Bella’s Bakery in Millburn

Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 3:00pm  |  COMMENTS (1)

bella'streats.JPGBaristaville has many bakeries, but only one that is completely peanut and nut free and that’s Bella’s Bakery in Millburn. And when I say completely peanut and nut free, I mean it in the strictest way. Owner and chef, Janet Antico, makes sure that all of the ingredients that go into the yummy treats come from peanut/nut-free facilities, from the flour to the chocolate, which she orders from the Vermont Nut Free Company.
Antico earned the Grande Diplome for Pastry & Cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu in London in 1997. Soon after, she discovered that her daughter Bella had a peanut and tree nut allergy. That was 13 years ago when nut allergies weren’t as common as they are today. Antico found herself making cupcakes and cookies for school events so she could provide safe treats for Bella. Soon, she had moms and the school system asking for more. She started selling her treats and two years ago, opened up Bella’s Bakery on Essex Street in Millburn.
Cupcakes, which come in many flavors, are the most popular. When you walk into the adorable shop, they are the first thing that catches your eye. Bella’s always has chocolate and vanilla cupcakes to purchase and puts out a few special flavors daily. The day I visited it was Rainbow cupcakes with a baby blue frosting. There was also Red Velvet, which Antico said has become more of a must have since it’s gotten so popular, and a mini Chai Latte flavored cupcake.

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A Bat in My House

Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 12:00pm  |  COMMENTS (34)

bats drawing2.jpgWhile my husband was telling our son a bedtime story, he looked up and did a double take. We had a brown bat in the bedroom. We calmly exited the room, and called animal control. We wanted to release the bat, but since we had a small child in the house and a cat, we were told that the bat had to be tested for rabies. In the last two weeks, eight bats were found in homes in South Orange and Maplewood, NJ. One in Maplewood came back positive.
A few days later, we got a call, and were told the bat tested positive, and that we were the first family living in South Orange to have a rabid bat in our house. I really didn’t believe it. I also didn’t want to go for rabies shots.
First, I took our cat to the vet for a rabies shot. Then it was our turn. Steven and I picked Jordon up from camp, and told him we needed to head to the emergency room.

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A Party for the Green Party at Ted Glick’s

Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 10:30am  |  COMMENTS (29)

Ted Glick june 2010.jpgHere’s your chance to throw horseshoes, eat tofu dogs and meet a true American dissident. This Saturday, the Green Party of Essex and Passaic Counties holds a fundraiser in Ted Glick’s Bloomfield backyard to raise money to fight a coal plant from being built in Linden. Glick, as you may recall, faced the possibility of a three-year prison sentence for unfurling a banner in the Hart Senate Office Building last September. In the end, he got probation.

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Sunny With a Chance of Spectacular

Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 8:54am  |  COMMENTS (9)

Sunny.jpgQuick, go outside.
Yes, I mean you.
Leave your desk, bed, car, train, bus or whatever and walk — no run — to the nearest exit. Switch to a portable computer, shut off the TV, stop folding laundry or stick your head out a window, for heaven’s sake. Just quit being indoors for a minute (or longer).
There’s GOOD news today — it’s beautiful outside and promises to stay that way through the next ten days, according to the The Weather Channel.
We know from our “Extend My NJ Summer” contest that a lot of you haven’t quite had enough beach or R&R yet this season. By all means, enter for a chance to win a 2-night stay at Cape May’s Carroll Villa Hotel before September 3. Beyond that, though, just go out and play…

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Miracle Restores Church Organ

Wednesday, Aug 25, 2010 6:00pm  |  COMMENTS (6)

churchOrgan.jpgJames Konzelman, the repairman craftsman who restored the 85-year-old Estey pipe organ for St. John’s Lutheran in Bloomfield, called the congregation’s ability to raise more than $100,000 to do a full restoration on the instrument “a miracle.”
The organ, which was built for the church in 1925 and has over 990 working pipes (in addition to some “dummy pipes” placed near the altar for visual symmetry) has only been completely renovated once before, during the 1970′s. “No other instrument can offer the range of emotions this organ can,” Konzelman explained. Improvements to the organ include a new electrical control system, a reconfigured swell box, new wind chests, rebuilt pedal chests and an overhaul to the total instrument’s structure.

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St. Sebastian Feast & Carnival Coming To Montclair

Wednesday, Aug 25, 2010 4:15pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

st seb carn A.jpg
Despite drizzling rain, work crews were busy, today, at the corner of Walnut and Grove in Montclair preparing for the St. Sebastian Feast & Carnival. The festival opens Thursday, August 26. Hours are Thursday and Friday from 5PM to 10PM, Saturday and Sunday from 3PM to 10PM. There will be food, games, rides, entertainment and more.
For more information on the fair, see BaristaKids.

Millburn Office Hosts Charity Sale of Offbeat Collectibles

Wednesday, Aug 25, 2010 3:30pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

LenBornstein.jpgA wad of foreign paper money, signed TV scripts, century-old magazines, piles of unworn socks and the last will and testament of a British sailor dated 1721 are up for grabs in what’s certain to be one of Millburn’s quirkiest charity rummage sales, on August 27 – 28. The sale will benefit Arts Unbound, located in Orange.
Leonard Bornstein of Leonard Bornstein Entertainments cleared out closets during his office renovation in order to raise funds for this group, which is committed to unleashing the artistic potential of people with physical and mental disabilities.

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Local Students to Sing with Foreigner at the Wellmont on 8/26

Wednesday, Aug 25, 2010 2:00pm  |  COMMENTS (5)

P1010020.jpg UPDATE: WE HAVE OUR WINNERS.
Read to the end for ticket giveaways, as well as a chance to meet Foreigner before the concert.
Eighteen or so of Baristaville’s most talented high school vocalists will debut at the Wellmont Theater this Thursday evening, as they sing back up for Foreigner’s performance of their classic hit “I Want to Know What Love Is.” The band, whose 14 Top 20 hits include Cold As Ice, Hot Blooded and Waiting For A Girl Like You, have recently released their ninth album Can’t Slow Down. More than 30 years after forming, the band’s music resonates across generations and the globe, including Baristaville’s own youth, their parents and maybe even grandparents alike.

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Farm Fresh Tomato Sauce

Wednesday, Aug 25, 2010 12:00pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

basketomatoes.jpgWhether you stocked up on tomatoes at a farmer’s market or grew your own (like my baby bumper crop pictured), you’ll want to tackle sauce. Cooking with Friends’ Alison Bermack joins Baristanet’s Melody Kettle to show you how on Food.

Maplewood A&P To Close in October

Wednesday, Aug 25, 2010 12:00pm  |  COMMENTS (22)

A&P.jpgWhen I heard the news that the Maplewood A&P will close its doors for good in October, I confess that my first thought was, how did it last that long? I had only been there perhaps a dozen times in the 15 years I’ve lived in Maplewood/South Orange. The store was small, checkout lines could be slow, and the produce department occasionally resembled something out of the Soviet Union. The place looked like it needed a good scrubbing.
Its biggest selling point – and possibly the reason for its longevity – was its liquor license. Cheap beer and a great selection of low-priced wine made it the go-to spot for parties. But in the last twenty years, newer, flashier supermarkets have eclipsed little neighborhood stores like the A&P.

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Featured Comment

I was very glad to see this post. The running in the street around here drives me crazy, mostly because the the majority of the runners I've encountered (not every runner)seem to think that it's their right to take up half the street when what they are doing is in fact illegal. And let's not be silly. Yes, concrete is hard on the joints, but the pavement isn't that much better. It's not like the roads are made of track rubber.
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sadie07

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