SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford officially proclaimed March 10 (stylized as Mar10 or “Mario”) to be West Ave Pizza Day in a small ceremony held at the pizzeria on Tuesday afternoon.

Safford read from a proclamation written in honor of the pizza shop’s owner, Mario Cardenas.

“West Avenue Pizza has achieved tremendous popularity in our city and across our region, offering its enthusiastic customers a menu that now includes pizza, chicken, Guatemalan dishes, and other specialties,” the mayor said. “It is just as well known for its charitable and philanthropic efforts and support of many organizations in our community. It’s a great example of a local pizzeria and restaurant gaining wide exposure and a wide following through dedication and initiative.”

West Ave Pizza has been owned and operated by Cardenas and his family since June 2021.

Photos of Alison Abbey and Aura Englese provided by the Wesley Community.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Wesley Community recently announced that Alison Abbey and Aura Englese have been appointed to the Board of Directors of The Wesley Community.

Abbey is vice president of personnel at Stewart’s Shops and brings 20 years of human resources leadership experience to her role. She oversees a human resources team responsible for payroll and benefits administration for more than 5,500 partners across New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Additionally, Abbey works closely with shop operations to address personnel matters, analyze workforce trends, and develop strategies designed to strengthen partner retention and engagement.

Englese serves as the director of human resources and corporate compliance officer at AIM Services, a nonprofit that provides residential and community-based services and care for individuals with disabilities and traumatic brain injuries in Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties.

Englese provides leadership in human resources, corporate compliance, quality assurance and agency operations. She plays an important role in guiding organizational initiatives, strengthening operational effectiveness, and ensuring regulatory integrity across the agency in close collaboration with the executive team.

“We are pleased to welcome Alison and Aura to The Wesley Community Board of Directors,” said J. Brian Nealon, CEO of The Wesley Community. “Their leadership roles and individual strengths will be great assets to our community. Both are seasoned professionals with strong backgrounds in Human Resources and will be instrumental in helping Wesley develop new and innovative ways to offer the best services to our residents.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — There is an air of mystery to creating a successful podcast. The conversations and content have to be interesting, of course. But the hosts also need a special rapport, an “it” factor, a je ne sais quoi (if you will) to keep their listeners engaged.

Former WTEN/News10 ABC anchor Noel McLaren and restaurateur Zac Denhan (co-owner of Standard Fare and Bocage Champagne Bar) had been friends for a year or two before they launched the “Off Track Saratoga Podcast” earlier this month.

McLaren has a boatload of experience being on camera and mic’d up. Denham is a self-described “recovering musical theater performer.” United, the two easily weave their way through conversations that can begin with a debate over the spelling and pronunciation of “kerfuffle” to a sincere chat about the realities of doing business in the Spa City. 

“I think Zac and I are used to, in our lives, having some kind of script or some kind of, at least, an outline for how things are going to go,” McLaren told Saratoga TODAY. “We’ve found that what works best for us is to literally just go off on tangents, and we talk about things that are going on and each other, and that’s how we get our best material.”

The “Off Track” hosts exhibit a gift for gab that is hard to replicate. The conversations are meant to feel inviting and casual, as if you, the listener, have just stumbled across two friends conversing over cocktails and pulled up a chair to join them. That friendly vibe is partly achieved by producing episodes outside of a formal studio space. (One day, Saratogians might even spot an episode of “Off Track” being recorded on a front porch on Broadway.) 

The podcast’s informal aura was matched on its first episode by guest Daniel Chessare, the owner of Saratoga’s Broadway Deli and Bibulous. Chessare unexpectedly found himself at the center of town gossip recently after a public exchange on Facebook with Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus. In between some censored vocabulary, Chessare, Denham, and McLaren discussed everything from dealing with tourists to the impact of the Saratoga Race Course to Spa City “propaganda” (Chessare’s term).  

“As soon as everything went down with Dan and the County Chamber, we were like, ‘Let’s jump in on this and get it while it’s relevant,’” Denham said.

“The second I saw people caring about something in the community, sirens went off, light bulbs went off, and I said, ‘Well, we’ve got to talk about this,’” McLaren said. “Everything we talk about on our show is going to be newsworthy. It’s going to be stuff that is impacting people in our area, and that was something that is impacting people.”

Although the second episode’s guest was Trinity Mouzon (whose family owned the Mouzon House restaurant), the pod won’t only feature local business owners. One future guest, for example, was a contestant on “America’s Next Top Model.” Potential future or dream guests could include Saratoga socialite Michele Riggi (“Where did she go?” wondered McLaren), Opera Saratoga’s Mary Birnbaum, and track WAGs (the wives and girlfriends of horse trainers). But some episodes won’t have any guests at all, and, ultimately, the hosts hope that their podcast becomes part of the community, which means incorporating the voices and ideas of their listeners.

“As long as people tune in and stay engaged, I’m willing to be engaged as well,” Denham said.  “I would love to see [the podcast] reach as far and wide as it can. We want to keep this podcast rooted in Saratoga, but we definitely are talking about things that are culturally relevant.”

“I feel like something that got exhausting as a journalist to hear was, ‘Oh, the media just spins things’ and ‘The big bad media’ and ‘Big bad journalists,’” McLaren said. “I feel like my gift as a reporter has always been [that] I’m approachable. I want this to feel like a table that everybody can pull a chair up to… If I successfully create something that everybody feels like they can come to and have fun with and enjoy, and I’m also informing them and giving them information about the community, then I have succeeded in continuing the important work of reporting.”

The first two episodes of the “Off Track Saratoga Podcast” are currently available on Spotify and Apple.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 33rd annual Northeast Woodworkers Association (NWA) Woodworkers Showcase will return to the Saratoga Springs City Center on March 28 and 29.

The showcase will feature over 500 exhibits highlighting the artistry of woodworking. Attendees can expect to see an array of displays, including fine furniture, intricate turnings, carvings, intarsia, scroll work, sculptures, toys, and accessories, as well as musical instruments.

Exhibitors, ranging from amateurs to seasoned professionals, will vie for NWA award ribbons in various categories, including Best of Show and People’s Choice.

Throughout the two-day event, attendees can participate in lectures and demonstrations highlighted by nationally known master craftsmen Logan Wittmer, Tom McLaughlin, and Libby Schrum, among others.

In addition to the exhibits, numerous national and regional trade vendors will be on-site, offering a diverse selection of wood and woodworking tools and accessories for all skill levels.

Sunday is Family Day, where children can learn about woodworking at the Toy Factory, and can build a toy to take home with the help of NWA members. Additionally, children and parents can try their hand at turning and creating a pen on a lathe, guided by NWA members.

Part of the Woodworkers Showcase is the Totally Turning Symposium, dedicated to the art of turning wood on a lathe. This symposium requires a separate registration fee, and all attendees must pre-register. The turned creations of the artisans will be on display as part of the overall show.

For additional information or tickets, visit www.woodworker.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — There were still 99 days left until the Belmont Stakes, but that didn’t stop Saratoga horse people from converging at Henry Street Taproom for Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga’s “Raise a Glass“ fundraiser last Thursday night.

At the event, a total of $9,440.57 was raised to support the care of retired racehorses and equine-assisted psychotherapy.

“A huge thank you to Henry Street Taproom for being exceptional hosts and for their generosity in supporting this event,” Therapeutic Horses wrote in a social media announcement. “When a local nonprofit and a local business come together, the impact ripples far beyond one evening.”