“I don’t want people to know much about me…”

So, we got a couple of drinks in him and Joe Breaux told “all” in spite of being a private person. You might know Joe from the monthly wine tasting classes that he teaches at the kitchen. If not, and you’re in Tulsa, maybe from his time spent in any number of the fine dining restaurants where he took care of business in the wine department. And, if neither of those are the case, then prepare yourself for getting to know, Joe Breaux.

He is a Houston transplant and as a young man got to know Tulsa through the food industry. From his first job at Tony Roma’s (remember that place?) to present day where he is taking a break from the food world. Although he admits that his identity lands squarely in restaurants and wine lists.

He didn’t always know a lot about wine and vineyards and grape growing. In fact, he describes his upbringing as “sheltered” so the restaurant industry was at the very least “eye-opening” for Joe. In fact, he had no idea that food and wine really existed. Food was sustenance and nothing much more. A far cry from the classic pairings that he became fascinated with as he went in search of…Sauternes and foie gras, anyone? Even with his vast knowledge of wine, Joe is about the farthest thing from a wine snob as you can get. He laughs that he sounds pretentious with all of his interest in caviar and champagne but he can also get down with a Coors and canned seafood.

As you listen to this episode, here are some highlights to look out for:

08:00 - The difference between serving at Tony Roma’s and a fine dining restaurant

13:26 - The naked farmer interlude

16:59 - The pop of caviar

18:20 - Joe’s guilty pleasure

26:35 - His food story

32:18 - The breakthrough

35:45 - Now, he has a two-year-old

Please enjoy our interview with Joe Breaux.

We hope you enjoyed our final interview with Joe Breaux. There still are not enough words to describe how much fun we had.

Our next episode is the last one for Season 4. We’ll pull together what each of us feels are the most memorable moments across the season’s interviews. We don’t know what the other has chosen so it will be a surprise for everyone! We’ll also share a couple of listener food stories, we think you’ll enjoy.

The kitchen and our hands-on classes are back up and running. We are wearing masks and now Tulsa has a mask mandate as well as WalMart, Sam’s Club and Target. I mean, you wear a seat belt when you drive and a helmet when you ride your bicycle or motorcycle, what's the difference? Other than, when you wear a mask you protect other people. It's the kind thing to do; we hope you think so, too. Pretty sure, the vaccine won't be available for a long time.If you have a minute, please take a look at our Patreon page and consider becoming a member. Just click that little button below that says “Become a Patron”. You don’t have to sign up but it’s easy to check it out and see what we’re talking about. We’ve got a lot of fun offerings for members that you won’t get to see,