Best Restaurants
Best Bartender & Best Waiter/Waitress
Kelly Radke has been a jack-of-all-trades in the restaurant business for 24 years. At Victoria's, where she has worked for five and a half years, Radke not only tends the bar, but also works as a server and a manager. "Bartending is definitely my favorite thing to do," Radke says. She adds: "I'm a 'lifer' here. I will be here a long, long time, so come see me!"
The best thing about being a bartender is meeting people from all over the world.
The worst thing about being a bartender is frozen drinks.
The most commonly ordered drink at Victoria's is wine—all different kinds.
The best 'up and coming' trend in drinks is fun-flavored martinis.
The customer is my favorite part about my job.
A good bartender is fast, efficient, and gets to know the customer so they want to come back and see you.
Sam Malone from the television show "Cheers" is the male version of me!
The biggest challenge of being a good bartender is remembering the names of people from a year ago who remember your name.
Something that would surprise my customers about me is I would love to be Tinkerbell. (Radke has a Tinkerbell tattoo on her forearm.)
My tip for getting out red wine stains is good luck! I've tried everything. My best tip is to not wear something you don't want stained.
Tiffany Houser from Victoria's won as Best Bartender last year. This is how I feel about unseating her: She loves me, I love her. It's all good.
When I found out I won as Best Bartender, I thought it was pretty cool. It's nice to be appreciated for work I really, really enjoy doing.
Runner-up: David LaClair, Michaels
Best Waiter/Waitress: Savuth San, Victoria's
During the four and a half years that Savuth San has waitressed at Victoria's, she has served thousands of customers from around the world. Each diner gets her trademark high level of service. "The customer is always important," says Savuth, noting that she never knows if someone is visiting Rochester for medical purposes (and needs a little extra TLC), or if they just stopped in from across town.
The life of a waitress is fun and busy.
Other places I have waited tables include Olive Garden & Cheap Charlie's.
The number of tables I typically juggle in my section is five to eight.
The single best thing about working at Victoria's is meeting new people.
My favorite meal to eat from Victoria's is Chicken Rosa Verde.
A good waiter or waitress is always a step ahead of their game.
When I go out to eat, I like my waiter/waitress to have a sense of humor. I like to joke around with my customers.
When I go out to eat, I usually tip 30 percent or more depending on service.
The biggest challenge of being a good waitress is trying to remember all the items in the menu.
When customers ask for suggestions, I usually recommend my favorite dish or our popular dishes.
Something that would surprise customers about me is I'm Asian— Cambodian, Thai, and Chinese. People always ask me if I'm Italian, Hawaiian, etc.
Outside of work, I like to spend a lot of time with my family and friends.
My future plans include maybe winning another Server of the Year award. Ha ha ha! No! I would love to have my own restaurant.
Runner-up: Darren Tieder, Chester's