and. Boom goes the dynamite. Yep, I won.

Thank you all for the barrage of support. It’s truly overwhelming to wake up one morning and realize you just achieved a dream. As cliche as that sounds, it is fact. I did it. All you need is some drive, a destination and a good woman. Sarah was instrumental in every stage of this process. She supported the hell out of me, and I put her through hell in the process. It wasn’t comfortable leaving my family, I left her with bills, no duel income and a 2 1/2 year old who required constant attention. Not to mention a couple midwest blizzards. I love her and did this for Sarah and Lorenzo more than anything.

Now that the secrets out, I can be honest here. My show has been wrapped since early July. We shot 2 weeks in NY in the studio and another week on location at many great joints in Chicago. What I hear from THE MAN, the show looks great and I’m excited to watch it for the first time along with my family.

My Team

The book tour thus far has been awesome. Not only am I getting out there and meeting and greeting and signing and grinning, but all the press and publicity has been a whirlwind of cooking, talking and schticking. I’m loving every minute. I was born for this.

Sandwich King premiers this Sunday at 11:30am ET / 10:30a, CT.

I’m signing Food Network Star: The Official Insider’s Guide at the following locations

8/20: Barnes & Noble – McLean, VA – 2:00 – 4:00pm – w/ my gal Mary Beth

8/22: Tattered Cover – Highland’s Ranch, CO – 7:30pm – 9:00pm – w/ Suzie!

8/23: Barnes & Noble – Cherry Hill, NJ – 7:00pm – 10:30pm – w/ my BOY VIC VEGAS

8/27: Macy’s on State – CHICAGO, IL!!!! – 2:00pm – 4:00pm – w/ VIC VEGAS!!! AGAIN!

8/27: Meijer’s – St. Charles, IL – 6:30pm – 8:30pm – w/ VIC VEGAS

Check out the book:
http://www.foodnetworkstore.com/ProductDetail.aspx?R=356641

Holy Moses. More to come! TV Shows! Radio!

Thanks again to everyone. A sandwich a day….

Jeff Mauro