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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 19 April 2007 |
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 Patrick Laguens, 40, of Fort Collins cooks the way jazz musicians compose.
“I’m a New Orleans boy all the way,” Laguens said.
The chef, sommelier and wine maker, originally from New Orleans, sees jazz as the perfect metaphor for his cooking.
“I take a base technique and run with it,” he said. “The rest is improv. That’s jazz. It starts with a 12-note scale, but after that, it’s up to the musician.”
Laguens got his start in the kitchen washing dishes in a restaurant when he was 13. Since then, he has worked as head chef and executive chef for several award-winning restaurants and led more than 400 private wine tasting events and seminars. In addition, he has also become a professional wine maker.
The continental chef’s main rule is to buy the best ingredients he can, then make sure to not screw them up.
As a negotiant, he buys his own fruit and barrels and sends it all to Owl Ridge Wine Services in Sebastopol, Calif.
“When it is my turn to do my wine, their employees become my employees,” Laguens said.
Once a year, he makes 15,000 cases of wine. The newest will come out in August. Local artist Rachel Herrera designs the labels that follow a new theme each year.
This year the theme is endangered species and $1 from each bottle sold will be donated to Fort Collins nonprofit, Trees Water People.
Laguens earned his undergraduate degree in political science and his master’s degree in philosophy.
“The reason I have those degrees is because that is what I wanted to learn about,” he said.
However, when it comes to his career, Laguens said he has the best job in the world.
“In the cross cultural world we live in, the one common denominator is we all celebrate around the table,” he said. “Anyone who knows me, knows I am a big-time celebrater. I get to celebrate other people’s lives for a living.”
Spoken like a true native of the Big Easy.
————
VITAL STATS
Name: Patrick Laguens, 40
Company: PatrickLaguens.com
Title: Patrick Laugens (That was meant to be funny)
How long have you worked there? All my life (That was even funnier)
———
IN HIS WORDS
What is it about this job that makes it challenging? Makes you get out of bed in the morning?
I love being alive. I get to take part in the most significant parts of many peoples lives. I basically celebrate for a living.
Things that impress you?
People who walk it like they talk it!
Things that don’t.
People who don’t!
How do young/new employees get ahead?
Work hard, work smart and hopefully do something you truly love. (What’s the quote?) “Many a person climbs to the top of the ladder only to find out it has been leaning against the wrong wall.”
Did you ever think in a million years you’d work here?
Who knows? Happiness is more a manner of traveling than some destination to arrive at. I just do things that interest me and look up every once in a while to make sure I’m not about to hit something.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you do?
Again who knows? Probably be a college professor.
What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done while at work?
Work too much! Better to kick ass for 8 hours than to be marginal for 12.
Smartest?
The smartest thing was to never lie about wine or food.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever done to make money?
I taught snow skiing in New Orleans before I had ever really skied.
Any interesting anecdotes?
Yes.
What’s the one thing you wish you could do on the job that you can’t right now?
Sit down to eat.
What do you do during your breaks?
Drink wine.
What’s one thing about your job you would do, even if you weren’t paid to do it?
Drink wine.
Name one thing in your life that really prepared you for your job.
I realized that life was short at a young age and I have tried not to waste my time.
What’s the biggest payoff in your job?
Celebrating significant events with other people.
Are you the boss? Do you think you should be?
Yes. Sometimes.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
Parent, swim, run, cook and drink wine.
Pets? Family?
My son Jupiter is 8 years old and we have two pets; Louie, our 1
1/2-year-old Weimaraner and Kitty Kitty Kitty VII our Tortoise Cat who
is also 8.
Favorite TV shows?
I haven’t had a TV for more than 15 years.
Movies?
I like old movies and concert footage run through the stereo and projector.
Books?
I eat non-fiction books for breakfast!
What Web sites do you have bookmarked?
I am addicted to Wikipedia. Random search, Random search, Random search.
Where do you play?
I play at the Ft. Collins Club, City Park Nine, and Elliot’s Martini Bar.
Go out to eat?
I eat at Choice City Butcher and Deli.
Favorite spot?
Anywhere with Jupiter! | Only registered users can write comments.
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