I love it when these things happen. I was out at lunch with 3 girlfriend/co-workers at the Dahlia Lounge. If you're from here, you know that it's one of the Tom Douglas joints, which we tend to favor for special occasions. On this particular instance, we were honoring Cass, the newest member of our group, who had also just had a birthday!
So there we are eating and chatting, enjoying every little bit, when Ali spotted Tom walking around by the kitchen. My immediate thought was how cool it was that: he's that kind of boss, who makes casual appearances and doesn't shy away from the lunch or dinner rush times. He is, after all, a local celebrity.
As it turns out, Cass has a background in cooking for a 4-star hotel. So, I was proud of her for not missing the opportunity to approach him as a fan. She later said that normally she wouldn't have the gumption, but since it was her birthday, she made the exception. He told her he would swing by our table in a bit, which he did with one of his cookbooks and a marker in hand. He was very down-to-earth, approachable and engaging. Rachel admirably mentioned that she has thought of opening a restaurant. "Why don't you?" he challenged, to which she replied "fear". He proceeded to lend some valuable insight as to legitimate concerns for those serious about it, but said that the reason should not be out of fear alone.
But I love that he called her on it, and gave some thought-provoking advice. He could have just said, "Really? That’s great. Well, good luck with that". He shared some stories, gave us background on the names of his restaurants, and mentioned that he was looking for a place to open a French restaurant. I’m sure we’ll all be there to check it out when he does!
As though I wasn’t already a fan of his food, I actually liked the guy in person. He turned our special occasion lunch into an experience, and I appreciated that for Cass. She made the whole thing happen in the first place!
