Our Amazing Team
Our team have a combined experience of over 100 years of operational and bartending experience. We are there to support and curate your learning journey. Some people take to practical skills fast, some take longer, some find the theory daunting and need some more help. If you have any particular learning needs please let us know and we will support you in the way you most need it. We want to produce the best bartenders and baristas we can.
Anil Sabharwal
National Training Director & Consultant
Anil was pivotal in setting up Shaker in the UK and has trained more than 1000 budding bartenders since 2001. As a competition bartender he has been a finalist many times including winning TGI Fridays Birmingham Flair, being a Roadhouse World Flair Finalist on several occasions, Northern Flair League Champion for 2004 and winning the SKYY Vodka Nationals in 2008, whilst representing SA in Monte Carlo. He was awarded first place in the King of Africa Competition as the top mixologist and flair bartender in the country for 2008 and won the Get a Grip Flair & mixology Championship in 2012. Anil has designed and implemented custom training programs for many of the biggest liquor companies including Skyy Vodka, Bacardi, Cointreau and Glenfiddich.
Gareth Wainwright
Head of Training Johannesburg
Gareth began his career in 1997, albeit as a temporary plan for pocket money. From 2000 he began to work more frequently in nightclubs, pubs and local bars. It was not until 2005 that he discovered his love for the industry and directed his efforts towards making bartending his profession. He has worked in every area of the liquor industry, from mobile bars and events, to corporate work, to opening his own bars—such as The Landmark Cocktail Bar and The Little Fox, both in Johannesburg—as well as making his own spirits and running an ecommerce liquor store.
Mikhael Bou Rjeily
National Coffee Trainer & Consultant
Mikhael is our Barista trainer and a highly regarded Coffee Barista himself. He has competed in many national barista competitions; he was 1st runner up at the Western Cape Barista Championship in 2010 and 2011, and winner of the best Cappuccino award in South Africa (2010) and best Cappuccino and Espresso awards in Western Cape (2010). Mikhael oversees all our coffee courses and training and is available to go on site visits for coffee consultancy.
Charmaine Adams
Barista Training Manager Johannesburg
Charmaine has been in the coffee industry now for over 9 years and has a huge passion for all things coffee. She has worked as a head barista for many of JHB’s top coffee shops and has been involved in coffee cupping (taste evaluating) up and coming baristas for a variety of backgrounds. She has competed in many national competitions, coming 3rd in her first coffee competition in 2006, 7th in the Regional Barista Competition 2008 and 1st in the Latte Art 2015 competition. She is an awesome teacher who is always eager to pass her knowledge onto others.
Xola Mbanya
Bar Trainer Cape Town
Xola started working for Shaker as a bar support in 2014. He then decided to improve his knowledge and did the International Bartenders Course at the school. After passing with a very high grade, Shaker offered him a fulltime job as an assistant trainer helping out the students with more of the practical side of bartending as well as running our weekend masterclasses. Xola has some really impressive cocktail skills, and they say that he makes one of the best margaritas in Cape Town.
Don Sheehan
Consultant Trainer
Don started his career in hospitality during the late 90’s, originally in food, and later gravitated towards the bar. He found his passion for cocktails and the energy of high-paced bars early on. After many years of bartending professionally, Don moved into consulting for bars and has been responsible for setting up of hundreds of venues and menu designs both locally and internationally. A qualified WSET spirits educator, Don been working as a trainer with Shaker since 2021.
