Michele Jacobson
Certified Clinical Nutritionist
(908) 770-5706
nutritionprescription.biz
Michele Jacobson is new to Jersey City and brings a perspective to her hometown as fresh and forward-looking as her chosen profession. She decided to become a nutritionist about five years ago and moved to the Paulus Hook section of Jersey City in May.
She and her family were living in Monmouth County, and when the three kids grew up they wanted to be closer to New York City, where Michele’s husband works.
“We really fell in love with Paulus Hook,” she says. “The views blew us away. It has a small-town feel with diversity. The people are really friendly. You walk up and down the street and they say hello to us. The vibe of the place is really low key and welcoming.”
Jacobson has written books and articles on nutrition and is active in the movement to propel GMO (genetically modified organism) labeling in the state of New Jersey.
“I was really excited,” she says. “The day I moved to Jersey City, the city passed a resolution in support of GMO labeling. This was huge for me. I landed in the right place at the right time.”
I ask her if a city government has any say in such an initiative.
“Jersey City seems to pass ceremonial resolutions,” she says. “I was asked to speak at a city council meeting in support of resolution Z56, a federal bill against the misuse of antibiotics in factory farm animals. Jersey City is very proactive in these public health issues.”
Jacobson loves the farmers’ markets that are so popular in her new hometown. Last summer she set up a table at the one in Hamilton Park, which sells organic produce. She dispenses free advice about nutrition and gives out printed materials, such as recipes for meals that can help prevent colds and flu, and gluten-free cookie recipes.
“I have always been into a healthy diet,” she says, “and I’ve always cooked from scratch, used locally sourced ingredients, and did things the long way even before it was in vogue.”
She uses an individualized approach with each client, recommending foods, vitamins, supplements, and minerals.
She sees clients in a space in the Windsor Liberty House, where she and her husband live.
Photographer Alyssa Bredin and I met her in their apartment. She’s got a beautiful kitchen, fitting for someone who takes organic cooking so seriously. She is a card-carrying member of the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, and she made me a proud owner of her new book, GMOs: What’s Hidden in Our Food. It’s a good read but a little scary.
They now live in a loft in the Wells Fargo building in Hamilton Park.
“We fell in love with that, too,” she says.
Nafessa Collection
Gloria Walker
(201) 892-6889
nafessacollection.com
You may have noticed that in this department of the magazine we always photograph people in settings that reflect their work. As you can see by Alyssa Bredin’s images, Gloria Walker’s business is both an art form and an act of generosity and kindness.
The Nafessa Collection is a line of turbans designed for women who are suffering from the effects of chemotherapy. Many do not want to wear wigs, so this collection offers a stylish and practical way for women recovering from cancer to cover their heads and present a brave and empowered face to the world.
Gloria, who has a degree in social work, is a student recruiter at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City. “As a little girl,” she says, “I wanted to do fashion. When I turned 30, I said let’s give it a shot and went after my dream and opened a consignment shop.” She also started a fashion club at St. Anthony.
Though she developed a women’s apparel line with the encouragement of her mentor, she did not feel satisfied.
Gloria’s family was involved in social services—See our story on Jerry Walker on page 26—and the need to help people was strong, but she wanted to combine her love for fashion with her compulsion to be a force for good in the community.
“I wanted to help the population of women suffering from chemo,” she says. “They don’t want to wear a wig all the time, but they want to look glamorous while going through a tough time.”
A friend from college asked Gloria to create a turban for a mutual friend who had been diagnosed with cancer. “It was a sign from God,” Gloria says. “As I was designing the turban, she passed away.” This gave Gloria even more resolve to pursue her life-enhancing dream.
She creates the turbans from stretchy material, wool, and leather, which is the most popular. “Everything I see, I will try it,” she says. The terrycloth one is especially comfortable for women whose scalps are sensitive. The turbans start at $40.
Alyssa and I spent a wonderful afternoon in Jerry Walker’s youth center on Communipaw, where we met Gloria and her two models, Jenifer Ortiz and Selena Bacchus.
Gloria’s fashion savvy was on display as she created a perfect makeshift dress for Selena from a length of beautiful black fabric.
Seeing the turbans on these two stunning models should give hope to the women who will buy them.
Says Gloria, “They want to look fabulous while they are dealing with illness and be who they are.”—Kate Rounds
PHOTOS BY Alyssa Bredin