Greetings From the Garden State

Send us Fan Mail Jen Hampton opened Parlor Gallery in 2009 in Asbury Park, NJ, which presents a unique vision in New Jersey’s art community and feature innovative work by some of the best emerging and established artists. They curate exhibits the public may not ordinarily have access to outside of a large urban environment within a welcoming, creative, and inspirational space. The Gallery provides...

Send us Fan Mail Ivy Charmatz, an Emmy Award and Edward R. Murrow Award winner, spent years as the executive producer for news and special projects at News 12 New Jersey. She has spent more than two decades in journalism and managed the popular “Ask Governor Murphy” program. Working now for top public affairs firm, Mercury, Ivy also serves on the advisory board of Allaire Community Farm (a former...

Send us Fan Mail In 2019 Nick LePore ate a burger every day. The former bodybuilder began building his Burger Buff brand in 2018 by traveling around and reviewing burgers from various establishments and quickly gained traction on social through his thoughtful reviews and high quality photos. After spending his days reviewing burgers, he eventually decided to start fine-tuning his own burger recipe...

Send us Fan Mail Original Air Date: April 18, 2022 The Seeing Eye is a philanthropic organization whose mission is to enhance the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of blind people through the use of Seeing Eye dogs. Based in Morristown, The Seeing Eye matches people throughout North America with the perfect dog for them. We got the chance to sit down with Brian McKenna and Melissa Allman...

Send us Fan Mail Original Air Date: June 13, 2022 Not only in New Jersey, but throughout the country, there are veterans, first responders and others suffering from PTSD. Operation K9 Beethoven uses pet therapy, as well as other methods, to help combat this. We learn a little about our guest, Brian Reyngoudt, the Co-Founder and Vice President. After seeing the profound effect Beethoven had on his...

Send us Fan Mail Original Air Date: October 17, 2022 Tucked away in downtown Asbury Park sits Amici Gelato & Caffe. Not only does the owner, Joe Castore, create delicious gelato, pastries, cookies, cakes and more every day, his story is one of the best comeback stories we've had the opportunity to share on the podcast. Listen in to Joe's story and next time you're down in Asbury...

Send us Fan Mail Original Air Date: March 21, 2022 New Jersey is the diner capital of the world. Surprisingly though, we have not had a diner on the show so far! Well today we are fixing that and what a diner to start off with! The Jefferson Diner, located in Lake Hopatcong, is consistently recognized as one of the top diners in not only Morris & Sussex counties, but the entire state. Co-owner...

Send us Fan Mail Original Air Date: February 28, 2022 South + Pine American Eatery is a staple of downtown Morristown and its reputation is a direct reflection of its Head Chef, Leia Gaccione. She's appeared on Iron Chef, Chopped, and will be on Bravo's 2022 season of Top Chef! They offer their guests a seasonal menu with the freshest local ingredients, but also have certain staples that...

Send us Fan Mail Original Air Date: March 7, 2022 Jersey Collective started eight years ago when Kerri Sullivan, a New Jersey librarian, decided to put together a collaborative Instagram account giving photographers and others around the Garden State a place to share their photos of New Jersey. Kerri is publishing a book, New Jersey Fan Club: Artists and Writers Celebrate the Garden State, which r...

Send us Fan Mail Original Air Date: September 19, 2022 We visit Steve Bauer, owner of Ghost Hawk Brewing Company in Clifton, NJ. Mike and Steve try several beers while learning about Steve's background, difficulties he has faced in life, and how he's overcome those. We also learn the meaning behind the name "Ghost Hawk" which is more than just a cool name, it has significant me...

Send us Fan Mail Original Air Date: August 22, 2022 We travel to Jersey City to chat with Emma Taylor, owner of Milk Sugar Love in Jersey City, one of the best ice cream spots in New Jersey. Emma takes us through her culinary background and how she started her ice cream career. We had a chance to eat some of her cookies which were phenomenal and took home some non-dairy ice cream that was deliciou...

Send us Fan Mail Original Air Date: October 24, 2022 We sit down with Fit Like Krys of FLK Method, a virtual/online fitness community designed for its participants. Not only will you achieve your unique goals, you are going to make friends and have fun while doing it!  FLK Method: fitlikekrys.com Mayo Performing Arts Center: mayoarts.org/events-calendar Murphy Schiller & Wilkes: murphyllp.com...

Send us Fan Mail Original air date: January 24th, 2022 On this episode we were joined by Darren Cregan and Heath Traver, Co-Owners of Glenbrook Brewery in Morristown, NJ. Glenbrook ties together excellent craft beer with the history of Morristown. Glenbrook has quickly established itself as a go-to destination for beer lovers and continues to offer its fan favorites, as well as experiment with new...

Send us Fan Mail JoAnn and Sean Burney, founders of Allaire Community Farm, utilize their rescued animals and working farm environment to nurture through nature. In particular, their farm is focused on helping special needs adults and children, teens facing mental health issues, veterans with PTSD and families battling cancer. They accomplish their mission through programs, events and outreach tha...

Send us Fan Mail In the summer of 2008, LowTides Ocean Products Founder, Brenton Hutchinson was spending a weekend along the water's edge down at the Jersey shore.  While enjoying the simple pleasures of the beach, he picked up National Geographic and began to read an unsettling article about the vast amounts of ocean plastic around the world. The now infamous plastic bag, captured as an iceb...

Send us Fan Mail Missy Addison has always had a passion for entertaining and cooking for friends. Missy and her wife Kellene were driving past an old run down bar on a busy main road in their town when Missy mentioned she had always dreamed of owning a cafe, when they discovered Kellene also had the same passion, they decided to pursue it! Missy left her job, added her own personal flair and menu...

Send us Fan Mail Starting out as a soup kitchen almost 40 years ago, nourish. NJ has evolved into a safe haven for anyone looking for assistance. Whether their guests are experiencing homelessness, poverty, or anything else they provide fresh meals daily, as well as resources for their guests to help advance themselves and take the next steps to better their lives. nourishnj.org @nourish.nj Thank...

Send us Fan Mail Naval Chaplain Corp Veteran Brian Consoli joins us on our New Jersey Veteran Series to talk about his military life. He describes some of his early struggles in life, eventually finding his faith, becoming a therapist and social worker, dealing with burnout and now doing what he does today.  BRERRO.COM ALLTEST.NET RECALIBRATEUSA.ORG https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianconsoli Support...

Send us Fan Mail Army Reserve Veteran Krystyna Cechulski joins the show to discuss her career in the military, her life as a social worker, and different challenges she has faced in her life. Krystyna talks about always following her intuition and her "gut" when making life decisions and how she tries to push herself out of her comfort zone.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail We set up shop and recorded live from the Motown Fitness AGON! This CrossFit competition brought athletes from around the state to participate in several workouts throughout the day to crown a champion. We were joined by various members of the Motown Fitness community and discussed their experience with the AGON! Special thanks to the people who came on the show with us: Alex Guer...

Send us Fan Mail Joe Gallo, a 4-year veteran of the United States Air Force, joins us to discuss his life and career in the military. Joe talks about significant leaders he had in his career and how they helped him unlock his true potential and help mold him into the person he is today.  Instagram: @realjoeygallo and @lyftyourself Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Vincent Ruiz, LPC joins us to discuss his 12 year career in the United States Army. Vince’s story is intense as he describes his battle with addiction and PTSD, but is ultimately a story of redemption as he now works as a therapist helping others battle similar issues. IG: Vincent_Americo Company site: https://www.thehhour.com/ email: Vince@thehhour.com Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Green Beret Bill Anthes is a former guest of the show as the owner of BTWN The Ears. Bill discusses his pre-military life in sports and his desire to pursue something greater than himself. After enlisting in the military, he decided to pursue a career in special forces and ultimately went through the training to become a Green Beret. His life after the military has not always been...

Send us Fan Mail Chef Mickey Chopra, owner of i2i Fusion Restaurant in Boonton, has food in his blood. Coming from a family involved in the culinary industry, Mickey worked in corporate food entities for many years before eventually opening up his own place. He bought a pizza shop on the main road in Boonton and wanted to add his own flare onto the cuisine and differentiate his restaurant from the...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine having access to both live and on-demand fitness classes with a supportive community and an instructor who consistently has your best interests in mind. That is exactly what FLK Method provides. It's founder, Fit Like Krys, takes us through her early life of being diagnosed with a medical issue, working in the nightlife industry, not taking great care of herself, and...