We learn more about the nerd (his word, not ours) who can 'que in today's installment. Copious amounts of pizza, Pandora and pride await you, so let's get crackin'.
We kicked things off Monday with a bunch of food-related inquiries.
You haven't seen it? Well, it's right over here.
Did you know it keeps going below? Now you do.
Hardest lesson you've learned:
I learned that I carried around a lot of pride. I learned this during my basketball playing days, and shattering my Achilles humbled that career in one instant.
]
What turns you on– creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
I'm a nerd, I play chess a lot on my tablet. Spiritually, it's church with my family, and living my life according to the Bible.
What's your favorite childhood memory?
Family vacations each year to visit our relatives in Texas.
Last song playing on your radio:
I'll date myself here, but my favorite Pandora stations are Billy Idol, Adam Ant, and to bring it more current, Dishwalla.
What was your corporate job before starting Tri-Tip Man?
I spent many years in Treasury departments at large corporations, but my last job was a product manager at a large credit union.
Where did you grow up? If you're not from Orange County, what brought you here?
I grew up in the mean streets (kidding) of the suburbs, an hour west of Chicago (Oh, add Chicago-style pizza to the list of favorites.). My bride of 26 years brought me here. We met at Wheaton College in Illinois, but she's from Pasadena. Best move I ever made.
When you're not in the kitchen creating, what are you doing?
Hanging out with my family. I have a lovely wife and four great kids, and I like to be around them.
Tell us something most people don't know about you.
I really care about people, and I've always loved to feed people. I'm generous, and if I didn't have such high food costs, or need to make a living, I'd love to give it all away! I also have a heart for the homeless. If anyone wants to help out the OC Rescue Mission by donating the food, I'd love to serve them. A great organization.
Last movie watched; how was it?
Last movie I saw was the new Avengers. Here come the boos. It was okay, but lite on plot, and the action scenes were just too long. Give me a good UFC matchup. Have you seen that Irish overnight sensation, Conner McGregor?
Last thing you looked up/searched online:
I had to go to Thesaurus.com to answer this questionnaire!
What would you like to be doing if you weren't in this business?
I'd love to travel a bit, and go on some of those vacations we didn't do, but then I'd like to serve at a place like OCRM (OC Rescue Mission), a soup kitchen, or mobile van helping others by feeding them. Or have that little BBQ place.
Do you have any skills that are non-food related?
I used to be able to say basketball was my skill, but that was a long time ago. Now, I can do a grocery shopping trip, and count the amount in my head and be within a dollar. I can't count a box of toothpicks that fell on the ground though, or count cards in Vegas (Rain Man reference).
Is there anything you'd like readers to know that we haven't asked?
Come try our quality food and meet our staff. We'd love to see you.
Learn more about Tri-Tip Man at www.tritipman.com.
Follow Stick a Fork In It on Twitter @ocweeklyfood or on Facebook! And don't forget to download our free Best Of App here!
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.