Manalapan’s Secret Guard of Cheesecake

In a hidden neighborhood off of Route 33, Eric Nussenbaum  guards a secret. He’s never written it down, never even told his wife, and refuses to let reporters persuade him otherwise. Sure, you can taste his famous cheesecake, but he’ll never, ever tell you what’s in it.

The story went like this: an editor was eating out one night when he tasted a cheesecake that just had to have a story behind it, it was that good. When he asked, said editor found out that local baker Nussenbaum was the man responsible for the light, creamy slice of heaven at the restaurant, and was soon going to be featured on Rachel Ray . He was a local guy, who started his business out of his condominium kitchen, and now supplied restaurants throughout the area. His business started small, but it was beginning to take off.

Not to be scooped by that Food Network-Nancy, I begged Eric to share his recipe with Freehold.InJersey first. He shot me down, but instead invited me to come watch him make the famed cheesecake in the same small kitchen where he started three years ago.

Eric made two cheesecakes that day, and then 37 more for a few special orders for that night. I took some artistic license to taste each of the cakes, from his most famous glazed maraschino cherry to the tart, rich black cherry (my personal favorite.), and the verdict is in: the man’s got a gift.

The cheesecakes were as light and creamy as the best I’ve tasted, but the magic was in the secret ingredients of the crust: something sweet, slightly nutty, maybe a little aromatic. Oh, who am I kidding, I could never guess what was in it. But I’ll keep trying if it means I can keep eating those tasty creations from Eric’s kitchen.

Freehold Township woman missing | APP.com

Police are looking for a missing woman from Freehold Township, according to a story just released by the APP. Margaret Biro, in her 40s, lived in the Stonehurst apartment complex in the Township and was reported missing by one of her neighbors months ago.

She has lived in the area for 10 to 15 years. From the report:

She has worked in the health care field and was last known to operate a 2003 yellow Ford Focus, with the New Jersey license plate number PUX 33X.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts, or who has seen her vehicle, is asked to call Detective William Peace or Detective Sgt Jerry Kiwit at 732-462-7500.

via Freehold Township woman missing | APP.com | Asbury Park Press.

Sport Shorts: Freehold Star Leading Hawks

Freehold Township resident and Monmouth University soccer star Ryan Clark was named Rookie of the Week by the Northeast Conference, his second recognition from the Conference list in three weeks.
Clark helped lead the Hawks to another victory, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 defeat over Loyola last weekend and solidifying his 2nd place ranking in the Conference. He leads the Conference in game-winning goals, and the MU team is now 8-0-0 for the first time in its history.

Candidates Come to Freehold Twp. HS Next Week

The candidates are coming to town: Freehold Township High School. Next Tuesday, Oct. 6, independent candidates Chris Dagget, David Meiswinkle and Jason Cullen, along with reps from the Corzine and Christie campaigns, will attend the school's Second Annual Speaker's Gala.

Independent candidate Chris Dagget.

The evening will focus on the Gubernatorial race, and will feature discussion from the candidates, representatives, and students involved in the Junior State of America program. Students in the organization participate in debates, political fairs, and civic engagement activities throughout they year.

The event is informational, with speakers discussing the complex issues that the next Governor will face during his term.

The event is free and open to the public, and will be held from 7-10PM.

Freehold Township Baseball Coach Steps Down

The Freehold Township Varsity baseball coach has stepped down after 15 seasons, leaving a winning legacy and widespread impact on area baseball.

Head Coach Frank Gualteri finished his career at the high school with 176 wins, 169 losses, and 1 tie. Last Spring, he led the Patriots to the Monmouth County Championship title by beating rival CBA.

The Patriots in May, 2009, after clinching a game over St. Rose that propelled them to the Monmouth County Final. www.allshoremedia.live.subhub.com

Athletic Director Brian Donohue explained that Gualteri's decision to step down came at the end of a great career that helped shape Shore Conference baseball. Gualteri helped coach Little League, and will most likely stay on at the high school as a coach for the freshmen or junior varsity teams.

"He's been here a long time, and he's done a lot of good for the Shore Conference," Donohue said. "And best of all, he went out a winner. We were lucky to have him."

The school has posted a job opening for the position.

Exhibit Shows History of Local Craftsmen and Clients

Beginning Sunday, October 4, the Monmouth County Historical Association will present an exhibit of locally-made antiques, along with documents about the lives and trades of the craftsmen, dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

www.monmouthhistory.org

The exhibit will feature the cabinets, tea sets, ledgers, and more from New Jersey carpenters, silversmiths, and potters. The account books and ledgers will help visitors explore and understand the relationship between crafter and client. Some of the clients include such prominent Freehold families such as the Browns, Holmes, Taylors, Lloyds, Hendricksons, Vanderveers and Schanks.

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Xavier Replaces DeFonzo

Freehold's newest school board member, Daniel Xavier (photo courtesy of Xavier)

Volunteer firefighter and active community member Daniel Xavier was appointed to Andrew DeFonzo's vacated seat on the Freehold school board Tuesday night.

Xavier, who also serves on the Neighborhood Pride Committee, was chosen from a field of three candidates. School board members interviewed the three - Xavier, William Barricelli and David Gillfer - Tuesday night. Questions included what type of skills they could bring to the job and why they wanted to serve on the board.

School board members deliberated in executive session for about 70 minutes before emerging to nominate Xavier.

Call for Bands: Battle of the Bands at VFW

The Freehold VFW is organizing an epic, six month-long Battle of the Bands for local bands and musical acts looking to make it big--and they want you.

The VFW, here in August, already hosts bands every weekend. Now, there will be a prize at stake.

Jason Knight, a musician and Iraqi war veteran, is helping the VFW to create the Underground Music Championship starting November 7 and running bi-monthly at VFWs around the area. On the first and third Saturday of each month, a slew of new bands will be invited to battle it out for the top prize: an invitation to the finals to be held on May 22, 2010--Military Appreciation Day.

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Freehold BOE Interviewing Board Hopefuls Tonight

Freehold school board members will publicly interview candidates for Andrew DeFonzo's vacated seat at tonight's board of education meeting.

The board will have three people to choose from tonight. According to the posted agenda, they are: William Barricelli, Dr. David Gillfer and Daniel Xavier.

Members could reject all three, said Schools Business Administrator Patrick DeGeorge.

But if board members like what they hear from one of the applicants, an appointment could be made tonight.

Today's meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Park Avenue Complex gymnasium, 280 Park Avenue.

Update: Light & Lanes at Gravel Hill in the Distant Future

After we reported a car accident here on Freehold.InJersey, a public outcry and discussion in our comments section asked for answers from public officials: when would this long-problematic intersection be made safe?

We finally tracked down the Monmouth County Engineer, Joseph Ettore, to find out some answers to your questions about the intersection at Route 537 and Gravel Hill Road. Here's the rundown:

Three possible plans, which all include a traffic signal, additional lanes, and property acquisition, have been submitted to Freehold Township for input and a public discussion, planned for sometime this fall. Following the session, the County will have to acquire land from up to ten properties in the vicinity, which could take 12-36 months before construction begins.

Plans for the intersection's makeover began in 2005, following the construction of four developments on Gravel Hill Road in the early 2000s that resulted in a significant increase in traffic.

It was this increase in traffic volume--and not a particularly high accident count--that spurred the evaluation.

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Freemasons Holding Timely Open House

Here's an interesting one, folks. The Freehold Masonic Lodge--the local chapter of the Freemasons--is holding an open house in October. The Freemasons are the largest secret society in the world, and their list of members include some of the most famous founders of our country: George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson.

The Masons are the subject of the new conspiracy-theory book from Dan Brown that was released last week, The Lost Symbol. The book purports that the Masons had a secret plan for America when they founded it, incorporating symbols and codes of Masonry into the design of Washington, D.C. and the dollar bill.

Their history is also deeply intertwined with the Borough. Take a look at the list of leaders and well-knowns in town that were members (from the press release):

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Goodfellas Replaced by San Marzano

A new pizza place and trattoria has opened where an old pizza place and trattoria once stood:

San Marzano Restaurant has officially opened its villa doors in the Hall of Records parking lot, in the location formerly occupied by Goodfellas. The space is still undergoing renovations that started this summer, but the side entrance, pictured above, is open and ready for business. Buon Appetito!

Police Blotter

The report for this week includes no items from the Borough, as the Police Department said there were no items of interest this time around.

Freehold Township

RACEWAY MALL: Francis Soto, 20, of Newark and Kirsy Genao, 18, of Clifton were charged Sept. 16 with receiving stolen property. Patrolman Officer Fil Lao made the arrests.

RACEWAY MALL: A 47-year-old Morganville man was charged Sept. 18 by Patrolman Simonetti with shoplifting $118 in merchandise from Nordstroms.

RACEWAY MALL: A 17-year-old Matawan male was charged Sept. 18 by Patrolman M. Dasilva with shoplifting at Sears.

ROUTE 9: A 24-year-old township man was charged Sept. 19 with shoplifting at Shop Rite. Patrolmen Keith Duncan and Barry Brikowski made the arrest.

RACEWAY MALL: An 18-year-old Jackson woman was charged Sept. 19 with shoplifting at Nordstroms. Patrolmen Davis Jr. and M. Dasilva made the arrest.

OTHER POLICE BUSINESS: Between Sept. 18 and 23 police made four arrests for outstanding warrants.

Bruce Symposium Attracts Hundreds & Rocks Out

According to the Star Ledger, this past weekend's Bruce Springsteen symposium drew hundreds to academic lectures and rock concerts at Monmouth University in West Long Branch.

Eatontown, 9/9/05. Keynote speaker- biographer and writer Dave Marsh speaks at GloryDays: a Bruce Springsteen Symposium.

The first Springsteen symposium was held in 2005 at the college.

From the Ledger:

He said the two events were structured similarly, but talks on subjects like Springsteen's post-2005 music, and how Springsteen's music can be used to help fans get through economically challenging times, help to keep the 2009 version fresh.

Godleski was one of three speakers during a session titled "Springsteen: The Road To Resilience in Hard Times." One of the others was Dennis Charney, dean at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

"I'm a fan," Charney said. "I happen to also be a neuroscientist and a psychiatrist, and run a medical school. But I'm here because I'm a fan.

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Bender propels Colonials

Posted via APP.com:

As an underclassman on Freehold's NJSIAA championship team a year ago, Derrick Bender chipped in with some big plays as a part-time safety. Now Bender is becoming known as an full-time offensive force.

Freehold beat Lakewood 35-0 on Saturday with Bender rushing for 103 yards in the Shore Conference Federal Division game. The junior also took direct snaps when the Colonials (2-1, 1-1) used wildcat packages and he completed a 13-yard pass to tight end Richard Schwartz during a drive in the second quarter that set up a touchdown.

Freehold has depth at quarterback -- senior Martin Corso is the starter and sophomore Kevin Phillips is also in the pipeline -- and Bender said he isn't pressing to have more opportunities to throw the ball.

"That was the second time I completed a pass. It's fun to throw it but my arm isn't as good as (Corso's)," said Bender, who rushed for three touchdowns in the game. "When I get the ball in those types of situations when we need big yardage, my first priority is usually to run it."

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