First Posted: 1/29/2015
PITTSTON — Famed Chef Brian Duffy will fit right in here in Pittston.
Duffy, of Irish-Italian descent who was born and raised in Philadelphia, will be the city’s guest of honor at the second annual Pittston City S. Patrick’s Parade. The parade will be held on March 7 in downtown Pittston.
Duffy spent two years as the Corporate Executive Chef at Kildare’s in Scranton. So he’s pretty familiar with Northeastern Pennsylvania. Duffy is most recognizable for this appearances on the Spike TV series “Bar Rescue,” where he tours the country helping failing bars and restaurants.
This will be the first time Duffy is doing an event like this, he said.
“The whole St. Patrick’s week is always kind of crazy for me,” he said. “That’s why I’m even more stoked for this.”
City of Pittston Special Events Coordinator Sarah Donahue said Duffy will arrive in the area on Friday, March 6. There will be a ticketed event at the Tomato Bar & Bistro that evening. Information for that event will be released at a later date.
During the parade, the city will provide Duffy with a car as the city’s guest of honor.
“I grew up going to Irish parades and being in them as a kid,” he said. “I was talking Gaelic at the age of 10 with my father.”
Following the parade, Duffy will remain in city and take a tour of some of the city’s best restaurants — a restaurant crawl, so to speak.
While Duffy isn’t completely familiar with the Greater Pittston area, he does have clients in Hughestown. Tony and Deno’s Sports Bar on Parsonage Street will be doing some business with Duffy in the near future.
“We’re excited to have him here,” Donahue said. “A lot of people from the area know who he is. I think he will bring a lot of people out to the parade.”
The idea of reaching out to Duffy came from Pittston councilman Michael Lombardo. Following last year’s parade, the committee was trying to figure out how they could make it better. Having someone of Duffy’s stature and Irish-Italian heritage was a no-brainer.
“This combines the best of both worlds,” Duffy said. “We’re loud and we love our food.”
Although Duffy makes his home near Philadelphia, Ardmore to be exact, he said he feels like he lives in NEPA. Along with friends, Duffy travels back-and-forth to Scranton often — many times on his Harley Davidson.
“We’re up there all the time,” he said. “I feel like I live there. I have a lot of friends up there and I’m really excited.”
Duffy attended Philadelphia’s The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. Currently, Duffy works with restaurants across the country updating menus and coaching through face lifts.
If you know Duffy from “Bar Rescue,” you might think he’s a hard-nosed, tough chef. Well, that’s true, he said. However, that’s not exactly the kind of man he is outside of his business.
“When it comes to my business I am tough,” he said. “I have certain standards. But I’m a really fun guy. I love to go out and I love my friends. I’m a very social kind of guy. That’s why I’m excited about the crawl.”
