Editor's Note: This article first appeared on Maplewood Patch on April 17, 2011. Here, thanks to the very generous Caryn Emmons, is the recipe for her insanely delicious Matzoh Crunch just in time for Passover preparation. We ran the recipe last December for Hanukkah, despite the fact that that was the wrong Jewish holiday (hey, there are, what, 78 of them anyway?), but we couldn't help ourselves.... "It's very easy," emailed a far too modest Caryn before sharing the below recipe: Ingredients: 1/2 lb matzohs 1 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar  ½ tsp vanilla extract 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips…

Maplewood Village has earned a great reputation for hosting groovy Girls Night Out events in the past, and tonight’s shopping soiree hopes to add to our claim to commerce fame. “Over 20 businesses are participating including Cactus Charly, No. 165, Lotus Petals, Shed - the eclectic home, Hopscotch, Perch Home, Coda, Tenth Muse Gallery and more,” says Michele Bessey, owner of Perch.  “Join us for fun promotions and discounts throughout the Village from 6 – 9 p.m.” Over on Baker, the street was bustling with activity preparing for the fashionista focused event: “This is our first ‘Girls Night …

A sun-kissed stroll through the town yesterday yielded some super reasons to drop by the delightful Fall Market happening today from 12-5pm in Maplewood Village. From deal, demos, tastings and terrific incentives you can happily spend your Saturday enjoying the best our local merchants, artists and eateries have to offer. Here’s a sneak peek of stops you won’t want to miss today: ABLE BAKER - Awww, yeah! Maplewood’s most eagerly anticipated opening is FINALLY upon us, ready or not: “We still have lots to do,” says a surprisingly calm, cool and collected Julie Pauly (while the ingenious Paul …

Chris Dickson and his rollicking Rent Party cohorts have been conspiring to knock out hunger in our community for three years now. Since 2009, the music-filled, hunger–fighting events have raised over $20,000 to support local efforts to provide food to those in need and increase awareness about hunger in Maplewood and South Orange. Today, as testament to the terrific work this wonderful group has managed to accomplish, they’re launching their first ever self-sponsored program: BackPack Pals: The program aims to provide kid-friendly, shelf-stable food to in-need children in SOMA schools. Items…

Sometimes clarity starts at home. I’d read the chicken coop threads, intertwined with rat rants, with somewhat detached amusement: Chickens and rats?! Humph! NOT in MY backyard! Flash forward to two nights ago when the motion sensor overlooking our driveway kept flashing on. At first I didn’t know what to expect when my husband turned from the window wearing an expression I’d expect if our ten-year old daughter asked for permission to date or if I’d barfed on his shoes, but when I scurried to his side in time to see a RAT scurrying along the side of our garbage canister bin I understood. …

On October 1 at 9 a.m., a bevy of bold, brave gals will gather at Floods Hill in South Orange to show their support (and undergarments) for breast cancer awareness. The ‘Undress for Success’ event hopes to bring together hundreds of women who will take off their tops to pose in white bras for a frontal flashing ‘flash mob’ photo op that will be chronicled by acclaimed photographer – and Maplewoodian - Elizabeth Fleming. The bra-zilliant idea is the brain child of Lori Dalvi, a longtime Komen North Jersey supporter and co-captain of “SOMA Gals”, a team made up of members from our two towns …

Ever since the closing of Kari's Cafe the coveted spot at the corner of Prospect and Springfield has been generating speculation and attracting attention: What’s going in there? And when?! Well, the good news is that the space quickly changed hands and the hands on the helm of 1883 Springfield Avenue seem quite capable, confident and ambitious, indeed: The spot will now house two gourmet businesses under its roof:  the front will be Edo’s Quality Cakes - a retail operation, specializing in high end fondant cake creations and an abundance of high end pastries - the likes of which our town’s …

Irene, schmirene. Looks like Maplewood Village is mostly open for business today. Word from Julie Doran of the Maplewood Village Alliance is that many merchants are keeping regular hours. Here’s a partial list: Open - Baker Street Yoga, Bill & Harry's, Cactus Charly, Crane's, Geralyn's Art Studio, Hopscotch, Jerry Rose, Keller Williams, Kings Super Market, Maplewood Cinema, Coldwell Banker, No. 165, Scriveners, Strawberry Fields, Village Barbers, Village Coffee, Village Wine, Wild Ginger and Words Open Dinner Only – Arturo’s, Coda Closed: Shed; Acting with Emily; MR Personal Training, Valley …

No way around it, that Irene’s one major wet blanket and raining on just about everyone’s parade this weekend. While she may have motivated many to swarm to stores for supplies, she’s now causing some local shops to shutter up early Saturday and stay shut Sunday, too. Julie Doran of Maplewood's Village Alliance has helped provide Patch with a partial listing of local places altering their hours of operation. (Some plans are pending and we’ll try to keep the status as up to date as possible – or as current as Irene allows!) Arturo’s will be closed all day Sunday and Monday for lunch, re-…

Fans of sweet flavors rejoice: you’ve got another choice in town to tame your munchies and cold confection cravings. Strawberry Fields quietly opened yesterday to little fanfare but, by the looks of the turnout today, many new fans. “It’s great to have another option to head to for a snack or desert,” said Kim Rosen, accompanied by her two wee yogurt aficionados – and twins – Jason and Rachel: “I like the gummy bears best,” said Rachel, adorable mouth happily brimming with the fruits of her self-serve selections. “I like it, too,” concurred her fraternal cohort, and fellow four-year old, …

As of late, the rumor mill’s been churning with chatter of Crane’s going up for sale. To cut through the buzz ‘About Town’ made a beeline for the Big Cheese himself, Mr. Steve Crane: “It’s not a rumor,” reports Crane, with signature straightforwardness. “It is what it is; I’ve put it up for sale and we’ll see what happens.” The reason? After six years as a Maplewood Avenue mainstay, Crane’s the business is viable, but Crane the man is tired: “When I first opened I had a partner and we were open until 8 at night,” says Steve. “Once I was on my own, with the downturn in the economy, we started …

Vixen6, the newly opened luxury lingerie boutique at 1919 Springfield Avenue is inviting local ladies to join them this evening, Saturday August 6, from 7 – 9, for cocktails and red hot tips for spicing up the boudoir. Eliza Dubai, the gorgeous owner is a styling guru when it comes to seductive fashions and is also the author of ‘Bedroom Basics’ a how-to guide for all things romantic – in a racy way! Sooooo, if you’re looking for some sassy, savvy ways to make summer evenings even more sizzling (matching sets of sweet nothings start as low as $20 and even hand-made custom European pieces are …

Update: Some late breaking Springfield Avenue business news! A sign for Dancers Pointe has gone up in Stories in Motion's window. Classes starting October 1. Story to come! Since its ribbon cutting opening in April, Kocafe has been chugging along at 1908 Springfield Avenue with flavored coffee and Peruvian inspired cuisine. While it enjoyed a buzz-worthy welcome to Maplewood’s café and eatery scene, it is still hoping to connect with more coffee lovers looking for a home base. “We’ve had a great response from a lot of new and repeat customers,” says owner Anthony Escribens, who has been has …

Talk about a buzz kill for Maplewood caffeine aficionados: Kari Capone will be pouring her last cup and shutting down her Cafe at the end of this month. “This has been in the works for a while, but I was hoping to last through the summer,” confides Capone, whose trials and tribulations to keep the business viable have been well publicized on Patch. While there was no ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ per se, there was the back-breaking reality of working 60-hour weeks for naught. “I’ve been walking around with a huge knot in my shoulders and neck pain,” says Kari. “I just came to the point …

The first thing you might notice walking into the newest entry into the Maplewood eatery scene is a familiar face: many will recognize the lovely and outgoing owner Sophia Dong from another popular restaurant in town (she'd rather not dish on which one). With Wild Ginger, Dong realizes a long-time dream of opening her own place — an ambition embodied in the name she chose: “I wanted it to be catchy and special,” she cheerfully explains, but don’t let her youthful enthusiasm fool you — she knows exactly what she’s doing. “I really grew up in the industry,” she says. “I’ve been working in …

Craving some scoop on when Julie Pauly will be back to baking and opening up her eagerly awaited Maplewood Avenue shop? You’re not alone: “I’m really looking forward to having an actual answer for the question of when I’m opening,” says Pauly, who jokes it’s gotten to the point where she’s turning down social invites for fear of fielding the query from any more Maplewoodians. Well, wait no more, my fellow Able Bakeraholics, About Town’s got a hearty helping of info for you, and we’re not talking crumbs! Turns out a pipe leak Memorial Day weekend brought construction to a soggy halt for a bit…

Springfield Avenue will be awash in the sultry sounds of summer as Churrasco Restauranthosts a fabulous night of Flamenco Dance this evening starting at 7 p.m. “It’s going to be a celebration of great food, music and dance,” says Rosie, one of the owners. “We hope to see you!” Flamenco, the genre of music and dance which originated in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia in the 18th century, is not to be confused with the flamingo, which in addition a being a gregarious member of the Phoenicopteridae family of tropical birds has been popping up in plastic form on lawns about town… Anyway…

Aww yeah, we're gonna help bump you over the end of school slump with a serious serving of delicious dish on some of the most anticipated openings and offerings in town: iLand Breeze – The taste of the tropics radiate from this menu of this scrumptious Springfield Avenue joint with such force you nearly need SPF to read it. The big story here? The tweaks made just in time for fun in the summer sun: “We’re going with bolder, more exciting flavors in lighter dishes,” says stunning chef/owner Avalia Moore. “People crave lighter, less heavy fare for the hotter weather, so we’re adding offerings …

Maplewood Village with be teaming with vixens this evening as our marvelous merchants host town’s 4th Annual Girls Night Out – a shopping soiree sponsored by Anthony Garubo Salon and Maplewood Patch. "Our merchants are really going all out for this one,” says a very, very busy Julie Doran of the Village Alliance. “Between the music, swag bags, special events and the stellar forecast I am really looking forward to a great night." (Um, did your eyes come to a screeching halt on ‘swag bag’, too? Here’s the scoop - early birds get the loot: the first 200 guests to sign up to participate this …

As temperatures rise on this glorious day, let’s hope our town’s voter turnout does, too: I’m all for making it a rule that you can’t complain about Maplewood taxes and politics if you don’t vote. Really! You wanna wax ecstatic at backyard barbeques about what you want to change around here? Then get out and VOTE already! ‘Nough said. Calling All Maplewood Village Vixens! Maplewood Village is ramping up for another Girls Night Out (Thursday, June 16th starting at 6PM!) and Julie Doran, Manager of the Village Alliance says it’s sure to be a doozy: “Leave the kids with your husband, partner or …