Hollis Gracie Academy opens at 118 Talmage; Mayor Sam Joshi highlights fitness and community benefits

Mayor Sam Joshi and the Edison Chamber of Commerce joined business owners and community members to mark the grand opening of Hollis Gracie Academy at 118 Talmage with remarks and a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

"I got to say, you could burn a lot of calories from jiu-jitsu and you could also relieve a lot of stress just by ... getting on the mats," Mayor Sam Joshi said, after visiting the facility and watching demonstrations.

Paris Lee, a co-owner of Hollis Gracie Academy, thanked the mayor, council and Chamber of Commerce and described the school's lineage. "Hollis Gracie Edison is a tradition and a lineage that goes back 100 years to my partner Hollis's grandfather Carlos Gracie Sr. and his brother Elio Gracie who developed Brazilian jiu-jitsu," Lee said, and added that the martial art is "transformative" and helps people become "more confident, more fit, more resilient, more tough."

Organizers said the academy aims to bring Portuguese/Brazilian jiu-jitsu instruction to the Edison community at the 118 Talmage address. The mayor and Chamber representative Joe Coyle emphasized the business-opening as a local economic and recreational addition.

The event concluded with a ribbon cutting and applause. There were no formal votes or policy actions taken at the ceremony.