Shar Afshar
4 Years on Pilot Light’s Advisory Board
I have been on the Advisory board for 4 years. I first became involved with Pilot light when Matthias Merges invited us to the Gala in 2014. I have a degree in Statistics (probability) and Economics from the University of Wisconsin. In the late 1990s, I worked on the Chicago Board of Options. Later I went to start up 3 trading groups. The 1st group was just me and 2 partners. We were taking advantage of the early electronic trading anomalies. The 2nd group was me and 4 partners. We formed a group called Riverbank Capital and financed 50 traders. The last group I started was a quant-based group called Lantana with a good friend. This last one lasted 5 years and was dissolved in 2016. Currently, I trade my own proprietary product but am in the middle of building an algo-based fund with 2 awesome partners. This algo which will be running as a bot (robot) is something that is very exciting in my world.
Favorite Food Education Standard: FES #1 – Food connects us to each other.
I 100 percent believe food connects us to each other. I have always been fascinated by anthropology or the study of cultures. Food is definitely one way to seeing this. So intriguing how different cultures behave.
A favorite food memory:
I have so many memories: from my wife Ellen’s ribs (which are the best in the world, let me tell you she smokes those for 4 hours) to having Nyoma Choma in Nairobi. But my favorite food memory by far was this Chef in London Called Jesse Dunford Wood. Him and Matthias used to work together at Charlie Trotters back in the day. He sat me and Ellen and 2 friends at a table. Come dessert time, he gives us all headphones, he starts making this insane dessert spread on the table that took about 20 minutes to make. While he was making the spread the headphones were playing Imagination from Willy Wonka. Totally felt like I was a kid.
Why I Support Pilot Light:
Ellen and I have always supported groups that help out kids. Especially inner city kids. When I was in college, I was a competitive powerlifter and took 6th place in a nation contest. I started a weightlifting program to help out underprivileged kids in Madison. Ellen and I on that 1st year won a prize to sit in the Classrooms. When I saw Jason Hammel teach these kids about emulsification, Paul Kahn sling his tacos El Pasto and teaching about the history of the El Pasto and seeing these kids in awe. Well that got us hooked. We will be lifelong donors and supporters of Pilot Light and other groups that help out kids.
Reach me: Via email at shar.afshar@gmail.com.