Sexiest chef -- Hudson Valley?

Now that we know that the sexiest chef in New York City is from the Hudson Valley -- why don't we talk about the sexiest chef working in our region? (Let's say, Westchester up to Albany.)

Any suggestions (male or female chefs)? If I get enough names submitted by Friday, I'll put them up in a poll so you can vote.

Sexy chef

The Hudson Valley's Johnny Iuzzini, executive pastry chef at Restaurant Jean Georges, has been named New York City's Sexiest Chef, according to a recent poll by the Daily News. I first wrote in May about the marshmallow-coated chef, who grew up near Newburgh and who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1994.

Iuzzini is no stranger to honors, having twice been named one of America's Top Ten Pastry Chefs by Pastry Art & Design magazine. But being named as the city's most "sizzling" chef requires a different skill set than being lauded for his kitchen chops. "We are chefs, and that's the main thing," Iuzzini told the newspaper. "We care about what we do. And once in a while if we can appear in a different arena, it's nice to be acknowledged and appreciated."

Coming in second was Todd Mitgang of Crave Ceviche Bar. Third place went to Aarón Sanchez of Paladar and Centrico, who was on the CIA’s Hyde Park campus last summer when he was a contestant on The Next Iron Chef.

The contest drew some funny comments in the blog world. I'll share:

Grub Street

We were still trying to make up our mind whether the Daily News’ “New York’s Sexiest Chef” contest was for real or not, when we got an e-mail blast from nominee Johnny Iuzzini, last seen wearing a meringue body stocking on his stylish Website.


Grub Street
In his champion photo, Johnny (who, you'll remember, has a newsletter that reminds us he “is becoming quite the superstar”) is photographed sitting next to his motorcycle, like a vanilla-coated Fonzie for the 21st century.


Gawker
OK, it’s the reader response comments that got me laughing here. I won’t even try to repeat some of them -- see for yourself. Not for the kids. And don't read it with mouthful of coffee.

Not to miss ...

THE HOLOCAUST KID, a staged reading of Sonia Pilcer's new play featuring critically acclaimed actors Jonathan Epstein and Elizabeth Aspenlieder, takes place at 2 p.m. Sunday, December 9th in Founders' Theater, at Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, Massachusetts. Tickets are a suggested donation of $18 and are available at the door. The play is performed in two acts and runs approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. Founders' is wheelchair-accessible. For information, please visit: www.holocaustkid.com

Here is more info:

"I don't ever remember not knowing. The word Holocaust was not used in our home. "During the war" was how the stories began. Everyone told them. In lieu of living family, my parents belonged to a large network of Polish Jews. All were survivors. The women played canasta and the men, poker. As they tossed bright plastic chips and picked up cards, blue numbers flashing on the insides of their arms, the stories multiplied." Sonia Pilcer

"Wit and humor interface with stark realities and unanswerable question. Provocative fiction, not just for the Second Generation but for all our collective memories." Booklist

An adaptation of her 2001 novel of the same title, The Holocaust Kid, set in the late 1980's, takes us into the world of an adult child of the Holocaust, a Second Generation survivor who does her best to disassociate with her heritage and the horrors of her parents' past. Alternately dark, poignant, uproarious and irreverent, the play explores how the Holocaust, so many years after liberation, resonates in the lives of her characters.

Robert Walshdirects a cast of four including Elizabeth Aspenlieder as Zosha, born in a Displaced Persons camp, liberal minded and irreverent, a freelance writer; Jonathan Epstein as Heniek Palovsky, her distant father, a survivor of Auschwitz; Seth Kanor as Uly Oppenheim, Zosha's lover and a scholar of the Holocaust; and Nancy Rothman as Genia, Zosha's mother, who met Heniek in Poland after the war.

In 1987, Pilcer published an essay 2G. "We call ourselves 2G. Group shorthand for Second Generation, the survivors' children. While the survivors seem to have the ability to go on with their lives - the bar mitzvahs and weddings of their children are huge, festive affirmations of life - it is their children who spend much of their time, not to mention money, talking to Ph.D.'s and MSW's. In unaccented, well-reasoned English, we speak of anger, guilt, trying to separate ourselves from our parents and their Holocaust past. Secretly, we believe that nothing we can ever do will be as important as our parents' suffering."

After working on The Holocaust Kid for eighteen years and receiving nearly 40 rejections, Pilcer published it in 2001. While the book was well-reviewed in the States and abroad, she wanted to bring these themes to a wider audience. Towards that end, she developed a one-act play for Shakespeare & Company's 2003 Studio Festival of Plays. Since then, Pilcer has created a new two-act version.

This Staged Reading of The Holocaust Kid is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires and Congregation Ahavath Sholom.

Woodstock Open House!

Tonight -- Friday, Dec. 7 -- is the 26th annual WOODSTOCK OPEN HOUSE presented by the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Arts. From 5 – 9 p.m, more than 70 stores and businesses (many at the the center of town) will be filled with free entertainment, festive window displays, merriment and food. This event has a great reputation for creativity, family fun, and warmth (the social kind, not the outside temps!) Speaking of the weather, the sprinkling of snow we're having right now will make it all the more festive. I'm planning on attending!

Here is more info from the Chamber:
This year's event will be extended throughout the weekend to add more activities and entertainment. New to our expanded event are puppet stories, dancing birds and many charming surprises. Returning this year are groups, The Cover Girlz, singing holiday harmonies and The Princes of Serendip who will be performing their original and delightful music. Renni Cantine will have a band and Julie Last will join with friends to entertain us again.

The Woodstock School Carolers with a Brass Ensemble will stroll throughout the village while Santa and Frosty the Snowman will be giving out candy.
Of course, our favorite Culinary Ice sculptor will be returning outside Chez Grandmere.

There will be book and CD signings at Golden Notebook, art and jewelry showings, Bead demonstrations, gallery exhibits, raffles and holiday gift ideas galore. Fresh popcorn at Candlestock and hot apple cider at Catskill Mt. Pizza will be offered. Many different holiday cookies will be served along with wine and cheese tastings. Come and nibble, then stay for dinner at one of our many excellent restaurants.

December HVC is here!

Get your HVC! We have some fabulous features in our December issue, including Art of the Party: Everything you need to know to throw a great cocktail soirée. We talked to five of the region's most respected chefs, who tell us exactly how they'd set up their dream party at home. There are stunning photos of beautiful and stylish party clothes, shot in the luxe public spaces at the Emerson Resort & Spa in Mt. Tremper. Step-by-step instructions for setting up a really useful home bar. A guide to delicious distilled spirits made in our region. And we also serve up some great recipes for drinks and nibbles.

Enjoy! www.hvcmagazine.com

Available at:
Barnes & Noble
2518 South Road,
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
845-485-2224

Barnes & Noble
Ulster Plaza, 1177 Ulster Avenue,
Kingston, NY 12401
845-336-0590

Barnes & Noble
1245 Route 300 (Union Ave),
Newburgh
845-567-0782

Craig Claiborne Bookstore
The Culinary Institute of America
1946 Campus Drive,
Hyde Park, NY 12538
845-452-7648

Mohonk Mountain House Gift Shop
1000 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz
845-255-1000

Country Store at Emerson Resort
5340 Route 28, Mount Tremper
845-688-5800

The Book Cove
22 Charles Colman Boulevard,
Pawling
845-855-9590

or to subscribe, call 845-437-4730
Subscription Rate: $18 per year

Jewelry, jewelry, jewelry ...

During a recent art show at the Poughkeepsie Tennis Club, I had the pleasure of meeting Kelli Peduzzi of Pure Bliss Jewelry and seeing the stylish pieces she makes from high-quality freshwater pearls and semiprecious stones. Her work will be appearing in a holiday trunk show at The Stissing House in Pine Plains, this Sunday, December 9, from noon to 6 p.m.

The restaurant will also be open for brunch and supper. I had an absolutely delicious meal there last summer. Sounds like a great weekend plan -- have a fine meal and go home with some beautiful, handcrafted jewelry!

Go for Baroque ...

Sorry about the headline :-)

There are many fine events taking place this month, and in the next few days I'll try to highlight a few that strike me as particularly noteworthy. For a really comprehensive listing of regional events, I recommend visiting Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine's Web site, where we have an interactive searchable calendar with thousands of listings!

This sounds like a "don't miss" event: I adore Baroque music and the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts Center at Bard College is a wonderful concert venue.

BARD'S MUSIC PROGRAM PRESENTS VOCAL CONCERT ON DECEMBER 12 AT THE FISHER CENTER

Featuring Works by Bach and Vivaldi

The 8 p.m. program in the center's Sosnoff Theater includes Bach's Cantata 21 (“Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis”) and Vivaldi's Gloria in D Major. The featured vocal soloists, tenor Rufus Müller and bass Arthur Burrows, are both distinguished Bach singers and are on the Bard faculty. They will be joined by undergraduate soloists.
Tickets are $5, and admission is free for Bard students and children age 12 and under. To order tickets please call the Box Office at 845-758-7900