I am Stephen Steenback Born October 30 1971 at St Barnabas Hospital in Livingston NJ. Raised in Maplewood by way of Newark (Nork) and Kearny. My Sicilian/Irish family hails from the North Ward of Newark 4th ave and Roseville ave. My Sicilian uncles one lived on 6th street and the other lived at 280 N 11th street. My Irish side ( My Dads side) lived on the corner of Wilson and Devon st in Kearny. My Dad would later live there after my parents fully separated in 1985.

I was a happy kid Maplewood was one of those Norman Rockwell towns kinda small and everyone knew everyone. And if you didn’t know someone you most likely knew someone who did. Even my pre-pre-school was in an old school house built in the 1800s. those were my earliest memories of 1976 I remember the old wood and the dirty windows but to me it was soooo cool.

Maplewood was incorporated in 1861 so there was a lot of history there when I was growing up hell the house I grew up in was so old some records say it was built in the 1900s and some say late 1800s. All I know is that it was the weirdest apt building I ever lived in and the most haunted yes I said Haunted.

If I wasn’t in Maplewood then I was with my uncle taking me to my other uncles in Newark getting some of the fine Italian Double Dog/ Sausage and Peppers or Dirty water dog dining. Or I was in Kearny with my dad and other cousins. I had a very awesome childhood and teenage years I really did.

I am from the time when my Sicilian Mother cooked her awesome food 5 to 6 days a week and eat out once a week. Getting Burger King and Mc Donalds was considered a treat, diners really didn’t count as anything special you were in there for lunch or just a few coffees all the time. And if you are not in a diner you were in a luncheonette (It was always Ralphs’s Luncheonette for me) Kinda the same thing but they closed before dinner.

I was in Our Lady of Sorrows till 4th grade then Jefferson before starting Maplewood Middle School then eventually graduating from Columbia High School in 1989. I was your typical gear head guido, I’d like to think I got a pretty good education. Even though my ADD wasn’t diagnosed until I was friggin 26, but hey what did they know back then right?

I would never change the era and the way I grew up, my parents and uncles worked very hard and gave me the work ethic and morals I have today. My neighborhood memories are amazing, from feeding the deer in the late 70s in the South Mountain Reservation. To the Memorial Day and 4th of July Parades going down Valley St. To the summer movies in the second part of Memorial Park.

To getting 3 or 4 of your best friends and just disappearing for a while on your BMX Bike or Skateboard till the sun went down on hot and humid summer nights. You see after 6 PM Maplewood and South Orange closed. Sure some gas stations were open, and the pizzerias and some sub shops were open till 11 PM if you really needed something to eat you had the 24 hr diners.

Fast forward to 2015 after a 25-year semi-kickboxing and boxing career, 21 years with FedEx Express I started in 1989 til 2011. I started building The JRX Foundation.. I decided two things I need to fund it somehow and I have not found one shirt I liked to show my Jersey Pride.

So I came out with Jer Z Wear and have not looked back.

Yes, all funds generated go to fund my NonProfit.

Whew well, that’s it for now stay tuned for more about my life and more designs from Jer Z Wear, I gotta give you guys some stories to look forward to heh heh…

Maplewood NJ Shirts

I have spent my childhood in many cities in North Jersey, but Maplewood is where I spent 90% of my time. One of the last Norman Rockwell kind of towns. You knew everyone and they knew you, of you k…

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The New Jersey Diner is a special and sacred place, you can go to everyday sit at the counter and get your coffee and read your paper or nowadays look at your phone. You can get anything from a English muffin to Steak and Eggs at anytime of the day. Cheeseburgers, Cheese Fries and Gravy (Called either Guido or Disco Fries its mozzarella cheese steak fries and brown gravy)

You can either go by yourself or a group of friends, now in the 70s 80s and 90s many Jersey Diners were 24 hours. The last time I was back there well not so many, in fact many of my favorite spots were closed by 11pm. In a way I get it times change, even some areas change as well and either are just not safe as they were or those people that would be up at 12 or 1 in the morning just don’t want a Pepper’s and Egg sandwich or Cheeseburger and fries.

The Jersey Diner was a place to take a chick out to dinner, snack, or breakfast just to be alone with. Sure it’s nothing fancy but it’s not about that it’s all about togetherness sitting across from one another laughing joking just a place to go for an hour. Hell, you might even run into some friends tell them to sit and spend an extra hour.

I know when I was a teenager there would be like 10 to 15 of us and take up three tables play the music on the table jukebox 3 plays for a quarter. Ok so maybe at times we were told to settle down and turn the music down but hey we were a group of kids aged 16 to 19 what do you think right?

Sometimes on the way home from work you wanted to wind down get something to eat and relax a bit before you went home (That was me I worked the night shift at Newark Airport and got out at 4 am and I was just hungry or needed a good cup of coffee.

The Diner Employees

They are the unsung heroes of the story, first off when it’s busy they are non-stop taking orders. being nice getting to food for two other tables while getting your glass of water or adding to your order while you grab her as she is passing by with a tray of pot roast and turkey dinners for the table next to you.

My aunt was a waitress of 40 years, 30 years at Don’s 21 in Newark on rt 21 then another 10 years at a few other places after Dons closed. So I would see her after her shifts at home. Her long shifts actually some days a good 10 to 12 hour shifts. Her good tip days and her bad tip days, but she got up everyday cooked cleaned then off to work.

Then not to mention you have to deal with asshole customers, either the pain in the ass kids like us. The creepy guys that always hit on them, the Diner Manager who thinks you are not fast enough. An well not to mention sometimes you get awesome co-workers or the ones who stab you in the back to get the better section.

Then of course you got the kitchen staff which just spends 10 to 15 hour shifts making everything under the sun and not even leaving the kitchen maybe for a bathroom break or smoke break. Putting up with customer complaints about their food, re making what they just made. Being put under pressure to crank out the food as fast as he possibly can.

If there is something a pain in the ass to make, well he’s gotta do it he can’t say no. Well, he can but that is not a good career choice. But I do know of a few cooks that would say they were outta something just so they didn’t have to make it in a way I can’t blame them but it is what it is. It’s just like Mcdonalds and the always-broken Ice Cream Machine.

In the End…

Nothing stays the same everything changes at some point. Now more and more people are going Vegan or just want healthier options. So they go to other places like First Watch or whatever hip and cool trending places are one people’s radar for the month.

Now you have a Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Einstein Bros Bagels on almost every corner. And gas stations like Speedway, Race Trac and WAWA with huge menus where you can get coffee and a nice Bagel Sandwich for about the same price you would pay at the diner without having to leave a tip. While getting gas so now you are killing two birds with one stone.

With there still be diners? Yes… Will there still be a huge selection of diners in a few blocks radius? No… And that is sad and you wanna know why?

When you walk into a Jersey Diner or any other diner, you are making a connection to your server, the cashier, the people behind the counter. You are sitting down and sharing at least a good half hour to an hour with them. On slow night you are laughing and joking while getting to know each other. And that is something.

Too many places now just grab your money say thanks have a good day then next. Hell I pumped gas for a few years and I loved my customers sadly I feel that the people to people interaction we once had is just fading away kinda say really but it is what it is.

I still love my Jersey Diners and love my Jersey Diner Food and my Jersey Diner People !

New Jersey Pizza Shirts and other Accessories

” Dear Other States Your Pizza Sucks Sincerely Jersey” We all know who has the best pizza and that is us the great garden state hell we got the best tomatoes to make the sauce…

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My other uncles and cousins would either pass away by the late 1979 early 80s or have moved to other areas by then. My one cousin Joe moved to Irvington and became a police officer in 1979.

My whole life was spent in Newark and Kearny, yes I went to school slept and played with my friends a lot of days in Maplewood/South Orange but My Mom, Dad, Uncles and Cousins were always taking me back to the old neighborhood to see my other uncles and cousins or being that Maplewood was so close to the old neighborhood like 15 min away if we wanted a taste of the old place for lunch or dinner we would hop on 280 get off at first st and there we were.

I actually had two childhoods growing up and the amazing food and the iconic eateries of Newark NJ were a very very very huge part of it.

Dickie Dees…

Located at 380 Bloomfield Ave in Newark this is where I had my very first Double Dog. It was 1978 I was 7 years old and I was visiting my Uncle Don’s Exxon Gas station on Park Ave and my cousin worked for my Uncle so for dinner I hopped in his huge black ’65 Impala SS and we headed to Dickie Dees.

I had no idea what I was in for all I know it was two weeks after Thanksgiving and I was freezing my ass off but once we got inside all I could smell was Pizza, Sausage and Peppers and I was in heaven not to mention it was very warm and inviting.

The guy says “what’cha want” (This is Newark actually pronounced NORK and you are not getting a Chili’s type greeting…… EVER) My cousin says ” Tree Double Dogs” (This is how Nicky Newarkers say three I will describe and Nicky Newarker in another post) Then the guy says “Tree Comin Up”

For the next 10 min I witnessed the most amazing poetry in motion. He takes the two Sabrett Hot Dogs outta the fryer slaps them in the bread adds either Ketchup or Spicy Mustard sometimes both. Then goes over to the greasy griddle and takes the peppers onions with huge chunks of potatoes and slides them all on top the dogs stuffed in the bread.

We got back to my uncle’s Exxon and I was with everyone and took my very first bite and it was the most amazing thing I had ever eaten in my entire young existence next to my moms cooking. The Hot Dogs and the greasy peppers and onions were phenomenal I couldn’t even get my mouth past the huge potatoes I had to eat them separately.

Needless to say on the way home to Maplewood I fell right asleep lol.

Calandra’s Bakery…

Now literally right smack across from Dickie Dees at 204 1st ave you have Calandra’s Bakery and for years and I mean years before I was born my family got everything there. Italian Bread, Cannolis (Gannol the Nicky Newark North Ward Way) and every other kind of Italian pastry you can think of we got from there.

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner we had to have their bread which meant that every Thanksgiving I had to be up at 8 or 9 to go with my Uncle to get some bread and cannoli’s if my cousin didn’t bring them.

Even as kid at my aunt Alice’s or Uncle Joes the literally lived less than 5 min away there was always something from Calandra’s in their house we lived on them we really did. Screw going to the A&P or Pathmark and get that white wonder bread shit.

But in the early to mid 80s this would all change to Calandra’s being only once in a while and for holidays as my mom would go on a health food kick and reduce or thick bread consumption. Can’t say I blame her my little fat ass was having Italian Bread and butter as a snack before bed so yea we were eating a tad too much lol.

Well that is it for now from me, I want to thank you all for following us and our posts. I love my childhood and the way I grew up, was it perfect not by a long shot. But the food from Newark was a very awesome part of my upbringing it really was.

From Tony’s Hot Dogs on Park Ave and lake street, to across the way to JJs hot dogs on Bloomfield ave. As a kid growing up in north jersey and my family hailing from North Newark (Actually Pronounced Nork) before moving to Maplewood. Either on weekends or certain weekdays my Dad,Uncle or Cousin were taking me to get dirty water dogs on the avenue.

Now Rutt’s Hutt in Clifton the ripper is a different kind of dog not a dirty water dog but just as good in my opinion that is why it’s getting and honorable mention in this post. Now you also have your Italian Hot Dogs as well they were the best when they came from Dickie Dees or Jimmy Buffs.

But the Dirty Water Dog is where it’s at for awesome NJ Cuisine…

Click Here to get your Dirty Water Dog Shirt or other Apparel

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The great Taylor Ham vs Pork Roll Debate rages on, but as a resident of North East Jersey, we all know the correct term is Taylor Ham…

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