I heard a rumor that one of our newest account managers was also an expert chef by night. In fact, I heard that he's a master at making one of my all-time favorite dishes: paella. Paella the magical rice dish of the Gods. Resisting the urge to walk up and demand to be fed (my first instinct, obviously) I sat down with Juan (@bestcoasting) to chat about food, sports, and... food.

First off, the basics: Name, Age, Where you're from?

Juan Flores, 32, Southern California

When did you first become interested in cooking? How did you learn?

I started cooking after college. I missed home cooked meals, and I would try to replicate them. Eventually I got pretty close! I would mostly call my mom and ask for help.

I heard you make a mean Paella. What are your signature Paella ingredients?

I add chorizo, shrimp, mussels, lobster tails if I'm feeling fancy.

What are some other things you like to cook?

I love ceviche, so I have a few variations of it. I also love blending pork and beef, so I'll make meat balls, burger patties etc.

Do you bring food to work or order out? What is your "guilty-pleasure" food order?

I never bring food to work. I love eating out as much as I love cooking! Guilty pleasure food order... when I order pizza in bed.

What music do you like listening to when cooking a special dinner?

Drake.

Nice. Anything else you'd like to share about yourself?

I love college sports. Favorite team for all sports is Cal.

Ah me too! Huge Notre Dame fan. (Don't @me) What are your predictions for the upcoming football season?

We've had a rough decade after several years of relative success. But our 2nd year coach is pretty well regarded, and expectations for him and the program are in the 7-9 win range for this season. We just moved from an air raid offense, to a more balanced approach, so retooling the offense with the existing pieces can be a challenge, but so far the signs are positive.

I love the balanced analysis. What is your favorite tailgating food and drink?

The tailgating scene at Cal is more bar centric. While it's a pretty traditional campus, the setting is actually urban, so there are no large parking surfaces on which to tailgate. Case in point, I usually take the train into games. So the bars and Greek houses are where everyone spends their pre-game. So as food and drink goes, I stick to beer and my favorite campus restaurants.

I'll spare everyone my 2018 college football predictions. (Okay, you twisted my arm. Bama, Clemson, OSU, and Notre Dame will make the playoffs. Bama will win it all... again.) Now, how to get my hands on that paella...

Obvious Chats: Juan Flores