Kern: Baumann a key ingredient to St. Joe's roster

JAVON BAUMANN has always had a special spot in his soul for all things culinary, as much as he does for playing basketball. Growing up in Solms-Oberbiel, a small town about 45 minutes from Frankfurt in southwest Germany, he had a friend who was a baker and owned a restaurant. That's where he did his first internship, when he was in 10th grade, working mostly as a line cook.

"I really enjoyed it," he recalled. "I was always doing something in the kitchen at home. I took over. Me and my mom would go shopping, and I'd decide what to throw in the cart. I knew what I wanted to make. My mom had an office on the third floor of our house. So I'd let her work. Then I'd be like, 'OK, dinner's ready, come down.' I mean, she cooked, too. But I started when I was young. Everything's electric. I liked to try anything new. I did a lot of pasta, because it's fast to make. And traditional German food from scratch. I make good spätzle (soft egg noodles). If I wanted to be creative I would look up something.

"We also had an Indian au pair for a while. He used to teach me a lot about curries and their food. I don't watch TV shows too much. But I got into the Chef's Table (on Netflix). That's really interesting. You learn about them, what they do, their background, how they're different."

Even how they look . . .

"I don't have any tattoos," he said, smiling. "Not yet."

Five years ago the 6-8 forward, who played in the German Pro-B League, decided to cross the Atlantic to better pursue his dual passions. He ended up at Saint Joseph's, which he knew nothing about ("I had to start at the bottom and Google it," he acknowledged), because of its hoops legacy and the fact that it offered a food marketing major. It's become his second home, and a launching pad for the rest of his journey.

"I wanted to have options," said Baumann, a redshirt senior averaging four points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes off the bench for the 9-10 Hawks (2-5 in the Atlantic 10), who host La Salle (11-7, 5-2) Saturday night. "I want to play as long as I can. Then I want to go into the business world. Whatever is more beneficial for me."

The tri-captain is currently working on his master's degree in international business. He doesn't want to just make the meals. He wants to run his own place. Toward that end, he interned at Aldine on Rittenhouse Square last summer.

"Obviously, I have to learn more," said Baumann, who bears a facial resemblance to NBA veteran Joakim Noah. "My dream is to eventually have a restaurant. I don't know how much I'd cook (too). Most kitchens are built really low, so I have to bend down.

"I was working the front of the house (at Aldine) for George and Jennifer Sabatino. It's on the second floor. You walk in and everything is there. The kitchen's in the back. I wanted to see it all, and they were really open about that. It was great. I took reservations, seated people at their tables, helped them put bills into the system. That's the first time I'd seen that side of it. It was a little eye-opening.

"I was always trying to sneak back into the kitchen to see what George was making, and how he was doing it. I had to find out. How do you come up with a menu, and rotate the menu? It was impressive. He definitely gave me an inside look at the entire operation. There's so much more to it than just getting ingredients and throwing them together.

"It's a crazy business," he continued. "People don't realize how much goes into doing it right. You can't do it if you don't love it. There's no point. Same with basketball. You get excited about it, and it almost takes over your life."

Those who know him like the fact that he's a little different, in a worldy kind of way. And not just because he's older (24). Who else bikes almost everywhere, when they're not riding a skateboard? Or keeps an expresso machine in the locker room?

It's all good.

"Javon has always had a balance about him," said coach Phil Martelli. "This is a life experience. It's an opportunity to maximize all these opportunities. He's comfortable. He started as a sophomore, but when he hasn't played as much, you don't hear a peep. He never takes a day off. Even in our program, kids are so centered on (making it to) pro basketball that they sometimes don't see the forest through the trees. His other ambition has kept him grounded. He's really an eclectic, in a world that can often have a singular purpose."

Baumann has whipped something up for his teammates, many times. He recently treated them to a batch of cupcakes, because he was too busy to do an entree.

"They didn't tell me where they'd came from," said Martelli. "But they did tell me they were very good."

Baumann usually sticks to pasta, because they like his shrimp alfredo. He hasn't cooked for his coach yet. "I think I have to ask him what he really likes to eat," he duly noted. "I'm glad to make them happy."

Last year, on a trip to play Rhode Island, Martelli thought he was doing him a favor by letting the chef who prepared their team dinner know that Javon wanted to be a chef one day himself. But it didn't go exactly as anticipated.

"It was funny," said Baumann. "The chef walked over, and I asked him what this one vegetable was and he told me. But after coach said something to him, he turned around and went, 'Don't do it. I have no life. I work 18 hours a day. I've had four children with four different wives.' And I was like, 'Oh my God.' You do hear people say that. But it's up to you to make it work. You have to find out for yourself.

"I like the stress. If I don't have anything to do it bothers me. And during service it can get absolutely hectic. It's like making the game-winning shot. But you can't high-five a good dinner."

He says there are differences between eating out here and in Germany. But it's still providing a service. And hopefully a taste treat.

"I was really taken by how much people eat out in the States," said Baumann, who's also into snowboarding and surfing. "Some of it's fast food. But a lot of it's high quality. I ate out the other night and was blown away. There's all levels. And it's amazing how much sometimes people will spend, especially when you have a really special experience.

"A lot of this is new to me. What I know now is, when your name's on the door, you have to take care of it. It's your baby. And that's what I want some day."

His athletic career maybe didn't go as planned. Yet as he quickly points out, he was part of something that got him A-10 title two rings. And a whole bunch more.

"It's been great," Baumann said. "And it's not over. I've got some lasting memories."

In a perfect world, he might be the one providing them, five-fork style. Better pack an appetite as hearty as his.

kernm@phillynews.com

@mikekerndn