San Diego, Wednesday, July 18, 2018 — Thirteen years earlier, I had sat at the same communal table as Conan O’Brien at Bouchon Bakery inside the Time Warner Center in New York. Back then, he was eating with his wife and their two very young kids, and I didn’t want to disturb him. That moment stayed with me, though. So when I saw him again years later at Cucina Urbana in San Diego, this time with his Conan TBS crew, it felt like the universe giving me a second chance.
As my friends and I were having dinner, I glanced to my left and noticed a large group seated in the corner. I didn’t think much of it at first, but when I looked again, there it was. That unmistakable hair. That unmistakable face. My idol, the namesake of my late dog’s middle name, sitting there drinking wine and laughing with friends. Cue internal screaming. I knew I had to say something, but I didn’t want to interrupt their dinner, so I waited until the group finished and walked past our table on their way out.
Conan couldn’t have been more gracious. He stopped, chatted with us for a bit, and genuinely engaged. He asked what we did for work, and I completely froze and blurted out, “We’re from Texas.” He laughed and followed up with, “Okay, Texas, where in Texas?” I don’t remember much after that because I’m fairly certain I blacked out from excitement.
The photographer (someone from Conan’s crew, though I wish I remembered who) took A LOT of photos (which I appreciated so much!), so these are all slightly different haha.
During our mini photo session, the photographer showed me the photos he had just taken. I thought they looked a little dark and asked if we could use the small light I normally bring for my food photos. Somehow, this led to Sona Movsesian, Conan’s assistant, holding my light off to the side. I wish I’d gotten a photo with her too, and I’m still sorry you had to hold my light, Sona! Ironically, every photo taken with the light ended up blurry. Still, I cherish every single one!
Before we wrapped up, I mentioned how Houston notoriously gave Late Night with Conan O’Brien a terrible time slot back in the 90s. Without missing a beat, he jokingly replied, “Yeah, tell the people of Houston hi and thanks for fucking me over.” We laughed, thanked each other for the time, and he walked out of the restaurant.
They say never meet your heroes, but that rule does not apply to Conan O’Brien. If you ever have the chance to talk to him, take it. It truly is a dream come true.
Photos I took of my dinner with the same light, and a photo of the receipt so I could remember when and where we were.
