Coral Gables Magazine September 2018

Alirio Torrealba, MG Developer CEO

“We’re not just in Coral Gables to build, we’re in Coral Gables to create a future, and to continue building The City Beautiful”

ALTHEA

BEATRICE ROW

BILTMORE PARC

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Learn more about the Celebrity Revolution and our current offers.

Contact one of our Holidays In Motion cruise specialist at 1-800-871-1777 or 305-443-3090 CruiseLeaders.com

©2018 Celebrity Cruises Inc. Ships’ registry: Malta and Ecuador. All renderings of The Celebrity Revolution SM represent current design concepts and are subject to change. Design enhancements will vary by ship and are subject to change. The Celebrity Revolution and Edge are trademarks of Celebrity Cruises.

Features

50

A Tale of Four Historic Restorations

The Coral Gables houses that Michael Steffens rebuilt shared one characteristic: They needed lots of work. And they were worth the effort.

54 A Sense of Place

Hyatt Hotels’ regional headquarters in Coral Gables strives to go local in Latin America

58

Designing Women

In the City Beautiful, it is the job of fashion designers to keep it that way

69

School Guide

Attending private school has become the norm in Coral Gables – but which is the best for your child?

Our guide to what’s out there.

Creatively speaking, Coral Gables has been very inspiring for me...

Silvia Tcherassi, fashion dessigner

Photograph by Jon Braeley

And What Do You Think, Chicken Little?

Idon’t believe anyone thought the Umbrella Sky installation above Giralda Plaza would be such a success, doubling foot traffic in July and then doubling it again in August. In the middle of the summer, no less. But it did (see story page. 12).

Now, with the umbrellas scheduled to come down this month, the merchants of Giralda are worried that this coveted surge will disappear. And rightly so. Before the umbrellas went up the summer doldrums had taken hold, and afterwards, voila.

I have two things to say about this concern. The first is a question: What would you, the citizens of Coral Gables, like to see happen? Umbrellas in perpetuity? Replacement installations of balloons, kites, flags, strips of colorful plastic? Maybe just great white canvas sails to provide shade? Please let us know and we will publish your thoughts (letters@thecoralgablesmagazine.com).

The second is an opinion: Bringing the umbrellas down won’t be as bad as feared. This is the analogy of Chicken Little and the little bird’s declaration that “The Sky is Falling.” Yes, some of the foot traffic may recede when the umbrellas disappear. But Giralda Plaza, like Miracle Mile, has reached an inflection point.

Miracle Mile has no umbrellas. It has

only the widened sidewalks of the StreetScape project, just as Giralda has its pedestrian plaza. And yet pedestrian traffic – and sales – are up on Miracle Mile. It is literally bustling on weekend evenings. According to the folks at Terranova, the Mile’s biggest landlord, sales are up 40 percent at restaurants that put tables on the sidewalk.

There is no doubt that the city should keep its options open on Giralda. At the very least, it should purchase and make permanent the trellises that now support the umbrellas on their wires (these were leased for the installation).

But with the cooler air of fall on its way, and the new umbrella-borne awareness of just how pleasant it is to dine and drink on Giralda, it is doubtful that the plaza will ever return to its pre-umbrella quietude.

What the Plaza and the Mile both need is the second reason that the old quarters of New Orleans are so full of people. The first reason is good food. We have that. The second reason is music. Indoor, outdoor, public, private, etc., there is music everywhere in the old town of New Orleans, beloved by locals and tourists alike.

So, let’s bring another layer of life, and another reason to habituate the new sidewalks and plaza of the downtown. Let’s bring on the musicians.

Let us know what you think: letters@thecoralgablesmagazine.com

On the cover: Maritza Fernandez, founder and owner of Filomena

PUBLISHER

Richard Roffman

EDITOR IN CHIEF

J.P.Faber

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Amy Donner

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Monica Del Carpio-Raucci

ART DIRECTOR

Jon Braeley

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Toni Kirkland

VP SALES DIRECTOR

Sherry Adams

SALES EXECUTIVE

Gloria Glanz

SENIOR WRITER

Doreen Hemlock

STAFF WRITER

Lizzie Wilcox

WRITERS

Karen F. Buchsbaum

Mike Clary

Kimberly Rodriguez Cyn. Zarco

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jonathan Dann Cyn. Zarco

SENIOR ADVISOR

Dennis Nason

CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION

CircIntel

J.P.Faber Editor in Chief

Coral Gables Magazine is published monthly by City Regional Media, 2051 SE Third St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. Telephone: (786) 206.8254. Copyright 2018 by City Regional Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph or illustration without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Send address changes to City Regional Media, 2051 SE Third St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. General mailbox email and letters to editor@thecoralgablesmagazine.com. BPA International Membership applied for March 2018. thecoralgablesmagazine.com

thecoralgablesmagazine.com

Fernandez Photography by Jon Braeley

Each month we will print letters that we receive from our readers. We encourage any and all commentary, including compliments as well as criticism, and of course comments about our community.

If you are interested in writing to us with your opinions, thoughts or suggestions, please send them to: letters@thecoralgablesmagazine.com

Congrats

Congratulations Coral Gables magazine on a fabulous publication! The insight from local leaders, interesting articles and recommendations on what to do and where to eat provide a special delivery to my mailbox each month. We appreciate the enthusiastic coverage on Umbrella Sky Coral Gables in your summer issue. The Coral Gables Community Foundation is so proud of the installation that brought thousands of visitors and love to our great City! As we prepare for our signature annual event, The Biltmore Ball to benefit the Coral Gables Community Foundation on October 5th, we are excited to embark on a glamorous evening celebrating our distinguished honorees who make Coral Gables a better place and the success of the Community Foundation over the past year. Guests will don their carnival masks for what has become the City’s premier social affair at the iconic Biltmore Hotel. As we celebrate our 27th year, we are proud of our role serving as the philanthropic conduit connecting families and corporations seeking to positively impact our shared community. Thank you for supporting the Coral Gables Community Foundation always!

Best Regards,

Mary Snow

Executive Director, Coral Gables Community Foundation

Good Show – Now and to Come

Congratulations on another great magazine. Thank you for providing such wide ranging coverage of the City Beautiful. Whether it’s business, food, entertainment or people in Coral Gables, you’ve got it covered.  Not surprising from your team. Can’t wait to see “Havana Music Hall”

at the Actor’s Playhouse October 10th –November 18th and looking forward to reading all about it in your magazine. Continued success, Jorge Martinez, The Conroy Martinez Group

Filling a Void

Coral Gables deserves a top quality editorial magazine and we finally have it in Coral Gables magazine. The articles and photography make it a must read for local residents. In my opinion, this is the top publication to remain up to date on the movers and shakers in the community on both a business and social level. Thank you for filling a void and creating a voice for the city.

Sincerely,

Hilda Jacobson, EWM

Cover to Cover

The new Coral Gables magazine is a huge welcome for so many of us that live in the Gables. I am thrilled with the format, style, content and of course relevance to the residents. I read every item from cover to cover as do so many of my friends and family. I love to recycle but they are so special they are going on my bookshelf. Thanks so much!

Maria Mas Blet, CG Resident

Great Job

I just want to let you know what a great job each and everyone in the Coral Gables

magazine is doing, from the articles, photos and quality of the magazine. The printing is great including the quality of the paper. I really enjoy it when I get it. Always something interesting to read. Great job.

Mary Angulo, CG Resident

A Needed Voice

I hope this email finds you well. I would like to congratulate you and your team.... As a Coral Gables resident and business owner, I always felt this kind of publication was needed to bring our community together. I wish you and the magazine much success. Once again, congratulations.

Dr. Daniel L. Campos. DNP

Cosmetic & Anti-Aging Medicine

A4E Institute, CG

New Kid

As the newest Kid on the Block in the Gables and owners of the recently opened MUNDO KITCHEN + Wine Bar, we hope you can share our story and our close Coral Gables ties with your readers. We were the owners of Botticelli Trattoria for 12 years. After leaving Miami in 2001 we have returned to Coral Gables, and want to share our vision of a neighborhood restaurant with a multitude of pastas, Asian fusion and Argentine influences. Warm Regards & Ciao, Chef

Jose Luis Pawelek

Pastry Chef Catherine Pawelek

Mundo Kitchen + Wine Bar

The first-ever Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Super Duper Fun Day Walk and Family Festival will follow a colorful 1-mile course along Bayshore Drive in beautiful Coconut Grove. Filled with imaginative stations, dance parties, marching bands, a kids race, fabulous food and live music, the whole family will have a great time. Don’t miss out on all the fun, sign up today at www.SuperDuperFunDay.com

Saturday 11.17.2018 Regatta Park, Coconut Grove

World Premiere!

October 10 – November

No More Umbrella Sky?

Streetwise p12

To Scoot or Not to Scoot

In Search of the Unknown Palm

Two Bucks a Shot One Pill Makes You Smaller Coral Gables Trending A Heat Hospital

No More Umbrella Sky?

MERCHANTS AND CIVIC LEADERS WANT THE RAINBOW TO CONTINUE

Before the July installation of the Umbrella Sky, an average of 2,000 to 2,400 pedestrians traversed downtown’s Giralda Plaza each day. Since Umbrella Sky – an overhead installation of more than 700 multi-colored umbrellas – that number has grown to a daily average of between 9,400 and 12,600. That is a 300 to 400 percent increase, virtually overnight.

These and other amazing facts were recently compiled in a report by Belkys Perez, Coral Gables’ marketing and events specialist who works for the city’s Economic Development Department. Another fact: Social and traditional media coverage of the event created more than 131 million impressions. The result? Merchants who had endured the Street Scape project to make Giralda a pedestrian mall have been rewarded with a big jump in business. “The smiles on people’s faces, the transmissions on social media, and the fact that people are coming there and helping out the restaurants and merchants has made the long wait worthwhile,” says City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark.

Business proprietors on Giralda Plaza could not agree more. “The Umbrella Sky has been an incredible success. People have come from all over,” says Nick Sharp, owner of the ThreeFold Café. “The

summer was horrible, pre-summer. Now it’s getting busier and busier.”

Nonetheless, Umbrella Sky’s days are numbered. “The response to the umbrella project, a collaborative effort with the Coral Gables Foundation, the BID [Business Improvement District] and the city, has been nothing short of amazing,” says Swanson-Rivenbark. “But the umbrellas are scheduled to come down on the 17th [of September].”

Just what – if anything –will replace them is an urgent concern for Giralda merchants, who now date their sales figures B.U and A.U. – Before the Umbrellas and After the Umbrellas. Venny Torre, president of the BID, suggests keeping the umbrellas in place, but changing their colors with the seasons. Other BID board members think they should be replaced with anything from beach balls to kites to canvas sails. As BID board member and City Commissioner Michael Mena puts it, “I don’t want to bring it down until we have something to replace it… the shade aspect alone has been fantastic.”

In Perez’s presentation, alternate imagery of other hanging installations range from silver plastic squares to long strips of colored cloth to hanging swings. But just what’s next is anybody’s guess.

To Scoot or Not to Scoot

You may have seen them zipping around the city –scooters like the ones you used as a kid, where you propelled yourself with one foot while standing on the other.

These same scooters are now powered by electric motors that can move you along at speeds of up to 15 mph, and they will be peppered around the downtown until the end of November as an experiment in mass transit. You can pick them up and drop them off pretty much anywhere in the city, thanks to advanced locator technology, with the caveat

that you are supposed to stay on sidewalks and avoid Miracle Mile as well as the first three blocks north or south of there on Ponce de Leon Boulevard. Starting them up is easy –just download the app that is on the bike’s steering handle, put in credit card and driver’s license information, and off you go. It costs $1 to unlock, and then 15 cents a minute. What could go wrong? That is what the city wants to find out. In the first 30 days of testing 75 scooters in August, no complaints or accidents so far…

For those aware that Coral Gables is home to the Montgomery Botanical Center, here is some good news: Dr. Lin Lougheed, world traveler and expert in English language instruction, has offered $100,000 in matching funds to create an MBC Plant Exploration Fund.

The Montgomery center is located off Old Cutler Road, on the former 120-acre Coral Gables estate of Col. Robert and Nell Montgomery, the founders of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Nell turned the property into a nonprofit devoted to research about tropical palms and cycads in 1959.

The center has 430 different palm species, says Dr. Patrick Griffith, the center’s executive director, but seeks more. “This plant exploration

fund supports work by our scientists, or scientists from abroad, to go out into wild places on the earth and find rare plants, learn about them, study them, and grow them,” says Griffith (pictured in the Dominican Republic, left, above). Dr. Lougheed, a Fellow of the NYC Explorer’s Club who lives on Miami Beach –and who has published 40 books on teaching English as a foreign language – believes that “all things begin with plants.”

Lougheed has gone exploring in Madagascar and remains a devoted supporter of the Montgomery center. “All the scientists who work there are unbelievably dedicated and smart,” he says. “And they are very cautious with money. Anything you give them will not be frittered away.”

In Search of the Unknown Palm

Two Bucks a Shot One Pill Makes You Smaller

The newest addition to the Gables coffee culture is Fixpresso, short for Fixed Prices for Espresso. In this case, all items on the menu –including coffee, tea, Perrier, chocolate croissants and ham sandwiches – are just $2 each. How attractive is that? And on opening day Aug. 17, the first 100 customers were offered one free coffee, per day, for a

year. Caffeine hounds started showing up at 3 a.m.; by the time doors opened at 7 a.m., more than 250 people had cued up.

Later that day Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli cut the official-opening ribbon, alongside Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce CEO Mark Trowbridge and Fixpresso founder Scott Deutsch.

It is called a Midsummer Night’s Dream, and as of last month it’s Coral Gables’ latest installation of public art: A gigantic stone couch set beneath the giant banyan tree that punctuates Bilboa Park, the triangle of green between Coral Way and Andalusia Avenue at Anderson Road. The idea of

the bench, say artists Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt (seated above) is to create “an outdoor room” that “dissolves the boundaries between fiction and reality.” The scale does make us feel a little like Alice in Wonderland, when she was small. Thanks to MG Developer for footing the bill.

A MATCHING GIFT FOR EXPLORERS TO BRING RARE PLANTS BACK TO THE GABLES

PUBLIC ART’S LATEST RESTING PLACE

Coral Gables Trending

Political Showdown

The contest for U.S. House of Representatives District 27, which includes Coral Gables, will be heating up now that former UM president Donna Shalala (Democrat) will be vying for the seat formerly occupied by Ileana Ro-Lehtinen against Cuban-American journalist Maria Elvira Salazar (Republican).

Celebrity Neighbor

Baptist turns up the Heat

Supermodel Elle Macpherson bought a 7 bed, 6.5 bath, 9,000 square-foot home in Coral Gables last month for $8.1 million. It’s the second celebrity home purchase here in recent months, following the July closing on a $19 million mansion by singer Marc Anthony. No media, including Architectural Digest, revealed Elle’s location. But we found it at 9550 Journey’s End Road, in the gated community on Old Cutler. Howdy, neighbor!

Football Dreams Dashed

The Miami Hurricanes ended last year’s college football season ranked No. 13 by the Associated Press, following their fall from No. 2 with three consecutive losses. Off season, however, hopes rose, and Miami was ranked No.8 in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll. After losing their first game this year to LSU, however, they painfully plumetted to AP’s No. 22. Ouch.

The Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute has long taken care of the bruised bones and torn ligaments of Miami’s sports teams. Now one of those teams, The Miami Heat, is partnering with the institute to create a new center for research and treatment of sports injuries. By next summer, The Miami Heat Sports Medicine Center will be in full operation as a division of the institute, in a four-story building adjacent to Doctor’s Hospital here in Coral Gables.

“This is a truly unparalleled partnership,” says Nelson Lazo, CEO of Doctor’s Hospital and the Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute, both part of Baptist Health South

Florida. Currently, the Institute serves as a clinical trial site for new orthopedic surgery techniques, novel implants, genetically-engineered cartilage and bone, and revolutionary biologics. With new funding from the Heat, the Institute will continue pioneering advances in orthopedic medicine in its new facility – just in time for the punishing 2019-20 season.

“I just think this relationship is about the future,” says Miami Heat President Pat Riley (above). “It will be something that the Miami Heat and Baptist Health will be doing for years. Both organizations are paying forward. That’s what it’s about.”

Shopping The Joy of

JOIE, WELL INTO ITS SECOND YEAR IN CORAL GABLES, OFFERS MODERN, ATTAINABLE STYLE

By Kim Rodriguez

Joie, pronounced like “joie de vivre,” is one of the most sought-after contemporary lifestyle brands in the market today. In Florida, there are just two stores dedicated to the brand, and one of them is here, tucked away in the Shops at Merrick Park (the other, since you asked, is in Boca Raton). Here, the women of Coral Gables can shop the entire collection rather than a small, edited assortment sold in department stores and boutiques scattered throughout Miami.

Although the Gables store will soon be celebrating its two-year anniversary, it remains somewhat of a surprise when women first walk in. It’s located next to the now defunct Tourneau and Calypso stores, and finds itself in a kind of pass-through corridor to the restaurants rather than on one of the main shopping thoroughfares. But, once discovered, this global brand is a welcome addition to local shopping options. As a personal stylist, it’s one of my favorite “go to” shops, and I’ve loved this women’s brand since its inception in 2001.

The Joie woman is worldly and contemporary, and the brand represents to her attainable luxury, elegance and femininity. It’s a way of dressing that is modern and stylish yet timeless. “The Coral Gables area sees both a mix of a classically chic local woman and a worldly international traveler, and that’s the perfect combination of customers for Joie,” declares the company literature.

Denim jacket paired with check pattern pants

(Right) Floral print dress

When entering the store, you are immediately drawn into a relaxing, comfortable, feminine setting, which beautifully showcases each of the collections. It is such a pretty space that you find yourself lingering, moving through each vignette effortlessly as you journey through the season’s inspiration.

Women will enjoy three fall deliveries this year, each with a specific story and idea, some of which have already hit the racks. Look forward to menswear prints and suiting, retro florals, feminine dresses, scarf blouses, leather, romantic ’80s inspired sleeves, military and camo references, and modern varsity. The Joie woman can do her one-stop fall shopping here if so inclined, or come away with a collection piece that will easily pair with her staples at home. A visit here won’t disappoint.

Kim Rodriguez is a Personal Stylist and Shopper whose clients include many Coral Gables residents. Krpersonalstyle.com

Photos courtesy of Joie

Floral silk blouse paired with faded denim pants

Donde Puedo Encontrar un Libro?

IF YOU WANT A BOOK IN SPANISH, ALTAMIRA LIBROS IS YOUR PLACE

By Doreen Hemlock

Spanish-language bookstores are sparse in South Florida, so Altamira Libros on Miracle Mile is a welcome addition for lovers of works by the likes of Cervantes or Padura, or tomes translated into Español. It displays a whopping 16,000 titles and can custom order for pickup, usually within a week.

Venezuelan husband and wife team Carlos Alfredo and Susana Souki never set out to start a bookshop in the United States. They had owned and operated a chain of music stores in their South American homeland for years. But when Venezuela’s government imposed a complex system of foreign exchange controls in 2013, they could no longer afford to import CDs, music books and other supplies. The shutdown of the last of their seven Esperanto stores made front-page news in Caracas.

Carlos Alfredo went to work with a friend who owned a pet store chain in Venezuela, but his pal faced similar woes and closed in 2015. On a trip to South Florida to see family and friends, Carlos Alfredo inquired about where to get Spanish-language books. When he learned that folks often buy selections from Mexico, Colombia and Spain, he decided to approach publishers in those nations about importing directly for a U.S. store.

To his surprise, they said yes. Altamira Libros debuted in late 2016.

“There’s a big underserved market in Spanish, and the way to reach it is to have merchandise here,” says Carlos Alfredo, a civil engineer by training.

Selling in the U.S. differs greatly from Venezuela, the Soukis have learned. Clients in Coral Gables routinely check Amazon.com from the store to compare prices and availability before buying. Some also request home delivery for purchases – practices not common in Caracas, says Carlos Alfredo.

To compete, Altamira offers what’s likely the largest selection of Spanish-language books in the Miami area, hosts presentations by local authors and fulfills custom orders quickly, the Soukis say.

That ample variety – from children’s books to new fiction from Spain and Latin America – recently attracted Jean C. Ruiz, 34, a Venezuelan with degrees in law and business who works nearby. Ruiz, who is fluent in Spanish, French and English, was looking for works in Español, “because I don’t want to abandon my mother tongue. Books help me stay up-to-date with the language.”

There’s a big undeserved market in Spanish, and the way to reach it is to have merchandise here...

Husband and wife team Carlos Alfredo and Susana Souki

7220 Los Pinos Boulevard, Cocoplum, Coral Gables, FL 33143 - NEW LISTING!

Two story modern custom-built home in 2008. Updated in 2016, with a great floor plan, high ceilings and beautiful finishes. Open plan living/dining room flow to large covered terrace and pool deck. Elevator, generator and all impact resistant. Civic voluntary HOA, tennis courts, Coral Gables Police patrol.

6 Bed / 6 Bath / 1 Half bath | 7,183 adj. sf. | 18,905 sf. lot | $4,750,000

7370 Vistalmar Street, Cocoplum, Coral Gables, FL 33143 - NEW LISTING!

Spectacular! Designed by Arquitectonica. Open, bright, clean lines, custom built with great finishes. Spacious kitchen with oversized island with seating counter, open to family. Large L-shaped terrace framing dramatic lap pool and landscape. Civic voluntary HOA, tennis courts, Coral Gables Police patrol.

5 Bed / 5 Bath / 1 Half bath | 5,653 Adj. sf. | 20,923 sf. lot | $3,395,000

5990 SW 80 Street, South Miami, FL 33143

Rare-find one Story, one year-New contemporary on oversized lot. The home features beautiful entrance breezeway and courtyard, open floor plan, high ceilings, light porcelain floors and is very private. Great natural light from clerestory windows, sliding glass doors to pool patio and terrace.

5 Bed / 4 Bath / 1 Half bath | 5,223 Total sf. | 17,388 sf. lot | $2,649,000

Bites p26

Your Local Irish Pub

Spice, Spice Baby

LOOSEN YOUR BELTS, FOLKS, BECAUSE MIAMI SPICE IS IN FULL SWING

Can any city really have a sense of cozy community without an Irish pub? John Clarke and Martin Lynch didn’t think so when they decided to start John Martin’s Irish Pub in the heart of Coral Gables in 1989.

“Back in the day, every city had an Irish pub,” says Lynch. “But back in 1989, when we first started, there was no social place in the Gables for people to gather… Before we got it going here, you could roll a ball down Miracle Mile at night and hit nobody.”

Lynch and Clarke had grown up together in Ireland’s County Cavan, and knew what it meant to have a local pub –

Your Local Irish Pub

JOHN MARTIN’S IS NOW JUST SHY OF 30 YEARS IN THE GABLES, A TRUE LOCAL INSTITUTION THAT CHANGED THE RULES OF DRINKING HERE

By J.P. Faber

public houses that for centuries had served the working man, evolving over the years into community hangouts.

The problem was a Coral Gables ordinance on the books since 1926, which prohibited the establishment of an independent bar. You could serve liquor in a hotel, or in a restaurant if the bar was out of sight. But the traditional bar –with stools in front and a wall of bottles behind – was taboo.

So, when John Martin’s Irish Pub first opened, you couldn’t get a drink from the bartender. “You could sit at a low table by the bar and talk to the bartender, but he couldn’t actually serve you the drink,”

laughs Lynch. “So, a server would come around to get the drink order, then go around to the service bar, get the drink from the bartender, and bring it back.”

Lynch and several other local proprietors finally convinced the city commission to repeal the law in late 1990, making it possible for restaurants throughout Coral Gables to install bars.

After that Lynch and Clarke expanded their pub to include a restaurant next door, knocking out the wall between and building it all from wood imported from Ireland – including flooring from an old Dublin church. They had the space

Back in 1989, when we first started, there was no social place in the Gables for people to gather…

Co-owner Martin Lynch

Above: Owners, John Clarke (left) and Martin Lynch (right)

Bites

designed by an Irish architect, who made sure that every table had a view of the bar.

Over the years, John Martin’s has evolved to accommodate contemporary tastes – “Ten years ago we would never have dreamt of doing trivia nights,” says Lynch – but the core Irish authenticity has never waned.

Lynch was raised in a small Irish parish, where he and Clarke went to a national school that consisted of two rooms. Both moved to Dublin, then Lynch came to America in 1981 after his wife was recruited as a nurse, one of 17 Irish girls brought over to work at Coral Gables hospital. Clarke followed a few years later and both worked in the restaurant industry; Lynch as a waiter at Christie’s, Clarke as the banquet chef at the Biltmore Hotel. After their epiphany about the Gables’ need for an Irish pub, they brought investors from home – as they did their first staff – and kept true to their identity.

“We do a weekly menu now where we change out five or six items,” says Clarke. “But the bangers and mash, the shepherd’s pie, the fish and chips – these have never changed on the menu.” Clarke has run the kitchen since its inception, and still makes all the sauces and soups from scratch. “It’s something we are very proud of,” he says.

Keeping it real, John Martin’s is now expanding its offerings of Irish whiskey, which is coincidentally a hot growth area in the liquor business. Among the latest he’s added to his Jameson’s and Bushmills’ are Claddagh, Clonakilty, and Teeling. If you are

lucky, you might come in one night when there is a tasting going on.

Today, Miracle Mile is a far cry from what it was when John Martin’s first started. With new competition coming from other nightspots, the bar at John Martin’s is not as jammed.

“We do get a good crowd in here at night, but it’s not like it used to be,” says Lynch. “In the early days, there weren’t many acts in town like this. Now you have roughly the same population but you’ve got hundreds more restaurants, so the whole business has been diluted.”

Nonetheless, John Martin’s keeps it going with a spate of regulars, and lots of private-party business. They also cater to special clients with special programming, like a Saturday late-night happy hour from 10 p.m. to midnight. Or “open mic night” on Sundays at 8 pm… “It’s for all of the frustrated musicians who thought they were Led Zeppelin when they were younger,” says Lynch.

“Now they are attorneys and doctors and advertising executives. They all come in and play music, and they are appreciated.”

The bangers and mash, the shepherd’s pie, the fish and chips – these have never changed on the menu...

Co-owner John Clarke

Bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes)

Overlooking the Biltmore Golf Course, this inspiring gated residence is sure to amaze you with its masterfully planned living spaces. Built in 1924 and situated on nearly an acre, Spanish influence is found throughout. Volume ceilings, renaissance-style double doors and stunning hardwood floors enhance the residence’s appeal. The interior boasts a grand formal living room with 20 foot coffered wood ceilings, formal dining room, library, sun porches, antique lighting fixtures, 3 fireplaces and a modern kitchen featuring top appliances. The split floor plan offers a private wing for residents, and a guest suite in the north wing. The estate has not changed hands in 75 years, offering a rare opportunity to purchase one of Coral Gables’ original gems.

3 80 0 GRANADA BOULE V ARD, C O RAL G AB LES

7 BEDROOMS | 5.5 BATHROOMS | 7,882 SF | 2-CAR GARAGE

Spice, Spice Baby

LOOSEN YOUR BELTS, FOLKS, BECAUSE MIAMI SPICE IS IN FULL SWING

Photos and text by Lizzie Wilcox

The two-month gourmet sampling, where top Miami restaurants offer a discounted three-course meal ($23 for lunch, $39 for dinner) is in full bloom through September.

The idea is to go where you’ve never gone before. And while restaurants all over Miami-Dade are taking part, you don’t have to leave the Gables, where more than 30 restaurants are participating. So you might as well let your pants out now because you’ve got a lot of ground to cover. We sampled a half dozen for you, but the rest is up to you: Aromas Del Peru • Bellmónt • Bocas House • Brasserie Central • Bricktop’s • Bulla Gastrobar

Bellmónt LUNCH

Appetizer: Rollitos San Jacobo, Sauteed vegetables

Main Course: Fresh King Wild Canadian Salmon, Paella, Pork Loin Bocata

Dessert: Tarta San Marcos, Homemade nougat ice cream

Bellmónt’s menu will make any Spaniard feel right at home.

What we sampled:

Appetizer: Rollitos San Jacobo. To translate to Cuban, it’s like a cheesy croqueta, with chicken, Swiss cheese and ham rolled together and fried, delivering a warm, heavenly taste.

Main Course: Paella Mariscos (seafood). It’s a Spanish restaurant, so we had to order paella. We opted for the seafood variety, and the assortment of shrimp, clams, mussels and more did not disappoint.

Dessert: Tarta San Marcos. There are so many different textures, from the mousse-like top layer to the airy cream filling; together they form a confectionary masterpiece.

Bulla DINNER

Appetizer: Albondigas, Croquetas de pollo, Huevos cabreados, Ceviche de jalapenos, Caesar salad

Main Course: Salmon, Peas and ham, Branzino con kale, Herb marinated grilled pork tenderloin, Cumin marinated grilled chicken skewers

Dessert: Crema catalana, Churros con chocolate

Bulla wins big for including a glass of sangria in the menu. Try the beer version. What we sampled:

Appetizer: Ceviche de Jalapeño. Wow. The orange and lime juices kill the spice, but you still have all the flavor.

Main Course: Pintxo y Tostada de Aguacate. For gringos, this means grilled chicken skewers over avocado toast. You can live off the avocado toast and tomato salad alone.

Dessert: Churros con Chocolate. Six fried dough churros with warm milk chocolate and cool dulce de leche for all your dipping needs.

Caffe Vialetto • Christy’s Restaurant • Cibo Wine Bar Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse Fontana • Graziano’s • Kao Sushi & Grill by Sushiclub • La Palma Le Provençal • M House • Mariposa • Maroosh Mediterranean Mesa Mar Seafood • Mikuna Peruvian Cuisine • Morton’s • Ortanique • Palme D’Or • Pascal’s on Ponce • Ruth’s Chris Steak House • Sawa • Seasons 52 • Shula’s 347 Grill • Swine Southern Table • Talavera Cocina Mexicana • Tap 42 • The Seven Dials • Xixon Spanish Restaurant • Zucca

Ortanique DINNER

Ortanique’s Miami Spice menu changes every day, so call ahead for its daily offerings. When you find the giant flamingo, you’ve reached your destination.

Ortanique is famous for its Caribbean cuisine. What we sampled:

Appetizer: Watermelon and Mango Salad. We can only describe this as the perfect summer salad, light and refreshing, topped with feta cheese and the perfect amount of dressing.

Main Course: Skirt Steak. Everything about this dish was drool-inducing. The steak was perfectly marinated and sliced, served atop veggies and mashed potatoes. Needless to say, we cleared the plate.

Paella by Bellmónt

Skirt Steak by Ortanique

Dessert: Tres Leche. Nothing says Miami like tres leche, so what better way to round out a Miami Spice meal than with this classic dessert? Ortanique’s version with shaved coconut is now our favorite.

Le Provençal

DINNER

Appetizer: Pâté en croute, Frog legs tempura

Main Course: Poulet roti, Veal sirloin, Striped bass

Dessert: Île flotantte, Raspberry napoleon

This is classic French cuisine coupled with the perfect wines. What we sampled:

This classic French pastry has flaky puff pastry, sweet raspberries, blueberry sauce and a cool mixed-berry sorbet.

Sawa DINNER

Appetizer: Salad duo, Kibby Sampler, Spicy potato wrapped filet mignon yakitori, Shrimp kataif, Salmon volcano wraps

Main Course: Palm Goddess salad, Pistachio crusted lamb rack, Dolphin a la plancha, Filet mignon strips with pomme dauphinois, Ravishing radish roll, Lotus roll

Dessert: Mocha mochio mélange, Chocolate baklava ice cream

never be vegetarian, and this dish is one of the reasons we will never ever be vegetarian. Stupendous.

Dessert: Baklava. Baklava consists of layers of filo dough sandwiched together with chopped nuts and honey or syrup. Sweet!

Zucca

DINNER

Appetizer: Corvina Marinata, Burratina con carpaccio di Pomodoro, Arugula and pear salad

Main Course: Tagliatelle pasta with dugh ragu, Artichoke ravioli, Mahi mahi filet, Cube of New York steak

Dessert: Tiramisu, Gelato

Chef Simone Mua, who hails from Milan, cooks all dishes with a signature ingredient that he calls passion. What we sampled:

Appetizer: Arugula and pear salad with caciotta cheese and walnuts. Perfectly delicious, and perfect to hold you over until the entrée.

Main Course: Artichoke ravioli served in a walnut and rosemary sauce. The pasta was cooked just right and the sauce was savory. We ate every last ravioli.

Dessert: Tiramisu. It’s an Italian restaurant, so how could we not go with the tiramisu, which was nothing short of perfection.

Appetizer: Cuisses de Grenouille Tempura. Frog Legs –but tastes better than chicken. Chef James Rogers makes them “tempura style,” battered and fried. Served atop a sweet and sour garlic sauce. Amazing. Main Course: Filet de Dorade. Striped bass cooked to perfection. The meat could easily be pulled apart, but the skin was crispy and flavorful, with a red wine beurre rouge sauce.

Dessert: Napoléan Framboise.

Despite the humidity, seating outside on the patio, underneath the palm trees and green umbrellas makes for the perfect dining experience. What we sampled:

Appetizer: Shrimp Kataifi. Sounds like a weird combination – shrimp, kataifi (dough), brie and sweet chili sauce – but it works. Tasty as heck.

Main Course: Pistachio Crusted Lamb Rack. Lamb is one of the reasons we will

Frog Legs by Le Provençal

Shrimp Kataifi by Sawa

Tiramisu by Zucca

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Shutts & Bowen is a full-service law firm that has provided leadership and high-quality legal services to businesses and individuals for over a century. With more than 280 attorneys in eight offices in Florida, our attorneys focus on more than 30 distinct practice areas nationally and internationally.

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305.347.7342

Living p34

For the Love of Babies On the Good/Evil Border Literary Vino

For the Love of Babies

FAMED BABY PHOTOGRAPHER ANNE GEDDES EXHIBITS HER FIRST U.S. GALLERY SHOW TO BENEFIT THE GABLES’ NICKLAUS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

The first thing you need to know about babies is that “they are the ultimate divas,” says photographer Anne Geddes. “They basically say, ‘Make me happy or else everyone else will be unhappy.’” You also must know how to work quickly if you are taking their pictures. “At six months old, you’ve got maybe 10 minutes. Babies are so unpredictable.”

They have also been the focus of Geddes’ career for the last 30 years, when she began as a baby portrait photographer in Hong Kong. After a decade of taking their pictures for parents, she began to publish

some of her best shots; her debut book, “Down in the Garden,” became a New York Times bestseller in 1996.

Since then, Geddes has become world famous for her creative shots of babies dressed in everything from bumble bee suits to sunflowers, sitting in cabbage leaves or on beds of roses. Her work has been published in over 84 countries, with more than 19 million books and 13 million calendars sold. Among her areas of focus, Geddes – a self-described global advocate and philanthropist for children – is the premature baby, which is particularly

I need to have the viewer to be moved by the image, to think about their own emotions in a different way...

Living

vulnerable and in need of love and care.

To bring further attention to the plight of parents with premature babies, and to help support the medical facilities needed by them, Geddes will be exhibiting black & white images of premature and newborn babies this month at the Moore Building in the Miami Design District. These limited-edition prints will be for sale, with proceeds benefitting Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Last year, Geddes was inducted by Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation into their International Pediatric Hall of Fame.

“Wherever we’ve lived, we’ve associated ourselves with a hospital, be it in Sydney or Hong Kong,” says the Australian native. Now a U.S. resident (NYC), Geddes has been working with Nicklaus Children’s to support their fetal care program. She visits South Florida and the Gables annually to do high-end private portraiture, as well as photograph parents and their children at the hospital for posting on social media.

While she is famous for many of her color images, Geddes says the black & white photographs are more “classic” in their imagery.

“There is something about looking at black & white that has a sense of timelessness. And it cuts back on unnecessary imagery that can distract your eye. I need to have the viewer to be moved by the image, to think about their own emotions in a different way, and black & white approaches the mind a little bit more,” says Geddes. Sept.14 11am-3pm Moore Bldg. 4040 NE 2nd Ave.

Geddes will be exhibiting black & white images of premature and newborn babies this month at the Moore Building in the Miami Design District.

Literary Vino

On the Good/Evil Border

Self-taught painter Sebastian Spreng was immediately inspired by the vibrant colors of Miami when he first visited in the mid-1980s from his homeland of Argentina. For more than three decades since then, Spreng has created works of art from his condo on Biscayne Bay that have been exhibited across the U.S., Europe and South America.

Spreng’s current exhibit at the Lowe Art Museum takes on a different hue. Though Spreng is Argentinian by birth, his ancestors hailed from Germany, and his family’s roots sparked his interest in the city of Dresden. That East German city, once home to Medieval and Renaissance artists, was incinerated toward the end of World War II by an Allied bombing spree, despite having no military value.

To Spreng, Dresden – the title of his current exhibition – symbolizes “humankind’s endless potential for good and evil.” This thought is portrayed in the more literal pieces that show outlines of a burning city or ruins.

All 61 works in “DRESDEN,” were created on an iPad, with many then printed on aluminum. Spreng, who is confined to a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy, turned to the iPad after painting became too physically painful. According to Spreng, “The late art critic Helen Kohen suggested to me to try to draw on an iPad, like David Hockney did. I started from scratch, like I did with painting, without tutorials or influences, trying to develop the same style that I had as a painter. And it works.”

See Calendar Listings pg 42

This month another 16 lucky students will attend Patrick Alexander’s Wine Appreciation Program, a six-week class that teaches you about the basics of wine drinking. What distinguishes a merlot from a Bordeaux? What makes one cabernet sauvignon better than the next? Can Californian wines compete with the French? If anyone knows the answers, it’s Alexander, who originally developed the class at UM while teaching there.

What makes Alexander so knowledgeable? He never intended to become an oenophile. After graduating with a degree in philosophy in his native England, Alexander decided to live the practical life of an international accountant. By chance he ended up working first in the Bordeaux region of France, then on the Swiss-Italian border near the vineyards of Piedmont, and finally for five years in California wine country.

“So everywhere I’ve lived after leaving England I’ve been surrounded by vineyards. That’s where my background

comes from. And then I moved to Coral Gables, where I have been for 32 years and where there is no wine,” he says.

Rather than disappointing him, however, Alexander says this “is one of the best places to live in the world if you like wine.” That’s because Miami is where South American wines enter the U.S. market, and where the affluent citizenry enjoys European imports as well as Californians. “If you live in Bordeaux, all you drink is Bordeaux. If you try to convince a friend to drink Burgundy, then they think, ‘Oh well, you’re English and don’t know anything.’ Here, you have all the wines.”

Adding a twist to his classes is Alexander’s book (published last year by Books & Books Press, of course) entitled “The Booklover’s Guide to Wine.” It is really more of an introduction to understanding and appreciating wines, but you can also learn why a claret makes sense when reading Charles Dickens, and how Albariño white wine pairs well with “The Hobbit”.

See Calendar Listings pg 41

THE DRESDEN EXHIBIT’S FINAL WEEKS

WHEN IT COMES TO WINE AND READING, NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN PATRICK ALEXANDER

Seinfeld Live Sept 21st

ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER

MUSIC

Wide Awake

U2 cover band

Sept. 7 (Fri.) 9 p.m.

Tickets: $10

Open Stage Club

BATTLEGROUND: Music Performed Live to Screen on Stage

Five-time Emmy-winning composer of music for film, media and concert halls joins the Frost School’s Henry Mancini Orchestra on stage

Sept. 7 (Fri.) 8 p.m.

Tickets: $30-$40

UM Gusman Concert Hall

SOULPAX Festival

Performance by the modern R&B duo from Miami

Sept. 9 (Sun.) 6 p.m.

Tickets: $10

Open Stage Club

South Florida Jazz Orchestra

The last of the jazz orchestras from the Summer of Big Bands series

Sept. 10 (Mon.) 7 p.m.

Tickets: $10 donation to Miami Jazz

Co-op

Open Stage Club

Tal Cohen and Adam Benja-

min: Jazz Piano Duo

Barry Harris Piano Competition winner Tal Cohen and Grammy-nominated Kneebody pianist Adam Benjamin perform in a jazz piano duo recital

Sept. 12 (Weds.) 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: Free Clarke Recital Hall

A Night of American Music

Frost Studio Jazz Band and Frost Concert Jazz Band//Large-scale

arrangements by Stephen Guerra and John Daversa

Sept. 13 (Thurs.) 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $20 ($15 seniors)

UM Gusman Concert Hall

Classic Albums Live: Led Zeppelin-Houses of the Holy A note for note, cut for cut recreation of one of Zeppelin’s most complex and nuanced albums

Sept. 14 (Fri.) 8 p.m.

Tickets: $35, $50 VIP table seating

South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts

Center

Pictures at an Exhibition

Carl St. Clair Conducts the Frost Symphony Orchestra in a program of Berlioz, Ravel and Mussorgksy

Sept. 15 (Sat.) 8 p.m.

Tickets: $20, $25, $30

UM Gusman Hall

Small Jazz Ensemble

An evening of music featuring Frost Music students and faculty

Sept. 24 (Mon.) 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Tickets: Free Clarke Recital Hall

Jazzilian Night

Live Brazil jazz and Bossa Nova

Sept. 27 (Thurs.) 7 p.m.

Tickets: $10 pre-sale, $15 at door

Open Stage Club

Choralcopia

Frost Choral, Frost Women’s Choir, Frost Symphonic Choir: American choral music by Chatman, Paulus, Clausen and more

Sept. 28 (Friday) 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Tickets: $20 ($15 seniors)

UM Gusman Concert Hall

Schumann Piano Masterpieces

Piano virtuoso Tian Ying plays Schumann’s greatest works for solo piano, joined by Anastasiya Naplekova for two-piano works

Tickets: $20 ($15 seniors)

Sept. 29 (Sat.) 8 p.m.

UM Gusman Concert Hall

THEATER

White Guy on The Bus

A wealthy white businessman and single black mom ride the same bus every week. Their relationship sparks a candid look at racial and economic divides.

Through Sept. 9 (Thurs., Fri., Sat. 8 p.m.; Sun. 2, 7 p.m.)

Tickets: $15-60

GableStage at The Biltmore

She Kills Monsters

Comedy fantasy about a woman who discovers the Dungeons and Dragons notebook of her deceased sister and goes on a wild ride. A New York Times Critics Pick when it premiered in 2011.

Sept. 14-30 (Fri. & Sat. 7:30 p.m.; Sat. 2 p.m.; Sun. 5 p.m.)

Tickets: $10-$25

Area Stage Company

A Simple Song: A Leonard Bernstein Centennial Celebration

A sampling of musical theater by the master, including songs from On the Town, Candide and West Side Story

Sept. 27-Oct. 6 (Wed.-Sat 8 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. 2 p.m.)

Tickets: $12 to $27

Ring Theater

Que Pasa, U.S.A.? Today

Our favorite Cuban family is back in

this brand-new Spanglish production

Sept. 28 – 30 (Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. 2 p.m.)

Tickets: $39-$199

Adrienne Arsht Center

EVENTS

Arts Launch 2018

An annual celebration to kick off Miami’s art season and celebrate the center’s official box office opening Sept. 8 (Sat.) 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Tickets: Free

Adrienne Arsht Center

Free Family Fun Day: Colombian Culture

Enjoy live music and dance performances during this jam-packed day of craft activities, hands-on music making, traditional Colombian cuisine, costumes, bilingual storytelling and much more

Sept. 8 (Sat.) 10 a.m.

Tickets: Free

HistoryMiami Museum

5K Run for United Way

Runners start at City Hall and end with a festive post-race party at Merrick Park, benefiting United Way of Miami-Dade

Sept. 8 (Sat.) 6 am to Noon

Tickets: $35, $40 day of run

Coral Gables City Hall

https://events.hakuapp.com/ups5k/

Coral Gables Waterway Canoe Tour

A two-hour tour of the waterway that snakes through the city, wildlife included Sept. 9 (Sunday) 9:30 a.m. to Noon

Tickets: $40

Coral Gables Museum

Kathy Griffin: Laugh Your Head Off Tour

The two-time Emmy and Grammy award-winning comedian breaks through the entertainment clutter with her universally recognized brand of pull-no-punches comedy

Sept. 12 (Weds.) 8 p.m.

Tickets: $39.50-$154

Adrienne Arsht Center

Aroid Society Show and Sale

Considered one of the most beautiful shows of the year at Fairchild, visitors can see a display of rare and unusual plants

Sept. 15-16 (Sat. & Sun.) 9:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.

Admission: $25 ($18 seniors, $12 children 6-17, free for children 5 and under)

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens

Carl Rimi

Comedy show

Sept. 15 (Sat.) 7 p.m.

Tickets: $15

Open Stage Club

Coral Gables Bike Tour

Take an educational and historic tour of the Gables on two wheels

Sept. 16 (Sun.) 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Tickets: $10, $5 for museum members and children under 12

Coral Gables Museum

A People’s History of

Florida

South

Program Series: Art and Community

Speakers will talk about the many ways art can connect with a community

Historic Miami River Cruise with Dr. George

Enjoy a ride on the river with History Miami Museum’s Resident Historian

Dr. Paul George as he recounts the history of Miami

Sept. 23 (Sun.) 10 a.m.

Tickets: $50 museum members, $60 non-members, $25 children Island Queen at Bayside Marketplace, 401 Biscayne Blvd.

Patrick Alexander’s Fall Wine Appreciation Class

The first class of a six-week program designed for anyone who enjoys wine

Sept. 24 – Nov. 5 (Mon. nights) 6 p.m.

Tickets: $295 for 12 hours of classes and 24 different wines

The Café at Books & Books

7th Annual Fashion Gives Back Raises funds and awareness for the patients of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital

Sept. 27 (Thurs.) 6 p.m.

Tickets: $50-$200 Moore Building

Samuel Comroe

Comedy show

Sept. 29 (Sat.) 7 p.m.

Tickets: $20

Open Stage Club

ART/MUSEUMS

Anne Geddes Exhibition

World-renowned photographer and children’s advocate Anne Geddes will host her first official gallery exhibition

Sept 23rd

Historic Miami River Cruise

by impacting the physical, economic, social and cultural elements of society

Sept. 20 (Thurs.) 6 p.m.

Tickets: Free

HistoryMiami Museum

Seinfeld Live America’s premier comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, returns to the Arsht Center to perform his signature stand-up routine

Sept. 21 (Fri.) 7 p.m.

Tickets: $72.50-93.50

Adrienne Arsht Center

in the U.S. benefiting Nicklaus Children’s Hospital

Sept. 14 (Fri.) 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Free of charge

Moore Building

Grids: A Selection of Paintings by Lynne Golob Gelfman

Celebrate the opening of “Grids” with a walk-through of the exhibition with the artist, followed by complimentary bites and beverages

Sept. 15 (Sat.) 3 p.m.

Pérez Art Museum Miami

Admission: $16 ($12 seniors, students)

Hands & Earth: Six Perspectives on Japanese Contemporary Ceramics

Exquisite ceramic works from the private collection of Jeffrey and Carol Horvitz, spanning an array of distinguished Japanese ceramicists

Through Sept. 23

Admission: $12.50 ($8 seniors)

Lowe Art Museum

Sebastian Spreng: DRESDEN

Haunting images of the destruction of Dresden during WWII, created digitally and printed on large brushed aluminum squares

Through Sept. 23

Admission: $12.50 ($8 seniors)

Lowe Art Museum

Sheila Elias: Painted Pixels

Waves of color printed on metal and canvas, also created on the iPad

Through Sept. 23

Admission: $12.50 ($8 seniors)

Lowe Art Museum

INDIE FILM

Memoir of War

She’ll stop at nothing to discover what’s become of her husband in France during the Occupation

Sept. 7 – 13 (Fri. – Thurs.)

Tickets: $11.75 ($10 seniors, students)

Coral Gables Art Cinema

The Kid

Charlie Chaplin’s first full-length film, on a 35mm print

Sept. 8 & 9 (Sat. & Sun.) 11 a.m.

Tickets: $5

Coral Gables Art Cinema

American Chaos

Six months before the 2016 presidential election, director Stim Jern traveled through red states to spend time with Trump supporters from different backgrounds

Sept. 14 (Fri.) 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: $10, $8 seniors

Bill Cosford Cinema

Sept

Brickell Bank supports and shares the values of the people we serve and work with by taking an active role in the South Florida community. By partnering with like-minded organizations such as the Coral Gables Garden Club we affirm our commitment to our universal values around education, diversity and community

www.coralgablesgardenclub.org

Sacred Ground

A selection of documents and objects from Lincoln Memorial Park, one of Miami’s most historically significant cemeteries, now being restored

Through Nov. 6

Admission: $10 ($8 seniors, students)

Coral Gables Museum

William Cordova’s Now’s the Time

Naratives of Southern Alchemy

Through Oct. 7

Admission: $16 ($12 seniors, students, under 19)

Pérez Art Museum Miami

Sid Grossman: Photography, Politics and the Ethical Image

Through Oct. 28,

Admission: $16 ($12 seniors, students, under 19)

Pérez Art Museum Miami

Pick of the Litter

Cameras follow a litter of puppies from the moment they’re born and begin their quest to become guide dogs

Sept. 21 (Fri.) 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: $10, $8 seniors

Bill Cosford Cinema

Julie

Broadcast live from the National Theatre to cinemas, a new version of the play Miss Julie remains shocking and relevant in modern-day London

Sept. 28 – 30 (Fri. – Sun.)

Tickets: $20 ($18 seniors, students)

Coral Gables Art Cinema

BOOK READINGS

Lisandro Peréz//Sugar, Cigars, and Revolution

The dramatic story of the origins of the Cuban community in 19th century

We invest in those who help our community grow.

New York

Sept. 7 (Fri.) 8 p.m.

Books & Books

James Masciarelli//Beyond

Beauport

Shannon Clarke raised a family and worked waterfront jobs in America’s oldest seaport

Sept. 12 (Weds.) 6:30 p.m.

Books & Books

An Evening with Walter Mosley//John Woman

The transformation of an unassuming boy into an unconventional history professor – while a hideous crime lurks in the shadows

Sept. 17 (Mon.) 8 p.m.

Tickets: Buy the book to reserve two seats. Tickets for free seats are not guaranteed after 7:45 p.m.

Books & Books

Carol Anderson

The author of “White Rage,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, “Bourgeois Radicals” and “Eyes off the Prize.”

Sept. 20 (Thurs.) 8 p.m.

Books & Books

Kevin Kwan//Crazy Rich Asians

New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, the country’s most eligible bachelor

Sept. 21 (Fri.) 8 p.m.

Books & Books

David Lawrence Jr.//A Dedicated Life

Moderated by Channel 10’s Michael Putney, a memoir about the importance of serving others and of the role of journalists

Sept. 25 (Tues.) 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $32.51 (admits two people and includes a copy of the book) Temple Judea

Gary Shteyngart//Lake Success

Deeply stressed by an SEC investigation and his three-year-old son’s diagnosis of autism, Barry Cohen flees NY on a Greyhound bus

Sept. 27 (Thurs.) 7:30 p.m.

Books & Books

VENUES

Adrienne Arsht Center

1300 Biscayne Blvd. www.arshtcenter.org

786.468.2000

Area Stage Company 1560 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 103 www.areastagecompany.com

305.666.2078

Bill Cosford Cinema 5030 Brunson Dr. www.cosfordcinema.com

305.284.4861

Books & Books

265 Aragon Ave. www.booksandbooks.com

305.442.4408

Clarke Recital Hall 5501 San Amaro Dr. #201 www.frost.miami.edu

305.284.2241

Coral Gables Art Cinema 260 Aragon Ave. www.gablescinema.com

786.472.2249

Coral Gables Museum 285 Aragon Ave. www.coralgablesmuseum.org

305.603.8067

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens 10901 Old Cutler Rd. www.fairchildgarden.org

305.667.1651

GableStage at The Biltmore 1200 Anastasia Ave. www.gablestage.org 305.445.1119

HistoryMiami Museum 101 W Flagler St. www.historymiami.org 305.375.1492

Lowe Art Museum (UM) 1301 Stanford Drive www.lowe.miami.edu 305.284.3535

Moore Building 4040 NE 2nd Avenue

Open Stage Club 2325 Galiano St. www.openstageclub.com 305.441.7902

Pérez Art Museum Miami 1103 Biscayne Blvd. www.pamm.org

305.375.3000

South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center 10950 SW 211th St., Cutler Bay www.smdcac.org

786.573.5316

Temple Judea 5500 Granada Blvd. www.judeagables.org

305.667.5657

UM Gusman Concert Hall 1314 Miller Drive www.frost.miami.edu

305.284.2438

WISHING YOU MANY MORE SUCCESSFUL YEARS TO COME. CONGRATULATIONS TO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BARBARA STEIN AND HER SUPERB TEAM ON THEIR EXCELLENT WORK AND COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.

SMALL ENOUGH TO BE PERSONAL LARGE ENOUGH TO BE GLOBAL

OUR BOUTIQUE FIRM IS READY TO EXPERTLY HANDLE THE COMPLEXITIES OF MIAMI’S LUXURY PROPERTY MARKET WITH PERSONALIZED SERVICE AND BRILLIANT RESULTS.

Pictured from left to right: PATTI CECCHERINI, CARLA OLIVARES, BLAIR SONVILLE, LILIANA QUINTERO-SIDERIS, BEATRIZ CARDONA, LANI KAHN DRODY, JOHANNA ROLDAN, LAUREN BILLINGSLEA DOWLEN, JJ SNOW HANSEN, CARRIE FOOTE, SUZANNE SANTOS

People p46

Albert Santalo

DESIGNER & OWNER, DESIGN IT STUDIO

CEO AND FOUNDER OF 8BASE

Maribel Muñiz

Albert Santalo is a South Florida entrepreneur who started two successful tech companies, Avisena and CareCloud, helping medical practices handle billing more efficiently. Now, he’s launching a venture from Coral Gables to help businesses obtain custom software more quickly and cheaply. Born in Baltimore to Cuban immigrants, Santalo holds a bachelor’s in computer engineering from University of Miami and an MBA from FIU. He worked as a management consultant before starting his own businesses.

Albert Santalo

LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT WHAT HE SAYS

Created tech startup 8base in 2017 and raised nearly $1 million from angel investors. 8base now employs almost 20 people in Coral Gables at its offices in the WeWork incubator at Ponce de Leon and Giralda, as well as others in St. Petersburg, Russia. It plans to hire dozens more employees in South Florida and “near-shore” in Latin America, as it debuts different products.

“8base is software to build software,” says Santalo. Its platform lets people with limited tech skills build and host enterprise software, working with developers, contributors and users “in a decentralized ecosystem that makes software development fast and easy.” The platform uses blockchain technology for extra security. “Citizen developers” and organizations pay a monthly or yearly subscription for access to the platform.

“Our goal is to create

a world-class company that people clamor to work at,” says Santalo, 51, whose track record includes raising more than $100 million for his last venture, CareCloud. And why Coral Gables as home base for the new international startup?

“We really thrive in entrepreneurial settings. We had looked at several spaces, but loved the new WeWork location,” he says. “Coral Gables is also great for meetings and it’s near the airport.”

CEO AND FOUNDER OF 8BASE

We really thrive in entrepreneurial settings [and] loved the new WeWork location in Coral Gables.

Maribel Muñoz graduated from the interior design school of the Complutense University of Madrid in her native Spain, where she grew up in a winegrowing family in Galicia. For 25 years, she worked as a principle designer for the firm Gunni & Trentino, doing residential as well as commercial interior design. Four years ago, she moved with her family to Coral Gables, where she started Design It Studio. The firm also has offices in Monterrey, Mexico, and will launch another office in Ibiza, Spain later this year.

Maribel Muñiz

DESIGNER & OWNER, DESIGN IT STUDIO

LATEST ACHIEVEMENT WHAT SHE SAYS

Celebrated the first-year anniversary of Design It Studio, a full-service high-end interior design studio on Ponce de Leon Boulevard near Shops of Merrick Park.

“Although I was born and raised in Spain, Coral Gables was always the city that I was in love with” she says. Having spent several years living in the city back in the ’90s, Muñiz says she has wanted to come back ever since. “I always had this city on my mind. The architecture, the people, the nature… I knew this was the place that I wanted for me and my family” she says. Muñiz works with architects as they

are designing new homes, and with homeowners who want to refurbish. “One of the things that makes Coral Gables so interesting for me is the historic homes. All of the houses have an incredible personality. For us, as designers, it is an exciting challenge. My goal has always been to keep the great essence and the charm of every single home where I get to intervene,” she says.

I am the kind of person that thinks that it’s not about how much experience you have, but the attitude you bring to the table…

THE CORAL GABLES HOUSES THAT MICHAEL STEFFENS REBUILT SHARED TWO CHARACTERISTICS: THEY NEEDED LOTS OF WORK. THE OTHER CHARACTERISTIC: THEY WERE WORTH THE EFFORT.

A TALE OF FOUR HISTORIC RESTORATIONS

by Cyn. Zarco

Miracle Mile is the perfect place for an architect to set up shop. Ensconced on the second floor of a historic Mediterranean building off Salzedo, in what was originally a small apartment, Mike Steffens works at his wall-to-wall desk with The City Beautiful as backdrop. On his left is a bookcase full of miniature metal buildings, an enviable haul of hundreds of landmark collectibles from the Empire State Building to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. On the right, his prized architectural models hang on the wall.

Well-known as a champion of architectural historic preservation on the job and off, Steffens was once vice-chair of the Coral Gables Planning & Zoning Board, as well as a longtime member of the Coral Gables Historic Preservation Board and the Coral Gables Board of Architects. In 1999, after 14 years at Zyscovich Architects working on landmark projects such as Coral Gables City Hall, the St. Moritz Hotel and the Bass Museum, Steffens teamed with architect Gregory Allen Neville and put their names on the door.

On a beautiful day at 316 Miracle Mile, Steffens walks out on the roof to a detached flat where his wife and design partner, Marjorie Goldman, keeps her workshop. “In the twenties, George Merrick built these apartments so each shop owner could live above the store,” he says. Simply redone and un-modernized, the sunny studio is reminiscent of an idyllic time when the art of living was less complicated. Prototypes of Goldman’s modernist chairs stand out in a room highlighted with bright canvases of her work.

The designer couple has lived in Coral Gables for over 30 years. They acquired and renovated four remarkable historic homes in the city, most notably the restoration of the eighth home ever built here, just down the road from The Biltmore Hotel – a 1923 Walter de Garmo two-story, five-bedroom Adobe Mediterranean at 2512 Columbus Blvd., with a chauffeur’s apartment out back. It was their second historic rehab – the first was a 1926 house at 832 Santiago St. off Calle Ocho – but a far greater challenge.

“We bought it on the courthouse steps for about $200,000 from the heirs of Gables mayor Joseph Murphy,” Steffens says proudly. “The house was abandoned for five years because the family was fighting over it for so long. So, the judge put it up for auction.”

That was back in 1989, when their $200,000 budget for renovating the 3,200-square-foot-house seemed huge but barely proved adequate.

“Marge says we were young and stupid back then. We didn’t realize how much work or money we had to put in. It was not an easy project. There was very little concrete in the house – no concrete tie beams, no concrete lintels, etc., no good bones. Because there were no building codes until 1927, four years after it was built, the structure was fairly primitive. Even after we finished, we had problems with walls cracking and leaking.”

The son of Francis Michael Steffens, former vice president of residential-community developers Arvida, Steffens grew up on big construction sites all over Florida. With this background plus years of working as an architect, Steffens was

Photograph by Jonathan Dann

overqualified as his own architect/contractor, plumber and electrician on all four of the homes he restored.

“At 2512 Columbus, Marge and I tried to create something in the spirit of the house, something appropriate for the Twenties and the nineties,” he says. “We redid the whole place – electrical, plumbing – and installed a new roof and septic tank, insulated windows, ripped out four rooms for the kitchen, replaced walls with French doors, rebuilt the original wood-spindle gates to the courtyard, added a Moorish arch in the library and made a bar out of a closet.”

They also cut corners by getting friends to help with the demo. “Slamming walls with a sledgehammer is great anger management therapy,” he says with a grin. Next, after a decade of child-rearing, they pored over a hundred houses in and near the Gables to find their next project at 4501 Santa Maria.

Steffens tells the story: “Marge looked at a house one Friday afternoon. She didn’t like it, but I knew about the location. The street of Santa Maria is unique because it’s a nice private area by the Riviera Golf Course. Bob Griese lived there and Nick Buonoconti. The house belonged to the infamous Florida lawyer Chesterfield Smith of Holland & Knight. So, we went over there together. Soon as I saw it, I told Marge to call the realtor immediately. The open house was in two days. We made a deal to buy the house right then for over $1 million, practically its land value.”

Six years later, they sold the Santa Maria house and purchased their latest restoration challenge for $1.3 million – a 1957 3-bed/2.5-bath house just east of the Riviera Golf Course. Not a Mediterranean this time, Steffens calls it “his Ranchburger.” The house was in poor shape, but had a big backyard and a dock on the Gables canal. The couple allotted another $100,000 but, this time, only four months to complete the redux.

Steffens explains: “The interior layout is 99 percent the same. Most of the big work was done outside on the pool and patio. We opened up the kitchen, knocked down some walls, reconfigured the garage, upgraded the windows, electric, plumbing, baths.” The result: A sunny, well-planned kitchen that sports an eat-in counter and

a pass-through window to the pool. And with bathrooms outfitted with stylish designer fixtures and hardware, the house is 1950s meets 21st Century decor at its best – and their most contemporary, creature comfort casita to date.

So, what’s the downside to buying a historic home? As a former board member of the Coral Gables Historic Preservation Board and CG Board of Architects, he explains: “Historic renovation takes longer because you have to go through two boards... There are multiple layers of administration and reviews for all approvals, so if time is a big factor, I would reconsider. [Also] older houses have smaller bedrooms and bathrooms. Closets are not so big…”

So, why live in a historic home in Coral Gables? Steffens points out the financial advantage – the abatement of ad valorem taxes for the historic portion of any renovation. But it’s more fundamental than that. “Marge and I found houses here that we loved. It’s a personal choice, really. You have to want to own a historic house, to make compromises. But, when you have a historic house, you get a lot of character, a good backstory and some quality craftsmanship. It’s a whole lot better than living in a box full of cheap materials.”

At 2512 Columbus, Marge and I tried to create something in the spirit of the house, something appropriate for the Twenties and the Nineties...

Top: 2512 Columbus Blvd. before and after renovation

Bottom: The “ranch burger” on Jeromino Dr., before and after renovation

Middle Left: 4501 Santa Maria Avenue Middle Right: 832 Santiago Avenue

In Guatemala, Hyatt employees often wear swatches of indigenous textiles on their lapels. In Colombia’s Cartagena, they dress in the area’s typical linen pants with suspenders. In St. Kitts, the hotel looks like a colonial planter’s mansion. It’s all part of an effort by the hotel chain to bring out the local flavor in its fast-expanding portfolio south of the U.S. border. Myles McGourty leads the push from Coral Gables, serving as Hyatt’s chief for Latin America and the Caribbean. He works with a team of 16 people at the chain’s regional headquarters here, many trilingual in English, Spanish and Portuguese, just like him. The Irishman knows from experience how varied the region is. He spent two decades running Hyatt hotels first in Mexico, then in Chile and Brazil, and even recognizes differences in hugs as greetings (Mexicans go left to meet heart-to-heart.)

“You can’t approach the region in a homogenous way,” says McGourty. That’s true from employee uniforms and hotel rooms to permits and taxes. What’s more, guests increasingly want local flavor at chain

Right: The Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta

You can’t approach the region in a homogenous way...

Myles McGourty, Hyatt Latin America and the Caribbean

A Sense of Place

HYATT HOTELS’ REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN CORAL GABLES STRIVES TO GO LOCAL IN LATIN AMERICA

By Doreen Hemlock

hotels in art, furniture and cuisine, so Hyatt now hires more in-country designers and chefs, he says.

Rooms in the Grand Hyatt Bogota, for instance, now feature handmade textiles woven with copper threads that reflect centuries-old traditions in Colombia. To oversee his territory, McGourty spends more than half his time on the road, meeting with local partners abroad and corporate executives in Chicago and elsewhere.

Hyatt now has 42 hotels open across Latin America and the Caribbean, offering nearly 12,000 rooms. It plans to launch at least 20 more by 2021, adding another 5,000-plus rooms. That makes the region among the fastest-growing for Hyatt worldwide. Many of the hotels are owned by family groups in their respective

nations and operated by Hyatt, though the chain sometimes invests directly to ensure a presence in key markets, McGourty says.

Across the hotel industry, global chains are looking to localize. Yet Hyatt has an edge in the Latin American region: Its relatively smaller size makes it “a bit more flexible” to adapt to local conditions, says Fernando Garcia-Chacon, a Latin American hospitality specialist at commercial real estate giant CBRE.

That agility is evident in Hyatt’s launch of new brands for all-inclusive resorts, a segment that larger peers such as Marriott and Hilton have yet to fully enter. Hyatt works with a master franchiser, Playa Hotels & Resorts, for its Zilara adults-only and Ziva family-oriented all-inclusives in the region. Those resorts

also emphasize local arts and local food, says Garcia-Chacon, calling Hyatt “a little more nimble.”

What McGourty learns ground-up in one country, he also tries to share in others. For example, recruiting teams in Brazil had asked job candidates to bring a meaningful photo to their interview. The photos sparked conversation about family, pets and homes and helped recruiters better understand each job seeker. Those hired found a copy of their prized photo in their employee locker upon arrival. The chain now uses variations of that technique in other regional nations to strengthen emotional connections with employees, says McGourty.

Of course, challenges abound. Financing for hotels in Latin America remains

a concern, though funding is more widely available than a decade ago. And there are limits to travel even for regional executives.

While McGourty prefers in-person talks, he now uses video conferencing to hold meetings that span multiple locales. And as Hyatt grows, he needs to deepen his skills to navigate among regional nations. “Chile is probably one of the easier places to set up business,” says McGourty. “In the Caribbean islands, because of their smaller populations, sometimes you need to invite labor in.”

Yet McGourty enjoys the varied local cultures, from Jamaica’s reggae and Brazil’s samba to Colombia’s vallenato music. “That diversity,” says McGourty, “is what makes Latin America and the Caribbean so exciting.”

HYATT

HOTELS CORP. WORLDWIDE

Business: Operates, owns or franchises more than 770 hotels in 54 countries for 14 brands.

Headquarters: Chicago

History: Founded in 1957 by the Pritzker family, publicly-traded on New York Stock Exchange

Financials: Net income of $249 million on revenue of $4.69 billion in 2017.

HYATT

IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Business: Operates, owns or franchises 42 hotels in Mexico, South America, the Caribbean and Central America.

Regional Headquarters: Coral Gables, since 2013.

History in Region: Launched in 1971 in Acapulco, Mexico.

Growth in Region: Plans at least 20 more hotels by 2021.

Leader: Senior Vice President Myles McGourty, a 35-year veteran at Hyatt.

Opposite: Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall All Inclusive Resort Above: Park Hyatt Buenos Aires Palacio Duhau 5-star Hotel

DESIGNING WOMEN

IN THE CITY BEAUTIFUL, IT IS THE JOB OF FASHION DESIGNERS TO KEEP IT THAT WAY…

By J.P. Faber

Coral Gables has from its outset been a city with a sense of style. Its iconic architectural beauty, its designer shops, its gourmet culture, its well-dressed citizens – Coral Gables has always added an upscale sparkle to Miami’s fashion landscape. “Coral Gables was the original fashion hub of Miami,” says Beth Sobol, the former fashion model who launched Miami Fashion Week.

The city is nothing if not fashion conscious, a home to multiple mavens of couture. “There is a huge demand for evening dresses [here], because we’re a party town,” says Gables designer Mayda Cisneros. “Women here have events for everything and they dress for any event. It doesn’t matter how small the event is, they dress up and they think about how they dress…  I find that Miami women are very feminine, especially Coral Gables women. They are classic and they are feminine.”

While Coral Gables may not be the runway capital of American fashion – that

accolade goes more naturally to major metropolises like New York or Los Angeles – within its boundaries are some extraordinary designers. The city, as world-renowned Gables-based Silvia Tcherassi puts it, “has been very inspiring for me… a unique destination for locals and visitors from around the world.”

Tcherassi, like the other fashion designers we profile here, decided to locate in Coral Gables rather than elsewhere in South Florida. “I love this place. When I came to Miami for the first time, I looked around and decided this had to be my location,” says Nuvia Quintana, who brought her wedding and evening gown business here from Venezuela just under two years ago. “I love it because of its multitude of cultures. People come from all over to buy dresses here.”

And for the fashionistas who live here, that addition of panache and pulchritude is just one more reason to make Coral Gables home.

Mayda Cisneros

MAYDA CISNEROS

Maritza Fernandez

FILOMENA FERNANDEZ

Silvia Tcherassi

SILVIA TCHERASSI

Nuvia Quintana

NUVIA Q.

Left to right:

Inside the cutting room at Mayda Cisneros on Palermo Avenue

Photograph by Jon Braeley

Mayda Cisneros: Haute Couture

Mayda Cisneros began designing blouses in New York City in the 1980s, where she lived in a loft studio in Soho. As an artist, she made her own fabrics and used tie dyes. One day in an art gallery she met Geraldine Stutz, president of the original Henri Bendel store on Fifth Avenue, who admired Cisneros’ shirt. “I must have been 20 years old. I said, ‘I made it,’ and she said, ‘Why don’t you come and see me?’”

The next day Stutz ordered 12 of the blouses. Cisneros had no idea how to produce them, so she hired a seamstress and enrolled in fashion school. “I kept on making my blouses and graduated to other things after I went to fashion school.” She also picked up clients like Bergdorf Goodman and Barney’s, and by the time she decided to move to Miami had a portfolio of high-end buyers.

“That is when I thought, New York is just taking me over. So I said, ‘I am going to Miami, to be near Latin people, and close to my parents [in Venezuela],’” says Cisneros. “At first I didn’t do anything. But one day I was driving in the Gables and saw this little space on Giralda and the

light bulb went off. I started a mini collection of evening sportswear separates, and I started getting clients. One client brought another, and that store was a huge success.”

Since that first launch two decades ago, the Mayda Cisneros shop has relocated to Ponce de Leon, and now, as of six years ago, finds itself on Palermo, about a block in from Ponce. It is a bright and airy space, with high ceilings and works of art made from glass by her artist husband, including a large green-glass head of the Buddha. An attached workshop has a half dozen seamstresses, working away.

Cisneros has given up the retail market, and prefers instead to design individual dresses for her clients. She calls herself a “clothes therapist” because of the understanding she must develop for each client. For evening gowns worn to a formal event, she says, “I want to know where it is, what time of year, who the person is, how they feel about themselves… It’s really like therapy.”

As for style, “I don’t like clothes that are too gimmicky or with too much stuff. I like simplicity and quality. And I find that that is what Coral Gables is about.”

MAYDA CISNEROS

305 Palermo Ave.

www.maydacisneros.com

305.448.5848

Born: Camaguey, Cuba

In Coral Gables: Since 1996

Price Range: $1,600 to $12,000

Known For: Evening gowns, couture

Education/Mentorship: French Fashion Academy, New York City

I don’t like clothes that are too gimmicky or with too much stuff. I like simplicity and quality...

Photograph by Jon Braeley

Maritza Fernandez: Ready to Wear

For the first two decades of her career, Maritza Fernandez worked as a designer for Japan’s Kyoko Higa brand, which she brought to the United States. Seven years ago, the long-time Gables resident decided to found her own shop and brand – Filomena Fernandez –named after her grandmother.

At first, Fernandez continued designing blouses, dresses, skirts and jackets for retailers. But two years ago, she decided to forgo the mass market. “I realized I wanted to do less quantity and more designing,” she says. She also embarked on a quest to create affordable fashions.

“My philosophy is that people have to spend a crazy amount of money to look properly, elegantly dressed,” she says. “My idea is that I want a lady to look incredible all the time without having to spend $5,000 on a jacket and a pair of slacks.”

When she herself went shopping for fashions she wanted, Fernandez was unable to find stylish yet affordable clothing. “I’m a fashion designer by profession, so finally I decided, “Let me do this, because I want to be able to find a blouse that costs $200 but looks like a thousand-dollar blouse.”

Today her smart, elegant shop carries an array of blouses and dresses that cost $170 to $300 and $300 to $500 respectively, pieces from her seasonal collections. She will also design a one-of-a-kind dress for $800 to $1,800. “I do two collections a year. My clients come here and see what we have decided to make,” she says. “[My designs] are very sharp and modern. I always think the cleaner the better… If I am working with patterns or with bold colors, then I try to respect the color or the boldness of the print and then keep very clean lines.”

In the balance between fabric and design, Fernandez says fabric comes first. She attends the bi-annual Première Vision Paris event, where next year’s fabrics are showcased. “That is where you get the first idea of what is going to happen in colors and textures and prints.”

The goal is to stay true to both design excellence and to dressing women well for less, for all occasions. “It’s not like you are going to the supermarket like this, but you can go to lunch, you can go to a hotel, you can go to a nice dinner, you can go to a party. But it’s not couture, that’s not what we specialize in. It’s called ready-to-wear.”

FILOMENA FERNANDEZ

4217 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 2nd Floor

www.filomenafernandez.com

305.661.4448

Born: Caracas, Venezuela

In Coral Gables: Since 2011

Price Range: $170 to $1,800

Known For: Ready to wear daily fashion

Education: International Fashion School, Caracas

I want a lady to look incredible all the time without having to spend $5,000 on a jacket and a pair of slacks...

Photograph by Jon Braeley

Silvia Tcherassi: A Global Brand

Silvia Tcherassi began her career as an interior designer, but for 25 years has been creating fashions that now appear on runways in Milan and Paris. From her headquarters in Coral Gables, she has become a global fashion brand, with 14 name-brand stores in the Americas and Europe. Some 40 stores carry her brand, including Harrods and Selfridges. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Elle, Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), Marie Claire and others. She has received France’s highest arts award, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Tcherassi is also the author of “Elegancia sin Esfuerzo” (Effortless Elegance), the book that defines her style. More recently, she has expanded into luxury hotels, opening her first namesake property in Cartagena, Colombia – a boutique colonial mansion – with another larger hotel that followed.

Tcherassi’s budding empire is now a family affair, with her 23-year-old son as the company’s director of innovation, and her 19-year-old daughter guiding social media. In addition to a retail store at the Shops at Merrick Park, she keeps her atelier workshop nearby on San Lorenzo Ave.

“Creatively speaking, Coral Gables has been very inspiring for me. Its majestic trees inspired even the first collection

I presented in Milano Fashion Week,” says Tcherassi. “You can have a sense of tradition, a scenic landscape, and cool experiences at the same time… My brand was born in Barranquilla but blossomed in Coral Gables.”

Tcherassi says she gets her inspiration from eclectic sources – “books, photos, art pieces, cities or emotions such as happiness” – but says the process begins with the materials. “I start creating samples and then I find a kind of link between them… I have a creative lab in my atelier where I try to reinvent and explore materials.” That sense of play with materials developed both from her career as an interior designer and from early life experiences.

“From a very young age, I loved to mix things, to transform my dad’s shirts using shoulder pads and big belts... After I graduated in interior design, I started experimenting with shirts with appliques made from exotic materials and then I wanted to create pieces to complement them… When I saw how popular what I was doing had become, I decided to focus entirely on fashion.” As for the definition of her style, she says, “My approach to design is casual luxury oriented. I believe in calm and relaxed luxury, without pretensions.”

SILVIA TCHERASSI

Shops at Merrick Park

207 San Lorenzo Ave.

www.silviatcherassi.com

305.444.0084

Born: Baranquilla, Colombia

In Coral Gables: Since 2003

Price Range: $700 to $6,500

Known For: Dresses, shirts, skirts, pants, jackets

Education: Universidad Antónoma del Caribe, Baranquilla, Colombia

Coral Gables has been very inspiring for me. Its majestic trees inspired even the first collection I presented in Milano Fashion Week...

Nuvia Quintana: For the Love of Brides

Nuvia Quintana is literally the new kid on the block in the Gables couture scene, having moved into her stunning shop on Miracle Mile at the end of 2016. She previously had a shop in the exclusive San Ignacio shopping mall in Caracas, but closed it. A similar shop in the Dominican Republic also closed, but still serves as a place to make dresses and serve long-time clientele.

Her current store and atelier is inside a three-story space, with vaulted ceilings and a chandelier. It is full of light, and exudes her sense of vibrancy.

Quintana’s specialty is wedding dresses; she started her career as a pattern maker for Venezuelan wedding dress designers 30 years ago. Since then she has branched out, but still uses the wedding gown – as well as discounted prêt-à-porter outfits on the racks – as her lure for firsttime customers who become regulars for evening and cocktail dresses. Right now, about two thirds of her work is still gowns for brides and their entourage.

“At this point, 80 percent of my clients are new, from the U.S., Argentina and Brazil… Miracle Mile is world famous for wedding gowns, and people come from all

over to buy their dresses here. The experience [as a dress maker] is unique, interacting with different cultures, different weddings, different customs, and different ways to think,” says Quintana.

Quintana still serves a loyal clientele in Venezuela and the DR. “I have customers and I have their metrics and I have employees [there], specialists who can take a measurement. I design here, and I send the designs,” says Quintana. “I have many customers who call me and say, ‘Nuvia, I need a dress for this event.’ I’ve known them for a long time, so I know what they want.”

While Quintana is designing more evening gowns and cocktail dresses, she says that weddings offer a special reward. “The important thing for me, which is common for every bride, is the love, the dream. I make every dress with love, and every dress is my child. And every dress is for one bride only. It’s wonderful to see her wear that dress and say, ‘Oh my god, this is my dress.’ I love a job with dreams about love, and really, there is no difference between the brides from Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, or Colombia. The dream that every bride brings is the same, regardless of where they come from.”

NUVIA Q.

77 Miracle Mile

www.nuviaq.com

305.632.9509

Born: Caracas, Venezuela

In Coral Gables: Since 2016

Price Range: $600 to $5,000

Known For: Wedding gowns, cocktail dresses

Education/Mentorship: International School of Fashion, Caracas

The important thing for me, which is common for every bride, is the love, the dream. I make every dress with love, and every dress is my child...

When it comes to education, you know one thing for certain – you want to send your child to the best school you can afford, which might mean to a private school. In Coral Gables, attending private school has become so common that there is profusion of learning institutions, from tiny boutique elementary classes to fullblown preparatory schools with national reputations. There are almost too many schools to consider.

Nonetheless, whether it’s pre-school or prep school, a pathway to an Ivy League college or a sports scholarship, you want to pick what’s right for your child. To help in that process we’ve assembled a list of private schools in and around Coral Gables and all that they have to offer.

PRESCHOOL & ELEMENTARY

ALEXANDER MONTESSORI SCHOOL

TODDLER – ELEMENTARY

www.alexandermontessori.com

Preschool Ages 3-6: 6050 SW 57th Ave.

305.665.6274

Preschool/Toddler Ages 1.5-6: 17800 Old Cutler Rd.

305.969.1814

Preschool/Toddler Ages 2-6: 14400 Old Cutler Rd.

305.233.4540

Elementary Grades 1-5: 14850 SW 67th Ave.

305.235.3995

Curriculum: Science, language arts, language enrichment, social studies, mathematics, Spanish, computers, fine arts, physical education

Sports: Flag football, soccer, cheerleading, golf, stretch & conditioning, swimming, tennis, tee-ball, yoga

Extracurricular activities: Varying activities in fine and performing arts, foreign language and recreational games

TUITION: $13,170 - $22,960

We meet each child where they are at, as a whole child, and empower them to be independent, learners, thinkers and doers.

We excel at cultivating and fostering within children a love of learning that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. We also prepare our students, in excellent fashion, for the transition to middle school via the formation of habits, tenets and skills that set them up for the remainder of their educational career.

Brette Rothfield, Business Manager

BANYAN DAY SCHOOL PRESCHOOL

340 Palermo Ave. 305.447.1233

www.banyandayschool.org

Curriculum: Writing, art, science, library, reading corner, blocks, hand-eye coordination, puzzles, Spanish

Sports: N/A

Extracurricular activities: N/A

TUITION: $755 - $865

thecoralgablesmagazine.com

BRIGHT HORIZONS AT UM CANTERBURY PRESCHOOL

Daycare and preschool for children of UM faculty and staff

1150 Stanford Dr.

www.child-care-preschool.brighthorizons.com

Curriculum: Listening and speaking, literacy, reading and writing, science, art, mathematics, nutrition and safety, environmental awareness, diversity awareness

Sports: N/A

Extracurricular Activities: N/A

TUITION: 305.284.5437

COCONUT GROVE MONTESSORI SCHOOL

TODDLER - 5TH GRADE

2850 SW 27th Ave. (Main Campus)

3280 Bird Ave. (Bird Road Campus)

305.444.4484

www.montessorischoolsmiami.com

Curriculum: Art, science, geography, history, language, mathematics

Sports: Soccer, basketball, karate, tennis, track & field

After school programs: Little Chefs, piano and violin, knitting, art, chess, French Club

TUITION: $800 - $1,400

THE FRENCH AMERICAN SCHOOL OF MIAMI

PREK – ELEMENTARY

7701 SW 76th Ave. (South Miami Campus)

650-651 NE 88th Terrace (Miami Shores Campus)

www.frenchschoolmiami.org

Curriculum: Literature, social studies, history, geography mathematics, physical education, music, English (classes taught in both French and English)

Sports: Ballet, soccer

Afterschool clubs: Includes arts and crafts, board games, choir, theater, Spanish and music

TUITION: $11,079 - $11,700

GRANADA DAY SCHOOL

INFANT DAYCARE – KINDERGARTEN

900 University Dr. 305.444.2028

www.granadadayschool.com

Curriculum: language arts, science, math, social studies, bible

After school programs: ballet, football, tennis, soccer, Spanish, French Enrichment activities: library time, computer center, art, music & movement, gardening, cooking, outdoor play, in-house field trips

TUITION: $658 (8 a.m.-1 p.m.)

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S SCHOOL PRESCHOOL

3930 S. Le Jeune rd.

305.770.6195

www.icscoralgables.com

Curriculum: science, social studies, physical education, creative movement, ballet, soccer, German Sports: N/A

After-school programs: N/A

TUITION: N/A

ST. PHILIP’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND SCHOOL

PREK – 5TH GRADE

1121 Andalusia Ave. 305.444.6366

www.saintphilips.net

Curriculum: Arts, foreign languages (Spanish, French, Latin), music, sacred studies, science & technology, physical education, mindfulness

Sports: Soccer, basketball, karate, tennis, flag football

Extracurricular activities: Spanish, clay, cooking, science, piano lessons

TUITION: $20,490 - $23,340

“The

They are truly excited to go to school every day.”

Our strengths are the community, academics, the spiritual component, the close-knit community and the size. We are very small by design. We have one class per grade – that makes us unique. We have an extraordinary academic program with fabulous faculty where students go on to the finest middle schools in the area. We have a fabulous foreign language program, which includes a Latin program. I believe we’re the only school in South Florida that offers Latin at the elementary level.

Gabriela Olsen, Director of Admissions

ST. STEPHEN’S EPISCOPAL DAY SCHOOL

PREK – 5TH GRADE

3439 Main Hwy. 305.445.2606

www.sseds.org

Curriculum: Art, drama & speech, music, physical education, Godly Play & Sacred Studied, Spanish

Sports: N/A

Extracurricular activities: Student council, Reading Buddies program, 5th grade acolytes

TUITION: $22,330

ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH SCHOOL

PREK – 5TH GRADE

5692 N. Kendall Dr. 305.665.4851

www.stepsmia.org

Curriculum: Utilizes STREAM method of teaching (science, technology, reading, engineering, the arts, math)

Sports: Ballet, basketball, flag football, golf, Irish dance, lacrosse, tae kwon do, tap dance, tennis, soccer, volleyball, zumba Extracurricular activities: Art thyme ceramics, art thyme painting, choir, chess, code explorers, cooking, French, journalism, piano, robotics, SSAT/ISEE test preparation

TUITION: $19,450 - $20,310

We have an evolving educational model of inclusivity, empathy and innovation. We are empowering children to be future-ready global citizens. Because we have invested in a very lofty professional budget that empowers our faculty to become lifelong learners, we are cultivating that philosophy not only with our students, but also with our faculty, administration and parents. We are one of the few elementary schools that has a social-emo-

tional counselor – we think that is as important as the academic area of an education. We’re building our children to be role models and giving them lifelines on all different levels. We’re giving them the confidence they need to move forward to middle school. These are the things I think that make St. Thomas the close-knit community that we are.

Debby Lichtner, Director of Admission and Enrollment Management

TEMPLE BETH AM DAY SCHOOL

PRE-NURSERY – 5TH GRADE

5950 N. Kendall Dr. 305.665.6228

www.tbam.org

Curriculum: Art, Hebrew and Judaic studies, language arts, mathematics, middot (values), music, physical education, science/STEM, social studies, Spanish, study skills, technology

Sports: Basketball, flag football, karate, tennis, cheerleading, hip hop, t-ball, ballet, soccer, gymnastics, yoga

Extracurricular activities: Broadway Bound Tots, musical theater, Spanish, science, computer programming

TUITION: $2,100 - $22,225

K-8 SCHOOLS

THE BILTMORE SCHOOL

PRESCHOOL – 8TH GRADE

1600 South Red Rd.

305.266.4666

www.biltmoreschool.com

Curriculum: As the first IB school in South Florida, The Biltmore School focuses on an international education Sports: Modern dance, flag football, soccer, tee-ball

Extracurricular activities: tutoring/homework help, arts program

TUITION: $9850 - $15,800

We are proud to be the first private school in Miami to be granted the International Baccalaureate Programme for Primary Years. This definitely sets us apart from many schools because we are able to offer a smooth transition to our international students. We will be offering all of our students the prestigious IB Programme. [We have] small classrooms – it is no secret that small groups are more productive. Teachers are able to give their students additional support when they

have a small amount of students. Our main focus is that each individual student reaches his/her highest potential.

Gina C. Duarte-Romero, Principal

METROPOLITAN

INTERNATIONAL

ture, handwriting, science, social studies, Spanish, music, technology, art, physical education

Sports: Soccer, basketball, cross country, track & field, baseball, volleyball, flag football, softball, dance, tennis

SCHOOL

OF

MIAMI PREK – 8TH GRADE

3465 SW 2nd Ave. 305.576.6070

www.metschoolmiami.com

Curriculum: STEM, coding, entrepreneurship, language arts, music, art Sports: soccer, dance, tennis, basketball and karate

After school programs: 39 after school programs including music production, robotics and cooking

TUITION: $11,500 - $19,000

ST. THERESA CATHOLIC SCHOOL

PREK – 8TH GRADE

2701 Indian Mound Trail

305.446.1738

www.stscg.org

Curriculum: English, reading & litera-

Extracurricular activities: Includes student council, Robotics, STEM, chess

TUITION: $8,885

As we celebrate our 93rd anniversary, many of our students and faculty hail from second and third generation families affiliated with our school and the Church of the Little Flower. This strong alumni presence and wealth in legacy are most definitely one of our strengths, as is our strong Catholic identity. We provide excellence in education in a Christ-centered environment and foster service-oriented activities and a family spirit. We have strong, excellent and faithfilled leadership in Sister Rosalie, OCD, our Principal, and Reverend Father Michael Davis, our Pastor. We are proud to be a pillar of the Coral Gables Community and are here to serve you.

Gloria Marti, Vice Principal

We celebrate diversity and nurture individuality. Our students find their passion and cultivate it through learning, charting the path that will take them into the future. Learn

K-12 SCHOOLS

BRITO MIAMI PRIVATE SCHOOL

K – 12

2732 SW 32nd Ave.

305.448.1463

www.britomiamiprivate.com

Curriculum: English, mathematics, health/physical education, science, social studies, world languages, social science, psychology

Sports: Baseball, basketball, volleyball, dance

Extracurricular activities: National Honor Society, NASC, Interact Club, Journalism

TUITION: $590 - $650 monthly

CARROLLTON SCHOOL OF THE SACRED HEART

PREK – 12 GIRLS

3747 Main Hwy

305.446.5673

www.carrollton.org

Curriculum: Religious studies, writing, science, mathematics, world language, art Sports: Basketball, crew, cross country,

golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball

Extracurricular activities: Includes Key Club, student council, student ambassador group and Yearbook Club

TUITION: $27,760 - $33,907.50

We use the [phrase] ‘A vigorous education’ rather than rigorous. If you look at the definition of rigor, it doesn’t sound very pleasant. Vigor means you want to engage,

you’re excited about learning, and generally they [the students] are. The short hand of it is grace and grit. We have young women of grace and grit here. Our mission really is to prepare these young women to strive to be their best for the world, not their best in the world. They’re engaged, they’re friendly, they are highly energetic and enthusiastic -- in many ways I would say renaissance women. They’re strong in academics, they’re on the athletic field, and they’re involved in the

A Catholic college preparatory day school educating girls and young women ages 3-18

3747 Main Highway • Miami, FL 33133 • 305.446.5673

Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart

arts and in our Robotics, Engineering and Computer Science program.

Olen Kalkus, Head Master

GULLIVER SCHOOLS

PREK – 12

6575 N Kendall Dr. 305.666.7937

8000 SW 56th St. 305.274.9535

12595 Red Rd. 305.665.3593

www.gulliverschools.org

Curriculum: Signature academic programs include architecture, biomedical sciences, engineering, international business and entrepreneurship, and law and litigation

Sports: Bowling, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, swimming, sailing, volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, softball, track, water polo, tennis, weightlifting

Extracurricular activities: Over 70 clubs, organizations and honor societies

TUITION: $16,320 - $35,160

The ‘Gulliver Difference’ flows out of our mission to create an academic community devoted to educational excellence, with a personal touch, that fulfills each student’s potential. Every child brings to us, and the world, a unique potential that is all his or

her own. Our strength as a school is helping every student identify, cultivate and ultimately fulfill their unique potential, first by knowing and caring for each child, and then through offering an unparalleled breadth of academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities.

Cliff King, President

KILLIAN OAKS ACADEMY

PREK – 12

10545 SW 97th Ave. 305.274.2221

www.killianoaksacademy.com

Curriculum: Traditional curriculum based on the latest educational concepts Sports: (all are club) volleyball, soccer, basketball, fitness club

After school programs: morning care, homework club, tutorial sessions, instrumental club, interactive games club, science club

TUITION: N/A

MIAMI COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

PREK – 12

601 NE 107th St. 305.779.7200

www.miamicountryday.org

Curriculum: English, reading, humanities, technology, math, science, world languages, performing and studio arts, communication arts, humanities, physical education, outdoor education program

Sports: Volleyball, cross country, swimming, golf, football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, tennis, water polo, softball Extracurricular activities: Includes drama, dance, musical theater, Breakthrough Miami, entrepreneurship

TUITION: $22,150 - $34,860

I think finding the perfect fit for students for college is our ultimate goal. We have a wide variety in our college matriculation list, which really proves that we’re individualizing the process. We send students to Ivy League schools along with the top 100. We want our graduates to become life-long learners and leaders in the community. We offer over 20 AP classes in our upper school, we have state championship and national championship athletics, and a lot of students that will choose professions as artists and musicians. We’re one of the largest sites for Breakthrough Miami. We, as a school, have such a commitment that we offer two incoming sixth graders a full academic scholarship

through 12th grade.

Ingrid Palmisano, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

RIVIERA SCHOOLS

PREK – 12

6800 Nervia St. (Day School) 786.207.1968 9775 SW 87th Ave. (Preparatory School) 786.207.1960

www.rivieraschools.com

Curriculum: Literature, world languages, fine arts, performing arts, social science, the humanities, mathematics, science

Sports: Cross country, golf, swimming, volleyball, basketball, soccer, wrestling, baseball, beach volleyball, lacrosse, tennis, track & field, water polo

Extracurricular activities: Arts, Games & Culture, Engineering & Robotics, Music & Voice Lessons, Science & Strategy

TUITION: $9.850 - $25,450

WESTMINSTER

PREK – 12

6955 SW 152nd St. 305.233.2030

www.wcsmiami.org

Curriculum: Bible, math, reading, hand-

writing, language arts, social studies, science, art, music

Sports: Cross country, golf, soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, baseball, softball, track & field Extracurricular activities: Include, but are not limited to, art club, theater, outdoors and environment club

TUITION: $10,950 - $19,900

MIDDLE THROUGH HIGH SCHOOLS

FUSION ACADEMY

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL

9130 S. Dadeland Blvd. Suite 102 305.831.0041

www.fusionacademy.com

Curriculum: Over 250 class options tailored to each student’s interests and strengths; taught one-on-one by qualified

Aerial view of the St. Theresa Catholic School campus

teachers

Sports: N/A

Extracurricular activities: N/A

TUITION: $36,700

PALMER TRINITY

GRADES 6 – 12

8001 SW 184th St. 305.251.2230

www.palmertrinity.org

Curriculum: English, mathematics, science, history and humanities, world languages, religious studies, fine arts, physical education, computer science

Sports: Cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, volleyball, basketball, soccer, wrestling, baseball, lacrosse, softball, track and field

Extracurricular activities: Over 50 clubs including book club, Best Buddies, Gay Straight Alliance, Young Republicans, and Coral Lab

TUITION: $33,400 - $34,500

We are the only episcopal middle and high school south of St. Andrew’s in Boca. We have the tradition of episcopal teaching that is associated with high academia and a balance.

We do offer a wide range of unique programs in the terms of global service and global experiences. We have semester exchange programs, we house exchange students… Students can travel and the curriculum is behind that travel. We are a relatively small school so there are a lot of opportunities to get involved. The episcopal identity is unique in the sense that we do have chapel each week, but the church is very open and welcoming. Our student population is incredibly diverse, with students from over 30 countries. The core value is this concept of love and inclusion, a common thread of love and respect for one another.

Patrick Robert, Head of School

RANSOM EVERGLADES

GRADES 6 – 12

3575 Main Hwy. (Upper School) 305.460.8800

2045 South Bayshore Dr. (Middle School) 305.250.6850 www.ransomeverglades.org

Curriculum: English, history and social sciences, mathematics, computer science, performing arts, physical education, science, visual arts, world languages Sports: Crew, cross country, football, golf,

sailing, swimming & diving, volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, softball, tennis, track & field, water polo

Extracurricular activities: Over 50 clubs including Black Students Association, Drama Team, Yearbook, Students Against Gun Violence and Poetry Club

TUITION: $38,400

Since 1903, Ransom Everglades students have benefited from an education steeped in history, tradition and cutting-edge ideas and pedagogies. Whether writing business plans for new apps, sailing in PE class, composing spoken-word poems, constructing load-bearing bridges or planning charity fundraisers, RE students draw energy from creativity and cooperation. They are surrounded by dedicated faculty members who get to know them outside of the classroom and help them navigate difficulties. They are welcomed into an inclusive and supportive student community where they grow to appreciate each other’s differences. During their years at Ransom Everglades, our students develop into confident leaders, lifelong learners and empathetic citizens, and they eventually join a proud alumni community that makes a difference across the globe.

Penny Townsend, Head of School

XCEED PREPARATORY ACADEMY

GRADES 6 – 12

9350 S. Dixie Hwy. Suite 160 305.901.2115

www.xceedprep.org

Curriculum: Xceed students have a Personalized Learning Plan designed to meet individual goals, which includes what courses are taken, when they are taken, how many courses are taken at a time and when the student will be on campus

Sports: N/A

Extracurricular activities: N/A

TUITION: $21,500

HIGH SCHOOLS

BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

500 SW 127th Ave. 305.223.8600

www.belenjesuit.org

Curriculum: Theology, English, science, mathematics, Spanish, social studies, health/physical education

Sports: Bowling, crew, golf, swimming &

diving, cross country, football, basketball, soccer, wrestling, baseball, lacrosse, tennis, track & field, volleyball, water polo

Extracurricular activities: Over 40 clubs including fencing, American Sign Language, Model U.N. and Boy Scouts

TUITION: $16,000

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS HIGH SCHOOL

9 – 12

3000 SW 87th Ave. 305.223.5650

www.columbushs.com

Curriculum: English, mathematics, theology, social studies, science, foreign language, physical education, fine arts, computer applications

Sports: Bowling, cross country, football, golf, swimming & diving, basketball, soccer, wrestling, baseball, lacrosse, track & field, roller hockey, water polo, tennis, volleyball

Extracurricular activities: Over 45 clubs including Comic Book Club, Pre-Med Club, Paintball Club and Scuba Dive Club

TUITION: $10,700

My Country Day is... FEELING EMPOWERED BY PEER MENTORSHIP

MIAMI COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL is a college preparatory learning community located just north of Downtown Miami and minutes from Miami Beach. At Miami Country Day, we are committed to educating the whole child through the core values of honor, respect, wisdom and compassion. We inspire our students to develop their intellectual, physical, aesthetic, social, emotional and spiritual potentials BY VALUING EVERY STUDENT EVERY DAY.

IMMACULATA – LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL

3601 S. Miami Ave.

305.854.2334

www.ilsroyals.com

Curriculum: Religious education, English, mathematics, science, world language, social studies, physical education, health/life management skills, performing/fine arts

Sports: Dance, soccer, football, softball, tennis, swimming, track, basketball, baseball, volleyball, cheerleading, cross country, lacrosse, golf

Extracurricular activities: 25 clubs including Drama Club, Improv Troupe, Speech/ Debate Team and Fishing Club

TUITION: $14,780 – $15,130

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES PREPARATORY ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL

1570 Madruga Ave.

305.663.7200

www.internationalstudiesprep.net

Curriculum: English, math, science, social studies, modern language (French, Italian or Spanish; students receive up to three hours of instruction in and through the language of choice), physical education, fine/performing arts

Sports: N/A

Extracurricular activities: Includes Chess Club, Film Club, Student Government and Debate Team

TUITION: N/A

OUR LADY OF LOURDES ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL

5525 SW 84th St.

305.667.1623

www.olla.org

Curriculum: business, computer science, English, Fine Arts, mathematics, health and exercise science, science, social studies, theology and world languages

Sports: basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball

Extracurricular activities: Includes student newspaper and campus ministry

TUITION: $12,425

Big things often have small beginnings.

Bringing Down the House

THE M HOUSE STRIVES TO BLAZE A NEW CULINARY PATH IN THE CITY OF FINE DINING

by Andrew Gayle

The diners of Coral Gables are not always kind to a newcomer, but so far the M House is finding a receptive audience for its bold new menu and its striking décor. Created by the late, great chef Alfredo Alvarez (of Seaspice and Giacosa fame), and now run by his affable and attentive widow Tara Nicosia, the M House is determined to become the city’s hippest upscale dining experience.

Interior wise, the M House is a stunner. Part of the new Aloft Coral Gables hotel at Le Jeune and Valencia (where the modish lobby feels like the break room at Google HQ), the restaurant shares the hotel’s 24-foot first-floor ceilings. Accentuating this dramatic space are striped terrazzo floors, white columns, sculptural cone-reed chandeliers, a grass-textured wall and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The layout is L-shaped, with a glowing bar on your right as you enter and a small, interior tree on the pivot to the main dining space. Metal racks above hold potted plants, framing this unique, designer space with green. In the center of the main room is a welcome rarity: A

long table that can accommodate a large family or group.

Food wise, the M House is equally fresh and cutting-edge. Alvarez and Nicosia designed its cuisine while travelling the Mediterranean coasts of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. “We call it Coastal European, because it’s different from what people think of when you say Mediterranean cuisine,” says Nicosia. The cooking is under the supervision of executive chef Abraham Silva, who trained under Alvarez at Seaspice (then known as Seasalt and Pepper) and more recently as executive sous chef at East Hotel in Brickell City Center. He shares his mentor’s philosophy of keeping things simple to preserve the natural flavors.

We tried a variety of appetizers, and were impressed by the deep sea scallops served on a creamy polenta; the incredibly fresh, savory hummus; the plump Prince Edward mussels; and the grilled octopus, which had an amazing flavor thanks to being cooked in the M House’s custom Josper Charcoal Oven. It’s this oven that produces one of best meat dishes on the menu, a plate of four lamb chops that have been

Top: Fresh mussels from Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Top right: 24-foot first-floor ceilings create a dramatic space.

Bottom right: The signature dish, seared whole roasted fish.

The whole idea of simple food is to heighten color, texture and taste

Chef Abraham Silva

marinated to melt-in-yourmouth, then roast-grilled in the Josper. Delicious. The M House is also proud of another land dish, its short rib pasta with black truffles: perfect pasta, succulent meat, and a nice finish from the truffles.

Having praised its meats, M House is ultimately about its seafood. The signature – and most dramatic – dish is the whole roasted fish, perfectly done with the Josper oven. It is the high heat of this oven which sears the outside while leaving the inside tender and moist. Their octopus with troffie pasta (yes, they really know how to do octopus) is a creamy, tomato-based delight. Their Ora King salmon, if available, is perfectly grilled.

What is most appreciated at M House is an early devotion to a rustic approach to cooking, which, in a world where everything is over-processed, is its own mark of sophistication. “The whole idea of simple food is to heighten color, texture and taste,” says Chef Silva.

The wine selection is also interesting, with a good array of whites from Italy and reds from Spain. When sommelier Simon Suarez asks you, “What direction do you want to go?” he means it geographically as much as gustatory-wise.

Our only criticism would be the electronic trance music, which is part of their hip vibe but makes you feel like you’re at a VIP table in a club. But this can be forgiven the youthful M House, which at two-months old is still finding its sea legs while it offers new fare to a stylish crowd.

So, be prepared for an overall experience that is somewhat theatrical, but remember it’s all about the individual dishes. M House has some of the most inventive seafood in the city, and is worthy of a taste test.

THE SPICE

RESTAURANTS IN CORAL GABLES

This month we list only those restaurants participating in Miami Spice, in which restaurants offer two 3-course tasting menus, one for lunch ($23) and one for dinner ($39). This is your opportunity to visit the restaurants you always wanted to try at

$ Under $25

$$ $25-$40

$$$ $35-$75

$$$$ $70-$100+

Prices are per person for appetizer and entrée, no tax, tip or drinks. Prices are approximate

Aromas del Peru

The shrine for ceviche, with a wide range of choices – 18 ceviches at last count – for great prices. Haute Peruvian appetizers and good fish dishes, right up to the whole fried snapper. And don’t miss the pisco sour soup. Comfortable leather seats, too.

1930 Ponce de León Blvd. 305.476.5886

$$ Peruvian

Bellmónt

Modern décor meets traditional Spanish dishes. Their house specialty is the roast suckling pig. If you want the whole pig ($230 for 4) you need to order 4 hours in advance. If it’s just you ($49) you’ll need to wait just 50 minutes. As for the rest: authentic Spanish cuisine, with great seafood dishes, fantastic paella.

339 Miracle Mile. 786.502.4684

$$$ Spanish

Bocas House

Interesting take on traditional Latin food, fused with Asian and American tastes. The Arroz al Wok specials (shrimp, beef, or chicken/mixed) consist of Latin style rice cooked in a wok with a reduction of soy, sesame oil and oyster sauce. The signature dish is fried green plantains with ‘wok-smoked’ pork steak covered with shredded white cheese. Big selection of arepas, great (albeit pricey) milkshakes.

2 Aragon Ave. 786.631.3703

$$ Latin American fusion

Bulla Gastro

As valued for its cocktails as for its tapas, Bulla is also something Coral Gables needs – an informal, smart neighborhood hangout with a young, boisterous vibe. Great ‘small plates’ and refreshing sangria. Yes, it is a national chain, but it still feels local.

2500 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.441.0107

$$ Spanish

Brasserie Central

Secretly owned by Pascal of Ponce fame, the restaurant is half inside, half in the courtyard of the Shops. A typical French bistro with wonderful onion soup, fresh bread, and a superb paté. Everything on the menu is fresh, French, and all you would expect from Pascal. Lots of little French touches. A tad pricey, but

a reasonable fixed- menu price. What follows is our standard review and description of the 30 Gables restaurants participating in Miami Spice, based on their regular menus. For the Spice menu, you can visit their websites.

such is the cost of authenticity. Shops at Merrick Park // 786.536.9388

$$-$$$ French

Bricktop’s

Massive bar, lots of booths and an indoor/outdoor area with a fire pit all add to the traditional chop house and seafood Americana feel of Bricktop’s. The place to go for Lobster bisque, grilled grouper or blackened rib eye. Good bites for happy hour (4 to 7 p.m.)

2418 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.443.9992

$$ American

Caffe Vialetto

Two brothers, managing to keep sibling rivalry at bay, have concocted a menu of upscale Latin food that is consistently changing and interesting. Yuca, mofongo (garlic flavored mashed plantains), and other Caribbean and Latin flavors make for a delightful evening and an out of the ordinary experience. Reservations required, always full.

4019 LeJuene Rd. // 305.446.5659

$$$ Cuban/Latin

Christy’s

Touted as Coral Gables oldest steakhouse, Christy’s was long the power lunch go to – until it stopped serving lunch except on Fridays. Still, its aged steaks are consistently excellent, as are the seafood entrees. And their classic Caesar salad is still the best in town, made the way it’s supposed to be.

3101 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.446.1400

$$$ Steakhouse

Cibo Wine Bar

Cibo has two locations in South Florida, one on South Beach and the other here, on Miracle Mile. Rustic Italian food in a warm interior with exposed brick, wood finishes, butcher block tables and a wall of wine selections. Extensive traditional Italian menu, with lots of pizza options cooked in a brick oven. 45 Miracle Mile. 305.442.4925

$$-$$$ Italian

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

Fantastic aged steaks, a seafood tower that won’t quit, and a wine cellar that appears to have no end of its depth. A place for special celebrations. Recently redecorated, but the open kitchen with its copper ‘sash’ across the top still gives the main dining room a glow. Good menu at the bar.

2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.569.7995

$$$-$$$$ Steak & Seafood

Fontana

The setting is as elegant as the service and food: The Biltmore’s famed fountain courtyard. You can sit under the stars, in a covered archway or inside

to enjoy Italian classics. Fresh ingredients, from the salads to the pasta that is made daily. Great octopus, pastas cooked perfectly. One of the most romantic restaurants in the Gables.

1200 Anastasia Ave. (Biltmore Hotel) 305.913.3200

$$$ Italian

Graziano’s

This large, bustling Gables mainstay is true Argentine. A deep selection of Argentina wines (which line every wall) to go with churrasco meats slowly roasted over a quebracho wood fire, old school style. They have seafood and pasta, empanadas and salads, but come here for the meat, the selection of which will stun even hardcore carnivores.

394 Giralda. 305.774.3599

$$$ Argentine

Kao Sushi & Grill by Sushi Club

A fresh and interesting take on Sushi, as it is blended with the flavors of Peru. Steamed gyoza dumplings with chorizo? Tuna tataki with traditional Peruvian sauce? Cooked white rice over chipotle seasoned furikake? They also do some interesting things with steak, since the creators of the Sushi Club come from Buenos Aires. Outdoor seating on the Mile.

127 Miracle Mile. 786.864.1212

$$ Peruvian Japanese

La Palma

Exquisite setting in a historic building with lovely courtyard dining. For years, La Palma was known for its incredible lunch buffet. At $13.95 it’s still a bargain, but now served only on Tuesdays. For other weekdays, they have an executive lunch for $17.95. And good to know they always have pasta fagioli, the Tuscan white bean soup.

116 Alhambra Circle. 305.445.8777

$$-$$$ Italian

Le Provençal

This Gables mainstay (30 years in the same location) is under new ownership, so expect some innovations along with French standards such as duck l’orange and steak au poivre – like a Mediterranean grill with octopus, mussels, scallops, black rice and saffron garlic aioli. New sidewalk seating for the café experience, perfect pre-theater location.

266 Miracle Mile. 305.448.8984

$$$ French Mediterranean

M House

New restaurant on the ground floor of the Aloft Hotel, M House has soaring ceilings and clever plant hangings that create a great space. Fantastic seafood and new tastes abound, as Chef Abraham Silva uses a Josper Oven to bake in flavors at high heats. Great new takes on octopus, scallops and mussels, along

with a masterful whole fish. Delicious Josper-cooked lamb chops.

2524 S. Le Jeune Rd. 786.369.5155

$$$ European coastal cuisine, seafood

Mariposa

Mariposa floats like a butterfly in a far-off corner overlooking the garden courtyard of the Park. The food is light fare, as one might expect at a Neiman Marcus, with prices not so light. Salads, soups, cocktails – a casual place to rest after having spent far more than you planned.

Shops at Merrick Park.

$$$ New American

Mesa Mar

786.999.1018

A relative newcomer, though the family has been in the restaurant business for many years. Some of the best seafood in the Gables in an elegant setting. Try the golden-fried hog snapper accompanied by lobster bisque with whole chunks of Florida lobster. Also serves delicious ceviches.

264 Giralda Ave. 305.640.8448

$$$ Seafood

Mikuna Peruvian

“It’s time to feel the real Peru” boasts the Mikuna website, and they do indeed move beyond ceviche to the other dishes that make Peruvian food one of the

dining reflects chef Cindy Hutson’s commitment to “cuisine of the sun.” A warm and welcoming place. 278 Miracle Mile. 305.446.7710

$$ Caribbean

Palm d’Or

The award-winning Palm d’Or is a dining icon in Coral Gables. At once traditional and innovative, the French cuisine created by Chef Gregory Pugin is a work of art, literally. Each serving in his $115 six-course meals – or his $155 chef’s tasting menu – is impeccable in taste and appearance. As haute as haute cuisine gets.

1200 Anastasia Ave. (at the Biltmore Hotel) 305.913.3200

$$$$ French

Pascal’s On Ponce

Elegant, quaint and delicious, Pacal’s is the home and culinary canvas of owner-chef Pascal Oudin, who brings authentic classic French cuisine to the heart of the city. Meticulous in every detail. Oudin excels in seafood, soufflés and desserts. Try the leeks & hearts of palm salad.

2611 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.444.2024

$$$ French

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse

There is a reason that the tables at Ruth’s are typically

well. The menu, changing four times a year with each season, is always full of inventive treatments for fresh veggies, soups and salads. Their fish and meat dishes are great values, and the flat bread menu is really a nice touch. It’s a chain, but we forgive them.

321 Miracle Mile. 305.442.8552

$$ Healthy American

Shula’s 347 Grill

If it’s beef you are after but want to avoid the formality of a high-end steak house, Shula’s is perfect for you. Good service and pleasant décor – including lots of photos of the coach – make this a go-to place for professionals in the area. Great use of cheeses –boursin in their mac & cheese, and gorgonzola in their cream spinach. Best Specialty Burger says Coral Gables magazine.

6915 Red Rd. 305.665.9661

$$$ Steak and seafood

Swine

Like the name says, this place is about everything porcine, from pork belly salad ($8) all the way to the suckling pig ($38). A kind of upscale-rural woodand-brick feel, and a tad pricey for country fare, but man, do they know their way around a pig – along with other Southern things, like an excellent fried chicken.

2415 Ponce de Leon. 786.360.6533

$$$ Southern

Talavera Cocina Mexicana

High ceilings and ceramics make this a pleasant place to dine, but it’s the authentic fare that shines. The place for Mexicans homesick for cooking that’s not Tex-Mex. The chicken mole poblano is a winner at $20, and their huarache grill – masa flat breads that are really haute tacos – are great at $17.

2299 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.444.2955

$$ Mexican

Tap 42

Winner of Best Overall Burger by Coral Gables magazine, Tap 42 is big, noisy and fun, with a huge island bar and lots of booths. Reliably good ribs, steaks, and burgers, plus shines in the sides (roasted Brussel sprouts with maple mustard, truffle mac & cheese with parmesan crust). Nice random Asian dishes (grilled salmon Zen bowl, Asian cole slaw). 301 Giralda Ave. 786.391.1566

$$-$$$ American Pub

The Seven Dials

best cuisines in Latin America. These include lobster with Peruvian yellow pepper sauce, seafood rice with squid ink, and skewered swordfish. Other unique tastes include shrimp bisque with rice and egg.

325 Alcazar Ave. 786.420.2910

$$$ Peruvian

Morton’s Coral Gables

Morton’s in the Gables is not just another Morton’s. It’s setting in the Collonades gives it a unique elegance, with outdoor seating under the arches. Dependable quality, prime-aged beef, and excellent salads. Good place to take that important client. Great happy hour with filet mignon sandwiches or short rib tacos for $8.

2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.442.1662

$$$ Steakhouse

Ortanique on the Mile

A long-time favorite on Miracle Mile, Ortanique is named for a tropical citrus fruit (their sister restaurant is in Grand Cayman) and its Caribbean fine

full, even on week nights. This is where the best steaks are sent and where cholesterol is sent to the devil for the sake of extraordinary taste. Lots of wood paneling, wonderful service, and huge wine selection complete the package.

2320 Salzedo St. 205.461.8360

$$$$ Steakhouse

SAWA

Delicious take on Japanese flavors fused with Europe’s Mediterranean, Sawa offers seating inside or outside at Merrick Park. A vast selection of sushi rolls, and a vaster selection of tapas that range from chicken yatkitori to octopus ceviche. Some nice ‘samplers’ let you check out the menu’s range, plus great naan flatbreads. Also has a doggy menu.

360 San Lorenzo Ave. (Shops of Merrick Park)

305.447.6555

$$$ Japanese and Mediterranean fusion Seasons 52

The restaurant for healthy eaters who enjoy quality as

Calling itself an ‘eclectic American gastropub,’ Seven Dials is a fusion of American recipes with British culinary standards, with nice twists. The shepherd’s pie is made from lamb, the chicken breast is cooked with curry sauce. There are also a nice Welsh Rarebit snack and beer-battered Indian-inspired cauliflower with mint aioli and tamarind. Relaxed, pub-like interior.

2030 S. Douglas Rd. 786.542.1603

$$ British American

Zucca

A worthy heir to the hallowed grounds of the old St. Michel restaurant, this one-year-old is a new star in the raiment of Italian eateries in the Gables. Distinctly northern Italian, with the home-taught recipes that chef Simone Mua learned in his native Milan. Modern Italian design, with haute comfort food and great service.

162 Alcazar Ave. 786.580.3731

$$$-$$$$ Northern Italian

Ora King Salmon at M House

Grotto Haven

MAGIC

IN THE

by Karen F. Buchsbaum

If you ask homeowner Rolando “Roly” Benitez what his garden means to him, he says it brings him “balance.” After busy, stressful days as a mortgage banker and developer, Benitez’s garden is his passion and refuge.

Benitez moved into his historic George Merrick-built Gables home near the Venetian Pool in 2002, and began serious renovation and additions that more than doubled its size. But with nearly half an acre of land, there was plenty of space left for a series of European-inspired green areas. He and wife Sonia can now enjoy formal gardens with fountains, as well as Benitez’s favorite, his grotto orchid garden.

Benitez designed the planted spaces himself, explaining that “in my past life I must’ve been a gardener.” An avid fan of both history and travel, he takes his inspiration from the great homes of Europe and the United States – from Paris’ Versailles to Asheville’s Biltmore. He describes their formal gardens as the “finishing touch on the house.”

In the end, Benitez had to consult with experts from Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden to help identify the scientific names of the rarer plants he installed. Even armed with their IDs, it’s hard for him to select favorites, but plants from Indonesia, Cuban petticoat palms and Medjool palms are at the top of his list.

A

SPACE

MERRICK-BUILT HOME OF ROLANDO & SONIA BENITEZ

What $2 Million Will Buy in Coral Gables

Coral Gables has some of the most valuable real estate in South Florida, with a median price per square foot ($423) that is almost twice that of the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area. Average prices over the last five years have risen 43 percent.

To see what $2 million would buy today, we asked four real estate agents to submit one of their homes for sale in that price range – give or take a hundred thousand dollars. Here is what they came up with, in different Gables locations.

Listing Agent: Daniel Guerra (Fortune International Realty), 305.338.0126

Spacious Contemporary

Listing Price

$1.895M

753 MAJORCA AVE.

5 bed/6 bath/1 half bath. 4,018 sq. ft.; 10,890 sq. ft. lot

Contemporary style home in the heart of the old Gables near Granada Golf Course, completely remodeled in 2016, including impact windows and Thermador appliances in the kitchen. A light, bright spacious home on a corner lot with pool/patio area, covered terrace, summer kitchen and cabana bath. Two car garage. Also for rent ($11,500).

Listing Agent: Consuelo Stewart (Shelton and Stewart Realtors), 305.216.7348

Listing Price

$1.9M

Mediterranean Villa

2508

4 bed/5 bath/1 half bath. 4,326 sq. ft.; 10,480 sq. ft. lot 1925 Mizner Villa designed by Frank Woods, a piece of legacy preserved with its original grandeur. The residence boasts an elegant rotunda with winding marble staircase, volume ceilings, detailed millwork, formal living and dining room, sunroom, unique kitchen and spectacular open vistas of the private, lush gardens and inviting pool.

DE SOTO BLVD.

Listing Agent: Josie Wang (Brown Harris Stevens), 305.666.9759

Listing Price

$1.845M

Living Large

5825

SW 119TH ST.

6 bed/5 bath/1 half bath. 6,040 sq. ft.; 22,940 sq. ft. lot

Located in south Gables on a half-acre, expansive home includes large guest house with full kitchen. Modern Hollub-built style (1974), with terrazzo and tile floors, large bedrooms, walk-in closets, pool, two-car garage, and gourmet kitchen with Bosch, Jenn-Air and Sub Zero. Close to Matheson Hammock park, good schools.

Listing Agent: John Seidel (Coldwell Banker), 786.488.9756

From Main Street By Mark Trowbridge

Ifit’s Not Boeing, I’m Not Going

This past month, our Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce hosted our annual planning conference for the upcoming year. This gathering is a yearly ritual that also signals the change in our volunteer leadership, and the installation of a new Chair of the Board. Moreover, this conference is a terrific opportunity for our members to further engage and participate with us, personally and professionally.

One of the highlights of the program was a one-on-one sit-down with Ambassador Donna Hrinak, president of Boeing Latin America and vice president of Boeing International. In a candid conversation curated by Miami Herald Business Editor Jane Wooldridge, Hrinak covered a wide range of topics. These included the future of Boeing here and around the world, her own professional career as a corporate executive and foreign service officer, and how she has been able to balance a career with more time spent in the air than on the ground.

For most, Boeing is viewed as a worldwide leader in aviation. But, the 102-yearold corporate giant is also at the forefront of the American defense industry, STEM education (or STEMMD, with Manufacturing and Design added in) and supply chain services that makes it a significant player across the globe.

Hrinak came to Boeing after big-time corporate gigs at PepsiCo and Kraft Foods, and following an illustrious career as a diplomat and U.S. Ambassador to Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia and the Dominican Republic.

Now living in Coconut Grove, Hrinak is married and

has four children. No two days are alike in her role as president of Boeing LATAM as she jets around the hemisphere on behalf of Boeing and its multitude of divisions, including a state-of-the-art training facility in Miami Springs and manufacturing around the U.S., including Seattle and Charleston for the 737 and Dreamliner 787, respectively.

Boeing now forecasts a global need for 80,000 more pilots by the year 2037, when aviation is expected to be an $8 trillion market. An alliance with Embraer out of Brazil will help bring the global supply chain into greater focus and create jobs in Ft. Lauderdale, Melbourne and Jacksonville. The future of Boeing will be about increasing range for its aircraft, something of great interest as we seek a non-stop flight between Miami and Asia.

With the challenges of free trade (including tariffs for aluminum) front and center today for Boeing, it is important to have a diplomat of Hrinak’s skill set and temerity at the forefront. Her tenure in the foreign service began at age 22 and she credits her long-term success to being engaged, curious and flexible – along with being fully committed to free trade.

Finally, with other divisions that support the military and U.S. defense department (including F-15 and F-18 aircraft), along with a move toward autonomous vehicles and drones, Boeing is well diversified for the future. And, given the fact that 82 percent of people have never flown, there is nothing but upside. With Donna Hrinak at the helm and leading the way, we should all get going with Boeing!

THE LOCAL HEAD OF BOEING LATAM LAYS OUT THE FUTURE

Mark Trowbridge is the president and CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce

Boeing now forecasts a global need for 80,000 more pilots by the year 2037, when aviation is expected to be an $8 trillion market...

THE WORLD’S BEST 23’ CENTER CONSOLE HAS ARRIVED

Hop onboard the new 230 and get ready for adventure bigger than its size suggests. After all, this is a Twin Vee, with all composite manufacturing, superior stability and 2x the fuel efficiency of a mono-hull! Designed for family fun as well as 360 degree fishability, the 230 boasts an insulated fishbox, in-deck storage and more deck space than you’d expect. And, as all Twin Vees do, it offers the smoothest ride out there.

Voices

Your Money

By Mason Williams

Interested in Investing Abroad?

Aconstant dilemma in the world of wealth management is whether it’s wise to stick with the security of U.S. stocks or venture into the international marketplace. This seems especially relevant now, when tough talk on tariffs threatens to roil the seas of international trade and usher in unintended consequences.

Yes, the international space has been shaky over the past three or four years. The U.S. got its act together quickly after the 2008 financial crisis, whereas the international markets were not as swift to respond. Nevertheless, international investing is an important component to a portfolio and should be considered.

At Coral Gables Trust Company, we recommend that 25 percent of equity portfolios are allocated toward international investments, with 20 percent of that in emerging markets. When investing in emerging markets, don’t be country-specific, but instead approach it as a broad basket.

So when, how much, and where to diversify? The following are some things to consider. There is opportunity in the European market, but investors must be patient. The U.S. is expensive relative to foreign markets, so overseas investments could be a better deal over the next five years. But the European zone is cheaper for a reason. They’ve had a lot of bad news: Brexit and the Greek debt crisis are still lingering issues.

The U.S. is trading at a premium for several reasons, including better job numbers and the Trump administration’s massive economic stimulus. Europe and Japan are three to four years behind us, and emerging markets are probably

similar in their cycle, so it’s been challenging.

The data is getting better: 2017 was a very strong year for all markets. Emerging markets were up 37 percent and Europe was up 25 percent. The U.S. market, with a 21 percent market return, underperformed for the first time in several years. But all the markets experienced growth. In 2018, we seem to have broken away from the pack. But we don’t know how the tariff talks are going to affect us or the international markets.

The Trump administration seems to be friendly to the European Union, but negotiations with China are struggling. Right now, investors don’t seem to be concerned with the tough talk and harsh rhetoric about tariffs, possibly because they assume it’s all a negotiating tactic. But they could lose patience and run for the exits. That would have a strong influence on the markets.

While we naturally have a U.S. bias, we have strategically placed allocations with high quality international investment managers that have added value above their respective target benchmarks. Fortunately, South Floridians tend to understand the importance of investing beyond our borders as many have connections to South America or Europe and are generally more educated on foreign issues, currencies, regulations and markets.

Diversifying your portfolio — both geographically, between companies, and across investment vehicles — is the wisest move and the surest path to achieving your goals. With the right guidance, don’t shy away from investing abroad, but be selective and diversified.

CHOOSE CAREFULLY WHEN DIVERSIFYING YOUR PORTFOLIO

Mason Williams is chief investment officer at Coral Gables Trust Company, with more than 18 years of experience in building investment strategies and customizing portfolio solutions

South Floridians tend to understand the importance of investing beyond our borders as many have connections to South America or Europe...

Time Machine

THE CORAL GABLES COUNTRY CLUB

The Coral Gables Golf and Country Club and the Granada Golf Course was once the Merrick family’s vegetable field. The golf course opened on January 15, 1923. The clubhouse opened three months later, and became the

city’s first public building. The six original coral rock arches remain, but only the base of the tower – used by George Merrick as a viewing platform to show prospective buyers their home sites – survived a devastating 1983 fire.

King Tut’s burial chamber is discovered

First game played at the original Yankee Stadium

Warner Brothers is established in Hollywood

The first issue of TimeMagazine is published

Insulin is introduced for diabetes treatment