Abby Nooney prepares cones with chocolate and sprinkles at Coney Waffles & Ice Cream, which opened last week at 18 Broad Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
The doldrums of summer may be upon us, but not in the realm of tastebuds.
The ever-changing food scene in downtown Red Bank continues its evolutionary bustle, as this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn shows.
Kayla Barbuto in her newly opened Lady K’s Bake Shop. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Cakes, tarts, ice-cream and other sweet treats: downtown Red Bank is adding to its dessert menu with the recent opening of a specialty bakery and plans for a new ice cream shop.
Read all about it in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
Perhaps lured by the aroma of baked pastries, below, customers took advantage of a crisp autumn day for lunch at the French Market this week. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
By SUSAN ERICSON
Open the door to the French Market on East River Road in Rumson, and the aroma of fresh baked pastry overwhelms your senses. PieHole tells you this as a favor. It’s easy to lose control and forget that you are there for a reason.
Since July, chef Laurent Chavenet has been filling the shelves of this market with his butter-enhanced flaky creations. But it’s not just pastries: a six-page takeout menu offers French specialties such as quiche, crepes and croissant sandwiches, as well as salads and a charcuterie plate.
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Amelia Caverly, below, and at center above with fellow Booskerdoo bakers Carolyn Kroeper, left, and Diana Richter preparing the day’s bread and pastries. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
By SUSAN ERICSON
For the past 16 months, the sleepy town of Fair Haven has awakened to the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee wafting from Booskerdoo, at the corner of DeNormandie Avenue and River Road. Cars start pulling up as early as 6 a.m. as customers run in to grab a cup of French Roast or Jersey Diner.
Now, they can pick up something sweet and baked on-premises for breakfast or dessert, too.
Having made a transition from teacher to baker, Amelia Caverly – who owns the three-store chain with her husband, James – is there to start the day’s work at 4 a.m., overseeing a small baking crew in the back of the store.
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Exhibit No. 9 gallery owner Tom White, center, discusses the artwork now showing at Antoinette Boulangerie in Red Bank. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
By SUSAN ERICSON
Curated art exhibits that could previously only be seen in Asbury Park at Exhibit No. 9 gallery can now also be enjoyed avec croissants and other treats onMonmouth Street in Red Bank.
Antoinette Boulangerie opened its doors last week to art and pastry lovers alike with in an exhibition titled “Dessert for the Eyes.” The stylish opening reception, hosted by bakery owners Ayca User and her sister, Zeynep Ozdimer, featured works from around the globe, chosen by Exhibit No. 9 owners Tom and Lois White.
“The art in the gallery will change often, so it won’t always be the same thing on the walls,” User said, while guests snacked on decadent chocolate-covered strawberries and coconut macaroons.
The house, at 94 Drs. Parker Boulevard, was once the home of African American journalist T. Thomas Fortune. Below, a detail of the soffit. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
The owners of Red Bank’s T. Thomas Fortune house ran into the first obstacle Thursday in their controversial quest to raze the historic structure.
Borough planning director Donna Smith-Barr found the Vaccarelli family’s application for a demolition permit incomplete, and kicked it back for more information, she tells redbankgreen.
In itself, the decision itself may barely slow the Vaccarelli’s plan for a decrepit structure that once was the home of the pioneering civil rights journalist Timothy Thomas Fortune. But the request could also face the hurdle of a zoning board review, Mayor Pasquale Menna tells redbankgreen. And the leader of a year-old group formed to save the structure said he is prepared to sue to stop the demolition, if necessary.
“The attorneys I have can have it stayed for 18 months,” said Peter Primavera, director of the T. Thomas Fortune Project. “We’re doing the paperwork right now.”
The house, at 94 Drs. Parker Boulevard, was once the home of African American journalist T. Thomas Fortune. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
A day that Red Bank historic preservationists have dreaded for years appears nearer as the owners of the so-called T. Thomas Fortune house have filed a formal request to demolish the historic structure.
Eighty-six-year-old James Vaccarrelli of Shrewsbury, who owned the house with his brother Anthony, filed for a demolition permit from the borough last Friday afternoon, borough planning director Donna Smith-Barr tells redbankgreen.
Anthony Vaccarelli, 93, died at his Red Bank home last month, according to an obituary published by the Asbury Park Press. James tells redbankgreen that the move was anticipated prior to his brother’s death, as efforts to sell the property in recent years have failed because of the deteriorated condition of the house.
“There’s nothing to save,” said Vaccarelli, who was born and raised in the house, at 94 Drs. James Parker Boulevard. “It’s a shame, but vandals got into it many, many times, even though it was boarded up, and they just wrecked it.”
Dish chef Anthony Ferrando tells PieHole readers where to get the best pizza in a town with a lot of options. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JIM WILLIS
Under the weather of another snowstorm – and another bout of cabin fever – PieHole went to downtown Red Bank looking for some culinary inspiration.
We sat down with chef Anthony Ferrando of Dish, on White Street, to ask if he might suggest a few interesting meals for the home cook. We ended up getting that and a whole lot more, including some insights into his favorite food stops in town.
East Siders Christina Dostie and Jenny Rossano made the snowy trek into downtown Red Bank this morning for the debut of Antoinette Boulangerie, the new bakery on Monmouth Street. The pair toted home bags of flaky carbs to get them through the snow day.
“We’re exited for the bread and croissants and a place to stop on the walk home from school,” says Rossano. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)
Check out PieHole’s Facebook page for more opening day pictures.
Sisters Zeynep Ozdemir (left) and Ayca User (right) with executive pastry chef Gina Roselle-Broschart in the Antoinette Boulangerie kitchen. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)
By JIM WILLIS
Sisters Ayca User and Zeynep Ozdemir were hours away from opening the doors to their French bakery on Monmouth Street in Red Bank when PieHole stopped in to find out what we can expect when Antoinette Boulangerie opens to the public on Friday morning.
The bakery was buzzing with dough mixers and we were engulfed in the smell of sweet pastries. Within seconds, we realized that PieHole‘s New Year’s Resolution to “cut down on bread” did not stand a chance.