A Hollywood Ending: Scarsdale Grads Introduced by their Moms Actually Get Together and Collaborate on a Web Series
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"Would you be willing to talk to this Scarsdale boy, please? His mom is really nice."
Charlie Alderman (SHS '07) recently graduated from the University of Southern California with an M.F.A. in Film Producing from the Peter Stark Program. He is currently "exploring opportunities" in Los Angeles. His mother, Nancy, emails him regularly.
One such email included a request from her friend Emily Kirschenbaum. Emily's older son, Josh (SHS '09), had just moved to LA after graduating from Carleton College as an English major. Emily hoped that Nancy's son might have some inside knowledge on how Josh could crash the gates of Hollywood. Charlie was a good boy and responded to his mother promptly. Josh was thrilled. But upon actually meeting Charlie, Josh quickly discovered he had no such knowledge and vowed not to take his mother up on any more networking opportunities.
In the end, their mothers were right. Josh discovered a hole in his resume: while he had labored over scripts, he had never actually worked on a set. Charlie had an opportunity – not a glamorous one, but an opportunity nonetheless -- to help Josh get his hands dirty. Josh will co-produce Charlie's latest comedic web series, "New Partner."
The project includes some of the major players from Charlie's last project, "Chloe and Zoë," which has 100,000 views and was listed on IndieWire as Best of 2012. "New Partner" is a spoof of crime TV with a simple premise: at the beginning of each episode, Officer Ron Robinson is assigned a new partner; by the end, that partner will be murdered. The show will star Josh Margolin (The New Girl), Quinn Beswick (Boychicks), and Nick Searcy (Castaway, Fried Green Tomatoes).
Charlie explained that making a web series has become the most eye-catching way to demonstrate talent in Hollywood. If anything great were to come of their new collaboration, Charlie vows to bring his new pal Josh along for the ride.
Charlie and Josh are raising money to help finance production of the first three episodes. Their goal is to then pitch those videos to production companies as samples for a larger scale production. They'd be honored if you'd take a look at the campaign.
Letter to the Editor: Why We Support Noam Bramson for County Executive
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To the Editor: We are proud to support Noam Bramson for Westchester County Executive. Please join us in voting for Noam on Tuesday, November 5th. Here's why:
Long-range, Intelligent and Honest Financial Management Plan to Cut Costs
Noam has a detailed, sustainable and innovative plan to grow Westchester's economy, protect our environment, strengthen vital services, and, most importantly, reform government to reduce taxes. (It's on his website; check it out.)
Proven Leadership for Westchester– Approachable, Consensus-Builder and Smart
As the experienced mayor of a complex city, Noam has created jobs, preserved open space and natural resources, and worked closely with people of every background and circumstance. Under Noam's leadership, New Rochelle has the lowest municipal tax rate of the all the big cities of Westchester.
Values and Integrity
Noam shares the moderate, mainstream values of Westchester County. He supports a woman's right to choose, stronger gun laws and marriage equality. Make no mistake, those are big differences in this election, and they are relevant to County government.
Noam's opponent, Rob Astorino, has run a dishonest and negative campaign. The Fair Campaign Practices Committee, an independent watch group, found Astorino's ads about Noam to be outright lies. Astorino's response was to continue to run the ads and to attack the Committee as 'partisan.' Just not true! Instead of running on his record, Astorino has resorted to false attack tactics, far outspending Noam's campaign. Should the loudest ads really guide your choice?
Noam is a rare politician -- smart, honest and deeply committed to service. This is an important election; the choices made by the County impact hundreds of thousands of lives. We need leadership with proven integrity and vision. Be sure to vote on Tuesday, November 5th for Noam Bramson.
Sincerely,
Diane and Marc Greenwald
Phyllis and Alvin Goldman
Lynn and Michael Pollack
Arthur and Erika Rublin
Lisa and Jordan Copeland
Lisa and Stephen Eisenstein
Laurence and Lauren Mintzer
Civil Rights Chief Reviews Voting Rights at LWVS Luncheon
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Though Section 4B of the Voting Rights Act was struck down by the Supreme Court in June, 2013, there are still many other enforceable sections of the law that do protect the rights of citizens to vote. That was the subject of a talk by David J. Kennedy, Chief of the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District to the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale on October 18 at the Scarsdale Golf Club.
Section 4 required that jurisdictions of the country with a history of voter discrimination get pre-clearance from the court before making changes to their voting laws. Even without this provision, the U.S. Attorney's office in New York continues to bring cases against districts with discriminatory practices.
Kennedy reviewed a case against Port Chester where according to the 2000 census Latinos constituted 46% of the village's population but failed to win seats on village boards in village-wide elections. As the village had no voting districts, at-large voting denied minorities the opportunity to get elected.
They Department of Justice proved via demographic and regression analysis that the race of a candidate could be correlated with their election results in a certain district. They used this data to demand that Port Chester form voting districts. In the ruling the Judge opted to institute a "cumulative voting" process where each voter is given multiple votes that they can allocate to candidates in whatever quantity they choose. For instance, if there are six candidates for the Board of Education, each voter is given six votes that can be given in multiples to a desired candidate.
As a result, following the redistricting, Port Chester elected their first Hispanic and first Latin American candidates in history. In fact, the first Latin American elected to the Village Board in Port Chester was Luis Merino who works at Scarsdale's Edgewood Elementary School.
Kennedy also reviewed cases brought by the Department of Justice to require that voting materials be available in foreign languages when a jurisdiction included high percentages of Spanish or Arabic speakers for example. If the census indicates that large populations of foreign speakers are present, the jurisdiction must print the ballots and signage in that language.
What can you do to ensure that voting is fair? Kennedy suggested that if you notice any violations you alert his office. They investigate complaints and take action when necessary.
The League's luncheon was well attended and the audience included several candidates and elected officials. Ben Boykin, candidate for County Legislator was there along with State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins.
In other League news, the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale recently released a consensus statement on changes to the Village's telecommunications laws in response to applications to install DAS antennas in the Village. You can review the statement on their website here.
For more information about the LWVS, visit their website. (Photo credit Nan Berke)
A Fall Food and Wine Tasting Plus Recipes
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Guest Chef Jennifer Rossano served the third organic food and wine tasting at Vintology's new location on Palmer Avenue on Friday, October 4th. Twenty-five guests enjoyed six courses and wine pairings.
Guests were greeted with a a tasting of a white blend from Oregon, 2012 Borealis, and a Ratatouille Tartlet with fresh ricotta and herb infused oil. The tart was light and crisp and the fresh cheese and ratatouille was very flavorful.
The next course was a Truffle Scented Cauliflower Soup – see the recipe below. It was pureed and smooth and paired with a 2011 Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay, a well-balanced Chardonnay from Chile.
The soup course was followed by a Fall Harvest Salad including shaved fennel, celery root apple and hazelnuts served with a Hazelnut-Shallot Vinaigrette. The salad had a perfect balance of both texture and flavor. The salad was matched with a 2011 Marcel Deiss Alsace, a very good white blend from Alsace, France.
The two main courses were a Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Crust and Apple Chutney (recipe below) served with a 2009 Benziger Merlot, Sonoma County and a Braised Beef Ragu over Celery Root and Turnip Mash served with a 2010 Montirius Vacqueyras. Both meat courses were tender and savory and the wines matched up perfectly.
For dessert, the group enjoyed the chef's homemade Fresh Plum Tart served with Vanilla Bean Gelato and a 2012 Vajra Moscato d"Asti.
The combination of terrific food and wine along with the knowledgeable and personal staff all helped to make for a perfect evening.
Here are a few of the delectable recipes:
Truffle Scented Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients:
2 TBSP butter
3 TBSP minced shallot
1 cauliflower, about 2 pounds, florets and stems cut into small pieces
3 cups whole milk
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp white pepper, plus more to taste
1 tsp white truffle oil, plus more to taste
1 tsp finely minced chives (optional)
Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium size pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for two minutes, until soft. Do not let them brown. Add the cauliflower and milk, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, and then blend with salt and pepper to desired consistency. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the truffle oil. Taste, and add more salt, pepper or truffle oil as desired. Serve with a sprinkle of finely minced chives (optional).
Notes:
- This soup tastes lovely without any truffle oil at all. You can also change the seasoning by replacing the truffle oil with 1 teaspoon curry powder or ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg.
- If you do not have any white pepper, use freshly ground black pepper, however you will see the little flecks of black pepper in the soup.
- If you are looking for a low fat option, substitute the whole milk with low-fat milk.
- If you want a dairy free option, use ghee or olive oil instead of the butter, and replace the milk with chicken stock.
Makes approximately 6 cups.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Spice Rub and Spiced Apple Chutney
Ingredients:
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp dried mustard
½ tsp black pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
1 pork tenderloin, well trimmed, about 1 ¼ pounds
Directions:
Mix the first 8 ingredients together in a small bowl. Dry the pork tenderloin well with a paper towel, and then rub the spice mix well into the pork on all sides. Let the pork sit, well covered, in the fridge for at least 1 hour. The pork can be seasoned up to 8 hours in advance, or the night before.
When ready to grill, take the pork out of the fridge 30 minutes beforehand and let it come to room temperature. Pre-heat the grill to medium, about 400-450 degrees. Grill the pork until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, medium-well, about 5-6 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice, pour any juices that have accumulated on the cutting board over the meat, and serve with Spiced Apple Chutney, recipe below.
Serves 4.
Apple Chutney
Ingredients:
1 TBSP butter
¼ cup currants (or raisins)
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fennel seeds
pinch salt
3 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup orange juice, preferably fresh, strained of pulp
Directions:
Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds, and sauté until the butter froths and the seeds begin to darken, about 1-2 minutes. Add the apples, currants, brown sugar, cinnamon and juice. Stir until the sugar dissolves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and let the apples simmer gently for about 10 minutes, covered. Remove the lid, stir and continue to simmer uncovered for another 20-25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the apples become very soft and the mixture becomes thick and glazed. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
For more information, contact:
Vintology Wine and Spirits
2 Palmer Avenue
Scarsdale NY, 10583
(914) 723-2040
www.vintology.com
Jennifer Rossano
Chef and Culinary Instructor
jenrossano@verizon.net
914-713-8665
Contributor Dina Braun spent fifteen years as a Catering Sales Manager and loved planning the menus.
She currently spends her days raising her three boys and in her spare time, follows the local food scene and tries many of the new restaurants in Westchester County. She enjoys sharing her opinions with other foodies.
Ruth Messinger to Speak at WRT
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Westchester Reform Temple guest speaker Ruth W. Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service (AJWS) will speak during Friday evening services on Friday, October 18 at 7:45 p.m. Ms. Messinger will speak about "Women Empowering Women, Worldwide," exploring movements around the globe for women's rights, often led by women themselves. She will also highlight grassroots projects that AJWS supports in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Central America that empower women to take the lead.
In 1998, Ms. Messinger assumed the presidency of AJWS, the leading international Jewish human rights and development organization working to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world. Considered a national leader in the movement to end genocide in the Sudan, Ms. Messinger has been called upon several times to advise President Barack Obama regarding ways to achieve peace in that country. She has also served on the Obama administration's Task Force on Global Poverty and Development and, among her many degrees and honors, she has been named one of the Forward's "50 Most Influential Jews" for ten years.
This service is free and open to the public at Westchester Reform Temple, located at 255 Mamaroneck Road in Scarsdale, NY. For directions or more information, please call the Temple at 914-723-7727, email to office@wrtemple.org, or visit www.wrtemple.org.
