Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of New Jersey, New York, NY (2026)

04/28/2026

Café Crevier Pizza Lunch Review

It was a damp and very rainy day on April 25, when a group of dedicated RPCVs came from far and near to enjoy a pizza lunch at Café Crevier in Denville, New Jersey. Now, we are going to make your mouth water by describing the four different pizzas we ordered:
“Easy on the Pizzi” — A vodka sauce base, crispy cupped pepperoni, mozzarella, fresh burrata, basil, and a drizzle of Hot Honey for a perfect blend of rich and sweet flavors.

“Sweet Cups of Spice”—Rectangular Pie with Cupped Pepperoni, Sweet Whipped Ricotta, Diced Hot Cherry Peppers, Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, Plum Tomatoes, and Mikes Hot Honey

“Thinny Thin & Thinny Thin with Mushrooms” —Paper thin, well done, no crust, with a crown of crispy cheese to the end.

YUMMMMMM !

Near the end of the luncheon, everyone wrote down a brief comment about the event/food. Their comments are listed below:

“The Thinny Thin strikes once again! Café Crevier did not disappoint (same owners as Angeloni’s). The Thinny Thin with mushrooms was my favorite. The ‘crisp” was perfect.”

“The pizza with sausage, fresh basil and mozzarella was unique and wonderful.”

“The regular pizza get-togethers are a wonderful way to meet people who have had similar life experiences and share a sense of adventure. And the pizza is always delicious.”

“I’ve had the Thinny Thin pizza before at Angeloni’s and I loved it at both places. The Sweet Cups of Spice pizza was a delight to my taste buds –a perfect blend of tasty ingredients. Also, the interaction of attendees at these RPCV events is always enjoyable.”

Please join us at future events. Our biggest event of the year is our Annual Picnic (check your emails for more details) which will be held on May 16 at Terhune Orchards in Princeton,

04/24/2026

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of New Jersey
RPCV-NJ ANNUAL PICNIC & PUBLIC BOARD MEETING 2026

Location: Terhune Orchards (330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton)
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026
Time: 11am-3pm

Schedule:
11 am-12 pm—Public Board Meeting (open to all)
12 pm-3 pm—Annual Picnic

***This year we are combining our RPCV Public Board Meeting with our Annual Picnic.

These events are open to all RPCVs and their families and friends.

This is our BIG Event - Please Do Not Miss It
The event is Rain or Shine (indoor event) and will be held at Terhune Orchards.

This is a potluck event, so we request that everyone please bring food and/or non-alcoholic beverages to share. All types of food are welcomed, including international dishes. Crock pots and warming trays can be plugged in (but grilling is not permitted.)
This is an opportunity to see friends and meet new people. There will also be plenty of time to explore Terhune Orchard’s country store, winery, “pick your own” opportunities and pet the animals.

RSVP to Doug at [email protected] no later than May 14.

04/10/2026

Pizza Luncheon in Denville, NJ

Our next pizza luncheon will be in a more northern location — Deville, New Jersey.

We will enjoy the delicious thin crust pizza (actual photo above) at Café Crevier (don’t let the French name fool you – the pizza is great.) Here are the details:

PLACE: Café Crevier

ADDRESS: 25 East Main Street, Denville, NJ, 07834

DATE: Saturday, April 25

TIME: 12 Noon

RSVP to Doug at [email protected] by April 22 at the latest, so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Special Notes: Based on the number of people in attendance, we will order an appropriate number of pies and non-alcoholic beverages, and then share the costs equally. Please bring CASH because it helps us settle the bill more easily.

04/01/2026

DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies — Review

DeLorenzo’s was established in 1938 in Trenton and has now moved to Robbinsville. It’s famous for its “tomato pies” which use smashed plum tomatoes as the sauce, resulting in a fresh, tangy pizza.

Unfortunately, they don’t open on the weekends until 4 PM, and we think this late hour most likely kept some of our members away, resulting in only 13 RPCV’s attending. But this small group devoured five large pies in less than 30 minutes—it was that GOOD! They ate them so fast that we were not able to get pictures of the group until after all the pizza had “vanished” from the table.

In the author’s opinion, this is one of the best pizzas that we have had so far on our pizza tour. DeLorenzo’s is extremely popular, so much so that a line formed outside the restaurant 30 minutes before the doors opened. There was a steady stream of patrons throughout the evening and a waiting line all night long.

If you want great pizza, this is the place to go. The place is very noisy (poor acoustics), but your taste buds will thank you.
Our next pizza luncheon will be near the end of April (exact place and date to be announced soon.) This time it will be in a northern area of New Jersey. Please join us.

03/05/2026

To RPCVs and our followers, we have a volunteer initiative through ENGin below. Its a great program for those looking to volunteer and making connections beyond.

Join ENGin as a Conversation Partner and Change a Life

Want to support Ukrainians today, but aren’t sure how? ENGin connects English speaking volunteers to Ukrainians for weekly online conversation practice and cultural exchange. This unique program allows you to connect directly to someone, support their English development, and form a lasting friendship.

They are always welcoming new volunteers, and would love to see you join their program!

How Does It Work?
Sign up at www.enginprogram.org/volunteer
Complete onboarding process, including 1 hour of video trainings
Commit to 1 hour per week for a minimum of 3 months with your match (flexible schedule)
Open to volunteers ages 13-80+ worldwide, no prior experience with ESL learners or Ukrainian language necessary

Learn more about ENGin on our website, by watching their informational video, or by reaching out to their team at [email protected].

03/02/2026

RPCV-NJ Pizza Luncheon
PLACE: DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies

ADDRESS: 2350 NJ Route 33, Robbinsville, NJ, 08691

DATE: Saturday, March 21

TIME: 4 PM (This pizzeria does not open until 4PM on weekends)

Please join us as we continue our pizza tasting journey. This time we are eating at the famous DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies where we will enjoy their Trenton-style tomato pie pizzas. DeLorenzo’s has been around since 1947. Since they don’t open until 4 PM, please eat a light lunch so you can arrive at the restaurant hungry.

Sunset on March 21 will be at 7:14, so you should be able to attend this event and (most likely) still be home before dark.

RSVP to Doug at [email protected] by March 18th at the latest so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Special Notes: Based on the number of people in attendance, we will order an appropriate number of pies and non-alcoholic beverages, and then share the costs equally. Please bring CASH because it helps us settle the bill more easily.

02/09/2026

Happy Hour Review

Pablo Gallo, Peace Corps Recruiter for Rutgers, was (once again) the gracious host at this Happy Hour event held at Destination Dogs Restaurant in New Brunswick.

A very casual atmosphere provided the ambiance which allowed people to freely share their Peace Corps experiences with each other. People brought pictures (actual photographs or photographic downloads on their phones) and were eagerly showing them to others. The two best photos that I saw were a snake charmer with his cobra that was taken by Larry in India in the 1960’s and a photo of Allison with her host family in Papua New Guinea in the 1990’s—really fascinating glimpses of a world that only PCVs and a few others ever get to see and intimately experience.

Now to the food — Peace Corps Rutgers provided all the appetizers, and as you can see from the photo below, they were varied, plentiful and delicious. Nobody went home hungry.

Be sure to join us at our next social event. It will be a pizza luncheon at the famous DeLorenzo’s Pizzeria in Robbinsville (near Trenton) in March. The exact date has not yet been set, so keep an eye on your emails later this month for the details of the event.

01/20/2026

Join Zack Klim, Executive Director of the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience for an interactive session exploring how museums can preserve the legacy of service and promote peacebuilding through cultural storytelling. Zack will share the vision behind the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience, recent and upcoming exhibitions, and lessons learned in developing a museum for a general audience. Participants will be invited to ask questions and reflect on possible objects/story contributions to our shared national legacy.

Location: Zoom
Date: February 4th 2026
Time: 7pm - 8pm

Register With Doug Here:
[email protected]

01/07/2026

Tribute to Gary Mount (RPCV-NJ)

Many of you have attended our RPCV-NJ Annual Picnics each Spring at Terhune Orchards in Princeton. Terhune Orchards has been the perfect venue for these events for many years because the owners, Gary and Pam Mount, RPCVs themselves, have always made sure that the facility was fully prepared for us. They were on hand for any last-minute arrangements that we might have had, and they always attended the event and enjoyed the meal with everyone.

It is with heavy sadness I share with you Gary Mount’s passing on December 29, 2025. He was a very friendly, helpful and interesting man who will be missed by all who knew him. RPCV-NJ extends our condolences to his wife Pam, his daughters Reuwai and Tannwen and his extended family. Below is a link to his obituary and information about his memorial service on April 14, 2026.

https://www.matherhodge.com/obituaries/Gary-Bernard-Mount?obId=46833582

01/05/2026

Happy Hour Get-Together
A Joint Venture by
Rutgers and RPCV-NJ

Place: Destination Dogs Restaurant

Address: 101 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Time: 1-4 PM

Parking: Street parking and at 124 Paterson Street

Appetizers: Provided by Rutgers

Beverages: Purchased on your own

RSVP: To Pablo at [email protected] by January 28.

Kick back and enjoy the company of other RPCVs as we reminisce about our Peace Corps experiences and share current undertakings. This Happy Hour event is an informal and fun way to “stay engaged” in our RPCV community.

12/19/2025

Holiday Party Review 2025

We had a very pleasant gathering at our 2025 RPCV-NJ Holiday Party at the Reformed Church in Highland Park. Twenty-seven people attended the event (most are shown in the group photo above). As you can see from the photo, we had RPCVs from every decade since the inception of the Peace Corps. This cross pollination of experiences always makes for very interesting conversations.

This potluck event was one of the best displays of exotic, international and American foods that we have had. Many of the dishes were recipes from the countries in which people served, and it was rounded off with American favorites. There were dishes from Africa, South America, the Near East, etc. Everyone truly enjoyed the delicious variety of foods from which they had to choose, and we, once again, would like to thank everyone for their contributions.

In the photo below, Molly Levine (RPCV-NJ President), thanked everyone for their attendance and food contributions, and provided a brief update of our events. She also introduced Pablo Gallo (Rutgers’ Peace Corps Recruiter), who explained his job and reminded everyone that his next Happy Hour event will be near the end of January (exact date to be announced shortly).

Our upcoming events include Pablo’s Happy Hour, RPCV-NJ Book Club Zoom, Intro to the Peace Corps Museum Zoom, and Pizza Luncheon. They will take place in January, February and March. Keep an eye on your emails for the details and dates of each event.

The Board of Directors of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of New Jersey wish you a very happy Holiday Season and a Happy New Year (2026). Stay safe and enjoy your family and friends.

12/15/2025

RPCV-NJ BOOK CLUB
BOOK CLUB ZOOM DATE

Thursday, February 26, 2026
At 7:00 PM

Book - Recollections of Our Peace Corps Service 1963-1965

Authors - Guatemala III’s RPCVs

Publisher - Peace Corps Writers

ISBN: 9781935925132

Note- Pat Smits, a member of our group, and her husband Dave, have entries in this book. Dave was also the editor of the book.

Brief (Paraphrased) Review by Leita Kaldi Davis (Senegal 1993-1996):
Recollections of Our Peace Corps Service 1963-1965 is a unique compilation of stories and essays written by an entire group of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, “Guatemala III”, a “mixed bag” of Americans from a variety of religions and nationalities. The book is divided into three sections: (1) Roads to the Peace Corps and the Training Experience; (2) Service in Guatemala; (3) Thereafter.

AFTER you have finished reading the book, please contact Doug at [email protected] and we will email the ZOOM LINK to you a few days prior to the event. Please do this by February 23 at the latest.

HAPPY READING!

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of New Jersey

04/28/2026

04/24/2026

04/10/2026

04/01/2026

03/05/2026

03/02/2026

02/09/2026

01/20/2026

01/07/2026

01/05/2026

12/19/2025

12/15/2025

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