7/20-Rick Hirsch, Jeff Yeager

CRN 1 Live M-Thur 7a-8a PT


Rick Hirsch-Owner and Chef of Damariscotta River Grill

Rick Hirsch, Chef/Owner of the Damariscotta River Grill and Anchor Inn Restaurant, brings over two decades of culinary experience to his well-known restaurants situated in mid-coast Maine.

While earning his business degree at Ohio University, Hirsch cooked during summer breaks at several Maine restaurants. Wanting to experience other food cultures he headed to the Virgin Islands where he joined the busy teams of two restaurants on St. Thomas. Hirsch returned to New England for his formal culinary training at Providence, Rhode Island’s prestigious Johnson & Wales University.

His longtime goal of owning his own restaurant came to fruition soon thereafter when Hirsch, with his business partner, Jean Kerrigan began operating the popular Anchor Inn Restaurant in Round Pond, Maine.  The Anchor Inn Restaurant, which in 2007 celebrates its 20^th-year celebration, each year becomes a central gathering spot for returning "summer people" and locals alike, all drawn by the seasonal restaurant’s authentic, savory New England cooking and Hirsch’s top-notch Maine seafood specials.

The talented duo next launched their very successful Red Plate Catering business, which continues to serve events ranging from wedding receptions and anniversary celebrations to holiday events and large corporate gatherings.

In 2004, Hirsch and Kerrigan decided to grow their culinary enterprise further still by launching the Damariscotta River Grill in nearby coastal Damariscotta, Maine.  The well-regarded restaurant, open year-round and situated just a stone's throw from the scenic Damariscotta River, has earned raves from thePortland Press Herald and numerous online food sites, including TripAdvisor.com, Chow.com and FoodPundit.com.  Known as much for its impressive wine list and active wine club as for its regional, upscale comfort food selections, the Damariscotta River Grill today continues to serve full houses of enthusiastic diners at its brunch, lunch and dinner seatings.

Chef Hirsch has long been committed to purchasing locally grown ingredients and supporting nearby Maine farmers, producers and fishermen. At both of his Maine restaurants, he serves dishes which feature fresh Maine lobster and fresh oysters from the Damariscotta River, supplied by Pemaquid Oyster Company. Chef Hirsch also offers patrons dishes which feature wild mushrooms from Oyster Creek Mushroom Company, and a variety of fresh produce from Morning Dew Organic Farm.

Jeff Yeager-The Cheapskate Next Door

Jeff Yeager spent 24 years working as a CEO and senior executive with national nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC before launching his career in 2004 as an author, public speaker, and media personality.

Specializing in an offbeat blend of original humor and practical advice for living a better life by spending and consuming less, Yeager was dubbed "The Ultimate Cheapskate" by Matt Lauer on the NBC TODAY Show, where he occasionally appears as a guest correspondent. He also hosted a series of segments, $aving Green by Living Green, on G-Word, an environmental news show on Discovery's PLANET GREEN network. Yeager has appeared as a guest on CNN, ABC News, CNBC, FOX News, PBS, and dozens of local TV stations around the country. He is a popular guest on the nationwide talk radio circuit as well, having been interviewed on more than 150 radio stations, including shows broadcast on National Public Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio, and the Oprah & Friends network.

Yeager's first book, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less, was published by Random House/ Broadway Books in January 2008. Road Map is currently in its sixth reprint and was the #1 Personal Finance book on Amazon.com. His second book, The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily below Their Means, is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2010, also from Random House/Broadway Books. His work is also featured on his website UltimateCheapskate.com, and his popular weekly blog, The Green Cheapskate, is syndicated by Hearst's Daily Green website (www.TheDailyGreen.com) to leading environmental and personal finance sites on the worldwide web.

During his career in the nonprofit sector, Yeager served as the CEO of the American Canoe Association, the oldest recreation-based waterway conservation in the U.S. (founded in 1880) and a National Governing Body of the U.S. Olympic Committee. Previously he served as director of the American Youth Hostels, the U.S. affiliate of the International Youth Hostel Federation. He also served as the director of fundraising for the Partnership for Public Service, a think-tank based in Washington.

In 2004, at the age of 46, Yeager realized something startling. Because of the experience he gained as the self-proclaimed "Titan of Tightwads" in the nonprofit sector and the positive impact those same management techniques had on his personal finances, Yeager realized that he had reduced his dependency on money to the point where he could retire. Or rather, as he likes to say, become "selfishly employed," free to pursue whatever interests he chooses, without inordinate worry over a paycheck.

Since leaving the work-a-day world, Yeager has done just that. As an active volunteer, Yeager serves on the boards of four nonprofit organizations involved in education and the environment. But most of all, Yeager has used his newfound financial freedom to pursue his passion for writing and multi-media journalism.

Jeff currently lives just outside of Washington, DC, with Denise, his wife of 27 years. He grew up in rural Ohio, and is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Bowling Green State University. He was a Rhodes Scholar nominee and was voted funniest student in his fourth grade class.