By the Editor/MadisonChatham This Week
We're all for improving school test scores, shared services, resolutions honoring local heroes and do-gooders. We never want our governments and institutions to take their eyes off the big prizes.
But can we ask that, every now and again, they fix a pothole or two?
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By the Editor/MadisonChatham This Week
It’s not that we’re against corporate sponsorship of, well — just about everything on Earth. We admit that we once thought it had gone a little far.
But that was before we decided to welcome sponsorship into our everyday life.
With a new stream of serious sponsor revenue, we could then, for instance, be able to pay both the gas and cable bills in the same month.
We discussed this with family members the other night during our Visa® Pre-Dinner Conversation. “We could probably get more from Verizon Wireless® or AT&T®,” said our daughter. “After all, they’re all about communication.”
Our daughter should know, inasmuch as she is singlehandedly responsible for all wireless phone service provider profits.
We thought this over as we stirred pasta in our Calphalon® Unison™ Nonstick Pot. “What does your ‘Free shipping on purchases of $69 or more only at Dick’s Sporting Goods®’ brother think?”
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Mr. Ray performs at 2 p.m. at Drew University in Madison, at the University Center, on Sunday, Feb. 6.
Ray Andersen, internationally known as Mr. Ray, performs at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 6, at Drew University at the University Center, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Madison.
The event is a program of family music, with an emphasis on catchy tunes.
In addition to being seen and heard on "Blues' Clues," "XM Kids" and Radio Disney, Anderson has produced several videos and DVDs and is under contract with a British music organization, where he has several new recordings. In 2009, he was invited to sing at the United Nations for "A Season of Non-Violence."
Proceeds from the Madison event will be donated to Rotary International's End Polio Now worldwide program.
All children must be accompanied by an adult and are encouraged to bring a mat. Tickets are $10 per child; $5 per adult. No charge for children under 2. Advance ticket sales are available at a discount for $8 per child at the following Madison bank locations: Provident Bank, 98 Main Street; Investors Savings Bank, 16 Waverly Place; Union Center National Bank, 300 Main Street; and HSBC Bank, 407 Main St., Chatham.
For further information, contact Hpnaylor@drew.edu or call 973-408-3103.
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I asked five Madison residents to tell me about their favorite New Jersey weekend getaway or day trip. Here's what they have to say:
Kerry Weber
"On the weekends I love to hike through various parts of Jockey Hollow and the Great Swamp. They are so close and yet so huge! There is a lot of variety of territory to explore, providing a continual sense of expansiveness and fresh sites to see. There are great parts for biking and other parts where hiking boots are a necessity!"
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Chatham
8 Overlook Road, David Vollmer, Katherine Vollmer, $680,000 (Peter Gianusso)
19I Heritage Drive, Shumin Ning, $315,000 (Steven Phipps)
8 Clark St., Zachary Apoian, Elizabeth Apoian, $656,000 (Nancy Graves)
91 Center St., Andrzej Baranski, Atiya Ahmad, $588,000 (Paul Gregory)
Madison
19 Norman Circle, Patrick Egan, Erin Egan, $685,000 (Joan Pittis)
Real estate transfers originate from public records compiled by the county clerk of each county. Transfers appearing in This Week are supplied by Superior Information Services of Trenton, which collects the city, address, buyer names, selling price and seller information. Questions regarding the accuracy of the information provided can be directed to the county clerk's office or Superior Information Services of Trenton.
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Harmonium Choral Society’s A Taste of Harmonium auction fundraiser and concert Saturday, February 6, at Grace Episcopal Church, 4 Madison Avenue at Kings Road, Madison, will celebrate its 30th anniversary season and support the group’s educational, outreach, and commission activities.
Harmonium Choral Society. Photo by George M. Aronson.
Doors open at 7:00 pm. Tickets for the fundraiser are $50. To get tickets, call 973-538-6969 or go to www.harmonium.org. The snow date is Saturday, February 20, 2010.
An online auction this week concludes Saturday at the live event, which may include additional items not found online, with wine, hors d’oeuvres, and dessert.
The concert portion of the evening will preview the repertoire for Harmonium’s invitation-only American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Eastern Division Convention performance.
Highlights include a classic from Monteverdi, a Nigerian folk song, and Edie Hill’s Harmonium commission “There Is No Age.”
Harmonium Choral Society, based in Morris County, is a 100-voice choral society dedicated to inspiring and transforming the community through music.
Beth Lohner, Taste of Harmonium event chair. Photo by Beth B. Branigan.
They perform a diverse repertoire of choral music at a high artistic level and advance the choral arts through education, commissions, and community partnerships.
Chorus America awarded Harmonium its 2009 Education Outreach Award, giving the group national recognition.
Dr. Anne Matlack has served as Harmonium’s artistic director since 1987. She was named 2003 Outstanding Arts Professional by the Arts Council of the Morris Area.
More information about Harmonium, its ACDA performance, or its 2009-2010 season is available at www.harmonium.org or by calling 973-538-6969.
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The front door of the Hartley Dodge Memorial Building in Madison
This week's Where Is It? photo features the front door of the Hartley Dodge Memorial Building on Kings Road in Madison. Built in 1933 from funds donated by Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, the building serves as Madison Borough's town hall.
The Hartley Dodge Memorial, across from the Madison train station
In July 2009, the borough received a $426,040 grant from the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund that is being used for the continued rehabilitation of the memorial.
Renovations to the building include asbestos removal, installing an elevator for handicapped accessibility, a new municipal courtroom and a new HVAC system.
The municipal offices temporarily moved to the former Bayley-Ellard High School located at 205 Madison Avenue.
The borough expects the renovations to be completed by May 2010, which marks the 75th Anniversary of the building's 1935 Memorial Day dedication.
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Compiled by MadisonChatham This Week
Basketball
Northwest Jersey basketball officials are accepting registrations from anyone 18 and older wishing to become an official for the 2009-10 season. The levels are recreation, junior school CYO and high school. For applications, visit www.nwnjboard168.org.
Women's basketball program takes place from 7:45 to 9:45 p.m. Wednesday nights at the Madison Area YMCA, 111 Kings Road in Madison. For women who have played at least in high school. E-mail or call Colleen Moran @colleendmoran@aol.com or 917-620-0651.
Chess
Morris Township is sponsoring children's chess classes for youngsters in grades one to eight at the Parks and Recreation annex at 35 Woodland Ave. Classes will be conducted 6 to 7 p.m. and 8 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays. Cost is $20 per student. To register, complete a registration form in the 2009 fall-winter Parks and Recreation brochure at www.morristwp.com. For more information, call 973-326-7371.
Skating
Mennen Sports Arena's Learn-To-Skate program recently was recognized by U.S. Figure Skating for the Basic Skills Learn-to-Skate season. The Arena's program is the best beginning ice skating program for both the recreational and competitive skater. For more information on group classes, call Mennen Sports Arena at 973-326-7651 or visit www.morrisparks.net.
Senior softball
Four senior men's softball teams are seeking players for the softball season. The Tuesday Morning Senior Men's Softball League for ages 60 and older plays double-headers at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays in Randolph and West Orange. The Thursday Morning Senior Men's Softball League for players 67 and older double-headers at 9:30 a.m. Thursdays in West Orange. Applicants should call Gene Stracco at 973-361-3271 or e-mail genestracco@optimum.net or call Tony Ciavatta at 973-593-0059 or e-mail janandtone@verizon.net. The Saturday Morning Senior Men's Softball League for ages 60 and older plays double-headers at 9:30 a.m. Saturdays in Livingston. Call Sam DiBenedetto at 973-887-7941 or e-mail samdib@aol.com. The North Jersey Senior Softball League for ages 50 and older and 60 and older plays weeknights. Contact Tony Ciavatta.
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The den of the home at 11 Highland Ave., Chatham.
This 1920s gardener's cottage at 11 Highland Ave. in Chatham has had a dramatic makeover that nearly tripled its living space. The charming residence blends old and new to produce a sophisticated, original home to call your own.
The addition on the exterior was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's addition to his Illinois home. The design offers light, warmth and excitement from the circular steps leading to the living area to the large plain-and-fancy unfitted kitchen with a log-burning fireplace, built-in custom dresser with plate rack, Wolf double ovens and Bosch dishwasher.
An open floor plan creates a casual flow from the kitchen into a den and a butler's pantry with icemaker and wet bar. This colonial is filled with detail and was designed with an eye toward quality and first-class architectural features — it's like having a bit of Manhattan in Chatham.
The home has 10 rooms, which includes four bedrooms, three full and two half-baths. There is a two-car, attached garage and a partial unfinished basement.
The house is on a third of an acre of regraded and extensively hardscaped property.
The list price is $1,770,000 through Weichert Realtors. For more information, call Linda DiForio at 973-635-5000.
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Chef Kevin Stender is the owner of Top Notch Restaurant on Madison's Park Avenue. (Photo by John Bell)
By Jamie Duffy
Special to MadisonChatham This Week
Chef Kevin Stender, the owner of Top Notch restaurant on Madison's Park Avenue, feels equally at home whipping up a jagerschnitzel as he does making homemade pasta Alfredo with shrimp or scallops.
Both are signature dishes at his German-Italian restaurant, and that's reflective of the ancestry of its owner. Stender, 36, grew up in North Caldwell, the son of a German master chef and a Neapolitan mother. Needless to say, the cooking was varied and for Stender, inspiring.
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Stender trained in Naples and other European cities. The chef was "some guy named Jean Paul," but what stayed with Stender was the chef's emphasis on teaching "the whole romance of food," a subject that wasn't covered stateside.
He then worked as the chef at Carousel restaurant on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. About 10 years ago, when he started looking for his own establishment, a real estate agent friend found him an empty building, and that's where he created Top Notch 10.
The restaurant, with its latticed decor, is a favorite spot for the ladies who lunch. They get an excellent meal with the $10.95 prix fixe menu that includes soup or salad with the main course. For those who are tightening their belts in this economy but still want a restaurant experience, there is the four-course early-bird special, served from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and priced at $13.95. A night out can cost $20 to $35 a person, and you bring your own alcoholic beverage.
Toni Raimo of Sparta is a regular customer who often dines at Top Notch with her group of "lady friends." She likes the veal Gemini, veal topped with mozzarella, shrimp and scallops. A German friend "always has the sauerbraten, which she loves." They all like the ambience, the varied menu and the good value. "The whole package is good there."
On Fridays, singer Mark Fabian livens up the nights with songs from the days of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Englebert Humperdinck.
"People were clapping," and a couple of people got up and danced, Raimo said. "They had a good time."
When Stender takes the day off, he often spends it with his father, Hans. They may browse the cookbook aisle in a bookstore, passing a few hours that way, a habit that can bring a new special to the menu.
"What I like about this, it doesn't strangle you to do anything. I can put Yugoslavian fare on the menu. I like the idea of not being typed as a one-ethnic restaurant."
Oktoberfest draws so many people, "you can't get in the door," says Stender. Typically, he offers a five-course meal that includes a potato pancake, jagerschnitzel or wienerschnitzel (breaded veal with a fried egg on top), a three-wurst platter and a cucumber salad.
Stender also has a few desserts he makes on his own: cheesecake, brownies, apple strudel and a creme brulee.
When he's not at his own restaurant, he enjoys dining out at the Cheesecake Factory at the Paramus Mall where he says drinks are great. But then so is the cheesecake. Another inspiration.
TOP NOTCH RESTAURANT
ADDRESS: 4 Park Ave., Madison
TELEPHONE NUMBER: 973-660-9222
HOURS: Lunch, 11:30 to 2:30 Monday to Sunday; early bird, 4:30 to 6 p.m.; dinner, 4:30 to 10 p.m.
CUISINE: German and Italian
LIQUOR: BYOB
PAYMENT: Visa, Master Card, American Express
PRICE RANGE: Lunch, three-course special, $10.95; dinner, early bird, four courses, $13.95; dinner starters, $5.95 to $10.95; entrees, $15 to $20; desserts, $4; specials, $13.95 to $24.95
RESERVATIONS: Highly recommended on weekends
DRESS: Smart casual
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Dr. Tobi Ippolito, pictured, and Dr. Mitchell J. Mutterperl are in practice together in Chatham. (Photo by Elbaliz Mendez)
Why did you start the business?
Tobi Ippolito: After practicing in Bayonne for many years, we felt the time was right to expand our practice. As a resident of East Hanover, I identified a need for more quality primary care physicians in the area. We have been on staff at St. Barnabas Medical Center and want to bring that dedication of medical excellence to the communities.
Can you describe the services you provide?
Traditional primary-care internal medicine. We recognize that continuity of care is of the utmost importance for good patient care and, as such, we are not simply an office-based medical practice. We see our patients in the office as well as care for them if they become hospitalized.
If you could do it again, what would you do differently?
Perhaps deciding to expand the practice a little sooner.
What's the best business advice you have received?
The practice will continue to flourish if we remain true to our basic tenant of medicine — putting the patients' interests first, and the single most important thing about caring for a patient is to care about the patient.
What personality trait helps you the most?
Compassionate, understanding and continuous dedication to excellence.
Hardest part of the job?
Dealing with denials of services from insurance companies.
Easiest?
Patient care
Most unusual experience on the job:
There are plenty, but due to confidentiality reasons, we can't say.
When you leave the business what will you do?
We both feel medicine is a calling; neither one of us could imagine doing anything else — except catching up on lost sleep.
In one sentence, tell us why patients should come here?
Exceptional quality medical care provided by two physicians highly respected by both their patients and peers.
MITCHELL J. MUTTERPERL, M.D.,
AND TOBI IPPOLITO, M.D., P.A.
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Primary-care internal medicine
OWNERS: Drs. Mutterperl and Ippolito
ADDRESS: 33 Main St., Chatham
TELEPHONE NUMBER: 973-701-6901
HOURS OF OPERATION: Chatham office: 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Bayonne office: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday
FOUNDED: Practice started 25 years ago
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Brendon Kaufman, a 16-year-old junior on Chatham High School's bowling team, celebrates a strike. (Photo by Karen Mancinelli)
How many years have you been bowling?
Brendon Kaufman: Two years.
What do you enjoy most about bowling?
I like the relaxed atmosphere.
What kind of bowling ball do you use?
I bowl a 14-pound Brunswick Maxx Zone.
Have you ever bowled a 300-game. If not, how close have you gotten?
No, my best is a 268.
How often do you practice?
I practice two or three times a week.
What is the most important thing to remember when you are bowling?
Stay focused and hit your mark.
Do you watch bowling on TV? Do you have a favorite professional bowler?
Occasionally. I like to watch Ryan "Rhino" Page.
What do you do to prepare for a game?
Not much. I just strap up my shoes and go.
What is the best advice you've ever gotten and who gave it to you?
Coach Craig Swartz always tells us to be relaxed.
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Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, 9 Main Street in Madison
A new exhibit, Lenape: Tools & Daily Living, is now open at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts in Madison. Visitors to the museum will learn about some of New Jersey's native people as they lived, worked and played.
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Eight-year-old Emilee Staneart, left, and 9-year-old K'Mara Register, both of Madison, have collected $125 so far for relief efforts in Haiti. (Photo courtesy the Register family)
By Alison Ickowicz
MadisonChatham This Week
The Haiti earthquake survivors will be receiving aid from two unexpected volunteers — 8-year-old Emilee Staneart and 9-year-old K'Mara Register.
On Jan. 12, when the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck southern Haiti, the girls had a lot of questions for their mothers about what they'd seen on the news.
"K'Mara started asking me where the people in Haiti could go to use the bathroom and where could they sleep. I told her that they didn't have places to do those things anymore; so many people don't have anything left," K'Mara's mother Kim Harris said.
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