The Islander
Ross Hammer and Lauren Cavallo
Interview with Ross Hammer and Lauren Cavallo: Entrepreneurs & business owners
The Islander
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Jack Wright
Sitting by the fireplace in Exit Zero Filling Station to talk with Jack Wright was indeed an interview long overdue. I am one of many who have admired the work and contributions he has made to Cape May in the 23 years he has called it his home. Born in […]
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Phil Courtney
Phil Courtney has been making art his whole life. These days, in his third-floor studio of his West Cape May house, he works on his own, having retired from painting and mounting billboards after more than 25 years. He has described his job as “Working on location at heights of […]
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Jennifer Kopp
Photographer and award-winning journalist Jennifer Kopp has seen and covered Cape May from every angle. Her objective and curious approach to reporting has brought to light Cape May’s successes, its heroes, and its dark side. As one of the most recognizable and well-known residents of Cape May, her enthusiasm and […]
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Roz Johnson
Roz Johnson welcomed me into her home with an excitement reserved for a best friend’s long-awaited return. This was not someone who had agreed to an interview to tell her story, but someone who had agreed to an interview to share her passion for life with others. Freshly baked orange […]
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Harry Bellangy
I had hoped to meet Cape May historian Harry Bellangy over coffee or to sit on a park bench. Instead, Harry insisted on meeting at the home of the Greater Cape May Historical Society. It’s the building commonly known as Colonial House and was built in 1730 to operate as […]
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Steve Gatier
Steve Gatier wears many hats: husband, father, proprietor, barista, and retainer of information. As the owner of Magic Brain Café in the Carpenters Square Mall for well over a decade, you’ll often find him hustling behind the coffee bar, a benevolent overlord to his crew of busy baristas. He chats […]
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Carol Sabo
In a political landscape where convictions vary drastically and the mere mention of an elected official’s name can spark discord, residents of West Cape May speak of their mayor, Carol Sabo, with fondness and respect. Her years of education and work in the fields of sociology and advocacy have made […]
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Fred Ascoli: The Harbor View
Fred Ascoli lives the life that many people who fall in love with Cape May have only romanticized. Like most native residents, his relationship with the ocean and his understanding of its ever-changing personality began as a child. By the time he was a teenager, he was out to sea […]
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Pastor Nicole Wilkinson
Originally from Ohio, Pastor Nicole Wilkinson arrived in Cape May when she came to lead the Presbyterian Church on Hughes Street in 2017. The most recent in a 125-year-long line of church leaders here, she holds a PhD in New Testament, has authored several books, and has lived in Turkey, […]
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Paige Cunningham
Paige Cunningham and I decided to meet on the Washington Street Mall one late afternoon just after she left work. As she walked toward the bench where I was seated, I was preparing to compliment her on the brightly colored jean jacket she was wearing—a jacket that I pretty much […]
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Barbara Freels
If it were not already taken, A Tale of Two Cities might be a perfect title for the life story of West Cape May resident Barbara Freels. Born in Harlem in 1923, Barbara spent her childhood between Manhattan and Cape May, often returning to the city during the summer months when […]
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Kevin Beare
If you never thought that strolling Cape May’s gaslit streets or walking along our promenade would afford you the chance to view the rings of Saturn or study the details of a nebula thousands of light years from Earth, then you’ve never encountered our island’s street corner astronomer, Kevin Beare. […]
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The Islander: Patrick Logue
It’s not surprising that Cape May would be home to one of the most respected hospitality consultants on the east coast. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Patrick Logue, a young University of Delaware graduate who had worked for Hilton Hotels, was a key player in one of New Jersey’s […]
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The Islander: Lindsay Givens Casale
When you come from a well-known local family and then you marry into another well-known local family, what does that make you? In this case, it makes you Lindsay Givens Casale, co-owner with her husband Dan of GIVENS, a funky boutique on the Washington Street Mall with a carefully curated […]
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Phil Pizzi
Even now, in semi-retirement, radio and television personality Phil Pizzi continues to earn the same respect that he has given to so many during his 43-year career. Currently heard on FM stations 98.7 The Coast and 106.3 The Shore, Phil remains a dependable presence in the lives of many in […]
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The Islander: Stephanie Garrett
Like many who choose to settle in Cape May, Stephanie Garrett has a passion for the past.
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The Islander: Sara Werner
Photo by MICHELLE GIORLA Like many artists who grew up in Cape May, filmmaker Sara Werner realized her creative calling at an early age. Her ambitions were nurtured by family, friends, and a true connection with the natural and architectural wonders our island offers. After graduating from Wildwood Catholic High […]
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Mark Garland
When he’s not leading birding and nature tours in Alaska, Uganda, or Costa Rica, naturalist Mark Garland calls our island his home. He and his wife, artist Paige Cunningham, have lived in West Cape May for 21 years. Although he keeps his career “under the radar,” shunning attention or recognition, […]
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Eliza Lotozo
Eliza Lotozo lives in the house she grew up in. Nestled on West Cape May’s rural Stimpson Lane with its door’s-always-open feel and Bohemian eclecticism interior, the house reflects the free-spirited, art-based community here which has thrived for generations. As I entered her home, the topics I’d planned to discuss […]
