Marine Goes Veggie

Joins Fellow Poets & Writers
At Fiddleheads March 10

Grand Opening Events Begin
Feb. 3 At Natural Foods Supermarket


Where can you find a red-blooded former Marine, Vietnam Vet who prepares for power-lifting competitions by carbing up on celery and cherries, and builds muscle by consuming mass quantities of whey protein?

Soon you will see him at Fiddleheads Natural Supermarket in Litchfield, Ct., reading poetry, contemplating the universe or just looking out the window from the community room.

Ron Winter, who lifts in the lifetime drug free category, tells one and all that veggie-based complex carbs and natural fiber are the keys to staying strong and healthy.

"Sure, I love many veggies and pure grains," Winter said. "Still, even though I heard Fiddleheads has the best and freshest broccoli around, there is no way I will ever eat that stuff. Try and make me!"

Red meat? Full of hormones and antibiotics? No whey? Or NO! Whey!* And Soy!
[see discussion of Whey below.]

Winter will read from his Vietnam memoir Masters of the Art, A Fighting Marine's Memoir of Vietnam, published by Random House and now available in paperback. He may share a couple poems from his collection, Incoming Is Outgoing to the Other Side.

The growing list of poets and writers who will read March 10 at Fiddleheads includes David Cappella, Jim Scrimgeour, Tom Hazuka, Ravi Shankar and Elizabeth Thomas. Appearing with the poets and writers will be a jazz combo made up of local teenagers. Winter, Scrimgeour, Hazuka, Shankar and Thomas have all served as judges for the IMPAC-CSU Young Writers Trust competition, which has an entry deadline of Feb. 1 this year. For more information, see www.ctyoungwriters.org

Masters of the Art is a frank and accurate look at Marine operations in northern I Corps in 1968 at such battle sites as Khe Sanh, The Demilitarized Zone and the A Shau Valley. Masters of the Art is true to the Marine tradition of Semper Fidelis, Always Faithful.

The book portrays Marine Corps boot camp training at Parris Island as a growth experience that enabled the author to meet and overcome later challenges in life, rather than an emotionally numbing experience that produced little more than mindless killers. Drill instructors are portrayed as the fear-inducing masters of military training, yet they also deal with the rigors of producing new Marines with a touch of true humanity.

Winter, a descendant of Scottish Highlanders, grew up in the farming country of upstate New York. He gave up an academic scholarship at SUNY Albany in 1966 to join the marines and fight in Vietnam, where he served as a helicopter machine gunner, flying 300 missions, and earning numerous decorations, including 15 Air Medals, Combat Aircrew Wings, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. After Vietnam he returned to his studies earning undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and English Literature.

In a two-decade journalism career that included stints as investigative reporter, supervising editor, and columnist, Winter received several prestigious awards and a Pulitzer nomination. He currently works as a writer specializing in media relations and is a fierce advocate of veterans' rights. Winter speaks regularly to school and community groups on the history of the Vietnam.

Grand opening events at Fiddleheads include tastings of gelato, all juice spritzers, chili sauces and high-end specialty cheeses. Samples of natural toothpastes and bar soaps will be handed out. The March family farm of Bethlehem will offer native fruits and vegetables, as well as homemade jams, jellies, spices and syrups. Also, an acupuncturist will discuss the traditional Chinese medical technique for unblocking chi, or energy.

For a complete schedule and background, see the Fiddleheads website, www.fiddlheadsmarket.com

Fiddleheads Market reached into the natural and organic food industry for two managers who opened its doors - quietly -- to the public on Jan. 15. Since that time they have been gearing up for the grand opening celebration beginning Feb. 3.

Produce manager Kurt Brown of Litchfield boasts 17 years experience in the field. Brown helped expand the Four Season Farm in Darien from a seasonal stand to a specialty store. He has also served as produce manager of Peters Weston Market and Davis IGA in Kent.

Brown has been working with local farms to identify the best sources of produce, as well as specialty items including maple syrup and honey. Among the unusual fare Brown is planning to stock are non-conventional cooking greens like bok choy, golden beets, chickery and escarole.

Prepared foods manager Janet Candela of West Hartford began her career 25 years ago working for a European importer of gourmet foods in New York. Candela then moved into the natural foods arena, running a catering business called "Good Vibrations - Food Foundations," for 12 years in Burlington. Her company specialized in whole foods, whole grains and organics.

Candela has also consulted with doctors and patients to develop special diets for those with health issues such as allergies, fatigue or chemical sensitivities. She said her menu for Fiddleheads will include "traditional comfort food, but with a little spin," along with "atypical health foods made from scratch with a wide variety of spices and whole grains."

Fiddleheads hours and days of operation are as follows: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The store is at Litchfield's Village Green complex, Route 202, down the hill from Dunkin' Donuts and Blockbuster.

Patrons of Northwest Connecticut's natural and organic supermarket might get distracted staring at the museum-quality floor. An emerald green, terrazzo-style floor has been built and installed by Chris Krone of Concrete Supplement Co.

The mosaic features uniquely blended elements of marble, glass and stone. The "F" for Fiddleheads in the community room will glow in the dark. The emerald green texture with smaller glass aggregates will continue throughout the store.

"I want customers to have a one-of-a-kind experience," said Krone, whose client base is in Fairfield County and New York.

Fiddleheads secured zoning approval for the sale of prepared foods and to host educational events in the community room. Co-owners Stephanie Weaver and Anne Freeman said typical renovation issues for the new business led them to re-schedule the store's opening from November until mid-January.

"Our focus on this magnificent floor is reflected in quality throughout the entire store," Weaver and Freeman said in a joint statement.

The 5,700 square foot store features products including natural / organic fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry and fresh fish. There is a wide selection of local farm products, a salad bar, coffee, homemade breads and baked goods and prepared foods and meals to go. Specials include sushi, tappas, variety quiches and wholesome soups and stews.

"Fiddleheads is committed," Weaver said, "to become the flagship grocery and prepared foods store of Litchfield County -- in a way that promotes health through a wide range of products harvested and manufactured with integrity, fairness and responsibility, while respecting the environmental balance of the surrounding community."

The natural foods supermarket encourages awareness of the community's dietary, organic and other natural product choices, she said.

"Though its existence as a community center, Fiddleheads will support a healthy lifestyle through its retail products, its prepared food selections, its catering, and its health, cooking and kids' classes," Weaver said. "It will also provide meaningful economic support to the local population through employment opportunities as well as serving as a retail outlet for local farm products, manufacturers and industries committed to providing healthful products. The store seeks to be known for its innovative and health conscious products, its variety and its excellent service."

The natural foods supermarket provides a Community Room suitable for cooking classes, small venue concerts, wine / beer/ chili tastings and lectures. Cookbooks, nutrition books and a limited selection of fiction, non-fiction and poetry will also be offered. Dr. Georgia Day, owner of the Rainy Faye Bookstore & Gallery in Bridgeport and an assistant academic vice president at Fairfield University, will oversee the book operation. For more information, see www.rainyfaye.com

BACKGROUND ON THE PRINCIPALS IN THIS VENTURE:


Anne Freeman, owner of Anne's Place, LLC brings over 20 years of extensive experience within the food and beverage industry. She held the food service contract with the University of Connecticut Torrington Branch, providing a variety of prepared foods for students and staff on a daily basis as well as a full service catering menu. Additionally, Anne has been a personal chef for the past ten years and currently runs Anne's Place, a business which caters to specific client needs focusing on special dietary requirements and specific food preferences.

Anne has several years of event planning and catering experience through which she has acquired an extensive inventory of food and vendor contacts. Through her management of the restaurant, bar and banquet facility, Anne was successful in reinvigorating the Torrington Country Club, bringing about an unprecedented increase in wedding and event bookings. While in that management position, she developed the staff training manuals, and implemented the "Point of Sale" system that the Country Club still uses today. She also developed a food service program for all staff & faculty at The Education Connection. She prepared all menus for the Head Start program at that facility as well. She is a board member of the Litchfield County Women's Network (LCWN) and is responsible for its venue and menu planning. Through her tenure the LCWN has enjoyed its highest membership in its 25-year history.

Stephanie Weaver is the principal in the Law Offices of Stephanie M. Weaver, LLC, located in Litchfield, Ct. In her 19th year of practice, she concentrates on divorce and family law, as well as business law, preparing commercial loans for banks, and general real estate. She is General Counsel to the Litchfield County Board of Realtors, which stands at 650 members, and provides the organization with legal advice and assistance. A board member of the IMPAC-Connecticut State University Young Writers Trust, Stephanie helped the organization expand in 2000 from Litchfield County to cover the entire state.

In 1997, she formed a business venture with Alan Landau, and opened a New York-style athletic club in Litchfield. Now in its eighth year of operation, the club has become a treasured and valuable community member. Currently, she is renovating a farmhouse on 22 riverfront acres in central West Virginia for a bed and breakfast locale. She has served on many charitable organizations, including being a past president of the Northwest Connecticut YMCA. She will oversee the business of the venture, including its financial workings, and will provide legal support as needed.


*What the heck is whey?
From www.wikepedia.com

Whey or milk plasma is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained; it is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Whey is used to produce ricotta and gjetost cheeses and many other products for human consumption. It is used as an additive in many processed foods, including breads, crackers and commercial pastry. In addition, whey is used as an animal feed. Whey proteins mainly consist of a-lactalbumin and ß-lactoglobulin. Depending on the method of manufacture, it may also contain glycomacropeptides (GMP).

The whey protein separated from this mixture is often sold as a nutritional supplement. Such supplements are especially popular in the sport of bodybuilding. Liquid whey contains lactose, vitamins, and minerals along with traces of fat. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden discovered that whey appears to stimulate insulin release. Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. They also discovered that whey supplements can help regulate and reduce spikes in blood sugar levels among people with type 2 diabetes by increasing Insulin secretion.

BACKGROUND ON POETS & WRITERS APPEARING MARCH 10

Tom Hazuka
is the author of over 30 short stories, former co-editor of Quarterly West magazine, and author of two novels, including In the City of the Disappeared (Bridge Works Publishing Company, Inc., 2000), which draws on his experiences in Chile with the Peace Corps between 1978 and 1980. A professor of English at Central Connecticut State University, Mr. Hazuka has also co-edited two short story anthologies.

With CCSU Athletic Director Charles (C.J.) Jones Jr., Hazuka has also written A Method to March Madness: An Insider's Look at the final Four (Moonlight Publishing) that offers an incisive view of what happens behind the scenes at the NCAA's "Big Dance." Based on Jones' four decades of experience as a player, coach, university athletics director and close colleague of many big names in the sport, the book is filled with anecdotes and insights that cover the spectrum of Final Four activity over the years.
University of Connecticut Head Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun notes in his foreword to the book: "C.J. does a fine job of explaining the transformation of the tournament into the March Madness that it is today."
Co-author Hazuka points out: "I'm a big college basketball fan, so working on this book was fun for me. It was also interesting to write for the first time a book that wasn't fiction."

James R. Scrimgeour
is a Professor of English at Western Connecticut State University.

He has published a critical biography of Sean O'Casey (G. K. Hall) along
with numerous reviews and articles on poetry and drama.

He has also published seven books of poetry --
Entangled Landscapes , with John Briggs (Pudding House),
Brushstropkes of the Millennium (WCSU Foundation),
Dikel, Your Hands (Spoon River Poetry Press, 1979),
The Route (Pikestaff Press, 1996),
James R. Scrimgeour: Greatest Hits (Pudding House Press, 2001),
We Are What We Have Loved (Hanover Press, 2001),
Monet in the Twentieth Century (Pudding House, 2002),
and over 200 poems in anthologies and periodicals.

Scrimgeour served as Editor of Connecticut Review
from September 1992 - September 1995. He has written over a
poem per week since January 1993.

David Cappella
lives in the town of Manchester, CT. He is an Associate Professor of English at Central Connecticut State University. He has co-authored two books on the teaching of poetry with Baron Wormser: Teaching the Art of Poetry: The Moves (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2000) and A Surge of Language: Teaching Poetry Day to Day (Heinemann, 2004). He is the winner of the 2004 Bright Hill Press Poetry Chapbook Competition, of which the first poem was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He has published poems in The Connecticut Review, The Bryant Literary Review, Diner and other journals.

Elizabeth Thomas
designs and teaches writing programs and workshops for schools and organizations throughout the U.S. These programs promote literacy and the power of the written and spoken word for all ages. Thomas is the founder of UpWords Poetry, an organization dedicated to creative arts programming, particularly for young writers. Her website is www.upwordspoetry.com

Thomas works with young writers and teachers throughout the country. She is the Connecticut Review Poet-in-Residence for the Naugatuck Public Schools this semester.

[www.connecticutreview.com
Connecticut Review is the literary journal of the
Connecticut State University System.
It is published twice annually, in the Fall and the Spring.]

During the 2005/2006 school year Thomas traveled the east coast presenting school workshops throughout New England, Georgia, Florida and the Florida Keys. She was a keynote speaker for the Florida Council of Teachers of English in October 2005 and the Florida Literacy Coalition in May 2006. She was a featured author at the Amelia Island, FL Book Festival and performed in Providence, Nantucket, NYC and Block Island.

In June, 2006 she coordinated the Writing/Poetry Program for the World Scholar-Athlete Games. Held for two weeks at the University of Rhode Island, young writers, athletes, instructors and coaches from around the globe (157countries were represented last year) work and play together. She taught at the Games in 2001 and 2003. Go to www.internationalsport.com for more information.

In 2004/2005 she was the poet-in-residence for Images of Cultural Identity (Capitol Region Educational Council/Bushnell) and worked with 5th grade students from Hartford, Newington and Farmington. She was Program Director for WordsAlive in the Middle, a program funded by Hartford Public Schools. The program brought 7th and 8th grade students from Lewis Fox Middle School in Hartford and Horace Porter School in Columbia together to read and write creatively.

She has presented poetry/performance workshops for YPI www.ypi.org,a co-educational, residential summer camp offering one and two week workshops for young people in grades 5 through 12, interested in writing and the visual/performing arts.
In July 2002 - 2004, Thomas co-hosted a multi-day workshop called 'The Spoken Word: Performance Poetry' for UConn's Confratute a summer institute for teachers from around the globe on enrichment learning and teaching.

From 1998 to 2001, Thomas was Program Director for Words Alive, a greater Hartford, CT in-school writing program. Six high schools were involved (New Britain, Wethersfield, Hartford, East Hartford, Weaver and South Windsor).The program hosted noted poets and writers Naomi Ayala, Martin Espada, Marc Smith, Jack Agueros, Gayle Danley, Claribel Alegria, Ernesto Cardinal, D.J. Renegade, Roger Bonair-Agard, Sara Holbrook, Wayne Karlin, Patricia Smith, Cheryl Savageau, Doug Anderson, Luis Rodriguez, Devorah Major, the Welfare Poets and others. It was sponsored through a grant provided by the Capitol Region Educational Council (CREC).

Thomas was a member of three CT National Poetry Slam teams (1994, 1995,1997), a member of the 1998 U.S. team that traveled to Sweden and an individual competitor at NPS in the 2003 (Chicago) and 2005 (Albuquerque).

She is an organizer/coach for Brave New Voices/National Youth Poetry Slam and Festival. She organized and hosted the 1st National Youth Poetry Slam in Hartford, CT in 1998. The event included teams from the CT, Washington DC, NYC and Worcester, MA and a team from the Navajo Indian Nation of New Mexico. Since 1998, she has traveled with the CT team to New Mexico, San Francisco, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Los Angeles and NYC. Brave New Voices 10 will be held in New Orleans in April 2007. Want more information, please send an email to: upwordspoetry@earthlink.net

As an advocate for youth in the arts, Thomas has presented workshops for the Florida Literacy Coalition, Florida Council of Teachers of English, New England Association of Teachers of English, College Explorers of the Florida Keys Community College, CT Commission on Culture and Tourism and The Connecticut Poetry Festival. She has worked with The Greater Hartford Academy of Performing Arts, Charter Oak Cultural Center, Bushnell Partners Program, Poetry Live/Litchfield Performing Arts, CT Commission - Master Teaching Artist Program, the Greater Hartford YMCA, Curbstone Press and the Greater Hartford Arts Council. She is a member of the executive board of the New England Association of Teachers of English, a writing mentor for the Sunken Garden Poetry Series/Young Poets Competition and a steering committee member/in-school artist for the Windham Area Poetry Project.

If you would like a brochure listing some of the workshops offerings, please email upwordspoetry@earthlink.net to request a copy.

As a poet and performer, her work continues to be featured throughout the U.S. A partial Calendar of upcoming readings and workshops is available. Her first book of poetry, 'Full Circle' was published in 2000 by Hanover Press. Two poems included in the book are Ebb Tide and Revelation . She is currently working on her second collection of poems and has just finished a book on creative writing for children and teachers entitled, 'If Only Red Could Talk'. For information on ordering, please email to upwordspoetry@earthlink.net.

Elizabeth is a poet who believes in the idea of "poetry as remedy and resource" and throughout her life uses writing as a tool to help understand things that don't make sense.

Ravi Shankar
is poet-in-residence and assistant professor of English at Central Connecticut State University. Shankar is the author of Instrumentality, a collection of poems published by Cherry Grove Collections in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has served as a judge in the IMPAC-CSU competition for several years and was keynote speaker in 2005.

He is a founding editor of the online journal of the arts "Drunken Boat"(http://www.drunkenboat.com). Among many awards won by Shankar are the Gulf Coast Poetry Prize and the Bennett Prize for Poetry at Columbia University. His critical work has appeared in Poets & Writers, Time Out New York, The Iowa Review, and The AWP Writer's Chronicle.


NY TIMES FEATURE ON RAINY FAYE

March 16, 2003 Sunday
Late Edition - Final

SECTION: Section 14CN; Column 1; Connecticut Weekly Desk; Pg. 2

LENGTH: 982 words

HEADLINE: THE VIEW / From Bridgeport;
Reading Globally, Buying Locally

BYLINE: By JEFF HOLTZ

BODY:


GEORGIA F. DAY was frustrated with always having to go outside of Bridgeport to do her book shopping.

At the same time, business leaders in the city believed an independent bookstore would be another ingredient for the downtown area's revitalization.

A resulting convergence of the parties has led to the opening next month of Rainy Faye, the first full-service bookstore in the state's most populated city in a decade.

The store is owned by Dr. Day, an assistant academic vice president at Fairfield University, who is an admitted bookstore junkie who always wanted her own business.

"When I travel, no matter where I go, I always go to a bookstore," she said. "Being inside of a bookstore is a whole new world."

Dr. Day, who is also the co-host of two local radio shows, said the store's location alone, at 940 Broad Street, could make Rainy Faye a success. It is situated directly across from the main branch of Bridgeport's public library, with its 5,000 visitors a week, and near the Housatonic Community College, with 4,500 students and a faculty of nearly 200.

"This seems to be the right spot at the right time and the right thing for me," she said.

Dr. Day said the store will carry an eclectic selection of books and newspapers. She also plans to have appearances by authors, art exhibitions, live comedy, poetry, storytelling and jazz, adding that there will be an emphasis on affordable pricing and customer service.

"I'm going to become their personal valet and try and to get them something in 24 hours if we don't have it," Dr. Day said, referring to the customers.

Although there are specialty bookstores in the city, Bridgeport -- where the Walden bookstore chain was founded -- has been without a full-service store since a Barnes & Noble that served as the University of Bridgeport's bookstore closed in 1993.

"I just think it's appalling that the biggest city in the state hasn't had a full-service book store," said Michael A. Golrick, Bridgeport's chief librarian. "There are three schools in the city that have fallen below all of the state testing standards for math, reading and writing.

"It is a demonstrable fact that kids who read more will write better. The fact that we haven't a book store has decreased their opportunities to buy books."

Experts in both the book industry and economic planning contend that the locating of bookstore chains in suburban malls has left many cities in a similar situation.

Daniel B. Houston, a partner in Civic Economics, a planning and consulting firm in Austin and Chicago that has studied the effects of bookstores on local economies, said Rainy Faye could be good for Bridgeport.

"Nobody from a small community is going to drive past one book store to go to another, unless there is something special," he said. "In Bridgeport, and other cities like it, the goal is not to copy suburban retail. The goal is to be something different, something that is intrinsically better."

Mr. Houston said that for each dollar taken in, independent owners like Dr. Day put roughly 45 cents back into the local economy, as compared with 13 cents by a chain store.

"They have local accountants, use local banks, have local lawyers and spend on local advertising," he said. "They spend a lot of money that disappears overnight if you shop in a chain store."

The American Booksellers Association, which is in Tarrytown, N.Y., and represents more than half of the 2,500 independent booksellers in the nation, said marketing ideas like Dr. Day's had stabilized the industry in the last three years.

"A lot of the independent are just becoming smarter marketers," said Michael F. Hoynes, the association's marketing officer. "They're becoming better at database management and customers service."

Dr. Day's new neighbors believe the store will enhance the area.

Mr. Golrick has already met with Dr. Day about coordinating events. He said the store would help promote literacy and learning in the city and draw more authors to the library for speaking engagements.

"The bookstore will probably advertise itself as being across from the library, he said. "So I'll get a little piece of that, too."

Mr. Golrick also noted that an independent store would be especially beneficial.

"Independent bookstores are really important because they don't have the purchasing decisions made far away," he said. "Those local decisions can reflect the local community and its needs."

Housatonic Community College officials believe the store will enhance the students' experience.

"The mark of any vibrant college is the type of commercial development that springs up around it, especially bookstores and various arts centers," said Anson C. Smith, a spokesman for the college. "It sounds like Rainy Faye is going to be just that type of venue."

Philip J. Kuchma, the president of the Kuchma Corporation, which manages the Broad Street property for Peoples Bank, used a consultant to determine if a bookstore could work downtown.

He said the store must rely heavily on community outreach and product turnover to attract customers.

"It is incumbent upon the people who said we needed this to support it," Mr. Kuchma said.

Dr. Day does face challenges, however. With large retailers and supermarkets also selling books, independents now control only 15 percent of the market, according to the American Booksellers Association. More than half of the nation's independent bookstores have closed in the last decade.

Yet, after exhaustingly researching the project, Dr. Day remains positive.

"There's a particular type of person that goes to the independent bookstore," she said. "We have Stop and Shop, and yet I still shop at a small grocery store, only because of the customer service and the fact that there is a limited menu and I know exactly where to go. I think that will happen here

"Truthfully, already the space is too small," she added. "I need a new place already. I see it growing."

GRAPHIC: Photos: A real page turner: Georgia F. Day, left, Yesinia Rosado, a student reporter, and Philip J. Kuchma, right, discussing Rainy Faye, a bookstore that is set to open next month. Right, Dr. Day outside her new bookstore, which will have an eclectic selection of books and feature live comedy, jazz and storytelling. (Photographs by Douglas Healey for The New York Times)