Tag: 220818

In the kitchen with Lauren D’Agostino

Lauren D’Agostino of Manchester is a plant-based chef, cooking coach and the owner of Chef Lauren’s Table (cheflaurenstable.com), which specializes in a variety of initiatives promoting a plant-based lifestyle. Programs include the Kitchen Mindset Lab (cheflauren.teachable.com), a virtual nine-week series of plant-based cooking lessons that can be accessed either live via Zoom or on demand for a total of 12 weeks following registration, along with downloadable recipes and meal guides. A full schedule of sessions running now through next spring is available to view online. D’Agostino is also available for hire as a private plant-based chef for small events and intimate gatherings, and has a few upcoming public appearances where she’ll offer some plant-based menu samples — find her at The Green Beautiful (168 Wilson St., Manchester) on Thursday, Sept. 1, and at The Social HQ (103 Nashua Road, Londonderry) on Thursday, Sept. 15. A native of Westford, Mass., D’Agostino graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst before going on to study pastry arts at Le Cordon Bleu College in Cambridge. Her interest shifted from pastries to plant-based foods both through her own personal lifestyle and following her completion of the holistic health coach program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. In early 2020, D’Agostino released her first cookbook, which focuses on plant-based and gluten-free recipes using essential oils. A second plant-based cookbook is forthcoming.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A whisk. It’s so simple, but [it’s a] game-changer.

What would you have for your last meal?

I would have a really pull-out-all-the-stops panini. I love a panini with a crusty bread, some melted plant-based cheese and just tons of flavorful filling ingredients. And then I would have a cannoli.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I always have a really enjoyable dining experience when I go to Campo Enoteca [and] Republic. … I think they do a really nice job.

What celebrity would you like to host a dinner for?

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, because I just think that would be hilarious. They’d be great dinner guests.

What has been your favorite experience cooking for a client?

A couple of summers ago, I did a 30th birthday party for a woman who had no idea that I was coming. It was her wife who hired me as a surprise … and we went back and forth planning the menu all hush-hush. The menu really meant something to her, that her wife would go to such lengths to make sure she and her friends would enjoy the experience.

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

I would say plant-based as a whole. … What I’m excited to be seeing more of is healthy, fresh [and] local food options that are both fun to eat and flavorful, but are also functional and nutritious for the human body.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Plant-based pizza is totally my favorite. … I love pizza because it’s so easy and versatile, and you can do anything with it. It’s different every single time I make it, but it also always feels familiar to eat it.

Chickpea salad four ways
From the kitchen of Lauren D’Agostino of Chef Lauren’s Table

Basic recipe: “chicken” salad
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced red onion
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons plant-based mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch black pepper

Enhanced recipe: Buffalo “chicken” salad
2 Tablespoons hot sauce
Enhanced recipe: “tuna” salad
½ a lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon dried dill
2 teaspoons kelp granules

Enhanced recipe: “egg” salad
½ teaspoon black salt
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder

Mash the chickpeas, either using a food processor (pulsing until coarse and leaving a few larger pieces) or using your fist in a medium-sized bowl (a potato masher also works well). Add all the other ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine.

Featured photo: Lauren D’Agostino, private plant-based chef and owner of Chef Lauren’s Table. Courtesy photo.

A multicultural feast

We Are One Festival returns

A celebration of the region’s Latin American, African and Caribbean cultures, the We Are One Festival features authentic food, live music and dance performances. The free event, now in its 21st year, returns to Veterans Memorial Park in Manchester on Saturday, Aug. 20.

The festival as it is known today first came together in 2013, after two separate events that were held in the Granite State throughout the previous decade — a Latino Festival first organized in 2000 by Latino Unidos de New Hampshire, and an African-Caribbean celebration founded the following year by Ujima Collective — combined their resources. This is the first year since the pandemic hit that the event is back in full swing, said Shaunte Whitted, co-chair of the We Are One Festival’s planning committee with Sudi Lett. In 2020 it was reorganized as a community health fair, while last year’s festival had no live performances.

One of the biggest draws to the festival has always been the food and, as in previous years, you’ll find a diverse lineup of options available throughout the day. Local vendors have traditionally included restaurants and community members, with a wide variety of cuisines represented.

“This year, I’m very excited to report that we have six registered food vendors with the city, [which] is actually a little more than what we usually have. I think we normally average around four,” Whitted said. “There’s going to be some African dishes, Caribbean dishes, Spanish food and comfort [and] soul food. … We’ll have empanadas, rice and beans, baked macaroni and cheese, various chicken entrees, collard greens and banana pudding parfaits.”

Don Quijote Restaurant in Manchester, for instance, is a longtime participant of the festival that will be returning as a vendor once again, Whitted said. Newcomers include Gumaa’s Bar & Grill, which opened in January in the Queen City’s Kalivas Union neighborhood — it’s known for its traditional African and Caribbean meals like oxtail stew, jerk chicken, goat meat and fried tilapia. Also attending this year’s festival will be A Taste of Monrovia, an eatery hailing from Worcester, Mass., that serves options native to Liberia, a coastal country in West Africa.

“They do a lot of spicy soups,” Whitted said. “They have palava … and it’s a smoked meat or fish that’s usually accompanied in the soup. I myself have tried the African pepper soup.”

Soel Sistas, a Nashua-based catering and meal prep business specializing in soul food and Southern comfort classics, will also be attending, as will Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream, which recently opened a shared space with Prime Time Grilled Cheese, its first Manchester location.

A full schedule of performances is in store for this year’s festival, including hip-hop, R&B and soul singers, an African drum band, Latina dancers and more. Most have either 15- or 30-minute live sets planned on the stage, Whitted said, while DJ 4eign — from the Boston-area radio station JAM’N 94.5 — will also be there from noon to 4 p.m. Other components of the festival will include a health fair, sponsored by the Manchester NAACP and the NH Black Women Health Project.

We Are One Festival
When: Saturday, Aug. 20, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Veterans Memorial Park, 723 Elm St., Manchester
Cost: Free admission; food is priced per item
More info: Email festival co-chairs Shaunte Whitted at [email protected] or Sudi Lett at [email protected]
Event is rain or shine.

Featured photo: Scenes from the We Are One Festival. Courtesy photos.

A taste of the Middle East

Mahrajan Middle Eastern Food Festival returns to Manchester

By Jack Walsh

[email protected]

For the past 50 years the Mahrajan Middle Eastern Food Festival has taken place at Our Lady of the Cedars Melkite Catholic Church in Manchester. The three-day event returns from Friday, Aug. 19, through Sunday, Aug. 21, and will feature a variety of authentic Middle Eastern items to order.

The festival is a celebration of Middle Eastern culture — primarily through Lebanese food, as Our Lady of the Cedars Church was founded by Lebanese families. Rev. Thomas Steinmetz of the church said that the event has greatly evolved over the past 15 or so years and continues to grow.

kebabs lined up on grill
Scenes from the Mahrajan Middle Eastern Food Festival. Courtesy photos.

“It used to be smaller,” he said. “On a Sunday afternoon we’d do it behind our old church, the little church that we had on South Beech Street. … When we moved to our current location, it allowed us to expand the festival, and it’s been much larger for the past 15 or 16 years.”

Options at this year’s event will include lamb and chicken kebab dinners, tabbouleh salad, traditional Lebanese pastries and more. In addition to a wide variety of food there will also be a bar, along with Middle Eastern music and traditional cultural dances. For the kids, there will be a section full of activities and games, as well as a petting zoo and a bounce house.

Marylou Ashooh Lazos, head of the festival’s food production, suggests people order their food ahead of time online in order to make sure that they get their chance at grabbing some of the more highly anticipated dishes. The threat and impacts of Hurricane Henri during last year’s festival forced its cancellation on the final of the three days. But despite this, Lazos said, event organizers sold out of all their prepared food.

According to Lazos, the lamb shawarma, prepared in a wrap with tahini sauce, parsley, tomato and pickles, is the most popular meal at the festival.

“It started with the meat that was left over from the lamb kebabs that couldn’t be skewered neatly,” she said. “We used to cut them into shaved ribbons, so it’s very tender meat, and we trim off all of the fat.”

There will also be available options for vegetarians, such as falafels made with chickpeas and fava beans, as well as lubyeh, or green beans cooked in a garlic and tomato sauce and topped with seasoning. This will be on each prepared plate — or you can order a lubyeh dinner, featuring the green beans served over rice pilaf with bread.

A meal making a return is mujadara, a meatless dish made with lentils and rice that’s also gluten-free.

“We used to make mujadara the traditional way with cracked wheat, but we switched that to respect our gluten-sensitive people,” Lazos said.

Desserts, meanwhile, will include a lighter version of baklava known as baklawa, as well as ghrybe (almond butter cookies with powdered sugar) and coosa pita, a creamy custard made with eggs, milk, sugar, cream of wheat and coosa (a summer squash, similar to zucchini) that’s layered between sheets of phyllo dough.

While this is a fundraiser, Steinmetz and the church aims to make this a weekend event of fun to bring families together within the community.

Mahrajan Middle Eastern Food Festival
When: Friday, Aug. 19, 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 20, noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 21, noon to 5 p.m.
Where: Our Lady of the Cedars Melkite Catholic Church, 140 Mitchell St., Manchester
Cost: Free admission; foods are priced per item
Order online: mahrajan-nh.com

Featured photo: Scenes from the Mahrajan Middle Eastern Food Festival. Courtesy photos.

The Weekly Dish 22/08/18

News from the local food scene

• Celebrate with spuds: Join The Potato Concept for its one-year anniversary celebration at Rockingham Brewing Co. (1 Corporate Park Drive, Unit 1, Derry) Friday, Aug. 19, from 4 to 8 p.m., which also happens to be National Potato Day. Lauren Lefebvre and Brandon Rainer of The Potato Concept will be serving several of their specialty loaded baked potato flavors, including jambalaya, barbecue vegan tofu and the loaded classic, the latter of which features bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, chives and sour cream. Each of these options is $12 and includes a sweet potato cupcake with marshmallow frosting from Bearded Baking Co., and Rockingham Brewing Co. will have its Rum Raisin Spud Heavy on tap. Axes on the Go, a mobile ax throwing venue, will also be out in the parking lot. Visit thepotatoconcept.com.

• Greekfest Express returns: Assumption Greek Orthodox Church (111 Island Pond Road, Manchester) is holding its annual Greekfest Express on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Now through Aug. 21, orders are being accepted for a variety of freshly cooked Greek dinners, like marinated lamb kebabs, half-roasted chicken, pasticho (Greek lasagna) and Greek-style meatballs in a tomato sauce. All dinners come with rice, Greek-style green beans and bread, while other available a la carte options include open-faced ground beef and lamb gyro plates with fries, spinach or feta cheese petas, and tossed Greek salads with or without grilled chicken or gyro meat. For desserts, there is baklava, loukoumades (fried dough balls), and various Greek cookies, like koulourakia (crisp braided butter cookies) and finikia (honey walnut cookies dipped in honey syrup). Pickups will be drive-thru only on the church grounds — no walk-ins. Visit foodfest.assumptionnh.org

• Ballpark brews: There’s still time to get your ticket to this year’s Gate City Brewfest, a family-friendly event returning to Holman Stadium (67 Amherst St., Nashua) on Saturday, Aug. 20, in its traditional format for the first time since 2019. Organized by Bellavance Beverage Co. in partnership with the City of Nashua, Gate City Brewfest is expected to feature more than 150 individual beers, ciders and seltzers to try from dozens of local and regional purveyors, all in a wide variety of styles. While the event’s signature chicken wing competition will not be returning this year, there will be a greater food truck presence, along with a full schedule of live music planned. Tickets are $50 per person at the door, $15 for designated drivers and attendees under 21, and free for kids ages 12 and under. See gatecitybrewfestnh.com or visit issuu.com/hippopress to check out our story on the event, appearing on page 25 of the Aug. 11 issue.

On The Job – Timothy Willey

Tree stump removal specialist

Timothy Willey is the owner and operator of Ground Zero Stumps, a tree stump grinding service for commercial and residential properties based in Weare.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I own and operate a stump grinding service for commercial and residential property owners. My business is focused on the tree stump removal process by grinding them in place. I utilize less intrusive grinding equipment that’s smaller. This is a better option in tight spaces or around already finished buildings and landscapes.

How long have you had this job?

I’m a new business venture, started in 2021.

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

I served in the U.S. Coast Guard at Station Boston Harbor shortly after high school. I was assigned at the time to the SAR team — “Search And Rescue,” they called it back then. I was the boat engineer trained as a diesel mechanic. That led me [to] an early career path working on heavy equipment. As opportunities became available, I started working as an equipment operator for road construction and house lot clearing and digging for foundations. It then branched into all aspects of home construction. … I settled into a lineman’s position, working with a 40-foot bucket truck for many years. I had that feeling back, using the hydraulic hand controls, inching my way into position on the lines just as if I was operating other equipment. After accepting an early retirement package at the beginning of the pandemic, I knew working for myself again was at the top of my list of options, [and that] I still wanted to be working outside [because] that’s what gives me enjoyment.

What kind of education or training did you need?

You learn as you go and develop a feel for how the equipment responds … [and a] sense of hand-eye coordination with years of practice. The [best] training is any safety training that’s pertinent to the industry you’re in. Accidents can happen quickly if you aren’t observant and cautious. Things that would help are skills in landscaping and equipment repair and knowledge of underground utilities and home construction practices.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

[A] safety helmet, safety glasses, face shield and ear protection, hand protection, steel-toe boots, jean-style long pants, company shirt and a sweatshirt or jacket.

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

I started my business mid-pandemic. With all the recommendations on being safe, I just had to be as cautious as possible for myself and the clients I’d meet. If it meant wearing a mask if proximity was an issue, then I did. Being outside, it usually wasn’t a problem keeping a safe distance from others.

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

Networking plays a bigger role than I expected. Although I do well, it’s a constant focus. Take every engagement as an opportunity to make a meaningful contact.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Talking about your overall landscape plan will help the operator get the right results you’re expecting.

What was the first job you ever had?

I worked at the Hillsborough County Nursing Home as an attendant. I’d help escort residents to do crafts or to go for a walk outside.

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

Show up and do what you say you’ll do. Trust is hard enough to earn — even harder if you don’t show up.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Does Hot Rod magazine count?
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Favorite music: Classic rock
Favorite food: New England lobster
Favorite thing about NH: New Hampshire is just part of me. It’s where I was born and raised. It’s home.

Featured photo: Timothy Willey. Courtesy photo.

Back to the beginning

Jamaican musician returns home to the Granite State

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

Music is the heartbeat of the world — at least that’s what Luke “DJ Luke” Davis-Elliott believes. The 18-year-old Manchester-born musician is due to play his final show of the summer on Thursday, Aug. 18, at Long Blue Cat Brewing Co. in Londonderry before heading back to the Jamaican capital of Kingston for his fall semester of college.

“In Jamaica, I brought myself up to a level, but I wanted more,” said Davis-Elliott, whose mother moved to Manchester with her family when she was eight, then moved back to Jamaica with her son’s father after he was born.“So I decided to go international. I was born here, so this was the first place I thought of.”

Davis-Elliott is more than just a hopeful musician. He’s been live mixing music at dance halls in Jamaica since he was 10, and now he attends Alpha School of Music, one of the country’s most prestigious music schools. Davis-Elliott’s mother and manager, Charmaine, said that he has been playing music his whole life.

“He speaks to us with his music,” she said. “It means a lot to me. I feel so proud.”

Davis-Elliott has received invitations to play in other states, coast to coast from New York and Florida to California, but he had turned those ideas down. He said that he wanted to come back to where he was born, to where many members of his maternal family still lived, and to bring his passion for live-mixing to New England.

“Let’s go kick it off where we come from,” Davis-Elliott remembered saying. “Let’s start with our local people, let them know us and love us.”

Charmaine said that this won’t be the last time she and her son come back to play in New Hampshire — in fact, she said there have already been people asking if they would book him again next year. Despite that, she said there is a chance she and DJ Luke could be headed to reggae festivals in Europe in the summer of 2023.

Davis-Elliott used this trip not only to build connections in the New England music scene, but also to earn money to buy recording and music production equipment. His dream, beyond playing in nightclubs in Ibiza, is to start producing music and DJ on the side.

For now, Davis-Elliott said that he’s “going to show them what I’m made of.”

The Aug. 18 show at Long Blue Cat Brewing Co. will be the first one that Davis-Elliott has free rein over. The other eight shows he played across Maine and Massachusetts have all been more traditional reggae stylings.

“I’m looking forward to the fun energy of [the show],” Davis-Elliott said. “I like how the music and that vibe especially brings everyone together.”

DJ Luke
Where: Long Blue Cat Brewing Co., 298 Rockingham Road, Londonderry
When: Thursday, Aug. 18, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Cost: $10 at the door (21+ only)
Visit: longbluecat.com

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

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