Category: Q&A

On The Job – Justin Tanner

Justin Tanner

Engraver

Justin Tanner is the owner of Rustic Cabin Designs, a laser engraving business that does custom engraving on wood and sells engraved wooden signs at the Kearsarge Business Center in Warner.

Explain your job and what it entails.

We’re a graphics design shop that does custom graphics and logos with a laser engraver. Basically, on an average day, I’m taking people’s orders, doing the programming for the machines, doing the design work, working hands-on with the materials, cutting and sanding the wood, doing the actual laser engraving and then whatever sanding or staining is involved in the finishing process.

How long have you had this job?

We are only four months old; we just started in July.

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

I had gotten laid off from my previous job … as a machinist. I was tired of the shop life, anyway. I was tired of punching a clock every day, working for someone else. I started looking for something different that I could do. I already had the skills, and I had just bought my own machine, so I figured, why not work for myself? I decided to take a leap and start my own business.

What kind of education or training did you need?

Formally, my education is only through high school, but I learned a lot of skills through on-the-job training. I have 20 years of experience working in a shop as a CNC machinist.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Just jeans or a pair of shorts, and a T-shirt.

What was it like starting this business during the pandemic?

We definitely ran into some issues. The biggest one has been getting the supply. We ordered a lot of lumber online, and the delivery times are just so unpredictable right now, and that’s if [the lumber] is even available at all. It’s been taking two or three times longer than it should to get here.

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

Try to learn as much as you can, and take any advancement opportunities that present themselves.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I wish people realized the amount of time and work it takes. There’s the logistics of getting the materials; doing the programming and design work; the fixturing and workholding to actually get [the wood] into the [engraving] machine; the tooling for the machines, and the finishing process, so there’s a lot that goes into making a final product from scratch.

What was the first job you ever had?

I was a dishwasher at Colby-Sawyer College.

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

Never give up.

Five favorites

Favorite book: The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Favorite movie: Happy Gilmore
Favorite music: hard rock
Favorite food: pizza
Favorite thing about NH: the history

Featured photo: Justin Tanner. Courtesy photo.

Acting skills

Theater company teaches kids healthy social behaviors

After a year of virtual programming, Plymouth State University’s TIGER (Theatre Integrating Guidance, Education and Responsibility) theater company is back on the road, bringing its social-emotional educational performances to K-through-8 schools across the state. The group, which consists of graduate students and professional actors, is led by artistic director Trish Lindberg. Lindberg talked about the program and how it addresses the challenges kids are facing today.

What is TIGER?

It’s a program that deals with social-emotional learning and helping kids process difficult traumatic events that happen to them using theater, music and dance. … I started it 17 years ago with colleagues at Plymouth State. … It started as a program that dealt exclusively with bullying. There was a lot of trauma around bullying happening in schools, and there still is today. I thought, I’m not a psychiatrist or psychologist or a school counselor, but why don’t I use my talents [in the performing arts] to partner with people [who are] to help kids who are being bullied.

What kinds of issues does TIGER address?

We try to stay very current and in the heartbeat of what kids are feeling now. … We send out writing prompts to get writings from kids to inform the piece … with actual stories about things that kids have gone through. … Kids are dealing with so many things right now that we really wish they didn’t have to [deal with]. … One of the biggest things is, with people being so frustrated with the pandemic … people are choosing not to be kind. That’s why we thought it was really important to do a show about kindness … and the importance of kindness in our lives. … We’re all in this pandemic together. We all have difficult things going on and things that we’d like to do but can’t do. But we can still be kind. That’s something that we want to help kids understand — that even in this crazy world, where there are a lot of things they don’t have control over, they can always control how they act, and even if [a situation] is really hard, they can still choose kindness.

What does a performance look like?

Each show teaches five concepts … represented by each letter [in ‘TIGER’]. … For example, [when teaching about] how important it is for kids to take care of themselves, ‘T’ stands for ‘Take care of you;’ ‘I’ stands for ‘Imagine;’ ‘G’ stands for ‘Grow your confidence;’ ‘E’ stands for ‘Empathy;’ and ‘R’ stands for ‘Respect yourself and others.’ … Then, we have songs and skits around those concepts. … It’s really cool, because at the end, when we ask the kids what each letter stands for, they always remember … because they’ve had it taught to them in multiple ways.

How is performance art an effective way to communicate with kids about difficult subjects?

Theater, music and dance helps kids to see themselves in scenarios that they’ve experienced themselves while being able to take a step back and watch it happen to someone else. … They’re safe; it’s not actually happening to them, but they can see the scenario played out. … It helps them understand what they’re going through from another perspective … and in a deeper way, and that can be a real catharsis for them. … I think one of the most powerful things about the arts is that it has the ability to touch hearts and minds and really resonate with people on a very deep, emotional level.

How do you keep yourselves and the kids safe while visiting schools?

Some districts have mandates where they’re not having any assembly programs of any kind, but many districts have been willing to have us. … Schools have chosen to do different [safety precautions]; some are comfortable having us do a regular performance in the gym. Others have us perform for a smaller audience or live-broadcast into the classrooms. … We’re willing to follow whatever protocols the schools have, in addition to [the safety precautions] we’re already doing ourselves. … All of our actors are fully vaccinated and tested every week … and we wear these wonderful face masks … that are made for performers. They’re full-face masks, and they’re clear so the kids can see our expressions and energy.

What impact has TIGER had on kids’ lives?

We had [a mother] call us … and tell us that her son came home from school [after a TIGER program] and burst into tears; he had been bullied for three months at school and had never told anyone. He said that TIGER taught him that he needed to tell an adult, so he told his mom, and the mom went to the school, and they were able to get help. … That’s what we’re all about — making a difference in kids’ lives, even if we’re performing for a school with 500 kids and we’re able to help just one kid.

Learn more about TIGER and how to bring them to your local school at campus.plymouth.edu/tiger.

Featured photo: Trish Lindberg. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with DJ Belanger

Chef Dennis “DJ” Belanger of Nashua is the new owner of Culture (75 Mont Vernon St., Milford, 249-5011, culturenh.com), a locally sourced artisan sandwich shop also offering baked goods, pastries and fresh breads out of a scratch kitchen. A native of Hudson, Belanger got his start in the industry as a dishwasher at the age of 15 and went on to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Cambridge, Mass. For nearly a decade he worked his way up the ranks at Burtons Grill of Nashua, eventually becoming the eatery’s executive chef for a time. He has been with Culture since the shop opened in August 2020, assuming the role of owner earlier this month.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

There are two. One of them is what I call a bottom feeder, but it’s really just a wooden spatula that I use to scrape and mix everything. … Other than that, I would say my Vitamix blender.

What would you have for your last meal?

It would probably be just roasted chicken with rice and vegetables. It’s one of my go-tos if I don’t know what I want to eat, and it’s one of those things that I can eat every day and wouldn’t even think twice about.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

La Santa [Tacos & Tequilas], which is literally right over the line in Tyngsboro, [Mass.]. My fiancée and I go there probably at least once a month.

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

Matty Matheson. He’s a chef out of Canada, and he’s pretty big in the States now, too. I feel like he and I have a lot of similarities in our styles and philosophies of food, and I just really respect him as a chef and an entrepreneur. I would love to be able to pick his brain.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

Either the La Capra, which is our Italian sub, or the roast beef.

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

It’s definitely farm stuff, and just keeping things as local as possible. There’s a lot of focus on foods made from scratch and not anything that’s processed or mass produced, and that’s something that we definitely want to continue.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

My go-to at home is fried rice. Especially if I’ve got any leftover rice from the night before, it’s just a really good, fast dish.

Cranberry vinaigrette dressing
From the kitchen of Chef DJ Belanger of Culture in Milford

12 ounces frozen cranberries, thawed
1½ cups whole-grain or Dijon mustard
1 cup red wine vinegar
3 cups oil (half extra virgin olive oil and half canola oil)
¼ cup finely chopped chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Add cranberries to the cup of a blender and puree on high, making sure there are no chunks of berry left over. Add mustard, vinegar and salt and blend until fully combined. With the blender on medium-high, slowly add the oil into the mixture (should take about 30 to 45 seconds). Mix in chives to emulsified dressing (do not blend). Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Transfer to a squeeze bottle or mason jar for storage. (Note: When blending cranberries, you may need to add a little water to help get everything blended together. You shouldn’t need much more than ¼ to ½ cup. You can also substitute almost any type of frozen berry or fruit to make this dressing).

Featured photo: DJ Belanger. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Jeff Paquin

Jeff Paquin

Decorative lighting installation specialist

Jeff Paquin is the co-owner of The New England Holiday Light Co., a decorative lighting design and installation service based in Hooksett.

Explain your job and what it entails.

We put up lighting all year, but for different things, depending on the season. In the summertime, we do landscape lighting, wedding lighting and overhead lighting for restaurants and businesses. Then, May through October, it’s full-blown weddings. We did around 120 weddings this past year, and that number is growing quickly for next year. Starting in September we do holiday lighting.

How long have you had this job?

This is our fourth year in business.

What led you to this career field and job?

My family is huge into Christmas. When I was growing up our house was fully decked out with lights and artificial snow, and we would get an 8-foot Christmas tree and put a thousand ornaments on it. … A friend of mine, who owned a lighting company, encouraged me to start a tree lighting company. … I started out just lighting trees and bushes, and it evolved into lighting for residential homes, large commercial projects, holiday walkthroughs and experiences and stuff like that … and then, eventually, weddings and landscapes.

What kind of education or training did you need?

It’s on-the-job training and experience. … Licensing isn’t needed, but we did take courses … [that are offered] for lighting installation professionals to learn about lighting safety and regulations and how to install lighting the right way.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

We dress for the elements. In the summertime I just wear shorts and a T-shirt. In the winter you’ll see us in all our snow gear — boots and Carhartts and long johns and hats and gloves.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

We actually grew considerably during the pandemic. … People were still doing small weddings and gatherings. … Since people were spending more time at home, they started turning their attention to making their home a more comfortable place. A lot of people asked us to do landscape and backyard lighting at their homes.

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

You can’t do it all by yourself. … We used to do all of the work ourselves — sales, installation, trying to wear all of the different hats. … We’ve hired full-time employees now, but I wish we had hired people sooner.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

How rewarding it is. Putting up lights may sound like a simple thing, but it’s so meaningful when you’re putting up Christmas lights for a mother whose husband passed away and the kids are running around all excited, thinking that elves put the lights up; or when you’re putting up lights at a wedding and making it a magical experience that people will never forget.

What was the first job you ever had?

Pushing carts at Shaw’s.

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

There’s always tomorrow. If something bad happens, treat it as a learning experience and do a better job than you did the day before.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Favorite movie: Star Wars series
Favorite music: Christmas music
Favorite food: My grandma’s mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and meatloaf
Favorite thing about NH: Hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and skiing in the White Mountains

Featured photo: Jeff Paquin. Courtesy photo.

Knowledge is power

Podcast highlights substance abuse prevention

Christin D’Ovidio is the host of The Power of Prevention, a new podcast series produced by The Partnership@drugFreeNH that explores various facets of substance abuse prevention in New Hampshire and ways in which schools, families and health professionals can bolster prevention efforts. The series is available on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.

What is The Power of Prevention about?

The Partnership is an organizing force behind and [in cooperation] with organizations and individuals throughout the state working to prevent substance misuse and other [harmful] mental and behavioral health issues that can be prevented if prevention actions are put into place early on in people’s lives. The podcast talks with these organizations and individuals so that we can learn about how they work with families and within their communities to stop unwanted things from happening. Each episode goes deep into the topic or area that [the featured guest] is working in.

Why was it created?

During the pandemic, people and children [experienced] a lot of additional stressors; the safety nets they had and the ways they were functioning before were put under a huge strain. We know that substance misuse increased during that time. We saw a need to fill, to share what is happening out there with prevention so that [those efforts] can spread; prevention organizations can grow; more prevention organizations [can be established]; and more people can know about how to access prevention resources, because it’s not always evident what resources are available, and sometimes, just knowing that the resources are there is all it takes for people to get help.

How did you end up hosting the podcast?

I have a Master of Fine Arts in Acting and Production, and I was one of the people [The Partnership] asked to do it. That was super exciting for me, because I really enjoy learning about these prevention programs and getting to talk in depth with people about what they’re doing and help them share what they’re doing.

How do you define prevention in the podcast?

Prevention is an evidence-based set of messages, programs and services that lay a foundation for people so that when they encounter adversity they have the skills, support and knowledge to move past it in a positive way rather than turning to coping mechanisms that could harm their health.

Who is your target audience?

Our audience is primarily people working in prevention, so that they can [connect with] others … and families, caregivers, schools and other people who work with children, youth and young adults, because they play a very important role in prevention.

How many episodes have you done so far, and what are they about?

We’ve produced and released two episodes so far. The first one is with Kim Haley, who is a coordinator for one of the School Assistance Programs in the state, and she talks about what SAP programs are and how they provide support for families and schools. The second one is with Traci Fowler, who is a senior programs officer at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and has been working in the prevention field and [serving as] a prevention advocate for a very long time. She talks about how nonprofits in the state and the prevention community came together during the pandemic. … We’ve done a few other interviews that are still in the editing [process]. There’s one about self-managing chronic pain, because chronic pain, if unmanaged, can lead to misuse of prescribed medication … and depression. I also talked with two women working in prevention for young adults. There are a lot of changes in life on that bridge between high school, college and the workforce, and sometimes those young adults don’t know where [to access] the support that they need.

How many episodes do you have planned?

We have 27 episodes planned … and our intention is to release them monthly, though we’d like to release two a month, if we can. … Topics [will include] supporting families with skills and resources [in order to] prevent child abuse; the juvenile court diversion program … which [works to] keep [juveniles] who have committed a non-violent offense out of the system … so that they don’t end up with a mark on their record that they can’t get rid of that could take away from their future; vaping prevention; youth mental health efforts and social-emotional learning in schools; and how issues of equity, diversity and inclusion overlap with substance abuse and prevention.

Featured photo: Christin D’Ovidio. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Phil Mastroianni

Phil Mastroianni is the co-owner and founder of Fabrizia Spirits (fabriziaspirits.com), a Salem-based producer of all-natural limoncello that he launched in 2008 with his younger brother, Nick. Fabrizia Spirits has become a leading purveyor of limoncello in the United States and has since expanded its product line to include a variety of ready-to-drink cocktails, like its Italian margarita and Italian-style lemonade; multiple flavors of vodka sodas, like Sicilian lemon, blood orange and raspberry; and liqueurs, the newest of which is the Crema di Pistacchio. In November 2020 the Mastroiannis launched the Fabrizia Lemon Baking Co. (fabrizialemonbakingcompany.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @fabrizialemonbakingco), which now offers its own line of limoncello-infused baked goods including cookies, whoopie pies, biscotti, blondies, loaves and white chocolate-dipped truffles. Each item is baked fresh on site at Fabrizia’s Salem headquarters. Orders can be placed online and can be shipped anywhere in the country within three business days.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

The mixer at our bakery is hands down the No. 1 important tool, besides the oven, obviously.

What would you have for your last meal?

Spaghetti and meatballs with a fresh tomato sauce, made by my mother.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

The Copper Door. I love their service, and the quality of their food is amazing. Everything that they make is delicious. … I used to go to the one in Bedford a lot, but the Salem one that opened is right down the street from our facility, so it’s very convenient.

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

Giada De Laurentiis. If I had a wishlist of people, she would be on it. … I would send her our cookies and our limoncello loaf and I would love to get her thoughts on them.

What is your favorite baked product that you offer?

A warm limoncello cookie coming right out of the oven is still hands down my favorite item. … It’s also my kryptonite. … I had to cut myself off of them. I would find myself eating a cookie at 11 o’clock in the morning and then I wouldn’t eat lunch and I’d be hungry by the afternoon.

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

If I could foray a bit into the spirits world, I would definitely say the proliferation of the spritz. … I think you’re starting to see all kinds of restaurants start to offer them. Aperol kind of started it, but it’s bloomed into others as well.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like to make pizzas as often as my wife will let me, because it always makes a mess. I have a nearly three-year-old mother dough I’ve kept alive that I love to do homemade pizzas with.

Fabrizia limoncello scallops
From the kitchen of Phil Mastroianni of Fabrizia Spirits in Salem

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound scallops
½ cup Fabrizia limoncello
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon heavy cream

In a pan over medium-high heat, add the oil, garlic, lemon zest and salt and cook for less than a minute, stirring throughout. Add the scallops, cooking for about three to four minutes and flipping about halfway through. Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside. Carefully wipe out the pan and return to the stovetop. Add the limoncello and cook over medium-high heat until it is reduced by half. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and cream. Pour over the previously cooked scallops.

Featured photo: Phil Mastroianni. Courtesy photo.

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