Wegmans Food Markets has promoted Gary Giusti of Franklin Park to executive chef of its Manalapan store. As executive chef, Giusti will oversee a 30-person culinary team and be responsible for the recipes and preparation of all food menu items throughout the store.
Prior to his promotion, Giusti worked his way through the ranks to become a Wegmans corporate chef in Rochester, N.Y., where he developed recipes and products for the chain’s meat and seafood departments. He has been with Wegmans for 18 years and has held positions in the bakery and seafood departments of the Penfield, N.Y., store.
Giusti’s career in the food industry began after high school in 1980 in the kitchen at the Lodge at Woodcliff, a resort hotel in Rochester, N.Y. His grandfather, who came from Tuscany, was a chef at a hotel in downtown Rochester. He learned from his father how to make Tuscan-style salads, soups, richly flavored braised meats and the traditional food his grandfather brought with him when he immigrated to America. Giusti plans to incorporate more innovative dishes to the Manalapan prepared food section, including some vegetarian and northern Italian dishes.
Wegmans Food Markets is at 55 Route 9 south, Manalapan.
Josie Aborlleile, a sales associate at Re/Max Central, Manalapan, has earned the certified residential specialist (CRS) designation by the Council of Residential Specialists, a not-for-profit affiliate of the National Association of Realtors.
To earn the CRS designation, Aborlleile completed advanced courses and demonstrated professional expertise in the field of residential real estate sales. She joins only 4 percent of Realtors nationwide who have earned the credential.
Aborlleile is a member of the Council of Residential Specialists and a member of the National Association of Realtors. She has volunteered as co-chairperson of the Public Relations Committee of the Monmouth County Board of Realtors and as a member of the Membership Committee.
DCH Freehold Toyota, Freehold Township, has established a scholarship for the Freehold Regional High School District’s Medical Sciences Learning Center. The dealership donated $3,000 to the externship program, which brings students participating in the school’s medical sciences program to CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, for hands-on learning experience. Students in the program visit the hospital twice a month to spend time with health professionals and witness the daily operation of the medical facility. The year-long externship for seniors concludes with a simulated operating-room experience followed by graduation ceremonies. The scholarship will be awarded for the first time in the spring. DCH Freehold Toyota will continue to contribute to the scholarship annually.
The Network for Senior Service Professionals (NSSP) will hold its next quarterly seminar Nov. 18 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Wall Township Municipal Building, 2700 Allaire Road. The seminar, titled, “Healthy Attitudes for Happy Holidays,” will feature speaker Steven J. Pollack. He will discuss holistic health, stress management and esteem-building in his talk, “Laughing Yourself to Health.” There will also be facial and chair massages, card/palm readings, and reiki massages available. The seminar is open to the public.
The NSSP, which is headquartered in Neptune, provides programs of interest to professionals involved in caring for older adults. To register for the seminar, or for further information on NSSP, call (732) 245-0143.
CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, was honored recently with a proclamation from the Monmouth County Freeholders for its efforts during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Freeholder Theodore J. Narozanick traveled to CentraState to present the proclamation and declare Oct. 15 as National Mammography Day in Monmouth County.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is searching for outstanding New Jersey small-business owners and small-business champions who will be honored during National Small Business Week in April.
According to James A. Kocsi, SBA New Jersey district director, nominations are being sought for “New Jersey’s Small Business Person of the Year” and for outstanding “SBA Small Business Champions” in the areas of minority, women, veteran, financial services, home-based business, and “Small Business Journalist of the Year.” They are also seeking candidates for “Small Business Exporter of the Year,” “Young Entrepreneur of the Year,” and an “SBA Family-Owned Business of the Year.”
Kocsi stated that they are looking to individuals, local chambers of commerce, banks, trade associations, and other community-based business organizations to submit nominations and sponsor candidates.
The SBA will join with the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce in recognizing its Small Business Week award winners at the eighth annual New Jersey Small Business Conference scheduled to be held April 22 at the Hyatt Hotel in New Brunswick.
Nominations should be submitted to the SBA Newark District Office at 2 Gateway Center, 15th Floor, Newark 07102. The deadline for all nominations is Dec. 6. Details: (973) 645-6064 or e-mail harry.menta@sba.gov. Nomination guidelines may be downloaded at www.sba.gov/nj/sba05nominations.pdf.
LeTip, a networking group, is now forming in Manalapan. A free breakfast mixer will be held to provide an opportunity to meet and network with fellow business contacts in the area. The event will be held Nov. 18, 7-8:30 a.m. at Manalapan Diner, 48 Route 9 north. R.S.V.P. by Nov. 5 to Judy, (732) 972-8290. There is no charge to attend, but seating is limited. Attendees should bring business cards. For more information, visit www.Letip.com.
Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly general meeting Nov. 18, 8:30 a.m. at the chamber office, 17 Broad St., Freehold. Guest speaker Joan Verplanck, president of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, will be discuss the national and state elections and programs that will shape the local business climate. The fee is $10 per person and includes continental breakfast. To register or for further details, call the chamber office, (732) 462-3030; fax (732) 462-2123; or e-mail admin@wmchamber.com.