'Housewives' Build Brands, Prepare for Napa Valley

This week’s episode of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” featured the families expanding their respective empires, as well as preparing for next week’s trip to Napa Valley, which may not go down as smoothly as the wine they’re sure to be drinking.

Every housewife in the “Real Housewives” franchise seems to use the show to launch their own businesses, and New Jersey is no exception. This week, Caroline Manzo and daughter, Lauren, searched for the perfect place to open Cafface, a “Sephora with services,” as Lauren put it.

“It’s important for me to get this store up and running because that will improve her morale,” Caroline Manzo, who feels her daughter’s struggles with weight have affected her greatly, said.

They enlisted the help of Manzo’s sister-in-law Jacqueline Laurita, a licensed cosmetologist, who arranges a meeting with makeup line owners. Despite Laurita’s hyper attitude and jokes about vajazzling, the meeting seemed to be a positive one.

Meanwhile, Melissa Gorga’s music career had reached a major turning point after. Her producer, Corte Ellis, came to her Montville home and talked to her and husband Joe about possibly shopping for labels, but Joe insisted that they stay independent.

“A record label doesn’t need to own Melissa. I own Melissa,” he said.

Nevertheless, he approved of the “porn star look” that she donned for the label’s cover shoot because, “ I love that they want my wife and they can’t have her.”

Ellis conceded that staying independent can help cause a “bidding war” when it comes time to sign with one and said he has reached out to contacts, who believe Gorga is a talented singer.

Gorga’s sister-in-law, Teresa Giudice, a Towaco resident, has been on her way to building an empire since season one of the show, efforts she doubled when her after the first season. This week, Giudice visited a winery to do tastings for her It was an important business meeting for her, but husband Joe’s (presumed) drunken ramblings seemed to derail it.

“These people are looking at me like ‘shut your husband up,’” she said.

Later, she attended a book signing at a bakery.

“My fan base has gotten so big that my book signings have turned into classy affairs,” she said. “That says a lot about what I have accomplished as an author.”

As a tribute to their on-the-mend relationship, Giudice’s cousin, Kathy Wakile, and husband, Rich, showed up to the signing, cutting the very long line and asking Giudice to sign their book.

“We are family, and I want to make sure that she knows that I will be there for her,” Wakile said

As they flipped through the book, Wakile made a few subtle comments about the recipes belonging to her mother.

"That was a cheap, passive-aggressive shot,” Giudice said.

Later in the episode, Wakile worked on expanding her own brand by holding a dessert tasting at Gelatti’s in Paterson.

“I think that the best way to get people involved is to have them tell you what they really think,” she said, handing out rating cards to the guests.

Teresa attended the gathering with her friend, Linda.

“Teresa likes Linda because Linda speaks up on her behalf a lot,” Giudice’s estranged friend, Laurita, said. “She’d rather have soldiers than friends.”

Read more Montville Patch coverage of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" here.

Wakile made contact with Giacomo Berretta, of Bindi Desserts, who told her to call him when the group returns from Napa Valley. The Wakiles, Gorgas, Giudices, Lauritas and Manzos planned on taking an RV trip across the country.  But with the tension between all of the wives (or four wives vs. Giudice), Chris Laurita, who organized the trip as part-vacation-part-business-meeting, called a meeting between the husbands.

Rich Wakile, Joe Gorga, Joe Giudice, and Joe Laurita all attended, but Albert Manzo refused to attend, saying no one could get through to Joe Giudice. Laurita’s point seemed to be that if all of the husbands talk to their wives, they could prevent any unpleasantness.

“If you read a magazine and you believe a magazine than you’re a fool like the magazine,” Joe Giudice said, referring to the initial cause of the argument between Jacqueline Laurita and his wife.

While the men spoke, the women reflected on their feelings about the upcoming trip.

“I don’t want to go with Teresa,” Manzo said. “I’m going to try to make the best of it, but it’s going to ruin it for me.”

Melissa Gorga disagreed.

“Call me a sucker, but I think we’re good,” she said. “As long as his sister and I are getting along, my husband’s happy. So I don’t think there’s going to be any issues between the men.”

This may have been less than true, however. Back at the Laurita house, Joe Giudice and Joe Gorga began to argue, although it was very unclear what about, even to those who were in the room. Giudice alleged that Gorga did not return some tools that he lent him many years ago.

“So you hate me because of that?” Gorga asked.

“I don’t hate you because of that,” Giudice said, not making it clear whether he hates him for another reason.

Regardless, it is clear the brothers-in-law should not be sharing an RV for a week, but that is exactly what they planned on doing.

“I’m disappointed with Joe and Teresa because I thought they were good people, but they knocked everyone down,” Chris Laurita said.

The castmates will head to Napa Valley on next week's episode. The show airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on Bravo.