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NBPAC Lecture Series: Culinary Conversations with Chef Rocco DiSpirito

Friday, March 14, 2025 @ 7:30pm



New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Join us for an inspiring evening with James Beard Award-winning American chef Rocco DiSpirito in a moderated interview by New Brunswick's own The Restaurant Guys, Mark Pascal and Francis Schott (Stage Left Steak and Catherine Lombardi)!  A portion of the ticket sales proceeds will benefit the Elijah's Promise - Promise Culinary School.  Limited VIP tickets are available, including preferred seating and a Meet & Greet / After-Party at Catherine Lombardi. Add an autographed cookbook to your ticket purchase (while supplies last).

 

About Rocco:  Chef Rocco DiSpirito is celebrated for his outstanding culinary skills, television personality, and authorship of fourteen cookbooks. Rocco was working globally in Paris, France and NYC alongside legendary chefs Gray Kunz, Dominique Cecillon and David Bouley by the age of 20. His restaurant, Union Pacific, received three-stars from The New York Times. DiSpirito appears on shows like, “Top Chef”, “Rocco’s Dinner Party,” and his time spent on “Guy’s Grocery Games” and “Tournament of Champions” both as a judge and contestant earned him top prize. His cookbooks, “Everyday Delicious”, “Now Eat This!” “Pound a Day Diet,” and “The Negative Calorie Diet,” reflect his dedication to living a healthy lifestyle and making nutritious food accessible to everyone. His book “Flavor,” earned him a James Beard award. Rocco has been featured in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and Gourmet and on The Today Show, GMA, Oprah and more. Rocco has been advocating on behalf of missions for City Harvest, Downtown Alliance, Health Corps, God’s Love We Deliver, Feeding America and more.  Rocco currently lives in New York City with his family and two Shiba Inu. Connect with Chef Rocco on his WebsiteInstagram and Facebook pages.

About The Restaurant Guys: Mark Pascal and Francis Schott are possibly the original food podcasters. They started interviewing the most interesting people in Food, Wine, and The Finer Things in Life at the dawn of podcasting in 2005.  After 8 years they took a break from 2013 until just last year. Jacques Pepin helped The Restaurant Guys Podcast relaunch in July of 2024. They are now downloaded in 70 countries and host extraordinary culinary guests every week. This will be the first Restaurant Guys Podcast recorded in front of a live audience.

Mark and Francis are two of New Brunswick's own. They have operated Stage Left Steak and Catherine Lombardi Restaurants right next to NBPAC since the 1990s.




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EVENT PREVIEWS

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- This spring, Arden Children's Theatre invites families into a hilariously twisted world where classic fairy tales don't go quite as expected in its next production of the 2025/26 season, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (The Stinky Cheese Man). Based on the beloved book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, adapted by John Glore, the production brings the book's fractured fairy tales to life for kids and adults alike. Directed by Steve Pacek, the production runs on the Arden’s Arcadia stage with previews starting April 8, opening night on April 18, with performances running through May 31.



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Haddon Township to Hold 4th Annual String Band Parade

(HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- The Camden County Board of Commissioners, along with Haddon Township, invites residents and visitors to the fourth annual String Band Parade down Haddon Ave, featuring the Philadelphia Mummers String Bands on Saturday, May 30, 2026 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. (note: it was rescheduled from April 25th due to the weather)



Hitchcock

Hitchcock Meets Hilarious: Bergen County Players presents "The 39 Steps"

(ORADELL, NJ) -- Fresh off being named the top live music or theater venue by 201 Magazine's "Best of Bergen" readers, Bergen County Players (BCP) invites audiences to brace themselves for a whirlwind of espionage and outrageous comedy with the Tony Award-winning The 39 Steps, which runs weekends from May 2-31, 2026. Directed by BCP life member Steve Bell, this breakneck adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film classic blends film noir suspense with Monty Python-style absurdity.



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McCarter Theatre Center presents "Mrs. Christie" - a new comedy-mystery by Heidi Armbruster

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center presents Mrs. Christie, a witty new comedy-mystery by Heidi Armbruster, from May 6–31, 2026. The production is directed by BOLD Associate Artistic Director Donya K. Washington in her McCarter directorial debut.



The

The Barn Theatre presents Monty Python's "Spamalot"

(MONTVILLE, NJ) -- The Barn Theatre presents Monty Python's Spamalot weekends from May 15 through June 6, 2026. King Arthur's legendary quest for the Holy Grail gets a hilarious twist in this uproarious musical, lovingly ripped from the 1975 classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail.












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