Autumn Issue 2019
Van Wyck Gazette
Marcus Molinaro’s Initiative
ThinkDIFFERENTLY
Fishkill • Beacon • Wappingers Falls • Poughkeepsie • Newburgh • New Paltz • Rhinebeck • Woodstock
Van Wyck Gazette
From The Editor
Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro has developed and implemented the ThinkDIFFERENTLY initiative which reshapes our broad perception about individuals whose abilities might differ. Consistent with contemporary research in the field of Community DESIGN / MEDIA Psychology, his initiative has made gains to improve the quality of life of Margot Stiegeler individuals within their groups, organizations, communities and society. Important to the initiative is how individuals relate to their communities. CONTRIBUTORS While the reciprocal effect of communities on individuals is vital to their involvement of local, county and state groups, for example, the Special Joseph Caplan, Paige Flori, Olympics of New York (SONY). Adrea Gibbs, David McGorry, Crucial to their therapeutic goal Rik Mercaldi, Isabel Minunni, is the importance to change the way Victoria Oppenheim, Don Rosendale we think about residents with special needs. ThinkDIFFERENTLY is the PUBLISHER movement to change the delivery of Caplan Media Group, Inc., Fishkill, NY support to those with intellectual and/ or developmental disabilities. The SUBSCRIPTIONS program is also inclusive of those with Disorders on the Autism Spectrum. Visit our website and subscribe Praiseworthy is the participation of www.vanwyckgazette.com community business entrepreneurs or owners who share both energy and manpower to reconfigure their facility or schedule to provide a venue or ADVERTISING event to those with special needs. A list of events is featured on the Official Email: vanwyckgazette@gmail.com ThinkDIFFERENTLY.net site and merits a review of their photographs. This Issue also features the joys of autumn with a salute to local products. Paige Flori shares how to make the perfect cocktail with local ciders and whiskies. Don Rosendale pens his story of Monte’s Kitchen & Tap Room in Amenia and their “secret recipe” farm-to-jar fresh tomato sauce. Chef Isabel Minunni prepares local ingredients in a bean stew to ThinkDIFFERENTLY warm you up during those chilly fall evenings . Victoria Oppenheim Rik Mercaldi shares our love of music with his review of the 50th Anniversary of Renaissance, the progressive rock group, with singer Annie Haslam. Adrea Gibbs pens a comic review of a very unused word certain The 50th Anniversary of Renaissance to provoke a laugh. David McGorry consults with “Those Guys” to reveal Rik Mercaldi their business acumen. Joseph Caplan revisits the Dutchess County Fair (circa 1964) in his pensive story of a bygone era.
EDITOR IN CHIEF / CREATIVE DIRECTOR Joseph Caplan
Table of Contents
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10
14 Caplan Brothers Eggs
Joseph H. Caplan
16 Hearty Vegetable Bean Stew
Isabel Minunni
18 Autumn Cocktails
Paige Flori
17 Turning Passion Into a Business
David McGorry
20 Keep Your Dauber Up
Adrea Gibbs
22 Monte’s Famous Tomato Sauce
Don Rosendale
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“Red Houses in Woodstock” Nancy Campbell “Familiarity breeds inspiration when it comes to my desire to paint. I paint the small town streetscapes, farmhouses or Catskill Mountain waterfalls of the region of upstate New York where I grew up and still live. But my other hometown is in Italy, where each year I return with a group of painters to explore the rural mountain villages in the Roman Campagna where my grandparents once lived.” Nancy Campbell was born in Brooklyn but grew up and still lives in Saugerties, NY where she has spent the major part of her life. She has been a member of Saugerties Town Board, ran a gallery in the village, and now serves as Co-President of the Board at The Woodstock School of Art. She has exhibited locally, regionally and nationally. She is a member of the Woodstock Artists Association, Art Society of Kingston, and Arts Mid Hudson. More of her work can be seen on the web at NancyCampbellArt. com and most recent work on https://www.instagram.com/nancycampbellartist/ Van W yck Gazette - Autumn 2019 Issue
ThinkDIFFERENTLY Victoria Oppenheim Victoria: Marcus thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. It’s of the utmost importance to get the word out on the initiative that you started. I for one really appreciate it especially because my son is on the Spectrum. Please elaborate on ThinkDIFFERENTLY. Marcus: We began ThinkDIFFERENTLY as a Dutchess County initiative in 2015, asking our community – be it individuals, civic groups, businesses or anyone – to foster a welcoming environment for our friends and neighbors living with special needs. Since then, we’ve seen ThinkDIFFERENTLY become a movement that transcends geographic borders. Not only has every community in Dutchess County answered the call, more than 100 municipalities throughout New York State – and several outside our state – have passed ThinkDIFFERENTLY resolutions, similarly promising to promote inclusiveness for those of all abilities throughout their respective communities. ThinkDIFFERENTLY isn’t a slogan; it’s a movement, and it’s exciting to be on the ground floor of a movement that greatly impacts so many.
I had heard so many positive things from friends and even just strangers on the street about you and how you are so approachable. You definitely go the distance and always see to it that things get done. I also know that this ThinkDIFFERENTLY initiative you started has really opened the doors for so many people. In my personal experience, I know that I was searching high and low to try to find out what to do for my child and how to best help him. One of the places that I went to for resources and help is a Facebook page that centers around parents and caregivers living in Dutchess County for kids on the Spectrum and other learning disabilities. The majority of the posts are questions or gripes with what needs to be done to help people. But the fact of the matter is you have all the answers on the ThinkDIFFERENTLY website and through your office. Comparatively speaking, other counties and locales, Dutchess County has one of the best programs and plentiful options for children and other people living on the Spectrum. Since you are our county executive, I really do thank you for doing such a priceless thing and being such a positive role model. You are a household name and you’ve decided to take your platform to bring something so positive to people who really need help navigating the waters. What made you decide to start ThinkDIFFERENTLY?
Victoria: There are so many different directions and feelings that parents and caregivers have when their child has some kind of special need, finding resources and everything else including but not limited to: doctors, therapists, respite care, how to approach Marcus: ThinkDIFFERENTLY will forever be personal to me a school district, what school to send someone to, camps, as it was conceived from a situation involving two women I love extracurricular activities, finding employment, residential facilities, dearly, my daughter Abigail, who is on the autism spectrum, and the whole nine yards. It’s pretty daunting and definitely confusing. my wife Corinne. Most of us are just trying to get through the day, let alone trying Several years ago I came home from the office and Corinne to get the best for our loved ones. immediately met me at the door. Page 3
“Abigail is upset and she needs your help” Corinne said. I thought, why was she upset? What could have happened? How can I help? I rushed up the stairs into Abigail’s bedroom, where she said with tears in her eyes “I’ll never be able to do it. All my friends can do it, but I’ve tried and can’t do it. I’ll never do it.” “What can’t you do, Abigail?” I asked. “Tie my shoes. Everyone at school, all my friends, they can all tie their shoes. I’ve tried, over and over, and I can’t get it. I just can’t do it, and I never will” she cried. Jumping into action I quickly bent down, picked up my daughter’s shoe, and tied the laces. “What are you doing?” Corinne asked. “I’m tying Abigail’s shoes for her.” “You can’t do that. You have to think differently about how you help Abigail” my wife wisely pointed out. And she was right. As so many parents of children with disabilities do, never wanting to see their children in pain or sorrow, I was unwittingly doing to the worst thing for Abigail. I was doing things for her instead of teaching her to do them for herself. Corinne correctly pointed out that I had been guilty of what many living with special needs are victims of, what I call the “silent prejudice of low expectations.” Instead of adjusting the way I interacted with Abigail, I just assumed she couldn’t learn how to tie her shoes and needed someone to do it for her. It’s the same way with our society. Instead of just assuming those with disabilities can’t do something, we all need to ThinkDIFFERENTLY about how we relate to them and focus on the innate ability inside us all. Page 4
Victoria: What I love about so many of the things you do is that your decisions and voting records truly are bipartisan. Your decisions benefit people encompassing everyone from all different walks of life. Unfortunately, I personally find that politics can be very onesided and only benefit people that don’t represent all of the constituents. However, you are completely the opposite. You help everybody. The proof that you could corral everybody from both sides to jump on board speaks volumes of who you are. We’ve all heard the saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” What were the most important key pieces and priorities that you wanted to first present and make available through this program? Marcus: I wanted Dutchess County Government to be a shining example of ThinkDIFFERENTLY and all it could be, and let it trickle down throughout our community. Thinking of how our county government can accommodate those with special needs permeates everything we do: how our various departments interact with residents on a daily basis, how we plan for our buildings, how we fund projects to make sure they’re accessible to every resident of every ability and how we collaborate with our partners to ensure residents with disabilities feel connected to their government and community. Following the precedent we in county government set, others in our community have enthusiastically bought into the ThinkDIFFERENTLY philosophy, often working with us to ensure their places of business are more accessible and supporting those with special needs. I’ve been humbled by the overwhelming support our initiative has received throughout Dutchess County, and countless residents and their families are grateful for being Van W yck Gazette - Autumn 2019 Issue
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able to live better lives because of that support. Victoria: While this publication will come out after the event, I know that one of the many things that you’ve done is work with the people who run The Dutchess County Fair. Together you carved out a time so that people with visual or auditory sensitivities could enjoy the fair without being so overwhelmed by the sensory overload. Because the Dutchess County Fair brings about people from so many different places. It’s really nice that the Fair is not only for people that are local, but those from afar. In effect it helps Dutchess County Tourism, because people will come from all over to attend an event that is toned down that otherwise would be synonymous with sensory overload. This specific time creates a more mellow approach for people with sensitivities and Sensory Processing Disorders. How did that go? Marcus: When we first approached Fair organizers about hosting the inaugural ThinkDIFFERENTLY Thursday at the Dutchess County Fair in 2016, they warmly embraced the concept. They hosted a sensory-friendly period on the Fair midway for those with special needs, and went out of their way to make it a success. Each year the event has grown in popularity, with the Fair this year opening at 9 a.m. on ThinkDIFFERENTLY Thursday – that’s an hour before the Fair’s regular opening – and allowing those with disabilities to enjoy the rides and games. Absent is blaring music or blinking lights from 9:30 a.m. to noon for folks who have sensory processing issues. Again this year both families and providers felt at home at the Fair during ThinkDIFFERENTLY Thursday. They were watching as the Fair “wakes up” in the morning and ahead of the crowds which can sometimes hamper the enjoyment of those living on the Autism Spectrum. Led by Dr. Toni-Marie Ciarfella, Dutchess County’s Deputy Commissioner for Special Needs, our ThinkDIFFERENTLY ambassadors provided assistance and support for those families who were new to the Fair or ThinkDIFFERENTLY Thursday. We look forward to collaborating with the Dutchess County Agricultural Society to offer this wildly popular opportunity for local families again 2020.
face-to-face with service providers from throughout the county. They can answer any family’s specific questions and offer more information about the services and programs they offer. Just as importantly the annual event is just a care-free day for those with disabilities, and their families, free of the obstacles that families sometimes face when out in social settings. Victoria: I know that you’ve also worked with cinemas to show movies where the lights stayed on and toned down the loud noise, and other elements, so that people felt safe and comfortable. There have also been a plethora of other programs and events with similarities and the ability of accommodating a broad scope of people with sensory issues. Can you just tell us about a few more past events, and upcoming ones, too? Marcus: Our friends at the Roosevelt Cinemas in Hyde Park have long been our partners for our free, sensory-friendly movie days. We turn the lights up and volume down to accommodate those with sensory issues. The Town of LaGrange and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park are past hosts of our ThinkDIFFERENTLY picnics. This past September we hosted the fourth annual ThinkDIFFERENTLY Dash, our milelong walk/run through the City of Poughkeepsie that attracts hundreds of participants of every ability. In addition to those events we will partner with the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, in Poughkeepsie, to offer a free sensory-sensitive performance of the holiday classic “The Nutcracker” performed by the New Paltz School of Ballet. Among a multitude of other events, we collaborate with the Poughkeepsie Galleria to offer a sensory-friendly time period with Santa Claus during the Christmas season. Recently we held, in partnership with the Hudson Valley Renegades, our third annual “Disability, Dream & Do” Baseball Camp at Dutchess Stadium. This attracted the largest turnout, in the more than a decade, since the Dave Clark Foundation began running its inclusive camps nationwide.
Victoria: Because your events are always a huge success, do you consult with experts, special education teachers or the Victoria: Over the summer you created a wonderful picnic people who provide therapy and care for people on the Spectrum? where everyone was welcome. But it was definitely centered Marcus: We in Dutchess County are blessed to have a around people that identify with and can utilize ThinkDIFFERENTLY. plethora of highly trained and dedicated service providers What were the different things available at this picnic that would throughout our community, and each plays a unique role in assisting differ from other events? those with special needs. In addition to partnering on programs Marcus: Dutchess County held its seventh annual ThinkDIFFERENTLY picnic in July, at Cady Field, in the Town of Pleasant Valley which was a tremendous host and partner. In addition to gluten-free lunch options, therapy animals, interactive games and activities coinciding with our “circus midway” theme, for children and young adults, our picnic also brings families
such as Autism Supportive Environment Training with the Anderson Center for Autism, or other programs with the likes of Abilities First, Taconic Resources for Independence and the ARC of Dutchess, we look for providers’ expertise. As well as our own staff from the County’s Department of Behavioral and Community Health, and other pertinent departments, to best deliver the
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Van W yck Gazette - Autumn 2019 Issue
services and programming those in our community need. Dr. Ciarfella is a tremendous resource for the residents of Dutchess County, weaving through the web of services available locally, and helping families connect with the particular provider(s) that is best for their specific need. Victoria: What would be the one piece of advice that you would give to someone who seeking out help, guidance, a diagnosis or just how to get the ball rolling? Marcus: Start with our award-winning website, ThinkDIFFERENTLY.net, which offers an interactive menu with a roadmap to the service provider(s) that can best help their loved one, based on diagnosis, service needs and geographic location, among other variables. The site also offers a calendar of inclusive events in every corner of Dutchess County. As well as more background on the ThinkDIFFERENTLY initiative and the many ways County government is available to assist its residents with special needs. Residents can also always email me and I can help connect with solutions; countyexec@dutchessny.gov. Victoria: People want to know more about you. What is your absolute favorite place to go in Dutchess County? What is your favorite thing to do, for you and your family, in the area? Marcus: Every month, on the calendar, brings countless opportunities to enjoy all that Dutchess County has to offer. In summer you’ll find me at Dutchess Stadium, one of our awardwinning County parks, to watch Dutchess County’s home team, the Hudson Valley Renegades, wow thousands of fans each night. I also met my wife #AtTheDutch, so the stadium holds particular meaning to her and me. Mid-August brings the Dutchess County Fair to Rhinebeck, and my family and I enjoy the Fair every day. I love the foliage throughout our county during autumn. After a fresh snowfall you’ll often find my kids and me zooming down the sledding hill at Bowdoin Park, another amazing park. The Dutchess County St. Patrick’s Day Parade through the Village of Wappingers Falls is always a highlight of spring. In short, there are so many amazing happenings year-round in Dutchess County that no one (not even me) can attend them all, though I try my best. Victoria: In 1995 you became the youngest mayor to ever be elected. Representing the public is truly something you were born to do. What made you decide to run? Marcus: I’ve always had a passion to serve my community and interning, for then Assembly Member Eileen Hickey, heightened that interest. That fervor to serve has only grown in the ensuing quarter-century, as I’ve been fortunate to be a public servant in the Village of Tivoli, the Dutchess County Legislature, as an Assemblyman in Albany, and for the past eight years as the Dutchess County Executive. Being able to affect a positive change in my neighborhood, in Dutchess County and throughout the state has been a great honor, and a pleasure, far beyond what I could have imagined as a young man growing up in Tivoli in the mid-1990’s. Victoria: You label yourself a “Communitarian.” Can you expand on that and what it means to you? Marcus: Communication is the cornerstone of strong and effective leadership, and I pride myself on my ability to communicate with anyone of any philosophy. We are so much more alike than we are different. If we just focus on the commonalities that bind us, and not our slight differences, we can achieve amazing things. I’m proud to have worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle throughout my career to bring about lasting, positive change for
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those who entrust us with the duty of working on their behalf; and it all begins with communication. On a personal level, communication is also key to informing our residents about the great work the amazing men and women of Dutchess County Government do for them on a daily basis. Since I became County Executive, I’m proud to say, we’ve held more than 100 public forums in every corner of Dutchess County, listening to residents about the topics they care about and offering solutions. Victoria: You’ve managed to lower taxes for the residents of Dutchess County. You appointed a Deputy Commissioner of Special Needs, the first of it’s kind. You continue to do a lot of work on the Opioid Crisis. Somehow you manage to have your hand in so many beneficial programs. Do you ever sleep? And can you tell just a few more things that you have either spearheaded or become involved in? Marcus: As the father of four children, including one less than a year old, I probably don’t get as much sleep as most people. My passion for Dutchess County though, is the adrenaline that keeps me moving. Aside from my duties as County Executive, I’m active in our community, whether it’s coaching my son Jack’s soccer team or lending my support to causes I’m passionate about, including rebuilding my beloved Tivoli Fire Department’s firehouse. I like relaxing at any one of Dutchess County’s awardwinning parks. Or, as a long-suffering New York Mets fan, rooting for my Amazin’s, including Dutchess County’s own Joe Panik at second base.
their family members receive the proper veteran benefits that they deserve. I truly think that our veterans and active military are the most heroic people for allowing us to have our freedoms, and to live in the best country in the world. You are most certainly a natural leader. What’s next? Marcus: I have the best job in the world and I’m so thankful that each day I get to meet the wonderful residents of Dutchess County. That honor, in addition to my loving family, keeps me both focused and grounded. Right now my job is being the best husband, father, son and County Executive that I can be. My grandfather always told me growing up “If you do a good and honest job, people will take notice.” The residents of Dutchess County know my love for this region and its culture. Traveling around New York State last year made me appreciate how special our county really is. The future is yet to be written, but I know being the best public servant possible will guide me throughout the rest of my life. Victoria: This has been extremely informative. The election is coming up. Is there anything you would like to end with and tell residents?
Marcus: I appreciate your interest in Dutchess County, Victoria, and I look forward to serving the residents of Dutchess County each day. Wherever I go I strive to let our residents know their County government is here for them every day, providing the high-quality programs and services they expect, in the most efficient manner possible. The nearly 300,000 men and women, Victoria: Numerous publications and endorsements have boys and girls who live in Dutchess County are what makes our come from people who identify with, and tend to vote from, a county what it is, and they’re the reason I love our community as liberal standpoint. People from all political parties just speak so much as I do. highly of you. I’ve even heard from people that you’ve helped
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My Discovery of Ashes Are Burning and the 50th Anniversary of Renaissance
Rik Mercaldi Renaissance always seemed to be playing a show somewhere in the New York Metropolitan area when I was growing up. I heard announcements for their concert appearances constantly on the local radio stations; WNEW and WPLJ, and always saw their name in print in the local music papers and magazines such as The Aquarian and The Village Voice. While I had a predilection towards British bands and progressive music I never really listened to any of their songs. Many years later, well into my 40’s, I struck up a friendship with a guy who was about 10 years my senior who, like me, was hugely into music. He’d grown up in the 1960’s listening mostly to American bands, especially those with leanings towards the more psychedelic end of the spectrum, such as Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape and Quicksilver Messenger Service. We routinely get together to spin slabs of vintage vinyl, knock back a few beers, and discuss the music and the players featured on the albums we are sampling. As I’d grown up in the 1970’s, and possessed a bit more acumen with the English bands, my selections reflected that, making our exchange of musical passions always reciprocal and interesting. Page 10
Renaissance
Photo Credit: Richard Barnes / RBarnesPhotography.com
One weekend we decided to attend a local record fair together. After a couple of hours digging through what seemed like endless crates of records we retreated to a local bar to grab a couple of pints and examine the spoils of our expedition. To my surprise my friend handed me a copy of the Renaissance album, Ashes Are Burning. He mentioned that it was a record that he’d purchased when it first came out in the early 1970’s. It had some of the more progressive rock elements that he knew I was into, but more symphonic in nature. As they were English he thought it might be something I’d like. As my eyes scrolled down the inner sleeve of the album containing the lyrics and credits, I read “Thanks to Andy Powell for guitar on Ashes Are Burning.” Andy Powell was someone that I was very familiar with, as he’s the guitarist in the band Wishbone Ash, a group whose influence on future twin guitar bands cannot be overestimated. I not only greatly admired the band, but their first three records had recently been on steady rotation. This serendipitous discovery had me even more eager than usual to get this album on my turntable as soon as possible. The obsessive musical archeologist that I am also prompted Van W yck Gazette - Autumn 2019 Issue
Renaissance photo taken in St. John’s Wood, London, 1974 with Annie Haslam, Jon Camp, Michael Dunford, John Tout and Terry Sullivan me to do a little research. I discovered that Renaissance was from the predominantly electric guitar based bands that filled the originally formed in 1969 by Keith Relf and Jim McCarty, previously airwaves at the time. of The Yardbirds. Their departure led guitarist Jimmy Page to find Michael Dunford, who had been in an earlier incarnation of new players and form Led Zeppelin, another favorite band of the band as both a guitarist and songwriter, had recently mine. This was getting very interesting. relinquished his role as a performing member in the band, but Renaissance went through several permutations before stayed on as a composer. He would reinstate his full-time beginning work on what would become their fourth album, Ashes membership in the band on acoustic guitar after Ashes Are Burning Are Burning. By the time the group had begun working on Ashes was released. This would complete what many regard as the Are Burning in 1973 founding members McCarty and Relf (along “classic” five-piece Renaissance lineup which stayed together with his wife and vocalist Jane Relf) had all departed, along with the longest and recorded their most popular material: Annie several other members including guitarist Rob Hendry, who’d Haslam on vocals, Michael Dunford on acoustic guitar, John Tout only played on their previous album, Prologue from 1972. Prologue on keyboards and backing vocals, Jon Camp on bass, guitar and was also their first to feature the distinct vocals of Annie Haslam. vocals, and Terrence Sullivan on drums. Haslam’s compelling style and five-octave range would become Betty Thatcher was a lyricist who’d met original vocalist Jane an iconic feature of the band’s sound. Relf through a mutual friend and was asked to write lyrics for the Renaissance was essentially a progressive rock band who band. Betty began her collaboration by writing two songs on their generously dipped into folk, classical and even jazz territory, but second album, 1971’s Illusion. She wrote most of the band’s lyrics with a decidedly more keyboard oriented sound. As I’d been into on all of their albums throughout the 1970’s and collaborated a lot of British progressive bands such as Yes and Genesis, as sporadically with band members on other projects later on. Most of the material on the album was put together in a very well as some with more folkier tendencies like Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull, I struggled to ascertain how they managed to unusual way. Dunford would typically compose music using his elude my sonic radar. voice to sing the melody, record it and send it to Betty Thatcher, One of the most distinguishing features of Ashes Are Burning who would then write lyrics and send those back to him. Dunford is the band’s morphing into a more acoustic direction than their would then make a recording of himself singing and playing the previous efforts, as well as being the first album of theirs to feature song, with the lyrics penned by Thatcher, and send it to the band full orchestral accompaniment on several tracks. After guitarist who would then be responsible for coming up with all of the Rob Hendry’s departure, Jon Camp handled most of the guitar arrangements. In today’s world of digital home recording, combined work. This was, evidently, a conscious move to separate themselves with the internet, this can be done almost instantly. In the early 1655 Albany Post Road, RT 9 Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
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1970’s this was a significantly more laborious and time consuming way to put together material for an album. The elegant piano and dramatic introduction sets the stage on the first track “Can You Understand” as the band snakily weaves through a succession of changes and moods before Haslam’s vocals arrive, spiraling towards an orchestral section that wouldn’t be out of place in a film score. Interestingly the song contains a quote from a theme titled “Tonya and Yuri Arrive at Varykino”, Maurice Jarre’s score from the film Doctor Zhivago. Dunford believed this melody was from a Russian folk song that was in the public domain. Because of this the song has seen composer’s credit mistakenly given to Jarre on some unauthorized releases. Complicating things further Jon Camp and Jon Tout claimed to have written the intro to “Can You Understand”, not Dunford. Their claim was supported by drummer Terrence Sullivan, yet they remain uncredited. All controversy aside, it’s a fantastic song and a powerful opening track that sets the stage for the rest of the album. The next track “Let It Grow” has more of a gentle folkier feel while still giving Haslam a beautiful platform to showcase her incredible vocal prowess and range. “Carpet of the Sun”, which opens side two, has remained one of their most enduring and popular songs, and it continues to be a staple of their live shows. A deliciously infectious melody, that has all of the ingredients of a great pop song, combined with the unmistakable stamp of Renaissance. “At the Harbor” which follows, begins with a dazzling solo piano piece played by John Tout. It weaves the impressionistic beauty of Maurice Ravel with the delicate, classically infused jazz of George Gershwin into a tapestry of almost cinematic proportions. It’s hard to argue that they saved the best for last on this record, as the title track is easily my favorite song on the album. The myriad elements that make up their music are magnificently
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on display here. Folky, yet bombastic, classically structured with challenging time signatures, and the unashamed pageantry of full-blown prog rock, all with Haslam’s incredible vocals soaring defiantly over the top. Easing in gently, as Haslam audaciously declares “ashes are burning away”, is a gorgeously executed, fleet fingered display of emotional playing by Wishbone Ash’s Andy Powell that’s both melodically beautiful and blisteringly bluesy. A more appropriate coda to this epic masterpiece of a song and album closer would be hard to find. I’m practically out of breath as I’m writing this! Ashes Are Burning was the first Renaissance album to crack the Billboard 200 Album Chart coming in at 171, and continues to be considered a creative high point for the band, as well as a fan favorite. The band officially ended in the late 1980’s with various members pursuing solo careers or other projects. Apart from a brief reunion, an album (Lady From Tuscany) and a short tour of Japan in 2001, the band remained inactive until they were resurrected for their 40th anniversary in 2009. Renaissance has endured since then in a seemingly endless variety of incarnations. Annie Haslam has been carrying the torch and continuing to spread the gospel of Renaissance right up to the present day, celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. To mark this momentous occasion the current touring lineup is hitting the road, and also performing selected shows with full orchestral accompaniment. They’ll be appearing at Town Hall in New York City on October 11th, as well as visiting our Hudson Valley area for shows at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Connecticut on October 16th, and The Egg in Albany on October 19th. All three of these shows will feature an orchestra, and you can be sure that they’ll be playing a generous selection of songs from Ashes Are Burning.
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December 12, 2019 - January 5, 2020 69 Main Street, 2nd Floor New Paltz, NY Thursday - Sunday 11-8pm www.roostcoop.org GALLERY & GIFTS Van W yck Gazette - Autumn 2019 Issue
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Do You Remember Caplan Brothers Eggs on Fowler in Poughkeepsie? I worked there for a few years, 1962-1965, mixing an egg blend sold to bakeries and hospital kitchens used to make bread. I went on long drives into rural farmland to load our truck with the freshest raw eggs obtainable. I bravely operated our brand new mechanical sorter machinery to size multitudes of fragile eggs into peewee, small, medium, large, extra-large or jumbo. I became knowledgeable in the ways of the small business entrepreneur; a marketer of eggs wholesaled to the elementary school kitchens and retailed at our warehouse. Of note, Caplan Brothers sold raw fresh eggs to Puerto Rico to help stave off hunger in the 1960’s. Unheralded, the co-owners oft hired individuals with developmental disabilities before it became mandated or held in high esteem. Caplan Brothers also wholesaled various products, such as pre-formed hamburger patties, to the local dinettes and ice cream stands long before Carroll’s and McDonald’s forced everyone to close. Trying to find a luncheonette today is truly an exercise in frustration, unless you visit an online “nostalgia” site to view photos of those long shuttered eateries on any local Main Street. Caplan Brothers itself fell victim to a large egg co-op. But those glorious summery days in the heady 1960’s were spent by window shopping the local stores, way prior to Poughkeepsie urban renewal and consequent mass civic exodus to the brand new shopping center on Route 9, complete with their Montgomery Ward. Caplan Brothers had built a walk-in cooler, on premises, to stabilize or reduce the temperature of eggs, a rather fragile natural product. I had asked for those geometric shaped white pieces of styrofoam, to craft some architectural detail to the Aurora HO slot car track layout in our musty cellar. Had I enjoyed any ability to Page 14
Milton Caplan candling eggs foresee their upcoming valuations I might not have auctioned those coveted cars online. But,then again, the same explanation could be voiced about the reams of colorful comic booklets which Jean, a devoted employee, had gifted upon the Caplan children. Their titles alone foretold a vast potential fortune; Superman, Sad Sack and, of course, the Bible of teen angst, Archie. Perhaps this tenuously explains, in Freudian terminology, the academic majors in contemporary literature and child psychology I studied while an undergraduate at the State University of New York at Albany. I truly appreciate the sheer irony, or coincidence, of the unique performance arts venue in the Capital District named The Egg. The architectural nod to our beloved family business is duly noted. Anyway, one venue that required our truck loaded with frozen foodstuffs was, of course, the annual County Fair and their food stands on the fairways, brightly lit with yellow phosphor tubes. I unloaded the contents of our truck onto red steel hand trucks and rushed down the fairways with wheels on fire, the sense of urgency pressing my need to coax any or every fairgoer to leap out of harm’s way. Barely able to maintain the hand truck on course, let alone balanced, I sped to food stands with the requisite burgers and fries to feed the starving masses. Back and forth I toiled in crisp summer air tinged with the aroma of fried dough and onion rings. Past the amusement rides and carnival barkers, I rolled one hand truck, then the other. At last, our huge truck was empty. I had saved up the price of a jacket sold at one store on Main Street. Poughkeepsie beckoned the local shoppers with stores such as Luckey Platt & Company Department Store (1923-1981) or Wallace ‘s (1906-1975). I often walked to Main Street to meet students at Book & Record or check out albums at Recordland. Astute students of business models forecast chains of stores. The modern mall architecture replaced the family operated stores on Main Street, plus everywhere else. As urban sprawl competed with the charm of city center, the allure of Circuit City or Best Buy beat Arax Camera, Barnes & Noble beat Book & Record and V an W yck Gazette - A utumn 2019 Issue
Caplan Brothers Warehouse on Fowler Avenue in Poughkeepsie, New York department stores beat Recordland with their multiple bins of Of course fair food is homogeneous, or alike, from vendor discount albums in aisle upon aisle of compartmentalized titles. to vendor today. A trade-off to progress and modern thinking. As The local luncheonette could not serve up anything like a Big a young boy in 1964 I felt progress was simply a focus of the New Mac. Soon a Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s or Burger King opened York World’s Fair and never a threat to civility or the sphere of up shop everywhere. Of course, the freshest eggs, once almost our lives. I had a routine in late 1964. Pour a cup of cold, fresh limited to a boutique item, were retailed at Adams Fairacre Farms Fernbrook Farms milk, scour the kitchen for those chocolaty Oreo or almost any store, Stop & Shop to Shop-Rite. So bid adieu to snacks and snag the print weekly from the metal mail box adjacent fresh egg wholesalers, although their farm to table concept was to our front door. It was a brief respite from daily concert band realized years ago by roadside stands, plus the Caplan Brothers. rehearsal, Hebrew language tutors and those Saturday football games at Poughkeepsie High. But then again, as a trombonist, Commercial food delivery became national. What a restaurant I was first in the marching band to walk on Main Street or onto served in Poughkeepsie became consistent with menu selections the game field. Those halcyon days faded upon the complacency served in Port Jervis. This trade off in quality and service became of daily life. Yet lately I like to whisk raw eggs and heat in a pan, embraced by the average consumer over the years, slowly, maybe coax the yolks to firm, and slide into junket-rennet custardy folds. imperceptibly, albeit steadily welcomed as social progress. A nod to the fried cuisine at the food stand I coveted on balmy As a fresh-faced newcomer to the mall I craved a food court late summery nights at the fair. So many innocent years ago. staple, diet be damned, the freshest donuts were easily had there. No need to shop at the Capitol Bakery on Main Street. Although the yeast alcohol that wafted into Sunday mornings from hot ovens baking the freshest sugary buns could have you swooning with ravenous desire. Although I candidly have not entered a Dunkin Donuts with anything ravenous. Well, not lately. So, the last night at the county fair in 1964. Time to square up accounts. I kept thinking of our upcoming visit to M. Schwartz & Company. Seated on hay bales, relaxing with a burger and frosty chocolate malted shake, I was tired from wheeling hand trucks overloaded with frozen food the prior five nights. Except I fell backward, unexpectedly. A carnival worker disputed his bills and pulled a knife. I never saw it. My father had deftly dodged the blade and pushed me out of harm’s way. My mother found out, of course. So Caplan Brothers Eggs would not ever return to supply foodstuffs to the county fair. While I sit calmly on hot tepid nights I am amazed about how mischief was there at the local county fair in 1964 while not a fairgoer knew.
Martin, David and Milton Caplan (left to right) Page 15
Hearty Vegetable Bean Stew
Isabel Minunni Crisp air, apple pies, fall foliage and warm sweaters are just a few of my favorite things in autumn. An old fashioned hearty vegetable bean stew is a perfect warm-you-up on a chilly fall day and a great way to utilize the remaining vegetables from your garden.
5. Place soaked beans into the soup pot and cover with lid. Simmer beans until tender (about 2 hours), add water or more broth if necessary. Add the sliced carrots during the last 8 minutes of cooking. Serves 4
Adding local vegetables to this recipe is a great way to add more healthy ingredients to your dinner and there is no need for flour to thicken the stew. Ingredients: 1 20 ounce package of 5 bean mix 1 large eggplant 1 large squash 5 tomatoes 1 small bunch kale or spinach 2 tablespoons olive oil 6 cups vegetable broth-your favorite or homemade 1 onion-diced 2 stalks celery-diced 4 carrots / 2 diced & 2 sliced Directions: 1. Remove all debris from beans and place them into large bowl. Cover beans with water and let soak in refrigerator overnight. Drain. 2. Peel eggplant and squash and cut them into 1 inch pieces. Cut tomatoes. Place vegetables and greens in a large, heavy bottom soup pot with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook on medium heat until the vegetables start to soften, stirring often. Add vegetable broth; simmer until vegetables are tender and broken down. Blend broth in a blender until thickened and smooth. 3. In the same pot, add the remaining oil, onions, celery and diced carrots. Cook on medium-low heat until vegetables start to soften, stirring often. 4. Pour blended broth back into the pot through a mesh sieve. Page 16
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Van W yck Gazette - Autumn 2019 Issue
Turning a Passion Into a Business David McGorry When Dave Quas and Steve Reverri were friends and athletes in high school they proudly wore the team tee shirts for all the sports they played. Little did they know that their love of a cool shirt would evolve into a business idea that would make them partners in selling sports apparel to the next generation of athletes. After high school Dave went to work at Putnam/Westchester Boces and later started a business of his own. While he was pursuing this, Steve was gaining experience by volunteering with non-profits and building relationships throughout the Hudson Valley. Just as he did in school, he began to see how a welldesigned shirt, at a reasonable price, could be a source of pride when it displayed the name of a team, a non-profit or an important cause. After Dave sold his business in late 2015, he began to look for a new business idea where he could leverage his experience. He saw his friend Steve as a potential partner, given that they knew each other well, could speak very openly to each other and had the same appreciation for the value of great shirts. Steve’s work volunteering with Hudson Valley non-profits also provided a customer base to launch their business. In 2016 they began working together to establish a business. The name of the business became "Those Guys" since that is how they had so often been referred to in their past adventures. “In 2016 we had a business on paper” Dave said. “We built the foundation of our business plan, decided what we wanted to be called, designed our logo and created our website.” “We built the back-end of the business and installed a CMS system for order fulfillment” he continued. “We each made investments of our own money and it took us about a year to learn it.” Initially customers came from each of their networks. Dave used his contacts from his previous business to help create a list
of suppliers. Steve had a customer network from his extensive work with Hudson Valley non-profits. Dave also attended trade shows throughout the country to meet suppliers and distributors. Their objective was to start by serving customers from their base and demonstrate loyalty to the customer’s mission. This helped them get repeat business and referrals to new clients. “If we approached a new customer and they were happy where they were, we were fine with it” Steve said. “We stick to building relationships and maybe down the road there will be another opportunity to do business with them". While 75 percent of their business is in the Hudson Valley, the website is their storefront. “We wanted to use the website as our storefront since an actual location is too expensive and could sink us" Dave said. “People have been able to find us online and we are still able to build personal relationships.” Both men believe that their mutual respect and ability to speak openly and honestly about any topic has helped them launch and succeed in the business. “There was a point in the beginning where I felt nervous that Steve didn’t understand the work” Dave said. “We can communicate honestly, though, so we spoke about everything and were able to move forward.” For anyone starting a business, Dave said the three things that you need are drive and passion for the work, plenty of time to get it done and lots of energy. There are also great benefits to owning your own business. “Despite all the work when you have your own business you can decide to step out and do something with your family. It is nice to have that freedom.” Steve said that having your own business has additional benefits beyond the financial success. “You have a partnership with the community” he said. “We can give back to some great non-profits because we know that to them a $15 shirt is a very big deal and we understand what they are trying to achieve.” Page 17
Autumn Cocktails Paige Flori Now that the hot, sticky days of late summer have melted into the cool, crisp evenings of autumn, comforting fall food and drinks come to center stage. Seasonal flavors, such as maple, apple and yes, even pumpkin, replace the desire for melons, citrus and floral flavors. Warmed drinks help chase the chill of late fall evenings away. Darker spirits begin to replace clear ones in our glass. Fuller bodied wines substitute for the crisp, clean flavors we craved just a few months ago. For weightier whites, explore some new grapes with richer, spicier or oakier tones to them. One worth exploring is Grenache Blanc, most commonly grown in France and Spain, but is also seen in California as well. Grenache Blanc, a mutated version of the red Grenache grape, has a flavor profile that can be similar to Chardonnay when aged in oak casks, but when it isn’t, it has some fantastic peach, pear and honeysuckle notes with a touch of spice. It is dry and rich, with an alcohol percentage in the 13-15% range. It pairs perfectly with heavier fish like tuna steaks. Look for LaGravera Onra from Spain or Tablas Creek Vineyards Blanc from Paso Robles as two delicious examples. For more local options, check out Fjord Vineyard in Milton, NY. Their Chardonnay boasts baked apple notes with hints of caramel and toasted oak. The medium weight of the wine will pair with some of fall’s best veggies. Try with Parmesan covered acorn squash or roasted honeynut squash with butter and nutmeg. Whitecliff Vineyard’s (Gardiner, NY) Riesling is another excellent fall choice due to its soft fruit balanced with strong acidity. The clean finish will please almost everyone, especially when paired with your turkey dinners and all of the fixings! If you are a fan of reds, check out Heron Hill’s Pinot Noir (Hammondsport, NY). This old-world style example of the grape, aged 18 months in oak barrels, is light in body, with red berry flavor on the front, finishing with just a touch of spice. It would pair with pork, poultry or even lighter beef dishes. Or, try a Cabernet Franc, the parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon, but lighter in body and higher in acidity. A great example of that locally is Millbrook Vineyard’s (Millbrook, NY) Cabernet Franc. It’s medium body with easy fruit and hints of spice on the soft finish makes it well suited for tomato based dishes. Page 18
Photo Credit: Gabi Porter Negroni 1651 - Created by Gaz Regan (NY) 1.5 oz Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651 1 oz Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino 1 oz Campari Directions: Stir with ice in an ice-filled rocks glass, garnish with orange wedge, then serve. (Finger-stirring optional.) Another great option for fall is Beaujolais, which is made from Gamay grapes in the Beaujolais region of France. Fruit forward with flavors like blackberries and pomegranate, light and occasionally earthy, you can pair this wine with everything from trout to beef stroganoff. A fantastic, budget friendly example is Domaine Dupeuble. Need something warm for those late fall days when it starts to snow? Check out Hetta Glogg, a red wine infused with fruits and spices and inspired by Nordic tradition, but made here in Kingston, NY. Served warm, comforting aromas of orange and baking spice will thaw you out as you sip on a raisiny flavored wine. Or heat up some Freefall Red Sangria (Washingtonville, NY) in the crockpot on low with a few cloves and an orange peel for when you finish raking up the last of the leaves. Brotherhood Holiday wine is spot on for those early snow days. If wine isn’t your thing, nothing screams fall quite like apples in New York. Hard ciders, while great all year round, really get attention when the weather starts changing. And the Hudson Valley has one of the largest, most well rounded selection of hard ciders in the world. If you are looking for more adult style ciders, with some classic fruit on the front and just a touch of sweetness, look no further than Orchard Hill’s Verde Cider from New Hampton, NY. Equally delicious and easy to drink is Maves from Hudson Valley Farmhouse (Staatsburgh, NY) and Diner Brew’s Huguenots from Mount Vernon, NY. These examples are packaged in single serve size and are perfect for drinking during football games but would also pair well with roasted pork loin or chops at dinner time. Want something a little less fruity? Check out Treasury Cider’s Wiccopee (Fishkill, NY), Abandoned’s Classic Cider Van W yck Gazette - Autumn 2019 Issue
(made from foraged apples from Dutchess, Sullivan and Ulster Counties), or Pitchfork Cider (Poughkeepsie, NY) which are crisp and clean with less fruit. Or try a flavored cider. Awestruck (Sidney, NY) makes a barrel aged Pumpkin cider called Hometown Homicider, which has a true pumpkin flavor. Milea Estate (Hyde Park, NY) Wild Goose is Bourbon Barrel aged with nice tones of caramel and vanilla from the barrel. Citizen Cider’s (Vermont) Tree Tapper is apples fermented with maple syrup and finishes dry with a touch of savory maple on the finish. A week or two before Thanksgiving Nine Pin Cider comes out with their seasonal offering, Blueberry Peach Cobbler cider, which tastes just like it’s namesake and is a perfect boozy substitute for dessert at the holiday table. Classic cocktails are always welcome in fall. Some favorites are a Sidecar, made with cognac or bourbon (try Catskill Distillery’s Most Righteous Bourbon), orange liqueur and lemon juice, a Manhattan, made with rye (try NY Distilling’s Ragtime Rye), sweet vermouth, bitters and a cherry, and an Old Fashioned, made with rye or bourbon, a sugar cube, bitters and an orange and cherry. For an unexpected fall twist using a clear spirit, try making a Spruce Gin cocktail, using tart cranberry juice and a touch of seltzer, prosecco or a dry cider (like the ones listed above). A great local spruce gin is FirGin from Union Grove Distillery in Arkville, NY. It shows beautiful late fall flavors without the use of dark liquors. Or go with a classic Negroni, and use the brand new Tod and Vixen Gin from the The Vale Fox distillery, Dutchess County’s newest addition, located in Poughkeepsie, NY. Tod and Vixen was designed around this classic cocktail made with Italian bitter aperitivo and sweet vermouth, and is perfect to sip before a large, fall Sunday or holiday dinner. With so many perfect choices, you are sure to find something for everyone this season. So sit back, enjoy the colors nature has to offer, and sip on your favorite! Happy Fall!
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Adrea Gibbs
“Keep Your Dauber Up” Whatever That Means At the end of a phone conversation with my mom, one in which I was bemoaning, between sighs, a litany of ridiculousness that somehow had all wedged into a single day, she responded at the (almost) close with “Well, keep your dauber up.” I paused. I might even say I paused thoughtfully. “Do you know what a dauber is?,” I responded. “I mean, we have used that phrase for years and years, but do you have any idea to what it refers?” Okay, I probably honestly said “…do you have any idea what it would refer to?” However, my mom, a former teacher and hobbyist grammarian, would give me a ‘tsk-tsk.” We do not commit that to paper, unless it was a specific character choice, and I don’t think she thinks I count as a character. Although, come to think of it, she probably does, but I digress, so back to the dauber. “I don’t think I do.” We pontificated for quite some time over what a dauber may or may not be in actuality. Some of our thoughts were clever, we thought, while others trended quite blue. Still, having extended our originally lengthy conversation even further, we opted to dismiss it for the time being, upon my promising to check it out and see what I could uncover in my Google quest for knowledge…and a dauber. Ever on the information hunt, I typed in “What does dauber mean in English.” Seemed simple enough, but I didn’t really get the initial explanations for which I had hoped, particularly when inserting them into the phrase in question. I was advised that Dauber is a surname and people of note bearing that moniker included Yiddish literature scholar Jeremy Dauber and Chicago mobster William Dauber. To the former, I envisioned holding his Jewish Comedy: A Serious History tome in one hand and Landmark Yiddish Plays: A Critical Anthology in the other hand as part of a university hazing prank for incoming Language Arts students. Certainly, a rousing way to kick off a year of reading, reading, discussion, analysis and more reading. To the later, perhaps a veiled reference to remaining Page 20
vigilant and alert in the presence of a hitman. Then there was the 1938 Preakness Stakes winner, the American Racehorse Dauber. Perhaps “keep your Dauber up” (note the capitalization) is encouraging the recipient of the phrase to stay focused and driven, all the way to the finish line. Interesting options all. To be fair, as I perused, I found there were quite a few variables when it came to dauber, and how it was used, and to what it referred. Don’t get your dauber down. Keep your dobbers up. Keep your dauber down. Don’t let your dobber dangle. Keep your dauber out of the dirt. Don’t get your dauber in the dirt. You can see where this going. Either up or down. Depending on your situation, you should know what a dauber is. Having it the wrong way could put you in peril.
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Van W yck Gazette - Autumn 2019 Issue
Mud daubers, Organ Pipe daubers and Black and Yellow daubers are all of the insect variety. Basically fancy names for wasps. More than likely this is not the type of dauber anyone would want around. From what I gathered, mud daubers make their little nests out of mudballs they craft while carefully balanced on their hind quarters. A “dauber down” scenario, I suppose, if you are wishing someone balance. Kind of wasp yoga. Elsewhere, daubers are attributed to bingo, as the large stamper used to mark off a called number. In other words, keeping your dauber down is a good thing. It means your numbers are hitting. There is also a shoe polish dauber, that is represented as being a luxury shoe care item (available on shoepassion.com) should you be interested, and bingo daubers can be readily found (on amazon.com). The description goes on to state, “Using only a simple cloth to apply shoe cream to a leather upper will not guarantee you reach all the hardto-access parts of your footwear. The horsehair polish dauber though, is perfectly suited to the task and is the right choice for structured leather, as well.” And we are back to the horse. You must be forewarned, if you are a painter and someone calls you a dauber, it may not be a good thing. In parts of the world it could mean you aren’t very skilled at your craft. Bear in mind art is subjective, and those who can’t often critique. On a lighter brushstroke, some paint brushes are expressly denoted as daubers, so an artist can daub some paint here. Then daub some paint there. Then put one more daub up top and…voila! Plastering also came up in several places. Apparently if you “let your dauber droop” it could end up on the floor. A plop of Plaster of Paris perhaps? That’s what could happen, and it could be really bad, if it happened on an heirloom rug that had not been covered properly during preparation. When it comes to baseball, some blogs I uncovered claimed a dobber (that being the preferred spelling for this item) is what the little button on top of a cap is called. I did not find that description in my extremely unscientific research, even when inputting “top of baseball cap dobber” (or more, or fewer words, in all sorts of
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combinations). Dauber, as the spelling did change with great frequency, came up as that most notable button. It did come up as being called a squatcho. That little tidbit, though, will have to wait for another story. As to the dobber, purportedly when handed a loss, many a player is likely to drop their heads in a dejected manner. A player therefore, could be in danger, depending on how devastating the loss was, letting the dobber get in the dirt and/or mud. In short, it references the feeling of being low but is imbued with a sense of encouragement and support. Tomorrow will be a better day and nothing that a hot dog and beer can’t fix. I also came across a pop culture idiom. The television show Coach had a supporting character whose name was Michael “Dauber” Dybinski, who was not very sharp and could, at times, be on the verge of annoying. Calling someone a “Dauber” is basically saying, well, that certain individual is not the brightest crayon in the box. In this case, to keep your “Dauber” anywhere may just be getting it out of your way. Up on a shelf. Down in the basement. Off on a wild goose chase. I would be remiss were I not to mention what also came up repeatedly when I sojourned through Google, Bing, Duck Duck Go, Dogpile and assorted other SEO-rich sites which was obvious. Your basic phallic meaning. I need not go into detail and will leave that bit to your own imagination. So while dictionaries and blogs cannot seem to agree as to what, exactly, a dauber may be, (they can’t even seem to agree on how to spell the word) to my way of thinking, one thing appears to hold true. As the expression goes, it generally seems to mean keeping those flagging spirits lifted, even when things seem to get tough. And an interesting closing random thought, the aforementioned Preakness winner was retired to stud following his final race…and was unsuccessful. Someone should have been working to keep that horse’s dauber up, for certain.
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Monte’s Restaurant’s Famous Tomato Sauce Don Rosendale A friend gave me a jar of pasta sauce from Monte’s restaurant in Amenia the other day and it made me think about my favorite scene from The Godfather movie. You know, the one in which Clemenza is giving lessons in making spaghetti sauce and says “you should add sugar to keep it from being bitter”. What’s in a red sauce stirred in Amenia that brought to mind a movie about the Mafia? You have to start that thread with the 1906 opening in Brooklyn by Angelo Montermarino of what was to become Monte’s Restaurant. The Monte’s in Amenia is a descendant of the one in Brooklyn. It’s unabashed in admitting that the original made it through Prohibition as a speakeasy with a basement chute into the sewer to dump any booze in case the “revenoors” showed up. After booze became legal again, Monte’s in Brooklyn became the late night hangout of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., a line of politicians and gangsters. The Monte’s shortened their name and, for a while, moved saucepots and spoons to Montauk on Long Island. But by 2015 were looking for a new home. The coup de foudre struck five years ago when Angelo’s granddaughter, Anne Marie, spotted the ugliest building in Amenia. It had a flat roof and pistachio paint job, just across the street from a gas station Monte Brothers in Venetian Room and a Dollar Store. Page 22
It was home to a failed restaurant on the ground floor, but Anne Marie thought it was a reincarnation of their original place in Brooklyn. So the five Monte siblings chipped in and began dishing out pasta, fresh Montauk shellfish and local beef in Amenia. The chef behind the grille is Angelo, a grandson, who goes by the nickname Chip, to lessen confusion with the other Angelo’s in the family (his father is also named Angelo). Candice, his wife, runs the front of the house, while Anne Marie stops in from time to time to play social director. There are some recipes that are kept in a safe and known only to one or two persons (like the ingredients of Coke and Pepsi). Chip was entrusted with the Monte’s Brooklyn pasta sauce recipe from 100 years ago. It was so popular in Amenia this summer that they began bottling it (in those Mason jars people use to put up their preserves). While so far it’s hard to find (sold only in places like Dutchess farmer’s markets), the sauce is becoming a word of mouth success. There’s been no advertising and I haven’t seen another magazine article, but here you go. I don’t trust my own palate in judging the sauce. I was by accident Monte’s first ever customer, when I mistook their opening night invitation and showed up an hour early to the premiere. So I entrusted a jar to a true Italian jury, the Fierrevanti family in Millbrook. “This is an Van W yck Gazette - Autumn 2019 Issue
awesome sauce” is what they told me after a spaghetti dinner. “It is definitely the best jar sauce I ever had and better than a lot of homemade sauces”. It’s easy to understand the appeal. The label promises the sauce is Vegan, 100% natural, gluten free and farm-to-jar fresh with shallots, garlic, onion, basil and oregano grown at his Dover Plains home. Check out the labels on some of those high-priced spaghetti sauces in the supermarket. I never knew they could stir so many chemicals and preservatives into one recipe. Chip Monte says the secret is his family’s century-old, Mafia tested recipe, plus not to cook the herbs too much which “makes the garlic bitter.” He also advises people not to overcook his sauce at home, “just warm it up.” Inspired by the Fierrevanti
review, I filched a jar to try myself. My rule to cook pasta is boil 9 minutes no matter what the package says. But intent on giving the Monte’s sauce the best possible accompaniment, I cooked the full 11 minutes as recommended on the package of ziti. I followed Angelo’s advice to not overheat, and put the burner under the sauce on low. While I waited for the ziti to boil, I had a unique experience, as a heavenly fragrance wafted up from the Monte’s sauce while it simmered. I’ve cooked a lot of pasta sauce in my life, but don’t ever recall such a fragrance! After the full 11 minutes the pasta was ready. I added the Monte’s tomato sauce and a little Romano cheese and it was well, as my friends in Italy would exclaim, “belissima.” Page 23