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Hudson River DOA Floater ID'd As Reality Show NJ Chef
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 27, 2010
Modified Sep 27, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 27, 2010
Modified Sep 27, 2010
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, the police found a body in the Hudson River near West 145th Street. The police now say the body identified as 39-year-old NJ chef, Joseph Cerniglia, who appeared in a 2007 episode of the Gordon Ramsey reality show, Kitchen Nightmares. The police say no criminality is suspected so far and they are investigating whether Cerniglia's death could be related to a 911 call (from earlier on Friday) about a man jumping from the George Washington Bridge.
Cerniglia served Italian food at his Fair Lawn restaurant, Campania, and, back when he participated in Kitchen Nightmares, he was deep in debt, which is why he participated in the show, telling the Record at the time, "We were very busy, but I couldn’t seem to make a profit. We kept getting deeper and deeper into debt. Our food costs were high, and we couldn’t get our labor costs under control.” The show's description says, "Joe confides to Gordon that he has lost $120,000 in eighteen months and owes his purveyors another $80,000... Gordon meets Joe's wife and sons. She confides to Gordon that if the restaurant folds, they will lose everything -- including their house."
Fellow Fair Lawn chef Christie Nunn told Off the Broiler, "What can I say about Joe? A great friend a great chef, a great smile. He was a major force in the NJ Bergen dining scene. I can’t imagine my life without his pasta. RIP Joe. You took care of me when I needed it."
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gordon ramsay
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Joe Cerniglia
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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