Bob Oswaks's Schools

• Adelphi University , Class of 1978 Bachelors Received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing

Bob Oswaks's Publications

• Catcher in the Rye Controversy , Bob Oswaks December, 2010 An avid reader, Television Branding and Marketing Executive Robert Oswaks counts The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger among his favorite books. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, describes a short length of time in the life of teenage protagonist Holden Caulfield. After being expelled from his prep school for bad grades, Holden hops on a train to New York City, where he gets cold feet with a prostitute and is shaken down by her pimp. Holden spends three days in the city, drinking heavily and commenting on his acute loneliness before visiting his young sister at his parent’s apartment while they are away. Holden describes one of his fantasies, where he acts as a guardian of children running toward the edge of a cliff in a large rye field, or a “catcher in the rye.” Widely considered one of the best English language books of all time, The Catcher in the Rye has nonetheless generated a significant amount of controversy since its publication. The Catcher in the Rye was one of the most censored books in United States high schools and libraries between 1962 and 1981. Many proponents of censorship cite the work’s vulgar language, sexual references, blasphemy, and promotion of drinking, smoking, lying, and promiscuity. Mark David Chapman, who assassinated John Lennon in 1980, had a copy of The Catcher in the Rye on his person at the time of the shooting and later likened himself to Holden Caulfield. In 1981, however, The Catcher in the Rye was the second most taught book in the country. Over the years, J.D. Salinger has also played an active role in the suppression of commercial sequels and adaptations of his most famous work. Many celebrities, such as Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Tobey Maguire, and Leonardo DiCaprio have attempted to secure rights for an adaptation. In 2009, Salinger legally barred the publication of a Swedish novel depicting Holden Caulfield as an adult, claiming that the work of so-called “fan fiction” was for-profit and therefore illegitimate.

• Living in New York City: Architecture, Bob Oswaks December, 2010 As a New York native, I can relate firsthand to the excitement of living in one of the world’s major business and cultural centers. While New York City is brimming with all-star cuisine, amazing culture, shopping, historic sights, and welcome diversions, I have always been enamored with its engrossing architectural variations and history. When most individuals think about New York City, they immediately envision dense clusters of gargantuan skyscrapers. The city boasts two separate high-rise concentrations, each with its own skyline: Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan. The most quintessential area of New York skyline, Midtown Manhattan houses the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center, three of the city’s most famous landmarks. For 42 years, the Empire State Building was honored as the tallest building in the world and remains the tallest building in New York. Designed by Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon, the building takes cues from the Art Deco movement. Completed one year earlier than the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building was the world’s first building to surpass the 1,000-foot mark. Its unique fanning top remains a central symbol for New York City. Another example of the Art Deco style, the GE Building, a slim skyscraper that stands 850 feet tall, acts as Rockefeller Center’s focus. Among the most interesting modern constructions, Hearst Tower boasts striking glass and steel faces and implements new green design fundamentals. It was the city’s first skyscraper to earn a Gold LEED Certified rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. As far as living accommodations, some of the most beautiful apartment buildings were designed by preeminent American architect Emery Roth, who pioneered the Beaux-Arts and Art Deco styles of the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Austria-Hungary, Roth emigrated to the United States at a young age due to the unexpected death of his father. Many of Roth’s buildings still stand in and around Manhattan, especially around Central Park, as well as in Greenwich Village, where I have an apartment in one of them. Among his most renowned works are the Beresford and Eldorado apartment buildings. For more information on New York’s architectural history, watch the following video.

• Entertaining with Wood Oven Pizza for All Occasions, Bob Oswaks January, 2011 by Bob Oswaks [Posted by Arnold Gatilao] With a little planning and some unique, artisanal touches, entertaining becomes a rewarding experience rather than a stressful, hectic event. Formulating a menu is the first step in the entertaining process. Your guests will love simple, homemade dishes, and they can be at the center of any meal. For sheer relaxation and the creativity of working with ingredients, I enjoy making pizzas and breads from scratch for my guests. I use fresh, wholesome ingredients, many of which come from my own garden. Pizza dough is extremely easy to make, but you need to make sure you have at least four hours set aside to make it. I start my dough at least a day in advance, as I want time for the yeast, flour, water, and salt to allow the dough to ferment to its fullest. The longer the dough ferments (24 hours is great), the more the chemical process of the ingredients is allowed to do its magic. I also make my own fresh pizza sauce, which starts with fresh tomatoes and herbs from my garden, as well as garlic and extra virgin olive oil. The following is my favorite pizza dough recipe of all the ones that I’ve experimented with. It is from Chris Bianco, and our guests love it. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl and let stand for five minutes. Stir in 3 cups of flour and the salt, stirring until smooth. Stir in an additional 2 cups of flour; continue adding flour (up to half a cup) a tablespoon at a time, stirring until the dough comes away from the bowl but is still sticky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead with lightly floured hands. Start by slapping the dough onto the counter, pulling it toward you with one hand, and pushing it away from you with the other. Fold the dough back over itself (use a bench scraper or a wide knife to help scrape dough from surface). Repeat until it’s easier to handle, about 10 times. Finish kneading normally until dough is smooth, elastic, and soft, but a little tacky, about 10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover with plastic, and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume: three hours at a minimum, more if you can wait. Press it with your finger to see if it’s done; an indent should remain. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface, and cut it into four pieces. Shape these into balls. Dust them with flour, and cover them with plastic. Let them rest 20 to 30 minutes, allowing the dough to relax and almost double. Holding the top edge of one dough ball in both hands, let the bottom edge touch the work surface. (Refrigerate the remaining balls as you work.) Carefully move your hands around the edge to form a circle, as if turning a wheel. Hold the dough on the back of your hand, letting its weight stretch it into a 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured pizza peel (or an inverted baking sheet). Press out the edges using your fingers. Jerk the peel; if the dough sticks, lift it and dust more flour underneath. Arrange the desired toppings on the dough. I first brush on a bit of olive oil (flavored with garlic and/or pepper). I am a purist and love my fresh sauce with a blend of cheeses, including smoked and regular mozzarella, as well as parmigiano reggiano, and I finish with fresh basil from the garden. Rather than cooking the pizza on a pizza stone in the kitchen oven, we are lucky enough to have a wood-burning oven in our yard, and that is another thing that makes these pizzas so wonderful. It literally takes hours to heat it to the right temperature, as I like to cook it at 550 to 700 degrees. I start my oven first thing in the morning if I’m making pizza for dinner, but it is definitely worth the wait. If you are making your dough and sauce on the same day as you’re cooking, it becomes a very tactical day of making and kneading your dough; letting it rise; simmering your sauce; and tending your wood in the oven. When you’re ready to cook, jerk the pizza off of the peel and onto the floor of your oven and let it set without moving it until bubbles begin to form in the crust, in three to four minutes. Now you can use your peel to rotate the pizza, keeping it from cooking too much or burning on one side, and let it bake until the crust is crisp and golden brown, six to eight minutes more (depending on the heat of your oven; it will take longer in a conventional oven using a pizza stone). Remove the pizza from the oven using the peel, and top it with additional toppings, if you are using them. Slice and serve. We use our wood-burning oven to cook a variety of dishes: meats, roasted whole fish and chicken, roasted vegetables and baked bread. It all depends on what you want to cook and what the temperature of your oven is. You can structure a meal that uses the oven at its hottest to cook your pizzas, then let it cool to roast your chicken, and the next morning, when you sweep out the ashes, it will be at the perfect temperature to bake bread.

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