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.

Coffee and community

The Brothers’ Cortado opens in Concord

While living out in Colorado in the early 2000s, Loudon native Chuck Nemiccolo developed a newfound admiration for coffee, thanks in part to the vibrant cafe culture of downtown Denver.

“There was this really cool place called Paris on the Platte, and it was basically like a 24-hour punk rock cafe,” he said. “It was a place where people from all walks of life were coming in, having coffee and just getting along. … That was kind of like the spark for me, when I really started to care about what I was drinking and where I was spending my money.”

Nemiccolo returned to the Granite State a few years later and worked at Starbucks in Concord for a time. But he always held on to a dream of one day opening his own spot — a cafe focused on community, local products and great coffee.

The Brothers’ Cortado, which opened in the Capital City on Nov. 18, is the culmination of that dream. Chuck and his younger brother Ian Nemiccolo have joined forces to make it a reality, purchasing the former True Brew Barista storefront in Bicentennial Square and getting it ready with the help of other family members and friends.

Courtesy of The Brothers’ Cortado.

If you ever visited the space as True Brew, you’ll likely first notice that the Nemiccolos have switched entrances, utilizing what was the former location’s bar as their main cafe area. Unlike its predecessor, the Brothers’ Cortado does not serve alcoholic beverages onsite.

“It had more light to it, and it felt more open and welcoming overall on that side,” Chuck Nemiccolo said. “We felt that it kind of fit best with what we wanted for the space.”

Coffees and teas at the Brothers’ Cortado are sourced from A&E, a USDA-certified organic roaster that launched in 2001. Nemiccolo’s lineup of drinks includes hot and iced coffees and espressos. He also makes his own syrups in house.

The cafe has a namesake drink with espresso and steamed milk, while other options include a peppermint mocha, a bourbon vanilla latte and a mocha borgia with orange.

“[We have] an Ethiopian blend for our light to medium roast. It’s bright and sweet, so it will be good for people that maybe want to experience something a little bit new,” Nemiccolo said. “Our flavors that we’re [bringing] to the lattes are not … super sweet, but sweet enough. We want a nice well-balanced drink that people can enjoy.”

Tea drinkers will find a diverse roster as well, from blueberry black, green mango and golden milk teas, to an herbal blend called New Hampshire Evening.

“The New Hampshire Evening is almost like root beer. It’s incredibly good,” Nemiccolo said. “I’m not a big tea drinker but I’ve fallen in love with it. It cuts down on the chamomile taste … and it just makes it a nice smooth experience.”

The Brothers’ Cortado is partnering with Concord bakery Bread & Chocolate to serve cheese Danishes, croissants and other pastries available daily out of a refilled case. Nemiccolo also hopes to eventually begin offering sandwiches, fruit or cheese boards and other small food items.

While it will start out with closing at 4:30 p.m. each day, the goal is for the cafe to expand to being open in the evenings at least a few times a week. Performances from local musicians, as well as themed events like poetry nights, are all being planned for the space.

“We want it to be a place where people can hang out and just relax and feel comfortable being at,” Nemiccolo said.

The Brothers’ Cortado

Where: 3 Bicentennial Square, Concord
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
More info: Visit brotherscortado.com, or find them on Facebook and Instagram @brotherscortado

Featured photo: Owners and brothers Chuck and Ian Nemiccolo. Courtesy photo.

Tastes of Trinidad

Manchester’s Wild Orchid Bakery finds a new home on Elm Street

After operating a bakeshop on Manchester’s West Side for a short time last year, self-taught pastry chef and Trinidad native Shelly-Anne Storer has found a new home downtown, where she has expanded her lineup of items to include vegan and gluten-free desserts and savory meals.

Stewed chicken with potatoes, Spanish rice, callaloo and sweet plantains.

Wild Orchid Bakery, now open in the former Lala’s Hungarian Pastry storefront on Elm Street, features a wide selection of custom offerings inspired by flavors of Storer’s homeland. The bakery’s name, she said, even comes from a connection she made between Trinidad and New Hampshire — both have an abundance of wildflower species.

“I wanted to bring part of my home here,” said Storer, who is originally from Diego Martin on Trinidad’s northwestern coast but has lived in the United States since late 2013. “It’s kind of like an oasis. You come in and you see the bright colors and you hear the music, and you’re like, ‘Whoa, where am I? I’m not in the city anymore.’ … Trinidadian food is so flexible. It’s like a melting pot for different cultures, so you can taste all kinds of foods.”

Since opening the doors of her new space earlier this month, Storer has slowly introduced new items each week, from sweeter indulgences like black currant rolls and guava and cream cheese pastries to savory home-cooked meals like corn soup and stewed chicken and curry plates. Callaloo, a vegetable dish cooked in coconut milk that Storer described as being similar to collard greens or okra, and dhal, a yellow split pea-based dish that can be consumed over rice or in a soup, have also been accompaniments to her Trinidadian lunch plates. The bakery even features a selection of bagged snacks and bottled drinks you can try that are popular in Trinidad.

Other dishes like shark and bake, a popular Trinidadian street food, and saltfish buljol, a chopped fish and vegetable salad, will likely be introduced sometime in the future. Storer also has plans to roll out a Trinidadian black cake typically enjoyed around Christmas as the holidays draw near.

Jelly doughnuts.

“It’s a rum-soaked cake, and you only have one slice at a time because it’s so strong,” she said. “After Christmas we’d just have one little sliver of a piece because that was all you needed.”

In addition to cooking and baking some favorite foods she grew up with, Storer has a regularly stocked case of pastries and baked goods, which include her own line of gourmet doughnuts in a variety of flavors, as well as cookies, cupcakes, scones, pies, sticky buns and sweet breads. She also fulfills custom cake orders for occasions large and small.

Continuing a partnership she had at her former shop, Storer is once again collaborating with Mike Brown of Hometown Coffee Roasters in Manchester, offering coffees and espresso drinks with some of his blends, and she’s looking to expand on her own line of flavors.

Adorning the walls of Wild Orchid Bakery are prints and artwork from various local painters and photographers, available for sale. Storer hopes to soon acquire a liquor license, with the intent to serve island-style drinks and brunch cocktails like mimosas and bloody marys.

Wild Orchid Bakery

Where: 836 Elm St., Manchester
Hours: Monday and Thursday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (hours may be subject to change)
More info: Visit wildorchidbakery.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram @wildorchidbakery or call 935-7338

Featured photo: Assorted doughnuts, Trinidadian pastries and coffee. All photos courtesy of Wild Orchid Bakery.

The Weekly Dish 21/11/25

News from the local food scene

• Keep on brewing: Granite State craft breweries are among those across the country observing the third annual Small Brewery Sunday on Sunday, Nov. 28. The day was created by the Brewers Association as a way to encourage beer lovers to celebrate and support locally owned breweries, brewpubs and taprooms, according to a press release. The Association is inviting breweries everywhere, including those in New Hampshire, to share their Small Brewery Sunday experiences on their social media channels using the hashtags #SmallBrewerySunday and #SeekTheSeal. The industry as a whole is still working to recover from a 9 percent overall drop in craft beer sales in 2020, according to the release. The New Hampshire Brewers Association is also continuing its New Hampshire Pint Days fundraiser through Wednesday, Dec. 1, featuring limited-edition collectible 16-ounce pint glasses that are available for sale at more than 30 participating breweries statewide. Visit smallbrewerysunday.com.

• Bringing on the blueberries: Berrybogg Farm in Strafford will soon be selling a new blueberry cookbook, along with a 2022 calendar and other items like apparel and accessories, in commemoration of its 45th anniversary. According to its website, the online store will reopen on Friday, Nov. 26, with each of these items available for sale. The cookbook is expected to feature dozens of blueberry-based recipes, from simple jams and syrups to baked goods and desserts. Berrybogg Farm spans about 7 acres, growing nine varieties of blueberries over a period of roughly six weeks from mid- to late July into August. Visit berryboggfarm.com.

• Sweet deal: Loon Chocolate, a small-batch producer of handcrafted bean-to-bar chocolate based in Manchester, is moving its operations into The Factory on Willow (252 Willow St.), where it will expand its manufacturing space and add a retail space for its products. Construction on the product began earlier this month. According to Loon Chocolate owner and founder Scott Watson, he hopes to move into the space just after Christmas and have it open to the public around Jan. 29. Loon Chocolate features several types of flavored chocolate bars and has since diversified its product line into other offerings like hot cocoa bombs, cacao nibs, and a chocolate-infused elixir kit for spirits. Visit loonchocolate.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @loonchocolate for updates.

• Give thanks with beer: Join Northwoods Brewing Co. and its sister restaurant, Johnson’s Seafood & Steak (1334 1st New Hampshire Turnpike, Northwood) for a Northwoods Friendsgiving on Friday, Nov. 26, beginning at noon. The event will feature a variety of dark and seasonal brews from more than a dozen guest breweries on tap, including Great North Aleworks, To Share Brewing Co., Twin Barns Brewing Co. and Lithermans Limited, as well as live music from 5 to 7 p.m. with Cecil Abels and Rachel McCartney. Visit northwoodsbrewingcompany.com.

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.

Treasure Hunt 21/11/25

Dear Donna,

I was wondering if you could help me. I have a vanity that was my great-grandmother’s, but I just don’t have room to store it anymore. Do you have an idea of what it may be worth and where I could sell it?

Cheryl

Dear Cheryl,

Your walnut vanity was part of a bedroom set at one time. It is from the 1920s to the 1940s. It looks to be in great shape.

Furniture of this age can be a tough sell, even though you have the most desirable piece from a set. Nowadays people will buy them to paint, re-decorate, etc. The value would be in the $100 range. My suggestion for selling would be a local pick-up marketplace, or a consignment store, but then you would have to bring it there. Sometimes that’s not easy to do.

I hope this was helpful and you find a new home for your vanity. Or, if it was painted a new color, it might still fit in your home. It has family history.

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