Jason Tesauro on the Edacious Podcast

Jason was featured on Episode 67 of the podcast Edacious from Jenée Libby, writer and food blogger from Charlottesville, VA. The interview is a preview of Jason's background in anticipation of his appearance at the Virginia Festival of the Book. Read an excerpt from Jenée below and listen to the podcast here.

Jason Tesauro, The Modern Gentleman, Best American Food Writing 2016

Writing Work. With Wine and Intention. Welcome to the last in a series of FOUR podcasts celebrating the Virginia Festival of the Book! From March 16th to 19th you will hear from the country’s best and brightest when it comes to food writing. Today’s episode? Writer and sommelier Jason Tesauro, author of The Modern Gentleman and a contributor to this year’s Best American Food Writing series for his profile of chef Bo Bech. Jason will be appearing at an event Sunday, March 26th at JMRL as part of a panel discussion. Event details are listed below.
 

I first became aware of Jason’s writing because of his book. We know so many of the same people in the food world and I’m sure we’ve met briefly during my many forays to Barboursville Vineyards where he’s been a sommelier for 15 years. So it was a thrill to finally coordinate our busy schedules for a talk. Not just any journalistic back and forth, but a real honest-to-goodness deep conversation about food writing which evolved into his philosophy of setting your intention as you move throughout your day. And your life. Something I can definitely get behind in this age of instant gratification. Slowing down. Making that tiny bit of extra effort. Living awake and aware.

Jason Tesauro Serves as Auctioneer for Washington Ballet's Amuse Bouche at the Embassy of France

Washington Ballet's Amuse Bouche at the Embassy of France

Jason Tesauro of Modern Gentleman was asked to be the auctioneer for the Washington Ballet's silent auction event known as "Amuse Bouche" at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. on February 10, 2017.

Leica's Newest High-End Surprise: an Instant Camera | Men's Journal

By Jason Tesauro

While Polaroid is no more, you may have noticed — in record stores, hipster shops, or Urban Outfitters — that the instant camera is enjoying a second life. On September 15, Leica, the iconic camera-maker, energized the genre further with the release of its Leica Sofort, the company's first foray into instant. The model feels light in the hand, looks sleek in white, mint, or orange, and at $350, it has enough bells and whistles to add the versatility we're used to after a generation of smart phones: self-timer, double-exposure, macro. And, of course, selfie mode.

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Follow the Tesauro family on their journey to their dream home | WTVR CBS6

By Virginia This Morning, February 3, 2016

RICHMOND, Va - Jason Tesauro and his family of seven are building their dream house on an unconventional lot in Church Hill. Over the next year you can follow their journey in R Home Magazine as they hire architects and builders, meet with the city’s architectural review board, and get to know their neighbors.

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More Intelligent Toilets: It's Time to Upgrade Your Throne | Men's Journal

By Jason Tesauro

Look around your pad. From touch-screen appliances to smartphone-compatible thermostats and Amazon's voice-activated home automation hub, domestic tech is trending (Siri, Alexa, Fitz!). Like any great house party, though, the fun always seems to end up in the kitchen. Finally, there's a movement to bring digital advances to another vital room in the house: the bathroom.

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A modern home nestled in historic Church Hill | WTVR CBS6

By Virginia This Morning, January 25, 2017

RICHMOND, Va. - R Home Magazine Columnist Jason Tesauro has spent the past year chronicling his family’s experience as they build their custom modern home on an unconventional lot in historic Church Hill. Jason joined us during our LIVE show to share an update on the project, and whats still to come...

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The Why of Design | R•Home by Richmond Magazine

The evolution of a dream home into a real home

By Jason Tesauro, January 16, 2017

We’re back.  Did you miss us? Despite all of my cries about permits, escalating costs and bureaucratic backlogs, the reason you haven’t heard from us in a hundred days isn’t clerical, logistical or economic. It’s personal. During this age of national fractionalism, progressives on the coasts are striving to understand their conservative neighbors in the Midwest. For us, this took an über-local slant as we struggled to build empathy with neighbors due west of our property line. In July, cement-mixer trucks started pouring the foundation. However, akin to WWI’s Hundred Days Offensive when Allies on the Western Front finally broke through, compelling an armistice with Germany, it cost three months of time and resources to squabble over the delicacies of deeds and easements. In the end, we hashed out a temporary Alley Treaty that allowed the heavy machinery to start rolling.

Framing, at long last, began in mid-October. Thanks to the efficient simplicity of our SIPs panels, we went from foundation to framed in nine days. The interior framing and finishing continues, but the entire shell of the house, including the roof, is now in place. I’ve already cracked my first beer on the third floor, and many a friend has clambered up ladders to take in our sensational view. Because that’s where it all began.

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Think Before You Speech | Richmond Bride

By Nicole Cohen, January 13, 2016

The ‘I do’s’ have been said, it’s time for the reception, and everyone is waiting to hear a poignant toast about the bride and groom. Instead, what they get is best friend Johnny stammering about how “hot” the bride is while sharing a story about a stripper the groom met in Reno, five years before meeting the bride, while downing a fifth of bourbon. The result? The bride is mortified, the couple’s parents are embarrassed and all of the guests’ jaws have dropped. So as the couple or the speech-giver yourself, what do you do to prevent this?

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One SIP at a Time | R•Home by Richmond Magazine

Using an energy-efficient construction method to save money — and the planet

By Jason Tesauro, October 25, 2016

Have you driven by yet?  There be concrete on that thar Church Hill! The backhoe scooped out its first bucketful of backyard in July, a solid three months later than the most conservative estimate of when we’d actually break ground. But, who cares? It’s happening. With the foundation finally laid, our walls and structure promise to fly quickly up. Word on the street is that we’ll be under roof in under a month. Here’s why.

During the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago, the “Florida Tropical House” was built on the shores of Lake Michigan. Plans called for limestone, clay and poured concrete. This Modernist design wowed crowds in the Fair’s “Homes of Tomorrow” exhibition. Eighty-three years later, concrete dwellings are commonplace, but “non-standard construction methods,” as the city of Richmond calls them, continue to evolve. We’ve decided to build our home out of one of these methods. SIPs (structured insulated panels) is not yet a household name, but it soon will be.

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Inside Hillary Clinton's Richmond Campaign Office | Gay RVA

By Brad Kutner, August 17, 2016

It’s been a hot August in Richmond, but the Hilary Clinton campaign office, located in Scott’s Addition across from Richard’s Gentlemen’s club, is surprisingly cool; there’s more than enough people in the room to increase temperatures from body heat alone.

The office, in line with most Scott’s Addition buildings, is a converted garage with giant roll up doors still intact as if a 96 Mercury Grand Marquis could roll in for body work at any moment. There’s colorful handprinted signs on the walls with every opportunity for “Hillary” and “RVA” to be slammed together for the sake of aesthetic and promotional value. With about 15 people making phone calls or talking in groups, it’s not exactly a quiet place, and things appear to be getting done.

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From Guatemala to Sub Rosa | Richmond Magazine

A Church Hill novelist brings to light a century of heart-wrenching Guatemalan history

By Jason Tesauro, August 4, 2016

She’s your neighbor. And despite her wild beauty, she’s so under the radar that 99.9 percent of Richmonders couldn’t pick her out of a police lineup. The same is likely true of Guatemala, the subject of Kelly Kerney’s latest book. "Hard Red Spring" (Viking) is a historical fiction about an exotic and tortured neighbor that many Americans couldn’t find on a map. Countless tourists to Cancun and Belize have been within a long bus ride of Guatemala, but it turns out there’s a reason why you’ve likely never considered a vacation there. Actually, Kerney’s written 437 pages of reasons. Whether you’re the type who is afterward more inclined or less inclined to visit Guatemala – and why – is a good litmus test of whether this exquisitely textured tetralogy is for you.

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Game On! | Richmond Magazine

We like to play in Richmond. League games, table games, arcade games, games with balls, games we can't pronounce. This is how we play.

by Samantha Willis, Jackie Kruszewski, Jason Tesauro, Tina Griego, Bartholomew Broadbent, June 20, 2016

Richmond is a playground. We’ve got your league games, social games, childhood games, table games, arcade games, board games, mind games. We’ve got games we can’t pronounce and games that are excuses to drink, and hyper-competitive, smile-through-bared-teeth, this-is-not-really-a-game games. So many games we can’t list them all. (So, show us what you’ve got at yourgame@richmondmag.com.) We may have grown up, but we didn’t get old.

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Shovel Ready | R•Home by Richmond Magazine

By Jason Tesauro, March 1, 2016

In the last episode,  you met an intrepid family on the eve of a massive commitment: Build a nest for seven people on a little lot in Church Hill where an expert valet could barely park six food trucks. I might blame the holiday hullabaloo for why we haven’t broken ground yet. Or, I can tell you the truth(s):

1. We have commitment issues.

2. Construction loans are a pain in the asphalt.

3. An annual super fat trip to Europe sounds damn appealing and way cheaper.

Nevertheless, we’re pushing onward. After giving the green light to our architects (in the form of a sizable check) and sussing out a loan, an email from our designers arrived: “Attached please find (drum roll...) a set of drawings for your construction contract.”

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Blueprint for Living | R•Home by Richmond Magazine

Rather than settle or move to the suburbs, a family of seven decides to build their dream house on an unconventional lot.

By Jason Tesauro, February 16, 2016

“Go to the end of East Broad Street and we’re the house on your right.” That’s how my wife Amy and I give directions to our place. At least that’s the plan once we have an actual house. Right now, all you’ll find is our slim spit of land squeezed between two dwellings where Broad Street dead-ends just past 36th Street and Chimborazo Park.

In early 2013, we moved into a rental down the street from Libby Hill Park with the intention of buying. By November 2014, we still hadn’t found the right house in Church Hill. We’d nearly settled on something up 27th Street, but we couldn’t reconcile the equation: real estate for seven humans either fit our budget or our style, but not both. Determined to forsake the suburban compromise, Amy ran some numbers and a new idea emerged: “Instead of buying something that half-way works,” she said, “why not spend a little more to build exactly what we want?” It meant tightening the belt for a spell, but it also meant designing from scratch a custom home for us and our five children without sacrificing aesthetics or our street cred. But good luck finding land in Richmond’s hottest neighborhood.

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Dating Scene: Proper Dating Etiquette | About Stark

By Charita Goshay, February 5, 2016

There is a general school of thought that properly conducting oneself on a date is not something that needs to be “taught.” But an entire cottage industry begs to differ. While you might know that you shouldn’t curse your ex, honk the horn while sitting in the driveway or whip out a stack of bridal magazines on a first date, not everyone does.

In an interview with Match.com, Phineas Mollod and Jason Tesauro, co-authors of the books “The Modern Gentleman” and “The Modern Lover: A Playbook for Suitors, Spouses, and Ringless Carousers,” shared these tips:
• Avoid talking too much about yourself and particularly about work. The best first-date topics are leisure activities such as hobbies, travel, fitness, sports, etc.
• Don’t be afraid to exhibit old-school manners.

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Exclusive: Business Etiquette Tips From The Modern Gentleman | Washington Exec

By Lisa Singh, October 22, 2015

What are the top manners that every executive should abide by in the workplace? Who better to ask than The Modern Gentleman himself, Jason Tesauro. Since the publication of his book of the same name back in 2001, Tesauro’s opus to all things style and good taste has seen 12 printings. Recently, WashingtonExec caught up with Tesauro to get his inside take on evolving manners in the workplace, why it’s so important to look the part of success, plus where busy executives can escape to when it’s time to wind down.

WashingtonExec: What sparked your idea to write, The Modern Gentleman?

Jason Tesauro: I wrote it because I needed to read it. But a book like that didn’t exist. In 2001, as a young man on the eve of thirty, I was looking for a new road map. Ye olde analog rules of entertaining, dating and relating were giving way to a more casual, digital social landscape that seemed to shift by the week. I wanted to better understand the world I was rising into and how best to make my mark in it. I looked for resources, but prevailing wisdom of the time was drawn from a tired playbook with outmoded gender roles and social customs. They say that if you want to learn...

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‘Transient Sex’ poems bring belated fame to Marin house painter | Mercury News

By Paul Liberatore and Marin Independent Journal, March 13, 2015

Sex sells. Just not always right away.

A case in point: In 1989, Brent Reiten, a Marin County house painter with poetic ambitions, wrote and self-published “Transient Sex,” a collection of poems about his libidinous fantasy trysts with famous women and men — “Sex with Stevie Nicks,” “Sex with Meryl Streep,” “Sex with George Bush,” “Sex with Sylvester Stallone.” You get the idea.

He had every reason to believe that this clever conceit was so provocative, so tapped into the Zeitgeist of the late ’80s with its equal doses of celebrity, sensuality and humor, that the 2,000 paperback copies he had printed would practically sell themselves, making him a hot new star in the literary galaxy.

“I want to be in People magazine, Playboy, and on the ‘Barbara Walters Special,'” the then 36-year-old poet announced in the book’s preface.

That none of that happened has been a major disappointment of his life. “Transient Sex” made a splash (The San Francisco Review of Books called it “evocative … rich … illuminating”) and sank from sight.

Twenty-five years later, most of the copies are still in cardboard boxes stashed in the storeroom of the writer’s Larkspur apartment. His shattered dreams so devastated him that Reiten retreated inside himself, partly blaming his fear of success for the book’s failure. He’s hardly written a word since.

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