New

History teacher Greg

Lesser recently welcomed a new addition, Amelia Max Lesser, to his family, so taking his place in the classroom until early May is Martin Gilbert, who has been teaching since 1984 at schools such as Hackley and Byram Hills.

Gilbert said that he was inspired to become a teacher by his own AP US History teacher in high school. “I started out in college as pre-med,” he said, “but I wasn’t particularly interested in medicine. I only did it because it was what my family wanted me to do; my father was a physician. But I always loved history in high school, and I had a really special AP US teacher. That was an important part of my decision.” In addition to teaching history, Gilbert has also coached basketball and been the faculty advisor for clubs such as mock trial and quiz bowl.

In his time as a teacher, Gilbert has crossed paths with many people. Some of them have gone

After Masters, Pall attended New York University and majored in art history and music business. Pall noted that he always had a passion for music and hosting events. He said, “One of my greatest joys in life is bringing people together to have a great time and DJing really satisfies both of those passions. It goes without saying but the music-making side is always the best as well, it’s a very cathartic experience–writing songs deeply personal to us– and then seeing people have their own unique and exciting experiences with them.”

Just eleven years after Pall graduated high school, The Chainsmokers released their debut single “#Selfie” in 2014. The single was charting on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

Soon after their debut, the Chainsmokers started to make headlines. They began collaborating with notable musicians like Coldplay, Bebe Rhexa, and Halsey.

Fischer remembered the feeling she had when she realized Pall was behind the Chainsmokers.

She said, “Even when I heard it, I had no idea that it was him until like, I didn’t know, he was part of The Chainsmokers until somebody else from Masters had said, ‘You know that’s Alex, right?’ And I was blown away. Because last I’d heard from him, he was in, like, a club scene and promoting and just in a very different space. I didn’t know he was actually an artist and creating music.”

Junior Gabriel Heller also enjoys producing music in his free time and has recently been DJing as well. Heller has found major inspiration in Pall who has walked the same halls as him.

Heller described how Pall has made him grow and inspired to be a more dedicated musician. Heller said, “Since school takes away so much of my creative side which includes music production, I on to become famous, such as David Harbour, who you may know as Jim Hopper in the hit Netflix original series “Stranger Things,” and Amanda Nepo, who at the age of 16 went on Penn and Teller’s show and fooled them with her original magic tricks. “But really,” he said, “it’s the everyday successes that I’m sometimes inspired by. Sometimes a student will say ‘That was the best lesson,’ or ‘I’m curious to know more about know that I need to continue to nurture that creative side of myself and cope with school, just like Pall did. Especially because I know music will be a part of me for the rest of my life.” He continued, “Pall’s reputation is usually centered more around his public image as a professional DJ and he often does not receive the credit he deserves for being such a talented producer and musician all around. I am not only inspired by the fact he went to Masters, but by his music in general, which only encourages me to keep working on mine and continue improving.”

Furthermore, Pall hopes that Masters students interested in pursuing a musical career should “hone in on what area of music excites them and expose themselves to the business side, the performative side, and the song-writing side, and really get a sense ofwhat brings themost joy,“ Pall said. He noted that once they have a sense of the aspect that brings them the most joy, “They should work harder at that than anyone else and share their work with the world.” history,’ and I know I’ve done my job well when that happens.”

Gilbert’s teaching style differs from Lesser’s in that he often brings in stories from his own life; for example, when his eleventh grade US history class started their unit on the Gilded Age he told them about Madam C.J. Walker, our country’s first self-made Black millionairess, and how he passes her mansion, Villa Lewaro, every day on the way to work. He also showed the class that the sign outside of Villa Lewaro is in disrepair and needs to be replaced or, at the very least repainted, and he hopes that his students will take action to get this done.

“Students need to take charge,” he said. “Sure, good grades are important to college, but they also want people who take action to make the world a better place.”

All in all, Gilbert has been received warmly by his students. Mila Benson, a freshman in his World History class, said, “Mr. Gilbert keeps us on our toes and asks us a lot of questions.”

MATT HI A S JAYLEN XAVIER ROLSTON Opinion & Web Editors

Fernando and Priscila

Mendoza run the deli and restaurant Los Ferchos right here in Dobbs Ferry, a business they bought around a year ago. Their slogan is “the best tacos in town,” but do they live up to that reputation? Tower decided to fnd out.

Los Ferchos is located at 90 Main Street in Dobbs Ferry, and is named after Fernando’s nickname from his hometown, “Fercho.” They serve a wide variety of Latin dishes and products. From their specialty Mexican dishes to their daily Dominican lunch and dinner specials, everything that we’ve tried, (and we tried a lot) was to die for. For all you dessert lovers, they even make homemade favorites like passion fruit, mango, and blackberry ice cream.

Another great part of Los Ferchos was their display of imported and hard-to-fnd Latin American snacks and drinks.

The frst thing we noticed was how fresh the food was. After every order was placed, we could watch the kitchen staff pulling out ingredients and cooking everything fresh on the spot for all of their customers.

The bistec taco was a strong start to the meal. The taco was served on a smaller corn tortilla, typical for a Mexican-style taco, but was loaded up with small chopped up pieces of steak. The mix of bright-green cilantro and white onions, alongside their signature green chile salsa, tasted fresh and acidic. Those bright favors paired perfectly with their saltier grilled steak. the only drawback was the tortilla: the tender grilled steak deserved a better vessel than the relatively boring corn tortilla it was placed upon. With a freshly made tortilla, these tacos would be unstoppable, but these were still nothing short of delicious. We rate these a solid 9.5 — blown away!

Another great dish was the Costilla de Res Guisada, one of Los Ferchos’s specialty Dominican dishes containing stewed beef ribs plated alongside rice and beans. The portion size was very large and flling, which earns them some points.

The beef ribs were very savory and the meat was so juicy that it fell right off the bone. There was also a nice favorful balance between meat and fat. Because the ribs were slow-cooked for so long, you were able to suck on the bone and get all of those juicy favors into your mouth. The rice and pinto beans were a perfect and flling balance to contrast the salty and favorful beans. For such a big and favorful plate of Dominican food we gave a rating of a great 8.5/10

Our favorite dish on the menu by far was their chorizo burrito flled with spicy pork sausage. The burrito came out of the kitchen piping hot and it was calling our names. and tasted like a sliver of heaven. Inside was their spicy chorizo wrapped with their signature rice and beans that were to die for. All of that mixed with their guacamole, cheese, and fresh greens made for a tremendous burrito. Everything was fresh, hot, and tasty. There are no downsides to ordering this. On top of that, the burrito was a monstrous size. Two people could share that burrito, though it’s so good that you might not want to share. For 11 dollars, it’s certainly a steal, and it’s by far the best dish at Los Ferchos and the best burrito in the river towns. 10/10

Another candidate for best item on the menu is easily the torta al pastor, a Mexican sandwich flled with pork The sandwich is flling, it’s deeply layered and complex in both texture and favor — there’s nothing more a diner could ask for.

All tortas are built on delicious telera rolls (comporable in size and favor to a typical Portuguese roll), which are toasted beautifully to get a nice charred texture on the bread, Miraculously, the bread remains light and soft on the inside while still supporting all the contents of this massive sandwich. Other toppings include freshly sliced avocado, which adds a layer of creaminess and fattiness, Oaxaca cheese (which for anyone who hasn’t had it, is a cheese similar in favor and texture to a fresh mozzarella, though a bit stringier and softer) which melts beautifully and adds some much-needed saltiness to the sandwich, refried beans, and some tomato and lettuce which add crunch and another dimension of freshness.The best part of the sandwich, though, is the al pastor — a beautifully marinated boneless pork shoulder that is slowly cooked on a spit and sliced thinly with pineapple. The meat, which is PILED onto the sandwich, is super greasy and saucy, and insanely tender. It has a nice spicy and smoky favor, which is balanced out by the sweetness of the pineapple and the acidity of the tomato. Every bite is nuanced in both texture and depth of favor. It is hard to fnd anything negative to say about the torta at all. There is no amount of description that can explain how delicious this meal was, and with no doubt, this earns a 10/10. Our experience at Los Ferchos was nothing short of mesmerizing. While describing our experience with this food may be informative of one aspect of our experience, it cannot possibly encapsulate all the delights of dining there. The owners of Los Ferchos, and all the staff, are some of the most genuinely kind and joyful people. The ambiance is friendly, and the atmosphere of the place is cozy and welcoming, albeit a bit cramped for space. Los Ferchos’ staff go out of their way to make conversation with customers, greet everyone with a smile, and put that same love into the food they prepare, laughing and having fun while doing their jobs the whole time. Being around that positive energy, while also getting some of the best food Dobbs Ferry has to offer, is a no-brainer. In addition to the delicious food and excellent service, everything offered is very affordable. With tacos being only $4 each, and our filling portion of Costilla de Res Guisada coming in at only $11, customers are getting the most bang for their buck possible. It’s hard to find an offer cheaper than that — especially so in the Rivertown area. Los Ferchos’ slogan, “The Best Tacos In Town,” is undeniably true. But our verdict extends beyond that: Los Ferchos is a must-try, hidden gem — that may perhaps be the best restaurant in Dobbs Ferry altogether.