NBA general managers travel a lot, and when they’re not evaluating players they’re eating lots of food. Charlotte Hornets GM Rich Cho decided all this travel and eating should be put to use, and now he’s officially a food blogger.
Sports Illustrated caught up with Cho on Saturday when he launched Big Time Bites, a website where he reviews food that has blown him away. The site was launched after his food picture Instagram account caught the attention of a number of executives in the NBA.
The piece starts with Cho eating scallops for breakfast, which certainly tells you about what he’s willing to try when it comes to food. It also chronicles his Burmese upbringing and how he embraced trying different foods as his status rose in the NBA.
His palette has undergone a fascinating development. Cho’s family immigrated to the States from Burma when he was three years old. When they settled in the Seattle area, his father could only find work on a 7-Eleven’s graveyard shift and his mother at a library a one-hour busride away. The family survived primarily on food stamps and welfare, rarely allowing mom to prepare Burmese noodle soups and fish chowder. Now, Cho casually discusses his favorite overseas restaurant, Treviso, in Seville, Spain. “I always think about how lucky I am,” Cho says. “I definitely don’t take it for granted.”
When he returned to Seattle to join the SuperSonics’ front office in 1997, a comfortable salary and NBA per diem unlocked the city’s renowned food scene.
Cho’s website is simple: upload a photo of the meal and rate it. He’s rating the food he eats, and wants your help to pick new places to visit and meals to try — anyone is able to “make an account and become a food scout,” and if you have the best report that week, you’ll earn some free gear. The rating system is actually pretty simple.
He’s already posted 68 evaluations of premier dishes on the site, rating meals on a five-point scale. Instead the rubric isn’t comprised of stars, but basketball decals housing the Big Time Bites logo, and Cho marks each plate from “rotation” (worthy of being in your regular rotation when you go to a particular restaurant,” the site explains) to “Hall of Fame” (”this dish should be on your bucket list before you die.”) Tiny Spalding NBA balls indicate the price as opposed to traditional dollar signs.
Eating with Cho isn’t always easy, though, as he’ll often get a ton of food for the table while he’s out to eat. Unlike most of us, his metabolism means he can eat a lot and not put on any weight, and it’s revealed that he often does that thing where he orders food for you.
He’s a demanding eater for sure, but the food he selects seems to be worth it. I’m sure traveling NBA media will appreciate it once the season starts and they’re looking for something to eat. Just hope it’s close enough to a Marriott to justify the meal.
(Via Sports Illustrated)
