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Gather Around the Table
~Where the fondest memories are made~
JERSEY SHORE
Caputo's Pastry Shoppe
"A Solid Foundation, Built from Humble Beginnings"
By Dawn Marie
Joseph Caputo, is the 5th generation baker and owner of Caputo's Pastry Shoppe, located at 444 Ocean Blvd. Long Branch, N.J. The bakery originally raised in 1923 on the corner of Myrtle & Wilson Avenue in Brooklyn, is no surprise to me that Caputo's Pastry Shop has what it takes to continue the traditions that was set back almost 100 years ago.
Coming from a lineage of, as the story goes Joseph's great, great Aunt back in the mid 1800's and living in the village of Palo del Colia in the region of Apulia, would bake bread in the small brick oven in her tiny abode for the neighboring villagers, and so the story begins. Joseph's Grandfather, also named Joseph was the youngest of four brothers. The family originated from Apulia on his father's side and Calbria and Naples on his Mothers. As a young boy him and his brothers would help their Grandmother in the tiny area of their casa known for her baking bread, and occasionally making cakes, traditional pastries, and simple cookies.
When Joseph was old enough, he made the trip to America for the dream of a new life, and a better way for his parents and brothers. But it wasn't baking that he started to do when arriving. First priority, making a place for his family to settle in. Joseph worked as an ice and coal man and for three years, he would work, save money, and go back and forth to Italy, and little by little he would bring his family back to America and the home he set in Brooklyn. Once everyone was settled, Joseph and his brothers, Jack, Lorenzo, Michael, and John decided to open a bakery, taking what they knew from their great, great Aunt, not so much focusing on the bread baking, but mastering the art and technique of Italian pastries, cakes,and cookies, while still offering the bread with additions of Spumoni and Gelati, which is how it's pronounced in Italy and on the original sign.
The bakery, which back then was called "Caputo Brothers" was a huge hit in the mid twenties and continued for quite some time. The brothers would work side by side, day and night, offering the small neighborhood of Bushwick fresh baked goods daily and started to build a solid foundation of what Caputo's Pastry Shoppe is today. Joseph and his brothers continued working the bakery, all while getting married and raising families of their own. Joseph to a girl named Mary whom he had met when first coming over to America, together they had three children Joseph, Jack and Lorenzo. It was not long after Joseph decided to take the bakery over solely, and as his son's: Jack, Joseph and Lorenzo grew up in the business, all while learning the same baking techniques as their Dad and Uncles did when first opening.
After some time of raising a family and working the business, while pretty much both went hand in hand, Joseph would take his family once a year to the little shore town of Oceanport, New Jersey for some rest, relaxation and summer fun for the boys. They loved it so much that after a few years decided to purchase a summer home for the get-a-ways.
It was now the late fifties, times, music and a generation was changing and so was the Neighborhood of Bushwick, and although Caputo Brothers was an institution on the corner of Myrtle and Wilson Ave. Joseph made the decision and moved his family to that little shore town for a better life and on June 5th 1960 opened Caputo's Pastry Shoppe on South Broadway in Long Branch, bringing classic traditional Italian pastries, cakes and cookies to a shore town. Joseph and his family worked hard building a business in a neighborhood not so familiar with those types pastries and baked goods.and like in Bushwick the neighborhood embraced the quaint little pastry shop offering all those delicious treats, and again Caputo's strives. By the time the seventies came around the pastry shop was holding it's own against a well known bakery in the same neighborhood, but then the passing of Joseph Caputo in the early seventies, left his wife Mary running the bakery.
This was and truly still is a family affair. When it was time to pass the torch, well in this case the bakers apron, Mary's son Jack was more then glad and proud to carry on the family tradition. From the time he can remember he was at the bakery helping Dad prepare that days goodies, so it was only natural for him to put on the apron and continue, not only making all those delicious sweet treats, but honing the art of the sfogliatella, a shell like pastry with layers, upon layers of flaky crunchy goodness, filled with a rich semolina, ricotta and dried fruit mixture, which he is still known for today.
As the seventies came rolling in, the bakery was striving, even with the change of hands, but as the years passed the town of Long Branch was on the decline, and where Caputo's stood business's where closing left and right, times were hard. Up the street on Long Branch Ave. sat a Jewish bakery called Kahlmans Bakery, that sold pastries and sweet treats, but specializing and known for their Kaiser roll in that area and surrounding areas, which they also sold wholesale. At that time, Caputo's Pastry Shoppe was just a little cookie, while Kahlmans was the large cookie with the sprinkles on top and they were going under. Jack made one of the biggest decisions and took a chance, buying Kahlmans Bakery out and bringing all their equipment, wholesale accounts, even their workers made the transition to Caputo's and in nineteen eighty, Jack's great, great Aunt's craft came to surface and the boys started mastering the art of bread baking to go along with the cakes, cookies, and pastries they became know for.
They were on South Broadway from 1960-1987 then South Broadway was taken down by a massive fire which destroyed all business, leaving Caputo's Pastry Shop in limbo as to what to do next. The town was in ruins, the fires destroyed everything, in an area that had finally started to become known again, not only for it being the shore town to visit, but for business as well, now there was nothing again, like the fall of the late seventies early eighties of that area. But Jack, known for taking chances, decided to rebuild, and in nineteen eighty eight raised Ursula Plaza, and from humble beginnings, he made a solid foundation and home for Caputo's Pastry Shop and the next generation .
When it was time for Jack's three children, Joseph, Maria and Ursula, to learn about the business, there was no options, school was priority, but so was learning, values, responsibility and work ethic. So he sat Joseph, named after his grandfather, and his two sisters down, "ya want to eat, ya got to work" so pick a day. Joe remembers it clearly, he tells me, he was only ten and thought, I got this, I'll pick Saturday!! Thinking it was the easiest day and not knowing he would be going in to work with his Dad in the wee 3 AM hour when a bakers day starts. His sisters, of course, picked during the week so they got to work the counter after school... It was rough in the beginning, being ten, and getting up to work at the bakery, but as tradition goes, it didn't take long for Joe to realize, it's in his blood. Working with his Dad on Saturday's was just the introduction. He can remember, if his Dad would see him standing around, there was always something he would have him do. He has worked every faucet of this business, from decorating cakes, making cookies, waiting on customers, and yes, cleaning the dumpsters, when his Dad seen him standing around. Sure he had other little jobs, living next door to his Grandmother he would cut grass for her and his aunt's, but it was the bakery he was at most of the time, learning and mastered the techniques of the ones before him and at 14, just starting High School he also started working summers full time at the bakery. When I had asked him, what do you think you would have done if not in this business?. He looked at me, shook his head up and down, and said: this is what I was suppose to do.
Joseph now the proud owner of Caputo's Pastry Shoppe, stands on traditions, old school traditions. Him and his Dad, Jack, are the best of friends and was even best man at his wedding. He feels honored and takes pride to be able to continue the family legacy, and is so passionate about being a baker that was instilled so many years ago within, to him, he says: it's a love and passion for what I do, but it's also a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for what his father, grandfather and uncles did which makes him strive to continue the legacy. Even when it came down to having to remodel the bakery, he says: sure I could have went with those state of the art European bakery cases, but that is not what we are all about, we are that small Mom and Pop of yesteryear that started back in 1926, wanting to keep the feel of the old neighborhood bakery, he went with the old fashioned cases and if Joe is anything like his Dad, a great visionary in making decisions or maybe just taking chances, that was an epic move in a world that is longing for simplicity again.
But make no mistake this Pastry Shop is far from being simple, standing on tradition. I could have not picked a better time of the year to visit this old school bakery, now that March is upon us with St Giuseppe Day in sight . When entering, the aroma of fried St. Joseph Zeppoli filled the air, it was delightful, catching my attention right away, why? Because when things are made from scratch the aroma's are different. Later after they have cooled, will be filled with either a french pastry, cannoli or whipped sweet cream. Everyday, everything is made, baked and filled from scratch, right down to their Apple Turn overs filled with a homemade apple mixture that is nestled inside a flaky and buttery puff pastry and freshness is just as important. But they don't stop there, using certain techniques from back in the day that are still applied, making Caputo's Pastry Shop stand tall and offer a neighborhood those daily rituals and Sunday morning breakfast trips to sweeten the day, along with specialty coffees.
Their selection of cakes, cookies, pies and Italian pastries, are unbelievable, making you want to pick one of each to take home, don't over look that they also specialize in traditional wedding, birthday, anniversary, communion or any other celebration cake you would like, making any event or occasion extra special. Their array of breads are baked daily from the traditional semolina loaf to french bread, and still in house the famous Kaiser rolls.
It still truly is a family affair, his Mom, Ursula and Dad come in to help out every once in a while, but mostly, it is Joe, his wife Joelle who will and their three children Jack, Ava and Tess that you will see there, helping the customers, decorating the cookies or doing whatever it takes to continue the legacy, like past generations did before them.
They say history repeats itself, and for five generations it has been long standing from his great, great Aunt's tiny abode in Italy, to Brooklyn, to South Broadway, to Ursula Plaza. There is so much more substance to Caputo's Pastry Shoppe then just flour, sugar, and butter, the love and passion that is put into every pastry, cookie, cake, and pie, right down to the bread baking, tastes and will make you feel like your living La Dolce Vita on the shore.
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Caputo's Pastry Shoppe
444 Ocean Blvd.
Long Branch N.J. 07740
732-222-3838
Solo Bella
"The Music of Family, Friends, Food & Love"
By Dawn Marie
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There is nothing that goes better together then family, friends, love and food, the necessary essentials of life. Solo Bella restaurant in Jackson, N.J is the epitome of all four in their truest form coming together, creating the music of life.
Isabella Basille, who is known as Bella, started out many years ago when her children, daughter Maria, and sons, Salvatore, Dominick, and Vincent were born. Becoming a Mom is a full-time job, but not knowing what the future holds in store for any of us, she never imagined being in the restaurant business, let alone owning her own restaurant was in the cards.
But how could it not be, her Grandfather, Gregory Auditore, who had immigrate over from Southern Italy, opened a pastry shop called “The Mona Lisa”, which sat on Court Street in between 3rd and 4th Place in Red Hook-South Brooklyn. An artist at heart, he had painted the iconic Mona Lisa on the sign of the shop, becoming known not only for those delicious cookies, pastries and breads, but you could spot the sign blocks away. Her Mom, Connie, would make eggplant and a meatball hero’s, in their tiny brownstone kitchen, and her Dad, Dominick, would sell them to the longshoreman who worked the docks in Red Hook. Eventually opening up a hero shop called “Chubby Mary’s” that was between Nelson & Luguer Street, the hero’s became so popular that they opening three more shops in various locations.
Growing up, as any kid would do, when your family has a business, Bella and her sister Joy were always either helping their Mom package sandwiches or going over to their Grandfather’s bakery, filling the fresh fried cannoli shells, helping the customers, that in those days everyone was family and working the counter wrapping up the sweet baked goods and bread for everyone to take home. When thinking back to how it used to be, families coming together in an ever so changing world, what they didn’t realize at the time, the impact it would make, not only to the kids that were helping their Mom’s, Dad’s and Grandparents, but the values and traditions that were being instilled for the next generation to come and so on, while starting to put together the building blocks of a neighborhood..
Driving up into the parking lot of Solo Bella, it reminds me of an Italian Villa of the prestige by scale, that’s adorned with a stone stucco cream colored exterior, wrought iron lamps that divide the slim windows with dark canopies, very warm and inviting. Open the first door of the entrance, and while walking through the breezeway looking around making your way to the second door, it is clear that Bella stands on every bit of family and traditions, past to present, with old and new photos that hang the walls of family members that include, her children, eleven grandchildren, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. Walk through the second door, and your home. Bella brought not only her roots of Red Hook, Brooklyn, but remnants of the old country, as well. As they say, “the writing is on the wall” in this case, the paintings are on the wall, which are more like massive beautiful sketches of back home. Paying homage to their memories of the neighborhood, like the Brooklyn Bridge, Court Pastry Shop, Red Hook Terminal, St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church, and one very close to the heart, the childhood home they grew up in, on Dennet Place, known as Cats Alley to the neighborhood people, where traditions were started and memories made. And although her Grandfathers pastry shop has been long gone, its been said that the painting of the Mona Lisa, sits behind a renovated wall, just being preserved for one of the family members to unveil it again.
When entering Solo Bella, look around at the eclectic collaboration, and when I say eclectic, I’m talking about the famous leg lamp from “A Christmas Story” that lamp seems to be popping up everywhere, not just at Christmas time and I think because, it’s now become part of iconic America, reminds us all of how simple times were back then, so it sits among the orchestrated symphony of oil’s, vinegar’s, canned sauce, fresh lemon’s, and heads of garlic, that is truly the start of something delicious, as the brick oven illuminates in the distance… With large clear jars that sit on the counter filled with homemade Italian cookies and cannoli shells, made from recipes of the old country and just waiting to be accompanied by that end of meal cappuccino, espresso, or cup of coffee.
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With two dining rooms, one is opened aired, more like family style, decorated to a Tuscany theme of orange, green and tan walls, dark woods, beamed vaulted ceilings, and beautiful rustic chandeliers, the other caters and set to a smaller more intimate crowd, both beautifully done. But that is just a small part of what is being done here. Serving hearty homemade Sicilian dishes with a menu that covers everything from soup to nuts, as they used to say back in the day. An array of appetizers, we had decided on the cold antipasto, prosciutto, soppressata, ham, olives and imported provolone, it was, by far, the freshest antipasto I’ve had in a long time. Then the clam’s oreganato with the hint of lemon, superb, both accompanied by their in house baked bread and everything bread sticks, with an herb dipping oil. The bread and bread-sticks are not the only thing being made fresh at Solo Bella. Priding themselves on how it used to be and traditions, their pizza dough and desserts are also done from scratch. Then the time came to decide on what type of pizza, with what toppings? Stop there!! Homemade dough plus a brick oven, I can’t decide and was so glad I left it up to Bella. What came to the table was their square, topped with a marinara, light on the mozzarella, and then dusted just perfectly with Locatelli grated cheese. There is a saying, nothing is perfect, I soon found out after taking the first bite, that perfection was found in Solo Bella’s delicious square brick oven pizza, as perfection continued to repeat itself once the stuffed Rigatoni with Bolognese and a beautiful bowl of ravioli made their way to our table. Everything was outstanding, every dish out trumped the next, and then dessert came finishing off a beautiful meal with fresh cannoli’s, Italian cookies and usually an expresso, but in our case a Manhattan Special, a carbonated cold espresso soda, you guessed it, born, raised, and still distributed from Brooklyn.
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The family is strong, Isabella works very hard, not only at keeping traditions and family solid, it’s just as important as the meal, that the minute you step through the doors you get the sense of comfort, warmth and home, and I have to say, it is at the highest, beautifully done. Mostly everyone that works there is family, and if not, have become, adding to the delicious meals and making it a wonderful experience.
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Now that her children are grown, daughter Maria hung up her apron in the business to become a Mom of three boys and a school teacher, her sons followed in her footsteps, Dominick, is there with her at Solo Bella, while also opening up a pizza place with his cousin Vinny called Basiles’s in Middletown, NJ, Salvatore, came together with her sister Joy’s son, Francis, and the boys ventured off on their own endeavor creating “Artichoke Basille’s Pizza”, that’s becoming quite the phenomenon across the country.
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Bella and her family might have come a long way from the simpler times of growing up in Brooklyn, remembering how it is the bond of family and working together. While sometimes it’s not been easy when life throws you curve balls, you have to look around to see where you came from, reflect on what you have gone through, continue to take a stance for what you believe in, all while being the rock, supporter and guide for the ones that look up to you. Balancing work and family in this business is not an easy task, but when seeing the magnitude of everyone coming together, working off of past generations that are so deeply rooted in the family core and possibly it being the magic to their success, there is no other way to do it, but beautifully, while always remembering that life sometimes can be Fragile, in Italian “Far-gil-e” , but as long as the family is strong and food flowing, that will always be the music of life. Just recently making a big move to a farm in the area
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Solo Bella will continue to be beautiful encore in Jackson, New Jersey for many years to come.
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Solo Bella
426 Chandler Rd, Jackson Township, NJ 08527
(732) 961-0951
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Grossman's Deli
"A Cut Above the Rest, Anyway You Slice it"
By Dawn Marie
Looking for a traditional Deli along the Jersey Shore, look no farther then Oakhurst New Jersey. Grossman's Deli sits in a stripmall on Highway 35 going towards Long Branch, Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, Belmar, or any of those other shore towns, that you might need to pick up a sandwich or two and head to the beach... Don't let the location of being in a strip mall throw you off, it brings all the traditional fare of a great NY deli, plus some and would consider it one of the best in Monmouth County.
Owner Dirk Grossman has been in the business for more then 50 years now. Growing up on the Jersey Shore, Dirk took in all that it had to offer from sun, sand, ocean and Bruce Springsteen. You could say the anthem of "My Hometown" could have also possibly been the driving force for his success. A true entrepreneur who is also an avid salt water fisherman, model builder of all sorts, and fish farmer. Yes, that's right a fish farmer of salt and fresh water fish, which not only takes skill for any of those, but patients and seems that anything Dirk puts his skills and mind to, can be accomplished.
Originally from Asbury Park, his family had a fish market for many years there, when the location opened up on Highway 35, they reached for the opportunity to expand the market and for many years served the Oakhurst and surrounding areas with high quality seafood. Then one day Dirk had an idea, lets start selling sandwiches, salads, quick things, not only for the beach goers, but for the neighborhood as well, from that a Deli was born.
Walking in, the vibe right off the bat, homey, comfort, warm, and truthfully, had the feel like being at Grandma's, which possibly could be attributed to that vintage green wall color, dollie laced curtains, and dry goods shelving, bringing the 1940's renovation into the 21st century. With such an expanded menu that hangs on the wall above, Dirk and his crew, which he likes to refer to them as family, serves up everything from breakfast, lunch, fried and flamed cooked platters, to coffee that is roasted locally, with breads, rolls and pastries that are baked on premises. The dry goods shelves lined with everything from oils, vinegar's, olives, sauces, homemade preserves and jams.
There is no cutting corners here, the only thing they are cutting is slow roasted corned beef and pastrami for supersized sandwiches. Their Pork Roll or Taylor Ham, whichever you choose to call it, is the same in the end, but at Grossman's add an egg and american cheese on one of their everything rolls, it is everything you could have dreamed of in a breakfast sandwich, the pastrami on traditional Jewish rye, baked in house, is packed with 1/2 pound of pastrami, topped with Swiss and dressed with with a spicy brown mustard, their grilled Reuben is full of flavor from that slow roasted corned beef, layered with melted Swiss, Sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing, any triple Decker club, is a triple winner alongside everything else being served. The sandwiches are plentiful accompanied by a side of macaroni, potato salad, or cole slaw, along with one of those crunchy barrel pickles and bag of chips, the meals are hearty, coffee bold, baked goods fresh, and carrying other items that are traditional to an old school deli like homemade Tuna and Egg salad or an old time favorite, the potato knish, plain or spinach filled, yes please, is all I have to say. The service is impeccable, and when I tell you from the moment you walk in, Susie is there at the register with her warm smile and bubbly hello, Jennifer and Jose who's passion comes through with what they are creating in the kitchen, paying close attention to detail in everything, and Dirk not only over seeing to make sure everything is on point, is also hands on, the prices are so reasonable if you do not live in Oakhurst or the surrounding area it is worth the trip in gas money.
Since opening their doors the deli has expanded and now you have the pleasure of having breakfast or lunch, sometimes both for the regulars, like Bill, who I had meet while there. Bill comes in three, sometimes four times a week, his children and grandchildren, who live in the area are sure to stop in when seeing his car parked at Grossman's, weather it be for a quick hello or to sit for a little chat and have a bit to eat. The adjacent dinning room with two large beautiful fish tanks that house both salt and fresh water fish, boat models of all sorts, a mounted fish and deep sea fishing poles that hang above. Anyone who is in the food business knows, it is your second home, so why not cross what you love to do in your spare time with what you love to do in your business, to me seems like a perfect combination, making it all that much better. When I had asked Dirk, what inspires him in this business? He turned and said, maybe one day I'll retire, maybe, being the key word, because the feeling you get being able to serve our customers, who really are like family, with great hospitality & food, is what inspires me...
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Grossman's Deli
2005 NJ-35, Oakhurst, NJ 07755
(732) 531-4709
Hours:
Mon-Tues 7:30 am - 3:00 pm
Wed-Fri 7:30 am - 7"00 pm
Sat. 9:00 am- 4:00 pm
Sun Closed
https://www.grossmansdeli.com/
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