The Photography of Jed Kirschbaum '67 - The Taft School

The French Bread Connectionb Brandy Dailey and Frank Riordan ’35work together to make French baguetteswith a recipe from Charlie van Over ’56.Karen Elshout/St. Louis Post-DispatchRetired chemical engineer Frank Riordan’35 has had incidental and long-termrelationships with many of the giants ofthe food world, but his latest passion isfor a French bread recipe from Charlievan Over ’56, author of The Best Bread Ever.It was another Taftie—developmentofficer Chip Spencer ’56, whohappens to have been Charlie’s roommateat Taft—who introduced the two.A series of illnesses has largely confinedRiordan to a wheelchair, but with the helpof a caregiver, he regularly bakes bread,recreating the French baguettes he soenjoyed on trips to Europe for Monsanto.After apprenticing in the kitchen ofFrance’s renowned Troisgros, Riordanlater hosted the Troisgros brothers inSt. Louis.“I can tell you,” Riordan told theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch, “a dinner invitationto the Riordan household then wasnever turned down.”Starting Up in ShanghaiEver wonder if you’d find a use for whatyou studied in high school? LearningChinese with Yen Liu has come in handy forNestor Gounaris ’89, who recently openedhis own firm in Shanghai. Limelight StudiosStarting a new business can be dauntingin any country, but for lawyer NestorGounaris ’89 establishing his own practicewas simply the logical next choice.Having worked as a corporate lawyerfor large multinational law firms inShanghai for a number of years, he hada solid grasp on the basics.“Part of the challenge—and benefit—ofbeing in a smaller outpost officeis that you have to sink-or-swim,as there is not much hierarchy betweenyou and the client,” he explains. “As aresult, you can quickly become the leadingattorney on a given matter. Juniorlawyers are driven to mature quickly inthis environment.”Starting China Solutions (www.chinasolutions.us) in April 2005, his clientsnow include the Greek ConsulateGeneral in Shanghai as well as Greekmanufacturers, ship owners, retail operatorsand agricultural producers. “Ithas been such a privilege to connectwith Greek clients—helping me feel athome in Shanghai,” says Gounaris, whohas roots in Greece, “but we also haveclients from around the globe, includingSouth Africa, Denmark, Italy, andthe United States.Having lived in China for overeight years, Gounaris enjoys working inGreece or New York for weeks on end.“Being in a wholly different environment,connecting in person with clients,”he explains, “it’s revitalizing.”The hardest part of striking out onhis own was not having a safety net.“Suddenly the onus was on me to findsufficient clients, ensure motivation forteam members, appropriate work environment,and so on. Once you get pastthe fear of failure, though, the challengesare the best part.“Things have changed quite a bitsince I first started, with our first clientin our first office. Those first days almostseem quaint. Maybe in another year, Iwill find nostalgic humor in them, butnot quite yet.”Taft Bulletin Spring 2007