Tiffani Faison

WHAT IS THE ONE THING THAT YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF?
My joy for life, seriously I'm a cheeseball cheerleader, but I recognize the gifts in my life and it lights me up!

IF YOU WERE TO CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR PERSONALITY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I would make myself a little less competitive. I wouldn't take it away completely, but I could chill a little more from time to time.

WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN A PERSON?
The way they carry themselves. 99% of the time, it tells me what they're bringing to (or taking from) the table.

ANY SPECIFIC PERSONALITY TRAITS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN YOUR LIFE PARTNER?
I would like them to be financially brilliant and have a muppett made in their likeness. Wait….. Seriously, Kelly is everything I could have hoped for and more. She uses her understanding and appreciation for food as a way to love me more. Can't ask for more than that.

WHAT DO YOU APPRECIATE MOST ABOUT YOUR LIFE?
That it's completely mine. It feels like me.

WHAT ARE THE 5 IMPORTANT THINGS YOU WOULD INCLUDE IN YOUR THINGS-TO-DO LIST?
5. Spend more time in Asia
4. Laundry
3. Return your email
2. Go for a run
1. Get married

ANY REGRETS FROM LIFE OR PAST RELATIONSHIPS?
Nope, every embarrassing stupid face flushing mistake has lead me here.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME/ON WEEKENDS?
I love being able to sleep in. I also love a good Target trip on Monday afternoon when there's no one around.

DO YOU MISS YOUR CHILDHOOD?
I miss wearing matching outfits with my best friends and thinking that was cool. I miss not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve and feety pajamas – but I have thosse now, so no. Not really.

ARE YOU STILL IN CONTACT WITH ANY OF YOUR CHILDHOOD FRIENDS?
One of them that lived in Oklahoma now lives in MA and we keep in touch over Facebook, but that's about it. I moved around so much it was hard to stay in touch with all of them.

WHAT'S THE BEST GIFT YOU'VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
My monster slippers. They're big, fuzzy and black with brown toenails. I went through a phase where I was calling everyone a monster (like Gingy from Shrek) and they showed up in the mail. Thanks Bub!

DO YOU GET ALONG WELL WITH YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS AND RELATIVES?
Yes, but the miles don't make it easy, it takes effort on all of our parts to stay as close as we do.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD FOOD MEMORY?
My Mom making me whatever I wanted for my birthday. It was always the same meal; fried chicken, corn on the cob, fried okra and mashed potatoes with gravy. This was no fun task in a hot August kitchen, but she never once complained.

WHOM ARE YOU MORE CLOSER TO, YOUR MOM OR YOUR DAD?
Mom, by a mile. She's amazing. She's been there every step of the way.

WOULD YOU DATE YOURSELF?
I'd give it a try, but I don't think it would last long. Redheads are nuts!

DO YOU LIKE HAVING CHILDREN AROUND YOU?
Whose children?

SO DO YOU SEE YOURSELF GETTING MARRIED IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?
Absolutely.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR CHOSEN CAREER?
I love that it's always changing. It's not linear. It's the only thing that simultaneoulsy challenges me and satisfies me.

IF YOU WERE TO WIN $10 MILLION, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH ALL THAT MONEY?
Travel the world for a year, retire my Mom and never worry again.

IF YOUR WERE TO GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHICH PART OF THE WORLD WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Japan or Italy, but honestly, I'll go anywhere.

Daniel Raia

WHAT IS THE ONE THING THAT YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF?
That would have to be my ability to make people happy through food.

IF YOU WERE TO CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR PERSONALITY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I would love to able to tell a lie without smirking like an idiot. I´m terrible at poker.

WHAT´S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN A PERSON?
How much they smile. A happy person is a beautiful person.

ANY SPECIFIC PERSONALITY TRAITS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN YOUR LIFE PARTNER?
Someone who can both appreciate the comedic genius of Caddy Shack or Big Lebowski, and also understand and enjoy the tasting menu at Alinea. A sugar-mama would be nice too.

WHAT DO YOU APPRECIATE MOST ABOUT YOUR LIFE?
My family, friends, and our J&R smoker.

WHAT ARE THE 5 IMPORTANT THINGS YOU WOULD INCLUDE IN YOUR THINGS-TO–DO LIST?
5. Have a family.
4. Travel, Travel, Travel.
3. Bake bread in Paris.
2. Make Pasta in Italy.
1. Breed Berkshire hogs in the Midwest.

ANY REGRETS FROM LIFE OR PAST RELATIONSHIPS?
I regret taking that guy´s parking spot in Charlestown last winter, as did my brand new tires.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME OR ON WEEKENDS?
I love to go out and try new and different restaurants and bars in the Boston, Cambridge and Somerville areas. There are so many great places. South American food is my exploration food of the moment; I haven’t met a papusa I didn´t like.

DO YOU MISS YOUR CHILDHOOD?
Absolutely! Nothing better than G.I. Joes and big wheels.

ARE YOU STILL IN CONTACT WITH ANY OF YOUR CHILDHOOD FRIENDS?
Of course! Growing up in the Boston area, I feel like more people stay local, so it makes it easy. I am excited that Sweet Cheeks is the first place I´ve worked that will span the diversity of all my friends, both in and out of the restaurant industry.

WHAT´S THE BEST GIFT YOU´VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
The Bruins winning the cup was pretty sweet. I also got an awesome Misono knife from a friend recently. I save it for my “herb knife.” It´s actually a blast to cut chives with this thing.

DO YOU GET ALONG WELL WITH YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS AND RELATIVES?
Absolutely! They support me no matter what.

WHAT´S YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD FOOD MEMORY?
Christmas eve at my uncle´s house — best lobster bisque ever! Also picking periwinkles off the rocks at the beach, then making them into sauce for hand-rolled pasta.

WHOM ARE YOU MORE CLOSER TO, YOUR MOM OR YOUR DAD?
Is this a trick question? My parents are a cute old couple that have been together so long, they are practically the same person, so I can´t really answer that.

WOULD YOU DATE YOURSELF?
Maybe, depending on what I was cooking.

DO YOU LIKE HAVING CHILDREN AROUND YOU?
Sure, they remind me of my own childhood and always make me laugh. Just don´t ask me to change any diapers.

SO DO YOU SEE YOURSELF GETTING MARRIED IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?
Still waiting on a response from Scarlett Johanson. Should be any day now…

WHAT´S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR CHOSEN CAREER?
Giving people immediate gratification. Great food is the fastest way to make people smile that I know of.

IF YOU WERE TO WIN &10 MILLION, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH ALL THAT MONEY?
Give half to charity right off the bat, pay off my loans, buy some sick cars, and throw a killer party in Madrid.

IF YOUR WERE TO GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHICH PART OF THE WORLD WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
I would love to travel through Europe because it all looks so interesting. The laid-back lifestyle is so different than anything we know here.

Lillian Schmertz

What is the one thing that you love the most about yourself?
I am head strong and I don't give up. If I want something, I find a way to get it.

If you were to change one thing about your personality what would it be?
I have a tendency to eavesdrop. I don't even notice I'm doing it. I've been on multiple dates where the girl I'm with has gotten upset because I spent the whole time listening to another table. I have even gone so far as to shush someone that I'm with in order to hear a stranger's conversation better. It's terrible, but all the women in my family do it, I swear it's genetic.

What's the first thing you notice about people?
Their hands. I am really in to hands. I could describe the hands of the people I love more accurately than their faces.

Any specific personality traits you would like to see in your life partner?
Humor is very important to me. And the ability to take me down a notch when I need it, I can get a little carried away sometimes.

What do you appreciate most about your life?
The relationships I have with my family and friends. And my dog. He's the best.

What are the 5 important things you would include in your things-to-do list?
Get out of debt.
Own my own business.
Spend as much time as possible with my family.
Take more naps.
Travel to as many places as I can.

Any regrets from life or past relationships?
Too many to count but that's how you grow right?

What do you like to do in your spare time/on weekends?
Hang out with my dog. Sleep. Read books. Be outside. Eat and drink with the people I love.

Do you miss your childhood?
My parents and aunt and uncle left the city and opened a restaurant in Vermont when I was six months old. I grew up there with a band of cousins close in age to me and very little supervision. We were all the perfect combination of restaurant brat and dirty shoeless hippie child. It was magic.

Are you still in contact with any of your childhood friends?
Yeah. I grew up in a very small town. My family still lives there and owns the only bar. Holidays are like unintentional grade school reunions.

What's the best gift you've ever been given?
I lived in Portland, Oregon for a couple of years after college. I flew home to Vermont one winter and drove back. I got caught in a huge snowstorm in the mountains outside of Reno, Nevada. It was dark and there were drop offs on the side of the road and all I could see was snow and I was terrified. I was following an 18 wheeler going about 10 miles an hour. All of a sudden it stopped. I stopped. The driver got out and pulled something from under his truck and came over to my car. It was chains for my tires. He even put them on for me. GUARDIAN ANGEL.

Do you get along well with your family members and relatives?
Very well. My family is amazing.

What's your favorite childhood food memory?
My family had a surprise birthday party at K-Paul's in New York for my grandmother when I was about 6 years old. There was an impromptu Mardi Gras parade in the restaurant in the middle of the meal with parasols and beads and headdresses and everyone in my family was drinking and laughing and picking me up and dancing with me. And then I had shrimp etouffee for the first time and someone held my hand and let me walk in to the kitchen. This remains one of my favorite dishes and memories.

Who are you more close to, your mom or your dad?
My parents divorced when I was really little and my relationship with each of them is VERY different. That being said, I don't think I am more close to one or the other. They have both sacrificed so much for me and I wouldn't trade either of them for anything.

Would you date yourself?
God no. I'm a hot mess.

Do you like having children around you?
I'm a big fan of other people's children for limited periods of time. I'm all about being the crazy ti-ti (that's what we call aunts in my family) who lets you have all the sugar you want and watch R rated movies. And then gives you back to your parents.

So do you see yourself getting married in the next few years?
A year ago I would have said no. It's crazy how quickly things change in life and how important partnership becomes the older you get. So yes, potentially, I could see myself getting married in the next few years.

What's your favorite thing about your chosen career?
It is absolutely never boring. And it's fast. I am at my best when the pressure is on and in this business the pressure is ALWAYS on.

If you were to win $10 million, what would you do with all that money?
Retire my parents. Pay my student loans. Buy a few really nice cars (I have a thing for cars) and a couple of nice tailored suits. The rest I would give away. No one needs 10 million dollars, that's an absurd amount of money.

If you were to get an opportunity to live anywhere in the world, which part of the world would you choose?
I could never choose. There are too many amazing places in this world. That being said, when I'm old and retired (hopefully) I will most definitely live on the ocean somewhere.

Alessandra Bloom

What is the one thing that you love the most about yourself?
My strong immune system. And wit.

If you were to change one thing about your personality what would it be?
To be more laid back and not so OCD.

What's the first thing you notice about people?
Their outfit. I love clothes.

Any specific personality traits you would like to see in your life partner?
You mean the cats I'm going to share my life with?

What do you appreciate most about your life?
My family.

What are the 5 important things you would include in your things-to-do list?
1. Canoe more.
2. Die my hair blue.
3. Have dinner with Ellen Degeneres.
4. Attend New York Fashion Week.
5. Play a dead body on Law and Order.

Any regrets from life or past relationships?
Nope, what's done is done.

What do you like to do in your spare time/on weekends?
Go for walks, crafts, and watch Seinfeld.

Do you miss your childhood?
Yes, all the time.

Are you still in contact with any of your childhood friends?
My cousin and I were born two weeks apart and were always inseparable. Even now, no matter how much time passes between when we talk, we can always pick up where we left off.

What's the best gift you've ever been given?
The stuffed animal rabbit I got in the hospital when I was born that I named Bunny. I slept with Bunny until an embarrassingly late age until I accidentally left it in a hotel room on vacation and cried for hours. RIP Bunny.

Do you get along well with your family members and relatives?
I have a sizable extended family and we're very close. I'm an only child so my cousins are like siblings to me.

What's your favorite childhood food memory?
My dad filming a home video “cooking show” of my mom and me making pasta. I was around 8 years old, and I remember being covered in flour and pasta draped over every surface and chair in the kitchen.

Who are you more close to, your mom or your dad?
I was definitely a daddy's girl growing up. But I'm very close to my mom, I tell her everything.

Would you date yourself?
Absolutely not.

Do you like having children around you?
Honestly, not for more than about five minutes. My mom gene hasn't kicked in yet.

So do you see yourself getting married in the next few years?
No way. Humans live to almost 100 now so what's the rush.

What's your favorite thing about your chosen career?
I love eating, and being around people who are passionate about food.

If you were to win $10 million, what would you do with all that money?
Buy an island.

If you were to get an opportunity to live anywhere in the world, which part of the world would you choose?
A remote Tuscan village, with lots of bocce.

Emma Caffrey

What is the one thing that you love the most about yourself?
I am very passionate, and it makes my life more exciting. Something like finding a chapstick I forgot that I had can change my whole day. That being said, I just really like chapstick.

If you were to change one thing about your personality what would it be?
I want to be effortlessly generous.

What's the first thing you notice about people?
Have they complemented me yet?

Any specific personality traits you would like to see in your life partner?
Patience, and they have to watch the entirety of Battlestar Galactica. And they have to bring me glasses of water.

What do you appreciate most about your life?
I have ended up in a really amazing place where I feel loved and love the people that I work with. I am really happy that Staples didn't want to hire me. I ended up where I am supposed to be and I want to thank someone for that (thank you, Beyonce).

What are the 5 important things you would include in your things-to-do list?
Call my grandmothers, who are my favorite people in the world. Anytime I have free time I call up Gigi and Granann to chit chat.
Go find my friend Katharine and make her tell me about her life.
Try and clean my room (this is code for take a nap).
Drink a lot of water because hydration is key.
Take a bath, ideally with a glass of wine and no roommates home so I can sing to myself.

Any regrets from life or past relationships?
Not a one.

What do you like to do in your spare time/on weekends?
Mostly lipsynching in the mirror. I am really good at this. If I get tired of this (rare), I read or watch Netflix.

Do you miss your childhood?
I miss Limited Too.

Are you still in contact with any of your childhood friends?
I wish I was. I always want to get in touch with people but get nervous that I am annoying them. I tag them in memes occasionally. 

What's the best gift you've ever been given?
This is a very difficult question because my parents are EXCELLENT at Christmas/Birthdays. They do a weird combo of exactly what I ask for, and bizarre things I never thought I wanted. Some of my favorites: weaving looms, margarita earrings, a DVD of “Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death”. Also, have y'all seen that movie? Watch that movie.

Do you get along well with your family members and relatives?
I am VERY bossy, which can cause problems. I completely convinced that I know what is best for everyone (I do). That being said, I love my family and I miss them terribly. They live in New Orleans and Houston, so visiting can be rough. The Deep South is hard to access.
What's your favorite childhood food memory?
Making mashed potatoes. I used this one pot every single time and I still have it and refuse to get rid of it. Also burning bacon so badly that I thought the fire department was going to come.

Who are you more close to, your mom or your dad?
They both have certain things that they are good at giving advice on. I go to each one for different problems and different comforts. They are so radically different that it is impossible to choose. I love 'em.

Would you date yourself?
OH FOR SURE.

Do you like having children around you?
I do! Babies are things I want to hold, and I love talking to kids because they are weird and funny and sometimes they are very wise.

So do you see yourself getting married in the next few years?
I am engaged, so, yeah. :) 

What's your favorite thing about your chosen career?
I love that every day is different, and that I get to meet and take care of so many interesting people. Also, unfettered access to Salt and Pepper Potatoes and Pulled Pork is really magical.

If you were to win $10 million, what would you do with all that money?
I would get a house with a steam room and a pool near the ocean, and the rest would go to The New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts.

If you were to get an opportunity to live anywhere in the world, which part of the world would you choose?
I would love to live in Morro Bay, California and New Orleans.