Category: Q&A

On The Job – Jen O’Brien

Medical aesthetics provider

Jen O’Brien is an advanced practice nurse who provides aesthetic injections and skin treatments from her medspa Relevé Medical Aesthetics (Salzburg Square, 292 Route 101, Amherst, 460-5706, relevemedicalaesthetics.com).

Explain your job and what it entails.

People enter my office seeking subtle, natural aesthetic treatments to help reclaim their confidence and feel great. I perform minimally invasive aesthetic treatments like Botox, filler, chemical peels, and platelet-rich plasma procedures. Our consultation process is relaxed and thorough, and most procedures have minimal pain or downtime.

How long have you had this job?

I opened my practice in the fall of 2021. I’ve been a nurse for 17 years and a certified registered nurse anesthetist for 11 years. Before Relevé, I provided anesthesia services at Catholic Medical Center.

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

As many women and men have experienced, I lost my sense of self when my kids were little. Learning to love and honor myself has been a challenging yet incredibly rewarding journey. How we feel about what we see in the mirror is only a piece of the puzzle, but I have found great purpose in helping women and men feel confident about their appearance so they can go out and live their most full life.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I received a bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master of science in nursing degree from Boston College. I then sought training in aesthetics at Beautiphi Academy in Michigan and have since continued my education in advanced aesthetics and facial anatomy. Last year I traveled to Switzerland to learn from world-class clinicians in the field.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Sometimes I wear scrubs, but usually black pants and a fun T-shirt. I love wearing graphic T-shirts that show my personality.

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

Helping my clients develop reasonable expectations for their results can be really delicate. The treatments I offer are generally the least expensive, least downtime and lowest risk, but they will also give the most subtle results at first.

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

At first I worried that performing aesthetic procedures would be at odds with my personal values of building others up and loving our imperfect selves, but what I have found is that when we feel good about what we see in the mirror, we bring our best selves to the world around us. I’m a better mom for Botox, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Just because some people [receive treatments that are] overdone doesn’t mean all treatments will give you bad results. Many, many people receive treatments with Botox and fillers and have beautiful, subtle results.

What was the first job you ever had?

I was a veterinary technician when I was 14. This mostly involved cleaning areas of the office that had never been cleaned before and caring for the daily needs of the pets.

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

“Your vibe attracts your tribe.” Be your most authentic self, and the right clients will find you… What you see on my Facebook and Instagram accounts is the real me, so if you’re curious about treatments, check them out to see if I’m a good fit.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Persuasion by Jane Austen
Favorite movie: Love Actually
Favorite music: I’m eclectic — pop, rock, indie.
Favorite food: Oreo ice cream
Favorite thing about NH: The outdoors — mountains, lakes, beaches.

Featured photo: Jen O’Brien. Courtesy photo.

Crypto mining for charity

Concord software developer discusses his new app

Concord entrepreneur Russ Willey talked about his new company Crypto-Charities and how its software helps nonprofits, organizations and individuals generate passive income from their supporters. Learn more at crypto-charities.org.

What is Crypto-Charities?

It’s a software that users download and install on their Windows-based PC, and essentially what it does is mine digital currency while the computer is active. … [The user] enters a code for the charity of their choice into the application, and all the digital currency that’s collected is sent back to our secure servers. At the end of the month, we [calculate] how much each code has received … and send out checks to all these charities.

How did you come up with it?

I went to UNH in Manchester and studied computer science and networking, but I didn’t graduate. I got into printing and variable data in my career. Back in the ’90s, I [was interested in] the use of distributed computing. … It was easier to collect and analyze data through distributed computing than through one supercomputer. I always kept that idea in my brain. Then, with the advent of digital currency, I thought, this would be a perfect application for distributed computing. … The idea developed over the years, and we went into full development last summer.

Is anyone else doing anything like this?

We’re the only ones in the world. The idea of mining digital currency is not a new thing, but no one else is … mining cryptocurrency for charities … or doing what we’re doing … with our workflow — being able to tag that work for each charity using a code system. That’s what we’ve patented. It’s a great thing to be at the forefront of.

Who is using the app?

Anybody can use it. Someone who wants to support a charity can just download the app and run it. There are companies we’re working with that have 100 to 200 computers running, so they just run this app in the background and they’re actually generating income. We’re also starting to work with content creators and streamers; they pick a charity they support and are passively fundraising for that charity when their followers and subscribers download the app and use that content creator’s or streamer’s code.

How much money can it generate?

Through our testing, we’ve found that, on average, [a single computer] will generate between $10 and $30 annually, possibly more depending on the strength of the computer. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you get 1,000 supporters who are each [generating] $10 a year, that’s $10,000 a year. Any charity that could get all of its supporters to give $10 a year would be tickled pink — and with the app, the supporter can do that without having to dig into their own pocket.

How can people start using the app to support a charity?

They can go to our website and download and install the application. We have a whole list of charities that we work with, so they just pick a charity and put that charity’s code in. The software will remember that code you’re using, but you can change the code anytime you want to. … Also, if people are involved with a charity or have their own ideas about what charities they’d like to see added to the app, they can reach out to us.

Featured photo: Russ Willey. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Justin O’Malley

Justin O’Malley is the chef de cuisine of Greenleaf (54 Nashua St., Milford, 213-5447, greenleafmilford.com), a seasonally inspired farm-to-table restaurant that opened in May 2019. O’Malley grew up in Lowell, Mass., getting his start in the restaurant industry at age 16 as a dishwasher. It was while working at Papa Razzi in Burlington, Mass., that he first met Greenleaf owner and founder Chris Viaud. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America — and completing an externship cooking in the owners’ suite of Fenway Park in Boston — O’Malley worked at North Andover Country Club for about a year before coming to New Hampshire to join the staff of Greenleaf in August 2021. There he worked his way up the ranks, assuming the role of chef de cuisine in January.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

It’s probably the Vitamix [blender], with all of the purees and different things that I like to do.

What would you have for your last meal?

I would go with a traditional omakase, which is basically like a chef’s table for sushi.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Probably the Nashua Garden. Every time I’ve been there, they make a solid sandwich.

What celebrity would you like to see eating at Greenleaf?

Kid Cudi [rapper Scott Mescudi].

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

Duck in general is one of my favorite things to mess around with. It goes really well with sweeter flavors.

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

I think I’ve seen a short rib [dish on] every menu [at every restaurant] that I’ve been out to.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Usually something pretty simple. Fried rice is always nice — it’s quick and easy, it’s just kind of tossing everything in a pan.

Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
From the kitchen of Justin O’Malley, chef de cuisine of Greenleaf in Milford

For the roasted garlic:
1 bulb garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pinch each salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top off the bulb of garlic, exposing the cloves. Place the bulb on a sheet of aluminum foil and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap the bulb tightly in foil and roast in the oven until soft and well browned (about one hour).

For the mashed potatoes:
2 pounds russet potatoes
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 cups warm milk
1 bulb roasted garlic
Salt and white pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Place the potatoes into a pot with enough cold water to cover. Season the water with a heavy pinch of salt and place on the stove set to high heat. When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until soft (about 15 minutes). Strain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Place the pot back on the stove over medium-low heat to dry the potatoes (about one to two minutes). Add the butter and roasted garlic. Mash using your favorite method (a potato masher or fork will work). Slowly add the milk until your desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Serve immediately.


Featured photo: Justin O’Malley, chef de cuisine of Greenleaf in Milford. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Jessicca Mahoney and Sonia Virgue

Memorial and gravesite caretakers

Jessicca Mahoney and Sonia Virgue are the co-owners of Stone Stylist (see “Stone Stylist” on Facebook, 781-692-5300, [email protected]), a Northwood-based business that provides memorial and gravesite cleaning, maintenance and decorating services throughout southern New Hampshire.

Explain your job and what it entails.

We provide care keeping services to memorial sites and gravesites, and we maintain cleanliness and beautification for eternal resting places in the most respectful manner possible.

How long have you had this job?

We started Stone Stylist on Nov. 1, 2022.

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

We wanted to offer respectful maintenance and care for the eternal resting places of loved ones lost. We have seen unmaintained gravestones being left for long periods of time with existing decaying items, and we wanted to offer a more personalized, caring approach.

What kind of education or training did you need for this job?

We have done research and spoken to cemetery professional caretakers on how to care for gravestones.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

We wear casual attire as we are a new company. We are currently working on setting up logo-inspired clothing.

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

Feeling sympathetic to everyone we speak to and hearing the sadness, but we try to help them find peace in that we are there to help and we also care.

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

How much work it actually takes to start a small business, and how hard it is to advertise for something that is so delicate.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

It is not just pressure washing — we do not pressure wash ever — and how rewarding it is when you hear that sigh of relief from someone who needed you because they just could not get to the gravesite.

What was the first job you ever had?

Mahoney: I worked at a pizza place when I was 14.

Virgue: I worked as a babysitter.

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

If someone is willing to teach you something, take your time to learn it.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Mahoney: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Virgue: The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
Favorite movie: Mahoney: Man on Fire — anything with Denzel Washington. Virgue: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Favorite music: Mahoney: Country and hip-hop. Virgue: Everything.
Favorite food: Mahoney: Chicken alfredo. Virgue: Italian.
Favorite thing about NH: Mahoney: When the foliage changes colors in the fall, because even while something is ending, it can still be beautiful. Virgue: The tranquility of the woods.

Featured photo: Jessicca Mahoney and Sonia Virgue. Courtesy photo.

Card members

Merrimack Cribbage League moves to larger venue

For more than two decades, the Merrimack Cribbage League has provided opportunities for local cribbage enthusiasts to get together and play four-person and partner cribbage. The group, which currently has about 40 members, moved its weekly games to a larger venue last month and is looking for new players to join the fun. Co-organizer Scott Mortimer answered some questions about the card game and the league.

What kind of game is cribbage?

Cribbage is a game that combines both skill and luck, yet requires more skill than other card games. Luck is needed for the cards you are dealt; skill is needed for the cards you discard and the order they are played. All that is needed to play is a deck of cards and a cribbage board with four pegs. The object of the game is to score 121 points before your opponents. Without getting into detail, points are scored two ways: pegging and counting.

How does the new venue accommodate the league?

In January, we moved to the American Legion in Merrimack. The new location will allow us to increase our membership. We now have the capacity to grow well beyond 50 players.

How does a league game night work?

Game night has each team playing 10 games. Games move along efficiently, and each game lasts about 15 minutes. Winning teams for the evening are determined by the total score after completing 10 games.

Describe the atmosphere at a league game night.

We are a casual cribbage league. The word “league” is not meant to be intimidating. There can be a little nervousness starting out, but our newest members will tell you it is a relaxed environment.

What is your membership demographic?

We are a very diverse group. People ages 22 to 92 have played in our league. Teams are made up of family members, friends or random players we pair up. The game has a mass appeal because of the strategy, excitement and the stroke of luck with each hand.

Is the league casual or competitive? Or are there opportunities for both kinds of play?

Can I call it casually competitive? We do award small weekly cash prizes for top-scoring teams, yet it is encouraged to assist opponents when it comes to mentioning missed points when scoring.

Is cribbage growing in popularity?

We like to think so! There are a few leagues in the area, as well as some local microbreweries that have monthly cribbage tournaments. With some practice, cribbage can be a challenging and fun card game for all ages and abilities while having lots of fun playing. Cribbage is an excellent game for grade-school children to learn as it combines simple math, guessing the odds and predicting outcomes. In fact, there is a fifth-grade teacher in the Merrimack School District who teaches cribbage to his students.

Why should cribbage players consider joining a league?

If you are someone who has played in the past with family or friends and you want to get out and meet new people … or if you are someone who plays online or on a smartphone app and you want something a little more challenging, then our league is a good fit.

Merrimack Cribbage League
Who: The league is open to all. Interested players who are unable to commit to a full season or just want to try it out are welcome to play as a substitute. League organizers help to pair up players without partners.
Where: Second floor of the American Legion, 43 Baboosic Lake Road, Merrimack
When: Weekly, on Wednesday, starting around 5 p.m.
Cost: $5 per weekly play, with payouts for top-scoring teams, and a “quarter cup” awarded for any hand that scores zero points.
More info: Find the group on Facebook at facebook.com/merrimackcribbage, or email co-organizer Scott Mortimer at [email protected].

Featured photo: Scott Mortimer. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Mike Brieger

Mike Brieger of Northwood is the general manager and chef of Woods Grille (284 First New Hampshire Turnpike, Northwood, 942-9663, woodsgrille.com), which opened in the space formerly occupied by Umami Farm Fresh Cafe in August. A longtime friend of Woods Grille owners Heather and Pete Heigis, Brieger has more than three decades of experience in the restaurant industry, in both management and cooking. The eatery’s menu highlights include “gourmet grille-wiches,” or signature sandwiches featuring your choice of a protein, from a beef burger patty or grilled chicken to a veggie burger or portobello mushroom. Woods Grille is also unique for offering baked Tater Tots in lieu of french fries, complete with several signature dipping aiolis to choose from. Other items include house salads — with the option to turn each into a wrap — and tacos with fish or chicken.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

My cast iron skillet is a favorite for sure, and then I also love to cook with my chef’s knife, my Mac Mighty. It was a gift for my 50th birthday and I love it.

What would you have for your last meal?

I would go to The Beach Plum and get a giant lobster roll. … I usually only get it once a year, but if it was going to be my last meal, it would be that.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

If my wife and I are going out, we’re looking for something really awesome. We like to go down to Portsmouth, either to Cure or we would go to [Ristorante] Massimo and sit at the bar.

What celebrity would you like to see eating at Woods Grille?

This is controversial, but I’m a New Yorker at heart and so the answer right away is Derek Jeter.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

Definitely our fish tacos. … It’s mahi mahi that’s blackened on the grill, and it’s got a little shredded cheddar cheese, some fresh shredded cabbage, diced tomato and our homemade pickled onions. We top it with a little fresh avocado and our homemade chipotle aioli and people just love it.

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

A lot of people are going toward plant-based eating. Not only just vegetarians, but people who eat meat maybe once or twice a week are avoiding meat for a couple of days to try and improve their healthy eating habits.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

It’s simple, but just some good old-fashioned shrimp scampi.

Mike’s amazing short ribs
From the kitchen of Mike Brieger of Woods Grille in Northwood

1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 28-ounce can tomato sauce
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 Spanish onion, sliced
3 pounds short ribs

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and brown in a cast iron skillet for a couple of minutes on each side — be sure to brown the ends as well. Set aside. In a large soup pot, combine all of the other ingredients and bring up to a steady simmer. Add the short ribs to the soup pot, cover and reduce the heat to a very low simmer for approximately three to three-and-a-half hours. Stir and skim the fat periodically. Serve over a bed of egg noodles and top with a pinch of shredded Parmesan cheese.


Featured photo: Mike Brieger, general manager and chef of Woods Grille in Northwood. Courtesy photo.

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