Attention, romantics! One of my favorite stories that I wrote last month (Single “Nerd Girl” Wants Bay Area Dude for Epic Tokyo Dinner) has the most adorable happy ending.
ICYMI, local entrepreneur Stephanie Robesky (aka Nerdgirl) conducted a public search for a Bay Area man to be her birthday dinner date to an exclusive pop-up from Copenhagen’s Noma Restaurant that is currently taking place in Tokyo. Thanks to an avalanche of attention that kicked off after we broke the news of her quest here on The Bold Italic, Robesky got hundreds of applications from all over the world and screen time on CBS This Morning; it was pretty surreal to watch Charlie Rose and Gayle King talk about Robesky (and show the link to the original story right here).
Robesky just returned from Japan two days ago and I pounced on her for an update. While she’s open about making a romantic connection and sent this really cute photo of the two of them at another amazing Japanese restaurant (ever see Jiro Dreams of Sushi?), she’s asked that we don’t identify her date by name. Otherwise she was happy to give us the scoop on how this little experiment has turned out for both of them.
What has this experience helped you with (besides looking for a date)?
The entire experience was really uplifting. I had a rough couple of years battling lupus and having to go through chemo because of it, so dating was the last thing on my mind. Then when I decided to get back in the game I was really disheartened with the whole idea of online dating. This experience brought a lot of fun and joy not only to myself but to my friends and family. It was great to see that everyone was really rooting for me. I felt a lot of love from everyone.
In addition to that I learned a lot about being open and vulnerable with this whole experience. I didn’t expect that it would blow up like it did, but I went into it with genuine intentions of meeting someone awesome and it worked out. It wasn't always a comfortable to put it out there like that, but in the end being myself and being open paid off.
What can you say about the man you picked as your date? Did you make a romantic or friendship connection?
There is a definite romantic connection. He and I were pretty much locked in from the first few minutes of meeting and it didn't stop the entire time we were together in Tokyo. A week together is a pretty telling experience even for seasoned friends or traveling companions so the fact that we rolled with it and had the best time says a lot to me. We’re back and we’re together. So I guess that is a huge win! Now I’m looking forward to doing normal everyday things with him and having just as much fun. Turns out that he was the adventure that I was looking for and Tokyo/Noma was simply a beautiful, exotic backdrop. Who knew?
Going into this I really didn't have any expectations other than having a good time [with] anything else being a bonus. I got much much more out of it than I could have ever hoped or dreamed for.
How was your birthday meal at Noma?
The birthday meal was lavish and special and delightful. The food was beautiful and experimental. It really touched upon all the local Japanese traditions, but with the [chef] Rene Redzepi's touch of playfulness. The staff at Noma is really the best staff in the world. I can’t even begin to say how wonderful and accommodating and warm all of them are. You want to be friends with these people. They are simply awesome and open to telling you their stories. They exude the passion of the chef’s vision.
That is one thing that I have always loved about Noma. It may be dubbed the world's best restaurant, which would evoke visions of exclusivity and stuffiness, but that simply isn’t the case. It is laidback and fun. The food speaks for itself and they don’t need the pomp and circumstance to try to make it clinical or contrived. Loved it. Loved them.
How was it meeting chef Redzepi?
To me Rene Redzepi is like the ultimate celebrity. He is my Michael Jackson of chefs. It was the biggest honor to meet him and he was so kind and lovely. They sent out a special birthday cake for me and then afterwards I went to speak to him. He called the entire kitchen staff up and insisted that we all take a picture. He was the one that made us do the Asian peace sign even. I was totally dumbfounded and at a loss for words, but it was such a special birthday treat to meet him. The entire staff was all rooting for my date to turn out well and asking about how things were going after dinner with a little wink.
Have you gotten any notable other offers out of this? Book contracts, movie deals, ridiculous offers to be flown to remote countries to be wined and dined?
I’m holding out for my book deal or a spot on Ellen. But seriously, I did have a few kind offers of wining and dining and first class travel, but that wasn’t what I was looking for in this experience. I wanted something real with someone real and I got that.
Has the experience made you want to take more fun risks like this?
I think I have always been a risk taker and I will continue to be a risk taker. I’m just happy that I’ve found someone that is brave and bold enough to go along with some of my crazy notions.
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Robesky
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