Winter Fete to Benefit Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at the Church Street Tavern in New York City

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NEW YORK, NY – An evening of stars, glamor, great cuisine, cocktails, music, a silent auction and fun for an important cause – to help save children’s lives took place at the Church Street Tavern to benefit the Sloan Ketteing Memorial Cancer Center for their Pediatric Unit on Thursday December 11, 2014.

A-listers and glamorous guests attended this wonderful event entitled Winter Fete including: TV Personality Rita Cosby, Actress Julianne Michelle, Actor Dominic Chianese and Actor Larry Romano. The event was hosted and Chaired by Actress Julianne Michelle, Vice-Chair Joycelyn Engle, Chih-Chin Sun and Auction Chair: Emily Hunt

Winterfete Actress and Chair Julianne Michelle (left) who helped coordinate the event with TV Personality Rita Cosby.

I sat down with Actress and Chair Julianne Michelle who helped coordinate the event.

Tell my audience some of the more important people who are attending this event tonight.

Julianne: So far we have Tina Louise here, Larry Romano from “King of Queens” is on his way, Jennifer Esposito is confirmed to attend and Dominic Chianese from the “Sopranos,” Steven Baldwin I believe. There is quite a few.

Quite a few people giving their support. This is a wonderful cause for Sloan Kettering.

Julianne: I think all of us have been touched by Cancer in some way.

 I have, that is why I am here tonight. I had Breast Cancer.

Julianne: Oh, you did.

Yes about a year ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer. I am very lucky. Anything that is about Cancer, I am there and I support it.

Julianne: Cancer is the number two killer in the United States. We all have stories and have been touched in a personal way by it and even though tonight’s event focuses on Pediatric Cancer Research, we are acknowledging all of those who have battled Cancer. My late godmother just recently passed away not too long ago from Cancer. It’s always a struggle to see someone like that suffer, someone who had poise and grace, someone I always looked up to but I still look up to her everyday. I think her spirit is with us tonight. I am so honored to be supporting such an important cause and we are doing our best to fund raise for them. Hopefully we have some great auction items and people will bid with open hearts.

Tell my audience where we can go to participate, contribute and support. What is the website.

Julianne: If you Google Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center you will find their website and you can find ways of getting more involved.

Julianne Michelle was nominated three times for “Best Actress” in a feature film and TV series, and winner “Best Actress” for the feature film, “The House Is Burning”. She was nominated for “Best Actress Under Age 10” for the movie, “Family Prayers”…Youth in Film Awards, Los Angeles. The film also starred Joe Mantegna, Paul Reiser, Anne Archer and Patti LuPone. Julianne was nominated for “Best Actress in a TV Series” for “Bus No. 9”. She starred as a series regular. She was also nominated for her guest star appearance on “Who’s The Boss?” starring Tony Danza. …Youth in Film and Young Artists’ Awards, Los Angeles. December 2006, she won “Best Actress” award for “The House Is Burning” directed by award-winning director, Holger Ernst and produced by Win Wenders at the Flash Foundation’s Young Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland. This feature film was filmed in the United States and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. She recently won the award for Best Actress for “Awakened” Audience Choice Awards Oct. 20, 2013. The feature film “Awakened” is written, produced and co-directed by Joycelyn Engle.

TV Host Cognac Wellerlane interviews Actress Julianne Michelle, TV Personality Rita Cosby and Actor Larry Romano from “King of Queens” at the Winter Fete to Benefit Sloan Kettering Memorial Center at the Church Street Tavern in New York City

I also spoke to TV Personality Rita Cosby who came by to give her support. Rita is a television news anchor and correspondent, radio host, and best selling author. She recently was Special Correspondent for the CBS syndicated program Inside Edition, specializing in interviewing news-makers and political figures.

It has been a while since we met out in the Hamptons at the American Heart Association. Tell my audience why you are a big supporter of tonight’s event.

Rita: You know what, it is very personal to me Cognac. My mother in her final months, she was treated at Sloan Kettering. My mother unfortunately was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. It is an amazing hospital. They took such amazing care of my mother. I am always eternally grateful and I always think about when my mother was in her final months she would see young kids with Cancer being wheeled down the hall. When she realized that she had an amazing life, she would be praying as well as I. When I heard this event was for the Pediatric Center at one of the greatest hospitals in the world, I said “I have to be here to support them.” It’s Christmas time, it’s Holiday time and the greatest gift is to give back and to help a great place like Sloan Kettering.

RitaCosbyandCognacRita Cosby and Cognac Wellerlane at Winter Fete to Benefit Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at the Church Street Tavern in New York City on Thursday December 11, 2014.

Actor Larry Romano from “King of Queens” sat and talked about the event and why he decided to share his support. Larry Romano was a regular on “NYPD Blue” and the sitcom “The King of Queens,” on which he played “Richie Iannucci”. He also played First Base in the motion picture “Lock Up: with Sylvester Stallone. He had a lead role in the short-lived NBC sitcom “Kristin” as Aldo Bonnadonna with Kristin Chenoweth, though the sitcom only aired 6 episodes, before being canceled. Romano made a cameo appearance in “Out for Justice.” In 1997 he had a brief role playing Al Pacino’s son in “Donnie Brasco” and appeared in the 1998 Terrence Malick film “The Thin Red Line.” His most recent acting work was in 2014 film “Laugh Killer Laugh”

I am here with this very important celebrity who is a big supporter of tonight’s event. Introduce yourself to the camera.

Larry Romano: Hello, Larry Romano. You know me from “King of Queens,” “Donnie Brasco,” “Lockup,” and “The Thin Red Line” and I am here helping them raise money for this wonderful cause. The bottom line is that it’s terrible to have kids with Cancer you know. It’s a sad day to see these little kids who will never get a chance of having any life at all. Their suffering and they are going through all this pain and it’s something that keeps you up at night thinking about how lucky you are and how unfortunate others are so the least we can do is be here tonight.

TV Host Cognac Wellerlane interviews Filmmaker Brian Mehling and Owner JB at the Church Street Tavern for the Winter Fete to Benefit the Sloan Kettering Memorial Center

Honorary Celebrity Committee included: Steven Bauer, Larry King, John Savage, Billy Bob Thornton

Host Committee: Melissa Berkelhammer, Rita Cosby, Jennifer Esposito, Jeffrey Jacobs, Dodie Kazanjian, Chanel Korby, Kloe Korby, Dan Ladner, Chris Larson, Lauren Lawrence, Tina Louise, Mrs. Frank Perdue, William Quigley, Nick Raynes, Sean Stone, Tad Tomkins, Michael Travin, Felicia Wong, Sophia Young

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is the world’s oldest and largest private institution devoted to prevention, patient care, research and education in cancer. Its scientists and clinicians generate innovative approaches to better understand, diagnose and treat cancer. MSK’s specialists are leaders in biomedical research and in translating the latest research to advance the standard of cancer care worldwide.

For more information please visit www.mskcc.org

98-Seat Tocolo Cantina Mexican Restaurant Opens; Gallery at Westbury Plaza, Garden City Long Island

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(Long Island, NY) It may be Winter and right before the Holiday Season but Long Island has just turned up the heat with the newly opened Tocolo Cantina Restaurant. Tocolo is an authentic Mexican restaurant with an innovative twist located in The Gallery at Westbury Plaza (920 Old Country Rd, Garden City). The restaurant just opened up its doors on December 3rd, 2014. With this fabulous Mexican Eatery comes renowned chef Alexis Samayoa, a Brooklyn native with a stellar career.

Tocolo Cantina serves refined, modern Mexican and Oaxacan cuisine in a casual and fun atmosphere with a strong focus on service. The 98-seat restaurant merges elements of a modern California eatery with those of a Mexican Cantina. It is fit with copper walls, encaustic tile, and a hydraulic garage door. The restaurant is anchored by a lively bar in the center of the room. This past weekend I was invited to dine at the restaurant and to speak to the owners who made all of this happen.

The restaurant is co-owned by four incredible gentlemen, Lloyd Rosenman, Todd Birnbaum, Coby Rejwan and Chef Alexi Samayoa.

TocoloCantina1 From left to right, Coby Rejwan, Cognac Wellerlane, Lloyd Rosenman,Todd Birnbaum.

Upon entering I was immediately greeted by General Manager Samantha Macleod. Samantha and I talked about the restaurant while we sipped on their signature cocktails.

Tell us about these delicious cocktails that you are serving us here at the restaurant.

Samantha: This is the Grilled Lime Margaritas. It’s one of our most popular margaritas. It’s made with Avion Silver Tequila. It is rinsed with Ilegal Mezcal so it gives it a little bit of a smokiness. We grill the lime and we fresh squeeze lime juice. It is absolutely delicious.

managerTocolo Cantina General Manager Samantha Macleod and Cognac Wellerlane.

It sounds delicious. Tell my audience a little bit more about the restaurant. How did you get involved in this restaurant?

Samantha: The owners were looking for a general manager. There are four owners, Todd, Coby, Lloyd and Chef Alexis and they were looking for somebody for in front of the house to basically make sure that this could be the amazing place that it is today.

TocoloCantina2 Tocolo Cantina in Garden City; refined, modern Mexican and Oaxacan cuisine in a casual and fun atmosphere with a strong focus on service.

I spoke to Co-Owner Todd Birnbaum about the history he had with his co-partners.

Tell my audience how you got involved with this restaurant.

Todd: Coby and Lloyd The co in Tocolo were planning on opening an eatery like such and a mutual friend of mine and there’s made an introduction because they wanted someone with restaurant know-how. I have been in the restaurant industry for twenty years and when we met I had envisioned the same exact restaurant they had. It was meant to be.

TocoloCantina3 Tocolo Cantina in Garden City; refined, modern Mexican and Oaxacan cuisine in a casual and fun atmosphere with a strong focus on service.

Later I discussed the fabulous artwork that was being displayed in the restaurant with Co-Owner Lloyd Rosenman.

Tell my audience about this restaurant. I see that there is such beautiful art work surrounding us. Tell my audience the story about these paintings that we are seeing surrounding us.

Lloyd: Well, we were heavily influenced by the great food and art in San Francisco especially the Mission District. All the art in the restaurant are murals from the Mission District in San Framcisco. The main artwork over the booth I commissioned and it is a balmy alley in San Francisco. San Francisco has just amazing street art and it is a story of the community really.

All these paintings, is there a particular artist that did all of them or are there various artists?

Lloyd: There are various muralists and various photographers who took pictures of those murals.

TocoloCantina4 Tocolo Cantina in Garden City; refined, modern Mexican and Oaxacan cuisine in a casual and fun atmosphere with a strong focus on service.

I also had a chance to chat with Co-Owner Coby Rejwan who shared some special feelings he had about the restaurant.

Why do you think this restaurant is so special?

Coby: The original idea behind this restaurant goes back many years. I went to college in Berkley, California and before I went out there I didn’t know what Mexican food was; then I tried some Mexican food out there and I met some Mexican American friends. I tried their parent’s home cooking and it was instant love. Ever since then it’s a few years and I have just longed for that kind of food in New York. I have lived in the city up until about a year ago and moved out here and still have not been able to find it. I think the Mexican dining scene has come so far in the last few years especially in Manhattan. There are some great places. It was sought-of a dream to build something like that in our community on Long Island.

After learning about why all the owners were inspired to open this authentic Mexican eatery, I was thrilled to interview Chef Alexis Samayoa.

Chef Alexis Samayoa’s menu is influenced by his own upbringing and a career that spans over a decade through renowned kitchens like El Vez, La Esquina (with Chef Akhtar Nawab), Txikito (with Chef Alex Raij), WD-50 (with Chef Wiley Dufresne) and Empellon. His approach at Tocolo Cantina reflects a deep love of food – smells, textures, seasonings and freshness, as well as a devoted skill set most inspired by Empellon’s Chef Alex Stupak and his creativity.

chef22Chef Alexis Samayoa, co-owner of Tocolo Cantina Restaurant in Garden City with Cognac Wellerlane during her interview.

How did you learn how to cook like this? Did you go to culinary school?

Chef Alexis: Yes I did. I went to the Art Institute of New York City. I think it closed, I don’t know. For years I have been cooking. I started cooking at WD-50, that was one of my biggest starts and that is where I met Alex Stupak. When he opened up his Mexican Restaurant (Empellon). I started involving more of my Latin flavors into my life and working with Mr. Stupac I was able to understand modern techniques and traditional flavors and combine them together and put them into a New York City modern time so people could enjoy that. It was pretty difficult in the beginning now it’s getting easier to compose together flavors.

For more information about this authentic Mexican Eatery please visit http://www.tocolocantina.com

TV Host Cognac Wellerlane interviews General Manager Samantha Macleod and Owner Todd Birnbaum at Tocolo Cantina Mexican Restaurant located at 920 Old Country Road, Garden City New York.

TV Host and Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane interviews Owners, Lloyd Rosenman, Coby Rejwan and Chef Alexis Samayoa at Tocolo Cantina Mexican Restaurant located at 920 Old Country Road, Garden City New York.

Vered Art Gallery Shows Works of Bert Stern, Colin Christian During Hamptons International Film Festival

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(Long Island, NY) During the Hamptons International Film Festival Vered Art Gallery exhibited a series of Art Works by major Artists. Below are some of the more important exhibits that I viewed.

Colin Christian: Cosplay

Vered Gallery is pleased to present Cosplay, an exhibition of new whimsical art work by renown sculptor Colin Christian. This much anticipated exhibit will be the artist’s first solo show in the US in three years. Cosplay, short for “costume play” is the inspiration for Christian’s latest series of work. In Cosplay, Christian enthusiastically tackles the monumental task of reimagining some of the most iconic characters from film, literature and pop culture.

HamptonsFestiva

Hamptons-Intl-Film-Festiva

BERT STERN b.1929

Photographer Bert Stern arranged to have three sessions with Marilyn Monroe photographing for Vogue Magazine in Los Angelos’ Hotel Bel-Air in late June 1962, six weeks before Maryiln’s death. These sessions produced extraordinarily beautiful and unique images of Marilyn.

Bert Stern’s career exemplifies the concept of the commercial photographer as a cultural hero. Money, power, and celebrity have established him almost as much of an icon as the famous faces he has photographed. He has become the prototype of the fashion photographer as the embodiment of glamor.

Hamptons-Film-Festiva

Color in Modernism, Begins: 9.13.2014, Ends: 10.30.2014

De Kooning once described art history as being like a bowl of soup. You stick your hand in it and find something for yourself. Modernism succeeded Classical painting. The classic ‘Old Masters’ were artists who regarded the physical limitations of painting, as wholly negative. Old Master painters attempted to conceal the flat surface, the support shape and the variations of pigmentation. However, the challenge to compete with the newly invented field of photography after its advent in 1839, caused painters to recalibrate; to seek a means of expression beyond the limitations of the camera. The ‘limitations,’ once regarded as detrimental, came to express themselves under modernist practice as openly positive identifiers of the medium. As such, flatness, literal shape and hues became primary, representative, and ‘pure’ qualities of the emerging modernist aesthetic. The modernist’s aesthetic inclination was to withdraw from representing reality, “in favor of an increasing preoccupation with the problems intrinsic to painting itself.

Hamptons

Chuck Close 1940 —

“If it looks like art, chances are it’s somebody else’s art.”

“Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

“Some people wonder whether what I do is inspired by a computer and whether or not that kind of imaging is a part of what makes this work contemporary. I absolutely hate technology, and I’m computer illiterate, and I never use any labor-saving devices although I’m not convinced that a computer is a labor-saving device,” Chuck Close reveals.

In the Hamptons Vered Gallery offers the sophistication and excitement needed to purchase and sell fine art of the 19th, 20th and 21st century. In the best tradition of successful secondary market galleries, Vered’s offerings are eclectic and rapidly changing.

Vered has shown many great artist’s works including: Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Milton Avery, Andy Warhol, Fairfield Porter, Wolf Kahn, Man Ray and Willem de Kooning just to name a few.

Vered showcases art works of the great 20th century movements of Abstract Expressionism, POP, Color Field, Modernism, Precisionism, Social Realism and the School of Paris.

Owner Janet Lehr joined Vered at the gallery she had founded 8 years earlier, in the mid 1980’s, expanding its interest to include photography, intuiting the crucial development of the ‘new’ photography and its avid collecting into the 21st century.

For more information please visit http://www.veredart.com

OUT AND ABOUT IN APRIL

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What’s Happening This Month In April

(Long Island, N.Y.) From a Wizard of Oz exhibit to a week of spa deals to Earth Day celebrations, Long Island has a wide-variety of happenings in April. Enjoy the month!

Vanderbilt Museum, Spa Adriana in Huntington and the Huntington Chamber of Commerce are holding a First Annual Earth Month Coloring Contest and Family Day. “Getting children actively involved in protecting the world we live in is so critically important,” said Carol Ghiorsi Hart, Executive Director, Vanderbilt Museum.

Coloring pages can be downloaded from www.vanderbiltmuseum.org, www.spaadriana.com, and www.huntingtonchamber.com. Winners will be announced at the “Family Day Celebration at the Vanderbilt Museum” on April 24. Prizes include a one-year Family Membership to the Vanderbilt. Hands-on touch tables of natural history specimens, planetarium shows and special arts and crafts workshops will be available throughout the day.

vanderbuilt

Vanderbilt Museum
180 Little Neck Road
Centerport, NY
(631) 854-5555
www.vanderbiltmuseum.org

Spa Adriana
266 Main Street
(631) 351-1555
www.spaadriana.com

Long Island Children’s Museum continues their Wonderful Wizard of Oz Traveling Exhibit through May 9. At the LICM Theatre, an adaptation of the classic story is live on stage April 17th and 18th and May 1st and 2nd. Throughout the month, experience science, art, and history through the pages of a larger-than-life Wizard of Oz story book. Visitors will experience cranking up their own tornado, be able to step into Dorothy’s shoes by role playing in her house, learn heart facts with the Tin Man, and, of course, meet “the wizard of oz” himself!

Long Island Childrens Museum
11 Davis Avenue
Garden City, NY
(516) 224-5800
www.licm.org

April 11: Charity event to benefit the Haiti earthquake victims- “Help For Haiti: Island to Island Heart to Heart” will feature various musical performances, an evening dance, a special teen showcase with local talent, and a family show with kid-friendly acts. Also planned: a silent auction, refreshments, and an artist merchandise sale. A recent press release says “Organizers believe this will be Long Island’s largest fundraiser for Haiti by its sheer scope: there are 21 acts and over 100 volunteers from all over the country”. Proceeds to fund the medical work in Haiti of Doctors Without Borders.

Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Avenue
Huntington, NY

For information and advance purchase of tickets (recommended) visit www.cinemaartscentre.org or call 1-800-838-3006

April 12th through 18th: Spa Week Select spa treatments such as facials and massages will cost a flat fee of $50. Participating LI salons include: Gurney’s Sea Water Spa in Montauk, Hollywood Salon & Day Spa in Miller Place, Clarins Skin Spa in Bloomingdales at Roosevelt Field Mall, nuBest Salon & Spa in Manhasset, and Spa at East Wind in Wading River.

Check out www.spaweek.com for more Spa Week participants.

Week of April 19th : National Turn-Off Week Kick the ol’ television and electronic habit for a week and visit your local Barnes & Noble. Carle Place location will be having a “Fancy Nancy” program (April 20 at 6 pm) and Earth Day Stories (April 20 at 10 am).The Lake Grove store will be holding their twice-weekly story time mornings at 10 am and also a book signing by author Carmindy- Crazy, Busy, Beautiful. The Bay Shore store kicks off the turn-off week with “Guesstimation Game Night”. Recommended for ages 8 and up, the trivia contest will begin at 7 pm.

Barnes and Noble Booksellers
Various Long Island locations
www.barnesandnoble.com

April 24: Earth Day Celebrations/ Activities: Indian Island County Park in Riverhead will be holding its Fourth Annual Earth Day Celebration. Live entertainment, nature walks and marine life exhibits will be featured, along with special children’s activities such as face painting.

Indian Island County Park
Cross River Drive
Riverhead, NY
(631) 852-3232

April 24-25: The Green Living Expo This two day event is designed to help business owners as well as Long Island residents live a greener, more environmentally conscious life. There will be arts and crafts, inflatable bouncers for the kids, giveaways from Disney Films and a fire safety exhibit from the Brentwood Fire Department. Entrance to expo is free; see website for more information.

Suffolk Community College-Brentwood Campus
Sports/ Exhibition Complex
101 Crooked Hill Road
Brentwood, NY
www.greenlivingexpoli.com

CHRIS FRANJOLA AT WESTBURY

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Long Islander and “Chelsea Lately” Comedian to Perform at Westbury

If you have ever watched the “Chelsea Lately” show on the the E! channel, you have probably seen comedian Chris Franjola. A Ronkonkoma native, Chris is one of Chelesea’s comedy writers, a frequent “round table” guest on the show, and performs in many of the skits as well. His impersonation of Bruce Jenner during a spoof of the Kardashians is hysterical.

I was lucky enough to talk with Chris about the show as well as his upcoming performance at the Theatre at Westbury.

LI Exchange: I write about things to do on Long Island.

Chris Franjola: Oh, really. That must be tough. You’re able to find things to do on Long Island? Congratulations.

chelsia

LI Exchange: So I guess this is why you left Long Island.

Chris Franjola: I really do enjoy going back to the island; when I was back there at Christmas I wound up at a Cheesecake Factory in the Smith Haven Mall. Maybe I should have read your column.

LI Exchange: How did you get started in comedy?

Chris Franjola: I was working as an apprentice electrician in New York City and just started doing stand-up at night. Then I came out to LA to pursue it further, made some friends, stayed in it, and now things are going well.

LI Exchange: You write for “Chelsea Lately” and appear on it as well. All of the comedians on the show seem to be very friendly with each other.

Chris Franjola: Yes, I am one of the writers, am on the show, and go on the tour with Chelsea and the “Comedians of Chelsea Lately”. We all get along really well which is rare on a television show; we actually do like each other, hang out after the shows and go on vacations together, too.

LI Exchange: When I watch you on the show, I can almost see your mind working before you comment on the story you are all discussing. Do you get the topics ahead of time?

Chris Franjola: A lot of the others will prep before hand but I don’t like to do that; I like to make it up as I go along. We get the topics in the morning; we go through websites, etc. and try to find celebrity-based stories to talk about.

LI Exchange: Do you enjoy doing celebrity-impersonations?

Chris Franjola: Fortunately, I don’t do as many as say, Heather (comedian Heather McDonald) does; she is great at it. I just get anybody who is tall, not so much an impression, I just have the right height. Actually we just filmed something that will be on in a couple of weeks, where the real Bruce Jenner shows up. He and I compete, I am in my Bruce Jenner-1976 outfit and he puts his on and it’s pretty funny. The Kardashians are pretty good sports-we make fun of them, but they are always nice, they come over and help us out with it.

LI Exchange: The roundtable discussions can get pretty rough on celebrities-I wonder if you alienate anyone.

Chris Franjola: We alienate quite a few. But if we hear someone is interested in coming on the show we try not to talk about them. We have since layed off Jennifer Aniston a little bit since she is a fan of the show. She came on as a guest and was nice to us.

LI Exchange: Tell me about the upcoming Westbury performance.

Chris Franjola: We’ll be there on the 27th; I will be with Whitney Cummings and Jo Koy. Those guys are really funny. It should be a good show. Chuy (Chuy Bravo, Chelsea’s “assistant”) comes out in the beginning and introduces everybody. On this tour we actually give him a t-shirt cannon so he can shoot t-shirts into the audience. It gives him something to do.

LI Exchange: Any chance of running into you and Chuy on Long Island?

Chris Franjola: Maybe at the Cheesecake Factory at Smith Haven Mall. I’ll take Chuy over there.
“Comedians of Chelsea Lately” March 27th 8 pm

Theatre at Westbury
Brush Hollow Road
Westbury, NY

Tickets available through www.livenation.com

“Chelsea Lately” can be seen on E! Television, weeknights at 11 pm

MISSING YOUR FAVORITE NETWORKS?

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Some Local Events To Ease Your Withdrawals

OK… who’s going through HGTV and Food Network withdrawal? If you find yourself missing your favorite two networks, here are a few local, upcoming events that should tide you over until your shows (hopefully!) return:

“New Clutter Control Seminar”
When: January 17
Where: Windows on the Lake, 235 Lake Shore Road, Lake Ronkonkoma, NY
How Much: Free

What it’s all About: Renowned Long Island interior designer Natalie Weinstein leads the workshop to de-clutter your space. In conjunction with Cynthia Braun of “Organize Your Life”, Eileen Koff of “Organize to the Next Level” and Augie Carbone of Closet and Garage Storage Solutions, Natalie will suggest new ways to organize your home. A rep from the Natalie Weinstein Home Decorating Club told me that WALK-Radio will provide refreshments and walk-in attendees will be allowed only as space permits, so registering ahead of time is recommended.

For more information and to register for seminar: Call (631) 862-6198
www.nataliesclub.com

“New Year, New Look” Decorating Seminar
When: January 24
Where: Pottery Barn, Walt Whitman Mall
How Much: Free

What It’s All About: With an emphasis on new Pottery Barn products, this workshop will discuss “simple and casual ways to update your home” according to a salesperson at the store.

For more information and to reserve a spot, call (631) 549-5630
www.potterybarn.com

“Getting Organized” Seminar
When: January 16
Where: Pottery Barn Kids, Roosevelt Field Mall
How Much: Free

What it’s all About: Pottery Barn designers will give suggestions and advice for storing toys, games and clothes.

For more information and to register, contact store directly at (516) 739-2688
www.potterybarnkids.com

Cooking Technique Classes
When: January 10 and every Sunday
Where: Williams Sonoma, Locations at Smith Haven and Walt Whitman Malls
How Much: Free

What it’s all About: Store seminars concentrate on a specific technique; the January 10 topic will be braising. Future topics will be sautéing, pan-frying, searing and simmering. Yes, these are all DIFFERENT ways to cook on a stovetop! Learn about these cooking methods, enjoy product demonstrations and keep your eyes open for book signings by popular cookbook authors.

For more information and to register for a class, contact store directly.
Smith Haven Mall: 631-863-2161, Walt Whitman Mall: 631-549-4699
www.williams-sonoma.com

Wine Making Class
When: January 23
Where: Waters Crest Winery, 22355 Route 48, Cutchogue, NY
How Much: $400 per person; includes lunch and a winemaking kit to take home

What It’s All About: An all day class to learn about wine, food, and the art of winemaking.

For more information and reservations, call (631) 734-5065
www.waterscrest.com

25th Annual Antiques Marketplace
When: January 31; 10 am-4:30 pm
Where: Huntington Hilton Hotel Grand Ballroom, 598 Broadhollow Road, Melville, NY
How Much: Nominal fee for adults; free admission for children under 12

What It’s All About: Over eighty exhibitors with displays of paintings, porcelain, frames, furniture from different eras.

For more information and for a discount admission coupon, visit
www.pekaleshows.com

LAST MINUTE SHOPPING

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Last Minute Shopping

Hanukkah has already begun and Christmas is right around the corner….ready yet?

If you are like many Long Islanders, pressed for time, money and ideas, and tired of the holiday shopping frenzy, here are some ideas for last-minute-gifts. Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!

Hit Some Local Shops:

Lola’s Gifts
451 Route 25a
Miller Place, NY 11764
(631) 509-1554

Lola’s has a wide variety of merchandise including trendy clothing and jewelry, children’s gift items, cards, candy, and home décor.

Pocketbooks are on sale for 15 % off.

Record Stop
279 Portion Road
Lake Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
(631) 585-3294

A great independent music store, Record Stop sells CD’s for under $10. This is not just a sale-this is their regular price- all the time. Bruce Berg has owned Record Stop for 35 years and when I asked him why shop his store rather than a large retailer he said, “Service, price and selection of music is our niche. We have what you can’t find elsewhere and if we don’t have it, we can special order it -with one day service”.

If you can’t decide exactly what to buy among the store’s 15,000 plus CD’s, gift certificates are always available.

Shop Online…With a Local Business:

Ornament Express
17 Demont Street
Smithtown, NY
www.ornamentexpress.com

Owned by the former proprietors of popular gift shop “Bath Beautiful” in Smithtown, Ornament Express is definitely more than just holiday decorations. In addition to the extensive variety of personalized ornaments available, other made to order items such as rocking horses, banks, room signs and bath robes are popular gifts. Ornaments are reasonably priced- starting at $8.95 each. Shipping is free when you order five or more and delivery is guaranteed by Christmas for any orders received by December 20.

Athena Diamond, Inc.
7 Flowerfield
St. James, NY
(631) 862-1322
www.athenadiamond.com

Looking for authentic Greek seasonings, dip mixes, or desserts? An olive oil that is used by fine restaurants throughout Long Island? Gourmet gift baskets, aprons, wine glasses and charms? Athena Diamond is the online place to shop. “We specialize in our olive oil but also offer wedding favors, gift baskets and corporate gifts,” says Athena. Her apparel line is currently available in select boutiques; online purchases will soon be available.

Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Gift Certificates:

Energy Fitness
556 Route 25a
St. James, NY 11780
(631) 862-1737
www.energy-difference.com

Energy has everything a fitness buff could want-state of the art workout equipment, a wide variety of classes, personal training, and child care. Gift cards can be purchased for any amount, for example new members can get one month and four personal training sessions for $99, or a five-pack of personal training sessions for $199.

Guitar Asylum
451 Route 25a
Miller Place, NY
(631) 474-7457
www.guitarasylum.com

Want to buy a memorable gift for a musician-in-training? Guitar lessons at the Asylum are $20 per half hour; gift certificates can be purchased directly online for lessons or merchandise.

Book Revue
313 New York Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 271-1442
www.bookrevue.com

Help one of your reader-friends make a purchase at one of the largest independent bookstores in the country with a gift certificate to this fabulous store. Located in the heart of Huntington Village, in addition to an extensive selection of reading materials, Book Revue frequently holds book-signings with well known authors.

ONE MORE MONTH OF SUMMER…

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Fun and Free Things to Do In August

(Long Island, N.Y.) With one more month of Summer 2009, many of us are scrambling to do all those summertime activities we will miss come September. Here are some great (mostly) free things to do in August:

Go to an Outdoor Concert:

Smithtown Library Family Summer Concert Series: From Motown to Beatles to Four Seasons cover bands, you are bound to find a style of music the whole family will enjoy…Concerts are on Thursday nights in August on the library lawn. Bring your own blankets and chairs!

Smithtown Library
1 North Country Road
Smithtown
www.smithlib.org

Town of Hempstead Neighborhood Concert Series: Tribute and country bands play at 8 pm at varying locations. Visit www.toh.li or call (516) 292-9000 x382 for more info.

Entertain the Kids:

McNulty’s Ice Cream Shop Monday Kids Character Nights: DJ music and character appearances start at 7:00 every Monday. August 3rd will feature Dorothy the Dinosaur, August 10th is Buzz Lightyear, August 17th will be Care Bears, and August 24th is SpongeBob SquarePants. Ice cream parlor open 11 am till 11 pm daily.

McNulty’s Ice Cream
153 North Country Road
Miller Place
(631) 474-3543

Brookhaven Wildlife and Ecology Center: Free zoo located in Holtsville. Visit mountain lions, goats, ducks and other wildlife. Open 9 am till 4 pm seven days a week.

Buckley Road, Holtsville, (631) 758-9664, www.brookhaven.org

Free Movie Mornings: Free G and PG movies at 10 am each Tuesday and Wednesday through mid-August at participating Regal Theatres. www.regmovies.com
•Deer Park Stadium 16, 455 Commack Road, (631) 243-4584
•Ronkonkoma Stadium 9, 565 Portion Road, (631) 580-9707
•Westbury Stadium12, 7000 Brush Hollow Road, (516) 333-0055

Act Like a Tourist:

Visit Port Jefferson Harbor: This historic seaport village is located approximately 56 miles east of New York City on Suffolk County’s north shore. In addition to the fine shopping and dining Port Jeff offers, visitors can enjoy walking along the docks and catching movies and concerts on the Harborfront Park Lawn. The Village Center offers many fun and educational programs such as yoga, dancing and meditation without any residency restrictions. www.portjeff.com

Hit the Beaches: Crab Meadow Beach in Northport is a great one for families; there is a playground, a picnic area, and nearby La Casa Café for a snack. 261-7574 for more info.

Cupsogue Beach in Westhampton is another favorite. Fun, family-oriented beach on Moriches Inlet. (631) 852-8111 for more info.

Robert Moses on Fire Island has everything from surfing, boogie boarding and fishing areas to miniature golf and playgrounds. Visit www.nysparks.com or call (631) 669-0470 for more info.

BAKING FOR A CAUSE

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“Great American Bake Sale” Sunday July 12 at 11:00 AM

I recently caught up with Jacqueline Malenda who, along with her sister Lauren Malenda and cousin Debbie Rosengard, is hosting a “Great American Bake Sale”. For those of you not familiar with these events, touted on the Food Network, these bake sales are sponsored by the organization “Share Our Strength”. 100% of the proceeds from “Share Our Strength” events are used to distribute meals to children all over the United States. All funds raised by this event will be used for children right here on Long Island. Ms. Malenda was kind enough to give me the scoop on this event:

What made you want to host a “Great American Bake Sale”?
From Left to Right: Jacqueline Malenda, along with her cousin Debbie Rosengard, and sister Lauren Malenda.
My cousin saw it advertised during a Food Network program and asked me and my sister if we would be interested. We all thought it was a great idea and began planning the sale in April. We all realize that childhood hunger is a persistent issue, but that during a recession the problem worsens. We want to do whatever we can to make a difference in the lives of hungry children.

I am sure many people would be surprised to learn that there are children going hungry in an area like Long Island.

We were shocked to find out how many children on Long Island alone go hungry. Most people would hardly guess that there are so many, knowing that Long Island is generally a prosperous place. Upon further investigation with “Share Our Strength”, we learned that just $35 feeds a child three meals a day for over a month.

What kind of donations or help are you looking for?



We are accepting both monetary donations which can be made in the form of cash at the bake sale, a check made out to “Share Our Strength”, or via PayPal on our website www.cousinsbakesale.webs.com We are also accepting donated baked goods, especially pies and cakes, and items to be raffled off, such as baskets and gift certificates to local businesses. For anyone who would like to make a donation under the name of their business, their business name will be prominently displayed at the sale!

Can people just bring donated baked goods right to the sale or should you be contacted first?

We would prefer to be contacted ahead of time via email, but if someone brings something at the last second we will not turn it away!

What else can we expect to see at the sale?

There will be baked goods as well as healthier choices such as fruits, cold beverages and coffee, raffles, a cookie decorating table for the children, face painting, and more. It will be an overall family fun day for a great cause and a great chance to meet members of our community!

OK… Where and When?

Our “Great American Bake Sale” will be held on Sunday July 12 at 11:00 am, at the corner of Route 25A and August Street, behind Capital One Bank, in East Setauket. Admission is free.

For more information: www.cousinsbakesale.webs.com
For donations or to contact hosts: cousinsbakesale@gmail.com
“Share Our Strength”: www.strength.org
“Great American Bake Sales”: www.greatamericanbakesale.org

LOCAL RESIDENT NEEDS OUR HELP

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Local Resident Needs Our Help

While researching upcoming events “to do” on Long Island, I came across one I felt compelled to write about. I learned that local wife and mother of four Debra McCabe is fighting against a life threatening bone marrow stem cell disorder-and she needs as much help as she can get.

“My dad, brothers, sister and I are asking for your help to save our mother, Debra. She is our mother, a wife, and a woman who has so much more to live for. We, the McCabe family, would like to ask for your help in giving us the opportunity to grow old with her. Register as a bone marrow donor and possibly save her life and the lives of thousands of others who need to find their match. Reach into your hearts and understand that she is not just a woman who needs help. She is more,” said Billy, Debra’s oldest son.

On June 20 at Prince of Peace Regional School in Sayville, a bone marrow donor drive is being held in Debra’s honor. DKMS Americas, an organization that matches donors and patients and educates the public about leukemia and other blood cancers, is organizing the event. Here they hope to find a match for Debra as well as for thousands of others.

DKMS is the largest bone marrow donor center in the world with nearly 2 million registered donors. Since its founding in 1991, DKMS has facilitated more than 17,000 transplants.

Debra was diagnosed with a rare blood disease-Myelopdysplastic Syndrome-which can potentially develop into leukemia. Her only chance for survival is a bone marrow transplant.

That’s where we Long Islanders come in. At the school on Saturday June 20, DKMS representatives would do a simple cheek swab, ask about your general health, and if you are found to be a match, additional testing on an outpatient basis would be arranged. So, if you are between 18 and 55 and are in good general health, please stop by to register as a donor.

You just may be able to save Debra.

Where: Bone Marrow Donor Drive
Prince of Peace Regional School
200 Main Street
Sayville, NY 11782

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