7075 updated post view 1996

My New Copy Editor and Contributing Writer. Say Hello to David.

(Dad in NYC, posing for me!)

David Hall, better known as my father, has been my life-long inspiration when it comes to journalism and writing. A veteran journalist and enthusiastic reporter having studied at University of Havana, George Mason and Georgetown Universities, David has had a successful career in both print and radio media. After his permanent move to D.C., he worked at the International Bureau of Broadcasting’s service for Cuba for 15 years, where he was a senior news editor and produced and hosted an uberpopular daily live talk show called “En Vivo Con David Hall Fortun”. Later, he was chief editor of El Tiempo Latino (Washington Post). Prior to that, David was the Sports Editor of the Miami Herald. During his career as a reporter, he covered the 1992 Olympics in Spain, has interviewed world leaders, celebrities in their private homes, had a run in with Fidel Castro (S*#%!), covered Congress and White House affairs under the first Bush and Clinton administrations and chatted with Dizzie Gillespie.

His passion for writing, reporting and imparting the facts as they are has attracted accolades and recognition from peers.

While I’ve seen him almost exclusively as just dad, there is no doubt his career has influenced mine. When my senior thesis disappeared into thin air at UVA, dad came all the way down to Charlottesville at 1 a.m. (a long and boring 2 hour drive) to lend his support and work his hand in recovering my 30-page paper. To no avail, we were left with starting from scratch–no notes, no flagged pages in text books, no recordings. From scratch. For 2 days he sat next to me in the law school computer lab and helped me plug away, making cohesive sense of the material I had researched out of 15 books and various journals.

I got an A on that paper and had it bound just for him (and my mother).

(circa 2001, hard at work in D.C.)

He’s always supported my decision to write, be it music, creative or editorial. At times (actually, quite a bit to my utter frustration), he has taken the red pen to my work and crucified it leaving no choice but to start all over. It was inevitable he’d be interested in the work I share in this space. In his words: “Your work is your calling card. Everything has to be correct and proper, no matter how casual your voice.” If he were to read every post I’ve published since 2008, I’d be in trouble. His persistence in protecting my credentials has resulted in my growth as a writer in all sense of the word.

The other thing I acquired from my father is a great love of good food. All thanks to my mother, ambos have a deep appreciation for home-cooked food prepared with unparalled love and soul. He makes a mean ratatouille and fresh-baked cheesecake. Oh, and a venison meal to be reckoned with. The travel bug was also passed on to me from my father. In our family travels, he and I are always the ones breaking away from the group in search of local mongers, the latest harvest and maneuver to sneak in conversations with street vendors or decorated chefs.

It’s then no surprise I’ve in turn given him the bug of writing and learning all there is to love about food. To that end, I need not explain why I’ve invited him to join me as a contributing writer in this delicious space and more importantly, officially become the copy editor. Now, this addition doesn’t mean nor is it intended to represent a more serious tone to the blog. For me, it’s a conscious effort to offer better and more timely coverage of the material and deliciousness that makes up Flanboyant Eats. My dad and I have A LOT in common and it only makes sense to have him pitch in. I need help catching up in all the back-logged work. He’s efficient, a far better writer, loves to eat and talk about his adventures and more importantly has my best interest at heart. It’s a win-win situation for both of us! I’m excited about his voice, critique and opinion (and his diligent assistance with translating my posts). He’ll be doing restaurant reviews in the D.C. area mostly, but will also share recipes and travel recaps as my assignments allow.

Of note, two of David’s closest childhood friends are award-winning writer and poet Miguel Sales, a dedicated gourmet, wine connoisseur and all-around epicurean residing in Paris, and 12-time Grammy Award-winning Latin saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera, a known foodie and guest judge on Iron Chef.  David speaks 5 languages and lives in the D.C. suburbs with my lovely mother and is about to celebrate 43 years of old school marriage.

Please help me welcome by best friend and now partner in foodie affairs!

* David’s first post was published today under Restaurant Reviews. Check it out here and share some love!

Español

David Hall, más conocido como mi padre, ha sido mi inspiración toda la vida en que se refiere a periodismo y a escribir. David es un veterano periodista y entusiasta reportero. Cursó estudios en las Universidades de La Habana, George Mason y Georgetown, y ha tenido una exitosa carrera tanto en la prensa escrita como radial. Después de mudarse de forma permanente a Washington, DC, trabajó durante 15 años en el Servicio para Cuba de la Oficina Internacional de Radiodifusión, donde fue jefe de redacción de noticias y productor y presentador de un altamente popular programa , “En Vivo Con David Hall Fortún”. También fue jefe de redacción de El Tiempo Latino (Washington Post). Con anterioridad, durante su estancia en Miami,  David se desempeñó como  Editor de Deportes del diario The Miami Herald. Durante su carrera como periodista, cubrió los Juegos Olímpicos de 1992 en España, ha entrevistado a líderes mundiales, a personalidades célebres, tuvo un encuentro no muy agradable (S *#%!) con Fidel Castro, cubrió el Congreso y la Casa Blanca durante las administraciones del primer Bush y Clinton, y conversó con Dizzie Gillespie.

Su pasión por escribir, informar y transmitir los hechos tal como son le ha ganado elogios y el reconocimiento de sus colegas en la profesión.

Aunque yo lo he visto casi exclusivamente como mi padre, no hay dudas de que su carrera ha influido en la mía. Cuando mi tesis de grado en la Universidad de Virginia se desapareció misteriosamente de mi computadora, mi padre llegó a Charlottesville a la 1 am (un largo y aburrido trayecto de dos horas en coche) a darme  su apoyo y trabajar conmigo para recuperar mi artículo de 30 páginas. Todo fue en vano, tuvimos que recomenzar de cero, sin notas, sin apuntes en las páginas de los libros de texto, sin grabaciones. A partir de cero. Durante 2 días se sentó a mi lado en el laboratorio de informática de la escuela de derecho y me ayudó a darle sentido y cohesión al material que había investigado en un total de 15 libros y varias revistas.

Logré una A en esa disertación y la encuaderné como un regalo especial  para él (y mi madre).

David siempre ha apoyado mi decisión de escribir, ya sea música, escritos de carácter creativo o de corte editorial. A veces (en realidad, para mi frustración absoluta), su pluma roja ha crucificado mi trabajo y no me ha dejado otra opción que empezar de nuevo. Así que resulta inevitable que se interesara en el trabajo que comparto en este espacio. Como me dice con frecuencia: “Tu trabajo es tu tarjeta de presentación. Todo tiene que estar correcto y apropiado, no importa cuán informal sea”. Si mi padre leyera todos los escritos que he publicado desde 2008, yo estaría en problemas. Su persistencia en proteger mis credenciales se ha traducido en mi crecimiento como escritora en todo el sentido de la palabra.

Otra cosa que adquirí de mi padre es un gran amor por la buena comida. Todo gracias a mi madre. Los dos aprecian profundamente la comida casera, esa que se prepara con “alma y corazón.”  Mi padre hace un  ratatouille espectacular, y un cheesecake delicioso. Ah, y una carne de venado para chuparse los dedos. Mi pasión por viajar también me viene de mi padre. Cuando viajamos en grupo como familia,  él y yo somos siempre los que nos separamos del grupo en busca de los comerciantes locales, la cosecha más reciente, y nos la arreglamos para entrar en conversación  con vendedores ambulantes o maestros cocineros de fama internacional.

No es de extrañar entonces que a su vez yo le ha haya pasado el interés por todo lo concerniente a la literatura y el arte culinarios. De modo que no hace falta explicar por qué lo he invitado a unirse a que contribuya conmigo como redactor en este espacio delicioso, y lo más importante, que se convierta oficialmente en mi corrector de estilo. Por supuesto, esto no significa que yo tenga la intención de darle un tono más serio al blog. Para mí, es un esfuerzo consciente para ofrecer una cobertura mejor y más oportuna de los materiales y la exquisitez que componen Flanboyanteats. Mi padre y yo tenemos mucho en común, así  que tiene sentido que le pida y me de su cooperación. Necesito ayuda para ponerme al día en todo el trabajo que tengo retrasado. Mi padre es eficiente, mucho mejor escritor que yo, le encanta la buena comida y hablar de sus viajes, y lo más importante, protege mis intereses. ¡Es una situación en la que los dos salimos ganando! Me entusiasma mucho contar con su voz, crítica y opinión (y su ayuda diligente con la traducción de mis escritos). Él va a hacer reseñas de restaurantes principalmente en el área de DC,  pero también va a compartir recetas y temas de viajes, según sea posible.

Quiero destacar que dos de los mejores amigos de infancia de David son el galardonado escritor y poeta Miguel Sales, un gourmet, enófilo y total epicúreo que reside en París, y  el 12 veces ganador del premio Grammy, el saxofonista Paquito D’Rivera, conocido gourmet y juez invitado en Iron Chef. David habla cinco idiomas y vive en los suburbios de Washington con mi encantadora madre, con quien está a punto de celebrar ¡43 años de matrimonio!

Así que, por favor, denle la bienvenida a mi mejor amigo y ahora socio en asuntos gourmet!

* El primer post de David fue publicado hoy bajo Reseñas de Restaurantes. !Léalo aquí y comparta un poco de amor!

 


Eat well, love unapologetically, pray with true intention, and take care of yourself.

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76 thoughts on “My New Copy Editor and Contributing Writer. Say Hello to David.

  1. Whoohoo!!!! So excited to have David writing restaurant reviews!!!!! A perfect fit and as your readers get to know him they will all agree!!! Congratulations to you both..a beautiful partnership! What a beautiful way to honor the influence of his parents (as your grandmother is an excellent home cook) especially his father from whom he has the gift of languages, writing and the love of travel among other things. Looking forward to all his future posts!!!!

  2. Rosa, Merari, Eliana and JoanNova: i’m soooo tickled and thrilled to finally have him here with me. He’s been my watchdog for 2 years, commenting when he wants and correcting when he catches mistakes—to the point that we argue…. constant cross-checking each others’ arguments. I’ve been asking him for 1 year now to contribute. I’m doing it for him. I want to to exercise his creative voice and work outside of politics and fact-finding all the time which is what he’s done for the past 40 years. He’s a master at what he does and I’m just happy to bear a bit of his talent.

    Thanks for sharing in my happy moment. I love you all for supporting Flanboyant Eats! 🙂 xo.

  3. Bren,
    I’m so thrilled for you. I hear the love and see the passion through your post. I can’t wait to read more of his work….now, I’m really not going to get anything done…ha! Reading and enjoying your posts more than ever!

    Welcome Dad!!!

  4. felicidades bren es bonito tener a los padres cerca y sobre todo que lo ayuden en lo que le gusta a uno felicidades

  5. My warmest welcome to your dad. I read his review about Boca which, of course, is excellent and very professional.

  6. Thank you, Bren, for this great opportunity to share with your readers my adventures in eating and traveling. And to your readers, thank you for your warm, kind welcome.

  7. ” to share with your readers my adventures in eating and traveling”

    Congrats pops!! Readers beware… Eating with my dad is ALWAYS an ADVENTURE. Many good posts are to come of this.

    ….waiting for the next review…

  8. Alright! David on the scene! Looking forward to your contributions. Bren tells me you have a very eloquent writing style.

  9. How fun for the both of you! How fortunate you are to share this opportunity together! Looking forward to reading David’s contributions. Best wishes for continued success with your awesome blog Bren!
    LL
    P.S. And looking forward to your sustainable fish post too 🙂

  10. Now see where Bren gets all her smarts from! Apple don’t fall far from the tree! Go pop!

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