IN THE KITCHEN WITH: Mike Lawlor

Juggling music, business and children; This Stillwater dad plays a mean guitar, installs shower doors and makes soup for competitions, By Laurie Gordon Mike Lawlor is the eldest of nine children. He grew up in Wantage and graduated from Pope John in 1988. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles and attended and graduated from Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California. He returned to Sussex County and managed Sussex County Music in Wantage for about a year and a half, taking on about 40 students per week. “I didn’t feel cut out for the retail end of music, and longed to do work with my hands,” he said, so Lawlor began doing roofing and siding and continued teaching guitar in the evenings. He was also involved in a number of local musical acts, playing gigs on weekends around the tri-state area. In 1997, he began working at a local shower door fabricator and learned the trade of building custom glass enclosures. Eventually he put his music on hold and focused on starting his own business. Superior Shower Doors was officially incorporated in 2003, and Lawlor opened up a small shop on Spring Street in Newton in 2004. After two years he moved down the road to a larger space. “This allowed me to provide a showroom for customers, as well as contain my shop, warehouse, and office.” This is Lawlor’s seventh year on Spring Street. And he’s brought music back into his life. Now a single father, Lawlor said owning a business and playing gigs is a tough balancing act. He tries to schedule everything around the times his kids are with him, as well as provide them time to see their many aunts and uncles. He often takes them camping for vacation and enjoys hiking around the area. His daughter, Matisse, is 13; son Dane turns 8 this April. “Time is flying by, so any opportunities we get to spend together are thoroughly enjoyed.” Lawlor said, “The recent economy pretty much brought business down to a grinding halt about two years ago. I had worked up through the years from my business being just me and a van to having three crews on the road, as well as two office girls, and a steady flow of work that was always pushing us to six day weeks. When the bubble burst, I had to cut the work force, and focus on cost-saving procedures — while there is still is work out to be had, the competition is fierce. There’s many people out there in my line of work who operate without a showroom, without a Web site, nor even the proper workers’ comp or liability insurance. That gives them a definite edge financially, but my reputation has kept me in business this long.” Musically, Lawlor has always enjoyed playing a variety of styles. “I’ve entered a few competitions through the years that have been really exciting events,” he said. In 1993, he took on Hudson Valley bluesman Marali Coryell, in the Guitar Player from Hell competition. “I beat him to become a finalist,” he said. Lawlor then played in a guitar solo competition on the Radio Chick show in NYC. “They would play a snippet from a song, and the guitarist would have to play it back to the best of their ability. I won the contest by playing back every solo they threw at me , including ‘Highway Star’, by Deep Purple, and then defeating the only other contestant left, in a one-on-one duel,” he said. Then, in 2000, he entered the Guitarmageddon competition sponsored by Guitar Center, VH1, Fender Guitars, and Sam Adams Brewery and Lawlor won, beating over 2,500 entrants from all over the country to win the coveted title “Best Unsigned Guitarist in the Nation.” “My win allowed me to open up for Stone Temple Pilots at the Avalon Ballroom, as well as a flight out to the Fender Custom Shop in California. There, I designed a one-of-a-kind Custom Shop Stratocaster that I play at many of my current gigs.” Lawlor was also featured in an article in Guitar One Magazine, as well as awarded a computer-based recording rig. Currently, he plays in New York City three to five times a month, mainly at the Red Lion in the Village. “I also do some local gigs with my band, Mike Lawlor Banned,“ he added, “I have some upcoming shows these next few weeks at Fireman Dan’s in Wantage, the Third Base in Branchville, and Arthur’s St. Moritz.” Lawlor, who now lives in Stillwater, loves Sussex County. “Every time that I return late at night from a gig in the city, or come home after a long day out on the road installing shower doors in places such as Bergen, Essex, or Passaic County, I thank my lucky stars that this is my home.” On top of being a businessman, single dad and super musician, Lawlor loves to cook and enters soup-making competitions in his spare time.

Cream of Roasted Chestnut with Prosciutto and Sage
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp of finely chopped fresh sage
1 tsp of white pepper
4 celery ribs, minced
6 oz of prosciutto, cubed
9 cups of homemade chicken broth or equivalent
1 lb of chestnuts (vacuum packed can be substituted, but not as good)
(To prepare raw chestnuts preheat oven to 375. Using a paring knife, cut a large “X” across the outside, ensuring you have penetrated the skin. Place on a baking tray and put in the oven for 20-30 min. Take out and remove the shells, making sure to get the inner covering as well.)
4 medium size boiling potatoes, cut into 1” pieces
2 medium sized onions, minced
1/2 cup of heavy cream
In a large saucepan, melt the butter, and stir in onions, celery, and prosciutto. Stir occasionally until onions are soft (15 to 20 minutes) then add chicken broth. Add potatoes, sage, white pepper and simmer, cooking until potatoes are soft. (20 to 30 minutes). With a slotted spoon, take out all solids (potatoes, prosciutto, celery, onions) and put into a food processor with the chestnuts. Blend into a fine paste. Scoop out your concoction and stir back into the saucepan, under low heat. Add in heavy cream, and serve with a sage leaf on top of each bowl. If preparing the day before eating, the heavy cream should be left out and added when reheating. Serves 12.