NYCR Expands Food Coverage, Adds Bilow and Seels to Team

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

Wine is most certainly food, but beyond our cheese coverage, we haven't done a great job introducing you to New York's seemingly endless food artisans. In fact, it's been almost non-existent. That's why today's dual announcement that Dave Seel and Rochelle Bilow are joining the NYCR staff to expand our food coverage is so exciting.

Rochelle Bilow doesn't just consider cooking, eating and seeking out the best food around her job -- she considers it her life. She prides herself on being “food-obsessed” and works to make good, honest food accessible and exciting to everyone.

In addition to serving as the Finger Lakes Wine & Food Ambassador for Finger Lakes Wine Country and Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, Rochelle is a food columnist at the Syracuse Post-Standard. She attended culinary school at the French Culinary Institute and lived and cooked in Manhattan before coming home to Upstate New York.

Rochelle combines a genuine love for the Finger Lakes with an impressively large appetite, and will be writing not just about the restaurants of the region, but the farmers, artisans and everything in between.

Downstate on Long Island, Dave Seel will fill a similar role, covering the growers, chefs and artisans in and around Long Island wine country.

Having driven cross country nine times, Dave a veteran food adventurer. He's caught lobsters in Maine, eaten fresh venison in The Redwoods, and though once was a vegetarian, he fell prey to bacon and has a love affair with bison.

While living in California, he became obsessed with Napa Cabs, Anderson Valley Pinots and Truffle Tremor goat cheese. When not teaching students about the San Francisco Estuary, he was adventuring in wine country and the neighborhoods of San Francisco, discovering the brilliance of California cuisine.

He is a strong advocate for producing food and libations locally and supporting regional food systems.

After a brief stint in the wine industry, Dave moved back to his native Long Island to be closer to family. He brought a love of food adventuring, wine, and local food and was very excited to discover the food scenes of NYC and The East End.

Please join me in welcoming them to the site and look for their first posts over the next couple of weeks.

 

Comments

[MJ and Seth]

Fantastic News! We look forward to more extensive food coverage on NYCR!

Question: Will a rating system be developed/used for the restaurants reviewed?

[Peter Bell / Fox Run]

We haven't met Dave yet, but Rochelle is most welcome in the FL wine community. I told her a few days ago that she had the potential to be the Giada de Laurentiis of wine, and she went rather nuts at the compliment. At least that was my take.

[R. Olsen-Harbich]

Dave - welcome back to Long Island wine country and we look forward to seeing you during your travels and tastings in and about the bounty of the East End!

[David Page, Shinn Estate Vineyards]

Very exciting to see the team expanding once again. Dave will be a powerful voice - the wine of a place plus the food of a place makes the cuisine of that place. Dave is a great choice to tell the story.