CONNECTION
KING ADVOCATE
JONAH GOLD
COMEDY VETERAN LINETTE PALLADINO
9/11 AFTERMATH HOW PEN PALS HELPED STUDENTS
Tasteful Transformation
The Spring House’s
Jon Krieger
Back to Real Life
As we enter fall, leave vacations behind and get back to what I think of as real life—back to school and back to work—I encourage you to take a few moments and read about some extraordinary Tenafly residents. While each is very different, they are individually inspiring in their own way.
This month, we spotlight Jon Krieger, the visionary entrepreneur behind the Spring House, Tenafly’s new world-class restaurant. Krieger took the 230-yearold, historic Demarest-Lyle House and restored the aging building into what has been described as the No. 1 new restaurant in the state.
Next up is Linette Palladino, an extraordinary Tenafly mom. Palladino was a major in the U.S. Army and served in both Iraq and Kosovo. She is now a professional comedian, performing her standup from Manhattan to Hong Kong. Finally, we have Jonah Gold. Born with Aicardi–Goutières syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes a variety of disabilities, Gold is an advocate. He has worked with the Tenafly police and is available for public speaking. His optimism is infectious.
We hope you enjoy this month’s glimpse into the lives and work of extraordinary Tenafly residents. If you have any suggestions for making Tenafly magazine even better, please contact me at hello@tenaflymagazine.com.
Gina Palmieri Publisher
Publisher Gina Palmieri
Local Editor
Jenna Demmer
Art Director
Sue Park
Writers
Erin Demmer
D. Flynn
Elisabeth Sydor
Raina Wallens
Mark Zinna
Photographers
Alyson Barrow
Brian Marcus
Chris Marksbury
WAINSCOT MEDIA
Chairman Carroll V. Dowden
President and CEO
Mark Dowden
VP, Group Publisher, Regional
Thomas Flannery
VP, Content Strategy
Maria Regan
Creative Director
Kijoo Kim
Executive Editor
Richard Laliberte
Associate Editor
Sophia Carlisle
Advertising Services Director
Jacquelynn Fischer
Operations Director
Catherine Rosario
Production Designer
Chris Ferrante
Print Production Manager
Fern Meshulam
Advertising Production Associate
Griff Dowden
Tenafly magazine is published by Wainscot Media. Serving residents of Tenafly, the magazine is distributed monthly via U.S. mail. Articles and advertisements contained herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers. Copyright 2024 by Wainscot Media LLC. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent.
PHOTOGRAPH
SUNDAY OCT. 20 12 – 5PM
A Roaring Success
Tenafly’s mayor highlights happenings in our local community.
BY MARK ZINNA
Have you had an opportunity to visit the Tiger Courtyard and Tiger Mural? It was designed by lead artist Dillon Corsair, a Tenafly resident and university student. Dillon scoped and scaled the mural freehand, and he and his team have dedicated numerous hours over several weeks to complete the welcoming addition
to Tenafly Borough Hall. Working with Dillon on the project—and integral to completing the mural—are Catherine Yi of Tenafly Middle School, Hugh Park of Saint Peter School, Seon Lee of Bergen County Technical High School and Adam Emanuel Kishinevskly.
The Tiger Mural overlooks the Tiger Courtyard, which will be enjoyed by our residents, visitors and borough staff for many years to come. When visiting the library, municipal field or borough hall, be sure to visit the courtyard adjacent to the library and enjoy the mural.
Tuesday, September 10, is the 10th annual Tenafly Community Night! Thanks to the Tenafly Police Department and the Recreation Department for organizing and hosting this annual family-friendly community celebration. Community Night is open to all Tenafly residents and runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at the police, fire and ambulance corp complex on Riveredge Road. Enjoy food, drinks, entertainment, amusement rides, a DJ, local businesses, emergency service demonstrations, giveaways and, this year, a biergarten fundraiser for the PBA. Community Night is free to all residents.
Please remember that on Tuesday, September 17, Tenafly residents will vote on an important referendum for our community. I urge you to join me in voting “yes” to provide critical upgrades for our schools, enhance our quality of life and strengthen our children’s education for years to come.
Have a great month!
The Power of the Pen Pal
A teacher tells of teaching in New York on 9/11—and connections that formed afterward with a distant class.
BY ERIN DEMMER
INTERVIEW WITH JULIE O’CONNOR
Julie O’Connor was living in Tenafly and teaching third grade in Manhattan at the time of the 9/11 attacks. Another thirdgrade classroom taught by Elaine Mroczka graciously sent O’Connor and her students letters from across the country, not knowing who would receive them. The touching story is illustrated in O’Connor’s and Mroczka’s book, “The United States of Friendship: Pen Pals of 9/11.”
Tell us about being a teacher in New York City on 9/11.
Around mid-morning, I started to have teachers come to my classroom saying that students were getting picked up to go home and that something had happened downtown at the World Trade Center. As kids got picked up, we went into a more centralized location. We saw all these helicopters overhead and police presence everywhere. You had to pile into cars of people you didn’t know and depend on the kindness of strangers.
What is the story behind your book?
A few weeks later, I got a large manila envelope that was addressed to any thirdgrade class in New York City, and it got placed in my school mailbox. When I opened it, I found a class set of letters that said “Dear third grader” written from a third-grade class in Illinois.
Also in the envelope was “Dear third-grade teacher,” written by the teacher of that class. We read lovely messages, like “We’re thinking of you” or “We’re praying for you.” So we wrote back, sent it off to the other class and started a wonderful pen-pal relationship.
What were your reflections while writing the book?
I agreed to co-author because I felt we had a duty to try to remind people of the ideals of America and that when we go through a trauma, we should be unified. I’m very concerned about people forgetting their own history, and that was very important to me—to have this event memorialized in a way that kids could read in this book.
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
One take-away is that everyone has the power to make things better and everybody has the power to do something. When we have particular ills and anxiety, we can take some action to make the world a better place. The other thing I’d like people to remember is that unity is a much more important ideal than we make it. We need to work together as a broad community and make people feel welcome and cared for.
Anything else readers should know about the book?
Even victims of 9/11 will not find this very difficult to read. It’s good for kids as an introduction to the situation because it focuses on kids and their actions. It talks about kids being empowered during times of trauma. And I think it’s great to let them know that they can help other kids who are in tough situations.
Erin Demmer is a freelance writer living in Bergen County. She is also a clinical mental health counseling student who is passionate about helping others.
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Tasteful Transformation
How Jon Krieger and partners turned one of Tenafly’s oldest historic homes into the Spring House restaurant
For Jon Krieger, Tenafly is about appreciation and transformation: in brick and wood, in town dynamics and in his own worldview.
First, there is something he would like to see in Tenafly: “If you look at our downtown, the majority of businesses are shut by 5 o’clock,” he says. “There should be multiple places to go and have dinner, see a movie, get ice cream or be able to meet people while kids ride around and meet each other in town squares and parks, and we don’t have much of that.”
Not yet.
Krieger is one of the minds behind the Spring House, the restaurant currently animating the elegant bones of one of Tenafly’s historic houses, the Demarest-Lyle. Over 230 years old, the house has acted many parts on the Tenafly stage. For this one, it needed a costume change.
Working with History
The first thing that needed work was the building itself. Legally, the owners
BY D. FLYNN
of historical homes are limited in what they may do to the visible exterior of the building, but they have more freedom indoors. Unlike residents of such homes, who have reason to favor livability over atmosphere, Krieger and his partners decided to lean into the house’s grounded aesthetic—to the extent permitted by physics.
“The stairs were falling apart,” says Krieger. “We had to redo all of the stairs, floors and overall mechanicals and plumbing.”
The Spring House team chose 9-inch pine, stained to pass for original woodwork. Much of the original molding and archways were still there, albeit covered by drop ceilings. Given that the house had spent over two decades serving a multitude of different uses, including a preschool most recently, the team spent extra time and money restoring some of the original moldings and infrastructure to preserve the integrity and history.
“Danny Kindergan did every component of landscaping,” says
Krieger, “Conrad Roncati built and designed the entire project, and Marc Celli furnished the entire indoors and outdoors of the space. These individuals have all been in the area for 30-plus years and are dear friends.” He also credits Brandon Hirsch in operations, Eddie Larios, who oversees all design for the company, and chef Paco Frola.
The other thing that changed was the plan. The original concept that Krieger opened was a community holistic wellness center and café, which was open for a year but unprofitable. Instead of selling the building, he purchased a liquor license and started a six-month complete overhaul to turn it into what was just listed as the No. 1 new restaurant in New Jersey by NJ.com.
The current mission is to provide a space where all feel welcome and where friends new and old can gather to socialize around great drinks and clean food—a restaurant-industry expression for limited processing and additives.
Renovations at the 230-yearold Spring House left the exterior largely unchanged but updated the interior while retaining its historic flavor.
Multiple Spaces
The team designed each room within the Demarest-Lyle to have its own feel for this stage of its role in Tenafly history. The main entrance opens into the bar, which Krieger describes as spacious, seating 25. He says this is a space with vibrant music and “more energy,” but comfortable enough for dinner.
Upstairs is one of the house’s larger dining rooms and a smaller space that Krieger nicknames the speakeasy— officially the Lyle Lounge, a bar in the New York style, with specialty cocktails and its own menu. The Lyle Lounge is scheduled to open at the end of September.
The downstairs dining room intends an airier feel, with more windows and a view of the patio. This is near the Spring House’s event space. Also outside is the Lady Jules Garden, named for both Julia Lyle and Krieger’s spouse, Julia Gudish
Krieger. Krieger describes this space as a beer garden with an outdoor grill and kitchen.
There are also plans for a store to open this fall, slated to sell prepared foods from the kitchen and locally sourced produce. Rumors of an ice cream shop, however, were sadly exaggerated.
The third transformation is Krieger’s role in the town. He is currently president of the Chamber of Commerce, but it was far from a given thing. The Krieger family settled in Tenafly after the tumult of the pandemic. They left New York during COVID-19 to stay near relatives in Pikesville, Maryland, with “near” meaning “a three-acre forest and six cousins running back and forth from each other’s houses all day,” he says.
The Kriegers knew they needed more green in their lives, but they also needed to return to the Northeast. One of Krieger’s
sisters already lived in Tenafly, and two more followed. The Kriegers’ three children now have a network of cousins all within a five-minute drive.
“New Yorkers who may have never spent any time in New Jersey have…” Krieger searches for a the right word…“not a stigma, but a judgment and false understanding of what New Jersey is.” […] “As NYC continues to decline from a safety and overall business atmosphere, I think that Bergen County and other areas are starting to see a very different type of resident and customer, and I think people should be very appreciative, especially New Yorkers, to have this amazing town as an option.”
The option may become reality, if Krieger puts his hand to it.
D. Flynn is a writer who lives in Bergen County.
Krieger (above and left, with chef Paco Frola), wants the Spring House to be a place where guests can socialize over drinks and clean food that’s prepared with limited processing and few additives.
The King of CONNECTION
Jonah Gold has a gift for forming bonds—and educating people along the way.
Don’t know Jonah Gold?
Odds are, if you ask a Tenafly police officer, firefighter or DPW employee, they do.
Gold, a 26-year-old Tenafly resident and people magnet, was born with Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that can cause severe disabilities. In Jonah’s case, the disease left him unable to walk, among other challenges.
But Gold has made it his life’s mission to advocate for people with disabilities, including those who cannot speak for themselves.
Gold has a big heart, a
BY RAINA WALLENS
unique ability to engage and a love for people, especially the community’s unsung heroes. So, from a young age, Gold would greet the sanitation and recycling workers with bottles of water and a smile, forging relationships.
In 2013, Gold was chosen as the first Tenafly Chief-fora-Day—a program that gives kids with special needs the opportunity to experience multiple aspects of the police department. Chief of police Robert Chamberlain first met Gold at this event, and it was “the beginning of a lasting
friendship,” says Chamberlain. “His positivity is infectious, and it rubs off on the guys and girls of the department, who congregate around him when he comes to visit. He is quite popular in the other departments as well.”
This popularity was on full view during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Tenafly fire and police departments, police departments from two neighboring towns and the entire DPW drove by Gold’s house, parade-fashion, in honor of his birthday. “That was a pretty amazing day,” Gold says.
Jonah Gold has become a prominent advocate for people with disabilities, forging relationships with notables such as Governor Phil Murphy (opposite page) and rock star Jon Bon Jovi.
The Gold Touch Gold’s talent for connecting has created relationships that some people only dream about.
Twelve years ago, Gold attended the 12/12/12 concert for Hurricane Sandy relief. There, he saw Jon Bon Jovi play and was blown away by both the star’s performance and the kind way in which he interacted with others.
Upon learning that Bon Jovi was hands-on philanthropic—just the type of person Gold admires most—he was determined to meet the artist. Gold carefully composed a letter that a Tenafly friend was able to get to the celebrity.
“Fast forward,” Gold says: “We are like buddies. We talk often, we email and it’s become a relationship that I will really cherish for a long time.”
In classic fashion, Gold found a way to share what he treasures. At age 4, he had attended CTC Academy, a lifechanging school that serves students with developmental disabilities and provides support to their families. Upon graduating from high school, Gold returned to CTC Academy for a program
for 18- to 21-year-olds. Currently, Gold is fulfilling a dream of working at CTC.
So, when the opportunity arose, Gold asked Bon Jovi if he would consider visiting the school. Bon Jovi not only visited, “he literally got down on the ground and met every single student and every single staff member,” Gold’s mother, Tania Gold, says.
Bon Jovi was so floored by the school that he called up his pal Governor Phil Murphy, who also came to CTC and was equally impressed, immediately asking how he could help. His office has since been instrumental in advocating for CTC Academy.
Spreading Word—and Smiles
At CTC, Gold—who plays drums in Temple Sinai’s Rock Shabbat band— assists in teaching music, which he says has been “a really beautiful thing.”
He explains, “The best thing for me is...I almost give them hope for what’s to come for them. These kids are very medically fragile, unfortunately, so their lives could look way different from mine, but at least I’m doing the music for them
and their smiles—that’s what I love.”
Gold also serves as a CTC ambassador, giving tours of the school. Four years ago, Gold was the guest speaker at the CTC annual benefit gala. He did such a fantastic job that they’ve asked him to co-host the benefit every year since.
It turns out that public speaking and advocacy are Gold’s true passions. He’s spoken at several area middle schools, high schools and libraries.
“That’s been my favorite thing to do,” Gold says. “Having a disability taught me that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I think people forget that people with disabilities are human beings, and I don’t think people really see the person for who they are. That’s what I’ve been trying to teach people.”
Gold’s goal for the future is to bring his advocacy work to a broader platform. If what he’s achieved so far is any indication, expect to be hearing a lot more from him soon.
Raina Wallens is a writer living in Tenafly who’s had the distinct pleasure of knowing Jonah Gold for many years.
DIG FOR MORE
To contact Jonah Gold for public speaking, visit https://iamjonahgold.com
To learn more about CTC Academy, visit https://ctcacademy.org
Comedy Veteran
For Linette Palladino, life—including heart attacks, infertility and her Army career—is the stuff of laughter.
BY D. FLYNN
Linette Palladino cracked a joke about her husband’s heart attack on stage. She followed up with a one-two punch about waiting for him to have a stroke.
One member of the audience had recently known a stroke in the family—his father. Did the man in the audience think the jokes were funny?
“He howled,” says Palladino. “He said that was exactly what it was like.”
Palladino, who has lived in Tenafly since the pandemic, doesn’t see the blackness in the bits. “They’re not dark,” she says. “They’re life.”
Palladino’s previous credits include the HBO Latino Stand-Up! Comedy Competition and performing for the troops in Iraq, and her work covers everything from family to her 17 years as an Army reservist to going head-to-head (and other body parts) with infertility treatments.
Her rationale is that any audience will have at least one person who can relate.
‘Force Level’ Deployment
Comedy is her day job, says Palladino. She’s performed live standup on both sides of the cliffs, and she’s coming up on an industry milestone: One decade behind the mic.
“The 10 years is to get your persona, your point of view, your craft, so that what comes out of your face is so authentically you,” she says.
It’s also about getting through gatekeepers and challenges. New comedians are dropped into an informal pay-to-play system. Many perform unpaid work for venues in exchange for stage time. Palladino reports having done marketing, social media management, ushering and selling tickets.
While in college at Fordham University, Palladino joined the Army, which she
describes as her first adult job. She went immediately to her officer basic course, where she learned her specialty, military intelligence.
Her first deployment—15 months in Iraq—was at what the military calls force level. Palladino worked directly for a two-star general, which she describes as “almost unheard of” for a person of her rank at the time. There were no weekends. Her first day off was on the plane headed back to the States for two weeks of rest and recuperation nine months into her deployment.
In Iraq, she felt as if her actions had an impact. “Coming home and trying to figure out what kind of cereal to have for breakfast” was too big of a jump, she says. She took another deployment, this time to Kosovo. Most recently, she returned to Iraq in 2016 and part of 2017.
Linette Palladino joined the U.S. Army during college and felt her service in Iraq and Kosovo had an impact. She came to comedy through a combination of performance experiences in while school and personal events that made a post-Army job with the Department of Education feel less meaningful.
The Comedy Connection
It’s not unusual for people in the military to produce comedy, Palladino explains—especially now that the mature internet offers so many avenues. Soldiers and sailors populate TikTok and YouTube, all the usual suspects, filling every niche of online personality and commenting on most parts of military life.
She describes her trip to comedy as “a bummer of a story.” After returning from a deployment, Palladino took a job with the Department of Education. Even though she was back in the civilian world, where weekends are very much a thing, she says she worked as if she were still in the military, racking up 60-hour weeks.
In part, this was because she found her work for the DoE fulfilling. Then, in 2014, her father died after a relatively brief illness, less than two years after the death of Palladino’s grandmother.
“When he passed, that just wasn’t where my priorities were anymore,” she says. She’d been a performer during college—in the choir, the band and a stint with the Vagina Monologues. She took a standup class with Cory Kahaney through the Manhattan School of Comedy.
Getting this far has been a grind, but Palladino has zero complaints
about working in comedy.
Life has had other indignities. On stage, Palladino has dived into the absurdity of infertility treatments, turning them back on themselves like origami until twists and sharp edges become their own animal. “For as much as a doctor might try to be sensitive,” she says, “you’re still just calling me old.”
Of her first child, she says, “Children are a gift from God.”
Then she elaborates: “God should have made this gift a little easier to unwrap. Ever get a paper cut?” She goes on to compare it to an episiotomy.
Given that Palladino has welcomed her second child this summer (no thanks to the infertility regimen), the imagination braces for what she will bring to the stage in 2025.
D. Flynn is a writer who lives in Bergen County.
Palladino has a knack for spinning difficulties in life such as her father’s death and fertility challenges into comedy bits that connect with audiences.
Crossover Cuisine
Chick & Roll puts a new spin on Asian–inspired street food and desserts.
BY ELISABETH SYDOR
“Some people have a passion for music, some for sports,” says Jung Kim, owner of the new Tenafly restaurant Chick & Roll. “I have a passion for corn dogs.”
Specifically, he means rice dogs, a Korean version of the hot dog on a stick, rolled in rice meal batter.
After a long-but-unfulfilling stint in finance, Kim was looking for a new direction. His beloved rice dogs were the inspiration to open Mochinuts, which also sold boba drink (bubble tea) and mochi donuts. The colorful donuts made from rice and wheat flour are crispy outside, chewy inside—glazed with Oreo, Nutella or exotic Asian toppings such as black sesame or matcha, a powder from finely ground green tea leaves.
Then, this past July, he transformed the shop into Chick & Roll, offering a greatly expanded menu of innovative takes on
HOW THEY ROLL
Chick & Roll is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Asian street food and desserts, as well as entrees.
Diverse Fans
The new establishment still features mochi donuts but now also croffles, or waffles made out of croissants—a rich treat of unclear origin that is a big part of Korean café culture.
A cup o’ snow—shaved milk ice—is like ice cream without the cream.
The popular bubble tea is sweet and creamy, made with tapioca pearls.
Refreshers—lighter than the bubble drink—are made from jasmine green tea and flavored with peach passion fruit or mango.
New fare includes dak gang jeong (Korean double-fried chicken), oyakodon (a classic Asian comfort food) and kimbap, which looks like a sushi roll but is different:
While sushi is made of rice with vinegar to preserve the fish, kimbap is seasoned with salt and sesame oil to preserve the rice. Then the portable roll is stuffed with diverse cooked components—a sort of Korean sandwich.
This crossover cuisine has fans that span all demographics, not just Korean. One surprise is the number of young people who come around.
“So many kids really seem to like the place,” Kim says. “They’re well-behaved and so nice to have around. And almost all my staff are young people from Tenafly or neighboring Cresskill. To be surrounded by great young people is something unexpected about running a restaurant that is a blessing.”
Elisabeth Sydor is a freelance writer and web content consultant.
BOOK NOOK
Back-to-School Stories
Books with characters who navigate new classrooms may help calm kids’ seasonal jitters.
Many of us remember that feeling each September when we wondered what the school year would be like and if we would fit in. If that’s what your children are going through, here are some books that you can read to them—or, if they’re older, they can read themselves—to help calm their anxiety.
PICTURE BOOKS
“DAD’S
FIRST DAY: A BACK-TO-SCHOOL STORY”
By Mike Wohnoutka
It’s Oliver’s first day of school, and Dad is not happy. After a fun summer, he is not ready for his son to go. His stomach hurts and he feels scared. Oliver is excited about his first day and has to convince his Dad that school will be fun. The role reversal in this book will have you and your kids laughing together.
“THE
DAY YOU BEGIN”
By
Jacqueline Woodson
Starting a new school is hard, especially if you feel like an outcast. In her New York Times best-selling picture book, Woodson
BY JULIE MARALLO
tells the story of Angelina, who is reluctant to tell her class about her summer in the city because she knows her life is nothing like her peers’. A truly beautiful writer, Woodson reveals and celebrates the differences of all the children in the class.
“THE NAME JAR”
By Yangsook Choi
Unhei is starting a new school and is tired of everyone mispronouncing her Korean name. She decides to pick an “American” name out of a jar containing suggestions from her classmates. When the name jar disappears, Unhei doesn’t know what to do. Her friend suggests that she use her own name, but she is afraid the class will make fun of her. Choi’s book demonstrates how to navigate feelings of being ostracized.
CHAPTER BOOKS
“SCHOOLED”
By Gordon Korman
Capricorn Anderson has grown up on a commune raised by his hippie grandmother, Rain. She has
homeschooled him his entire life, sheltering him from the outside world. He has never watched television or eaten pizza, and he has no idea what money is. Now his grandmother is in the hospital and he is forced to attend a public middle school. While the anticipated disasters occur, resourceful Capricorn is no helpless victim.
“SHINE!”
By J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
When Piper’s father becomes the music teacher at a prestigious private school, he enrolls her as a new student. Piper goes along with this but finds it difficult to relate to some of her wealthy and talented classmates. Piper is a loveable heroine as she navigates middle school social life, always demonstrating kindness in tough situations. Her character shows how to prevail over bullies without resorting to their tactics.
Julie Marallo is the director of the Tenafly Public Library.
Have
Tenafly Tiger
In this photo taken by Jamie Corsair, Dillon Corsair sits by a mural he designed outside the Tenafly library. He has studied art locally at The Bon Art School and One River, and now pursues his passion for art at Washington University. “It’s an honor to give back to Tenafly and support local student artists,” he says.
Landscape Design
Rich Cording Sr. Licensed Landscape Architect
Eric Cording Landscape Designer
Rich Cording Jr. Master of Landscape Design Columbia University
