On Wednesday, April 30, 2014 from 5pm-9pm Sabra Originals, formerly of New City http://www.sabraoriginals.com will be hosting an event with a very specific purpose–to raise funds for Rockland Alliance for Health. The event will take place at their new location in a private home at 15 Rose Hill Road in Suffern, New York.

The Alliance works collaboratively with local agencies to support community health outcomes in Rockland County, one such agency was Camp Venture.

On any given day at the George Strayton Center, also known as Venture Quest on Main Street in Sparkill, developmentally disabled adults have the opportunity to step outside this Camp Venture Day Home. Camp Venture calls it their “Without Walls” Program, where 40-43 intrepid adventurers meet. On their travels they can pick a tomato, some green beans, peppers, lettuce, basil, garlic and onions and go inside and make themselves a healthy lunch. The Camp Venture community garden, which was built around 2008, is a recipient of a 2012 grant, through The Rockland Alliance for Health (RAH), who chose to assist in sustaining the work and funding needed to maintain a garden of this nature.

On the evening of the event one can shop for Mother’s Day, receive a mini-massage from local licensed massage therapist Michelle Solomon, enjoy free hors d’oeuvres, a special drink, raffles and watch an artisan make jewelry on the spot.

Sabra’s jewelry ranges in price and include an extensive selection of authentic Israeli art and jewelry, hand crafted and hand chosen.

“I personally select the items and travel to Israel often to discover new Israeli art and artists whose vision and craftsmanship are unparalleled,” Bareket remarked.

Sabra is donating a percentage of sales to the Alliance from 10am-9pm but the full event does not begin until 5pm that evening.

For more information contact The Rockland Alliance for Health at 845-548-4080. If you are attending, please use the second driveway at the home and enter from the garage.

“Have you heard the one about the Rabbi and the Priest?” Dr. Shahar asks as I enter his office. “I think I may have,” I stammer. “Well, I will tell you anyway.” says this doctor who I am sure has more than one joke up his white coat sleeve.

The Doctor, Dr. Yoel S.Shahar, is a world renowned, board-certified New York City cosmetic surgeon, who is passionate about Marilyn Monroe, brings authentic artistry to his craft and can tell a joke as if he is telling a serious tale. Dr. Shahar’s philosophy is based on his keen eye for balance, composition and maintaining integrity of form. His creative proficiency and keen sense of humor has been lauded and sought after by many both nationally and internationally. He has performed thousands of procedures at his private practice for nearly 25 years, and specializes in facial rejuvenation, body contouring and breast enhancement.

A group of Dr. Shahar’s patients, friends, family and colleagues got together recently for a few hours on a weekday evening in his offices on Park Avenue. The offices are adorned with art showcasing the female anatomy, and feels more like a private home, a place of warmth with traditional furnishings. Evidenced by the turnout, Dr. Shahar is someone who his clients enjoy and respect– taking the time from their busy lives for a little wine, cheese, a few jokes and a being present during a proud announcement.

“When I first met Dr Shahar I knew I could look and feel better about myself, but I wasn’t interested in needles or procedures. Dr. Shahar made me feel comfortable with his keen eye for what looks natural and what little things that can be done that make the biggest improvement in a person’s look. I’ve recommended him to friends and family who have been equally impressed.” said Michele Sonier who works in financial services.

The special evening was, for the most part, to introduce Juliet Stewart, an International Make-Up Artist as part of Dr. Shahar’s team of professionals. Stewart will be offering her services to Dr. Shahar’s patients.

“I believe that every woman should have the chance to feel beautiful. Whatever that is to that individual. A woman of any age is beautiful because of who she becomes with time. Women must embrace time to own their individuality. What makes women of all ages beautiful and sexy is their self-assurance. The place to start is in the mind.” she explained. “When Dr. Shahar asked me to join him, I have to admit that I hesitated. But I met with him and witnessed his work. This is the work of a true artist who under corrects always leaving his pateients a natural look.”

Stewart brings to her work an Italian sensibility. A native of Italy who came to the United States as a young woman, her creations for each individual woman are timeless and unforgettable. With over twenty years in the industry, Stewart has practiced make-up artistry at its highest levels. With Lancôme Cosmetics she was responsible for sales, training and events in twenty-six department stores. As the National Make-up Artist for Prescriptives Cosmetics (Estee Lauder Co.), Stewart worked throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia for ten years.

Dr. Shahar spoke about his craft to a packed room and explained that women do not need a full facelift to feel beautiful. Sometimes small procedures, he explained, make the biggest impact. “As filler, the fat injection can last for years in certain areas of the face and body. A fat injection can correct disproportion of facial features to bring balance and harmony to your face. It can enhance your cheeks, eliminate depression of your lower eyelid and nasolabial folds (deep folds that run from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth), or eradicate the pre-jowl depression. It is the preferred method of choice since your own fat is being used. Compared to other injectables with temporary results, this procedure provides long lasting results. The procedure is done under local anesthesia, and you can return to work the next day.”

Later in the evening, Stewart showed her craft to several women who were thrilled with the results and could not believe the difference an eyebrow shaping and professional make-up application had done for their appearance.

Dr. Shahar’s office is at 903 Park Avenue, New York, NY 212-717-4066. http://www.drshahar.com
Juliet Stewart can be reached at: http://www.julietstewart.com

On any given day at the George Strayton Center, also known as Venture Quest on Main Street in Sparkill, developmentally disabled adults have the opportunity to step outside this Camp Venture Day Home. Camp Venture calls it their “Without Walls” Program, where 40-43 intrepid adventurers meet. On their travels they can pick a tomato, some green beans, peppers, lettuce, basil, garlic and onions and go inside and make themselves a healthy lunch.

The Camp Venture community garden, which was built around 2008, is a recipient of a 2012 grant, through The Rockland Alliance for Health (RAH) , who chose to assist in sustaining the work and funding needed to maintain a garden of this nature.

Rockland Alliance for Health (RAH) , a grassroots organization, was started with the sole mission to be a leader in prevention and promotion of public health interventions that result in sustainable changes in policy, practice and the environment. Spearheaded by passionate professionals with backgrounds in public health, non-profit leaders and educators, all with strong ties to the community, Rockland Alliance for Health offers various awards to community and faith-based organizations, worksites and school. Besides Camp Venture, grants have been awarded to Campus Fun and Learn Child Development Center; Children of Mary Nursery/Kindergarten; Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center and Rockland Country Day School.

“It’s amazing to see,” said Cathy Hanlon, Assistant Site Director at the George Strayton Center, “our adults help with the planting, dirt hauling and certainly the eating! Many are drawn to the work. We have added a hoop house and expect to have about eight beds of vegetables this year.”

Una Difley, Director of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention at the Rockland County Health Department, was the first Rockland Alliance for Health (RAH) Board President, only leaving her position in December 2013. Joan Facelle, past Commissioner of Health for twelve years, is the current Board President.

“We have a tremendous Board of like-minded people who are very passionate about our cause.” remarked Joan Facelle.

Rockland Alliance for Health’s fundraisers are intimate, fun and dare to be different. A Latin Dance Party was a very successful fundraiser held this past November at the Gagliardi Dance Studio in Nyack http://bit.ly/1ibbYPK and there has also been a “Cooking with Chocolate” hands on event in collaboration with Rockland Community College, a family “Geo-caching” event and RAH plans to continue holding creative, fun, health oriented and inspiring RAH Events.

To contribute to RAH and find out more about Rockland Alliance for Health, go to their website at: http://rocklandallianceforhealth.org/about

Rockland Alliance for Health, LTD

339 N. Main Street, 
Suite 3A
, New City
General Email: rafhinfo@gmail.com
“Latin Dance Party” Photo Credits: Bob Scheuerman, Nyack

Article written for Rockland Community Foundation 2014

At 61 years young Pat Miller has travelled to more than 31 countries, carries a keen twinkle in her eyes, a huge smile and shows no sign of waining wanderlust. In 2005, a few years after her husband’s death, Pat travelled to Russia with her cousin Phyllis and in 2012 Pat and her travel companion cousin, who had been to Africa fifteen times prior, took an independent custom travel trip to Kenya and Tanzania. A small part of their itinerary included a two hour visit to Out of Africa’s Karen Blixen’s coffee farm in Nairobi. Their trip was recently chronicled by Phyllis’ son in Ensemble Lifestyle, a private label magazine distributed only to Ensemble Travel’s affluent clientele.

Young Life

Pat’s parents met at an Officers Dance, her Father a Radio Officer in the Merchant Marines; her Mother a nurse. But her Mom, who hailed from England, was no regular nurse. Mrs. Kreutzer was known as the “Angel of Mercy” according to a local Brooklyn newspaper who featured a story about her when she and her husband eventually moved to Brooklyn after that first Officer’s Club dance.

“She used to bicycle from house to house where babies were just born, to check on the moms and the infants,” Pat explained. “She was a very sweet and compassionate woman.” The family began to spend summers in Rockland County to get away from the City and Pat’s Mom loved “the country.” After several years they decided to buy a house and settle in Pearl River. Her Dad, a consummate City man, loved Manhattan and his handball games with work buddies so continued to travel into the City to work.

“My parents were great people, they loved us and I have so many good memories of my childhood. I was raised Jewish like my Father, but every Holiday my Mom would make traditional English food like minced patties.” Pat explained. “To this day a traditional feast with English food reminds me of home.”

When Pat was a teenager, her older brother got involved with drugs and there was a tremendous amount of emotional turmoil in her home. “At the time, we just dealt with it and I continued as a very good student in school,” she remembers. “But when I was sixteen, maybe as some sort of rebellion, I decided not to continue my academic courses, but instead enrolled in hairdressing courses at BOCES. My Father was not happy with me!”

Pat dreamed of opening her own salon in Manhattan. But as fate would have it one of Pat’s dear friends was studying Social Services and the two worked at a recreational program in Haverstraw summer of her Senior year of high school. “I really enjoyed taking care of and mentoring the children in the program and decided to go back to College.” she said.

College and Career

A friend persuaded her not to study social work but to go into nursing so Pat attended Rockland Community College where she received an Associates Degree in Applied Science with a specialty in Nursing and became a Registered Nurse. “It’s so funny, I love Science but I also love design, clothing and color and thought that I would like to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology,” she recalls. But Pat’s Father felt that his daughter needed a “Profession” and the ability to “make a dollar” and not necessarily in a volatile field like design. From dreams of entrepreneurship to Nurse to almost Fashion graduate.

Pat decided to continue her nursing education and attended Columbia University later taking a position at New York Hospital/Cornell University as a staff nurse in their Surgical Intensive Care Unit. She was promoted to Nurse Manager and later became an instructor in their Nursing Education Department. Pat was 24 years old.

Pat decided to go on and complete her Masters in Teaching and later became a Clinical Nurse Specialist and developed New York Hospital/Cornell’s Patient Family Education Program. She later took a position as Executive Director in charge of New York Presbyterian’s International Corporate Health Program and spearheaded a health and wellness program, a position she stayed in for twenty years until 2013. 

When she started work at New York Hospital/Cornell University, Pat met a woman who lived in the same medical student housing and they became fast friends. She was a psychiatric nurse and they went to the ballet together discovering the City one restaurant at a time. Pat received a phone call one night from her friend that she had overdosed and she died that next morning. Pat was devastated.

Pat knew that she needed to seek counseling and as she joked, “I ended up competing with Woody Allen on the most time on a therapist’s couch.” She confided in her therapist about her brother and slowly began to heal from other life’s tragedies.

Marriage

Thanksgiving 1977, Pat’s brother asked her to accompany him to his good friend’s home in Grandview. Pat fit in like a glove and she became fast friends with Rick’s wife Paula. They were best friends for 18 years and were known to talk on the phone for eight hours on a given Saturday afternoon. Paula would often tell Pat that she needed “a good guy” just like Rick and would even gently persuade them to dance together at parties because Paula knew Pat loved to dance.

In 1996 in a freak accident, Paula was killed in a gas station on Route 9W in Nyack.

Rick heard the explosion, drove to the gas station to see Paula’s car there and asked the owner if he could jump into the burning inferno as well.

Time passed and Rick asked Pat one day, “What would you say if I wanted to date you?” Pat didn’t know what to say. She was overwhelmed. Embarrassed. And couldn’t stop thinking of Paula. Rick told her the story that one night while talking, Paula said, “If anything should happen to me, marry Pat—she’s a great lady.”

Pat and Rick were married and lived a wonderful life, filled with work, children and travel until he died of lung cancer.

New Chapter

Nine years ago she met Moshe her life partner and they began the next life chapter. The two have travelled together to Italy, England, Hawaii, Israel, Spain, China, Hong Kong, France, California, Utah, and Puerto Rico.

She also began a journey to establish a new career as a Life Coach.  With her extensive nursing and teaching background it seemed the perfect fit. The business is called Coach for Well Being. Pat attended New York University’s Organizational and Life Coaching Program. Pat specializes in balancing of work and home; loss of a loved one; elder care; recovering from an illness; looking for a relationship; career change; job loss; separation/divorce. 

One client had this to say about Pat, “I found Pat to have one of the most soothing, compassionate demeanors, she comes from a nurturing, kind and maternal place. That attitude really resonated with me.”

It seems that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Wherever Pat travels with her suitcase or her new business her Mom, the “Angel of Mercy” will be proud.

Contact: Coach for Well Being
Pat Miller
pat@coachforwellbeing.com
914-414-3161

PHOTOS BY ALEXANDRA ROTTMANN

Toni On NY filming a segment for my client JUST BUNS.

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Film kickstarter campaign: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/348901864/the-great-all-american-food-fight

“I know there are children and adults going without meals every day. It is a subject most people don’t think about. It’s not sexy, glamorous or suspenseful. I live in Rockland County and there are thousands of people seeking assistance from food pantries each month. In fact, there are 35,000 food insecure people in Rockland alone. Hunger is not getting better. It is getting worse.”

Joe Allen, President and member Board of Directors of People to People, the largest food pantry in Rockland County and Producer of a new documentary,
“The Great All-American Food Fight”

Why would someone want to write, produce and direct a documentary about fighting hunger in the suburbs? Why would he endure finding the funds for such an endeavor? Finding just the right music, negotiating rights, and writing, editing, shooting endless streams of video and finally bringing the story to the screen? Joe Allen, Senior Vice President of Employee Communications and Community Affairs at Active International and Manager of their philanthropic program, Active Cares, is passionate about the subject having spent the last five years as President of People to People and witnessing first hand where he sees a very large challenge.

“I love making films; it’s my way of telling the story I feel needs to be told. Finding ways to better a system that needs as much “better” as it can get,” said Allen. “We are at such a crossroads in the way we view people who can’t fully provide adequate food for themselves and their families. Some on the political spectrum believe if we help those in need lift themselves up, they will become active participants in the American dream. Others believe those folks are just waiting for handouts and the money used to help them could be better spent elsewhere.”

“The Great All-American Food Fight” will focus on how a small suburban food pantry is able to get enough food for its clients, those who are part of the 50 million people in the U.S. who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. The film is being produced at a time when $5 billion, or 3.5 billion meals, has recently been cut from SNAP, formerly called food stamps, and much deeper cuts could be in the offing soon. A House of Representatives plan calls for removing another $39 billion in benefits over the next decade.

“We are seeing a jump in the number of clients coming to the pantry this fall—before the first SNAP cuts took effect. We don’t know what to expect when those cuts hit home to people and new ones follow them.” says Allen.

Allen was the producer/director of a documentary, “20 Million Minutes,” completed earlier this year. The film tells the story of a small community’s efforts to get the International Olympic Committee to hold a minute of silence at the Opening Ceremony of the Games for the Israeli athletes, coaches and referees murdered by terrorists at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

“The Great All-American Food Fight” examines why we can’t feed the hungry in this country. We have the food and we have the money so why are there still millions upon millions of hungry men, women and children that go hungry? Allen points to the fact that more than 40% of all food manufactured in the U.S. ends up being thrown away. He also points to the more than $600 billion in tax breaks given to large corporations, a fraction of which could be going instead to people in America for food, and thus ending the scourge of hunger.

“The stock market has reached record levels once again, but the financial ability for people to feed their families hasn’t returned to pre-recession levels. That has widened the gap between the haves and the have-nots to levels not seen in nearly a hundred years.” explains Allen.

In order to fund the film, Allen has sought both private donations and is in the middle of a Kickstarter crowd funding campaignhttp://www.kickstarter.com/projects/348901864/the-great-all-american-food-fight. When the film is complete, it will be gifted to People to People for its marketing and awareness efforts and, as such, donations to the making of the film are tax deductible.

“This film is important in raising visibility and discussing why we can’t solve this problem. We’ve heard how high the numbers are, watched and read about the heroic efforts of some to take care of their families and others, but what about why we remain in the position we’re in?” Allen continued.

“That’s what I am focusing on in telling this story. It is a fight.
A Great All-American fight.”

See more about the filmmaker here: http://www.nyacknewsandviews.com/2013/03/jcc20millmins201303/

Find the Kickstarter Campaign here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/348901864/the-great-all-american-food-fight

Joe Allen is also Senior Vice President of Employee Communications and Community Affairs at Active International and heads up their philanthropic program, Active Cares. http://www.activeinternational.com/about-us/the-active-team/senior-managers/joe-allen

What fun it was.

Creating, writing and assisting in directing this product video was very interesting to say the least. Meeting Cluck ‘n Moo in person was one of the highlights in the recording studio in Nyack.

Video is here to stay. Everyone wants to see things quick and visually.

Take a peak….go ahead….you will be mooooooo-ved.

Video URL: http://vimeo.com/77739366

To celebrate the rich art culture of Nyack, local businesses exhibit monthly art shows, with artists’ receptions the First Friday of each month. Participating venues open each First Friday from 5-8 PM for visitors to stroll the village. This past Friday, for the first time, several trees were transformed into art.

“Yarn Bombing” is believed to have originated in the U.S. with Texas knitters trying to find a creative way to use their leftover and unfinished knitting projects, but it has since spread worldwide.

The movement has been attributed to Magda Sayeg, 37, from Houston, who says she first got the idea in 2005 when she covered the door handle of her boutique with a custom-made cozy. Houston artist Bill Davenport was creating and exhibiting crochet-covered objects in Houston in the 1990s, and the Houston Press stated that “Bill Davenport could be called the grand old man of Houston crocheted sculpture.”Artist Shanon Schollian was knitting stump cozies in 2002 for clear cuts in Oregon.The Knit Knot Tree by the Jafagirls in Yellow Springs, Ohio gained international attention in 2008.

The movement moved on from simple ‘cozies’ with the innovation of the ‘stitched story’. The concept has been attributed to Lauren O’Farrell (who creates her street art under the graffiti knitting name Deadly Knitshade), from London, UK, who founded the city’s first graffiti knitting collective Knit the City. The ‘stitched story concept’ uses handmade amigurumi creatures, characters and items to tell a narrative or show a theme. This was first recorded with the Knit the City collective’s “Web of Woe” installation in August 2009.

Yarn bombing’s popularity has spread throughout the world. In Oklahoma City the Collected Thread store yarn bombed the Plaza District of the city on 9 September 2011 to celebrate their three-year anniversary as a functioning shop and in Australia a group called the Twilight Taggers refer to themselves as ‘fibre artists’.

The Nyack Art Collective (NAC) is a member owned and managed organization of visual artists. First Friday was created by NAC to spark the art world in Nyack by benefiting both local artists and businesses and meeting the goal of reinvigorating Nyack’s artistic reputation.

From the December Issue of New City Life Magazine

“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past.” Laurie Colwin

Dana Reyes stands in the kitchen of Gary and Company skillfully preparing an age old recipe handed down to her from her Philipino Mother-in-Law Fely. She is a serious baker whose head is swimming with filling ideas and whose hands are filled with sugar and butter. Reyes was born in New York, grew up in South Florida and summered in Rockland with family.

Reyes always dreamed of owning her own business. She learned to bake early on from her grandmother Martha and perfected her Mother-In-Law Fely’s intricate and personal recipe for ensaimadas. Fely visited the shop in Congers on Lake Road, when Dana and Roger Reyes first opened and beamed with pride over what the Reyes’ accomplished. Not only did Dana Reyes spend years making sure the recipe held up to her Mother-in-Law’s standards but Roger Reyes built the cabinetry, hung all the fixtures and the two, as a tag team, cozied up their quaint store to offer an attractive and inviting haven to those wanting to take a little bite into history.

Fely, who loved to do nothing more than cook and ballroom dance, was famous for her parties where guests swarmed around her and her delicious food. The ensaimada recipe was sacred in her house and she never shared it until Dana asked if she might share it with her. Martha, short in stature with gray hair and a hearty laugh, made up what she lacked in height with Chutzpah. “She had the biggest heart, she couldn’t say no to anyone,” explained Reyes. “She was a huge part of my life until I was 22 when she died, I miss her every day.

Gary Oteri stands not far in the distance at Gary and Company discussing a catering order in his Café that has served the community since January 2000. Oteri has been in the food business most of his life and purchased his business from Helen and Company. His Dad was a wholesale butcher in Yonkers, NY. Gary and Company was originally located on the corner of First Street and Maple Avenue in New City. In July, 2006, Oteri moved to a much larger location at 49 So. Main Street. He expanded his business to allow for sit-down customers to enjoy an array of freshly made salads, gourmet wraps, sandwiches, soups and hot Panini’s. He also added a wine and beer selection to his menu and his company offers full service catering and event planning.

Reyes and her husband owned Just Buns in Congers for almost four years. As a small business they worked hard and tried to make ends meet. Rent was high so they painfully decided to leave Congers and move to New City to start again. A local friend introduced the Reyes to Oteri. The two business people thought that having a baker inside the Café was a perfect match. Just Buns of New City officially opened in the beginning of September, 2013. Customers from Just Buns previous Congers location come to New City to wish them well, say hello and order trays of buns to bring to parties or ship to their children in college. The buns that Reyes creates, and that she calls “Swirly Buns” are light and flaky some might say like a cross between a croissant and an empanada.

Reyes’ mother-in-law Fely, a Batangas native, lived next to a bakery in the Philippines and learned to make ensaimadas for her family. Hers were filled with ham and cheese and sprinkled with sugar. She created her own special recipe from years of learning and watching the traditional versions of this light, delicious treat. Roger Reyes remembers fondly devouring these delicate buns as a snack with hot chocolate or tea while growing up in Texas. However, because the yeast had to rise the buns were only made in summer when South Texas temperatures hovered around 100 degrees with high humidity—this is what gives the buns their light, airy texture.

Dana Reyes rolls each and every bun by hand, carefully placing the appropriate filling and choosing only the freshest and highest-quality ingredients including Cabot butter and Callebaut chocolate. There are no preservatives here. “There is a meditative place you go to when you bake,” Reyes explains, “it is very zenlike—this is not place for anything but fresh ingredients! I left a corporate career to bake and I hope to continue for a very long time, I love what I do.”

Ensaimadas come from the Spanish region of Majorca. This Spanish pastry was first cited in literature in the 17th century. Ensaimadas are traditionally made with pork lard, and served cold with powdered sugar and hot chocolate. The Philippines, once a Spanish colony is where the pastry evolved and changed and pork fat gave way to other ingredients. The pastry became more of a brioche made with butter instead of the traditional lard. The word for pork lard is ‘saïm’ hence the name ‘ensaimada’.

Just Buns has received positive reviews from numerous food blogs including Food 411, Daily Candy, The Nibble and Bite of the Best. A sampling of their swirly buns earned them two spots on ABC Eyewitness News Secret Sales with Tory Johnson and the Elvis Duran Show on Z100 Radio. It remains a mystery to Reyes how Tory Johnson heard about her. “Two customers tipped off Tory Johnson and to this day I don’t know which customers they are!” said Reyes. Another customer took her own time to write to Oprah the first year Just Buns was open in Congers. “I couldn’t believe it, “explained Reyes, “we didn’t end up on the show, but just the thought that my customer went out of her way to help us is unbelievable!”

The fillings are just about endless and the buns come in two sizes. They include almond, almond and chocolate, apple, apricot, black and white, blueberry, butterscotch, cherry, chocolate, chocolate coconut, chocolate marshmallow, cinnamon and brown sugar, coconut, cranberry, cranberry walnut, honey nut, lemon, nutella, peanut butter & chocolate, peanut butter & jelly, pesto, raspberry, raspberry and almond, raspberry and chocolate, roasted garlic, roasted onion, toffee, white chocolate and white chocolate and raspberry. Cinnamon is the most popular flavor. The mini versions of the buns are perfect for birthday parties or bridal showers.

For the Holidays Reyes will create buns using pumpkin and gingerbread. Holiday Pies; southern pecan, apple crumb, blueberry crumb, and pumpkin will also be available. Just Buns’ kitchen is never quiet at Holiday time with Reyes also creating other family recipe specialty desserts including her Grandmother Martha’s cheesecake and dense chocolate brownies filled with an overabundance of chocolate.

Just Buns definitely knows the meaning of community and donates generously to local charities including Relay for Life; People to People; Nyack Homeless Project; and has taken part in the Taste of Rockland for several years. She has also been very involved in Hi Tor Animal Care Center fundraisers, an organization that is near and dear to her heart. Reyes is looking to include wholesale to her business plan and mission and customers tell her as an entrepreneur, she should audition a pitch to ABC’s Shark Tank.

Life is complex and hurried. Take a few minutes to experience a small treat steeped in family history and handed down to a new generation. Reyes is happy to place one more bun in the oven carefully aware that her Grandmother is watching over her butter laden hands and that her Mother-In-Law witnessed how hard she has worked to achieve her goals.

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” — Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, from Pavarotti, My Own Story

Swirly buns are perfect for birthday parties, baby showers, weddings, bridal showers or cocktail parties, or office luncheons. Gary and Company Café where Just Buns is located is at 49 South Main Street in New City. Stop by for a swirly bun, sweet or savory, and a cup of hot coffee. $2.55 each bun or $14.50 for half dozen $25 for a dozen. Mini buns are $18 per dozen. Reyes also has Holiday samples in the store for tastings. Website at http://www.justbunsbakery.com/.

Follow Just Buns on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JustBunsBakery and on twitter at @justbuns.
Nationwide shipping is also available.
Just Buns 845-589-0357

I come from a long line of stupendous cooks. When I was young, my grandmother would try to get me to sit still. “Come learn how to make Christmas chicken,” she would say. “Sit, sit.” I had little patience for such nonsense, caring nothing about how delicious food made its way to our table day after day, and frankly I didn’t have time for such tradition.

So respectfully declined.

“Later Nanny…later,” I would say quicker than I could run out the door.

As I got a little older I watched my Mother and Grandmother, listened and educated myself about food, its importance in our society and the meaning of sitting as a family to a glorious supper. Later I captured many different variations of cooking and experimented a great deal with different menus.

However, for some reason I always steered away from making the traditional Italian dishes of my family–very much to the chagrin of my husband.

“Honey, I only married you for your Mother’s gravy,” he told me. “Why don’t you ever make it?”

“Thank you honey, I love you too,” I retorted.

And so today we invited my Mom to give a gravy making class. Our daughter was home from College and our son and his girlfriend were happy to come by for a class and a meal to follow.

We are still not sure if our children really paid attention enough to grasp the full recipe.

Maybe they did.

But we spent a day together.

Laughed.

Learned.

Three generations rolling meatballs.

Now that’s a good day.