Tell Me Your Story

Life is Good. Just ask Life is Good co-founder John Jacobs. The co-founder of the iconic T-shirt and merchandise company, along with his brother, Bert, took an ideal, instilled in them since childhood, took a dream and made a part of the American dream, if not inspiration. John Jacobs will be signing his co-authored book, "Life is Good: The Book" at the Saratoga Springs Life is Good company store,...

Shenendehowa High School senior Lily Sinnott had to reach for the proverbial stars in her final high school musical, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” encouraged by the faith of her director, Bradley Gregg and it paid off. Sinnott was one of two locals to receive Outstanding Lead Performer's locally and earn a trip to the National High School Musical Theater Awards in New York City,...

Max Mitler made the most of his senior year at Saratoga Springs High School, receiving one of this year’s Collaborative School of the Arts at Proctors High School Musical Theater Award winner for his role as Jack Kelly in "Newsies" and is now spending a week on Broadway. “I think it's a little harder when your character is more like Jack, who is a little less level-headed than some other character...

I was introduced to award-winning author, artist, and illustrator Anthony Richichi through Vicki Addesso Dodd, owner of Saratoga Springs Publishing Company, by another Children’s Book author. His artistic star continues to rise from comic book kid to artist, illustrator, author, producer, and director.  Our latest meeting, after being wowed by his work with The Daily Gazette and his illustration o...

Michael Belloti has several hats to wear on stage at Schenectady Light Opera Company when Man of La Mancha opens -- Cervantes, Don Quixote, and Alonso Quijana. But that is nothing new for the current mechanical engineer, retired Navy officer, husband, and father. Full disclosure - Man of La Mancha is my all-time favorite play, so it was a thrill to have him on the 'Tell Me Your Story' podcast. Lea...

A casual Saturday night at a favorite restaurant in Saratoga Springs led Nancy Bambara to a conversation about her work and expertise.  Restaurateur David Zecchini knew both food and talent, took her in as a bookkeeper, and has never looked back ... because she was always looking ahead.  Now the Vice-President and COO of DZ Restaurants, including Chianti Il Resorante, Forno Bistro, and Boca Bistro...

Is there anything Lisa Elovich hasn't done? The question may be, what does she want to do next? This long-time friend is a parent, a former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, and one of the only female boxing promoters in New York State before she started her latest adventure - One With Life Tequila founder. We sat down before the holidays and before she returned to a sunnier climate, but the...

For the past three years, Tom Nardacci has been CEO of the Regional Food Bank of Northeast NY. Sounds big? The organization serves 23 counties from the Canadian border down to Rockland County, and nothing has been easy - Nardacci just makes it appear that way. He is a storyteller and a talker, the ideal guest for this podcast, but take in every word. He is sincere about his mission, his vision, an...

Dr. Alexander Ford, DO, RO, a family physician with Community Care Physicians in Rotterdam, was recently selected as the CDPHP [Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan] Top Doctors Peabody Award recipient based on patient reviews. The Albany native has dual training as a physician and registered dietitian, serves as a public health nutritionist for the New York State Department of Health, and is...

The Gazette News Group has added a second seasoned reporter to a role exclusively covering politics as part of its Community Journalism Fund. The Schenectady-based newspaper group has five daily publications and three weeklies across the Capital Region. Ted Remsnyder, a SUNY Stony Brook graduate, will step away from his current beat as the City of Schenectady reporter and take on the role of polit...

Town of Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett announced on his personal blog Monday that he would not be seeking re-election. First elected in 1999, he has served the Town of Clifton Park and Saratoga County on the Board of Supervisors for the past 26 years. He did not return calls for comment on Monday from the media. On Wednesday, Phil Barrett sat down in The Daily Gazette podcast studio with lon...

The word cancer makes almost everyone stop in their tracks -- when spoken about a friend, a loved one, and is heart-stopping when shared from a medical professional to a patient. Breakthroughs continue to be made every day, but the word sparks a whirlwind of emotions and fear to everyone involved. Devin Lyons knows is all too well about it and shares her story -- of a cervical cancer diagnosis, he...

Food writer, award-winning pastry chef, and baker Justin Burke will be the final entry to this year’s CulinaryArts@SPAC series, introducing his first-ever cookbook, ‘Potluck Desserts: Joyful Recipes to Share with Pride, 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4. “This cookbook is really trying to break the mold of what we perceive as what a cookbook should be,” Burke said during a phone interview last week. “We're...

Joni Bonilla is great with dogs. She has cared for and trained them. And for the past 10 years, she has paired dogs from shelters with veterans and first responders and provided a free guided training program for post-traumatic stress and mobility service dogs. If you ask her "How many placements have you made?” Her answer is simple — “I don’t know.” Her reasoning is unique, heartwarming, and, at...

Daily Gazette reporter Chad Arnold will be changing roles within the Gazette News Group shortly, leaving the daily Schenectady County beat and focusing solely on healthcare within the Capital Region. This new role is supported by the newly established Community Journalism Fund, managed by The Schenectady Foundation in partnership with The Daily Gazette. It is just the first plank within the Commun...

Heather Lent is a mainstay on Jay Street in Schenectady, offering the sweetest offerings in the Electric City from her Bittersweet Candy storefront, but she hasn’t always been there. The Schalmont grad spent time in the Hudson Valley, opened Bittersweet Candy in several variations before returning to the Capital Region. Business editor Shenandoah Briere and Digital Content Producer invited Lent in...

Niskayuna resident Jordan Modiano has had a passion for speed since childhood. It was only surpassed by his love for his daughter, Rachel. The business owner, race car driver, and parent of a daughter within the autism spectrum merged those passions to create the annual Upstate Chevy Dealers Autism Acceptance Race at Albany-Saratoga Speedway on Friday, Sept. 5.  I sat down with Modiano at one of h...

At just 14 years old, Sydney Worthley released her first album. Fast-forward through the pandemic, and two more albums later, she is the opening act for the Schenectady County Summer Night free concert series on State Street, in front of thousands of fans. The 2025 Eddy Pop Artist of the Year award-winner talks about her musical influences as a Taylor Swift fan, her time spent at Freedom Park, and...

The All-American celebration in Saratoga Springs has stepped off with the annual Firecracker 4 4-mile race throughout the city for the past 18 years. Its creation, growth, and continued success began with a meeting among a dedicated group of parents seeking to raise funds for Saratoga Springs High School’s cross-country, track, and field programs. Charlie Woodruff, Bob Vanderminden, Jr., along wit...

Ballston Spa rising senior Roman Mangino hit new heights during the spring musical season, performing as Frank Abagnale, Jr. in “Catch Me If You Can.”  His stage presence, voice, and dashing choreography drew all eyes to him amidst the ensemble members throughout the performance. Last month, he was named a finalist in the Overall Lead Performer category, along with castmate and friend Peter Hinckl...

Last month Amsterdam High School senior Lianelys Ovideo Roman was awarded the High School Musical Theatre Award for top performer after portraying Eurydice in Hadestown: Teen Edition Amsterdam High School garnered two additional awards - Back Stage excellence and Best Musical Tier C, thrilling high school music teacher and director Christopher Stefani. With the honor, Lianelys is currently in New...

When Sustainable Saratoga executive director Kelsey Trudell is not helping make our environment a better place throughout Saratoga County, she is a busy videographer and, along with her husband, Ben, are YouTube stars! Her career took her to Arizona, where she worked early on with the Arizona Sustainability Alliance before the opportunity to move back to the area presented itself for her and her h...

For most people, Halloween is less than six months away, but for graphic designer Kayla Ek, the time is now. This Saturday, Ek will deliver new, intriguing, and — to some pedestrians — odd arts and exhibits to her second Nightmare on Jay Street. Ek provided the first early evening exhibit in the marketplace last October, and its success created howls for another marketplace event in May. Kalya sto...

For the past 22 years, Maggie Fronk has been front and center at Wellspring, the domestic violence and sexual assault services resource for Saratoga and Washington County in New York. April is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and April 30th is Denim Day. On a beautiful spring day, I sat down with Maggie Fronk, who shed light on Wellspring's mission, the history of Denim Day, and what everyone ca...