New Rochelle, NY -- The renowned chef Bill Rosenberg has been named Executive Chef of the Radisson Hotel New Rochelle. In his new position, Rosenberg will lend his culinary talents to create delicious cuisine for weddings, banquets and other catered events at the hotel as well as for the new in-house restaurant, currently under renovation, which will be re-branded and re-launched as NoMa Social in the spring. The new cuisine in the new restaurant will be Mediterranean style.

Previously, Rosenberg served as executive chef/owner for F.I.S.H. Restaurant in Port Chester where he earned extensive critical praise including the New York Times food critic M.H. Reed who wrote the “food is off the hook;” voted “Hot Chefs to Watch” by The Journal News; voted Westchester Magazine’s “Best of Westchester” multiple times; earned a Zagat rating as one of the top seafood houses in American among other accolades. He was also executive chef for other top restaurants including Two Moons in Port Chester.

Come and taste some of the best wines you have never heard of . Portugal has it all, unique terroirs, local grapes, old vines, and a tradition of wine making centuries old.   

New Roc City hosted its Second Annual Ring in the New Year at Noon celebration earlier today. Jimmy Fink of 107.1 The Peak served as the event’s emcee. The event combined traditional New Years activities with face painting, arts and crafts, kiddy rides, magicians, clowns, a martial arts demonstration, games and more.

In 2010, the City of New Rochelle selected a local company, Artistic F/X, to store and restore the 3 remaining murals from the New Rochelle Armory. The company is owned by Don Geyra, a member of the New Rochelle Municipal Arts Commission.

Talk of the Sound has had an opportunity to view the paintings which are being meticulously restored by Geyra. Some photos were provided by Geyra with others taken by Talk of the Sound contributor Jen Parente.

"The murals were coated in what appears to be spar varnish", said Geyra who has been removing tiny sections with solvents dabbed on q-tips. The largest mural, a tug boat with signal lights, is about 40 square feet and the work so far on just the one painting has taken over 9 months. Spar varnish is intended to use on a ship to protect wood from the effects of sea and weather. It is not typically used on paintings.

Removing the wood frame area around the edge of the Tug Boat mural (above) revealed the vibrant blue color underneath the spar varnish.

Westchester County will continue to host “The Nutcracker” at the County Center next month, but with a new innovative financial relationship and public-private partnership that the Astorino administration negotiated with the Westchester Ballet Company (WBC) that ensures the show will go on but without costs being incurred by county taxpayers.

Westchester County has been the co-producer of “The Nutcracker” for the past 15 years. As such, the financial risk if the production lost money rested with taxpayers. Under the new arrangement, the production company will assume all profits or loses associated with the show.

“At a time when the county government is facing a $114 million shortfall for next year, we have had to look closely at every dollar we spend,” County Executive Robert P. Astorino said. “With this new arrangement, Westchester will continue to be home to a top-flight production of ‘The Nutcracker’ without any risk to taxpayers.”

Purchase, New York -- Put together jazz, classical, and indie rock, and what do you get? If you ask a Purchase Conservatory of Music student, the answer could very well be “Vivaldi.” They’re playing Vivaldi, all right, but they’ve built in a series of original compositions, drawing from various musical styles, all inspired by the master’s “Winter Concerto.”

“This will be a concert like no other,” says Purchase Professor Laura Kaminsky, a composer and the artistic director of Symphony Space in New York. “An added bonus is that the students will collect food donations for families in need, true to the holiday spirit.” Food contributions, in the form of canned and non-perishable items, will be donated to the food pantry of Born Again United Church in New Rochelle.

Timed for the busiest day of Christmas tree purchases, the performance is free and open to the public. It will take place at Cooper’s Corner Nursery in New Rochelle on Sunday, December 11th, from 11 am to 2 pm.