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MasterChef Winner Michael Leonard Shares His Culinary Journey in Exclusive Interview

MasterChef Winner Michael Leonard Shares His Culinary Journey in Exclusive Interview

Yahoo2 days ago

The Season 14 Champion Discusses His Rise from Home Cook to Culinary Innovator
MYRTLE BEACH, SC / / June 2, 2025 / Michael Leonard, the celebrated winner of Season 14 of MasterChef, is sharing his remarkable culinary journey in an exclusive online interview titled From Home Kitchen to MasterChef: The Journey of Michael Leonard. In this insightful feature, Michael opens up about his passion for cooking, the experiences that shaped his career, and his vision for the future of his brand, Flavor Perfection.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Michael's love for food began at an early age. Growing up in a diverse community, he was exposed to a variety of flavors and cooking styles that inspired his creative approach to food. "Cooking is like speaking a language. Every dish says something about where it came from," Michael shares in the interview.
After years of experimenting in his family kitchen, Michael's talents brought him to the national stage when he competed in MasterChef's fourteenth season. His bold flavors and innovative storytelling through food captivated the judges, earning him the prestigious title of MasterChef champion in 2024.
Now based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Michael is the founder and driving force behind Flavor Perfection, a culinary brand that celebrates intentional cooking and memorable dining experiences. His approach blends global influences with classic techniques, resulting in dishes that are both accessible and elevated. "Flavor Perfection is about intentional cooking. It's about making every meal special," Michael explains.
In the interview, Michael discusses his passion for connecting with others through food and his belief that every dish should tell a story. His journey from a home kitchen in New Jersey to national recognition serves as an inspiring reminder that passion and perseverance can lead to extraordinary success.
About Michael: Michael Leonard is the winner of MasterChef Season 14 and the founder of Flavor Perfection. Based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, he is known for his bold flavors, thoughtful presentation, and storytelling through food. Michael's culinary philosophy is rooted in intentional cooking and creating memorable dining experiences.
To read the full interview, click here.
Contact: michaelleonard@emaildn.com
SOURCE: Michael Leonard
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

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Decades After Michael C. Rockefeller Mysteriously Vanished, Questions About His 1961 Death Resurface (Exclusive)
Decades After Michael C. Rockefeller Mysteriously Vanished, Questions About His 1961 Death Resurface (Exclusive)

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time31 minutes ago

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Decades After Michael C. Rockefeller Mysteriously Vanished, Questions About His 1961 Death Resurface (Exclusive)

Michael C. Rockefeller, son of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, disappeared in 1961 while on an expedition in New Guinea His body was never found and the story of his disappearance remains shrouded in mystery. The story has resurfaced once again now that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has renovated and reopened a wing in his name His surviving twin, Mary Rockefeller Morgan, spoke to PEOPLE about the weight of the loss in 2014When his boat capsized 10 miles off the coast of New Guinea back in 1961, Michael C. Rockefeller, 23, decided to swim to land and get help. He was never seen again. At the time, Michael, one of the five children born to Nelson Rockefeller, one-time governor of New York, and his wife, Mary, had traveled to the island of New Guinea to collect art and artifacts. Years later, his father, continuing his family's longtime support of the arts, donated much of the collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Over the years, Michael's disappearance became the stuff of legend, including speculation that he'd been murdered and eaten by cannibals, a theory his family, who believes he drowned, has long refuted. Sixty-four years after Michael's disappearance, the Metropolitan Museum has renovated and reopened the Michael C. Rockefeller wing. 'I feel like the reopening of the wing is the fulfillment of father's dream,' Michael's twin sister Mary Rockefeller Morgan, 87, recently told the New York Times. 'And Michael's dream.' Back in 2014, she gave a rare and poignant interview to PEOPLE about her twin, as shared below. On Nov. 19, 1961, Michael C. Rockefeller, 23, a son of then-New York Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller, vanished off the coast of New Guinea. An heir to the Rockefeller oil fortune, he'd traveled there as part of an anthropological expedition and remained to collect art from the Asmat tribe, hunter-gatherers who lived in virtual isolation from the modern world. His disappearance made headlines worldwide — a son of immense privilege gone without a trace. But the loss emotionally shattered his twin sister, Mary. The two youngest of Nelson Rockefeller's five children from his first marriage were so close, says Morgan, "we completed each other." Therapy helped her accept Michael's death, presumed to be from drowning after his catamaran capsized, though clouded in speculation that he was murdered and eaten by cannibals — a theory she disputes. "There is no direct or conclusive evidence of how Michael died," says Morgan, a psychotherapist specializing in twin bereavement and grief counseling. Her pain resurfaced earlier [in 2014] when Carl Hoffman's book Savage Harvest retold the cannibal story. Her own book, When Grief Calls Forth the Healing, was updated and reissued. Morgan spoke to PEOPLE's Liz McNeil at her New York City home about her brother, his legacy and the pain of his loss. "We were in the same crib until we were about 2½, and Michael, the adventurous one, climbed out. Michael was very inquisitive and independent. He was fascinated with beautiful things, pulling me over to look at something: a rock, when we were toddlers, or later a painting. "We understood that being from the Rockefeller family was a big responsibility, but also something we felt to be a burden, because we didn't really know who we were as individuals. This desire to express who he was was one of the reasons he went to New Guinea [in April 1961] as part of a Harvard University expedition and why he wanted to find out about people who lived in a totally different way. The expedition was going to make a film on Indigenous people who had never seen White people; he became fascinated with them. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "I had a premonition that he would not come home. But there was no chance of dissuading Michael. In his letters home, he was completely thrilled about what he was doing. He felt very comfortable with the people. He would sit in the fields and talk to the children. He was fascinated by their culture and how their art sprang from everyday life. He bartered for art objects with tobacco and axes. They were a pre-Stone Age culture and had no way of making implements except out of wood, or bones of people or animals. "On Nov. 20 my father came in with a cablegram for me and my brothers and mother to read. I knew deep down for one terrible moment that Michael was gone. I thought my father was the person who would solve everything, and we would go to New Guinea and find him. I could just picture Michael, disheveled, having surmounted any obstacle and wondering why we were so upset. "We left that night. [Nelson Rockefeller chartered a 707 plane to New Guinea.] Father knew the local people would be frightened. They had rarely seen a plane before. He knew if he had any chance of finding Michael, it was going to be that these Indigenous people would find him in their canoes. We were incredibly moved by the amount of people who came out over this vast expanse of jungle from their small villages and went to search for him. "We were there about 10 days. I accepted that Father and the Dutch officials felt that it was time to call the search off. I wasn't old enough to question their decision. The prevailing thought was that he had drowned. In a seaplane over the dense jungle coastline, I realized how unbelievably difficult it was to make it to shore. Michael's companion, anthropologist Rene Wassing, who survived and was later rescued, told us that their catamaran had begun to get swept out to sea. After a day of trying to paddle, and having lost all their food and water, Michael realized the only thing that could possibly save him was if he swam to shore. Rene didn't swim and knew he would never make it. So Michael started off for the shore. Nobody has ever seen him since. "There have been many tales over the years about his disappearance — articles, movies, books, a play — all about mainly one story: that he made it to shore and was killed and cannibalized. New archival research makes it clear that the Dutch government didn't want cannibalism talked about. They didn't want to feel like they hadn't been able to control these people. Nobody knows what happened to Michael, and that leaves our family in a terrible place of not knowing. "At the time I think my father was in shock, just like I was. We held on to each other, but we really didn't talk about it. When I came home and saw my mother, I hugged her. She hugged me back. Then she gently pushed me away and said, 'Mary, the one thing we must understand is that we cannot cry.' She didn't say it, but I knew what she was thinking: We could not fall apart. I think that was part of that sense of responsibility as a member of the Rockefeller family. It was hard, but I followed her lead. I repressed my tears and denied Michael's death for years. "I wanted him to be alive so much that sometimes I thought I saw him in a crowd. When you don't know how the person died, it prolongs the grieving and the healing. There were times in my life where I really couldn't function. I had to get therapeutic help. Six years after Michael's death even my therapist told me I had to move on. To him, it was time to move on with my 'wonderful' life — I had so much to look forward to. But it was like half of me was gone. It took me 27 years to heal. Twins feel an enormous bond. I later worked with twins who lost their twin in the 9/11 disaster. Deep down, I wanted to share my story too. I wanted to do some good and show that we can eventually heal. "Slowly I began to have memories of Michael that didn't bring tears and pain. Today he feels so present. He left for me his incredible curiosity and his ability to embrace life. I love to go to the Metropolitan Museum and look at the art he collected — it's a wonderful thing when you think he was only 23 years old. And it stands as a tribute to the Asmat people that the sculptures are part of one of the great traditions of art in our world. Michael died doing what he loved. But he is bigger than his death. My family and I hold him in our hearts, and we are so proud of his legacy." For more information on Michael C. Rockefeller's art collection, please go to Read the original article on People

As a Rabbi, I know Jewish people are under attack. Too many still look away.
As a Rabbi, I know Jewish people are under attack. Too many still look away.

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

As a Rabbi, I know Jewish people are under attack. Too many still look away.

Sunday evening, I led my community as we celebrated the beginning of Shavuot, the Jewish holiday commemorating the Israelites' receiving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. It's a lovely holiday − one of my favorites − which includes late-night study sessions and traditional dairy treats (enjoyed because the Israelites abstained from meat before the great theophany). In the back of my mind all evening was dark knowledge: that events were still unfolding in Boulder, Colorado, around an antisemitic attack. It was there that members of the Jewish community, peacefully demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages held for over 600 days, were set ablaze. The alleged attacker, an Egyptian man, yelled "Free Palestine!" as he threw Molotov cocktails and wielded a flamethrower at elderly Jews, injuring eight, including one Holocaust survivor. There are a lot of things that are dispiriting to Jews at this moment. More: 'Horrifying' Boulder attack comes amid rise in antisemitic crimes, Gaza tensions The ignorance is certainly bad. For years, we have been shouting for all who will listen that phrases like "globalize the intifada" lead us inexorably in one clear direction − toward acts of violence against Jews worldwide. I grimly wonder, as do many of my peers, if Israel's fiercest critics will ever be ready to hear this message. Fewer than 60 days after a Jewish governor's mansion was firebombed, less than two weeks after peace-activist Israeli-embassy staffers were gunned down in Washington, D.C., and now after this latest calamity, will people believe Jews when we say that such phrases have tangible, dangerous consequences? Or, instead, will they opt to think that these are just the "bad apples" who merit condemnation but couldn't possibly be part of a trend, or are simply the deserved consequence to Jews worldwide for complaints about Israel's government? The fear is bad, too. There is debate within the Jewish community about whether our concerns are overblown − after all, we are more likely, say, to be in a car crash than the victim of a violent antisemitic attack. And yet, the numbers don't lie: In 2023, the FBI reported that nearly 70% of religion-based hate crimes targeted Jews, even though Jews make up only about 2% of the U.S. population. Jews move about the world ever-cognizant of this reality, and it weighs most of us down. Opinion: Amid ongoing attacks, Jewish people are afraid. Is anyone listening? You might think about the Jewish experience of fear this way: You'll virtually never enter any Jewish facility or event without a security presence. In my childhood, when I spent many afternoons and late evenings at my Temple in Atlanta, I often passed time with our friendly security guard, Michael. Michael, of blessed memory, was a kind, older man who happily tolerated Jewish kids like me "hanging out" with him. He was a mensch for humoring us. Only as an adult did I realize how perverse the situation was: Michael's entire presence was a persistent reminder of the fact that even as a Jewish child, I was already unsafe. I suppose we learned that lesson well down in Atlanta, where one of our synagogues had been bombed just a few decades prior. What weighs heaviest on many Jews right now, though, is the silence. For a while, the silence has been killing us on the inside; now, it seems, it's time again (since this is a pattern of Jewish history) for the silence to begin killing us on the outside too. The news covered the Boulder attack plenty. My social media feed, which includes many Jews, was littered with post after post about it. However, I heard from only a very few non-Jewish friends. This was the same after the attack in D.C., the one in Pennsylvania, and all the others that have taken place in recent years. We get it: Israel complicates things. However, our lives here in the United States should be worth protecting. When Wadea al-Fayoume was murdered at the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Jews, rightfully, were disgusted, and many condemned the horrifying barbarity. Now, it seems, there is limited appetite among Israel's critics to stand up and say that reciprocal violence against the Jewish community is unacceptable. I sincerely hope this changes. More: Who is Mohamed Soliman? Boulder terror suspect was denied gun due to overstayed visa Most Jews are not looking for people to see this incident and suddenly decide they support Israel. This isn't a sport, and we're not trying to recruit teammates. We just want people to acknowledge the attacks against us, the pain they bring our community, and to do so without "both-siding" them. It feels especially timely to recall words from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of the UK, who spoke to the House of Lords in 2018. As he said then, "Antisemitism is the hardest of all hatreds to defeat because, like a virus, it mutates, but one thing stays the same. Jews, whether as a religion or a race or as the State of Israel, are made the scapegoat for problems for which all sides are responsible. That is how the road to tragedy begins." To many Jews, it certainly feels like we are well on our way down the road to tragedy. We could use your help avoiding stops at some of its more grotesque historical destinations; however, at the least, we'd take your compassion and support as we weather this latest storm. Ari Jun is senior rabbi of Cincinnati's Temple Sholom. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Colorado attack on Jews is part of sickening routine | Opinion

Roof Maxx and Mike Rowe Team Up to Spotlight the Changing Landscape of Roofing
Roof Maxx and Mike Rowe Team Up to Spotlight the Changing Landscape of Roofing

Associated Press

time4 hours ago

  • Associated Press

Roof Maxx and Mike Rowe Team Up to Spotlight the Changing Landscape of Roofing

DELAND, FL / ACCESS Newswire / June 4, 2025 / In March, Roof Maxx welcomed TV personality, narrator, and trades advocate Mike Rowe to DeLand, Florida for a special day of filming centered on the rapidly growing roof rejuvenation industry. The shoot spotlighted Roof Maxx - the company that pioneered roof rejuvenation - and its innovative, sustainable approach to extending the life of aging asphalt roofs with a USDA-certified, soybean-based Rowe, Dealer and Roof Maxx CEO Mike Rowe preparing to apply Roof Maxx to a customer's home with the help of James Canata, DeLand Florida Dealer and Roof Maxx CEO, Mike Feazel. Throughout the day, Rowe explored Roof Maxx's signature product alongside Roof Maxx CEO and co-founder Mike Feazel, taking a close look at how asphalt shingles have changed over time-specifically how today's shingles often lack the durability of those made even a decade ago. Rowe also spoke directly with Roof Maxx dealers and customers, capturing real-world stories that demonstrate how roof rejuvenation is changing the way homeowners and roofing professionals think about maintenance, sustainability, and value. 'It's a great American story-opportunity meets ambition with a little frustration, and suddenly, here you are.' said Mike Rowe after hearing Mike Feazel tell the story about how he co-founded Roof Maxx with his brother after seeing the quality of asphalt shingles rapidly decline after spending decades in the roofing industry. Mike Rowe is best known as the host of Dirty Jobs and the voice behind Deadliest Catch, but his passion for the skilled trades extends far beyond television. Through his foundation, mikeroweWORKS, Rowe has helped provide millions of dollars in work ethic scholarships to individuals pursuing careers in the trades-encouraging a return to practical, hands-on education and opportunity. The content captured during this filming day is currently being released in a series of short videos, available at and across Roof Maxx's social media platforms. These videos offer a behind-the-scenes look at how roof rejuvenation is reshaping the roofing industry - and why more and more contractors, homeowners, and communities are getting on board. About Roof Maxx Roof Maxx is the world's first sustainable roofing solution, offering a revolutionary, plant-based treatment that extends the life of asphalt roofs by 5 years per application - up to 15 years total. With thousands of treatments applied nationwide, Roof Maxx is helping homeowners save money while reducing roofing waste and supporting eco-friendly home maintenance. Contact InformationKylie Hunt Senior Marketing Manager 614-977-1932 SOURCE: Roof Maxx Technologies, LLC press release

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