Tenafly April 2024

Tenafly

ONE FAMILY’S FIGHT FOR GIRLS’ SPORTS FINANCIAL FACILITATOR

JULIA GUDISH KRIEGER

A TASTE OF JAPAN AT OSAKA SUSHI

The Baby

Whisperer Photographer

Marta Gaus

SINCE 1961, GENTLE DENTISTRY HAS BEEN HELPING PATIENTS SMILE. Much more than just a name; Gentle Dentistry embodies a philosophy centered around personalized care and exceptional technique. Advancing the spirit and values of minimally invasive dental care, Dr. Andrew Spector has built a legacy practice serving the tri-state area with compassion and grace.

The full-service, multi-specialty dental team and empathetic staff pride themselves on offering comprehensive, pain-free dentistry where minimally invasive, technology driven techniques provide the very best in implant dentistry, cosmetic smile makeovers, and technology enhanced general care. With a deep passion and unique vision for aesthetic dentistry, Dr. Spector delves into the goals and desires of his patients to deliver excellence and impeccable aesthetic results. A key national opinion leader and a nationally renowned speaker on the most advanced dental technologies and practices, Dr. Spector is on a constant pursuit to educate his patients and colleagues on all facets of the future of dentistry. His work has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, NJ12 and in the New York Times.

Gentle Dentistry welcomes patients of all ages to come experience a different kind of dentistry.

Story Telling

We’ve been hearing from readers a lot these past few months, many sharing positive comments and offering suggestions for story ideas. Once in a while, someone comments, “This is a small town. Aren’t you going to run out of things to write about?”

Our philosophy is that every person living in Tenafly is a potential story. Every resident has something to say that is unique, whether it’s regarding their line of work, their family, their talents, the

causes that are important to them, and more.

Here are just a few of the people we found so interesting that we just had to tell you about them in this issue:

Tenafly High School student Alexa Cuevas is our “Q&A” subject…and the winner of a prestigious Teen Impact Award.

Julia Gudish Krieger is a dedicated mother of three whose contributions have garnered widespread recognition, both on a global scale and within the local sphere, particularly through her instrumental role in spearheading the town’s redevelopment efforts.

Photographer Marta Gaus captures herself on the cover. Learn about what got her started in the business and check out some of her work.

This issue also offers a “Local Tastes” piece on Osaka Sushi and more. Please keep telling us which stories you like—and even the ones not so much—and what you’d like to see more of. Reach out to me at hello@tenaflymagazine.com, and enjoy the warmer weather!

Natural Solutions

Tenafly’s mayor highlights happenings in our local community.

BY MARK ZINNA

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. The present state of nature delivering tremendous amounts of rainwater in very short periods of time is causing our streams to overflow and our storm drain systems to be overwhelmed.

Welcome news has been delivered in the form of $1.6 million awarded to Tenafly from Congress specifically for us to clean and improve our

streams. This is a positive development and will help our community address our multifaceted stormwater challenges. Thanks to everyone who helped bring these federal dollars to Tenafly.

It’s springtime! Our energy is beginning to focus on lawns, gardening, the outdoors and barbecues! Every year, our yards generate tons of grass clippings and leaves. The removal and disposal of this organic matter from yards costs all of us lots of money. The thing is, when we keep most of it on our lawns, it becomes magnificent topsoil.

To the extent possible, please consider mulching your grass when cutting and doing the same for leaves in the fall. Every time one of our neighbors mulches, it saves us all tax money and improves the long-term quality of their yard.

Tenafly seniors: Have you made a visit to the Tenafly Senior Center to discover all the fabulous activities? Located at 20 South Summit St., the Senior Center hosts classes daily that include art, dancing, exercise, discussion groups and yoga.

If you enjoy playing card games, going to Broadway shows, attending concerts or traveling to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the Senior Center has it all. Call the Senior Center at 201-569-2159 Monday through Friday for details or come in for a visit to learn more.

We do not often enough thank all the wonderful residents who volunteer for our community by serving on the boards, commissions and committees that guide our town and make everything hum. So, thank you; your service is very much appreciated. If you are interested in learning about volunteer opportunities to serve, please send me an email at mzinna@tenafly.net.

Hope you are loving springtime!

Celebrating the Chamber

On Saturday, March 16, at the 130 Club, the Tenafly Chamber of Commerce hosted a cocktail party for current and prospective members. President Jon Krieger, Vice President Orly Chen, Secretary Jenny Jackson and board member Shepard Grinker were on hand to welcome more than 80 guests who enjoyed drinks, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment to celebrate the Chamber’s efforts to make Tenafly a topclass community.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRADY SANSOTTA

‘I Love Helping People’

Tenafly High School senior Alexa Cuevas supports the community that has helped her family deal with blood disorders.

BY ANNMARIE MARTIN

Alexa Cuevas was only 3 years old when her younger brother was diagnosed with hemophilia B, a genetic bleeding disorder. It wasn’t until later that her family found out that she and her mother also have a mild version of this rare disorder.

Her family is heavily involved in various tristate chapters of the Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA) and the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF). Cuevas is constantly volunteering, especially for the New York City Hemophilia Chapter (NYCHC).

Her work hasn’t gone unnoticed. She took second place on NorthJersey.com’s Student of the Week poll in February and earned a Teen Impact Award in 2021. We sat down with Cuevas to learn more.

What do all these accolades mean to you?

I’m so grateful. I love helping people and doing this work, and I especially love helping my bleeding disorder community. It shows that your work does get recognized, but I do this because I want to, not to get acknowledged.

How was community important when you and family members were diagnosed?

When we started to get involved with the NYCHC, it was so nice to have people who understood the constant worry and didn’t need us to explain certain things—like why my brother couldn’t run around freely on the playground like other kids. It was people who were joined together to help teach each other and build each other up.

INTERVIEW WITH ALEXA CUEVAS

What parts of this work have you most enjoyed?

When the pandemic hit, my mom and I remained active in keeping the Latino community connected and involved for the NYCHC, organizing virtual recipe nights. Now as conferences are live again and as parents are sitting in on them, I love being there for their children, to watch them or help translate.

I’ve also attended Washington Days in D.C. for the past two years as a New Jersey representative, thanks to the NBDF. There, we’re given the chance to share our stories with Congress but also to advocate for certain bills like the HELP Copays Act, which will keep hemophilia medicine affordable.

How did your parents’ journey inspire you to help others?

I was constantly aware of how much it took for them to get here, so I was always inspired to give back and respect my heritage. [Her parents came to the United States from Mexico in 2000.] They were very determined to make sure that I knew where I came from and that my culture remained a big part of my

You haven’t committed to a college but want to study architecture. What type?

I love the environment, so I really want to go into sustainable architecture. But I’m also interested in accessibility, as I’ve grown up around the disability community and know the importance of it.

life.

AnnMarie Martin is a writer, editor and published author based in Bergen County.

Alexa Cuevas (center) regularly volunteers to support organizations and people involved with the blood disorders community, which in turn has supported Cuevas, her mother and her brother as they navigate life with a genetic form of hemophilia.

Baby, What a Shot!

BY CHRISTIANA MAIMONE

Photographer and former model Marta Gaus captures precious moments from behind the camera.

Photos capture what words can’t, preserving precious family moments forever. This is precisely what artist and photographer Marta Gaus aims to do at her studio nestled in downtown Tenafly.

Gaus proudly owns Marta Photography, which has been open and thriving for the past seven years. The studio offers a haven for stunning and memorable newborn and maternity photos, which Gaus specializes in.

With over a decade of professional experience, Gaus offers a variety of photo packages ranging from newborn and maternity sessions to family, portrait and lifestyle photography.

Clients have their choice of sessions in-studio or at locations of their preference. Notably, Gaus extends her talents to families that are welcoming babies after previously experiencing fertility struggles, offering them complimentary sessions as a heartfelt gesture.

Gaus fell in love with taking maternity and newborn shots while working with a longtime client of hers. Gaus is originally from Poland, where this type of photography wasn’t as common, and she found herself fascinated.

“I got obsessed,” Gaus says. “I started to research more about it and going to maternity workshops. I started to invest more time and money into educating myself.”

PHOTOGRAPHS

BY MARTA PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO

Marta Gaus says knowing how to make people feel comfortable helps her capture remarkable images.

From Poland to Tenafly

Gaus first visited the United States 25 years ago, not intending it to be her forever home. Her photography journey began unexpectedly one day at a coffee shop, where she was approached by a photographer who asked her to model. She politely declined but took his business card.

“I went home, and I did some research,” she says. “And he was a pretty well-known photographer. I called him and he said that he was happy to hear from me.”

The more she modeled in front of the

camera, the more curious she became about what it was like behind the camera. Because she had a background in painting, photography as an artistic medium quickly intrigued her.

“To me, photography is like a digital painting, right? So I was very fascinated visiting the photo shoots, how they play with light, how they approach everything, how every detail and pose matters,” she explains.

Modeling led to an opportunity with a professor who offered to give her private lessons in exchange for her

modeling in his photos. “That’s how I learned photography, and I fell in love immediately,” she says. “Since then, I hold a camera every single day. I can’t imagine my life without the camera.”

This passion for photography transformed into a flourishing business. In the beginning, she stored her equipment in her garage, traveling to each client. Then she was finally able to open her dream studio: After saving up for several years, she signed a lease for her first location, in Cliffside Park. When another opportunity opened up in Tenafly a year later, she

couldn’t refuse.

“I was very lucky because one of my friends had a business right on Hillside Avenue, where my studio is located,” Gaus says. “It was purely accidental that this location was waiting for me.”

Gaus isn’t a Tenafly resident herself, but it’s easy for her to love the tightknit, welcoming town. “Tenafly is this tiny, adorable city and community,” she says. “The great thing about my location is that it’s close to the bridge, and 80 percent of my clients are from New York City.”

Focused on Clients

Gaus prides herself on creating a fun and relaxed studio environment for her clients.

Drawing from her own experiences as a model, she’s an expert at making sure even the most nervous first-time subjects feel at ease.

“I promise you, five minutes with me and you’re going to forget that you’re in front of the camera—and that’s the case every time,” Gaus says of her clients. “They say, ‘Oh my gosh, I had so much fun. I want to come back!’”

Gaus thoroughly enjoys educating

her clients, explaining every facet of the photography process. When they leave the studio, they go home not only with gorgeous images but also the knowledge and confidence to be in front of the lens.

To explore Gaus’ impressive portfolio and connect with her, visit www. martaphotographystudio.com. You can find her on Instagram @martaphotographystudio and on her YouTube channel @ MartaFromSpartaToday.

Christiana Maimone is a freelance writer based in Bergen County.

Investing in Tenafly

At her firm Pari Passu Venture Partners, Julia Gudish Krieger links select financiers with opportunities.

BY D. FLYNN

Julia Gudish Krieger built her career around connection. She has defined her life by relationships, both with family and those she built during her years in entrepreneurship and venture capital. Among her current plans? She wants to connect with Tenafly.

Though many residents may know Gudish Krieger and her husband from The Spring, a combination café and lifestyle center that they run, Gudish Krieger’s principal project focuses on angel investing.

Her firm, Pari Passu Venture Partners, is named for a financial expression that means “equal footing” in Latin. She describes it as a members-only “ecosystem” that connects investors and their expertise to venture capital opportunities, often in the form of start-ups.

Although anyone can download the company’s PariPassu app,

there is a vetting process for full participation. Members must meet Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) criteria for accredited investors, such as having over $200,000 in income for the past two years in a row, more than $1 million in nonhome assets, a specific type of financial professional license or a specific employee experience at a registered fund. Accredited investors are eligible to participate in projects not registered with the SEC, which can be riskier than those available to your everyday e-trader.

What Pari Passu offers is the chance to pick and choose venture capital projects on a five- rather than six-digit scale.

“If I write a million-dollar check, there could be 20 people behind the scenes, writing checks from 10K to 200K,” explains Gudish Krieger.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRISTOL JONES

The app that Julia Gudish Krieger and her partners created is open to all but requires active users to meet SEC criteria for accredited investors.

Making Connections

Gudish Krieger founded Pari Passu with Kyle Widrick and Dylan Whitman, but she is responsible for the day-to-day operations. By pooling member resources, Pari Passu can offer companies angel support that would not otherwise enter the market. On the investee side, most companies work with B2B software, technology, consumer tech and artificial intelligence.

Pari Passu’s investors supported EdSights, a technology company in student retention. In the United States, only around half of the students who start college graduate, and the figure is lower for lower-income and minority students.

Unlike previous projects, which collected information about students from other parties, EdSights’ AI chatbot collected information directly from over 150,000 student volunteers. The company claims it has decreased dropout rates and saved schools millions of dollars in lost tuition fees.

Gudish Krieger’s previous work also

focused on connection. She spent many years in venture capital, including a fouryear stint with Insight Venture Partners— and was named one of Forbes’ 30 under 30. But two entrepreneurial projects, Rent the Runway and Village Luxe, were about allowing women to connect with each other in a way that they could monetize, in this case, through renting and sharing vintage and luxury clothing.

Pari Passu members exchange things of a less tangible nature. The app incorporates LinkedIn profiles and eases the transfer of expertise from one place to another.

“People who invest with us are highly connected entrepreneurs, and if we think they can help the company in a specific way, we tell them to download the app, which connects to their LinkedIn profile,” Gudish Krieger says. “This makes it easy for people to see the deals and report asks and updates.”

According to Gudish Krieger, Pari Passu investors have helped new firms make marketing and hiring decisions.

Greener Spaces

Gudish Krieger’s journey to Tenafly also came through people. She moved to Rockland County from Kiev at age 4 and spent most of her youth in Manhattan. She says that one of her husband’s sisters lived across the street from them in Flatiron. Another sisterin-law lived in Maryland, so when the pandemic reached New York, they took their then-two children and rented a house in Pikesville for the duration.

After a year in a place with more trees than pavement, they wanted a little more greenery than they’d been used to north of the Hudson, while retaining

access to the city. They came to Bergen County in October 2021.

Another of her husband’s sisters had a friend who lived in Tenafly and spoke well of the area. Then with three children, Gudish Krieger and her husband moved in. Eventually, the sister came to town as well. Since then, two other members of Gudish Krieger’s husband’s family have relocated to Bergen County, not counting all the cousins who are in and out.

Gudish Krieger cites Tenafly as a place with both strong community and a large group of entrepreneurs with whom she might continue to build

connections.

The family put down roots quickly. They founded The Spring, which has since closed pending an upgrade to a full-service restaurant and is due to reopen by May. Gudish Krieger says she and her husband plan to make The Spring a “focal point that this town needs and deserves.”

Gudish Krieger says that anyone who’s built a start-up knows it takes a village to succeed. Her village could turn out to be us.

D. Flynn is a writer who lives in Bergen County.

Five Decades of Girls’ Sports

How the Bernstein family championed high school programs that changed history more than 50 years ago

In June 1972, Title IX was signed into law by President Richard Nixon. The law protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

Despite the passing of this legislation, Tenafly High School (THS) went almost a full year without plans to create its first female teams.

Thankfully, two Tenafly residents, Joan and Jim Bernstein, led the crusade to enact change and allow young girls at THS to compete on their own teams. After months of pressure from the Bernsteins and the public, the school finally acquiesced. In spring 1973, a girls’ tennis team became the first interscholastic sports team at the high school.

Gymnastics and volleyball followed that fall, which means the school has

BY RICH LUTTENBERGER

now marked more than 50 years of girls sports. Today, THS has many programs that allow its female students to compete interscholastically.

Honoring Family Heritage

Jim Bernstein grew up with a legacy of female athletes. His mother was an accomplished tennis player who competed at New York University in the 1920s, and her sister played as well. It was no surprise, then, that he was not just a tennis player himself but also a staunch supporter of women’s rights, especially in sports.

The Bernsteins had a daughter, and, naturally, she played tennis, too. Jan L. Bernstein, now a lawyer specializing in family law and a strong voice in gender equity issues, was a freshman at THS practicing on the boys’ team when Title IX became law. Previously, her only

options for competitive tennis were out of school. Her parents felt it unfair that she had to practice at school with the boys and did not have opportunities to compete for the Tigers.

“It offended their sense of civil rights,” Bernstein says of her parents, who were passionate about their daughter having equal opportunities. “It takes a spark of dedication and passion, and they were people who were willing to stand up to do what is right.”

From the start, the Bernsteins received tremendous support from the community. Local parents were receptive to efforts seeking girls’ sports, and students were also behind the cause. However, according to Jan, the movement met resistance from school administrators and the Board of Education.

BY CHRIS MARKSBURY; VINTAGE IMAGES COURTESY JAN BERNSTEIN

Above: Jan L. Bernstein’s grandmother, Ethel Samuels Bernstein, played tennis at New York University. An endowment for the University of Pennsylvania women’s tennis team is now named in her honor. Right: Jan practicing on the 1973-74 Tenafly High School team.

THE JOAN AND JAMES H. BERNSTEIN FUND

Established in 2016, the Joan and James H. Bernstein Fund promotes gender equity in sports for high school girls, with a particular focus on at-risk girls in New Jersey high schools.

Jan L. Bernstein created this fund at the National Women’s Law Center, which has been a leading organization for enforcing Title IX compliance across the nation.

Research supporting the importance of high school girls playing sports finds links to outcomes such as lower pregnancy rates, less drug use, better graduation rates, higher college acceptance rates and improved leadership skills.

TO SUPPORT THE FUND WITH A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION, SCAN THIS CODE:

A Grassroots Effort

The elder Bernsteins were not discouraged, however, and they worked tirelessly for their cause, organizing parent meetings, circulating petitions, attending Board of Education meetings, reaching out to the press and using word of mouth. “It was a real fight, a real struggle,” Bernstein says of her parents’ efforts.

Eight months after Title IX became law, THS still had no sports teams for its female students. Pressure was mounting, and Bernstein recalls the fateful February board meeting of 1973. Her father spoke publicly to the board, which had already rejected motions to start a girls’ tennis team on the grounds that it would be too expensive.

She recalls that, after being told that there was no money for a girls’ team because tennis balls were too costly, Jim Bernstein pointed out that the cost of tennis balls, which the school was already buying for the boys’ program, was the same for boys as it would be for girls.

His logic was obvious, and the Board

voted to fund a girls’ tennis team for that spring. Members also decided to start two more female sports programs in the fall with consideration for more in the years to follow.

It was a monumental victory. “It was changing history,” says Jan Bernstein. “It showed the importance of speaking up and speaking out for equality.”

Changing Lives

The victory brought joy to the town and to the halls of the high school. Bernstein, who would now play tennis for the Tigers, remembers the jubilant feeling.

“All the girls who had been playing these sports individually got to come together and compete for their school and compete with each other,” she recalls. “It was a big deal then, and it’s a big deal now, because look how many teams have blossomed from those first three.”

Bernstein is now a member of the Tenafly High School Athletic Hall of Fame. She went on to become an accomplished tennis

player and an advocate for women’s sports at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is also a member of the Penn Tennis Hall of Fame. She is proud her parents’ work, not just because of how they set her up for success but also because of their lasting impact on the town.

“They changed the lives of every girl in Tenafly who wanted to play a sport,” she says. “Over 50 years, that equates to a lot of girls!” This legacy continues through young women who go on to attend college, get scholarships and become leaders thanks to playing competitive sports.

It’s impossible to fully know the rippling effects of Joan and Jim Bernstein’s work, but it is undeniable that they will be remembered for changing the town of Tenafly forever.

Rich Luttenberger is a lifelong New Jersey resident and a longtime teacher at Morris Knolls High School in Morris County. He is also a writer for Gridiron Heroics, a national football blog, and the Sons of Saturday, a multimedia platform focused on Virginia Tech sports.

Superior Sushi

BY ELISABETH SYDOR

CHRIS MARKSBURY

Named for owner Michael Cai’s hometown, Osaka Sushi offers fresh, authentic Japanese cuisine.

Sushi is not just a culinary item but a sophisticated art and craft with high aesthetic standards. The centuries-old cuisine is now a staple of the modern dining world—often reimagined with innovative takes on traditional items.

At the new Osaka Sushi in Tenafly, East meets West in an abundant, all-you-caneat experience of fresh sushi and sashimi, artfully prepared and served against a sleek dining backdrop. And owner Michael Cai is there at the helm, enthusiastically ensuring his patrons enjoy every aspect of the meal.

Cai was living in New York City and working in the banking industry during the pandemic when he lost his job. That bad luck led to a temporary stint as a server at a New Jersey restaurant, where he began to think about opening his own establishment.

Friends in Tenafly urged him to bring his idea and enthusiasm to their town. In early December 2023, Osaka Sushi opened, just in time for Hanukkah.

Catering to Guests

The name of Cai’s restaurant is a nod to his hometown: Osaka, Japan, known for some of that country’s finest sushi restaurants. He prides himself on the superior freshness of his fish and other ingredients. In fact, he says, his place is special in several ways.

He points out that his décor is both more authentic and more stylish than the typical sushi establishment. Osaka Sushi has a beige palette with sleek contemporary seating punctuated by balloons that line the ceiling for a bit of fun. Many of the furnishings come directly from Osaka.

Most important, he says, is concern for the customer. “Our servers are excellent,” he says with pride. “We really cater to our guests’ preferences and go to great lengths to make them comfortable.” He recently accommodated a party of more than 100.

For customers new to the world of sushi,

the menu is available à la carte. The allyou-can-eat version also carries an option for children under 10 and is offered at a discount on weekdays.

Naruto-style rolls (without seaweed or rice, encased in cucumber skins) are suitable for a keto diet. Gluten-free items such as sauce and noodles are available, along with many kosher items.

Among the biggest hits on Osaka Sushi’s menu are dumplings prepared daily from scratch, tender and fragrant with a homemade aroma—“my favorite, too!”

Cai says.

Osaka Sushi is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, until 10 p.m. on weeknights and until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Elisabeth Sydor is a New Jersey-born writer and editor who loves to visit Tenafly. Her first sushi was at a four-star restaurant, and she never looked back.

BOOK NOOK

Great Reads for Earth Day

The staff at the Tenafly Public Library recommends books that can help the planet.

April brings spring to mind, and April 22 is Earth Day. If you’re looking for some good books dealing with environmental issues, the Tenafly Public Library has you covered. This list, curated by local librarians, contains a mix of fiction and nonfiction.

AN ALMOST ZERO WASTE LIFE

By Megean Weldon

Reduce waste. Eat less meat. You know that doing these things will help the environment, but you need motivation to start. While some of Weldon’s goals, such as preparing all food from scratch, are somewhat lofty, she includes a homework section with simple steps that you can take. You can’t do everything, but every bit helps.

DAMNATION SPRING

By Ash Davidson

Rich is a California logger willing to spend his life savings to own part of the forest for logging. His wife, Colleen, is

BY JULIE MARALLO

convinced that the use of pesticides by the logging company is creating serious health problems for her and everyone in town. This novel set in the 1970s is fraught with conflicts we are still having today, mainly this one: What do you do when you have to choose between the environment and your livelihood?

THE DELUGE

By Stephen Markley

In a United States constantly dealing with extreme weather events, a variety of characters battle zealot politics and an apathetic public to prevent the total collapse of their nation. There are many characters in this 900-page novel, but it reads quickly. This anxiety-provoking tale is worth it in the end.

THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND

By William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

In this memoir written for children,

inventor and engineer Kamkwamba explains how, when experiencing a severe drought in his native Malawi, he looked for a solution by reading science books at the library. He eventually came up with the idea to build a windmill to bring electricity to his home, allowing him to pump much-needed water. This is an inspiring Earth Day story for children, and it demonstrates that even in the bleakest conditions, their ideas can change the world.

CLIMATE ACTION: WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WE CAN DO

By Seymour Simon

This is the perfect introduction to climate change for middle-grade children. This book explains what causes climate change, how humans have exacerbated it and how even children can work to stop it.

Julie Marallo is the director of the Tenafly Public Library and is proud to call Tenafly her home.

Welcoming Signs

In a double dose of warmth and hospitality captured by Lizzie Dutko, the borough sign offers friendly greetings to residents and visitors, while surrounding blooms of daffodils cheerily welcome not only passersby but spring itself.

Have a great image for Photo Op? Submit your high-resolution shot to hello@tenaflymagazine.com.