Thirteen Yards to Victory Takes on International Culinary Flair
Kowloon Restaurant, Rustic Kitchen, Nick’s Place Team up to Honor Rock Music Ambassadors
Boston—November 30, 2009—In recognition of Boston-based International recording artists Thirteen Yards To Victory (13 YTV), three local businesses have joined together, combining the band’s Italian-American heritage, love of Chinese food and dedication to community service, to create a pizza in their honor. The new pizza, which was the brain child of Costa and Tony Alexandrou, owners of Nick’s Place of Saugus Center and Winthrop, was created with the expertise of House of Blues developer and Rustic Kitchen co-owners Jim and Kathy Cafarelli.
When international restaurateurs Andy and Bob Wong, owners and operators of the Saugus, Mass.-based Kowloon Restaurant, learned of 13 YTV’s impending pizza, they made the ultimate contribution—their secret, world-famous Saugus Wing Sauce®.
“It is our pleasure to honor Thirteen Yards To Victory as they make their ascent to success. It is great that we can pay tribute to this band, which represents our area so well. We appreciate all they’ve accomplished already, especially all they are doing for others,” said Bob Wong.
The new pizza was developed by Rustic Kitchen Executive Chef Tom Holloway, with input from 13 YTV and 23-year-old Costa Alexandrou of Nick’s Place. Holloway created the pizza consisting of 13 ingredients (naturally), beginning with the Kowloon’s signature Saugus Wing Sauce, a band favorite. Throw into the mix braised short ribs, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, arugula and eight other ingredients and you have a Chef Holloway masterpiece, Thirteen Yards to Victory’s Dreamer Pizza, which will initially be sold exclusively at the Nick’s Place locations.
20-year-old, 13 YTV guitarist and vocalist Vinny Prezioso said, “I think it’s great that we’re able to work with Tom and Costa to bring something completely different—and great—to Nick’s Place. As a band we really appreciate that they worked with us to create something that people will savor and enjoy.”
“The band is great to work with. They came with the Kowloon’s Saugus Wing Sauce, which has, of course, an Asian influence. So, we took that flavor profile and created something the band would like, but that also would work as a new flavor for Costa at Nick’s Place. These are not the usual pizza toppings. This is a very different pizza, it’s, sorry for the pun, outside the box,” said Holloway.
In September, 13 YTV released an eight-song EP digital download, American Dreamers, inspired by President Obama’s United We Serve Campaign, with all of the band’s net proceeds going to art and music education programs across the United States. Building on their commitment to community service, a portion of the proceeds from every pizza will be donated to art and music programs at Saugus and Winthrop public schools. In addition, the band will deliver pizzas, made by Nick’s Place, to a family-focused homeless shelter in the Boston area within the next week.
“It’s an honor for me to work with a chef of Tom Holloway’s caliber. I’ve driven by the Rustic Kitchen and it is always packed. This pizza will be a great addition to our menu,” said Alexandrou. “We made the offer to add a pizza to Nick’s menu named for Thirteen Yards To Victory, and they took it a step further and created a public service project to help raise money for charity. I know these guys, and I think it is great for us to be able to use our different talents to help others. I’m really excited to have this pizza in my restaurants.”
Rustic Kitchen is home to The Cooking Show in its one-of-a-kind television broadcast kitchen studio. This unique, state-of-the-art studio provides the perfect atmosphere for lively, entertaining and informative cooking shows every Friday evening and has hosted more than 300 performances to date.
Jim Cafarelli said, “Executive Chef Tom Holloway embraced the idea of helping a great bunch of guys create a pizza to raise money for an excellent cause. He took a look at the band’s favorite foods and then tried to elevate those tastes to create a gourmet pizza that will not only be delicious but also will raise a lot of money. Rustic Kitchen wishes Thirteen Yards To Victory the best. Hopefully we’ll see 13 YTV on The Cooking Show soon.”
“I think the blend of the flavors is amazing. I’m so impressed with how Chef Tom was able to make the flavors of the meat and cheese work with Kowloon’s Saugus Wing Sauce. I think it’s a very delicious slice of pizza,” 22-year-old 13 YTV bassist Dave Rossi added.
Kowloon Restaurant, with a capacity of 1,200 seats, was established by the Wong Family in 1950 and has grown to become one of the premier multi-concept dining establishments in the United States.
For more information on 13 YTV please visit 13ytv.com.
About Thirteen Yards To Victory
13 YTV is Anthony DiPerri (20, Vocals, Keys), Vinny Prezioso (20, Guitar, Vocals), Thomas Iannello (21, Guitar, Vocals), Ryan Passariello (18, Drums) and Dave Rossi (22, Bass) of Saugus, Mass., and was formed in late 2005. During its brief time on the music scene, the band has performed during the Boston date of the internationally acclaimed Vans Warped Tour in 2007, has covered 29 states via three independent national tours and has recorded under the auspices of acclaimed drummer Kenny Aronoff (Melissa Etheridge, John Fogerty and Smashing Pumpkins).
Through the massive popularity of its MySpace Music page (www.myspace.com/thirteenyardstovictory), 13 YTV has amassed thousands of fans spanning the globe. The phenomenal Internet buzz created has caught the interest of indie and major labels alike. Please visit 13ytv.com for more on the band.
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CONTACT: Carol Beggy
(617) 549-1247
Carolbeggy@gmail.com
