Single in the city

Greg Gazzillo

By Laurie Mona

Greg Gazzillo is no stranger to being the new guy in town. An Army brat born and raised in Korea, he says he “saw a lot of kids shipped in and shipped out, so you had to learn to make friends quickly.” Greg moved stateside with his family at age 13, attending high school in New Jersey, then on to college at Johns Hopkins University.

Since moving to Rochester to begin a Mayo Clinic residency this past June, he hasn’t been shy about trying to meet people. “When I first got here, I threw myself a house party!” Greg likes what he’s seen so far. “Everyone is really friendly and social—if you’re out walking and catch someone’s eye, they’ll say hello. People are a lot friendlier here than the East Coast.”
As for dating, “I haven’t really experienced it here yet. I’ve been focusing on work, trying to meet as many people as I can. I’m generally friends with someone first, and try to get to know them before dating them.”

Age: 28.

Occupation: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation resident at Mayo Clinic.

Why He’s A Doctor: While at Johns Hopkins University, he was on the first aid squad and a resident advisor. “The more I thought about it, the more I knew I wanted to be involved in people’s lives when they needed it the most.”

Family: His dad met his mom in Korea, where Greg and his younger brother and sister were all born. “My family traveled to so many places during those years—all over southern Asia—Indonesia, Singapore, China.” Though scattered now, his family is still close and tries to get together a couple of times a year.

Interests: Volleyball, tennis, movies, football—“I’m a huge Giants fan. I was so excited when they won the Super Bowl. I was in Providence at the time, where everyone was a Patriots fan. I was wearing my Tiki Barber jersey around everywhere. I remember thinking I didn’t know if I was going to make it out of the grocery store alive!”

Favorite Hangouts: Chester’s, Kathy’s Pub, Gilligans. “At some point in the night, we usually hit all three.”

How Greg’s Friends Would Describe Him: Funny, outgoing, low-key, and laid back.

What’s Funny To Greg: “I like the genre of Old School, Dumb and Dumber, Talladega Nights—would that be immature humor? And my hands-down, favorite TV show of all-time is “Scrubs.”

What He’s Looking For: Someone with a sense of humor, who is laid back, open to new experiences, and a nonsmoker.

Favorite Pick-Up Line: “My friends and I had one, where there’d be two of us, one at the bar, and the other would go up to a girl, point back to the guy at the bar, and say, ‘Do you see that guy? He just wanted to know if you think I’m cute.’ It would usually get a laugh.”

Dream Date: “The ideal situation would be something we could both experience for the first time.”

Favorite Foods: True to his half-Italian, half-Korean ancestry, Greg enjoys both types of cuisine. “My favorite food is whatever my mom is making. She’s an excellent chef. I love cooking. I watch Food Network shows and if I like what I see, I’ll make it at least once.”

Words To Live By: From the band 311: “Life is a bowl of punch, go ahead and spike it.” From “Scrubs”: “The truth is, every time you take a big risk in your life, no matter how it ends up, you’re always glad you took it.”