NJ PBS Goes Off Exit To Meet Two Asbury Park Food Influencers Turned Social Media Sensations

July 2, 2024 - NEWARK, NJ - NJ PBS, New Jersey's public media network, has released a new episode of its Jersey-centric culture and travel podcast series Off Exit this week, NJ's Food Influencers.

Hosted by Harrison Malkin, a New Jersey native and NJ Spotlight News producer, Off Exit journeys across the state to share unique slice-of-life stories from New Jerseyans, including their passions, hobbies, food, music, and Jersey pride. Off Exit: NJ's Food Influencers explores the prominence of two New Jersey cooks on social media.

"If you've spent any time on TikTok or Instagram, you might've stumbled upon food influencers Chuck Cruz and Hailee Catalano," said Malkin. "They are serving up great recipes and conversation while also being great ambassadors for New Jersey."

Malkin goes Off Exit to visit Cruz and Catalano in their Asbury Park home kitchen to try Chuck's famous Filipino Chicken Adobo. He also stops by the butcher shop in Neptune City, part of the couple's culinary inspiration that would eventually catapult them into the sphere of social media royalty. Combined, the couple boasts over 700,000 followers on Instagram and over 2 million followers on TikTok.

Previous Off Exit episodes to date are Noble Mushrooms, featuring a Central Jersey couple who tell their story of love and fungi as mushroom farmers; Off Exit: Jazz in Jersey with Caelan Cardello, sharing the journey of a rising jazz piano player in Wayne, NJ making noise in the national scene; and Off Exit: Surf Jam visits a "locals only" surf tournament in Brigantine.

Off Exitis available through podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and on NJPBS.org.

Off Exit is a production of Public Media NJ, Inc.. Jamie Kraft is the Executive Producer; Mark Nixdorf is Audio Engineer; Morgan Volk is Editor. Music composed by Elliot Lowe.

Funding for Off Exit is provided in part by NJM Insurance Group.