Central New York Magazine - November/December 2022

Weight Loss Surgery

It’s about more than just weight loss. It’s about reducing your risk for serious conditions like heart disease and diabetes — and regaining the stamina, mobility and confidence to take on every day.

Crouse’s bariatric surgery program offers a dedicated team of physicians and providers, as well as psychological and nutritional counseling — all with the expertise to support you every step of the way.

Begin the process from home by viewing our online informational video. Then consult with our bariatric team via telemedicine visits to start your journey. It’s time — and now easier than ever.

Start today at crouse.org/weightloss or call 315-470-8974.

PRESIDENT Tim Kennedy

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OF THE GOOD LIFE

Annette Peters 315-282-8527 apeters@advancemediany.com

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Lindsay Marlenga lmarlenga@ advancemediany.com

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

Thomas H. Brown 315-470-2053 tbrown@acssyr.com

MAGAZINE/EVENTS SALES MANAGER

Jennifer K. Queri 315-282-8622 jqueri@advancemediany.com

EDITOR

MJ Kravec 315-766-7833 mkravec@advancemediany.com

CONTENT EDITOR

Amy Bleier Long 315-282-8553 ableierlong@advancemediany.com

DESIGNERS

Chris Boehke cboehke@advancelocal.com Susan Santola ssantola@advancelocal.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE 315-282-8622

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Contact Jennifer Queri or visit readcnymagazine.com

ON THE COVER

Flour power. Holiday macarons from Sugar Blossom Cake Shop in Liverpool. Photo by Alaina Potrikus. Cover design by Susan Santola. See story page 63.

The Good Life, Central New York Magazine (ISSN 1931-194X) is published six times a year by Advance Media New York, 220 S. Warren St., Syracuse, New York 13202. The Post-Standard © 2022. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic/digital, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission.

All material submitted to Central New York Magazine becomes the property of Advance Media New York, publishers of The Post-Standard and Central New York Magazine. It will not be returned. Such a submission, to name a few examples, may be a letter to the editor, a cartoon, a picture, a poem and the like. Any such material may be excerpted, edited for length or content, and may be published or used in any other way. For example, on Syracuse.com or in The Post-Standard.

THE BOLDLY REDESIGNED BMW X7.

THE BOLDLY REDESIGNED BMW X7.

Th e b a r fo r l u x u r y h a s b e e n ra i s e d . W i t h a d v a n c e d t e c h n o l o g y a n d a n e x q u i s i t e i n t e r i o r, t h e re d e s i g n e d B M W X 7 o f fe rs a n e l e g a n t a n d m e m o ra b l e d r i v i n g e x p e r i e n c e .

Th e b a r fo r l u x u r y h a s b e e n ra i s e d . W i t h a d v a n c e d t e c h n o l o g y a n d a n e x q u i s i t e i n t e r i o r, t h e re d e s i g n e d B M W X 7 o f fe rs a n e l e g a n t a n d m e m o ra b l e d r i v i n g e x p e r i e n c e Ta ke c h a rg e o f t h e j o u r n ey w i t h u p t o 5 2 3 h o rs e p o w e r a t yo u r d i s p o s a l , a n d a r r i ve a t yo u r d e s t i n a t i o n w i t h u n m i s t a ka b l e p re s e n c e Th e l a t e s t m o d e l i n c l u d e s u n i q u e fe a t u re s s u c h a s s p l i t h e a d l i g h t s a n d B M W ’ s l a t e s t i D r i ve 8 o p e ra t i n g sy s t e m . E n j oy o n e o f t h re e ro w s o f p l u s h l e a t h e r s e a t s t h a t g u a ra n t e e a l u x u r i o u s r i d e , n o m a t t e r w h e re yo u s i t .

Ta ke c h a rg e o f t h e j o u r n ey w i t h u p t o 5 2 3 h o rs e p o w e r a t yo u r d i s p o s a l , a n d a r r i ve a t yo u r d e s t i n a t i o n w i t h u n m i s t a ka b l e p re s e n c e . Th e l a t e s t m o d e l i n c l u d e s u n i q u e fe a t u re s s u c h a s s p l i t h e a d l i g h t s a n d B M W ’ s l a t e s t i D r i ve 8 o p e ra t i n g sy s t e m . E n j oy o n e o f t h re e ro w s o f p l u s h l e a t h e r s e a t s t h a t g u a ra n t e e a l u x u r i o u s r i d e , n o m a t t e r w h e re yo u s i t . W i t h t h e l a t e s t f i n i s h i n g t o u c h e s , p a c ka g e d i n i t s g ra n d s i l h o u e t t e , t h e 2 0 2 3 B M W X 7 d e m a n d s t o b e n o t i c e d

W i t h t h e l a t e s t f i n i s h i n g t o u c h e s , p a c ka g e d i n i t s g ra n d s i l h o u e t t e , t h e 2 0 2 3 B M W X 7 d e m a n d s t o b e n o t i c e d .

Th i s i s t h e U l t i m a t e D r i v i n g M a c h i n e . ® Co n t a c t a C l i e n t A d v i s o r a t b u rd i c k b m w. c o m t o l e a r n m o re a b o u t t h e B M W X 7 t o d a y.

Th i s i s t h e U l t i m a t e D r i v i n g M a c h i n e . ® Co n t a c t a C l i e n t A d v i s o r a t b u rd i c k b m w. c o m t o l e a r n m o re a b o u t t h e B M W X 7 t o d a y.

Burdick BMW

5947 E. Circle Drive Cicero, NY 13039 (315) 459­6000 burdickbmw com

Burdick BMW 5947 E. Circle Drive Cicero, NY 13039 (315) 459­6000 burdickbmw com

©2022 BMW of North America, LLC The BMW trademarks are registered trademarks

©2022 BMW of North America, LLC The BMW trademarks are registered trademarks

All the warmth N

ovember feels like the calm and peace before the storm, doesn’t it? There’s still time before the holiday rush, to shop, bake, wrap, plan and to savor the anticipation of what’s to come. There’s even time to indulge in some quality do-nothingness, whether it’s cuddling with a child or a pet or simply pondering the beauty of the season’s first snowfall. It’s also the time to reflect back and give thanks.

In our November/December issue, we embrace that spirit of gratitude with a look at people who give back to our community in many different ways. We also asked CNY designers for tips on decorating your mantel, showcase some talented cookie bakers who turn yummy treats into works of art and highlight some of Central New York’s lesser known holiday events.

You’ll also find gift giving inspiration in our totally local holiday gift guide.

In other departments, Our Town visits Camillus, Downtown Doings stops by Cake Bar’s new location in downtown Syracuse, Caught Doing Good spotlights Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization that makes beds for local children in need, Farm to Table gets a cozy recipe from Pastabilities in Syracuse, Down to Earth offers sustainable gift wrap ideas and Art Profile checks in with an East Syracuse studio that works with kids with various abilities. In Flashback with OHA, go back in time to Salina Street’s holiday heyday and in Last Word, we talk to John Tumino, cofounder of the homeless outreach organization In My Father’s Kitchen.

All good things that bring the warmth of CNY to light during this most wonderful time of year.

Cheers.

MJ

mkravec@advancemediany.com 315-766-7833

Want more?

Check out our website at readcnymagazine.com for seasonal features, stories, recipes, past issues and more. Contact us anytime with story ideas and feedback at info@ readcnymagazine.com. And now a word from our contributors.

“I love writing about organizations like Eye Studio Arts because they show how the arts allow people to be seen for who they really are and build community with others.”

On writing about a local art studio that works with people with diverse abilities

“I was inspired by the energy and talent of the designers interviewed for this story. I’m looking forward to using their smart design tips for the home this holiday season!”

On writing about area designers’ seasonal mantel decor ideas

Jackie Perrin

Joyelle Ronan

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOYELLE RONAN, JACKIE PERRIN

52

The Giving Spirit

Meet four Central New Yorkers who’ve found unique ways to give back.

Tray, Tray Chic

Area bakers offer seasonal treats that taste as good as they look (trust us).

Take On the Mantel

Local designers create three different seasonal looks for the mantel.

There’s No Place Like CNY 11 lesser known events that capture the spirit of the holidays.

Nursing. This Is

This is your next step.

At St. Joseph’s Health, we know that nurses are exceptional people. Whether your path keeps you close to patients at the bedside or steers you to leadership, education or expansion of your skill set, we provide the collaboration, resources and support to guide and grow your career. We’re looking for passionate, driven nurses to join our Magnet® designated team. To become part of the team providing Central New York with a higher level of care, apply now.

A HIGHER LEVEL OF CARE | jobs.sjhsyr.org

© 2022 St. Joseph’s Health. © 2022 Trinity Health. All rights reserved.

It ’s all good

POSITIVE VIBES • OUR TOWN • MARKET TRENDS

HEART BE LIGHT

BY MJ KRAVEC

In frosty nights and twinkle lights, Anticipation fills the air, Fresh fallen snow and fireside glow, busy streets and homemade sweets And holiday dreams are go. Here are 8 ways to savor the season now.

It ’s all good

BRIGHT SOLSTICE

Mark the shortest day and longest night of the Winter Solstice on Dec. 21 with a ritual borrowed from Japan. After embracing the cold weather, take a hot bath infused with citrus. While the Japanese use yuzu — a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange — you can use any citrus you have available. According to history.com, the tradition is said to bring health to the bather, since citrus is thought to ward off cold and respiratory infections and even evil spirits.

PLACE HOLDER

For a simple and natural touch to your holiday table, snip sprigs of rosemary and juniper and set atop each napkin — a subtle way to encourage guests to savor the little things during the holidays.

GIVE IT A PUNCH

Go retro this season and make a traditional cranberry punch. In a large bowl, combine four cups of chilled cranberry juice or juice cocktail, two cups pineapple juice and two cups of ginger ale. Garnish with citrus slices, cranberries and a sprig of rosemary. Bonus points for serving from a vintage punch bowl.

GIVING TREE

Offer a gift to nature and decorate an outdoor tree with food for birds and other wildlife. Hang pinecones rolled in peanut butter and dipped in bird seed, strings of popcorn and cranberry and apple slices from boughs. Watch who comes to feast as you sip warm cider.

BOOK IT

If you have them on hand, place your favorite holiday children’s books on a coffee table or shelf. They make a sweet conversation starter when displayed at holiday gatherings.

A LITTLE XTRA

Support The Post-Standard and Syracuse. com’s Hope for the Holidays fundraiser. Buy a special edition of The Post-Standard or donate to help. All donations go to support the Christmas Bureau run by the Salvation Army and United Way of Central New York. Visit advancemediany.com/hopeholidays.

CITRUS STILL

Bring a naturally festive look home with this simple idea. Cut several thin slices of orange and bake on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees for three hours until dry. String through with twine, add pinecones and sprigs of spruce and hang over a window or mantel.

A CHRISTMAS STORY

Don’t miss Redhouse Arts Center’s production of “A Christmas Story.” Follow Ralphie Parker and his quest to get his dream gift, an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. Featuring the famous leg lamp, pink bunny pjs and the department store Santa, this stage version of “Story” was nominated for three 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical. At the Redhouse Dec. 9-18. For tickets, go to theredhouse.org.

BY MJ KRAVEC

It’s something you feel when you do something for someone else a feeling that’s more than satisfaction, not quite love, a kind of affection for your fellow human. Giving to others, helping someone else makes us feel good.

Take the quote from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” eloquently spoken by Scrooge’s nephew Fred, who is described as a generous, cheery and good-hearted man: “I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people... as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”

No wonder Fred’s in such a good mood. There’s research to back it up.

Numerous studies indicate that giving to others whether through simple acts of kindness or volunteering — has health benefits. According to psychologytoday.com, altruism has been found to trigger a release of endorphins, boost feelings of gratitude and take practitioners outside themselves resulting in positive effects on physical health.

In another study, researchers at Emory University found that when people express kindness towards others, the brain’s pleasure and reward centers were stimulated in what’s often referred to as a “helper’s high.”

A study at University of British Columbia found that when anxious individuals were asked to perform a minimum of six kind acts a week, they reported a marked increase in positivity and good mood after only one month. Another study there found there were physical benefits to altruism. Over a threeweek period, researchers gave money to subjects telling half of them to spend it on themselves and the other half to spend it on someone else. At the end of the study, they found that people who spent money on others had significantly lower diastolic and systolic blood pressure than those who spent the money on themselves.

To practice: Start with small acts even something as simple as holding the door open or allowing another motorist to merge ahead. Donate to a food bank or pantry or volunteer your time. Then enjoy the feelings that come from sharing that good will.

Small acts of kindness improve mental, physical health BETTER TO GIVE

Dr. Leslie Kohman is always doing something special – surgery, research, clinical trials, directing the cancer center – and now is Upstate Medical University’s frst chief wellness ofcer. She includes peace of mind as an important part of her wellness prescription by being a proud member of the Upstate Legacy Society.

Recently accelerated by the pandemic, Upstate is one place where the intensity of human emotion is experienced by providers as well as patients. “The post-traumatic stress for our health care workers will extend at least for 10 years, so it's really important to me that we have resources to help them,” Dr. Kohman said.

Out of her desire to provide for these future needs, using a life insurance policy to create a legacy gift to the Upstate Foundation made the most sense for Dr. Kohman. Leaving her gift to an endowment, another priority, will make her giving permanent. “As I grow older, I realize that the Upstate Foundation is going to have needs long after I’m not here anymore,” she explained. She also inspires others to give. “When it comes to legacy giving, I always say your gift is the only one that matters. It matters to you. It matters to your benefciary, and that's what's important.”

Knowing you will touch the lives of future generations is a gift of wellness – peace of mind to you and those who will ultimately beneft from your generosity. Please join Dr. Kohman in leaving a legacy gift today!

To read Dr. Kohman’s complete story, visit www.UpstateFoundation.org/LegacyGiving, or to create your own legacy gift, call Upstate Foundation at 315-464-6490.

Our mission: Impacting patient care, education, research, and community health and well-being through charitable giving.

Taking the long view of wellness…

It ’s all good OUR TOWN

Camillus

BY DANIELLE BENJAMIN

Centered around the historic Erie Canal, the town of Camillus covers 35 square miles of land just west of the city of Syracuse. Unique museums, expansive parks, creative dining, local shopping and friendly neighborhoods fill the town. Residents thrive off of its strong sense of community. Along with easily accessible amenities and a robust school system, Camillus is a great place to raise a family — or just spend a weekend supporting local businesses.

HAVE A DRINK

Try a flight of craft beer at Local 315 Brewing Company. Have a drink and challenge your friends to a game of pool at LWB Grill Browse the impressive selection of craft beer from Branching Out Bottle Shop (and be sure to say hi to Barley the shop dog). Head next door to Vine & Barrel for your wine and liquor needs.

GRAB A BITE

Start your day with a cup of coffee and a pastry at Rise and Grind Café in Township 5 or Freedom of Espresso in the village. Grab brunch at Second Chance Diner. Sample souvlaki, gyros and baklava at Kiki’s Authentic Greek Food. Expand your palate with Asian specialties at Mitsuba, Indian Grill, Shanghai Garden and Vietnamese Noodle House. Have dinner at The Brasserie, a mother-daughter-owned bistro with American fare and seasonal specials. Enjoy Taco Tuesday at Azteca Mexican Grill or Boom Boom Mex Mex. Order a pizza from Toss & Fire, Twin Trees or Doc’s Pizzeria. Or try Caribbean dishes from Ja’MaMa Jerk House. Relax with a classic American meal at Inn Between or Green Gate Inn. For game days, munch on pub food while cheering for your team at TK Tavern or The Wildcat. Satisfy your sweet tooth at Sugar Rush Boutique or The Mixing Bowl

“[Camillus] has a cozy hometown feel, but with all the amenities that you need or want.”

Carissa & Joel Monahan, owners of Branching Out Bottle Shop

PHOTOS BY DANIELLE BENJAMIN, CHARLIE MILLER, JARED PAVENTI

Above, Joel and Carissa Monahan, owners of Branching Out Bottle Shop. At right, Local 315 Brewing Company is dog and kid friendly. Below, dinner at Vietnamese Noodle House.

SHOP LOCAL

Make your home cozier with a new candle and some seasonal decor at Witty Wicks. Find the perfect gift for a friend or yourself at Colorful Inspirations. Pick up a gift or take a class to make one at Salvage Designs. Browse the selection of designer glasses at Frameology and find a pair that shows off your eyes. Shop the latest home and clothing fashions at Synple and Homie. Furnish your home bar with something unique from Smith & Bell Trading Company Turn someone else’s trash into your treasure at 3fifteen. Stock up on the latest sporting equipment at The Sports Outfit. Get your local and organic food at Green Planet Grocery

ANNUAL EVENTS

Pick up fresh produce and local food at the Camillus Farmers Market on Mondays from May through October. Spend your summer nights enjoying Music in the Park at Centennial Park or the Summer Concert Series at the Municipal Building. Since 1946, the Camillus Memorial Day Parade has brought together the community to kick off the summer. Festivities continue later in the summer at Gillie Lake with spectacular 4th of July Fireworks Towpath Day is a family-oriented festival celebrating Erie Canal history. Stroll through the village of Camillus during their Fall Fest or Holiday Sip and Shop and enjoy specials from the locally owned shops. During the holiday season, you can cut down your own Christmas Tree at Soliday Tree Farm. Attend the annual Town of Camillus Tree Lighting in December.

THINGS TO DO

Explore all five floors of The Wilcox Octagon House Museum Learn about the history of the Albany & Syracuse Railroad at Martisco Station Museum. Work out or play a round of golf at Pine Grove Health & Country Club. Become your strongest self at Elite Personal Fitness and The Warrior Factory Syracuse. Play 18 holes at Camillus Golf Club or Tuscarora Golf Club. Cruise along the canal in a vintage boat or enjoy a dinner cruise at the Camillus Erie Canal Park. While you’re there, visit the museum, hike or bike the trails, see the steam engine exhibit and view the only navigable aqueduct in New York State. Kids and teens can play games, make music and get involved in community activities at The Town Shop Attend an event or get lost in a book at Maxwell Memorial Library Treat your dog to some pampering at Shear Magic Dog Spa & Resort. Make your own bottle of wine at Syracuse Wineworks

GET OUTSIDE

Enjoy the fresh air, athletic fields and playgrounds at Munro Park, Reed Webster Park, Scenic Hills Park and Warners Park Spend a day exploring the 350-acre landscape of the Camillus Forest Unique Area. Pack a picnic, hike the trails and let your kids play in the splash pad at Camillus Park. View the memorial and a restored one-room schoolhouse, fish or go for a summer swim at Veterans Memorial Park at Gillie Lake. In the winter, ski the slopes and go tubing at the Camillus Ski Hill & Tubing Park

*Please note that the hamlet of Fairmount within the town of Camillus was covered in a previous Our Town.

PHOTOS BY DAVID LASSMAN, SCOTT SCHILD

Top, Towpath Day at the Camillus Erie Canal Park. Above, Gillie Lake at Veterans Memorial Park.

COHEN COMPAGNI BECKMAN APPLER & KNOLL, PLLC

The 2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" editon and the 2022 Upstate New York "Super Lawyers" editon again recognize our atorneys as Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers respectvely. Since their incepton, Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers have regularly recognized CCBLaw atorneys.

Best Lawyers designates CCBLaw as Tier 1 for Health Care Law (the only law frm so designated in the Syracuse region) and Tier 2 for Employee Benefts (ERISA) Law and Litgaton -Labor & Employment.

Recognized by Best Lawyers are Stephen H. Cohen, Michael J. Compagni, Marc S. Beckman, Laura L. Spring, and Andrew M. Knoll. In additon, Marc Beckman has been recognized as 2023 Lawyer of the Year for Health Care Law.

Super Lawyers recognizes CCBLaw Atorneys Cohen, Compagni, Beckman, Knoll and Spring as well as John R. Appler, Maureen D. McGlynn, Bruce A. Smith, and Bruce E. Wood. In additon, Atorney Spring has also been designated a "Top 25 Women" in Upstate New York for the ffh year.

Although Super Lawyers only designates 5% of lawyers as "super lawyers," 100% of our frm's practcing atorneys have been so designated.

507 PLUM STREET, SUITE 310 SYRACUSE, NEW YORK 13204

PHONE: (315) 671-6000 FAX: (315) 671-6001 web: www.ccblaw.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

No matter the size of your list, finding that special something for the people in your life can be challenging. From stocking stuffers to splurges, here are more than 75 ideas to inspire your gift giving. And, check our website for even more potential presents!

BY AMY BLEIER LONG | PHOTOS BY AMELIA BEAMISH

It ’s all good HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

A SHARD PLACE

“Coffee For Two” made with reclaimed and vintage items by Simply Made by Ro, $125, 20|East, 85 Albany Street, Cazenovia, 315-815-4540, 20-east.com.

CAP IT OFF

Dad hat, $22, J Michael, 173 Marshall Street, Syracuse, 315-471-4237, jmichaelshoes.com.

C’MON GET HOPPY

Craft Beer Build Your Own 4-Pack, $20, Epicuse, 334 S. Salina Street, Syracuse, 315-960-1920, epicuse.net.

STATE OF AFFAIRS

Destination New York bamboo board, $42, Salt Point Shop, 100 Brooklea Street, Fayetteville, saltpointshop.com.

LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED

I heart SYR tee, $27, Scholars & Champs, 310 S. Salina Street, Syracuse, 315-560-7430, scholarsandchamps.com.

I DIP, YOU DIP, WE DIP Earth and Sky glaze chip/dip bowl, $70, Mixed Methods, 215 E. Water Street Rear, Syracuse, 315-399-1766, letsgetmixed.com.

SHINE BRIGHT

Clara Sunwoo Metallic Liquid Leather Signature jacket in copper, $179, MallyMae Boutique at The Shoppes at Two Twisted Sisters, 25 Syracuse Street, Baldwinsville, 315-430-7544.

BIRD IS THE WORD

Copper Bird wall art, $58, Mixed Methods.

MARK MY WORDS

Cherry wood bookmark, $10, Mixed Methods.

USE THE FLASH

Beaded Camera crossbody, $378, Skaneateles 300, 2 W. Genesee Street, Skaneateles, 315-685-1133, skaneateles300.com.

OH HUM

Glass hummingbird feeder, $65, Mixed Methods.

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS

Flower decorative bowl, $57, The Station 603, 603 E. Seneca Street, Manlius, 315-682-8741.

It ’s all good

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

JUST KIDDING

Prank gift box, $4.49, The White Sleigh Ltd., 24 E. Genesee Street, Skaneateles, 315-685-8414, thewhitesleigh.com.

AN ITCH TO SCRATCH

Wood-handled back scratcher by Fred Weisskopf, $26, Gallery 54, 54 E. Genesee Street, Skaneateles, 315-685-5470, gallery54cny.com.

DESIGNER DOGS

Dog bowl, $26.95, Lucky Dogs, 22 Jordan Street, Skaneateles, 315-663-5579, luckydogsservices.com.

NAP SPOT WITH A-PEEL

Pink banana cat bed, $39, Olive + Fern, 19 North Street, Marcellus, 315-200-2464, facebook.com/shopolivefern.

WOMAN’S BEST FRIEND

Art print on canvas, $90 for 14by 18-inch (other sizes available), The Rose Cottage, 214 S. Manlius Street, Fayetteville, 315-637-1330, therosecottageny.com.

WINE NOT HAVE SOME FUN

Coq au vin bottle stopper, $12.98, Everson Museum of Art, 401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, 315-474-6064, everson.org.

down sweater bunting in

BABY SOFT

Baby slippers, $24.95, Boutique Joycé, 119 W. Seneca Street, Manlius, 315-692-2122, boutiquejoyce.com.

WHAT A DOLL

Wee Baby Stella doll, $26, Lillie Bean, 57 Albany Street, Cazenovia, 315-6550677, lilliebean.com.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN’

Manhattan Toy trucks, $12 each, Lillie Bean.

PILLOW TALK

Favorite Children 20-inch square pillow (up to seven names can be added), $69, Nest58, 58 E. Genesee Street, Skaneateles, 315-685-5888, nest58.com.

FLOWER CHILD Day Dreamer teether, $26, Pride + Joy.

It ’s all good HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

TIME TO NOSH

Jew-ish cookbook, $30, Parthenon Books, 333 South Salina Street Syracuse, 315-463-8485, parthenonbookstore.com.

BERRY CUTE

Hand-built and hand-painted ceramic mug, Colleen McCall, $80, Papavero Clay Studio, 38 E. Genesee Street, Skaneateles, 315-685-6263, papaverostudio.com.

DEER ME

Bottle opener, $10.99, The White Sleigh Ltd.

WAX NOSTALGIC

Vintage Canteen Candle in reusable insulated flask, $50, The Local Branch, 4 Jordan Street, Skaneateles, thelocalbranch.co.

BIKE CHECK

Snack! Loopy Cupcake frame bag, $31.99, Mello Velo Bicycle Shop & Café, 790 Canal Street, Syracuse, 315-307-3104, mellovelobicycles.com.

A SLICE OF THE ACTION

Pizza party organic romper, $54, Lillie Bean.

SALAD WINNER

Stone Server Loopy Handle green, $8 each, Skaneateles 300.

$45, Nest58.

COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL Painted oyster shell,

Library card mug, $18,

BABY SPICE

Retro Percy Dot hat, $30, Retro Stripe sweater, $50, Lillie Bean.

BOTTLE IT UP

Cherry: Day Bottle glass and silicone, $40, Drooz + Company, 36 E. Genesee Street, Skaneateles, 315-920-8888, droozandcompany.com.

FACE FACTS

Facial cooling globes, $20, Homie, 68 Main Street, Camillus, 315-663-4034, homieish.com.

BLUE PERIOD

Glass vase handmade in the UK, $26, The Wren’s Den, 2756 W. Seneca Turnpike, Marcellus, 315952-5954, thewrensden. business.site.

WEAR THE RAINBOW

Ponchos (40 colors available), solid, $34 each, metallic, $42, MallyMae Boutique at The Shoppes at Two Twisted Sisters.

BLUE PLATE SPECIAL

Syracuse China apron in teal, $19.95, Onondaga Historical Association, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, 315-428-1864, cnyhistory.org.

It ’s all good HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

GLIMMER & GLEAM

Metal hurricane set of 2, $37, The Station 603.

LINE ART LOOK

Ren Posie standing art, $85, Fringed Benefits, 6825 E. Genesee Street, Fayetteville, 315-802-4353, fringedbenefitsdesign.com.

SHADY CHARACTER

Beachy Keen rounded sunglasses, $26, Emma + James, 25 Jordan Street, Skaneateles, 315-685-2747, shopejclothing.com.

FORE YOU

Golfers Gift Set, $53, and Golf Bag Buddy, $15, Witty Wicks, 190 Township Boulevard, Camillus, 315-672-3110, wittywicks. com.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

Men’s Fluchos F0996 Black 43 boot, $219, Paul Karaz Shoes, 414 E. Genesee Street, Fayetteville, 315-663-0200, paulkarazshoes.com.

HANDS ON

Wooden bowl, $15, liquid soap, $14, and lotion, $21, Floridella Boutique, 406 S. Franklin, Syracuse, 315-741-7961, shopfloridella.com.

PUT IT IN REVERSE

Fly3 crew neck reversible, $395, Projex 214, 211 E. Water Street, Syracuse, 315-447-7961, projex214.com.

KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE

Man face planter, $28, plant, $8, The Wren’s Den.

ANIMAL INSTINCT

Fuzzy leopard scarf, $22, The Rose Cottage.

JUST A PINCH Abstract bowl set, $45, Skaneateles 300.

PRETTY PATTERNS

Dot & Army cocktail napkins, $20 for set of 4, 20|East.

STRIKING STORAGE

Syracuse skyline zip pouch, $32, The Gift Box Shoppe, 4317 Fay Road, Syracuse, 315-487-9099, thegiftboxshoppe.com.

SOUP FOR YOU

Soup crock and bowl cozy, $32, Colorful Inspirations, 170 Township Boulevard, Camillus, 315-320-4364, colorfulinspirations.com.

It ’s all good HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

FLOWER POWER

Flower hair clips small, $5 each, Boutique Joycé.

FEATHER YOUR NEST

Macrame feathers on driftwood wall hanging, $125, custom order at Cella V Boutique, 8395 Oswego Road, Liverpool, 315-430-4093, cellavboutique.com.

SECRET GARDEN

Romantic Garden reversible puffer jacket, $345, Skaneateles 300.

CYGNET RING

Ring dish, $12, Dazzle, 119 W. Seneca Street, Manlius, 315-682-7499, thedazzlestore.com.

SNEAK AROUND

Women’s Flower Mountain Kotetsu suede/teddy in taupe/beige, $245, Paul Karaz Shoes.

WHAT A STUD

14 karat gold tourmaline gemstone studs by Cary Jewelry Co., $30, Papavero Clay Studio.

SNOWY SCENE

Wintertime 13.7-inch diameter bowl, $59.95, Enjoy, 419 E. Genesee Street, Fayetteville, 315-637-3450.

WHAT A CARD

Diggi card organizer, $75, Fashion Rescue 911 Boutique, 52 Oswego Street, Baldwinsville, 315-857-6690, fashionrescue911.com.

WE LAV IT

Lavender sachets, $7.95 each, Enjoy.

GOOD POINTS

Handmade snowflake ornaments, $16 each, The Gift Box Shoppe.

ROCKING THE LOOK

Jasper stone, sterling silver and agate bead necklace by DeeAnn vonHunke, $289, Cazenovia Artisans, 39 Albany Street, Cazenovia, 315-655-2225, cazenoviaartisans.com.

HANG TIGHT

Earrings, $38, Floridella Boutique.

PITCH IN

Stoneware pitcher with trees, $54, Fringed Benefits.

It ’s all good

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

A STITCH IN TIME

Handstitched crossbody leather bag by Sahi, $410, Cazenovia Artisans.

GET IN THE SPIRIT

Aged & Infused cranberry, pear, rosemary alcohol infusion kit, $25, BeeKind, 118 Milton Avenue, Syracuse, 315-299-6073, beekindsyracuse.com.

DARK SIDE

Eclipse snow globe, $64, Paola Kay Gifts, 105 Brooklea Drive, Fayetteville, 315-632-2192, paolakaygifts.com.

THREE’S COMPANY

Maya J bracelet trio in gold, $120, Dazzle.

LIGHT THE WAY

Wood menorah, $28, Boutique Joycé.

A GOOD TURN

Osage orange/ebony box with lid by Woodturnings by John Volcko, $215, Cazenovia Artisans.

WEAR YOUR MASK

Sparkle band eye mask, $29, Synple, 70 Main Street, Camillus, 585-615-3934, shopsynple.com.

GET LIT

Neon living wall art, $95, Olive + Fern.

SET THE SCENE

Locally handmade coffee shop miniature, $64, Olive + Fern.

SWEATER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE

Men’s Heirloom Wool Sweater in Indigo, $395, Sea Culture, 11 Jordan Street, Skaneateles, seaculturebrand.com.

CATCH THE WAVE 3D-printed porcelain vase by Keith Simpson, $200, Everson Museum of Art, 401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, 315-474-6064, everson.org.

HOLDING BACK Hand-painted barrette, $18.99, The Station 603.

UPSTATE OF MIND

Men’s Max Elation tee (back design shown), $36, Emma + James, 25 Jordan Street,

Institute for Human Performance

Millions raised for research

Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital

Over $62 million raised for children since 1977

Upstate University Hospital

Over $3 million in annual donations

Madison Irving Over $6 million to be raised for Golisano Center for Special Needs

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Funding for adult and pediatric patient services

Nappi Longevity Institute

Future home for brain health research

Joslin Diabetes Center Campaign raised money in 1995 to bring

Upstate Foundation

Heliport Funded the frst helipad

Upstate Cancer Center

Five years consistent annual fund giving

Where your gift impacts the health of the entire region

Since 1976, The Upstate Foundation, Inc., has been a beacon of hope as a public charity where those with philanthropic intent give to support Upstate Medical University and beyond. We partner for impact in the following areas:

•Patient health care

•Education of future health care providers

•Scienti c research

•Community health and well-being

Thanks to generous supporters of the Upstate Foundation, world-class health care is provided; scienti c research e ects current and future medical care; scholarships for students in various areas of health care education can continue; and our Central New York community at large receives services such as Upstate’s Housecalls for the Homeless program, which provides medical care to the homeless living in the streets and shelters of Onondaga County.

Over its 46-year history, the Foundation has had the distinct pleasure of working with those who give philanthropically with an altruistic desire to help

others—which is truly a re ection of their values. The Foundation o ers a variety of ways you can achieve your charitable goals, by using vehicles such as donor-advised funds and charitable gift annuities; supporting an existing fund or endowment; or creating your own!

While giving during one’s lifetime is both rewarding and impactful, the option to leave a legacy gift upon death can be a signi cant message one leaves to family and community. Dr. Leslie Kohman, chief wellness o cer at Upstate Medical University, is leaving a gift that will live in perpetuity. (Be inspired by her story in this edition.)

By working with members of the experienced Upstate Foundation team, they can help you connect your passion and philanthropic goals for the bene t of others.

To read Dr. Kohman’s complete story, www.UpstateFoundation.org/LegacyGiving

For more information call Upstate Foundation at 315-464-6490.

PATIENT CARE

RESEARCH

EDUCATION

COMMUNITY HEALTH & WELL-BEING

Good news

DOWNTOWN DOINGS • CAUGHT DOING GOOD • THE SEEN

GAMES, GROOVES AND GIVING

Syracuse-based Sophistafunk hit prime time as the house band for Food Network star Guy Fieri’s newest show, “Guy’s Ultimate Game Night.”

Their irrepressible hip-hop and funk-fused beats along with uplifting messages celebrating both individuality and unity match Fieri’s own persona and ethos.

Musicians Jack Brown, Adam Gold and Emanuel Washington are joined by frequent collaborator Tommy Weeks. The band, which first encountered Fieri a decade ago during a “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” episode featuring Gold’s Funk ‘n Waffles restaurant, has maintained a close relationship with the chef;

Sophistafunk also recorded the theme song for “Guy’s Grocery Games” and has performed at several of his personal events.

In the show, celebrities compete in food-themed games and trivia, though everyone is ultimately a winner — each team is playing for a charitable organization. Viewers at home will see the band’s intros, outros and incidental music tailored to the guests and games, but for the five hours it takes to tape each episode, the live audience is treated to something akin to a full concert.

As the trio awaits news of a second season, their latest single, “Other Side,” is out now.

For more information: visit sophistafunkband.com. Catch them on new episodes of “Guy’s Ultimate Game Night” on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Food Network.

A

SLICE OF HOME

Bringing Vietnamese coffee culture to Central New York

STORY BY LORNA OPPEDISANO PHOTOS BY ALAINA POTRIKUS

When Duyen Nguyen was a young girl in Vietnam, the last thing she ever thought she would be when she grew up was a bakery owner like her mother, who ran a bakery for two decades.

“I saw my mom busy all the time — sometimes late at night and especially holidays,” Nguyen remembers. The long hours and stress of owning a business did not appeal to her and she had other interests.

Little did she know, she would prove herself wrong, opening not one but two bakeries in Syracuse with her successful venture of the original Cake Bar in downtown’s Salt City Market and the new cafe at 252 W. Genesee Street, which opened this past August.

After Nguyen immigrated to Syracuse in 2012, she knew very little English and began taking classes at Onondaga Community College. She met another student from Vietnam who worked at Roji Tea Lounge in downtown Syracuse. When the other student moved out of the area, Roji offered Nguyen the position and she readily accepted.

Cake Bar’s second location is at 252 W. Genesee Street in Syracuse and has a light, airy aesthetic.

It was a positive experience that not only propelled her toward her career path but also helped her assimilate to the new country.

“I learned most of my English from work,” she says. “Everyone over there was really kind. They taught me not just English but the culture. They were really patient.”

She began to bake cupcakes and cakes at the shop, developing relationships with coworkers through food and a deeper connection to the country in which she grew up.

“I actually liked my country more after I moved here,” Nguyen says. “When you come to a different country, you see some people look at your culture differently.”

She realized people in the United States didn’t make Vietnamese food the way it was made in her home country.

“That made me want to show them how we are, how we eat and what we have in my country,” Nguyen says.

Eventually, she realized she might want to branch out on her own to discover and showcase her maximum potential. When she connected with people at City Hall to ask advice on starting her own business, she realized that while she had ideas, she needed a more structured business plan. While she continued working at Roji, she began planning.

Coincidentally, Nguyen met Ngoc Huynh, a fellow entrepreneur working to open Mamma Hai restaurant in Salt City Market. When Huynh came into Roji, she was impressed by Nguyen’s skills as a baker.

“She was like, ‘Hey, this cupcake is really good. I need to talk to whoever made it,’” Nguyen remembers.

Huynh told Nguyen about the application process to be a vendor at Salt City Market. Nguyen applied and was accepted; Cake Bar opened on January 29, 2021, offering a variety of teas, cakes, tarts, cupcakes and small desserts.

Since it was during the pandemic, Nguyen did not expect to be very busy. Within days of opening, a huge demand proved her wrong.

“By the time we opened, I worked from 4 a.m. to midnight every day because we didn’t have a baker,” she says, adding that she had to rely on friends’ and family’s help for three long weeks until she could hire more employees.

Nguyen’s second location features a larger menu that includes coffees, bubble teas, milkshakes, desserts and pastries.  For more information: visit cakebarsyr.com

Though things started to move more smoothly, she still faced a major problem: she needed 24/7 kitchen access. She had utilized the community kitchen at the market but was failing to fulfill demand in the shared space.

As she looked for space with a kitchen, Nguyen hadn’t originally sought out a second public-facing bakery location. But when she found the space on West Genesee Street, that all changed.

“I went in, looked at it and loved it,” she says. “So, we decided to open a business.”

This location is more in line with her early goal of bringing Vietnamese coffee culture to Syracuse. Her original vision was to create a place where people could gather over drinks, small desserts and small foods.

“Having this place with the seating and tables is actually what I’d wanted to do,” she says.

Now, with unlimited access to her own kitchen, she’s expanded her staff and begun to grow her business to include wholesale, catering and custom cake orders.

The new cafe location also boasts a larger menu that includes coffee, more complicated and creative drinks, milkshakes, desserts and more. Some of her unique flavor combinations include a Creme Brûlée Latte (creme brûlée latté milk coffee served with egg foam, topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar), Salted Egg Yolk Cupcake (her take on a traditional Vietnamese savory dessert) and brown sugar, lavender or taro macchiatos.

While she is looking to hire more people — part and full time in customer service and baking — the new location has seen success.

Along with running the Cake Bar locations, Nguyen is continuing her education at OCC in culinary management. She enjoys learning from the chefs who lead the classes. While she has no plans of leaving Cake Bar, she would eventually like to teach part time herself.

“In the future, I really want to teach people what I do,” Nguyen says.

“When you come to a different country, you see some people look at your culture differently.”

Duyen Nguyen, owner of Cake Bar

In Heavenly Peace’s (SHP) Syracuse chapter provides handmade wooden beds and bunks, new mattresses and donated new bedding for children who have been sleeping on the floor or a couch.

BY SUSAN KENNEDY

“Sometimes in life you just kinda need a little help,” says Dave Hoalcraft. He understands: His foster mother raised Hoalcraft from infancy and eventually adopted him. “I was fortunate,” he says. “I had stability. I stayed in one home.”

And he always had a bed to sleep on.

Hoalcraft now spends up to five days a week ensuring other Central New York children have a bed to sleep on, too. As the shop manager and build coordinator for Sleep In Heavenly Peace’s (SHP) Syracuse chapter, Hoalcraft and other volunteers build sturdy, handmade wooden beds and bunks. The beds, new mattresses and donated new bedding are set up in area homes for children ages 3-17 who have been sleeping on the floor or a couch. “It means so much to them,” smiles Hoalcraft. “You can see it in their faces this bed is MINE!”

Their own piece of real estate, he says.

Kids do more than just sleep in their beds, explains SHP Co-president Jeff Pitt as he walks through the Syracuse workshop, which is abuzz with 30-plus volunteers sanding, staining and drilling wooden boards. “Kids go to their beds to read, to pout, to just be by themselves for a little while. Remember when you were young?” Take the bed out of the equation and the child has to seek comfort on a cold, hard floor. “It’s shocking,” says Pitt.

Pitt estimates as many as 15,000 CNY children are bedless. A staggering number based on 2020 census data that shows Syracuse has one of the worst child poverty rates for US cities of its size. But SHP Co-founder and Co-president Jon Wright knew if even one child was sleeping on the floor in his town, he had to do something.

Sleep

Volunteers help CNY’s children up off the floor and into a cozy bed to call their own REST EASY

With more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, I began thinking about my family’s philanthropic plan early on. It was important to me that we effectively incorporated charitable giving into our overall financial picture.

Building a financial plan is like putting together a puzzle and charitable giving is an important piece. We set up a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation because it is a smart way to give. We can make an impact on Central New York now while having our charitable wishes continue for generations.

I enjoy engaging my sons in the current giving from our fund to organizations that support youth and outdoor revitalization. Our fund will receive a legacy gift with a contribution from my retirement investment accounts when I pass away. I am comforted knowing that my sons will carry forward our love for this community through our charitable legacy for years to come.

GIVING

Caragh Fahy stands with her sons at Onondaga Lake Park

In 2018, Wright and his friends met to discuss ways to make a difference. They stumbled upon a video featuring a new nonprofit out west and were impressed. The friends had New York’s first SHP chapter up and running within a couple months. The chapter covers an area roughly 30 miles around Syracuse, including Oswego. “I’m not a rich man. Time is what I have to give,” says Wright. By building a bed for a child, he says, “I can do my small part to bring hope to people with little else.”

The mission of SHP is simple and profound, says Wright. “I’ve wept more in the last four years of my life than I have in the previous thirty.” They are most often tears of joy, he says, watching a child burst with delight upon receiving a bed.

“My bed’s the best!,” squeals a nine-yearold girl who had been sharing a bed with her mother and three siblings before circumstances found them living in a shelter. Their Vera House advocate found them a home and SHP brought in four beds, pillows and bedding for the children. “It’s just one less thing I have to worry about,” says her mother, Ruth. “As long as my kids are taken care of, I can worry about me later.”

Four years in, SHP of Syracuse has delivered more than 2,700 beds to local children. They’re on track to deliver 1,000 beds this year, culminating with “Twelve Deliveries of Christmas” — consecutive days of multiple bed deliveries inspired by the “Twelve Days of Christmas” song — a push that ends on Christmas Eve. “What a gift,” smiles Pitt. “It changes you. We walk into homes with our beds and bags of bedding, and we feel like Santa — all year long.”

All are welcome to help build, deliver and set up the beds, no experience with hand tools necessary! Donations are always needed for bedding, mattresses and pillows — everything must be new. Some groups have even

donated handmade blankets and quilts. Pitt says he’s always been able to match the child’s bedding request with something found on SHP’s shelves. He recalls cries of joy from one young boy unwrapping his bedding: “How did you know I liked dinosaurs?”

In the busy workshop, Hoalcraft takes a moment to reflect. “They say you’re just like the people you hang around,” referencing the friends he’s made volunteering with SHP. “I must be doing really well because I’m around the kindest people,” he nods as emotion catches his voice.

Humans helping humans, he says, is the best bond of all.

To volunteer, donate or to request a bed, visit: shpnysyr.org.

“I’m not a rich man. Time is what I have to give... I can do my small part to bring hope to people with little else.”

Jon Wright, SHP co-founder and co-president

Opposite page, children celebrate a newly delivered bed. This page, final assembly of a bed in its new home; a new bed of their own makes a huge impact for area children.

Syracuse Fashion Week

Syracuse Fashion Week’s Fall Fling, Sept. 28 at Aloft Hotel Syracuse Inner Harbor, and High Fashion, Sept. 30 at the Loft at FlynnStoned, performed to sold out crowds at both venues. Participants at Fall Fling included Cella V Boutique, Sunshadow Design, Ezmira Neshawait, Walking Miss Daisy Pet Accessories, Projex214, Fashion Fix Designs by Susan Fix and Michelle DaRin Designs. High Fashion participants were Fashion Fix Designs, Sunshadow Design, Flower Skate Shop, The Altered Eco, Lucky Mae’s Closet, Next Life Apparel, Candy Cult Burlesque and The Higher Calling. Garbo’s Salon, Motives Cosmetics and Angry Garlic sponsored the event, which raised about $1,500 for the Food Bank of CNY.

1. Model Kyilil in original designs by Next Life Apparel.

2. Morgan Palmer in Michelle DaRin designs.

3. John Moore and Alton Lawson wear fashions from Flower Skate Shop.

4. Eliza Jeffers wears jewelry from Sunshadow Design.

5. Model Kijah in designs by Altered Eco by Elissa Brundage.

6. Ashley Wicks models fashion and accessories from Cella V Boutique.

6

Good news

Fall Opening Night Reception at Everson

Everson Museum of Art held its fall opening night reception to celebrate new exhibitions by Raymon Elozua and Rebecca Hutchinson. Structure/Dissonance is Elozua’s first major museum exhibition since his 2003 retrospective at the Mint Museum. It celebrates nearly five decades of his work exploring the combined physical properties of three elemental materials: ceramic, glass and steel. Rebecca Hutchinson’s exhibition focuses on the Syracuse industry of soda ash mining for Syracuse China when it was thriving. Both artists attended the event while Elozua sat down with Curator of Ceramics Garth Johnson in the Everson’s Hosmer Auditorium for a brief discussion. The event also marked the opening of Ceramic Nationals, a new permanent installation that showcases pieces from the most recognized juried exhibition show in the nation. Director Elizabeth Dunbar gave remarks to more than 150 guests who enjoyed live music, drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

2. Tony Washington, right, talks to a guest at the event.

3. Hadassah Onimiya and Tiffany Gannon. 4. Claire Joyce and Garth Johnson. 5. More than 150 guests enjoyed live music, drinks and hors d’oeuvres at the event.

1. Everson Director Elizabeth Dunbar with artist Rebecca Hutchinson.

Riseform Brewing Co. First Anniversary

Riseform Brewing Co. owners Meg and Andy Tidd celebrated their company’s one year anniversary with a fundraiser for Paige’s Butterfly Run. About 200 people attended the event, which featured guest bartenders Chris Arnold, Paige’s dad and founder of Paige’s Butterfly Run, and Brooke Fraser, pediatric oncology nurse practitioner at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. Paige’s Butterfly Run, Inc. raises funding to support pediatric cancer research and patient programs at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse.

1. From left, Chris Arnold, Paige’s dad and president of Paige’s Butterfly Run, Andy Tidd, owner of Riseform, and Brooke Fraser, pediatric oncology nurse practitioner at Golisano.

2. The event raised $1,171 for Paige’s Butterfly Run.

AUGUST 27 & 28

My Dream Summit

Hundreds of minority business owners and professionals from across New York state attended the second My Dream Summit in Syracuse. Nationally known journalists, speakers and Fortune 500 executives shared wisdom and encouragement. Breakout sessions covered topics related to the health, wealth and development of the Black community including “Buying Back the Block,” “Cultivating a Space in Tech” and an educational session on navigating the landscape as a minority-owned business in the “MWBE Panel.” The summit concluded with former CNN anchor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Soledad O’Brien sharing her experiences and posing the question, “How do we make sure that our dreams just aren’t about us, that [they] are about helping others in our community as well and how do we advocate for diversity and talk bluntly and honestly and productively about the change that we need to see?” The Dream Summit continued with a semi-formal Dream Gala at the Oncenter. The Daydream Brunch & Networking Session followed at Drumlins Country Club. Proceeds from the 2022 Dream Summit were donated to the YMCA of CNY.

1. My Dream Summit Cofounders El-Java Abdul-Qadir and Eli Smith attend the Daydream Party.

PHOTOS BY GREEN LIGHTED VISUALS, LIGHT TO THE DARKNESS PHOTOGRAPHY

2. Guests hit the dance floor at the Dream Gala.

SU Football Kickoff Tailgate

The Syracuse University Orange opened the 2022 season hosting the Louisville Cardinals in the first sporting event in the JMA Wireless Dome. Fans hit the tailgate parking lots hours before kickoff, flipping burgers, shooting cornhole and sipping on cold drinks in the late summer evening.

1.

2.

The SyraCruze Fine Mess tailgate featured football helmet jello shots.

Judy Stangle, grandmother of Orange player Ethan Stangle (61) tailgating for the Syracuse Orange Football home opener.

Plain talk. Exceptional expertise.

At Mackenzie Hughes, we bring more than legal expertise to the table; we bring care and respect. Our partnerships are grounded in plain talk, expert counsel and unfiltered honesty. It’s an approach that helps us help you make smarter business, personal planning and legal decisions.

Learn more at mackenziehughes.com.

MACKENZIE HUGHES TOWER, 440 SOUTH WARREN STREET, SUITE 400 SYRACUSE, NEW YORK 13202 315-474-7571

THE

SPIRIT

The holiday season is often an opportunity for people to think more about giving their time, talents and treasure to others. In Central New York, we are fortunate to have so many who do this yearround. Here, we highlight four good-hearted souls who are making a difference.

Opposite page, students at Porter Elementary School in the Syracuse City School District participate in the 2021 Holiday Bazaar. Students earn tickets to pick out presents for their family members from a variety of donated gifts and get help wrapping them.

Molly Cuda HOLIDAY BAZAAR BRINGS JOY AND LEARNING

BY ALLISON KENIEN

As the holidays approach at Porter Elementary School in Syracuse, behavior issues go down and attendance goes up. This is not a coincidence. By coming to school and working hard, Porter students can earn tickets for the school’s Holiday Bazaar. At the bazaar, they exchange their tickets for gifts like toys, books, clothes and jewelry that were donated by Central New York residents.

The program started last year with huge success. One student purchased a toy that was on his brother’s wish list. Another student used her tickets to buy a warm winter coat that her mom desperately needed.

Students see the program as a fun way to buy gifts for family and friends. Teachers see the program as much more: it’s a critical learning opportunity.

“The bazaar provides an authentic, hands-on experience that students can meaningfully engage and participate in,” says Molly Cuda, the teacher who launched the event for the school.

The students in Cuda’s special education classroom manage the event from start to finish. Since students with disabilities face ongoing employment challenges, Cuda focuses on building practical skills to use in school and in the local community. They collect and organize the gift donations, handle sales during the event and clean up afterwards.

Although Cuda’s class manages the event, the holiday bazaar teaches all Porter students from PreK to fifth grade important lessons in accountability, responsibility and smart shopping practices.

Before the bazaar, students can earn tickets by following the school’s “CARES Promise,” which encourages Cooperation, Advocacy, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control. Ticketworthy actions differ for each student depending on individual needs and abilities. One student might earn tickets for good attendance, while another earns tickets for participating in classroom activities. Any school staff member can hand out tickets, including administrators, bus drivers and cafeteria helpers.

For more information or to donate, call Porter Elementary at 315-435-4625. They accept new and gently used games, toys, sporting gear, fidgets and art kits. Clothing and accessories are also popular items, particularly sizes ranging from extra-small youth through adult medium. They are unable to take houseware or baby toys. Items can be dropped off until Friday, December 16.

One ticket can be used to purchase one item at the bazaar. The ticket system shows students that hard work can bring real-world rewards.

“Our students are so eager to have a chance to shop for their loved ones,” says Cuda. “Often it will be the only opportunity to do so.”

The holiday program at Porter helps students bring gifts home for the whole family at no cost. This is a critical program

“The bazaar provides an authentic, hands-on experience that students can meaningfully engage and participate in.”

Molly Cuda

in Syracuse, where the incidence of childhood poverty is one of the highest in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Cuda’s inspiration for the program came from her mother, Caroll Michaels, a retired Syracuse City School District (SCSD) teacher. Michaels worked in the district for 30 years and helped run “The Holiday Shop at Frazer,” where she can still be found volunteering every year.

Watching her mother serve the students and the greater Syracuse community inspired Cuda to become a teacher. Her mother’s motto, “Kindness matters,” is deeply rooted in her own work to assist the SCSD students and their families.

When Cuda joined Porter Elementary School as a teacher, she wanted to start her own holiday program. She presented her idea to Andrew Nolan, the principal at Porter.

For Nolan, the event offered students an opportunity to create positive memories and get excited about school. He recognized a new way to strengthen connections between the students, the staff and the community.

With a green light from the principal, Cuda began her work

and the entire school rallied around the event. Teachers and staff spread the word, collected gift donations and gathered wrapping paper. Cuda’s special education class unpacked, sorted and arranged the items. The rest of the students did their part as well: they worked hard at learning and participating to earn their bazaar tickets.

Soon, the day of the event rolled around, along with a big payoff. The students entered the bazaar with bright eyes and beaming smiles, reflecting joy that only the holidays can bring.

“I’ll never forget how surprised and genuinely happy the students were when they walked into the room for the first time,” says Nolan. “It was really special seeing how many students prioritized picking items for their family members before thinking about themselves.”

Last year was the first time that Porter School held the bazaar, and Cuda expects the event to be even more successful this year.

“Students still talk about last year’s festivities,” says Cuda. “I have had students from other classrooms stop me in the hallway to ask if we will be doing it again this year.”

Opposite page, Molly Cuda. This page, students select presents for loved ones from a variety of donated items.

COMMON COUNCILOR PAINTS THE CITY WITH SERVICE

BY LIZ MCCAFFERY

Jimmy Monto was born a block and a half from his current Eastwood home, which he has shared with his husband for the last 17 years. But about a decade ago, the couple strongly considered relocating to the suburbs.

“We were wondering if the city was on a downward spiral, and I had been through some personal struggles at the time,” says Monto. “I was at a crossroads: Where do I go? What kind of work do I do?”

After some soul searching and several months of talking it through, Monto and his husband decided to stay. It was then that he started volunteering his time with different community organizations.

“I had this moment where I decided to reinvent myself, and I hoped the city would come along with me,” Monto recalls. “It very quickly became apparent that if you are willing to give to your community, it will give back to you. It will accept you for who you are.”

Since then, Monto has been a fixture in several Syracuse community groups. In 2017, he became the president of the Eastwood Neighborhood Association (ENA), only leaving the post recently. Over the last five years alone, Monto’s been on the Greater Syracuse Land Bank Citizens Advisory Board, the Syracuse Public Art Commission, the Mayor’s Quality of Life Commission and served as the secretary of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee from 2017 to 2022.

In 2018, he became the president of the board of directors for Tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Today (TNT), and he currently serves on Mayor Walsh’s LGBTQ Commission. He’s been with CNY Pride since 2021 as the vice president of development and fundraising.

And, just this August, Monto made history when he was sworn in as the Syracuse Common Council’s 5th District Councilor — the first openly gay councilor.

“I made a promise that when I cast a vote, I will think about the masses sitting on the city’s margins,” Monto says. “Those margins matter to me because I’ve been on them. In a way, six out of the seven of the councilors pulled me from those margins and put me in that chair.”

It’s through his work in those margins that Monto developed a gift for seeing the potential for connection — between people, funding and the greater good of Syracuse. He began his work with TNT by writing grants and help -

Jimmy Monto

“This city is not by any means perfect, but we’re trying very hard. I embrace the idea that the city is very much alive. It has a heartbeat that’s unmistakable.”

Jimmy Monto

ing the organization become one of the city’s largest distributors of lead paint information. Today, Monto helps lead TNT’s City as Canvas initiative, whic h will fund eight large-scale murals across the city’s neighborhoods. TNT coordinates the project’s funding and organization, but the program is completely driven by the people of the neighborhoods, allowing residents to help decide the location and theme of the art.

“I can list off pages of accomplishments that [Jimmy] has achieved — not by himself, but collectively with the groups that he has served with — starting with Eastwood,” Mayor Ben Walsh said at Monto’s Common Council induction ceremony. “He’s helped organize that neighborhood, execute event after event, raise money and beautify the neighborhood. You look at what he’s done with TNT and the [Syracuse] Public Arts Commission, and you literally see his work increasingly out on the streets in the form of the murals going up.”

About a year and a half ago, Monto saw an opportunity to get involved with CNY Pride, which had been struggling from the effects of COVID and lack of visibility. “Syracuse is a very prideful community,” Monto says, “But no one was tapping into that.”

Monto and his CNY Pride colleagues had just eight weeks to pull together this year’s Pride Festival and parade due to COVID uncertainty. Then, the day before the event as they were making final preparations, Monto and his team were stunned to learn the news that Roe v. Wade was

overturned by the Supreme Court.

Monto said this was a game-changer for the event. Attendance, which usually hovers around 5,000, landed between 10,000 to 12,000 people, not only thanks to beautiful weather and the desire for the community to come together after two years without the event, but something bigger.

“The day became a call to action,” Monto said. “We were going to make our voices heard, and that’s what the day became about.”

Pivoting the energy and engagement of the residents of Syracuse is nothing new to Monto. Time and again, he has helped mobilize the passion of the city’s residents. “Syracuse is one of those cities that continues to pick itself up, dust itself off and keeps moving,” he says. “I think we are moving in the right direction.”

The moment so many years ago when Monto considered leaving the city might as well be a lifetime ago.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m in it for the long haul,” Monto says. “This city is not by any means perfect, but we’re trying very hard. I embrace the idea that the city is very much alive. It has a heartbeat that’s unmistakable.”

For more information, visit tomorrowsneighborhoodstoday.org and cnypride.org.

Opposite page, Jimmy Monto recently became the city’s newest councilor. This page, Monto at the first City as Canvas mural and at Pride Night at the Syracuse Mets.

Tamica

Barnett POURING INTO

BY ASHLEY KANG

Growing up, Tamica Barnett lived on Croly Street, on Syracuse’s East Side, directly across from the Boys & Girls Club. This community hub became her second home. She credits the mentorship she received there for creating the pathways that led to her success today.

“My mentors cared more for me and my future than I did at the time,” she recalls. “So my mission is to do that for as many kids as possible.”

Her most recent effort combines all her passions into an internship program to train, motivate and pay youth.

Barnett holds many titles: mother, business owner of Who Want Smoke BBQ and Catering, Syracuse Board of Education commissioner, mentor and fire lieutenant. She made history in 2021 by being named Syracuse’s first Black female firefighter to hold the rank of lieutenant.

Barnett says cooking for the community first started out of a need to feed and honor youth in the Biddy Basketball league, a program she revived more than a decade ago.

Evette Reed, owner of Winnie’s Soul Delicious located on Marshall Street, was Barnett’s right-hand lady then, helping to prepare 300 meals for the students and families involved.

“It all started there because we couldn’t afford to have a banquet,” Barnett says. “A lot of the kids played in the league for free, so when it came time to celebrate, we ordered a bunch of tables and chairs, set up in the gym and cooked all the food in the kitchen ourselves.”

Biddy Basketball, Reed says, was a program that started when her son, Tremaine Johnson, and Barnett attended the Club as children. “Chachee — a nickname which Barnett has had since she was little, and the only name I call her by — brought it back and organized with family and friends to make it successful.”

Reed boasts, “Chachee is a very hard, hard-working young lady. She has her hands in many things, and especially has been helpful in supporting the youth by teaching them a trade and showing them what they need to do in order to be successful.”

The initial Who Want Smoke Summer Internship launched in 2021, hosting 20 interns. This past summer, Barnett doubled her impact, offering two four-week sessions, serving 40 interns ranging in age from 14 to 18. The offering is part of the city’s Summer Youth Fellows

Tamica Barnett

Opposite page, Tamica Barnett. This page, internship participants cooked and served their final meal at Salt City Market, where local celebrity guest judges provided feedback.

Program, open to students 10 to 18 and run in collaboration with the Allyn Family Foundation and local youth organizations. With her session’s requirement of working in a professionalgrade kitchen, she chose to work with older teens. Each student in this age group earned a $599 stipend.

“These students are being paid to learn life skills,” Barnett says. In addition to cooking, her students were taught financial literacy through a partnership with Pathfinder Bank and given the chance to open their own bank accounts. Mental health was another component. For this, she brought in a therapist and yoga instructor, noting it “helped them learn ways to channel their anger.”

Interns put their skills to work — using the kitchen at Salt City Market — by preparing a final meal of shrimp, chicken and broccoli alfredo for a panel of local celebrity taste testers, who judged not only the quality of the meal but presentation and hosting.

“They learn to cook, but we also work on their social skills,” says Barnett, noting teens are notorious for being on their phones and relying on text messaging. “The students had to greet the judges, seat them, serve them, smile and give introductions, making sure they project their voice. The taste testers critiqued their presentation, greeting and flavor.”

With her role in the fire department, Barnett also made both cooking and fire safety a focus. Students completed CPR-D certification and ServSafe to become New York state-certified food handlers.

“This taught them proper temperatures of food, how to store food and serve it, which was needed because of the nature of our work,” she says.

For many, the four weeks was only the start. Interns can continue with Barnett throughout the year, receiving a stipend from her to assist at catered events. And those that stick with it, can return next summer as supervisors.

“My business is not yet big enough to pay an adult a livable wage,” she says, “but I can offer shifts for students to earn a stipend… and having other teens see these students work has made working popular.”

She also organizes outings. Included in the most recent internship was a field trip deemed Catch, Clean and Cook Day. “They learned to catch the fish, filet the fish and fry it up,” she says.

But trips don’t stop there.

She allows students who stay on to hold fundraisers throughout the year to fund trips they plan — most recently, an international excursion. Last spring break, students booked flights to Miami and took a cruise to Jamaica, Mexico and Grand Cayman.

“While in Mexico they got a private cooking lesson with a Mexican chef on how to make ceviche,” she says. “Now, they’ve had international training and can add that to their workforce development resume.”

What keeps Barnett going is knowing her efforts truly make a difference.

“It’s all about creating access,” she says. “Sometimes, all you need is an opportunity.”

Faulkner

LIVES, ONE PUPPY AT A TIME

BY ELIZABETH KAUMA

Dege, like most Lab puppies, has big brown eyes and an ever-wagging tail. He likes to press his oversized paws on volunteer puppy raiser and trainer Tim Faulkner’s lap to kiss his face. Faulkner will let him for a moment then gently push him off, adjusting his dog-chewed hat, while continuing to talk. Dege will then sit, staring adoringly at Faulkner waiting for an opening to cuddle.

Although Faulkner has no reservations about giving Dege up, he does worry about what the dog will think after Faulkner leaves. He knows from experience that Dege will be excited when they get to the training center. He knows that Dege will greet the other dogs and people and that his tail will probably wag as he walks away. He knows that. What Faulkner doesn’t know is when it sets in that he isn’t coming back.

Dege is the fifth puppy Faulkner has raised with his wife, Melissa, to be a service dog as part of the Canine Companions (CCI) program. CCI gives raisers specially bred two-month-old puppies. For the next 18 months, the raisers feed them, train them in 30 commands and love them. Then the dogs are brought to a training center, where they ideally graduate from an intensive training program and are donated to people with disabilities.

While Faulkner has heard from CCI that his past dogs were happy, he can’t help but worry.

“There’s always that question when you turn them in,” Faulkner says, then addresses Dege, who pushes his head into Faulkner’s hands. “I wish I knew what you were thinking. I wish I knew your feelings. Are you sad that you don’t get to see us anymore?” Cradling the dog’s head, Faulkner asks, “Do they even remember us anymore after a few days?”

Faulkner knows their past dogs remember them. He and his wife have visited the dogs they raised after placement, and the dogs were ecstatic. He just doesn’t like to think of them waiting at the training center. For Faulkner, his own heartbreak over losing each puppy — and there is heartbreak — isn’t as important as how the dogs help people.

Faulkner became involved with CCI in November 2015 after his wife saw a CCI booth at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she gets treatments for lung disease. While Faulkner wasn’t sure if they could give up a dog, on the drive home to Syracuse his wife was already

Tim

filling out the paperwork. Faulkner says it doesn’t get any easier, but he knows that the dogs aren’t meant for him.

“People say, ‘I don’t think I could ever do it.’ I say back: ‘How could you not do it?’” Faulkner says. “When you go to the graduations and you see the people that get these dogs and how emotional it is, especially the little kids that are in wheelchairs or someone on the spectrum. They get these dogs, and you can just see how happy they become and hear how the dogs will help them — it’s life changing.”

Faulkner stumbled into the trainer role after Syracuse University students started a CCI club. Initially, the Faulkners had reached out to offer advice as experienced raisers, but they quickly became lifelines for the students, solving everything from veterinary to administrative problems. Faulkner decided to get certified as a dog trainer to save the students money since CCI required that the puppies attend bimonthly training sessions. According to several student raisers at SU, Faulkner is an incredible dog trainer, but the most telling indication of his talents are his past CCI dogs. According to Faulkner, only about 60 percent of puppies graduate; so far all but one of Tim’s past trainees have graduated. One dog was released due to medical

reasons, and Tim has since certified him as a therapy dog and plans on bringing him to hospitals and retirement homes across Central New York.

Beyond training the puppies for free, Faulkner invited the SU students into his life. He and his wife hosted a Halloween/matriculation party, where they bought pizza, baked desserts and even decorated their house with banners for each dog. According to two student raisers, Fiona Lew and Karli Bennett, the Faulkners never asked for anything in return.

“If anything, they gave us so much,” Lew says. “CCI throws a lot on you, but they don’t support you enough along the way, so it was really nice for someone to be like, ‘If you need this taken care of, I got it.’”

Faulkner says his greatest satisfaction comes from supporting other raisers. While there isn’t a CCI club at SU anymore, he travels all over Central New York training puppies. He says that what he is doing isn’t selfless because the dogs provide him and his wife companionship.

Bennett thinks that he is being humble. “I think that’s just how nice he is, how genuine,” she says. “Who else would do that? If you were just doing it to get a dog, you’d get a dog.”

For more information on CCI, visit canine.org

Opposite page, top, Tim Faulkner and SU students work with dogs on campus; bottom, Faulkner and Dege. This page, left, students and their trainees on SU’s campus; right, Dege in uniform.

TRAY, TRAY CHIC

Central New York cookie bakers serve up some charming ways to entertain this season. We asked six area bakers for their sweetest holiday treats.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ALAINA POTRIKUS

Classic

Italian rainbow cookies Sweet Life of a Baker

Andrea Maranville shared her holiday baking skills with the world on ABC’s “The Great American Baking Show” in 2018. But in her hometown of Sherrill, her “Sweet Life of a Baker” cafe is the place to go for small-batch, hand-crafted baked goods, freshly roasted coffee and a gourmet breakfast and lunch menu. Holiday flavors include: almond rainbow, vanilla sprinkle, fig, almond crescents, cherry almond, chocolate crinkle. Small platters start at $30. 

Sweet Life of a Baker 552 Sherrill Road, Sherrill Website: andreamaranville.com

Instagram: @sweetlifeofabaker.bakery.cafe

Holiday M&M cookies & Thumbprints

Cathy’s Cookie Kitchen

The popular dessert spot in Armory Square bakes dozens of varieties of gourmet cookies every day, each flavor loaded with toppings and mix-ins like chunks of chocolate and colorful candy. Baker Cathy Pemberton keeps the cases filled with nostalgic flavors as well as gluten-free and vegan options, hot cocoa bombs and edible cookie dough. Holiday flavors include: crushed peppermint chocolate chip and white chocolate chip, holiday sprinkle chip, s’mores, peppermint Oreo cookies ’n cream, gingerbread cutouts, thumbprints, crinkle cookies, checkerboards and Russian tea cakes. Prices start at $26 for a dozen, depending on size.

Cathy’s Cookie Kitchen

266 West Jefferson Street, Syracuse Website: cathyscookiekitchen.com Instagram: @cathyscookiekitchen

Westcott Cookie Company

719 East Genesee Street, Syracuse Website: westcottcookieco.com Instagram: @westcottcookieco

Molasses spice Westcott Cookie Company

This substantial stack is brimming with freshly ground spices, including cinnamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg and ginger. Baker Chris Gentile — who studied at the International Culinary Center (ICC) in Manhattan before returning to his college roots and settling in the Westcott neighborhood — says the flavors “do a magnificent dance that you won’t want to miss.” Holiday flavors include: molasses spice and pumpkin spice, lemon herb, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodle, dark chocolate chocolate chip. Cookies are $3.50 each or $36 for a dozen.

Chocolate mousse sponge cake ganache & peppermint bar

Rai’s Dough

Chef Raineen Hills has created a decadent lineup of holiday desserts available at the Forman Park cafe he runs with his mother, fellow chef Janine Hills. The duo serve breakfast and lunch featuring house-made breads and locally sourced ingredients. But the dessert menu shines with complex flavors and time-intensive recipes fit for a high-end restaurant. Holiday flavors include: gingerbread cheesecake with cranberry orange and candied ginger, baked Golden apple with cider mousse cake, Christmas bread pudding with confit orange and alcohol-free brandy cream icing and chocolate bundt cake. Prices range from $45 to $75.

Rai’s Dough 719 East Genesee Street, Syracuse Website: raisdough.com Facebook: facebook.com/raisdough315

Hanukkah cutouts & Rugelach

Bliss Bakehouse

From tender pastries to classic cookies, the Manlius bakery creates an ever-changing menu of desserts that aren’t just delicious — they’re also gluten free. Bespoke cakes, brownies, cupcakes, donuts and bagels that owner Jennifer Cohen says “rival their gluten-ful counterparts” are worth a try. Holiday flavors include: assorted fancy butter cookies, Italian cookies and more to be determined; follow the bakery’s Facebook and Instagram pages for new offerings each week. Prices start at $15 for a dozen.

Bliss Bakehouse

604 East Seneca Street, Manlius Website: blissbakehouse.com Instagram: @blissbakehouseglutenfree

Macarons & Gingerbread snowflakes

Sugar Blossom Cake Shop

Sweet and whimsical, the treats created by Kaleigh Ligoci aren’t just swoon worthy for social media. The intricate decorations complement the delicate flavor profiles, each bite the perfect balance of crisp cookie and smooth filling. Holiday flavors include: pumpkin butter bars in November, as well as pumpkin pie, chai, apple pie and blueberry cobbler macarons. In December, look for mini cookie boxes with gingerbread, rainbow layer bars, Linzers, coconut macaroons and dipped shortbread. A macaron box will include hot cocoa, gingerbread, peppermint fudge and almond raspberry. Prices start at $30 per dozen.

Sugar Blossom Cake Shop

304 Tulip Street, Liverpool

Website: sugarblossomcakeshop.com

Instagram: @sugarblossomcakeshop

TAKE ON THE MANTEL

Seasonally styled mantels add sparkle and holiday flair

BY JACKIE PERRIN | PHOTOS BY ALAINA POTRIKUS

Adding festive flair to your fireplace mantel is an easy way to transform your home for the holidays. As a natural focal point of a room, a fireplace can help set the mood you want to create. We asked three Central New York designers to lend their professional talents to create seasonally themed mantels. Cozy up with a warm cup of tea and be inspired by their expert tips for bringing comfort, joy, sparkle and sophistication to your living space this season.

Left, Natalie Greathouse’s sparkle-themed mantel. Above, three different themes by Mary Schalk, Amy Burns and Natalie Greathouse take the mantel from Thanksgiving through winter.

Harvest

USE THE BASICS AS A BLUEPRINT

The basic design principles of scale, proportion, texture and color can be applied to any space, including a mantel, says interior designer Mary Schalk of Mary Schalk Design, who has designed in hotels, restaurants and residential spaces for 23 years. An avid gardener, Schalk combined natural and preserved botanicals from her expansive gardens with silk florals and greenery to create an autumn-themed cornucopia of color and texture in her mantel design. To evoke a bountiful harvest mood, Schalk displayed florals in ceramic containers and added ornamental corn and gourds of varying colors, shapes and textures. The designer used antique books and candlesticks of different heights to create visual interest and keep the eye moving. Boxes can also be used as risers, she says.

Move the design toward the December holiday season by adding votive candles and replacing gourds and ornamental corn with non-breakable ornaments and goldpainted pinecones, suggests Schalk.

FIND A FOCAL POINT

Schalk, who often creates seasonal décor for current design clients, says that she loves to incorporate a mirror in mantel design. Using a 42by 42-inch quatrefoil mirror with an antiqued gold and bronze finish that she sourced for her client’s recent home renovation as a focal point, Schalk created an asymmetric design. Build additional height around the mirror with garland, candles and risers. Then fill in the gap between the mirror and the mantel with gourds and greenery to create a cohesive, eye-pleasing arrangement, says Schalk.

EDIT YOUR WORK

“The creative process is one of adding and subtracting. Step away from the mantel at a distance, and adjust,” says Schalk. The hearth often comes as an afterthought, but it’s a good idea to consider it when you initially plan your mantel design, she adds.

MARY SCHALK

Mary Schalk Design

Full-service interior design by appointment

» maryschalk design.com

» 315-430-1673

» Instagram: @maryschalkdesign

Schalk brought in the homeowner’s vintage school desk from another part of the house and styled it with a cozy throw and an abundance of gourds. Decorating the hearth draws the eye around the space.

Evergreen

DISCOVER YOUR BALANCE

When planning a mantel, the first decision designer and Fringed Benefits co-owner Amy Burns says she makes is whether her design will be symmetric or asymmetric. The personality and preferences of her client dictate the balance. “If they’re very symmetrical and clean and streamlined, I will design along those lines. If they’re kind of eclectic and funky and outside the box, it won’t be super balanced. It will be a mix of textures and different things that they like,” she says.

A self-professed rule hater, Burns says that you shouldn’t be overly concerned with perfectly matching your decor with the construction of your mantel — whether your mantel is brick, stone, tile or wood. “Pick things that you love and mix it up,” she says.

BE PLAYFUL WITH COLOR AND TEXTURE

“I love bringing in orange during the holidays. I think it’s such a fun color, and it’s different,” says Burns, who has a design degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. For her “funky,

shabby chic” design, Burns incorporated her client’s playful tastes, adding brilliant orange and dark coral-tipped faux magnolia flowers and faux crimson pomegranate picks from her retail shop for a pop of personality and color. “I love the standard red, but I think it’s done so much that it’s nice to take a little bit of a turn.” Burns says that you can find garlands with different kinds of oranges and cloves, but the oranges in the mantel design pictured are from the grocery store. “I love real fruit. I got the cloves in the baking section and attached them myself because I love when it’s real.”

MacKenzie-Childs candles with a hint of gold, an evergreen-and-pinecone garland, angels made of fabric and wood, and sprayed faux pussy willows displayed in ceramic pitchers brought her design together. “I love mixing textures. Adding the ceramic to metal, wood and fabric along the mantel really gave it character and they all balanced each other out,” says Burns. Keep in mind that home décor should reflect rather than restrict your unique personality, says Burns. “It’s your home, and there are no rules. Have fun and be brave!”

AMY BURNS

Fringed Benefits Design services and retail décor shop

» 6825 East Genesee Street, Fayetteville

» fringedbenefits design.com » 315-802-4353

» Instagram: @fringedbenefitsdesign

Faux florals in non-traditional orange and dark coral add warmth and cheer, and serve as a fresh pairing for spruce green.

TRY A VISUAL TRIANGLE

Whether you’re styling a mantel or a holiday table, following the visual triangle formula is an easy way to achieve a balanced, aesthetically pleasing design, says Natalie Greathouse of Greathouse of Decor. “The idea of a visual triangle is to create vignettes by staging items according to height or placement in relation to others around it, creating a triangle shape.” Greathouse says she applied the visual triangle concept to several elements of her mantel design in order to achieve a finished look.

To balance the greenery and complement the colors and tones of her fireplace and hardwood floors, Greathouse added textured stockings, birch tree logs in a woven basket and a pine tree in a ceramic pot that she elevated on an 18-inch weathered wood-topped table.

“By providing these items on the other side of the mantel, it didn’t leave one side feeling heavy or another too empty,” she says.

SparkleADD SPARKLE WITH SOPHISTICATION

Sparkle and sophistication can peacefully co-exist, says Greathouse, a former teacher who says you needn’t go the grade-school glitter route when it comes to holiday home decor. “Sparkle can also be classy. There are a lot of ways to add sparkle without glitter — by bringing in metallics or something that has shimmer,” she says.

In her design, Greathouse presents Christmas trees in a tasteful, shimmering arrangement. Contrasting the trees’ colors and finishes, a jute rope garland with antique gold bells, faux fur-wrapped presents and Christmas stockings in varying textures and hues help create a tone of comfort, warmth and celebration.

“The grapevine topiaries with slight glittery sparkle were the perfect elements to bring that wood and earthy feel, but the glimmer of sparkles on it makes it festive and fun while tying into the mirror and other wooden elements. Using the mercury topiaries was crucial, as they naturally reflect light and provide a shimmery experience. They also light up with twinkle lights to give them a little extra glow,” she explains.

NATALIE GREATHOUSE

Greathouse of Decor Design services by appointment

» greathouse ofdecor.com

» 315-430-4734

» Instagram: @greathouseofdecor

A neutral palette allows the focus to be on a variety of textures and elements of shimmer.

There’s no place like CNY for the holidays

Try these 11 family-friendly holiday activities (Half of them are free!)

BY KEN STURTZ

Each year it seems like the holiday season kicks off earlier and earlier. Nothing, after all, evokes a bewildered double take quite like glimpsing Halloween candy next to Christmas decorations in a store.

Between decorating, shopping and a seemingly endless list of social commitments, the season often feels like one big blur. Spending time with family and slowing down to enjoy the holidays can get lost in the shuffle. Whether you’re looking to try

something new this year or just hoping to spend more time with loved ones, here are 11 family-friendly holiday ideas to try this year.

From experiencing Christmas in the 19th century, seeing a holiday classic on the big screen and watching a reimagining of “The Nutcracker,” to futuristic light displays, soaring concerts and a mammoth gingerbread village, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this holiday season.

Forbes Travel Guide rated Turning Stone’s cookie creation one of the best gingerbread villages in the U.S.

LORENZO STATE HISTORIC SITE

Step back in time with a visit to this 1807 Federalstyle home, which was built by John Lincklaen, Holland Land Company agent and the founder of Cazenovia. Lorenzo was continually occupied by the Lincklaen/Ledyard family for 160 years before the property and the mansion’s contents were given to New York state.

During the week, visitors can take semi-guided tours of the mansion decked out for the holidays and interact with costumed interpreters. Each year a special holiday theme is chosen for the mansion’s decorations; this year’s theme is “A Snow-Covered Jewel.”

Lorenzo’s Christmas Celebration will happen Thursday and Friday evening and during the afternoon Saturday and Sunday. In addition to being able to walk through the mansion, the celebration includes refreshments, live music and horse-drawn sleigh/wagon rides on the 87-acre property. Holiday crafts for children will be featured Sunday at the Rippleton Schoolhouse. The gift shop will be open throughout the week.

WHEN: Guided Christmas Tours are Dec. 6-Dec. 9, 1-4 p.m.; Lorenzo’s Christmas Celebration runs Dec. 8 and Dec. 9, 7-9 p.m. and Dec. 10 and Dec. 11, 1-4 p.m.

WHERE: 17 Rippleton Rd., Cazenovia

COST: Both the Guided Christmas Tours and Lorenzo’s Christmas Celebration are $6 per adult and $2 for children 12 and under

FOR MORE INFORMATION: parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/lorenzo/details.aspx

TURNING STONE’S GINGERBREAD VILLAGE

It’s like entering a holiday dreamland when you see this gingerbread village, which is the largest in Upstate New York and has been recognized for several years by Forbes Travel Guide as one of the best gingerbread villages in the U.S.

Each year Turning Stone’s pastry team spends thousands of hours planning, baking and decorating the village.

Depending on the year, they can use more than 700 pounds of gingerbread dough, more than 2,000 pounds of icing and hundreds of pounds of candy.

At more than 70 feet in length, the scale of this festive edible work of art is overwhelming, but it’s the attention to detail that shines the most. Previous

WHEN: Turning Stone’s 2022 Gingerbread Village opens Nov. 21 and will remain available for viewing until around New Year’s Day.

WHERE: 5218 Patrick Rd., Verona

COST: Free

FOR MORE INFORMATION: turningstone.com

gingerbread villages have featured everything from a “Nightmare Before Christmas” bakery and a Harry Potter-inspired hotel, to a Mediterraneanstyle train station and a log cabin with intricate architectural details honoring the three clans of the Oneida Indian Nation.

BRASS AND BELLS HOLIDAY CONCERT

Enjoy the rich sound of holiday tunes performed in the United Church of Fayetteville’s beautiful sanctuary. The church’s English Handbell Choir and the Syracuse University Brass Ensemble have partnered to put on an annual concert of holiday music for more than 25 years.

The choir is part of the church’s music ministry program and plays for worship and community programs throughout the year. The Brass Ensemble is composed of three-dozen brass and percussion musicians from SU’s faculty and staff, Upstate Medical University’s faculty and staff and musicians from the community.

Donations from the concert have always benefited an outreach program locally, nationally or internationally. For the last 10 years, the concert has benefited schoolchildren in Haiti helped by several local churches. Non-perishable food items are also collected for the Fayetteville-Manlius Food Pantry.

WHEN: Dec. 11, 3 p.m.

WHERE: United Church of Fayetteville, 310 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville COST: Free, but donations accepted

FOR MORE INFORMATION: theucf.org

“IT’S

A WONDERFUL

LIFE” AT ROME CAPITOL THEATRE

The Rome Capitol Theatre and Broadway Utica bring you their annual presentation of Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” the way it was meant to be seen: on the big screen.

The 1946 classic stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man whose thoughts of suicide on Christmas Eve prompt an intervention from his guardian angel, who shows him what the world would be like if he had never been born. Although it was a box office disappointment, today it’s regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.

Watching the film on a restored 35mm print at the Capitol Theatre is especially fun because the historic theatre was recently restored to its 1939 appearance, complete with many of the original furnishings, as well as the same style carpeting, seats and paint scheme. It looks very much like it did when “It’s a Wonderful Life” first played there in February 1947.

WHEN: Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. and Dec. 17, at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

WHERE: 220 W. Dominick St., Rome COST: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors/students/ military, $3 for children $12 and under FOR MORE INFORMATION: romecapitol.com

SYRACUSE OPERA: “AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS”

This popular Christmas tale was inspired by the nativity scene depicted in the famous oil painting “The Adoration of the Magi” and was the first opera specifically written for television when it first aired in 1951.

“Amahl and the Night Visitors” tells the story of a poor disabled shepherd boy and his mother who are visited by the three gift-bearing Magi on their way to Bethlehem. The boy has no gift to give, but offers the crutch he needs to walk, with heart-warming results.

The performance is set in one act, performed in English and runs about an hour without an intermission. It’s designed for children but meant to entertain the whole family. It’s also a great opportunity to introduce children to opera.

WHEN: Dec. 16, time to be determined

WHERE: Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, 515 Oakwood Ave., Syracuse COST: Free (seats can be reserved online)

FOR MORE INFORMATION: syracuseopera. org/amahl-and-the-night-visitors

CNY ARTS: “DASHER’S MAGICAL GIFT”

It’s a few days before Christmas and Santa’s workshop is buzzing with activity. Everyone is excited for the arrival of Dasher, leader of Santa’s sleigh team, especially Peppermint, his biggest reindeer fan. But Dasher has a secret problem: he’s lost his ability to fly!

With Christmas approaching, everyone is counting on Dasher; if he can’t guide the sleigh it might have to be canceled. But with the help of Peppermint and some very lost penguins, they just might be able to save the day and remind Dasher what the holiday season is all about.

The live performance of this whimsical musical is set to orchestrated music and includes a choreographed ballet. It’s usually offered by CNY Arts for elementary school students during the week, but this year it’ll be shown virtually in classrooms due to pandemic concerns. There are still two live community shows scheduled.

THE ICE FARM

Stan Kolonko and his team at The Ice Farm spend most of the year carving ice sculptures of all shapes and sizes for weddings, parties and corporate functions, but the holidays are different.

Kolonko is installing a series of holiday-themed ice sculpture displays at his Christmas tree farm in Jordan. It will take four carvers about a month and a half to make all the needed ice sculptures. They’ll use 200 to 300 blocks of ice for the display, each weighing 300 pounds.

Visitors can enjoy a wagon ride around a lit trail that will show off lighted trees and ice sculptures. The addition of lights gives the ice sculptures a magical appearance. The exact designs haven’t been finalized yet but will include a variety of winter and holiday figures such as Santa Claus and his sleigh, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, penguins and sled dogs.

WHEN: Starting November 25, check website for more details

WHERE: 124 Clinton Rd., Jordan COST: $5-10

FOR MORE INFORMATION: theicefarm.com

WHEN: Dec. 10, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

WHERE: CrouseHinds Theater, 411 Montgomery St., Syracuse COST: $10

FOR MORE INFORMATION: cnyarts.org/programs/ dashers-magical-gift

“NUTCRACKER TWIST: AN ENCHANTED JOURNEY”

Symphoria wanted to present a reimagined, acrobatic version of the classic Christmas ballet “The Nutcracker” and last year partnered with local circus company CirqOvation. They’re teaming up again this year in an even bigger venue.

Symphoria will play Tchaikovsky’s 1892 “Nutcracker Suite” and a narrator will read the story based on the classic tale as CirqOvation aerialists, jugglers, acrobats, comedians and other performers take to

the stage and air.

The show includes special performances by Circus Culture of Ithaca, Salt City Burlesque and the Syracuse Youth Chorus.

The rewritten story includes some new twists. It’s all meant to be a celebration of community in addition to a fun, unique take on “The Nutcracker.” The show is family-friendly but recommended for children ages four and up.

WHEN: Dec. 10, 3 p.m.

WHERE: Landmark Theatre, 362 S. Salina St., Syracuse

COST: $19 to $66

FOR MORE INFORMATION: landmarktheatre. org/event/ nutcracker-twist-anenchanted-journey

CHRISTMAS AT SEA

The H. Lee White Maritime Museum at Oswego is dedicated to promoting and protecting more than 400 years of regional maritime history. Each December it celebrates the holiday season by opening its doors for its Christmas at Sea open house.

Visitors are invited to enjoy refreshments, tour the museum’s exhibits and view nauticalthemed Christmas trees as well as a model train

village presented by the Oswego Valley Railroad Association. The museum’s Treasure Chest Gift Shop will be open and there are also craft projects available for children.

The highlight of the open house is a visit from Santa Claus. Since it’s not quite Christmas yet, however, Santa Claus arrives aboard a U.S. Coast Guard boat to meet and greet children.

WHEN: Dec. 11, 1-4:30 p.m. (Santa Claus arrives at 2 p.m.)

WHERE: 1 W. First St., Oswego (located on the West First Street Pier)

COST: Free

FOR MORE INFORMATION: hlwmm.org

BY MICHAEL GREENLAR

SYRACUSE TUBA CHRISTMAS

Tuba Christmas was conceived nearly 50 years ago by Harvey Phillips as a way to pay tribute to his teacher and mentor and honor all great artists and teachers. It’s grown to include concerts in more than 300 cities around the world.

The local concert, Syracuse Tuba Christmas, has existed for several decades and is returning this year after a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. Typically, anywhere between 50 and 100 tuba and baritone players attend, rehearsing and performing all in the same day.

If you haven’t been to a Tuba Christmas concert before or if you’re a tuba player, come enjoy the warm, rich sound of a sea of tubas working their way through your favorite holiday songs.

WHEN: Dec. 17, registration from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Rehearsal starts at 12:30 p.m. Performance is at 2 p.m.

WHERE: Liverpool High School, 4338 Wetzel Rd., Liverpool

COST: Free

FOR MORE INFORMATION: facebook. com/syrtubachristmas

ITHACA WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL

Stroll around downtown Ithaca to take in the spectacular light installations during the annual Winter Light Festival. It’s also a good opportunity to do some holiday shopping.

There’s no shortage of impressive light displays around the holidays, and it can feel like a constant game of one-upmanship with the lighting displays constantly becoming bigger and more elaborate. But the two weekends of immersive, interactive,

illuminated light sculptures will certainly leave you oohing and ahhing.

Some of the light displays are projected on buildings. Others change and react as people walk by. Last year saw a giant flower that reacted to sounds made by passers-by and a giant unicorn containing 6,000 LED lights and capable of moving its legs and head.

WHEN: Dec. 2-10 (Light installations turn on around sunset)

WHERE: Ithaca Commons, Ithaca

COST: Free

FOR MORE INFORMATION: downtownithaca.com/winterlights-2

Hendricks at Holidays

Photo by: Amelia Beam ish

#goodlifeCNY

We live in an amazing community, with unique restaurants with their own menus of special foods, stunning outdoor parks and trails and so many things to do. Our four beautiful seasons bring different adventures and influence how we dress, eat, travel, shop, exercise, gather and celebrate.

It’s a place with so many job opportunities. Like other communities in the U.S., CNY has companies struggling to fill open positions. That’s why CenterState CEO, along with Onondaga County and several local companies, are working together to make sure more people outside our region know about what makes CNY a great place to build a life, career and family.

CenterState CEO has partnered to market our community, showcasing its low cost of living, easy commutes, all its attributes and the many job opportunities and career paths our local companies have to offer. We need to make sure people outside Central New York know what a great place it is to live their best lives.

CenterState CEO, the region’s business leadership organization, is leading several initiatives to help address Central New York’s growing shortage of available workers. They’ve partnered with Onondaga County and several other companies to underwrite a campaign to market Central New York to candidates who live outside the area. They have also partnered with Advance Media New York to create an all-in-one resource for those companies to help sell the area.

The project includes a multimedia marketing effort and a website that provides potential new Central New Yorkers everything they need to know about the region and to entice them to join us in the Good Life. Check out the website at www.goodlifeCNY.com. It’s filled with stunning videos, photos and enticing stories about our home. Share

it with friends or family who are considering relocating, and employers looking for their next new hire.

Advance Media New York is telling the CNY story through a multimedia marketing campaign, illustrating the beauty of our area, its abundance of jobs, easy commutes and countless entertainment and recreational options in a central location.

Among the website’s many features is a job board for hiring managers and job seekers that pulls jobs from rapidly expanding companies in Central New York. It lets job seekers share information about their experience and career interests, giving participating employers access to a qualified pool of candidates interested in finding employment in the region. It can be accessed from the Good Life CNY site or by linking directly at https://careers.goodlifecny.com.

In February, SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital and SOS Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists joined the marketing initiative, so we can market CNY to healthcare professionals across the Northeast.

These local companies are working together with CenterState CEO and Onondaga County to support this initiative and promote CNY:

PHOTO BY AMY BLEIER LONG

Making good

CNY SCOUT • FARM TO TABLE • ART PROFILE

‘

TASTE OF NEW YORK

You don’t have to make the trip to Manhattan to find delights like Murray’s Cheese, babka from Carnegie Deli, Momofuku soy and tamari sauces or Rummo pastas. Just head to Cazenovia’s H. Grey Social, the recent expansion of H. Grey Supply Co., which opened last year.

While you’re there, let owners Travis Barr and Alex Altomonte or their staff mix you up a mocktail, Utica Coffee espresso or other specialty drinks at the “bevvy bar.” Pick up pantry items and beverages to enjoy at home; their selection is carefully curated to not

duplicate those of other local shops. Or select cheese, crackers and meats, then borrow one of the live-edge charcuterie boards and sit down to enjoy at the table, one of the counters or the tufted Chesterfield reminiscent of Central Perk.

The reference to ‘90s coffee lounge culture is intentional. Altomonte and Barr hope the new space will foster social gatherings and conversations. Stay tuned for events, particularly those that uplift marginalized groups, and pop-up artist exhibitions.

For more information: visit hgreysupplyco.com or @hgreysupplyco on Instagram.

Tuft Love

A traditional craft becomes trendy

BY BECCA TAURISANO

Part ancient handicraft, part modern art, the technique known as tufting is having a moment. Due to an increase of crafting during pandemic lockdowns, a surge in TikTok videos promoting the craze and a revival of maximalism in home decor, tufting is becoming more than a way to make colorful floor and wall coverings; it is a meditative form of self-expression.

The art of tufting dates back to fourth century B.C. when nomadic tribes hand-tufted rugs in what is modern-day Iran. The craft got a serious upgrade in the 1930s when the mechanized tufting machine (also called a tufting gun) was developed by a carpet manufacturer in Dalton, Georgia. Despite this invention revolutionizing the tufting process, it did not emerge as a craft that people did at home recreationally until COVID. Online sales of tufting guns skyrocketed at the end of 2020 as pandemic boredom set in and the trend shows no signs of slowing down, with internet searches on tufting rising 41 percent over the past year.

Working on the back of the piece so the design is reversed, artists use a tufting gun to shoot acrylic, wool or cotton yarn in and out of a fabric backing stretched over a wood frame. The tufted piece is then glued and finished; the end result is a fluffy, tactile creation that can be used as a rug, wall hanging or objet d’art. Two local artisans with distinct styles are leading the tufting renaissance in Central New York: Tiffany Seals of Tuft Talk and Renee Patterson of Tufty & Co.

Tiffany Seals found tufting videos on TikTok during the early days of the COVID lockdown. An anesthesia technician at Crouse Hospital, she was looking for ways to stay busy when elective surgical procedures were paused. Seals picked up the technique quickly. With a tufting gun, Seals says, “you are painting with yarn onto a blank canvas.”

In October 2021, Seals started Tuft Talk and began participating in vendor events like the NYS

Clockwise from top, Kobe Bryant, Abstract Face, and Stove God Cooks, a local rap artist, by Tiffany Seals of Tuft Talk.

Winter Fair, CNY Pride and Shop Small Sunday at Salt City Market with the Black Artist Collective. Seals’ rugs went viral after they were shown in a post by a Rochester-based influencer; the video garnered over 140,000 views. The post created so much buzz that she now has customers all over the U.S. and Germany, including a player for the Detroit Lions. In August, she opened Syracuse’s first tufted rug store at the McCarthy Mercantile. Her grand opening was dedicated to the memory of her father, Syracuse Police officer and 4th District Councilor Thomas M. Seals.

Her designs include company logos, working Spotify code rugs, and pet and custom commissions. Custom rugs take about two weeks to make and pricing ranges from $200 for a two- by twofoot size up to $450 for a four- by five-foot size. For portrait rugs, there is an additional fee because of the attention to detail required.

The ability to customize is what appeals most to Seals about tufting. “You can turn any design into a piece of textile art,” she says. In addition to rugs, Seals makes coasters, wall hangings, mirrors, picture frames and clothing items starting around $50. In May, Seals gave a presentation about tufting to manufacturing technology students at Corcoran High School and this school year she will help them create a rug for their senior project. Seals’ dream is to open an urban textile art gallery in Syracuse. “My goal is to give back to the community and show young people how important art can be,” she says.

Renee Patterson started Tufty & Co. in February after seeing tufted rugs featured in Architectural Digest and deciding to try it herself. A self-described maker, Patterson has over 20 years of knitting experience and was eager to dive into a fiber art technique that was new on the scene. A teacher of English and video production at Onondaga Central School, Patterson finds tufting soothing, calling it a “balm for the soul.”

Initially, she started posting videos of herself tufting on social media and began getting recognized at community events. In May, she participated in her first Shop Small Sunday at Salt City Market with over 70 items for sale. Patterson creates whimsical items of her own design, like mushrooms, strawberries and lightning bolts, as well as custom pieces for businesses. Her pieces vary in price depending

A display of small and medium-sized autumnal designs, by Renee Patterson of Tufty & Co., are created on a large fabric backing and then cut out.

For more information: Tuft Talk, @tuft_talk on Instagram, Tuft Talk at the McCarthy Mercantile, 217 S. Salina St., lower level, Syracuse; Tufty & Co, @tuftyco on Instagram.

on size and complexity. Small decorative rugs are $100, others are $150 and up; business logo rugs start at $200. Wall hangings are typically between $30 and $50, plant rugs are around $25, coasters or “mug rugs” are around $15 and her “Tiny Tufties” (smaller items like barrettes, magnets, claw clips, and more) are between $5 and $10.

The positive reaction she gets from educating people about tufting is rewarding for Patterson. Recently, she led a two-hour tufting workshop at the Everson Museum of Art, and she is gearing up to provide more workshops after the holidays. Patterson wants to be a resource to help others get started with tufting whether online or in-person, wishing that there were more resources available for her when she began to tuft. “Teaching is in me all the time,” she says. “It’s really gratifying to be able to bring tufting to others.”

Patterson creates a spider web design using a tufting gun.

Making good FARM TO TABLE

Savage harvest

Pastabilities’

BY MJ KRAVEC | PHOTOS BY ALAINA POTRIKUS

Brown Butter Mustard Sauce with Cheese Ravioli and Apple Cabbage Slaw make fiercely abundant use of seasonal produce

Making good

Below the colorful winged heart, twinkle lights and a neon sign that reads “This must be the place” inside Pastabilities, the sound of sizzling pans in the kitchen mingles with diners chatting, glasses clinking and forks digging into plates laden with the Armory Square restaurant’s signature freshly made pasta and Hot Tomato Oil.

Despite the grey skies outside, the spirit soars immediately like Pasta’s iconic artwork — when stepping inside the family-owned and -operated restaurant where a steady stream of customers are looking for cozy madefrom-scratch fare on a cool Wednesday afternoon. Kitchen manager and chef Rachel Heagerty, who owns Pasta’s along with her sister, Ryland Heagerty, and mother, Karyn Korteling, greets a photographer and writer with a plate of apple, cabbage, local maple syrup and sausage in a brown butter mustard sauce. It’s ambitious — and dare we say savage — in how it makes use of so much local produce and ingredients in a single dish.

Now in its 40th year, Pasta’s is typically known for its homemade pasta, stretch bread and Hot Tomato Oil — not so much for dishes that feature a brown butter mustard sauce. But it’s consistent with the restaurant’s philosophy of making use of the bounty of the region.

“Central New York has a lot of really great farmland with abundant access to apples, dairy, corn, potatoes, terrific cheeses, heirloom tomatoes, snap peas, hatch chilis — the list goes on,” Rachel Heagerty says. “Every menu change, we make a point to highlight and incorporate regional and seasonal items into our [offerings].”

Popular dishes include Pasta’s “wicked” Chicken Riggies, Braised Short Rib over Pappardelle, Seasonal Lasagna, Vodka Cream Sauce, Hot Tomato Oil and Manicotti and Meatballs. During the colder months, diners will typically find Pasta’s comforting classics, along with Short Rib Beef Stroganoff with Roasted Mushrooms over Homemade Pappardelle, Fried Eggplant Lasagna and Butternut Squash Ravioli with a Toasted Almond Cream.

“Many of our winter menu items are comforting and feature seasonal produce, but we also like to offer lighter fare as well,” says Heagerty. A sample of lighter dishes include Pasta’s Seasonal Salad of kale, delicata squash, goat cheese, pomegranate seeds and maple-red wine vinaigrette or a Pork Chop Insalata featuring Berkshire porkchop, kale salad with apple, cranberry, bacon, red onion, parmesan breadcrumbs and lemon-parmesan vinaigrette.

For our November/December issue, Heagerty chose to share Brown Butter Mustard Sauce with Cheese Ravioli and

Pastabilities makes its homemade pasta next door to the restaurant at 311 S. Franklin St. in Armory Square.

an Apple and Cabbage Slaw dressed with Maple-Red Wine Vinaigrette. It’s a play on pierogies and just the thing for the fall and winter months, with a variety of textures and rich flavors accented with the season’s sweetest symbol the apple, Heagerty says.

“It’s cozy, comforting and hits some of those nostalgic flavors of the fall and winter without it being too heavy.”

Enough to make hearts soar at your next family dinner.

What does it pair well with?

Try mixed field greens salad, Pastabilities’ Hot Tomato Oil and stretch bread.

To drink?

Pair it with a light pilsner or pale ale, Pet Nat (naturally sparkling) wine or an extra dry Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling.



Any special preparation tips?

Be patient with the brown mustard sauce. “For the sauce to not break, it is important to skim off the bubbles while reducing the butter in order for it to clarify and get that deep brown butter flavor everyone loves,” says Heagerty.

Rachel Heagerty is kitchen manager, chef and part owner of Pastabilties.

MAPLE-RED WINE VINAIGRETTE

1 shallot 2 garlic cloves ½ cup red wine vinegar juice of 1 lemon

¹/3 cup maple syrup

1 Tbsp. stone ground mustard 1 tsp. Kosher salt 1 ½ cups olive oil

Finely mince shallot and garlic and put in the bottom of a bowl or blender. Whisk or blend in all ingredients except the olive oil. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking or blending. If using a blender and/or immersion blender, blend all ingredients and slowly drizzle in the oil to get a smoother emulsified consistency.

BROWN BUTTER MUSTARD & SAUSAGE SAUCE

½ lb. butter

3 ½ cups heavy cream

2 lbs. sausage (such as Gianelli) ¾ cup Dijon mustard ½ cup stone ground mustard 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar 2 small shallots minced ½ Tbsp. salt

¼ tsp. white pepper 1 ½ cups chicken stock

¼ Tbsp. corn starch ¹/8 cup hot water

Slaw

1 small red cabbage 2 tart apples

1. In a sauce pot, melt the butter and simmer over medium heat. Slowly bring to a boil and skim off the white bubbles that rise to the top. Save skimmed butter! Continue skimming until all the white bubbles are removed and the butter begins to brown. Be careful not to burn. Once butter is browned, pour into a separate container and set aside.

2. In a Dutch oven, or another sauce pot, add the skimmed butter and finely minced shallots and sauté over medium/ low heat until translucent. Add in ground sausage. We use Gianelli ground mild Italian sausage. Continue to cook the sausage. Stir in the mustards and white wine vinegar. Cook the sausage mixture for about 10-12 additional minutes. Add heavy cream, salt, pepper and chicken stock. Continue to whisk and simmer gently.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk hot water and corn starch. Pour corn starch mixture into the sauce and bring to a gentle boil while stirring. This will help to thicken the sauce. Reduce heat allowing sauce to reduce and thicken, about 5-10 minutes. Consistency shouldn’t be too thick.

4. While sauce is reducing, finely slice the red cabbage. Thinly slice apples on the half moon and toss both ingredients together in a bowl with a few tablespoons of maple red wine vinaigrette. Set aside until ready to serve.

5. Ladle sauce over cooked cheese ravioli or potato gnocchi. Place the apple slaw on top of each serving (about ½ cup).

Optional add-ons:

Link of browned sausage

Shredded, locally made Jake’s Aged Gouda cheese, or any Gouda of your choice

Making good DOWN TO EARTH

Let’s wrap it up

Try these eco-friendly alternatives to holiday wrapping paper

BY MJ KRAVEC

The song, “My Favorite Things” touts the romance of “brown paper packages tied up with strings.” It doesn’t say anything about glittery reindeer wrap that ends up in landfills.

Not to rain on the glittery reindeer parade, but it does feel a bit wasteful, once the presents are opened, to stuff all that paper into garbage bags and drag it to the curb.

According to motherearthnews.com, gift wrap is one of the largest contributors to holiday waste. Allthingssupplychains.com reports that about five million tons of additional waste — including four million tons of wrapping paper and shopping bags — end up in landfills each year in the United States. The site estimates that even recycling one ton of wrapping paper would be enough to save roughly 18 square feet of space in landfills, 4,000 electric kilowatts and 17 trees.

A little extra thought given to cutting down or avoiding single-use gift wrap helps reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. To start, try to recycle paper whenever you can. It’s encouraging to know that some wrapping paper and gift bags can be recycled in your blue bin, as long as they don’t contain glitter, metallic or foil finishes.

Avoid shiny and glittery wrapping papers, since they cannot be recycled. If you’re not sure, try this trick from earth911.com: scrunch the wrapping paper into a ball. If it stays balled up, it’s most likely recyclable.

For more ways to cut down on waste, try these eco-friendly alternatives to holiday wrapping, gathered from a variety of sources:

Furoshiki — the Japanese art of using cloths to wrap and carry gifts — has been used for centuries and is a sustainable alternative to wrapping paper.

FROM EARTH911.COM

» Consider using brown paper grocery bags to wrap gifts for a rustic look.

» Save tissue paper or shred old magazine pages and use as box filler around gifts.

» Use fabric to wrap gifts — Japanese furoshiki — simply wrap gifts in scarves by folding a square piece of fabric around the box and tying into a knot.

FROM GOINGZEROWASTE.COM

» Use last year’s holiday cards to dress up a gift wrapped in plain butcher or kraft paper.

FROM MOTHEREARTHNEWS.COM

» Get creative and wrap items in pages from old books, unused sheet music, old maps, newsprint, magazines and kids drawings.

» Cut up old Christmas cards and use as tags for gifts.

» Try to reuse wrapping paper whenever you can. Any wrapping from larger items or that contains few tears can be rolled up for use next year. (Minor tears can be covered with a strategically placed bow or gift tag).

» Reuse your cardboard shipping box to package items.

» Take a bow. Save your bows and use year after year — just like your father did.

TOP OFF YOUR GREENER GIFTS

» Tie boxes with twine or yarn instead of bows

» Decorate gifts with natural materials such as pinecones, sprigs of spruce, holly and herbs, cinnamon sticks, candy canes, dried orange slices

» Accent gift boxes with cut out holiday scenes from magazines

Making good ART PROFILE

Community through creativity

How a local art studio serves people with diverse abilities

STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOYELLE RONAN

Conversations swirl and mix like paints on a palette on a warm afternoon in the back room of Eye Studio Arts. Candace Anthony is trying to get the sky just right on her picture of a dog eating an ice cream cone. She says she wants it to be perfect as she dips into the blue paint while talking with her mentor, Kayla Gerry. A few tables away, instructor Priscilla Killoran is teaching a summer camp. Five kids are excitedly chatting about their coiled clay pots.

With painting, pottery, glass fusing and cooking classes, the studio exists in a state of high-energy, fun-filled, organized chaos.

This environment is nothing new for the studio’s owners, Ilene and Mike Layow, who between them have more than a half-century of teaching experience. After working as a chef and owner at many local restaurants, Mike taught culinary arts and special education for 13 years. He now teaches cooking classes at the studio. In addition to being an artist herself, Ilene was an art educator with the Syracuse City School District for 23 years. The now-retired couple began Eye Studio Arts in 2010.

“I’ve always worked with people with diverse abilities working in the school system. I know people with all abilities can do all

At Eye Studio Arts in East Syracuse, children with different abilities take painting, pottery, glass fusing and cooking classes.

different things. You just have to figure out what and how,” Ilene Layow says.

Their daughter, Laura, is a Syracuse-based occupational therapist who works with adaptive equipment. Her suggestions helped make Eye Studio more accessible for people with diverse abilities due to Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism. But the big improvements came when the Layows moved the studio to its current East Syracuse location.

“It was a little difficult in a little ranch house, but we were accessible enough that if someone in a wheelchair wanted to do the potter’s wheel or clay, it was in the garage,” Ilene Layow says. “But here everything was so accessible to begin with. We did try to make it as accessible as possible before, but now we have a wheelchair-accessible pottery wheel.”

As Anthony keeps working on her sky, Gerry suggests she switch to painting the ground; after all, the little yellow dog she’s painting will need some

“I’ve always worked with people with diverse abilities working in the school system. I know people with all abilities can do all different things. You just have to figure out what and how.”

Ilene Layow

Mike and Ilene Layow started Eye Studio Arts in 2010 and have since expanded to a larger location.

Making good ART PROFILE

grass. Gerry is employed with Advocates, Incorporated, an organization that serves children and adults with disabilities throughout New York state. This is the second Friday that she and Anthony have come to the studio for the Multi-media with Diverse Abilities class. They previously attended art classes at the YMCA, which were halted for the summer camp season.

In addition to camps during school breaks and scheduled art classes, Eye Studio offers a program called Cooking with Diverse Abilities. The menu rotates each week but always consists of an entree, a side and a dessert. While preparing their meals, students learn about utensil identification and measuring.

“It’s not only cooking,” says Mike Layow. “It’s social. We talk, we laugh and sometimes we sing along with a song. Are most of my students gonna go home and cook? No. But they’re comfortable enough in the kitchen to help their parents.”

And sometimes even comfortable enough to play a prank: Leah Torry, a student in the class with cerebral palsy, has worked with Paige Szymanak for three years through Advocates. Szymanak says the studio provides a switch that allows Leah to mix the ingredients in her bowl, a task she ordinarily wouldn’t be able to complete without assistance.

Ilene says one her favorite moments in the kitchen came when Torry turned on her switch while Szymanak’s face was near the bowl, shooting batter up into the mentor’s face.

“She was able to show her personality,” Ilene Layow says. “She was hysterical. She was able to perform a joke on someone. She physically made something happen.”

Szymanak says the switch is a great example of how Eye Studio adapts to its students’ needs. “Leah loves coming here because having CP is hard, for

anybody. The fact that she is able to work, cook and do things like everyone else, just a little differently, it’s great.”

In January 2021, Eye Studio Arts received a grant from the Utica-based Kelberman Center in partnership with the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council to include more students and equipment, like the wheelchair-accessible pottery wheel, in its programming. According to Julie Batson Suprenant, director of communications and donor engagement at the Kelberman Center, Eye Studio and nine other organizations that support the diverse ability population received a total of $384,000.

With the grant, Eye Studio has been able to foster socially inclusive programming like Cooking for Independence, geared toward people who live on their own already or are looking to do so. At the beginning of the four-week program, each student is given a debit card and a list of simple recipes that contain a vegetable, a protein and a starch. Students create a shopping list as well as learn about staple pantry items and substitutions.

While the Layows say running Eye Studio is their dream come true, that doesn’t mean it has been without its challenges. Like many arts organizations, the studio has struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because it has immunocompromised students, the studio still operates under strict guidelines, including mask wearing. Ilene Layow says she hopes the studio will soon be able to return to its pre-pandemic operations, including artist receptions and parties.

After all, community is the core of the studio. Anthony and Gerry smile wide as their picture is taken. The variations of blue in Anthony’s painting give the perfect appearance of a cloudy sky. She picks up her brush and gets to work on the vanilla ice cream cone.

Eye Studio empowers anyone to explore their creative side. Left, Candace Anthony with her mentor Kayla Gerry.

Galleries

ARTRAGE GALLERY, THE NORTON PUTTER GALLERY

505 Hawley Avenue, Syracuse, 315-218-5711, artragegallery. org. Open 2 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and by appointment for groups. Reservations required.

Rommy Torrico: Cabeza en las nubes: A collection of liberatory visions. Cabeza en las nubes, directly translated as ‘head in the clouds,’ is a body of work that spans a decade of dreamscapes that have been born from liberatory struggle and creative release. Rommy, a queer trans migrant who navigated the world as undocumented until 2018, has been collaborating with communities at the forefront of liberation movements since 2012. As a trans storyteller who lives at the intersections of these identities, they have committed to constantly dreaming and reimagining a refuge of futures where migrant, queer trans communities can live in joy and safety — with access to affordable housing, stable income and nourishing networks of care.

From immigration, to incarceration, to education, the images in this collection explore a range of issues that are impacting trans communities.

Intentionally released in November, Cabeza en las nubes exists as a tribute to this year’s Trans Day of Remembrance (November 20) as a way to honor, uplift and center trans lives and their celestial futures. In the midst of the flurry of anti-trans policies and the many violent realities trans folks have been facing and continue to face, it is Rommy’s hope that their work underscores that the time to celebrate the dreams and visions of tender and thriving futures where queer, trans migrants can show up in all their glory is now. Website: rommytorrico.com. Runs Nov. 12 through Jan. 14, 2023.

CAZENOVIA ARTISANS

39 Albany Street, Cazenovia. 315 655-2225, info@cazenoviaartisans.com. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. A 20 Year Anniversary Event: Come celebrate with us! Cazenovia Artisans is hosting an all-day open reception to commemorate their 20-year anniversary as a local artists’ cooperative gallery. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 5. All are invited to join us at 39 Albany Street, Cazenovia. For more information, visit cazenoviaartisans. com. Light refreshments will be served.

Rommy Torrico’s “Para Lxs Migrant Queers” poster work at Artrage.

“Evolve” from Rommy Torrico’s Trans Awareness Month Series at ArtRage.

Rommy Torrico’s “Bamby Salcedo” from the Trans Awareness Month Series.

EDGEWOOD GALLERY

216 Tecumseh Road, Syracuse. 315-445-8111, edgewoodartandframe.com. Open 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday - Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday - Monday. Free. Please wear a mask, observe proper social distancing. Hand sanitizer, gloves and masks are available in the gallery. Nothing Gold Can Stay. Dan Bacich acrylic leafscape paintings elicit a gentle reminder of the inevitable dissolution of all things; Len Eichler’s “Stressed Earth Series” of pottery and sculpture formed by literally stressing, cracking, drilling the clay, draws parallels to the Earth affected by climate change; and Shawn Halperin’s jewelry collection of birds and leaves made by combining bronze, sterling, spalted birch and “Adirondack Turquoise.” Runs through Nov. 18.

“Multi-Layered” Holiday Exhibit and sale. Mary Raineri and Deb Rogers display textural multimedia wall work with Jan Navales sculptural pieces of various mediums. Deb Rogers jewelry will also be featured. Runs Nov. 25 through Jan. 6, 2023. No public reception.

EVERSON MUSEUM OF ART

401 Harrison St., Syracuse. 315-474-6064, everson.org. Open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday -Tuesday. $5 suggested donation.

The Ceramic Nationals: 1932-1972. In 1932, Syracuse Museum of Fine Art director Anna Olmsted created a modest juried exhibition of studio ceramics by artists in New York State to honor the late Adelaide Alsop Robineau. Little did Olmsted know that this first exhibition, which was displayed on draped crates provided by a local coffin company, would ultimately prove to be the bedrock upon which the 20th-century Studio Ceramics Movement was built. Response to the first juried exhibition was immediate. Prominent artists lobbied Olmsted to open the exhibition to artists from other states, and the Ceramic Nationals were born. The Ceramic Nationals purchase prizes in the Everson’s collection number more than 200, and tell the story of the birth of the Studio Ceramics Movement in the depths of the Great Depression through its maturation in the 1950s, and ultimately, to the early 1970s, when the field of ceramics splintered into an unwieldy number of factions. Containing early masterworks by seminal artists like Maria Martinez, Peter Voulkos, Marguerite Wildenhain, Minnie Negoro and Edwin and Mary Scheier, the Ceramic Nationals collection represents the most cohesive collection of American Studio Pottery in existence.

Forever is Composed of Nows. Whether artists respond to history or look to the future, creativity exists in the moment. Drawn from the Everson’s permanent collection, Forever is Composed of Nows examines a multitude of snapshots of the present moment, grouped by theme, image, or idea across different time periods and media. By examining how artists spanning three centuries have approached their present — their now — using similar topics and motifs, this exhibition is a visual exploration of how values, societal customs and art subjects have evolved over time. Titled after and inspired by the Emily Dickinson poem, Forever is Composed of Nows presents

the concept that whether an artist is responding to history or looking to the future, their creativity exists in the present, and every moment, past or future, was or will be a present moment — a now — for those experiencing it. Through Dec. 31.

Rebecca Hutchinson: Re-Generation. Rebecca Hutchinson’s sculptural installations are influenced by the behavioral dynamics found in nature. Her upcoming exhibition at the Everson Museum of Art is focused on the themes of re-generation and observation of natural built systems. Re-Generation highlights Hutchinson’s cultural and environmental research on the industrial legacy of Central New York. Along with its salt mines, Syracuse also possessed massive deposits of soda ash, a material used to manufacture ceramics. These materials, in tandem with an influx of European immigrants with craft and material expertise, led to the development of Syracuse China, which quickly grew into one of the nation’s largest dinnerware manufacturers. Reflecting on the decline of soda ash mining and the closure of Syracuse China, Re-Generation takes the form of large unfired paperclay vessels that will be installed in an inverted position with drawings on the surface of rare orchids that have evolved out of the polluted soil and are currently thriving in the Syracuse region. Runs through Dec. 31. 

“Yin and Yang Leaves” by Dan Bacich at Edgewood Gallery.

Galleries

Raymon Elozua: Structure/Dissonance. Structure/Dissonance celebrates nearly five decades of work by New York-based artist Raymon Elozua, who first came to prominence in the 1970s with detailed trompe l’oeil ceramic sculptures of decaying industrial landscapes. Elozua’s first major museum exhibition since his 2003 retrospective at the Mint Museum, Structure/Dissonance focuses on three conceptual bodies of work that explore the combined physical properties of three elemental materials: ceramic, glass and steel. This exhibition contextualizes these vital sculptures within Elozua’s intellectual landscape through the inclusion of a series of collections and research projects that are inextricably linked to his artistic output. Elozua’s insatiable appetite to uncover the hidden cultural meanings attached to his chosen materials has led him to obsessively collect esoteric objects like gas stove burners and rusted enamel cookware, as well as photographs and ephemera related to topics as varied as labor history and decaying “borscht belt” bungalow colonies. Through Dec. 31.

Common Ground. To celebrate the new millennium, in the year 2000 artist Neil Tetkowski undertook a Herculean project: gathering clay from all 188 member countries of the United Nations. With these clay samples, Tetkowski created a suitably monumental work that debuted at United Nations headquarters in New York City — the Common Ground World Mandala. Measuring seven feet in diameter and more than nine feet high, Tetkowski’s sculpture is a testament to the artist’s ability to think beyond boundaries — of scale, of geography and of politics. Common Ground uses Tetkowski’s World Mandala as the centerpiece of an exhibition that showcases the Everson’s vast collection of world ceramics. From ancient Mesopotamian and Greek pottery to contemporary Zulu beer brewing vessels and a life-size terracotta horse built by Indian priests, the Everson’s collection traces the evolution of ceramics across cultures over thousands of years. Because of Syracuse’s focus on welcoming immigrants and refugees to the community, there are over 70 languages spoken in city schools. Runs Nov. 12 through Dec. 31.

LIGHT WORK GALLERY, KATHLEEN O. ELLIS GALLERY

316 Waverly Ave., Syracuse, lightwork.org. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (CHECK THIS SUMMER HOURS STILL LISTED). Closed weekends.

Guanyu Xu: Suspended Status. Guanyu Xu’s Suspended Status depicts an artist caught in a web of red tape. The work on view for this exhibition comprises images from his ongoing series, Resident Aliens, as well as a large grid of images that he calls Suspension. Both bodies of work use visa status in the United States as a means of framing images that depict people who are suspended between countries and cultures. Their futures hang on faceless state agencies in a churning political current. Xu writes that these materials “represent the ways in which the state obscures its power and creates obstructions.” Born in Beijing in 1993, Guanyu Xu currently makes Chicago his base. He is a lecturer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His major influences are the production of ideology

in American visual culture and a conservative familial upbringing in China. Xu’s practice examines the production of power in photography as well as the fate of personal freedom and its relationship to political regimes. He negotiates these questions from his perspective as a Chinese gay man. Xu makes use of photography, new media and installation, and his work across media intentionally reflects aspects of his displaced and fractured identity. Runs through Dec. 15.

From Raymon Elozua’s Structure/Dissonance at Everson.

Neil Tetkowski’s “Common Ground” at Everson.

If I Were to Be Alive: Suneil Sanzgiri & Colectivo Los Ingrávidos. Light Work’s Urban Video Project (UVP) is pleased to present the exhibition “If I Were to Be Alive,” featuring the work of filmmakers Suneil Sanzgiri and Colectivo Los Ingrávidos at UVP’s architectural projection site on the Everson Museum of Art facade. This two-artist program explores the ways that the slow violence of extractive capital and colonialism collude with the fast violence of state power. This exhibition and event are part of UVP’s 2022-23 programming year, The Porous Body of the Earth, featuring artists who explore issues of environmental racism and regimes of violent extraction. Suneil Sanzgiri is an artist, researcher and filmmaker. His work spans experimental video and film, animations, essays, and installations, and contends with questions of identity, heritage, culture and diaspora in relation to structural violence. His film “At Home But Not At Home” made its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, in January 2020, with a nomination for the Found Footage Award. His follow-up film, “Letter From Your Far-Off Country,” made its world premiere at the New York Film Festival in the fall of 2020 and was entered into the Ammodo Tiger Short Competition at IFFR in 2021. Sanzgiri’s work has been screened extensively at festivals and venues around the world. Colectivo Los Ingrávidos (Tehuacán, Mexico) is a group of independent artists who experiment with documentary approaches and found footage. Their goal is to challenge the commercialization of audiovisual creativity and the tedium of conventional television and cinema production. Colectivo Los Ingrávidos arose as a resistance movement and collective action that began cooperating amid major protests against the Mexican government, reporting through an anonymous YouTube channel for fear of retaliation. Their work has been shown extensively around the world. They were featured filmmakers in the 67th Flaherty Film Seminar, Continents of Drifting Clouds (2022), curated by Almudena Escobar López and Sky Hopinka. Runs through Dec, 17, Thursdays – Saturdays dusk to 11 p.m. Artist screening and Q&A: November 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Everson Museum’s Hosmer Auditorium, as well as a streaming event on December 1 at 6:30 p.m. Both events are free.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

321 Montgomery St., Syracuse. 315-428-1864, cnyhistory. org. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free but donations encouraged. Check their website for updates.

The Menagerie: Animals in Artwork. The exhibit explores animals as subjects in artwork. Animals have captured the attention of artists in Onondaga County throughout history. Some are wild animals that are integral to the natural landscape. Others are domestic helpers that assist with transportation or supplying food, or loving companions to their owners. The artwork style ranges from George Knapp’s traditional early 20th-century to Irene Wood’s quirky mid-20th century imagination and will include wood sculptures created by local artist Juan Taylor.

The Artist’s Assessment: Fred Gardner Paints Central New York. OHA will feature the artwork of the eminent local artist Fred Gardner. Hailing from Jamesville, Gardner (1880-1952) prolifically captured scenes of Central New York during the early- to mid-20th century. Gardner’s eclectic art subjects include houses, animals, farms, trains, a barn raising, transportation and Onondaga Native Americans. OHA’s collection of Gardner artwork numbers almost 25 paintings, many surrounded by his homemade gray frames. OHA will display several of Gardner’s oil and watercolor paintings and drawings in the exhibit.

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM

1st floor, Shaffer Art Building, museum.syr.edu. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday – Sunday and until 8 p.m. Thursday. Closed Mondays and University Holidays. Anni Albers: Work With Materials. Tracing the remarkable career of the artist, designer, writer, and teacher Anni Albers (1899-1994), Work With Materials features over 100 drawings, prints, textile samples, commercial fabrics and rugs from the collection of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. With a focus primarily on the extraordinarily productive and varied second half of her long career, the exhibition illuminates her ability to move easily between her work as both an artist and a designer of functional materials. Through Dec. 11.

Stephanie H. Shih:

My Sweetie Has No

Pockmarks. The second iteration of The Art Wall Project features sculptures made by Stephanie H. Shih. Best known for her ceramic groceries, Shih’s work explores ideas of home and nostalgia through the lens of food. Her installation at the museum will feature bags of rice to consider how Asian identity has been flattened through stereotypes and to reclaim this pantry staple as a touchpoint of Asian American identity. Through May 14, 2023.

Guanyu Xu: Suspended Status at Light Work Gallery.

Friday, November 11: Veterans Day Watchfire Saturday, November 19: Harvest Craft Fair Saturday, December 10: Holiday Train Day Saturday, December 17: Holiday Craft Fair 2023

CITY SIDEWALKS

Salina Street shopping scene drew thousands

BY THOMAS HUNTER

During the shopping heyday of South Salina Street in downtown Syracuse, thousands thronged that street during the Christmas season, looking for just the right gift. Photographs from the late 1940s into the 1970s depict sidewalks jammed with warmly dressed shoppers and the street crowded with cars, trucks and buses. Garland, wreaths, bows and candy canes hung above the street, creating a festive setting.

The large department stores E.W. Edwards, Sibley’s, Dey Bros., Addis Co., Witherill’s and Chappell’s along with several other retail businesses attracted customers with holiday enticements. The stores were decorated, featured their own Christmas toy departments that displayed the latest products and promoted photos with Santa Claus. E.W. Edwards also operated the rocket, a monorail ride that accommodated younger children. More practical gift ideas for adults were advertised, including clothing, shoes and accessories, as well as small appliances or home furnishings. Store employees would wrap most gifts for free.

In between shopping, residents could eat sandwiches or meals at F.W. Woolworth, Schrafft’s or several other restaurants. Dey Brothers had its own mini parade in the 1950s, featuring Santa on a float that traveled from the Onondaga County War Memorial to the store. Then, for a while in the 1960s, Syracuse followed other area cities by hosting its own annual Christmas parade just before Thanksgiving Day. Each parade had its own theme, featured giant balloons and bands and culminated with Santa arriving on a decorated float. Sponsored by the Retail Trade Bureau of the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, the Christmas parades helped to usher in the annual Christmas shopping season.

The large department stores, thousands of holiday shoppers and the annual Christmas parade may now be gone, but the memories live on for many who still remember the heyday of the Christmas season in downtown Syracuse.

Thomas Hunter is Curator of Collections at Onondaga Historical Association.

Ghosts of Christmas Past along Salina Street

JOHN TUMINO

WITH Co-founder, In My Father’s Kitchen

BY MJ KRAVEC

To close our giving issue, we thought it appropriate to catch up with John Tumino, founder of In My Father’s Kitchen (IMFK), a faithbased organization that offers help to homeless people through direct street outreach and other programs. The former part owner of Asti’s Restaurant in Syracuse established the group with wife Leigh-Ann in 2011 after meeting a homeless man on the street. Now, along with direct outreach efforts, IMFK offers services that include Hire Ground, a collaboration with Onondaga County that employs homeless people, Life House, a program that provides rent-free living to women who choose to leave human trafficking, and other projects. We checked in to find out how early John starts his day and what he hopes people will see when they encounter homelessness on the street.

What time do you get up in the morning and how do you take your coffee? I get up in the morning between 4 and 5 a.m. I don’t set an alarm. It’s just my internal clock. I take my coffee doing my daily devotionals.

What’s your favorite season in CNY? Fall. I love October.

Favorite spot to enjoy the great outdoors? I’ve been doing that a lot lately — spending time outdoors. Any place that has a running, babbling creek or a waterfall. I love it.



Much of your work involves bringing fresh, home-cooked lunches to the hungry. That’s a lot of cooking. Today I’m already thinking about the meals for tomorrow. My thought process always starts with shopping for fresh ingredients, bringing them back to the building and making the lunches for the folks outside. The food is just a tool to building relationships. We’re also bringing supplies, clothing and now medical care. It’s about valuing people in the middle of their brokenness.

You put a lot of time in… On weekends, I really commit to my family and local church. It’s a full five days and more than 40 hours, but it’s not crazy like.

Before you and your wife Leigh-Ann founded In My Father’s Kitchen, you were a chef and CEO of your own company, did you ever think you’d be where you are now? I think for me the moments come regularly.

I’m always in these surreal moments when I’m under a bridge or in an abandoned house — only God would’ve known. It blows my mind. It never gets old.

What do you hope people think about when they encounter someone who is homeless? It can be hard to look at them. I want to just say to someone that that’s someone’s family member… For me, they’re family that are outside, they are not invisible. Just remember you can say ‘hi’ to someone.

How do you view the mission of IMFK? You mentioned you once encountered a man who was lost on the street and only needed directions on how to get to the Thruway, but he couldn’t speak English. You stopped to help and drove to the Thruway yourself with him following behind. That’s very symbolic… For me that was a real poignant moment. As soon as it was over I felt like it was an analogy [for what we do]. I had to be willing to be inconvenienced and willing to talk to someone and go outside my comfort zone. It’s part of who I am. We need to help these people navigate their life back on to the interstate.