If you consider yourself a foodie and love fashion, this blog is for you. In honor of Father’s Day, we asked our resident dads how they go about creating outfits. From main ingredients to their specific flavor profiles, our father figures have a taste for something specific and it shows in their everyday style.

When someone has amazing style, you can devour it. It becomes sustenance, you develop a craving for it–you might say it invigorates your palate and flirts with your senses.

It’s about fashion as consumption–in the way that we learn our desires and develop a taste for what fuels us. At A.K. Rikk's, fashions come from all over the world, allowing you to sample exotic flavors and experiment with seasoning your wardrobe to perfection.

With a staff of true connoisseurs, these fathers have good taste that translates to a sense of how to move about in the world, how to dress passionately and even how to live a more vibrant, full-bodied life. Fashion reveals life’s flavors and amplifies our hunger and desires.

Consider this piece the literary aperitif to prepare you before shopping.

Whether you catch Ben Tobar on a casual day or a day where he’s more dressed up, you are seeing the same man. Director of Men’s, Ben has a sense of how layers work, building upon each garment–folding and weaving in the right flavors to create a harmony that reflects a man at ease in elegance.

“I feel you can’t demonstrate a full outfit unless it’s a layered look.” He’s always searching for that final flourish–the enigmatic third piece that finishes things. Whether he’s dressing for himself or helping someone else, that last ingredient is divinity. From a lightweight knit thrown over the shoulder to a leather bomber jacket or the addition of a sportcoat, you can create distinct visuals through multiple elements that culminate in a deliberate ambiance. “Even wearing a shirt open over a simple t-shirt works and shows you put some thought into it.”

Tinkering and test runs in the closet is where Ben builds his style recipes. “I experiment with how to make outfits look dressier.” From doing the Ralph Lauren tuck to wearing higher waisted trousers instead of denim or starting with a wild card such as a crazy striped pant or a pair of shoes that haven’t been worn in a while, making outfits is a joyful research project.

In the past, he relied heavily on the recipe of wearing a t-shirt under everything. These days he sprinkles in “collars to appear more dressed up and I am consciously trying to wear all my dress shoes and putting my sneakers in the back of the closet. My everyday style strategy is to dress in Brunello Cucinelli and Barena, both of which are my go-to lines.”

This Father’s Day Ben puts the spotlight on the importance of having the right tools to create a masterpiece–whether that’s in your wardrobe or in the kitchen. To appreciate and live a full and flavorful life we have to consider ourselves students of pleasure-seeking pursuits and Ben suggests giving the gift of good taste–literally.

“Aficionados will love Berti knives.” These knives are handmade by artisans in Scarperia, Italy which is a historic village near Florence famous for its bladesmithing that dates back to the 1300s. “They are extremely special tools that help to do a better job.” From the proper performance of preparation, cutting and serving operations, these knives are the perfect companion for your culinary adventures. 

Another item from our pantry selections at A.K. Rikk’s is the Flamingo Estate saffron honey. The gourmand in your life will love this limited-edition honey infused with threads of precious saffron that tastes of sunlight, dry earth and slow luxury where you experience fruit, spice and smoke in gentle harmony. It caught Ben’s attention and he wants to try it with dover sole or branzino fish.

Visual Assistant Josh Bradley is in a role that has him replenishing the store with new merchandise, moving fixtures, repositioning floor designs, prepping for events and hauling full lines of clothes to new areas in the store to enhance the shopping experience. He’s always on the move but never lets his fits slip.

This dad approaches his day to day style by starting with the piece he wants to wear the most. From a jacket, neck tie or trouser pants, Josh likes to work around that main piece to pull everything together. A talented, soulful and disciplined artist, he’s “always trying to go for an artsy vibe,” and looks to design outfits much like a painting–a creation of something compelling and visually intriguing. His ensembles are rooted in someone trained to produce results but always with a mind to excite.

“It’s always fun for me to wear clothes that typically wouldn't go together. Instead of wearing a dress shirt with a suit and tie, I would wear the dress shirt open with the sleeves rolled up with a graphic tee underneath.” His style evolution has taken him from casual joggers and sneakers to new, elevated aesthetics that weave in wide-leg trousers and loafers.

These days, Josh’s desires lean toward designers including Les Deux and Theory which fall right in line with his unique mix of structure and modern silhouettes with a preppy and urban flair (the sweet spot). Josh also picked the popular Flamingo Estate saffron honey. “It would be great as an ingredient for honey glazed salmon.”

Women’s Buyer and Personal Stylist Blair Dame holds a third title as our resident griller and he fires up morning looks with a host of ingredients that build his signature preppy style with nods to nautical details. Also a big fan of layering, Blair puts his blazers, sportcoats and jackets on repeat. He’s known for bringing in color and coordinating a whole outfit around his statement shoes. Throw him into a Ralph Lauren magazine photo shoot and he’s a natural.

His fashion formula and flavor notes revolve around blazers, fun socks and accessories–showing nothing is too small to create impact. From stacked bracelets to pocket squares and collectible sneakers, Blair goes in on spicing things up.

“Back in the day I was a sweater collector. I always wore gorgeous sweaters with dress pants when I was in high school and college.” Currently, Blair’s staple looks revolve around blazers, tailored pants and what we’ll refer to as an ankle party with vibrant, get-noticed socks with equally attractive sneakers or loafers. “If I know I’m having an important, busy or possibly stressful day I’ll wear a suit because wearing a suit is the easiest to pull then you just fill in with a shirt, shoe and accessories.”

Because Blair has a flair for the dramatic, two designers that he’s gravitating towards lately are Etro and Versace. He’s a fan of Etro for the pattern and colorways and loves Versace’s modern twist on pieces that work for going out and socializing.

The quintessential dad that loves to grill, Father’s Day treats that Blair recommends start with Flamingo Estate’s heritage extra virgin olive oil. “It’s so smooth and delicious and we use it for several of our marinades at home.” He’s also interested in the brand’s California native mountain wildflower honey. This selection has a deeply complex floral taste and a delicious herbal finish on the palate. “I want to try and incorporate it into a marinade and use it in hot tea.”