Food + Beverage

Tasty Travel Guide

Plan a culinary exploration without leaving Long Branch Article by Bernie Augustine Traveling is not easy. It's expensive, you've got kids in school so your window to get away is small or work is getting in the way. Whatever the reason, it's not always feasible to escape for a weekend, let alone a week. But what about for a night? That's possible, right? Of course it is! Let the skilled cooks and chefs of Long Branch take you away, with culinary creations that will transport you to a cafe on...

July 2024

Travel

Been Around The World

The travel bug bit Ed and Nancy Fitterer, and they've never stopped exploring Article by Bernie Augustine | Photography by Courtesy of Ed Fitterer Ed Fitterer doesn’t remember the conversation exactly, but the tone was unforgettable. In the mid-1990s, when he was a junior at Monmouth University, Fitterer told his mother that he was going to move to London for more than half the year to take advantage of the school’s study abroad program. His mom’s reaction could be summed up in two words: ...

June 2024

Life + Culture

Exploring Your City

Culture, history, music. Long Branch checks all the boxes. Article by Bernie Augustine One of the great perks of getting involved with City Lifestyle has been familiarizing myself with the community, culture and businesses in and around Long Branch. I have been exploring, if you will. And with that activity being the theme of this month’s issue, I might as well share some of the findings I’ve come across while learning about this vibrant city. Maybe you’ve heard of some of these people, places...

June 2024

Life + Culture

Surf's Up!

At a warehouse in Long Branch, Tommy George makes surf boards that travel the world. Article and Photography by Ryan Gallagher “Let’s go sit in the sun outside,” Tommy George said before leading us out of the dimly lit surfboard-shaping warehouse and into the brilliant sunlight. “It’s cold up here.” Screeches from the Long Branch train station interrupted the conversation before it even began. So, Tommy opened his notebook and grabbed a surfboard order form with the “Eye of the Sun” logo on...

May 2024

Sports + Recreation

DON'T ROCK THE BOAT

The dos and don'ts aspiring anglers need to know before booking a fishing charter. Article by Bernie Augustine | Photography by Derek Bieletz One of the great benefits of living here is the ability to get out on the water. Up and down the Jersey Shore, there are plenty of locations where people can take their boats out, rent a vessel or go out on a fishing charter. We surveyed the team at TAK Waterman Supply in Long Branch, who offered up three recommendations for anyone who wants to get off...

May 2024

Food + Beverage

A Cut Above

Beef up your grilling skills with help from the experts from The Butcher's Block. Article by Bernie Augustine | Photography by Courtesy of The Block There are few things that are as satisfying as cutting into a perfectly prepared steak. It is an experience that appeals to all of the senses; feeling the weight of a porterhouse as you rub it with salt, the sound of the cut cooking on the grill and the aroma that comes with it, the beautiful color as it sits on the plate and finally, the...

May 2024

Local Services

All together now

Like father, like son (almost): How the next generation stepped up for family businesses. Article by Bernie Augustine Thinking back on his childhood, and growing up in a family-owned business, Mike Gemignani can only laugh at how much different things were. "There were no vacations for us," he recalled with a laugh. "We had to work in the business." Instead of summers at the beach, Mike and his twin brother Bob were put to work by their father, Louis, an Italian immigrant who was trying to...

May 2024

Food + Beverage

Simple sipper

The Negroni is an ideal summer cocktail, a perfect pre- and after-dinner drink. Article by Bernie Augustine If the simple things in life are truly the best, then it doesn't get any simpler or better than a Negroni. Glass, ice, three ingredients and you're done. Anthony Bourdain, the acclaimed food and culture explorer, was a fan of the kind-of-bitter, but absolutely delicious, Italian summer cocktail. "First taste of your life, it's a little bitter or a little sour," he said. "Second sip, ...

May 2024

Travel

A Mother-Daughter Getaway

Memory-making trip across New Jersey -- and generations. Article by Amy Dimes | Photography by Vivian Pisano, Amy Dimes I've always maintained that there's no better place to live than New Jersey. I feel lucky to reside in the same state as my mother, and to have my daughters still living at home with me. New Jersey truly offers so many beaches, ski resorts, luxury hotels and vibrant nightlife to experience. To celebrate our Women’s issue, I decided to take my mother to a luxurious getaway at...

April 2024

Life + Culture

Wonder Women

Unafraid, determined and resilient, these ladies make their own luck. Article by Bernie Augustine | Photography by Luke DiTella, Melissa DiTella When Denise Blaisdell interviewed for a job with Two Men and a Truck, the man she was speaking with asked her a pretty standard interview question: Where do you see yourself in five years? She did not hold back. “I said ‘your chair’,” Blaisdell said with a laugh. “And he said ‘No one is sitting in my chair’.” Fast forward six years and she was...

April 2024