Slow down, take it easy! director Elias Ressegatti on the American Dream, a charity film project for RestoreNYC and his favourite burger restaurants. GoSee exclusive!

In New York people love to talk about food all of the time, anytime, the best and the newest restaurants. Small talk, private view, first date, business lunch – every conversation begins with a rich exchange of restaurant tips.

We arrange to meet Swiss director Elias RESSEGATTI c/o 1ST UNIT, who was just working in an office, shared by several film companies, right next to the Red Egg. Where? Only the most trendy restaurant of the day, duh. Well at least, for the month of September. It will only take until next Fashion Week for the Chinese restaurant to be replaced by a new favourite.

The building is managed by a Chinese landlady who owns entire blocks of houses in SoHo and bordering China Town. Chinatown? That’s a somewhat risky subject for Elias, since it is not just the market for ‘Gucci mad in China’ and other fakes, but also a hotspot for more or less legal professions….

The director has demonstrated his belief in human rights and social projects through a video for non-profit company RESTORE NYC, who take care of victims of human trafficking and prostitution. Women from poor backgrounds, mainly Korea, China, Mexico and the Dominican Republic are brought to New York under false pretences. The filming took place in Brooklyn and New York with model Minyoung and DOP Ron Egozi to mark the annual fund raising gala of RESTORE NYC. Click on restorenyc.org to find out more and how to donate.

We discover how this Swiss director ended up in New York in his favourite restaurant, Cafe Select. It was love. Whilst on a trip to visit his uncle in New York – he met the love of his life. The couple seem to be living the American Dream, as romantic as a Brooklyn loft apartment with a view of the Manhattan skyline.

Born and bred in Switzerland, Elias landed various jobs in film. His first successes came as a PA at a production company in 2006. Two years later he convinced his producer to entrust an elaborate spot for the Locarno Filmfestival to his skill. ‘AET - Light of Filmfestival Locarno’ immediately won Gold at the Swiss Commercial Awards. Additional awards followed in 2010: Silver Victoria at the international Economyfilmfestival and the Golden Award at the Worldmedia Festival Hamburg for ‘Swiss Life – Boxer’.

His successful webisodes for the Swiss Büro für Verkehrssicherheit (Office of Transport Safety) are equally as celebrated. The BFU deals with accident prevention on the road, at home, in freetime and sports. The four released episodes feature an angel that steps out into the traffic and promotes the slogan ‘slow down, take it easy’.

The video for me.man.machine.’s single ‘Make it rain’ was released in December. He shot this with Seabright Pictures and DOP Ron Egozi with actress Diana Sillaots. And since we bonded over a glass of wine at Café Select, he opened up and shared his three favourite burger places in NYC with us …

Great Jones Cafe (54 Great Jones Street, NYC) - wonderful, classic burger in a cosy atmosphere, a great gumbo (Southern dish) as well as the best Jambalaya in the whole of NYC.

Du Mont Burger (314 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn) – open ‘til 2am on weekends, good for a quick stop or a midnight snack.

Diner (85 Broadway, Brooklyn) - super Grass-fed Burger in a restored train car, the cocktails are just as delicious.

Plus his three non-burger restaurants for our vegetarian readers…

Northern Spy Food Co (511 East 12th Street, NYC) – local dishes with the finest ingredients in a small boutique restaurant. The homemade lemonade is gorgeous.

Sweetwater (105 North 6th Street, Brooklyn) – local dishes, with an Italian vibe (loud and friendly). The pumpkin carbonara spaghetti is out of this world …

Cafe Select (212 Lafayette Street, NYC) – this is just the right place to fight off any Swiss home sickness. Rivella, Sinalco, Zürigschnetzletes, Bratwurst with Rösti. And always a crowd of hotties around too.