Tag Archives: Newtown

A Chef’s Life Comes Into Focus

BOOKS

Melissa Wieczorek didn’t study at a prestigious culinary institute, didn’t apprentice under a stern chef and she didn’t pay her dues as a line cook. What she did was approach the kitchen as an entrepreneur who loves to cook. And it’s paying big dividends, professionally and personally.

 

Melissa-Wieczorek

The chef’s coat may not have been Wieczorek’s first choice, but it fits her just fine.

Too many among us have been there, are mired there now: Hemmed-in-verging-on-suffocated-by an unrelenting work schedule that left little room for anything else. The only rays of hope, the increasingly frequent daydreams about living an entirely different life.

Melissa Wieczorek was there 15 years ago, advancing within the administration of Temple University’s Fox School of Business, but, in the back of her mind, thinking about cooking.

“I knew I wanted to do something in food,” she recalls, “but it had to be conducive to having a family. So a restaurant was out.”

Ironically, while Wieczorek was studying for her own MBA at Fox, an independent study led her to the personal chef industry. She created a business plan as part of her coursework and presented it to venture capitalists. Later, in 2005, she’d put it to use, founding the Newtown-based A la Maison Personal Chef Service, now Zest Culinary Services, which she owns with her partner, Theo Petron, another corporate dropout.

Initially, Wieczorek operated primarily as an in-home personal chef, but she’s since pivoted to prepared-meal delivery, a $1.5 billion market that’s expected to at least double over the next few years. Wieczorek may be at peace with herself in the kitchen, but she’s clearly thinking beyond it. It’s that savvy that landed her in the book, Behind Their Brand, Chefs Edition, Vol. 1, published last September, which offers narratives by Wieczorek and several other chefs who followed non-conventional paths.

We caught up with her—after her trip to Cuba—to find out what’s trending in her kitchen now.
—Mike Madaio

 

 

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Wieczorek in the kitchen in Cuba and strolling the streets of Havana with Petron.

 

How is a personal chef different from the chefs we read about and see on TV?
MW: Great question. That’s part of why I participated in this book, because so many people think the industry offers a single career track, working the line in a restaurant and eventually becoming executive chef. But there are so many different culinary careers. For me, cooking is only one part of the skillset. It’s an entrepreneurial venture, so I’m everything from bottle washer to business strategist to salesperson.

Meal-delivery subscriptions are blowing up. How are you

distinguishing yourself?
We offer a more complete experience. First, it’s like having a personal trainer. This is a one-on-one program, customized not only to your likes and dislikes, but also to your lifestyle. Second, our clients are not cooking at all. They’re taking something out of the fridge and heating it up within a few minutes, which is life-changing for busy people.

What advice would you give someone who’s looking to be more efficient in the kitchen?
Cook once. Eat twice. It’s something often overlooked because people don’t want to eat leftovers. But if you reinvent it into something else that doesn’t look like Monday’s dinner, it’s more exciting.

What kind of food are you passionate about?
I rarely meet a food I don’t like! But, right now, ethnic cuisine is something that consistently excites me. I’m always on the lookout for lesser-known ingredients, that next new thing to try.

What’s your ingredient-of-the-moment, then?
Well, we’ve been working a lot with quinoa—

—Come on! That’s so last year.
[Laughs.] True. We actually just got back from Cuba, where we learned to make a stew that was traditionally made with whatever protein they could find, monkeys, rats, snakes, you name it. But I’m not going to say rats. My big takeaway, seriously, was plantains. They’re versatile and delicious and readily available here. Though, unless you are from a Latin culture, you probably don’t know what to do with them.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
I love making a peanut butter-and-jelly with potato chips on the sandwich. I know, this does not exactly fit with our vision of “eat well, live fit, have fun,” but I’m a big fan of everything in moderation. Though, sometimes I do OD on chocolate.

Photos courtesy Melissa Wieczorek

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9 Reasons to Start Drinking Local Wine

DRINK

Still caught between gifts for next week? Go with an all-local wine tasting. You’ll both be surprised by the breadth of it—you especially because you’ll know how cheaply it came.

By April Lisante

Maybe save the vineyard strolling for more hospitable conditions and head straight for the bar, where it’s warm and toasty, and getting more so with each pour.

If, like us, you’re not in the fortunate position of plotting an escape from this gloomy winter to Tuscany or Napa, there’s still a consolation prize to be had. Through the end of April, the nine-member Bucks County Wine Trail is offering a $20-pass that buys you a tasting at each vineyard. (Cough. Valentine’s Day. Cough.)

The vineyards, which cover about 30 miles, from Rose Bank in Newtown to Unami Ridge in Quakertown, are sampling reds and whites, along with several unexpected varieties, including Rieslings and fruit wines. All are family-owned and -operated, ranging in size from just a few acres to over 70, and some have been around for decades. (The wine trail itself has been a thing since 2004.)

“Our mission was to educate people about agro-tourism and winemaking,” says Theresa Katalinas, a spokesperson for the wine trail.

More specifically, it’s to introduce them to us, their neighbors. Joseph Maxian has been making Riesling since the eighties at Sand Castle Winery in bucolic Erwinna, but out-of-towners comprise the great majority of his visitors. Sand Castle’s out of the way, but Maxian’s hardly been operating on the down-low all this time. Large signs along River Road announce the approach of the winery’s entrance, which, aside from the Golden Pheasant Inn, is the only business around for miles. And he regularly submits his vintages to international competitions.

“We taste it against the best in Europe, and no one can say which is better,” Maxian says. “But we are more known in New York City than Bucks County, so it will be nice to see if the trail brings us more locals. This county is great for wine. I see it as an eye-opener.”

Normally, tastings would range from $5 to $20 per person, on average, at each winery. They entail about a half-dozen three-quarter ounce pours—which can add up fast, especially when you’re driving to your next round. So bring a DD (which could spoil the mood) or pace yourselves across a few weekends. This isn’t a competition. Though, we don’t want to make any presumptions about how your partner will want to reward you at the end of it.

Jerry Forest planted his first vines in 1966—and then waited. Which makes his Buckingham Valley Vineyards, now in its 50th year, the trail’s granddaddy. “I played guitars, I drank wine. I felt like I was going to make a living of one or the other,” Forest says, with a laugh.

Forest, like many of the other wine trail vintners, experienced years of trial before producing his first bottle. Today, Buckingham Valley’s most known for its sparkling wines, in part because they’re a rarity for the region.

“That’s why this trail is nice. We are all different,” Forest says. “We aren’t in competition with one each other. We complement one another.”

Photos courtesy the Bucks County Wine Trail

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6 Holiday Home Tours to Hit

FIELD GUIDE

For a couple precious weeks each year, we can enter the homes of complete (and, sometimes, not) strangers and gawk at their stuff. To ensure that you satisfy your curiosity, we offer a brief guide to the prime snooping—err, tours.

By Scott Edwards

‘Tis the season to scope out some of the most inspiring halls around us, public and private. And, of course, soak up some holiday vibes. But, let’s be honest, we drag the dog out for a walk out most nights as a convenient excuse to peer through our neighbors’ floor-to-ceiling windows. These are the couple of weeks of the year when we can drop the act and walk right in. What follows is a guide to the season’s most promising house tours. Rest assured that every property will be decked out. You’re probably more interested in what lies beneath the garland, though. As are we.

Newtown Historic Assoc. Holiday Open House Tour | December 3
Six homes and seven public buildings, all in Rockwell-ian Newtown Borough, comprise this year’s self-guided walking tour, which dates back to 1963 (when admission was a buck-fifty; it’s $30 now). You’ll find some of the most impressive examples of colonial-era architecture in Bucks County among this collection.
Chadds Ford Historical Society Candlelight Christmas Tour | Dec. 3
Several historic Chadds Ford and Pennsbury township properties will be decorated and awash in candlelight—or, rather, sunlight; the tour starts at 1 p.m.; but candles will be burning, or plugged in, at least—for the self-guided tour. This one’s most appropriate for the history savant. Most of the featured stops played a role in the 1777 Battle of Brandywine.

 

Chestnut Hill Community Assoc. Christmas-Holiday House Tour | Dec. 3
Navigate the five featured homes on your own, by car, or aboard one of the trolleys that’ll be tracing the route throughout the day.

 

 

 

Fonthill Holiday Lights Meander | Dec. 10
There’s only one stop on this tour, but it’s a doozy. In broad daylight on an average Tuesday, Henry Mercer’s personal castle in Doylestown, Fonthill Museum, is akin to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, if Wonka was a freak craftsman instead of a sugar fiend. Adorned with garland, candles and designer Christmas trees, it’s sensory overload.
Haverford Holiday House Tour | Dec. 11
Five homes, the oldest dating back to the 19th century. Expect lots of wide-plank floors, short doorframes and built-in shelving and cabinetry. In other words, the kind of authentic nuances that, despite our boundless innovation since their inception, have become impossible to replicate.

 

Pottsgrove Manor by Candlelight | Dec. 11
On the 12th day of Christmas, the English colonists got down with their God-fearing selves—indulgent dinners, lavish parties. So, here, actors will be recreating some of those scenes throughout the 264-year-old mansion of Pottstown’s founder. There will be something on all three floors—dancing in the parlor, cooking in the kitchen and, we’re expecting, a secret rendezvous in the servants’ quarters.

 

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Hauntings for the Timid

FIELD GUIDE

You like a good scare, but you’d prefer not to wet your pants. Follow us.

By Christine Olley

 

Halloween, like salsa, is an occasion that’s served at various intensities. Some of us may kick back with The Wizard of Oz and then call it a night. Black-and-white if we’re feeling brave (or buzzed), Technicolor if we’re alone and especially paranoid, with all those trick-or-treaters roaming around. Others may opt for a haunted hayride. Just enough of a fright to cause a spike or two of adrenaline, but never too threatening. And then there are those whose every action over the coming weeks suggests that Halloween is, in fact, the dawning of the end of times.

Our compilation of some of the coolest Halloween attractions now playing favors the mild-to-moderate side of the palate. We figured if you were seeking something hot, you weren’t going to refer to a magazine called Home + Table. Still, there are ample reasons to feel afraid. Just think more along the lines of goosebumps than night terrors.

 

Nassau Inn | Princeton, New Jersey

If you tend to weather your hauntings better on a full stomach, the Nassau Inn, which sits across from Princeton University, in charming Palmer Square, is offering private dinners for groups of 20 or more chased by a tour of the campus’s most notoriously haunted nooks. ($75 per person.) You’ll be armed with EMF meters, dousing rods and night-vision flashlights and fed lots of graphic stories for dessert.

 

The House in the Hollow | Newtown

If not for Halloween, we’d likely never realize that we’re surrounded by so many turn-of-the-century asylums and orphanages. And thanks to whichever reality TV-ghost hunter you favor, we’re all now well aware of the horrific treatment that played out within their walls. So what we have here at Malfate Manor, a.k.a. The House in the Hollow, is the perfect storm: Our own ridiculous preconceptions colliding, head-on, with lots of dark corners and costumed teenagers jumping out from them.

 

Waldorf Estate of Fear | Leighton

Imagine a haunted house where you and your friends are the attraction. That’s the idea behind Waldorf’s newest scene, the Zombie Escape Room. You’ll be offered refuge from the encroaching apocalypse and then given a half-hour to figure out the clues that’ll lead to the exit. Think “The Walking Dead,” but without the armfuls of guns. If there are enough of you—10 are admitted per turn—make a game of it. Slowest to exit buys dinner. Then align with your Type A friends.

 

Temple of Terror | Pottstown

The legend has it that Damon DeMonio returned home after fighting in the Civil War only to discover that his new wife was, um, nurturing an army of her own. He lost his head. The result was not pretty. Skip ahead 150 years: An actual freemasons lodge sits atop the plot where DeMonio’s home once stood. Strange things, reportedly, happen there, like freemasonry. Also: a three-story haunted house. But, really, freemasonry is plenty creepy enough.

 

Costume Dash 5K/10K | Philadelphia

When you’re moaning your way up a small hill, barely maintaining a walking pace, do you ever think, What could make this jog even better? A bulky, awkward-fitting costume? Yes! Then the Costume Dash is just the opportunity you’ve been looking for to further sabotage your fitness. And if that wasn’t already a weird enough site, there’s a pub crawl afterward. Nothing says, “You’re a man now,” to a 10-year-old like forcing him to witness Iron Man and his super friends stumble out of a bar in the middle of the afternoon.

 

PAFA After Dark | Philadelphia

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is hosting a “Stranger Things”-themed party (Will!) October 19, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., (free with museum admission; registration required) complete with pumpkin decorating (resistance is futile) and tarot card readings (find out when you’re going to die through a party game!). There’s also going to be ghost tours of the galleries, including one of Fernando Orellana’s ghost machines. It’s a site-specific installation where Orellana’s configured four robotic machines through which he’s attempting to interact with the ghost of Thomas Eakins.

 

Photos courtesy (from the top) Waldorf Estate of Fear; Nassau Inn; Waldorf Estate of Fear; Costume Dash

Alternative, Sure, But Effective

THE LIFE STYLIST

A few outside-the-mainstream treatments to help fight off that cold or even the seasonal affective disorder that always seems to lay you out right about now.

By David J. Witchell

It was like clockwork. Every year, as soon as it turned dark and frigid, I caught a debilitating cold that seemed to stay with me until the spring. I’ve always been a workaholic, and I was even more of one in my early twenties, so I wasn’t paying nearly enough attention to my wellbeing. Once I made the connection, the colds lessened in severity then disappeared almost entirely. The basic preventative measures I started adhering to religiously all those years ago sparked a deep passion for holistic treatments. Today, I credit them with keeping me above the fray when everyone else is struggling to stay upright.

Some stuff I do year-round, others are seasonal. The one ritual in my arsenal that I consider to be the most critical is nasal irrigation with a Neti Pot. I’ve been doing it almost daily for the last 20 years, and it’s significantly reduced or even eliminated nosebleeds, nasal congestion, headaches and sore throats.

I go back and forth between the traditional pot and saline solution and the more convenient spray. Both are equally effective. I use a pot and a spray by NeilMed, but the spray can be a bit harsh for first-timers. Arm & Hammer Simply Saline Nasal Relief is milder. Still, the sensation will take some getting used to.

If you think tipping a pot of warm saline up your nose sounds awkward, ear candling is going to blow your mind. Laying there, the first time, with a burning candle sticking out of my ear, the skepticism I felt was far outweighed by the fear that something seriously bad was about to happen. When it didn’t, I slowly relaxed and actually started to enjoy it.

Ear candling’s credited with everything from safely cleaning up the ear canal to sharpening the senses. I tried it because I was suffering from mild vertigo and non-sinus head congestion. The candle was lit—I could hear it crackling—but I didn’t hear or feel much after that. When it was done, I felt calm and lighter. These days, the moment I feel lightheaded, dizzy or congested, I arrange a session.

Essential oils comprise another part of my year-round regimen. Whenever I begin to feel rundown, I’ll draw a hot bath and add five to eight drops each of thyme, rosemary, tea tree, lemon, eucalyptus and lavender essential oils. Their essence can stay with you for a few days, and it’s not just a physical effect. I’ve worked alongside master aromatherapists whose blends have pulled me to a different place and time. Aside from adding them to a bath, the oils can be diffused or applied directly to the skin.

When I don’t act fast enough at the onset of an illness, my go-to remedy blend is called Thieves. It’s a mixture of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus and rosemary. I’ll add four of five drops to a basin of boiling water, cover my head with a towel, lean in and inhale the steam. The blend was developed in the 15th century to treat the plague. It’s antiviral, antiseptic and antibacterial. I also use it as a sore-throat spray, and I’ll add a few drops to a warm, damp washcloth to help with head and chest congestion.

Essential oils are my magic bullet. But be sure to use them according to the proper dilutions, and pay close attention to contraindications with certain conditions.

Shirodhara is an Ayurveda practice that’s believed to stimulate the third-eye chakra. A thin, steady stream of warm liquid—it can be an herbal oil blend, milk or buttermilk—spills onto the forehead for about 25 minutes, but it can feel like much longer.

Afterward, I find that my concentration is sharper, my anxiety is diminished and my conscience expands to profound dimensions. The only sensation I can equate it to is the endorphin rush following an epic achievement, like finishing a marathon.

I learned of shirodhara 21 years ago during a week spent training with some of the icons of holistic medicine, Deepak Chopra, Bernie S. Siegel and Ram Dass. The version we offer at the spa features herbal oils, and it’s incorporated into a massage.

I’m 48 now, and it becomes more apparent to me with every birthday that my health—physical, mental and emotional—hinges on staying proactive with my care. I’m not discounting the merits of eating unprocessed foods and exercising consistently, but, in my experience, there’s more to it than that. And these treatments, however far outside the mainstream some of them may seem, fill that void in me.

David J. Witchell is the co-owner of David J. Witchell at 25 South and The Boutiques at 25 South, both in Newtown.

Photos by David J. Witchell / Model: Catie Whalen

The King of the Dinner Party

Michael Aram’s likely going to carve out a place, in some form, at most of our holiday dinner tables. Here, he discusses setting his own, along with offering a glimpse of his next collections.

By David J. Witchell

For years, I’ve posted pics of my dinner parties, specifically the table settings, on social media, and I’m always overwhelmed by how much feedback they draw. Usually, it’s the Michael Aram pieces that pique the most interest.

Amid our deepening attraction to artisanal creativity and craftsmanship, Michael Aram’s home goods collections have become a phenomenon. As often as I use them and as prominently as I display them around my home, I didn’t realize how many of his pieces I’ve come to own until I took stock for this column.

It’s the interplay of materials and textures, like black nickelplate against hammered stainless steel, that keeps his designs contemporary and eternally relevant. I’ve used the same pieces for both the most elegant evenings and casual get-togethers.

This fall, I caught up with Aram, who was at home in Dehli, to ask him what inspires him after all these years and, more importantly, how he goes about setting his own table for the holidays.

 

Are your holiday dinners big, traditional affairs?

MA Our family always comes together for holiday meals, and they tend to reflect the lifestyle, tastes and personality of the host. We’re excited to host Thanksgiving this year in our new home. It will be a mix of old traditions and new ones.

How much planning goes into your table settings?

It’s relatively easy for me to be relatively unplanned about a table setting since I have a good resource at my disposal. I do, of course, think about it, though. And I enjoy it, especially coming up with the floral arrangements and the fun, unexpected elements.

Have you given any thought yet as to what you’d like to do this year?

We’re moving into the house just before the holidays. I don’t even have a dining table yet. I’m still considering making one. But, once that’s done, the rest will be easy. I think I’m going to use a mix of our new Gotham dinnerware and cutlery and Rock stemware.

Are there any pieces that carry over from year to year, or do you start entirely fresh?

Pieces always carryover. I also like to somehow incorporate family heirlooms. They’re things that are on hand, but they need to look like they belong.

If I forced you to name a single favorite piece from your entire portfolio, what would say?

To say I have a favorite would be dishonest. I do feel connected, nostalgically, to certain pieces that marked either a time in my life or a progression in my creative development. I’m also sentimental about some of my older pieces, like the shoehorn, the twig cutlery and the mouse and cheese knife. But, otherwise, I prefer to keep my attention on my new work.

When you start a new collection, how do you focus your inspiration?

Inspiration has to have an authentic connection to something in my life. I make sketches and post things that inspire me on a wall, which becomes a series of mood boards that are then translated into a prototype that I lovingly call the “Granddaddy DNA Piece,” from which the rest of the collection is born.

How do you go about replenishing your creativity?

It sounds trite, but I do like to be open to inspiration in everything I do—playing with my kids and picking up leaves and broken shells from the beach. Work itself is inspirational, so I feel excited and refreshed every day.

Any chance you could offer a little insight into your next collection?

For next spring, I have two that I’m very excited about. One is a very abstract, almost brutalist, collection called After the Storm, which is inspired, strangely, by strong winds and heavy rains and the destruction and strange calm that follows them. The other is the opposite. It’s called Enchanted Garden, and it celebrates the first flush of spring, with delicate buds and tendrils exquisitely set with semiprecious stones. I jokingly refer to the two as “April Showers Bring May Flowers.” For me, they both capture a sense of new beginnings.

Where do you see Michael Aram, the man and the brand, in the next, say, five years?

Spending a lot of time in my studio and with my family. I want to be a role model for my kids as someone who gives back to his community, is creative, works hard and follows his passion. I feel like my work is taking on an exciting direction. I’m working on a larger scale with some furniture and sculptural work and at the same time working small and precious with fine jewelry.

David J. Witchell is the co-owner of David J. Witchell at 25 South (davidjwitchell.com) and The Boutiques at 25 South, both in Newtown.

Photo credit: David J. Witchell