GUEST SHIFT: JANESHA LEVONS, Bartender + Model
Janesha Levons, familiar at bars from The Berlin to Comfort Kitchen, talks modeling in Paris, bartending in NYC, pandemic recipes + her love of wheels
Interview: Susie Davidson Powell
Photos: Victoria Sedefian/The Dishing + Susie Davidson Powell/The Dishing
Location: Troy, N.Y.
Tastemaker: Janesha “Jaja” Levons| IG: @blaque_barbi_
Where: Freelance bartender. Currently at Comfort Kitchen | IG: @comforteats
Hometown: Brooklyn
Current city: Saratoga Springs
Personal style Skims is my obsession + Zadig &Voltaire. But, I love skater fashion, rebellious styles, so I might have on a button up blouse, but mix it with leather pants and a bunch of chains. I love clothing that’s a rebellion.
Listening to ”Boy From School” by Hot Chip
Favorite spirit/non-alc: Watermelon juice
Favorite classic cocktail/non-alc drink: Paper Plane
Coffee or tea and what’s your order: Coffee light and sweet
Biggest industry influence/inspiration: The Meat Ball Show on the Lower East Side. They built their brand on flawless consistency
Drinks industry trend that should end: Fernet Shots! Yuck!
“Welcome to The Dishing’s Quick Serve interviews where we talk matters of taste with tastemakers in the hospitality industry and trailblazers at the intersection of food, culture and art. Today we’re talking with Jaja Levons, a familiar area bartender, beverage director, international model + aspiring skateboarder. Let’s get into it!
Hey, Jaja. Thanks for talking to The Dishing! I think we first met whenn you were bartending at The Berlin in Troy. You’ve opened or worked in bars all over the Capital Region. Can you give us the backstory of how you got into the industry?
I think my first job was Druthers in Saratoga, and I got there maybe a year right after they opened, before I went on to be opening staff at Rhea and Franklin Square Market through its three name changes. I also did freelance bartending for Arts Bar in Troy and private parties, or art galleries in Albany. I was at Lucas Confectionery in the Tavern, where I wasn't only bartending, but writing cocktail lists. Of course, I worked at The Berlin when I came back from the UK…right before they shut down because of COVID.
During COVID, I started writing and selling recipes. I was showing how you can switch out a couple liquors for different drinks. I took on a private client who was involved with schools and wanted to teach students about the mixology process, so I came up with non-alcoholic, holistic drinks which was a pretty great challenge, but an okay way to make income during the pandemic.
You’re a model, a former dancer + you got your start bartending in New York City. Which came first, the modeling or bartending downstate?
So the dancing came first, bartending came second in New York City. I got into theatre at Adirondack Community College and I really wanted to be a Broadway dancer, but in the city I needed to figure out a way of income. I had modeled a little bit upstate but I wasn't sure how to attack the process of getting an agency or finding work. I learned early on that most of the deals that happen in New York, whether modeling or acting or finance, everything goes down at the bar. If you're behind a bar and you pay attention there's a lot of information you can figure out. So all the places I bartended in NYC, were strategic based on what I was trying to accomplish.
My favorite job was at South Street Seaport, a place called Water Taxi Beach, that changed to Beekman Beer Garden. They're the same company that runs Governor's Island. I only know that because whenever my boss was looking for bartenders to go over there, I was like, if you send me to Governor's Island, I will quit. [laughs] But the the most important job that changed everything was Miss Lily's, on the corner of Sullivan and Houston Street, because they had a heavy celebrity clientele. Just to work there you have to kind of have to sign away your image and an NDA that you won't talk about what happens there. It’s where I got my first editorial taken while I was bartending and it opened up so many doors. In the photo, I’m drinking a cocktail at my bar in a Louis Vuitton dress! So funny because 5 minutes before, I was behind the bar; and 5 minutes later I’m modeling in Louis Vuitton!
And that was how you went to Europe modeling?
Well, that photo led me to an agency that sent us to Milan for fashion week. I went with a French model who said after we do Milan fashion week we should go to Paris and do Paris fashion week. At the time, I was like, oh my gosh, if I don't kiss a French boy, I'll die, [laughs], so it was an instant yes! I only had a few days to spare because I had to be in London for a shoot for a man I met at Lily's who owned a UK clothing line. That was the end of the backpacker life because they set me up in a proper place to stay.
That was my first trip to Europe. I didn't end up moving there until a few years later when I met and married a French boy, and ended up living in France for a year, then London for 4 years. I ended up signing with an agency who sent me to do an Adidas sponsored a World Cup commercial. I was in Manchester for a week shooting that with Boss models and I did London fashion week while I was 6-months pregnant! I was also cast in a crime re-enactment series on Discovery Channel where I was playing a divorcee called Rita. They had this like awful wig but underneath I had long blonde braid extensions they had to tuck underneath every time. I remember my last day on set and that feeling of like, thank goodness, as I ripped the wig off. The director hadn't really seen me before I was dressed as Rita, and I'll never forget taking it off and he goes, “You mean to tell me this entire time Beyoncé was under that wig?” [laughs]
Where did you bartend in London?
I bartended at The Corniche, a company that has super elaborate lush condos in England, Dubai, and a few other big cities, so the building had a private lounge only for the residents, and by this time I had a full background of bartending and creating cocktails. It was kind of like I had free range to curate cocktails and parties. Every now and then the residents would forget that this is not their living room. They literally used to treat the lounge like it was their living room. So sometimes you just had to let them know and since I had Giuseppe at home and he was only 6 months old, I was juggling and had very little time for nonsense. When they got too bad, I would cuss them out. My manager knew because the lounge was so much busier than usual and more of them were coming down into the beautiful lobby and the staff would hear them saying, “Ooh, have you been cussed out by the Brooklyn girl yet?” [laughs]
Until we talked about this shoot, I didn’t know you were into skateboarding? What got you into it?
So I've been skateboarding for almost a year and I have a friend that’s professional, like semi-pro skater. I think in general I'm very just drawn to passionate people so to see photos of him in magazines or in the zone in competitions on or YouTube videos, it's inspiring because it’s really difficult. But also skating and fashion have gone together since the early ‘90s. Skateboarding is a sport of rebellion so obviously I’m drawn to it! [laughs] I'm also super competitive for no reason and I had been modeling for a company that didn’t call me back because they said they were in search of skate boarders. I was like, How dare you not pick me?! Fuck it, I’m gonna learn to skate!
It’s funny because I orchestrated a skater photo shoot in a skate park in Albany and then I saw Pharrell did his fashion show this year, and guess what all the models were holding? Skateboards and paddleboards. That’s the other thing. I am an avid paddle boarder. I've had my board for 5 years and from the day I got it, I was hooked. Oh — also, the skateboard in this shoot is from Seasons Skate Shop in Albany. I got lucky they had a new shipment of boards in the back, because this one wasn't even on the sales floor yet. They truly know their customer. He went to get it for me and as soon as I saw it, it was love at first sight.
You’re working at Comfort Kitchen in Saratoga which has been through ownership changes including a recent partnership split. I know you’re working on a new cocktail program. What can people expect in its new iteration?
I’m pretty much just a counter girl really, but I started working at Comfort Kitchen because I already loved the food. Chef Zach’s passion and dedication to his craft are unmatched and the food speaks for itself. It's been brilliant to see how he is taking ownership to a new level from having had a partner to running all parts by himself. It’s beautiful to see him shine. Right now we are working on expanding the drinks program, but it’s heavy track season in Saratoga and to be honest people just love it when they can have a Coke with a burger or a rosé with a salad. People want it simple. It’s summer—
You were born in Virginia, but you moved around a lot as your father was in the U.S. Navy. I know your family has a house near Lake Sacandaga and Stewart’s Pond, but did you grow up in the area?
Yes, I was born in Virginia, and I moved every 3 years. It was mostly stateside until we got the opportunity to go to Antigua for about 3 years from the time I was 9 to 13-years old. And because my father is from the West Indies, it was really special to be able to live on the island. After that we moved here because Saratoga Springs has a naval support facility, but the entire time we were homeschooled because we moved so much. My parents found this private Christian school in Lake Lazerne and liked the school so much that we stayed. We had a house on Grand Avenue in Saratoga but after we all started attending the King school in Lake Lazerne, my parents ended up buying the principal's house and moved us to the Hadley area, and then built a 2nd house by the Great Sacandaga which is where we’ve lived for maybe 10 years now.
You didn’t start modeling until your late 20s, but you were in Paris last year + you’re still modeling now, right? You’re going to be in a So Radical fashion show in Albany in August?
Yes, that’s right! So I am still modeling, although it has taken different turns recently. I've realized as I've gotten older that it’s about being authentic because I know what I'm up against and how to do that in my own way so I'm being myself. So I'm hosting model talks where I talk about how modeling starts on the inside and changes the pattern of how we think about ourselves. That's what radiates out and it can be brought into different aspects of life. It's not just about the runway or a photo. It's about showing up authentically and fully as yourself. People’s insecurities are what people take out on each other. Those insecurities manifest when they're when they're being unkind to someone else.
I’m also back casting and on the runway, and I’m shopping for an agency again. I also mentor people to teach them how to pose, guide their thoughts help train them to add movement. It transforms them. Makes people feel good.
My first modeling experience was modeling for Encounter and the owner Beth Hart had set up a runway show at the Hall Springs in Saratoga. The photographer on set was the sweetest guy, Wes Bennett, who shot for the New York Times. He took my photo and said, “You need to leave this place and go to NYC.” To this day, the most memorable part of my modeling career was West, because the world could tell me I'm not good enough, but if I have a good friend like him saying, “Yeah, you can!” I will 100% do it.
Your young son, Giuseppe, lives with you + spends summers with his father in Paris. Between bartending and modeling downstate, how do you manage the work/life balance?
I think just knowing when to stop knowing when to turn everything off and just be alone. Knowing the proper way to reset is the biggest thing. Everything I'm taking in or taking care of my son, working and balancing all that, as long as I do the proper reset, when I have downtime, then it's easy to balance everything, and I have the energy to do it. I think that's been the biggest thing. My paddle board is one of my big resets. Reading is a big reset for me. And spending time in nature.
What do you like to read?
Lately I've been reading a lot of female entrepreneur books and books that talk about thought processes and changing your mind. My favorite book, literally, is called Mindset, but right now I'm reading Start With Yourself, by Emma Reed, the creator of Skims. She talks about how you only get one life and some women are like,” I didn't do this because I had to take care of my kids,” but she says don’t make that the reason you didn't follow your dreams. You just have to work it out.
She's also talks about being authentic and all the things that happened to her in her past: the good, the bad, and crazy, but that made her a dynamic entrepreneur, and the way she's doing it is not the way other people do it. I was reading it right when I started doing these model talks and it’s funny because that's 100% what they’re about: coming to the table authentically.
You posted recently about getting new tattoos. Do any of them have a backstory?
All of my tattoos mean something—again, it’s this whole mindset where it's like they’re reminders on my body so whenever I feel like I'm going in a dark place, it's literally written on my body.
Two of my favorites are initials to to airports that I used to fly into when I was doing runway modeling, so I have MXP, which is now Malpenza airport in Milan, and I have LGW, which is London Gatwick Airport. I have a couple that I've gotten with friends that mean a lot to me, so we have the same tattoo. Probably my favorite is my arm band, which is the same arm band that Pocahontas has the cartoon character in Disney which signifies oneness with water. And I recently just got roses on my chest, which is a symbol to me about being in bloom and that it's my season. I have another rose on my hand. They signify that in all situations I am always me. I've already done the impossible. You know what I mean? I started walking the runway at 30-years old. That's impossible for a lot of people, so like the roses remind me not to take any negativity because I'm already in bloom.
Where are 3 of your favorite spots for breakfast, lunch or dinner in the Hudson Valley or Capital Region?
Oh, Comfort Kitchen is my number one, even before I started working there, I would eat there all the time. I mean, everything he does is so fresh, made in-house, whether it's French fries, burgers, veggie patties, and it makes such a difference. For dinner, I love Hatties. Shout out to Sal, best bartender in the area. And The Nook. They have the best breakfast sandwiches ever.
Imagine an ideal day or night out. If you could go anywhere with no limits on costs or reservations, where would you go and how would your day or night unfold?
Oh man, one of my favorite places of all times is still Stone Street in New York City. There were some days I would just stay down there the entire day and go from restaurant to restaurant. I love it. A perfect night for me would like go there for dinner and head to West 4th Street because The Bitter End is my favorite nightlife place. I've been friends with Paul Rizzo, the owner, for years. It was such a staple for me when I was living in New York. He’d keep me out of trouble. [laughs] But he always has the best music and you never just know what's going to happen… he knows so many people. Lady Gaga could show up and you wouldn't even know.
What do you have coming up this summer?
I have a model event that's going to be at Petal & Hive, a clean beauty salon, on Sunday, July 19th, where I'm going to curate a special cocktail for the event, and the owner is setting up a serum bar. Everybody coming will create their own serum for their face. It’s about natural things that help you look amazing on the outside and feel good on the inside. My son, Giuseppe is, gonna be away with his father so I am starting to audition for runway shows. A lot of places in New York are casting for fashion week for September, so I'm doing a few trips down to New York City. I'm just doing all the things to rebuild my brand again because I only really took a small break to raise my son. I have some time to dive into that.
OKay, thanks for talking with us Jaja. I feel as if you are one of the most recognizable faces in the industry. I guess we’ll see you at the bar soon enough!