Category Archives: Sally Deering

Cover Story, Sally Deering

HUDSON GOES HOLLYWOOD

Hudson County logo Producer PJ Leonard in pre-production for New TV Series HUDSON COUNTY

Shows will feature fictional reality similar to LAW & ORDER

 

 By Sally Deering  

PJ Leonard
PJ Leonard, Creator/ Producer, HUDSON COUNTY

Once upon a time in Hudson County, the splotch of towns across from Manhattan, some strange, brutal and even hilarious happenings seem to have taken place in the dog-eat-dog world of local politics. Just mention former Jersey City Mayor Frank “Boss” Hague, who ruled with iron fists in Kidd gloves from 1917-1947, and people’s ears perk up. Hague’s infamous political career paved the way for those who followed in his corruption-soaked footsteps. Their stories made front page headlines and to film producer PJ Leonard, they also make for good TV.

Leonard has assembled a creative team to launch a new TV series he’s creating, HUDSON COUNTY, which he says, will be fiction based on non-fiction similar to shows like “LAW & ORDER”. He recruited writer Raymond McAnally, whose play SIZE MATTERS earned critical acclaim, and who lived in Jersey City for several years; actors Obba Babatundé and Sonny Marinelli, and Robert S. Fingerman, CPA, founder of Independent Films Production Consultants. Continue reading HUDSON GOES HOLLYWOOD →

Dining, Sally Deering

SOUTH HOUSE JERSEY CITY SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY WITH A JERSEY ACCENT

SOUTH HOUSE on Newark Ave in Jersey City serves Sexy Cocktails & Home-style Southern Fare

 By Sally Deering

Rocking chairs sit outside South Hous in Jersey City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New to Jersey City, SOUTH HOUSE bar and restaurant stands out from the crowd because no other eatery on Newark Avenue has three grand-daddy rocking chairs parked out front. And that’s just the tip of the drink straw when it comes to this hip and absolutely stunning bar and restaurant.

David Hohensee South House Jersey City
South House Bar & Restaurant owner David Hohensee stands at his bar below a photograph of his Great-Grandfather Hilario Villarreal

Even if you’ve never been to Texas, once you step into the open “porch” area of SOUTH HOUSE with its herringbone-bricked floor and cascading water fountain, you may feel transported, like you were visiting a relative down south. Owner David Hohensee and SOUTH HOUSE designer (and his sister) Stephanie Villarreal-Farld grew up in Texas and have transformed this old Jersey City uniform store into an inviting world of hip southern hospitality. Hands down, the décor will practically take your breath away as you sit down, order a cocktail and make yourself at home. Continue reading SOUTH HOUSE JERSEY CITY SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY WITH A JERSEY ACCENT →

Dining, Sally Deering

Cooking with Heart at Carmela’s Piccola Cucina in Bayonne

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From her Tiny Kitchen, Chef Carmela Suppa Serves Tasty, Traditional Italian Fare

 By Sally Deering

Ave C in Bayonne Carmela's Piccola Cucina Nestled among the storefronts on Avenue “C” between 25th and 26th Streets in Bayonne is Carmela’s Piccola Cucina, a cozy little Italian restaurant that serves hearty, home-style dishes from Northern and Southern Italy.

Suppa at her restauant Carmela's in Bayonne
Chef and Owner
Carmela Suppa

In Italian, Carmela’s Piccola Cucina means “tiny kitchen” but that’s the only thing small about the place. Owner and Chef Carmela Suppa cooks serves up hearty portions of homestyle dishes that are delicious and seasoned just right.

“You know when you do something you enjoy, you don’t think about anything else,” Suppa says, taking a break from her work at the stove. “Everything I make is cooked to order.”

 

Dining room at Carmela's in Bayonne  Carmela’s Piccola Cucina’s menu includes Antipasti like the tasty Calamari served tender on the inside and crunchy on the outside and with a choice of mild or hot sauce; Caprese Stacks, which is Roasted Eggplant, Fresh Mozzarella and Tomatoes; Stuffed Mushrooms with Roasted Peppers; and Antipasto Rustico, a Selection of Dry Meats and Sharp Provolone cheese. ($6.50-$8.95)

Continue reading Cooking with Heart at Carmela’s Piccola Cucina in Bayonne →

Sally Deering, What You are Reading

ADRIFT IN A VANISHING CITY NEW BOOK BY VINCENT CZYZ

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Vincent Czyz pens Stories of Restless Dreamers and a Blue Jean Baby Queen

 By Sally Deering

New book by Vincent CzyzLike many young writers in their 20s searching for the road less traveled, Vincent Czyz packed up his car one day and hit the highway for a cross-country trip. Jack Kerouac did it as a member of the Beat Generation; Hippies in the 60s did it to find girls with flowers in their hair. To a budding writer, The West can be as inviting as a ballpoint pen and a clean sheet of paper.

Author of A drift in a Vanishing City Vincent Czyz
Vincent Czyz

Czyz’s travels to find adventure led him to a town in Kansas and a colorful cast of characters who were hard-drinking, had their hearts broken more than once, and could tell a story as good as Louis C.K. Guys with names like Zirque, the Blue Jean Queen, and Stevie “The Duke of” Pallucca.

Continue reading ADRIFT IN A VANISHING CITY NEW BOOK BY VINCENT CZYZ →

General, Music Interview, Sally Deering

SISTERS IN SONG Cabaret Sauvignon, All-Female Singing Group blends Voices & Friendships

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By Sally Deering

Cabaret
Elena Zazanis, Alex Finger,
Amanda Levie, and Amy Elise
of Cabaret Sauvignon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elena Zazanis, Alex Finger, Amanda Levie, and Amy Elise belt, croon and harmonize songs without any instruments, just a pitch pipe to locate important first notes. They’re known as Cabaret Sauvignon, “a female a cappella ensemble covering tantalizing tunes from torch to top 40.” The four songstresses layer their voices in harmonies that modernize classics like “Bie Mier Bis Du Shoen” by The Andrew Sisters and put a twist on Top 40 Pop hits like Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love”.

 

Performance by Cabaret Savignon
Cabaret Sauvignon on stage at the recent premiere of their show
“The Mysterious A Cappella Murder Cabaret” at the
16th annual Midtown International Theatre Festival

Cabaret Sauvignon can be seen in their first cabaret performance A MYSTERIOUS A CAPPELLA MURDER CABARET at the 16th annual Midtown International Theatre Festival in Manhattan for two shows, July 30 and August 2. The show is described as a “reality-theatre tale where four female vocalists meet in fierce competition, surmount their backstage backstabs, form the a cappella group Cabaret Sauvignon, and allegedly murder their manager.”

Continue reading SISTERS IN SONG Cabaret Sauvignon, All-Female Singing Group blends Voices & Friendships →

Sally Deering, What You are Reading

FIRE & VICE IN Old JERSEY CITY

Seasoned Reporter Pens Novel on 100-Year Old Sabotage

Frank “Boss” Hague at Center of Controversy, Again!

 By Sally Deering

Some reporters seem to have ink in their veins; just the hint of a good tale propels them to find the facts, pinpoint the characters and put it in print.

Former Jersey Journal reporter Ron Semple
Ron Semple

That seems to be the case with Ron Semple, a 5th Generation Jersey Cityite who walked the Jersey City beat for the Hudson Dispatch and Jersey Journal in the 1950s and 60s, Semple wrote news and features and at 27 became the Jersey Journal’s City Editor with a crew of 50 reporters he could send out on a moment’s notice to get a story. More than 50 years later, Semple finds himself once again writing copy about his hometown.

 

Black Tom book cover In BLACK TOM, Terror on the Hudson (Top-Hat Books, 516 pgs.; $27.95) Semple turns back the calendar to 1916 when German saboteurs destroyed a large railroad munitions depot (Black Tom) on the Jersey City waterfront. The explosion killed and injured several night watchmen and caused extensive property damage costing millions of dollars.

 

Continue reading FIRE & VICE IN Old JERSEY CITY →

Cover Story, Sally Deering

OL’ BLUE EYES IS BACK ! SINATRA: AN AMERICAN ICON Celebrates Sinatra’s Centennial

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Music & Memorabilia at Library for Performing Arts NYC

By Sally Deering

Sinatra Library of Performing Arts NYC Exhibit
Frank Sinatra

Hoboken’s ‘Native Son’ Frank Sinatra grew up in a town quite different from what it is today. There were no Starbucks or even PATH trains when Sinatra was born in 1915. And when he was old enough, the ‘skinny blue-eyed kid’ began singing in his parents’ saloon. That’s where Sinatra learned his trade, crooning to locals at Marty O’Brien’s saloon.

That’s where the Frank Sinatra legend begins at the exhibit SINATRA: AN AMERICAN ICON now on view through September 4th at the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts. Sinatra sang in the studio and performed onstage for more than 50 years, recording hundreds of songs, and performing thousands of shows. Jam packed with memorabilia, music and all things Sinatra, this exhibit is both a loving tribute and a peek into the complicated life journey Sinatra took, from small time Hoboken street kid to saloon singer to concert and film star and in his later years, show biz royalty. Continue reading OL’ BLUE EYES IS BACK ! SINATRA: AN AMERICAN ICON Celebrates Sinatra’s Centennial →

Cover Story, Sally Deering

TECH VETS Non-Profit Hires & Trains U.S. Vets

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   CEO Dorothy Nicholson of Secaucus helps Vets Build IT Careers

By Sally Deering 

U.S. Veteran, Bright Star staff member Danielle Salifu of Jersey City
U.S. Veteran, Bright Star
staff member Danielle Salifu of Jersey City

U.S. Army veteran Danielle Salifu returned from her tour of duty and became a childcare provider until she discovered Bright Star Technology in Newark, a non-profit that helps U.S Veterans build careers in computer technology. After two years, Salifu went from document specialist to production supervisor.

 

“After being a child-care provider for ten years this was a big change,” Salifu says. “We are family at Bright Star. We all have something in common.”

Bright Star helps Veterans Bright Star provides IT infrastructure modernization; process improvement; and hybrid and cloud-based case management services and solutions to federal, state, county and municipal government offices as well as private companies. To fulfill its mission, Bright Star hires and trains American veterans in IT processes and solutions so they can transition from the military to high-tech careers within Bright Star and beyond.

ONE CEO’S DREAM

Dorthy Nicholson of Bright Star
Bright Star CEO
Dorothy Nicholson

Bright Star Founder and CEO Dorothy Nicholson of Secaucus started the company in 2008 after working for companies like Dun & Bradstreet, Computron and RADVision. Feeling unfulfilled in her work, Nicholson took a risk and started Bright Star with 60 homeless veterans.

 

 

Continue reading TECH VETS Non-Profit Hires & Trains U.S. Vets →

Dining, Sally Deering

Rita and Joe’s Traditional Italian Cuisine with Contemporary Flair

Rita & Joe’s New Chef adds Hip to the Menu

Seasonings are Key to Great Flavors

By Sally Deering

Nestled in Jersey City’s Marion Section, west of Journal Square, Rita & Joe’s Italian Restaurant has been serving customers since 1985 when owners Rita and Joe Pane turned a “beer and shots” bar into a popular neighborhood eatery

Rita Pane and her daughter -in law Isabelle
Isabelle Pane and
Rita Pane
New Chef McCall at Rita and Joe's Jersey City restaurant
Chef Stephen McCall of Rita and Joe’s

Fast forward to 2015. Rita & Joe’s celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, but instead of relying on the old standbys, Isabel “Izzy” Pane (Rita’s daughter-in-law) has made some changes to keep up with the changing times. She brought on Chef Stephen McCall, a 1999 graduate of the New York Restaurant School who, along with Izzy, has revamped Rita & Joe’s menu with a contemporary take on tradition. Rita’s signature dishes like Eggplant and Chicken Parmigiana are still offered, but Chef Stephen has created some new dishes flavored with carefully chosen seasonings and using all fresh ingredients. You won’t find store-bought pastas at this restaurant; everything is made fresh and to order. Continue reading Rita and Joe’s Traditional Italian Cuisine with Contemporary Flair →

art scene, General, Sally Deering

ARTIST AFIRE- Artist/Fire Captain John T. Ruddy Exhibits at Raven Gallery

  To open Art Gallery in JC this fall

 

Paintings by John T. Ruddy of Jersey City: PADMA, MATAJI, and NATARAJ.

(PADMA is on display at Raven Gallery and Boutique in Jersey City)

By Sally Deering

 Artist and Jersey City Fire Captain John T. Ruddy has traveled all over the world and the souvenirs he has brought back include exotic images and motifs that influence many of his paintings.

“I studied Renaissance and Classical painting and I’ve traveled to 50 countries,” Ruddy says, sitting at an outdoor café in his downtown Jersey City neighborhood. “I always head for the cathedrals, mosques and temples first, and I ask myself, what does this culture aesthetically offer? Travel has always been a life-long passion.”

Continue reading ARTIST AFIRE- Artist/Fire Captain John T. Ruddy Exhibits at Raven Gallery →