas that I’ve had no matter how crazy they sounded lol not only that, she’s also my partner in life which makes this ride in the small business industry a lot easier. I can be that person that wants to shout out a list of people due to the fact that I’ve received a lot of support in the past and continue to do so, but let me hurry up and cut back a bit lol Shout out to the first ever influencer Graciela Montes and her Husband Emmanuel for giving me that chance to be a part of their event in 02/23 which opened a couple of more doors after that for me and my partner even til this day! but you know who also deserves a shout out? Esmeralda. She’s the one who told Graciela about me and I’ll never forget her, she has a special place in my heart. My friendors (friends who are also vendors) Cindy, girl I love you and I thank god for putting you in my life! You’ve been supportive of me for a such short period of time and I wish happiness for the rest of your days! Jasmine, oh man Jasmine is the first person I officially hired to work with me. Such a sweet and lovable soul! God bless you for sticking with me! Jenna From Taste of amor! Love you friend, thank you for being there through the good and the bad of my business! Angel, thank you for helping me when I most needed you king! TANIA, my soul sister! Thank you for the continuous support you’ve given me through the years, I love you and you know that! Kimmy, thank you for your continuous support friend! You became a close friend to me and Edith from just being a loyal client and we love you for that!  And Thalia (me) thank you for not giving up even when your world was crushing down behind close doors! You’ve fought battles in silence because they don’t define my persona and I’m super proud of how far you come and continue to grow! And shout out to all small business owners out there, we got this! This is our year 

Instagram: @Boozejeria

Other: Tik Tok @Boozejeria