The future is yours to create: Pranisa ‘Niza’ Treechanasin

Second in our The Future is Yours to Create: International Women’s Day series is Pranisa ‘Niza’ Treechanasin. The head bartender of Origin Bar in the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore is a veteran in the industry and shares her insights into the industry from her decade-long career.

A little bit about me

I’m Niza, the head bartender of Origin Bar Singapore. I’ve been in the industry for 10 years. I started my career in Bangkok, Thailand as a bar back and slowly worked my way up to where i am today. I love to travel, exercise and getting involved in fashion. My favorite drink to have on a fun night, is a spicy mezcal margarita. Otherwise, you can catch me sipping on the finest red wine the world has to offer.

My favorite part about the job is connecting with people around the world. Reason being is because I love to travel and meet people from all walks of life. I love engaging with people as I believe hospitality and customer service is something that a bartender should always have.

My favorite part about the job is connecting with people around the world.

What makes me happy is to watch the younger generation of bartenders like Aki Nakata & Cherry Lee (both who are working in Origin Bar), grow and be successful in their own ways. As an individual, what makes me happy is knowing that in this industry, everyday is a new day to learn something new. What also makes me happy is seeing my team’s and my hard work getting paid off when people come back again for us.

What drives me is the dream of being successful in bartending as I believe this career is hard and it is a very tough industry to survive as this used to be a very male-dominated industry. So to witness my other female peers reaching their goal and dreams, that is what inspires me.

Niza in Origin Bar colors.

How I approach my work

The best advice someone has ever given me is “Don’t Try,” if you wanna do something in your life and if the thought of not doing it makes you suffer, then try. But when you do, go all the way.

I think it’s the experience of doing overseas guest shifts which make me feel like i’m progressing professionally. These are work trips, hence it gives you the opportunity to understand different cultures, different taste notes and overall, understanding what different countries and their bar programme has to offer.

“Don’t Try”, if you wanna do something in your life and if the thought of not doing it makes you suffer, then try. But when you do, go all the way.

What can employers do to motivate me at work? I think for all businesses, it is giving a clear vision of what they would like for the team and the business in general. That will allow the person to have an inspiration on what they would like to contribute to the team.

Yes, definitely. Brands are important supporters in my career. As I believe, it’s a 50-50 relationship where we both can benefit in terms of publicity and brand knowledge.

Brands are basically bridges between bars to get to know amongst each other. And by that, building a nice and supportive bar community.

My thoughts on mentorship

Peter Chua, owner of Night Hawk is someone I look up to in the industry. Peter is disciplined and knowledgeable. He has a good work life balance as well.

The term ‘role model’, means being able to inspire others while not doing it necessarily. I think there’s a lot of potential role models. It also, depends on what you’re looking for. Everyone has their own shine and if that what attracts you to be better, then said person can be a role model.

To help the industry grow, I think there should be more seminars and classes. Masterclasses tend to happen during guest shifts, but it would be nice if the community does that monthly.

Niza behind the Origin Bar.

My hopes for the future

If I could change one thing about our industry, I think the idea of drinking during the job should be handled and controlled better.

We should give back to the community by doing community work from time to time so people can have a mindset that bartenders are people who care about the world, as well.

We should give back to the community.

What do you want my legacy to be? I want my legacy to be a successful female bartender who inspires the younger generation.