The stranger goes on to explain that she's approaching Manzo on behalf of a friend, inside Starbucks, who's a top salesperson for Lia Sophia jewelry and would like to donate merchandise for a Ladybug fundraiser.
I'll be right in," Manzo tells the woman with a smile.
Manzo, who became famous as one of the original cast members of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" — and all but confirmed last week that she'll be returning to the Bravo series next season — is also well known for her Project Ladybug, the non-profit she founded in 2007 to financially and emotionally help children with life-threatening diseases, and their families. Ladybug launched its first initiative at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Paterson and has since expanded to Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York City, and Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital.
The Franklin Lakes resident has, in fact, agreed to this interview — which she realizes will inevitably touch on topics like her return to "RHONJ," her friendship with the beleaguered Teresa Giudice and her estrangement from sister Caroline Manzo — in order to publicize Project Ladybug's big Nov. 11 fundraiser, "Goddess Night Out."
"It's our sixth annual Ladies Night Out," says Manzo, explaining this year's name. "I've grown a lot spiritually in the past four or five years, and what I have learned has helped me. I want to share that with as many people. … So, instead of making it just Ladies Night Out, and a great fun party, I'm making it Goddess Night Out. And it's all about inspiring women to embrace the goddess within and being beautiful inside and out."
That means everything from offering hands-on healers and color therapy to eyelash extensions and "great looking things" to shop for, so, "if you're not really into or ready to dive into spirituality too much, there's a lot of mainstream things also that you can get into," Manzo says. "And of course, the Housewives will be there."
A change of venue
Well, at least two housewives: Giudice, who has also donated signed cookbooks, and Kathy Wakile, who will be mingling with fans for the cause.
Of course, there will also be "fabulous raffle prizes" and an elaborate tricky tray (with goodies that include $1,000 worth of Lia Sophia jewelry, in a basket, donated by the woman from Starbucks).
This year's event will be at The Venetian in Garfield, which was also where the "RHONJ" fifth-season reunion was shot. But don't read anything into the fact that the Ladybug event is not being held at Paterson's The Brownstone, which is co-owned by Tommy Manzo, from whom Dina announced in February that she had separated.
"It's for no other reason other than The Brownstone did not have a date for me. I'm not leaving The Brownstone for any other reason," says Dina.
Asked if she and Tommy have gotten divorced, Manzo says, "We still live together. I announced my separation a year ago, but Tommy and I have a very special love for each other that will never go away. So, we live in the same house. We love each other. We respect each other. And that's the way it's gonna stay whether we get divorced or whether we stay together. I think it's a really nice place to be with each other.
"We're just seeing how things go right now. But there's always love and respect between us."
The youngest of 11 siblings, Dina Manzo, 41, met Tommy Manzo when she was 9 years old and sister Caroline was dating her future husband, Al Manzo, Tommy's brother. The two sisters have been estranged for several years, and neither woman has revealed why.
