My Life
I was born in São Paulo, Brazil – but I grew up on a beautiful island called Florianópolis, in the south of Brazil. Life there was all about surfing and being surrounded by nature. When I turned 18, I moved to Australia. The plan was simple: six months of surfing. It turned into ten years.
I didn’t speak English well at the time, so I found my first job in a kitchen washing dishes. Strangely enough, I liked it—the pressure, the energy, the camaraderie. From dishwashing, I moved up to being a kitchen hand, chopping and prepping food. That’s when I heard about Australia’s system for permanent residency. Every year they’d announce a few careers in demand. The year I was eligible, the choices were hairdressing and commercial cookery. I wasn’t about to spend my life in a cold, air-conditioned salon—so I doubled down on the heat and chaos of the kitchen. I enrolled in culinary school and worked in kitchens to pay my way. After graduating I was only 21, but I was already feeling the weight of that path. I looked around and saw unhappy chefs—always stressed, always yelling. That wasn’t for me. I needed more joy in my life, more spontaneity. One day, just after I received my permanent visa, I made a decision that changed everything. I called the casino I worked for and told them I wanted out of the kitchen and into the bar. They warned me I’d start by picking up glassware off the dancefloor. I didn’t care—I just wanted in. So I started from the bottom again: cleaning, stocking fridges, pouring beers. Eventually, I made my first cocktail.
“Bars are like mirrors of society“
Tai Barbin
At the time, I found it frustrating not to move faster. But now I see that working through every single position—from barback to bartender—taught me how the whole machine works. It shaped my understanding of hospitality as a business. I never ask anyone to do a task I haven’t done myself, and I know exactly how much each role demands.
Still, bartending wasn’t my passion. It gave me flexibility, though – and that freedom allowed me to pursue business ideas on the side. I was always drawn to events and marketing. At one point, I even organized the biggest private New Year’s Eve party in Australia. We chartered eight boats and brought nearly 4,000 people to a private island. That was more my thing – creating moments, building experiences.
