Ex-library chief trades books for booze with new Tri-Cities mobile bartending campers

With a sip and a splash, a Tri-Cities bartender is ready to roll with her drink trailers in tow.

Criselda Davila launched La Cantina Mobile Bar last fall as a server-for-hire. And she recently announced plans for expansion.

The mother of four previously worked two decades as a social worker and another five as the manager of the Pasco branch of the Mid-Columbia Libraries.

“When the food truck business starting booming here — it was an epiphany,” she said.

Davila and her husband Daniel often eat at food truck pods throughout Tri-Cities. She consistently wondered why the pods didn’t regularly have drink trailers — with or without alcohol.

After years of oogling images of drink carts, she went all in to tap into the creative inspirations she’d been thinking about for years.

She resigned from her job at the library and focused entirely on building her business from scratch without taking out loans or going into debt.

“I took the risk — it was very, very frightening,” said the 49-year-old. “I lost a lot of sleep but I didn’t want to look back one day and wonder what if.”

Serving station

Davila now operates two vintage travel trailers — one converted into a black full-service bar with an ordering window and a white trailer with three tap towers.

Plus, she has a popcorn station and sugar bar where guests can get cotton candy to order.

Davila is available to hire for all types of functions — whether it be a tea party, kids party with non alcoholic drinks, a corporate cocktail hour or a wedding.

“We aren’t just servers. We really want to personalize that vision for them, I want this aesthetic,” she said.

Davila works with clients to design specialty drink menus in advance and create the decor for the trailers that will seamlessly fit in with the functions. She provides all the drinkware, setup, ice and all the extras needed — making store runs for bottled water if needed.

Prices start at $150 an hour for a minimum of three hours. However, prices vary and the hourly rate is more depending on the services needed and the number and types of drinks served — such as only wine and beer or cocktails with garnishes.

Davila does all the mixing, making and planning of drinks — and she even will come up with individual drink names. But she emphasizes that she does not provide the alcohol. That requires a different state license.

Customers provide the booze and she gives the leftovers back to the party planner at the end of the night.

“This is an advantage for them, they are able to control how much they purchase,” she said. “It limits waste, they can manage their own budget and what they want to serve.”

One of her specialties is the glitter bomb — adding a splash of edible glitter to drinks or spinning it into cotton candy made to order and dropping it in sparkling wine.

And as she heads into the summer with more events planned, she’s expanding and will be hiring bartending help.

Online: cantinacamper.com; La Cantina Facebook page or biggie@cantinacamper.com.

This story was originally published June 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.