New Hampshire Magazine September 2017

603 INFORMER
IN THE NEWS
Blips
Monitoring appearances of the 603 on the media radar since 2006
“Cousins” Jay Leno and Vito Marcello
When Leno Met Vito
Jay Leno was here to drive a steam car up Mt. Washington — and eat
BY RICK BROUSSARD
Even celebrities get hungry while exploring
our North Country. So, when
Jay Leno and his entourage felt peckish
while passing through, they did what most
folks do and checked the internet. Some
good reviews (and, no doubt, the presence
of a “Best of NH” logo) led them to Vito
Marcello’s Italian Bistro in North Conway.
But there was also just something about that
name that inspired confidence.
“He said he liked that both my first and
last names were Italian,” recalls Marcello. “I
was in the kitchen when my mother came in
and said, ‘Vito, you’ll never believe who’s in
your dining room right now. Jay Leno.’ So I
say, ‘No way, get out of here.’ I didn’t go out
there right away. I wanted him to enjoy his
dinner, so I sent out an antipasta and said
to tell him welcome to my restaurant and
welcome to the White Mountains.”
Turns out Leno was staying at the Omni
Mt. Washington Resort in nearby Bretton
Woods. He had come north to film an episode
of his popular “Jay Leno’s Garage” show
in which he would drive a classic Stanley
Steamer car up the Mt. Washington Auto
Road. The episode is likely to be televised on
CNBC in the fall.
Marcello says Leno isn’t the first famous
person to walk into one of his restaurants
— he’s fed celebrities ranging from Richard
Dreyfuss to JFK Jr. — but when he finally
came to the table, he and Leno hit it off
immediately. “I felt so at home with this
guy, talking nonstop about L.A. and cars. I
told him I once had a Viper. He said, ‘I’ve
got one!’ I imagine he’s got 10,” says Marcello.
People ask if he got anything signed
by the star, but he says, “I don’t need his
autograph. I felt like I’d see him again. It’s
a small world and he said, ‘I’ll tell all my
friends about your place.’”
Along with the antipasta, Leno’s group
had Marcello’s signature arancini (deep fried
rice balls stuffed with ragu, cheese and peas
— Marcello uses a special risotto for his rice)
with a tangy marinara. For his main course,
Leno ordered chicken Parmesan.
“The guy loves to eat,” says Marcello, who
can’t resist describing Leno’s choice in detail.
“We use our own fresh cutlets of all-natural
chicken breast lightly pounded and breaded
and sautéed, topped with my delicious basil
marinara sauce and a blend of Italian cheeses
baked to perfection. It was served with
our house-made fresh pasta — Gigli Toscani,
which looks like a Tuscan lily. Jay ate every
bit of it and had no room for dessert. Told
me he couldn’t fit another morsel!”
The other guests in the restaurant were
aware of Leno’s presence but polite through
the meal — and they were rewarded. After
eating, the former host of “The Tonight
Show” chatted folks up, posed for selfies and
gave everyone who wanted it some time. On
the way out, Leno found Marcello’s mother,
Angela, and said something to her.
Afterward, she grabbed her son and
exclaimed, “He said he thought I was your
wife!” Marcello still chuckles. “He knew how
to make everyone feel good.” NH
courtesy photos
Haters Gonna Hate
Hater, a dating app that matches
people based upon what they
hate the most, released its
findings on what app users in
each state most often hate. New
Hampshire, the least religious
state, lives up to its infernal
reputation with “God” topping
the list of dislikes.
Driven to Protest
When Manal al-Sharif filmed herself driving a car in
Saudi Arabia (where it’s a forbidden act for women) and
uploaded the clip to YouTube, her act of defiance sent
tremors through the Middle East. She was arrested and
eventually released, We think it’s fitting to learn that
it was here in the Live Free or Die State that the Saudi
author and “accidental activist” actually learned to drive
a car. No word on whether she wore a seat belt.
36 nhmagazine.com | September 2017