In the kitchen with Dave Mielke

Dave Mielke of Amherst and his father Harold opened Smokehaus Barbecue (278 Route 101, Amherst, 249-5734, smokehausbbq.com) together in May 2018. The duo joined forces late the year before, completely rebuilding and redesigning the inside of the former Burger Mill restaurant on Route 101 themselves to give it its rustic look. Smokehaus is open six days a week for lunch and dinner, offering a menu of low-and-slow smoked meats available as sandwich or dinner plate options, from beef brisket and baby back ribs to pulled pork and pulled chicken, as well as fresh sides like collard greens, baked beans and coleslaw, and all types of house-made dry rubs and sauces. The eatery also carries regular offerings from several local craft breweries.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

An immersion blender. We make a lot of sauce with it. We probably make around 25 gallons of barbecue sauce a week, so it gets used quite often.

What would you have for your last meal?

My last meal would be schnitzel and German potato salad. My mom makes that for me every year for my birthday.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Papa Joe’s Humble Kitchen [in Milford]. Those guys are great. In my opinion, they’ve got the best burgers in the entire state.

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

Adam Sandler. If he was in town, I would be absolutely happy with my life at that point. He seems like a down-to-earth guy, plus he’s local.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

That would be the fatty brisket. We’re one of the few barbecue places that has fatty and lean brisket. You can get it as a sandwich or a plate. My two sides of choice would be the collard greens, which are my mother-in-law’s recipe, and the coleslaw.

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

I really see sustainability itself as a trend. A lot of places opening up are utilizing local farms as much as they can. People are really starting to see how important it is to help our local businesses thrive.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I make a really excellent pho. My son loves it with Vietnamese meatballs.

Sweet bourbon barbecue sauce
From the kitchen of Dave Mielke of Smokehaus Barbecue in Amherst (quantities are for large batches; cut measurements down in half for smaller batches)

8 cans Murphy’s stout
3 cups bourbon
16 cups ketchup
½ cup onion powder
½ cup garlic powder
½ cup red pepper flakes
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup molasses

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. While stirring, bring to a boil until all alcohol is cooked out (roughly 45 minutes). Let cool and enjoy.

Featured Photo: Dave Mielke of Smokehaus Barbecue in Amherst, with his dad, Harold. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

In the kitchen with Christos Babis and Lexi Griburas Babis

Christos Babis and his wife, Lexi Griburas Babis, of Candia are the owners of Villaggio Ristorante (677 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 627-2424, villaggionh.com), which opened in the Queen City’s North End in 2012. Villaggio is an eatery known for its classic Italian dishes, including those made with chicken, veal and fresh seafood, as well as a full-service bar with wines, beers and specialty cocktails. Other popular offerings include lasagna, housemade potato and ricotta gnocchi, and fresh egg angel hair or fettuccine pastas with your choice of sauce. Villaggio reopened daily for dinner on June 18.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

CB: Definitely tongs, because everything on the menu is made in a saute pan.

LGB: For me it would be a potholder.

What would you have for your last meal?

CB: Octopus with tomato salad, olives, feta cheese and a nice crusty bread.

LGB: Grilled calamari with fresh steamed greens, and then Christos’s chocolate soufflé.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

CB: Mine!

LGB: The Golden Tao [Restaurant in Manchester].

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

CB: Al Pacino.

LGB: Gordon Ramsay.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

CB: The filet mignon with cognac sauce.

LGB: Frutti di Mare.

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

CB: Made-to-order food that can be personalized.

LGB: We never really had a big takeout business … [but] takeout is so huge right now.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

CB: Grilled salmon.

LGB: I like to make all kinds of soups, like bean soups, meatball soups and pumpkin soup in the fall.

Butternut squash soup
Courtesy of Christos Babis and Lexi Griburas Babis of Villaggio Ristorante in Manchester
½ gallon whole milk
1 large butternut squash (cleaned, peeled and diced)
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
4 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring milk to a boil. Add the squash, followed by the salt and pepper, then the ginger. Boil until squash is soft. Take off heat and blend with a hand-mixer until smooth, then add butter and enjoy.

Featured Photo: Courtesy photo

In the kitchen with Rajen Thapa

Rajen Thapa of Hooksett and his family took over ownership of Cafe Momo (1065 Hanover St., Manchester, 623-3733, cafemomonh.us) in early 2019. Since opening in the early 2000s, the restaurant has offered traditional Nepali cuisine with a modern American flair — featured menu items are the momos (fillings include goat, chicken, buffalo, lamb, wild boar and vegetable) as well as several curries, chilis and stir-fried noodle options. Originally from Lalitpur, Nepal, Thapa came to the United States more than two decades ago. Cafe Momo resumed operations on June 23 after closing in mid-March, using a takeout window out of the restaurant’s adjoining space.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A frying pan … and a knife.

What would you have for your last meal?

I love all food, basically. … I like a good curry.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Actually, I’m not really a restaurant … person. I can eat anything, but whenever I’m hungry, usually I come home and eat.

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

Tom Cruise [or] … Dwayne Johnson.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

If I’m going to Cafe Momo to eat … I would choose the lamb chili.

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

When people are health-conscious … they always think about fat, and what ingredients are in it, and they might say, you know, ‘don’t put this’ or ‘don’t put that.’ … We are able to do that, because we make it right then, whatever they order.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like to cook goat curry.

Steamed chicken momos
Courtesy of Rajen Thapa of Cafe Momo in Manchester (makes about 50 momo pieces enjoyed as a meal or an appetizer)
1 pound ground chicken
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 bunch cilantro
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 tablespoons salt
Flour
Water

Mash the ground chicken with chopped veggies and season with the pastes. Add fresh chopped scallions and salt as desired. Add mixtures of ingredients slowly and evenly. Add a little bit of water so it’s not dry (mixture shouldn’t be liquid, but softer than meatball meat). Knead the flour so it becomes a dough and cut out circular pieces, using a small cookie cutter about the size of the top of a drinking glass. Take the ground meat and veggie mixture and make a small ball with your hands to be placed inside the dough. Make sure that the wrapper is thin in shape and that it is closed tightly — thick dough will take longer to cook and will not give you a consistent cooking temperature for the meat inside. Place the wrapped momos in a three-layered steaming dish with water at the bottom layer. The momos take about 20 to 25 minutes to cook, depending on the size of the steaming pot and the meat consistency (tightly sealed momos with thinner wrapping keep the moisture in, making the taste better). Remove from the steamer and serve with your favorite sauce.

Featured Photo: Rajen Thapa. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

Pink cars and drive-ins

Change of pace for annual breast cancer fundraiser

The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer movement in New Hampshire is taking a different approach to its fundraising efforts this fall. Instead of its usual community walks, Making Strides will host a series of six socially distanced events, including “Drive-in Experiences” in Nashua, Exeter, Concord/Bow and Manchester and “Rolling Pink Car Rallies” in Laconia and North Conway. Chelsea Paradore, senior manager of community development for the American Cancer Society Northeast Region, talked about what the events will look like, how people can get involved and why fundraising for cancer research is important now more than ever.

What will Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events in New Hampshire look like this year?

We have four drive-in experiences. At the largest one, which is in Concord and will be held in the evening, people can donate luminaries in honor or in memory of someone who has been affected by breast cancer or has lost their battle, and we’ll have those luminary bags lit up as people drive in. There will be a movie screen and a stage set up, so we’ll have a video ceremony; we’ll have survivor speakers; we’ll hear from a researcher; we’ll hear from some of our sponsors and different team leaders; and people will share their stories about how they’ve been affected by breast cancer. Then, after inspiring people, we want to kind of lighten things up and have a little fun, so we’ll have a live band that will play. We’re also asking people to deck out their cars in pink, so there will be prizes for the most spirited car, and we’ll have some other fun games going on throughout the evening. … Then, we have a couple car rallies, which are really more about spreading awareness. … People are asked to decorate their cars in pink and have signs on the outside. … So, it’s not going to be the three- to five-mile walk alongside survivors and caregivers that we would normally be doing, but I think we’ve figured out, this year more than ever, that this isn’t just about a walk; it’s about a movement.

How has Covid-19 impacted Making Strides/American Cancer Society?

It has severely impeded our fundraising activity this year. We’re expecting a minimum of a $200 million shortfall, just in 2020. Essentially, we have gone from a $700 million operating budget to $500 million operating budget, which we had to reduce between personnel and non-personnel expenses. We were sadly forced to eliminate approximately 1,000 staff positions nationwide. The remaining staff have had reduced salaries. Our CEO got a 25-percent reduction in salary. … That’s just the immediate impact; who knows what the next couple of years is going to look like? The scariest part is the impact on our mission. Our hallmark is research funding, and right now that’s in jeopardy. [Covid-19] is going to reduce our ability to fund cancer research by 50 percent in 2020, which is the lowest investment this century.

How does the fundraising work?

It’s actually super easy. When someone registers on our website they get a “fundraising dashboard,” and right from that fundraising dashboard they can email their friends and family, and they can start a Facebook fundraiser, which we know is wildly successful. We also have a fundraising app … which connects them right to their fundraising dashboard. They can take donations by credit card, Google Pay and Apple Pay, and they can take checks, which works just like mobile banking.

How do small community events like these help ACS carry out its mission?

Community events are volunteer-led, so we have a group of volunteer committees at each of these [event] locations in New Hampshire, and they pour their heart and soul into planning these events. Volunteer-led events allow us to save money internally on staffing, and therefore more money is going to the cause. … The awareness piece of it is even bigger, in my eyes. It’s really important to reach people in the community on a local level, to let them know what the American Cancer Society can do, should they ever need to call our number; and to make sure they are getting screened properly, talking to their doctors and taking control of their health.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
Drive-in Experiences
• Nashua South High School, 36 Riverside St., Nashua, Sunday, Oct. 4, 3 to 5 p.m.
• FieldHouse Sports, 12 Tallwood Drive, Bow, Friday, Oct. 16, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
• McDevitt Trucks, 220 Frontage Road, Manchester, Sunday, Oct. 18, 1:30 to 4 p.m.
• Lincoln Street Elementary School, 25 Lincoln St., Exeter, Sunday, Oct. 18, 1 to 4 p.m.
Rolling Pink Car Rallies
• Laconia Middle School, 150 McGrath St., Laconia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. arrival, 10:30 a.m. start
• Stonehurst Manor, 3351 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, Sunday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. arrival, 10:30 a.m. start
Find registration information for all drive-in and car rally events on Facebook.

Featured photo: Chelsea Paradore. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Beau Gamache

Beau Gamache of Manchester is the owner and founder of Ray Street Pizza (raystreetpizza.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @raystreetpizza), which offers a variety of fresh cooked pizzas available for private events. As Gamache explains, pizza-making started as a hobby back in 2011, when his now-wife Maddie returned home from studying abroad in Italy and raved about the traditional margherita pizza there. After several years of trial and error mastering the basics of making a good-quality pizza dough and sauce, Gamache started an Instagram account in 2017 that was then known as “ThePizzaGram” before renaming it Ray Street Pizza. He’s dabbled in all kinds of pizzas, including plain cheese but also sweet pepperoni with a honey drizzle, a white pizza with balsamic reduction and arugula, and a sausage ricotta pizza, and has dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan options. He’s also made his own spin on a dessert pizza, featuring a cannoli filling base, Bananas Foster, a Nutella drizzle and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Eventually, Gamache said, he’d like to open his own brick-and-mortar gourmet pizza restaurant.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

It would probably have to be a pizza peel. In my opinion, the best pizza is cooked directly on stone, or on the surface of whatever oven you’re using.

Would what you have for your last meal?

Either my own cheese pizza or some Indian food. I really like paneer masala.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Republic [Cafe] and Campo [Enoteca in Manchester], a hundred percent. They’re called The Republic of Campo now, because they’re in the same building. The spicy whipped feta is really good. I also recently had the butternut squash ravioli there and it was one of the best dishes I’ve ever had.

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

Anthony Bourdain, if he was still alive, or [Food Network host] Alton Brown.

What is your favorite pizza topping that you’ve made?

A nice crispy thick-cut pepperoni. … I like the crust super thin, but not too crunchy.

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

I feel like there has been a lot of fusion going on, which is awesome.

What is your favorite thing to make at home?

I love to make guacamole, with a little bit of lime juice, fresh minced garlic, salt and pepper

Basil and kale pesto
Courtesy of Beau Gamache of Ray Street Pizza (can be used for white pizzas, fresh bread, pasta or any antipasti dish)
2 cups chopped kale
3 cups fresh basis
½ cup raw cashews, walnuts or pine nuts
½ cup olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
A few pinches of pepper
Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
Combine kale, basil, cashews, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and vinegar in a food processor or immersion blender until smooth. Season with pepper and crushed red pepper to taste.

Diploma + degree

Career Academy’s inaugural class gets underway

The New Hampshire Department of Education and the Community College System of New Hampshire have created a program that allows high school seniors to earn their diploma and work toward an associate’s degree or certificate simultaneously over the course of two years at no cost to the student. The first New Hampshire Career Academy class, consisting of 12 students in pursuit of degrees in criminal justice, finance and accounting, culinary arts, cyber security and other fields, will begin courses at community colleges around the state on Sept. 12. Nathaniel Greene, bureau administrator for the Bureau of Educational Opportunities and department liaison for the Career Academy, talked about the new educational opportunity.

How does Career Academy work?

It functions kind of like a dual enrollment program, except, rather than the student getting their high school diploma with some college credit, they’ll be enrolled in a full community college program. They’ll do an additional year [of high school] — they’ll be a fifth-year senior — and at the end of the program, they’ll come out with both a high school diploma and a certificate or associate’s degree from a community college.

How is this being funded?

We set it up through one of our charter schools, because the state makes payments to a charter school, as opposed to traditional public schools, which receive the bulk of their revenue from local property taxes, so we don’t have control over what they do with that money. By having a student enrolled in a charter school while taking courses at community college, the state can give the money that it would normally give to the charter school to the community college system instead, to cover the cost of tuition. It’s actually the same amount of money that the state would pay for a student to attend a charter school … so, in effect, there’s no cost to the student. … I think that’s the biggest benefit of this program, by far; it gives our low-income students across the state an opportunity to get their associate’s degree, which will open up more doors for them when they get out into the workforce.

What kind of student would be a good fit for this program?

It’s a great option for kids who have already figured out what they want to do and want to fast-track to that next step of getting a certificate or associate’s degree. … I think the kinds of kids who are going to be attracted to a program like this and going to be successful are kids who are interested in academics, self-motivated and responsible … and understand that this is going to be a challenge.

What will a student’s day look like?

They’ll be enrolled just like any other adult community college student. They’ll attend all of their courses at the community college … including the high school courses they need to get their diploma. … They’ll move through the [degree] program just like the other community college students do.

Would they be missing out on their high school experience?

We set up the program so that students can still take part in the normal things they would do as a senior in high school. If they want to attend their senior prom or participate in extracurricular activities at the school, they can do that. … They wouldn’t necessarily be graduating with their [senior] friends since they have to do that fifth year, but we have suggested that schools let that student participate in the ceremony and walk with their friends. They’ll just be given a blank diploma and will receive their real diploma after their fifth year.

What are some of the challenges students should be prepared for?

One of the things we stress to students and parents is that they’re entering an environment that is not the same as their high school environment. They’re entering the adult world. They’re going to be taking courses with adults, some [of whom] are in their 30s, 40s or 50s. … Things aren’t as structured, so there’s going to be more personal responsibility placed on the student. … There will be some guidance resources, but it’s not the same as the guidance counselor at their high school, and there won’t be access to the same kinds of social and emotional support and services that exist for students within a high school.

How does Career Academy set students up for success?

I think one of the biggest ways is the partnerships we’re creating with the businesses and industries that the students are going into. … We’re working with the [Health Care] Administrators Association for students coming out with nursing and medical degrees. We’re working with a couple different manufacturing companies for students getting degrees and certificates in mechanical engineering, engineering technology, advanced manufacturing and robotics. We’re reaching out to accounting associations for students who want to go into the financial field. … The intent is not only to get kids into the programs, but also to connect them with New Hampshire [employers] who want to hire them and keep them here in the state.

Featured Photo: Nathaniel Greene. Courtesy photo.

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