Baseball. Band. Brothers. Maybe you know how these all relate to David Rossi. And if you don't, that's what part two is for.
Do you know what his favorite dessert is? If you read part one, you would.
And after you can answer that question, it's time to learn some more.
Hardest lesson you've learned:
To not take everything so personal.
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Where did you grow up, and where do you call home these days?
I grew up in Orange, and then moved to Anaheim Hills when I was 10. I currently live in Huntington Beach, and have lived there the last 13 years.
Where was your most recent vacation?
Went to Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Boston on a culinary tour, and saw an Angel game at Fenway. Doesn't get better than that.
How did you meet your wife?
I met Erika while we were working at Napa Rose.
Do you have skills that have nothing to do with food?
I am great at putting stuff together for my wife whenever she comes home with new things for the house. I put together my entire office– my desk, bookshelves, everything.
We read that you were influenced by cooking and travel shows at an early age. What shows did you find yourself watching?
On PBS, there was a show called Great Chefs of the World. This was before Food Network. It was the oldest cooking travel show on television and cable. Every day, they would do a different dish from a different region, and I was fascinated by that. Now, I watch a lot of Netflix, Chef's Table, etc. Shows along those lines.
What's your favorite childhood memory?
Mike and I would play whiffle ball in the side yard. He would pick a team, and I would pick a team, and we would go to bat as a particular player and mimic their batting stance.
Are there advantages to working with family?
One of the advantages is that we are cut from the same cloth. Our memories of food are very similar, so when we're describing flavors and creating dishes, we know the flavors that we're trying to achieve.
Tell us something most people don't know about you.
That I worked at Nordstrom's mens shoe department for eight years. And I played in a band called The LaJakes before I began my culinary career. It was a hard rock, three piece band. We played loud and fun. I started in my early twenties, and stopped playing at 26. Got into the restaurant industry and no longer had weekends off.
When you're not in the restaurant, what are you doing in your free time?
I love going to Angels games with my wife, and I watch a lot of baseball on TV.
What would you be doing if you weren't in the industry?
There really isn't anything else I would be doing. This is my calling.
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A contributing writer for OC Weekly, Anne Marie freelances for multiple online and print publications, and guest judges for culinary competitions. A Bay Area transplant, she graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management from Cal Poly Pomona. Find her on Instagram as brekkiefan.