Arianna Huffington: Media Mogul at the Drew Forum

As a reporter for the Drew Acorn, I’ve been rewarded some pretty cool experiences. Among these experiences have been interviews with the Drew Forum Series lecturers; which have included the prominent faces of Anderson Cooper, Dr. Robert Gates, Tom Brokaw, and Robin Wright, just to name a few. While each one of these interviews have provided me with insight, education, and experience, I was especially touched by my most recent sit-down with media mogul, Arianna Huffington.

As an aspiring journalist, I’ve admired Huffington for many years. Recently named one of the most influential women in media, I could not believe I was going to have the opportunity to sit down with her –one-on-one and get to know a little bit more about her story, from her perspective.

In the days leading up to the interview, I obsessed over what I was going to wear and finally decided on an Ann Taylor dress that had a matching jacket, with tights and riding boots. I wanted to make it very obvious that I put a lot of thought into what I was wearing and how I appeared to Huffington (I don’t usually need to be this dressy for the forum speaker interviews).

From the moment she entered the room, wearing a black pant suit and gorgeous black flats decorated with shimmering bows, it was obvious that I made the right choice. “I love your dress,” Huffington said. “You look very pretty!” I took a minute to allow the fact that Arianna Huffington, my idol, called me pretty and then finally managed to get myself to compliment her flats that caught my eye immediately. “Your flats are gorgeous,” I said as my voice shook. “I’m Kimberly Ammiano, the Lead Reporter for the Acorn it is truly such an honor to meet you,” I went on nervously.

As we entered the small room in Drew’s Meade Hall, I anxiously awaited taking a set in the set “interview chair” that is always set up for these speakers. However, Huffington quickly made herself comfortable at the small table filled with refreshments on the opposite side of the room. Ted, Drew’s video journalist, was set to interview first, while I watched from a chair at the refreshment table. “Why don’t we have Kimberly go first,” she said. “We’re already comfortable here.”

For some reason, Huffington’s pitch at having me go first, made me feel like the most important person in the world. “She wants me to go first. That means she likes me,” I thought to myself excitedly. While I’m sure this had no real significance, it was all I needed to hear to feel more comfortable and ready to start the interview.

Against Huffington’s request, we let Ted take it away first while I waited, watched, and fidgeted away. After Ted’s ten minutes with Huffington it was finally my turn to take it away in the interview chair.

As we were set and ready to go, Huffington asked me to please tell her a little bit about myself before I started the interview. I was really shocked. In the many forum interviews I’ve done, not one single speaker had ever taken the time to want to know about me. I knew I was getting a really great vibe. So, as per her request, I told her about myself. By the end of the conversation, she was handing me her business card and asking that I please stay in touch; keeping her posted on my graduate school admissions and rejections and my job search process.

Smiling one of the biggest smiles of my life, (although I look very angry in the photo above! It was just sincere focus, I promise!) we began the more formal part of the interview. “Where did all of this begin for you,” I asked. “What initially sparked your interest in journalism and activism?”

With a warm smile, Huffington explained that she was, “the daughter of a journalist who always adored the romance of journalism. I started just like you, writing for my school paper and heading the debate society (I didn’t do this half of it!). I wanted to make a living by writing, I knew that from a very young age,” she continued.

Following this question that started the conversation, I touched upon the two sites that Huffington administrated before beginning the Huffington Post in 2005. Resignation.com and Ariannaonline.com served as Huffington’s self-run news outlets in the years leading up to the Post’s development. “How did, or what aspects of the Huffington Post grew out of the knowledge you accumulated while hosting these smaller scale sites,” I asked.

“My interest in blogging most definitely pre-dates the Huffington Post by a few years. I love doing a lot of different things, and running these sites kind of helped me cultivate my interests,” she explained.

Parallel to this idea, I followed-up by asking Huffington how she is so adaptable. “While also running the Huffington Post, you’ve acted as the voice for an animated character, worked towards achieving alternative fuel options, created technological advances, and so much more. How do you adapt so well to the role you are filling, and what motivates you to take on such a wide variety of projects,” I asked.

“It keeps my mind, body, and soul, in check and in line,” she answered. “I’m really good at knowing when I’m getting incredibly stressed out and it’s helpful for me to do things that are not so strictly work-based. Working with Seth MacFarland on the animated show is an outlet for me. It helps me calm down,” she went on. “As I said, I really like doing a lot of different things, it keeps me happy and grounded.”

Recently named #28 on the Forbes list of “Power Women,” I asked Huffington, “as a power figure, how do you hope to inspire other ‘power women,’ those like yourself, who have already been noticed, and those like myself, who are not quite there yet?”

With an affirming smile and nod, Huffington went on to explain that she hopes to help in, “re-defining success. I want to look at how women succeed and help convey the message that success is not rooted in burning out and includes being able to unplug.”

“I want women to rid themselves of the fear-of-failure and begin taking risks without being afraid they might fail. As my mother always used to say, failure is not the opposite of success, it is merely a stepping stone along the way,” she said.

While we were forced to wrap our conversation after these few short questions, Huffigton graciously thanked me for my time and wished me the best.

She then took the stage of the Drew Forum where she addressed the community about accessibility to the American Dream. She was incredibly well received as she graced all who attended with her warm heart, kind smile, and down-to-earth, conversational tone.

To check out the Acorn article on her lecture please visit: http://drewacorn.com/?p=15838

 (From left to right: James McCourt, Acorn Photographer, myself, Arianna Huffington)

Corinne Tucci: Make-Up Artist to the Stars

Ever hear of someone having an epiphany? As an English major, I’ve read about several characters having “epiphanies,” but I never really believed. Until I sat down to talk to one of my BFFS, Corinne Tucci, I thought that there always had to be something; some event, some person, place, or thing that made you aspire to be something.

After some chatting with Corinne, my galpal since 1^st grade, who is now 21, she explained that, “Literally it all of a sudden hit me in class that I wanted to do hair and makeup. It was a really weird experience that I had in seventh grade.”

“I told my mom and she was literally like, ‘okay, we’ll see,’ but I never lost interest and I’ve stuck with my gut since that day,” Corinne continued.

While I don’t remember Corinne’s dream dating back to seventh grade, I do remember the other 11 of us prepping for the SATs and being envious of her “get out of jail free card,” as I saw it. While Corinne was easily putting in just as much, if not more work than we were, I was incredibly jealous that her future would not depend on her ability to calculate the square root of 3,685804 like mine would. I’m just being funny, obviously.

No, but seriously. While we were all crying, complaining, and whining our eyes out about college acceptance letters that didn’t arrive or the perfect SAT score that we didn’t get, Corinne was on her way.

Following graduation, she attended Artistic Academy for her cosmetology license. “I already knew I wanted to do makeup more, but I felt getting the hair aspect would be fun and beneficial as well.”

Following Artistic Academy,  Corinne started working at a salon in Montclair, and then attended Makeup Designory, more commonly known as MUD in New York in November 2010.

“There I completed the Special Effects Course. While attending both schools I found having the ability to do special effects makeup to be suppppppppper importantant,” she said as she accentuated the superrrr.

“That July, I got signed with an agent which is really rare being so young, because I had both hair and makeup training.”

Corinne may say it was the fact that she had both hair and makeup training that got her foot in the door, but as an admiring friend, I’ll say it may have been a few things outside of her formal training.

Throughout high school, the majority of us stopped hiring hair dressers/makeup artists other than Corinne because we trusted her eye, hand, brush, scissor, curling iron, straightener, (you get the idea) way more than any one of her peers. She was a rock star in the making, and we knew it.

During the same time that we shared laughs about the other 11 of us bombing the SATs and awaiting college letters while Corinne spent her days perfecting a craft, I also joked that come college graduation, we would all be swimming in student debt while Corinne would be putting makeup on stars.

While I was kidding a solid four years ago, my prediction is not far off. To date, Corinne has had the pleasure (in most cases at least!) of making up Ben Stiller, P. Diddy, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Gavin DeGraw, Justin Bieber, Michael Buble, Joey Fatone, Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Sharon Osbourne, Meredith Viera, and Hoda Kotb, to name just a few! (She is also the first of us to move out of Mom’s house and get her own place!)

I remain utterly jealous of her making-up Meredith and Hoda. As an aspiring broadcast journalist/talk show host, I essentially want to BE THOSE WOMEN! The twitpic of Hoda’s tweet with Corinne in the photo made me smile a very envious glare.

One of the (many) perks of being CT’s or Eeenie’s (a nickname given to her by her parents that I’ve called her for longer than remember) friend is getting some juicy gossip about the celebs that she works with. But, since this post is being released on the World Wide Web, I’ll keep it to the good stuff.

“Tina Fey went really out of her way to say hello to me and it was genuine, she’s really cool,” she said. “Chris Martin was sweet, and Joey Fatone was awesome. Hoda and Meredith were great also. One more is Sharon Osbourne, she was a total sweetheart,” Corinne smiled.

“Now, don’t get me wrong, there are plenty who I haven’t named that are very unpleasant or truly just don’t care to be nice,” Corinne said with a lighthearted laugh. …But for both of our sakes, we will keep it classy 😉

Now while it may seem that Corinne’s path has been a very bright one thus far, I do not want any of you to be fooled; Corinne’s achievements did NOT come easy.

“I’m determined as hell. I had a dream and I knew that I could achieve it,” she said. And I will say, she isn’t lying. From middle school soccer, to high school basketball, to always standing behind what she believes, Corinne is a dedicated, determined soul who will get what she wants.

“People are shocked when they find out my age, so I also get that I’m very mature. But, I think most importantly, is how genuine I truly am. I was raised right, and people can sense that I mean business but I’m also a nice person at heart,” Corinne stated.

With that determination, Corinne has achieved success, but she has also achieved long days, and a schedule that does not always match up with the other 11 of us, and while that may not seem like a big deal, to a 21 year old who is juggling a busy schedule with a boyfriend and 11 bratty girls, I’m sure it’s not always very easy.

“The typical day starts the night before for me. That’s usually when I get my call time/location of the job. Then I look up the train/bus schedule and where my job is from there. I pack my bag for hair and makeup; I get the schedule of what’s going on, set up and wait for the talent to arrive. Once I finish their make up/hair, we all go on set and then I do touch ups throughout the day,” she explained.

While this schedule keeps Corinne away from late nights out with the rest of us, I think working the 12.12.12 Concert, VH1 Unplugged with Alicia Keys, the 2012 Debate with MSNBC, THE Tony Awards, The U.S. Open, and The Thanksgiving Day Parade, just to name a few, may make up for it (pun intended!)

And while celebrities are a large part of Corinne’s daily life, it may come as no surprise that, “the most major and coolest person that [Corinne] has ever worked with was Paul McCartney.”

“HANDS DOWN the coolest,” she said. “Even before we met he was rehearsing and he would wink at me or smile…it WAS NUTS,” she said enthusiastically.

Now while I pegged Corinne’s success as a result of her determination and talent, she explained, “Everything I have is from God, and I really do thank him daily for it. Without him, I’d be nowhere and speaking generally, I don’t think people get that message.”

In regards to what Corinne has learned during her hair and make up journey, I’d say a hell of a lot. “The most important lessons I can tell people that I have learned from this experience is to BE HONEST. Be yourself, worry about yourself, but be honest in everything you do. If people detect you’re being fake-they’ll get rid of you because someone is always waiting for your position,” she said.

“Also, work hard and be nice,” she concluded.

Now, while it was my intent to celebrate Corinne’s achievements and tell you how cool my BFF is through this blog post, I’d like to tell you a little bit about why- among my long list of blog profile prospects, she jumped to my mind in the early days of Plethora of People.

During my fourth grade year at Forest Avenue Elementary School, I was diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disorder that kept me out of school and in the hospital (on and off) for nine months. During this time, I lost my ability to speak due to inflammation in my vocal cords. Not that I hold anyone accountable at age 9, but this was when a lot of my friends forgot about me. But, not Corinne. A few months into my absence, Corinne dropped off a small, denim journal decorated with a pink furry heart, off at my house. Inside the journal was a note. Not just one note, a correspondence that went on, through my Mom’s handwriting until I was healthy.

And…continued after I was healthy for a long time. We still break out the journal to write something really important to each other.

So, while Corinne is this week’s feature because she is a rock star in the hair and make up industry, she is whole-heartedly this week’s feature because I love her; she had the ability to make me feel strong when I was incredibly weak.

(Left: Aviva Drescher of Real Housewives of New York. Right: CT at work)

Kevin Cale: Yeah, his Socks are what set him apart from the rest.

Last Wednesday, the Acorn graciously gave me the opportunity to sit down and chat with media mogul, Arianna Huffington, an idol of mine. My plan was to write this week’s blog post on Huffington and to enlighten you all with the wonderful advice she gave me. However, in my rush to get home for spring break, I left my notes at Drew. So…that post will come once back on campus.

Since that post had to be pushed back, I decided it was very appropriate to feature someone I admire as well, Kevin Cale, the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of hMAG, the lifestyle magazine where the idea for this blog originally stemmed from.

Before I more formally introduce you to Kevin, I will share with you the story of our first meeting. I fell in love with the idea of hMag in January 2011 when my Dad brought home a copy of the mag with Zach Parise, my favorite (at the time) New Jersey Devils Hockey player on the cover. Come April, my roommate Victoria suggested I apply for an internship with hMAG, as she had completed one there the previous summer and thought it would be a great fit for me. So, I did, and was asked to stop by the Hoboken office for an interview a few weeks later.

As I entered the penthouse office that offered a stunning view of the Hudson River, I was greeted by the smiling faces of Simon, Joe, (the other founders of the mag) and Kevin. Dressed professionally, I entered wearing an over-the-knee length, silk, black and white stripped dress, tan espadrilles, and a black cardigan. Now, this is not to insult the man who soon became my on-site supervisor, but I never felt more overdressed in my life. Kevin, whose personal website now reads that he “prefers to wear flip-flops to meetings, with a sport coat when necessary sat down to talk with me wearing the flip-flops his website mentions, ripped jeans, a T-shirt, and backwards hat.  Our meeting, which was interrupted by a UPS delivery, was my first clue that I would fit into the hMAG family just fine.

“I’m sorry but I have to get that package. It’s very important, I’ve been waiting for it all week,” Kevin smiled. As I sat there, anticipating something of dire need for the mag, Kevin opened up a pen that allowed for more perfect drawing on the iPhone “Draw Something” app.

From this moment on, Kevin proved to be one of the most interesting and unique people I had ever met. I quickly learned that he was a genius, but a modest and quirky one at that. I asked him to tell me a little bit about the hMAG story and the response I got was probably the longest SERIOUS explanation Kevin has ever given anyone.

“I was working in North Carolina when I randomly got an e-mail about working for Tisha through some online blog/job listing website. At the time it was Tisha Industries (more of a print shop and they were in need of a designer to help grow their company in a more design oriented way,” he explained.

“The company had three owners, Joe, his brother Brett and another guy named Chris. I flew up to meet them (in a snow storm,)” Kevin added, “and really clicked with them and what they were trying to build,” he said.

“At the time, they just took over the company over from their father and were converting it from a print shop to a design agency. Printing was slowing down and the work wasn’t there so it was a smart move. I accepted the job and moved up in 2002,” he went on.

In a year’s time, Kevin created web, photography, and illustration departments for Tisha. “I moved up the totem pole and really became more active in helping them grow the company,” he said.

Eventually, “I repositioned the company to be a full service design firm. We renamed the company, Tisha Creative, stopped doing printing and focused on marketing, design, and web.”

After establishing Tisha Creative, Kevin and Joe moved the company to Hoboken, NJ. “Then the worst happened…the economy tanked,” Kevin said.

“Due to the drop in business at the time, I approached Joe about creating a magazine for the town we lived and worked in. Being that we had already created magazines for our Tisha clients, we already knew the ins and outs and how to produce a magazine the right way,” Kevin said with a smile.

With Joe on board with the plan to launch hMag, the duo approached Tisha’s web director, Simon, and Art Director, Sang Lee.

“They accepted and we launched the mag in November 2009,” Kevin explained.

In the midst of the four partners success, Joe, Simon, and Kevin were saddened by the loss of the fourth member, Sang Lee’s death to a heart attack.

“It wasn’t easy, but the three of us remained and vowed to make the mag the best we could. Sang is still mentioned in the credits of every issue,” Kevin went on.

While Kevin and the hMAG/Tisha crew have seen much success in the area of creative development, Kevin explained that he never knew this would be his niche.

“Out of college, I got a job as the marketing coordinator to a white water apparel manufacturer. Because of this, I kayaked everyday and eventually got sponsored by Perception Kayaks, Oakley Sunglasses and Patagonia. For a couple of years, I got to travel with work and kayaking. I thought that would be the rest of my life,” he said.

As I mentioned earlier, in my eyes, Kevin is a genius. But, getting him to talk about what he’s accomplished is never the focus of conversation. In my conversations with him, his postings on his personal webpage, his info on hMAG.com, and his Facebook page, we learn way more about WHO Kevin is as a PERSON, than who Kevin is as a creative genius.

I’ve already mentioned that Kevin thought kayaking would be the rest of his life. But I find it very necessary to add that he has not been beaten in foosball in sixteen years.

“Foosball. Yes, it’s true. I learned in college and played everyday with my fraternity. I now only play once a month. I still haven’t been beat, but I’m sure my days are numbered,” he laughed.

AND! In addition to foosball and kayaking, Kevin also played on an Ultimate Frisbee Championship Team in Finland.

“I got my start in Frisbee when I learned to play with the two time Collegiate Champions, East Carolina University. From there, I moved on to play with Ring of Fire, one of the best teams in the world, based out of Raleigh, NC. While playing with them, we got set up at Nationals and lost our bid to go to the World Championships. Because of this, other countries picked up many of our players to play on their teams,” Kevin was one of them.

In addition to all of this, Kevin builds his own furniture, travels to work on the love of his life, his Vintage BMW motorcycle, and is the proud parent of two adorable little ones.

River, Kevin’s son, is 4 and a half, and TJ, Kevin’s daughter is 2 and a half. “They have changed my life in sooooooo many ways,” Kevin explained. “First, most importantly, they have taught me what true love really is. They have also taught me the importance of patience, given my life more meaning, taught me to talk less and listen more, and that there is so much more to life than money or fame.”

Now, while I may have already proven to you that Kevin is incredibly unique…when asked what makes him unique he bluntly stated, “my socks.” Talk about the modesty I commented on, huh? J

In describing himself, his personal website states that he is, a “passionate family guy, who happens to bleed creativity in every aspect of his life,” now ain’t that the truth?!

“While [Kevin’s] thirst for taking every creative project [he] touches to the maximum started at an early age…it was in college, at East Carolina University’s School of Art, that [Kevin’s] blood turned into a beautiful mix of RGB and CMYK,” that still fuels him, in his late thirties, to feel 21, and to keep on truckin’ in the fields of art, creativity, and passion.

 (hMAG Crew! From left to right: Kevin, myself, Josh (my boyfriend), Victoria, Tony, and Simon)

Hoda Mahmoodzadegen: “The Middle Eastern Martha Stewart, of sorts.”

It was my first day as an intern at hMAG, a community lifestyle magazine based in Hoboken, NJ last summer. I was eager to impress my new bosses, and create my first story from an idea of my own. Diana, the mag’s editor stopped by to meet me and explained that she could always assign me stories, but would love it if I had my own vision for what I wanted to spend my summer doing. Clueless about Hoboken, it’s people, and nightlife, as I was not yet 21, I endlessly searched the Internet. I stumbled upon what I thought looked like a cute, small, mom and pop food truck that would be opening the following week. Excited, I immediately reached out to a woman named Hoda, who appeared to be the owner in hopes of finding my first story. She agreed to speak with me over the phone a few days later and to tell me the story of what has now become Molly’s Milk Truck, a sought after Hoboken hotspot and so much more.

Our thirty minute phone conversation allowed me to learn not only about Molly’s Milk Truck and it’s goal of serving the hurried lunch crowd that roams River St. of Hoboken in search of a good quick eat, but to meet a woman I would soon call a wonderful friend. The interview did not go as most do. We laughed, Hoda did most of the talking, and before hanging up asked if I could please include that she was single in the article. She also asked if I would stop by to try some food and her signature iced coffee before posting the article on the web.

Shortly following Molly’s Milk Truck grand opening, my roommate Victoria (who was also interning with the mag) and I made our way to River Street to meet Hoda and try some iced coffee. As we turned off of Newark Street from our office and were in eyeshot of the pier, where the truck was parked we both blabbed, “Oh my god! It’s soooo cute,” in unison.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by a medium height, attractive, long brown haired woman with a perky smile. “You must be Kim,” she screamed out the trucks window. “Ohhhmiigood it’s soooooooo nice to finally meet you pretty lady! I’ll be right with you.”

Smiling, Victoria and I took our place in the line that was forming around the truck and waited our turn. To give you a more accurate taste of Hoda’s personality, while we waited, she forced an iced coffee on the man in the line in front of us. As she watched him take his first sip, she very bluntly stated, “That’s good. Right? Admit that’s good.” Before waiting for the man to even reply, she continued her thought, “If you don’t think it’s good than you can fuck off,” she blurted out from her large smile. From this moment, I knew I liked her.

After some chatting, she handed Victoria and I some iced coffee, on the house. Now, I am an iced coffee fiend. Can’t live without one a day, and have had iced coffee from a very large majority of cafes, bakeries, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Starbucks, just to name a few. From our first sip, we were floored.

Hoda waited for our reaction, paused for a second and giggled, “I know, ladies, it’s a party in your mouth.” Now, well I may not have stated it in the way Hoda did, I couldn’t agree more.

“And yes, I just said that,” she went on. “I’m sorry but it’s honestly just that good. My friends would come over and kickback three or four at any given point throughout the day,” Hoda boasted in the most playful way possible.

As I’m sure you’re all dying to know, the signature iced coffee called Molly’s Mellow Milk, is a mixture of almond milk, cinnamon, agave nectar, triple caffeinated coffee, and vanilla over ice.

After gulping down the iced coffee in just about three sips, Victoria and I moved on to Molly’s signature grilled cheese, made with low sodium cheese and continued chatting with Hoda for hours.

The Molly’s journey, which began in May for Hoda and her business partner, Jason Avon has come a very long way in just ten months.

When we met in May, Hoda explained to me that her desire to open Molly’s came after working a corporate job for a few years after graduating college. “I parted ways with my old job and my old life and set out to get myself healthy both mentally and physically,” she said.

After working with a personal trainer and losing close to fifty pounds, Hoda began to search for healthy food options that actually tasted good. Knowing herself, and her inability to survive on “lettuce and grilled chicken,” Hoda explained that she, “Began to play around in the kitchen, trying to learn how to make food that tasted good with her friends.”

Once a few of her friends tasted some of her creations, “I began hearing this is so good, I would pay for this, a lot,” she said. “I guess you could say I took the idea and I ran with it.”

Upon opening, Hoda’s main objective was to provide the 9-5 worker bee with healthy options.

“When I was working my corporate job, I was eating junk, sitting at a desk all day, packing on the pounds, going home, going to bed, and doing it all over again the next day, I wanted to give people a healthier alternative,” she said.

Now, ten months later, I admire Hoda’s ability to stick by, and even exceed her goal. Since I spoke with Hoda in May about Molly’s development, the truck as well as Hoda and Jason, and the newest member of the Molly’s team, Brian Keaton, have seen much success.

According to Hoda, “Molly’s was featured in Cooking Light Magazine, CBS News voted [them] #2 best food truck burger, and [their] branding was also featured in the Dieline. We have also built up our events catering business and have worked large scale events such as the 15,000+ Mumford and Sons Concert and the 5,000+ City of Water Day event,” she explained.

AND! The aspect of Molly’s success that I am most excited about: “We have also been able to use our profits thus far to re-invest in our business by means of venturing into the bottled beverage industry. We are meeting with a bottling facility and major retailer Whole Foods to get our product on their shelves. Our signature iced coffee will be on store shelves in the near future,” Hoda explained with a big smile. (I’m not sure who is more excited, her or I!)

While the truck that I initially pegged as a small mom and pop establishment is growing larger than Hoda or I ever anticipated, Hoda remains incredibly modest. “I create the ever-evolving menu for Molly’s while cooking for friends. All of the things we serve, I’d make for my friends at home. I think of myself as a Middle Eastern Martha Stewart of sorts,” Hoda said to me very sarcastically.

But, she’s right. She’s a domestic diva, with the girl power, determination, and smarts to build an empire; an empire that she’s already begun to create.

And while I see Hoda and her journey with Molly’s in this way, this female powerhouse and beloved friend of mine, is humble. “I am incredibly passionate about helping others. Whether it’s a small deed or a life-changer. I find great satisfaction in helping people that I don’t find from anything else. Putting myself second has always come very easy to me when it comes to those I take a liking to, or care about. Doing nice things for people impacts people’s lives and that’s huge for me,” she said.

This was proven true, when Hoda and the Molly’s gang became a delivery truck for Hurricane Sandy suffers in Hoboken. While many spent the week trying to get out of their apartments to safety, Hoda made sure they were fed and well nourished.

“I feel like typically people say their goal is to become successful. But, truthfully, I feel we are already successful because we threw ourselves into a business we had no clue about and we made it work. I guess my goal is to become a household name, if not because of our delicious foods and drinks, because of our story. We look to inspire others by showing them that where there is a will there is a way,” Hoda smiled as she reached out to give me a big hug.