Food for Thought
Welcome fall! With the changing seasons comes a change in what we are craving, and with fall that often means comfort food.
Here's food for thought- What’s your favorite food related movie? What about Babette’s Feast, Ratatouille, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Tampopo, Julia and Julia and of course there is The Bear. Are you getting hungry yet? October is our most delectable issue of the year. We are going to dine with a few local chefs and visit a boutique food market so get your tastebuds ready, you are in for a treat not a trick. We are also going to take you on a scary adventure to get revved up for the season.
The smells of fall bring memories to my mind of sitting in my mom’s kitchen, and the aroma of cinnamon, apple, pumpkin, chili, and soups of any kind brings me right back to her table. And speaking of comfort food, my mom’s fried chicken and collard greens was the best, hands down!
There is most certainly an art to creating a flavorful dish that not only satisfies our taste buds but evokes memories. The aroma of certain spices and foods can bring us right back to our childhood, which can be incredibly powerful and comforting. Food brings us all together, and whether we are sharing a meal with loved ones or enjoying a night out on the town, the time spent while enjoying food is invaluable.
As always, thanks for reading, and we’ll see you around town!
MONIQUE DOMINIQUE, PUBLISHER @WESTORANGE.CITYLIFESTYLE
October 2024
PUBLISHER
Monique Dominique monique.dominique@citylifestyle.com
MARKET SUPPORT COORDINATOR
Barbara Forbes
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Martta Kelly, Angelina Silvester
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Casey Fatchett, Angelina Silvester, Martta Kelly
Corporate Team
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Matthew Perry
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HR Janeane Thompson
AD DESIGNER Zach Miller
LAYOUT DESIGNER Kathy Nguyen
AUGUST REALTY REPORT
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1: Maximus and Achilles were real “Gladiators” to brave the hot weather at the dog event. 2: DJ Anthony J ready to spin and get the “Pawty” going 3: West Orange Downtown Alliance’s Amy McCampbell serves it up cold for another Downtown Thursdays gathering 4: Familiar food truck provides dinner for the dog days of summer bark & brew event 5: Dogscotti!! Your dog will thank you. 6: Our Furry model makes a fashion statement. 7: Yes, Harry the Dirty Dog is still on the must read list!
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West Orange Fooderie takes a Detour with Pizza
The West Orange Fooderie has introduced delicious pizza into its "Something for Everyone" food lineup. Detour Pizza is now serving up delicious pies. Be sure to stop by the Fooderie for all of your stables as well as pizza, sushi and other tasty grab and go meals.
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Four City Brewing Company Celebrates 5 years
Come celebrate the 5th Anniversary of Four City Brewing Company! For five years, we’ve been passionate about crafting exceptional beers and building a vibrant community. From our humble beginnings to becoming a local favorite, your support has been vital to our journey. We're closing down the street and serving up 2 new anniversary beers. Enjoy food trucks, live music, and more! Come raise a glass with us on Saturday September 28th from noon - 10pm.
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West Orange welcomes The Black Inventors Hall of Fame Museum
Get ready West Orange- The Mayfair Farms site will be the new home to The Black Inventors Hall of Fame Museum and STEAM Learning Center. Renovations will begin soon. The project will maintain key aspects and architectural features of Mayfair Farms, as well as preserve historic and natural features on the property, while creating a modern, state of the art, educational resource for the Township of West Orange and the community as a whole.
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We are excited to announce the incorporation of sports medicine services at our West Orange, NJ office, where we already offer a wide range of aesthetic treatments. Our aesthetics and sports medicine services will address all non-surgical sports medicine and musculoskeletal-related injuries for patients of all ages, accepting major insurances in New Jersey. This addition perfectly complements our existing aesthetic services, emphasizing both external beauty and internal fitness. Our mission is to keep you active and healthy while helping you achieve your aesthetic goals, enhancing your natural self and boosting your confidence.
CHEF JESSE- POW
Local Chef Wants to Cook Up Interest in Modern Day Dinner Parties
ARTICLE BY MARTTA KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASEY FATCHETT
Intimate dinners at home with friends have been making a comeback, due partly to a rise in the cost of living. But the trend also reflects people’s desire to connect with one another, especially with those outside of their social circle. Learning about new cuisine and wines, enjoying a delicious meal, and participating in engaging conversation: this is the trifecta of the ultimate dinner party.
“It’s also a great way to widen your social circle, dining with people you might never meet otherwise.”
Few people know this better than Jesse Jone, a classically trained chef and author, who commends the art of a great dinner party. “Not only is it an opportunity to try new foods, or new ways of preparing favorites,” he says, “it’s also a great way to widen your social circle, dining with people you might never meet otherwise.”
With a population of nearly 50,000 residents (2022 United States Census Bureau), West Orange is a township known for its population diversity, with several downtown areas. Most people, however, travel within their own circle of friends and it’s unlikely they will meet interesting people from different areas of town or from different backgrounds. This is where dinner parties can play a key role, Chef Jesse points out.
While dinner parties of past decades might have been elaborate affairs, today’s dinner parties offer
a more relaxed, casual vibe. “They usually consist of around 8 to 10 people with the goal of having fun,” says Jones, known affectionately as Chef Jesse. “It’s a party where guests can enjoy a glass of wine and appetizers in the kitchen, while watching the chef prepare the food, and then move to the dining room for the main course. All the while, sharing stories with one another.”
Chef Jesse was born in Newark and grew up in New Jersey, living the last 3 years in West Orange with his wife, Annette, and two sons. However, his culinary roots are in North Carolina, where he watched while his grandmother cooked food over her cast iron stove. Today, many of those classic southern dishes from his childhood have migrated their way to his contemporary cuisine. “I take a French modern approach to southern cooking, putting my own spin on everything,” he says.
There are five chefs who served as his top influences. “The first one is my late mom, Chef Mildred Jones, a great chef but she didn’t like to be called one,” he says. “Chef Walter Krupna Jr., who taught me so much as a young cook; plus, Chefs Dennis Foy, Craig Shelton, and David Drake.”
His favorites dishes, he adds, are oxtails, fried chicken, ribs, and ossobuco, an Italian dish consisting of veal shanks braised with vegetables, broth, and white wine, served with either polenta or risotto.
The award-winning chef recognizes that modern times present certain challenges when it comes to preparing food. “Today, you have many different dietary requests, from people who are allergic to certain foods, or those who are vegetarians or vegans,” he says. “I try to accommodate them when I can.”
Over the years, he has served many celebrities through Chef Jesse Concepts, his catering company. They include Sunny Hostin and Whoopi Goldberg from The View, Cool and the Gang, Tyler Perry, and singer-songwriter John Legend, among others. In addition, he has appeared on several media outlets, sharing recipes from his book, POW! My Life in 40 Feasts (Jesse Jones, Linda West Eckhardt: Outskirts Press, Colorado; November 2017). POW, he adds, stands for Passion, Opportunity, Work, which sums up his philosophy.
“It’s a party where guests can enjoy a glass of wine and appetizers in the kitchen, while watching the chef prepare the food and then move
to
the dining room for the main course.”
Chef Jesse’s career began as a dishwasher at Aramark, making his way up to sous chef. Since then, he has served as executive chef at AT&T, overseeing a staff of 60, before he transitioned to restaurants. He received his classically training at Hudson Community College’s Culinary Arts Institute. Chef Jesse, former owned Heart & Soul Restaurant in South Orange, and has hosted live cooking demonstrations at Bloomingdale’s and Savory Spice Shop, and at private parties.
Today, he donates his time and services to the northern New Jersey community, participating in events and fundraisers for first responders, Newark Institute of Culinary Education, HealthCorps, Project Self Sufficient, St. Peter’s Orphanage, and the American Cancer Society.
He also conducts cooking demos for young people. “Most young people interested in becoming cooks have never been inside a professional kitchen,” he says, recalling a time when a young woman just walked out in frustration. He referenced The Bear, a television series starring Jeremy Allen White as Chef Carmy, who returns to his native Chicago to manage a hectic kitchen at a sandwich shop left behind by his brother before he passed away. He says the show accurately depicts a kitchens behindthe-scene chaos and fast pace. “It can be a crazy and stressful place, but that’s all part of being a chef,” he says.
Website: www.chefjessejones.com
Martta Kelly with Chef Jesse
ktubloomfieldnj
West Orange FOODERIE
AN INTIMATE AND INNOVATIVE MARKET EXPERIENCE
ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGELINA SILVESTER
With big-name brands like Whole Foods and ShopRite in the area and with Target coming soon, there’s a must visit market in town that gives you the shopping intimacy and delicious options you crave. West Orange Fooderie offers fresh produce, an extensive deli and bakery, and a large selection of household products, as well as hidden gems like homemade spreads and dips.
The store’s layout is clearly marked, with aisles for products like poultry, cereals, baby care, and coffees and teas.
There is no shortage of options, with a wide variety of different brands to choose from.
Something that sets this place apart from your usual shopping experience is the number of Kosher options available.
The Fooderie is a Kosher establishment, meaning that they keep their meat and dairy separate, and observe Jewish holidays not celebrated by more mainstream chain stores. Customers that do keep Kosher will be relieved to see a store so meticulously tailored to their needs. Kosher items are given their own sections, making your shopping experience streamlined and easy.
For those fond of grab-and-go foods, The Fooderie has lots of variety with
sections marked specifically for homemade meals. Forget your mass-produced microwave dinners -- here, you can get enough for the week without emptying your wallet! Indoor seating, as well as a small pizza-making station, is available if you want to stay awhile and get a hot lunch or pick up some sushi while you do your shopping.
In addition to these unique benefits, the atmosphere inside West Orange Fooderie is one of community service. The owner is warm and welcoming, and customers are served efficiently. With all of its options available, they can serve a diverse clientele, something that sets West Orange apart. This is truly a store made for this area.
Made With Love
ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGELINA SILVESTER
460 BISTRO’S CHEF MAHNUT BAKIR SHARES HIS PASSION TO COOK FOR YOU.
“When asked about his business, he explained that he has a real passion for cooking, that he “[likes] to see everybody coming in and eating.”
The warm tinkle of a bell overhead is the first thing I heard when I entered West Orange’s 460 Bistro. The second was ABBA. Immediately, I knew I had come to a good place.
I got the privilege to sit down with the chef and owner of 460 Bistro, Mahnut Bakir, who recently started work here two years ago. Though his English wasn't fluent, I was able to hear about his experiences as a cook throughout the years, as well as his mission for this restaurant. For around thirty-five years, Mahnut has worked as a chef in his home country, and has opened four different businesses. When asked about his business, he explained that he has a real passion for cooking, that he “[likes] to see everybody coming in and eating.”
CONTINUED >
His face lit up, explaining the diverse group of people that come in to try his food. “Every guest is different. We have Russian people, American people, young people, Turkish people, all kinds of people mixing.”
While the bistro primarily offers Turkish food, they also have Mediterranean options on the menu. A variety of shish kebabs, as well as other popular dishes from the area are available. His favorite dish to make is manti, a popular Turkish dumpling. Filled with ground meat, onions, and spices, these are served with a creamy yogurt sauce to cut the heat. When you stop by, make sure to try this traditional Turkish dish!
Chef Mahnut Bakir
His favorite dish to make is manti, a popular Turkish dumpling. Filled with ground meat, onions, and spices, these are served with a creamy yogurt sauce to cut the heat.
Your Home, Your Personality
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Sweet Treats and Haunted Houses
SPOOKY HEART: I AIN’T
AFRAID OF NO “MONSTER”
ARTICLE BY ANGELINA SILVESTER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WOLF, ANGELINA SILVESTER
As parents look forward to the start of a new school year and kids begin to think about that perfect costume, fall hayrides, apple bobbing and trick or treating, we walked around West Orange for some sweet treats, and sat down with someone whose work aims to send a chill down your spine.
When walking into Supreme Bakery in town, you’re welcomed into a bright, spacious room with displays chock full of pastries and baked goods. The workers are amicable, and spoke at length about their seasonal options -- there is something new for every holiday, including Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Not only that, but they are happy to provide recommendations if you’re feeling indecisive, which I appreciated! The amount of options can feel overwhelming at first, but the friendliness of the staff made things easy. Some of their cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and pastries are also allergen-friendly, allowing patrons with gluten-free and other dietary restrictions to find something for themselves as well. Instagram @supremebakery
When you’re done with your treats, feel free to sign up for some tricks! We spoke with Wolf, a scare entertainment actor and creator of custom haunted house experiences.
Wolf has always loved the haunted house genre, but from his first visit to the Haunted Mansion in Long Branch, New Jersey, he was hooked. While the ambiance of the space intrigued him, the sense of pride and accomplishment after completing the experience had a longer lasting effect. After teaching film to students for some time, Wolf now works closely with schools and students to help them create and display a haunted house experience. We asked him some questions about his work in scare acting and how he adapts that for an audience.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB?
My favorite part of the job is being challenged creatively. Schools have been hiring me to come in one week in October, and they say “We want to have a haunted house for our school, heard you’re the guy to talk to. What can we do?” Well, we can either do a walkthrough, we can do a one-area kind of haunt, we can put on a haunted production where you’re sitting in seats, quite a few ideas. Sometimes they’ll give me [a space] like a “haunted garden”, and I come back with [it] being a hiding place for an alien invasion, and I’ll teach the kids how to scare, how to create things with paper mache and plastiques, rubber materials, latex…I help them to develop scary, creepy sounds as they go through this thing.
DO YOU PUT ON A SHOW, TEACH KIDS HOW TO BUILD THEIR OWN HAUNTED HOUSE, OR BOTH?
It’s a bit of both. I’m teaching kids how to structure it and put it together, but I’m also teaching them how the business should run. Usually for their clubs, their fan club, their film club or glee club, but if we’re building this, everything has to be done by a certain time. Once we get into the middle of it, that's when we know we’re gonna be able to finish it and we can start selling tickets.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MORE- PLANNING THINGS OUT, LIKE FIGURING OUT HOW TO TURN THAT GARDEN INTO AN ALIEN INVASION, OR THE FINAL PRODUCT?
The execution. It’s proper planning, but the key point is working the imagination. You’ve gotta really go far out
CONTINUED >
“I would love it if everyone takes that time of the year to do a few things: have fun, face your fears, and be creative.”
“I
scare you for fun. If you’re scared but yet you will walk outside, you’re laughing, and you remember me, that’s the key point of why I put everything together..”
there, you can’t just take a piece of cardboard and paint on it, there’s just not a scare factor. That’s when the research comes in, which is supposed to be the fun part- we sit and watch horror movies, we look and see “oh, I like that idea. See how that girl got chased? How about we have a mannequin on wheels and they hear the sound effects and see the chainsaw, but since it's dark and smoky, they won’t even realize it’s not a real person?” I’m like “That’s it! That works, let’s do it. We’ll make the arms out of wire so it swings toward them and pushes them into the next room. Let’s get the crew together and let’s get the materials.”
SO THAT
“LIGHTBULB MOMENT” IS REALLY SOMETHING SPECIAL.
Oh, it is.
HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU SCARE SOMEONE?
I like scaring people, but I'm not looking to hurt them. When I work for Bane, their biggest thing is they don’t care who it is. If you’ve got a family who brings their seven year old kid, you scare them the same as you scare someone who’s eighty years old. We don’t want anyone having a heart attack, but bad news is good news. We had a lady pass out, and we had to call an ambulance. There was a full line of people, and once they saw the ambulance show up and somebody get carried out, that’s when the line got bigger. Everybody goes to social media, and then all of a sudden the next day, we got three times the line because somebody tweeted something. But for me, I scare you for fun. If you're scared but yet you will walk outside, you're
laughing, and you remember me, that’s the key point of why I put everything together and do it.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE SCARING SOMEONE?
I'm dressed up in leather, jacket and all--wearing Pigman, my face is distorted, I’m looking gruesome. I’m pushing people along, and as someone enters my room I see this little girl. I'm like okay this is gonna be fun, they’re going to have to walk her out. I put on the whole act as hard as I can, and she looks at me and I thought oh, this is working. She’s going into a catatonic state. She’s not moving, her eyes are wide open… Yeah, right!
I’m doing all my facial expressions, the snarling, the teeth… biggest performance I ever got. This little girl looks up at me with these sad eyes and all of a sudden she holds her arms out.
I said “Did you come here with mom and dad? Do you want me to get them?” She says “Please.” I walk her outside, and I found her parents.
Before I left, I said “Before you go, why weren't you scared?” She said “I didn't see anything scary. The only thing I saw was your heart.” I almost burst into tears! That’s how she knew everything was going to be okay.
Wolf can be found on Instagram and Facebook at Wolfbytefilms and Wolfbytearts (spelled with a Y, not an I). On a parting note, he says: would love it if everyone takes that time of the year to do a few things: have fun, face your fears, and be creative. Those are the three major mottos that define the things that I do, and if people can wrap themselves around those three things, then mission I accomplished, you know?
WOLF: Sometimes they’ll give me [a space] like a “haunted garden”, and I come back with [it] being a hiding place for an alien invasion, and I’ll teach the kids how to scare..
Wolf
MIXING HEALTH AND FLAVOR
A Delicious Mocktail to Savor Without the Alcohol.
ARTICLE
BY ANGELA BROOCKERD
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANIE JONES
ROSEMARY PEAR MOCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS
ROSEMARY SIMPLE SYRUP
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup water
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary ROSEMARY PEAR MOCKTAIL
• 5 tablespoons pear juice
• 1 tablespoon rosemary simple syrup
• 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
• sparkling water to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
HOW TO MAKE ROSEMARY SIMPLE SYRUP
Combine sugar and water in a pot and cook over medium heat. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off heat and toss in rosemary sprigs. Cool Completely.
HOW TO MAKE ROSEMARY PEAR MOCKTAIL
Pour pear juice, rosemary simple syrup, lemon juice, and sparkling water into a glass. Add ice and garnish if desired.
INGREDIENTS
THYME SIMPLE SYRUP
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup fresh thyme
GRAPEFRUIT THYME MOCKTAIL
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup fresh grapefruit juice
• 1/3 cup thyme syrup
• Ice
INSTRUCTIONS
HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE SYRUP:
Combine water and sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and add fresh thyme and steep.
HOW TO MAKE GRAPEFRUIT THYME MOCKTAIL
Rim glass with sugar if desired. Fill glass with ice. Add 3 tablespoons thyme syrup to each glass and fill up with 1/2 cup grapefruit juice and approximately 1 cup sparkling water. Garnish.
GRAPEFRUIT THYME MOCKTAIL WIZARDLY BUTTER BEER
INGREDIENTS
BUTTER BEER
• 2 liters of creme soda
• 2 tablespoons butter extract
• 2 teaspoons rum extract
CREME TOPPING
• 7 ounce container of marshmallow creme or fluff
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
INSTRUCTIONS
Add the rum extract and butter extract to the 2 liters of cream soda. Close lid and gently mix. Prepare the topping by combining the marshmallow creme, whipping cream and rum extract. Beat on high for a few minutes until peaks appear. Add a few tablespoons of whipped topping to the bottom of glass. Pour cream soda over topping. Enjoy!
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