September 29, 2014, SOUTHAMPTON, NY – Fred Bollaci, CEO/President of New York City and Palm Beach-based Fred Bollaci Enterprises, THE definitive international authority on healthy, gourmet “dolce vita” lifestyle, food, wine, travel, and fitness was in Southampton at the Southampton SeptemberFest with Deborah Burns, Brand Architect and Media Strategist of Southport, CT-based Burns Communications to show support for Keith Davis, Owner of Southampton’s beloved Golden Pear Cafe
, an East End favorite for 28 years, and a Fred Bollaci Enterprises Golden Palate Partner in a growing list of “The Who’s Who” of preferred destinations nationwide and eventually globally.
Keith Davis, with Golden Pear locations throughout The Hamptons, including Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Sag Harbor, Southampton, and now at The Parrish Art Museum competed in the Annual Chowder Contest on Saturday, and received first prize for his delicious Seafood Chowder, a recipe he, his wife, and his chefs spent several weeks perfecting in advance of the competition. “This is some of the best chowder I’ve ever tasted,” Bollaci said upon sampling the winning recipe. “It is light, fresh, and flavorful. So many ‘white’ or ‘New England-style’ chowders are thick and heavy. This is clean and pure, the fresh seafood truly shines.” Davis won first prize in a competition that included 12 other entries from choice East End restaurants. Bollaci tasted several of the chowders, but said confidently, “why taste the rest when you can have the best” when referring to his proud Golden Palate Partner, The Golden Pear. Bollaci, a gourmand who is committed to living a healthy lifestyle five years after losing 150 pounds and keeping it off, said this is his philosophy for all things. “I prefer to give my body the best, without overindulging. It’s an issue of quality, not quantity. I don’t want to eat everything. I like to savor and enjoy the best.” Golden Pear Cafe, in addition to being a Fred Bollaci Enterprises Golden Palate Partner, also has recipes featured in Fred’s upcoming memoir, showcasing healthy, gourmet recipes from great restaurants.
When asked about why he selected The Golden Pear as one of his first Golden Palate Partners, Bollaci said, “The Golden Pear holds a special place in my heart as a Long Islander who spent summers on the East End and have frequented their cafe’s for years. When I think of The Hamptons, the first things that come to mind are clambakes, riding the waves at the Ocean beaches, lobster rolls, the beautiful historic villages, and The Golden Pear. The freshly baked goods, excellent coffees, soups made from scratch, and healthy choices (vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free selections) and items like steel cut oatmeal with fresh fruit, egg white frittatas, amazing wraps, fresh juices, and more, combined with a convivial ambience, there is nothing like it. I wish I could pack up The Golden Pear and bring it with me wherever I go,” Bollaci said. “I love a place where you can sit and relax in a prime location and feel special, and enjoy first-rate, quality food prepared by people who obviously care. The Golden Pear is a casual, come as you are neighborhood spot, that caters to the Hampton’s lifestyle–people who want the best, and want healthy options. I travel all over the country and world and frequently find myself saying: I wish they had a Golden Pear here!”
Bollaci and Burns, both Long Island natives who grew up in Locust Valley and spent summers in the Hamptons enjoyed returning to Long Island on a glorious autumn weekend with blue skies and temperatures in the low 80’s. The annual festival, which took place all weekend at Agawam Park, overlooking Lake Agawam in historic Southampton Village, supports local charities, and features live music, local artists, products, and favorite local restaurants, craft beers, and Long Island wines.
Bollaci has been traveling around Long Island the past two weeks, where he has signed four new Golden Palate Partner restaurants: two outstanding establishments in Glen Cove, where he was born, and two in Greenport, on the North Fork. Bollaci also signed his first winery. Bollaci visited all of his new partners with a crew from CT-based Veritas Productions, which is credited with filming professional golf tournament coverage for NBC, among other high profile endeavors to showcase each establishment and how they fit with Bollaci’s healthy, gourmet lifestyle. Official press releases are forthcoming, announcing the new inductees to Golden Palate Partnership.
“I am thrilled with the level of support I have received from my native Long Island,” Bollaci said. When asked about the number of restaurants chosen in this important market, Bollaci added: “I don’t so much pick the restaurants as they pick me by featuring the freshest, best, highest quality, attention to detail, and hands-on owners who care about and seek to understand their customers. I travel extensively, and am pleased to report that Long Island has a high concentration of excellent, hands-on establishments that deserve special recognition–places that ‘get it.’ It made sense for me to start where it all began, and that is here in New York.” Those select few establishments that Bollaci feels make the grade are then invited to become Golden Palate Partners, establishments that exemplify Bollaci’s commitment to a healthy, gourmet lifestyle, and which offer a ‘home away from home’ quality experience. “The level of quality on Long Island has never been higher,” Bollaci said. “I am so thrilled to see some of the places I enjoyed growing up here are still as excellent as ever, and am delighted to see the emergence of the North Fork as a world class culinary and wine destination. Long Islanders are doing a beautiful job showcasing the incredible bounty of Long Island’s farms, seafood, and artisanal producers. It makes me proud to be from Long Island,” Bollaci said.
In addition to The Golden Pear, Bollaci signed Southampton’s acclaimed 75 Main, an international celebrity hot spot overlooking Main Street by restaurateur Zach Erdem with cuisine by acclaimed Chef Mark Militello as a Golden Palate Partner this past July. “The cuisine is fresh, flavorful, authentic, and clean,” Bollaci said of 75 Main.” Bollaci’s favorite dishes this summer included their Watermelon and Feta Salad, and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. Both 75 Main and Golden Pear are ‘feel good’ places which feature healthy options and cater to the Hamptons lifestyle, where people want to enjoy fresh, flavorful, quality dining without the guilt.” Both restaurants are also featured in Fred’s upcoming memoir. 75 Main and The Golden Pear are the essence of Bollaci’s “dolce vita” lifestyle; he is very pleased that there are restaurateurs like Southampton’s Zach Erdem and Keith Davis who understand this and support his quest to be healthy without sacrificing quality or flavor.
“Get ready for some major announcements in the coming weeks,” Bollaci said. “We will be officially announcing our Glen Cove and Greenport Golden Palate Partners in October, as well as our first Long Island winery.” Bollaci, a sommelier, as well as an attorney and entrepreneur with an MBA said, “For weight loss to be successful, it has to be realistic. Most ‘diets’ make you feel deprived. Many I tried unsuccessfully did not allow wine. I am a connoisseur. I enjoy the best foods and wines–in moderation. In losing the weight, I sought to improve my relationship with food, learning to cook and shop better, and worked with my favorite chefs and restaurant owners to develop dishes that were fresh, flavorful, and healthy. I am currently working with several top chefs and restaurant owners to develop signature Fred Bollaci items for their menus!
As for wine appreciation, I took a course offered by the Court of Master Sommeliers, based in Napa Valley, and passed the examination. I wanted to learn more about wine and felt this was an incredible opportunity. Again, it is about quality. I didn’t want to give up wine. I wanted to learn to appreciate it more. After trying numerous unsuccessful diets, I knew that in order for me to succeed, it had to be a realistic lifestyle approach to weight loss and gourmet living that would become a permanent recipe for success, not a short-term means to an end. Most diets don’t teach you good habits. You starve, you exercise, you eat foods you don’t enjoy, you feel deprived, you’re miserable, you focus on what you don’t have, and either it goes bust, or when it’s over, you go back to your old habits. The weight loss industry is designed to ‘keep you coming back.’ Although not an easy task, anybody can lose weight, and for most, the experience is unpleasant. I learned how to lose weight and keep it off by changing my lifestyle and keeping the things I enjoyed–in moderation. The key to successful weight loss is counter-intuitive: it is not about what you can’t have. It’s about what you can have,” Bollaci added. “I enjoyed a glass of wine most days with dinner while losing 150 pounds in twelve months while dining in many great restaurants across America and in Italy. My approach will completely revolutionize the way Americans look at diet, weight loss, and healthy living. Healthy and gourmet can and should go hand-in-hand,” Bollaci said. A healthy, balanced lifestyle, along with fitness is crucial to lasting success. It beats the alternatives. Bollaci has run four marathons since his weight loss, the most recent in 2013 in New York City, and dedicates 1-2 hours per day to a variety of exercises. “Walking, jogging, bike riding, and swimming are my favorites,” Bollaci said, in addition to working out at a gym three days per week. “You need to give your body the best food so it will run better, and you need to work your body and muscles. You will look and feel better,” Bollaci said.
Other Fred Bollaci Enterprises Golden Palate Partners thus far include New York City’s SD26, owned by dynamic father-daughter duo, Tony and Marisa May, featuring authentic Italian cuisine, which just celebrated five years in Madison Square Park, and Greenwich, CT’s acclaimed Homestead Inn-Thomas Henkelmann, “Heaven for gourmands and people of good taste,” Bollaci said of his fourth Golden Palate Partner, and first to combine an outstanding restaurant and luxury hotel accommodations. On a recent visit to Homestead Inn-Thomas Henkelmann, Bollaci was greeted like a member of the Henkelmann family, and proclaimed “I am at my home away from home.” “People like the Mays, Keith Davis, Zach (of 75 Main), and The Henkelmann’s totally get it. They are caring, hands-on proprietors who are dedicated to showcasing the best and to treating their customers like family. I need to feel completely at home in any establishment invited to be a Golden Palate Partner. It is like I am asking them to be part of my family.” Being chosen to be a Golden Palate Partner is “an invitation to an exclusive club” and has been described by Connecticut media as a “coveted national award” recognizing good taste, health-conscious offerings, and dedicated owners. When asked about the cost of a gourmet diet, Bollaci noted, “many top restaurants, like SD26 feature prix fixe menus and small plates, that are quite healthy, delicious, and very reasonably priced. My Golden Palate Partners, both current and future represent various types of cuisines, establishments, and price points. The common theme is quality, consistency, and dedication.”
When asked about establishments that don’t make the Golden Palate Partner designation, Bollaci said that “there are many excellent establishments out there, but only a select few combine excellent cuisine, service, and ambience with hands-on owners and staff who make you feel at home, and feature healthy options.” “Surprisingly, not every restaurant wants to be known for being healthy or accommodating.” Recently, a 300-pound restaurant manager told Mr. Bollaci “We don’t make accommodations for anyone–no half portions, no changes, no substitutions, period.” Bollaci said, “Clearly, they don’t get it, and they weren’t considered for Golden Palate Partnership.” Those places that get it “understand today’s consumer expects top quality food and excellent service, as well as options that address individual dietary needs and the desire to eat well and be well.”
“We have additional Golden Palate Partners already chosen for 2014, Bollaci said.” We are heading up to Massachusetts and Vermont next week, and will be in Palm Beach County, Florida in November to coincide with the start of season in South Florida, showcasing my favorite establishments that make the grade.” “This is only the beginning.” Plans for 2015 include naming establishments in California and other key markets.
In addition to the special, coveted, elite Golden Palate status awarded to only a very select few establishments, Bollaci has named and will continue to name “Fred Bollaci Enterprises Preferred Destinations,” both nationally and internationally, places that Bollaci also enjoys and recommends. At this time, there are several hundred “Preferred Destinations,” both dining and lodging establishments, as well as wineries–worldwide. Bollaci is in the process of publishing his memoir, featuring his revolutionary weight loss concept, complete with recipes from 75 top restaurants from coast to coast. Plans include a Golden Palate Directory, a Michelin-like guidebook listing Bollaci’s Golden Palate Partners, and Preferred Destinations, which Bollaci says will be “THE go-to guide for people of good taste,” health-related and gourmet products, restaurants in key markets, and an expansion of his concept to destinations overseas. Plans also include an “App,” and a subscriber section of the website, providing unique content in addition to the content currently featured on the public part of the website from Bollaci and select chefs, restaurateurs, winemakers, and fitness experts. Bollaci invites you to visit www.fredbollacienterprises.com for more information.
