General manager Vince Egan pours a drink at Cattle n’ Clover.

‘Steakhouse with an Irish soul’ came together from the ground up

Vince Egan started working in the restaurant business when he was 14, cleaning the bathrooms at a pizzeria.

“It wasn’t very glamorous,” Egan said with a laugh. “But I knew that I didn’t want to work in any other type of industry.”

Egan, 24 of North Wildwood, said he set his sights high and began to climb his way up the ladder. In 11 years he worked in most every job in various restaurants, and now he is the general manager of Cattle n’ Clover, a “steakhouse with an Irish soul” at 3817 Pacific Ave.

“I never want people that I work with to think that I don’t know how it feels to clean the bathrooms, deal with a problem in the kitchen or be overwhelmed serving tables,” he said. “I’ve done it all, and I do know where they’re coming from.”

Many moms welcome a day off from cooking, especially on Mother’s Day, and a meal cooked by dad and the kids is one way to show mom she is appreciated.

Here is a recipe for a seafood dinner cooked up by Bruce R. Johns, director of culinary operations at the Atlantic Cape Community College Academy of Culinary Arts – one even novice cooks can master.

Take an eclectic tour of some of the world’s finest wines and spirits, and enjoy fresh new tastes from area restaurants at the 7th annual Avalon Wine and Spirits Festival 6:30-p p.m. Friday, May 11 at the Avalon Community Hall.

Wondering what to do with all those hardboiled eggs left by the Easter bunny? Deviled eggs make a nutritious snack or appetizer.

The secret to making a creamy filling is to use a food processor and process the cooked yolks well before adding any other ingredients.

Nino’s has reopened in the same spot it occupied for 10 years, from 1994-2004.

When Nino’s Family Restaurant opened Tuesday at 16 S. Main Street in Cape May Court House, the family was coming home after a long absence.

Nino’s occupied the same spot from 1994 to 2004, when the operation moved to 201 W. Walnut St. in North Wildwood, into what used to be the Triangle Restaurant.

But times changed, people changed and the economy changed – and the family has found that Cape May Court House fits the bill once again.

Dogfish Head Brewing Company limited release beers will be paired with a five-course dinner at Cabanas Oct. 20.

Cabanas Beach Bar and Grill on Beach Avenue in Cape May will host its inaugural craft beer dinner Oct. 20 – a five-course meal paired with beer from Dogfish Head Brewing Company.

The dinner was the next step in the bar’s growing craft beer program, said general manager George Kelly.

Kelly said the members of his staff are self-proclaimed beer geeks.

“It started as a casual conversation about how it would be cool to host a beer dinner, and then it took off from there,” he said.

The Cape May Wine festival will offer wine along the water Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8 and 9 at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal.

More than 20 wineries will be offering some 200 wines for sampling at the Cape May Wine Festival Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8 and 9.

The festival, the largest in southern New Jersey, takes place noon-5 p.m. at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal, where festival goers can enjoy the autumn weather and sample award-winning wines from New Jersey, listen to live music, shop craft tables and visit the Kids Zone, which has activities especially for younger attendees.

Live music will be provided Saturday by the band Jingo Jive and Sunday by Gashouse Gorillas.

The Seafood Festival will feature food, entertainment and vendors 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8 and 9 at 30th Street and the beach in Avalon.

The Avalon Chamber of Commerce will present its annual Seafood Festival 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8 and 9 at 30th Street and the beach in Avalon.

The festival tent will house a variety of food vendors offering everything from crab cakes to hot dogs.

The Stone Harbor 96 Bar & Grill has more than 20 high-definition televisions tuned to the latest sports.

There is a new place in the area to watch your favorite sports teams and have a beer.

Stone Harbor 96 Bar & Grill, located in the heart of Stone Harbor’s downtown shopping district on 96th street, is a sport lover's paradise surrounded by boutiques and cafés.

But manager Brett DeNafo said that unlike certain Philadelphia sports teams, the Stone Harbor Bar 96 & Grill isn't going to let down its fans by closing for the season. The bar is staying open all year.

DeNafo said that a major consideration of its decision to stay open throughout the year was to gain the support of the local residents.

"We'll be here to support them, and we hope they support us," he said.

Food and how it gets to the table is the primary focus of Chautauqua at the Shore, an event running through Sept. 25 that will feature food samplings, demonstrations and workshops on topics ranging from food movements to world hunger and the future of the dinner plate.

Chautauqua is presented by the Cape May Forum, a consortium of organizations and individuals whose mission is to strengthen the cultural, artistic, educational and recreational aspects of the community at large.

Throughout the event, Cape May will serve as a campus for lectures, workshops, panel discussions and other activities that fall under the theme “Guess What’s Coming for Dinner? The Politics of Food in the 21st Century.”