Summit Week in Review: Ba'Shawn Mickens, Restaurant Week, 16 Handles

Fifth Annual Restaurant Week Runs Through Feb. 24 in Downtown Summit

If you’re looking to treat yourself to a few nights out this week, look no further than downtown Summit. Summit Downtown’s Fifth Annual Restaurant Week kicked off on Friday, Feb. 15 and will continue through Feb. 24. Sponsored by Hilltop Community Bank, there are 33 participating businesses, most of which are offering prix fixe menus or special offers, said Susan Petrow, Summit Downtown Inc. Marketing Administrative Assistant. Some restaurants are offering menu items for $20.13 for the year 2013, a Restaurant Week tradition since its inception in 2009. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert specials will be offered all throughout the week. Patrons of Restaurant Week even have an opportunity to win a night out in Summit through "Dine for Dollars."

Ba'Shawn Mickens Breaks Summit Basketball All-Time Scoring Record

Ba'Shawn Mickens is on fire. After scoring his 1,000th career point in a game against Hillside in mid-January, the senior point-guard became Summit's all-time leading scorer for the Summit Boys' Varsity Basketball team on Thursday night, surpassing the 1,224-record that was set by West Virginia University star and Summit native Wellington Smith in 2005. According to The Star-Ledger, #3 Mickens scored 20 points during the Hilltoppers' victorious 53-32 performance over A.L. Johnson Thursday night, surpassing Smith's record by just three points near the end of the fourth quarter. Mickens told Patch on Thursday that breaking Smith's record was always one of his goals.

Updated: Summit Reacts To Pope's Resignation

Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation last Monday morning after eight years of service. This is the first time in 600 years that a pope has resigned, rather than die, while in office, according to a CNN report. The pope, who is 85-years-old, said he is resigning due to advanced age. Summit Patch received the reactions from Father Brian Plate and Robert Costello, Head of Oratory Prep, a Roman Catholic school in Summit for boys in grades 7-12 within the Archdiocese of Newark.

Summit's New Frozen Yogurt Eatery Hosts Grand Opening Feb. 16

A new frozen yogurt joint just moved into Summit, bringing 16 flavors and more than 60 toppings with it. The grand opening for 16 Handles, a franchise that originated in New York City in 2008 and opened in Summit on Feb. 11, was held on Saturday, Feb. 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the 88 Summit Ave. location. Manager Farrah Bhalloo said she owns this franchise with her father, Shabbir, a former accountant who now invests in franchises, and her sisters, Rishma, 25 and Sabrina, 21. The three sisters, who live in Warren with Shabbir, first learned about 16 Handles while attending separate universities in New York City.

FDK Will Not Be Included in Summit Schools 2013-14 Operating Budget

In a statement originally published on the Summit Public School District website, Louis Pepe, Business Administrator/Board Secretary for Summit Board of Education, clarified that Full-Day Kindergarten will not be included in the 2013-14 operating budget and that upcoming Board of School Estimate meeting will only focus on the budget, not Full-Day Kindergarten.

Winter paid an official visit to Summit last weekend and many Summit residents sent in their photos snowmen, dragons and even a Nemo. Check out our gallery and please add any photos taken during or after last weekend's storm.

Ahrre's Celebrates Anniversary With Coffee Giveaway

To celebrate more than two decades in Westfield and six months in Summit, Ahrre Maros, owner of Ahrre's Coffee Roastery, offered customers a free cup of coffee all day, every day, from Feb. 11 through Feb. 15. Raised in Summit, Maros fell in love with everything about the coffee culture back in the mid-1980's, when he was living and going to school in the San Francisco Bay area. When he returned to his hometown, with the help of his family, Maros set up shop in Summit and Westfield. That was 23 years ago, Maros, explained. Though his Summit business, which included live music offerings, closed in 1997, he was thrilled when an opportunity to return to his roots presented itself last year. Maros opened in Mondo Summit, which he likened to a "Union County replica of Chelsea Market," in August.