South Coast Prime Times - January/February 2023

Growing business

W inter activities W orking out c ut the cheese

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THE MOST AWARDED AND FASTEST GROWING ORTHOPEDIC PROGRAM IN THE REGION

With more than 20 Surgeons, 3 locations and over 5,000 procedures annually, our Center for Orthopedic Excellence is the area’s fastest growing orthopedic program. We are the first in Bristol County to receive The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal Certification for Knee and Hip Replacement and recognition as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement.

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PRIME SEASON

Stay sane

over the holidays!

ll the built-up expectations and hopes for better relations with our extended family get dashed when Uncle Harry starts spouting off about his political beliefs, cousin Suzie announces she’s getting divorced (again), and someone put the punchbowl on the floor and Granny’s pooch is passed out under the table. Add to that all the weeks of frenzied decorat ing, gift shopping, entertaining visitors, social obligations, and forced-smile jollity, and you’re ready to pull your hair out and move far, far away.

Unless you take “sanity time-outs” during these hectic holidays, you won’t enjoy any of the precious moments and experiences – you’ll just want to get it

Aall over with as fast as possible. So, here are a few suggestions on how you can actually enjoy some of the additional obligations and out-of-the-ordinary get-togethers of the holiday season.

r eaWakeN your Childhood seNse of WoNder

It’s been a long time since you believed in Santa Claus, but you can still remem ber the thrill of your first ride down a hill on a toboggan or your amazement watching a town tree-lighting for the first time. Remind yourself that the holidays are really for small children – make it extra special for them by letting them experience going to an ice-skating rink (fmcicesports/com/rinks, theprovi dencerink.com); watching a production of “Disney on Ice” (dunkindonutscenter. com), “Llama, Llama Live!” (zeiterion. org), “Annie!” (ppacri.org), “A New

England Nutcracker” (newbedfordballet. org), or “A Christmas Carol” (trinityrep. com); riding on a tiny train through a twinkling wonderland at Edaville Railway in Carver (edaville.com) or walking through the spectacular lighting displays at Roger Williams Park in Providence (rwpzoo.org).

r eCoNNeC t W ith your CoMMuNity You’ve been so busy speed-shopping at the mega-malls or the big box stores that you’ve forgotten about the little shops and local merchants in your own town that offer unique and memorable gifts or services. Buy a gift certificate for a massage or a salon haircut instead of yet-another mass-produced ugly sweater. Attend a local community theatre play (yourtheatre.com, littletheatre.net, marionartcenter.org) or a church choir concert instead of trekking into the

e lizabeth Morse r ead

As much as we all love to go traveling over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house for the holidays, it can be nerve-jangling and stressful to the extreme.

visit oNe of the M a N y N ature preserves, bird sa NC tuaries, state parks, or beaChes a Nd take a quiet stroll at daWN or dusk (savebuzzrdsbay.org/disCover, thetrustees.org, asri.org, M assauduboN.org) as ofte N as possible.

big city for a splashy (and expensive) Broadway production. Go to your town’s holiday events and mingle with your neighbors, and have your office party catered by a local Mom-and-Pop eatery instead of one of the big chain restaurants. In other words, rediscover the warmth and wonders of your own hometown.

Close your eyes a Nd listeN to the MusiC

Music may calm the savage beast, but it can also transport you to a different time or place. Depending upon your mood (and tastes), you can listen to the beat of Funky White Honkies or the Pearly Baker Band (narrowscenter.com), the orchestral movie scores of “Music of James Bond” (spirecenter.org) or the “Magic of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder” (zeiterion.org). Or immerse yourself in the beauty of classical music like Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” (riphil.org) or the return of the Christmas Concert at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Bedford (musicatsaintanthonys.org)!

t ry soMethiNg differeN t iN the Ne W year

Instead of doing the same-old, sameold, get out of your rut and try some thing completely new! Learn how to line dance at the New Bedford’s Kilburn Mills (facebook.com/aandmdanceacad emy.com). Enjoy a good laugh (and a buffet dinner) at White’s of Westport to see “The Portuguese Kids – Faz O Relax Christmas Show “(whitesofwestport. com). Or try your hand at pickleball at Fairhaven’s indoor Southcoast Pickleball arena (southcoastpickleball. com). Or get a head start on spring and attend a wokshop on Veggie Garden Design (blithewold.org). Check out the

Moby-Dick Marathon , with readers from around the world, at New Bedford’s Whaling Museum (whalingmuseum. org). Or if you’re in a more adventurous mood, sign up for a Seal Watch Boat Ride out of Bowen’s Wharf in Newport with Save The Bay (savebay.org/seals).

take C are of yourself

Join in a virtual class in meditation, tai chi, yoga, smoking cessation or hypnosis with the New Bedford Wellness Initiative (facebook.com/newbedfordwellnes sinitiative). Attend a “Winter Wellness Workshop” in Middletown (normanbird sanctuary.org). Or take a “Walk With a Doc” on Saturdays at the Dartmouth Mall (nbewell.org).

And when the partying and all the over-indulgences start getting you down, chill out and go outside. Pretend you’re Robert Frost stopping by a snowy wood. Marvel at how the leafless trees look like etchings, how the nighttime critters have left distinctive footprints in the new snow, how sound travels differently in the cold. Take three deep breaths of frosty air before you head back inside.

Seek sanity (and lower blood pressure) in nature, whether by yourself or with a child. Visit one of the many nature preserves, bird sanctuaries, state parks, or beaches and take a quiet stroll at dawn or dusk (savebuzzrdsbay.org/discover, thetrustees.org, asri.org, massaudubon. org) as often as possible.

May you all find peace and joy in the New Year.

e lizabeth Morse r ead is an awardwinning writer, editor and artist who grew up on the South Coast. After 20 years of working in New York City and traveling the world, she came back home with her children and lives in Fairhaven.

sigN up for a seal WatCh boat r ide out of boW e N’s W harf iN Ne W port W ith s ave t he bay (savebay.org/seals)

William Street

comes alive

thrived after the pandemic. All have a rich selection of handmade gift buying options. New Bedford native and artist Ryan McFee (@Paradise_McFee on Instagram) offers a plethora of paintings and prints with a fantasy vibe, including some with local maritime themes at his Paradise McFee Gallery

Oglimpses into buildings that embody the rich past of the city.

l ori b radley

f course, nothing was routine about the COVID crisis and the impact it had on small businesses in small cities. New Bedford survived epic historic downturns such as the end of the whaling era and migration of most textile businesses and, like other Massachusetts gateway cities, it is learning to prosper in a new economy. Now, coming alive again after the pandemic, the New Bedford small business creative economy proves to be resilient, though slightly altered.

A recent autumn walk down William Street during the Downtown New Bedford (dNB) Fall Fest revealed what has changed and what remains the same in the creative small business community. Over the years, different segments of the downtown area emerge as clusters of creative commerce, and this year, William Street and the surrounding area are filled with extraordi nary, enjoyable gift-buying opportunities, along with friendly conversations and

In planning a shopping trip to William Street, it’s helpful to know that parking on the upper end is more plentiful during weekdays. A walk down the entire street on a nice day is a rewarding adventure. A shopping tour of upper William Street starts at Gallery X , one of the oldest creative places in the city (galleryx.org).

The gallery was the first downtown art gallery and is housed in a beautifully restored historic church. Gallery X-Mas, an exhibition of local art made for gift shopping, returns this year throughout December and the gallery gift shop, Some thing X-tra, offers a selection of fun and inventive locally made art, jewelry, books, and gifts year-round. Founded by artists of the former Swain School of Design, Gallery X is a venerable New Bedford institution. Art by original Swain students can now be viewed along with the artwork of their children and grandchildren.

Continue down to middle William Street past the picturesque library and City Hall to visit a cluster of three enduring artist-run gallery shops that survived and

sMall aNChors

Just a few steps down the street on the same side is TL6 the Gallery which, for the past 25 years, has intrigued visitors with a wealth of creations perfect for gifts by local artists – including glass art, clothing, photos, prints, paintings, cards, custom jewelry, and more. Gallery owner Arianna Swink, a jewelry designer, presents a large selection of her own lovely creations. Visit facebook.com/TL6theGal lery for more.

The Allison Wells Gallery is on the same side of William Street as TL6 and Paradise McFee, and is run by its namesake, former UMass Dartmouth Fine Art graduate student Allison Wells (alisonwells.com). Her artwork is vibrant and semi-abstract, often depicting local scenes. She offers a collection of original artworks large and small, Giclee prints and cards, in addition to gift certificates. The gallery and the artist are a testament to the city’s commitment to the creative community. In the recent newsletter she sends out to her many art fans, Wells shared a glimpse at her history in the city

Cities are living things, and like any large animal species, they usually morph and evolve so slowly that changes aren’t noticed or are noted and accepted as business-as-usual.

and the artist’s grant that sparked her gallery, “I received an artist grant back in 2014. Grants are very important to artists and entrepreneurs because they fund professional and artistic development, allowing us to continue to serve the community by sharing the great work we do.”

She continues with an inspiring message for her fellow creators, “My wins began to outweigh the struggles and I have learned how to deal with adversities and curveballs better through the years. They are inevitable in business and life. I have been celebrating my gallery’s anniversary every single year since I opened my doors in October 2014 because I do not ever take all of this for granted.”

old aNd Ne W

Traveling farther down the cobble stoned street, past the New Bedford Whaling National Park Visitors Center, leads to several new galleries and shops featuring locally made gifts. Sadly, the venerable Arthur Moniz Gallery, on the corner of William Street and Johnny Cake Hill, closed after 20 years in February, leaving a gap in the lower William Street gallery cluster.

Fortunately, owner Anthi Frangiadis recently moved her gallery, the Drawing Room , up from Water Street into this larger, light-filled historic space. The enchanting display area is crammed with high-end yet accessible local and regional works of art and craft such as paintings, jewelry, and pottery, in addition to interior decorating specialty items such as fabrics, paint, wallpaper, and furniture (shop.anthif.com).

Right next door to the Drawing Room is the new Latitutde 41 Outfitters shop (lat41nb.com). During the summer, owner Laurie Botelho moved the Landing Gift Shop up from the waterfront to the former New Bedford Merchant space on William Street. It is currently undergoing a dramatic renovation yet retains the homey maritime aura of the beloved Merchant shop. Lat41 Outfitters offers a range of regionally inspired gifts, and the owner has plans to include arts and crafts made by local artists. While-you-wait custom

embroidery will also be available on maritime-themed printed clothing. Continuing down to the end of William Street and turning right behind the Whaling Museum towards Water Street leads to two special gift venues, one old and one new. The Bejeweled shop, just around the corner in Centre Street, has been offering exceptional jewelry from around the world since 2000 (shopbejeweledonline.com). The selection is carefully curated with a range of artist-designed and crafted jewelry from traditional to trendy. And an added bonus of visiting Centre Street is the stunning view towards the waterfront crammed with colorful fishing boats. A short trip back up Centre Street to Water Street leads to a new gift shop called Salt and Sole, opened in 2021 (saltandsoleshop.com). Festively deco rated, antique windows showcase a variety of gift items including jewelry, candles, hand-painted shells, and maritime-themed apparel. Owner Laura Lanagan sells her own handmade New Bedford Candle Company candles here, and Nantucket artist Peter Van Dingstee’s gyotaku fish prints are featured on every wall. These intriguing prints are made by a traditional process where real fish are painted and pressed into paper, resulting in delicate prints of incredible detail and complexity. Van Dingstee offers a wide variety of sizes of his art at Salt and Sole from small 8-by-10-inch framed and matted prints, to large multipart wall pieces.

Visitors can easily spend an entire, enjoy able day exploring the shops and galleries on William Street and the surrounding streets. And gift shopping opportunities don’t end in downtown New Bedford. Extending a shopping tour out to other city neighborhoods such as the historic mills filled with artist studios and shops in the north and south end of New Bedford, and the shops on Acushnet Avenue in the north end could make for an entire weekend of shopping for locally made treasures!

lori bradley is an artist, writer and educa tor. She lives in New Bedford with her husband and pack of rescued dogs and has a studio at the Hatch Street Studios in the north end.

William Street and the surrounding area are filled with extraordinary, enjoyable gift-buying opportunities, along with friendly conversations and glimpses into buildings that embody the rich past of the city.

THE WHY OF THE Y

MiChael J. deCiCCo

ll Y member ships offer full access to facilities, cost discounts on Y programs, and family and senior membership discounts. So how do you decide which facility is the one for you?

The New Bedford YMCA at 25 South Water Street is a 60,000-square-foot oneof-a-kind gathering place where people from all walks of life come together. With a history dating back to 1867, the New Bedford Y is the flagship branch of YMCA Southcoast, a Y association with six branches in the South Coast of Massachusetts.

This Y notes a long list of facility offerings for members to choose from: basketball courts, the Escape to Fitness Center func tional training room, a free weight room, a wellness center, group exercise classes, an indoor swimming pool, an indoor running track, pickleball and racquetball courts, and even steam and sauna rooms.

Executive Director Tara Pacheco said the New Bedford Y also offers members a larger childcare program than the others in the area: from ages three to 13, from pre-school to after-school. The program has a current enrollment of 30 pre-schoolers and 130 after-schoolers.

This program and all others at the New Bedford Y are available at a discounted cost or free for members and their children, Pacheco said, and all children in the daycare program get free swim ming and swim safety lessons.

The pool they train or play in is 25 yards long and six lanes wide, with a depth of nine feet in the deep end and 3.5 feet at the shallow end, and it serves all ages and ability levels of swimmer and includes competitive teams, Pacheco said.

Swimming is also an important agenda of its summer day camp, Camp Frederick Douglas, which is held on the New Bedford Y grounds and hosts 130 children a week every year. The camp emphasizes daily field trips that include swims and lessons at East Beach.

According to Pacheco, the New Bedford Y offers adult members a fully stocked workout facility and a full exercise class schedule. “Something for everyone,” she added.

NeighboriNg Neighborhood y But don’t dismiss what the YMCAs in the suburbs have to offer. The highlight

of the Old Colony YMCA at 61 East Grove Street in Middleboro is its professionalequipment-filled gymnastic center that has been active for 15 years, said director of public affairs Michael Ricci.

“Old Colony has seven branches,” he said, “and there is nothing quite like the one in Middleboro.”

The Middleboro gymnastic center is for all ages and its teams compete across the state, Ricci said. The center offers preschool, youth, and adult programs and has the apparatus for all four Olympic gymnastics events: bars, beam, floor, and a TAC/10 vaulting table.

It also features basketball in the winter, flag football in the fall, soccer in the spring, and even a growing music and piano program.

“And for the more skilled gymnasts, our new equipment allows for a more competitive and successful gymnastics experience,” boasted Ricci.

The East Grove Street facility also offers members a fitness center and a full-sized, six-lane swimming pool for lessons, lap swims, or open swims, and an indoor track on the second floor that

AA YMCA membership is a wise way to reach your fitness goals for the coming year. But there’s more than one Y facility on the South Coast

a t all three lo C atio N s , M e M bers W ill be offered free fit N ess C lasses , i NC ludi N g yoga , pilates , zu M ba , free day use of lo C kers ( W ith your o WN lo C k ), spe C ial M e M ber rates o N all progra M s i NC ludi N g C hild C are a N d su MM er C a M p

wraps around the building, providing a clear view of first-floor activities.

The 28,000 square-foot fitness center offers members the use of various cardio and strength equipment (treadmills, elliptical, cycling, Jacobs ladder, rowing machines, family strength circuit, free weights) as well as more than 35 group exercise classes.

Membership also allows entry into the informal clubs, such as the coffee-hour club.

But Ricci is particularly proud of the Middleboro Y’s Y-Ability program available to members and their families. It’s a free, inclusive, adaptive program dedicated to young people with developmental disabilities or special needs to help engage them in Y programs. Developed with the help of parents and families, this program work its magic through a lot of ways, in classes from swimming to musical drumming and at summer camp.

The Middleboro Y’s Summer camp, Camp Yomechas, Ricci noted, is now celebrating its 100th anniversary. The 40-acre camp at 375 Wareham Street attracts 300-400 kids every week during the summer for ropes courses, swimming, canoeing, archery, arts and crafts, summer sports, and science and nature workshops. There is even behavioral health support for kids at camp, should they need it. There is also an outdoor pool at the camp, plus the waterfront of Lake Tispaquin.

iNClusive aNd expaNsive

If you are an avid swimmer or rock wall climber, you’ll want to pick the Gleason Family YMCA at 33 Charge Pond Road in Wareham.

The easternmost branch of YMCA South

coast offers members both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, the latter open seasonally until Labor Day. The indoor pool is 129,000 gallons with six generous swimming lanes and two lap lanes; the outdoor pool is 60,000 gallons, with two lap lanes. Both pools include zero-grade water entries that allow for gradual ease of access for small children, families, and people with mobility issues.

Senior executive director Debra Fringuelli proudly noted that the Gleason Y offers members a three-story-tall indoor rock climbing wall. The wall has eight different climbing paths varying in difficulty. The wall is only available during open climb hours or for classes, and it is always attended by certified staff.

“We also use it with our summer campers and to facilitate groups as well,” she added, noting its fully-active summer camp, Camp Nep-In-Nae, is conducted directly on the Gleason grounds

The Gleason Y also includes an indoor walking track that looks out onto indoor basketball courts. There are also four indoor pickleball courts for the fall and winter, and similarly, four outdoor courts in spring and summer at the site of the former skatepark. It offers two indoor exercise rooms and a wellness center fully equipped with strength training and cardiovascular equipment.

Fringuelli added that at the Gleason personal trainers are available to members, who have access to a variety of programs including over 40 group exercise classes every week.

But there’s even more that’s unique about the Gleason Y, Fringuelli said. “Its just a wonderful atmosphere with a beautiful, welcoming lobby and activities and programs for all ages,” she concluded.

At all three locations, members will be offered free fitness classes, including yoga, pilates, zumba, free day use of lockers (with your own lock), special member rates on all programs including childcare and summer camp, priority registration on all program enrollment before the general public, and the ability to use all YMCA Southcoast facilities.

These YMCAs also provide financial assistance for all members. For more information, visit ymcasouthcoast.org.

M i C hael J. d e C i CC o has worked as a writer for over 30 years. He is also the author of two award-winning young adult novels, Kaurlin’s Disciples and The Kid Mobster. He lives with his wife Cynthia in New Bedford.

a growing busiNess

sea N MCC arthy

n 1936, the movie Reefer Madness frightened viewers with its fictional accounts of the perils of marijuana use. In the 1970s the comic tomfoolery of Cheech & Chong portrayed marijuana as a wild rollicking ride. And in recent decades, America has waged a “War On Drugs,” targeting marijuana in particular as a significant threat to the nation.

But that perception has changed, and continues to change. Dramatically. With the scientific consent of many in the medical community, medicinal and recreational uses of marijuana are flourishing. The industry is expanding exponentially as many citizens are enjoying the mental and physical benefits from this natural botanical source.

An example of this burgeoning economic and cultural growth is Coastal Healing, a locally owned and operated Westport marijuana dispensary located

at 248 State Road (Route 6). Five years in the making, this dispensary opened its doors this past October with a newly designed and constructed facility aimed at producing the highest quality flower. Certified and regulated by the town of Westport and the Commonwealth of Mas sachusetts, Coastal Healing is owned and operated by David Bullis (an orthopedic surgeon) and Diego Bernal (a research scientist). But regardless of whether you rely on marijuana for its medical benefits or you enjoy it for private pleasure, the top

priority for Coastal Healing is providing “the highest quality product.”

“We’re at the transition stage now,” Bernal says. “People are more informed and willing to try cannabis flower and other derived products. While Marijuana is still a drug that needs to be respected, it is generally felt that Marijuana is safer than alcohol with much less physical and societal ‘side effects’ associated with it. For instance, you do not see people smok ing it and getting into fights, something like you might have seen happen after an overindulgence with alcohol.”

Recently, the scientific community has begun to see the health benefits of marijuana.

“Marijuana is the future,” says Dr. Henry Crowley, an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist at Same Day Surgery of New England, located in Fall River. For a decade, Crowley has studied the effects of marijuana for the treatment of disease.

“Marijuana is becoming more of a first-line choice for different types of pain syndromes and medical conditions,

You’ve come a long way, cannabis.

IWith the scientific consent of many in the medical community, medicinal and recreational uses of marijuana are flourishing.

including cancer, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and seizure disorders,” Crowley says. “We’re at the early stages of acceptance here in our country. Countries like Israel have made amazing progress with medicinal marijuana. It’s compelling and convincing.”

Marijuana can be prescribed by a physician who will evaluate a patient’s condition and give them a medical card that they can take to a dispensary to purchase the product.

“Marijuana can be helpful for pain relief and can help get you away from opiates,” Bullis says. “Using a couple of gummies of cannabis instead of Vicodin or Percocet would be a big benefit to a lot of people. Marijuana may be an appetite stimulant for people on chemotherapy, and it could help you put on some weight.”

“In the chronic pain realm, I’d rather use cannabis than an opiate,” Crowley says.

purple haze

Next month, Coastal Healing will begin

selling recreational marijuana in addition to medicinal products. They will offer multiple varieties of flower, also known as “buds,” as well as pre-rolled singles, also known as “joints.” They will be selling chocolate bars, gummies, peanut butter cups, and flavored seltzers, among other items.

“People will have different experiences from different products,” Bernal says. “Depending on how you ingest a product your body’s reaction will vary. You have to determine what is best for you. You can smoke it, eat it, or drink it.”

“If you’ve never tried marijuana before you should start slow,” Bullis says. “If you visit our store we will be able to educate you on the uses and effects of the products we offer. We want people to be informed.”

Coastal Healing also grows some of the products they provide, as well as wholesaling to other dispensaries in the state. The location took five years to be licensed, designed, and built.

“We took the slow, cautious route to creating our business – we didn’t just jump right into this,” Bernal says. “We built a high-tech facility that will have the best-controlled conditions for the plants. Our goal is to have a consistently high-quality product.”

Bullis and Bernal partnered with two local growers with vast experience in all types of growing environments. Dylan Morin and Alex DaCosta are Head Grow ers who have been experimenting with breeding different strains for decades and have brought their unique creations to Coastal Healing. Over the past two years they have helped with the construction of the facility, contributing their knowledge to ensure perfect growing conditions to optimize the health of the plants. Coastal Healings’ state-of-the-art grow facility has become a model facility from which other cultivation owners and builders can emulate.

Coastal Healing will finish their first grow around Christmas with approxi mately 12 different strains including both Indica and Sativa varieties. Some strains to look for in their first harvest include: Garlic Reaper, Wicked Lime, and Big Smooth.

For more information on marijuana, you can consult the website of the Cannabis Control Commission of Massachusetts at masscan nabiscontrol.com.

Coastal Healing can be accessed at coastal healingwestport.com.

sea N MCCarthy has been a freelance journalist for 35 years. He lives in New Bedford.

“Marijuana is becoming more of a first-line choice for different types of pain syndromes and medical conditions, including cancer, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and seizure disorders”

t he Coastal healiNg tea M sta NdiNg a MoNgst the fruits of their labor iN floW er rooM 3. l-r: david bullis, M.d.; a lex daCosta; diego ber N al, phd.; a Nd dyla N MoriN.

lord of the board

s hau N a f erry

As dairy farmers, we meet so many customers who buy our milk to make their own homemade items such as kefir, butter, and cheeses! I was so inspired by all the wonderful types of cheese our customers made that I decided this year to have my new holiday party contribution be charcuterie boards. My first run at it was for Thanksgiving, and all my guests were so impressed – it was a big hit!

If you’re not familiar, charcuterie is a French word that refers to cured meats. Charcuterie boards are traditionally a variety of cheeses, meats, olives, fruits, nuts, and anything else that complements the cured meats. The key with these boards is to have variety, but the placement and coloration of the items make it a beautiful addition to any table. Creating a charcuterie board with as many locally sourced items as I could conjure up or make myself was a little challenging, but an enjoyable experience. It put me onto so many new local food makers and homesteaders.

I challenged myself with making two types of cheese for my first board: ricotta and a traditional Portuguese

cheese that’s referred to as “farmer’s cheese,” in English or “queijo fresco” in Portuguese. Both cheeses are soft and white, very easy to make, and I highly recommend them as starter cheeses [see sidebar]. I made the ricotta with our vat-pasteurized Westport Dairy milk and the farmer’s cheese with Pine Hill Dairy raw milk, starting my local product journey!

Because I had made two soft cheeses with very mild flavor, I was focused on finding a couple of harder cheeses with bolder flavors. I attended the Westport Winter Farmer’s Market where Sweet and Salty Farm from Little Compton had just what I was looking for. The first of the two cheeses were “Peach Fizz,” which was dense and bold. It had a sharp flavor with almost a hint of sweet – it would complement the board perfectly.

Although my intent was to purchase two firmer cheeses, I tried the “Little Doughnut” and was immediately sold. This cheese was a creamier cheese, but still firmer than both the cheeses I had made. It was bursting with flavor and perfect to pair with saltier additions on the board. The cheeses were the easiest

additions to the board and the board’s centerpieces (rather than traditional meat), but as a dairy farmer, it felt right!

a happy Meat iNg

The meat was much more difficult for me, as I realized I really didn’t know anything about cured meats! I didn’t have a whole lot of time to learn, so I kept my focus on cured meats I knew, liked, and felt would complement the cheese I had. I went over to our local market, Lee’s Market in Westport, and headed straight to the deli. Unfortunately, the meat was a portion of my charcuterie board that was not processed locally, but I did buy it at the local market, so I felt a little better about that. I chose salami, pepperoni, and honey ham; I felt the pepperoni would add a little spice, salami a little salt, and honey ham that tinge of sweetness.

While Lee’s has an abundance of locally made items, looking through each section of the add ons I was looking for, I realized there weren’t as many local choices as I had hoped for for the other accoutrements. For crackers I went with Mariner, a brand supported by

Venus

‘Tis the season for creativity, whether it’s decorating your home for the holidays or making new dishes; here on the farm, we’re focusing more on “supporting local.”

CharCuterie boards are traditioN ally a variety of Cheeses, Meats, olives, fruits, Nuts, aNd aNythiNg else that CoMpleMeNts the Cured Meats.

Wafers out of Hingham (I chose sesame and everything). While browsing and reading labels I came across a brand called Pickily, freshly pickled veggies out of Warren. I chose the Pickily Cukes (pickled cucumbers) and the Pickily Red Onion. I was so hesitant at first to add pickled items to the board, but I’m so glad I did because they were both delicious and added a much-needed flavor!

Jam and preserves are in several farmers markets locally when the fruits are in season, but putting together the board in November, the choices were a little limited. However, while searching through labels I found a jam with an interesting local background: Trappist. Trappist jam is made by Trappist monks at St. Joseph’s Abby in Spencer, Massachusetts. They’ve been making and distributing these jams since the 1950s! I chose blueberry and red raspberry and found a new staple in my pantry. The nuts and olives were not produced, but rather packaged and distributed, locally. The olives were jalapeno-stuffed and distributed by Laurel Hill out of Mansfield, Massachusetts, and the walnuts were packaged in Everett. It was a fun and creative learning experience putting together my first charcuterie board, I loved the process of making my own cheese and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of sourcing all the items on my board from local makers. Making your own foods at home is rewarding, and the more you do it, the better at it you’ll be. I plan to take on bleu cheese next.

Looking through items to buy locally is not only beneficial for small businesses and farms, but also for consumers. When you purchase fresh items made in

smaller batches, the taste and quality are superior. Enjoy!

hoMeM ade queiJo f resCo

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups milk (you can use either cow or goat milk)

2 rennet tablets (If you can not find rennet tablets locally, you can buy them on Amazon)

Directions:

1) Warm the cow’s or goat’s milk on the stove, but don’t boil it.

2) In a large bowl mix the rennet and salt together and the pour the warm milk on top. Mix.

3) Let it sit for a few minutes. You will see that the whey will start to separate from the cheese. You can now start spooning the cheese into the cheese molds. Fill the molds as much as you can, while letting the liquid drain out of the mold. For the rest of the day keep draining out the liquid by tilting the mold or just using a spoon. You have just made Homemade fresh cheese!

4) This can last in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 days.

siCilia N hoMeM ade riCotta Cheese

This is a recipe for my Sicilian grandmother’s creamy homemade ricotta cheese. Great as a spread on fresh bread or add as atopping to fresh Pasta.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 35 mins

Additional Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

1 gallon whole milk

1 quart buttermilk

1 pint heavy cream

1 tablespoon kosher salt 18-inch squares cheesecloth

Directions

Step 1: Line a large colander or sieve with 4 layers of cheesecloth. Set aside. Step 2: Heat milk, buttermilk, heavy cream, and salt in a large, heavy, nonreactive saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionallyfor the first 10 minutes. Continue heating, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 190 degrees F. Remove from heat andlet stand for 1 hour. The mixture will be separated into white curds and clear whey.

Step 3: Using a slotted spoon, ladle approximately 1/4 of the curds into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Gather up the corners of the topcheesecloth and secure closed with a zip tie. Repeat with the rest of the curds, cheesecloth, and zip ties. Use the last zip tie to thread all of the cheeses together. Suspend the cheeses over a large wooden spoon over a large bowl, and let drain for 2 hours.

Step 4: Place the four cheeses, still in cloth, in a bowl in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, cut zip ties, and transfer cheese to an airtight container.

shauN a f erry is a dairy farmer, mother, and wife who enjoys spreading positivity, writing, and house plants

Earthquake rumbles

For more than five decades, this Dart mouth resident has used his talents and passions for food and music to entertain untold thousands. And at the age of 73, his resume and scrapbook are only adding more memories and accomplishments.

Throughout Morton’s years, one door has opened after another door has closed. What began as a member of a Boston-based “party band” in the early 1970s would eventually put him in the company of some of the entertainment industry’s big gest names. Whether onstage or backstage, in the kitchen or in the studio, Morton’s skills have contributed to a

life steeped in experiences and achievements that shows no signs of ceasing.

He has a lot to look back on and plenty to look forward to.

Today Morton is part of a new album being released by a band he has been a part of for 50 years, Duke & The Drivers. At the same time, he is lauded for catering high-end food for celebra tions and events throughout the region. In addition to booking international stars to perform at the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford, he is gaining recognition for his abilities as a narrator of films and other projects.

“In my life, it’s never been the same thing twice,” he

claims. “I don’t go to work every day and sit in the same cubicle. There’s nothing like the entertainment business.”

As a freshman at Boston University, this Albany native formed a friendship that would benefit him for more than 50 years with a classmate named Tom Swift. Together the duo would help launch Duke & The Drivers, a gregarious R&B band that would bring their goodtime vibes to rooms throughout the northeast and beyond. With invaluable support from Boston radio station WBCN, the group’s reinter pretations of R&B tunes were a memory-making machine for Morton, the band’s bassist and occasional vocalist.

sea N MCC arthy

Greg “Earthquake”

Morton has devoted a lot of time and energy to things that make life rich.

“iN

“In 1974, Duke and The Drivers got to open for the J. Geils Band at the old Boston Garden,” Morton recalls. “It was an amazing venue that reeked of the history of concerts, sports, and political events. It was awe inspiring. It was also great to open for one of my favorite bands of that time. Their lead singer Peter Wolf was a friend and a great guy who had the night shift at WBCN and played a lot of songs that we both loved.”

Morton also recalls the moment in 1973, when WBCN played a Duke & The Drivers’ song, “Check Your Bucket,” on the air.

“It was surreal to be in my car and hear one of our songs,” he says. “It was during the heyday of the station when they were atop the Prudential. Their passion for the band was such a component of our success.”

Today, Duke & The Driv ers are in the process of compiling another album of material, a full-length release called “Showtime” that will be available early next year. Morton says the band benefits from “Euphoric recall” – the ability for fans of the band to be transported back to younger and wilder days when the band would invigorate dance floors with their compelling grooves.

But while Duke & The Drivers were touring, they and other musicians soon discovered another talent of Morton’s – his skill for cook ing, an invaluable ability that would sustain him in future incarnations he could not have foreseen. His ability to blend music and food, two penchants that were part of his upbringing, would lead to a string of successes that still sustain him.

d ish it out

“Food gave me the best

communication I ever had,” he says. “My dad was a great cook. I spent a lot of time hanging around with him in our kitchen. Some of my favorite memories with my mother include sitting with her and watching Julia Child on PBS. I started making donuts at the age of six, and years later I was cooking for Aerosmith and Jonathan Edwards.”

In 1999, this “Rock-andRoll Chef” would appear on the Food Network, preparing Filet of Sole Veronique, for the show “In Food Today.” Morton got the gig after friend and Aerosmith Manager, Tim Collins, tabbed him after a last-minute cancellation on the program.

“Being on that show was something I’d always dreamed of doing,” Morton says. “It was so daunting to walk into the studio, meeting Mario Batali and the others.”

But at that point, Morton was used to daunting cooking jobs. From June 1982 to 2000, he was the chef and co-owner (with his wife Sally) of the Bridge Street Café in the Padanaram section of South Dartmouth. The idea for the restaurant came from Tom Swift, who had enjoyed much of Morton’s culinary skills throughout their friendship, particularly while they were on the road with the band.

“When I think of Greg, I think of amazing food,” says Swift, a Dartmouth-based attorney specializing in Digital Media Law, and the singer and keyboardist for Duke & The Drivers. “Whenever we were on the road we had the best food and the best coffee of any band in the country. Greg is remembered very fondly for that. For years after, Bridge Street Café was the

Star the year off right

best restaurant in the South Coast – nothing compared to it. It was a nice way for Greg to settle down after the years of rock-and-roll.”

The Bridge Street Café would regularly have celebrities enjoying Morton’s cuisine, including Gene Hackman, Timothy Hutton, Dan Akroyd, Dom DeLuise, Tia Leone, and David Duchovny.

And today, Morton’s love of food and music are still major priorities for him. Since 2003, he has run the catering business, “Morton’s Fork,” in the south end of New Bedford. With the slo gan, “Great Food Is The Life Of The Party,” the company is in demand throughout the region, catering events that range from cocktail parties to groups of 200 or more.

s hoW ti M e

But in 2005, Morton would acquire his dream job: music programming at the Zeiterion Theatre in down town New Bedford. It is an opportunity that allows him to combine his love of music with his love of cooking, catering for many of the art ists who perform there. Many times he is cooking food for performers he has idolized for much of his life.

“I’ve been like a kid in a candy store, having the abil ity to book performers such as Solomon Burke, James Brown, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Etta James, Buddy Guy, and so many more,” he says. “I’ve regularly had magical experiences.”

Those magical experiences often include cooking for the performers. Sixty to 70 times a year, Morton uses his skills to supply artists with quality dining experiences.

“When people are coming

in to do a gig, this is their home for the day, and food is very important to them. They may have 25 shows behind them and another 20 ahead of them. They’re going to perform for about two hours and sleep for nine or 10, so for the other 12 hours food is important. I know what musicians feel like when they’re on the road, I can totally relate to them. I’ve got to get it right.”

Morton says he derives unique pleasure from both the food and music events he helps bring to others.

“There’s always anxiety before an event, but I love the gratification that comes from seeing people enjoy what I’ve created,” he says. “When people come up to you after a show, or you see 150 people standing at a buffet line enjoying them selves, there’s nothing like it. It’s fantastic to get a positive reaction from people.”

And Morton has been get ting positive reactions with a fairly new endeavor. Four years ago, he began using his unmistakable bass tone to do narration and

overs for films and events, a career that is providing him with a growing number of opportunities – a burgeon ing and promising path for a person in his mid-70s. For years he has done narration promoting events at the Zeiterion, but he has recently been nominated for an award at the Oaxaca FilmFest for his narration on the film Jala Suite: Each Is Another. In 2019, he was nominated for an illustrious SOVAS Award (Outstanding Audio Description for Museums and Cultural Sites) based on the work he did on ]\the Walking Tour of Westport Harbor. Morton has also narrated “Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker,” an audiobook about the Joe Perry Project.

And these days Morton has one other valued prior ity – watching his family

grow. His daughter Caroline lives in Dartmouth (with daughter Stella) and Isabelle lives in New Bedford (with son Oscar and daughter Alice).

Morton’s winding road has been full of food, funk, friends, and family, touching myriad souls and providing him with a life rich in memories, blessings that have come from holding fast to his passions.

“Greg is one of the top caterers in the South Coast, serving hundreds of people with beautifully catered meals, and everyone whose eaten a meal at the Zeiterion will tell you it’s the best food you’ll get on the road,” Swift says. “There’s only one ‘Earthquake’ Morton.”

s ea N M CC arthy has been a freelance journalist for 35 years. He lives in New Bedford.

Joint effort

Ah, the joys of the Golden Years!

When I first wake up I’ll sometimes just lie completely still, not moving a muscle. I like to listen to what my body’s trying to tell me at the only time of the day when absolutely nothing hurts because I’m as motionless as a statue, and statues feel no pain.

“Stay like this, all will be well,” my body says gently, before growling “you move one inch, I will put you in a world of hurt that’ll make you scream for your momma.”

So I move, and my body proves its point. I move my left leg and my peroneal tendonitis kicks in and feels like a burning rubber band up the left side of my calf. I move my left arm toward that pain and my super arthritic shoulder refuses to be neglected and sends searing sheets of pain down the outside of my arm. My right shoulder, apparently jealous of the attention I’m trying to give my left, sends its own agonizing message down the shoulder to the arm causing me to slam both shoulders back to the bed to stop the madness. And my right knee, soggy with two cortisone shots in less than a year, decides to get in on the act and locks up for old time’s sake while my left knee, riddled with more minor arthritis, takes careful notes for the day it decides to go pro on its own.

Shoot me. Shoot me now.

With age comes wisdom, it is said. But with wisdom comes the knowledge that the genie of our youth, fast and agile and unencumbered by nagging injuries of an

athletic life, ain’t going back in that bottle. For one thing, the bottle’s somehow gotten smaller over the years as we’ve somehow gotten bigger so we couldn’t squeeze that genie back in if we dipped it in vegetable oil and pounded it with a sledgehammer.

When we were kids, we’d run everywhere, flying over loose, uneven stonewalls, leaping over fences on the run, or jumping to the ground from high places, limber and rubbery and unafraid, hesitating not one second. I remember pushing as high as possible into the sky on a swing and leaping off at the apex of flight, landing in a laughing crumple on the ground far below. Which could explain those balky knees today.

Now if I want to jump down from something even remotely high, I hesitate and weigh the risk of landing and then sit down to slide to the ground easily and safely. The young man still trapped in the old-man body who could jump out of a second-story barn door wonders what the hell happened to him. It doesn’t seem that

long ago that I used to keep up (somewhat) with my grandson, who turns nine in January. Now, I just say, “You go ahead Mikey, Grandpa will be over there on that bench wondering what the hell happened to him.”

Life happened, of course. As it does to us all if we’re very lucky (as I am) to have had a good run that hopefully lasts a good deal longer. The impact of those years is gradual, unnoticeable for many years, until that pain that used to come and go now stays with a stubborn resolve. And that’s just the physical stuff. Inside is the longing for younger, pain-free days and the ability to move at will and leap figurative tall buildings in a single bound.

But, as Steely Dan sang, “Those days are gone forever, over a long time ago, oh yeah.”

Life, the wise expression goes, is indeed wasted on the young, but we were young once, not realizing how stupid we were and how the tradeoff for wisdom would very well include a body that just won’t do what it used to.

So I’ll mine the gold of wisdom for as long as my mind allows and endure the slings and arrows of outrageous aging with a minimum of complaining. And I’ll lie as still as possible for a few blessed pain-free moments in the morning until my body reminds me otherwise.

If I knew then what I know now, I’d never grow up. Then again, I really haven’t, and it has made all the difference.

paul k a N daria N is a lifelong area resi dent and, since 1982, has been a profession writer, columnist, and contributor in national magazines, websites, and other publications.

paul k a Ndaria N

Now if I want to jump down from something even remotely high, I hesitate and weigh the risk of landing and then sit down to slide to the ground easily and safely.

Like these patients, your life may depend on going to a center with the ability to care for any cardiac emergency, whether it’s cardiac surgery or advanced coronary interventions. The Heart and Vascular Center at Charlton Memorial delivers the most advanced, comprehensive cardiovascular care anywhere. Staffed by a cardiac critical care team, plus a 24/7 heart attack response team, we provide care that saves lives. To learn more, contact your nearest Southcoast Health cardiology office, or visit southcoast.org/heart.

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