Dinner's Ready Live - Let’s Get Ready to PESTO!!!

Join us on Tuesday, May 18, at 5:00 pm, for an interactive cooking show LIVE on the MPIGNY Zoom Network! You don’t want to miss Dan Altano as he hosts an interactive cooking show teaching us how to make his mom’s famous Penne Pesto! This won’t be your ordinary cooking show! Oh no, there’s much more – Dan’s not just a chef but a comedian, too, and he’ll be joined by his partner in crime (comedy, that is), Ryan Brown, who will MC the show adding humorous banter, trivia challenges, all while we learn a lot, laugh a lot, and cook a lot! Don’t hesitate to sign up – Dan has made this culinary Pesto “throw down” so easy even a meeting professional can handle it! Dust off your best apron and let’s get cooking!

There is a $20 registration fee per attendee and all proceeds from this event will support the MPIGNY Cycle for Survival Team and the Isabella Altano Scholarship for Emerging Artists. It's a  50/50 split and a win-win for all!

Be sure to purchase the following ingredients by show time so you can cook along with us at home!

Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, ripped into small pieces
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
4 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
1 box of pasta 

All you need is a blender or food processor.

Steps: (for the enthusiast who wants to practice!)

1. Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, and salt in a blender and mix at high speed. If needed, stop and scrape the ingredients down toward the bottom of the blender cup with a rubber spatula
2. When the ingredients are evenly blended, pour into a bowl and beat in the two grated cheeses by hand. When the cheese has been evenly incorporated into the other ingredients, beat in the softened butter
3. (Simultaneously) Boil water in a large pot and cook the pasta to your liking!
4. Before spooning the pesto over pasta, add a tablespoon of hot water in which the pasta has boiled.

Let’s Get Ready to PESTO!!! Sign up TODAY!

About the Isabella Altano Scholarship

This endowed scholarship created within the Bergen Community College Foundation supports the full tuition of a second-year student in the field of fine arts. 

The scholarship was created to honor Isabella Altano’s memory (mother of Dan Altano) and allow for a new generation of artists to follow in her footsteps. This fund was endowed by her family—her husband Brian and three children who have all worked at Bergen Community College in different capacities through the years—as well as colleagues, relatives, and friends. The Altano family believes strongly in the mission and purpose of BCC and is proud to support students who will carry Isabella’s indelible legacy forward. 

Meet Your Hosts

Dan Altano is a comedian and writer raised in New Jersey, and currently based in New York City. He can be seen performing stand up comedy live at theatres and comedy clubs across the United States and online on his virtual cooking/comedy show Dinner’s Ready Live. Dan was recently named one of New York City’s “Breakout Artists” by Caroline’s On Broadway.

A classic middle child, Dan spent many years deep in the shadows of his taller and better-looking brothers before finding standup comedy. Dan’s comedy takes an honest, witty, and self-deprecating look at life. These days, you can find him performing regularly in New York City at well-known establishments like Comic Strip Live, New York Comedy Club, and Caroline’s on Broadway. Dan has also appeared in the annual New York City and Connecticut Comedy Festivals for the past three years.

Outside of the city, he can often be seen at the Atlantic City Comedy Club (NJ), Philly Comedy Club (PA), and Fairfield Comedy Club (CT). Dan is also a member of the nationally touring comedy group, Escape from New York.

Ryan Brown An introvert by nature, Ryan Brown is a comedian nobody saw coming. Throughout his shy childhood, he had a dream of one day doing standup. Now he’s grown up (for the most part) to become a nationally touring comedian, winning over audiences with his well-crafted jokes. His humor won’t go over your head but aims to get inside it.

Ryan can be found performing at bars and clubs around the city including Comic Strip Live, Broadway Comedy Club, Caroline’s on Broadway and more. Outside of NYC, Ryan tours the east coast as one of the founders of the Escape From New York Comedy Tour and has been featured in numerous festivals including the Connecticut Comedy Festival, Cape Fear, Laugh Your Asheville Off, and Oak City. He’s also the co-producer and head writer for the live stream cooking show, Dinners Ready Live and his stand-up clips and sketches made him a recurring finalist on the comedy streaming app Laugh Exchange. Over the course of his career he’s worked with such notable comics as Dave Attell, JB Smoove, TJ Miller, Charlie Murphy & more.