Category: Q&A

In the kitchen with Katie Pope

While Boscawen resident Katie Pope has always liked to bake and experiment in the kitchen, she didn’t originally plan on starting her own bakery. The idea was planted in her mind after she made a unicorn cake for her daughter’s birthday party and one of the moms asked her how much she charged. The idea was put into practice about five years later with the creation of Confections by Kate during the pandemic, after she experienced burnout in the health care field, as a way to support her family. She also makes cupcakes, macarons, cake pops, truffles and cookies and holds cookie decorating classes. Her goal is to open her own brick and mortar location in Boscawen with live music, local art and plants.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A dishwasher! I spent way too many years being the dishwasher [and] I don’t think I could live without it now.

What would you have for your last meal?

Hands down the macaroni and cheese from Arms by Abbey in Worcester, Massachusetts. If you know, you know.

What is your favorite local eatery?

SourJoes. Their pizza is amazing! I’m really loving the vodka pizza.

Name a celebrity you would like to see eating in your restaurant?

Matt Rife or Payton Pritchard.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

Sugar cookies. There are endless ways to decorate them, but I really like decorating the ones that challenge my creative abilities. You can turn a sugar cookie into just about anything, and I’m always up for a good challenge.

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

Definitely the food truck. My goal is to have my own within the next two years. I mean, who doesn’t like mobile sweets?

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

My favorite thing to cook at home is pineapple beef teriyaki boats. [They] consist of pineapple halves [with] the insides scraped out. The pineapple gets filled with the beef and homemade teriyaki sauce and topped with pineapple scrapings.

Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
From the kitchen of Katie Pope

2⅓ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup salted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
⅓ cup pure New Hampshire maple syrup (we use Ice Mountain Maple’s syrup)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Maple icing:
1 Tablespoon salted butter
⅓ cup pure New Hampshire maple syrup
1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
pinch of salt, to taste

Over medium heat, brown butter in a small saucepan until there is a nutty aroma.
Remove from heat, let cool to room temperature.
Whisk flour and baking soda together in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg and beat on high until well-combined, about 30 seconds.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl; add maple syrup and vanilla extract. Beat on high until well-combined.
Mix dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; mix on low until combined.
Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop out and roll cookies. Place on baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes until lightly browned on the sides.
Cool cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Make the icing: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and maple syrup
together, whisking occasionally. Once butter is melted and well-combined, remove from heat and whisk in sifted powdered sugar. Add a pinch of salt and whisk well. Drizzle icing over cooled cookies. Icing sets in about an hour.
Note: Browned butter gives a nutty taste greatly enhancing the maple flavor. Cookies can be made without browning the butter, but I promise they aren’t nearly as delicious.

Featured photo: Katie Pope of Confections by Kate. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Matt Lazzaro

Welder

Matt Lazzaro is the owner-operator of Matt the Welder in Derry.

Explain your job and what it entails.

There is no real typical day. Some days I’ll be making a railing; another day I might be fixing a broken plow. Part of why I like it is that there’s a good amount of variety.

How long have you been doing this?

I started the business about a little over three years ago, but I’ve been welding for close to 14 years now.

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

I used to work in restaurants for a long time. And then I started having kids and the nights and weekends weren’t doing it for me. I knew a couple of welders and they seemed pretty happy. So I decided to go back to school for it.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I went to college and I got an associate’s degree in welding technologies. You don’t have to do that to get into welding, but it allowed me to get more mid-level jobs out of school.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Usually burnt shirts and pants and boots and gloves. Even all summer long, I have to be completely covered in boots, long pants and long shirts to protect from the sparks and the heat of the welding.

What is the most challenging thing about your work?

The most challenging is the back end part of it, like the books, answering all the calls and messages and giving price estimates and stuff. But I just do my best with it.

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

I really wish I had known earlier how much more I enjoy working for myself.

What was the first job you ever had?

Bagging groceries.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I wish people knew the sacrifices that it takes to get to where I’ve gotten.

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

To show up when you say you’re going to show up and do what you say you’re going to do.

Five favorites
Favorite book: Trade magazines, like Ask This Old House.
Favorite movie: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Favorite music: ‘90s and early 2000s rap.
Favorite food: Cheeseburgers
Favorite thing about NH: The never-ending supply of rusty metal.

Featured photo: Matt Lazzaro. Courtesy photo.

How to help

Food, housing costs & utilities bills are the big concerns

Karen Moynihan is the Vice President of Philanthropy, Catholic Charities New Hampshire, which provides a variety of services including food distribution through the New Hampshire Food Bank. See cc-nh.org.

What have you noticed about the community’s needs right now and over the last year?

We have more people coming to us looking for assistance than we have in the past — even more so than when the pandemic first hit in 2020 and continued into 2021. So people are struggling, and the primary reason is threefold: the cost of food has increased, utility costs in New Hampshire are some of the highest in the country, and the cost of housing. So people are having a hard time maintaining their monthly budgets when everything around them just keeps going up and up. We have more people coming to us for emergency assistance and really urgent needs. They’re really one paycheck away from disaster.

What items can people give?

There are two programs that can take donated items: We have a veterans program here in Manchester, Liberty House, and they have a pantry that provides food and clothing and gear. A lot of our veteran population in Manchester is homeless. So they need camping gear and warm clothing and things like that. They list on their website what their needs are for the pantry; those could change on any given day. The other program we have is out at the Seacoast, and it’s a transitional housing program for moms and children called New Generation. These moms and children are usually homeless, they don’t have a job, and they’ve experienced trauma of some sort. Many of them have left abusive relationships. They may come in with some addiction challenges. They may come in without a driver’s license or crucial documentation because they had to leave a situation quickly. The program works with these moms for about a year getting them back on their feet. … By the time they leave the program, they have a job, they have child care, and they have an affordable place to stay. Anyway, there is a thrift store on site that takes donations of all kinds, because when those women leave that program, they also need household items. So folks can donate household items or clothing to the thrift store. They need everything from children’s clothing to adult clothing to bedding to kitchen items, things like that. So that’s another wonderful way to donate either gently used or new items.

What can monetary gifts be used for?

Monetary donations allow us the flexibility to quickly deploy resources for the most urgent needs. Oftentimes we can keep people in their homes by helping them get caught up on a utility bill, or helping them with a car repair that they can’t afford because they’re going to be evicted if they don’t pay their rent. There are just so many enormous challenges that people are facing right now, and they are literally on the verge of losing the most important things — housing, food, medications.

Where are volunteers needed most?

We have one program here in Manchester that is in urgent need of volunteers. It’s called Caregivers and this is a program for seniors on low fixed incomes who are just slightly above the poverty level. These seniors no longer drive and they need help to be able to continue to live independently in their homes. There are two things that Caregivers does for this network of seniors: they do deliveries of food to them — every senior gets a delivery of food once a month — and we give them rides to doctor’s appointments or the grocery store, whatever their needs are. These volunteers are sometimes the only connection to the outside world that these seniors have. They often don’t have family or relatives nearby to help them, so this is a critical resource for them.

How can people find the right volunteering opportunity?

Visit the Catholic Charities website click on the “Get involved” button. This section lists various volunteer opportunities. Choose what inspires you the most. You can sign up or learn more about each opportunity directly through the website. If you have any questions or need guidance, you can always call our office and speak with our volunteer coordinator.

How to help

Here are some of New Hampshire homelessness and housing support charities.

  • Cross Roads House 600 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 436-2218, crossroadshouse.org
  • Families in Transition 122 Market St., Manchester, 641-9441, fitnh.org
  • Family Promise of Greater Concord 79 Clinton St., Concord, 856-8490, familypromisegcnh.org​​.
  • Family Promise of Southern New Hampshire 3 Crown St., Building B, Nashua, 883-7338, familypromisesnh.org​
  • Friends Program 130 Pembroke Road, Suite 200, Concord, 228-1193
  • Liberty House 221 Orange St., Manchester, 669-0761, libertyhousenh.org
  • New Generation 568 Portsmouth Ave., Greenland, 436-4989, newgennh.org
  • New Horizons Shelter 199 Manchester St., Manchester, 668-1877, newhorizonsnh.org
  • Harbor Care 77 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 882-3616, harborcarenh.org​​
  • Marguerite’s Place 87 Palm St., Nashua, 598-1582, margueritesplace.org
  • McKenna House 100 S. Fruit St., Concord, 225-8610
  • My Friend’s Place 368 Washington St., Dover, 749-3017
  • The Way Home 214 Spruce St., Manchester, 627-3491

Featured photo: Liberty House in Manchester, a program of Catholic Charities. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Beth Wallace

Wellness and fitness professional

Beth Wallace is a dietitian, Certified Personal Trainer and the owner of The Yoga & Fitness Loft in Amherst.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I help people feel safe in their bodies. My job starts with creating and maintaining an inviting space with welcoming compassionate people, instructors and clients. I work with clients on individual postural assessments or nutrition intakes to help them better understand their bodies and learn modifications to help them feel their best. I create reports on each client.

How long have you had this job?

I have owned The Yoga & Fitness Loft since 2022 after being fully invested in the fitness and wellness industry since 1998.

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

As a teenager I loved teaching martial arts … Exercise was my life until a broken ankle shifted my focus on how to best honor my body and best support those around me. A degree in nutrition was followed by a job at a hospital with long arduous hours that never resonated with my path. … Collecting fitness and yoga certifications became more than a hobby, and in addition to teaching classes I became the dietitian for New England Gold’s Gyms in 2017. … In 2022 I had the opportunity to step in as owner at The Yoga & Fitness Loft.

What kind of education or training did you need?

The education I received in dietetics is a bachelor of science that required both food service and clinical internships. This has prepared me for all the quick-thinking on-the-job training needed in fitness and business.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

My work attire is the envy of corporate moms. The uniform literally starts with yoga pants topped with comfy sweatshirts and tank tops. When I’m lecturing in person, I’ll pull out the heels and jewelry, but for a Zoom lecture I’ll still discreetly be in my yoga pants.

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

The most challenging thing is consistently not knowing what I don’t know and realizing it will take months to learn well enough to apply, from bookkeeping to search engine optimization to learning and applying yoga mudras.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Owning a yoga business is a little more than stretching and saying ‘Om’ on a yoga mat; it’s still running a business.

What was the first job you ever had?

Kids’ martial arts instructor and teen kickboxing instructor.

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

Slow down and pause. We’re all just people.

Five favorites
Favorite book: I am always reading three books at once: self-help, nutrition science and something for fun. Currently it’s Ask and It Is Given.
Favorite movie: What Dreams May Come
Favorite music: Country pop
Favorite food: Grapefruit or anything spicy
Favorite thing about NH: The mountain views of every season

Featured photo: Beth Wallace. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Allison Clarke

Photographer

Allison Clarke, from Bedford, owns Allison Clarke Photography.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I am a senior portrait and wedding photographer. So I’m either there on someone’s wedding day to capture everything as it unfolds, or when you’re a senior in high school and you get your photos done, I’m the person that does those.

How long have you had this job?

I’ve been doing this for eight years.

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

I actually started my business when I was in high school. It was a passion and a hobby that turned into a job.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I went to school for photography for my freshman year of college, [but] then I realized that what I had left to learn to run a successful photography business wasn’t so much on the photo side; it was on the business and marketing side. So I finished my degree at Southern New Hampshire University in marketing.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

If I’m editing photos, I’m just on my couch in comfy clothes. If I’m at a senior session, I just wear basic everyday clothes. And then, for weddings … I want to blend in with the guests … so I try to wear something that is professional but also looks like formal wedding guest attire.

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

Time management and being your own boss can be difficult. … I like to set daily goals for myself. … I try to use calendars and to-do lists … to stay on top of things.

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

In a career field that is very artistic, it’s really easy to compare yourself to others. … You’ll always be growing and changing your style and adapting and learning. There’s no use in comparing yourself to people around you. The only person you should compare yourself to is your past self.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I wish people knew it was more than just clicking a button. Running a photography business is a full-time thing, and we do way more work behind the scenes than people realize.

What was the first job you ever had?

It was actually this. I started my business in high school, and it was my first job.

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

If you want something, grab it by the horns and go full force into it. … It’s very difficult to … start something from the ground up, but as long as you put your absolute all into it, have confidence and lead with passion, it’ll all work out in the end.

Five favorites
Favorite book: Harry Potter
Favorite movie: Any classic comedy
Favorite music: Indie folk, like Noah Kahan
Favorite food: Pancakes
Favorite thing about NH: It’s an hour to the White Mountains, an hour to the beach and an hour to Boston. There’s a lot to do in a short distance.

Featured photo: Allison Clarke. Courtesy photo.

Going to the Hill

Small business owners take their issue to D.C.

In response to the Basel III Endgame regulation, which could escalate capital costs for small businesses, Dina Akel, owner of Vieira Luxe, a bridal and special occasion wear shop in Nashua, joined more than 50 entrepreneurs in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 14. Their mission: to articulate to lawmakers and Federal Reserve officials the significant impact this regulation could have on small businesses like hers.

How did the Basel III Endgame regulation discussions in Washington impact your business outlook?

I went to D.C. to advocate for small businesses that will be impacted by this proposal. It’s concerning that it will be even more difficult to access capital than it already is. It was my first time in D.C. ever, so I was super nervous, but I knew how important it was to be there. After the discussion we had with our senators and representatives, I felt my story was heard, and I was confident they were in our corner. I’m confident they’ll do everything they can to advocate for us.

What major challenges did you discuss in Washington regarding the high interest rate environment?

One of the discussions was actually my personal story about recently applying for business funding through grants and loans. I applied to various grants and was unsuccessful, so alternatively I applied to my long-standing banks, and was also unsuccessful. I was feeling a little defeated at that time. I finally asked one of my banks and a representative from SBDC if they had any other funding resources for me. They connected me with a nonprofit lender. The first time around, I got denied. The second time I was approved. When I spoke to them, they told me we could aim for the 5 to 8 percent interest rate mark, which is what I was expecting. Once I got the approval, though, they provided me with a loan in the two-digit mark. That was definitely more than I could afford. However, I was desperate since the business was growing so quickly and I lacked the resources to keep up with it, so I accepted the loan, and honestly, we can’t afford for the situation to get any worse.

What outcomes or responses did you receive from your meetings in Washington?

We received very positive responses from our members of Congress. They were all willing to help and push against this proposal, which was great.

How might the outcomes from Washington affect your future business plans?

I’m a little worried that if this proposal goes through our customers might actually experience more inflated prices. We may not be able to provide the same high-quality products our customers love, and we may not be able to keep up with the demand and, God forbid, shut down in the process. I’m already struggling to keep up with all of it. People need to remember that when you’re a small business owner, in your first few years you are literally everything in the business: the customer representative, the cashier, the accountant, the inventory manager, custodian, website builder, you name it. When that gets to be too much, we have to delegate and hire people to help us. The reality is you need money to make money.

What were your key takeaways from the interactions in Washington?

Small businesses are already considered risky to lend to. If this goes forward, and interest rates also go up, we’ll be seeing a lot of businesses closed down.

What follow-up actions or continued advocacy plans do you have post-Washington visit?

I’m part of the Nashua Chamber of Commerce, the Suffolk University alumni, the National Association for Catering and Events, and a few more groups. I’ll make sure I have an opportunity to speak with them all about this. That way they can speak up and share their stories. They can call members of Congress and let them know why it’s important. We can all come together as a community to advocate for all small businesses.

Featured photo: Dina Akel, right, joined by U.S. Representative Ann McLane Kuster and a group of New Hampshire small business owners outside the U.S. Capitol. Courtesy photo.

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