02/06 What's Cookin' Today
Paul Kalemiarian - "WINE OF THE MONTH CLUB"
Serving both the novice and educated wine enthusiasts nationally for more than three decades, the original Wine of the Month Club® is a highly-rated mail order wine service that offers its members hand-picked selections of fine wines from the world’s finest growing regions in such diverse areas as California, Oregon, Washington, Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Australia. Each month more than 400 wines are tasted and evaluated for club selection and brought to the members at extraordinary prices.
Members may shop online from a full selection of wines in the “Wine Shop,” gourmet gifts and wine accessories. Our newsletter contains fascinating insights into the featured wines, gourmet recipes and serving tips for wine lovers. The club is FREE and you never pay for a wine you do not like. The original Wine of the Month Club® houses a wide selection of award-winning wines at a 10,000 square-foot retail space/warehouse in Monrovia, California. www.wineofthemonthclub.com or www.wineofthemonthclub.tv. GIVE YOUR SWEETHEART THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING THIS VALENTINE’S DAY (The Original Wine of the Month Club® Offers Gift Packages Featuring Popular Varietals Paired with Sweet and Savory Gourmet Chocolates)
Maggie Nemser: CEO and Editor-in-Chief Of BlackboardEats
A native New Yorker, Maggie Nemser’s culinary ‘affliction’ began at a young age while dining out every night of the week at Manhattan’s signature restaurants from Union Square Cafe to her family’s special table at Elaine’s. After graduating from Columbia Prep high school, Maggie attended Trinity College in Connecticut and, upon graduation, landed her first job in production at MTV networks. The online publishing world soon beckoned and Maggie began writing for trailblazing e-newsletter DailyCandy and contributing to popular sites including Thrillist and JuliB. Maggie went on to work with Doug Levine, founder of the famous Crunch gym brand, to help launch his brand new start-up. During this time Maggie learned how to build a company from the ground up – from hiring and managing people to time management and goal-setting. In 2006, Maggie relocated to Santa Monica, California and accepted the position as food editor for Yahoo! And Yahoo! Shine, where she cultivated her innate talent and skill set as a dedicated food writer.
Maggie’s inbox was constantly flooded with pitches for restaurant deals and she began to conceive of an online product that would act as a one-stop shop of highly-curated specials that bring value to both the consumer and the restaurant. BlackboardEats was born. Maggie quit her position at Yahoo! And launched BlackboardEats.com in September 2009, offering discounts valued at over 30% at the city's most popular and critically-acclaimed restaurants. The first edition debuted in Los Angeles and achieved immediate success both with subscription numbers and participating restaurants, which included Church & State, The Foundry, Akasha, Pizzeria Mozza and Jar. Maggie enlisted a staff of seasoned food writers who hail from esteemed publications such as Bon Appétit, DailyCandy, Gayot, Los Angeles magazine, Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure and Zagat, as well as restaurant experts to select the city’s best restaurants to feature on BlackboardEats. Today, Maggie oversees the daily operations and editorial content of BlackboardEats.com in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, and also curates a national "Market" edition featuring top products for the home cook.
BRIAN d'ARCY JAMES ("Frank" in NBC's "SMASH")
Brian d’Arcy James stars as Frank, husband of Julia (Debra Messing), in NBC’s new musical drama “Smash.” In the show, Frank has set aside his own career as Julia’s has taken off, but with their son Leo now in high school, he has become restless. Frank and Julia strive to maintain their family life as Julia’s attention is divided between their impending adoption, her new musical -- and the return of her old flame Michael Swift (Will Chase). For his performance as Shrek in “Shrek the Musical” on Broadway, James was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 and won the Outer Critics Circle and the Drama Desk Awards. In 2010, he returned to Broadway as Dan Goodman in “Next To Normal,” the role he created off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theater.
James began his illustrious career on Broadway in 1993, appearing in “Blood Brothers” in the lead role of Mickey before leaving to join Nicholas Hytner’s acclaimed production of “Carousel” at the Lincoln Center. He continued with “Titanic” as Barrett the Stoker for which he received his first Drama League Award nomination and a FANY Award. James originated the role of Brendan in Martin McDonagh’s Tony and Drama Desk Award-nominated play “The Lieutenant of Inishmore.” He also starred alongside Kristen Chenoweth in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of “The Apple Tree” and in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” with Keith Carradine as the scene-stealing, crude con-man Freddy Benson. In 2002, James received nominations for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Awards and Outer Critics Circle Awards, as well as a Drama League Honor for his star turn as Sidney Falco in “Sweet Smell of Success.” Off-Broadway, he received nominations for both the Drama Desk Awards and the Drama League Awards for “The Wild Party” at Manhattan Theatre Club. For his solo performance in Conor McPherson’s “The Good Thief ,” James was honored with an Obie Award, a Backstage Garland Award and an LA Weekly Award, as well as nominations for the Drama Desk Awards and Outer Critics Circle Awards. He was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in Conor McPherson’s “Port Authority.” His other theater credits include “The Pavilion,” “Flight,” “Ancestral Voices” at the Lincoln Center and Kenneth Branagh’s “Public Enemy.” He starred in the Encores! Production of “Pardon My English” and appeared in the original companies of “Floyd Collins” for Playwrights’ Horizons and Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” in San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles. James has starred in numerous benefit concerts and performances around the world, most recently performing for President Barack Obama and the first family in “A Broadway Celebration at the White House”.
Other highlights include the “NSO Pops: Sondheim at 80,” the original benefit concert for “Children and Art,” and the “Kennedy Center Honors” to honor Charlton Heston and “Hamlisch on Hamlisch.” He has appeared at venues ranging from Los Angeles’ Disney Hall, Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden to the Boston Pops and Dortmund, Germany. Among his numerous recordings are his 2004 debut solo album “From Christmas Eve to Christmas Morn” (featuring his original popular holiday song “Michigan Christmas”), “Shrek the Musical,” Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” “Carousel,” “Floyd Collins,” “The Wild Party,” and “Sweet Smell of Success” to name a few. Recent film credits include “Game Change” for HBO and Jennifer Westfeldt’s “Friends With Kids”. He has appeared in the feature film “Ghost Town” with Ricky Gervais, as well as in the television series “Person of Interest”,“Cashmere Mafia” and “Rescue Me.” He recently co-created, co-produced and starred in an original made-for-television improvisational comedy pilot “Shiny People.” James’ singing talents can be heard alongside other Broadway performers in Disney’s animated feature film “Enchanted.” In his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan, James supports and often performs for the Field Neurosciences Institute, which aims to prevent, early diagnosis, care and cure neurological diseases, disorders and injuries. James resides in New York City with his wife and daughter.
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