Meet Chris Fetfatzes, owner of Hawthornes Café and Bella Vista Beverage. He’s also that random guy that crashed the pictures in last issues Tasting Room (pg. 42).
Philly Beer Scene: What did you go to college for and actually want to be when you grew up, before you decided to get into the beer business?
Chris Fetfatzes: I went to college for a Business Management degree. I wanted to be a Pharmaceutical Sales Rep. I always wanted to run a company and be in charge of a Fortune 500 business. I just really wanted to know what it felt like to start a company from the ground up and that’s why I started Hawthornes.
PBS: What bar/bars are people most likely to find you at?
Chris: It depends; I’m really a sucker for the back room at Monks. You can find me on a summer night at the end of the bar at Bridget Foy’s next to the open windows. Or you can always see me here at Hawthornes.
PBS: What was your first craft beer?
Chris: My very first craft beer, I’m not sure that it would be called craft beer, was called Honey Brown. It was my summer job to stock the beer coolers at Bella Vista and I was always fascinated by the craft beers. So I would always steal a beer out of the case and break the rest and send it back as breakage.
PBS: What do you do in your free time and not dealing with beer, any hobbies?
Chris: Hobbies? I’m a workaholic. I read and write blogs. I like going around vacationing and hanging out with my fiancée, Heather. We make fun of each other, go out to dinner. I’m addicted to SportsCenter, Jersey Shore and Lost (after this the conversation turned into a long discussion on what is going this season on Lost).
PBS: What’s your favorite/go-to brewery?
Chris: It’s going to sound like I’m whoring them, but Ballast Point or AleSmith. I can’t say Founders, I’ve been a little disappointed lately (the interview should have ended at that statement.) Or anything from Brasserie Dupont. If you could stick me on an island with only beer I would definitely want Saison Dupont. I love that shit.
PBS: What’s been your best experience so far working in the beer industry?
Chris: It’s actually traveling around the country and visiting different breweries. Also, signing AleSmith has to be one my best experiences. When I saw that e-mail from them I must have done the Jersey Shore fist pump like 9 times.
PBS: If you could meet any person in the beer industry who would it be and why?
Chris: I’m not gonna cop out but, I never got the chance to meet him. I would like to meet Michael Jackson in his prime and find out what and why he was inspired to get into beer. I would just love to know what turned him onto it.
PBS: If you could only give people one reason to come check out Hawthornes what would it be?
Chris: The amount of passion, intelligence and unpretentiousness we have of this great thing we call beer.