Greenville & Hockessin Life Summer/Fall 2019 by Ad Pro Inc.

Summer/Fall 2019

Magazine

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Inside: • Bob Kleszics of Harvest Market celebrates 40 years in the health food industry • A homegrown business thrives in Hockessin • Celebrating Yorklyn • The Station Gallery marks an anniversary Complimentary Copy

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Summer/Fall 2019

Greenville & Hockessin Life Table of Contents 12

Bob Kleszics of Harvest Market

A home for original art

A second chance in life

Celebrating Yorklyn

Homegrown business in Hockessin

Profile of comedian Melissa Bernard Dammeyer

Photo essay: Ellie Boutique, summer fashion

Profile of Angela Jo Manieri

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

12 58

28 68

Greenville & Hockessin Life Summer 2019 Letter from the Editor:

The Station Gallery has been spotlighting regional artists since 1979. It is one of the many places that makes Greenville so distinctive and vibrant. In this issue of Greenville & Hockessin Life magazine, we explore many different facets of the Greenville and Hockessin communities to shine a spotlight on what makes the communities so special. In this issue, you’ll read about Tom Peter’s Crisp & Co., which is a homegrown brand thriving in Hockessin. The company produces 50,000 jars of pickles annually. Another person making a big difference in the Hockessin community is Bob Kleszics. From the time he first began in the organic food industry 40 years ago, Bob Kleszics of Harvest Market Natural Foods in Hockessin has been on a continuing journey to provide the local community with healthy, nourishing food. You’ll also read about Angela Jo Manieri, who is making a positive impact on the lives of other people. Throughout her life, Manieri, a presentation stylist, consultant and transformational speaker, has been guided by her faith. It’s a lifelong journey, one that’s reached thousands of others. Manieri’s writing and photography became Your ‘I AM’ Wake Up Call, an 82-page, 31-day devotional guidepost of inspiration and positivity that was published in 2013. We also profile Melissa Bernard Dammeyer, who has turned a lifetime love of performing into a career as a standup comic, and Patricia May, who spent a 40-year career in law enforcement helping inmates believe in themselves—and now inspires former inmates to lead lives of purpose. Greenville & Hockessin Life was also there on June 2 when the annual Yorklyn Day celebration took place. A large crowd turned out to enjoy art, live music, history, craft beer, train rides, antique automobile rides, and the numerous children’s activities that took place throughout the day. We hope that you enjoyed these stories as much as we enjoyed preparing them for you. We’re already hard at work planning the next issue of the magazine, which will arrive in December of 2019. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions for future stories.

Sincerely, Randy Lieberman, Publisher randyl@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553 Steve Hoffman, Editor editor@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553, ext. 13

22 Cover design: Tricia Hoadley Cover photo: Jie Deng www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

|Hockessin Business|

Lessons from From the time he first began in the organic food industry 40 years ago, Bob Kleszics of Harvest Market Natural Foods in Hockessin has been on a continuing journey to provide the local community with healthy, nourishing food

All photos by Richard L. Gaw

Harvest Market owner Bob Kleszics, center, is celebrating his 40th year in the health food industry. 12

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

m Aunt Grace By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

erhaps the largest irony of Bob Kleszics of Harvest Market in Hockessin is that he has not spent his entire life in the company of fresh produce, culinary herbs and nutritional supplements. For a good part of his childhood, he ate the standard American diet of the 1960s and 1970s, a time when dinner tables displayed organ meats, vegetables from a can and iceberg lettuce, but the story of how Kleszics became one of the most recognizable leaders of the local organic food scene over the last 40 years is not one constructed from ironies, but by the appearance of influences. To the young Kleszics, who spent a portion of his childhood in Ridgewood, N.J., a visit to his Aunt Grace’s home in northern New Jersey was the promise of a temporary break from the rich, fatty foods his English mother would serve. Instead, Aunt Grace’s dinner table would feature brightly-colored chopped salads and fresh vegetables, and the attention she paid to healthy food options did not end there. “My Aunt Grace was an early reader of Prevention and Organic Gardening magazines, at a time when people were just beginning to incorporate healthier options into their diets,” Kleszics said. “I began to read through them, and everything just started to make sense to me.” His family moved to Dover when Kleszics was in eighth grade, and by the time he reached high school, his early interest in organic foods had Continued on Page 14 To many of its customers, Harvest Market has been a consistent resource of information that has led them to a healthier life.

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Harvest Market Continued from Page 13

taken root. While he took jobs flipping burgers and frying fries at the local Woolworth’s and Friendly’s, Kleszics frequented a nearby GNC, where he purchased fresh-ground peanut butter and vitamins. Soon after, he received the book “Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit,” by Adelle Davis, originally published in 1954. “ In high school, my friends called me ‘Mr. C,’ because I would take my vitamins to school with me, and have them during my lunch,” Kleszics said. “I also taught myself to make my own yogurt, bread and bagels, but then, my only real exposure to healthy eating had been through my Aunt Grace, GNC and Prevention magazine.” The key period of Kleszics’ formal introduction into the organic food industry came at a time when anyone professing the benefits of a healthy and sustainable diet was considered part of the counterculture, stereotyped in the form of long hair in tie dyed shirts, slurping on wheat grass juice and pounding down barley soup and brown rice. To Kleszics, however, the “Hippies” were the open corridor to a world he had up to that point embraced in near secret, and by the time he entered the University of Delaware as an anthropology major in 1976, there they were, establishing the Newark Food Co-op, which was originally located on Haight Street. Between his junior and senior years, Kleszics took a winter session course called Field Methods in Anthropology, which required him to study a particular group over the course of several weeks. It was a no-brainer; he chose to study the staff at the Newark Food Co-Op. Every aisle seemed to burst with freshness and every ingredient or product on every shelf had its own story, one that every employee knew well. 14

Row after row in Harvest Market is supported by information that’s available by asking one of Harvest Market’s friendly staff.

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

In 1979, he took a job there. He took over the store’s produce department one year later, and eventually became its main buyer, assistant manager, head manager and board member. He stayed at the Newark Food Co-Op for 16 years. “I had my private food awakening first, and then had my counterculture questions answered soon after joining the Co-Op, and nearly from the start, it all started to make sense to me,” he said. “I began to learn that mass food distribution was coming from a system that wants to homogenize everything for maximum profit, at the detriment sometimes of people and the environment. The entire modern food system, I began to find, was littered with unintended consequences.” Soon after deciding to leave the Co-Op to devote his time to being a stay-at-home father to his young son, he was approached by a fellow board member about the possibility of partnering on a new venture: establishing a new organic food store in Delaware. Yes, he said, but where? Kleszics pored through as much demographic information as he could find. He saw that Hockessin had the secondhighest income and the highest education level of any town in the state – but no dedicated natural food store. Harvest Market Natural Foods opened in Hockessin in 1995, temporarily in the Lantana Square Shopping Center and soon after, locating to Old Lancaster Pike until moving to its current location on Lancaster Pike in 2005. While the store is partly defined by its row after row of organic and local fresh produce, grass-fed meats, nutritional supplements and personal care products, the real persona of Harvest Market is found in its staff, which has grown from two employees in 1995 -- Kleszics and his former business partner – to 62 employees today, who include department managers, kitchen managers, a marketing team and Lydia Sadauskas, the store’s human resource director, who came to the Harvest Market from Continued on Page 16

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Harvest Market Continued from Page 15

Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op and Kimberton Natural Foods. “The number one compliment we receive from our customers – even more important than the quality of the products we stock – is the friendliness and helpfulness of our staff,” said Kleszics, who regularly sends his staff around the country to attend management training and nutritional seminars.“Our customer service is all encompassing. We treat our customers, our farmers, our co-workers, our delivery people – everybody – with the same respect and understanding.” “During every interaction with customers, we get an opportunity to talk about the farmers and producers that we interact with,” said Holly Tyson, communications coordinator. “We take pride in serving as a point of education in the community, and people have come to respect our opinions. And, like our customers, we’re always learning, and when we don’t know the answers, we will look it up or ask someone on staff who knows the answers.” Very often, Kleszics is that go-to resource for the Harvest Market staff. Laura Henderson, who has worked at the Harvest Market for the past three years, recalled the time

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

when an organic dairy company pitched the idea of selling its milk at the store. “They sent us some information about the fact that their cows were grass fed, and that the company treated their animals so well,” Henderson said. “Then I watched Bob go on Google Maps and look at the satellite image of the farm. He looked at the screen and told us, ‘These are the pastures where these cows are supposed to be grazing. Look at how little room they have. And I see no cows in this picture.’” “Bob gives us a sense of confidence in knowing about the products we carry, and in the choices we provide,” said produce manager Laury Moran. “It’s a constant absorption of information about seasonal produce, and how and why things grow. He is an encyclopedia of knowledge, and we go to him before we go to the web, and for people of my generation who go to the web first for everything we need to know, that says a lot about the knowledge that Bob has.” At Harvest Market, it’s become more than just the nourishing, the healthy and the sustainable; it’s become convenient, as well. In 2013, the store opened its Harvest Market Kitchen, and ever since, it’s been a daily showcase

of soups, salads, sandwiches, sides, baked goods and desserts, all made from scratch with the same ingredients available throughout the rest of the store. Like nearly every one of the 3,500 natural health food stores in the United States, Harvest Market does business in the wedge that divides the traditional, Western-based approach to health and the Eastern-influence of holistic, natural healing. Kleszics feels that while traditional medication is vital in the treatment of some diseases, they have contributed to the great cultural divide that looks at Continued on Page 18

Seasonal fruits and vegetables burst with color throughout the year in the store’s produce department.

The Station Gallery Fine Art & Custom Framing Celebrating 40 Years ~ 1979 – 2019 July ~ 15% off Custom Framing July - August ~ Summer Group Show September ~ National League of Pen Women Biennial Show

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Harvest Market Continued from Page 17

Summertime is Hagley’s Prime Time! Bike & Hike & Brews PRESENTED BY DOGFISH HEAD CRAFT BREWERY On Wednesday evenings in July and August, visitors can stroll, jog, or bike through areas of Hagley normally closed to foot traffic. Visit hagley.org/bike. Summer Saturdays - Spend a summer Saturday at Hagley and enjoy activities from fishing to archaeology to croquet! Schedule and topics at hagley.org/family. Hagley Car Show PRESENTED BY FIDELITY INVESTMENTS Sunday, September 15 • 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Browse more than 500 antique and restored cars. Visit hagley.org/carshow.

health as “disease management” instead of “preventive management.” “At the core of this debate is ‘Is the health of the American people going to improve?’” Kleszics said. “People have choices, and what’s missing is that Americans aren’t being exposed to those choices as easily as they should be. I was fortunate to be given the materials at a very young age to get me thinking about choices. I ate chopped salads from my Aunt Grace and I read books and I continue to experiment on alternatives. Kleszics said the alternative is slowly becoming the norm. “I see people becoming more interested in natural foods, and in that, I am beginning to see that there’s a growing allowance of space for the independent, natural food industry, and while it’s been great to see large supermarkets beginning to stock more and more natural food, who is there among those aisles who can readily answer the questions that they may have?” In June, Kreszics received a Service to the Industry Award at the Independent Natural Foods Retailers Association’s (INFRA) national conference in Minneapolis, given annually to a store, individual or company who is doing outstanding work that is important to the independent natural food retail industry. In her nomination letter to the INFRA Board of Directors, Continued on Page 20

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Harvest Market Continued from Page 18

Kleszics’ wife and business partner Karen Ashley – who is also the Vice President and Finance Director at Harvest Market wrote, “Like many of his INFRA peers, Bob bootstrapped the operation, bought used equipment at auction and lived in a storage warehouse next to the store without a shower while developing the business. “As Bob brought organic and local foods to the Hockessin community, he developed long-standing relationships of trust and transparency with growers and producers, and a reputation for his commitment to outstanding product quality, fairness and honesty with customers and employees.” “Bob cares more about quality than any shop owner I have ever known,” Henderson said. “The reason why Harvest Market always has excellent produce is because Bob is poring through it to make sure that everything is top-notch. We have very high standards for everything that comes into this store. It’s attributed to Bob’s research and his desire to provide quality with great service.” In her letter to INFRA, Ashley wrote that while Harvest Market has grown considerably since its humble beginnings, her husband has achieved something “even more

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

valuable over the last 40 years: the confidence and support of the community members who have embraced a better way of life, for themselves, their families, and the future of our planet.” Harvest Market’s mission statement at their website is simple: Harvest Market provides our community with the highest quality, most nourishing foods and related products available while conducting our business in socially responsible ways that are both sustainable and rewarding for our customers, our employees, our producers and our environment. “Everything about why we decided to open Harvest Market, and what continues to motivate everyone here, is in that statement,” Kleszics said.“I came across the phrase ‘Right Livelihood’ several years ago, and since then, that’s what I hold myself to – that what I am doing makes a difference in the lives of every stakeholder we have – our staff, our customers, our producers, the environment and the community.” To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

|Greenville & Hockessin Arts|

For 40 years, a home for original art The Station Gallery has been spotlighting regional artists since 1979 By John Chambless Staff Writer

The invitation card for the first exhibition at the Station Gallery in 1979.

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

or 40 years, the Station Gallery in Greenville has been a place of discovery, where artists and buyers are introduced to each other and form sometimes lifelong associations. In June, the gallery returned to its roots with a solo show by the late artist Mitch Lyons, who was the first person featured at the fledgling gallery in 1979. As gallery co-owner Nancy Bercaw flipped through a scrapbook, she pointed out the first postcard the gallery produced, for their debut show by artist Mitch Lyons. “I didn’t know Mitch, but I live in New London, as he did, so I picked up the phone and told him I was opening a gallery and asked if he’d like to be our first artist,” Bercaw said. The black-and-white illustration is little more than a smudge, and Bercaw laughed at how limited the early promotional efforts were.

When Bercaw first opened the doors, she had no business experience, and the gallery was located in a small, nondescript strip shopping center. During an interview last month, she and her business partner, Alice Crayton, looked back at the decades they’ve spent in that little storefront, getting to know generations of loyal customers and artists who have passed through their doors. Bercaw was an art history major at the University of Delaware, and worked at the Carspecken-Scott Gallery in Wilmington for four years, where she learned how to

frame artwork. She found out that the brand new shopping center on Route 52 in Greenville had a vacancy and opened the Station Gallery in January 1979, emphasizing framing over original art sales. The building sits next to railroad tracks that cross Route 52, prompting the name. She almost crossed paths at the time with Crayton, who grew up in Philadelphia and had a great uncle who was a painter. Crayton attended the Moore College of Art and got a degree in art history. “I always thought I’d like to Continued on Page 24

Photo by John Chambless

Gallery owners Alice Crayton and Nancy Bercaw are marking the 40th anniversary of the Station Gallery in Greenville.

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Station Gallery Continued from Page 23

own an art gallery, and figured I needed to know how to someone has come in and told them, “I’ve been driving frame,” she said. “I got a job at a frame shop in Northeast by for years but never stopped in.” The relative invisPhiladelphia. Then I married a man who was ibility of the gallery has been overcome by from Wilmington, so I moved here in late word-of-mouth advertising that has created 1979. two generations of customers. People who “I asked my mother-in-law, ‘What’s the discovered the gallery in the early 1980s have best gallery in town? Where should I work?’ brought their children to the Station Gallery and she said, ‘Carspecken-Scott.’” Crayton as well. And recently, there was a grandchild worked there for about a year, and came to of one of those original customers, Bercaw the Station Gallery in 1981, when it had been ‘Full Circle,’ a clay monoprint said, laughing. by Mitch Lyons. open for three years. “We are so fortunate to be in the location “She was our first employee,” said Bercaw, that we’re in, and to have very supportive whose original business partner at the Station customers,” she said. Gallery sold her share of the business to Bercaw in 1981. Over the years, the framing has been a large part of the In 1990, Crayton and Bercaw became partners in the busi- business, but art sales have steadily increased to the point ness and have been the owners ever since. where they bring in as much as the framing. Fine crafts They once thought about moving down the road in the and jewelry by regional artisans also proved to be steady 1990s, but decided against it. “In retrospect, it’s just fine sellers. The ups and downs of the economy have been the way it is,” Bercaw said. smoothed by steady support of some regular customers, “It’s tight in here, but it works,” Crayton added. although Bercaw admitted that the economy strongly Both women laughed when estimating how many times Continued on Page 26

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

INTERVIEW Southeastern Executive Health David H. Clements IV M.D. 267-361-1001 Chadds Ford/Wilmington 512 Kennett Pike, S 400, Chadds Ford PA N: What types of patients do you see? D: I am board certified in general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. This means that I can basically see anyone. Among many other patient issues, I specialize in treating depression, anxiety, attention issues, trauma, panic, and of course substance use disorders. I also work with patients who have professional burnout. N: What do you mean by professional burnout? D: Sometimes, the tools that we use to achieve success are different from the tools we use to maintain success. That can be in a personal, or professional setting. I have found that working with topics surrounding development and success, without stigma or judgment, can have huge impacts on my patient’s quality of life. N: It seems like you are talking about therapy. D: Yes, I do appreciate the value of talk therapy and I practice it regularly with my patients. While medications certainly have a role in treating psychological illness, this is not the whole picture. Talk therapy has been shown in study after study to be a crucial part of improving patient outcomes. I practice Mindfulness therapy, I use biofeedback, psychodynamics, seeking safety, the list goes on and on and it is one of the reasons I love practicing psychiatry.

Dr. David Clements is a Psychiatrist practicing in the Greenville/Chadds Ford area. We sat down with him to discuss his new office, his work, and a recent award. N: Dr. Clements, thank you for taking some time to sit down. First, tell me about this award. D: Thank you so much, it’s a pleasure to take some time and chat. Recently I was named a “top doctor” under the age of 40 by the Pennsylvania Medical Society. It is a tremendous honor, and I am just overwhelmed and flattered. As a young psychiatrist, patient care is my number one priority but it is always special to be recognized by my colleagues.

N: It sounds like you do a lot. Do you see patients here in your office in Chadds Ford? D: Yes, we just opened an office here at 512 Kennett Pike right over the Pennsylvania border from Delaware. I have another office in Philadelphia on Rittenhouse square, but I am really excited to be in the Wilmington area as my family and I have recently moved here. N: So after all this work, what do you do for fun? D: I am currently trying to grow the largest tomato in Delaware, and I love to fish in the Chesapeake bay. I would really like to canoe the Brandywine by the end of the summer. N: Again, thank you so much for speaking with me today. How can people learn more about you and your practice? D: It was my pleasure. Our website is www.myexecutivehealth .com and our office can be reached at (267) 361-1001.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

Station Gallery Continued from Page 24

Bercaw and Crayton have developed a keen eye for talent. The gallery adds about two new artists each year to their permanent list. “You know as soon as they come in and show their work whether it’s something that you could sell,” Crayton said. “It’s either knocking my socks off, or we suggest maybe they try the Brandywine Arts Festival or something like that. It’s so hard sometimes. But when it’s really nice work, we just know. People say that the work we sell is very colorful, and I guess that’s a common factor.” At home, both women have art collections that reflect the gallery’s stable of artists, including originals by Lyons, Borne, Clearfield and Hickman. They agree that once someone takes the plunge and buys an original artwork, it’s addictive. Putting up a print just doesn’t compare. The Station Gallery has been part of the Art Loop in Wilmington since it began. Back in the early days, the loop didn’t come out as far as Greenville, “so we took things downtown, and set up at different places,” Crayton said. “We set up in a liquor store, at the Delaware Theatre Company, wherever we could.” Having marked 40 years at the same location, Crayton

impacts places that sell artwork. The first things people cut back on when the economy stumbles are non-essentials like art. Over the years, hundreds of artists have come and gone, and the gallery repeats solo shows every two or three years for some of them. Elizabeth Borne came to the gallery decades ago and has been a longtime favorite. “She was an artist from Philadelphia. We found her through one of our customers, who brought a piece of hers in to be framed,” Crayton said. “We just loved her work and showed it for many, many years. She’s in her 80s now.” Other favorite artists at the gallery include Laura Hickman, Louise Clearfield, Michele Green, Bill Renzulli and Emily Bissell Laird. Laird was one of the artists who walked in off the street. “She came by on the day after Thanksgiving,” Crayton recalled. “She had these crazy, wild, bright paintings. We never say, ‘OK, we’ll give you a show.’ For some reason, we said ‘OK.’ Then we thought, ‘Who is ever going to buy these crazy blue and orange things?’ Then, of course, it was a hugely successful show.” The gallery’s open-door policy continues, and both

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and Bercaw still enjoy what they do every day. They, along with framer Laura McMillan, still do all the framing by hand. “Maybe someone will come along and buy it,” Bercaw said of the gallery. “That would be nice. But we don’t have any plans to retire,” she said with a wry grin. “The great thing about it is that you never know what kind of art is coming through the door,” Crayton said. “That keeps it interesting.” For more information and a schedule of upcoming exhibits, visit www.stationgallery.net. To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, e-mail jchambless@ chestercounty.com.

‘Figures and Flutes’ by Mitch Lyons. Station Gallery owner Nancy Bercaw and Mitch Lyons at the opening for his 2017 exhibition.

SATURDAY, JULY 20 • 12-7PM www.newarkfoodandbrewfest.com www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

|Greenville & Hockessin People|

A second chance for a woman who believes in second chances 28

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

A 40-year career in law enforcement spent helping inmates believe in themselves may have ended on the worst day of her life, but for Patricia May, it led to a new chapter of helping to inspire former inmates to lead lives of purpose By Alessandra Nicole Contributing Writer

o know the nurturing resilience of sunshine is to know the heart that belongs to Patricia May. On a humid Sunday afternoon in early June, May sat in the bright kitchen of her Hockessin home, one filled with an array of framed Bible hymns and beautiful original paintings done by incarcerated people and bought from art fairs inside her former workplace. Sweet old rescue cats serenely snaked around her ankles, begging to be let through glass sliding doors to the large and sunny deck outside. The doors framed a view of nearly two dozen enormous planter pots that sat bursting with everything from snap dragons to mint. Near the doors, a small table supported a smaller assemblage of plants, and the electric water bowl for the cats beneath the table gurgled peacefully. In stark contrast to this soothing serenity was the jarring fact that this gentle-spirited, sparklingblue-eyed woman is a prison riot hostage survivor. One morning in February 2017, May, a former counselor with the Delaware Department of Correction, went into work at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna, and a few hours later was taken hostage by an inmate wielding a sharp object. She was tied up with a hood placed over her head as other inmates raged violently throughout the rest of the building.

All photos by Alessandra Nicole

Patricia May spent 40 years in law enforcement, and is now the Restorative Justice Program Coordinator at Second Chance Farm.

She was moved to two cells and held for almost 19 hours. Her life was in the hands of her faith and the men who surrounded her in the same facility where she would regularly bring bouquets of flowers she arranged from her home gardens to bring some joy to those visiting. “At James T. Vaughn, I was known as the ‘Flower Lady,’” May said. “During spring and summer, I kept flower arrangements in the administration building and in the Gate House for the enjoyment of staff and visitors. Many times I was told by a visitor that the flowers would brighten their day when they may have been sad for having to visit a loved one in prison.

“I never accept pay for my arrangements. This gift was given to me by God, and I believe giving to others is a way of showing God’s love in a practical way. No doubt this brings me joy to be able to give something that brightens everybody’s day.” Why then, you might ask, would this woman, now since retired from the Department of Corrections, choose to return to do work with incarcerated people in a program to offer them a second chance? In the 1960s, May abandoned her home economics major at a local community college in Florida to embark on her studies in criminology. It was a course of study that was virtually unheard of for a woman at that time, but for May, who grew up the daughter of a pediatric nurse and a policeman and listened to stories nightly of chases with moonshiners to the Everglades, it seemed like a natural step. The stories became her children’s nursery rhymes. “On many nights, my dad would wake me up at two o’clock in the morning, and tell me, ‘We’re all hungry,’ with a trail of police behind him,” she said. “Sometimes he called me on the phone and asked me to prepare something for them to eat on some mornings.” Continued on Page 30

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Patricia May Continued from Page 29

“My dad’s friend at the police department played a part in me changing over to Criminology,” she said. May attended Florida State University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology, Magna Cum Laude. She eventually left Florida and embarked on a 40-year career. May worked for the Attorney General’s Office for the State of Delaware; the Public Defender’s Office; the Department of Correction, Community Services and Bureau of Prisons; Juvenile Corrections; in Treatment Foster Care; and at a women’s Transitional Living Program and Substance Abuse Treatment programs. Patricia retired from the State of Delaware, Department of Correction in 2018. During that time, she nurtured her nearly lifelong passion for gardening – cultivating outdoor flowers and vegetables and small-scale, hydroponic and full-spectrum light indoor gardening. While working for the Delaware Department of Correction, May thought of ways to dovetail her profession with her love of gardening. An opportunity arose to direct the My Brother’s Keeper Mentorship Program, a faith-based program in three sections: Monday Night Group; Residential and Reentry

Two examples of the indoor and outdoor gardens at May’s Hockessin home. 30

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center. A horticulture program was hoped to be included but ultimately was not accepted by Vaughn administrators. “The goal was to teach the inmates a new skill that could be used in the future, and learning how to grow food for the institution was part of teaching inmates about a healthy lifestyle,” she said. “Growing food within an institution reduces cost to the state, supplies nutritious food and reduces the carbon footprint of food being transported. Horticulture programs have been shown to reduce tension; reduce idle time; give hope; and improve the health of the inmates, which is not only humane, but cost effective on health care costs.” My Brother’s Keeper emphasized the use of mentors, education, substance abuse recovery treatment and other aspects of restorative justice. Its mission rested on the belief that most people with criminal behavior can become productive and contributing members of society if Continued on Page 32

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

Patricia May Continued from Page 31

given the opportunity to learn pro-social values and employment skills. The program also included a reentry section, which supplied mentors and guidance for men returning to the community. May was also staff advisor for the Monday Night section of the program, which was for men who were not able to be housed in the residential program. “We [My Brother’s Keeper] were about changing the heart, with 40 different classes all about teaching and training and mentoring,” she said. “Change the heart and that will change the behavior.” In her kitchen, May opened two enormous five pound black binders and set them on the countertop. They were the training manuals for My Brother’s Keeper that included a multitude of educational modules, ranging from social skills development to architecture and engineering. Title headings Continued on Page 34

A long-time gardener, May’s passion dovetails with the work she does at Second Chances Farm, which hires former inmates to grow food indoors.

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like “Basic comparative religion” and “Introduction to the brain” were listed among a variety of others in the table of contents. May moved her index finger down the page. “Money management.’ ‘Effective communication skills.’ ‘Moral decision making.’ ‘The art of conflict management.’ “We had 100 men in the residential program, and about 30 or 40 who attended the Monday Night program who weren’t a part of the 100 residents, in a prison that had around 2,700 people,” she said. “Do you know what it’s like to see someone who is serving a life prison term, and you give him something to live for?” While the impact of the My Brother’s Keeper program was, at times, transformational, it was eventually ended and she was transferred to the fateful C Block building where it was known that trouble was brewing. On Feb. 1, 2017, inmates at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center took four corrections department workers – including May -- hostage inside one of the facility’s buildings. Wielding sharp instruments, inmates were demanding

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Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

education “first and foremost,” a “rehabilitation program that works for everybody,” and a comprehensive look at the prison’s budget and spending. The day-long hostage standoff ended after state police stormed the building, rescuing May and her fellow workers, and finding Sgt. Steven R. Floyd, a 16-year veteran of the Delaware Department of Correction, unresponsive. Floyd was later pronounced dead. “Everything I had worked for so hard was taken away,” May said. In the aftermath of the riot, May retired, and at first, her days were isolating and wrought with tremendous PTSD and depression. When she looked back on her career – one filled with compassion for others – she saw that it was met with unprecedented resistance. For the next year and a half, May retreated to her Hockessin gardens, but nearby, an opportunity that was tailor-made for her was popping through the soil in nearby Wilmington. Local entrepreneur Ajit M. George began to consider how the community could find methods to fight the

recidivism epidemic facing this nation while simultaneously addressing other serious threats like water pollution, environmental damage, unemployment, poor quality produce, and food deserts. Part of the solution to the problem lay in hydroponic vertical farming, and so George created and founded Second Chances Farm, which will be an indoor vertical farm that exclusively hires men and women returning to society after serving their time in prison. All crops and produce will be fresh, organic, nutritious, completely free of pesticides and herbicides, and grown within 150 miles of anywhere it is available for consumption, seriously cutting down long-haul shipping costs and pollution. Since it is indoor and light and temperature controlled, it will be fresh and available 365 days a year, no matter what the weather brings. On July 24th, 2018, the founding members of Second Chances Farm had lunch with May, and after a long and passionate discussion about the concept of Second Chances, May was asked to join the team. May immediately became a valuable member of the Second Chances team as the Restorative Justice Program Coordinator, where she now handles all programming related to re-entry, therapy, and other employee related issues. Second Chances will be the first vertical farm in Delaware, and the first vertical farm anywhere to exclusively hire men and women returning from prison. For the farm, it is a chance to not only provide jobs for those returning from prison, but also to harness entrepreneurial skills and allow farmers a chance to become compassionate capitalists and business owners. For May, it is the next, serendipitous chapter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a second chance -- in a career that has been spent advocating for the second chances of others. To learn more about Second Chance Farm, visit www.secondchancesfarm. com. www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

|In the Spotlight|

Celebrating Yo 36

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Yorklyn

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

orklyn, the small but serene Delaware hamlet that is nestled along the state’s northern border, is home to the Auburn Valley State Park, the Center for the Creative Arts, Dew Point Brewing Co., and the Marshall Steam Museum. All of these attractions, and more, were on display during Yorklyn Day on June 2. This annual event has quickly grown into a fun, family-friendly celebration of Yorklyn’s spirit and heritage. A large crowd turned out to enjoy art, live music, history, craft beer, train rides, antique automobile rides, and the numerous children’s activities that took place throughout the day. “We had so many interesting merchants and community groups set up booths that anyone coming to the event could find something to like,” explained Terry Foreman, the project manager for the Center for the Creative Arts. “Where else can you taste a homemade pickle, make a paper windsock, listen to some live music, ride a pony, see a civil war re-enactor and sip a micro-brewed beer made 15 feet from where you’re standing? Only at Yorklyn Day!” During Yorklyn Day, the attractions were divided among four distinct areas in the heart of Yorklyn: The Kids Zone, the Dew Point Zone, the Steamin’ Zone, and the Art Zone. The attractions were close enough for visitors to walk to each of them easily enough, but there were also shuttles running constantly to transport people from one area to the next. Continued on Page 38

All photos by Steven Hoffman

There was live music and entertainment throughout the afternoon. www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

Celebrating Yorklyn Continued from Page 37

An artisan market was set up in the Art Zone that was situated near the Center for the Creative Arts. Visitors enjoyed live music and dance on the outdoor stage, as well as art demonstrations in wheel throwing and fabric dying. “I think it’s a great event,” said artist Carole Huber, who was one of the artists positioned near the Center for the Creative Arts. “I like that there are a number of venues and people can travel around to see the area.” Huber was offering her hand-dyed and hand-painted silk scarves and ceramics, including a collection of oneof-a-kind wabi sabi pottery, a traditional style of Japanese pottery. She teaches at the Center for the Creative Arts, which is very supportive of artists and artisans in the area. “I really like to do shows here,” said Huber. “It’s a nice place to teach as well.” Visitors were able to immerse themselves in the history of Yorklyn by looking at the special exhibit set up at the Center for the Creative Arts called “Discover Yorklyn: Mill Town, Hometown, Our Town.” Many of the Yorklyn Day visitors enjoyed spending some time in the Dew Point Zone, where there were a number of food trucks, live music, and games. The Dew Point Brewing Co. was serving up craft beers. It offered an opportunity for friends and neighbors to get together. “Any time you can bring the community together, it’s a win,” said Mike Miller, who knows something about community events. He is the event manager of the Hockessin Fourth of July Festival and Fireworks, and helps plan that celebration that features fireworks, a parade, a beer garden, lots of food, and more. Continued on Page 40

Carole Huber, an artist and a teacher at the Center for the Creative Arts, was selling her hand-dyed and handpainted silk scarves and ceramics.

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

There were plenty of children’s activities, including face painting. Francesca is pictured having her face painted early in the day.

Children enjoyed pony rides.

The world’s largest operating Stanley Collection From 1901 to 1924, the Stanley Motor Carriage Company produced approximately 11,000 steam cars. It is believed that approximately 800 of those cars still remain today. The Marshall Steam Museum has the world’s largest operating Stanley collection. When Clarence Marshall passed away in 1969, his collection of antique cars were inherited by his son, Tom. It was Tom who put in place a plan to see that the antique cars could be preserved and enjoyed by many. In 1997, Tom Marshall invited a small group of auto enthusiasts to attend a series of lectures and demonstrations about the operation and maintenance of steam cars. This group, called the Marshall Steam Team, eventually evolved into the Friends of Auburn Heights Preserve as they volunteered to care for the antique cars in the museum’s collection. The automobiles in the Marshall Steam Museum are considered an operating collection because nearly all of them are legally registered and may be driven on public roads. The Friends of Auburn Heights Preserve volunteers take them to local shows and special events, regularly participating in parades, fundraisers, and community events. Displays at the museum illustrate the early history of automobile manufacturing in the U.S. There’s even a map tracking where the remaining Stanley Motor Carriage Company cars are located. The Marshall Steam Museum is located at 3000 Creek Road, Hockessin, Delaware. For more information, visit www.auburnheights.org.

Rides in antique automobiles were a big hit.

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Celebrating Yorklyn Continued from Page 38

Not far from Dew Point Brewing is the Kindred Skincare Co., which is owned by Frances Thrasher. She operates her wholesale business which is situated along Creek Road in the heart of Yorklyn. This is where she makes a wide variety of organic, oil-based skin care and body care products that are then sold at the Harvest Market, Terrain in Glen Mills, and Houppette in Greenville. For Yorklyn Day, she opened up her business to the public and offered her products for sale. Visitors to her shop were intrigued by the products, and Thrasher liked adding a retail component to her business for the day. “I think it’s a lovely event,” Thrasher said of Yorklyn Day. There was plenty of entertainment at the Kids Zone situated along the Yorklyn Bridge Trail, including pony rides, a dinosaur and reptile show by Jungle John’s, a performance by the Juggling Hoffmans, and more. Exhibitors and vendors included YoYo Balloons and Candy Art, the Hockessin Athletic Club, Petey Possum’s Hangout, Cornerstone Martial Arts, The Back Burner Restaurant, Patterson Schwartz, and many more local businesses and organizations.

“Any time you can bring the community together, it’s a win,” said Mike Miller, the event manager of the Hockessin Fourth of July Festival and Fireworks.

One of the more popular attractions was the GoGo Books book truck that is owned by Delaware resident Kate Keeper. Inside the wonderful “nomadic storybook shop” was a wide selection of books for children of all ages, as well as some magnetic games, and parenting books, too. Parents with children flocked to the book truck to look over the selection.

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Customers enjoyed looking through the selection of books on the GoGo Books book truck.

The Dew Point Brewing Co., one of Yorklynâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own, served up some cool beverages on the sunny day.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great,â&#x20AC;? said Sara Mora, a resident of north Wilmington who enjoyed looking at the books with her young son, Cameron. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It reminds me of when I was a kid and we had bookmobiles come to the school.â&#x20AC;? Volunteers played a big part in planning and staging Yorklyn Day by making sure that everyone who turned out had a good time. That started at the information tents where

volunteers directed visitors to their favored destinations. Jackie Kook works with the Auburn Valley State Park, which is the 17th Delaware State Park and encompasses more than 360 acres of protected land. She took on the duty of serving as the volunteer manager for the event, working to organize the 40 park volunteers who helped out in one Continued on Page 42

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Celebrating Yorklyn Continued from Page 41

way or another with Yorklyn Day. “It’s a big group of people,” she said, explaining that the volunteers handled a number of different duties, ranging from driving shuttles to welcoming visitors to trouble-shooting whenever and wherever it was needed during the day. Kook and the volunteers enjoyed the event and helping to bring everyone together. “It’s a celebration of what it’s like to live in this community,” Kook said. One of the focal points of the fun on Yorklyn Day was the Steamin’ Zone that included Auburn Heights activities and free entry to the Marshall Steam Museum. Bob Wilhelm was serving as one of the guides for visitors at the Marshall Steam Museum, where he is a longtime volunteer. Wilhelm explained that the event helps to bring an awareness about the history of the Yorklyn area. He noted that, despite its small size, Yorklyn has a rich history as a manufacturing center. Continued on Page 44 Bob Ehemann, who works with the Delaware State Parks, was one of the volunteers at Yorklyn Day.

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Celebrating Yorklyn Continued from Page 42

At one time in its history, Yorklyn was the fiber capital of the world, and at another point it was the snuff capital of the world. The Marshall family played an important part in local history. The Marshall Brothersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; paper mill was adjacent to the Auburn Heights Mansion, which was occupied continuously by three generations of the Marshall family. The estate land was gifted to Delaware more than a decade ago by Tom and Ruth Marshall. The mansion is considered a good example of the Queen Anne style of Victorian architecture and interior design. The Marshall Steam Museum at Auburn Heights offers visitors a chance to step back in time and experience the earliest days of the automotive age.

The train rides were enormously popular for children and adults alike.

Continued on Page 46

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Celebrating Yorklyn Continued from Page 44

The museum was originally built by T. Clarence Marshall in 1947 to house his growing collection of antique automobiles. Clarence Marshall’s son, Tom, and his wife, Ruth, gifted the estate land and buildings to the Delaware State Parks in 2008—at the same time the mansion was donated. The Friends of Auburn Heights Preserve, a charitable organization, received a donation of the antique automobile collection, including the largest operating collection of Stanley steam cars in the world. Wilhelm explained that the Friends of Auburn Heights Preserve is dedicated to educating the public about Delaware’s industrial history and the impact of steam technology. The group owns and maintains the vehicles. They hold “Steamin’ Days” regularly—on the first Sunday of Continued on Page 48

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

It was a day of family-friendly fun at Yorklyn Day.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

Celebrating Yorklyn Continued from Page 46

the month from June to November—that includes train and antique auto rides. These train and antique rides were among the most popular attractions during Yorklyn Day. Mansion tours and museum displays were also popular. It was a good way to learn about the history of Yorklyn. “There’s a lot of Marshall family history here,” Wilhelm explained. Yorklyn has seen a lot of history in the last 150 years—there have been times of growth and times of decline. But the popularity of Yorklyn Day illustrates that a new period of revitalization is now underway. Sponsors for the event included presenting sponsors Merit Construction Engineers, Inc., Artesian Water Co., Choice Remodeling & Restoration, Inc., Century Engineering, Garrett Snuff Mills, LLC (in memory of Dan Lickle), Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, Patterson

There were great views of Yorklyn to be enjoyed as visitors moved around to the various activities at Yorklyn Day.

Schwartz Real Estate, Tresid Group, LLC, Harvest Market, Inc., Dew Point Brewing Co., Hockessin Community News, Dr. Stanley J. Wilcox Foundation, Mt. Cuba Center, and the Hockessin Athletic Club. For more information about the vent, visit the Yorklyn Day Facebook page or website at www.yorklynday.org. To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty. com.

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|Greenville & Hockessin Business|

Local business owner takes pride in pickles Tom Peter’s Crisp & Co. is a homegrown brand By Ken Mammarella Correspondent

risp & Co., the Hockessin pickle company, began when pickle fan Tom Peter needed a nice birthday gift. He decided to make pickles. They were terrible. So was the next batch. And another. But lots of research – the Tatnall alumnus has undergraduate degrees in biology and economics from Grinnell College and a master’s in biomedical engineering from Cornell University – and inspiration from a pickle-maker he was dating made him persevere. “I wasn’t thinking of this as a business. I was doing this for myself,” he recalled of those experiments, starting in 2011. “But eventually they turned out good.” Today, Crisp & Co. annually produces 50,000 jars in six varieties, half cucumbers, half other vegetables. Peter wants to expand to more states (about 30 now) and more stores (200). And maybe more varieties. Continued on Page 52

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

All photos by Ken Mammarella

Crisp & Co., a Hockessin pickle company, was founded by Hockessin native Tom Peter.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

Crisp & Co. Continued from Page 50

So after stints as a banking account manager and business analyst, Peter’s place is in pickles. His first pickle memory is shopping at Acme with his mother and being treated with pickles from the barrel. Today, he treats himself with barrel pickles at Doc’s Meat Market in Hockessin. Peter felt encouraged by two early events. His Sweet Ginger Pickles won second place in the bread & butter category in the Rosendale International Pickle Festival in New York. And a woman, whose father was a manager at Wegmans, used his Grand Dill Pickles as party favors. His first retailer, in 2013, was Harvest Market in Hockessin. Today the pickles are sold locally at Harvest Market, the Country Butcher in Kennett Square, Coverdale Farm in Greenville, Janssen’s in Greenville, Longwood Gardens in Kennett, Newark Continued on Page 54

Spices are individually placed in bottles. The cucumbers and pickling brine will follow.

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Peter designed this 25-gallon brine pot.

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Crisp & Co. Continued from Page 52

Natural Foods, Talula’s Table in Kennett, Wegmans in Glen Mills, Whole Foods in Glen Mills, Winterthur Museum and some farmers markets. Thanks to the Victory Pint pickles (with Victory Prima Pils, from the Downingtown brewer) and the Pinot Noir Pickled Beets (with wine from various sources, the latest involving negotiations to buy 275-gallon totes direct from a California winery), they’re sold in some liquor stores, too. Online orders are for six- and 12-packs on www.crisppickles. com/shop. Wherever they’re sold, the 16- or 24-ounce jars cost about $10. Continued on Page 56

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Crisp & Co. Continued from Page 54

The Victory Prima Pils and the Pinot Noir Pickled Beets won awards in later pickle festivals. Peter’s Savory Pickled Mushrooms, with creminis custom-grown in Kennett, won a first place at the festival, too – and they’re the favorite of his father, John, a helper and financial supporter of Crisp & Co. Production, after moving among rented facilities in the Philadelphia area, is back in his parents’ basement, off Old Wilmington Road. The aromatic operation, which employs one full-timer, takes up about 1,000 square feet. One area is a spice library, with racks of flavorings. “I wanted to look at each ingredient to see what matters and what didn’t,” Peter said. That includes something as common as the salt, in all its varieties. The ingredients are preferably fresh, local and heirloom. The one exception is calcium chloride, used for an overnight soaking to make pickles firmer and speed up fermentation. All varieties are ready to eat a few days after packing, and they last 15 to 24 months unopened. For people who haven’t ventured beyond the classic

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

dill, a few ingredients could be unfamiliar in pickles, such as ginger, cloves, orange peel and chili peppers. Credit his mother, Susan. “[We] share an interest in cooking and in interest in complex flavors,” she said. Tom Peter, a Hockessin native, now lives in Philadelphia, close to his wife Melissa’s business. She runs preschools in Philadelphia and Fort Worth, Texas, with a third opening this winter in Ardmore. She is, uh, not a fan. “Melissa doesn’t really eat pickles. She has an aversion,” Peter said, comparing it to his own aversion to eating cooked seafood. And her pregnancy hasn’t included pickle cravings. Customers have told him they’ve put his pickles in ice cream, but Peter doesn’t go for such whimsy. He believes in classic usage, such as on sandwiches, cheese plates and side dishes, where their flavor profiles – balancing salt, acid, fat and heat – nicely contrast the rest of the meal. Of course, they’re fine on their own. He can almost polish off a jar of Spicy Dilly Beans in a day of snacking.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

|Greenville & Hockessin People|

A voice for comedy Melissa Bernard has turned a lifetime love of performing into a standup career By John Chambless Staff Writer “My mother always said I was born saying, ‘Ta da!’” Melissa Bernard Dammeyer said, laughing. As a showbiz kid, growing up in Centreville before the property values got quite so high, she had a flair for the dramatic in just about everything. Her parents sought an outlet for her creativity by enrolling her in a summer theater program at the Wilmington Drama League, and Bernard has been on stage, one way or another, ever since. As “a smart kid, but not a good student” at A.I. Dupont High School, she was struck by an appearance by regional actress Ceal Phelan, who performed “The Belle of Amherst” at the school. “I cut three classes to go see it, and take her workshop,” Bernard said. “She and the theater teacher agreed that I had something a little extra.” She entered the theater program at the school, and found her niche, later taking classes and serving an apprenticeship at the Walnut Street Theatre School, and then nailing her audition for the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she studied theater and performed as often as she could.

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

She married and eventually had two girls, now 16 and 21, and was looking for theater opportunities closer to her Delaware home. She got on board with Wilmington’s City Theater Company in their formative years, and started performing with the group before they had a home. “I think it was maybe their second year,” she said. “I was in some of their first productions upstairs at O’Friel’s Irish Pub.” She later moved with the group to the black-box theater space they use at the OperaDelaware Studios in Wilmington. “I have performed with them, off and on, for 26 years,” she said. “We started Wilmington’s first sketch improv group through them, a long time ago.” Initially intimidated by singing on stage, Bernard was convinced to try it in the City Theater production of “Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson” and surprised herself by doing well. She was 41. “I have this argument with [local musician] Joe Trainor,” she said. “He says I can sing. I say I can act like I can sing.” That first experience “was terrifying,” she said, laughing. “I’m so confident as a performer, and it was like standing in a room full of Olympic gymnasts, trying to do a cartwheel. Everyone was

so nice. But I carried it off, and it was an amazing experience.” She followed up that singing role with roles in “Bat Boy the Musical” and a musical version of “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” The mission of City Theater has always been “to push the envelope, to give the community something they normally can’t see in our town,” Bernard said. “We’ve always wanted to push exciting, absurd stuff in their face, and we’ve done that successfully.” About seven years ago, having become very comfortable with saying lines that another writer put down for her, Bernard got an urge to speak her own words on stage, and a comedy career was born. Having now marked eight years sober, she took advantage of every good opportunity that came her way. “I never had Continued on Page 60

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Melissa Bernard Continued from Page 59

the courage to do standup before then,” she said. “Being a standup is like being the ultimate hostess. I always looked up to Carol Burnett. She was the hostess of the evening. Improv is my wheelhouse. Standup is an opportunity to give my words about things while being uninterrupted by other actors,” she added, laughing. “But mainly I want to give audiences a few moments, worry-free. I don’t make fun of the audience, I don’t insult people. If anything, I’m there to point the finger at myself. “In my act, I’m the target. People understand we’re our own worst enemies, and that we worry too much. I like to remind audiences that it’s a good thing we’re all here in this room, that they came out to support live entertainment. And live entertainment is a magic trick – it only happens one time exactly that way.” Bernard took gigs where she could, at open mic nights at the Comedy Cabaret locations in Philadelphia, and hosting shows at Comedy Cabarets in New Jersey and Doylestown. “I have to say that comedy is different for a woman. Open mics and Continued on Page 62

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Melissa Bernard Continued from Page 60

showcase shows are jam-packed full of men,” she said. Along the way, she crafted a five-minute act (the standard length for new comedians) and honed it on the road. But with two children to take care of, she wanted to stay in the Delaware area. This was about seven years ago, after the onetime nationwide glut of comedy on every corner had burned itself out, and she saw an opportunity here. “I met Gayle Dillman and Jeremy Hebbel, who own Gable Music Ventures, and they are putting up live music wherever they can,” Bernard said. “I started hosting their Wilmo Wednesdays at the Queen in Wilmington. It was there that I got an amazing opportunity for $30 a week to hone my standup and hosting skills. I prepared nothing. I wrote nothing. I did 100 percent off-the-cuff standup.” As part of Wilmo Wednesdays, Bernard had to fill time between acts – some of them solo performers who needed only a minute to get themselves off stage, and some of them bands that required 20-minute equipment changes, so she had to adapt on the fly. “I would do five minutes, or I’d do 20 minutes,” she said. “I really found my voice as a standup.” Continued on Page 64

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Melissa Bernard Continued from Page 62

Having worked with so many performers and groups in the region, Bernard has been a strong supporter of all the arts. “In my heart I’m a local girl, and I know the audience that comes out has made an effort to be there. I appreciate that,” she said. In her freewheeling act, Bernard writes a few “footholds,” as she called them – “Segues or phrases to get me from one thing to the next. Instead of using the word ‘Um.’ If you speak your truth on stage, you won’t have to search for words.” When she’s not hosting or performing, Bernard is working as a waitress at George & Sons’ Seafood Market and Oyster House in Hockessin, and at Nal Restaurant, a tiny Latin eatery just down the street. They are both within walking distance of her apartment. “I like being in Hockessin,” she said. “It’s a quick trip to Wilmington, Pike Creek, Kennett, Chadds Ford. It’s a nice middle point. People don’t feel as intimidated to either go into the city or go into West Chester.” Bernard approaches each table she serves with the attitude of a performer. “I entertain every table,” she said, having been part of marriage proposals, family celebrations, first dates and Continued on Page 66

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Photo by Shannon Adleson

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just about every other situation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People who are not willing to laugh are my favorite projects,â&#x20AC;? she said, grinning. One of Bernardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regular gigs is performing at an open mic night at the Jackson Inn in Wilmington â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an old-school bar thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classic in the best way. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s become something of a hangout for people who are too young to remember the barâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heyday, but who appreciate the history of the place. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have an open mic on Wednesday nights, and a comedy night on Thursday nights. I only have to drive six minutes to go to standup now,â&#x20AC;? Bernard said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great community of local people who are working on material and are just getting started. When I can get a room full of comedians to laugh, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the greatest thing.â&#x20AC;? In the world of standup comedy, pay is low or nonexistent, and the windows of opportunity can be narrow. Openers get five to 10 minutes, featured acts get 10 to 20 minutes, and headliners can do 45 minutes to an hour. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I once did an hour and 15 minutes at the Kennett Flash with nothing written,â&#x20AC;? Bernard said, beaming. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a science to standup. You are judged every seven to 12 seconds. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Am I gonna laugh? Whaddya got?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; But for the most part, everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s there for the same reason. The audience wants you to do well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important for people to realize that if we can all relax and enjoy ourselves, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not that serious. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comedy, people!â&#x20AC;? To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

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Photo by Ryan Cormier

|Greenville & Hockessin Life Photo Essay| If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re preparing your July and August wardrobe, ELLIE Boutique in Greenville has some cool summer looks by some top designers

Summer comfort, summer style After seeing a need for a contemporary womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clothing boutique, Steve and Margaret Smith opened the first ELLIE Boutique on the Main Line in 1997. Named for their daughter, ELLIE has since become synonymous with elite and casual fashion, a balanced mix of new designers and classic favorites, and the ability to please the tastes of every woman. With Summer 2019 now underway, Greenville & Hockessin Life caught up with models Brooke and Katrina, who showcased fashion looks to wear this year, now available at ELLIE Boutique Continued on Page 70

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Photos by Jie Deng

Brooke, left, is wearing a Trina by Trina Turk Swirl Halter ($148), a Gorjana Rose Gold Hoop ($70), a Rebecca Minkoff Black Slide ($138) and a Silver CoLab Wristlet ($60). Katrina, right, is wearing a Trina Turk Yellow Ruffle sheath ($268), Lisi Lerch Turquoise beaded chandelier earrings ($98), a Rebecca Minkoff White Slide ($138), and a White Clutch/Cross Body ($98).

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

ELLIE Boutique Continued from Page 69

Brooke is wearing a Joie White Juneau Top ($178), Pink 7FAM Shorts ($149), Beaded bracelets ($32 each) and Beaded Hoop earrings ($57).

Continued on Page 72

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Brooke is wearing a Michael Stars Pink Grapefruit Stripe Top ($68), Seven for all Mankind White Paperbag waist jeans (199), a Multi Bead Bracelet ($60), a Rebecca Minkoff Silver beaded slide ($130), and Pearl beaded Hoop Earrings ($58). www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

ELLIE Boutique Continued from Page 71

Katrina is wearing a Michael Stars Olive Top ($68), Driftwood White Embroidered Jeans ($148), a Beaded White/Gold Disc Earring ($60), a Beaded Bracelet ($62) and Dolce Vita Python strappy sandals ($100).

Brooke is wearing a Bailey 44 Floral Sundress ($228.00), a Rebecca Minkoff studded espadrille ($130) and an Ivory Tweed Chain strap bag ($105).

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Katrina is wearing a Velvet Mauve Romper ($216), Dolce Vita Python strappy sandal ($100), Gorjana Gold Hoop earrings ($60) and a Beaded Necklace ($98).

Katrina is wearing a Cupcakes and Cashmere White Lace Sundress ($128), Dolce Vita Python strappy sandals ($100) and a Frances Valentine Fringe Bucket Bag ($245).

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

|Greenville & Hockessin People| Throughout her life, presentation stylist, consultant and transformational speaker Angelo Jo Manieri has been guided by her faith. It’s a lifelong journey, one that’s reached thousands

Her “I AM” message to the world By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

t was 11:11 on the morning of June 12, and Angela Jo Manieri sat at a table in the den of her Pike Creek home. She positioned a cellular phone camera in her direction, flashed her signature smile and greeted the many listeners who have stopped the churning machine of their day to tune in on their computers and laptops, as they normally do at this time every Wednesday, to hear her words of inspiration and hope. Continued on Page 76

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

Angela Jo Manieri is a presentation stylist and transformational speaker.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2019 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

Angela Jo Manieri Continued from Page 74

It’s Your A.M. Wake Up Call’s “We Get to Wednesday” was on the air. For the next 15 minutes, she engaged her listeners on the importance of staying amazed. “What if we stay amazed in every aspect of our journey?” she asked. “What if we choose to live our life with the anticipation of wondering what will happen next, even when we’re going through our trials? What if we say to ourselves that despite the fact that we’re having to go through this mountain, that there will be a story on the other side of it that will be greater? “Sometimes, we read that the bigger the trial, the bigger the promise, but for those of you who are going through something right now that really feels exhausting, just know that on the other side of it, something great is going to happen. Stay amazed. There is such excitement in the unknown.” The broadcast, now in its eighth week, is merely a stepping stone notch in the enormity of experiences in Manieri’s life that seem to have been met by an

Courtesy photo

Manieri is the author of Your ‘I AM’ Wake Up Call, a book of inspiration that presents its readers with a daily guidepost of affirmation. 76

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

equal amount of miracles and transformations that have informed her calling as an author, transformational speaker, presentation stylist and connector of people to the unlimited capacity of their potential. And all of it – the highs and the lows of her life that have helped bring her to this point – has been guided by Manieri’s unwavering faith. In 1992, she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, and in 2013, she suffered a traumatic brain injury. “It was during these times when I began to tell myself, ‘I am happy. I am healthy. I am whole. I am healed,’” she said. “These words became so pivotal to my healing process.” And yet, while the private words of her healing reverberated during her recovery, Manieri knew that they were part of a larger mantra that had begun years before. In 2004, Angela Jo was driving when all of a sudden she heard an interior voice tell her, “You are to launch a project and it will be called ‘Your A.M. Wake Up Call.’ At the time, she and her business partner Mikki Lessard had just begun their company Dreambox Gifts, which connected customers to artisanal gifts made by artists, some with disabilities. “I thought ‘A’ and ‘M’ – stood for Angela and Mikki,” Manieri said. “Maybe we we’re supposed to do something in addition to Dreambox. We were so involved in traveling for our company and creating ways to inspire women, so even though we thought it would be a great idea, we just didn’t have the time or the resources. But it never left me.” In 2010, the ‘A’ and the ‘M’ connection continued, when she married her husband Paul Manieri, now having the new initials A.M., but still nothing in the way of establishing a radio show Continued on Page 78

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Angela Jo Manieri Continued from Page 77

or project materialized. In 2012, she was listening to a CD by author and speaker Joyce Meyer. “Joyce was talking about the time God was speaking to Moses about leading His people, when Moses asked God, ‘Who shall I say sent me?’” Manieri said. “God answered Moses by saying to him, ‘I AM that I AM has sent me to you.’ “I literally pulled over and began crying. I realized that it wasn’t about Mikki and me. It wasn’t about Paul and me. It was about the God within us, The Great “I AM”. Continued on Page 80

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

Your ‘I AM’ Wake Up Call is an accompaniment to Manieri’s weekly online program, “We Get to Wednesday,” which is broadcast on Wednesdays at 11:11 a.m.

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Angela Jo Manieri Continued from Page 78

While the idea for creating a forum for a radio show based on the “I AM” theme continued to blossom, Manieri attended a workshop at a conference, where the instructor gave her students a challenge to create something that reflected the mission of their business. Others in the class created logos for their company or marketing materials. Manieri instead chose to begin writing. She wrote in every nook and cranny of time and space that was available to her, and each entry began with the prefix “I Am.” “I Am Comfort.” “I Am Gentleness.” “I Am Kindness,” and each passage was accompanied by a meaningful quote, a Biblical passage and personal reflection, and a photograph of hers that all connected to the purpose of the message. Included on the “Day 9” page entitled “I Am Healing,” for example, is a passage form Proverbs 17:22: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones,” and a quotation from George Santayana that reads, “The body is an instrument, the mind its function, the witness and

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2019 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

reward of its operation.” Published in 2013, Manieri’s writing and photography became Your ‘I AM’ Wake Up Call, an 82-page, 31-day devotional guidepost of inspiration and positivity. Nearly from the time it came off the press, the accolades for the book flowed, and continue to do so. Terri Levine, the bestselling author of 20+ books, including Coaching is For Everyone, wrote that when Manieri first shared her concept for the book, “I knew she was on to a way of inspiring others that would make a serious difference in their lives.” Monsignor Thomas J. Morgan wrote, “The author’s message is brief. It is clear. It is simple. It is revealing of her beautiful mind, heart and soul.” “When someone told me that this book was downloaded by God, I knew that, because I felt that I was simply his vessel,” she said. “It’s helped so many people get through loss and transition in life.” In addition, a portion of the profits of the Continued on Page 82

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Angela Jo Manieri Continued from Page 80

books goes towards helping create awareness and end human trafficking. While the “I Am” inspirational component of Manieri’s life – both book and online broadcast – continues to gain momentum, her work as a transformational speaker and trainer puts her center stage before leaders in business, education, law and human resources, hospitality and women’s christian and entrepreneurial conferences. Each workshop and breakout session she does is specifically customized to its audience and aligned with that group’s core values, objectives and overall desired outcome. A few of her presentations include “Rise to the T.O.P. (Think on Purpose),” a fun and poignant message that stresses the importance of how to properly convey thoughts and words; and “Strike a Pose: How to Intentionally Stand in Your Power,” that examines the importance of what proper body language can convey. Other presentation titles she’s taught have

included “Increasing Your Network...Increases Your Net Worth,” “The Art of Adding Value,” and “Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone.” Over the past several years, Manieri has also become a well-sought-after presentation stylist, where she assists her clients with public speaking and presentation preparation – “to stand in their power, discover their voice and share their story with ease, eloquence and excellence,” she said. From writing to wardrobe consultation, Manieri will help polish a message, delivery and style, in order to WOW the audience. Whether it’s for an important presentation or possibly a TEDx talk, before a large group or in the private consultation with a client, Manieri has her ears open to what both audiences’ needs are. “Whether you’re preparing to take the stage, do a video or photo shoot, or lead a workshop or presentation, Angela Jo Manieri will draw you out, so you can stand in your brand and step into a place of excellence, with poise and elegance,” said

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Donna Duffy of 3E Marketing Solutions & SAGE Success Studio. “When it comes to what people are missing most, the word that comes to me is ‘Identity,’ she said. “People get lost in who they are, and a lot of this starts with social media. We’re all trying to put ourselves out there, through our own invention of ourselves, but are we really knowing who we are? That’s where my heart is with my ‘I Am’ message – to allow yourself to accept your own identity because you are created in the image of God.” Another compliment to her business is being the Founding Director in the U.S. for Tocara jewelry, based in Montreal, Canada. She recently launched a fundraising arm of Tocara called Shine & Serve, partnering with non-profits and local organizations, to raise money through sharing jewels for their individual cause. “It’s a true blessing to be the first in the United States to set down a foundation for Tocara with its high-end style and avant garde designs,” she said.

When she was a little girl, Angela Jo, the youngest of four children, would often prepare ice cream sundaes for her family, first giving them a handdrawn menu, with the choices of ice cream and toppings available, for them to check off which they preferred. She would then return to the kitchen and prepare sundaes for everyone. “People used to tell me when I was younger that the name ‘Angela’ means ‘Angel,’ and I have always felt called to service and to being a messenger,” she said. “My belief is that we have a great commission, which is to lead other people to goodness and greatness, and for me, I’m able to do that because of God’s creative power that is found within each of us.” To learn more about Angelo Jo Manieri, visit www. AngelaJo.com and www.youriamwakeupcall.com. To learn more about the “We Get to Wednesday” broadcast, visit “I AM Center Stage” on Facebook. To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

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