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Vol. 70 No. 2
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Family follows tradition of giving back By Mallory WilSoN mwilson@liherald.com
Courtesy Councilman Chris Carini
almost too nice to play on Reconstruction work continued at Seamans Neck Park in Seaford last week, where new turf has been put down at Fields 2 and 3, which recognize Seaford’s Nassau County Youth Football League team, the Broncos. The town-funded, $2 million project is expected to be completed this spring.
It has been over 20 years since Seaford resident Maureen Breidenbach decided to use her eatery to give back: Every year, residents stopped by the now-shuttered Caps Restaurant, on Naomi Street, for a free benefit event for the charity American Giving Project/Toys of Hope. Now the holiday gathering has been passed down to another generation of the Breidenbach family: It takes place every year at Bayview Tavern, a local restaurant owned by Maureen’s daughter, Amy Breidenbach. At the latest event, on Dec. 21, Bayview raised over $1,700 for
American Giving Project/Toys of Hope. Some people who couldn’t attend the festivities donated toys directly to Melissa Doktofsky, of Huntington, who founded the nonprofit in 1994, at age 25. The charity, based in Huntington, collects money, food, toys, clothes, and school and pet supplies for Long Island residents in need. Caps, which opened in 1984, held its first holiday benefit for the charity in 1996. It was a recurring event until 2012, when Hurricane Sandy hit Seaford and Caps was shuttered due to damage. Luckily, Amy was able to continue the event at Bayview Continued on page 5
Local barber stars in advertisement with LeBron James By StephaNie BaNat newsroom@liherald.com
Barber Jamie Lee Rodriguez, of Merrick, landed a spot on national television on Christmas Day, starring in a new Ruffles potato chip commercial with NBA superstar LeBron James. The commercial is the first in a series called “Own Your Ridges,” a Ruffles campaign aimed at encouraging viewers to embrace their challenges — their “ridges” — by showcasing five people who overcame major obstacles in their lives. The spot is set to “DNA,” by Kendrick Lamar.
Rodriguez, 30, who often goes by Jay and works at Hair Magicians, in Wantagh, was discovered by the ad’s casting director, Anissa Williams, on Instagram, where Rodriguez showcases her hair styling skills as @jayleebladez. Williams was searching for a woman barber, and sent Rodriguez a direct message about the opportunity. At first, Rodriguez questioned the authenticity of the message and thought it might be spam, she recalled in an interview with the Herald. “I was scrolling through my Instagram and noticed a message request from a woman named Anissa saying she was looking for a female barber for a
commercial. … Normally, spam messages come in like this,” she said. But Rodriguez responded anyway, and Williams asked her to record an audition tape and send it to her. Harry Hernandez, Hair Magicians’ owner, helped her record it, shooting her from various angles as she worked. After Rodriguez sent it, Williams set up a virtual meeting with her. “After I submitted it, I hopped on a Zoom call with the director and they told me I got the part,” Rodrigue z said. “Everything just fell into place from there.” What shocked her the most,
she said, was learning that she was the only female barber auditioning for the commercial. She expected to be competing against others for the part. “I was really surprised to find out I was the only one they were looking at for the commercial,” Rodriguez said, “but the director explained that they came across my Instagram page and
really liked my work and what I represented.” After finding out that she got the part, Rodriguez acted in two scenes for the commercial in Los Angeles last October. They were filmed in a barber shop and a house rented for the shoot. The commercial opens with James watching scenes from his Continued on page 4