A childhood in Brooklyn, Ardy would argue, is the best childhood you could ask for. Of course there are sections that aren't nearly as nice as some of the others. Just like any other place, any other borough or city there are always sections. Different facets, but that's what makes the world such a beautiful place to be alive in. Coming from an upper-middle class home, there wasn't always a struggle for the food to be put on the table, but his parents worked and they worked hard to make their living. His father was raised on cars, the older the better he would always explain to Ardy. Cars now were made of nothing, and his father spent many years as a mechanic before settling into ownership of several shops throughout the Brooklyn and Queens area.
His youth was a fairly easy one, and working his way into his teens hadn't been all that difficult even if he would have complained about it back then. Working part-time for his mother out of a bodega, he often worked weeknights behind the cash register, making subs, or stocking the shelves. It wasn't much, but he was paid fair enough and always gave some back to keep things balanced with bills and life as far as he had seen it. He wasn't by any means ignorant to the world around him growing up, and decided early on that he wasn't scared to have a heart and wear it on his sleeve. Prior to college, he had more community service hours logged than most undergrad's finishing out their four years. It was a humbling experience, and he wouldn't have traded it for anything.
People always talk about how college is where you find yourself, and Ardy had always thought it was kind of a cliche, but it turned out to be pretty spot on. Taking liberal arts courses he had been undecided for much of his freshman year there, and he hated the feeling of just floating around in a space where everyone else was making these life-changing memories. It was the realization that during those memories others were making, he was capturing them. He'd gotten a camera on a whim, the salesmen at Best Buy actually did his job that day and it was a decision he would never regret. It started out with a really cheap kodak instant camera, pictures from college frat parties and then it extended into saving up some cash from working side jobs as well as still running the store for his mother and he'd graduate into a decent DSLR where he discovered how amazing the world could be through the lens and once he put it down as well.
He struggled at first, finding his niche in Tisch. He was a year behind everyone else's self discovery, but he just let it roll off his shoulders. Eventually he found his way and it had managed to benfit him from the beginning. During his Sophomore year he would start a blog, at first just writing down his own life experiences with the local shops and the food that his family made. Mainly a spanish themed cuisine blog would start to take on a life of it's own. The more Ardy managed to push himself out into the city he knew as his own, his followers urged to hear more stories. He'd become a voice for the local places in NYC that were often overlooked and pushed out of the spotlight by the chain restaurants and tourist digs. NYC had so much more to offer than the Shake Shack, and he wanted people to see that so the blog would take off. Pairing his developing photography skills he would venture and dabble into a few well-known youtube channels that had their hands in the same sort of foodie loves and hates. Thus he was given the title of GrubKing of NYC. He became recognized for his knowledge on food, and where to find the best for the best price, or something specific that someone visiting the city would want. He was your go to guy.
Things were pretty good for a while, too. Coming out of Tisch he struggled for a bit. Working back at the store once again, pitching in at his parents house and even staying there for a few months till he saved up some money and actually got a real job so he could move out onto his own. His blog had continued to gain popularity and he was benefiting many free meals at more than half decent places around the city. He had even managed to score a page one night in 2015 for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. It hadn't quite paid his bills for the month, but the memory and knowledge of 'making it' persay was more than enough and Ardy would always be a man that valued life over the heavy dollar bill anyday. Life doesn't always go according to plan though, and eventually he would learn that while his mother struggled with an ongoing battle with throat cancer she was also fighting to keep her husband's wits about him. Oscar Sr. had developed dementia, and it had started to get out of control where his nother could no longer handle him on her own. Ardy of course, stepped in and found somewhere for his father to continue living a man of respect while they attempted to treat him as much as they could.
Buzzfeed had been one of those glorious accidents that you happened upon like a shooting star. Ardy had been shooting a youtube with a friend of his based on the deli scene in Manhattan, when a writer had happened to be in one of the deli's at the time and noticed Ardy's 'talent' as the guy put it. Ardy claims he just liked his hat, and he sticks to it. In the end it led to an interview and a six month intern program that had eventually landed him working in the Tasty labs in Manhattan. His knowledge of food, matched with his odd but well thoughout of scholastic history had been what Tasty was looking for. Hired as a writer for the column and food critque of sorts, Tasty gave him the freedom to continue his other endeveours without having to worry so much about how to pay the bills.
If you aren't living life to the fullest, what's the point in living at all?
💬Comes from a culturally rich background, being 50% of Cuban descent on his fathers side; and the remaining 50% divided between Italian and Irish from his mother. Though an interesting mix, his family often developed their own recipe's combining each of their backgrounds so that their dinner table was never a boring place to be. Ardy's taste buds were formed at his mothers dinners table and he gives her constant praise and credit for turning him into the lovable foodie that he is today.
💬 While attending NYU he would get his Bachelor's degree in Photography Journalism, but at the same time held a dual B.A. in Dramatic Writing through Tisch as Ardy had originally planned to work as a page writer for one of the many Late Night shows that were filmed in NYC. This, of course, happened once so it's not completely ruled out as something for the future perhaps. Always keeping his options open, and network widespread.
💬 Ardy is known for being a very approachable kind of guy, he is always open to meeting new people and just having a good time. He is laid back and prefers to live life like it's the greatest adventure of them all. A loose motto of work hard and play harder keeps him from staying in most nights, enjoying the nightlife as much as he can. However just like any true red-blooded new yorker, though he doesn't carry too much of an accent, he's got the short fuse to show for it. It takes a lot to get on Ardy's bad side, but it's almost impossible to come back from it as well.
💬 Swears up and down till he's blue in the face that his 'bullshit filter' is permanently broken. Though he's a lovable kind of goofball, he does at times and sometimes the worst times not know how to say things more delicately. He can be brutally honest, and not everyone can handle that from him at times - which can sometimes cause him to be more quiet and reserved and even shy but that's a rare sight.
💬 College had been that life changing status for him, and most of it was amazing. There were some low points however, and some of the hardest times that Ardy had ever gone through included having to let go. His playing harder motto had originated during his college years and though he was never really frat material, he did go to the parties. He liked to have fun, and that fun had ended up costing the life of someone he had thought he'd spend the rest of his life with. It's not something Ardy openly talks about, and when he does there isn't much detail given over what happened. He's still learning to cope.
💬 Doesn't often bring it up, but was diagnosed with testicular cancer in March of 2011 and had a very hard time coping before he came to terms with treatment. In the summer of 2013 Ardy's cancer was treated successfully and he has been a survivor ever since. Though he doesn't speak about his personal story with it, he does often run marathons and participate in various events that are for the fight against cancer.
