June 28 to July 12th, 2012 River View Observer

Volume 16, No. 6

June 28th - July 12th 2012 FREE PUBLICATION

riverviewobserver.net

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Pg. 2 On the Cover Pg. 6

Hudson Yacht Clubs

Pg. 13 Small Kitchens Pg. 21

Mountain Heart

Terrance Simien

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By Sally Deering

eehawken, which is situated on the Hudson waterfront facing midtown Manhattan, is considered by many as the jewel in the crown of Hudson County. The locals enjoy Weehawken’s beautiful parks and breathtaking views of the Manhattan Skyline and tourists from all over the world often pull up in tour buses to take pics of the view like Paparazzi snapping shots of Kim Kardashian.

Every summer, Weehawken turns the heat up a notch with its Summer Concerts on the Hudson, a Wednesday night music series that invites the audience to bring lawn chairs or blankets and groove to live performances of Bluegrass, Rock, Country Rock, Zydeco, Brazilian, Latin Jazz and Big Band music. This summer, audiences will be treated

to Mountain Heart on July 18; Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience on Aug 1; Cyro Baptista’s Beat the Donkey on Aug. 15; and on Aug 29, Bandagrande: The Big Bang Theory.

This is the ninth year for Summer Concerts on the Hudson presented

by The Hudson Riverfront Performing Arts Center, Inc. (HRPAC) a New Jersey non-profit headquartered in Weehawken whose mission is to bring live entertainment to Hudson residents. Executive Director Bruce Sherman of Weehawken produces the summer concerts with the support of HRPAC’s Board of Directors and funding from Weehawken Township, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and several corporate sponsors. con’t pg. 2

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“We have a big following from Weehawken but people come from all over to see these concerts,” Sherman says. “Last summer, for instance, we had 1,000 people come out to see (Grammy Award winner) Paquito d’Rivera (who is also a former Weehawken resident).”

Sherman and his staff of volunteers and board members design the concerts to have broad appeal to the area’s diverse cultural population by featuring top name artists and their different styles of music.

“We have a very diverse population,” Sherman says.

“We like to mix it up and introduce new artists to the audience. They know the type of music they hear will be performed by artists of

..

By Sally Deering

great stature and talent.”

than 100 times at the Grand Ole Opry.

The diversity Sherman talks about is evident in the groups performing this summer. “Dr. K’s Motown Revue” opened the concert series on Wed, June 27 and performed songs by The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and more. The next four shows feature

Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience on Aug 1: Eighth generation Louisiana Creole, Grammy Award-winning Zydeco master Terrance Simien has been sharing his incredible talents and joyous Zydeco music for more than 20 years. Leading his Zydeco Experience band, Simien has performed more than 5,000 concerts in over 40 countries.

Mountain Heart on July 18: Mountain Heart is one of the most popular and versatile Bluegrass and Country Rock bands out of Nashville. The group and its band members have either won or been nominated for Grammy, Country Music and Bluegrass Music awards and have performed more

Cyro Baptista’s Beat the Donkey on Aug 15: Cyro Baptista, one of the world’s greatest percussionists has created a one-of-akind, madcap, and hugely entertaining musical entertainment incorporating percussion, tap dance, Samba, Jazz, Rock, and Funk.

Bluegrass, Zydeco and Madcap Performances

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BANDAGRANDE: The Big Band Theory on Aug 29: Led by bandleader, composer, multi-instrumentalist and two-time Grammy nominee, Hector Martignon, this eighteen-piece Big Band fuses a variety of music including Latin Jazz and Classical. Grammy-winning vibraphonist Dave Samuels of Spyro Gyra and the Caribbean Jazz Project will be featured as special guest.

Keeping the Curtain Up Putting on a summer concert series takes lots of planning, collaboration and support.

Sherman produces the concerts with a corps of volunteers and HRPAC’s concerts are funded by the Weehawken township, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Hudson County, Bijou Properties, CH2MHill, Hartz, the

Hudson Reporter, Lennar Urban, Palisades Medical Center, Roseland Property Company, Shoprite & Inserra Supermarkets, and UBS. “This is our ninth full season of summer concerts,” Sherman says. “We formed about ten years ago as a non-profit to expand the arts in the area and to ultimately build a performing arts center on the waterfront.

It’s the original mission we explored. Unfortunately the economic meltdown happened and we were not able to move forward with that plan.”

Instead HRPAC is working toward building a permanent pavilion in Lincoln Harbor Park which would broaden the types of entertainment offered like plays, dance performances and shows for kids. For now,

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HRPAC rolls up its sleeves to gear up for summer 2012 and the stars that will shine on Weehawken’s waterfront.

“We pride ourselves on bringing artists of exceptional talent to our venue,” Sherman says.

“Many of the artists this season have won Grammy Awards and other major music awards. And if that’s not enough, the setting is magical. It’s a fantastic

experience to see and hear great music framed against the backdrop of the magnificent Manhattan Skyline.”

If You Go: Summer Concerts on the Hudson Wednesdays at 7 pm; Free Admission July 18: Mountain Heart Aug 1: Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience Aug 15: Cyro Baptista’s Beat the Donkey

Aug 29: Bandagrande; The Big Bang Theory Concert Info Hotline: (201) 716-4540 www.hrpac.org Free parking north of The Chart House Accessible from the Lincoln Harbor stop on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail

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Bayonne Filmmaker Receives a Gold Kahuna Award at the 2012 Honolulu Film Awards

By Evelyn Bonilla

On the evening of May 5th 2012, Bayonne filmmaker Sam Platizky and director William Dautrick accepted a Gold Kahuna Award in Honolulu, Hawaii for “Best Feature Film” for their film “Red Scare.”

Platizky and Dautrick were chosen among many, to help open the 2012 Honolulu Film Awards in honor of their win. Excitement and a feeling of total accomplishment welcomed the two friends as they rose to accept their award. Platizky’s explains, “This was a great film to work on, I had a great director and cast and crew that help to make this film a reality. We all put so much effort into this, so it’s great to be recognized for something we all believed in.”

Platizky’s “Red Scare” takes place during the 1950’s in the midst of the cold war. The story line is based on a Soviet plot which brings the living dead to the shores of America. Only the brave patriotic hero, Rex Steel (played by Sam Platizky) can stop the evil soviet menace alongside a teen rebel, a reporter, and a frightened teenage girl.

Platizky wrote, produced and acted in his film ‘Red Scare”, his character Rex Steel is a tough but very funny American soldier who battles an evil soviet menace. In his script Platizky brings to life “Red Scare” in classic Mel Brooks style. He explains, “Mel Brooks has to be one of the funniest filmmakers of all time.

When I wrote “Red Scare”, I wanted to bring back the zombie aspect but with a sense of humor.”

Platizky and Dautrick are no strangers to the art of filmmaking, having worked together on Platizky’s first film “Blaming George Romero” alongside director Robert Lise. “Blaming George Romero” is a film which details what happens when a group of four horror film fanatic friends, who are unhappy with their lives, think that there’s been a zombie apocalypse and jump at the chance to try to survive.

Both of Platizky films explore the world of zombie mania with a variety of twists and turns. Platizky’s interest of zombies reflects some of the images portrayed by American filmmaker and screenwriter George Romero, who is best known for his creations of hypothetical zombie apocalypses in such movies as “Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead.”

Red Scare’s director William Dautrick is also a true Mel Brooks fan, so when given the chance to direct the film he jumped at the challenge. Asked how he felt directing “Red Scare” for the big screen, Dautrick explained, “It was incredible to work on this film, Sam, the cast and crew were so dedicated. We all had a lot of fun making the film, so having the film win the 2012 Gold Kahuna Award was just an extremely unexpected honor.”

So what’s next for Bayonne filmmaker Sam Platizky, well let’s see, he is already hard at work on his next project, a pilot web series soon to be introduced.

As for his role as an actor, writer and producer will just have to see, but surrounded by dedicated directors, cast and crew; we can be sure that whatever this young filmmaker has in store it is sure to be entertaining! Interested in learning more about Platizky and his films visit his website at www.samplatizky.com

River View Observer Print • Digital • Mobile 201-349-4336 Page 4 River View Observer

Writer, Producer, Actor Sam Platizky (L) Director William Dautrick (center) and Isaac Platizky (R) are all smiles as they receive the Gold Kahuna Award in Honolulu, Hawaii for their film “Red Scare.”

We Support the Arts

Page 15 River View Observer

Hudson Then...Again

by Maureen Wlodarczyk It’s summer in Jersey.

How do I know? First, I have over 30 heirloom tomato plants sprouting yellow blossoms in my backyard garden and even though it will be weeks before they turn into the tastiest tomatoes anywhere, I have visions of BLTs dancing in my head. Second, I now time my visits to my mother in Ocean County with the specific objective of avoiding the sea of people on the Parkway heading down to the Shore to cultivate a tan, cruise the boardwalk, or enjoy swimming and boating.

The draw of our state’s coastal waters as a venue for family outings, water

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sports or the opportunity to step aboard and spend a day fishing or lounging on deck has been a long-standing constant of life in New Jersey, north and south. Hudson County, for instance, was home to many yacht clubs in the 19th century, some of those organized just before and after the Civil War. The Hudson Yacht Club was organized in 1877, its original incorporators almost entirely made up of county and city officials including Sheriff P. H. Laverty and Judge Hoffman.

That same year the Club purchased, at a cost of $4,000, a steam yacht measuring 51 feet long and 10.5 feet wide, naming the vessel

1800s Hudson County Yacht Clubs

Annie L. after the Sheriff’s wife.

A steam yacht was chosen to avoid the nuisance of dealing with poor wind conditions and the Annie L. served the club members well, carrying them on excursions to seaside resorts, her larder stocked with food and a good selection of wines to insure a pleasant journey. Roughing it this was not.

The Oceanic Yacht Club was formed in 1871 and had its club house at the foot of Henderson Street in Jersey City. In 1878, its fleet included 13 sailing yachts, one catamaran, and one steam launch and the club numbered about 40 members.

Pictured below 1800s Hudson County Yacht Clubs

Pavonia Yacht Club

Greenville Yacht Club Still active 20 years later, in 1899 the club had over 60

members, a fleet of 18 vessels, and had purchased a site at the foot of Communipaw Avenue on which an attractive new club house was to be built.

Regattas were sponsored by the various yacht clubs as pleasure outings or competitions. In 1870, the Bayonne Yacht Club held its 4th annual regatta, hosting 15 yachts from its own membership along with others affiliated with the Oceanic, Brooklyn, Americus, Atlantic, Union and Harlem Yacht Cont’d on page 7

Hudson Then...Again

Cont’d from page 6 Clubs. Two decades later in May 1896, multiple regattas marked the opening of the boating season. The Pavonia Yacht Club regatta set off from Jersey City racing to Sandy Hook for a celebration there. The Oceanic Yacht Club held its regatta on a 10-mile course mapped out on the waters of Newark Bay. The Jersey City Yacht Club observed their long-time tradition of a short sail followed by a chowder dinner.

There is one more yacht club I should mention, as I believe it may have a personal connection to my family: the Newark Bay Yacht Club. In 1909, that club held a reception celebrating the opening of its new club house located on Pearsall Avenue at Newark Bay in the Greenville section of Jersey City. Nearly a half-century later when I was born at the Margaret Hague, my parents brought me home to a very modest, flat-top, red-shingled home located at the foot of Pearsall Avenue next to the railroad tracks and Newark Bay, a building that had started life as a club house.

The “Red House” as we all called it, was leased to my grandparents by the railroad for one dollar a year. My mother and her five brothers spent most of their happy childhood in the Red House during and after the Depression and my mother’s wedding photos capture her coming down its no-frills porch steps. In the 1950s, my father, barbecuing too close to those red shingles, set the place on fire. When my mother tells the fire story, she always mentions that I had been napping inside just before the shingles went up and, but for her having picked me up from my crib and taken me out into the yard with her, I might have been toast. Jersey City’s brave firemen saved the Red House from destruction although the water and smoke damage made for quite a clean-up.

I cannot say for certain that three generations of my

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.

Have you missed any Red House in background 1940s Roosevelt Stadium Jersey City

Hudson Then ...Again articles

by Maureen Wlodarczyk Find them at www.riverviewobserver.net

Red House 1950s Jersey City family lived many happy days at what was once the Newark Bay Yacht Club but, if you checked the 1940 census records, you would see that my grandparents lived in the last house at the foot of Pearsall Avenue, next to Newark Bay.

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Art Lana Santorelli Gallery 628 Washington Street Hoboken NJ 201.798.9000 www.lanasantorelligallerycom

NEW JERSEY ARTISTS June 30 - September 22nd

Exhibiting Artists: Meral Akyuz, Pauline Chernichaw, Alessandra Farina, Sarah Fattori, Matthew Green, Mehdi Hashemi, Candy Le Sueur, Mariana Maldonado, Melissa McCrink, Irena Pejovic, Diana Jean Puglisi, Lana Santorelli and Sterne Slaven

Page 8 River View Observer

City of Bayonne Hosts July 4th Festivites

Fireworks, Concert, and Children’s Entertainment Set for Wednesday, July 4 Mayor Mark A. Smith and the Municipal Council announced that the City of Bayonne has finalized plans to celebrate American Independence on Wednesday, July 4, on the lower level of DiDomenico-16th Street Park, beginning at 7:00 p.m., weather permitting. The park is located between Avenue A and Newark Bay. John Christian and Soiree will provide musical entertainment from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The musicians cover popular music from the 1940’s to the present. The band will play at the new municipal amphitheater, which is located at the southwestern corner of the lower level of the park, near Newark Bay. The City will offer free children’s inflatable rides from 7:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

They will be stationed in the old amphitheater, which is located at the southeastern corner of the park’s lower level. This year, there will be three rides, up from two at last year’s event. The three children’s amusements will be the Jurassic Adventure Obstacle Course, the Crash Course, and the Saber-Tooth Slide.

Garden State Fireworks will present a show beginning at approximately 9:15 p.m.

The fireworks will run for about thirty minutes. The Garden State technicians will launch the pyrotechnics on land around field number three near Newark Bay. For safety reasons, there will be a buffer zone in both the park and the bay. No unauthorized people will be allowed inside the buffer zone. No pleasure craft in Newark Bay will be permitted within a perimeter of at least 500 ft. from the launch site, as per the U.S. Coast Guard. The Fire Department will have a boat in the bay during the show.

The Bayonne Recreation Division is providing free shuttle bus service on July 4, picking up passengers at Catholic War Veterans’ Post #1612, which is located at the corner of West 23rd Street and Del Monte Drive. Shuttle bus service will begin at 6:00 p.m., and will drop off passengers at the lower level parking lot alongside the tennis courts until 8:30 p.m. Following the fireworks, at approximately 10:00 p.m., the buses will pick up passengers at the same area for the return trip to 23rd Street and Del Monte Drive. Shuttles will continue to run until all passengers have been returned to West 23rd Street and Del Monte Drive, by approximately 11:00 p.m. In order to provide space for the shuttle, there will be no parking permitted on Del Monte Drive from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The Boat Ramp on the lower level of the park will be closed to boats for the entire day.

The Boat Ramp parking lot will be available for public parking until it reaches capacity. After that lot is full, parking on the lower level of the park will be closed to the general public. The main parking area on the lower level of the park will be closed to the general public after 7:00 a.m. on the morning of July 4. No parking will be allowed by the firing range on the upper level of the

park.

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Garage Sales• Flea Markets •Collectors To adveriste here call 201.349.4336

Page10 River View Observer

Liberty Science Center presents In The Dark-Now to September Liberty State Park 222 Jersey City Boulevard Jersey City, NJ 07305 Phone (201) 200-1000 In the Dark invites guests to explore natural phenomena that exist with little or no light, and how light loving species (like humans) adapt to darkness.

Explore cool, dark and mysterious ecosystems like fragile cave ecosystems; deep, dark forests; unique ocean floor environments; and even your own backyard at night in this kid-friendly exhibit on view at Liberty Science Center.

Guests will visit different dark environments and discover unique life forms that inhabit them through a combination of hands-on and whole-body interactives, walk-through dioramas, and real specimens.

Did you know that some fungi glow in the dark? Learn more about this wonderfully eerie phenomenon as you wander through a recreated nighttime forest past glowing mushrooms, then discover the amazing underground worlds found beneath basement floors and in backyards.

Learn about nocturnal animals such as scorpions and raccoons, peep at shadeloving plants, and figure out how we humans get along in the dark. Finally, discover how darkness has intrigued and influenced humans for thousands of years, and how we can help preserve fragile worlds that need to live‌ in the dark.

A traveling exhibit organized by Cincinnati Museum Center. Suitable for ages 3 and up. Free with paid admission or membership.

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Education

JERSEY CITY, N.J. / June 26, 2012 — Paul Silverman (center), a Principal of the real estate development firm SILVERMAN who has devoted a great deal of his time to community endeavors, was presented with the 2012 Hudson County Community College Heritage Award at the College’s 34th Commencement Exercises on Wednesday, May 23.

Mr. Silverman is pictured with, from left, HCCC Trustee Karen Fahrenholz and HCCC President Dr. Glen Gabert.

News from Fairleigh Dickinson University

Local Students Named to Honor’s List at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s College at Florham MADISON, NJ (06/26/2012)(readMedia)-- Students at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s College at Florham, located in Madison, N.J. have been named to the Honor’s List for the Spring 2012 Semester. To qualify for the Honor’s List, a student must carry a 3.5 or better grade point average out of a possible 4.0 and be enrolled in a minimum of 12 letter-graded hours (four courses).

The following students have qualified: Charlota Jurcik of Bayonne, NJ; Jonathan Stachiw of Bayonne, NJ; Brenda Cooper of Jersey City, NJ; Jennifer Gonzalez of Jersey City, NJ; Noelle Jansen of Jersey City, NJ; Spyros Mavropoulos of Kearny, NJ; FDU’s College at Florham is located on the former Vanderbilt-Twombly estate in suburban Morris County.

Its focus is on providing outstanding on-campus and residential living opportunities, hands-on-learning experiences, strong graduate and professional school preparation, and customized educational options, all framed by a global perspective.

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Big Design Ideas for Small Kitchen Spaces (ARA) - Bigger isn’t always better in the real estate world, and what’s more, it’s not always possible. With more baby boomers downsizing from McMansions to smaller, more manageable houses, and a growing number of people opting to rent rather than buy, many families are looking for new ways to decorate, design and work with smaller spaces.

Kitchens sell homes, but this most-used room in the house hasn’t escaped the “less is more” trend, either. Interior designers, decorators and home product makers are responding to the growing demand for practical, beautiful options that make sense in smaller kitchens.

Work the walls - You may love your cozy kitchen, but that doesn’t mean you want to make it look or feel any smaller than it already is. Lighter wall colors can help a little kitchen feel more open and airy. One winning decorating technique for small kitchens is to paint the majority of the wall space in a light neutral tone, like a pale cream or taupe and then add a pop of brighter or darker color to one accent wall or area. You can edge up the excitement of this technique by using a mural for kitchens on the accent

wall, rather than just a different paint color. Have an oddly shaped niche in your kitchen? You can turn that problematic space into a design statement with custom, repositionable wallpaper that can be custom-sized and custom-colored to fit your specifications. This unique product can be adhered and re-ahered hundreds of times so you can take it with you to your next house if you choose.

Smart-size your appliances - Sure that 30-cubic-foot stainless steel refrigerator is beautiful in the showroom, but how much will you love it when you can’t fully open the door in your small kitchen?

Get creative with storage - Whether you hang some pots and pans overhead, replace traditional cabinet shelves with pullout drawers or use special racks to store plates vertically, you can find plenty of creative small-kitchen storage solutions.

Liven things up with light - Often, a small kitchen will have just one window - or no window at all. Yet light is an important way to make a tight space feel more expansive and inviting. Task lighting is essential for work areas, Pendant lights can create ambiance and provide practical illumination. Or consider Tubular Sky Lights.

Page 13 River View Observer

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On the Funny Side

By Sally Deering

Broadway Tightens its Dance Belt Dear Readers, For the summer, River View Observer’s head writer Sally Deering will be offering some funny insights on life in these crazy, kooky times. Enjoy!

The 2011-12 Broadway season just ended and grosses were a record high: $1.1 billion. But high-ticket prices -- $200 for an orchestra seat for “The Book of Mormon” -- are just a subplot in the backstage drama that comes with producing a Broadway musical. The real reason Broadway is turning a profit is because producers are cutting the flab from their million-dollar budgets.

How are producers sucking out the fat? They start with the leading lady.

“We wanted Meryl Streep for a new revival of ‘Gypsy’ but couldn’t afford her,” producer Arnold Fishbein says. “So we found the perfect replacement – Snookie from ‘Jersey Shore’. There’s not a talented bone in her body, but we’ll save a bundle.”

The new musical “Newsies” recently won several Tony Awards, but the show has a long way to go before it turns a profit. So between matinees the producers send the chorus boys out into the streets to sell real newspapers. And producers of “Phantom of the Opera” are taking a cue from “Avenue Q” the Broadway musical that featured Muppet-type characters. They fired the actor playing the Phantom and replaced him with a hand-puppet.

Disney slimmed down its current production of “The Lion King” which is now cost-efficient thanks to accounting wizard, Ronald Meekman. Actors are now told to improvise when they need to replace costume necessities like whiskers, fangs and fur.

“I submitted an invoice for a new dance belt and they told me to buy two rubber bands and duct tape,” says Bud Gunderson, who used an alias for this story. “What kind of Mickey Mouse operation is Disney running here?”

For the new Broadway season, which officially starts the day after Labor Day, producers are making budget cuts while their shows preview out-oftown. The Broadway buzz is that in order to qualify for a federal tax break, producers of the musical “Annie” are employing real orphans. “Cinderella”

by Rogers and Hammerstein is also slated to open this fall, but to save money, there’s talk that both Prince Charming and Cinderella will be played by David Hasselhoff.

Even with ticket-buyers shelling out hundreds of dollars for tickets, many producers are demanding the audience share some of the burden. At the Concession stand, instead of champagne and cocktails, audience members are offered a $20 slug from a wine jug. And there are even longer waits at the restrooms now that there’s a $10 charge to get in and another $10 to get out. Several savvy producers have even put the audience to work. When the final bows are taken at “Sister Act” the doors are locked and ticket holders are handed butter knives to pry gum off the seats.

“To keep Broadway in the black, we all have to pitch in and do our part,” says Mary O’Keefe, head usherette for “Jersey Boys”. “These days, I don’t just escort people to their seats I lift their wallets when they’re not looking. It’s all part of the job.”

Cheap seats to a Broadway show now go beyond the discounts you can get at the TKTS booth in Times Square.

Judy Santorelli, 13, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, recently attended a matinee of “Wicked” where she and her mom sat on milk crates in the lobby.

“It was my first Broadway show,” Judy gushed. “I couldn’t see the stage but I could practically smell the Flying Monkeys.”

Page 17 River View Observer

Pictured-Rita Pane owner of Rita & Joe’s one of Jersey City’s popular Italian Restaurant smiles holding a citation presented by Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and Jersey City Council President Peter Brennan at the Fourth Annual Made in Jersey City Day. On June 18th the City of Jersey City held the Fourth Annual Made in Jersey City Day. This years theme was “The Delectable Dish,” which showcased the restaurants, cafes and bistros whose dedication to quality, innovation and diversity have made Jersey City a mecca for foodies the world over.

Dozens of participating restaurateurs and chefs were able to display — and provide samples of — their signature dishes in the Rotunda and Council Chambers.

Hosted by Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, the City of Jersey City, the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation, Jersey City Urban Enterprise Zone Program and Jersey City Division of Cultural Affairs.

The three hour event with a crowds of 400 and better gave Jersey city residents the chance to sample the foods and get to meet the owners of the older established Jersey City restaurants and the newer restaurants that have recently opened in Jersey City.

Save the Date :102nd ANNUAL ST. ANN’S ITALIAN FESTIVAL St. Ann’s Square, Hoboken, NJ -July 20-26 2012 St. Ann’s Festival, for 102 years the Mile-Square city’s preeminent Italian feast, begins on Friday, July 20 and continues for seven consecutive days concluding on Thursday, July 26. The festival will open each day at 6:00 PM and close at 11 PM. On Saturday and Sunday, the feast will open at 1:00 PM. The festival’s final day includes the solemn concelebrated mass at 11:00 AM followed by the procession of the 600-pound statue of St. Ann through the streets of Hoboken, carried by her female devotees.

During the St. Ann’s Italian Festival, thousands of visitors will enjoy headline entertainment which includes returning favorites The Bronx Wanderers, The Nerds, Cristina Fontanelli, and Ray Rodriguez Swing Sabroso (Latin Night), as well as, Brass Transit - playing the music of Chicago, and Steve Lippia Sings “Simply Sinatra” accompanied by the Jordan Thomas Orchestra. The nightly live entertainment begins at 8:15 PM on the stage directly across from St. Ann’s Church.

During the festival, attendees will be treated to homemade Italian specialties, including the famous zeppole whose secret recipe is faithfully guarded by the members of the St. Ann’s Guild.

Other gastronomic festival favorites include sausage and peppers, coal oven pizza, rice balls, gyros, and French crepes to name a few. The courtyard café features a full service bar with nightly drink specials.

The historic festival, rates as one of the ‘100 Top Events’ for the year in North America by the American Bus Association and hailed “The Only and Only” by the New York Times and “An essential event of the summer” by The Star-Ledger.

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restaurant VIEWS -Ten

Ingredients

Featuring Chef Maurizio Henriquez of Buon Appetito Restaurant & Salumeria

Photo by Steveamack.com

By Sally Deering

Chef Maurizio

Henriquez has been cooking traditional dishes from Southern Italy at Buon Appetito Restaurant & Salumeria in Bayonne for nine years.

Originally from El Salvador, Henriquez learned to cook watching his mother make traditional Salvadorian dishes in the family’s kitchen and when he came to the U.S. he started working in restaurants first as a dishwasher and then moved up the ranks to chef.

At Buon Appetito guests are seated in an elegant dining room where they enjoy Italian fare created by Henriuqez under the tutelage of owner/chef Tony Stoebling.

The dinner menu’s appetizers include Fried Calamari, Stuffed Mushrooms, Mussels, Clams Oreganata, Stuffed Eggplant, and Stuffed Shrimp; salads include Caesar Salad, Tricolor Salad, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad; soups are Tortellini in Brodo; Chicken Soup and the Soup of the Day; pasta dishes feature Rigatoni Vodka, Gnocchi Bolognese, Homemade Lasagna, Mushroom Ravioli, Lobster Ravioli, Tortellini Alfredo and Orecchiette with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe.

Buon Appetito’s Salumeria is an Italian deli

that sells Italian products like imported Italian cold cuts, imported cheeses like Aurrichio Provolone, Reggiano Parmiggiano and Buon Appetito’s homemade Mozzarella.

Italian Subs are also sold at the Salumeria along with daily specials and for the busy home cook Buon Appetito’s homemade Italian Sauce is sold by the quart.

Let’s meet Chef Maurizio Henriquez!

RVO: Chef Henriquez, can you tell our readers where you were born and raised?

MH: I was born in El Salvador and I came here when I was 14 years-old.

RVO: How did you become a chef?

MH: I worked at a lot of Italian restaurants as a dishwasher, bus boy and on the line.

Chef Maurizio Henriquez credits Buon Appetito Owner /Chef Tony Stobeling (pictured above) for teaching him his cooking skills

I’ve been at Buon Appetito for nine years.

RVO: Who taught you to cook?

MH: When I was young, I would watch my mother cook in the kitchen. I like Salvadorian food the way my mom made it; I like Italian food the way I make it.

And my mother loves Italian

food when I cook. When I came here Tony showed me his skills. My boss is really good and I learned a lot from him.

RVO: How would you describe your cooking style?

MH: I like to use a lot of fresh ingredients.

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restaurant VIEWS -Ten Cont’d from page 21 Buon Appetito’s Chef Maurizio Henriquez!

I think it gives the dish better quality.

RVO: What is your philosophy when creating dishes?

MH: You have to care for your food, make sure everything tastes good.

MH You should like what you do and I love cooking. It should always be the best RVO: Can you share what you consider one of your favorite dishes at Buon Appetito?

MH: Buon Appetito serves a lot of seafood – clams, mussels, scallops – and I love to cook seafood. Our most popular dish, though, is Chicken Monte Bianca.

RVO: What would you say is the most important aspect of cooking at Buon Appetito?

MH: When customers come back to the restaurant and they order the same dish they had before, they expect the same flavors in that dish. That’s why I try to make it the same way. You have to keep it consistent. That’s what keeps the customers coming back. A lot of people come to Buon Appetito because they love the food.

RVO: Do you have a quick recipe you can share for our busy readers?

MH: Salmon with Broccoli Rabe is a quick and delicious dish. Pan sear the salmon for 10 minutes and add the broccoli rabe. That’s it.

RVO: Do you have a signature cooking style?

MH: I try to put a little love on every plate.

RVO: Would you say all chefs are artists?

MH: Of course.

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During Spring and Summer Buon Appetito has outdoor seating

If you go: Buon Appetito Italian Restaurant & Salumeria 906-908 Broadway Bayonne 201-436-0043 www.buonappetitoitalian.com Hours: Mon 11 am-3 pm Tues-Sat 11 am-10 pm Sun 1-7 pm We want to hear from our readers about your favorite Restaurants and Chefs for future articles Email: obspublisher@aol.com

Ingredients

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Five Rules for Buying a Foreclosure or Short Sale with Confidence

Buyers are still clamoring for real estate deals in this turbulent market. Foreclosures and short sales offer some of the best bargains, but also have a higher risk level. Still, more than four in five adults think foreclosures and short sales can be good deals, according to a recent American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) survey.

Some analysts say the rebound has begun and home prices may rise by the end of 2012. This means now may be buyers’ last chance to take advantage of affordable properties and low interest rates. If you want to score a bargain before the housing market recovers, you’ll need to follow a few rules to invest with certainty.

Make a wise investment by adhering to these five rules while shopping distressed properties: Rule 1: Position yourself for success Before starting your search, get preapproved for a mortgage so when a good deal presents itself, you’re positioned to submit a bid right away to be the first offer on the bank’s desk.

Work with an experienced real estate agent who can help guide you through the daunting sea of foreclosures and short sales. Bidding can be complicated and time-consuming, especially when working with a home sale needing bank approval. A good agent will know how to navigate through the paperwork and red tape.

Rule 2: Do your research A real estate agent can help you with research, but it’s wise to do some on your own. Are there any undisclosed liens on the property? Is the seller behind on his property taxes? What permit records does the city have on file? This information will be critical during decision-making. Work with your agent to ensure the contract requires any delinquent taxes, liens or assessments will be paid prior to you taking ownership of the property.

Rule 3: Always get a home inspection Eighty-four percent of adults surveyed by ASHI said they would be more likely to purchase a distressed property after a home inspection has determined its condition.

A home inspection gives you the confidence to move forward with your purchase because you’ll have as much knowledge as possible about the condition of the property. An inspector will visually examine the condition of the home’s roof, attic and insulation, foundation, basement and structural components, as well as interior plumbing and electrical systems. Be sure to find an ASHI-Certified Inspector (ACI) to ensure your inspector is experienced, as many states have minimal licensing requirements.

To find a local ACI, use ASHI’s “Find an Inspector” tool on www.ASHI.org.

Rule 4: Budget for repairs When looking at short sales and foreclosures, remember price is only one aspect to consider. A home will almost always require some type of repair. After receiving your inspection report, you can estimate costs associated with necessary repairs, maintenance or energy-efficient improvements.

Rule 5: Assess the neighborhood Location should be a top consideration when purchasing real estate, and in a tough housing market, it’s even more important. A home has limited worth if it’s located in a less desirable neighborhood. High foreclosure rates can turn a once-desirable neighborhood into one many might likely avoid. These locations are likely to see a slower recovery than more populated or favorable areas less affected by the economy. Make location as important as price when making a purchase decision.

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