Prominent New Jersey restaurateur and mixologist Francis Schott has been honored as Irishman of the Year by the Central Jersey Police Emerald Society at their annual St Patrick's Day party.
Schott's famed, prize-winning restaurants Stage Left Steak and Catherine Lombardi are mainstays of the New Brunswick, NJ eating scene.
The Society represents law enforcement officers of Irish heritage in the New Brunswick, North Brunswick, South Brunswick, Highland Park, Milltown, Franklin Township, Edison Police Departments and the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office.
Speaking to a full house of 500 revellers at the St Patrick's bash, Schott spoke of his love for his "three communities": His community in Belfast (he's a recipient of the Belfast International Homecoming Medal), and "the communities of Essex and Middlesex counties" in New Jersey. "Of course at the base of it all is my family," he added.
"I find that often those three communities don't always talk together and it's my mission to make sure they do."
Schott has worked closely with Mayor Jim Cahill of New Brunswick to build commercial and cultural links between the burgeoning New Jersey city and Belfast and is the creator of the Belfast Cocktail (see below)
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