More Scripts for Bon Appétit Web Site

A while back I worked on another video project for the Bon Appétit Web site. The project was co-sponsored by Slowfood USA and Anolon Cookware and the gist of it is that a few high-profile New York City chefs used some of the Slowfood (a movement that's the opposite of "fast food") sustainability principles to prepare a gourmet, four-course meal. I wrote the scripts for the  five-part video series, the first of which you can view below and the rest of which you can see here or by clicking on the name of the dish in the right column. 

The four courses were: Butternut Squash Soup with Pancetta and Spice Creme Fraiche (prepared by Jonathan Lindenauer); Seared Diver Scallops with Cauliflower and Caper Gastrique (also prepared by Lindenauer); Herb Stuffed Leg of Lamb with Beans Confit (prepared by Bill Telepan of Telepan restaurant); and Heirloom Apple Tart with Almond Frangipane and Caramel Sauce (prepare by Galen Zamarra of Mas [farmhouse] restaurant). The last segment is a video of the chefs enjoying the meal and discussing the cookware and the virtues of the Slowfood approach to food.

Cover Story In Hoboken Progress

Last week's (June 5th) edition of Hoboken Progress featured a cover story I wrote about Hoboken mayoral candidate Peter Cammarano. It was part of a preview of the June 9th runoff election in Hoboken between Cammarano and Dawn Zimmer.

Pete was a nice guy and he's very knowledgeable about all the issues facing Hoboken. The interview focused on quality of life issues, something Cammarano has strived to improve during his tenure on the Hoboken City Council.

The election was so close that it will be decided by the absent tee and provisional ballots scheduled to be counted on Friday, June 12th. Click on the picture above to read the cover story and here for the continuation on page 7 of the newspaper.

Guest Post On Hoboken Now Blog

Check out NJ.com's Hoboken Now blog today for a guest post written by me. Many thanks to the supremely talented Carly, one of the reporters at The Jersey Journal, whose ubiquity around Hoboken makes the blog unrivaled in The Mile Square.

The post is about a minor cameo Hoboken made on last week's season finale of the NBC police procedural Law & Order. One of the bad guys involved in a political pay-to-play scandal--ripped from the headlines--was arrested at his apartment in Hoboken. Click here for the post.

Article On NYMag.com Today

Check out New York magazine's Grub Street blog today for an article I did about the Oak Room restaurant at the landmark New York City hotel The Plaza. 

After being closed for much of the decade, the Oak Room reopened, to much fanfare, in November of 2008. However, things didn't go so smoothly and several vendors, who wished to remain anonymous, claim they're owed thousands of dollars for food they supplied to the restaurant. I was able to obtain an e-mail from a French company that's been stiffed by the Oak Room to the tune of $35,000 plus. Of course, the Oak Room denied it's not paying bills and basically threw its former head chef under the bus.

Feature In Hoboken Progress

I wrote a Memorial Day feature for last week's Hoboken Progress, a weekly newspaper that covers the mile square. The piece is a profile of Carmine Varano, one of Hudson County's most highly-decorated WWII vets still alive. Varano was an unarmed medic in WWII, who was injured as the war in Europe neared its conclusion. For an 86-year-old, Carmine is still very with it, has a great memory of the things he experienced in war and even has a bunch of interesting memorabilia, some of which I shot pictures of for the article, which you can see the first page of here and the second page of here.

Report In TV Guide Magazine

Pick up a copy of this week's (the May 18th) issue of TV Guide, turn to page 19 and look for a report on shout-outs by TV writers which I wrote. It's a pretty cool piece about TV writers who've named characters after their friends and family. I talked to/e-mailed with a few cool writers--Shonda Rhimes from Grey's Anatomy, Ryan Koh from The Office, Terence Winter from The Sopranos and others. Everyone was very nice to take a few minutes to share their stories and all gave me interesting anecdotes. Check it out. There's no byline under the piece, but if you turn to page 20 you'll see a "reported by" credit. Also, the piece is only the magazine and not online. So, if you didn't pick up a copy, you can click here to see it and here to see the credit.

Nominated For Daytime Emmy Today

Well, for the second time in my career I've been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award by the National Academy of Arts and Sciences...this time as a member of the Cash Cab writing staff. If you've never seen Cash Cab, it's a game show in a taxi cab and you can check it out on the Discovery Channel. The show's hosted by Ben Bailey who actually does an amazing job of negotiating patience-challenging Manhattan traffic while quizzing contestants/passengers. We had a great team of writers (whose names you can see in the screen shot above--click it to enlarge) that came up with really great material that's played well. Cross your fingers for us, though I won't be holding my breath for a win. We're up against some stiff competish: Jeopardy and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, a show I used to write for.