BUZZWORTHYTo be considered
for Buzzworthy , contact Cindy Schweich Handler at handler @ northjersey . com
Montclair
TASTYMENU MIX-UPS
Montclair diners might be forgiven for being alittle confused . Not only are new restaurants popping upall over town atthe locations of former favorites , but chefs ’ signature creations are appearing on the menus of competing restaurants . At Fascino , for example , diners have been delighted by anew special appetizer , BEEF TATAKI , that appeared on the menu earlier this month . But they might be surprised tolearn that it was created , not by Fascino ’ s chef-owner Ryan DePersio , but by AJ Capella , the culinarian behind the Ani Ramen brand , and its Montclair location just afew blocks up Bloomfield Avenue . Likewise , there ’ s apopular new appetizer called Amalfi Shrimp Toast at Ani Ramen that was created by DePersio of Fascino . “ Collaborating is agood way for me to get creating and think up something that is not on any menu ,” says Capella . And it ’ sfun . “ We ’ re all friends , and it ’ s nice to hang out together in the restaurant for aday ,” he says .
— JULIA MARTIN
Montclair
LEGENDARYCOACH REMEMBERED IN DOCUMENTARY
Howard Finney III , who founded the Montclair Cobras Junior Athletic program in 1969 , will have his story immortalized in the documentary KING COBRA , which is in the early stages of production . The film is being co-produced by Montclair ’ s Jeremy Pholwattana , Neil Grabowsky and David Tyree . As aNYGiant , Tyree made one of the more memorable Super Bowl-winning catches — 2008 ’ s “ helmet catch ” — but he is not alone among the Cobra players who excelled on the field and appear in the film . Among them are these former Cobras-turned-professionals : Quintus McDonald , Sean Jones , Larry Doby Jr . and Dale Berra , aswell as Tyree . The film will be narrated by actor John Amos .
Finney started the Montclair Cobra organization after discovering that there was no youth / junior football program in Montclair where his son could play ; the famed team would score 400 wins over the next four decades . In 2016 , when he officially retired , the Township Council honored him by renaming the northern section of Edgemont Park , known as the Meadow Field , the “ Howard Finney III Field .”
— CINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER
CHEFS : COURTESY OF JEFFREY ELKASHAB ; TYREE-COURTESY OF JEREMY PHOLWATTANA
4 MAY 2023 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE