Confessions Beyond the Food
Confessions Beyond the Food is a podcast about working in the Food Industry. People who work in the Food Industry have grit and lots of stories to tell. W3 Sales, a sales & marketing company, will host this podcast with their confessions on how they have a new, fresh approach and invite guests to confess their secrets to their sauce.
Confessions Beyond the Food
Luxury Creations with Chef Robbie Rensel
In this episode, Chef Robbie shares the essence of his culinary journey, emphasizing the importance of simplicity, quality, and passion in cooking. From humble beginnings to mastering the art of cooking, Chef Robbie highlights the value of hands-on experience, teamwork, and consistency in the kitchen.
He discusses the often-overlooked challenges chefs face, from meeting high diner expectations to managing the complexities and costs of luxury dining. Despite these hurdles, Chef Robbie's unwavering passion for food drives him to innovate and adapt.
The episode delves into the critical lesson that true success in the culinary world comes not from seeking financial gain but from a genuine love for the craft. Chef Robbie's story is a testament to the dedication, creativity, and resilience required to thrive in this demanding industry.
Welcome to Confessions Beyond the Food. I'm your host, Nancy Redland. Let's dig in and get inspired. Hi, and welcome back to Confessions Beyond the Food. My name is Nancy and I'm with W3 Sales Today we are talking to Robbie. Hi, Robbie.
Speaker 2:Hi, how are you? Thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1:We're so happy to have you. Robbie is joining us from Houston and he is a luxury chef and he owns his own business, so he's got lots of fun things to talk to us about.
Speaker 2:I do the beauty of being a chef and you know the persona of famous chefs being very, very cool and entrepreneurs being very, very cool. So I kind of have it both ways but kind of want to talk about the reality of both and you know the benefits of it and also how hard and the work that goes into it as well.
Speaker 1:So, before you became a chef, did you envision it being like? What did you envision versus what it actually is?
Speaker 2:So I've been in a professional kitchen since I've been 15. And I've known kind of exactly what I wanted to do since I've been 15, which is very unique in that situation, and so I always knew I wanted to be in the food industry. But I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I like to set my own destiny. As far as you know, the harder you work, you know the more potential you have to, you know, make more money, have flexibility and that type of thing. So I kind of geared my whole life towards, you know, this entrepreneurship journey in the food industry. I didn't know exactly what that was going to look like. I've always been in fine dining, so that has kind of morphed over over the years from white tablecloth to something a little bit more modern and semi casual, and I guess the journey has just gone from there. But it was. I was really fortunate to have that vision from the very start so I could kind of form my life to where we are now.
Speaker 1:So that's awesome. It's so cool when you find something at such a young age that you just I mean you love. I mean, I loved waiting tables, I loved. You know I loved it. I didn't know what that, like you said, I didn't know it was going to lead me to where I am today, but I just kind of followed my passion. So what was it about the food industry that you just loved?
Speaker 2:So I'm someone that has to like, understand everything. You know, like my favorite question is why, and you know food's just something that came to me and that really comes natural. So you know the science, the you know ability to kind of mix flavors and do understand you know why food is cooked the way it is, and you know even cooking. Today, I always ask you know why food is cooked the way it is, and you know even cooking. Today, I always ask you know, why are we doing this? Is this something that is just fluff or is this actually serving a purpose? You know, in the dish, and that could be from garnish to flavors, to technique, and so my food is very kind of simple but has multiple. You know my dishes could have 20, 25 different components to them, but they're all cooked very, you know, simply. Some are just using salt and then you know cook properly and when you're using really nice ingredients, that's really all you need.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I'm looking forward to tasting your food one day, Robbie.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely, we'll have to have you down for a dinner.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I mean it's making me hungry right now just thinking about it. So if you haven't seen Chef Robbie's LinkedIn and social, I mean he does some really, really cool stuff. So I guess when you started, you mentioned a second ago that it is a hard journey to take. It's not always the road that's the easy one, the easy way to take.
Speaker 2:So tell me a little bit about that. Yeah, so the interesting thing about being a chef is not something you can learn in a book. You really have to learn by doing, by. You know, working with other chefs and having the experience. And it's hard, it's, you know, 10 hour days just move my way up from there. But you know, there's a lot of things that you can learn online, virtually, get the virtual degree, and that's not really something you can do with.
Speaker 2:You know, being a chef, especially in fine dining, because you have to learn the techniques, you have to learn the timing. You know, if you really think about what it takes in you know, a restaurant or a fine dining restaurant, you've got to replicate. You know, sometimes hundreds of plates of the same dish, in the same way presentation wise, in the same way flavor wise, and it has to be absolutely 100% consistent and mirror the other dishes. Then you have to, you know, get it out to the table, you know. So I mean, having that, when you really think about it logistically, is a very, very difficult, you know task, just from that. And then you got to do it within three hours, you know, and that's one dish. And then you got to replicate. You know 10 to 15 dishes or more, so you have to learn the recipes in your head. You have to know the techniques you got to replicate. You know 10 to 15 dishes or more, so you have to learn the recipes in your head. You have to know the techniques. You have to. You know also you're working with three or four different people to build the same dish. You know you might have the grill guy, you know doing the meat, and then the saute guy, you know doing the sides and you know then you have the executive chef who's doing the garnishes. So you really have to work very intensely with a team as well.
Speaker 2:And I don't think diners really realize what goes into making a dish, especially a fine dining dish as well. You know which can be challenging as a chef because their expectation versus the execution that it takes to go into it, I feel sometimes is skewed a little bit. It's like, hey, if this isn't perfect, it's going back, you know, and so that's kind of the persona which diners have. The steak is a little bit overcooked or undercooked, it's going back, and you know. Then it goes back into the queue and that messes up the whole. You know timing and that's a whole nother aspect of, you know, being a chef too. So you know it's very challenging in a, in a restaurant or private fine dining, and you know that type of thing which I don't think people fully realize what it takes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, until you have, you know, worked in a restaurant and I think everybody at some point in your life should work at a restaurant. You know, just to understand, because you know now everybody's a critic, right, yeah, I mean they're all critics and I mean and and I guess, like as working in a restaurant you have a lot more grace, right For that and the execution. But you know, luxury is a whole nother level because I mean how many, like on average, like what is like a cost, like the cost to have, you know, per person.
Speaker 2:So, like what our dinners run and we do it in home. We do fine dining. We're all inclusive, from, you know, the wine to the staff. You know we, we bring everything, we bring all the rentals, we have in-house plates and glasses, you know. So we're not only cooking but we're bringing all the equipment setting it up. And our dinners, you know, run 250 to you know, $500 in total. But the amount of work that goes into it, you know it might be two or three days to get ready for you know the event prior to even doing the event. You know we customize menus to food allergies. You know we customize menus to exactly what the customer wants seasonality, because you know you don't want to serve strawberries in the winter, you know. So it's something where you do have to change the menus all the time, especially when you're doing private fine dining, and I think it's one of the only industries.
Speaker 2:I think that people say well, that's too expensive, lower your price. You know you don't go into Walmart and say, hey, you know what. I think you know this lawnmower is too expensive. I think I should pay, you know, 250 instead of 500. Give me the, you know, give me the lawnmower for that, and they go oh okay, you know that's what the really hard thing is, especially from a business standpoint, because food and cost has gone up, you know, 40 to 60%, and everybody realizes that when they go buy groceries. But they want the price to be the same and they want to set and kind of dictate the price, which is really challenging to try to make money as an entrepreneur, as a chef, because everybody has their own idea of you know what that looks like. So so it is extremely challenging from that point of view too, because I have a very, you know you only have so much time so, and staff nowadays is a huge cost. I mean, sometimes my staff is, you know, just as much as my food costs, or more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I mean your staff and the people, like you said, like you said, like you're well, you're relying on them to replicate.
Speaker 2:you know your, your creations and and well, I guess, like you have anybody right, you gotta have good staff, and good staff cost money, money I know it's all gone up.
Speaker 1:I mean I know, like with you know the, with you know the, the food you know, changes every. I don't know if people know, but the cost of meat changes every week. And so I mean you can't just say, oh, I'm going to, you know, I'm going to buy this cut of meat at this price and it's going to stay that way. I can't, they don't, they can't guarantee that price. You know, jump up.
Speaker 2:So there's a lot of price at the same right and figure out how to make you know money somehow else or sell more plates, because when your cost is going up and your prices stay the same, your margin goes down and your you know your operating expenses don't go down from there. So I mean how we've kind of structured our business is small 10 to, say, 30, 40 people in home, on site, and it allows us a little bit more margin and flexibility to offer a premium experience, even if the you know the prices are fluctuating. But even on that, you know, prime beef used to be $25, you know a pound, now it's 40, you know, and it's just absurd, uh, and you just can't, you just it's hard to cut costs. And then when you're in luxury, you know you can't serve a select steak even though I mean select steaks even $20 a pound, and so it's definitely really challenging. And then balancing that as an entrepreneur, you know it's difficult right now but we've expanded into, you know, selling product and working with new homeowners.
Speaker 2:To, you know, sell cookware because you have to find other forms of income. To, you know, really survive. And you know there's all these stories of entrepreneurs just making it rich and make millions of dollars overnight and you know, being a chef is so glamorous and you know that's just, that's just really not the case. I wouldn't like, I wouldn't want to really do anything else, but it's definitely super challenging every day. It's not glamorous, you know it's. It's it's extremely difficult.
Speaker 1:Yes, I applaud and all the chefs out there, because it is it's really hard. It's hard work, it's a daily grind and you know, it's kind of like sales, I mean, like you're only as good as your last. You know, for you, your last meal you served Right and so, and then, yeah, it's, it's really really um, challenging. And I always say to my friend my friends are like, oh, I want to get in this business. I'm like, don't get in because you'll get sucked in and they'll never want to leave. And it's not like for me it's not about the money, you know. I mean I mean, yes, I need money to survive and I am motivated by you know that, but at the same time it's not like super lucrative and so, but we stay in it. And you need to hug your chef you know the chefs around and give. You know, give them a hug because they do it, because they love it, and they do it because they're passionate and they're really, really hard workers.
Speaker 2:Like it's not for the, for the week really really hard workers, like it's not for the for the week, so and events are very, you know, volatile too. I mean right now we're. You know it's slow because you know the economy is is doing its thing and you know there's some other factors. So you know events really you know, go on the back burner when people are cutting expenses because usually they're for, you know, celebrations and people are just, you know, cooking themselves and you know so the seasonality which you know you can compare year to year, but that really has no bearing on the next year. So you're like where's all the people and the events? And so it's very kind of volatile in that sense.
Speaker 2:You know we've diversified. You know which is. You know we're very fortunate to do and we do engraving and customization and you know new home gifts and corporate gifts, but you know even the corporate events, you know they're cutting back too. So you know it's really an entrepreneur and a chef. They're like expert problem solvers, like I feel that's what I do every day is try to problem solve. You know the next problem, which, fortunately, I'm pretty good at, but it's definitely something you wake up to, a different situation every day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and something that keeps you up at night.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because, just like a restaurant, expenses don't go down. Usually they go up, and so when you're slow, it's there's only so much that you can do. You know, just like in sales, you know people, people aren't buying, people aren't buying. And that's why, as an entrepreneur, you really have to, you know, you have to be creative.
Speaker 2:And really it's like a network thing too, because you know there's lots of opportunity out there and it might just take one person to really catapult your business. But you have to find those people and it's just a game of of networking really.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the essence of selling is, you know, finding, finding new opportunities. Find, I mean, just like you do, you have to find new clients and you know. So how do you, how did you go from like, working, you know, in, you know, you know in the restaurants and the fine dining, to owning your own, but to switching to a luxury chef?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so kind of my story is I, you know, grew up in five diamond resorts. I went to the culinary Institute of America in New York, got a four-year degree from there. I then moved to Houston, worked at Sur La Table. I was their resident chef and built the program at the city center when the city center wasn't this monstrosity of a Mecca hub. And after that I really got into the appliance industry.
Speaker 2:So I always knew I wanted to start my own business and they were doing cooking classes, demoing the appliances to use it as a sales tool, and I said, hey, would you guys like to do this in the showrooms? And you know, so that's when the live displays of you know showrooms really started to be popular. And then we started to do the events actually in the appliance showrooms and that's really what started my business and filtered out to, you know, private clients. And you know where we're at now. So I've been in the appliance industry for 13 years, as you know, chef salesperson, and that's kind of our little niche is new homeowners, designers, builders, and then the new, you know, home appliance industry and appliances. So that's that's kind of how it, you know, went and you just kind of go go from there.
Speaker 1:So that's fascinating, I mean. I always find I mean that's something cool about this industry is you learn something new every day. Like I didn't realize there were people out there like you, robbie, to go into people's homes and teach them how to use the appliances, and I mean that's, that's fascinating. So what is like the craziest project you've had to work on, like in terms of maybe a food, or just like a house? You I don't know what's the craziest thing you've seen?
Speaker 2:So really for us it's like the situational environments that we work in. So we could be, you know, working in an appliance showroom and there might be an oven, that's live. There might be a full kitchen that's, you know, live. And really there was one situation where they're like, oh yeah, everything's live. You got to, you know, 48 inch range, you got double ovens, you got you know all this stuff. And we showed up and there's one oven live. And we were cooking a five course dinner and that was extremely challenging and it was for like 16 people and so really I had to take the ingredients, change the whole you know kind of concept menu on the fly and you know, to really accommodate, you know this one oven, you know kind of concept menu on the fly and you know, to really accommodate, you know, this one oven, you know, turn it on broiler 550.
Speaker 2:So things would, you know, cook faster and um. So that was probably one of the craziest. And then it didn't have a sink either, it was a break room sink that was all the way across the showroom and so, yeah, that's pretty crazy, that's pretty challenging.
Speaker 1:That's really challenging, so I guess suffice to say that you work well under pressure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you have to. That's where the extreme problem solving comes into play is you have to be able to adapt to your environment very quickly.
Speaker 1:What is the most elaborate dish entree that you've created?
Speaker 2:or dessert, or so my salads actually are are pretty elaborate. I don't just do the you know greens with dressing and you know a few vegetables. A lot of my salads contain 20 to 25 components in a salad. So I always do some type of cheese, I do a nut, I do usually like a cooked vegetable, a raw vegetable or a pickle, greens, a vinaigrette, and then you know some other different components as well, and that's presented in a very kind of deconstructed way, because I like people to really kind of play with their food and make it their own. So, like my soups, it'll not have cream and actual soup, I'll actually whip cream, no sugar, nothing in it except whipped cream. I'll put it on the edge. So if they want cream they can actually mix it in their soup themselves. So I kind of approach food in that kind of fun, playful way.
Speaker 1:That's fun. And that also I mean dictate. You know, they can add a little, they can add a lot. You know, I mean for me that's like always like, oh my gosh, I want to eat all the cream, but I don't really need it. So yeah, yeah. But the salad 20,. You said 25 ingredients.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and some of them could just be a roasted carrot with salt, but you know it's a special type of carrot. It's not like this B, you know big, huge honking horse carrot. It could be a globe carrot, which are little mini, you know kind of small, bouncy ball size carrots, where they look really unique, they taste very sweet. You don't have to peel them, you know. So it could just be multiple different ingredients that are high quality ingredients that just have salt and are cooked very well. So that's where that 25 components come from, because a lot of people overcomplicate food.
Speaker 1:So where do you get most of your food?
Speaker 2:So we do, you know, kind of smaller dinners. So we shop at Central Market for, you know, the specialty ingredients. If we're doing, you know, a large dinner, we you know Costco actually has really great cheese and meat and you know kind of some of those raw ingredients. Heb, you know, also has great meat and fresh produce. So sometimes we'll shop at three or four stores just for one dinner and, you know, really trying to source the right product from the right, you know, source.
Speaker 1:That is awesome, I mean, and that also can present problems too. I mean, cause the consistency of you know. You know you might plan for this, and then you have to adjust because it may not be. You know you might plan for this and then you have to adjust because it may not be. Does that ever happen where it may not be available? Or I mean something happens between?
Speaker 2:idea to play like, yeah, it's, it's, it's difficult because they might have it but they might be out. Uh, you know. And then you're like, oh, so if it's like a product like duck, um, I try to pre-order it and make sure it's reserved for me. But once again, all this takes an extreme amount of time, you know. So it's like it's a double-edged sword because you want great product, you need to reserve it, and it's all the planning that goes behind it too.
Speaker 2:You know, procuring the food, loading the equipment, doing the dinner, and then in a home you can you can't show up eight hours early to prep. You know, when we do a five course dinner, we show up two to three hours early and we prep the entire dinner from. You know, start to finish in about two to three hours, because we're all cook on site. We don't cook everything off site. And then you know, bring it to the dinner because it just doesn't offer the quality that we're looking for. So you know it's also a lot more work and pressure to do that, but it's really what we feel gives the best quality product.
Speaker 1:That's amazing because I I don't know if you're listening and you're not in the food industry like fine dining chefs. You know they're usually or restaurants don't open till like five o'clock, you know they're not lunch places, and so people come and start prepping at like 1030. So that's amazing that you're able to prep, cook, serve these um I mean very complex um meals. I think that's amazing I think it's very.
Speaker 1:I've learned to cook very quickly I bet, and you have to have the right equipment too, so that works really well and you're kind of like moving that around right or or you know you you don't really, like you said earlier, you don't really know. I mean, do I really have access to it or not, and will the oven perform? I mean, has that ever happened where?
Speaker 2:We work mostly for higher end clients, so usually their appliances suit you know what we're needing. We did have one event multiple years ago where it was a galley kitchen and it was an outdoor event, but we didn't know that the kitchen and the only pathway from the house to the outdoor was right through the galley kitchen. So you know, we're trying to cook food, serve food and people are constantly in the kitchen, so there's a very big lack of space. So that was probably one of the most challenging events that we heard and it was just like 60 to 70 people and had one little five burner cooktop.
Speaker 2:Refrigeration space is tough because a lot of people have their fridges chocked full of stuff, so we don't usually have a lot of refrigeration space either. So that's why we really have to customize the menus too, because we have to customize it to where we're cooking, whether it's a showroom or a house or, you know, even a corporate break room. We do fine dining and you know corporate style break rooms and might do a three, four course dinner with no oven, no stove, and we bring sous vide machines and, you know, really kind of do it in a innovative way where we don't use major appliances.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, I mean, I get it. My mind is like, wow, I that that's crazy. So, um, I cannot remember. I'm sorry, I'm a little stumped right now, um, but so, um, what is like? How many events do you do a week?
Speaker 2:Um, so it just, it just depends. It could be three back-to-back events, which is a lot for us. That's pretty exhausting because of how elaborate our events are. Um, we could do you know one, we could do three, we could do you know none. A lot of times they seem to come in chunks and so it just really depends on seasonality, because we do corporate, we do appliance, we do private, and those also all have kind of their own seasonality with them. So we did try to diversify out of just the home private dining. So we did have a little bit more consistency of events. Because we do Iron Chef team builders too for corporations. So that's another one of the services we offer. So we do those really cool competitions which can be a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I'm just my mind is like blown right now. I'm just thinking of all the things you have to do and it's like kind of making me sweat. Um, but yeah, it's crazy. Um. So, in terms of, like private dining and, you know, chefs coming to homes, like have you seen a spike, I mean in the last like five or six years? I mean, is this like? Is this now like? I mean, was it something that has always been like you know, like as strong, or do we do you think it's like? I guess, opportunities for for luxury dining and private chefs, is that on the rise?
Speaker 2:I guess that's my question. You know, I don't really know which is bad. Because COVID really jacked up the market because there was no in-home events in COVID and so that you know, even restaurants and stuff, it's really made the industry even harder than it is already because there was this two, three year lull. So a lot of chefs and restaurants have had to diversify out of just serving food and now some of the restaurants and that type of thing is coming back. But there's been also a lull again because of, you know, the economy or whatever is going on, um, and it's so much work to do.
Speaker 2:You know, the in-home events a lot of, um, you know, chefs are just doing catering where they cook it off site, they bring it on site, they, you know, display it, um, so we just kind of really had to do what clients want.
Speaker 2:Luckily we work in the appliance industry and we demo appliances for new homeowners, so we're really offering, you know, value above and beyond you know, just feeding them, and so that's one niche that we've gone into. But, um, you know it, just it's so up and down that I think people, especially in Houston, they've gone to a lot of restaurants so they're gearing more towards in-home events so they can kind of customize it and offer, you know, a different, more customized experience, because some people are tired of going to the steakhouses and eating the same thing. So I think it is generally on the rise. But because in-home events are also, you know, more expensive than going out to a restaurant, there's also that perception of, well, I can go to a restaurant for this, but an in-home event plus this, you know, and it sometimes doesn't jive in their mind.
Speaker 1:But you get the experience of being at home and I mean impressing your friends, right, like, yeah, that I always look at. I mean I'm a reality Bravo TV junkie and so I mean I, I was curious just because, like they're always doing these in-home private events and, um, it's super bougie and like I've noticed on some of the trips not many, but like on one girl's trip, like we had somebody come in and you know cook a meal and it was like the coolest thing ever, I mean. And so I don. That's, I think, the only time I've done that, but that was really.
Speaker 2:We try to offer an experience too. So, like we talk about each dish that comes out and why it pairs with the wine and sometimes we do you know chef's table style, where they're sitting right in the kitchen and we're, you know, cooking and plating, you know, right in front of them, so we really try to offer something a lot different than just your average. Hey, sit down at the table, serve your food, get your wine, you know, be good to go. We really try to offer that elevated experience, which I think that makes a big difference. If you're doing an in-home event, you want it to be different than eating in a restaurant.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, and creating that experience and a different experience every time. And I one more quick thing I was thinking about when you said earlier the allergies. I'm like I know for me, like I have to, sometimes we do like lunch and learns, and people will send us, like you know, I'll say, oh, I'll bring in such and such food, and then there's like 20 different allergies and I'm like, oh my gosh, like it was so stressful. I'm like, and I feel bad for y'all that if you have allergies, but it is a little stressful, I can't imagine for you and like all the yeah, Well, it's also about preferences too.
Speaker 2:So you can have, like, steak as a main course, like, well, I don't eat steaks. And then you got to sub. You know a fish. Or hey, you know I don't eat fish, so you got to sub for a different protein. Um, and then when you're executing the dinner you have to remember that one plate you have to usually cook.
Speaker 2:You know fish and steak completely different, so it's like cooking a whole different course, you know, just because of a swap out or an allergy. And then if it's an allergy, I usually leave it completely off the menu. You know, so there's not even a chance of cross-contamination, especially in some serious allergies like shellfish or peanuts or you know something like that. And then you know it's all about the planning. So it takes me an hour or more to write a menu for a five course dinner to incorporate all these different aspects. But you know that's kind of what you get for the price that you pay. But you know people kind of take it as a oh well, this should be how it is anyways. You know, in certain, in certain ways, but it that's just another aspect of kind of what we do in. But it all takes time.
Speaker 1:Awesome, that's, that's incredible. I really appreciate you kind of you know, I really appreciate you kind of you know, lifting the curtain showing us kind of what happens behind the scenes of these. You know well, I mean, that what you do is so fascinating and so, but before we end, I can't let you leave without your confession.
Speaker 2:Okay. So people being like a fine dining chef, they're like, oh, you know what's your favorite food and you know you must eat. So well, and my, you know. They talked to my wife cause she works with me, and they're like, oh, you must eat, you know all this amazing food. And uh, we don't, because when you get done with a fine dining there there could be steak, leftover, lobster or whatever, and you're just like, yeah, I don't want to eat that. So my favorite food is cinnamon toast crunch and no way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I will eat if it's in the house. I can't even keep it in the house. I will like eat a whole box after an event and it's. It's terrible for you, but that's, that's my favorite food confession.
Speaker 1:so I love that, I love. I mean, I love that. I always love to hear when chefs have their little guilty, you know, like guilty pleasures and food, and it's so, like you said, it's so simple, it's not, you know, it's not cooked and it's cold that? Yes, that is. You can have it with milk or without. Like you know, I can construct it or not.
Speaker 1:So, but thank you so much for joining us today and you guys need to go and check out Chef Robbie. We'll have his information about this podcast, so check that out, follow him and if you're in the Houston area, you might want to get together some friends and call them up and experience this yumminess.
Speaker 2:Yes, thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Thank you, inspiration. Follow our social media at W3Sales. Please like, comment and subscribe. You know all the things we would love to connect with you.