Category: Featured Content

Humanities star

Watters honored with lifetime achievement award

New Hampshire Humanities has named David Watters as the recipient of its 2020 Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities award, which celebrates individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the humanities in New Hampshire. Watters talked about the humanities work he has done during his years as a UNH professor, NH Humanities board member and New Hampshire State Senator.

What is your background in the humanities?

I taught English and American studies at the University of New Hampshire for 39 years, and I retired about three years ago. My work was on New Hampshire and New England culture and literature. I did a lot of work studying early burying grounds and the symbols on gravestones, and I did a lot on New Hampshire Black history and New Hampshire political history and New Hampshire writers. … One of the big projects I did was I co-edited the Encyclopedia of New England — 1.2 million words and 900 contributors and everything you thought you knew or didn’t know about New England.

What have you done with New Hampshire Humanities?

When I started doing projects with New Hampshire Humanities, what I loved about it was that it was an opportunity to get off campus … and really connect to the people in the libraries, historical societies and places of work, and to kind of really put down roots and bring the ideas and conversations out to New Hampshire communities. I spent 35 years working with New Hampshire Humanities, doing programs around the state, doing institutes for teachers in the summer on New Hampshire history and literature and culture, doing a lot on bringing Black history and awareness of Black authors in New Hampshire to the general public, and working on projects about immigrant communities.

What areas of the humanities are you especially passionate about?

As a professor, of course, I’ve intrinsically found literature and history going back several centuries interesting and always wanted to teach my students about it. But what makes my work with New Hampshire Humanities different [from teaching] is that we’re trying to connect people to ideas today. What can we learn from our past, both good things and the bad things? How does [history] make a difference for us today and how we live, how we treat each other, what our values are and how we live up to our ideals as a community and as a state? … I think learning how people have struggled in the past and connecting to that history helps us talk about contemporary things as well … and by having those conversations, we can live up to our values.

What other kinds of humanities work have you done in New Hampshire?

I’ve been able to serve on a lot of boards of trustees. I’ve been on the board of the New Hampshire Historical Society. I’ve been on the board of … the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. I’m also the New Hampshire legislative commissioner for the Atlantic States Marines Fisheries Commission, which regulates fisheries from Maine to Florida. … I was on the Robert Frost Homestead board … and on the board of the Dover Adult Learning Center.

What have you been up to lately?

The most recent project I’ve done connected to the New Hampshire Humanities is helping to create a Black Heritage Trail tour of Concord … to honor the history of slavery and of African-Americans, abolitionists and more contemporary African-Americans who made Concord their home, with a focus on political history, since it’s in Concord.

Has your work in the humanities tied into your work as a State Senator?

Humanities are about people’s values, and it’s good to have a law that’s founded on values, so in that way, I think a legislature can be really strengthened by an understanding of the humanities. … It’s been a good blend for me, and I’ve been able to translate a lot of my work with history and the humanities into legislation. … One [example] is that I got a bill passed to create a [substance abuse] recovery monument in New Hampshire — the first in the country — which would recognize the history of recovery and those who have been lost to it, and celebrate those people who are in recovery. … There have been organizations in New Hampshire working for recovery for a couple of centuries now … so it’s a way of bringing our past into a very public place, which I think is important for our communities.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I worked as a carpenter way back when I was in high school and college and for a year after college, so I have a shop in the basement. … I’m on the board of corporators for Canterbury Shaker Village, so I make Shaker boxes and Shaker oval boxes, plus a lot of other things. When I get time to go down to the basement, I’m happy.

News & Notes 20/11/05

Covid-19 updateAs of October 26As of November 2
Total cases statewide10,39711,320
Total current infections statewide1,0021,407
Total deaths statewide475483
New cases651 (Oct. 20 to Oct. 26)923 (Oct. 27 to Nov. 2)
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

On Oct. 25, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Exhibits V and W to Emergency Order No. 29, which had been issued on April 9. Emergency Order No. 29 requires state agencies, boards and commissions to submit recommendations to Sununu if any regulatory deadlines should be adjusted in response to the state of emergency. Per Exhibit V, in order to mitigate staffing concerns in police departments across the state, part-time officers who have not attended the full-time police academy will continue to be allowed to work during the pandemic. Per Exhibit W, in accordance with Emergency Order No. 12, the state’s Current Use Advisory Board will hold one public forum via phone and Webex in lieu of three in-person meetings. The forum will take place Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m.

On Oct. 27, Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 71, an order temporarily suspending the penalty for a school’s failure to file a financial report showing receipts and expenditures to the state Department of Education.

On Oct. 30, Sununu issued Executive Order 2020-21, extending the state of emergency in New Hampshire due to the Covid-19 pandemic for another three weeks through at least Nov. 20. It’s the 11th extension he has issued since originally declaring a state of emergency on March 13.

In the last week, the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services announced two additional potential community exposures linked to positive cases of Covid-19, both at the Atkinson Resort & Country Club. The first one was announced on Oct. 27, with potential community exposure dates inside both Merrill’s Tavern and the Stagecoach Grille on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from noon to 7:30 p.m., and on Thursday, Oct. 22, from noon to 11:30 p.m. A second notice was issued on Oct. 30 in the same location, with more possible exposures, on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Monday, Oct. 26, from 4 to 9:45 p.m. Anyone who was there on any of those dates and times should monitor for symptoms and seek testing.

State health officials also announced 205 new positive infections on Oct. 31, the most reported in New Hampshire in a single day since the start of the pandemic in March. In a statement addressing this, Sununu said he expects cases to rise as community transmission increases. “As we enter these winter months, it will be more important than ever to wear your mask, practice social distancing, and maintain proper hand hygiene,” he said.

Details of all of Sununu’s Emergency Orders, Executive Orders and other announcements can be found at governor.nh.gov.

Inferior food

The New Hampshire congressional delegation has sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue regarding concerns that the products the New Hampshire Food Bank has been receiving do not meet nutritional standards, according to a press release. The USDA contracts with farms to provide food to state food banks through its Farmers Families Food Box Program; New Hampshire’s current distributor is Delaware-based Vincent Farms. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Representatives Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas said in the letter that the distributor for the program from the previous round, Costa Fruit & Produce, provided high-quality products for families in need, while the product provided by Vincent Farms was of “enormously inferior nutritional quality.” The letter also alleged that the USDA is paying more than the food boxes being provided by Vincent Farms have been estimated to be worth. “We understand that the USDA is paying $40 – $60 per box under the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. However, the cost per box of food provided to the New Hampshire Food Bank by the round three distributor has been estimated to equal $10 – $12. This significant discrepancy in value indicates a large potential profit opportunity for this distributor,” the letter reads. The delegation has asked the USDA to investigate the matter before it awards the fourth round of contracts for the program.

PFAS report

Last week, the Commission on the Environmental and Public Health Impacts of Perfluorinated Chemicals released its first Interim Report to highlight its initial assessments on the impacts of PFAS in the air, soil and groundwater in Merrimack, Bedford and Litchfield. The report includes recommendations such as extending the statute of limitations on chemical and PFAS-related injury, establishing a policy related to the identification of any PFAS chemicals that pose a concern to public health and/or the environment, create and implement educational standards and practices related to health implications of PFAS chemicals for all health care personnel, and require any source company responsible for water and soil contamination to be responsible for the costs of medical monitoring over a long-term basis for those exposed. The full report with all recommendations and findings can be seen at gencourt.state.nh.us/statstudcomm/committees/1495.

At-home-school tool

Parents have a new resource to help them support their children’s at-home learning. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Education, the Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide will help parents use digital tools and resources, and it outlines the benefits and challenges of remote learning. “As New Hampshire families adjust to remote and hybrid instruction, parents remain essential in supporting students, and keeping them on track,” New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said in the release. “This new Digital Learning Guide is a great tool for parents and caregivers to meet this challenge.” Access the guide at nhlearnsremotely.com.

EnVision Center

Harbor Care in Nashua has been designated as the first EnVision Center in New Hampshire, creating a centralized hub to provide resources to people in need, according to a press release. The EnVision Center program is run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and provides services for HUD-assisted families. Harbor Care is one of more than 60 EnVision Centers in the country, but only the third in New England. The center supports four key pillars of self-sufficiency, according to the release: economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and wellness and character and leadership. “Harbor Care’s designation as an EnVision Center provides those chances for success for low-income residents,” Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess said in the release. “It makes even stronger Nashua’s existing support network for individuals and families in need of not just housing and financial support, but actual tools to guide them on a brighter path.”

Tons of drugs

During National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 26, New Hampshire collected nearly 17,000 pounds of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs, as well as electronic vaping devices and cartridges, according to a press release. Throughout New England, the Drug Enforcement Administration collected more than 57 tons at 586 collection sites. This is in comparison to the first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in September 2010, when the division collected 25,810 pounds of unwanted drugs. Massachusetts and Maine had the highest tallies (40,284 pounds and 40,100 pounds, respectively). New Hampshire collected 16,840 pounds, while Connecticut collected 8,002 pounds, Rhode Island collected 6,218 pounds and Vermont collected 4,498 pounds, according to the release.

Concord’s fall leaf collection started Monday with bulk leaf collection and bagged collection will start Nov. 23 for residents with curbside trash collection, continuing (weather permitting) through Dec. 11, according to a press release. For more details about how this year’s process will work, visit concordnh.gov.

Several roads will be closed for the Manchester City Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 a.m., according to a press release. Starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, Elm Street from Pleasant Street to Merrimack Street will be closed until 5 p.m. Sunday. Starting at 6 a.m. Sunday, Elm Street between Granite and Bridge streets will be closed, and portions of the following roads will be closed: Hanover, Merrimack, Central, Spring, McGregor and Granite streets, and the Bridge Street Bridge. All roads will be reopened by 5 p.m.

The Hopkinton and Warner Historical Societies will present a virtual discussion about the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. The Zoom talk is free; for login information, email director@hopkintonhistory.org or info@warnerhistorical.org.

Nashua will hold its final Household Hazardous Waste Collection of 2020 on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Nashua City Park & Ride, 25 Crown St. Residents from Amherst, Brookline, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, Nashua, Pelham and Windham can participate, according to a press release. The cost is a $15 user fee per vehicle, with extra charges for waste that exceeds 10 gallons or 20 pounds. Latex paint, electronics and medications will not be accepted.

A professor’s meditation

In a curious way, the pandemic has closed us into our houses and into ourselves at precisely the time when there is so much at stake in our state, our country and the world that would call forth our efforts and actions. For many this brings great worry and frustration. There are so many needs, so many competing causes, and so many voices, often strident, angry and competing. Many friends say they have quit following the news or have severely curtailed their watching, listening or social media engagement, looking instead for some peace and quiet to find meaning in all this.

As a retired professor of comparative religion I am familiar with many forms of retreat, reflection and inward turning. But I know, too, that inward growth, nurtured in quietude and silence, can give purpose and energy to outward action. My daily morning meditation takes its start from some reading chosen from my library. Today’s seemed especially timely. It is “A Prayer for the world” by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner. I share it here so that it might serve others as it has me.

A Prayer for the World

Let the rain come and wash away
the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds
held and nourished over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory
of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and
fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us
wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog so that
we can see each other clearly.
So that we can see beyond labels,
beyond accents, gender, or skin color.
Let the warmth and brightness
of the sun melt our selfishness
so that we can share the joys and
feel the sorrows of our neighbors.
And let the light of the sun
be so strong that we will see all
people as our neighbors.
Let the earth, nourished by rain,
bring forth flowers
to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts
to reach upward to heaven.
Amen

You can contact Steve Reno at stepreno@gmail.com.

Ghouling pianos

Music and comedy with a Halloween twist

With all the horrors already unleashed by 2020, what’s the point of Halloween? Everyone already has a mask, and fright is a constant condition. What could be added to that?

In a word, laughs. Of all the entertainments that carefully made their way back into public spaces, comedy has provided special relief to the shell-shocked citizenry. On Friday, Oct. 30, in Nashua and on Halloween night in Manchester, Chunky’s Cinema Pub continues a tradition begun last year with a Dueling Pianos costume party. Area favorite Jim Tyrrell appears at both events, with Jeff Gaynor joining him one night and Julian Chisolm the next.

The format is right out of a Billy Joel song, with tips and requests stuffed in a jar — and with this special event, there will be plenty asking for “Monster Mash,” “Thriller” and “Purple People Eater.” Add to that a crowd that’s encouraged to dress up for the occasion.

But there’s an additional twist, said Rob Steen, whose Headliners Comedy Club is presenting the shows, in a recent phone interview. Audience participation drives the evening.

“Say you want to hear ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ — you put a dollar in and they play it,” he said. “But your wife might not want to hear that song, so she could put two or three dollars in to stop them. For the players, money is more of a device to dictate where the show goes.”

This makes the crowd a third instrument for the two keyboard warriors.

“So every show is different, you know?” Steen said. “In some venues I booked I’ve heard, ‘The pianos weren’t really funny last time, but they’re really good this time.’ I say, ‘Well, your crowd kind of sucked.’ I mean, I shouldn’t say it like that, but it’s all dictated by what the crowd does.”

Steen has booked the three New Hampshire Chunky’s (the other is in Pelham) for several years, but when the curtain lifted to permit live entertainment in late spring, his shows were especially vital for the venue.

With the pandemic, film studios froze release dates, Steen said.

“Chunky’s called me and said, ‘We can’t play any movies because there’s nothing coming out … we need live entertainment.’ So we did the comedy, the pianos, we got the tribute acts, and we also had kids’ shows, which have been selling out crazy.”

Having the cinema/restaurant available provided a critical lifeline to Steen in return, as his showcase comedy club in downtown Manchester shuttered on March 13 and has been dark since — though it will open again on Nov. 7, with headliner Will Noonan joined by local comic Paul Landwehr and Steen.

Staffing problems and uncertainty about regulations nearly delayed Headliners’ reopening to December, but as of Oct. 22 all systems were go.

“Capacity limits is the biggest concern, as we need a certain amount of seats to be viable,” Steen said. “They have increased a bit, which is good. However, distancing and safety regulations make it nearly impossible to have more capacity, and the cost to have plexiglass around every table would be very expensive. We still would lose lots of seating.”

Chunky’s doesn’t present the same problems, Steen said.

“It’s a very large room, so spacing isn’t an issue. Ceilings are very high. We are 25 feet from the crowd. So guidelines are easier to follow. … Smaller venues have a bigger challenge, mainly due to space restrictions.”

Steen, New England’s busiest comedy promoter, presses on, meeting each challenge with the same pluck that makes his crowd work as a comic look easy. Weekly shows are planned for his showcase club, along with weekend events at both the Manchester and Nashua Chunky’s. One-off shows happen often at Murphy’s Taproom in Bedford, Nashua’s Flight Center, the Pasta Loft in Milford and other places, as well as larger events at the Capitol Center and Palace Theatre.

New Year’s Eve is Steen’s biggest night of the year, and though it won’t be the same as in the past, Steen is determined to ring in 2021 at several venues throughout the state, whatever Covid-19 brings.

“My friends say I’m like a cockroach, [that] I don’t get killed, that I’m lucky,” he said. “When preparation and opportunity meet — that’s what luck is.”

Dueling Pianos Halloween Party – Two Shows
When: Friday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m. at Chunky’s Cinema, 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, and Saturday, Oct. 31, 8 p.m. at Chunky’s Cinema, 707 Huse Road, Manchester
Tickets: $20 at headlinerscomedyclub.com
Also: Headliners Comedy Club at Hilton Doubletree Manchester is expected to reopen Nov. 7 with Will Noonan headlining.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Rebecca (PG-13 ) The Witches (PG)

Rebecca (PG-13 )

The beautiful Armie Hammer and beautiful Lily James wear some beautiful clothes in the gothic romance/psychological thriller Rebecca.

Lily James’ character, introduced before she gets married but only ever called Mrs. de Winter, is a lady’s companion in what I’m pretty sure is late 1930s-ish rich people Europe, working for the unpleasant (but fabulous) Mrs. Van Hopper (Ann Dowd, who seems like she is having the super bestest of best times and it’s great). She meets Maxim de Winter (Hammer), a recently widowed rich dude with an excellent house who is The Talk of the rich people hotel in rich people Europe. Luckily for the future Mrs. dW, Mrs. VH comes down with some kind of stomach illness and she gets a few days to herself to flit around with Max, who is Armie Hammer-ishly charming and handsome but occasionally gets all silent and grim when anybody mentions his dead wife, Rebecca, whose name is always said with extra dramatic emphasis and sort of the same energy as the way you make “boo-ooo-ooo” ghost noises when reading a spooky tale or seeing a Halloween-themed cereal. Booobecca’s death is still quite a sore subject for Max so he doesn’t like to talk about it or discuss pertinent information about the whole situation that might be necessary for Lily James when she agrees to become his new wife and return with him to Manderley, his family’s large spooky estate.

When they arrive, the new Mrs. de Winter meets the “early series Downton Abbey”-sizedstaff, which is led by Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), the housekeeper and shade-master who was also the lifelong servant for and companion of the late Rebecca. Mrs. Danvers haaaaates the new Mrs. de Winter with the stoniest, Britishest of hatreds and I also feel like Thomas was having fun with some of her scenes, at least I really hope so. Near the end of the movie she gets a nice moment that felt like it was made for the purpose of having “for your awards consideration” flashing in a scroll underneath it and this is an odd year so, even though Rebecca is a very meh movie, maybe she’s got a shot?

As James’ character sort of bumbles around the new house, always bumping into some thing that reminds people of Rebecca, she tries to figure out just what the heck was up about the first Mrs. de Winter and ascertain whether she’ll ever live up to her reputation, especially to the still sulky Max. Because our own insecurities are our worst demons (especially when they get a little extra shine thanks to some gaslighting), the dead Rebecca slowly drives the living Mrs. de Winter mad.

I feel like I’ve made that all sound a lot more exciting than it is.

This movie is very pretty — pretty people, pretty setting and pretty pretty clothes that I would definitely be interested in purchasing, if, say, Modcloth wanted to start a movie tie-in line. But I feel like this adaptation doesn’t do much with all of its pretty and prettily-gothic elements. It is watchable but I suspect that if I weren’t watching this in the midmorning while actually drinking coffee, it would also be pretty fall-asleep-to-able as well. I don’t need a wacky new take on the story but I do need some energy, some passion between Hammer and James, or some more insight into James’ character’s motivations, something to explain why James’ character doesn’t just put her suitcase in a wheelbarrow and hoof it to the nearest train station. B-

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, partial nudity, thematic elements and smoking, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Ben Wheatley with a screenplay by Jane Goldman and Joe Shrapnel & Anna Waterhouse (from the novel by Daphne Du Maurier), Rebecca is two hours and one minute long and distributed by Netflix.

The Witches (PG)

Anne Hathaway hams it up as a wide-mouthed, claw-handed witch in The Witches, a new adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel.

Charlie (Jahzir Bruno with an adult narration by Chris Rock) goes to live with his grandma (Octavia Spencer) when he is 8 years old and his parents are killed in a car crash. Though initially quite traumatized, he soon starts to perk up thanks to his grandma’s general kindness, good cooking and a pet mouse she buys him.

One day at the store, he meets a hissing woman with a snake up her sleeve, a raspy voice and a mouth that seems bigger than normal. That, his grandma tells him later when he describes the scene, is a witch. She knows all about witches, having seen one turn her best friend into a chicken when she was a little girl. Now the grandma knows how to use herbs and remedies to ward off the hexes of witches. Not that she wants to tangle with one. When she realizes that Charlie’s tale means witches are in town, she and Charlie run to hide in a fancy hotel where her cousin works.

But the hotel turns out to be a bad place to hide. A coven of witches is having a convention there, led by the Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway), whose witch feet are extra creepy (one toe with a very long nail), claw-like hands are extra twisted (and can even extend) and whose bald head is covered in pustules from the dreaded witch affliction wig rash. Charlie happens upon their meeting and hides (though he can’t hide his smell; all children have a dog-poop-like odor to witches, his grandma says) and happens to see them turn Bruno (Codie-Lei Eastick), an English boy Charlie had befriended, into a mouse. The witches plan to turn all children into mice, they say, and soon it’s up to Charlie, Bruno, Charlie’s pet mouse Daisy (voice of Kristin Chenoweth) and grandma to stop them.

Guillermo del Toro has a writing credit here (along with director Robert Zemeckis and Black-ish/Grown-ish/Mixed-ish creator Kenya Barris), which perhaps explains some of the super creepy creature elements of the witches and the people-to-mice transformations that take place. This movie feels sort of borderline for younger elementary kids, depending on their tolerance for creepy stuff. Common Sense Media rates it 9+; I would say at least 9, as much for the more real-world elements of life and death (Charlie is in the car when his parents die, which feels very heavy for this magic-y tale) as for the supernatural elements.

A strong strain of sweetness also runs through the movie: grandma’s unconditional love for Charlie, a plucky quest by kids to save other kids. I hope the only-48-year-old Octavia Spencer isn’t pegged as “grandma” forever now but she’s a perfect fairy tale grandma here, the right mix of witch-fighting abilities and belief in her grandson. Spencer also seems like she’s enjoying herself and feels like she’s offering genuine emotion, even in scenes where she’s probably acting versus a tennis ball that will later become a CGI mouse character.

Stanley Tucci feels like an oddly big name for his relatively small role as Mr. Stringer, the hotel manager. He does seem to be having fun with his physical-comedy-heavy character whose mostly just reacts to craziness involving the children-mice or the Grand High Witch’s diva demands.

Nobody, of course, is having more fun than Hathaway, who might be having even more fun than she seemed to be having in Ocean’s 8. Here, she is full Cruella de Vil, doing all sorts of crazy things to her “R”s in an accent that is German? Transylvanian? Who knows? She wears delightfully crazy clothes, even crazier wigs, some great makeup and shoes that would probably literally kill you if you had to wear them for more than five minutes (they’re like if a stiletto had a clown shoe ancestor). This is so much her show and she stands in the spotlight and projects to the back row.

The Witches feels like the sort of thing an adult might misjudge, show to a kid who is too young and cause a few nightmare-filled nights, but for the right age (tween?) this ultimately goodhearted movie might be the right blend of kid-adventure and spooky fantasy. B

Rated PG for scary images/moments, language and thematic elements, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Robert Zemeckis with a screenplay by Robert Zemeckis & Kenya Bar and Guillermo del Toro (which is a little bit of an unexpected combination but also awesome and here’s hoping they do something else together) based on a book of the same name by Roald Dahl, The Witches is an hour and 46 minutes long and distributed by Warner Bros. It is available on HBO Max.

Featured photo: Rebecca. The Witches

In the kitchen with Gary “Diz” Window

Gary “Diz” Window of Manchester is the head chef and owner of Diz’s Cafe (860 Elm St., Manchester, 606-2532, dizscafe.com), a downtown restaurant offering scratch-made comfort foods and home-cooked meals that opened in late May. Diz’s Cafe’s offerings includes appetizers, soups and salads, burgers and sandwiches, and entrees like meatloaf, chicken Parmesan and fish & chips, as well as a customizable “build-your-own” menu of at least one protein and up to three fresh sides, from Brussels sprouts to cauliflower rice. An industry veteran, Window got his start at the former Angelo’s Italian Restaurant on Hanover Street at the age of 16, first as a dishwasher and later as a line cook. He would go on to graduate from UNH with a degree in hotel administration and work at several other establishments in New Hampshire and Maine over the years. Diz’s Cafe is his first restaurant.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

The steam kettle. We need it to make the cheese sauce for our macaroni and cheese … [and] we cook the cauliflower rice in it.

What would you have for your last meal?

A grilled rib-eye steak and Brussels sprouts, with a craft beer.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Piccola [Italia Ristorante in Manchester]. I’ll usually get a chicken Parm there.

What celebrity would you like to see eating in your restaurant?

It will never happen, but for me, it would be Eric Clapton. More reasonably, I think, would be Adam Sandler.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

I’ll go with the Southwest chicken sandwich, which is one of our top sellers. You have the Sriracha cream, the guacamole, the bacon and the fried chicken, and it just kind of all goes together.

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

I would say it’s that people are really interested in knowing what they’re putting in their body now more than ever. … One of the things we do here is really try to accommodate everyone’s dietary wishes, [like] keto or vegetarian.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I really enjoy cooking outside on the grill, like steak tips, marinated chicken, asparagus, that kind of stuff. … We’re getting to the end of the season for that, but we usually go as long as we can until there’s snow.

Homemade guacamole
From the kitchen of Gary “Diz” Window of Diz’s Cafe in Manchester
12 avocados
1½ cups onions, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup lime juice
¼ cup jalapenos, minced
½ cup tomatoes, diced
Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients except avocados and mix thoroughly by hand. Add avocados and mash.

Food & Drink

Summer farmers markets
• Concord Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, on Capitol Street in Concord (near the Statehouse), now through Oct. 31. Visit concordfarmersmarket.com.
• Contoocook Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, at 896 Main St. in Contoocook, outdoors through Oct. 31. Find them on Facebook @contoocookfarmersmarket for updates.
• Milford Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 300 Elm St. in Milford (across the street from the New Hampshire Antique Co-op), now through Nov. 21. Visit milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.
• Salem Farmers Market is Sundays, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Salem Marketplace (224 N. Broadway). Visit salemnhfarmersmarket.org.

Featured Photo: Gary “Diz” Window

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