Category: Q&A

Marie Sacco

Marie Sacco of Salem is the owner of The Sandwich Monstahh ([email protected], and on Facebook and Instagram), a food trailer she launched in April that specializes in homemade gourmet sandwiches, soups, sides, appetizers and desserts incorporating a variety of Italian and New England-themed flavors. Sacco, who grew up in Swampscott, Mass., just outside of Boston, said much of The Sandwich Monstahh’s menu is inspired by what she grew up eating and what her mother and grandmother would often cook. Popular items include eggplant or meatball Parmesan subs, as well as steak bombs, chicken cutlets, homemade egg rolls and more. The trailer is bright green, in tribute to the Green Monster at Boston’s Fenway Park. You can find The Sandwich Monstahh at the Derry-Salem Elks Lodge (39 Shadow Lake Road, Salem) on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m., as well as occasionally at a few local breweries, including Rockingham Brewing Co. and From the Barrel Brewing Co., both of 1 Corporate Park Drive in Derry.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

It sounds crazy, but if I don’t have a pair of tongs I’m lost.

What would you have for your last meal?

For me, I would say a really good New York strip steak, with a baked potato and Brussels sprouts, and also a red wine.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Trattoria Amalfi, which is a little restaurant right here in Salem. They are amazing. We’re there once a month at least.

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

Gordon Ramsay, a hundred percent. His food is unbelievable, and all of his ideas about food are straight on. I actually try to model a lot of what I do around his cooking techniques and ideas.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The eggplant Parm sandwich, because it’s such a part of my childhood.

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

I feel like egg rolls are really popular right now. You can throw literally anything into an egg roll as long as you serve it with a good sauce accompaniment that makes sense.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Breakfast is so fun to cook. I like to do eggs and some sort of protein, either bacon and sausage … and then some cut-up fruit or maybe homemade muffins.

Homemade cannoli dip
From the kitchen of Marie Sacco of The Sandwich Monstahh food trailer

16 ounces dessert ricotta
4 ounces cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
1 squeeze fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon anise extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest

In a mixer, blend cream cheese at room temperature with juices, anise extract, zests and sugar. Mix on high speed until smooth. Add ricotta and mix until combined. Refrigerate for one hour. Sprinkle chopped pistachios, shaved chocolate or mini chocolate chips on top. Serve with pizzelles dusted with powdered sugar, cannoli chips or crushed up cannoli shells.

Featured photo: Marie Sacco

On The Job – Missy Gaffney

Missy Gaffney

Esthetician and business owner

Missy Gaffney is an esthetician and owner of three health and beauty businesses — The Skin & Body Spa, The Hair Company and The Medical Skin Clinic — all located in Nashua.

Explain your job.

It’s different every day. I could be interviewing [potential employees], proofing or brainstorming marketing plans, ordering [products] or meeting with the managers and delegating [tasks]. … I constantly have my face around at all the different businesses, interacting with all of our employees and making sure everything is perfect for the clients.

How long have you had this job?

We’ve had The Skin & Body Spa for almost 14 years, The Hair Company for almost six years, and The Medical Skin Clinic for almost two years.

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

I struggled with acne myself as a kid, so my mom would bring me to get facials and get good skin care products to help my skin, and I really noticed such a huge difference. I always had the dream of one day being an esthetician and helping people like myself [improve] their skin and boost their confidence. I worked as an esthetician for other [businesses] for years, but I always had a vision of opening my own, and that I could [run] it really well.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I have a bachelor of science degree, and then I went to esthetics school for 450 hours. … I was constantly going to continuing education classes after that, and still go to a lot of conferences on spa management and business management.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Business-casual.

How has your job changed over the last year?

We’ve had to really home in on what we need to do to create a safe and comfortable environment for our clients as well as our team members, without getting too overwhelmed. It has taken a lot of patience and research and being proactive to make sure that we always have all the right policies and the proper PPE.

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

To not get worked up over every little thing that goes wrong. There are always going to be problems, and there are always going to be solutions. Think, ‘How am I going to solve this?’ instead of stressing out about it.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Some people are scared [to go to a spa] because they think it’s going to be a snobby environment, but I would want them to know that they never have to worry; we’re very non-judgmental, and very good at putting people at ease and making them feel very welcome.

What was the first job you ever had?

Working in a clothing store, folding clothes.

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

When you’re stressing about something, ask yourself, ‘Is this really going to matter in five years?’ If it’s not, it’s easier to let it go.

Five favorites
Favorite book: Tuesdays with Morrie
Favorite movie: The Sound of Music
Favorite music: Folk
Favorite food: Japanese
Favorite thing about NH: All the options; I can get to a little historic town, skiing [destination], Boston or the beach without a lot of [travel] time.

Featured photo: Missy Gaffney

Native roots

Educational project recognizes NH’s Abenaki heritage

The Abenaki Trails Project, launched last August, is highlighting New Hampshire’s Abenaki history and present-day Abenaki communities. It’s a partnership between the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki — a Native American tribe based in Vermont — and New Hampshire towns and organizations. Nulhegan Abenaki citizen and Hopkinton resident Darryl Peasley, who co-founded the project, talked about what it has accomplished since its launch in August 2020 and the initiatives it has planned for the future. For more, see abenakitribe.org.

What started the Abenaki Trails Project?

Back in 2010, when we were trying to get the law passed to create the Commission on Native American Affairs, I listened to some legislators say that there was no need to acknowledge the Abenaki [history] in New Hampshire because New Hampshire was just a pass-through state and no Indians actually lived here. That kind of got my blood boiling, because there were Indians who lived here, and they were Abenaki. … I thought, wouldn’t it be nice if we had a project that would educate the public about the Abenaki and let people know that the Abenaki did live here, and that some of us still live here. … Hopkinton is where I’ve lived all my life, and it had actually changed Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day on its town calendar … so we started there.

So, is there an actual trail?

When we say Abenaki Trail Project, it’s not like a trail that you would walk; we don’t want to pinpoint any specific spot. It’s more of a trail from town to town to show people where the Abenaki lived and where we live now. … We have almost conclusively found [the locations of] four different Abenaki settlements, which, today, are within the town boundaries of Henniker, Warner, Hopkinton and Bradford. … We’re hoping to make a map or brochure so that you could spend a day or two traveling from one town to the next and being in the general area.

How big is the Abenaki population in New Hampshire?

There are hundreds in New Hampshire … living among you as factory workers, laborers, computer technicians, social workers, lawyers, doctors — everyday people. … Indians in this area [don’t look like] your stereotypical western Indian … so unless someone comes out and introduces themselves as an Abenaki person, chances are you would never know.

What partnerships and initiatives has the project established so far?

We’ve partnered with the Hopkinton, Henniker, Warner and Bradford historical societies. There are a couple of archaeologists with the Hopkinton Historical Society who we’re working with. … We’ve partnered with the New Hampshire Historical Society so that, if they come up with something [about Abenaki history], they’ll ask us about it, and we can tell them if there’s truth to it or not. … We [recently had an] art show … at Two Villages Art Society in Hopkinton with around 20 to 25 artists — some are Abenaki artists and some are our community partners — who do different things like fiber art, leather art, basketmaking and pottery.

What do you have planned for the future?

If you look at the calendar of what our team is planning for the summer, just about every weekend is booked up with one thing or another. … We’re going to be participating in the Living History event in Hillsborough this summer. … We’re putting together an Abenaki regalia display for the Kearsarge Indian Museum, and members have been constructing leggings, coats, shirts and moccasins for that. … Hopkinton has asked us to involve school kids in the project, so we have a couple of teachers on our team who have started putting together a curriculum that teaches kids what actually happened [in Abenaki history].

Are there any misconceptions about the Abenaki in New Hampshire that you hope to address?

You always read in the history books that the Indians killed all these people. You just hear the bad things. Some of it is true, and some of it isn’t true. We weren’t just murderers and marauders; we helped a lot, too. … We want to make sure people hear the other side of the story.

Featured photo: Darryl Peasley. Courtesy photo.

Becky Costello

Becky Costello of Londonderry is the owner of Owl Hill Preserves ([email protected], and on Facebook and Instagram @owlhillpreserves), a business she started in her home kitchen specializing in small-batch jams and jellies in a variety of unique flavor combinations. In addition to seedless raspberry jam and blueberry blackberry vanilla jam, some of her other offerings include maple peach whiskey jam, blueberry lavender jam, mint mojito jelly, apple pie jam and amber marmalade. You can contact her to place orders, or find her jams and jellies at Handmade In… (Pheasant Lane Mall, 310 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua); Recycled Creations Artisans Boutique (25 Main St., Wilton); the Manchester Craft Market (Mall of New Hampshire, 1500 S. Willow St., Manchester); Little Red Hen Farm & Homestead (85 Norris Road, Pittsfield); and Linda’s Less Traveled Treasures and Country Store (49 E. Broadway, Derry). Costello will also appear at the Brimfield Antique Show & Flea Market at the Deerfield Fairgrounds on May 29 and May 30.

What is your must-have kitchen item?
A wooden spoon, because you have to constantly stir.

What would you have for your last meal?
Pad Thai noodles.

What is your favorite local restaurant?
Pickity Place in Mason. I always like to go there with friends.

What celebrity would you like to see trying one of your jams or jellies?
Tom Hiddleston.

What is your favorite jam or jelly that you make?
My personal favorite is the blueberry lavender jam, because I just love the combination of flavors. I usually like it on an English muffin.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
I would probably say food trucks. I’ve just noticed that they seem more prevalent now than they ever have been.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
Pizza. My husband is actually in the process of building us an outdoor wood-burning pizza oven.

Pineapple sage chicken
Courtesy of Becky Costello of Owl Hill Preserves (using her own pineapple sage jelly)
Using a whole three-pound chicken, put fresh sage leaves under the skin. Rub the outside with melted butter, olive oil, dried sage, thyme and rosemary. Cook for 45 minutes. Melt pineapple sage jelly in the microwave for about 30 minutes, then pour onto chicken and cook until brown and crispy.

Featured photo: Becky Costello

On The Job – Victoria Bombino

Victoria Bombino

Dental assistant

Victoria Bombino is a dental assistant at Simply Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics in Pelham, where she works alongside the dentist to provide dental care for children.

Explain your job and what it entails.

Understanding patient care, which means helping make the kids feel comfortable at the dentist; educating kids on the importance of good oral health; and working closely with [the dentist] Dr. Boulos doing frenectomies, fillings and anything relative to [dental procedures]; as well as customer service, making sure the dentist is a fun place to go to, and ensuring that parents feel good about the experience as well.

How long have you had this job?

I’ve had this current job for roughly four months now. I’ve been in the dental field for three years.

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

When I was younger, I didn’t like my smile, but I loved going to the dentist. I had the opportunity in high school to start [attending] a technical high school. It had [a] dental assisting [program] there, and that immediately drew my attention. I decided to try it out, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. I attended the University of New England for dental hygiene to continue [the education], but, due to Covid, I took a semester off, and that’s when I ended up landing a job here, as a dental assistant. … Ultimately, I would love to become a dentist.

What kind of education or training did you need?

[To be] a dental assistant, you need your high school diploma, as well as your radiology [training requirement], which is an additional course that you have to take. … You have to always stay up to date with the current technology and the best practices of dentistry. There are … certain procedures where we use certain [equipment], such as the Solea laser, that the dentist has to go [receive training] on, and then the dentist will show the assistants the right and wrong ways [to operate it]. … I’m still working [toward becoming] a Certified Dental Assistant; there are multiple other courses and certifications [required] to become a CDA.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

For our work uniform, we wear scrubs with a water-resistant lab coat over it. … Advanced PPE for patient and team health is huge. We wear a Level 3 mask, and we wear a face shield over it when we’re working closely with a patient. We throw away our used masks every second that we can and put on a new one. I even wear a hair cap, just to make sure everything stays nice and safe for everyone.

How has your job changed over the last year?

Dental offices have always taken the highest level of safety precautions when it comes to personal hygiene, such as hand washing, and wearing PPE, so it has changed less than a lot of people might have guessed. We have [added] extra [precautions], though, such as reduced waiting room time and full sterilization of the dental rooms between each patient.

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

Individuals can be scared at the dentist, but it’s OK; try not to take it personally, and just comfort them as much as you can.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first job was at a prom dress store called Glitterati in Danvers, Mass.

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

Leave work at work.

Five favorites
Favorite book: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Favorite movie:Miss Congeniality
Favorite music: Country
Favorite food: Anything Buffalo
Favorite thing about NH: The scenery. Waking up and seeing all the trees never gets old.

Featured photo: Victoria Bombino

lorna Aouad

Lorna Aouad of Auburn is the owner of Loulou’s Bakery (loulousbakery.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @loulousbakery.nh), a wholesale and catering business she started two years ago that specializes in Mediterranean sweet cookies, savory pies and other handcrafted items. Her cookies, which include flavors like date, almond tea, sesame tea and chocolate sable, are all made from scratch and can be found in most Hannaford Supermarket locations in southern New Hampshire, as well as McKinnon’s in both Salem and Portsmouth. Aouad, who is originally from Lebanon, also makes small meat pies, spinach and feta pies, and cheese or thyme flatbreads, and offers catering for several meat, vegetarian or dessert platters with three-day advance ordering notice.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Measuring cups and spoons, and also my spices, which I cannot cook without.

What would you have for your last meal?

My meat flatbread. It has ground beef, tomatoes and onions and a squeeze of lemon on top, and it’s on a thin crust, almost like a pizza crust. It’s to die for.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

My favorite is Cotton [in Manchester]. I love their steak and their salad and popcorn shrimp. It’s such a cozy little place. I also really like Piccola Italia [Ristorante in Manchester].

What celebrity would you like to see trying something you’ve made?

I would love to have Gov. [Chris] Sununu try some of my food, definitely my flatbread or my stuffed grape leaves or kibbeh.

What is your personal favorite menu item?

I love my kafta soup. It’s ground meat, almost like meatballs, and inside of them there’s parsley, onion and some special spices. The soup itself has rice and tomato paste and some parsley in it.

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

Definitely comfort food, especially because it’s such a stressful time right now.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like to make appetizers, not just Lebanese appetizers but a bunch of different things. I make the best Seven Layers, which has refried beans, guacamole, cheese, tomatoes, scallions, olives and then a special sauce in the middle with different spices in it.

Easy hummus recipe
From the kitchen of Lorna Aouad of Loulou’s Bakery in Auburn, loulousbakery.com

15 ounces broiled chickpeas, warm
1 large squeezed lemon
1 clove peeled fresh garlic
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons tahini sauce
3 Tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon olive oil

Featured photo: Lorna Aouad of Loulou’s Bakery in Auburn with husband Rami Kattar

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