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Career Comes Full Circle For 28-Year-Old Baker Opening Bergen County Cake Shop Career Comes Full Circle For 28-Year-Old Baker Opening Bergen County Cake Shop
Career Comes Full Circle For 28-Year-Old Baker Opening Bergen County Cake Shop After 10 years working at cake shops across the region, Bergen County's Lori Lupardi is opening one of her own. Lupardi, 28, has fond memories of baking with her mother and grandmother, particularly around holidays growing up in Closter. In her junior and senior years at Northern Valley Demarest, Lupardi had a baking internship in Dumont and was looking at colleges, when her mom pointed out she could go to school for baking. Lupardi ended up graduating with her bachelor's of science in baking and pastry arts from Johnson and Wales, and spent the following decade learning the trade. She fe…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Mexican National Keeps Mom's Memory Alive With New Kosher Restaurant In Hackensack Mexican National Keeps Mom's Memory Alive With New Kosher Restaurant In Hackensack
Mexican National Keeps Mom's Memory Alive With New Kosher Restaurant In Hackensack Elmer Jimenez spent years working in kosher catering after immigrating from Oaxaca, Mexico to Teaneck in 2007.  What the dad of five noticed was that the Jewish community had plenty of kosher food options from around the world. What he couldn't find, though, was kosher Mexican food. So, 34-year-old Jimenez opened a spot of his own: Blue Star Cafe in Hackensack, a kosher Mexican restaurant under the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County. "The Jewish community will eat anything, like Italian or Indian," said Jimenez. "But they don't have kosher Mexican here and the challenge for me …

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Boar's Head Expands Deli Meat Recall To Include 7 Million Extra Pounds Boar's Head Expands Deli Meat Recall To Include 7 Million Extra Pounds
Boar's Head Expands Deli Meat Recall To Include 7 Million Extra Pounds Boar's Head has expanded a recall of deli meat products due to possible Listeria contamination. Click here for a new, updated story: Boar's Head Facing Lawsuit Over Deli Meat Recall  The company said on Tuesday, July 30, that it is now recalling approximately seven million additional pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.  This expansion includes 71 products produced between Friday, May 10, and Monday, July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said. They have “s…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Stop & Shop Temporarily Closes Delis After Boar's Head Recall Of Meats Stop & Shop Temporarily Closes Delis After Boar's Head Recall Of Meats
Stop & Shop Temporarily Closes Delis After Boar's Head Recall Of Meats Stop & Shop is temporarily closing delis after a Boar’s Head deli meat recall in order to conduct a thorough cleaning of its deli areas and equipment.  Click here for a new, updated story: Boar's Head Expands Deli Meat Recall To Include 7,000,000 Extra Pounds The supermarket chain said on Friday, July 26 that it has "removed all impacted products from sale both in stores and online." The recall was issued due to possible Listeria contamination of Boar's head meat products. Stop & Shop said that, "In an abundance of caution, because this product is sliced in stores," it has …

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Vegetables, Bagged Salads Sold In NJ Recalled Due To Listeria Concerns Vegetables, Bagged Salads Sold In NJ Recalled Due To Listeria Concerns
Vegetables, Bagged Salads Sold In NJ Recalled Due To Listeria Concerns A recall for a brand of vegetables and bagged salads has been expanded to 18 states due to possible Listeria contamination. Ohio-based Wiers Farm began its investigation in response to the Michigan Department of Agriculture's original findings, which led to the expansion.  Products in the expanded recall were packed between Friday, July through Friday, July 12. Vegetables that are part of the recall include cucumbers, green bell and jalapeno peppers, green beans, and cilantro. They were sold in a variety of different stores, including Walmart. For a full list of products, click…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Guerriero Gelato Shutters Flagship North Jersey Location Guerriero Gelato Shutters Flagship North Jersey Location
Guerriero Gelato Shutters Flagship North Jersey Location Guerriero Gelato is continuing to downsize. A month after announcing the closure of its location in Morristown, the gelateria announced it will be closing its Montclair location in October after 10 years. "This is very emotional for us," the company wrote on social media. "This was the first shop we built out ourselves. We made friendships that will last a lifetime." The eatery said while the Montclair store remains popular, they cannot keep up with rising taxes, rent, cost of living, labor and food.  "We hope that we can all make progress against the ridiculous cost of living a…

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by Sam Barron
Business
Modern Greek Restaurant Brings Nightclub, Belly Dancers To Bergen County Modern Greek Restaurant Brings Nightclub, Belly Dancers To Bergen County
Modern Greek Restaurant Brings Nightclub, Belly Dancers To Bergen County Get ready to say Opa! to a new restaurant in Englewood. Caldera at Vida is opening in Englewood at 16 Armory St., specializing in modern Greek cuisine.  The establishment has been newly remodeled and promises live entertainment with "two floors of fun," including a nightclub open Friday and Saturday nights. Live belly dancers will be on Saturdays for Marrackech Nights. The menu boasts an array of specialty cocktails for $16 and $17, as well as modern twists on Greek favorites including lavraki (bronzino), a chicken tzatziki bowl, shrimp pasta, and more. The kitchen is run by Chef Car…

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by Sam Barron
Business
Amazon Fresh Opening Second NJ Grocery Store In Former Toys 'R' Us Building Amazon Fresh Opening Second NJ Grocery Store In Former Toys 'R' Us Building
Amazon Fresh Opening Second NJ Grocery Store In Former Toys 'R' Us Building A new Amazon supermarket is about to open in Monmouth County, officials said. The Amazon Fresh in Eatontown will officially open on Thursday, June 20, the company said in a news release. It will be the second Amazon Fresh location in New Jersey after one opened in Paramus in July 2022. The Eatontown store is located at 137 Route 35 in a 35,500-square-foot space once occupied by Toys“R”Us. "This new, affordable grocery store in the community will offer wide selection of quality groceries and a convenient shopping experience," Amazon said in its release. "We’re also proud to support the…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Storied Disappearing Dumont Donkey Is Hero Mascot At Builder's New Ice Cream Shop Storied Disappearing Dumont Donkey Is Hero Mascot At Builder's New Ice Cream Shop
Storied Disappearing Dumont Donkey Is Hero Mascot At Builder's New Ice Cream Shop It was 2017 and Matt Dagistanli was in the process of building the structure that stands today at 65 W. Madison Avenue in Dumont, when his donkey went missing. He wasn't a real donkey, of course, but a statue that Dagistanli and his former business partner had affectionately called Dumbo. Dagistanli grew quite fond of Dumbo, and wasn't ready to get rid of him at the turn of his career change. "I didn’t want to sell it or throw it away, so I took it home," said Dagistanli, 63, of Rutherford. "My wife said, 'You need to take this away.'" Dagistanli had nowhere to keep Dumbo except for …

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Guerriero Gelato Shutters Morristown Location Guerriero Gelato Shutters Morristown Location
Guerriero Gelato Shutters Morristown Location Guerriero Gelato, the popular New Jersey gelato and cakes spot, is bidding ciao to Morristown. The Morristown location, which opened just last year on South Street, has shut its doors and is getting new ownership, the store announced on social media.  "Morristown, we had fun, we shared laughs, and memories," the store wrote on Instagram. "It was a disservice to you spreading ourselves so thin and we know the new owner has the time to manage and make sure you have the experience you deserve. Morristown you will always have our 💜." Customers expressed their sadness about the closure in …

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by Sam Barron
Business
Popular Bar, Pizzeria Announces Open Date For Bergen County Location Popular Bar, Pizzeria Announces Open Date For Bergen County Location
Popular Bar, Pizzeria Announces Open Date For Bergen County Location A popular bar and restaurant with nine locations in New Jersey is opening another later this month. Tommy's Tavern + Tap announced on Instagram that its Edgewater location will open at City Place on Wednesday, June 26. The expansive Tommy's menu includes pizza, burgers, salads, small plates, sushi, beer, cocktails, wine, happy hour specials, and more. Tommy's has locations in Sea Bright, Freehold, Clifton, Bridgewater, Edison, Princeton, Morris Plains, Mount Laurel, Cherry Hill, and now Edgewater. Tommy's Tavern + Tap, 11 The Promenade at City Place, Edgewater.

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Smile, You're On Body Camera: TJ Maxx To Equip Employees To Fight Shoplifting Smile, You're On Body Camera: TJ Maxx To Equip Employees To Fight Shoplifting
Smile, You're On Body Camera: TJ Maxx To Equip Employees To Fight Shoplifting To fight the recent rise in shoplifting and retail theft, shoppers could see store security employees wearing body-worn cameras to help catch thieves red-handed.  TJX, the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Serria, HomeSense, and HomeGoods, said will begin equipping some employees with body-worn cameras similar to those worn by police, the Boston Globe reported. The company started testing the initiative last year.  The company operates nearly 3,400 stores nationwide.  A call to the Framingham, Massachusetts, headquarters of TJX for comment was not immediately r…

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by Josh Lanier