buzzworthy
Montclair
POLICE OFFICER HONORED
Montclair Police Officer SCOTT McGRATH was honored at a recent Township Council meeting for his heroics in saving a man ’ s life in West Orangelast fall .
While off duty and driving with his wife and two children on Eagle Rock Avenue inWest Orange in October , McGrath noticed a vehicle with its hazards on and causing a traffic jam . McGrath pulled over and found Michelle Moriarty desperately seeking help for her friend , James Brown .
Brown was limp and unresponsive in the front passenger seat . McGrath instantly started lifesaving measures , performing CPR on the man for three to five minutes until he started to showsigns of improvement .
McGrath coordinated with West Orange 911 , and aWest Orange officer arrived on the scene and took over CPR while McGrath assisted . Medics arrived and used an AED on Brown before he was rushed to a hospital .
“ Officer Scott McGrath ’ s quick thinking , courage and unwavering dedication to the well-being of our community exemplify the highest standards of servicewe upholdat the Montclair Police Department . Hisheroic actions off duty showcase the true essence of a public servant ,” says Police Chief Todd Conforti .
Three daysafter the incident , McGrath got word that Brown was completely off a respirator , showed no signs of brain damage and had feeling in all his extremities . Itisbelieved Brown hadsuffered amassive heart attack .
“ Weextend our deepestgratitude to Officer ScottMcGrath for hisquick thinking , decisive action and unwavering dedication to the safety and wellbeing of our community members ,” says Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller .
“ We are immensely proud to have officers likeMcGrath on our force , embodying the values of compassion , professionalismand selflessness that define our commitment to thesafety and welfareof the residents we serve ,” says Conforti .
— JOHNCONNOLLY
Montclair
YOUNG CHEF TO WATCH
Beinga chef is hard enough , but being an executive chef , restaurant owner and entrepreneur is even harder . LOGAN RAMIREZ ( who co-owns Gioia Mia with his girlfriend Mary Cumella ), however , juggles all three titles with ease .
Born in Jersey City , the 27-year-old restaurateur has been working with food since he was tall enough to reach the stove . As a kid , his mother put him to work cleaning shrimp , peeling vegetables and — ofcourse — washing dishes . Whenhe was a teenager , hedidn ’ t have the monetarysupply to purchase groceries , thus requiring him to get creative in his parents kitchen .
“ Being a young teenager without income , I was forced to use whateverIhad in thepantry to cook ,” Ramirez says . “ So , as I got older , Iwould experiment withthe ingredientsin the cabinet , and that really worked out in my favor to help meunlock my creativity .”
Onceanadult , Ramirez tradedhis household stoves forthe front lines of some of Jersey ’ stop restaurants . Likemany skilled cooks , he attended culinaryschool , but the young professional learned much of what he knows now from chefs he ’ sworked with in the past , to whom he “ gives all the credit .”
One of those aforementioned include Ryan DePersio , the acclaimed Jersey restaurateur behind Kitchen Step , Battelloand the nowshuttered Fascino ( where Ramirez was given the title of Chef de Cuisine at only 25 ).
Today , Ramirez is thrilled to have his own restaurant , Gioia Mia , which he opened at the tender ageof 26 in the place ofthe aforementioned Fascino .
Serving dishes from Braised Duck and Taleggio Triangoli to an incredible Heritage Pork Chop with bacon , thechefinfuses traditional European cuisine with modern New American style , using his learned creativity to survive — and thrive — in North Jersey ’ s mostcompetitivefoodcity .
— KARA VANDOOIJEWEERT
MCGRATH : COURTESY OF TOWNSHIP OFMONTCLAIR ; RAMIREZ : DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN
6 SPRING 2024 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE