Live from Campania: The end

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT:
IT'S ALL IN THE CREDITS

Did you see the fine print in the credits? You had about two seconds.

“The producers may have provided customers at the restaurant with a financial contribution towards (sic) the cost of their meal.”

We'll translate for you: Fox used actors, in one sense or another. The phony food critic from two weeks ago admitted she was an actor.

Also: “The footage shot in this program has been edited such that in places it is shown in a different sequence than actually shot.”

Our translation: What you saw wasn’t always authentic. But you probably already knew that.

If only they gave you that disclaimer up front, instead of advising you about viewer discretion.

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A Q&A WITH JOE CERNIGLIA

Joe is forbidden from speaking on the record about some issues, because of his relationship with the FOX network, but he entertained a few questions.

Q. Your reaction, overall?

I think that what the show did was capture most was the closeness of the staff ... and that's what you see here every day at Campania. What I'm probably most disappointed in was the editing. I guess I'm not surprised, though.

Q. After all that, did Gordon teach you anything about cooking?

No.

Q. You're still cooking exactly the same way?

Yes. Look, he makes sense about [cutting] the portions. I was glad when he said that ... I was afraid to make a big change but since Gordon said something on national TV, yeah, it's great. But he didn't change my food ... You know his menu? That was mine. They told us to write the menu, but to write it smaller.

Q. How do you feel about Gordon claiming your meatballs as his own?

Well hopefully there will be customers writing and blogging who have had my meatballs before and can debunk that.

Q. In six months, has there been an impact?

I think it's going to have more of an impact now. The infrastructure changes we made helped, but what we really need now is revenue.

Q. Bottom line: Are you profitable today?

Yup.

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YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS, through 11 p.m.

Ask Joe if the guy who ordered the pizza was paid to be a patron and brought in by the producers.

I wasn't able to ask him. But someone who was at the relaunch told me that the pizza-orderer had been an extra in other reality shows. So my money's on him being an actor.

Are the complaining NY Metro area stereotypes hired shills?

Both had been in the restaurant before, Cerniglia said. A waitress said that the old bag is a regular.

How many of the customers that we saw throughout the show were friends/family/regulars?

Cerniglia said 90 percent of the customers at the relaunch were regular customers.

Do you think that Fox paid any of the diners to make a scene?

The disclaimer notes that Fox may compensate customers for their meal. Whether that pay is sufficient to make a scene, I don't know.

How much of what Ramsay told you to do is still in place?

The portions are smaller and the menu is more tightly edited than it used to be -- although it's larger than when Ramsay left.

When was this originally filmed?

March.

And a comment about Gene (?) and one of the waitresses not being there anymore--turnover is very common in the restaurant business. Unless the staff says otherwise, I think the blogger is making something out of nothing.

It's just a point of information. They were there in the show, but they're no longer with the restaurant. It was maybe 30 words out of 5,000. Believe me, it's not something out of nothing. It is nothing.

I wasn't aware that most of the residents of Fair Lawn had Italian ancestry.

I meant to check the town demographics earlier today, but I didn't get to it. I'll follow up.

[] [] []

This is the part of the night where I should write "The restaurant is quiet now."

It's not. It's louder than a Megadeath concert. Some of Cerniglia's acquaintances are jamming on electric guitars and banging on drums. It's festive, and loud. The staff is jovial A few customers have lingered, coaxing the last drops from their wine bottles. The tables have been cleared and the TV screens are down. Campania is slowly returning to normal, albeit loudly. And late -- at 11 p.m.

But between twangs and bangs, there's a ring. The ring of the phone. It's been ringing all night.

Cerniglia hopes even with the misleading editing, "Kitchen Nightmares" will help pick up his business.

I think it already did.

Comments

[Lee Stranahan]

I'm recommending that everyone come and read your great blogging, Bill. If I needed any more proof about the out and out falsehoods on Kitchen Nightmares, this would be it.

I hope it helps Joe's business.

[Aunt Lil]

Joe,Melis and boys,

We are so very proud of all of you and wish you all the best...We know how difficult and how much hard work goes into the food business. But....it's in our blood and we try our best... Your hearts are in this and it will succeed. We love you!!
Gordon will agree..it's the best show of the season!!!!!

[Lee Stranahan]

I can imagine it must be really weird to watch a show featuring you and the people you know, but here's what I think the biggest problem was...

I've never eaten at Campania - I live in California. But I researched it for my own blog a few days ago and the reviews were -consistently- excellent. Many of them said it was the best Italian they'd had.

But the biggest thing was that they misrepresented Joe, from everything I've read about him. Clearly not inexperienced - but anyone watching the show would think he was, because the show SAID he was.

No mention of his years at Gallagher's, or his years of cooking demos or anything...just he didn't go to cooking school.

People who know him know better. Anyone - like me - who does some basic google research knows better. But - millions of people around the world don't know any of that. To them, Joe is just an arrogant, inexperienced restaurant owner who Gordon Ramsay saved.

[Paula (from the South)]

WOW, to say the least it was an interesting night in Charlotte....I can only say that I am so very proud of what you guys have accomplished. The passion that you have is one that very few people will ever experience. Keep the faith.

[Ren]

What a strange blog. Almost nothing positive to say at all, yet the shows ending summary said it all. It never mentioned Joe being unable to cook but it did paint him out to be a poor boss, which, by his own admission with a failing business, he appeared to be.

I'm surprised you didn't go to the relaunch, if you had it would of at least brought a tinge of credibility to your writing.

[Neil Jackson]

Great piece Bill. As a Brit, we are used to Gordon...but he can't be blamed for the editing...and remember it is only a piece of entertainment. I thought Joe was great, far from being an arrogant, inexperienced chef, he came across as someone who cared and all he needed was a few pointers. Visit one of Gordons restaurants and you'll see what he is all about. I think the show will do nothing but help the restaurant and Joes reputation. Best of luck, Joe.

[John]

I was glad to find this blog, just finished the episode on the west coast and went to the web for an update (I hate when the show doesn't include one).

One thing you have to keep in mind is that Ramsey is not producing or editing the show. He shows up and does his thing and it is highly unlikely that he is involved in what takes place afterwards...tbh, I doubt he has time in the day to even watch the final edits.

The producers do some pretty ridiculous stuff that my wife (a successful chef) and I tend to ignore or laugh at them for.

Bottom line is Gordon gives these small business owners a serious splash of cold water in the face and if it helps them to straighten out problems with their business that they are too close to see for themselves then the show is a success.

btw, Gordon has a weird way of talking, probably developed from working amongst the many cultures in his line of work...he almost always says 'we' when he is helping one of these businesses out. I highly doubt that he will be publishing a cookbook with the 'stolen' meatball recipe any day soon.

Congratulations to Joe and his family, I hope they have continued success.

[Amminadab]

The business was losing money, and now it is profitable. It seems some gratitude is due somewhere. No?

And now the phone is ringing off the hook for reservations? Perhaps Ramsey indeed saved the place.

Arrogance and pride seem to stifle appreciation and gratitude.

[snaveca]

I think Joe came off much better than most of the previous chef/owners in the series, probably because he is actually a skilled chef! If I lived in NJ I'd definitely want to visit his restaurant.

I have to say, though, if the restaurant was doing so well before the show why was everything broken? (including ALL the ovens?)

If you really want a taste of Gordon Ramsay, watch "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" on BBC America, or even "Boiling Point". Now THOSE were interesting reality shows for people who love good food and appreciate a well-run restaurant.

It's really too bad the Fox producers are soooo ham-handed. Given how formulaic they're making this show, you'd think they'd be a little better at editing -- but the continuity mistakes are ridiculous!

I have a great deal of appreciation for Ramsay's commitment to quality food and his business acumen, but I can already tell I'm going to be stupendously bored by the end of this season.

[Jake Vance]

I'm almost positive the guy on the phone was Vinnie from another reality show (Split Ends). Here's a photo of him from that show. I don't have the Kitchen Nightmares episode saved to go back and compare, but I'm almost certain...

http://www.27things.net/etc/vinnie.jpg

[John]

actors are constantly trying to get on reality shows for their resumes...planned or not, I have 0 doubt that every actor within driving distance tries to get into these things to make a scene. You would be amazed how many actors have 'Blind Date' on their resumes.

[John D.]

Of course KN is going to take some liberties. That's entertainment, folks. The best chef in the world just saved your restaurant and even bought you a new (expensive) stove, and you still seem angry at being humbled. The author of this blog made you look bad, Joe.

[Donna]

I've been to Campania twice for lunch (three courses for 10 dollars) since Gordon Ramsay has been there--actually, I went there because I saw in the newspaper that Campania was to be featured and I wanted to experience the Ramsay effect. The portions were fine--the food was excellent. Unfortunately, my only criticism is that we did have to wait an excessive amount of time...maybe because the restaurant wasn't crowded, I don't know. But they give you some lovely fresh Italian bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil perfumed with Rosemary, so you're not starving, you know? Right now, I'd say it's my favorite Italian restaurant and I do have to go a bit out of my way to get there--but the food is worth it. I, too, watch the British version of Kitchen Nightmares and it is far superior to Fox. In it, Ramsay does the voice over and there isn't the "FOX Realty" effect. But, you kind of expect that after seeing Hell's Kitchen, don't you? Having eaten at Campania before seeing the show, I can tell you that I already had the impression that Joe was a guy who really cared about food and about people having a fantastic dining experience at his restaurant. But he was upset that his restaurant was being portrayed in an bad light (one of the worst restaurants in America? NO--that Fox BS), particularly because the episodes were showing filthy dirty kitchens and chef's who didn't care. How can you blame him? And that was the Bergen Record that featured his picture with Ramsay and repeated the "worst restaurant" label.

I was wondering--did they offer the special lunch before Ramsay was there? It seemed like something that he would push to get people in to taste the food then back in for dinner.

[Mark]

Of the ten US Kitchen Nightmares productions, Joe Cerniglia, his family and staff come out as the most likable and sincere.

My pick for runner-up would be chef-owner Billy Galletti and his wife of the Mixing Bowl in Long Island (their sniveling general manager, Mike, however made me wish Gordon had bitch-slapped him).

Both are places I'd be more than happy to travel an hour or so to visit the next time I'm in NYC for a week.

Most of the other restauranteurs were thoroughly disagreeable human beings from start to finish. Peter " 'Roid Rage" Pelligrino of Peter's (Babylon, NY) and Sebastian "I wanna franchise my shit frozen pizzas" Di Modica of Sebastian's (Toluca Lake, CA) were two of the biggest losers.

However, the top loser award needs to go to Michel "my shit doesn't smell 'cos I'm French" Bardavid of Secret Garden (Moorpark, CA).

P.S. Did anyone get the identity of the Old Bag in the Campania episode? It'd be great if she tried filing a lawsuit for 'defamation of character' or something. Only that way would the comedic value increase!

[sajt]

The restaurant wasn't garbage, just not profitable, disorganized and it didn't offer any sensational food.

It'd be naive to believe that Fox wouldn't want to make it seem worse than what it actually is. I believe that the only reason for that they'd hire actors (or rather just people to eat there) is to test the kitchen and staff there. It's not a conspiracy.

The owner just seemed proud over something he had little reason to be proud about, if you're in need of Gordon Ramsey you don't know how to run your business and that's the bottom line.

If Ramsey didn't teach them anything about cooking then I'd say that's because they weren't listening, complete and utter bollocks.

[Udse]

I concur with Sajt except for the line about the restaurant not being garbage.

The place is a disaster and the owners are too arrogant and conceited to acknowledge that Gordon could apply his proven track record of success in the restaurant industry to help them out.

[David Driscoll]

I've only just come across this blog from youtr most recent entry, I'll link to it via my blog, saying why I dislike the US version of Kitchen Nightmares so much.

Great Job

[Mark]

One should point out that Gordon has pushed out his own meatball recipe several times in previous (UK) series of Kitchen Nightmares.

It is not clear, just from the edited TV footage shown, whether the meatballs were GR's creation or originated in Campania.

Does it even matter ? Probably not, as long as current customers are happy.

[Stephen A.]

Just saw this restaurant featured on Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America.

Most of the shows feature arrogant or nasty owners who won't listen to critiques. This owner did, and apparently it worked out, since they are still in business.

I'm often troubled by the editing of the shows, too, in that I'm not sure whether what I'm seeing is what really occurred, in that sequence.

Still, lessons were learned, and his advice: smaller menus, smaller portions, top notch service, is all good.

As far as the meatballs, one poster above said it's GR's habit to say "we" when helping restaurants. I don't think he meant to imply it was his recipe, although from the editing, and the reaction of the kitchen staff, it appeared as if they had NEVER tasted them. So I'm a bit confused as to whether they were his or the original recipe.