Hart-Wilkerson Family Has a ‘Taste of Tennis’

Mason Wilkerson looks ready to fill his belly! Actress Melissa Joan Hart poses with her 3 ½-year-old, as well as husband Mark Wilkerson and their 17-month-old son Brady at the 10th Annual BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis.

The event was held Thursday, August 27th at the W New York Hotel in the Big Apple.

Melissa, 33, is gearing up for her next gig — partnering with Mark Ballas on the new season of Dancing With the Stars!

To keep up with her preparations, follow her on Twitter.

(Also check out this cute video of the boys popping bubble wrap!)

Bethenny Frankel and Andy Roddick show off their bartending skills at a party for the U.S. Open. Cheers!

American tennis star Andy Roddick was very busy before the start of the last Grand Slam event of the year. For instance, he served up cocktails at the BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis event in New York City on Aug. 27, just hours after filming “The Late Show with David Letterman” and throwing out the first pitch at a Rangers-Yankees game.

Although Roddick would love another chance to face Roger Federer after their epic Wimbledon final this summer, any potential chip on his shoulder has been replaced by something else around his arm — Roddick’s stunning swimsuit-model wife, Brooklyn Decker, who’s been the tennis stud’s biggest supporter. For Roddick, it’s almost easy to say, Federer who?

Page 2: What was it like throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium?

Andy Roddick: It was really, really cool. The stadium’s great. I didn’t know the team actually goes out and takes their positions before you throw the first pitch out, so that was a little nerve-racking. I had [Derek] Jeter behind me playing short and A-Rod on the side.

Was that the first time you met A-Rod? Or the other A-Rod, I should say.

I had met him before. He’s the A-Rod. I had met Derek [Jeter] before, but I didn’t want to bother them. They had a game to play. They said I could have gone in the dugout, but the last thing I wanted to do was try to glad-hand people while they’re trying to get ready for a game.

Have you ever joked with A-Rod about having the same nickname?

[Laughs] No, I don’t think so. It’s pretty straightforward. He’s the A-Rod, and I’m kind of the other one.

Having the fastest recorded serve in tennis [155 mph], did you ever consider being a baseball pitcher?

I loved playing baseball when I was young. I was actually probably better at it than I was at tennis, but then we actually moved and I didn’t want to start with a new team, you know. So I just ended up gravitating toward tennis.

What’s your favorite sports team?

The Nebraska Cornhuskers, for sure. I was actually born in Nebraska. I get up to one [Nebraska football game] every couple of years. I haven’t been to one since 2007. Maybe not this year, but hopefully next year.

What’s the first thing Roger Federer said to you after the Wimbledon final?

It’s such a rush of emotions. He’s always pretty gracious about it. He had a lot of his own emotions going on at that moment. … I’m not really sure. I’m sure it was something along the lines of “Good match.”

Are you hoping to face him again at the U.S. Open and resume the rivalry?

You know, you hope so. I’d certainly love the opportunity.

What’s one of the most memorable pranks in the tennis locker room?

I wasn’t a part of it, but the funniest thing I’ve ever seen [involved] a Croatian player named Ivan Ljubicic. He was playing really well at the beginning of 2005 or 2006, and there’s a French guy named Michael Llodra who was convinced that [Ljubicic] needed to kind of rub off on him. Llodra’s about 6-foot-4, and he tucked himself into Ljubicic’s locker and he got butt-naked. … When Ljubicic opened up his locker, [Llodra] kind of jumped out. He was convinced it was going to bring him good luck. That was kind of funny.

Who does most of the cooking at home between you and Brooklyn?

We probably do a pretty equal amount. Actually, most of the time we stay home and cook.

How are your cooking skills?

Average at best. I can throw some stuff in a thing, and throw [in] some olive oil and kind of do it that way. But anything that requires any expertise is lost on me.

What would we be surprised to find in your kitchen?

Whole Foods is actually based in Austin [Texas, where Roddick lives], so pretty much everything we have is from there. Brooklyn actually has all the candy. She likes the sweets and the junk food.

What are your diet indulgences?

Most things are off-limits. Most of the time you try to stick to veggies and healthy carbs. But the week after a tournament, my one soft spot is just stuff like chips and salsa, and chips and guacamole. I can’t get enough Mexican food if I’ve been gone for a while.

Is there an exercise you dread doing?

I don’t think the fact that I actually get to exercise for a living is ever lost on me. I think it’s better than most things.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=roddick/090902&sportCat=tennis

· Andy Roddick hanging out at the BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis event in NYC.

· Selena Gomez rocking out at the Katy Perry concert in LA, presented by Soundsofbuzz.com and Coca Cola.

· Jennie Garth sampling Starbucks Ice Cream backstage at the Daytime Emmys in LA.

· Kellan Lutz checking out Nintendo Wii’s Wii Sports

http://www.usmagazine.com/news/jessica-biel-supports-fashions-night-out-200929

Match: Tennis, cooking stars

Tennis pros and top NYC chefs? Sounds like a match.

For the BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis benefit on Aug. 27, stars of the court- including Andy Roddick and Billie Jean King- will pair up with stars of the kitchen, including “Real Housewife” Bethenny Frankel and Todd Mark Miller of STK, an event rep exclusibely told amNY. Proceeds go to Food Bank for New York City.

Taste of Tennis, in New York City.

This is the ultimate food event for fans of tennis and Bravo’s Top Chef.  This pre-US Open evening of tennis and fine dining includes food prepared by Top Chef favorites like Carla Hall and Ariane Duarte, as well as celebrated chefs like Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar and Grill.  (See the full list of chefs here.)  Consume in the company of tennis starts like Andy Roddick, Victoria Azarenka, Vera Zvonareva, Jo Wilfred Tsonga and Flavia Pennetta.  Proceeds benefit the Food Bank of New York.

Location and information: At the W Hotel (49^th and Lexington Ave.) in New York City.

http://culinarytravel.about.com/od/foodwineevents/a/SummerCulinaryEventsAugust.htm

Tennisweek.com

Tennis Stars Take Over NYC

By Valentine Uhovski

8/22/2008 4:11:00 PM

Tennis was once again an inescapable theme for virtually all New York events, as tennis stars made appearances in Tribeca, Midtown East and West and beyond.

And tennis loving New Yorkers seemed more excited about the sport hero sightings than ever. Early in the night, Jay Fielden  and Men’s Vogue hosted an event for James Blake to benefit the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Research Fund at Greenwich hotel. Musician John Mayer, Blake’s former high school classmate from Fairfield, Conn., came by to show his support and Blake seemed to be consciously excited about being surrounded by all the editors.

“I have a lot of time on the airplanes, so Men’s Vogue is certainly on my reading list,” he said. “But I have to say, it’s a little bit more pressure get dressed for an event like this. Normally I’m hanging out on the practice courts in t-shirts and jeans.”

Speaking of practice courts and routines, Blake still chooses hotel beds instead of familiar homes while in the city.

“I still stay in the hotel, just to establish some sense of normalcy,” he said. “Even though I have so many friends or family here. And I need a little rest from all that jetlag.”

What about the biggest seeding news of this tournament?

“It’s weird for us, but it must be a lot weirder for Roger for him to be number 2,” Blake pondered. “I mean he was on top of men’s rankings for four or five years but I guess there’s something new to look forward to this tournament.”

After his own event Blake made his way to ninth annual BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis event at W hotel. The American star was the last man to try on the apron while Andy Roddick cooked up with Ingrid Hoffmann. Tomas Berdych,  Shahar Peer, Max Mirnyi , Tommy Haas, and Nicolas Kiefer served everything from short ribs to ice cream cones to gourmet buffalo wings to fans to benefit the Food Bank For New York City.

“I’ve been serving so much food, I haven’t actually tried what I’ve been giving out,” laughed Peer.

Of course, they weren’t actually cooking. Chefs like John DeLucie of The Waverly Inn and Gotham Bar and Grill’s Alfred Portale did the kitchen work.

“I actually have a very mean forehand down the line,” proudly noted Portale. ”And even though I’m cooking with James tonight, I’m still waiting to my Open tickets.”

As is the rest of New York.

August 2008 Issue

Skyline

Courtly Cuisine

Chefs and tennis stars may not seem like logical partners, but they’re a winning match at BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis.  First launched in New York in 2000, the annual charity event has grown from 12 pairs to 22 two-person teams – one chef, one pro player in each, including Ingrid Hoffmann, host of the Food Network cooking show Simply Delicioso, and racket master Andy Roddick – who work together to prepare signature tasting dished for attendees.  When creating the duos, event organizer and founder Penny Lerner does her best to couple the players and chefs according to their  culinary background and interests.   “Many of the sous-chef-to-be (aka players) have heard about a cuisine,” explains Lerner.  “So if, for instance, a player wants to know how to roll sushi, we’ll pair him or her with a Japanese chef who can teach all of the proper techniques.”

>> BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis, W New York, 541

Lexington Ave., 1-877-282-7100, Aug. 21

September 4 – 17, 2008

9^th Annual ‘BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis’

The world’s top tennis players and chefs served-up the US Open’s hottest pre-tournament action at the 9^th Annual BNP PARIBAS TASTE OF TENNIS.  This year’s lineup included tennis superstars Andy Roddick, Jelena Jankovic, Robby Ginepri, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Lleyton Hewitt and David Ferrer, who cooked-up culinary aces alongside such acclaimed chefs as the Food Network’s Ingrid Hoffmann, John DeLucie of The Waverly Inn and Gotham Bar and Grill’s Alfred Portale.

The charity event produced by AYS Sports Marketing and benefiting Food Bank For New York City, was held at the W New York hotel in Manhattan.  A.J. Callaway, host of entertainment show EXTRA served as emcee for the evening, with music from DJ Bernie & DJ Mel DeBarge.

One of summer’s most anticipated New York nighttime events, BNP PARIBAS TASTE OF TENNIS gave gusts the chance to mingle with their favorite tennis stars and chefs while sampling an eclectic mix of specially-designed dishes that earned rave reviews each year.  Midway through the evening, the “doubles team” of Roddick and Hoffmann took center stage for an action-packed cooking demonstration.  The former US Open Champion, a self- professed novice in the kitchen, will take pointers from the star of the popular Food Network show “Simply Delicioso.”

This year’s BNP PARIBAS TASTE OF TENNIS benefits FOOD BANK DOE NEW YORK CITY, which provides 68 million pounds of food annually to more than 1,000 emergency and community food programs – including soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, low-income daycare centers, kids cafes and senior, youth, rehabilitation and outreach centers – throughout the five boroughs of New York City.   The Food Bank helps provide 250,000free meals a day for New Yorkers who otherwise would go hungry or not eat enough, who are largely comprised of women and children, the elderly, people with disabilities and the working poor.