INK MAGAZINE - JUNE 2023

the leaving where, any es e b h r t Fo shoreline. ot m n ’ I are t c

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Niantic C.E.L. Artifacts, Oddities, and Great Curiosities infinite possibilities A Gateway of Hope and Light Lebanon Blu Iris Farm A Hidden Jem Currently Streaming in Connecticut

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Crusty Old Diver - Chasing Fossils. 26 What is Greg Drinking - Vinho Verde 30 The Cheesemonger - make your pizza 62

“Stay away from those people who try to disparage your ambitions. Small minds will always do that, but great minds will give you a feeling that you can become great too.” — Mark

Twain

Welcome to our June 2023 issue of INK! With the kick off summer, we would to wish for our readers, all of the fresh air, beach sand, and outdoor adventure that you can muster this season.

Our opening quote on inspired living and having the guts and desire to reach beyond your own current paradigm, relates to a project that INK has become a passionate supporter of. Infinite Possibilitys is just now in it’s infancy, a group of leaders and insightful people primarily here on the shoreline. All of the individuals involved in this project have achieved great personal heights within their own chosen sphere.

Artist Ellen Hovercamp Like a Wink from God

Infinite Possibilities is a proposed public art project located in New London and more specifically on Shore Rock at Ocean Beach. This ambition is to take shape in a monumental thirty-foot classical bronze and stainless steel sculpture to be erected off the coast at the mouth of the Thames River within distant sight of Ledge lighthouse. A welcoming beacon to all visitors on both land and sea.

The history of gateway sculptures is rich in the fabric of seafaring towns. There are many and we encourage you to search the web to learn more about both what a gateway sculpture is and also what these works of public art mean to the community that live in their proximity day to day.

This beautiful work of art will exist to inspire and elevate it’s viewer, and we here at INK are committed and actively involved in raising the funds it will take to place this piece in view of the world. It will more than likely capture the attention of international media outlets and with over a million and a half visitors annually, will certainly inspire many to come just to see it. For more info and to keep and eye on it’s progress visit www.infinityct.com

Jeffery Lilly founder / publisher

Contributors Inkct LLC - 314 Flat Rock Place Unit F125, Westbrook, CT 06498 - email: submissions@ink-pub.com - visit www.inkct.com

Laurencia Ciprus- editorial Susan Cornell - editorial Rona Mann - editorial Nancy LaMar Rodgers - editorial Carolina Marquez-Sterling - design

Contact us to receive our media kit with detailed marketing information.

Departments All content of INK Publications including but not limited to text, photos, graphics and layout are copyrighted by Inkct LLC. Reproductions without the permission of the publisher are prohibited. Inkct LLC is not responsible for images or graphics submitted for editorial or by advertisers which are not copyrighted or released for use in this publication

Gregory Post - columnist Vincent Scarano - photos John Tolmie - photos/editorial Jan Tormay - photos/editorial Joe Urso - ad design Jeffery Lilly - Publisher 860.581.0026 Bob Houde - Advertising Director bob@inkct.com 860.303.6690

Rona Mann - Greater Connecticut six07co@att.net - 401-539-7762 Richard Malinsky - Shoreline richard@inkct.com - 215.704.9273

Sponsored

Molly McDonald, Changes , oil (detail)

B ginyoBeg ournew ntuadven ure

“I just want to sell an item to a kid for $10 and by doing so spark his curiosity about history and science. That’s what I love to do.”

C.E.L. The Place of Artifacts & Oddities & Great Curiosity

By Rona Mann/Photographs

By Jeffery Lilly

Curiosity

Perhaps Albert Einstein said it best when he referred to curiosity in this way: “Curiosity has its own reason for existing; therefore, we should never stop questioning.” Had Einstein been born a bit later or Craig Lessard some years earlier, they likely would have been fast friends, two men definitely on the same page about the need to be forever curious, always seeking answers to questions, always asking, “What is that?” “How did it work?”

“Why was this important,” and “Tell me about the people of that civilization.”

As a young boy growing up in Connecticut, Craig Lessard was always collecting. What his collections were comprised of never really mattered, he just loved the hobby of collecting. “Shells, rocks, anything,” Lessard laughs. Although he’s no longer a boy, Craig never stopped collecting, never stopped his lifelong fascination and curiosity about old things and ancient periods of civilization. Anthropologists call it ethnography, the scientific description of the customs and cultures of individual civilizations.

Although Lessard has studied ethnography his entire life and collected artifacts right along with it, C.E.L. has been a visible and a popular destination on Main Street in Niantic for just 15 years displaying and selling major portions of his collections. Throughout a number of spaces all housed within one shop of rooms, nooks and crannies, and wonder, visitors may experience artifacts representing Egyptian, Roman, and Greek civilizations as well as those of Mesoamerica. This is an historical region and cultural area that geographically begins in the southern part of North America extending to most of Central America including lands in Central Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and parts of Costa Rica. Lessard explains that in the pre-Columbian era, societies flourished here for more than 3000 years before the Spanish colonization, thus New World cultures were born from the mixtures of Mesoamerican indigenous people with European, African, and Asian.

With each room at C.E.L. comes an introduction to different eras and many civilizations. With each object or artifact comes stories, and Lessard never runs dry of them. He so enjoys satiating people’s curiosity, answering questions, and illustrating how these civilizations, this history, and these artifacts came to be.

“I am in the service of history and science,” Craig says often. “That’s what I like, and you sell what you like.” He is quick to quash any thought that this is yet another “Grandma’s attic” of old stuff or that all these displays are museum-like with a hasty interruption of, “It’s NOT a museum, everything’s for sale.”

When you walk through the door of C.E.L. you are immediately greeted by a mini dinosaur sitting atop the counter. This is a juvenile T-Rex that may liken visitors back to the film “Jurassic

Park” and the inhabitants of the Jurassic period. Its presence on the counter as just a casual observer of visitors makes you quickly realize you are in for something very special, very unique, and a place that cries out to be visited and explored.

While he doesn’t denigrate the “Grandmas’ attics” that dot the landscape, Craig’s ancient artifacts are worlds away from vintage shops; each item at C.E.L. is fully authenticated. One entire room is the Fossil Room although you will find these remnants from past geological ages sprinkled liberally about the rest of the venue. Here you will find beautiful fossils in every form from rocks to a setting in a pendant or ring. You will also be surprised by the pricing. While there are certainly artifacts within C.E.L’s marvelous walls priced in the thousands, customers can easily purchase an item for well under one hundred dollars. “I just want to sell an item to a kid for $10. and by doing so spark his curiosity about history and science. That’s what I love to do,” Lessard says.

There is so much here that it is impossible to list it all or even provide images of it all, but here’s just a bit to whet your appetite which is what Craig Lessard hopes will happen. He can’t wait for you to stop by so he can explore your curiosity and marry it with his knowledge. Among hundreds of others, you’ll see one of the most breathtaking and detailed pieces atop yet another counter - a Chinese hand-carved ship model completely fashioned of flawless ivory. You can stand for a long time in the wonder of how something so delicate and fine could have been created and preserved. Next, lay your eyes

“I am in the service of history and science.”

upon ancient coffin lids, an entire room of maritime artifacts including several military uniforms including a Vietnam War era high altitude flight suit, pirates and swashbucklers, shipwreck memorabilia, and more than you can imagine in every inch of the space.

There’s a mid-1800s oil lamp, a Papua New Guinea turtle mask (there are a number of masks throughout C.E.L.), a dictionary from the 1940s that “weighs somewhere between 85 and 100 pounds,” a 1950s carnival sign, shoulder boards worn by the military, a German porcelain carriage, cartography (even a map of Old Saybrook waterways super-imposed on the Saybrook lighthouse), and trilobites. What are they? To begin, they are extinct and are marine arthropods that were around even longer than dinosaurs. Want to know more? Yet another reason for your trip to C.E.L. and to question Craig who is longing to hear, “What is it?” “Why?” and “Tell me about…”

We couldn’t help but wonder if Craig has certain pieces he doesn’t want to part with. The answer was both simple and comical, “Everything here is for sale, but my wife has favorites that she takes out of the shop and brings to our home. So the shop isn’t a museum, but our house is. It’s a combination of Harry Potter and Indiana Jones having tea with the Munsters and the Adams Family,” he laughs.

When Craig Lessard put a name over the door he simply used his initials, CEL, because it must have been apparent that it would be too difficult to come up with the right name for this unusual and wonderfully engaging business. Having spent some time at this place of “artifacts and oddities,” it’s become apparent that the three initials could well define Lessard’s passion and his great desire to educate any and all who journey to this space. So if you will, let’s entertain the notion that C.E.L. might well stand for the man’s own personal philosophy and motivation: “Curiosity Elevates Learning.”

Craig Lessard is all at once a collector, curator, educator, and lover of all he does, and his ongoing goal is to pass that learning on.

Just like history

C.E.L. is located right in downtown Niantic at 321 Main Street between ProTek Auto and Tumbleweeds. Call Craig at (860) 333-4260 for hours and information

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to look around, be dazzled, and most of all, be curious!

Paul Beebe, Afternoon Light, Bar Harbor, Oil, 18 x 36”

Jeanne Rosier Smith, Unstoppable, Pastel, 20 x 40”

Neal Hughes, Mary Day, Camden, Oil, 12 x 12”

infinite possibili ties

a gateway of hope and light

by

Nancy LaMar Rodgers

“ to be motivated by divine love is for everything to be possible.” — Adelaja

photos courtesy A. Vincent

Scarano

This is the sentiment of the group of dedicated members who have banded together to explore the power of public art to create connection, dialogue, and community—a group devoted to the idea that public art can carry a message far beyond local reach.

Renee Rhodes is the artist behind the Infinite Possibilities Gateway Sculpture. She has been working on this for over eight years. What started as an idea of connection across the waterway has blossomed into what Rhodes hopes to see as an illuminated message not only across the channel but a light that will touch every person who sees it, and the message of what is possible will sail across the ocean and beyond.

George White, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center founder, sits on the Infinite Possibilities board because he feels strongly about what this could mean for New London and Waterford and, more importantly, for the entire region and Connecticut.

White, who knows a thing or two about the area, including its complex history and artistic community, has an instinct for supporting art endeavors that will raise the spirit of a city. White has seen what such projects can do, so he is determined to “get this sculpture out on that rock.” He added, “public art creates a sense of pride for an urban landscape. This sculpture will belong to the people and welcome thousands to our city.”

So, what does such an endeavor entail? That question is being discussed as I sit on the Infinite Possibilities Board of Directors meeting at the Garde Art Theater in New London.

Robert DeRobbio, president of the board, has been working diligently to get this project in front of the people with the power and the funding to make it happen. DeRobbio is a seasoned advocate for the arts and understands a city’s potential.

Around the table are familiar faces in New London, including Jeanne Sigel, who has advocated for the local arts community in New London for decades. Sigel, the Development Director for the Garde Arts Center, brings people to the table when she feels strongly about a project’s potential. Sigel believes that Rhodes’ contributions to New London are extraordinary. The Infinity Gateway Sculpture brings it full circle.

The board’s mission statement reads, “Lighting the Way to Infinite Possibilities-Celebrating Unity, Diversity, Peace, Hope and Inspiration Through Public Art.”

For board member Nanci DeRobbio, the mission is just that. This is about the intricate weaving

“There is a divisiveness in our world, a struggle between light and dark. I believe that the more light we send out into the world, the better the world is going to be. Energetically, the infinity loop has a certain physics to it, that energy will be transmitted out across the water as a bright shining light. I feel that it is an honor for me. I feel that if we can pool together the resources to create a monument like this, it is going to have an impact on so many people, across the world and for generations to come.”

Renee

Rhodes

“I want to get this done because of what it could do for this area as well as the state and beyond. White makes the analogy of the Copenhagen Mermaid. “I’ve been to Copenhagen and that sculpture welcomes you to the city, and this sculpture could set the tone for this area. A welcoming, with an iconic piece of public art.”

George

White

“This intersects with my life work which has been about bringing out the best in youth through the arts. This is an amazing opportunity to do that, and I was charged with coming up with both community engagement and youth projects.”

Nancy DeRobbio

TThe poet Emily Dickinson once said, “The possible is a slow fuse lit by the Imagination.

Emily Dickinson

Ocan Beach Park, New London, CT

“It captured my heart. The thought of this majestic sculpture of 35’ of bronze. It just made sense to me. When I think about all the water traffic and the people who will see this, it’s overwhelming to think what this could mean for our city, our region and beyond.”

“Successful cities are cities that have a reputation for the arts. When you say New York, you say I went for Broadway, not to see government buildings. I watched it happen in Providence. That city was turned into an arts capital in New England. It can happen, and New London has that face, and it just needs a community to build upon that face, and that is what this organization is starting to develop, and the cost will not deter us.

Robert DeRobbio

“It is a beautiful message, because it is above the noise, and it carries meaning with it. This is not just about that sculpture being erected, it goes beyond that. It is the beginning of something that will continue, for so many community members and generations, and that is incredibly powerful.”

of art and education. The education of a community. The way that art inspires learning on all levels.

This is a story of expansion. This project is not just about the Gateway Sculpture. It is about an ongoing, living, breathing life force that will embrace this community while bringing its’ story to the world.

Board member Cathleen Buchanan, who has known Rhodes as an artist and friend, understands the potential.

Buchanan is referring to the programs that will be created and supported by the Infinite Possibilities non-profit organization. These ideas are being bounced around the table, and the discussion is electrified.

Filmmaker Alec Asten will be capturing the process in a proposed documentary. For Asten, this is a project of hope.

“After much discussion about the potential of this project we decided that what we want the documentary to do is inspire people across the world and to show how important public art is by capturing the process and showing the world how public art can inspire a community.”

As a storyteller, Asten understands that art connects people and communicates differently to each individual while simultaneously opening up the dialogue and the exchange of ideas.

“I want this sculpture to be seen as a symbol of hope and light. My role is to tell this uplifting story. I know that art creates a connection, bringing people together to begin the discussion. We want to spark a revolution, and that is a revolution of hope. We are banding together on this project because we all see the importance of the message.”

For the city of New London, the benefits are obvious. Michael Passero, the city’s mayor,

Jeane Sigel

Cathleen Buchanan

A Maquette of Infinity Possibilities Illuminated in Artist Studio

Steve Roy and Renee Rhode’s in her Studio Working on Infinite Possibilities Sculpture Maquette.

“I want this sculpture to be seen as a symbol of hope and a symbol of light. My role is to tell this uplifting story. I know that art creates connection, and it brings people together to begin the discussion. We want to spark a revolution, and that is a revolution of hope. We are banding together on this project because we all see the importance of the message.”

Alec Asten

“I didn’t know Renee until the unveiling of the Athena sculpture down on Eugene O’Neill Drive. That piece is a statement for the city and with this, I think it is going to be one of those iconic things that New London will be known for.”

Michael Passero

“What has grown out of this is the idea that this can continue. The plan is to incorporate programs for our youth, with learning through the arts. We want this to be an ongoing, living, breathing concept that brings ideas and inspiration to the young people. Beyond the sculpture itself, we are now a community organization bringing positivity as well as a sense of pride for the city through public art.

A. Vincent Scarano

Proposed Infinite Possibilities Sculpture/ Artist Rendering on Shore Rock, Ocean Beach Park, New London, CT

Eugene O’Neill Statue - New London, Connecticut

Fifty Years Chasing Fossils

By John Tolmie

Growing up in Upstate New York in the 1970s in the heart of Saratoga Springs as children, we were fortunate to be surrounded by fossils everywhere we looked. As any other youngster with an imagination, dinosaurs and ancient creatures filled me with wonder and amazement. It seemed no matter where the adventure would be, rest assured fossils would be carried home and added to the ever growing collection that dirtied the bedroom carpet to moms chagrin. Trilobites, sea fans, shells, ammonites and coral intermingled with ancient mud that hardened into morbidly curious relics of the earths freshman awkward attempts at evolution. The family relocated to Bar Harbor, Maine in the early 1980s where epic tides and angry seas battered blue-grey rock that revealed little in the way of fossilized critters. The island itself is an anomaly nearly devoid of fossils, rather it is comprised of a mass of granite and magma from an eons gone extinguished volcano. However, a short trip off the island to the surrounding shores of mainland Maine were miles of tell tale walls where

sedimentary shale hid millions of creatures from the Devonian period. Moving to Arizona in the mid 1980s was another incredible rock hounding experience. In the desert an abundance of iridescent crystals and purple geodes appeared alongside bubble laden igneous rocks from ancient magma. Hiking in the high mountain deserts were scorched and dry, yet 520 million years ago a tropic reef had covered the area. Just after the Cambrian Explosion a sudden abundance of complex life skittered and slithered in a sweltering, salty, and shallow sea. Primitive coral and invertebrate fossils

from when life first began to evolve lay for miles beneath the flat crimson sands.

In 1992 the Navy called for duty and soon the ocean replaced desert having landed at the Submarine Capitol of the World in Groton, Connecticut. Graduating Navy Second Class Dive School in 1991, I was assigned to the dive locker to perform underwater ships husbandry on the Navy’s fleet of nuclear Submarines. Before the internet really took hold, I was convinced that there were no fossils anywhere in Connecticut, vice the dinosaur tracks found south of the state capitol. Convinced of such ill got knowledge, I remained in ignorance and sadness not having any clue where to begin searching. My Adventures took me away from fossil hunting for many years as diving hooked and began exploring the world underneath the waves off the coastal Waters of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Maine and Rhode island. Diving is a different sort of treasure collecting vehicle but one that yielded little in the way of ancient preserved fauna or flora and for over twenty years fossil hunting would be on hold.

Interest in collecting fossils peaked once again while taking a hike this past winter in Western New York. The Niagara region is famous for Devonian era fossils, like trilobites, bivalves, coral, and ammonites. We loaded over sixty pounds of rock in the back of my wife's subcompact Honda Fit. It's perfect road trip vehicle with a total gas consumption

of $120 bucks for round trip to Niagara Falls! We saved on fossil fuel and were able to extract rocks laden with ancient mollusks and coral. Getting them home and starting to crack them open revealed some very interesting crystalline structures. Some of the fossils hard casings had been replaced by minerals that flickered with iridescence while being turned under a beam of light. Ancient corals populated the seafloor all those millions of years ago. Nearly every rock in our haul revealed evidence of a critter hidden under the layers of sediment. With sufficient gusto in the tank, I decided to begin a search for fossils back home in the Nutmeg State.

On a hunch I reached out to one Connecticut's foremost fossil hunters who preferred to remain anonymous, and got a lesson on how very rich the nutmeg state is in fossils. “There have been very few successful fossil hunters in Connecticut over the years,” reveals the rockhounder,“As has been pointed out, Connecticut isn't a very fossiliferous place compared to other states, but what we have is astounding, hence localities of Jurassic fossils are kept under tight wraps.” He continues with a laugh,“Ancient environments in the area, with the exception of a few sites like Dinosaur State Park, generally weren't conducive to fossil formation, and of those, many were destroyed over the years by various natural processes. But, if you work hard and look, you will find fish and other fresh water animals that lived in an ancient lake.” In order to extract fossils legally in Connecticut permission and or permits are required depending on the

locality. His advice for me? “If you want fossils, I'd suggest the limestone and shale road cuts in parts of New York like the Poughkeepsie area. You’ll have better luck with marine fossils there.” He chuffs and finishes with, “A quick Google search will point you in the right direction.” The phone then cuts off. Yeah, I know I pushed too hard. Fossil hunters and fishermen have one thing in common, they do not reveal there secret spots, especially to strangers over the phone.

The Connecticut River Valley is one of the most famous dinosaur track displays ever discovered on the planet. These evidentiary thunder-lizard impressions are from the species Eubrontes Giganteus, a large three toed and blade toothed predator from that roamed the muddy shores of an ancient Connecticut lake around 200 million years ago. These preserved foot prints were designated the Connecticut State Fossil in 1991.

To date, unfortunately no fossil bones of the actual creature have been found in the state. However, over two thousand Eubrontes tracks were left behind on a single layer of sedimentary stone where they were discovered in Rocky Hill back in 1966. Consequently, Dinosaur State Park was created for their preservation to be studied by archeologists and to be enjoyed by the general public. The park welcomes visitors from thousands of national and international fossil fanatics every year and soon a Crusty Old visitor from Groton who has answered the call from the past once again

Vinho Verde: a mouthful both literally and figuratively.

What is Greg Drinking?

The varietals that dominate this affordable afternoon all-star are as hard to pronounce as they are easy to imbibe. Slightly effervescent and extremely sippable: this is a wine for those who have earned a glass, but might need to accomplish some other tasks besides the popping of corks (or rather twisting of caps, in the case of the June feature!) Let the acidity and apple blossoms alert your taste buds that the Nalgene chapter of your day is over: bring on the beauty from Barcelos that is Broadbent.

Let me assure you that this wine is most certainly the cheat code for your transition from sipping through spring showers into the summer season of sunny salutations. It is earnest yet energizing, a spritz without the seltzer. The first impression is one that will have you yearning for more, and with a low 9% ABV you can certainly entertain and embrace that urge. Plus at a price point that takes your savings into account, you can bring enough for everyone you picture at your picnic.

Before we go into food and social pairings that this wine works well with, let me acknowledge the expertise that introduced my glass to these grapes: Annette Bienkowski from Cove Ledge in the Stonington Borough! Freshly jet lagged from Portugal herself, yet wasting no time presiding over the happenings at the Water Street location, the fateful fruition of many years of trusting her good judgment was graciously rewarded. The new chapter of their quest for quality consumables has taken on a whole different vibe, with an immersive indoor/outdoor sampling friendly capacity that is a must visit. Before you loop around the lighthouse or book it to Breakwater, show your shelf some love and see what interactive imbibing culture can offer you and yours!

Back to this sublime lemon-lime wine, that should be the hallmark of any respectable happy hour from Memorial to Labor Day: Broadbent Vinho Verde. If you cannot picture yourself poolside without the right refreshment, you are definitely the ‘Ink Crowd’ this article is created for. “Summer summer summertime, time to sit back and unwind.”was the sage advice of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. The wrong sip to your lip after a day of adult duties is a slap to the face, one that should be avoided at all costs! This is a story all about how your picnics

and beach days could be better now, since you’ve been reading for a minute just sit right there and I’ll tell you all about the food and wine options to pair. Tuna steaks and sushi are best fresh and rare, in this case with an ice cold wine you can share. With notes of lemonade and lively light bubbles, this is a wine that causes tributes but not trouble. If your mother does send you off to your uncle’s house for an extended period of time, this is an affordable offering at the door that says ‘next time I will mind my business on the basketball court.’ (As an ‘elder Millennial’ I apologize if the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air stream of thought was a bit much!)

This wine is dry and light, but not forgettable. The lingering green fruit notes are subtle reminders to refill your glass before the humidity cuts in. This particular blend is dominated by the Loureiro and Trajadura grapes, so think of the cleanest Riesling you ever had going to prom with that Alvarinho you have been crushing on lately. Whether you are dropping anchor from a Boston Whaler off the backside of Fishers Island, or living it up pontoon boat style on Candlewood Lake, be the voice for Vinho Verde. Life is short and the warm months seem shorter, do not go quietly into your local package store. Be the bearer of better bottles this vacation season.

This wine is a tribute to Portugal as a wine and food powerhouse that often gets overlooked when compared to the Spanish and French offerings. Yet for Stonington residents, that was a mistake never made. Blessed with neighbors that know how to grill a linguica with a Super Bock beer in hand, our town is colored with a rich heritage that in many ways was the foundation for the current foodie scene long before Esquire Magazine started writing reviews for our restaurants.The Stonington Borough is certainly not the hub of Portuguese life that it was a hundred years ago. We still have the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society, the Feast of the Holy Ghost and the Blessing of the Fleet as reminders of a time when big families lived in small houses near crammed docks to make a hard living on the sea. This June raise an ice cold glass of Broadbent and say saúde to the people you cherish the most. Whether on sand, ship or sundeck: this must be the place to embrace the many blessings of life.

Editorial and photo by Gregory Post

Summer Sampler

Eddy Farm Chestnut Tree

n an off-margin café miles from home copies of INK splay across the table. A young woman appears – verve and red lipstick... voice italicized. “I’m from Detroit. ...my aunt is sitting right behind you. She’s an artist from West Haven and has been featured in INK.” Ellen Hoverkamp smiles and waves me over: electric with excitement in gasps and whispers. “I just love the magazine. It’s been a while. I’ve. Had. Some. Health Stuff. Please Sit.” The artist pulls out her phone – frame after frame of still lives capturing flora, natural specimens, and objects fill the screen. The vivid images in freeze frame were executed utilizing a flatbed scanner. It is magnificent work and instantly recognizable from magazine covers and exhibitions. Many of the deftly wrought florals remind you of the still life paintings of Dutch Masters, but there is additional quality that is instantly familiar. Ellen asks eagerly: “Do you know Harold Feinstein and his work? He was my inspiration. I wish I had the chance to meet him.” The heart takes a long beat. “Yes, I knew Harold and his wife... very well. My first feature in INK was about him...gone to press the day he died.” Harold said, “When your jaw drops, you click the shutter. Ellen and I clicked, and our stars aligned.

Like Harold Feinstein – who abandoned his own camera later in life in favor of scanography – Hoverkamp’s emblematic work in this medium developed both out of necessity

and pure determination: “If you want to keep your creative voice, you have to work within the margins of your life.” The margins of her life over the last clutch of years include an ongoing shadow dance with ALK Positive Adenocarcinoma – a highly rare form of cancer that is present in only a small percentage of lung cancer patients, mostly women and non-smokers. She reflects on her health and how it informs her work: “Sentiments like love and sympathy and hopes for improved health have been expressed by the giving of bouquets and floral arrangements throughout time. A still life can contain a veiled sentiment though the device of allegory.” Indeed, her work speaks volumes with the added nuance of deft composition and keen measuring of light. She continues: “...some say that art heals. My artistic pursuit and practice are both my medicine and spiritual exercise.”

Ellen Hoverkamp continues to capture beauty. Her recent work levitates off the page, bathed in impossibly elegant light and color. The evolution in her artistic process is evident. There is a new and greater complexity, dimension, joy, and drama injected into the images – contrasted with her earlier pieces which possess a more classical and painterly feeling of traditional calm. (Think of the works of Dutch masters and French botanical painters like Pierre-Joseph Redoute.) The current work feels like it is from a higher realm; its visual vocabulary has expanded.

In her 2021 January blog post, there was a series featured called Playing Marbles – a departure from her collection to date. Hoverkamp has taken a playful leap back to childhood with this series, continuing her conversation about finding balance in current circumstances: “(I have) recently made floating mosaic style still life pieces. Crystals, marbles, gold leaf, herbs and early spring indoor and outdoor plants combine to create messages of hopes, wishes, dreams and prayers. I had a standing play date with a light beam coming through my studio window on sunny days. Chasing and manipulating the shifting backlight feels at times, like a wink from God.”

Hoverkamp’s evolving scanographic process is best described in the artist’s own words: “I began my exploration of scanner photography in 1997. I love the way a scanner has an even depth of field and even frontal lighting. Plants and/or objects are carefully positioned face down on the

Garden Play Blue Hydrangeas Nautia Zinnias Marbles

September Garden Raid

Garden Play Process

scanner’s glass. Everything touching the glass is in perfect resolution. As the depth of field (which is the thickness of a chick egg) drops off, so does focus. Compositions are created by the placement of objects, alternating with quick passes of the scanner, one row of pixels at a time.”

Experiencing this process firsthand is transformative – and interactive – during a playful morning in April when I paid a studio visit to this new friend. Garden shears and a cup of water waited by the front door for me to clip the first snow drops and crocus in the back garden. Inside there were stacks of books, puddles of crystals, feathers, and marbles to add to the mix; collected randomly and as gifts from friends and gardeners. “I feel most at home with gardeners much more so, than with fellow artists. Tapestries evolve in similar fashion to the way a garden grows.”

Hoverkamp maintains longstanding relationships with scores of commercial and private gardeners who provide her with petals and plant life during the growing seasons. She also is in alliance with the Connecticut

Flower Collective and has addressed many garden clubs and horticultural societies in the region. It is also very word-of-mouth. “There was an article that appeared in the New Haven Register called Flowers of all Seasons. When it appeared, phone calls and offers of flowers came pouring in. A 92-yearold woman named Pearl invited me to tea and to pick her daffodils. Why I am so at home with gardeners!”

Despite any surrounding clutter or internal concerns, once the scanner light switches on, the corner of this artist’s studio transforms into sacred space. The artist is transfixed as she adjusts the light rays filtering through the window. Together, we sift through hard and soft materials – marrying the freshly clipped flowers with crystals and natural finds. Hoverkamp bends over the glass panel of the scanner; fine tuning the composition. She beams with childlike wonder as she works, musing: “Balance...to make it all work requires balance. There is perceived gravity in these images and in this space; no matter the size, all the elements possess equal weight, and they are required to support each other.” Her tenet can be

Ellen in Her Studio

Lily Glorioso Process

Lily Gloriosa Superba Greenili

Charlestown Collection

Hydrangea Enlightment

applied to life itself – circling back to her comment about allegory embedded in the pieces. The final image feeds through the printer. “Something asleep was awakened...this work is going to be my legacy.”

Ellen Hoverkamp’s work has become iconic and widely recognized – first regionally, then to a more expansive audience. “I met Author, Lecturer, Photographer, Artist, Ken Druse in 2005 at a conference where he was the Keynote Speaker, and I was a Vendor. He championed my work from the start – beginning with a prolific article for the New York Times and another a few years later for Horticulture Magazine. Natural Companions, the Garden Lovers Guide to Plant Combinations, Abrams 2012, was our first book collaboration.” In 2013, the book won Ellen the Garden Writer’s Association’s coveted Gold Award for Best Book Photography. The Scentual Garden, Exploring the World of Botanical Fragrance, was published Fall, 2019, also by Abrams Books.”

A selection of larger format pieces of Ellen’s major works is installed in public view. Since 2017, 10 Farm Stand Mosaic panels line the gallery space at Bloomfield’s Heirloom Flats Luxury Apartments. In 2015, The West Haven Train Station exhibited her mosaic images in the main concourse – switched out from an earlier exhibition of a Farm Stand Series. (See the

installation chronicled on YouTube: West Haven Shoreline Souvenirs)

There is an upcoming solo exhibition June 5th – July 13, 2023, in the Mary C. Dale RSM Gallery at Mercy Center by the Sea, 167 Neck Road, Madison CT. Opening Reception is Sunday, June 11th 2-4 pm. Regular viewing hours are 9am – 4pm Ten percent of proceeds from this exhibition will be earmarked for ALK Positive Lung Cancer Research. (Contact Ellen directly with requests for tours outside gallery hours: gardenimages@me.com)

Ellen Hoverkamp’s images evoke the words of the poet and writer Mark Doty

“As a writer one is always trying to fix things in time or hold a moment up to the light so it can be seen, as long as anybody cares to read it. This painting does exactly that: it holds up a moment lost; a moment suffused with feeling. I don’t know that we can say what the feeling was. Is this longing? Is there a sadness about this picture? Is it a moment of complete pleasure? It seems a little ambiguous to me. A moment of real emotion, in other words.”

Follow the remarkable work and wisdom of Ellen Hoverkamp: https://www.myneighborsgarden.com/

A Marbles, Blue Plate Process

A Blue Plate, Marbles, Glass Box,

Love and Money, Roses and Lunaria Luck

A Hidden Gem that Offers Solace & Adventure

By Jan Tormay

Photography Coutesy of Jamie Collins and Sarah Kasuba

Blue Iris Farm Rescue and Retreat in Lebanon is a family affair. Far right, married couple Jamie Collins and Bob Doyle purchased the farm in 2021 (Bob Doyle died of Covid later that same year) with their children, Ayden and Brianna, and adopted grandparents (center) Frank and Mary Rodriguez.

Samantha Galli enjoys tranquil time alone on Blue Iris Farm with Whimsical, a draft horse.

During a family visit, Lucas Kasuba, 8, enjoys meeting the animals and spending some quiet time alone on Blue Iris Farm.

Blue, a shy mini-Zebu cow, is the farm’s mascot, along with Iris the pig. Blue Iris Farm Rescue and Retreat in Lebanon, Connecticut is named after both of them – an idea Brianna Doyle, 15, came up with two years ago.

eeding, petting, and spending time with rescue animals on Blue Iris Farm Rescue and Retreat in Lebanon was Katya Wauchope’s favorite part of her three-hour “date” with her husband, Clyde, in September 2022.

About 20 different goats were all eating together with a spotted mini cow (Blue) and a “ginormous” spotted pig (Iris) and “they were so friendly,” said Katya, who struggles with anxiety.

The couple also went on a goat walk (yes, they follow you), enjoyed a picnic near a pond on a blanket with a leather basket filled with a light lunch, spent time in an authentic teepee on the top of a hill, and enjoyed wine and cheese – all prepared by staff.

While at Blue Iris Farm, she felt relaxed, worry-free and wants to go back as soon as they can, the Fairfield resident and director of development for Ukraine Aid International, said during atelephone interview.

Brianna Doyle holds rooster

Blue Iris Farm owner Jamie Collins with Iris, one of the farm’s mascots. The farm is named after the pig and Blue, a mini Zebu cow.

Describing the 114-acre property with ponds, streams, 85 acres of trails and over 80 animals (including chickens, roosters, rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, pigs and horses) as a combination of the “Little House on the Prairie” and “Charlotte’s Web,” Blue Iris Farm Owner Jamie Collins said it is a magical place and a haven for healing, growth, inspiration and fun.

“If you’re not into animals, you could still come here and have a great time...We’re all by appointment just so that we don’t get bombarded and we can have a special connection and do special things.”

Once people (including those struggling with anxiety or feeling overwhelmed coming out of Covid) disconnect from the world and become one with animals and/or nature, it brings such happiness to them and “it is so beautiful,” said Collins, a professional photographer, who believes everyone in today’s world is just over-scheduled. “I think when you come here and you become present, there’s such a mindfulness that happens.”

Just being around “gentle giant” draft horses Whimsical, Dream and Comet, or brushing or walking them, is some people’s favorite activity, said Collins, who lives on the farm with her children, Ayden (17) and Brianna (15) Doyle. Many other activities held throughout the year to help people unwind and reconnect with themselves and nature, include meditation/yoga classes, guided nature walks and animal-therapy classes. Or, opt to attend a 2.5-hour or full-day spiritual, healing or creative workshop held indoors, outside, or in a teepee (which holds up to 20 people).

Other scheduled events involve going for a wagon ride, learning how to create beautiful fairy houses and birdhouses to bring home, or just building a campfire and relaxing.

While living on a houseboat with her family in 2019, Brianna was inspired by the idea that her mother grew up on a farm and suggested her parents buy one. In January 2021, they did exactly that. (The children’s father, Bob Doyle, died later that same year.)

Even though there are many dog rescues, Collins said they realized a large amount of “in-between” animals needed new homes during the pandemic. Because of people’s health or financial issues, many could no longer take care of their feeding/ veterinary needs. “That’s why we’ve decided to create a nonprofit organization for donations,” as well as a line of merchandise.

Even though they currently have several volunteers, Collins

hopes that more animal-loving people will get involved.

As a spiritual person for many years, she said she believes there’s a real need in our world for healing and simple nurturing. “We really enjoy hosting and helping people, especially going through such a traumatic thing ourselves and seeing what rescued animals did for us.”

Weston resident Ronit Feldman said during a telephone interview that she never appreciated what “awesome creatures” goats are until she visited Blue Iris Farm in the spring of 2022 and petted, fed, and played with them, at which point she looked into their eyes and realized each one has a unique personality.

Describing the property as “magnificent,” a “hidden gem” and a “home away from home,” it’s automatically comfortable and easy, said Feldman, who is attending school to attain a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy to begin a second career.

“I know that the vibes come from Jamie, because she’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met in my life.” Not knowing what to expect, Feldman and her college-aged daughter, Olivia, also attended a women’s retreat last fall at Blue Iris Farm, which

involved meditating, journaling, and partnering with another for various activities.

They spent time inside the teepee and outside under the stars by a campfire. Surrounded by bales of hay, they sat bundled up with blankets listening to crickets and animals. “We really got a lot out of it. It was just great”, and it was a great bonding experience, Ronit said.

Visiting Blue Iris Farm numerous times has given her the “mindset” that “this is what life is about: helping people get over their trauma and relating to each other and being with animals and nature (which) is so calming,” she said. “Just to be able to close your eyes, put your face up to the sun and really appreciate where we are and what we have is special.”

Clyde and Katya Wauchope enjoyed a picnic, walk and spending time with the animals – all part of their three-hour date at Blue Iris Farm in Lebanon, Connecticut.

Owner Jamie Collins and her daughter, Brianna Doyle spend relaxing time with their rabbits.

Amy Sonderman (in green) with Dream and Samantha Galli with Whimsical in background. The women spent a day on Blue Iris Farm with their families and and a variety of animals.

Ronit said Collins is “a powerhouse,” teaching herself how to care, feed, water and nurture all the animals, build fences and pursue grants.

Katya said she finds herself “unplugging” more from electronic devices. However, she said she does follow Blue Iris Farm’s Instagram account where Jamie features videos of the animals sleeping together with relaxing music, because it helps her feel calm.

Blue Iris Farm Rescue and Retreat is located at 1339 Trumbull Hwy., Lebanon, CT 06249. For more information about scheduling a farm visit, date night, hike (with or without goats), creative events or workshops, or to volunteer/donate, go to blueirisfarm.com, call 860-943-5185 or email info@blueirisfarm.com. Instagram: @blueirisfarm.

Blue Iris Farm Owner Jamie Collins with her 3 “gentle giant” draft horses (from left) Comet, Whimsical and Dream. Photograph by Jan Tormay

Ducks in fall by one of the ponds on the 114-acre Blue Iris Farm Rescue and Retreat in Lebanon, Connecticut.

Blue Iris Farm Fall Wagon Ride

Clockwise: Bend at Salmon River Bridge and Dam, Trust for Public Land- The Connecticut River Basin, Hunts Brook

The Nutmeg state is extremely fortunate to be a ‘water rich’ state whose boundaries contain nearly six thousand miles of flowing water. Streams come in all shapes and sizes here in Connecticut. Many may ask, ‘What is the difference between a Stream, a Brook, a Creek and a River?’ The words ‘brook’ and ‘creek’ hold the same meaning as a description of a small stream, whereas ‘river’ refers to a stream that is significantly wider and deeper. The word ‘stream’ is accepted as the commonly used moniker for a small river or brook. However, a stream refers to any liquid, (water, oil, and even molten lava), no matter the size that is in a state of flow. This includes the massive body of oceanic current that carries warm water from the Gulf of Mexico to the northeastern seaboard. The Gulf Stream is simply a stream though larger in volume than any interior river within the confines of the United States. Now armed with proper nomenclature, it’s time to visit a neighborhood in Greenwich where the Mianus Chapter of Trout Unlimited calls home.

The organization is presided over by a young man in his twenties with an unquenchable passion to return Connecticut’s streams back to their natural intended purpose.

Gerald Ber-

rafati became enthralled with the outdoors as a young lad and was the first in his family to be bitten by the fishing bug. “I started fishing the streams and ponds around my home when I was about ten years old.” begins Gerald, “It wasn’t until high school when I started interning for my local T Trrout Unlimited chapter. It was there I began managingtripsfundraisingeventsdam managing trips, fund raising events, dam removals, and habitat restoration.” Gerald graduated college just two years ago. “I can’t believe that I have a job doing what I love,” he says, “TTrrout Unlimited has over two hundred employees nationally and I am the one for one staff person here at the Mianus Chapter.” The Connecticut grass roots foundation is part of the United States T Trrout Unlimited organization which was foundedin1959. There are nearly four thousand members spread across Connecticut divided into eight chapters that cover every region of our beautiful state. Funding and donations given to T Trrout Unlimited is not limited to just fisherman. “Donations from individuals, environmental foundations, as well as grants that we go after are the basis of funding that helps us tackle some oftheseproojjects.” Gerald says, “And for the most part the donations we receive are a mixture of both the angler and conservationist.”

“When it comes to our rivers and streams its hard to be a good angler without knowing the envir r-tance of the symbiotic relationship between the angler and the environmentalist. “For me fishing and conservation go hand in hand. OurunofficialmottoatT ffi Trrout Unlimited is‘GiveBacktoThePlacesThatWWeeFish.’ W We e need people looking out for and taking careofthese special places; our streams, our rivers.” He says with conviction, “A A lot of the times these are places that are most at risk e right under our noses. W and ar Weeare fortunate in Connecticut to have hundreds if not thousands of places to hike and fish in our ests. W for We e need more people advocating and becoming champions for our local resourcunof es.” Overdevelopment, r fff, fertilizers, dams, and trash tossed from the car window are just a few of the hazards our streams face in today’s modern age. For anglers, especially those who fish Connecticut’s freshwater y streams, they are one of the best resources for gathering data and reporting problems

onment.” Gerald explains the impor

so ecological health issues of cut’s streams can be combated and learning about the ecosyste learningabouttheenvironmen

Connecti. “Fishing em and ntattheend learning about the envir of the dayy, , fishing teaches you you need to know about how o behave.” Gerald explains, “In o good anglerr, , you need to under difffferent parts of the environm eachother. Whether it’s the in dbehavior tion, bir r, , changes in rate of floww, , flowering indigen fallen trees; all kinds of differ bring knowledge to the angle really are inseparable. Fisherm help but become conservation care about the sport.” Gerald p eflects. “W a moment and r We e do to push legislation, to protect o resources, we are taking down restoring habitats, we do trash have thousands of volunteers, b important thing is to do the rig individuals when we step into woodlands and treat them with

nt, at the end everything our streams order to be a rstand how ment react to nsect populan direction, nous plants, ent things r r, , so they mencan’t men cant nists if they pauses for o our best our natural dams, we are clean up, we but the most ght thing as our native h respect.”

In Connecticut there is only one native species of trout and one species of salmon, the Atlanticsalmon.T brook trout, and the Twwo other finned visitors have traveled from Europe and other parts of the United States and joined with the natives having landed in our rivers. Brown trout and rainbow trout breed in Connecticut’s wild streams and have become a part of the ichthyologic community with positive results. Unfortunatelyy, , the sad truth is that Atlantic salmon may never recover as a sustainable fish population on their own. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has a robust hatchery that sustains a continual brood-stock of salmon from completely disappearing . Until the mid-twentieth century forever y, , Connecticut and its streams had been at the mercy of states to the north where dams began to block spawning trout and salmon returning from sea. Holyoke Dam in Holyoke Massachusetts was built in 1848 and when the salmon arrived at the dam that yearr, , they were scooped up with nets by the local population. By 1852 the ntic Salmon had all but vanished from the Connecticut River. It was over one hundred years later a fish ladder would be installed to help the remaining salmon population return to their ancient spawning grounds once again. Robert E. Barrett, former PresiaterandPower dent of Holyoke W Wa r, , had the fish way installed in 1955 on the south side

Atlan

Comstock Brook Upstream, Fly fishing

of the da tor contin where fo watch fis the lifebl on and b fish that colonies

in summer through winter. In the menhaden, bunker hickory shad, e back herring also use the ConRiver as a feeding and spawning y..TheConnecticutRivertraverses ndaries of four New England States g our own. Therefore, coordination peration between each state is needer collaborate if these species are to e to exist.

am.TTooday the spillway and elevanue to assist the fish over the dam olks gather at a glass viewing area to sh migrate. The Connecticut River is lood for not only the Atlantic salmbrook trout but for many other small school in massive pelagic saltwater insummerthroughwinterInthe spring, m and blue necticut tributary the boun including and coop ed to eve continue

T TrroutUn

out Un participa solely in “What w a lot of h work.

nlimited on Connecticut doesn’t ate in stocking fish. That job lies n the hands of with the DEEPP. we do at T Trrout Unlimited is mostly habitat renewal and dam removal W We e work very close to some of their fisheries biologists and much of the ing assessment that they do,“ Ger, “Electro-fishing surveys get a feel er wild trout population. “Electro s where an individual or biologist backpackwithabatteryandan

(DEEP) fi monitori ald says, for winte fishing is carries a underwa a fish sw the fish i biologist The proc fish who wild unh electrofis points ar the speci “WWiith th

port was a 60% de Brook tro

backpack with a battery and an ater electrode in each hand. When wims between the two electrodes, is stunned for a moment giving the t time to measure and collect data. cess does not do any harm to the o are safely released back into the harmed. “The data collected from shing as well as other collection re used to calculate the density of ies population.” Gerald explains, he most recent data collected, a res released concluding a staggering ecline in the population of Native out across the state.”

of them f

news hasn’t deterred Gerald from ion, rather he finds more resolve er to see his beloved streams “This year we are removing four ms in our area. There are so many relic dams still existing and most for no useful reason.” He exclaims.

The bad his missi than eve prevail. “ more dam of these

, T Spawning Sea Lamprey Trrout Unlimited Brookie Holyoke Dam Photo by Rusty Clark

“Conservation is playing the loong game and somet

pyggg we hear about are species disappearing or we only this particular or that particular fish or animal befo and brightens saying, “But if we focus our efforts o ence is of utmost importanc largest impact or differ will lose habitats. But if we can prioritize where th will be there for generations to come.” Gerald sent Eastern part of Connecticut leading yours truly an est in V Pachuag State For Vooluntown, Connecticut. T brook trout and a wild rainbow trout were caught by this avid angler. Looked like Gerald or one of h

A might have visited that place as well. nativebroo trout and her siblings darted about in the cool spring water playing in the mouth an old dam whose granite structure on the shores now guide rather than block the way up stream.

A After thought. few days after the interview with Gerald, the day was ripe to send this story for publication, but Gerald had yet to send along his promised photos. His excuse?

Planting three hundredwith children from the Mianus area to reestablish a new habitat.

Thank you, Gerald.

ookies Close Up of Br

Lower Comstock Bridge

The Cheesemonger

Pizza noun

piz·za

“a dish made typically of flattened bread dough spread with a savory mixture usually including tomatoes and cheese and often other toppings and baked. Also called pizza pie.” - Merriam-Webster

The Early Days

Naples, Italy. Pizza or flatbreads as they were known, are considered a fast, inexpensive way to feed laborers or those less fortunate. Sold by street vendors in boxes carried under their arms, slices would be portioned by one’s appetite or budget. In 1889 King Umberto I and Queen Margherita are on visit to Naples. Tired of the French dishes they’re served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, they seek the pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito and request he prepare for them some local fare. Raffaele prepares for them three dishes. Flattened dough in the shape of a circle. One with lard, caciocavallo (a cheese originally made with horse milk), and basil. Another with cecenielli (anchovies) and the third with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.

The King and Queen are delighted, and Raffaele is thrilled! The King and Queen request these “pizzas” throughout their entire visit. The Queen makes it known that her favorite is the tomato, mozzarella, and basil and Raffaele names that one in her honor and the Pizza Margherita is born. It takes some time for the pizza to catch on and make its way out of Naples to other Italian Cities. Eventually it finds its way to America as Italian emigrants move west.

The Cheese Shop of Centerbrook

Pizza finds its second home in America.

By the late 19th Century Italian emigrants are now living in cities like New York and Boston, and with them they’ve brought their pizza recipes. In 1905 Gennaro Lombardi, a baker from Naples, uses his skills to craft the first pizza in America. He then opens the first pizzeria in the United States in New York City and names the restaurant Lombardi’s. Lombardi’s is still open today a few blocks down from the original site.

Shapes, Sizes, Toppings, and Styles

Today pizza is round or square and the list of toppings is endless. And as for style – there are many, even a few we’ve never heard of. There’s the Neapolitan, the Sicilian, New York style, Greek Style, Chicago Deep Dish, Detroit Style (yes, Detroit. Originally square and baked in an automotive parts pans), California Style, and let us not forget the New Haven Style. New Haven pizza or “Apizza” as it’s locally known, usually has a thin crust, it’s cooked in a wood or coal fired oven until the bottom is blackened and Mozzarella or “Mootz” is the traditional topping.

Pizza’s Popularity

Pizza is part of the American culture thanks to all those Italian emigrants, and it grew in popularity after soldiers stationed in Italy returned home from the war. Today, Americans consume three billion pizza’s a year. That’s 46 slices per person, 93% of the population eating pizza once a month, 100 acres of pizza a day and 350 slices per second. And Pizza Margherita is one of the most popular pizzas eaten in the world.

That’s a whole lot of pizza, no matter how you slice it!

Pizza Margherita

Dough: ingredients

1 cup warm water 105 degrees

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon Sugar

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook combine water, yeast, and sugar. Mix with a whisk until it comes together. Let stand until bubbles form about 10-15 min.

2. To the bowl with the yeast mixture, add flour, oil, salt and knead on medium speed until the dough comes together and is a bit shiny, about 5 minutes. (No mixer? You can mix the dough and knead by hand.)

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

4. Roll dough on to parchment paper (this makes it easier to transfer the pizza to pan or stone. Pizza can be baked on parchment paper)

Topping: ingredients

1 32 oz can San Marzano tomatoes (drained slightly)

2 to 3 each 4 oz Fresh Mozzarella balls

Fresh Basil leaves, torn.

Olive oil

Parmigiana Reggiano cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Break up the slightly drained tomatoes with your hands and spread them on top of your freshly rolled out pizza dough. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.

2. Break up the fresh mozzarella into pieces and place the pieces on top of the tomatoes.

3. Top the pizza with torn basil leaves, a sprinkle of parmigiana Reggiano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

4. Bake in a 450-degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the bottom is browned and the edges are crisp.