I’ve got a lot of alter egos, one of them yo-yo’s, another can’t resist a karaoke mic after a few too many Sapporos (Bust A Move anyone?), and yet another is a graphic designer. That last one is the one that gets to blog here today.

When we first started talking about taking The Wooden Table to the next level (that is to say, the very first level), I was excited by the prospect of really getting to do some design. Like some swanky stationery, menus, utensil holders, business cards, this blog . . . it’s all pretty much a designers dream . . . design-your-own-empire kind of stuff. But before any of that could happen, I needed a logo for which to place on my flag.

It’s rare that I stick with the first idea that pops into my head for a project. But guess what. Yup, you guessed it. The very first thing that came to me was that I wanted to use the SJC crest as the basis for a pirate flag of our very own. Now don’t get me wrong, I am in every which way more a ninja guy than I am a pirate but who hasn’t wanted a pirate flag for their crew.

That’s right . . . SAN JOSE! My hometown (shout out to Berryessa) and our glorious state’s very first capital. We’re also lucky enough to be the intersection point of some of the world’s greatest cuisines. Indian, Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Mexican . . . I went to high school with all of them.

I got the crest off of the manhole covers that dot the streets of downtown San Jose. I liked the wheat bundle and grape vines for their agricultural references and I replaced the bow with three 6-pointed stars as another shout out to my heritage. Et voila! Our logo was born.