Winning Chef from Chopped Chooses FBT for RestaurantThose who have heard of Christian Petroni, already know he's a winning chef from the popular show, Chopped. What readers may not know is that, prior to becoming a master of creating great food, he made a living as a DJ who was passionate about music. It's no surprise then, that he wanted all four of his restaurants, Fortina Armonk, Fortina Rye Brook, Fortina Stamford, and Fortina Brooklyn, to be equipped with state-of-the-art sound. His latest restaurant, located in the Dekalb Food Market in downtown Brooklyn, has been fully outfitted with FBT -- something that appeals to his heritage as well as his ears. For each of his restaurants, Petroni has turned to Jerry Kaufman, who runs the installation division of AVS Production Group, to design and install his sound systems. The two met years ago, when Kaufman was charged with upgrading an existing system in a restaurant where Petroni worked as a DJ; since then, Petroni hasn't relied on anyone else. "Christian and I both go beyond what music should sound like," said Kaufman. "We both have a sense of what music should 'feel' like. FBT 'gets it,' they've mastered quality sound. I've demoed their boxes right next to other brands in the same price range for clients and it wins, hands down, every single time. Between the Italian craftsmanship of the box and the B&C components they use, there's just no comparison. You can't beat their clean, natural sound, especially for the price." For the Fortina Brooklyn location, which seats about 130 people, Kaufman used five Archon 108s, eight Archon 106s, two smaller FBT ceiling speakers for the bathrooms, and one Mitus single 18 unpowered sub. The result has been music to Petroni's ears, for more reasons than one. "Christian is very involved with every aspect of the restaurant," added Kaufman. "He's very dedicated to providing diners with an enjoyable experience by paying attention to everything involved with that experience -- the design of the space, the menu, the service, and sound. He's also very proud of his Italian heritage; his ovens are from Italy, he imports his cooking oil from Italy, now he can also say that the great sound in his place is because he has speakers imported from Italy too. He's all about quality and so is FBT, so that's one very big appeal for him. It's something they have in common." For over 30 years, AVS Production Group has been a primary source for sound, light, and staging for events, tours, and concerts in New York City and beyond. Its services include the direction of a highly-skilled production staff, seeing each event through from concept to close. AVS has been a part of countless live entertainment events, from Pitbull and Rihanna to Coldplay. 
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