We meet Malin Spång - new bar manager and entertainment and event manager in Visby

Hi Malin! Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
My name is Malin Spång, I'm 29 years old and come from Hälsingland. I visited Gotland for the first time in 2014 for a design job and, like many others, fell in love with the island. Since then I've lived in Visby on and off and now it really feels like home. My restaurant career started when I was 14 and my first real job was at Surfers in Visby, where my interest in drinks took off. I've also worked at places like Supper, Konstnärsbaren in Stockholm and developed cocktail concepts for Surflogiet in Tofta. In 2020, together with Bea Alverdal, I took over Vår Fru in Visby and turned it into a cocktail and wine bar. Most recently, I was bar manager at Bolaget in Visby and helped open Restaurang Apotek.

Photographer: Revati Berzinska

What are you most proud of in your career so far?
In 2022, Bea Alverdal and I, together with Vinstereo and Fruktstereo (Mikael Nypelius and Karl Sjöström), opened Bar Cuccurucucù in Malmö, where we were responsible for the entire operation. We worked exclusively with their beverage portfolio and distilled spirits from Swedish ingredients as well as wines and fruit drinks in the cidery, which we used in all cocktails. It was a fantastic journey, and the same year we opened we won Bar of the Year at the Malmö Gastronomy Awards.

What do you appreciate most about working as a bartender?
What I appreciate most as a bartender is the creative work of creating new cocktails, preferably with challenging flavor combinations where sustainability is in focus. I want the guests to try something they have never tasted before and for the drinking experience to be as exciting as the food.

Photographer: Malva Lorensson

What will happen at Kasai this fall and winter?
We have already launched a new food and cocktail menu and look forward to welcoming Gotlanders with a new team, new energy and creative thinking. On October 11, we will open our new club in the basement, Klubb Tvibo, which will offer everything from theme nights to DJs and events. We also have a game week, Halloween party, cocktail tastings and Christmas and New Year parties planned.

What is good hospitality to you?
Good hospitality is about making guests feel welcome and seen. It should be a relaxed but professional experience, where guests have fun and feel that staff really know their stuff.

What do you do when you're not working?
I love traveling, hanging out with friends, painting and playing music. I also like to cook, play video games and climb or play tennis when I can.

Photographer: Malva Lorensson

What do you want guests to feel when they leave Kasai?
I want them to feel that they have had a unique and fun experience, been seen and tried something new in terms of food or drink. I hope they leave with a feeling of wanting to come back.

What does a perfect weekend look like for you?
A perfect weekend means being busy at work, having fun with guests and colleagues and delivering a product I'm proud of. If I'm free, I love to travel or have a cozy dinner with friends and family, which often ends with games and laughter.

Tell us something we don't know about you.
Haha, maybe not many people know that I won the Swedish Hip Hop Dance Championship when I was a kid!