Turning 47 Tomorrow

Birthdays always seem to make you think about your past. Where you've been, how far you've come. What you've accomplished, what's you've failed to achieve.

This year is 2010 and I thought I'd look back at myself over the past four decades, starting in 1970.

In 1970



I was a skinny young immigrant kid, fresh off the plane from Jamaica W.I., living with my parents in Rochester, NY. My dream was to become a big time automobile designer for GM or Ford. My dad had been a carpenter back in Jamaica, so I was always into building things.

By 1980



I was living in Columbia, MD, preparing to depart for college at Stanford University to study Industrial Engineering. By them my dream was to work in the entertainment business. Since coming to the US in 1970, I'd become obsessed with American pop culture, especially television. I majored in Engineering to make my mother happy and because I truly do enjoy science.

In 1990



my TV dreams began to be realized when in April of that year I began working for the Disney Channel TV network in New York City.

By 2000



I'd been in the TV business for over 10 years and was working for Food Network. It's better to be lucky than good, and coming to Food Network was certainly a lucky break as its success has led to my great current job with Cooking Channel.

As we move through 2010



my only regret is that I wasn't so vain about my weight and could allow myself to really chow down on all the great food I'm surrounded with at Food Network and Cooking Channel :)

One lesson I've learned over the years is that the more consistently you show up, the better your chances of having good things happen to you. Sometimes, just hanging in there can take you to surprising heights.

Savoy Magazine

When I was a kid in the 70s I used to read all the top 100 lists in magazines like Ebony and Black Enterprise and I was inspired by the professionals of color who fought through the incredible barriers of the day to gain some influence in the business world. They paved a road that's made it much easier today for people like me to be on similar lists today.

They started us all down a road to where one day the truly exceptional thing in the term "successful black person" will not be the "black", but "successful". I'm honored to walk that road.

O Canada - part 2

The second and third days of my Canada trip were spent in Toronto, a much newer looking and feeling city than Montreal. Below is a shot of the South African War Memorial in downtown Toronto commemorating Canada's participation in the infamous Second Boer War of 1899-1902 between the British and Dutch.



First we had lunch at Nota Bene with French Food at Home




host Laura Calder,



a really intriguing woman with an impressive personal story.


Later in the day we had dinner at One restaurant with David Rocco and his wife Nina,



who both work on David's Italian cooking and travel show La Dolce Vita.



I enjoyed a wonderful entree


of Orecchiette with merguez sausage, tomato, chili and labneh.


The next day we had breakfast as the Fairmont Hotel where we met up with Roger Mooking (2nd from left),



host of Everyday Exotic,



who like me has Caribbean roots (he's from Trinidad) and lived his early life in Edmonton Alberta (I was born in nearby Red Deer Alberta).

O Canada - part 1

This week I returned to the country of my birth for the first time in nearly 30 years. I went to Montreal and Toronto to meet with some of Canada's biggest food television stars.

Montreal is a picturesque old city that feels like France. We stayed in Old Montreal near the Notre-Dame Basilica (on right) which was built in 1829.



We met with Chuck Hughes, host of Chuck's Day Off,



who owns and is head chef at Garde Manger, one of the hottest restaurants in Montreal



Earlier in the day, Chuck's show producer Anne Marie Withenshaw, herself a popular TV presenter,



took me on a whirlwind tour on Montreal's best food stops, including the Jean Talon Market



and La Maison du Bagel



home of Montreal's most famous food specialty, the St. Viateur bagel.

South Beach Wine and Food 2010 - Part 3

So after sleeping in, the next day began in the late afternoon with a visit the Grand Tasting village on the beach



which featured great food and appearances by Food Network stars like the Neely's.



Then it was Cocktail Time with Sandra Lee at the legendary Versace Mansion.



Followed by a 2nd round of cocktails at the Ritz Carlton with Food Network stars including Claire Robinson and our top advertisers.



The night wrapped up with a lovely dinner at the Temple House, the largest single family residence in Miami Beach. The dining room is bigger than most US homes.



The dinner party decor was spectacular, especially the glowing table.



Among the guests were Next Iron Chef winner Jose Garces and his lovely wife Beatriz. Beatriz shared her incredible story of escaping the horrors of Castro's Cuba in 1994 for a better life in the US.



All in all, a very enjoyable three days in Miami.

South Beach Wine and Food 2010 - Part 2

The next day I was up early for a breafast with our advertisers followed by a lunchtime boat cruise featuring Food Network Star Melissa D'Arabian.


Then it was back to my favorite Miami Beach hotel, The Alexander, for a quick ocean afternoon nap.



When night fell it was time for the Bubble Q party.



Featuring a very acrobatic champagne server.



I closed the night with the AMEX VIP after party which lasted till 3AM.

South Beach Wine and Food 2010 - Part 1

I left for the 9th edition of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival the same day the worst snow storm of the season started. Most of the flights out of Newark airport were canceled, except for my flight to Miami.


Despite the heavy snow, our plane departed and within a few hours I was at the Rachael Ray Burger Bash



enjoying sliders from Iron Chef Morimoto.



Several burgers later I was off to the Food Network VIP After Party.



The party felt really special. Food Network has birthed so many TV stars that when we get them all together at a single event it feels like a Hollywood soiree. Current FN A-lister Guy Fieri shared the love with hit newcomer Marcella Valadolid.