JOSE TRUJILLO

ELENA TARANINA

’ PUBLISHER’S NOTE Welcome to the March issue of 25A. Spring is in the air and New York City is starting to bloom again with flowers and hope. We are excited to share Spring Fashion and the latest in fine dining and the arts. Our cover spotlight is Opera Singer, designer and philanthropist David Santiago. David Santiago is an award winning designer and owner of Casa Santi Interior Design (www.CasaSanti.com) established in 2011. He caters to clients who seek the unique, creative details that elevate a project blending his traditional sensibility with the unexpected, known as his signature and trademark “Santified”. His Strictly Santi brand was created as an umbrella brand in 2018 and since then, David launched several products; a lighting collection with American Brass & Crystal Lighting and a wallpaper collection entitled The Passport Collection, catering to hospitality and residential markets with Bijou wallcoverings. David is known as the “Prince of Wallpaper” highlighting his ability to master the art of wallpaper application on every project. David is acknowledged by the High Point Market Authority as an influencer. He is the 2021 President of the NY Chapter of the International Furniture and Design Association (IFDANY), an active contributing member of the Interior Design Society (IDS), International Society of Furniture Design, and Accessory Resource Team. He also serves on charity committees for The Bailey House, Kids Need More, Hope Lodge and My Face. Currently, David continues to grow as a brand ambassador and give back through the media platforms as a design and lifestyle correspondent for “The Donna Drake Show” on CBS NY and guest designer on the NBC hit television series “George To The Rescue”. We are honored to feature David on our cover. PUBLISHER’S NOTE “You set a goal to be the best and then you work hard every hour of every day, striving to reach that goal.” - Don Shula Greetings and welcome to our inaugural issue of Metropolitan Palm Beach. A magazine that’s been many years in the making. I’m Chase Backer, the publisher of Metropolitan Palm Beach and as a native New Yorker and I’ve got to admit something. I really like it here in Palm Beach. The sunshine, beaches, restaurants, stores, boats, and cars but most of all, the people. The people of Palm Beach have a certain aura of contentment. There is a more relaxed feel here than say —in the Hamptons or Manhattan. But just as much action and excitement. Where else but Palm Beach can someone spend a morning at a boat show or polo match or an afternoon with the recent President of the United States and dinner at a five-star restaurant? Florida is thriving. The Governor is working hard to help rebuild the economy and there is renewed hope for better days. Our cover star, Mara Martin is a Palm Beach resident who is not only beautiful and bright but also a staunch advocate for mother’s rights. We are so honored to bring you her story and those of some other local insiders and personalities who are fascinating in their own right. People here in Palm Beach might seem more relaxed but still waters run deep. Here you will find the best of the best. Bill Gates to Tiger Woods and beyond. Some of the smartest, most successful and self-actualized individuals on the planet. Here you will find thought leaders, business titans, captains of industry, all hanging out at the pool, the tennis court, golf course, or in shiny automobiles cruising along Worth Avenue. Palm Beach, Jupiter, Wellington, and the surrounding areas and residents inspire me and our hard-working staff to tell their stories, explore, make new friends and do what we do best—arguably better than any other luxury magazine in the world, entertain, inform and delight. Our readers are what matter the most to us. We want your experience with our magazines to be worthwhile, enjoyable, unpredictable, thrilling, thought-provoking, and resonant. We want to tell the stories that you want to be told and the ones you aren’t expecting. Every month we’ll give you luxury and fashion, beauty and health, art and culture, travel and fine dining —and the types of profiles, features and cover stories that have made Metropolitan and 25A renowned in magazine circles globally as one of the most beautiful, trend-setting, elegant, edgy, inspirational coffee-table magazines in the world. We love our readers and we endeavor to be the best at what we do. Just like you. Take it from a New Yorker, it’s better in Palm Beach! We are so happy to have this opportunity to celebrate your special community while also providing national and global stories of interest. Stay safe, wear a mask, social distance and let’s all look after each other. We are all in this together —and together we will get through these challenging times! Thank you for letting us into your world and for joining us in ours. We are thrilled to make your acquaintance and welcome you to Metropolitan Palm Beach. 93 The Ultimate Moroccan Adventure 26 George Schulman Whitney Retrospective From A to B and Back Again 99 Carolyn Kerwick Melillo 100 Gallerist Wendy Fritz 102 Madame Paulette 105 A Sense of Place 109 Creative Culture ENTERTAINMENT 114 The European Group Travel Awards 118 Palm Beach Social Scene 119 LA Social Scene 120 NY Charity Scene PUBLISHER S NOTE Publisher Every day in Manhattan there is the haunting wail of the ambulance siren announcing another covid-19 patient being rushed by first responders to overworked NYC hospitals where brave healthcare workers risk their lives to try to save other New Yorkers. Right now humanity is engaged in an epic struggle to survive a merciless enemy. Right now there is fear of the unknown and fear of what we do know. But as the pressure mounts and the current reality forces the world to shelter-in there are still those among us who feel the pull to be brave for others. To provide hope. The heroes, the parents, the families, the workers—all of us are finding new ways to adapt and help carry the load, to check in on friends and neighbors and to engage in small acts of kindness to let everyone we come into contact with, while social distancing, know that somehow we will all get through this. This unique issue of Metropolitan Magazine focuses on some folks who are trying hard to make a difference like Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, an emergency and family doctor who offers tips to follow CDC Guidelines and stay safe during this unprecedented time. Cover girl Julie Mintz shares the soul of an artist who has turned her struggles with isolation into beautiful music while photographer Jill Lotenberg offers us a new perspective on New York City during our most difficult challenge. New Yorkers are staying inside these days but that doesn’t mean we are giving up. We know the rest of the country and the world are watching and rooting for us as we listen to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo provide regular updates from the battlefront. Every night at 7pm a noise can be heard from open windows in skyscrapers and apartment buildings across the island of Manhattan - wild cheers, pots being banged, whistles and cars honking... a cacophony of appreciation across our city to serenade our healthcare and first responder heroes battling in the trenches... telling them thank you for being brave and thank you for giving all of us hope for a better tomorrow. Stay safe and stay strong! “We become brave by doing brave acts.” - Aristotle T he terrible global Covid-19 pandemic has made us realize that solidarity is essential for our survival. This state of affairs is not limited to a country or a continent, and we are today living in a new global reality. Funds are desperately needed for those in communities who have been impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. These include friends, creatives in the art and design communities, medical workers and COVID-19 first responders and many more who day-in and day-out are fighting this global pandemic. V&C have joined forces for a joint storytelling initiative between VANCELETTE SIGNATURE® and CHÉRUBINE ® brands to raise both awareness and needed funds for those in communities who have V&C FORCE INITIATIVE CREATIVE SOLIDARITY BY GHISLAINE HORENBACH PUBLISHER S NOTE Chase Backer New York City has always been a city of heroes. It doesn’t take a pandemic or a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 to realize this is a city of heroes and fighters. Our fire department, our police, our doctors and nurses, our small business owners, and corporations even our cultural institutions will not be kept down no matter what the crisis. This city is not only the epicenter of the world it is the melting pot and great American experiment in action. A city where people from all corners of the globe have come together to live together, work together, speak freely, worship freely and say to the rest of the world-- it can be done. We must go on. As a city, as a country as a world. We must find our collective and individual strength to persevere during this global pandemic and to work together as a global community to combat and conquer Covid-19. At Metropolitan Magazine we are trying to do our part to inform and inspire during these difficult days. We will get through this together. Our cover star is Paul Teutul Sr. The popular patriarch of American Chopper. What a terrific guy! Check out our social media platform where Paul Sr. will share BTS video and the secrets to creating amazing motorcycles and discuss the challenges of being a good dad. Paul Sr.’s relationship with his sons has always been one of the most fascinating aspects of his TV show. In the worlds of beauty and luxury, Dorota Wallace is leading the way with new techniques and procedures to help her guests look amazing and enjoy the very best in post-operative care. From Venice, Italy to Argentina to Orange County, New York we have sought out artists, designers, media personalities, and everyday heroes sharing their efforts to cope with the pandemic and bring a smile to others. From the world of art, contributing editor extraordinaire Rachel Vancelette keeps us all up to date on trends in art and jewelry. Another artist in the spotlight is Robin Koffler with her amazing cityscapes of the greatest city in the world. Her painting of the Reservoir is simply sublime. Just like New York City in the fall. Enjoy! Be safe and watch out for each other. One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years. - Tom Wolfe Chase Backer ’ Love is the flower you’ve got to let grow - John Lennon been impacted by the horrific COVID-19 pandemic.Publisher, Metropolitan/25APublisher, Metropolitan/25, Metropolitan Palm Beach