Faces of New Bedford

Meet Manny Hernandez, the 29-year-old executive chef, and part-owner of Barrels & Boards in Raynham, MA. Manny was born in Puerto Rico and grew up as a child there until the age of eleven. His mother unfortunately had come down with a health condition and her best outlook had her …

Meet Taylor DeLoach, principal of the Frederick Douglass Campus of the Alma del Mar charter schools in New Bedford. Taylor grew up in Maryland before moving to Middletown, Connecticut, where she studied at Wesleyan University. She continued her education at the Charles Sposato Graduate School of Education in Jamaica Plain, …

Meet Clyde, the peace-sign waving local that anyone from New Bedford can recognize. A known staple to the city’s north end, Clyde is always greeting cars and foot traffic as they pass by the corner of Acushnet and Coffin Avenues. In a brief conversation with Clyde you can tell that …

Meet Adam Katz, the 44-year-old owner of Mass Axes and downtown New Bedford’s newest spot Play Arcade. Adam graduated high school from Fairhaven High in 1993 then earned a degree at Umass Dartmouth for Fine Art Sculptures before taking off for Los Angels, California, where he became a stunt man …

Meet Joaquin Santos, a musician, professional drummer, and music educator. Joaquin, born into a musical family, was destined to be a drummer picking up the sticks as early as three years old. He spent his childhood learning how to play drums from his father, extended family, and several other musicians …

Meet 58-year-old lawyer and musician from New Bedford, Rick Bennett. Rick was born in Dorchester, MA, and furthered his education at North Eastern University, followed by Suffolk University Law School. While a lawyer by day, his passion for music has persisted throughout his entire life. His story in New Bedford …

Meet 59-year-old entertainer and singer from New Bedford, Chops Turner. From his earliest memory Chops was surrounded by music. He would attend church with his grandmother who always sang during the service, and spent time in his grandparent’s home where he was introduced to great artists such as BB King, …

Meet 8-month-old black labrador retriever Kona, a service K9 trained in detecting biological weapons, chemical weapons, and pharmaceutical-based agents. Travis Rebello, a New Bedford Fire Fighter and member of the Massachusetts Hazardous Materials Response Division heard about a dog the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department had on their team and …

Meet Robyn Miranda, 36-year-old artist and owner of Salty Lips Studio in New Bedford. Robyn graduated from Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech in 2001 specializing in Architectural Drafting. She attended Boston Architectural College where the rigid structure left her wanting to explore other creative outlets so she decided to take up …

Meet Ernest & Lillian L’Abbe, life long New Bedford residents who have been married for 70 years. Ernest L’Abbe, born in 1927 and Lillian (Souza) born in 1926 were brought into this world in New Bedford during the great depression when the landscape of the city was much different than …