Before They Were Food Network Stars; Cooking for Mussolini

CROWN HEIGHTS— Gothamist reports that Starlite Lounge, Brooklyn's oldest gay bar, may be forced to close, because the landlord sold the building. Grub Street adds that the bar is angling for landmark status and encourages fans to sign petitions online and at the bar. [Gothamist]

FOOD NETWORK STARS— Food Network Humor has an awesome photo gallery of your favorite FN stars when they were young. Click through to see Mario Batali, Rachel Ray, Duff Goldman, Anthony Bourdain, Sandra Lee, Guy Fieri, and yes, even Paula Deen before they were famous. [FNH via Eater National]

MIDTOWN EAST— In their 'The Way We Ate' column, the Times runs a cute story about a 14 year old kid who, back in 1935, won two cooking contests judged by the maître d’hôtel at the Waldordf Astoria and was then sent on a trip to meet world leaders like Mussolini. [NYT]
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