Living with Willy Wonka

It's Sunday morning.  It just so happens that I am in Wisconsin this Sunday and that means Chef Dave will be busy in the kitchen creating a breakfast extraordinaire.

In the almost 20 years I have been with Dave I have never known this man to not passionately love food.  Food is Dave's art.

Some people just know what they want to be when they grow up.  Perhaps a doctor, lawyer or engineer.  My Dave knew he wanted to be a foodie.  Not only did he know he wanted to be a foodie, he knew he wanted to market and trend food.  It's no surprise that his favorite movie to this day is Willy Wonka.

20 years ago Dave started his career in the beverage industry.  He began as an intern for Coca-Cola, traveling the country doing event marketing.  It was a dream job, traveling, eating and meeting interesting people. 

Not long after his internship he was recruited to a full-time position with Coors Brewing Company to do marketing on the East Coast.  We packed our bags and moved to Washington, D.C. 

Dave spent years with Coors but it wasn't until after the completion of his M.B.A. that his true calling would come to fruition.  He was recruited to a large, Swiss flavor and fragrance company.  The world of flavor and fragrance was a completely different spectrum from the beverage industry.  Dave was intrigued. 

Dave is a full blown foodie.  Entrenched in the flavor world he has a trained palette and describes food as if he is describing a work of art.

People ask me what my husband does for a living and I typically say I'm married to Willy Wonka.  He is responsible for tasting and trending flavors, much like people trend colors for the fashion industry.  He has introduced the girls and I to foodie terminology that we never knew existed and Saturday evenings regularly include our own version of chopped.

As the Director of Consumer Insights for a flavor and fragrance company Dave is pretty brilliant at what he does.  He traveled to Brazil this past December to do a chef tour and trend Brazilian foods for the up and coming year.  When I asked him what he did in Brazil he replied "I ate a lot of food and watched a lot of people."  He consistently tells me that it's not so much about the food as it is the people.  He is fascinated with the how, why, where and what of people when it comes to food and how that translates to trends.

Not only does he pay close attention to the foodie details and habits of others his own personal dedication to food is apparent as well.  He is believer in the organic culture, a supporter of local suppliers and gardener in his own right. 

What I love most about Dave's knowledge of the food world is his ability to share it with others.  When he isn't traveling and dining with chefs around the world he can be found cooking in the kitchen with Ava and Cate or entertaining friends and family.

Not many people in the world can say that they wake up every morning and work their dream job.  Fortunately for Dave, his dream came true.  Fortunately for me, I live with Willy Wonka.

You had me at Toad

It was a cool fall night. Fall at BGSU meant one thing- fun. I was getting ready to go out with some girls for a night on the town. This meant the hot rollers were out, closet raids were happening, the brown clogs and jean jacket would be in full effect. It was 1993. That stuff was cool.

The night took us to house parties, but inevitably you would end up at a little place called Marks. A watering hole dive, it was our Cheers. Everyone knew everyone and if you didn't, well you would by the end of the night.

The night I wore my jean jacket and brown clogs is a night I'll never forget. Standing at the other end of the bar was a guy. Glasses, long hair and a smile. A great smile. Somehow, through the crowd we met in between.

He smiled, dimples in full effect and said "Hi, my name's Toad." Ok, at that point my mom would have been advising me to run. Fast. The guy had long hair and he introduced himself as Toad. Not to mention I was meeting him in a bar.
I didn't run. The rest is history.

Toad, a fraternal name I've been told was given to him, is known as Dave to the rest of the world. I describe him as a golden retriever: laid back, friendly and full of love. The dimples invite you in and his sweetness his innate.

To me, he's my best friend. 20 years with a person, which is now going on half my life, is quite an accomplishment. At least for me it is.

The last six months have been a transition of sorts for us. Dave has been living in Wisconsin. The girls and I have been living in Ohio. I'm just going to come out and say it military spouses, single parents, people not able to be with the ones the love on a daily basis...you're amazing. While I can see the light at the end of my tunnel, I have a new respect for what it means to live day-in and day-out without the other half.

Dave's job is ultimately what's taking us to Wisconsin. While we're a dual-career family, his job is unique and we knew at some point it would be taking us elsewhere. Cate and Ava like to call him Willy Wonka. The Director of Consumer Insights and Market Research for an Irish flavor and fragrance company called Kerry, he loves what he does. Waking up to trend food, meet chefs and  explore the world he's fortunate to have found his passion. The boy I met 20 years ago from the country has certainly come a long way.

The weekend commutes are getting harder and the weeks just feel longer. We miss our family dinners and movie nights. Everything and everyone gets crammed into a weekend.

Dave flew home last night instead of driving. The drives usually mean we won't see him until breakfast Saturday morning. We were anticipating an early arrival, however, the plane was stuck on the runway. We enjoyed another gourmet breakfast compliments of Chef Toad.

I would question that old adage that distance makes the heart grow fonder. I think it's more appropriate to say that distance is not for the weak at heart. Here's hoping for nothing but blue skies from now on.