New Jersey Date Night is a series on NJ Flavor by relationship writer Craig Rogers.

Before you know it, our date nights can actually happen at a table in a restaurant! As New Jersey begins to slowly emerge from stay-at-home rules, couples are itching to get our and experience something hot. How about something sizzling found in a basket, on a plate or inside a bucket?

When it comes to ...

As people avoid going into grocery stores during the coronavirus pandemic, many in New Jersey are turning to CSAs as an alternate source for fresh food.

CSAs, or community supported agriculture programs, connect local farmers with consumers. They typically provide locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs. Some also offer other kinds of locally produced foods, such as eggs, cheese, ...

NEW JERSEY — Bars and restaurants with liquor licenses in the Garden State have been able to sell alcohol in its original containers during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, thanks to legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy before the weekend, they can sell mixed drinks for pick up and delivery, too.

Craft distilleries, which operate under a different kind of license, can also sell ...

LITTLE FALLS, NJ -- Personal Chef Nicolle Walker recently appeared on TAPintoTV’s Sunday morning TV program on News 12 Plus, to update host Stephanie Willoughby on her evolving business operations, which had to be adapted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Walker’s prior business model included working in people’s homes, as she and her staff cooked meals for busy families or ...

HOBOKEN, NJ -- As part of our small business spotlight series, HomeGrown Host Stephanie Willoughby spoke with Meghan Lavelle, Owner of Washington General, to see how the store is faring during the pandemic. Washington General was featured in Part One of our HomeGrown: Hoboken episode, which aired on TAPintoTV last June. 

“It’s been a whirlwind for sure,” said Lavelle.

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ -- TAPintoTV spoke with Rocco Petriello, General Manager of the Grain & Cane Restaurant, to learn how they have adapted to serve their customers during the pandemic and their developing plans for returning to business once New Jersey enters into a new phase of reopening. 

Grain & Cane focuses on homestyle cuisine with American influences. Now that the ...

LITTLE FALLS, NJ -- TAPintoTV recently spoke with Marcella Gencarelli, Entrepreneur and Business Leader, about her experience heading up several professional organizations in New Jersey. She shared her perspective on what small businesses are looking for as they learn to navigate a new way of working during the pandemic.  

Currently, Gencarelli is the Vice President and Manager of ...

Memorial Day, as the name implies, was established to create a day of remembrance to honor soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the U.S. Civil War. Our culture today, however, associates the holiday with the start of summer activities, like barbecues and going to the beach. How did this once somber holiday become the signal of summer? 

After the Civil War ended in the spring of ...

LITTLE FALLS, NJ -- TAPintoTV spoke with one of our favorite experts, Clinical Psychologist Meryl Dorf, to help those having difficulty handling the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we called on Dorf to provide guidance for navigating the uncertainty a crisis like this can bring. 

“It’s an ingredient of a stressful situation and ...

SHIP BOTTOM, N.J. — With restrictions from COVID19 beginning to lift, the need for safe travel planning can be easily met online with Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce members newly launched, high performance, tourism related website. In time for summer, this dynamic site brings local knowledge directly to travelers coming from near or far. The Southern Ocean County ...

NASHVILLE, TN — There's no doubt that Long Beach Island brings out a sense of nostalgia in so many. Rob Snyder, Singer and Songwriter, originally from West Chester, PA recalls his times on LBI in his new single "Jersey."

"My parents met on LBI and it is just home to me. Always has been and always will be," Snyder said. "It is where I first ...

BELMAR, NJ — A swell of people, stretching blocks along Belmar's boardwalk, turned out to buy seasonal beach badges on the first day of sales at Taylor Pavilion.

Advance badge sales will continue daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days of week, as beaches will officially open on Memorial Day weekend — under capacity and social distancing restrictions that will be ...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - The COVID-19 pandemic shifted many veterinary clinics from routine to emergency-only appointments – leaving pet owners to address minor injuries and basic grooming issues normally resolved by professionals.

Veronica Jones, D.V.M., an emergency medicine veterinarian at NorthStar VETS in Robbinsvile and a 2009 graduate of the School of Environmental and Biological ...

SHIP BOTTOM, N.J. — With restrictions from COVID19 beginning to lift, the need for safe travel planning can be easily met online with Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce members newly launched, high performance, tourism related website. In time for summer, this dynamic site brings local knowledge directly to travelers coming from near or far. The Southern Ocean County ...

BELMAR, NJ — A swell of people, stretching blocks along Belmar's boardwalk, turned out to buy seasonal beach badges on the first day of sales at Taylor Pavilion.

Advance badge sales will continue daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days of week, as beaches will officially open on Memorial Day weekend — under capacity and social distancing restrictions that will be ...

NEW JERSEY — While referencing “Jersey Girl” — in which Bruce Springsteen ruminates over everything being alright at the shore — Gov. Phil Murphy announced Thursday that all public and private beaches in the state will re-open in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Starting May 22, more than 120 miles of beaches in the state of 9 million, as well as lakefronts, ...

TRENTON, NJ -  Governor Phil Murphy is in the process of his daily COVID-19 press conference. For beach communities along the New Jersey shore, beaches and boardwalks will be open with some restrictions as of Friday, May 22.

Beaches will still be open to the public with limited capacity. This means restrictions on  beach badges and requirements as far as social distancing ...

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ – People north of the Driscoll Bridge look to Memorial Day to begin their trek “go down the shore.”  For Ocean County residents, a visit to the sand and surf is more commonly referred to as hitting the beach. With just two weeks away, it is important to know about beach badges and the like.

In Southern Ocean County, Long Beach Island offers an assortment ...

TRENTON, NJ - Nature calls, but you might want to be careful how you answer it...

In this afternoon's daily COVID-19 briefing, Col. Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police commented about the, "inordinate" amount of human waste generated at parks statewide following the reopening of public spaces across the Garden State.

While parks have been given the greenlight ...

NORTH PLAINFIELD, NJ -  A North Plainfield man was arrested and charged with arson in connection with the fire that tore through residences on Maple Avenue on Wednesday, authorities say.

Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor and North Plainfield Chief of Police William Parenti on Thursday ...

SOMERVILLE, NJ - The Somerset County Department of Health on Wednesday reported a total 3,960 cases of COVID-19 with a total of 406 deaths.

The SCDOH has confirmed the deaths of 112 Franklin Township residents; 61 in Bridgewater; 51 in Hillsborough; 41 in Bernards Township; 32 in North Plainfield; 30 in Green Brook; 15 in Watchung; 13 in Warren; 12 in Bound Brook; 9 in Raritan; 6 in ...

BRIDGEWATER, NJ - A Bridgewater juvenile has been identified as the man fatally struck by a NJ Transit train Monday at around 4:20 p.m. just west of the Bridgewater station, according to Lisa Torbic, of NJ Transit.

Torbic said the eastbound Raritan Valley Line train 5526, which left from Raritan at 4:16 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Newark Penn Station at 5:15 p.m. struck the juvenile ...

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ – The Somerset County Office of Emergency Management has distributed over 1 million articles of personal protective equipment (PPE) to long-term care facilities (81%), municipal OEMs (14%) and first responders, according to Somerset County Freeholder Brian G. Gallagher, public health and safety liaison.

The bulk of critically needed supplies was provided by the New ...

SOMERVILLE, NJ - Efforts to control and push back against the COVID-19 pandemic have been described as a "battle" or "war" with health care workers and first responders likened to :"warriors" on the "front lines."

From governors and lawmakers to clergy and CEOs, health officials, first responders and others, the words associated with epic confrontations ...

WARREN, NJ - Memorial Day 2020 is unlike any in the recent past. Due to the pandemic, parades were canceled, streets were empty, and no bands played.

But some things remain the same. Socially distanced outdoor gatherings of 25 are now permitted and Warren Township held a ceremony on Memorial Day at 10 am to present a wreath at the Veterans Memorial in the municipal courtyard to honor ...

NEWARK, NJ — Standing before the unfinished Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal One redevelopment site, Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, detailed the drastic losses the government agency suffered as a result of the coronavirus. 

With a 97% drop in passenger volume at Newark airport alone (the difference between ...

UNION, NJ – A car engulfed in flames sent Union firefighters to Route 78 at about 6:00 Saturday evening.

Upon arrival, firefighters found the vehicle on the shoulder of the highway with an engine compartment fire extending to the interior of the car.  The fire was extinguished by firefighters and the scene was turned over to New Jersey State Police and the Department of ...

NASHVILLE, TN — There's no doubt that Long Beach Island brings out a sense of nostalgia in so many. Rob Snyder, Singer and Songwriter, originally from West Chester, PA recalls his times on LBI in his new single "Jersey."

"My parents met on LBI and it is just home to me. Always has been and always will be," Snyder said. "It is where I first ...