Dandelions and insects collaborate to produce lovely windblown snowflake-like seeds in astonishing profusion. ED KANZE PHOTO By ED KANZE These days, “invasive” tends to be a dangerous word. Apply it to a plant or animal, and before long, in come the herbicides or the goats or the machetes or the trappers or the sharpshooters. Invasive plants and animals are non-natives that make life miserable or impossible for the wild things that were already here at some specified point in time. As a mixed breed European-American, half German and half English, Irish and Scottish, I try to maintain a philosophical detachment in this matter. I lament the challenges posed for natives by invasives, but as a member of the most notorious invasive species of them all, I am mindful that the pot might want to exercise restraint in calling the kettle black. There is a particular invasive plant whose presence I’ve always enjoyed. It is the dandelion. Native to Europe and Asia, this humble wildflower with tenacious taproot was named in France for the jagged teeth that run along the edges of its leaves. “Dents de lion” evolved, no surprise given the aversion of English speakers to pronounce French words properly, dandelion. Most people I know can identify few wild plants. But one plant just about everyone, child or adult nearly the world over, can point to is the dandelion. It’s pretty. It’s edible. Pollinators prize it. Wild foods experts (I am not one of them, so do your homework) say we can make wine out of the flowers and bitter coffee out of the roots, and the leaves can be eaten fresh, if they’re young, and consumed boiled and drained if they’re not. I have only tried dandelion wine once. During my Middlebury College years, I played summers for the Port Chester, New York American Legion Band. The Bedford Fire Department hired us mostly, but occasionally we ventured off on our own, such as the day late every summer when we played an event called the St. Roch’s Feast. It was held in an old Italian neighborhood in Greenwich, Connecticut, near the state line. The whole thing seemed crazy. The band wandered aimlessly from street to street, playing informally, and the people who lived along the streets invited us into their beautiful backyards and tried to fill us with food and drink. Often, dandelion wine was served. I was grateful yet not interested, but once after kind encouragement I decided to try the stuff. It smelled awful and tasted like what I imagine cleaning fluid would taste like. That’s the only dandelion wine I’ve ever tried. My experience with dandelion root coffee was similar. I dug up some roots, ground them, and brewed them in a coffee pot. At the time, I loved tea but hated coffee, so it was no surprise that when I tasted the stuff, it appalled. My dad was my guinea pig. I poured him a full cup. He took a sip and made a face. I’ve picked and washed the young leaves and found them good in salads. Big leaves tend to be bitter, but I’ve read that the bitterness can be leached away by boiling and draining. When I was growing up in North White Plains, we used to travel a good deal on the Bronx River Parkway. On weekends, you could often see elderly Italian neighbors, some of whom my dad knew from his childhood, sprawled on the grassy areas along both sides of the road, cutting dandelion greens. They’d fill bushel baskets with them. Why not? Free nutritious food (the greens are said to be rich in Vitamin C) are not to be sneezed at. Practical considerations aside, the best thing about dandelions may well be the beauty of the flowers. Such brilliant yellow! Such quantity! Dandelion is a member of a group of flowering plants known as the composites. What looks like one flower is actually a multitude. Each “petal” is a flower in itself. This allows for a kind of one-stop shopping for pollinators. Dandelions and insects collaborate to produce lovely windblown snowflake-like seeds in astonishing profusion.

John Jay starting pitcher Jacob Storch fires to the plate for the Wolves in playoff game vs. Pearl River. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS By JIM MACLEAN Baseball is known for the big blows, the home runs, the strikeouts, the big hits, but in the end it comes down to who scores the most runs. And sometimes “small ball” can make the difference to come out on top. A perfect example of that strategy was turned in by Pearl River as the No. 9-seed Pirates came to John Jay on Saturday to face the No. 8-seed Wolves in the first round of the Section 1 Class B playoffs. Locked in a 3-3 tie entering the sixth inning, Pearl River sent 12 batters to the plate and didn’t hit a single ball out of the infield, but somehow managed to score seven runs. Four bunts, four infield rollers, a couple of walks, an error, and the Pirates were on their way to a 10-3 victory to advance. “Can you believe that? In all my years of coaching I’ve never seen anything like that,” John Jay coach Ted Lawrence said. “Even the balls that they didn’t bunt were little infield hits that found a hole and we just couldn’t get to them. It’s amazing, but that’s baseball, I’ve just never seen so many bunts in a row. Bases loaded, bunt and run — that was a great play. They put the pressure on us and it worked.” Even before the big inning, Pearl River was using the bunt to make a difference in a three-run rally in the top of the third inning. The Pirates had a bloop single and three bunts combined with a two-run double to take a 3-0 lead. John Jay answered back in the bottom of the fourth inning as senior All-Section star Jackson Moreo led off with a double and senior Ben Kalish followed with an RBI single. Luke Fisch followed with a single and Luca Maiuolo drilled an RBI single to score Kalish and make it 3-2. Starting pitcher Jacob Storch settled in on the mound for the Wolves and then he helped his own cause at the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning. Aidan Chernick was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a sacrifice by Moreo, and Storch lined an RBI single to score Chernick and tie it up at 3-3. The momentum didn’t last long as Pearl River struck back in the top of the sixth with its seven-run rally. The Pirates closed out the victory to advance as John Jay finished the season at 12-9 overall Jackson Moreo connects for a single. Storch came into the season as the ace on the mound for John Jay, but missed about half the season with a hamstring injury. It was his first game back and it was not the ending he was hoping for after four years as a varsity starter for the Wolves. Storch will play next year at the Rochester Institute of Technology. “It was his first game back after five weeks, and we were confident with him on the bump and he made great pitches,” Lawrence said of Storch. “I’ve loved him since I first saw him as a freshman. As an infielder he attacks the ball and he can hit and drive the ball. He’s been doing it for four years for us.” Moreo finished with two hits in the game, including a single in his final at bat in the seventh inning for the Wolves as he closed out an impressive senior season both on the mound and at the plate as he earned All-Section honors. “He did it all season long right to his last at bat, he never hiccupped. When he was on the bump he threw strikes at the plate, he just had a great year,” Lawrence said of Moreo. “Overall, we had a great season with a young team, five sophomores and a freshman starting, sprinkled in three seniors and we missed Jacob for a bunch of the season. Hopefully, they learn from this and will be back. That’s what life is, you learn from your disappointments and hopefully turn it into success.”

Lorelei Schembri finished fourth in the pentathlon for John Jay at the Westchester County Championship meet. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS By JIM MACLEAN The best track and field athletes from public and private schools throughout the county gathered to participate in the Westchester County Track and Field championship meet with the first day held at Somers High on May 15, and the second day at Hen Hud on May 16. Teams had to meet the qualifying standards in order to participate in the large meet with teams from 43 schools participating, and when it was all finished, a number of Fox Lane and John Jay athletes had earned top 10 finishes. Individual champions were Gabriella Ransom of Fox Lane in the javelin, and Sloan Wasserman, who won two titles for John Jay and anchored a relay victory for the Wolves. When the final points were tallied, the John Jay girls team finished second overall, trailing only champion New Rochelle. It was the final county championship meet for Wasserman in her senior year, and as usual she did her job to rack up points for John Jay. On the first day, Wasserman dominated once again in the 3,000-meter race, pulling away from the field to win the title with a time of 9:45.77. It was a good event for John Jay overall as the Wolves had four runners finish in the top ten. Senior Emma Barniv was in sixth place, followed by Rylee Guadron in eighth and Brodie Albert in ninth. Wasserman had to work hard for her title on the second day. She has been far ahead of the field in every race against Section 1 opponents this season, but she was pushed to the limit in the 1,500-meter race with a personal best time of 4:30.46, holding off Horace Greeley’s Malina Santee to win by one second. Mia Haimelin of John Jay was eighth in the event for the Wolves. Haimelin also earned a third-place finish for John Jay in the 800-meter race, with Lila Rotter in seventh place. The Wolves distance runners teamed up for another victory in the 4x800 relay event as Barniv, Rotter, Haimelin and Wasserman finished first with a time of 9:43.11. John Jay also earned points with top six finishers throughout the two-day meet as Lorelei Schembri was busy both days competing in the five-event pentathlon, compiling a final score of 1,903 points to finish fourth. Abby Meinel of Fox Lane clears a hurdle. Elyse Hermanto was fourth in the high jump as she cleared the bar at five feet. Hasti Shahdad was fifth in the 1,500-meter racewalk event, and Bluma Klein was sixth in the javelin for the Wolves. For the John Jay boys team, Rohan Patel led the way with a pair of top ten finishes as he was fourth in the 3,200-meter race and seventh in the 1,600. James Withers-Tinio was third in the javelin with a throw of 142 feet, four inches. Skylar Monasch was fifth in the shot put with a throw of 41 feet, five inches. Landon Goodman was eighth in the 400-meter race, and Will Rebori finished eighth in the pentathlon. The John Jay boys team of Matthew Ebert, Tarun Patel, Rohan Patel and Will George teamed up for an eighth-place finish in the 4x800 relay. Ransom wins javelin The highlight of the meet for Fox Lane was turned in by freshman Gabriella Ransom as she won the javelin event with a throw of 101 feet, nine inches. She won the event by more than two feet with her personal best throw, which currently ranks sixth in New York State. Gabriella Ransom also earned a top-10 finish in the shot put as she was seventh overall. Fox Lane had a trio of girls finish in the top 10 in the 2,000-meter steeplechase race with Victoria Ransom leading the way in sixth place, followed by her sister Alexandra Ransom in ninth, and Natalie Desforges in tenth. Abby Meinel was ninth in the 100-meter hurdles for the Foxes. The Fox Lane boys team was led by Marc Desforges as he finished third in a very competitive 3,200-meter race with a time of 9:37.76. Laurence Tropea was sixth in the javelin throw, and Santo Cutri was ninth in the shot put for the Foxes. Pablo Morales finished ninth in the boys pentathlon event, while Joshua Morales was ninth in the high jump. The track and field Section 1 championships will be held this coming week with John Jay competing in the Class B meet on Wednesday, May 27, at Hen Hud, and Fox Lane competing in the Class A meet on Thursday, May 28, at Suffern.

Blake O’Callaghan makes a save on his way to recording his 800th career save for John Jay. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS By JIM MACLEAN It was another milestone day for John Jay senior goalie Blake O’Callaghan. “It’s a testament to all the guys I’ve played with throughout the years,” O’Callaghan said, but he was not in much of a celebratory mood. O’Callaghan recorded his 800th career save in goal for John Jay, the most by any goalie in the history of the program, but he wasn’t happy as the Wolves walked off the field at home on Friday, May 15, after a 10-6 loss to Somers. John Jay was hoping to make a statement against a good team ahead of them in the playoff standings, but Somers is the defending New York State Class B champions and the Tuskers were able to pull away in the third quarter for the win. O’Callaghan did his part recording 13 saves between the pipes, including his milestone mark in the second half, as his coaches and teammates presented him with a framed poster to commemorate his record setting achievement. “It’s a testament to all the guys I’ve played with throughout the years,” said O’Callaghan. “My defense gets out there and works hard every single day. We work as a group, it’s just a shout out to my teammates for making this possible.” At this point in his John Jay career, O’Callaghan has been a major part of the program and he hopes to end it on a high note in the playoffs before heading off to play lacrosse at Princeton next year. He will play a big part in any playoff success for the Wolves in the coming weeks. “Five year varsity goalie, four year starter, two year captain, 800 saves, program all-time leader, that speaks to him and what he has done on the field, and he’s even better off it,” John Jay coach Mike Bocklet said of O’Callaghan. Both teams were fired up for the showdown on Friday night and the Wolves were up for the challenge in the first half. After falling behind 1-0, Dino Rajamani scored to even it up and then Riley McMahon scored to give John jay its only lead of the game at 2-1. Dash Stewart scores a goal for the Wolves against Somers. Somers tied it up before the end of the first quarter and took the lead early in the second, but Dash Stewart scored for the Wolves to tie it up at 3-3. The Tuskers were able to regain the lead on a goal by Cameron Violante, and then came the big blow as Tristan Iglesias scored with just three seconds left before the buzzer to give Somers a 5-3 lead at halftime. The Tuskers carried the momentum over into the third as Violante and Iglesias each scored again to make it 7-3. Stewart scored his second goal of the game for John Jay to cut the lead down to 7-4, but Violante scored again and the Tuskers closed out the third with a 9-4 lead. James Tesi scored to give the Wolves hope for a comeback at the start of the fourth, and McMahon scored his second of the game to round out the scoring for John Jay, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Tuskers lead as Somers closed out the 10-5 victory. “That goal right before the half was a tough one, it gave them a two-goal lead,” said Bocklet. “They had two goals on low shot clock and those are big momentum goals, you’re playing good defense, but then they score. Somers is a really good team and we’re likely to see them again.” With the loss, John Jay fell to 8-7 overall with one game left in the regular season. After five years on varsity, O’Callaghan and the other five seniors on the roster know now is the time to step it up with the playoffs set to start today, May 22. “I remember every single defensive group,” O’Callaghan said of his teammates. “I’m just happy to be playing lacrosse. I remember my first save in eighth grade against Wilton; I was just a little kid and I didn’t think I’d get to this point. I’m super grateful and I just told the guys, every single day we come out to practice could be our last, so we have to work hard, have fun, believe in each other and be ready for the playoffs.”

Lily Rosenthal (28) celebrates with her Fox Lane teammates after scoring a touchdown. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS By JIM MACLEAN In just its second year as a varsity flag football program, Fox Lane was able to put together an incredible turn around and finish the regular season with 11 victories. Then the Foxes went out and secured the first Section 1 playoff game victory in the history of the program, defeating Carmel 19-0 in the first round of the Class B playoffs at home on May 13. What makes the accomplishment even more impressive is the fact that the majority of the team are newcomers in their first season playing the sport. One veteran who was there last year for the Foxes inaugural season was senior Lily Rosenthal, and she helped recruit a bunch of her friends, including quarterback Riley New. Rosenthal caught three touchdown passes from New to account for all three Fox Lane scores in the victory. “A very fun game. I’m just glad to do this with my teammates. This year has been a big upgrade for us,” said Rosenthal. “Having 12 seniors, it’s a huge accomplishment for all of us having our first sectional playoff win after only two years as a program.” Quarterback Riley New tries to avoid a flag pull in playoff win over Carmel. With the win, Fox Lane moved on to the quarterfinals where the No. 6-seed Foxes suffered a 19-7 defeat on the road Saturday at No. 3-seed Mahopac, to end their season with a 12-5-1 overall record. Despite the loss in the final game, it can’t take away from what the seniors accomplished in their first season of flag football. “We are all best friends and we just love practicing together and having fun together and we’re having even more fun winning our senior year,” said New. “We have confidence, but we didn’t really know how much we could accomplish and we just wanted to improve every day, and I think that’s what we’re most proud of. It took us a couple of games to get in the flow, but all of us stepped up. This sport is so much fun, I wish I did it last year. And I love seeing all the young girls playing, it’s an emerging sport.” Rosenthal made the difference all game long in the win over Carmel, as she scored on a long touchdown pass from New in the first quarter to give the Foxes an early 6-0 lead. It stayed that way into the third quarter, and it was a big play on defense that gave the Foxes the momentum to take control of the game. Natalie Mazzuca came up with an interception and returned it to the Carmel 15-yard line. On the next play, New connected with Rosenthal for the touchdown, and then Kamryn Boniello caught the conversion pass from New to make the score 13-0. Fox Lane started the fourth quarter with a big drive as New ran for a first down, and then completed passes to Amanda Mazzuca and Rosenthal for another first down. Rosenthal then dove across the goal line after another touchdown catch from New to make it 19-0. Kamryn Boniello leaps to make a catch for the Foxes. Carmel tried to put together a drive, but Rosenthal then came up with an interception on defense and the Foxes were able to close out the shut out victory. “Today, we moved the ball well up and down the field, and our defense was lights out,” said Fox Lane coach Rylan Borror. “Natalie Mazzuca had a really good game on defense, she set up our second touchdown with that interception. Lily Rosenthal was dominant today with three touchdowns, she just goes up and gets the ball really well. Our passing game has really evolved and she’s showing what she is capable of doing. Riley, every play, every practice, she’s improving and getting a better feel for the game.” Borror started the varsity program as the head coach last year and the team finished with four victories, and even he admits he did not expect the turn around to win 12 games and advance in the playoffs this year. “It would have been hard to imagine us getting to this point a year ago, but just the fact we had so many really good athletes come out for the team, that really changed the dynamic of what we were capable of doing,” coach Borror said of the turnaround. “They all committed to the program, they’re all great athletes and they’re all such nice kids working incredibly hard every day. They picked it up so fast.”

C.J. Simone applies the tag at second for the out on a pick off attempt. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS By JIM MACLEAN Two pitchers throwing strikes, two defenses making the plays behind them, and it all came down to which team could deliver the big hits. That team would be Yorktown as the host Huskers came through with a home run, a double and a clutch single to score two runs, while pitcher Swaraaj Pujari carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Fox Lane was able to manage a couple of hits. Pujari and the Huskers closed it out for the 2-0, shutout victory to advance to the semifinals, while Fox Lane had its season come to an end with the quarterfinal loss at Yorktown on May 19. Fox Lane had advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-1 victory over Suffern in the first round of the playoffs at home on May 16, as the Foxes finished with a 10-11 overall record after starting off the season at 0-6. “Today we ran into a kid who had command of all his pitches and dominated in the strike zone and you have to tip your cap to him, he was great,” Fox Lane coach Matt Hillis said of Pujari. “I’m just super proud of the way they finished the season. Obviously, the way we started was a huge obstacle to overcome and they did it and turned it into a pretty good year. It didn’t matter that we were 0-6, they still came to practice and worked their butts off. There’s a lot of seniors on this team, and this senior group is kind of unique in that last year they were stuck behind a big senior class and they didn’t get a lot of at bats, but they were in it every single day from day one at practice to the last out tonight. They battled right to the end.” It would prove to be a classic pitchers duel as the two teams squared off under the lights at the Granite Knolls facility on a hot night. Both teams were up for the challenge of an intense playoff battle between two good squads as they made big plays all over the field behind their respective pitchers. Yorktown got the first hit of the game in the bottom of the first with a single off Fox Lane pitcher Frank Salvatorelli, but shortstop C.J. Simone made a leaping grab of a line drive and threw to first for an inning-ending double play. In the bottom of the second, Max Polinsky made a diving catch in left field for the Foxes, but Yorktown was able to get on the board as Luke Ciami delivered with a ground-rule double over the fence and came home on an RBI single from Tyler Galante. The Huskers threatened in the bottom of the fourth with a lead off single and a walk, but Salvatorelli worked his way out of a bases loaded jam getting the third out on a strikeout. It was still 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth when Yorktown struck again with Lirim Biberaj striking the big blow with a home run over the left field fence for a 2-0 lead. Andrew Brauning fields a throw at first base. Fox Lane was unable to get anything going at the plate as Pujari retired the first 13 batters he faced and carried a perfect game into the fifth inning before Janak Bain reached on a walk for the Foxes. Joe Rodriguez came on as a pinch hitter for the Foxes in the sixth inning and gave them hope with a deep drive that was caught on the warning track. Andrew Brauning lined a single in the seventh inning for the first hit of the game for the Foxes, breaking up Pujari’s bid for the no-hitter after six and a third innings. Bain singled for the Foxes second hit of the game to put runners at first and third, but Pujari was able to end the threat with a strike out to wrap up the shutout victory. Salvatorelli was on the mound for four and two thirds innings for the Foxes, and Sean Singleton came on to pitch the final inning and a third. “Frank was phenomenal, he has been really good the entire year,” Hillis said of Salvatorelli. “Coming into the year without a whole lot of innings under his belt, he ended up being an All-Section, honorable mention pitcher for us and did a great job.” Fox Lane advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-1 win over Suffern in the first round of the playoffs. Jackson Carroll was on the mound and recorded the win for the Foxes.

James Strauss, left, of John Jay tees off with an iron. Wally Ryder, right, of John Jay putts on the 18th hole. Both golfers move on to the final round on May 26 at Centennial in Carmel. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS By JIM MACLEAN Conditions were brutal even if you were not playing, with the temperature rising close to 90 degrees on a hot and humid afternoon on a course with almost no shade trees, as golfers gathered to compete in the first round of the Section 1 golf tournament May 18 at Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, Conn. Only the top 60 golfers from the entire section qualified to compete in the tournament based on scoring differentials throughout the season, and there were three golfers from John Jay and two from Fox Lane that made the cut to enter the field. For John Jay, it was Wally Ryder, James Strauss and Asher Barnett, while Hank Hearon and Calvin Metzger made it from Fox Lane. One look at the layout of the Tamarack course and you could tell it would be a challenging day in difficult conditions, with massive bunkers and greens and obstacles on every hole. Despite the weather and course, there were some impressive performances turned in by golfers across the field as they competed to make the cut with the top 30 finishers advancing to the final round. Strauss finished with a score of 79, and Ryder was at 81 as they both made the cut to advance. Strauss and Ryder move on to the second and final round on May 26 at the Centennial Golf Course in Carmel. “I have never seen bunkers like those before — they were crazy — and huge greens,” said John Jay coach Art Blank. “The kids did a great job considering the circumstances — the heat was brutal and then the wind kicked in. For all three of them, it was their first time competing at sectionals. It was a very competitive field this year with lots of very good golfers, and under those conditions, to come out where they did, all three of them did very well.” Strauss shot a 40 and a 39 for a combined score of 79 on the eighteen-hole course, eight strokes behind the leaders tied at 71. Strauss finished in a three-way tie in 12th place as a total of 15 golfers shot under 80. Ryder rallied with a great round on the front nine, shooting a 37 to finish at 81 overall and make the cut to advance. Barnett finished at 44-42 for an 86, just three strokes away from making the cut. At Section 1 championships from left: Fox Lane’s Calvin Metzger, Hank Hearon and John Jay's Asher Barnett. “James was seeded very high and I knew he could move up, and he shot a 79, a great round and he’s moving on to Centennial,” Blank said of Strauss. “Wally shot an 81, very consistent and he’s played that way throughout the year. He’s played a lot at Centennial and he’s hoping for a big day. They’re ready to go and I expect both of them to do well. Asher shot an impressive round in his first sectionals and he had a great season as a sophomore.” There was a big bunch of golfers within three strokes of each other as a total of 20 scored between an 80 and 83. Fox Lane’s Hearon shot a 42-43 for a total of 85, and teammate Metzger came in at 44-41 for the same score of 85, with both missing the chance to advance by two strokes. “I was very happy with their attitude, effort and grit despite the weather conditions,” Fox Lane coach Fabian Videla said of Hearon and Metzger. “I think they both represented themselves and Fox Lane very well at the tournament.” “Although they were disappointed to not make the cut and move on, both young men played very consistent rounds which was a good representation of what they have done all year long,” Videla said. “We will miss Hank and Jack Yaggi, who broke his arm, very much next year.”

Cristel Recinos with her signature dish: caldo de gallina, a rich, complex soup made from an ancestral recipe, served with grilled hen and rice. AMY SOWDER PHOTO By AMY SOWDER “When I was little, my grandmother had hens at home, and on Sundays she’d make this dish for all the families,” said Cristel Recinos, looking down at her soup with hen broth, a grilled hen and accompaniments laid out on a table after the lunch crowd dwindled on a recent afternoon. Her grandmother kept the birds in the yard in Esquipulas, Guatemala. And with eight sons and their families coming around, a whole hen in the pot made sense. Her mother carried that tradition forward, serving the same fiery chiltepin salsa alongside every bowl. “In my house, my mother always made that kind of chile,” Recinos said. Chiltepins are small, round and searingly hot, a pepper native to Guatemala that most families grow in their yards or in a bucket kept indoors on a windowsill. Nearly everyone uses them. Now Recinos is making that same caldo de gallina in downtown Mount Kisco, and her customers can barely wait for it. When she first introduced the dish at Mishelle’s Bakery & Coffee, she offered it only on Wednesdays and Sundays. The requests for more days started immediately. “Every day people asked for it,” she said. “It’s famous in our country. It was so popular that we decided to make it fresh every morning.” The soup is not on the printed menu yet, so you have to ask. Ask. Recinos arrived in the U.S. with her daughter, Mishelle, as tourists, intending to visit and return home to Esquipulas, a city of significance to many in Mount Kisco’s Guatemalan-American community. Then the pandemic closed the airports. Stuck with a friend in Brewster, she improvised. “We had to start to sell something, so we started selling cakes,” she said. She began selling tres leches, cheesecake and tiramisu to area shops, including La Marqueta, a grocery store specializing in Latin American ingredients, also on Mount Kisco’s Main Street. She went on to study pastry for two years with chef Jhoan Estupiñan at Magic Bakery School of New York, a women- and Latino-owned culinary academy in Queens. An experienced businesswoman, she had owned seven clothing boutiques in Guatemala and El Salvador. When a space became available in downtown Mount Kisco, she took it and named the café after her daughter. Mishelle’s opened on Nov. 15, 2024, with a menu of baked goods, pastries and custom cakes. Gradually, Recinos added traditional Guatemalan breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes like garnachas and churrasco chapin. “All traditional food from our country,” she said. The caldo de gallina is the centerpiece. Unlike caldo de pollo, which uses younger chicken, gallina is a mature hen. The difference shows in the broth, which is deeper, richer and more complex. Recinos grills the hen after the long, slow cook to make the broth. Güicoyitos, the small, round green summer squash used across Guatemala and Central America, add texture alongside potato, carrot, celery, onion, tomato and garlic. Fresh mint lifts and brightens the whole bowl, adding another layer of flavor to an already complex broth. It’s an ancestral recipe made with local ingredients in the countryside, a taste of home served in Mount Kisco. The ritual of eating this dish is half the point. Traditionally, you spoon white rice directly into the soup. The hen, half a bird per order divided vertically from breast to drumstick, gets eaten by hand. “It has a lot of bones, so it works best that way,” Recinos said. “Plus, you have to eat the skin.” On the side are thick, handmade corn tortillas of Maseca flour, chopped avocado, and a bright, raw salsa de chiltepin of finely chopped fiery peppers, white onion, cilantro and lemon juice. “When you ask for soup in our country, it will look like this,” Recinos said, gazing at the full spread. Mishelle’s Bakery & Coffee is located at 209 Main St., Mount Kisco.

The town of Lewisboro recently completed major improvements at Onatru Farm utilizing a $100,000 state grant facilitated by state Sen. Pete Harckham. The upgrades improve safety, accessibility and traffic flow. “Residents deserve safe and accessible parks and recreational spaces where they can relax, exercise and come together as a community,” Harckham said. “Onatru Farm Park is a treasured destination for Lewisboro families and visitors, and this state funding made it possible to complete important infrastructure improvements while easing costs for taxpayers.” “Widening the entrance and paving the parking lot at Onatru was much needed and thanks to the CREST grant we were able to get it done at no expense to the taxpayer,” Lewisboro Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves said of the Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability and Technology program. Onatru Farm Park hosts numerous athletic competitions, arts events and community celebrations throughout the year. It also is home to the town’s Parks and Recreation, town historian and Facilities Maintenance offices. The project was launched because of concerns about traffic congestion and safety at the park’s narrow stone pillar entrance, which often created difficulties for vehicles entering and exiting the property during large events. In 2023, one of the pillars was damaged by a visitor’s vehicle during a vintage car show. After the incident, Gonçalves met with Harckham to discuss the need for renovations, and the senator secured the grant. The completed work included modifying the entrance and interior parking circle to improve vehicular ingress and egress while reducing the likelihood of future accidents. In addition, the park’s former gravel parking lot was repaved with asphalt, creating a more durable, weather-resistant surface for visitors year-round.

Paul W. Mlinar, Jr., a longtime Pound Ridge resident, died on May 3. He was 80. He was born on Dec. 27, 1945, in York, Pa., to Paul W. Mlinar and Mildred Mlinar. He attended the University of Massachusetts, where he earned a degree in restaurant and hotel management. He was a commercial pilot, flying for Seaboard World Airlines, Flying Tigers and Federal Express over a span of more than 44 years. He loved flying, his family said, and had an adventurous spirit. He completed the 10-day, 49-state Iron Butt motorcycle challenge and participated in both the Cannonball Run and the Alcan 5000 automobile rallies. He also enjoyed nature, fine food and beverages, and music. He was actively involved with the Hickory Hill Figure Skating Club, providing music for ice dance sessions and competitions. A lifelong athlete, he played defensive end at UMass and earned honors as a high school scholar-athlete. He also was an accomplished wrestler and played semi-professional basketball while living in the Philippines in the mid-70s. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Wendy Weinstock Mlinar; his son, Gavin P. (Amanda) Mlinar, and two grandchildren. The family will hold a private celebration of life.

This English cottage-style garden in Bedford, which features a wide variety of native perennials, shrubs and trees, will be open to visitors Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO This Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m., the gardens of Healthy Yards co-founders will be open to visitors. The gardens showcase two different ways to support pollinators and birds in a backyard. The event will take place rain or shine. One of the gardens, located at 36 Aspetong Road, Bedford, is a sunny sloping meadow with a small upland woodland habitat. This landscape is filled with plants that provide sustenance for wildlife. More than 2,000 species have been observed in this yard, including several first records of insects in Westchester. This garden has also produced a large share of the material for the annual Westchester seed and plant swap events. A plant propagation workshop will be held at 2 p.m. An English perennial garden, located at 8 Sunset Drive, Bedford Hills, is an half-acre, cottage-style garden where, over the past seven years, about 70% of the lawn has been replaced with herbaceous beds. It features a wide variety of native perennials, shrubs and trees, with a focus on attracting insect and bird life. More than 50 bird species have been recorded there. Visit healthyyards.org for more information.

To the Editor: We wanted to reach out to thank the many people in Lewisboro and beyond for the extraordinary support during and after the devastating fire we experienced last month. From the brave and compassionate actions of first responders to the outpouring of gifts, offers of help and heartfelt condolences from around the area, you have truly demonstrated what it means to live in a caring and neighborly community. We are deeply moved by your kindness, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Linda and Christina Rae Cross River