Latest news with #Gigantiello
New York Post
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Priest at center of Sabrina Carpenter video drama is selling olive oil, wine
He's peddling every Italian delicacy — except for Espresso. The priest who was famously punished for allowing pop princess Sabrina Carpenter to film a racy music video at his Brooklyn church is now selling his own line of Italian delicacies at his parish's festival this weekend — and finally opened up about the unholy fiasco, telling The Post he was misled by the video's producers. Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello introduced his 'A Taste of Heaven' olive oil and flight of wines on the opening day of the annual Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg, marking the start of a new chapter since having to do penance for his decision to delve into the world of pop music. 7 Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello unveiled his olive oil and wines this week a the Feast of Mt. St. Carmel. William C Lopez/New York Post He told the Post that he allowed the pint-size songstress to film the video for her No. 1 pop hit 'Feather' at the storied church in 2023 after he was shown a script for the shoot — which he says failed to include the near biblical amount of violence and gore that was seen in the final product. 'I originally allowed it because it was another way that I thought I would be able to attract young people in the church. What they put on paper and showed me was not what they filmed in the church,' Gigantiello told The Post in the parish's rectory Friday. 'I regret that I allowed it, and I didn't oversee it more. But I believe also that the reaction was a little too much.' The 2023 video featured the scantily-clad songstress standing at the altar of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church between clips of her facilitating the death of several men, which unsurprisingly sent pearl-clutching shockwaves well beyond the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. The 'Espresso' singer publicly defended the venue choice, saying: 'We got approval in advance … and Jesus was a Carpenter.' Her reps did not immediately return a request for comment. 7 Cooking and food are a way to bring people to the church's table, Giganteillo explained. William C Lopez/New York Post Gigantiello, 66, was demoted for allowing the debacle, and had his administrative duties as a pastor restricted. It was a punishment he implied was handed down by the 'church hierarchy' because he already had notoriety before the fiasco and they needed a fall guy. 'My face was all over, and then there was a price with that. Because when some people come in and they don't like it and they have authority, these things happen,' he continued. 'But I have to say, the people of the diocese, the people of the parish and the people in the civic community, are behind me 1,000%' Now, the famous priest is continuing his mission to reach young people in more savory ways, particularly through his signature tomato sauce, olive oil and wine. This time it's being well received. 7 Gigantiello is a Culinary Institute of America graduate. William C Lopez/New York Post 'People love it. You know they're interested in it. Someone said, 'he's the new Martin Stewart,'' Gigantiello joked to The Post in the parish's rectory Friday. Gigantiello has already been hawking his signature tomato sauce for roughly a year, a venture he started as a way to invite younger people to the church in a natural and comfortable manner. Williamsburg has more millennials than any other zip code in the US, and Gigantiello has successfully drawn the age group into the faithful fold by appealing to their taste buds. And he has the skillset for it — Gigantiello graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and worked as a professional chef and cooking teacher for a decade before he entered the seminary at age 30. 7 The priest first released his tomato sauce last summer. William C Lopez/New York Post 7 A customer dubbed the priest as the 'new Martin Stewart.' William C Lopez/New York Post 'To show hospitality to people is a Godsend because it opens up many doors. It's a way of saying that, 'You're important and I welcome you. Jesus was always eating in people's homes and welcoming people, and that's what we try to do here. We try to meet people where they're at. We're not trying to bang religion over their head or condemn everyone,' he explained. Introducing the extra virgin olive oil, as well as his Amarone red and Pinot Grigio white wines, was a natural evolution, he explains. Plus, the 'staples in Italian cuisine' are necessary ingredients for recipes in Gigantiello's upcoming cookbook, titled 'A Taste of Heaven from Brooklyn' after the condiment line. The sauce retails for $10, while the olive oil and wine each go for $20 — but those looking for a discount can get the bundle for $45. 7 'They see the collar on a food product, it captures people's attention. That's something that I know makes a difference,' he said. William C Lopez/New York Post All three have a picture of Gigantiello in his priestly garb, which he says helps bring in the dough. 'They see the collar on a food product, it captures people's attention. That's something that I know makes a difference,' he said. 'I think my sauce is very, very good. Is it better than some others? I would say no. But people may have a tendency to buy mine because they see it's 'a taste of heaven.'' Dozens have already scooped up their packs on the first two days of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the annual festival famous for Giglio, the 4-ton, 72-foot statue that is 'danced' through sweltering streets by a team of 120 men known as 'lifters.' 7 Gigantiello tells The Post he regrets not investigating the Sabrina Carpenter video more closely before he allowed them inside the church. Sabrina Carpenter/YouTube It's too soon to guess how much the ingredient line will reap, but Giganteillo said all the profits will benefit the St. Peter for Humanity Foundation, a charity that addresses the medical needs of poorer children across the globe, he says. The famous priest will not take home a dime — even though he is technically allowed to. Priests do not take a vow of charity like nuns or Franciscan monks, he explained, meaning they can own cars and homes like the $700,000 Southmapton house he owns with another Brooklyn pastor. Making money for charity is just a plus, according to Gigantiello. The main point of peddling sauce, olive oil and wine is to bring his people to the table over a common thread: food. Gigantiello hosts weekly Sunday dinners after mass, in particular for his younger parishoners, as a means of opening a door for their age group, saying: 'Saturday they go party. And Sunday morning, they're hungover, so Sunday night, let's go to church.'
New York Post
14-06-2025
- New York Post
FDNY chaplain's signature forged on letter backing Queens pot dispensary
They'll burn for this one! The owners of a legal Queens marijuana dispensary are under fire for allegedly trying to dupe government officials to back their expansion efforts — by claiming the FDNY's top religious leader is high on the plan. A recently circulated letter supporting Astoria-based Terp Bros' application to open a second dispensary in Ozone Park that was 'purportedly authored and signed' by FDNY Chaplain Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, 'appears to be a forgery,' warned FDNY Deputy Commissioner of General Counsel Don Nguyen in a June 5 letter to Queens Community Board 10. Advertisement The FDNY has 'no position' in general on applications to run cannabis dispensaries in the Big Apple, he added in the letter, obtained by The Post. 3 FDNY Chaplain Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello told The Post he wasn't aware of the letter. Stefano Giovannini The bogus letter addressed to 'legislators, Community Boards and the NYS Office of Cannabis Management' claimed Gigantiello is pushing Terp Bros' plan because 'safe use of Hemp and other Cannabis plants is long overdue.' Advertisement 'We must help those like Terp Bros gain the opportunity to continue working with the community in providing them with a safe, legal way to purchase cannabis and cannabis-related products,' the faux holy man wrote. Terp Bros' co-owners Jeremy Rivera and Alessandro Cottone opened their pot shop at 3610 Ditmars Blvd. in October 2023. In April, Time Out magazine ranked it New York's ninth best weed dispensary out the state's 405 licensed cannabis shops. The letter tries to portray Rivera — an ex-con who spent 11 years in jail for criminal possession of controlled substances and robbery — as a sympathetic figure. 3 Jeremy Rivera and Alessandro Cottone opened their Astoria pot shop in October 2023 and earlier this year, Time Out magazine ranked it New York's ninth best weed dispensary out the state's 405 licensed cannabis shops. Kyle Stevens/Shutterstock Advertisement He, 'his family, and many others like him have paid a great price caused by wrongful and failed policy targeting minorities and the failed war on drugs as it pertains to hemp and other cannabis,' it reads. Gigantiello insisted to The Post he didn't write or authorize the letter — and never even heard of the weed joint until learning of the letter. 'I had no idea. Someone shouldn't be using using my name in any form,' added the monsignor, who made headlines two years after being relieved of his administrative duties for allowing pop star Sabrina Carpenter to film a racy music video inside Our Lady of Mt. Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg. 3 Owners of the popular shop didn't respond to messages seeking comment. Helayne Seidman Advertisement The board rejected the pot shop's application in January — and said it didn't get the letter until only a few weeks ago. Board members showed the letter to NYC Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola (R-Queens), who alerted the Fire Department. 'It's very telling that someone would fake a letter from a monsignor because they couldn't deal with the results of a community board vote,' Ariola said. 'If they didn't like the way the board voted, I get it, but forging a letter from an FDNY chaplain is the absolute worst way to try and change their opinion.' The state's Office of Cannabis Management will ultimately decide whether to approve the plan. Messages left for Terp Bros' owners were not returned.
