Name:
John
In what part of town do you live?
Coral Gables
How long have you lived in the area?
I have lived in the Miami area for five years. I moved here from Chicago in 2015.
What brought you to Miami?
Love. I met my partner while on a business trip to South Florida. He was born in Wisconsin, but grew up in Argentina. His business takes him back and forth between the United States and Argentina. So, Chicago was not a great locale to do that.
What profession are you in?
Banking. I work for Bank of America and run one of their credit groups. I have been in similar roles with the bank for the past 15 years, and Citi Bank prior to that. I do enjoy it for the most part, although it can be very stressful.
What part do you enjoy?
I enjoy the competitive nature of it. I enjoy supporting client relationships and fulfilling their needs. I work mainly with very high net worth individuals. So there’s a lot of interesting things to see in the way in which people have created wealth or inherited wealth. We see works of art in people’s homes, that you’re never going to see elsewhere and all kinds of things that are so far outside my personal experience that it’s very interesting. I’ve seen really good examples of the way wealth can both enhance people, as well as the opposite and become destructive and an issue for families.
In what ways have you seen wealth enhance people?
A lot of our clients who are extremely focused on charitable support, either directly or through foundations that they endow. We do quite a bit in advising individuals and family offices in setting up foundations and how to handle them. We also see a lot of clients who own artworks and either donate or loan them out so that the greater public can continue to enjoy them.
On the flip side, how has wealth taken people in a negative direction?
There can be a lot of squabbling in families, particularly as it relates to inherited wealth or disagreements between business partners in terms of direction of a business or deployment of capital. I would say for the majority of clients wealth is a positive overall experience, but there is a minority in which it becomes a greater issue.
What about your interactions with clients has surprised you?
I can be absolutely blown away by how hospitable and down to earth and easy to work with some of the most wealthy individuals in the world can be.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy cooking, exercise, and travel. It’s been a hard year, obviously for everybody for travel. Cooking has definitely not been an issue. It’s been kind of a welcome opportunity to expand repertoire, recipes, and try new things.
Where has that exploration taken you?
We have cooked more international meals. We’ve gotten away from our traditional barbecues or asados and tried to on a weekly basis do something that is more typical of a foreign country.
You came by our drive-thru last week. What was that experience like?
It was great. I’m so glad we were introduced to the Pinecrest Farmer’s market, three years ago. We had gotten very accustomed to visiting you there. And then of course, with COVID, we were missing smoothies for a while. We are glad that you all took a very proactive approach to figuring out how to continue to serve your fans via the drive through, which is super easy. I have to say on the second or third time that we’ve been out, it’s really not a long drive from Coral Gables originally. It’s amazing how much quicker things seem once you’ve done them once.
What can we do to make the experience better?
It’s very straight forward. From a directions perspective, you are easy to find. The availability of your online menu, using Venmo to make payments, and this newsletter that you send out on a weekly basis are very helpful for people to pre plan for the following Saturday and Sunday.
What do you get when you come?
I’m a big fan of the TropiKale and Ulysses is a big fan of the PapaJack. Also, the guacamole and I’m a big fan of both the Turmeric Concentrate and the cookies. I have not tried the granola yet.
Have you found any restaurants to go to during the closures?
We are going out to restaurants typically in the Gables area that are open air. Bachour was a recent opening and we typically do a breakfast there either Saturday or Sunday. We do quite a bit on Giralda. We very much like Miss Saigon, Coyo Taco, and the Peruvian restaurant that’s there as well.
What’s Miami’s best kept secret?
I think Miami’s best kept secret is just a huge amount of things to do and experiences well beyond Miami Beach and the Beaches. The level of art opportunities, museums, theaters, and galleries throughout the city are great. There’s a really burgeoning art scene. And, I think if you dig a little and look you get into more local art scenes and there are a lot of opportunities there.
Do you have any favorite places you like to go?
Miami New Drama at the Colony Theater. The Band Shell. The Miami New Symphony is fantastic, and a lot of those are free. Hopefully they’ll be performing in those outdoor venues soon with appropriate social distancing and other precautions.
What for you is a worthy splurge?
A really great meal or a new and interesting trip.
Where’s the most romantic spot in Miami?
Casa Tua in Miami beach. I think it’s hard to beat.
What community groups or places are important to you that you might like to promote or share?
The Frost Art Museum at Florida International University. They take care in planning their shows and creating something positive and impactful, both for the student body and the greater Miami population. It’s not necessarily on everybody’s regular path, but it’s is a big focus of mine.
Is there a question you would like to ask us?
(JW) How have you found the drive through experience?
(A+W) Its a fun place for us to experiment and figure out what works. We’re looking to expand what we offer when you stop by so there’s more reasons to make the trip.
Is there a challenge or words of advice you would like to pose to the community?
I would say, look at things that we all enjoy supporting like the Pinecrest Farmer’s market and our favorite vendors, like LNB Grovestand who are working remotely. It may be a little bit more of a trip, but I think it’s really important that we continue to focus and support small businesses, which are most impacted by the current environment and financial situation.