Volume 16, No. 7
July 30th - August 16th 2012 FREE PUBLICATION
riverviewobserver.net
201-349-4336
Pg. 2 On the Cover
Pg. 6
Hudson Then Again
Actress Pg. 9 Samantha Womack
Pg. 12 In Your Home Pg. 17 Pg. 21
Joe Palumbo Better Letters Ten Ingredients
Pgs. 23 - 28 TURN YOUR UNWANTED JEWELRY INTO CASH see on pg. 8
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New Book Spotlights Short Trips beyond the Turnpike’s Exits
By Sally Deering sidebars in each chapter. hether you’re a New Jersey You can sit down and get newbie or have lived here all your something from the book life, there’s something for everyone in without the need to go to that Stephanie Murphy-Lupo’s new book, Day particular spot.” Trips New Jersey (Globe Pequot Press; The book features day 304 pgs;) a fun-filled guide to some of trips that are just a 2-hour New Jersey’s coolest sights. It’s like a New drive from any point in New Jersey Diner menu for hungry sightseers with lots of choices for day trip adventures Jersey and also includes trips beyond New Jersey’s borders. in and around the Garden State. Day Trips New Jersey is a handy guide for Murphy-Lupo outlined day trips according to New Jersey’s people who have never visited the Garden regions: the Gateway, the State and local travelers who have yet to Skyline, the Jersey venture beyond their Jersey backyard. Shore, the “It’s a book for Jerseyians who haven’t Southern Shore, seen the sites,” Murphy-Lupo the Atlantic says. “There are historic Highlands and anecdotes and the Delaware lots of River region. con’t pg. 2
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on the cover . To research the book, Murphy-Lupo took day trips with her husband Gerard Lupo, a professional land surveyor who created the maps for the book. “We did road trips like you can’t believe,” MurphyLupo says. “We would stop in the Atlantic Highlands, do the Sandy Hook tour, we would do Asbury Park, Red Bank. I was delighted by Atlantic Highlands. It’s just a real sweet little town.” This excerpt describes a day trip to Atlantic Highlands: “Originally called Portland Pointe, Atlantic Highlands is the highest mainland point on the Eastern Seaboard south of Maine – a gem of a brooch on the Bayshore bosom. This petite town has been a popular vacation stay for
..
By Sally Deering
130 years. At one time, visitors arrived by steamer to board rail cars. Victorian homes on the hills overlooking Bayshore Trail have made peace with the notion that one might have to bare an ankle now and then to have a little fun. Downtown, then, to the playhouse, perhaps; or the harbor to book a fishing charter. Think big! Sip some bubbly while waiting to catch the Sea Streak for Wall Street. Then again, howsabout we dawdle at those new-fangled magnifiers on the overlook. Do they, perchance, see all the way to the dudes with no Speedos at Gunnison Beach? Ahem.” Red Bank is another great day trip. Murphy-Lupo says: “I’m very fond of Red Bank; they do it right. They
know how to promote their downtown. There are a lot of historic buildings and professional offices are using these old structures for their headquarters.” Murphy-Lupo and her husband are frequent travelers to Cape May and visit there every summer. For the book, the couple took the ferry from Cape May across the Delaware Bay to Lewes, Delaware. “Lewes was a fantastic surprise,” Murphy-Lupo says. “It was a Dutch whaling colony in the 1800s. It’s an easy destination.” Murphy-Lupo’s day trip details combine her fondness for the Garden State and her years as a career journalist. She was a writer and columnist with the Palm Beach Daily News and co-authored her first book, The Insiders’ Guide to Boca Raton & the Palm
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Beaches. Writing under the name Stephanie Murphy, she authored Off the Record with Charles Calello, a biography now in production. A native of Jacksonville, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the University of Florida. Murphy-Lupo and her husband Gerard spend half their time in Florida, the other half residing in Montville, which is a great starting point for trips throughout New Jersey and especially, the Gateway, home to The Statue of Liberty. In this excerpt, Murphy-Lupo offers some backstory on the Lady in the Harbor: “For 125 years, the countenance of Libertas, better known as The Statue of Liberty, has been associated with New York Harbor – even though she lives in
New Jersey waters. From the beginning, however, Lady Liberty was a welltraveled grand dame. The idea for her creation was born at a dinner party in Versailles, France, where sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi overheard his host, law professor Édouard René de Laboulaye, pose the notion that any monument to American independence should involve both nations. Bartholdi formed the Franco-American Union -to raise money in France for the statue, and in America for its pedestal. While still a gleam in the artist’s eye, Liberty was the hook for the premiere of a new cantata by composer Charles Gounod at the Paris Opera. Liberty’s arm – the first part completed – traveled to Philadelphia for the 1876 Centennial Exposition and con’t pg. 3
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con’t from pg. 2 lingered in New York for several years. Her face got around, too, at various international venues. Metal merchants Japy Frères donated the copper sheets for the statue’s skin; and rumor says the metal was mined in Norway. Bartholdi chose copper beaten in the repoussé method to lighten the statue’s weight – a process he spelled out in sketches and diaries inside the pedestal museum. Posters show the irontruss tower under Liberty’s skirt – a brilliant solution by designer AlexandreGustave Eiffel– featuring a metal frame with “saddles” attached with rivets to the copper skin. Bartholdi’s sketch of Liberty became a logo of sorts that picnicked all over France – on cheese and wine labels – as people opened their wallets in support. In America, publisher Joseph Pulitzer campaigned for pedestal money. Liberty was built in France before her ocean voyage in crates to Bedloe’s Island. Her copper and iron features were assembled on the pedestal for a dedication that included remarks by President Grover Cleveland, a New Jersey native. During a parade, excited Wall Street traders launched the tradition of throwing tickertape out the windows of the New York Stock Exchange.” Day Trips New Jersey is packed with sightseeing adventures. Whether you’re a visitor flying in for a brief stay or you’ve lived in New Jersey all your life, Day Trips New Jersey offers glimpses of New Jersey’s sights beyond the Turnpike’s exits.
Pictured at top: From New Jersey’s point of view, the harbor is a great big living room with high ceilings. Pictured below: At Princeton Battlefield State Park: plaques show maps and descriptions of this pivotal battle during the American Revolutionary War.
“Day Trips New Jersey” is available at Amazon.com; Barnes&Noble.com; Indie Bound; Books a Million; and Powells. For more info, go to www.GlobePequot.com
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La Festa Italiana takes over Jersey City with food, fun, and faith Annual “old world” street festival will take place August 15 through August 19 Jersey City, NJ – Holy Rosary Church will host their 109th annual La Festa Italiana Wednesday, August 15 through Sunday, August 19. Festivities will be held from at 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. each night on Sixth Street in Jersey City (between Brunswick and Monmouth Streets). The 2012 incarnation of the old world Italian street festival will bring back time-honored traditions and introduce some new surprises, once again proving that La Festa Italiana is the spot for summer fun in historic downtown Jersey City. As with most festivals, one of the biggest draws to La Festa Italiana is the wide array of delicious cuisine. This year, local restaurants Delenio’s, Michael Anthony’s, and Legal Beans are included in the gastronomical line up. Street fair favorites The Mozz Boss (fresh mozzarella) and Wafflicious (waffles and ice cream) will also be there serving up their best. And the treats don’t stop at Italian cuisine – La Festa 2012 will feature everything from Filipino BBQ to Greek dishes and vegan fare. A full-service bar from White Star Bar and Lounge will feature imported and domestic wines, beer, and spirits. But at La Festa, some of the most beloved culinary delights come from parishioners themselves. Zeppole and Holy Rosary’s famous Arancini (deep-fried rice balls filled with meaty tomato sauce and peas) are lovingly prepared by hand. The outdoor Caffe Italiano, located in the courtyard behind Holy Rosary, offers delicious pastries, coffee, and a twilight escape under café lights strung between trees. Installation of new pastor highlights celebration As the first Italian Parish in the State of New Jersey, Holy Rosary Church was the home parish to thousands of Italian families who have since moved away from the area. But each year La Festa continues to woo them back as well as open doors to new residents that are finding a home at Holy Rosary for the first time. And while the church proudly touts its historical relevance, this year is also a celebration of the new at Holy Rosary. On September 23, Fr. Jurek Zaslona will be installed as the Pastor of the church. “Not Yo’ Mama’s” Festa This year, musical entertainment will be provided by: The Toga Party Band (8/15), Total Soul (8/16), The Cameos (8/17), The Edge (8/18), and First Kiss Entertainment (8/19). On Thursday, an antique auto display will be featured. And on Friday, there will also be an all-year reunion night for Holy Rosary’s Ferris High Alumni. Cont’d on page 18
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Hudson Then...Again by Maureen Wlodarczyk
O
ver the years, I’ve heard any number of men including my husband describe the benefits and healthful effects of drinking beer. Just this past week, my husband shared a printout of “The Buffalo Theory” with me. That piece of wisdom, attributed to the TV show “Cheers” and a conversation between bar regulars Cliff and Norm, equates survival of the fittest in buffalo herds to a similar process whereby beer drinking results in the death of one’s weakest brain cells, thus leaving the drinker with a more fit mind as a happy side effect of imbibing.
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Long before Cliff and Norm entertained us on the small screen, Hudson County liquor distributors had advertised the important health effects to be derived from beer, especially for women. In 1911, a local liquor distribution company ran an ad in a Hudson County newspaper titled “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rules the World,” featuring the image of a young mother gazing
Hudson County & The Liquor Industry in the Early Days of the 20th Century
lovingly on her infant as she rocks the baby in a wicker cradle. The caption stated the following: “The ever increasing strength and power of our Great American Nation depends largely on the physical condition of our children. Not only the strength, but also the very life of the child depends upon its proper nourishment in infancy. Good, pure, clean beer more fully supplies just the correct nourishment - in every sense of the word – that mothers require.”
In the early days of the 20th century just before the dark clouds of Prohibition blew in, Hudson County was home to multiple thriving wholesale liquor houses. Among those were the Hoboken firms of Wachtel & Muller, Charles F. Kaegbehn, Paul Seglie, and Italian-born Angelo Podesta who established his liquor business in 1876. Union Hill was home to the liquor house of German-born H.F. Drewes who first trained in the spirits business in his native land at the age of 14 and whose enterprise also included 4 retail locations in Union Hill and Jersey City. Jersey City was the
location for Krause & Co., Michael B. Holmes & Co., McArdle & Co., Lewis Fischer & Brother and Loewus Brothers & Co., the most prosperous of all the competing liquor houses, headquartered at 84 Montgomery Street with retail locations in Jersey City and Bayonne. Loewus Brothers, established in 1890, was not one of the oldest firms of its kind in Hudson County but it was the most successful when it came to the measure that counted: sales. Gustave and Charles Loewus, the firm’s founders, were born in Bohemia and came to America in their late teens, Cont’d on page 7
Hudson Then...Again
The struggle over alcohol was heating up and the dry days were on the horizon.
Cont’d from page 6 each getting some early experience by working in liquor houses in New York before launching their own company. Their product line included beer, ale, California wines, cordials, whiskeys, champagnes, sherries and ports sold to saloons, hotels, druggists, grocers and private individuals. It was said that in the 20 years between 1890 and 1910, the company’s sales increased with each successive year. The Loewus brothers were described as being among the smartest businessmen in Hudson County, expert in the selection of staff, trusted and admired for their character, business acumen and “logical minds,” and known for a directness and “absence of sentiment” in their business
dealings. Case in point: In 1910, when the financiallytroubled Bayonne Opera House failed to pay a $300 bill for liquor provided to its café by Loewus Brothers, the brothers quickly retained a local law firm and took legal action against the Bayonne Amusement Company, the owner of the Opera House.
In 1914, a newspaper article reported that Hudson County would have strong representation at the Liquor Dealers State Convention to be held in Atlantic City
The Loewus brothers were described as being among the smartest businessmen in Hudson County.
Maureen Wlodarczyk is a fourth-generation-born Jersey City girl and the author of three books about life in Jersey City in the 1800s and early 1900s: Past-Forward: A Three-Decade and Three-Thousand-Mile Journey Home, Young & Wicked: The Death of a Wayward Girl and Canary in a Cage: The Smith-Bennett Murder Case. For info: www.past-forward.com. Read more Hudson Then...Again
@www.riverviewobserver.net
Among the notables from Hudson County was Charles Loewus, president of the Wholesale Liquor Dealers’ Association of New Jersey. Whether by design or not, the article immediately above that reported on the upcoming “aggressive campaign” planned by the Anti-Saloon Party and local Prohibitionists, including charges that Hudson County officials routinely ignored numerous complaints about chronic violations of existing liquor laws.
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NEWARK MUSEUM 49 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102-3176 Phone: 973.596.6550 Presents
Romare Bearden: Southern Recollections Now- August 19, 2012 Featuring approximately 80 works of art that span the career of this internationally renowned artist. The exhibition underscores not only Bearden’s artistic mastery, particularly in the technique of collage, but also his development of narrative and thematic explorations of his native South. Collages, paintings, and works on paper will be assembled from acclaimed public and private collections. Organized to celebrate the centennial of Bearden’s birth, the exhibition will examine how the South served as a source of inspiration throughout his career. http://www.newarkmuseum.org
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NJ Room Stars As Backdrop Again for the TV Show, “Who Do You Think You Are? Actress Samantha Womack Checks on Her Family History
A smiling Samantha Womack with her new JCPL card
JERSEY CITY, NJ July 23, 2012 – The British, and original, version of the popular genealogy show, Who Do You Think You Are? staged a video shoot at the Main Library’s New Jersey Room on Saturday, June 16, with an actress who just might be familiar with U.S. audiences: Samantha Womack. Before you think, ‘Samantha who?’ think, EastEnders, a popular British drama shown on local PBS stations in the New York metropolitan area. People come to the New Jersey Room, the special collection department at the Jersey City Free Public Library, when researching personal, and home, histories. Genealogy searches are done from phone calls throughout the world, as families who have settled here, have then moved on. Originally from Brighton, England, Samantha Womack’s great-grandmother Jessie has ties to the United States, as it was revealed in the 1910 U.S. Census that she brought Samantha’s grandmother, Beatrice, to the United States at age 11. Beatrice had been placed in a local convent’s orphanage when Jessie left for the United States to perform in P.T. Barnum’s circus. Ship manifests indicated that Beatrice sailed alone on the Adriatic from Southhampton on September 6, 1907. “Girls at 11 are complicated. They want to know who they are. How uncomfortable she would have felt with a mother she’d never know, and with two siblings. What a complicated spot. If it were me, I’d be furious. I’d be awkward in my skin,” said British actress Samantha Womack, as she perused the 1910 U.S. Census document online. Samantha knew her father’s side, and that she came from a theatrical family. Through the BBC television program, Who Do You Think You Are? Samantha was exploring her maternal roots. Originally, she thought her grandmother Beatrice was born in 1897, making her 11, but the U.S. Census confirmed her birth year as 1894, which would have made Beatrice 13. “What would it be like to cross that journey to America? Seven to 10 days of not being able to get off…? That would’ve been a journey and a half.” Samantha Womack’s great-grandmother Jessie, whose last name was first seen as ‘Tinkle’ (which elicited quite a chuckle from Samantha) but then was written as ‘Finkle’, was listed in the 1910 U.S. Census as “Mrs. Finkle (Jessie), daughter Annie Gertrude; Harry, 3; Beatrice and
Helen (cousin).” Cynthia Harris, manager of the New Jersey Room, had done research on Samantha’s great-grandmother prior to the video shoot. In an August 15, 1897 article in the Theater section of The New York Times, reference was made to her great-grandmother, by maiden name, “Miss Jessie Almer has been over to America before, as the clown in Barnum’s Circus, and by right of larger experience, she was much respected by the other members of the group. They met at the pier, however, by a representative of the Academy of Music, who took care that none of them should stray away. Once he lost his count.” Samantha mused, “Surprised and happy to see family because I was angry at first, at my great-grandmother for leaving children behind to have a theatrical/circus career in the U.S.” This actress also was pleased to see how the theater was truly in her blood, now established stemming from both bloodlines. Samantha had spent a lot of time with her maternal grandmother, a dancer, on cruise ships, such as the QE2, at the tender age of three. She knew of the particular “noises, sounds, and sea” of a cruise ship, which is how Samantha could empathize with her paternal grandmother’s journey to the United States so long ago. The New Jersey Room, established from the Reference Department as a separate entity in 1964, is a collection of materials about New Jersey with an emphasis upon Jersey City and Hudson County. The collection includes both current and historical information and numbers about 20,000 volumes. While the New Jersey Room is the main resource of information on the history of Jersey City, many of its patrons come in search of information on local real estate, development, business information, and genealogy research. For the latest on programs, events, and special announcements follow the Library on Facebook or Twitter at Jersey City Free Public Library. www.jclibrary.org for all information on the Library. As of July 23, 2012, the Jersey City Free Public Library has 216,251 valid card members.
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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION VISITS BAYONNE IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL BUSINESSES BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY – Mayor Mark Smith, U.S. Small Business Administration District Director Al Titone, and a representative of Senator Lautenberg’s office toured local businesseson Wednesday July 25th , listening to business owners’ concerns and answering questions about programs to assist them. ”We thank Senator Lautenberg for bringing this support to the small business community in the City of Bayonne,” stated Mayor Mark Smith. “My office is, and will continue to be, committed to growing
Taking Care of Business Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith and SBA District Director Al Titone visit a Bayonne busiiness during the Walking tour on July 25th , 2012
this critical and vibrant part of our community, and we look forward to continuing to bring the resources of the U.S. Small Business Administration into our City.” This walking tour was held as part of the City’s efforts to streamline and strengthen the support that is provided to businesses to help promote local shopping. Other initiatives being put forth by the Administration of Mayor Mark Smith include increasing the online presence of the City of Bayonne and its business community, initiating the City’s first ever Farmer’s Market, and providing for more direct interaction between local business and the City. “Walking tours, like the one conducted by Mayor Mark Smith, certainly enhance the SBA’s ability to support more economic development projects,” stated Al Titone, SBA Regional Administrator. “Development of small business leads to economic growth, which eventually will bring more jobs to the City of Bayonne.” Over a two year period the SBA has approved 10 loans totaling $4.6 million to Bayonne small businesses. “The loan that allowed me to purchase the building my business is in came through the SBA,” reflected Maria Provenzano-Upenieks, owner of Herbert’s Army and Navy, and a newly appointed member of the UEZ Board. “That critical support helped me keep these jobs in Bayonne, and Mayor Smith has gone to extraordinary lengths to help do the same for other businesses throughout the City.”
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Take advantage of everything summer has to offer with our PayCheck Advance Loan. Whether you use the money to catch up on bills or to give yourself a much-deserved summer getaway, the LSFCU PayCheck Advance Loan may be the right source of extra cash. To help our members avoid having too much of their hard-earned money consumed by payday lending fees, LSFCU has created the PayCheck Advance Loan. It offers you:
Loans up to $1,000
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Call 201.659.3900 and select option 5, or visit LSFCU.org to get started! DON’T FORGET – IT’S NEVER TOO SOON TO START PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR’S VACATION! Open an LSFCU Vacation Club account or increase your current payroll deduction to your existing account by a minimum deposit before 9/30/12 and Liberty Savings will make the initial $15 Deposit. Did you know that Liberty Savings can offer you a Vacation Loan at rates that will make your getaway an affordable reality. Receive 1% off your qualifying rate when you get an LSFCU Vacation loan before 9/30/12. Membership in Liberty Savings is open to people who live, work, worship, or attend school in Hudson County – as well as members of our Select Employer Groups.
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MUSIC VIEWS The Better Letters Tri-State Area Band Releases Second Album By Sally Deering
J
ersey City festival-goers know Joe Palumbo’s band “The Better Letters” because the group performs at the 4th Street Art & Music Festival every year and has a huge local fan base. The band’s first album “Mixed Feelings” was released in June 2011 and now fans of the group can look forward to the August release of a 3-song EP “Play it Straight,” which will also be free for download on the band’s website, www. thebetterletters.com and available on iTunes. Here’s how Palumbo describes the title track: “’Play It Straight’ has a nervously paced verse which evokes a sense of paranoia in the listener as voices whisper from every dark corner. The protagonist is a victim of his own misconceptions of how others view him and interpret his actions. The tension in the high-pitched guitar breaks echoes this uneasiness. The solution offered is “...give the people what they want ... Play it straight” but they may as well be saying “be yourself”... Could this be another song about having developed ever-changing multi-stable perceptions from wading in the bottomless stimuli pool of the vast and lawless Internet?” Palumbo, who was born and raised in Eastern Long Island and plays guitar also writes the band’s original songs. Better Letters is going on tour in Feb 2013 starting in Pennsylvania then heading west to Minneapolis and south to Georgia. Palumbo says: “I love playing live, especially every day.” The Better Letters started as a two-piece in late 2009 and three more band mates joined the following year. The band features Abraham Something on keyboards, Ben Brunnemer on guitar, Steve Goldberg on drums and Darryl Specht on bass guitar. “It wasn’t cutting it for two people,” Palumbo says. “We had to expand quickly. I asked my friend Ben (to join the group). We had been on a job together painting somebody’s wall and we started talking about the band and I brought him along. Steve and I were working years ago in separate competing bakeries, which was kind of funny. That’s kind of our connection.” But it takes more than paint and doughnuts to glue the band together. The musicians share one important thing essential to their success. “We love to play,” Palumbo says. “I have all these songs and I’m producing more and more. The sound is developing really quickly.” Palumbo owns 4:3 records, the record label for “The Better Letters,” and two other bands. For more info, visit www.4-3records.com.
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TTC PRESENTS THE WIZARD OF OZ
LA FESTA ITALIANA Con’t from page 4
SING-A-LONG PARTICIPATION IS A MUST! August 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10, 2012 at 7pm. July 25, 2012: The Theater Company of Hoboken (TTC) is presenting everyone’s favorite family musical, but with a fun twist that even the most theater-going purist will enjoy. Enjoy singing and shouting out the lines of your favorite play, musical or movie, just like in THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW? Then, THE WIZARD OF OZ Sing-A-Long is just for you! Join our cast as we travel the yellow brick road together -participation is encouraged as we present the songs from the show Special “Over the Rainbow Bags” will be on sale at the door to help you be part of the fun. Dress in costume and get an “Over the Rainbow Bag” for free! Special Note for Families with Special Needs Children & Adults: TTC’s Wednesday, August 8th performance is a special night just for you and yours. For further information, people can contact us at 551-221-9332 or boxoffice@thetheatercompany.org. Monroe Theatrespace, 2nd floor, Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St., Hoboken, NJ There is free parking behind the building (from Jackson Street) and the Light Rail Hoboken - Congress Street Station is only a block away. Tickets: $10/adults, $5/children & seniors Purchase on-line: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/259358 - Check and checks at the door. the.theater.company@gmail. com www.thetheatercompany.org
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Visit the “Wine Girls” at this years La Festa Italiana Other features include children’s rides, games of chance, hourly 50/50 drawings and a Super 50/50 to be held on Sunday at the close of La Festa 2012 at 11 p.m.. And, as a special treat for those looking for some good shopping finds, Not Yo’ Mama’s Affairs (popular in Jersey City for their annual Blitzcraft) will show off the high-quality goods from unique craft vendors for the first time at La Festa. Spiritual roots The meaning behind all of this celebration is to venerate the Feast Days of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Rocco. There are a variety of ways for feast-goers to express their spirituality – attend a mass, purchase a memorial candle for a loved one, or send prayers skyward with Memorial Balloons. A Novena featuring nine guest celebrants, including the Chaplain of the NY Giants, 2012 Superbowl Champions, Rev. Bill Dowd, will take place August 6 through August 14. The Feast of the Assumption Mass, which celebrates the happy departure of Mary from this life by her natural death and her assumption bodily into heaven, will take place on Wednesday, August 15 at 11 a.m. The Mass will be celebrated by son of Holy Rosary Auxiliary Bishop of Newark Thomas A. Donato. A Feast Day Mass will be held for St. Rocco on August 16 at 11 a.m., celebrated by Msgr. Paul L. Bochicchio. A Triduum will be held three days prior to the Feast Day. St. Rocco is venerated as the protector against contagious diseases. All are invited to come out to La Festa Italiana to celebrate heritage, enjoy some time out with friends and neighbors, or just grab some zeppole and a yummy rice ball – there’s something for everyone at La Festa Italiana! For more information, call (201) 795-0120 or visit www.lafestaitalianajc.com.
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restaurant VIEWS -Ten
Ingredients
Executive Chef Michael Coletti Something might pop up in my head. It could be new produce that comes into the market. And I have great chefs in the kitchen. We’ll discuss the season’s offerings and work on dishes. Sometimes the best dishes come from messing around. Here, it’s okay to ‘play with your food.’
RESTAURANT By Sally Deering VB3 on Washington Boulevard in downtown Jersey City features theVB3 Pizzeria where office workers and neighborhood residents dash in for a slice or a pie; and the VB3 dining room and lounge with the sexiest bar in Jersey City. It’s an eye-catching island of dark wood with a surface of “orange liquid lava” and bar stools with bright-orange backs and faux leopard print seats. No detail in this beautiful restaurant has been overlooked by Owner and Executive Chef Michael Colletti, General Managers Giuseppi “Little Joe” Russo and Giuseppi “Big Joe” Russo; and business partners Gary Leff and Ricky Leff. This team put heart and soul into the place and it shows.
Chef Colletti, 29, attended the Culinary Education Center in Asbury Park and after graduation worked at the prestigious Le Cirque and then Chef de Cuisine at Mai House. After five years in New York, Chef Colletti joined his friend and celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn at the Sunnyside Group and helped him open Good Stuff Eatery in Washington D.C. In 2010, Colletti and Mendelsohn appeared in “Iron Chef” competing in “Battle Proscuitto” against world famous chef Michael Symon. Chef Colletti also cooked for President Barack Obama and his staff at The White House. Let’s meet Chef Colletti! RVO: Chef Colletti, can you tell our readers a little about your background? CC: My family is from Sicily. My father moved here at 14 and I was raised in Elizabeth. My grandfather
would be in the garden all day and my grandmother would cook in the kitchen. There would be 20 of us in the kitchen – we’re a big Italian family. RVO: How was VB3 realized? CC: The Monaco building was getting built and my cousins were looking to open a third restaurant that served more than pizzas and sandwiches. We opened VB3 in May 2012. RVO: What is the most popular VB3 dish? CC: Our Baby Back Ribs are really popular. It’s a two-day process. We bake them, braise them, rub them with seasonings and roast them. Then we glaze them
with a homemade BBQ sauce and grill them. It’s fall-off-the-bone delicious. And we serve them with pickled cabbage, and grilled peaches. RVO: How do you come up with the dishes you create? CC: It’s a constant process.
RVO: How do you run your kitchen? CC: The most important thing about the kitchen is that is has to be clean. And I give my chefs freedom in the kitchen. My crew has been with me a while and they are all seasoned professionals. I like them to be themselves. It’s a better work environment. You can’t run a kitchen like a corporation. I want my chefs to let their personality show in their food. RVO: Can you share an easy recipe for our busy readers? CC: Pasta with lentils Cont’d on page 22
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restaurant VIEWS Ten Ingredients
Cont’d from page 21 Owner & Executive Chef Michael Colletti is a quick go-to dish. Cut up onion and garlic and sauté them in olive oil. Add 1-1/2 cups of lentils and cover with 3 cups of chicken broth and cook the lentils for about 45 minutes. Boil some pasta, small noodles like Ditalini, strain and add the lentils. Serve it with some grated cheese and some olive oil. It’s simple and delicious. RVO: Do you have a food philosophy? CC: Yes – simple, local and fresh. I like the ingredients to speak for themselves. RVO: What chef inspired you the most? CC: Chef Brian Walter at Aqua was a great influence. He was maybe 26 at the time I worked for him and he was doing some really cool, fun stuff. And at Le Cirque, owner and restaurateur Sirio Maccioni taught me how to run a restaurant at that caliber. He was the owner and general manager and he knew everybody who came to his restaurant and treated everybody with respect. Some chefs hide in the kitchen. I go out and talk to my customers. I want to connect with the people who eat my food. RVO: Did your family influence your decision to become a chef? CC: The biggest influences on me were my grandmother, my grandfather and my father. They taught me the appreciation and love for food. There was food and family and that brought happiness to everybody. And now, I’m doing that here. If you go: VB3 Restaurant, Pizzeria and Bar The Monaco Building 475 Washington Blvd. Jersey City (201) 4823 www.vb3restaurant.com
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KENNEDY DANCERS OFFER FALL CLASSES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITES
The Kennedy Dancers non-profit professional dance company, dance school and Dance Vista Educational Television Productions, located at 79 Central Ave. Jersey City, N.J. will offer a creative/modern dance course for children ages 7 and up classified with learning disabilities/autistic spectrum. Beginning Wednesday September 5, 2012 thru June 2013 dance classes for children with special needs will be held at the Kennedy Dancers Studio, 79 Central Ave. Jersey City, N.J. from 4:30 pm till 5:30 p.m. The program is one of a kind in Hudson County and throughout most of New Jersey. The class will provide basic dance warm-ups and body strengthening moves and incorporate modern dance techniques, contemporary dance, some hip-hop and a segment of the class will include structured improvisation and creative time. Using the movement skills acquired in the class, will also lead the children to develop self-esteem, body awareness, encourage lifelong fitness and learning in the arts. The children from this class will also learn constructed choreographies in modern dance, creative dance and hip-hop, The group will also perform in the annual Kennedy Dancers School Recitals at Holiday time and in June at the culmination of the school year. The monthly fee for the course is $65.00, for 4 classes and for those months with five Wednesdays you will receive the 5th class FREE of charge. All purchases and tuition donations are tax deductible. Kennedy Dancers will also accept charitable organizations and groups who work in support of children with special needs i.e.: school districts, social and family service organizations whose funding will pay for their clients to attend this program. If interested contact Kennedy Dancers at (201) 659-2190 Or check their website:
Kennedydancers.org.
REAL ESTATE HINTS “Interest rates and home prices tend to move in opposite directions.” Some people mistakenly believe buying a home is a bad idea when prices are affordable or when interest rates are low, because they worry prices may go lower still. In fact, either of those situations can be a great time to buy. History shows that low interest rates spark demand for homes. With more buyers available, sellers can raise their prices--in fact, it may not be uncommon to see multiple offers before a home is sold. Buying before demand pushes prices up is a good opportunity for buyers, who want to take advantage of low rates before they increase, as they eventually will. Low interest rates, on the other hand, tend to bring buyers into the market, bidding home prices up. The low rates, however, make those higher prices more affordable for buyers. FIRST TIME To find out more, read our valuable online report, FIRST TIME: How To Buy The Most Home For Your Money, by visiting www.hhrealtycorp.com You may also be interested in, NEGOTIATE: How To Buy The House You Love At The Price You Want. Clich the link to read it at no obligation. Joseph D’Amato Hudson Harbor Realty Corp. 3225 Kennedy Blvd. Jersey City, New Jersey 07306 • 201-963-3100 jdamato@hhrealtycorp.com www.hhrealtycorp.com
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First Time Home Buyers: The Housing Market’s Key Players
(NewsUSA) - First-time homebuyers, more than any other demographic, stand to benefit the most in today’s real estate market. In fact, a recent survey commissioned by Move.com reveals that 23 percent of adults plan to purchase a home in the next five years and that more than half of them (53.5 percent) will be first-time homebuyers. Consider that every time a renter buys a home, they make possible a chain reaction of transactions worth many times more than the actual value of the home they purchase. Because first-time homebuyers aren’t selling properties, they don’t put new homes on the market when they buy. As a result, first-time homebuyers reduce real estate inventories and allow existing owners to trade-up or relocate. The growing number of first-time homebuyers suggests that conditions are finally attracting buyers back despite the critical picture in the overall economy. In the past, high prices and large down payments made buying a home for the first-time difficult. The following are tips for the First Time Home Buyer - Research Your Market. -- Make a list of what you want. Let your realtor know your criteria in order to find homes that meet your needs. - Get pre-approved. Although not a final loan commitment, a pre-approval letter can be shown to listing brokers when you are bidding on a home. It demonstrates your financial strength and shows that you have the ability to go through with a purchase. Lenders can be found in the finance section of Realtor.com. - Make a decision. Once you find the best home that fits your needs, take action.
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