This week's issue of Time Magazine featured a 7-page article about the great Mario Batali, a famous Italian chef, culinary icon, and..........RUTGERS UNIVERSITY GRADUATE!!!
That's right! Mario Batali graduated from Rutgers University in 1983 (the year I was born!), more specifically from Rutgers College, the best college of the university! Here are some excerpts from the article...
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"After graduating from Rutgers University, where he majored in economics and Spanish theater, Batali worked in kitchens in Britain, California and Turkey, where he was a yacht chef." (p. 70)
(Since I majored in Political Science, what will I end up working as...a professional trumpet player?!)
"When Batali delivered the commencement address last year at Rutgers, he urged the graduates to 'get a brand', which he defined as 'your own truth, expressed consistently.'" (p. 71)
(That's right...MY graduating commencement address, on the lawn of Voorhees Mall.)
"A year ago, a Rutgers classmate who is a well connected NASCAR aficionado brought [Mario] to his first big race. On a lark, Batali and his friend decided to throw a dinner for the drivers. 'We handed out little cards with an invitation to all the drivers' motor homes,' says Batali. 'And they came. It wasn't like we checked with NASCAR.' But when it came time to put together a partnership deal, it didn't hurt that Batali already knew Brian France, NASCAR's CEO." (p. 71)
(Rutgers connections are the real deal!)
"But Heat, [an upcoming book release], is also a portrait of a talent who worked his way from a dishwasher in college to a small-time Greenwich Villiage cook to America's impresario of all foods Italian." (p. 69)
(The restaurant where he washed dishes? The famous Stuff Yer Face on Easton Avenue in New Brunswick...the best boli that side of the NJ Transit train tracks a block away!)
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A couple of stats from the article...
- Number of times article referred to Mario's years at Rutgers- 4
- Number of times Rutgers was printed in the article - 3
- Number of times Rutgers is referred to as "the greatest educational institution of our nation" - 6*
(*This is actually a lie, sorry.)
- Number of Rutgers alumni excited about this article - at least 3**
(**I'm one, I'm assuming Mario is excited about being in the article, and Mr. Cooper always has Rutgers prides, so he's three...plus, all other Rutgers alums that spread their talent across the country and world!)