Steve Gruber ’91

Tell us about your favorite memory of the fraternity.
I worked for Bresslers catering during college. I went to a catering event where they roasted a whole pig. I brought back the pig’s head on a Thursday night when everyone was partying in the party room. I opened up one of the basement windows and rolled the head into the party room. You could tell the difference between the older and younger brothers. The younger brothers came running outside, wanting to beat up someone. The older brothers set the head on the bar with a Phi Kap hat, cigar and a beer for the duration of the night.

Alumni Q&A with Steve Gruber ’91
He owns several restaurants on the west coast including Johnny Garlics. He’s a pilot. And, he has many great fraternity memories including how he got started in his current restaurant career. Meet Steve Gruber ’91.

Why did you join the fraternity?
I started school in the summer and ran into Andy Kleiger during a game of ultimate Frisbee. He introduced the idea because he had gone to high school with Hank Zolinski.

What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation?
I have had an opportunity to utilize the practical knowledge learned in the house. I was kitchen major, social chair, Toga chair and Greek Week chair all at the same time. When the school sent me a list of majors, I looked at what I was doing and enjoying and chose hotel restaurant. We upgraded tailgates from burgers and dogs to snow cones and Philly cheesesteaks. I really got into the food scene – deep fryers and the works. We would bring a big TV, set it on top of the car in the parking lot and watch the game.

With whom do you still stay in contact?
Andy Kleiger – he’s living in London. A few years ago, he rented a chateau in the south of France and I stayed with him.

Tell us about your family: Have you married? Do you have children?
I am married to Brenda who I met in San Diego. We have three children: Jonathan (9), ice hockey; Sara (7), princess; and Matthew (4), snowboarded his first season in Aspen.

Did you live in the house? If so, who were your roommates?
I lived with Dave Hubert ’91. We called him “Turtle” because of the size of his big toe. Even though he says it was 35 degrees the day he had to light the torch streaking for Toga, weather history shows it was 98 degrees that day.

What do you do for a living?
It’s a long story. At college, I used to party on Thursday nights and had an 8:00 a.m. class on Friday. Any time you missed class two points were deducted from the final grade. No matter what, Steve Perry ’90 and I made it to class. Sometimes we wouldn’t even sleep. Girls used to bring us glasses of water and aspirin.

Then, in one of my classes, there was a guy giving a speech. I went up and introduced myself. He was with the Restaurant Enterprise Group in CA. I was really interested in the company and got the last slot for a job interview on campus. I had 15 minutes to get home, shower, shave, dress and back for the interview. I made a pledge stand at the door with my bike. I grabbed my portfolio (with nothing in it), rode down both flights of steps, shot across Beaver and College and got to the interview on time. As I threw open the door, Steve Wallace took one look at me and said, “You must be Steve Gruber.” I did have some experience, but they hired me because I pulled off the interview.

I started as kitchen manager for Baxter’s. The job took me to a Baxter’s in San Diego, San Jose, and LA Music Center, a Crab Shack in Santa Barbara and Charlie Brown’s Grill in LA. About 2½ years later, I was back as GM at the original Baxter’s. I catered the Academy Awards Governors Ball. Then, I followed my boss to Luis’s Trateria at Huntington Beach. Over the next three years, we went from seven to 17 restaurants.

While closing those restaurants, I decided it was time to do my own thing. I moved my wife and 4-month-old baby to South Lake Tahoe where we lived in a log cabin. It was tough. At times, I held five jobs including cleaning construction sites. We used the scrap wood to heat the house.

We finally moved to Santa Rosa. I held two waiter jobs each day and night. During this time, I was putting together “Johnny Garlics.” We opened the first restaurant in October 1996. We were packed on opening night and had a two-hour wait for the next two years. Since then, we opened restaurants in Windsor, CA and Petaluma, CA. In 2000, we started two catering divisions called Johnny Garlics Catering and Big Mountain Barbecue. In addition, we opened Tex Wasabis Southern BBQ, Russell Ramsey’s Chophouse and Terra Fusion catering. We plan to expand to Las Vegas, Portland and Scottsdale in the near future.

What are your hobbies?
In addition to work, I am an avid pilot. I fly a four-seat Piper Comanche. Most of my trips are to Tahoe for skiing and Vegas. I also play adult ice hockey.