BASEMENT WATERPROOFING IN Highlands

The cafe and bakery opened at the Highlands ferry terminal (71 Waterwitch Avenue) last Thursday, December 8.

Seastreak Ferry now has a gourmet coffee & food concession at the terminal in Highlands, much to the delight of customers. CafeLaDeDa, who also operates a 100% designated gluten-free and Celiac-safe gourmet marketing & bakery at 71 Waterwitch Avenue, Highlands, opened Thursday December 8. To mark the occasion, the café provided 100 free coffees starting with the early ferry runs at 5 a.m. The terminal is located at 326 Shore Drive, Highlands, NJ 07732.

CafeLaDeDa Founder Grace Sepe is ecstatic about the new location, as many ferry customers had been requesting that Seastreak add food and coffee service. “I am extremely happy and grateful to Seastreak. It is an honor to be here, but most importantly, CafeLaDeDa has a great opportunity to provide an amenity to Seastreak customers who certainly deserve upscale service and convenience.”

Sepe is a lifelong entrepreneur and successful businesswoman but definitely has food in her blood. She is also known as the ‘gluten free guru.’ While most of the items offered at the concession are gluten-free and delicious, there are also other choices including vegan, dairy-free, and keto. Many people who hurriedly purchased food on opening day circled back to the concession and remarked how delicious everything was. Afficionado is the exclusive coffee purveyor for CafeLaDeDa.

CafeLaDeDa at Seastreak Ferry will be more than just a simple morning concession. Sepe is creating a QR code-driven system which will enable pre-ordering of not only coffee and breakfast in the morning, but also prepared meals in the evening. To support other local businesses, Sepe will feature the cuisine of a different restaurant every week at the café. Riders will be able to exit the ferry and enjoy prepared meals from their favorite eateries without having to make extra stops on the way home. The enhanced client service experience and support of local enterprises will not stop there. Sepe is also curating a unique collection of merchandise from local businesses which will change with the season, bringing even more convenience and ease for riders.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

In the future, CafeLaDeDa will also open a concession at the Seastreak Ferry terminal in Belford, NJ. Announcements will be forthcoming on social media.

“I am grateful to Seastreak for this amazing opportunity and to be aligned with a company who cares about providing more amenities to clients. I aim to provide ‘the ultimate food service,” Sepe added.

Local businesses interested in partnering with CafeLaDeDa or for general information, visit the website at www.cafeladeda.com or email Grace Sepe at [email protected]. Updates on the opening date of the concession at Seastreak Belford will be available on Instagram and Facebook.

The Story Of CafeLaDeDa

Sepe started CafeLaDeDa in early 2016 in Middletown, NJ. After the closure of her original location due to the pandemic and increasing demands for gluten-free fare outpacing her second location in North Middletown, Sepe moved her base of operations to Highlands. Her new gourmet market and bakery at 71 Waterwitch Avenue in Highlands offers 100% gluten-free products including fresh baked goods, snacks, packaged treats, pasta, elegant charcuterie boards, an array of decadent desserts, and prepared meals like gourmet pizzas and sandwiches.

Many locals became fans of CaféLaDeDa over the summer as the mobile catering truck was stationed at ‘The Sandbox’ at Seastreak. The food truck is available to the public for private parties and events.

PISCATAWAY — Northern Highlands reached the first NJSIAA Group 4 football final, but its season ended with a bitter loss at Rutgers for the second year in a row.

Millville came away with an 18-14 win Saturday night at SHI Stadium, despite giving the Highlanders repeated chances to come back. The Thunderbolts (12-2) committed four second-half turnovers, including two in the red zone, but Northern Highlands did not score off any of them.

Backup quarterback JR Walley played most of the game after Nate Johnson left with an injury to his throwing hand. Despite throwing two touchdown passes, Walley finished 14-of-31 for 128 yards after starting off 8-for-8.

Millville scored the go-ahead TD on Jacob Zamot’s two-yard pass to Freddie Lavan III with 4:41 remaining in the third quarter.

Northern Highlands’ final drive ended with a fourth-down sack by the Thunderbolts’ Jayden Jones on the 14-yard line with 16 seconds to go.

“They’re a very good football team, a very good defense,” Highlanders coach Dave Cord said of Millville. “It was a series of errors everywhere.”

What it means

The Highlanders upperclassmen had to be experiencing déjà vu. They lost the 2021 North Group 4 regional final at Rutgers in similar fashion.

Last year: They led Irvington at halftime, 14-13, but were unable to score in the second half and lost, 19-14. This year: They led Millville at halftime, 14-12, and fell by nearly the identical score.

Paramus Catholic’s Greg Russo, who coached Northern Highlands on last year’s journey to Piscatway, was there to offer his former players a pat on the back afterward.

“He was congratulating all of us [seniors] on a great career,” said lineback Zach Chostaka, who had a game-high 11 tackles. “It [stinks] to end this way, but it happens. That’s life.”

The Thunderbolts capped their second consecutive season with a win at Rutgers after capturing the 2021 South Group 4 regional crown.

Key plays

Northern Highlands rallied from an early 6-0 deficit with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. Walley threw an eight-yarder to Danny Smiechowski early in the period and found Luke Saturn for a seven-yard score with 3:09 left in the half.

The Thunderbolts’ first drive of the third quarter ended with a Matt Boydell interception deep in the Highlanders’ end. Then, late in the third quarter, Chase Fishman recovered a Millville fumble that set up a first-and-goal, but that drive ended with a blocked field goal.

The final two turnovers came on fumbles, including one on botched handoff with 1:38 left in the game, which John Lavinio recovered at the 25. Northern Highlands gained one first down but could not convert a fourth-and-4 at the Thunderbolt 8.

Game balls

? Millville sophomore Lotzeir Brooks caught 11 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, made three tackles on defense and got the blocked field goal.

? Junior Na’eem Sharp carried 18 times for 92 yards and a touchdown, while understudy Bricere Hunter rushed 12 times for 40 yards and had seven tackles and a sack on defense.

? Smiechowski caught six passes for 64 yards and a score and added three tackles and a pass breakup.

They said it

“They’re really athletic, they’re a tough team… they’re fast, and it gave us problems, especially up front. They’re bigger than us up front, and that gave us a lot of problems.” — Chostaka on Millville

“We’re going to keep fighting to the end. That’s all I know about us and our boys, and they certainly did that tonight. And we just came up a little short.” — Cord

“You see guys upset, and my message is super simple: Don’t do anything in life that you don’t care this much about. They’re upset because they care, and I love them for it.” — Cord

Morris County Leaders Delivered Plaques During Surprise Visit

Gene Feyl, the former Morris County Freeholder and past Denville Mayor, was presented with honors at his home during a recent surprise visit by several Morris County leaders.

The long time public servant, who served as Freeholder (now known as County Commissioner) from 2007 to 2012, retired this year from public service as he stepped down from his posts on the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, the Morris County Open Space Preservation Committee and the Morris County Housing Authority.

Morris County Commissioner Director Tayfun Selen and Commissioners Debra Smith and Stephen Shaw were joined by Morris County Administrator John Bonanni and Assistant Administrator Deena Leary in presenting Feyl with a plaque from the Morris County Board of County Commissioners last week.

The plaque, which included a “Key to Morris County,” thanks Gene F. Feyl and notes he was presented with the honor “In

Recognition of his Longstanding Commitment to Public Service.” It also noted he was a veteran of Vietnam and held other titles “during his lifetime of enriching the community.”

Morris County Sheriff James Gannon also joined the visit to present Feyl with a "Lifetime of Service Award," thanking him for his public service. A Joint Resolution of Honor from New Jersey State Assembly and Senate was later delivered by Sen. Anthony Bucco.

Feyl’s public service has been extensive.

He is a former Denville mayor, having held the post from 2000 until the end of 2007, and prior to that he served on the Denville Township Council from 1994 to 1999 and was council president in 1995 and 1996.

Following his election in 2007 as Morris County Freeholder, his fellow freeholders elected Feyl to the board’s deputy director’s post in 2008, and he was chosen as freeholder director in 2009 and 2010. Simultaneously, Feyl became a member of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) Board of Trustees in 2007, and in January 2012 he was elected chairman of the organization. The NJTPA oversees regional transportation planning and more than $1 billion annually in surface transportation funding for 13 counties in northern and central New Jersey.

Feyl stepped down from the Morris County Freeholder board in May 2012 to become Executive Director of the New Jersey Highlands Council, a post he held until 2014.

Feyl also is a former first vice president of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, a former president of the Morris County League of Municipalities and a former member of the boards of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors and the Morris County Economic Development Corporation.

In Denville, he also had served as a member and vice president of the Denville Board of Education, and in 2009, he was elected to the Morris Hills Regional School District Hall of Fame.

Feyl and his wife, Peg, continue to reside in Denville.

Photos:

Top Right: (l-r) Sheriff Gannon, Commissioner Shaw, Director Selen, Gene Feyl and Commissioner Smith.

Center: Photos of the honors.

Bottom Left: Sheriff Gannon with Gene Feyl.

Bottom: (l-r) Sheriff Gannon, Gene Feyl, Commissioner Smith, Director Selen, Commissioner Shaw, Administrator Bonanni and Assistant Administrator Leary.

Seastreak Ferry riders who embark from Highlands, NJ will be thrilled to know that a new café serving gourmet coffee and an array of breakfast foods, yogurt parfaits, sandwiches and baked goods including vegan, dairy-free, keto and gluten free choices, will be opening on Thursday, December 8. CafeLaDeDa, which also operates a 100% designated gluten-free and Celiac-safe gourmet market & bakery at 71 Waterwitch Avenue, Highlands, is slated to open in the next two weeks. The new concession is located at the ferry terminal at 326 Shore Drive, Highlands, NJ 07732.

To celebrate opening day, CafeLaDeDa will provide 100 free coffees during the morning rush. Afficionado is the exclusive coffee purveyor for CafeLaDeDa.

In addition, CafeLaDeDa will be opening another concession at the Seastreak Ferry terminal in Belford, NJ. Announcements will be forthcoming on social media.

Owned by longtime entrepreneur Grace Sepe, known as the ‘gluten free guru,’ CafeLaDeDa at Seastreak Ferry will be more than just a simple morning concession. Sepe is creating a QR code-driven system which will enable pre-ordering of not only coffee and breakfast in the morning, but also prepared meals in the evening. To support other local businesses, Sepe will feature the cuisine of a different restaurant every week at the café. Riders will be able to exit the ferry and enjoy prepared meals from their favorite eateries without having to make extra stops on the way home. The enhanced client service experience and support of local enterprises will not stop there. Sepe is also curating a unique collection of merchandise from local businesses which will change with the season, bringing even more convenience and ease for riders.

“I am grateful to Seastreak for this amazing opportunity and to be aligned with a company who cares about providing more amenities to clients. I aim to provide ‘the ultimate food service’ as many ferry patrons have expressed an interest in coffee and food concessions over the years. Now this will be a reality,” stated Sepe.

Local businesses interested in partnering with CafeLaDeDa or for general information, visit the website at www.cafeladeda.com or email Grace Sepe at [email protected]. Updates on the opening date will be available on Instagram and Facebook.

The Story Of CafeLaDeDa

Sepe started CafeLaDeDa in early 2016 in Middletown, NJ. After the closure of her original location due to the pandemic and increasing demands for gluten-free fare outpacing her second location in North Middletown, Sepe moved her base of operations to Highlands. Her new gourmet market and bakery at 71 Waterwitch Avenue in Highlands offers 100% gluten-free products including fresh baked goods, snacks, packaged treats, pasta, elegant charcuterie boards, an array of decadent desserts, and prepared meals like gourmet pizzas and sandwiches.

Many locals became fans of CaféLaDeDa over the summer as the mobile catering truck was stationed at ‘The Sandbox’ at Seastreak. The food truck is available to the public for private parties and events.

###

James Turner knows he can look on his roster sheet and see a team that has the talent and potential to be as good as any he has had at Bayonne.

This preseason has been about trying to emphasize what it truly takes beyond talent to turn that potential into reality. Converting the promise that comes with those names typed on a sheet of paper in December into names on a championship banner that will hang on the wall for generations.

”We had a film session (after our second scrimmage) and I told my team ‘look, we look good on paper, but if you girls don’t challenge yourself on both ends of the floor it’s all for nothing,’” Turner said. “Potential is the most difficult word in the English language because it hasn’t happened yet. You look at this team and say it’s loaded, but we haven’t done anything yet.”

While many of the key players from last season’s Hudson County championship team, including the four-year backcourt of Eniya Scott and Jolyssa Moody as well wing Jalaiyah Smith, Bayonne does return four of the top seven scorers and bring two potentially impact transfers into the fold.

In particular the task of replacing Scott, a four-year starter at point guard now at Fairleigh Dickinson, will be handled by junior Cyniah Smith and sophomore Ailani Dasher, both of whom were key reserves last season.

”They both bring two different sets of skills,” said Turner. “Ailani can hit the outside jumper, can get in the lane and penetrate. Chyniah’s a little more shiftier and a little quicker. She’s not as good of a shooter as Dasher, but she can create some stuff off the dribble.”

Both will also be tasked with trying to fill the defensive stopper role previously held by Moody.

One guard the Bees do return is senior sharp-shooter Christina Centeno. The 5-foot-6 Centeno made 56 three-pointers last season and is the leading returning scorer at 8.8 points per game. She will be counted upon to take on a larger offensive role.

The offense will be further bolstered by the arrival of 5-foot-9 sophomore Janaya Meyers, who transferred from Hudson Catholic. Despite missing more than a month with a knee injury, Meyers displayed the skillset to be a dominant player, averaging 14.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.9 steals in 13 games for the Hawks.

”If she was not the best player in the county last year her name was certainly in the conversation,” Turner said. “In the first two scrimmages that we had, she just put on a show.”

Another addition to the front court is McKenzie Neal, a 6-foot-3 sophomore who moved from Florida and according to Turner “has good hands,” on the offensive end. Senior Menna Hafiz returns and plays bigger than her 5-foot-7 height. While 6-foot-2 sophomore Mariam Mohammed and 5-foot-9 sophomore Penelope Feeney will also see time at forward.

Another sophomore, 5-foot-11 wing Giselle Davis will see significant minutes after averaging 9 points and 6.2 rebounds last season.

Tatyana Watson is a 5-foot-6 freshman guard who will make an impact and has been described as a “swiss-army knife” for her versatility.

Seniors Laila Isler and Nidia Matos will also be vying for time on the wings.

Bayonne opens its season on Thursday at home against a veteran Kearny team followed by a Sunday showcase game against Newark Central in Paterson. In January, the Bees travel to Union City in a HCT final rematch on the fifth, followed by showcase contests against Northern Highlands and Montville.

The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.