In the kitchen with Karla Jones

Karla Jones is the owner of Sweet Goods from the Woods ([email protected], and on Facebook and Instagram), a business offering homemade whoopie pies, brownies, cookies and other treats that she started earlier this year. Baking is a newfound passion for Jones, who admits that in the past it was not her strong suit. After the dealership she worked at for 19 years was sold, she wondered what was in store for her next. It was when she started volunteering at a farm stand bakery last year that she discovered her passion for baking and decided to go into the business by creating her own business. Sweet Goods from the Woods is a vendor of the New Boston Farmers Market, held on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the New Boston Town Common (on the corner of Route 13 and Meetinghouse Hill Road), through October.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A timer.

What would you have for your last meal?

The ultimate coconut cake, and that’s at the Peninsula Grill in Charleston, South Carolina. I am a coconut fanatic and I would die for that cake. It’s delicious.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Yoshimama [Japanese Fusion & Sushi Bar] in Nashua. They are wonderful there. … It’s just nice that he creates whatever he wants and it’s just a special feast.

What celebrity would you like to see trying something you baked?

My first thought was Robert De Niro and only because he looks like my dad.

What is your favorite item that you offer?

I don’t know if I have a favorite thing on my menu. I think my favorite thing … is just seeing the little bit of happiness on everybody’s face and just to watch their eyes light up.

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

I see a lot of people doing the decorated sugar cookies. People are amazingly talented; some of them that I’ve seen are like [art] on a cookie. … Just amazing.

What is your favorite thing to make at home?

I’m a fish person so I love making blackened salmon … or tuna, or any kind of fish dish.

Mya Blanchard

Old Fashioned Peanut Cookies
From the kitchen of Karla Jones of Sweet Goods From The Woods in New Boston

½ cup of (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons Madagascar bourbon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2 large farm eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1¼ cup low salted peanuts (ground)

In a large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Beat in eggs, stir in flour and peanuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, until lightly brown. Let cool


Featured photo: Karla Jones, owner of Sweet Goods from the Woods. Courtesy photo.

Next-gen tech

Tech Professional of the Year winner talks about inclusion in the industry

Flo Nicolas was named Tech Professional of the Year at the recent TechWomen Connect and Awards event hosted by the NH Tech Alliance.

What is your background in tech?

My background is actually legal. I’m a licensed attorney. I spent a couple of years practicing, and then I ended up working for a big telecommunications company. I spent over seven and a half years in the corporate technology operations department. … When I entered the corporate world, I was a bit naive; I thought, you work hard, you get promoted, easy peasy. Then I started seeing women in the corporate world just weren’t getting promoted. … I ended up … working for another smaller startup company … as their chief growth and community officer, focused on legal technology. I started growing my name in the legal tech sector. … I started doing this show where I was teaching other lawyers how to leverage technology.

What are you doing now?

I wanted to continue my passion for tech education, which I did by creating my show, Get Tech Smart, which is focused on … educating people in a simplistic way on the emerging technologies that are being created right here in our state. I’m also a co-founder and chief operating officer for a tech company … [focused on] Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, but not just in a simple way of consultation and being like, ‘Hey, you should be diverse’; we actually have a platform that helps organizations successfully implement and launch their DEI strategic plan by utilizing data analytics. … That way, they can see clearly what’s working, and what’s not, celebrate their successes, but also see what areas need improvement, and then take action. … I also started doing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion networking events. I’ve done two events so far … [which were] so successful. … We managed to raise over $40,000 in professional development scholarships … which is very needed.

What are some of the biggest challenges women face in the tech industry?

One of the things I noticed when I started doing my show … was the lack of representation of women in the tech industry. … There’s a struggle to be seen, heard and paid our worth. … The weight of the invisible glass ceiling is evident, with women earning only 80 cents for every dollar men make, and the disparity is even more significant for women of color. … Many women experience demoralization and imposter syndrome when they are undervalued and underpaid. …This leads to difficulties in advocating for ourselves, negotiating better salaries and seeking promotions.

What are some steps tech companies can take to be more inclusive?

Companies can address the issue of gender pay disparity by conducting self-audits to ensure equal pay. They should use data to identify and rectify any discrepancies in pay between equally qualified men and women. … Companies should also engage in surveys to gather qualitative data on employee sentiment and assess their sense of belonging. Analyzing hiring and retention trends can provide insights into diversity gaps within the workforce. … Companies need to be intentional in their hiring practices and establish community alliances to tap into diverse talent pools. It’s important to note that diversity encompasses more than just gender and race … [and] companies should consider other dimensions such as veterans, neurodivergent individuals and people with disabilities.

What would you say to young women interested in going into the tech industry?

The tech industry is a fantastic industry to get into. … I would tell them — especially girls that are in elementary school or high school — to not feed into the myth that math is for boys … or that people who want to get into the tech industry need to learn how to code and need to know how to do math. That’s not true. I’m terrible at math. I don’t even code. There’s more to technology than just coding and doing math. … I would tell them to not be afraid to explore the tech world. … I would also tell them that it’s challenging to break into the tech world, so you should start getting that exposure early on and start networking … with other women in the industry. Don’t wait until you graduate college. Go to STEM camps. … Do STEM programs. There are all kinds of opportunities out there.

In the kitchen with Kami Raleigh

Self-taught baker Kami Raleigh started Pink Star Bakery in Deerfield in 2010. Between having kids and working a full-time job, she had to take a break before coming back and expanding Pink Star Bakery’s repertoire from just cupcakes to a wide variety of baked goods, such as custom cakes, dessert tables for events with treats like cookies and brownies, and most recently bread. Raleigh loves to experiment, often drawing inspiration from baking techniques she sees on social media. Pink Star Bakery is a vendor at the Deerfield Farmers Market this season.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A KitchenAid mixer. I could not live without the KitchenAid mixer. It’s super useful for kneading bread and all that but also I primarily use … buttercream for all of my cakes and cupcakes and that includes making meringue, and that is not something I would want to do by hand.

What would you have for your last meal?

I [make] a meal for my family and it’s this lemon chicken pasta. It is just so good and just like that perfect home cooked meal that you have in the wintertime and it fills your belly.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I have two, really. I really love Cotton in Manchester and then I also love the Taphouse in Hooksett. I really love that kind of kicked up, home cooked meal kind of style but using local ingredients and that sort of thing, and then any Mexican place really.

What celebrity would you like to see trying one of your items?

Probably Martha Stewart and she would definitely have to have Snoop Dogg with her.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

My favorite is either a chocolate peanut butter cake or cupcakes. It’s a chocolate cake with a peanut butter buttercream and I do chocolate ganache and cut up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups all inside of it.

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

I’m seeing a ton of doughnut places popping up so I think that’s probably a really big one. That, and a lot more farm-to-table, which I really love seeing.

What is your favorite thing to make at home?

I really love doing bread for my family. I’m trying to start making a lot of our staple foods like things that you would eat regularly and not relying on the store for those products and just trying to make our daily life cleaner on what ingredients we’re putting in our bodies.


— Mya Blanchard

Grandma’s sugar cookies
From the kitchen of Kami Raleigh of Pink Star Bakery in Deerfield

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1½ teaspoon baking powder
3 Tablespoons cream or half-and-half
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup cool butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in egg, cream and vanilla and blend well. Roll out dough on a floured surface to ¼-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters. Bake on an ungreased sheet pan at 400 degrees for five to eight minutes. Frost when cool.


Featured photo: Kami Raleigh, owner of Pink Star Bakery in Deerfield.

On The Job – David Brooks

Handyman

David Brooks is a self-employed handyman and owns his own business, Dave’s Handyman Service (520-5408, [email protected], search “Dave’s Handyman Service” on Facebook) based in Concord.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I am a handyman who does basic home repairs for people. Sometimes I do multiple jobs in one day, or it may take multiple days to complete a single job.

How long have you had this job?

I launched my handyman business in March 2022.

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

I have always been a handyman. I worked in retail for 30 years and finally gave it up and decided to start doing my own thing.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I had no specific education or training for my job. I did some carpentry when I was younger. I am pretty much self-taught.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Basic attire: jeans, T-shirt and boots.

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

The most challenging thing is that I am a one-man show; I do all of my own estimates and all of my own bookkeeping, and I perform all of the work. I deal with it by working in my office in the evening or on the weekends.

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

I wish I had known how great my customers would be, which has made my business successful, and how much I like being on my own. I would have started doing this sooner.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I wish other people knew how much time and effort it takes from [the point of] estimating a job to completing a job.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first job was mowing lawns and doing odd jobs for a retired doctor when I was 13 years old.

What is the best piece of work-related advice you have ever received?

Be open and honest with people, be a man of your word, show up on time and always do the best job that you can.

Five favorites

Favorite book:
I don’t have a favorite.
Favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption
Favorite music: Rock ’n’ roll and heavy metal
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite thing about NH: The small towns and the friendly people

Featured photo: David Brooks. Courtesy photo.

Everybody read

NH Humanities picks a Big Read book

New Hampshire Humanities has been awarded a Big Read grant, joining 62 organizations nationwide. In collaboration with various partners, including local libraries and community organizations, NHH will engage readers all over the state in a shared reading experience of The Bear by New Hampshire author Andrew Krivak. Mary Nolin, the program manager, talked about Big Read and shared insights on the grant application, the book selection process and the diverse range of events and activities planned for the community.

What is the Big Read program, and how did New Hampshire get a grant for it?

The Big Read is a program initiated by the National Endowment for the Arts … to foster community engagement through literature. … I personally applied for and managed the grant on behalf of New Hampshire Humanities. Although the entire staff assisted me, I took the lead in writing the application, researching the book, coordinating with our partners and planning associated events.

What motivated New Hampshire Humanities and yourself to get involved in this program?

As the manager of literacy and literature-based initiatives at New Hampshire Humanities, I’ve seen the power literature has to bring people together. Regardless of their backgrounds or political beliefs, when people walk into a book session they all have something in common, which is that book. I love that literature can unite us in that way, especially in a time when we are often divided on many things, so that’s why I applied for the grant.

Tell us about the chosen book, The Bear.

The Bear is a story about the last two people on Earth, a father and a daughter. Though it takes place in the future, it takes us back to a simpler time when people were living in harmony with nature. The father teaches the daughter many things for survival and knowledge that she’s going to need for a future when she’s ultimately on her own. The book has powerful themes about what is the responsibility of older generations to pass on knowledge to younger generations.

Why was this book chosen?

The National Endowment for the Arts provides a list of 15 books that we can choose from. Starting in October of last year, I began narrowing down the options. I read several of the books, and I presented them to our staff and partners. It made the most sense to choose The Bear by Andrew Krivak. The author has a home in Jaffrey, so we were happy to be able to lift up a local New Hampshire author, and the [setting of the] story is based on the area near his home, which is in the shadow of Mount Monadnock. It felt like a book that resonated well with our state. Additionally, we are currently running an initiative called “Becoming New Hampshire,” which explores how stories from the past can help us navigate the present and future. The Bear, which looks at what our future could possibly look like, seemed like a natural fit.

What events and activities are planned for people to engage with the book?

We have partnered with 50 libraries across the state; it was important to us that people in every county have opportunities for participation. The libraries are really the backbone of the project. Each library will host a book discussion and at least one free community program. … New Hampshire Humanities provides copies of the book to these libraries and offers trained facilitators to lead the discussions. … The community events organized by the libraries are diverse, ranging from guided nature walks and photography classes to community painting and hands-on demonstrations with indigenous tools. … We’re kicking off with a public event on Sept. 6 at Great North Aleworks where two actors will perform a scene from the book, and the brewery will unveil its new imperial Black Bear stout. … New Hampshire Humanities is hosting two online lectures on the book’s themes. … We have a poet, Mitch Goldberg, discussing the connection between poets and the night sky in The Bear. We’re also hosting a free planetarium show at the Christa McAuliffe Discovery Center mimicking how the girl in the book experiences the night sky. … On Oct. 14, the author Andrew Krivak will have a public question-and-answer session in Concord.

In the kitchen with Ben Normandeau

Ben Normandeau of Concord is the owner of 603 Bar-B-Q ([email protected], find them on Facebook and Instagram @603bbq), a food trailer specializing in Central Texas-style barbecue that launched Memorial Day weekend. A Concord native and electrician by trade, Normandeau became interested in barbecue while working at Zavala’s, a renowned spot in the Dallas-Fort Worth-area city of Grand Prairie, Texas. Find him next at Lithermans Limited Brewery (126B Hall St., Concord) on Sunday, June 25, from 1 p.m. until he sells out — offerings include brisket, turkey breast, pulled pork sandwiches, St. Louis-cut ribs, potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese and banana pudding.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I think, for me, it would definitely be my smoker. It’s a 500-gallon oil tank that a company down in Georgia made for me.

What would you have for your last meal?

A turkey dinner is definitely my favorite meal by far. We don’t eat it often enough at all.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

If it’s southern New Hampshire, it’s The Red Blazer, which is right next to me here in Concord. I go there all the time. … Up north, it’s the Italian Farmhouse.

What celebrity would you like to see ordering from your trailer?

I’m a big Dead Head, so Jerry Garcia would have been awesome.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

Honestly, it would probably have to be the brisket. … You can get it as a sandwich, but traditionally, with Central Texas-style, it’s a meat marketing ordering system, so you would just get it on a tray. We serve it on a tray with butcher paper and it comes with bread or a sandwich, whatever you’d like, and then pickled onions and pickles on the side.

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

Outdoor dining, I feel like, is a big thing right now, and also [having that] family-friendly atmosphere. … I mean, it was obviously a thing before Covid, but I think a lot more people just want to sit outside more now.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like mac and cheese. It’s definitely my favorite dish to make. … Homemade mac and cheese is awesome, but it can be Kraft in a box too.

603 Bar-B-Q basic bird brine
From the kitchen of Ben Normandeau of 603 Bar-B-Q (makes about two quarts)

8 cups water
⅓ cup kosher salt
⅓ cup sugar
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 Tablespoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons honey

Whisk salt and sugar with water until dissolved. Combine all of the other ingredients. Submerge poultry in brine and cover, refrigerated, for a minimum of four hours and a maximum of 24 hours (overnight is best).


Featured photo: Ben Normandeau, owner of 603 Bar-B-Q. Courtesy photo.

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