Physical Therpy For Injuries and Pain in Middlesex, NJ

There are not many events where you can enjoy elevated takes on traditional Chinese cuisine, creatively-topped cinnamon buns and modern Mexican fusion fare — and also win prizes.

But that's what you'll find at Taste of Middlesex, which takes place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 31, at Pines Manor in Edison.

The 28th annual event will feature unlimited tastings from nearly 50 Middlesex County restaurants, plus 15 breweries and liquor distributors.

Hosted by the Edison Chamber of Commerce, tickets cost $70 in advance, $85 at the door. Only those 21 and over may attend.

"This is a classy event — a wow-factor event," said Joe Coyle, executive director of the Edison Chamber of Commerce. "Middlesex County has an array of international cuisine, including Korean, Italian, Indian and Vietnamese, and we bring in that diverse culture of food from around the county to Pines Manor."

Restaurants will include Mexican fusion restaurant Meximodo in Metuchen, which won best restaurant of the event last year; Ram & Rooster in Metuchen, the only prix fixe Chinese restaurant in New Jersey; Raritan Bakery in Edison, which will present a five-tier wedding cake demonstration; and Skylark Diner in Edison, a retro-themed American diner.

Drink purveyors will include Cypress Brewing in Edison, Climax Brewing in Roselle Park, Rampur Whiskey, Rosaluna Mezcal, and Stateside Brands.

More than 750 people are expected to attend, including elected officials.

All attendees are entered to win raffle items. Groove Band will provide the entertainment.

Six judges will vote on the best restaurant of the night: Donald Erickson Jr., executive chef and owner of the Stage House Tavern in Somerset, Scotch Plains and Mountainside; John Manzo, chef and owner of Be My Guest catering business in Metuchen; Garry Ruane, chef and owner of The Gran Centurions banquet hall in Clark; Sean Yan, chef and owner of Ram & Rooster restaurant in Metuchen; Cara Di Falcom, host of Emmy-nominated YouTube cooking show "Cara’s Cucina"; and Jenna Intersimone, MyCentralJersey.com food reporter.

This will be the second Taste of Middlesex where judges will vote on the best restaurant of the night instead of attendees.

"Restaurants felt that qualifying was of a standard deemed by chefs who do this every day," Coyle said. "It allows vendors to up their game."

Go: Taste of Middlesex, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 31, Pines Manor, 2085 Lincoln Highway, Edison, $70 to $85; bit.ly/3DO5w5P.

Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com

Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, although she's a lifetime Jersey girl who considers herself an expert in everything from the Jersey Shore to the Garden State's buzzing downtowns. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.

MIDDLESEX BOROUGH — A Middlesex County fire department has pulled the plug on its 50-year-old annual carnival a year after rowdy crowds forced it to be shut down early.

The Middlesex Borough carnival ended early in 2024 when social media posts caused an "overwhelming volume of people" to the fair at Middlesex High School the evening of Friday, April 29. Police Chief Matthew Geist at the time said the "unprecedented crowds" presented a threat to public safety and closed it down.

Chief: Carnival faced 'several challenges'

Middlesex Borough Fire Chief Kenneth Bartok announced the permanent cancellation of the carnival because of "several challenges" making it increasingly difficult to continue. The events of 2024 topped the list.

"Public security concerns rising from attendance that exceeds our infrastructure, as ensuring a safe environment for attendees has become increasingly complex," Bartok wrote.

Bartok cited the increased costs of security "impacted the financial feasibility of hosting the event," increased traffic on Bound Brook Road and parking limitations as other factors influencing the decision.

Fair attendees expressed disappointment at the decision on its Facebook page.

"So many memories! Thanks for your efforts over the years," read one comment.

"My daughter grew up learning what a carnival was thanks to you guys. Thank you all so much for putting so much work in making sure we enjoyed it for many many years. Whatever you decide to do next, we’ll be supporting," read another comment.

Bartok said that the volunteer fire company is open to ideas for fundraisers that continue to "foster the sense of togetherness that the carnival has represented for half a century."

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Estimates from a spring 2024 survey suggest that more than one in three NJ students lack consistent access to adequate food resources.

Patch Staff

|Updated Sun, Mar 9, 2025 at 10:01 pm ET

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ – Middlesex College has received a Hunger-Free Campus Act Grant from the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) to help fight food insecurity among students.

The College is one of 34 institutions of higher education across the state to receive funds through the grant. Estimates from a spring 2024 survey by OSHE suggest that more than one in three New Jersey students lack consistent access to adequate food resources.

Funds will be used by the Community Resource Hub & Food Pantry at Middlesex College to purchase food to stock the pantry’s shelves as well as grocery store gift cards to distribute to students experiencing food insecurity.

In addition, supplies of personal hygiene and household products will be replenished. Funding will additionally support office operations, part-time staff support, and access to software to manage pantry data and programming.

According to Amanda Lyons, a community resource coordinator for Counseling and Student Wellness, an average of 180 students visited the food pantry weekly during the fall 2024 semester.

Find out what's happening in Edison-Metuchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The funding will help keep up with the growing use of the food pantry by students.

“Many of our students are working hard to make ends meet while pursuing their studies to improve their employment prospects and quality of life,” Lyons said. “It is very difficult to persevere when struggling just to meet one’s basic needs. We welcome students to access the resources we provide on campus, as well as explore resources in the community that will empower them to be well and achieve their goals.”

The Community Resource Hub & Food Pantry provides food through a weekly grocery shop and daily grab-and-go snacks.

Expanded services including housing, healthcare, transportation, childcare, technology, and internet access, are also available. These include a monthly diaper pickup for students with young children and a Chromebook Loaner program.

“In looking at holistic and caring support, we are working on finding more ways to expand basic needs support and additional services to complement the existing student services at Middlesex College to empower students and meeting them right where they are,” said Jennifer Spears, director of Counseling and Student Wellness. “These services are essential toward promoting academic success and retention and overall wellness of students as individuals.”

The Community Resource Hub and Food Pantry accepts donations of shelf-stable food items, toiletries, cleaning products, baby items, and school supplies at locations around the Middlesex College campus. Visit https://middlesexcollege.edu/student-life/community-resource-hub-food-pantry/ for more information.

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The lab will promote patient safety and prepare students for practice.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ – A new Nursing Simulation Lab recently opened in Middlesex College. The lab, a partnership between Middlesex College Nursing Program and Hackensack Meridian Health, will promote patient safety and prepare students for practice.

The Nursing Simulation Lab was funded through the Securing Our Children’s Future Fund from the State of New Jersey, which supports workforce training for in-demand careers at county colleges.

The immersive experience of the Nursing Simulation Lab includes three inpatient rooms for adult, pediatric, and maternity care; a community room; and a nurse’s station.

Every room is set up with similar medical equipment and furnishings found in the clinical environment, and students are able to practice medication administration and documentation using in-room laptops.

In addition, each room has video recording capabilities that provide students with the opportunity to learn from observations of their peers’ performance during debriefing with simulation faculty.

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“The Nursing Simulation Lab serves as a state-of-the-art learning center designed to mirror a professional health care setting for nursing students to become workforce ready,” Kara Kaldawi, director of the joint Middlesex College/Hackensack Meridian Health Nursing Program, said in a statement.

“With the support of our exceptional faculty, students will learn through real-life scenarios as they apply classroom learning to hands-on experience. Having a safe learning space, such as this lab, for students to practice caring for patients ensures that we are educating future nurses equipped for the demands of health care.”

Kaldawi notes that simulation lab practice has been shown to significantly enhance nursing students’ clinical judgment, decision-making, and hands-on skills, while encouraging collaboration with their peers.

“The partnership between Hackensack Meridian Health and Middlesex College continues to provide new and innovative opportunities for students and faculty,” said Regina Foley, executive vice president, interim president central region, chief nurse executive, and chief transformation and integration officer at Hackensack Meridian Health. “We are excited to collaborate with the College as we prepare the next generation of nurses for successful careers and to help fill the gap in the nursing workforce.”

In 2023, the Nursing Program achieved a 100% first-time pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination, required for nursing graduates to pass to be licensed as a registered nurse in the United States and Canada, and has a three-year average first-time pass rate of 94.69 percent, which consistently exceeds the associate degree national average for first-time exam test takers.

More information about the program can be found on the College website.

Hello:

The recent appraisal updates have brought about a bit of concern. Although discussed at the time of the original reassessment a bit of a refresher may help.

Since the revaluation a couple of years ago as a Borough we have moved into a system of annual reassessment. This method allows for the tax burden to be divided in the most equitable way by keeping all properties as close to 100% of market as possible and should avoid the big swings that we had when the revaluations were not done in over 30 years. This applies to 100% of the residences in the Borough. It is more accurate and reflects current market conditions for your residence. The values of the properties, even homes that have not had any physical changes are all affected by the market and the residential real estate market has been very strong for the past several years. To establish the value of the residential homes, comparisons of similar homes that have sold in the past year are utilized. The increase this year represents a 2 year increase since the revaluation. It is important to note that an increase in assessment does not equally increase the tax dollars because the assessment of the entire town has gone up about 14%. The assessment relates to the percentage of the overall cost of the boroughs budget that is allocated to your particular property.

Another piece of the process is the in house assessment which is being done on an 5 year rotating basis. The purpose of this is get an idea of the general condition of your residence and more importantly to make sure your residence is categorized and is being taxed properly.

The third piece and most important is the tax rate which is a value per assessed dollar of the whole town which is derived from the Boroughs annual budget, the Schools annual budget, plus the county’s budget requirement for Middlesex Borough. This is a straight calculation based on our financial obligations for the year. This rate times your assessed value gives you your personal real estate tax due.

It seems a bit complex, and it is, but it is the most fair way at this time to allocate our tax burden.

Need more information or have a question? Our tax assessor's info is below. She will be able to answer any questions you may have.

Dawn Guttschall - Tax Assessor

Phone: 732.356.7400 x270

Email: taxassessor@middlesexboro-nj.gov

Dawn will be presenting at the upcoming council meeting on the 25th at 7PM.

Thank you,

Mayor Jack Mikolajczyk