DiMattia's Food Fight Podcast

From the classroom to the Pennsylvania State Board of Education!

This week, I sit down with my new friend, Nathan Barrett, a man who has dedicated his career to education, leadership, and fighting for the future of our children.

Nathan is also the man responsible for introducing me to boxing legend Vinnie Paz, who recently joined me on the podcast. What started as an introduction quickly turned into a new friendship, and now Nathan joins me to share his own incredible journey.

We discuss his experiences as a teacher, principal, and school superintendent, and how his innovative approaches to education eventually led him to a seat at the table with Pennsylvania’s education leaders, helping shape policies that impact students, teachers, and schools across the Commonwealth.

We also dive into childhood trauma, learning disabilities, mental health, school safety, and the importance of understanding that every child learns differently.

This episode goes beyond education. It’s about relationships, overcoming obstacles, creating opportunities, and recognizing that sometimes the greatest impact we can make starts with the next generation.

Because fighting for our children means fighting for our future.

Join the fight.

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Key Ford of Exeter - Connecting the community one food fight at a time!

Genoa Wholesale Foods: Servicing the Pizza & Restaurant Industry Since 1947!

Arcaro & Genell

#DiMattiasFoodFight #FoodFightPodcast #NathanBarrett #EducationMatters #NEPA

My next guest at the Food Fight table is Shadoe Steele, also known as Rusty Fender — and what a road this guy has been on.

We both grew up in Old Forge, PA, but Rusty’s road took him somewhere neither of us could have imagined.

His voice took him into radio, where he spent years interviewing some of the biggest stars. Eventually, his journey went from talking to the stars to looking toward the stars, becoming involved in aerospace work connected to NASA and future space exploration. 🚀

We talk about the evolution of Shadoe Steele, the people he met along the way, where that road has taken him, and how a kid from Old Forge ended up with his sights set far beyond Earth.

The Voice. The Road. The Stars.

This is The Rusty Fender Story. 🎙️🥊🚀

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Key Ford of Exeter - Connecting the community one food fight at a time!

Genoa Wholesale Foods: Servicing the Pizza & Restaurant Industry Since 1947!

Arcaro & Genell

I first met Kurt Scoby last year while I was ring announcing at the fights. From weigh-ins through fight night, he was stone-faced, locked in, and ready for battle.

Fast forward to the day of our interview. I met Kurt outside the studio before we even walked through the doors, and within minutes I realized I was meeting a completely different person. That set the tone for a great conversation at the Food Fight table—and we even introduced him to one of my favorite sparkling waters along the way.

Kurt opens up about growing up in California, his journey through sports and boxing, losing his best friend, and the road that took him from California to New York—and eventually right here to Old Forge, Pennsylvania.

Get to know the man behind the gloves, then come see the fighter when Kurt Scoby steps back into the ring at Fall Fists at Mohegan Pennsylvania. Don’t miss fight night.

What are you fighting for?

Join the fight.

Thank You To My Sponsors!

Key Ford of Exeter - Connecting the community one food fight at a time!

Genoa Wholesale Foods: Servicing the Pizza & Restaurant Industry Since 1947!

Arcaro & Genell

Sometimes the food is just where the conversation begins.

My next guest is Adam Dawson of The Chef’s Pantry, a meal-prep company here in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

We talk about life as a chef, surviving the restaurant industry during COVID, building a business—and something Adam doesn’t normally talk about publicly: his relationship with alcohol and his battle with addiction.

That’s what the Food Fight table has become. We sit down to talk about food, but sometimes the conversation leads somewhere much more important.

Adam opened up. I opened up. And if one person hears our stories and realizes it’s time to fight for their own life, that’s why we do it.

What are you fighting for?

Join the fight.

Thank You To My Sponsors!

Key Ford of Exeter - Connecting the community one food fight at a time!

Genoa Wholesale Foods: Servicing the Pizza & Restaurant Industry Since 1947!

Arcaro & Genell

#FoodFight #FightForLife #NEPA #Podcast #Recovery #AddictionRecovery

This story doesn’t start with a world championship. It starts with the last time Vinny Paz ever gambled.

Five-time world champion Vinny Paz sits down with me for a Food Fight that goes far beyond boxing. Vinny opens up about gambling, addiction, the rush of always chasing the next thing and the moment he finally knew enough was enough.

From there, we go all the way back. Why did Vinny want to fight in the first place? What drove a kid from Rhode Island to become “The Pazmanian Devil”? We talk about the championships, the brutal weight cuts, the hardest fights, Roberto Durán, Roy Jones Jr. and an obsession that stayed with him until the end of his career — he wasn’t walking away until he got win number 50.

And then came the fight that almost ended everything.

A devastating car accident left Vinny with a broken neck and doctors telling him his boxing career could be over. He wore a halo screwed into his skull, refused to accept that his story was finished and just 13 months later stepped back inside a professional boxing ring.

Hollywood eventually turned that comeback into Bleed for This. But there’s a lot more to Vinny Paz than the movie.

This is a conversation about fighting when millions of people are watching — and fighting battles that nobody sees. Boxing. Gambling. Addiction. Pain. Comebacks. And what keeps a fighter moving forward when life tells him the fight is over.

50 wins. 30 knockouts. Five world championships. One hell of a Food Fight.

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Key Ford of Exeter - Connecting the community one food fight at a time!

Genoa Wholesale Foods: Servicing the Pizza & Restaurant Industry Since 1947!

Arcaro & Genell

Food Fight is coming home.

This week, I’m heading back to my hometown of Old Forge, Pennsylvania, for one of our community’s great traditions — the Felittese Festival.

My guest is Jeff Casella of the Felittese Association, and at this point, sitting down with Jeff before the festival has become a tradition of its own. This is our third year doing it.

But this episode goes deeper than what you’ll find to eat this weekend.

We talk about the generations of immigrants who came from Felitto, Italy, to Old Forge in the late 1800s and early 1900s, bringing their families, faith and traditions with them. Among those traditions was their devotion to Our Lady of Constantinople, which their descendants continued here through the chapel, Mass, procession and the celebration that still brings Old Forge together today.

For me, this one is personal. I grew up in Old Forge. I grew up around these families, this food and these traditions. After spending last weekend telling the story of La Festa Italiana in Scranton, now Food Fight comes home to help continue telling our hometown’s Italian-American story.

The Felittese Festival runs Friday, September 11 through Sunday, September 13, at the Felittese Chapel Grounds in Old Forge.

Three years of sitting down with Jeff. Generations of history behind us. And another year keeping the tradition going.

Old Forge, Food Fight is coming home.

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Key Ford of Exeter - Connecting the community one food fight at a time!

Genoa Wholesale Foods: Servicing the Pizza & Restaurant Industry Since 1947!

Arcaro & Genell

#FoodFight #OldForge #Italian #ItalianAmerican #FelitteseFestival #NEPA #italianheritage

For decades, La Festa Italiana has been one of Scranton’s most beloved traditions. But how did it all begin?

This week on DiMattia’s Food Fight, we sit down with the people who helped create, preserve, and continue La Festa Italiana to put the story of this iconic Scranton festival on record.

We hear the origin story directly from one of the festival’s founders, along with stories from those who continue carrying the tradition forward today. We talk about how La Festa began, how it grew, the people behind it, and why celebrating Italian food, family, heritage, and community has remained so important to Northeastern Pennsylvania.

This is more than a Food Fight. It’s a piece of Scranton history being told by the people who lived it.

Welcome to the Italiano Food Fight. 🇮🇹

The story of La Festa Italiana — finally told.

Join the fight.

Thank You To My Sponsors!

Key Ford of Exeter - Connecting the community one food fight at a time!

Genoa Wholesale Foods: Servicing the Pizza & Restaurant Industry Since 1947!

Arcaro & Genell

Sports collectibles have a way of bringing us right back to a different time.

This week on the Food Fight Podcast, I sit down with Jen Roberts of J&J’s Sports Memorabilia in Pittston.

We talked about the days when sports cards and collectibles were everywhere, how the hobby cooled off for a while, and how it came roaring back during COVID. For Jen, that comeback turned a family passion for sports memorabilia into a growing small business right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Jen brought some incredible pieces into the studio, including beautiful hand-painted helmets and autographed memorabilia, and we talked about what makes these items mean so much more than just a signature.

We also talked about what could be next for J&J’s, including the possibility of opening a brick-and-mortar storefront and continuing to grow the business here in NEPA.

Another great conversation about sports, nostalgia, collecting, and most importantly, the story behind a local small business.

Join the fight.

Thank You To My Sponsors!

Key Ford of Exeter - Connecting the community one food fight at a time!

Genoa Wholesale Foods: Servicing the Pizza & Restaurant Industry Since 1947!

Arcaro & Genell

This week on the Food Fight Podcast, I sit down with country musician Joey Lannigan for a conversation that goes far beyond music.

Joey opens up about what it was like growing up in an orphanage, moving from place to place, and the experiences that helped shape the man he is today. We talk about how he eventually found a love for music, turned that passion into a career, and what it takes to keep chasing something you believe in.

I’ll be the first to admit — country music has never really been my thing. But I’ve always respected the lifestyle, the storytelling, and what the music represents. After sitting down with Joey, I walked away with an even greater appreciation for it.

This is a story about where you come from, what you overcome, and where you decide to go next.

Join the fight.

Thank You To My Sponsors!

Key Ford of Exeter - Connecting the community one food fight at a time!

Genoa Wholesale Foods: Servicing the Pizza & Restaurant Industry Since 1947!

Arcaro & Genell

Kyle Reed has been part of the martial arts community for as long as he can remember. From growing up in Northeastern Pennsylvania to opening NEPA Mixed Martial Arts, his journey has always been about helping others become stronger—both on and off the mats.

Then, everything changed.

Kyle shares the heartbreaking day he watched the gym he built burn to the ground. Sitting on the curb, he witnessed years of hard work disappear in front of him. But not once did he think about quitting. Instead, he immediately started looking for a new home for his students and his community.

We also talk about our connection through Dancing with the Wilkes-Barre Stars, where I had the opportunity to dance with Kyle’s sister, and how, despite working at different MMA academies, we share the same mission: using martial arts to build confidence, develop character, and help people become better versions of themselves.

This episode isn’t just about fighting—it’s about resilience, leadership, community, and what it means to keep moving forward when life throws its hardest punches.

Join the fight.

Thank You To My Sponsors!

Key Ford of Exeter - Connecting the community one food fight at a time!

Genoa Wholesale Foods: Servicing the Pizza & Restaurant Industry Since 1947!

Arcaro & Genell