Schwartz: Feasting With A Former Jet At Ornella Trattoria
By Peter Schwartz
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By his own admission, Rob Carpenter is a basic guy. When it comes to a typical meal, the Long Island native is not the kind of person to try a bunch of exotic things. When he's trying something new, if he knows what it is and thinks he may not like it, he won't try it.
"I'd rather not know what it is and try it, and see if I like it or not," said the former Jets wide receiver and kick returner last Sunday during a food tasting at Ornella Trattoria, an Italian restaurant in Astoria that features creative dishes from owner Giuseppe Viterale.
Carpenter, along with selected members of the media, feasted on a wide variety of dishes. They included chestnut pasta, duck meatballs filled with cheese and sliced shell steak.
Needless to say, Carpenter was more than satisfied when he left the restaurant.
"I wasn't hungry at all," said Carpenter, who starred for Amityville High School before playing collegiately at Notre Dame and Syracuse. "I couldn't eat the rest of the day. It was good, though!"
I'll second that notion! The food was amazing!
These days, the 47-year-old Carpenter is teaching people what to eat, what not to eat and how to work out. After living in Maryland for a while, he now resides in Brooklyn, where he works as a personal trainer. After Carpenter retired, he remained active playing fast-pitch softball, flag football and basketball.
He also maintained a workout schedule.
"I never stopped going to the gym," said Carpenter. "People were asking me to train them when I would go to the gym, so I kind of just fell into it that way. It's something that I did like to do, considering that I do like to keep myself in shape."
Carpenter was taken by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL draft, but was claimed by the Patriots at the end of the preseason. Things didn't work out in New England and Carpenter was left unprotected for Plan B free agency.
Once he was free to look around for a new team, Carpenter went on a tour and visited with several clubs, including his hometown Jets. It was a no-brainer. Carpenter chose to come home to play for the team that he -- and most of his family -- rooted for.
"It was a great thing," said Carpenter. "I knew that was going to be the team that I was going to sign with."
Carpenter played in 35 games for the Jets from 1992-94, recording 19 receptions for 244 yards and his only NFL touchdown catch. He played his final NFL season with the Eagles in 1995, but that didn't end his connection to football. His son, Christian, was a safety for Towson, but is taking a year off before transferring.
During the football season Carpenter would travel to see his son play, but Sundays were all about watching the NFL.
"I'm engrossed in all the games now," said Carpenter, who sits on his couch watching all the games and has a close eye on his hometown team. "If the Jets are playing I'll have that game on, but I'll watch another game that I'm interested in or I'll switch back and forth."
Like all Jets fans, Carpenter is hoping for the best from Gang Green in 2015. With the season opener less than two weeks away, it's hard to forecast just how good the Jets can be under first-year head coach Todd Bowles.
They have the makings of a terrific defense, but the offense has a huge question mark at the quarterback position. Carpenter was initially optimistic, but now he's not sure.
"I actually thought that Geno (Smith) would play a lot better, and figured he might take the leap that was expected of him last year," said Carpenter. "But unfortunately we saw what happened."
What happened was that on August 11, former Jets linebacker IK Enemkpali walked up to Smith in the locker room and punched him in the face, breaking his jaw. Smith is currently out 6 to 10 weeks and the team has turned the starting quarterback job over to Ryan Fitzpatrick.
"It sets the team back a little bit," said Carpenter. "But Fitzpatrick can actually salvage the season, and I still have faith in the defense to keep the team in games."
So with Carpenter and I catching up over an unbelievable meal last week, the conversation turned to his game-day menu. Unless he's with a group of people or perhaps at a friend's house, Carpenter has a rather simple plan when it comes to the early games on Sunday.
"I'll have a fruit bowl out, and most of the time just wings," said Carpenter, who then plays thing by ear when it comes to the rest of the day. "When I get into the late-afternoon games and the night games, you never know what's going to be on my menu."
As one delicious plate after another was brought out last Sunday, Carpenter answered food questions from the other reporters. But Rob and I spent a lot of time reminiscing about his days with the Jets, and we talked a lot of football in general.
Now that he's back in New York with a brand new career, he's enjoying the fruits of his labors.
If you would like to contact Rob about personal training, reach out to him on Twitter @robcarpenter81.
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @pschwartzcbsfan. You can also follow Ornella Trattoria @OrnellaNYC.