Kelly-Jane Cotter

1 week ago | starnewsgroup.com | Kelly-Jane Cotter

Snuggle a wooly lamb. Gaze up at a giraffe. Get down to slithering level with a corn snake. And be awed and humbled in the presence of a tiger. New Jersey’s zoos and many of its farms offer opportunities to visit with other species that share our planet. Here are some places where children and adults alike can delight in creatures great and small:   ABMA’S FARM This working family farm also maintains a petting zoo at each of its locations, in Hillsborough and Wyckoff.

1 month ago | starnewsgroup.com | Kelly-Jane Cotter

The musician Marc Ribler walked on stage and looked out at the crowd at Bell Theater in Holmdel on a frigid February night. “Wow, you guys are really close up,” he said. The audience laughed. Bell Theater, a nearly 300-seat venue within Bell Works, is indeed an intimate space for live performances. If you’re in the third row, you can easily make eye contact with the people on stage. If you’re in the front row, you could almost make actual contact.

Nov 11, 2024 | njfamily.com | Kelly-Jane Cotter |Jennifer Amato

Bustling city sidewalks are at their most festive in December, an ideal time for a family day trip to New York City or Philadelphia. New Jersey’s glamorous neighbors have landmarks that will dazzle children of all ages. Plan a day around one or more of these attractions in Manhattan or Philly and inspire a new family tradition. ROCKEFELLER CENTERNo matter how young or old your kids are, you’ll want to start the day in Rockefeller Center, with its towering Christmas tree and elegant skating rink.

Jul 31, 2024 | njmonthly.com | Kelly-Jane Cotter

Chef David Viana teaches a class at Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge, making duck breast and other dishes. Photo: James J. ConnollyJeni Mendez watched closely as chef Eric Dantis stirred a pot of rice. Dantis was making mujadara, an Arabic lentil and rice dish, as part of a cooking class called Rice, Rice Baby at Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge. He began by caramelizing aromatics, then added rice to toast it, and then some water.

Jul 18, 2024 | njmonthly.com | Kelly-Jane Cotter

Scallops with sweet pea purée and charred spring onions at Clemmy's in Waretown. Photo: Rebecca McAlpin Clemmy’s, a tiny gem of a restaurant in a Waretown strip mall, opens at 4 pm. By 3:30, there’s a group of customers happily waiting outside for a table at this cozy, farm-to-table destination in Ocean County. Early birds who secure a table or a spot at the counter of the 26-seat restaurant smile at each other as they take their places, sharing in the triumph. Clemmy’s does not take reservations.