MARIANI’S

Virtual Gourmet


  March 7,  2021                                                                                            NEWSLETTER



Founded in 1996 

ARCHIVE


The T.H. Buckley Lunch Wagon, Providence, RI, 1898


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IN THIS ISSUE
WHEN COVID ENDS, HOW NOT
TO GET SICK WHILE TRAVELING

By John Mariani

NEW YORK CORNER
LOVE AND PIZZA
CHAPTER 50

By John Mariani


NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
WINES FOR LATE WINTER
OR MAYBE EARLY SPRING
By John Mariani




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On this week's episode of my WVOX Radio Show "Almost Golden," on Wed. March 10 at 11AM EST,I will be interviewing Jeffrey Sussman on his book Gangsters of NYC. Go to: WVOX.com. The episode will also be archived at: almostgolden.







On the next video episode of Celebrating Act 2 on March 10, I will be speaking with hosts John Coleman and Art Kirsch about FAVORITE DINING DESTINATIONS ON MY BUCKET LIST AFTER COVID:
Go to: CA2.
 



WHEN COVID ENDS, HOW NOT
TO GET SICK WHILE TRAVELING

By John Mariani



         Eating what TV omnivore Andrew Zimmern (below) put in his mouth on the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods” each week, like giant sea squirt, coral worms and rectum sausage, was once the hapless lot—though never the intent—of 19th century adventurers like Sir Richard Burton, who while trekking from Zanzibar into the Congo would have given anything for some good British beef and Yorkshire pudding.
         Travelers’ illnesses can lay low, even kill, guys who count themselves manly, if they gulp down stinky tofu in Taipei or maggots in the Yucatan.  But Ernest Hemingway would have shot anyone on safari who suggested he drink the blood of a water buffalo.
         It’s bad enough just dealing with unwashed lettuce in a salad in Tijuana, much less shrimp pulled up from the putrid rivers of Phnom Penh. And you can just as easily come down with Delhi Belly in Mumbai as you can Montezuma’s Revenge in Mexico City.       
    
You’re never going to escape it entirely, not on the Champs Élysées or the Via Veneto, though you can take precautions by watching out for certain foods that have a greater chance of bringing you to your knees, talking to Ralph on the big white phone.

         And now that it appears we might be beating back the Covid scourge and countries are lifting their travel bans, Americans are starting to make travel plans again. The basic problem is that if you grew up in the U.S., no matter how healthy your are, you haven’t developed defenses against all exotic bacteria.  The stress of travel, the different schedules and missed routines can compromise your immune system so that you’re ripe to pick up bacteria from something as innocent-looking as a stalk of celery. Even a cold, uncooked soup like gazpacho can mean trouble.
         And because it’s impossible to know what the animal you intend to eat was eating before it got to you, odd species like snake and rats are not to be trifled with.
         Next problem is how the food was handled, even in the finest restaurants.  Hell, 67 out of 78 people dining at Noma in Copenhagen, considered by some the best restaurant in the world, got food poisoning one night.  But the odds stacked against you really mount in street foods, especially when running water is not always readily available.  I recall being in the day market in Bangkok in 90-degree heat where vendors displayed meat and even fish without any refrigeration or ice in the stalls.
         Processed foods out of China and Thailand have become so problematic—sometimes what the package says, like beef, isn’t even what’s inside—that many Chinese markets and restaurants in America refuse to buy ingredients from Asia and proclaim that on their menus.
         Still, there are specific foods that are in varying degrees risky. Here are a few I (mostly) stay away from in foreign countries.  Manly man that I am, I can live without ever eating Mexican monkey’s brains or Malaysian ants.  And probably live longer.
    Raw shellfish—However proud an Osaka sushi chef is of the pristine quality of his raw seafood, shellfish, which are bottom feeders, pick up a lot of nasty bacteria, and if uncooked, they can easily be transferred to you.  Cooking them should kill most of the bacteria, and the fish used for sashimi is pretty safe.  But eating raw oysters or mussels anywhere can be hazardous. Oyster-causing hepatitis can be a killer that destroys your liver (and thereby your ability to drink alcohol). You can also get a tapeworm from eating contaminated raw meat.
    Wild game—Next time you enjoy a nice haunch of venison at a restaurant in the U.S., rest assured it came—by law—from an inspected game farm.  Wild game, even trout from crystalline Alaskan rivers, may contain bad-ass bacteria, and before you eat what you kill in the wild, you’d better be damn sure the animal was healthy.  If you do see “wild game” on a menu, then it was most probably venison or grouse that was shot in Scotland and approved for sale by a game inspector. One of the best, most reliable sources for wild game is D’Artagnan Foods, which imports inspected foods including Scottish pheasant, redlegged partridge, grouse and wood pigeon. 
        Every guidebook to a foreign country stresses not eating unwashed, uncooked vegetables and fruits.  And too many people have done so anyway at their peril and ended up sick as a dog from salmonella,  Cyclospora, campylobacter, and more.  You can wash and scrub and peel raw fruits and vegetables and remove the outer bacteria, but that won’t kill what’s inside. Boiling and cooking is more advisable. And watch out for desserts, too, that may have raw fruit in or around them. Order a nice slice of baked apple pie instead.
        Some Americans still harbor an irrational fear about eating pork that has not been cooked to shoe leather, supposedly to kill off the trichinosis larvae. The fact is, there are fewer than twenty reported cases of trichinosis in the U.S. each year, and all of them come from eating wild game, including wild hog.  Hog production in the U.S. is extremely hygienic, so cooking your pig till pink is just fine. In the rest of the world, however, particularly in Third World countries, such hygiene is not standard practice, so only eat pork there that has been thoroughly cooked through to 160 degrees F.  Of course, how would you know?
        Bet you didn't know that half of all egg-related illnesses, mainly salmonella, are picked up in restaurants, including in the U.S.  The problem is in the chicken that lays them, not the shell itself, though this should be thoroughly washed, something that cannot be counted on abroad, where a freshly laid egg is cherished. That means no Caesar salads abroad and no steak tartar with a raw egg in it.  Forget the raw steak too.
        It used to be advised when traveling abroad not to drink the water, even in Europe.  But this has largely become irrelevant if you’re staying in most modern cities like Paris, Stockholm or Tokyo, where the better hotels filter their water.  Nevertheless, unless you ask, you won't know that, and even brushing your teeth with contaminated water is going to be bad news.  Bottled water is crucial when traveling, and the more familiar the label on the bottle, the better off you’ll be.  Drinking from a fountain is very stupid.  A friend of mine recently spent three weeks in spasmodic pain just because he caught a wave of river water in his mouth while sailing on a river in Thailand.
        If you’re taking a pleasant cruise down the Amazon with a reputable outfitter, you probably don’t need to be told about chicha (left).  But just in case you are invited by some local tribesmen anywhere in the Amazon Basin to knock back a tot of chicha, do anything to avoid it. Chicha comes in many forms, but it always involves saliva.  In some cases the cassava root is chewed by the tribeswomen and the juice spat into a bowl that is left to ferment into alcohol.  The honor of drinking chicha is one that may follow you home for the next several months.  Fortunately, I have not been so honored; unfortunately, I do not know the etiquette for turning down the chief’s offer to take a swig. Maybe tell him your doctor put you on antibiotics and said you can’t drink alcohol.



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NEW YORK CORNER
By John Mariani
                                                           

LOVE AND PIZZA

    Since, for the time being, I am unable to write about or review New York City restaurants, I have decided instead to print a serialized version of my (unpublished) novel Love and Pizza, which takes place in New York and Italy and  involves a young, beautiful Bronx woman named Nicola Santini from an Italian family impassioned about food.  As the story goes on, Nicola, who is a student at Columbia University, struggles to maintain her roots while seeing a future that could lead her far from them—a future that involves a career and a love affair that would change her life forever. So, while New York’s restaurants remain closed, I will run a chapter of the Love and Pizza each week until the crisis is over. Afterwards I shall be offering the entire book digitally.    I hope you like the idea and even more that you will love Nicola, her family and her friends. I’d love to know what you think. Contact me at loveandpizza123@gmail.com
—John Mariani


To read previous chapters go to archive (beginning with March 29, 2020, issue).

LOVE AND PIZZA
 
 



By John Mariani

Cover Art By Galina Dargery





CHAPTER FIFTY


         Not all of Nicola’s family quite understood what an exclusive contract to be the “Face of Vivace” really meant. Her mother couldn’t quite comprehend why anyone would pay her daughter so much money to do so little, but her father knew how the fashion industry worked and was very, very proud of his daughter’s achievement, though he said he hoped this would not cause her to drop out of academia.
         Nicola assured him that, on the contrary, it made grad school a sure thing, with no money worries.
       “I would have always helped you out with the money, Nicola,” said her father.
         “I know, Papa, and I love you and Mom very much for all you’ve done.”
         Roseanne and Natalie were ecstatic, Tommy thought it was very cool that his sister was going to be famous, and Tony, down deep, felt that his sister’s fame could not help but bring business to the restaurant.
         Nicola then realized that her exclusivity meant she could no longer work for either Elena or Signora Palma, which caused a sudden drop in her high spirits.  But she need not have worried.
         “Nikki,” said Elena on hearing the news. “I think that’s absolutely fabulous!  You deserve every penny and everything that comes out of it.  I’m telling you, Vivace has plenty of money behind it and it’s going to be a very big brand very fast.”
         “But this means I won’t be able to model for Willi, Elena.”
         Elena faked being hurt, saying “See that? I make you famous then you leave me for some dinky make-up company.  I was going to toss you out anyway.” Then, “I’m kidding, Nikki. I wish you only the best.”
         Signora Palma greeted the news in quite a different way, by breaking into loud, gulping tears of joy for Nicola, telling her protégé, “Bella, you make me so happy. It was destiny I find you and you become famous.  All I say is tante grazie, mille grazie, kiss, kiss, kiss. Te amo, Nicola.”
         By then Nicola, too, was in tears, thinking back to that day at Bagutta when the wheel of fate began to roll so quickly in her favor.
         By the first of August the photo sessions for Vivace were done, and Nicola was free simply to enjoy the rest of the summer.  So much had happened to her in the past six months that she sometimes felt herself suspended in the air, looking down on her family and friends, not in condescension but with an affection she hadn’t previously had the time to embrace. 
         It would be even easier now to be snobbish—she was a golden girl, soon to be wealthy, with people she’d never know becoming enthralled by the beauty that stared out at them from the glossy pages.  But, in fact, allowing herself to believe in that manufactured image made Nicola feel uncomfortable.  In so many ways, now more than ever perhaps, she treasured being the Italian-American girl from the Bronx, from a good family of people who truly loved her.
         That angle on Nicola Santini was not lost on the media, for after a splashy announcement that Vivace had chosen her as their ‘Face,’ the New York newspapers scrambled to get a story out of it.   Nicola had even received a note from Hermione Schlosser saying, “Just remember—I was the first to notice! Love, Hermione.”
         The New York Times did a small story in the Business  section, mostly focused on Vivace’s entrance into the market, as did Women’s Wear Daily, both with the new photos of Nicola. New York magazine was a bit splashier, focusing on her as a new girl, who went from New York to Milan to New York and how she now straddled both fashion scenes by signing with Vivace.  Nicola’s favorite story was in The Daily News, which took the angle, not dissimilar to the one Hermione Schlosser took, that here was a nice Italian-American girl from the Bronx—the readers of The News would be offended by calling it “Duh Bronx”—who made it to the big tent of international fashion, yet (at least for the time being) still lived in Belmont, where she was born.   They sent a photog who wanted pictures of her with her whole family at Tony’s restaurant, complete with a large pizza in the foreground.
         As might be expected, that story in The News did bring a lot of new people to Alla Teresa, especially because the paper reported that it had long ago named the restaurant’s pizza to be the best in New York and because it said that Nicola would be there much of the time.
         So Tony was very happy, but after the initial flurry of publicity, business had dropped off a bit; still too many people came for the pizza and not the food.  Nicola reminded him that in the fashion industry, the designers made more money selling t-shirts with their names on it than from the runway collections.
         “That’s fine,” said Tony, “but you know I bought this place to make it a really great restaurant, and we’re just not there yet.  The kitchen just doesn’t get it, no matter how hard I try to tweak things.” 
         “Have you looked for a new chef?” asked Nicola.
         “Oh, yeah! This one wants too much money, this one lies about where he worked, but most of the good ones say they don't want to work up here.  Too much of a commute, too dangerous, y’know, all the bullshit about the Bronx. Sometimes I wish grandma were in there cooking.  Now that food would be amazing.”
         Nicola had to agree and began swapping stories about various dishes Teresa had made so well, without even consulting a recipe.
         Then Tony put his arm around his sister’s shoulder and said, “Listen, Nick, don’t tell Mom and Pop about this, but I’m really struggling here. I put every penny I had into the place, took out a big loan, and the labor costs are killing me.  Weekends are solid, but weekdays are slow. And I think that the people I want to attract are not coming this far uptown to the Bronx.”
         Nicola’s heart sank a little, but she tried to make her brother feel better, saying, “It’s just going to take more time. You got The Daily News review and it was great. If you can get The Times and New York magazine and the reviews are good, everything will turn around fast. You’ll see.”
         And for the first time, Nicola heard her brother say, “I don’t know about the Bronx. Maybe I should have opened downtown.” 


© John Mariani, 2020

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NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR

WINES FOR LATE WINTER
OR MAYBE EARLY SPRING

By John Mariani

Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn in "Love in the Afternoon" (1957)

 

     So, even Texas got gob-smacked with a slap of winter this year. But it seems if things are mellowing, maybe, just maybe the snowstorms have ceased, and it’s time to think about drinking some new wines that come with warmer temperatures.  Here are a few I’m enjoying.

 


Domaine Weinbach Schlossburg Riesling 2017 ($50)—The aromatics in this fine three-year-old Grand Cru Alsatian Riesling are complex, and the 13.5% alcohol gives it a lively buoyancy along with the zesty acids. It’s made in a tough, wet terroir, so grapes must be carefully culled from the vineyards, and only about 8,000 cases were made. With choucroute, or maybe a St. Patrick’s Day dinner, this will be terrific.

 

Chelsea Goldschmidt Guidestone Rise Merlot 2018 ($22)—An Alexander Valley Merlot with everything there is to like about the varietal, its softness, its mild tannins and its vivid fruit, and at this price it’s well worth putting on any table at any time.

 

Red Electric Armstrong Vineyard Interurban 2018 ($28)—Proof positive that Oregon is the West Coast’s superior Pinot Noir producer and does so at a remarkably low price. Winemaker John Grochau and grape grower Douglas Ackerman are referencing the historic Red Electric train that goes from Portland to Willamette Valley. With just 13.85% alcohol this wine also proves the idiocy of boosting Pinot Noirs up to 15% and beyond. You get closer to the Burgundy flavors of refined dark fruit and velvety middle before a satisfying long finish.

 

Sokol Blosser Estate Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 2018 ($42)—I will hammer my point home about Oregon Pinot Noirs with this Dundee Hills beauty from the perennially satisfying Sokol Loser. The 2018 weather was exceptionally hot and promised high-sugar, high-alcohol wines, but a cooler autumn, while allowing for longer hang time, did not result in too much sugar to be turned into too much alcohol. A very good wine with Easter lamb.

 

Dutton Goldfield Pinot Noir McDougall Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 ($68)—Having just boosted Oregon’s rep for Pinot Noir, I must also recognize the best coming out of California, like this example made along the Sonoma Coast, which  enjoys a cooler climate than elsewhere so the flavors are not pungent or punch-like, and the 14.1% alcohol is very reasonable. The price is high, but this is among the best out of California. Only 379 cases produced.

 

Sforzato di Valtellina Infinito Tenuta Scersé 2016 ($50)—A powerhouse but not a blockbuster, this full-fruited Nebbiolo from the Valtellina is 14.5% alcohol but its layers of flavor and four years of age have tamed the tannins. Lesser examples can be too leathery but always have enormous richness. A great match with lusty ragùs or long-simmered meats.

 

Carpénè Malvotti Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore n.v. ($19) —I’ve been drinking a good deal of Prosecco, some very good, some mediocre, and this one from the superior Valdobbiadene region, where acreage is now sky-high in price, is one of the best for the amount of flavor without sweetness, marked “very dry.” I sip it before dinner with just about everything from Ritz crackers to foie gras and am never disappointed, and everyone likes it when I pop the cork on this sparkler.

 

Raeburn Winery Rosé 2020 ($20)—Fresh out of the estate, this rosé from the Russian River Valley overcame a hot summer to emerge with a big floral bouquet that is perhaps the most telling aspect for a rosé made from 74% Pinot Noir, 22% Zinfandel and 4% Grenache, with a touch more alcohol than some others. Delightful with springtime cheeses.

 

 








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NEXT WEEK THEY WILL HAVE A
RECIPE FOR APPLE PIE WITH NO APPLES

In the NYTimes for Feb. 25 there is a recipe for "Meatless Bolognese," which contains walnuts, fennel, soy sauce, oregano and Marmite, saying, "Some cooks may balk at a vegan version of Bolognese because it bypasses the beef and milk that are usually integral to the Italian classic."












THE REVENGE OF THE GIRLIE GIRL

"Scroll through enough social media accounts belonging to women ages 18 to 34 and you might be convinced that, despite the drab sweatpants you’ve been wearing for days straight, there’s never been a prettier time to be alive. 'Soft girl' and cottagecore aesthetics have given rise to a wash of dreamy pastels and pastoral fantasy, a celebration of hyper-femininity and domesticity, largely — as is part of the appeal — without the presence or demands of straight men."—"Desperate Times Call for Elaborate Buttercream: How a new generation of social media-savvy bakers are breathing life into old-school cake decorating techniques." by Madeleine Davies  in Eater.com. (Mar 2, 2021)


 




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Sponsored by






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 Any of John Mariani's books below may be ordered from amazon.com.



   The Hound in Heaven (21st Century Lion Books) is a  novella, and for anyone who loves dogs, Christmas, romance, inspiration, even the supernatural, I hope you'll find this to be a treasured  favorite. The  story concerns how, after a New England teacher, his wife and their two daughters adopt a stray puppy found in their barn in northern Maine, their lives seem full of promise. But when tragedy strikes, their wonderful dog Lazarus and the spirit of Christmas are the only things that may bring his master back from the edge of despair. 

WATCH THE VIDEO!

“What a huge surprise turn this story took! I was completely stunned! I truly enjoyed this book and its message.” – Actress Ali MacGraw

“He had me at Page One. The amount of heart, human insight, soul searching, and deft literary strength that John Mariani pours into this airtight novella is vertigo-inducing. Perhaps ‘wow’ would be the best comment.” – James Dalessandro, author of Bohemian Heart and 1906.


“John Mariani’s Hound in Heaven starts with a well-painted portrayal of an American family, along with the requisite dog. A surprise event flips the action of the novel and captures us for a voyage leading to a hopeful and heart-warming message. A page turning, one sitting read, it’s the perfect antidote for the winter and promotion of holiday celebration.” – Ann Pearlman, author of The Christmas Cookie Club and A Gift for my Sister.

“John Mariani’s concise, achingly beautiful novella pulls a literary rabbit out of a hat – a mash-up of the cosmic and the intimate, the tragic and the heart-warming – a Christmas tale for all ages, and all faiths. Read it to your children, read it to yourself… but read it. Early and often. Highly recommended.” – Jay Bonansinga, New York Times bestselling author of Pinkerton’s War, The Sinking of The Eastland, and The Walking Dead: The Road To Woodbury.

“Amazing things happen when you open your heart to an animal. The Hound in Heaven delivers a powerful story of healing that is forged in the spiritual relationship between a man and his best friend. The book brings a message of hope that can enrich our images of family, love, and loss.” – Dr. Barbara Royal, author of The Royal Treatment.




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The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink by John F. Mariani (Bloomsbury USA, $35)

Modesty forbids me to praise my own new book, but let me proudly say that it is an extensive revision of the 4th edition that appeared more than a decade ago, before locavores, molecular cuisine, modernist cuisine, the Food Network and so much more, now included. Word origins have been completely updated, as have per capita consumption and production stats. Most important, for the first time since publication in the 1980s, the book includes more than 100 biographies of Americans who have changed the way we cook, eat and drink -- from Fannie Farmer and Julia Child to Robert Mondavi and Thomas Keller.


"This book is amazing! It has entries for everything from `abalone' to `zwieback,' plus more than 500 recipes for classic American dishes and drinks."--Devra First, The Boston Globe.

"Much needed in any kitchen library."--Bon Appetit.




Now in Paperback, too--How Italian Food Conquered the World (Palgrave Macmillan)  has won top prize  from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.  It is a rollicking history of the food culture of Italy and its ravenous embrace in the 21st century by the entire world. From ancient Rome to la dolce vita of post-war Italy, from Italian immigrant cooks to celebrity chefs, from pizzerias to high-class ristoranti, this chronicle of a culinary diaspora is as much about the world's changing tastes, prejudices,  and dietary fads as about our obsessions with culinary fashion and style.--John Mariani

"Eating Italian will never be the same after reading John Mariani's entertaining and savory gastronomical history of the cuisine of Italy and how it won over appetites worldwide. . . . This book is such a tasteful narrative that it will literally make you hungry for Italian food and arouse your appetite for gastronomical history."--Don Oldenburg, USA Today. 

"Italian restaurants--some good, some glitzy--far outnumber their French rivals.  Many of these establishments are zestfully described in How Italian Food Conquered the World, an entertaining and fact-filled chronicle by food-and-wine correspondent John F. Mariani."--Aram Bakshian Jr., Wall Street Journal.


"Mariani admirably dishes out the story of Italy’s remarkable global ascent to virtual culinary hegemony....Like a chef gladly divulging a cherished family recipe, Mariani’s book reveals the secret sauce about how Italy’s cuisine put gusto in gusto!"--David Lincoln Ross, thedailybeast.com

"Equal parts history, sociology, gastronomy, and just plain fun, How Italian Food Conquered the World tells the captivating and delicious story of the (let's face it) everybody's favorite cuisine with clarity, verve and more than one surprise."--Colman Andrews, editorial director of The Daily Meal.com.

"A fantastic and fascinating read, covering everything from the influence of Venice's spice trade to the impact of Italian immigrants in America and the evolution of alta cucina. This book will serve as a terrific resource to anyone interested in the real story of Italian food."--Mary Ann Esposito, host of PBS-TV's Ciao Italia.

"John Mariani has written the definitive history of how Italians won their way into our hearts, minds, and stomachs.  It's a story of pleasure over pomp and taste over technique."--Danny Meyer, owner of NYC restaurants Union Square Cafe,  The Modern, and Maialino.

                                                                             





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FEATURED LINKS: I am happy to  report that the Virtual Gourmet is  linked to four excellent travel sites:

Everett Potter's Travel  Report

I consider this the best and savviest blog of its kind on the  web. Potter is a columnist for USA Weekend, Diversion, Laptop and Luxury  Spa Finder, a contributing editor for Ski and  a frequent contributor to National  Geographic Traveler, ForbesTraveler.com  and Elle Decor. "I’ve designed this site is for people who take their  travel seriously," says Potter. "For travelers who want to learn about special  places but don’t necessarily want to pay through the nose for the privilege of  staying there. Because at the end of the day, it’s not so much about five-star  places as five-star experiences."  THIS WEEK:






Eating Las Vegas JOHN CURTAS has been covering the Las Vegas food and restaurant scene since 1995. He is the co-author of EATING LAS VEGAS – The 50 Essential Restaurants (as well as the author of the Eating Las Vegas web site: www.eatinglasvegas. He can also be seen every Friday morning as the “resident foodie” for Wake Up With the Wagners on KSNV TV (NBC) Channel 3  in Las Vegas.



              



MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly.  Publisher: John Mariani. Editor: Walter Bagley. Contributing Writers: Christopher Mariani, Robert Mariani,  Misha Mariani, John A. Curtas, Gerry Dawes, Geoff Kalish, and Brian Freedman. Contributing Photographer: Galina Dargery. Technical Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.

 

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