NelliRae’s Kitchen: creative vegetarian fare served in a cozy country atmosphere

Assorted Fruit Tartlets.

NelliRae’s Kitchen is a cozy vegetarian café located in Revere, Pennsylvania, that has locals hooked, and also enjoys visitors from Easton, Allentown, Doylestown, and New Hope, along with Frenchtown, N.J, and other nearby areas.
The reason they’re all heading to this scenic, rural section of Upper Bucks County is simple: NelliRae’s offers local, fresh vegetarian food produced on-premise in the relaxing ambience of an uncluttered country dining room.

On the menu is a creative array of vegetarian and vegan dishes, fresh-baked treats, juices and smoothies.

“Cooking is our passion” is the slogan of owners Rachel and Kris, who opened the restaurant in 2013. “We both have done the nine-to-five thing,” says Kris. “But we’ve been in the food industry since we were teenagers, and it’s the thing we know how to do best.”

Everything from the kitchen is made from scratch, and prepared with ingredients from all over Bucks County. “The only thing we don’t make here is the bread from Crossroads Bakery in Doylestown,” adds Rachel.

Moving quietly about in the quaint, soothing atmosphere are friendly and attentive staff members. The menu is relatively modest in size, featuring rotating desserts and specials.

Among the smoothies are Mango Madness, made with mango juice and bananas, and Nutty Blue, with blueberries, bananas, and almond milk. Popular fresh-pressed juices include the Carrot, Apple and Ginger mixture, and Green Lemonade, made from celery, parsley, apple, lemon, and cucumber. The combinations taste balanced, and the portions are generous.

The main menu at NelliRae’s Kitchen is built around breakfast and lunch, both of which are served until late afternoon. The excellent coffee comes from the well-regarded Small World Roasters of Princeton, and Wi-Fi is accessible. Prices are affordable, and outdoor seating is available.

Of note are the Breakfast Burrito, with eggs, habanero wrap, cheddar cheese, black beans, brown rice, and salsa, and the French Toast, made with gluten-free challah bread, and served with real maple syrup.

Another favorite is the Frittata of the Day, served on a bed of mixed greens. Recently featured were the Spinach, Onion and Cheddar and Three Cheese frittatas.

The Falldorf Salad has also been well-received, with its mixed greens, apples, pears, walnuts, goat cheese, and roasted pumpkin seed, topped with an orange-cranberry balsamic dressing. The Sushi Salad may be the most popular of the bunch, and features brown rice, grated zucchini, grated carrots, red peppers, mixed greens, nori seaweed, sesame seeds, avocado and ginger dressing, with a side of soy sauce.

Standouts among the changing selection of soups have included Creamy Carrot-Coconut, Potato Leek, Pumpkin, and Moroccan Vegetable Stew.

Quesadillas are another ever-changing specialty at NelliRae’s Kitchen, and are served with salsa and sour cream. A recent “Quesadilla del Dia” used arugula, apples, and feta cheese.

Sweet Potato Burger.

But the hands-down customer favorite at NelliRae’s is the Sweet Potato Burger, presented as a patty on greens, or on a French roll, and served with a secret sauce, about which the owners would reveal little except that it’s vegan and gluten-free. And one for the meat-eater in any group is the savory Grilled Veggie Sausage, which could fool the most devout carnivore.

The Roasted Vegetable Wrap is another delectable choice, with assorted seasonal vegetables and smoked Gouda cheese. A gluten-free wrap is also available. The Gluten-Free Mexican Lasagna was another well-liked special for those who avoid gluten proteins, which have low nutritional value, and can cause health problems for some.

If one has room, the desserts are not to be missed. This is where so many vegetarians and vegans feel like they’ve gotten the short end of the stick. But the Blondie Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting, Hugh’s Lemon Cake, and the Raw Chocolate Pudding, which is decadent despite containing no added sugar or dairy, change that equation, making delicious, healthy desserts a viable option.

Maybe that’s another reason why folks seem to be coming from to NelliRae’s Kitchen from all over Bucks County and beyond.

“We get so many different people visiting, from folks in business suits to painters and musicians,” said Kris of the café’s customer base. “There really isn’t one singular demographic, and we love that.”

It certainly has been an incredible first three years for NelliRae’s Cafe, and a relatively short time to have earned such an apparently devoted following.

“We absolutely love it here — there’s just something amazing and magical about the natural beauty of the area,” observed Kris.

And what does the future hold for the NelliRae’s?

“We’re not locked in to any business model or goal, but prefer to let the business take shape organically,” agreed Kris and Rachel. “We love where things are headed.”

With locally sourced, scrumptious vegetarian and vegan dishes, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere and staff, NelliRae’s Café is certainly a must-try for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Great food is great food, no matter what one calls it.

NelliRae’s Café is located at 8826 Easton Road in Revere; (610) 847-2223. It’s open weekdays except Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

‘Mr. Copacabana’: The story of the genius who created Manhattan’s legendary nightclub and raised a family in Bucks County

By Charlie Sahner

It’s 1969, the year of Apollo 11, Woodstock, and the “Miracle Mets.”

“Mr. Copacabana” author Jim Proser is 16 years old. He’s working at Mel’s Restaurant on West Mechanic Street in New Hope, Pennsylvania, having finished a gig as assistant stage manager for Lee Yopp at the Bucks County Playhouse across the street.

Proser is living a block away at the Logan Inn with his father Monte, who created the legendary Copacabana nightclub in New York City, and is now not only separated from his wife, but also incapacitated after being mugged by three teenagers in Trenton. The younger Proser fears for his father’s life – Monte has no overt enemies, but he has more than a few mob members in his social circle.

If it all sounds like the “Godfather” hospital scene where Michael Corleone saves his father’s life, that’s because a big part of the Copacabana story and allure was the ever-present sense of danger, mixed with glamour, romance, music and fortune.

Flash back another 30 years, and a much younger Monte Proser is in the process of making the Zombie cocktail the unexpected hit of the 1939 World’s Fair, and helping usher in the tiki bar trend that would last nearly four decades. In a brilliant marketing stroke, he limits cocktail purchases at his booth to “only one per customer,” and by the time the World’s Fair ends, Monte Proser is sitting on a pile of cash. He decides to open a nightclub.

Carmen Miranda.

The Copacabana opened on Nov. 10, 1940, at 10 E. 60th St. in New York City. It combined the Polynesian themes and exotic rum drinks of tiki/beachcomber culture with Brazilian decor and Latin orchestras. The “Copacabana Girls” of the chorus were adorned in glittering, extravagant costumes, often sporting fruited turbans in the style of Carmen Miranda.

The list of entertainers who launched their careers and shattered attendance records at the club is staggering, including Sammy Davis Jr., Martin and Lewis, Johnnie Ray, Louis Prima, and Frank Sinatra, who referred to Monte Proser as “the genius.”

But while Monte’s name was on the Copacabana lease, organized crime boss Frank Costello had helped finance the nightclub, and was a silent partner.

“He knew full well what he was in for, but he needed the capital,” explained Monte’s son Jim. “He was in debt, committed to the club, and had no illusions about what partnership Frank Costello would mean. Coming out of the Great Depression, organized crime was one of few places where one could turn for money.”

“Backstage at the Copa” (Photo by Stanley Kubrick for Life Magazine, 1948).

Costello hired former Kit Kat Club manager Jules Podell to run the kitchen and restaurant staff at the Copacabana, and keep an eye on his stake in the business. Podell quickly earned a reputation as a violent, volatile and cruel dictator, skimming from suppliers, punching wait staff, and perpetually feuding with Monte over control of the club.

Podell even assaulted Johnnie Ray once at the Copacabana, hospitalizing the famed singer.
“He hated the song ‘Cry’ and Ray’s voice, and the way the women would scream for him,” according to Jim Proser. “Podell grabbed Ray, and locked him in a walk-in freezer for six hours. Johnnie Ray came down with pneumonia, and had to cancel his tour.”
It’s easy to see how the refined, intelligent British-born Monte would clash with the truculent Podell, but the two had more in common than met the eye.

“They were exactly matched as protagonist and antagonist,” observed Jim Proser. “Both were Jewish bar brawlers, with the same build and look, and both had volcanic tempers. Monte would take a swing at anyone who said something egregious, particularly about his religion or wife.”

Jane, Monte and Jane’s sister Evelyn

Monte met his wife, the talented and stunning Jane Ball, while she was auditioning to be a Copacabana Girl, and announced his intention to marry her on the spot. She made him wait three years.
Raised as an Irish Catholic in Kingston, New York, Ball valued Monte’s authenticity and strong character. A talented dancer and actress with movie offers already in hand, Ball couldn’t have imagined the toll her husband’s rivalry with Podell would take on their marriage, along with Monte’s burgeoning alcohol consumption and frequent visits to a nearby horse track.

Monte and Jane were wed in 1945 at Justice of the Peace Don DeLacey’s barbershop in New Hope. The couple walked to their wedding reception down the street at the Logan Inn.
From there, the two honeymooned at a home Monte had purchased on Jericho Mountain near Bowman’s Tower in New Hope, and went on to raise their five sons in Bucks County.

“Unfortunately, the movie studios were pumping out amphetamines, and my mother got hooked, later self-medicating with barbiturates,” recalls Jim Proser.

“Some of my earliest memories are of my mom being drugged and unresponsive,” he continued. “She would get the pills from a pharmacist in Yardley.”

Meanwhile, Monte was muscled out of the Copacabana, but given jobs promoting and managing shows in Las Vegas during the 1950s. “Frank Costello was a standup guy,” remarked Jim Proser. “He knew he had hurt Monte, and made sure Monte had a job.”

“Income was erratic, and there was shame and isolation on Jericho Mountain for my mom,” Jim recounts. “But mom and dad never fought openly. He felt guilty that she was depressed, and she knew there was nothing he could do about it, so there was a kind of despair they shared without blaming each other. “

Jane and sons (from left) Timmy, Jimmy, Chip, Mike and Billy in an advertisement on the Delaware Canal promoting local New Hope merchants in 1956.

Although they separated for a while, the couple eventually reunited at their mountain home. Monte was asked to run his “last saloon” at La Bonne Auberge restaurant in New Hope in the late 1960s, and worked there until he died from a heart attack at his home in 1973.

Meanwhile, his son Jim had grown up around Newtown, Pennsylvania, and on the streets of New Hope. He started writing for the Lambertville Beacon, and in New Hope had been a busboy and dishwasher at Mel’s, the Hacienda, and Johnny Francis’ Canal House.

Jane moved to West Bridge Street in New Hope, and worked as a registered nurse until she died in 2005.

“Although I’m a screenwriter and playwright, I consider myself essentially a journalist,” said Jim. “A book about Dean Martin published in 1998 referred to Monte as a “front man” for the mafia, and so I wanted to set the record straight. I wanted to tell my father’s story, wherever it led.”
And the moral of the story?

“Be careful who you pick for friends and hang around. I don’t think that Monte had a choice.”
A musical stage version of “Mr. Copacabana” is being developed at the Key West Theater, and Proser hopes to premier the play at Bucks County Playhouse. A TV adaptation of “Mr. Copacabana” is also in the works.

“Mr. Copacabana” is a spellbinding tale of the nightclub era in American society, and of fame and fortune in New York City and New Hope. It’s also a morality play of sorts involving a deal with the devil, Frank Costello.

Perhaps, at its core, “Mr. Copacabana” is a romantic story about Monte’s obsession with a fading dream, and the love between he and his wife that somehow prevailed through it all.

“Mr. Copacabana: An American History by Night”
By Jim Proser
Publisher: CreateSpace
Paperback: 536 pages

Photo of Timothy Kroll (c) New Hope Free Press

Timothy Kroll (Courtesy of New Hope Free Press (c) 2016)

Sentencing of Timothy Kroll of Solebury for $17 million real estate fraud scheme delayed until July

Apple Jack's bar in Point Pleasant, P.A.

By Charlie Sahner

Timothy Kroll, 44, of Solebury, was scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday for participating in a scheme with partner Carlton Cabot to defraud real estate investors by using over $17 million as a personal slush fund, and covering it up with manipulated financial statements.

But U.S. Southern District Judge Jesse M. Furman ordered that sentencing be adjourned until July 19. No reason was given, and public officials didn’t return phone calls seeking comment.

Kroll and Cabot were arrested at their homes last June, and charged with seven counts, including wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering. They each face up to 105 years.

Kroll pleaded guilty to all seven counts against him on Oct. 7, 2015, according to court records. He had served as chief operating officer of Cabot Investment Properties (CIP), while Cabot, 52, of Stamford, claimed the title of CEO. All told, public records show that CIP pulled in at least $240 million from hundreds of investors.

The National Law Review on June 5, 2015, referring to Cabot, asked, “Is he the worst fraudster in modern history?“

Kroll has been free on $1 million bail, and said in a recent phone interview that he still owned The Local in Point Pleasant (purchased in 2014), formerly the Apple Jack bar. Kroll would not comment on the case, although he made clear that The Local represented a new chapter in his life.

Among other charges, New York prosecutors said that Kroll spent $50,000 of investor funds on a New York City apartment, $40,000 on a credit card, and more than $22,000 toward a BMW automobile.

Barn fire on Saw Mill Road (Photo: Solebury Police Department)

In an unrelated incident, Solebury police on Oct. 19, 2015, responded to a barn fire at Kroll’s five-bedroom residence at 6581 Saw Mill Road. Two Icelandic show horses perished in the blaze, along with some chickens, and the cause of the fire is still “undetermined,” according to a county fire official.

With regard to Kroll’s business activity, the original complaint filed in the Southern District of New York states, “From 2003 through 2012, CIP – which was controlled by Cabot and Kroll – sponsored and oversaw approximately 18 so-called tenants-in-common (TIC) securities offerings to investors located all over the United States.” TICs are a type of a real estate investment in which investors collectively own a piece of commercial real estate, and are entitled to receive a portion of the rental income from the property.

From 2008 through 2012, say prosecutors, “Cabot and Kroll engaged in a scheme to defraud the TIC Investors by misappropriating funds belonging to the TIC Investments, and concealing their misappropriations by providing false and misleading financial reports and other information to the TIC Investors.

According to the prospectuses for the TIC Investments, CIP was only allowed to collect “excess” rental income from the TIC Investments, but Cabot and Kroll repeatedly transferred money out of bank accounts belonging to the TIC Investments and into CIP bank accounts that they controlled before the TIC Investments could use the funds to pay for operating expenses and disbursements to the TIC Investors. Cabot and Kroll, say investigators, then used these funds to pay for the following three unauthorized purposes, without the knowledge or authorization of the TIC Investors:

1) Cabot and Kroll caused millions of dollars to be transferred from the CIP Operating Accounts to the bank accounts of TIC Investments that had no available funds to cover their operating expenses and investor distributions. In this way, Cabot and Kroll were able to perpetuate the fraud scheme by propping up failing TIC Investments using funds belonging to other TIC Investments.

2) The duo used the funds in the CIP Operating Accounts belonging to the TIC Investments to pay for millions of dollars of personal expenses, including expensive cars, rental apartments, and private school tuition.

3) Cabot and Kroll used the funds in the CIP Operating Accounts belonging to the TIC Investments to pay for CIP business expenses, including an approximately $1.1M civil settlement to certain TIC Investors who had sued Cabor, Kroll, CIP, and a CIP sibsidiary.

To conceal their misappropriation of TIC Investment funds from the TIC Investors, say prosecutors, Cabot and Kroll provided false and misleading financial reports to the TIC Investors that intentionally hid the fact that CIP owed large sums of money to the TIC Investments. Kroll also gave false and misleading information to the TIC Investors about how the TIC Investment funds were managed in order to prevent the TIC Investors from learning the true financial status of their investment.

By the end of 2012, when CIP ceased its day-to-day operations, CIP and principals Cabot and Kroll owed approximately $17 million to the TIC Investments, which has never been repaid.

Investigators who ballyhooed the arrests of Kroll and Cabot had little to say Tuesday about whether victims, many retired and having lost their life savings to defaulted investments, will ever be compensated.

Both the United States Postal Inspection Service and IRS did not respond to queries about the sentencing postponement. A call to the public relations department of the normally publicity-hungry Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara was ducked.