Rod is an avid sports nut and outside of family and real estate his first love is probably his beloved San Francisco Giants. He’s been an avid fan of the orange and black since his first game at Candlestick Park back in the mid-1960s. In the spring and summer months, there’s a good chance you’ll find him at Oracle Park, cheering for his Giants. Over the years, Rod estimates that he’s probably attended well over 700 Giants’ games, not only here in the Bay Area but also at several ballparks on the road.
Rod’s love for sports doesn’t stop with the Giants. He’s equally passionate about the Golden State Warriors, a team he’s also followed since the mid-1960’s. His first Warriors’ game was at the tiny Oakland Auditorium back when there were only 10 teams in the league (today there are 30).
When it comes to football, Rod’s team is the San Francisco 49ers. His first home Niner game was back in 1965 at Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park. Though, truth be known, Rod grew up as a die-hard Raider fan and went to just about every Raider home game from 1965 until the early ‘80s. But once the team abandoned the Bay Area and move to L.A., Rod immediately switched his allegiance exclusively to the red and gold, a team he’d followed less passionately up until that point. And he’s remained a Niner Faithful ever since.
Although it may seem like it at times, watching his favorite sports teams isn’t Rod’s only hobby.
In recent years, he’s also become quite the vegetable gardener and his specialty is tomatoes. He only grows heirlooms and saves seeds from his favorites so he can grow them again the following year. He always grows about 20 plants, so come July and August, he usually has plenty of tomatoes to share. And if you’re looking for a good recipe for gazpacho soup, let Rod know, too, for during the height of the tomato season, it’s usually on the Herman menu at least once a week, along with Caprese salad and other tomato-based dishes.
Rod also enjoys spending time in the kitchen and being a bit of a Foodie, he loves trying to emulate some of the favorite dishes he’s had in various top-notch Bay Area restaurants. He’s taken a few hands-on cooking classes here and there and along with coming up with some pretty tasty dishes, he’s definitely mastered the art of making a huge mess in the kitchen.
One of his favorite kitchen activities is making pickles, in the style of a Jewish deli (only in a salt-based brine; never with vinegar). His favorites are bright green “New Pickles,” which one of his pickling recipe books calls “little cucumbers that have died and gone to heaven.”
