On the Line: Dave MacLennan Of James Republic, Part Two

My friendly line of questioning continues with James Republic's Dave MacLennan. He's one of the chefs participating in our brunch-tastic Fresh Toast event at the end of February. Get to know him a little better, won't you?

Mr. MacLennan's interview kicked off yesterday. Didn't have time to check it out?
No worries. We'll just leave a link right here.

Where did you grow up? If you're not from Orange County, what brought you here?
I grew up on the East Coast in Fort Lauderdale. Opening James Republic brought me to Long Beach, but it's really similar. Just a West Coast version with a little cooler weather and no rain.

When you're not in the kitchen, what are you doing?
I love to play golf, paddle board, watch sports and sight see.

What was your original engineering career track before you switched?
I studied Industrial Engineering at the University of Florida, and took a bunch of physics, chemistry, and computer programming classes that I just did not have the patience for. I have always had a strong mathematical background, so that is why I chose that initially. But it just wasn't for me.

What were you up to five years ago?
A bit of the same. Just a little older (now), but not much wiser.

Last song playing on the radio.
Pixies. Debaser.

What would you be doing if you weren't in this business?
Fishing all day.

Last thing you looked up online:
I was trying to find wicks for candles for the restaurant on Amazon, but adult diapers came up, too.

What other skills do you have outside of the kitchen?
I'm pretty funny. At least I think so. . . 

Last movie watched.
I do watch movies quite a bit. I just saw The Nightmare Before Christmas for the first time.

Do you know what you'll be serving at Fresh Toast?
Not yet, but definitely excited for the event.

For more information and tickets to Fresh Toast on February 27, you can find a link over here.