There are 3 osprey chicks, at the Fresh Market nest.
Photographer extraordinaire Carolyn Doan reports that the chicks hatch in the order their eggs were laid, so they vary in size. They also start out with reddish-brown eyes, which differ from the yellow eyes of the adults.
When she left this morning, they were lying down for a nap.
Charlie Scott is a talented runner, and WWPT-FM sports broadcaster.
He’s also a very creative videographer.
The Staples High School junior was there on Sunday, as the boys lacrosse team won their second straight state championship.
Then he went to work, editing his excellent camera work into an exciting 1:10 video. Click below to see the Wreckers’ championship game highlights — and the joyful aftermath.
World class pianist/local treasure David Morgan headlines the June 15 shows (7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m.; VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399).
He has performed and recorded with Wynton Marsalis and Wes Anderson, and written music for CBS Sports, Discovery, A&E, MTV, and TV shows like “Pawn Stars,” “Little Women” and “Catfish.” He also produces recordings for other artists in his own studio. Area audiences known him as a member of the jazz group Portal.
He’ll be joined by his old friend and Portal collaborator saxophonist Greg (“The Jazz Rabbi”) Wall, bassist Yuriy Galkin and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza.
Reservations are strongly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.
David Morgan wants YOU to come to Jazz at the Post.
Today is Graduation Day for the Staples High School Class of 2023.
For the 430 students, it’s a day of accomplishment, congratulations and joy.
It can also be bittersweet. Some of the people who helped get them where they are will be missing.
Josh Deitch will celebrate with his father Dave and brother Jonathan. He’ll be thinking of his mother Michele, who died after a long battle with breast cancer in July 2021.
The last couple of weeks have been exciting for Josh. He performed in the Pops Concert as a drummer and violist, and earned both the Coleman Brothers Foundation and Albie Loeffler Scholarships as a soccer player.
His mother could not share in his accolades. But this past weekend — just days before graduation — Josh honored her.
Among his many attributes, he is known at Staples for his hair. The last time he cut it — apart from a little trim here and there — was at least 10 years ago.
Now it’s nearly all gone.
On Sunday Katsu Yokoi — a friend of the family who cuts hair locally and in New York — gave him a once-in-a-decade haircut.
Josh’s amazing locks were not swept up and tossed out. Nor were they saved as a souvenir.
His hair was donated. It will be made into a wig, providing support and confidence to cancer patients who have lost their hair during chemotherapy.
Considering Josh’s hair, I’m betting more than one wig.
Several organizations accept hair donations. Josh provided links:
Posted onJune 12, 2023|Comments Off on Roundup: Staples Lacrosse: State Champs! …
First there was Wilton. Then Darien.
Now there’s a new powerhouse in Connecticut boys lacrosse: Staples.
The Wreckers won their 2nd straight state championship — and 2nd ever — yesterday. Seeded #2 in the “L” (large schools) division, they dominated #1-ranked Fairfield Prep en route to a 13-6 victory.
The score was 4-2 at halftime. The blue-and-whites never looked back.
Goals and/or assists came from Tyler Clark, Sam Eigen, Ben Burmeister, Leo Sequenzia, Gavin Rothenberg, Adam Udell, Tristan Schaefer, Michael Nealon and Dixon Scherer. Josh Marcus was a rock in goal.
Two days earlier, in a much closer contest, Staples edged #3 Darien, 9-8.
Congratulations to coach Will Koshansky, and the entire team, on a hard-earned, well-deserved, and fantastic accomplishment!
A 13% cut in Metro-North service — and 4% fare increase — are coming down the tracks this fall.
What can be done?
Nothing.
That’s the opinion of Jim Cameron, CT Mirror’s transportation columnist.
Click here to read today’s full column. And get ready to gnash your teeth.
Jim Cameron describes what’s on track for local trains. (Photo/Molly Alger)
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Beechwood has been sold.
The storied Weston Road property owned by Frederic Chiu and Jeanine Esposito changes hands later this month.
Before then, the couple’s Beechwood Arts & Immersion — named for the enormous copper beech tree that has shaded the home for 2 centuries — is holding an online auction. It closes this Wednesday (June 14, 7:30 p.m.). Click here for the link. All proceeds go to The Hive, Chiu and Esposito’s next collaborative project.
On Thursday, June 22 (3 to 7 p.m.), there is a “Take and Make” event. It is
“Beechwood’s version of a tag sale.” Go to Beechwood, have refreshments, visit the tree, share a memory of your time there, take some treasures, and make a donation for The Hive.
Among the items: women’s clothing, accessories and jewelry; rare, unusual and fun books; CDs and LPs; home and yard items, and more.
Beechwood House, and its towering copper beech tree.
Village Pediatrics had 4 interns this spring. Among their tasks: create a new “story walk” outside the office.
The new exhibit — “The Emotions Book” — features a cute elephant who learns to deal with big emotions. The public is invited to wander through the walkway, at 323 Riverside Avenue.
Cooper DeGirolomo of Hamden Hall Country Day School was one of the interns. He says: “The opportunity to learn from such a fantastic group of doctors and nurses has been inspiring, and reinvigorated my interest in pursuing a career in medicine.”
He shadowed physicians during well and sick visits. He learned about diseases and conditions, treatment plans, and medications.
The interns also read books about health, and discussed them with physicians.
Kayla Teplitz, 5, enjoys the Village Pediatrics story walk. She is working on her pre-reading skills, preparing for Coleytown Elementary School kindergarten this fall.
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“Riders to the Sea” was performed this past weekend at the Brooklyn Art Haus.
But theater-goers got a healthy dose of Westport.
Staples High School 2013 graduates (and former Players actors and/or musicians) Phoebe Corde, Jake Landau and Michelle Pauker had prominent roles.
Corde and Landau — part of a group called Off Brand Opera — adapted the opera into a musical. Landau also served as musical director, while Pauker was in the cast. Jake and Phoebe are board members of Off Brand Opera, which produces exciting cross-genre collaborations.
Speaking of theater: “Days of Wine and Roses” — the new off-Broadway show starring Westport’s Kelli O’Hara — earned a rave review in the Washington Post.
“Her exceptional coloratura proves irresistible for a Guettel-mixed cocktail of ecstasy and pain,” writes Peter Marks.
“At a time when the American musical seems ever more pumped up on pop, what a pleasure it is to encounter a palette of new show tunes delving deeply into character, that favor sweeping emotionality over Spotify familiarity.”
Click here for the full review. (Hat tip: Fred Cantor)
Brian d’Arcy James and Kelli O’Hara in Atlantic Theater Company’s world premiere for the musical version of “Days of Wine and Roses.” (Photo/Ahron R. Foster for the Washington Post)
The road to the state championship ended one run short — and 3 innings extra — yesterday for the Staples High School baseball team.
The Wreckers’ Hiro Wyatt and Fairfield Warde’s Griffin Polley dueled brilliantly — and scorelessly — for much of the game. In the end — the 10th inning — Polley drove home the Mustangs’ winning run, in a 2-1 contest at Palmer Field in Middletown that was even closer than the score. It was the 2nd straight state title for the Fairfielders.
Congratulations to the Wreckers, and coach Jack McFarland, on their great run to the ultimate game of the season.
Hiro Wyatt — the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year — had a heroic season on the mound for Staples. (Photo courtesy of Staples Baseball)
Congratulations too to Staples’ number 1 doubles team. Karenna Birns and Audrey Kercher won the State invitational championship Friday, at the Milford Indoor Tennis Club.
The #3-ranked pair defeated Fairfield Ludlowe’s top seed 6-4, 6-3. They also won the semifinals in straight sets, over #3 Amity-Woodbridge.
Karenna heads to Georgetown University in the fall, and Audrey to the University of Florida. Congratulations to both — and to coach Jena Wider.
Speaking still of Staples: Westport photographer Tom Kretsch just returned from a tour/workshop in Washington state.
Walking around Pullman, he spotted pictures in many stores of the high school graduates, in windows and on signs.
He wonders if it’s something we could replicate in Westport.
Sounds like something to investigate. And it sure would be less intrusive than the epidemic of signs that sprawls all along the entrances to Staples, for every team and activity imaginable, which no one can even read.
And speaking again of baseball: The Westport Winners Challenger team, for players with disabilities, ended their 10th season yesterday with a special event.
A big party included player announcements and personalized trophies, plus free ice cream gift cards from The Porch at Christie’s.
Scenes from yesterday’s Westport Winners party. Coach Mike Connors (top left) has been with the program since it began in 2013.
The Little League Challenger division is one of the best sports programs in Westport. Congratulations to all who participate — and all who make it happen!
The Challenger crew. (Photo and hat tip/Beth Cody)
The public is invited to the magnificent Greens Farms property (Sunday, June 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; GPS either 13 or 25 Prospect Road).
Besides 9 acres of beauty and joy, Prospect Gardens offers something else.
Last year, the Greens Farms Garden Club has assumed responsibility for the 3-tiered vegetable garden, for their Growing For Good program.
Owners John and Melissa Ceriale turned over the space for their effort. All produce is donated to the Mercy Center in Bridgeport, at time serving as the only source of fresh produce for some of families.
Last year, the Greens Farms Garden Club donated over 1,600 pounds of vegetables. It’s a win-win-win: for the Ceriales, the Club, and Mercy Learning Center.
The threat of rain and poor air quality drove the 7th annual Staples High Pops Concert indoors yesterday.
The move from the Levitt Pavilion to the school auditorium was unfortunate.
But the show must go on. And it did — in the traditional spectacular, wow-’em-with-talent-and-creativity fashion.
Pre-concert music featured groups like this. Colin Morgeson (piano — and “06880” intern), Josh Deitch (drums), Tegh Singh (guitar, rear), Jeffrey Pogue (vocals) and Whitman Teplica (guitar) rocked out “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Small vocal and instrumental groups, the Jazz Ensemble, Choralaires and Symphonic Orchestra played eclectic sets. Individual talents were showcased; so was the tight, well-honed work of larger groups.
Ben Herrera offered a stunning “You’ll Be Back” from “Hamilton.” “Now you don’t have to pay $1,500 for a ticket,” MC David Pogue said.
MC David Pogue — the proud father of 2 Staples music graduates, and one more next week — kept the show moving with his trademark humor and educational asides. As he noted often, it was almost as if the audience was under the stars.
Shanti Wimmer, backed by the Jazz Ensemble, sang a sultry version of Al Jolson’s “Avalon.”
Well, they were. The stars of the night were scores of Staples students, doing what they love, for a town that appreciates them and their wonderful teachers.
(From left): Rohan Wadhwani, Curtis Sullivan, Ethan Walmark, Max Ardrey and Ben Herrera, performed Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time.”
James Dobin-Smith, accompanied by Andrew Maskoff on piano, offered Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
Host David Pogue brought the magic of the Levitt Pavilion into the Staples auditorium.
The Staples music educators who make magic happen. From left: Phil Giampietro, Caitlin Serpliss, Jeri Hockensmith, Luke Rosenberg. Missing: Carrie Mascaro. (All photos/Dan Woog)
And after another close game yesterday: Congratulations to the Staples High School boys lacrosse team!
They defeated archrival Darien — as they’ve made a habit of doing recently — yesterday 9-8, in the state “L” (large schools) tournament.
The victory by the #2 Wreckers over the #3 seed Blue Wave vaults Staples into the state championship game. It’s set for tomorrow, 3 p.m. at Sacred Heart University.
That’s a fitting spot for coach Will Koshansky’s team. They’re the defending state champs, after winning their first-ever title last spring.
Their foe on Sunday is Fairfield Prep. The Jesuits are the top seed.
Prospect Gardens – the magnificent Greens Farms property — is open to the public tomorrow (Sunday, June 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; GPS either 13 or 25 Prospect Road).
It was first settled in 1813. Noted landscape designer Cindy Shumate first saw the property in 1997; at the time, an 1874 farmhouse sat on an acre of suburban yard.
It has been expanded over time by John and Melissa Ceriale to 9 magnificent acres. Prospect Gardens now includes a Mediterranean garden, 2 orchards, an amphitheater, terraced vegetable garden, woodland walk and wildflower meadow. Winding paths lead from one area to the next.
Mark Demmerle will play classical guitar in the newly finished stone/grass amphitheater. It’s the first performance by anyone in the venue. For more information, click here.
June is dog license month. And all dogs over 6 months old must be licensed.
It’s $8 for neutered male or spayed females. $19 for male or female. There is a $1 penalty per month for renewal licenses issued after June 30. A $75 infraction will be issued for any non-licensed dog, and for any dog not wearing a tag.
Click here, then scroll down for online registration. To register by mail, click here. For all dog license information, click here.
Yeah, you’re cute. But you still need a license. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Speaking of Staples: The World Languages Department has awarded 215 “Seals of Biliteracy” to graduating seniors. The Seal “affirms the value of diversity and honors the cultures and languages in our community,” school officials say.
More than half of the seals — 126 — were for Spanish. Other languages represented were French (29), Italian (26), Mandarin (12), German (7), Latin (6), Hindi (2), and Czech, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Japanese, Marathi, Polish and Thai (1 each).
Blue skies are back. The orange haze and acrid smoke are gone.
But Charlie Scott is making sure we don’t forget.
The Staples High School junior — a talented photographer, videographer, runner and WWPT-FM sports announcer — has created a visual montage of the past few days.
And he’s picked an apt metaphor: “Blade Runner 2949.”
Click below for Charlie’s 53-second video. Let’s hope he does not have to make another.
Kathie Motes Bennewitz and Robin Jaffee Frank are Westporters.
But the women — executive director of the Hopper House Museum & Study Center/Westport town arts curator and senior associate curator of American paintings and sculpture at the Yale University Art Gallery, respectively — cross the Hudson River next Thursday.
Frank will discuss “Social Distancing: Edward Hopper’s Paintings of Women Dining in Public” at the center in Nyack (June 15, 6 p.m.). She examines the artist’s “sexually and psychologically charged urban dining scenes, interpreted in the context of his life and art, and the larger history of women in American society.”
Former Westporter Frances Hyman died Thursday in Lynchburg, Virginia. She was 90.
The Roosevelt High School (Bronx) graduate met her future husband Leon through a mutual family acquaintance. They both loved classical ballet, and married in 1956.
They lived in Greenwich Village, Stamford and Sacramento, where Frances was a devoted member of Hadassah.
They returned to the East Coast in 1974 and lived in Westport for 45 years, until Leon died in 2019.
Frances led an active life here, volunteering for many causes including Save The Children , Dress For Success and the Stamford Arboretum. She loved Longshore, was an avid bridge player and gardener, and with her husband was a lifelong supporter of the New York City Ballet.
One of her proudest moments was participating in the 1987 “Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jews” rally in Washington.
Frances was also predeceased by her sisters Eleanor Feffer and Barbara Skydel. She is survived by her sons William (Sarah) of Manhattan, and Scott (Phoebe) of Lynchburg, and grandchildren Alexandra and Chloe Hyman of Manhattan, Samuel Hyman of Athens, Ohio, and Jonathan Hyman of Denver.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. tomorrow (Sunday, June 11) at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Flushing, New York. Memorial contributions in her name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. To send online condolences, click here.
The battle over 3 books in the Staples High School library is over.
After Westport resident Tara McLaughlin complained about the LGBTQ-themed works — “Flamer,” “Gender Queer” and “This Book is Gay” — a special committee held public hearings.
The committee voted on each book separately. Each vote was 10-0 in favor of retention.
Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice upheld the committee’s recommendations.
His decision was appealed.
This afternoon, Scarice told “06880” that the appeal has been withdrawn.
Each committee member read the 3 books challenged by Tara McLaughlin.
A capacity crowd (including namesakes Rev. John and Judyth Branson) filled Christ & Holy Trinity Church’s Branson Hall last night, for the annual 1st Citizen Award dinner.
The 7th annual event — sponsored by the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce, but the first held since the pandemic — honored Westport Library director Bill Harmer, CastleKeepAdvisors founder and CEO Charlie Haberstroh, and 4 student entrepreneurs: Marley Brown, Akhila Kooma, Addison Moore and Jamie Semaya.
Charlie Haberstroh (center) and his family.
The theme of the evening — echoed by Chamber director Matthew Mandell and keynote speaker US Senator Richard Blumenthal — was “giving back to the community.”
Westport Library director Bill Harmer speaks. Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce director Matthew Mandell is at left.
All 6 honorees have done that in major ways. And all expressed thanks that the communities of Westport and Weston have inspired, and enabled them, to do so.
Keynote speaker Senator Richard Blumental. (All photos/Dan Woog)
“Reluctant Liberators: Westport in the Civil War” was curated by students. Staples High School junior Talia Moskowitz took the lead, as part of an independent study project.
She got help from the museum’s high school interns: Amelia Gura, Devan Patel and Oscar Scher (Staples), Stephanie Field (Weston) and Tess Innes (Wilton).
The exhibit includes information on early Westporters like the Toquet, Coley and Ketchum families, and an exploration of racial issues during that time.
It runs through November 11.
Talia Moskowitz, at the Westport Museum for History & Culture exhibit.
As the end of school nears, here’s an important reminder: Not every family here can afford the camps and enrichment programs many take for granted.
Westport’s Department of Human Services can help.
Last summer, 58 income-qualified youth, from 32 families, participated in the department’s campership program.
This year, the number may be higher.
Human Services director Elaine Daignault encourages residents who can, to contribute. Online donations can be made to the “DHS Campership Fund” (click here), or mailed to 110 Myrtle Avenue, Westport, CT 06880.
For more information — including how to qualify for a campership — email youth and family specialist Annette D’Augelli: 203-341-1050; adaugelli@westportct.gov.
Summer Camp has been part of growing up for decades. In 1953, Westport artist Stevan Dohanos used Camp Mahackeno for this Saturday Evening Post cover.
Tomorrow marks the start of Wakeman Town Farm’s farm stand.
Open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., it features fresh produce, fresh-cut flower bouquets, WTF logowear and honey, and products from local vendors like artisan baked goods, extra virgin olive oils, gourmet balsamic vinegars, Chaga mushroom elixirs, homemade salsas and more.
The gardens are open. It’s also a chance to see the animals, and chat with farmers.
PS: This week: limited amounts of country and roasted garlic sourdough, multigrain pan loafs, focaccina minis, olive-Focaccia and bomboloni Nutella.
When it comes to powerful adjectives and action verbs, no one beats the New York Post.
Yesterday’s story on the the future of Phil Donohue and Marlo Thomas’ former Beachside Avenue home begins:
A Connecticut “Gold Coast” mansion sold by talk show pioneer Phil Donahue for $25 million is to be be bulldozed by its current owners who say it is falling apart and overrun by vermin.
The once-palatial Tudor on Westport’s most exclusive avenue has become a home for rats and raccoons with a caving-in roof, its new owner Peggy Reiner claims.
She is involved in a bid to tear down the 8,500 square foot manse after building a 20,000 square foot beach-view home with a commanding prospect of Long Island Sound in front of it.
The long story describes the history of the current property, and others nearby.
It also calls “06880” a “popular gossipy and newsy blog.”
Nice. But we’ll stick with “where Westport meets the world.”
Click here for the full Post story. (The “06880” mention comes near the end.)
The New York Post story includes this Google Earth photo of Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas’ “vermin”-filled old house (rear), and the 20,000-plus square foot home that replaced it.
The recent haze from Canada’s wildfires prompts this message, from Westport’s Office of Emergency Management:
Daycare providers, summer camps and older residents should subscribe to the Air Quality Index . It is fast, easy and provides important daily information. The link includes ground-level ozone, its health effects, what to do on a high ozone day, and how to reduce ground level ozone in your backyard.
Learn how to cope with days like this. Subscribe to the AQI. (Photo/Charlie Scott)
Yesterday’s Roundup posed a question: What’s up with the Photoshopped figure on top of the Westport Country Playhouse photo I posted on “06880” a couple of days ago.
It took about 12 minutes to find the answer.
Miggs Burroughs — Westport’s graphic artist/photographer extraordinaire, who has worked with nearly every organization in town — Photoshopped Ann Sheffer on the roof of the building, several years ago.
It was a gift from the Playhouse to her, for her many years of service and support.
In fact, Ann — one of our town’s most philanthropic residents — spent one summer, back in the day, as an usher there.
Decades later, she made it onto the roof.
And now the mystery is solved.
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Also yesterday, our Roundup gave an incorrect date for this weekend’s “Last Lollapaloosa” at Blau House & Gardens.
The correct day for the Bayberry Ridge event is Sunday, June 11.
The day includes tours of the magnificent property, yoga, children’s book readings, a reception and more.
Click here to register (deadline: June 5), and for information on payment and shuttle transportation from Coleytown Elementary School.
And finally … George Winston, the new age pianist (he called it “rural folk piano”) died Sunday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He was 74, and had been ill with cancer.
(“06880” will cover Staples’ graduation — as we do with every big town activity, and many small ones. Please help us keep doing it. Click here to contribute — and thank you!)
Sam Seideman had a pretty good cooking resume, for a 17-year-old.
He’d taken all of Chef Cecily Gans’ culinary courses at Staples High School. He’d worked at Jr.’s Deli & Grille, Hudson Malone and Norwalk’s Knot Norms. He helped cater, and cooked at home for big family events.
Early in his senior year, he saw an Instagram ad for a new Gordon Ramsay show. On a whim — and on his September 10, 2020 birthday — he applied.
He plowed through the 126-question application. “What is your signature dish?” he producers wanted to know. “What would you do if half of your ingredients disappeared?” He had to submit a video too.
Sam Seideman, Staples rugby player.
Sam — an accomplished rugby player, and Staples Teen Awareness Group leader — had the confidence of youth. “I don’t want to sound arrogant. But you had to sell yourself, and I thought I did a pretty good job,” he says.
Still, he was stumped by certain questions. “Who is your manager?” they asked. “What’s your agency? Are you union?”
Two days later, on a mask break during Journalism class, a casting company called. Soon, the executive producer followed up.
Fifteen rounds later, Sam was still in the running.
One of the interviews was an awkward Zoom test for “chemistry” with other applicants (and Ramsay and his daughter Tilly).
“There was a transgender Indian, a Black guy, someone from Sweden,” Sam recalls.
Gordon Ramsay
One person had 130,000 Instagram followers. Another had a million on TikTok.
“They were really going for diversity and popularity,” Sam says. “I was a white kid from Westport. I had no diversity, and no following.”
Six people had made it to the final round. Ramsay would pick 3.
Early Thanksgiving morning, Sam was working at Hudson Malone. He got an email from the producer: Sam would be working with Gordon Ramsay on “Uncharted Showdown.”
From that day through early January, there were constant commands: Show us your wardrobe. Keep your haircut. Etc., etc., etc.
On January 5, Sam headed to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Suddenly, filming a reality TV show was very real.
He learned how to act normally, with a camera in his face. He was given safety demonstrations, then sent into the ocean in a kayak, and up on ziplines.
On camera, working with Gordon Ramsay.
As a minor, he also spent 3 hours a day with a school tutor. Rules are rules.
On the third day, Ramsay appeared. “What’s up, Sam?” he said.
“He was super nice. So chill,” Sam says.
Ramsay invited the cast to ask him anything. Sam wanted the best advice for opening a restaurant.
“Don’t do it!” the world-famous restaurateur replied.
“But you opened 13 during COVID!” Sam countered.
“A fair point,” Ramsay said. “If you open one, call me!”
The cast and crew traveled around the area. At each stop, locals taught them about the cuisine and culture. They learned about cooking live fish with peppers, saw hearts of palm harvested with machetes, and joined indigenous people making chocolate.
The cast. From left: Gordon Ramsay, Tilly Ramsay, Harrison Head, Sam Seideman, Gloriana Solano, Ki-Lin Barbeau.
There were many surprises. Amazingly, Sam says, “besides what we cooked, the food was atrocious. And we couldn’t leave, because of COVID.”
One day, Sam and his castmates kayaked in rain and high waves out to some rocks, where they harvested sea cockroaches for ceviche. Sam was bitten 14 times by sea urchins. The doctor on set removed them.
“It was all very real — not staged,” Sam notes.
It was also a chance for him to show his chops. At one point Ramsay wondered, “What’s the plan today?”
Sam said, “You’re asking me?!”
He gave his advice. Ramsay said enthusiastically, “Let’s do it!”
As they filmed, he said to Sam, “How did you learn to cut like that?”
“Watching you!” Sam responded.
Ramsay later called Sam “one of the keenest young chefs I’ve ever met.”
Sam Seideman, at work.
And so it went. For 6 days Sam and his crewmates bonded, cooked, and shared adventures.
One day Sam suggested adding jackfruit to chicken tamales. No one had ever suggested changing Ramsay’s menu before. When he learned it was Sam’s idea, he approved.
Sam Seideman, in charge.
Soon enough, it was back to Westport. Sam had signed a very strict non-disclosure agreement, so even his friends did not know what was up.
School administrators did; they had to approve his absence. Someone told his teachers. Sam was mortified when one said, in front of the whole class: “So how was the Gordon Ramsay show?”
But then it was back to normal life (of course, little about Sam’s life is “normal”). He graduated with the Class of 2021, and headed off to Pennsylvania State University. He’s majoring in hospitality management. with a minor in business.
He almost forgot about the show. (Occasionally though, a new college friend would ask, “Why is Gordon Ramsay following you on Instagram?”)
Last summer before his sophomore year, Sam was working at Camp Wekeela in Maine. He’d been a camper there; now he was running their kitchen (which he helped re-design) and the entire culinary program. (That’s another story itself).
Texts started arriving. Friends had seen ads and trailers. The show would air August 8, on National Geographic.
Sam ducked out of a camp event, to watch himself — and Gordon Ramsay — on TV.
He loved it. “I was glad I looked pretty natural,” he reports.
“Uncharted Showdown” moved on to Disney + and Prime Video. One day Chef Gans — his Staples culinary teacher and mentor — texted him. She was in a hotel room, and Sam’s face suddenly appeared on the screen.
His appetite for TV whetted, Sam recently applied for “Next Level Chef.” He was one of 2 19-year-olds in the final 25. Producers chose the professional chef instead.
But Sam’s life is quite full. He’s enjoying his Penn State classes. He’s social chair (of course) of his fraternity.
And he’s applying again — this time to a hospitality show.
(“06880” provides updates on Staples students and alums doing intriguing things. Please support our work. Click here — and thank you!)
As predicted, the Singapore-style haze that smothered Westport yesterday has started to lift.
But Paul Delano was out early this morning. He reports: “It was a hazy red sunrise — although you couldn’t even see the sun until about half an hour after it rose.”
The Staples High School baseball team shoots for their 3rd state championship in 7 years this Saturday. (And one year was lost to COVID).
The 21-5 Wreckers — seeded #3 in the “LL” (extra large schools) division — face next-door foes, and close rivals, 4th-ranked Fairfield Warde.
The first pitch on June 10 is 12 noon, at Palmer Field in Middletown.
Staples is 21-5 this year. But two of those losses came to the Mustangs. After a 5-4 win in April, the Wreckers fell to Warde 7-0 in their second regular season meeting in May. The Fairfielders took the FCIAC semifinal too, by a razor-thin 3-2 score, en route to a 6-1 championship victory over Westhill.
Can’t make it to Middletown? Click here for the livestream.
Fans of all ages will be cheering for the Staples baseball team — in person, and virtually — on Saturday.
A crowd of 150 theaded to La Plage Tuesday evening, for the first big Startup Westport meeting.
The public/private partnership hopes to make our town Westport a special suburban center of an ecosystem of tech people and investors.
Attendees called the networking meeting “energetic, creative and productive.”
Plans are underway for a special event September 14, at the Westport Library. Dan Bikel — tech lead at Meta — will take about AI.
From left: Startup Westport board members: Peter Propp, Cliff Sirlin, Jay Norris; 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker; board member Sam Hendel; Police Chief Foti Koskinas; board member Dan Bikel.
Westport Police report 2 custodial arrests, for the period of May 31-June 7.
One man was arrested for larceny and credit card fraud. An Instacart delivery person became suspicious after receiving several orders from BevMax, for a person sitting in a car in front of a house under construction very close to the store. Several high-order deliveries had been requested, using different credit cards.
Another man was arrested for larceny, identity theft and forgery, after a resident’s check was stolen, altered and deposited.
Police also issued these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 4 citations
Failure to comply with state traffic regulations: 4
Failure to renew registration: 2
Following too closely: 1
Failure to yield right of way: 1
Failure to drive in the proper lane: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 1.
Frequent orders from one liquor store led to an arrest.
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Recent “06880” stories about the Westport Country Playhouse have elicited plenty of ideas for the future — and memories of the past. Nearly everyone in Westport has opinions about what’s right, and/or wrong, with one of our town’s artistic jewels.
But no matter where you stand, here’s a question: Who (or what) is that figure standing at the upper left, on the top of the Playhouse in the photo below?
Peter Hirst — a member of Staples Players back in the 1960s — noticed it. He assumes it was photoshopped in. But by whom? When? And why?
Two great kids’ activities are among the events this Sunday (June 11) at Blau House & Gardens’ “Last Lollapaloosa”:
Book reading and signing of “Pinkalicious: Fairy House” by author/ illustrator Victoria Kann: 11 a.m.; $15 per child (maximum 25 children). Each child received 2 Pinkalicious books; other activities include coloring, plant a bean to take home and watch grow; find the fairy houses in the garden.
Book reading and signing of “The Frog Who Wanted to See the Sea” by author/illustrator Guy Billout: 2:30 p.m.; $20 per child (maximum 20 children). Also: find a frog along the stream; plant a bean to take home and watch grow.
Blau House & Gardens is located at the end of Bayberry Ridge — a narrow, rutted road off Bayberry. The home — designed by theatrical stage set designer Ralph Alswang — is set between towering great oaks.
The grand gardens — by advertising executive Barry Blau — were created in response to the house. They incorporate native plants interspersed with a blend of exotics.
Friends of Sherwood Island State Park hold its annual meeting this Sunday (June 11, 4 p.m., main pavilion.
It’s a chance to meet our board, learn more about the non-profit, discuss plans to support the park, and say hello to new Supervisor Jeff Dery, his staff and interns.
Everyone is welcome, including prospective members. Entrance to the park is free for vehicles with Connecticut license plates.
James Naughton is a man of many talents, and passions.
The Tony Award-winning actor and Weston resident is finishing his run in “On Golden Pond” at the Ivoryton Playhouse. Ge’s very involved with Wildlife in Crisis.
And next Thursday (June 15, 11:30 a.m., Waveny Park main house, New Canaan) he will address the League of Voters there about his 6-year effort to get a Medical Aid in Dying law passed in Connecticut.
It’s come close — and approximately 75% of state residents support it. But it has still not been enacted.
Naughton’s advocacy honors the legacy of his wife Pamela. She died in 2013, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Even the most passionate Westport sports fans probably did not notice that Luca Koleosho scored his first professional goal for Espanyol on Sunday, in their 3-3 draw with Almeria. At 18 years old, he’s the 3rd youngest player ever to score in La Liga, the Spanish soccer league that is one of the best in the world.
A former All-Region and Academic All-America soccer player at the University of Bridgeport, she’s Luca’s mom. She is also a physical therapist, who has spent many years working with Westport student-athletes, in a variety of sports. Her clients rave about her.
Luca was born in Trumbull. His family now lives in Greenwich. But he’s been playing in Europe since he was 11.
Luca’s father was a football running back at the University of Oklahoma.
Great genes — and a great accomplishment! (Hat tip: Vince Kelly)
Former CBS radio and TV producer Tom Curley addressed the Westport Rotary Club at its Tuesday meeting. He discussed his sometimes chaotic personal experiences working with Lesley Stahl and Dan Rather (“a really nice guy” he said).
Now, after 10 years in retirement, he has created a TV studio in his basement. He produces humorous video programs called “Get Off My Lawn!” and “Media War Stories.”
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Frederic Chiu is an internationally known pianist, and co-founder of Beechwood’s innovative Arts & Innovation series.
Turns out he’s also a superb nature photographer.
Here’s his submission for our daily “Westport … Naturally” series:
And finally … Astrud Gilberto died on Monday. She was 83.
The first song she ever recorded — “The Girl From Ipanema” — was an international hit. It introduced Brazilian bossa nova to the US. And though she never replicated that success, she was a successful recording artist for decades. Click here for a full obituary.
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