For the third year in a row, Austin Chili Limits took first place at the Maplewood Chili Cook Off. Jennifer Grady and Jim McDuffee are South Orange neighbors who get together each year to create chili culinary magic. Grady calls herself “Spice Girl” as it is her expertise in spices combined with McDuffee’s smoked brisket […]
In celebration of Black History Month, and sponsored by the Maplewood Division of Art & Culture, BBIA BurkinaBe in Action, Inc., a New Jersey nonprofit organization recently held the fourth edition of its family event “BBCONTES: A Bilingual West African Folktale and Storytelling Workshop for families” at The Woodland. BBCONTES objectives are to promote West […]
The Seeing Eye is actively recruiting puppy raising volunteers in Essex County. The Seeing Eye is a non-profit organization that breeds, raises and trains service dogs for people who are blind in the United States and Canada. The dogs are bred at the organizations Morris County headquarters and then volunteers foster and raise puppies for […]
The 2025 Wharton Arts Education Award will be presented to Maplewood resident Tricia Tunstall on April 10. “It’s wonderful,” said Tunstall. “I haven’t had a recognition like that before in my life. It’s particularly wonderful it comes from Wharton Arts. I’ve been a fan of that organization for a while. I’ve been involved with them […]
Black women in New Jersey played a crucial role in the civil rights movement. This fascinating history was the subject of a presentation given by Professor Hettie V. Williams, author of “The Georgia of the North: Black Women and the Civil Rights Movement in New Jersey.” The event was presented by The Durand-Hedden House in […]
The West Orange based Jewish Foundation for the Righteous recently had its annual Advanced Seminar at the Hilton Newark Airport. The JFR selected 21 middle and high school teachers and Holocaust center staff from five states to participate in its 2025 Advanced Seminar—an intensive two-day academic program that explores several topics addressing the history of […]
Andrea Teutli, who has more than 17 years of experience in artistic programming, public art installations, and leading community engagement initiatives, is the new manager of arts and culture in Maplewood. “All the knowledge I have from everything I learned so far, let’s bring it back to our local communities,” Teutli said. “So many emerging […]
In celebration of Black History Month, the 1978 Arts Center is featuring “Ancestral Call” with artist Danielle Scott. Scott, who now works in mixed-media assemblage, spent 20 years as an oil painter but her career shifted unexpectedly in 2018 as she walked the streets of one of her ancestral homelands, Cuba. The walk started her […]
Jessica Lituchy and Stephanie Shiau began the SOMA Fox Running Club (SFRC) in 2021 after another club they belonged to shut down during Covid. “We wanted to create something new,” said Lituchy, who was living in Maplewood at the time and recently moved to East Hanover. The name originated with some fox-themed wallpaper that was […]
Justin Grant’s journey to writing his book began more than 20 years ago after a favorite uncle died. “The guy that I looked up to,” said Grant. “My uncle was a senior executive at Johnson & Johnson. He had a heart ailment at 48.” When Grant followed his uncle’s path, he experienced the stress […]