worker Lorry Lynch
hits airwaves March 24
Waitress made over,
courtesy of TV show
Old Bridge restaurant
worker Lorry Lynch
hits airwaves March 24
BY SUE M. MORGAN
Staff Writer
JEFF GRANIT staff Lorry Lynch is interviewed at Trabelli’s Ristorante in Old Bridge last week when a crew from “Living It Up! With Ali & Jack” came to get her “before” shots.
OLD BRIDGE — Although she’ll be on TV next week complete with a new hairdo, makeup and clothes, local waitress Lorry Lynch has no plans to give up the job she loves.
Lynch, a popular waitress at Trabelli’s Ristorante, received a full makeover in Manhattan last week, courtesy of "Living It Up! With Ali and Jack," the daily talk/variety show that will air Lynch’s transformation on Wednesday.
The syndicated show airs locally at 9 a.m. on Channel 2.
Viewers can also check out Lynch’s new look as she performs her usual gig, taking orders and serving meals at the restaurant on Route 9 north.
Lorry Lynch, two days after her makeover.
"Trabelli’s is a great place to work," said Lynch, 47. "The owners are nice and a pleasure to work for."
In truth, Lynch did not immediately call back one of the show’s production assistants who had phoned her with the opportunity to participate in the free makeover and television appearance. That production assistant, Jeven Bruh, is a former waitress at Trabelli’s who took a job with the show hosted by Ali Wentworth and Jack Ford.
The show was seeking someone who had worked as a waitress for at least 25 years. Bruh immediately thought of Lynch.
Once Lynch actually spoke with Bruh, she decided to go for it.
"I’ve been working as a waitress and raising a family for over 25 years," Lynch said. "I just thought it would be a fun thing."
At age 22, Lynch took her first waitressing job in northern New Jersey to help support herself and her daughter, Dori D’Agostino, now 26. She was recently divorced from her first husband, who is Dori’s father.
"I’ve been waitressing ever since," she said.
However, March 8 marked a turn of events for the woman who has also been described by her supervisor, Trabelli’s co-owner Patrice Tranchina, as a dedicated wife and mother.
On that Monday afternoon, a CBS camera crew arrived at Trabelli’s to show Lynch hard at work and to interview her and take what would become her "before" shots.
Watching the crew prep Lynch that afternoon, Tranchina could not have been happier for her treasured employee. Lynch has been at Trabelli’s since it opened for business 16 months ago, Tranchina said.
"She works Mondays, Thursdays, every other Saturday and some Fridays," Tranchina said. "If we need her for extra hours, she always comes in."
Dori, who now lives in Piscataway, stood by to watch her mother’s interview and offer support.
Even a table full of Lynch’s regular customers came by to watch their favorite server’s small-screen performance.
Lynch said she thoroughly enjoys working for Tranchina and has high praise her co-workers and customers.
"Everyone here is very nice," she said.
At 5:30 a.m. March 10, a driver from the show chauffeured Lynch to CBS’ studios in New York. There, she and two other women also chosen for the makeover were led to an upstairs makeup room for a new hair coloring.
Her long, brownish-blond locks were darkened to a brownish red, and a studio makeup artist artfully did her cosmetics, Lynch recalled. Next, she picked out a new outfit from a selection of four displayed by the show’s staff.
At 9 a.m., Lynch and the other two makeover participants rehearsed their walk on stage and down a runway before heading back upstairs where her hair, initially down her back, was cut to the end of her neck.
"It’s nice, but I have to get used to it," Lynch said.
At 10 a.m., the actual taping of the show began. Though a bit nervous, Lynch came out and confidently showed off her new hairstyle and clothing to Wentworth, Ford and a live audience.
"We got to keep the outfits," she said.
The show’s producers gave a gift bag containing a robe, shirt and some program-related trinkets to Lynch and the other women. Then came the big prize.
"They surprised us with a trip to the Bahamas on Norwegian Cruise Line," Lynch said.
She and her husband, Patrick, a painter who also owns Center Ice Hockey in the Village at Town Square, may take the vacation this summer. Because both work long hours, the trip is long overdue and welcome.
"We’ll try to make the time," she said. "It’ll be like a honeymoon."
The couple has a 12-year-old son, Joey, who attends Jonas Salk Middle School. Stepson Patrick, 17, resides in the Lincroft section of Middletown.
Though she only met Wentworth and Ford for little more than a minute, Lynch found them to be personable.
"They were both very nice. Jack shook my hand," Lynch said. "They’re both better-looking in person."
Though she considers herself "a people person," Lynch admits she was a bit nervous about appearing before a live audience.
However, besides the merchandise and cruise, the best gift, she said, was an increased self-confidence.
"I’m very shy. I really had to conquer my fears," Lynch said. "It was a wonderful experience."