Untangled Vine

My youngest brother occassionally pulls out the quote from Almost Famous about being uncool. Well, I'd like to appropriate that and make a modification. "The only currency left in this bankrupt world (of wine) is what 2 people share when they are geeks, and Chris Watson and I are geeks" Furthermore, my other brother has given me a pretty good working definition of the difference between a geek and a nerd. A geek gets excited about details that no one else cares about, while a nerd is so obsessed with the mundane details that it overwhelms their social abilities. I know that it's a fine line, but when you live as close to that line as I do, I think it's important to draw it.

Anyhoo, I have been meaning to post about the great evening we had with two of our favorite people, Chris Watson (photo, center)and his lovely fiancee Erin (photo,left), a few weeks back. Heather (photo, right) and I were invited over for a little lasagna and wine (note the little is on the lasagna, not the wine). After a few bottles, It occurred to me that one of the reasons that Chris and I get along so well is that we share the exact same level of enthusiasm for Food & Wine. And I know as much about wine as he knows about food, and my food knowledge is on par with his wine knowledge. So we could ask each other questions all night long, but the other halves would get tired of rolling thier eyes. But it brings me to a point, enthusiasm is a quality that is overlooked in almost every industry. Rarely is enthusiasm listed among the qualifications for a resume, and if anything, it can be a complement when nothing else comes to mind durinag a review. But the quality that may be overlooked is often the most important ingredient for success. Naysayers never change the world, it's impossible to to start a half-hearted revolution. And Chris has enthusiasm, his biggest hurdle has been getting the rest of the world to buy into it.
As one of the most talented chefs I know, Chris has had no trouble plating it up, it's when someone finds him that thinks they want to hitch their wagon to him, until he he presents the unexpected ,and try to limit what he does. So his latest and greatest gig is a little restaurant in Ojai called Bodee's. And the acclaim is huge, but I suspect that he will continue to be a rising star in the world of wine and food, and one day, someone will close their eyes and take a ride on the What can Chris really do if left unencumbered Express!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2006 at 5:23 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.