Carley Gaskin and Joshua Fossitt:
Co-Founders of Hospitality 201
Call signs: Punslinger and The Hawk
Wildly creative and determined to enjoy the work as much as the play, they discovered their friendship and similar goals while concepting and opening the beverage program for Bad Hunter in Chicago’s West Loop. It was there, in the quiet after hours of bar life over drinks and shared dreams, they decided to create a beverage consulting agency for the future. With over three decades in the restaurant/bar industry, and the most genuine spirit of hospitality found anywhere in the world, Carley and Josh bring skill and capability to a world that will soon be formerly dominated by college grads with little more than cellphone experience. H201 concepts, plans, engineers, and executes every size and shape of spirited event, beverage program, and marketing strategy with thoughtful perspective and tireless dedication to excellence.
Hospitality 201 finds its perspective from more than just its partners. We understand that this business, like so many others, is built around trusted relationships that grow out of fairness and competence. Access to the best hospitality minds and hands in the U.S. through personal friendship and professional respect makes H201 unique among the competition. Our friends become our clients, and our clients become our friends. That is how business used to be done. That is the product of living hospitality. Below is a list of old Fam and new, with more to come…
The Fam
Gina & PHOENIX Fossitt
Gina Fossitt: US Educational Program Manager – Canadian Whisky
(The Bon Vivants)
Phoenix Fossitt: Head Barback
The Fossitt family is the only reason Josh Fossitt wakes up in the morning. Gina is a constant source of inspiration not only to Josh, but anyone who aspires to be an expert in their chosen field. Her unending professionalism and dedication to her own education, as well as anyone interested in learning about whisky around the world, is second only to that of being an incredible mother to Phoenix, who happens to be simultaneously the worst and cutest barback in history.
Tracy Boychuk
Founder of The Roof Crop, The Runner Collective, and H201 Partner
Call Sign: The Real MVP
Without Tracy Boychuk there would be no H201, and the same can be said for a multitude of other small businesses in Chicago. Simply put: she is cooler than you are. No, no. Trust us on this, she is. And although she is a small percentage owner of H201, Tracy is an incredible partner and resource for the company. Carley and Josh first met Tracy while buying edible flowers for the Bad Hunter program from The Roof Crop, one of Tracy’s many awesome companies which utilizes otherwise wasted rooftop spaces around Chicago for organic farming. In a previous life she was a Design Director for MTV and Co-Creative Director of RCA Records, as well as Art and Design Director for The Strokes before she left NYC for Chicago...told you so…
Richard Beltzer
Head Bartender at Bad Hunter
Call Sign: Dickie B
Originally from Alaska, Rich moved to Chicago in 2016 during the opening of Bad Hunter and has been a part of Hospitality 201 from the very beginning. Richard Beltzer’s hospitality game and love of the industry are unmatched. A regular of bartending conferences, competitions, and prep teams, including multiple years with the CAP Program at Tales of the Cocktail, to say that we are honored to have Rich and his expertise as a regular member of our team is an understatement. He is capable, focused, generous, and kind-hearted, not to mention invaluable to H201 and to the international hospitality community, both as a bartender and a budding photographer.
Amie Ward
Call Sign: The Healthtender
Amie Ward cares more about your health and well-being than you do, and she’s been trying to help this industry focus on its longevity for years now. When she isn’t helping us by providing the organizational skills to H201 that we both lack, she is teaching strength and endurance classes to people across the country, both virtually and in person. Amie has been handling the prep team for Camp Runamuck since 20I7, ran bar programs in Baltimore for years, and if we had a dollar for every time we said “Thank God for Amie” we would give her all of those dollars to work with us some more. She is wonderful, and intelligent, and driven, and fun, and kind, and we thank the universe for sending her to Chicago.
Joe Schmaling
Call Sign: The Golden Boy
Able to fix your carburetor and your martini, potentially at the same time and with the same tools, Joe Schmaling is far and away the most versatile human in our circle. He loves fine dining, agave spirits, and information of all kinds, but is probably more interested in a Margarita on that beach than a long walk. The future for Joe is bright, and we hope to be involved in it in whatever way he allows us to be. For now, we’re happy to be his “life chef”, but his time to shine is almost here.
Lucy Angel
Founder & Event Producer, Luce Ends
Call Sign: Unknown…
In the world of event planning, it is easy to see the difference between the good and the bad. Lucy Angel is not just good. She is great. Calm and clear sighted at all times, Lucy already has an incredible record in events and sponsorships, but she has only recently opened her own business, Luce Ends. The future will surely see her become known as one of the most trusted leaders in cultural programming and event production in the country, and she will still have 20 years left of her career to then leverage that platform to bring positive change in our industry and beyond. Don’t let the smile fool you, she’s a tooth chipper.