Launching Work, MKH's Press Portfolio Introducing Celebrity Chef Nick Liberato & The Borscht Belt

NETFLIX’S Celebrity Chef Nick Liberato of Restaurants on the Edge
Moves Back Home to Bucks County From LA & Launches New Dining Concept. See MK Hammerstein’s Work, Involving Press Coverage by Clicking the “ISSUU” Graphic Below

Although press coverage usually considered a key function of a public relations professional, MK Hammerstein is seasoned in sales strategies and growth, business development, team building, project management and overall branding. Click the Issuu Graphic above to see the chronological work MK Hammerstein for Celebrity Chef Nick Liberato to strategically introduce to the public his new dining concept, The Borscht Belt. Stories Range over the course of five months that include Cover Print Stories, Magazine, TV, Radio, Podcast & Blogging Features. Ribbon-Cutting TBA - visit the BorschtBelt.com for more details.

With Quadrupled Attendance, I’m Always Happy to Bring You one of the Hottest Tickets in Town!

Photo Credit: Mandee K. Hammerstein. Chef Nick Liberato in one of his test kitchens, January 2021 in preparation for the Sunrise Show’s live cooking segment

With nearly 350 registered attendees, I’m excited to announce that a creative PR event production I conceptualized and pitched, exceeded all attendance expectations and of course, it simply felt great!  For years, I have been admiring and following The Arts Council of Princeton. I was absolutely flattered that they not only trusted my production concept but agreed to dive in and co-produce & partner without any hesitation.  The production was via a Zoom webinar on April 6th for apparent reasons, and it truly was engaging and seamless (only disappointment in our close quarters was the talent had to wear a mask)!  I originally titled and pitched the concept as the “Art of Cooking,” but alas, it was thus re-named by the talent, Chef Nick Liberato, Your Cutting Board, Your Palette, The Art of Sunday Brunch (even better!).  After assessing the production once complete, all goals were met: introducing participants to the actual art involved in presenting food, providing the resources, and sharing the various cultures involved with each ingredient, plus how to make a deliciously creative alternative to the traditional mimosa.

Photo Credit Above: Mandee K. Hammerstein, shot with I-phone during Your Cutting Board, Your Palette on April 6th, 7pm. A live webinar with Celebrity Chef Nick Liberato at the Borscht Belt Delicatessen (soon to be open) with the Arts Council of Princeton

Another leading goal of mine was to help people get their hosting confidence back and with extra, creative, and colorful flair!  Naturally, the other objective was to introduce people to Nick and his cooking style, with the hopes they’d be interested and encouraged to experience his latest business venture, The Borscht Belt Delicatessen (launching this Spring). The support for Nick indeed was there as exhibited in the interaction by guests, involving an overflow of comments and questions at the end of the demonstration and by their swift answering multiple-choice questions in exchange for some excellent Borscht Belt prizes.   Your Cutting Board, Your Palette, The Art of Sunday Brunch was an official record-breaking attendance event that I’m elated to state had quadrupled typical attendance.

The Arts Council was kind enough to additionally share their Zoom webinar account, video camera, lighting, and some of their hands-on, key staff during the production.  With how hard everyone worked, I’m also happy to share that the Arts Council received donations that we’re considered a wonderful and generous bonus, as it was clear this organization works hard and delivers quality and care, keeping our community creative and inspired!

If you missed it, you could catch Nick’s demonstration and talkback with the Princeton Arts Council here:

https://youtu.be/u8Vq7khF2O8

If you want to know more about the Arts Council of Princeton and all the creative wonders they offer, please visit http://artscouncilofprinceton.org.

If you love the idea of a new, hip Deli with proximity to the ever-artsy town of New Hope, visit:  www.TheBorschtBelt.com

#LoveToLaunchMKH

When Starting Out, Don't Be Shy & Find That Networking Friend!

Photo Credit: Mandee Kuenzle Hammerstein in 2013, Rich Kowalski

Years ago, when I moved to Bucks County and left my corporate job, I knew as someone who wanted to start their own business, I had to get out there and meet people! I enthusiastically researched all kinds of events to attend, scheduled babysitters, prepared my elevator pitch, arrived… and was secretly overwhelmed. Everyone in the room/s knew someone but me; however, I dutifully pushed through. One of the first memories I have of finally "getting comfortable", involved veteran networker and connector Jim Cohn, Publisher of Events Magazine. Jim and I met at a significant annual, ticketed event amid me attempting to sneak out. Before I knew it, we were in great conversation as he figuratively held my hand through the networking process within large arenas. Fast forward, I am known for my networking and relationships, and Jim is one of those people I need to thank! In the meantime, my contribution to my client, Celebrity Chef Nick Liberato, is in Jim's publication, Mid-Atlantic Magazine (pg. 52-53). Even if you're not in the events, tourism, and hospitality industries, you will seriously benefit by finding plenty of unique places to experience in this publication for personal escapes up and down the North East! Special shout out to Events Magazine and huge thanks to Jim Cohn. Mid-Atlantic Events Magazine Jim Cohn https://www.eventsmagazine.com The Borscht Belt

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: CELEBRITY CHEF & PARTNERS LAUNCH NEW CONCEPT

For Press Photos and Partner Bios, Email: Mandee@HammersteinPR.com

PRESS/MEDIA Contact:

MANDEE K. HAMMERSTEIN
Mandee@HammersteinPR.com
1.908.246.0882

-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-

NETFLIX CELEBRITY CHEF
NICK LIBERATO & PARTNERS
TO LAUNCH NEW RESTAURANT CONCEPT
THE BORSCHT BELT DELICATESSEN 

618 Hospitality Group and Steve Lau to Unveil
NY-Style Jewish Deli Concept in Stockton, NJ at Stockton Market

OPEN TO PUBLIC APRIL 2021

STOCKTON, NJ (3/4/21) –618 Hospitality Group founders Nick Liberato (Paramount Network's Bar Rescue, Netflix's Restaurants on the Edge), Michael Dalewitz and Steve Lau officially announce their partnership and the launch of The Borscht Belt Delicatessen, a New York-style deli that has been declared as Liberato's "love letter" to the Jewish Deli.  The Borscht Belt will be located within the Stockton Market at 19 Bridge Street, Stockton, NJ.  The Borscht Belt will assume the market’s near entire West side with planned indoor and outdoor seating to accommodate 72 guests (post-Covid restrictions) and offer a 6-day-a-week, robust dine-in, take-out, and catering menu.  With a full and part-time local staff in the development, the opening is slated for April 2021, a public-opening date in April is TBA.  More at TheBorschtBelt.com

The Borscht Belt Delicatessen concept is Liberato, Dalewitz and Lau’s answer after a solid year of joint ethnographies and research throughout the Northeast, searching for a unique yet resilient restaurant business model within a current Covid-world.  Combined with the appreciation of the American Jewish Deli and culture, and the lament of beloved NY delis slowly disappearing, the Borscht Belt plan was born. "Restaurants are on the Edge everywhere, and determining a business model that not only works for us during this time but the community is of optimum importance. Top-priority is to serve-up safe and convenient NY-style, "old-school" delicatessen favorites with a savory and contemporary twist, satisfying a variety of food-connoisseurs while keeping every wallet size in mind” – stated Liberato 

Key menu offerings will include various platters with fresh lox, meats, spreads, daily fresh bagels and baked goods, pickles, Bubby Bell's Matzo Ball soup, Borscht Beet salad, and piled-high pastrami sandwiches fresh from their custom-built pastrami machine made in New York. Coffee will be poured fresh directly with an exclusive arrangement made with award-winning, Paper Plane Coffee, a 5th generation Colombian-family coffee company.  The Borscht Belt will open each morning at 7 am with varying closing hours throughout the week and weekend.

“Living in New York for 27 years and considering New Hope my now full-time home for the past six, I was wanting to create an elevated deli experience at the market, then I met Mike and Nick and they were on the exact same track.  Plus, they’re two of the biggest menschs you’ll ever want to meet, it was a match made in heaven, really. The Borscht Belt will be the perfect welcome-gift I was looking to offer fellow New Yorkers who are either here as fellow transplants or weekenders”- stated Steve Lau, restaurateur and owner of the award-winning Gastropub Restaurant, The Salt House.

The restaurant's name lends itself as a nostalgic salute to the most memorable days of the entertainment-loving, Jewish summering-community in the Catskills during the mid-20th century.  Partner Mike Dalewitz whose family helped run the iconic landmark institutions, The Pines Hotel and The Red Apple Rest, speaks fondly of the era and states the most important ingredients of their concept is to celebrate what he believes the original Borscht Belt represented; community, family, large amounts of laughter and entertainment, and of course, mounds of mouth-watering NY-style Jewish cuisine.  Within the restaurant's design, the accents of bold, vintage colors, textures, and ambiance will all echo the era and its energy.  The group's hope is when personally able and ready to "walk-in and sit-down in a Covid-free dining world," clientele may not want to leave.  Executive Director of Greater Lambertville Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, Cindy Kunnas, states: "I'm excited that Nick Liberato is back in the area!  His Deli will truly be a fantastic addition to the Stockton Market and will certainly be a draw for locals and visitors who recreate on the towpath. What a treat to have someone of his caliber serving up good eats, coupled with such a creative vibe for our river town community!" To learn more about The Borscht Belt Delicatessen, sign-up for special announcements and offerings, visit TheBorschtBelt.com 

ABOUT 618 HOSPITALITY GROUP:
618 Hospitality has an established investment fund to assist restaurants and bars who lack in profitability and are considered in distress or who are simply plateauing. They offer a full array of consulting services, as seen in Nick Liberato’s featured roles on Bravo’s Bar Rescue and Netflix’s Restaurants on the Edge.  Together the backgrounds of Nick Liberato and Entrepreneur Mike Dalewitz lead initiatives that will create new profitability, ROI and ultimately restructure restaurant businesses and elevate the current state of the hospitality industry.  More at 618Hospitality.com

ABOUT THE BORSCHT BELT DELICATESSEN: 
The Borscht Belt Delicatessen concept launched from the group’s reaction to the communal-cry in 2020 for the longing for missed family, culture, and authentic food that ties us all together.  Instantly, the “Shangri-la” days of the Borscht Belt era came to mind as a source of reference for founders Celebrity Chef Nick Liberato and partners Mike Dalewitz and Steve Lau; thus, extensive research, passion, and development ensued for an exciting 2021 inaugural launch in Stockton, NJ. The Borscht Belt Delicatessen promises to deliver a heightened culinary experience featuring the best of the NYC Delicatessen, Bagels, Appetizing and Baked Goods.  Like the Borscht Belt of the Catskills, they promise that laughter will flourish and we will serve as a place to find comfort and nourishment.  With an array of safe and friendly dining and catering options, this reimagined delicatessen salutes a bygone period that has long needed a home to remind us how food, family, and friends were once served and how they can be again. Always offering a taste of the past, yet delivered with a contemporary gourmet-twist, food-connoisseurs across the foodie-spectrum with wallets of all sizes will relish and celebrate; this is The Borscht Belt Delicatessen.  https://www.theborschtbelt.com

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Innovation & Entrepreneurship Speaking Engagement: FREELANCING 2021

It indeed was an honor to be a contributing panelist for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute’s series “FREELANCING 2021” through Temple University’s Fox Business School. I spoke on various self-marketing tactics and shared how I found, secured, and kept clients in the public relations, marketing, and business-development consulting realm. With very little time to prepare, I committed to the event instantly (as Innovation and Entrepreneurship make my heart beat), thus it launched days later. To my surprise, we had 50 registrants, yet I was warned by the head of the Institute that in a “Zoomed-out world,” not to be disappointed when only half or less of the registrants show up. I’m happy to say 48 of the 50 logged-in and on time, staying through the entire presentation. The Q&A was additionally engaging and informative and was a great way to wrap up, while answering specific questions to help ambitious attendees. If you want to learn more about the Institute, click HERE