IN THE KITCHEN WITH: AILISH HAMBEL; Hambel takes her challenges and turns them into accomplishments

From single mom, to mayor of Sparta, to local merchant, she’s always looking for opportunities, By Rose Sgarlato How does a 19-year-old girl from Killarney County, Ireland find her way to Sparta, New Jersey? By way of destiny, in the case of Ailish Hambel, owner of Ailish’s Alpine Paint Centre in Sparta. Here’s her story: Looking for a new life in 1972 and hiding the fact that she was pregnant, Hambel left her family in Ireland to go live with her cousin Janet McAteer in Brooklyn. “I did not want to disgrace my family. I came from a very religious family. My uncle was a parish priest; an aunt was a nun and a relative was a bishop, etc. So, I wanted to get away from all that and not bring shame to my family. I was well-educated and figured my best bet was the USA,” Hambel explains. While living in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Hambel worked as a telephone operator in the New York City law firm of Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander and Mitchell where Richard Nixon was a partner. And if things were not strange enough for a country girl living and working in a big city, Hambel became a single mother when her son Edward was born on July 4, 1973. “It was not easy being a single mom, but I had a good support system with my cousin Jan, who was like a surrogate mother to me,” she said. “When my son started school, I worked at a travel agency in Bay Ridge because it became too difficult to commute into Manhattan,” Hambel said. Ten years later, Hambel filled in for a friend at a dart tournament where — as fate would have it — she met her husband Jack. They were married three years later. The newlyweds were looking to move out of the city and they relocated to Sparta in 1985. “As soon as we saw Sparta, we loved it. I had come from a small town called Skull and then to New York City, and so Sparta felt like I was coming full circle back to a small town,” Hambel said. Hambel had two more children and remained active in the community. In 1992, she organized the building of Kids Castle at Station Park, her first foray into politics. “My name got known because of working with the town council for Kids Castle. When George Dykstra passed away, I believe it was January of 1996, I became a council member,” she explains. Hambel served as mayor from July 1997 to June 1998 and then again from July 2005 to June 2006 and was deputy mayor the year prior to each of those. “I loved it. I like to accomplish things and get things done,” she said. As mayor, she enjoyed being the liaison to the Sparta Library Board, of which she is now president. While on the board, Hambel met the previous owners of her current business. She purchased what is now known as Ailish’s Alpine Paint Centre in November of 2000. “I knew nothing about the paint business, but I knew their store was well-established. It had been there 42 years. I wanted to take over a successful business. I am a quick study. There is a lot of technical stuff you need to know. I have a highly trained staff, and the Benjamin Moore Company provides resources and gives us the right answers if we need it,” she explains. But no one or experience could prepare Hambel for the devastation of a fire in May of 2007. Upon returning from a trip on Memorial Day, she received a phone call saying her shop was on fire. “It was awful. I was in total shock, and it felt like a bad dream. The entire showroom was destroyed.” To this day, Hambel said, the cause of the fire has not been conclusively determined. “I was under-insured. I took a tremendous hit. I am still trying to crawl out of a hole,” she said. The store had to be gutted and completely renovated. It operated out of a temporary space a few doors down before re-opening officially in March of 2007. “It feels like I am starting over,” she said. Hambel is also secretary of the board of Pass It Along and is presently running to fulfill a two-year term as chairman of the Sussex County Republican Committee. Never forgetting where she came from 37 years ago, Hambel returns to Ireland every year. “I like to visit there, but my home is here.” Ailish’s Alpine Paint Centre is located at 149 -Woodport Road in Sparta, 973-729-2300 or www.ailishalpinepaint.com. Creamy Irish stew 1 1/2 lbs stewing lamb 2 carrots sliced 2 onions quartered Pinch of mixed herbs 2 whole cloves A sprig of parsley Water Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 oz flour 2 oz margarine Box of frozen peas thawed Tsp of mustard or lemon juice 3 tablespoons of cream or natural yogurt Chopped fresh parsley Cut the lamb into bite size pieces. If using chops, leave them whole. Put the meat in a saucepan with the carrots, onions, herbs, cloves and sprig of parsley. Cover with cold water and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to boil and simmer gently with the lid on until the meat is tender (about 1 hour). If you have time, let the stew sit for a while and let the excess fat solidify on top and then later can be easily removed. If you have used chops, lift them out and cut them into bite size pieces, discarding the fat and bone. Put the margarine and flour in a saucepan with 1 1/2pints of the cooking liquid. Bring to boil, whisking all the time. Add the meat, carrots, onions and the peas; season to taste with lemon juice or mustard and more salt and pepper if necessary. Add the cream or yogurt. Simmer gently to heat thoroughly. Serve scattered with plenty of chopped fresh parsley.