Month: March 2023

Get it made

Lighthouse Local, Bedford Baking Co. now open

A new cafe and market now open in Bedford aims to be a one-stop shopping destination for a wide variety of New Hampshire-made goods, from jams, jellies and maple syrups to infused cooking oils, blended coffees and teas, chocolates and more.

Lighthouse Local, housed in the former Sweet Boutique space on Kilton Road, is also home to the Bedford Baking Co., which offers freshly baked breads and pastries alongside a menu of hot paninis and cold sandwiches. Both concepts arrived just after the new year, according to owner and longtime Bedford resident Linda Degler, who took over the space in September.

Degler, who also runs the Bedford Event Center and New Morning Schools, said the shop’s original conception stemmed from her enjoyment of baking. The idea to feature a retail area of local products, meanwhile, came from coordination with the nonprofit New Hampshire Made.

“I thought, ‘Yeah, we’re local and we’re small, but then so are they and so are they,’ and so why don’t we just bring them all together,” she said. “I mean, it’s basically like throwing a party. You have friends from this circle and friends from that circle and you introduce them and it’s fun.”

Out of the gate, the shop has retail products available for sale from companies like Ben’s Sugar Shack, Van Otis Chocolates, Laurel Hill Jams & Jellies, Monadnock Oil & Vinegar Co. and the Yankee Farmer’s Market. Degler noted that the shop is also the first brick-and-mortar account for 603 Perfect Blend, run by a Manchester-based husband and wife team that is known in the local farmers market circuit for their loose-leaf teas and gourmet flavored sugars.

For several of its featured products Lighthouse Local offers samples during business hours. Degler said she plans to continue growing the retail space with additional purveyors. Although most hail from the Granite State, she said she is open to having others from neighboring states.

“This started with New Hampshire Made, and now people are calling us,” she said.

On the bakery side, Degler has partnered with Trina Bird of the Bird Food Baking Co. to oversee pastries. Bird, of Goffstown, is perhaps best known locally for her craft doughnuts, of which she has made a countless number of wild flavors, as well as her cakes, cupcakes and cookies.

Degler has also recruited Natalie Camasso as an in-house baker; Fylisity Baker-Scott, who primarily runs the front; and Kyle Altman, a former manager at Mile Away Restaurant in Milford who created the shop’s lunch menu. Offerings to start have included a few sandwiches and paninis, with some fresh sides, like cranberry coleslaw, cucumber pesto, and mozzarella and tomato with a balsamic glaze.

As with the retail area, Degler’s goal is to grow the bakery arm of the business.

“I am interested in renting kitchen space … maybe to new bakers who want to get a foot in but maybe they don’t have a kitchen … and we’ll sell their products down here to get [them] started,” she said. “I’d like to find somebody who supplies breakfast pastries. That would be a really good addition here, especially with all the office buildings around.”

Lighthouse Local/Bedford Baking Co.
Where: 21 Kilton Road, Bedford
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
More info: Visit lighthouse-local.com, or find them on Facebook @lighthouselocalcafe or on Instagram @lighthouselocal
Suppliers interested in getting their products on the shelves of Lighthouse Local can contact owner Linda Degler directly at lindadegler@gmail.com.

Featured photo: Baked goods from Lighthouse Local. Photo by Linda Degler.

SouperFest returns

Annual tasting benefit moves back indoors for its 14th year

For one day only, Concord’s Bank of New Hampshire Stage will turn into a prime tasting destination for area soups, chowders and chilis. It’s time for SouperFest — the event, one of the chief fundraisers for the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, returns on Saturday, March 4.

This will be the first SouperFest to take place indoors since 2019, and also the first time in its history that it’s happening inside of the concert venue. After the pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020, SouperFest transitioned outdoors to a mostly takeout format the following two years.

Unlike with those events, which encouraged pre-ordering your soup online, this year’s SouperFest will offer soups on a first-come, first-served basis at $5 each while they last.

“The pre-orders made it very, very difficult, because we had a lot of individuals that didn’t pre-order that were walking up … and we’d have to count how many outstanding orders there still were,” said Greg Lessard, CCEH’s director of housing initiatives. “I always like to have extra but you just never know how many folks will turn up that day, and how hungry they are.”

Eleven Concord establishments have donated a soup, chowder or chili to be served by volunteers during the fundraiser. The flavors are diverse, ranging from a vegetarian split pea soup courtesy of O Steaks & Seafood to beef and turkey chilis from The Common Man and Georgia’s Northside, respectively. There’s also going to be a turkey pot pie soup from The Red Blazer and a butternut squash soup from The Centennial Hotel’s Granite Restaurant & Bar, among others.

“We encourage them all to make something different,” Lessard said. “Every one of the restaurants that had done it for the last two years stepped up, and we actually picked up a few.”

Attendees can get their eight-ounce cups of soup to go — along with complimentary rolls and water — or grab a seat at the venue to listen to RoZweLL, a rock cover group set to perform.

“The thought is that they will come and see acquaintances, have some soup and listen to the band,” Lessard said. “The lounge area upstairs is open for our guests as well.”

As soups will be served until they sell out, Lessard said getting to the event early is a good idea.

“We anticipate that most folks will be there … right at opening,” he said. “Some soups will be more popular than others. … If folks are getting hungry and there’s a line that’s taking a few minutes, they will have the opportunity to select from two soups while they’re in line inside.”

The Coalition has already raised more than $60,000 through its dozens of business sponsorships, and all SouperFest proceeds will go directly toward its programs.

14th annual SouperFest
When: Saturday, March 4, noon to 2 p.m.
Where: Bank of New Hampshire Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Cost: $5 per soup (no pre-orders); soups are available first-come, first-served while they last
Visit: concordhomeless.org/souperfest
Cash and credit cards will be accepted at the door, in addition to donations benefiting the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness.

Featured soups

• The Barley House Restaurant & Tavern (beef barley soup)
• The Common Man (beef and bean chili)
• Concord Food Co-op (clam chowder)
• Concord Hospital and Karner Blue Café (broccoli cheddar soup)
• Georgia’s Northside (Santa Fe turkey chili)
• Granite Restaurant & Bar (butternut squash soup)
• Hermanos Cocina Mexicana (creamy mushroom soup)
• O Steaks & Seafood (vegetarian split pea soup)
• Revival Kitchen & Bar (mushroom beef and barley soup)
• The Red Blazer Restaurant & Pub (turkey pot pie soup)
• The Works Cafe (lentil soup)

Featured photo: Concord’s SouperFest tasting benefit returns on Saturday, March 4, moving back indoors after taking place outside the last two years, as pictured above. Photos by Mulberry Creek Imagery.

The Weekly Dish 23/03/02

News from the local food scene

• Liquid gold: It’s New Hampshire Maple Month, and several farms and sugarhouses across the Granite State will once again be welcoming visitors for multiple weekends of tours, demonstrations, tastings and family activities, all revolving around local maple syrup production. A full list of local sugarhouses participating inthe month (which includes New Hampshire Maple Weekend, set for Saturday, March 18, and Sunday, March 19) can be found on the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association website at nhmapleproducers.com.

• Let the Guinness flow: Join The Peddler’s Daughter (48 Main St., Nashua) for its annual Guinness beer dinner on Wednesday, March 8, at 6:30 p.m. The meal will feature multiple food courses with Guinness beer pairings, like salmon rillettes (poached and smoked salmon combined with house mayonnaise and Guinness brown bread); free range eggs with sage sausage and panko crumbs, and Guinness-braised short rib of beef with a forest mushroom saffron risotto. Branded Guinness souvenirs, raffle prizes and giveaways will also be featured. Tickets are $65 per person and can be purchased online at Eventbrite. Be on the lookout next week for more St. Paddy’s Day-related happenings at area bars and restaurants in our annual listings.

• Get your Greek eats: Join Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (68 N. State St., Concord) for its next boxed Greek dinner to go, a drive-thru takeout event on Sunday, March 12, from noon to 1 p.m. Now through Wednesday, March 8, orders are being accepted for boxed meals featuring dinners of vegetarian dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) with spanakopita (spinach pie) and a bread roll for $20 per person. The event is drive-thru and takeout only — email ordermygreekfood@gmail.com or call 953-3051 to place your order. You can also pay online by clicking “Contribute to Holy Trinity” on the church’s website and following the prompts. The revival of the church’s annual Greek food festival, meanwhile, remains tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 30. Visit holytrinitynh.org.

• Turning up the heat: Portsmouth hot sauce maker The Spicy Shark recently announced the launch of the latest addition to its “6-Fin” series — the Mako Snake. According to a press release, the new sauce became available Feb. 15. The Indian-inspired Mako Snake is a masala-based sauce, made with ghost pepper, Carolina reaper and habanero. According to the release, the sauce’s name and creature, a mythical half shark, half snake, were chosen to represent the “unique and intense” levels of heat and flavor. See thespicyshark.com to find out where you can find the company’s sauces.

On The Job – Mollie Skuse

Ranch owner

Mollie Skuse is the owner of Chasing Dreams Ranch in Hollis.

Explain your job and what it entails.

As of right now, I have no employees, so I’m the jack of all trades throughout the day. When I arrive at the ranch, everyone is hungry and happy to see me, so I start by making up everyone’s grain, then walk around giving it out and checking the hay and the waters. Once everyone is happy and fed, I start the chores — mucking the stalls and paddocks, refilling grain for the night feed, refilling all my hay nets and taking care of all the other animals. I have more than just horses: the rescued baby sheep, two piglets, seven goats, three rabbits, some free-range chickens and barn cats. Then there’s always the unexpected things happening … The work is never done on a farm.

How long have you had this job?

I just recently took over ownership. Before that, I was the manager for the farm. In the middle of November 2022 the owners approached me and said they made the hard decision to get out of farming after more than 25 years. They knew how hard I worked and how much I loved each and every animal on the farm, and they offered me the opportunity of a lifetime.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I’ve always been a huge animal lover and knew my passion for helping animals would be a part of my career. In high school I wanted to be a dolphin trainer at SeaWorld, so I took vet tech to start learning. Then I went to college in Florida for marine biology and vet tech. I didn’t finish college, and I came back to New Hampshire, where I almost always landed myself a job with animals — local pet store, vet hospital, PetSmart and Petco … I hadn’t even been around horses or ridden them until about seven years ago.

What kind of education or training did you need?

Training included learning how to put halters on and off horses, let them in and out of stalls, groom them, and everything else from cleaning stalls to saddling up.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Most of the time you’ll find me in jeans and cowboy boots and a hat. This time of year I have my Carhartt overalls on and matching jacket, as well as gloves and a hat and hand warmers.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

When an animal gets sick and you have to make hard decisions, and not taking on more animals than I can afford. I want to rescue them all, but financially, you have to learn to say, ‘No, I can’t at this time.’

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

I didn’t have money saved when I gave up my job as farm manager to become the owner, so I went into this with no income. It’s stressful for sure. Animals are expensive.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

It’s not all fun. Farm work is harder work than most people realize. Some days I’m there from dawn till midnight, and when I leave earlier I always feel like I should have stayed longer and done more.

What was the first job you ever had?

Counselor at Girl Scout camp.

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

Don’t give up or lose sight of your goals. The end results will be worth the struggle it took to get there. Life is tough, but I am tougher.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Run, Rose, Run
Favorite movie: Sweet Home Alabama
Favorite music: Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn — all the classic country music.
Favorite food: Pizza and cupcakes.
Favorite thing about NH: Live free or die, and tax-free

Featured photo: Mollie Skuse. Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 23/03/02

Family fun for the weekend

Library happenings

• The Nashua River Watershed Association will be leading a hands-on Nashua River junior scientist program on Thursday, March 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St.). Kids will use the Nashua River as their “outdoor laboratory,” to explore river issues and do activities related to river ecology, watershed protection, and look at this important resource through the lens of climate change, according to the library. Visit nashualibrary.org.

• Join the Manchester City Library (405 Pine St.) for a day filled with retro games and pixel art on Thursday, March 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. Families can play live-action versions of their favorite retro games, do game-inspired crafts, and create pixel art that’s used in older video games. The program is geared toward kids in grades 1 through 6 and their families. Visit manchester.lib.nh.us for more information.

Girl Scout fun

• Girl Scouts are hosting a unicorn party and sign-up event on Monday, March 6, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Hampstead Central School (21 Emerson Ave.) in the art room. Girls in kindergarten through grade 12, along with a caregiver, are invited to do a hands-on craft while learning more about the Scouts and how to sign up. The event is also virtual and can be accessed at girlscoutsgwm.org.

• And save the date: Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains are looking for girls to join their competitive rowing team for the upcoming General Clinton Regatta in New York. Girls don’t have to be a member of the Scouts to join the swift paddlers team, but will become an honorary member for the purpose of the competition. Practices will take place at Camp Kettleford in Bedford and the competition will be in September. To sign up or to get more information, contact customercare@girlscoutsgwm.org or call 888-474-9686.

Get active

• The City Wide Community Center (14 Canterbury Road, Concord) is hosting family drop-in basketball for families in and around the capital city on Thursday, March 2. Games start at 6 p.m. and will be led by the recreation center’s staff. Children participating must be supervised by a teen or adult older than 16. Fee to participate is $2 for Concord residents, $3 for non-residents. For more information about this event, call 225-8690.

• The last race in the Snow or No We Go series is on Saturday, March 4, at 10 a.m. There are two races to choose from, a 2- or 4-mile run/walk. This race will be at the Prospect Acres Obstacle Course (4 Beaumier Drive, Franklin). Proceeds from the signup will benefit the Canterbury Shaker Village, Boys and Girls Club of Central NH, and Prospect Acres Obstacle Course. Registration costs $25 per runner and can be completed at runsignup.com.

Shows!

• Come to the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord) to see the Omnium Circus on Thursday, March 2, at 7 p.m. The circus’s new show “I’m Possible” follows the story of Johnny, who goes on a journey of courage and strength in a madcap circus adventure. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Visit ccanh.com to reserve a spot.

• If you’re at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) on Sunday, March 5, check out the theGallery 6 art exhibition: Step into a Story – Art by New England Illustrators, which closes March 6 (the museum is closed on Mondays). The project looks at the artwork and the creative process of storybook writers and artists from New Hampshire and neighboring states. Entrance to Gallery 6 is free and it is open during museum hours, which vary day to day. For more information, visit childrens-museum.org.

Save the Date

• Get a jump start on Maple Weekend with the Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road, Hollis) at the Maple Sugar Magic Family Event on Sunday, March 12, at 1 p.m. The free event will look at the history of the maple sugar season and the process of tapping and collecting the sweet stuff, through crafts, puppet shows and more. Advance registration is required and can be done at beaverbrook.org/education.

• Join the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) for Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet on Sunday, April 2, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The show follows Nancy and her best friend Bree as they audition for the fanciest of ballets, the Deep-Sea Dances. The production is put on by the Southern NH Youth Ballet. In addition to Nancy’s story, they will also perform The Ugly Duckling. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased at palacetheatre.org.

Treasure Hunt 23/03/02

Hi, Donna,

I hope you can help me identify my antique oak chair. I would like to know the era and artist. Any information will be helpful. Thank you.

Donna S.

Dear Donna,

It’s tough to find a single maker of some Victorian era chairs. The style of yours was very popular and not uncommon. Chairs, tables and other pieces were made with the lion’s head, paw foot style.

Some pieces, depending on how elaborate, can bring high values. There are some makers as well that will increase the collectibility today. But for most common styles the value is based on condition.

As far as a value, Donna, most collectors want them in original clean condition and finish. Your chair looks to be in clean shape but not necessarily all original. I think you could put the value in the range of $400.

Thanks for sharing, Donna, and I hope you find a new home for your chair.

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