Fashion Stylings of the 10 and under

Child-friendly salons put new twist on style trends

Monday, May 26, 2008
Last updated: Monday May 26, 2008, EDT 8:38 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Julia Favaro of Demarest sits marvelously still for a 3-year-old.

Left: Ivelisse Vargas, 3, watches Dora the Explorer as stylist Sara Pakzad gives her a French braid. Photo by staff photographer Danielle Richards.

Hairstylist Sara Pakzad pats down Julia's newly shorn bob, then produces a short, fat brush half the size of the child's head. She dusts off the smiling girl and helps her out of her cloak. Julia holds her arms out to Pakzad to be picked up.

Julia "loves getting her hair done," said her mom, Christine Favaro. She fingered the small braid on her daughter's head. "She only lets Sarah do this — not me."

Julia has been getting her hair cut by Pakzad at David Alan's Cuts for Kids in Paramus for more than half of her young life. She's one of many North Jersey kids who may never experience what was once a staple of childhood: Mom's kitchen-sink bowl cuts.

These days, whether they're sporting haircuts that imitate Mommy and Daddy, or hairdos that resemble teen sensations like Hannah Montana or Zack and Cody, kids are stylin'. Along with the boom in children's clothing and products, professional hairstyling has become yet another part of the modern child's landscape. Babies as young as a few months old are getting their heads buzzed.

"The kids look good earlier and earlier nowadays," said Jennifer Bilek, founder of Get Coiffed, a Manhattan-based hairstyling business that offers in-home children's haircuts. Though most of her clientele consists of higher-income families, she believes that this is the next wave in hair styling.

"Especially in the urban areas, you can have a 6-month-old dressed to the nines. ... The whole children's industry is still in explosion."

Stylish offspring

Bilek said the attention being paid to children's hair comes part and parcel with a parental obsession to have stylish-looking offspring. And lest you think that it's just the parents, don't be fooled: Kids know exactly what they want.

Picture: Hannah Montana, aka Miley Cyrus.

"They bring pictures in, they say I want to look like him or her," said Chuck Moschetto, owner of Charlie's Kids Salon in Paramus. Idols from the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon media empires like the Jonas Brothers and the "High School Musical" characters inspire waves of pint-sized imitators.

To be sure, salons like David Alan's Cuts for Kids, owned by David Perlman, are not new: Perlman opened the child-friendly storefront 18 years ago. But kid-focused salon franchises like Snip-its have become popular in recent years: Thirty-one stores out of 60 opened between 2004 and 2005, including a Rockaway branch. Until 2002, the franchise business had only five salons.

Each Snip-its has colorful, eye-catching décor and branded characters designed by an animator, as well as a Magic Box with prizes at the end of the haircut. Stylists distract and entertain children by blowing soap bubbles, said Rockaway manager Dinah Janowski.

Recognizing that cutting kids' hair can be big business (haircuts can range from $15 to $25), salon owners are starting to cater to the younger set.

In recent years, some salons have added birthday parties to their list of services. Snip-its hosts "glamour" parties, where girls get the beauty salon treatment, then walk down a red carpet in a mini fashion show. Perlman will soon introduce "makeover" parties, where girls can get clip-on hair extensions, re-creating the Hannah Montana look.

An emphasis on fun

Kids are still kids, though, so the emphasis is on creating a fun, comfortable environment. In order to keep children seated, kid-friendly salons are usually full of distractions such as televisions, video games, toys and candy. They also try to hire stylists with an essential virtue: patience.

"Kids are scared of noises, like the [clippers]," said David Alan's stylist Philip Teresi. "They see this machine come out, and they think their heads are going to be chopped off. So I put it against my hand and show them that there's no boo-boo."

David Alan's Cuts for Kids has themed seating that suggests being on safari, or being a ballerina or baseball player. There are seats designed to look like Jeeps and even a giant stuffed giraffe. But Julia knows the best part: It comes after every haircut.

"Lollipop and balloon!" she said, walking toward the balloon station.

Ryan Balatbat of Waldwick, 2, has a different goal in mind. After his cut, he heads straight for the Thomas the Tank Engine train set. He and his older brother, 4-year-old Patrick, get haircuts every five weeks. He knows his way around David Alan's.

"My oldest son didn't get professional cuts until he was 3," said mother Kathy Balatbat, watching her son out of the corner of her eye as she stood at the cash register. "My husband used to cut it ... but here they're really 1-2-3. Both of them are done in half an hour."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Steaks...Made of Eggplant

Eggplant steaks with teriyaki marinade and dipping sauce

Monday, May 26, 2008
Last updated: Monday May 26, 2008, EDT 8:54 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"The New Vegetarian Grill," by Andrea Chesman (The Harvard Common Press, 2008)

Veggie burgers won't be the only vegetarian fare on the grill for today's Memorial Day gathering. Andrea Chesman's collection shows you how to grill everything from artichokes to plantains to the eggplant steaks below. Vegetables, unlike meat, contain no fat and must be brushed with oil or marinade. But, with the exception of eggplant and mushrooms, they don't need time to soak it in. Caramelizing in the vegetable skin and in the surface applied marinade will create a "nicely brown, slightly crunchy exterior," Chesman writes.

— Evelyn Shih

1 medium-size eggplant, peeled and sliced an inch thick
1/2 cup teriyaki marinade and dipping sauce, recipe follows
Prepare a medium hot fire in the grill.

In a shallow bowl, combine the eggplant and the marinade. Toss well to coat. Let the eggplant stand for at least 15 minutes to absorb the marinade.

Grill the eggplant, turning occasionally, until tender and grill-marked, about 10 minutes. The eggplant should be slightly crusty on the outside but soft and moist inside. Serve hot.

Servings: 4.

Per serving: 93 calories, 3 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, no cholesterol, 15 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 511 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sesame and canola oils. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tamari, sherry, brown sugar and lime juice. Bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, mix together the orange juice and cornstarch until smooth. Stir it into the tamari mixture and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Use immediately or store in a refrigerated airtight container for up to one week.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups.

Weekend bikers are a far cry from Hell’s Angels

Saturday, May 24, 2008
Last updated: Saturday May 24, 2008, EDT 8:13 PM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Staff Writer

Raymond Brunelle of Upper Saddle River is vice president of a Chicago-based food packaging company, but he has something to look forward to during the workweek in the Windy City. Every weekend, Brunelle flies home to North Jersey, dons a leather jacket and rides the region’s twisty back roads on his sports bike.

Picture: ALDO MARTINEZ Jr. / SPECIAL TO THE RECORD

“Why do some people play golf every week?” said Brunelle when asked why he goes to such lengths to ride his motorcycle. “Instead of playing golf, I ride.”

Gone are the days when motorcycle riding was equated with skull-and-wings insignias or long hair. Today, North Jersey motorcycle enthusiasts rarely fit the traditional stereotype of The Biker: They range from single moms to Wall Street traders to computer programmers. Many are baby boomers who choose biking as a lifestyle or hobby — not for an identity or a gang affiliation.

A new breed of cyclist takes to the road for pure enjoyment and “the mastery of it,” said Brunelle, 50, who leads a group of local sports bikers from April to October on two-hour rides that can cover up to 80 miles.

And weekends are their thing.

Teaneck resident Dwayne Pierce, who got his first bike almost two decades ago, said that in recent years the Internet has enabled riders of all stripes – from owners of pricey Harley Davidsons to fans of powerful sport bikes, the young to the middle aged, men and women – to connect and ride in weekend groups.

“When you’re riding on your own, it’s you and 300 cars,” said Pierce, 46, an insurance company sales representative who stopped riding for two years after he got married, but resumed when “the feeling came back.

“When you’re riding together, people know you’re there.”

Group rides are simultaneously a solitary act — each rider on his or her own vehicle — and an exercise in group movement. Good organization is key to group rides, said Jerry Volpe of Ramsey. He should know.

Seals friendships

Volpe, a retired elementary and middle school music teacher, rode a motorbike for the first time on his honeymoon in Bermuda 11 years ago and got his New Jersey motorcycle license on a whim. Today, though, he is a road captain in one of the local Harley Owners Groups (or HOGs), which organize informal weekly weekend “meet-ups” that can swell to as many as 60 riders.

“If we want to move into the left lane, I’ll tell the rear captain,” said Volpe, 61, referring to a rider at the end of the pack. “He’ll move to the left lane to block it off, then signal me. I’ll check my mirror to make sure it’s OK, signal, and move the whole group over.”

Whether it’s the effect of group-think or the simple joy of pulling off a beautiful ride with a convoy of bikers, you grow closer to people after you ride together, said Volpe and others. Pierce, for example, recently attended the wedding of a friend he met through weekend rides.

“It’s social also, when you’re off the bike,” he said. “You become close friends with many of your riding buddies.”

On a more public level, bikers band together to organize charity rides, such as the FealGood Foundation benefit on May 10, which paid tribute to those who perished on 9/11. Sponsored by the Bergen County Harley-Davidson/Buell dealership in Rochelle Park, the ride involved hundreds of cyclists and briefly closed the George Washington Bridge .

Women bikers

Local bikers also come together in faith: One of the region’s largest mass bike blessings was held earlier this month by the Christian Riders Motorcycle Club at St. John’s Church in Paterson.

Image: A "biker chick," courtesy of Spaceg.com.

“I’ve never met a bad person biking,” said Diane DiSavino of Pompton Plains, a former road captain for an all-woman riding group called the Riding Divas. She’s currently a member of the Ladies of Harley and takes trips as far as Milwaukee and Myrtle Beach, S.C. She also sees riding as a more informal tool for socializing.

“Want to meet the ladies for ice cream? Make it 8 o’clock,” she said. “Let’s go.”

A former passenger on her ex-husband’s Harley, DiSavino is one of a burgeoning number of North Jersey women moving into the driver’s seat. Nationwide, women make up a projected 11 to 12 percent of all motorcycle owners in 2008, and their numbers are growing.

DiSavino, who quit her job in January as a mortgage underwriter to join the Bergen Harley-Davidson/Buell dealership staff, finds women-only rides helpful because some female riders can be intimidated by men.

“I see couples walk in, and if the woman looks interested, the husband or boyfriend will be like, ‘Are you crazy? You can’t do that,’ÿ” said DiSavino, who runs a motorcycle safety course. Often, the woman customer will leave, and some come back – alone.

She herself loves everything about biking, down to its superstitions – like the rider’s bell. “When a new rider gets a bike, someone has to get them a bell to hang from the bike – they can’t get it themselves,” DiSavino said. “It wards off the road demons.”

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Black Humor

Eddie Griffin's outspoken comedy

Friday, May 23, 2008
Last updated: Friday May 23, 2008, EDT 7:04 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Funnyman and actor Eddie Griffin will be taking over Carolines on Broadway this weekend, the first time he will perform at the New York comedy club. Though he has already conquered the movie theater ("Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo," "John Q") and television ("Malcolm and Eddie"), he still performs stand-up comedy on a weekly basis.

Griffin has also signed on to star in a new reality show on VH1 about his life, tentatively titled "Eddie Griffin Goes for Broke" and scheduled to start airing in 2009. He took time off his busy schedule to talk about his life and his comedy.

Q. What will your new show be like?

We have no idea. It's reality.
[VH1] approached me with the idea. They're going to follow me around with a camera.

Q. Are you looking forward to that?

My life is a movie. Someone should film it. I am the real "Truman Show."
Q. You live in Los Angeles, and you've done stand-up all over the country. Does the New York area audience play differently than the other audiences?

It's the same everywhere. People are people. They have the same concerns and desires. People got a different accent: the Boston, the Louisiana accents. But they all fall in and out of love. They all laugh at the same things.

Q. You will be appearing in an upcoming documentary, "Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy." What is different about black comedy?

The guy who's doing material about black people is usually black. Because people of any other race may come off as racist if they do the same jokes. Given what black people have gone through in this country, it's hard for them not to.

Because of that, black comedy has more bite than European comedy, I think.

Q. What's a funny New York story you know?

Let me tell you a funny thing about New York. After 9/11, the Fire Department were heroes. Now it's — how many years later? — and when they slash the budget, they slash the fire department budgets. That's so full of [expletive] that it's hilarious.

Where are the flag wavers now?

Q. Will you be doing some political comedy this weekend, considering the political climate we're in?

Oh, yeah.

Q. What did you think about the West Virginia primary results?

What we had was not a primary. What we had was the media having a sports event. Somebody call [Hillary Clinton] at 3 a.m. and tell her it's over!

If [Barack Obama] were a white candidate, they would've announced his win already, like John McCain.

They're just fighting tooth and nail to keep anything of color out of the White House. That's why they call it the White House.

Now there's black humor for you.

Fitness DVD reviews

Fitness DVDs

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Last updated: Wednesday May 21, 2008, EDT 8:42 AM

BOLLYWOOD BURN, with Hemalayaa ($14.99, acacialifestyle.com)

* What I liked: The DVD is split into three self-contained segments, each of which has a warm-up, cool-down and a mix of peaks and valleys in between. Yogini Hemalayaa does a good job of pacing so that you work your heart but get to rest, too. All three routines were especially good workouts in the quad region. I also liked that I was learning new moves. I didn't get them all the first time; but some, like a move where you jump backward in a circle with one leg lifted, were surprisingly easy and fun.

* What I didn't like: Hemalayaa's honeyed Hollywood-studio voiceover was slightly grating, so if you are picky about the personality of your trainer, she may not be for you. I also felt slightly silly doing some of the Bollywood moves, even when I was all alone with the DVD. The arm moves, in particular, were a little beyond me — and I didn't feel like they really worked my arms.

* The bottom line: This is a good experience, but you have to be willing to experiment.

— Evelyn Shih

YOGA TO THE RESCUE FOR BACK PAIN, with Desirée Rumbaugh ($14.99, acacialifestyle.com)

* What I liked: Rumbaugh patiently explains basic concepts of alignment and details precise movements that get results. She targets specific problems that those with back pain usually have and gives voiceover notes for adjusting posture as she and fellow demonstrator Andrew Rivin do the basic forms of yoga.

* What I didn't like: This is more of a handbook for yoga beginners and those coping with pain than an actual workout routine. For anyone who's learned the basic forms, the pace can be stiflingly slow. After going through the 66-minute disc once, you will either use the chapter system to skip to the forms that helped you the most — or never pop it in the DVD player again. It's hard to blame Rumbaugh for truth in advertising. But keep in mind that the operative word is more "back pain" than "yoga," especially if you like a practice with a flow.

* The bottom line: This is a good component of a beginner's yoga library.

— Evelyn Shih

Jewish Television

Shalom TV reaches Jewish audience

Monday, May 19, 2008
Last updated: Tuesday May 20, 2008, EDT 6:51 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Centuries ago, rabbis held full-time jobs unrelated to their congregations. If they owned wineries, for instance, they worked the vines for most of the week, and their congregations paid them for the time they spent teaching and performing rabbinical duties, said Rabbi Mark Golub. Since then, most rabbis have become professional spiritual leaders, spending little time on tasks that do not concern the congregation. But Golub, whose congregation is in Stamford, Conn., may be a bit of a throwback.

For one, he spends most of his week in Fort Lee. For another, he’s a television executive. “I teach in my congregation from Friday to Sunday, and I teach on television the rest of the week,” he said.

Golub’s newest lesson plan involves Shalom TV, which claims to be America’s first national network devoted exclusively to Jewish programming.

The channel, which launched in February, is carried in North Jersey in the video-on-demand format on the Comcast and Time Warner cable systems.

“It’s one thing to be a Jew in North Jersey or Manhattan, where Jews feel everything around them is Jewish,” said Golub. “But you go to Nashville, Tenn., or even parts of New Jersey that are outside the greater New York area — and all of a sudden … there’s not the same opportunity to experience Jewish culture.”

Golub uses the network to spread educational material, such as Hebrew lessons, and the Jewish perspective on world and American politics.

The network’s programming model is a mix of C-SPAN and PBS, Golub said. For example, there’s a module of content from the 92nd Street Y in New York City, with visiting dignitaries like television’s Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”) and author Elie Wiesel.

Golub also runs the Russian Television Network (RTN), which he founded in 1991 with a member of his congregation, Michael Pravin. Golub, who comes from a Russian-Jewish heritage, decided to tap a demographic that had no available media outlet at the time.

The infrastructure of RTN, which operates out of offices in Fort Lee, makes it possible for a small staff to produce Shalom TV, Golub said. Shalom TV is supported by donations and is in the process of applying for non-profit status. The network has no advertising.

“If you’re Pepsi Cola, you can reach the Jew without going to a Jewish network,” explained Golub. “But there are niche markets that want to reach the Jewish market. There are also people in the Jewish community who own major companies that would like to support a Jewish network. If this all comes to be, then Shalom TV will be here for a long, long time.”

Golub expects North Jersey to become a prime area for interest in the network. “What you have in Bergen County is an incredibly strong Jewish identity,” he said.

Golub, who hosts the news topics show “L’Chayim” and a Hebrew language program on the network, plans to continue teaching through television. He said his congregation is supportive.

“I believe that there is something wonderful in a rabbi not to be simply leading a congregation, but to face the problems that his own congregants face day in and day out,” he said. “Getting up, going to work, worried about business, worried about how to pay your mortgage, worried about how to pay your employees … you have problems that you don’t have if you are solely a congregational rabbi.”

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Salad!

Thai zucchini salad

Monday, May 19, 2008
Last updated: Monday May 19, 2008, EDT 7:44 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Salad Makes the Meal," by Wiley Mullins (Rodale, 2008)

We vegetarians know our salads — at least, we think we do. With Wiley "Salad Man" Mullins' new collection, maybe it's time to think again. Mullins gets creative with such ingredients as mashed potatoes, mango and kale, demonstrating beyond a doubt that salads are much more than iceberg lettuce. Unique dressing-from-scratch recipes pump even more flavor into the colorful servings. Meat sections of the book aside, there are almost 40 pages of vegetarian entrée salads and bountiful selections in the appetizer and dessert categories.

— Evelyn Shih

* Thai zucchini salad
1 pound zucchini, sliced into long, thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into long, thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1/4 pound greens beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 red serrano chilies, more if desired, seeded and chopped
12 to 15 cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
2 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups bite-size pieces Boston or bibb lettuce

Cut the zucchini and carrot ribbons lengthwise into strips and place in a large bowl. Add the green beans and set aside.

Place the garlic and chilies in a food processor and process to a paste, or mash together on a plate with a fork. Add to the vegetables along with the cherry tomatoes. Use the butt end of a knife or a wooden spoon to bruise the vegetables. Add the peanuts, lime juice, soy sauce and brown sugar and toss to combine.

To serve, toss together the cabbage and lettuce and divide among 4 plates. Spoon the salad and juices on top and serve.

Servings: 4.

Per serving: : 153 calories, 5 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 24 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 482 milligrams sodium, 6 grams fiber.