In 2011, my holiday gift to my now-business-partner Jonathan Schnapp was to fly us down to central Florida to become Certified Kansas City Barbecue Society Judges. While we were there getting our meat certification, Jonathan remembered playing shuffleboard with his grandparents in Palm Beach and suggested we find a place to play.

A little bit of internet research led us to The Mirror Lake Shuffleboard Club in St. Petersburg, Florida. On a lark, we rented a convertible and drove 3 hours away to check it out. There, we met the honorable Christine Page, the president of the club, who welcomed us to her majestic shuffleboard mecca with open arms, taught us how to play and ignited a passion for the game that burns within us to this day.

6 months later, we were signing a lease for a 17,000 square foot space in Gowanus, Brooklyn and 6 years later, we've got a second club in Chicago (and a few more bubbling in the background), all sorts of tournament medals, WAY more shuffleboard paraphernalia than anyone could ever need, a staff of almost 60 and quite literally thousands of new friends that we would've never met had we not made that fateful trip. It's pretty great.

Keep up with The Royal Palms (@RoyalPalms) and The Royal Palms Chicago (@RoyalPalmsChicago) on Instagram