‘A lot of racers start as early as age 5, so I still feel like I’m catching up to them.’

Justin Dittrich, West Babylon

“My family was into kart racing before I was even born. My older half-brother raced at Riverhead Raceway. He’s 17 years older than me, and I grew up watching him as a toddler. My mom and sister also dabbled in kart racing; there’s even a photo of me at age 1 sleeping in my mom’s go-kart. I had an early start, but there was a point as an early teen [when] my interest in racing had faded. Eventually it came back to me through video games and online socializing, and then it was at a racing club event I attended with my brother when I was 16 that got me back behind the wheel and to the track. I had tagged along, and when I got there, there was a need for people to work on the track. I spent the whole day working, and then when they asked me to come back for the next event, I was like, ‘Sure.’

“By the end of that year, I had started to travel as a track worker, working and officiating at regional championships across the Northeast. As for driving, I didn’t get back behind the wheel full time until I was 20; that was because I met great people at the track who watched me and saw my potential. One who definitely made me the caliber of racer I am today is Pete Miletto, a former professional wrestler and successful businessman who helped fund my racing, which I couldn’t have afforded to do on my own back then. He just said, ‘Don’t worry, I got it.’ He took a chance on me, just based on my work ethic at the track, and fully funded me for three years.

“A lot of racers start as early as age 5, so I still feel like I’m catching up to them, like when I’m racing against high schoolers who have already learned skills I’ve yet to pick up on. But as another mentor of mine says, we’re always the master of our own destinies, even on the racetrack, that ‘you’re holding the wheel, you’ve got to steer it.’ That mentor, Tim Hannen, helped guide me, teach me values related to sportsmanship and helped me learn what to look for while officiating. He also helped me stay in the driver’s seat and to see how that strengthens my officiating. One thing helps the other; when I’m driving, it helps me guess what the judges are looking at while I’m driving, and even what I can get away with.”

I want to enjoy the journey as much as I can, and so far I’ve enjoyed every mile of it.

“Back in 2021, I came up with a new goal, to race in all 50 states. I was at a point where I just really wanted to figure out what to do with my life, and to give myself something to work toward. I had been finding myself officiating more and driving less, and I wanted, quite literally, to find a way to keep myself in the driver’s seat. I also wanted to see new places, and a friend of mine was doing a 50-25 challenge, to see all 50 states before age 25. I was like, ‘That’s cool, I want to do something like that, but how can I also up that?’ I thought, ‘I love racing, so why don’t I just go and do what I already do?’ So far, I have raced in 28 states.

“The goal of racing all 50 is also about me keeping my ear as close to the ground as I can. Whether it’s learning what’s new about engines, strategies in racing, I hope it will also make me a better official as I can see other people’s antics while I drive, which I can then watch for when officiating or include when I’m driving. Also, tracks across the country mostly follow similar rules, but they might not be enforced the same way, and all officials may have different interpretations of the rules. Judgment calls may fall differently. This is part of it; there are different flavors in racing in different places. Doing this whole journey as much as I already have over several years, it’s helping me stick to the black and white while reducing the grey. This will hopefully make people feel confident in my officiating, with the advantage of being a driver. There’s a balance, and I’m seeking it. I still do track work, but I split my time now evenly with racing.

“I still live on Long Island, but Fridays through Sundays, I’m usually working at racetracks, officiating or helping in other ways, on-site at out-of-state events. At 5 p.m. on Fridays after working my office job, I head to Kennedy Airport, work events, and then I’m back by Sunday night. I don’t have a deadline in mind to finish my racing in all 50 states, as I don’t want to rush through it. I want to enjoy it. As much as it’s about going to all these tracks and honing my craft, I want to enjoy the journey as much as I can, and so far I’ve enjoyed every mile of it.”

Interviewed by Ian J. Stark

‘I’d like to think of myself as somewhat of an example of how hard work can make miracles happen.’

West Babylon

“After I graduated high school, I went right to work on the back of a garbage truck in Brooklyn. While working the overnights, the only things open were the coffee cafes in Bensonhurst. My dad was my boss, so I’d meet him for a single cup of espresso. It made the nights go faster.

“I knew that working for someone else, I could never reach my full potential. I wanted to be on my own. I knew Long Island needed a proper coffee cafe, so after about eight years of working in Brooklyn, I made a change and started working closer to home on Long Island for another garbage company while saving as much money as I possibly could.

Coffee is a ritual for people. It’s a part of our culture.

“In January 2019, I decided to follow my dreams and bring my love of coffee to Long Island. I opened a mobile espresso bar service for private parties such as weddings and corporate events.

“One year later in January 2020, I decided to take the business to the next level and open a brick-and-mortar cafe in the village of Lindenhurst. I found a place that I thought suitable in March of 2020, and I signed with my landlord on the day before the first COVID shutdown.

“With all odds against me, I fought like hell with pure hardheadedness and the will to not fail. I worked my job as a garbage man for 12 hours a day Monday to Friday. I would go home, take a shower, see my wife and newborn for about one hour and then go to the cafe and work another eight hours and then sleep for two to three hours.

“I did this for a year before I left my day job. Now the espresso bar has really taken off and the shop is getting closer to where it needs to be.

“Coffee is a ritual for people. It’s a part of our culture. I’ve been lucky enough to have the support of my wife, mother and father this entire time.

“I’d like to think of myself as somewhat of an example of how hard work can make miracles happen.”

Interviewed by Maggie Melito

‘My first time onstage was in front of 220 people. It was an instant high when I got my first laugh. I’ve been hooked ever since!’

West Babylon

“Being a chef and a stand-up comedian are similar because both food and jokes make people happy, and if you don’t deliver, the people will let you know it!

“I started out as a dishwasher when I was 15 and worked my way up to chef. For 18 years, I’ve been the chef at The Regency Assisted Living facility in Glen Cove. I like being a chef because I get to eat all day! I make cooking videos and give demonstrations. In June, I will be on the Food Network competing in ‘Supermarket Stakeout.’

“I got into stand-up comedy back in 2014. I thought it would help me with my public speaking, help me with my cooking videos. My first time onstage was in front of 220 people. It was an instant high when I got my first laugh. I’ve been hooked ever since!

In the kitchen and onstage, I’ve been very lucky!

“I’ve performed all over, including the Friars Club. I play Ralph Kramden in a ‘Honeymooners’ show every year. I’ve been on ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ four times. They liked my hyena laugh so much they bought it and used it with other videos.

“Movies? I was a mobster in ‘Me Familia 2’ and an extra in ‘Analyze That’ with Billy Crystal. But here’s my favorite story: I took a ride with my friend to Tribeca, where Robert De Niro’s office is. He heard that they were casting for the movie, ‘A Bronx Tale,’ which was De Niro’s directorial debut. So we get there, and my friend goes in, and they say casting is over. My friend says he’s not leaving, he’s waiting for De Niro.

“We wait an hour, my friend spots De Niro, asks him for a role. De Niro smiles, and then he spots me. He starts pointing at me. Suddenly, I say to him, in lines from ‘Taxi Driver’: ‘You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You must be talkin’ to me because there ain’t nobody else around!’ He says, ‘You! Come to my office for an interview!’

“At the interview, I’m nervous like Ralph Kramden, and he says to me, ‘What’s the matter? You in shock?’ I said, ‘Yes, I’m in my favorite actor’s office for an interview,’ and he laughed. We talked a bit and he said, ‘You’re hired!’ De Niro, a great guy!

“In the kitchen and onstage, I’ve been very lucky!”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘It didn’t really hit us until we came home from the hospital with no car seat and with no baby.’

West Babylon

“I delivered my stillborn, beautiful baby girl, my first daughter, Diana Hope, on June 13, 2017, at 8:10 p.m. She was 4 pounds, 1 ounce, 18 inches long. She had dark hair and eyes, just like her dad. I woke up on that Tuesday morning and realized I hadn’t felt the baby move. I went to the doctor and heard those words no one should hear: ‘There is no heartbeat.’

“I was induced and had to go through eight hours of labor. It didn’t hit us until we came home from the hospital with no car seat and with no baby. Up until then, I had a textbook pregnancy. I had no risk factors. Stillbirth is not mentioned typically to patients. I knew it happened, but I just didn’t know how much. Stillbirth affects about 1 in 160 births and each year, about 24,000 babies are stillborn in the United States.

“When it happened to me, I needed to speak about it, share Diana’s story and speak her name. I wanted to keep her memory alive. I learned about the Star Legacy Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing pregnancy loss and neonatal death and improving care for families who experience such tragedies. I’ve been working with them to educate people about the warning signs and preventive measures for stillbirth. It’s a common myth that at the end of pregnancy, your baby’s movement slows down because they don’t have much room to move around. That’s not true. Actually, that is one of the warning signs of stillbirth, and it did happen to me. You have to pay attention to the baby’s movements and the pattern; that’s the most important thing. Sudden rapid movement is another sign.

“Since last year, I’ve been the New York metro chair for the Star Legacy Foundation. I enjoy speaking to others and hearing their stories about their babies. After I had Diana, I posted about it on Facebook, and I can’t tell you how many people messaged me and said either it happened to them or someone in their family or a good friend. They didn’t want to speak about it or they felt embarrassed.

I want people to know that you should take care of your maternal health. Ask questions, research.

“One of the projects that Star Legacy is working on is trying to reduce the stillbirth rate. They did it in Sweden, and we’re trying to mimic what they did. Another project is the Pregnancy Research Project, a study bringing together patients and researchers to advance knowledge and discover preventions and treatments for poor pregnancy outcomes. While there’s no predictor of who will have a stillbirth, the reason I had one was because of placental insufficiency. A sonogram is the only way to tell how your placenta is functioning. We’re hoping to make more sonograms readily available to women.

“Another reason this still happens so frequently is that the placenta is the most understudied organ of the human body. I have two other girls now, ages 2 and 3, and while I was frightened it would happen again when I was pregnant, I believed Diana wouldn’t let this happen again to me, even though I knew it was a possibility. I was confident in my doctors and felt very taken care of. I saw not only my OB, but also a maternal-fetal medicine doctor every two weeks, then every week later in pregnancy.

“After much testing after Diana, I learned I had a certain gene mutation which may have caused what happened to me. Lovenox, an anticoagulant, and baby aspirin helped with that in subsequent pregnancies. The problem is you are not tested for these mutations unless you’ve had a late-term stillbirth or three miscarriages or more. What got me through was to speak about my daughter and share her story. It was very important to me to have the people around me say her name and acknowledge she was a real person.

“I want people to know that you should take care of your maternal health. Ask questions, research. Another thing that I do is go into hospitals and educate nurses and other hospital staff about stillbirth. Most staff don’t even know what they actually can do, and I want to make a better experience for future-loss families. I want people to know that this is still a possibility in 2021. I want to honor Diana, and I want to honor your baby, too.”

‘It started during quarantine, I was at a point where I really wanted a job but my parents were afraid of me going to work and possibly getting COVID and bringing it home.’

West Babylon

“I like to say that cooking is the love language of our family. My parents, especially my dad, loves cooking. He has the ability to know through taste anything that’s in a dish. My mom likes to bake more casually. I grew up wanting to help them stir the pot and put the seasonings in. It grew more to that I wanted to take a bigger part in cooking with my family. That’s usually our way to bond. On Saturday, we’ll cook all day and enjoy a nice meal at the end of the day.

“My grandmother was a big contributor to my love of cooking. She was Jamaican, she made a lot of curry chicken, oxtail, and she loved sweets. When I think of her, I think of, not just her cooking but the food we would share. She wasn’t in my life long, it must have been second or third grade when she passed. One of my last memories is I made her cut me a mango and we read a book together. That’s one of my fondest memories, me reading and eating with her. She had no energy but for those moments she had enough to make something small with me and entertain my wishes. When I bake, I think of my grandmother and I feel like she’s with me. I think if she was still here, she would be cooking with me.

Being a student who tries to do her best constantly and tries to be perfect, it’s a humbling experience when I’m cooking to know not everything you make will be perfect.

“I never thought I’d attempt a baking business, I’ve always been so focused on school and my grades. It started during quarantine, I was at a point where I really wanted a job but my parents were afraid of me going to work and possibly getting COVID and bringing it home. I started practicing more of my baking to hone my skills. I started selling to friends and family and it grew. The community has been supporting my business and I’m so appreciative.

“I’m most known for my chocolate chip cookies and my banana bread and brownies. Just simple things I like to make because I feel like it would be really homey and sometimes you just need a warm home-baked cookie. Being a student who tries to do her best constantly and tries to be perfect, it’s a humbling experience when I’m cooking to know not everything you make will be perfect. And it’s okay. It’s okay because when you try again, it’ll come out better.”