We’ve all heard the question before: “if you could invite any prominent person over for dinner — dead or alive — who would it be, and why?” Well, my team took it one step further, asking: “who would you invite for a Mexican Pizza party?” (Naturally.)
So I’m playing along.
With all the recent big games, I would love to host a pizza party with the greats that have kept me motivated all these years. Every one of the Green Bay Packers if I really could. Brett Favre is a given, plus Muhammad Ali and Wayne Gretzky.
But, as my friends would tell you, those answers are expected. So I’ll stick with folks that might surprise you…
James Patterson — Bestselling author
If I’m not at headquarters, hitting the links or catching a game, you might find me head down with a book from Mr. Patterson. It feels like he writes a book a month, so I just try to keep up. I love his thrillers, and I (especially) love the big font he uses. Might be revealing my age a bit there, but it makes flying through the pages that much more fun. And no, I don’t read on a device; hard covers only over here.
So needless to say, he’ll be the one telling tales at the table. He’s a fellow golfer too, so we could talk about his novel involving a TaylorMade iron that happened to be published back when I was TaylorMade’s CEO.
I just hope that the dinner wouldn’t turn into the title of his next thriller, ‘The Dinner Party From…’ (kidding!).
ABBA — Need I say more
I could just stop right here. A party needs music, so of course I’d invite the greatest group of all time. My daughter tells me songs from the 70s and 80s are making a comeback, but they’ve always made my playlists. Truth is, I could talk Mamma Mia all day long.
I’ve been to their shows, but never with a backstage pass. I’d love to hear their best tour stories, especially if they ever stopped at a Taco Bell while on the road.
Alright, I’ve gotta include a food icon for my last invitee. I would say Glen Bell, but since I can only pick one more…
David Chang — Restaurateur, author, TV personality
We go way back. David’s brother used to work with me at TaylorMade, and his dad was a good friend of mine. As someone who’s disrupted the restaurant scene — and food industry — with his Momofuku restaurants, his taste buds are a real treasure. I’d love to hear his review of the Mexican Pizza.
There you have it! Since it’s time for lunch, I’ll head down to the cafeteria for my own Mexican Pizza (maybe two).
