eats
Taster in chief
New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way promotes local food tourism
WRITTENBYESTHER DAVIDOWITZ
Wayne resident
Tahesha Way
has a serious and
important job:
She is the Garden
State’s Secretary
of State, whose primary responsibility,
she informs us, is to oversee
elections. That may seem like a long
way from and not at all connected to
one of her major passions: food.
“Yes, my husband and I are
foodies,” says Way, whose husband,
Charles “Get out of the” Way, is a
former New York Giants fullback.
“My husband,” she notes, “can eat.”
But lucky for her, part of her
job —“the fun part,” she laughs —is
to foster the art, culture and history
of her adopted state (she was born
and raised in the Bronx), which, as she
puts it, “is where travel and tourism”
come in.
Way helped launch a new digital and
marketing initiative by the state division
of New Jersey Travel &Tourism called
Taste NJ that supports the Garden
State’s restaurants, wineries and
breweries. The online portal, found
at visitnj.org, offers details on
food, NJ-themed movie and dining
suggestions for at-home movie
nights, and virtual cooking classes.
Its first cooking class is taught by
none other than Way, who walks
viewers through the makings of a
family favorite: blueberry (“Jersey in
the House,” she declared, noting that
blueberries are a major state produce)
shortcake. The recipe for the cake
follows this Q&A.
We could have asked Way serious
questions about elections, mail-in ballots,
voter fraud, etc. But like Way, we
wanted to have fun. So we talked food.
WE MET AT THELAUNCH OF THE ANTHONY BOURDAIN FOOD TRAIL
EVENT HELD AT HIRAM’S IN FORT LEE LAST YEAR,AND IT WAS CLEAR
THEN THAT YOU WERE A FOOD ENTHUSIAST. WHAT’S THAT ABOUT?
Oh yes, my husband and I are foodies. We love exploring different cuisines, especially
in New Jersey.One of the major foods that Ienjoy are cupcakes. Igoupand downthe
state, during my travels, and check out cupcakes. I taste the different flavors.
One of my favorite cupcakeries is Kara Kakes in Franklin Lakes. I’m afan of Swiss buttercream.
One of my daughters has severe allergies and the best vegan cupcakery I’ve found
is Sweet Avenue in Rutherford.Another favorite is Tan’s Tasty Cakes in Hamilton.
WHATGOT YOUTOLOVEBAKING?
I come from a generation of bakers. My family hails from the South, where you’d get
mile-high cakes. My grandmother was from North Carolina. She’d make ice cream from
snow — snow, some evaporated milk and vanilla. You’d eat cake with snow ice cream.
In my family, you have to eat the entire cake or the whole big slice given to you or
they’d be offended.
My mom wouldcook and I’d sit in the kitchen and watch her. WhenIgot married, I
cooked. I love cooking Spanish food. I like experimenting. I just made egg rolls for lunch.
My aunt in Maryland shared her recipes, including sweet potato cake and red velvet cake.
Here’satip: if you add some type of coffee in red velvet cake,itheightens the flavor.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO NEW JERSEY?
I’m a transplant. I grew up in the Bronx. When I went to college, my parents moved
to Wappinger Falls, New York. Iwent to law school in Virginia.When my husband got
drafted by the Giants, we moved to New Jersey. We’ve been here since 1995.
WHEN DO YOU COOK?
On weekends. Imake the meals that we can reheatduring the week. But Ilove to bake,
even in the summer. I say, if you want to make a chicken smell good,bake something.
We —myhusband and Iand our four kids—have adessert every single night. No matter
what. It can be a yogurt parfait, cookies. But we gotta have dessert.
SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE A SWEET TOOTH?
Oh, yes. My family has a serious sweet tooth. Everyone has a different style of sweet
tooth, though. Some like true sweet; others, we need butter, cream. I have to taste the
butter. That’s why I like Kara’s Swiss meringue buttermilk. It’s more cream than sugar.
Some people say, Don’tadd extract to frosting or whipped cream. But if you do add a
little bit to it, the taste of aromatic fruit coming through rather than sugar — that’s where
I come from.
SO WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE TASTE NJ CAMPAIGN?
We’re tryingtoshow there’s no better place to be than New Jersey. The beauty about
New Jersey is our diversity and people, which translates to themany diverse restaurants
and cuisines that we have here.You don’t have to look any further than New Jersey
to get Middle Eastern food, Indian, Asian, French,Italian, Greek. We have a stable of
fine restaurants. Tourism is the sixth largest employer in New Jersey, employing more
than 340,000 people a year. We want other states, international tourists to come here. ■
COURTESY OF TAHESHA WAY
32 BACK TOSCHOOL 2020 WAYNE MAGAZINE