“I was one of those little kids who liked to draw. I was sent down to the principal’s office not because I did anything but because I had done a really good drawing.” In his early life, Greer Worker Rob Chirico thought he was going to be an artist, but upon taking an art class in college, he quickly switched trajectories. Mr. Chirico said, “I hated it.” After his art class debacle, he decided to take art history. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Queens College and his Master of Arts from New York University, both in art history. He said, “I wrote quite a number of important art historical articles and was an assistant professor in New York for years.”
Even though he decided he didn’t want to be an artist during college, Mr. Chirico couldn’t stay away from painting. While living in Argentina and France, Mr. Chirico’s artwork was quite popular, and he sold a lot of paintings. However, even though he was doing well as an artist, Mr. Chirico was interested in other areas. “I sold a lot of paintings, but at the same time, I was interested in writing.”
After returning to America, Mr. Chirico began working as an art director in cookbook public relations for The Ekus Group, which runs a number of services. Somebody asked his coworker if they knew anybody with knowledge about cocktails. His friend directed them to Mr. Chirico. “And that’s the book I wrote, which has now sold 30,000 copies.” Mr. Chircio’s book, Field Guide to Cocktails: How to Identify and Prepare Virtually Every Mixed Drink at the Bar, spawned from that interaction. Moments like these were the starting point for many of Mr. Chirico’s books. “Somebody said … There’s so much swearing going on these days, and I wanted to read a book about it. So I wrote this [his book], and I would give this to you guys, but I would probably be fired.”
Mr. Chirico’s book, Damn! A Cultural History of Swearing in Modern America represents his humorous personality. Mr. Chirico finds that when he talks about his book, people start to swear in front of him more. “It’s like you’ve given them a license to swear,” he said.
His book Not My Mother’s Kitchen: Rediscovering Italian-American Cooking Through Stories and Recipes was inspired by his Italian mother, who could not cook. So, when he was younger, he learned how to cook. He learned many recipes in the book during his trips to Italy. Part of his food knowledge comes from working in the food industry with chefs. He was the Head Director at the Blue Heron restaurant in Sunderland, Massachusetts. “I got to learn a lot about the inside of actual hands-on cooking,” He said. “I wrote a book about that whole business, about working in the kitchen, working public relations, working with authors, and working with chefs.”
After his adventures through the worlds of Europe and South America, the kitchen, and public relations, Mr. Chirico decided to retire. His wife was also retired but worked at the Academy in the Greer Café. “She said, ‘You’re just sitting at home writing. Why don’t you get involved with people at Deerfield?’” Mr. Chirico wasn’t new to the Academy; in fact, his son was a Deerfield student. Now Mr. Chirico works at the Greer a couple of days a week. He said, “It’s fun. Speaking with older kids, getting to know them, getting to joke with them.” He then elaborated, “I get to cook a little bit, but mostly I work the register. It’s something to do instead of just sitting home and trying to figure out what to write next.”
Right now, Mr. Chirico is working on his next two books. One is about how to get away with crime, and the other is a poetry collection similar to Spoon River Anthology—a classic work of free verse poetry by Edgar Lee Masters.
Similar to Deerfield’s yearbook, Mr. Chirico’s high school had a superlative called The Golden Dozen. Mr. Chircio was chosen for ‘best wit.’ Mr. Chirico has a plethora of skills and an array of interests. He said, “I think if you’re focused on an art or writing, it’s good, but I’m not focused on any of those things. So something else comes along, and I think it knows what’s next.”