AllThereBoutique.com

What could possibly make holiday shopping more enjoyable than a boutique that comes to you! Or, you can shop on the website at allthereboutique.com. All items are in stock. Free same day delivery if items are ordered before 5 p.m.

The Center of Balance

Welcome to the beginning of a new you or a wonderful gift for someone you love. The Center of Balance provides a safe, pleasant, and comfortable environment to collectively expand your consciousness. They offer Primordial Sound Meditation, or PSM, a healing practice that allows you to experience inner calm and deep relaxation; and the Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique®, which involves guiding a person into a relaxed state in order to access a part of you that some people refer to as the Subconscious, Higher Self, or Universal Mind. Located at 273 NJ-34 in Colts Neck, visit thecenterofbalancenj.com, or call 732.740.6171.

Circus Wines, Beer & Spirits

One stop shopping for all your holiday beverage needs! The company has two large brick and mortar stores, under the name Spirits Unlimited of Red Bank (56 Newman Springs Road) and Middletown (853 State Highway 35), with a third location in Sea Girt. The family-owned business specializes in hand-picked selections of the best wine, spirits, and beer on the market. They pride themselves on offering true deep discount pricing on the highest quality products, with the goal to save you money and have you coming back for more. A lesson taught from their grandparents, they will jump through hoops to help you find what you are looking for. If it’s out there and available, Circus will find it! Visit CircusWines.com for Weekly Specials and Season Selections.

Colts Neck Pharmacy – The Gift Boutique

Unique gifts for every person on your holiday list, from babies to brides, hostess to best friend. Custom made baskets and gifts, with free wrapping and decoration. If you’re looking for specialty chocolates and jewelry, look no further. Need a quick gift, stop in! Planning for every person on your list? The Gift Boutique can help with that also. Local delivery available. Ask about their loyalty reward program when visiting at 420 Highway 34 Suite 309 in Colts Neck, visit ColtsNeckPharmacy.com.

Count Basie Center for the Arts

The gift of entertainment is always a hit and never goes out of style. There are performances for every age and every taste at this world class center for performances, culture and education. Choose among the many concerts, plays, children’s shows, dance, and comedy. Some feature national and international stars; other productions showcase local talent. And if you can’t decide, opt for a gift certificate. For a chance to win tickets, visit woobox.com/dfiweq. 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, 732.842.9000, thebasie.org

Dearborn Market

Dearborn Market’s gift baskets make a delicious and beautiful hostess or holiday gift this season!  Dearborn uses only the freshest fruits and high-quality gourmet specialty items with a range of products from Italy to local New Jersey companies. There’s a wide variety of baskets to choose from and you can also customize to your liking. Local delivery and shipping nationwide is available. Visit Dearbornmarket.com for a complete list or call 732.264.0256 to order yours today!

Kids Bedroom Gallery

Holiday special of 10% off your entire purchase to all CM readers! (Does not include Natart Furniture). This is the time for parents and grandparents to order for a holiday delivery! This is the store where grown-ups don’t pay retail with a showroom of more than 65 cribs, kids beds, and teen lofts on display. Visit at 282 Route 18 North in East Brunswick, call 732.210.4811, or visit kidsbedroomgallery.com.

L.A. Dance NJ PAC

It’s time to dance! The brand new location in Colts Neck is a great place for all ages and all levels. The location is new, but this is the 15th season in New Jersey. Owner Angela not only offers dance, but has brought in amazing vocal, acting, and piano coaches to prepare those pursuing a career in the arts, or for those who want to practice for a particular local play or school event. The arts make a special holiday gift and if you enroll in December, you will receive gifts, a dance bag, and a $10 gift card for in-stock L.A. Dance merchandise. Colts Neck Shopping Center, 420 Route 34S, 732.637.8181, ladancenjpac.com 

Majestic Exteriors

Start the holiday season with home improvements. Why not treat yourself to sprucing up windows, doors, curb appeal or tackling that long awaited repair? Majestic is an award winning company, family- owned and operated, with more than 21 years of experience and thousands of satisfied customers. It offers extended workmanship warranties to guarantee coverage long after the work is completed. Majestic provides the experience and results that you demand and deserve for your investment and will work with you to achieve the right solutions to bring lasting comfort to your valued home. Colts Neck Shopping Plaza, 420 Rt 34, 732.577.9813, majesticrenovations.com.

Nails Plus

The latest trend from Hollywood arrives in Colts Neck~ the Korean-Style Luxury Full Body Scrub. Lasting 75 minutes, the treatment begins with a soak under the water jets from EIGHT Vichy shower heads (from France), simultaneously prepping skin and massaging the body. Next enjoy a scrub from the neck to the feet with textured gloves to eliminate impurities, a shampoo, scalp massage, and a Swedish body massage with oils. (CBD cream available as an add-on). The tradition of Korean body scrubs has been around for centuries, and has countless health and beauty benefits including skin rejuvenation, reduction of cellulite, weight loss, lymphatic drainage, chronic pain relief, and stress reduction. Free regular mani/pedi with purchase. 732.410.4651, 340 Route 34 S, Colts Neck (near Perkins)

“I’d never been in the restaurant business other than as a musician,” shared Tim. “I went into the restaurant business blindly. I knew the front of the house, I was confident with that, but I was totally ignorant of the back of the house. But I was fortunate to have absolutely spectacular people working for me over the years. Very few people leave us to go to another restaurant. Most people stay with us because they like the way we treat them. And we try to do it right, pay them appropriately, treat them with respect.”

The Rum Runner was an established restaurant desperately in need of repairs where Tim had played. He off-handedly told the owner to give him a call if he ever wanted to sell, and two years later the call came in. Tim bought the restaurant on New Year’s Eve 1986 after raising $1 million through second mortgages and savings. While renovating, an old friend of Tim’s named Bruce Springsteen asked if he and his band could rehearse upstairs for their Tunnel of Love tour. Happy to help, Tim offered the space at no charge. When he opened the doors to business in October 1987, he wasn’t sure what would happen.

“So, because I wouldn’t take any money from him, Bruce showed up on Halloween night with his band,” Tim tells the story in between chuckles. “They were in costume, meanwhile you could never do this now, but they were all in black with masks over their faces and they called themselves the terrorists of love. They kicked my band off the stage, they just pulled us off, and I realized shortly thereafter it was him. Even the audience wasn’t sure because he was wearing a mask. But then the mask came off and he started doing Glory Days, and well this was the second time I had buyer’s remorse. The word got out so fast, the parking lot was full, and there were no cell phones back then. People were on pay phones telling their friends, ‘Springsteen is at The Rum Runner.’ And what ended up happening was, we were just overwhelmed. I’m playing piano with Bruce and I look out the window and see police cars all over the place because we just got mobbed and there’s a back-up on Ocean Avenue. The cars were all over, and in my neighbor’s yard at Ship Ahoy, and about a week later the fence went up. (Tim laughed). We have since become friends. I don’t blame him, the original Rum Runner was quiet, nearly closed, everyone shared parking, and now all of a sudden what’s going on here? Springsteen is playing across the street. It was sort of good for business.”

Tim met Beth at The Rum Runner, and for that it will always be the flagship for his company, holding a special place in his heart. With three of their four children in college up until last month when their son, Jack, graduated from Fordham, Tim says the restaurants have been a blessing. The daunting and impending financial strain of three in college had led Tim to want to expand. As seems typical with his endeavors, he sought a way to fix the problem he saw coming.

“We had one restaurant for 17 years, The Rum Runner in Sea Bright, and I was very content there. Then my eldest started getting close to college and I realized what was going to happen and said to myself that’s not going to work. Maybe we better get another restaurant. And we started down the path.”

That path has led to eleven successful restaurants in Bayonne, West Orange, Woodbridge, Maryland and all over Monmouth County. The newest for McLoone’s Restaurants is the Iron Whale in Asbury Park that opened in May.

In 2012, a dear friend and WOR radio host, Joan Hamburg, convinced Tim to create The Tim McLoone Radio Show. His first show aired in December of 2012 and taped in front of a live audience at Tim McLoone’s Supper Club in Asbury Park every week. The variety-type show covered a vast array of topics including sports, music, food, entertainment and their take on the hot topics.

One topic that often came up on the radio show was giving back. Tim’s childhood experiences instilled in him a sense of helping others.

“I grew up on the grounds of VA hospitals, I was born on one, and then we moved to the VA hospital in East Orange,” said Tim. “I was immersed in the world of adults. I was the only child living there. So, I became, in a sense, friends with the soldiers returning from mostly Korea. They had amputations, restless leg, what we would now call PTSD. I think that had a lot to do with it. My father was in charge of the activities and what that meant was he brought the entertainment and athletic things to campus.”

When in his junior year of high school at Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, Tim met a priest who asked him to go to a retreat called YCLI – the Young Christian Leaders Institute.

“It sounded horrible, and I was going to have to go for a week to a monastery in North Jersey and I’m thinking this is going to be the worst,” said Tim. “I landed in a world of idealism. It was 1963 and the country was about to change. This one charismatic priest gathered all similarly thinking religious people and got them to buy into this thinking. And it was all workshops, and you were just on fire about how great it was. It was funny, and there was a lot of music, and you couldn’t help but get affected by it.”

“Seven days changed my life. I went back there the next two years as a counselor because it lit something in me. It was a life changing moment, and it got me thinking outside myself. And nothing came of it for a very long time until I went to work for the New Jersey Nets. There was a player who had been incarcerated, but he was a very nice guy, and he wanted to do something nice for the kids in Newark, and basically would anybody else come along. Who wants to volunteer on Christmas Eve? Well, I did. I was feeling cynical about my life, and religion, and Christmas and everything like that. I went and I took my oldest daughter with me. We went home in the car singing Christmas carols and it got me thinking that whole next year.”

When asked of all his achievements, which is closest to his heart, Tim doesn’t hesitate to answer.

“People often ask me that,” said Tim. “The truth of it is, I’ve always been attracted to challenges, and I tend to take them. I volunteer for stuff maybe I shouldn’t, even in job offers. A lot of attractive stuff comes my way, and people would think they’re interesting and fun, and they are. Like being a musician all my life, how much fun is that? When I’m playing music there’s nowhere else in the world I want to be in that moment. There’s nothing else on my mind. The same thing goes when I’m coaching track and cross country. I’m with those kids and that’s what we’re doing. It’s where I’m happy to be in the moment.”

It Takes Three

Jon Bon Jovi

Global rock icon Jon Bon Jovi has built a legacy leading one of the most successful rock bands in the world for over three decades. With over 130 million albums sold and more than 2,900 concerts performed in over 50 countries, Jon has earned a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2009) while his Grammy winning band, Bon Jovi, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2018.

Gérard Bertrand

Gérard Bertrand began his life in the vineyard with his first harvest at the age of ten. As a winegrower and owner of flagship estates, he has since acquired a unique expertise of his native Languedoc wine region of southern France. Gérard Bertrand is committed to producing high quality wines and is a passionate advocate for environmental conservation. He is among the leaders in biodynamic wine production.

Jesse Bongiovi

Jesse Bongiovi is a recent graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he received a degree in Political Science, as well as a minor in Business Economics. A Monmouth County native, Jesse has spent nearly every summer of his youth vacationing with his family in East Hampton, New York. This is where his love for the bon vivant lifestyle was born. His lifelong affection for the Hamptons is what motivated him to create Diving into Hampton Water.

Soon, visitors will be surprised by the variety of spirits being created at The StillHouse. While bourbon and other whiskeys are certainly a focus, guests will also enjoy rum, several styles of gin, vodka and flavored “moonshines”, such as apple and pecan pie for the holiday season. Distilling will be on premises and, where possible, using local ingredients. Area farms have already been enlisted to grow the necessary corns, ryes and other grains. Geoff noted that there are approximately 250 styles of bourbon made by about thirteen major manufacturers currently. This mass production is accomplished in a very commercial way using column stills. Geoff acknowledged that while they make a great clean spirit, The StillHouse products will be distinctive. Distilling truly is an art.“Mine are going to taste a little different. They are made with a single pot still, a 250-gallon pot still made in Kentucky. Our gin will have a unique flavor too. Gin has to be juniper forward to be labeled as gin. We will use hints of local botanical flavors, including local cranberry and rosemary.”

The StillHouse is permitted to serve cocktails in its tasting room and to sell up to six bottles to an individual. It also is allowed to sell to liquor stores and restaurants. Only its own products may be served and sold and this suits the Karches just fine. Geoff emphasized, “Our philosophy is really hyper local. The main aim is to service the local community and be a quality artisanal experience.”

The StillHouse will surely become a destination. “We want to make it a truly memorable experience so people will be transported back to a time, pre- prohibition, when there were about 10,000 small distilleries in the U.S., all making their own local products. We are using pots similar to those used 100 years ago. Visitors will come to see the essence of how that all happened, and will taste the products they learn about. We want them to experience the distillery and just have fun.”

For more information, visit coltsneckstillhouse.com.

FEATURED PHOTO: Buddy Valastro in front of Carlo’s Bake Shop

Carlo’s is a family owned bakery featured on the TLC hit show Cake Boss starring Buddy Valastro. Originally opened by Carlo Guastaffero in 1910, Carlo’s was acquired by Bartolo Valastro Sr. in 1964. After his death in 1994, master baker Bartolo Jr., known as “Buddy”, expanded the business with the help of his mother, Mary, and four sisters. Today their baking empire includes more than 20 bakery locations within the U.S. and one in Brazil. Buddy has also opened an event planning and catering company, three Italian restaurants, and turned his art of cake decorating into a celebrity chef role on various television shows. A New Jersey Hall of Fame Class of 2017 Inductee in the category of Enterprise, here’s our interview with the Cake Boss.

CM: What does it mean to you to be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame?

Buddy: It’s an incredible honor to be inducted alongside some really amazing individuals. If anyone ever told me that this could be happening one day, I can assure you I would have told them they were crazy. But here we are. I’m so humbled, I’m so honored.

CM: You’re a fourth-generation baker. You followed in your father’s footsteps running the bakery, how did baking become a family business?

Buddy: It just kind of happened. My parents lived upstairs from the bakery, it wasn’t just work – it was their lives and who they were. Of course, that trickled down to all of us kids. I knew at a young age I was going to be a baker and I think that I was so lucky to have that realization so young because I was able to gear my actions toward accomplishing that and mastering the skill.

CM: Do you think your children will follow in your footsteps?

Buddy: I don’t know if they will. You know, they all definitely have an interest, and are pretty good when they’re working in the shop, but I don’t really have any desire to even inadvertently place any pressure on them to try and be the Cake Boss, you know? I always want them to feel supported and encouraged to follow their dreams and do what makes them happy. (Buddy and his wife, Lisa, have four children: Sofia, Buddy Jr., Marco, and Carlo.)

CM: Now that the business has expanded to so many locations, do you still bake items yourself?

Buddy: Six days a week! I work at the Cake Factory six days a week; I still go in at 6:00 a.m. and bake alongside the team – that’s the truth. I enjoy baking and cake decorating, it’s my passion, so yeah, I’m definitely in the kitchen as often as I can be.

CM: What is your favorite thing to bake?

Buddy: Lobster tail. The sfogliatelle pastry is super delicate and takes a lot of focus. I love it.

CM: Are you involved in the Red Bank Carlo’s Bakery?

Buddy: I’m involved in all of my bakeries. I’m here, I work, I have a hand in what’s happening with the brand and what happens in our kitchens – I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re a completely family-owned and run operation, it’s not a franchise. My family and I all travel around to each location as often as possible to just check in on things and catch up with our regulars.

CM: What tip do you have for aspiring bakers?

Buddy: Never stop working at your craft. The more you do something over and over, the better you’re going to be at it – I can’t stress that enough. You want to do it so much that you’re able to do it blindfolded.

CM: What comes next for the Cake Boss?

Buddy: This is a really exciting time for Carlo’s Bakery and I’m rolling out some new recipes soon. I can’t wait for everybody to try them. More bakeries, more restaurants. I want people all over the world to get a little piece of Hoboken in their hometowns.

Having already been impressed, we moved on to our main course. The Vegetarian looked like a nice light mixture of vegetables and sides, but the quintessential Coq Au Vin would ultimately be our choice. The Boeuf Bourguignon and Pan Seared Sole looked like viable alternatives we will try on our next visit with an Angus Prime Rib rounding out the Mains on the neatly balanced list. Purple potato confit, roasted shallots, shitake mushrooms and spaetzle accompany the chicken in the Coq Au Vin. The chicken was done with the right amount of crisp on the skin and juiciness in the meat.  The dish had an impressive amalgam of tastes from the delicate sauce to the spaetzle as a bed, I particularly liked the color contrast with the purple potatoes. Much thanks to host Alan Page as an attentive, yet unobtrusive presence during the experience. Alan made sure that our comments were heeded quickly and quietly.

The plates were filling, but we had to try some dessert from a balanced list of temptations. I would have loved to try the Chocolate Beet Cake, but thought the praline, Crème fraiche and citrus segments would overwhelm me. Instead, we opted for the Blueberry Black Tea Crème Brulee. The crunchy caramelized sugar topping and creamy base is heavenly if done correctly, and yes, this was a little ramekin of above the clouds scrumptiousness. Paired with a couple cups of French pressed coffee and mulled cider, and we were completely sated. We left with a chocolate treat and some great food memories.

Our next visit is planned with friends so we can try the balance of the menu, as I have heard from several foodies the breakfast/lunch offerings are just as enticing. Try this new entry into the Colts Neck area food scene for a truly enjoyable experience. Bon Appetit!

Union Jacques is a BYOB and located at 317 Route 34N in Colts Neck directly across from Delicious Orchards in the Colts Towne Plaza adjacent to Windsor Art Gallery (another local gem), and can be reached at 732.414.6991. Visit UnionJacques.com for hours of operation. Reservations are suggested and available on OpenTable. They accommodate takeout and private catering for parties.

Until next month – live well, eat well,

The FoodSpy

The FoodSpy seeks and finds hidden, (and perhaps not so hidden) epicurean gems in New Jersey promoting the notion that good wine, good food, in good company is one of life’s most simple and civilized pleasures.

FEATURED PHOTO: Oprah | CREDIT: Mealtime Stories, LLC

Beyond providing something tasty and nutritious, if you choose to purchase an O, That’s Good! product you will be helping a local family have groceries, or a struggling mother do her taxes, or providing job training for an unemployed neighbor through Fulfill, formerly The FoodBank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties.

O, That’s Good! is the first introduction from Mealtime Stories, LLC, a joint venture between media icon Oprah Winfrey and the Kraft Heinz Company. Together, Oprah and Kraft Heinz worked with a team of creative chefs to develop a new refrigerated brand using real ingredients and no artificial flavors or dyes. It’s comfort food with an unexpected nutritious twist and an eye toward giving back to those who need it most.

“I believe in anything you do, you have to think about how you can give back,” said Winfrey. “And to be able to have a portion of O, That’s Good! go back to people who don’t get food at all in the world, just feels like the right thing to do.”

Ten percent of Mealtime Stories’ profits will be equally split between Feeding America and Rise Against Hunger. The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation plans to make annual donations to the two charities on behalf of Mealtime Stories until the joint venture becomes profitable. Feeding America is the parent organization for more than 200 food banks throughout the country, including Fulfill, formerly The FoodBank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties, located in Neptune.

“When someone like Oprah Winfrey creates awareness of hunger in this country, an awareness that reaches down to your local food bank, that’s an amazing gift,” said Carlos Rodriguez, Executive Director of Fulfill. “There’s more than a very good chance that money from the sale of her products will find its way back to Monmouth and Ocean Counties through our programs.”

In May of 2017 the FoodBank officially changed its name to Fulfill to better reflect the organization’s growing mission.

“Our new name reflects that our focus is on more than food distribution. Our name didn’t reflect the full story of everything we do,” said Rodriguez. “Fulfill shows our commitment to fulfill more of the needs of our neighbors and win the battle against hunger. We have an approach that goes beyond providing food and helps those in need get to a place where they can get back on their feet for good. We provide food in an emergency today, but our resources for families help them feed themselves tomorrow.”

Every dollar donated to the charity provides three meals. Due to bulk purchases and operational efficiency, 95¢ of every dollar donated to Fulfill goes directly to food and services. But the services provided may surprise you. It’s not just about food, it’s also about job training, healthcare, and tax preparation.

“We asked ourselves, who are our neighbors in need?” said Rodriguez. “We found most families in need have one member working. They have children. More than half had unpaid medical bills and no insurance. They were just one economic shock from needing help. And more than anything, we found most families were not connecting with the help that is available.”

In order to reduce discomfort in asking for assistance, Fulfill’s Resource Connections Team goes out into the communities to help clients connect to resources that will get them through difficult times. They treat each situation as unique and seek a winning outcome. The Culinary Skills Training Program is a good example of their outside-the-box helping. The program assists adults in need of permanent employment, so they can get the skills necessary for better paying jobs. It helps men and women become self-sufficient through 13 weeks of on-site food preparation and classroom training provided by a certified executive chef. Participants are given the opportunity to receive CPR Certification and ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification. Graduates also receive help obtaining and keeping jobs in the Shore area hospitality industry.

Another new initiative at Fulfill has been to include more nutritious food and healthier options. This aligns perfectly with Oprah’s mission for Mealtime Stories.

“I love healthy foods and eating from my garden,” said Winfrey. “When Kraft Heinz approached me for a food line, what got my attention is making nutritious comfort foods more accessible to everyone. This product line is real, delicious food with a twist. You’ll feel good about serving it for your family.”

As families gather this month to give thanks, Fulfill will be providing holiday meals to neighbors in need and raising funds to ensure that their programs can continue to provide help and hope. November and December are the two most important months for the charity to receive food and funds that will carry them through all the other months of the year.

“This holiday season we hope you will give thanks by helping others,” said Rodriguez. “I urge our community members to learn more about our programs. Visit our website, take a tour of our facilities. Get a sense of the magnitude of the problem. The problem of hunger is a problem we have the ability to solve. We don’t lack the food, we lack the ability to connect the families in need with the food that is available. With your help, we know Hunger Won’t Win Here.”

For more information, visit fulfillnj.org.