Dolce Vita Magazine Toronto Winter 2012/13

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WINTER 2012/13 • Volume 16 • Issue 4 FALL 2012www.dolce.ca • Volume 16 • Issue 3 PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF www.dolce.ca

FORWARD

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa • michelle@dolce.ca MANAGING EDITOR

Madeline Stephenson • madeline@dolce.ca DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

It

was with pleasure that I accepted Michelle’s invitation to write the publisher’s letter for this winter edition of Dolce Vita Magazine.

Not only is this a very special issue, it also marks a very special time: our 16th year in publishing.

As I reflect upon the challenges that come with the industry, I can’t help but to feel a sense of pride. It stems from having assembled over the years a team of extremely talented and hardworking individuals who are just as passionate as my sister and I are about our publication and what it stands for. I am particularly excited about the uncharted path that lies ahead, and as we move forward into 2013, we remain grateful for the support and loyalty of our readers.

What will a new year bring us? I’m a believer in positive energy and what you wish for comes with time. Like many of the stories that we bring to you, we too look at obstacles as an opportunity to grow and evolve. The intense emotion of our cover woman, Amanda Lindhout, speaks volumes about human compassion.

What better time than now to have her share an incredible story of courage and thus ignite the power of forgiveness and philanthropy in all of us (see story on page 44).

I think we can all agree that our childhoods are the building blocks of our future. I became fascinated with great design when I saw the CN Tower for the first time at age four. Perhaps my admiration for beauty in a building is that it should stand the test of time and not just an era. Founding partner of KPMB Marianne McKenna is an exceptional architect, and I am ecstatic to have her in this issue (see story on page 40).

What I love most about being a publisher is my ability to meet great people and share the way they live the good life. Indulging in pizza and swapping stories at Alimento Fine Food Emporium on King West with celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito heightened my love for good food and great conversation.

There have also been individuals who have not only supported our publication by aligning their brands with ours, but have left lasting impressions on me via their commendable drive to make a difference. Jim Williams, long-time participant and sponsor of the successful Rally for SickKids with Cancer fundraiser, continues to raise awareness and funds year after year. His passion for fine cars, which brings out a youthful side to him, is contagious. A self-made developer, Sam Mizrahi is a driving force in the luxury development market, and the business ethics and energy that got him there inspire me to reach higher.

We hope to deliver stories that empower, delight and enrich people’s lives, and encourage you to share your ideas and thoughts with us.

Behind the scenes with New York's celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito

Fernando Zerillo Co-publisher/Creative Director

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Angela Palmieri-Zerillo • angela@dolce.ca DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Susan Bhatia • susan@dolce.ca ART DEPARTMENT CO-FOUNDER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Fernando Zerillo • fernando@dolce.ca SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Christina Ban GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Marianna Osko, April Ware, Amy Yang WEB PROJECT MANAGER

Steve Bruno VIDEOGRAPHERS

William Lem, Thomas Nagy VIDEO EDITOR

William Lem REPORTER

Amanda Storey EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT BEAUTY & TRAVEL EDITOR

Angela Palmieri-Zerillo FASHION & HOME DECOR EDITOR

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa SENIOR WRITER AND COPY EDITOR

Simona Panetta PROOFREADERS

The Editing Company, Toronto; Simona Panetta WRITERS

Michael Hill, Madeline Stephenson, Athaina Tsifliklis CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Jennifer Huether CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jesse Milns, Nikki Leigh McKean Photography, George Pimentel, Jonathan Pushnik, Gershon Srubiski, Christoph Strube, Hannah Thomson, Athaina Tsifliklis, regary Varano, Jenna Marie Wakani CONTRIBUTING STYLIST

Brenna Hardy/Styleista CONTRIBUTING HAIR/MAKEUP

Jordana Maxwell, Gianluca Orienti, Taylor Savage, Karima Sumar judyinc.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Amanda Storey PUBLISHER

PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPH STRUBE

publisher’s note

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DOLCE WORTHY CAUSE

Firefighter Robert Verhelst of Madison Fire Department, Wisconsin

CATCHING

FIRE

DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012/13 VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4

Firefighter Katrina Silvia takes cancer by storm at the Florida Ironman Triathlon

Dolce Vita Magazine is published quarterly by Dolce Publishing Inc. 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30 Vaughan, Ont., L4H 3H9 T: 905.264.6789 • Toll-Free: 1.888.68.DOLCE F: 905.264.3787 • info@dolce.ca www.dolce.ca Publication Mail Agreement No. 40026675

WRITTEN BY AMANDA STOREY

S Katrina Silvia of St. Johns County Fire Rescue, Florida, pushes her body to the limits in her philanthropic adventure

WINTER 2012/13 • Volume 16 • Issue 4 www.dolce.ca

wimming 3.8 kilometres, biking 179.2 km and then running a 41.9-km marathon is a crippling feat for any body buff, but Florida native Katrina Silvia decided to heat things up by meeting this challenge still decked out in her firefighter’s uniform — air tank included — all in the name of cancer awareness. Funds raised from Silvia’s effort went to the Code 3 for a Cure Foundation, which is committed to dousing the fires of cancer in diagnosed firefighters.

www.code3foracure.org

RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:

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DISTRIBUTION & CIRCULATION

Dolce Vita Magazine reaches over 900,000 affluent readers annually through household distribution and newsstand sales across Canada and selected Barnes & Noble stores in the United States. Inquiries about where Dolce Vita Magazine is available for sale should be directed to Disticor Magazine Distribution Services: 905.619.6565 The yearly subscription fee is $16.80. Send cheque or money order to Dolce Publishing Inc. 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30, Vaughan, Ont. Canada L4H 3H9 ISSN 1206-17780 NEXT ISSUE: SPRING 2013

The opinions expressed in Dolce Vita Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or advertisers.

Dolce Publishing Inc. does not assume liability for content. The material in this magazine is intended for information purposes only and is no way intended to supersede professional advice.

We are proud to be a Canadian company that has successfully published magazines for the past 16 years without any government funding or financial assistance of programs to cover editorial costs. It has all been possible thanks to the wonderful support of our readers and advertisers.

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editor’s note

’’

— Amanda Lindhout

PHOTO BY JESSE MILNS

‘‘

We are just one global community.

We are not so separated by these imaginary lines, our borders, that we draw

A

fter meeting Amanda Lindhout on Toronto’s Thompson Hotel rooftop for her photo shoot, I was left stunned by her inspiring view of the world. The nightmare she faced in Somalia didn’t make her bitter, it made her better.

Through the Global Enrichment Foundation, she used a tragic experience to create opportunities for those who need and deserve it, and for that, I think we’re all lucky to know Lindhout. In “Finding Forgiveness” on page 44, Dolce’s winter cover woman makes us question the trivial things that consume far too much of our valuable time and search for something more meaningful.

From the innate vision of architect Marianne McKenna to the playful pep of NHLer P.K. Subban and the artistic spirit of the late Walter Carsen, we hope this holiday issue of Dolce leads you into the new year with a revitalized outlook.

FALL/WINTER 2012 COLLECTION Watch your little ones jingle bell their way through the season as they mix, mingle and match animal and floral prints from Roberto Cavalli’s latest collection for kids.

Check out our video on citylifeTV.ca C

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JENNIFER HUETHER WINE There’s usually not much to find at the bottom of a bottle. But when you’re a master sommelier, savouring that bottle’s contents is a way of life. In “Confessions of a Master Sommelier” (page 50), Jennifer Huether takes us on the rigorous journey to become Canada’s only female master sommelier, and one of only 197 in the world.

PHOTO BY NIKKI LEIGH MCKEAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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52 Departments ON THE COVER

44 Finding Forgiveness: Amanda Lindhout, founder of the Global Enrichment Foundation, uses her past to change the present

SUCCESS STORY

44

34 Curators’ Club: Toronto’s top art authorities divulge their frames of mind 62 Bringing Art Back to Life: The World of Art Showcase ase

PHILANTHROPY

8 Catching Fire: Katrina Silvia’s iron heart 19 A Century of Philanthropy: The life work of Walter Carsen

32 Running the Runway: Stephanie Winston Wolkoff bridges the designer-consumer fashion gap 40 Marianne McKenna’s Ascent: How a founding partner of KPMB fought convention with conviction

CELEBRITY

FASHION

64 Jaguar XJL: Say bye-bye to the British gent: this luxurious sedan rolls with that Gen-X factor

24 The Making of Matis: Behind the seams with a fashion prodigy 28 Southern Belle: A romp through Kelly Rosen’s wondrous wardrobe 66 His Essentials: Standard-issue equipment for the secret agent of style

LUXURY

31 Objects of Desire: Coveted couture, velvety décor and edgy real estate

FOOD & WINE

50 Confessions of a Master Sommelier: The curious case of a wine lover 52 Cognactive Thinking: Sampling the many shades of Hennessy Cognac 54 Rocco DiSpirito: The American chef on his Now Eat This! empire

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ART

64

20 Faces and Places: Candid Q&As with Canadian celebs 58 Off the Rink with P.K. Subban: On-trend with a stylish Montreal Canadiens blueliner

AUTOMOTIVE

BEAUTY

61 Great Gatsby Glamour: The roaring comeback of 1920s makeup

TRAVEL

56 Silks, Spices and Sand Dunes: A weekend in the world’s richest country

BUSINESS

22 Start Me Up: Plug-in privacy emerges from a promising Toronto venture fund

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

14 Dolce Was There: Rally for Kids with Cancer, Saluti a Jerusalem, Ann Taylor Grand Opening and Alex and Simona Shnaider’s Halloween Party

IN EVERY ISSUE

6 Publisher’s Note 10 Editor’s Note 48 Readers’ Survey: WIN sweet winter-themed gifts MORE STORIES INSIDE ...

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Dolce was there

Rally

Watch celebrity interviews at www.citylifeTV.ca

for KIDS WITH CANCER WRITTEN BY ATHAINA TSIFLIKLIS

W

hether it has happened 5 to your aunt, your cousin or your friend’s little brother, cancer has affected almost everyone. “The cause — kids suffering with cancer — is obviously something dear to my heart but resonates with a lot of people,” says founder of Rally for Kids with Cancer, Joel Hock. The upbeat and heartfelt fundraiser brings Torontonians together to support the Hospital for Sick Children. On Sept. 21 and 22, 2012, celebrities such as actress Julie Benz, hockey player P.K. Subban and the event’s honorary chair Kurt Russell joined rally participants to raise an impressive $2.6 million. With 360 new cancer patients each year, the funds from the fifth annual event are assisting the world-renowned hospital with pediatric research, treatment and care.

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1. Actor and Rally for Kids with Cancer honorary chair Kurt Russell 2. SickKids child ambassador and Fish TV host Leo Stakos 3. Actress Julie Benz and husband Rich Orosco of Firebrand Media 4. Actor James Tupper and wife, actress Anne Heche 5. Team Pfaff’s McLaren MP4-12Cs 6. Actor Jonathan Togo with SickKids child ambassador 7. Kurt Russell, Williams Telecommunications Corp. CEO Jim Williams and Julie Benz 8. Chair of the SickKids Foundation Board of Directors John Francis and his wife 9. Health consultant on the Food Network’s Fat Chef and author of Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food, Christine Avanti 10. Actor James Tupper 11. Founder of Rosseau Asset Management Ltd. Warren Irwin and actress Jaime Murray 12. Playboy cover model Priscilla Caripan and Montreal Canadiens hockey player P.K. Subban 13. Kurt Russell and Joel Hock, president of Solutions with Impact Inc. 14. Actress Jaime Murray with SickKids child ambassador

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S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

A GUILDHALL

A

DIAMOND

brilliant fire of light bounces with pyrotechnic energy as a natural fancy coloured diamond captures your attention and holds it there. Infinitesimal in nature yet immeasurably symbolic, a coloured diamond’s rarity is increasingly attracting forward-thinking investors.

“It’s just incredible when you look into a fancy coloured diamond and you can see how it has been cut and polished,” says Paul Wiseman, president of Guildhall Diamonds Inc. and longtime collector of rare pink, yellow, blue and red diamonds. “Each coloured diamond that we procure is truly a piece of art — something extraordinary, and an investment that has never dropped in value since record keeping began in the 1970s.”

For centuries, accumulating coloured diamonds has been the secret of the ultra-rich and über-savvy investor concerned with wealth protection.

Loose or fashioned in settings, diamonds continue to be passed on from generation to generation as heirlooms; more valuable and prestigious than the day they were purchased. Celebrities and socialites have also caught on to the secret of safeguarding prosperity, amassing indulgent pink diamond collections and coloured stone portfolios. It’s clear that you’ve arrived in life when you own a natural fancy coloured diamond.

Wiseman founded Guildhall Diamonds to provide clients the opportunity to invest in something that didn’t bring along the frustration that comes with waiting on stock and bond returns. Able to accommodate the needs of investors looking to

spend $10,000 to $1 million or more, Guildhall’s diamonds are a part of history that appreciate in value, doubling in price every four to five years on average. “Natural fancy coloured diamonds are aspirational luxury assets and our clients are enjoying the financial rewards that these diamonds provide,” says Wiseman, who educates prospective buyers and loyal clients on his weekend radio broadcast The Real Money Show.

From blazing reds and desirable feminine pinks in the collectors’ circle,

NATURAL FANCY COLOURED DIAMONDS ARE ASPIRATIONAL LUXURY ASSETS AND OUR CLIENTS ARE ENJOYING THE FINANCIAL REWARDS THAT THESE DIAMOND DIAMONDS PROVIDE

to rare rare, arresting bblues and the biggest selection of internally flawless yellow diamonds in Canada, Wiseman travels the world to bring the perfect natural fancy coloured diamond to his clients. Of the millions of diamonds mined each year, only a fraction of a per cent can qualify as fancy colours, and only a handful can achieve the top grades of intense and vivid. “We buy the finest natural fancy coloured diamonds so that our clients www.dolcemag.com

experience the highest possible returns.

Buying the right diamond now makes it easier to sell down the road,” says Wiseman, whose stones are all graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and independently appraised.

“Every stone we acquire has to meet strict criteria of exceptional cut, clarity, carat and, of course, colour — the most important value factor for natural fancy coloured diamonds. We know what to look for to consider a stone to be a Guildhall diamond.”

The company’s website offers a convenient, transparent way for shoppers to view price points, GIA grading reports and appraisals on available stones, including the incredibly unique Guildhall Blue. This 1.06 carat, natural fancy vivid blue internally flawless in a radiant cut is appraised at $1.5 million.

Incredibly rare, natural fancy coloured diamonds will only continue to gain investor appeal as they prove more difficult to acquire. Australia’s Argyle Diamond Mine, world-renowned for producing 90 per cent of the world’s pink diamonds, will cease production in 2018. With only 1/10th of a per cent of the mine’s production being pink, the impending closure will only heighten demand for these exceptionally rare diamonds.

Whether you prefer to store your diamond investment loose or express it with a custom-crafted luxury jewelry piece, natural fancy coloured diamonds are an investment that stands the test of time. www.guildhalldiamonds.com 1-866-274-9570 / 905-305-8422 Tune into The Real Money Show on AM640: Saturdays at 1 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m.

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Dolce was there

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ALUTI A JERUSALEM

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WRITTEN BY AMANDA STOREY

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1. Ron Bernbaum, Renee Bleeman, Nadine Walman, Racquel Walman and Gary Grundman 2. Cathy and Rudy Bratty, Anne Simone and Pal Di Iulio, president and CEO of Villa Charities Inc. 3. Lexi Mitz, Lewis Mitz, Ryan Mitz and Alex Mitz 4. Guests peer down at the surprise fall fashion show put on by event sponsor Max Mara 5. Consul General Giovanni Bucolo and Maria Pia Tomassetti 6. Connie Putterman, Jo Schneeweiss, Consul General DJ Schneeweiss and Wendy Posluns

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PHOTOS BY GREGARY VARANO

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he Columbus Centre in Toronto welcomed more than 300 guests with food, wine, fashion, art and conversation at Saluti a Jerusalem. The cross-cultural event, hosted by Villa Charities and the Jerusalem Foundation of Canada, was in celebration of the historical ties and enduring friendship between Canada’s Italian and Jewish communities.

Generous donors helped raise $165,000 towards building Giardino Canadese, a garden by Canada House in Jerusalem that will further cultivate Jewish-Italian fellowship. www.villacharities.com www.jerusalemfoundation.org

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NN TAYLOR GRAND OPENING

WRITTEN BY ATHAINA TSIFLIKLIS

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1. Suzanne Boyd, editor-in-chief of Zoomer magazine, and Marilyn Denis, television personality and host of The Marilyn Denis Show 2. Models assist with the ribbon cutting alongside Frank Keller, senior director of leasing at Cadillac Fairview; Lisa Axelson, head designer of Ann Taylor; and Brian Lynch, brand president of Ann Taylor Division at ANN INC. 3. Caroline Mulroney; Andrew Taylor, senior director of public relations at Ann Taylor; Suzanne Cohon, principal of ASC Public Relations; and Robyn Scott 4. Heather Schlesinger, senior director of visual merchandising at Ann Taylor; and Lisa Axelson 5. Shelagh Kellam and Jessica Bongard, store manager of Ann Taylor at the Toronto Eaton Centre 6. Larry Rosen, chairman and CEO of Harry Rosen Inc., and Brian Lynch 7. Abed Ayseh and David Sinicrope, vice-president – director of stores at Ann Taylor 5

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New York-based, classic womenswear retailer has gone international, enticing fashion-conscious Torontonians to attend the launch of the first-ever Ann Taylor store in Canada this fall. Head designer Lisa Axelson was among the enthusiastic attendees, cutting the ribbon that unveiled the newly built and beautifully merchandised store in the Toronto Eaton Centre. With champagne flowing and cameras flashing, the grand opening had shoppers stopping in their tracks to admire the scene. Fall and winter fashion was at its best with coloured dress pants, silk blouses and bold accessories making their debut. www.anntaylor.com

PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL

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STONE CHATEAU IN OAKVILLE

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ROYAL RESIDENCE IN KING CITY

Custom estate home with Renaissance-inspired detailing and finishes. Five thousand square feet, 4-plus-1 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. Cathedral ceilings and 3-storey glass elevator. Two-storey designer kitchen with granite counters. Theatre room, outdoor pool and tennis court. Sweeping lot surrounded by lush pine trees. $2,899,000

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ALEX AND SIMONA SHNAIDER’S

ALLOWEEN PARTY

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WRITTEN BY MICHAEL HILL

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1. Robin Turack and Lynda Prince 2. Princess Margaret Hospital staff 3. Simona and Alex Shnaider with Dr. Gary Rodin of PMH and his wife 4. Michael Burns and Amoryn Engel 5. Daniel Tilis and Eric Marom 6. Simon Zucker and Fred Waks 7. Carmela Serebryany and Geoffrey Harris 8. Director of operations Angela Palmieri and editor-in-chief Michelle Zerillo-Sosa of Dolce Vita Magazine

Condé Nast Traveler “Best in the World”, 2012 Travel + Leisure Magazine “World’s Best Awards “, 2012 TripAdvisor “Traveller’s Choice - Luxury Catetgory” , 2012

Downtown Vancouver, B.C. www.wedgewoodhotel.com 1.800.663.0666

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PHOTOS BY GERSHON SRUBISKI

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his past Halloween, ghouls and gals gallivanted in grandeur all in support of a great cause.

Held at the sprawling Bridle Path home of Midland Group CEO Alex Shnaider and his wife Simona, the swanky annual soiree summoned a generous circle of bloodsuckers, southern belles, super villains and other costumed company with proceeds going to supportive care at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. It was a whimsical affair that raised $100,000, whisking all in attendance past the witching hour. www.theprincessmargaret.ca

A CENTURY

OF PHILANTHROPY WRITTEN BY ATHAINA TSIFLIKLIS

collection accumulated in Carsen’s home, he contributed over 160 pieces to the AGO. After this humble donor exposed his name to the public and set an example for affluent Canadians, recognition came knocking on his door.

He was awarded the Mont Blanc de la Culture Award for Philanthropy and a distinctive father-son joint Honorary Doctorate by York University.

PHOTO BY DAVID COOPER

PHOTO BY BRUCE ZINGER

On

October 8, 2012, the Canadian arts community lost one of its most beloved and generous supporters. “I remember how his eyes lit up,” says Karen Kain, retired ballerina and the National Ballet of Canada’s artistic director, of her first encounter with Walter Carsen. He reminisced about his experience at a traditional geisha house during a business trip to Japan, sharing an anecdote around the dinner table that charmingly flaunted his worldliness. His passion for life and love of culture was contagious that evening. Twenty years later, Karen Kain and the National Ballet view him as a dear friend and look up to him with endless adoration.

Weeks before his father passed away, opera director Robert Carsen shared words of respect regarding his upbringing. “He has really given away what he has earned to the community, not just to the National Ballet, but to the Shaw Festival, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO),” he says with admiration in his voice. “What makes me the most proud is that when he did all this, he did it anonymously for years and years and years.” Robert helped organize an elaborate event for his father’s birthday, less than two months before he died. Carsen turned 100 on August 14, 2012, arriving adorned all in white for his celebration with friends, family and appreciative artists.

Throughout adulthood, this arts philanthropist surrounded himself with a breadth of culture, attending the opera, ballet performances and exhibits. “He used to take us to [art] exhibitions and ask us to describe what we would see,” says Robert, reminiscing about his childhood with sister Johanni. When an extensive art

Arts philanthropist Walter Carsen pictured above in 1990 and then later in 2006 with Karen Kain, artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will be the next production to grace the stage and the first to mourn the loss of Carsen’s presence and applause.

The company’s headquarters and rehearsal space took his honourable name after a $1.5-million contribution to its construction. The Walter Carsen Centre for The National Ballet of Canada was built in 1995 and is located

HE USED TO TAKE US TO ART EXHIBITIONS AND ASK US TO DESCRIBE WHAT WE WOULD SEE — Robert Carsen Robert describes his father as someone with eclectic taste. Always open-minded, he embraced artists from different backgrounds and disciplines.

His leading love was the National Ballet, viewing the company as a community he could call home. “I have sat with Walter during countless performances and my greatest pleasure has been to observe how much joy he took in watching the artists that he loved so much and supported so generously,” says Kain. www.dolcemag.com

on the waterfront in Toronto. “I love the performing arts and particularly ballet, as it is a mixture of art forms — music, visual design, the body in motion and light,” says Carsen, who leaves behind words of wisdom for his son. “He told me to be true to myself and my instincts and my intuitions. My father has always followed that — he hasn’t tried to emulate anyone. He’s just listened to himself.” national.ballet.ca DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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LOCAL LUMINARIES LEAD THE WAY WITH ENLIGHTENING LISTS THAT WILL GUIDE YOU TO THE GOOD LIFE

PHOTO BY IAN GAVAN

FACES and PLACES EMILY HAMPSHIRE

PHOTO COURTESY OF CTV’S THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW

INTERVIEWS BY MADELINE STEPHENSON

MARILYN DENIS MARILYN DENIS Host of CTV’s The Marilyn Denis Show

WHICH EMERGING CANADIAN DESIGNER HAS RECENTLY CAUGHT YOUR EYE? Toronto’s very own Queen Street designer Jeremy Laing. His designs have been called “clean,” “modern” and “minimalist” — but I just call them gorgeous.

WHERE WILL WE SPOT YOU WINING AND DINING ON A SATURDAY NIGHT? The Combine Eatery at 162 Danforth Ave. (in Greektown). It serves amazing southwestern American food. Some 20

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of its menu highlights are the twicebaked taquitos and vegetable fritters.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR 2013?

Staying healthy and keeping a life–work balance (with a wonderful new man in my life). Also continuing to have fun on CHUM FM and The Marilyn Denis Show.

WHICH TORONTO FUNDRAISER IS CLOSEST TO YOUR HEART? The CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish — an incredible way to help more than 300,000 kids who otherwise wouldn’t have much of a reason to smile over the holidays.

WHO’S THE NICEST CELEBRITY YOU’VE EVER INTERVIEWED? There are so many to choose from!

Lionel Richie was fantastic. He was friendly to the entire staff. He also told great stories and we shared a real connection. Stevie Nicks and I have actually become friends since we chatted about 10 years ago. Bradley Cooper was handsome, funny and self-deprecating. www.marilyn.ca

EMILY HAMPSHIRE Actress, Cosmopolis and My Awkward Sexual Adventure

DESCRIBE THE LAST PIECE OF ART YOU BOUGHT. The Bin Bin by John Brauer and Hans Falleboe. It’s a wastepaper basket made to look like the crumpled-up paper that www.dolcemag.com

you’d throw in it. I like functionalverging-on-literal art.

IF YOU HAD 24 HOURS TO SPEND IN TORONTO, WHAT WOULD YOUR ITINERARY LOOK LIKE? 1. Hit Tim Hortons before baggage claim at YYZ for an extra-large coffee with three creams.

2. Pick up a stack of Canadian fashion magazines/publications/newspapers and head over to Soho House to sit and read for a few hours.

3. Hit Shoppers Drug Mart to stock up on my favourite Canadian products that I can’t get in L.A. (dermaglow, Indeed Labs, etc.).

4. Hang out with my friends in their backyard in Little Italy.

5. Have dinner at BUCA restaurant (mainly so I can cut up the pizza for everyone with giant scissors).

6. Finally, I would probably head back to Soho House for a nightcap.

WHICH DESIGNER DO YOU DEPEND ON FOR RED CARPET EVENTS? Greta Constantine and Stella McCartney.

WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ THAT REALLY MADE YOU THINK? I’m reading Jian Ghomeshi’s book 1982 right now. It’s making me think about things I didn’t expect to be thinking about.

WHAT IS YOUR DRINK OF CHOICE AND WHERE ARE YOU SIPPING IT? A glass of Riesling at the Drake Hotel’s Sky Yard rooftop patio. www.emilyhampshire.com

Author and former lieutenant-governor of Ontario

PHOTO BY ANDREW STAWICKI

WHICH CANADIAN ARTIST HAS LEFT THE BIGGEST IMPRESSION ON YOU? Some 30 years ago, my wife gave me as birthday presents paintings by Roy Thomas and Josh Kakegamic, and I have been hooked on Woodland art ever since. Of the two, my favourite is the Wolf by Kakegamic, which reflects the culture and indomitable spirit of the Native people of northern Ontario.

WHAT BOOK IS BY YOUR BEDSIDE RIGHT NOW? Over the summer I read 104 nonfiction books as part of my duties as a jury member for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction.

To relax, I have been dipping into an old favourite: Enderby, by the late Anthony Burgess, one of the greatest postwar British novelists.

JAMES K. BARTLEMAN WHAT IS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PIECE OF ARCHITECTURE IN TORONTO? My first memory of Toronto is as a boy of four arriving at Union Station accompanied by my grandfather. It was the spring of 1944, and although neither I nor any of the crowds of uniformed servicemen and women thronging the great hall knew it at the time, the Allied assault on the beaches of Normandy would soon begin. I am now a frequent visitor to Union Station since I travel for business and family reasons to Toronto by train from our retirement home in Perth. And, each time, I think of the hundreds of thousands of other people from elsewhere in Canada and abroad

whose first impression of Toronto over the years came from their encounter with the grand old railway station.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR 2013?

Following my retirement as lieutenant-governor in 2007, I took up writing. My first novel, As Long as the Rivers Flow, dealing with the intergenerational impact of residential schools, was released by Knopf last year and is now in its third printing.

My next novel, The Redemption of Oscar Wolf, will be released by Dundurn in June 2013. It is a saga of Native life in the mid-20th century and a mixture of tragedy, farce, existential angst and humour. I will be spending much of the year at writers’ festivals and speaking at book clubs, high schools, colleges and universities and service organizations. www.writerstrust.com

CHERYL HICKEY Host of Global’s ET Canada

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE STREET TO STROLL IN TORONTO? My favourite street to stroll down is Yorkville. I used to live there and I love all the little shops and yummy places to eat. A few of my personal standouts include Pusateri’s, which was a frequent stop for my husband and me, great for grabbing meals for the two of us or entertaining a crowd; One’s patio at the Hazelton Hotel, perfect for food and drink, but also people watching!

And, of course, Over the Rainbow for their huge selection of comfy, stylish clothes — I bought my son’s Canada Goose coat there recently.

IT CAN BE EASY TO FORGET OUR TRUE PRIORITIES — Cheryl Hickey www.dolcemag.com

PHOTO BY MATT BARNES

JAMES K. BARTLEMAN

CHERYL HICKEY

WHICH RESTAURANT SERVED YOU THE MOST MEMORABLE MEAL OF YOUR LIFE? The combination of great food and company is the basis of every memorable meal I’ve ever had — and fortunately I have a lot to choose from! Café Nervosa has been a great spot for these gatherings, and an honourable mention goes to 7 West because I got engaged right outside of that restaurant, and so this venue will always be special to me.

WHICH DESIGNER TAKES UP THE MOST SPACE IN YOUR CLOSET? I am a firm believer that every designer has something fantastic to offer, and my closet definitely reflects that! Everything from awesome Smythe jackets, Diesel jeans and luxurious Theory T-shirts to glamorous gowns from Greta Constantine, Ines de Santos and Rodney Philpott, to name a few, have been a part of my personal and growing collection.

WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO INTERVIEW AGAIN AND AGAIN? I love to laugh, so anyone who has made that happen tops my list for repeat interviews. To date, some of my most witty subjects have been George Clooney, Casey Affleck, Oprah and Michael Bublé … they have all made me howl!

WHAT IS YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION? I really don’t make New Year’s resolutions, just life resolutions. I’m working on being more in the moment each day and appreciating every second with my family and friends. In the hustle and bustle of every day, it can be easy to forget our true priorities. www.globaltv.com/etcanada DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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START ME UP WRITTEN BY MICHAEL HILL

From left to right: Robin Axon, general partner at Mantella Venture Partners; Chris Houston, founder and CEO of SurfEasy; and Duncan Hill, general partner at MVP

T

here’s a subtle energy circulating through the reaches of Mantella Venture Partners. Above a clandestine lobby, unremarkable to indifferent eyes, behind glass walls of small offices and the juxtaposing rows of computer-filled tables, the busy hands of technology startup teams fine-tune their digital applications. Some frenetically rap keys. Others point to lines of code, picking out possible errors, directing needed enhancements and the like. Whiteboards decked with flow charts and interface designs sporadically hang from walls, while groups of engineers, designers and their entrepreneur leaders chatter over whatever pressing issue faces their developing company.

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www.dolcemag.com

PHOTOS BY JESSE MILNS

AT MANTELLA VENTURE PARTNERS, TECHNOLOGY START-UPS FIND A PLATFORM FOR INNOVATION

Robin Axon, general partner at MVP, a Toronto-based early stage technology fund, anatomizes the scene. “You see a whole bunch of people comingling,” he says, directing attention to the hivelike interactions. “What we notice, you probably didn’t see, but four or five of the people over there weren’t all in the same company.”

It’s all part of the collaborative environment Axon and fellow general partner Duncan Hill foster at MVP, an arm of the development titan Mantella Corporation. Co-operation is common, encouraged even. Discussions between start-ups leverage the knowledge of more experienced teams, tapping into their insight on specific market domains.

Like traditional venture funds, MVP pushes for innovation in the everevolving digital landscape. It’s about building market-altering products and new technologies that could redefine how we interact with our devices and each other. But that’s where the similarities end.

Unlike traditional venture-funding models, Axon and Hill take a Dragons’ Den-like approach, preferring to help develop the start-ups in their fold as opposed to merely fronting capital.

“While we see a lot of companies out there, the reality is, quite often, we find great people and we work with them to build companies,” says Hill. Their role, then, varies with each situation. With more mature management teams, they’re mentors and occasional guides. For others, they’re partners, developing the business from the ground up.

According to Hill, it’s “the more successful model.”

It was this attitude that attracted Chris Houston. Having worked with MVP on one of the company’s first startups, PushLife, which was purchased

by Google for more than $25 million in April 2011, Houston was well aware of its advantages. MVP was ideal for his new venture: SurfEasy.

“I started to pay attention to the number of wireless networks I was using during the course of a day, week or month,” he says of SurfEasy’s genesis.

“You start realizing how many different places access your personal data and your personal information.”

PHOTO BY JESSE MILNS

Houston, as he alludes to, is concerned about Internet privacy. And, like any regular web surfer, he should be. After all, it’s no secret that the corporate giants behind any number of popular websites collect, hoard and monetize user information. It’s the oil of the digital world, and many want access.

Billions of dollars have been invested into various forms of data reaping, with much of it coming from our own everyday online activities. With each Google search we paint self-portraits, each mouse click adds a line to our autobiographies, shaping tell-all digital dossiers for Big Brother Business.

SurfEasy, as Houston explains, looks to quell these concerns. Stored on a thin USB key, SurfEasy is a portable web browser that allows for secure and private web surfing, even through the most questionable networks. Simply plug the key into your computer, enter your password and a Mozilla web browser launches.

Transmitted information, protected first with the same encryption used by major banks, runs through SurfEasy’s private network where your IP address is concealed for complete anonymity.

Any accessed website merely sees traffic passing through its server from a virtual private network; who and where you are is kept confidential.

All usernames, passwords, bookmarks and browsing history is subsequently stored on the key — nothing is left on the computer or network. When you’re finished browsing, simply remove the key and walk away. It’s like you were never there.

“The nice thing about having the hardware is when you remove it, absolutely everything goes with you,” says Houston. “It’s not just about encrypting your Internet connection.

It’s also about not leaving all that information that the browser knows about you — your bookmarks, your passwords, your history — behind on the computers you use.”

When Houston pitched the idea to MVP, it was the concern about privacy that sold it, says Axon. He and Hill were taken aback by the amount of exposed information transmitted through basic, everyday Internet use:

A large mural of Mount Everest, meant to both inspire and motivate, dominates a wall at Mantella Venture Partners

I THINK IT’S TIME THAT USERS START TO HAVE SOLUTIONS THAT ALLOW THEM TO TAKE A LOT MORE CONTROL OVER THEIR PRIVACY — Chris Houston the remarkable investments made in storing and selling user information; the unsecure Wi-Fi hotspots regularly accessed — at the local coffee shop, for example — where more rapacious minds may sniff out vulnerabilities.

They saw potential in the plug-in privacy SurfEasy could offer. Not just for travellers or businessmen, either, but for the average consumer concerned with keeping his or her family’s online activity secure from prying eyes.

Retailing for $69.99 USD, SurfEasy also defends against keyloggers (hardware or software that tracks keystrokes) thanks to its onscreen keyboard and password manager.

Because of its covert nature, SurfEasy also bypasses geoblocking, granting access to content reserved for users in specific countries, like on Pandora and Hulu. When not in use, the USB key is kept in a handy creditcard-sized holder. www.dolcemag.com

SurfEasy’s credit-card-shaped holder fits into wallets with relative ease, allowing for portable plug-in privacy

There’s an idealistic charm, romanticism, in our species-defining impulse for exploration into an unknown and uncertain wilderness.

Innovation requires courage, the willingness to walk away from a sure thing and take that leap. In the halls of MVP, entrepreneurs are given the platform to start that journey.

“It’s pretty easy to just say, ‘I have a great idea, but I’m getting paid pretty well, I’m going to stay at my current job,’” says Axon. “It’s pretty crazy to take no salary for six or nine months and go after something when everyone else is saying you’re crazy. I love that we were involved and assisted in taking that leap.”

Launched this past March, SurfEasy is already increasing its global presence with customers in over 50 countries.

The team also plans to introduce both a software and mobile application in the near future.

“I think it’s time that users start to have solutions that allow them to take a lot more control over their privacy,” says Houston. “It’s not enough to be able to say, ‘I accept the terms and conditions or I don’t want to use the product at all.’ You should have much more binary level control and that should be in the hands of the user.”

With SurfEasy’s promise for full online privacy, that control appears to be at hand. www.mantellavp.com www.surfeasy.com DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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Get behind the seams with Lucian Matis at www.citylifeTV.ca

THE MAKING OF MATIS WRITTEN BY SIMONA PANETTA

Toronto fashion designer Lucian Matis is known for his bold and eclectic techniques. The webs of lace expressed in his fall/winter 2012 collection were achieved with the 19th-century knotting technique of macramé

Spools of fabric embellish the backroom of Matis’s spacious studio

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www.dolcemag.com

PHOTOS BY JESSE MILNS

On

the ground level lobby of a nondescript building in Toronto, a fastened black door creates a visible contrast to washed-out walls in desperate need of a paint job. An unexpected hush sweeps through the dusky door, wherein a birthing cauldron of fashion rustles with the drop of every pin. With a push, a rusty hinge gives way to a kiss-and-tell view of the pacific studio of fashion designer Lucian Matis, who moments before was sketching tomorrow’s fashion in the comfort of his cossetted office.

“When I create, I don’t tend to listen to music or to be influenced, because anything from the outside challenges and changes your ideas, your perspectives and your work. I just create in silence, and I get inspired by so many things,” says Matis, who turned collective heads earlier this year at World MasterCard Fashion Week. Palpable yet incorporeal like a cast of long shadows, his fall/winter 2012 collection of carefully crafted lace lattice was made by hand using the 19th-century knotting technique of macramé. “It was definitely a heavy, romantic, dilapidated beauty. It had to be something that’s not tangible, but you feel something and you don’t know why you feel that way. I feel like this is where I started my career.”

The Romanian-born and Toronto-based Matis walks toward the centre of his atelier, where pieces from his previous collections embellish clothing racks against the walls. He handles hollowed mannequins and fingers hanging garments, but the gossamer look in his eye reveals more than he can say. He’s still sketching ideas left undrawn from an interrupted creative process, his mind reimagining age-old designs for a modern world as it digs through fashion’s time capsule.

Subtle in a T-shirt, grey joggers and metallic gunmetal runners, Matis, 33, explains his hopes to fit in a workout session sometime between his early morning workday, which can spill beyond midnight, before heading back to his Bloor West Village home. With a shy smile he apologizes profusely for his dress — ruminating aloud about his longing for a blazer he recently picked up while shopping for fabrics in Paris. Before that he visited China for business, earlier than that he was in Romania, begging the question of how one can find ground while up in the air of the industry. “My life is work.

I love — I’m addicted — to work. I love being here, just experimenting with fabrics and having a good time with my staff, you know. It’s fantastic.” With that he eagerly leads the way to a commodious back workroom, where employees are stitching and sewing, priming runway-worthy pieces. “Fashion isn’t all about the glamour,” says Matis, who gained sartorial success as the runner-up on Project Runway Canada in 2007. The subdued scene is an antithesis to the backstage storm of a fashion show: a tempest of frenzy, in all its light bulbs and fracas, peals of laughter and neon lipstick, pasties and puffed-up egos, vindication and vanity. “Moments before the show I become a bit of a tyrant. Everything has to be perfect.”

The fragments of opulent textiles that jump about the room are more than just previews from his eponymous couture label, Lucian Matis, and ready-to-wear collection, MATIS by Lucian Matis — they are representations of a budding designer continuing to view himself as a work in progress. “I have not made it yet,” he says. “I am far from making it.

I have such big goals to achieve and so much to do that I feel with every collection that I am starting my career. I have big dreams,” says the self-described artist, who plans to expand his collections across the world, as well as launch eyewear, home décor and menswear lines. Apart from travelling to add cultured layers and dimension to his work, Matis admits to a ravenous obsession with prodigious Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo.

His favourite pieces are the ones he left unfinished. “The amount of work that he’s done and that he’s produced — it’s hard to believe that it was one man who created all of that.”

If his contribution at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto this fall — a Moroccan-inspired spring/summer 2013 collection of crocodile prints, rich reds and mustards, bold graphics and sequins — is any indication of his longevity, Matis may get to where he wants to be sooner than anticipated. “I first witnessed Lucian’s work at Mass Exodus, the runway show for graduating students of Ryerson University in the early 2000s,” comments president of the Fashion Design Council of Canada, Robin Kay, via email while on business overseas. “I was inspired by the incredibly detailed work of one so young: the innovative use of fold and placement; the exuberance of fabrics and presentation; a total standout … I have complete confidence in Lucian’s ability to become and maintain a major force on the Canadian fashion landscape,” adds Kay, the former head of Toronto Fashion Week.

Quick to confess that spreading himself too thin one year — he designed two separate collections for both his couture label and ready-to-wear line, as well as four collections for Daphne by Lucian Matis, sold on the Shopping Channel — proved to be a challenge for him, Matis continues to propel forward. “It was quite intense, it just got so exhausting and overwhelming, so I think that was where I was just like, OK, I need to slow down or stop altogether. But I can’t stop, because it’s not in my character to.”

For all he knows of his life work — constructing his own fabrics and applying innovative techniques, achieving femininity and grace in his garments — the fashion prodigy credits his skills to his mother, who once owned a successful tailor shop in Romania and is now an integral member of his design team. “She always sees the positive in everything … she influenced me and my strength to never give up.” www.lucianmatis.com

RUNWAY MODEL PHOTOS BY JENNA MARIE WAKANI

MOMENTS BEFORE THE SHOW I BECOME A BIT OF A TYRANT. EVERYTHING HAS TO BE PERFECT

www.dolcemag.com

The intensely romantic and dilapidated beauty of these Matis garments turned collective heads at World MasterCard Fashion Week earlier this year

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S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

A GOLDEN

LEGACY

Daniel Goldberg, founder of Lou Goldberg Jeweller Toronto

In

1946, a savvy salesman would travel along the streets of Montreal wearing a vest with jewellery brimming from its pockets.

Determined to sell every last piece before his return home, the jeweller had an arduous journey before him.

Soon enough, a list of besotted clients gave way to an eponymous storefront in a wealthy Montreal suburb. Today, the resolute nature of Lou Goldberg has translated into a thriving marque in the jewellery industry, one with a philosophy that combines passion and beauty with a promise of quality. “We want people to buy a piece of jewellery from us and wear it 10 years from now, 30 years from now, and be able to pass it down through the generations,” says Daniel Goldberg, grandson of founder Lou Goldberg and son of Sheldon Goldberg, who along with his two brothers, Eric and Joel Goldberg, took over operations at the company’s flagship store several years ago.

Sheldon Goldberg unexpectedly passed away four years ago. “I didn’t get the opportunity to work with him as far as the business side of things, but I learned from him the life lessons on how to treat other people, things that he used in life and at the office that made him so successful. These are all things I’m taking with me to make my business just as successful.” At just 28, Daniel continues the Goldberg legacy, realizing a dream his father had yet to fulfill with a new Lou Goldberg Jeweller location in Toronto’s Forest Hill neighbourhood.

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With a gemology degree from the Gemological Institute of America, Daniel is certified to appraise diamonds and gemstones

“My biggest compliment is when people say I remind them of my father.”

Surrounded by fine jewellery throughout his life, Daniel knew instinctively that he wanted to explore his passion for gems and cultivate his father’s level of service and trustworthy nature that would turn window shoppers into long-time clients. “Lou Goldberg Jeweller is about developing relationships, and relationships are not built online.” Emphasizing the importance of integrity in an industry where quality prevails over quantity, Daniel’s jewellery boutique prides itself in private, one-on-one service.

Preceding his venture into the competitive jewellery scene in Toronto, Daniel attended the Gemological Institute of America in New York, where he focused on the study of diamonds, coloured stones and jewellery design. Before his return to Canada, he worked at a diamond wholesale company, where he advantageously learned the other side of the business. www.dolcemag.com

e’d much rather see He soon realized he’d the expression on his clients’ faces when presenting them with a piece of jewellery. “A smile is worth a thousand words to me,” says Goldberg. “People have stories about their grandmother or mother, and it’s my job to bring those stories to life.” The certified gemologist, who can take heirloom pieces or loose diamonds and transform them into special pieces, explains how listening to his clients inspires his creativity.

With an eclectic inventory of oneof-a-kind pieces and estate jewellery from around the world, the treasures at Lou Goldberg are all exclusive and custom-made. Daniel praises his grandfather as being one of the best in the world at finding South Sea pearls. This has granted Lou Goldberg Jeweller to offer one of the most extravagant collections of the coveted pearls to its clients. “The buying process is what makes us so successful,” explains Daniel. “You have to buy well to sell well.”

“Some people come into the store because they shopped in Montreal, or know my family but live in Toronto.

Some people are new clients. What they purchase depends on what stage of life they are in,” says Daniel. The Lou Goldberg client is someone who loves beautiful things, appreciates quality and expects exceptional service. You will find that and more at Lou Goldberg Jeweller.

To book a private appointment, please call (416) 901-0080 www.lougoldberg.com 446 Spadina Rd., #209, Toronto

PHOTOGRAPHY OF DANIEL GOLDBERG BY JESSE MILNS

LOU GOLDBERG JEWELLER EXPANDS TO TORONTO AFTER SIX DECADES OF SUCCESS IN MONTREAL’S LUXURY JEWELLERY SCENE

Our passion is beauty.

Our promise is quality.

Since 1946 446 Spadina Road, Suite # 209, Toronto s 416.901.0 080 s lougoldberg.com www.dolcemag.com

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www.citylifeTV.ca goes inside Kelly Rosen’s closet

SOUTHERN Belle

KELLY ROSEN ROUSES OUR FASHION FANTASIES WITH A CLOSET TO COVET

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Rosen of the dress that arrived against all odds.

The Murad affair chronicles Rosen’s infatuation with fashion. “I can tell you Kelly was the belle of the ball in that dress,” says her husband Simon Rosen. A reigning reservoir of gems, jewels, silk and tulle, originally slated to be a master bedroom, is now the stage for a couture collection of clothes and accessories worthy of a Christie’s auction. Her snow-white shelves brim with Kelly’s and Birkin’s; her shoe racks house hundreds of sky-high Atwood’s, Louboutin’s and Manolo’s; her gowns are the materialized dreams of unrivalled fashion masters from Pavoni and Pucci to Chanel and Gucci. Calling the 1,400-square-foot space a closet is a fabrication. “I don’t know that I have a great fashion sense,” says a modest Rosen, and like Alex Katz acting like a paintbrush’s acquaintance, the modish matriarch of a blended family of five kids gives us the first glimpse of her southern, self-effacing charm.

With her hair pinned back, she strides into the ensuite bathroom and perches herself on a tall chair ready to be primped for an imminent photo shoot. It’s there that the affable brunette urges the newly engaged makeup artist, whom she just met, to slip on a pair of her YSL heels to prep for her big day.

The shoes fit. “This is the best day ever,” says the bride-to-be. “You know www.dolcemag.com

what else is really comfortable — and he’s the new wedding shoe this year?

— the Manolo’s,” says Rosen, pointing to another pair. A gilded, floor-toceiling mirror leaning against the wall captures the unfeigned exchange.

There’s a distinct crack on its top-left corner that shatters a tired fallacy.

Rosen’s reflection is far from unlucky.

She recalls a trunk show she attended with Simon, whom she met in 2007 while he was on a business trip in Georgia. “We were in New York City, walking through the [Chanel] store. I think I was trying a few things on just off the racks and a model walked by and he went, ‘I want my wife to try that on!’” she says. “That was the first trunk show I had ever ordered something from, it was exciting.” President and owner of a successful Ontario-based meat company, the Kiton-inclined industrialist is also known for his polished profile, which was showcased in Harry magazine’s spring 2012 issue.

“From rocker chic to princess, I love all her looks,” he says, also crediting her for the traditional design of their home.

While she’s regularly invited to attend runway shows around the world — including Chanel’s fall preview in Paris last year — Rosen admits that 90 per cent of her pieces are purchased in Canada, primarily from Holt Renfrew’s flagship on Bloor Street and

HAIR AND MAKEUP

if sliding across the keys of a piano, Kelly Rosen’s fingers caress a billowy black and ivory Zuhair Murad dress. She tugs and twists its diaphanous tulle into a state of perfection. “This is probably one of my all-time favourite gowns,” says the Georgia-born belle.

While there are dozens of distinctive pieces that pervade her see-through custom cabinets, this one reveals the most about Rosen. “It’s the first gown I really just went nuts over,” she says.

More than anything, it uncovers a poetic play of desire that led to fashion happenstance on a bitter winter day in 2010.

The encounter took place at a Yorkville boutique where she was being fitted for a New Year’s Eve ball gown she had pre-ordered. Suddenly her eyes met with the florally embellished Murad masterpiece. After being told it was the last one and that it was already spoken for, she insisted on slipping into it anyway. Love is a hackneyed word in the fashion sphere, but if there’s an adjective of slightly less value, that’s what knocked Rosen off her feet. The Beirut-based label’s couture conversation piece was ordered in immediately, but it didn’t arrive without a fight. “That was when they had that big volcanic ash cloud in Europe and it was literally stuck in London,” says

– KARIMA SUMAR FOR TRESEMMÉ HAIR CARE/JUDYINC.COM

WRITTEN BY MADELINE STEPHENSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSE MILNS

I LOVE MY LIFE. I FEEL VERY SPOILED, VERY BLESSED — Kelly Rosen

Christian Siriano designed this glamorous gown that took up two seats at a New Year’s Eve party Rosen attended last year

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SHE’S CHARMING, FULL OF LIFE AND HAS GREAT ENERGY — Patrice Favreau, Holt Renfrew stylist

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1. Kelly Rosen picked up this Carolina Herrera pre-fall 2012 dress from Bergdorf Goodman in New York City and paired it with Nicholas Kirkwood’s ruffle platform pumps and a G International ring 2. Alexander McQueen’s skull-embellished red suede pumps with gold studs can’t sit still on her shelves 3. Rosen’s sparkly collection of clutches catches the grip of wandering eyes 4. With the exception of the custom-designed cushion-cut diamond earrings, all pieces are from Lou Goldberg Jeweller Toronto 5. Purchased at Hugo Nicholson in Yorkville, the same designer who made Kristen Stewart dazzle in a Skin Flower dress at TIFF 2012 brings new meaning to Rosen’s last name.

Necklace from Mark Lash, white diamonds from Lou Goldberg Jeweller 6. Proof that Kelly Rosen isn’t afraid of colour 7. A collection of shoes in Rosen’s boudoir 8. Zac Posen designed this bold, body-contouring gown complemented by a necklace, earrings and cocktail ring from Lou Goldberg Jeweller Toronto

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George C. in Yorkville. “I usually know what Kelly likes and dislikes. I enjoy picking items that go a little bit outside the box,” says her Holt Renfrew stylist Patrice Favreau. “She’s charming, full of life and has great energy.”

Lisa Corbo, the ebullient co-owner of George C., known around Toronto’s social circuits for her fashionable fall fundraiser, Lunch with Margaret and George, refers to Rosen as her rock.

“When I told her that I planned on doing this annual event, she was the first there to support me,” she says.

In addition to rallying awareness and funds for Princess Margaret Hospital in her role as a committee member, Rosen and her husband support numerous health-related causes through the family’s newly established foundation.

“We’ve been blessed. And it’s just — it’s the right thing to do,” says Rosen.

“I love my life. I feel very spoiled, very blessed. But I could go back and do everything I used to. It’s my husband that makes it the sweet life — and the kids. It’s not the stuff, it’s the people.”

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1. SUNSET STRIP: Find your own personal paradise in Los Angeles, the new Florida according to Torontonians. www.benbacal.com 2. BALANCING ACT: The synergy of black on white is anything but boring in this Moda Operandi gown. www.modaoperandi.com 3. MOVES LIKE JAGGER: Model Georgia May Jagger poses with Roberto Cavalli, mastermind behind the wild and intricate Just Cavalli line. www.robertocavalli.com 4. LASHING OUT: Glamorize your look with a pair of false lashes and the cameras will adore you this holiday season. www.goddesslashes.com 5. BEACH BELLE: Rock the sands with this eye-catching “I Run To You” number. www.beachbunnyswimwear.com 6. J’ADORE PARIS: The City of Love blushes with the chicly furnished Prestige Suite at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris. www.plaza-athenee-paris.com

7. ISLAND TIME: Searching for the winter vacation of your dreams?

The Maldives Island Resort is calling your name. www.comohotels.com 8. WITH A BANG: Give your look a luxurious kiss with this luxe bangle star-studded with brilliant-cut diamonds. www.toddreed.com 9. SEEING SPOTS: Give your tablet an element of chic with this spotted haircalf iPad slipcase. www.vivre.com 10. TIME TO ACT: Dazzle with a cause. This Victoria Blue Heart watch benefits the United Nation’s Blue Heart Campaign against Human Trafficking. www.backesandstrauss.com 11. POP OF COLOUR: This daring gem isn’t from your grandmother’s jewelry box; ignite your look with some colourful sparkle. www.modaoperandi.com www.dolcemag.com

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Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, owner of SWW Creative, is the visionary behind memorable fashion events

Running THE

RUNWAY

VOGUE’S FORMER SPECIAL EVENTS DIRECTOR STEPHANIE WINSTON WOLKOFF IS AT THE TOP OF NEW YORK’S FASHION SCENE PHOTO BY HANNAH THOMSON

WRITTEN BY ATHAINA TSIFLIKLIS

tephanie Winston Wolkoff is the definition of a woman who does it all. An unparalleled determination and passionate persona makes her the go-to girl in the fashion world.

Unlike most success stories in the industry, Wolkoff didn’t eat, sleep and breathe fashion from a young age. “Having two older brothers, I was very much a tomboy,” she says. Today, at 41, she exudes that same confidence that allows her to play among one of the toughest crowds.

Fanatical fashion designers and magazine editors make up Wolkoff’s address book, making her a wellconnected face in the industry. Her career began to blossom when she 32

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landed a public relations role at the royal fortress of fashion — Vogue magazine. Two years later she became the director of special events, working alongside editor-in-chief Anna Wintour to organize some of the most-anticipated annual events. The Costume Institute gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a notable one, garnering style-savvy celebrities for a glamorous evening.

“Working for the East Coast Oscars of the fashion world was such an incredible experience,” says Wolkoff, whose father, Bruce Winston, is the son of jewelerto-the-stars Harry Winston. “I had a complete, open, hands-on approach with the greatest mentor (in my opinion) within the industry. Anna [Wintour] www.dolcemag.com

really enabled me to take things to the next level.”

In November 2009, Wolkoff gained a level of autonomy when she became the founding fashion director of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, where she managed the repositioning of New York City’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Moving the biannual event from Bryant Park to Damrosch Park was an intricate process, but one that Wolkoff mastered. With back-to-back meetings in the days leading up to fashion week, she continues to be the liaison between magazine editors and emerging designers. “For me, it was about making the designers and the industry feel like they were really being taken care

of.” Working with Vogue on Fashion’s Night Out and Elle on Elle Fashion Next, to name a few, this powerhouse is the chosen one for some of the most prominent events in fashion.

“One other big thing I learned from Anna is that relationships are everything.” Simple yet critical, this piece of advice is something that has helped Wolkoff get to where she is today. Maintaining relationships that are based on professionalism, loyalty and honesty has earned her the respect of her peers. “People say when one door closes another opens, but for me it’s a continuum of opening doors. You don’t want to close any.”

Building a world of fashion outside of the Lincoln Center, Wolkoff also helped bridge the gap between designers and consumers. “Another big thing for me was, how do you open up those big velvet ropes?” Giving everyday fashion lovers a front-row experience, Wolkoff answered her own question and started an initiative with IMG and Lincoln Center that allowed the public to view runway shows on a big screen outside of the Metropolitan Opera House during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Creating an exciting and inclusive fashion scene, Wolkoff is a positive role model for young adults who are hoping some day to step into the industry. She encourages hard work and discourages the romantic portrait that so many people have painted in their minds. “It isn’t about glamour at all,” she says. “It’s about rolling up your

WORKING FOR THE EAST COAST OSCARS OF THE FASHION WORLD WAS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE — Stephanie Winston Wolkoff sleeves and doing whatever it takes to accomplish the task at hand.”

It is this matter-of-fact mindset that carried Wolkoff into her next venture and helped change the false notion that the sartorial world is all play and no work.

On June 1, 2012, she launched SWW Creative, an independent agency that helps build partnerships in the areas of fashion, beauty and entertainment.

Running her own business, executiveproducing the 9th Annual Style Awards and working her magic on many aspects of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, you’ll be surprised to know that Wolkoff’s duties don’t end there. She is also a

doting mother of three.

“Fashion week started and it was also the first week of school. Everything was happening at the same time, but I still did [school] drop-offs every day.”

Working around the clock, sleep is a foreign word to this mother, wife and businesswoman. “There’s no such thing as 9 to 5, or even 9 to 1 a.m.,” she confesses. “The month leading up to [fashion week], I’ll run home and be with the kids and put them to bed and then start working again.” Marrying what she calls “the most incredible, supportive husband,” and choosing staff with the same steadfast vision are two decisions that have helped Wolkoff achieve her goals. Despite her busy schedule, it is clear that what is most important to her is family.

Having a son with fatal food allergies has presented challenges but also inspired Wolkoff to support the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI). Her unwavering love for her children and passion for charitable work has led her to host numerous luncheons and galas, and to co-create the Winston Wolkoff Foundation for food allergies at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. “I have to say I couldn’t imagine doing anything else, because I work with so many different worlds. I work with the fashion world, the entertainment world, beauty, and then with all of my charities,” she says. “I feel like my fingers touch a little bit of everything.”

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff managed the relocation of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week from Bryant Park to Damrosch Park at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

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Club

CURATORS’

TORONTO CURATORS PAINT US A PICTURE OF THE CITY’S ARTSCAPE INTERVIEWS BY ATHAINA TSIFLIKLIS

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LE GALLERY

MOCCA GALLERY

NAVILLUS GALLERY

WIL KUCEY

[MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN ART]

TAYLOR GRANT SULLIVAN

DAVID LISS Q What do you look for in the pieces you select?

A I select artists and not pieces. So my

Q What do you look for in the pieces you select?

A I think art is about pushing at the

Q What do you look for in the pieces you select?

A I look for artists that have a really

approach is different than a number of other galleries where they’re looking for an inventory to provide to clients.

For me, I’m looking for a group of artists that I can represent and move forward with for a very long time. So I’m looking for a commitment to an artist that has ambition, incredible skill and, of course, a drive and an understanding of artwork.

edges of the human imagination, and I’m fascinated by art that I don’t initially understand. I see something in an art gallery and I look at it, and I go, “What? What is this? Why would somebody go out and paint this?

Why?” I mean, those are fascinating questions. If you follow the thinking of the artist and you spend some time with it, you inevitably end up learning something. Discovery. It’s about discovery. Taste, to me, is the enemy of discovery and the imagination. It’s too limiting.

strong voice and sense of purpose.

When putting together a show, I try to bring together pieces and ideas that clash in order to start conversations.

I try to bring together works that have something powerful and relevant to say.

Q What makes you passionate about the industry?

A I love the idea of pure creativity, that this was one’s unique and singular vision that was being expressed to benefit society. I see art as something that’s helped me understand a lot of trauma in my life and a lot of hardship, but also a lot of joy. I collect work for myself when something major happens in my life. So if I get a new apartment, I buy something; if I have an anniversary, I buy something. So those pieces of work become intrinsically linked with those events. Every time I look at art I know that it’s loaded with not only the passion of that artist, but that I get to bring something from my life to that as well. To me it’s one of the most exciting points of conversation — to look at a painting and talk about what that means to you and the world in general. www.le-gallery.ca

Q Do you think artists are born with their skill?

A To me, skill is a secondary consideration. Art is about the breadth and scope of the human imagination, and everybody has the capacity to explore it. Creativity, imagination, art in its various forms, is what makes us human, and for me, people that are not artists or musicians or actors go these days to art galleries and museums in record numbers; people go to the theatre, people go to concerts.

There’s so many ways to engage with creative imagination. It’s an absolutely necessary part of our survival. www.mocca.ca

Q What challenges are prevalent in the art market that people may not realize?

A It has been a trend-driven market, in which major sales have catalyzed higher activity in certain categories, like surrealism, for example. The sale of Joan Miró’s Painting-Poem for $26.6 million was followed by the sale of his Étoile Bleue for $36.9 million.

Also notable, the New York financier Wilbur Ross subsequently acquired Les Jours Gigantesques for $11.3 million, at nearly five times its estimate.

At the highest level, I think it is a market filled with investors buying into areas they see as becoming “hot.”

However, the broader market has not fully recovered since 2009. The middle-end of the contemporary market, in particular, has seen lower sales volumes and prices. Mid-level impressionist paintings have also underperformed. One of the big challenges is becoming relevant globally and speaking to new collectors worldwide. www.navillusgallery.com

TASTE, TO ME, IS THE ENEMY OF DISCOVERY AND THE IMAGINATION. IT’S TOO LIMITING – David Liss, MOCCA Gallery 34

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1A. Artist Tristram Lansdowne paints beautiful, thoughtprovoking structures. He calls this piece Axis Mundi

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1B. Artist Amanda Nedham showcases her drawing, Half of Less Than Ten VI, and joins art curator and director of LE Gallery, Wil Kucey 2A. Artistic director and curator David Liss stands outside of the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) 2B. An installation view of trans/FORM matter as Subject > New Perspectives at MOCCA, with work by artists Jaime Angelopoulos, Hugh Scott-Douglas, Niall McClelland, Derrick Piens and Georgia Dickie

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PHOTO BY FAYIAZ CHUNARA

3A. Belgian Emu is an elaborate illustration done by artist Christie Lau with acrylic ink 3B. Art curator of Navillus Gallery, Taylor Grant Sullivan 3C. Venezia I is a breathtaking digital photograph created by Mary Conover

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S P E C I A L B U I L D E R A D V E R T O R I A L F E AT U R E

The MIZRAHI

MOVEMENT SAM MIZRAHI TAKES LUXURY TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH HIS LATEST YORKVILLE DEVELOPMENT, 181 DAVENPORT

In

a rising luxury real estate market, Sam Mizrahi finds himself at the apex of Toronto’s transformation.

The president and CEO of Mizrahi Developments, whose beginnings can be traced back to the brick-and-stone faces of Forest Hill’s coveted custom homes, has reached a new plateau with his imminent Yorkville development.

Sprinting down the stairs of 181 Davenport’s staggering presentation gallery, the effervescent entrepreneur opens up about the next phase of his expanding empire. “We’re very excited and passionate to keep growing and be entrusted to go into new communities and to do exactly what we’re doing here: create a lifestyle experience, create a community experience that doesn’t exist yet,” he says.

Complementing the natural curvature of Davenport Road, Mizrahi has envisioned a 12-storey, Parisianinspired limestone mid-rise featuring 5,000 square feet of upscale retail and 36

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three penthouse tiers with expansive, south-facing terraces overlooking Yorkville’s unobstructed Heritage Conservation District. “You get the sunrise, you get the sunset, and because we’re on the south side of the street, you get the sun all day long. It’s beautiful,” he says, circling the 3D model.

Building within the cultural context of a sought-after neighbourhood, Mizrahi enlisted the support of his go-to team: internationally renowned interior designer Brian Gluckstein and awardwinning architect Sol Wassermuhl of Page + Steel. “You’re as good as those you surround yourself with in life,” says Mizrahi. The promise of a brilliantly packaged product on the periphery of convention gives potential homeowners incentives they can’t close the door on.

Mizrahi has good reason to have faith in the talents of his design team.

Gluckstein and Wassermuhl also collaborated with him on 133 Hazelton, a 38-suite luxury marvel which sold www.dolcemag.com

so fast that the construction phase commenced ahead of schedule — a rarity in an industry better known for falling behind. “We had such a large interest in 133 so we decided, ‘OK, here’s an opportunity to create another building right beside it,’” he says of the motivation that spurred 181 Davenport.

In the first two and a half weeks, Mizrahi has already sold 35 per cent of the suites, most of them signed by buyers who were previously enamoured of its predecessor. “They were so loyal because they stayed. They waited over a year and didn’t purchase anywhere else, which speaks volumes.”

His gaze turns to adjacent glass walls that capture the dynamism of Davenport Road. Within eyeshot are a few of Mizrahi’s favourite familiar destinations: from Ramsden Park and Joso’s Restaurant to Massimo Capra’s Mistura. “The location was critical because you have the privacy of being on a residential street and the privacy of having a home, without

HAIR & MAKEUP - JORDANA MAXWELL/JUDYINC.COM USING TRESEMMÉ HAIR CARE TRES TWO HAIRSPRAY TO ENSURE A MANICURED AND POLISHED FINISH PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSE MILNS

Sam Mizrahi, president and CEO of Mizrahi Developments

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IT’S THERE FOR THE FUTURE, IT’S THERE FOR THE PRESENT AND IT’S A REFLECTION OF THE PAST

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being in the centre of Yorkville where you come down and bump into three of your friends.” The beauty of being just a four-minute walk from Toronto’s pulsating nexus is an effervescent attraction. “You can walk to the best restaurants, the theatre, the shopping, the museum, it’s all there.”

Surrounded by splashy 60-storey structures, the pressure to design differently and cater to a niche clientele that’s dispassionate about trends, yet tired of tradition, is the motivation behind Mizrahi’s distinctly different buildings. “If you create timeless architecture with timeless materials, you are going to become a significant fabric of the community,” he says of his construction philosophy, which also emphasizes environmental consciousness through EnergyStar and ISO 9001 best practices. It’s because

— Sam Mizrahi

will have the opportunity to sit down with Gluckstein and the design team to conceptualize a completely personalized space fitted with top finishes, “where you can exhale, where you have peace, laughter, where you just feel like you belong and it’s instinctively home.”

His competitive advantage lies in the uniqueness of a product that responds to the rare demands of discerning clients.

“181 Davenport will have services, amenities and details that you don’t even know you need yet,” he says of the property management features fully maintained by Mizrahi Developments.

Living in an era dominated by errands, he recognizes that his clients aren’t just looking for a luxurious home; they’re looking for a lifestyle experience. From a 24-7 white-glove concierge service that will order you dinner on a whim and

181 Davenport will have the amenities of a boutique hotel with the customized comfort of a home

of this, that 181 Davenport is able to circumvent the competitive, high-rise movement that’s sweeping the city. “It’s a different market. We’re developing boutique mid-rise buildings that have a more international, timeless culture.”

With his roots planted in Forest Hill, Mizrahi established a firm understanding of the importance of mirroring the composition of an established environment. “It shouldn’t be a tree in the middle of the desert, it should look like it was there and it always belonged there,” he says. For Mizrahi, building in Yorkville meant gaining collective support, which he won almost immediately through public meetings and discussions on shared values. “You have a moral responsibility when you’re coming in

and building significant structures in a community because those buildings are going to be there long after you’re gone. It’s there for the future, it’s there for the present and it’s a reflection of the past.”

The modus operandi of Mizrahi’s custom-home days has metamorphosed into an all-encompassing level of customer and community service that is applied to every project, whether it’s a single residence or a boutique condominium. “It allowed me to really understand my client and be able to build homes that sang to the family. I wanted them to come in and say ‘this is it, this is exactly what our dream home is,’ and by spending years listening and building just that, it became entrenched in our DNA.” Owners of 181 Davenport www.dolcemag.com

water your plants while you’re away, to valet parking, a fitness retreat and an intimate theatre, “our relationship goes on long after the sales process.” It’s the Mizrahi imprint customers have come to expect. “I think it’s the details in the lifestyle, it’s what happens after you move in.”

With completion dates of December 2014 and 2015 respectively for 133 Hazelton and 181 Davenport, Mizrahi is shaping the horizon of a city he calls home. “I love collaborating, I love looking at every detail and making it perfect. To me, the creative process just makes me so enthusiastic and I think that passion and that enthusiasm really becomes the fabric of every element in our development.” www.181davenport.com DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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A Grand VISION A BENCHMARK CONDO DEVELOPMENT IN RICHMOND HILL WILL TOUCH THE SKY IN 2014

heodore Roosevelt once said, “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” These stoic words represent a palpable maxim for Stefano Guizzetti, Jack Scivoletto and Albert Gasparro. The result couldn’t be grander.

Aligned under the Guizzetti Corporation banner, this trio has embarked on a landmark endeavour to

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bring Richmond Hill its most prominent condo residence yet: Grand Palace Condominiums. “What we’re trying to do here in Richmond Hill is update the city’s esthetic; to bring it up to the class it deserves,” says Scivoletto, vice-president of Guizzetti Corporation.

Three stunning 15-storey glass condo buildings will stand on a foundation of various commercial and retail spaces, all accented by luxurious amenities that cater to every aspect of life in the city.

With spacious nine-foot ceilings www.dolcemag.com

The leading minds behind Guizzetti Corporation’s Grand Palace Condominiums: Partner and director Albert Gasparro, president Stefano Guizzetti and vice-president Jack Scivoletto

as a standard, each of the 524 units are drenched in natural light thanks to their frames of chic glass walls.

Contemporary elegance fashions these open-concept suites, each adorned with sleek fixtures and energy-efficient appliances, including Fisher & Paykel refrigerators and Whirlpool stainlesssteel dishwashers, ovens, microwaves and full-sized stacked washers and dryers. Granite countertops are also standard features, as are the premium porcelain tiles that line the bathroom and kitchen floors.

While all these features paint a pristine vision of modern living, the icing on the cake is individual in-suite climate control. Many condo developments keep heating and air-conditioning in the hands

PHOTO BY JESSE MILNS

S P E C I A L B U I L D E R A D V E R T O R I A L F E AT U R E

A landmark development for modern living in the heart of Richmond Hill, Grand Palace Condominiums will feature three 15-storey glass condo buildings with spacious ceilings, open-concept suites with climate control, entertainment and conference centres, outdoor terraces, a sumptuous spa and more

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WE STRIVE TO BE THE BEST AT WHAT WE DO. NOT MEDIOCRITY: THE BEST

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of the building — residents must wait for the condo corporation to turn it on.

Scivoletto, who’s worked in construction and development for over 30 years, explains this addition frees residents from constraints of conventional condos.

“You have the ability to control your home’s temperature, so you’re not paying for excessive utility costs,” he says.

But the luxuries at Grand Palace don’t end in the suites. Party rooms, conference centres, guest suites, outdoor terraces and 24-hour concierge service enhance social life, while a winter garden brings nature’s warmth even on the coldest days.

Amenity wise, the cherry is undoubtedly the Grand Spa. “We didn’t want to create that typical pool and gym,” adds Scivoletto, describing the fitness studio, yoga studio, sauna, pool, whirlpool and lounge the Grand Spa houses. It’s an addition that takes Grand Palace to heights few developments reach.

“We strive to be the best at what we do. Not mediocrity: the best,” says Guizzetti, president of Guizzetti Corporation. As a longtime resident, Richmond Hill was the obvious place to house Grand Palace. “I’ve lived here all my life,” he says. “It’s my home.”

Guizzetti, whose father Giovanni played an integral role in shaping both Richmond Hill and the Yonge Street Corridor, feels age-old principles, like honesty and respect, should be the foundation of any project. “Actions speak louder than words,” says the 20-year land development veteran. We treat people the way we want to be treated.

And that’s reflected in our project.”

It’s an old-school attitude — influenced by his father’s penchants for integrity — from a time when your word was your bond. Some things just never go out of style.

This dedication resonates within all three partners. Many customers ask to deal directly with team members because of the attention they’re given and the honesty with which it is delivered. A fact made clear when Scivoletto hustles away from a photo shoot to greet two entering clientele.

“We work so well together,” says Gasparro, partner and director at Guizzetti Corporation, as he describes their close working relationship, where

— Stefano Guizzetti unique individual passions blend to form a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. “We complement each other, we all listen to each other and we solve problems very quickly, which is great for a project and great for our clients and everybody that works with us.”

When asked about their charitable endeavours, Gasparro remains modest.

While he notes working with Yellow Brick House, a shelter for abused women and children, and Sunnybrook Hospital, to which he donated over $1 million, he www.dolcemag.com

humbly describes his philanthropic work as a natural obligation to help important organizations to operate. “I think it’s our job to support and to help them with the means to do what they need to do,” says Gasparro, a 30-year financing veteran and recipient of the Star of Solidarity from the Italian government. “This in turn allows the community to grow.”

On the heels of a resounding groundbreaking ceremony, which they all describe as just an incredible experience, this trio couldn’t be happier with Grand Palace’s progress. To mark their commitment to the brand, each partner purchased their own residence in Grand Palace. It was an automatic response, says Guizzetti. “We wanted to back what we’re saying,” adds Gasparro.

“Owning a unit in the project that you’re building is just that.”

Under this visionary direction, Grand Palace adds to the prestige of a growing community. With building underway and occupancy slated for 2014, Gasparro sums up their shared vision: “I think this project in Richmond Hill will be the benchmark for which all others will be measured.” www.grandpalace.ca www.guizzetti.com DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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MARIANNE McKENNA’S

ASCENT

THE MONUMENTAL RISE OF AN ARCHITECT ON A MISSION TO MAKE HISTORY WRITTEN BY MADELINE STEPHENSON

Marianne McKenna, founding partner of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB)

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It

all began on the second storey of a cosy Park Street flat in New Haven, Conn. It was there, in the heart of Yale’s university district, that master’s student Marianne McKenna foreshadowed her future as one of North America’s most influential architects. The prophetic moment presented itself in a simple sketch she designed for her roommate, Meryl Streep. “She made a little drawing of our tiny kitchen that she hung over the actual kitchen table, mirroring and miniaturizing the view. I cherish it to this day,” says the Oscar-winning actress over email. “Her vision, the way she looked at structure and line, was always sharp, clear and uncomplicated. This clarity was always and invariably informed by her own sensuous nature — her emotive, true and visceral reactions to people, places, spaces and events.” That innate force of affection is the steel that struck McKenna’s flint in an industry where so few have found their spark.

Renowned architect Barton Myers recognized that flicker the moment he met her at a Montreal soiree in the late ’70s. Following a lecture series, the recent Ivy League architecture graduate dined and discoursed with Myers, who at the time was greasing the wheels of a Toronto-based firm that would go on to become an international marvel. “I found her very articulate and interesting,” says the founder of Barton Myers Associates Inc., who’s since moved his life work to Los Angeles. “I tend to choose someone who I think is intelligent and organized and has reasonable artistic ability — someone who will probably survive.” For Myers, McKenna was a natural selection. Nearly 35 years later, the Officer of the Order of Canada, who’s been named one of the country’s most powerful women, has gone far beyond maintaining a pulse in a Darwinian industry slimly designed for the fittest.

“Within five years I had the most talented firm in the country,” says Myers. But when he flew his studio south in the late ’80s, his Toronto progeny, Bruce Kuwabara, Thomas Payne, McKenna and Shirley Blumberg, decided to stay put and formed an acronym that spread its wings to win 175 awards, earn 12 Governor General’s Medals and design some of North America’s most notable properties.

“Initially they were hesitant about going out on their own but once they did it’s been gangbusters,” he proudly adds of KPMB Architects.

PHOTO BY TOM ARBAN

McKenna consulted an acoustician to ensure the quality of sound in The Royal Conservatory’s Koerner Concert Hall was second to none

It’s just after 3 p.m. at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and the monomaniacal attention to detail McKenna’s become known for burns brighter than the flames blazing from a matte black wall to her right.

The contemporary inset fire feature is one of an infinite number of elements she’s become intimately familiar with as the partner-in-charge of the business school’s recent $92-million expansion.

“I see everything. It’s a curse,” says a smiling McKenna. Her resemblance to actress Ali MacGraw is as evident as it was when Myers gave her the Hollywood moniker 30 years ago. “I have the ability to scan and see when something is slightly out of place or not quite right,” she adds, whirling her head around a glass atrium that lacks the anachronism you’d expect from an institution of its age. Her organic passion ricochets off perforated wood panels.

Behind her is a café lounge outfitted with white chairs that summons student interaction and beckons a bustling St. George Street with its see-through floor-to-ceiling face. To her left is a conspicuous staircase accented with a fuchsia ribbon of paint that runs all

“You have one chance at this, you do it in about 45 minutes, you redraw it a couple of times and then time’s up,” McKenna says of her sketch for The Royal Conservatory’s Koerner Concert Hall

THE WAY SHE LOOKED AT STRUCTURE AND LINE WAS ALWAYS SHARP, CLEAR AND UNCOMPLICATED — Meryl Streep the way up to the elevated glass-box event hall. The hot pink punch was an unexpected intonation that helped the firm she co-founded in ’87 win over a university selection committee in a cutthroat architectural competition four years ago. “I like it because it transcends any idea of a colour being gender-based,” says Montreal-born McKenna. It also didn’t hurt that she presented on Valentine’s Day. “If you’re interested in the building, we can walk up?” she asks.

According to Streep, the animated architect, who’s become one of her www.dolcemag.com

closest friends, has always had an affinity for physical ascent. “I will tend to avoid anything that involves carrying things up and down the stairs, but [Marianne] taught me that the stairs, and the heavy boxes and multiple loads up and down were not a burden, but an opportunity, an opportunity to feel strong and maybe even take two steps at a time because we were young and we could,” she says. “After I got over thinking she was insane, I realized she was right, and fit, and this was part of why she was gorgeous and happy and slept well at night.”

So up the stairs we go.

From the Gardiner Museum to Maple Leaf Square and TIFF Bell Lightbox, KPMB has shaped the Toronto we know today with their progressive vision of tomorrow. But McKenna will never forget the climb — the events that helped hone her kaleidoscope lens of clean lines and conviction. An early failure stands out in her mind. She recalls one of her very first projects, a local university, and the consequences of being too passive to push forward her grand design plans. “I think when you’re young you don’t have the confidence to drop an idea down and then follow DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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“Integrative thinking is to take two seemingly disparate and different ideas that are irreconcilable and figure out how to reconcile them back to a single idea that’s stronger than both of those seemingly disparate notions” Marianne McKenna on complementing architect Eb Zeidler’s existing Rotman building

PHOTO BY TOM ARBAN

it through,” she says. “What I should have done was gone to the president and said, ‘look, you want a great building?

For $10 more we can blow up this wall and connect these two spaces and make something fantastic!’” When she approached the president years later to express her regrets of not speaking up, he emphatically told her, “I would have let you do it.” It was a lesson McKenna’s never forgotten. “That’s the advantage of aging in the profession, is that I do have that confidence. I’m not always right, but I’m always willing to talk about the issues.”

“If she was not confident, she did a great job of hiding it,” says Myers in his cowboy cadence. From his studio on Westwood Boulevard, the don’t-throwstones architect, who is revered for reshaping the framework of traditional design with his signature glass and steel structures, is short of material when searching for an anecdote that illustrates the distinct character of a great architect — someone like McKenna. “You could tell right away what the bone structure and the shape of the body is of a girl or a boy who will make a very great dancer, but what you can’t tell is what the soul is and what the ambition is,” he explains. “In architecture it’s even harder.” What he does know is that McKenna has it. There’s a sense that Myers quietly credits himself for spotting a rare bird on that Montreal night.

“It’s been an amazing time to make history in Toronto,” says McKenna, noting that KPMB has worked on seven of the city’s cultural projects that occurred between 2003 and 2009.

“I mean, it’s huge, how do we get so 42

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Marianne McKenna stands by the hot pink staircase she conceived for the Rotman School of Management

lucky?” Her most publicly extolled is The Royal Conservatory of Music’s Telus Centre for Performance and Learning and its centrepiece Koerner Hall, which has received over a dozen awards and has been hailed the “final jewel in the crown of Toronto’s Cultural Renaissance.” As she stares down at the initial sketch she conceived, the particles of a project that spanned nearly two decades cast a wistful expression on her face. “I’d never done a concert hall, who gets to do that? And I was thinking, ‘how do you wrap the room with people?’” she says, waving

named an honorary fellow of the RCM in 2011.

Breaking ivory tower ideologies with buildings that alter tired trajectories is something she’s garnered a reputation for. “She has an affinity for what most people would think to be the most unloved and unattractive structures, because she sees the potential in everything,” says her husband Ian Tudhope, partner at a Toronto-based private equity and advisory firm. Her relentless work ethic is one of the je ne sais quoi qualities Tudhope took notice of while stationed in a neighbouring

I DON’T AGREE WITH ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER THAT YOU CAN’T HAVE IT ALL, YOU JUST HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT ALL IS — Marianne McKenna her finger over the chorus, the flipper walls and the acoustic veil as if she were conducting an orchestra.

What was once just pencil on paper has become a global platform for the arts. “McKenna created this vision.

This irrevocable vision,” says RCM president Peter Simon. “It’s this notion that you’re building something for the ages, you’re building something that is at an international standard. How many architects have that kind of vision and that kind of taste and can actually design something that’s so beautiful that everybody in the world just flocks to that hall because they want to see it?” he adds of McKenna, who was www.dolcemag.com

office nearly 30 years ago. “I used to see Marianne out in the hall frequently at all hours of the day and night. I was always impressed that she was working until two in the morning, she’s a confident juggler.”

Brigitte Shim, who grew to know McKenna during the Myers era, speaks to her colleague’s unwavering commitment to address systemic issues through a principled design approach.

“She’s brought a level of humanity and insight and understanding to things that are really difficult and challenging and has turned them into really great outcomes,” says the co-founder of Shim-Sutcliffe Architects. As a visi-

ting chair at Yale, Shim has called on McKenna’s insight as a guest critic for her student reviews. “She’s willing to go the distance.”

Streep recalls an early conversation about one of those far-reaching projects, which ended up earning McKenna’s firm a Certificate of Merit from the American Institute of Architects and a Governor General’s Award in 1997. “One of the first designs she shared with me of which she was most proud was for a new prototype of a women’s prison which envisioned incarceration as a cluster of smaller houses in a linked community, shared responsibilities and access to children,” says Streep of Ontario’s Grand Valley Institution for Women. “I thought that this design could not have come out of the traditional firms of the decades before the inclusion of gifted women into the profession.”

Despite the fact that her gender represented less than seven per cent of registered Canadian architects in 1985, McKenna never felt like an anomaly. A vocal proponent of egalitarian environments modelled in

KPMB’s impartial anatomy, she’s taken a visible stance at the top of a ladder that’s now gaining a prominent female footprint. “We lose women in our office, but when they go, if they want a year off, I say, ‘come to me when you’re ready to come back. You’re just as valuable to me in a year as you are right now. The other wages have gone up, your wage should go up.’”

Unabashed to admit she’s had the fortune of great support along the way, the mother of two kids in their 20s has rewritten the work-life narrative.

“The common good is to have women active and happy. I wouldn’t be happy at home,” says McKenna, who recently became a Metrolinx board member to better serve the transportation demands of a swelling population.

Whether it meant having a baby on Thursday and being back at the office on Monday, or staying awake while the world was asleep, she’s navigated an eventful life that’s just right for her. “I don’t agree with Anne-Marie Slaughter that you can’t have it all, you just have to decide what all is.” While it’s not

uncommon for her to put in 15-hour days, McKenna’s made it a point to never miss breakfast or dinner at the Rosedale home she and Tudhope have happily renovated a handful of times.

“I knew she was destined to become a wonderful designer and architect, but I also knew it would not be at the expense of having a family,” says Streep.

Her lifetime achievements are personified in the Order of Canada pin piercing through her bone-coloured lapel, but the trailblazer promises she’s only halfway through. It’s clear that the 62-year-old hasn’t spent more than a second basking in the glories that succeeded the poignant sketch she drew of her modest Park Street kitchen four decades ago. In a rare cathartic moment, a confident McKenna exposes the raw emotion her buildings so notably embrace. “It’s hard work, not losing the things you value most, but yes, I’m living the dream,” she says, tears welling in her eyes. “As architects, you have the opportunity to imagine and design your life.” www.kpmb.com

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Amanda Lindhout, founder and executive director of the Global Enrichment Foundation

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A

Finding

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FORGIVENESS AMANDA LINDHOUT DISCUSSES LIFE AFTER HER KIDNAPPING, HER FOUNDATION THAT FOLLOWED AND THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

manda Lindhout is standing in front of a predominantly female crowd sharing her harrowing story of survival. The former journalist describes the unsettling 15 and a half months that followed her kidnapping in Somalia. The terror of facing trained AK-47s on that fateful August day in 2008; the long and unnerving 460 days in captivity; the unyielding hunger; the perpetual darkness.

We’re privy to details she sparingly reveals. But this isn’t a bid at sensationalism or a cry for pity. Lindhout shares her ordeal to illustrate the power found in forgiveness and, as she explains, to draw attention to the country where she lost her freedom, but found her life’s work.

It’s early October and roughly 140 attendees have gathered for the Women’s Executive Network’s fifth event in its Evening Cocktail Series. The event, held at the ROM’s c5 Restaurant Lounge, has been sold out for weeks. Lindhout is the keynote speaker. “Leaders Who Are Changing the World” flickers above as hands clasp wine-filled glasses and eyes lock on the Kate Middleton–esque brunette standing front and centre.

“We are the lucky ones,” she says, opening her address.

The point is exemplified by noting that women represent 70 per cent of the world’s poor, and how fortunate we are as Canadians to live shielded from slavery and mass violence, free to learn and play.

An orange glow lingers as dusk sets in, pulling an inkblue blanket over the skyline that hangs like a mural behind her. The posh setting and sweeping view provide an obvious antithesis to the subject at hand. Does anyone notice? Does anyone really care? The crowd sits frozen, gripped with a calm but intense silence. It seems Lindhout’s words do more than the view ever could.

We hear of Lindhout’s failed escape attempt, and of the Somali woman who embraced her, calling her “sister,” as militants tore them apart. How the sizable ransom left her family financially ruined, and how donations from Canadians helped them pay it. How disillusioned and depressed she was upon her return — but how, through love, support and a remembered promise, she was able to step back into the light. And we hear of a Somali heroine who, after enduring the darkest depths of human depravity, explained to Lindhout that she feels responsible to still stand tall for the women of her country despite the horrors she has suffered.

WRITTEN BY MICHAEL HILL PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPH STRUBE

We’re stunned.

While the power of her message is palpable — a standing ovation and mascara-streaked faces speaks to its impact — occasional pauses and teary eyes bare glints of pain that may never fade. “No matter how many times I do these kinds of things, these speaking engagements, they’re always hard for me,” Lindhout says as we sit in the Thompson Toronto’s rooftop lounge after her keynote. “It’s actually always, every single time, challenging for me.”

It’s understandable, of course, considering what those gracious green eyes have seen. She’s charming and extremely personable, smiles constantly, carrying herself with professional poise. November is the three-year anniversary of Lindhout’s release, and while it would be easy to let the anger sweep her away, it’s a feeling she knows not to feed.

“I just don’t give it any energy,” she says. When negative emotion surfaces, “I recognize it, I choose to let it go, and I focus on something else.”

Today, that focus is the Global Enrichment Foundation (GEF), a non-profit she founded in May 2010, only months after her release. GEF uses communal, educational and relief programs to foster development and peace in Somalia.

Through its Convoy for Hope program, GEF was one of the first organizations to dispense food during the East African famine in 2011, aiding 192,000 people — an accomplishment Lindhout is exceptionally proud of. Such relief is often needed in poor, impoverished countries like Somalia, but Lindhout isn’t satisfied with just giving handouts. She seeks to empower.

The Somali Women’s Scholarship Program (SWSP), GEF’s first initiative, is one way she hopes to do so. Somalia is one of the most oppressive and dangerous countries in the world, especially for women. Health care is near non-existent. Its infant mortality rate is amongst the world’s highest; life expectancy is amongst the world’s lowest. Sexual violence is frighteningly common, and education, for many, is mere fantasy. But there’s hunger for the opportunity to learn — a longing illustrated by the resounding response to the SWSP. “When I announced over Somalia radio these 10 scholarships, we had over 6,000 women apply,” the 31-yearold says enthusiastically. “It was so amazing to see.”

The first recipients are set to graduate this year and the newfound confidence they exhibit demonstrates education’s www.dolcemag.com

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ACTUALLY THINK SOMALIA IS A VERY KEY COUNTRY, AND CHANGING THE DYNAMICS OF THAT COUNTRY WILL IMPROVE THE SECURITY SITUATION IN THE ENTIRE WORLD

effect. “Every single one of them never dreamed they would have the chance,” she adds, “and now they’re about to embark out in their country and be agents of change. It’s just really exciting.”

At one point or another, every one of her kidnappers also expressed the desire to attend school. One in particular confided in her — in broken English he learned from listening to BBC radio — that he disliked being a solider.

He wanted to be a student.

“I actually think all of these boys would have made completely different decisions in their lives had there been a choice, had there been the opportunity to do something different,” she says of her kidnappers. “So I just recognized immediately the value education could have in a country like Somalia.”

It became apparent that her captors — most orphans, some as young as 14 — were but products of their environment.

They’re not innocent, she makes clear, but in a country like Somalia where war ravages, exposing children to its horrors, it’s not hard to see why violent paths are often chosen. This understanding gave Lindhout the strength to forgive.

She paraphrases a quote by one of her heroes, Nelson Mandela: “Human goodness is a flame that can be dimmed but never extinguished.” Those words, from the former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner’s memoir, Long Walk to Freedom, were a reminder that while buried under layers and layers of pain, that flame of goodness was still alive inside her kidnappers. Her freedom was torn away, but she chose to control the one thing she could: her response. She chose forgiveness.

“That’s the choice that I’m making, and when I share that choice with people it often evokes in them a desire to do the same,” says Lindhout, who’s also releasing her book, A House in the Sky, in late 2013. Following one of her early ventures into public speaking, a man approached her and explained how he hadn’t spoken to his father in nine years. After hearing her story he was ready to forgive him. “The more that I did that, the more I realized the power of that message of forgiveness to impact people’s lives in a positive way.”

Scholarships and aid obviously benefit many, but GEF also works to implement institutions for ongoing development. One institution is the Waqaf-Dhiblawe School. First opened by Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Hawa Abdi — who, Lindhout explains, is “a real hero in Somalia” — the school provides education to 850 children living in an internally displaced persons camp outside of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. On the day she was kidnapped, Lindhout was en route to the camp to report on Abdi’s work. She never made it. This past 46

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spring, however, while Lindhout was in Nairobi, Kenya, Abdi reached out. “We just spent the whole afternoon together and were just sharing stories about our work,” Lindhout recalls.

The topic of Abdi’s school came up and she confided that it had lost its funding. Its future was unclear. “She never asked me for anything, she was just sharing,” Lindhout explains.

“And I said to her, ‘I’m going to do what I can. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m going to do what I can do to help, I promise that.’” They compiled a list outlining the school’s needs, such as a women’s literacy centre, recreation facility, and library, and Lindhout set out to find a donor.

Lindhout approached Chobani Yogurt, which had supported GEF during the Convoy for Hope campaign, in search of funding. “Amanda’s passion, strength and perseverance are unstoppable and amazingly inspiring,” says Hamdi Ulukaya, founder, CEO and president of Chobani Yogurt. Chobani agreed to donate the money for the school.

Lindhout was elated. But in a country as volatile as Somalia, violence can rear its ugly head at any moment.

Fighting broke out in the area and the whole camp was evacuated. The extremist group instigating the violence was eventually pushed back and the camp’s populace returned.

The school, unfortunately, was damaged during the conflict.

“When you ask about what are the complications of working there, it’s endless. It’s a war zone. It’s one of the most dangerous countries in the world,” Lindhout says of the difficulties of operating in Somalia. “When I have staff on the ground in Somalia or Kenya, I mean, I don’t sleep at night, I just think, ‘Oh my gosh, what if something happens to them?’

Because it’s real — the dangers are real.”

But while violence is common, Lindhout is continuously inspired by the resiliency of the Somali people. “They go through so much,” she says, “and then they just get back on their feet again and they keep going and they don’t lose their hope for a better day.” The Waqaf-Dhiblawe School, for example, was reopened this past November and students returned ready to learn.

“I consider Amanda to be a true humanitarian and a dear friend. I’m heartened to have her join us in our mission to lift Somalia out of poverty and war,” says Abdi’s daughter, CEO of the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation, Deqo Mohamed.

“Together, we are building a world-class school for children who have been affected by war and famine, providing them with a path of escape from the cycle of violence,” she adds.

This message of perseverance is the one Lindhout prefers to share. While her work with the GEF — which she takes no salary for — resonates amongst many who hear her story, Lindhout often finds herself unwittingly placed on a

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Lindhout stands before Toronto’s skyline on the rooftop patio at the Thompson Toronto Hotel. In 2011, her charity, GEF, helped to feed nearly 200,000 Somali people during the East African famine

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pedestal. The narrative of “us helping them,” with Lindhout dubbed a champion, frequently propagates. It’s one she immediately dispels, however. She rejects that mythology and the dichotomy it creates. “They’re the ones that are really going to do it [bring change]. We’re just giving them the opportunities to do it,” she says, noting how GEF’s new slogan, “Opportunity for Change,” reflects that attitude.

Lindhout is optimistic that change will come. GEF has raised approximately $2 million for its programs and continues to grow. In 2013, GEF is launching a Somali radio program as part of its She Will initiative. She Will offers counselling, medical care, education and business opportunities to survivors of gender-based violence — it’s a program near to Lindhout’s heart. The one-hour weekly radio program will discuss issues Somali women face and provide information regarding support services and other opportunities, like scholarships, that are available. “And it’s from women for women,” she says. “There is nothing in that country like this.”

In Toronto, the night now fully owns the city and Lindhout’s point about being lucky is taking on dual meaning. Smartly dressed in-crowdians gather and gab, sipping on cocktails in the Thompson’s now not-so-secluded rooftop lounge.

The music is loud — too loud; the lights are low — too low, but Lindhout perseveres. We’re sitting in the lap of luxury and it’s a reminder of how privileged and out of touch we can be. Surrounded by opulence and conspicuous merrymaking, it seems pertinent to ask: being so far from poverty and violence, and with other conflicts and disasters afflicting so many across the globe, why should Canadians care about Somalia?

“What’s happening in Somalia is not so disconnected to us as we like to think it is,” Lindhout says. The truth is, what’s happening in Somalia — or Afghanistan or Iraq or wherever — does affect us. Power-hungry warlords, hardline fundamentalists and savvy terrorists manipulate and prey on the vulnerabilities of those exposed by poverty and violence, and that includes those in Somalia. These toxic environments fester and spread, endangering not just those caught in the eye of the storm, but also those hit by the fallout. “We are just one global community. We are not so separated by these imaginary lines, our borders, that we draw,” she adds. “I actually think Somalia is a very key country, and changing the dynamics of that country will improve the security situation in the entire world.” But it’s not just about protecting our own. It’s recognizing humanity as a whole; understanding that “us” and “them” are inventions, luxuries of the developed world, dehumanizing excuses for our good fortune. We should use that fortune wisely. We don’t have to start foundations of our own, but opportunities to give back surface daily. And, as Lindhout explains, small acts of generosity do not adversely affect our quality of life.

“Just doing what you can when you can,” she says. “You can be conscious and aware and live a life where you say, ‘Every day it’s important to me to give something back, to make a difference, because how lucky am I?’ I’m in a position to do that, so I should. Why wouldn’t I?” www.globalenrichmentfoundation.org

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CONFESSIONS OF A MASTER

Jennifer Huether is one of only 197 international master sommeliers

SOMMELIER ONLY 25 WOMEN IN THE WORLD CAN CALL THEMSELVES A MASTER SOMMELIER. JENNIFER HUETHER UNCORKS HER SECRETS TO BECOMING ONE OF THEM

My

journey to become a master sommelier began under the dim lights of an intimate, Bohemian restaurant in Toronto called the Rosedale Diner.

A casual conversation with head chef and inspired grape enthusiast Av Atikan intensified when I informed him that I wasn’t fond of white wine.

In a breath, he began lining up glasses like dominoes and pouring me sample after sample of his revered whites.

Before I could take a second to sip, he hustled into the kitchen and came back carrying plates of complementary dishes. One memorable pairing consisted of Sauternes and foie gras.

I tasted the wines, indulged in the 50

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food and was instantly hooked. I have Atikan to thank — or curse! — for the next decade of my life.

After that evocative exchange, I signed up for a sommelier course at George Brown College’s culinary school. It was a wonderful revelation to discover that my passion for wine could be translated into a profession. After working my way through the class, I realized I was still thirsty to learn more.

I pursued a diploma of wine from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, which took a few years of intense studying to complete.

In 2001, I heard about the Court of Master Sommeliers. It sounded easy enough: pass the advanced exam and then sit the master sommelier (MS) www.dolcemag.com

exam. Should be doable, I thought. It’s a good thing I had absolutely no insight as to how challenging it would actually turn out to be — I may have run for the hills rather than the vineyards.

After successfully completing the advanced portion, I started to sit the MS exam. I’ve tried many times to put into words what the latter experience was like, and the best thing I can liken it to is training for the Olympics and the army at the same time. Wine bottles covered my countertops, study group sessions went on for hours, days, months and then years, and I was embarrassed to carry out my recycling bins. The highlight, perhaps, was when my daughter told her daycare teachers that “Mommy drinks for a living.”

PHOTO OF JENNIFER HUETHER BY NIKKI LEIGH MCKEAN PHOTOGRAPHY/ CLIFF LEDE VINEYARDS

WRITTEN BY JENNIFER HUETHER

The master sommelier reveals her favourite winter reds 1 2010 La Crau de Ma Mère, Châteauneuf-duPape, Rhône Valley, France $44.95 — Big, rich and full-bodied style of CNDP. Savoury fruit, spicy notes with very extracted dark berry flavours with a raspberry core. Delicious now but will easily get better over the next 10 years-plus.

2 2009 Cliff Lede Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley, California, USA $75.00 — OK, a bit gratuitous, I realize, since I work for the winery, but I can safely tell you I was buying this rock star Cabernet for the Air Canada Centre long before! Deep, tight black currants and blueberries, savoury notes, dusty earth, firm tannins with balanced acidity. While you can drink this Cabernet now with a piece of rare beef, it will also cellar and improve easily for 10 years.

3 2008 Dei Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy $28.95 — This is a very heady Montepulciano, with notes of dried rose petals and violets, dark black ripe fruits wrapped in vanilla and cinnamon notes.

Elegant and medium-bodied with balanced acidity and tannins. Great with lighter-style meat dishes or pasta with a Bolognese sauce.

4 2008 Lantides Estates G, Agiorgitiko, Nemea, Greece $21.95 — Agiorgitiko is the red grape in Nemea, and while hard to say, it’s absolutely delicious – especially with some bottle age. This dry red is medium-plus bodied, full of sweet cherry, plum and roasted fig aromas. A healthy dose of acidity and tannins make it perfect for drinking with some fall/winter barbecue, or laying down for a few more years.

All wines available at the LCBO

Jennifer Huether Guest Wine Editor Jennifer Huether is the master sommelier for Napa Valley’s Cliff Lede Vineyards and Anderson Valley’s Breggo Cellars, which are owned by Edmonton native Cliff Lede. She is one of 197 master sommeliers in the world and is Canada’s first and only female master sommelier. Huether formerly worked as the head sommelier for Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment in Toronto, overseeing a large award-winning wine program. She looks forward to a fruitful future mentoring other young Canadian and North American sommeliers. www.cliffledevineyards.com

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IN THE CELLAR WITH JENNIFER HUETHER

I was a manic studier with wine maps all over my house and books spread over my children’s craft table.

All the while, I was working full time as the head sommelier at Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) in Toronto and raising two fantastic children.

It didn’t take me long to figure out why there were so few master sommeliers in the world. Trying to pass the final demanded a flawless synchrony of all five senses. I would breeze through one section but miss on one of the two others. This required more research, more travelling, more time with top sommeliers and, of course, more money.

It was consuming in many ways and I felt like I had developed an addiction to the idea of achieving my master plan.

Finally, after sitting the MS exam six times (yes, you have to be persistent), I had a breakthrough in Texas in February 2011. The memory is still fresh in my mind. I had six wines sitting in front of me, and I had to blind-taste each one in about four minutes and verbally present my tasting notes and conclusions to a panel of three straight-faced master sommeliers.

I stood before them detailing each type of wine, its growing region, the vintage, variety and producer, and any other attributes that flashed into my mind as each new flavour flooded my mouth. It was a tough tasting, but I managed to complete it in time. Feeling spent and unsure of a pass, I sat alone in a room anxiously awaiting my results. To my surprise — and delight — I did. It was the most surreal moment of my life.

It took me weeks to realize I had finally accomplished my dream. And to think, it all stemmed from one conversation at a small Toronto diner over a glass (or two) of wine.

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COGNACTIVE THINKING WRITTEN BY MICHAEL HILL

C

yrille Gautier-Auriol swirls his tulip-shaped glass, tossing the amber cognac it holds round its bulbous surface, releasing the bouquet into the air. He examines the spirit before raising the glass to his nose, sniffing first with his left nostril, then his right — “with a little bit of distance,” he explains in his dignified French cadence. Bringing the flowery stemware ever closer, he savours the spirit’s distinct aroma before touching glass to lip.

This ritual, casually executed with practised elegance, honours the legendary Hennessy cognac that rests on the table between us. “Legendary” isn’t used frivolously, either: founded in 1765, Hennessy has graced the snifters of royalty, dignitaries and connoisseurs 52

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alike for nearly 250 years. No company produces more cognac. No cognac’s breadth is as extensive. Its legacy is unquestioned.

Developing this “super premium” spirit is no easy task, says GautierAuriol, Hennessy’s ambassadeur de la maison, who was also born and raised in Cognac, France, where the eponymous brandy originates. He details the process of growing and harvesting the grapes, and the meticulous care taken in aging, testing and blending the varieties of “eaux-de-vie,” a clear liquid that results from double distilling those grapes. The entire process takes years to finalize — the sacrifice of producing a world-class cognac.

Take Hennessy V.S for example — the “champion of the world,” as www.dolcemag.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEAN DECORY

Hennessy’s ambassadeur de la maison Cyrille Gautier-Auriol explains the unquestionable legacy of a brand that has been around for over 200 years

Gautier-Auriol describes it. Born in 1865, V.S, Hennessy’s first three-star cognac, is blended with 40 different eaux-de-vie and aged in French oak barrels for upwards of eight years — a relatively short time by cognac standards — before it’s deemed ready.

“Take a sip,” Gautier-Auriol encourages. So I do. A mélange of bold, complex flavours washes over my palate, familiarizing itself with my unaccustomed tongue. “The wood is very much there,” he says, helping me through its subtle nuances, which include hazelnut and vanilla notes. “You can enjoy it neat — after a meal,” and it also pairs beautifully with traditional crème brûlée.

Picking up a second glass, GautierAuriol dives into the North American love affair with cocktails, noting our experimental tendencies and popular cognac concoctions like sidecars, mint juleps and sazerac. For mixed drinks, “this is the perfect product,” he says of the Hennessy Black in his hand. It’s Hennessy’s newest brand, a contemporary cognac, lighter and less complex with more floral and fruity notes, designed to win over vodka and tequila drinkers. “The sweetness is there,” he says as we sip. “With cranberry it’s absolutely gorgeous.”

I grapple with which I prefer so far, but Gautier-Auriol puts the debate to rest: “Your favourite will be the X.O, of course.” Blended with 100 different eaux-de-vie and aged for about 30 years, it was originally created for the personal use of friends and relations of the Hennessy family in 1870. While rich and strong in flavour, it’s balanced and noticeably smooth. It coats the palate, ending with lasting cinnamon and vanilla notes. And he’s right. It is my favourite.

“When you go to a Hennessy cognac, this is because you enjoy yourself,” concludes Gautier-Auriol. “You are happy with yourself, of your day, of the people which are around you. This is what I would like to relate to how Hennessy blends with life. We are part of a dream, you know? And we like very much to give this dream to our millions and millions of fans around the world.” www.hennessy.com

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Watch our interview with Rocco DiSpirito at www.citylifeTV.ca

ROLLING WITH

ROCCO

DISPIRITO

CELEBRITY CHEF ROCCO DISPIRITO KEEPS THE SPIRIT OF GOOD FOOD ALIVE WITH HIS LATEST INSTALMENT IN HIS NOW EAT THIS! EMPIRE

I

t’s 10 a.m. and Rocco DiSpirito is already thinking about what he wants for dinner. He’s sieving through the options streaming in from friends on his smartphone, and the consensus seems to be pointing to Asian or Italian.

The American celebrity chef and best-selling author from New York City is in Toronto to promote his latest book, and while endless dining possibilities are within reach he presumably is itching to do what he knows best. “I cook at home almost every day,” says DiSpirito, sitting at a glass table sipping espresso at the rustic Alimento Fine Food Emporium on King West. Leaving the pressure54

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www.dolcemag.com

PHOTO BY JONATHAN PUSHNIK

WRITTEN BY SIMONA PANETTA

cooked restaurant business in 2005, he slipped past a rock and a hard place when he left behind the hectic sights and sleepless nights of a lifestyle stifled with self-neglect. “It’s sad irony — if you’re very good and become successful … you end up never cooking,” he says, highlighting the common trajectory of entrepreneurs that lose themselves for the sake of finding fame. At 46, his charm now braises in a drum of alacrity.

No longer a restaurateur contending with rave reviews or critical backhands, an abundance of time, coupled with medical issues, shaped a turning point

The time-honoured dishes found in Now Eat This! Italian are all the glory without the guilt

make sure it tastes, feels, looks really good,” says DiSpirito, listing Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Boulud and Jean-Georges as inspirational icons of the industry.

For those hesitant towards healthy alternatives on the dinner table, the humorous chef — whose pantry is religiously stocked with fat-free Greek yogurt, agave nectar, pepperoncino, whole grain pasta and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese — gets serious. “I’m totally down with lying and deceiving, especially when it comes to making people healthy,” he says mischievously.

The multiple judge and host of food shows currently stars on Now Eat

I’M TOTALLY DOWN WITH LYING AND DECEIVING, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING PEOPLE HEALTHY in his life. “I could see where I was headed,” says a pragmatic DiSpirito, whose Now Eat This! crusade reflects his personal search for better health.

Swallowing the valuable lesson that diet and exercise really work, DiSpirito has since shed 30 pounds, eating the food he loves and training for rigorous triathlons, Iron Man competitions and hopping on his bike for morning rides up the Upper West Side of New York City. “I had to figure out what I was going to eat.

Athletes drink a lot of shakes, eat whole wheat bread with peanut butter on it and lots of bars. And I thought, ‘I’m not going to eat this crap for the rest of my life! I’m going to figure out how to make my food taste good.’”

His newest cookbook, Now Eat This!

Italian: Favourite Dishes From the Real Mamas of Italy, reflects his palpable passion for food reignited on a journey to southern Italy.

The first-generation Italian-American, who admits to taking three decades to embrace his roots, recalls the first time he hit No. 1 on the New York Times’ best-selling list with his inaugural instalment of Now Eat This! as one of

his proudest moments. “I grew up in a neighbourhood where people didn’t really graduate from high school; I didn’t even know if I was going to have an education,” says DiSpirito, alumnus of the Culinary Institute of America.

“I felt like I overcame the adversity of the cards I was dealt.” The Boston University graduate, who received a degree in business, launched the Now Eat This! Food Truck last year, providing on-the-go New Yorkers with regret-free meals.

From mozzarella en carozza to chocolate and hazelnut dessert, DiSpirito’s recipes in Now Eat This!

Italian transform calorie-crazy dishes into low-fat meals without the guilt and all the glory. “Last year I cooked healthy Italian at Christmas and I didn’t even tell my family — they didn’t even know,” says DiSpirito, who commends his mother for teaching him how to cook with love. “For a long time I was like, ‘well, what does that mean?’

But now I understand it. Cooking with love means you pay attention to the details, you taste the food, you do all the things a higher level chef will do to www.dolcemag.com

This! With Rocco DiSpirito, where he challenges families to eat healthy.

As for how to cook successfully, DiSpirito lets in on a dish-changing ingredient you won’t find listed in a recipe, one that gives cooking its art form: raw, real emotion.

“We are talking about people who are in touch with their passion place — your centre, your core, the place that aches,” he says, his fingers tapping the middle of his chest. “They believe in the possibility of the moment all the time, and they live in that moment — not the one before, not the one coming up. You can taste it. Food absorbs and collects your feelings and your emotions and your energy and it’s reflected in the flavour.” DiSpirito deems his Taylor Bay Scallops dish — scallop, sea urchin, mustard oil and tomato water — as his favourite because of its balance of sour, sweet, salt and bitter on the palate. “Cooking for me is about finding flavours and putting them together in such a way that they create a new taste, a new experience that has a beginning, middle and end.” www.roccodispirito.com DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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Silks, Spices AND SAND DUNES A WEEKEND IN THE WORLD’S RICHEST

COUNTRY

D

oha, Qatar, is a mix of highs and lows, a blend of new and old. Battered buildings tell a story of the past, while chic condominiums paint a picture of the future. Overlooking the Souk Waqif from my seat on the secondfloor patio of Al Bandar restaurant, I can see, feel and smell the essence of Qatar’s capital. Down below, residents draw in flavoured tobacco from colourful, long-stemmed hookahs and families explore shiny silk garments suspended from wooden doors. This is the part of the city that is bursting with culture, the part of the city that deserves slow steps and enthusiastic eyes. Hummus, tabbouleh and pita bread brim over my plate, prepping my palate for the main course. One taste of the zesty biryani chicken and my love of Middle Eastern fare instantly escalates.

I later walk through the stuccoed streets and spot the Fanar building in the background, a tall spiraling lighthouse. The first glimpse of this cultural centre sets the bar for the city’s architectural genius. Unravelling across a table in a quiet store, a roll of gilded fabric catches my eye. Within a few moments, I have learned the value of riyals and the meaning of “shukran” 56

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(thank you). The souk is a feast for all senses. With the intoxicating scent of spices, the beautiful sight of traditional fabrics and the authentic flavour of Middle Eastern cuisine, it is the heart and soul of Doha.

The Museum of Islamic Art, designed

by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, is an attraction that represents progressive and geometric design. With withered pages from the Qur’an and ceramic dishes, the museum is home to artifacts spanning over 13 centuries.

As I pass by the museum’s prayer room with scattered shoes outside the closed door, a fellow tourist grabs my attention. “Go outside and look out from the balcony,” he urges. Little do I know, a horizon of astonishing architecture awaits. Breathtaking terraces give visitors views of West Bay, the financial and business district. The air is warm and reminiscent of a hot yoga studio, and the scene creates a peaceful frame of mind in what’s considered the world’s richest country per capita.

North of West Bay is The Pearl, the country’s man-made island. Developed with affluence in mind, it consists of extravagant villas, five-star hotels and world-renowned fashion brands like Balenciaga, Missoni and Vera Wang.

Waking up in fresh sheets the next www.dolcemag.com

morning, I pull back the drapes on my floor-to-ceiling windows and look down at a glistening pool. I’m filled with excitement as I realize the surface underneath my feet will soon be sand.

The Inland Sea is our destination but it is the journey that has me intrigued.

Leaving the modern city behind, an SUV drives fearlessly towards the dunes. Sand duning in the Arabian Gulf brings this country to life. Though a succulent meal at the St. Regis Doha awaits, my mind stays in the moment.

Sand hills create an exotic frame as I snap a picture of the sunset.

Later that evening, a tour of the prominent hotel, a sighting of the Olympic-size pool and pre-dinner cocktails in the presidential suite on the penthouse floor, leave a lasting impression. Located in the West Bay area, the St. Regis gives guests picturesque views of the Arabian Gulf from almost every window. The mood is set as I sit down with fellow writers and enjoy a taste of Gordon Ramsay’s Opal restaurant. A Western meal complements the hospitality and views.

It’s rare to find a modernized city that captures the flavours of the world while conserving its own identity. Doha is the exception, offering a supreme level of luxury with an overflow of culture.

PHOTOS BY ATHAINA TSIFLIKLIS

WRITTEN BY ATHAINA TSIFLIKLIS

PHOTO BY THE ST. REGIS DOHA

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PHOTO BY QATAR AIRWAYS

PHOTO BY THE ST. REGIS DOHA

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IT’S RARE TO FIND A MODERNIZED CITY THAT CAPTURES THE FLAVOURS OF THE WORLD 1. Embark on a sand duning adventure by the Inland Sea 2. The extravagant St. Regis Doha Hotel is surrounded by the Arabian Gulf 3. Colours burst from every corner of the Souk Waqif 4. The scent of spices fills the air in a shop at the Souk Waqif 5. The Museum of Islamic Art was designed by I.M. Pei 6. An opulent meal is served at Opal by Gordon Ramsay, Doha 7. The Premium Terminal at the Doha International Airport is exclusive for business and first-class travellers 8. Take in the striking view of West Bay from a terrace in the museum 9. Get a glimpse of the Fanar building from the Souk Waqif

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www.citylifeTV.ca captures P.K. Subban off the cuff

OFF THE RINK WITH

P.K.

SUBBAN

TALKING INTERNET MEMES, FASHION AND THE PRINCE OF MONACO WITH MONTREAL CANADIENS BLUELINER P.K. SUBBAN WRITTEN BY MICHAEL HILL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSE MILNS

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T

here’s a grin spreading across P.K. Subban’s face as I ask about a certain Internet meme occupying a number of his tweets.

He pauses briefly before answering: “the Joël.”

He’s taken aback, noticeably amused that the flamingo-like pose he unabashedly strikes solo and alongside celebrities such as Russell Peters, Kurt Russell, Lou Ferrigno and the cast of This Hour Has 22 Minutes has become the topic of discussion. He’s gearing up for a morning on-ice workout at St. Michael’s College School Arena in Toronto with several other NHLers, but has stopped, asking, “Can I just do something?” Sure.

He pulls out his iPhone, dials a friend on speaker and explains the lead-off question. There’s laughter on the other end. “This is unbelievable,” the anonymous voice says, clearly just as delighted as the Montreal Canadiens defenceman chuckling beside me.

Even though the fate of this year’s NHL season remains unclear and, as Montreal has yet to offer him a new deal, he’s floating in contractual limbo, the 23-year-old evidently isn’t afraid to enjoy the droll little moments that come his way. “You know what, man,” he says after shifting into pro-mode, “I take my job seriously, but I also love to have fun and enjoy life.”

For Subban, you can either lament misfortune or accept the situation and roll with the punches. “You can’t be negative,” he says optimistically, despite the current NHL lockout. “It’s not a good way to be, and I don’t think you’ll get much success if you’re always negative.” Some days might be tough and others will be phenomenal, “you just got to ride the wave.”

The Joël (or #Joël, as it’s been hashtagged) is just one way he’s keeping things upbeat. It’s meaningless fun, a joke between friends that began after a misfired dance move. But it’s caught fire with the Habs faithful following him on Twitter. He found himself inundated with pictures of fans Joëling at sporting events, in Halloween costumes and even at their own weddings. The response has been overwhelming and somewhat surreal, but as the former

While Subban enjoys a laugh, the 23-year-old is determined to keep in shape during the lockout

I HAVE A LOT TO LEARN STILL, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU NEED TO THINK THAT WAY; YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN BE THAT PLAYER — P.K. Subban

Belleville Bull explains, this type of harmless clowning is a great way to keep fans involved. “We actually have been talking about trying to figure out how we can incorporate it into a foundation for cancer and raising money,” says Subban, who is also an ambassador of Hyundai Hockey Helpers, which provides funding for league fees and equipment for children.

In a hockey-less fall, Subban is getting to know Toronto, the city he calls home, in new ways. “I really like Montreal, the city is amazing and I love it, but when I come down the 401 and I see Toronto, it’s just a different feeling,” says the Rexdale-native. “Home is always home.” It’s his first year living downtown and he’s been exploring the city’s culinary scene, noting Bymark, Lee, Jacob’s and Co, and Westlodge as spots he frequents. He’s also been spending time with his family, which, in a household of five kids, where all three www.dolcemag.com

Subban has Prince Albert II, the Prince of Monaco, and his wife, Princess Charlene, Joëling at the Ritz-Carlton Montreal’s 100th anniversary gala on Oct. 26, 2012

boys play competitive hockey, is a rarity.

“We worship that time,” he adds.

Between catching up on episodes of Dexter, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Sons of Anarchy, Subban also occupies his time with not-so-romantic encounters. “Well, taking long walks on the beach with Lombo over here,” DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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he jests, as Maple Leafs centre Matthew Lombardi returns the banter.

But as the jokes roll, Subban remains focused on his game. He was up at 5 a.m., in the gym by 8 and on the ice at 10:30, determined to maintain an edge once the season does start. “We have every excuse to maybe do nothing and just be waiting and enjoying our time off,” says the six-foot, 220-pounder in between sets at Laylor Performance Systems, “but I choose to be in the gym.” He wants to be known as one of the best defencemen to ever play the game, and while training is essential, Subban feels attitude is a critical component.

“I think that you have to say it if you want to do it,” he adds. “I have a lot to learn still, but you know what, you need to think that way; you have to believe that you can be that player.”

“He’s hungry, he’s focused,” says Clance Laylor, founder and CEO of Laylor Performance Systems, adding Subban loves to push himself and take on new challenges. “And those are great traits of a hungry athlete — a guy who wants to succeed, a guy who wants to be the best in the business.”

His performance isn’t the only mark he hopes to leave on the game, either: Subban has found an affinity for fashion. “My thing is to be one of the best-dressed guys in professional sports,” he says, noting his fondness for Italian fashion house Zegna. “I love the fact that when people are going to see me they’re going to see that I take pride in the way I dress.”

He dons a striking eggplant Sartorialto suit after the morning skate, and it’s obvious he not only cares about appearance, but an appearance with personality. “How’s the pocket square? Is it clean?” he asks, adjusting the white piece of fabric peeking from his jacket pocket. I nod, and he smiles, content with the sharp look.

He credits the team at Sartorialto, a Montreal-based tailor that custom makes most of his suits, for helping to elevate his fashion game. “He dares to wear different colours and different styles — he doesn’t shy away from being noticed,” says founder of Sartorialto Marc Patrick, describing a teal tuxedo they recently crafted for the Habs blueliner. “Who else will try to wear a teal tux? Not a lot of people have the guts.”

In the eggplant suit, Subban definitely looks like a contender. But he also knows competition is fierce. “Henrik Lundqvist, he’s got great style,” he says, paying respect to the New York Rangers prized netminder.

Great hair too, I add.

“Yeah, he does have great hair. Not like Komo,” he says facetiously, nodding towards Maple Leafs defenceman Mike Komisarek, who is sitting across the room. “But it’s pretty good.”

Subban has to catch a flight, so we wrap things up. He’s off to Montreal for a black-tie gala celebrating the Ritz-Carlton Montreal’s 100th anniversary. The Prince of Monaco will be in attendance. “He’s a good friend of mine. He asked me to come and I said ‘no problem,’” he says, cracking a mischievous grin. Yes, 23-year-old P.K. Subban will be Joëling with the Prince of Monaco. The only question now is will he bust-out the pose after his first goal of the season.

Subban, however, remains coy. “You’ll have to stay tuned and watch.” @PKSubban1

r u o m a l G

GREAT GATSBY WRITTEN BY ATHAINA TSIFLIKLIS PRODUCED BY ANGELA PALMIERI–ZERILLO

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PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

GET CARRIED AWAY WITH THE GLITZ AND GLAM OF THE GREAT GATSBY

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1. Daniel E. Greene’s Waiting-116th St. from his subway series 2. Realist painter H.R. Giger’s Lil II 3. A former student of the great Salvador Dali, Wolfgang Widmoser’s Pleidian Face

Bringing

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ART BACK TO

LIFE

LAS VEGAS BRACES ITSELF FOR THE INAUGURAL WORLD OF ART SHOWCASE WRITTEN BY AMANDA STOREY

T

he impatient, pixilated culture of the 21st century has managed to tug the carpet from beneath the art industry’s feet, leaving artists and their craft in the dust while the world spins on.

“It’s certainly a good time to buy art,” says Mario Parga, British artist and executive director of the inaugural World of Art Showcase, which debuts on December 20 to the 22nd, 2012, at the Wynn Las Vegas. Parga hopes that the rare, three-day celebration of art, which will introduce the serious collector or one buying for pleasure to the original works of revered and up-and-coming artists, will successfully restore fine art to where it belongs in society. “There will be countless original works, some of which will be absolutely staggering.

It will be unlike anything anyone’s ever seen before.”

Determined to reignite the prestige that comes with acquiring an art piece or creating a collection, Parga’s wish is that the Showcase will paint a tangible, personal picture for guests while inspiring a refreshed understanding of the craft.

“Art is about individual taste,” says Parga. “It could be the composition, it could be the colour, it could be the 62

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IT WILL BE UNLIKE ANYTHING ANYONE’S EVER SEEN BEFORE — Mario Parga technique of the artist. It could be the feeling you get from looking at the piece, it could be what the piece represents.”

The concept for the revolutionary event began in the mind of Parga’s friend David Goldstein, fellow artist and owner of Jerry’s Artarama, one of the world’s biggest art supply companies.

With his idea for a revolutionary annual show that would revive art by bringing it back to basics, the event promises to educate guests on the why, where and when of art purchasing. The World of Art Showcase will pull a few pages from the history books, offering art enthusiasts a rare chance to meet and mingle with talented artists.

“Centuries ago, if you wanted a Rembrandt painting, you’d go to Rembrandt’s studio and buy a painting from Rembrandt,” explains Parga. “This www.dolcemag.com

show will give a client who specifically likes a painter’s work the opportunity to actually meet the painter and purchase works from him or her.”

A lengthy list of featured artists include world-renowned painters H.R. Giger and Nelson Shanks, Daniel Greene, Leon Oks and Betty R. Gates, all in a realm that heightens the senses as opposed to the often quiet environment of an art gallery. Under the Las Vegas lights, the Showcase will mesmerize guests as they peruse an artistic atmosphere. For added comfort, the artists’ works can be viewed on the event’s website, allowing visitors a beforehand opportunity to discover what they like.

“There will be people who perhaps thought about collecting art, but never really knew where to turn or who to go to, and then they come to the show and may actually be buying their first painting.

Then, of course, you’ll have the serious collector who will turn up and know exactly what they want straight away,” Parga says of the Showcase’s expected crowd. As the curious and the keen coalesce in Las Vegas — the world stage of an adult’s sequined playground — the prestigious event promises to paint the city artistic. www.worldofartshowcase.com

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THE BEST-LOOKING CAT IN THE FULL-SIZE LUXURY SEGMENT

JAGUAR XJL

WRITTEN BY MICHAEL HILL

T

he full-size luxury car segment is such a visual bore. How can anyone be inspired by the stylistic lull hanging over this straight-laced crowd?

So many brands deliver premium luxury and solid performance, but most do so without a hint of panache. It’s all black ties and creases.

After all, must be proper, dear.

But what if I want to step outside the standard executive paradigm for BMWs and Mercedes? What if I want to strut in a fitted Armani suit? What if I want to feel like Daniel Craig’s James Bond, striking and confident?

Isn’t 40 supposed to be the new 20? If so, why are auto manufacturers so keen on keeping this segment for grandpa? Luxury shouldn’t mean sacrificing style; yet this seems to be the case for the majority of the full-size luxury segment.

Queue the Jaguar XJL. Now this is style: sleek, smart and 64

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sexy with a brush of contemporary flair. Self-assured without being brash, exclusive without the arrogance, the XJL is a car living in the moment. It’s a reflection of The Jaguar XJL is five inches longer than the standard urbane urbanism melded with XJ model. This extra length adds to the legroom in the enthusiast passion — a piece of backseat, providing passengers with more space to enjoy all the luxuries at hand automotive fashion.

Circling the XJL, examining its smooth contours and subtle details, aggression. Its face is stern. Eyes: hard, it really is hard not to be impressed piercing with attitude. It’s imposing by what this British manufacturer has when fully appreciated, but discreet developed. In fact, Jaguar’s entire in an actions-speak-louder-than recent reinvention has been rather words way. Like Bond sipping a vodka remarkable. It’s entered a renaissance martini, the XJL exudes cool, through of sorts and has produced some serious and through.

Outside of some upgraded features, stunners, like the revitalized XK and XF, along the way. The old boys’ club the XJL is five inches longer than the mentality has dissolved. Gone is the standard XJ. Complaints were raised great cat leaping off the hood, replaced regarding the XJ’s lack of backseat by sharp ridges and a furrowed brow. space, but with the XJL’s extra length, The British gent has been retired, passengers can breathe easy.

While its looks will certainly appeal succeeded by Gen X. The XJL has received the same to a wider, perhaps more youthful treatment. It’s balanced from front to demographic, Jaguar purists may back, lengthy but lean. Claw-mark cringe at seeing their beloved brand LED tail lights suggest an underlying modernized. Fear not Jaaaag enthusiast: www.dolcemag.com

that touch of nostalgia is present inside.

Sitting behind the wheel of the XJL, your tweed jacket can rest easy amidst the seamless fusion of traditional elements and modern features. Polished wood panelling sweeps around the cabin and soft leather covers the rest, maintaining that familiar Jaguar charm.

Retro air vents and analog clock are classic details.

But underneath these old-world comforts modern tech abounds. Heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats, 20-way adjustable massaging front seats with memory function, four zone climate control, eight-inch touch screen and navigation system, front and rear parking sensors with rear reversing camera, blind spot monitor, dual sunroofs and voice command come standard.

Novel features, like the JaguarDrive Selector™, which rises out of the centre console when the XJL comes to life, and JaguarSense™ control, which only needs a light touch to turn on overhead lights and open the glove box, add to its distinction. Instead of physical gauges the XJL uses digital instruments, as well. This might be contentious among old-school drivers, but the digitals look great and never hinder the experience.

Backseat business trays, a 1,200watt 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, adaptive cruise control,

mounted eight-inch screens in the back of the front headrests and wireless headphones are additional options.

Take this apex feline out for a run and that underlying aggression rears its head. Response is immediate from the 5-Litre V-8. While the exterior is noticeably contemporary, the interior melds classic Jaguar luxuries, such as polished wood and Its 385-horsepower and 380 lb-ft soft leather, with modern technology like massaging seats, of torque charges from 0–100 km/h eight-inch touch screen and digital instruments in 5.7 seconds — impressive for a car this size. Thanks to its lightweight Jaguar in all respects. aluminum body, the XJL is also In the full-size luxury segment there surprisingly agile. Steering is tight, are plenty of heavy hitters vying for and with the encouragement of the your attention. There are the big dogs: V-8’s deep growl, you’ll attack corners the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz with confidence. It really is a great car S-Class. The Audi A8 and Lexus LS are to drive. always jockeying for position, and the Some gripes: Because of its length emergence of the Porsche Panamera and sleek back end, vision in the rear- brings another rival. It’s a crowded view isn’t ideal. Its sleekness may segment. also leave taller passengers starved Debating performance and luxury for headroom in the backseat. And its in this class is often like splitting trunk is spacious, but not as ample as hairs. Most of these cars, after all, are some of the competition. exceptional vehicles. However, none of Thankfully, with the number of them come close to matching the Jaguar accolades Jaguar has received over the in the looks department. It just hits so last few years, many of the reliability many marks so well: it’s luxurious, a concerns that plagued it in the past phenomenal ride and the best-looking are being put to rest. Just this past car in its class. If you’re searching for spring, in fact, Jaguar reached No. 1 something outside the familiar faces of on the 2012 UK Vehicle Ownership template luxury, a car that exudes style Satisfaction Study by J.D. Power and and exuberance without sacrificing Associates in conjunction with What prestige, the XJL is one to consider.

Car? We’re really seeing the rebirth of www.jaguar.com

GENERAL SPECS. JAGUAR XJL Engine: Transmission: Acceleration, 0–100km/h: Fuel economy L/100km: Pricing:

385-HP, 380 lb-ft, 5-L, V-8 6-speed automatic 5.7 sec City/13.1 Highway/8.5 XJL: $95,500 XJL Supercharged: $108,500 XJL Supersport: $135,500

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H

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ESSENTIALS

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WITH SKYFALL, THE LATEST BOND BLOCKBUSTER, IGNITING CINEMA SCREENS THE WORLD OVER, WE LAY OUT THE ESSENTIALS FOR WANNA-BE DOUBLE-OHS

PROD PRODUCED

BY MICHELLE ZERILLO-SOSA WRITTEN BY AMANDA STOREY

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1. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE Give the gift of elegance with this luxe assortment of Petrossian caviars. www.saksfifthavenue.com 2. WRISTY BUSINESS Double-oh-seven’s choice of timepiece is the sleek, svelte Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Skyfall Limited Edition watch. www.omegawatches.com 3. GOLDFINGERS The winter-savvy spy will rejoice over these deerskin leather, cashmere-lined gloves, which will keep hands toasty during chilly winter months. www.saksfifthavenue.com 4. DINE ANOTHER DAY Dining is an experience shaken and stirred at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where a collection of world-class eateries waits to inspire. www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com 66

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5. LIVE AND LET DRIVE It won’t keep a low profile, but the Aston Martin DBS will make you feel like a globetrotting, martini-sipping secret agent.

Rockets sold separately. www.astonmartin.com 6. QUANTUM OF COSY Discover that rare, perfect blend of warmth and style with this pure wool cardigan from ZegnaSport. www.store.zegna.com 7. COLOGNE ROYALE Bond No. 9 has crafted the New York Oud, an orange zest and red rose concoction inspired by the magic of the Big Apple. www.bondno9.com

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