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RED BANK: A CORKER OF A BENEFIT, FOR RBPL

Susan Haugenes Kim LevinSusan Haugenes — pictured here jamming with hyperlocal luminaries The Haven — entertains during a Tuesday night Wine Tasting Benefit for the Red Bank Public Library. (Photo by Kim Levin)

It was about a year ago that the nonprofit Foundation for the Red Bank Public Library — in an effort to re-stabilize the beleaguered biblioteque during a challenging interlude in its long history — uncorked a fundraising vehicle of rare and winning vintage: a Wine Tasting Benefit that paired the holiday-season recommendations of Rumson’s own “Cork Maven” Kristi Nero with the complementary curd suggestions of Cheese Cave proprietor Stephen Catania.

On Tuesday, November 11, the festive sounds of popping and pouring will reverberate throughout the normally hushed corners of the historic Eisner Library building, when the Wine Tasting event returns for a second annual edition. Scheduled to run between 7 and 9:30 pm, the event will spotlight a selection of Faustini Wines from the winery’s Red Bank tasting room, in happy partnership with artisanal cheeses from the borough-based Cave. Also on hand will be hors d’oeuvres, sweets, a 50/50 raffle and locally sourced live music.

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RED BANK: BEER & CHEESE PAIR UP AT MOLLY

mollypitcher (1)A serendipitous sandwich order led to an event that will feature Belgian-style brews and cheeses from the Cheese Cave at Red Bank’s Molly Pitcher Inn this month. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

By JIM WILLIS

Man’s fortunate discovery of the delicious results of fermentation, e.g. beer, wine and cheese, had a lot to do with luck, good timing and happenstance.

So too, Sunday’s Beer and Cheese tasting event at the Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank had everything to do with good timing and a serendipitous sandwich order.

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RED BANK: A ZESTY NEW NEIGHBOR

spice 2PieHole happened to be on the scene when Red Bank’s new sugar and spice purveyor came looking to give away some lemons leftover from a morning of zesting. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

By JIM WILLIS

While out foraging in downtown Red Bank earlier this week, PieHole happened upon a curious giveaway.

“We were dehydrating lemons this morning to make lemon zest,” says Howard Bernstein, carrying a hefty bag of skinned lemons, “and we have no use for the rest of the lemons.”

Bernstein tells PieHole he’s “just waiting on permits” to open his new shop, the Spice & Tea Exchange, on Monmouth Street. He hopes to be opened by Thursday of next week, and is prepping ingredients for the spice blends he’ll be selling.

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CHEF OPENS CHEESE ‘CAVE’ ON MONMOUTH

stephen-cataniaStephen Catania will open the doors to The Cheese Cave Saturday. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

Stephen Catania says it’s a wide world of cheeses out there, and every cheese has a story: where it came from, the family or company that produced it, how it was made.

His job, as he sees it, is to introduce you to that world and tell you those stories.

Catania will do that through his latest venture, The Cheese Cave, set to open its doors in Red Bank Saturday morning.

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