Sweet'N Up with Jeff Spencer

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!

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!