City Montreal's Breakfast Television adds charismatic Verdon-Diamond to their team

To say that Catherine Verdon-Diamond made a good impression on me is an understatement. Until recently, she was  CBC TV Montreal’s weeknight 11 p.m. news weather forecaster, a post she only began last December.  Always known as a shrewd judge of talent, CityMontreal executive producer Bob Babinski has signed her up to do weather and traffic for the local Breakfast Television show, set to launch Monday, August 26 at 6 a.m.

Jeffrey Feldman and Catherine Verdon-Diamond,

Joanne Vrakas and Alexandre Despatie will be the  co-hosts,  with Wilder Weir and Laura Casella reporting from different locations.

I went to meet with  supervising producer Jeffrey Feldman, New Media expert Elias Makos and

Elias Makos

segment producer Melanie Porco (who just came over from CTV Montreal).  Verdon- Diamond was a pleasant and surprise addition to my itinerary. She is charismatic, beautiful and made for television. Not bad for someone 37 years young who had never envisioned a career in front of the camera until six months ago. Give a big assist to Shelagh Kinch, the managing director for English services at the CBC.“I was an administrative assistant at CBC when Shelagh one day told me I was going to be doing weather on the weekend news because the regular Sabrina Marandola was away,” Verdon-Diamond told me. “She saw something in me and she decided, ‘you know what Catherine, I think I am going to give you a chance, I think you’d be great on television and if it does not work out we are never putting you back on air.'  I thought about it, I was a little apprehensive but then decided to take a chance. “

Verdon-Diamond is impeccably bilingual. She speaks openly about being adopted at the age of seven months (something she intends to explore on the show). Her dad worked  for Pratt and Whitney, so  the family spent three years in Egypt when she was very young and  four in Israel when she was a teen.

Prior to landing at CBC, she was a senior executive assistant at a production company  called Cineflix.  

 You can see her amazing personality yourself in this video:

As for City, when Babinski first contacted her she thought it was a mistake. “But it was not,” she smiles. “He said  ‘I saw you on TV and I would like to talk.’ We did and two and  a half weeks ago I left CBC. This is a very exciting opportunity.”

I also chatted with the Vrakas, who said she has already become close friends with her new co-host Despatie. “We clicked right away,” she said.

 

Joanne Vrakas

Is Restaurant Antico Martini closed for good?

The message  on their answering machine says, "Closed for vacation," but sources close to the scene tell me that one of the West End's most popular restaurants  may not reopen. Antico Martini on Somerled Avenue in NDG has been an institution for decades. Specializing in Italian cuisine, it was always one classy spot.

"The last night of business was Saturday, June 22," my very reliable source says. "Thomas Papayanatos owns the building and is the original owner of Antico Martini. We were told he is selling the restaurant and the building. How we found out about this was  through the wait staff, whom we've known for many years. It was sad to learn about this and we knew that going the last Saturday would be too emotional, thus we last dined there on Saturday, June 15. It was  emotional saying goodbye to Carlos the chef  and the wait staff whom we've know for so many years.

Thomas'  sons, George (now in Calgary) and Jerry (who left the family business about three years ago and is no longer in restaurant business) ran Antico Martini for quite a few years.

"After the departure of George and then Jerry, the atmosphere in was not the same," my source says. "Many regulars whom we knew and saw there often soon stopped coming. That was so sad."

My source has frequented this place since it opened almost 40 years ago.  

We will follow this up to learn more.

Travel guru Gerda Rosner will be missed

She was 91 years of age, but when I heard the news that extraordinary travel guru Gerda Rosner had passed away in late June I was still taken aback. You see Gerda was hardly your  typical  senior. Until her final days she told all who would listen that she had no intention of retiring. A nasty fall ended up leading to her departure from us - much too soon. I was certain she would still be in the business at the age of 100 and beyond.

Gerda Rosner

Gerda and I met about a decade ago and when she discovered that I was a journalist. regular communications ensued. She was great at email and continually sent me story pitches. I complied with many articles. She was most appreciative of each one, always calling to say "thank you."  Photos were not emailed though. She snapped them the old fashion way or dug profile shots from her archives which I'd scan. We last spoke in the fall when she reminded me how I could reach her in Florida. Gerda was tapped in for sure, working on Linked In and Facebook.

Gerda  had been a worldwide health spa coordinator since 1965. She helped launch Weight Watchers in Montreal and opened her own company called the Happy Losers, which helped people lose pounds and feel good about themselves. The author of six cookbooks, she continued to organize winter trips to the Imperial Club in Aventura, Florida and fall packages to Canyon Ranch locations in Tucson, Arizona and Lenox, Massachusetts.

Gerda was born in Berlin and  was raised in Montreal. For many years she served as the president of  ORT. She actually got into the spa routine thanks to her parents who would bring her to facilities such as Safety Harbor in Tampa and the now defunct Palm Air Spa in Pompano. Many years later, when she started Happy Losers, she introduced an incentive program for her “students.” Those who did well in their program were offered a reward package to Safety Habor.

In 1974 Sam Edelstein, the owner of the Lido Spa, came to Montreal to meet with Rosner. Her reputation already preceded her and he was anxious to make a deal with her to serve as his local rep. An agreement was reached and clients began signing up by the dozens.

Gerda had her list of regulars who returned year after year. They ranged in age from 60 to 90, with average stays of between three weeks and three months.  Last winter she posted on her Facebook page:   "Having a great time in Florida. I am sold out at Imperial Club and have a big waiting list. Hopefully people will book early next year so they won't be dissapointed again. I hate to refuse anybody to have a good winter. Going to celebrate my husband David's 96th birthday. Hurrah!"

Gerda's speciality   was the teaching of chair aerobics. “Every morning at 9:15 the classes begin,” she would tell me. “There are more than 100 people and they fight to get spots. »

Gerda was relentless in terms of promoting her trips, calling and emailing me frequently. She was good on the computer and set up separate email addresses for Canada and the USA.

Gerda spoke endlessly about her second huband David Nencel (her first husband Marvin passed away more than 20 years ago) four children, 13 grandkids and eight great grandkids. Her son Myron has a particularly compelling story.  In 2001 a construction site accident put him in a wheelchair for life. Rather than feeling sorry for himself, he moved on. Two years later he was elected to the North Miami Beach town council. He ultimately ran for mayor, serving one term in office.  

I think it is safe to say that there will never be another Gerda Rosner.

Laura Casella leaving CJAD for City Montreal Breakfast TV

Laura Casella

City Montreal has rounded out its on air team for the new Breakfast Television Show, which will debut here towards the end of August. Laura Casella is leaving her post as morning reporter on CJAD to assume similar duties with City.  Alexandre Despatie and Joanne Vrakas are the co-hosts of the new shoe while  Wilder Weir has already been announced as the live eye reporter, meaning that he will be on location speaking with Montrealers from the city’s diverse communities. Casella will be on site for the day's top news story, just as she is with CJAD each morning.

Casella has been with CJAD for six years, starting off as an overnight newscaster, then producing the Tommy Schnurmacher Show.  For the last two and a half years she has been the morning reporter. She does have TV experience though, having worked part-time for CTV Montreal.

I have been touting Casella as a logical choice for full-time TV duty for some time now. She is attractive, poised and an individual with good people skills. A graduate of Dante Elementary School and Laurier Macdonald High School in St. Léonard, I will make a pitch to have Laura broadcast live from one or both of those spots some time in the future.

City Montreal executive producer Bob Babinski has built a strong team, both in front of and behind the  camera, as he prepares to face off against the Global TV Morning News.

“Breakfast Television will combine local news, weather and traffic with the biggest celebrity interviews, community happenings and lots of big ticket giveaways,” promises Babinski.

CJAD news and program chief Chris Bury now must find a replacement for Casella. How about bringing Dan Laxer back for that role? He has been a good soldier since being let go when Aaron Rand was hired. Laxer still co-hosts the Trivia Show and fills in on  other shifts. This could also serve as an opportunity to take advantage of the de facto merger with TSN 690. Robin Flynn has actually been working for both CJAD and TSN 690 for the better part of  a year, producing, doing sportscasts and traffic. She is a real talent and might be a good fit, although her first love is really sports.

Dan Laxer

 

Now that TSN 690 has been saved what will happen next?

I think it is time that Montreal sports fan raise a glass for Tom Pentefountas, vice-chairman, Broadcasting at the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) .

The CRTC has taken its share of knocks over the years. However, its actions in saving TSN 690 Radio twice in the last year deserves our praise. Pentefountas, a Montrealer whom I know is a big sports fans, asked all of the right questions during hearings for Bell's second bid to buy Astral Media.  Today, the CRTC approved the purchase of $3.4 billion for Astral's suite of  TV specialty channels and radio stations.

What this means for Montrealers is that Bell Media now owns TSN 690, CJAD, Virgin Radio, CHOM,  a few French language stations and of course CTV Montreal and RDS

So what happens next?

Before long TSN 690 will likely move into the present-day Astral headquarters at the corner of René Levesque and  Papineau (right across the street from CTV and RDS).

Rick Moffat

I suspect that Alouettes and Impact broadcasts will gradually move over to TSN 690 from CJAD. Look for a lot of crossover, with the likes of Ted Bird showing up on CHOM and Rick Moffat, Abe Hefter and Chantal Desjardins doubling up their sportscasts on TSN 690. Hefter and Barry Morgan are  fabulous candidates to sit in as replacement guest hosts for TSN 690 hosts when they are away.  How about Michael Farber on TSN 690 as well as CJAD?

Mitch Melnick has quite a history with CJAD. Will he get some airtime there?

I do hope that Wayne Bews, the superb and devoted general manager at TSN 690, remains at the helm. He deserves as much credit as anyone else for keeping the station alive.

Tony Marinaro

How about Aaron Rand bringing the colourful Tony Marinaro on the air each day for an insider's briefing?

As mentioned earlier, Bird was a star on CHOM FM and still remains close buddies with Terry DiMonte. He is great in the mornings on TSN 690, but once the two stations are under the same roof I would think it would a natural for him to deliver CHOM FM sportscasts.

This is "win win" for everyone and  I for one could not be happier.

As a condition of the CRTC's approval of the deal, Bell must sell a number of Astral's English and French specialty TV channels, including the Cartoon Network, Disney DX and Teletoon, along with some of its English-language radio stations. Bell must also keep a number of English-language TV stations in operation for at least four more years.
 

When the deal is finalized, Bell's share of the English-language market will grow to 35.8 per cent, while its share of the French-language market will be 22.6 per cent. Bell must adhere to the CRTC's code of conduct for commercial arrangements that limit anti-competitive behaviour and treat independent programmers and distributors fairly, the CRTC said.

Bell must also give its competitors "reasonable access" to advertising opportunities on its radio stations.
 

The CRTC is also requiring Bell to spend $246.9 million on "tangible benefits" over the next seven years -- $72 million more than the company proposed.

Some of those tangible benefits include paying for initiatives in the radio and television sectors that are meant to create more Canadian programming, and spending on Canadian films and festivals to promote them.

Lola and the Creen Machine Shuffling Over from Buffalo

Dynamic 22 year old assistant director and musical composer Laura Lonski and her team from the Francis Bacon Experimented were supposed to shuffled over here from Buffalo to bring their production of 420: The Musical to the Montreal Infringement Festival (www.Infringemontreal.org).

 

Laura Lonski

The number 420 stands for  April 20, which is National Pot Smoking Day.  Lonski told me the play is a takeoff on The Wizard of Oz, with a cast of characters travelling together to meet the Mighty High.  It was postponed  and will hopefully play here at another date. I was impressed with Lonski, who reached out to The Suburban to tell her story and then disappointed to hear that the visit was put off.

Anxious to see Montreal, she  has booked a gig for her band Lola and the Creen Machine for Thursday night, June 20 (9:30 p.m.) at Café Sierra (131 Prince Arthur on the corner of de Bullion Street). It will be her and drummer Mike Creenan. There is no admission charge

"We play alternative piano, soul, rock and blues mix," said Lonski. "I've been a singer/songwriter in Buffalo for awhile, but I just started playing out in bars and open mics a little over a year ago.  I'm making a demo this summer."

This will be Lonski’s first trip to Montreal. “I took four years of French in college,” she says. “I love the language and always wanted to live in France. Maybe it will end up being Montreal.”

P.F. Chang's opens up at Carrefour Laval

After much anticipation,P.F. Chang’s China Bistro has set up shop at the Carrefour Laval, located  next to the Keg and close by Crate &Barrel at the Highway 440 side of the large and popular shopping centre.

The entrance to the Laval restaurant.

This is only the second P.F. Chang’s in Quebec, the other having opened in April next to the former Hippodrome Blue Bonnets at Decarie and Jean Talon.  There is one in Toronto. But guess where they will set up shop next? Director of Operations Cary Mausner told me that it will be St. John’s, Newfoundland in April 2014, to be followed by Calgary and Vancouver and then a second Toronto locale. “It is all about finding the right physical location in a city,” Mausner shared.

The new Laval restaurant, with operating partner Elie Sucar at the helm, can seat 180 plus an additional 40 on the terrace and 40 more around the bar. There will be valet parking for a modest fee Thursday through Sundays. Besides the Keg, Carrefour Laval is already home to Portovino, Baton Rouge and one of the best food courts in the region. There is no question in my mind that P.F. Chang’s will thrive here. Every dish we had was beyond outstanding.

 

The large dining room in Laval.

P.F. Chang’s only went international three years ago, with locations in the Middle East, Mexico, Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Philipines. Canada came knocking when Michael Aronovici, a highly experienced restaurant brand investor and operator,  got the rights via his Interaction Asian Restaurants.   Aronovici was present at the Laval  location for a pre-opening dinner,  along with some of his other investors. This included Gideon Pollack, vice-president of business development for Claridge Investments.

Each dish on the P.F. Chang’s  menu is prepared to order using the freshest and highest quality ingredients. The environment at each location combines  influences of Chinese and American cultures. A panoramic, hand-painted mural depicting 12th century China, is visible from the main dining room and commands attention as the restaurant’s centerpiece, while several terra-cotta warriors stand guard. The majestic 11 foot  tall horses grace the entrance to many of the restaurants. This horse symbolizes the original Forbidden City in China, which was built for China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huangdi.

Gideon Pollack and Michael Aronovici.

P.F. Chang's is an international brand that features a unique dining experience within an elegant, contemporary and family-friendly setting.  With over 230 restaurants globally, each P.F. Chang's restaurant is a culinary journey inspired by the cuisine of the five regions of China, from Mongolia and Sichuan, to Beijing, Shanghai and Hunan.  Each restaurant also features a variety of signature cocktails and unique desserts. 

P.F. Chang's menu items are cooked-to-order in traditional Chinese woks, using only the freshest ingredients delivered to the restaurant every day. The restaurant understands the importance of responding to consumer tastes and preferences and offers a wide range of vegetarian options and is also well known for its gluten-free menu offering, Aronovici maintains.

The won ton and egg drop soups are traditional starters. But the chicken lettuce wraps remain the true signature dish.  The Mongolian beef (tender flank steak wok-cooked then quickly tossed with scallions and garlic), crispy honey shrimp (lightly battered and tossed in a sweet and tangy honey sauce with green onions) and double pan-fried noodles (crispy egg noodles, stir-fried with mushrooms, bok choy, carrots, celery and onions and comes with a choice of beef, pork, chicken, shrimp or vegetable) and a bowl of steamed rice are also favorites.

Elie Sucar and Cary Mausner.

Aronovici explained that every ingredient is fresh. None of the meat is frozen and staff arrive by 7 a.m. each day to begin the preparation process. Staff were trained at P.F. Chang’s facilities in the United States. Many of them spent extended time at the Toronto location

To reach the Laval restaurant, call 450-687-8000.