Scarsdale

Fire: Kids and Parents Learn What to Do in Case of a Fire

Firefighter Cordes George demonstrating the improper way to extinguish a grease fire on the kitchen prop that his daughter Ashley George designed and built for her Girl Scout project.On Saturday elementary school children were called into action when a house went up in flames at Crossway. The kids used the fire extinguishers to put out the blaze – but thankfully it was only a drill.Story time with Captain Stephen Mulcahy.

The fire was one activity at the Scarsdale Fire Department’s Fire Fair which was attended by over 250 people. Those who attended enjoyed a day of good weather with many activities to teach kids how to avoid fires and what to do when one occurs.

In addition to the house on fire and the “Stop, Drop and Roll” demo there was a bouncy house and a fire engine to explore. For the adults, there was a live demonstration on how to put out a grease fire on your stovetop and an oven fire. A lucky volunteer from the audience donned fire department gear and was able to demonstrate how to use a fire extinguisher on an oven fire.

Kids extinguish a demo house fire.New this year was the realistic kitchen cabinet prop, which showed how the grease fire, when improperly put out with water, would spread to the upper and lower cabinets. This kitchen prop was designed and built by Ashley George, a local resident and daughter to Volunteer Company # One firefighter Cordes George, as part of her Girl Scout project. Firefighter Cordes George demonstrated the improper way of putting out a grease fire on the kitchen prop. He said, “This was a great addition to our demonstration this year … it makes it more realistic.” The Scarsdale Fire Department thanks Ashley George for her work on this project.

Also new this year, the children were entertained by a reading of “The Story of Sparky the Fire Dog” by Captain Stephen Mulcahy. Each child who attended the story time received a copy of the book and had their book signed by a firefighter. Kids also enjoyed hot dogs, popcorn and cotton candy.

A volunteer from the audience demonstrates the different classes of fire extinguishers.

Steve Rossi, of AAA Emergency in North White Plains, was on hand to educate the public on the selection of a proper fire extinguisher.

Photos by Jon Thaler. See more here: 

Halloween Window Painting Contest Results 2019

It’s an annual rite …. the Scarsdale Halloween Window Painting Contest. This year it was held on Sunday October 20 and kids were busy from Scarsdale Village to the Five Corners and Colonial Village decorating merchant’s windows with clever Halloween-themed paintings. 

According to Recreation Supervisor Dan Walczewski there were about 300 windows painted this year, up from about 260 last year. Counting team and family entries, about 700 people participated.

Anticipating rain, the Recreation Department sent out an email the night before encouraging people to paint early and for the most part they heeded the advice. They did have a few “no-shows” which may have had something to do with the weather, but it was a very small percentage of the overall number.

We asked if vacant storefronts were a problem and Dan said, “We usually request (and are granted) permission by the landlords to use the vacant storefronts, but we only use them if we need to. This year we used very few as we were able to fit the vast majority of paintings on occupied stores.”

Below find a list of the winners and photos of the young artists at work. For the second year in a row, Olivia Liu took home the Grand Prize. See her painting at left.

While touring the artwork on Monday, we met Debi Kops, Anne Kaplan and her son Damian who have beenJudges Damian Kaplan, Debi Kops and Anne Kaplan. a team of judges for about 8 years. Kops explained, “Anne and I met at sleep-away camp before we were teenagers. The Scarsdale Window Painting Contest has been going on since 1952. I entered the contest 8 years in a row, when my family lived in Scarsdale. Each year I was honored and received an award for my painting, with a partner or solo. This was an important incentive for me as a young artist. After I left Scarsdale, I wanted to give back; And I do. For close to 35 years I have proudly been a Scarsdale Halloween Window Painting Judge for close to 35 years. Kudos to Dan Walczewski and the staff of The Scarsdale Recreation Department who organizes this fabulous and fun event. Celebrating Halloween has become my High Holiday.”

Despite the fact that it's called a contest, the entire Village wins as we all benefit from the artwork. Congratulations to all the artists and their parents for continuing this wonderful tradition.

Photos courtesy of the Recreation Department and Charles Im.

Group 1

1 Charlotte Lemerond- Chase Bank
2 Emily Fields -Jean Claude Hair Design
3 Natalia Gutierrez -Heathcote Barber Shop

Most Comical

Trevor Miller- Heathcote Hand Laundry

 

Honorable Mentions

Chloe Fields -Chase Bank
Madeline Arest- Metro Deli
Eliza Pickelle- Metro Deli

Group 2

1 Whitney Rudsenske- Sam Lehr
2 Talia Koenig- Scarsdale Eye Care Center
3 Ellis Israel -Vacant

Most Comical

Ivy Fischer Scarsdale Flower Shop

Honorable Mentions

Rebecca Friedland- Scarsdale Eye Care Center
James McNally- Bango Bowls
Sophie Luo -Sam Lehr

Group 3

1 Grace Henry -Jade Spoon
2 Lilah Lenskis-Kristian- A Touch of Polish
3 Alexandra Israel -Jade Spoon

Most Comical

Julia Barro- Big Top

Honorable Mentions

Blair Rudsenske- Big Top
Sarah Luo- Big Top
Daisy Bennett- Jade Spoon
Juliette Dalton -Jade Spoon
Chenyu Li -A Touch of Polish
Audrey Li -Amore Pizza
Evie Schiff -Amore Pizza

Group 4

Joshua Dong -Scarsdale Spencer Pharmacy
Isabelle Zhu -Great Stuff
Eloise Schiamberg -Parkway Coffee Shop

Most Comical

Danielle Barro- Parkway Coffee Shop

Honorable Mentions

Claire Matula-Osterman- DeCicco's
Jianna Shao -YeoMiji
Isabella Lu -Mixology

Group 5

1 Xinyi Zhao -Village Computer Shop
2 Annika Hanson-Carlson- Rothman's
3 Henry Nova -Rothman's

Most Comical

Flora Zik -Danielle Trissi

Group 6

1 Vivienne Dalton/Devon Simon- SPD Substation
2 Talia Camhi/Jiya Choudary -Nordic Edge
3 Matthew Im/Emery Farnsworth -Bank of America

Most Comical

Maya Zaitchik/Avery Altschuler -Embassy Cleaners

Honorable Mention

Mira Mazer/Clara Dichter -Embassy Cleaners

Group 7

1 Zoe Lemberg/Nicole Sensel -Dunkin' Donuts
2 Lian Guo/Iris Zhu -Dunkin' Donuts
3 Emma Daniel/Annabelle Hasson -Dunkin' Donuts
Most Comical

Molly Singer/Sofia Polak -Pizzarelli's

Honorable Mentions

Natalie Goldstein/Lindsay Goldstein -Dunkin' Donuts
Pietro Lombardi/Charlie Im -Pizzarelli's

Group 8

1 Blakely Sapirstein/Talia Arovas -Value Electronics
2 Rachel Goldberg/Sasha Lubin -La Dentelliere
3 Kaitlyn Shedroff/Tara Bamji -Rudy's Music

Most Comical

Nell Rompala/Lexi Perry -Value Electronics

Honorable Mentions

Lilliana DeRobertis/Ava Rapaport -Zachy's Liquor Store
Eleanor Orad/Delaney Weston -Zachy's Liquor Store
Morgan Greco/Mia Forray -Chase
Julia Kristol/Kate Simpson -Houlihan Lawrence
Gil Reindel/Coby Cukierman -Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Group 9

1 Julia Sobel/Reese Muntner -Wilson & Sons
2 Ava Feldman/Charlotte Aldridge -Pam Robbins
3 Nadine McMahon/Clara Bartalos -BLVD

Most comical

Sarina Mehta/Maya Dhiman -BLVD

Honorable Mentions

Annalise Corey Felicity Bennett -Wilson & Sons
Madeline Cha/Samantha Cha -Wilson & Sons
Jessica Greco/Gabrielle Smajlaj -Wilson & Sons

Group 10

1 Alexandra Simon/Olivia Liu -William Raveis Real Estate
2 Annika Johnson/Gabriella Johnson -William Raveis Real Estate
3 Celia Dibenedetto/Leo Dibenedetto -William Raveis Real Estate

 

Coverage of the Halloween Window Painting Contest is sponsored by the Randi Culang Team at Compass Realty.

Scarsdale Soccer Stuns Archrival Mamaroneck

Raiders celebrate Tirabassi's goal.In a game that had broad playoff implications for both squads, the Scarsdale Raiders boy’s soccer team upset its rival Mamaroneck on Saturday October 19. Playing under the lights at its home field, the Raiders concluded its regular season with a spectacular performance against the highly touted Tigers. After battling for 80 minutes with Mamaroneck, Scarsdale pulled out a thrilling 1-0 victory.

The Tigers had recorded a 14-1 overall record going into the affair, along with a 5-0 record within the conference. A win would have sealed the number 1 playoff seed for Mamaroneck. Scarsdale’s record was 6-5-2 overall and an even 2-2-1 conference performance, and was fighting for the number 9 seed in the Conference playoffs.

The match marked the end of homecoming week at Scarsdale and was played in front of a fairly large crowd during a pleasant fall night. The teams had played at Mamaroneck on October 3, where the Tigers held on to an early 2 goal lead and escaped with a 2-1 victory.

The Raiders came out full of energy – as Head Coach Marcos Monteagudo said, “The boys came out ready and prepared.” After an early corner kick six minutes into the game, senior Patrick Artes had a nice early chance for a goal. The teams battled within the middle of the field for the next four minutes with fellow senior Estaban Rudloff controlling the ball for a fair amount of that time period. The Tigers had a tough time moving the ball early. Co-Captain Ben Rubin and Sophomore Luke Peltz helped keep the Tigers at bay.

With 11 minutes gone in the first half, Mamaroneck began an offensive of its own and controlled the ball for most of the next six minutes. Near the halfway mark of the first half, Middie Liam O’reilly took a shot that forward Matt Giraldo headed over the top of the Raider goal. Rubin then cleared the ball and the Raiders began its own possession for Scarsdale. The Raiders Alfred Mrijaj worked hard against the Tigers and Adrian Lim had a very nice dribble down the field. With nine minutes left in the half, the Tigers stole the ball and moved down the field but Peltz stopped the drive and the Raiders regained the ball. After a number of swapped possessions, the Raiders had their first great chance to score as a pass from co-captain Zachary Medvinsky to fellow senior John Dowd almost found the mark with just under five minutes to play in the half. The last three minutes of the half saw Mamaroneck almost score the first goal of the game. The first attempt saw Scarsdale Goalie Luca Schettino make a save and the rebound bounced harmlessly away from Mamaroneck. With a little over a minute to play, Mamaroneck shot a corner kick over the Scarsdale goal. The half ended in a scoreless deadlock and both teams went to their benches.

Raiders Boys Soccer team senior class and parents after ceremony.

During halftime, Scarsdale honored the Seniors on the team and their families with a ceremony near midfield. The following Seniors were noted:

Patrick Artes
Cameron Davis
John Dowd
Lukas Forsingdal
Calvin Lee
Aidan McKenna
Zachary Medvinsky
Benjamin Rubin
Esteban Rudloff
Joshua Strassberg

The second half saw the game open up – as both sides had multiple opportunities to score. With only a minute gone, the Tigers Joey Dos Santos took a shot that went over Scarsdale’s goal. The Raiders Adam Wasserman and Ben Rubin moved the ball down the field rapidly. With five minutes elapsed in the second half, The game took on a fair amount of physicality – as is common in contests between these two teams and noted by Roman Tirabassi: “anytime its Scarsdale/Mamaroneck it’s going to be a fight to the end.” Rubin was fouled quite hard by the Tigers Kevin Vasquez –who received a yellow card-- leading to a Scarsdale indirect free kick. The Raiders had the ball near the Tiger goal for the next three minutes and only a great save by Mamaroneck goalie Niclas Andersen avoided a Raider goal off of a Rubin throw in.

With slightly over ten minutes elapsed in the second half Medvinsky was creamed by the opponents, which led to a Scarsdale direct free kick. This time the Raiders converted as Tirabassi found an opportune time to notch his first goal of the season and booted a rebound past Andersen. With 11:30 gone in the half, the home crowd erupted in a roar as the Raiders found itself with a 1-0 lead.

Scarsdale's Roman Tirabassi scores the sole goal of the match.

The Tigers were far from done and attempted to penetrate the Raider defense. They continued to apply pressure and with 18 minutes left in the game almost converted a cross in front of the Scarsdale goal. This was followed by a direct free kick that missed the mark and led to a Tiger corner – which was cleared by Rubin. With 16:40 left a controversial call by a flustered referee led to another direct free kick – and Schettino made another save. The referee continued his frequent whistle blowing and gave Scarsdale’s Josh Strassberg a yellow card. The ensuing Tiger direct kick represented Mamaroneck’s best chance to score all evening and was just wide of the Raider goal. Scarsdale was left clinging to its lead with 15 minutes left in the game.

Scarsdale then took possession of the ball and Medvinsky nearly scored with a long shot that hit the post with just over ten minutes to play. The Tigers continued their assault and with 7:30 left forward Marco Kecman stole a Scarsdale pass, drove down the field, and put a beautiful cross past the Raiders goal – but no one was there for the Tigers to convert the kick.

The tension was palpable in the final minutes. With 4:30 left, Mamaroneck Kecman had a nice drive down the field – but the Raiders Mrijaj made a fabulous and clean tackle on him. With 2:30 left, Medvinsky cleared a Tiger corner – but the ball went to a Tiger player down the field. Mamaroneck, playing with urgency, had its final chance to knot the score. With 1:30 left they narrowly missed a shot to the left of the Scarsdale net. The Raiders then kept possession and cleared the ball – sealing the upset and a huge Raider win.

The timing of the win was excellent and should clearly boost the Raider confidence as the playoffs begin Thursday. Medvinsky remarked: “this felt like a playoff game,” and Monteagudo said: “this propels us and we feel good about ourselves…anytime you can beat a team of their caliber it’s great.” Tirabassi added: “this gives us momentum and shows we can compete with any team in the section.”

Photos by Pam Rubin and Ray Cooper.

Team captains Calvin Lee, Ben Rubin and Zach Medvinsky

A Candid and Informative Conversation with Mimi Rocah

Leah Dembitzer, Mimi Rocah and Dara Gruenberg.On a rainy Sunday afternoon, legal analyst and Scarsdale resident Mimi Rocah spoke to a crowd of over 100 residents and dignitaries who filled the Scarsdale Woman’s Club to capacity. Ms. Rocah is a legal analyst for MSNBC and NBC News, the current Distinguished Fellow of Criminal Justice at Pace University Law School, and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The event, held on October 20, was jointly sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale, the Scarsdale Forum and the Scarsdale Public Library.

Rocah provided an honest and in-depth conversation about many of the political and legal topics that dominate today’s news headlines. Leah Dembitzer, President of the LWVS, and Dara Gruenberg, President of the Friends of the Scarsdale Library and Co-Chair of the Scarsdale Forum’s Program Committee moderated the informative discussion.

Rocah briefed the audience on her background. She spent a number of years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. As she described: “My experience at the Department of Justice became a part of who I am as a person…The SDNY taught me from day one to do the right thing.” Of particular influence on Ms. Rocah was her time at the U.S. Attorney’s office in NYC on 9/11. It was a “horrible but transformative” experience. She left the SDNY in 2017, “spurred on by Trump’s election.” Initially, as a woman, she felt that it was not right to leave her post at the U.S. Attorney’s office as it was important to stay on to mentor the younger women whom she oversaw. Eventually, after seeing what was happening in the media, particularly President Trump “slandering our institutions,” Rocah thought it was important to join the media to help “push back” given her unique knowledge of the Department of Justice.

Jane Veron, Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Mimi Rocah.When asked about the influence of social media in today’s political climate, she noted that she had not been on social media prior to the 2016 Election. Social media today informs people, but may also mislead. Rocah finds President Trump’s use of twitter as an attempt “to normalize behavior that is really outrageous.” His tweets about Russia, for example, are “not normal” of the presidency. Rocah now follows many on twitter and looks to certain people for her information. She follows Professor Ryan Goodman on twitter and views him as “reliable and smart.” As a side note, Professor Goodman will be the featured speaker at the LWVS food for thought luncheon on November 8th. Click here for more details.

Rocah is particularly appreciative these days of her brother’s work at the ACLU. There is a new sense of importance of the work the ACLU does to protect First Amendment rights, among another things. Donations to the ACLU have “skyrocketed” since 2016. Ms. Rocah believes that people no longer take for granted rights about which they may not have previously thought.

The very topical subject of President Trump’s involvement with Ukraine was of particular interest to the crowd. Rocah thought that Bill Barr acted more like President Trump’s personal attorney than the head of the Department of Justice. However, she is hopeful that state prosecutors will step in, especially in New York, to fill the void where the Department of Justice has not acted. With respect to pardons, Rocah noted that there are “very few limits.” The President can pardon himself, and his family. However, members of President Trump's family could be subject to state prosecution even if they receive a federal pardon under a new law approved in New York. Double Jeopardy would not attach in these cases. Forward thinking, Rocah observed that we need more “rules” and “guardrails” on the use of “presidential power.”

With respect to the current impeachment inquiry that is dominating the news, when asked “why now?” Rocah said: “This feels different. ThereTim Foley, Dara Gruenberg, Leah Dembitzer, Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Mimi Rocah is momentum that hasn’t been there before.” With the Mueller Report, “Trump controlled the narrative before it was released.” However, with the issues involving President Trump and Ukraine, the information is happening “in real time.” Real time information “is more persuasive.” Ms. Rocah thought Nancy Pelosi waited for the right moment to start the impeachment inquiry and “putting it with Adam Schiff’s committee is perfect” as he is a “former prosecutor and follows the facts.”

Rocah answered questions from the audience with candor and a broad knowledge base. Her prosecutorial background has informed her well. She ended by noting the importance of pushing back on social media - “Don’t give up on correcting the factual record.”

Marc Samwick, Dan Hochvert and Justin Arest.In addition to the many Scarsdale residents who attended Sunday’s event, NY Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NY Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Scarsdale Mayor Marc Samwick, Deputy Mayor Jane Veron, and Trustees Justin Arest and Lena Crandall joined the event. Mayor Marc Samwick noted: “This was an excellent event and it was great to see collaboration with the League, the Forum and the Library. I look forward to more events like this that inform and educate us.”

Bronxville Welcomes Tredici Social

Inside out meatballsThe charming village of Bronxville has recently become the home of Tredici Social. With its convenient location across from the train station and steps away from the Bronxville Cinema, this cheerful sister restaurant of Tredici in Purchase is a welcome and unique addition to the Bronxville restaurant scene.

I chatted with co-owner Michael Colucci who described Tredici as, “A contemporary Italian restaurant serving dishes based on tradition with a most interesting modern flair. We serve superior Italian food that is creative and uniquely our own. Our guests enjoy a formal dining experience in a casual atmosphere.” Colucci loves Bronxville because it is quaint and community oriented. “We hope to become a part of the fabric of the community and get to know our guests. The best part of the business is the people. Our goal is to have everyone who dines here exits in a better mood than when they entered. “If Colucci could invite anyone to Tredici Social it would include his grandfather who loved food and wine and was his best friend, as well as Anthony Bourdain who had an adventurer’s spirit.
Heading the kitchen is Executive Chef Giuseppe Fanelli who hails from Puglia. His wide experience ranges from culinary school to the kitchens of many well known New York restaurants such as Felidia, and Rao’s, as well as appearances on the Food Network. He was winner on Chopped where he contributed his expertise on meatball madness. He and Colucci owned Tredici and Tredici Steak in Manhattan until the building was demolished. They are the proud owners of Tredici North in Purchase and are excited about their new venture Tredici Social in Bronxville.

The décor has a modern edge which compliments the fascinating food. The space has been transformed from Kraft that preceded it. Seating about 50 guests inside and just a couple of tables outside, sets an intimate feeling. The color scheme of black, white and red is striking. A very friendly bar is at the front of Tredici Social, which fills up quickly on a Sunday afternoon when the movie theater empties out. An elaborate silver framed mirror hangs behind the bar and geometric red, white and black lighting fixtures illuminate the room. One wall displays black and white drawings by Banksy, cleverly mounted on large red acoustic sound absorbing mats which serve the double purpose of art display and helping with the noise level. Bravo to the owners who payed attention to comments of early guests about the noise level. Two glass checkerboard style screens add interest to the room. Black flocked wallpaper and a silver tin ceiling add to the eclectic atmosphere.

We sampled 3 of the 6 appetizer choices. Tuna Tartar appears on so many menus. Here, the chef prepares a truly creative variation of the dish. The sushi grade ahi tuna combines with soy sauce, sour cream, chopped charred jalapenos, wasabi oil, and black Himalayan salt. Sprinkled with mustard seeds, this mixture rests atop a puree of avocado and cucumber slices. Housemade waffle potato chips are the perfect “utensil” to scoop up the beautifully seasoned tartar mixture. One of the signature appetizers here are the “Inside Out” meatballs. Veal, pork and beef are combined for the large meatballs which are stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella and fontina chesses. They are sealed and rolled in panko crumbs and fried to form a crisp crust. The large meatballs are garnished with a chunky plum tomato sauce, housemade, of course. This was quite filling and could easily have been served as an entrée or a shared dish. Bang Bang Shrimp is another popular appetizer. Here, several jumbo tail on shrimp are awaiting to awaken your taste buds. They are sautéed with gigante beans and flavored with Meyer lemon and roasted sliced garlic. An abundance of red pepper flakes heat up this dish. Toasted bread triangles tone down the spiciness of the sauce and serve to balance this appetite wake up dish. Upon future visits I look forward to sampling Chef Fanelli’s version of wild mushroom arrancini, artichoke salad and super greens Caesar salad with organic spinach, kale and Swiss chard.

Moving on to the entrees, there are several pasta choices. We chose the lobster ravioli and it proved to be a fine choice. The homemade burrata filled raviolis wereSpaghetti Carbonara presented in the center of a black and white contemporary plate. Surrounding the pasta was a mélange of chopped Maine Lobster, hence the name lobster ravioli, sweet corn, caramelized onions, English peas, baby spinach and yellow and red grape tomatoes in a light creamy sauce. This colorful dish was one I would order again…it was soooo good. Spaghetti carbonara, linguini vongole, garganelli ubriaco are each homemade and I look forward to seeing the innovative touches that Chef Fanelli adds to each of them. Salmon is often my fish of choice. I have enjoyed it prepared many ways. At Tredici Social the presentation was quite unique and tasty. A large portion of organic salmon was topped with a browned crust of breadcrumbs, smoked salmon and horseradish. It was surrounded by roasted fregola in tomato sauce and garnished with haricots verts and heirloom grape tomatoes. Free range chicken scarpariello style, grilled prime hanger steak and veal t bone parmigiana claimed to be, “ the best in the city” are each prepared with Chef Fanelli’s creative touches. He certainly has the skill of transforming a simple ingredient into a memorable dish. The menu is concise and each dish I tried had Chef Fanelli’s signature on it.

Complete your meal with one of their sweets. They are homemade and would appeal to sweet lovers of any age. For the chocolate lover, try the Bronxville Blackout Cake. For the classic enthusiast there are tiramisu and vanilla panna cotta. Very popular is the Nutella semi freddo, a chilled Nutella mousse with vanilla gelato, whipped cream, toasted almonds and mixed berries. For the child in you try the cookies and cream, a vanilla milkshake with oreo cookie crumble and a black and white cookie.

Organic SalmonOn Saturday and Sunday, Tredici Social serves brunch with over a dozen choices. There is a dish to please every taste. With the Bronxville Cinema a few doors away, brunch would be a fine choice before a late afternoon film or after a morning performance. Among the tempting possibilities are a lobster club, a fat bastard brunch burger with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, caramelized onions, beer battered onion ring, avocado and fried egg. Steak and eggs, several pasta choices, chicken and waffles, potato pancakes, each in unusual preparations, eggs Benny over Maryland crab cake, tiramisu French toast and classic buttermilk pancakes…..Quite a selection of dishes. Original “Bubbly and Bloody” choices are offered to complete your brunch.
Enjoy brunch or dinner and socialize ate the friendly, welcoming Tredici Social in Bronxville soon.

Tredici Social
104 Kraft Avenue
Bronxville
914 793 1313