Misha Lobban, Gleaner Writer

My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.
- Henry Ford

Bobby Chen, medical doctor, now retail merchandiser, heads the Midway Mall, Mandeville branch of his family's Super Plus Food Stores chain. He also manages his own business, Kratoz Investments Limited.

Voted one of Jamaica's most eligible bachelors, he is a family man at heart who enjoys hanging out with his kids, engaging in his favourite pastimes and enjoying the simple pleasures of life.

The fifth of nine children for Vincent and Gloria Chen, Bobby studied medicine at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

After completing his internship at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas, he joined the hospital's staff in 1985 as senior house officer. In 1993, he returned to Jamaica to join the rest of the family in running the Super Plus Food Stores chain.

One who is committed to charity, Bobby lends his support through regular contributions to United Way of Jamaica and was recognised as its single largest individual donor in 2002.

His hobbies include gardening, playing the piano, dominoes and table tennis.

He names his brother, Richard Chen, as one of his best friends. Richard is the chief operations officer of Super Plus Food Stores and a former vice-president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica. He is also a former commissioner of the Betting Gaming Lotteries Commission and a former board member of the Council of Voluntary Social Services, United Way.

In this week's feature, Richard tells us about Bobby's 'wicked' sense of humour and his fun-loving and adventurous spirit. He shares other interesting insights, including the fact that Bobby is a very good cartoonist with a natural talent for drawing ever since he was child.

How did you meet Bobby Chen and how long have you been friends?

Of course, I have known Bobby all of my life; he's my older brother!

Bobby, Charles and I grew up together, even though there are other siblings. He was older than us and we would follow him around and get into all sorts of adventure. He was the mischievous one who would always 'push the envelope'. He was the ringleader, not just because he was older, but because of his personality. He was full of adventure, playful and fun-loving.

He is also very competitive and so, there was always some game that we would be playing, whether it's dominoes, chess or table tennis; and it has remained like that to this day.

Tell us what you admire most about him and why you think you have remained friends all these years.

What I admire most about Bobby is his forthrightness. He speaks his mind directly and plainly. He is very organised and detailed, which are also admirable qualities.

He makes friends easily and has a kind of charisma that attracts people to him, and so he has friends from all over the world and from different levels, and he treats everyone the same.

We tend to see things the same way. We have a similar outlook on family, kids, life, and there is a comfort in knowing that and he is someone I can rely on.

Tell us something interesting about him.

Bobby is a very good cartoonist with 'a wicked' sense of humour. His talent for drawing is natural and he has been doodling ever since he was a child. When we were kids, he actually drew a comic book with a story that went with it. Some of the characters were based on us and we had many great laughs reading it.

He also has a love for music, plays the keyboard and has an extensive collection of records and CDs.

What are some of thethings you talk about when you get together?

We spend a lot of time speaking about family and relationships. This is understandable, since we are brothers. Other than that, we speak about the pursuit of happiness and the meaning of life.

Share with us one of the happiest moments you have experienced with him.

Growing up, Bobby was probably my most 'adventurous' sibling. There were those few occasions when he 'borrowed' the family car to drop in and surprise friends, and there were other escapades in which he always involved his younger siblings.

However, one memorable time for me was when my brother Charles and I 'kotched' with him in his tiny room at UWI [Mona] campus, so that we could all go to an event at the arena.

Tell us the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Bobby Chen, and why.

His happiness comes imme diately to mind. Bobby has reached a point in his life where I believe there is balance between his personal and professional life, between family time and time for himself.

What are his favourite food, favourite music and favourite sport?

I think the perfect day for Bobby would be eating our mom's home-cooked Chinese food (his favourite). Playing dominoes is his favourite pastime, and so he would finish the day watching an NFL game and listening to some soul music.

Tell us the colour that you associate with him:

Yellow - signifying someone you'll never forget.

Orange - signifying someone you consider your true friend.

Red - signifying someone you really love.

Green - signifying someone who has had a significant impact on your life

A rainbow comes to mind with a tinge of red, for sure.

He is someone I love very much, not only as a sibling but as a person. I can trust him with anything and that's important. A lot of my views in life were shaped by him because he was the eldest of the pack and we looked up to him.

As an older brother, he protected us and he opened up the world to us. He is the one who guided me through the different stages of my life. For this, and many other reasons, I feel like I am an important part of his life. True friendship is about a special connection you share with someone, and even though we are brothers, we share that connection.

Please send your feedback and comments to lobban_misha@yahoo.com.

Bobby Chen (left) and his brother and best friend, Richard.