Category: Q&A

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

On The Job – Jillian Kalosky

Jillian Kalosky

Criminal defense investigator , Jillian Kalosky Investigations

Jillian Kalosky is a criminal defense investigator based in Concord, investigating state and federal criminal cases on behalf of the accused.

Explain what your job is and what it entails.

After someone gets arrested, they either hire an attorney or one is appointed by the court. I’m then hired by the attorney to help prepare the defense. I start by reviewing the investigation conducted by the police. Then oftentimes I talk to people who have information about the case and document what they know. Sometimes they’ve already spoken to the police. Other times, I’m the first person they speak to. If there’s relevant information on social media about the case, I track it down. If my client has an alibi, I track it down. If it makes sense to check out the scene — and it often does — I do that. My work on any given day is driven by the needs of the case.

How long have you had this job?

Over 10 years.

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

I was always that weird kid fascinated by crime. When I was fairly young, I saw a TV show about a child who had been murdered. The killer had hidden the body by rolling a huge log on top of it in the woods. It blew my mind. I grew up in a safe, normal, loving household; I couldn’t imagine that sort of thing happening to a child. That always stuck with me. I so deeply wanted to understand it.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I studied sociology and justice studies as an undergrad at UNH. Then, in grad school there, I earned a master’s degree in sociology with a focus in criminology. Nothing compared, though, to the hands-on training I received at the New Hampshire Public Defender. I was an intern there during the summer between undergrad and grad school. Then I was offered a full-time position after my master’s program. I spent almost seven years at the Public Defender. That time was invaluable. I now run my own PI business.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

I dress for the occasion, whether that’s going to court, knocking on doors to try to find a witness, going to the jail, or sitting down for a Zoom meeting with an attorney. You can most often find me in a turtleneck, jeans and Doc Martens.

How has your job changed over the last year?

Throughout the pandemic my work shifted to mostly phone interviews and Zoom meetings. Now that I’m fully vaccinated I’ve been able to resume in-person meetings, visiting clients in jail and interviewing people in their homes.

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

How to meditate.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I wish people knew that miscarriages of justice do happen. Eyewitnesses get it wrong. People plead guilty to crimes they didn’t commit. People confess to crimes they didn’t commit. About a third of people exonerated through DNA testing gave false confessions. Criminal cases are complicated. It’s rarely ever black-and-white like on TV.

What was the first job you ever had?

I started at the Gap when I was 15. I still fold my clothes the Gap way.

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

Don’t take it personally.

Five favorites
Favorite book: The Power of Now
Favorite movie: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Favorite type of music or musician: Classic soul/motown
Favorite food: Indian
Favorite thing about NH: Birdwatching

Featured photo: Jillian Kalosky

A natural resource

New state office to focus on outdoor recreation

In April, the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs opened a new Outdoor Recreation Industry Development office, making New Hampshire the 16th U.S. state to do so. Its director, Scott Crowder, talked about the office and its mission to maximize the economic benefit of New Hampshire’s large outdoor recreation industry.

Why was this office created? Why is it needed in New Hampshire specifically?

Outdoor recreation is ingrained in our way of life here. … Because of how we’re positioned geographically, we have a diverse set of amenities and assets and places you can go for outdoor recreation, from the White Mountains to the Seacoast to the Lakes Region, to the Monadnocks to the Great North Woods. The natural beauty and the outdoor recreation experiences in New Hampshire, whether it’s the fall foliage or skiing in the winter, are a big part of why people visit. … Our communities have developed around [and] put value on outdoor recreation. … Thirty-seven thousand jobs are filled in the outdoor recreation industry sector in the state … and it spans into a lot of other different industries, [such as] hospitality, food and beverage and travel and tourism. … 3.2 percent of our GDP is directly correlated to outdoor recreation. It’s a huge contributor to the state’s economic positioning … but we didn’t have anyone looking at outdoor recreation from an economic and workforce development standpoint. … We want to make sure we’re capitalizing on New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation assets to enhance the quality of life for our residents and the experience for our visitors.

What’s on the agenda?

Some of the line items in the legislation include helping to develop [outdoor recreation] workforce development; leveraging New Hampshire’s natural assets and outdoor amenities for economic development and economic vitality; conservation and stewardship, making sure that these outdoor amenities are being well-preserved so that they can be used in the same way tomorrow and in 100 years from now; entrepreneurship and promoting businesses; and collaborating with different departments — whether it’s Fish and Game, the Trails Bureau or State Parks — to create an outdoor recreation collective that will work together to elevate New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation.

How does the pandemic impact outdoor recreation in the state?

Covid gave a lot of people an opportunity to be introduced or reintroduced to outdoor activities … and the trend is going in the direction of more people spending more time outside. In the last year, businesses in the outdoor recreation [industry] and in resort towns were so busy it was crazy. They saw [profit] numbers they had never seen before. … Coming out of Covid, we have a great opportunity, because there’s a lot of pent-up demand [for] and excitement to do things with friends and family again, and outdoor recreation is a focal point of how people want to be spending their time. We need to make sure we’re taking advantage of that interest to benefit our communities.

What is your background in this kind of work? How did you come into this position?

I’ve always kind of had my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the world of travel and tourism, sports and outdoor recreation in the state. … I grew up in Nashua and would spend my summers on Lake Winnipesaukee. I studied sports management and marketing in college and have [worked within] the world of traditional, organized sports as well as outdoor recreation. … I started an outdoor recreation shop on Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith. … I’ve worked in events and sports tourism. … I’ve been on the Lakes Region Tourism Board for a decade now. … A few years ago I was put on a little committee to look at the viability of creating this office. … When the [director] position was posted, I put my hat in the ring for it.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’ve been going on a little bit of a listening tour across the state, having conversations with municipalities, nonprofit groups, private businesses — all the stakeholders that exist within the outdoor recreation space here in New Hampshire — to figure out the lay of the land, put the pieces together and see how this office could be the most impactful. … Over the next three [to] six weeks, we’ll be able to put more pen to paper about how to move forward with a strategic vision … and set goals for one year, three years and five years down the line.

What is your personal vision for the office? What would you like to accomplish as director?

I think it’s [building] that collective effort of outdoor recreation [collaborators]. There are a lot of people who are super-passionate about outdoor recreation in our state and a lot of dots that we can connect … at a state level, regional level and community level. … This [office’s mission] is a big task, and in order for it to be successful, I can’t exist in a vacuum; there has to be that collaborative approach.

Featured photo: Scott Crowder

Beth Vine

Beth Vine of Derry, also known as The Mad Baker (themadbaker.net and on Facebook and Instagram @themadbakernh), offers fresh items baked to order like focaccia bread, butter bread, cinnamon rolls and bread bowls for soups and chowders. A self-described “stress baker,” Vine began accepting orders for her cinnamon rolls and breads last October. Orders can be placed online through the website or by emailing [email protected], with pickups at an arranged time on Fridays at The Grind (5 W. Broadway, Derry). Vine will be participating in the Derry Homegrown Farm & Artisan Market, to be held at 1 W. Broadway on Wednesdays from 3 to 7 p.m., beginning June 2.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I always have a pastry scraper, because it cuts nicely through the dough. But I like it mostly because I use it on a pastry board that was given to me by my grandmother-in-law, who was a master pie maker in the 1950s and ’60s.

What would you have for your last meal?

Scallops in Pernod, from Street & Co. in Portland, Maine. That is the best dish that I’ve ever had in my entire life.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I’d probably go with the East Derry Tavern. It’s right around the corner from us — I walk down there a lot with my kids. Their tandoori nachos are delicious.

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

This is sort of terrifying, but my top choice would probably be Gordon Ramsay. I’m a huge fan of his. His Thanksgiving turkey [recipe] is such a glorious way to eat a turkey, and I don’t do it any other way now.

What is your personal favorite menu item that you offer?

My favorite is definitely the focaccia bread. A fresh focaccia out of the oven is about as good as you can get.

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

I would say cooking at home, especially during the pandemic.

What is your favorite thing to cook or bake at home?

Honestly, I like just baking with the kids. Nothing too complicated, just cookies or brownies or whatever. It can be messy and disorganized, but it’s always a great experience and builds memories.

Beth’s “One arm chicken Parm”
Courtesy of Beth Vine of The Mad Baker in Derry (entire recipe can be made while holding a baby on one arm, as Vine, a mother of four, can attest)

Thinly sliced chicken breasts or tenders
1 egg
½ cup milk
2 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 jar of your favorite tomato pasta sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk egg and milk together. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then dredge in breadcrumbs. Lightly fry chicken pieces in vegetable oil, just until breadcrumbs are crispy. Place in an oven-safe dish and cover with sauce. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbling. Serve over your favorite type of pasta.

Featured photo: Beth Vine

On The Job – Mary Sargent

Mary Sargent

Family mediator, Mary Sargent Mediation

Mary Sargent is a certified family mediator based in Bedford.

Explain your job and what it entails.

The conflicts I mediate are largely divorce and parenting [issues]. … I help parties dispute and negotiate toward agreements by facilitating healthy, productive conversation that may or may not [end in] an agreement. I make sure that people are hearing and understanding each other, and that they have all the information they need to make a decision. Then, I help them put [their decision] in whatever form is needed, whether it’s a court order or a contract or a simple agreement.

How long have you had this job?

Twelve years.

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

Over the years, I’ve held a lot of different positions within family work — Child Protective Services worker, guardian ad litem, case manager — and at the core of all of those positions is identifying areas of problems, disputes and conflicts. … I was seeing a lot of people in a lot of pain because they were trying so hard to avoid an issue when what they really needed to do was resolve the issue. … I realized that mediation allows an opportunity to address a problem head-on … and really drill down to the heart of it, rather than trying to avoid, deny or work around it.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I have a bachelor’s degree, and I’ve had extensive training through certificate programs. In New Hampshire, you have to go through a certification class and an internship to [become certified].

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Business casual.

How has your job changed over the last year?

Prior to Covid, the very idea of doing [mediation] remotely was controversial, industry-wide … but, ultimately, we were forced into it, and I do the vast majority of my work remotely. I’ve found that it actually solves more problems than it creates. It can be difficult for people who are in conflict with one another to sit at a table in the same room. It’s a little easier for them and mitigates some of the anticipatory anxiety if they can be in the comfort of their own home where they aren’t in close physical proximity to each other.

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

How hard it would be and how long it would take to build a practice and make a name for myself. A lot of people didn’t even know what mediation was, so getting them to buy into mediation, and then to find me [was hard].

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Mediators don’t make decisions. … A lot of times people come to me and say, ‘We need your help in deciding what is fair,’ and I tell them, ‘I have no idea.’ We can guide people … [in having] a productive conversation, but we can’t determine what is or isn’t fair for them. The fair and equitable [outcome] is whatever they agree on as being fair and equitable.

What was the first job you ever had?

Summer camp counselor.

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

Be mindful of the present, and assume there’s space for an agreement, even if you don’t know what that looks like yet.

Five favorites
Favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Favorite movie: The Birdcage
Favorite music: Showtunes
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite thing about NH: Lake Winnipesaukee

Featured photo: Mary Sargent. Courtesy photo.

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