The Sauce Talk Podcast

#24 - Officer Justin Nielsen

Officer Justin Nielsen and I grew up together in the town of Verona. His early onset passion for law enforcement, the military and emergency services never left him, as during his transition into adulthood, he dragged along all 3 of those with him as a way of life. Upon his exit from High school, he immediately enrolled into the military, throwing himself to the wolves, so to speak, fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Beyond that, he's still an active volunteer firefighter for the town of Cedar Grove, first responder for the Verona Rescue Squad, WAS a police officer for the town of Verona for almost a decade and his current main bread and butter is training K-9 along with normal house dogs across all levels of obedience and skill. He's the owner and founder of Cover K-9 Dog Training and has a star-studded client list. I wanted to give you a different perspective on the world from someone who's fought in a war, someone who is actively in law enforcement, and someone whose eyes have seen a great deal. It's easy to judge from the other side of the fence, especially when it comes to the general view of Police Officers. We had a great conversation that I feel you all will enjoy!
 
*Mixed & Mastered by Carson Kopp ( @carson.kopp )                                                                                                        
**Intro Music by N3str0 ( @n3str0 )

#23 - Ari Saal Forman

Ari Saal Forman is widely known for releasing one of the most legendary and controversial sneakers of all time, the Ari Menthol 10s. He also created one of the most important Hip-Hop/Graffiti publications in existence called OnTheGo Magazine alongside Steve "Espo" Powers, which down the line years later became OnTheGo Marketing that has a client list most would drool over. I could go on and on regarding his importance to me as well as the culture as a whole, but more importantly, he's a friend and one of the wisest people I've ever come across. There are various short documentary pieces done on him, articles, and he has also participated in many interviews, podcasts etc. regarding his involvement in the sneaker space. However, there is much more to him than sneakers. Ari is very wise and for good reason, as he's lived a long rough life. He has touched on it sparingly in various interviews but never in full depth. I wanted to give the world another side of Ari, the vulnerable, detailed, emotional, and intellectual side. This podcast, although slightly touching on the inevitable sneaker talk, focuses on everything else in between that you have never heard before. The philosophical, spiritual and astral intellect that makes up his very DNA. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I am, as there is 4 hours of knowledge jam packed into this episode!
 
*Mixed & Mastered by Carson Kopp ( @carson.kopp )                                                                                                        
**Intro Music by N3str0 ( @n3str0 )

#22 - Daniel Espinal (Def Dom)

Daniel Espinal aka Def Dom, is a local underground music producer. Back in 2009 I was getting familiar with the local music scene within my area as I always sought out the newest and greatest unheard sonics and I came across this soulful R&B duo through mutual friends entitled "Pardon The Stranger" consisting of one singer Kendal Good and producer DefDom (my guest). My musical mood changes with the seasons as tides to a shore which at the time was in a soulful pocket. The first song I ever heard from the duo was "Brand New Me" and it immediately made the hair stand up on the back of my neck from the unique angelic vocals spewing out from the depths of Kendal's diaphragm, to the sonic abyss formulated by the mind of DefDom. It plucked the melodic strings of my life at the time and I reached out to DefDom almost immediately expressing my gratitude and the rest is history. From there I gained a friend, a fellow music lover, a spiritually in-tuned entity,  and someone who supports my vision as I equally support his. In this conversation we nerd out over our musical interests, experiences and life as a whole which comes from a real warm place within. This one was a lot of fun!
 
*Mixed & Mastered by Carson Kopp ( @carson.kopp )                                                                                                        
**Intro Music by N3str0 ( @n3str0 )

#21 - CJ Tuite

CJ Tuite is one of my oldest best friends! I've known CJ since I was in the 5th grade and we've been close ever since. He is truly like a brother to me. It is through CJ that I really got to grasp fully what the term "solidarity" really meant. CJ got dealt a rough deck of cards and his upbringing got extremely dicey throughout the years. To witness what he has become, after all he's been through has been nothing short of incredible, as many moments throughout his journey would've destroyed some of the strongest men I've come to know in life tenfold. I wanted to share his story in hopes that anyone out there that's going through a similar situation would never give up and strive for that light at the end of the tunnel. You can't choose your parents or the early years of your life, but you can change its course for the better. CJ and I sat down for what could've easily been over 10 hours, and just briefly touched on some of the rough moments of his when growing up. We haven't even scratched the surface, but I am thankful for his trust and for opening that door just a tad for the listeners, in hopes of inspiring anyone that went through or is currently going through a similar situation. We hope you enjoy our conversation.
 
*Mixed & Mastered by Carson Kopp ( @carson.kopp )                                                                                                        
**Intro Music by N3str0 ( @n3str0 )

#20 - Mike Cosenza (Mikes Pasta & Sandwich Shoppe)

Michael Cosenza is a well known New Jersey Culinary Chef and the co-owner of Mike's Pasta & Sandwich Shoppe located in Nutley, NJ! Cooking has been in Mike's blood since he was a toddler, sprouting that culinary seed in his family kitchen growing up. Finding his way has been a long journey from deciding to pull out of joining the Marines in the 11th hour, to pursuing his destiny, attending the French Culinary Institute, fine-tuning his craft, laying the very foundation of what's to come. Souring through the restaurant scene taking on many roles in the kitchen, it wasn't until around 5 years ago when he discovered his passion for making homemade pastas. We sat down, and I got to hear all about his story and, more importantly, his love and passion for food. Mike is a fantastic human and we hope you enjoy our conversation!
 
*Mixed & Mastered by Carson Kopp ( @carson.kopp )                                                                                                        
**Intro Music by N3str0 ( @n3str0 )

#19 - Corey Donohue (Panther Printing Co.)

Corey is the owner of New Jersey's best screen printing and embroidery outfit on the East Coast, Panther Printing Co, which was founded in 2014. Starting out in a small 100 square foot corner of our mutual friends sneaker warehouse, in which he was employed, he then started what would unknowingly become his screen printing empire. I have known Corey since he was 16 years old, so to see him grow not only as a man, but also as a business owner has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had. In this episode you gain knowledge of his childhood growing up in New Jersey along with a rundown of what it was like to start a local business from the ground up! I had a blast chopping it up with my good friend and I learned a ton about the screen printing industry, as so will you after listening to this episode!
 
*Mixed & Mastered by Carson Kopp ( @carson.kopp )                                                                                                        
**Intro Music by N3str0 ( @n3str0 )

#18 - Sean Struss

Sean is a West Orange native who has had a love and appreciation for the food and beverage industry since a young age. As the current beverage director at the BeefBar in NYC, my guest tells everything from starting out at the very bottom at local pizzerias & restaurants, to working in the most prestigious culinary outfits in the tri-state area. Sean and I are both mutually emotional people and during this episode we both laughed and cried harmoniously, sharing our deepest thoughts and philosophy regarding life as well as the restaurant industry. This is one of the greatest conversations I have ever had in my life and I can't wait for you all to give it a listen!
 
*Mixed & Mastered by Carson Kopp ( @carson.kopp )                                                                                                        
**Intro Music by N3str0 ( @n3str0 )

#17 - Joey Hono

Joey Hono, for as young as he is, he's lived a hard, long life filled with experiences that you could depict through cinematic expression. Growing up, I've always been drawn to music like minnows to a trout. One genre in particular that I adored was house music, or rather club music as a whole. The type of music that sonically echoed off of the walls in the most legendary underground NYC clubs throughout the 90's and early 2000's. Oddly enough, although my passion for the music was strong, I did not partake personally in the club party scene but instead thoroughly enjoyed to live vicariously through the stories of others. One club in particular that had a large impact on the scene was The Tunnel. It largely became known towards the end of its life cycle for Hip-Hop, but it did not start out that way. My guest was a frequent at the tunnel along many other rave parties in the big apple for many years and was even there when they had the infamous drug raid that ended up contributing to the termination of its existence. Many drug fueled chaotic adventures that would last hours and carve unforgettable memories into the very fabric of his cerebral cortex. Those memories were thankfully shared over the finest Japanese whisky, as we took a detailed stroll down the nostalgic road that made up the very life he continues to lead. From a childhood in which resembles the movie Kids, to the nightlife escapades that are in lines with the film Party Monster and everything in between, his story is an interesting one . After our chat, in which we realized the large amount of mutual friends and interests we have in common, it's  remarkable we have never crossed paths prior to our introduction. Please welcome my guest Joey Honō aka Joey Blaze.
 
*Mixed & Mastered by Carson Kopp ( @carson.kopp )                                                                                                        
**Intro Music by N3str0 ( @n3str0 )

#16 - Rose Talocci

Rose Talocci aka Rose6,is the first female featured on The Sauce Talk Podcast! Rose and I met at our place of work over a decade ago as we were both hired the exact same day, but belonging to different crafts. Quite possibly one of the sweetest, talented, and most caring women I've ever met in my life. Just like my cousin Vinny from episode 5, Rose also shares what it was like for her growing up in the 90s being a homosexual female not only in normal day-to-day life, but also going into the military, as she was a Sergeant for the Marine Corps where, upon signing on she had to sign the "don't ask don't tell" waiver in order to follow her military aspirations. Upon exiting the military, she had a brief career working in broadcasting, became a locomotive engineer which she's still involved with in the present day, and then, onto pursuing her love for music, in which she adopted the moniker Rose6, performing shows with just a guitar, mic and her bubbly personality to accompany said tools! Please welcome my guest, Rose Talocci!
 
*Mixed & Mastered by Carson Kopp ( @carson.kopp )                                                                                                        
**Intro Music by N3str0 ( @n3str0 )

#15 - Ari Kafadar (Ari The Jeweler)

Ari is an expert jeweler of Armenian descent specializing in custom pieces operating out of NYC. Ari's father has been in the jewelry business for over 30 years and while at first he was not interested in continuing the family business, that all changed once he arrived to his 20's after realizing the retail industry just wasn't for him. Although starting later in life, he quickly learned the craft at an expert level creating some of the most intricate and gorgeous custom pieces for athletes, musicians, even all the way down to your average joe. Ari's claim to fame is that every single piece is made of high quality all under one roof, in house, and with zero outsourcing! We had a wonderful conversation and I gained lots of knowledge regarding the jewelry industry that I did not know of prior.
 
*Mixed & Mastered by Carson Kopp ( @carson.kopp )                                                                                                        
**Intro Music by N3str0 ( @n3str0 )