‘My work is an antidote to the wasteful, consumer-oriented direction of modern life. I don’t like to waste; I don’t like to throw things out.’

Syosset

“As a found-object artist, I like to work with things that have a history to them. I like the hunt. I’m always looking for interesting things. I go to flea markets and junk stores. I’m always looking in dumpsters. I look at people’s garbage. And my friends give me very strange gifts on my birthday. This past birthday, I got some old hinges and believe it or not, I got some human hair.

“People love to get rid of stuff. The things I get from friends give added meaning to my work because they’re helping me create the piece. I take things apart a lot, like an old adding machine.

“If I’m throwing anything out, I will take it apart first. The older things have better parts in them. I have a lot of stuff, I particularly like things that are rusty, that have some sort of patina on them already. I don’t distinguish between things that are precious and things that are what most people would call junk. I could put a diamond next to something rusty that I found in the street.

“My mother was an artist; she has a painting in the Smithsonian. The first thing I remember making was a cigar box that I did bead work on. I still have it. As a child, I used to love to play in the woods. My friend and I loved to find things. I always liked to make something out of nothing. I’m a tap dancer, so I use old taps from my shoes.

“I use kitchen utensils and a lot of taillights; it’s a nice material, the plastic is strong, it has color and texture. I use steel wool to dull it a little. Oh, and organ stops. My friend called me, it was pouring rain, and she said, ‘There’s an organ out in the street.’ I said, ‘I’ll be right over.’

“I’ve made a lot of jewelry, but it’s just small sculpture. The jewelry was kind of big, and it kept getting bigger, so I said, ‘What the hell! I should just make sculpture.’ I’ve been in galleries. I was just in a show at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. I’ve been on the board of the Long Island Craft Guild for like 50 years now.

“My work is an antidote to the wasteful, consumer-oriented direction of modern life. I don’t like to waste; I don’t like to throw things out. I’d rather put them in a sculpture where they can have a new life.”

Interviewed by Barbara Schuler

‘It’s a passion, something of giving back to my community in Guatemala and being able to also connect here with the opportunities that I received in the U.S.’

Greenport

“I was born in Guatemala, and I was there until I was 9. I moved to the U.S. in 2001. There was a bunch more opportunities for us here in the U.S., so that’s why we migrated. It was extremely hard to leave what I knew, the culture, my grandparents, friends and family.

“When I moved to the U.S., things were difficult because of the language barrier. I knew that I wanted to learn English and be able to communicate and pursue my goals.

“I was the first in my family to graduate from high school and attend a university: SUNY Oneonta. I pursued a computer science degree and a minor in mathematics.

“One of the most memorable things that occurred during my time in college was the internships that I obtained. In 2012, under the Obama administration, I had the opportunity to work for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. After I graduated, I started working, and a couple years later, the school had an opening. Now, I’m a lead programmer analyst at SUNY Oneonta.

“Throughout my time while working and pursuing my career, I kept thinking about how I got here and how I achieved my goals. I had a lot of mentorships, coaches, people giving me help and being there for me.

“That was one of the things that sparked the idea to continue with a nonprofit organization: Yuntos. This is something that I do after — and sometimes before — work hours. It’s a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS.

“What we do is bring new and gently worn shoes to those in need in Guatemala. It’s like giving back to that community where I grew up and being able to connect both worlds: Guatemala and the opportunities that I’ve had here in the U.S. It’s all grassroots.

“The warehouse is in my parents’ basement in Long Island. My sibling, Rosario, helps me collect shoes along Long Island. Then my grandparents in Guatemala, they’re the ones that receive the shoes and boxes when they arrive. They hold them for me, and then when I’m there, we distribute.

“In 2023, I am looking at achieving the goal of 800 pairs of shoes. It’s a passion, something of giving back to my community in Guatemala and being able to also connect here with the opportunities that I received in the U.S.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell

‘We want to empower people so they know that they can make the world a better place.’

Riverhead

“I dedicate my life to kindness and compassion; I met my husband, John, through mutual friends when we were teenagers and we stayed friends throughout our twenties. I was one of the first people to be involved with Long Island Orchestrating for Nature which John founded in 2012. In a weird way, we were basically high school sweethearts!

“One of the first rescues we did together was in Plainview. We went to a location to rescue chickens and peafowl and ended up also rescuing a pigeon who had a dart in their wing; we also saved a kitten that was trapped in a car’s wheel well.

“While animal welfare is my passion, I believe in living a healthy and mindful lifestyle. I am also an artist. I was actually featured in a 2021 documentary titled “The Face of Fashion is Fear” where I appeared in full body paint at an animal rights rally.

If you see something abusive going on, say something!

“I have also been recognized by PETA with a Hero for Coyotes Award following the announcement that the luxury outerwear company Canada Goose went fur-free which is an initiative that I was very involved with. It was nice to be recognized for my efforts, but I do this work to spread kindness and compassion, not to gain recognition for myself. I also love educating children to help them attain love and compassion for all species.

“Right now, John and I are working on finding a location to establish a rescue and advocacy education center for Humane Long Island which is what we rebranded LION this year; we think it will probably be on the East End. We hope that the education center will help the public understand how much planning work goes into every protest and demonstration.

“The laws protecting animals are weak and there aren’t many grants around that are dedicated to rescuing animals, especially farmed animals. We spend a lot of time talking to legislators trying to get this changed. We want to empower people so they know that they can make the world a better place.

“If you see something abusive going on, say something! Your opinion matters, especially if it saves a living creature from suffering.”

Interviewed by Meagan Meehan

‘My heart is in animal rescue, but my head is in animal advocacy.’

Riverhead

““I always wanted to help the populations who most needed it in this world. I went to college to earn a bachelor’s in psychology because I was planning to work with at-risk kids.

“While I was in college, I took a class about world religions and learned about Jainism, an Indian religion that respects all life. I embraced a vegan lifestyle, and I started taking courses in environmentalism. I went on to earn a master’s degree in anthrozoology.

“In 2009, I started protesting Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus after I saw horrifying pictures of a baby elephant in chains.

“In 2012, I founded Long Island Orchestrating for Nature [LION]. It was a side project, and I never imagined it would get as big as it got. I have been involved with rescuing and rehoming an entire petting zoo, abandoned black swans, goats running from slaughterhouses, and piglets from one of Iowa’s largest factory farms.

“Among the most interesting cases I’ve dealt with involved Canada geese. One was shot through the neck with an arrow. The other had fireworks duct-taped to him, and someone had lit the fuse, but the goose went into the water and extinguished it, which saved his life.

“In both instances, we captured the geese and got them veterinary care. Both survived, healed and were released back into the wild.

“I got a job working with PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] after I gave a speech about LION’s grassroots start at an international wildlife conference. It was then that I realized I could make advocating for animals a career.

“In 2022, we rebranded and now go by the name Humane Long Island. Our latest initiative has been to shut down Sloth Encounters [a petting business in Hauppauge]. The laws protecting animals are very weak, and we need support to strengthen them. My heart is in animal rescue, but my head is in animal advocacy.

“HumaneLI is currently working on creating a sanctuary that will include an activist education center. We envision this sanctuary as being a transitional place that houses rescued animals only until we can find them loving forever homes. That way we will always have room for more. The best way to help animals is to stop eating them. One vegan can save nearly 200 animal lives every year.”

Interviewed by Meagan Meehan

‘I stayed interested in cooking as I got older, but wasn’t sure what to do with my life.’

St. James

“I started cooking around age 5, fooling around in the kitchen where my parents lived in Queens. I wasn’t watching ‘Sesame Street’; I was trying to copy what I saw Julia Child and ‘The Frugal Gourmet’ did on TV.

“My mom said she would flip through the channels, and the first time I saw Julia Child’s show, I told her to stop there. She saw that I was drawn to cooking. She passed away in 2010, but before that we used to watch the original Japanese version of ‘Iron Chef Showdown’ together. She would say that one day I’d have my own TV show, which I dismissed at the time, but she would insist and say, ‘You’ll see.’

“I stayed interested in cooking as I got older, but wasn’t sure what to do with my life. Growing up in North Bellmore, I followed my dad’s plan to use my art skills, and I studied graphic design in college, but also kept messing around with cooking classes.

“After graduation, I interned for a post-production company in the city and was offered a job in their client services department. As it turned out, that job had me passing through Manhattan restaurants, where I got to taste a lot of food, and it made me finally realize what I wanted to do.

“About a year later, I opened a restaurant with my dad in Bay Shore. It went well, but about a year and a half later, my father got sick, so we sold it. I then went into large-scale catering, and while that was fun, I knew it wasn’t what I really wanted to do.

“I was in my mid-20s and still trying to figure myself out. I started dabbling in sales and fundraising before taking a job at a small local college in its admissions department. Then after five years, I moved on to do admissions at a culinary school. It was fun, but I was getting burned out, and it was my wife who finally said I needed to do something else.

“In 2014, she found out about a casting call for ‘MasterChef.’ She said I was wasting my time behind a desk, and that my talents should be seen by everyone. I was hesitant at first, as we needed money to live, but she said, ‘Nope, we’ll be OK,’ and would also bring up what my mom said about me having my own TV show one day. I went for it. But I also promised her that I would make something bigger out of it.”

As I promised my wife, I used my 15 minutes of fame to build something.

“During the four-month process of picking finalists, I was one of three chosen from the New York area, and then brought to California to audition. In the end, I made it to the top 40 and the cast, but didn’t win.

“However, as I promised my wife, I used my 15 minutes of fame to build something. In fact, the night I got home from California, I made a website and from there started networking.

“I began doing private dinner experiences and going to events, using my ‘MasterChef’ recognition to build a brand. I made sure to be searchable on Google and reached out with offers of free cooking demos and samples for about a year, plus [I] did more shows and more TV.

“I also competed in the televised World Food Championships in 2016. I continued to do TV for the Food Network and the Travel Channel, and also did some small roles in TV shows and movies, learning more along the way about how TV production worked.

“My goal was to have my own entertainment production company, and my wife came up with an idea about doing a show that involved helping people. I then came up with the next step, about helping people right here on Long Island, people going through tough times.

“We’d give them a platform to tell their stories and show that there’s still hope and people that want to help them. Of course, we connected it to food, like using an old family recipe that for one reason or another fell away, and we’d help revive those recipes, and that’s how our show, ‘Family Kitchen Revival,’ came about. We shot eight shows, and it took off, running on streaming platforms.

“We’re now working on season two, which will focus on essential workers. I’m also working on a new show that will be shot in my home, which will feature guests, easy-to-create recipes and cooking, but also lots of talking and having fun.”

I run out of steam sometimes, but thinking of my family, that changes everything and keeps me going.

“I suffer from a rare muscle disease called Shulman syndrome. I’ve been dealing with that since I was in my 20s, and it affects my muscles and my range of motion.

“I can’t turn my neck certain ways. Certain foods can cause inflammation. There’s a lot of cramping. It was so bad, at one point my mom had to help me get dressed. I still can’t turn my neck, but I hide it really well.

“There are times I can’t get out of bed, I’m on medication, I lose feeling in my foot and leg, but I push forward because I have a family to take care of.

“As I get older, I’m winding down on cooking for people, and my plan is to instead focus on developing shows and entertainment. I can do this because I’ve come to a point in life where I’m more established. But I still can’t take my foot off the pedal though, not when you’re living on Long Island and have to support a family.

“One thing I try to show my kids is not to give up. Yeah, there’s going to be failure; that doesn’t mean there can’t be success down the line.

“Even though I work so much, I still cook for my family as much as possible and try to do as much family time as possible, even if I’m exhausted. It’s important to make time for your family. I think that’s how I was raised by my mom.

“My mom, she put her career aside to care for my brother, who has special needs, and now my wife helps take care of him. My wife is phenomenal; she’s been through it all with me. I couldn’t have done this without her being so supportive.

“We’re like a love story. She’s never said anything negative about anything I’ve done. I would be nothing without her today. When my mom and wife met, they clicked, which makes sense as they’ve both supported me, inspired me and have been a big part of my success, as have my three daughters.

“I don’t think I could do any of this without having my family, from my mom to my wife to my children. I run out of steam sometimes, but thinking of my family, that changes everything and keeps me going. I want to do this for them all.”

Interviewed by Ian J. Stark

‘When I was 10 or 11, I started cooking on my own, nothing crazy like I can do now.’

Northport

“I’ve loved cooking since I was 8. I would mix weird food combinations. When I was 10 or 11, I started cooking on my own, nothing crazy like I can do now. I could make spaghetti and meatballs; that was probably the first thing I made.

“I begged my mom to let me go on ‘Chopped Junior.’ It was brand new. Reluctantly, when I was at the end of sixth grade, she said yes. I started the audition process; it took about six months. I went into New York City to film it, and six months later the episode aired. You have to make an appetizer, an entrée and dessert. I made duck sliders, fish tacos and a curry ice cream parfait. I came in second, but the only person who wins money is whoever comes in first.

“In sixth grade, I took home economics. My teacher, Mr. Roberts, was a CIA [Culinary Institute of America] graduate, which is part of the reason I started getting more into cooking. Deciding to pursue this as a career probably happened in 10th grade, when I learned I could go to technical school at the same time as high school. Once I got to technical school, I said, OK, this is it, I’m taking this seriously now. I don’t think until that point I really realized what profession I wanted to be in.

The fact that I’m working in one of [Keller’s] restaurants at the age of 19 is crazy to me.

“I applied to the Culinary Institute and Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. I got accepted to both; basically it came down to who’s going to give me more money. CIA gave me more money, and I love the education I’m getting there. Part of the education at CIA is an externship; it’s technically a class. I applied to Per Se [a French restaurant in Manhattan]. I’m a little more than halfway done. In the kitchen, there’s a hierarchy system. I mostly do prep work. It’s taught me more about the restaurant industry, about how a Michelin-star restaurant functions.

“I haven’t met executive chef Thomas Keller yet, but I’ve seen him. He’s a rock star, a living legend. The fact that I’m working in one of his restaurants at the age of 19 is crazy to me. However, my end goal at the moment, and this can change any time, is to work for a Formula 1 team as a chef. I’ve been following them for about two years now. It’s a big hospitality industry and the teams are giant. And obviously, they all need to eat.”

Interviewed by Barbara Schuler

‘I think having a purpose for the art, that it’s helping the environment, is what helps me overcome that anxiety.’

Amityville

“I suffer with social anxiety, but I think art helps that. I have three murals on the Long Beach boardwalk. The whale mural had to be done in one day; the permit was only for 24 hours. I got up super early and the pressure was on. I was so stressed about the time limit. This is a 40-foot mural and I had to make it happen. My dad put together a paint gun for me to mimic my technique. I finished right before sundown. I was so anxious because everyone was watching, and everyone knew the clock was ticking.

At least half of the animals I feature are endangered. I focus on the ones that need a voice, and I try and depict them in a larger-than-life way.

“The hardest thing for me has been putting my art out there. Before I did the mural, it was almost like I couldn’t do it. The thought of people watching me while I painted it was almost debilitating. I think having a purpose for the art, that it’s helping the environment, is what helps me overcome that anxiety.

“It had such a positive response, and so many people messaged us saying it made them more aware of the environment. People would send photos of them collecting garbage on the beach. I didn’t expect it to have that kind of impact. After COVID, I was asked to do two more murals, so I did a green sea turtle and a sea lion.

“I come from an extremely creative and supportive family. My mom’s a professional photographer, and she was a black-and-white photographer, so I attribute the look and feel I use in my art to that. All our family pictures were in black and white, and I started to love that look. My grandfather was a professional illustrator. He taught me everything at the start of my career and was so influential in my life and art. I grew up in a very artsy family.

“I started to think about ways my art can have a positive impact. At least half of the animals I feature are endangered. I focus on the ones that need a voice, and I try and depict them in a larger-than-life way. Almost all the animals I draw I like to get my own reference. When I’m not drawing, I take birding trips and wildlife trips and photograph these animals. Of course, the giant squid I didn’t get a photograph of, so I’ll piece it together by looking through NatGeo and sketch from there.”

Interviewed by Tracey Cheek

‘I still feel my late friend’s presence around me and in all the things that I do.’

Wading River

“When I was about 7 or 8 years old, my best friend died. He and I were students at Ludlum Elementary School, which is now Barack Obama Elementary School, in Hempstead. As I dealt with his death, I was lucky to have had a great homeroom teacher. She really cared. She sat me down and held my hand. I wanted to know, where was my friend? She helped me to understand that he wouldn’t be with us anymore.

“This teacher was instrumental in helping me get through this tragic event. After that, music became my new best friend. The Jackson 5 had had a huge impact on me after they became the first African American family on the cover of Life magazine. My mother gave me the Jackson 5’s “ABC” album. I was inspired by Michael Jackson. I started taking drums in school and learned to play the old-fashioned way, with a rubber pad and size 2b drumsticks. I learned to read music, and when I got to junior high, I joined the marching band.

“One day, I was offered the opportunity to dance and sing in front of everybody; I was too shy. I kept my pursuit of music fully intact, playing the drums at first, thinking I was better off in the background. But I wanted more, so I took up the bass guitar because when you play it, you stand up in front of the drummer. At the time, I had an idea that I couldn’t sing, but practice makes perfect.

“One of my teachers at Hempstead High School said he thought I was very talented, and that I should join the school choir. I also joined a local band, where I was the baby of the group. During a rehearsal, I grabbed the microphone and sang ‘Get Down on It’ by Kool & the Gang. That was my official coming out as a performer. Since then, I went to college on a full scholarship and went on to perform with a who’s who of the music industry. But deep down in the end, I still feel my late friend’s presence around me and in all the things that I do. I can still see his face as clear as day. He’s come to me in my dreams. I feel he’s living vicariously through me.”

Our best made plans pale in comparison to what God has planned for us.

“While I was a student at Hempstead Middle School, I had a girlfriend whose father had a limo company. He was hired by The Weather Girls, who had a huge disco hit, ‘It’s Raining Men.’ I absolutely loved Martha Wash’s voice and thought she was one of the best singers on the planet. It’s a coincidence that would echo years later when I began my music career. I began to get serious about music as a student at in high school, where I played drums in the International Art of Jazz Ensemble. The instructor was tough on me. He was one of those old-school guys who was really hard on students. I used to think he was picking on me, so one day I said, ‘I don’t think you’re being fair to me.’ He took me aside and said the reason he was so hard on me was he believed I had the talent to be a great R&B player!

“I went on to win a music scholarship to LIU Brooklyn. I worked the graveyard shift at UPS. One day, I was working at the conveyor belt when a record box fell out of one of the deliveries. It contained the 45 ‘Just Us’ by Two Tons O’ Fun; their backup singers became The Weather Girls. When the box broke, I saw that the 45 was an excess item in the package. I felt it was a sign of some sort, so I kept it. Not long after that, I got a phone call from the music director for Evelyn “Champagne” King, who needed a drummer for a performance by – you guessed it – The Weather Girls’ Martha Wash. As soon as we started rehearsing, it was like I was born to be her drummer. I went up to her and said, ‘I’ve loved you ever since I was in junior high school.’

“One day I was home; I remembered I had that record. I brought it to one of our performances, and she autographed it, ‘To City, thanks so much, love, Martha Wash.’ It’s framed and hanging on my wall at home. I continued to play drums for such legendary artists as Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire, Jeffrey Osborne, Tito Puente, Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington orchestras. I landed the role of Sam Cooke in the ‘Buddy Holly Story’ on Broadway, also played drums and upright bass in the production and met Paul McCartney, who owns the publishing rights to Holly’s song catalog. Our best made plans pale in comparison to what God has planned for us.”

I can make myself sound like Dr. King.

“My stepfather came into my life when I was young. He was a door-to-door salesman of Ebony magazine Black history encyclopedias and gave me a set, which I remember was about eight volumes. They were all mine. I could scribble my notes in them, rip out and save pages – and they were full of information we hardly ever got at school. They taught me about Crispus Attucks, the first American killed in the American Revolution; Frederick Douglass; the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Reading that encyclopedia gave me more of a diverse and inclusive education than a lot of my friends had.

“That early exposure to Black history has served me well as I’ve traveled as a performer abroad and across the United States. I’m the lead vocalist, percussionist and musical director for the City Sounds Music Ensemble, a nine-member group that also includes a bass, guitar, keyboard, sax and trumpet players, and two female singers. We are the unofficial artists in residence at the Elmont Memorial Library theater.

“The first show I put together there was themed ‘Love One Another Right Now,’ with songs from different eras on the subject of love. The library invited me back, and I kept coming up with other ideas for shows: ‘Soul Train Caboose,’ ‘Ain’t No Stopping Us Now’ and ‘MLK Is Still the Way,’ the latter performed with Town of Hempstead senior Councilwoman Dorothy L. Goosby. Mrs. Goosby read Dr. King’s ‘Letter From Birmingham Jail,’ and I acted it out. I am also an ordained Baptist minister, which makes it easier for me to emulate Dr. King, make myself sound like Dr. King and embody his spirit. Audiences are looking to be entertained, but when I recall what Dr. King went through in order just to bring about peace and equality, and how he died so violently, I feel a sense of real responsibility to educate as well as entertain and to show that African American history is American history. The Elmont public library has given me a platform to preserve African American culture one tune at a time. While every show I do for them is different, everything we do – pop, R&B, etc. – is an offshoot from the work songs the slaves used to sing. It’s America’s music, and it’s for everybody.”

‘I’ve had the good fortune to wander across six continents.’

Northport

“Always in search of exotic places and strange faces, I’ve had the good fortune to wander across six continents, from burning deserts to icy glacial mountains to the glories of the American West. It began in the back of my parents’ car on seemingly endless rides out east to the pine barrens and my grandparents’ summer place. I started to travel alone at 17; the first stunning views of the Adirondacks led to sensational others of the Alps, the Dolomites, the Taurus and Elburz, the Hindu Kush, the Rockies, Drakensberg and Andes ranges, to name a few. My grandfather traveled by steamboat across the Pacific to China in the early 1900s. I think inherited the gene DRD4-7R, aka the ‘wanderlust gene,’ from him.

“Setting out to go around the world at the age of 27, I made it through Europe, the Middle East and India before returning to Europe and settling in Denmark. I worked as a flight attendant for international airlines at the tail end of the glory days, which added glamor to my adventures and gave me 80 trips to Europe. Based in Africa for the hajj, flying Muslim pilgrims to Mecca, I came to know the magic and mystery of darkness and the importance of environmentalism. The powerful nights under blazing stars unspoiled by artificial light or electricity were astounding. It was the same out over the ocean deeps, watching icebergs bob in icy waters, or flying over the Sahara, gazing down on massive wind-carved dunes. The visuals were staggering, ravishing and rare.

“I came to realize what a collection of unique experiences and natural phenomena I had witnessed. I had my own travel company by then and led adventures to the rainforests of Central America and the Darwin research station in the Galapagos. My book, “Global: A Traveler’s Tales,” got consideration for a movie. It chronicles my journeys in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at a time when Americans were welcomed with open arms and political differences were far less significant. I’m still traveling. I have many more adventures planned, from Morocco and the Neolithic caves of France to Easter Island and a return to Australia and Oceania. I’m hoping my grandsons have the wanderlust gene.”

Interviewed by Jenna Kern – Rugile

‘It’s way better being an Islanders fan now than back in the day.’

Huntington

“I always wanted to work in hockey some way. I was never a good player. I’m not a general manager kind of person. I just couldn’t get a job working in hockey. This was the next best thing.

“My mom is the reason we’re here. Before she passed, she lived in this area. She called me and said the deli closed by the house, and I couldn’t believe it. At that time, I was working in the city and was looking to get away from that and the commute. So, I opened Blue Line Deli. We’re a regular deli; we just threw hockey into it.

“I did it for fun, hoping that other hockey fans would want to come in and talk about the sport. Ranger fans are welcome; plenty of them come in. Any team can come in and chirp. I didn’t expect this to become what it is, and the fact that it did is incredible.

“The Islanders community is a big family. Butch Goring, Brendan Burke, Shannon Hogan are in here all the time. Bobby Nystrom was here and handed me a jersey once. Jon Ledecky has been here a few times. Stan Fischler was here. He’s probably the most brilliant hockey mind I have ever met. He was here for a few hours talking about 1950s hockey. I have the groundbreaking shovel from when they broke ground for UBS Arena. That’s not something you can just go out and buy. It was a gift from the Islanders. That’s the most amazing part of this, getting to meet people who are like my heroes.

“I was one of the first people to sign up with UBS Arena. Big Chicken, which is Shaq’s restaurant, reached out to me and said they wanted to get a taste of New York involved somehow. They offered a pastrami sandwich, and that didn’t seem original. I offered the bagels to them and came up with a chicken sandwich on a blue-and-orange bagel. I ended up overnighting them bagels to Vegas, and they tried them, and then we worked out a deal to have these sandwiches at UBS Arena.

“It’s way better being an Islanders fan now than back in the day. They were amazing in the early ’80s, and it’s been not so great until about six years ago. Now they’re a competitive team. My generation has craved a winning team, a team that competes. We haven’t had that in forever. When they finally become this good, it makes all the bad years worthwhile.”

Interviewed by Tracey Cheek