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In the category of people who chucked a career in high finance for one in food prep, there is Sharone Hakman. The 34-year-old Los Angeles native and chef in residence on FYI's Wednesday dinner party series "Kocktails With Khloe" was a financial planner at the end of the last decade when the meltdown of 2008-09 hit. Whatever passion he had left for his work was wiped out just like so many portfolios. "I just had no love for the banks and financial institutions I spent my life working for and with and was recommending to my clients. So I could not get behind it anymore," the self-taught chef explains. "And food was something that I always loved to do. It was something that I was always very passionate about. It was just so pure and simple in its way. It's just good food. If you make good food, you're going to put a smile on someone's face and there's something beautiful about it and there's something just magical about food putting people together and making people happy." Which is exactly what he's doing these days on "Khloe." As the chef on the hourlong series, he's charged with designing and preparing the food and drink that in turn fuels much of the candid conversation among host Khloe Kardashian, her guests and at times Hakman himself. But while all guests are driven to the show's Los Angeles set, Hakman reports that some are nonetheless leery of taking a drink while the cameras roll. "At first, they're quite reluctant," he says, "and sort of perplexed by the fact that there is actually a real cocktail in front of them and they're encouraged to drink it and have a good time. And so it's always really funny to me because we're a few episodes in and I see their immediate reactions. At first it's like, 'I don't know if I really want to be doing this.' And then 20 minutes later, they've had a couple and they're having a great time and they're like, 'Oh s..., this is great!' And that's exactly what I signed up for." BY GEORGE DICKIE What book are you currently reading? "It's 'The Meaning of Human Existence.' ... I literally started it last month, got into a chapter and then put it down and have not had a chance to get back in." What did you have for dinner last night? "I made the kids dinner and I was going to make myself something different, and I got lazy and I ended up eating their dinner, which was pappardelle with like a kale pesto that I made with pine nuts and some sausage." What is your next project? "I've got a line of salad dressings that is launching next month. That's already pretty much done, locked and loaded. And then around Q2-Q3 of this year, we're coming out with a line of ready-to-go, cooked proteins that you basically tear out of a bag and they're ready to go. And they're all grass-fed, very clean." When was the last vacation you took, where and why? "I actually just got back from one last month for the new year. I went to New York with my kids for a couple of days, which was awesome, my wife and kids, and we had a blast. ... And from there we spent a week – I rented a house on the beach in St. Maarten in the Caribbean and we just spent the week on the beach just relaxing." Ditching a finance career for 'Kocktails With Khloe' Chef Sharone Hakman and Khloe Kardashian Page 8 February 22 - 28, 2016 I FOUND IT! Whether you are looking for the latest garage sale bargain, a reliable car, a home or a new job. You are sure to find what you want in the classified section of … Nobody Covers Your Hometown Better! • Carpet • Vinyl • Ceramic Mon.-Fri. 8-5 • Sat. 9-1 65669 US 33 East • Goshen 642-4770 TOLL FREE 1-877-642-4770 Area's Largest Selection of Remnants Large Inventory of Carpet, Laminate, Vinyl, and Luxury Vinyl Tiles! OEC Super Buffet 4024 Elkhart Rd Goshen IN 46526 Tel: 574-875-1298 Elk Lunch Monday-Friday 11am-3pm Adult $7.25 Children 2 years old $1.99 3-6 years old $3.50 7-10 years old $5.00 *Saturday Lunch $7.75 Dinner Monday-Friday 3pm-9:30 pm Adult $10.75 Children 2 years old $2.99 3-6 years old $4.50 7-10 years old $6.00 *Sunday Dinner Price ALL DAY $10.75 SENIOR DISCOUNT 10% PRICE On or Off - Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday DON'T STAY DON'T STAY … IN THE DARK. CALL 574-533-2151 OR 800-487-2151 ext. 393 TODAY ! Start your newspaper subscription today and see the light. Stay up to date on all the latest business, entertainment, sports, local news and more!

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