For the first time on Eating New Jersey, I will be bringing in a guest contributor for a regular column. I have been looking to expand for a while now, but needed someone who could write with some kind of focus. My friend Hunter Dillon has answered the call. We actually got into a conversation on Facebook a few weeks ago in regards to one of my restaurant reviews. We chat about food quite often. We went back and forth and it dawned on me that I should ask him if he was interested in writing here. He accepted, so I am happy to announce he will be writing a column called “Casual Crusades” beginning shortly. His focus will be casual dining, “grab ‘n go”, and fast-food. After the amount of reads I have gotten on my two “Takeout Joints” posts, I think this will end up being a good idea. We have not eaten together too often, but we both have an undying hatred for Applebee’s, so I have complete faith in him. 

Here’s a little about Hunter: I have known him for three years. We have played hockey together, volunteer at the Strauss Mansion Museum in Atlantic Highlands, and are also investigators for a paranormal research team I co-founded a couple of years ago. While I have some restaurant experience of my own, Hunter has quite a bit more. For four years, he worked in the kitchen of a local sandwich shop and grill. We actually worked together for a month last year when he needed some help and I had time during the slow season of one of my jobs. It was a blast.