Category: Sentinel-NBS Business

By jennifer kohlhepp
Staff Writer

JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Ervina Widjaja, a waitress at Chutney Manor on Route 1 in South Brunswick, stirs one of the dishes prepared for the lunch buffet the restaurant serves daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Success was only as far as his kitchen.

Chutney Manor owner Woody Patel said he once contemplated opening a Mexican restaurant, but now realizes his decision to bring his homeland cuisine to South Brunswick was a better idea.

"I remember when you had to travel to Edison for good Indian food," Patel said. "Having grown up in the area, I realized the need in the community for an Indian restaurant, so I decided to open one right here."

Chutney Manor, now in its fifth year, located on Route 1 South, provides facilities for fine Indian dining in restaurant, banquet and conference center atmospheres.

Patel, a North Brunswick resident for 18 years, now lives in Franklin Park.

In the last five years, Patel said he has seen a surge in popularity of Indian cuisine among people of all nationalities.

"At first, many Americans are afraid to try Indian food and many of my customers say they have never tried Indian food before," Patel said. "After we serve them, some like it so much, they like to come in here for dinner every week."

Patel said he wants to dispel the myth that all Indian food is spicy.

"We can adjust the taste of any of our dishes to a customer’s specific liking," Patel said. "Some people don’t like too much spice or too much oil, so we prepare our dishes how our customers order them."

Patrons can enjoy Mogal style Indian food in the restaurant decorated in rich burgundy, peach and gold and artwork from Rajastan.

"Mogal Indian cuisine, from northern India, is cooked in a tandoor oven, which is a clay urn," Patel said. "The food is rich in curries, onion paste, tomatoes and garlic."

The catering menu offers customers southern Indian cuisine, called gujarati.

"Gujarati is mainly vegetables, rice and fish," Patel said.

Chutney Manor specializes in catered weddings, and Patel can serve up to 800 guests in his facilities.

"We offer a unique service in that the wedding and the celebration afterward are all held here," Patel said.

Patel said he is happy to satisfy his community’s growing need for Indian banquet facilities for special events such as weddings, anniversaries and birthdays.

"The Indian community has grown in North Brunswick and South Brunswick since I was a young boy," Patel said. "The community is very happy that we provide banquet services to those who would otherwise have to travel to North Jersey or to Pennsylvania or to New York for Indian catering.

Patel also caters for corporate events, parties and conferences, he said.

Chutney Manor serves a daily lunch buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner, a la carte, is served from 5 to 10 p.m.

Patel said he anticipates expanding his business by opening another catering service in Hazlet.

Malouf Ford, North Brunswick, re­cently won the President’s Award for 2002, the highest dealer honor bestowed by the Ford Motor Co.

The award is given to less than 10 per­cent of Ford’s 4,000 dealers nationwide. It is awarded based on customer satisfaction, business acumen, and leadership.

Most recently, Malouf achieved Blue Oval certification, which was developed jointly by Ford and J.D. Power & Associates.

The dealership is also a past winner of the President’s Award, and won the North American Customer Excellence Award and Readers’ Choice Award, both in 1998.

Gov. James McGreevey recently submitted a notice of intention to nominate Diane Pincus, North Brunswick, as a judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey. The nomination was submitted to the state Senate and is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

Pincus has been practicing law since 1997 as a sole practitioner in New Brunswick.

She most recently worked for Benjamin Bucca, Esq., Pincus and Gordon, and was a Middlesex County assistant prosecutor.

She was a North Brunswick councilwoman from 1991-99, and council president in 1993 and 1996.

Pincus received a bachelor of arts degree from Rutgers College, New Brunswick, and a juris doctor degree from Rutgers School of Law, Camden.

She was admitted to the state bar of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

North Brunswick firm
says cost-saving service
is ‘wave of the future’
By jennifer kohlhepp
Staff Writer

JENNIFER KOHLHEPP VoicePulse Inc., a North Brunswick-based telecommunications company, recently developed a device, pictured next to the telephone, to lower telephone bills by routing phone calls over the Internet.

NORTH BRUNSWICK — A local telecommunications company hopes its new product will have you dialing for less.

VoicePulse Inc., 2227 Route 1 in North Brunswick, is a communications company that uses its voice over an Internet provider network to deliver low-cost telephone services with advanced features not ordinarily available to residential customers, according to VoicePulse President Ravi Sakaria.

"Our product is the catalyst for a revolution in the telephone industry," Sakaria said. "We’re the first communications company to offer this technology that bundles enhanced calling features in a low-cost, easy-to -use package."

VoicePulse uses technology known as Voice Over IP to route calls over the Internet and to deliver phone services to consumers.

The device hooks up directly to any touch-tone telephone, Sakaria said.

"The device is so easy to use," Sakaria said. "It just ties into the telephone system. You plug it in and you immediately get a dial tone. There’s no configuration and there’s no waiting for the telephone company to install a line."

The company launched the new service on April 3.

Consumers need high-speed broad band Internet connections such as cable or DSL to sign up for the service, according to the company.

"Our telephone service is unique because we provide it over the Internet," Sakaria said. "However, people can make and receive calls from others who do not have our service."

With VoicePulse, consumers can choose an area code, enhance voice mail, block telemarketers and activate a "do not disturb" service.

"With VoicePulse broad band phone service, you have the freedom to pick any of the area codes we offer," Sakaria said. "This feature is not available from traditional phone companies. You can live on the West Coast and have an East Coast telephone number."

Sakaria said college students who live in New Jersey but who go to school in California or anywhere else in the United States can choose a New Jersey area code so parents can avoid long-distance charges.

"Business people who travel from one place to another can take the device with them so their clients only need to know one telephone number," Sakaria said.

The enhanced voice mail feature al­lows customers to retrieve their messages remotely from any telephone.

This fea­ture also allows customers to retrieve voice mail messages as e-mail attach­ments using an Internet-connected com­puter with sound, Sakaria said.

"You can receive e-mails with sound file attachments every time someone leaves you a voice message," Sakaria said. "Now, you can hear your telephone messages right through your laptop."

The "do not disturb" feature intercepts telephone calls before the telephone rings.

"Parents who want to make sure sleeping children do not awaken when the phone rings and business people in important meetings can use the do-not-disturb feature," Sakaria said. VoicePulse also includes a telemar­keter block, free, in every calling plan.

"When activated, incoming calls without caller ID will receive a special tone that causes telemarketers’ auto-di­alers to disconnect and remove your telephone number from their call list," Sakaria said.

Currently, VoicePulse offers three calling plans.

The regional plan costs $25.99 per month and offers unlimited local and re­gional calls, 600 U.S. long distance min­utes and free user-to-user calls, Sakaria said.

The America Unlimited Plan, for $34.99 per month, offers everything in the regional plan plus unlimited U.S. long distance.

"Since our America Unlimited Call­ing Plan is priced at $34.99, which is $20 cheaper than comparable plans from tra­ditional phone companies, consumers will initially switch to Voice Over IP based on the price," Sakaria said.

"What they will find is that the features we de­liver over an IP-based communications network are far more advanced than what they previously experienced."

The Small Business plan costs $45.99, monthly, and includes everything in the America Unlimited Plan plus free user-to-user call transferring.

Businesses can buy additional phone lines for $9.99 a month.

Each plan includes free voice mail, call waiting, and caller ID.

"We’ve just begun our international marketing campaign," Sakaria said. "We’re focusing specifically on New Jer­sey because, historically, this state has been the hotbed for developments in technology. People in New Jersey are just that much more technologically savvy."

For more information call (732) 339-5100 or send an e-mail to con­tact@voicepulse.com.

Ancient Indian practice aims to keep mind, body
healthy and balanced
By jennifer kohlhepp
Staff Writer

Inner Light yoga studio owner Denise Trimble assists instructor Diane Erbe-Maltabes in a half-moon pose in the Inner Light yoga studio located in Lion’s Plaza on Route 130.

NORTH BRUNSWICK — A local yoga business is celebrating its one-year anniversary.

To mark the event, the Inner Light Yoga Center is inviting all past, present and future students to an open house from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 17. Inner Light is located in Lion’s Plaza, 1626 Route 120.

Free yoga classes will be provided throughout the day, Inner Light owner Denise Trimble said.

"Yoga is the catalyst for wellness on a greater scale, Trimble said. "Through yoga and mindful movement, we not only create balance in our bodies, but we also create balance in our lives. The practice encourages us to live more mindful, to realize our connection to other people and to take better care of ourselves and each other."

Yoga instructors Diane Erbe-Maltabes (l) and Denise Trimble demonstrate the half-moon pose in the Inner Light Yoga studio located in Lion’s Plaza on Route 130.

At the open house, instructors will be available to answer questions about yoga and the various other classes the center provides, Trimble said. The event also will include healthy refreshments and a drawing to win free yoga classes.

Trimble describes yoga as a 500-year-old system of wellness that originated in India.

"The word yoga, translated from Sanskrit, means union — to join or bring together," Trimble said.

The core principles of yoga include aligning the body in hatha yoga postures (asanas), breathing practice (pranayama), quieting and focusing the mind (mediation), and rejuvenating the body in deep relaxation (savasana).

Yoga, Trimble said, links movement with breath and allows students to respect their body’s current physical state while exercising at their own level.

"Yoga is more than simply a physical exercise practice," she said. "It guides us in understanding the connection between the body, mind and spirit, encouraging mindfulness and health in each of these aspects of life. It also reminds us of our connection to other human beings and all life around the earth."

Inner Light Yoga offers various levels of yoga in classes that include the core principles with an emphasis on inner reflection.

"The classes are creative and graceful, yet challenging with a flow of postures linked with breath," Trimble said.

All seven teachers at Inner Light are thoroughly trained and certified and have at least 200 hours of yoga training with the American Yoga Association, according to Trimble.

"We invite everyone to try all of our teachers to discover which style best matches their needs, because the structure of each class varies by each teacher’s training and experience," Trimble said.

Trimble suggests the beginner/basic four-week series for people who have never tried yoga and for those with very little yoga experience.

This introductory class meets once a week for four consecutive weeks from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Monday nights. The class progresses through fundamental alignment principles and yoga concepts. The beginner basics four-week series cost $50, Trimble said.

"There are many physical benefits from yoga," she said. "It realigns the body, strengthens it and also promotes more flexibility."

The guided deep relaxation at the end of every yoga session also allows the body to rest and rejuvenate, Trimble said.

"Deep relaxation allows us to rest and to feel comfortable in our bodies," Trimble said. "Ultimately, we can transcend the body in a quiet mind."

Inner Light also provides specialty classes in various exercise practices.

The new tai chi classes starting in May will include instruction in a flowing series of 108 steps, meditation, breathing exercises and self-defense applications that balance female and male opposing energies.

"Tai chi chuan is beautiful meditation in motion," Trimble said. "When individuals who learn the steps connect with others who know them, the loop closes and it is like slow-motion dancing."

Yoga rhythmics classes combine yoga, dance, creative movement and breath work set to diverse music, ending with deep relaxation.

"The class focuses on the chakras — energy sources in the body that correlate with developing stages in our lives," Yoga rhythmics instructor Diane Erbe-Maltabes said. "Sometimes, we experience blockages or over-development in certain areas and yoga rhythmic helps to balance the chakras, restoring harmony to the body and spirit."

Restorative yoga allows the body to open, heal and rejuvenate, Trimble said. In this class, students relax comfortably in supported yoga poses, using props and deep breathing.

"Restorative yoga is wonderful for those with physical limitations or to help those recuperating from illness," Trimble said.

Inner Light also offers a mediation circle, which includes guided techniques for students to explore their inner selves.

The studio accepts donations for inclusion in the meditation circle. Every other class costs $14 per session. Class cards that reduce individual class costs also are available.

Anyone interested in taking a yoga class should arrive at the studio 10 to 15 minutes early to allow time for check-in and to get settled, Trimble said.

Yoga is practiced in bare feet and loose clothing that permits freedom of movement.

The studio also provides a full range of yoga props for use, as well as for purchase.