THAN
OctoberOur Food Issue!
Dinnertime!
Does anyone else have fond memories of that one phrase? Remember when you were young and you were maybe in a neighbor’s backyard or playing tag around one of the houses (the big tree is home-base) and it probably got to be around 6 or 6:30 pm and you hear your mom’s voice. She shouts one word that somehow would echo throughout the neighborhood so you could hear it: “Dinnertime”. That’s all it took and you knew your play time was over but since we actually played OUTSIDE back then, you were likely starving from all the running around. What are we eating tonight, mom? Stuffed peppers? Spanish rice? Burgers and corn-on-the cob? Whatever it was, try and tell me you wouldn’t take that meal again right now.
Food transcends mere nourishment; it serves as a powerful connector among us all. Each dish, from cherished family favorites to the creative inventions of our local chefs, narrates a unique tale. In this edition, we shine a spotlight on our vibrant food culture, showcasing a range of establishments—from our local farmer’s market to a gala with a feast for the ages and then on to an iconic legendary restaurant.
Our October issue is all about food and we explored it from several different angles this year.
We start with Vinnis Pizzarama. This local icon has been around since 1979 and has always stayed within the family. The newest generation, Joe and Alex Trani are keeping the delectable tradition alive so we’re taking you there for a little behind the scenes look.
We also open your eyes to the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest New Jersey’s Annual Gala and this food issue is out at the perfect time to get pumped because the food you will eat that night is out of this world.
Join us as we also walk you around Wayne’s Farmer’s Market. What could be fresher than that?
Whether you’re a culinary adventurer or someone who finds joy in classic comfort meals, we hope this issue inspires your love for cooking and dining. Let’s raise a toast to the rich array of tastes that make our community so wonderfully appetizing.
We encourage you to dive into a flavorful exploration that honors the diverse culinary delights woven into the fabric of our community. Enjoy your reading and happy feasting!
October 2025
PUBLISHER
Phillip Barone | phillip.barone@citylifestyle.com
EDITOR
Don Seaman | don.seaman@citylifestyle.com
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Officially Social | jamie@officiallysocial.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Don Seaman, Amy Bailey, Mel Boban, Angela Broockerd
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
John Agnello, Amy Bailey, Phillip Barone, Janie Jones
Corporate Team
CEO Steven Schowengerdt
COO Matthew Perry
CRO Jamie Pentz
VP OF OPERATIONS Janeane Thompson
VP OF SALES Andrew Leaders
AD DESIGNER Rachel Otto
LAYOUT DESIGNER Kelsi Southard
QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST Hannah Leimkuhler
PHILLIP BARONE, PUBLISHER @WAYNELIFESTYLEMAG
the prize for the
Distance Contest. Way To Go! 3: Over 80 family, friends and business partners shared in a beautiful day on the course
by Phillip Barone
1: Totowa Volunteer Fire Company #1 hosted its Annual Golf Outing at Preakness Valley Golf Course 2: Erika Baldino took home
Ladies' Long
Photography
RAISING GLASSES AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB ANNUAL GALA
Serving Up Help For Our Children
ARTICLE BY DON SEAMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN AGNELLO
“You really want to make a difference in your community? Then be a Gala sponsor.”
If you want to spend time with the elite of the elite in our area, you might want to make no other plans for the night of November 14th. You see, that’s the night that the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest New Jersey hosts their annual Light the Way Gala at the Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park.
It’s a great opportunity to recognize an organization that’s giving back so much to our area’s families. They’re an invaluable resource for so many kids. Furthermore, it’s a great way to network while supporting such a great cause.
But you might really want to go simply for the food. Seriously. It will take your breath away. The cocktail hour alone will make you think you’re at the highest-end wedding you’ve ever been to. But that’s not why you’re really going, right? Right?
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter why. It’s all about the cause. It’s about the work that the Boys and Girls Club does for the 6,000 families who need them. Funds raised from this gala support Club programs and efforts for their Neighbors In Hardship Scholarship Fund, which provides full and partial scholarships to local families facing financial hardship whether due to loss of a parent, job, illness or other devastating situation, enabling their child to attend their Club programs. Moreover, they are always trying to partner with corporate sponsors who can help support the programs that they offer.
“We are not just an after-school or summer camp program, we are SO much more!,” explains Gina Radice, Director of Resource Development & Marketing for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest New Jersey. “We offer character and leadership development
programs, we bring in speakers, at no cost to families, with topics on alcohol and drug prevention, dangers of social media, bullying, and mental health support. We also offer health and wellness programs, STEM and art classes. Our programs focus on the whole child; physically, emotionally, and socially.”
“The BGCNWNJ takes deep pride in creating a safe place where kids (from 6 weeks to 18 years old) love to come to grow, to learn, to have fun, and to shine.”
“At the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest New Jersey, while everything we do is for the kids,” Gina says. “It’s our staff that makes the magic happen. They’re not just counselors, teachers, or administrators — they’re mentors, role models, cheerleaders, and lifelines. Every day, they help young people believe in themselves just a little more than they did yesterday. Many staff, once Club kids, are now Counselors and long-time staff which shows just how special the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest New Jersey is...we are all here to make a difference in the lives of others.”
The Light The Way Gala is an outstanding way to meet people who are making a great difference in the lives of so many in our area. And if you do decide to join them, opt for a light lunch that day. Trust me - giving back will never taste so good.
The Boys and Girls Club of Northwest New Jersey Light The Way Gala will be held at the Westmount Country Club, 728 Rifle Camp Road in Woodland Park on Friday, November 14th from 6:30 to 11:30. The Gala will be honoring Atlantic Health System's Chilton Medical Center. For more information, including tickets and sponsorship opportunities, see their website at bgcnwnj.org/events/.
Downtown Saturday
There’s something peculiar about the town of Wayne. We all know what it is. It’s a town without a downtown. Without a magnet to draw people in, Wayne needs more de facto areas and events to come together and feel connected, whether that’s at the Community Center, Jack’s Super Foodtown, Trader Joe’s, fireworks night, or Wayne Day.
And every Saturday, there’s a microcosm of community at the Wayne Farmer’s Market, right at the town hall. It’s still going strong, continuing the tradition that started in 2019, before the changeover from the Wayne YMCA to the Wayne Community Center.
“I think that’s the thing that makes our farmer’s market special. There’s a real sense of community here,” says Sophia Cedeno, who manages the event.
Sophia’s take was echoed by several of the vendors that have been participating in the market. “We have some regulars that come back and look for us just about each time we’re here,” says the family who run Doughboy on the Rise, a booth that sells baked goods by their son, pastry chef Greg Puluse. “It’s a great way for him to establish a following in the area, and it’s really helpful for those who are just starting to get a business going, even if you don’t have a traditional brick and mortar location yet.”
ARTICLE BY DON SEAMAN
“We go to a lot of farmer’s markets in the area, and this one does stand out from many of the others, even the larger ones, because of how much of a community feel there is here,” explains Emily Fine, representing her brother Jeremy’s Home Cooked Meals business, based in Bergen County. Jeremy is a chef who delivers healthy, restaurant-quality food with a dedication to clean, natural ingredients.
You might notice that there’s a strong family trend involved in farmer’s markets. Many of the vendors that come are small, family businesses that truly are of their community. Nothing here is mass-produced. There’s an intimacy here, a pride in what they offer that runs deep. The actual farmers bring you their wares literally from farm to table. Others bring you their recipes and talents from their own tables.
Wayne’s Farmer’s Market Gives The Town A Bit Of Something It’s Been Clamoring For
“I think there’s a real trend for people to really know where their food is coming from,” observes Sophia. “One of the farmers is constantly running out of eggs at each event - he consistently breaks his sales number each time he’s here. Families tell him that their kids won’t eat chicken, but they’ll eat his. It’s quality you can’t find just anywhere.”
Each weekend there’s something new and different among the usual farmer’s market fare at the Wayne Farmer’s Market. And Sophia is hard at work to expand things and bring in even more unique, family-friendly attractions to add to the mix.
“One of the things that I love to see is when someone comes in with a very modest beginning - just a table and not much more. But then as time goes on, they add displays, bigger and better signs, and just start to take off. It’s even a great place for kids to get involved and start their own businesses for their homemade bracelets or something that they can make themselves. It’s great to be able to see that and help to make that happen.”
“What you find here is healthy, it’s unique, it’s about as local as you can be.”
So whether you’re a regular coming for your favorite vendor, someone looking for farm-fresh local produce, or just want to stop by to see what booths are featured this week, this tiny little oasis of a Wayne downtown will be there for you.
The Wayne Farmer’s Market’s outdoor season runs Saturdays from May until the end of November in the parking lot of Wayne Town Hall, 475 Valley Road. From December through April they move inside to the Wayne Community Center on the first and third Saturday of the month at 1 Pike Drive.
ARTICLE BY MEL BOBAN
How To Stay Festive And Healthy? Sure Thing
Halloween is typically filled to the brim with salt, sugar and carbs. It can be hard to stay on the nutrition wagon during spooky season, but there are plenty of fun ways to add a festive spin to favorite healthy dishes.
pumpkinFRUIT BOWL
With luck finding a melon or watermelon at the store, simply carve it like a jack-o-lantern and make the mouth large enough to have other sliced fruit emerging, such as cut pineapple, sliced grapes and apple chunks. Along the side, peel mini oranges and add a green stem to mimic pumpkins.
spooky CHARCUTERIE
These fan favorite boards can easily be kept healthy with some additions. Make any treat spooky with edible eyeballs. Adding them to a small snack such as mini bell peppers or grapes and strawberries is a fun way to stay on theme without sacrificing a healthy streak. Eyeball salami rolls also can be added, starting first with a green olive in the center, surrounded by a roll of mozzarella cheese and then surrounded by salami or even prosciutto.
stuffed PEPPERS
This fall staple easily can be incorporated into a fall gathering or Halloween night by carving jacko-lantern faces in orange peppers, and resuming a favorite recipe from there. Serving bread on the side? Use a skull or pumpkin shaped cookie cutter to re-shape it.
ghostly DIP
Hummus and pitas can be made scary in no time. Use a ghost shaped cookie cutter to shape pita bread, lightly toast and serve with red pepper hummus, which is usually orange in color.
jack-o-lantern VEGGIE TRAY
The easiest bet for a quick and healthy Halloween treat? You can’t go wrong with a veggie tray shaped like a jack-o-lantern. Use baby carrots as the base, and cucumber or celery to shape the mouth and stem. The eyes? Two round bowls of veggie dip.
PIZZA WITH EXTRA humanity
EXPERIENCE NEAPOLITAN FAMILY TRADITION AND MORE AT VINNI’S PIZZARAMA
ARTICLE BY DON SEAMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN AGNELLO
There’s a history to pizza. It’s in tradition, family, and even local pride. And that confluence of those three things, shaped approximately like a slice of pizza, is evident right here in Wayne, at the corner of Church and Hamburg, in a place we all know as Vinni’s Pizzarama.
That familiar green, white, and red rooftop is a herald of the Trani family’s Italian lineage. They hail from Ischia, a small island near Capri off the coast of Naples. Yes, that Naples - the birthplace of pizza. The restaurant is now run by Giuseppe (Joe) and Alessandro (Alex) Trani, continuing the family tradition that has served some of our area’s best pizza for nearly fifty years..
It was the brothers’ uncle Vinni who came to the country in the late 1970’s, eventually opening his eponymous Vinni’s Pizzarama in 1979. In true Naples tradition, Vinni was dedicated to using only the freshest ingredients available, and relied on the time-tested recipes he’d brought with him. His younger brother, Nicola, worked for him here when he was 17, before moving back to Italy. In 1987, he and his new wife, Antonietta, came back to the United States, taking over the business from Vinni. When their father passed in 2008, their mom took over until the boysalong with help from their sister, Nicola - joined in to run the business about four years ago. You can find at least one of them there every single day.
That’s family tradition.
“All of the recipes are the same since we opened all those years ago,” Joe says. The sauce is the original family recipe, straight from the Neapolitan coast. Nothing has changed with that. So when you order pizza from Vinni’s, it’s coming in a straight line to Wayne from the heart of Italy’s pizza capital.
CONTINUED >
And it doesn’t end just with the pizza. They take a distinctly Neapolitan take on some of the other things they serve - fried calzones, for example, as they do in Naples, as opposed to being baked the American way. “When you go to Naples, that’s how it’s done,” Joe explains.
Yet there’s still red, white, and blue beneath that red, white and green roof. What’s one of Joe’s favorite things on Vinni’s menu? Cheesesteaks. Nobody said that there couldn’t be a little American tradition in this Italian kitchen, after all.
They’ve also started their own small tradition of working with special needs kids. For about an hour every day, have them come
to work with them, building pizza boxes and generally helping around the restaurant. It helps to show them that they’re special - and they’re needed.
That’s a tradition that goes beyond borders, beyond family. It’s a real slice of humanity.
The tradition that Uncle Vinni started all those years ago lives on. He and Nicola would be proud of this family.
Vinni’s Pizzarama is located at 1025 Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne. Take a look on Instagram @vinnispizzarama and be extremely thankful they are open every day of the week.
“So when you order pizza from Vinni’s, it’s coming in a straight line to Wayne from the heart of Italy’s pizza capital.”
THE SEASON’S BEST SANDWICHES
ARTICLE BY ANGELA BROOCKERD PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANIE JONES
Stacked forFall
There’s something deeply satisfying about a well-made sandwich—especially when it comes together with minimal effort but delivers big on flavor. As the season changes and appetites grow heartier, fall is the perfect time to get creative with ingredients tucked between slices of crusty bread or buttery rolls. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your lunch routine, enjoy comforting flavors and bold textures, or impress guests with a no-fuss meal, these easy-tomake sandwiches strike the perfect balance between simple and sensational.
Roasted Tomato & Mozzarella Caprese French Bread
INGREDIENTS
• French bread loaf, halved lengthwise
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp thyme or rosemary
• Salt, pepper, chili flakes (optional)
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 1 cup arugula
• 2–4 tbsp pesto (thinned with olive oil)
• Balsamic glaze
• Optional: 4 slices prosciutto
• Fresh basil
INSTRUCTIONS
Toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Roast at 375°F for 20–25 minutes until soft and caramelized. Brush bread with olive oil. Toast in the oven at 375°F for 5–7 minutes until crisp. Layer mozzarella slices on the toasted bread. Add fresh basil. Return to the oven for 3–5 minutes, just until melted. Optional: Top with roasted tomatoes, arugula, and prosciutto (if using). Drizzle with pesto and balsamic glaze.
INGREDIENTS
• 2 slices crusty bread (sourdough, ciabatta, French bread)
• 6 oz roast beef
• 2 slices provolone cheese
• 2 tbsp butter (for toasting)
• 2 ½ tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Arugula
• Cherry tomato
• Caramelized onions
INSTRUCTIONS
Toast the bread. Butter one side of each slice and toast in a skillet until golden. Heat roast beef briefly in a pan. To make the spread, mix mayo, horseradish sauce, and Dijon. Spread on the toasted bread. Layer roast beef, cheese, and broil briefly to melt. Add arugula, tomato, and caramelized onions if using. Top with the second slice of bread.
Savory Roast Beef with Horseradish Cream
INGREDIENTS
• 3 oz goat cheese
• Fresh arugula
• ¼ cup caramelized onions
• 1 pear, thinly sliced
• Honey, to taste
• Butter for toasting the bread
• Rotisserie chicken breast thinly sliced
• Sourdough bread, buttered (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Spread goat cheese on one side of the bread. Top the cheese with arugula, caramelized onions, sliced pears and chicken breast. Drizzle with honey. Top with remaining slice of sourdough bread. Use a griddle or panini press to heat the sandwich.
Sweet & Spicy Grilled Chicken Sandwich
INGREDIENTS
• 1 grilled chicken breast
• 2 slices pepper jack cheese
• 2 slices cooked bacon
• 1 tbsp fruit jam (fig, raspberry, or jalapeño recommended)
• A handful of fresh arugula
• 3–4 cherry tomatoes (halved)
• 1 tbsp garlic aioli
• 1 brioche bun (toasted)
INSTRUCTIONS
Lightly butter the inside of the bun and toast in a skillet or oven until golden brown. Spread a layer of garlic aioli on the bottom bun. Add the sliced grilled chicken breast. Place the pepper jack cheese over the hot chicken to slightly melt it. Layer on the crispy bacon slices. Add halved cherry tomatoes and a small handful of arugula. Spread the jam on the top bun. Enjoy!
S
P A G H E T T I
P O M O D O R O
BY AMY BAILEY
ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY
Enjoy this simple, flavorful food for the soul. ‘Pomodoro’ means tomato in Italian, and that’s what this dish is - a fresh tomato sauce with basil, garlic, onion, and olive oil.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely diced or minced
• 1 lb fresh tomatoes, halved or chopped (I use garden cherry tomatoes if in season or Roma tomatoes are a good choice)
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 basil sprigs, divided
• 1 lb. spaghetti
• 1 cup Parmesan, finely grated, divided
• 1 Tbsp butter
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat medium-size Dutch Oven or large skillet over medium heat then add extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Once hot, add chopped onion then saute until tender, 2-3 minutes. Add fresh garlic and saute until golden but not brown, another 30 seconds.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan with a pinch of sugar then simmer on medium-low for 20-25 minutes. Stir and press the tomatoes against the bottom and sides of the pan to make saucier. If sauce begins to pop too much, turn down even further. (If sauce starts to thicken too much add pasta water as needed.)
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta and season generously with salt.
4. When sauce is almost ready, add fresh basil leaves torn into small pieces, plus butter, remaining salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Add more salt to taste if needed.
5. Cook the pasta until it’s just shy of al dente then transfer it to the sauce pot with tongs to finish cooking directly in the sauce. Add splashes of pasta water if needed to cook pasta all the way and to keep it saucy.
6. Toss pasta and sauce with 1/2 Parmesan cheese. Serve in pasta bowls and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Garnish with fresh basil.
Photo by West Essex High School Photographer Xavier Rosairo