PMfineliving.com
October 2015
Her Space
Design Special: Wine caves and other rooms for women
A Foodie’s Paradise The joys of Mistral and Elements
Making Connections Ira Fuchs’ role in the Internet
October 2015
contents
18
features
18
Princeton’s Hottest Restaurant Corner: Culinary delights at Mistral and Elements
Making Connections: Ira Fuchs and the story of the Internet
Living and Working: Peter Crowley and the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce
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11
departments
17 28 35 24
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17
Favorite Things: Classics, with a twist
Now Featuring Outdoor Audio Systems
On the Vine: A few of my favorite wines
Good Taste: In defense of butter What’s In Store: Make a change to your home
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24
on the cover:
A tent from CanvasCamp can make for a perfect space that a woman can call her own. See our story about special rooms for women on Page 6. | Packet Magazine | October 2015
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A Space For Her Forget about man caves, women are creating their own special places in the home, and sometimes outside the home By Keith Loria
Get a break from it all in a simple room that is perfect for yoga, or a high-end tent designed by CanvasCamp (above) that is perfect for relaxing or entertaining.
veryone knows about man caves — rooms with huge TVs, comfortable seats, bars, maybe even a pool table, where the guys can get together and bond. But what about women? If a home is going to have a room filled with testosterone, shouldn’t the lady of the house also have a place to escape and get away from it all? From “Women Caves” to “She Sheds,” more and more women are having rooms designed for them. They might be themed around a hobby such as wine collections or photography, or simply a place to relax, or a quiet place to work in peace. You can even take your special place outside. Robyn Smith, director of sales and business development for CanvasCamp, creators of luxury tents that can be set up outside as a place for women to engage in activities such as yoga, sipping wine or simply reading, says the reason for the growing trend in womenonly rooms comes down to practicality and pampering. “Men have reclaimed basements nationwide with the advent of the man cave and technically you’re not ‘getting away’ if you’re just downstairs,” she says. “Women are turning to the backyard to create a personalized escape that is physically and emotionally distinct from the walls they live in.” Let’s face it, even the most devoted family women want a haven that is husband- and kid-free. A place out of sight, and out of ear shot, that could serve as a yoga studio, a literary room for | Packet Magazine | October 2015
writing or book clubs, or a place for some high-style camping, also known as “glamping.” “It’s a place to unwind, read a book, do some yoga, or have a wine-and-cheese party with friends... or by yourself,” Ms. Smith says. “Carving out an hour is hard. With the ever-increasing demands of modern life — power scheduling, helicopter parenting, constant smartphone stimulation — every second counts. If your escape is just outside you get more time to do what you want, whatever that might entail.” In Ms. Smith’s view, historically, women have been disproportionately carrying the burden of providing unpaid domestic labor to the family, be it as parents, spouses, kids, or boyfriends. The roots of this phenomenon are rooted in thousands of years of gender norms and economic factors outside the scope of home design. “As the imbalance in gender and power dynamics within the home equalize, we are also seeing a reallocation of physical space that reflects that shift in priority,” she says. “In 2015, a woman’s place is... wherever the hell she wants. Right now, that’s not the home. It’s in the backyard in a space designed for her and by her.” Jay Rosen, owner of Washington Valley Cellars in Martinsville, says more women are building wine rooms in their homes than ever before. Mr. Rosen has built more than 500 wine rooms since pmfineliving.com |
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Washington Valley Cellars owner Jay Rosen says he’s building more wine rooms for women these days.
launching his business in 1995 and his state-of-the-art rooms are totally customized. He notes that he started seeing more women become interested in the rooms over the last few years. “In the past, men were almost always the motivated driving force behind these rooms, but women are definitely becoming more involved with wanting wine cellars,” he says. “It’s consistent with what’s going on in the world today. More women are going to culinary school, more are becoming sommeliers, and there’s been a trend with women knowing more about wine.” Women-inspired wine rooms might have softer colors, but for
the most part are still furnished similarly with racks and savvy functionality for storing wines. Sherry Berman, an interior designer and home stager with CIDesign LLC of Pennington, has also seen the rise in womenonly rooms take off in recent years — be it “she shacks” or personal rooms in the home. “There’s definitely been an uptick in women-only spaces, and a lot of what I have seen has been with sheds, turning them into their private, little getaways,” she says. “They decorate them the way they would love to decorate a part of their house, but when you have kids and pets, you don’t often have that space that you can do all-white or flowery or whatever the case may be.” Ms. Berman says women have always longed for these places, just as men have had for years with their garages or basements — and now are doing something about it. “It’s a nice thing and I think women are really starting to find they need their own space and a place to relax away from everyone,” she says. “When decorating, they can do what they love. They don’t need to stick to a theme and can be very eclectic. They should put things in there that make them feel good and makes them want to go and sit with a friend or by themselves.” Washington Valley Cellars is located at 2032 Washington Valley, Martinsville. For more information, go to www. washingtonvalleycellars.com or call 732-469-5558. CanvasCamp sells luxury tents and more at www.canvascamp. com. Pennington-based CIDesign LLC handles interior design and home staging. For information, contact Sherry Berman at spb2464@aol.com or 609-529-3435.
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MAKING CONNECTIONS Did Ira Fuchs change the world through technology? He says no, but others say yes.
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Sunday, January 31, 6:00pm McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton
Ira Fuchs was called a “legend” of IT by Ted Dodds, chief information officer at Cornell University.
ho is the true father or mother or inventor of the Internet? “Most people don’t think about it,” says longtime Princeton resident Ira Fuchs. Every day, billions of individuals sitting in front of a screen connecting them with people, places, objects, and words on the Internet, think about the creator of the Internet as often as they think about the inventor of electricity when they turn on a light, according to Mr. Fuchs. Ira Fuchs — formerly the vice president of computing and information technology for Princeton University — doesn’t need to think about the origins of the Internet, because he knows all about it. Mr. Fuchs can talk in depth about the long and evolutionary process that led to what people know today as the Internet. He rattles off acronyms and names of dozens of individuals connected with the beginnings of the Internet. He explains that Al Gore never claimed to invent or create the Internet, but rather wanted recognition as someone, who (thanks to his political clout) facilitated the development of the Internet by passing legislation to finance Internet infrastructure. But he rarely mentions his own name or the role he played in the advancement of computer messaging. The reality of the situation is that in the world of virtual reality, Ira Fuchs could be considered, if not the “father” of the Internet, then the co-founding father of the precursor to the Internet. Mr. Fuchs, when he led a computing center at City University of New York (CUNY), and a colleague Greydon Freeman, an IT 12 | Packet Magazine | October 2015
administrator at Yale, were the co-founders of Because It’s Time Network (BITNET). BITNET, a cooperative university computer network, was established in 1981 as a tool for liberal arts scholars to exchange messages. As loath as Mr. Fuchs is to take credit, other scholars and professionals, as they speak and write about the history of the Internet, are highlighting his significant role in the development of the Internet. The Fourth Annual IT@Cornell Conference on June 25, 2015 reinforced that fact. The conference, which brought together several hundred IT scholars from across the Cornell University campus and other research institutions, was subtitled: “Connecting the Past, Present and Future.” One panel discussion, dubbed a “flower-side chat” (a table with a vase of flowers separated the speakers) featured Ira Fuchs and Ken King, both described by the moderator Ted Dodds, CIO and vice president, Cornell University, as “legends” in the IT world. Ken King, vice president for computer services at Cornell from 1980 to 1987, also was a renowned leader in; information technology at Columbia University and City University of New York (CUNY), where he mentored Mr. Fuchs. Ira Fuchs, said Vice President Dodds, “is an internationally known authority on innovative technology solutions for higher education and a co-founder of BITNET, a precursor to the Internet.” The Fuchs/King conversation focused on how they worked together in several organizations to help computer networking grow from a few primitive connections among universities until Continue on page 14
Celebrating Princeton Girlchoir’s 27th season, 275 girls unite together in song at McCarter Theater to perform a widerange of music.
A Musical Mosaic
Friday, May 6, 7:00pm Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton The colorful sounds of young voices in varied choral performances present a beautiful musical mosaic.
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Continued from page 12
they both became advocates helping Al Gore in his efforts to create the infrastructure enabling the blossoming of the Age of the Internet. When Mr. Fuchs graduated from Columbia in 1969 (with a B.S. in physics), he went to work at the Columbia University Computer Center, where Mr. King was director. Shortly afterward, Mr. King left Columbia to work at CUNY as university dean (in charge of computer technology); and, in 1973, he hired Mr. Fuchs, who by that time had an M.S. in computer science from Columbia) to be the executive director of CUNY’s new computing center. When Mr. King left CUNY for Cornell, Mr. Fuchs took over Mr. King’s responsibilities in the computer field by becoming vice chancellor for university systems. 14 | Packet Magazine | October 2015
“When he was at the City University of New York, Mr. Fuchs was one of the founders of BITNET, a forerunner of the Internet that eventually linked together the computing systems at more than one thousand universities,” JSTOR historian and Princeton High School and Yale graduate Roger C. Schonfeld, wrote in his book, JSTOR A History. Mr. King summed up Mr. Fuchs’ accomplishments by simply saying: “Ira Fuchs changed the world.” Mr. Fuchs dismisses that sentiment: “That may be in fact a bit hyperbolic,” he says. But the facts support Mr. King’s assessment. He saw the need among liberal arts scholars for messaging capabilities similar to those offered to engineering and physics researchers on a messaging network established by the U.S. Department of Defense in 1969. He shared his thoughts with Yale’s computer center director, Greydon Freeman, and BITNET was conceived. Recognizing that most university campuses already were equipped with the infrastructure to allow computer messaging, the Fuchs/Freeman team began researching ways to use RSCS in conjunction with a mainframe system, a modem, and a phone line to allow messages and files to pass back and forth between universities. CUNY and Yale were linked on May 5, 1981. By 1984, BITNET had connected more than 150 campuses and then expanded to Europe — all this was accomplished with no government or taxpayersubsidized dollars. According to Mr. King, scholarly communication in the early 1980s “involved long-distance telephone calls or faxing documents. Scholarly exchanges usually involved months of delay waiting for the publication of scholarly articles in journals. BITNET changed that dramatically, putting scholars in daily communication at zero cost to them. Ira, pursuing his goal of connecting every scholar in the world to every other scholar, worked tirelessly to expand BITNET to a network that grew to connect scholars in 49 countries that spanned the globe. BITNET laid the groundwork that (gave universities the incentive) to create the National Research and Educational Network (NREN), which evolved into the Internet.” What was particularly noteworthy about the operation of BITNET was that it was a huge social experiment where the contribution of each member institution benefited all other members. It was a network whose growth and success was dependent upon the cooperation of each of its members. In the mid-1990s, Mr. Fuchs and BITNET’s managerial board, known as the Corporation for Research and Educational
Ira Fuchs saw a need for scholars to message each other, which led to the founding of BITNET, with Greydon Freeman.
Networking (CREN), knew that the Internet had made BITNET virtually obsolete. BITNET, however, laid the groundwork that allowed the Internet to flourish — doing exactly what parents should do for their children. Mr. Fuchs also played a major role in creating JSTOR or Journal Storage, whose mission is to catalog out-of-print academic journals and make the articles accessible on line. “JSTOR put scholarly journals online with a full text index,” Mr. King says. “Thus instead of languishing unused in journals on thousands of miles of library shelves, scholarly articles became available to people around the world who were able to find relevant information using Google or any other search engine.” After working 14 years at Princeton University (from 1985 to 2000) and developing the university’s web site, and working to connect the entire campus to the Internet, Mr. Fuchs accepted a vice president’s position at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the funder and incubator of the JSTOR initiative that Mr. Fuchs helped to spearhead. The talent of Ira Fuchs has been his ability to connect or link the needs of academia to technological solutions. He did not invent the hardware, but rather used his creative genius to link the technology to fulfilling an unmet academic need; by doing so, he furthered the mission of colleges and universities around the world. Even though he describes his current job status as “retired,” his mind is still making those connections. He sees technology as not only facilitating research, but also creating a better learning environment for students — one that is personalized and individualized to the unique learning needs and styles of the student.
“Educators have known for a very long time that one-toone tutoring is vastly superior to other methods of teaching,” Mr. Fuchs says. “Of course, it has always been too costly to do one-to-one tutoring on a large scale. What is different now is that the combination of economical computational capacity, large amounts of data collected from (among other sources) the students’ progress through the courses they take, and artificial intelligence algorithms, we are coming closer to being able to offer a learning environment that mimics what a good personal tutor does. The computer tutor would understand which learning style is best for you, the sorts of examples that you respond to, and the ways to motivate you. We have a way to go, but it is not a ridiculous goal.” In addition to speaking and writing, Mr. Fuchs is spending his retirement serving on two corporate boards, Ithaka, and The Philadelphia Contributionship. He is president of BITNET, LLC, which he created to do consulting on applications of technology in education. He takes courses online and at Princeton University to stay current with all the advances in computer science, and continues to so some programming. And he offers IraCare to a small group of friends who request help with their home technology. His animated conversations in Small World Coffee on Nassau Street often attract eavesdroppers who want to learn about net neutrality, computer ‘glitches,’ and the worthiness of the latest Apple ‘toy.’ However the best connection that has come out of his retirement is that he has more time to spend with his wife of 33 years, with whom he goes on nine-mile walks a few times a week, and their three grown children in New York and Boston. pmfineliving.com | 15
Favorite Things Hey, where’d you get that? By Sally Stang
Classics, With a Twist Cup Quest
Table for one
Recently, I set off in search of the Holy Grail. OK, maybe not so holy — it was a much-needed, new coffee mug. I should probably give it a modern game name like “Cup Quest”, because my search was, indeed, an epic quest. Oh sure, there are a zillion mugs around, but I’m very picky. I knew I would know the right mug when I saw it. I might even hear celestial music! It had to have a certain heft to it and must hold two cups of coffee. And, most particularly, it must be made by hand. At the Red Tulip Gallery, an eclectic craft coop in New Hope, I found it! I chose this sturdy, blue stoneware mug because it was a generous size, a bit funky, and perfectly crafted. Also microwave and dishwasher safe. It was made at Willowood Pottery in Ewing by potter Caryn Newman. Newman, a potter for over 40 years, believes that “life is enhanced by including handmade pottery in the daily rituals around food and the home.” I agree completely.
Since I’m very unpopular and I have no friends, having a party in my home is not something I think about much. But, just maybe, if I had some cool furniture, I might consider renting some friends and inviting them over for a beverage and, possibly, a cracker. Besides my wellworn recliner, I suppose I would need a guest chair and, perhaps, a table to put a drink on. I wandered into an interior design store called Alba Home in Lambertville and some small, modern accent tables caught my eye. The table tops were a small circle of glass, but with an “umbrella” style handle in the center, connected to sturdy legs below. Very portable! The metal base comes in black wrought iron, brushed gold and antique silver. Alba Home is celebrating its 15th anniversary. They specialize in eclectic “anachronistic” interior design, tastefully mixing antiques with modern, unique furniture and accessories.
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Deluxe TV Tray I live by myself, so eating alone in the kitchen or dining room makes me feel sad. Luckily, I’m a very good multi-tasker and have mastered eating and watching TV at the same time. This is not a bad thing, because, as we know, anything eaten on the couch in front of the TV has zero calories. Internet scientists tell us that TV radiation leakage obliterates the calories in food and also all recollection of having ever eaten it. So, I’m good. And I need this table. It is a coffee table engineered for dining. This is not a new concept, but this feels industrial with a thin steel frame and legs. The hinges bring the top closer to you for a minimum of lap and couch spillage. Naturally, it works well for a laptop too.
Price: $249 Alba Home 12 Church Street, Lambertville 609-397-5205, albahomedesign.com There is quite a bit of storage space inside too - enough room to stow remotes, toys, pillows and throws. Comes in natural and walnut finish.
Price: $549 West Elm at MarketFair 3533 Route 1, West Windsor 609-799-8010; westelm.com pmfineliving.com | 17
The interior of Elements, at its new location on Witherspoon Street.
n Scott Anderson’s right arm, you’ll find a fierce tattoo of the Buddha, encircled by the Grateful Dead skull, atop crossed chef’s knives. “It’s my jolly roger,” he says. “I’m like the captain of a pirate ship.” The tattoo speaks volumes of how Executive Chef Anderson runs his kitchens: technical, spiritual, and a little rock ’n’ roll. At the helm of managing a crew from a variety of culinary backgrounds, he says, “I rely heavily on each individual to cook with integrity and to give 100 percent every day.” Best known as the long-beloved home of Lahiere’s (which closed in 2010; its location is now home to Agricola, yet another Princeton restaurant using locally sourced food), Witherspoon Street has been evolving into a veritable Valhalla of inspired international and farm-to-table restaurants within a stone’s throw of one another. At the corner of Hulfish and Witherspoon, Anderson’s teams are literally bringing something new to the table every day; with locally sourced, seasonally changing menus, Mistral and the recently reopened Elements are quickly becoming downtown Princeton’s hottest corner for foodies near and far. Anderson and business partner Stephen Distler opened Elements on Bayard Lane in 2008 and Mistral on Witherspoon in 2013. According to Mr. Distler, the opening of Elements was supposed to fill the fine dining void in Princeton, but being a half-mile away from downtown turned out to be the restaurant’s downfall. “It was difficult to fill the place up,” he says. “We thought we had a big advantage with free parking, but it paled in comparison to the benefits of being downtown — walk-by traffic, accessibility to the university professors, (and) people going to McCarter Theater.” But closing the doors on Bayard in June opened a window of opportunity to reinvent the Elements dining experience in August at its new location, above Mistral. The distinctive draw of the new Elements is an intimate dining experience, with seating for up to 30 people, centered around an open kitchen. Guests can watch their food being prepared and are served by the chefs themselves.
Princeton’s Hottest Restaurant Corner Farm-to-table meets unforgettable at Mistral and Elements By Allison Musante | Photos courtesy of Elements 18 | Packet Magazine | October 2015
“The chef-to-table model gives the cooks the chance to get out there and meet their guests, to see their reactions to the food they’ve prepared and talk to them,” Anderson says. “Also, going from 80 seats at the old Elements to now 30 seats, we can work on making a better product. We’re able to refine what we do, and I see every plate that goes out.” Local, seasonal ingredients are the star at both restaurants, even in the cocktails. Joining under one roof enabled Mr. Distler to use his liquor license at Mistral and open a full service bar offering wine, beer, and cocktails. Mr. Anderson says 90 percent of the restaurants’ menus are locally sourced, thanks to their collaboration with Zone 7, a distribution service that collects food from more than 70 farms in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. pmfineliving.com | 19
sauce. In the kitchen, the team of cooks is intensely focused on each dish, taste-testing each component, plating delicately, even surgically, and inspecting the plates for perfection before leaving their hands. Chef de cuisine Ben Nerenhausen runs the Mistral kitchen. A 2014 James Beard Award semi-finalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year, Mr/ Nerenhausen influences the menu with global flavor profiles inspired by his travels in Pakistan and Egypt, and working in award-winning kitchens in the San Francisco Bay area and Napa Valley wine country. A New Jersey native, Mr. Anderson has also spent time abroad. “I lived in Japan for seven years when I was a kid,” he says. “It influenced me in Japanese flavors a little bit, but more from a cultural aspect — the aesthetics of the food, cleanliness, plating, and appreciation of raw ingredients.” Mr. Anderson is a selftrained chef who got his start at the award-winning Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station. He was named a James Beard Award Semi-Finalist for Best Mid-Atlantic Chef in 2013 and 2014. Mr. Distler says he’s proud to have set up shop in Princeton and watch as the dining culture is evolving. “What we’ve done at Elements and Mistral is something unique,” he says, noting the culinary team’s talent, the chef-to-table model, and new private dining rooms. “Princeton is growing as a whole and the Princeton dining scene in growing, but nobody is going as far as we are. There’s major development happening, especially with (the residential conversion of) the old hospital site on Witherspoon. We’re going to see significant growth in the next 5 years and customers at all price points.”
Mistral’s kitchen staff prepares food for the restaurant that is considered a more casual version of Elements.
Mr. Anderson also sources much of his daily produce from Z Food Farm in Lawrenceville and Terhune Orchards in Princeton. As the change in seasons approached, Mr. Anderson said he is phasing out summer ingredients, like melon, zucchini, and peaches, to welcome fall vegetables, like butternut squash, turnips, and cabbage. By using what’s available locally, he says the menus can change drastically day to day — and that’s exactly what he loves about his craft and what keeps guests coming back for more. “I have the attention span of a 4-year-old,” Mr. Anderson jokes. “So I love that every day is different. Nothing is static, nothing is the same.” His team observes this adaptable quality in his quietly determined leadership style. “Scott has a talent I can’t understand,” Mr. Distler says. “He can look at the produce that comes in the door that morning and decide what’s going to be on the menu that night. He has a marvelous way of putting things together. He’s remarkably calm, with an understated confidence, and when something goes wrong, it brings out the best in him because he always figures out how to make it work.” “Everyone looks to Scott for guidance,” adds General Manager Fia Berisha. “He’s like the dad — everyone wants his approval.” Upstairs, Elements maintains a sophisticated yet adventurous multi-course menu, ranging from $79 per person for a weeknight 420 | Packet Magazine | October 2015
course dinner, to $125 per person for the chef’s tasting menu, and $185 per person for a grand tasting. Additional charges apply for wine pairing. To keep your attention on the food, the dining room is simple, clean, and modern, with a wonderful view overlooking the Princeton Public Library. Dishes on their late-summer menu included watermelon with ham, basil, and feta; Stonybrook Farms pork with summer beans; and local bonito with cucumber and ginger.
Anderson adds, “We aren’t stuffy. We welcome customers who enjoy food, who enjoy being challenged with food, and who keep an open mind. We just want people to come in and have a good time.” Elements and Mistral are located at 66 Witherspoon St., Princeton. For information on Elements, go to www. elementsprinceton.com or call 609-924-0078. For information on Mistral, go to www.mistralprinceton.com or call 609-6888808.
Downstairs, Mistral is the “faster, more casual version of Elements,” Mr. Distler says. Also featuring an open kitchen design, the décor is earthy and elegant, with whimsical details like outstretched tree branches and Mason jar drinking glasses for Mistral’s house-made sodas. Since opening, Mistral has expanded from 45 seats to 130 seats and offers outdoor dining in its three-season weatherproofed patio with a fireplace. The Mistral menu emphasizes small plates meant for sharing, and offers a lower price point than Elements. The late summer lunch at Mistral may include a few bites each of crispy hushpuppies with corn and pepper jam; arugula salad with fork-tender grilled plums and local ricotta; and fingerling potato poutine with short rib gravy; for dessert, a chocolate mousse bombe with toasted marshmallows and raspberry
Dishes that have made Elements and Mistral dining destinations include, from top: Mistral’s Smoked Salmon Tartine; Elements’ Bison Tartare and Wagyu Beef.
pmfineliving.com | 21
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What’s In Store Where to buy and what to buy By Keith Loria
Make Home Sweet Home Even Sweeter Where to shop to make changes big and small to your home
24 | Packet Magazine | October 2015
T
he kids are back in school, the weather is getting colder and you’re probably longing for the summer days, just a few weeks ago, when you could relax in your pool, and have people over for a barbecue. But don’t let the autumn doldrums get you down. One great way to put the “happy” back in your life is to redecorate and make some changes in the home. Whether you plan a redesign of a room, a complete renovation of a floor or even just a simple redecorating with curtains or a bedspread, there are numerous options at your disposal in the Greater Princeton area. Want changes in your kitchen? Tobias Design (48 W. Broad St., Hopewell, 609-466-1445; www.tobiasdesignllc.com) specializes in home cabinetry, and offers a showroom of kitchen displays that
provides a context by which someone who is interested in redoing their kitchen can get great ideas about design and also how to accessorize cabinets inside. “Our displays include countertops, backsplashes, knobs and pulls, appliances and lighting — showing a myriad of possibilities,” says Lisa D. Tobias, founder of Tobias Design. “It’s a comfortable, pretty, and nonthreatening environment just to poke around and get ideas. Our design staff are on hand to answer any questions.” The fall is a great season to start the process of redecorating and making changes in the home, Ms. Tobias notes, as it can provide a fresh new feel for the holidays. If you don’t have the time or means to do a huge project right now, Ms. Tobias recommends painting. “Painting is by far the most affordable impactful change a home owner can make,” she says. Check out all that Tobias can do for you at tobiasdesigns.com. Over at Mrs. G TV & Appliances, (2720 Route 1 Business in Lawrence; 609-882-1444; www.mrsgs.com) there are plenty of options for making changes in the kitchen or living room, with some of the top appliances and electronics available. The store offers everything from big-screen TVs to washing machines to the latest in cooking products and appliances. For more on the store, visit mrsgs.com. Luxe Home Company, (Princeton Forrestal Village, Plainsboro; 609-987-2600; www.luxehomecompany.com) has a strong collection of furniture for the living room, dining room and bedroom, plus plenty of accessories for the home like rugs and lighting. Experienced designers at the store can help someone choose the items that are best for them and their home, capitalizing on their relationships with the finest manufacturers and innovative local craftsmen. Visit luxehomecompany.com for more. The Pottery Barn at Princeton MarketFair (3535 Route 1, West Windsor; 609-419-0099; www.potterybarn.com) also offers a wide degree of decorating and design services for its customers. Whether it’s furniture for the home or deck, the store has design experts on hand to help you find what looks best. Sometimes a homeowner wants to find that unique piece that will make a room stand out and a great place to find that item is the People’s Store Antiques and Design Center (28 N. Union St., Lambertville, 609-397-9808; www.peoplesstore.net). The store offers one-of-a-kind treasures, ranging from investment quality European and American antiques to furnishings, lighting, art and collectibles. Find out more at peoplesstore.net. Also worth checking out is the Farmhouse Store (43 Hulfish St., Palmer Square, Princeton, 609-688-0777; www.thefarmhousestore. com), which carries a fine selection of one-of-a-kind furniture, rugs, lighting, home décor, and home design items. Lighting is one of the best ways to make things look new in your home. You can install new fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom, find a nice lamp for the living room, or install a chandelier or ceiling fan/light in the den. Hesco Lighting (831 State Road, Princeton; 609-924-9425; www.hescolighting.com) has a fine selection of lighting options for all rooms in the home, and can even help you arrange someone to install. Learn more at hescolighting.com. Fixing up a home can be done quickly and doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Put a little creativity in your plans and you will have a “brand-new” house without ever having to leave the home. The show room of Tobias Design in Hopewell is filled with ideas that can help you create your own dream kitchen.
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Family Owned Since 1950
We Now Offer Fresh Beef and Pork from Our Own Farm!
Offering Over 40 Brands of Nutritious Pet Food Full stock of Lawn and Garden Items
ROSEDALE MILLS
101 Route 31, North, Pennington, NJ
609-737-2008 Open 7 days a week 26 | Packet Magazine | October 2015
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4053782.Jan’sBoutique.QP.indd
On the Vine Pouring and pairing wines near and far By Patrick Walsh
These Are a Few of My Favorite Wines Looking back on bottles that made lasting impressions
ecause I’ve always poured a small libation on opening every bottle, Bacchus has looked out for his boy, rewarding me with many fine examples of his handiwork — vintage Champagne, first-growth Bordeaux, grand cru Burgundy, rare sherry. Yes, two decades working in the wine trade and traveling to Europe’s renowned wine regions has also contributed to my good fortune. Just as baseball players can remember the pitch sequence of every at-bat in which they made a hit, I have fairly good recall of most of the wine I’ve tasted. Sometimes too many “memorable” bottles can make an oenophile forget a few, if you know what I mean. Still, staying lucid not only allows one to remember the wine but enhances one’s ability to savor it! My first memorable wine, an illustrious red Burgundy I tasted while working at the Princeton Corkscrew Wine Shop, showed me the time-defying magic of certain grapes. By 1998, the 1969 Domaine Grivelet Chambolle-Musigny had some age on it. Brawny when young, this pinot noir dazzled my nose with delicate strawberry and faint aromas of leather and mushroom. The wine drank superbly... for about 15 minutes. Then, like a phantom, it vanished, just gave up the ghost. One minute it was beautifully perfumed nectar, the next nondescript red fermented grape juice. Like Dorian Gray, the decades caught up to it, but not before it gave us exquisite entertainment. For helping a Corkscrew customer rearrange his substantial cellar, I received a payment of two mixed cases of wine. Ah, I could write a book about those 24 bottles, such was the bounty, a veritable all-star team of French and Italian heavy-hitters. I knew most of the selections by legend — the way baseball fans know Babe Ruth or Satchel Paige — but one of the previously unknowns garnered MVP honors: a 1990 Vosne-Romanée from winemaker Jean Gros. My mom traveled to Princeton one lovely spring day in 2000 and I decided to put together an especially choice lunch for us. I bought curried chicken salad, potato salad, a perfectly aged Chevrot goat cheese, and a fresh baguette from Bon Appetit Fine Foods in the Princeton Shopping Center. And I opened that Jean Gros Vosne-Romanée. Superlatives don’t do it justice. It was one of those wines that’s almost a shame to drink; you’re content to just keep your nose in the glass, like a hummingbird happily lost in a honeysuckle patch.
There have been many other memorable wines–a side-by-side of 1952 and 1964 Borgogno Barolo Riserva, magnificent assorted vintages of Chablis from Dauvissat and Raveneau, a 1977 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva, a 1976 Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon that was as delectable as the Reds sweeping the Yankees in the World Series that same year. But the greatest bottle ever? As much as I’m a devotee of pinot noir and its beguiling incarnations in Burgundy, the prize goes to a bottle of 1989 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, a first-growth from Bordeaux’s most storied village, Pauillac. When we speak of Pauillac we’re talking Cabernet Sauvignon, as in the best on earth. My wife and I spotted this gem at a silent auction for a local charity. To my surprise, the opening offer was quite reasonable, so I took a swing. After several covert rounds of bidding, I won the bottle for a fraction of its value. Not long afterward, on a winter evening befitting hearty fare and full-bodied claret, we took our treasure to the Blue Bottle Cafe restaurant in Hopewell. As always, I brought a backup bottle, but it stayed corked. Our waitress opened the Mouton Rothschild and let me pour it. The color astounded me. I expected the wine to have faded to a scarlet hue with perhaps some slight rust color around the edges. Talk about Dorian Gray! The uncanny Cab poured vibrant crimson — practically unchanged from the day it was bottled. On the nose and on the palate, the ’89 proved endless, effortless-
ly complementing Chef Aaron Philipson’s robust trio of wild boar — confit, loin, and sausage — and an equally amazing cheese course for dessert. Because I couldn’t pour a thimbleful of the precious cuvée on the restaurant floor, I brought the bottle home and keep it on an altar.
Uncorking a bottle of wine is always exciting but for the author, some wines are unforgettable.
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Living and Working
Peter Crowley runs the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce and is proud to call the town his home By Philip Sean Curran | Photos by Phil McAuliffe
T
here is more than a hint of a Boston accent in Peter Crowley’s voice, the byproduct of growing up in a suburb of the city more than half a century ago. Now 64, Mr. Crowley has not called Massachusetts home for many years, and is ensconced in Princeton, where he lives and works. Seated inside a conference room in his Nassau Street office, Mr. Crowley — inexplicably for someone who grew up in New England Patriots territory — has a Philadelphia Eagles mug in front of him holding his tea as he talks about his IrishCatholic childhood, how he met his wife, and his work as head of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. And also the disease that could have killed him. Mr. Crowley traces his lineage to Irish immigrants, with both sides hailing from County Cork in Ireland. He is the oldest of four children to parents who brought up their family in Hingham, Massachusetts. The community has a long history, having been colonized in the 1630s, and a long history within Mr. Crowley’s family; his father and his paternal grandmother were born there. By 1960, fewer than 16,000 people lived in Hingham — home to a harbor that people could swim in and with easy access to Boston. “It was a great community to grow up in,” Mr. Crowley says. “Everybody knew everybody, it was still that kind of a community.” Growing up, he had relatives living either in or around the town, part of what he described as a “central family life.” Like other Catholic families, there was church to attend every Sunday morning at St. Paul’s on North Street. “I looked at my kids growing up, and I tried to make sure they had the same kind of lifestyle I had growing up, which
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was basically fun, getting involved in the community and with school,” he says. For college, he did not go far. He stayed in state to attend Holy Cross as part of the last class of all-male students of a school that delayed going co-ed. He entered during the time of the counterculture movement when American youth were protesting the Vietnam War, and change was happening across the country. “I think everybody sort of had a role in it. I enjoyed my role in it,” Mr. Crowley says. “My dad and I had great conversations over the war, over Nixon, over what was going on. But he respected me and I respected him, and we had a great time.” He graduated in 1973 and that year became a salesman for Union Carbide, a job that seemed natural for him given that he liked dealing with people. He started working in Boston but within a year was transferred to New Jersey in Cherry Hill. Then in his early 20s, he also was able to work on his MBA at Temple University, in Philadelphia. He met his future wife Patricia, who was the college roommate of Mr. Crowley’s sister at Villanova University. She had come to Massachusetts to visit his sister, but instead found a husband. “She was supposed to date my brother, who couldn’t make it home in time. So I ended up dating her,” Mr. Cowley says. The two hit it off right away, having a shared background in that they both came from small towns. She came from a community in the coal region of Pennsylvania, was family-oriented like him and wanted to blend a career and family. “So we both had those similar traits,” he says. Mr. Crowley eventually found himself working for Citibank, through an indirect channel. Wanting to leave Union Carbide,
Peter Crowley welcomed Chris Rodriguez, director of New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, to a recent luncheon, hosted by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce.
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Good Taste The finer side of dining Story by Allison Musante
In Defense of Butter It’s delicious, affordable, and may not be as unhealthy as you think
As head of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, Crowley helps to support area businesses, from major corporations to family-owned shops.
he was hired by Diners Club International as a regional sales manager. But the day after he signed the contract, Citibank had acquired the company. His employment contract was honored, and he transitioned into banking at 28. “Citibank was very unique,” he says. “It identified talent and it would give you, as we used to joke, enough rope to hang yourself.” “You were pushed dramatically with large opportunities to fail or do well. If you failed, you were shot, very simple. And you knew there were three people behind you waiting to take your job who were as smart as you.” In all, he spent 20 years with Citibank, with stops at other banks, including the Bank of Princeton as its founding CEO. He decided to leave the industry for good in 2009 when he took over running the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, today boasting of 1,200 members and an annual budget of around $1.4 million. “What I’ve learned is that it’s a fascinating job because it touches so many aspects of the business community,” he says. “It touches the corporate side, it touches the independent business side, it touches young professionals. It touches all the things that you want to do.” A typical day starts with him arriving at the office by 7 a.m. or 7:15 a.m. He leads a staff of eight people; he prefers to call himself a manager, not a boss. “I think I’m very proactive, very inclusive and very clientfocused,” he says of his leadership style. Yet he was living with a medical condition few people knew he had. About 25 years ago, he had blood work done that showed what he called “unique markers” that tended to lean toward 34 | Packet Magazine | October 2015
kidney problems. He and his wife talked about it, and a contact at her job gave her the name of a doctor in Philadelphia who was an expert in kidney disease. A subsequent biopsy found he had chronic, nonheredital kidney disease that he was able to manage with medication beginning in the early 1990s to 2014. He was able to compartmentalize himself; the business side of Peter Crowley never let people onto what he was living with on the inside. “I’ve got a business side of me, and my business side has no reason to be concerned with my health in that sense,” he says. “That’s a learned skill. I’m just really good at that.” As he got sicker, there were outward signs; he lost weight. When people would ask about his shedding the pounds, he would lie by saying he was dieting and exercising. Finally at a meeting at work, his staff closed the door and asked him what was going on. He broke the news, and all offered themselves as a kidney donor. His disease reached a point where he either needed to find a donor or go on dialysis and wait for one. One of his brothers, Paul, donated a kidney, with the surgery happening in Philadelphia on May 6, 2014, coincidentally Paul Crowley’s birthday. It gave Mr. Crowley, who will be on medication forever to balance his immune system, what he called “a second chance at life.” “He saved my life,” he said of his brother. “Every now and then, I’ll wake up in the morning and I’ll just walk around... and I’ll just thank Paul, because if he hadn’t done what he had done... I might not be here.”
honest: who doesn’t love butter in all its glorious forms? For binding a chocolate chip cookie, for spreading on toast, for melting down a stack of pancakes — butter is the star ingredient. For many, the word “butter” connotes feelings of comfort, indulgence — and, of course, guilt. Historically, butter was associated with wealth; in the Bible, for example, a passage reads: “He asked for water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish” (Judges 5:25). According to butter experts and researchers — yes, they exist — butter in its purest form was a rare and high-priced commodity throughout history, leading to the so-called “adulteration” of butter with cheaper, more accessible vegetable oils. In fact, some experts argue it was the stinginess of Emperor Napoleon III that led to the invention of modern margarine. The story goes that Napoleon III offered a reward to anyone who could produce a cheap butter substitute for the navy and
his paupers. In 1869, a French chemist by the name of Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès developed a process of churning beef tallow (fat) with milk, but the product was naturally white. A Dutch company, Jurgens, took over manufacturing of his product when it found a way to use dyes to achieve the classic yellow color of pure butter. So how did this expensive, desirable delicacy become a commonplace grocery store staple that many people today are ashamed to admit they love? In the late 1950s and 1960s, American scientist Ancel Keys conducted the Seven Countries Study, an examination of the health and diet patterns of 13,000 middle-aged men, finding that populations that ate large amounts of saturated fat from meat and dairy sources had high levels of heart disease. The findings essentially criminalized saturated fats, and were adopted by the American Heart Association’s nutrition guidelines. However, Mr. Keys’ study has been widely discredited, as more recent research identified flaws in his pmfineliving.com | 35
methodology and erroneous interpretations of selective data. Additionally, researchers found that as saturated fats, including meat and dairy, were shunned from diets, they were replaced by “low-fat” and “non-fat” options containing added sugars, and processed, refined carbohydrates — the more likely culprits of bad cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease. Increasingly, diet trends are shifting in favor of the so-called “healthy fats” when consumed in moderation, of course. Experts agree that fat is necessary for the body to function — it helps absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, provides the essential fatty acids for brain development, inflammation reduction, and blood clotting. What continues to be disputed, however, is the ideal balance of the different types of fats in your diet. The Mediterranean diet, for example, is supported by a growing body of scientific evidence of the benefits of polyunsaturated fat sources, where frequent consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains is complemented by olive oil as the primary source of fat. (Butter is not recommended in this diet). In February, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee released a scientific report retaining the 10 percent upper limit for saturated fat intake. Until more research is conducted on the metabolic effects of saturated fats from different sources (such as animal products versus plants), the committee still recommends consumption of unsaturated fat over saturated fat. However, it does acknowledge an important distinction: “Dietary advice should put the emphasis on optimizing types of dietary fat and not reducing total fat. The consumption of lowfat or nonfat products with high amounts of refined grains and
Ways to cut down on butter If you’re trying to reduce your butter intake, try these simple swaps in your kitchen: • Invest in high-quality nonstick pans so that you do not need to use as much butter or oil to prevent sticking. • For sautéing, use half as much butter as you usually
do, and supplement with extra virgin olive oil. • Make healthy substitutions elsewhere in your
cooking. For example, there are tons of baking recipes where butter can easily be swapped for or supplemented by mashed avocado, applesauce, canola oil, and Greek yogurt. Or, if you’re melting butter into a sauce for pasta, consider swapping your regular white pasta, which is typically processed and refined and full of empty calories, like pasta made with real vegetables, spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or gnocchi made with yams.
added sugars should be discouraged.” So, go ahead, indulge a little! Remember that the average brand of butter contains 100 calories per tablespoon and has 7 grams of saturated fat (that’s 37 percent of your daily recommended intake). The next time you’re ready to indulge with a pat (or two) of buttery goodness, consider trying this recipe from my kitchen. Browning butter brings out natural nutty flavors; combine with salty pistachios, and you’ve got the perfect complement to sweet, luscious ravioli. For the ravioli, check out the delicious choices of fresh, homemade ravioli at Lucy’s Kitchen & Market on 830 Route 206, Princeton; 609-924-6881. Allison Musante blogs at www.the-hungryeditor.com. Follow her on twitter @TheHungryEditor.
Sweet Ravioli with Pistachio Beurre Noisette (Brown Butter) Serves: 4 Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 1-2 packages of fresh ravioli with a sweet filling, like butternut squash, sweet potato, lobster, or roasted red pepper. Estimate 8-9 raviolis per person. A handful of shelled pistachios, chopped fine 2 tablespoons freshly squeeze lemon juice 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional) 1 bunch of flat-leaf Italian parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Steps:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the fresh ravioli according to the instructions. Put a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped pistachios and allow them to toast for a few minutes. Transfer to a plate for later. Add the butter to the same pan to melt. After it melts, it should sizzle and crackle. If you’re using a light-colored pan, you’ll see the milk solids begin to brown on the bottom. Use a spatula to stir the bits off the bottom. In the blink of an eye, the butter can go from brown to burnt, so don’t walk away from it, and trust your nose. The butter will begin to emit a pleasant, nutty aroma. When you have a warm brown color and that aroma, immediately take it off the heat. Whisk in lemon juice and pepper. Serve over hot ravioli. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley.
• Add flavor in other ways. Don’t underestimate the
power of a pinch of salt and pepper as you layer ingredients into your savory dishes, and don’t be afraid to experiment with new spices and different kinds of oils (eg, avocado oil, sunflower oil).
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