“What the world needs now is love sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of…” penned way back in the “olden days” of 1965, by Burt…
Renata Barnes
Renata Barnes
Renata is the author of "The Taste Chase," MercerMe's own food review column. She's a lover of all things poetic, colorful, funny and inspiring. A native New Yorker, who grew up in Hopewell Valley and spent the better part of her adulthood back in NYC, currently finds herself in a growing love relationship with “the Valley”. Latin food, Indian saris and mehndi, French perfume, African music, Middle Eastern spices, South American jewels, Asian fabrics and anything from just about any island (maybe not Riker’s Island) are things that remind her to go out and taste the world, live passionately and always wear deodorant. The mother of one rambunctious boy and the wife of a mellow fellow, Renata tries to put her too many years of university and her film and writing talents to good use here in NJ. “I’ve spent too much time trying to fit in some where when I probably belong everywhere. That slow revelation has been freeing.”
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It’s February, or “mid-winter,” for those of us who are counting the days to when the first tender buds appear on the trees. What a year we’ve had so far…
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Warming up a chilly February weekend, C.a. Shofed proudly presents the countywide art exhibit, Common Threads.
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On recent warm afternoon, with the smell of the holidays freshly in the air, I thought I would check out a place that I had heard about, but had put…
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Events & FeaturesFeaturedSite News
MercerMe Hosts 2nd Annual Cut Throat Cookie Exchange, A Contest with Delicious Results
As the spirit of the holidays was shifting into 3rd, the bakers in the 2nd Annual MercerMe Cut Throat Cookie Exchange were preheating, rolling, filling, piping and baking their way…
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The last vestiges of summer are gathering themselves together taking the last of the tradewinds south, to the other side of the world until next year. Lawn chairs, beach bods,…
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Peering over a very satisfyingly buttery croissant at my favorite bake shop, I saw a curious man enter quite purposefully, carrying a jug filled with an amber liquid. Something about…
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If there is one food event I’ve looked forward to since its inception, it’s the annual Pork Roll Festival in Trenton, now in its 3rd year. Not only does this…
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This year, the Taste Chase is branching out a bit by exploring what our readers are cooking up in their kitchens. The plan is that every month or so, we…
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I am a New Yorker through and through and there is nothing more “New York” than bagels. I miss my days in the film industry eating a still-warm-from-the-bag H&H bagel…