Justina Has Spent 17 Years Behind the Bar. Now She's Ready for Battle.

For Justina, the bar has always been more than a place to serve a drink. After 21 years in hospitality and 17 of those spent behind the bar, she has built her career around a simple idea: great hospitality is about creating an experience people remember. Before she ever turned 21, Justina found herself watching bartenders with admiration. To her, they seemed to operate at the highest level of hospitality, commanding the room while creating an experience for everyone sitting across the bar.

She wanted to be part of that. "I wanted to be 'on stage,' as they say," she recalls.

Once she started learning the craft, she quickly discovered that bartending offered something she hadn't expected: a creative outlet. The longer she worked behind the bar, the more she fell in love with the creative side of cocktails and the opportunity to make people feel something through an experience. That philosophy has stayed with her throughout her career and across the many concepts where she has worked.

The Cocktail Is Only Part of the Experience

After nearly two decades behind the bar, Justina has learned that hospitality and cocktail creation are closely connected. Both require attention to detail. For hospitality, that means reading the energy of a room and anticipating what guests need before they have to ask. For cocktails, it's about the details that happen before the first sip even reaches the guest. Tasting notes, aroma, presentation, and the way the drink makes someone feel all become part of the experience. A technically perfect cocktail can still be forgettable if the experience surrounding it falls short.

"You can have a perfect cocktail, but people remember the way you made them feel," Justina says.

That philosophy is at the center of her approach behind the bar. Her signature style is what she describes as "familiar meets elevated." She wants her cocktails to feel welcoming and recognizable while still having something that makes them special. The goal isn't to intimidate guests with technique or obscure ingredients. It's to create something that feels like home while still giving them a reason to pause and appreciate the details.

For Justina, even the senses that come before taste matter. Your eyes taste first. Your nose tastes first. The experience begins before the drink ever reaches your lips.

Finding Home at Little Mama's

Justina is bringing that approach to Little Mama's Italian Kitchen at Rea Farms, a restaurant built around the idea that some of the best meals are the ones that feel like they were made for family. Little Mama's serves Italian-American-inspired food rooted in classic recipes, scratch-made pastas, fresh mozzarella, and the kind of familiar dishes designed to bring people together around a table.

The restaurant's personality carries into its bar program. For Justina, that's part of what makes Little Mama's such a fitting home. The cocktails aren't disconnected from the restaurant. They match its personality: approachable, creative, and fun. The Rea Farms location opened in 2024, following the original Little Mama's concept that launched in 2020 as a sister restaurant to Mama Ricotta's. A third location followed in Cornelius in 2026, continuing the concept's growth while maintaining its focus on Italian-American comfort and hospitality.

The atmosphere draws inspiration from the Italian restaurants of the 1960s and 1970s, combining classic food and drink with a relaxed setting where guests can settle in and stay awhile. For Justina, one of the best parts of being part of the team is the people she gets to learn from. She specifically credits her beverage directors, Mary and Evelin, for their knowledge and creativity. Their willingness to introduce new techniques and ideas continues to expand how she thinks about cocktails and the craft.

That kind of environment matters for someone who has already spent years behind the bar but still sees herself as a student of the industry.

A Career Built on Staying True to Herself

Justina's experience as a woman in hospitality has also shaped how she carries herself behind the bar. Over the years, she's learned the importance of standing confidently in her knowledge and abilities. Women in the industry have often had to work harder to prove that they understand their craft and are more than just a "pretty face behind the bar." But Justina has also witnessed significant progress throughout her career.

More women are moving into leadership positions, and she hopes that momentum continues. Her vision for the next generation is straightforward: more opportunities, more women in leadership, and an industry where women are respected for their expertise. Her advice to women pursuing hospitality reflects that confidence. Stay true to who you genuinely are. Don't put a ceiling on yourself. Think bigger.

For someone who has spent 21 years building a career in hospitality, that message comes with perspective. A career can evolve, opportunities can appear in unexpected places, and there is always room to take the next step.

A First Competition, 21 Years Into Her Career

Despite her extensive experience behind the bar, Battle of the Babes will be Justina's first cocktail competition. And she didn't exactly seek it out. She was chosen by her beverage directors, and when they asked if she wanted to compete, her answer was immediate.

Yes. The timing feels significant. After years in hospitality, Justina says she hasn't challenged herself in this way for a while. Being selected to compete gave her a reason to step outside her usual routine and see what else she could do. In fact, she considers being chosen one of the most rewarding moments of her hospitality career so far. It gave her recognition, but it also reignited something. A fire.

There are still opportunities to explore, people to meet, techniques to learn, and places to grow within the industry. Battle of the Babes is becoming one more chapter in that journey. And while competition night will put her cocktail skills in the spotlight, Justina hopes people ultimately remember something much more personal.

Her personality. Her passion.

And the fact that she puts her heart into everything she does.

"I’m always authentically myself," she says. That may be the most fitting description of her approach to hospitality: familiar, thoughtful, personal, and never afraid to bring a little more to the experience.

Meet Justina at Battle of the Babes

Justina will represent Little Mama's Italian Kitchen at Rea Farms at the 6th Annual Battle of the Babes Cocktail Competition on September 27, 2026, from 5 PM to 9 PM at Merchant + Trade, 303 S Church St.

After 21 years in hospitality and 17 years behind the bar, she's stepping into her first cocktail competition ready to challenge herself, showcase her craft, and celebrate the industry she has spent so much of her life building.

Get your tickets and join us for an evening of cocktails, competition, creativity, and the women behind the bar.

And if you want to experience Justina's approach to hospitality before competition night, visit Little Mama's Italian Kitchen at Rea Farms for scratch-made Italian-American classics, fresh mozzarella, pasta, cocktails, and the warm, familiar experience that makes the restaurant feel like home.