Dodge professor digs into every bite as a food reviewer
Christopher Trela, an assistant professor in public relations and advertising at Dodge College, spends his time outside of teaching diving into the world of journalism by writing food reviews. Photo courtesy of Christopher Trela
On a weekday afternoon lunch, Christopher Trela plunges his fork into a Japanese Croquette. The appetizer, which is essentially deep-fried mashed potatoes, shocks Trela with how scrumptious it is.
Just like his idol Lady Gaga composing a new song at the piano, Trela discloses his meditations on the dish like a new food review fresh off the press.
"A friend suggested I try the croquettes, which I learned are fried mashed potatoes with a sauce drizzled on them," Trela said about the dish. "But after one bite, I can see why they are so popular. I mean, who doesn't love deep fried mashed potatoes?"
Croquettes were one of the items Trela tried when reviewing Ojai Burger for the OC Business Journal. Photo courtesy of Christopher Trela
These croquettes are found at Ojai Burger, the latest addition to the plethora of restaurants in the circle and who is currently offering a 10% discount to students every Monday. This establishment focuses on Japanese inspired Wagyu burgers, chicken sandwiches, mochi waffles and shakes — and it’s one of the many restaurants Trela has reviewed for his dining column at the OC Business Journal.
When Trela is not teaching media relations or public relations case studies at Chapman, he devotes his free time to writing. Including his column at the Business Journal, he is also the editor for the Newport Beach Independent Newspaper and owns his own public relations agency titled Arts PR. How he manages all of those jobs one may wonder? He told The Panther he "got good at juggling."
"I love to be busy," Trela said. "But I love to be creative, and busy. I'm usually up till 10 or 11, writing or working or doing something, but it beats sitting in front of the TV. So for me, I love it all. I don't mind working 16-hour days because I don't think of it as work."
Trela said he thinks the popularity of food writing substitutes the love for the arts. Just like what Jess said in the 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally," "Restaurants are to people in the ‘80s what theater was to people in the ‘60s." While Trela focused much of his public relations and journalism career on the theater and music scene, his writing, and reader’s stomachs, grumbled for more food reviews.
"There used to be a lot of writers that were writing about the performing arts and visual arts," Trela said. "Now, nobody covers those, but they've got more people writing about food. I think it's the Food Network syndrome, where a lot of people grew up watching the Food Network, and realizing, 'Oh, wow, this looks great.' All these different restaurants show people cooking stuff. People wanted to go out more and find more adventurous foods."
Not only has the power of food journalism allowed for people to try new dishes, but Trela said that it also provides research on when the best items to order are. Just as people want to scour for the best Broadway musical to see, it has become the same investigative process for restaurants.
"I've had people telling me that after reading one of my articles or columns, they will actually take that to the restaurant that I wrote about and say, 'I want this,'" Trela said. "And they've never been disappointed."
But after years of writing, one might wonder what Trela considers to be the most scrumptious food available in Orange County. If he were only able to eat three dishes for the rest of his life, he said he would eat the American Wagyu Burger at Olea in Newport Beach, the Facci ri Veccia pizza from Il Barone in Newport Beach and the rabbit at Marché Moderne in Crystal Cove.
But, when it comes to college students dining on a budget, Trela said that Bruxie or Rutabegorz never disappoints.
Besides learning about how restaurants push the envelope with their cuisine, just like how Ojai Burger mixes familiarity and uniqueness in their burgers. Trela said he wants to share the background of the restaurant in story form.
Whether it's learning that the Drake restaurant in Laguna is based on parties thrown at the authentic Drake Hotel in New York, or that the history of A Restaurant in Newport is based off of arches that used to adorn the exterior — Trela seeks to find the narrative that will lead to more customers.
"People love stories," Trela said. "All journalists are storytellers. And we're all telling stories of one kind or another. I think that what is behind any good article is a story about what it is you're writing about. Obviously, (with food writing) I get to eat a lot of different foods, which is great, too, but it's the story behind it."
Even though he has won countless awards in both his public relations and journalism career, what gives Trela the validation to continue writing was advice from author Ray Bradbury, author of "Fahrenheit 451." Trela interviewed the author several times, where he received inspiration that would guide him for the rest of his life.
"The first time I interviewed him, I was still just a budding writer," Trela said. "We were talking about his career in writing. I mentioned the fact that a lot of my friends don't think that I can be a writer. And he told me, 'Don't listen to other people, they are always wrong. You have to believe in yourself, and you've got to love life. Go out. And if you're not doing what you love, tonight's the night you change.'"
As for any other aspiring journalists wanting to explore the realm of food, Trela said that the mere practice of putting words to a page can lead to the possibility of becoming the next oracle for all things cuisine.
"If you want to be a food writer, start a blog," Trela said. "But start writing about food and start your own blog. You got to start a blog with the idea that there's 20,000 people reading."
Besides attending numerous Lady Gaga concerts and spending time with his dog Spencer, Trela continues to write, and write and write. And for whatever content he releases for the public, he said he hopes that it encourages people to be adventurous and find new ways to spice up their life — and of course lead to a happy tummy full of food.
"Almost everything I write are things that people can go out and do," Trela said. "My hope is that people will read this and want to participate. Whatever it is, that's gonna make people react and do something."