Tucked away at the very end of a street known as University Blvd., where many off-campus college students reside, is a quaint little winery that often goes overlooked by the students attending the campus that is merely four minutes away. Owned and operated by long-time Glassboro residents, this winery is a good stop for a fruity glass of wine during the weekend. Summit City Winery located on University Blvd. in Glassboro, N.J. is a true hidden gem located so close to campus, filled with history.
On the first and third Friday of every month, they host their bi-monthly wine and live music night, featuring the cover band Acoustic Soul. Despite a low attendance due to the cold rainy weather on their first Friday in December, band members Joanne Clendining, Rich Spence, and Bud Manton rocked the house, playing songs by artists ranging from The Beatles to Miley Cyrus.
In the rustic building lined with historical moments depicting the long history of Glassboro, cheese, and cocktail shrimp platters were laid out for guests, glasses of wine adorned every table, and smiles spread across every face in the room as they watched the band perform. Some of the couples made their way to the front of the room to dance with each other alongside the owners, bringing a comfortable and homey atmosphere to the winery.
“The people who run this place are very gracious and very giving, and they have a nice little place here that has been established for many years. They have a great family reputation here. Also, the owner Lew is a doctor too, he’s a farmer and a doctor, that is quite a combination,” said Rich Spence, Acoustic Soul’s singer, and bassist. “I have been playing here for a couple [of] years with Joanne and I’ve gotten to know them very well and they’re really good people so that’s why I like playing here.”
Despite being so close to what is now an ever-evolving college town, these events typically bring in an older crowd composed of longtime Glassboro residents and friends and family of owner Dr. Lewis John DeEugenio Jr. and his wife of 51 years, Leila DeEugenio. With the occasional groups of college students who find their way over to the winery.
While the winery has only been open since 2014, the farm itself has been running since 1922. Many students likely don’t even know that the campus they walk every day was once peach tree farms. The business was started by DeEugenio Jr.’s grandparents, Gaetano DeEugenio and wife, Pasqueta who immigrated to the United States from Italy and started the farm with a mere 7.5 acres of land. It was later taken over by DeEugenio Jr.’s father, Lewis Sr., and two uncles, Anthony and Joseph. It has since expanded to 500 acres.
“I really wanted to be a farmer, but they kicked me off the farm when I graduated high school because there wasn’t room for me. So I actually went to college and got a degree in mechanical engineering. Then I went to medical school. Then I went into practice. I was in Pitman for 33 years and I came back and bought the farm,” said DeEugenio Jr. “The fun begins when you open a winery or some sort of a social venue. Farming is a challenging business. The winery, it’s kind of a feel-good occupation.”
After taking over the farm from his family, DeEugenio Jr. and his wife made some innovative changes, creating Eastern Propak, an establishment about a half mile from University Blvd. located on Ellis Mills Rd., where they would begin packaging the fruit harvested at the farm. This is how Summit City Farms, formerly known as the DeEugenio’s Packing House, became Summit City Winery.
“This used to be where we packed our fruit in the summer, I spent my childhood in this building. Along with all my high school classmates, my wife and I were in the same class. So everybody fondly remembers working at the DeEugenio’s packing house. But anyway, we built that plant and we bring all our food over there now. So this became redundant space which is how we renovated it and opened this winery,” said DeEugenio Jr.
The farm has been a pivotal part of the DeEugenio family’s lives, as well as their friends. A guest at the event, Gerri Howey, who has worked with Dr. Lewis DeEugenio Jr. for close to forty years, reminisced about the importance of this family in her life.
“Even way, way back when my two kids were young, who are now 49 and 51, his father who lived down the street would take my kids out to pick apples or peaches. Whatever the season was,” said Howey.
Aside from the large family aspect behind the farm and the winery, they are also dog-friendly. While many of their products are fruited wines including Oaked Nectarine to Plum, their most popular is the Mountain Dog Red, which features a picture of the owner’s dog, Mitus on the label. Ironically, Mitus is short for “Might as well be sober,” Leila DeEugenio’s joke about running a winery with her husband when she doesn’t drink alcohol.
“I have three Bernese Mountain dogs. And what I do is about halfway through the night I’ll let them come. They’re in an invisible fence so they can’t get over. Unless I take off their collars and then they know. And they go through the crowd, and they just visit with everyone, they’re very friendly,” said Leila DeEugneio.
This small winery located just one mile from Rowan University’s campus features events almost every Friday and Saturday each month, ranging from karaoke, country music with line dancing, oldies, and acoustic nights to yoga events and pony parties. They also host small private parties such as reunions or business meetings and have even done a few weddings. On the first and third Sundays of every month, they recently started a “Strength and Wellness” event where participants will work with a physical trainer and enjoy a glass of wine after. To find dates of events or to schedule a party go to their website, summitcityfarms.com.
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