MILLSTONE – While most New Jersey students have had access to expanded sex education lessons this year under the new state-mandated curriculum, Millstone students must rely on their parents for some of the most basic gender and reproductive information.

The Millstone Board of Education is one of the few school boards that chose to remove several elements of the new state-mandated sex education curriculum — ranging from transgender discussions to facts about sexual intercourse — and make them optional for parents to teach at home.

But after several months of that approach, tempers are flaring among some parents and LGBTQ advocates who contend the stripped-down curriculum is detrimental and puts an unfair burden on parents.

“You absolutely cannot be creating or maintaining a policy that no one is allowed to learn about their gender,” Natalie Biello, a Millstone parent, said at a recent school board meeting that included more than an hour of testimony on the issue. “If you feel personally that your family does not want your child to know the names of their body parts or how to protect themselves from being abused than you should absolutely remove your own child. But what we cannot stand for is to take that safety net away from our children.”

Millstone Township Schools serve 1,058 students from Pre-K through eighth grade, who then move on to Allentown High School in Upper Freehold.

At issue is the new state-mandated health and sex education curriculum that went into effect at the beginning of the current school year.

The Department of Education issued guidelines for the mandate the requires certain elements to be taught as early as the end of second grade but leaves specifics up to each district.

Parents are allowed to have their children opt out of any part of the curriculum.

Some of the lessons in older grades have sparked concern because they involve issues such as masturbation, anal and oral sex, and use of abortion as a birth control option.

Other portions relate to the issue of gender identity and seek to teach students that discrimination based on gender or gender choice is unacceptable.

But while most districts have implemented the majority of the required lessons, Millstone chose to remove many of the state-required elements, approving a version of the curriculum in August that bars teachers from discussing many of the mandated topics, leaving them up to parents.

Some examples:

“In this context, by thrusting the legal obligation of this education onto families, you are placing a significant burden on them,” Deb Smith, a parent, said at the Feb. 27 school board meeting where the topic drew heated discussion. “Families have different capabilities and capacities for learning, coping and managing, just like your students.”

Samantha Schubel, a Millstone Schools alum, said she was embarrassed to see her former district make such changes.

“I attended the Millstone School system from 2006 to 2015 and I was taught the majority of things you are taking out of this curriculum,” she said. “I would hate to be associated with this town if this continues and these changes are made. I would be ashamed to say I was from here.”

Superintendent Christopher Huss and Board of Education President Christine Reese did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the curriculum or the public response. Neither made any statement on the issue at the board meeting.

The State Department of Education had no immediate response to the Millstone curriculum changes.

A few Millstone residents supported the limited curriculum and at-home approach during the recent meeting, saying they appreciate having more input.

“I just want to say ‘thank you’ to the board for taking this curriculum out of the district,” said Ashley Dillon. “There are parents like myself who do come and advocate for our children and our beliefs and things that we want in education in our districts. If we don’t want to sexualize our children then we should have that right not to and not feel that we are being attacked.”

Some other districts such as Lakewood and Middletown now require parents to sign a form allowing their children to take the classes, not just if they want to opt out. Millstone removed instruction of many of the lessons altogether.

“The mandate has to be part of your curriculum in full except for optional items, they can only be opted out,” Michael Gottesman, founder of the New Jersey Public Education Commission, told the board. “This action subverts the mandate.”

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of three books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp

PHILADELPHIA – Last April, Liam Murphy missed the Penn Relays with an illness. He was getting sick a lot, feeling run down and disappointed in his progress as a member of Villanova University’s storied men’s track & field program.

“I definitely wasn’t committed to fully training hard and doing all the things I could have been doing,” Murphy said.

So the Millstone resident and Allentown High School grad laid out a plan with Villanova’s head coach Marcus O’Sullivan, a former world-record holder and Olympian in the mile. It centered around getting more sleep, eating better and a laser-like focus on training.

“He said, ‘It’s up to you if you want to commit, but you have the potential to be really good,’” Murphy said. “I reevaluated what I was doing and changed my habits.”

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Furious sprint, 24 hours after anchoring Villanova distance medley

Did he ever. Murphy is enjoying a breakout junior year that reached new heights Saturday when he anchored Villanova to victory in the 4xmile at the Penn Relays. And he didn’t just break the tape. He roared back from ninth place to first during a furious sprint over the final 150 meters. This was 24 hours after anchoring Villanova’s distance medley to second place with a 4:03 split for 1600 meters.

“It was surreal,” Murphy said. “(Friday's distance medley) didn’t really come out the way we wanted – I was in a similar spot and I unfortunately lost. I think I went (to kick) too early. Today the plan was definitely to wait.”

So he waited, and waited, and waited. At the end of a tactical anchor leg (his victorious split would be 4:10), there were seven runners in the lead pack as they rounded the final turn.

“I got a little nervous that I was too far behind,” Murphy said. “I trusted what my coach was saying – relax and be the last one to go –and it worked out.”

Sub-4 mile bucket list achievement

It worked out. You can say that for everything Murphy’s done since the summer. Banking eight hours of sleep per night, he became:

-- The NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional champion in cross country.

-- Big East gold medalist in the 3000 meters indoors.

-- A member of the sub-4 mile club. He ran 3:55.58 indoors.

“That definitely felt special,” he said of breaking 4 minutes. “Probably the biggest thing everyone talks about in distance running in trying to go under 4. It was on my lifetime bucket list. It’s cool to be able to check that off.”

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Add a Penn Relays victory to the list. Murphy ran at the prestigious meet as a junior in high school but didn’t fare well, finishing eighth in the 3000. It was canceled the next two years due to the pandemic, then he was ill last year. It looked like the stars never would align for him at Franklin Field.

Murphy made them align. His comeback in the final lap was a year in the making.

“A coming-of-age moment,” O’Sullivan called it.

One of the biggest prizes in all of track & field is a Penn Relays wheel – a huge, round, ornate wooden plaque awarded to winners of the championship relay races. This was Villanova’s 95th wheel. Murphy has earned his place in the Wildcats pantheon and learned a valuable lesson to boot.

“There are a lot of ups and downs that come with running,” he said. “It’s very easy to lose confidence. But if you put in the work, it adds up. It will definitely pay off.”

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

Z Taco on Route 33 in Millstone, just west of Manalapan, is the brainchild of two restaurateurs offering elevated Mexican fusion.

|Updated Sat, Jul 22, 2023 at 9:43 am ET

MILLSTONE, NJ — Do you yearn for TacoZ, TortaZ and SaladZ?

Then you may want to try the new Z Taco Mexican fusion restaurant that opened recently at 514 Route 33 west in Millstone.

Created by two lifelong friends with a passion for food and entertaining - and the letter "Z," Z Taco features casual lunch and an "elevated sit-down dining experience" for dinner, the owners say.

Dan Bonham and Chris Zinna opened the restaurant June 17.

The lunch menu includes TacoZ and TortaZ, a Mexican sandwich made on freshly-baked, traditional bolillo bread, as well as plenty of AppetizerZ and SaladZ.

Find out what's happening in Manalapanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Dinner offers an expanded taco menu as well as a number of entrees such as Pineapple Marinated Ribs and Smothered Chicken. There is also Chorizo and Clams and Street Corn. The menu also includes locally sourced fruits and vegetables from area farmers - and their own gardens, when available.

Bonham said they saw an opportunity to bring a new type of Mexican restaurant to the Central Jersey area, and he said the feedback has been great from customers with a yen for the cuisine.

Z Taco is part of the Biztro Hospitality restaurants that includes Zinna's Bistro in Cranbury, and operates a fleet of food trucks, including New Jersey's biggest food truck, according to the owners.

Bonham and Zinna met when Zinna moved next door to Bonham in high school. Zinna went right to work as an entrepreneur and Bonham went to Rutgers University. Both men are in their early 50s, and so have lots of experience.

Bonham said he worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years and now runs his own human resources and multimedia services companies. Zinna has operated Zinna's Bistro off Route 130 in an office complex in Cranbury for 13 years.

The two also have a big food truck business. Bonham said they have two actual trailers carried by truck cabs that serve major corporate or municipal events - Jerzey Eatz. Again the Z. They also have smaller food trucks, one for tacos, another for grilled foods and one for lemonade.

But despite juggling his many business ventures, Bonham said he is in the Z Taco restaurant four days a week, and Zinna is even more hands on. Plus they have a general manager for the restaurant, he added.

And their attention to detail has reaped rewards.

"The experience and feedback from the greater Millstone community has been nothing short of amazing so far," said Bonham.

And he said he and Zinna hope to build relationships with customers and businesses in the area.

And with special events planned, the locale can become quite a destination.

Some things to look for in the future are TacoZ and Tequila Tasting - and a "few other brainstorms that are in the works," Bonham said.

Co-owner Zinna gave the restaurant staff lots of credit for the smooth opening.

"Our kitchen along with the front of house staff has done a great job in such a short amount of time and we look forward to growing in the future," Zinna said.

The restaurant offers catering too, its website notes. It is open for brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. it is open on Mondays for catering, private parties, and food truck events.

You can keep in touch with the restaurant by following its newsletter. Also, you can follow Z Taco on social media at @EatZTaco and visit the Z Taco website at www.EatZTaco.com.

After two generations in business, an iconic Italian market and butcher shop in the Garden State is closing its doors for good.

And this is where you could substitute "iconic" for the word "stereotypical" -- but in the absolute best way possible.

This shop wasn't something that just sold a specific type of food because it happened to sell really well.

This place was authentic to its core.

Our culinary travels take us to, dare I say, Central Jersey, where a business that has a nearly 5-star Google review is closing after 45 years.

Before revealing the business, let's paint a picture with some of those reviews:

Now that you are hungry, perhaps you can make one last trip to A&S Salumeria on Route 33 in Millstone Township.

The owner of the business recently took to Facebook to share his news:

After 45 years in the business (21 of them in Millstone Township), I've decided to put down the knives and hang up the apron. What a ride it has been. I've met thousands of beautiful people along the way. Many of my customers and employees have become more than acquaintances but lifelong friends that mean the world to me.

The owner has decided to retire because "I have Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) and over the past few years I've come to realize that my condition has been deteriorating to the point where doing the job that I love so much has basically become difficult to the point that I've had to make this decision."

This is a business, as they put it, where you talked about, "different types of prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, how to make that prime rib roast, or talking about the old neighborhoods that we grew up in."

A&S Salumeria says it is fully stocked for the upcoming holiday weekend, however, Memorial Day Monday is their final day.

If you're [not] busy and have some free time, stop on by the store for an awesome Italian Sub, a delicious steak, a fresh mozz, or a quick "Goodbye."

Address: 480 State Route 33, Millstone Township, NJ

A dish of steak and eggs was the golden ticket for Ryan Walker of Millstone Township, a 33-year-old former construction superintendent whose culinary skills have earned him a spot on Fox's cooking competition, "MasterChef: United Tastes of America."

Walker made his dish on the first episode of the show's 13th season, which premiered in late May. It wasn't the Jersey diner version of steak and eggs, either: He cooked a filet mignon medium rare, then topped it with eggs wrapped around caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese.

"It's definitely a risk to cook simple steak and eggs for 'MasterChef,' but they've never seen steak and eggs like this," he said on the episode. "I made it up, and it's delicious."

The winner of the show — which airs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays and is judged by chefs Gordon Ramsay and Aarón Sánchez and restaurateur Joe Bastianich — takes home $250,000.

"I think what we saw here is genuinely and extremely thoughtful preparation of an extremely simple dish, and at its core, beautiful cooking is that: It's simple things done perfectly," said guest judge Daphne Oz, who with Ramsay and Bastianich voted for Walker to move on in the competition.

Walker is relatively new to cooking, having embraced a healthy lifestyle after recovering from a decade of addiction. He learned to cook by watching others online, and while his culinary journey started with the keto diet — which explains the steak and eggs — he now focuses on whole, natural, non-GMO foods.

"After I got clean and felt right, I started looking at the aspects of my life," he said during a phone interview from Millstone Township. "I was 50 pounds overweight.

"I got so into food when I got clean. I started cooking, then I started posting on social media," Walker said. "As my social media account grew, I was doing some original recipes, some interesting stuff, and the show reached out."

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"MasterChef: United Tastes of America" filmed earlier this year on the West Coast. Walker could not share details of how he did, but he credits the experience with putting him on a new path.

"It’s definitely a high-pressure scenario, cooking competitively like that with time limits," he said. "It definitely made me elevate my game and step up my cooking ... from having my mise en place to my knife-work skills.

"It was just a great experience," he said.

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Walker has since left the construction business in pursuit of opening his own restaurant, which he plans to name The Steak and the Egg. He is raising chickens, tending his large garden, and creating a menu of dishes.

"I really can’t thank 'MasterChef' enough because the way the timing worked out gave me the kick in the butt to get started," he said.

Walker will next appear on the show on Wednesday, June 21.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com.