(201) Gold Coast May 2016 | Page 30

Person-to-Person Jersey City’s VAL EMMICH Multi-talented artist engulfs himself in the arts ou may know Val Emmich as an actor, I live in the musician or even a writer, and this Heights section Jersey City husband of Jersey City. and father is “proud My two main local hangs are and lucky to still be able to have Modcup (excellent coffee) a career making various forms of and Fox & Crow (a bar Downtown art,” he says. that serves top-notch burgers “I used to try to keep all my there are interests separate. For example, and has a swanky back lounge great when I was first coming up in for live music).” restaurants like Porta, the music world in the late ’90s Orale and Razza. and early aughts, actors with Mainly, though, I’m a bands weren’t taken seriously, so homebody. Cooking, I passed on a lot of acting opportunities. Now that stigma has gone away and I’m watching TV, reading older, I realized I was missing out,” he and writing are my says. “I sort of celebrate being a hyphenmain pastimes.” ated person. I try to do whatever feels organic at the time and that keeps life interesting.” And what could be more interesting With