The Legends
Craig Shelton, The Former Ryland Inn, Whitehouse
David Burke, David Burke Fromagerie, Rumson
Scott Cutaneo, Equus Restaurant, Bernardsville; Claremont, Bernardsville
David Drake, Restaurant David Burke, Rahway
Dennis Foy, Dennis Foy’s (formerly TheLawrenceville Inn),
Lawrenceville
Jim Filip, Doris & Ed’s, Highlands
Maricel Presilla, Cucharamama, Hoboken; Zafra, Hoboken
The Stars
Scott Anderson, Elements, Princeton
Anthony Amoroso, Sea Blue, Borgata, Atlanta City
Zod Arifai, Blu, Montclair; Next Door, Montclair
Anthony Bucco, Uproot, Warren Humberto Campos Jr.,
Lorena’s, Maplewood
Bill Dorrler, Due Terre, Bernardsville; Due Mare, New Brunswick
David C. Felton, Ninety Acres, Peapack-Gladstone
Corey Heyer, Bernards Inn, Bernardsville
James Laird, Restaurant Serenade, Chatham
Joe Romanowski, Bay Avenue Trattoria, Highlands
Chefs to Watch
Joe Cerniglia, Campania, Fair Lawn
Kara Decker, A Toute Heure, Cranford
Ryan DePersio, Fascino, Montclair; Bar Cara, Bloomfield
Ariane Duarte, Culinariane, Montclair
Subtitle: Their Stories,
Recipes, and Secrets Author: Teresa Politano Subject:Regional,
Cookbooks Cloth ISBN: 978-0-8135-4897-5 Pages:
224 pages Publication Date: November 2010 Rivergate BooksTM
Description:
One demanding New Jersey chef once tied his cooks to the
stove by their apron strings. Another was such a finicky eater as a
child, he refused to allow his cereal to touch his milk. One was kissed
by Fidel Castro, another played onstage with Todd Rundgren. Celebrity Chefs of New Jersey peeks
into the kitchens and the lives of some of the most famous chefs in the
Garden State, where foodies and other gourmands will discover passions,
kitchen secrets, life lessons, and signature recipes.
Not so long ago, perhaps even just at the turn of this century, it was
easy to lament the lack of sophisticated food in New Jersey. Oh sure, a
few restaurants always sparkled, but, for the most part, New Jerseyans
looked across at the bright lights of the big city, wistfully yearning
for a table in glamorous Manhattan. Now, however, the most sought-
after tables are right here and we have the best seats in the house,
made even sweeter perhaps because they’re our own little secret. We can
dine frequently and dine well, with a smug sense that if only New
Yorkers knew, they’d be looking across the river wishing they were us.
In Celebrity Chefs of New Jersey,
Teresa Politano profiles Craig Shelton, the chef who crystallized New
Jersey’s place in culinary history with his legendary Ryland Inn,
along with other chefs, telling their personal stories of both
creativity and survival. Some of these men and women rose from humble
or difficult childhoods to fame in the food world. Others were not only
talented but lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
Their stories are arranged into three categories: legends, stars, and
chefs to watch, and then topped off with a sweet surprise finish.
Politano includes photographs, cooking secrets, and some of their
sought-after signature recipes that are sophisticated but manageable
for the skilled home chef.
About the Author: TERESA
POLITANO is an adjunct professor of journalism at Rutgers
University. She is also an award-winning journalist, former news
executive, and restaurant critic for Inside
Jersey magazine and The
Star-Ledger. Publishers note:
As Celebrity Chefs of New Jersey was printing, Chef Joe Cerniglia of Campania who was featured in this book as a chef to watch passed away. Teresa Politano wrote in a recent column, “Cerniglia was a celebrity chef; it’s a term that implies glamour. But the reality of a chef’s life—even one who’s reached star status—is an unforgiving 16-hour days on your feet, fickle customers and razor-thin profit margins. Much can go wrong on any given day, and usually it does, especially in an economy that has humbled some of the greatest chefs in the nation. Those of us who simply eat often take that for granted. Cerniglia was a man with a bear of a heart, and it scorches to think that a man with so many skills and so much love also harbored so much pain.”
