Sept. 27, 2025

EXPERIENCE 240 | Keep Your Burritos Local with Paul Michaelson, Owner of Matador Mexican Grill

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Season 5

Paul Michaelson left an early stage financial planning career track soon after graduating from CSU to launch a 2-location Taco Del Mar franchise in Fort Collins, in partnership with his brother-in-law.  When the franchisor proved to be more of a hindrance than a help, they split off to become Matador Mexican Grill off Harmony and Timberline, and Toro - a quick-serve restaurant in Campus West, reliant upon the Matador’s kitchen - and about 10 trips across town each day for Paul!  

Toro soon disappeared, but Matador has become a Fort Collins landmark, and staple food source for white-collar and blue collar, takeout and traveller alike.  My relationship with Matador began when I was a banker at Capital West Bank, kitty-corner across the street, and at least every other Wednesday I would go in for their smothered burrito special, ghost sauce on the inside and bathing in Matador’s delicious hot green chili.  Drink two Arnold Palmers while eating my burrito, building a sweat and then a shiver - and returning to the office in an altered state was my habit on Wednesdays, and it’s been a joy to reconnect with Paul as a collaborator of the Hot Nugs Conversation Series with Fort Collins Mayoral Candidates.  

Paul’s is a journey of resilience, dedication, customer loyalty, and continuous deliciousness and creativity, so please enjoy, as I did, my conversation with Paul Michaelson.  

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Music By: A Brother's Fountain

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:00.050 --> 00:00:09.439
Paul Michelson left an early stage financial planning career track soon after graduating CSU to launch a two location Taco Del Mar franchise in Fort Collins.

00:00:09.529 --> 00:00:19.129
In partnership with his brother-in-law, when the franchisor approved to be more of a hindrance than a help, they split off to become Matador Mexican Grill off harmony in Timberline and Toro.

00:00:19.129 --> 00:00:25.879
A quick serve restaurant on campus West, reliant upon Matador's Kitchen and about 10 trips across the town each day.

00:00:25.879 --> 00:00:26.300
For Paul.

00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:34.939
Toro soon disappeared, but Matador has become a Fort Collins landmark and staple food source for white collar and blue collar takeout and traveler alike.

00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:44.119
My relationship with Matador began when I was a banker at Capital West Bank Kitty Corner across the street, and at least every other Wednesday I would go in for their smothered.

00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:49.840
Burrito, special ghost sauce on the inside and bathing in Matador's Delicious hot green chili.

00:00:50.770 --> 00:00:55.240
Drink two Arnold Palmers while eating my burrito, building a sweat and then a shiver.

00:00:55.659 --> 00:01:05.980
And returning to the office in an altered state was my habit on Wednesdays, and it's been a joy to reconnect with Paul as a collaborator on the Hot Nugs Conversation series with Fort Collins mayoral candidates.

00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:12.980
Paul's is a journey of resilience, dedication, customer loyalty, and continuous deliciousness and creativity.

00:01:13.370 --> 00:01:16.515
So please enjoy as I did my conversation with Paul Michelson.

00:01:54.206 --> 00:01:56.307
Welcome back to the Loco Experience Podcast.

00:01:56.397 --> 00:01:59.292
I'm joined today by Paul Michelson.

00:01:59.576 --> 00:01:59.727
Correct?

00:01:59.727 --> 00:02:00.477
Is that how you say it?

00:02:00.686 --> 00:02:02.456
It's kind of a confusing name.

00:02:02.486 --> 00:02:02.906
'cause it's,

00:02:02.912 --> 00:02:03.566
it's'cause it's simple.

00:02:03.867 --> 00:02:05.637
Well, and there's not, it's it's a rare one.

00:02:06.177 --> 00:02:06.387
Yeah.

00:02:06.387 --> 00:02:07.137
It reeds just like it.

00:02:07.197 --> 00:02:07.736
It's, yeah.

00:02:07.736 --> 00:02:09.056
Apparently it sounds just like a res Right.

00:02:09.056 --> 00:02:11.037
But I ha I see a lot of mickelson.

00:02:11.187 --> 00:02:11.336
Yep.

00:02:11.336 --> 00:02:13.676
Like you don't have the a EL on the Michelson.

00:02:14.037 --> 00:02:17.516
Uh, it's spelled SEN on the n instead of ON, which it's two three different.

00:02:17.667 --> 00:02:20.276
So it's not Michael's son, it's Michael's sin.

00:02:20.276 --> 00:02:21.116
So more like.

00:02:21.507 --> 00:02:22.706
Danish style or something?

00:02:22.856 --> 00:02:23.637
Uh, I believe so, yes.

00:02:24.056 --> 00:02:30.026
'cause I, I think there's Sins and Sons depending, the Norwegians were more the sons and the Danes were more the sins.

00:02:30.266 --> 00:02:30.537
Alright.

00:02:31.796 --> 00:02:32.007
I,

00:02:32.486 --> 00:02:34.887
you look like a Viking kind of of some sort a little bit.

00:02:36.206 --> 00:02:38.727
So you are the owner of Matador Mexican Grill.

00:02:38.937 --> 00:02:39.387
Yes.

00:02:39.507 --> 00:02:45.537
And, uh, you are a collaborator also on the Hot Nugs conversation series.

00:02:45.657 --> 00:02:45.747
Mm-hmm.

00:02:46.076 --> 00:02:49.046
Uh, because of your affinity for making wonderful hot sauces.

00:02:49.646 --> 00:02:51.086
Uh, which I've known for.

00:02:51.266 --> 00:02:52.076
Do you remember?

00:02:52.137 --> 00:02:54.687
Um, me from way back in the day?

00:02:55.347 --> 00:02:55.826
Vaguely.

00:02:55.947 --> 00:02:56.396
Vaguely.

00:02:56.486 --> 00:02:56.697
Yeah.

00:02:56.697 --> 00:02:59.606
Because I worked across Kitty Corner across the street at Capital West Bank.

00:02:59.667 --> 00:03:00.146
Right, right.

00:03:00.206 --> 00:03:02.067
When you were first kind of opened out there.

00:03:02.157 --> 00:03:02.217
Okay.

00:03:02.217 --> 00:03:02.396
Yeah.

00:03:02.516 --> 00:03:06.657
And at least every other Wednesday I would come in for your smothered burrito special.

00:03:06.776 --> 00:03:06.866
Yep.

00:03:06.986 --> 00:03:07.287
Right on.

00:03:07.467 --> 00:03:08.396
Was kind of my thing.

00:03:09.086 --> 00:03:09.447
So

00:03:09.836 --> 00:03:11.247
that's still the most popular, is that right?

00:03:11.396 --> 00:03:11.606
Yep.

00:03:11.757 --> 00:03:12.176
By far.

00:03:12.236 --> 00:03:12.986
That's the busy day.

00:03:13.137 --> 00:03:13.317
Yep.

00:03:13.736 --> 00:03:14.116
Which we could have.

00:03:14.877 --> 00:03:16.257
Four more busy days like that.

00:03:16.317 --> 00:03:16.736
Absolutely.

00:03:16.741 --> 00:03:16.842
Absolutely.

00:03:17.037 --> 00:03:22.437
So, uh, I guess for people that are aren't familiar, tell uh, tell folks about your, your shop.

00:03:22.497 --> 00:03:23.667
Uh, just kind of overview,

00:03:24.206 --> 00:03:25.676
uh, mission style burritos.

00:03:25.676 --> 00:03:33.146
So they're big burritos, rice and beans, meat and all the fixings kinda, uh, the birthplace is, uh, the mission area of San Francisco.

00:03:33.236 --> 00:03:33.507
Okay.

00:03:33.717 --> 00:03:34.646
So little, little south of the bay.

00:03:35.067 --> 00:03:35.637
So that notion

00:03:35.637 --> 00:03:38.217
of like, like having a full meal sized burrito almost.

00:03:38.217 --> 00:03:38.276
Yeah.

00:03:38.336 --> 00:03:39.086
All day burrito,

00:03:39.477 --> 00:03:46.616
uh, Chipotle, Qdoba do something similar, of course locally, big city, um, illegal pizza, so that, that, that kind of giant style.

00:03:46.796 --> 00:03:47.157
Mm-hmm.

00:03:47.396 --> 00:03:49.826
Uh, and it's a kind of choose your own adventure.

00:03:49.826 --> 00:03:55.407
You walk down the line, you point to the ingredients you want, and we make it right in front of you and then roll it up and hopefully you enjoy it.

00:03:55.977 --> 00:03:58.377
Um, how many square feet you got over there?

00:03:58.377 --> 00:03:59.037
A couple thousand.

00:03:59.396 --> 00:04:00.567
Uh, it's pretty small.

00:04:00.567 --> 00:04:02.276
It's actually, uh, 1650.

00:04:02.366 --> 00:04:02.727
Okay.

00:04:02.727 --> 00:04:03.026
So

00:04:03.086 --> 00:04:03.986
with the kitchen and everything?

00:04:04.106 --> 00:04:04.497
Yeah.

00:04:04.556 --> 00:04:04.977
Okay.

00:04:05.681 --> 00:04:08.141
So seating for 40 or something?

00:04:08.292 --> 00:04:08.502
Yeah.

00:04:08.502 --> 00:04:08.651
Right.

00:04:08.651 --> 00:04:09.822
At that, I think without the patio.

00:04:09.882 --> 00:04:10.032
Yeah.

00:04:10.032 --> 00:04:12.072
I think once you hit 40, you need to get an extra bathroom.

00:04:12.072 --> 00:04:14.861
So I think we intentionally shot for 39 or whatever.

00:04:15.581 --> 00:04:15.822
Fair

00:04:15.822 --> 00:04:16.182
enough.

00:04:16.362 --> 00:04:19.391
And probably a lot of go food, a lot of catering, things like that too.

00:04:19.391 --> 00:04:20.742
Or what's your, what's your mix?

00:04:20.802 --> 00:04:21.401
Yeah.

00:04:21.401 --> 00:04:23.742
Um, uh, there's really two different day parts.

00:04:23.742 --> 00:04:31.692
There's the, the morning slash lunch is, uh, pretty heavy in store and then afternoon evenings pretty much takeout for everybody.

00:04:31.697 --> 00:04:31.766
Mm-hmm.

00:04:31.846 --> 00:04:33.252
People grabbing burritos on the way home.

00:04:33.341 --> 00:04:33.672
Right.

00:04:33.851 --> 00:04:34.091
Yeah.

00:04:34.391 --> 00:04:40.031
Uh, catering side picks up, uh, graduation time, uh, summer parties and then Christmas parties.

00:04:40.151 --> 00:04:40.362
Yeah.

00:04:40.512 --> 00:04:41.622
Seasonal, kinda seasonal stuff.

00:04:41.622 --> 00:04:41.846
Yeah, yeah.

00:04:41.891 --> 00:04:42.192
Yeah.

00:04:42.281 --> 00:04:45.791
That's gravy on top and everybody has to work a little harder'cause Right.

00:04:45.791 --> 00:04:48.281
The staffing probably doesn't change too much in those short seasons.

00:04:48.312 --> 00:04:48.581
Yeah.

00:04:48.581 --> 00:04:51.341
You normally, you don't, uh, get to choose when you're gonna do those.

00:04:51.341 --> 00:04:54.791
A lot of'em are just next day and it, the schedule's already out and that's when your,

00:04:54.791 --> 00:04:57.401
uh, head dishwasher roll kicks in more effectively.

00:04:57.432 --> 00:04:57.552
Yes.

00:04:57.701 --> 00:04:57.882
Yeah.

00:04:58.242 --> 00:05:00.971
So when do you find time for all the creativity?

00:05:01.002 --> 00:05:03.132
'cause it seems to me that.

00:05:03.762 --> 00:05:06.791
Your business is definitely a platform for your creativity.

00:05:07.721 --> 00:05:11.771
Uh, y well, when you're, you're around food all the time, you're always talking to people about food.

00:05:11.771 --> 00:05:13.331
You're always doing food things.

00:05:13.331 --> 00:05:14.291
You're watching food shows.

00:05:15.012 --> 00:05:17.802
Uh, and you, you never know when inspiration's gonna hit.

00:05:18.372 --> 00:05:22.271
Uh, I remember one of the sauces that I make is a maple jalapeno sauce.

00:05:22.271 --> 00:05:23.442
You do it for our breakfast britos.

00:05:23.502 --> 00:05:23.682
Mm.

00:05:24.312 --> 00:05:28.302
And uh, I was actually at Sam's Club one time and I was staring at the honey.

00:05:28.302 --> 00:05:29.891
I couldn't remember if we had enough honey or not.

00:05:30.942 --> 00:05:32.682
And I put my arm up and I knocked over a Mrs.

00:05:32.682 --> 00:05:33.161
Butterworth.

00:05:33.701 --> 00:05:35.322
I'm like, well, you put jalapenos in that.

00:05:35.651 --> 00:05:35.982
Mm.

00:05:36.521 --> 00:05:38.982
So very popular sauce and a lot of people love it.

00:05:38.987 --> 00:05:40.242
Yeah, it is great with breakfast burrito.

00:05:40.242 --> 00:05:43.122
So, uh, I mean, you're just kinda always thinking about food.

00:05:43.127 --> 00:05:46.601
You, you're kinda a fat kid, so it just never stops.

00:05:46.661 --> 00:05:47.442
It's just goes in there.

00:05:47.502 --> 00:05:47.951
Yeah.

00:05:47.956 --> 00:05:47.997
Yeah.

00:05:48.492 --> 00:05:51.911
Um, and staff of probably, what, a dozen or something?

00:05:51.911 --> 00:05:52.331
A little more than now?

00:05:52.336 --> 00:05:52.901
Uh, 17 right now.

00:05:52.901 --> 00:05:53.351
17.

00:05:53.357 --> 00:05:53.476
Okay.

00:05:54.266 --> 00:05:57.776
Uh, and mostly part-timers kind of rotating shifts or more, more full-time.

00:05:58.047 --> 00:05:59.947
Uh, actually more full-timers we've got, uh, okay.

00:06:00.112 --> 00:06:02.666
So we'll be, uh, 16 in October.

00:06:02.817 --> 00:06:03.177
Okay.

00:06:03.627 --> 00:06:08.096
And, uh, I, we've got half a dozen people that have been there for 10 plus years.

00:06:08.127 --> 00:06:08.576
Wow.

00:06:08.906 --> 00:06:11.726
So, uh, most of the staff doesn't change very often.

00:06:11.846 --> 00:06:12.057
Yeah.

00:06:12.297 --> 00:06:19.797
Uh, we'll get some high school, college kids, part-timers kind of rolling through the evenings, weekends, uh, but the core has really been there for most of it.

00:06:19.797 --> 00:06:20.007
Really.

00:06:20.007 --> 00:06:20.156
That's

00:06:20.156 --> 00:06:20.576
really cool.

00:06:20.576 --> 00:06:25.916
And how many are on at a time, typically, like, full, full team on deck for the lunch rush on Wednesday?

00:06:26.396 --> 00:06:26.726
Yeah.

00:06:26.726 --> 00:06:29.247
We'll, we'll run four, we'll have three on the line and then we'll guy in the kitchen.

00:06:29.576 --> 00:06:29.997
Okay.

00:06:29.997 --> 00:06:31.766
Uh, dinners will usually drop down to three.

00:06:31.916 --> 00:06:32.216
Okay.

00:06:33.026 --> 00:06:34.526
Uh, and then three to close to finish it off.

00:06:34.646 --> 00:06:34.887
Okay.

00:06:35.726 --> 00:06:38.726
Um, and what's your most popular,

00:06:40.226 --> 00:06:43.887
uh, you know, uh, I, I call it the bro Rito'cause all the high school kids get it.

00:06:44.721 --> 00:06:45.012
Okay.

00:06:45.627 --> 00:06:49.137
The, uh, jalapeno cheddar tortilla, white rice, black beans, queso chicken.

00:06:50.516 --> 00:06:51.146
Just like that.

00:06:51.357 --> 00:06:51.627
Yep.

00:06:51.987 --> 00:06:56.036
So even though we try creative and fun stuff all the time, it's still grilled chicken is always the number one.

00:06:56.096 --> 00:06:56.396
Is that

00:06:56.396 --> 00:06:56.637
right?

00:06:56.697 --> 00:06:56.877
Yeah.

00:06:57.086 --> 00:07:04.197
I didn't realize, I thought, I thought beef was a lot heavier in nutrition than chicken on almost full spectrum.

00:07:04.197 --> 00:07:07.526
But chicken ounce rounds on protein especially is magnificent.

00:07:07.737 --> 00:07:07.976
Right.

00:07:08.036 --> 00:07:14.456
You know, it doesn't have the multivitamins, this and that, but you know, it's a lot cheaper than beef these days, which is a good population.

00:07:14.456 --> 00:07:14.666
Yeah.

00:07:14.666 --> 00:07:19.406
I imagine you have to charge more for your beef even than you used to, or do you have to keep it paired?

00:07:19.406 --> 00:07:21.776
Any kinda, um, few smaller scoops.

00:07:22.197 --> 00:07:25.166
Well, I've tried really hard not to shrink ation anything.

00:07:25.166 --> 00:07:25.406
Right.

00:07:25.466 --> 00:07:27.867
Keep it, keep, uh, people consistent with what they're getting.

00:07:28.677 --> 00:07:30.656
Uh, and that, that's just one of those things that goes up and down.

00:07:30.656 --> 00:07:32.007
You can never predict when it's gonna happen.

00:07:32.127 --> 00:07:33.146
Just kind of, kind of hold to it a

00:07:33.146 --> 00:07:33.656
little bit.

00:07:33.656 --> 00:07:33.927
Yeah.

00:07:33.927 --> 00:07:35.276
Some days it's great, some days it's not.

00:07:35.307 --> 00:07:35.487
So.

00:07:35.487 --> 00:07:35.637
Yeah.

00:07:35.846 --> 00:07:35.997
Yeah.

00:07:35.997 --> 00:07:38.317
So it goes, so what, what, uh, what.

00:07:38.906 --> 00:07:41.247
Caused you to get into the burrito business.

00:07:41.276 --> 00:07:51.416
Like what was the setting I want set me, set the stage for me and we'll go back into the, all the way back machine at some point, you know, uh, set the stage for when Matador first opened.

00:07:51.416 --> 00:07:52.497
You said 16 years

00:07:52.497 --> 00:07:52.706
ago?

00:07:52.826 --> 00:07:53.666
16 years ago.

00:07:53.666 --> 00:07:58.766
But prior to that, um, my brother-in-law, uh, his uncle is a subway guy.

00:07:58.766 --> 00:08:00.416
He owns a bunch of subways in Nebraska.

00:08:00.476 --> 00:08:00.896
Oh, okay.

00:08:00.987 --> 00:08:01.797
South Dakota.

00:08:01.916 --> 00:08:03.627
Um, I don't even know.

00:08:03.627 --> 00:08:04.377
Dozens and dozens.

00:08:04.377 --> 00:08:04.437
Yeah.

00:08:04.646 --> 00:08:05.817
Did really good at it.

00:08:05.817 --> 00:08:07.197
'cause he is got a really nice car and all that.

00:08:07.197 --> 00:08:07.497
Right?

00:08:07.497 --> 00:08:08.007
Absolutely.

00:08:08.187 --> 00:08:12.266
Um, and then he was approached by a franchise called Taco Delmar.

00:08:12.326 --> 00:08:13.317
They're based outta Seattle.

00:08:13.346 --> 00:08:13.586
Yeah.

00:08:14.007 --> 00:08:15.927
Uh, very similar to Subway.

00:08:15.927 --> 00:08:16.016
Yeah.

00:08:16.016 --> 00:08:17.576
There's one in Longmont I've stopped at before.

00:08:17.576 --> 00:08:17.817
I think.

00:08:18.627 --> 00:08:19.857
Um, I think they're all.

00:08:20.922 --> 00:08:21.882
All West Coast.

00:08:21.882 --> 00:08:24.012
Now they've, they've had some issues, but, oh, is that right?

00:08:24.221 --> 00:08:27.581
So, uh, he was approached by those guys because it's very similar to the Subway model.

00:08:27.581 --> 00:08:28.572
That's what they were trying to copy.

00:08:28.721 --> 00:08:28.961
Yeah.

00:08:29.232 --> 00:08:31.872
And, uh, he decided he was gonna open a few in Nebraska.

00:08:31.872 --> 00:08:33.192
He said, Hey guys, this looks like fun.

00:08:33.221 --> 00:08:33.881
You should, yeah.

00:08:33.942 --> 00:08:34.241
Get in.

00:08:34.241 --> 00:08:36.221
We can, you know, grow together with this thing.

00:08:36.912 --> 00:08:38.682
So, uh, we opened up Taco del Mar.

00:08:38.892 --> 00:08:39.221
Okay.

00:08:39.282 --> 00:08:40.751
There's one next to Jim's wings.

00:08:40.991 --> 00:08:41.172
Okay.

00:08:41.172 --> 00:08:41.591
James West.

00:08:41.591 --> 00:08:43.272
And then the one, the location we're at now.

00:08:43.511 --> 00:08:43.721
Oh.

00:08:44.022 --> 00:08:44.892
On Harmony and Timberland.

00:08:44.922 --> 00:08:45.251
Okay.

00:08:45.822 --> 00:08:47.772
And, uh, it just wasn't gonna work.

00:08:47.772 --> 00:08:48.402
Didn't catch on.

00:08:48.942 --> 00:08:51.642
No, it was, it was subway model, so everything was microwave food.

00:08:51.642 --> 00:08:52.601
Everything was pre-made.

00:08:52.932 --> 00:08:56.501
Like we didn't have any kit kitchen time, no prep time, like everything came.

00:08:56.532 --> 00:08:57.282
Oh, gross.

00:08:57.312 --> 00:08:57.731
Yeah.

00:08:58.302 --> 00:09:04.211
And I, I was a finance guy when I, I went, that's went to school for finance and economics, so I didn't know what I was doing.

00:09:04.721 --> 00:09:04.961
So.

00:09:04.961 --> 00:09:05.111
And

00:09:05.111 --> 00:09:06.251
what was your place in life?

00:09:06.251 --> 00:09:10.841
Were you, um, like, had you worked in restaurants and things too, or Not really?

00:09:10.841 --> 00:09:12.221
Some fast food in high school, but yeah, it was

00:09:12.312 --> 00:09:13.991
never, uh, never a restaurant guy.

00:09:14.052 --> 00:09:19.241
But you were a finance guy, so you were quickly seeing the, the bloody red ink on the bottom of your profit loss.

00:09:19.241 --> 00:09:19.251
Right,

00:09:19.392 --> 00:09:19.662
right.

00:09:19.692 --> 00:09:24.282
So, uh, we ended up taking them to arbitration and, uh, to, to break our contract.

00:09:24.312 --> 00:09:24.672
Yeah.

00:09:24.672 --> 00:09:24.682
Yeah.

00:09:25.062 --> 00:09:29.951
And since we had invested so much time and money, we just decided we're gonna do our own thing after this, if we can finish this off.

00:09:29.951 --> 00:09:30.011
So.

00:09:30.192 --> 00:09:31.902
We were able to break off from them.

00:09:32.201 --> 00:09:32.532
Okay.

00:09:32.652 --> 00:09:34.272
Uh, and then we created Matador.

00:09:34.392 --> 00:09:34.841
Okay.

00:09:35.022 --> 00:09:37.121
And, uh, had no idea.

00:09:37.121 --> 00:09:37.331
So like, why

00:09:37.331 --> 00:09:38.711
you're fighting with them to break off.

00:09:38.711 --> 00:09:42.312
You're like, how about a bull with a circle around it or something like that?

00:09:42.731 --> 00:09:47.351
Uh, traded, uh, a, a loyal customer, some fish tacos for her expertise in the logo.

00:09:47.351 --> 00:09:48.042
So it was great.

00:09:48.881 --> 00:09:49.662
Uh, I got

00:09:49.662 --> 00:09:51.402
my first logo for$75.

00:09:51.402 --> 00:09:52.631
So it sounds like you need to do better.

00:09:52.631 --> 00:09:52.812
Yep.

00:09:52.991 --> 00:09:53.351
Your stock

00:09:53.351 --> 00:09:55.302
is your universal delicious food.

00:09:55.302 --> 00:09:59.591
So, uh, but it, it took so long to finish the arbitration.

00:09:59.591 --> 00:10:08.501
We didn't know when we were gonna actually break out or if we could Oh, so you started even before, so kind of, I mean, you know, started Washing Food Network and your Okay.

00:10:08.591 --> 00:10:10.542
You know, I didn't really know what else to do.

00:10:10.542 --> 00:10:15.072
I'm still having to run the restaurant full time, so I'm, you know, watching videos on YouTube.

00:10:15.076 --> 00:10:15.356
Yeah.

00:10:15.461 --> 00:10:15.672
Yeah.

00:10:15.731 --> 00:10:17.802
Uh, trying to learn anything I can about food and.

00:10:18.341 --> 00:10:21.072
I mean, I was a mediocre cook at best.

00:10:21.162 --> 00:10:21.192
Okay.

00:10:21.251 --> 00:10:23.147
I don't know to argue now, but Yeah.

00:10:23.152 --> 00:10:23.442
Yeah.

00:10:23.442 --> 00:10:25.062
Uh, going into this, so, yeah.

00:10:25.062 --> 00:10:25.072
Yeah.

00:10:25.241 --> 00:10:27.461
Uh, it was really just kinda all exploded at once.

00:10:27.461 --> 00:10:28.782
It happened basically overnight.

00:10:28.782 --> 00:10:29.501
We weren't ready for it.

00:10:30.101 --> 00:10:32.711
Uh, so we closed down for about three weeks.

00:10:32.741 --> 00:10:33.101
Okay.

00:10:33.341 --> 00:10:34.991
Painted it, got new equipment.

00:10:35.052 --> 00:10:35.322
Yep.

00:10:35.652 --> 00:10:38.981
Uh, one thing with Taco Delmar was there was no grease trap.

00:10:39.011 --> 00:10:39.942
There was no vent hood.

00:10:40.331 --> 00:10:40.422
Right.

00:10:40.631 --> 00:10:41.711
So it was just all microwave.

00:10:41.711 --> 00:10:45.341
So we had to, we had to basically learn how to cook and we had to put a kitchen in the spot we, we were in.

00:10:45.552 --> 00:10:45.642
Mm-hmm.

00:10:45.942 --> 00:10:47.621
So that's kind of why our spot's so small.

00:10:47.711 --> 00:10:47.981
Mm.

00:10:48.011 --> 00:10:48.402
Seating wise.

00:10:48.402 --> 00:10:48.611
'cause we

00:10:48.611 --> 00:10:49.572
didn't need that room.

00:10:49.601 --> 00:10:50.142
Yeah.

00:10:50.142 --> 00:10:50.152
Yeah.

00:10:50.471 --> 00:10:50.981
For the kitchen.

00:10:50.981 --> 00:10:51.942
'cause it just didn't exist.

00:10:51.942 --> 00:10:52.062
Do

00:10:52.062 --> 00:10:53.922
you feel like it could constrained by the size?

00:10:53.922 --> 00:10:56.802
Like should you have, or is it just more space, more money?

00:10:57.432 --> 00:11:00.761
Um, there's days Wednesday you definitely want some more space in the right.

00:11:01.631 --> 00:11:07.091
Um, I, I think if there's more room, I think people would probably be more apt to, to stay.

00:11:07.572 --> 00:11:07.782
Yeah.

00:11:07.841 --> 00:11:13.961
Instead of go, I, I can definitely see on a busier lunchtime, uh, people look around and go, well, I'll take it to go today.

00:11:14.022 --> 00:11:14.201
Yeah.

00:11:14.201 --> 00:11:14.471
Yeah.

00:11:14.652 --> 00:11:17.261
So, but more, more take it to go than.

00:11:17.846 --> 00:11:18.836
Walk back outside.

00:11:18.927 --> 00:11:19.616
Right, right.

00:11:19.677 --> 00:11:29.006
So that's a compliment to your chefs as well, I would say, you know, and, and the relative, like, actually there's pretty good restaurants down in that corridor now.

00:11:29.006 --> 00:11:32.096
Like when you opened you were like, nobody, there was nobody.

00:11:32.096 --> 00:11:32.517
Yeah.

00:11:32.606 --> 00:11:35.126
Uh, I mean, there was a few, but not much.

00:11:35.606 --> 00:11:38.667
Uh, now there's like, probably five does pretty good food over there.

00:11:38.726 --> 00:11:38.787
Yeah.

00:11:38.787 --> 00:11:44.336
And, uh, oh, even the Down by Ace Hardware, the Mexican restaurant there.

00:11:44.427 --> 00:11:45.746
Uh, Lebo.

00:11:45.746 --> 00:11:45.756
Navita.

00:11:45.777 --> 00:11:46.106
Yeah.

00:11:46.111 --> 00:11:46.131
Yeah.

00:11:46.706 --> 00:11:47.636
I like that shop too.

00:11:47.642 --> 00:11:47.892
Yeah.

00:11:47.897 --> 00:11:47.996
Yeah.

00:11:48.057 --> 00:11:50.636
It feels like a Mexican resort to be there.

00:11:50.636 --> 00:11:53.397
They're just very polished and very well-trained staff.

00:11:53.456 --> 00:11:53.937
All that absolute.

00:11:54.537 --> 00:12:00.211
So, uh, so you're going through this mayhem, but bring it together like, uh, well, the,

00:12:00.236 --> 00:12:01.256
the numbers still weren't there.

00:12:01.346 --> 00:12:01.767
Okay.

00:12:01.767 --> 00:12:06.537
We knew we still weren't good enough, so it was just kinda one of those things where we're gonna look at every single item we have.

00:12:07.091 --> 00:12:08.501
We're gonna try and make the recipe better.

00:12:08.652 --> 00:12:08.861
Mm.

00:12:09.251 --> 00:12:10.211
And then we're gonna go to the next one.

00:12:10.841 --> 00:12:14.621
And then slowly over the course of months we started dialing stuff in and more people trying.

00:12:14.621 --> 00:12:15.746
So just continuous improvement project.

00:12:16.062 --> 00:12:16.331
Yeah.

00:12:16.331 --> 00:12:19.392
So it took us about two years to really get moving.

00:12:19.481 --> 00:12:19.812
Okay.

00:12:20.172 --> 00:12:25.241
And then once we hit that point, you know, sales were good enough to, to keep doing it and keep fighting.

00:12:25.272 --> 00:12:30.881
So, um, and then, you know, but it was a couple years really of getting it, was it to the Black ink, even

00:12:30.881 --> 00:12:32.652
without the franchise fees and all that.

00:12:32.682 --> 00:12:32.951
Right.

00:12:33.701 --> 00:12:35.471
Well, glad you made it.

00:12:35.591 --> 00:12:35.922
Yeah.

00:12:36.942 --> 00:12:37.121
It would

00:12:37.121 --> 00:12:40.902
be weird to not have a Matador in town, I think for, I would feel kind of awkward about it, but, well,

00:12:40.902 --> 00:12:42.642
and you eventually did an expansion.

00:12:43.017 --> 00:12:44.996
To a campus West thing too?

00:12:45.267 --> 00:12:46.647
Or was that part of the Taco de Marr?

00:12:46.647 --> 00:12:47.667
That was the Taco del Mar.

00:12:47.726 --> 00:12:50.336
Oh, so both locations were Matador for a while?

00:12:50.427 --> 00:12:51.866
Well, we couldn't put something, a

00:12:51.866 --> 00:12:55.076
kitchen into the campus West store, so we called that one Toro.

00:12:55.287 --> 00:12:56.096
Oh, Toro.

00:12:56.096 --> 00:12:56.996
That's what I, okay.

00:12:56.996 --> 00:12:57.807
Now I remember.

00:12:57.956 --> 00:13:02.187
Toro's a, uh, mission District Burrito joint in San Francisco is fantastic.

00:13:02.336 --> 00:13:02.756
We wanted to try.

00:13:02.761 --> 00:13:02.912
Okay.

00:13:02.917 --> 00:13:03.147
Okay.

00:13:03.147 --> 00:13:03.267
So

00:13:03.267 --> 00:13:07.106
we did do a, a pilgrimage to the Mission district before we opened to Gotcha, gotcha.

00:13:07.136 --> 00:13:09.386
Just eat as many burritos as we can to see what everyone else is doing.

00:13:09.447 --> 00:13:09.657
Yeah.

00:13:09.657 --> 00:13:09.927
Yeah.

00:13:10.557 --> 00:13:11.576
So market research.

00:13:11.966 --> 00:13:16.826
We didn't want to ruin the Matador name by having that weird off restaurant.

00:13:16.826 --> 00:13:20.726
So we were actually cooking all the food at the Harmony store and I would drive it over there every day.

00:13:21.206 --> 00:13:21.596
Interesting.

00:13:21.596 --> 00:13:23.037
And we warm it back up almost like a food

00:13:23.037 --> 00:13:23.996
truck over there or something.

00:13:23.996 --> 00:13:24.057
Yeah.

00:13:24.057 --> 00:13:25.047
But that was pretty short lived.

00:13:25.422 --> 00:13:29.711
That was'cause you had a lease on the Taco de Mar place anyway, so you might as well try it.

00:13:29.772 --> 00:13:30.192
Right.

00:13:30.192 --> 00:13:31.481
And we were doing okay over there.

00:13:31.481 --> 00:13:34.152
We were making enough money to, to at least keep, pay the rent,

00:13:34.182 --> 00:13:34.601
whatever.

00:13:34.662 --> 00:13:34.902
Yeah.

00:13:35.052 --> 00:13:39.491
So, but you weren't passionate about that kind of concept and the food just not being as fresh and stuff.

00:13:39.552 --> 00:13:40.751
Yeah, and it was such a pain.

00:13:40.751 --> 00:13:46.361
Some days I had to drive back and forth three times because was like, we were outta a chicken, we had a steak, you guys are killing me.

00:13:48.251 --> 00:13:54.611
Um, and so, and then so kind of just came back down to one store and just called, called it good.

00:13:54.611 --> 00:14:02.471
Have you had dreams of expansion or you got a great brand and a model, but maybe it's not that easy.

00:14:02.471 --> 00:14:07.001
I, I think we need to make sure our processes are written down in black and white.

00:14:07.692 --> 00:14:08.772
You know, so you've got all these long time

00:14:08.772 --> 00:14:10.091
employees and stuff like that.

00:14:10.121 --> 00:14:10.361
Right.

00:14:10.361 --> 00:14:14.351
And make that not, yeah, it's an email and everyone already knows what's going on, so it's, it's not big deal.

00:14:15.042 --> 00:14:17.292
That's an interesting thing, just creating an environment where I.

00:14:18.567 --> 00:14:20.547
You know, you have this kinda long-term effect.

00:14:20.547 --> 00:14:24.386
And even when you have new employees, the long-term employees are like, Nope, Bob.

00:14:24.386 --> 00:14:25.136
We don't do it that way.

00:14:25.167 --> 00:14:25.376
Right.

00:14:25.376 --> 00:14:26.067
You know, whatever.

00:14:26.126 --> 00:14:26.397
Yeah.

00:14:26.846 --> 00:14:36.567
Um, tell me some of the main things you've learned, like from a like finance perspective coming in, especially sounds like where you, uh, a local graduate?

00:14:37.167 --> 00:14:37.557
Uh, yeah.

00:14:37.557 --> 00:14:38.246
I went to CSU.

00:14:38.307 --> 00:14:38.576
Okay.

00:14:38.937 --> 00:14:42.746
Um, my first, um, big boy job in finance.

00:14:42.746 --> 00:14:45.417
I got, uh, interviewed on September 11th, 2001.

00:14:45.476 --> 00:14:45.657
Oh.

00:14:46.346 --> 00:14:51.687
I was actually, uh, gonna drive my wife to work and take her car to Denver for the interview.

00:14:52.136 --> 00:14:52.167
Okay.

00:14:52.167 --> 00:14:54.807
And they were gonna open an office, Fort Collins that I was gonna hopefully be a part of.

00:14:55.317 --> 00:14:57.236
And while I was waiting for her to get ready.

00:14:57.267 --> 00:14:57.746
Oh, no way.

00:14:57.746 --> 00:14:58.496
Watching tv.

00:14:58.496 --> 00:15:03.657
And then it happened, and then I'm driving to Denver and I called him and I'm like, are we still doing this?

00:15:03.657 --> 00:15:04.496
Like, yeah, it's still on.

00:15:05.022 --> 00:15:06.221
Like, we don't know what's going on either.

00:15:06.282 --> 00:15:06.581
Yeah.

00:15:06.701 --> 00:15:10.361
And I get down there and they're like, well, let's just go in the conference room and watch the news and see what happens.

00:15:10.812 --> 00:15:14.322
And then after a couple hours of that, they're like, well, I, we're done for a while.

00:15:14.682 --> 00:15:18.761
We, the stock market's closed, so we're we don't have any work.

00:15:18.761 --> 00:15:19.721
If you have the job, you got it.

00:15:20.621 --> 00:15:24.851
And I'm like, okay, well I, I have to take some licensing stuff and Okay.

00:15:24.942 --> 00:15:28.511
Series, series 6 63, whatever, uh, life insurance.

00:15:28.751 --> 00:15:30.611
So I got time to study'cause the stock market's closed.

00:15:30.611 --> 00:15:31.001
It's great.

00:15:31.601 --> 00:15:38.772
Uh, they ended up opening a Fort Collins office and then they just fought through people and then, uh, kind of did.

00:15:38.772 --> 00:15:39.371
Okay.

00:15:39.611 --> 00:15:39.672
Yeah.

00:15:39.672 --> 00:15:43.511
And then that's when my brother-in-law approached me and it's like, you know, gotcha.

00:15:43.812 --> 00:15:44.682
We have another option here.

00:15:44.682 --> 00:15:46.062
We can make money on this side.

00:15:46.241 --> 00:15:46.422
Yeah.

00:15:46.422 --> 00:15:46.662
Yeah.

00:15:46.721 --> 00:15:47.501
And have a little fun with it.

00:15:47.501 --> 00:15:48.552
And I'm like, oh, let's, let's do it.

00:15:48.557 --> 00:15:48.716
Yeah.

00:15:48.716 --> 00:15:48.797
Yeah.

00:15:48.797 --> 00:15:50.231
It sounds more exciting than what I'm doing now.

00:15:50.231 --> 00:15:50.471
So

00:15:50.591 --> 00:15:51.822
has that been, uh.

00:15:52.961 --> 00:15:55.692
Like all consuming a lot the whole time?

00:15:55.692 --> 00:15:57.881
Or do you get to kind of goof around?

00:15:57.881 --> 00:16:00.371
Do you take two weeks off, three weeks off a lot?

00:16:00.371 --> 00:16:02.892
Or is that head dishwasher thing always valid?

00:16:03.402 --> 00:16:06.552
Uh, no, like I said, we do have fantastic people working there.

00:16:06.642 --> 00:16:06.761
Yeah.

00:16:06.767 --> 00:16:09.162
So I can walk away and, and, and be okay.

00:16:09.282 --> 00:16:09.491
Yeah.

00:16:09.761 --> 00:16:15.522
Um, there's a lot of things though that like a lot of the hot sauce recipes aren't even written down anywhere.

00:16:16.121 --> 00:16:21.792
So if I go away for too long, I have to make a giant batch of sauce that's gonna last for the entire time that I'm out.

00:16:22.302 --> 00:16:22.871
Or, you know.

00:16:23.022 --> 00:16:23.111
Is

00:16:23.111 --> 00:16:24.491
it like the Coca-Cola recipe?

00:16:24.491 --> 00:16:25.001
The what?

00:16:25.241 --> 00:16:25.572
Yeah.

00:16:25.812 --> 00:16:28.121
I mean, I was justing the day,

00:16:28.542 --> 00:16:43.001
like, the funny thing is like, say you're making a jalapeno maple sauce, but some batches of jalapeno have like all the flavor or all the spice or all the both, and some batches you need twice as much probably just to get the same kind of flavor profile.

00:16:43.032 --> 00:16:43.302
Right.

00:16:43.932 --> 00:16:49.601
Uh, that's the one kind of neat thing about hot sauce is you throw everything in a pot, blend it up, taste it, you know, if it's not right.

00:16:49.631 --> 00:16:49.812
Yeah.

00:16:49.812 --> 00:16:50.501
You just add more to it.

00:16:50.501 --> 00:16:51.131
It's like making chili.

00:16:51.221 --> 00:16:51.522
Just kidding.

00:16:51.522 --> 00:16:51.642
Yeah.

00:16:52.076 --> 00:16:53.126
Keep tweaking it and going forth.

00:16:53.126 --> 00:16:54.836
So it's always fun to do.

00:16:55.167 --> 00:17:08.547
What's your, is that like part of your, like instead of having a, a multiple location or trying to spawn a franchise or something like that, you've really had maybe some investment in the product side in, uh, yeah.

00:17:08.936 --> 00:17:12.237
Both your own and making hot sauce for Sean and things like that?

00:17:12.237 --> 00:17:14.307
Or is that more just a one off?

00:17:14.396 --> 00:17:20.817
Well, no, I think it's something that's, uh, really trying to offset the, the unpredictability of what's going on with restaurants right now.

00:17:20.846 --> 00:17:21.267
Right.

00:17:21.926 --> 00:17:24.807
Um, with COVI was weird.

00:17:24.957 --> 00:17:30.626
Everything's been weird since then and things are happening in the restaurant industry that I have no idea what's gonna be next.

00:17:31.017 --> 00:17:33.626
You've got people like Chili's are killing it really?

00:17:33.626 --> 00:17:34.856
Applebee's is getting crushed.

00:17:35.126 --> 00:17:35.696
Like they're what?

00:17:35.757 --> 00:17:37.467
They're the same thing in my mind.

00:17:37.856 --> 00:17:39.507
So, I mean, there's just stuff like that.

00:17:39.626 --> 00:17:40.676
Chipotle's doing really well.

00:17:41.156 --> 00:17:42.987
Um, kedo is doing really well.

00:17:43.811 --> 00:17:52.247
Um, and then you had stuff with Chipotle, like, uh, in, in, no offense to them, I know they're a great clean organization, but they had problems with some food poisoning and, and some, yeah, yeah.

00:17:52.422 --> 00:17:52.751
Issues.

00:17:52.932 --> 00:17:54.672
And they don't seem to get tarnished by that at all.

00:17:54.731 --> 00:17:55.961
Like people just go back in droves.

00:17:56.412 --> 00:17:56.652
Right.

00:17:56.711 --> 00:17:57.311
Which is great.

00:17:57.311 --> 00:17:57.912
I mean, good for them.

00:17:58.511 --> 00:17:58.811
Yeah.

00:17:59.201 --> 00:18:01.061
Uh, but normally like Jack and you, you,

00:18:01.067 --> 00:18:01.872
you kinda get away with that.

00:18:01.902 --> 00:18:02.892
No, I would be crushed.

00:18:03.011 --> 00:18:03.311
Yeah.

00:18:03.461 --> 00:18:07.902
Uh, Jack in the box years ago had, uh, some deaths in the Denver area.

00:18:08.172 --> 00:18:08.981
They had Oh, I remember that.

00:18:09.582 --> 00:18:11.922
Uh, I don't know how many locations, A dozen locations.

00:18:11.922 --> 00:18:14.531
And then I think, uh, two or three young people died.

00:18:14.592 --> 00:18:14.981
Mm-hmm.

00:18:15.251 --> 00:18:18.551
Um, and then they ended up closing like all the restaurants in Colorado.

00:18:18.557 --> 00:18:18.606
Right.

00:18:19.811 --> 00:18:22.632
So, I mean, it, that's kind of some crazy scary stuff.

00:18:22.662 --> 00:18:27.372
So, um, some of those things affect people, some of'em don't, it doesn't make any sense.

00:18:27.372 --> 00:18:27.612
Yeah.

00:18:27.612 --> 00:18:31.182
Like all the stuff that I thought I knew about restaurants, I, I don't know if I know anymore.

00:18:31.422 --> 00:18:31.511
Yeah.

00:18:31.511 --> 00:18:36.281
I don't think I,'cause I, I had left banking to try to get into the restaurant industry.

00:18:36.281 --> 00:18:42.132
I don't know if you remember that, the food trailer or that around town, but I don't know if I recognize the liability of that.

00:18:42.807 --> 00:18:43.017
Right.

00:18:43.017 --> 00:18:45.987
Like you're running on low margins and stuff already.

00:18:46.196 --> 00:18:46.436
Yeah.

00:18:46.527 --> 00:18:49.797
And I imagine that's kind of worked into your insurance policy a little bit, right?

00:18:49.801 --> 00:18:49.811
Sure.

00:18:49.856 --> 00:18:55.436
Like you just pay more insurance than it feels like you should, but part of that is you might just kill somebody if you're lucky.

00:18:55.467 --> 00:18:58.977
Maybe it'll be a few people if you're unlucky, you know,

00:18:58.977 --> 00:19:00.626
not you, but people.

00:19:01.257 --> 00:19:05.517
Well, one thing about our, our, uh, system at Matador is everything's pretty, pretty simple.

00:19:06.027 --> 00:19:08.436
Um, pretty bulletproof in terms of our process operations.

00:19:08.436 --> 00:19:08.922
You get the hot going

00:19:08.942 --> 00:19:10.001
or the cold cold, right?

00:19:10.017 --> 00:19:10.527
Um,

00:19:10.527 --> 00:19:15.656
yeah, some places, uh, like serve raw seafood, you know, you've got a whole another host of issues, right?

00:19:15.807 --> 00:19:16.106
Right.

00:19:16.616 --> 00:19:20.606
Uh, staying away from things like that puts, puts your mind at ease a little bit too.

00:19:20.606 --> 00:19:31.166
Well, and just having a fresh first approach to everything, right, like that was kind of what part of why Toro didn't survive is'cause it didn't feel right to not have a fresh first kind of approach.

00:19:31.227 --> 00:19:31.467
Right.

00:19:31.467 --> 00:19:35.277
And people see a microwave and they're like, mm, I can do that at home.

00:19:35.277 --> 00:19:36.297
I'm not paying you for it.

00:19:36.416 --> 00:19:36.747
Fair enough.

00:19:36.747 --> 00:19:37.586
It's just not nothing.

00:19:37.977 --> 00:19:41.277
Um, let's zoom back to, uh, to little Paul.

00:19:41.832 --> 00:19:42.221
Can we?

00:19:42.372 --> 00:19:42.852
Yeah, sure.

00:19:42.882 --> 00:19:46.362
Like a 5-year-old Paul.

00:19:46.422 --> 00:19:50.471
Where, where, uh, where were you and what was kind of your family dynamic?

00:19:50.471 --> 00:19:52.182
Were you from a family of entrepreneurs?

00:19:52.811 --> 00:19:53.501
Uh,

00:19:53.531 --> 00:19:54.011
no.

00:19:54.011 --> 00:19:58.511
When I was, uh, probably four-ish, my, uh, parents got divorced.

00:19:58.511 --> 00:20:00.132
So raised by a single mom with grandma.

00:20:00.311 --> 00:20:00.612
Okay.

00:20:00.942 --> 00:20:02.172
Here, here, regionally.

00:20:02.442 --> 00:20:03.402
Uh, born in Denver.

00:20:03.551 --> 00:20:03.791
Okay.

00:20:03.821 --> 00:20:08.741
Um, and then moved to like Steamboat area during high school for a little bit of time.

00:20:08.747 --> 00:20:11.471
Did, did you keep a relationship with, with your dad too?

00:20:11.711 --> 00:20:12.372
Uh, yeah.

00:20:12.432 --> 00:20:12.582
Yeah.

00:20:12.582 --> 00:20:13.271
Some, okay.

00:20:13.271 --> 00:20:13.541
A little bit.

00:20:13.541 --> 00:20:15.551
But mostly was raised with your, with your mom.

00:20:15.612 --> 00:20:15.971
Right.

00:20:16.271 --> 00:20:23.922
And then, uh, grandma was really close by as well, so, uh, spent a lot of, you know, summertime with mom's at work with grandma.

00:20:24.041 --> 00:20:24.372
Sure.

00:20:24.612 --> 00:20:26.291
Uh, so she was kinda the babysitter for us.

00:20:26.741 --> 00:20:29.082
Um, I just wanted to be Luke Skywalker.

00:20:29.382 --> 00:20:30.527
That's all I really remember about

00:20:31.076 --> 00:20:31.932
that, was about that time.

00:20:31.932 --> 00:20:32.981
When can you circle me?

00:20:32.981 --> 00:20:33.582
It feels like I'm.

00:20:33.882 --> 00:20:36.162
Five or 10 years older than you probably, but I don't know.

00:20:36.281 --> 00:20:37.511
Um, I'm 49.

00:20:37.692 --> 00:20:38.172
Oh, you are?

00:20:38.172 --> 00:20:38.832
I'm 51.

00:20:39.281 --> 00:20:41.771
Uh, first movie I saw in theaters though was Return to Jedi.

00:20:41.771 --> 00:20:41.951
Okay.

00:20:42.011 --> 00:20:43.606
And that was the coolest thing I heard.

00:20:43.926 --> 00:20:44.771
It was the coolest thing ever.

00:20:44.771 --> 00:20:45.251
That was amazing.

00:20:45.731 --> 00:20:47.622
Um, so that was it.

00:20:47.622 --> 00:20:51.521
Just playing, playing games with friends and playing Star Wars and that was it.

00:20:52.001 --> 00:20:59.112
My, my dad was a motorcycle mechanic that started a farm evenings and weekends and was really just busy working all the time.

00:20:59.291 --> 00:20:59.442
Yeah.

00:20:59.501 --> 00:21:08.471
But Star Wars was one of the earliest things I remember really bonding with my dad over was our mutual love of Star Wars back in the day.

00:21:08.832 --> 00:21:11.561
You know, so I, I never really voiced that.

00:21:12.146 --> 00:21:14.247
Thought before, but it's interesting to me.

00:21:14.606 --> 00:21:16.856
So you're, are, you're in Denver still?

00:21:16.856 --> 00:21:18.116
Did you say Steamboat somewhere?

00:21:18.176 --> 00:21:18.686
Uh, yeah.

00:21:18.686 --> 00:21:21.596
I went to high school in, uh, a little town south of Steamboat called Oak Creek.

00:21:21.686 --> 00:21:22.076
Okay.

00:21:22.166 --> 00:21:22.406
Yep.

00:21:22.467 --> 00:21:23.936
Um, been through there on my motorcycle.

00:21:23.936 --> 00:21:25.346
It's a nice motorcycle road over there.

00:21:25.376 --> 00:21:26.037
Yeah, absolutely.

00:21:26.037 --> 00:21:27.686
Actually they got a great little tavern in there.

00:21:27.686 --> 00:21:28.646
I stopped at last time.

00:21:28.676 --> 00:21:31.196
Fun place to, to finish growing up, I guess.

00:21:31.196 --> 00:21:31.317
Mm-hmm.

00:21:31.557 --> 00:21:33.116
Through high school, uh, then, but you were

00:21:33.116 --> 00:21:36.446
in Denver proper while you, let's, let's go back to your, that area.

00:21:36.507 --> 00:21:37.737
So west side a little bit.

00:21:37.737 --> 00:21:39.386
Did your mom stay single?

00:21:39.836 --> 00:21:44.997
Do you Um, I wanna say I was 11 or 12 when she, uh, remarried.

00:21:45.057 --> 00:21:45.356
Okay.

00:21:45.656 --> 00:21:48.807
Um, uh, Jim, he's, he's dad now.

00:21:48.987 --> 00:21:49.166
Cool.

00:21:49.166 --> 00:21:53.307
Um, uh, he's an electrician up every day at six o'clock in the morning climbing ladders.

00:21:53.787 --> 00:21:55.106
Busted his butt doing stuff.

00:21:55.106 --> 00:21:55.166
Yeah.

00:21:55.257 --> 00:22:00.326
Uh, always was the first to do dishes'cause his hands were dirty when he got home, so he was, might as well

00:22:00.326 --> 00:22:00.836
do dishes.

00:22:00.836 --> 00:22:02.906
It'll get my hands a lot cleaner than they otherwise would be.

00:22:03.446 --> 00:22:09.356
Uh, so part of being the head dishwasher, he taught me absolutely everything about electrical and plumbing and because he.

00:22:10.797 --> 00:22:12.987
One of those things that if it's broken, we can try and fix it.

00:22:13.017 --> 00:22:13.076
Yeah.

00:22:13.076 --> 00:22:13.977
It's already broken, so.

00:22:13.981 --> 00:22:14.211
Yeah.

00:22:14.217 --> 00:22:14.426
Yeah.

00:22:14.457 --> 00:22:14.906
Why not?

00:22:14.906 --> 00:22:17.007
And you know, you don't have a lot of money to go buy a new one.

00:22:17.037 --> 00:22:17.547
Right.

00:22:17.606 --> 00:22:18.807
So we'll figure it out.

00:22:18.896 --> 00:22:19.346
Yeah.

00:22:19.436 --> 00:22:21.207
I've gotten kind of lazy that way.

00:22:21.207 --> 00:22:29.307
Like when I was, you know, in my first few years of marriage and stuff, I was retiling bathroom showers and Sure.

00:22:29.396 --> 00:22:33.807
You know, re sheet rocking walls and learning how to do all these different things.

00:22:33.807 --> 00:22:37.676
And even trying my hand at some electrical stuff that was way above my pay grade.

00:22:37.767 --> 00:22:38.067
Right.

00:22:38.727 --> 00:22:48.987
And now I'm just like, eh, I'll just kind of pay somebody 250 bucks to do that instead, or a thousand bucks or, but it would be better for me if I just did a lot of that for myself.

00:22:48.987 --> 00:22:49.856
Kids is nice.

00:22:49.946 --> 00:22:52.826
Having kids is nice because you can teach them while they do it.

00:22:52.916 --> 00:22:53.547
Oh yeah.

00:22:53.636 --> 00:22:54.926
And you just kind of coach sometimes.

00:22:54.987 --> 00:22:55.287
Were you

00:22:55.511 --> 00:22:57.866
a, a, a only child in this?

00:22:58.166 --> 00:23:00.656
Oh, actually I'm the youngest of, of seven.

00:23:01.076 --> 00:23:07.227
So I was uh, what, um, half brothers and sisters for the first five, and then I have sister and your dad's kids or your Yeah.

00:23:07.231 --> 00:23:07.432
Dad's.

00:23:08.156 --> 00:23:12.926
Oh, so you kind of maintain a relationship with your siblings, uh, along the way, but also then, right.

00:23:12.926 --> 00:23:16.166
And then how many with your mom during the, her single years?

00:23:16.196 --> 00:23:17.632
My sister and I, so Oh, just the two.

00:23:17.632 --> 00:23:17.642
Okay.

00:23:17.727 --> 00:23:20.396
Um, she's four and a half years older than me, so I'm Okay.

00:23:20.396 --> 00:23:21.537
I'm the baby by ways.

00:23:21.596 --> 00:23:22.557
Gotcha, gotcha.

00:23:22.737 --> 00:23:23.037
Yeah.

00:23:23.037 --> 00:23:25.317
So you're like the trailing indicator on Right.

00:23:26.517 --> 00:23:27.416
Marriage or whatever.

00:23:28.646 --> 00:23:30.507
So she remarries Jim, did you say?

00:23:30.507 --> 00:23:30.957
Or John, yeah.

00:23:30.987 --> 00:23:32.636
And he became dad pretty quickly.

00:23:32.636 --> 00:23:33.446
Pretty cool guy.

00:23:33.747 --> 00:23:34.076
Yeah.

00:23:34.196 --> 00:23:38.096
Um, you know, fishing, camping, all the fun stuff you wanna do when you're a kid.

00:23:38.186 --> 00:23:39.086
So dig it, dig it.

00:23:39.116 --> 00:23:39.747
Um, and then you

00:23:39.747 --> 00:23:40.676
get to move up to Oak

00:23:40.676 --> 00:23:42.386
Creek and then it was 24 7.

00:23:42.386 --> 00:23:42.957
It never stops.

00:23:43.287 --> 00:23:45.686
Like, you can't turn around and not climb a mountain somewhere.

00:23:45.747 --> 00:23:45.957
Just

00:23:45.957 --> 00:23:46.497
like, yeah.

00:23:47.307 --> 00:23:48.057
Almost overload.

00:23:48.057 --> 00:23:48.926
'cause it was so much fun up there.

00:23:48.926 --> 00:23:52.227
But yeah, I would definitely, sounds like you miss it a little bit.

00:23:52.227 --> 00:23:52.856
I, I do.

00:23:52.916 --> 00:23:55.676
Uh, if, if I thought I could make a living there, I would go back and.

00:23:55.971 --> 00:23:57.301
Well, and jump in there for sure.

00:23:57.301 --> 00:23:57.596
Well, if

00:23:57.596 --> 00:24:02.906
you had a matador up there, then you could drive back and forth with emergency food deliveries.

00:24:04.442 --> 00:24:08.461
You, you could probably, uh, do fairly well with the restaurant Steamboat, but I creek's probably, I think so.

00:24:08.461 --> 00:24:09.057
The right kind of thing.

00:24:09.057 --> 00:24:10.707
I don't know if there's a Yeah.

00:24:10.707 --> 00:24:11.517
Not an Oak Creek.

00:24:12.057 --> 00:24:12.537
Sorry.

00:24:12.896 --> 00:24:13.376
It'd be tough.

00:24:13.406 --> 00:24:15.027
Yeah, it'd be pretty tough right there.

00:24:15.116 --> 00:24:23.277
Although, I think, who did I, oh, I was, I had a, I had a burrito today.

00:24:24.267 --> 00:24:24.446
Oh.

00:24:24.446 --> 00:24:33.987
At the tabletop networking event and somebody called it peasant food and I was like, well, yeah, that's'cause the peasants kind of made the best food.

00:24:34.017 --> 00:24:36.957
Like that's where cooking, we got the creative is the bet.

00:24:37.166 --> 00:24:37.916
Yeah.

00:24:37.946 --> 00:24:40.257
Maybe your ingredients aren't the best, so you gotta figure out how to use it.

00:24:40.257 --> 00:24:40.346
Right.

00:24:40.346 --> 00:24:44.757
Carnitas, you want this, you know, fatty chunk of pork shoulder, you know.

00:24:44.757 --> 00:24:44.967
Right.

00:24:44.967 --> 00:24:51.027
It's, it's gonna be six hours before you can really eat it, but as long as you can keep a slow fire on it, it'll be fine.

00:24:51.057 --> 00:24:51.207
Yeah.

00:24:51.207 --> 00:24:51.626
You know?

00:24:51.777 --> 00:24:52.047
Right.

00:24:52.406 --> 00:24:54.632
Uh, and most of the best, that was why like.

00:24:55.467 --> 00:24:57.446
Uh, Anthony, what's his name?

00:24:57.446 --> 00:24:58.047
Bourdain.

00:24:58.886 --> 00:25:05.846
Like, he traveled in all these poorest countries, mostly because that's where the art of cooking has been the most Sure.

00:25:06.086 --> 00:25:07.047
Improvised, right?

00:25:07.047 --> 00:25:11.217
Like, and so anyway, I was like, well, peasant food is really a compliment.

00:25:11.217 --> 00:25:13.257
If you actually know anything about cooking, you'd dummy.

00:25:13.317 --> 00:25:13.527
Sure.

00:25:13.797 --> 00:25:14.846
Uh, anyway, I digress.

00:25:14.846 --> 00:25:19.196
Whoever that was that I was talking to this morning, if you hear this, I didn't, I didn't say it out loud.

00:25:21.537 --> 00:25:21.957
Uh, no.

00:25:21.957 --> 00:25:26.307
My, uh, so my stepfather Jim, uh, grew up on a farm in eastern Kansas.

00:25:26.457 --> 00:25:26.787
Oh, cool.

00:25:27.192 --> 00:25:28.001
Or Western Kansas.

00:25:28.001 --> 00:25:28.152
Sorry.

00:25:28.152 --> 00:25:28.241
Yeah.

00:25:28.332 --> 00:25:28.961
Peasant country.

00:25:28.991 --> 00:25:31.332
Um, kind of So they did everything.

00:25:31.392 --> 00:25:31.602
Yeah.

00:25:31.602 --> 00:25:33.551
He's milking cows before he goes to school in the morning.

00:25:33.672 --> 00:25:33.912
Yeah.

00:25:33.942 --> 00:25:38.172
Uh, but kind of learning the connection of the food grandma made and how they made it.

00:25:38.201 --> 00:25:40.001
'cause you know, you slaughter a cow.

00:25:40.152 --> 00:25:40.241
Mm-hmm.

00:25:41.172 --> 00:25:43.961
All the good stuff goes to the guy paying the most, and you're left the scraps.

00:25:43.961 --> 00:25:44.112
Right.

00:25:44.116 --> 00:25:44.356
Right.

00:25:44.682 --> 00:25:45.102
So,

00:25:45.372 --> 00:25:45.761
yep.

00:25:45.821 --> 00:25:47.501
You learn to, to do with what you can.

00:25:47.501 --> 00:25:49.842
Your canning meat, which is I thought was crazy weird.

00:25:49.842 --> 00:25:49.932
Right.

00:25:49.932 --> 00:25:50.862
Making your own sausages.

00:25:50.951 --> 00:25:51.281
Right.

00:25:51.461 --> 00:25:53.676
Um, but you know, they, they lived very well.

00:25:53.676 --> 00:25:53.876
That's cool.

00:25:53.882 --> 00:25:54.701
You were doing that too?

00:25:54.942 --> 00:25:57.362
I, I tried to do everything, so I, yeah.

00:25:57.362 --> 00:25:59.652
You know, I go, I've done a bunch of canning, I've done a bunch of sausages.

00:25:59.652 --> 00:26:00.041
That's cool.

00:26:00.071 --> 00:26:01.001
Just trying to figure out how to do it.

00:26:01.001 --> 00:26:01.632
My brothers have

00:26:01.751 --> 00:26:04.332
like, made their own venison sausage and stuff like that.

00:26:04.991 --> 00:26:05.142
Yeah.

00:26:05.142 --> 00:26:08.501
And it's cool to be able to do, I, uh, had a post on X the other day.

00:26:08.711 --> 00:26:12.011
Somebody said, uh, don't be afraid of canning people.

00:26:12.041 --> 00:26:17.471
It's not that hard and it's way better than the stuff they put in the, you know, manufacturing places.

00:26:17.471 --> 00:26:17.682
Whatever.

00:26:17.682 --> 00:26:18.041
I was like.

00:26:18.971 --> 00:26:23.382
I am not afraid of it, but I don't like how it takes me six hours to make nine jars of salsa.

00:26:23.412 --> 00:26:23.896
Yeah, yeah.

00:26:24.251 --> 00:26:24.821
That's definitely it.

00:26:24.912 --> 00:26:27.521
You know, so you need that commercial capacity.

00:26:28.061 --> 00:26:35.862
That's one of the nice things about hot sauce, I aspect is like in a 10 gallon pot, you can make a lot of jars of hot sauce.

00:26:35.922 --> 00:26:36.672
Yeah, absolutely.

00:26:36.912 --> 00:26:37.481
Um, you

00:26:37.481 --> 00:26:41.832
know, or I imagine you got like slow cookers even so you can leave that stuff kind of simmer for a long time.

00:26:41.832 --> 00:26:43.451
Let those flavors develop and whatever.

00:26:43.781 --> 00:26:44.082
Yeah.

00:26:44.082 --> 00:26:47.352
I think the biggest pot I have is, uh, 30 gallons.

00:26:47.561 --> 00:26:48.251
30 gallons.

00:26:49.241 --> 00:26:53.017
It almost, you're tired of bottling hot sauce after you get through there.

00:26:53.017 --> 00:26:54.432
So you gotta take ies.

00:26:54.432 --> 00:26:55.332
How do you bottle it?

00:26:55.332 --> 00:26:56.291
How do you put it in the bottle?

00:26:57.102 --> 00:26:59.622
Um, I, I use a.

00:27:00.432 --> 00:27:04.932
A pitcher and then I put it into a, uh, pancake batter dispenser.

00:27:05.172 --> 00:27:07.122
The little cone with a little Oh yeah.

00:27:07.182 --> 00:27:07.781
Thumb hit on it.

00:27:07.872 --> 00:27:08.291
Okay.

00:27:08.442 --> 00:27:11.771
And so I'll get a, a row of bottles going and just boop boop boop boop.

00:27:11.771 --> 00:27:12.162
If I have

00:27:12.162 --> 00:27:14.862
you make our hot sauce next time, will it be a little higher up in the neck?

00:27:14.862 --> 00:27:16.571
I feel like that's a little bit low.

00:27:16.602 --> 00:27:17.412
Uh, it should be to

00:27:17.412 --> 00:27:18.791
the rim when you fill it up.

00:27:18.791 --> 00:27:19.031
Yeah.

00:27:19.061 --> 00:27:19.271
So it

00:27:19.271 --> 00:27:20.082
looks like it's full.

00:27:20.112 --> 00:27:21.731
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:27:21.852 --> 00:27:23.801
Well, you, you do bottle it when it's really hot.

00:27:24.372 --> 00:27:24.612
Yep.

00:27:24.642 --> 00:27:26.257
And then you cap it, the bottles will probably, probably

00:27:26.261 --> 00:27:26.862
sterilize and hot.

00:27:26.862 --> 00:27:29.051
You just bring'em outta the dishwasher or something like that.

00:27:29.051 --> 00:27:29.142
Right.

00:27:29.741 --> 00:27:32.291
So then when it cools, it'll definitely come down a little bit.

00:27:32.321 --> 00:27:32.711
I see.

00:27:32.711 --> 00:27:32.771
Too

00:27:33.311 --> 00:27:33.432
much.

00:27:34.241 --> 00:27:34.481
Too much.

00:27:34.932 --> 00:27:36.971
And that, that kinda gives you that vacuum to keep air out too.

00:27:36.971 --> 00:27:39.402
So, you know, if you open one up, it should give you a little pop.

00:27:39.642 --> 00:27:40.211
Oh yeah.

00:27:41.592 --> 00:27:47.231
But it's not like canned, canned officially, but just because of that vacuum of all that heat,

00:27:47.801 --> 00:27:56.051
you know, that's one thing that's, that's still trying to figure out in my head because most commercial like jams and jellies, they're not canned.

00:27:56.051 --> 00:27:57.071
Like you'd canned it at home.

00:27:57.342 --> 00:27:58.692
Yeah, it's just hot filled.

00:27:59.217 --> 00:27:59.817
Captain you.

00:27:59.817 --> 00:28:00.086
Right.

00:28:00.116 --> 00:28:01.257
So you're not pressure can, they're

00:28:01.257 --> 00:28:02.156
not even pressure can yet.

00:28:02.277 --> 00:28:02.757
Right.

00:28:03.086 --> 00:28:04.467
Um, depending on the food.

00:28:04.557 --> 00:28:07.646
So if it's, if it's a low pH, they're just Right.

00:28:07.646 --> 00:28:08.936
Heating it Yeah.

00:28:08.936 --> 00:28:09.957
Putting it in there and you're done.

00:28:10.557 --> 00:28:13.527
Um, some stuff like, you know, tuna or spam or whatever.

00:28:13.527 --> 00:28:13.856
Yeah.

00:28:13.856 --> 00:28:15.386
You definitely have to get that thing hot and cookie.

00:28:15.386 --> 00:28:15.656
Well, so

00:28:16.497 --> 00:28:25.257
hopefully nobody gets in trouble over this, but at, at Ginger and Baker, uh, our, our rotary club meets, uh, every Thursday morning, which come visit sometime if you like.

00:28:25.317 --> 00:28:25.497
Yeah.

00:28:25.737 --> 00:28:29.666
But, uh, there's this hot sauce that she makes.

00:28:29.666 --> 00:28:35.787
It's a little bit like your centennial son or Sean's centennial son, but more red and chunky.

00:28:35.936 --> 00:28:36.267
Right.

00:28:36.717 --> 00:28:40.886
Um, and it's delicious.

00:28:40.886 --> 00:28:41.426
I love it.

00:28:41.666 --> 00:28:49.916
And in recent weeks, uh, uh, like it hasn't been there for like a month or a month and a half and before that for a few weeks, it was like kind of.

00:28:50.741 --> 00:28:54.102
Bubbling out of the jars and stuff a little bit.

00:28:54.162 --> 00:28:59.261
And I would guess that be because it was actually fermenting or doing something funky in there.

00:28:59.352 --> 00:28:59.592
Right.

00:28:59.592 --> 00:29:01.301
That's actually a sauce I make for them.

00:29:01.392 --> 00:29:01.662
Oh.

00:29:02.021 --> 00:29:05.321
So, well I make the one that they, that's bottled and they sell.

00:29:05.501 --> 00:29:05.801
Okay.

00:29:05.862 --> 00:29:07.332
They make their own for the restaurant as well.

00:29:07.362 --> 00:29:07.751
Okay.

00:29:07.842 --> 00:29:10.751
So when I make it, I have to pasteurize it to put it in the bottle.

00:29:10.811 --> 00:29:11.352
And I'm sure this

00:29:11.352 --> 00:29:13.092
is for theirs, for just at the restaurant.

00:29:13.122 --> 00:29:13.422
'cause

00:29:13.902 --> 00:29:16.872
there's, he actually called me up and he is like, why is this happening?

00:29:17.412 --> 00:29:17.862
Gotcha.

00:29:17.892 --> 00:29:18.162
It was

00:29:18.162 --> 00:29:19.061
delicious actually.

00:29:19.061 --> 00:29:19.932
More delicious.

00:29:19.932 --> 00:29:20.832
The stuff that was all

00:29:20.832 --> 00:29:21.281
bubbly

00:29:21.281 --> 00:29:22.031
and fermented.

00:29:22.031 --> 00:29:22.991
I was like, gimme more of that.

00:29:23.021 --> 00:29:23.261
Well,

00:29:23.261 --> 00:29:24.731
it's a fermented sauce to begin with.

00:29:24.761 --> 00:29:25.271
Oh it is.

00:29:25.271 --> 00:29:26.922
So they're just getting a little extra in there.

00:29:26.922 --> 00:29:27.192
So it's,

00:29:27.432 --> 00:29:28.602
or that dangerous seems

00:29:28.842 --> 00:29:29.561
No, no, absolutely.

00:29:29.561 --> 00:29:31.061
The pH is so low, nothing's going in there.

00:29:31.061 --> 00:29:39.882
That's kind of what I, that's kind of my assumption is when there's like a bunch of funky stuff in there that's like bacteria's not gonna go in there and grow.

00:29:39.882 --> 00:29:40.902
Nothing that's gonna kill me.

00:29:41.517 --> 00:29:41.666
Yeah.

00:29:41.666 --> 00:29:45.717
It turns out, uh, sunlight hitting those on the patio just warms it up to that magic temperature.

00:29:46.136 --> 00:29:46.166
Oh.

00:29:46.166 --> 00:29:49.406
And they kind of, it restarted the lacto fermentation that was going there.

00:29:49.406 --> 00:29:49.902
So, yeah.

00:29:50.142 --> 00:29:50.342
Interesting.

00:29:50.372 --> 00:29:50.662
Cool.

00:29:50.692 --> 00:29:50.981
Yeah.

00:29:51.207 --> 00:29:53.936
Well, I guess I didn't tell any secrets'cause you already knew about that one.

00:29:55.196 --> 00:30:00.207
Sorry, ginger, I mean, to spread your, uh, pretty secrets, but it was like I was loving it.

00:30:00.207 --> 00:30:03.237
The Rotary Cup people were, a couple people spooned their shirts and stuff.

00:30:03.356 --> 00:30:04.541
Took the covers off.

00:30:04.886 --> 00:30:05.366
That's great.

00:30:06.207 --> 00:30:09.836
Uh, no, they have the red one and then, uh, seasonally they do a green one as well.

00:30:09.866 --> 00:30:10.136
Mm.

00:30:10.287 --> 00:30:12.267
So it's a jalapeno one instead of a Fresno, but

00:30:12.446 --> 00:30:12.807
Okay.

00:30:12.807 --> 00:30:15.342
That's with Fresno Pepper is the kind of core, the bright red.

00:30:15.342 --> 00:30:15.622
Yeah.

00:30:15.622 --> 00:30:16.301
That's a really good sauce.

00:30:16.497 --> 00:30:17.067
It's beautiful.

00:30:17.307 --> 00:30:21.416
Do you, do you agree that it has kind of some similarities to that Centennial Sun flavorings?

00:30:21.777 --> 00:30:23.997
Uh, that's a different, that's a scotch bonnet or something, right?

00:30:24.027 --> 00:30:31.317
The Centennial Sun is actually, um, a soft Sean makes, and, uh, I, boy, I can't remember what's in it exactly.

00:30:31.376 --> 00:30:32.126
We'll have to ask him.

00:30:32.126 --> 00:30:35.067
But, um, no Fresnos in there anyway, it reminded me

00:30:35.156 --> 00:30:37.406
they have kind of similar to my taste anyway, but

00:30:37.497 --> 00:30:39.747
the, so the purpose of that sauce, we were doing a competition.

00:30:40.287 --> 00:30:44.307
It was, uh, old Town Spice Shop, me and then, uh, sauce Daddy outta Loveland.

00:30:44.426 --> 00:30:44.846
Okay.

00:30:44.936 --> 00:30:49.436
And so we did a random country on the internet, just random country picker.

00:30:49.467 --> 00:30:49.856
Okay.

00:30:49.916 --> 00:30:51.207
And it gave us El Salvador.

00:30:51.477 --> 00:30:51.686
Okay.

00:30:51.686 --> 00:30:58.317
So then we were all just broke away and each made our own version of what we thought a sauce from El Salvador would be.

00:30:58.376 --> 00:30:58.767
Okay.

00:30:59.156 --> 00:31:02.787
And that's a very similar flavor profile that you would definitely get.

00:31:02.787 --> 00:31:03.477
So I dig it.

00:31:03.596 --> 00:31:03.896
Yeah.

00:31:03.957 --> 00:31:04.376
Kinda fun.

00:31:04.676 --> 00:31:05.997
So we'll probably do that again soon.

00:31:06.027 --> 00:31:07.017
We jumped off.

00:31:07.047 --> 00:31:12.086
You were loving high school life up in Oak Creek.

00:31:12.146 --> 00:31:12.416
Oak Creek.

00:31:12.416 --> 00:31:12.537
Yeah.

00:31:12.567 --> 00:31:19.467
And uh, you know, once you got old enough, partied up in Steamboat when you had a chance and things like that, or what was the setting as your high school proceeded?

00:31:20.412 --> 00:31:22.602
Uh, Steamboat was a different country than, so you

00:31:22.602 --> 00:31:23.382
didn't want to go there?

00:31:23.561 --> 00:31:23.922
No.

00:31:23.922 --> 00:31:24.527
It your country kid.

00:31:24.527 --> 00:31:25.092
It really wasn't.

00:31:25.092 --> 00:31:29.561
Yeah, it, um, it basically tourists, steamboats run by tourists.

00:31:29.561 --> 00:31:29.682
Right.

00:31:29.892 --> 00:31:31.632
The locals in Steamboat are great, but Yeah.

00:31:31.692 --> 00:31:33.882
Everyone from out of town, they're just coming to So you just avoided that.

00:31:33.882 --> 00:31:34.721
That was for the weekend.

00:31:34.721 --> 00:31:34.781
Yeah.

00:31:34.781 --> 00:31:35.231
Culturally

00:31:35.231 --> 00:31:36.582
you were like, yeah, we'll be down here.

00:31:36.642 --> 00:31:36.942
Right.

00:31:37.182 --> 00:31:37.332
Yeah.

00:31:37.332 --> 00:31:37.571
Okay.

00:31:38.261 --> 00:31:44.321
And so like, uh, proceed me to the next stop or was it, was it to back down to CSU for, for college

00:31:44.321 --> 00:31:45.132
after, uh, exactly.

00:31:45.132 --> 00:31:45.402
Yeah.

00:31:45.461 --> 00:31:50.652
Um, I thought I wanted to do, uh, some electrical engineering that was Okay.

00:31:50.741 --> 00:31:53.531
Big time in the stereos and car stereos and Okay.

00:31:53.561 --> 00:31:54.251
Goofing out with that.

00:31:54.432 --> 00:31:54.701
I dig

00:31:54.701 --> 00:31:54.821
it.

00:31:55.061 --> 00:31:56.442
And uh, that was really

00:31:56.442 --> 00:31:57.432
cool in our day too.

00:31:57.461 --> 00:31:57.821
Yeah.

00:31:57.882 --> 00:31:59.622
Alpine systems and this and that.

00:31:59.622 --> 00:32:00.041
Right.

00:32:01.422 --> 00:32:01.872
Um.

00:32:02.832 --> 00:32:04.932
Started taking classes and I'm like, this just isn't fun.

00:32:04.932 --> 00:32:06.281
Like, not really what I wanna do.

00:32:06.281 --> 00:32:12.041
So I thought I don't, since, I don't know, I'm just going to get a degree in economics and I'm sure this will help take me anywhere.

00:32:12.041 --> 00:32:16.811
And if I find something that catches on in the meantime, then yeah, you know, I can, I can always use this as something, take it.

00:32:16.961 --> 00:32:19.001
So that's kind of where it went from there.

00:32:19.362 --> 00:32:19.961
So

00:32:20.862 --> 00:32:33.701
if you had become like a stock brokery kind of guy or investments manager, you know, sell a little life insurance and things like that, and you had built a, like, you probably couldn't have that beard looking that scraggly.

00:32:33.912 --> 00:32:34.632
No, definitely not.

00:32:34.872 --> 00:32:35.412
Um, this is

00:32:35.412 --> 00:32:36.071
definitely revolt.

00:32:36.071 --> 00:32:38.471
I'm wearing a suit and tie every day is

00:32:38.771 --> 00:32:42.946
So you, you wouldn't have become like, successful in that fashion probably is what you're thinking.

00:32:42.946 --> 00:32:43.332
They didn't like

00:32:43.332 --> 00:32:43.451
it.

00:32:43.451 --> 00:32:43.721
Yeah.

00:32:43.842 --> 00:32:44.201
Yeah.

00:32:44.291 --> 00:32:46.362
The, the worst part of it though is really cold calls.

00:32:46.541 --> 00:32:48.102
You're, you're still making phone calls to people.

00:32:48.132 --> 00:32:48.432
Oh, it's,

00:32:48.642 --> 00:33:00.192
it's a miserable, like, even if you're really smart and handsome or, or beautiful, if you're a woman, it's still gonna take you five years to make a decent living in that industry and 10 years to like.

00:33:00.267 --> 00:33:02.997
And then if you can do it for 20 years, then you're kind of like rich.

00:33:03.057 --> 00:33:03.386
Right?

00:33:03.386 --> 00:33:03.567
If

00:33:03.567 --> 00:33:04.017
you're good at it

00:33:04.076 --> 00:33:07.467
right now, I remember we would send out these postcards.

00:33:07.797 --> 00:33:12.747
We paid some company to send'em out and they would fill it out if you wanna learn more about life insurance, retirement plans, whatever.

00:33:12.747 --> 00:33:12.836
Mm-hmm.

00:33:13.076 --> 00:33:14.967
And they would mail it back to us.

00:33:15.027 --> 00:33:16.856
And then you call'em and you say, Hey, I got your postcard.

00:33:17.007 --> 00:33:17.217
Oh,

00:33:17.876 --> 00:33:19.317
when can we sit down and talk about this?

00:33:19.317 --> 00:33:20.037
And they're like, it.

00:33:20.067 --> 00:33:22.676
That was essentially the most Right.

00:33:22.676 --> 00:33:24.267
It's the warmest cold call ever.

00:33:24.297 --> 00:33:24.537
Right.

00:33:24.537 --> 00:33:27.656
And and maybe get 5% of those would would return on you.

00:33:27.656 --> 00:33:29.156
'cause people just get so mad you're calling.

00:33:29.517 --> 00:33:30.207
Interesting.

00:33:30.297 --> 00:33:33.836
And nowadays, I don't even know if you could make a phone call'cause your cell phone blocks half the stuff anyway.

00:33:33.896 --> 00:33:34.317
Yeah.

00:33:34.406 --> 00:33:36.237
And no one's gonna answer a number that's not theirs.

00:33:36.241 --> 00:33:36.311
Yeah.

00:33:36.531 --> 00:33:36.751
So

00:33:37.692 --> 00:33:41.787
I, yeah, I don't relish the thought of getting into that industry in today's world especially.

00:33:41.787 --> 00:33:42.477
No, definitely not.

00:33:42.596 --> 00:33:44.096
But they, people need to.

00:33:44.396 --> 00:33:44.906
Yeah, absolutely.

00:33:44.906 --> 00:33:45.807
Because there's like.

00:33:45.882 --> 00:33:49.571
A whole bunch of silver foxes out there now that need to retire.

00:33:49.602 --> 00:33:54.971
'cause they're not interested in developing technology or better systems to serve their clients and stuff.

00:33:54.971 --> 00:33:55.961
They're just like Right.

00:33:56.082 --> 00:34:01.092
Golfing a lot and fucking around and still collecting a big paycheck from a lot of these people.

00:34:01.122 --> 00:34:01.422
Right.

00:34:01.961 --> 00:34:13.152
So, um, I guess from a, from a business perspective, that is, uh, like kind of the, the journey, right?

00:34:13.152 --> 00:34:22.001
Aside from the hot sauce, uh, future hot sauce victories and, and really is there money to be made selling hot sauce, like on the internet,

00:34:22.661 --> 00:34:23.052
things like

00:34:23.052 --> 00:34:23.411
that?

00:34:23.472 --> 00:34:25.541
Is that a actual growth area or is that

00:34:27.072 --> 00:34:27.791
maybe

00:34:27.942 --> 00:34:30.396
there's some margin there ish.

00:34:30.396 --> 00:34:30.416
There's a

00:34:30.612 --> 00:34:32.172
pretty good clip from, uh, Mr.

00:34:32.172 --> 00:34:33.132
Wonderful Shark Tank.

00:34:33.431 --> 00:34:33.822
Okay.

00:34:33.942 --> 00:34:37.811
Uh, they asked him, what's the worst business you could possibly get into that you'll never be a part of?

00:34:37.817 --> 00:34:38.621
And he said, hot sauce.

00:34:38.862 --> 00:34:39.342
Oh God.

00:34:40.061 --> 00:34:43.722
Because it's, it's honestly a really easy process and everyone can, can do it.

00:34:43.751 --> 00:34:44.172
Yeah.

00:34:44.172 --> 00:34:44.181
Yeah.

00:34:44.831 --> 00:34:45.192
So.

00:34:45.942 --> 00:34:47.652
Everyone is doing it right.

00:34:47.981 --> 00:34:53.081
So, um, like since we have the brand of the restaurant, I can kind of use that to Yeah.

00:34:53.081 --> 00:34:53.382
You've got

00:34:53.382 --> 00:34:55.302
like a retail showroom almost to, right.

00:34:55.302 --> 00:34:56.141
So then making,

00:34:56.351 --> 00:34:58.992
making sauce for Ginger and Baker, they're using their label on it.

00:34:59.112 --> 00:34:59.351
Yep.

00:34:59.891 --> 00:35:01.632
People that are fans of them, that sauce.

00:35:01.632 --> 00:35:01.902
But do you

00:35:01.902 --> 00:35:07.811
make like a buck a bottle, two bucks a bottle or something to be the, I mean, maybe three at the most, right?

00:35:07.811 --> 00:35:08.621
Like not a lot.

00:35:09.041 --> 00:35:15.911
No, it's definitely not a lot, but, but I guess if you do whatever, a thousand bottles, that's 3000 bucks or something.

00:35:15.911 --> 00:35:16.092
Right?

00:35:16.092 --> 00:35:16.152
Yeah.

00:35:16.152 --> 00:35:16.331
Which is

00:35:16.481 --> 00:35:21.791
fantastic when back to school season starts and no one comes to the restaurant because they wouldn't had to buy new shoes for their kids.

00:35:21.791 --> 00:35:21.882
Right.

00:35:22.211 --> 00:35:25.092
So it's a bit of a stabilizer and also I guess it helps you feel.

00:35:25.722 --> 00:35:27.251
The gap time on your equipment?

00:35:27.342 --> 00:35:30.461
'cause you can kind of make these things Sure.

00:35:30.731 --> 00:35:33.672
During the times when otherwise staff are slow.

00:35:33.672 --> 00:35:34.331
So you're just like, hey.

00:35:34.391 --> 00:35:34.692
Right.

00:35:35.052 --> 00:35:37.961
Stir that 20 gallon pot right.

00:35:37.961 --> 00:35:38.592
Once in a while.

00:35:38.621 --> 00:35:40.632
'cause I'm making salsa, uh, sauce in there.

00:35:40.782 --> 00:35:40.961
Yeah.

00:35:41.141 --> 00:35:41.351
Huh.

00:35:41.621 --> 00:35:44.952
Uh, someone like Sean does great with online hot sauce sales.

00:35:44.981 --> 00:35:45.282
Yeah.

00:35:45.371 --> 00:35:49.601
Because he sells to a bunch of small grocery stores and, and, and places like those.

00:35:49.601 --> 00:35:53.172
So, um, he can reach out a lot further than I can and Right.

00:35:53.351 --> 00:35:58.092
My brand isn't well known outside Fort Collins, so no one's really gonna come after And you self distribute

00:35:58.092 --> 00:35:58.601
pretty much.

00:35:58.601 --> 00:35:58.902
Right.

00:35:59.382 --> 00:35:59.981
Gotcha, gotcha.

00:36:00.251 --> 00:36:02.231
And do you make all of Sean's sauces for him?

00:36:02.442 --> 00:36:02.862
I do.

00:36:02.922 --> 00:36:09.641
Um, he essentially doesn't wanna deal with the licensure, so he is just straight Oh.

00:36:09.641 --> 00:36:12.012
Powders in, in, in seasonings.

00:36:12.492 --> 00:36:12.532
I see.

00:36:12.532 --> 00:36:14.742
So he doesn't do anything liquid or any fresh peppers is really the Okay.

00:36:15.192 --> 00:36:15.731
Fresh ingredient.

00:36:15.731 --> 00:36:16.032
So he's just

00:36:16.032 --> 00:36:18.012
a reseller of anything saucy.

00:36:18.132 --> 00:36:18.461
Right.

00:36:18.791 --> 00:36:22.931
So, yeah, I just make it, I bottle it, I give it to him, he puts his own sticker on it and it's out the door.

00:36:22.931 --> 00:36:23.141
So.

00:36:23.472 --> 00:36:25.302
So let's talk about hot sauces

00:36:25.452 --> 00:36:29.981
and peppers a little bit'cause it seems like you've kind of built some expertise there.

00:36:30.516 --> 00:36:37.961
I, I have, my wife, uh, actually bought me a mini fridge to keep in the kitchen for hot sauce, so it doesn't go on our regular refrigerator anymore.

00:36:39.581 --> 00:36:45.041
She's kind of tired of it, but it's one of those things that, you know, you travel somewhere, you just pick up whatever random sauce.

00:36:45.041 --> 00:36:45.356
So yeah.

00:36:45.402 --> 00:36:49.811
Yeah, anytime she goes somewhere, she'll bring me back a bottle of hot sauce from Iowa or California.

00:36:49.811 --> 00:36:49.871
So.

00:36:49.871 --> 00:36:50.262
Interesting.

00:36:50.922 --> 00:36:52.452
But it ages as well, as long as it's kept.

00:36:52.452 --> 00:36:52.782
Cool.

00:36:52.782 --> 00:36:53.202
I reckon.

00:36:53.742 --> 00:36:58.331
So like, I guess, talk to me about your favorites.

00:36:58.391 --> 00:37:08.442
Maybe not your blends, but maybe your favorite spices and profiles or specific sauces that when you're like, I'm aspiring to build, build something that Tasty.

00:37:09.972 --> 00:37:11.981
Well, I think every hot sauce has its place.

00:37:11.981 --> 00:37:14.411
So even something like Tabasco I think is fantastic on.

00:37:15.056 --> 00:37:15.507
Yeah.

00:37:16.197 --> 00:37:18.117
Uh, that red sauce from Ginger and Baker's gr on eggs

00:37:18.177 --> 00:37:19.166
pizza, it totally is.

00:37:19.496 --> 00:37:27.657
Um, one of my all-time favorite hot sauces is, uh, a raspberry Chipotle from Tabasco interest, which is super crazy.

00:37:28.286 --> 00:37:33.476
Um, so kind of, it depends on the food with which kind of direction I would wanna go with hot Sauce.

00:37:33.476 --> 00:37:37.766
But, uh, for the most part there's not a lot of great commercial stuff out there.

00:37:38.427 --> 00:37:38.786
Okay.

00:37:38.786 --> 00:37:39.297
So like the, so the

00:37:39.297 --> 00:37:41.217
name brand stuff is Yeah.

00:37:41.427 --> 00:37:42.536
Kind of boring, right?

00:37:42.927 --> 00:37:43.556
Um,

00:37:44.697 --> 00:37:45.146
so yeah.

00:37:45.146 --> 00:37:46.407
If you sriracha got crazy.

00:37:46.496 --> 00:37:46.976
Yeah.

00:37:46.981 --> 00:37:47.606
Yeah, right.

00:37:47.606 --> 00:37:51.117
Like, everybody started using Sriracha to the point where they like ran out of it or something.

00:37:51.507 --> 00:37:51.836
Right.

00:37:51.867 --> 00:37:57.806
There's, I think there's some crazy, uh, uh, fighting, trying to save money with the farmers that have been supplying'em forever.

00:37:57.806 --> 00:37:58.106
Yeah.

00:37:58.106 --> 00:37:58.887
Something, something.

00:37:59.157 --> 00:37:59.367
Yeah.

00:37:59.367 --> 00:38:05.847
So it kind of bit him, but, um, finding that local little guy like Sauce Daddy, because he's doing crazy stuff.

00:38:05.996 --> 00:38:06.476
Okay.

00:38:06.626 --> 00:38:07.436
He's focused on it.

00:38:07.467 --> 00:38:07.677
Yeah.

00:38:07.677 --> 00:38:09.987
Like Sean just did a rhubarb and green chili.

00:38:10.436 --> 00:38:10.766
Yeah.

00:38:10.976 --> 00:38:11.456
What's that about?

00:38:13.362 --> 00:38:16.541
So I don't even know why you splash those two together, but

00:38:16.692 --> 00:38:16.931
Right.

00:38:16.931 --> 00:38:17.711
What you use it on?

00:38:17.831 --> 00:38:19.061
I'm, I'm in, I'm all for it.

00:38:19.061 --> 00:38:20.442
So you dig it?

00:38:20.652 --> 00:38:20.831
Yep.

00:38:20.831 --> 00:38:21.371
Take my money.

00:38:21.371 --> 00:38:21.612
We're good.

00:38:22.572 --> 00:38:27.222
Um, for me, my favorite sauce that, that I make, uh, is the ghost pepper sauce.

00:38:27.702 --> 00:38:28.001
Okay.

00:38:28.271 --> 00:38:28.751
Um, the

00:38:28.751 --> 00:38:31.856
one you put in the, that I used to put in the, you had it with, uh, the smother Frito.

00:38:32.516 --> 00:38:33.012
Oh, right.

00:38:33.041 --> 00:38:33.702
Oh yeah, that one.

00:38:34.121 --> 00:38:34.751
Yeah, that was,

00:38:36.041 --> 00:38:38.322
um, there's a lot of curry in there and a lot of mustard.

00:38:38.322 --> 00:38:41.831
So things that you wouldn't necessarily associate with hot sauce.

00:38:41.862 --> 00:38:42.192
Yeah.

00:38:42.192 --> 00:38:44.411
So, um, and then peppers.

00:38:44.652 --> 00:38:45.342
Lots of peppers,

00:38:45.521 --> 00:38:45.731
huh.

00:38:45.851 --> 00:38:51.791
I bet the kind of savoriness of sorts of the curry kind of dampens a little bit.

00:38:51.791 --> 00:38:53.021
Is that kind of the goal?

00:38:53.561 --> 00:38:54.672
So it sneaks up anymore.

00:38:54.672 --> 00:38:56.202
It doesn't hit you right in the face right away.

00:38:56.202 --> 00:38:56.442
Yeah.

00:38:56.442 --> 00:39:01.632
And, and there's some interesting, different peppers do different things to different parts of your tongue and mouth as well.

00:39:01.632 --> 00:39:01.902
Yeah.

00:39:01.902 --> 00:39:02.081
Right.

00:39:02.652 --> 00:39:06.072
So mixing peppers is always fun because sometimes you'll just get huge lip.

00:39:06.402 --> 00:39:07.661
Sometimes it'll be the back of your throat.

00:39:07.902 --> 00:39:08.231
Right.

00:39:08.231 --> 00:39:10.211
You know, sometimes it's just gonna blow up your entire head.

00:39:11.141 --> 00:39:15.282
So mixing them together and getting the right combos is always kind of fun.

00:39:16.931 --> 00:39:26.501
That first hot nugs conversation with Shirley, like towards the very end of it, uh, she was like, oh, you are so sweaty right now.

00:39:27.492 --> 00:39:28.632
I was like, I know.

00:39:28.632 --> 00:39:30.371
I told you what's gonna happen Shirley.

00:39:30.371 --> 00:39:32.351
You can't, uh, can't blame me.

00:39:32.382 --> 00:39:32.742
I love it.

00:39:32.742 --> 00:39:33.311
That's my favorite.

00:39:33.342 --> 00:39:37.302
We just start sweating and, you know, if, if I eat something too hot, my ears start to ring.

00:39:37.302 --> 00:39:38.172
Like I was at a concert.

00:39:38.231 --> 00:39:40.572
Just kind of a That's what I know.

00:39:40.572 --> 00:39:41.351
I did it too much.

00:39:42.311 --> 00:39:42.911
A little too hard.

00:39:43.362 --> 00:39:43.601
Okay.

00:39:44.112 --> 00:39:46.902
Um, I feel like it's a good time to take a short break.

00:39:47.081 --> 00:39:47.262
Sure.

00:39:47.561 --> 00:39:47.802
Alright.

00:40:44.547 --> 00:40:45.266
And we're back.

00:40:46.047 --> 00:40:57.387
Um, so one of the things I realized when we were like, oh, we got, kind of came all the way full circle in this timeline is like you met a girl somewhere along the way and'cause.

00:40:58.016 --> 00:40:59.007
Married didn't have that.

00:41:00.117 --> 00:41:05.936
And uh, and you have children,'cause we were talking about teaching them how to do plumbing and different things like that.

00:41:05.936 --> 00:41:06.027
Right.

00:41:06.027 --> 00:41:08.487
So let's, let's dive into that chapter.

00:41:08.487 --> 00:41:10.496
Were you in college?

00:41:10.496 --> 00:41:12.206
Did you find her in Steamboat or, uh, no.

00:41:12.206 --> 00:41:13.226
She in college, Oak Creek.

00:41:13.646 --> 00:41:20.217
Uh, my best friend ever, uh, Steve ran the, uh, cinema Saver six on Drake and Ches.

00:41:20.246 --> 00:41:20.547
Oh, sure.

00:41:20.757 --> 00:41:20.847
You

00:41:20.847 --> 00:41:20.967
used

00:41:20.967 --> 00:41:21.027
to

00:41:21.027 --> 00:41:21.777
go there from time

00:41:21.777 --> 00:41:21.786
to

00:41:21.786 --> 00:41:21.797
time.

00:41:21.836 --> 00:41:24.117
So, uh, free movies, basically, right?

00:41:24.597 --> 00:41:25.257
Nearly, yeah.

00:41:25.257 --> 00:41:25.856
Like$2

00:41:25.856 --> 00:41:26.817
movies back in those days.

00:41:27.416 --> 00:41:29.547
And, uh, she was an employee there at the time.

00:41:29.666 --> 00:41:29.996
Okay.

00:41:30.266 --> 00:41:32.456
And, uh, you know, he'd have a couple parties.

00:41:32.456 --> 00:41:34.467
Like he always did Academy Awards party at his house.

00:41:34.586 --> 00:41:34.797
Oh.

00:41:35.007 --> 00:41:35.726
Uh,

00:41:35.786 --> 00:41:37.317
so he was an actual cinema guy.

00:41:37.376 --> 00:41:37.706
Yeah.

00:41:37.706 --> 00:41:38.067
Big time.

00:41:38.067 --> 00:41:38.577
Runner of the theater.

00:41:38.577 --> 00:41:38.786
Big time.

00:41:38.817 --> 00:41:39.027
Yep.

00:41:39.567 --> 00:41:43.617
Uh, but, uh, just kind of bumped into her a couple times by chance.

00:41:43.617 --> 00:41:46.916
And then she mentioned to him something like, oh, he's kinda cute.

00:41:47.097 --> 00:41:48.146
And then I was like, wait a minute.

00:41:48.956 --> 00:41:49.856
She thinks I'm cute.

00:41:51.056 --> 00:41:51.746
It's on you.

00:41:51.746 --> 00:41:52.106
That number.

00:41:52.106 --> 00:41:52.166
Yeah.

00:41:52.677 --> 00:41:53.007
What's

00:41:53.007 --> 00:41:53.427
her name?

00:41:53.726 --> 00:41:54.146
Jacqueline.

00:41:54.266 --> 00:41:56.246
Hey Jacqueline, you'll probably listen to this.

00:41:56.907 --> 00:41:57.416
She probably will.

00:41:58.766 --> 00:41:59.036
Good.

00:41:59.456 --> 00:42:07.376
A and so Steve mentions that Jacqueline thinks you're kind of cute and uh, did you ask her out right away or how does that go down?

00:42:07.436 --> 00:42:11.817
Uh, yeah, and this is kind of awkward, kinda showing my age, but we didn't have cell phones, so there's no texting, right?

00:42:11.996 --> 00:42:12.086
Sure.

00:42:12.086 --> 00:42:12.297
Yeah.

00:42:12.387 --> 00:42:13.226
Uh, just hoping to

00:42:13.226 --> 00:42:14.487
run into her somewhere, kind of,

00:42:14.666 --> 00:42:17.456
um, her dad, CSU professor.

00:42:17.606 --> 00:42:18.086
Okay.

00:42:18.237 --> 00:42:21.896
Um, he was in love with the name Deacon.

00:42:22.646 --> 00:42:24.896
So the caller ID on his phone was Deacon.

00:42:25.586 --> 00:42:26.007
Okay.

00:42:26.097 --> 00:42:29.726
So I didn't know, but I see this on caller, ID pop up.

00:42:29.726 --> 00:42:31.436
I'm terrified, right.

00:42:31.436 --> 00:42:31.827
So I'm like,

00:42:32.067 --> 00:42:32.367
is a

00:42:32.367 --> 00:42:33.476
church guy calling?

00:42:33.777 --> 00:42:34.646
I don't know what's going on.

00:42:34.646 --> 00:42:40.617
I don't dunno what I'm doing, but it was, uh, you know, you make a phone call and be like, Hey, if you're free, I'm gonna be at the library this afternoon, swing by.

00:42:40.617 --> 00:42:42.146
So I'm just sitting at the library, see if she'll swing by.

00:42:42.777 --> 00:42:47.217
So you kinda try and make those chance meetings and hope they keep increasing with frequency.

00:42:48.086 --> 00:42:50.487
Uh, and then, yeah, we just had fun and.

00:42:51.132 --> 00:42:52.512
Here we are 25 years later.

00:42:52.601 --> 00:42:52.871
Wow.

00:42:53.472 --> 00:42:53.681
Yeah.

00:42:54.161 --> 00:42:56.052
So this was in college.

00:42:56.052 --> 00:43:00.311
Were you, did you date for a while and then get married or?

00:43:00.702 --> 00:43:01.271
Yeah, actually,

00:43:01.271 --> 00:43:06.492
uh, our very first real date I took her, uh, flying What?

00:43:06.581 --> 00:43:07.992
So, uh, like at an airplane?

00:43:08.021 --> 00:43:08.532
Yeah.

00:43:08.532 --> 00:43:08.621
Yeah.

00:43:08.621 --> 00:43:09.617
Um, okay.

00:43:10.637 --> 00:43:11.297
Why, why?

00:43:11.442 --> 00:43:11.831
Okay.

00:43:11.922 --> 00:43:12.822
I got a lot of great stories.

00:43:12.822 --> 00:43:13.302
He goes for days.

00:43:13.661 --> 00:43:16.061
Uh, my brother Dan is a former Marine Okay.

00:43:16.061 --> 00:43:17.322
In, uh, airplane mechanic.

00:43:17.322 --> 00:43:20.742
And now he works for the FAA, but at the time he worked at the Fort Collins level Airport.

00:43:20.742 --> 00:43:21.552
So, okay.

00:43:21.762 --> 00:43:24.251
The entire time I was in college, I was working at the airport too.

00:43:24.251 --> 00:43:25.302
I was a, a line guy.

00:43:25.302 --> 00:43:27.461
I pumped gas, you know, the guy with the WS guy and people.

00:43:27.461 --> 00:43:27.942
Yeah.

00:43:27.942 --> 00:43:27.952
Yeah.

00:43:28.992 --> 00:43:32.592
So, uh, when you're out there, you got the ability to trade favors.

00:43:32.802 --> 00:43:32.981
Yeah.

00:43:33.641 --> 00:43:34.101
Become, you know, like, I'll, I'll become friends.

00:43:34.101 --> 00:43:35.592
I'll you airplane in the hangar tonight.

00:43:35.592 --> 00:43:36.492
I know it's gonna be cold.

00:43:36.882 --> 00:43:37.541
We won't charge you.

00:43:38.382 --> 00:43:40.512
And then he'll take me for an airplane ride a week later.

00:43:40.512 --> 00:43:40.692
Right.

00:43:41.322 --> 00:43:44.202
So I'm doing favors for people and I'm getting some free flight time.

00:43:44.382 --> 00:43:47.771
So I was able to get my pilot's license for virtually nothing while I was there.

00:43:47.831 --> 00:43:48.702
Basically just gas.

00:43:48.911 --> 00:43:49.362
Okay.

00:43:49.842 --> 00:43:50.351
Um.

00:43:50.757 --> 00:43:54.266
Then, yeah, I had my license and I said, Hey, let's go.

00:43:54.297 --> 00:43:56.427
We went to Olis, which unfortunately is now closed.

00:43:56.427 --> 00:43:58.737
So it's like some dude just like loans you his plane.

00:43:58.737 --> 00:44:00.297
'cause you got your license or Yeah.

00:44:00.297 --> 00:44:01.137
You, you join a club.

00:44:01.586 --> 00:44:01.617
Okay.

00:44:01.617 --> 00:44:01.766
Um, a

00:44:01.766 --> 00:44:05.606
lot of the, a lot of airplane owners rent their airplanes to clubs and then Oh, I see.

00:44:05.876 --> 00:44:06.777
By, by the hour.

00:44:06.836 --> 00:44:07.317
Yeah.

00:44:07.317 --> 00:44:07.327
Yeah.

00:44:07.976 --> 00:44:08.996
So just a little two seater.

00:44:09.146 --> 00:44:09.356
Yeah.

00:44:09.567 --> 00:44:09.956
Take her up.

00:44:09.956 --> 00:44:10.646
We're flying around.

00:44:11.036 --> 00:44:16.646
Um, flew over her house and she got to see the lights and everything and I didn't know she was absolutely terrified the whole time.

00:44:16.677 --> 00:44:17.007
Okay.

00:44:17.246 --> 00:44:25.797
So a couple weeks later, I rent an airplane again for the 4th of July and we're circling Lake Lovelin just watching the fireworks from, from the air over Lake Lovelin.

00:44:25.856 --> 00:44:26.126
Oh wow.

00:44:26.306 --> 00:44:30.086
And you could see Greeley, you could see long miles in Fort Collins is super cool.

00:44:30.597 --> 00:44:32.606
Uh, but now every time you ask her about.

00:44:32.952 --> 00:44:34.001
Either one of those airplane rides.

00:44:34.001 --> 00:44:37.271
I was flying sideways and doing barrel rolls and she thought she was gonna die the whole time.

00:44:37.271 --> 00:44:37.632
Oh my gosh.

00:44:37.632 --> 00:44:38.472
So it was kinda, yeah.

00:44:38.711 --> 00:44:38.891
Yeah.

00:44:38.891 --> 00:44:41.322
But, uh, kind of a shocking first date.

00:44:41.322 --> 00:44:44.981
I think that's, that's what you're supposed to do was really, you know, well, apparently an impression.

00:44:45.297 --> 00:44:45.586
Yeah.

00:44:45.592 --> 00:44:45.911
Yeah.

00:44:45.972 --> 00:44:55.871
Um, but then were you just dating like through college and then you got married later, or you started having kids right away, like telling about,'cause it was quite a while before you opened Matador after that still, right?

00:44:55.871 --> 00:44:56.141
It was,

00:44:56.146 --> 00:44:56.306
yeah.

00:44:56.311 --> 00:44:56.442
Yeah.

00:44:56.442 --> 00:45:02.021
Um, I proposed to her the night of my graduation party from CSU.

00:45:02.112 --> 00:45:02.592
Oh wow.

00:45:02.891 --> 00:45:04.032
Uh, and we were.

00:45:04.782 --> 00:45:09.041
Having some drinks and I may or may not have gotten sick in the dumpster by our apartment.

00:45:09.896 --> 00:45:12.731
And then is it after that you proposed?

00:45:13.121 --> 00:45:17.052
I proposed a little bit after that and then she said, well, we'll talk later.

00:45:18.132 --> 00:45:22.871
Always proposed before you vomit in the dumpster, but keep going.

00:45:22.931 --> 00:45:23.442
Should have known.

00:45:23.532 --> 00:45:23.922
I should should've.

00:45:23.922 --> 00:45:24.911
Well, what can you do?

00:45:25.242 --> 00:45:28.032
Sliders was selling 24 ounce microbrews for$2.

00:45:28.032 --> 00:45:31.902
Like you can't, and you just graduate college like it's gonna happen.

00:45:32.231 --> 00:45:32.291
Yeah.

00:45:32.291 --> 00:45:33.882
SelfControl wasn't really as, nah, it was dumb.

00:45:35.231 --> 00:45:39.521
Uh, my saving grace though was I did tell her sister at the graduation party, I'm gonna ask her tonight.

00:45:39.552 --> 00:45:39.581
Okay.

00:45:40.842 --> 00:45:41.081
So

00:45:42.041 --> 00:45:43.601
before the, the, the bubble.

00:45:43.601 --> 00:45:44.157
Right, right.

00:45:44.291 --> 00:45:44.621
Okay.

00:45:44.621 --> 00:45:47.592
So she was at least flattered by that, but Right.

00:45:47.592 --> 00:45:49.077
So I didn't want that to be the circumstances.

00:45:49.092 --> 00:45:49.722
I up a little bit and

00:45:49.722 --> 00:45:49.992
yeah.

00:45:50.322 --> 00:45:51.402
Kind of talked myself outta that.

00:45:51.402 --> 00:45:57.132
But, uh, first thing you know, next day, next time I talked to her, she, did you meet what you said last night?

00:45:57.132 --> 00:45:58.572
And I'm like, I don't know what I said.

00:45:58.757 --> 00:45:58.907
Like, yeah.

00:45:59.626 --> 00:46:01.427
If it's about the, will you bear me thing then?

00:46:01.427 --> 00:46:01.726
Yeah.

00:46:01.817 --> 00:46:02.086
Yeah.

00:46:03.047 --> 00:46:08.507
So we did a picnic and, and uh, I ended up putting a ring in a cracker jack box and went to the zoo and Cool.

00:46:08.507 --> 00:46:09.467
Did it right later.

00:46:09.496 --> 00:46:11.597
But, uh, yeah, that was, uh, the first time there.

00:46:12.317 --> 00:46:17.117
Uh, so I was what, 23 when I graduated.

00:46:17.177 --> 00:46:19.996
So we got married a year or so later, so probably 24 when we got married.

00:46:20.536 --> 00:46:23.686
And then what did you do those first couple years in?

00:46:23.686 --> 00:46:27.047
Because you weren't doing the financial planner thingy yet, I guess.

00:46:27.047 --> 00:46:27.467
No.

00:46:27.496 --> 00:46:31.606
Um, I was working, uh, for my father-in-law.

00:46:32.177 --> 00:46:32.327
Okay.

00:46:32.356 --> 00:46:34.547
Uh, so he was a groundwater engineer at CSU.

00:46:34.577 --> 00:46:36.106
Passed away a few years ago, unfortunately.

00:46:36.106 --> 00:46:38.507
But, uh, he had a little side business.

00:46:38.567 --> 00:46:40.847
He had a lot of, uh, students from the Middle East.

00:46:41.626 --> 00:46:42.047
Oh, interesting.

00:46:42.617 --> 00:46:48.766
Uh, they were working on their groundwater, PhD, whatever.

00:46:48.766 --> 00:46:48.887
Yeah.

00:46:48.947 --> 00:46:50.476
So he's he's teaching all these guys?

00:46:50.481 --> 00:46:50.661
Yeah.

00:46:50.666 --> 00:46:50.956
Yeah.

00:46:50.956 --> 00:46:51.766
His, his craft.

00:46:52.277 --> 00:46:54.916
Uh, and he started this environmental cleanup company in Egypt.

00:46:55.217 --> 00:46:55.847
Okay.

00:46:55.847 --> 00:46:56.327
Interesting.

00:46:56.362 --> 00:46:56.581
So.

00:46:57.927 --> 00:46:58.556
One of his old students.

00:46:58.556 --> 00:47:02.936
So we, we made a few trips back and forth and we were cleaning up, uh, basically drill cuttings.

00:47:03.387 --> 00:47:06.896
When you drill a hole, you pull it up and it's full of oil and they just spill it in the middle of the desert.

00:47:06.896 --> 00:47:07.257
They don't care.

00:47:07.317 --> 00:47:07.677
Yeah.

00:47:08.036 --> 00:47:13.916
So we would go and, uh, pressure like BP in England.

00:47:13.922 --> 00:47:14.032
Yeah.

00:47:14.036 --> 00:47:14.637
Yeah.

00:47:14.637 --> 00:47:15.777
To tell'em that needs to be cleaned up.

00:47:15.782 --> 00:47:15.992
Yeah.

00:47:15.992 --> 00:47:17.277
And we say, but we can do it for you.

00:47:17.637 --> 00:47:20.996
And then we go and try and clean it up for'em, you know, spread it out in the desert.

00:47:21.297 --> 00:47:23.547
Throw some fertilizers, some microorganisms on there that eat the oil.

00:47:23.606 --> 00:47:24.007
Yeah, yeah.

00:47:24.327 --> 00:47:30.117
Keep tilling it with a tractor every once in a while and then yeah, pretty soon all the hydrocarbons are gone and have nice, clean, fresh oil.

00:47:30.416 --> 00:47:30.806
Interesting.

00:47:31.197 --> 00:47:33.746
Uh, and then drilled a lot of monitoring wells.

00:47:33.867 --> 00:47:34.226
Yeah.

00:47:34.797 --> 00:47:36.992
There was one place, uh, in Sues city where that's quite

00:47:37.032 --> 00:47:41.246
a, uh, fascinating side journey.

00:47:41.277 --> 00:47:42.237
Yeah, absolutely.

00:47:42.237 --> 00:47:42.806
Absolutely.

00:47:43.407 --> 00:47:47.456
There was a, a project in Sues city where the ground caught on fire and they couldn't figure out why.

00:47:47.516 --> 00:47:48.146
Okay.

00:47:48.567 --> 00:47:52.797
So, uh, we ended up drilling a bunch of wells on the around town and we ended up, uh.

00:47:53.516 --> 00:47:59.726
Making a canal where all the groundwater would flow into this canal and we could pump all the hydrocarbons out and reclaim it, but Wow.

00:47:59.786 --> 00:48:00.717
Like a filter virtually.

00:48:00.717 --> 00:48:00.777
Yeah.

00:48:00.777 --> 00:48:00.956
They were

00:48:00.956 --> 00:48:02.036
just spilling oil everywhere.

00:48:02.097 --> 00:48:02.606
Yeah.

00:48:02.697 --> 00:48:03.117
Dang.

00:48:03.117 --> 00:48:05.967
So did a lot of those, those fun little projects like that.

00:48:06.177 --> 00:48:07.166
It was really well, and probably

00:48:07.166 --> 00:48:09.597
raised a ton of awareness to the, the problems.

00:48:09.597 --> 00:48:13.887
'cause it seems like that kind of stuff doesn't happen as much anymore.

00:48:13.947 --> 00:48:19.077
'cause you bring some awareness and it costs a bunch of money and then you're like, oh, you mean I can't just let this?

00:48:19.766 --> 00:48:20.456
Yeah.

00:48:20.547 --> 00:48:24.987
Well the, the, when the one project where the ground caught on fire, all, they just, they couldn't get it out.

00:48:25.047 --> 00:48:26.217
They didn't know what, what the problem was.

00:48:26.606 --> 00:48:28.586
So they just ran a bunch of asphalt over it and paved it.

00:48:28.976 --> 00:48:29.847
Oh, just let a beer in.

00:48:30.206 --> 00:48:31.827
And then they started working on it.

00:48:31.827 --> 00:48:37.226
Then like, using the facility again, like after who, if, who knows what's going on on the ground there, like if there's still,

00:48:37.407 --> 00:48:39.177
it is just a low burn probably.

00:48:39.177 --> 00:48:39.561
Yeah, we're fine.

00:48:39.626 --> 00:48:40.286
Yeah, it's fine.

00:48:40.556 --> 00:48:40.706
Yeah.

00:48:41.907 --> 00:48:42.237
Okay.

00:48:42.597 --> 00:48:43.077
Gotcha.

00:48:43.257 --> 00:48:45.806
And there, there was a lot of stuff in, in Colorado to do too, so.

00:48:45.811 --> 00:48:45.842
Yeah.

00:48:46.226 --> 00:48:46.827
Yeah.

00:48:46.827 --> 00:48:46.836
Um.

00:48:47.456 --> 00:48:53.847
So you're just kind of a, a junior but capable person running around doing all this stuff with your father-in-law.

00:48:54.056 --> 00:48:54.237
Right.

00:48:54.297 --> 00:48:57.117
It's a good sentiment that you like, enjoyed his company.

00:48:57.237 --> 00:48:58.797
He welcomed you into the family.

00:48:58.827 --> 00:48:58.976
Yeah.

00:48:58.976 --> 00:48:59.666
He's fantastic.

00:48:59.907 --> 00:49:00.177
Yeah.

00:49:00.266 --> 00:49:00.507
Cool.

00:49:00.806 --> 00:49:02.847
Uh, he's had, so he has six kids.

00:49:02.847 --> 00:49:08.306
They're all engineers and they all married engineers except for me, I was the one guy that was not enjoying that circle.

00:49:08.306 --> 00:49:08.456
Got it.

00:49:08.456 --> 00:49:12.777
So like when you're at big holiday parties or family reunions, you're like surrounded by engineers the whole time.

00:49:12.777 --> 00:49:13.436
Right, right.

00:49:13.586 --> 00:49:14.067
Interesting.

00:49:14.126 --> 00:49:14.817
They're the cool engineers.

00:49:14.817 --> 00:49:16.016
Well least you cook for them.

00:49:16.047 --> 00:49:16.197
Yeah.

00:49:16.257 --> 00:49:18.177
Uh,'cause most engineers can't cook.

00:49:18.507 --> 00:49:18.686
Yeah.

00:49:18.692 --> 00:49:19.302
They're not, it's too precise.

00:49:19.311 --> 00:49:19.661
Right.

00:49:21.146 --> 00:49:25.766
They're like, I need to know exactly how many teaspoons of salt You're like until it tastes right.

00:49:25.827 --> 00:49:26.036
Yeah.

00:49:26.757 --> 00:49:27.626
Then their head blows up.

00:49:27.987 --> 00:49:28.197
Right.

00:49:29.007 --> 00:49:30.717
So, and how many children?

00:49:31.856 --> 00:49:32.726
Uh oh, I have four.

00:49:32.907 --> 00:49:35.487
Four, uh, three girls and one boy.

00:49:35.516 --> 00:49:35.847
Okay.

00:49:35.876 --> 00:49:39.836
So, uh, oldest Cassie is, uh, junior CSU.

00:49:40.226 --> 00:49:40.706
Oh wow.

00:49:40.797 --> 00:49:45.027
And then we have, Samantha is a kinda on the fast track to get out.

00:49:45.041 --> 00:49:47.021
Uh, in three years outta college.

00:49:47.021 --> 00:49:48.612
So she's in, uh, Morningside, Iowa.

00:49:48.791 --> 00:49:49.061
Oh, wow.

00:49:49.061 --> 00:49:49.572
Or Sioux City, Iowa.

00:49:49.572 --> 00:49:50.351
Morningside University.

00:49:50.351 --> 00:49:50.411
Okay.

00:49:50.621 --> 00:49:50.802
Yep.

00:49:51.581 --> 00:49:54.492
And then son James is a senior at Rocky.

00:49:54.581 --> 00:49:54.911
Okay.

00:49:55.032 --> 00:49:58.271
And then the youngest, Jesse just turned 15, and she's also at Rocky.

00:49:58.572 --> 00:49:59.771
And where's James going?

00:49:59.771 --> 00:50:00.132
Does he know?

00:50:00.822 --> 00:50:01.931
Uh, no.

00:50:02.112 --> 00:50:07.751
Um, Samantha and him want to try and go to find a school where they can both go together, so.

00:50:07.751 --> 00:50:07.902
Oh, really?

00:50:07.902 --> 00:50:08.411
She work on

00:50:08.411 --> 00:50:11.231
her, her graduate degree, her graduate degree, work on his undergrad.

00:50:11.291 --> 00:50:11.561
Yeah.

00:50:11.561 --> 00:50:13.152
So that is very charming.

00:50:13.211 --> 00:50:13.902
Um, yeah.

00:50:13.902 --> 00:50:14.952
A sibling relationship.

00:50:14.952 --> 00:50:15.371
That is Right.

00:50:15.731 --> 00:50:17.081
Uh, good job fostering that.

00:50:17.652 --> 00:50:17.802
Right.

00:50:19.061 --> 00:50:22.121
Well, and it goes to, one of the things we talked about during the break was.

00:50:23.067 --> 00:50:24.836
Like, you're kind of all about friendships.

00:50:25.286 --> 00:50:25.862
Yeah, absolutely.

00:50:25.862 --> 00:50:28.496
Like your, your, your clients or friends.

00:50:28.496 --> 00:50:33.822
And even, you know, when, when you and I first met, I remembered you as Paul, the friendly guy that owns Matador, you know?

00:50:33.822 --> 00:50:34.021
Right.

00:50:34.317 --> 00:50:44.606
And, uh, um, that seems to be kind of a theme of even your, your workforce, your client base, your family, your siblings wanting to be friends with each other.

00:50:44.606 --> 00:50:44.666
Yeah.

00:50:44.996 --> 00:50:57.027
Well, it's, it's hard to, when you're working with someone, and especially after 10 years, I mean, you know everything about'em, you know, you know how their family's going and, and a, a part of really good times and a part of really bad times too.

00:50:57.206 --> 00:50:57.536
Sure.

00:50:57.657 --> 00:51:07.407
Uh, so it just kind of naturally develops, but, um, you just always try and help, help people out and, and, and make friends as many as you can because it always comes back to you and it always, yeah.

00:51:07.706 --> 00:51:09.117
There's, there's always a benefit to it.

00:51:09.717 --> 00:51:10.976
It comes back around.

00:51:10.976 --> 00:51:11.186
Yeah.

00:51:11.186 --> 00:51:12.177
Even if you're not counting.

00:51:12.476 --> 00:51:12.806
Right.

00:51:12.867 --> 00:51:13.106
Right.

00:51:13.496 --> 00:51:16.556
So I always try to be the guy that, uh, uh, overdoes it.

00:51:17.186 --> 00:51:17.396
Yeah.

00:51:17.757 --> 00:51:18.661
Going out and, and.

00:51:19.871 --> 00:51:24.612
Hopefully that has invited us to some customers and brought us some business and, and helped us grow.

00:51:24.672 --> 00:51:25.481
Oh, I'm sure it has.

00:51:25.512 --> 00:51:27.251
Um, and that's how I kinda like social media.

00:51:27.251 --> 00:51:31.092
I'm not super active on there anymore'cause there's just so much garbage, but Yeah.

00:51:31.181 --> 00:51:36.411
Uh, every time I throw stuff out it's honest me talking and it's what's going on and yeah.

00:51:36.411 --> 00:51:37.902
And kinda keep it, keep it straight.

00:51:39.056 --> 00:51:48.416
Another thing I remembered about those earliest days of Matador was like you mentioned that even still the smothered burrito special remains your busy busiest day.

00:51:48.416 --> 00:52:10.347
And that's like if I tell somebody about Matador, if I learned somebody that I would say when I learned that somebody lives on the Harmony Corridor or works in the Harmony corridor, I always tell them about Matador and often about specifically the Wednesday Smothered Burrito special that I used to always do, I didn't even really know, I mean, I hate to say it, but I live North Side now.

00:52:10.347 --> 00:52:11.516
I just don't get down there much.

00:52:11.516 --> 00:52:13.556
You know, if I'm in the neighborhood, I love would stop in, right?

00:52:14.126 --> 00:52:22.286
But that is the experience that I recreate and share with people as far as what I remember about Matador.

00:52:22.436 --> 00:52:27.237
You know, a lot of people have, uh, their first experience with something really hot.

00:52:28.271 --> 00:52:28.601
Mm.

00:52:28.722 --> 00:52:34.181
So, you know, you have someone coming gimme your hottest and you can say that in a lot of restaurants and you get away with it.

00:52:34.211 --> 00:52:34.512
Yeah.

00:52:34.661 --> 00:52:37.811
Uh, but we've got some pretty hot stuff and I can meal except for like Indian

00:52:37.811 --> 00:52:38.802
food kind of thing.

00:52:38.802 --> 00:52:39.251
Uh, yeah.

00:52:39.251 --> 00:52:39.972
Or maybe some, some

00:52:39.972 --> 00:52:41.771
Thai or you can really crank it up.

00:52:42.402 --> 00:52:43.331
But no one expects that.

00:52:43.362 --> 00:52:45.942
'cause no one else has anything even remotely is hot.

00:52:46.001 --> 00:52:46.181
Yeah.

00:52:46.211 --> 00:52:46.452
Yep.

00:52:46.782 --> 00:52:52.452
But I'm super happy if you come in and I blow you up and ruin your meal and I make you another burrito.

00:52:52.541 --> 00:52:52.811
Yeah.

00:52:52.842 --> 00:52:54.041
You're gonna talk about that forever.

00:52:54.047 --> 00:52:54.327
Yeah.

00:52:54.331 --> 00:52:54.492
Yeah.

00:52:55.181 --> 00:52:55.362
So.

00:52:55.362 --> 00:53:00.251
Well, and there's the experiences that you remember at the time, like riding a roller coaster.

00:53:00.702 --> 00:53:00.942
Right.

00:53:01.001 --> 00:53:08.831
And there's the other experiences that you remember like being on the pot at three o'clock in the morning the next day because you had way too much hot sauce, which makes

00:53:08.831 --> 00:53:09.911
it even a bigger story.

00:53:09.911 --> 00:53:10.032
Right.

00:53:10.632 --> 00:53:10.902
But you

00:53:10.902 --> 00:53:12.012
still remember it almost

00:53:12.012 --> 00:53:13.032
more fondly somehow.

00:53:13.362 --> 00:53:16.032
And people see, come back and tell me those stories too though.

00:53:16.032 --> 00:53:16.181
Right.

00:53:16.512 --> 00:53:20.726
So there was some pretty nasty text messages at two o'clock in the morning before that.

00:53:20.746 --> 00:53:21.461
That's all right.

00:53:21.731 --> 00:53:23.021
Ola killed me.

00:53:23.052 --> 00:53:23.322
Yep.

00:53:23.711 --> 00:53:24.012
Yes.

00:53:25.467 --> 00:53:27.507
Um, you wanna play the ping pong ball game?

00:53:27.686 --> 00:53:27.896
Yeah.

00:53:27.896 --> 00:53:28.407
Fire away.

00:53:30.206 --> 00:53:35.666
So, and we usually have a, sometimes have a prize associated.

00:53:35.666 --> 00:53:41.007
Would you give like a$25 gift card if somebody, uh, is the first to comment on one of these answers?

00:53:41.097 --> 00:53:41.577
Absolutely.

00:53:41.637 --> 00:53:41.876
Cool.

00:53:43.016 --> 00:53:48.717
We will gather that and get it out there on the socials.

00:53:49.286 --> 00:53:51.177
So we're gonna pick three of these balls.

00:53:51.447 --> 00:53:51.536
Okay.

00:53:51.536 --> 00:53:54.657
And I've got questions associated with each, so I'm just gonna hand this to you.

00:53:54.661 --> 00:53:57.746
You can grab it, dig down deep if you want to.

00:53:57.836 --> 00:54:00.086
Uh, but number nine.

00:54:00.597 --> 00:54:05.936
Number nine, what's the strangest way you've ever injured yourself?

00:54:06.686 --> 00:54:06.896
Ooh,

00:54:11.396 --> 00:54:11.577
boy.

00:54:11.577 --> 00:54:11.967
I don't know.

00:54:11.967 --> 00:54:15.481
I, I, I've had one broken bone my entire life and I think it was.

00:54:16.422 --> 00:54:18.251
Just a slide in normal kindergarten.

00:54:18.431 --> 00:54:19.001
Okay.

00:54:19.092 --> 00:54:19.362
Yeah.

00:54:19.362 --> 00:54:21.342
So like it came down a slide and broke your ankle.

00:54:21.402 --> 00:54:21.702
Yeah.

00:54:21.702 --> 00:54:22.302
Broke my foot.

00:54:22.362 --> 00:54:22.842
Kind of funny.

00:54:22.842 --> 00:54:23.052
Yeah.

00:54:23.056 --> 00:54:23.336
Yeah.

00:54:23.342 --> 00:54:26.652
Um, I'm always pretty careful trying not to do stupid stuff and I

00:54:27.132 --> 00:54:28.512
Your fingers all appear to be intact.

00:54:28.601 --> 00:54:29.021
Yeah.

00:54:29.081 --> 00:54:29.952
Like, no scars.

00:54:29.981 --> 00:54:30.911
Well, I know you like to drink

00:54:31.271 --> 00:54:36.431
bourbon or rye whiskey especially, and like you haven't even cut off the end of your finger a little bit.

00:54:36.731 --> 00:54:36.791
No.

00:54:36.791 --> 00:54:36.972
Yeah.

00:54:36.972 --> 00:54:36.981
Yeah.

00:54:37.217 --> 00:54:38.862
I, I really don't enjoy

00:54:38.862 --> 00:54:39.251
pain.

00:54:39.371 --> 00:54:43.871
So it's like you get, if you're a boxer, you get in a fight, you try not to get hit.

00:54:43.871 --> 00:54:44.081
Right.

00:54:44.231 --> 00:54:46.661
So try not to hurt myself, but, alright.

00:54:47.021 --> 00:54:47.592
Uh, yeah.

00:54:47.592 --> 00:54:49.481
Nothing major has ever been broken.

00:54:49.481 --> 00:54:49.722
So.

00:54:49.726 --> 00:54:49.856
Interesting.

00:54:49.862 --> 00:54:50.231
I have

00:54:50.952 --> 00:54:52.541
so many injuries over time.

00:54:54.431 --> 00:54:58.871
Uh, even in the outdoor camping and all that stuff, you just didn't, you just get out of the fray.

00:54:59.262 --> 00:54:59.711
Uh, yeah.

00:54:59.711 --> 00:55:00.192
Your dad taught

00:55:00.192 --> 00:55:01.271
you to be smarter than that.

00:55:01.271 --> 00:55:01.961
Yeah, I think so.

00:55:01.961 --> 00:55:02.172
I don't know.

00:55:02.172 --> 00:55:05.411
I think my dad fell down on that job'cause I've been through some stuff.

00:55:05.831 --> 00:55:06.041
Anyway.

00:55:06.222 --> 00:55:07.302
Next ball, please.

00:55:07.692 --> 00:55:08.442
That was a lame answer.

00:55:08.442 --> 00:55:08.771
I'm sorry.

00:55:09.012 --> 00:55:09.552
No, that's cool.

00:55:09.702 --> 00:55:09.972
Never won.

00:55:09.972 --> 00:55:10.572
Just happens.

00:55:12.041 --> 00:55:14.021
What's your favorite childhood memory?

00:55:15.597 --> 00:55:16.197
Oh my.

00:55:16.706 --> 00:55:22.856
Um, boy, I don't even know.

00:55:22.856 --> 00:55:26.007
There's so many great, great moments that I can remember.

00:55:26.606 --> 00:55:28.737
Uh, some sorts rode deck of cards.

00:55:29.007 --> 00:55:30.657
I wanna say one of the best things ever.

00:55:30.717 --> 00:55:36.836
Um, my older brother was off at the Marines and he came back and he brought me a GI Joe helicopter.

00:55:38.487 --> 00:55:41.817
Uh, it was right around my birthday and it was, you know, pretty good sized helicopter.

00:55:41.817 --> 00:55:45.597
Yeah, it had a little trigger on it that would make the rotor spin, so that was one of my favorites.

00:55:45.597 --> 00:55:46.976
Plus he was a military guy.

00:55:46.976 --> 00:55:48.387
You looked up to him, seems like.

00:55:48.387 --> 00:55:49.706
Anyway, that was really neat.

00:55:49.766 --> 00:55:50.367
That's pretty cool.

00:55:50.577 --> 00:55:50.786
Yeah.

00:55:51.987 --> 00:55:52.586
Next question.

00:55:54.327 --> 00:55:57.476
I'm gonna try to get, I usually pick the, the sassiest answer.

00:55:57.567 --> 00:56:01.496
Uh, and so far those two are, the second one was better than the first one.

00:56:01.496 --> 00:56:01.556
Yeah.

00:56:01.556 --> 00:56:03.086
But, uh, not too exciting yet.

00:56:03.121 --> 00:56:03.242
19.

00:56:03.442 --> 00:56:11.907
19 is 19 said, what's your go-to excuse when you want to get out of plans?

00:56:12.371 --> 00:56:13.242
Oh, you gotta work something.

00:56:13.331 --> 00:56:14.231
Something happened to Matador.

00:56:16.092 --> 00:56:16.572
That's easy.

00:56:16.572 --> 00:56:16.871
Something broke.

00:56:16.871 --> 00:56:17.021
Yep.

00:56:17.952 --> 00:56:20.052
Most of the time it's that way Anyway, so that'll be our,

00:56:20.052 --> 00:56:20.952
that'll be our winning.

00:56:20.952 --> 00:56:30.822
So first to comment, um, time-wise, not first that we see, but we'll, we'll check all our platforms before it nominated winner, but that gotta work at Matador.

00:56:30.942 --> 00:56:33.371
The dishwasher's broken or something like that.

00:56:33.851 --> 00:56:35.501
Uh, is, uh, Paul's excuse.

00:56:35.501 --> 00:56:36.612
So if he tells you that,

00:56:37.362 --> 00:56:38.976
might I try that at home too, too, too, you know, might be an

00:56:38.976 --> 00:56:39.097
excuse.

00:56:39.132 --> 00:56:39.911
The kids are fighting,

00:56:40.751 --> 00:56:41.501
I gotta go back to work.

00:56:41.501 --> 00:56:41.952
Something happened.

00:56:42.552 --> 00:56:47.021
My sense is that, uh, with Jacqueline, you would always prefer to hang out with her.

00:56:47.021 --> 00:56:49.601
Has that been, that friendship been true the whole time?

00:56:49.692 --> 00:56:49.871
Yeah,

00:56:49.871 --> 00:56:50.081
she's

00:56:50.081 --> 00:56:50.532
my favorite.

00:56:50.652 --> 00:56:51.282
He's fantastic.

00:56:52.271 --> 00:56:53.472
And how many years married did you say?

00:56:53.711 --> 00:56:54.161
25.

00:56:54.431 --> 00:56:55.121
25.

00:56:55.581 --> 00:57:02.782
Paul, now is the time in the show where for particular guests, I offer them an opportunity for an infinity shot.

00:57:03.592 --> 00:57:04.012
Excellent.

00:57:04.342 --> 00:57:04.581
Do you know,

00:57:05.751 --> 00:57:08.152
I'm aware of the infinity bottle, so I the bottle is there.

00:57:08.152 --> 00:57:08.661
Yes.

00:57:08.751 --> 00:57:09.021
Excellent.

00:57:09.021 --> 00:57:09.052
Okay.

00:57:09.112 --> 00:57:15.831
And so, uh, the Infinity shot is a, a weed ram of every lour that comes through the podcast studio.

00:57:15.922 --> 00:57:16.222
Okay.

00:57:16.552 --> 00:57:26.842
Um, and so it's 35% bourbon, 35% rye, 20% tequila, and 5% other, including a little splash of gin.

00:57:27.262 --> 00:57:27.442
Okay.

00:57:27.442 --> 00:57:29.181
From I, I bought the mob.

00:57:29.902 --> 00:57:30.411
Uh.

00:57:31.461 --> 00:57:34.222
Mob mountain gin today just for kick.

00:57:34.222 --> 00:57:37.492
'cause I felt like the infinity bottle should have a little floral accent.

00:57:37.521 --> 00:57:38.092
Sure, sure.

00:57:38.391 --> 00:57:43.791
Um, so I'm gonna go grab that and then you can, we can do tasting notes on that instead of hot sauce.

00:57:44.121 --> 00:57:44.452
Perfect.

00:57:53.427 --> 00:57:53.547
R

00:57:54.356 --> 00:57:54.827
thank you.

00:57:56.206 --> 00:58:02.302
Uh, I, I can smell the gin.

00:58:02.601 --> 00:58:02.931
Can you

00:58:02.931 --> 00:58:03.172
really?

00:58:03.172 --> 00:58:04.282
For not having very much in there.

00:58:04.282 --> 00:58:04.492
Yeah.

00:58:04.521 --> 00:58:04.791
Yeah.

00:58:04.791 --> 00:58:04.882
It

00:58:04.882 --> 00:58:09.547
can't be more than 10%, maybe seven or 10%.

00:58:10.757 --> 00:58:11.782
Oh, I can smell it too.

00:58:12.141 --> 00:58:12.322
Yeah.

00:58:12.382 --> 00:58:13.521
That's one thing with hanging out with Sean.

00:58:14.181 --> 00:58:14.842
He's a smeller.

00:58:14.931 --> 00:58:16.672
He smells everything before he tries to Yeah, me too.

00:58:16.672 --> 00:58:19.461
Pretty much with hot sauce too.

00:58:20.032 --> 00:58:20.722
Everything, yeah.

00:58:20.722 --> 00:58:22.702
Everything gets the nose treatment first.

00:58:26.077 --> 00:58:26.197
Hmm.

00:58:28.012 --> 00:58:29.302
It changed it so much.

00:58:29.842 --> 00:58:34.192
Adding that little bit of gin, but maybe the, I dunno, it's weird.

00:58:35.871 --> 00:58:36.411
It's not bad.

00:58:36.411 --> 00:58:37.101
No, it's not bad.

00:58:37.117 --> 00:58:37.702
No, no.

00:58:37.702 --> 00:58:46.161
I mean it's, that's kind of my, that's kinda my recipe when it comes to food in a way is if you put a bunch of pretty good stuff together, you get pretty good stuff.

00:58:46.461 --> 00:58:47.092
Yeah, absolutely.

00:58:47.092 --> 00:58:50.722
You know, it's kind of a quality of ingredients a lot of times and stuff like that.

00:58:51.291 --> 00:58:53.541
Um, and obviously technique matters.

00:58:53.931 --> 00:58:54.112
Sure.

00:58:54.411 --> 00:58:54.862
Right.

00:58:54.862 --> 00:58:56.782
But you put good stuff together and it's hot

00:58:56.782 --> 00:58:58.282
sauce, soup, chili, kind of.

00:58:58.311 --> 00:58:58.851
Yeah, absolutely.

00:58:58.942 --> 00:58:59.152
Yeah.

00:58:59.152 --> 00:59:00.621
Soup's a good example as well.

00:59:00.621 --> 00:59:07.702
Like you just, I have, I, uh, you probably do too, a cleaning out the fridge soup, have you minute Oh yeah, absolutely.

00:59:08.331 --> 00:59:10.972
That recipe's, uh, at least once a month at my house,

00:59:11.302 --> 00:59:17.211
uh, I usually do a, uh, a big Christmas soup of some kind, so we get turkeys.

00:59:17.242 --> 00:59:19.192
So we have a carcass, a Turkey carcass that I'll save.

00:59:19.192 --> 00:59:19.282
Sure.

00:59:19.342 --> 00:59:19.581
Yep.

00:59:19.882 --> 00:59:20.692
In-laws will have one.

00:59:20.692 --> 00:59:21.532
We'll have a hand bone.

00:59:22.027 --> 00:59:24.967
So I'm getting, you know, scraps from a bunch of different places.

00:59:24.996 --> 00:59:25.237
Oh, cool.

00:59:25.237 --> 00:59:26.347
And we're making a giant pot.

00:59:26.436 --> 00:59:26.947
Yeah.

00:59:26.947 --> 00:59:26.956
Yeah.

00:59:27.396 --> 00:59:29.887
And then, uh, I'll just make like some Turkey ham noodle soup.

00:59:30.186 --> 00:59:30.817
Yeah.

00:59:30.817 --> 00:59:35.197
Uh, and then throw'em all in little, little deli containers and freeze a bunch of it.

00:59:35.197 --> 00:59:36.367
And then we've got soup for a year.

00:59:36.516 --> 00:59:37.327
I've never.

00:59:38.061 --> 00:59:40.851
Had ham with my Turkey soup before that.

00:59:40.851 --> 00:59:42.442
That seems obvious.

00:59:42.442 --> 00:59:44.842
Like when you've got left, why not just throw that in there too?

00:59:44.931 --> 00:59:45.172
Right.

00:59:45.202 --> 00:59:52.791
But it's otherwise kind of a chicken stock base with carrots and onions and celery and maybe some turnips potatoes.

00:59:52.822 --> 00:59:53.001
Yeah.

00:59:53.001 --> 00:59:59.661
I've been getting kinda lazy with it lately, but I love saving just all of the vegetable trimming you have and then, you know, you throw it in a a Ziploc bag, throw it in the freezer.

01:00:00.112 --> 01:00:00.351
Hmm.

01:00:00.561 --> 01:00:01.942
And then when it's time, dump it all in there.

01:00:02.422 --> 01:00:11.722
And if you wanna go crazy when you're making your stock, take all of the solids outta there when you drain'em and then run'em through a juicer and you get this crazy thick Oh, interesting.

01:00:11.722 --> 01:00:12.681
Crazy stock,

01:00:13.431 --> 01:00:13.791
huh?

01:00:14.181 --> 01:00:16.431
I have not done that before, but that's interesting.

01:00:16.672 --> 01:00:18.952
Um, and then it, it's super concentrated.

01:00:19.101 --> 01:00:19.251
Sure.

01:00:19.251 --> 01:00:21.172
We do, uh, ramen night every once in a while.

01:00:21.172 --> 01:00:22.612
So just bunch of noodles.

01:00:22.672 --> 01:00:23.001
Yeah.

01:00:23.032 --> 01:00:26.271
Bring out that stock, heat it up and then you can throw whatever you want in there.

01:00:26.271 --> 01:00:27.742
Kinda a ramen bar at home kind of thing.

01:00:27.742 --> 01:00:27.922
Yeah.

01:00:27.922 --> 01:00:30.532
You can throw the hard boiled eggs on there and whatever else.

01:00:30.532 --> 01:00:30.592
Yeah.

01:00:30.592 --> 01:00:32.181
But that's the easy part, right?

01:00:32.572 --> 01:00:32.722
Huh?

01:00:33.021 --> 01:00:33.291
Cool.

01:00:33.742 --> 01:00:34.132
I dig it.

01:00:34.641 --> 01:00:41.692
Well, let's drift into the Loco experience segment because you said you got a bunch of crazy stories like airplane wides on first dates and stuff.

01:00:41.692 --> 01:00:49.192
So the loco experiences typically are the craziest experience of your lifetime that you wanna share with our listeners.

01:00:49.987 --> 01:00:53.827
Um, but if you've got two or three that are doozies, I'm, I'm all ears.

01:00:53.827 --> 01:00:54.817
'cause, uh,

01:00:56.077 --> 01:00:56.317
yeah.

01:00:56.317 --> 01:00:56.586
Well, I

01:00:56.586 --> 01:00:57.516
like the good stories.

01:00:57.632 --> 01:01:00.132
Uh, one of the, one of the craziest things, but, but you're also risk

01:01:00.132 --> 01:01:02.692
averse it sounds like, at least from a physical standpoint.

01:01:02.827 --> 01:01:03.817
Yeah, absolutely.

01:01:04.056 --> 01:01:12.277
Um, so one of those trips to Egypt, we were actually going to the middle of the western desert, so absolutely middle of nowhere Egypt.

01:01:12.666 --> 01:01:12.936
Okay.

01:01:13.086 --> 01:01:19.416
So if you go from Cairo, uh, 60 miles south and then you go a hundred miles west, okay.

01:01:19.416 --> 01:01:20.976
We're literally in the middle of nowhere.

01:01:20.981 --> 01:01:21.152
Yeah.

01:01:21.157 --> 01:01:21.396
Yeah.

01:01:21.427 --> 01:01:24.306
And, uh, the sand dunes are nothing like you.

01:01:25.356 --> 01:01:31.356
Saw growing up on national geo gravity, or at least that I remember, it'd be long stretch for maybe a mile flat.

01:01:31.356 --> 01:01:35.047
And then there'd be a giant a hundred foot sand dune and then long stretch giant sand dune.

01:01:35.047 --> 01:01:36.817
So that's the way the environment was there at least.

01:01:36.817 --> 01:01:37.266
Interesting.

01:01:37.476 --> 01:01:39.666
And those dunes probably move around a little bit over time.

01:01:39.666 --> 01:01:41.467
I'm, but they kind of are collectors of sand.

01:01:41.556 --> 01:01:42.396
The road's terrible.

01:01:43.027 --> 01:01:43.297
Yep.

01:01:43.416 --> 01:01:46.447
The driver doesn't wanna be there, you know, I don't speak Arabic.

01:01:46.447 --> 01:01:48.126
He might know nine words in English.

01:01:48.157 --> 01:01:48.516
Right.

01:01:48.547 --> 01:01:51.847
We've got a guy with us that translates, that helps us, you know, dig holes and whatever.

01:01:51.847 --> 01:02:05.436
But, uh, my brother-in-law and I are sitting in the back of this suburban and we come around one of these, uh, big sand dunes and there's three or four guys outside of a little, you know, little short, early eighties, uh, Toyota white pickup.

01:02:06.516 --> 01:02:06.817
Okay.

01:02:06.817 --> 01:02:07.056
Yep.

01:02:07.387 --> 01:02:08.556
Just like my grandpa used to have.

01:02:08.586 --> 01:02:08.916
Yeah.

01:02:08.947 --> 01:02:09.157
Yeah.

01:02:09.157 --> 01:02:09.367
Right.

01:02:10.447 --> 01:02:10.927
Super.

01:02:10.927 --> 01:02:11.496
Uh, tiny thing.

01:02:11.496 --> 01:02:11.766
Yeah.

01:02:12.516 --> 01:02:13.777
Uh, and then two hamsters

01:02:13.777 --> 01:02:14.407
for an engine.

01:02:14.496 --> 01:02:15.067
Absolutely.

01:02:15.067 --> 01:02:15.336
Yeah.

01:02:15.981 --> 01:02:18.112
So we're cruising down this road, you know, we're bouncing all over the place.

01:02:18.112 --> 01:02:19.041
We're just getting beat up in here.

01:02:19.222 --> 01:02:19.251
Okay.

01:02:19.972 --> 01:02:20.992
Fly by those guys.

01:02:20.992 --> 01:02:25.192
They all jump and hop into their truck and they come tearing off after us.

01:02:25.251 --> 01:02:25.641
Okay.

01:02:25.641 --> 01:02:26.782
So we're on a single laid road.

01:02:26.782 --> 01:02:29.032
They're kind of in the ditch bouncing up next to us.

01:02:29.692 --> 01:02:33.501
And I look over and they've got, you know, scarves over their faces and they've all got guns.

01:02:33.802 --> 01:02:33.981
Oh.

01:02:33.981 --> 01:02:36.112
I'm like, this is, that was a checkpoint.

01:02:36.112 --> 01:02:36.586
You just passed.

01:02:36.911 --> 01:02:37.672
We're gonna die today.

01:02:38.961 --> 01:02:41.992
And the driver's just window up, doesn't care.

01:02:42.711 --> 01:02:51.021
And the, the guy in the pickup is halfway outta the truck, beaten on the driver's window, and he finally rolls it down and looks at him and, uh, shouting on the Arabic, I don't know.

01:02:51.501 --> 01:02:52.282
And he said, no.

01:02:52.521 --> 01:03:00.112
And he rolls his window up, the guy did it again, and then he rolls it down and he just grabs a bottle of water and slaps it over and hits this truck and it just blows up on the windshield.

01:03:00.112 --> 01:03:02.572
And they, they pull off and, uh, and stop.

01:03:03.202 --> 01:03:06.081
And then my buddies, I'm like, we asked him what happened.

01:03:06.231 --> 01:03:06.532
Yeah.

01:03:06.592 --> 01:03:08.152
He said they wanted our gas.

01:03:08.157 --> 01:03:08.387
Okay.

01:03:09.262 --> 01:03:12.652
And then they wanted our water, gas pirates, basically, because they're stuck in the middle of nowhere.

01:03:12.652 --> 01:03:13.132
Yeah.

01:03:13.132 --> 01:03:13.141
Yeah.

01:03:13.581 --> 01:03:16.371
And then, uh, they wanted our water, so he gave him the water and he kept going.

01:03:18.141 --> 01:03:23.992
It's like, so from then on we started hiring airplanes to get in and out or flying, flying airplanes, kicking and out.

01:03:24.112 --> 01:03:26.751
A lot of those oil finders have their own airplane and they fly their employees in and out.

01:03:26.751 --> 01:03:26.992
Sure.

01:03:27.322 --> 01:03:29.211
We stopped traveling on the roads after that.

01:03:29.302 --> 01:03:35.061
Yeah, that seems a little intense that, uh, if the insurance agent hears about that he is gonna want a little higher price for the policy.

01:03:35.061 --> 01:03:38.032
I did not tell my wife about that one for a while.

01:03:38.092 --> 01:03:38.211
Yeah.

01:03:38.211 --> 01:03:40.702
Until after we were done with all of our Egypt trips.

01:03:40.702 --> 01:03:41.271
So that was a

01:03:41.512 --> 01:03:43.041
So you did that for a while, right?

01:03:43.041 --> 01:03:44.541
Like five or seven years or something?

01:03:44.541 --> 01:03:45.652
Or three or five years?

01:03:45.771 --> 01:03:49.641
Um, I can't even re I wanna say six trips total.

01:03:49.641 --> 01:03:54.141
Maybe we would go for like four or five, six weeks and then come back for a while and then do it again.

01:03:54.141 --> 01:03:54.411
Okay.

01:03:54.952 --> 01:03:56.512
But there was other work around here too.

01:03:57.351 --> 01:04:01.402
Uh, yeah, he was still, um, as a professor first off.

01:04:01.492 --> 01:04:01.672
Sure.

01:04:01.672 --> 01:04:05.242
But think he had another, another side business that he was, uh, working as well.

01:04:05.692 --> 01:04:08.152
Uh, that he employed all of his kids at some point or another.

01:04:08.271 --> 01:04:08.362
Oh,

01:04:08.362 --> 01:04:08.782
interesting.

01:04:08.782 --> 01:04:11.992
So great First jobs, great experience, great money to help him get through college.

01:04:12.052 --> 01:04:12.472
Yeah.

01:04:12.472 --> 01:04:12.481
Yeah.

01:04:12.771 --> 01:04:16.222
Uh, but he was like, he was the guy that just put everyone in his family first.

01:04:16.222 --> 01:04:18.021
Like he absolutely made sure everyone was set up and perfect.

01:04:18.021 --> 01:04:18.202
So,

01:04:18.411 --> 01:04:18.652
yeah.

01:04:18.831 --> 01:04:20.632
Um, yeah.

01:04:20.632 --> 01:04:26.061
Um, I don't even remember any of the real projects I was doing in, in town here'cause they weren't as big as Yeah.

01:04:26.061 --> 01:04:26.751
Born as flying.

01:04:26.751 --> 01:04:28.311
Right, right, right, right.

01:04:28.431 --> 01:04:35.601
Um, but they all, you know, a lot of advanced degrees from those guys that he helped him get through, get through college and, and, and keep working.

01:04:36.052 --> 01:04:40.161
Uh, I think my wife's the only one now that's actually still working in engineering.

01:04:40.161 --> 01:04:42.382
Everyone else has kind of done other stuff.

01:04:42.382 --> 01:04:45.322
Some software development or interesting entrepreneurial of some

01:04:45.322 --> 01:04:46.161
different things.

01:04:46.612 --> 01:04:46.882
Yeah.

01:04:46.882 --> 01:04:50.452
So everyone, well, maybe part-time out of another one, but yeah.

01:04:50.541 --> 01:04:52.251
Uh, my wife's really the only engineer.

01:04:52.342 --> 01:04:53.692
And what she, what kind of

01:04:53.692 --> 01:04:54.141
engineer is

01:04:54.141 --> 01:04:54.231
she?

01:04:54.802 --> 01:04:56.271
Uh, so she's a civil engineer.

01:04:56.722 --> 01:04:57.021
Okay.

01:04:57.021 --> 01:04:58.612
And, uh, she does, uh, storm water.

01:04:59.181 --> 01:04:59.512
Okay.

01:04:59.871 --> 01:05:02.422
Um, so you, the CSUF flood that came through.

01:05:02.427 --> 01:05:02.606
Yeah.

01:05:02.612 --> 01:05:02.811
Yeah.

01:05:02.811 --> 01:05:07.282
So she designed that, uh, Fox Meadows area on the west side of town Yep.

01:05:07.342 --> 01:05:10.311
To kind of cr capture any kinda runoff that would Oh, wow.

01:05:10.317 --> 01:05:10.407
Interesting.

01:05:10.407 --> 01:05:12.021
Slip through CSUI

01:05:12.021 --> 01:05:12.382
think.

01:05:12.382 --> 01:05:14.782
Uh, what are your worst spots when it rains heavy.

01:05:14.782 --> 01:05:16.851
We've had some nice rains the last couple days here.

01:05:16.851 --> 01:05:17.092
I know.

01:05:17.092 --> 01:05:19.072
Lame kind of riverside area.

01:05:19.072 --> 01:05:19.911
There is a little,

01:05:20.152 --> 01:05:20.452
yeah.

01:05:20.452 --> 01:05:20.961
Little thick

01:05:20.961 --> 01:05:21.742
sometimes.

01:05:21.742 --> 01:05:26.391
It's funny when it, when it gets really nasty, you know, my wife wants to go drive around and look at the projects.

01:05:27.021 --> 01:05:27.802
How's that one to hold up?

01:05:27.802 --> 01:05:28.101
How's that?

01:05:29.181 --> 01:05:30.442
Uh, we have a lake at Matador.

01:05:31.117 --> 01:05:31.507
Oh, do you?

01:05:31.507 --> 01:05:34.927
Every time it rains, we there in the parking, parking lot there just completely floods over.

01:05:34.956 --> 01:05:36.487
That's Oh, what's it drain out to?

01:05:36.637 --> 01:05:37.891
Or is it just, just the problem?

01:05:37.922 --> 01:05:38.677
Just broken pipe.

01:05:38.677 --> 01:05:39.186
That doesn't work.

01:05:39.186 --> 01:05:39.487
Yeah.

01:05:39.637 --> 01:05:40.086
Oh, interesting.

01:05:40.297 --> 01:05:44.016
It was gone for a little while and I think the landlord came and maybe worked on it for a little bit.

01:05:44.047 --> 01:05:44.496
Yeah.

01:05:44.496 --> 01:05:46.237
And now it was back yesterday after the,

01:05:46.956 --> 01:05:49.777
if he listens to this message, then uh, he's on notice.

01:05:49.806 --> 01:05:50.016
Yeah.

01:05:50.467 --> 01:06:00.277
Um, what would you wanna share with, with anybody out there, uh, especially about this hot nugs conversations that are gonna be released in the midst of this episode coming out?

01:06:00.757 --> 01:06:04.086
Like, are you a fan or was Shawn a fan of the hot nugs?

01:06:04.237 --> 01:06:05.527
How did, where did this come from?

01:06:06.157 --> 01:06:10.896
Uh, well, I, I, I'm pretty sure Adam threw out the idea at first.

01:06:10.896 --> 01:06:11.016
Oh yeah.

01:06:11.077 --> 01:06:13.836
And then, uh, Sean and I, you ran with it.

01:06:13.987 --> 01:06:15.277
We work right next door, right.

01:06:15.277 --> 01:06:15.336
Yeah.

01:06:15.336 --> 01:06:16.806
His, his shop's right next door to the restaurant.

01:06:16.806 --> 01:06:16.896
And

01:06:16.896 --> 01:06:19.476
you guys have been friends for 20 years, so,

01:06:19.987 --> 01:06:21.817
uh, maybe not quite that long, but 10 for sure.

01:06:21.936 --> 01:06:22.206
Yeah.

01:06:22.567 --> 01:06:24.637
Um, yeah.

01:06:24.637 --> 01:06:26.166
And it just kinda like, yeah, let's do it.

01:06:26.166 --> 01:06:30.036
It, it's neat'cause it's a, it's a personal conversation with someone and it's not.

01:06:30.336 --> 01:06:33.606
I mean, you're, you're, you gave them the answers or you gave'em the questions.

01:06:33.606 --> 01:06:34.146
I mean Sure.

01:06:34.177 --> 01:06:40.777
So they were prepared so they don't look dumb, but you're still getting an honest answer and you're following up and you're getting them as a person and Yeah.

01:06:41.047 --> 01:06:42.007
Politicians suck.

01:06:42.067 --> 01:06:43.867
So having the person, how can you

01:06:43.867 --> 01:06:45.516
vote based on comparing websites?

01:06:45.577 --> 01:06:45.936
Right.

01:06:46.356 --> 01:06:55.806
So I I, I love the aspect of, of getting in there and, and you know, whatever story, what have you broken or, or, you know, those things are, I don't think we've got anything scandalous so far.

01:06:56.376 --> 01:06:56.677
Right.

01:06:57.547 --> 01:07:01.266
But that side of it's a lot more fun at, at least local politics I think are kind of important.

01:07:01.476 --> 01:07:01.717
Yeah.

01:07:01.806 --> 01:07:04.567
Um, and it, it's more who that person is, I think.

01:07:04.567 --> 01:07:04.777
Yeah.

01:07:05.257 --> 01:07:05.856
Is Butterfly.

01:07:05.947 --> 01:07:08.947
Well I was sweating a lot more than Adam was in, uh, our

01:07:08.947 --> 01:07:09.666
conversation this

01:07:09.666 --> 01:07:09.936
week.

01:07:09.936 --> 01:07:10.237
So

01:07:10.507 --> 01:07:13.836
I think he's secretly training for the crazy hot he was killing.

01:07:15.666 --> 01:07:16.567
That wouldn't surprise me.

01:07:16.567 --> 01:07:16.746
Yeah.

01:07:17.226 --> 01:07:18.547
Uh, we're building up to it.

01:07:18.967 --> 01:07:21.516
Well, um, I'm looking forward to my next trip.

01:07:22.146 --> 01:07:26.137
To Matador and, uh, my next conversation with you.

01:07:26.347 --> 01:07:26.527
Yeah.

01:07:26.527 --> 01:07:27.097
Thank you so much.

01:07:27.097 --> 01:07:27.996
So thanks for being here today.

01:07:28.056 --> 01:07:28.177
Yeah.

01:07:28.177 --> 01:07:28.777
Thank you guys.

01:07:28.777 --> 01:07:29.077
Be Paul.