Talk of the Town Spring 2016

SPRING 2016

CHEF JAMIE KNOTT THE CULINARY ACE BEHIND SADDLE RIVER INN THE FERRARI CALIFORNIA T

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INTRODUCTION

SPRING 2016 PUBLISHERS SHARON & STEVEN GOLDSTEIN

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER BRANDON GOLDSTEIN

EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROBERT GOLD

DESIGN DIRECTOR DEANA IVORY

MARKETING & SALES LINDA BARBA AMY SCHWARTZ

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS MARK BORST JUSTIN DAVIDSON TARA DELORENZO PATRICK FALLON SCOTT MAHONEY CHRISTINE MODICA MIKE MORSE TONY PALUMBO RICHARD POSLUSZNY NEIL THANEDAR

Gentleman, The time has come where we can walk outside once again, not fearful of slipping on ice or deterred by the bitter cold. It is spring now, and that means we get to do all of those things we haven’t been able to do for months. Yes, I’m saying we get to go watch baseball games, smoke cigars, barbecue! Remember barbecuing? It’s really great.

Just as important as all of those though, we get to play golf. Yes, the beloved sport we’ve only been dreaming of is finally returning to us, as lush greens replace frozen dry grass, and I hope you’ve been practicing.

If not, don’t worry. We spoke to Patrick Fallon, a golf instructor, to help you get your swing back on track.

And then there’s the best of sports. March madness, baseball, yes and yes! We also got a great opportunity to interview Jay Williams of Duke Basketball fame on how his life changed after one fateful motorcycle accident completely derailed his life plans. After releasing his book last month, it was great to speak with him about reinventing his life after things, for a time, seemed so bleak.

And speaking of motorcycles, our car guy, Richard, interviewed the founders behind FUSAR, which is revolutionizing the safety aspects of riding your motorcycle, just in time to take it out for some spring strolls through town.

Lastly, we talk food. Our cover model and Executive Chef Jamie Knott gave us his life story, and we were hungry for every detail. As Chef at Saddle River Inn, Jamie is well on his way towards earning prestigious culinary accolades, and we are happy to be along for the ride.

Enjoy the warming air and the beautiful spring nights. Now is the time to shed that laziness and replace it with happiness. This starts the best time of the year. Let’s enjoy it.

FIND US AT WWW.TALKOFTHETOWNMAG.COM Talk of the Town is published four times a year, by BC the Magazine.

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For subscription information or to contact us, go to www.bcthemag.com.

Copyright 2016. All materials are the property of Bergen County The Magazine, LLC. and may not be copied or reproduced without written consent from the publishers.

Brandon Goldstein

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CONTENTS

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A CULINARY STAR IN THE MAKING The journey of Chef Jamie Knott of Saddle River Inn

44

MAKING THE CONNECTION Finding the financial advisor for you

20

THE BALD TRUTH What you’re putting in your hair may be dangerous

46

WHAT TO WATCH FOR The Hublot Hope for the Warriors Timepiece

24

SWING FOR THE STARS Distance & direction will fix your golf game

48

THE FERRARI CALIFORNIA T Breaking the rules of Ferrari fans everywhere

26

DEEP THOUGHTS Seriously, what the hell are we doing here?

52

THE BIG BUCKS Becoming a Jersey millionaire may not be a rosy scenario

28

LIFE IS NOT AN ACCIDENT A Q&A with Jay Williams about fear, insecurity, and reinvention

54

FUSAR TECHNOLOGY A smarter way to ride your motorcycle

36

LEADING THE YOUNGSTERS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION The Volunteer Center’s Mentoring Youth Program

60

LET THERE BE GREEN Landscaping tips to a brighter backyard

42

HOUSE BROKEN A local film maker’s comedic portrayal of potty training

62

THE DARK WIZARD OF OZ Peer into the mind of criminal genius Orazio Lembo

66

THE COLD CLOSE Spring Cleaning 101

ON THE COVER: Photo of Chef Jamie Knott taken at Saddle River Inn by Nicholas Gagliano, Studio Uno Photography 6

SPRING 2016

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A Culinary Star in the Making

The Journey of Chef Jamie Knott WRITTEN BY: BRANDON GOLDSTEIN

Photography by Nicholas Gagliano, Studio Uno Photography 8

SPRING 2016

F

rom the outside, the bright red barn looks ready for it’s inevitable destruction by way of redevelopment.

In a town wrought with billionaires and homes valued in the multi-millions, the small bastion of Saddle River buildings that sit at the corner of East Allendale Road and West Saddle River Road look like they’ve been there since horse drawn carriages traveled down gravel laden unpaved roads, and for good reason: they have.

In Saddle River, where nearly everything was torn down and replaced by celebrity dwellings and the castles of CEO’s, these buildings sit as one of the final reminders of what Bergen County once was: beautiful farm lands.

Step inside the old red building at 2 Barnstable Court around 1:30PM on any given afternoon, and you’ll find a bevy of chefs, led by Chef Jamie Knott, prepping for the night’s fare. Return that evening, and you’ll be treated to one of North Jersey’s culinary wonders: The Saddle River Inn. Much like the journey the town of Saddle River has taken, Chef Knott has taken one of his own. After working his way up from restaurant to restaurant, he is now proudly the Executive Chef/Owner of Saddle River Inn, a culmination of his experiences working with some of the finest chefs in the country. While this critically acclaimed restaurant may mark the pinnacle of food and service success for some chefs, to Jamie it is a mere starting point.

See him in action and taste his food, and you’ll see why his star is rapidly on the rise toward the highest peaks of the culinary world.

Growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, Jamie likes to say he had a pretty normal childhood. He was an altar boy, attended private school, and hung out with kids in the neighborhood. Typically, he neglects the part where from 4-8 years old he was helping his mother out at her bar “Lush’s,” washing glasses and well, pouring beer for the blue collar guys coming in for a brew after their shifts. “You could say I was kind of born into the service industry. I got a young start,” Jamie says with a laugh.

In order for Jamie and his older brother Eric to attend private school, Jamie’s mother worked two jobs, leaving Jamie’s grandmother in charge of entertaining two young and curious boys.

“My grandmother was a cook at an underground casino. Gambling in Baltimore wasn’t legal, but of course they found their ways. When she wasn’t at work, her home was my second home. When I was with friends, it was at her house. I have a lot of cousins, my mom is one of five, so the house was always bustling with a lot of mouths to feed. She always had 4 pots on the stove. It was here that I started to understand how to feed people. It was at her house that I began to grasp how family, community and food work together. It’s really the cornerstone SPRING 2016

9

of who I am,” Jamie reminisced.

Soon after Jamie turned eight, he moved to Nutley, New Jersey with his mother and brother. His mother had met Jamie’s stepfather at Lush’s. He was going to dental school and bartending there. When he graduated, they moved north to Nutley, where Jamie’s stepfather’s father had a dental practice since 1964, which Jamie’s (step)father now runs today.

“When I first got here, I was the new kid in 3rd grade with an accent, an earing and a skateboard. The kids used to just make me say things and would crack up after,” Jamie says now, with his heavy Baltimore drawl firmly replaced by Jersey’s finest accent.

“Those next few years I was a pretty normal kid though.

I played a lot of sports. Basketball mostly, but football and baseball, too. When I wasn’t playing sports I was breaking windows and getting into fights,” Jamie laughed, looking out at the swath of twenty-four small windows spanning the Saddle River Inn’s South wall. “It’s a reminder of what not to do now,” Jamie chuckled.

“We had a clubhouse, two stories. It was cool. We would go on missions, just running around and taking things out of sheds, stealing hood ornaments from cars. That was our thing. Hood ornaments were fun. Things that wouldn’t hurt anyone directly, before you knew the value of a dollar,” Jamie reminisced.

It was when Jamie became a teenager though, that his passion for cooking truly began.

His first “real” job was at Franklin Steakhouse in Nutley, which is still around today. Here, he was a bus boy on Friday and Saturday nights and watched the parking lot on Sundays.

“I was making $140 a week. I did what any thirteen year old 10

SPRING 2016

would: I bought weed and clothes,” Jamie said laughing. “I had a lot of clothes.”

Jamie soon graduated to food runner and then bar back.

“I was always watching the other cooks and I loved the camaraderie of a kitchen. There is just something about it that doesn’t exist elsewhere,” Jamie says. “The cooks would let me make the salad when the owner wasn’t there on Sundays, and it was a lot of fun getting real experience in a kitchen. I probably shouldn’t have been cooking for people yet though.”

In high school, like many of us, Jamie was cooking basic things for himself such as eggs and sandwiches. Unlike many of us though, Jamie was paying great attention to layering the flavors between the bread, which he soon realized was one of his first major culinary lessons.

“A young cook wants to put everything on a plate. You should’ve seen my sandwiches. I could make a hell of a sandwich. A great chef though, hits on all the notes with less,” Jamie pointed out.

Much like most athletic kids with a passion for sports in high school, Jamie opted to take Home Economics all four years. “First off, it was all girls in class. Second, I got to cook,” Jamie said in his defense.

“Home Ec was always after lunch. I would go out and have a toke or two in the park, and then come back to class hungry and create something delicious. It was a great schedule,” Jamie cracked up.

After high school, Jamie took his talents up to Boston with his brother. His brother’s roommate’s father had patented a processor for Dell, so there was Jamie and his brother, living in a 4-story townhouse in Beacon Hill with an elevator, balconies on each floor and a roof top deck with

Continued on page 12

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Continued from page 10 views into Fenway Park. Here, he found a job at a Spanish Tapas lounge called Sophia’s where he lived the dream of being both “sort of sous chef and a dishwasher,” Jamie remembered. “I was 17, didn’t know what I wanted to do, and just moved up there and had fun pretty much.”

“It was a busy place and a lot of fun. They had an 8-15 piece Salsa band nightly. The place was huge and those years in Boston were pretty much just one big party,” Jamie (somewhat) remembers.

While up in Boston, Jamie began dating his now wife Crista, a friend and lab partner of his from high school. At first, she was actually dating a friend of Jamie’s from Nutley, but Jamie likes to tell the story that he stole her away. She would come up to Boston or he would come back to Nutley almost every weekend to see each other, and the rest is history.

As their romance continued to heat up, it was inevitable that Jamie would be heading back to Jersey in no time.

“I remember my (step)father calling me after about two years in Boston and saying, “It’s time you figure things out and put down some roots.” I moved back to Jersey shortly after that and enrolled in the Culinary Management Program at New York Restaurant School, which is now the Art Institute of Manhattan,” Jamie says. “My dad really helped me with that, which was great, because that’s a big investment. He told me if I wanted to be taken seriously I need to get a degree. That’s some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten. I’ve been given a lot of advice, but that’s one of the few things that stuck,” Jamie says laughing.

While attending school, Jamie also worked at Stop & Shop in Clifton, and a fellow student in Jamie’s baking class soon brought him in for a job at Café Centro, a prominent French Bistro on the second floor of Grand Central Station owned

by Chef Franck Deletrain and still open today. There, Jamie worked the amuse-bouche station.

“I was constantly running to a train or bus, studying and working in New York and living in New Jersey, but it was probably the best culinary experience I’ve gotten. I was learning by day in school and then practicing at night in a wellregarded kitchen, which made it all stick with me. Franck was a great mentor. He was a super talented guy, had gotten three stars from The New York Times, could speak four languages.

He was just an amazing cook,” Jamie remembers. “He’s at Brasserie 8 ½ now.”

It was at Café Centro that Jamie honed his knife skills and really learned how to cook. He climbed the ladder from amuse station to cold apps and salads and then fish, meat and sauce, before leaving two years later as sous chef at 21. “I owe so much to Franck, and he probably doesn’t even know it. He was so impactful on me,” Jamie says with a gleam in his eye.

Franck and his restaurant group had taken over management responsibilities for Nick & Steph’s Steakhouse, and Franck brought Jamie on board to be his liaison to the staff of the new restaurant. By then, Jamie had a keen understanding of Franck’s style.

Alex Guarnaschelli was the chef at the time. Known now for her recurring roll as judge on Chopped and Iron Chef America, Jamie actually only met her once. “My first day was her last.

She became pretty famous about four or five years later,” Jamie remembered.

Although it seemed at first that Jamie might follow in the footsteps of a celebrity chef like Alex, the new restaurant was presenting challenges Jamie wasn’t prepared for.

“It was a tough change of pace for me. I went to a very

“You as the diner may no longer be hungry, but Jamie, as a chef, most certainly is.”

12

SPRING 2016

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Continued from page 12 hostile kitchen with gruff guys who couldn’t care less about anything. We weren’t getting along well. About 8-10 months later, Franck let me go. It hurt a lot. I was sad, and then angry.

I thought I was a big shot by then, and this was the start of a humbling few years,” Jamie recounted.

“They gave me another opportunity within the company at Brasserie 8 ½ , and I floundered that. I was late five days in a row, and the chef came up to me and said, “Jamie, you’re a talented guy, but I have to let you go.’”

“I remember taking that walk home, that walk of shame almost,” Jamie explained.

As luck would have it, a new opportunity would present itself to Jamie in the form of an old high school friend, Ryan DePersio. “I would see Ryan on the bus home from the city at night. He worked at Jean-George’s place, and had kept saying he wanted to open a place of his own. Sure enough, soon after I had gotten fired, Ryan opened Fascino in Montclair, and took me on as his sous chef.”

Opening to critical acclaim, the restaurant, originally only 40 seats, thrived in those first few years. “At first it was just Ryan, myself, and a dishwasher,” Jamie explains. “In those

14

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early days, we built a business. We hustled. We did every job.

We also saw that real cooking has a place in Jersey.”

After being a part of it for three years, Fascino underwent an expansion. “There were a few partners, and they were all family. I wanted to buy in, but there was really no place for me.

They are great people, and we are still in touch today,” Jamie remembers. “But it was onto the next thing for me.”

This led Jamie to his first executive chef role at Church St. Café in Montclair. The owner had sought him out from Fascino, and what looked like a great marriage between chef and partner began to bloom. “We were very busy in the beginning with great reviews, but it got much harder,” Jamie explains. “Unfortunately my partner wasn’t great with money, and it was tough to work without getting paid. I had to leave.”

That brought Jamie back to the eating mecca, Manhattan, where he got a job at Saluté owned by Jerry Sbarro, son of Mario Sbarro of the famed Sbarro pizza chain. There, Jamie met a lot of people who have since become stars in the food world such as Clifford Crooks, once executive chef of BLT Steak, Michael Devincenzi of Grissini’s, executive chef of Rails in Towaco, Frank Falivene, not to mention his pastry chef at

Saddle River Inn presently, Leticia Meneses.

After working there about two years, Jamie had become close with Chef Bradley Day, who worked at Asia de Cuba across the street from Saluté. Brad was given the opportunity to become executive chef at China Grill, and brought on Jamie as executive sous chef. “It was like the biggest job I ever got,” Jamie recalls. “It was a long interview process. I had four separate interviews, and finally got it. I was making like 68k a year and I was 24. I was there about a year and a half when Brad got the opportunity to open the Empire Hotel at Lincoln Center with a new concept called Center Cut, and I was promoted to Executive Chef of China Grill.”

“I got the nod, it was right before my 26th birthday, and it was a big deal. China Grill was a $25 million restaurant, and they were leaving it to me. I came up fast. I had to learn all the other important aspects of running not just a restaurant, but a business. Things got a lot more serious at that point,” Jamie remembers.

“I was doing well. It was all going really well. I got to be creative, I learned purchasing. I had free range of specials and learned how to take care of things,” Jamie explains. “About a year after that, Center Cut didn’t make it, and they were moving Brad. I was in Ocean City, Maryland, where my parents had a beach house, and I got a call that they were going with a new

concept at Empire Hotel and they had an opportunity for me.

They knew I was young and ambitious, and asked me to be the chef of the new concept. My first question was “What’s going to happen with Brad?” But he told me I shouldn’t be worried about that. “He was cutthroat. His name was Scott Hubert, he was the regional manager. Worked with David Burke for a long time. He looked like a professional wrestler. But he challenged me. He asked me, “Are you the man for the new place?’”

“I called back the next day and told them I’d take it under one condition: they keep Brad on, and they did. He went back to China Grill. It was a bit awkward. I was going to fix the mess he made, but he had helped me get the opportunity,” Jamie remembers.

“The opening was a real bitch. It was called Ed’s Chowder House. It was popping. But we were also serving the hotel, plus two banquet venues within it. I was there around the clock. Every meal. I’d get a call at 8:30AM that the pancakes didn’t look good. It was that sort of corporate job. We didn’t get a great review in The Times and it killed me. It hurt a lot.

Ed Brown was the Chef/Owner (from NJ) and we got knocked on our asses. It was his baby, and it was a hit, but not critically.

We thought we would nail the critical acclaim. Then we won Top 10 in Esquire, so it was all kind of strange,” Jamie says, humbled by the experience. “The restaurant partners came in SPRING 2016

15

and said “The place is full every night, don’t beat yourself up.” They talked me off the ledge, sort of speak.”

After a small situation at Ed’s, the CGM Group, the management company that ran Asia de Cuba and China Grill, relocated Jamie as a consultant to open FoodParc in the newly built Eventi Hotel, as well as run food for banquets there. “They brought me back under one condition: at the original salary I worked for them at, at Asia de Cuba. I needed to be punished, and this was it, and it did hurt to be knocked back down, but it was a great learning experience.

“FoodParc was the first of it’s kind, a food hall with 7 different outlets,” Jamie explained. “We tooled around with concepts like RedFarm, which is now super famous today with two locations.”

Jamie stayed for the opening of FoodParc, but knew it wasn’t for him, and soon found himself at Artisanal, the fine dining bistro on Park Ave as a consultant. Only four days later, he was promoted to Executive Chef.

“It was a big, busy place. We were doing 250 for dinner during the week, 350 Friday and 500 Saturday night, and then another 350 for brunch Sunday. When I first got there, there were all kinds of issues, and I like to be a fixer, so we redid it all and returned the restaurant to prominence over the course of two years. I learned a lot,” Jamie remembers.

“It felt good.”

Following the turnaround of Artisanal, suitors were lining up to offer Jamie a job, and Jamie was looking for an out. After the firing of seven sous chefs by owner Terrance Brennan in less than two years, Jamie felt uneasy about Artisanal’s work environment. Chef Clifford Crooks, his friend and coworker from Saluté, recruited Jamie to BLT group to be the Executive Chef at BLT Steak.

“I went in to sign the paper work and all that jazz, and they told me I was going to be the Corporate Chef, and I’d be responsible for six restaurants,” Jamie remembers. “It was a big surprise. It was an interesting job, but it was not easy.”

The new role as Corporate Chef had Jamie running all over the place, from restaurant to restaurant, and then Esquared Hospitality which ran the BLT Group took over the Eventi Hotel, where he had originally consulted on FoodParc. Now, he was in a different role, with greater responsibility and more on the line. He had BLT Steak, BLT Fish, Casa Nonna, Steak 57, as well as changing concepts at the Eventi Hotel.

“I was getting 300 emails a day. The happiest day of my life was giving the Blackberry back to them, but it was an amazing learning experience. I learned how to manage my time, which I realize is so important now, and how to build a brand,” Jamie explained.

“While I was doing all of this, the Exec Chef at Casa Nonna left, and I had to do that too. We turned it around from doing about $40k a week to $160k, but it was just a lot. This was about the time I really began looking for a place of my own in Jersey.”

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Continued from page 16 When Jamie saw the “For Sale” listing for Saddle River Inn, he knew it was the place for him. “We came here, had an appetizer, looked at the building and I said, “This is our place.”

It was July 19th, 2012, and Jamie, along with his then partner David Madison, closed on the property January of 2013, taking it off the hands of a tired Hans Egg, the chef owner of the Inn that started it’s tradition of culinary excellence.

“The owners just wanted to stay for New Years Eve, and we respected that,” Jamie explains. “We signed on a Monday, and we wanted to have friends and family there that Friday,” an ambitious Jamie retells. “We bought chairs, glassware, small aesthetic stuff, redid the bathrooms. We might have overlooked the whole “permit” part though, so there were some delays there,” Jamie laughed. “The inspector came in and saw the new wiring and basically said, “What the fuck is this?” We had to stop work and waited about 60 days, but, hey, we are open now,” Jamie said with a smile.

Around June of 2015, Jamie and David went their separate ways. David has taken on the revival of Park & Orchard in East Rutherford and the Saddle River Inn is now solely Jamie’s. Needless to say, he and the restaurant haven’t skipped a beat, receiving an Excellent from the New York Times just days after Jamie had taken full control of the restaurant.

“Things have been crazy for the restaurant since,” Jamie says smiling.

As I was seated at my table late on a recent Tuesday night, you might have thought it was a Friday within the wooden walls of Saddle River Inn. No table lay vacant, and at a BYOB where, for the most part, each table keeps to themselves, this is the ultimate testament to Chef Jamie’s cuisine.

The fare at Saddle River Inn is simple, yet skillfully crafted.

Chef Jamie takes familiar ingredients sourced locally (not to mention his aquaponic vegetable garden behind the Inn) and abroad and artfully layers their flavors in a way rarely experienced by the palate, in a deliberate manor only an expert chef can.

While dining at Saddle River Inn, there is an aura within these simple barn walls that you, the diner, is part of something bigger. As the night goes on, you realize that although Jamie’s 18

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journey has brought him to such great heights at the Inn, he is nowhere near done. You as the diner may no longer be hungry, but Jamie, as a chef, most certainly is. His relentless ambition coupled with his present success and unbelievable talent makes Jamie a culinary force to be reckoned with.

The next few months look to only elevate Jamie’s status as one of New Jersey’s premiere chefs. In April he will open Cellar 335 in the basement of what was once a church in Jersey City. It will be a progressive American with Asian influences concept.

He may begin filming a show on CNBC, and around the same time, he will be filming an episode of Beat Bobby Flay with a dish that is currently on Saddle River Inn’s menu. Not a chef to be out ego-ed, Jamie plans to leave Bobby walking off the set with his tail between his legs.

When Jamie isn’t in the kitchen, his food family is still on his mind. Just recently, he took the 24 person staff of Saddle River Inn to Stone Farms at Blue Hill for a night out.

“I have the most amazing staff. They are just good human beings, and their skills are a bonus.

As a Chef, I have to hire to my weaknesses, and the staff at the Inn pick up where I lack, and that’s what has helped make this place such a power house,” Jamie says proudly.

Chef Jamie Knott, now 35, is still happily married to Crista and living in Nutley with three children. While he pursues other initiatives, Jamie is not putting Saddle River Inn on the back burner, with plans to make the Inn an even more prominent dining destination.

“Saddle River is a dry town, and let’s face it, it’s 2016 now.

Fine dining and cocktails go hand in hand,” Jamie explained.

“So I’m going to do my part in trying to get the community on board to make a liquor license available here.”

As you drive past the old red buildings around Barnstable Court, it’s easy to dismiss what may be inside. Over the past 3 years, Jamie has changed that. Saddle River Inn has become a dining destination wholly worthy of all of its critical acclaim.

For the hungry residents of Bergen County, it might be the best dining experience west of the Hudson. For Chef Jamie Knott, it’s just the beginning.

SPRING WINE TASTING FRIDAY, APRIL 8 TH STONY HILL INN | HACKENSACK, NJ 6:30 - 9:30 PM

Join us for a special evening featuring a selection of hand-picked wines from Vintage Wine Estates.

Premiering for the first time in Bergen County, enjoy the wines of Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful.”

YOUR COMMITMENT SUPPORTS OUR MISSION

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The Bald Truth What you’re putting in your hair might be dangerous WRITTEN BY: CHRISTINE MODICA

H

appy Spring, Gentlemen! How has your hair been treating you? Or maybe, I should ask, how have you been treating your hair? If you don’t have an answer, my guess is not so great. That’s okay. You’re men.

You’re pretty easy creatures. The winter tends to take a toll on our hair and skin, and I’m here once again to fill you in on

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how to properly revive both, while avoiding certain elements that could make them worse.

We now live in a world where our shoelaces are organic and even our contact lenses are gluten-free. So here I am, spreading my newly confirmed knowledge of the terrible ingredients that are hidden within our most trusted products.

Until recently, we haven’t heard much about gluten, the ‘demon’ in your pasta. I’ve been on the fence about the glutenfree lifestyle, as I’ve noticed it being described as a bandwagon disorder in some cases. The controversy could go on forever, but let’s make one thing clear here: I’m not a doctor.

I am however, a “pick things apart just to put them back together” kind of girl. So I had some digging to do when it comes to determining what all those strange words listed on the packaging of our favorite brands really means. What are the ingredients in our everyday products that have negative effects on our bodies? How are they avoidable and just how bad are they?

Frozen pizza bagels are nowhere near healthy but they’re so good. We as the general population hear about bad stuff in things that we love all the time. As adults, we can choose what we want to put into our bodies. The only difference between now and back then, is we have a clear idea (for the most part) of what is harmful and what isn’t, and we can make an informed decision from there.

As an industry professional, I wanted to know what our clients are putting in their hair. If someone comes in with mystery breakage, we need to know what the hell caused it. I certainly got my answer, and it’s not pretty.

At our shop, our hair products are all sulfate free, paraben free, vegan, gluten free, and use natural ingredients and scents. What does this all mean, and more importantly, what does this all mean for our hair and skin? Before you start labeling me as some conformist hippie, let me explain.

First, it’s worth noting: I am by no means either vegan or live a gluten free lifestyle. If bacon didn’t go right to my hips, I’d probably put it in my coffee, with a cronut on the side.

Gluten has been labeled the current pop culture dietary monster, and for some, it could cause itching, rashes and scalp conditions that get easily written off as dry scalp or psoriasis.

Though rare, some people could have a topical reaction as well as, or instead of, an internal one.

Then there are parabens. These are not something you want in your bloodstream. They’re human engineered preservatives that are essentially in most store-bought bottles. And yes, hair products have an expiration date you should look out for. Grab any bottle of product, and you’ll see on the back what looks like a split open hockey puck with a number and an “M” next to it. That’s how many months it has before the product doesn’t perform as well as it should. But, back to parabens.

After doing a lot of research, I found out some terrifying facts. Not only do parabens aid in premature aging, but they can also contribute to the wearing down of the immune system’s of adults and children alike. It’s a scary realization, but parabens are in so many of our most commonly used products. And the fear is real, gentleman. Parabens have even acquired a reputation for contributing to issues in male reproduction systems.

Our final little menace ingredient are sulfates. You’ve probably heard of these, but like me, may not have known

Stag House Barbershop Owners Rachel Israel and Christine Modica

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Stag House Barber Shop

how harmful these things could be. My industry has been warning our customers of the harm of sulfates for years, but they remain in many products still prevalent on the market.

Sulfates can strip natural occurring and necessary oils right out of our hair. Though sulfates don’t cause as much damage as parabens do, they will keep hair from being capable of absorbing nutrients while thinning its density and drying it out. Men who are experiencing thinning hair or full-blown hair loss want to avoid this ingredient like the plague, because they can exacerbate the issue tremendously.

After barbering for eleven years, I’m pretty floored by my findings, and have made the necessary steps in the lines we carry at Stag to ensure our customers are getting top prodcuts that aren’t harmful. At our shop we carry R+Co and V76 hair products, as well as Badricks and Virile Heart and Heritage, which all contain natural ingredients and aid in your hairs integrity.

Recently Rachel, my wonderful partner, and I began 22

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making our own shaving cream to address these very concerns. We concoct a facial cocktail of 100% organic and vegan creams oils and scents. These include coconut oils, shea butters, pure vitamin E, aloe, a ton of homework, and trial and error, thus leading us to our own perfect little recipe.

The feedback has been amazing, and we customize it per face, because everyone’s cheeks are different, as are everyone’s needs. This is why our clients are the handsomest. I’m not biased I swear.

What it all comes down to is being picky about what goes into and onto your body is totally justifiable. Being health conscience does not necessarily make you high maintenance, and if it does, we won’t tell your friends.

Christine Modica is a leading barberess and stylist at Stag House Barbershop and Doe.Tique Salon at 228 Rock Road in Glen Rock. For more info call 201-670-0110

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SWING FOR THE STARS CCCCCCCCCC Practicing your golf stroke using the two D’s: Direction & Distance.

WRITTEN BY: PATRICK FALLON

M

ost golfers have limited spare time to spend practicing, so every chance they get should be productive and goal-oriented. All golf swings should have one key objective in mind: direction. When you work on this most sought after result, distance is the actual side-effect, a very nice reward.

So to begin, always start off with the most lofted clubs either a sand wedge, a pitching wedge, or 9-iron Your routine should always be focused on direction. For example, go for the shortest target on the practice range, which is usually 50 yards. An analogy would be a baseball pitcher preparing to go to the mound to deliver pitches. The player would never go full throttle in the beginning.

First, achieve accurate pitches at slower speed, then carefully increase velocity, as target objective (direction) is achieved. Golfers should always apply the same incremental process to practice, as it will also lessen your chances of injury.

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The goal at 50 yards is to have at least 80% of your shots coming to rest in an area the size of a car parking space. If you are not able to achieve this discipline at the shorter distance, the ball dispersion pattern will not get better at 100 or 150 yards. The shorter distance allows slower movements, so when executed properly, you have a better understanding of what just happened. Thus, you’re able to repeat this on the next swing.

Once you have achieved acceptable ball direction at 50 yards, the next goal is 75 or 100 yards, doubling the car parking space for each additional 25 yards as you increase distance. Gradually and incrementally moving to longer clubs can be done once the direction objective is achieved.

I firmly emphasizes to all of my students that there are only two effects on direction: swing path and club face angle at impact. Ideal path (the shaft direction prior to impact) is slightly from in-to-out while the club face is square-to-

closing. Your thought process should be limited to one clear concise thought on back swing and more importantly, one on the forward/downswing. The mental thought leads to the physical movement. Overloading your capacity to process a clear thought leads to indecision, which results in lack of commitment and errant results. Too many students focus on aspects that will make no difference whatsoever. And “hoping to hit a good one” is not a strategy.

Of course posture, grip, alignment, fundamentally sound position at completion of backswing, and ball position are key, but expend your energy on path (direction shaft is traveling on its way to the ball) and club face angle at impact. That is it. A player can literally have one leg and one arm and win numerous tournaments if they can advance the ball far enough, execute on short game and possess excellent putting skills.

The actual golf motion when striking the ball in dynamic speed is less than two seconds. Simplicity is a key factor in creating positive results. Understanding this not only simplifies the learning process, but will shorten your learning curve.

Every single golfer in development has a certain amount of poorly executed swings in their inventory, when you miss a shot, good riddance! It is all part of the process, as long

you know what the correction is on next swing: Path (shaft direction) and club face angle at impact!

Yes, golf requires a mental thought that leads to the physical movements. When practiced properly and enough repetition is applied, it will become a reflex. Repetition must be defined. At least two thousand swings with the proper thought process is a good beginning. It should be understood that even when you have become an accomplished player, golf is the most perishable of disciplines. When you stop practicing, your skills will retreat and diminish- even for the top players in the world. Learning how and what to practice will enhance each session and reduce frustration.

We all want that golf ball to cooperate, and it will eventually, if your thought process has clarity. Remember, anything that lasts takes time to develop. If it feels awkward in the beginning, you are doing it correctly. The discomfort is temporary- the results are permanent! By using your practice time wisely you will produce measurable and quantitative results on the golf course.

Patrick Fallon, founder of Fallon Golf School, has been teaching golf professionally since 1991. He can be found at fallongolf.com

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DEEP THOUGHTS

O

n Oscar Sunday, many people anxiously waited to hear what host Chris Rock would say, as a black man in a mostly white room. As expected, he was a bit over the top, but one thing he did say resonated with me. It was to the tune of, “30 or 40 years ago, we as a society had better causes to boycott and more important reasons to be angry.” Maybe he is right. Maybe we just need to relax a little, folks.

I blame the internet for a lot of things, yet of course, I still use it on a daily basis. I do firmly believe it breeds as much evil as it does good though, and that point is more relevant now than ever before.

I watched a video recently where a university, yes, a university, where young adults pay hundreds of thousands to go to gain the knowledge necessary to become fully functioning adults¬, where a host asked students simple questions such as “Who won the Civil War?” and “Who is our Vice President?”

The answers, be it a lack there of, or completely wrong, were alarming.

The next generation, of which marketers will throw billions of dollars at, who will decide future elections and dictate much of our social and cultural sphere, did not know who would succeed our president in the case of national tragedy. They did however, know the answer to whom Brad Pitt has been and is married to. Tell me: What are we doing here?

Forget the mess that is actually our politics for a second, and focus simply on the man who’s last name rhymes with rump. He has found a way to insult just about everyone, yet, as I write this, he is a front runner to win the Republican nomination to hold the highest office not just in the country, but in the entire world.

Yes, he speaks what’s on his mind and he is entertaining, much the same way Bob Saget is a dirty mouthed comedian.

Hey, at least he nailed the roll of supportive and loving father figure in his Full House days. But as president of the United States? Guys! What the hell are we doing here?

I often wonder which occurred first: Was it the Internet that exposed how twisted the world can be, or has the Internet offered the platform for instant fame and infamy that has twisted us all. The phrase has always been (excuse my French): “Opinions are like assholes, everyone’s got one.”

The good part about life before the Internet though, is that we didn’t have to smell them all.

Chris Rock had it right. Back 40 years ago, and still today, there are plenty of important things to focus on. How Jared Leto wore a rose as a bowtie and how broke Kim Kardashian’s husband is, are not them. It’s time we look ourselves in the mirror and simply say, “What are we doing here?”

-Brandon Goldstein

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LIFE IS NOT AN ACCIDENT A Q & A with Jay Wil iams on fear, insecurities, and reinvention WRITTEN BY: JUSTIN DAVIDSON

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J

ay Williams had it all. After the Chicago Bulls drafted him with the second pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, the former Duke star appeared to be the heir to His Airness before a horrific motorcycle accident in June 2003 derailed his once-promising career.

Now an analyst at ESPN, the Jersey native is once again starring on the court of life and making the most of his opportunity.

His memoir “Life Is Not An Accident,” is available now.

When you first came up with the idea to write “Life Is Not An Accident,” what were your main goals?

When I first started to write, my goal wasn’t anything in particular. It was just to write down my whole experience on paper. It was a process for me because when I first started I didn’t really know what the purpose of my book was, to be candid with you. It had felt like there was a need for me to tell my story, and as I was going through the process, I quickly realized that like, “Oh, OK, wow—I’m being extremely open, and I’m talking about some of my deepest insecurities and maybe this is a way for me to help other people through some of their difficult times.”

I had recognized through the process of writing the book for three-and-a-half-years that I met so many people that were going through their own accidents, their own issues, and how they were dealing with them, and a lot of people internalize their own stuff the same way I internalized my stuff and I realized that my journey was no different than anybody else’s, but when you go through it, you feel that way—“I don’t really want to talk about it because nobody can really understand”—that’s the way you force yourself to think when actually everybody can understand because everybody’s going through their own mess in their own way.

When did you get started with writing your memoir, and what were some of the difficulties you faced in putting your challenges and struggles down on paper?

I started right after I turned 30. I went to a place called Floripa, which is in Brazil with one of my really good friends who works in New York, and I met a guy named Hans Keeling. Hans wrote a small section in this book called “The 4-Hour Workweek,” and it was a book I had read and been a fan of, and it was fascinating because he was a lawyer who had been working his whole life to become a lawyer. He was working at this prestigious law firm in San Francisco and he recognized after being there for a couple of years, “Is this how I’m going to live my life? Am I living my life to work?” I just had these real deep cathartic conversations with him and it just kind of started me on the process of reevaluating my life.

I had spent my whole life up until that point climbing this mountain to kind of recoup all these things I thought I had lost. So much of this plays into the mentality of a man, right? From the time we’re younger, when you fall, our moms or our dads pick us up say, “Don’t cry, you’re fine, you’re fine. Be a man.”

I had lived my life for those past few years underneath that warped reality of what a man should be. I shouldn’t show emotion, I shouldn't be vulnerable. I need to find out what my self-worth is with what I do, work-wise. I felt that I just kind of skipped over this whole process of dealing with my emotions, and when I first started to write it, I almost tried to lay everything out, but I was hesitant because I was so afraid of people judging me for some of my deepest and darkest moments. It was a process of working with multiple people. I call those people my board—Coach K, my agent, my parents—that really forced me to kind of jump off the ledge and say if I do write this, I owe it to myself to be as truthful and honest with myself about the world through the lens of my thought process and what I was going through.

The cover of your memoir is incredibly powerful. When you look at it, what do you think?

I thought it was a coming-out party. I can’t tell you how many times in my life that it would be 100 degrees out down here in North Carolina where I have a home and I would wear sweatpants because I was ashamed of my journey. I was ashamed of my path that I took to get where I was.

So first off, I think it was me being proud of my scars, me being proud of who I am today because of the choices I made in my past. But I also think it was a coming-out party for who I am as a person. When you shed your skin almost similar to a snake, it’s this experience that says for so long, I’ve allowed people to confine me to a box: You’re this, you’re X-athlete, you’re a basketball player, you’re the accident. And in reality, I’m like, actually no! I’m not. I’m so much more. I’m a guy that can talk about politics.

I’m a guy that can talk about some of the issues within the sport. I’m a guy that can talk about human interest stories because I can relate. I can relate to Ronda Rousey contemplating suicide. You know why? Because I live my life every single day in the perspective of failure and how that can weigh down on you.

You can all of a sudden look at yourself through the prism of a failure because that’s the way people do, instead of your true value, your true worth. I can talk about all these issues. So in a way, not only was it just cathartic for me to reveal my scars and who I am physically, but I was able to reveal my true voice as well.

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What is the main message you’re trying to convey to young men and women who see you on ESPN and who read your book?

The one thing that has been so overwhelming and so fascinating about this thing, Justin, is that I’ve had so many people reach out to me about deep stories—their own deep stories. One guy in particular, he had twin boys, and his one boy Jake has this rare lung disease that they can’t figure out and he’s just like, “I relate to you so much because I try to find a way to live every single day with my son as if it’s his last.” And he’s like, “Can you offer me any advice?” I’m not in a position to say I have it all figured out because I’m still trying to figure it out too, but if your son is fighting, that means you owe it to your son to fight exponentially more because he looks at you as that staple of hope—that staple of power, strength. That’s what you are for him.

I don't know, man, rewarding isn't the right word. It has been an experience shedding who I am to people and also having people shed themselves to me. We just find this common ground that we’re all human and we’re all trying to work ourselves through the process.

If you could tell the young Jay Williams anything, what would it be?

It wouldn’t be anything. I would be silent, and I would have watched.

I think now there is an appreciation for the process, the trust, and the struggle. Would I have liked to go through all the injuries and the pain? No, but I think it’s also part of the path that I took for the level of appreciation that I have today. My leg still hurts when I walk, man, but you know what my brain tells myself when my leg hurts?

We have a leg! We can run. We can still cut. You’re going to be able to show your son how to round first base one day, if you’re lucky enough to have a child. You’re going to be able to dance with your daughter one day if you’re lucky enough to have a girl.

There’s perspective that I don’t think I would have had if I had never gone through everything I went through.

You’ve gone through a lot, and one of those things was an addiction to OxyContin. Could you share a little bit about the process of overcoming that addiction? This is something that is still a huge issue in the world today.

First off, I wouldn’t recommend the way I went about handling it to the person dealing with drug addiction. I was very brash and I was also very fortunate and lucky to get through it the way I did. I basically locked myself in my own apartment for two weeks and went through hallucinations, and tried to drink as much fluid as possible. I was constantly throwing up.

You know, just kind of forcing myself out of it. I would recommend rehab facilities for anybody that thinks they have—or, you never think you do—but if the group around you, the core group around you, the people you trust, sees an issue, there needs to be some kind of confrontation with that. But for me, it all started with nerve pain. I had nerve regeneration in my left leg and I had to take OxyContin anywhere between two and three times a day in order to numb that pain. It eventually got to the point where you take it for so long that the one thing it became a necessity for is quieting the voices of the people who reminded me of the worst day of my life. And that was something I had to deal with, especially trying to find out what my career is going to be like without basketball and trying to do TV. That elevated the voices exponentially in my own mind. One thing people don’t talk about, you know, in particular they talk about Ronda Rousey, the people that remind you of it, or the memes that you see on social media, or the jokes that people may crack, but the one thing that’s even worse than all that is the voices you hear in your own head. I constantly heard voices of the things that people would say and I had to live with that: “What an idiot for throwing away his career, what a moron, why would he ride a bike in the first place? Riding a bike is something that was against NBA regulations—he shouldn’t be doing that.” You play back all those things in your own mind to the point that it can drive yourself crazy. For me, OxyContin was a way for me to escape that. It kept me aloof. It kept me standoffish. I could talk to somebody about it, and then a split-second later not know what the heck I just spoke about, and I didn’t have to live with it. It was my one way to escape.

Continued on page 32 30

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Continued from page 30 How has Coach K been there for you at the different stages in your life so far, and what do you think it is about him that makes him who he is?

Well first off, there aren’t too many people in my life that when they talk, I just shut up and listen to them. Not because I think I know more, I’m always trying to learn and I’m always putting in the work to learn more, but there’s an aura about him that can’t be explained. He doesn’t come from a position where he knows it all, because he doesn’t.

For example, I had to do a phone interview with him yesterday, and right before we got off the phone, he said to me, “I want you to go back to that moment when you were in the hospital and I was by your side, and whenever you ask yourself ‘why?’ I want you to look at yourself in the mirror and take a second, and come to the realization that ‘This is why. This was your purpose all along. Your purpose is so much greater than this minute sport of basketball. You were supposed to touch people.’”

It was just amazing to hear him say that because sometimes you get lost in your own journey, and to hear his perspective—he continues to coach me, man. The sport that he coaches me in now is exponentially greater than the sport of basketball. It’s the game

“I had lived my life for those past few years underneath that warped reality of what a man should be. I shouldn’t show emotion, I shouldn’t be vulnerable.”

of life. That’s what he prepares his kids for. Basketball may be the vehicle, and it’s something that’s constant, and it’s something that has been occurring for the past 16 years of my life since I’ve been 18 years old, and it’s still going. A lot of people ask me why I went to school at Duke, and I always say the one way he positioned his pitch to me—which at the time I thought it was a pitch, but then throughout my tenure there I realized it was actually a reality, it wasn’t a sales pitch—he spoke to me about morals and values and I can’t say every college coach that was trying to recruit me was talking about morals and values.

Now you’re at ESPN, so what’s that like? I was reading that you watch a ton of tape, and you’re very dedicated to getting better and improving as an analyst and as a TV personality. What are those challenges like now that you’re in your 30s?

It’s challenging because it forces you to constantly read up on every piece of news information related to sports. Not just being a college basketball analyst, but filling in for “Mike & Mike,” filling in for “First Take,” filling in for “His & Hers,” or “SportsNation,” you have to be opinionated on issues, and in order to be opinionated, first and foremost you have to be wellinformed and comfortable doing your due diligence on everything, so that requires a ton of reading.

For me, I also work on things like reading off a teleprompter every morning. I think [Michael Strahan] has been imperative in this role because he’s been able to be a pioneer in really blazing the path for athletes to be a morning TV show personality, and for me now, basketball was my foot in the door, but I would love to be on “Good Morning America,” I would love to be on [CBS’s “This Morning”], I would love to be on some kind of late-night talk show where I’m able to sit down with people and

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almost in a humorous way as well, have fun, shed stories, talk about human interest stories, talk about politics, be able to cover it all.

So now trying to really push the envelope into that next stratosphere of my life is something that I’m passionate about, and there’s an infatuation with me doing TV. I love it. I love it. I get a chance to act like me and be me on air and not worry about being robotic, or worrying about what I’m saying because I’ve been doing my due diligence to the point where I feel comfortable now.

You mentioned Michael Strahan. In terms of TV personalities, who do you look up to, and over at ESPN, who do you hang out with? What’s it like being over in Bristol?

Bristol is crazy. You get a chance to hang out with everybody from Mike Ditka to Reece Davis, who is the golden child of TV being a host in that capacity. He is brilliant. I hung out with Keith Olbermann when he was there. All of the guys—John Buccigross and Stuart Scott when he was there. Doing TV has been great at ESPN. I get to pick all their brains. I look up to Matt Lauer, George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts. I love watching Scott Pelley. I love listening to him on “60 Minutes.”

Anderson Cooper. Brian Williams, even though he went through his own battle I still think he’s brilliant. All of these are guys you pay attention to on how they perform their craft. I don't look at just one person and say I want to be like that one person.

We need to talk about Jersey. You’re from Jersey originally, and we’re a Jersey magazine. So a completely unbiased question: Why is New Jersey the greatest state in the world?

First off, it’s one of the most beautiful states in the world. Now that I travel all the time, when I say New Jersey they automatically think about Newark Airport. I’m like slow down! We were called the Garden State for a reason. Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen—they epitomize what Jersey is. I love the Jersey Shore. It’s not what MTV depicted it to be. It’s gorgeous. I spend a lot of time in Manalapan. I had a house in Holmdel for a while when I was a player. It is one of the most gorgeous and beautiful states. My dad still has a home in Plainfield. I still spend time in Freehold. I’m all throughout Jersey. I do a lot of talks at Jersey camps. I spend a lot of time at Rutgers as well, so Jersey is still home for me. My house down here in North Carolina is because my mom needs to be close to the Duke medical facility and I live in New York because I have to be close to Bristol, but Jersey is always home to me.

What’s a day in the life of Jay Williams like now?

The job consists of a lot of early morning travel to get to your location. For example, I have to work tonight until probably about 1 o’clock in the morning, and last night I worked until 12:45. I went back and took a three-and-a-half hour power nap, woke up, got the “USA Today,” got the “New York Times,” and drove to the airport. I took a nap on my first leg from Hartford to Washington. Woke up, got coffee again, read the papers front to back on my hour-and-a-half trip from Washington to North Carolina. I’ll get in, and then I’ll get in a workout from noon to 12:30, and then after that I go into the studio.

There, we do some breakdowns, and then we do halftime of the first game before the Duke vs. North Carolina game. Then we do an hour preview show into the Duke vs. North Carolina game. Then I break that down, and do halftime of the game, and then we do postgame afterward which will go from about 11 PM at night until 1 in the morning. I’ll come back home and take another nap. I’m on an 8:30 flight tomorrow morning from Raleigh to New York.

What do you want to accomplish in the next chapters in your life?

First and foremost, I look forward to having a family. I put that over anything I can do career-wise. I’ve been with [my girlfriend] Carissa for a while, and things are moving in a great direction. When you go through having nerve damage around your pelvis, and have difficulty in that portion of your body, it puts into perspective how lucky I would be to have a family one day. Secondly, career-wise, I look forward to being a host. I look forward to having my own show and still being involved in sports and being able to go back and forth and tell other people stories and challenge people to live their lives better, and still talk about sports.

Let’s talk college basketball for a bit. What is going on? Who are you picking right now? A bubble team?

I’m not picking anybody until I see the bracket. This year it’s not about picking a favorite, it’s about picking a team with the best bracket. I can’t even tell you who the number one team is. It’s going to be one of those tournaments where I’m going to try to insert so many different forms of ways to pick teams to mascots, color schemes—I think that’s how it has to be because you have to expect the unexpected.

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Leading Our Youngsters in the Right Direction The Volunteer Center’s Mentoring Youth Program aims to build a better Bergen County WRITTEN BY: TARA DELORENZO

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he first time we went out, I came to the apartment where he was living with his mother,” Joe Sherman, an attorney and mentor in the Mentoring Youth Program at the Bergen Volunteer Center, reminisced. “At the time, he was this little pipsqueak. He saw me and ran into his room.

His mother suggested I go talk to him, so I went in to see him, and he was curled around the bed. I said to him, “Are you ready to go?” even though he clearly wasn’t—he didn’t even have socks or shoes on. And of course, he said “no.” So I said “Are you not ready to go ‘cause you’re a little scared right now?” and he said yes.

In response, I put my hand out and said, “So am I, so let’s try this together.” That’s how we got started.”

From there, with the help of the Bergen Volunteer Center’s Mentoring Youth Program, Sherman and his mentee were able to grow together, and Sherman was able to advise and remain a guide and support system for a boy who was moved to several different foster homes over the course of his young life. When this young man was adopted three years ago, during the namechanging process, he chose a middle name to reflect the one constant that he had always had in his life: Joseph.

“I got very choked up when they told me,” Sherman said.

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“It was actually his adopted mother who told me they had talked about it and that he was going to do that. It was a very nice moment. I was actually at the courthouse too, at the adoption ceremony, and it was very touching and serene event.”

This story reflects one of many success stories that the Bergen Volunteer Center, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016, has helped to make possible through this Mentoring Youth Program, created in the mid to late 1970s.

“The first thing that [Joe Sherman and his mentee’s story] says about the Bergen Volunteer Center is that the work we do - the opportunity to put talented, caring people with the people who need them - is an honor. It is such a profound and important way to knit the community together,” said Lynne

Algrant, CEO of the Bergen Volunteer Center. “I think it also tells us so much about our community and about Bergen County – that there are people here like Joe Sherman. With everything he does, he still makes time for another’s child, and he does so in such an awesome and devoted way. It is very powerful. To be in the business of making these kinds of connections happen and be able to strengthen the community through the power of all the great people we have here, is wonderful work.”

Sherman has remained the most constant adult in his mentee’s life. “He’s my pal and I’m his,” Sherman said. Sherman has been able to expose this young man, who will be turning 13 in October, to opportunities and experiences he may have not otherwise have had. “I have tried to give him experiences through the years that I had when I was a little guy. And I’ve also given him some experiences that I never had.”

Most importantly, the two have spent six years learning from each other. “When we were early on in our menteementor relationship, I wanted to take him to a ball game, but I didn’t know if he’d have the patience to sit through one. So I took him to see the Newark Bears, and got seats right behind the dugout. As one of the players was coming off the field one inning, he was holding a ball, and I put my hand up and the player threw it up to me. I gave it to my little guy, and he was all excited. A couple innings later, there was another player at the dugout holding a ball and a bunch of kids were yelling ‘Give me the ball; give me the ball,’ and I said to him, ‘Here’s a lesson for you: if you say please and he hears you say it, I guarantee you you’ll get another baseball. So he said “Please can I have the ball,” and the player looked at him and then at me, and I nodded and he threw my mentee the baseball.

Now my little guy, who was about 6 or 7 years old then, has two baseballs. Sitting next to us was a young couple with their young child with them and they said to their son, “See, if you had said that you would’ve gotten a ball too!” and my little guy heard that and looked at me and asked if he could give their son one of his baseballs. I told him it was his choice, so he reached into the bag we had the balls in and he walked over and handed it to the son.”

A lesson in the power of “please,” became a lesson in generosity and sharing. ”He’s always been really kind and generous with other people, always. It was a great day,” Sherman remembers, fondly.

Not all of the time spent together was a day in the ballpark, however. Over the years, this young man was moved to several different foster homes, sometimes in rapid succession. Yet, Sherman was always there. “There was one point where he was starting to open up; he knew he was going to get moved, and he didn’t want to get moved,” Sherman said. “He said: “Why cant I stay here?” and “Doesn’t anyone want to listen to what I have to say?”

It was the first time he was expressing himself in such a way, and all I could do was listen. I said to him, “Wherever you end up, I’m going to show up.” He said “I know that, Joe.” He

wasn’t worried about that. He had a great deal of comfort that wherever he would go, he knew I was coming. I was told he was always looking forward to my arrival, and it has continued with his adopting parents. They’re very accepting of my presence, and they ask me for help in terms of dealing with some of the things he’s dealing with. He’s living with more parameters and guidelines than he’s had in the other places, and he seems to be flourishing.

It was Sherman’s dedication to this young man and their give-and-take relationship that ultimately led to the mentee’s adoption.

“Joe’s consistent presence, week in and week out meant that this little boy, despite everything else in his life, could still take the risk to learn to trust and love adults,” Algrant said. “And I believe in my heart of hearts, and I think that the research proves it, still being able to trust and love is an advantage he had to becoming adopted. So what we’re really looking at is that Joe’s presence in this boy’s life during the difficult times was probably one of the key factors that has lead this boy to have a successful outcome: a permanent family and a family who loves him.”

Through it all, the Volunteer Center was there to support Sherman and to collaborate with him on how to best aid his mentee. One of the key people helping at the Volunteer SPRING 2016

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Center is Faith Samples-Smart, the Mentoring Youth Program Director – a member of the team that Algrant credits for making the group so highly professional and efficient.

“Faith has a PhD., and she has been a mentor to both kids and parents. She brings both her heart to the work, and her knowledge about how best to intervene with kids to set them on the right path,” Algrant said. “Having that support behind the mentors is what makes the mentor/mentee relationships last a long time, and this longevity is the key to our program’s success. These kids need consistency, and they need to know someone is there for them and will stick by them. So we’re helping the mentors to do that with the professional training and support we provide - hidden from view.”

Getting involved with the Mentoring Youth Program is just a call and an interview away, and the Center is always looking to get people involved. The Mentoring Program requires extensive training and a background check, with the training program being offered three times a year. Once the training is completed, mentors meet their mentees at the ceremonial ‘Match Night.’

The Volunteer Center of Bergen County offers support to more than just at-risk children and families, too. Three other key service programs are the CHORE program, a mentoring program for mothers who have children who are at-risk, and the Bergen LEADS program.

The CHORE program looks to help senior citizens stay safe in their home, with installations of grab bars, banisters, new locks, etc. The volunteers for this program are often senior citizens themselves.

The mentoring for mothers program works the same way as the Mentoring Youth Program, with intensive training required, but looks to help keep families together. The goal is 38

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to help mothers to provide a more stable home for their child, as well as give the mother a trusted friend and guide that can help give support for goals and choices being made.

Bergen LEADS offers unique community service from the Volunteer Center, too. The idea behind the program is to help educate the community about the civic and public policies of Bergen County, “with the idea that an informed population is more involved and brings the county together,” according to Algrant. With a county of 70 different municipalities, there are many volunteer roles, from firefighters to education boards to elected officials, so this program aims to educate and help people understand how the civic institutions on a local scale work.

Going forward, The Volunteer Center also hopes to broaden its horizons and bring in volunteers in a less traditional way. What Algrant hopes to do is launch a virtual mentoring space for caregivers, as well as ‘Skills Link’ to match people’s skills with projects needed in the community.

What this center hopes to achieve more than anything is to make a difference locally, and bring everyone together.

“Volunteer time is incredibly valuable, but it is not something we put a price on,” Algrant said. “The Volunteer Center is really the best kept secret in Bergen County. We hope to use our 50th Anniversary to take a giant megaphone and say “look at all the great ways that as a community, we are making our community better.” Sometimes suburbia can feel a little disconnected and nowadays with technology and all our separate houses, you might not feel as connected to the community as you might want to be. I believe that through the Volunteer Center, we can find a lot of ways to be connected, and once you are, there’s so many great ways to give back.

When you do, you’re happier and healthier. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

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Technology’s answer to hair loss WRITTEN BY: ROBERT GOLD

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or millions of Americans experiencing hair loss due to genetics, hormones, trauma and other reasons, the only proven treatments available up until this point were surgery, medication or both. But now there is a new medical-based technique, called Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, which stimulates dormant hair follicles.

According to William K. Boss, M.D., a Bergen County, NJ plastic surgeon who performs this unique hair restoration treatment, the process is straightforward. “We take two vials of blood from a patient. Plasma is separated and then injected into the scalp. We’ve found that the growth factors in your

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own plasma appear capable of stimulating hair regrowth and the thickening of hair follicles.”

For over two decades, board-certified plastic surgeon, scientist, inventor and innovator Dr. William Boss has remained at the forefront of laser and minimally invasive research, regularly conceiving new and enhanced techniques such as the Rejuvenator and his patented facelift, the Cool Lift. In line with his commitment to innovation and safer alternatives to age old practices, Dr. Boss is proud to offer this cutting edge procedure, which involves no surgery, drugs, or expensive ointments.

The major advantage to using PRP is that there is

no downtime and there are minimal side effects. Dr. Boss treats both men and women with PRP. Dr. Boss notes that women “generally have fewer choices and efficacy with traditional hair loss treatments because women tend to have thinning hair and a reduction in the number of follicles throughout the entire scalp, making hair transplant procedures not a great option.”

Regarding the safety of the procedure, Dr. Boss also points out that as “basically everything used is autologous – that is, the plasma is yours and is simply being moved from one part of your body to another – there is an excellent safety profile from what we know thus far in use of PRP.” The number of treatments required depends upon the individual, but treatments are usually administered once every four-tosix weeks for about four treatments.

Dr. Boss also uses PRP in cell therapy to treat facial lines and sun damage, a type of treatment that reportedly has become a favorite amongst celebrities. It has also been used for a long time elsewhere in the body to help heal orthopedic injuries. The New York Times featured PRP in a “Skin Deep” column, which discussed “New Treatments for Thinning Hair for Women.” ABC News also discussed this promising advance in a segment on The Morning Stir.

PRP is used for various FDA pending treatments and procedures. For more information to determine if this protocol is right for you discuss this with your provider.

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Boss, Please visit: The Cosmetic Surgery & Rejuvenation Center 305-A Route NJ-17 S Paramus, NJ 201.967.1100 www.Dr.BossMD.com Dr. William Boss, MD, FACS, has been cited as one of America’s Top Surgeons by such prestigious authorities as the Consumer’s Research Council of America and the Guide to America’s Top Plastic Surgeons, and most recently was recognized

by Castle Connolly as one of New York Metro Areas Top Doctors.

Get a second opinion while enjoying a cup of coffee with us Life changes, markets fluctuate, and your portfolio might need an adjustment to keep you on track toward achieving your goals. If you are wondering whether you have the right investments in your portfolio, we’d be happy to give you a professional evaluation. We’ll help you align your goals to a realistic plan, helping you find your “perfect blend.”

It could be the only thing that needs stirring is the cream in your coffee, but your investments are worth an important second look. Make an appointment today for a complimentary consultation over coffee.

Anthony Palumbo Financial Advisor Vice President – Investments 810 River Rd. New Milford, NJ 07646 Direct: 201-225-4024 tony.palumbo@wellsfargo.com Investment and Insurance Products:

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house broken

A local film maker’s comedic portrayal of potty training WRITTEN BY: THOMAS REGAN

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hen Andy Peeke’s 3-and-a-half-year-old son struggled to be potty trained about five years after his (then) two-year-old daughter learned in less than a week, he was granted with the idea that would develop into House Broken, which will premiere at the Garden State Film Festival on April 2.

The film centers around a married couple, Max (Peeke) and Misty (played by Heather Brittain O’Scanlon) and the tension between the two exacerbated by the task of potty training their son, Pepper (Ara McOmber).

However, according to Peeke, 36, the movie may not have happened if he hadn’t met his co-writer and co-star, Heather Brittain O'Scanlon. “Without her, the script would probably still be sitting uselessly as a Google doc.”

Peeke, a resident of Leonia, and O’Scanlon met at the Take 2 Film Festival three years ago, but it was not until the two took a class in New York City that the idea for House Broken became a reality.

“We took a class together in New York City and after that class, we had plans to get a drink and a bite to eat and just try to get to know each other better,” Peeke said.

“I had written the first scene of House Broken by myself, and I intended on writing more, but after writing that first scene, it just kind of sat for a couple of months. Then, I met Heather in this class, and we had a good talk. I knew she was a mother, and I said, ‘you know what? Let’s finish writing this film together.’”

When Peeke told O’Scanlon of the concept, he explained, he figured she would make the perfect leading lady, because she’s a mother who understands the struggles of potty training a young child.

“I said, ‘Hey, Heather. I’ve got this script that I’ve been working on where I’d be the lead in it, and I think that you’d make an excellent female lead.’ And after I told her the idea, she loved the idea, and its something that certainly rang true to her — the foibles of training a young boy.

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According to Peeke, the two met several times to finish writing the script together, and when they finished, O’Scanlon really made the film’s creation a reality.

“It took about five writing sessions to get it done,” says Peeke. “Upon completion, Heather said, ‘You know what, Andy? I have a production company, and I’d like to take the reigns on this and be the producer for it.’ I said, ‘That sounds great!’”

O’Scanlon and SOS Production LLC built a team that included director Beth Spitalny, and production began.

“The funny connection between Beth and I is that I hosted a show for the Discovery Channel called All-American Makers, and when Heather got Beth to sign on for this, she said, ‘Oh, Andy Peeke. Was he from All-American Makers?’ and Heather said, ‘Yeah.’ And she said, ‘Oh that’s funny. I’ve been doing post-production for that. I’ve been looking at his face in the editing room for a while now,’” Peeke explained laughing.

The film, which was O’Scanlon and Peeke’s first project, broke a rule, according to Peeke, a former Saint Joseph’s Regional High School football coach.

“There’s somewhat of an unwritten rule in filmmaking.

It says that in your first production, don’t work with any kids or pets,” Peeke said. Luckily though, O’Scanlon knew the McOmber family and recruited the talented Taleen, 9, and Ara, 4, to play Patty and Pepper in the short.

One of Peek’s favorite parts of working on this film was how little the team struggled because of O’scanlan’s ability to bring a staff together.

“When you bring all of these people together who haven’t worked together, you can get a lot of personality conflicts,” he said. “What I’m most proud of is going through this whole process and learning and working with such great people. That aspect is all Heather’s doing.”

Though the film will premier at the Garden State Film Festival, Peeke said he expects to enter the project into several other festivals, such as the Take 2 Film Festival or next year’s Pasadena Film Festival. As for where he hopes this film will head, Peeke said he has not thought about expanding the 16-minute short into a feature-length film, but did not discard the idea either.

“It’s kind of funny because it has the potential to be a feature-length film. Especially when you’re a parent,” he said. “Every parent has their unique and hilarious stories of what happened when they were potty training their children.” The lasting truth though, is when your child finally is potty trained, it’s a largely rewarding feeling.

For Peeke, House Broken represents the rewarding feeling of putting his ideas into action and seeing it through to the end.

“It’s kind of fun to relive the whole moment of inspiration. That light-bulb moment where you get the idea and then to actually go through with it and do it,” he said. “I’ve had so many light-bulb ideas that come to mind, but House Broken is one of those rare light-bulb ideas that that actually got executed, which, for those in the film industry know, isn’t so frequent. That’s something that I’m really, really proud of.”

Although the film premieres at the Garden State Film Festival on April 2nd, Peeke is already looking forward to the after party.

“We’re going to have a big group of people there, and that night, they’re going to have a pool party after all of the films are shown. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

It’s Heather and my first project that we produced, and it’s premiering in our home state of New Jersey. It’s an amazing feeling – much like once the kids are finally house broken,” Peeke said with a smile.

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MAKING THE CONNECTION

How to find the financial advisor for you WRITTEN BY: TONY PALUMBO

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S

ome of the most important conversations you may have will be with your Financial Advisor.

That’s why he or she will want to get to know you as a person, not just as a client. Your advisor must understand your financial needs so he or she can help you reach your goals. So when you’re meeting your potential financial advisor: talk, listen, share experiences and ask a lot of questions.

Keep in mind a conversation with your Financial Advisor is not a one-time event. You should have the kind of relationship that allows you to talk regularly about life changes and how to best manage day-to-day needs while staying on the path toward your long-term goals.

As a financial advisor myself, we want to make the process of working with an advisor as simple and smooth as possible. Here are some tips on how to nurture a positive relationship and set the stage for working together toward your goals.

• Disclose all of your goals and objectives. Be as detailed as possible about what you want to achieve and by when. It’s also important to discuss what you’re willing (or not willing) to sacrifice financially in order to make each goal a reality. Discuss what financial changes or challenges could exist that may impact your ability to reach your goals.

• Establish expectations. Every relationship is unique, and the one you have with your financial advisor is no exception. To make the advisor-client relationship successful, both client and advisor must agree to truly listen to and hear one another. Additionally, clients and advisors should agree upon how often they wish to meet and the best way to communicate — whether by email, over the phone, or in person — at the very start of the relationship.

• Understand the fee schedule. To avoid any surprises, make sure you understand the fee schedule and how your financial advisor is compensated. Some advisor fees may be deducted directly from your portfolio, while others may be billed directly.

• Always agree to next steps when you meet or communicate. Your doctor or dentist usually ends your appointment by scheduling a specific date and time for a follow-up — the same approach can work well with your advisor. In addition to scheduling your next meeting, it’s also important that your advisor communicates with you in lay terms that you can comprehend. Make sure that you leave every meeting with an understanding of everything that was discussed.

• Keep your advisor informed. Life includes unexpected twists and turns and many can impact your finances. Make your advisor aware of your life changes, including the birth of children, death of a loved one, job changes, marriage, and divorce as quickly as possible, and not just during agreedupon meeting times. This knowledge will help you and your advisor better respond to events as they occur and shape the advice your advisor can provide.

An Advisor’s Commitment

As your relationship with your financial advisor progresses, you will find a high level of commitment on his or her part to helping you reach your investment goals. When choosing your advisor and getting to know them, it’s important to ensure that although they may manage other clients, they still are committed to you. Your advisor should: • Take the time to build your relationship and get to know you and what matters in your life.

• Help you build a holistic financial picture, even with money invested elsewhere.

• Understand your lifestyle, financial needs, and goals.

• Build your relationship based on your preferences and work style.

• Provide transparency about fee structures and services.

• Create an individualized plan optimized to help you reach your financial goals.

• Help you stay on track with your plan that includes financial planning benchmarks, asset allocation, account performance, and risk tolerance.

• Provide you with leading strategies and research applicable to your unique situation.

• Be there throughout your entire financial journey.

Tony Palumbo is a financial advisor for Wells Fargo Advisors in New Milford, NJ. He can be reached at (201) 225-4024.

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What to Watch For Hublot Aero Hope For the Warriors Timepiece

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here’s an open ended question that has arose from the post 9/11 years of perpetual war the United States has found itself involved in. The question, nearly impossible to answer, is “How can we help our veterans returning from these wars, and the families of those who were sent to fight in them?”

Hublot, in a partnership with the Timepiece Collection in Englewood, as well as the Hope for the Warriors Foundation, has introduced a new timepiece that aims to help do just that.

The Aero Hope for Warriors timepiece from Hublot is a limited edition Classic Fusion Chronograph designed wholly with our military in mind, with portions of proceeds going straight to the Hope for the Warriors Foundation.

Founded by military wives in 2006, Hope for Warriors is a nationwide non-profit that has been dedicated to supporting post 9/11 service members, veterans and military families through a variety of initiatives. Through comprehensive programs focused on transition, health and wellness, peer engagement and connections to community resources, Hope for the Warriors is doing their part in solving a nationwide problem.

The 25-piece limited-edition Aero Hope For The Warriors features a 45mm polished and satin-finished black ceramic case with a sapphire anti-reflective treatment and the Hope For The Warriors logo printed on the case-back glass. An army green and black motif is featured throughout the dial, hands and strap to represent the colors of the U.S. military uniform, and the dial includes green appliques and a gold-plated counter ring with a skeleton disk.

Each piece also comes with two interchangeable straps – one a black alligator with green stitching, and the other a green tactical canvas with green stitching.

As admirers of Hope for the Warriors for years, co-owners of the Timepiece Collection Jeff Khalaf and Michael Rosenberg were elated when they were given a chance to directly work on creating a product to support the organization, and Hublot was a perfect partner for the task.

Although it’s an uphill battle to garner the nation’s support for our troops that often come home much different than when they left, it’s great to see large and small businesses alike coming together to create solutions that will have a lasting effect on millions of American families.

Ferrari California T: What It’s Like To Break The Rules WRITTEN BY: RICHARD POSLUSZNY

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hen it comes to storied enterprises, products that break the rules are not always accepted with arms wide open. That’s because much of a brand’s equity is steeped in deep-rooted tradition.

Ferrari is not an exception to this unwritten rule, and the prestigious automaker found this out when it introduced the California. Equipped with a folding metal roof, sporting a rather controversial design and wearing a legendary nameplate, it wasn’t your typical Rosso Corsa car from Maranello. The biggest foul of all, however, was that it was powered with a V8 motor up front, making it the first F car to break the trend of front-mounted V12 prancing horses. Destined to broaden the company’s appeal amongst female buyers, it wasn’t too long before the California started turning up on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. It also made an international splash in new emerging markets.

It was a hit.

But Ferrari purists were not pleased with the car that did in fact do good business for the boys and girls in Maranello. If anything, it was a point of contention, because there were now an even greater number of Ferraris on the road. With the outrage looming, I bravely accepted the challenge of getting to really understand this different kind of Ferrari.

Recently updated, the California is now known as the California T. The “T” is rather purposeful, as it indicates that there is much more going on under the hood. The frontmounted V8 is now benefitting from a turbocharger that boosts output to a rather significant 553 horsepower and 557 lb.-ft. of torque.

Some people may shrug and say, “So, what? A turbo just gives a vehicle more power.” Well, there’s actually a bit more to it than that. While turbos certainly will give a vehicle more thrust, the problem is that they have a tendency to take away from a car’s sound. And in an auto like a Ferrari, that’s a big deal.

A Ferrari without a great sounding motor and exhaust note is essentially a very expensive paperweight. In this particular case, this is not something to worry about. The California T’s V8 still makes itself known without having a certain something taken away from its melody. You wouldn’t even really know the turbo is there unless you listen very carefully for that teeny tiny whistle that makes the turbo known in rare circumstances. I do wish its exhaust was louder though.

Paired with this very capable engine is a seven-speed dualclutch transmission. Shifts happen exceedingly quick but do not make a point to jar occupants in the cabin. I have driven other Ferraris that made a seemingly greater effort to be quick shifters, but that’s a factor based on how the Italian marque intended for this particular car to be used. While most of Ferrari’s vehicles have a Mannetino switch on the steering wheel to change from multiple driving modes, the California T only benefits from Comfort and Sport. Where’s Race? Having spent time with the T it became clear to me that while the California certainly has sporting intentions, its role in the Italian company's product portfolio is that of a grand touring car.

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This fact becomes readily apparent once you slide behind the three-spoke steering wheel. The T's seats are not of the carbon fiber persuasion for track-ready driving, but they are wrapped in hide and bolstered for touring. Though adjustments are minimal, the California's lucky passengers will not be complaining — the seats are supportive and comfortable, without all the whiz-bang tech many of today's luxury cruisers feature.

As is the norm with all modern Ferrari products, there are no more stalks for turn signals or wipers — the controls are all found on the steering wheel. Personally, I am a huge fan of this move. If you shuffle your hands all over the wheel while driving you probably won’t favor the buttons on the wheel, but that’s not how to properly drive.

The interior is swathed with a copious amount of hide everywhere you can imagine. Much like the flagship FF model, the leather is of the utmost quality. It’s like being inside of a high-end piece of luggage. It is remarkably smooth and there were no visible imperfections on the surface or the stitching.

You think that would be the norm in a product with a price tag north of $200,000 but I can attest to you that it is not.

Bonus points go to Ferrari for the upgraded infotainment unit that ditches the old, Chrysler-sourced system. Now it supports Apple CarPlay and it is much easier to navigate 50

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through menus. Though this was a step in the right direction, the vehicle still has a TFT screen to the left of the instrument panel. As I've found in previous F cars, it is not the most intuitive system.

So, how does it drive?

When you insert the key and twist, you’ll hear plenty of beeping. Push the Start button and the V8 fires to life. Unlike the company's more sporting products it doesn't sound like you've awoken the devil, but you still know that there's some fire in the oven. Though the California T is a very fast car, the way it gains speed is drama-free. The power band is linear and feels very refined.

But don't let its angel-like halo catch you off guard. This is still a 500+ horsepower machine, and as I found out on one particularly rain-soaked Connecticut morning, if you're in Sport mode and get a bit too excitable with the throttle, the T's rear end will step out on you — playfully — just to remind you that it does like to dance.

You'll also find a staggering amount of refinement with the vehicle's suspension. That's because it isn't especially stiff, however, it keeps the ride compliant with zero float and the body is controlled during cornering. If you come across a bumpy road, you tap the suspension button on the steering wheel and it will soften up the California's ride a bit

more. In other words, you won't find yourself grimacing while in New York City anymore. Unlike plenty of today's convertible offerings there is zero cowl shake and there weren't any rattles in the cockpit. In just 20 seconds, the top can be removed. Aside from the closed roof squeaking when I angled it into a steep driveway, it is a solid ride akin to the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class — which is, in my opinion, the most solid convertible ever built.

Equipped with an incredibly fast steering rack, the T requires minimal effort to work the switchbacks. Due to the exquisitely sharp steering that's super direct and the well-tuned suspension that keeps the California's body in check, it feels like a much smaller and lighter vehicle.

And that's the real magic with the California T. The prancing horse built a grand touring convertible that isn't quite the F car most would expect, but its driving experience remains uniquely Ferrari, all while giving buyers the pleasure of a car that can be driven daily.

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Mr. Maceri has extensive knowledge and experience in the field of family law and has focused his career on providing extraordinary service for his clients. Mr. Maceri is listed New Jersey Super Lawyers-Rising Stars published by Thomson Reuters as a family law attorney. He has also received the top 40 under 40 from NJBIZ as one of New Jersey’s most accomplished young professionals in New Jersey and top 40 under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers.

If you need help with your divorce or family law matter, contact Joseph V. Maceri, Esq. at jmaceri@ snydersarno.com or visit the firm’s website, www.snydersarno.com for more information about this premier law firm.

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The Big Bucks Becoming a Jersey Millionaire May Not Be a Rosy Scenario

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WRITTEN BY: SCOTT MAHONEY

ere we are, another year older, another year wiser and more determined than ever that this time we'll join the millionaires' club; not millionaire in gross assets, but millionaire in the sense that if we had to cash in everything to pay a cool one million dollars in ransom for instance, we could do it.

Considering that we have notched our belts yet again with a year's worth of hard-earned experience, and thus are far better at managing our finances and other assets, everything says this is the year.

But wait!

If we do make the magic seven-figure mark, we will also be joining the club that meets annually to fight off yet another effort by the state legislature to tax us at increasingly higher levels, all due to our success. For reasons that are somewhat obscure at best, there seems to be no end to efforts to penalize the most successful members of society, to generate funds for programs that benefit others.

It only was last year that the state legislature passed the socalled "millionaire's tax,� although Governor Chris Christie vetoed it in the summer. The tax went dormant as the state's attention shifted to the Governor's efforts to gain traction in the national race for the GOP presidential nomination. But is it still out there, lurking?

Regardless, it is wise to start looking for places to invest 52

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hard-earned money to keep as much as possible, and to keep it working for you. There are many places to start, including contributing to an employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a traditional 401(k), which isn’t included in your taxable income. If you have self-employment income from a side job, you can sock away even more in a Simplified Employee Pension.

Despite the ongoing dips in the stock market and ballooning fears from depressed oil prices, there are still important opportunities in the equity markets – opportunities that may well be perfect for funds tucked away in sheltered retirement accounts.

Another option for potential tax savings is the deferral of year-end bonuses, or perhaps selling lower performing assets to take advantage of potential tax savings from a capital loss.

Swapping the poor performers for alternatives may be the right move for some, especially if you can take advantage of the current low prices of many high dividend securities.

The New Jersey proposal to raise the current tax on high-end wage earners from 8.97 percent to something in the neighborhood of 10.75 percent was previously defeated in a similar but unsuccessful effort. Interestingly, the millionaire's tax, in a previous incarnation that expired in 2009, added a surcharge on folks making more than $400,000.

Supporters say the extra funds are needed because the state faces a multibillion dollar shortfall in legally-mandated state pension fund payments. Since there are about 17,000 New Jersey residents who currently earn above $1 million, and about a half-million state and local government workers, a quick calculation shows that even if there was a new tax rate for millionaires, it wouldn't eliminate the shortfall in pension payments for the hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents who are on government payrolls.

But it would make a dent, according to proponents, and that, they say, is sufficient reason to re-institute the higher rate. Which is why I believe it is very likely we could see the issue raised again at the next session of the legislature.

Regardless of your political position on taxing high wage earners at a higher rate, it is reasonable to assume that many of the highincome earners – like just about everyone else, frankly – may want to avoid as much of that taxation as possible. Clearly, some of the strategies applicable to high wage earners may also be a good choice for those with income not quite in the stratosphere.

A visit to the tax accountant may be in order. As noted, there are many ways to reduce or defer taxes on income, some better than others, and some involve creative or perhaps complex investment strategies. In the long run, their primary purpose is to put more of your money into your pocket without putting it at risk of taxation.

It's nice to think that after years of economic downturn and a sluggish recovery, there might be some additional spending money in our futures. But the key phrase is "spending money”: money that makes it into our pockets after we earn it. Workers in all income categories would like to see more take-home money. The key to getting the most out of your efforts is to divert income that exceeds the high tax thresholds into appropriate places where it can work best for the person who earned it.

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Scott F. Mahoney is a Financial Advisor with the Global Wealth Management Division of Morgan Stanley in Morristown, N.J. He can be reached at 866-932-3032. Follow Scott on Twitter: @mahoneyteamms SPRING 2016

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A SMARTER WAY TO RIDE FUSAR Technologies Aims to Keep Motorcyclists Safer While Providing a More Social, Tech-Enabled Experience WRITTEN BY: RICHARD POSLUSZNY

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f you’re a motorcyclist, the last thing you want to happen is an accident. While it’s pretty accepted in the motorbike community that “dropping the bike,” or having a self-imposed crash is part of the learning experience of riding, getting into a crash with an automobile is not. It is probably the worst thing that can happen to a biker.

In one case, however, it may have spawned the idea that could change the way motorcyclists ride forever. That’s because it gave birth to FUSAR Technologies, which is a relatively new start up hell bent on making riding safer, and more fun, for today’s motorcyclist.

FUSAR’s Founder and CEO, Ryan Shearman, just remembers coming to on the side of the highway. He had just entered onto the West Side Highway and soon after the lanes merge from the George Washington Bridge he was hit from behind.

After being launched across a lane of traffic and suffering from a concussion, broken rib, road rash and a pretty mangled bike, Shearman was laid up and had some time to think. He knew that something could be, and should be done, to prevent accidents like this from happening.

Shearman notes that it was the “Biggest reality check of my life,” and that he “needed something that’s going to make me feel better and safer on the road.”

This initial thought gave rise to the first concept for FUSAR: A motorcycle helmet that had an embedded camera in the back and a head’s up display so that riders could see activity happening behind them. Think of it as a digital rearview mirror.

There’s just one thing though. Moving from concept to production is a monumental task given the capital requirements, and Shearman knew that he had to get people on board he could trust and had the vigor to drive this to fruition. The first two people he shared his vision with were childhood buddy, Clayton Patton, and another friend he met in high school, Todd Rushing.

While it’s nice to work with friends, it’s even better when they’re accomplished. Patton decided to join the team after exiting an electronic dance music venture that successfully held an initial public offering (IPO). Rushing was a member of LG Electronics’ American design team and the youngest team member ever hired into the group.

After putting together a demonstration that described the company’s vision, the trio set out to do a capital raise. Friends and family helped provide seed funds, but a big help that jump started FUSAR’s effort was a technology accelerator SPRING 2016

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called TechLaunch. FUSAR was one of seven companies accepted after approximately 300 organizations applied to TechLaunch’s rigorous 16-week program. FUSAR went from nothing to something with a tangible prototype. But this was still only the start.

Having developed version 1.0, “It far exceeded my expectations,” says Shearman. “It changes the [riding] experience,” and “the first thing I said to myself was ‘this thing has some legs.’”

This pushed the company to take what was essentially just an experiment and bring it to the next level. Now knowing what it would take to make version 2.0, the three musketeers decided it was inevitable that it would have to raise another round of capital to do two things: 1) bring on more staff members, and 2) further research and development.

Led by the New Jersey Jumpstart Angel Network, the boys pulled together a $200,000 capital injection into FUSAR, but this round of funding didn’t just lead the team to a pot of gold to further develop its product and add talented team members.

After building several prototypes and realizing there may be some steeper regulatory hurdles than originally thought, FUSAR pivoted its offering in 2015. In addition to doing so, it also bolstered itself with a more substantial round of capital to

better position the company with its all-new products.

With an oversubscribed round of investment, the trio brought in a much fatter $1.1 million dollar round of capital.

This would help fuel FUSAR’s plan of moving from the development of an über helmet to a universal adaptation that could reach a broader market of consumers.

Now called Mohawk, which is described by FUSAR as an “Action camera, communications system, navigation unit, activity tracker and emergency response unit,” the company is moving forward with a portable device that can be affixed to any protective headgear. So whether I am a motorcyclist, a skateboarder or a skier/snowboarder, I can get in on the fun too.

Next, there’s the BRC that acts as your controller, and pairs users with a Bluetooth headset thereby essentially turning your phone into a walkie-talkie. In addition, the BRC allows buyers to answer/end/ignore phone calls, play/pause/skip music tracks, use Google Now voice commands — Android only — and initiate ride tracking. If you’re a rider you’ll likely want the version that mounts on your handlebars and if you’re sans bike you can opt for a wristband version.

Lastly, there’s the FUSAR mobile application that brings it all together so users can have a social media component — sharing rides, video and photographs — push-to-talk

Continued on page 58

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Wrist remote

Snow Helmet

communications as well as the ability to alert loved ones should things go awry. So, here’s two cool things to know: With the BRC and FUSAR application, users can 1) communicate over any distance because the BRC works over the cloud, and 2) host group chats with up to 12 participants. According to Shearman, both of these accomplishments are world firsts.

After the three new elements of the FUSAR product portfolio were developed, it enabled the FUSAR team to launch an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in midNovember. Not only would this provide a bit more funding to stave off any start up’s worst enemy — cash burn — but it would also allow FUSAR to continue building brand buzz and awareness, which is critical in a business-to-consumer product company.

After personally watching the launch, it’s clear that FUSAR is on to something big. Shearman notes that this isn’t simply something confined to the U.S. market, as it has participants from five continents.

It took only 24 hours for the company’s Indiegogo campaign to hit its target goal of $100,000 and at the time of this writing it stands at about 2.5 times that. For about a dozen full-time employees working out of a Jersey City apartment, that’s an incredible amount of traction for what is a relatively nascent product.

According to Shearman, FUSAR started shipping “swag packs” to participants as a way to kick off 2016.

Starting in April, the FUSAR app launches and the very first shipments of the BRC and Bluetooth headset begin. Following that comes the Mohawk and full smart helmet kits, which are expected to start shipping in the 3rd quarter of this year.

If you’re interested in joining what I’d call “a movement,” and a new way to ride, visit FUSAR.com.

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LET THERE BE GREEN! Landscaping tips to a brighter backyard WRITTEN BY: MARK BORST

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green, healthy lawn takes year-round care and maintenance, but changing seasons bring changing landscaping solutions in Northern New Jersey. Different climate and weather conditions cause stress on your trees, shrubs and plants, so seasonal care and maintenance is necessary to protect your lawn and prevent damage. With Spring here, it’s time to get going on making your lawn a notch above your neighbors.

The spring season brings warm weather and abundant new growth to everything in your landscape. Trees, shrubs and plants sprout new leaves, flowers develop colorful new blooms and grass begins to grow at a rapid pace. Spring is the time of year when you need to jump-start healthy growth and strong root systems, so plants can recover from a long, cold winter.

In parts of the country with cold winters, like Bergen County, NJ, snow provides some protection for your lawn by acting like a ground cover. However, freezing ground temperatures often make grass roots dry and brittle. When snow turns to ice, grass blades get crushed, plant cells freeze and trees and shrubs often die. The beginning of spring and warm temperatures provides an opportunity for new growth in your landscape.

Step One: CLEAN UP When the last signs of winter frost are gone, focus on cleaning up your landscape. Rake up dead, dry leaves and remove any debris like fallen tree limbs, branches and twigs, rocks and trash that may have blown onto your property during the winter.

Get rid of damp or wet leaves as quickly as possible, as they can smother your grass and cause new growth to die from lack of oxygen. Wet leaves, especially in shady areas, can also harbor outdoor insects and pests.

Step 2: AERATE YOUR LAWN During the winter, soil often becomes dry and compacted from freezing temperatures. The aeration process punches small holes in your lawn so adequate water, oxygen and fertilizer can reach grass roots through the soil properly. Aeration is one of the most important spring landscaping solutions to ensure healthy, strong roots and new grass growth.

For best aeration results, choose a nice spring day when the soil is slightly damp, not wet, so the aeration machine will work more efficiently. Talk to your landscape professional about the best type of aeration process for your Bergen County lawn.

Step 3: FERTILIZE YOUR LAWN The best time to fertilize your lawn is early spring when new growth is beginning. Proper fertilization is important to establish healthy, new growth. Fertilizer provides essential nutrients, like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and iron, which feeds plant roots and encourages new growth.

For best results, select a light, slow-release or organic type fertilizer. In Northern NJ, where winters get very cold, fall fertilization is also used to protect cool-season grasses that typically go dormant during the winter season. A fall fertilization schedule will encourage plant roots to store energy for the following spring.

Step 4: APPLY WEED AND PEST CONTROLS Warm weather promotes new growth, but it also encourages weeds, insects, diseases and outdoor pests to invade your landscape. In early to mid-March, apply a pre-emergent herbicide that prevents crabgrass and other aggressive weeds like dandelions, thatch and foxtail from invading your lawn. These aggressive weeds typically invade as soon as warm weather approaches and they can quickly overtake your lawn.

Crabgrass begins to germinate as soon as the soil gets warm, so before spring arrives, talk to your Bergen County landscape professional about proper weed control and an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program that focuses on organic landscaping solutions to prevent unwanted pests in your landscape.

Once spring is in full force, proper lawn care and maintenance is essential to keep your lawn and landscape healthy and pest-free. During the spring season, your grass, plants, shrubs and trees grow much faster, so your landscape can easily become overgrown. Weekly lawn mowing, regular weeding, proper lawn care, maintenance and pest control will keep your landscape looking its best and keep insects and diseases out of your lawn. Aggressive weeds, insects and diseases prey on malnourished and ill-maintained landscapes. Forget the pests and be sure to have a standout lawn this summer, starting right now.

Mark Borst is a landscape professional and owner of Borst Landscape & Design in Allendale, NJ.

The Dark Wizard of Oz Peer into the mind of criminal genius Orazio Lembo WRITTEN BY: THOMAS REGAN

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harm, scam, take a hit, get laid, apologize to those closest to him, then do it all again.

With no particular order to his daily criminal activities, Orazio “Ozzy” Lembo, now deceased, used his otherworldly social prowess to compromise $1.6 trillion.

However, there was much more evil to the criminal genius that was Ozzy, made evident in Michael Taromina’s novel, The Dark Wizard of Oz: Sex, Drugs and the Largest Breach of Bank Security in US History.

Orazio Lembo’s infamous bank breach, which was brought to light in 2005, was a scheme to steal bank accounts and personal information from more than 500,000 people. Then, Taromina explained, Lembo was selling that information to collection agencies and other nefarious criminals.

Taromina, who had a front row seat to Ozzy’s life, wrote the novel to depict the depth of Lembo’s struggle with drugs as well as a deeper look into crimes Ozzy committed that he was never tried for.

Born to an industrious Italian family, Lembo never lived up to his parent’s work ethic, constantly looking to cut corners and make quick money, according to Taromina.

“His family are hard-working people,” Taromina, an attorney himself, said. “Though his brother is an accountant, Ozzy was so attracted to the easy ways to make cash that it is all he wanted to do.”

“When they apprehended Ozzy, they seized a couple million bucks cash. I always told him, “You need to buy some real estate, buy some buildings. This is not going to continue, your lifestyle can’t continue,’” Taromina recalls.

But there was a sickness, revealed in the novel, that only further exploited his propensity to commit crime: his addiction to cocaine.

“If it weren’t for the drugs, he would still look to get an edge and cut corners,” Taromina said. “But he would have been very successful and not as fueled criminally if it wasn’t for the cocaine. That’s a huge lesson. It drove him to do things that I don’t think he otherwise would have done.”

The drug use lead to burnt bridges, which ultimately led to his downfall. But, it’s worth noting, Lembo was not an innately malicious person. Taromina recalls the bond between his own mother and Lembo that was evident during the week of Lembo’s bust.

“My mother was on her death bed. She was dying of cancer and I didn’t have the time to represent Ozzy in court,” Taromina recalled. “When I let Ozzy know that, he changed the whole conversation. He just cried and cried. It wasn’t about his problems, but because of my mother. He was always so fond of her, since we were kids. My mother was dying of cancer, and despite his troubles, he couldn’t handle it. That’s the kind of heart he had.”

“When I hung up the phone and went over to my

‘Keep going, be more offensive, be ruder, be smarter, be better.’

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mother, she asked about Ozzy, because she had seen what he was going through on the news, and she started crying for him.

So, to me, that was the impact that a lot of people didn’t see from Ozzy. He did affect a lot of people in a very positive way.”

For Taromina, writing the book gave him more than an avenue to reveal the truth behind Lembo’s crimes and fully expose the man Ozzy was.

“I got to continue our relationship,” Taromina said. “I had to channel him, having a front-row seat to his life and being given the canvas of his memoirs, him asking me to do this and working through the broad strokes with him while he was alive — because he died so suddenly. He was alive and well and then died in two weeks. Writing this book has allowed me continue our conversations.“ 64

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Yet, in reliving some of their old conversations, Taromina found trouble revealing some of the gritty, disturbing and intense dialogue, only finding solace from some transcendental encouragement from Lembo.

“He made me laugh, and I think I made him laugh, and I pushed the envelope of the dialogue, in some cases I stopped and said, ‘Okay, this is too far,’” Taromina said. “But I’d feel Ozzy, either in a dream or somehow, telling me, ‘Keep going, be more offensive, be ruder, be smarter, be better.’ He drove me to write it as cutting edge with his tongue thrashing as possible.”

However, in contrast to Jordan Belfort, the criminal who wrote The Wolf of Wall Street, Lembo did not victimize the most innocuous people, according to Taromina, and in that sense he could be more closely compared to Frank Abagnale of Catch Me if You Can fame.

“Ozzy was more of the Frank-Abagnale ilk than the Jordan Belfort, in-your-face, bombastic criminal,” Taromina said. “And I always felt it was more interesting for Ozzy, the way he committed and schemed and scammed because he created these personalities, these fronts that totally fooled people.

“Ozzy didn’t rob people’s retirement funds, he robbed debtors, and there were for sure a lot of innocent people who got screwed over, I’m sure, but it wasn’t the sympathetic collection of victims you would say a Jordan Belfort of Wolf of Wall Street had.”

Taromina hopes his readers will be able to see the lessons that are begging to be noticed, but more than anything he wants people to learn from the horrors of drugs, and the unintentional victims that self-medicated monsters can target.

After finishing the novel, Taromina has found himself yearning for Ozzy’s unbelievable ability to socialize in order to sell the completed product.

“I wish my work was done. He wanted me to write the book and I did,” Taromina said. “Here’s the book, here is the story.

I wish Ozzy was here to sell it, I wish Ozzy was on Katie Couric talking about this awful American Greed. He was an amazing character, and I still wish he was here today, telling more of his obscene and unbelievable stories.

The Dark Wizard of Oz: Sex, Drugs and the Largest breach of bank Security in US History is currently available on Amazon.

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THE COLD CASE

SPRING CLEANING WRITTEN BY: MIKE MORSE

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ld Man Winter has finally thrown in the towel and taken his icy temperatures and barren emptiness to a place where they will be more welcome, perhaps Siberia or the North Pole or Martin Shkreli’s soul. But here, in Bergen County, winter’s harsh conditions have been replaced by warmer temperatures, longer days, and a strange compulsion to “Spring Clean.”

Ah, spring cleaning. As colorful birds and beautiful foliage make everything outside our homes look lovely, we begin to notice just what a cluttered mess everything inside our homes has become over the winter, and some of us feel compelled to take action.

Let’s be honest here: We all have too much stuff. Digging through my closet last week, I realized that I own three pairs of snow boots. Three pair! I rarely go out in the snow, but the maximum amount of boots I’ll wear at a time is 4.

Looking around my home at the clutter that has found its way onto almost every flat surface, I stood and made a solemn resolution: I will Spring Clean and not stop until my home looks like it has been ripped from the pages of Good Housekeeping, rather than admiring the centerfold for Hoarders Monthly. Sorry, but she was a hott mess!

I resolved to get rid of anything I did not absolutely need to survive. I resolved to be merciless in my junk cleanse, to toss out unnecessary items regardless of their sentimental value or, in the case of a little plastic hula girl figure that dances when you poke her, how cool it looks on my bedroom dresser.

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I then thought back to the last time I made resolutions, which was, not surprisingly, on New Year’s Eve. I resolved to lose weight, get in shape, and stop drinking. Okay, I’m 0-for-3 with those, but this resolution would be different! I can do this! I will Spring Clean like Martha Stewart hopped up on Red Bull. To prove my point, I grabbed the little hula girl figure and tossed her into a plastic trash bag I had labeled “Donations.” That little gal will soon be doing her adorable hula dance for a needy child in Rwanda or Ethiopia or at the Octomom’s house, I thought proudly.

Inspired by my selfless act, I looked around my bedroom for more things to throw into the bag. There! On my nightstand! An issue of Sports Illustrated from 2015, the headline on the cover touting their bold predictions for Super Bowl 50. Well, since that event took place in February, I could just get rid of this obsolete and outdated magazine.

However, there did seem to have some interesting articles inside… so I grabbed a beer (we’ve already gone over how that resolution went) and sat down to do some reading. About halfway through one of the articles I realized that a ball game was about to start on TV, and that I needed another beer. So I turned on the TV and ran to the fridge and, long story short, I woke up on Day 2 of Spring Cleaning with only that lonely little hula girl in the bag. Hey, there’s always next spring.

You can follow Mike at on twitter at @mikemorsesays

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