At The Table With Anne DeMutis Cummins
No matter how far Anne DeMutis Cummins travels or where ever she lived, she calls Phoenixville home.
She graduated from Bucknell University with a degree in international relations and French. Then in 1999, she moved to Washington, D.C.
In Washington, she worked with The Advisory Board Co. That is where Anne met Matt Cummins. In about 2002, she returned to Phoenixville. At that time, she went to graduate school (200406) at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
It was in 2006 when Matt moved to Phoenixville. They were married in Zion Lutheran Church. The couple has stayed in Phoeniville, as Anne believes it is the best place for their children to grow. Cole is 9, and Zander is 7 years old.
Every day, Anne drives to Camden, N.J., (round trip approximately two hours) to her job as a developer for Liberty Property Trust in the development is called The Camden Waterfront. It is a mixed-use urban waterfront neighborhood. The master plan includes five office building totaling up to 1.2 million square feet of space, 176 residential units, the 180-room Hilton Garden Inn and a waterfront pier park. The American Water headquarters building will be completed this fall. 11 Cooper, a residential development, will open in the spring. A 385,000-square-foot office building housing the headquarters for three companies (The Michael’s Organization, NFI and Conner Strong and Buckelew) will open in the spring. The Hilton Garden Inn will break ground in the spring.
Ann is the youngest child of Emanuel and Betsy DeMutis. She has an older sister, Dodi, and big brother, Manny. This family is the core of local entrepreneurs and town developers called The DeMutis Group.
About six years ago, Matt changed careers — from the corporate world to a fifth-grade teacher. He is a born teacher and teaches at Manavon Elementary School.
On the home front, they live within walking distance of the town and the activities available. There is a family cat — no dog much to the disappointment to the youngest Zander. He really wants a dog. When I asked him, “What kind of dog?”, the answer was, “Any kind that moves.”
Matt and brother-in-law Manny play in a band called The Walkabouts. They have just come out with an album called “Spirit Animals.” Anne was in the band but dropped out due to her schedule.
The family members are sports fans, especially football.
To be close to the family — especially her grandsons — Matt’s mom, Fran, has moved to Phoenixville. This makes for more great times.
As Matt usually gets home before Anne, he does much of the cooking for dinner. But, Anne also likes to cook, so they really share the kitchen.
At this time of year with zucchini in abundant supply, the Cummins kitchen would like to share this recipe with you.
Zucchini Fritters
Vegetable oil
2 medium zucchinis, washed and trimmed
3 large eggs
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley Grated zest of 1 lemon
cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt and more for seasoning
Lemon wedges for serving Grate the zucchini on the medium holes of a box grater (you could use a food processor for a medium grate) onto a kitchen towel. Tightly wrap zucchini in the towel, and wring out as much liquid as possible. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the zucchini, braking any lumps with a fork. Stir in the parsley and lemon zest. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix.
In a straight-sided skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 360 degrees. Brush a soup spoon with vegetable oil, and with it, drop dollops of batter into the hot oil. Pat the fritter lightly with the back of a spatula to flatten slightly. Fry (turning once) until golden brown on both sides and cooked through (about 2 minutes per side). Fry them in batches. The fritters are cooked when a fork inserted into the center comes out clean. Drain fritters on paper towels, and season lightly with salt. Serve right away with lemon wedges.
Enjoy!