Interesting People
King of Beers
Just like superheroes, beermakers and brewery owners all have their origin stories. There are the passionate homebrewers turned professionals; there are the beer industry lifers; and there are those who turn to craft beer as a career second act. While that last description certainly fits King Cong Brewing Co. owner and brewer Cong Nguyen, he is also undoubtedly one of the few dental school dropouts in the craft beer scene.
Better Angels
In Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address on March 4, 1861, on the eve of the Civil War, he made an impassioned plea to the people of the United States, stating, “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.
Practice in Patience
As both a prolific professional brewer and a “serious backyard BBQer,” Peter Hoey loves to play with unique and exotic ingredients, but his favorite ingredient is time. Whether smoking a brisket for a day or barreling a mixed-fermentation sour beer for an entire year, Hoey makes patience an essential part of his process.
Walt & Monica
ABC10’s Monica Woods and Walt Gray may be longtime local media personalities, but to their kids, they’re also coach, cook, mom and dad.
“The kids don’t know anything different. We’ve always had media jobs,” says Woods of Abby, 16, Kelly, 13, and Joseph, 11.
Gold-Medal Cooking
As a sports performance chef, Brett Eisen has fed plenty of athletes, including the Sacramento Kings, Oregon Ducks, Denver Broncos and 2016 U.S. women’s Olympic soccer team. But working in PyeongChang, South Korea, as a chef for the U.S. ski and snowboard team was a special thrill. “Easily, to date, the highlight of my career,” says the 28-year-old East Sac resident.
Singing Her Praises
The sheer amount of paper spread out before us on the ottoman in the living room of Rona Commins’ Arden-area house is impressive. Brochures and flyers announcing concerts, contests, presentations and foreign excursions are visual reminders of how much work Commins does on a daily basis as a teacher, author and professional singer.
