This is the first of a two part conversation I recorded with my friend, Tess Collins in her home in Albany. Tess has been one the most community active, loved and generous people in the hospitality industry in New York's Capital Area for over 30 years and she's still going strong. We get into her start our time running Justin's on Lark together and changing the Capital restaurant scene, and her move to owning her own bar. There was too much for one podcast discussed so next week we will return with the last 15 years of her life including the burning down of her bar, reviving a strip club and getting to exert power over the most powerful in Albany!
The recipe of the week is one of Tess's faves of mine. LOBSTER -PEACH QUESADILLA!
I finish with the song Slow Poison from the band, Moby Dicks that I was in while I worked with her at Justin's. The song is recorded on 4 track cassette.
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ONE MILLION STRINGBEANS
Who is Ric Orlando anyway?
"I've cooked one million string beans. And the beat goes on. It's better to have one enduring hit than none."
Hudson Valley, NY, United States
Chef Ric Orlando has been making culinary waves for over 25 years, rocking the roots of the Hudson Valley and Albany Food scene by bringing Global Comfort Food and Farm to Table together since 1989 — Ric's lusty take on global cuisines, renowned cooking prowess, and rock n roll pedigree have earned him a reputation as one of the Hudson Valley's most iconic spokespeople.
Ric hit the national circuit on the Food Network's popular CHOPPED, winning on his first episode "Wok this Way" and winning againin the playoff episode of the first Chopped Champions, leading up to the unprecedented $50K finale where he finally was chopped during the 50K finale, like Ned Kelly in the Iron Suit, by overcooking his damned Wild Boar. He also whooped Bobby Flay in the episode It's A Family Secret with his L.E.S. Hanukkah Latkes.
Ric is a regular on Northeast Public Radio's Food Friday, is a Hannaford Supermarket Chef partner and a regular source for food writers throughout the northeast. Before becoming a restauranteur, he worked at the legendary Harvest Restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, The Wild Goose and the European in Boston, Sugar Reef in Manhattan; and cooked in the kitchens of Bob Kinkead, Jake Jacobus and Emmett Fox.
He has written, guitared and sang for New Haven's Hot Bodies (1978-80) and TV Neats (1980-81), and Boston's psychedelic funksters (1982-88) SKIN and currently plays in a retro garage punk band called RIC THE CHEF with the legenday Andy Shernoff of the Dictators, Spike Priggen and Doug Wygal.