August 31st - September 18th, 2012 River View Observer

Volume 16, No. 8

August 31st - September 18th 2012 FREE PUBLICATION

riverviewobserver.net

201-349-4336

Pg. 2 On the Cover Pg. 5

Interview with Jay Black

Saint Peter’s Colleges Changes Status to University and Performing Arts Center

By Sally Deering

Pg. 6

Hudson Then Again

Pg. 14

Smitten & Bitten Short Plays

Pg. 21 Chef Giovany Flores Ten Ingredients

Pgs. 24 - 28 TURN YOUR UNWANTED JEWELRY INTO CASH see on pg. 8

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aint Peter’s in Jersey City recently changed status from college to university and also took on a new identity as a performing arts center – the first in Hudson County.

Saint Peter’s PAC is actually a cluster of performance spaces on campus and acquired spaces like St. Aedan’s church nearby on Bergen Avenue. By creating a PAC, Saint Peter’s adds a new distinction to its small urban campus – show biz – and to commemorate its foray into the glitz and glam of entertainment, Saint Peter’s PAC presents several shows this fall featuring music legends and an international superstar.

Saint Peter’s debuts its new PAC on Sat, Sept 15th when Jay Black – formerly of Jay and The Americans – headlines with singer Darlene Love. Each performs their own show at St. Aedan’s: The Saint Peter’s University Church, a beautiful cathedral with incredible acoustics. con’t pg. 2

See Page 2

PERMIT NO. 955

on the cover .

Black will sing his hits including “Only in America” and “Cara Mia,” and Love, a Broadway performer and frequent singer with the Paul Schaffer Orchestra on “Late Night with David Letterman” will perform hit songs she recorded with producer Phil Spector.

And that’s just for starters.

On Fri, Nov. 3rd, Saint Peter’s PAC presents a legend in our time, actor, author and stand-up comedian Bill Cosby who is like a guru to other standup comics including Jerry Seinfeld. It doesn’t get any bigger than “The Cos” and thanks to Michael A. Fazio, vice president for advancement and external affairs at Saint Peter’s University, “The Cos” is coming to Jersey City.

..

By Sally Deering

“We reached out to Bill Cosby’s rep and we had a dialogue with him,” Fazio says. “There was some uncertainty because this is a new venue, it’s a church, and perhaps that’s not something he’s accustomed to, but he welcomed the opportunity. He’s familiar with Jersey City and we’re really excited to have him.”

Fazio chose the performers with the help of university staff and experienced performing arts consultants who helped Fazio and his team book the talent and work out the kinks.

“We’ve got 60s rock ‘n’ roll and Motown, 50s Do-Wop and modern stuff,” Fazio says. “We wanted to mix up the genres to see what plays best.”

Following “The Cos”

Saint Peter’s PAC presents some real blasts from the past in an “Evening of Doo Wop”. The show will feature performances by Jay Siegel & the Tokens who will sing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” a tune that rocketed to No. 1 in 1961.

Frankie Lymon’s Legendary Teenagers known for “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” and Shirley Alston Reeves, the original singer from The Shirelles will take to the stage. Linda Jansen, original lead singer of The Angels will perform her repertoire including the classic “My Boyfriend’s Back.” All shows will be held at St. Aedan’s Church.

Saint Peter’s PAC is actually a consortium of performance spaces on campus that seat from 200 to 3,200. Small 200-seat ‘black con’t pg. 3

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Page 4 River View Observer

Hitting High Notes with Jay Black In the 1960s, Jay and the Americans’ hits “Only in America” “Come a Little Bit Closer” and “Cara Mia” topped the record charts and on Sat, Sept. 15, lead singer Jay Black will headline – along with Darlene Love – at the new Saint Peter’s PAC in Jersey City.

Now in his 70s, Black works with a different set of

muscians (for legal reasons he can’t use the name ‘Jay and the Americans’ – sanctioned by the IRS over unpaid taxes) and he sings his hits at venues like The NYCB Theater at Westbury, formerly the Westbury Music Fair. Black still packs the house and even though the girls who saw him perform on The Ed Sullivan Show back in the day are now grandmothers

By Sally Deering

they still scream and shout when they hear him sing.

With a career that spans more than 50 years, Black does it his way. He doesn’t rehearse or warm-up before a show, just hits the deck running when the curtain opens. On a recent Friday afternoon, Black gave an impromptu interview with Riverview Observer to talk about his show biz career and performing at the new Saint Peter’s PAC. RVO: Jay, can you tell our readers where you were born and raised?

JB: I grew up in Bensonhurst.

It was great. I thought I was a tough guy. The prestigious thing was to be the toughest.

Then I started singing and I changed my whole persona. I had to. Now my definition of a tough guy is a guy who the doctor says you got six months to live, not a guy who fights.

RVO: Your first hit was in 1963 with “Only in America”. How did that come about?

JB: ‘Only in America’ was a protest song. I didn’t like it in the beginning. After I sang it they speeded it up to make it a faster song. My voice turned into a high-pitched sound but people don’t know the difference. The Drifters originally recorded it, but they couldn’t release it. The Civil Rights Movement was going on and they thought it was hypocritical for an African-American group to sing about “the land of opportunity’. I said I’d like to do it and here I am.

RVO: What was it like hearing “Only in America” on the radio for the first time?

JB: We were driving to Florida and I was doing all the driving and I remember when we got to Florida and the DJ on the radio says “This week, this song is No. 1 in Miami.” It was thrilling.

RVO: Your second hit was ‘Come a Little Bit Closer” in 1964 and in 1965, “Cara Mia”. What made you record that song?

JB: I actually rewrote “Cara Mia.” It was a slow song that

Mantovani wrote. I redid it and made it into a rock n’ roll song. The record company didn’t want to do it. After I sang it on The Tonight Show thousands of letters came in, so the record company decided to put it on the “B” side. What happened? The whole country turned the record over. It became a monster hit. They flew me to Amsterdam when it was No. 1 in the Netherlands.

Those were thrilling days.

RVO: Did you ever saunter over to Jersey City or Hoboken to perform or hang out?

JB: I worked there probably in the course of the 52 years I’ve been doing this. To me New York and New Jersey are the same. I have friends in Jersey.

I don’t consider us different; we’re attached at the hip.

RVO: You are the first headliner to appear at Saint Peter’s new Performing Arts Center.

JB: I’m looking forward to it.

RVO: How often do you perform these days?

JB: I recently did an outdoor show, 10,000 people at the PNC Arts Center on a Tuesday afternoon. Bill Medley is opening for me at Westbury on Nov. 3rd, the day after my birthday.

RVO: To what do you attribute your career’s longevity?

JB: I think the fact that I give people more than just singing.

I give them a show. I interact with the audience. I do a lot of funny stuff and the fact that people are blown away that I can still hit the same notes I hit 50 years ago. My voice is the most powerful part of me.

RVO: How do you keep your voice doing all these concerts? Is there a vocal exercise or something special you do?

JB: Nothing. I don’t warm up.

I don’t rehearse. I don’t sing in the shower. When the group goes to a sound check, I don’t go.

RVO: Do you have any advice for up and coming singers?

JB: Get a good lawyer.

Page 5 River View Observer

HAPPENINGS HOBOKEN ITALIAN FESTIVAL Feast of Madonna Dei Martiri September 6th -9th The procession Saturday , September 8th runs through the streets of Hoboken.

A part of Hoboken for over 80 years the Hoboken Italian Festival is where you will find wonderful Italian food and a rich Italian heritage and plenty of fun and entertainment for the entire family to enjoy.

Location: Sinatra Drive aka River Street Visit hoboken italianfestival.com for more information

NO Gas Pipeline Fundraiser to Benefit Liberty Humane Society Sunday, September 16th , 2012 4:00 To help raise funds in response to the threat of Spectra Energy using eminent domain to seize a large portion of Liberty Humane Society’s land. LHS has been invited to participate in a joint fundraiser with the Jersey City based NO Gas Pipeline group on the Strange Attractors: Artists in Community fundraising event.

If you are interested in joining LHS supporters, community members, and NO Gas Pipeline for an art opening featuring performances by: Reverend Billy and Stop Shopping Choir, Gully Hubbards, Paul Meyers Jazz, and Birnur Siren Belly Dance.

The event will be held at Grace Church Van Vorst at 39 Erie Street in Jersey City If you go you can Purchase your $15 advanced admission at http://libertyhumane.org/ Tickets at door will be $20 and seniors 65+ are offered discounted $10 tickets.

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Hudson Then...Again

by Maureen Wlodarczyk

While researching my newest book, Canary in a Cage: The Smith -Bennett

Peter Graham Phrenologist

Murder Case, based on the City police officer husband true story of a young woman in 1878, I read dozens and accused of killing her Jersey dozens of newspaper articles about the murder and multiple trials that followed.

That 19th century press coverage made for fascinating reading and introduced me to a cast of characters whose real lives rivaled anything a fiction writer might dream up. Among them was one “Professor” Graham, a Hudson County phrenologist, temperance activist, and something of a Victorian-era life coach.

Phrenology, quite the thing in the late 1800s, has

1891 Phrenology Image

been described as a pseudoscience of the 18th and 19th centuries based on the belief that a determination of a person’s mental capacity and character (or predisposition to criminality) could be made by examining the skull and interpreting its bumps and depressions.

Talk about “getting your head examined!”

Peter Graham was born in Scotland in 1833 and married his wife Ellen in Edinburgh in 1851.

In 1869, the Grahams and their 8 children, including 4-year-old Abraham Lincoln Graham, booked passage in steerage on the S. S. Helvetia out of Liverpool, England, and landed in New York City on October 1st.

Cont’d on page 9

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Art Sirelo Entertainment & Port-O Lounge Present: The Art of Geraldine Anderson Gaines & Blair Urban:

JC Fridays

“INSPIRED ART” SEPTEMBER 7TH Wood Carvings by Geraldine Anderson Gaines

Paintings by: Blair Urban Opening Reception 7pm There will also be music later in the evening PORTO LOUNGE 286 1st. Street, Jersey City New Jersey 07302 201.420.9550

Page 8 River View Observer

Hudson Then...Again Cont’d from page 7 Peter Graham Phrenologist When the census-taker made his rounds ten months later, the Graham family was living in Jersey City and Peter gave his occupation as “temperance lecturer.” Quite a transformation from the occupation of “laborer” he gave when booking passage on the Helvetia a year earlier.

Ship Helvetia In August 1870, Graham gave a spirited temperance speech attended by hundreds in Bayonne at the request of the Sons of Temperance organization and followed that with another at Currie’s Woods a week later. He was also engaged by the Gospel Temperance Union to lecture on the ills of alcohol at the local Republican Club’s Wigwam headquarters. It was reported that he gave a rousing cautionary talk about a devastated woman whose husband and son were in the grip of addiction to rum.

Graham soon widened the array of topics for his lectures and often included phrenology concepts and examinations as well. He also offered phrenological classes in a variety of places in New Jersey and as far away as New England and Michigan. In 1876, his Paterson students arranged a phrenological tea party attended by over 100 people to honor Graham. Two years later, students in his Boston class, where the “Professor” had done over 80 lectures,

presented him with a set of silver phrenological tools (calipers, ruler and tape measure) in a Moroccan leather case in appreciation of his work. Graham reportedly once examined the skull of a woman who attended one of his talks with her husband and pronounced that she must have a “most violent temper.” The woman turned to her husband asking him to confirm that Graham’s assessment was wrong.

The husband made no response but attendees said he told them she was subject to tantrums and throwing

things.

Graham frequently gave talks on marriage, contrasting potential husbands with flat heads versus those having “honest” heads with appropriate width and height.

The flat-headed male, according to the Professor, has character flaws that show themselves in childhood and result in a suitor who has several ladies on a string at one time and, due to lack of moral “faculties,” is prone to excessive drinking and spousal abuse. He encouraged ladies to feel the heads of their beaus before accepting a marriage proposal and demonstrated how to do so using life-size models of skulls, concluding by saying that a woman would be better off marrying a gorilla than a flat-headed man.

One of Graham’s lectures in 1878 included a phrenological discussion of the young accused murderess, Jenny Smith, whose story I wrote about in Canary in a Cage. Just days after her arrest, Graham gave a talk in Jersey City titled “People Who Murder.” He discussed how the heads of some celebrated murderers conformed to each other and, turning his attention to the case of Jenny Smith, concluded that although she might be a “loose” woman, if her ears were placed high up on her head, she was not a murderer.

Peter Graham died in Jersey City in 1880, only ten years after immigrating to America.

His obituary in a local newspaper described him as “a man of marked ability,” an “ardent advocate of temperance,” but “eccentric in his manners.”

Maureen Wlodarczyk is a fourthgeneration-born Jersey City girl and the author of three books about life in Jersey City in the 1800s and early 1900s: PastForward: A Three-Decade and Three-Thousand-Mile Journey Home, Young & Wicked: The Death of a Wayward Girl and Canary in a Cage: The SmithBennett Murder Case. For info: www.past-forward.com. Meet Maureen at the Tale of Our City Book Festival on Sept. 22, 2012 at Van Vorst Park in Jersey City.

SAINT PETER’S PAC PRESENTS JAY BLACK & DARLENE LOVE SATURDAY, 9/15, 8PM

BILL COSBY SATURDAY, 11/3, 8PM

AN EVENING OF DOO WOP

KENNY VANCE & THE PLANOTONES FRANKIE LYMON’S LEGENDARY TEENAGERS JAY SIEGEL & THE TOKENS AND MORE!

SATURDAY, 11/17, 8PM

SPECIAL PERFORMANCE

BY THE ORIGINAL CAST OF A BROADWAY HIT! SATURDAY, 12/8, 8PM

THE CHOIR OF THE POPE’S DIOCESE OF ROME

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: MONS. MARCO FRISINA

FRIDAY, 12/14, 7:30PM

THE EVENTS ABOVE TAKE PLACE AT ST. AEDAN’S: THE SAINT PETER’S UNIVERSITY CHURCH - 800 BERGEN AVENUE, JERSEY CITY, NJ 07306

2641 JOHN F. KENNEDY BLVD., JERSEY CITY, NJ 07306

888-943-4864

WWW.SAINTPETERSPAC.ORG

Page 9 River View Observer

Newly Formed Art Circle oF Bayonne Announces First Members Show/Sale The newly formed Art Circle of Bayonne announces its first Members Show/Sale with an Opening Reception open to the public on SATURDAY, September 22nd in the Bayonne Community Museum, 229 Broadway, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

The show will run from September 22nd through the 29th, Monday through Friday, 5:00 -7:00 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 22 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, Sept 29 from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m. The show is not open on Sunday.

Anyone interested in participating in the show is required to join the Art Circle of Bayonne; residency in Bayonne is not a requirement for membership.

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Entry Forms with detailed guidelines and Membership Registration Forms are available at Ferdez Gallery, 237 Broadway, Bayonne.

Entry is limited to the first 60 applicants.

All artists will be required to hang their own matted and framed 2D work on Saturday, September 15.

Pick up of work will be Sunday, September 30th.

Some of the artwork will be available for sale as well.

Committee members will be available throughout the show to assist patrons with art work sales. All work must be on display for the duration of the show. All sold pieces will be ready for pick up on Sunday, September 30th only.

Information about the show is available at Ferdez Gallery 201- 443 2681.

Follow us on Facebook at Ferdez Art Gallery.

Contact: Fernando Fernandez, galleryferdez@ hotmail.com, 201 443 2681 Joan Hajducsek Rosen, joan.rosen311@gmail.com Send us your Community Event listings for insertion in up coming issues.

The River View Observer publishes biweekly please email 2 weeks prior to event: www. riverviewobserver@gmail.com

or mail to River View Observer Newport Financial Center 123 Town Square Place #321 Jersey City, NJ 07310

All in the Family Hudson County Employees present Art Exhibition in Brennan Gallery Hudson County’s Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism steps out from behind-the-scenes to present the group art exhibit “All in the Family.” The show features photographs and other art works by Hudson County employees including the cultural office staff.

Contributors include Demetrio Arencibia, Johnia Charles, Eileen Gaughan, Jacqueline Hartzog, Bill LaRosa (Director of Cultural Affairs and Tourism,) Meredith Lippman, Mark Morchel, Vanessa Reyes, Michelle Richardson, Radames Velazquez and Robert Yannazzo.

Their art works can be seen in the Brennan Gallery of

Bill La Rosa Digital image

the Justice William J. Brennan Court House 583 Newark Ave. Jersey City.

The show runs through Aug. 31, Mon-Fri, 9 am-6 pm. Admission is free. For more info, call (201) 459-2070

HAPPENINGS: Bayonne Farmers’ Market Visit for delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, every Tuesday 2pm to 7pm now through October 30th Municipal lot at 23rd and DelMonte Drive (next to mini-golf) www.facebook.com/BayonneFarmersMarket

Weehawken, NJ Concert Series The Hamilton Park Concert Series!!!

Thursday Nights - 7- 9pm Thursday, September 6 -Matt Chertkoff on Guitar The Hamilton Park concert series features Weehawken’s very own musicians. These concerts feature exciting and diverse musical styles including everything from Jazz to R&B, Folk to Classical and beyond! With it’s panoramic view of the NYC skyline, historic Hamilton Park provides the perfect back drop for these concerts.

Free Cholesterol Screening Chirst Hospital September 4th 10am-1pm Bayonne Medical Center Sept.6th & 20th 10-11 am Hoboken UMC Sept.7th &21st. 10-11am

Not Yo Mamma’s Parks & Crafts Saturday September 8th 11am -4pm One of a kind handmade goodness Musicians on a Mission -Free concert in the Park Liberty Humane Society will be on hand with the North Shore Animal League Pet Adoption Van. For more information: Contact Megan Gulick or Michelle Munoli 862-4140595 or 201-589-0588

Jersey City African American Festival Saturday September 15th, 2012 11am- 6:00 pm Food, Music and more Martin Luther King Hub, 360 Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive Jersey City.

Jersey City’s Hamilton Park BBQ Festival September 15th12:00pm until 8:00pm Great food and live music, Proceeds to the new Hamilton Park Conservancy, an organization created to assist Jersey City in the maintenance and improvement of historic Hamilton Park.

Page 11 River View Observer

ARA) - Shopping for home furnishings and accessories can be a rewarding experience, but it can also drain your wallet. So when it’s time to find just the right items to furnish or just brighten up your home, you want to get it right the first time, because most of us don’t have the luxury to toss out all our purchases in a couple of years and start from scratch.

So how do you know if that couch or lamp is going to stand the test of time?

“Look for something that is built well, like good quality tables that are a little bit older and not mass manufactured,” says Claren Pappo, an Interior Design instructor at The Illinois Institute of Art - Tinley Park. Depending on your decor, antiques may be your best bet.

You’ve probably looked at a few decorating magazines and seen your share of furniture showrooms. That may give you a starting point. “But you need to figure out what you like,” advises Heather Carter, academic director of Interior Design at The Art Institutes International - Kansas City. “

Page 12 River View Observer

Home Furnishings that Will Stand the Test of Time Think about the connection your home has to you, don’t just follow trends.”

Color is also important when thinking about the longevity of your future. “Big furniture pieces like sofas and side chairs need to be in a neutral color scheme,” recommends Daniela Kohl, Interior Design program coordinator at The Art Institute of Indianapolis. You don’t want bright colors that you tire of quickly or can fall out of fashion.

Accessories, like throw pillows, can be trendier with the latest colors because they are much easier and less expensive to replace. But when it comes to lighting, you may want to splurge on something that is both functional and decorative.

“Invest in great lamps; they can stand the test of time,” says Pappo. Artwork can really make your home fit your personality, and if you buy something you really like,

you’ll only grow to appreciate it more over time. “Artwork has great bang for the buck,” says Carter. “Go to your local art district or art walk, find an artist you really like and buy their piece.”

When picking out drapes or pillows, stick with good quality fabrics like silk or chenille, advises Kohl. Leather furniture will also stand the test of time. But don’t go for artificial leather. “It will look worse, year after year,” she says.

Pappo recommends considering how often you’ll be moving around. “Think about the flexibility of your furniture and whether the pieces will work in another home with a different floor plan.”

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Rates are determined by LSFCU and are based on the borrower’s credit worthiness. Rates are subject to change without notice. Terms: must be paid off within a 12 month period. Offer valid between August 1 and September 30th 2012. Membership in Liberty Savings is open to people who live, work, worship, or attend school in Hudson County – as well as members of our Select Employer Groups.

Page 13 River View Observer

Evening of Short Plays features Riverview Observer’s Head Writer Sally Deering By Riverview Observer Staff Love and relationships is the theme for “Smitten & Bitten” eight short plays by Metropolitan-area playwrights including Riverview Observer’s Sally Deering. The show runs Tues, Sept. 11 through Sun, Sept. 16 at the Gene Frankel Theatre in New York. Deering’s play, “Feeding the Kitty” is a piece about a couple who wakes up the morning after a one night stand.

“It’s about trying to make a human connection,” Deering says. “It’s about the loneliness of one-night stands and the need to be loved. Did I mention it’s a comedy?”

Like Us on Facebook

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If you go: Tues, Sept. 11-Sun, Sept. 16 The Gene Frankel Theatre 24 Bond Street NYC Performances: Tues-Sat at 8 pm; Sat and Sun at 5 pm; Sun at 1 pm Tickets: $18

For more info, go to www.smittenandbitten.com

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Alternate Realities Exhibition

On Saturday, September 15 Alternative Realities will open at the hob’art gallery, 720 Monroe Street, Hoboken, NJ and continue through October 7th.

A reception to meet the artists will be held on Saturday, September 15, 5 - 8pm.

Gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday, 12 to 5pm and by appointment.

The “Alternative Realities” show brings together three of hob’art’s photographers in a way that contrasts their styles. The emphasis is to highlight how these artists approach a medium in very alternate ways to create a diversity of results.

Long time hob’art member Ann Kinney is searching for the elusive place between the photograph, which captures a moment in time, and the elements of line, form and color. She explores these principles in the places and people she encounters.

Anne Kinney- Red Bank Boats

Tom Egan’s photography combines landscape, fashion and documentation following the local ‘Burning Man’ subculture. This visually explosive scene is thriving in the New York Metropolitan area but is largely unseen by people outside of those who participate. This set of photos will explore the local parties and events as well as the Burning Man festival itself.

Tom Egan -Jen In Fiber Optics

Don Sichler- Herbie the Car Don Sichler’s work focuses on finding wild and beautiful images where you least expect it. Don calls the photos in this exhibit “Reflections on Autos.” The extreme distortions of shapes and colors in the photos of automobile will amaze the viewer. This exhibit promises to have something for every art enthusiast with many surprises thrown in.

The artists thank the Monroe Art Center and the hob’art gallery for their support of this exhibition.

Gallery information can be obtained on the website www.hob-art.org and from the Director, France Garrido, 201-319-1504 or director@hob-art.org.

Tom Egan 201-388-0216 tome31@juno.com Don Sichler 201-798-1546 photoreality@verizon.net Ann Taricone Kinney 201-303-1408 akinney@gmail.com

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restaurant VIEWS -Ten

Ingredients

Chef Giovanny Flores - Rita & Joe’s

By Sally Deering Photo by Sally Deering

R

ita & Joe’s in Jersey City opened its doors in 1986 with Rita Pani making her home-made meatball and chicken parmesan sandwiches and pasta dishes like manicotti and ravioli. Business grew and the restaurant became a neighborhood sensation with regulars traveling far and wide for Rita’s home-cooked dishes. When their son Michael Pani, who ran the restaurant with his parents, passed away four years ago, Joe passed away three months later and Rita and her daughter-in-law Isabel Pani teamed up to keep the restaurant open.

With Rita and Isabel at the helm, and a loyal staff, Rita & Joe’s continues to give its customers the very best in Italian dining.

Chef Giovanny Flores, 44, has been cooking at Rita & Joe’s for the past 15 years and is practically a member

and I have to add salt and pepper then I’m the one who’s cooking.

of the family – he even calls Rita “Mom,” and he had a close bond with Michael, who was his best friend, he says. Running the kitchen at Rita & Joe’s, Chef Flores creates Rita’s Italian dishes and adds his own touch to the daily specials. He believes seasoning dishes is very important and only cooks with freshest ingredients.

RVO: Can you share what you consider one of your favorite Rita & Joe’s dishes?

CF: Grilled salmon and shrimp over sautéed broccoli rabe is very popular. We go through 2-3 salmons a week – whole salmons that I clean, filet and de-bone myself.

Let’s meet Chef Flores!

RVO: Chef Flores, can you tell our readers where you were born and raised?

CF: I was born and raised in Ecuador. I came to the states when I was 19 and stayed with a cousin.

RVO: How did you learn to cook?

CF: I learned to cook out of necessity. I was living here all alone and I wanted ‘real’ food. I would call my mother and she would tell me how to cook dishes from my country. I realized

I liked cooking. I went back to Ecuador four years later, opened a pizzeria and started cooking professionally.

I married and then came back to the states.

RVO: Rita & Joe’s menu is traditional Italian dishes. Do you get to create recipes?

CF: Yes, I stick with the traditional menu and I create the specials.

RVO: How would you describe your cooking style?

CF: Everything has to be fresh. Nothing is frozen.

And we prepare the dishes to order. .

RVO: What is your philosophy when creating dishes?

CF: If you want to be a chef, you have to like to cook. Then your dishes are going to be great. And you have to taste everything you cook to see what it needs.

I like to cook with salt and pepper to give the food flavor. If I am the customer

RO: Do you have a quick recipe for our busy readers?

CF: Chicken breasts with mixed vegetables is a quick and easy dish. Steam cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, string beans and zucchini and then sauté them in garlic, oil, salt and pepper.

Marinade the chicken for five minutes in a mixture of garlic, scallions and olive oil and cook the chicken on the grill or under the broiler.

Place the chicken over the Cont’d on page 22

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restaurant VIEWS- Ten

Ingredients

Cont’d from page 21 Chef Giovany from Rita & Joe’s vegetables and serve with a bottle of white wine. Simple and delicious.

RVO: You’ve been cooking at Rita & Joe’s for 15 years. What is it about the restaurant that inspired such a long commitment?

CF: I love the people here.

Rita is like my mother. I call her “mom”. This is like my family, especially Michael, he was my best friend. He was so kind, really special.

RVO: Can you tell our readers the secret to cooking Italian?

CF: Here at Rita & Joe’s everything except for the Chicken Francese is cooked with garlic. That’s the main ingredient in Italian food.

RVO: What is the most important thing you’ve learned about cooking during your career?

CF: Cook with love, love, love.

Art HouseProductions The Laugh Tour with Late Night w/Conan O’Brien’s

http://www.

TheLaughTour.com/ Facebook http://www. facebook.com/ TheLaughTour

Saturday, September 15

Host Richard Kiamco The Howard Stern Show Sirus XM, Queer Eye WE-tv

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(L to R) Chef Giovany Flores and daughter, Rita Pani, Jersey ity Mayor Jerramiah Healy, and Jersey City Council President Peter Brennan at the “Made in Jersey City Day” on June 18th, 2012. The event, ‘The Delectable Dish’ featured signature dishes from thirty Jersey City restaurants.

ONLINE TICKETS AVAILABLE UNTIL NOON DAY OF SHOW [SEPT 15]

MARION GRODIN

MTV, VH1, TLC

(Corner of Routes 1&9 and 440)

http://www.brownpapertickets. com/event/269903

Presents:

7pm doors open: drinks and snacks available 8pm SHOW TICKETS: $15 online $20 door [no drink min] Brooke Van Poppelen

If you go: Rita & Joe’s Italian Restaurant 142 Broadway

also appearing Neil Thornton Steve Leventhal ART HOUSE Hamilton Park 1Mc Williams Place 6th Floor Jersey City, NJ 201-915-9911

Twitter http://twitter.com/ TheLaughTour www. arthouseproductions.org

Jersey City, NJ 201-451-3606 www.rita-joes.com Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11:30 am to 9:45 pm Fri: 11:30 am to 10:45 pm Sat: 1 pm to 10:45 pm Sun: 1 pm to 9 pm

Drive Top Food Truck Recipes Into Your Kitchen (Family Features) No other trend has parked itself at the forefront of the culinary world quite like food trucks, but these aren’t the stale doughnut and questionable hotdog stands of yore. From coast to coast, a new generation of chefs has been putting unique cuisines on four wheels. But if you’re not in an urban setting, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on these delectable dishes.

To celebrate the phenomenon, CanolaInfo partnered with four food truck chefs/owners representing different U.S. regions to create the Street Eats Recipe Collection, allowing home cooks everywhere to recreatedelicious food truck fare.

For the complete Street Eats Recipe collection and list of food truck chefs, visit www.CanolaInfo.org or www.Facebook.com/CanolaInfo Raspberry Cream Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Don’t replace gingerbread with anything half-baked.

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Muller Insurance 930 Washington Street Hoboken, NJ 07030 • 201-659-2403 www.mullerinsurance.com Financial Strength and Exceptional Claim Service Homeowners | Auto | Yacht | Jewelry | Antiques | Collector Car Chubb refers to the insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. Chubb Personal Insurance (CPI) is the personal lines property and casualty strategic business unit of Chubb & Son, a division of Federal Insurance Company, as manager and/or agent for the insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. This literature is descriptive only.

Not available in all states. Actual coverage is subject to the language of the policies as issued. Chubb, Box 1615, Warren, NJ 07061-1615. ©2010 Chubb & Son, a division of Federal Insurance Company. www.chubb.com/personal

By Frankie Francollo Yield: 24 cupcakes Serving size: 1 cupcake with frosting Cupcakes 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 cups granulated sugar 4 eggs 1 cup milk 3/4 cup canola oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen Cream Cheese Frosting 2 packages of cream cheese

(8 ounces) at room temperature 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin with 24 cupcake liners.

In small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In medium bowl, combine sugar and eggs.

Using electric mixer, combine until mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Add milk, canola oil and vanilla. Continue to mix. Slowly add flour mixture until fully combined, scraping sides of bowl with spatula to get out all lumps.

Remove bowl from mixer.

Add 1 cup raspberries. Gently mix in raspberries by hand. Spoon mixture into muffin cups until about two-thirds full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cupcakes spring back to touch.

Remove from oven and cool cupcakes completely.

To prepare frosting: In medium bowl, mix cream cheese on medium speed until lump free. Slowly add powdered sugar and vanilla extract until fully combined.

Spoon cream cheese frosting into pastry bag with medium round tip and pipe on top of cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a raspberry. Serve right away or refrigerate until serving.

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To place your Real Estate business on this page call the River View Team at 201-349-4336 Ser ving Hudson County Since 1998 Page 26 River View Observer

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