Martin Wilbur

About Martin Wilbur

Martin Wilbur has more than 30 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including having previously served as editor-in-chief of The Examiner. He lives in Montrose with his wife Jill.

Game On: Armonk’s New Pickleball Facility

April 29, 2026 by Martin Wilbur

With the recent explosion in the popularity of pickleball, it seemed as though it would be only a matter of time before a dedicated year-round pickleball facility would open locally.

That time has come, with the opening of SPORTIME Pickleball’s newest facility at 112 Business Park Drive in Armonk. The 25,000-square-foot club that celebrated its grand opening on March 15, features 11 oversized pro-cushion courts with 30-foot ceilings, state-of-the-art lighting and climate-controlled playing conditions year-round.

Open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, SPORTIME Pickleball Armonk offers the sport’s enthusiasts, and future players, ample opportunities to rent court time, take private or semi-private lessons, participate in instructional programs, including programs for adult and junior beginners, enjoy social and level-rated open play sessions and compete in tournaments and special events.

SPORTIME’s decision to open its fifth pickleball-exclusive location in the tri-state area – and the second in Westchester – highlights its commitment to being the leading pickleball club provider in the region. It has also operated tennis facilities since 1994.

SPORTIME Pickleball Armonk reflects the high demand and levels of participation in the market. The company’s Armonk opening comes six months after the debut of its dedicated pickleball facility in Yorktown. SPORTIME is also the longtime operator of clubs in Eastchester and Mamaroneck that now feature both pickleball and tennis.

“Armonk is a great community with a large group of pickleball enthusiasts who have not had access to a convenient, high-quality, indoor facility to enjoy until now,” said Joe Siegel, senior vice president and managing director of SPORTIME pickleball. “Our new facilities in Armonk and in Yorktown are providing enthusiastic Westchester players of all ages and levels with the high-quality, year-round playing and learning opportunities for which they have been waiting.”

The Armonk facility was custom-built for SPORTIME and took more than 18 months to construct. With spacious courts, bright, comfortable, playing conditions and welcoming social and viewing areas at courtside and on a second-floor mezzanine, the facility promises to be a popular destination for pickleball players. The club also features a pro shop offering balls, paddles, pickleball apparel and accessories, and two private party rooms that members and visitors can reserve for parties and special events.

“In our first week in business, we booked a Bar Mitzvah,” shared Kylene Murray, general manager of the Armonk location.

Attractive to the Masses

Murray said what has helped make pickleball so popular is the relatively short learning curve.

“It is the ease with which most people can pick up the game that has fueled the growth of pickleball,” Murray said. “A pickleball court is about one-third the size of a tennis court, so it’s a little easier to get to where you need to be. The paddle is smaller and closer to your hand than a tennis racket, so it is easier to contact and control the ball, which is lighter than a tennis ball and travels more slowly. These differences allow nearly anyone, from children to older adults, to learn and enjoy pickleball quickly, and to reap the physical and social benefits of the sport.”

Murray explained that singles and doubles can be played on a pickleball court, but that most enjoy doubles. Players often organize their own groups, and the club also offers open play sessions spread across many courts. In these situations, players can come on and off the courts, play a variety of matches, meet new partners and friends and socialize with players from other courts.

“Pickleball is a naturally social sport, and players feel that sense of community right away, as soon as they come to a club and get on a court,” said Murray, a former collegiate and professional tennis player who previously worked at SPORTIME’s Randall’s Island location. “Pickleball is also relatively inexpensive, and many new players can enjoy friendly competition starting the very first time they step on a court. We host events for groups of players with zero racket sports experience. We give those players a quick 101 introductory session that lasts 20 to 30 minutes, just to show them the basics, and by the end of the first session they are playing pickleball.”

Siegel explained that the social interaction is, for many, as important as the game itself. “I think that the social aspect of the game has been instrumental in its explosive growth,” he said. “People of all levels, backgrounds, ages and walks of life are able to enjoy playing and spending time together.”

Playing the Game at SPORTIME

While many nearby municipalities have converted some of their public tennis courts or playground spaces to outdoor pickleball courts, being able to play year-round in the Northeast requires indoor courts. The conditions at SPORTIME are the same regardless of frigid cold, blistering heat, rain, snow or wind outside. A reserved court, program or coach are always ready as scheduled.

Programming at SPORTIME Pickleball Armonk offers three main categories of activity: instruction, social play and competition. Murray said that adult and junior players can choose from a variety of clinics based upon their level and interest. Those wanting personalized instruction can take advantage of private and semi-private lessons with certified, experienced coaches.

For intermediate level players and above, the club offers level-based open play sessions, advanced clinics and special events. And for players wanting to compete in a more structured way, there are leagues and tournaments, and SPORTIME Adult Team Pickleball (ATP), through which club-based teams compete against teams from other SPORTIME clubs.

Siegel said that SPORTIME Pickleball Yorktown hosted the inaugural Westchester Pickleball Championships on March 14, attracting 80 teams that competed in 11 different divisions. Next year, Siegel hopes that the Armonk location will co-host that growing annual event, allowing it to accommodate an additional 75 teams.

The original plan was for Armonk to be open for most of the 2025-26 indoor season, Siegel explained, but that construction delays pushed the opening to mid-March. Despite the wait, the local community has been very supportive and excited about the opening.

“Local players are thrilled that we are finally open,” Siegel said. “We look forward to hosting busy spring and summer seasons, offering a variety of great programs that we know our players will love, and then having a packed club starting in the fall of 2026.”

Those interested in playing at SPORTIME Armonk are encouraged to check-out the club’s online program menu, or to visit or call the club at any time. The facility also offers a virtual help desk, through which player assistance can be received by call or text.

SPORTIME Armonk’s membership fee is $20 a month and members receive discounted court-time fees, complimentary monthly member benefits, and priority member access and advance reservation privileges. SPORTIME Pickleball membership includes access and benefits at all SPORTIME pickleball clubs and facilities across the tristate area, including two New Jersey locations, multiple Long Island locations and the four Westchester locations.

Otherwise, court rentals are $50 an hour before 5 p.m. and $60 after 5 p.m. on weekdays while on weekends, courts cost $60 an hour before 5 p.m. and $45 an hour after that time.

“We expect the club to be quite busy, so it’s always best to make a reservation if you want to play with friends or partners, or to join an open play session or a clinic if you want to meet some new friends and partners,” said Murray.

Armonk’s location, close to Connecticut and off of I-684, is easily accessible to players from Westchester and Fairfield counties.

For more information on the clubs and its available offerings, visit sportimepickleball.com.

ZWILLING Cooking Studio – A Recipe for Fun!

April 29, 2026 by Martin Wilbur

For those looking for a different social experience, or the perfect Mother’s Day gift this season, try the ZWILLING cooking studio. Whether you classify yourself as a culinary artist or a beginner, there’s something here for everyone.

Located at the world-renowned cutlery company ZWILLING J.A. Henckels’ U.S. headquarters in Pleasantville, the studio is a place where local residents who love to cook or want to expand their skills in the kitchen can take a wide variety of classes. The studio is also a great choice to hold parties for birthdays and bridal and baby showers, and Westchester-based corporations have also realized the sparkling space is a great choice for company outings and team-building events.

“Regardless of the class or event, interaction between participants is a crucial element of the studio, which can hold up to 45 people to host a celebration,” said Bernard Janssen, executive chef and culinary program manager. Capacity for classes is capped at 18.

“What it adds, is this interactive part of an event,” Janssen said of community members and corporations that reserve space for special events. “Instead of going to a restaurant or another event space where there’s food served, here it’s very informal, you get together, you create something together. It’s an experience.”

There is at least one class practically every day of the month, ranging from basic knife skills courses to sessions focusing on different ethnic cuisines. In late March and April, for example, there was a Mexican fiesta class, another for Filipino fare, tastes of the Middle East and French bistro menu items. There is an emphasis on authentic cooking.

There are also special themes offered, such as date night or girls’ night out and classes for kids. The “Simple Suppers, Weekday Wonders” course is another popular choice for people who have busy work weeks and want to meal prep in advance.

Cooking studio assistant manager Stephen Schwartz said there had recently been a class for Sri Lankan food. One man who took the class, a native to the South Asian island nation, told ZWILLING staff that it was the closest thing to the food he ate as a child.

“Somebody comes in here to take a class, and you remind them of home, it doesn’t get any better than that,” Schwartz said.

Best of all, whether it’s a class, party or corporate event, there’s always a hands-on component where those who attend get to eat what they and others created.

Janssen explained that the classes are typically divided into three groups of up to six people, and each group cooks one component of a full menu. When finished, they sit down and enjoy the meal together, he said.

“So, it’s very focused on culinary education,” Janssen explained of the classes. “People come in with a different goal compared to a corporate event.”

“We sit them together and they enjoy that food together,” Janssen said. “But if you come in for French bistro with your team, you’re going to work that full menu. So, all three courses. It’s very much focused on culinary education.”

Online reviews of the classes are overwhelmingly positive. “Chef Bernard and Chef Tayla at the Zwilling Cooking Studio are absolutely fantastic!” commentor Amy Hill wrote. “From the moment you walk in, the studio itself feels warm, modern, and beautifully designed – a perfect space to cook, learn, and laugh. Both chefs strike the perfect balance of professionalism and humor, making the experience not only educational but also incredibly fun.”

In February, Ellen Simpson came to a similar conclusion. “This class was incredible! The chefs were so knowledgeable, patient and funny that the time flew by,” Simpson wrote. “I’ve never been in a cooking class that had so much food to sample throughout the class and there were still enough left to fill a box to take home!”

Janssen said if anyone is interested in future classes to check the offerings on the ZWILLING website at www.zwillingcookingstudio.com/copy-of-schedule-new. Typically, classes are scheduled about three months in advance.

Kids’ Camps & Family Time

The cooking studio is not only for adults, but ZWILLING gets the entire family involved. Week-long children’s cooking camps are offered in the summer from late June until just before Labor Day weekend. There are full-day and half-day offerings for students from 9 to 11 years old and 12 to 15 years old.

On the first day, they are introduced to the basics around the kitchen, including food safety. Then from Tuesday through Thursday, the classes shift to instruction on different cuisines. On Friday the camp ends with the kids getting 90 minutes to put together a meal that is judged, with a prize for the winning team.

Janssen said there are kids returning three or four years in a row while others return for multiple weeks. The summer camp has been such a success that ZWILLING started offering three-day camps for holiday weeks during the school year.

One of their former campers is now headed to culinary school, a great compliment to the program but certainly not the goal, Schwartz said.

“This is not just about cooking for the kids,” he said. “We teach them things, obviously, things like time management, working together collaboratively and working with other kids. It’s a really important component for us.” There are periodic family cooking classes for both the parents and their children, typically held on a Sunday, Schwartz added.

Studio chefs also use appliances that can be found in a typical home, not commercial or restaurant-grade equipment, Janssen said. “We choose to use high-end home appliances because we feel that whatever people do and learn here, they should feel that they should transfer that to their own kitchen,” Janssen said.

Retail Store Piques Interest

Schwartz said the store was carved out of excess space during the pandemic, previously used twice a year for the company’s warehouse sale. Aside from its well-known cutlery, the store offers high-quality pots, pans and cookware and serves the general public.

Merchandise makes for a great gift for the home chef, and gift cards are also available, Janssen added.

Of course, if someone takes a class and uses an item available in the studio, they can also choose to see if it’s available in the store.

“So, if you want, and you have been using a certain knife, a certain pot, a certain tool in the class, we offer the opportunity to purchase that,” Janssen said. “During an event we will never hard-pitch a product, but we will show you why a certain knife where the curve is a little bit more comfortable and supports a certain technique.”

Along with its cutlery, the store offers STAUB cast iron and ceramic cookware, products from DEMEYERE, considered among the best stainless-steel cookware and MIYABI, a top Japanese cutlery line.

The store is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is accessible from the Village Lane side of the building.

North Castle Invests in Recreation with Fields, Pool Upgrades, & Dog Run

February 26, 2026 by Martin Wilbur

For years, dog lovers in North Castle periodically appealed to town officials to open a park for their pets to exercise and socialize as many other municipalities in Westchester have done.

A survey conducted by the town’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Board in 2022 found that a dog park was one of the top recreation priorities for residents. That was followed by a pitch two years ago by Armonk resident Mollie Meyer and her then-12-year-old daughter Juliet that caught the Town Board’s attention and started the process that culminated in the grand opening of the new dog park at Community Park on Nov. 1, 2025.

Despite the park having been open only in colder weather, it has been a hit so far with dog owners, and turnout is expected to flourish as spring approaches.

“This is all about community,” Mollie Meyer said. “It’s about being able to meet new people, have a place to go with your dog. It’s a lot of open air, exercise. It’s just a positive feeling.”

The dog park’s opening last fall wasn’t an isolated project but one of several significant recreation improvements that North Castle has undertaken that town Supervisor Joseph Rende said will enhance the quality of life for town residents. The long-sought installation of artificial turf at Community Park Fields 1 and 2 that will be able to accommodate multiple sports is expected to be completed in time for the start of the spring season, while coinciding with a major overhaul of the Little League fields at Clove Road in North White Plains.

There is also a multiyear improvement project of the town pool on Greenway Road in Armonk, the next phase of which will now occur immediately after the summer swim season.

Along with improving the Lombardi Park fields on Cox Avenue, enabled by the current conversion of the park’s water supply from wells to public water, improving a small park in Quarry Heights and new playground equipment at four parks a few years ago, the town has focused on recreational facilities to improve the experience for children and families, Rende said.

“Everyone expects well-maintained roads, good schools and the other one is recreation,” Rende said. “What else does a community have to offer? Well, they’ve got great recreation, they’ve got great parks. I think that’s a big part of it. It’s always been a focus of mine.”

Fields

Replacing the grass surface with artificial turf at Fields 1 and 2 at Community Park became a major focus for the town following the 2022 survey, which found that improving the town’s playing fields as the top recreation priority among respondents.

One motivation for town officials to move ahead with the turfing project was to increase the time that fields are able to be used by the various youth and recreational sports leagues in town. After a rainy day, it could take days for it to be used. That will no longer be a problem, and neither should overuse, where portions of grass fields tend to wear out. Depending on the sport, multiple events will be able to be played, added Superintendent of Parks & Recreation Matt Trainor.

Rende said the cost for the work along with the Clove Road fields improvements will be close to $5 million.

“That’s the whole real benefit about it, after inclement weather you’re not waiting for fields to dry, especially where those fields are it becomes very wet,” Rende explained. “You have an extended period of rain it could take a week for those fields to be playable again. Now they’re playable the next day or hour.”

Rende said the project also included work underneath the fields and the installation of padding below the artificial surface. An added feature will be the inclusion of the town’s logo – the red, white and blue eagle – that will be emblazoned between the two fields, similar to many high schools that place its school logo on its main home field.

Both multipurpose surfaces will accommodate baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer, Trainor said. One of the fields will also be able to host football games, he said.

Trainor expects that unless there is some unforeseen bad weather or other expected delays, work on the fields could be completed by the end of February, in plenty of time for the start of the spring sports season in April.

Meanwhile, Community Park Fields 3 and 4, used for soccer and baseball, will continue to have grass. The plan is to provide that area with irrigation to keep those surfaces in good health and initiate a rotation plan to allow each of those fields to rest when needed, Trainor said.

Once all the field work is done, Trainor expects demand for playing time to increase. He had planned to meet with the leagues and organizations that have use the town’s facilities during the winter before work is completed.

“A lot of this is going to depend on how we work the schedule with some of the leagues, and that’s a conversation I’ll start having with them,” Trainor said.

Also, expected to be completed in time for the start of the Little League season in April are the two fields at Clove Road near the community center. Since the time that Trainor first arrived in North Castle in 2012, this is the most consequential improvements there, with an emphasis on drainage and irrigation.

For former councilman Matt Milim, who left the Town Board at the end of December and served as liaison to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, improving fields and recreational facilities is one of the most critical amenities a town can offer.

“To me, it’s like super important because I think youth sports, it’s a really central part of development for kids,” Milim said. “It teaches them about being a team player, the lessons, fitness. It’s so critical, and the demand in our town, truthfully, is really huge.”

Town Pool

At the close of the 2023 swim season, North Castle officials announced they would have to expend resources to maintain the town pool complex, where like many communities that have a pool, is a popular place to visit in summer.

The town agreed to buy the pool from the non-profit Anita Louise Ehrman Recreation Center in 2017 for $728,000, about a decade after that organization refurbished the pool. Before that, the town made annual lease payments for several years to keep the facility operational when the group ran into financial difficulties.

A few years ago, Trainor reported to the Town that extensive work needed to be done to maintain the pool.

“It’s a popular destination, Rende said. “It’s used by a large population within the town and the fact our camp program utilizes it, so from that standpoint, it’s a tremendous asset to the town.”

Rende said last winter the town began with improvements to the filtration system because there were issues with the circulation of water. Some of that was due to mechanical problems with the system, he said. Thus far, the town has spent about $500,000.

This off season the town hoped to complete a replacement of the pool deck, which had deteriorated, install new gutters around the pool and resurface its interior. However, Trainor said because the town didn’t want to risk not having the pool ready for the camp and for residents to enjoy, it was decided at the Town Board’s first meeting of the year to hold off on this year’s work until right after Labor Day because they learned of the likelihood of delays in deliveries of materials of up to three months.

The town has gone out to bid on the decking, resurfacing and gutters and was waiting how much the phase of the pool project will cost. The town plans to bond the pool work.
“We’d rather do it right than rush it and take huge chances,” Trainor said of the decision to wait until after the summer. “We have a camp that relies on the pool, so that could have been an issue.”

Rende said future work at the pool complex could include looking at the pool building itself to make improvements to the showers, bathrooms and locker rooms.

Dog Park

When Meyer and her daughter approached the town in the spring of 2024, Rende said as someone didn’t own a dog, he wondered whether it would be viable. But then he recalled the 2022 survey and realized that many town residents were serious about having a park. A few months since its opening, Rende has been pleased with the reaction.

“Lo and behold, people are using it – and enjoying it – and people are talking about it,” he said. “I think it’s great.”

The area, not far from the bathrooms at Community Park, features separate areas for large and small dogs, benches and bags and a garbage receptacle so owners can clean up after their dogs. It’s enclosed by chain-link fence ranging up to six feet high with fabric, Trainor said. In the future, the town might add additional amenities for the dogs to play on.

“It’s been a positive thing, and in the wintertime, people are taking their dogs out,” he said. “There’s really been no issues or complaints that have come through my office, so it’s a win-win.”

‘Paw-fect’ spectator at the ribbon cutting

Meyer said she will be celebrating her two dogs’ birthdays in March at the park, including the first birthday for her Maltipoo Henry and a three-year celebration for Lily, her family’s cockapoo. So far, she has utilized the facility for her dogs a few times a week, which is likely to increase in the warmer weather.

Dog owners have been able to police themselves and typically know whether their pets are able to interact with other dogs, Meyer said. In all instances that she has seen, the dogs have been well-behaved. One day, there was one large Labrador with his owner in the large dog section with several small dogs in the separate area. The small dog owners invited over the Labrador because he was well-behaved.

“The reality is dogs need exercise,” Meyer said. “It’s like they need sleep and they need exercise and they need food and water, just like humans, and it’s my experience that after I bring my dogs to the dog park, they’re calm, they’re happy, they’re tired. They need that type of exercise and situation, both physically and for the mind.”

A Cut Above the Rest: ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS Flourishes in Pleasantville

November 25, 2025 by Martin Wilbur

(L-R): Melanie Gomez (VP, HR & Compliance), Joanna Rosenberg (Chief Sales and Marketing Officer), Jennifer Davis (VP, Marketing Communications), Dorothy Montgomery (CFO), Nina Dols (VP, Channel Development) and Guido Weishaupt (President & CEO)
Photo by Donna Mueller

It’s been 10 years since ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS moved into offices that it built on Marble Avenue in Pleasantville, and the match couldn’t have been better for the company or the community.

In November 2015, ZWILLING, with factories around the globe producing high-end cutlery, cookware and small kitchen appliances, celebrated the relocation of its U.S. headquarters from its previous home on Route 9A in Hawthorne. CEO Guido Weishaupt said the company had outgrown its space, and with so many of its employees living in the area, another site for a larger facility nearby was sought.

To the relief of village officials and many residents, they pursued the property that had been the site of the old Medical Laboratory Associates (MLA) parcel at 270 Marble Ave. Since MLA moved out in the late 1990s, the previous structure remained empty for almost 15 years. Stop & Shop had bought the land in 2001, but the plans to open a supermarket there were abandoned after it faced overwhelming community opposition.

ZWILLING bought the property in 2012 and built its sparkling energy-efficient headquarters of roughly 110,000 square feet that houses offices, a retail store that sells its products and a warehouse. One of the most popular features of the operation is the cooking studio that hosts culinary classes for those who love expanding their skills in the kitchen.

“There were a few options, but when we saw this one, it’s always been our favorite because the location is so close to town and the idea that everything is so walkable and the diversity of the offerings for the employees, from downtown shopping to food, so for us it’s the ideal location,” Weishaupt, who has been ZWILLING CEO since 2008, said of the move to Pleasantville.

It’s also been ideal for business for the 294-year-old German-based company, Weishaupt said. Since arriving in the village, he estimated that business has quadrupled, prompting ZWILLING to buy the nearby 1.2-acre property at 220 Marble Ave. with an eye toward future expansion. There are currently about 110 employees in Pleasantville.

There is no timetable for additional construction on the recently acquired land.

“We want to expand on that site,” Weishaupt said. “Again, we’re almost 300 years old, so we’re never in a rush. We always do what we do with longevity in mind. We want to be mindful of how we will use that space and how best to fit it into our operational needs, but also, as you can see, we like making the space look nice and we want to make sure that whatever we do on that site can match with what we do here.”

Long and Storied History

The largest and one of the oldest cutlery companies in the world, ZWILLING was founded by Peter Henckels in June 1731. His grandson, Johann Abramham Henckels, is its namesake. ZWILLING is the German word for twin, since the company debuted under the zodiac sign Gemini, and an image of the twins is prominently part of the company’s logo.

ZWILLING arrived in the United States in 1876, opening a shop on New York City’s Park Avenue, Weishaupt said. It’s first foray into Westchester came in the 1950s, first in Elmsford, then in a few additional locations farther north before establishing itself in Hawthorne, years before the move to Pleasantville.

What sets ZWILLING apart from other cutlery producers is the quality of the product, said Chief Sales Marketing Officer Joanna Rosenberg. They work with a European steel company to make a unique special formula steel that has been developed and perfected over the years. Rosenberg said the goal is always to achieve the right balance between durability and sharpness.

There is also robust quality control to ensure that the products will last. For example, to guard against the knives rusting, ZWILLING conducts extreme testing that is the equivalent of placing the knives in the ocean for two weeks, she said. Rosenberg said ZWILLING is able to have its own specially developed steel because the company is the largest knife manufacturer in the world. All of the machinery that makes the products at its eight factories worldwide – located in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Japan, China and India – is calibrated to produce the highest quality products, which is its most crucial mission.

“The idea is that it will last for more than one generation, you’ll have them to pass on to the next, and our job, all of us who work here, our job is to protect the company for the next generation that comes along,” Rosenberg said. “It’s not a quarter or a year or anything like that. We do that with the quality of the product more than anything else.”

Over the generations, ZWILLING has added to its line of products by acquiring several other top brands. It offers STAUB cast iron and ceramic cookware from France; DEMEYERE, a prominent Belgian company that offers the best in stainless steel cookware; MIYABI, considered the best in Japanese cutlery; HENCKELS, which offers high quality, and durable cookware and tools at an exceptional value.

“I think what’s so great, because we have the five brands and we range from one price point all the way up, we can sort of give each customer what they need depending on what their skill set is, their comfort level is, said Jennifer Davis, ZWILLING’S vice president, marketing communications.

Weishaupt said to ensure that the quality of what it produces remains consistently high, ZWILLING controls the manufacturing process from beginning to end.

He said maybe only about 10 percent of the customer base is commercial, with many falling into the category of serious hobby chef.

“I think it’s really essential to everything we do, whether it’s cutlery or cookware or flatware, we just are addicted to the quality of what we provide,” Weishaupt said. “You wouldn’t survive 300 years in any industry if that wasn’t kind of the underlying principle.”

About 40 percent of the company’s market share is in North America with about 30 percent each in Europe and Asia, Weishaupt estimated.

Spreading the Joy of Cooking

Since ZWILLING moved to Pleasantville, one of the most popular features of its facility has been the development and introduction of the cooking studio programs. The ground-floor space just inside the main entrance started simply as a showroom, Weishaupt said. However, executives looked at the area and thought that it could become more interactive, he said.

ZWILLING hired an executive chef that had worked with the company in Europe who helped convert the showroom into a cooking studio. It is one of a few such studios ZWILLING operates at locations around the world.

“I would say this one is the most successful when it comes to the amount of people and the revenue generated,” Weishaupt said. “We’re looking, always looking to see if what we learned here we can multiply to other locations in the U.S. That’s one thing on our wish list that we haven’t gotten to yet, but it’s from what we perceive, it’s so good that it’s really worth copying and sharing and rolling it out.”

Nearly every day there is a different type of class offered at ZWILLING studio, ranging from a children’s baking session to a vast assortment of lessons introducing different cultural cuisines such as Asian street food, Korean BBQ, Moroccan food, Mexican and Filipino dishes and new American plates. Then there are the periodic basic knife skills classes.

With the popularity of televised cooking shows, more people are finding enjoyment in creating dishes at home, further fueled when many were homebound during the height of the pandemic. Almost anyone with the interest and desire to learn how to make exciting new dishes would love some of the classes scheduled at ZWILLING studio.

“Surprisingly, the end result of what you then eat or have created is so amazing that it doesn’t stand back much from, if at all, from anything you would buy at a good restaurant – and you just cooked it,” Weishaupt said.

The studio has also hosted corporate events and even a Bar Mitzvah party, Davis said.

Gift Ideas for the Holidays

For the friend or relative who is a budding chef or finds enjoyment in trying new dishes to make, the gift of a class or choosing items from ZWILLING on-site retail store makes for a great gift for the holidays. If you’re uncertain over which gift from the store or class someone on your shopping list might find most appealing, gift cards are available for both.
ZWILLING also holds its annual warehouse sale at the start of the holiday season – the weekend before and the weekend after Thanksgiving on the grounds of its property, Davis said. This year, the sale is on November 21-23 and December 5-7 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on each of those days.

In past years, shoppers have come from throughout the lower Hudson Valley, New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut to see what glassware, flatware, tools, gadgets and other items are available.

“If you bring a passionate hobby chef into the store, it’s really like a kid in a candy store,” Weishaupt said. “There’s no stopping. Everything is so good.”
Community Fixture

Development of the property a decade ago came as welcome relief to the Village of Pleasantville. Mayor Peter Scherer said ZWILLING took what had been a moribund site and transformed it with its attractive public-facing building. With the retail store and the cooking studio, it is more than just a warehouse and distribution site.

It has also been a major part of what could be considered a renaissance for Marble Avenue, a largely light industrial corridor with mixed uses that has at times had a difficult zoning history. It has had a positive influence on a few other streets in the vicinity, most notably Castleton Street, Scherer said.

He is also optimistic that when the time comes, ZWILLING will redevelop 220 Marble Ave. with equally aesthetically pleasing construction.

“They have been good neighbors for sure, absolutely for sure,” Scherer said. “They have been forthcoming and generous and obviously invested a lot of money in that building that needed significant investment. It’s been great.”

In turn, ZWILLING takes seriously its mission to give back to the community, Weishaupt said. One program that it created is to provide work to members of the special needs community by easing them into the workforce to show what the world of employment can look like. Since moving to Pleasantville, Weishaupt estimates that between two and three dozen people have been trained and became a core part of the company.

“That’s something we couldn’t do at our old location, but being here in Pleasantville, in a community, allows us to reach out to the school to offer this sort of a program, which is great,” Davis noted.
A second effort has been its internship program for general education students who are typically attending college.

“We want to make sure young people have the opportunity to get an idea of what work life can look like while they’re still in college and make the right choices,” Weishaupt added.

When ZWILLING decides to expand, Weishaupt pledged that whatever structure gets built will blend in well with the surrounding area, particularly from an architectural perspective, he said.
With the company’s success in Pleasantville, the roots that have been planted in the community will continue to grow. Weishaupt recognized the importance of the relationship between the village and the company’s success locally.

“Pleasantville has treated us really well,” Weishaupt said. “We have the proximity to the train station, the restaurants, and just being a part of a community where before where we were on Route 9A was pretty much in the middle of nowhere,” Weishaupt said. “So, it’s a complete step up in so many ways for the employees coming here from the Bronx and all over, the nearby cities.”

For more about ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS and its products, visit www.zwilling.com. Information about the cooking studio, including the schedule of classes, can be found at zwillingcookingstudio.com

LocalLive Partners With NBC to Bring Improved Local High School Sports Coverage

August 22, 2025 by Martin Wilbur

Kevin Devaney of LocalLive & Ben Martucci, Croton-Harmon High School boys basketball coach, broadcasting the section 1 basketball championships.

There’s an exciting new development this fall sports season for LocalLive Networks and the school districts that are signed up to receive the service. For the 2025-26 academic year, the streaming outlet that brings high school sports and other events to audiences live and on-demand from about 70 schools in the tristate area, including many in Westchester, is partnering with NBC
SportsEngine that will provide participating districts and the public with superior technology to exponentially enhance their viewing experience.

Kevin Devaney Jr., LocalLive’s vice president of digital content for the past seven years since shortly after the Stamford, Conn. – based company was launched, said the deal between the two entities commenced on July 1, but effectively begins when school reopens in September for the start of fall sports. Devaney said that after NBC initially approached LocalLive a few years ago, the company more recently determined that the best path forward was to tap into “an existing superpower company” that can provide a better website, camera technology and administration portals.

In the coming months, the public will see some of the improvements that LocalLive had long sought but found difficult to execute because of a finite amount of money and time. Now, there will be the ability for student athletes and their families to create highlights packages for college recruiters or personal use, greater connectivity to social media and the development of an app to allow a viewer to follow whatever high school teams they want at their fingertips, Devaney said.

Over the next one to two years, all cameras that had been installed inside school gymnasiums and at athletic fields will be replaced, bringing improved quality to viewers, he said.

“I think people are going to see a significant increase in quality of video, Devaney said. “We always had a high percentage of viewership that was on smartphone, or iPhone. So, the quality wasn’t as noticeable until you went on a larger computer or people casting up their TV now, and they’d open it up and say, ‘It’s a little grainy.

That’s kind of like a stretch video.’ Now we won’t have that. NBC Sports offers us far better resolution quality and cameras.”
Best of all for school districts is that the upgraded service won’t cost them additional money for the upcoming school year, Devaney said. There will be some changes to the website, now found at www.locallive.tv, which may take a bit of time to get used to, he said. Once everything is in place, the public can reach the service at www.sportsengineplay.com or they will be redirected there from LocalLive’s website.

“So, I think people over time will adjust to the new world,” said Devaney, who was a sportswriter for 12 years with The Journal News and spent another eight years working for Cablevision’s MSG Varsity before joining LocalLive in 2018. “I think they’re going to go to LocalLive and say, ‘Where is everything?’ There’s going to be a redirect, but for the most part you’re going to see the changes pretty quickly.”

Schools will continue to have the option of having other events streamed as well. Much of the content generated is sports-related with Devaney estimating that about 97 percent of the more than 200 schools throughout the U.S. contracting with LocalLive have sports streamed. But there are plenty of private schools and some public-school districts that use the service for Board of Education and PTA meetings or performances and concerts from their auditoriums.

One area athletic director praised LocalLive and the impact that it’s had on the community. Chris Drosopoulos, who leads athletics at the Briarcliff Union Free School District, said its addition about five years ago into the district “has been an integral part of our student athletes’ experience.”

LocalLive’s cameras were added to their high school gymnasium and athletic fields and all of the district’s athletic events at those venues are streamed, he said. The relationship between the district and LocalLive has been strong, and he expects that continue with the NBC SportsEngine partnership.

“The world has changed,” Drosopoulos said. “I know my wife and I, we work 100 hours a week and just trying to watch our kid is a huge undertaking, so doing the live streaming, a couple of our constituents they’re away on trips, and they really appreciate it.”

The ability to bring high school sports to local communities was somewhat novel when LocalLive’s founder, Nelson Santos, hatched the idea to live-stream games in 2017. He created the human controlled cameras that operated remotely. These cameras could be installed in school gyms and athletic fields and are operated by personnel off-site.

After MSG Varsity folded at the end of 2017, Devaney, an Armonk resident, was brought in to help LocalLive because of his 20 years of experience mostly covering the high school sports scene in the lower Hudson Valley and throughout the metropolitan area. For years, Devaney had cultivated strong working relationships that helped offset some school officials’ fears about having cameras mounted around a campus.

“By doing it this way, it allowed us to stream more than just the high school football game on Friday night or the big basketball game,” he said. “It allows us to stream everything that goes on.”

After the onslaught of the pandemic, it wasn’t known how long before spectators would be allowed back into the stands, which made streaming of games a priority, Devaney said.

The viewership for most games is pretty consistent, he said, with the exception of some marquee matchups such as Bergen Catholic-Don Bosco football games, two longtime parochial school rivals with powerhouse programs in northern New Jersey. Pivotal matchups that are close late in games also attract more interest, but so, too, does Arlington High School games in Dutchess County, likely because many friends and parents decide to watch rather than make the long trip.

“It’s all pretty consistent and it’s all centered around just how good the game is going. They just tune in,” Devaney said. “They find the game’s tied in the fourth, let’s tune in; the game’s a blowout, you have lower viewership.”

Most of the local public schools in the area that have contracted for LocalLive have done so through BOCES. But now there will be improved service.

“I’ve always hesitated to ever change, so we feel we’re at a good place with all of that,” Devaney said.

Martin Wilbur

About Martin Wilbur