Baked Goods

A Mayfair neighborhood may find itself with a corner outlet for coffee and cake, but before it does, the city intends to check out parking problems in the area. John R. Szewczak, a 28-year resident of the block, asked the Zoning Board of Adjustment last week to approve opening of a basement baked-goods outlet at 3001 McKinley St. Szewczak told the board at the Tuesday hearing that he had made arrangements with a bakery at Kensington Avenue and Ontario Street for twice- a-day deliveries, so the Danish and other baked goods would be fresh.

A frustrated baked-goods distributor accused Samuel Feldman yesterday of damaging 175 bags of bagels, 227 bags of potato dinner rolls, and 3,087 bags of Freihofer's sliced bread during a two-year blitz of destruction down the aisles of a Lower Makefield supermarket. "Squeezed and poked," Thomas Gibney testified grimly, describing how Feldman allegedly manhandled $7,100 worth of baked goods. Feldman, 37, an advertising salesman, is on trial as Bucks County's alleged bread squeezer and cookie crumbler, charged after officials at the Giant Supermarket, located in the Yardley area, installed videotape equipment to try to catch the furtive bread saboteur in action.

My father was a meat-and-potatoes man, unashamed and unrepentant. His taste in baked goods ranged from apple pie to chocolate cake. So my mother, who yearned to try new recipes, became a prize sneak. Her most-often-given order to me in the kitchen was, "Don't tell your father what's in this!" She'd set the new concoction in front of my father, he'd poke at it a few times with his fork and, lured by the aroma, would take a bite. "That's good," he'd declare, and polish off the entire serving, often asking for more.

Samuel Feldman, accused cookie poker and bread squeezer, turned down a first-offender program yesterday, opting instead to let a Bucks County jury decide whether he roamed through markets, damaging baked goods worth more than $8,000. Feldman, an advertising salesman, declined to pay thousands in restitution, a key condition of entering the program, according to Ted Fritsch, chief of prosecution for the Bucks County District Attorney's Office. The trial is to begin today. Since his arrest in December, when he was accused of puncturing and mutilating shelves of bread and cookies during two years, Feldman has declared his innocence, saying through his lawyer that he was guilty of nothing more than feeling the merchandise to see whether it was fresh.

Cake without guilt? Fat-free cakes? It's true. Just take out the egg yolks, change a couple of other ingredients, and your fat-free dessert is a piece of cake. Indeed, eliminating egg yolks and substituting nonfat milk products helped the bakers at Entenmann's attain their goal of cutting all offending fats from their new line of baked goods. Not only is the cholesterol gone, but so is the fat. The secret methods that they used for creating plausible pastries without shortening are not about to be disclosed by company president Greg Murphy.

For three years, grocers in Bucks County have been baffled by a stealthy outlaw who they say sauntered through their aisles quietly ambushing their baked goods. Their shelves were lined with bags of crumbled cookies and bread that was smashed, poked and twisted beyond any hope of being sold. "It was mutilated. You could actually see there was a hand there," said Lou DeFranceseo, general manager of McCaffrey's market in Yardley, where the culprit struck dozens of times. Cookie and bread distributors were so puzzled by the losses that they at first assumed the damage was sabotage - the work of the competition - and called store owners to demand that they do something to stop it. "They were blaming each other," DeFranceseo said.

WORKERS SET UP an exhibit at Oxford Valley Mall last week for students from the Bucks County Technical School to show off their talents. The display included ice carvings, baked goods and floral designs.

WHAT IS the most insidious communist plot in the U.S.? Fluoride in the water? . . . No. Reality TV? . . . No. Current Democratic Party? . . . No. Environment-al wackos? . . . No. Answer: It's those plastic containers that supermarkets use for the their baked goods - and that need a chain saw to be opened. If Marie Antoinette had these things, she would never have said, "Let them eat cake!" Tom Bell Philadelphia

The Goshen Country Fair took place last week, with proceeds going to the Goshen Fire Company. Fairgoers enjoyed the Jimmy Ray & Patti Comedy Magic show, several bands, pie-eating contests, tug of wars and livestock shows. There also was the judging of such things as livestock, baked goods, vegetables, flower arrangements, candy, and jams and jellies. Competitors were from Chester and Delaware Counties.

Antiques/Art/Crafts 26th Annual Craft Fair 60 craft tables featuring more than 60 local crafters. Visit & photo ops with Santa, light lunch available, raffle drawing. Sellersville Fire House, 2 North Main St., Sellersville; 215-258-5222. 11/12. 9 am-3 pm. 55th Annual Holiday Fair and Craft Show Event hosted by the Woman's Club of Indian Valley features local crafters and their works. Indian Crest Middle School, 139 Harleysville Tpke., Souderton. 11/12. 9 am-3 pm. 5th Annual Fine Crafts and Art Show Show benefits the Laurel House.

Burlington County could turn into the supply center for medical marijuana in South Jersey. The only two nonprofits licensed by the state to operate treatment centers below Trenton have their sights set on Maple Shade and Westampton, with outlets near Exits 4 and 5 of the New Jersey Turnpike. A zoning hearing next Wednesday in Maple Shade will consider the application of Compassionate Sciences of Sea Cliff, N.Y., to operate a dispensary at 2860 Route 73 North, site of an Office Furniture Outlet store.

Burlington County could turn out to be the supply center for medical marijuana in South Jersey. The only two nonprofits licensed by the state to open treatment centers below Trenton have their sights set on Maple Shade and Westampton - with outlets near Exits 4 and 5 of the New Jersey Turnpike, respectively. On Oct. 12, a zoning hearing in Maple Shade will consider the application of Compassionate Sciences of Long Island to operate a dispensary at 2860 Route 73 North, site of a store called Office Furniture Outlet.

_ Farm fields are taking a winter break, as are farm markets and community supported agriculture. But area farms have plenty of fresh goods for your table. Winter Harvest is a buying club where you can order locally produced food - think root crops, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, herbs, preserves, baked goods, honey and more. Drop-off points are located around the city and suburbs. Order for February tomorrow through noon Wednesday. 215-733-9599 or www.farmtocity.org . _ "Read Between the Wines," a wine- and cheese-tasting fund-raiser for nonprofit Spells Writing Lab, will be held from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Ethical Society Building, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square.

Between legal cases - which included defending such Philadelphia figures as Philip Testa, Buddy Cianfrani, and Angelo Bruno - power lawyer Nicholas Nastasi cooked. He learned from his mother, Nina, and from his Sicilian-born grandmother Caterina. He cooked at home for friends and family, and when he was feeling even more creative, he cooked at the Penn's Landing destination La Veranda under previous owner Roberto Centofani. "I love the pleasure of turning out excellent food," Nastasi says.

Q: I've recently scanned my 35 mm slides. What's the best way to store the slides? Carousels accumulate dust and take up too much space. A: All photographic materials break down over time, so you're smart to scan your slides. But hard drives, even when backed up regularly, aren't foolproof, so take care to protect the originals. Conservators generally recommend two types of slide enclosures. One is transparent sheets, preferably made of uncoated polyester, polypropylene or polyethylene, with a slot for each slide.

Church ladies of Pennsylvania, prepare to start your mixers. It may soon be safe to go back in the kitchen. Pie would no longer be a "potentially hazardous substance" under a bill that awaits Gov. Rendell's signature. It took a year of lard-laden lobbying by bakers who plied lawmakers with plates of cookies, but the General Assembly finally passed what has come to be known as "the pie bill" to restore the tradition of bake sales at churches, fire halls, and other civic spaces.

HARRISBURG - Church ladies of Pennsylvania, prepare to start your mixers. It may soon be safe to go back in the kitchen. Pie is no longer a "potentially hazardous substance" under a bill that passed the General Assembly and now awaits Gov. Rendell's signature. It took a year of lard-laden lobbying by bakers who plied lawmakers with plates of cookies, but the General Assembly finally passed what has come to be known as "the pie bill" to restore the tradition of bake sales at churches, fire halls, and other civic spaces.

For a second helping of vintage regional foods, try these sources: Ice Creams Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch Streets 215-864-2771, bassettsic.com 116 Market St., 215-627-1899, franklinfountain.com Butter Cake / Baked Goods 4164 Barnett St., 215-624-0117 Smoked Meats / Pies Krumsville, Berks County, 610-756-6344, dietrichsmeats.com Candies 110 Market St., 215-922-1048, shanecandies.com Historic brews 901 N. Delaware Ave., 215-634-2600, yardsbrewing.