Sweet'N Up with Jeff Spencer: Recent Episodes
Jeff Spencer
Sweet'N Up with Jeff Spencer, the podcast Connecticut didn't know it needed! Join host Jeff Spencer as he dives into fun & meaningful conversations with anyone he can; Politicians, Musicians, CEO's, Chefs you name it! So stick around & SWEET'N UP!
Affinity Esports is Connecticut’s premier organization for healthier gaming experiences for all generations. AE is on a mission to redefine the gaming world, blending wellness, education, and inclusivity into every aspect of esports. Affinity is committed to leading a transformative movement, creating a balanced and nurturing environment where gamers of every age and background can excel, both in gaming and in life. Their vision is a future where gaming is a beacon of positive impact, fostering a community deeply rooted in healthy experiences and united by a shared passion for the game.
Sam Reyes is the owner and head bartender of Mariposa Taqueria, a Latin-American inspired restaurant located in Danbury, CT which was formerly know as Mezon. Sam is a member of the Reyes family, which owns incredible establishments around Danbury and the state such as Mines Carne, Amigos Deli, and Mecha Noodle Bar. Recently, Sam took him the award for “Bartender of the Year” at the 2023 Connecticut Restaurant Association’s CRAzies Awards show at Foxwoods, which honors the best of the best in our states incredible industry.
Episode Sponsors:
The Amber Room Colonnade
https://www.theamberroom.net/
Uncle Matt's Bakery & Cafe
https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/
Holmes Fine Gardens
https://holmesfinegardens.com/
Fellow Brookfield resident Jonathan Mendonca is the author of the best selling book, “Life on Life’s Terms” which is a fascinating and inspiring true story from 10 years of opiate addiction to 4 years of sobriety, and all the lessons learned along the way. Life on Life’s Terms is a success story of self growth and realization through the eyes of an addict. In his book, Jon takes you through the trails of his youth that played a part into his eventual decade long battle with opiates and alcohol. Jon masterfully details what finally led him to throwing up the white flag in his addiction, his numerous attempts at finding sobriety and how he continues to stay sober through the hardships of life. After spending years leading a life filled with lies, anger and dependence on substances, Jon now spends his time helping addicts and non addicts alike lead a better life. As Jon says: “This book is for anyone who wants to turn it around. It’s never too late.”
Episode Sponsors:
The Amber Room Colonnadehttps://www.theamberroom.net/Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/Around Town Real Estate https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/Holmes Fine Gardenshttps://holmesfinegardens.com/Reverie Brewing Companyhttps://www.reveriebrewing.com/Perfusion Barhttps://www.perfusionbar.com/
Seby Martinez & Kurt Vinci are the founders and owners of Negative Kitty, an indie studio headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, bringing wickedly creative animation and video to artists and brands in need of some visual (and conceptual) edge. Having been established in 2021, and serving the Northeast and beyond, Negative Kitty has worked with indie creators, major label music acts, and multimillion dollar companies and their client work has been featured by publications like The Alternative Press, Brooklyn Vegan, The Tonight Show on NBC, and a whole lot more. Currently, Negative Kitty is hard at work, finishing up their first cartoon pilot entitled, Beef Creek, which will be released later this year. Episode Sponsors:The Amber Room Colonnadehttps://www.theamberroom.net/Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/Around Town Real Estate https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/Holmes Fine Gardenshttps://holmesfinegardens.com/Reverie Brewing Companyhttps://www.reveriebrewing.com/Perfusion Barhttps://www.perfusionbar.com/
Doug Polistena is the Owner & General Manager of the Amber Room Colonnade, an award-winning premier catering venue and landmark, located in Danbury, CT since 1969. Doug has personally worked with and executed over 3,500 events, to include major galas, weddings, mitzvahs and corporate functions.
Episode Sponsors:
The Amber Room Colonnade
https://www.theamberroom.net/
Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/
Around Town Real Estate https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/
Holmes Fine Gardens
https://holmesfinegardens.com/
Reverie Brewing Company
https://www.reveriebrewing.com/
Perfusion Bar
https://www.perfusionbar.com/
Kyle Sorenson and Rob Haidar, the founders of UMEBROSHI who have been in the food industry for some time and with knowledge of different cultures and palettes, created a realm to create food without the stereotypical toxicity within kitchens. As they say, they just wanted to have fun making food without all the bullshit, not looking to make their way up the social ladder or win awards. They just want to make food from scratch that people can enjoy. Consider them the the anti heroes. The super villains. Serving corndogs on fine china.
Kyle & Rob are two incredible human beings. Lots of laughs were had and I know you are really going to enjoy this one.
Episode Sponsors:
The Amber Room Colonnade
https://www.theamberroom.net/
Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe - https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/
Around Town Real Estate - https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/
Holmes Fine Gardens
https://holmesfinegardens.com/
Reverie Brewing Company
https://www.reveriebrewing.com/
Perfusion Bar
https://www.perfusionbar.com/
Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Cesar Collado is a professional boxer currently residing in Danbury, Connecticut representing Champs Boxing Club, also located in Danbury and owned by the legendary, AJ Galante of Danbury Trashers Fame. Cesar is also a master barber and has been servicing clients in the Danbury area for 15 years. His fun nature conversation and precision haircuts will always leave you feeling satisfied with not only your appearance but your experience. Currently Cesar works out of Legends Barber Co. located near the Danbury Mall, and it’s where Cesar and I first met.
I had such an awesome conversation with Cesar, learning all about his rise in boxing after having started at a young age, his career as a barber, becoming a professional boxer, preparing for his first pro fight in Colombia, what training camp is like, what it’s been like representing Champs Boxing Club and so much more!
Episode Sponsors:Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe - https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/BD Provisions - https://www.bdprovisions.com/Around Town Real Estate - https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/
Casey Dohme is the founder and owner of The Blind Rhino The Blind Rhino is a popular, award-winning Sports Bar with two brick & mortar locations in Fairfield County, CT! Their flagship location opened October 2015 in historic downtown South Norwalk, CT, and their newest store launched 2019 in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, CT! Blind Rhino also has a Food Truck that they launched in 2022, as well as TWO food trailers that are posted up full time at Half Full Third Place in Stamford, CT & Tribus Beer Co. in Milford, CT
Blind Rhino have won over 25 awards for their wings! Receiving awards in Connecticut, Maine, New York (Buffalo, Westchester, Hudson Valley), Rhode Island & New Jersey! The Blind Rhino has also been awarded the Best Sports Bar in Fairfield County 6 times at Best of the Gold Coast as well has having been recognized every year by Connecticut Magazine in the Best Restaurants issue, for everything from Best Beer Bar, Best Pub, Best Chicken Wings & even Best Nachos!
I had such an awesome conversation with Casey, getting to learn about his journey through the food and hospitality industry, how the Blind Rhino came to be, the many wing competitions the Rhino has won, the building and development of the bar, what makes them stand out from other sports bars in the area, the charity tournaments they host, what the Rhino is up to today and so much more!
Episode Sponsors: Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe - https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/ BD Provisions - https://www.bdprovisions.com/ Around Town Real Estate - https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/
Matthew Sedlak is the founder and owner of Perfusion Bar in Newtown, CT. At Perfusion Bar, Matt demonstrates his love for quality cocktails and his extensive experience in the mixed drink space. Sedlak has traveled extensively, always on the hunt for the best cocktails and previously owned the legendary Highland Brass Co. in Waterbury, CT.
I had an awesome, and extremely interesting conversation with Matt, getting to learn about his passion for cocktails, his travels, his favorite drinks, and all you need to know about Perfusion Bar!
Episode Sponsors: Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe - https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/ BD Provisions - https://www.bdprovisions.com/ Around Town Real Estate - https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/
DJ Darth Fader, known as Brandon Blain, is an individual who brings the party, the entertainment, and is one of the better known DJ’s in the area, always posting up at the hottest places to be around the state of Connecticut. If you’ve ever experienced Connecticut nightlife or just have been strolling around the center of any Connecticut town at night you’ll hear music pumping at every corner. It’s very likely, one of those DJ’s is the one and only, DJ Darth Fader.
I had an awesome, and extremely interesting conversation with Brandon, getting to know more about the life of a DJ, celebrities he’s shared the stage with, how he became a DJ, where you can find him doing his thing, stories of his early days, how the art has evolved and so much more!
Episode Sponsors:
Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe - https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/
BD Provisions - https://www.bdprovisions.com/
Around Town Real Estate - https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/
Amanda Tambascio is the founder of Kash & Liv Coffee Creations by My Place Restaurant in Newtown, CT. Launched on Labor Day of 2022, Kash & Liv Coffee Creations has been taking the local area and Fairfield County by storm at either their home base at My Place Restaurant, pop up events, NewSylum Brewing Company starting this May, deliveries of Coffee to local sporting events, fields and so much more. Kash & Liv Coffee Creations serves delicious coffee made with whole ingredients and no additives. They make house-made syrups on a weekly basis and partner with local farms and suppliers.
I had a wonderful conversation with Amanda getting to know her story, where she is from, how she became a part of the infamous Tambascio family, how she juggles a full time job, being a mother of 2 little ones while also taking Kash & Liv to amazing heights. I had a lot of fun with this one, Amanda is an extremely inspiring individual and someone who motivates me all the time.
Episode Sponsors:
Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe - https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/
BD Provisions - https://www.bdprovisions.com/
Around Town Real Estate - https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/
Originally scheduled to drop 3/17/2023: Chris Papallo is the founder and owner of Eredita Beer, and a former employee of one of the best breweries in the world, Hill Farmstead of Vermont. Having brewed beer for years under the eyes of some of the best in the world, Chris moved back to Connecticut and began his beer brand in November of 2022, which is already pumping out some of the tastiest beers in the state. Currently Chris brews his beer out of 12 Percent Beer Project located in North Haven, CT, with his sights set on opening a brewery in his home base of Litchfield County. Here on Sweet’ N Up Podcast we were extremely honored to have the opportunity to dive into his exclusive story about how he got to where he is today. Believe me when I tell you, this gentleman is going to take the beer world by storm.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by:
BD Provisions - https://www.bdprovisions.com/
Around Town Real Estate - https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/
Andy Singer is a comedian and retired detective hailing from the great state of New Jersey. He currently works behind the scenes with comedian Donnell Rawlings, most notably from The Chappelle Show making people laugh all over the internet, but he was also in the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot and has his own podcast called The Bearded Bable, talking to comedians, entrepreneurs, chefs and so much more! Andy has taken the stage at the legendary Carolines comedy club, and is the man behind @BearedHumor, @MrBeanMobile and @FoolNetwork on Instagram always making people laugh with his wit and next level photo shop skills!
I had such a fun chat with Andy via ZOOM getting to know his background, his journey to this point in his life, the journey he has been on with his special needs son Jayden, how he met Donnell Rawlings, how he ended up in the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, the ups and downs of life and so much more!
"Named one of the “12 Most Influential People” by Hartford Magazine, and recently “Best Anchor” by Connecticut Magazine, native New England and Emmy award winning Dennis House is one of the most experienced and highly regarded broadcast journalists in Connecticut. Dennis can be seen co-anchoring the 6 and 11 o’clock newscasts with Ann Nyberg weeknights, on WTNH-TV, Connecticut’s ABC station.
While at WTNH, Dennis has broken many stories including a secret plan to downgrade the University of Hartford’s athletic program to exclusive interviews with Vice-President Kamala Harris and reputed mobster Robert Gentile, whom the FBI suspected was involved in the biggest art heist in world history.
From 1992 to 2020 Dennis was at WFSB-TV, (CBS) where he anchored the morning news for two years before moving to the evening news where was a mainstay for more than 25 years. He also hosted the critically acclaimed “Face the State” for more than a dozen years. Dennis’ work over the years led to many changes in state government and campaigns and his interviews were often picked up by local and national media organizations including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Politico, MSNBC and others." - https://dennishouse.tv/
Will Arndt is a professional athlete, quarterback, and quarterbacks coach from Newtown, Connecticut who was most recently signed with the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League. A graduate of Western Connecticut State University, a mere stones throw from where the podcast is located, Will defied the odds and is now living his dream. Will has also appeared in a few movies, such as the HBO movie Paterno where he portrayed Penn State play caller Matt McGloin.
I was so excited to chat with Will right here in Brookfield while he was home for Thanksgiving. We covered how we both graduated from Newtown High a year apart and haven’t seen each other in 10 years, his High School playing days, his days at Westconn, workouts with current NFL superstars, when he was signed by the CFL, the other movies that he has appeared in, what it has taken to get where he is today and so much more!
Andy Sachs is one of the country’s top-producing real estate professionals. Previously when we last spoke to Andy, he was manning the helm of the Newtown based Around Town Real Estate Team, a member of Keller Williams, where we spoke to him about how the COVID-19 pandemic was impacting the real estate market in our area and beyond. Fast forward to today, a good two years later, and Andy is now manning the helm of AROUND TOWN REAL ESTATE, his own real estate firm with no more ties to Keller Williams. Not only is Andy leading his own real estate firm, but he has moved into a new building that was in his family many years ago, building the space out to serve the needs of his clients and his employees. Best part, he’s still located in my hometown of Newtown, CT and is still the nicest human being around! Andy and his team of word class real estate professionals are some of the best and I had a blast chatting with Andy yet again for the show.
We touched on how the market is doing today, what his new firm has to offer the residents of Newtown and beyond, what he’s been up to the last two years since we chatted, his advice for those thinking of selling or buying and so much more!
Christopher Hodson is the man behind @CookedInConnecticut an Instagram page and blog that features incredible photos and reviews of upscale dining as well as some of his own offerings. Hodson has worked his way through the ranks of many esteemed restaurants, including a stay in New York City, honing the front of house. Today he is a server at Materia Ristorante located in Bantam, CT which is quickly making waves as a serious culinary treasure since opening last spring. Not only is Materia up for a CT Restaurant Association award, but their Chef David DiStasi for Chef of the Year and Christopher Hodson himself as server of the year. As you can see Materia is where it’s at, and Christopher Hodson has his hand on the culinary pulse.
Visit CookedInConnecticut.com
Bronx Native, Jay Carlucci is the owner of the Dew Drop Inn, located in Derby, CT and widely known for their multiple flavors of wings, which there are almost 200 of! The Dew Drop has won CT’s best wings countless times, was recently featured on Chef Robert Irvines “Cheat Day USA” on the Cooking Channel and is a most stop for wing fans all over the US.
Joe Attonito, returning guest from Season 2, Episode 72, is the founder and owner of jjStacks a fun local burger, dog and sandwich joint located on Federal Road in Brookfield, CT, that even features a mini golf course! But besides the incredible breakfast sandwiches, which we enjoyed on this episode, and the dogs and burgers, Joe is also known for his incredibly delicious wings and sauces having learned from his mentor Jay Carlucci. jjStacks is the ultimate place for a fun day with the family or friends. Take it from me! You might just see me there!
I had an absolute blast talking to Joe and Jay right here in Brookfield, CT. Everything from wings, to early beginnings, life lessons, ups and downs, renovations, pandemics, wing sauces, the industry and sooooo much more! Huge thanks once again to jjStacks for providing breakfast!
Ryan O Rell is an up and coming force of nature. A recent high school graduate, Ryan is a pro athlete at the young age of 18 years old, sponsored by Madd Gear, the Worlds No 1 Pro Scooter brand, established in 2002. As a multi talented individual Ryan also excels at skateboarding, BMX, parkour and so much more. Now, Ryan has his sights set on one day becoming a member of the Red Bull family.
Rich Beck is the founder and owner of Swimming Co an up and coming Skateboard company and brand based in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Rich is also a skateboarding teacher, and runs multiple skateboarding camps. As a veteran skateboarder in our community Rich has helped guide our youth to exceptional results. Rich and I go way back since high school and it was so awesome to get to catch up with him and the positive impact he is putting on the future generation.
Bob Florence is the founder and co-owner of Moromi a company based in beautiful, costal southeastern Connecticut creating handcrafted seasonings based on traditional fermentation techniques using koji and our natural microbiome to transform a variety of local ingredients into unique sauces, seasonings, and condiments. As a chemist, Bob has had a life-long passion for making stuff. Having lived and worked throughout the US, Mexico, and Asia, Bob left the corporate world and settled in Mystic, CT to mindfully slow down and focus on developing unique, handcrafted seasonings including soy sauce, miso, and fermented hot sauces. Bob studied the art of shoyu making under the guidance of his mentors at Chiba Shoyu in Japan.
https://moromishoyu.com/
Bob Florence is the founder and co-owner of Moromi a company based in beautiful, costal southeastern Connecticut creating handcrafted seasonings based on traditional fermentation techniques using koji and our natural microbiome to transform a variety of local ingredients into unique sauces, seasonings, and condiments. As a chemist, Bob has had a life-long passion for making stuff. Having lived and worked throughout the US, Mexico, and Asia, Bob left the corporate world and settled in Mystic, CT to mindfully slow down and focus on developing unique, handcrafted seasonings including soy sauce, miso, and fermented hot sauces. Bob studied the art of shoyu making under the guidance of his mentors at Chiba Shoyu in Japan.
Andrew Dominick is a popular food journalist hailing from Norwalk, CT. His work can be seen on CTBites, Westchester Bites, Westchester Magazine, Hudson Valley Magazine, The Beverage Journal CT, Connecticut Magazine, Fairfield Magazine and more! When he’s not writing, he's honing his bartending skills, exploring restaurants, and practicing martial arts.
Andrew Dominick is a popular food journalist hailing from Norwalk, CT. His work can be seen on CTBites, Westchester Bites, Westchester Magazine, Hudson Valley Magazine, The Beverage Journal CT, Connecticut Magazine, Fairfield Magazine and more! When he’s not writing, he's honing his bartending skills, exploring restaurants, and practicing martial arts.
Iazamir "Zamir" Gotta is a producer, TV Personality, Independent Filmmaker, and Peacemaker. He is best known as the traveling companion of the late American chef Anthony Bourdain in his Travel Channel TV show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, when they traveled to Uzbekistan, Russia and Romania and later in the U.S. Rust Belt, Ukraine, and Kansas City. Gotta also accompanied Bourdain in Batumi, during Bourdain's subsequent series, Parts Unknown on CNN.
When we last chatted with Mark back in 2020 (Season 1, Episode 7) he was manning the helm as the longest serving Mayor in Danbury, Connecticuts history, but shortly after he joined the show he was asked by Governor Ned Lamont to join his staff as the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services. Mark Boughton was also recently appointed the States Infrastructure Czar and as usual, I had a wonderful conversation chatting about his final days as Mayor, his thoughts on the Danbury Trashers Netflix Documentary and upcoming movie, the new role as Commissioner, the new tax cuts that are taking effect, what he’s been up to in regards to Connecticuts infrastructure and so much more!
Anne Grossman is the founder & owner of Rebel Daughter Cookies a gourmet cookie company located in Norwalk, Connecticut. After moving to the area from Brooklyn and frustrated she couldn’t find the “big, gooey” gourmet cookies like the ones she recalls at her favorite bakeries in Chicago and New York, and disappointed at how the ingredients in those beloved cookies had changed over time, she decided to make her own, starting with the classic chocolate chip cookie. The result was a set of recipes for cookies that were big in size, with textures, and “salty-sweet, grown-up versions” of cookies kids love, thus the beginning of Rebel Daughter Cookies which is taking CT and the rest of the Country by storm. Since launching in 2019, Rebel Daughter Cookies has been featured on Food Network 4 times and has grown an ever rising following. Rebel Daughter cookies is also shipped nationwide.
Check out Rebel Daughter Cookies here: https://www.rebeldaughtercookies.com/
Born and raised on the beautiful island of Ischia, Italy, Pierluigi Mazzella is the founder and owner of Fatto A Mano Bakery. His father is a professional fisherman on the island and showed their family what it really means to buy fresh and local. This passion for high quality food never left Pierluigi as he moved through his culinary-based high school and into the professional food industry. He worked his way around Italy in pizzerias, restaurants, and artisanal bakeries before coming to the US to work in 2017. He then decided to quit his job to open his own bakery, Fatto A Mano and well the rest is history!
I had a fantastic conversation with Pierluigi talking about his early days growing up in Italy, coming to the states, his ambitions of opening a bakery with a storefront, the time and effort that goes into everything he does, his thoughts on Connecticut & America and so much more!
Check out Fatto a Mano here: https://fattoamanobreads.com/
Kimberley Locke is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She has recorded in the dance and pop genres, and has targeted the adult contemporary radio format. She was the cohost of the daytime talk show, Dr. and the Diva, Second Runner up on Season 2 of American Idol behind Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken, her music has been on Billboards top charts countless times, she’s been a guest on Ellen, performed on Ellen, was a guest co-host of The View, and she can be seen on TV today co hosting infomercials for kitchen appliances with the wonderful Emeril Lagasse.
Matthew Banever is the founder and owner of Bards Clothing and began his business based on two loves: storytelling and clothing. Matthew graduated from Marist College with a degree in history and after graduating began working at a national retail organization. Over the next 5 years he moved to a few different stores, always positioned as manager, and finally landed in West Hartford, CT at a men’s specialty store. There he spent four and a half years spearheading the custom department, working under a master tailor, and developing relationships with the the best mills in the world.
At Bards Clothing they ask you about your hopes, desires, and achievements as well as uncover your goals and values and turns them into top of the line garments that tell your story. In today’s age, the internet reigns supreme and those images are cast out for an unimaginable audience to see. Matthew believes your clothing plays a vital role in selling yourself, even if it’s as simple as a well fitted shirt and a pair of jeans.
I had such a great time chatting with Matthew and our conversation lasted for just about two hours and like other episodes of the show we once again have broken this episode up into 2 parts, Part 1 and Part 2. Enjoy Part 2!
Check out Bards Clothing here: https://www.bardsclothing.com/
Matthew Banever is the founder and owner of Bards Clothing and began his business based on two loves: storytelling and clothing. Matthew graduated from Marist College with a degree in history and after graduating began working at a national retail organization. Over the next 5 years he moved to a few different stores, always positioned as manager, and finally landed in West Hartford, CT at a men’s specialty store. There he spent four and a half years spearheading the custom department, working under a master tailor, and developing relationships with the the best mills in the world.
At Bards Clothing they ask you about your hopes, desires, and achievements as well as uncover your goals and values and turns them into top of the line garments that tell your story. In today’s age, the internet reigns supreme and those images are cast out for an unimaginable audience to see. Matthew believes your clothing plays a vital role in selling yourself, even if it’s as simple as a well fitted shirt and a pair of jeans.
I had such a great time chatting with Matthew and our conversation lasted for just about two hours and like other episodes of the show we once again have broken this episode up into 2 parts, Part 1 and Part 2. Enjoy Part 1!
Check out Bards Clothing here: https://www.bardsclothing.com/
John Watson is head brewer and owner of Watson Farmhouse Brewery located in Southbury, Connecticut and is also the head brewer at NewSylum Brewing Company on the Fairfield Hills Campus in Newtown, Connecticut. John started brewing beer as a hobby, after his wife Tracy gifted him a home-brewing kit, more than 25 years ago. He quickly became frequent with the home-brew competition circuit, medaling in the National Homebrew Competition with his recipes. In 2000, he was named New England Home Brewer of the Year and in 2004 earned Best of Show at the Master's Championship of Amateur Brewing.
He has collaborated with a host of local commercial brewers, from Willimantic Brewing, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in Pleasantville NY, and more!
Along the way, he helped build commercial breweries for others, including Veracious Brewing Company in Monroe, Tribus Beer Company in Milford and Beer Naked in Wilmington VT.
John and I had an amazing conversation live inside of his brewery in Southbury, CT. Our conversation lasted for almost two hours and you already know we covered everything I just mentioned and so much more!
John Watson is head brewer, founder and owner of Watson Farmhouse Brewery located in Southbury, Connecticut and is also the head brewer at NewSylum Brewing Company located at the Fairfield Hills Campus in Newtown, Connecticut.
John started brewing beer as a hobby when his wife Tracy gifted him a home-brewing kit more than 25 years ago. He quickly became frequent with the home-brew competition circuit, medaling in the National Homebrew Competition with his recipes. In 2000, he was named New England Home Brewer of the Year and in 2004 he earned Best of Show at the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing.
John has collaborated with a host of local commercial breweries, from Willimantic Brewing, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company and more! Along the way he helped build commercial breweries for others, including Veracious Brewing Company in Monroe, Connecticut, Tribus Beer Company in Milford, Connecticut and Beer Naked in Wilmington, Vermont.
John and I had an amazing conversation live inside of his brewery in Southbury, Connecticut. Our conversation lasted for almost 2 hours, so we cut it up into 2 episodes, Part 1 and Part 2. Part 2 coming next week!
Visit Watson Farmhouse Brewery here: https://watsonfarmhousebrewery.com/
Visit NewSylum Brewing Company here: https://www.newsylumbrewing.com/
Tina Zaccardi is a world class baker from Westchester County, NY. She is known on social media as The Italian Cookie and she has appeared on The Chew, The Today Show, The Rachael Ray Show, Hallmark Home + Family, Bridge Street TV, Daytime and was the Season 4 winner of ABC’s The Great American Baking Show making her one of the top bakers in America!
I had a fantastic conversation with Tina via Zoom talking about where her love of baking began, how she got through the COVID-19 pandemic, her journey on The Great American Baking Show from the beginning to her incredible victory, her appearances on other TV programs such as Rachael Ray, her advice and tips on baking, what she enjoys doing in her free time and so much more!
Check out her work here: https://tinazaccardi.com/
Instagram: @theitaliancookie
Jeff Schaller is an artist in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. His work has been featured on the hit tv show Friends and can be seen at local watering holes in Pennsylvania like Iron Hill Brewery. Jeff’s work is collected both nationally and internationally and it is also included in the Coca-Cola Museum and Lancaster Museum of Art. I had a fantastic chat with Jeff, talking about how he get started in the art world, his art work that was featured on the hit tv show Friends, visiting the set of Friends and hanging out with Courtney Cox, his favorite works, where you can purchase his art, visiting galleries all over the world and so much more!
Check out his work here: https://www.jeffschaller.com/
Matthew Kirshner is a pastry chef and the owner of Uncle Matt’s Bakery and Café located in Sandy Hook CT. He trained with master pastry chefs from around the world, at renowned establishments such as the Russian Tea Room and the Essex House Hotel in New York City, in addition to the Roger Sherman Inn and Bantam Bread Company in Connecticut. His love for baking can be traced back to his grandmother’s cookbook, which is still lined with notes from when she would earmark recipes for Matt as a child. Getting close to those childhood memory is an adventure that drives his culinary interests to this day. We were super excited to get the opportunity to chat with Matthew live inside Uncle Matts Bakery and Café in Sandy Hook. We had a wonderful conversation, and in Part 2 of this 2 Part podcast episode we talked about the future of Uncle Matt's Bakery and Café, sandwiches, holidays, the online ordering, being a diabetic baker, a funny story about a picture of Matthew, upcoming renovations and so much more!
Uncle Matts Bakery & Café: https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/
Matthew Kirshner is a pastry chef and the owner of Uncle Matt’s Bakery and Café located in Sandy Hook CT. He trained with master pastry chefs from around the world, at renowned establishments such as the Russian Tea Room and the Essex House Hotel in New York City, in addition to the Roger Sherman Inn and Bantam Bread Company in Connecticut.
His love for baking can be traced back to his grandmother’s cookbook, which is still lined with notes from when she would earmark recipes for Matt as a child. Getting close to those childhood memory is an adventure that drives his culinary interests to this day. We were super excited to get the opportunity to chat with Matthew live inside Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe in Sandy Hook.
We had a wonderful conversation, and in Part 1 of this 2 Part podcast episode we covered Matts beginnings in the baking world, where he is from, the infamous places he has worked at, how he has survived during the COVID 19 pandemic and so much more!
Stay tuned for Part 2!
Uncle Matts Bakery & Cafe: https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/
Kim Prada is the founder and owner of Tribe Power Bites located here in Connecticut. Tribe Power Bites is a convenient nut butter snack bite constructed to fit in todays busy society as well as a movement to bring people together. The name Tribe comes from the connections Kim made during her process of starting her business which took off during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Not only did her customers give her a sense of community with their support; they also became her family as well. Kim is a 23 year old single mom to her daughter Mia, who is the epitome behind TRIBE. Kim’s goal is to be a positive role model for her daughter, while also building generational wealth for their future.
We had a wonderful conversation covering her beginnings in 2020, rising above the odds of the times and becoming a success story, the bites, the recipes, how can you get your hands on some and so much more! This episode left me feeling hungry!
Visit https://tribepowerbites.com/ for more information and to order YOUR bites today!
Neviana Zhgaba is the owner and founder of Aquilas Nest Vineyard in the Sandy Hook area of Newtown, Connecticut and returning guest to the show!
Neviana and her husband Ardian opened the vineyard a little over a year ago, and I am excited that Neviana could come back on the show to talk all about the first year with the Vineyard, her successes, all the new additions, updates, the wine making, and everything in between! We also chatted about what she has in store for Valentines Day weekend, and what the vision is for the future. H
Huge thank you once again to the Neugolds, Clark & Kate, owners of Marygolds On Main for allowing me to once again come by and record an episode in their beautiful bridal suite. If you have not been to Marygolds you are missing out! Get down there stat! 19 Main Street in Newtown, CT!
Charles Rosenay is a CT legend and may be best known in the state as the producer of the Connecticut Beatles conventions and festivals for over four decades and as a pro DJ/MC/Entertainer for as many years. Along with musical events, he published a magazine on The Beatles called Good Day Sunshine for 25 years and, since 1983, he has organized and hosted the Beatles Tours to Liverpool for fans. Charles is a Beatles aficionado, expert and promoter. Along with the Beatles-themed tours, Rosenay is the creator and organizer of the annual Dracula Tour to Transylvania, a “vampire vacation” that brings fans to the land of Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Rosenay has acted in several horror films and shorts and was also the founder of Connecticut’s largest and scariest indoor haunted attraction, “Fright Haven,” which still operates in Stratford. Just last year Rosenay published his first book, titled “The Book of Top 10 Horror Lists”, which collects lists of favorite monster movies, actors, and other themes from 100 celebrities.
Charles is an extremely fascinating individual and we covered it all from the Beatles, to the tours to Liverpool & Transelvannya, ghost hunting, Paraconn, his new book, acting in horror films and so much more!
Nicky Zooks is a popular, up and coming Food Reviewer here in the state of Connecticut. Nicky began reviewing local Connecticut restaurants around his hometown of Bethel at the start of the pandemic, helping give restaurants his special Restaurant Boost as well as bringing awareness to places and foods people may not have heard of before. Since then he has amassed over 8 thousand followers on Instagram and was declared honorary food ambassador of Bethel, CT.
I had a really great time chatting with Nicky via ZOOM, both of us staying safe due to the recent COVID surge, talking about why he started reviewing restaurants, his favorite foods to eat, what he sees himself doing in the future, his own love of cooking, his favorite passions, sports teams and so much more!
Jim Himes is an American businessman and politician currently serving as the U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 4th congressional district since 2009. Himes's district includes most of the southwestern corner of the state and is largely coextensive with the Connecticut side of the New York metropolitan area. It includes parts of Fairfield County and New Haven County, including the cities of Bridgeport, Norwalk, Fairfield and Stamford.
It was an honor to have the opportunity to speak to Congressman Himes and we chatted for close to an hour! Filled with plenty of laughs, talking about recent legislation in D.C. and what it means for Connecticut, learning how Congressman Himes got his start in politics, what he enjoys doing in his free time & so much more!
Dimitrios Zahariadis is an award-winning bartender and pioneer in the craft cocktail movement here in the state of CT. In his free time Dimitrios is an avid competitor and in addition to winning many local competitions, he has been a multiple regional Finalist for Diageo World Class, Bacardi Legacy and Bombay Sapphire Most Imaginative Bartender competitions. Dimitrios is also Founder of The Cocktail Chemist, a canned cocktail beverage taking CT by storm. Dimitrios was a previous partner at the award winning cocktail bar, Highland Brass Co, in his home town of Waterbury, CT. He was also the co-founder and President of the United States Bartenders Guild CT & New Haven Chapter.
Dimitrios has done it all and we covered it all, from his humble beginnings growing up in Waterbury, CT, his roots back in Greece, the new canned cocktail company, his view on the bartending scene & industry today and so much more!
Dimitrios Zahariadis is an award-winning bartender and pioneer in the craft cocktail movement here in the state of CT. In his free time Dimitrios is an avid competitor and in addition to winning many local competitions, he has been a multiple regional Finalist for Diageo World Class, Bacardi Legacy and Bombay Sapphire Most Imaginative Bartender competitions. Dimitrios is also Founder of The Cocktail Chemist, a canned cocktail beverage taking CT by storm. Dimitrios was a previous partner at the award winning cocktail bar, Highland Brass Co, in his home town of Waterbury, CT. He was also the co-founder and President of the United States Bartenders Guild CT & New Haven Chapter.
Dimitrios has done it all and we covered it all, from his humble beginnings growing up in Waterbury, CT, his roots back in Greece, the new canned cocktail company, his view on the bartending scene & industry today and so much more! Coming at you live from the suite at Marygolds on Main - 19 Main Street, Newtown, CT.
Chef Adam Greenberg is a Connecticut Native, a 4x Chopped Champion, a Beat Bobby Flay winner, previous owner of the Coconut Club in Washington D.C, and spent a decade with the MAX hospitality group behind Barcelona & BarTaco. With all of his Food Network wins he has been crowned as the All Time Winningest Contestant the Food Network has ever had with a record of 5-0 and also is occasionally featured as a Food Network Judge.
We had an incredible in-depth conversation live in the Sweet N Up studio in Danbury, CT and trust me when I tell you that you will not want to miss out on Part 2!
Chef Adam Greenberg is a Connecticut native, a Food Network judge, a 4x Chopped champion, a Beat Bobby Flay winner, a previous owner of the Coconut Club in Washington D.C, and spent a decade with the Barteca Restaurant Group behind Barcelona & BarTaco. With his 5-0 record, he has earned the title of “All-Time Winningest Food Network Competitor”.
We had an incredible conversation live in the Sweet N Up studio in Danbury, CT talking about Adam’s recent return to Connecticut, what he has in store for West Hartford, his experiences navigating 2020, his many appearances on the Food Network, and so much more! Be on the lookout for part 2 next week!
Joe Attonito is the founder and owner of jjstacks a dive restaurant located in Brookfield, CT on Federal Road complete with not only food that is to die for, especially his famous wings, but a mini golf course as well! Joe was the previous owner of Tigers Den Sports Bar in Ridgefield, CT and has worked with some of the great chefs of our state. Food has been a passion of Joe’s for a long time and it was great to catch up with him to see how he has faired during COVID-19, how everything is going at jjstacks and what the future holds!
Chef Dan Kardos is a CT legend and the owner of Oar & Oak and Oar and Oak Birdhouse in Stratford as well as Oar & Oak Birdhouse in Milford and Oar and Oak Creamery as well as the Oar and Oak food truck! Basically Dan Kardos has all your bases covered. He is known as the chicken sandwich KING, the co-founder of Liberty Rock Tavern and the absolute pride of Stratford, CT. He has worked with some of the great Chefs of our state, great restaurants of our state, as well as traveled the country opening BarTaco Restaurants and so much more!
When I say Chef Dan Kardos has done it all…. I mean it, and recently he won Guys Grocery Games and made CT proud! We covered it all and I had an absolute blast listening to Dans stories and everything in-between!
Chef Vanessa Sena is the founder & owner of My Local Chefs a new Hartford-based food-delivery service that wants to be thought of as the “anti-GrubHub or anti-Uber Eats. My Local Chefs launched on July 5th, 2021 with 11 Hartford-area culinary talents ranging from restaurateurs, meal-prep chefs, caterers, food-truck owners, farmers, condiment makers, wellness coaches and shop owners. Deliveries are made twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. My Local Chefs makes it easy to order home cooked meals and so much more from your favorite chefs!
Vanessa is a rockstar entrepreneur and boss lady with an incredible story! We sat down together at the lovely Better Half Brewing Company located in Bristol, CT and had some incredible food from BirriaDilla! Seriously, you have to get out to Better Half and say hello to owners Mike & Rachel! They are the real deal! Thank you both so much for having us!
Paul Mannion is the owner of the Green Grunion Food Truck, Mannion has wowed foodies at breweries across Connecticut and at his home base at 100 Mill Plain Road not too far from our studio in Danbury slingin his critically acclaimed San Diego-style burritos. A few years back Paul joined forces with Lisa Tassone (owner of La Zingara and Ecco in Bethel), Chris Sanzeni and Kevin Arrington to open Broken Symmetry Gastro Brewery at the historic railroad station in Bethel.
I had a blast chatting with Paul in Part #1 which if you haven’t heard yet, pause this right now and go listen their first! However if you have already listened to Part 1 we will now begin from where we left off.
Paul Mannion is the owner of the Green Grunion Food Truck, one of Connecticut's hottest food trucks! Mannion has wowed foodies at breweries across Connecticut and at his home base at 100 Mill Plain Road not too far from our studio in Danbury slingin his critically acclaimed San Diego-style burritos. A few years back Paul joined forces with Lisa Tassone (owner of La Zingara and Vesta Rooftop in Bethel), Chris Sanzeni and Kevin Arrington to open Broken Symmetry Gastro Brewery at the historic railroad station in Bethel. Paul is the real deal, we had a fun and wide ranging conversation that spanned close to 2 hours so we have decided to break up our conversation into another two part podcast episode!
Lora and Bev are the duo that make up Unlocking Connecticut, one of the hottest blogs and Instagram pages covering all things happening in our state. Whether it’s food, coffee, spas, hotels, events, boutiques or anything else - you name it, they cover it!
Through their countless adventures, stories and experiences, Lora and Bev are responsible for shining a light on many hidden gems across Connecticut. I am super thankful that they were able to join me for this episode! They are two of the most entertaining folks I’ve ever met, and they shared some great stories from being out in the field, encounters with their celebrity friends and more!
Also, a huge shoutout to my dear friends Kate and Clark Neugold of Marygolds on Main for letting me use their beautiful bridal suite for this interview! What an awesome space and what amazing people. Definitely consider them for your next wedding or event, or just stop by for a fantastic meal! Love you guys!
David Kaye is founding partner and operations manager of Nod Hill Brewery located off Route 7 in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Since opening in 2017 Nod Hill has been thriving, churning out some of the most delectable offerings of beers in the state. Chef Jeff Taibe is a friend of the show and returning guest from episode #46. Jeff is the owner of Taproot Restaurant in Bethel, CT as well On the Fly Food Truck. This year, Nod Hill and Jeff Taibe joined forces to bring joy to the masses and along with the recent opening of the Nod Hill bier garten, we covered it all! I mean who doesn’t love a conversation about incredible beer and delicious food with two the best guys around!
This episode of the show is part number 2, a continuation of my conversation from last week with my good friend, the always wonderful, Lisa Nichols!!
Lisa Nichols is the founder and owner of Bread & Beast Food Photography. She has covered food photography for the biggest chefs in the state as well as Hearst Media, CT Magazine and numerous other publications. Lisa also came to my hometown of Newtown and took the photos for Sweet’N Up Podcast.
If you haven’t listened to part 1 of our conversation definitely pause this and listen there first, but if you already have sit back relax and enjoy part 2 of my 2 part podcast episode, with my friend, an incredible photographer & human, Lisa Nichols!
Lisa Nichols is the founder and owner of Bread & Beast Food Photography. She has covered food photography for the biggest chefs in the state as well as Hearst Media, CT Magazine and numerous other publications. Lisa also came to my hometown of Newtown and took the photos for Sweet’N Up Podcast. Lisa and I had such a fun and wide-ranging chat that the episode has been broken up into two parts! In Part 1, Lisa talks about her start in photography, where she grew up, her early photography experiences, navigating through 2020, our love of Chef Carlos Perez and so much more. Be on the lookout for Part 2 next week!
Emily Mingrone is a seasoned chef and co-owner of Tavern on State a beautiful restaurant located on State Street in New Haven, CT. A culinary school graduate, Emily has worked at some of the best restaurants in Connecticut such as ZINC in New Haven, Match in South Norwalk & Jessup Hall in Westport working under goats such as Chef Matt Storch (a friend of the show), Chef Bill Taibe, and Chef Denise Appel. You can also find Emily on the Food Network where she has competed on both Chopped & Guys Grocery Games of which she won! We had a fantastic conversation getting to know Emily’s early years growing up, working alongside her Chef Father, Culinary School, working for culinary legends, her appearances on the Food Network, navigating the Pandemic, everything going on with Tavern on State, what she enjoys doing in her free time and so much more!
Scott Rosenberg is a seasoned restauranteur and chef as well as a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Previously Scott co-owned the infamous Il Bariloto on Main Street in Fishkill Ny for 19 years and is now the new owner of a brand new restaurant located in Fishkills Main Street Plaza, Il Figlio Enoteca.
It was so nice to catch up with Scott & learn about his passion for the industry,his new restaurant Il Figlio & it’s wonderful accents and architecture, his time at the culinary institute, the menu at Il Figlio, managing the covid pandemic and so much more!
Lisa & Glen are the co-owners of Catch A Healthy Habit Cafe located in Fairfield, Connecticut. Catch A Healthy Habit is a vegan cafe that has been a mainstay in the state having been around now for 10 years. Lisa Storch faced off against her younger brother, Chef Matt Storch ( a friend of the show) last year on the Food Network and not only did she defeat him, but Bobby Flay as well on his show - Beat Bobby Flay!
We had a really fun conversation, getting to know Lisa & Glens backgrounds and the forming of Catch A Healthy Habit, what you can expect to find at the cafe, Lisa’s experience on Food Networks Beat Bobby Flay, what it was like growing up with her younger brother Chef Matt Storch, how Glen & Lisa met, what they both enjoy doing in their free time and so much more!
Todays episode is Part #2, a continuation of episode 59 & my conversation with the great Robert Mars. Rob and I continued our conversation from where we left off, talking about Robs time with the band Crucial Youth, bands he was fortunate to share the stage with, legendary venues he got to perform at, our mutual love of baseball, what he enjoys doing in his free time, and so much more!
Robert Mars is a world-renowned contemporary American artist known for his Futurelics Pop-forms celebrating icons of the Golden Era of the 1950s and 1960s. However Rob has done so much more than that!
In part 1 of this 2 part episode we had a such a great conversation chatting about how Rob got through the Covid-19 lockdown last year & how he’s managed since, being selected to create commissions for the Coca Cola World HQ in Atlanta, Georgia, his time working for Element Skateboards in their earlier days, his favorite skateboarders, how working at adidas turned him into a sneaker head, playing CBGBs in the band Crucial Youth and so much more!
Corey Phillip Paris is an American politician serving as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 145th district. Elected in an April 29, 2021 special election, he assumed office on May 4, 2021. Paris was the president of the Connecticut Young Democrats. He also worked for People for the American Way.
Leeanne Griffin is the food and consumer reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media, handling coverage of restaurant openings and closings, trends, events and general news about CT food and beverage businesses. She's been working in Connecticut news for more than 15 years, most recently as the food and dining reporter for the Hartford Courant.
We had a fun and wide ranging conversation covering Leeannes background in journalism and media, what she noticed about restaurants during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, how she became a food reporter, her favorite places to go, what a typical day is like, some awesome personal stories from the field and so much more!
Brendan Smialowski is a photojournalist for Agence France-Presse since 2012. He has been covering Washington, D.C. politics and events since 2003 including 4 presidents and 2 wars. Many of his works have gone viral, most recently his photo of Bernie Sanders wearing mittens at Joe Biden’s Presidential Inauguration this past January.
We had a fun and wide ranging conversation covering Brendans start in photo journalism from high school on, what it’s been like covering 4 presidents, his recent trip with President Joe Biden when he met with Vladimir Putin, behind the scenes insight into his many viral photos and how they came to be, how he tries to tell a story with his photos, what it was like being at the insurrection at the capitol, capturing the photo of Former President Donald Trump & Kim Jong-un at the Demilitarized Zone, first hand accounts of many historical moments in our countries history and so much more!
Andrew Denicola is a jazz composer and multi instrumentalist based in the New York Metro Area. A graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Andrew spent 4 years honing his craft with veteran jazz performers & composers including Bill Pierce, George Garzone and Greg Hopkins of The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and Gladys Knight.
Now, post Berklee Andrew is taking the jazz world by storm, performing in NYC on numerous occasions, released a debut album “The Life of An Aquarius” and now today, July 2nd, 2021, he drops a brand new album titled “1+9” available on all streaming platforms and AndrewDenicolaMusic.com.
We had a fun and wide ranging conversation covering Andrew’s journey in music from 4th grade on, his previous debut album, the new album 1+9, his time spent at Berklee in Boston Massachusetts, how he honed his craft, how his emotions reflect on his music, how he always listens to himself and creates his own path and so much more!
George Psarofagis is the owner of the New Holiday Diner which has been a staple of Danbury Since 1947. George and his family purchased the diner back in August of 2000 and gave it a new updated look back in 2014. Holiday Diner has been a main stay ever since due to its amazing food and loyal customer base. On top of that the Holiday Diner is on Instagram, where George will post some of the funniest videos promoting the Diner and its famous milkshake of the month.
We had a fantastic conversation live inside Holiday Diner in downtown Danbury talking all things Holiday Diner, the history of the diner, how George & his family made it through the COVID-19 pandemic, the diners presence on Instagram, the coveted Milkshake of the Month, what George enjoys doing in his free time and so much more!
Calin Sauvron is the Executive Chef of Note Kitchen & Bar in Bethel, Connecticut and Executive Chef and Partner of the somewhat new, Notch 8 also located in Bethel, Connecticut. Calin was invited to compete on Season 46 of Food Networks Chopped where she went on to smoke the competition and became a Chopped Champion. Her passion for perfection and focus on seasonal, locally sourced food allows her to continually surprise and delight guests with her creative and delicious offerings.
We had a fantastic conversation live on Greenwood Avenue in Bethel, Connecticut on the front patio of Note Kitchen & Bar talking about Calin’s start in the culinary world, where her passion comes from, being invited onto and winning Food Networks Chopped, what she loves about Note Kitchen & Bar and the new Notch 8, her favorite dishes to cook, how she got through the Covid-19 pandemic, a sneak peek of a collab Calin will be doing with a local brewery and so much more!
Zac Ross was previously head brewer at Kent Falls Brewing Company here in Connecticut before moving to Virginia to head the barrel program at Aslin Beer Co. In 2019, Zac came back to Connecticut to become head brewer at Twelve Percent's new production brewery in North Haven, CT. Twelve Percent produces beer on a contract basis for Stillwater, Evil Twin, Omnipollo, Dugges, Hoof Hearted, and Zac's new Marlowe Artisan Ales, a brand named after his late grandfather.
We had a fantastic conversation live over ZOOM video conferencing chatting about Zac’s start in the brewery world, where his love of beer comes from, what it’s like being a head brewer, his time at Kent Falls Farm Brewery, his favorite styles of beer to brew & drink, what he enjoys doing in his free time, his new brand Marlowe Ales & so much more! Zoom and our internet connection wasn’t the kindest to us so we apologize for the audio, but hey these things happen!!
Peter Le Floch is an incredible artist originally from Brewster, NY now living in Bethel, CT! You may have seen some of his works either live on Instagram with MSNBC’s Ari Melber, driving around Bethel, CT or when you are visiting Good Old Days Pizzeria & Cocktail Den in Newtown, CT.
We had a fantastic, wide-ranging conversation live in my new apartment here in Danbury talking about Peter’s start in the art world, his favorite style of art, how he made it through COVID-19 as an artist, how he met Ari Melber and got to showcase one of his commissions with Notorious B.I.G & Mobb Deep, his street art in Bethel, as well as some crazy stories from his earlier days in New York City, the artwork in Good Old Days Pizzeria & Cocktail Den & so much more!
Joseph Cavo is the current Mayor of Danbury, CT having taken over for previous Mayor Mark Boughton in December of 2020. Mayor Joe has called Danbury his home for over 35 years and has been a member of the Danbury City Council since 2003, of which he had been President since 2006. We had a fantastic conversation live via ZOOM video conferencing covering Mayor Joe’s time as Mayor since December of last year, how he has gotten by during the age of COVID-19, his early days growing up in Brooklyn & New Jersey, what he enjoys doing in his free time as well as his thoughts on the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant and so much more!
Dave Ackert is the Chief Maple Officer of Maple Craft Foods Based out of Sandy Hook CT, Dave & his family began harvesting maple sap from trees at family homes in Connecticut and Vermont in 2001. He did this because he loved maple syrup and wanted kids to develop a healthy connection with natural food and where it comes from.
After unthinkable tragedy struck our community in Sandy Hook, CT, he re-prioritized how he wanted to spend his time and energy. Dave & his family decided to start Maple Craft Foods in 2014 to help make people smile and develop healthier connections with food, with nature and with each other, while also supporting survivors and volunteers working to make our communities safer and sweeter.
They still tap their own trees, but also use high quality, organic maple syrup supplied by friends who slow boil it traditionally, over an open flame, on a farm in Vermont, giving it its rich caramel color and robust taste. One taste of Maple Craft products will make you smile. Available in Whole Foods, Williams Sonoma and close to 1,000 other stores, Maple Craft Foods is on the rise.
Miguel Rivas, who many consider the 'Anthony Bourdain of Craft Beer' is a Brooklyn-based photographer. His background in photography comes from his passion for live music shows, traveling, and the artistry of craft beers. He's the founder and curator of The BeerTrekker project, a photographic journey and storytelling project about beer culture and the people behind it. Over the last 4 years, Miguel has been published in prestigious industry magazines like Beeradvocate, Craftbeer.com, Craft Beer & Brewing as well as The New York Times Magazine and Plate Magazine. He’s also been on Beer Sessions Radio on the Heritage Radio Network and panels like Travel + Social Good to talk about #Beertography and the power of social media, branding, and brand recognition in the craft beer world.
Check him out on Instagram - @TheBeerTrekker
Johnny Kraszewski is the Captain and Founder of Armada Brewing Company located in East Haven, Connecticut. It all began when a passion for craft beer and fantasy adventure stories collided on a kitchen stove top while founder John Kraszewski was living in Chicago, IL. Armed with a journal of beer recipes and an epic story to tell John moved back to his home state of Connecticut and launched Armada Brewing to the public in January 2017. Armada Brewing is a proud member of The Beeracks; a collaborative brew space in East Haven, Connecticut. Inside The Beeracks they pump out a legion of beers for all to enjoy. Visit armadabeer.com for more!
Jeff Taibe & Steph Sweeney are the owners of Taproot in Bethel, CT. Taibe previously served as the Executive Chef of Kawa Ni (Westport), a Japanese izakaya serving globally inspired small plates and ramen, and Oak and Almond (Norwalk), a New American restaurant featuring farm-to-table wood-fired fare.
Prior to bringing his simple and seasonal cooking style to Connecticut’s burgeoning restaurant scene, Taibe earned his stripes all over the globe. His resume includes positions in Thailand, St. Pierre (Singapore), and Beaches (Turk & Caicos), as well stints at Abigail Kirsch and Union Square Cafe in his native New York.
Jeff and I had such a fun conversation live in the Sweet N Up Podcast studio talking all things Taproot, the new menu, what its like cooking all over the globe, his culinary icons, learning about food and culture and so much more!
Episode #45 (I said 44, oops! Lol) Matt Stanczak is a partner of GOOD OLD DAYS PIZZERIA AND COCKTAIL DEN that opened in December 2020 in the basement of Marygolds on Main here in Newtown, Ct. Pizza aficionados know him well as the former owner of Stanziato’s in Danbury, which he opened in 2009 and sold in 2015.
After selling his business in 2015 Stanczak worked as a consultant, but was intrigued by the potential of this new space in Newtown, CT. Good Old Days opened in late December, mere weeks ahead of Marygold’s. He serves “Thin and crispy” pizzas, which feed one or two guests and feature creative flavor profiles. On top of that he has square pies as well that are light and airy and I keep going back for more!
We had such a fun conversation, covering all things Pizza, his start in the industry, where this passion comes from, his culinary icons, and so much more! This is the ULTIMATE pizza lovers episode!
Katherine Hansen is the owner of Newtown Salt Spa here in Newtown, Connecticut! Originally with a background in forensics and crime scene investigation, she changed paths when her husband relocated for his job. Katherine traveled with her mom often and one of their trips took them to Poland where they toured the Salt Mines. While there she noticed how much better she felt - from cleared sinuses to an overall better feeling throughout the body. She learned that people from all over Poland move closer in order to send their kids to a school that is located inside the mine to help with breathing issues such as allergies and asthma. She also learned that salt therapy, called Halo-therapy, has been used in Europe for hundreds of years and is still prescribed by doctors as a complement to modern medications. Together with the help and support of her family and friends Katherine built the Newtown Salt Spa salt brick by salt brick.
Katherine and I had a great conversation, covering her background in forensics and crime scene investigation, opening the salt spa, traveling with her mom, her love for Newtown, what she enjoys doing in her free time, surviving COVID-19 shutdown and so much more.
Rob Scheer is the founder of Comfort Cases and an outspoken advocate for youth in foster care. His interview with Upworthy went viral in February 2017 garnering more than 100 million views, and he was later featured on Ellen and The Today Show. He was given a trash bag to pack his belongings, as he entered his first foster home at the age of 12. When he aged out of the system at 18, he became homeless, and again packed up his belongings in a trash bag. Nearly 30 years later when he became a foster parent, his four children arrived at his home with trash bags. He was saddened that nothing had changed. In 2013, Rob’s family and their community founded Comfort Cases and set out on a mission to eliminate trash bags from the foster care system.
Rob tells his story from the beginning until where he is today to give you the feel of what it was like being in his shoes. I asked him what we could do better with our foster care system, what it was like having his book published by Derek Jeter and Simon & Schuster, what hes taken away from his work at Comfort Cases, his passions in life and so much more!
Erik Ofgang is an award-winning writer, musician, and magician whose work has appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers throughout the country, including the Associated Press, the Hartford Courant and Connecticut Magazine, where he was a senior writer. His debut book, Buzzed: Beers, Booze & Coffee Brews, Where to Enjoy the Best Craft Beverages in New England, was released in 2016. He teaches writing and journalism as an adjunct professor at Western Connecticut State University.
We had a fun conversation about Erik’s passion for writing, his writing process, teaching during COVID-19, his experience as a Senior Writer at Connecticut Magazine, writing & publishing a book with his father, & so much more!
Chef Carlos Perez is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York & currently the executive chef of @ The Corner in Litchfield, Connecticut. Throughout his career, Chef Perez has pursued his love of food in restaurants across Connecticut and in Manhattan. His cuisine is described as sustainable farm-to-table cooking paired with modern influence, playing off flavors both sweet and savory. We had a really fun & laid back conversation live inside At The Corner talking about how Chef Carlos got his start in the restaurant industry, where his passion comes from, everything going on over @ The Corner in Litchfield, CT, and so much more!
Sean Scanlon is an American politician who has served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 98th district since 2015. The 98th district encompasses the shore towns of Branford & Guilford. He currently serves on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, the Public Health Committee, and is co-chair of the Insurance and Real Estate committee.
We had a great conversation diving into Rep Scanlon’s work in Hartford, news about legislation Rep Scanlon sponsored in CT involving a tragic accident in his district being taken up by Congress, what it’s like having worked with Senator Chris Murphy, his goals for the state in 2021, how the state is handling the covid-19 vaccine, and so much more!
Gayle & Steve are the owners of Phinney’s Newtown, two passionate food and hospitality professionals who met at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a restaurant and agricultural center in New York’s Westchester County. Stephen went to culinary school and cooked professionally in NYC at Del Posto, while Gayle studied environmental science and food systems at Boston University. Stephen is a native of Newtown, CT and is thrilled to return to his hometown, with his wife, Gayle and their puppy, Leon. Eager to share their knowledge of and enthusiasm for food, Stephen and Gayle will be your go-to for all your grocery needs.
We had a great conversation live in the Sweet’N Up Studio covering all things Phinney’s, what Phinneys is about, as well as diving into Steve & Gayle’s backgrounds and how it culminated into Phinneys Newtown. I had a blast and I think you will too!
Noah Elhert is one half of the award winning photography company based out of Guilford, CT - Tiny Human Photography, as well as an award winning cyclist, writer and director, but he is also the founder of Discover Your Path Tour which was founded by Noah who was a part of the foster care system to inspire and help at risk youth across the country who had a similar upbringing to Noah’s. Through shelter visits, Noah hopes to share the story of how his bike saved his life and inspire communities to donate to shelters.
We had a really great conversation covering how Discover Your Path Tour came to be, the making of the documentary, the journey, the path and the drive behind it all, as well as some big news about the direction of Discover Your Path. We also dove into Noahs extensive background in photography, film & cycling. It was an inspiring and uplifting conversation. I hope you enjoy & are inspired to get involved like me!
Taylor Jean O’Brien started in the Mayor’s office in 2016 working for former Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton after graduating from Syracuse University. She was recently named to Fairfield County Business Journal’s 2021 40 under Forty list and was the Executive Producer of the infamous, Live @ 5!
We had a great conversation diving into Taylor’s background with the City of Danbury, what it was like starting in the Mayor’s office straight out of college, her time working with the legendary Mayor Mark Boughton, meeting John Oliver of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver when he featured Danbury and so much more!
Andy Sachs is one of the country’s top-producing real estate professionals with the Around Town Real Estate Team, now a part of Keller Williams, and you might have seen his billboards around Fairfield County as you drive around. We had a really great conversation diving into Andy’s background prior to entering real estate, how COVID-19 has affected the real estate market, what trends he has noticed, the work he does with his team, his passions, and so much more!
Jozy Franco is one of the top sales engineers at SWEETWATER the worlds leading music technology and instrument retailer. Jozy's clients include some of the biggest musicians and bands in the music industry today - such as Marc Rebillet, Flying Lotus, Erik Prdyz, We Came As Romans, After the Burial, Motionless in White, The Iron Maidens, Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper), and Volumes to name a few. We had a really great conversation diving into Jozy’s work at Sweetwater, how Jozy and I became aquatinted, the artists that he represents, how COVID-19 has impacted the music world, especially LIVE events, how artists have adapted to COVID-19, what Sweetwater is all about and so much more!
John Boccuzzi, Jr. is the co-founder of BD Provisions, a bulk food store here in Connecticut with locations in Newtown, Fairfield and recently New Milford. Johns full-time job is the North American head of sales for Information Services Group (ISG), based in Stamford, but at night his job is BD Provisions. BD Provisions opened in November 2018 Freshly roasting coffees from all over the world and currently has over 220 bins with rice, nuts, grains, snacks, dried fruit, and candy; and they sell olive oils, vinegar, and local honey.
We had a great conversation diving into John’s background in the professional world before hatching the idea of BD Provisions, what it was like doing a TEDtalk, how BD Provisions has handled COVID-19, the future of BD Provisions, what a bulk food store is all about and so much more!
Gary Crone Better known as Gary Fiveboys is the Former Bar Manager at Tribeca Grill, a 20 year Industry veteran selling to some of the top restaurants and Lounges in NYC. He has Traveled to Napa, Amsterdam and Mexico to visit wineries and distilleries to gain first hand production knowledge he is the owner of the AntBar.com, a master of mixology, and you can find him now bartending at Barnwood Grill & Aquilas Nest Vineyard in Newtown, CT.
We had a great conversation diving into Gary’s background as a bar manager, his work in the industry, what he's seen go down within the industry in regards to COVID-19, his personal experiences, how he started TheAntBar.com and so much more!
Eileen Bradshaw is the founder & owner of the infamous and wonderful Facebook Group: Newtown Eats.
Newtown Eats was launched in March of 2020 right as the Covid-19 lockdown took affect. Eileen saw that local restaurants in Newtown & surrounding towns were going to experience tough times so she thought how can I help? What can I do to support? Hence Newtown Eats was born now massing over 4k members.
Eileen is a true inspiration and I was so glad she could join me in the studio to speak about how Newtown Eats came together, the work involved and so much more. Eileen gave Newtown a great gift and its fitting that this Episode drops today, CHRISTMAS DAY.
Kevin P. Lembo is a Democratic elected official, currently the Connecticut State Comptroller, the statewide elected official responsible for reporting on state finances, administering health care plans for public employees and retirees, and paying the state's bills. He first took office on January 5, 2011
Neviana Zhgaba is the owner of a brand new vineyard located in the Sandy Hook area of Newtown, Connecticut called Aquila's Nest Vineyards!
Neviana and her husband Ardian have always enjoyed the outdoors while also visiting local vineyards and when they came across a stunning 46 acre property off Exit 11 on I-84 in Fairfield County they knew they found the right place. In what seemed like a short time they were able to cultivate the land and build a beautiful landscape and space for the community to come together, drink delicious wine, enjoy each others company & become inspired.
We had a wide ranging conversation from how the idea of a vineyard was hatched, the journey of the vineyard, Neviana’s background, a touching story about her late father who was a major inspiration, her favorite music, the ins and outs of the vineyard and so much more!
Erica Sullivan is the owner of Castle Hill Chocolates right here in Newtown, CT which is home to some of the best chocolates Ive ever had and that the state has to offer.
Since opening in early 2016, Castle Hill Chocolate is a proud member of the Connecticut Chocolate Trail, has been featured on the cover of Connecticut Magazine, the coveted Holiday Gift guides for both Connecticut Magazine and Unlocking Connecticut in 2018, 2019 and will be featured again in 2020, has been written up as one of the top chocolate shops in CT in a variety of publications (too many to list) and awarded 2nd place in Best of Hartford 2020.
Clark & Kate Neugold are the Owners of The Foundry Kitchen & Tavern in downtown Sandy Hook, CT a hot destination in Fairfield County’s booming restaurant scene, but they are also the owners of the soon to open restaurant on Main Street in Newtown called Marygolds on Main - previously the Inn at Newtown so of course I wanted to speak to them not only about The Foundry, but about the new venture, especially during COVID, the process of renovation and restoring the building and so much more.
Vincent Cappelletti is the owner of Lucas Local Oyster Bar & Wood-fired Cookery in Newtown, CT and the owner of CENTRICO in Bethel, CT two amazing destinations for not only the food and the vibe, but the amazing staff and team.
We had a really great conversation diving into Vince’s start as a restauranteur which is now spanning 38 years, his past endeavors, the renovation and opening of Lucas Local as well as Centrico, his thoughts on a culinary icon & so much more!
What started as quietly thinking about relaxing at the end of the day with an IPA quickly flourished from pining over the success of other craft breweries to the reality of creating floor plans and refining beer recipes. Reverie Brewing Company’s vision is to create and promote high-quality great tasting beer for beer-lovers to enjoy. We strive to be a positive and honest partner to the community and to brew craft beers with integrity while focusing on sustainability. The first ever brewery to come to Newtown, Connecticut! please be advised this episode contains strong language
Chris Ciskey is the general manager and owner of Yankee Wine & Spirits in Newtown, CT a major destination for craft beer enthusiasts not only in Connecticut, but across many states. He began working in the liquor industry for Yankee Discount Wine in the Spring of 2007 as a sales associate and became a manager from 2011 to 2014 before becoming owner.
Michael Luzzi's interviews with American poets, writers, actors, and leaders in the business community have appeared The New York Times, The Daily News, USA Today, Playbill, Nautilus Magazine, Goodlife Magazine and many regional New England publications. He teaches English and his film-as-literature course, “Learning about Life Through Film” part time at Workspace Education, an innovative private program in Bethel, CT. Michael Luzzi lives in Newtown, Connecticut with his wife, Cornelia and two cats.
His most recent book "Trumpty Dumpty 2: From Mother Goose to Wonderland" is now available on Amazon!
Michelle McCabe is a democratic candidate running for the 28th Senate District here in Connecticut. which includes Fairfield, Newtown, Easton and sections of Weston and Westport. She is the Director of the Center for Food Equity and Economic Development (FEED) with the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport. Michelle lives in Fairfield with her 3 boys.
Michelle has spent her career taking on some of the biggest challenges that face our community and will head to Hartford ready to fight for gun violence prevention, affordable healthcare, small businesses and the workforce, and building a green economy.
Rebekah Harriman-Stites is a democratic candidate running for the 106th house district currently held by Republican Rep Mitch Bolinsky. Harriman-Stites is a successful business owner, fundraising professional, non-profit advocate, community organizer, Newtown Board of Education member, and wrestling mom amongst so many other things!
Matt Scott is Connecticut’s most popular Weatherman previously of WTNH News 8 & joined FOX61 in 2013 bringing over 20 years of broadcasting experience to the FOX61 Morning News weather team.
Originally from New York City, Matt attended the University of Maryland and Mississippi State University. In addition to his work in Connecticut, Matt has worked in West Virginia, Mississippi, Charlotte and Boston. He has been nominated for Emmy Awards multiple times.
Bob Duff is an American politician, currently serving as a member of the Connecticut Senate, where he represents Norwalk and part of Darien in Connecticut's 25th District. He previously served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing the 137th District.
Democratic State Senator Julie Kushner was elected on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 to represent the 103,000 residents of the 24th State Senate District towns of Danbury, New Fairfield, Sherman, and a portion of Bethel.
In the Connecticut General Assembly, Julie is Senate Chair of the Labor & Public Employees Committee, Vice-Chair of the Environment Committee, and a member of the Appropriations, Education, Executive & Legislative Nominations, and Housing committees.
Sarah Ferris covers the House for POLITICO’s Congress team, focusing on the Democratic caucus. She has covered Capitol Hill for six years, including stints focused on budget and health care policy for POLITICO Pro and The Hill newspaper.
A graduate of the George Washington University, Ferris spent most of her time writing for The GW Hatchet. She has also written for outlets including The Washington Post, the Houston Chronicle and the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Sarah is originally from Newtown, Conn., where she grew up on a fifth-generation dairy farm.
Frankie Vinci is a multi-platinum songwriter and recording artist, who has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in music, including Aerosmith, Van Halen, Alice Cooper, Meat Loaf, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Tim McGraw. Over the years, his artistic expression has expanded to visual art. He works in the Pop Art genre, utilizing spray paint, image transfers, metal, torn paper, and other mixed media.
David Arconti is an American politician who has served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 109th district since 2013.
Born and raised in Westport, CT, Matt is the Chef/Owner of Match Restaurant as well as the Owner of Match Burger Lobster in Westport, CT. Matt recently competed and won Chopped on The Food Network! Matt graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and spent several formative years with Chef Todd English. Matt has cooked at The James Beard House on many occasions as well as cooking for the likes of Jacques Pepin, Julia Child and countless other culinary luminaries. Matt's food has also been reviewed by The New York Times.
Daniel Rosenthal is an American politician and current First Selectman of Newtown, Connecticut. He is currently serving his 2nd term since taking office in 2017. He is the third in as many generations of Rosenthals to be First Selectman of Newtown and an overall tremendous guy & leader.
Matthew Ritter is a lawyer and Democratic politician from Connecticut. He is currently the Majority Leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives & State Representative of Connecticut's 1st Assembly District.
Hailing from New York City, Andrew Feyer, known by most as just the last name and solo moniker Feyer (pronounced FAY-er), is a singer, songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist with diverse musical experience spanning many genres and styles. Feyer constructs his unique sound by combining personal, yet theatrical lyrics, with a classically influenced melodic and instrumental style, coupled with electronic-rock production. Key components of Feyer's style are the fusion of retro and futuristic sounds and the incorporation of visual elements into the mix, drawing great influence from nostalgic cartoons, movies, video games, and animation loops.
Anne Meiman Hughes is an American politician who is the member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 135th district, serving Weston, Easton and parts of Redding in Fairfield County. She is a member of the Democratic Party and serves as Co-Chair of the Progressive Democratic Caucus.
Matt Fleury is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Science Center.
He is a member of the Association of Science Technology Centers’ board and the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education, and has driven major fundraising campaigns to effectively engage education, business, and government leaders.
Love Science:
https://youtu.be/fBh4YUuHchs
Mark Lennon aka SHARKIE has been the Co-Manager of My Place Restaurant in Newtown, Connecticut since 2009 and a prominent figure in not only the Newtown community and the state, but the beer community as well. Now, Mark is one of three owners of a new brewing company located in Newtown, Connecticut called NewSylum Brewing Company entrenched on the old grounds of Newtown's historic Fairfield Hills Psychiatric Hospital.
Raghib Ismail Allie-Brennan is an American politician and former United States House of Representatives legislative aid. In the 2018 election, Allie-Brennan was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing Connecticut's 2nd assembly district.
Mark D. Boughton is an American politician and the longest-serving Mayor in Danbury, Connecticut's history. He is currently serving in his tenth consecutive term, since first elected in 2001. He was the Republican endorsed candidate for governor of Connecticut in 2018.
William Haskell is an American politician and a member of the Connecticut State Senate, representing District 26. The district encompasses the towns of Redding, Ridgefield, Wilton, and parts of Bethel, Weston, Westport, and New Canaan. Haskell is a member of the Democratic Party and the Senate Democratic Caucus.
Gary A. Winfield is an American politician from the state of Connecticut and member of the Democratic Party. He serves in the Connecticut State Senate, representing the 10th district. From 2009 to 2014 he served as a State Representative from the 94th Assembly District.
May 11th 2020: On this 4th installment of Sweet'N Up! AND BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND we come at you LIVE in living color with my guest co-host Kurt Vinci CEO of Aqueous Animation & our MAIN guest well known NY Chef Ralph J. Bello from our homes brought to you by ZOOM video conferencing!
Chef Bello shows us how its done by whipping up fresh EGG YOLK pasta for his INFAMOUS TAKEOUT TUESDAY at the Dutchess Bier Cafe in Fishkill, NY while we talk recent events, restaurant happenings and an oh so delectable DUCK RAGU! DROOL!
For the audio version check out: https://www.soundcloud.com/sweetnup and find us on APPLE PODCASTS!
Kurt Vinci: aqueousanimation.com
Chef Ralph J. Bello: Instagram: @thechefralphbello
Takeout Tuesday: https://www.thedutchessbiercafe.com/
May 4th 2020: On this 3rd installment of Sweet'N Up! we come at you LIVE in living color with my guest co-host Kurt Vinci CEO of Aqueous Animation & our MAIN guest well known NY Chef Ralph J. Bello from our homes brought to you by ZOOM video conferencing!
Chef Bello shows us how its done by whipping up some fresh squid ink pasta while we pepper him with questions: no pun intended!!!!
For the video version check out: https://www.soundcloud.com/sweetnup
Kurt Vinci: aqueousanimation.com
Chef Ralph J. Bello: Instagram: @thechefralphbello
Takeout Tuesday: https://www.thedutchessbiercafe.com/
In this latest episode of SWEET'N UP! we speak with popular jazz musician ANDREW DENICOLA about his experience being diagnosed with COVID-19 on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean! You will not want to miss this!!!
Andrew DeNicola is a jazz/film composer, multi-instrumentalist, and educator based in New York City. Originally from Stamford CT, his musical journey began in 4th grade when he picked up the alto saxophone. By high school Andrew was writing music, playing gigs in CT and NYC, taking private lessons, and attending the magnets arts program in CT Regional Center for the Arts.
This all lead up to Andrew receiving a performance/composition scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music up in Boston. At Berklee Andrew spent 4 years honing his craft with veteran jazz musicians/composers that included Bill Pierce, George Garzone, Darren Barrett, Ed Tomassi, Greg Hopkins, Ayn Inserto, and more. Andrew graduated Berklee in 2017 with a degree in Jazz Composition.
Since then Andrew moved to NYC and released an album entitled “The Life of an Aquarius” featuring 5 original compositions, with 14 other musicians. He also just recently co-wrote with his brother Matthew DeNicola soundtrack music to a recent docu-series entitled “Rizqi Presents Blockchain”. His group “Andrew DeNicola @ the New Generation” has played at such venues around NYC as Silvana, Rockwood Music Hall, Williamsburg Music Center, and the Delancey.
Through composing, performing and teaching, Andrew gains a deeper understanding of the creative process and is able to use these mediums as a vehicle for his own self expression.
In this very 1st episode of SWEET'N UP! with Jeff Spencer & Ben Miles we introduce ourselves to you, set the tone for the future of our podcast & get into the nitty gritty of COVID-19 and all of its challenges and new normals. Also, what's the news with my beloved METS?!