Upper Makefield
A BUSINESS IN BLOOM
RACHEL STEIN
LOVE AND ARTISTRY
SCIASCIA CONFECTIONS
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Celebrating Love
No sooner do we turn from the joys of the holidays and the new year than Valentine’s Day brings us another occasion to celebrate. Even with the chill outside, our hearts can be warmed by the sharing of love and friendship.
In this issue of Upper Makefield magazine, we are delighted to share stories celebrating love in many forms.
There are few loves more special than between mother and daughter, and Michele Frederico and Gabrielle Devine share a bond that has helped them build a thriving business together. Their bridal shop, La Belle Mariée, is filled not only with beautiful gowns but also with love and respect for each other, their staff and the customers whom they help to find the perfect dresses every day.
Is there anything more beloved than
chocolate? Valentine’s Day is an occasion to indulge in sweet delicacies, and few are more beautiful and delicious than the truffles and macarons from Sciascia Confections. Tom and Loren Sciascia have built their business on a foundation of love for their families, tradition and one another. This is a love story that will have you running to the Ferry Market to taste the confections for yourself.
Of course, any Valentine’s Day isn’t complete without that perfect sign of love and appreciation: flowers. Flowers make the world a more beautiful place and they make any day better. For Rachel Stein, flowers have made her home into a floral workshop for her budding business, You’ll Be Vine Floral Design Co., and her gorgeous floral arrangements.
In this issue, we’re also sharing wonderful local gift ideas, suggestions for a warm and satisfying special meal, local art to love and more! It’s a special issue for another special month.
Soon, we’ll be happy to count down the days until spring begins. Until then, enjoy the glitter of falling snow and the warmth of a fireplace or a cup of hot chocolate—maybe with a side of macarons!
Laura Lazar Publisher
Upper Makefield MAGAZINE
Publisher
Laura Lazar
Local Editor
Nick Norlen
Writers
Ross Heutmaker
Dari Kotzker
Nick Norlen
Ashara Shapiro
Michael Sklar
Liz Young
Photographers
Jennifer Janikic Photography, LLC
Regina Miller
Juan Vidal Photography
Expert Contributors
Greg Dwornikowski
Anthony Petsis
WAINSCOT MEDIA
Chairman Carroll V. Dowden
President and CEO
Mark Dowden
VP, Group Publisher, Regional
Thomas Flannery
VP, Content Strategy
Maria Regan
Creative Director
Kijoo Kim
Art Director
Rosemary O’Connell
Executive Editor
Richard Laliberte
Associate Editor
Sophia Carlisle
Advertising Services Director
Jacquelynn Fischer
Operations Director
Catherine Rosario
Production Designer
Chris Ferrante
Print Production Manager
Fern Meshulam
Advertising Production Associate
Griff Dowden
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LA CHELÉ: THE ULTIMATE DESTINATION FOR SELF-CARE AND GIFTING
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THE LA CHELÉ EXPERIENCE
Nestled in Bucks County, La Chelé is a sanctuary for innovative treatments and self-care. Renowned for cosmetic services like Botox, Fillers, PDO Threads, facial optimization, and cutting-edge lasers such as Morpheus8 and Ellacor, we offer unmatched options. Enjoy our spa and relaxation lounge before treatments like microneedling, diamond glow, or dermaplaning. We also provide wellness services, including Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy, a Medical Weight Loss Program, and NAD+ IVs.
BRUNCH WITH THE BIG MAN
Organized by Upper Makefield’s Heather Roberts and the Keystone Community Coalition, December’s Santa Brunch raised funds for the annual Shop With A Cop event. Pictured with Santa are (from left) Upper Makefield Police officers Colin Murphy, Harry Vitello and Sergeant Daniel Jones.
COLONIAL FARMS GIVES BACK
This holiday season, Colonial Farms donated hundreds of meals in support of the Serve the People Holiday Celebration organized by Philadelphia’s Woodstock Family Center. Volunteers included Colonial employees (from front) McKenna, Zoe, Van and Max.
LOCAL PULSE
CROSSING GUARDS
Reenactors successfully performed the Dec. 25 crossing of the Delaware, and spectators weren’t the only ones watching. To ensure safe passage, local first responders were ready with their own boats in the water and firefighters along shore, including members of Upper Makefield Fire Company and Union Fire Company & Rescue Squad of Titusville, New Jersey, pictured here under the Washington Crossing bridge.
GENERAL INTEREST
Newtown Library Company will host its 21st annual Book Lovers Party on Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Atrium at the Stocking Works in Newtown, featuring hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, a silent auction and basket raffle, and a special guest appearance by General George Washington (portrayed in full uniform by John Godzieba) in celebration of the general’s 293rd birthday. For tickets and info, visit www.newtownlibrarycompany.org.
A WAY TO THEIR HEART
Heart-shaped pizza will be back for Valentine’s Day at Original Dominick’s Pizza of Washington Crossing. And don’t forget that Sunday, Feb. 9, is National Pizza Day!
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To celebrate this special occasion, we’re offering an exclusive “Sweetheart” deal throughout the entire month of February! Enjoy $50 off any e-bike purchase, plus a free bike bag. And, when you mention Upper Makefield Magazine, you’ll receive a complimentary cell phone holder with your purchase! At Voltage, we’re dedicated to helping you find the perfect e-bike for you and your loved ones. Come visit us and let’s make your ride together even sweeter!
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Hours: By Appointment Only
Dresses for Success
Michele Frederico (left) and her daughter, Gabrielle Devine, at La Belle Mariée, the bridal boutique they cofounded.
An Upper Makefield mother-daughter duo make wedding and family dreams
come true.
BY NICK NORLEN
Once upon a time, a girl majored in accounting. She loved math. Still does. But she realized she did not love accounting. So she went back to school and became a math teacher. Still, a dream lingered at the back of her mind of starting a business with her mom, like they had talked about since she was in high school.
A restaurant? A boutique?
Eventually, her mom asked the fateful question: What about a bridal shop?
The girl, Gabrielle Devine, is grown up now, with two girls of her
own. But she remembers what she said that day: “I said, ‘I think this sounds absolutely insane.’” Then, recognizing it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she gave her answer:
“Let’s give it a go.”
“And that was 10 years ago,” Devine says now.
Devine and her mother-slashbusiness-partner, Michele Frederico, are celebrating their 10th year as co-owners of La Belle Mariée, their shop at Summit Square in Langhorne that has become a destination for designer wedding dresses.
The two live only about five minutes away from each other in Upper Makefield.
“We’ve always been very close, since the time she was a little girl,” Frederico says.
“We’re like best friends,” Devine says. But that doesn’t mean they’re the same.
“Our skills are very different. I’m very back-end, technical,” says Devine, who, yes, does the accounting for the business. As for her mom? “She’s front-of-house. She makes sure everything looks pretty.”
Creating Space
Frederico based the shop’s look and feel on her love of Paris, acquired during the time she lived there with the family, when Devine was just a baby. The shop’s name, La Belle Mariée, is French for “the beautiful bride.” It’s how they want every bride-to-be to feel when she walks through their door.
“Giving a great experience—treating people with love, kindness, compassion— is how we both run this business equally,” Devine says. “We believe that the bride’s happiness, the client’s happiness, is of utmost importance.”
But planning a wedding isn’t always a fairy tale. “In current times, it’s very difficult for brides, with social media; there’s so much pressure,” Devine says. Pressure to have “the perfect look, the perfect photos”—or what she calls “Pinterest dreams.” And at the center of all that, the search for the perfect dress.
“You’re bringing the most special people in your life with you. Your mom. Your grandmother. Your motherin-law to be. Your best friends, siblings,” Devine says. “[All] for this piece of clothing that you’ll wear for one day that signifies so much.”
Both Devine and Frederico pride themselves on making that experience as low-pressure as possible. Devine says it’s all about creating space. Physical space, yes—the shop’s early expansion into an adjoining storefront allowed for multiple brides to each have their own separate fitting area. But also “space for these big emotions and feelings, not only for all those present in the room, but often for those who are not,” Devine says.
She recalls the time a dress’s pattern
reminded a woman and her sister of butterflies, which reminded them of their grandmother, who had passed away. Needless to say, the dress was a yes. “And now everybody’s crying,” Devine says. “The bride’s crying. The sister’s crying. I’m crying.”
Devine and Frederico both credit their rapport with their customers to their team’s own chemistry. All of the shop’s bridal
Bride Marilyn Porcaro.
Photo courtesy of Morgan Downs.
consultants have been with them for several years, some from the start.
“That’s very rare in retail,” Devine says. “It really is such a special group of women. It has been such a joy over these 10 years working with them, then becoming family.”
Special Moments
Over that time, they’ve all developed an ability to understand brides’ needs, and then pull just the right dresses, with just the right details—a slightly different neckline, a slightly different train. Often, their picks end up being the final choice. There’s nothing more gratifying, Devine says.
“You feel this otherworldly experience. Something greater than you. Fate, destiny, and all these things coming together in this moment,” she says. “It’s such a special
moment because you’ve essentially read their mind for someone who an hour ago was a perfect stranger. It’s like solving a puzzle.”
Frederico says it comes down to treating every customer as a person, not a potential sale. “We are really interested in their story and them,” she says. “We make it an experience, and they love it, and we love it too.”
Devine says the same thing. “At the end of the day, we just want our brides to leave on cloud nine, to leave so happy,” she says. “I put a lot of pressure on myself and the store to deliver that. To make sure people are leaving happy—that it’s what they wanted and what they dreamed of.”
Meanwhile, mother and daughter are busy living out the dream they first talked about all those years ago.
“Being part of people’s lives in such a special capacity, getting to be involved in these intimate moments is such an honor,” Devine says. But: “It is not easy. It is not for the faint of heart. You have to have thick skin and get up every day and fight the fight.”
Frederico has begun to reduce her time at the shop, fully confident in the girl she raised, who’s now the businesswoman making other women’s dreams come true.
“I do not have one single complaint, and that I can say honestly,” Frederico says. “She’s the best daughter any mother could ever ask for.”
Nick Norlen is the editor of Upper Makefield magazine and lives with his family in Bucks County. If you’ve got a story about Upper Makefield, email editor@ uppermakefieldmag.com. FEBRUARY 2025 | 11
Above: La Belle Mariée owners Gabrielle Devine and Michele Frederico (center, from left), with bridal consultants Devon Blount (far left) and Sarah Deibel (far right). Left: La Belle Mariée offers adequate space for multiple brides to have separate fitting areas.
A Blooming Business
BY DARI KOTZKER
Rachel Stein grew You’ll Be Vine Floral Design Co. from the seed of a single idea.
MAKEFIELD
When Rachel Stein moved into her Upper Makefield home almost a decade ago with her husband and children, she had no idea her game room would one day become the headquarters of her blossoming floral business, You’ll Be Vine Floral Design Co.
In 2022, Stein was working full-time in learning and development when a spontaneous idea sprouted. It was the night before Sol Feinstone Elementary School’s Sweetheart Dance, a daddydaughter dance that her husband and daughter would be attending. Daddy and daughter were missing something: the corsage.
Instead of placing a lastminute order, Stein took matters into her own hands. She bought the flowers at the grocery store and made her daughter’s corsage herself, with a boutonniere to boot for her husband.
But she didn’t stop there. She decided to offer to make more for other families at the school, with all proceeds going to benefit those affected by the war in Ukraine, where a brother of Stein’s friend was fighting.
“I had so many orders, we raised $1,200 overnight,” she says. “I made 40 boutonnieres and 35 corsages within hours. That’s how I fell in love with it.”
Rachel Stein launched You’ll Be Vine Floral Design Co. at her home when her husband and daughter needed corsages for a school event. Flower orders from others have nurtured a business that has continued to blossom.
A Seed Is Planted
After the success of the dance, Stein started venturing into floral arrangements, including decorations for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She started posting her creations on a social media page she created, and the orders began to increase.
Then, in July 2023, Stein was laid off from her job. What followed was the official birth of her small business—and its name.
“Being laid off, not knowing whether I’d be a full-time florist or keep looking for work, I kept thinking, ‘You’ll be fine,’” she says. “I wanted a twist with a flower word, so I came up with ‘You’ll Be Vine.’”
Stein says it was a turning point that allowed her to pursue her passion. “Really, being out of work was a blessing in disguise; I could pursue flowers more seriously,” she says. “I’ve always been a creative person and a visual person.”
She continues to grow as a florist, absorbing information about the industry from YouTube videos, podcasts, anywhere she can. The game room is now her workroom, one that’s often filled with the flowers that she sources from various places, including wholesalers for larger orders.
Meanwhile, she’s been working to grow her social media presence, engaging community groups and local businesses, promoting floral subscriptions and launching Petal Parties—custom workshop events. In September, she took on her biggest job yet, providing the elaborate centerpieces for the Upper Makefield Police and Fire Gala.
The word is spreading. “I think the community helps a lot with word of mouth—getting to partner and meet local business owners,” she says. “So many people reached out to me after the gala. I have mostly local clients, but the past few months I’ve been getting calls from all over the country.”
Stein maintains that carnations are often underappreciated, but she loves their diversity, affordability and versatility.
The Biggest Day for Flowers
According to the Society of American Florists, 250 million roses are produced for Valentine’s Day each year. The National Retail Federation estimates that consumers will spend $2.6 billion on all types of Valentine’s Day flowers.
With the big day approaching, Stein has geared up for a significant number of orders, especially for the V-Day favorite, red roses. She says there’s one flower that gets a bad rap, but should also be appreciated on the day of love.
“Carnations are making a comeback,” she says. “ They have so many colors and varieties and you can make them look nice. They are more affordable and you can mix in red roses.”
Stein says she loves Valentine’s Day because it’s an excuse to be creative and play with flowers. But she says people
should remember the gift of flowers beyond holidays, prom and other major occasions.
“I would give flowers every day of the year if I could,” she says. “I think it’s the beauty for me. Flowers make me happy, giving them makes me happy, and I think when you get them as a gift, it warms people up and they get so excited over them.”
Stein recently returned to work in learning and development but she says she expects You’ll Be Vine to continue to bloom in tandem.
“I see myself continuing to network in the community and work with other small businesses, and I want to continue to do parties and events,” she says. “For me, this is a passion project.”
Dari Kotzker resides in Bucks County with her husband and four kids. She has worked as a reporter in television news and print media since 2001.
Being able to work with flowers is a passion project for Stein, who says flowers can bring joy to any day, not just special occasions.
Confections, Perfected
Love and artistry are among the ingredients at the heart of Sciascia Confections.
BY NICK NORLEN
Dig into the word “confection” and you’ll find a preoccupation with ingredients at its very core: Its Latin roots literally mean “make” and “together.” “Make together,” as in: Combine ingredients to produce something greater than the sum of those parts. As in: Put your heart and soul into making the perfect bite.
Tom Sciascia puts it another way, one that’s as elegant as the confections he and his wife, Loren Sciascia, have been delighting people with for almost 25 years. There is, he says, “a lot of life wrapped up in every single thing we do.”
To understand the life of their business, Sciascia Confections, you have to look at the ingredients. Not the literal ingredients in their exquisite chocolates and truffles and their rainbow array of macarons, all edible works of art tempting everyone who passes by their retail space in New Hope’s Ferry Market. Those ingredients are few and simple. Sustainably sourced, of the highest quality, and, by some sorcery, entirely gluten-free—a mix that has seen Sciascia Confections voted Best Chocolatier in Bucks for the past seven consecutive years.
No, not those ingredients. To understand what made them makers—together—look at the ingredients of their lives.
Top: Tom (right) and Loren Sciascia began Sciascia Confections as an outgrowth of Tom’s passion for food— especially chocolate—that’s rooted in his Italian family. Right: Tom mixes batter to create treats that are as artful as they are delectable.
Recipe for a Confectioner
Start with “growing up being marinated by Italian family,” as Tom likes to describe his childhood— one of Sunday dinners surrounded by 30 or so family members and the six or seven desserts that Tom’s mom, Edith, would make “every Sunday without fail.”
Add the box of pastries, tied with white string, that would arrive every holiday season, sent from New York City from the friends his grandfather had made after immigrating from Italy. From that box, take a secret bite of its one forbidden item, a rumsoaked, cream-filled delicacy with a flavor that Tom can still remember: “I never forgot that taste and that feeling and that experience of being in the state of nirvana.”
Mix in an early love of art and painting, born from the “transformative” oil paints he received for Christmas one year. Throw in a pinch of wonder: a toy, a
Tootsie Roll Factory, received when he was about 7 years old, that allowed young Tom to mold the malleable little chocolate rolls into different shapes.
It might sound like you could draw a straight line from all that to life as a confectioner. But you’d be leaving out an entire half of the equation: the intersection of Tom’s life with Loren’s.
The two met in college, where Loren was studying marketing and Tom was molding a potential career as a medical illustrator and graphic designer.
Importantly, they were friends first. After marriage came more partnerships: as the parents of two girls and as business partners when they started a graphic design business together.
Over the years, Tom would buy baking cookbooks as gifts for Loren, who recognized the simmering passion behind them. For one of the
All products at Sciascia Confections are gluten-free, in part due to Tom’s own autoimmune condition. Creating recipes to come up with perfect combinations of ingredients has entailed making thousands of specific items in tests.
girls’ school events, she volunteered Tom to make the desserts, and he finally made something from one of the cookbooks. “From that point on, I was hooked,” he says.
He continued tinkering on weekends. When he made elaborate chocolates as gifts for clients of their graphic design business, the response was overwhelming. Recipients asked him to create chocolates for their own clients, and “literally one thing led to another,” he says. A chance connection led Tom and Loren to start selling their confections at the Four Seasons Hotel gift shop.
As with any life, there are bitter ingredients. The shock of 9/11 made Tom realize the path he wanted his life to take. Nine years later, in 2010, they got the opportunity to open their first dedicated retail space, at the Stockton Market in New Jersey. Their first day, they sold out. “Then it was pretty much full-time from that point on,” Tom says.
For Loren, it was a headlong entry into the kind of work she had once literally vowed to avoid. Her father, Bernie, had been the owner of a hardware store, and she grew up seeing firsthand the demands of
small business ownership, especially in retail.
“I had thought, ‘I will never go into business. I don’t want that life. I don’t want anything to do with that,’” she says. “These are promises I made to myself at a very young age.”
Her father passed away right before they opened at the Stockton Market.
“One of my saddest regrets is that he never saw us in that environment. He just would have loved it,” she says.
“Sometimes you are your parents more than you anticipate being.”
A Perfect Partnership
Sure enough, the aspect that her father thrived at Loren now cites as her favorite: connecting with people. Staff and, of course, customers, for whom their confections have become part of family traditions. Always an artist, Tom continues to innovate.
“Tom’s dedication and love of craft continue to inspire me,” Loren says. “He’s constantly trying to perfect even the most popular recipe.”
After Edith passed away in 2016, Tom spent months making his mother’s recipes, finally perfecting a coconut concoction that makes him feel like she’s there
Tom and Loren say that crafting confections is about enjoying not only the creative process but also the relationships they form with customers. Their business, Tom says, is about bringing people “a few moments of joy”—made obvious by the happiness he sees on faces when patrons bite into one of his creations.
with him in the kitchen.
It took him six months and 3,000 macarons to perfect the first few of the now 20 varieties that line the display case at the Ferry Market, where they moved their retail space in 2017.
This February brings their annual release of a new series of chocolate hearts for Valentine’s Day.
Soon, Tom plans to launch a chocolate chip cookie, which, like everything else they sell, will be gluten-free. Not that you’d ever know—the result of an “empathy for the customer,” as Loren calls it, motivated by Tom’s own autoimmune condition.
Behind all that, Loren is the “conductor,” Tom says, managing production and always
coming up with new ideas. It’s a partnership, Loren says, that is “fulfilling at all the levels of the relationship.”
“Not to be too hokey, but we kind of complete each other. We often, for good or bad, think with one voice,” Loren says.
Tom separately says the same exact thing. “They say opposites attract and I don’t know where that comes from, because we are not,” he says. “So many people say, ‘I could never work with my spouse.’ In our situation, I don’t know how I could work without Loren.”
All those ingredients combined, it turns out that what Tom and Loren have been making together is a life. Making a life out of their art. Making their life into art. They
strive to not become “just a business”—to not “lose the joy,” Loren says.
“It’s about enjoying the relationships with the people and enjoying the creative process,” she says. “At the end of the day, what do you want your life to be?”
True to form, Tom’s words once again echo Loren’s. Ultimately, he says, the business of confections is about bringing people “a few moments of joy.”
“I absolutely love making people happy, seeing the shared joy on their faces when trying something new,” he says. “When they give our creations to other people and it brings such happiness, it’s like me sitting down to a Sunday dinner in my childhood, feeling that life couldn’t be any better.”
Tom first began making confections for clients of a graphic design business that he and Loren had established. Soon these clients were asking him to create treats that they could share with their own customers—and before long the Sciascias were selling confections directly to customers.
Michael Aram Orchid Collection available at The Pink Daisy
The Orchid Collection celebrates the ethereal spirit of the orchid plant. Symbolic of purity and grace, this collection captures the delicate nature of orchids while also expressing a quality of mystery and sensuality.
A Valentine’s Gift Guide
gift for a loved one or for you? Either way, shop local with some of our faves from around town.
Whiting Multicolor Mohair Overshirt
Slow-Braised, With Love
Capture comfort and winter romance with a luxurious dish that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day.
As the chill of February sets in, our thoughts turn to comfort foods and romantic meals.
No dish captures the essence of winter romance quite like slow-braised beef short ribs. With its melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and an aroma that fills your kitchen, this dish offers more than nourishment. It’s an experience designed for sharing, making it the perfect centerpiece for an intimate Valentine’s Day meal.
There’s something romantic about slow cooking. Preparing braised short ribs requires a commitment of time, but it’s the kind of time that’s well spent. As the beef slowly cooks in a bath of red wine and rich beef stock, flavors meld and intensify, creating a dish that feels not only luxurious, but also comforting.
The aromatics—carrots, onions, celery and parsnips—add earthy sweetness to the sauce, while the red wine helps infuse the
BY MICHAEL SKLAR
recipe with complex, full-bodied flavor. It’s not just cooking. It’s an entire sensory experience, from the sizzling of the sear to the smell of rosemary and thyme floating through your home.
A Captivating Moment
Food, like love, is about engaging the senses, and this dish truly captivates many. Picture it: tender beef short ribs, glistening in a velvety sauce, served over a cloud of creamy polenta. The polenta provides the perfect counterpoint to the richness of the meat, its buttery smoothness complementing each bite. But what truly sets this dish apart is the gremolata. A simple mixture of chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest, it adds a burst of freshness and a pop of color to the plate. Its bright, citrusy notes cut through the savoriness of the short ribs, making every bite feel balanced.
The act of preparing and sharing a meal like this creates intimacy. Braised short ribs are a labor of love, a dish that can’t be rushed. It requires time to sear the meat, deglaze the pan and slowly coax every ounce of flavor from the ingredients.
Sharing it over candlelight with a bottle of the same red wine used in the sauce transforms an ordinary evening into something special. The ingredients produce more than just a meal; they create a moment—an invitation to slow down, savor and celebrate love, whether with a partner, a close friend or even yourself.
This Valentine’s Day, let this dish be your love story, told bite by bite.
New Hope-based restaurateur Michael Sklar is the owner of GreenHouse New Hope and OldeStone Steakhouse. As president of the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce, Michael is an advocate for local business growth and community engagement.
Timely and Timeless
Inspired by his natural surroundings, Michael Palladino creates intricate works that forge universal connections.
Artist Michael Palladino at his studio.
BY ASHARA SHAPIRO
At times, it seems like there is an invisible tether that pulls patrons toward the artwork of Michael Palladino.
The curiosity, generosity and warmth that he himself exudes translates into his work, infusing it with his genuine desire to forge connections and create meaningful dialogue that extends beyond the gallery space. Each of his intricate explorations invites us in to stay awhile and explore his notions of being present to all that surrounds us.
Working from his studio on the Delaware River, Palladino creates mixed media works that reflect a profound connection to nature and a mastery of innovative techniques.
FEBRUARY EXHIBITIONS
“The Uncanny Valley of Everyday Life,” artist Margaret Koval’s debut solo exhibition of paintings depicting the surreal landscape of contemporary America
Feb. 7–23 at the ArtWRKD 128 Exhibition Space (First Friday preview Feb. 7; Second Saturday artist celebration Feb. 15; Artist dialogue Feb. 23)
“Belonging,” a group exhibition featuring artist Anesu Nyamupingidza, exploring the concepts of human connection and cultural identity
Feb. 7–23 at the ArtWRKD 126 Workshop Space
Learn more at www.artwrkd.com.
Natural Power
After graduating from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, Palladino explored various mediums, including printmaking, sculpture, photography and woodworking. His current practice focuses on enhanced digital photography and carved wooden reliefs. His photographic pieces are often encased in encaustic wax, a method that adds a faraway, textured quality to the imagery. This technique not only enhances the visual depth but also creates a sense of timelessness, drawing the viewer into a contemplative experience.
His wooden reliefs, sometimes charred and inlaid with encaustic or painted with an acrylic wash, give the feeling of coming upon something that has been here for a long time, a work that has seen many changes. The effect is reminiscent of tile mosaics depicting historical storytelling, blending the raw power of natural materials with a refined artistic touch.
With his muted color palettes and celebration of what is around us every day, only seemingly frozen in time, Palladino’s artistic language feels universal. His art leans heavily toward his personal inspiration: the ever-changing patterns and forms found in the natural world. It also reflects a deep concern for the environment, serving as both a celebration of nature’s beauty and a reminder of its fragility.
Engaging with Audiences
Beyond his personal creations, Palladino has collaborated with domestic and international design teams on large-scale projects fo r hotels, restaurants, cruise ships and residential spaces. These collaborations highlight his versatility as an artist and his ability to adapt his unique vision to diverse contexts.
Whether creating intimate pieces for private collectors or grand installations for public spaces, Palladino’s work consistently resonates with a universal audience.
As one of ArtWRKD’s represented artists, Palladino is a powerful presence within the exhibition space and one of the most celebrated artists within ArtWRKD’s walls. His works are among the most sought-after by collectors, not only for their aesthetic appeal but also for the stories and emotions they evoke.
Palladino’s art captures the essence of nature and its creatures, creating sacred spaces that invite viewers to reflect and reconnect with the world around them. Each piece he creates is a narrative—a reminder of the still spaces that we sometimes cannot see and what is possible within them.
Ashara Shapiro is gallerist and curator of ArtWRKD in Newtown, an art consortium with a mission for discovering, fostering and sharing original work by emerging artists through its workshop and exhibition space.
BY ROSS HEUTMAKER
If you’ve ever enjoyed a stack of hot pancakes, you know the joys of fresh maple syrup, but have you ever thought about making it in your own backyard? It may be easier than you think!
Maple syrup is one of several sweet products that can be produced from the sap of the maple tree. Trees are tapped in late winter when they are just beginning to wake from dormancy, and the sap that drips out is collected and boiled. The natural sugars that the tree has stored in its sap become concentrated as the water content evaporates.
The Indigenous people of the Northeastern woodlands were collecting and processing sap in th is way long before Europeans arrived. In the area that would become Upper Makefield, the Lenape produced maple sugar in the winter months, and it was an important part of their diet throughout the year.
By the colonial period, settlers
had begun to learn and adapt Indigenous techniques. In addition to the boycott of British tea during the revolution, there was also a movement to use locally produced maple sugar, or “country sugar,” instead of the white cane sugar that was produced and imported by the British.
Start with the Tree
Today, it is an easy and rewarding experience to make your own maple syrup on a small scale.
Any and all of the different maple species that grow native in Pennsylvania can be used to make syrup, but the real powerhouse is the sugar maple. Its sap has the highest sugar content, meaning less is required to produce the same amount of syrup. At Washington Crossing Historic Park, we tap primarily sugar maples, but also red and box elder maples.
One of the most important aspects of sugaring is deciding when to tap your trees. The sap will begin to flow when daytime temperatures are above freezing but dip back below freezing at nighttime, a pattern that often begins after New Year’s Day.
To tap a tree, drill a small hole into it with a 7/16 drill bit just an inch or so deep below the bark, which will allow flowing sap to leak out. You’ll need a small metal straw, called a spile, to insert into the hole to capture the sap and direct it into a bucket that hangs from the spile.
Once the sap begins to flow, the processing begins. Buckets must be collected every other day, and the sap must be boiled within a day or two of collection.
Process Naturally
The boiling can be done indoors, but outdoors is preferable because of the large amount of steam that it gives off.
A wood fire and a wide, heavybottomed metal pan are ideal for the job. The boiling can b e done in batches every few days and mixed together as the season progresses. A small candy thermometer will tell you when the syrup is ready.
When the temperature reaches 219 degrees Fahrenheit, the sugars have concentrated to the point that the syrup can be shelf-stable if bottled immediately into clean glass. (Store in the refrigerator once opened.) If the sap is boiled further to 260 degrees and then stirred vigorously, the liquid will crystallize into solid sugar, which has an even longer shelf life.
For a hands-on demonstration of the craft of maple sugaring, we welcome you to join us at Maple Harvest Day for a fun day of education, pancakes and warm maple syrup. Last year, the syrup we made took third place in a competition among other state parks!
LEARN MORE
Maple Harvest Day is Saturday, Feb. 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the General Greene Pavilion in Washington Crossing Historic Park. The event is free, but registration is required at www. washingtoncrossingpark.org/ event/maple-harvest-day.
Ross Heutmaker is the farmstead manager at Washington Crossing Historic Park, where he cares for the heritage breed sheep and conducts educational programs throughout the year.
Ross Heutmaker shows how to tap a tree at Washington Crossing Historic Park.
Books for Many Occasions BOOK NOOK
Selections to celebrate, learn about and become immersed in February’s diverse observances.
Welcome to February, the shortest month on the calendar but among the most diverse in its celebrations and observances. It’s a month to take the time to honor our cultures, our shared history, our heritages and the importance of love and…chocolate.
Pair all that with some good books and you’ve got a reading tradition that will sustain you through the last vestiges of winter.
“THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS” AND “CASTE”
By Isabel Wilkerson
For lessons in Black history during the month devoted to it, start with two works by critically acclaimed and esteemed author Isabel Wilkerson. “The Warmth of Other Suns” is narrative nonfiction that tells the story of f amilies migrating from the South to the North in hopes of a better life. Their collective and individual stories will resonate with any reader.
“Caste” tells a very different story, about the regimented approach to classifying people by skin color and effectively determining the trajectory of their lives. The book carries readers through specific time periods, national movements, legislation and social upheaval to reveal the deep impact that this system has on our history and today’s society.
BY LIZ YOUNG
“LOVE AND OTHER WORDS”
By Christina Lauren
For Valentine’s Day, this is a novel with a love story at its heart that will break yours in two. You’ll come to know the main characters across intertwined timelines in this story that will keep you mesmerized with honest and sophisticated dialogue, registering the love and loss of two connected lives.
“WEAVING SUNDOWN IN A SCARLET LIGHT”
By Joy Harjo
If you’re not familiar with Galentine’s Day, it’s a pop culture invention that preempts Valentine’s Day with a day devoted to women and the special women in their lives. Poetry can be considered a solitary endeavor, but in this collection, Harjo reflects on the importance of culture and heritage as revealed in her relationships with the mother figures and women of courage she’s known, weaving a pattern of feminine life and passion.
“VERA
WONG’S
UNSOLICITED ADVICE FO R MURDERERS”
By Jesse Q. Sutanto
The Lunar New Year festival is a great time to learn more about the cultures that celebrate it. Indeed, my favorite genre for deep winter is a mystery that explores a
new culture or a new country. I find I learn best by disappearing for hours at a time into another world that if to be treasured must be understood and respected on its own terms. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Sutanto’s novel has twists, turns and characters that will keep you guessing while you enjoy the romp.
“SLAVERY,
FRIENDS, AND FREEDOM IN BUCKS COUNTY”
By Pat Mervine and Joe Coleman Presidents’ Day is a time to reflect on our past and look to our future. To explore the past of our immediate surroundings, this work by local authors Mervine and Coleman will reacquaint you with patriots and political leaders from the 1600s to the 1800s, exploring much forgotten history that has been uncovered by diligent research in local libraries, churches, museums and homes.
“QUEEN BESS”
By Maria Vetrano
Vetrano’s novel is a slick, fun, time-travel tale in which Queen Elizabeth I travels to a future America and embraces a new world order as her own. Enjoy a story replete with political intrigue, sensational characters and a lot of humor. Here’s to living well in 2025!
Liz Young is the owner of Commonplace Reader (commonplace-reader.com), which just celebrated its five-year anniversary and hosts several adult book clubs each month along with kids’ activities on Saturdays in the shop on Main Street in Yardley.
Keys to a Healthier Heart
For American Heart Month, know the signs of a heart attack—and how to prevent one.
Heart disease can be insidious, creeping up slowly and seemingly without warning. Often it can be “silent,” too, with no obvious symptoms until a crisis or emergency—like a heart attack—strikes.
The American Heart Association (AHA) notes that heart attacks often involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back. They can also feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
But other symptoms can also indicate a heart attack. These include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, or the back , neck, jaw or stomach. Shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat and experiencing nausea or lightheadedness can be red flags as well.
Women in particular should pay attention to changes in how they feel, especially new-onset shortness of breath, chest-area discomfort or decreased activity tolerance. Women often have atypical symptoms, and any new symptoms should be discussed with a health care provider.
February is the AHA’s American Heart Month, which is an ideal time to understand not only symptoms of heart trouble but also how you can reduce your cardiovascular risks with key steps like these.
1. MONITOR YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE.
Having elevated blood pressure can directly affect the heart, which can enlarge and weaken over time if pressure is not controlled. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80. Talk with your doctor about higher numbers.
2. EAT A HEARTHEALTHY DIET.
Reduce added sugar and salt; eat a diet that contains whole grains, lean proteins and fruits and vegetables; avoid saturated fats; and reduce cholesterol. A Mediterranean diet is a healthy option to consider.
3. AVOID OVEREATING. In addition to causing weight gain, eating heavy meals and large portions causes your body to work overtime and increases your heart rate. Fatty meals are particularly taxing.
4. EXERCISE. Take a brisk walk, ride a bike, swim, dance—just get moving, and aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day, incorporating strength training twice a
week. Exercise is essential for overall good health, helping with weight loss or control, lowering blood pressure, improving oxygen flow to muscles and decreasing emotional stress.
5. QUIT SMOKING. After one year, your risk of developing heart disease will be cut by half.
6. MANAGE STRESS. Stress can have a profound effect on your heart health by inducing the release of stress hormones that in turn might cause an increase in blood pressure and injury to the inner layer of your heart vessels (endothelium)—factors that can contribute to a heart attack. Yoga and meditation are just two things that can help you manage stress. Speak to your doctor about other options.
7. SLEEP WELL. Sleep is important, but it’s not just about getting enough sleep, which for most adults should range from seven to nine hours per night. Restful, restorative sleep also matters. Go to bed at about the same time every night; sleep in a cool, dark room; and turn off electronic devices such as cell phones and tablets.
Peaceful Reflection
Bask in the serenity of freshly fallen snow on the Thompson-Neely camelback bridge across the Delaware Canal in this high-dynamic-range photo taken on a February morning by Yardley’s Josh Friedman. A lover of photography for almost 50 years, Friedman has led photo tours in Bucks County and has photographed this particular setting many times, in a variety of conditions. But “it never looked quite like this,” he says. You can purchase prints of Friedman’s photographs (including this one!) through his Etsy shop (JoshFriedmanPhoto), and can follow him on Instagram (@JoshFriedmanPhoto) and Facebook (JoshFriedmanPhotography).
Have a fabulous Upper Makefield photo? Email it to editor@uppermakefieldmag.com and it could be featured in an upcoming issue!
