March 25, 2025 • 39 mins
Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Jaco, Max Roach... legends hung out at her club in the village. Tune in to meet the forever-cool Kate Greenfield.
Kate Greenfield shares her behind-the-scenes stories of co-owning the legendary Seventh Avenue South jazz club in the Village of New York City with the famous Brecker Brothers.
Turning the chapter, we learn how she went on to get her Master's and use all her experiences to help guide teens.
Her warmth, love for people, and passion for caring shine through her story.
Kate's story is a blend of music, food, and education.
Tune in to hear about her unique path and the impact she has had on those around her.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey Jeanette, hi Rachel.
Today we just got off aninterview with Kate Greenfield,
who is a friend of mine and Iadore her.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, I adore her as well.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
She's an interesting person right Beyond, beyond,
yeah, so we talk about the factthat she's had many different
iterations of her life and westart out with, you know, her
connection to New Jersey.
But we also talk a lot abouther connection to the 7th Avenue
South Jazz Club that she waspart owner with, went into
(00:36):
business with the famous jazzmusicians, the Becker Brothers.
So she tells us about this andthen she tells us about how she
transitioned out of it andstarted a whole new career in
education and counseling andreally it's fascinating to hear
her story and how her life asshe says, it's a blessed life at
(00:59):
this point.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Yes, I love just how warm she is and it comes across
and how she talks and her loveof people is sort of the thread.
You know every kind of person,starting from when she was
growing up in Long Island Cityand all the different people she
met and her love of food andpeople and caring for people
(01:20):
through food and many other ways, which translated into hosting
them at a jazz club orcounseling in school or
counseling one-on-one.
It's sort of the common thread,yep.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So here is Kate Greenfield.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
So, hi, kate, thank you so much for coming on.
Lost in Jersey.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Hey, rachel and Jeanette, Thank you for having
me.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Thanks so much for coming on.
Kate.
So, kate, you're one of myfavorite people and I remember
Rachel met you when Roger washaving.
I think it was his 50thbirthday.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
It was.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
And I remember afterwards Rachel was like I
really, really enjoy talking to.
I believe her name was Kate andI was like, of course you did.
Yes, and you said I knew youwould and I said yes.
I want more.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I want more.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Kate.
So I've always enjoyed seeingyou around and whenever we've
gone to brunch or lunch orbreakfast, you always have like
interesting stories and you'vetold me over the years a little
bit about your background.
And it's so fascinating becausewhich we want to get into is
(02:34):
that you know you've had thishistory I was telling Rachel.
I was like, okay, so she hashad.
She's the owner of a jazz club,she's an incredible cook and
she's also been a counselor forstudents for a large portion of
her life and has taken them ontrips overseas and then she's
been a counselor to help peopleget into college and she's just
(02:57):
got a wealth of you knowdifferent life.
You know parts of your life.
Experiences?
Yeah, so tell us how.
First of all, since this isJersey, how are you connected to
New Jersey?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
That's interesting.
So my mom actually grew up inCaldwell.
Oh, she was born on a kitchentable in East Harlem but her
family moved to Caldwell around1917 or 1918.
I think first they were in WestCaldwell and then they were in.
(03:34):
My grandmother and grandfatherbought a house on Hanford Place
in Caldwell.
My mother got out of Caldwell asfast as she could.
Mother got out of Caldwell asfast as she could Like as soon
as she was old enough to move toNew York.
She did because she was sort ofahead of her time.
She was a woman's liver, shewas had left-wing politics and
(03:59):
Caldwell didn't really suit her.
My grandmother and two of myaunts all had houses on Hanford
Place, which is only you know,which is a block where there are
only about six houses on eachside of the street.
So we came to Caldwell, youknow, probably six or seven
times a year from the city wherewe live, and it was like going
(04:23):
to the country.
We would pick up my aunt wholived in the village on Morton
Street and come to Caldwell.
We would stop for ice cream onthe way, as if it was a road
trip.
So the irony is that going toCaldwell was like going to the
country, and then, when I movedto New Jersey in 1999, it became
(04:48):
my commute.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
So so where did you grow up?
Where did you end up growing up?
Speaker 3 (04:53):
I grew up in Long Island city before it was hit
Like.
When I lived in Long Islandcity, it was all factories, yes.
Factories, yes, yeah.
But when I was born, my parentslived on west 12th street,
where it meets meets west fourthstreet.
So if you asked me where I grewup, I would say the village,
(05:17):
yeah, even though we moved tolong island city when I was
three years old.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Yeah well, now it's kind of like street cred to have
grown up in Long Island City,because it's like back in the
day it was like really kind ofnothing and now you can see like
an OG, I guess you would say,of Long Island City.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
But it was a cool place to grow up even then,
because you were only threestops from Manhattan on the
subway.
So myself and my crowd we didnever went further into Queens.
We always headed into the city.
My first year of high schoolwas in Manhattan, and then I
(05:59):
hung out in Washington.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Well, okay, so now we understand.
So you will evolve into thefact that you were part owner of
a very popular jazz club in thevillage.
What is the steps that led youto that part of your life?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
So what happened was when I got out of college, I got
a job in Brooklyn CriminalCourt for a counseling program,
but I was always very interestedin food and cooking.
Growing up in Long Island City,I grew up with all kinds of
people and I had all kinds offriends and I would go to their
houses and if their mom servedsomething that I'd never had
(06:44):
before, I'd ask for the recipe,and so I was always interested
in cooking, and in my early 20sI had saved up.
You know, I came from a workingclass family and I managed to
put together over $10,000.
Wow.
So I thought I had lots ofmoney.
(07:05):
How did you do that.
Well, I don't think.
I want to say that on a podcast, if you can read between the
lines.
Yeah, anyway, I um, I wanted toopen a restaurant and I used to
hang out at this jazz clubcalled Boomers on Bleecker
(07:28):
Street and Bob Cooper, the guywho was the manager.
I told him I wanted to open arestaurant and he said oh, mike
and Randy Brecker, the Breckerbrothers, want to open up a jazz
club.
Maybe I could introduce you andyou could do something together
.
He introduced us and we hit itoff, like the three of us really
(07:51):
hit it off.
We were three, you know, it waslike the mid seventies.
We were three stone fools andwe just kept taking the next
step, like it could have fallenapart at any moment, but we just
kept taking the next step.
Yeah, like it could have fallenapart at any moment, but we
just kept taking the next step.
So we were going to give bob,who was the person who knew how
(08:15):
to run a jazz club we were goingto give him a small percentage
for putting it together and forhis expertise yeah, but he would
like show up for meetings witha racing form under his own and
a Coke you know, coca-cola inone hand, and when we went to
the state liquor authority hehad all of these parking tickets
(08:38):
.
So we decided to get rid of himbecause he really wasn't
keeping up Right.
As part of the bargain, he hadfound a location on 7th Avenue
South and Leroy Street, which iswhere we opened 7th Avenue
South, except keep in mind, thiswas the mid 70s.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
But wasn't, was there .
There were other clubs around,though.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
No, so there was Sweet basil.
okay town, there was s a s o b'syes downtown, yes, but seventh
avenue south was sort of at thattime it was a bit off the
beaten track, okay, because wewere a little bit too far down,
too far south okay from thevillage, too far south from the
(09:25):
village and too far north fromsoho got you.
But we became really popular asa jazz club because the beckers
were popular studio musiciansand they were sort of at the
cusp of jazz rock fusion.
So it became a big musicianhangout.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
That's key, because then their friends, who they're
you know, will come pop by Rightand not just pop by.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
It became they played .
They hung out when they weren'tplaying, so listen to other
people play.
Weren't playing so cool, Listento other people play.
It became like the place forpopular studio musicians.
Stevie Wonder came by, ChakaKhan, the Manhattan Transfer and
lots of famous jazz musiciansyou know, like Max Roach.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
I saw a picture with.
Miles Davis was there.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
I have great Miles Davis stories.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
He was a character, tell us a story Tell us.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
He would come by and say come on, I know you got
something in your pocket, bitch,I know you won't get me high.
You know he was interested inlike getting high and one time
he came by when Shaka was thereI have a photo of them both at
the club together and he saidcome on, shaka, let's go uptown
(10:53):
and do some shoplifting.
I was like what you know ShakaKhan and Miles Davis, as if
people wouldn't recognize them.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Go uptown and go shop with them.
But he was a character and hewould come by periodically.
He sat in once or twice.
A lot of the musicians thatplayed with him were regulars at
the club.
Yeah, Like Marcus Miller, thebass player who became a very
popular producer.
(11:23):
If you look on records you knowhe's on almost everybody's
album.
Yes, and he just did Marcus,just did something about David
Sanborn, the saxophone player.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
But Marcus was a regular, david Sanborn was a
regular.
Wow, these were people whoplayed with Miles regularly.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
And this was also during a like a height in jazz.
You know like it was.
It was for.
You know, in our generationthis is jazz doesn't have this
kind of apex of you know playerslike it did.
These were like superstars.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, packs of you know players like it did.
These were like superstars,yeah, and the like the records.
Mike and randy mike playedsaxophone and randy played
trumpet.
In those days when musiciansrecorded a record, they didn't
like use canned music orrecorded music.
They had live musicians, soanybody who wanted a good horn
(12:26):
section.
Mike and Randy were a part ofit.
I remember when Frank Sinatrawas recording, mike and Randy
got a call to record with FrankSinatra.
Now these were jaded guys whoplayed with everybody, but when
Frank Sinatra called they werelike, oh my god, so excited.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
That's great that they could get excited still
after like playing with all thebest they got really excited and
Tony Bennett would come andhang out at the club what about
for you?
Speaker 1 (13:01):
was there somebody that came in that you were?
Speaker 3 (13:04):
like oh my God, oh my God.
Yeah, I have to say that,stevie Wonder, yeah, I got a
call one night from this woman,paulette Lamel, who was like the
black liaison at Madison SquareGarden, and she called up and
said I'm with Stevie, he's withan entourage.
Do you have a table of 10?
(13:26):
I said, well, if I don't, Iwill create one.
So she came down to the clubwith Stevie, I think I.
I have a picture like of Stevieand his entourage sitting at a
table in the club and at aboutlike two, three o'clock in the
(13:46):
morning we were you know youclose, you have to close legally
at four in the morning andnobody wanted to go home.
So I said, oh, you can come tomy house, I'll make breakfast.
So Stevie had a limo.
Oh, my goodness Told me, letsomeone else drive your car, I
want you to ride with me.
And we all went back to myapartment.
(14:09):
At that time I lived on DeanStreet between Bond and Nevins
in downtown Brooklyn.
I rode in the limo with StevieWonder.
He was the nicest guy.
He actually was interested inwho I was and what I was doing
(14:29):
and how.
I got into the club.
We got back to my house.
I made breakfast for everybody.
I would not let anybody sit onmy couch with Stevie Wonder for
about six months I couldn'tbelieve that Stevie Wonder had
been to my house.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
I know that was huge.
That's incredible and that yougot to like cook for them and
have them in your home and havehim.
It was really exciting.
That's special.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Wow, I actually became friends with Shaka.
Shaka was doing a recording inNew York.
Mike and Randy were playing onher record.
She and I hit it off.
I actually, when she was doingthe Blues Brothers movie in LA,
her manager sent me with her tokeep her relatively straight
(15:23):
because she liked to party, andI don't know why he sent me.
We had a really good time.
We went to Ike Turner's house,oh, my goodness.
That was a wild time and Shakawas driving a Mercedes,
convertible, barefoot, like, andthen when she would come to New
(15:47):
York, she sometimes I mean shehad a hotel room but she would
stay with me on Dean Street,like.
We maintained a friendship fora while, for quite a few years.
Even recently she's invited me,you know, to gigs that she had.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Yeah, that's so nice.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
So okay, Now all of this is happening?
What happened to the cookingpart of all of this?
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Like where.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Because you had initially started this journey
with.
I want to do something cookingwise.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
So what happened was it was my menu and I had hired
this chef who worked at Ashley's, which was a cool restaurant in
the village.
But what we found was thatpeople were more coming to hear
the music than to have somethingexotic.
So the food kept becoming moreand more bar food Like.
(16:45):
We found that we were sellingmore hamburgers, more quiche,
more that kind of food thanreally interesting, different,
exotic kind of food.
So the menu kept getting dummydown, dummy down, dummy down,
(17:06):
but we kept the kitchen open andwe were selling food.
And you know, I became it wasinteresting, I became more and
more interested in the music inthe bar, in the people, than I
did in the food.
And you know, this was the midto late 70s, into the mid 80s
(17:33):
and I don't know if I have totell you guys this there was a
lot of partying, a lot ofdrinking, a lot of doing other
things like, and the emphasisreally became on hanging out and
partying.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Then on the restaurant.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Yeah, yeah, so well, I I did, uh, as I had sent you.
I saw an interview with one ofthe Becker brothers, uh talking
about the closing of it, andthat it was a 10 year release.
And at the in the he also, andI sent it to you.
I was like, cause a lot ofpeople don't know because the
Becker brothers are so famousthat you know that you were the
(18:16):
third person in this club.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
It was the three of us, I mean the Breckers made a
lot of money in doing studiowork.
Their dad was also aPhiladelphia lawyer and you know
I was able to hustle upwhatever extra money we needed,
(18:41):
up whatever extra money weneeded, and you know, but first
of all it's hard to mix jazz andmoney because everybody feels
like it's the people's music,yeah, that makes sense.
So it wasn't, like you know, andagain, this was over 40 years
ago what were we charging?
$5, music charge maybe $10.
You know, Jocko Pistoriusplayed there.
(19:04):
The Word of Mouth Band actuallystarted at the club and we had
lines around the block whenJocko played the club and so we
would, you know, take in a lotof money that night.
But on Monday, Tuesday andWednesday, and you'd have a less
known group, it was hard tobring in money.
(19:24):
So mixing jazz and money becametricky and we decided to give
it up.
In about 1984.
I had stopped partying, I hadstopped drinking and stopped
doing everything else, and itjust became too hard for me to
(19:45):
go into a bar every night forthat to be my work.
So I made a big change.
So it was mixed feelings.
It was feelings of success andit was feelings mixed with
feelings of failure.
I get you.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
So then it sort of propelled to the ending of that
and those feelings and yourpersonal growth propelled you to
another phase of your life.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Oh yes, what happened was I was trying to figure out
how to reinvent myself.
I took a course at Huntercalled Social Work and Law
thinking.
I would either go to law schoolor go for an MSW and I got
paired for a project with thisyoung woman and we were doing
(20:34):
this project together and shesaid oh my God, you print so
well, you should be a teacher.
She was a teacher in EastHarlem and when she said that, a
bell went off because, being ayoung woman of a certain age,
especially being a young Jewishwoman of a certain age, your
(20:57):
mother had said to you be ateacher, be a teacher, be a
teacher.
And I had said I'm not going tobe a teacher.
You know, I was much too coolto be a teacher.
And my mother said to me Katie,just take the classes.
You never know.
And for some reason stillunbeknownst to me, I had
(21:22):
listened and I had enoughcredits, enough education
credits, to become a teacher.
So I said to this woman hername was Bruni Pabon.
I had said how would I do that?
And she said come up to myschool.
It's on 115 Street, between 3rdand Lex.
(21:42):
They'll nominate you.
I go up to her school, I meetthe principal.
I got a temporary substituteteaching license and I started
substitute teaching within aweek in East Harlem.
I did that for seven days.
(22:03):
On the eighth day nobody wasabsent.
Somebody I knew said come to myschool.
It's a junior high school on120th Street.
I went to her school.
I'm subbing there the first day.
The first day I don't know whatI'm doing.
(22:23):
I was a theater major incollege, so I'm acting the way I
thought a teacher should act.
Over the loudspeaker comes KateGreenfield.
Come down to the principal'soffice at three o'clock.
I said, uh-oh, what did I do?
The principal's name wasIsidore Bernstein.
(22:45):
I go down to his office.
He says you want a job.
I said but you don't know me.
He said I may not know you, butI know what I'm doing.
It was November.
What he didn't tell me is thatthe program he was offering me a
(23:05):
job you know the program that Iwas to teach the kids had
already.
Two teachers had quit.
Oh, it was such a rough schedule.
I took the job.
It worked out.
It was a rough schedule but youknow I was tough and I said to
(23:26):
the kids at a certain point Isaid you can make this hard or
you can make this nice.
I'm not quitting.
I would like to work with youand teach you as much as I can.
And I started developingrelationships with these kids.
I taught math for the rest ofthat year.
(23:46):
Then he had promised me that ifI did that I could teach
whatever I wanted.
I started teaching languagearts, english and then I saw
that I should become a counselor.
I had made every mistake a kidcould possibly make and I went
back to school and got amaster's in counseling and I
(24:09):
became a guidance counselor atthe same school.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
That's pretty wonderful.
So you feel that, wait, yousaid I made every mistake a kid
could make.
Do you mean, like you reallyfeel, looking back, that you
made that those were really allmistakes, even though it led you
to such an interesting,fascinating life?
Speaker 3 (24:32):
I'm not talking about .
I feel very proud that I openedthe club.
I don't think that was amistake, but what I mean is, as
a kid I I was always looking foran easier, softer way to get
things done.
I would cheat, I would lie, Iwouldn't do my homework In high
(24:56):
school, I would cut school, Iwould smoke in the bathroom was
not a bad kid value, wise right.
But I did quote, unquote badthings because I never felt good
enough and I think that a lotof the kids that I met on 120,
(25:18):
120th street and first avenuealso had low self-esteem, right
issues with their parents,issues with friends that they
didn't know how to deal with.
So I felt that, because of myown experiences, that maybe I
could help them to betterunderstand what was going on.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Right, and then you could share your experiences or
you could relate to what you'resaying.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Yeah, and how long did you counsel for Cause?
I know that you've been you.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
when I met you, that's what you were doing, so I
am now a retired New York cityguidance counselor from East
Harlem.
I helped open up a school onthe Upper East Side called
Eleanor Roosevelt High School on76th, between 1st and York,
(26:15):
which was a really quote unquotegood school, and I worked there
for 11 years.
I worked in East Harlem for allthose other years.
I worked in East Harlem for allthose other years.
(26:55):
I retired in 2011 after almost30 years with the New York City
Board of Ed because I wasoffered a job in a private, was
able to collect a civil servantin New York, to give back to
young kids and to really I meanI started out making no money
(27:20):
but by the end of my career Iwas making a good salary and now
I have a good pension and I'mgood, yeah, and I remember, I
remember talking to you onceabout that that that the, the,
the pride you had and that youwere able to, you know, create a
(27:44):
career that allowed you to havea comfortable, like this
chapter, stable.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
You know, now you're that you're not working, you're
able to live comfortably andnicely, and that's you know what
we all strive to strive for isto have?
Speaker 3 (28:01):
I mean, can I brag a little bit about my kid?
oh yeah, please yes we moved toNew Jersey in 1999 yeah, and
Harry, my partner, myself andZach, who was eight years old.
One of the reasons we moved toNew Jersey is Zach was very
athletic and I was dragging himall around the city for
(28:25):
practices and for games.
We came to visit friends inMontclair in 1999.
And I looked around and we werea mixed family.
Zach is biracial and I lookedaround and in Montclair there
were all these mixed groups ofpeople that we would see in the
(28:48):
street and it seemed like such acool town and I sort of felt
like I could live here.
I share this to say that Zachwent through the Montclair
school system.
You know he was in the thirdgrade and it's connected to
money too, because Zach turnedout to be an amazing student and
(29:10):
after high school he got into11 out of 11 colleges that he
applied to.
He got into Harvard and betweenhis abilities and the
scholarships he got and my gooddecisions regarding money and
(29:31):
having my head screwed onstraight, he now has a
bachelor's degree from Harvard,a master's degree from Yale and
(29:52):
today he moved to Berkeley andis going to do a doctorate a PhD
program in Berkeley.
He has no debt and I have nodebt.
And this is you know.
And I didn't inherit like tonsof money.
No, it's because I worked hardand made good decisions.
Moving to Montclair turned outto be a really good decision.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
Yes, it did.
I'm just curious what's hegetting his PhD in?
Speaker 3 (30:11):
So his doctorate is going to be in performance
studies but tied intoenvironmental science in some
way, which is what his master'sdegree from Yale is in.
I'm not intellectual enough toexplain to you how that works.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
You also do help in guidance for college
applications as well.
That's something else that youdo, so that's what I do now.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
When I retired from Eleanor Roosevelt from public
school, a pushy garment centermom said oh, now you'll work
with Brett privately.
I said, debbie, I'm not thecollege counselor, I do mostly
social, emotional stuff.
Nobody knows kids the way youdo.
She pushed she wouldn't take nofor an answer.
I mean she ended up doing me abig favor.
I started working with her kidand two other families from
(31:09):
Eleanor Roosevelt found out Iworked with them.
One got into the one ended upgoing to.
They got into lots of schools,but one ended up going to
University of Chicago, anotherone the University of Michigan
and the third one DelawareHonors Program.
Since that was 13 years ago.
(31:30):
I've been doing it privatelyever since and it's all word of
mouth.
I don't advertise, I don't yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
So with that with that process, since both
Jeanette and I have kids youknow that age and whatever in
this world in that, yeah and I,I feel like I learned so much
going through it with I had tojust back to back.
It is a lot of social andemotional as well.
It's not just grades at all,that's.
I think a total mistake parentscan make is that it is
(32:01):
completely social and emotionalto help the kid and also the
parents either the parents,parents' expectations for them
to back off and also to find outreally what's the best fit for
the kid, right?
Speaker 3 (32:15):
I also feel like it's an amazing opportunity for kids
not only to apply to schoolswhere they'll flourish
academically and be happy, butalso to learn about themselves
Absolutely and to embrace all ofthe.
You know, kids tend to behumble, they tend to be like the
(32:36):
mother will say to me oh and,she's done this, he's done that.
And the kid will go oh, ma,stop Right.
But you know, it's a chance forthem to really look at all of
and what they've done recognizewho they are and what they've
(33:32):
accomplished and that it it'slike getting to know themselves
on another level and they growso much in that.
Oh yeah, a lot, a lot, a lot.
I've watched kids.
I've watched kids where thecollege application process has
been the beginning of a positivechange, or I'm able to suggest
schools that they don't evenknow about.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
I find that too yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:56):
Where, if you're an actor and you also love STEM,
you'll be able to combine.
You know, there are certainschools where you're encouraged
to explore everything.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
You don't just have to pick one thing yeah, yeah
that's great you've had aincredible you know this has
been a very interesting story.
You like journey of, likedifferent parts of your life.
They all are interesting andit's been just delightful to
have this opportunity to get alittle more detail with you,
(34:28):
because I always have heardlittle snippets of you know, and
it's so to get a little more ininto it.
I really have enjoyed that.
We like to ask our guests acouple of things about New
Jersey before we let you go,that you love.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
So the thing that I say most often to people.
I say you know, I love New Yorkand I love New York energy, but
weekends are so much longer inNew Jersey than they were in New
York.
What I love about New Jersey isin New York, if you don't do 23
(35:09):
things in one day, you haven'thad a successful day.
In New Jersey.
I feel like you can get up andeither go to work or go do some
volunteer.
You know, at this stage in mylife, maybe I'm doing some
volunteer work or I'm going toan aqua aerobics class, but I
(35:32):
don't have to do 23 things inorder for it to be a good day.
So that's one thing I reallyappreciate.
And then look at, I'm like.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
I know I'm living in a birdhouse.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Yeah, you basically are in a birdhouse with just
gorgeous greenery allsurrounding you.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
As I drive through the streets of Montclair, you
know, or I go to the pool onUpper Mountain and I just look
at the trees.
Yes, the trees are so amazing.
They're majestic, yeah, yeah,are so amazingly majestic, and I
just feel like I'm living in abeautiful, beautiful part of the
(36:13):
world and I'm very grateful toNew Jersey for that.
And let's see what else.
This is a funny thing.
My son, who's now a grownup andwho just has been here for a
week and left.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
Yeah, he says that New Jersey bagels are the best
bagels.
What do you think about that,being from New York and being a
cook?
Speaker 2 (36:43):
I tell him New Jersey bagels are New York bagels.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
All I did was copy New York bagels and he insists
that I'm wrong.
But what I do love about NewJersey is our corn on the cob,
our corn, our tomatoes, thebeautiful fresh produce that
comes from this state.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
I want to touch on your cooking, because anybody
that follows you knows that youpost photos of what you cook
that day.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Well, I need to follow now.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
It's incredible your range of dishes that you make
and everything looks delicious.
One how much time do you spendcooking in a day?
Speaker 3 (37:30):
I know how to cook interesting and delicious foods
without spending eight hoursdoing it, and I also think
everything goes together.
Jazz is very improvisationalCounseling.
You're a good counselor if youlove people and you love
different things about peopleand you can connect to different
(37:52):
people.
I connect to people throughfood.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
Well, I just want to say that anybody that gets a
chance to eat some of youramazing cookies or an
opportunity to eat some of yourfood we now know a little bit
that it's been it's full of thisrich history, so it kind of
makes them even more special.
So, Kate, thank you so much forcoming on.
(38:16):
This has been a wonderfulepisode for me.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
I've really loved hearing.
Thank you so much for invitingme, both of you.
I feel like I can connect toboth of you on so many different
levels, so this has been greatfor me too oh, I'm glad, kate.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
Thank you so much.
We really really I.
I loved this interview too, andI can't wait for everyone to
hear it.
It's just inspiring on so manylevels.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
All right okay, well, thank you have a great rest of
your day.
Thank you so much, all right,thank you.
Have a great rest of your day,kate.
Thank you so much.
All right, thank you.
Have a great day, bye, byeeverybody.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
This podcast is produced by Rachel Martens and
Jeanette Afsharian.
Please follow us on Facebookand Instagram.
We hope you share this pod withyour friends and family and let
us know what you think.
Check out our website atlostinjerseysite and don't
(39:16):
forget to get lost.
Hey Jeanette, hi Rachel.
Today we just got off aninterview with Kate Greenfield,
who is a friend of mine and Iadore her.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, I adore her as well.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
She's an interesting person right Beyond, beyond,
yeah, so we talk about the factthat she's had many different
iterations of her life and westart out with, you know, her
connection to New Jersey.
But we also talk a lot abouther connection to the 7th Avenue
South Jazz Club that she waspart owner with, went into
(00:36):
business with the famous jazzmusicians, the Becker Brothers.
So she tells us about this andthen she tells us about how she
transitioned out of it andstarted a whole new career in
education and counseling andreally it's fascinating to hear
her story and how her life asshe says, it's a blessed life at
(00:59):
this point.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Yes, I love just how warm she is and it comes across
and how she talks and her loveof people is sort of the thread.
You know every kind of person,starting from when she was
growing up in Long Island Cityand all the different people she
met and her love of food andpeople and caring for people
(01:20):
through food and many other ways, which translated into hosting
them at a jazz club orcounseling in school or
counseling one-on-one.
It's sort of the common thread,yep.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So here is Kate Greenfield.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
So, hi, kate, thank you so much for coming on.
Lost in Jersey.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Hey, rachel and Jeanette, Thank you for having
me.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Thanks so much for coming on.
Kate.
So, kate, you're one of myfavorite people and I remember
Rachel met you when Roger washaving.
I think it was his 50thbirthday.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
It was.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
And I remember afterwards Rachel was like I
really, really enjoy talking to.
I believe her name was Kate andI was like, of course you did.
Yes, and you said I knew youwould and I said yes.
I want more.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I want more.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Kate.
So I've always enjoyed seeingyou around and whenever we've
gone to brunch or lunch orbreakfast, you always have like
interesting stories and you'vetold me over the years a little
bit about your background.
And it's so fascinating becausewhich we want to get into is
(02:34):
that you know you've had thishistory I was telling Rachel.
I was like, okay, so she hashad.
She's the owner of a jazz club,she's an incredible cook and
she's also been a counselor forstudents for a large portion of
her life and has taken them ontrips overseas and then she's
been a counselor to help peopleget into college and she's just
(02:57):
got a wealth of you knowdifferent life.
You know parts of your life.
Experiences?
Yeah, so tell us how.
First of all, since this isJersey, how are you connected to
New Jersey?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
That's interesting.
So my mom actually grew up inCaldwell.
Oh, she was born on a kitchentable in East Harlem but her
family moved to Caldwell around1917 or 1918.
I think first they were in WestCaldwell and then they were in.
(03:34):
My grandmother and grandfatherbought a house on Hanford Place
in Caldwell.
My mother got out of Caldwell asfast as she could.
Mother got out of Caldwell asfast as she could Like as soon
as she was old enough to move toNew York.
She did because she was sort ofahead of her time.
She was a woman's liver, shewas had left-wing politics and
(03:59):
Caldwell didn't really suit her.
My grandmother and two of myaunts all had houses on Hanford
Place, which is only you know,which is a block where there are
only about six houses on eachside of the street.
So we came to Caldwell, youknow, probably six or seven
times a year from the city wherewe live, and it was like going
(04:23):
to the country.
We would pick up my aunt wholived in the village on Morton
Street and come to Caldwell.
We would stop for ice cream onthe way, as if it was a road
trip.
So the irony is that going toCaldwell was like going to the
country, and then, when I movedto New Jersey in 1999, it became
(04:48):
my commute.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
So so where did you grow up?
Where did you end up growing up?
Speaker 3 (04:53):
I grew up in Long Island city before it was hit
Like.
When I lived in Long Islandcity, it was all factories, yes.
Factories, yes, yeah.
But when I was born, my parentslived on west 12th street,
where it meets meets west fourthstreet.
So if you asked me where I grewup, I would say the village,
(05:17):
yeah, even though we moved tolong island city when I was
three years old.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Yeah well, now it's kind of like street cred to have
grown up in Long Island City,because it's like back in the
day it was like really kind ofnothing and now you can see like
an OG, I guess you would say,of Long Island City.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
But it was a cool place to grow up even then,
because you were only threestops from Manhattan on the
subway.
So myself and my crowd we didnever went further into Queens.
We always headed into the city.
My first year of high schoolwas in Manhattan, and then I
(05:59):
hung out in Washington.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Well, okay, so now we understand.
So you will evolve into thefact that you were part owner of
a very popular jazz club in thevillage.
What is the steps that led youto that part of your life?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
So what happened was when I got out of college, I got
a job in Brooklyn CriminalCourt for a counseling program,
but I was always very interestedin food and cooking.
Growing up in Long Island City,I grew up with all kinds of
people and I had all kinds offriends and I would go to their
houses and if their mom servedsomething that I'd never had
(06:44):
before, I'd ask for the recipe,and so I was always interested
in cooking, and in my early 20sI had saved up.
You know, I came from a workingclass family and I managed to
put together over $10,000.
Wow.
So I thought I had lots ofmoney.
(07:05):
How did you do that.
Well, I don't think.
I want to say that on a podcast, if you can read between the
lines.
Yeah, anyway, I um, I wanted toopen a restaurant and I used to
hang out at this jazz clubcalled Boomers on Bleecker
(07:28):
Street and Bob Cooper, the guywho was the manager.
I told him I wanted to open arestaurant and he said oh, mike
and Randy Brecker, the Breckerbrothers, want to open up a jazz
club.
Maybe I could introduce you andyou could do something together
.
He introduced us and we hit itoff, like the three of us really
(07:51):
hit it off.
We were three, you know, it waslike the mid seventies.
We were three stone fools andwe just kept taking the next
step, like it could have fallenapart at any moment, but we just
kept taking the next step.
Yeah, like it could have fallenapart at any moment, but we
just kept taking the next step.
So we were going to give bob,who was the person who knew how
(08:15):
to run a jazz club we were goingto give him a small percentage
for putting it together and forhis expertise yeah, but he would
like show up for meetings witha racing form under his own and
a Coke you know, coca-cola inone hand, and when we went to
the state liquor authority hehad all of these parking tickets
(08:38):
.
So we decided to get rid of himbecause he really wasn't
keeping up Right.
As part of the bargain, he hadfound a location on 7th Avenue
South and Leroy Street, which iswhere we opened 7th Avenue
South, except keep in mind, thiswas the mid 70s.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
But wasn't, was there .
There were other clubs around,though.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
No, so there was Sweet basil.
okay town, there was s a s o b'syes downtown, yes, but seventh
avenue south was sort of at thattime it was a bit off the
beaten track, okay, because wewere a little bit too far down,
too far south okay from thevillage, too far south from the
(09:25):
village and too far north fromsoho got you.
But we became really popular asa jazz club because the beckers
were popular studio musiciansand they were sort of at the
cusp of jazz rock fusion.
So it became a big musicianhangout.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
That's key, because then their friends, who they're
you know, will come pop by Rightand not just pop by.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
It became they played .
They hung out when they weren'tplaying, so listen to other
people play.
Weren't playing so cool, Listento other people play.
It became like the place forpopular studio musicians.
Stevie Wonder came by, ChakaKhan, the Manhattan Transfer and
lots of famous jazz musiciansyou know, like Max Roach.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
I saw a picture with.
Miles Davis was there.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
I have great Miles Davis stories.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
He was a character, tell us a story Tell us.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
He would come by and say come on, I know you got
something in your pocket, bitch,I know you won't get me high.
You know he was interested inlike getting high and one time
he came by when Shaka was thereI have a photo of them both at
the club together and he saidcome on, shaka, let's go uptown
(10:53):
and do some shoplifting.
I was like what you know ShakaKhan and Miles Davis, as if
people wouldn't recognize them.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Go uptown and go shop with them.
But he was a character and hewould come by periodically.
He sat in once or twice.
A lot of the musicians thatplayed with him were regulars at
the club.
Yeah, Like Marcus Miller, thebass player who became a very
popular producer.
(11:23):
If you look on records you knowhe's on almost everybody's
album.
Yes, and he just did Marcus,just did something about David
Sanborn, the saxophone player.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
But Marcus was a regular, david Sanborn was a
regular.
Wow, these were people whoplayed with Miles regularly.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
And this was also during a like a height in jazz.
You know like it was.
It was for.
You know, in our generationthis is jazz doesn't have this
kind of apex of you know playerslike it did.
These were like superstars.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, packs of you know players like it did.
These were like superstars,yeah, and the like the records.
Mike and randy mike playedsaxophone and randy played
trumpet.
In those days when musiciansrecorded a record, they didn't
like use canned music orrecorded music.
They had live musicians, soanybody who wanted a good horn
(12:26):
section.
Mike and Randy were a part ofit.
I remember when Frank Sinatrawas recording, mike and Randy
got a call to record with FrankSinatra.
Now these were jaded guys whoplayed with everybody, but when
Frank Sinatra called they werelike, oh my god, so excited.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
That's great that they could get excited still
after like playing with all thebest they got really excited and
Tony Bennett would come andhang out at the club what about
for you?
Speaker 1 (13:01):
was there somebody that came in that you were?
Speaker 3 (13:04):
like oh my God, oh my God.
Yeah, I have to say that,stevie Wonder, yeah, I got a
call one night from this woman,paulette Lamel, who was like the
black liaison at Madison SquareGarden, and she called up and
said I'm with Stevie, he's withan entourage.
Do you have a table of 10?
(13:26):
I said, well, if I don't, Iwill create one.
So she came down to the clubwith Stevie, I think I.
I have a picture like of Stevieand his entourage sitting at a
table in the club and at aboutlike two, three o'clock in the
(13:46):
morning we were you know youclose, you have to close legally
at four in the morning andnobody wanted to go home.
So I said, oh, you can come tomy house, I'll make breakfast.
So Stevie had a limo.
Oh, my goodness Told me, letsomeone else drive your car, I
want you to ride with me.
And we all went back to myapartment.
(14:09):
At that time I lived on DeanStreet between Bond and Nevins
in downtown Brooklyn.
I rode in the limo with StevieWonder.
He was the nicest guy.
He actually was interested inwho I was and what I was doing
(14:29):
and how.
I got into the club.
We got back to my house.
I made breakfast for everybody.
I would not let anybody sit onmy couch with Stevie Wonder for
about six months I couldn'tbelieve that Stevie Wonder had
been to my house.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
I know that was huge.
That's incredible and that yougot to like cook for them and
have them in your home and havehim.
It was really exciting.
That's special.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Wow, I actually became friends with Shaka.
Shaka was doing a recording inNew York.
Mike and Randy were playing onher record.
She and I hit it off.
I actually, when she was doingthe Blues Brothers movie in LA,
her manager sent me with her tokeep her relatively straight
(15:23):
because she liked to party, andI don't know why he sent me.
We had a really good time.
We went to Ike Turner's house,oh, my goodness.
That was a wild time and Shakawas driving a Mercedes,
convertible, barefoot, like, andthen when she would come to New
(15:47):
York, she sometimes I mean shehad a hotel room but she would
stay with me on Dean Street,like.
We maintained a friendship fora while, for quite a few years.
Even recently she's invited me,you know, to gigs that she had.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Yeah, that's so nice.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
So okay, Now all of this is happening?
What happened to the cookingpart of all of this?
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Like where.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Because you had initially started this journey
with.
I want to do something cookingwise.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
So what happened was it was my menu and I had hired
this chef who worked at Ashley's, which was a cool restaurant in
the village.
But what we found was thatpeople were more coming to hear
the music than to have somethingexotic.
So the food kept becoming moreand more bar food Like.
(16:45):
We found that we were sellingmore hamburgers, more quiche,
more that kind of food thanreally interesting, different,
exotic kind of food.
So the menu kept getting dummydown, dummy down, dummy down,
(17:06):
but we kept the kitchen open andwe were selling food.
And you know, I became it wasinteresting, I became more and
more interested in the music inthe bar, in the people, than I
did in the food.
And you know, this was the midto late 70s, into the mid 80s
(17:33):
and I don't know if I have totell you guys this there was a
lot of partying, a lot ofdrinking, a lot of doing other
things like, and the emphasisreally became on hanging out and
partying.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Then on the restaurant.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Yeah, yeah, so well, I I did, uh, as I had sent you.
I saw an interview with one ofthe Becker brothers, uh talking
about the closing of it, andthat it was a 10 year release.
And at the in the he also, andI sent it to you.
I was like, cause a lot ofpeople don't know because the
Becker brothers are so famousthat you know that you were the
(18:16):
third person in this club.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
It was the three of us, I mean the Breckers made a
lot of money in doing studiowork.
Their dad was also aPhiladelphia lawyer and you know
I was able to hustle upwhatever extra money we needed,
(18:41):
up whatever extra money weneeded, and you know, but first
of all it's hard to mix jazz andmoney because everybody feels
like it's the people's music,yeah, that makes sense.
So it wasn't, like you know, andagain, this was over 40 years
ago what were we charging?
$5, music charge maybe $10.
You know, Jocko Pistoriusplayed there.
(19:04):
The Word of Mouth Band actuallystarted at the club and we had
lines around the block whenJocko played the club and so we
would, you know, take in a lotof money that night.
But on Monday, Tuesday andWednesday, and you'd have a less
known group, it was hard tobring in money.
(19:24):
So mixing jazz and money becametricky and we decided to give
it up.
In about 1984.
I had stopped partying, I hadstopped drinking and stopped
doing everything else, and itjust became too hard for me to
(19:45):
go into a bar every night forthat to be my work.
So I made a big change.
So it was mixed feelings.
It was feelings of success andit was feelings mixed with
feelings of failure.
I get you.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
So then it sort of propelled to the ending of that
and those feelings and yourpersonal growth propelled you to
another phase of your life.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Oh yes, what happened was I was trying to figure out
how to reinvent myself.
I took a course at Huntercalled Social Work and Law
thinking.
I would either go to law schoolor go for an MSW and I got
paired for a project with thisyoung woman and we were doing
(20:34):
this project together and shesaid oh my God, you print so
well, you should be a teacher.
She was a teacher in EastHarlem and when she said that, a
bell went off because, being ayoung woman of a certain age,
especially being a young Jewishwoman of a certain age, your
(20:57):
mother had said to you be ateacher, be a teacher, be a
teacher.
And I had said I'm not going tobe a teacher.
You know, I was much too coolto be a teacher.
And my mother said to me Katie,just take the classes.
You never know.
And for some reason stillunbeknownst to me, I had
(21:22):
listened and I had enoughcredits, enough education
credits, to become a teacher.
So I said to this woman hername was Bruni Pabon.
I had said how would I do that?
And she said come up to myschool.
It's on 115 Street, between 3rdand Lex.
(21:42):
They'll nominate you.
I go up to her school, I meetthe principal.
I got a temporary substituteteaching license and I started
substitute teaching within aweek in East Harlem.
I did that for seven days.
(22:03):
On the eighth day nobody wasabsent.
Somebody I knew said come to myschool.
It's a junior high school on120th Street.
I went to her school.
I'm subbing there the first day.
The first day I don't know whatI'm doing.
(22:23):
I was a theater major incollege, so I'm acting the way I
thought a teacher should act.
Over the loudspeaker comes KateGreenfield.
Come down to the principal'soffice at three o'clock.
I said, uh-oh, what did I do?
The principal's name wasIsidore Bernstein.
(22:45):
I go down to his office.
He says you want a job.
I said but you don't know me.
He said I may not know you, butI know what I'm doing.
It was November.
What he didn't tell me is thatthe program he was offering me a
(23:05):
job you know the program that Iwas to teach the kids had
already.
Two teachers had quit.
Oh, it was such a rough schedule.
I took the job.
It worked out.
It was a rough schedule but youknow I was tough and I said to
(23:26):
the kids at a certain point Isaid you can make this hard or
you can make this nice.
I'm not quitting.
I would like to work with youand teach you as much as I can.
And I started developingrelationships with these kids.
I taught math for the rest ofthat year.
(23:46):
Then he had promised me that ifI did that I could teach
whatever I wanted.
I started teaching languagearts, english and then I saw
that I should become a counselor.
I had made every mistake a kidcould possibly make and I went
back to school and got amaster's in counseling and I
(24:09):
became a guidance counselor atthe same school.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
That's pretty wonderful.
So you feel that, wait, yousaid I made every mistake a kid
could make.
Do you mean, like you reallyfeel, looking back, that you
made that those were really allmistakes, even though it led you
to such an interesting,fascinating life?
Speaker 3 (24:32):
I'm not talking about .
I feel very proud that I openedthe club.
I don't think that was amistake, but what I mean is, as
a kid I I was always looking foran easier, softer way to get
things done.
I would cheat, I would lie, Iwouldn't do my homework In high
(24:56):
school, I would cut school, Iwould smoke in the bathroom was
not a bad kid value, wise right.
But I did quote, unquote badthings because I never felt good
enough and I think that a lotof the kids that I met on 120,
(25:18):
120th street and first avenuealso had low self-esteem, right
issues with their parents,issues with friends that they
didn't know how to deal with.
So I felt that, because of myown experiences, that maybe I
could help them to betterunderstand what was going on.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Right, and then you could share your experiences or
you could relate to what you'resaying.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Yeah, and how long did you counsel for Cause?
I know that you've been you.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
when I met you, that's what you were doing, so I
am now a retired New York cityguidance counselor from East
Harlem.
I helped open up a school onthe Upper East Side called
Eleanor Roosevelt High School on76th, between 1st and York,
(26:15):
which was a really quote unquotegood school, and I worked there
for 11 years.
I worked in East Harlem for allthose other years.
I worked in East Harlem for allthose other years.
(26:55):
I retired in 2011 after almost30 years with the New York City
Board of Ed because I wasoffered a job in a private, was
able to collect a civil servantin New York, to give back to
young kids and to really I meanI started out making no money
(27:20):
but by the end of my career Iwas making a good salary and now
I have a good pension and I'mgood, yeah, and I remember, I
remember talking to you onceabout that that that the, the,
the pride you had and that youwere able to, you know, create a
(27:44):
career that allowed you to havea comfortable, like this
chapter, stable.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
You know, now you're that you're not working, you're
able to live comfortably andnicely, and that's you know what
we all strive to strive for isto have?
Speaker 3 (28:01):
I mean, can I brag a little bit about my kid?
oh yeah, please yes we moved toNew Jersey in 1999 yeah, and
Harry, my partner, myself andZach, who was eight years old.
One of the reasons we moved toNew Jersey is Zach was very
athletic and I was dragging himall around the city for
(28:25):
practices and for games.
We came to visit friends inMontclair in 1999.
And I looked around and we werea mixed family.
Zach is biracial and I lookedaround and in Montclair there
were all these mixed groups ofpeople that we would see in the
(28:48):
street and it seemed like such acool town and I sort of felt
like I could live here.
I share this to say that Zachwent through the Montclair
school system.
You know he was in the thirdgrade and it's connected to
money too, because Zach turnedout to be an amazing student and
(29:10):
after high school he got into11 out of 11 colleges that he
applied to.
He got into Harvard and betweenhis abilities and the
scholarships he got and my gooddecisions regarding money and
(29:31):
having my head screwed onstraight, he now has a
bachelor's degree from Harvard,a master's degree from Yale and
(29:52):
today he moved to Berkeley andis going to do a doctorate a PhD
program in Berkeley.
He has no debt and I have nodebt.
And this is you know.
And I didn't inherit like tonsof money.
No, it's because I worked hardand made good decisions.
Moving to Montclair turned outto be a really good decision.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
Yes, it did.
I'm just curious what's hegetting his PhD in?
Speaker 3 (30:11):
So his doctorate is going to be in performance
studies but tied intoenvironmental science in some
way, which is what his master'sdegree from Yale is in.
I'm not intellectual enough toexplain to you how that works.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
You also do help in guidance for college
applications as well.
That's something else that youdo, so that's what I do now.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
When I retired from Eleanor Roosevelt from public
school, a pushy garment centermom said oh, now you'll work
with Brett privately.
I said, debbie, I'm not thecollege counselor, I do mostly
social, emotional stuff.
Nobody knows kids the way youdo.
She pushed she wouldn't take nofor an answer.
I mean she ended up doing me abig favor.
I started working with her kidand two other families from
(31:09):
Eleanor Roosevelt found out Iworked with them.
One got into the one ended upgoing to.
They got into lots of schools,but one ended up going to
University of Chicago, anotherone the University of Michigan
and the third one DelawareHonors Program.
Since that was 13 years ago.
(31:30):
I've been doing it privatelyever since and it's all word of
mouth.
I don't advertise, I don't yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
So with that with that process, since both
Jeanette and I have kids youknow that age and whatever in
this world in that, yeah and I,I feel like I learned so much
going through it with I had tojust back to back.
It is a lot of social andemotional as well.
It's not just grades at all,that's.
I think a total mistake parentscan make is that it is
(32:01):
completely social and emotionalto help the kid and also the
parents either the parents,parents' expectations for them
to back off and also to find outreally what's the best fit for
the kid, right?
Speaker 3 (32:15):
I also feel like it's an amazing opportunity for kids
not only to apply to schoolswhere they'll flourish
academically and be happy, butalso to learn about themselves
Absolutely and to embrace all ofthe.
You know, kids tend to behumble, they tend to be like the
(32:36):
mother will say to me oh and,she's done this, he's done that.
And the kid will go oh, ma,stop Right.
But you know, it's a chance forthem to really look at all of
and what they've done recognizewho they are and what they've
(33:32):
accomplished and that it it'slike getting to know themselves
on another level and they growso much in that.
Oh yeah, a lot, a lot, a lot.
I've watched kids.
I've watched kids where thecollege application process has
been the beginning of a positivechange, or I'm able to suggest
schools that they don't evenknow about.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
I find that too yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:56):
Where, if you're an actor and you also love STEM,
you'll be able to combine.
You know, there are certainschools where you're encouraged
to explore everything.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
You don't just have to pick one thing yeah, yeah
that's great you've had aincredible you know this has
been a very interesting story.
You like journey of, likedifferent parts of your life.
They all are interesting andit's been just delightful to
have this opportunity to get alittle more detail with you,
(34:28):
because I always have heardlittle snippets of you know, and
it's so to get a little more ininto it.
I really have enjoyed that.
We like to ask our guests acouple of things about New
Jersey before we let you go,that you love.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
So the thing that I say most often to people.
I say you know, I love New Yorkand I love New York energy, but
weekends are so much longer inNew Jersey than they were in New
York.
What I love about New Jersey isin New York, if you don't do 23
(35:09):
things in one day, you haven'thad a successful day.
In New Jersey.
I feel like you can get up andeither go to work or go do some
volunteer.
You know, at this stage in mylife, maybe I'm doing some
volunteer work or I'm going toan aqua aerobics class, but I
(35:32):
don't have to do 23 things inorder for it to be a good day.
So that's one thing I reallyappreciate.
And then look at, I'm like.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
I know I'm living in a birdhouse.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Yeah, you basically are in a birdhouse with just
gorgeous greenery allsurrounding you.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
As I drive through the streets of Montclair, you
know, or I go to the pool onUpper Mountain and I just look
at the trees.
Yes, the trees are so amazing.
They're majestic, yeah, yeah,are so amazingly majestic, and I
just feel like I'm living in abeautiful, beautiful part of the
(36:13):
world and I'm very grateful toNew Jersey for that.
And let's see what else.
This is a funny thing.
My son, who's now a grownup andwho just has been here for a
week and left.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
Yeah, he says that New Jersey bagels are the best
bagels.
What do you think about that,being from New York and being a
cook?
Speaker 2 (36:43):
I tell him New Jersey bagels are New York bagels.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
All I did was copy New York bagels and he insists
that I'm wrong.
But what I do love about NewJersey is our corn on the cob,
our corn, our tomatoes, thebeautiful fresh produce that
comes from this state.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
I want to touch on your cooking, because anybody
that follows you knows that youpost photos of what you cook
that day.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Well, I need to follow now.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
It's incredible your range of dishes that you make
and everything looks delicious.
One how much time do you spendcooking in a day?
Speaker 3 (37:30):
I know how to cook interesting and delicious foods
without spending eight hoursdoing it, and I also think
everything goes together.
Jazz is very improvisationalCounseling.
You're a good counselor if youlove people and you love
different things about peopleand you can connect to different
(37:52):
people.
I connect to people throughfood.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
Well, I just want to say that anybody that gets a
chance to eat some of youramazing cookies or an
opportunity to eat some of yourfood we now know a little bit
that it's been it's full of thisrich history, so it kind of
makes them even more special.
So, Kate, thank you so much forcoming on.
(38:16):
This has been a wonderfulepisode for me.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
I've really loved hearing.
Thank you so much for invitingme, both of you.
I feel like I can connect toboth of you on so many different
levels, so this has been greatfor me too oh, I'm glad, kate.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
Thank you so much.
We really really I.
I loved this interview too, andI can't wait for everyone to
hear it.
It's just inspiring on so manylevels.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
All right okay, well, thank you have a great rest of
your day.
Thank you so much, all right,thank you.
Have a great rest of your day,kate.
Thank you so much.
All right, thank you.
Have a great day, bye, byeeverybody.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
This podcast is produced by Rachel Martens and
Jeanette Afsharian.
Please follow us on Facebookand Instagram.
We hope you share this pod withyour friends and family and let
us know what you think.
Check out our website atlostinjerseysite and don't
(39:16):
forget to get lost.
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