Lisa Reisman

1 week ago | newhavenindependent.org | Lisa Reisman

“One thing I know for sure. I do not want to die in the streets. I want to live a good life so when I die, they’re saying good things about me 20 years from now.”  One of the attendees of a men’s group called HIMpact shared those words at a Wooster Square-area shelter Saturday afternoon. The group’s participants requested to remain anonymous to preserve their privacy.

1 week ago | newhavenindependent.org | Lisa Reisman

On a recent afternoon at The Farm Belly on the corner of Front Street and Grand Avenue, owner and head chef Meg Fama was expertly cracking two eggs with one hand and rhapsodizing about Fair Haven. “Years ago, I worked at a little breakfast spot right on the river, out of the way, and the people were just so down-to-earth,” said Fama, 51, who recently opened the freshly remodeled space at 20 Grand Ave. overlooking the Quinnipiac River for breakfast and lunch, as well as catering.

2 weeks ago | newhavenindependent.org | Lisa Reisman

Chantell Thompson’s teenage daughter recently came home from school with her nose pierced. Thompson was livid. Then she took a deep breath. She cooled her thoughts. “Instead of telling her she did something that would mess up her face — that’s a hot thought — I reframed it as ​‘she’s exploring, she really wants a nose ring, and my job is to show her the proper way to care for her nose to avoid infections,’” Thompson told the eight women listening intently around a table.

3 weeks ago | theinnercitynews.com | Lisa Reisman

by Lisa Reisman The New Haven independentMidway through a recent conversation at Strega New Haven on Chapel Street, Danilo Mongillo paused. His phone was ringing again. Mongillo, Strega’s owner and executive chef, was talking about the roots of his ragù sauce. ​“There is nothing really to it, there is no other way to do it,” he went on, after hanging up. ​“The roots are there. You can’t change it.

4 weeks ago | newhavenindependent.org | Lisa Reisman

Midway through a recent conversation at Strega New Haven on Chapel Street, Danilo Mongillo paused. His phone was ringing again. Mongillo, Strega’s owner and executive chef, was talking about the roots of his ragù sauce. ​“There is nothing really to it, there is no other way to do it,” he went on, after hanging up. ​“The roots are there. You can’t change it.