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F I R S T
t first glance, Christopher Brown appears to be an average American guy, but beneath the surface, he is a man with a wealth of culture and experience. He graduated from Weymouth North High School, highly decorated in the sport of wrestling. After high school, Chris joined the United States Army, which afforded him the opportunity to travel the world. Through these experiences, he built up an appetite for fine foods, wine and clothing. In the years to come, he cultivated his passion for the culinary arts. Having some experience with the service industry in the Army, Chris had a nice gig working at Gyosai Restaurant in Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston back in the 1980s. Rising from bus boy to bar manager to maître d, Chris
G L A N C E :
describes his time working at this chic Japanese restaurant as “one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences in my life.” The owners, managers and fellow workers grew into a close family, with Chris as the honorary Caucasian of the group. Because of his dedication, loyalty and hard work, he was ultimately entrusted to oversee the business in the owner’s absence. The Gyosai Restaurant immersed Chris in Japanese culture, but there was another international experience that would shape his life. Shortly after Gyosai, he enrolled at Johnson and Whales University for International Culinary/Patisserie studies. Subsequently, he pursued the International Hospitality profession. Chris described his acceptance to Hotel
Cesar Ritz program, a Swiss Education Group teaching International hospitality in Connecticut, as “hitting the international jackpot.” There, he created close bonds with roommates from Taipei, Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Karachi, Jeju (Cheju) Island and Jakarta. It was during this program that he also met his Indonesian sweetheart to whom he is married to today. Training at the Hotel Cesar Ritz involved hosting dinner parties for the rich, and Chris caught the attention of a wealthy hotel/casino executive at one such event. He was offered the opportunity to serve as a personal Butler/Valet at the executive’s newly purchased $15 million estate in upstate New York. While holding this position, Chris became highly involved