Nesconset's Gina Coletti - "I Love Nesconset"

By Dana Klosner

Gina ColettiNesconset resident Gina Coletti was honored by Republican Caucus Chairman John M. Kennedy, Jr. as the Suffolk County Woman of the year at a meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature in March.

For Coletti, former president of the Nesconset Chamber of Commerce for the last two years and board member for the last 10 years, being a community activist comes naturally.

“I’ve always been a community oriented person,” she said. “I take pride in the town I live in. I always want to improve it so I became involved in the chamber.”

Coletti has been an integral part of Nesconset. She played an integral role in the creation of the Nesconset Gazebo Park, the Nesconset Toner Water Park, the completion of the Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization Project and improvements along Smithtown Boulevard, including a Decorative Streetlight Project. 

Of all these, she considers the completion of the Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization Project her biggest accomplishment, she said.

“[I’m proud of] all the improvements along Smithtown Boulevards especially the decorative streetlight project.  From Mayfair to Southern Boulevard there are decorative streetlights, banners and sponsor tags which are where businesses have the opportunity to sponsor a street light and put their business name on a pole. During the holidays the downtown area is decorated with garland wraps and lights. It completely changes the ambiance on the street. It defines the downtown area, the stretch of business area in front of the gazebo,” she said.

The implementations of the gazebo and Toner Park behind the library are also accomplishments that make her proud. 

“It’s [Toner Park] got playgrounds, a water park and tennis courts. It’s really become the hub of the town where all the families go. There’s a concert series in the gazebo, and kids play ball on the field. I was a part of the planning of the park by being a member of the chamber. Senator Flanagan asked us for a vision of what we thought the land could be. Nesconset needed a park. I suggested the water park. Smithtown had one water park that was at Hoyt Park in Commack, we needed one of the east side. It’s great for people that don’t have pools and want their kids to run in the water in a safe place. The library used to be the old armory. It was just an eyesore. Now we created the whole park, with a walking and biking trail. It’s just a nice place to be.”

And after working with the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, there are now medians along Smithtown Boulevard to slow traffic down. 

“There’s so much more volume with the library and the park, it became a little dangerous, so the medians slow traffic down,” she said. 

In the future on Smithtown Boulevard there will be more work done closer to the library. Under discussion is a traffic light, a median and a handicap ramp. There might be curb cuts which would make it much easier for people in wheelchairs and handicapped people to get across the road, she said. 

Also in the future, Coletti hopes to lengthen the decorative streetlight footprint to hopefully stretch to Lake Avenue. 

Coletti also helps run the Beautification Gala, Casino Nights, Craft Fairs, 5K runs, and the Menorah and Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, all making Nesconset a better place to live, she said. 

What motivates Coletti to work so hard?

“I love Nesconset,” she said. “It’s a very family oriented community. It’s a nice place to raise a family. It’s a close knit group of people. There are so many community oriented events that create the feeling of closeness. It’s got great schools and a great neighborhood feeling.”

In addition to her role in the Nesconset Chamber of Commerce Coletti sits on three Suffolk County panels.

She represents Legislator John Kennedy for the 12^th Legislative District on the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning Downtown Revitalization Citizen’s Advisory Panel. When she won the Suffolk County Woman of the Year Award she was sworn in on the Suffolk County Women’s Advisory Board also representing Legislator Kennedy. She is on the Suffolk County Lake Ronkonkoma Advisory Board, again representing Legislator Kennedy. 

With the Chamber she runs a fundraiser for the Girls Athletic League called “LAX for M.E. and the G.A.L.S.” which benefits the Maurer Foundation for Breast Health and the Girls Athletic League of Smithtown.

She sits on the board at Stony Brook Medicine for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, where she is a committee chair.

She is the co-founder and board member of the North Shore – LIJ Health System’s Monter Cancer Center.

She has also run her own golf outing for 20 years which benefits the Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center and the North Shore LIJ Health System.

She is also committee chair and elected mentor for the Smithtown Industry Advisory Board which is part of the Smithtown Central School District. The board acts as a liaison between students, schools and companies where they offer students internships and career planning. The board works closely with the DECA clubs at the schools.  

With a 20 year successful banking and finance career with Citigroup, Coletti transitioned into the real estate industry, holding both a New York State license as a Real Estate Appraiser and a Real Estate Salesperson.  She currently works for Smith & DeGroat Real Estate who has offices in Hauppauge and Mineola.  She is also an independent consultant for Rodan & Field Dermatologists. 

Gina Coletti lives in Nesconset with her husband Robert and her daughters Jaclyn and Lauren who will both be attending Great Hollow Middle School in the fall. 

Smithtown Dish - Small Bites Of Foodie News - Openings And Closings

Smithtown Dish – small bites of foodie news

By Nancy Vallarella 

Openings and Closings

Azafran, 430 N. Country Road in Saint James, has opened, and the word on it in town is positive.  Residents are pleased with their Columbian fare.  It looks like this family restaurant offering rotisserie chicken; steaks and seafood dishes is worth a visit.  The décor has remained from prior occupants Attilio’s and Sweet Tomato.

Fairway Market will open their Lake Grove location July 23^rd.

Spuntino, 420 N. Country Road, has rescheduled their opening date to mid-August – early September due to delays.

Sadly joining Café Istanbul in the closings of food establishments on North Country Road is New York Stuffed Cone.  On the bright side, this is a brick and mortar closing only for New York Stuffed Cone. Their artisanal ice cream products will become available on-line. Owner Dave Saracino thanks all of the people who patronized his establishment and will continue to make his products available through on-line ordering. Check NYSC facebook page for updates on new on-line ordering site!

Smithtown Is Grape Territory - Harmony And Whisper Vineyards

By Dana Klosner

(click on photos to enlarge)

Everyone knows the East End of Long Island is home to some world class vineyards, but did you know we have two world class vineyards right in our own backyard? Harmony Vineyards located on Stony Brook Harbor in Head of the Harbor, and Whisper Vineyards in St. James.

Harmony VineyardFor David Acker, owner of Harmony Vineyards, the vineyards give meaning to his life. Not only does it sell wine but all of the profits go to five non-profit organizations all devoted to ending hunger and education. 

“People shouldn’t be hungry,” Acker said. “That’s why we need to teach them the skills to have better lives.” 

The non-profits the winery benefits are: Island Harvest, CITY Harvest, The PinkRock – which funds uninsured and underinsured women being treated for or surviving breast cancer, The Stony Brook Foundation – which provides scholarships for students attending Stony Brook University, and a school in East Africa called The East African Center for the Empowerment of Women and Children (EAC). The EAC helps communities achieve empowerment by increasing literacy for women and children, improving health status and eradicating poverty. Currently the EAC is building a school building in Eastern Kenya called The Harmony Resource Center.

Harmony VineyardThe vineyard got its start in 1999 when Acker purchased a historic mansion, circa 1690 and moved it to the street.

“It was meticulously restored from 2010-2012 by Harmony with Harmony staff,” he said. “It now serves as a pastoral backdrop for the vineyard and a seating area. It overlooks the Chardonnay block.” 

“We planted a prepatory crop in 2001 and had our first harvest in 2005,” he said. The four acres of grapes included Merlot and Cabernet Franc. In 2002 Chardonnay was planted. 

The vineyard opened in 2012 with 11 vintages between reds and whites, he said. His signature wines include a White Chablis style Chardonnay and a Bordeaux style red blend from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Being the only vineyard on Long Island on the waterfront has its advantages, he said. 

“Our buds break about two weeks earlier than the North Fork because it is slightly warmer,” Acker said. “And it is windier which means we don’t have to use as many drying agents as are applied on the East End. 

 The Harmony Vineyards tasting room is open Thursday through Sunday year round. There is live music offered on Saturdays and Sundays year round, on Fridays guests can enjoy trivia night and in the summer on Thursday nights a movie is shown on a three story high screen. The tasting room also serves as an art gallery. 

Whisper VineyardWhisper Vineyards owned and operated by sisters Laura Gallagher and Barbara Perrotta and Laura’s husband Steve Gallagher can trace their family’s farming roots back to 1945 when the sisters’ father Joseph Borella rented the 53 acre farm currently known as Borella’s farms. He purchased the property in 1950. 

Currently the farm has 18 acres of ground allocated to the vineyard and 14 acres of those are planted. The vineyard grows Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Merlots, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and others. 

“We have climate conditions to produce world class grapes,” Stephen Gallagher said. As a matter of fact the vineyard took a bronze medal in the Chardonnay division in the International Finger Lakes Wine Competition, Gallagher said. That competition includes over 3,756 wines from 887 wineries, from 20 countries, 6 Canadian Provinces and all 50 US states. 

Whisper Vineyard“The Borellas were originally potato farmers,” Gallagher said. “But when it came to the point where a bag of ice cost more than a bag of potatoes they realized they needed to diversify. They started growing all the other vegetables.”

Stephen Gallagher joined the family farm in 1986.

“We were looking to diversify because of changes in the economic structure,” he said. He began extensive research into vineyards, wine and winery production. 

“After six years of research of clones and the climate and the varietal of wine grapes the family planted their first clones in 2004,” he said. The first harvest was in 2007 and the family has been bottling wine since 2010.

The Whisper Vineyards tasting room is open Wednesday through Saturday 12-7, on Sunday until 6 and on Friday 1-8. 

Smithtown Dish – small bites of foodie news

By Nancy Vallarella 

S U M M E R  C O NT E S T S

Bartenders from Montauk to Manhattan are currently competing in Edible’s Great Summer Cocktail Contest. Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000 and a trunk full of bartending tools and glassware.

Butera’s bartender and Smithtown resident Ryan O’Toole is competing with his entry Strawberry Hendrick’s Fizz Float & The Cooler. For the recipes and to vote: 

http://contest.ediblemanhattan.com/bartender/ryan-otoole/

Fairway Market Lake Grove Grand Opening Giveaway – Opening late July, Fairway Market, Lake Grove is giving away one $1,000 gift card, four V.I.P. tickets to the Grand Opening, four bags of Fairway coffee and four Best of Fairway gift baskets. To enter:

https://www.facebook.com/FairwayMarket?v=app_610925878965605&app_data=gaReferrerOverride%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252F 

The Nesconset Farmer’s Market is giving away one copy of the Hampton’s and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook signed by the author. On Saturdays, between 9am - 1:00pm during the month of July, stop by the market  manager’s booth and sign up by providing your name and email.  Winner will be announced on July 26^th. 

Theater Review - "Mary Poppins"

THEATER REVIEW

“Mary Poppins”

Produced by: The Gateway Theater – Bellport - Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur

The year 1964 saw an amazing event in motion pictures. Julie Andrews (with a hefty assist from Dick Van Dyke) introduced a beloved idol to children the world over—her name, of course, is ‘Mary Poppins,’ and the magical nanny endeared herself instantly to moviegoers of all ages. It was hardly surprising, then, that London’s West End ultimately produced a stage version in 2004 … or that Broadway followed with its own rendition in November, 2006.

Now Long Island’s marvelous Gateway Theater has also adapted the Disney film for the stage … and the result at the historic Patchogue Theater is (in the unique Mary Poppins vernacular) ‘Supercali-fragilistic-expiali-docious!’

When reviewing ‘Singin’ In the Rain’ last year, we had reservations whether the famed ‘downpour’ scene of that show’s title could be convincingly done in the beautiful old Patchogue showplace where it (like this production) was presented. We needn’t have worried. The puddly, splashy segment was as well delivered on stage as it had been in the Gene Kelly film.

But could The Gateway match that torrential triumph in mystic Mary’s ‘flying’ sequence, wherein she’s borne aloft by an umbrella endowed with magic carpet capabilities? After all, surviving an artificial rain storm might be one thing—flying above a sold-out audience in Suffolk County’s largest theater is something else again!

But don’t be concerned, dear patrons. The Gateway’s Mary Poppins flies as if born to soar aloft … and one comes away from the performance convinced that there’s no theatrical special effect this production company can’t pull off when they put their minds to it.

Naturally, the gliding parasol sequence, though a cute touch in this enchanting show, is hardly the sum and substance of the iconic musical. The songs make this play what it is. Numbers like ‘A Spoonful of Sugar,’ ‘Feed The Birds,’ (Walt Disney’s favorite song) and the Academy Award winning ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’ have become classics that spin readily from the mouths of youngsters (and yes, adults too) the world over.

Gail Bennett in this extravaganza’s title role is blessed with a lovely voice and stage presence, and she is ably supported by the multi-talented Tony Mansker. He plays Bert, her loyal chimney-sweep friend who, as the lovable cockney-voiced narrator, expertly keeps things moving along. In fact everyone in the superb cast sings, dances and (yes) flies flawlessly, making this ‘Mary Poppins’ yet another in a long list of winning Gateway spectaculars.

Kudos are in order for Director, Shaun Kerrison; Set Designer, Christine Peters, and Choreographer, Lisa Stevens. Child actors Alison Cordaro alternating with Thea Flanzer … and Ethan Eisenberg spelling Nolan Lyons … are absolutely delightful as the often-obstreperous children in the story. And of course, we mustn’t forget the folks who gave that little black umbrella so much lifting power.

Finally, this reviewer, an admitted sucker for colorful period costumes in lavishly lit musicals, was blown away by Rachel Berchtold’s stunning outfits combined with the exquisite lighting design of Kim Hanson. The overall effect is absolutely breathtaking, and a fitting 50^th birthday present for the ever-young Mary Poppins.

The musical runs through July 19^th. Do yourself a favor—call: 631-286-1133

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Award-winning Smithtown writer Jeb Ladouceur is the author of eight novels, and his theater reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. In Ladouceur’s next thriller, “Harvest” due in late summer, an American doctor is forced to perform illegal surgeries for a gang of vital organ traffickers in The Balkans.