Pomodo’s chef Christopher Aquilino.
Christopher Aquilino recently became the chef at Pomodoro’s Italian restaurant in East Asheville, but he has been a player in the Asheville culinary game for several years. As an executive chef who owns his own catering company and has his first son with wife Angela on the way, Aqulino is a busy man. Fortunately, he took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for Bold Life.
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Relaxing with friends, free of worry or judgment.
What is your greatest fear? Drowning.
What is your inspiration? Truth. Beauty, and a damn good sandwich.
Which person, alive or dead, do you most admire? Two very different characters — my grandfather, and John Lennon.
What is your guiltiest pleasure? Good beer.
What is your current state of mind? Fuzzy.
What is the quality you most like in a person? Honesty.
What is the quality you least like in a person? Laziness.
Which talent would you most like to have? Patience.
Which habit would you most like to be rid of? Swearing….for %$@ sake.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? My son…coming October 2009.
What would you choose to be if you were to be reincarnated? A dog. Definitely.
What is your biggest vice? My wife’s brownies.
What is your favorite thing to do on a cold day? Relaxing with a warm fire, spiked hot cocoa and my beautiful wife.
What would you cook for the President? Roasted butternut squash with spicy sausage and penne pasta in a savory alfredo sauce.
Who would you most like to have dinner with? Pablo Picasso.
What is your favorite culinary tool? My chef’s knife and then probably my ice cream maker. I love playing with new flavor profiles.
What is your idea of hell on earth? Being stuck in a car driving cross-country with Rush Limbaugh.
What quality do you most value in your friends? Being down to earth.
Who is your favorite chef? Charlie Trotter or Alton Brown. Both are masters at what they do.
Who is your favorite writer? Shel Silverstein.
Who are your heroes in real life? Anyone who dedicates their life to bettering other peoples lives.
What food could you not live without? My mom’s potato salad.
What music could you not live without? The Beatles.
How would you like to die? Surrounded by my family, listening to the Beatles’ White Album.
How would you like to live? Fulfilled by knowing I did the best I could, and had fun doing it.
What is your motto? “Try not to sweat the small stuff.”