30 Under 30 (Zagat)

Over the last few months, I've had the immense pleasure of working on a project for Zagat that features 30 local restaurant industry folks under the age of 30 who are all doing great things. (I wrote a bio about each honoree and took photographs of ten of them who didn't have recent headshots.) From a food truck owner to the general manager of one of Boston's most high-end restaurants to bar managers honing the craft cocktail scene, the list represents a wide variety of fun, interesting, and talented young people.

Last night, Zagat held an event at the Boston Public Library to announce all of the honorees, and I had the opportunity to do a live broadcast where I spoke with a Zagat blogger from New York about the people on the list, their restaurants, and the Boston food scene in general. Here's the footage, in which I spend some time talking and a lot of time standing awkwardly, kind of able to hear what's going on from the simultaneous broadcast on the other side of the room. It was a little nerve-wracking; while I love performing and acting, it's kind of terrifying to do unscripted things!



It ended up being really fun, though, and I was glad to be able to get in a few mentions of some of my favorite spots that weren't represented on the list, like 3 Little Figs and Highland Kitchen.

And here are some of my favorite outtakes from the photo shoots with some of the honorees:

Jason Kilgore, Beverage Manager, Catalyst

Kurt Gurdal, General Manager, Formaggio Kitchen

Marcos Sanchez, Executive Chef, Tres Gatos 

Selena Donovan, Restaurant Manager, Towne Stove & Spirits

Meredith Devinney, General Manager, Menton

Mike Smith, Chef de Cuisine, Toro

Patrick Gaggiano, General Manager, Trina's Starlite Lounge and Parlor Sports

Samuel Monsour, Executive Chef, jm Curley