Home Care In Hackettstown, NJ

The Hackettstown boys basketball team is on the road again. But this isn't the usual trip to Vernon or even south Jersey.

The Tigers are spending most of the week in Florida for the 11th time, flying down on Tuesday and slated to come home Saturday.

It started with a holiday tournament, and has spun into a less-expensive January trip to play Keswick Christian in St. Petersburg, Fla. − and another opponent arranged by host athletic director Karrmayne King. King, who coaches the Keswick girls basketball team, always asks Hackettstown coach Mike McDonagh to have the guys demonstrate a play for her.

"A month later, I'll get an email with a video clip. 'Ran this in a game, just wanted to show you,'" said McDonagh, who has brought a few plays home himself.

Tonight, Hackettstown will face Canterbury School, also from St. Petersburg, and Keswick on Friday night. Beforehand, McDonagh scheduled dinner at Topgolf, paintball, and a trip to fish off a Clearwater pier.

This isn't Hackettstown's first divergence from the usual schedule this winter.

Hackettstown boys bond on the road

The Tigers lost 67-53 to Millennium Brooklyn, a high school of similar size, on Dec. 16. But that wasn't just a game-and-go. Instead, both the boys and girls teams played a doubleheader – after an overnight stay in a Times Square hotel.

There's always plenty of bonding around the basketball.

"I said, 'This is going to be the strangest phone call you get all day,'" McDonagh told Brian Friedman, the Millennium Brooklyn athletic director. "I'm a basketball coach in New Jersey. I take my kids to Florida every year. I have an itch to take my kids to New York City and do something nice. He said, 'I'll play you.' I hang up, call my athletic director (Bob Grauso), and he chuckles.'"

McDonagh has done a lot of fundraising to defray the cost of the trips. Each family had to pay $200 for the New York City adventure. To go to Florida, the boys have to come up with the cost of the flights. Most of the rest was paid for via a Casino Night fundraiser and anonymous local donors. Even dinner for 50 – both teams' players, parents, coaches, and athletic director Bob Grauso – at Carmine's was covered.

More:Hackettstown fencer voted Morris/Sussex Athlete of the Week

McDonagh brought his own family on both trips. Jessica McDonagh is the principal at Port Colden School in Washington Township. Their daughters, 14-year-old Ani and 10-year-old Brynn, have been adopted by the Hackettstown boys.

It's a young Tigers team this year: eight sophomores, one junior, and two seniors. Senior guard Ryan Due leads the way with 14.9 points per game. Aiden Durna, another senior guard, adds 10.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

"We're scrappy," McDonagh said. "There's nothing flashy about us. These kids just find a way."

Did Hackettstown find a way into this week's Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings? Read on and find out.

10. North Warren (8-4)

Last week: Unranked

Senior guard Christian Otufale averages 16.3 points, 14.4 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots for North Warren, which has a busy week ahead. The Patriots, a large Group 1 school, will play division games on the road at Group 2 Morris Tech and High Point.

Up next: Thursday at Morris Tech, Saturday vs. South Hunterdon at North Hunterdon, Monday at High Point, Wednesday vs. Kittatinny

9. Sussex Tech (7-2)

Last week: Unranked

The Mustangs are well on their way to qualifying for the NJSIAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. But their success in the NJAC-Colonial could be decided this week, with their second game against division leader High Point.

Up next: Thursday at High Point, Monday vs. Kittatinny, Wednesday at Hopatcong, Thursday vs. American Christian

8. Hackettstown (6-3)

Last week: No. 9

The Tigers escaped the snow, arriving safely in Florida on Tuesday for their annual bonding-through-basketball trip. The NJAC-Freedom could be decided when Hackettstown visits Jefferson on Jan. 24.

Up next: Thursday vs. Canterbury (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Friday vs. Keswick Christian (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Monday vs. Wallkill Valley

More:Vote for the Morris/Sussex Athlete of the Week

7. Morris Hills (8-4)

Last week: No. 8

Senior guard Cyrus Maclay averages 15.8 points and 3.9 rebounds for Morris Hills, which has a four-game winning streak since flipping the calendar to 2024.

Up next: Thursday at Montville, Saturday at Morris Knolls, Tuesday at Stroudsburg (Pa.)

6. High Point (7-3)

Last week: Unranked

Senior guard Brayden Franko (13.3 ppg., 5.2 rpg.) and junior guard Noah Reilly (10.9 ppg., 2.1 rpg.) top the stat sheets for balanced High Point, which leads the NJAC-Colonial. The Wildcats will take on upstart Sussex Tech, who they crushed the first time around, on Thursday.

Up next: Thursday vs. Sussex Tech, Saturday at Whippany Park, Monday vs. North Warren, Wednesday vs. Morris Tech

5. Parsippany Hills (9-4)

Last week: No. 5

The Vikings snapped a streak of three losses in four games with a 68-50 victory against crosstown rival Parsippany on Jan. 13. Four senior guards – Julio Tatis, Simeon Washington, Joey Ciccotelli and Braylon Moore – are guiding Parsippany Hills.

Up next: Thursday vs. Pequannock, Saturday at Vernon, Monday at Hanover Park, Wednesday vs. Kinnelon

4. Mendham (9-3)

Last week: No. 4

Junior guard Kevin King averages 20.1 points per game for the Minutemen, who have won six in a row. They're focused on the NJAC-American this week, with games against Randolph and Sparta, before visiting sister school West Morris.

Up next: Thursday vs. Randolph, Monday at Sparta, Wednesday at West Morris

3. Madison (10-2)

Last week: No. 3

The Dodgers have stepped up and beat larger schools like Chatham, Mendham and Randolph. Both Madison's losses came against Morris Catholic, in the J.P. Flynn Memorial Tournament and a NJAC-Liberty game. They're scheduled to meet for another division contest on Monday.

Up next: Thursday vs. Kinnelon, Saturday vs. Roxbury, Monday at Morris Catholic, Wednesday at Whippany Park

2. Delbarton (10-1)

Last week: No. 2

Senior guard Lincoln Zimmerman's layup with eight seconds left gave Delbarton a 50-49 home win against Oratory on Jan. 13 – the third tight win in the last four games. Zimmerman averages 14.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.7 steals. Junior Patrick Mahoney has stepped up in his first varsity season, chipping in 9.9 points, 6.2 boards and 2.3 assists.

Up next: Thursday vs. Chatham, Saturday at DePaul, Monday at Morristown, Wednesday vs. Randolph

1. Morris Catholic (12-1)

Last week: No. 1

The Crusaders have finally stumbled, losing to St. Joseph of Philadelphia, 88-87, on an overtime buzzer-beater on Monday. Senior forward Michelangelo Oberti, who is closing in on 1,000 career points, surpassed his usual averages with 31 points, 18 rebounds and six blocked shots in that game.

Up next: Saturday vs. St. Augustine at Paul VI, Monday vs. Madison, Wednesday at Hanover Park

Also considered: High Point (7-3), Morris Knolls (6-5), West Morris (7-7).

Mike Arakelian didn't have much time to try and mold the culture of Hackettstown football, but he made the most of it.

With a group of coaches coming together as his assistants, including his father, Greg, a longtime head coach at Somerville, he knew getting everything to gel early on would be a challenge.

But Hackettstown jumped out to a 5-0 start last season, the program's first unbeaten streak of that length in its century-long tradition. The only thing more shocking than the strong start was what it followed: Hackettstown entered last season on a 12-game losing streak dating back to 2020.

"I think it gave us a lot of confidence," Arakelian said of the team's hot start. "We had a good group of seniors and their record was what it was for whatever reason. We just tried to stay positive and that helped to get us where we wanted to go from a culture standpoint."

With a full offseason to work with, Arakelian feels confident that Hackettstown can continue building that culture into his second season at the helm.

Despite losses in the final four weeks of the season, Hackettstown had a lot to be happy about in 2022. The Tigers qualified for the state playoffs for the first time in five years.

"Our players understand what the goal is to be better," Arakelian said. "Both our quarterback and our backup quarterback broke their legs last season and that really made the end of the season difficult for us. But our players got a feel for what it takes. We have been in Group 3 for a long time seeing success in other schools and that's where we want to be."

The tradition

The Tigers have an all-time record of 535-359-37 since the start of the program in 1914. Last season's playoff appearance was the first for the Tigers since reaching a sectional final back in 2017. Their lone championship season came in 1981.

"There were a lot of positives that came out of all that," Arakelian said of the playoff appearance. "We saw a lot of support from the community and the student body. Making that tournament brought some excitement to the school and helps during the offseason trying to get ready to go again."

STATE OF THE PROGRAM:Inside look at every HS football team in North Jersey

The challenge

Many of the impactful players that brought Hackettstown to the postseason last fall were part of the large senior class that has since graduated. Arakelian said he likes the turnout for the new season and position battles are intensifying.

"There are definitely big shoes to fill, but there's a lot of opportunity," Arakelian said. "There are a lot of spots available and right now, we still aren't sure who will fit well. We will assess through camp and scrimmages, but there are spots for returning seniors and juniors and even some sophomores that have opportunities."

The big difficulty for Hackettstown will be a schedule that features five playoff teams from a year ago, as well as Lenape Valley, which won an invitational tournament with three straight victories to end the season.

"Lenape [Valley] had a lot of injuries and if they were healthier, they could have been a playoff team as well," Arakelian said. "It's a tough and competitive schedule and we just want to worry about each week as it comes."

Expectations

Hackettstown's hot start was among the state's biggest surprises last year and helped kick off the Mike Arakelian era in a big way.

The personnel will look different in Year 2, but the learning curve should to be less steep. The Tigers hope to remain competitive and in the playoff conversation in 2023.

"It took some time for players to get used to us as coaches, and time for us to get used to them as well," Arakelian said. "We were able to work through and gain some consistency and continuing that is important for us to move forward as a program."

2023 schedule

Aug. 25: vs. Paramus

Aug. 31: vs. Kittatinny

Sept. 7: at North Warren

Sept. 15: at Lenape Valley

Sept. 22: vs. Whippany Park

Sept. 29: vs. Sussex Tech

Oct. 6: at Newton

Oct. 14: at Wallkill Valley

Oct. 20: vs. Warren Hills

The company's combined investment in R&D and food manufacturing builds on Mars' 80-year history of innovation in New Jersey

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., March 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars announced an investment of more than $70 million in its Hackettstown, New Jersey site to continue its legacy of best-in-class innovation and manufacturing. Mars is a leader in confectionery, snacking, food, and pet care products and services and the maker of some of the world's most-loved brands, including M&M'S^®, SNICKERS^®, PEDIGREE^®, and BEN'S ORIGINAL™. The latest major economic development from Mars supports a Research and Development (R&D) Innovation Studio—including a new test kitchen and packaging lab—along with manufacturing efficiencies and advancements in food safety at the Hackettstown manufacturing factory.

The R&D Innovation Studio at the Mars Hackettstown, New Jersey location will include a new prototyping kitchen, packaging lab, and collaboration space with the intent of increasing the speed of innovation and development to meet evolving consumer preferences. The capabilities in the Innovation Studio will support iconic Mars Wrigley products produced in the U.S. including M&M'S^®, SNICKERS^®, TWIX^®, MILKY WAY^®, SKITTLES^®, STARBURST^®, EXTRA^®, and ALTOIDS^® as well as new product innovations. The updated packaging studio will allow for development and testing of sustainable packaging materials to support Mars' contribution to a circular economy where packaging material never becomes waste, but is recycled, reused, or composted.

The multi-year investment in the Hackettstown manufacturing factory began in 2023 and supports Mars' continued commitment to quality and food safety with the addition of a new, state-of-the-art chocolate production facility.

"At Mars, our commitment to quality and innovation has been at the center of our business for more than a century," said Anton Vincent, President Mars Wrigley North America and Global Ice Cream. "The continued investment in our Hackettstown site re-affirms our commitment to innovation in New Jersey and upskilling our Associates with best-in-class facilities to create more moments of everyday happiness for our consumers."

Mars has a deep history in New Jersey, opening its doors in Newark more than 80 years ago and has been a member of the Hackettstown community since 1958. The opening of the New Jersey Innovation Studio follows the recent opening of the transformative $42M Mars Snacking Research and Development Hub in Chicago.

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a global, family-owned business, Mars is transforming, innovating, and evolving to make a positive impact on the world. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of quality confectionery, food, and pet care products and services, we employ 140,000+ dedicated Associates. With more than $47 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands including Ben's Original™, CESAR^®, Cocoavia^®, DOVE^®, EXTRA^®, KIND^®, M&M'S^®, SNICKERS^®, PEDIGREE^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, and WHISKAS^®. We are creating a better world for pets through our global network of pet hospitals and diagnostic services – including AniCura, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, Linnaeus and VCA™ – using cutting edge technology to develop breakthrough programs in genetic health screening and DNA testing. For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mars-invests-over-70-million-in-hackettstown-new-jersey-site-furthering-culture-of-innovation-and-leadership-302094854.html

SOURCE Mars, Incorporated

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Everybody loves a good steak, right? It’s an American favorite: a thick piece of meat cooked to perfection. You could argue forever about which steakhouse is the best, and everyone will have their personal favorite.

Yelp, the review site, decided to do exactly that. Yelp wanted to identify the best steakhouse in each state. They identified businesses that fell into its "steakhouses" category and then ranked them using a variety of factors, including volume and ratings of reviews.

The restaurant they chose for New Jersey is James on Main in Hackettstown.

It may be a stretch to call James on Main a steakhouse, though. They offer two and three-course prix fixe menus that feature things like duck, cod, octopus, and more. There is also a bison strip steak au poivre.

According to their website, James on Main’s owner and executive chef is Bill van Pelt, a Hackettstown resident.

James on Main, by design is a place for people to gather and enjoy freshly prepared foods, sourced locally and seasonally when possible, in a warm and welcoming environment.

As reported by Business Insider, here is one user Yelp review:

Our very first visit and the special occasion was my wife's birthday. Well, I can definitely say the Executive Chef ‍ and his team are outside the box. Everything we had was five stars and really impressed with his style and plated food. Portions are larger than expected and taste, quality, and wait service excellent.

Although it might not be strictly a steakhouse, the food they serve comes highly recommended.

LOOK: Here are copycat recipes from 20 of the most popular fast food restaurants in America

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

Some of the happiest Jerseyans ditched their 9-to-5 jobs and launched food-centric businesses. Steve Mazure went from masterminding malls to founding Mazur Café & Chocolate Lab in Hackettstown. Steve and Hank Reed, Mazur’s general manager, chef and chocolate-maker, told us how they went loco for cocoa.

NJM: What is Mazur Café & Chocolate Lab all about? Steve: It’s about chocolate and it’s about community. Chocolate is something that brings people together. We’ve made this a gathering place in Hackettstown where you can enjoy sipping chocolate, coffee, pastries, chocolate treats and our Mazur single-origin chocolate bars.

Hank: We’re about having fun with chocolate.

Steve, what’s your connection to Hackettstown? Steve: I was a little kid here before my family moved to Voorhees. I’m a Jersey boy and I went to Rutgers. I majored in economics and got into commercial real estate, specializing in retail venues. Eventually my career took me to North Carolina.

When and why did you return to Jersey? Steve: I passed the 30-year mark in real estate and I was done. I needed to do something completely different. I moved back to Lebanon Township here in Hunterdon County with my daughter Isabelle. She’s now a student at Raritan Valley Community College and a very artistic barista at the café. But at the time I didn’t have a plan B.

Chocolate-making doesn’t seem an obvious choice. Steve: That’s for sure. But I’m a foodie and I’m also fascinated by how things are made. So I was toying with something to do with food, but had no clue what it would be. One day I was driving on Route 78, relaxed and letting my mind roam. And I had this divine inspiration: chocolate! How do these giant beans from the tropics become the treat we all love?

Why were you so confident that the time was right for artisanal chocolate? Steve: First of all, people love chocolate. Secondly, it fits with the growing consumer desire, especially in New Jersey, to know where our food and drink comes from. Origin has always been a key aspect of wine and whiskey, which are categorized by region. And for decades now, coffee has been marketed based on its region, and called single origin. It was time for a single-origin chocolate shop.

How did you learn to make chocolate? Steve: I did what wine and coffee experts do. I immersed myself in tasting—as in hundreds of different chocolates from growing regions all over the world. Then I hired Hank as chocolate-maker. I also had to turn a onetime shoe store into our café and kitchen. We opened in March 2023.

Hank: There’s a lot to learn, because there’s no one-size-fits-all in high-end chocolate-making. Every burlap bag of our single-origin cacao beans is different, because cacao beans are grown in nature.

Do your customers buy according to region? Steve: Sure. Think of your feelings about wine and about coffee, and how you settled on your favorites. Chocolate is now a matter of taste too. And just like grapes and coffee beans, cacao beans—the source of chocolate—are significantly affected by where they grow. The climate, the soil, sunlight, humidity, everything.

Hank: We learned how to optimize the unique components of every bag of beans: the acidity, the fruity or nutty notes, and so on.

Steve: Fair Trade practices have an effect too. When farmers are paid decently, they take pride in their product and the way they grow it. So it tastes better.

What are the origins of Mazur chocolates? Steve: We import raw cacao beans from growing regions, which are all near the equator. Our beans are grown in the Caribbean and Africa. Currently we source from eight countries.

Hank: We make both 55% “dark milk” chocolate and 72% dark chocolate from most of our cacao beans. (The lower the percentage, the sweeter the chocolate.)

Hank, what’s on the café menu? Hank: It’s pretty varied. Everything is light and delicious and made in-house with New Jersey-produced bread, chicken, eggs, produce. Our pastries and cookies are so fresh they’re still oven-warm. Nothing we make is “just a chocolate bar,” “just a latte” or “just avocado toast.” It’s simply the best that that simple, humble thing can be.

Steve: May I add, Hank’s chicken salad sandwich, with “cacao nibs” of roasted beans, is the best in New Jersey.

I’ve heard about the events at Mazur Café & Chocolate Lab. Steve: They’re getting quite a reputation. We built our space to accommodate participatory community events and artistic happenings. And of course, lessons in chocolate-making; we’re a chocolate lab, after all. These days we’re really excited about our farm-to-table special dinners that can accommodate 30 adventurous eaters.

Pop-up dinners that celebrate seasonal local food are a New Jersey phenomenon! Hank: Definitely. We Jersey chefs are in awe of the fantastic ingredients produced on local farms…

Steve: …as well as the foods made by craft artisans like us.

Hank: We push the envelope.

Steve: For our five-course dinners, every one of Hank’s dishes incorporates chocolate in some way.

Hank: I’ve made deep, dark mole sauces, short ribs with cranberry and cocoa, crudo with cacao nibs, and Thai red curry with chocolate shavings. Oh, the possibilities.

Hank, you seem to welcome a cooking challenge. Hank: Always have! As a kid in Woodbridge, the kitchen was my playground. I was making dinner for my family by the time I was 10. I’ve cooked everything from elegant Italian to barbecue, and now I can call myself a chocolate chef. I’ve come to love cooking with chocolate—the technique, the equipment, the complex flavors. For me, chocolate has proved incredibly versatile and flavorful. There’s so much going on.

What’s coming up for Mazur Café & Chocolate Lab? Steve: We’re about to launch a wholesale operation. Our aim is to produce 600 pounds of chocolate weekly, up from 400 now. We’re starting up online ordering too.

Hank: Halloween is coming up. And trick-or-treaters are not going to have all the fun.

Mazur Café & Chocolate Lab: 106 East Moore Street, Hackettstown; 908-269-8064 @mazurchocolates

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