Ruby Wesley is a Rutgers grad who left her career as an insurance accountant one year ago to make a better cheesecake.
Her inspiration: “My mother always made strawberry cheesecake for birthdays and holidays,” says Ruby. So the New Brunswick resident took the family recipe—tweaked it a bit, and started her web-based business (www.atasteofrubies.com)
What makes a perfect cheesecake? “The difference is the texture,” she explained. Some cheesecakes are too heavy, others are too light. “Ours is the perfect balance.”
Now baking from a commercial kitchen, and overseeing her small staff, Ruby is busy filling orders from across the state. We were originally tipped off to her by a reader’s recommendation.
The website offers fifteen varieties of cheesecake, including some for chocolate lovers (The Dalmatian, White Decadence) the “island exotic” (Caribbean Dream, Tropical Breeze) and the signature variety with strawberries.
The recipe is a secret, but Ruby offers one clue; she uses no artificial ingredients.
Will there ever be a Ruby’s cheesecake store? This businesswoman hopes to expand into brick and mortar one day. In the meantime, the Central New Jersey chapter of NJAWBO (New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners) chose her website as one local enterprise with the most potential for success.
And despite the economy, demand is high. No matter how tough things get, the perfect cheesecake helps keep it all in balance.
We shampoo with botanicals, launder with organic detergent, and eat pesticide-free foods. But weekly, we subject our nails and toes to chemicals and acrylics, mostly because we believe there is no alternative and bare nails are banned.
Ladies, there is now a chemical-free manicure that holds up to the wear and tear. And the man behind it says your nails will be “good enough to eat.”
Nausil Zaheer has the women of Ridgewood believing. At his new Karma Organic Spa (www.karmaorganicspa.com) they are pampered and painted by Zaheer and his assistants in this eco-friendly little shop, skin and feet soaked and stroked by fresh flowers, herbs and fruits.
Zaheer – who also works as a manicurist for fashion shoots and celebrities-- calls Karma a haven for pregnant women. He’s developed a natural nail polish line of fifty colors, packaged in re-usable containers. They include day glo colors for teens, tweens, and younger. In addition, all of the materials (bowls, manicure tools) are sanitized with natural cleansers.
A co-founder of the popular Priti Spa (www.pritiorganicspa.com) ) in Manhattan’s East Village, Zaheer believes this is the first and only place in the state for all natural nail and body care.
His manicures and pedicures start with a homemade brown sugar lotion to slough off dead skin, and whipped lavender massage creams. The polish is made from “natural glue and colors.” Fresh flowers perfume the water that soaks your hands and feet.
It’s not just the customers who benefit. Employees who have to work with the nail polishes and lotions are not spending their day inhaling chemical fumes.
Indulge in some good Karma at Ridgewood’s spa. You’ll leave feeling happy, healthy, and savoring that natural glow.
Some of the best movies never used to make it to our bigger movie theatres. But thanks to Ira and Mark Ehrenkranz, Jersey’s ultimate father-son film buffs, you’ll have an opportunity to watch these little films, alongside some big names, in larger venues.
They call it the New York Film Critic Series (www.nyfilmcritics.com), but the films are being screened in mid-October in Paramus (AMC Garden State Plaza) and Morristown (Clearview Cinemas, Headquarters Plaza).
Films like Juno, and Little Miss Sunshine were first screened by audiences at this series.
The upcoming fall screenings include: Pride and Glory (www.prideandglorymovie.com) the story of three generations of New York City police officers, starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell.
The Brothers Bloom (www.brothersbloom.com) with Mark Ruffalo and Adrienne Brody, the story of brothers who are master con artists, attempting one final job before going straight.
Defiance (www.defiancemovie.com) with Daniel Craig, afilm about four Jewish brothers who join Russian resistance fighters in Nazi occupied Poland.
The screenings are followed by panel discussions with influential film critics. Some of the participants are from Rolling Stone (Peter Travers), Star Magazine (Marshall Fine), Entertainment Weekly (Owen Gleiberman).
You may meet the film’s actors—and directors as well, their schedules permitting.
Past attendees include Chazz Palmenteri, William H. Macy, Jason Reitman, Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Bacon, Edie Falco, Paul Giamatti, Aidan Quinn.
The cost for eight weeks of screenings—all on weeknights-- is $224 plus a $20 registration fee. Well worth it if you love movies; movie talk, or you just want to star gaze.
Sure, the market is teetering and you are watching your portfolio shrink. So forget about paper. Put your money into wearable assets: metal and rocks.
Metal—like the sterling skyscraper pendants or the bones bracelets created by designer Maureen Gallagher of Jersey City. (www.jewelrybymg.com)
Rocks--- Jersey’s bling masters have plenty of ideas. At Ginny’s Gems (www.ginnysgems.com) in Howell, owner Ginny Meyer says some folks are adding sparkle to gifts like badges for retiring police or firefighters.
“If you want it, we can make it,” she says.
Always the artisan, jewelry designer Yanina (www.yanina-co.com) of Cedar Grove is out front with some gift ideas that will help you convert a lot of your paper money into another kind of asset. You can have your heirlooms re-designed and updated, or you can ask Yanina to make you something brand new and incredibly beautiful.
If you’re planning a fall weekend drive to Lambertville, Castor Jewelry (www.castorjewelry.com) can certainly brighten your day, and lighten your paper burden.
The website of talented designer Tom Castor shines with colorful distinctive jewelry, his latest creations inspired by nature and wildlife.
“I’m working right now on some pieces that are actually pretty wild. I’m doing some big cuffs with moth motifs… instead of doing the regular pieces that everybody has.”
So take our investment advice. At least you don’t have to worry about getting caught in a market tailspin. And you’ll look like a million bucks.
This is a veritable supermarket of food favored by Brits, from basic staples to baked goods. But when Samantha’s meat and cheese pies started selling out, she saw plenty of reasons to branch out and open the second store.
“I grew up with pie, and nobody else is doing just pie,” Samantha said. Besides, “it’s a contained meal; it’s an easy meal-- it’s quick it’s simple and almost everyone likes pie.”
The Pie Store (973-744-4424) is located at 100 Watchung Ave. in Upper Montclair. It’s a small bakery with no eat-in tables. But you can go home with a turkey stuffing pie, consisting of turkey dinner and all the fixings, surrounded by pastry. Another favorite is beef, mushroom and ale.
There are all varieties of dessert pies, from basic apple to other fruits and cobblers. Some have double crust (bottom and top), others are top heavy with fruit on the bottom. Samantha is happy to provide delectable details on each.
The Pie Store doesn’t have a website yet, but you can call ahead. You may want to give them a big lead time for your Thanksgiving order. And be sure to put the pumpkin pie and chocolate mousse pie on your menu. We’ll take one of each.
Kristin Dahl of Midland Park wants to go into your closet. And she’ll give your wardrobe the once over.
The busy mother of three left her life as a fashion merchandiser and industry rep for designers like Laundry by ShelliSegal and Kenar and to launch a thriving home-based business (www.kristin-dahl.com) organizing closets and serving as a personal shopper for her clients.
In this fall season with holidays and cocktail parties looming, Kristin also consults by phone and e-mail, and stages clothing parties like the trunk showtonight at the Karma OrganicDay Spa (www.karmaorganicspa.com) in Ridgewood. (Kristin is bringing a bounty of jeans, cashmere, and accessories, you’ll need a check or cash to buy).
What’s the most common mistake her clients make when they shop for clothes themselves? They don’t buy the most basic elements of a wardrobe. “They overbuy, or they buy outfits off a mannequin,” Kristin says, “and they can’t utilize the pieces any other way.”
She helps women simplify their wardrobe and makes sure they have a great pair of jeans, a blazer, khakis, fabulous tee shirts, shoes and handbags, as building blocks.
But Kristin calls the closet cleanout the “best part” of her business, and the most fun. When she’s finished the clothes are organized by color and season. There’s always more than enough to give away.
Kristin believes her clients respond because she’s not typical of New York’s personal shoppers who can be intimidating-- she’s a “regular person”, who identifies with the needs of her suburban clients.
This informal stylist/shopper/organizer might be just what you need to get your closet under control. After all, everyone needs a second opinion.
