Borough Bites

Patrons can find comfort in food at ParkSide Eats

Owner’s late mother inspired his craft in the kitchen

BY TYLER BROWN

The search for genuine comfort is universal, yet subjective.

For many, it’s the security of a close relationship. For others, it’s the preservation of culture. And for some, it’s the pursuit of purpose. But for Ryan Armas, owner of ParkSide Eats, it’s the discovery that family, tradition, and innovation can all exist on a plate.

As a child, Armas curiously observed his mother, Martha, create culinary masterpieces in the kitchen. His proximity to the action resulted in his early involvement with preparing and cooking food. With each meal, his capacity for understanding the nuanced artistry behind food increased.

As he grew older, he expanded his familiarity with food by visiting restaurants for inspiration. During this period of culinary enlightenment, Armas would develop his own framework for flavor by experimenting with different recipes.

“I’ve always been one to go out to eat and try new foods. I’ve always helped my mother in the kitchen and when I grew up, I decided to try to make the things I ate at a restaurant,” he said.

Armas, who lives in Spotswood, would eventually start his own catering service. Although successful, his home-based operation was overwhelmed with orders. As a result, several customers encouraged Armas to establish a storefront.

Due to popular demand, he began the search for an available property.

In 2020, he spent considerable time scouting locations to start his new business venture. With patience, he eventually found a place with potential at 166 Main St. in Metuchen.

Unfortunately, life had other plans that derailed his progress and momentum.

Armas’ mother was diagnosed with cancer and for two years they battled the illness together until she passed away.

“I was looking into this place on the southside of Main Street for about a year in 2020 and it took me two years to open because my mother got sick. We went through a journey of battling cancer within those two years and unfortunately, she passed away,” he said. please see BITES, page 7 08840

Although devastating, the intimate loss motivated Armas to new levels of determination. In her honor, he planned to open his restaurant on the anniversary of her death. To further cement her legacy at 166 Main St., he had a wall mural designed in remembrance of her.

“I became determined to open [the restaurant] the anniversary of her death. To commemorate my mother, I had the mural designed on the side of the building as a reminder why I did this,” Armas said.

Faced with the challenge of owning and operating a restaurant, Armas realized he needed assistance. Thankfully, he assembled a team that enabled him to remain focused on his true passion: cooking.

“While I knew how to make the food, I had no idea how to run a restaurant, this is where I hired a team to help me out with the operations.

“I have always enjoyed a challenge, my mother motivated me to try different things, she made me the person I am today, and I enjoy making people happy with good tasting food.

“I’ve learned being in this industry for a short time that there is still a lot to learn and a long way to go. I understand that it’s not always easy. But being quick on your feet and having a team, with good communication, keeps me inspired to overcome any challenges that comes our way.

BITES continued from page 6 “We work together and make decisions that are best for the restaurant, and we listen to feedback as best as we can,” he said. Now officially established, Armas is excited to share his plate with people seeking comfort food. With a menu that features generational influences and a personal take on American cuisine, customers can expect a unique experience. “The type of food that customers please see BITES, page 15

PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE ParkSide Eats offers American comfort cuisine with a global twist.

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“Therese was actually really, really good [in basketball],” Flaherty said. “She was six years older, and she would kick my butt. We played competitively against each other.” Flaherty said his dad started the first girls basketball league in the borough. He said when the team did not have enough players, he was able to play. Before attending Metuchen High School, Flaherty attended St. Francis Cathedral School and was part of their competitive basketball program.

“I ended up playing 120 games before I even went into high school,” he said.

At Metuchen High School, Flaherty was a star athlete on the boys varsity basketball team.

In fact, his record as “all-time leading scorer” for boys basketball still stands. He did lose the “overall leading scorer” to a student girl athlete in 2014-15.

After graduation in 1985, Flaherty attended the University of Vermont on a basketball scholarship.

However, after one year, homesickness got the best of him and his mom, at the time, had a heart attack.

So, he made his way back to New Jersey and attended St. Peter’s University in Jersey City. Yes that St. Peter’s that made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament in March.

“I got to attend the final eight game, which was very cool to see,” he said. “I reached out to some old friends of mine [from my time there]. We still have connections to this day.”

When Flaherty came home, he forfeited the basketball scholarship he received from the University of Vermont. St. Peter’s gave him another four-year basketball scholarship, but he had to sit out a year – per NCAA rules. He played three years after that.

For a small school like St. Peter’s, the Division 1 men’s basketball team played all over from Hawaii, San Diego to Montana, he said.

“It was a great journey, we had a lot of fun,” he said. “Out of the four years I was there, we went to the NIT (National Invitation Tournament) twice. The year after I left, the team made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time.”

After college

After graduation, Flaherty stayed in Jersey City and lived with his brother Shawn.

With a degree in marketing management and a minor in economics and computers, Flaherty set his sights on Wall Street.

First, he worked at Prudential. Flaherty said he did not agree with the company’s big push to sell life insurance policies and eventually left the job.

“My dad was like, ‘You can’t leave a job and not have another job,’” he recalled.

Flaherty worked odd jobs while actively looking for another job. And then he got a job in the Pershing Division of DLJ, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, trading foreign currencies.

“When at DLJ and Pershing, I was promised a bonus if I kept finance under a certain amount and I did, but I never got that bonus,” he recalled. “It went to one of my bosses.”

And although, he said he liked the work, he was “disenchanted.” So, he left and had his eyes set on Goldman Sachs.

This is where the one police test comes in.

In 1992, then-Police Chief Fred Hall called Flaherty and said the department was going to be hiring another three out of the next 40 applicants and asked him if he wanted to come and take the physical fitness test.

“I was like ‘Yeah, I’m in’ thinking this will hold me over until I figure out what I want to do because I had a young family at the time,” Flaherty said. “I went to the academy (Middlesex Police Academy in Edison at the time).”

And to say the rest is history would be an understatement.

“I literally liked doing the job,” he said. “It wasn’t so much about the enforcement, yes some excitement of a police chase, but it was really about making a difference and talking to and understanding the community and getting to know all the people.”

Flaherty was sworn in as a Metuchen police officer in January 1993. In May of that year, he graduated from the police academy.

He went out on patrol for four years, worked in a plain clothes unit for a year enforcing quality of life crimes, worked in a bike unit for two years and then went back on patrol.

In 2004, he became a corporal; two years later he was promoted into the detective bureau. In 2008, he was promoted to sergeant and worked out on the road until 2015 when he became an administrative sergeant.

In 2017, Flaherty was promoted to lieutenant. Before we get to the chief role, Flaherty said, ‘Yes the chief role is the ultimate goal,’ but he never thought he would get to this point in his career.

At the bottom of his emails, he had the initials “PFL” – patrolman for life.

“In a small department, things are very competitive,” Flaherty said. “There’s not as many jobs you can do, sometimes it moves quick and sometimes it moves fast for a moment, then it kind of backlogs because there’s a lot of good guys in front of you.”

And with 30 years on the job, Flaherty could have retired five years ago.

If the chief role didn’t happen, he said it would have been OK. “Some of my best memories on this job are as a patrolman and as a community police officer,” he said. “That is where I met and fostered most relationships that I have now.”

Now with the opportunity as chief, Flaherty said his vision is immersing the department in the community.

“Our town has changed a lot, but it has also stayed the same in many ways,” he said. “The people who were players in the sys-

CHIEF continued from page 5 tem back then are still the same people I’ve known. I’ve gotten to know owners of land, owners of businesses when I was a sergeant on the road. It’s very important for me to relay to my guys the importance of getting out of our car and having that face time with people.” Part of who Flaherty is, is his time spent on the basketball court. NBA great Larry Bird resonated with Flaherty, who he had met briefly when he was in eighth grade. “I played a lot of areas that were unlike Metuchen and those were some of the best times of my life,” he said. “I met some of the best friends and basketball brought us on the same field.” In his office, a Larry Bird Boston Celtics’ No. 33 jersey hangs on one wall, as well as a photo of NFL great Joe Namath. When he was sworn in as chief, he relayed his father’s words. “You will never know what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes, but what you can do is listen to their stories and affect change,” he said. “So, you can’t say I’ve experienced that, but you can hear about it before you can change your views and hopefully change.” The vision for his department is inclusion and for everyone in the community to feel comfortable. “The only way to feel that way is if you talk,” Flaherty said. “You may have something in your mind that stereotypes me as an officer, but once you know me you may say, ‘Oh, Flaherty is a good dude, he had that past, he grew up here.’ “I tell my officers, ‘Pull from what makes you, you.’” Flaherty said he got married young, got divorced, experienced childcare issues. “This gives me empathy, sympathy when I go to a call,” he said. “Like if someone is going through a divorce or hard times and say, ‘You don’t understand’ … ‘Well, I do’ and sharing my story, even though it’s personal and maybe I shouldn’t have to tell someone that, but sometimes they say, ‘Wow, he does understand.’ I think that’s really important.” And all that puts trust between the community and the police department. “By us getting out into the community, addressing those problems and being out at all events people start to trust us,” Flaherty said. “That to me is the most important. If there is a trust there, they know they can go to their officers and say ‘Hey’ and recognize them.” Flaherty said he encourages his officers to be problem solvers. For those who know Flaherty, he is an open book. For those who don’t know him, ask. He is the only one of his siblings who stayed in the town, which was in part due to the job. His mom lived in the borough until 2018 before moving to Georgia to be closer to

please see CHIEF, page 9 08840

his sisters Donna and Therese. His father passed away in 2016. As chief, Flaherty said he tries to get to headquarters early - But first a coffee pickup at Krauzer’s Food Store on Durham Avenue. He drops off a cup to his wife, Lisette, with a note on the lid “Love ya, thinkin’of ya.” “She is really the foundation,” he said of his wife. “That’s why you want to come home. She’s dealing with the kids all day. I got it easy just dealing with these

guys.” Flaherty has five children – Kelcey, who is studying abroad for a master’s degree in Scotland; Arthur Jr., who is in the U.S. Coast Guard; Daniel, who is in the U.S. Air Force; Kylie, who is going to be a senior at Metuchen High School (MHS) and is committed to play Division 1 softball at Manhattan College after graduation; and Leslie, who is going to be a junior at MHS. His wife is Cuban. His children are fluent in Spanish. He wouldn’t say he is fluent, but he speaks and understands the language well. After the coffee drop, Flaherty heads to headquarters to catch up on important emails and catch up with the officers coming off midnight shifts and officers coming on.

“I want to be accessible because it was only seven years ago that I was [working] midnights, I don’t forget that,” he said. “When I was sworn in, I thanked my family for understanding not being at birthdays, not being at holidays, and not being at some games. And I appreciate that, the sacrifice that (the officers) make, times when they are not with their family … we all knew what we were getting into, but we also do it all the time.”

Flaherty said as he goes on, it is important to meet with all divisions and hear the

thoughts of the younger officers. “You live in a town that’s very progressive, and we should be too,” he said, noting even though something may have been done for years, it may be wrong and antiquated. “This job is different every day. I tell people I have a front row seat to the best show on earth. Some days are boring, but some days are crazy.” Flaherty said he also feels it’s important to make events in town. Aside from his role in the police department and coaching his girls in softball at one point, he had also served six years on the Metuchen Board of Education. As chief, he said it’s important to be out in the community. In June, he said he attended the Pride on the Plaza event sponsored by the Metuchen Downtown Alliance. “I feel like I should be accessible, I should be seen, that is important to me,” he said, CHIEF continued from page 8 adding not only him, but all his officers. “Look I have vacation, I have kids, I have games and I always want to be at those because my family is very important, but it’s also very important for the town to see me, know that I’m real and accessible and that they are being heard.” 

on important emails and catch up with the officers coming off mid-

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARTHUR FLAHERTY flahertyMHS: Arthur Flaherty played varsity basketball at Metuchen High School.