WESTFIELD — Frank DeRosa, Sr., an unassuming man in a white butcher’s coat and a cheerful red bow tie, talks about meat the way other people might talk about a treasured work of art. “Do you see this?” he asked, tapping hard on an aged side of beef in his new custom-built cooler. “This right here is...

WESTFIELD — For Lisa Sommers, owner of the new Elm Street Gallery (The Gallery), art and tranquility go hand in hand. “I just find it very fulfilling to make beautiful spaces,” Ms. Sommers told Union County HAWK during a visit to The Gallery last week. “When I first looked at this store, it was pain...

WESTFIELD — Frank DeRosa, Sr., an unassuming man in a white butcher’s coat and a cheerful red bow tie, talks about meat the way other people might talk about a treasured work of art. “Do you see this?” he asked, tapping hard on an aged side of beef in his new custom-built cooler. “This right here is...

WESTFIELD — For Dennis and Viktoria Seiz, life is naturally sweet. On Friday, the couple celebrated the grand opening of their new downtown patisserie, Viktoria Seiz. The café, located at 407 South Avenue West, boasts a wide array of homemade vegan, raw, organic, dairy and gluten-free desserts along...

WESTFIELD — For Mary Kate Santulli, owner of The Curious Heart: Apothecary & Spiritual Center, the quest for peace has always been more about the journey than the destination. “I was at a point in my life when I just wasn’t happy and I didn’t know why. I had everything — I have a fabulous husband, w...

WESTFIELD — For Lisa Sommers, owner of the new Elm Street Gallery (The Gallery), art and tranquility go hand in hand. “I just find it very fulfilling to make beautiful spaces,” Ms. Sommers told Union County HAWK during a visit to The Gallery last week. “When I first looked at this store, it was pain...

WESTFIELD — We’ve all found our own ways to cope with the isolation, the depression, the daily adjustments and the worry wrought by this pandemic. Some of us have found new hobbies. Others have launched new careers, learned new skills, started families or adopted too many cats. Some of us just watch...

WESTFIELD — For Maria Gomez, owner of Westfield’s newest downtown salon, Artistique, the light at the end of a long tunnel was well-worth waiting for. “I have been working in salons for more than 10 years, but I always wanted to open my own shop,” Ms. Gomez said. “When the pandemic hit and everythin...

GARWOOD — After a remarkably tough couple of years, the close-knit family behind Dittrick’s Wines and Liquors raised a glass in celebration of some good news on Friday when they cut the ribbon on their new outdoor beer garden and community space. “This, all of this, is our legacy,” said Yash Jagad, ...

WESTFIELD – Throughout the span of her 20-year career as a professional pastry chef, Uyen Kirshenbaum has studied in Paris, baked for some of the most famous high-end resorts in Las Vegas and left her mark up and down the west coast. She has earned Michelin stars, traveled the globe and worked with ...