Start Your Day off with La Dolce Vita- Marcello Recommends: Casa Lever Restaurant on Park Ave

Location, location, location! When you have to give someone from Jersey directions and they end with something like, “right next to Park Avenue and 5th,”  life is indeed sweet.    When Penelope Cruz wants to entertain guests like Madonna and your restaurant is chosen , you might be on to something.   When you can combine classic Milanese dishes with cordial hospitality and then adorn your stylish interior with original Warhols for good measure… the result is Casa Lever, a comfortably-chic restaurant that recently added gourmet breakfast selections to their daily offerings.

Since Lever gets their pastries and breads directly from Sant Ambroeus, I did extra laps in the pool the day before our visit so my carbohydrate/caloric intake-guilt wouldn’t spoil the morning’s indulgence. 

The sumptuous feast consisted of a tomato, mozzarella and basil panini, an apple-filled croissant, a plain croissant with assorted jellies for a warm-up, then an order of raisin brioche french toast  with creme anglaise and  raspberry & blueberry slices plus a side of niman ranch smoked bacon for the meal.  All of the above nicely complimented by 2 cups of  tea and a glass of orange-carrot juice blend.   Delicious!

My dining mates were good friends, colleagues and fellow fitness enthusiasts. (Kudos and congrats to Jay Simms from Chicago who ran the Philly marathon last weekend and qualified for Boston...  pretty much the holy grail of all 26.2 challenges.)  Visiting with his lovely wife, Tamara (who was celebrating her birthday with a week of Broadway), Jay ordered some of Lever’s healthier options along with a familiar face to the MMP readers, Mike Walter.

They enjoyed the Golden Granola with yogurt, (organic oates, honey, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cashews, pumpkin seeds and coconut), the Uova al Tegamino, (sunny-side up organic eggs, crispy applewood bacon and crostini), and Uova Tirolese,  (poached egg, hollandaise sauce, tirolian speck and spinach).  They were very pleased with their meals as well.

We drove in and found a convenient parking garage right up the block.  After breakfast and some of the best shopping in the world-  Radio City Music Hall and the likes of Rockefeller Center are just a short (people-watchers dream) walk away.

So whether you are just waking up and don’t feel like preparing a gourmet breakfast, looking for an impressive table to do some serious business over lunch or are in need of a meeting location with panache (there is a semi-private area in the back of the restaurant that features a drop-down screen and can accommodate up to 20 people),  or are fortunate to be celebrating a special occasion with discerning dinner guests… Casa Lever should be on your dolce vita-radar.  -mp

390 Park Avenue at 53rd,  New York City, NY 10022 (on facebook)

Contact:  Robin Gustafsson, @ 212-888-2700 or

Debbie Pettersson, @ 212-207-6680  ext. 151

Jackpot: The Wedding MBA Sends Every Attendee Home from Las Vegas a Winner- Mike Walter & Marcello Pedalino Come Up Aces

It’s nice when something lives up to the hype.    I’ve been hearing about the Wedding MBA for a few years…  things like, “It’s THE convention to go to if you are a wedding professional,” and “the seminars are above and beyond what you’ll find at your typical wedding industry gathering,” and “hold on to your notebooks, laptops and iPads… you’ll be taking lots of notes from some of the most successful special event gurus in the bridal business.”  The Wedding MBA delivered.

After 2 and 1/2 days of presentations from the likes of Sonny Ganguly & Tim Chi from Wedding Wire, Tammy Elliot & Susan Southerland from The Perfect Wedding Guide, Carly Roney and Alan Berg from The Knot, Julia Markel from the Association for Wedding Professionals International, Andy Ebon from The Wedding Marketing Network and Peter Merry, the author of The Best Wedding Reception Ever,  I’m exhausted and my brain hurts a little.

There was barley enough time to squeeze in a few runs at sunrise and barely enough energy left over at night for some additional networking, but I’ve got at least 10 new ideas to share with our brides and 5 new concepts to implement into MMP’s 2011 business plan so it’s all good.   After speaking with many of the 1500 attendees, they all seemed to share the same sentiments.

Social Media was definitely the “it” phrase of the week.  You couldn’t go more than 15 minutes without hearing someone mention a possible tip or tweak for utilizing Facebook, Twitter, blogging or youtube marketing for SEO and staying connected to the e-universe we live in now. If you’d like to have your mind blown, check out this video clip that Sonny shared with the crowd about sixth sense technology.  We all had to pick our jaws up off of the floor.

Another golden nugget was the universal message from The Knot’s editor in chief, Carly Roney.  She said that “many brides and grooms now value personal expression more than tradition.”

The celebrate life team here at MMP Entertainment is happy to incorporate your unique personalities and preferences into your once-in-a-lifetime reception.

Speaking of personalities, you can visit Susan Sutherland’s bountiful site and discover her secret survey offering…  take this quiz and figure out what type of bride you are. It will help us enhance your wedding planning experience by understanding your planning personality. Susan was really dialed-in to the wedding industry and offered valuable insight into the psychology of  today’s bride.

The convention rock stars were hard to miss as they each made several guest appearances and gave multiple seminars. Andy, Alan, Sonny and Peter always had a crowd around them in the halls asking for additional advice, photos for their wall and autographs of their books.

I was very happy to see that all of my friend’s and colleague’s  hard work and dedication to their craft was being recognized.

I’m also happy to report that our presentation, “Take Care Of Yourself,” was very well received . Mike Walter and I, as the new kids on the block at this gathering, spoke about the importance of a Health and Wellness program for the 21st century entrepreneur.

We shared our philosophies and offered solutions on common personal and professional challenges like time management, prioritization, diet, exercise, dolce far niente and overall life balance.  In essence, if you take better care of yourself, you can take better care of your clients.  And if you take better care of your team, you’ll be taking better care of your bottom line.

Special thanks to Dr. Drax from the ADJA for the sponsorship and support, to Will & Patti Hegarty and Shannon Underwood from the Wedding Merchants Business Academy for producing  such a monumental event, to Ron Brown for his production assistance, to Sonny Gallardo for transportation, and to Liz Daley, for sharing a few of her photos for this entry.

... a quick mention to a few of the several hundred new friends and wedding professionals  that I met while attending the WMBA…

Jean-Loup Bitterlin from Casa De Los Siete Patios in Mexico, Rachael Citron and Heather Balczarek from Glass Slipper Weddings in New Jersey, Jose Betancourt Jr. from Junior’s Band Orchestra in Florida, Olga Goddard from My Favorite Flowers in Utah, Carmen Hocking from A Beautiful Wedding in Kansas, Marc Conneely from Wedding TV in London, Kathi Evans from All The Best Celebrations in New Jersey,  Jody and Tammy Maxx from Music to the Maxx in Texas,  Patrick Kelly from I Do Appointments in Oklahoma, Ali Berberich from The Blue Angel Cafe in California, Eric Goldschmidt from Eventurous in Ohio, Doug Rice from Bridalicious in Texas and Pete Miller from Speaker Coach… who came all the way from Australia!!!

The 2010 Wedding MBA Conference In Las Vegas Confirms Mike Walter and Marcello Pedalino to Join the All Star Line Up of Featured Speakers: 9/20 – 9/23

By:  the MMP Wire Staff –  Las Vegas Convention Center, Nevada

The logistics have been worked out and the scheduling details have been finalized, Mike Walter and Marcello Pedalino have been added to the list of notable industry presenters at the Wedding MBA for Wednesday, September 22, at 4pm.

The 7th Annual Wedding Merchants Business Academy Conference will feature 3 days of presentations from well known bridal-biz superstars like Timothy Chi from WeddingWire.com, David Katz from Conde Nast, Amy Wilkens from Martha Stewart Weddings, Alan Berg from the Knot, Andy Ebon from the Wedding Marketing Network and Peter Merry, author of the Best Wedding Reception Ever.

Walter and Pedalino’s seminar, “It’s All About You!… Seriously.  How To Take Better Care of Yourself So You Can Take Better Care of Your Bride,” will focus on the benefits of health and wellness as a peak performer and a wedding professional.

Like the other presenters at the Wedding MBA, Mike and Marcello will share some of their secrets to success as well as some underestimated lifestyle habits that are paramount for longevity in the special events industry.

Special thanks to the ADJA for the national endorsement and continued support.

If you will be attending the conference but haven’t signed up yet, the Wedding MBA has offered all of MMP’s loyal readers a $100 discount on their registration fee.

Never Give Up: Alex Federico

In case you haven’t noticed all the positive themes here in The Sunshine Club, we Celebrate Life,  Love, Laughter, Inspiration, Achievement; on days like today….we Celebrate Results.

My good friend and frequent Sunshine Club contributor, Mike Walter, often says… “There’s two things you can make in life: results, or excuses.”

My new friend, Alex Federico, is all about the results…   Even though the odds were stacked high against the successful entrepreneur, (owning 22 ice cream trucks), he took control and made it happen.  Breaking up with his girlfriend also proved to be a powerful motivator.

Could you imagine yourself being 100 pounds heavier than you are right now? Alex can, because he was.  Last May, he weighed in at 296 lbs. If he didn’t show me this photo from a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed him either.  Today, ‘the new’ Alex weighs in at about 200. If pictures are worth a thousand words, feel free to look at these ‘after’ shots and write a few of your own in the comment section below.    I’ll start…  1) Wow! 2) Holy lifestyle intervention Batman! 3) I’m proud to be Italian.

Like our other dynamic guests here in the Sunshine Club, Alex was kind enough to share his success story and sage advice with all of MMP’s readers.   Enjoy!

mp: I’m always curious about the “trigger.”  Describe the moment you decided to change your life.

AF: “Believe it or not, the quest to lose weight began the day after me and my ex-girlfriend of 6 years broke up.  May 9, 2009, I joined the gym and weighed in at 296lbs with 24% body fat.  Today, I weigh somewhere in the area of 200 lbs. and maintain a body fat percentage of well under 10%.”

mp: What adjustments did you make to your diet, lifestyle, etc.?

AF: “My lifestyle has not seen very many drastic changes in the way of dieting- mainly because I don’t diet.  I eat whatever I want but I am just extremely conscious of portion control and the times at which I eat.  I have a saying that I tell everyone looking to lose weight: “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.” I do however workout for about an hour a day at 5am before I go to work with p90x, which is largely responsible for a majority of my weight loss.”

mp: Tell me more about the ice cream venture.

AF: “I started my ice cream truck business when I was 18 years old with one truck; currently I own 22 and have exclusive distribution rights to several large venues and park systems throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties.  Over the last 7 years of business, I have had extreme highs and dramatic lows but still manage to maintain order amongst chaos currently employing a little over 40 employees and managing about 30 or so national accounts. Although the ice cream business has been good to me over the years it is time to move on.  At the conclusion of the 2010 season I will be putting the ‘for sale’ sign on the door and moving on to my next venture in life which will be joining the family business out in Staten Island.“

mp: Now that you’ve dropped the weight, what goals are you currently working towards?

AF: “My personal goal since I was 18 has been to purchase a home by the time I’m 25. I am currently under contract and scheduled to close July 31, 2010 on a condo in Red Bank, NJ.  In business,  although the recent focus has been redirected from the ice cream industry to the family business which is plumbing supplies,  my goal  has always been to strive to lead the industry in sales and my goals shall remain the same as my career transition begins this fall.”

mp: When people see your photos, they’ll want to know what you learned throughout your journey.  What advice would you give them?

AF: “I’ve been offering the same advice to everyone I run into over the past few years in business, life and now in fitness.  Write down your goals and NEVER, no matter what anyone else says, GIVE UP!!!”

Thanks Alex, the Celebrate Life Team wishes you continued health, happiness and success.

Special thanks to my good friend, Gabe Savarese, for introducing me to Alex a few weeks ago.  He told me about Alex’s story and set up a quick lunch down the shore.  Gabe told me that in addition to Alex having a great story to tell, he was an awesome cook as well.   A few weeks later, Alex invited us both back to his beach house for a delicious barbeque lunch.   Life is good. 

Marcello Pedalino is a 3-time National DJ of the Year, ADJA Leadership Award Recipient and Health and Wellness enthusiast who believes that life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated.

If you have a Sunshine Club story you’d like to  share or know a person who should be on our radar, please submit an e-mail, photo or link for consideration.

Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul

It’s not often that you get a 60 degree sunny day at the end of November.  Today, mother nature was on our side for the Navesink River Challenge, a scenic 9.3 mile run in Ocean County, NJ.

The course was uncharacteristically hilly for the Jersey Shore.  I’m glad that I’ve been doing resistance training, core circuits, and swimming at the gym…otherwise, it wouldn’t have been pretty.

A shout out to Mike, who used today’s race as a springboard to get back on track to doing ’50 in 50 by 50.’ (50 marathons in 50 states by 50 years old)  He’s currently at 14 and recovering from an Achilles’ heel surgery.   Run, Forrest, Run! Special mention also goes out to my friend, Jake, who has transformed his body over the past year by using the P90X system. He looks like a Navy Seal.  Hoorah Master Chief!

Speaking of great movies, I probably got the coolest race tag number that was available, 300. The Spirit of the Spartan warriors was with me the whole time.

In addition to sunshine, fresh air and great company, the highlight of the day for me came at the end of the race.  Just past the typical bagels, bananas and other ho-hum post-race culinary swag: rows of steaming cups adorned the table.  It was chicken noodle soup! Even if it wasn’t as good as mom’s, it was the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had after running  almost ten miles on a brisk Sunday morning.   Yummy.

Life is good. 

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