Santo Scavuzzo III

The first choreographer I ever worked with (I was 5 years old at the time) would always say we had to know every count and all the choreography before we could goof around. I, being the social butterfly that I am, programmed myself to learn the steps as quickly as possible just so I could play with my friends. That advice has stuck with me my entire life — it helped me pick up choreo quickly as a dancer; memorize menus, ingredients, allergies, etc. as a server; and be reliable and proficient as a People Coordinator and Recruiter. My work is a reflection of me, and I can't enjoy myself unless I know the work I'm putting out is of high quality. Plus, I just wanna play.

I make sure I spend a lot of time with family and friends. I travel a lot and go on vacation. And I drink Costco wine and try all the free samples while shopping for the wine.

We can train anyone to use a POS system, take an order, plate a dish, or make a drink. But warmth? Genuine hospitality? Empathy? Those are innate.

Now, on Sundays, I make some sort of pasta dish for my partner and me as a way to de-stress by way of tradition. It really grounds me.

my colleagues directly around me, the back of house staff that works harmoniously to put a beautiful dish on a plate, the front of house staff that works harmoniously to deliver that plate to a table, the look of inquisitive students that are seeing our spaces for the first time on their field trip, the excited email I receive from someone who came to me looking for a job and now has one at BRG, an announcement that the group is expanding — Boka Restaurant Group and the Chicago food scene in general have inspiration pulsing through their veins; it's truly electrifying.

I love a new recipe and reading the reviews... especially the bad ones.