Month: August 2021

Jenn Martins

Jenn Martins of Hudson is the owner of Brickoven Catering (brickovencatering.com, find her on Facebook and Instagram), a mobile food trailer specializing in wood-fired pizzas, appetizers and other options cooked out of a built-in brick oven. Other than the pizzas, which come in 12-inch and six-inch personal sizes and feature flavors from pepperoni and margherita to chicken bacon ranch and dill pickle, other menu items have included meatballs, pulled pork sliders, meat and veggie skewers, crabcakes and stuffed mushrooms. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Martins held multiple jobs in the industry from catering to working as a private chef before purchasing the trailer in February 2020. Brickoven Catering is available to rent for all types of events, from weddings and birthday parties to corporate gatherings, and is known for creating signature “Bride & Groom” pizzas. You’ll also occasionally find Martins slinging pizzas outside of Able Ebenezer Brewing Co. (31 Columbia Circle, Merrimack).

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A good old wooden pizza peel.

What would you have for your last meal?

Our pickle pizza with bacon. I could literally eat it every day.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

MT’s Local [Kitchen & Wine Bar] in Nashua. Their grilled flatbreads are really good, and I’m also pretty fond of their hamburgers.

What celebrity would you like to have seen ordering from your food trailer?

Anthony Bourdain. In culinary school, he was who we looked up to and somebody we aspired to be. We all read his books and watched his shows.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The pickle pizza. It was something my 10-year-old daughter came up with. It has alfredo sauce, cheese, sliced hamburger, dill pickles and bacon, topped with fresh dill.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Food trucks at events are a huge trend. I always thought I would have my own catering company out of a brick-and-mortar building, never a food truck, but I love it.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

My daughter and I love Corn Flake-breaded chicken.

Bacon-wrapped chicken
Courtesy of Jenn Martins of Brickoven Catering, brickovencatering.com

1½ pounds chicken breasts, cut into two-inch strips
1 pound bacon
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1 cup brown sugar

Roll chicken in chili powder, garlic and cumin mix. Wrap bacon around chicken and secure with toothpick. Roll in brown sugar. Bake at 350 degrees on a broiling pan for 30 minutes.

Featured photo: Jenn Martins

Blackjack and burgers

Lucky Moose Casino & Tavern opens in Nashua

New Hampshire’s newest casino is now open, complete with daily games of blackjack, roulette and Texas hold ’em, as well as a full bar and an elevated tavern menu out of a scratch kitchen.

The Lucky Moose Casino & Tavern opened July 16 in the former Bugaboo Creek Steak House in the Nashua Mall plaza, keeping the moose structure that adorns the roof. It’s a sister establishment of The River Casino & Sports Bar, a few miles east in the Gate City, and while you’ll find the same casino games here, there is a newly modified food and drink menu to match The Lucky Moose’s unique atmosphere.

“The River is a sports bar and this is more of a tavern, so it’s just a different vibe,” said Vincant Davis, The Lucky Moose’s director of property operations and designer of the menu. “One of the fun things that we created are what we call the Moose Bites, which is kind of like our take on the chicken nugget. We changed up the batter a little bit from our chicken tenders at The River … and it goes great with any of our dipping sauces.”

Other popular items so far, Davis said, have been a traditional poutine with gravy and cheese curds, and the egg rolls, with filling options like shaved Philly steak and cheese or Buffalo chicken. Seasonal egg roll flavors are also expected in the long term.

“The steak and cheese egg rolls are a huge frontrunner right now. They’ve been flying out of here,” he said. “We’ll probably play around with changing out some flavors in the future.”

There is a small selection of 10-inch or 18-inch pizzas with specialty flavors of their own. The Hawaiian pizza, for example, features a citrus-infused sauce that’s finished with sliced prosciutto, fresh pineapple and candied spiced orange zest.

A tavern menu wouldn’t be complete without its burgers, and at The Lucky Moose you can order everything from a simple burger with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and pickles to more inventive options, like a burger with maple aioli and a fried egg, or the New England barbecue burger, which is topped with hand-cut onion rings. Rotating offerings of soups and chowders are also always available, from French onion to a sweet corn chowder with potatoes and bacon.

The Lucky Moose takes its desserts seriously too, from hand-twisted apple cider doughnut sticks to a “mountain” of sweet flavors known as the Mt. Waffleton.

“The Mt. Waffleton is deliciousness in a bowl,” Davis said. “You’ve got a Foster sauce, bananas, caramel, marshmallow, Moose Tracks ice cream, chocolate sauce and a nice fluffy Belgian waffle. … There’s a lot going on there, but it’s probably one of the best bites you’ll ever take.”

As for the drinks, one of the tavern’s more distinctive offerings is the Lucky Moose Juice, featuring Skyy blood orange vodka infused with pineapple over a five-day period. There is also a variety of specialty cocktails and bottled domestic and local craft beers available.

Like at The River, 35 percent of all gambling proceeds from The Lucky Moose benefit a local charity. According to owner and general manager James Rafferty, just over 100 charities have been involved, with more than $4 million raised to date.

The Lucky Moose Casino & Tavern

Where: 16 Gusabel Ave., Nashua
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. (Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and at midnight Thursday through Saturday)
More info: Visit luckymoosecasino.com, find them on Facebook @luckymoosecasino or call 864-0175
Must be at least 18 years old to enter.

Featured photo: New England BBQ Burger. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

’Cue for a cause

Local eats, live music and raffles at inaugural Barbecue Benefit Bash

For nearly eight months, community organizer and Nashua native Lou Duhamel has been gearing up for what he promises will be “one of the best parties of the summer” — a catered barbecue buffet with craft beer options, raffles and live performances from local musicians, including Nashua-area veteran rockers Aces & Eights and Hollis musician Joe Birch.

A fundraiser for the Nashua Children’s Home, the inaugural Barbecue Benefit Bash is happening rain or shine on Saturday, Aug. 21, at Alpine Grove Banquet Facility in nearby Hollis. Tickets are on sale now through Sunday, Aug. 15, with a portion from each benefitting the nonprofit.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun. Great food, great music and a great cause,” Duhamel said. “I’ve done lots of fundraising events through the years, and I’ve pretty much perfected it now.”

Duhamel said he began organizing the event in January, working closely with Nashua Children’s Home business manager and Nashua alderwoman Lori Wilshire. He has also recruited multiple businesses in Nashua and surrounding areas through sponsorships and donations.

Doors to the event open at 5 p.m., with a barbecue dinner between 6 and 7:30 p.m. on Alpine Grove’s new outdoor patio. If it rains, the food will be served inside its main ballroom.

“We’ll be cooking entire half chickens over a big bed of charcoal,” Alpine Grove owner Alan Archambault said. “We’re also doing our chef’s delicious tender steak tips with all the fixings.”

Self-serve stations will be set up for each of the foods, which will also include tossed garden and pasta salads, local corn on the cob, chips, cranberry sauce, biscuits and butter, and ice cream. A full bar with multiple craft beer selections is also expected.

Joe Birch will perform during the meal, and Duhamel said attendees are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs, tents or blankets.

A wide variety of items will also be raffled off during this time. Raffle tickets are $10 for every dozen and can be entered to win prizes like local restaurant gift certificates, autographed sports memorabilia and all-expenses-paid trips and experiences.

Aces & Eights will likely take the stage around 8:30 or 9 p.m., Duhamel said. The band first began playing together in the late 1960s, according to lead guitarist David West, and has shared the bill with legendary New England acts like Aerosmith and Jonathan Edwards.

Wilshire said proceeds from the event will go toward the Nashua Children’s Home’s transitional living program, enabling their kids who work or go to school to stay until they turn 21.

Barbecue Benefit Bash

Featuring live performances by the Nashua-based band Aces & Eights and musician and Hollis native Joe Birch

When: Saturday, Aug. 21, 5 to 11 p.m. (food will be served from 6 to 7:30 p.m.); deadline to purchase tickets is Sunday, Aug. 15
Where: Alpine Grove Banquet Facility, 19 S. Depot Road, Hollis
Cost: $50 admission per person; $20 from every ticket sold benefits the Nashua Children’s Home. Raffle tickets are $10 for every 12, with the chance to win multiple prizes. Tables of eight are also available to reserve.
More info: Visit louduhamel.simpletix.com or call event organizer Lou Duhamel at 305-2841
Event is rain or shine. Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs, blankets or tents.

Featured photo: Aces & Eights to perform. Photo courtesy of David West.

The Weekly Dish 21/08/05

News from the local food scene

• Fighting fire with (barbecue) fire: Join Georgia’s Northside of Concord for its first annual community day barbecue event at Lithermans Limited Brewery (126B Hall St., Concord) on Wednesday, Aug. 11, from 4 to 8 p.m. A fundraiser for the Concord Fire Department Relief Fund, this rain or shine event will feature craft beer, free selections from Georgia’s Northside and a raffle with the chance to win a grand prize of a $1,000 private chef party with chef and owner Alan Natkiel. The Concord Fire Department Relief Fund is a charity that helps people whose lives have been adversely affected by fire. Visit georgiasnorthside.com or see the event on Facebook @georgiasnorthside.

• For the dogs: Long Blue Cat Brewing Co. (298 Rockingham Road, Londonderry) will host Barking for Brews, a fundraiser for Second Chance Ranch Rescue, on Sunday, Aug. 8. The event will feature live music, local vendors, food, craft beer and more, with $1 from every pint sold being donated to Second Chance Ranch, a shelter for dogs based in New Boston. Visit longbluecat.com. A similar fundraiser will be held the same day at Pipe Dream Brewing (49 Harvey Road, Londonderry), with $1 from each pint sold between 1 and 5 p.m. to benefit Granite State Dog Recovery. Visit pipedreambrewingnh.com.

• Seaside tea: The Cozy Tea Cart will hold a Tea by the Sea afternoon tea tasting event on Sunday, Aug. 8, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Gatherings at The Colonel Shepard House (29 Mont Vernon St., Milford). Attendees will enjoy a menu of summer tea fare in a room decorated with a seaside theme. Food options will include lemon blueberry tea bread, high tea lemon cookies, shrimp and dill tea sandwiches, fruit skewers with ginger dip, chicken salad puffs, coconut dream pound cake, and raspberry and white chocolate cream scones, all alongside a selection of fine quality teas. Admission is $39.95 per person and reservations are required. Visit thecozyteacart.com or call 249-9111.

• Maine-ly delicious: Cookbook author Kate Shaffer and food photographer Derek Bissonnette will hold a joint appearance outside The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth) on Thursday, Aug. 12, at 6 p.m., presenting their new book, The Maine Farm Table Cookbook. The event will include a reserved table and signed books, an author discussion moderated by Music Hall executive director Tina Sawtelle, and an audience Q&A. Ticket packages include $60 for a small table with two books, $120 for a medium table with four books or $180 for a large table with six books. Purchase them online at themusichall.org or over the phone by calling 436-2400.

• State Liquor Commission recognized: The New Hampshire Liquor Commission was recently named one of the Top 10 retailers in the country by Beverage Dynamics magazine, according to a press release, all the while continuing to surpass its own sales records. The NHLC generated an all-time high in total gross sales of more than $801 million collectively during fiscal year 2021, an increase of $35 million over the previous year. According to the release, the store at Willow Spring Plaza in Nashua had the most sales of all 69 Liquor & Wine Outlet locations in the state, with nearly $40 million.

On The Job – Kayla Panagopoulos

Kayla Panagopoulos

Eco-friendly cleaner

Kayla Panagopoulos owns Bella’s Eco-friendly Cleaning Service, based in Litchfield, providing interior cleaning services using only eco-friendly products.

Explain your job.

I go to houses, condos and apartments … and do whatever the client would like me to do as far as cleaning goes. … I use green products that don’t contain bleach or … chemicals. They’re safer … especially for houses [with] kids and pets. … I’ve also incorporated pet services … because a lot of people were asking if I’d walk their dog or let their dog out while I was there to clean their house.

How long have you had this job?

I got officially licensed in March.

What led you to this career field?

It started because I have pretty bad anxiety, and whenever my anxiety was on the rise, I’d clean. It’s very calming to me because I feel like … if my house is clean, I have my life somewhat under control. I thought, since I enjoy cleaning, that’s something I could see myself doing [as a job].

What kind of education or training did you need?

You have to have some knowledge for cleaning because obviously you don’t want to use the wrong product on the wrong surface and ruin it. I do a lot of research on products, and I use all products on my own house before I use them on any client’s house. … I’ve also been educating myself by doing courses on the OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] website on cleaning and sanitizing, just to keep up with everything and make sure I’m still cleaning the right way.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Yoga or gym clothes or pretty much anything that I wouldn’t mind getting dirty.

What was it like starting this business during the pandemic?

It’s been a learning process to work with clients during the pandemic … because they have a lot of questions, and they want to know exactly what I’m doing in their house and how I’m being safe. … I’ve definitely been taking all of the precautions that I can. … I’m fully vaccinated, which is one of the first questions people ask, because most people won’t hire someone who isn’t vaccinated. … The other thing about the pandemic … is that people have been staying and working [at] home. Everyone has been great — they just kind of do their own thing — but it has definitely been a challenge … to have to [clean] around them.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

I wish I had known more about scheduling. For the longest time, I was having a problem with overbooking and overworking myself. I’ve gotten to the point now where … I’ve learned how to say no when I’m completely booked.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

A lot of people seem to think that greener products are much more expensive and don’t work as well, but they’re really not that much more expensive than regular cleaning products, and, honestly, I think they work better than some of the chemical products.

What was the first job you ever had?

As soon as I turned 16, I got a job as a cashier at Market Basket.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Take things as they come. … Some days are going to be great, and some days are going to suck. … Take those bad days with a grain of salt. … For every bad day, there are going to be a bunch more good days.

Five favorites

Favorite book: A Child Called “It”
Favorite movie: Any of the Marvel movies. I love Endgame.
Favorite music: Top 40
Favorite food: Anything Italian, and pita, which is like a Greek spinach pie.
Favorite thing about NH: Hiking, especially the mountains.

Featured photo: Kayla Panagopoulos

Kiddie Pool 21/08/05

Family fun for the weekend

Family outings

• Get kids in the entrepreneurial spirit by seeing other kids sell items they designed and made at the Acton Children’s Business Fair, held at 45 Beacon St. E in Laconia. Up to 36 kid-run businesses will be featured at the fair, which will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7, according to childrensbusinessfair.org/laconia.

• New England Vendor Events will hold a Summertime Family Fun Day on Sunday, Aug. 8, from noon to 5 p.m. at the White Birch Catering & Banquet Hall (222 Central St. in Hudson). A $5 ticket allows access to games and activities; free tickets that just allow access into the event are also available, according to the Eventbrite page. A portion of the ticket will benefit the Hudson Food Pantry, the page said. The day will feature food, music, vendors, children’s sack races, a bounce house, a cornhole tournament and more, according to the group’s Facebook page. Email [email protected].

Live performances

• The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) continues its 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series. Finishing up this week’s run, catch Beauty and the Beast on Thursday, Aug. 5. Next week, the production is Rapunzel, Tuesday, Aug. 10, through Thursday, Aug. 12. Showtimes are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and tickets cost $10 per person.

• Student performers from the Palace’s summer camp program will have a production of their own this weekend: Frozen Jr. will be performed Friday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 7, at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $12 to $15.

• Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate will perform a free show of pirate-themed kids music at Abbie Griffin Park (6 Baboosic Lake Road, Merrimack) on Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. See merrimackparksandrec.org/summer-concert-series.

Summer movie fun

• The summer kids movie series concludes with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (PG, 2001) at O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping (24 Calef Highway; 679-3529, oneilcinemas.com) on Monday, Aug. 9, and Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 10 a.m. Tickets to the screening cost $2 for kids ages 11 and under and $3 for ages 13 and up. A $5 popcorn-and-drink combo is also for sale.

• The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) will be screening some films to raise money for the SEE Science Center. On Tuesday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m. catch Matilda (PG, 1996). On Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m., the theater will screen Back to the Future (PG, 1985). Tickets to either show cost $12.

• The Goonies (PG, 1985) will screen Wednesday, Aug. 11, at area Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road in Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave. in Nashua; 150 Bridge St. in Pelham, chunkys.com) at 7 p.m. including a treasure hunt. Doors open one hour before showtime for a hunt for boxes of goodies in the theater. Tickets cost $4.99.

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