elcome to 07728, a magazine dedicated to the lifestyle and community of Freehold. We hope you have been enjoying our bimonthly editions so far. I am excited for you to check out what we have in store for our Holiday 2022 Issue. In this issue, readers who would like to “Shop Freehold” will hopefully find our Holiday Guide helpful. We highlighted a few spots for those wanting to find the “right gift” for that special someone. The Holiday Gift Guide begins on page 10.
Have you met Jeanne Marinello yet?
She is the proud leader of Youth Group-LIFT team at Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine in Freehold Township. The group has been doing so many great things as they continue to “roll up their sleeves” to service the community. Learn about Marinello and the youth group starting on page 3.
As you shop for that “right gift,” stop in at La Cipollina for some “fine, Italian” food. The restaurant lives up to its motto “We Cook It, We Live It, We Love It.” Learn about owner Anthony
taurant has become an “upscale BYOB borough favorite” starting on page 8. As you shop around town, you may come upon the Maplewood Cemetery, which is directly parallel to the bustling lanes of high-speed traffic on Route 9 near the Freehold Raceway Mall. Separated by dense trees are the history, memories, and stories of the past and present. Local historians and officials took the public on the borough’s first historic cemetery tour, and it piqued our interest. Learn more about Freehold’s past starting on page 16.
All of this and more awaits on the pages ahead. Enjoy and wishing you and your loved ones Happy Holidays!
ARLENE REYES
PUBLISHER
AMANDA PHILLIPS
MANAGING EDITOR
KATHY CHANG
LAYOUT & DESIGN
KIMBERLY KRAUSS
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BY KATHY CHANG
J
eanne
“You
Editor
Kathy Chang Editor
The belief has led her to become heavily involved at Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine in Freehold Township with the Youth Group-LIFT Team as its leader. LIFT stands for Living in Faith Together.
And in the midst of the holiday season, the group has been busy giving back to the community in various capacities.
Members of the community made and dropped off Thanksgiving food baskets on Nov. 20. The young people of the parish rolled up their sleeves and helped to take the baskets out of people’s vehicles and load them into vehicles of those delivering them, Marinello said.
“I feel it is so important to get the young people involved in helping wherever and whenever they can,” she said.
The youth group has been involved in feeding the homeless gentlemen in the parish’s Overnight Ministry and assisted in
please see LIFT, page 4
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Marinello is a big believer in “the right words at the right time.”
never know the impact any one of us could have on another person’s life,” she said.
Jeanne Marinello said she is proud to lead the young team as youth group coordinator
In the midst of the holiday season, the Youth Group-LIFT team at St. Roberts continues to ‘roll up their sleeves’ to service the community
the Religious Education Summer Academy. Members helped in the classrooms, helped during arts and crafts, and helped during recess, Marinello said.
Members of the Youth GroupLIFT Team go to Mattison Crossing, a local assisted living facility, in Freehold twice a month to play board games with the residents.
Through St. Peters Community Lunch at St. Peter’s Church on Throckmorton Street, members of the Youth Group as well as other young people of all ages have helped by making sandwiches and dropping them off to the church between the hours of 10:30-11:30 a.m. every Wednesday and Thursday. The sandwich program started during the pandemic.
“St. Peters used to do a sit-down lunch but then COVID happened, and they had to find a way to serve lunch to those in need throughout the community in a non-contactless way. Out of that need the Sandwich Program was born,” Marinello said. “I give one service hour [to my youth members] for every 10 sandwiches made and that program continues today.”
Marinello became involved with the
Blessing Bag Brigade in 2017 when she asked the founder of the organization – her friend Kevin “From Heaven” Garrison to speak at a Youth Group meeting.
“The ‘right words at the right time’ played a part in my involvement,” she said. “Kevin told his story and the story of the organization.”
Blessing Bag Brigade started as Garrison’s Christmas Project in 2016. He worked at Penn Station in New York and day in and day out, he saw the homeless in need and wanted to help.
“He asked his friends to help him by giving him basic items he could put in a gallon sized Ziploc bag [including] a small bottle of water, a pair of crew socks, toothbrush, travel size toothpaste, deodorant, travel size lotion, travel size shampoo, travel size soap, a disposable razor, and two snacks,” Marinello said, saying it was just the beginning as essentially “the flood gates started.” “His friends kept giving him items and he kept making the ‘blessing bags.’”
“Kevin is a veteran, and he has been very open and honest about his struggles with depression. He found that by giving back to
the world is a lot bigger than ourselves. Kevin always says, ‘If you get the chance to make an impact on someone’s life, take that chance because you may never know what someone is struggling with,’” Marinello said. The Youth Group loved his presentation and they have been making “blessing bags” ever since.
“At St. Roberts, we have an ongoing col-
please see LIFT, page 6
lection for Blessing Bag Brigade supplies throughout the year,” Marinello said. “We have ‘supply gathering’ and ‘packing events’ every few months as well. The organization has grown to include St. Luke’s Community Dinner in Long Branch and St. Peters Community Lunch in Freehold Borough. Everyone that I have met through Blessing Bag Brigade has been like an ‘angel.’ The message resonates with all ages, and I love to watch multiple generations come together to do something fantastic.”
As the youth group coordinator, Marinello said she gets to see the youth help others and the generation behind them look up to their peers.
“It warms my heart to see young people that have gone through the Youth Group-LIFT Team program come back from college and help,” she said. “We even have those that have graduated from college come back to help. They share their stories of what it is like in college or in real world careers and it provides an insight into the road ahead.”
The Youth Group-LIFT Team is a Cohort Youth Group with members from St. Roberts, St. Rose of Lima in Freehold, St. Thomas More in Manalapan and St Joseph Church in Millstone.
“They don’t have to be part of a parish to join the group. The group is open to young people in grades 8 through 12. We meet twice a month on Sundays in person in St. Roberts Parish Hall and simultaneously, I provide a livestream link for those members that for whatever reason cannot come in person,” Marinello said, noting she added the livestream option during the pandemic.
“The group wanted to meet more often virtually since they couldn’t see each other in person. We kept the group going with virtual themed meetings and virtual scavenger hunts which passed the time through the many months when we couldn’t meet in person.”
Now that the youth group has been able to meet back in person, there has been a renewed energy in the group, Marinello said.
“We look forward to all the different service opportunities the future brings and the
many organizations that we can be involved with,” she said. “Many of our members have run food drives for Open Door Food Pantry [in Freehold], ran diaper drives for the Monmouth County Diaper Bank through Childcare Resources in Neptune and ran Blessing Bag Brigade Supply drives.
“With all the service that we have done and all that we continue to do, I never want the members to lose sight of the fact that we are the ambassadors of faith. To others we are God’s hands, feet, shoulders and ears and in the people that we get to serve, we see God’s face in them all.
“I am so proud to
also an inspiration because he was always coaching teams and running programs when we were growing up and he instilled in my brothers and I the importance of being a role model.
“So often through my life I would be anywhere with my dad, and he would get stopped by someone who took the time to tell him how much his mentoring and coaching meant to them and how they used the tools he taught them through their life.”
A traumatic event that occurred when Marinello was 15 years old led her to her big belief of “the right words at the right time.”
be given the great blessing and opportunity to lead this amazing group and I thank my pastor, Monsignor Sam Sirianni, every chance I can to tell him what this experience continues to mean to me and the impact that it has had on the many lives that this group has touched,” Marinello said.
The longtime volunteer said her inspiration to help the community began when she was growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“The inspiration for wanting to help people and give back came from my mom (Kathy Bligh),” she said. “She lost her mom when she was 12 years old, and she raised my brothers and I to help and appreciate everyone because so many people through her life had helped her. My dad (Larry Bligh) was
“When I was 15 one of my brothers’ friends committed suicide at 12 years old,” she recalled. “It was sudden, and I remember that was the first time I questioned my faith. I felt so bad. I felt that if I had known that my brother’s friend was struggling with something that I could have helped him, and that feeling has stuck with me through my life. I see that young man’s face every time I get the opportunity to speak to the young people in my group.
remember the first tioned if I had known that my brother’s friend with I have has stuck with me through my life. I see get the opportunity to speak to the young people in my group.
one of us could have on another person’s life. I am a big believer in the
time could leave a lasting impression.”
“You never know the impact any one of us could have on another person’s life. I am a big believer in the right words at the right time could leave a lasting impression.”
Marinello went on to move to Staten Island, N.Y. She moved to Brick after she got married in 1990 and moved to Freehold in 2008.
move to Staten Island, N.Y. after 1990 and moved to Freehold in been
Her three children, now grown, have all been members of the Youth Group. They are 25, 27, and 29.
As the youth group coordinator currently overseeing 50 to 60 young people, Marinello said she is “so grateful and blessed to continue to see this group shine and to see so many young people rolling up their sleeves and making a profound positive impact wherever they go.”
“I hope their lives are forever changed by the organizations and experiences that were introduced to them through the Youth Group-LIFT team,” she said. “I know that my life is forever changed by all the young people I have had the honor and privilege to know along this amazing journey.”
For anyone interested in the Youth GroupLIFT Team email Marinello at jmarinello@ strobert.cc.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEANNE MARINELLO Jeanne Marinello leads Youth GroupLIFT team at Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine in Freehold Township. The group continues to ‘roll up their sleeves’ and service the community in many different volunteer capacities.
great tunity to lead this I thank my pastor,
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BY CHRISTINE BARCIA
As families gather together for holiday meals, the search for the best restaurants in town begins. In Freehold, La Cipollina is the choice for many seeking out fine, Italian food. Since 1987, the Italian eatery has been owned and operated by Anthony Braica. “Customers come year after year for the food and service, but most important people feel comfortable here,” he explained. Braica honed his skills from a young age going from restaurant to restaurant learning what it takes to make it in “this highly competitive industry.” He turned this originally casual dining destination into an upscale BYOB (bring your own bottle) borough favorite.
The menu reflects both self-taught Braica’s talent in the kitchen and the restaurant’s motto: “We Cook It, We Live It, We Love It.” Featuring many culinary options, the menu includes artisanal cheeses, a charcuterie butcher plate, and antipasti, in addition to soup, salad, pasta, Risotto, main courses of fish and meat, and desserts. Carving his own culinary path, Braica creates “authentic Italian cuisine with French influences,” according to the restaurant’s website.
Braica’s grit from his early years in the food service industry was evident during the pandemic. Instead of going the route of most restaurants and offering only a take-out menu, he created a “Saturday Night Feast” for his treasured customers. “We charged $100 for a feast for two and created a conveyor belt system in the parking lot to deliver the food,” he said. Braica’s concept was a success not only for customers, but also for the restaurant’s workers. “We kept staff
please see BITES, page 14
Self-taught owner creates ‘authentic Italian cuisine with French influences’PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE La Cipollina provides comfort as a downtown Freehold favorite with “authentic cuisine with French influences.”
“We
Love It”
BY KATHY CHANG
As the holiday season kicks into full swing, it’s pretty easy to feel overwhelmed of where to start shopping. Freehold Township and Freehold Borough provides a vast array of shopping opportunities from small momand-pop shops to the bustle of Freehold Raceway Mall.
Just walk along Downtown Freehold, Leela’s Salon at 22 East Main St. has a sign outside inviting the “Ladies in your life” into the salon to learn more about their “unlimited blowout membership.”
Leela’s is a woman-owned and operated luxury hair salon that was established in 2020 by owner Lisa Tancredi. The please see GIFTS, page 11
GIFTS continued from page 10
salon offers haircuts for men, women and children, hair color, extensions, blowouts (hence the unlimited blowout membership), special event styling – blowouts, extensions, bridal and updos, makeup services, lasio keratin treatments, olaplex treatments, and KMS and R&Co deep conditioning treatments, according to its website.
The salon also has an online shop of various hair and body care products for women and men, hair appliance tools and makeup.
Next door, House of Glam, 28 E Main St., offers an array of services. You don’t even have to go inside to know what they offer, which is displayed on their “glam” storefront window.
House of Glam is a luxury spa inspired by health and beauty. The business uses vegan products for its eyelash services, needle-free lip enhancements, high-end makeup brands such as NARS and Bobby Brown. Facials are performed by estheticians using Dermalogica, according to its website.
Signature services include lashes – extensions, lifts, facials, brow tint and shaping, makeup and nails, face enhancements, body sculpting, teeth whitening and full body waxing.
Just around the corner, South Street Cigars offers a
huge selection of cigars and smoking essentials. The location at 11 South St. was formerly Cigar, Cigars. Gift certificates are available.
Across the street, Especially for You Florist & Gifts, at 39 Main St., has a wide selection of flower arrangements. The shop is a third generation, family-owned shop with owner Marlene Rogala, son Steve and daughter Laura.
Shoppers can choose from a number of flower arrangements or from the gift store, which includes giftware, garments, jewelry, ladies’ accessories, baby giftware, and artwork.
Across town, Wemrock Orchard’s old-fashioned country store at 100 Wemrock Road is sure to offer gift ideas from their wide variety of bakery items, Jersey Fresh produce, apple cider, pies, apple cider donuts, jarred goods – from pickles to jams, local honey, and seasonal flowers/plants.
Local proprietors at Wemrock include
please see GIFTS, page 12
Top: Brock Farms Home and Garden World. Bottom: Especially for you
PHOTOS BY KATHY CHANG
GIFTS continued from page 11
Kilhaney’s Pickles, Monkey Joe Nuts, Charles Chips, Mia Cucina Tomato Sauces, Hangover Pretzel Company, Woof-Woof Bakery BBQ Buddha, and Hot Sauces.
Customers can gift baskets from The Sweet Petite of fruit and goodies to a Bountiful Basket of an overflow of fruit and goodies. Customers can also create their own gift basket.
And across the highway, Brock Farms Home and Garden World at 4189 US 9 North is in its festive season and is not only for those looking for holiday decorations. However, the Christmas display is definitely a sight to see, which opened on Nov. 1.
The front of the store has various gift ideas of home décor and giftware items for all seasons for those in need. Gift cards are also available.
employed,” he gladly added.
This creative approach carries over to the holiday offerings at La Cipollina. Although the restaurant was closed on Thanksgiving Day, to-go feasts were available. For $450, customers were able to purchase a traditional Thanksgiving feast that feeds six to eight people.
La Cipollina is open on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, but closed on Christmas Day. Gift cards are also available.
This Italian eatery is part of thriving downtown Freehold – a place visitors from Monmouth County and beyond enjoy throughout the year. “Downtown Freehold is a loved placed by the community,” explained Jeffrey Friedman, Executive Director of Downtown Freehold.
PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE
Caramelized short ribs - spinach, whipped potato, wild mushroom Marcella reduction
BITES continued from page In Downtown Freehold 37&39 West Main Street ● Free hold, NJ 07728 732-431-0099 ● www.EFYFlorist.com
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Directly parallel to the bustling lanes of highspeed traffic on Route 9, lies the tranquil field of Maplewood Cemetery in Freehold. Separated by dense trees are the history, memories, and stories of the past and present. Although impossible to reconcile the infinite divide between life and death, if preserved, the stories of people can outlive a lifetime.
In remembrance of those stories, local historians Kevin Coyne and Mark Sweeney, along with former Freehold mayor, Nolan Higgins, hosted the borough’s first historic cemetery tour on Nov. 6. With a large gathering of community members, the tour revisited how education and newspapers played a significant role in the foundation of the borough. In addition, the pair provided historical context for the names inscribed on the multitude of gravestones.
Higgins, who served as the 13th mayor of Freehold, said the tour mainly centered around the history of the families and individuals who were buried at Maplewood Cemetery.
“The idea is to tell the story of Freehold through its early families, through the people who rest here … This tour is held in conjunction with our Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), which serves a number of roles in Freehold Borough,” Higgins said.
According to the HPC, the commission preserves and protects Freehold’s historic sites while raising support and awareness for restoration and preservation projects.
The inaugural walkaround consisted of specific stops as several backstories were shared at the graves of war veterans, politicians, entertainers, and other notable figures in Maplewood.
Initially known as Freehold Cemetery, the grounds were first established in the 1850s by the Reformed Church. By the 1860s, the cemetery received its current name and in 1930, it merged with Green Lawn cemetery to create modern-day Maplewood cemetery.
The cemetery maintained an extensive paper trail of burial records. However, a devastating fire in 1980 destroyed most of the records which simultaneously erased the personal history of numerous people.
Nonetheless, the tour still highlighted several indi-
HOLIDAY
HISTORY continued from page 16
viduals of importance.
Stanley Dancer, a prominent horse racer, who won over 3,000 races and secured nearly $30 million in prize money, was highlighted for his career accomplishments. He was inducted into the Harness Racing Living Hall of Fame in 1970 and was a three-time Triple Crown winner.
Another individual highlighted was Walter Denise. Coyne stated that he wrote a book about WWII veterans from Freehold. Coyne recalled a war story that was shared with him by Denise and fellow solider, Stanley Benezette.
“Walter was a Christian scientist. He was a very deeply religious man. The main thing to remember of Walter Denise is that one of his comrades (Benezette) was wounded on the battlefield. Walter crawled out to get him, dragged him back, saying the Lord’s prayer over and over again.
“Stanley Benezette was Catholic, so he didn’t say ‘the kingdom, the power and the glory’ and Walter kept finishing the prayer for him. That’s why he [essentially] lived, because Walter finished the prayer,” Coyne said.
Ultimately, the tour showcased why documentation is necessary for generational connectivity. Through the recording of history and the preservation of vital information, people can better understand and appreciate the generations that existed before them.
Higgins explained that as the time periods changed, so did the gravesite monuments.
“You’ll see that monuments have evolved over time and become more of what we know today as a traditional monument. Some tell stories. There are epitaphs, they give warnings to people about what the future could bring, how they should live their lives.
“As we come into more modern times, you’ll see pictures and different messages. You’ll see markers from fire companies, the Elks Lodge, the Masonic Lodge, those kinds of markers. You’ll see markers from the Grand Army of the Public and also the American Legion,”
Similarly, as modern life gradually changes, it’s still important to capture the timeline of today’s generation with shared conversations, personal stories, photographs, and local history from the residents who served as veterans, politicians, businesses owners, leaders, and everyone in-between,” Higgins said.
Freehold Policemen’s Benevolent Association
Local 159 is holding its third annual toy drive and Santa Trolley. Donation locations include Solo Trattoria, 7 South St., Just Jenny Nails, 31 E Main St., Lenny LoPresti, State Farm, 31 E. Main St., Café 360, 34 E Main St., Printing 2 Go, 578 Park Ave., CKO Kickboxing, 536 Park Ave., YB Eatery, 8 Court St., Desiree Curley, 1 Broad St., Suite 6. Donations will be distributed to neighborhood children by Santa.
Carolers will stroll Downtown Freehold serenading patrons with songs of the season from 6-8 p.m. on Dec. 15.
Tree Lighting at Hall of Records, East Main Street, will be held from 5-7 p.m. Dec. 6. Rain date is Dec. 7.
Join DowtownFreehold.com and Monmouth County for the annual tree lighting. The Rock and Roll Choir will perform, Court Jester will be providing hot cider. The Freehold Fire Department may stop by with a very special guest!
Freehold Elks Lodge No. 1454 will hold an All-U-Can-Eat Sunday Breakfast from 9-11:30 a.m. on the third Sunday of every month at the lodge, 73 E. Main St., Freehold Borough. Extensive menu cooked to order. Adults, $11; children 12 and younger, $5.
Classic Radio Road Show will present “It’s A Wonderful Life” as a live radio play on the following dates: Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. at Center Playhouse, 35 South St., Freehold; Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. at Middletown Arts Center, 36 Church St., Middletown; Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. at Middletown Public Library, 55 New Monmouth Road, Middletown; and Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. at Cross of Glory Lutheran Church, 95 Cambridge Drive, Aberdeen. Tickets are $20 and available by going to www.classicradioroadshow.org/support and making a $20 donation for every ticket you would like and a seat will be reserved.
The program will be offered free at the Middletown Public Library on Dec. 17. No tickets are needed for this performance.
The cast includes Duane Noch, Michael Burgi, Sheldon Fallon, Laurie Noch, Randall McCann, Roberta Fallon, Anthony Aversano, David Harris, Donna Stiles, and Marlene Whitney on Foley sound effects.
Join the actors after the performance for an “It’s A Wonderful Life” trivia game.
Classic Radio Road Show Inc. is a taxexempt 501(c)(3) (educational) corporation in New Jersey. All donations help entertain and educate the public about this historic art form, according to a press release. For more information, visit www.classicradioro-
a train on the Delaware & Raritan River
Santa Claus is returning to the North Pole just in time for Christmas and he’s taking a train on the Delaware & Raritan River Railroad to get there. He will be at Builders General, 222 Throckmorton St., Freehold at 1 p.m. and at the Freehold Borough Fire Department, 49 West Main St., Freehold at 2 p.m. on Dec. 17.
The Freehold Borough Recreation Commission is hosting its annual Holiday House Decorating Contest. Registration is due by Dec. 15. Houses will be judged Dec. 16-19.
An awards ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 21 in front of the Hall of Records on East Main Street.
For more information contact 732-462-4200 option1, ext. 220.
Menorah lighting will be held at the Hall of Records, East Main Street from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Dec. 19.
The Freehold Borough Arts Council 2023 St. Patrick’s Day Parade will have a noon line up and kick off at 1 p.m. on March 12.
Please include all critical information: who, what, where, when, and how to register or get tickets (if applicable), as well as a few lines of description. Email your listings to kchang@newspapermediagroup.com
07728
It’s all in the details. When it comes to your social calendar change is ... not always good. But sometimes it’s inevitable. Check each organization’s website for updated event information.The cast includes Duane Noch, Michael adshow.org.
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