The most extensive rum library in Los Angeles

Shelley Bowers is a former bartender from Portland, Oregon’s award-winning Hale Pele, owned by Martin and Rebecca Cate, owners and authors of the bar and James Beard award-winning book Smuggler’s Cove. It was here that she fine-tuned her knowledge of tiki recipes and technique, and- with close to 400 bottles at her disposal- broadened her understanding of rum.

Before this she could be found at The Alibi, which is one of the oldest continually operational tiki bars in the world (1947). It was here that she took her background in craft mixology and immersed herself in the history of tiki, painstakingly researching every recipe in order to make sure she was honoring the originals. Through a stoke of luck she found an original mint condition 1959 Kon Tiki menu at an estate sale, and made it her mission to bring back these once lost recipes, adding several to the menu at The Alibi. She eventually was able to reunite this piece of history with the Kon Tiki decor found at Hale Pele!

Over the years she has become a beloved bartender among the tiki community, where she is known for her carefully crafted cocktails and in-depth knowledge of rum. She also owns Golden Tropicana Tiki, a full service craft tiki catering service in Portland, OR. She has 20 years of experience in the service industry and is a member of the US Bartenders Guild, and was chosen from among hundreds of applicants to participate in Tiki By The Sea. Shelley has also been a featured bartender at Tiki Kon and Tiki in Waikiki, and is a charter member of the Tiki Goth Club. She is currently studying the WSET and will soon take her testing to become a certified Sommelier of Spirits.

In her free time she likes to listen to heavy metal with her black Persian kitty named Alice Cooper.

Sean Cork is a 10 year veteran bartender who leads weekly spirits education societies in Downtown LA’s only rum bar, Cana. He is well known and highly respected in the rum and tiki community for his expert knowledge of the history and chemistry of the spirit. He works closely with the community to educate on the history of spirits at various private events/conventions and has recently been judging bartending competitions around Los Angeles. He was also a featured rum expert and educator at Peekaboo Gallery’s “Aloha OA” as well as Exoticon, where he co-lead rum classes with Bryan Inman, aka The Rum Champion.

Maureen Dunn is a devoted rum enthusiast and 9 year experienced educator with a passion for sharing knowledge. Her family was among the first Japanese sugarcane field workers to arrive in Maui in the late 1800s from Hiroshima and they have been living there ever since. She looks forward to promoting Japanese-Hawaiian culture through education at Starlite Palms rum bar.

Sean and Maureen live in Highland Park with their Shiba Inu named Kumi.