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Shelly Witchley brings casual and fine dining experiences to clients By Margaret McCormick Shelly Witchley cooking at her kitchen in Fayetteville on May 6. Photo by Chuck Wainwright. Shelly Witchley grew up in Central New York, but never had the opportunity to spend much time in the Finger Lakes. She was too busy working in restaurant kitchens. These days, the chef spends a lot of time in the popular vacation destination for food, wine and nature lovers, bringing casual and fine dining experiences to clients. “Until moving back here, I didn’t really know much about the Finger Lakes,’’ Witchley ..read more

By Andrew Rutter This article outlines 12 signs that you might be ready to make the transition into retirement. 1. You constantly daydream at work Wouldn’t it be nice to win the lottery? Or travel the world with your partner? While everyone daydreams, if you find your little fantasies are distracting you from work, it might be time to leave and go after those dreams for real. Daydreaming is often symptomatic of escaping from the stresses and pressures that are going on in our reality and they become a way for us to retreat from that reality. An extreme example would be someone in prison who mi ..read more

The tiniest of special wheelchairs — Bella’s Bumbas — produce massive opportunities for kids with any type of mobility challenge By John Addyman Marty Parzynski and Rebecca Orr, the husband-and-wife team who has built and shipped 2,600 special-needs child wheelchairs to 65 countries in seven years. Rebecca Orr is a woman who relies on her ability to take action, especially when it comes to helping someone else. The test came in 2015. Her niece gave birth to Bella. Happiness. But Bella had spina bifida. This cute-as-a-button cherub might never walk and was facing a life of other uncertainties a ..read more

Trio working to establish more CNY chess clubs for students and adults By Joe Sarnicola Chess expert Anton Ninno sells chess sets outside the tournament room in Marcellus. Local chess experts Bob Nasiff, Anton Ninno and Jim Gonnella have been working for many years to promote the game by establishing chess clubs in area schools, organizing tournaments and even hosting regular friendly games. Nasiff is the most prominent member of the local chess community, having earned a master rating from the United States Chess Federation and serving as its National Scholastic Tournament director. The three ..read more

Artist now runs art boutique and gallery inside historical Willard Memorial Chapel in Auburn By Joe Sarnicola Sandy Shutter developed a taste for art when she was very little. “I have always had the need to create. I have always been interested in art, from the time I was very young,” said the owner of Artistic Impressions, a retail art boutique and gallery in Auburn. “One of my favorite memories was when my grandmother gave me a big box of crayons with a built-in sharpener.” Shutter said she took as many art classes as she could at Auburn High School and then majored in art at Cayuga Communit ..read more

After 24 years working as a state trooper, Pete Beratta finds a new niche in Marcellus By David Figura Beratta at work, cutting the hair of one of his customers. Pete Beratta put in 24 years as a New York state trooper and rose to the rank of investigator before deciding to retire at 48. Since then, Beratta, now 58, has rewired his life and is enjoying a new career. He owns and runs Pete’s by the Park Barbershop in Marcellus. “I went from one weapon to another. One job they gave me a gun. And now they give me a razor,” he joked. Beratta, a sports enthusiast, is also a Division I football refer ..read more

… and the garlic bread and the bagels The admonition to “stop and smell the roses” was something I never could make happen when I was younger. It’s only recently I’ve realized why it is so important to do as we age, but in a very different way than its original meaning of “slow down and enjoy life.” Let me explain. When I was working for Onondaga County, our Department of Aging and Youth had a great group of dedicated people who were always looking for ways to make the system work better for the people we served. When a project we had worked on for months was finally ready to launch, we’d have ..read more

This year marks the international organization’s 100th year and the CNY club’s 70th year of operation By Norah Machia Toastmaster Club members in a meeting with speaker Jim McEntire. Sandy Cittadino was busy working in retail and restaurant management several years ago when an unexpected opportunity led her to meet a group of strangers who would later become lifelong friends. At the time, a Syracuse University professor asked Cittadino to talk to her students and share a “parent’s perspective” on raising a child with autism. Her son, Joe, had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a high-fun ..read more

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