There's a new charity in Monmouth County that is a super worthwhile organization serving cancer patients and their families called The Wellness Center, Northern Jersey Shore. The founder Ilene Winters had an introductory "Taste of Wellness" event for members of the community. Each area os service was set-up as part of our tasting tour.

Ilene served fresh Gazpacho Shooters created by Jesse's Cafe, Long Branch. They were very delicious and spicy and awakened our senses while tempting our palates. A ice-chilled French rose was refreshing.

This is Chef Jesse cooking up delicious seasonal vegetables in their own natural juices.

Ilene and her staff explained to us that her organization offers support, education and hope to people with cancer and their loved ones. Cancer is a very over-whelming word all by itself. But when you hear your doctor utter those words to you, it is mindblowing. I know. I am a two-time cancer survivor and I did not have a place like the Wellness Center to go to. The experience is incredibly isolating. Both times for me had a different set of circumstances; the one thing that remained the same was that deep, gut-wrenching feeling that gripped me. Yup it was fear in its rawest form. Ilene and her staff offer programs to help alleviate fears. Their professionals answer questions and offer nutrition, yoga, and group counseling. Just the opportunity to socialize with other cancer patients is helpful. I commend Ilene and her hard work to create a service so badly needed in our community.

This is Ilene and her Dad. Do you think he's proud? You bet. Thanks Ilene for all your hard work.

Jersey Tomato Swan Song - The BLT

I LOVE JERSEY TOMATOES! When tomatoes are finally in season and I see that “Sickles Own” sign above the red orbs I am in Heaven. But summer is long gone, days are shorter and nights are cooler! Still tomatoes are delicious. One of my favorite tomato treats is the the classic American BLT – Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato. Eating a BLT is just plain sinful so go all the way and don’t try to skimp on any ingredients. Besides you won't get another tasty in season tomato again until late July next year.

Use the best ingredients and products below and you too will have a summer sensation that is out of this world.

Here are the ingredients that I purchase from Sickles Market:

Boar’s Head Bacon
Pepperidge Farm Sliced White Bread
Hellman’s Mayonnaise
Green or Red Leaf Lettuce
Ripe Tomatoes
Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper

For two sandwiches I start off with eight slices of the finest Boar’s Head Bacon from Sickles Market, Little Silver. I separate the slices in a glass pan in a preheated 400-degree oven. I prefer the baking method since it cooks the bacon more evenly and creates less mess. Watch the bacom closely since it can turn from well-done to burned in split second.

Pepperidge Farm regular white sliced bread is the best choice since you don’t want the bread to over power the sandwich ingredients. Basically the bread is there as a platform for all the other ingredients! Hellman’s Mayonnaise is the only mayo to use, don’t even consider lite or fat free or any other brand. Toast the bread lightly and spread the mayonnaise generously. Come on, go all the way to the edges!

Place cooked bacon on a paper towel to soak up any fat. Layer the bacon onto the toast. Place two thick slices of tomatoes on top of the bacon, salt and pepper both slices. Add two lettuce leaves of red or green leaf lettuce or iceberg that have been washed and dried thoroughly (very important.). Now squish sandwich down with your hands to meld all together and slice in half. NOW ENJOY one of Jersey’s most delicious treats.

When tomatoes are in season I cook up BLTs for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Hey, it’s a short summer season and to celebrate make sure you get your share of BLTs be fore it's too late! You can’t get those lip-smacking tomatoes in the winter.

Enjoy!
Karen

Chefs Chill

Chefs Chill

by Karen Irvine

Chefs work long, hard hours. You would think that when their precious day off or two comes around that they would put their feet up and watch some TV. But that's not always so. Many chefs are activity addicts and they cannot sit still. They fill their time off with other activties requiring focus and sometimes patience.

Jack McCann, 32, Chef de Cuisine for Merri-Makers, caters high-pressure events of presidential stature like New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine’s Inaugural Ball for 3,000 guests and even President George W. Bush’s political fundraiser held at New Jersey Expo Center, Edison, in May 2007 for 700. No less stressful is preparing a bride’s dream wedding at Merri-Makers at Water's Edge, Sea Bright. The photo is of a beach wedding ceremony at Water's Edge.

McCann definitely can use time off to chill out and

offshore fishing helps Chef Jack get away from it all, whether it’s 25 miles out at the Mud Hole or sometimes even further to the Hudson Canyon, 90 miles off shore, where he fished recently.

“It was a particularly good day,” McCann said. “We caught Yellow Fin Tuna, Mahi Mahi and Mako Shark. Best of all there’s no cell service,” said McCann, who lives in Sea Bright, NJ and grew up on the Jersey Shore. McCann is blessed with youthful good looks and an athlete’s build, so naturally surfing is also one of his passions. “But surfing here is unpredictable. I take surfing vacations to Central America - Costa Rica, Panama,” he said. McCann owns his own sport fishing boat and says he loves the feeling of being on the open ocean where the waters are crystal blue and he and his buddies are surrounded by marine life. His family and friends benefit from his fishing sprees too. “I spread the wealth and just give the fish away,” he said. Here's a photo of Chef Jack with a great dish-to-be of tuna sashimi.

The executive chefs at popular Salt Creek Grille located in Rumson and Princeton clock up to 80 hours per week. They order food, oversee kitchen staff, make all dishes fresh and made to order, prep food, trouble shoot and serve up to 600 dinners a la carte on a Saturday night and another 150 guests in the private dining rooms.

On the one morning that he could sleep late, Jason Hensle, 32, executive chef for Salt Creek Grille, Princeton, is on his boat at 4:30 a.m. Happy as a clam he’s fishing the waters off the familiar coast of Atlantic Highlands where he and his two brothers grew up. They trailer their boat to various ports from Atlantic Highlands to Point Pleasant, following the Striped Bass, Fluke and Blue Fish runs.

“I love it out on the water. It’s quiet and I have to stay focused on the fishing. But our conversation ultimately turns to cooking,” said Hensle, who was Sous Chef at the Rumson location until opening the Princeton Salt Creek Grille in December 2006.

For Chef Rich Deutsch, who will be celebrating his tenth year along with Salt Creek Grille, Rumson in 2008, there is nothing better than jumping aboard his motorcycle cruiser for relaxation.

“I don’t think about anything else when I’m cruising. You have to concentrate and that allows me to get away from it all,” said Deutsch. Deutsch, 53, used to ride a motorcycle when younger but gave it up to raise his children. “In the restaurant business you’re away from your family a lot to begin with, I couldn’t take more time to ride my motorcycle too. But the kids are grown now, so I gave myself a motorcycle for my fiftieth birthday.”

When Chef Rich is at Salt Creek Grille he remains totally focussed on the preparation of the delicious American grill dishes grilled over authentic Mesquite wood grill. Check out the King Salmon Steak below. It's a Salt Creek Grille favorite stuffed with crab, shrimp and artichoke and topped off with a fresh herb butter sauce.

Farm to Pharma Catering Event at Sickles Market

For those of us who have been Sickle-ized, it is difficult to believe that some people do not know about Sickles Market, Little Silver. But it's true. Some poor souls have never had the Zen-like experience of driving through the park, past the berry patch tended by Mr. Sickles, who is 81 this year and fit as a fiddle - you cannot stop a farmer from farming, ever - then further still, behind the baseball field and into the parking lot bordered by beautiful flowers. It is there hidden from all the chaos where the garden center and specialty food market waits to be discovered. Sickles Market - celebrating its 100th birthday this year - draws devout gardeners and foodies of all levels to it like pilgrims to a sacred site. They know that the gem of a business is stocked with all the absolute best goodies from peat moss to foie gras. There's always something new to discover there. I've worked as a public relations and marketing consultant to Bob Sickles for several years now, and I'm still uncovering new products and services at Sickles Market.

One of my goals is to create more public awareness about Sickles Market. Did you know that Sickles offers catered lunches with delivery to local businesses? Only a few at this time use this excellent service. To change that we recently held a tasting event specifically for pharmaceutical reps who entertain a lot. We invited them to come sample Sickles Market's catering services and gift baskets. The first photo is owner Bob Sickles, on the left with Dan Irvine, my step son (isn't he handsome?) and one of Forest Pharmaceuticals top sales reps too.

Dan knows about Sickles Market because I introduced him years ago and he loves good food. He's a big fan of my cooking and we are always discussing favorite foods, wines and restaurants. But he was unaware that Sickles offered catering and delivery service. It seemed only natural to bring Dan and some of his very busy colleagues to Sickles Market to check out the goods. Sickles staff - ever ready and professional - helped make the event informative and delicious. Laura created some super marketing materials, Kathy put some gift baskets together and Dave cooked up some delicious food. That's Dave in the second photo. You might recognize him from the deli counter.

There were sandwich wraps, vegetable Cole slaw, spinach salad, pulled pork sandwiches, lasagna and eggplant rolatini. What makes Sickles prepared foods stand out from other deli counters is the high quality produce and products that are readily available to Chef Kevin and his crew.

That's a pan of eggplant rollatini, one of my favorites. Doesn't that look good enough to eat?! It sure was. The dish was made of thin slices of eggplant covered with a delicate layer of tasty bread crumbs, stuffed with with velvety smooth ricotta and topped off with a robust marinara sauce. Believe me all the food was beautiful but the seven reps that were Sickles guests were sure easy on the eyes too. I always like to be in the company of young adults who work hard and experience success. It's what is so right about our country. Their enthusiasm for new expereinces and their solid kinships in a highly competive business world give me so much hope for our nation's future. Now, they have a new resource in Sickles Market to help enhance and reward their social and professional lives.

Storm Watching at Salt Creek Grille

Met my friend Nancy at the bar at Salt Creek Grille, Rumson, on Monday. What a Happy Hour! Enjoying the view and a glass of Kunde at half price! Monday-Friday Happy Hour 4-6:30 all glasses of wine are half price. That's recession proof alright! A table filled with free goodies like Caesar Salad, homemade chips, nachos. We're just chillin' when all of a sudden the wind picked up, trees bowed over. Manager Luke Walsh came by to warn me to put the top up on my Boxster. Ran out and big spots of rain pelted me on my way back in. Now all eyes were turned to the panoramic view outside of the Navesink River. Check out the view above minutes before the storm.

It was a squall alright. A curtain of rain covered the windows, high winds whipped, lightning flashed and thunder boomed. What a show! Kids were in awe and I was too. One guy came in totally drenched.

"This is just from the car into the restaurant," he yelled pointing to his soaking wet shorts. The managers were prepared with flashlights. They knew the drill. Chefs were standing ready to start the power down protocol. When Salt Creek Grille loses power the heavy duty exhaust fans pulling out the smoke from the Mesquite grill shut down. Then a ghost like veil of smoke starts to pour out into the dining room. It's harmless, just smoke, but the alarm cannot discern this. To quell the smoky haze the chefs have to shovel the wood embers into fire boxes to take outside. It's pretty exciting and just another one of the many tasks performed expertly by the chefs.

On the right is a chef grilling over the open flame. Yum, yum!