Putnam Pair Develops Food Adventure Show

Putnam residents Matt Frohman and Rich Marshall were on a kayaking vacation off the coast of Portland, Maine, a few years ago when one day they decided to ditch their traditional camp food and pulled up to a lobster boat to find their supper. They bought some fresh catch—plus some freshly harvested mussels—and over their campfire that night was born an idea for a traveling foodie show.

The pair met while running a camp at the Taconic Outdoor Education Center and bonded over a love of the outdoors. Frohman, a Westchester native and current Brewster resident, teaches science at the Solomon Schecter School in White Plains. Marshall, born and raised in Cambridge, England, lives in Patterson now and is a therapy teaching assistant for Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES for children with multiple disabilities.

The pair of adventure foodies have filmed a pilot for an adventure travel show they're calling "Rogues on the Road." They've launched a web page on the crowdfunding site, Kicskstarter, in hopes of raising close to $50,000 to complete the episode for the Banff World Media Festival in June, where they hope network eyes find it compelling.

We caught up with the duo to ask them more about their hopes for the show:

Patch: The trailer shows you fishing, driving, eating and drinking. Is this show about food or outdoor recreation?

Frohman/Marshall: It's about ingredients local to a particular destination; each episode will highlight some examples of outdoor recreation. We've got to build up our appetite!

Patch: What audiences do you hope to engage? 

Frohman/Marshall: We hope we attract an audience that wants or is willing to explore the vast diversity of ingredients available outside their backdoor. This show is about actively acquiring ingredients and learning about the responsibilities that follow. It's about discovering how beautiful and accessible our planet is. Its incredibly exciting and tasty when you begin to open your eyes.

Patch: You both worked at Taconic Outdoor Education Center in Fahnestock state Park. Is that where you met? 

Frohman/Marshall: Yes, we were counselors at a camp for adults with disabilities. We couldn't stand each other at first. One late evening at camp we had to take a camper to the hospital with severe abdominal pains—don’t worry, the camper was fine, turns out he was faking it—he knew he could have a brownie sundae if he played sick! Six hours and a couple of brownie sundaes later, we returned to camp, had a good laugh and have been friends ever since.  We’ve also shared some pretty tough times as well—we each lost a parent tragically and that has strengthened our friendship.

Patch: The show shows viewers where a variety of food sources. Why is this important to you? 

Frohman/Marshall: We live in an age where everything is convenient and supplied regularly at a grocery store. We enter and leave the store without ever really thinking about the responsibilities that surround the products we buy. Is it sustainable? How far did it travel to get here? How many people were involved in bringing that product to you? Were they treated fairly? What chemicals were used? As a society, we need to get back to basics and learn and respect where our food comes from. By doing this we develop a closer relationship to the planet. That relationship develops into a deep respect and that respect is what our planet desperately needs right now. 

Patch: The landscape is stunning in the trailer. Where did you film?

Frohman/Marshall: In Banff National Park, in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta.

Patch: Do either of of you have experience in TV? You don't look nervous in front of the cameras. (Nor shy.)

Frohman/Marshall: Very little, we appeared on a episode of "Bragging Rights" on the Outdoor Life Network. No experience and we where nervous as hell on the first day. We wrote, produced and now were about to host our own TV pilot! We had nothing to lose, so we went all in. Even Anthony Bourdain was nervous on his first episode. We grew very close to our crew over the 5 days and they helped greatly in making us feel comfortable in front of the camera. It was an awesome experience!

Patch: Where or when was your most exotic meal? 

Frohman: I was eating at a small café in Spain and the waiter brought me what I thought was a bowl of pasta. Turned out to be baby eels served with a light vinaigrette. What I thought was pepper, turned out to be their eyes. It was unexpected, but really good. And my wife and I had the unique experience of stinky tofu...yeah, that was gross. 

Marshall: I was in the Dominican Republic, with my wife on our honeymoon, while riding horseback on the beach.

Patch: Thanks, guys, good luck!