Dolce Magazine - Winter 2019/20

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MAD ABOUT

JON HAMM

A COMMANDING FIGURE IN SOCIETY & CULTURE TALENTED, CONFIDENT AND THE AUTHORITY ON HOW TO WEAR A SUIT WIN 13

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WINTER 2019/20 • VOLUME 23 • ISSUE 4

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief MICHELLE ZERILLO-SOSA michelle@dolce.ca Director of Operations ANGELA PALMIERI-ZERILLO angela@dolce.ca

ART DEPARTMENT Co-Founder/Creative Director FERNANDO ZERILLO fernando@dolce.ca Senior Graphic Designer CHRISTINA BAN Senior UI/UX Designer YENA YOO Junior UI/UX Designer MARIA KOROLENKO Web Developer JORDAN CARTER

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Fashion & Home Décor Editor MICHELLE ZERILLO-SOSA Beauty & Travel Editor ANGELA PALMIERI-ZERILLO Copy Editors and Proofreaders CATHARINE CHEN, JENNIFER D. FOSTER, NINA HOESCHELE Contributing Writers STEPHANIE CLARKE, NICKOLAS LOMBARDI, RICK MULLER, DONNA PARIS, CECE M. SCOTT, JAKE TAYLOR, JOSH WALKER Contributing Photographers ERIC RAY DAVIDSON, PAMELA HANSON, THOMAS LOUVAGNY, CARLOS A. PINTO, BELA RABA Social Media Managers CASSANDRA GIAMMARCO, JESSICA SPERA

VIDEO DEPARTMENT Videographer CARLOS A. PINTO Contributing Videographers DANIEL COOPER, LUDOVIC NORTIER

ADVERTISING Director of Marketing ANGELA PALMIERI-ZERILLO angela@dolce.ca Director of New Business Development SUSAN BHATIA susan@dolce.ca Senior Account Manager MARIO BALACEANU

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES T: 905-264-6789 info@dolce.ca • www.dolcemag.com Front Cover JON HAMM Portrait by CHARLIE GRAY

Dolce Magazine is published quarterly by Dolce Media Group, 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30, Vaughan, Ont., L4H 3H9 T: 905-264-6789, info@dolce.ca, www.dolcemedia.ca Publication Mail Agreement No. 40026675. All rights reserved. Any reproduction is strictly prohibited without written consent from the publisher.

Dolce Magazine reaches over 900,000 affluent readers annually through household distribution across Canada. Dolce Magazine is also available to over 100 million digital consumers of Magzter Inc. and Issuu. Inquiries about where else Dolce Magazine is available for sale may be directed to Dolce Media Group: info@dolcemedia.ca or 905-264-6789.

Visit www.dolcemag.com for single copy and yearly subscription fees.

The opinions expressed in Dolce Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or advertisers. Dolce Media Group does not assume liability for content. The material in this magazine is intended for information purposes only and is in no way intended to supersede professional advice.

We are proud to be a Canadian company that has successfully published magazines for the past 23 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.

ISSN 2370-4063 Next Issue: Spring 2020 ©2019 Dolce Media Group. Printed in Canada.

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WINTER 2019/20

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Fernando Zerillo

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa

Co-Founder/Creative Director

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa,

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

The MindsetCAN of Explorers YOU HAVE YOUR CAKE AND and Visionaries EAT IT TOO?

It

W

ell, in the case of Yolanda Gampp, this could be gives us great pleasure to share with a real possibility. If you’re not yet familiar with you our winter edition of Dolce. Putting her work, she is a multi-millionaire YouTube together the final issue of 2019 is a big baker (3.3 million subscribers, that is) … all responsibility. After all, it’s the climax of thanks to her incredible imagination. our year-long mission to publish stories that will Th is is a woman who dreams up cakes for a living — not resonate with you, our readers. This last edition is traditional tiered shapes and flavours, but cakes that look like a celebration of those who live life to the fullest, hot dogs, huge candy apples, watermelons, in flavours like the with intense curiosity, unrelenting determination ultimate red velvet and chocolate cake … You get the idea. and, yes, a bit of a risk taking.

— Albert Einstein Sweet mother of God, this lady has the power to tempt even Astronaut Chris Hadfield once said that the the strongest-willed person with her cakes! Her belief is that thing people most want to see is a photo of their anything is possible, and with the love and support of family hometown viewed from outer space. He mused and friends, the highest levels of success are attainable. Read that it is a universal wish to understand how we It’s a time to examine different perspectives. her story on page 38. fit in with everything around us. This observation This is howwevisionaries such Albert Speaking of belief, all pray that ourasfaith needEinstein never be is made in a letter to Hadfield, one of many letters stayed motivated despite failed experiments, which tested the way Paul De Lio’s is. Many of us go through life written to illustrious Canadians by respected he saw as learning moments that propelled himor without ever having to question why tragedies strike our lives Gov. Gen. David Johnston in his book The Idea of offorward. month launch of the the lives others inLast the world.

A marked few yearsthe back, we published Canada. And what better time to try to explore world’s book, Genius: 100 Visions anour article about thefirst defi3D-printed nition of God. I remember asking the place and direction in the world than now,writer days to pose of the Future.

Thetobook prototype printed in this question various religiouswas leaders: “Where away from a brand-new year. space

by NASA, the pages move theirstate ownof was God in moments such and as 9/11?”

Given the on recent

“Imagination is more important than knowledge ”

Believe In a world that is fast becoming soulless Be challenged to find your own soul Then make it selfless.

When the television portrays only tragedy Be challenged to turn it off Spend your time working on your own humility.

If you’re surrounded peopleto who are envious with the help of gravity. by Released celebrate the Be challenged to cull the herd around you 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s General Fill your life with those who bring joyousness.

Theory of Relativity, Genius contains essays by During the times you feel utterly hopeless various thought leaders.

Be challenged to claw your way out One of these is genuine Julie Toskan, co-founder of Understand that happiness is timeless.

MAC Cosmetics and founder of the Trust Youthinand Find your soul. Believe in yourself. your God. Love your family.

Share your plenty. Lean when you Philanthropy Initiative, a school-based program need.

Live out loud. to their community’s needs. that connects students Love heartily.

Grow your humanity.

Another interesting thought leader is Tiffany Infect the world with your faith.

Shlain, author and Emmy-nominated filmmaker, — from The Wife with

by Iris Imeneo who thinks we would feel more connected ourselves if we held a weekly tech Shabbat and natural disasters unplugged for oneand dayextreme a week.weather conditions, one could askThe the holidays same question now.

DetoLio’s case, where are a great In time be present in was God when deadly bacteria infected his body, nearly taking his life and the moment. Feeling present is a practice that, resulting in the amputation of both of his legs? as an actor, Jon Hamm knows well. In his role as In that article years ago, one of the questioned religious leaders Don Draper, he personified masculine elegance replied that God was in the firemen going up the stairs to rescue and authority in well-matched ties and suits. Mad the people in the towers. It’s a response that to this date gives me Men was not a typical hero story; it showcased the comfort. Likewise, now, God is in the rescue workers bringing complexity of being human.and ForFlorida.

Hamm,And finding relief to Puerto Rico, Mexico God was in the his path to success was not easy.

It didn’t happen doctors who fought to save Paul De Lio. He was with the family until he was in prayed his 30s, waited for his recovery. and friends who forhaving De Lio’s life andtables later, for three long years and having faced a lot of rejection.

Today, just a few months after his ordeal, De Lio is filled with But Hamm stayed true to forhelp his others career.find ways to positivity and gratitude.

Hehis is vision ready to cultureDare are Ia say, crucial liveFood with and motivation. then,part God of alsothe resides in De holiday season a recurring Lio’s heart.

See and his story on pagetheme 32. in this issue andOf incourse, the life it’s of visionary manmy thoughts possible Oscar you doFarinetti, not agreethe with on the whereabouts God. all know thatthat one should not who created Eataly. of The newWe beautiful space speak casually politicsisora sensory religion, experience for these are sensitive just opened in of Toronto topics the weather isn’t exactly an a safe topic anymore, and the(although closest thing to a walk through Italian either). But perhaps you will be interested in our story about mercato outside of Italy. theWe Bahá’Í Faith, a relatively 5 to 7 million feel extremely gratefulnew and religion blessed with to have adherents practising globally.

If you believe in the betterment of met these visionaries and to be able to continue the world, in unity, love and service, you might fi nd your place presenting you with new perspectives and here.

Bahá’Í’s believe in equality of all sexes, races personalities in future editions of Dolce. We wish and creeds, and in the harmony of science and religion. Story on page 74. you a blessed time with your family and friends, In this day and age, we could all use more unity, love and faith, and hope that you, too, might embark on an regardless of what form it takes. May you enjoy this edition of exploration of your life and the world around you.

City Life Magazine. It, like life, is yours to experience and do with what you will.

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Fernando Zerillo Co-Founder/Creative Director

@dolcemag / @amorebagstoronto / @fernandozerillo @dolcetweets @amorebagstoronto

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WINTER 2019/20

HOME OF FINE WATCHMAKING SINCE 1833

Polaris Date.

Manufacture movement 899A/1.

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www.dolcemag.com | DOLCE MAGAZINE

CONTENTS WINTER 2019/20 / VOLUME 23 / ISSUE 4

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CANDICE KAYE: Creating bespoke textile design for homes and hospitality makes her an in-demand brand

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OBJECTS OF DESIRE: Dolce provides a glimpse of both the bold and beautiful

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JON HAMM: This actor of style, sophistication and considerable substance tells us what’s next

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VILLA BALBIANO: 16th-century Lake Como property has become one of Italy’s timeless masterpiecese

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KAREN KAIN: Canada’s retiring prima ballerina’s influence will be felt for many generations

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CALIFORNIA DREAMING: Realtor Patrick Fogarty epitomizes the luxury home market in Los Angeles

CHIC STYLE: From the birthplace of Aphrodite, a fashion collection to heat up any affair

36 JENNIFER LOPEZ: One of the world’s most famous personalities joins forces with Coach 82 DAVID GRAINGER: The TV star, producer, restorer and rebel continues to chart his own exciting path More stories inside ...

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WINTER 2019/20

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DOLCE WAS THERE

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TORONTO’S ANNUAL DIWALI CELEBRATION

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The 9th annual Diwali — A Night to Shine gala took place on Oct. 5, raising more than $1.8 million for University Health Network (UHN) life-saving research initiatives. The event, which welcomed more than 650 guests for food, music and live performances, and is a South Asian celebration of good health, hope, luck and prosperity, adds to the $8.9 million already raised for programs at UHN. www.tgwhfonline.ca/diwali

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PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY

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1. Megan Porter; Shari Fell; Brian Porter, Honorary Patron, Diwali – A Night to Shine, chair, UHN Board of Trustees and president & CEO, Scotiabank; and Tony Fell 2. Shaila Kothari and Raj Kothari, chair, Diwali – A Night to Shine and chair, Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation 3. Michelle Zerillo-Sosa, committee member, Diwali – A Night to Shine, and Sergio Sosa 4. Dr. Michael Baker, vice-chair, Diwali – A Night to Shine and former physician-in-chief, UHN; and Tennys Hanson, CEO, Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation 5. Diwali – A Night to Shine Committee Members: Sharon Ranson, Adesh Vora, Dr. Anil Chopra (vice-chair), Imtiaz Seyid, Mala Chopra, Lynn McGrade, Raj Kothari (chair), Dr. Michael Baker (vice-chair), Sam Ajmera (Patron), Roberta Ajmera, Shaila Ajmera (patron), Apoorva Kumar, Anna Vora 6. Diann Bell and Dr. Robert Bell, John Mulvihill and Nancy Mulvihill, Dr. Dhun Noria and Farokh Noria, Minister Bill Blair and Susanne Blair, Vito Ciciretto and Linda Ciciretto 7. Rob McEwen, chairman & CEO, McEwen Mining Inc., and Cheryl McEwen, board member, Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation 8. Ellen Halpern and Todd Halpern, Board Member, Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation and board member, UHN Board of Trustees 9. Shraddha Kothari-Walker, committee member, Diwali – A Night to Shine 10. Anna McCowan Johnson and Donald K. Johnson, board member, Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation

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WINTER 2019/20

DOLCE WAS THERE THE BIJOU ON BLOOR PRESENTATION CENTRE GETS COOKING WITH GREGO MINOT AND ADA MLOSTEK

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The episode will air through social media on the Kitchen Party with Grego and Ada YouTube Channel, as well as Plazacorp’s YouTube Channel later this month. Don’t miss the chance to see the ladies in action.

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PHOTOS BY BERNADETTA WROBEL | STYLING: ANGELINA GALUSZKA

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Real Housewives of Toronto alumnus Grego Minot has teamed up with Ada Mlostek to produce a new cookingthemed talk show, titled Kitchen Party with Grego and Ada. The talk show is a celebration of food, wine, positive energy and conversations with celebrity guests.

This past event on Saturday, Nov. 23, welcomed celebrity guest Cindy Sampson who shared her favourite recipe and added much excitement in the exquisite kitchen of the model suite in the Bijou on Bloor Presentation Centre. www.pureplaza.com @pureplazacorp

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1. 3D Model of the Bijou on Bloor development, which is superbly situated in Toronto’s desirable West End 2. A superior level of quality that provides you with lasting value in design, architecture, materials and finishes in every area of your new home 3. Inspired by Parisian style, the common spaces radiate vitality and elegance 4. In the kitchen with host Grego Minot, celebrity guest Cindy Sampson and co-host Ada Mlostek 5. From L to R: actress Cindy Sampson, Alexandra Gileppo, Maria Schirripa, and hosts Ada Mlostek and Grego Minot 6. Co-host Ada Mlostek poses with audience members KC Daya, Nafisa Daya, Angelica Galuszka and Anna Chelman 7. Clean, tailored lines, handsome wood textures and warm metals meet bold jewel tones in a design that’s inviting and comfortable 8. Live music with DJ Fizza 9. Live audience during show's taping

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DOLCE WAS THERE

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FRANCE CANADA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ONTARIO ANNOUNCES ITS WINNERS

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PHOTOS BY RYAN EMBERLEY, KENNEDY POLLARD

The winners were presented their awards during a gala at Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton.

Sam Mizrahi, president of Mizrahi Developments, received the Par Excellence Business Award. Known as the highest honour, it’s awarded to those who have shown strong leadership and contribution within the corporate community. “Sam Mizrahi is a visionary and tireless entrepreneur,” said honourable Kareen Rispal, ambassador of France to Canada, in a statement. “His leadership and excellence is building bridges to drive exchange of business value between France and Canada.” www.fccco.org

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TWO SISTERS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY DINNER Two Sisters Vineyards hosted its Five-Year Anniversary Gala this past November.

The candlelit evening was filled with great company, music, a delicious menu prepared

by Kitchen 76 and, of course, a tasty selection of Two Sisters' premium wines. Co-founders Angela Marotta and Melissa MarottaPaolicelli aim to produce exceptional wines while staying true to varietal character. www.twosistersvineyards.com @twosisters_vineyards

PHOTOS BY JAY ASH; G3 DESIGNS PHOTOGRAPHY FROM ST. CATHARINES

1. Sam Mizrahi, president & founder, Mizrahi Developments receives the Par Excellence Business Award from Madame Kareen Rispal, Ambassador of France to Canada, and Sanjay Tugnait, chief market maker IBM GBS & president FCCCO 2. Nancy Williams, regional director, Cartier Canada accepts the award for Growing French Presence 3. Fernando Zerillo, Sam Mizrahi and Micki Mizrahi 4. Powerful camaraderie, Franck Arnold, general manager, Ritz Carlton Toronto, and Edwin Frizzell, general manager, Fairmont Royal York, Accor Hotels 5. Martin Cloutier, managing partner, Mazars Canada, accepts the award for Creating Impact

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3 1. Melissa Marotta-Paolicelli and Angela Marotta 2. Fernando Zerillo and Angela Palmieri-Zerillo, Oksana Vialykh and guest, Audrica Marshall & guest, Roy Dias and guests 3 & 4. Lovely guests who came out to join the celebrations 5. Lindsay and Chris Tymon

26 DOLCE MAGAZINE | www.dolcemag.com

WINTER 2019/20

EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR OF ITALIAN KITCHENS BY

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @nimakitchens 27

WINTER 2019/20

www.dolcemag.com | DOLCE MAGAZINE

DOLCE WAS THERE THE FIRST 3D-PRINTED BOOK LAUNCHES IN TORONTO

Oct. 19 saw the global launch of the world’s first 3D-printed book, Genius: 100 Visions of the Future. Released to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, the book brings together essays from various thought leaders. The Toronto-based event was attended by renowned social rights activist Craig Kielburger and Emmy-nominated filmmaker and founder of the Webby Awards, Tiffany Shlain.

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www.genius100visions.com @genius100visions

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1. Craig Kielburger and Helen Hatzis 2. Tiffany Shlain and Lucas Casale 3. Rami Kleinmann, Monette Maleweski 4. Genius: 100 Visions of the Future 3D-printed book5. Rami Kleinmann, Michelle Zerillo-Sosa and guest 6. Julie Toskan, Craig Kielburger and Tiffany Shlain

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ANNUAL GRAND CRU CULINARY WINE FESTIVAL BREAKS FUNDRAISING RECORD

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PHOTOS BY TOM SANDLER PHOTOGRAPHY

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The two-day event, which supports groundbreaking medical research at Toronto General and Toronto Western hospitals, raised more than $33 million. The festival featured wines from more than 80 international vintners, as well as private gourmet dinners prepared by world-class chefs throughout the city. “Never before have four Michelin-star chefs cooked together for such a worthy cause,” says Todd Halpern, Grand Cru founder, TGWHF board member and UHN board 5 trustee. Since its beginnings in 2005, Grand Cru has raised over $63 million.

www.tgwhfonline.ca/grandcru

1. Dr. Ed Cole, Dr. Adrienne Hood, Edward Burtynsky 2. Dr. Kevin Smith, Dr. Harry Rakowski, Ellen and Todd Halpern, Dr. Ian McGilvray 3. Eric Braden and Mayor John Tory 4. Rob and Cheryl McEwen, Dr. Brad Wouters, Dr. Cristina Nostro, Chef Arpi Magyar 5. Raj and Shaila Kothari 6. Megan and Brian Porter

28 DOLCE MAGAZINE | www.dolcemag.com

WINTER 2019/20

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MARRIOTT® AND TRIBUTE PORTFOLIO® ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC., A DELAWARE CORPORATION (THE “LICENSOR”) AND ITS AFFILIATES. NEITHER THE LICENSOR NOR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AGENTS, EMPLOYEES, ACCOUNTANTS OR ATTORNEYS IS IN ANY WAY PARTICIPATING IN, APPROVING, OR ENDORSING THE OFFERING DESCRIBED HEREIN, ANY OF THE UNDERWRITING OR ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES USED IN THE OFFERING, OR ANY REPRESENTATIONS MADE IN CONNECTION THEREWITH AND NONE OF THEM WILL RECEIVE ANY PROCEEDS FROM THE INVESTMENT DESCRIBED HEREIN AND INVESTORS WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY INTEREST IN THE LICENSOR OR ANY OF SUCH OTHER PERSONS. THE LICENSOR HAS NOT ENDORSED OR APPROVED INVESTMENT PURSUANT TO THIS OFFERING. THE GRANT BY THE LICENSOR OF ANY FRANCHISE OR OTHER RIGHTS TO LONG VALLEY HOSPITALITY INC. (THE “COMPANY”) IS NOT INTENDED, AND SHOULD NOT BE INTERPRETED, AS AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED APPROVAL OR ENDORSEMENT OF THE COMPANY OR THE INVESTMENT DESCRIBED HEREIN, OR OF ANY STATEMENT REGARDING ACTUAL OR PROJECTED FINANCIAL OR OTHER PERFORMANCE. NEITHER THE LICENSOR NOR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AGENTS, EMPLOYEES, ACCOUNTANTS OR ATTORNEYS, WILL IN ANY WAY BE DEEMED AN “ISSUER” OR “UNDERWRITER” OF ANY INVESTMENT DESCRIBED HEREIN. ALL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PROJECTIONS OR OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT OR SIMILAR WRITTEN OR ORAL COMMUNICATION HAVE BEEN PREPARED BY, AND ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COMPANY. NEITHER THE LICENSOR NOR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AGENTS, EMPLOYEES, ACCOUNTANTS OR ATTORNEYS HAVE ASSUMED, AND NONE WILL HAVE, ANY LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PROJECwww.dolcemag.com | DOLCE MAGAZINE WINTER 2019/20 TIONS OR OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT OR SIMILAR WRITTEN OR ORAL COMMUNICATION. THE LICENSOR MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO REVIEW AND APPROVE OF THIS DOCUMENT.

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DOLCE WAS THERE 1

AN EVENING CELEBRATING SCIENCE

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www.weizmann.ca @weizmanncanada

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1. Dr. Roberta Bondar and Dr. Dan Andreae 2. Renee Bleeman and Robin Turack 3. Michele Atlin, chair, Women and Science Committee and Francie Klein, vice-chair, National Board of Directors, Weizmann Canada and president, Toronto Chapter 4. Jeff Shaul, Zachary Schwartz and Dr. Dan Andreae 5. Michelle Zerillo-Sosa and Micki Mizrahi 6. Michelle Zerillo-Sosa, Nancy Pencer and Rita Appugliesi 7. Laurie Cohen and Jeffrey Cohen, chair, National Board of Directors, Weizmann Canada 8. Patricia Rubin and Dr. Bernard Zucker 9. Susan Stern, national executive director and CEO, Weizmann Canada, Mike Florence and Sandra Florence

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On Oct. 29 the company, which specializes in luxury real estate and homes in Toronto, showcased the Uplands Estate. As part of the evening, guests were treated to a tour of the exclusive $12.8-million property at 10 Riverside Blvd. The property boasts a circular motor court, statement staircase, oak-panelled library, home theatre, sauna and gym, as well as an outdoor garden and pool.

www.hammondinternationalproperties.com @hammondintl

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HAMMOND INTERNATIONAL PROPERTIES

HAMMOND INTERNATIONAL PROPERTIES HOSTS AN EVENING OF GRAND DESIGN

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE

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On Sept. 25, The Four Seasons Hotel on Yorkville Avenue played host to a celebration of donors and life-changing research at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The evening featured a panel of Israel National Postdoctoral Award Program recipients, moderated by Arlene Dickinson of CBC’s Dragons' Den. Proceeds from the event were donated to the Israel National Postdoctoral Award Program for Advancing Women in Science.

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1. Cham Nguyen, Anastasiya Tymofeyeva, Jerry Hammond, Tara Del Zotto , Voula Argyropoulos, Leila Rezaei and Verna Debono 2. Guests with Jerry Hammond, Mohammad Meysam Zuie and clothing designer Tara Rivas 3. Pankaj Sharm, mortgage broker, Voula Argyropoulos, sales representative, and Trevor Dale, mortgage broker with iBridge Capital 4. Jerry Hammond, Joanna Chen, Tara Del Zotto and guest

30 DOLCE MAGAZINE | www.dolcemag.com

WINTER 2019/20

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seaisland .com 844-846-3907 31 www.dolcemag.com | DOLCE MAGAZINE

DOLCE WAS THERE 2

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SUZANNE ROGERS PRESENTS VICTORIA BECKHAM

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PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY

The fifth installment in the Suzanne Rogers Presents series saw Victoria Beckham take centre stage at the sold-out Toronto event in November. The luncheon featured Beckham’s SS20 collection, which guests could pre-order, and a conversation with Business of Fashion’s editor-at-large Tim Blanks. The event raised $725,000 for Camp Ooch, The Penelope Neuroblastoma Foundation and other children’s charities. “I want to thank Suzanne Rogers for inviting me to Toronto, and Sylvia Mantella, for organizing a truly memorable afternoon,” Beckham said in a statement. “It was a really special event for two incredible causes.” www.rogers.com

1. Suzanne Rogers, Victoria Beckham, Sylvia Mantella 2. Molly Fitzpatrick, Lucinda Kogan, Candice Sinclair, Sylvia Mantella, Romelia Diaz 3. Loucas Kleanthous, Tim Blanks and Wayne Clark

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RANDALL RESIDENCES CELEBRATES ITS OFFICIAL GRAND OPENING

4 PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE RANDALL RESIDENCES

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Rosehaven Homes marked the opening of the Oakville address with a guided tour of the newly finished common areas of the luxury condo building. The design is inspired by the elegance of cities like Paris, bringing together design details that are as romantic as they are grand. The Randall is also home to Ristorante Sotto Sotto’s second location, as well as premier fitness brand Nova Health Club. www.therandallresidences.com @therandallresidences

1. Celebrating The Randall Residences’ Ceremonial Opening and Ribbon-Cutting are (L-R) GeoFocus Construction Management’s Adam Altobelli, master architect Richard Wengle, Town of Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, Melrose Investments’ President Silvio Guglietti, Rosehaven Homes’ President Marco Guglietti and Riccardo Guglietti 2. The Randall Residences' Rooftop Common Area for homeowners 3 & 4. The Randall Residences’ distinguished homeowners and special guests celebrate the Official Grand Opening of the acclaimed signature Oakville address in the heart of South East Oakville

32 DOLCE MAGAZINE | www.dolcemag.com

WINTER 2019/20

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www.dolcemag.com | DOLCE MAGAZINE

2019 INDUCTEES: Will Arnett (Arts and Entertainment) Ernie Coombs - Mr. Dressup (Arts and Entertainment) – Awarded posthumously Frank Gehry (Science, Technology and Innovation) Cindy Klassen (Sports and Athletics) Dr. James Naismith (Science, Technology and Innovation) Mark Messier (Sports and Athletics) Jim Treliving (Business and Entrepreneurship) Triumph (Arts and Entertainment) Allan Slaight Music Impact Honour: Alessia Cara

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DOLCE WAS THERE

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CANADA’S WALK OF FAME AWARDS SHOW

Taking place at Metro Toronto Convention Center on Nov. 23, the show and gala featured entertainment from Canadian performers, and guests that included industry leaders and philanthropists from across the country. The evening kicked off with a star-studded red carpet, which was followed by a cocktail reception and gourmet dinner. www.canadaswalkoffame.com

PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY

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1. 2019 Inductee Will Arnett accepting Canada’s Walk of Fame star with father James Arnett 2. Presenter Susan Auch, 2019 Inductee Cindy Klassen, and former Olympian Adam van Koeverden 3. 2019 Inductees Triumph: Rik Emmett, Mike Levine and Gil Moore 4. 2019 Allan Slight Music Impact Honouree Alessia Cara 5. 2019 Inductee Frank Gehry accepting his Canada’s Walk of Fame Award onstage with presenter David Mirvish 6. Alessia Cara and Massimo Sosa 7. Dolce Editor-in-Chief Michelle Zerillo-Sosa with Randy Lennox, president of Bell Media 8. Dragons’ Den stars Bruce Croxon, Brett Wilson, Robert Herjavec, Michael Wekerle and Joe Mimran carry Boston Pizza boxes to the table of Jim Treliving, 2019 Inductee 9. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, 2019 Inductee Jim Treliving, and David Foster 10. NBA legend Isiah Thomas with Jim Naismith, who accepted Induction for Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball 11. 2019 Inductee Mark Messier with 2018 Inductee Col. Chris Hadfield 12. Brother Sukhmeet Sachal stands with Abhayjeet Sachal, 2019 MLSE/Scotiabank Community Hero Program Winner 13. CTV’s Ben Mulroney and AnneMarie Mediwake, co-hosts of Canada’s Walk of Fame Awards 14. Jeffrey Latimer, CEO of Canada’s Walk of Fame

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34 DOLCE MAGAZINE | www.dolcemag.com

WINTER 2019/20

DOLCE WAS THERE 1

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On Nov. 27, Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) held the 23rd edition of its gala, Bloor Street Entertains, which is working toward its mission to end the HIV epidemic in Canada within five years. The evening saw over 700 guests dine on food prepared by the city’s best chefs, and CANFAR revealed its Becoming Family campaign. “Our theme, Becoming Family, reminds us that inclusivity, support, love and cooperation are key in our fight against HIV,” said Alex Filiatrault, CEO of CANFAR, in a statement. www.canfar.com @canfar1987

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PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY

CANFAR

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1. Robert Mantella, Sylvia Mantella, Ray Mantella, Patti Prest 2. Christi Himmelheber, Patrick Himmelheber 3. Brian Gluckstein, Gary Sarantopoulos 4. David Dixon 5. Sergio Sosa, Michelle Zerillo-Sosa 6. Alex Filiatrault, Eva Hartling, Dr. Graham Smith 7. Leeanne Weld and guests 8. Alan Pourvakil and guests 9. Jenna Naumovich Freda, Vonna Bitove 10. Honourable Hilary Weston, Galen Weston 11. Mary Jean Tully and guests 12. Cyrus Rezvanian, Christine Rezvanian, Holly Miklas, Paul Miklas

35 WINTER 2019/20

www.dolcemag.com | DOLCE MAGAZINE

DOLCE EXCE LLE NCE G LOBAL B RAN DI NG

JENNIFER LOPEZ AND COACH: MADE IN MANHATTAN Two icons from New York City combine forces, as J. Lo becomes the global face of Coach design house

J. Lo and Coach, both born and bred in New York City, are an almost inevitable match to face the fashion and design world together

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here is almost a certain and unspoken commonality among people, things and companies that have their origins in the New York City area, as the city’s fabric lives in their souls. Could Sinatra really have been Sinatra without being born across the river, in Hoboken, N.J.? Could Woody Allen capture Manhattan

PHOTO BY BENJAMIN ROSSER/BFA

WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

so completely if he had been born in Des Moines, Iowa?

New York City is one of those few cities that shapes and identifies someone or some things forever, and there is a great connection among those who have called it home.

Perhaps then it is no surprise that Coach and Jennifer Lopez (J. Lo) found each other. Coach, the global design house founded in New York City 78 years ago, recently

announced that Lopez — award-winning actress, singer, producer and businesswoman born in The Bronx, N.Y., in 1969 — will be the new global face of its brand.

They are two international icons, shaped by their historic roots in New York City, sharing that unmistakable attitude of possibility and authentic selfexpression and coming together to face the world.

Lopez is a huge “get” for Coach, as she is one of the most recognizable and photographed people in the world. The multi-faceted J. Lo is self-made from her roots as a five-year-old singing and dancing through to her decision to leave the family home as a teenager and move to Manhattan to audition for her first minor roles. She became a dancer for New Kids on the Block in 1991, and in 1997, she won international acclaim in the title role of the biopic Selena. The rest is history.

She has sold more than 80 million records, was the first female entertainer to have a No. 1 album and No. 1 film simultaneously in the United States and is generally regarded as the most influential Latin American performer in the country. She is the definition of urban success and the ideal choice for Coach.

“I’m so excited for this collaboration with Coach,” says Lopez. “It is a timeless brand that I’ve always been a fan of, and the upcoming collection really speaks to my personal style — an uptown-downtown mix.”

“Jennifer is so authentic. She’s determined and she’s an original who has followed her own path to do things her own way — she really embodies the attitude of Coach and our new campaign,” says Coach creative director Stuart Vevers. “I loved when Jennifer carried the Coach Signature bags in her 2002 video ‘All I Have’ and she’s from New York, like Coach, which creates another authentic connection.”

Founded in 1941, Coach is one of those special quality products known for its expert craftsmanship with a long-standing reputation for speaking New York style. This global design house of modern luxury leather goods, apparel, footwear, fragrance, eyewear and a full range of lifestyle accessories is now sold in 55 countries worldwide.

But it’s never forgotten its roots, and neither has J. Lo. Some relationships are made in heaven. Jennifer Lopez and Coach’s was clearly made in Manhattan. www.coach.com

36 DOLCE MAGAZINE | www.dolcemag.com

WINTER 2019/20

AWARD-WINNING FABRICATOR Project ID: Kitkat Chocolatory | Location: Toronto | Designer: ModelCtzn | Fabricator: UNIQUE

www.uniquestoreďŹ xtures.com 37 WINTER 2019/20

www.dolcemag.com | DOLCE MAGAZINE

DOLCE EXCE LLE NCE PE RSONAL STYLE

RJ SPIDER-MAN WATCH COLLECTION TAKES FLIGHT

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RJ WATCHES

A superhero on your wrist is not only a conversation-starter, but RJ’s limited Spider-Man watch series also states your personal style

The technically innovative, limited collection of timepieces makes a bold statement of personal style WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

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or decades, wristwatches have in some way been the epitome of personal style, especially for men. They are their most prominent pieces of jewelry, and unlike women’s jewelry, remain unchanged day-to-day. Men choose the look of a watch based on their comfort level thinking it reflects our personal style and then pretty much ride with it. Men’s options for jewelry have always been somewhat limited, so when something different and unique is offered, it is noticed.

Swiss watchmaker RJ did just that this past fall by introducing its new ARRAW Spider-Man collection at Watches of Switzerland Soho in New York. It includes the ARRAW Spider-Man Tourbillion – 45 mm, extremely limited in two variations at just ten pieces each starting from US$92,000, and the skeletonized ARRAW Spider-Man Carbon mechanical watch, a new 100-piece limited series retailing at US$20,000.

It is RJ’s latest offering as a result of its partnership with the creative storytellers at Marvel, part of The Walt Disney Company, with a library of more than 8,000 characters developed over the last 75 years. It

follows RJ’s recent limited-edition Batman and Space Invaders watch series.

RJ was founded in 2004, and the brand re-launched in 2018 under the creative direction of CEO Marco Tedeschi. Ever since, it has proudly manufactured its own in-house movements at the brand’s headquarters, RJ Studio in Geneva.

The Spider-Man limited collection series is another advancement from an industry innovator, which brought history-making materials to the wrist with its DNA Concept watches, using steel from the Titanic, genuine moon dust, or remnants from the Apollo 11 spacecraft, which first landed man on the moon.

“We are proud to launch two innovative in-house movements inspired by Spider-Man,” said Tedeschi at the October launch. “These new calibres affirm RJ’s mission to create innovative Haute Horlogerie watches that challenge traditional notions of what high-end watchmaking is and to partner with likeminded innovators.”

While having a superhero on your wrist is certainly a statement of your personal style and a guaranteed conversation-starter, it is the excellence of design and

innermost precision by RJ’s artisans that separates this timepiece from all the rest.

The Spider-Man Tourbillion features a fully coaxial construction with a peripheral display of the hours and minutes, and has increased the power reserve to 150 hours (more than six days). The case has no crown and is wound by lifting a hoop found on the back case and turning it like a key, a faster winding method.

The case back is finished using a high-tech cartridge engraving technique, with letters that are polished and stand out from the micro-blasted back. Four sapphire crystals on the case back allow for maximum visibility of movement.

The skeletonized Spider-Man is an open-worked model integrating visual cues from the Spider-Man universe, including a spider web, lacquered spider and the famous spider icon.

RJ Studio has created an original design with this new Spider-Man watch collection and has introduced highly engineered timepieces as unique and stylish as any superhero. www.rjwatches.com

38 DOLCE MAGAZINE | www.dolcemag.com

WINTER 2019/20

FOR SALE 95 OLD COLONY RD. $10,800,000. 100’ x 296’ LOT, 5 BEDS AND 9 BATHS, APPROX. 9,125 SQ. FT.

FOR SALE 151 YONGE BLVD. $4,295,000. 50’ x 140’ LOT, 4+1 BEDS AND 5 BATHS, APPROX. 3,775 SQ. FT.

FOR SALE 8 FRIVICK CRT. $4,195,000. 41.15’ x 124.92’ LOT, 4+2 BEDS AND 5+1 BATHS, APPROX. 4,880 SQ. FT.

FOR SALE 18 AVA RD. $3,798,000. 50’ x 89.64’ LOT, 4+1 BEDS AND 6 BATHS, APPROX. 3,720 SQ. FT.

FOR SALE 70 CARMICHAEL AVE. $3,695,000. 52’ x 115’ LOT, 4+1 BEDS AND 7 BATHS, APPROX. 4,000 SQ. FT.

FOR SALE 143 BURNETT AVE. $2,798,000. 50’ x 117.66’ LOT, 4+2 BEDS AND 6 BATHS, APPROX. 4,585 SQ. FT.

FOR SALE 282 BROOKE AVE. $2,695,000. 41.87’ x 130’ LOT, 4+1 BEDS AND 6 BATHS, APPROX. 3,517 SQ. FT.

FOR SALE 110 McGILLIVRAY AVE. $2,599,000. 40’ x 115’ LOT, 4+1 BEDS AND 5 BATHS, APPROX. 3,100 SQ. FT.

FOR SALE 1 STUART AVE. $2,449,000. 43.67’ x 120’ LOT, 4+1 BEDS AND 5 BATHS, APPROX. 3,600 SQ. FT.

SOLD FOR 100% OF ASKING 1 ST THOMAS ST. #TH C

SOLD FOR 95% OF ASKING 278 JOICEY BLVD.

SOLD FOR 94% OF ASKING 85 FIFESHIRE RD.

39 WINTER 2019/20

www.dolcemag.com | DOLCE MAGAZINE

DOLCE EXCE LLE NCE R ETAI L DESIG N

CHANEL CELEBRATES NEW BOUTIQUE IN MONTREAL

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHANEL

Cool, sleek and contemporary, Chanel’s new Montreal boutique ideally showcases its full product line

Its new fashion address in downtown Montreal continues the tradition of memorable and stunning Chanel boutiques WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

No

pun intended, but when you are one of the world’s leading luxury brands like Chanel, a certain amount of baggage may come with that. People expect more in quality and design than they may from other brands and that’s especially true when it comes to the public face of the brand, the classic Chanel boutique, where the bar for excellence is set extremely high.

In leading cities around the world, Chanel boutiques act like a magnet to discerning shoppers as a retail destination almost impossible to pass by.

Artful, enticing, distinctive and engaging, they always seem to completely reflect the quality and breadth of Chanel products.

Such is the case again with the new Chanel boutique in the heart of downtown Montreal, where Chanel expanded its presence this past November with the opening of its new shopping address at Holt Renfrew Ogilvy on Sainte-Catherine Street West.

Designed by long-time Chanel collaborator, architect and designer Peter Marino, the new boutique once again embodies the brand’s quintessential code: that of seamlessly blending strength and softness, modernity

and timelessness. Cool, sleek, contemporary, polished and modern, the boutique is expansive, with generous marble, glass and metal finishes and inset lighting that artfully display its full line of products.

Products showcased include Chanel’s Ready-to-Wear collections, its famous handbags, shoes, costume jewelry and eyewear, as well as a selection of watches and fine jewelry. The boutique launched with the Chanel 2020 collection created by its artistic director of fashion collections, Virginie Viard.

The new 310-square-metre Chanel boutique doubles the space offered at its previous location and features a new street-front presence on rue de la Montagne, a preferred address in downtown Montreal.

The boutique is accessed via the first floor of Holt Renfrew Ogilvy, where visitors are met with an airy, high-ceiling atrium and twin grand staircases flanking the impressive Ready-to-Wear collection. It is an inviting reception and certainly one reflective of Chanel’s reputation as one of the world’s leading luxury brands, which always puts its best face forward with exceptionally designed retail spaces.

The interior spaces showcase the customized fabrics of Chanel’s emblematic tweeds which adorn Peter

Marino’s designed chairs and furnishings, along with silk and wool carpeting, created specifically for this Montreal boutique. Understated, yet so identifiable throughout are Chanel’s classical black, white and gold colours, especially in the hand-applied and textured wall finishes.

One of the most memorable spaces within the boutique is on the upper level: the Ready-to-Wear salon, designed to offer the sense of visiting a private residence, and reflective of the intimacy of Mademoiselle Chanel’s legendary apartment at 31 rue Cambon in Paris.

The Chanel boutique also features stunning artwork to complement its design, including a specially commissioned piece by Hugo McCloud, comprising patina, oil stick and solder on a solid bronze sheet, mounted on an aluminum frame. Even fitting rooms feature artworks such as a canvas pasted with handcut paper by Fernando Daza, and a camellia collage by Peter Dayton.

The new Chanel boutique in downtown Montreal is everything you would expect from Chanel. Original, memorable and creative, it is the superlative setting to showcase products that fit those same descriptions. www.chanel.com

40 DOLCE MAGAZINE | www.dolcemag.com

WINTER 2019/20

SPONSORED CONTENT

CONTEMPO STUDIO:

THE FINEST IN CUSTOM HOME DESIGN As tastes and life change, more discerning clients are turning to Contempo to ensure their custom home design is an enjoyable experience

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f you are fortunate enough in life to reach a stage whereby you can plan and build your custom dream home, the team you select is a crucial part of the planning. The right decision can make the entire process fun, exciting and enjoyable, and provide great memories.

Contempo Studio is the right decision: a sixyear-old Toronto-based custom home designer recognized as an industry leader in contemporary design and fresh ideas and attentive customer service that make client dreams come true.

For Contempo owner Marin Zabzuni, he realizes while custom home design involves a thousand moving parts, perhaps the most important aspect to clients is the designer’s ability to simply ‘listen,’ from the first consultation to handing over the keys.

“Listening is absolutely critical,” says Zabzuni.

“There’s always a wish list, and we always look at the parameters of what is possible, taking into consideration zoning bylaws, committee of adjustment rules and what variances are feasible.

Communications with the client, the city and the neighbours are very important, and we stay ahead of it.”

Besides the ability to translate clients’ wishes with its considerable design talents, Contempo’s one-stop-shop approach may also separate itself from other designers. It takes care of everything, from zoning bylaws through permits and handling all paperwork with a municipality, leaving the client worry-free in knowing the required logistics are expertly handled.

“Our clients are consistent in mentioning the comfort in knowing they are dealing with us,” says Zabzuni. “They love that it’s one-on-one

Superior customer service and excellence in design thinking to ensure its concepts are not only beautiful but also functional have led Contempo to the top in custom home design

communications and it’s one vision to take care of all their needs. It makes everything much smoother and easier.”

Contempo Studio’s individual approach not only creates beauty in custom home design, but also practicality of purpose in how the interior functionality works for how the client actually lives, as life has changed over the decades, and home design must accommodate the new reality.

“Families are growing and need more space,” says Zabzuni. “We see a lot more open concept in designs and more windows, as clients want more natural light inside the home. We approach diverse design models that blend into respective neighbourhoods, as curb appeal is important to us and our clients, and each project is designed to fit the customer palate and become more inviting.

Our commitment to contemporary design is to be exquisite and timeless, while creating a beautiful canvas for our clients to accessorize. Our motto for each project is to provide subtle and timeless luxury.”

Contempo’s excellent reputation for design, quality of work and customer service makes it a preferred designer for some of Canada’s top builders of luxury homes, such as Stonebrooke Homes of Woodbridge, Ont., which has a long history with Contempo.

“Marin and his team are a pleasure to work with — professional, constructive, creative, solutionsoriented, hard-working and effective,” says Stonebrooke Homes president Robert Di Toro.

“Their design elements blend seamlessly, providing contract and connection to each of our unique developments, in turn allowing us to precisely execute each build and showcase a stunning portfolio of designer luxury homes.”

Contempo realizes how important the custom home design process is to every client. They are trusting Contempo Studio to make their dreams come true, and that’s a responsibility Zabzuni and his team take very seriously.

Explains Zabzuni, “I always put myself in the owner’s shoes, as if it were our house, as that’s how we can best help them and make the right decisions.

We’re confident in our abilities for excellent, quality design, and that lives throughout the service we give. We’re always there for our clients and happy to take on this responsibility.”

www.contempostudio.ca @contempo_studio

41 WINTER 2019/20

www.dolcemag.com | DOLCE MAGAZINE

DOLCE EXCE LLE NCE AT AUCTION

Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller at their wedding from the May 1961 issue of TV-Radio Mirror

PHOTO COURTESY OF KESTENBAUM & COMPANY

PHOTO BY MACFADDEN PUBLICATIONS

MARILYN MONROE’S MENORAH SELLS FOR MORE THAN $112,000

The menorah was sold by New York auction house Kestenbaum & Company

In Monroe’s possession when she died, the menorah is an item that brings together Judaism with the Golden Age of Hollywood WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER

On

Nov. 7, niche New York City-based auction house Kestenbaum & Company sold Marilyn Monroe’s menorah for $112,522.

Though the item, paired with the buyer’s premium, totalled over $112,000, the buyer’s winning bid was $90,018. “There were a few knowing smiles in the sale room when the buyer specifically upped his offer to include an 18 in his $90,018 winning bid,” says company director Daniel Kestenbaum. “In Jewish numerology, 18 symbolizes life, and therefore good luck and celebration.

The market for authentic collectibles with unique

provenance from the Golden Age of Hollywood is unrivalled and the demand for preserving and collecting Fine Judaica remains equally as vigorous. Marilyn Monroe’s menorah has remarkable provenance and unites the two mesmerized markets.”

The menorah was among Monroe’s possessions when she died in 1962. She was gifted the menorah from the parents of her former husband, playwright Arthur Miller, who she married in 1956. She converted to Judaism in the same year. Previously, the menorah was offered for sale by a private collector, who bought it at a 1999 Christie’s auction, “The Personal Property

of Marilyn Monroe,” where it was sold alongside the famous dress Monroe was wearing when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

The menorah was also briefly shown to the public at The Jewish Museum of New York as part of the “Becoming Jewish: Warhol’s Liz and Marilyn” exhibition, as well as at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.

Established in 1995, Kestenbaum & Company specializes in the sale of rare books, manuscripts, as well as fine and ceremonial art. www.kestenbaum.net

42 DOLCE MAGAZINE | www.dolcemag.com

WINTER 2019/20

LUXURY REAL ESTATE

This statement building in Canada’s capital has already been designated as a new landmark in Ottawa

1451 WELLINGTON SETS NEW LUXURY STANDARD IN OTTAWA Ribbon-cutting ceremony for new luxury condominium by Mizrahi Developments marks a transformation in Canada’s capital city WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

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1. From left: Mayor Jim Watson; Micki Mizrahi, chief executive officer of Mizrahi Developments; Dan Donovan, publisher and managing editor of Ottawa Life Magazine; Sam Mizrahi, president and founder of Mizrahi Developments 2. Sam Mizrahi with Mayor Jim Watson at the ribbon cutting 3. Fernando Zerillo of Dolce Media Group; Cailey Clow, sales manager at 1451 Wellington; Jonny Cracower, vice-president development of Mizrahi Developments; Sam Mizrahi; Micki Mizrahi; Remy Del Bel, finance controller at Mizrahi Developments

PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL

An

interesting transformation has been happening in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. Once known as a classic “government town” of civil servants and rigid timetables, the city is now home to vibrant arts and culture, and robust industry sectors such as research and development, technology and innovation, which in turn are attracting an entirely new population mix.

It was a transition noticed by one of Canada’s leading luxury real estate developers, Mizrahi Developments, which has been quick to provide the appropriate residential product this new Ottawa is demanding.

This market sense has been rewarded with the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony to

commence construction at 1451 Wellington, The Residences at Island Park Drive, which will elevate condominium living to a new standard of luxury in the nation’s capital.

Located at the intersection of Ottawa’s two hottest west-end neighbourhoods, Westboro and Wellington West, the condominium will be located in the middle of a thriving community of restaurants, boutiques, galleries and cafés, along with family-friendly parks and community activities.

Each of the 93 suites in the 12-storey building will be custom designed with the finest finishes, and residents will also enjoy amenities and services similar to those found in a five-star hotel. Suites range in size from 600 to 4,600 square feet and are

priced at approximately $950 per square foot. The site is already 70 per cent sold, confirming Mizrahi’s decision to bring high-end boutique condominium living to Ottawa.

“The number of presales confirms that a highend market exists in Ottawa, and that the capital is transitioning to an international city,” says Sam Mizrahi, president and founder of Mizrahi Developments. “Since 2013, we have worked with the city to create what was wanted in terms of architecture and amenities.”

As a testament to its importance in a city of museums and embassies, 1451 Wellington has already been officially designated by Ottawa as a new landmark in the capital. www.1451wellington.ca

43 WINTER 2019/20

www.dolcemag.com | DOLCE MAGAZINE

In announcing her 2021 departure from the National Ballet of Canada, she leaves behind a legacy of artistic interpretation and inspiration

KAREN KAIN: t e l l a B f o y d a L t s The F ir WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

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arely in arts does one individual become so acclaimed that their very name becomes synonymous with their chosen art form. One such individual is Karen Kain, known worldwide as Canada’s prima ballerina, winning international accolades in Moscow, New York, Paris and London not only for her abilities as a dancer, but also her leadership skills and artistic imagination. Her impact will be felt long past her retirement as artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada in January 2021.

These considerable professional heights and accomplishments were probably not in the mind of Kain’s mother when she enrolled her young daughter in ballet training because she believed it would improve young Kain’s discipline, poise and postural alignment.

Upon the family’s move to Mississauga, Ont., from Ancaster, Ont., to be closer to Toronto when Kain was 11 years old, she began training with Canada’s National Ballet School, the country’s pre-eminent ballet school. After graduating in 1969, Kain received the high honour of being invited to join the National Ballet of Canada.

Kain became a principal dancer in 1971 and went on to a distinguished career that included

international guest performances with such companies as the Paris Opera Ballet, Roland Petit’s Ballet National de Marseille, the Bolshoi Ballet, the London Festival Ballet and the Hamburg Ballet.

During her outstanding career, she developed a close creative partnership with Rudolf Nureyev and often performed with him. But perhaps the most significant accomplishment in her career, until her retirement from professional dancing in 1997, was her impact on the art form.

Kain’s dancing was transformational for ballet in Canada. Her abilities, artistic interpretations of pieces and palpable joy in her work broke down old barriers between ballet and its audiences, to the point where ballet became “cool,” and Kain was its superstar.

She brought it from the rattling of expensive jewelry to rapturous shouts and standing ovations from her audiences, single-handedly influencing thousands of young girls and boys to join local ballet schools. Perhaps that will be her greatest legacy. Kain’s popularity moved ballet into pop culture. She was even a subject of the portraits of Andy Warhol in 1980. If the average person could name Picasso as a painter or Pavarotti as an opera singer, they could name Karen Kain as a ballet dancer.

Her endurance during an almost 30-year professional career was legendary, especially in an activity recognized as one of the world’s most athletic and physically taxing, where every muscle must work in perfect co-ordination for an entire ballet. Even Tom Brady only plays half the game.

Kain had an invaluable impact, both as an artist and a leader, on the National Ballet, as well as the arts in Canada and around the globe, where the National Ballet is now in demand around the world and recognized as being among the finest companies. She has led the National Ballet on 23 international tours and 29 Canadian tours.

Becoming artistic director in 2005, Kain commissioned, co-commissioned and co-produced 24 new works from international and Canadian choreographers. Under Kain’s leadership, the National Ballet achieved financial success with 10 years of operating surpluses and the completion of the $104-million Soaring Campaign, the largest fundraising campaign in its history.

“Karen Kain is an extraordinary artist and an extraordinary leader,” says Cornell Wright, board chair of the National Ballet of Canada. “This great organization has been so fortunate to benefit from her brilliance for the past 50 years. Karen continues to inspire excellence in all who have the privilege to work with her, and I am so pleased and grateful she has agreed to continue her connection with the company as artistic director emeritus.”

Kain has received many awards throughout her career, testaments to her accomplishments both as an artist and advocate for the arts. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada, was awarded the Order of Ontario, was the first Canadian recipient of the Cartier Lifetime Achievement Award and was named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Government of France.

In 1997, she was honoured with a Canadian Governor General’s Performing Arts National Arts Centre Award and received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2002. The Karen Kain School of the Arts officially opened in 2008 as a tribute to her ongoing contributions to cultural life in Canada, and in 2019, Kain was the first Canadian to be honoured with the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award, the highest honour given by the Royal Academy of Dance.

“I feel so fortunate to have had this wonderful company as my artistic home for 50 years,” says Kain. “Being artistic director has been the greatest honour of my life, and I know I leave a financially stable company with the very best dancers in the world.”

In art, there is a tradition to go out leaving your audiences wanting more. Karen Kain, true to her character and abilities, is different. When she leaves us, Canada and the world all know she always gave us everything. national.ballet.ca

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TEXTILES

The textile designer and entrepreneur on choosing design over dance, the power of bespoke and moving to New York without a Plan B WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER

When I founded Candice Kaye Design there was this gap in the market, where no one was doing bespoke, one-of-a-kind pieces at a reasonable price point, especially within hospitality,” begins Candice Kaye, textile designer and founder of her eponymous brand. “It was also during the rise of social media, and people wanting to take photos anywhere they were going. For the first time ever that was led by design, and so as long as you could see the design in the photographs, you knew where it came from.” It’s that same approach that’s seen her work provide a backdrop for DJ Khaled, Jimmy Butler, Lisa Hochstein and Trevor Noah, to name just a few.

Though Kaye is a textile designer today, she grew up dancing and saw it as something she would end up doing for a living. It was during her studies for interior design, however, where she

was given the first taste of what would eventually become Candice Kaye Design. “It came to a point of choosing a dance career or going into school for interior design,” she says. Kaye chose interior design, but even though she dropped out of the program after three months, the seed had been sown. “We would do projects, and I was always concerned about the details more than where the window was or how the wall was shaped,” she continues. “I love interiors, but I don’t care where you put your couch or where your wall goes.”

After spending time travelling in Paris, where everything clicked into place after a visit to a fabric manufacturing warehouse, Kaye returned home enlivened and applied to study textile surface design at FIT in New York. “I remember there was no Plan B,” she says looking back. “I left everything for New York. And on my first day of school, the people in my class were real artists, and

I remember walking around asking people how they mixed that colour and so on. Because I was so untrained, I think it worked to my advantage.

When you’re trained, I feel you get so caught up in the rules of how it has to be done. People in the class had certain paintbrushes, and I would go to the dollar store and use any paintbrush because I didn’t know the difference.”

Toward the end of the school year, Kaye secured her first client, an upstart Soho café called Maman, where she created four custom prints that would become the heart of the brand.

Today, that same brand has numerous locations across New York and Toronto. Planta, a Toronto- and Miami-based restaurant dedicated to creating plant-based dishes, is another. Not only was it inspired by her project with Maman, but it was also her first client after moving back from New York. “That project sparked this idea

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Kaye has created projects with brands across international cities, including Toronto, New York and Miami

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As well as brand-led collaborations, Kaye sells her own collections that span wallpapers, rugs and patio umbrellas

PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO

“BECAUSE I WAS SO UNTRAINED, I THINK IT WORKED TO MY ADVANTAGE. WHEN YOU’RE TRAINED, I FEEL YOU GET SO CAUGHT UP IN THE RULES OF HOW IT HAS TO BE DONE”

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PHOTOS FROM @ _CANDICEKAYE_

Launching her brand during the rise of social media has seen Kaye’s work provide a backdrop for the likes of DJ Khaled and Jennifer Lopez

of bespoke textiles that caught the attention of Steven Salm, the president and CEO of Chase Hospitality Group,” she says. “Steven saw the true value of bespoke and wanted something that exuded the feeling of the Beverly Hills hotel, but more updated. As the palm leaf wallpaper has been around forever, I had to make sure it was still iconic, but would be different enough to stand the test of time.”

While there’s no doubt Kaye has an impressive portfolio of clients, she also sells her own collections that span wallpaper, rugs and patio umbrellas. And she plans to expand her brand

into the world of plates, tablecloths and other homeware. Kaye’s also taken on a number of projects creating bespoke home designs. “Highend residential has been an extremely rewarding process for me,” she says. “Clients are able to receive something bespoke that’s completely their own, but in the form of a textile. That’s super exciting.” She recently saw the power of bespoke when designing a powder room for a client in New York’s East Village, where she created a lifesized hanging willow tree that covered the ceiling.

The concept came from the nickname the client’s grandfather had given her. “The home is your safe

space,” Kaye says. “Why buy a stock rug when we can create something that holds meaning, and you can keep forever and pass down to your children?

Wallpaper becomes a hanging piece of art, and every hand-painted element tells a story.”

With plenty of future plans, Kaye also seems to just be getting started. “My company has evolved so much from what I thought it was to what I see coming,” she says. “In the future, I want to have these projects that are all-encompassing. The goal would be to design a whole hotel, where the rug matches the little details on the napkins and the tiles,” she explains, noting how much of an inspiration travel is to her process. “It’s being able to give you this complete experience, where you eat, sleep and drink. There are so many times I’ve walked into a hotel and it feels familiar. It would be amazing to create that for someone.” www.candicekayedesign.com @_candicekaye_

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MAKING THE GREATEST IMPACT

RENEGADE FOR GOOD

A visionary whose life purpose is centred around making an impact for the better, both domestically and internationally, Julie Toskan is driven by challenges, compassion and change for good

L

oosely described, a visionary is someone who has unusually keen foresight, one who can aptly envision the future. The visionary process can be achieved through formal practices such as meditation and dreams. Or, in Lotus Land culture, the aids to “envisioning” are sometimes accessed through attempting to connect with supernatural powers, often and quite possibly aided and abetted by the use of mind-altering drugs.

To be described as a visionary is a positive valuation and one that is certainly appropriate for Julie Toskan, CEO at Genius 100 Visions. Without a doubt, Toskan, a change-maker to her core, is in the most esteemed company. Martin Luther King Jr., whose hopes and actions championed equality and seamless integration for all cultures and races, is unquestionably a visionary. So, too, are Leonardo da Vinci, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Albert Einstein, the ultimate visionary. Completely unabashed by hundreds of failed experiments, Einstein used the information gleaned from his realms of failures as teachable moments from which to envision the path forward. In fact, more than 100 years after the anniversary of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, Genius 100 Visions created the 3D-printed book Genius: 100 Visions of the Future with designer Ron Arad. The book, which through a partnership with NASA saw a copy prototyped in space, features 100 eminent global thought leaders across a broad spectrum of genres.

These include award-winning actress and singer Barbra Streisand; bestselling author and renowned pioneer in integrative medicine Deepak Chopra; human rights activist and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Nadia Murad; and zen master and global spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh, to name just a few.

“Of course, it couldn’t just be a regular book,”

“I BELIEVE VERY STRONGLY THAT CHANGE NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE CHANGE IS NEEDED” Toskan says. “Someone had a connection to NASA, so a decision was made to make a protoype copy of the book in space. With the help of gravity, the pages of the book flip on their own, which was discovered as the book was being created on the 3D printer in space.”

Just as she was playing with the idea of retiring (“I really don’t know what I was thinking”), Toskan met Rami Kleinmann, the founder of the Genius Foundation, which was established as an offshoot to the Genius: 100 Visions of the Future book. “He asked me what I was going to do next,” Toskan says. “I told him I was looking to find the next great thing that I could get involved in [and] not from a monetary perspective, but as an impact for the betterment of people.”

Intuiting that Genius: 100 Visions of the Future would give her the opportunity to work on many great and visionary ideas, Toskan was in. In November 2018, she became a part of the Genius organization just as it was ramping up.

A current partnership that Genius is working with involves a group in Nepal who help people with cataracts see again. People, who seven minutes earlier could not see, come out of the surgical room and experience the light of day and the lights of their life. Many situations in which Genius is involved are already in place. But with the organization’s help, procedures and causes become more efficient and better funded. “We are not really out there creating new things; there are already a great amount of ideas out there. But a lot of these organizations just need support. And so it is incredible to see that something that really costs so little can have such an impact,” Toskan says. “For example, a mother who had never seen her child, who couldn’t function properly, cook or clean, is now able to see. A father, now sighted, can go out to work, to support his family.

It changes the whole dynamic in people’s lives.

It is all about making the greatest impact and maximizing resources, either financially or those we already have as a group,” she says.

A “take-the-bull-by-the-horns” kind of person, Toskan’s intrinsic purpose stems from her deep dislike of seeing injustices and unfairness befall people. “That is what has driven me to do the work I do, with respect to helping people experience a better life. I am passionate about exposing people to experiences that they might not otherwise have access to. I like to root for the underdog; challenges really drive me. If someone tells me I can’t do something, I go ahead and do it, even if I don’t have a clue,” Toskan says with a laugh.

Open to opportunities as they present themselves, Toskan’s career trajectory began at 18 years of age, just as she was graduating from high school. Her brother Frank Toskan (15 years his sister’s senior) and his life and business partner, Frank Angelo, the “Two Franks” as they came to be known, invited Toskan to join a company

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WRITTEN BY CECE M. SCOTT

Julie Toskan holds a copy of the 3D book Genius: 100 Visions of the Future, whose pages, in a NASAinspired space prototype, turn by themselves

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don’t win grant money,” Toskan says. “I believe very strongly that change needs to happen within the communities where change is needed.

It is not about it being my ideas; it is about helping people with their ideas, their passions. That is at the core of what I do, which is what drives me to assist the young people involved in YPI.” While the perception might be that students would gravitate toward a youth-oriented charity, the first grant awarded when YPI launched was for Sheena’s Place, an organization that provides support for eating disorders.

At that time, it was women-centric.

It was a poignant choice because the group of young male students went outside of themselves to study an issue that primarily affects women and girls.

Other examples include kids choosing shelters to champion, because they were immigrants to this country and originally had nowhere to go. “We have had kids who have shared for the first time ever that they are gay, and these are the issues they are dealing with, and the organization they chose to research is an organization that could have helped them in the past,” Toskan says. “Teachers are also saying that they learn so much more about their students because they feel safe sharing in this forum, talking about things that they are dealing with.”

Although it sounds cliché, Toskan credits her immigrant parents for her strong work ethic, her empathy, consideration and kindness toward other people. “We didn’t need to have conversations around these values; I just saw how my parents acted. In turn, I try to be that example for my own kids, who have known from the start that they had to be driven within themselves.”

Lucas, 24; Alex, 26; and Christopher, 29, are Toskan’s three sons, and they are also her best friends. “We hang out and travel a lot together,” she says. “I can’t imagine my life without them; we enjoy spending time together.”

While celebrated as a visionary, the most important aspect of Toskan’s efforts is centred not in philosophical thinking, but rather in realtime, action-based response. “There is power in advocacy; there is power in awareness; there is power in people,” she says. “There is so much more to philanthropy than the monetary model.

You can be philanthropic through your actions and your engagement. If a person is passionate and involved in a cause, that is what I am interested in — helping people to do more, to help them with the causes that they are interested in.” www.genius100visions.com @genius100visions

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they were in the throes of creating.

“I was very lucky to have a brother who was absolutely brilliant,” Toskan says. “It was his idea to start M.A.C [a cosmetics company]. I got to be a part of that fantastic team, where everyone had different skill sets. The Two Franks were mentors to me, taught me so much and showed a great deal of confidence in me,” says Toskan. “They were true renegades for good. Everything had to be the best: the cosmetics had to be the best quality; the price had to be affordable; everything came from a genuine, honest perspective. I consider myself deeply lucky to be a part of that great venture, to grow up that way.”

In 1999, after a very successful run, the M.A.C team sold the company to multinational cosmetics and skin-care giant Estée Lauder. Tragically, just as the sale was being facilitated, Frank Angelo passed away.

Julie Toskan is a visionary and an But the brother and sister team advocate for justice forged on, and, along with Toskan’s and fairness then husband, created the familybased organization Toskan Casale After Toskan left M.A.C, she began looking Foundation. Its main mission and purpose were for a cause that would have immediate impact in to provide immediate help to at-risk people, local communities. This led to the 2002 creation while building compassion and empathy. These of the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), visionaries had the organizational experience www.goypi.org, which was really Toskan’s baby. running both M.A.C and M.A.C AIDS fund to A school-based program that connects students make this new organization a definitive and changewith their community’s needs, a curriculum was making success. “One of M.A.C’s core philosophies developed for high-school students that engages all centres on its products being for everyone, for the classes across a particular grade. The backbone all sexes and all races. It was groundbreaking at of the YPI (which became a free-standing charity the time because people with AIDS were looked three years ago and for which Toskan is the down on. It was considered a gay man’s disease, chair) requires students to choose a cause or a which promoted the opinion that a person with problem in their community that is of interest to AIDS deserved it. It was absolutely horrible,” them, that speaks to them. Students then make Toskan says. “The Two Franks, who had been a compelling argument for their chosen cause to on a trip to New York, came home determined their classmates. All of the money granted, $5,000 to do something for the AIDS cause. They told per bursary, is based on the research that these me they had found someone who was a perfect high-school students effect. “The student efforts spokesperson for the M.A.C AIDS Fund — RuPaul, fulfill immediate needs within the social sectors a 6’4” black male drag queen who looks amazing in of their communities,” Toskan says. “It is hard makeup. I was worried about customers’ reactions for students who might have been to a shelter in to this choice, but the Franks told me, ‘Julie, if you their community to return to class and say, ‘OK, get complaints on this, it is a perfect opportunity I learned about that and now I am going to walk to open the dialogue and talk to them about our away.’ A mandated part of the program is that cause.’ RuPaul is for all sexes, all races, all ages. He students have to go out into the community and is playful — a perfect choice.” visit the charity or shelter that they have chosen M.A.C’s second spokesperson was k.d. lang, to make a case for.” another memorable change-maker. And when The scope of the YPI is large. Last year alone, Estée Lauder took over M.A.C in 1999, it 400 schools participated internationally across continued to raise money for AIDS, to the tune Canada, Scotland, Northern Ireland and New York of US$500 million, all through the sale of one City, with more than $1 million being granted product, Viva Glam lipstick. “Every retailer that annually. And plans are in the works to expand we worked with gave up the full markup on out along the Eastern Seaboard.

Viva Glam sales,” Toskan says. “[And] 100 per “It is an incredibly empowering program that cent of the sales on this product went to the AIDS foundation.” creates awareness for young people, even if they

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AFTER APHRODITE

Cyprus, birthplace of the Greek goddess of love and the backdrop to a collection of images that celebrate sophistication and style

VISIT WWW.DOLCEMAG.COM TO WATCH BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE OF OUR FASHION SHOOT

HUGO BOSS dress from TIMINIS CHARTIER suit and shirt

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CHARTIER jacket, shirt.

CORNELIANI pants from CARA Boutique

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DRIES VAN NOTEN top and pants BIANCA MAKRIS hairpiece ALDO shoes

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ATTICO rainbow mini dress CANALI suit & shirt from TIMINIS

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ALEX PERRY “Cole” velvet leopard dress from CARA Boutique. CASADEI “Blade” black suede pumps from KALOGIROU (left) ALEX PERRY “Hudson” yellow fitted dress from CARA Boutique & ALDO high-knee black suede boots (right)

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ALBERTA FERRETTI silver embroidered bustier, metallic grey pleated midi skirt & silver crystal earrings from CARA Boutique.

JIMMY CHOO “Minny” multi hologram sandals from KULT

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PHILOSOPHY DI LORENZO SERAFINI light pink and black glitter gown from CARA Boutique. CASADEI “Blade” black elastic bands ankle boots from KALOGIROU. BIANCA MAKRIS lavender pearl necklaces

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MOSCHINO black mini dress with crystal necklace embroidery from CARA Boutique, GUCCI black pumps with crystal ankle from KULT (left) MOSCHINO black mini dress with crystal necklace embroidery from CARA Boutique, PRADA crystal sandals from KULT CHARTIER suit and shirt, SALVATORE FERRAGAMO shoes from KALOGIROU. DOLCE & GABBANA belt from KULT

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ALBERTA FERRETTI black sequined mini tulle dress from CARA Boutique (left) ALBERTA FERRETTI black sequined tulle body & tulle maxi skirt from CARA Boutique

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Photography and Art Direction: Bela Raba www.belaraba.com @belaraba Producer: Alexander Papacosta www.moiostrovstudio.com Special thanks to Thanos Hotels and Anassa Resort in Latchi, Cyprus @alexanderpapacosta @moiostrovstudio @cyprusproductionservice Production Assistant: Maria Salko, Moi Oststrov Studio Photo assistant: Anna Marguerita Schoen Casting: Carsten Drochner @Dopamin Models: Milan Van Eeten, Rodrigo Almeyda, Victoria Savechko, ACE MODELS @milanvaneeten @rodrigooalmeyda @vika.savechko Styling: Loizos Sofokleous @loizos_sofokleous & Andrea Ioannou @andreaioann Makeup: Valentino Nicolaou Hair: Emma Caldwell @em2b1, Helen Charles Hair Saloon @helencharles_salon Asssitants: Marzi Alaine, Konstantinos Voniotis TAG #cyprus #anassa #hotel Publications: @dolcemag @moiostrov location @anassa_resort

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PROPERTY

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A VILLA WITH A VIEW

Located between Il Dosso di Lavedo and the Comacina Island, Villa Balbiano stands on the shore of Lake Como, steeped in Italian history WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER

Through various owners and renovations, the villa is a meeting of modern and classic design details

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HERITAGE COLLECTION

At

over two hectares, Villa Balbiano is one of Lake Como’s largest properties. As well as a garden overlooking the water, a pool and private access to the lake, the property boasts six luxury suites in the main palace, as well as four bedrooms in the left wing and another five in the adjacent villino.

Historically, the villa’s beginnings date back to the 16th century, when the Giovio family used it as their residence. At the end of the 16th century, in 1596, the villa was sold to Tolomeo Gallio, who reportedly redesigned the location based on architect, sculptor and painter Pellegrino Tibaldi’s drawings.

Since then, the residence has been owned by a number of other prominent individuals, who have adapted and evolved the property to their personal tastes, and had it play host to all manner of festivals, banquets and dances. In 1787, it was acquired by politician and patron of the arts Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini, who commissioned frescoes and added a pavilion. In 1982, it was bought by silk

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Villa Balbiano is one of Lake Como’s largest properties

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entrepreneur Michele Canepa, who modernized the interior and added abstract paintings to the classic collection already inside.

Most recently, it was renovated by renowned French designer Jacques Garcia, who undertook a five-year project to bring the villa to the standards of today. The garden has also been recently restored by Colson Stone, and was named winner of the Society of Garden Designers Award for Historic Garden Restoration in 2017. The garden’s restoration was centred on opening up the lake views, allowing light to flood into the villa’s windows and splitting part of the garden into distinct sections, which include an ornamental vegetable garden, shaded vine walk and rose garden.

While the history of the villa is impressive, so too is its approach to interior design. Within its walls, you’ll find countless paintings and statues, added by occupants and owners over the years, as well as an extensive collection of antique furniture and ornaments.

The villa is located within close proximity to the city of Milan, as well as major international airports. It is available to book for weddings and events through its current owner, The Heritage Collection. www.theheritage-collection.com

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The villa’s history dates back to the 16th century, and the villa has been used as a residence and event venue since then

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FOOD AND DRINK

HY’S STEAKHOUSE AND COCKTAIL BAR:

A RARE AND WELL-DONE SUCCESS STORY WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

Neil Aisenstat, son of founder Hy, is constantly innovating to keep Hy’s at the top of the Canadian restaurant food chain

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PHOTO PHOTO BY

BY CARLOS CARLOS A. A. PINTO PINTO

With its new location on Bay Street, Hy’s continues its 50-year Toronto tradition as the classic Canadian steakhouse

A

ccording to the City of Toronto, there are approximately 7,500 restaurants, bars and lounges in North America’s fourth-largest metropolitan area, but very few entities have lasted 50 years. Even fewer can claim the moniker “institution,” like Hy’s Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar, which recently reopened at its newest location at the corner of Bay Street and Richmond Street West in the heart of the city’s financial district.

“I am comfortable with that ‘institution’ word,” says Neil Aisenstat, son of Hy’s founder, Hy Aisenstat. “It means we’ve been around a long time and we’ve stayed relevant as a standardbearer of the steakhouse category. It also means we are trusted and respected, so I find that somewhat flattering.”

The Hy’s story began in 1955, when Neil’s father opened the first Hy’s Steakhouse over a clothing store in Hy’s signature steaks are Calgary. He then moved to Toronto Alberta Prime (only one per cent of Canadian and opened on Richmond Street cattle is of that quality) West, from 1970 to 1998. Hy’s on and are always dry-aged Adelaide Street followed, from 1999 a minimum of 60 days until December 2018, setting the stage for the opening of its new location at 365 Bay St., just blocks away from where it all began in Toronto, one of five locations it now has in Canada.

“When my father was younger, he travelled quite a bit to big American cities and, being somewhat of a raconteur who liked to tell stories, he enjoyed bars and restaurants,” says Neil of his father’s vision. “Outside of the big train hotels, there was nothing like a stand-alone high-end restaurant in Calgary or most Canadian cities. Toronto was a market he also thought we’d do well in, as there were not too many restaurants in the financial core when we opened here.”

In its early days, Hy’s Steakhouse was quite reflective of its time — a male-dominated environment straight out of TV’s Mad Men, an enclave of ashtrays, leather banquettes, martinis and lengthy steak lunches, where vegetables were most definitely optional. It was a visual of jackets and ties, with crisp linens and even crisper white shirts, echoing with the sounds of swirling ice cubes in bold cocktails and the laughter at even bolder stories. Even its name today as a “Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar” hearkens back to that era.

But in keeping with its leadership role at the top of the Canadian restaurant food fresher, and people can be in and out, and back to chain, Hy’s has never stopped evolving and work within an hour.” is acutely aware of today’s tastes, trends and culinary temperature.

Hy’s impressive new 18,000-square-foot space “People don’t have time for a three-hour lunch is a clever design combination of sleek and anymore, and as our guests have evolved, so has contemporary paired with rich and deep textures, Hy’s,” explains Neil. “Our menus are healthier and taking pieces from its history as a foundation for

“PEOPLE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR A THREEHOUR LUNCH ANYMORE, AND AS OUR GUESTS HAVE EVOLVED, SO HAS HY’S ...

PEOPLE CAN BE IN AND OUT, AND BACK TO WORK WITHIN AN HOUR”

its promising future, as it continues its role as the classic Canadian steakhouse.

Vancouver-based designer Elaine Thorsell has given each of its three levels a distinct experience.

The colours are a palette of deep greens and burnished golds, with leather and velvet materials and handcrafted Mozambique millwork with burled walnut details, accented by contemporary Canadian art, granite and metals.

The main floor is inviting, engaging and anchored by a 35-foot wraparound bar, giving way to groupings of cosy booths, cocktail tables, club chairs and ottomans, all to encourage casual drop-ins and vibrant, social, interactive energy. After all, conversation has always been at the core of any Hy’s experience.

Upstairs is the white linen main dining room, bookended by elegant private spaces on one side and a whisky and champagne bar on the other, a homage to the restaurant’s heritage.

Dining tables are either overlooking the lounge action below, or secluded for more intimate dining. On the lowest level are two exclusively private rooms with full bars and technical capabilities, ready to host all types of business and social occasions.

“We love the Bay Street address. And with our 35-year lease we’re making a major market investment in Toronto, and our new location gave us an opportunity to build something a little more special here,” says Neil about the new flagship location. “We have a fresh new look with a contemporary design, but still have the opulence, so people recognize it as a Hy’s.”

Hy’s signature is its premium Alberta Prime steaks, always dry-aged a minimum of 60 days and grilled to order, along with its variety of sides and starters, such as its famous caesar salad, always prepared tableside. The new location has brought new additions to the lunch, dinner and Happy Hour menus, which emphasize local produce.

“Our prime steaks come from High River, Alta., and only one per cent of all Canadian cattle is of that quality,” says Neil proudly. “We also have plant-based options, fish, salads and an organic vegan bowl. Toronto diners travel broadly, and our scene has accommodated more sophisticated demands.”

Proud of its history and excited for its future, Hy’s combination of premium quality steaks and food, classic cocktails, its deep cellar, consistently attentive tableside service and a comfortable, social atmosphere will ensure it continues to thrive in its new location for another 50 years. www.hyssteakhouse.com @hyssteakhouse

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FOOD EXPERIENCES

EATALY TORONTO: FOOD, FUN, FANTASTICO Toronto is abuzz at the opening of the newest location of this worldwide sensation, as the authentic Italian marketplace brings its immersive food experience to Bloor Street

In

any major North American city, new retailers open every day. But few openings in recent memory have garnered the attention, anticipation, excitement and community buzz of the November launch of the new Eataly marketplace in midtown Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville area.

It may be because at more than 500,000 people, Toronto represents one of the largest Italian populations in the world outside of Italy. More likely, however, it’s the reputation of this worldwide sensation which draws everyone, with Toronto bringing the number of Eataly’s worldwide to more than 40 locations, this one being the first of potentially more in Canada.

“Toronto, given its heavy focus on food and culture, was hungry for unique food experiences and was on our radar for years,” says Nico Dagnino, director of store operations, Eataly Toronto. “We often say, ‘We cook what we sell, and we sell what we cook,’ as the ingredients we use in our restaurants are also sold in our marketplace for guests to enjoy.”

To walk through a marketplace in Italy is one of life’s true pleasures to be savoured and never hurried. It is an exploration that is a feast that seems to stimulate all five senses, and Eataly magically captures that experience. It cleverly brings to urban environments what makes Italy one of the world’s top tourist destinations — a spirit, a joy, an embrace of la dolce vita and, most importantly, an immersion in that most beloved Italian passion: food.

Eataly Toronto is a 50,000-square-foot gourmand food emporium in the Manulife Centre in the heart of the city’s “Mink Mile” on Bloor Street, one of the world’s leading retailing destinations.

Situated over three floors, even Eataly referred to the space in a recent social media post as a “unique experience.”

It features a vast marketplace carrying every conceivable Italian food and delicacy, including rows of high-end pasta, white truffles, ready-toeat meals for takeaway, 300 different types of imported and Canadian cheeses and more than 100 different olive oils.

Eataly Toronto also features nine restaurants, a wine bar, bakery, retail items, a cooking classroom and learning centre and even a mozzarella-making counter. It features some marketplace areas run by local merchants, such as a fish counter run by Diana’s Seafood and the Birroteca brewpub run by the Toronto-based Indie Alehouse. Visitors will clearly not pop into Eataly just to quickly grab some milk.

This immersive and sensory experience is what founder Oscar Farinetti envisioned when

“WE WERE PROUD TO BE A PART OF THE TEAM WITH GIANNONE PETRICONE TO BRING THE INCLUSIVE AND SENSORY EXPERIENCE OF EATALY TO TORONTO”

he began Eataly in January 2007. An entrepreneur and businessman, Farinetti converted a closed vermouth factory in Turin, Italy, into the first location of Eataly.

Eataly Toronto is Italian to the core, with its stunning design by Toronto design company Giannone Petricone Associates (GPA) and interior millwork and displays manufactured

by Unique Store Fixtures. This is the first time Eataly’s interior fabrication has been awarded to a Canadian firm with Italian origins. Bright, open, airy and interactive, its design engages and invites the visitors inside to wander and explore the many food experiences.

GPA, which has worked with Eataly on its Copenhagen and Chicago locations, says its design inspiration was the “passeggiata,” the tradition which sees Italians take to the main street and piazza at night to stroll and socialize, and stop at bars and shops along the way. The design augments social exchanges made possible by the universal catalyst of great Italian food.

GPA completed the interior design of all spaces of Eataly Toronto, including Il Gran Caffe, the grand café on the main floor, and the Birroteca brewpub located on the concourse level. It takes advantage of carefully crafted canopies, eased counters, textured upholstery and customized patterns of Italian handcrafted terrazzo tile.

The design is choreographed to lure customers into pockets of Eataly delights with changing materials, seating, lighting fixtures and elements such as a large carved wood bar and twin woodburning ovens.

Unique’s 35 years of experience and meticulous handcraftsmanship by its artisans certainly shine throughout the interior of Eataly Toronto, adding to its long list of leading global clients such as Tiffany’s, Gucci, Holt Renfrew and Bergdorf Goodman.

“We were proud to be a part of the team with Giannone Petricone to bring the inclusive and sensory experience of Eataly to Toronto,” says Ferro Corrente Jr., chief operating officer of Unique. “The overall design of this Eataly perfectly captures the creativity, adrenaline, fun and excitement of its dynamic concept, and we are excited by its opening.”

Gathering for Italian food has always been a passionate and communal experience best shared with friends and family. Eataly Toronto is bringing that simple recipe to the city and so vividly and wonderfully demonstrating that the taste and joy of food are so much better when enjoyed together, as laughter, smiles and celebration come with every Eataly experience.

Bravo, Eataly. www.eataly.ca @eatalytoronto

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF EATALY

WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

With design by Toronto’s Giannone Petricone Associates and interior millwork by Unique Store Fixtures, Eataly Toronto is a bright, open, airy and interactive experience

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TAKE A SHABBAT

FROM THE

AGE OF REASON TO THE AGE OF DISTRACTION When is technology too much? Author Tiffany Shlain shares her thoughts on our collective and ubiquitous addiction to our tablets, cellphones and computers WRITTEN BY CECE M. SCOTT

It

is bizarre to grasp the undeniable fact that in the last 25 years, the Internet and social media have become such an integrated, intrinsic part of our collective modus operandi that we have become completely and utterly hooked. We chat on our phones in the car, text in the bathroom, bring our devices to the dining room table — like a side plate waiting to go off. And then, of course, there is the furtively (sometimes even unabashedly) searching, Googling, tweeting, posting and liking under the covers in our bedroom. What is scary and actually concerning is that our technological devices have become so integral to our lives, so 24-7, that constant access has become akin to the actual physicality of breathing. Plug it in; breathe; log on; breathe; search and surf; breathe; text and like; breathe; take a selfie; breathe; post; breathe.

The only action that is not a constant is the logging off from all of our devices — computers, tablets and cellphones. And that is the issue that author Tiffany Shlain, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and founder of the Webby Awards (popularly known as the Oscars of the Web), addresses in her new book, 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week (Gallery Books, 2019).

With a career that has been deeply immersed in technology, Shlain’s overriding interest is centred in the connectivity that technology facilitates. “I am excited about the potential of how technology connects us with people and ideas,” Shlain says.

“I never imagined that all this potential would disconnect us with the people and ideas that are happening right in front of us. I love technology; I just don’t love it 24/7.”

With a resume that spans the making of over 30 films — many about living life with meaning and purpose, and the neuroscience of creativity —

24/6: Taking a break from technology can enhance our spiritual, emotional and physical well-being

Shlain, who Newsweek named “one of the women shaping the 21st century,” has 80 awards and distinctions for her films and work, with an inclusion in the Albert Einstein Foundation’s upcoming book Genius: 100 Visions of the Future.

Her original series, The Future Starts Here, was nominated for an Emmy in New Approaches: Arts, Lifestyle, Culture.

Having delivered keynote speeches at Google, Harvard, NASA, TEDWomen and TEDMED (not to mention advising the then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a speech about Internet freedom), there is no question that Shlain has every reason, every mandate and every excuse to be a devotee of the 24-7 connectivity tsunami.

However, 10 years ago, a series of seismic events changed how Shlain viewed life — her powerlessness over her all-encompassing, alwayson screen time, and her lack of mindfulness or being present to those around her.

“My dad, Leonard, an important figure in my life

and who I was extremely close to, was diagnosed with brain cancer and given nine months to live.

That same week, I found out I was pregnant.

It was a very intense nine months. With a life growing inside of me, I reflected deeply on how I wanted to spend my time. It seemed everywhere I looked, people were on their phones instead of being present with the people that were right in front of them. When Dad passed away, a person who, when you were talking to him, made you feel like you were the most important person in the room, my husband Ken [Goldberg, a professor of robotics at UC Berkley] and I started turning off our screens one day a week for what we call our Technology Shabbat. We have done it now for 10 years and it has really changed our lives.”

The motivating idea around unplugging for Shlain and Goldberg was twofold. Goldberg had lived in Israel where Shabbat was a weekly tradition and one that he had participated in until the advent of the iPhone. Partial versions of Shabbat were practised by the couple, including Friday night dinners and doing their best not to work on Saturdays. But the invention of the iPhone changed everything. Suddenly, it was a 24/7 world. But after participating in a national day of unplugging, the couple decided they felt so good and present without screens for Shabbat that they never stopped doing it. “It was such a beautiful feeling to be truly present,” Shlain says.

“It expands the sense of time. It makes me feel much more productive; much more creative; I laugh a lot more; I feel much more grateful. I even read in a different way. I feel more connected with myself, my husband and my kids. The list goes on and on.”

Before you pooh-pooh the idea that your kids would ever consider ungluing their device from

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Tiffany Shlain: shaping the 21st century

PHOTO BY LAURI LEVENFELD

“I THINK THAT IF YOU USE TECHNOLOGY MINDFULLY, NOT MINDLESSLY, IT IS A GOOD START. USE IT INSTEAD OF LETTING IT USE YOU” their memory-phoned hand, it should be noted that Shlain’s daughters, Odessa, 16, and Blooma, 10, both love doing Tech Shabbat and are strong supporters of it. “You should hear Odessa talk about our Tech Shabbat,” Shlain says. “She is so happy to take a break, to not have to do homework, to take a break from posting; from liking. It is not healthy to be connected 24/7. The traditional Shabbat, with its 3,000 years of history, has some deep wisdom tied to its day of rest. I don’t come at Shabbat from a religious place; I consider it brilliant wisdom that can be adopted for and by everyone. Our Tech Shabbat has become everyone in the family’s favourite day of the week.”

To that end, 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week offers a list of prompts and suggestions — tangible ideas to improve one’s lifestyle, ideas

around creating new traditions and concrete ways to set boundaries and reconnect both with oneself and with family and friends. Ideas for having fun without screens are listed by age categories, with specific activities identified for kids, those who are 18+ as well as seniors. Shlain also includes ways to maximize the physical and mental benefits garnered from the Tech Shabbat over the other six days of the week. “I think getting someone to do a Tech Shabbat with you is helpful,” Shlain says.

“Technology is viewed as something that makes things faster and more productive. But if we truly take a concrete day off, we can look at rest as a technology; it would be a wonderful flip in the way we think about it.”

Think it’s a lot of ‘much ado about nothing’? Take a moment now — seriously, right now, before you read that last text that just pinged, or that last email that just appeared in your inbox — and put down your phone, face first. Then count to 30 Mississippi, real slow, like you used to do playing hide-and-seek. Are you itching to see what that text said? What that important-looking email is all about? Is it really that important to interrupt your

face time with people who are right in front of you to interact with virtual friends?

While technology is important and is definitive as to how we live our lives in the 21st century, technology addiction is real. “I think that we are all addicted to our phones,” Shlain says. “I don’t think it is healthy for anyone to be online all the time. You can go down the rabbit hole and waste a lot of time. But a Tech Shabbat is not about a day without your phone. Instead it is a day when you get to do all the things you wish you could do. You fill the day with all the things you wish you had time for and it becomes the day you run toward every week. I love the Internet, and I think that if you use technology mindfully, not mindlessly, it is a good start. Use it instead of letting it use you.”

Known for her moxie (a guiding word in her life), distinctive hats (an influence from her grandfather) and her bright red lips (there is a great little anecdote about her trademark look in the book), Shlain says, “I feel like I am ready to go when I have my hat on.”

To obtain a copy of Shlain’s book, go to www.24sixlife.com.

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REAL ESTATE

LUXURY IN L.A. Patrick Fogarty opens up on his success as a realtor, life in Los Angeles and why knowledge is key

PHOTO BY JOHN RUSSO

INTERVIEW BY MICHELLE ZERILLO-SOSA

Patrick Fogarty believes his success has been fuelled by determination, dedication and passion for his work

P

atrick Fogarty is known as one of Los Angeles’s youngest and most successful realtors. Originally from London England, he moved to L.A., where his career has moved from strength to strength.

Today, he is a realtor at Hilton & Hyland, and doesn’t just apply years of real estate experience and experimentation to the city’s luxury home market, but he is also working alongside internationally recognized architects developing

residential projects in the Beverly Hills and Sunset Strip, Calif., areas.

Following the recent sale of an eight-bedroom, 11-bath property on Angelo Drive, Beverly Hills, complete with techno gym, screening room, guest house and staff quarters for more than US$42 million, Fogarty offers insight into the real estate industry. He talks about his success, background and what he would say to someone looking to follow in his footsteps.

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Fogarty works with architects to develop residential projects around Beverly Hills and the Sunset Strip

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This eight-bedroom, 11bath property, represented

by Fogarty, recently sold for more than US$42 million

Q. What drives your passion for the real estate industry?

A. Working with people from all walks of life and my interests in design and architecture are all elements that make me passionate for this industry.

they realize that I am fully committed to them.

I also know the market like the back of my hand and make sure to really emphasize to the client why the property they are interested in is unique.

Q. What does la dolce vita mean to you?

A. Life is beautiful, so take advantage of it and follow your passions. Use every opportunity to not only fully succeed at your passions, but also take time to find new ones.

Q. What is the most expensive property you

Q. Tell us about a special memory of someone who has helped you become the man you are today.

Q. When did you know that this was your

have listed/sold?

career choice?

A. Recently, I represented the buyer for 1155 Angelo Dr., Beverly Hills, Calif., 90210, which sold for US$42,750,000.

A. About six years ago. I was [involved in property] developing before and had learned values of all the markets from underwriting deals.

Initially, I was going to represent my own deals on flips, but then I got a listing with a neighbour from a property I [had] remodelled. I sold that house and then sold another on the same street, and it all snowballed from there.

Q. Did you ever have other career plans prior to becoming a successful realtor?

A. Yes, in residential development.

Q. What attributes do you think you possess that fuel your success?

A. Determination, dedication and passion. After I got started in the business and had some successful sales, one thing happened after the other, and I ended up where I am now. It was really about understanding how this industry works and making smart business moves. Once you can master that, life kind of takes things into its own hands, and one thing turns into another and leads you to where you are now.

Q. How do you describe your approach when helping your clients buy or sell a property?

A. I am all in with each client, and I make sure

Q. Tell us a bit about your childhood and family history.

A. I was born and raised in London, England.

My family is in the music business.

A. My parents, by far; they were always fearless and took risks. I definitely think seeing this from a young age played a role in how I am today.

Q. What values do you admire in life and in business in people?

A. When people are of their word.

Q. What advice would you offer to someone who would like to embark on this career path?

A. Knowledge is key. Nobody can take it away from you, and if you’re more knowledgeable than your competitors, you’ll have a distinct advantage, even if they’ve been doing it for longer. Follow up. Consistently follow up, whether it’s with other agents from showings or both existing and potential clients. Market yourself. Pick a day each week to focus on growing your business in addition to all your existing client-base affairs.

Make sure you love it.

Q. Where do you like to go to find inner connection?

Q. What is something you would like to change

Q. Is there anything else you would like to

A. Cape Town, South Africa.

Q. Name a few favourite restaurants and shops in the city.

A. In Los Angeles, the Fountain Coffee Room at The Beverly Hills Hotel for breakfast; Fred Segal Mauro Cafe on Melrose [Avenue] for lunch; and Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air for dinner; Alfred Coffee on Melrose Place for coffee; and I love A.P.C. on Melrose Place for clothes .

about your industry?

share with our readers?

A. The professionalism of agents.

A. Call me if you’re thinking of buying or selling: PatrickFogarty.com.

Q. Define happiness.

A. Being healthy, achieving your goals and setting new ones.

patrick@hiltonhyland.com

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SPONSORED CONTENT

A PENCHANT FOR PROPERTY

Z

oran Churchin has been in the business of property management, real estate and investment for more than 30 years. In that time, he’s grown a portfolio that consists of residential, commercial and medical condominiums, as well as plazas and office space.

“Throughout my career, being in this industry has allowed me to find what to sell and what not to sell before anybody else,” Churchin says. “I’ve always used that knowledge, paired with a sense of instinct.”

Churchin set up his first business in 1988. “I was building houses and renovating plenty of other ones,” he explains. Just over 10 years later he expanded into property management, after building two custom homes for a lawyer he met. His interest in the trade has flourished ever since. Five years ago, he started a different company, Zoran Realty Partners, where his first purchase was a large, seven-acre plaza in Mississauga, Ont. He has already put in an application to the City of Mississauga to transform that plaza into 1,600 condominiums and 140,000 square feet of retail space.

Churchin thinks of himself “as a negotiator,” always looking for potential opportunities for him and his future investment partners. That skill, paired with his keen instinct, has seen him purchase office buildings for lower-than-asking prices. He’s also managed to fight off competition for certain properties. “This year, I found another plaza in Etobicoke, Ont., in an excellent area. The owner ended up having 13 offers,” he explains. “I couldn’t believe it, but the reason they chose me was because I had an interview with the vendor. After talking with him and telling him about my experience in property management, they accepted my offer.”

As well as finding success with lowering an asking price, he is skilled in improving a property’s occupancy. Take his current office building, for example. When he purchased it, Churchin says the occupancy was only at 45 per cent. But three years

later, after working with potential tenants, it stands at almost 90 per cent.

Alongside his impressive portfolio, Churchin is also a philanthropist and has dedicated a lot of his time and energy to improving his community. For 12 years, he held the role of president at a Serbian Orthodox church in Mississauga.

During that time, he went on to organize the fundraising, construction and development of a new

PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO

Zoran Churchin, president and CEO of Zoran Properties, discusses three decades of buying, selling managing residential and commercial properties, giving back to the community and instinct-led investments

Zoran Churchin has amassed an impressive property portfolio spanning residential and commercial condominiums, office space and plazas

THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, BEING IN THIS INDUSTRY HAS ALLOWED ME TO FIND WHAT TO SELL AND WHAT NOT TO SELL BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE church, spending two and a half years on the site overseeing the complete process. As a result of his contributions, he received one of the highest civilian orders from a Serbian Orthodox church.

He’s also politically engaged and has worked as part of the PC party, running three times for candidacy in the Mississauga area. “I was fortunate that I always had a job. I’ve never been out of work.

I’m the kind of person who always finds something to do. What I wanted to do in politics was be in a position where I can make a change for better. And I always thought, Even if I can make 10 people happier than they were before, that would be a success for me.”

Though he wasn’t elected, he says the experience was invaluable and spurred him to want to help even more.

With a seal of confidence spanning 30 years, a track record of making his partners profit and an ever-growing portfolio of properties, Churchin’s success is only set to continue. “If my partners invest money with me, their investment will be looked after 100 per cent, as if it were my own,” he says.

“Whatever I gain, they are a part of that.” www.zoranproperties.com

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SPONSORED CONTENT

TORONTO’S ONE KING WEST HOTEL & RESIDENCE: THE CITY’S BEST ADDRESS

History, location, cuisine, service and elegance make One King West Toronto’s preferred venue choice

The 105-year old Dominion Bank building provides the base for the 176-metre-high tower at the centre of Toronto

W

hile most of us steel ourselves for a disturbingly early winter, perhaps no two people are more eagerly awaiting the onset of spring than a soon-to-be bride and groom.

Wedding planning is all about choosing the venue for the celebration. Location, transit and parking may top the list, but perhaps most importantly, does it provide exemplary service to take care of every detail and the magical ambiance to make this special day absolutely memorable?

In downtown Toronto, One King West Hotel & Residence at King and Yonge streets checks off all the boxes, making it one of the most popular venues in the city, and it may owe that status to some wise decisions the developers made when planning the project.

The One King West location was originally the site of Michie & Company Grocers and Wine Merchants. It then became the five-storey headquarters for Dominion Bank in 1879. In 1914, Dominion Bank completed a 12-storey “skyscraper” on the site. At the time, King and Yonge was the epicentre of the city, as it is again now.

When the One King West Hotel & Residence project was first announced, some eyebrows were raised on how such a tall building could fit on such a narrow site. The answer came with the opportunity to acquire, renovate and incorporate the Dominion Bank building as the base of the 51-storey tower.

Cleverly, the developers of the new tower appreciated the majestic architectural jewel they were sitting upon and made it a key element of what differentiates One King West from other hotel venues and condominium residences in Toronto. This is how the “then” met the “now.”

Hotel general manager Steve O’Brien was employee No. 1 at One King West and certainly appreciates its history. “Because we were then able to build something extremely attractive with the developers’ vision and do something truly spectacular,” says O’Brien.

The Dominion Bank building was designed in the beaux-arts style with Renaissance revival detailing. At its centre is the Grand Banking Hall, a magnificent example of early 20th-century classicism with ornate detailing,

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The craftmanship and artistry of One King West’s elegant history has been exquisitely and lovingly restored to make both the Grand Banking Hall and Chairman’s Boardroom two of Toronto’s most spectacular and preferred spaces, for both social and corporate events

including stately Corinthian columns, towering windows and crests of Canadian provinces.

Beautifully restored, the Grand Banking Hall is an ideal example of blending then and now, as this 3,500-square-foot room can accommodate 250 people and has become one of Toronto’s most elegant and spectacular event venues. “‘Wow’ is the common word I hear when people see this space for the first time,” says O’Brien proudly. “If it’s being considered for a wedding celebration, it almost automatically becomes the couple’s first choice, as it’s a very special room. And for corporate events, it’s an unparalleled venue.”

Other spaces within One King West include The Vault, Austin Gallery, the Chairman’s Boardroom, King Gallery and the new Fifteen Hundred luxury hospitality suite, a private enclave on the tower’s 15th floor.

Clearly, One King West offers a full range of distinctive event venues to host any type of function, but it seems to be weddings that attract most of the attention, as it hosts 60 per year, slightly more than one per week.

One King West offers a variety of customizable wedding packages, which include a wide variety of choices of exquisite wedding cuisines and service, and each package includes hosted bar service and two complimentary day-use suites, as well as a featured Wedding Suite. It also includes the services of a dedicated wedding specialist, who understands, recognizes and appreciates the emotion of the moment, so the newlyweds are stress-free and can remember every moment.

One King West’s location of just one block from King and Bay streets makes it a popular choice for companies to host a full range of corporate functions.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ONE KING WEST HOTEL & RESIDENCE

THERE IS A SENSE OF PRIDE AMONG THE STAFF BECAUSE OF OUR BUILDING, AND OUR GUESTS FEEL IT, TOO

The hotel’s experienced team ensures the focus of the company is on the content of the meeting, confident that logistics are professionally executed as planned by a staff who reflect their surroundings.

“There is a sense of pride among the staff because of our building, and our guests feel it, too,” says O’Brien. “You can’t help but feel that sense of elegance, as the history of One King West is actually alive.”

Whether it’s an annual meeting or a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, One King West Hotel & Residence in Toronto has the location, cuisine, dedicated customer service and wide variety of beautiful venues to always exceed every expectation.

www.onekingwest.com 1 King St. West,Toronto 416-548-8100

@onekingwest

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NATIONAL PRIDE

STARGAZER, EARTHGAZER Knowing our place in the world

One of Canada’s most respected and beloved Governor Generals, David Johnston

To Chris Hadfield Dear Chris, Whether kneeling in a canoe plunging headlong down a mighty river toward the unknown or floating weightlessly in space with only a slim tether to secure them from oblivion, those who explore new frontiers and reveal rare wonders share the same traits: intense curiosity, dogged determination, openness to collaborate, willingness to take calculated risks, expertise in the latest technologies, and a keen eye that doesn’t merely observe but scrutinizes.

You displayed these characteristics throughout your career, most vividly as commander of the International Space Station. Your curiosity to investigate the unknown was piqued early when you watched the Apollo 11 moon landing on television. Your determination is manifest in your long and prestigious career as a pilot and astronaut. Your skills as a collaborator were continually on display in the many roles you took on at the Canadian Space Agency and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Your quick thinking was put to use on countless occasions during the days you

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were aboard the International Space Station and the nearly fifteen hours you spent spacewalking. And while orbiting the Earth, you took advantage of the most recent social media to connect with people and share your singular perspective to help those below gain a truer vision of their world and their place in it.

Your service aboard the International Space Station coincided almost perfectly with the 200th anniversary of the publication of the Map of the North-West Territory of the Province of Canada – also known as the Map of 1814. This remarkable document, which details the geography of millions of square kilometres of Canada stretching from Lake Superior to the Pacific Ocean, is the ultimate achievement of David Thompson. Another of our country’s great explorers and discoverers, Thompson and his work show us that, while much in our lives has changed during the past two centuries, the tenets of exploration and discovery remain constant. Like you, Thompson was inquisitive and persistent. He was just sixteen years old when the Hudson’s Bay Company first sent him to set up a trading post in the interior. Sixteen! To prepare for and carry out his heroic journeys, he gathered information from a wide range of sources – from First Peoples and fur traders, from oral accounts and written records. He embraced old and new technologies – canoe, compass, and sextant – to span great distances and to chart his travels, and all the while, he made painstakingly careful observations, measurements, and notes on his progress westward to the sea.

The Salish-Flathead people of what is now British Columbia called him Koo Koo Sint, or Stargazer, because of his practice of navigating by the stars.

Thompson looked far overhead – into the deepest visible recesses of space – to gain a truer sense of the land at his very feet and the course he must follow.

If he is Stargazer, you must be Earthgazer. You looked down from the vast expanse of space – hundreds of kilometres high – to give each of us below a truer sense of our place on Earth. You once said the thing people most wanted from space was a picture of their hometowns, and you concluded that this wish represented a universal ache to see how each of us fits in with everything around us. That sounds right to me. Your exploration and discovery satisfied an instinctual human yearning: we all want to understand where we are in relation to others, how each of us fits into the whole, and in which direction time and circumstance may be pushing us. You wrote tellingly about how gazing down at the surface of the planet as your spacecraft was in orbit granted you a special insight: we are all “crewmates on the same big ship, working and hoping for a little joy, some grace and better opportunities for our children.” There is such wisdom in those words. Taking what you and Thompson have taught us, I would go a step further. You and Thompson show all people that the best way to grasp our true selves and our place in the world comes when we view ourselves from different perspectives. Thompson gazed up at the stars to comprehend his place and determine direction; you gazed down at the Earth to appreciate the commonality of our individual situations and our intrinsic relation to one another.

Yet we don’t necessarily need to ride the rapids of a raging river or blast off in a rocket into space to gain perspectives different from our own. We can do so by reading, travelling, and listening to others. Not as adventurous perhaps, but not as perilous either. We can read to increase the number of our perspectives. We can travel to intensify our perspectives. We can listen to others and use their experiences and observations to expand and enrich our perspectives. In these ways, each of us can be an explorer, a discoverer.

Each of us can be a Stargazer or an Earthgazer.

CHRIS HADFIELD

Chris Hadfield, an officer of the Order of Canada, is one of the most accomplished astronauts in the world. The top graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School in 1988 and the U.S. Navy Test Pilot of the Year in 1991, he was selected by the Canadian Space Agency to be an astronaut in 1992. He was chief CapCom (the voice of mission control to astronauts in orbit) for twenty-five space shuttle launches and served as director of operations for NASA in Star City, Russia, from 2001 to 2003, chief of robotics for the NASA astronaut office in Houston from 2003 to 2006, and chief of International Space Station operations from 2006 to 2008. In March 2013, he became the first Canadian to assume command of the International Space Station. During his 146 days in space, he performed a record-setting number of experiments and oversaw an emergency spacewalk. He also used this voyage to share his passion for the arts and science with millions of people around the world via social media, gaining worldwide acclaim for his photographs from space and educational videos about life in space.

On June 27, 2013, Mr. Johnston awarded Commander Hadfield the Meritorious Service Cross (Civil Division), making him the first Canadian to hold both the civil and military decorations of this honour. In his post-astronaut career, Commander Hadfield is helping teach the Aviation Sciences program at the University of Waterloo, which was started in 2005 when Mr. Johnston was president of the school. The program is aimed at young people with an interest in aviation and space and, through co-op education, enables them to obtain their pilot’s licence and a Bachelor of Sciences in Environmental Studies. It quickly became one of the university’s most popular programs.

A fellow gazer, David

Excerpted from The Idea of Canada: Letters to a Nation by David Johnston. Copyright © 2016 David Johnston. Published by Signal/McClelland & Stewart, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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LIFE EXPLORER Grainger is a magnetic personality, producer and adventurer, and his Guild of Automotive Restorers is only the tip of this fascinating iceberg

PHOTO BY JESSE MILNS

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With many different labels and occupations, David Grainger’s successes and experiences make him a citizen of the world WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

P

erhaps the second question we ask when meeting someone at a cocktail party is the cursory, “What do you do for a living?” while you wonder when those good hors d’oeuvres are coming around again. This question usually solicits a one-word response, such as perhaps “doctor” or “lawyer” or “accountant.”

Not so if you are fortunate enough to run into David Grainger. In fact, refresh your drink and plant yourself, as you’re going to be there quite a while enjoying a fascinating conversation.

Writer, producer, TV host, animal advocate, environmentalist, artist, world traveller, pilot, boat racer and car restorer — and these just scratch the surface of Grainger’s incredible life. To that we might add adventurer, raconteur, nomad, eccentric, bon vivant and rebel to this colourful, larger-thanlife personality. True, astronaut, brain surgeon and Nobel Laureate are missing, but don’t bet against him.

“I don’t really describe myself and am enjoying life as much as I can,” says Grainger. “I just think I’m me. I really don’t like to join the herd. When I was a hippie, I never called myself a hippie. I have rebellious thoughts, but don’t see myself that way.

I’m just not easy to drop into any one hole.”

You may know Grainger as the host of the successful television show Restoration Garage, now in its sixth season and shown worldwide on various channels. That was a result of his work as owner of The Guild of Automotive Restorers in Bradford, Ont., located about a half hour north of Toronto, which he founded 25 years ago and has become a world leader in the art of restoring and maintaining all types of classic, antique and exotic automobiles. TV hosting and business ownership were consuming him the last time we spoke with him in 2013 and that activity has only increased.

“We’re into our sixth season of the TV show and we’re getting more popular,” says Grainger proudly. “We’re shot as a documentary with the scripts happening after the fact, as the show just follows me on my adventures. And I’m forming a new production company and starting a new series shortly, with the working title David Grainger on Wheels, which covers my fascination with anything that has wheels and the culture of people’s fascination with weird machines.”

Grainger prides himself on going with the flow in how he experiences life, taking what life gives him and, if he’s passionate enough about it, throwing himself into new experiences where he invariably survives and thrives due to his many talents. He’s proud not to have a plan, and this

life approach was not a conscious decision, but happened organically.

“I get bored very easily and I never fully commit to anything, as I just plan for day-to-day work, and it’s totally chaotic. But chaos is part of the creative process,” says Grainger. “Something captures my interest, and I become well versed in something and when I get bored I move along. Last year it was tractors, and I acquired 35 tractors. This year I’ve become fascinated with watches, modern and dating back to the 16th century, as they are machines but also works of art, and those are even better types of machines. Then I’ll move

“I HAVE REBELLIOUS THOUGHTS, BUT DON’T SEE MYSELF THAT WAY. I’M JUST NOT EASY TO DROP INTO ANY ONE HOLE” onto something else. You don’t find inspiration in strict planning.”

Grainger’s professional career began as a writer for newspapers in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., area, where his columns dealt with wildlife and the environment. He also worked for zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, and founded and operated his own sanctuary specializing in caring for injured birds.

This was in the 1970s, when issues about wildlife safety and the state of the environment were not exactly the front-page news they are today.

“I have no sense of satisfaction that what I was warning about with the environment back in the 1970s came true, as I would much rather have been wrong,” says Grainger. “Most of the deniers live in the cities, as here in the country, you can see the dramatic decreased number of birds and wildlife, and this is among the canaries in the coal mine.”

His passion for the environment and natural curiosity means Grainger gets to see the world up close in his many travels, usually not to big

cities or popular beaches. His off-the-beaten-track approach to travel is reflective of his personality.

“The trip I’ve enjoyed the most for years is to the South of France. It’s a special place that is charming, beautiful and quiet, and life is much slower there,” says Grainger. “Maybe Janice and I will end up there,” he says in speaking about the future with his wife.

As an artist, Grainger illustrated wildlife for many magazines and other publications and in the early 1990s turned to work in the film and television industries, doing special effects and eventually moving into scriptwriting and producing. His TV experience and passion for cars made him the perfect host for Restoration Garage.

An aficionado of classic, antique and exotic automobiles, in typical Grainger style he turned that passion into a successful business by forming The Guild of Automotive Restorers in the mid1990s, now respected worldwide with a roster of many international clients.

While its world-renowned creations — such as the restoration of the 1935 Bugatti Aerolithe Coupe, which won the International Historical Car of the Year award in 2013 and was featured on Jay Leno’s Garage, or the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Pinin Speciale, which took a top award at Villa D’Este in Italy — may garner the headlines, it’s the day-to-day work upon which The Guild of Automotive Restorers prides itself.

People from all over the world bring their prized, beaten-up vehicles, antique coupes and classic muscle cars for everything from tune-ups to engine rebuilds to paint jobs to top-to-bottom restorations. These collectors are understood by Grainger, as he, too, is a collector and an acquirer of life’s experiences.

“There is no one trait to collectors other than collecting,” says Grainger. “I honestly find it hard to understand people who don’t collect anything, as I feel it’s a deep part of our nature.”

An insatiable curiosity and passion are at the heart of David Grainger, followed closely by talent and hard work to achieve the dreams he has had in so many different occupations and different walks of life, while squeezing every ounce from the juice of life.

When asked what he puts on those tax, passport or health forms that ask for your occupation, Grainger responds, “I don’t know what I put there.

But I’m terrible with forms, anyway. I’m always drawing outside of the lines.”

A most appropriate metaphor for a life well lived. www.guildclassiccars.com

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SPONSORED CONTENT

T

HOSPITALITY ABOVE ALL OTHERS

he chic new urban oasis that is Petros 82 Restaurant within Hotel X Toronto on Toronto’s lakefront is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the city’s best new food and venue experiences since its opening this past September. Its memorable location overlooking Lake Ontario and Toronto’s skyline offers a new perspective of the city, and that is perhaps not surprising given this view is gifted to us by owner Peter Eliopoulos of byPeterandPauls.com, one of Canada’s most respected and dominant purveyors of hospitality.

Eliopoulos is one of those larger-than-life personalities who seems to be at the centre of every room when he’s in it. And in his lifetime in hospitality, he’s been in quite a few rooms, starting with a humble house party he catered back in the mid-1980s. Since then, Eliopoulos and his life

and business partner, Anna, have effectively and successfully translated their passion for celebrating life events into a number of award-winning and highly respected businesses, even being awarded Best Caterer in Canada.

With his signature grey ponytail, charismatic smile and champagne-like effervescence, Eliopoulos is a storyteller extraordinaire who loves to thread the needle through conversations with a disarming and bold confidence. “When we first came to Canada, I worked at my uncle’s takeout hamburger restaurant. After that, I mopped floors and cleaned dishes at my family’s restaurant,” he says. “I gave my parents the money, and eventually my mother opened up a bank account for me and put extra money in it, too.”

From the time he was a teenager, Eliopoulos was a free-thinking, out-of-the-box creator. An

entrepreneur with a capital “E,” Eliopoulos immigrated to Canada with his family in 1967, when he was 12 years old. They came from Potamia, Sparti, a small Greek village snuggled into the base of a mountain. Tightly knit and loyalty-bound, the Eliopoulos family took up residence with two uncles and their families in Toronto’s Jane and Wilson neighbourhood. It was a long way from the more familiar culture of Toronto’s Greektown on Danforth Avenue. But familial ties were of the utmost importance, as was a strong and dedicated work ethic, one to which the whole family subscribes.

When he was 12 years old, Eliopoulos had three paper routes: one for the Toronto Star, another for the Toronto Telegram and yet another for The Globe and Mail. In building relationships with his many customers, Eliopoulos mailed Christmas

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PHOTO BY JESSE MILNS

Engaging and electric, Peter Eliopoulos has become one of Canada’s most respected and dominant players in the hospitality industry

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BYPETERANDPAULS.COM

Petros 82 has burst onto Toronto’s restaurant scene with its chic style and urban sophistication, hand-selected and Mediterranean-influenced ingredients, outstanding presentation and a deep cellar of international wines. It also features three elegant private rooms for special celebrations.

The restaurant overlooks beautiful Stanley Gardens within Hotel X Toronto on the Toronto lakeshore

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This is reflected in his attachment and deep respect for his mother, Ekaterini, who will be 90 next July. “My mother was there from Day 1, from the day I started the business,” Eliopoulos says. “She is a very good cook and used to do a lot of the cooking for me. When we opened up our newest restaurant, Petros 82, I asked her to come in and assist the chef. She puts her special touch on things.”

Although he only sleeps four hours a night and his days are consumed with running from project to project, Eliopoulos still makes the time to go grocery shopping for his mother every week.

It was Ekaterini who returned to Greece with the specific intent of nurturing and expanding the family’s olive business. It is from olives that grow on the family’s property that byPeterandPauls.com olive oil is produced, along with the Kalamata olives — all of which are processed to her recipe. “My mother fixed up the land and planted more trees, both on our original property as well as additional property we purchased,” says Eliopoulos.

His three daughters and sons-in-law are actively involved with Eliopoulos and Anna in the business, who spend a generous amount of their time with their seven grandchildren, feeling that they might continue the family tradition in business in the future.

The staff at byPeterandPauls.com are an integral part of the family’s success. Many of them have worked for the company for 30-plus years. “I have extremely good people working for me. Every level of staffing is full of creative geniuses and quality people. Whenever obstacles arise in the company, we meet as a team and find the best solutions,” Eliopoulos says.

Undeniably mega-successful yet attached to his roots, Eliopoulos, who lost absolutely everything in the recession of the late 1980s, actualized his promise to himself and God that he would do something special if he and Anna bounced back from the hole in which the recession had put them. A few years ago, Eliopoulos built a Greek Orthodox Church in his hometown of Potamia.

Fittingly, it is called St. Peter and Paul’s Church.

Passionate philanthropists, the Eliopoulos family has raised more than $5 million for SickKids Hospital. They are also involved in ongoing fundraisers for Humber River Hospital (helping to raise more than $2.8 million), the Mackenzie Health Centre and have also raised close to $1 million for Villa Charities.

“I am a very hands-on person. I work 24-7, but I don’t call it ‘work,’” Eliopoulos says. “I just love what I do — creating and making events special.” www.byPeterandPauls.com www.petros82.to

HOSPITALITY IS IN MY DNA … . IF YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO, EACH SUCCESS WILL BUILD ON THE NEXT

celebrate those special moments. The restaurant, which touts the best of hand-selected ingredients and an international wine list, is Mediterraneaninfluenced, owing to Eliopoulos’s Grecian roots, with its centrepiece being a sumptuous raw bar.

An engaging lounge area invites guests inside, furnished with the rich textures of grey, blue and white wing chairs, mindfully chosen to play off the colours of the lake that surround it. The main dining room is a spectacular space with elegant lighting fixtures, window treatments and an air of metropolitan sophistication. Petros 82 also features three exquisite private rooms for exclusive celebrations.

“The location is prime, the hotel is gorgeous and there is a rooftop bar where you can enjoy pre-dinner and post-dinner cocktails,” Eliopoulos says. “Petros 82 is a phenomenal experience: the simplicity of the menu, the way everything is cooked and presented. Hospitality is in my DNA. In fact, we use that as our slogan. Hospitality has to be in your soul. You have to have the dedication to create new products, offerings and events that are singular, that visualize the future. If you love what you do, each success will build on the next.”

While success is often measured in financial terms, real estate holdings and material possessions, success for Eliopoulos is defined by respecting and honouring both old traditions and familial ties.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF BYPETERANDPAULS.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF BYPETERANDPAULS.COM

cards to each one. “The customers were amazed when they received my card,” Eliopoulos says with a laugh. “I remember, right after that, I collected a lot of money in tips.”

Driven by a passion to create unforgettable entertainment experiences, Eliopoulos’s business acumen evolved from delivering newspapers to holding dances every so often. Of course, every so often turned into weekly Friday night occurrences, and Eliopoulos, who was now 17 years old, marketed the dances as “Peter Eliopoulos’s Get-Togethers.”

“It was phenomenal,” Eliopoulos says. (A word that popcorns its way throughout our lengthy conversation.) “I rented halls to hold the dances in and charged admission. I hired DJs and live bands; everybody had a good time. In fact, I’ve kept all the tickets for those dances, which I hope to display one day.”

His creative mind and his ability to create a vision and communicate it to people are some of Eliopoulos’s greatest attributes, along with his family’s work ethic.

While working in the family restaurant and other hospitality venues, Eliopoulos also had a carpet-cleaning business and a maintenance business, but these were all a lead-up to getting back into the restaurant business with his uncle.

In 1982, looking to do something new, Eliopoulos and his wife purchased Paul’s Fine Foods, a bakery that specialized in cakes and had two locations: one on Spadina and Lonsdale and one at Steeles and Keele.

“We served lunches cafeteria-style. People said the food was great, and they asked me if I would deliver food to their offices,” Eliopoulos says.

“That is how our catering business got started. I see the need and I fulfill the need. That is how business grows.”

That growth has led to their current position as a leader in Canadian hospitality, with 13 event venues, restaurants and services in their domain, among them Hotel X Toronto, Universal Eventspace, Paramount Eventspace, Bellagio Boutique Event Venue, The Kortright Eventspace, The Manor Event Venue, David Duncan House, S4 Sound Sensation, Peter and Paul’s Event Catering, and Peter and Paul’s Gifts.

The newest venture in the byPeterandPauls. com universe, Petros 82 at Hotel X Toronto, has a palatable and eclectic urban vibe befitting its summit position overlooking Toronto’s waterfront, with the original name being an ode to the year that byPeterandPauls.com was founded.

Everything about Petros 82 is chic and beautiful in its contemporary style. The airy feeling of the 30-foot ceilings reflects the openness of the Great Lake it overlooks and gives Petros 82 a luxurious, serene ambience in which to relax, dine and

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JON HAMM

Emmy Award-winner, style icon and communicator extraordinaire of the 1960s, actor Jon Hamm has certainly made his mark in popular culture, but it seems we haven’t seen anything yet

STRENGTH OF CHARACTER

S

WRITTEN BY CEZAR GREIF PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC RAY DAVIDSON STYLING BY ISE WHITE

even years. Ninety-two episodes.

An Emmy. And an indelible mark on popular culture and fashion.

And is there a man in this world who can wear a suit better than Jon Hamm? If there is one, I’ve never met him. He has personified masculine elegance and the art of matching a tie to a suit. Deservingly, he was named one of People magazine’s sexiest men alive in 2008. But when you have left such

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V-neck pullover by Johnston’s of Elgin Pants by Calvin Klein

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“

I REMEMBER REALLY FOCUSING ON TRYING TO BE PREPARED FOR WHENEVER I WOULD GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING AND THEN WHEN I WOULD FINALLY BE ABLE TO GET A PART, MAKE THE MOST OF IT...

IT TOOK THREE YEARS. I WAS BARTENDING, I WAS WAITING TABLES. BUT I NEVER FORGOT THE REASON THAT I CAME OUT HERE, WHICH WAS THAT I CAME HERE TO PURSUE A CAREER cover story

”

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an imprint on your profession, how easy is it to leave a character behind and reinvent yourself?

Jon Hamm is doing just that with his latest roles, making sure everyone knows he is not (and never was) Don Draper, the protagonist of the TV show Mad Men. He was just doing a job, but doing it extremely well. Some of his recent movies, such as the political-action thriller Beirut, saw him emerge as a credible leading man in a movie set in a foreign land. And then there’s his comedic side, with the movie Tag and multiple smaller parts in comedies. The years 2019 and 2020 seem to indicate that his career has reached a new level, with a leading role opposite Natalie Portman and a part in the Top Gun sequel.

Having once described himself as “not overly ambitious,” there is something down-to-earth about Hamm. Living not far from the interview location, it looked like he had just been taking a walk in the neighbourhood and suddenly decided to join in — “This is so convenient, it’s bonkers.” In real life, Hamm rarely wears a suit. He lives in Los Angeles, but not in the Hollywood Hills or in Beverly Hills. He plays baseball in his neighbourhood. He lives a simple life, true to his Midwest upbringing. Losing both his parents at an early age, Hamm had to overcome daunting odds to will his way to success. He taught Grade 8 students right after graduating. Standing at an impressive 6-2, he quickly puts everyone at ease with his self-deprecating humour. On Sundays, he plays baseball in a local park with some friends. Who knew Don Draper was such a nice guy?

cover story EARLY LIFE

Q. You’re from the Midwest, from St. Louis.

A. Yes, born and raised.

Zip-up mock pullover and Henley by Vince. Jeans

by Belstaff

Q. Maybe because of Mad Men, or because of Hollywood, I imagine people have an image of you as more of a coastal guy. Can you tell me about growing up in St. Louis?

A. When I was a kid, I just never thought I’d go anywhere but St. Louis. It’s not a place that necessarily inspires travel. It’s not like growing up in Europe or New York, where you’re exposed to all kinds of cultures. It’s not a knock on it, either.

It is what it is. It’s a place called “the gateway to the West.” Everything I learned about the world, I learned through James Bond movies and books.

In a pre-Internet era, I was a library kid and a big reader and I loved watching films. My childhood and adolescence were a very normal Midwestern existence. It’s only recently that I’ve gotten out to see the world. Last year was the first year that I’ve lived in L.A. more than anywhere else.

Q. I’ve heard you describe yourself as a polite Midwesterner. Can you explain the polite Midwestern culture and how different it is from how people are here in the West? I was talking in New York City with some people in the industry who work with Brad Pitt, and they were telling me that “he’s such a polite Midwestern boy.”

A. I don’t know that it’s necessarily that different; it’s just that it moves at a slower pace than New York or L.A. There’s a little more of a familyoriented vibe. A lot of people who are from there, stay there. The coasts have more people who are transplanted. Therefore, you’re kind of reinventing yourself, seeking fame or fortune, etc.

So in the Midwest, people are a bit more settled.

A little more of a parochial, a mellow kind of attitude. A little more conservative, too.

Q. Do you still feel like a Midwest guy deep inside?

A. Sure. I think where you grew up is where your soul is. I’ve met a lot of very fancy people in the world and I’m always kinda of humbled by it. I’ve got friends whose lives I look at and wonder, How can you live like that? That’s such a crazy existence: you’re on private planes and fashion shows, red carpets and private islands and boats, and private dinners in Paris and London. It’s so fascinating to me, because I feel it’s so foreign to me. And yet, I’ve done my fair share of that stuff, too. It never gets normal.

Q. Do you sometimes go back to St. Louis?

A. I go back every now and again, mostly for events and things like that. I do have some family left there. I try to see them when I go back. But I don’t go back very often.

Q. I knew you moved to L.A. at age 25, but it’s only recently that I’ve heard you actually drove there from St. Louis in a Corolla. That’s quite a road trip. What was going through your mind during that trip?

A. I finished my teaching job and I spent my last summer in St. Louis. And I pointed my car west.

I didn’t stop until I came to California. It’s a fairly long trip.

I would say.

But it’s worthwhile. It’s something I had to do.

I had to pay for it myself and I couldn’t afford the plane. That’s the way it goes. I packed my car, fit everything that could fit in it and headed west.

It’s daunting; it’s very much a scary proposition.

I didn’t really have a job waiting for me. I just thought, Well, I’m not getting any younger. I better get there while I can. And I did it.

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cover story

Three-piece suit and glasses by Tom Ford

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Q. What was going through your mind during the trip?

A. I hope I make it. My car wasn’t a great car by any stretch of the imagination. It was a 1986 Toyota Corolla that had its own issues with the engine. It would overheat all the time. It was daunting.

Q. When you first moved to L.A. to become an actor, what did you think of the life here, compared to where you were from?

A. I thought it was very different. I remember being very intimidated by the physical size of L.A. and by the awesome quality that its nature has — mountains and then the deserts

Q. Every day?

A. I try to. Hiking trails are practically in my backyard.

Q. Your career took some time to take off. What made you stay in the game and not lose faith during the lean years?

A. I don’t know, honestly, other than I didn’t really have anything else to do. I thought I’d keep trying this until something happens. I set a deadline on myself. I wanted to be self-sufficient as an actor by the time I was 30. I know a lot of people who are successful who got it a lot sooner. I don’t know why it didn’t happen to me. I guess everything happens for a reason. It’s fine the way it happened. I certainly feel like

“

is real scary. You think, Well, I hope I can do this.

At a certain point, you just got to do it. It took three years. I was bartending, I was waiting tables. But I never forgot the reason that I came out here, which was that I came here to pursue a career.

Q. There were moments of doubt?

A. Sure. Of course. You think, I didn’t get that part. Will I ever get any part? Is this ever gonna happen? Is there something else I should be doing? I could be doing better. Should I study harder, should I be more prepared? There are a million questions you ask yourself, and you just try to knock them one by one. The only thing you’re really in charge of as an actor is yourself. All the other stuff is out of your control. That’s a really hard place to be. You think, I did everything right; I did X, Y, Z. I did all these things the way they were supposed to be, and it still didn’t work.

YOU CAN FALL IN LOVE JUST AS EASILY AT 16 AS YOU CAN AT 70. THEY’RE BOTH VERY DIFFERENT. OBVIOUSLY, THEY'RE VERY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES IN LIFE THE OLDER YOU GET, BUT cover story THEY’RE BOTH GREAT

”

over there, and the ocean’s over there. It’s very different than where I’m from.

Q. Where you’re from it’s more like the Great Plains.

A. There’s trees and hills — and that was kinda it; nothing as radical as L.A. We have a river, but it’s not exactly like seeing the Pacific Ocean. It was very different, it was wild and intimidating, but I got a few friends out here, and like anything else, you break it down into more manageable spaces and you realize that you’re only gonna use a little part of L.A. You don’t necessarily need to know the whole 10,000 square miles, or whatever it is. I like being out here. I was always a very “outdoorsy” kind of kid, and the lifestyle out here encourages that.

Weather’s always beautiful. You feel like you’re wasting time if you’re inside. And there’s so much to do. Most of it’s free, or incredibly inexpensive, to go hiking or to go to the beach.

The outdoors stuff is fun to do. I play sports: I play tennis and I play baseball. I try to hike every day. It’s too nice not to.

I’ve earned it. Part of being an actor, for most actors, is dealing with rejection. Some people are incredibly lucky their whole careers, get famous early and never have to look back, but I think every actor has experienced in some way, shape or form losing out on some part they wanted.

Because there’s always a bigger fish. That’s a good life lesson. And part of it is realizing that there are a lot of people out here trying to do the same thing you’re doing. And a lot of them have a lot more credits than you.

WORK

Q. A lot has been said about your portrayal of Don Draper in Mad Men. I was thinking about it, and one thing I thought about is even though it’s a dark and complex character, what struck me is how he shows authority. He is in his position because of his talent, and people respect his skills. Was it easy to show this, since it was your first major role?

A. I think the interesting thing about Don Draper is that he’s playing a part. He’s obviously not Don Draper, he’s Dick Whitman.

So I think that part of that authority or poise or professionalism or command is an act. We see the “behind the curtain” a couple of times during the series, where he loses it and he shows his true colours.

For the most part, he’s very confident in what he does, and he’s got a track record of showing that what he does, people respond to. That only adds up over time to a person that, even if he’s putting it on, is fairly confident.

And connections.

Connections, experience, etc. That can be terrifying in many ways. But you go, “OK, I hope I can legitimately find my way in this world.” I remember really focusing on trying to be prepared for whenever I would get an opportunity to do something and then when I would finally be able to get a part, make the most of it. It’s really difficult to maintain any kind of momentum, because L.A. is very much a place where inertia can set in. That part of it

Q. How did you find that self-confidence?

A. Well, you’re an actor; someone else is writing the words for you. You just have to do your best and hope that people will buy it. In my case, I was fortunate enough that people did.

Q. Have people working in advertising told you if the show reflected their world accurately?

A. I get it all the time. Everybody thinks they are Don Draper, or they knew a Don Draper — a lot

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people in the advertising world I know, including some very close friends. Obviously, it’s a very different landscape now, as it should be, but there are still enough guys who are from that era who can certainly remember the hijinks and the behaviour.

Q. Michael Douglas once told us in an interview he was very surprised how some people saw Gordon Gekko as a role model, a modern super hero, whereas he tried to play him as a bad guy: “the guy ended up in jail!” I’m wondering if the same thing happened with Don Draper, and if people’s interpretation of the character surprised you?

A. Yeah. Honestly, I think we live in the world, now, of the anti-hero. It’s a real strange thing

that people put on these guys who are conflicted about what they want and what they do. What makes people like Gordon Gekko, like Don Draper, like [Breaking Bad’s] Walter White so interesting is that they represent the complexity that is humanity. There was a certain place in the world for stories about people who are “all good,” for superheroes. That’s exciting for some people to see. But there’s also a place for, “Oh yeah, this guy makes mistakes, just like we all do.”

I hope they won’t end up like him, though. Don Draper’s kind of real sense of confusion on who he is, what he’s meant to do, who he’s supposed to be with, which make Don such an interesting character, are very appealing for people to watch.

Q. Beirut is the first movie you’ve “carried on your shoulders.” Is this a

different kind of responsibility for you?

Did you approach the part in a different way?

A. I think the movie I did for Disney, Million Dollar Arm, was the first movie I carried. Beirut, I think, is a great film. Tony Gilroy wrote a great script about a really complicated issue, which is the beginning of institutionalized terrorism in the Middle East and why that happened, what happens when the power vacuum is created, what happens when a population is marginalized.

You get a combination of religious and economic strife and then you put hundreds of billions of petro dollars into it. It’s a very complicated situation, and I think Tony’s script addresses it really well.

Q. You’re in the new Top Gun sequel.

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What did the original movie mean to you? I suppose you saw it in the ’80s? What part do you play, and how was working on the movie? Did you do a lot of actual flying? How about those shades?

A. The original movie came out in ’86, so I was 16 years old, the perfect demographic to see that movie. It had fast planes, fast cars and pretty girls.

It was a watershed movie, not only for those who watched it, but [also] for Tom [Cruise] and his career. This guy has been a movie star for four decades. And he’s still doing it. Honestly, it’s was an honour just to be asked to be part of it, because it’s an iconic piece of movie history. I was pleased to do my small part in it. I’ve seen the footage and it’s spectacular. It’s rare for me to be in a big budget, big movie like that. It’s been good.

Q. Did you do a lot of actual flying?

A. I did not, no. Fortunately, I didn’t have to do any of that. Those who did, I give crazy props to them, because they had an awful lot of training to do.

They’re not actually flying the plane, but they’re in the plane being flown by a professional. It’s a lot, to say the least.

Q. The original movie is really representative of a time where you would make movies without a hint of irony or sarcasm. The theme song, the look of it — there’s a certain naïveté to a film like Top Gun; that’s what made its charm in a way. Today, even kids’ movies are also made to appeal to the parents; there are always so many levels. Is the sequel going for the same vibe as the original, or is it made in more of a contemporary style?

A. The thing about Top Gun is that it’s a straight-up crowd pleaser. It’s a fun movie that really does all the things that you want it to do. It’s got the airplane dog fights and the snappy dialogue. It appeals to everybody. Even the people who didn’t see the first movie, or weren’t alive when the first movie came out, can like it.

cover story

Q. Did you get to wear the shades?

A. Oh yeah. I did get to wear the sunglasses. I think there will definitely be a spike in the sale of leather jackets and sunglasses when the movie comes out [laughs].

Q. You have another movie coming out, The Report, that’s a bit political. How did you approach playing a real-life character?

A. I play Denis McDonough, who had a big role in the Obama administration. There was a lot of malfeasance back then, and it was all done under the guise of, “We have to do this because of terrorism, because if we don’t, we’ll have another 9/11.” There was so much hysteria over what would happen. Sometimes you end up making some real big mistakes. What the movie tries to say is, “Yeah, we made a lot of mistakes, but at least in this particular instance, we owned up to them. We knew that, OK, we’re not allowed to do that, and we shouldn’t.” You think, At least the system works.

Our government showed accountability. Even though it was widely limited in its scope, there was still some accountability to be had, and that’s a big deal. That kind of thing is important, especially nowadays, where it seems nobody cares about anything. Everything is an argument. That’s not how it should be; there should accountability.

Q. You’ve also filmed with Clint Eastwood (The Ballad of Richard Jewell). That must be so exciting and inspiring for an actor. I’ve interviewed Morgan Freeman several times, and he always told me the best things about working with Clint.

A. He really is. He’s an impressive human being, first of all, because he’s almost 90 years old and he’s still making movies. He’s there every day. He’s so committed and dedicated to do good work and to tell stories that need to be told. With The Ballad of Richard Jewell, this is kind of the first time

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I THINK THAT SOCIETY IS CORRECTING COURSE IN A WAY THAT’S VERY POSITIVE. THERE IS A BETTER SENSE FOR MOST PEOPLE THAT OTHER PERSPECTIVES ARE VALID

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in modern times that you saw this sort of rush to judgment, this sense of being convicted in the court of public opinion. “This guy must’ve done it, because he just looks the part.” And that’s kind of sad. We see it now more than ever, unfortunately. With Twitter, and everybody having micro-aggressions, you can be tried, convicted and punished before you even realize you’ve done anything wrong. It’s a weird place we are in, in history: we have so much access to information, yet so little ability to tell what’s real and what’s fake.

FASHION Q. What are your fashion vices and inspiration? Do you like suits and watches, or are you more of a T-shirt and jeans guy outside of set?

A. I don’t really wear jewelry. I wear an Apple watch now. But if I’m going to a place where I have to look nice, I’ll wear a nice watch. I have a few. I like wearing nice suits, I really do.

Everything matches, you look good, you look well put together, you look mature. If it’s a good suit, you look great. I like that. But I probably could go through my closet and get rid of half the shit there and I’d be just fine. I’m not a guy who has to wear something different every day; I’m not a peacock at all. But I like to look nice.

stuff was coming out. I think it was in response to Nixon and Vietnam. The traditional male ideas of “Father knows best” and “We tell you what to do” were proven to be demonstrably false, in many ways, because people went, “Well, Nixon is a liar,” and we got into this crazy situation in Vietnam, because we were told we were doing the right thing — we clearly weren’t. Who are we listening to and why? Why are we meant to listen to men in that capacity? That’s when you saw a lot more female senators and a lot more female presence in government happening. That’s shifting even more with the Time’s Up and the #MeToo stuff. Women are rightfully demanding that there’d be a reckoning for this behaviour that’s never been OK, that shouldn’t be tolerated.

It won’t be ignored anymore. I think that men’s jobs, these days, is to listen more than they talk.

I’ve been able to take that one to heart and really understand that as a straight white male, I’m living in an incredibly privileged position in society. Not only in American society, but in international society and culture, as well. It’s important to understand that it’s real. Just because you don’t like something, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have merit. That’s a big thing for a lot of white men to get their head around. That’s why you see the rise of Trump and these other things. Some men just don’t want to let go of that.

your high horse, before saying someone is right or wrong. Take a moment to understand their point of view. Wherever you are, male or female, wherever you are on the gender spectrum, wherever you are racially, it’s important to understand that other people come at things differently. To disavow that as being not worthy of any kind of validation is silly, I think.

Q. I was thinking, when rewatching Mad Men episodes, the vibe is almost like the anti-#MeToo. A. Sure. But even so, what I thought the show did really well is, we showed perspective.

Q. True. It’s not like you endorsed it. The show critiqued it.

A. You saw the perspective of someone like the character Joan, who’s been in it long enough and who knows how to work it. Contrast that with someone like Peggy, who’s brand new to it and has to navigate her own way and ends up doing it incredibly successfully. And someone like Betty, who’s totally committed to that thing and is still very unhappy. Someone like Sal, from a homosexual perspective, closeted or not, he’s also trying to navigate that whole thing. It’s tricky. Ostensibly, the show is about Don’s path and career, but it’s also about how our society is changing. It’s a good show.

There’s resistance.

PERSONAL Q. How do you think the perception of the modern man has changed from when you were growing up to now?

A. I grew up quite a long time ago. It was rapidly shifting in the ’70s, when you saw the rise of second-wave and third-wave feminism.

That was pushing into the fore the idea of a man who was comfortable with his feminine side, comfortable with his feelings. The “Me” generation, the therapy generation, all of that

There’s resistance any time someone’s asked to give up any power. When it’s a class or a group that’s held power collectively since the beginning of time, obviously, there’s going to be a little pushback. But I think that society is correcting course in a way that’s very positive.

There’s a better sense for most people that other perspectives are valid. Just because you think something is good or funny, doesn’t mean it has no value. The thing I really appreciated about all this is, taking a moment before you get on

Q. Does it get harder to fall in love as time goes by, or easier?

A. Oh boy, that’s a question for the ages. I think that’s specific to where you are in your life.

You’re a young person and think, Oh, I’ve got it all figured out, then life has a way of showing you that maybe you don’t. It’s more related to the stage you are in your life. You can fall in love just as easily at 16 as you can at 70. I think they’re both very different, obviously, they’re very different perspectives in life the older you get, but they’re both great.

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MUSIC

CONNECTING THE DOTS OF

COMMONALITY Chandrika Tandon, successful businesswoman, singer, composer and philanthropist, shares her philosophies on living a life that is reflected through a prism of spirituality, mindfulness and deep kindness

E

very once in a while, we meet someone who is new to our circle of influence, a person whom we’ve neither previously known about, nor met or talked to before. But once the introduction is made, that person becomes a welcome beacon of light, a spark of inspiration that resonates on a spiritual plane and motivates us to break through and beyond our barriers, to rise above and do better. And not just for ourselves, but also for all of those we meet along our path.

Chandrika Tandon, highly successful businesswoman, composer and Grammynominated singer, is such a person, one whose inherently intimate philosophy and intrinsic motto on life is centred on a triangle of three key attributes: love, light, laughter. “This is what my life is about, what I am about,” she says. “I am love; I am in the light; and I always want to experience this sense of joy, this sense of laughter.”

Born in Madras, south India’s hub of culture, economics and education (the city is now called Chennai), in 1954, Tandon’s upbringing was rooted in the formalities of a traditional Indian home and immersed in the intricate mosaic of rituals that are handed down from generation to generation. “As the first child and the first girl, all of my family’s hopes were pinned to my success, especially as it related to a successful arranged marriage. My earliest memories are of my mother buying my trousseau,” Tandon says. “As the first daughter of a very large family, there was a lot of pressure to

make a good marriage; it was an important issue for my family. If a good marriage was not made, everyone would be affected. Any friend of mine who came to the house was told that I would be engaged by the time I was 17 and married by the time I was 18.”

Contained but not subdued by this milieu, Tandon created her own dreams, ones that were wrapped in a world of poetry and a multitude of books. Sitting often with her elderly grandfather, who lived with the family, Tandon was exposed to many diverse and vaulted authors. “I had read most of the works of Shakespeare by the time I was 14,” she says. “I memorized several hundred poems in long form, many of which I still remember.”

At some point, however, Tandon rebelled against the all-encompassing rules of her traditional upbringing. Not even sure what the boundaries were, she wanted to break them. She wanted to study commerce at school, and even more shockingly, she wanted to attend a men’s school, her father’s alma mater, in fact, to do so.

But that option, at least in the beginning, was not available to her.

The principle of light Horrified by her daughter’s burning desire to attend a school full of boys (girls and boys were not allowed to mix in those days), Tandon’s mother adamantly refused to cede to her daughter’s wish.

But Tandon, who was determined to actualize her dreams and break away from her family’s confining

rules, went on a hunger strike. Her lobbying efforts were aided by Sister Mary Nessan, the headmistress of the Catholic missionary school that Tandon attended. “Sister Nessan, dressed in a white habit, came in a little black car to my house and spoke to my mother, begging her to let me go to the prestigious business program at Madras Christian College,” Tandon says. “‘This child will not grow wrong, you shouldn’t worry,’ she told my mother. Sister Nessan was definitely a mentor to me.”

Allowing their daughter to attend a co-ed college was a huge concession and a significant departure from the rules for Tandon’s parents. But between their daughter’s hunger strike, dramatic crying and Sister Nessan’s encouragement, they finally relented: Madras Christian College it was. To understand the significance of this accommodation and just how unbending the rules were in those days, the cycle of family pushback was repeated all over again when Tandon later wanted to attend the Indian Institute of Business Management. At this school, Tandon, who had been awarded several scholarships and was one of only a few hundred selected from the thousands of applicants (being accepted was like winning the Nobel Peace Prize), was also one of the youngest in her class.

“When you start to look at boundaries, your whole world vision changes,” Tandon says. “But when you don’t look at boundaries, everything seems connected, everything seems possible.”

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Grammy-nominated Tandon is the epitome of love, light and laughter

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After graduating, Tandon started to branch out.

Armed with an MBA, she arrived in New York in 1978 for an interview at McKinsey Consulting Firm (now McKinsey & Company) in the middle of one of the city’s worst snowstorms on record.

Never having seen snow before, Tandon had to borrow a winter coat from a professor’s wife.

As a naive and hopeful immigrant, she had only brought three saris with her. “I weighed only 110 pounds at the time, and the coat I borrowed was a size 12,” Tandon says with a laugh. “I went to a series of interviews in one of my three silk saris. I don’t think that the people I was speaking with had ever interviewed anyone who had not had an American education before, especially at my age.”

Interviewing successfully, Tandon accepted a position at McKinsey, where she specialized in transforming and rebuilding businesses, improving them from top to bottom. Highly successful in her role, Tandon became the first IndianAmerican woman to be elected partner at the firm. “Transformation became my mantra, my obsession,” she says.

After many years of hard work and a burgeoning and deep-seated interest to invest in the companies that she was transforming, Tandon left McKinsey and created her own firm, Tandon Capital Associates, in 1992, where her phenomenal ability to create holistic transformation with measurable impact created billions of dollars in market capital.

“My mission was to invest in these businesses, where we affected transformation for long-term value,” Tandon says. “Basically, I would pack up and go and live with a company’s CEO for six to eight months. Name a place, and I have lived there.” (Tandon, who is somewhat proficient in seven languages, is fluent in three.)

But in 2002, just as Tandon was about to sign a seismically significant deal, one that would have taken her to a whole new level of material success and verification, she was paralyzed by what she calls a “crisis of spirit.” In the centre of the storm, there was a vortex of unrelenting questions that demanded spiritual answers. “I couldn’t sign the contract; I was completely paralyzed,” Tandon says.

While Tandon’s at-the-crossroads-of-life crisis was theoretically not a breakdown, it was close enough to it that she was motivated to take stock of her life, to take an honest and probing look at the direction her life was going. “For 24 hours I could do nothing,” Tandon says. “I couldn’t even sign the major deal that I was supposed to. While I had everything I could possibly need, inside there were a lot of ups and downs, a criss-cross of emotions — a constant judging of myself that I was not good enough, a constant sense of not doing enough and doing too much,” she says. “This crisis of spirit, as I called it, made me

evaluate what I was about, why I was put on this planet. That began a whole exploration into what made me happy.”

From the eye of the storm, Tandon asked herself the hard questions: What made her happy? What excited her about life? What did success really mean to and for her? And most poignantly, if she died tomorrow, was she doing exactly what she should be doing? Those were the questions that needed to be answered honestly. And it was from this new place of rectitude and light that Tandon realized that she wanted — and needed — to rejig

“I CREATED A PLACE FOR MYSELF WHERE I COULD CONNECT TO A MUCH BIGGER PLACE, A PLACE WHERE I AM MUCH MORE THERE THAN I AM NOT THERE” the way she was spending her time, especially as it related to her role in the business world.

“I created a place for myself where I could connect to a much bigger place, a place where I am much more there than I am not there.”

The tenets of light and love As a child, Tandon had many jobs, but she remembers none of the details. What she does remember, however, are the songs that she sang.

In fact, as a child, Tandon won a host of prizes for her singing. But that was before she got immersed in her high-profile, day-to-day deal-making, which allowed very little time for passions and intimate pleasures. “As I began to examine my life, to reevaluate the direction I was going, I realized that the times when I was happiest were the times when I was singing. And with that realization came the earth-shattering question: ‘If singing was what made me so happy, why wasn’t I doing it?’ I realized that I just wanted to sing,” Tandon says.

“I decided to take singing lessons to get better for myself. To sing just to sing. I also started to read voraciously and to ask questions of my friends and colleagues to further myself forward.”

And as is usually the case when we come to a place open-hearted and ready to embrace new experiences, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. A series of unexpected events presented themselves to Tandon: teachers — masters, in fact — who Tandon would not normally have had a chance to meet, people with such mastery that

their time cannot be bought in the classical “lessons” sense, suddenly presented themselves through what seemed like a happenstance of serendipitous circumstances. Her passion to actualize her “soul call” was so great that Tandon would regularly get up at 3 a.m. to drive to singing lessons and then return home to be with her infant daughter, Lita.

It all came together in a dovetail of destiny when Tandon, flummoxed for an idea as to what to buy her father-in-law for his 90th birthday, decided to record (over two days) a CD for him, Soul Mantra (2006 and reissued in 2016), which unwittingly launched her music career. This was followed by Soul Call (2009), which was the product of Tandon’s deep spiritual work.

At the time she was creating this music, Tandon was memorizing and digesting sacred Sanskrit prayers, including an important chant from ancient Indian texts — the eight phonemes: Om Na Mo Na Ra Ya NaYa. “This is a powerful healing mantra that works to cleanse the eight vital centres of the body,” Tandon explains.

Her aim has always been to convey joyous, universally appealing music by using her Indian roots as a basis. Soul Call went on to garner, through a series of organic circumstances, both a tsunami of positive attention and a Grammy nomination. “I was blown away; it was amazing. I was in the Grammy box with my heroes, Sérgio Mendes and Brasil ’66,” Tandon says. “If I started to connect the dots right now, I can’t even begin to imagine what the universe made happen.”

The prism from which Tandon views the various parts of her life has changed efficaciously.

While the early days required a lot of hard work to uncover her spiritual core, Tandon’s connectivity to her spirituality is now the norm, one that is deeply and fundamentally tied to her meditation and breath work. After immersing herself in a series of 10-day meditation retreats, Tandon’s focus on garnering deeper insights into herself was sharpened. These were skills that would deepen this singer and highly successful businesswoman’s spiritual resolve and spiritual lightness. “We don’t understand how damaged we are as we go through life’s ups and downs, and our emotions,” Tandon says. “But I connected with my unbounded self, the pathway to light. I think one of the biggest losses for all of us is that we don’t explore all the dimensions of our form.”

In fact, meditation, which Tandon is extremely scrupulous about, is the gateway to her musical pathway and intent. “My meditation practice is profound for me,” she says. “You cannot sing well in Indian music unless your mind is quiet. There is a great deal of focus on being tranquil. I have a strong yearning to learn songs that call on a higher power. I have wanted it so badly, and the music is my vessel to get there.”

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Continuing to collaborate with a huge breadth and musical diversity of musicians Tandon’s quest is centred on connecting the dots, the different parts of her musical life. Shivoham — The Quest, released in 2017, is a musical expression of Tandon’s entire journey. She performed it at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in November 2019. It features world-class instrumentalists and choirs who weave together a harmony of ancient Sanskrit mantras and English prayers, Western modes, Indian ragas, African and Spanish styles, jazz, Gregorian chants and personal stories. “It is a musical journey to transcendence, one that radiates peace, love and blessings for the planet,” Tandon says. “I am very curious to explore the commonalities that bridge different cultures and different works. I want people to be able to sing along. We are all on the same journey toward the continuous light, toward a higher light, a higher point. The music is a reflection of that.”

Tandon’s voice, resonant of wind chimes gently tinkling in the air on a breezy spring day, is one that is poised to awaken a sense of peace, serenity and new life in those who are spiritually connected.

And while music is an overriding passion and purpose in her life, Tandon continues to stay connected to both her businesses as well as her philanthropic endeavours. In 2015, she and her husband, Ranjan, gifted New York University’s Polytechnic School of Engineering (now called NYU Tandon School of Engineering) with a

$100-million endowment because of their attitude toward helping people actualize their dreams.

“I was in New York in 1977, and I called the university to enquire about their PhD program,” Tandon says. “I was so blown away with how welcome, inclusive and open the people there were.

They invited me to study with them. The school has a high proportion of first-generation students and women, and I am committed to helping transform generations by investing in education, especially technology, to help create solutions for society’s biggest global challenges.”

Describing herself as a super type A and highly analytic, Tandon feels her spiritual journey has opened up many more personal dimensions. She is vice-chairman of the board of trustees at New York University and chair of the board of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. She also serves on the NYU Business School and NYU Langone Health System boards. On the artistic side, Tandon is a member of the board of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Berklee College of Music’s Presidential Advisory Council.

A recipient of many awards for integrity and leadership, Tandon has received the Gallatin Medal, New York University’s highest honour for outstanding contributions to society; the Walter Nichols Medal for leadership and integrity; and the Polytechnic Medal, recognizing her involvement in science and engineering.

The axis of love, light and laughter Tandon’s daughter, Lita, whom she refers to as a “whole person” and the love of her life, is one of her greatest gifts. “She has become one of my greatest teachers; she has helped me see a lot of dynamics and has helped me become a better mother,” Tandon says. “My grandson, Kavi, who is 19 months old, is the other love of my life.”

The gifts and the teachings that Tandon espouses are centred in the concepts of living a conscious life, of stepping back to ask ourselves the questions that will in turn provide the definitive answers to our passions and purpose in life. “The chores of life are overwhelming, so to step back to ask the questions takes a lot of effort. But you have to explore all the dimensions of yourself. You have to ask the questions — ‘Why am I here?’ – and have a deep curiosity about those questions. If I hadn’t asked those questions of myself, my life would have been very different,” Tandon says. “We all have the opportunity to explore great extensions of ourselves.

I wish this so deeply for every one of us, to get to that freedom that gifts us with love, laughter and light.

We can change more than a single generation — we can change several,” she says. “The prism through which you view your entire being is very powerful. It has been a profound journey that I am so grateful for.” www.chandrikatandon.com @chandrikatandon

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Rosenberg is passionate about innovation and its ability to make meaningful change

USING INNOVATION AS A FORCE FOR GOOD Matthew Rosenberg, founder and CEO of M-Rad, discusses a design journey that’s led him from Saskatoon to Los Angeles WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER

As

a creative, Matthew Rosenberg spent many of his early years studying and travelling. He took nine years learning his craft, studying architecture and environmental design, and he has absorbed culture in cities across Europe and China.

It was in Saskatoon, however, where he grew up and discovered his inherent need to think outside the box. “I was always trying to push the limits of what’s acceptable and found that art in Saskatoon, while interesting, was tough,” Rosenberg says. “I did a show where I photographed people nude on the streets of Saskatoon for a year. For a small town, that’s a big deal, especially when cops show up to your exhibit,” he says. “But I learned a lot of lessons there around how pushing the limits might hinder my capabilities, and so to reach for larger urban centres, where progress and innovation might be a little more accepted.”

From there, he worked for MAD Architects in Beijing, before moving to Los Angeles and launching M-Rad almost seven years ago.

Today, the studio is an award-winning one and

has expanded its services beyond architecture to encompass real estate development, interior design, and brand and product design.

“We decided to move back to L.A., and I started the visa process. But there was about a year when I wasn’t legally allowed to work,” Rosenberg says, talking about where the idea for launching M-Rad began. “There’s yoga and all the other beautiful things you can do in L.A. when you can’t work, but that wasn’t enough for me, so I decided to build a portfolio. I found properties around L.A. and the hills, designed projects around them and tried to find the owners, so I could pitch those projects. By the time I got the work visa, I realized it was easier to find clients over a job.”

M-Rad’s portfolio is impressive. The firm is in the last months of constructing the new, 62,000-square-foot headquarters of security brand Ring, located in Hawthorne, Calif. Ring was purchased by Amazon last year for more than US$1 billion. Rosenberg says it’s been an interesting process to navigate, and he has enjoyed being “the glue in the process.” A couple of months ago, the firm also delivered its contemporary,

PHOTO BY KRISTOPHER GRUNERT

PHOTO COURTESY OF M-RAD INC.

ARCHITECTURE

prefabricated X-Suite luxury mobile units for a site in California’s Yosemite National Park.

When asked how he would describe his design esthetic, Rosenberg is quick to reply that it’s “the lack of esthetic” that drives his studio, and that he “works hard to ensure we’re not defined by it.” But while there may not be boundaries when it comes to a distinct design language, it’s innovation that unites everything that happens at M-Rad. “We’re at the point now where, if anything hinders the possibility of something going to market or a building being completed, I make sure we remove it,” he explains. “Innovation can only work if we’re able to communicate how it can change the world, which is a lesson I still feel I’m learning.

But we are absolutely trying to innovate and push the company, so it acts as a benchmark for other design studios.”

It’s that desire to change the world that’s currently feeding into the firm’s current and future work. “We’re looking a lot into prefabrication and pushing that into affordable housing. It’s been pretty tough to see L.A. and many urban centres almost deteriorate, and have more people on the

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PHOTO BY KRISTOPHER GRUNERT

Before moving to Los Angeles, Rosenberg grew up in Saskatoon and spent time in cities across Europe and China

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M-Rad recently finished work on a number of luxury mobile units in California’s Yosemite National Park

street every week,” Rosenberg continues. “We’re hoping we can solve some of these big problems.

People keep talking about solutions, but I don’t think they’re taking the entire scope of what needs to be done under their umbrella. So that’s our ultimate goal: How do we start controlling manufacturing, shipping, design, real estate, education, rehabilitation and actually evaluate this holistically?”

Sustainability is also important throughout all of M-Rad’s projects, and it has become such an integral part of its blueprint that Rosenberg feels it no longer needs to be a point of emphasis. “The way architects have utilized the term and narrative around sustainability for marketing purposes is unfortunate,” he explains. “Every architect and designer should be designing sustainably. It shouldn’t be marketed or sold.”

Though Rosenberg and M-Rad are well established, with a number of impressive projects both in the works and completed, his need to challenge boundaries remains unchanged.

“Whenever we get into a rhythm, especially in the studio, it makes me uncomfortable,” he says, laughing. “I always have to find a way to flip something on its head or push it to see what happens. I don’t think you discover or innovate without putting yourself in really tough positions.” www.m-rad.com @mrad.inc

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PHOTOS BY KRISTOPHER GRUNERT

Not wanting to be defined by one esthetic, M-Rad is a design firm constantly looking beyond its boundaries

SPONSORED CONTENT

KOREAN GLASS FACIAL Up-and-coming facialist Gianna Ugolini unveils the newest addition to her skin-care menu, after a year in the making, at G.C. & Co. Salon and Med Spa

Clients get the best facials at G.C. & Co., including all the advantages of an oxygen-infusion dome and cryotherapy, which Gianna uses to get amazing, glowing results

PHOTOS BY CARLOS A. PINTO

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ith 25 years of facial experience, Gianna is renowned for putting her own spin on the classic European facial. She combines her signature contour massage with modern-day equipment and techniques, which makes for an experience like no other. The newest addition to her facial menu is the Korean Glass Facial, featuring oxygen, cryotherapy and so much more, which has been over a year in the making.

After several trips to California to master the Korean facial massage technique and personally choosing and testing several facial masks and tools, it has all come together perfectly.

This treatment was inspired by Gianna’s interest in how Koreans are so dedicated to obtaining that ultimate glass-like glow. In Korea, “the average at-home skin regimen consists of 10 steps.” says Gianna. “They’re at the helm when it comes to skin care and take it very seriously,” she adds. “The oxygen system I incorporate into the mix was voted best beauty device/treatment in Korea for 2019.”

Gianna also incorporates cryogen, which cools the skin and causes immediate vasoconstriction (tightening of the vessels), restoring radiance and soothing inflammation. She also features a lowfrequency ultrasound/LED device that she loves to use for skin tightening and wrinkle smoothing.

THE OXYGEN SYSTEM I INCORPORATE WAS VOTED BEST BEAUTY DEVICE/TREATMENT IN KOREA FOR 2019 This 90-minute treatment also involves lymphatic drainage, extractions, contour massage, hot stones, the freeze-dried collagen mask and the rubberized peel-off mask. “I love masking and look forward to clients experiencing these two glow boosters together in one treatment,” she says. As for the oxygen system, it’s a hyperbaric oxygen machine, producing 98 per cent pure oxygen (a.k.a. negative ions). These odourless, tasteless molecules are breezed into a respiratory dome, and comfortably placed over the face multiple times during the facial to boost all the products applied. At the end, a special spray gun is used to infuse the skin further with super-hydrating serums.

“Every day, we get bombarded with positive ions, which have a negative effect on our body when exposed to in excess, making us feel tired and worn out,” says Gianna. “Negative ions help relieve stress, and boost energy to revitalize your skin, improve fine lines and wrinkles and other signs of aging.” Afterwards, you’re left with healthy, glowing skin.

Her favourite part of every facial? The contour massage. “I’m constantly tweaking it to achieve instant visible results,” she says, as facial massage can drastically improve the appearance of skin, improving circulation, ironing out expression lines and toning muscles.

Gianna combines the Korean facial massage with her own signature contour massage, making it a technique like no other. Facials are her passion, and she travels abroad a few times a year to constantly learn new techniques. “I’ll never stop learning. I want to be a good role model for my nine-year-old daughter by showing her that when a woman is passionate about her career, the sky’s the limit.”

Gianna’s biggest piece of advice? Monthly facials and a really good home-care routine to be carried out morning and night. “One skin cycle consists of 28 days — that is how long it takes for skin cells to regenerate. A facial once a month sloughs away dullness, leaving you with a healthy glow,” she adds.

“I also offer a very popular 16-week program: clients visit me every week for 16 weeks, where I treat them with everything I have to offer. And they’re left with an incredible transformation.” Check out the before/ after photos for yourself on Gianna’s Instagram page (@gianna_gcandco).

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LIFESTYLE DESIGN

YABU PUSHELBERG’S

George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg’s new directto-consumer e-commerce collection features coveted essentials at affordable prices without sacrificing quality

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PHOTO BY GEOFF FITZGERALD

DEPARTO OFFERS ESSENTIALS FOR GLOBAL NOMADS

Famed designers launch new accessories and lifestyle brand in partnership with Stellar Works’s Yuichiro Hori WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

T

hese days humans are more active than ever, and tourism statistics are off the charts. Be it multi-month worldwide cruises, adventures to remote locations, quick weekend getaways or a simple day in the country, we’ve never travelled more and never been more mobile.

But recreating your home life in any nomadic adventure has always been a challenge, as when you leave your home you also have to leave the “comforts of home” behind.

Until now. Until Departo.

Departo is the new accessories and lifestyle label brought to the online marketplace recently through a partnership of Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu, co-founders of the multidisciplinary design firm Yabu Pushelberg, together with Yuichiro Hori, the founder of furniture label Stellar Works. The brand celebrated its launch with a limited-stay pop-up shop in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood and may consider future pop-ups in the spring.

Defining Departo as “essentials for the global nomad,” its inaugural direct-to-consumer e-commerce collection (through departo.co) includes furniture, ceramics, textiles, glassware and metal, aiming to introduce covetable essentials to a worldly audience at affordable prices without sacrificing quality. Products include utilitarian folding chairs, tables, stools, coffee mugs, candle holders, linen placemats and glasses — beautifully minimal items you can display in your home or even travel with.

“We have about a dozen products now, beautiful things that are reasonably priced and people will not throw out as life progresses,” says Pushelberg.

“Our travelling furniture comes fully assembled, so you cannot make a mistake, and the range of our six colours across our product line all work together to provide design options.”

Perhaps it’s fitting that this exclusive approach to lifestyle comes from Yabu and Pushelberg, who for 40 years have made unprecedented contributions to the world of design, leading to their recent induction into the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest civilian honour. From starting in the 1980s

designing copy shops, Yabu Pushelberg’s portfolio today includes retail spaces, hotels and restaurants in Manhattan, N.Y., London, Bangkok and elsewhere. Their travels have been so extensive, and their design observations so acute, that Departo is a naturally organic progression of their creative intuitions and expressions.

“WE ... DESIGN OBJECTS THAT WE WOULD BUY THAT ARE AFFORDABLE, FASHIONABLE …

OBJECTS THAT ARE FOR EVERYBODY” — Glenn Pushelberg

“About five years ago we were asked to design a micro hotel room of about 10 or 15 square metres, with the challenge being, how do you make a small room groovy?” says Pushelberg.

“We were fascinated, and one of the ideas was to create furniture that was collapsible and could hang on a wall, including tables and chairs that are lightweight and you could just bring down and use when needed. But they needed to have character and be fashionable, but inexpensive. We decided to create our own line along this thinking, to design objects that we would buy that are affordable, fashionable and that you never want to throw out.

Objects that are for everybody.”

The Departo name is a play on the Japanese word for “department store,” as well as the idea of departing, and its catchphrase of “essentials for the global nomad” is carefully chosen, addressing those adventurers, travellers, explorers or thrill-

seekers who choose something other than the all-inclusive resort vacation when they go “walkabout.”

“We live in a transient society,” says Pushelberg.

“People are migrating to where jobs are, and there is a lot of nomadic travelling happening. Our brand reflects this, as it’s about diversity. People are all about keeping things, being mobile and living in smaller spaces.”

Yabu and Pushelberg are the creative directors behind Departo, with the power of Yuichiro Hori’s furniture label Stellar Works behind the manufacturing. This partnership is an extension and evolution of a long-standing and successful design collaboration.

“We’ve done about three collections for [Hori], and he’s very smart, and the quality is as good as anywhere in the world. He’s an honourable guy and a great partner to have,” says Pushelberg.

The creative intelligence of the Departo design and lifestyle label is the practicality of purpose of its product line married with its design philosophy of simple and captivating style. It speaks to both the experienced world traveller and the family who may wake up one sunny morning and decide to go on a picnic.

“Our items are items that have an entry-level appeal, without being entry level,” observes Yabu.

“People go on journeys now and there is no reason you can’t take the comforts of your home with you.”

Departo is the latest evolution in the constant progression of George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg.

Even after 40 years, they keep creating, thinking, inventing and designing, while observing everyday life in perpetual motion.

As Yabu says so simply, “Glenn and I have a deep sense of curiosity that allows us to solve design problems.”

Their inspirations and their interpretations have never failed to push new boundaries in creative design and make definitive statements about their craft, and to always design something that is new and timeless. In that way, Departo is a natural. www.yabupushelberg.com @yabupushelberg

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FIND ADDITIONAL IMAGES FROM THESE PHOTO SHOOTS ONLINE AT WWW.DOLCEMAG.COM

SUN SOAKED Escape to the sunnier climes of Los Angeles, where the fashion flows and the heat is free

TEXT BY JOSH WALKER

VISIT WWW.DOLCEMAG.COM TO WATCH BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE OF OUR FASHION SHOOT

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Dress - for Love & Lemons Choker - LIV CONNECTIVE Earrings - LIV CONNECTIVE

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Hat - Gladys Tamez Millinery Jumper - Ellie Mae Studios Earrings - LIV CONNECTIVE

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Trench - By Marta Goldschmied Dress - for Love & Lemons Chocker - LIV CONNECTIVE

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Pink Set - Chiara Ferragni Collection Shirt - Vitor Zerbinato Earrings - LIV CONNECTIVE

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INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DESIGN OF LUXURY ESTATE HOMES • HOSPITALITY FACILITIES • PRESENTATION CENTRES CORPORATE OFFICES • CONDOMINIUM DEVELOPMENTS

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