Today's Entertainment

BY KATE O'HARE On Thursday, Oct. 24, Food Network adds another show to the family business reality genre with the premiere of "Restaurant Divided." Each week, chef Rocco DiSpirito comes into a struggling family-run restaurant whose ownevrs are split over how to save it. DiSpirito then divides the space in two, with one side each devoted to the competing concepts. Customers and critics are invited in for one night. After that, DiSpirito looks at the profitability of the night and the customer reviews and decides which idea works better for keeping the restaurant afloat. By email, DiSpirito shares thoughts about the show and the idea of family-run restaurants. Q: Where did the idea for "Restaurant Divided" originate? A: It was an original idea from Leopard Films USA. Q: What do you think makes you the right host for the show? A: My personal experience opening and operating several restaurants – one of which was a family business – uniquely qualifies me to advise and counsel our contestants through the makeover process. I understand from working with my own family the benefits and challenges it presents. Q: What are your thoughts on our fascination with family-run businesses? A: Watching family dynamics intersect with operating a business is incredibly compelling. Q: Have you learned any surprising things, either about running a restaurant or family dynamics? A: Although I truly adored working with my mother, I've confirmed my suspicion that mixing family and business is generally not a good idea. Q: What has come to light as the most important thing family restaurants can do to survive in competition with chain eateries? A: Try not to compete, do not attempt to be all things to all people like many chains are, and be as authentic and true to what you're passionate about as possible. If you don't like seafood, don't open a seafood restaurant. If you're a world-class pit master, focus on barbecue, and don't dilute your brand with extraneous menu items like Buffalo chicken wings, because Friday's down the road does. "The Magnificent Ambersons" "The Lady From Shanghai" "Citizen Kane" BY JAY BOBBIN 8 HERE'S THE RECIPE FOR ROCCO'S MOTHER NICOLINA'S FAMOUS MEATBALLS: 1/3 cup chicken stock; 1/4 cup diced yellow onion; one clove garlic, minced; 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped fine; 1/2 pound each of ground beef, ground pork and ground veal; 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs; 2 eggs; 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated; 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 3 to 6 cups marinara sauce. Puree the chicken stock, onion, garlic and parsley, then combine with everything but the marinara sauce until well mixed. Form meatballs and saute them in olive oil. Heat the marinara sauce in a large pot, add meatballs, and simmer for over an hour. "Citizen Kane" (1941) After making marks in theater and radio (encompassing the legendary, panic-causing "War of the Worlds" broadcast), Welles made his first film ... still acclaimed as one of the greatest ever, though its fans didn't include powerful publisher William Randolph Hearst, who felt the portrait of Charles Foster Kane hit too close to home. "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942) The RKO studio ultimately took this film away from Welles, which explains its brevity (less than 90 minutes), but the adaptation of Booth Tarkington's novel – about a family trying to change with the times – has much to recommend it, including its cast of Mercury Theatre players. "The Stranger" (1946) Also the director, Welles plays a Nazi The Goshen News • Viewer's Choice • October 28 - November 3, 2013 war criminal in hiding, pursued by a United Nations investigator (Edward G. Robinson). "The Lady From Shanghai" (1947) Welles is producer, director, screenwriter and (with then-wife Rita Hayworth) star of this melodrama about a sailor caught up in a murder scheme. The film fared much better overseas before its reputation grew in the States. "Macbeth" (1948) Welles tried a number of unique filmmaking techniques – mostly necessitated by a small budget – in his film version of the Shakespeare classic (with Welles in the title role). "The Third Man" (1949) As the mysterious, supposedly deceased Harry Lime, Welles is part of one of the all-time-great mystery movies ... primarily as an actor, though he did make contributions to the script. "Othello" (1952) Going back to the works of Shakespeare as producer, director, screenwriter and star again, Welles had to stop and restart production as he took other acting jobs to replenish his funds to make this. "Touch of Evil" (1958) A chilling Welles, who also directed and wrote the script, is great as a corrupt border cop who collides with a drug enforcement officer (Charlton Heston). The film had much footage restored in later years. "The V.I.P.s" (1963) In one of Welles' most enjoyable actor-forhire turns, he plays a larger-thanlife filmmaker among the travelers stranded by fog at London's Heathrow Airport.

• Cover