COUP BOSTON FALL 2012

FALL ����

the

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FASHION ISSUE

A NEW LEAF AUTUMN FOLIAGE TAKES A RISKY TURN

LEGENDS OF THE FALL BRAZEN HEROINES EPIC LOVE BATTLES ARTFUL ACCESSORIZING

I'D TAP THAT BOSTON'S HOTTEST NEW BREWERY

CHEESY TERRITORY WHY & HOW WE DOMINATE THE ARTISANAL CHEESE WORLD

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CONTENTS & DEPARTMENTS

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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COUP DE GRÂCE // GOING FOR BAROQUE What do 17th-century music, Céline, and Johnny Cash have in common? Leslie Kwan.

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SOCIETY // THE FRONT ROW

Who wore what, when, and why. And more importantly, how they made the party better for it.

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WANDERLUST // EXTREME FOLIAGE

Leaf peeping just entered the danger zone.

Dive into fall foliage—literally.

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TABLE // THE CHEESIEST FOOD STORY YOU'VE EVER READ

New England now arguably rules the artisanal cheese world. Here's how it slices up.

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TABLE // A FEAST ON HIGH

Three revered Boston chefs intersect for a transition-season dinner, at the junction of late-summer freshness and autumn's rich flavors.

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ARMOIRE // HIDE AND SEEK

Fall’s smartest silhouettes eschew trends, and instead play on proportion and disclosure.

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ARMOIRE // THIS SIDE OF PARADISE

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s many dizzying, dazzling leading ladies know from heroine chic.

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ARMOIRE // GEM CLASS

Three local jewelry artists; endless approaches to distinguished adornments.

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VANITY // ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

Summer’s damage to your skin is a done deal, right?

Not if our local dermis experts have any say in the matter.

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COUP D'ÉTAT // TAPPED INTO STYLE

The trio behind just-launched Portico Brewing Co. is adding a substantial new flavor to Boston’s craft beer scene.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

RETURN TO OUR SENSES COUNT US BACK IN. As in, back from the beach. Back to reality. Back to our desks. And just in time.

That’s one of the best things about living here: Seasons here are nigh clairvoyant; they seem to switch over at the exact point when we most desperately crave something new. In late winter, just when we think we can’t take another 6 a.m. snow shoveling session, spring’s first splatter of buds rushes in. Then, three months later, just when we’re officially done trying to convince ourselves that ubiquitous mud puddles are a decent trade-off for daffodils, out roll the scorching afternoons of summer.

But even given the convenience of that well-oiled schedule, I’m partial to the entry of fall: to the relief of tepid mornings and a kinder, cooler sun—and even more so, to the laziness of August vacations evaporating into a get-things-done-already ethic. And as the pages that follow prove, we’ve got alexandra hall the editor, our work cut out for us. feeling antsy to take on fall.

If it isn’t seeking out new cultural institutions or finding inventive ways to undo the damage of summer sun or taking leaf peeping to unprecedented levels of danger, it’s executing creative menus that celebrate the transition of the seasons. In fact, come fall, our diets change altogether. We crave fattening things again—like, say, some of the world’s

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best cheeses, made right in our backyard and served with aplomb on menus all around the city, and beyond.

And then there’s this: Now, more than at any other time, we kick our wardrobes straight into high gear. This year that means artful accessorizing, and crafting drama-driven looks that nod to everything from straight-up sexy, noir-inspired passion plays, to the icy-yet-fallible heroines of my favorite functional drunk, F. Scott Fitzgerald. (If ever anyone knew how to get right back to meeting deadlines the morning after a raucous party, he did.)

Fall is, in a sense, New England’s collective morning after. For us, it technically ought to be a season strictly about death, since its chill means the decay of our region’s natural landscape. But its effect on us humans is actually the opposite: It sharpens us into believing in something more like a new beginning. After all, this is the time of year, when all of the leaves around us are supposed to be dying, that they turn into infinitely more kick-ass, gorgeous versions of themselves than in any other season.

So go make like a leaf, and be more brilliant than ever. Now get back to work.

ALEXANDRA HALL Editor-in-Chief alex@coupboston.com

ALEXANDRA HALL Editor-in-Chief JOSEPH GORDON CLEVELAND Creative Director AUSTYN ELLESE MAYFIELD Managing Editor MICHAEL BLANDING Editor-at-Large MICHAEL TROTMAN Copy Editor Contributing Writers KATHERINE BOWERS JOLYON HELTERMAN BERNARD LEED ERIN BYERS MURRAY LISA PIERPONT Contributing Photographers JOEL BENJAMIN DANIEL BLECKLEY CONOR DOHERTY TIM GILMAN TRISTAN GOVIGNON SABIN GRATZ CHRISTOPHER HUANG RUSS MEZIKOFSKY CORY STIERLEY DAN WATKINS JESSICA WEISER Art & Design Interns OLIVIA CARTLAND CAITLIN COYNE SYDNEY KIRSTEN ROCCO MANCINELLI ALEXA ROBERTIELLO Editorial Interns MADELEINE DAILEY SHANIQUE FOWLKES BASIA GORDON KELSEY PRISBY JESSICA SANIEOFF ROBIN HAUCK Director, Marketing & Brand Strateg y TO ADVERTISE, CONTACT salut@coupboston.com

200 Stuart Street | EmeraldUltraLounge.com

COUPBOSTON.COM

20 PARK PLAZA, SUITE 1105 BOSTON, MA 02116

CURATED

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What the finicky editorial COUP crew is donning, devouring, hoarding, imbibing, inhaling, and generally lusting after right now.

BY JOSEPH GORDON CLEVELAND, ALEXANDRA HALL AND AUSTYN ELLESE MAYFIELD

1.“LIFE METAPHOR” SILVER GELATIN PRINT “A conversation starter, courtesy of surrealist photographer Jerry Uelsmann.” $4,000, at A Gallery —Joseph Gordon Cleveland, Creative Director

2. EVO RITUAL SALVATION SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER “Salvation, indeed. It banishes dryness so well, it’s pretty much like an exorcism for your hair.” $24 each at Trephin Salon —Austyn Ellese Mayfield, Managing Editor

3. INSOLENT DESK CLOCK BY ERCUIS “Meeting deadlines is far less menacing when the clock you’re laboring under is a lovely silver-plated treasure.” $429 at Bliss Home —Alexandra Hall, Editor-in-Chief

4. VERRIGNI SQUID INK SPAGHETTI “Serve this jet-black pasta in an all-white place setting for artful impact.” $8.50 at The Gourmet Online —JGC

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5. SMYTHSON TRAVEL WALLET “A mobile filing system fashioned from supple calf leather adds a dash of elegance to my O.C.D.-based neuroses.” $920 at Smythson.com —AEM

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6. SWEDART ICE QUEEN BRACELET “Viking princess meshes—literally, via spun pewter wire and silver beads—with undertones of pretty punk in this black reindeer number.” $170 at Chic to Chic Accessories —AH

7. HOLLYWOOD BUTTONS SOFA “Fall’s TV lineup deserves an equally engaging place for repose. This solid design from Laetitia Low will be my home base well beyond sweeps week.” $3,990-$5,650 at Lekker Home —AEM 6

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FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � CURATED

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8. MARY KATRANTZOU TYPEWRITER DRESS “The designer’s signature print wizardry lends dynamic interest to even her most streamlined silhouette.” $1,630 at Riccardi —JGC

9. LANCOME ABSOLU NU “MIDNIGHT ROSES” COLLECTION “Take lustrous texture, add a new shade like Parme Flanelle, and you’ve got a vivid— and perfectly shaped—fall lip.” $29.50 at Nordstrom —AH

10. TREE DUAL SALT AND PEPPER MILL

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“Proof that one good turn deserves another.

A grinder designed in Denmark, where part of its proceeds go to plant flowers in kindergartens.” $40 at Abodeon —AEM

11. TOM FORD BLACK ORCHID “The notes are varied, the result’s the same: an assertive scent as appropriate for the ladies as it is for the gents.” $150 for 100ml at Neiman Marcus —JGC

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12. ZAGLIANI BLACK OSTRICH BOWLER “Two-way top zip, rolled top handles, and roomy-as-can-be pockets. In short, the only carry-on you’ll ever need.” $8,500 at Barneys New York —JGC

13. ATALANTA WELLER KILI PUMP “I’m shelving my espadrille wedges and stepping out in geometric city style.

Cobblestones be damned.” $635 at Then And Now —AEM

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AMERICAN SEASONS 25TH BIRTHDAY “The latest excuse for hitting the islands in shoulder season: an iconic Nantucket restaurant’s anniversary celebration, extending to mid-October.”

—AH

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CREAMY POLENTA WITH CURED TOMATOES “The last fresh tomatoes of the year get a cosseting, rich treatment, blending late summer and fall.” $7 at City Landing —AH 7

Who will be the next face of Boston’s most sophisticated night spot?

4 Nights 4 Live Competitions September 20 • September 27 • October 4 • October 7 (Final Event) Shows begin at 7 p.m.

250 Franklin Street, Boston Ma 02110 The Langham, Boston • Bondboston.com • 617.956.8765

ON A HIGH NOTE Donna Karan Dress, $2,895, at Donna Karan. Autore Earrings and Marina B Bracelet, both price upon request, at Dorfman.

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FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � COUP DE GRÂCE

GOING for BAROQUE Harpsichordist Leslie Kwan’s approach to dressing is as refined as the concerts she performs.

BY KATHERINE BOWERS �� PORTRAIT BY CORY STIERLEY

IN AN ERA WHEN TOO MANY CLOSETS GROAN WITH CHEAP CHIC, Leslie Kwan gives an object lesson in elegance and discipline. The co-founder and general director of L’Academie, a Baroque orchestra specializing in 17th- and 18th-century French music, she prepares her clothing with as much aplomb as she does her concerts.

Kwan grew up in Long Island, the child of immigrants from Guyana, a former British colony in South America. As a child, she would slip into her mother’s closet, which was redolent of good leather and perfume, and run her hands over silk chiffon blouses, wool sheath dresses, and her favorite, her mother’s silk mikado and guipure lace wedding dress, sewn by Leslie’s grandmother.

These early experiences with good fabric were formative—both to her personal style and to her music today. Because the harpsichord has a delving, vibrating quality (the internal mechanism involves plucking, rather than the hammer of a modern piano), there’s a distinctive texture to Baroque music.

“I reference fabrics all the time when directing the orchestra,” she says. “I’ll say, ‘Imagine you’ve got your hands in a really plush piece of velvet or mohair and that resistance, that pulling of sound.’ They laugh, but we achieve a beautiful aural texture.”

Unsurprisingly, her personal sartorial choices reflect a well-honed sense of decorum. Each day as a child, she’d come home from school, change, and sit down for family teatime, which involved saying grace, china, cutlery, and cloth napkins. “We learned there was a time and a place for different kinds of dressing,” she says. To that end, her yoga pants are for, well, yoga. They don’t morph into the all-weekend lazy woman’s uniform. “I’ll go home, shower, and change—even if it’s only in five minutes,” she says. “It’s not vanity, it’s being respectful of the message I want to send out into the world.”

But just because she’s ladylike doesn’t mean she doesn’t flirt with risk. She’s currently coveting the Hermès Medor watch, which has a hidden dial and three spiked gold pyramids. For fall, she’d love to find a pair of garnet suede heels, a chic puffer coat, and a leather skirt. She’s judicious, so her choices last—Chanel, Armani, and Céline are splurge favorites; J. Crew and Zara for basics.

In grad school, she pinched pennies to buy a pumpkin-colored silk-velvet scarf and an aubergine Longchamp tote, which still carries music scores and notes when she’s researching at Harvard’s Loeb Music Library. (A committed Francophile, Kwan counts Back Bay’s Deuxave, Café Fixe in Brookline, and Galerie d’Orsay on Newbury among her favorite haunts.)

Yet for all the consideration she puts into her wardrobe, she believes good clothing is just a backdrop for letting other qualities shine. She performs, for example, in simple black or navy dresses (sleeveless, with a flowing tea- or floor-length skirt so as to allow free movement), highlighted with a dramatic shoe or cluster of sparkling brooches. The men in her orchestra, per her styling, wear all-black suits. “Very Johnny Cash,” she quips.

But like any performer worth her art, she knows there’s a time and place for the grand gesture. At her wedding in a private Boston home last year, the woman who owns many L.B.D.s wore a Grecian gown in the brilliant fuchsia of cyclamen flowers. Her groom, needless to say, was floored.

Shot on location at the FRENCH CULTURAL CENTER Produced by SYDNEY KIRSTEN & ALEXA ROBERTIELLO Makeup by KACIE CORBELLE

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SOCIETY � COUP BOSTON � FALL 2012

THE FRONT ROW

Just steps away from the pitter-patter of preppy loafers and Wellies lies another dimension of Boston: bright, shiny fashionistas who step out in town sporting bold prints, Italian footwear, and well-calculated ensembles. With a lifetime pass to Boston's glitziest gigs, these are the men and women we call The Front Row. Is there a seat with your name on it?

BY LISA PIERPONT

KATHY NASH

Frankly, we’re surprised Kathy Nash even makes it out of her house at all.

She’s the mother of eight—count ’em, eight—children. (Plus one husband, she points out.) And there’s more: She’s a registered nurse, an entrepreneur (“I’m in the midst of launching a unique concept, KN Medspa Lounge, offering the best in nonsurgical beauty boosts”), and a fashion lover. And if you think her hair looks vaguely familiar, it’s because Kathy’s number one style icon is Brigitte Bardot. As for her dress, she chose Trina Turk: “Amazing colors. And I love the way the fabric feels on the skin. There’s no need for accessories, as the dress speaks volumes.” As did she, too, she says, after moving to the United States as a young child. “I was adopted from Korea when I was 5.

I didn’t speak for six months in America, except in my sleep. Then it was nonstop English ever since.” Nonstop is everything in Kathy’s life, which is why she’s drawn to clothing that’s simple, bold, and positive—just like her favorite quote by the 17th-century poet and samurai Masahide: “Barn’s burnt down.

Now I can see the moon.”

LYNDSEY ALMON

Promise to say “grittyhypergloss” the next time you spot Lyndsey Almon; she describes it as her secret password to life, and she’ll be impressed that you know it. It also describes her style, which is, well, intricate. “I really try to focus on balancing the masculine and feminine in all aspects of life. If I go too far into the land of magic/art/whimsy, then I must bring in structure/rules/ science to balance.” The night we saw her, she applied her formula with a Rachel Roy white feather dress (there’s the magic), a structured jacket from PanPan (the masculine), and a self-made bracelet created from local hardware store finds (the art). And the whimsy? She had painted her hair pink with a pastel crayon. The senior designer for Union Office Interiors grew up in La Mesa, California, which, she tells us, accounts for a lot of her personality.

“I need to follow the energy and opportunity as they arise. I work very hard for any level of success I gain in life, and play just as hard.” An avid long-board surfer and designer (look out for her premiere collection this year), Lyndsey says she doesn’t idolize “other beings,” but instead honors her inner voice.

“Don’t do what’s expected, do what feels right. If what you’re wearing stirs up your energy for the positive, there’s no telling the directions it will take you.”

SAM HASSAN

the venue

MINIBAR AT THE COPLEY SQUARE HOTEL JULY 10, 2012

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Not to label-drop or anything, but Sam Hassan is wearing a Prada blazer and shirt along with Gucci loafers. And why wouldn’t he? He spent his entire childhood attending their fashion shows in Italy, France, and Germany. In other words, Prada is to him as SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas are to most Americans. “I spent a number of years working in high-end fashion. So I can’t help but gravitate to the latest designs and designers… especially European designs.” We’d be sort of put off, except that he’s as well grounded as he is well dressed. “When I was young, my family opened The Tannery [Cambridge/ Boston]. With a lot of hard work and incredible passion, we turned The Tannery into one of the most successful high-end fashion boutiques in the city. The experience defined my character and gave me a tremendous work ethic which helps me in all aspects of life.” These days, Sam, who moved to Boston from Lebanon when he was 15, has left the fashion business to pursue a career in real estate as the founder and president of Silverstone Development. (“We transform somewhat run-down turn-of-the-century brownstones into modern-day palaces.”) But he just can’t stop himself from looking good. “As I’ve matured, so has my style. I see it as simple elegance.”

DEAN MELLEN

JOSEPH GUALTIERE LYNDSEY ALMON

EDWARD JACOBS & BILL RAYE

KATHY NASH

COCO GRACE

SAM HASSAN

the venue

SHINING STAR GALA BENEFITING THE VICTIM RIGHTS LAW CENTER AT THE CASTLE JUNE 21, 2012 photographs by CHERYL RICHARDS

at left ERICA MCDERMOTT, TALIA DON, AND MELISSA MCMEEKIN at right TAVI DE LA ROSA, KATHLEEN SANTORA, PATRICE VINCI, AND DEAN MELLEN below NAIA KETE, STACY MALONE, AND DR. ANITA HILL bottom KATE MERRILL, NIKI TSONGAS, AND BERNADETTE MANNIX FEENEY

BREW UNTO OTHERS (Clockwise) Ian Chester, Alex Rabe, and Alex Zielke at their current brewing location in Waltham.

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � WANDERLUST

EXTREME FOLIAGE

Long the sedate hobby of octogenarians, leaf peeping is taking on a whole new daredevil character.

BY MICHAEL BLANDING

KEITH SAMPIETRO'S DOGS ARE BARKING. LITERALLY. “Take these,” he says, thrusting a pair of goggles into my hands as ten huskies raise a din around us. “This first part, as the cart goes down the hill, it might feel like it’s going to tip over,” he continues, “but it won’t.” I’m beginning to wonder what I got myself into as I set myself on the padded front seat of a go-cart that Sampietro and his wife, Lori, salvaged from a tractor supply store.

For years, the Sampietros have been giving winter dog-sled tours of the wilderness of northern Vermont, about ten minutes from the Canadian border. With the cart, they’ve been able to extend their season into fall, when the surrounding forest’s birch, maple, and beech trees kindle to life and light up the hillsides in the region’s annual beauty pageant.

As a lifelong New Englander, I like a good foliage pilgrimage as much as the next weekend road-tripper. It never ceases to amaze how just a little absence of chlorophyll can transform a green hillside into a Kandinsky. Even so, there are only so many times you can pull over at the same scenic viewpoints and maple syrup shacks.

So this year, I vowed to push the foliage appreciation envelope a bit and see if I couldn’t find some new, more adrenaline-raising ways of peeping the leaves.

It seemed like a good enough idea at the time. Now, as the dogcart careens down the slope, paw-loosened pebbles skittering off the plastic windscreen in front of me, I’m having second thoughts. For one brief moment, the cart tilts dangerously to the side and I think we’re going to go over before Keith turns the wheel onto a dirt track cutting through the woods.

When I first arrived, the crew of Alaskan huskies—which the Sampietros use because they are more “personable” than their Siberian cousins—were barking and yapping wildly in anticipation.

Now they become suddenly silent as they careen down the hillside, putting their backs into the run. I feel the wind on my face as we pass a Speed Limit 35 sign; at their best, Keith says, they can easily run that fast. On either side of us, the leaves are rushing past in a wash of color, overhanging a forest floor carpeted with ferns.

It’s a completely new, and thrilling, angle from which to view fall color. During the winter, Keith tells me, a dog-sled ride is almost completely silent as the runners glide along the path. This is the complete opposite: bumpy and noisy with the rhythmic clacking of wheels on gravel and Keith screaming at the lead dogs Mercury and Jupiter, who keep veering into the watercourse alongside the trail for a dip. “Merc! Jupe! No! No! C’mon, boys!” he screams.

All is forgiven at the end of the trail, however, as he pours buckets of water over the panting animals and lavishes praise on them. “These are my kids,” says Keith. “It’s all about love. If they know you love them, they’ll do anything for you.” As the dogs rest, we hike a few hundred feet into the surrounding color for our reward: a hidden waterfall that even few locals know is there.

WANDERLUST CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE >>>

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<<< WANDERLUST CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

AFTER WATCHING THE LEAVES WHIZ BY FROM BELOW, it seems only natural for my next adventure to look down on them serenely from above. With that in mind, I drive back down the highway to Morningside Flight Park on the Vermont/New Hampshire border. I’ve come to check out paragliding, a kind of controlled parachuting down a hillside under a huge winglike piece of nylon. When I arrive, however, I learn the wind today is too strong for paragliding, so my guides have signed me up for hang gliding instead.

Before I know it, I’m signing a release form that begins with the line, “I understand I may suffer a broken limb, paralysis, or fatal injury…” and has the word “DEATH” in all capitals at least once. (I have to initial in about ten places promising not to sue anyone.) Before I can have second thoughts, however, a girl in a white bikini shows up on an ATV and tells me to hop on the back, which for some reason I find it impossible to say “no” to. Her name is Clara Mosley and she works with her boyfriend, Zack Marzec, who will be taking me up in a tandem glider today.

As we arrive at the airstrip, Zack greets us with a goatee and a grin, and shows me how to step into the harness dangling below the wing of a bright orange hang glider in the grass. He gives me some preliminary instructions, which boil down to “Don’t touch anything unless I say so,” and just as I’m looking for the red cord on his chest that releases the emergency parachute, he gives a signal to the yellow sport plane in front of us to start towing us down the runway into the air.

The whole experience is so sudden, I nearly forget to be terrified—at least until I look below and realize those trainset trees are in fact actual trees, and my car has instantly gone from Matchbox car-sized to ant-sized. I lose my stomach as the glider abruptly pops up in a “thermal,” which Zack explains is a plume of air rising from the heated ground in the same way steam rises from a boiling pot. Despite the turbulence, however, I feel strangely serene. Perhaps it’s the harness, which envelopes me like a sleeping bag on all sides and makes me feel secure, despite my brain telling me to freak out.

Finally, at 2,000 feet, Zach releases the cable from the tow plane and there is a moment of weightlessness— exactly like those amusement park rides where you plummet straight down—before the wing catches and we are flying. Yep, flying. And it’s absolutely exhilarating. As we glide quietly through the air, Zack shows me how to shift my weight to steer the craft, which is surprisingly responsive.

I pull my right hip up toward my hand, and almost immediately the wing is dipping to spiral the glider right in a graceful arc.

Zack takes control again and finds a thermal he uses to spin the glider up a few hundred feet to prolong the ride— using such techniques, he’s flown for as long as five hours.

As for me, I could stay up here forever just to soak up the view, which stretches from mid-Vermont to mid–New Hampshire in a crazy quilt of color from the dense forest of maple, oak, hickory, and other hardwoods. It’s one thing to look up at foliage, and quite another to gaze down at all of the leaves pointed faceup toward you. As we begin circling for our descent, I start imagining jumping into their pillowy canopy.

Then I remember that release I signed, and a wave of vertigo washes over me. I wisely let Zack take us in for a graceful landing on the grass, returning to the more ordinary glories of a New England fall.

if you go... >>> MONTGOMERY ADVENTURES 262 DEEP GIBOU ROAD MONTGOMERY CENTER, VT (802) 370-2103 >>> MORNINGSIDE FLIGHT PARK 357 MORNINGSIDE LANE CHARLESTOWN, NH (603) 542-4416

more extreme foliage...

LLAMA TREKKING Not only are they great pack animals, but llamas are also incredibly patient and docile, so kids can have their own animals to ride through the woods. >>> PINETUM FARM 7 HARRIS STREET GRANBY, MA (413) 467-7146 CANOPY TOUR Zip lines are becoming almost as ubiquitous as leaves in New England; but the 3-hour tour at Bretton Woods is arguably the best, with 2 sky bridges and 9 zip lines, including one more than 150 feet from the ground. >>> MOUNT WASHINGTON RESORT ROUTE 302 BRETTON WOODS, NH (800) 314-1752 HOT-AIR BALLOONING There is no more peaceful way to view the canopy than from the basket of a balloon, especially on a “Champagne Flight” over Lake Champlain. >>> A BEAUTIFUL BALLOON (973) 335-9799 FOLIAGE CRUISE It may not be high adventure, but a cruise up the Kennebunk River aboard a 44-foot yacht is a trip ready-made for reflections. >>> THE BEACH HOUSE 211 BEACH AVENUE KENNEBUNK, ME (207) 967-3850

65 TOP MUSICI AN S ON THE V ERGE O F WO R LD CLAS S ATTENTIO N * *Training Wheels required

Boston is now home to the first and only training orchestra in New England: Symphony NOVA, under the baton of Conductor Lawrence Isaacson. In support of their historic public premiere at Old South Church, UBER, everyone’s private driver, will offer all Symphony NOVA subscribers and supporters UBER credit.

Courtesy of UBER, Symphony NOVA patrons will

arrive at concerts and venues throughout Boston

via professional drivers in sleek, black town cars.

For tickets, a concert schedule commencing September 28th and to take advantage of UBER’s Training Wheels offer to support Boston’s first and only training orchestra,

EMAIL info@symphonynova.org WEB symphonynova.org PHONE 781.381.3300

new season, new menu, new setting patio now open at harvest

44 Brattle Street (on the walkway) Harvard Square 617.868.2255 harvestcambridge.com

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � TABLE

THE CHEESIEST FOOD STORY YOU'VE EVER READ Some of the world’s best cheeses right now are getting crafted right in our backyard, and the annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival is the most direct portal to their makers.

For this year’s extravaganza, we grabbed two local fromage freaks—one a chef, the other a monger—and drove straight to the source in a huge, Cheddar-yellow bus.

What ensued was a discovery quest of unquestionably cheesy proportions.

BY MICHAEL BLANDING �� PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL BENJAMIN

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Shelburne Farms, site of the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival.

MOST OF THE PEOPLE BOARDING THE HULKING YELLOW LIMO BUS in front of the Concord Cheese Shop just after dawn on this Sunday morning are more apt to be awake at 6 a.m. because they’ve been up all night, not because they’ve woken up early for a road trip in search of Vermont’s best cheeses. But here we are, a motley cluster of cheese shop employees, its patrons, one Boston chef, and COUP Boston staffers boarding what we’ve dubbed the Rolling Cheese Bacchanalia Bus. Its destination: the third annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival.

In the past decade, Vermont has sprouted an artisanal cheese revolution as rich and bountiful as a bloomy rind on a brie. While Vermont produces nowhere near the billions of pounds annually of cheese giants such as California and Wisconsin, it has more cheese producers per capita than any other state. Which means that while the big boys in other states pool milk from hundreds of farms (to make, at best, specialty cheeses like provolone and Asiago, and at worst, shredded cheese for Pizza Hut), Vermont producers are by contrast overwhelmingly small and artisanal, meaning that they make less than the equivalent of a herd of 100 cows.

“Vermont has got more artisanal cheese producers than anywhere in the world, and there are always new people coming,” says Peter Lovis, owner of the Concord Cheese Shop and veteran cheesemonger of 45 years. This is his second visit to the cheese festival, where he hopes to find new products to fill up his counter as well as meet the farmers who create them, so he can find new stories to share with patrons to help them know more about their food.

He’s one of two gurus we’ve tapped to navigate this brave and tasty new world. The other is chef Jon Gilman of Church of Boston, a graduate of the University of Vermont who spent years in the state working for Vermont senator Pat Leahy before coming to Massachusetts to become a chef. “I’m extremely biased, but I think [Vermont] is the top cheese producer in the United States, 22

which really means the world,” he says about the state. “It’s got that brand reputation for Cabot Cheddar—and some clothbound Cheddars are incredible—but farmers now are doing far more interesting things with goat’s milk and sheep’s milk and all kinds of different varieties.”

In a way, says Lovis, Vermont has come full circle to the way farmers used to live, when they were making small batches of artisanal products like cheese, beer, and charcuterie to sock away in the cellar for personal use or to sell to neighbors. As the locavore movement—which arguably got much of its start in Vermont—has led to a greater interest in locally crafted products, many Vermont dairy farmers have turned to selling their own distinctive cheese as a way to survive. As competition has increased, they’ve turned to more creative and unique varieties of cheese as a way to distinguish themselves from the herd.

We’ve enlisted Lovis as one of our guides not only for his encyclopedic knowledge of local cheese, but also for his legendary hospitality, exemplified by his gourmet shop in Concord center that showcases 200 cheeses at one time, alongside a slew of other gourmet products. “If you come into the shop, you’re going to try something,” he vows. His philosophy is to make shopping fun, and he’s clearly brought it from the store onto the bus, as he works his way up the aisle with scones and pours prosecco and orange juice into cups for morning mimosas. Tongues loosened by good food and drink, conversation turns to stories about a drunk person peeing in her pants, a massage service involving a plastic bag worn as underwear, and the authenticity of dolphin rape (Google it).

By the time we cross the Vermont border and wash away the last of the auto parts stores and Tyvek home wrap that pass for scenery in New Hampshire, we are well on our way to turning the pilgrimage into a bacchanalia. As if on cue, the sun comes out to light a paradisaical landscape of green rolling hills—without a billboard or McDonald’s in sight.

“I’m hoping to see something I’ve never seen before,” says Gilman about his plans for the festival. “The best way to do that is to go straight to the source.” Gilman is known for his innovative approaches to comfort food. (One of his signature creations is “American” cheese singles made by breaking down artisanal cheeses with milk and gelatin and then melting them over macaroni or into grilled cheese served with a newfangled version of Mom’s tomato soup.) “A lot of times you come up with a recipe and then look for the cheese that will fit with it,” he says. “When you go to the source, it’s the opposite: You let the cheese dictate what kind of dish you create.”

Finally we arrive at Shelburne Farms, the location of the cheese festival, to find tents set up along Lake Champlain under TABLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 25 >>>

BREAKING THE MOLD Vermont's cheeses are some of the most diverse and creative in the country— if not the world.

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WHEELS OF FORTUNE Artisanal cow's milk creations at the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival.

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<<< TABLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

a cloudless sky. Gilman is also a big fan of pairing cheese with beer, so we make an immediate beeline to the booth of Hillstead Farm Brewery, a cult craft brewer located in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom that’s so local, it’s almost impossible to buy its beers outside of its brewery. We sample Walden, a hoppy blond ale Gilman says would go well with “any kind of tacky washed-rind cheese,” and Florence, a Belgian-style wheat saison, which he says would pair with a “softer, bloomy-rind cheese.”

Turning around, we realize we’ve lost everyone else in our party, so there’s nothing to do but start hitting the booths and eating cheese. It’s immediately apparent that despite its prevalence among Vermont’s symbols, Cheddar is in the minority here—at least half of the cheeses on display are goat’s milk and styles range from blue to Alpine to Camembert. At the very first booth we hit, Gilman enthuses over a crumbly goat’s milk feta created by Boston Post Dairy, a farm north of Burlington. “I’m surprised someone didn’t think of this sooner. It would go great with a Mediterranean dish or in a watermelon salad,” he muses.

“We've been here 20 minutes, and already I have a new dish idea to make when I get home.”

His run of luck continues at a nearby table run by Cricket Creek Farm, located just over the Vermont border in Williamstown, Massachusetts. A raw cow’s milk cheese called Maggie’s Round is semifirm and has a citrusy, almost melon flavor to it. The true revelation, however, is Maggie’s Reserve, the same cheese cave-aged for 12 to 18 months. That gives it a totally different flavor—rich and earthy and redolent of mushrooms—that Gilman loves. “It’d be great to serve this shaved, on top of ramp and mushroom pasta along with some truffles,” he says.

As we move between booths, we discover much more than cheese. Just as Comic-Con has expanded from comics over the years, the festival includes much more than its eponymous foodstuff. A goat cheese–infused caramel from Fat Toad Farm is a clear crowd favorite, as is maple syrup infused with habanero and chipotle peppers from nearby Winooski. Then there’s the booze. Eden Ice Cider Company has started fermenting a delicious line of ice ciders, with both blended and “single orchard” varieties; and WhistlePig Straight Rye Whisky has become a favorite among connoisseurs in just two years.

After a shot of such, we step woozily out into the sun as the crowds start to fill in. Lines for some of the more popular cheese producers might as well be for a coaster at Six Flags, as cheeseheads wait up to 15 minutes for their toothpicks. At the table for Jasper Hill Farm, they’re rewarded with some of the best cheese produced in Vermont. Located north of Burlington, Jasper Hill has become expert in affinage, or aging of cheese in natural limestone caves. Along with their signature Bayley Hazen Blue, a new gem is Harbison, a bloomy rind cheese wrapped in a layer of spruce bark, which both keeps the goo snug inside and imparts a delicious woodsy aroma to the cheese.

Meanwhile, Lovis has been busy, making the rounds of old friends and up-and-coming farmers along with his assistant cheesemonger Brie Hurd (whose name practically destined her to the profession). One score they made was a cheese called

A sampling of clothbound cheddar.

Savage, an Alpine-style cheese produced by Von Trapp Farmstead in the Mad River Valley. (Yes, that von Trapp; after escaping the Nazis, the real-life family made famous by The Sound of Music settled in Vermont.) The cheese is both recognizable as a slightly sharp Swiss, but has a bold, nutty flavor that elevates it over other examples of the genre. “It was delicious,” says Lovis. “The right size, the right taste… if it’s available for Christmas, we could sell a wheel of that a week.”

Another new find was Butterwick, a cow’s milk cheese made

by West Cornwall’s Twig Farm, which is better known for its goat cheeses. “It had a chalky center and a creamy exterior with really great creaminess and an earthy flavor,” says Hurd. “It’s something that would appeal to a lot of different types of palates. We could push that out the door.”

After lunch, a few of the more intrepid members of our group head back into the festival—but soon the combination of crowds, heat, cheese, and booze has taken its toll, and we climb happily satiated onto the bus. Partially revived by a charcuterie-and-beer pairing arranged by Lovis for the ride home, we pilgrims begin heady conversations about how food sustains us physically and emotionally, and how cheese is a work of art that literally becomes part of our bodies. But mostly, the talk is about coming back next year. The consensus: We need to rent a bus overnight and make it a two-day bacchanalia.

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the big cheeses

Ten must-eat dishes around town that make superb cheese their star. BY BERNARD LEED

A4 MOZZARELLA AREA FOUR

When the “house” that makes a house-made mozzarella is a restaurant industrial in design that’s housed at the corner of Cambridge’s Technology Square, you might understandably feel skeptical about ordering. But then you’d miss out on the salty, gooey-yet-light bliss of Area Four’s version, topped with only the sweetest vegetables and most fragrant basil possible. Trust us: Go for it.

GRILLED CHEESE OF BRIE & SWEET ONION MOSTARDA THE HAWTHORNE

Sure, you could just order one of the many inventive cocktails at The Hawthorne. Or you could order a cocktail and the swanky spot’s grilled cheese. Good call: Its layering of extra-strength Chatelain brie and a spread of jammy onions and mustard is so kicky, it will knock your alcohol-numbed palate back into high gear.

BAKED ANSON MILLS GRITS HUNGRY MOTHER

That one of Boston’s finest Southern dishes is topped with crusty, scene-stealing Vermont Cheddar (courtesy of Thatcher Farm) is only half the unexpected twist of these grits.

The other is that it’s actually a side dish you’ll come back again to eat as a meal.

FRIED MOZZARELLA & ANCHOVY SANDWICH LA MORRA

Cicchetti—small Italian bites—are all the rage lately, and this crispy sandwich proves why.

Four adorable fried triangles belie the intense anchovy flavor they pack, only to surprise you once more with chewy melted Calabria mozzarella that’s seemingly itself part of the bread.

WHIPPED FETA WITH SWEET & HOT PEPPERS OLEANA

You’ll order a lot of things at Oleana; make sure one of them is the thick, peppery whipped Chevretine feta with a red-orange color almost too beautiful to eat. Your order will come with an assortment of the restaurant’s delightful breads, but you’ll do just as well asking for a spoon to eat it plain.

MAC ‘N’ CHEESE THE REGAL BEAGLE

The retro decor at The Regal Beagle is meant to read as kitsch, but this mac ‘n’ cheese entree is serious business—the most gooey Cabot Cheddar and BelGioioso Parmesan, plus a buttery Ritz cracker and scallion topping. Order it with ham or pork and it will be the best 16 bucks you spent all month.

MELTED CAMBOZOLA CHEESE RUSSELL HOUSE TAVERN

The fusion of cow’s milk triple crème brie and Italian Gorgonzola arrives bubbling atop caramelized onions, making for an irresistible mix of sweet and savory. The dish, served in a skillet, looks meant to share, but odds are good you’ll finish one off alone.

BLINTZES WITH RUM-SMOKED SALMON SCAMPO This brunch option comes with all the trimmings of a great smoked salmon platter.

But instead of that standard bagel, you’ll slice into golden parcels oozing with just about the creamiest ricotta-and-mascarpone (both of them house-made) concoction you ever bit into.

GORGONZOLA DOLCE CHEESE FONDUE TEMPLE BAR The dish’s name certainly doesn’t lie, but it also doesn’t even begin to suggest what’s to come. Bacon-wrapped dates, sautéed mushrooms, crispy fried dough pieces, and a stack of cucumber spears all arrive ready to be dipped in a steaming copper pot of sharp and silky Piedmont-region Gorgonzola.

Decadent perfection, all of it.

GRILLED NEW AMERICAN CHEESE CHURCH OF BOSTON

Kraft Singles are the last thing any self-respecting cheese lover would order, right? Not so fast: The kitchen here has whipped up a clever upgrade on the junk-food classic, re-creating “American” cheese with Grafton Cheddar, emulsified local, organic milk, and gelatin. Melted on toasted, buttered Iggy’s brioche, it’s one part nostalgia, one part sustainable eating, all parts delicious.

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BY ALEXANDRA HALL �� PHOTOGRAPH BY JOSEPH GORDON CLEVELAND

IF BOSTON HAD AN OFFICIAL CHEESE WHIZ, IT WOULD DOUBTLESS BE LOUIS RISOLI, maître d’ and resident fromager at the ever-venerable L’Espalier restaurant. Back when New Englanders thought brie was just a preppie Beacon Hill girl and a Taleggio was something you bought tickets to at the B.S.O., Risoli was enlightening diners about cheese in unconventional ways. (He still does—nightly in the dining room, and then monthly at his Cheese Tuesday events, which see crowds swarming in for educational musical numbers-cum-lectures about his favorite fromages.)

In short, no one builds a cheese plate like Risoli. Above, he breaks down the construction and balance of a perfect plate—start to finish, sweet and light to deeply rich, and creamy to crumbly. Click on the numbers above corresponding to each cheese to scoop up a sampling from Risoli himself.

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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT //

THE MOMMY FAST TRACK The latest local dynamo to prove that taking care of your family, your company, and yourself can all be compatible: Liz Kelleher, owner of Sells & Co. In fact, for her, they’re all pretty much one and the same.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRISTOPHER HUANG 33

"I'VE GOT ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LEFT," LIZ KELLEHER SAYS with equal apology and conviction. “I have an amazing sitter, and I can’t be late.” She’s seated at the bar at Sorellina restaurant, not a hair out of place, with a half-full glass of red in front of her.

Here for more than an hour now, she’s been talking at length, veering from one topic to the next with the speed and passion of a racecar driver.

“I’m a mom first and foremost. I take the rest of life into the store with me every day,” she says of her Winchester clothing boutique, Sells & Co. “It’s the only way to make it all work. Besides,” she shrugs, “most of my staff is like family anyway.”

If running the store is a full-time gig, then the juggling act required to fit the business into the rest of her life’s compartments is an undertaking equivalent to a corporate empire.

That said, the boutique is rapidly taking on a life of its own.

For starters, it’s become one of the ’burbs’ fashion powerhouses, thanks to a forward-thinking stock of everything from highquality basics to more trend-conscious pieces by Beyond Vintage and Charlotte Ronson—who, like other international pals such as Didit Hediprasetyo, Kelleher’s come to count as dear friends over the years. (She attended the Paris shows last winter with Hediprasetyo, whom she’s been close to since they attended high school together.) Couple that up with her highly personal approach to selling and styling, and it’s little wonder the result is a staunchly loyal following.

“I like to let the client pick what they like, and then adjust it,” Kelleher says. “I usually think, ‘Here’s what they’re drawn to, so 34

let’s try and mix it up.’” To that end, last year she executed one of Newbury Street’s first pop-up stores, for which she brought in rack after rack of brands new to Sells & Co. “We were testing to see the community reaction for both our flagship store and future popups.” Key to that is her staff—which includes experienced local stylists Justin Reis and Jaimie Sparks, her managing partner. “I have to be able to trust that, when I’m picking up my kids from school, everyone who walks into the store will get the same philosophy and approach they would if I were there. Having their talent in the store means I never worry.”

What that philosophy comes down to, urges Kelleher, is a delicate combination of unabashed honesty and empowerment.

“You never tell someone something looks good when it doesn’t.

I’d rather have a zero sale and keep the respect of somebody.”

What she says next is as strong an argument for shop therapy as any out there: “When you walk into a new room, whether we like it or not, people are going to judge you from the outside first. It’s a reality,” she says. “So above all, we want to help someone feel confident and comfortable walking into any new room.”

It’s a situation Kelleher knows well, given how many new rooms she’s been walking into since starting the company. Even so, it’s the rooms she knows best that still mean the most. “There’s nothing like home and there’s nothing like family. And I want the same thing for the women who shop with me that I do for my kids,” she says, just before picking up her bag, thanking the bartender, and dashing out the door toward home. “I want them all to be able to walk into any room and feel good about themselves.”

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Boston Fisheries Foundation Presents

THE SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD GALA A night to celebrate, protect, and support New England’s fishing industry Join a brigade of the city’s top chefs as they team up with our local fishermen to roll out a menu of some of the world’s best seafood, directly from our own waters.

Throw in some bubbly, live jazz, a worthy cause, plus a stunning seaside setting, and you’ve got yourself an evening to remember.

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CHEFS ATTENDING: Nuno Alves (Tavolo), Michael Aprea (Red Parrot), Brandon Arms (Garden at the Cellar), Bill Bradley (New England Aquarium), Dante de Magistris (Restaurant Dante and il Casale), Louis DiBiccari (Storyville and Chef Louie Night), Charles Draghi (Erbaluce), Jose Duarte (Taranta), Bill Flumerfelt (Nubar), Matthew Gaudet (West Bridge), Will Gilson (Puritan & Co.), Andrew Hebert (Trade), Carolyn Johnson (80 Thoreau), Brendan Joy (Radius), Paul O’Connell (Chez Henri), and Brian Rae (Rialto), East Meets West Catering... and more!

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A FEAST ON HIGH On the stunning patio perch that is their North Shore home, the family that owns some of Boston’s most beloved restaurants brings together three of their equally beloved chefs— Eric Brennan, Mary Dumont, and Jay Murray— to create a dinner honoring both late-summer freshness and autumn’s rich flavors.

BY ALEXANDRA HALL �� PHOTOGRAPHS BY RUSS MEZIKOFSKY

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HE SUNSET-LIT HUSTLE IN THE HIMMEL KITCHEN IS NO ORDINARY DINNERTIME. In one corner is Mary Dumont, executive chef at The Harvest, separating sea beans that she gathered earlier today, before plunging them into a marinade of brown sugar, red wine vinegar, cinnamon, and juniper berry.

Then there’s Jay Murray, exec chef-cum-beef-whisperer at Grill 23 & Bar, who’s squeezing behind her, past the vast granite counter, hauling a gargantuan platter piled up with goat cheese, garlic toast, balsamic vinegar, and strawberries he gathered that afternoon.

Meanwhile, Eric Brennan, the man who’s turned Post 390 from ebullient comfort food joint into an incubator of envelope-pushing daily plates, is hovering over a plate of beef cheek tacos and grilled shrimp and cod—the staff ’s meal they’ll down before serving up a more formal (and epic) menu to all the guests later tonight.

Out on the patio, at one of the highest vantage points in all Marblehead, salt air mixes with the scent of homemade vermouth and bitters. The spirits’ source is Chris Himmel, who begins passing around his signature hot ’n’ dirty martinis (secret ingredient: sriracha).

“I’ll be sleeping well tonight,” Eric says with a smirk through the doors, downing another forkful of tacos. “Me too,” deadpans Jay. “If I can find my house.”

MOST HOUSEHOLDS WOULD BE ROCKED TO THEIR CORE

BY HAVING EVEN ONE GREAT CHEF TAKE OVER THE KITCHEN, let alone such a dream team. But then, this particular house belongs to the Himmels—the family that has envisioned, owns, and, most importantly, personally embraces the restaurants in which said talents roll out their quite individual expositions. Sure, the family co-owns nationally lauded operations. (Among other properties, they have a stake in the Time Warner Center, which houses national heavyweight restaurant Per Se—you may have heard of it—alongside the likes of Bouchon Bakery and the country’s highest-grossing Whole Foods. The center has been credited with single-handedly upgrading a major Manhattan neighborhood.) And beyond that, they’re currently rolling out similar developments as far away as Abu Dhabi. But watching the Himmels roll up their sleeves with their team tonight, it’s pretty tough to argue they don’t keep it real—and really local, at that.

Which is precisely why tonight they’ve summoned three of the city’s most ambitious chefs to show off their respective visions in a dinner that’s part cook-off, part team-building exercise, part family reunion. After all, as Chris succinctly puts it while peering from the patio into the home where the three kitchen wizards both labor and joke with their teams: “They’re basically part of the family.”

THE ELECTRIC-GREEN LAWN OF THE HIMMEL HOME SPRAWLS OUT PAST THE VERANDA BEFORE TUMBLING down in multiple plateaus, like some abbreviated, North Shore Machu Picchu. The penultimate steppe hugs a hidden breakfast table with its meticulously pruned hedges; and above it hovers the topmost expanse—velvet grass sweeping above the town’s slice of ocean, then leading to a patio set with three linen-clad tables.

Arranging candles against the dipping sun, Janet Himmel—a professional interior designer who owns design firm Visions Custom Interiors—is at once affectionate matriarch and wisecracking spitfire.

“You can’t be in this town and not want to eat seafood,” she says, gesturing to the harbor in emphasis, and then looking across the table toward her husband (and legendary business Svengali), Ken. “But then, the steaks we get are just too fantastic to not eat at all times.” She’s talking about Brandt beef—from cows raised in Brawley, California, on an alfalfa-and-corn diet—which Jay Murray serves at Grill 23. Hence the dinner’s meme: a mix of surf and turf (exhibit A: Eric Brennan’s grilled oysters with pancetta and garlic butter; B: Dumont’s Jonah crab tortellini with chanterelle mushrooms, sweet corn, and foie gras)—the seafood to commemorate the still-lingering flavors of summer, and the meats, a perfect foray into the luxuriance of fall dishes.

As guests ease themselves into seats, all talk turns to the hurdles both the company and the chefs have been jumping to push those

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“I’ll be sleeping well tonight,” Eric says with a smirk through the doors, downing another forkful of tacos.

“Me too,” deadpans Jay. “If I can find my house.” three restaurants into new realms. Leading that charge is Chris. “He’s taken this on as something he really cares about,” observes his father, Ken. “Years ago, he said to me, ‘I think I can do it, and want to make sure the chefs get what they need to move to their next best place.’”

Chris agrees, though he remembers it slightly differently.

“My dad made me buy my own ticket when I moved to California to work at The French Laundry,” he says. After he graduated from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, he started at the bottom as a prep cook in the legendary kitchen, learning hands-on the importance of the smallest details. “I’ll never forget the day I started, and went into the walk-in cooler,” he continues. “All of the fish were stored finsup, on perforated pans so the water drains through the meat and it’s as preserved as can be. That was the day I started to realize there’s a lot of work between getting a great product and making that into great food—work often ignored. Learning that became the reason why we’re doing so many things that we are now at the restaurants.”

Case in point: the “Farm to Post” initiative, undertaken jointly by Chris and Eric. Whereas The Harvest was one of the area’s originators of the farm-to-table philosophy (going back to 1973, which was long before most diners realized their food might have originated beyond the supermarket), it’s a relatively new calling for Post 390. And given that it requires near-constant farm visits and extra research to find new local purveyors, it’s no small feat to make happen at a restaurant of Post’s 340-seat size. Somehow, says Chris, “Eric and I pull it off because we have faith in each other. He knows I do my homework, and I completely trust him to quickly adjust the menu according to what we can get from our providers.”

It’s an apt segue to the real purpose of the night—when Jay Murray arrives tableside to introduce our next course, a seared beef short rib cuddled up to an impossibly sweet tuna and warm-from-thegarden heirloom tomato salad, alongside a smoked corn purée that somehow seems to taste like talking to all the nice people you’ve ever met in your entire life. And just when it couldn’t seem to possibly get any better, Grill 23’s Wine Director Brahm Callahan uncorks a 2005 Sean Thackrey Orion Rossi Vineyard syrah. Glasses are raised, bites devoured, mouths filled, flavors contemplated, and for 20 seconds— unprecedented by any other all night—no one utters a word.

THROUGH EVERY COURSE, THROUGH EVERY TURN, acknowledging these three chefs’ differences and letting everyone play to their strengths appears key to running this show—and sometimes letting it run itself. “Our job is to provide support, then stand back, give them freedom, and let them do their thing.”

That’s what Chris is explaining as dessert arrives. It’s the handiwork of Molly Hanson, pastry chef at both Grill 23 and Post 390. And true to the rest of the meal, it’s not just dessert, but a kind of epicurean gauntlet: thick slices of achingly moist chocolate-coconut cake with sea salt caramel, and a strawberry shortcake (that actually tastes, blessedly, more like Scottish shortbread) with High Lawn Farm whipped cream.

By now, everyone from all three tables has gathered around one larger one, and forks are digging in left and right. Chris and Ken start finishing each other’s sentences. “It’s incredible how things are changing so quickly for all restaurants right now,” asserts Ken. “…And it’s not good enough to just be good anymore,” adds Chris, nodding.

“You always have to inspire the people eating the food and the people creating it, with something new to discover.” Might that be just the secret to edging a diverse bundle of already-overachieving restaurants toward its next incarnation? Possibly. And quite probably. But in the meantime, without a doubt, it’s the impetus behind one undeniably memorable meal.

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A FULL PLATE The dinner’s many courses included creations from all the Himmel Group’s chefs, including Mary Dumont, Jay Murray, Eric Brennan, and Molly Hanson.

Clockwise from top left: homemade tortellini with crab and fresh corn; goat cheese, garlic toast, strawberries, and balsamic vinegar; lobster gazpacho; homemade mignardises.

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LOCAL FLAVOR Clockwise from top right: berry shortcakes; grilled oysters; smoked corn purée over tuna.

MOLLY HANSON'S BERRY SHORTCAKES The success of this dessert relies on the quality of its components. Shortcakes need to be mixed with a hand that’s as light as it is quick—and then baked just hours ahead of eating. The fruit should be the best quality available and cut up right before dinner.

For shortcakes:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

3 oz. cold butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

Sanding sugar Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cube the butter and add to the bowl, then mix with the dry ingredients.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor in small batches, pulsing until the butter is pea-sized.

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Add vanilla extract to the heavy cream and combine with the dry ingredients.

Mix by hand until the dough starts to come together.

Transfer it to a floured surface and pat down the dough until just under 1 inch thick. Cut it into desired shape, brush with heavy cream, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake at the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

For berries: 2 quarts local berries of your choice 2 tbsp. sugar

Wash and hull the berries to prepare them.

Cut up two-thirds of the best-looking berries and reserve. In a blender, puree the remaining 42

berries until very smooth. Add sugar and mix, then chill both the berries and puree in the refrigerator until just before serving. Toss the berries in the purée when ready to assemble the shortcakes.

To assemble, plate one shortbread per person and spoon the berry mixture over each. Top with fresh-made whipped cream, and serve.

ERIC BRENNAN'S GRILLED OYSTERS WITH PANCETTA AND GARLIC BUTTER The smoky heft of pancetta is an ideal foil for sweetand-salty oysters (which only get sweeter as weather turns chillier). Grill and serve these up far into the fall, until you’ve had your fill.

6 oz. pancetta, diced small 1 tsp. olive oil ¼ lb. butter, softened ¼ bunch watercress, chopped ¼ bunch Italian parsley, chopped 2 shallots, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp. lemon juice ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. pepper 12 raw oysters, opened, on the half shell ¼ cup bread crumbs 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan

Preheat grill to medium heat. While the grill is heating, slowly render the pancetta in the olive oil in a pan until cooked through and tender.

Mix the butter in a food processor with watercress, parsley, shallots, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Drain oil off pancetta, and add the meat.

Top each oyster with the butter-pancetta mixture and top with bread crumbs and Parmesan. Place

oysters on grill and cover. Cook approximately 5 minutes, or until the topping crumbs are golden brown and oysters start to curl along the edges.

JAY MURRAY'S SMOKED CORN PURÉE Murray likes to serve this sauce with hefty proteins such as seared beef short rib and tuna, but it works just as nicely alongside lighter stars like grilled vegetables. ¼ lb. softened butter

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

1 tsp. sweet smoked paprika

1 tsp. kosher salt

4 ears of corn (husked, preferably fresh-picked)

2 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp. heavy cream

1 tbsp. mirin

1 tbsp. sweet white miso

2 tbsp. butter

Salt to taste

Combine the softened butter, garlic, paprika, and salt in a bowl, and spread over corn. In an outdoor smoker, place the corn over hickory at 190˚F for 1 hour. Meanwhile, start a low fire in a grill. Remove the corn and place it on the grill.

Cover and cook 10 minutes, then remove from the grill and allow to cool. Using a vegetable peeler, remove corn kernels from the cobs into a heavy saucepan. Slice cobs into several pieces each and add to kernels.

Add chicken stock, heavy cream, and mirin.

Simmer over low-to-medium heat for 45 minutes. Remove corncob pieces and transfer the remaining ingredients to a blender. Add miso and purée thoroughly. Strain, if desired, and then return to low heat. Whisk in the additional butter and add salt to taste.

l’académie

RUMOR HAS IT OCTOBER 5th & 6th, 2012

Teresa Wakim, Brenna Wells, sopranos

THE LBD ~ LITTLE BAROQUE DANCE NOVEMBER 2nd & 3rd, 2012

FEMME FATALE FEBRUARY 8th & 9th, 2013

Katherine Growdon, mezzo soprano Emily Marvosh, contralto

CLASSIC WITH A TWIST APRIL 12th & 13th, 2013 Aaron Sheehan, tenor Peter Sykes, harpsichord Leslie Kwan, harpsichord

All performances at Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, MA at 8pm.

lacademiemusic.org

COMMISSIONED ILLUSTRATION 6 1 7 - 2 6 2 - 3 5 4 6

H E I D I P R I C E . M E

BDC Style Forecast:

ources Contract S

Simple Sophistication Hot for Fall â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sleek forms, clean lines, minimalist chic

Ann Sacks

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Sherwin-W

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Calvin

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Fabric

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Webste

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To see all the BDC design trends for 2012, visit:

www.bostondesign.com/design-inspiration

MANAGED BY

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � ARMOIRE

HIDE SEEK and

Fall's smartest silhouettes are an unabashed play on proportion and disclosure. Paired well, the key pieces of the moment conceal one part of the body while revealing another.

Let the games begin.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CORY STIERLEY ON LOCATION AT THE REVERE HOTEL

ALL WILL BE REVEALED The night is yours. Or so you think.

ON DANIELLE PJK BLOUSE, $168, AND BLACK HALO DRESS, $350. BOTH AT NEIMAN MARCUS. ON ANNA LISA ALEXANDER MCQUEEN DRESS, $1,495, AND ANKLE BOOTS, $1,185.

BOTH AT NEIMAN MARCUS. ON DIEGO PAUL SMITH BLAZER, $925, AND TROUSERS, $275; SURFACE TO AIR SHIRT, $205, AND PRADA SHOES, $620.

ALL AT THE TANNERY.

HIDDEN INTENTIONS Let them call you prim. Then get a leg up.

THIS PAGE // ON DANIELLE MISSONI TOP, $595, AT NEIMAN MARCUS. DEREK LAM STRIPED SKIRT, $225, AT SCOOP NYC. YVES SAINT LAURENT ANKLE BOOTS, $1,245, AT NEIMAN MARCUS. ON ANNA LISA CATHERINE DEANE DRESS (WORN AS TOP), $775, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN BELT, $620, MILLY SKIRT, $315, AND CHARLOTTE OLYMPIA PUMPS, $875.

ALL AT NEIMAN MARCUS. OPPOSITE PAGE // ON DANIELLE DANIELA CORTE BLAZER, $275, AT DANIELA CORTE. SONIA RYKIEL SKIRT, $965, AT SONIA RYKIEL.

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � ARMOIRE

51

WHAT LIES BENEATH Without warning, the competition begins to get serious.

THIS PAGE // HELMUT LANG SWEATER, $345, AT THE TANNERY. REISS BELT, $75, AT REISS. COMME DES GARÇONS SKIRT, $1,495, AT RICCARDI. ALEXIS BITTAR GOLD CUFF, $295, AT NEIMAN MARCUS. OPPOSITE PAGE // LANVIN BLAZER, $2,950, AT RICCARDI. THEORY SHIRT, $215, AT NEIMAN MARCUS.

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � ARMOIRE

53

FATALE ATTRACTIONS The winner takes all.

ON DANIELLE REISS BLOUSE, $265, AT REISS. DINA MACKNEY NECKLACE, $1,130, ROBERT RODRIGUEZ SKIRT, $275, AND PRADA BELT, $375. ALL AT NEIMAN MARCUS. BOTTEGA VENETA BOOTS, $850, AT THE TANNERY. ON ANNA LISA CATHERINE DEANE DRESS (WORN AS TOP), $675, AND MISSONI SKIRT, $395, BOTH AT NEIMAN MARCUS.

Photographs by CORY STIERLEY Art Direction & Styling by JOSEPH GORDON CLEVELAND Hair by ELLE PROULX-COHEN, SALON MARIO RUSSO Makeup by KACIE CORBELLE, ENNIS Art Director's Assistants OLIVIA CARTLAND, SYDNEY KIRSTEN, ROCCO MANCINELLI, ALEXA ROBERTIELLO Models DANIELLE F., DYNASTY MODELS & TALENT; DIEGO S.;ANNA LISA W., CLICK >>> DANIELA CORTE 211 NEWBURY STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 262-2100 >>> NEIMAN MARCUS 5 COPLEY PLACE BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 536-3660 >>> REISS 132 NEWBURY STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 262-5800 >>> RICCARDI 116 NEWBURY STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 266-3158 >>> SCOOP NYC 177 NEWBURY STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 874-4400 >>> SONIA RYKIEL 280 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 426-2033 >>> THE TANNERY 711 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 267-5500

PRETTY HATE MACHINE Sometimes losing the game positions you to win the war.

THOMAS WYLDE VEST, $1,985, AT RICCARDI. PORTER GREY SHORTS, $395, AT THE TANNERY.

211 Newbury St. danielacorte.com

this side of paradise Maybe it’s that fall is such a breathtaking backdrop to high-drama dressing. Or the anticipation of Baz Luhrmann’s forthcoming screen riff on The Great Gatsby. Either way, all things classic are suddenly calling to us. So who better than F. Scott Fitzgerald’s leading ladies to create a new treatise on heroine chic?

PHOTOGRAPHED BY JESSICA WEISER ON LOCATION AT CRANWELL RESORT

THE IMPENETRABLE MASK DAISY BUCHANAN “The best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

—The Great Gatsby BADGLEY MISCHKA GOWN, $795, AT NEIMAN MARCUS.

THE DANGEROUS LIAISON JORDAN BAKER “You said a bad driver was only safe until she met another bad driver? Well, I met another bad driver, didn’t I?” —The Great Gatsby THIS PAGE // ROBERT RODRIGUEZ TOP, $295, AND DIANE VON FURSTENBERG SKIRT, $275. BOTH AT NEIMAN MARCUS. MIRIAM HASKELL NECKLACE, $3,000, AT TWENTIETH CENTURY LTD. OPPOSITE PAGE // DANIELA CORTE BOLERO, $225, AND SHIRT, $265. BOTH AT DANIELA CORTE. REISS SKIRT, $180, AT REISS. LEWIS SEGAL EARRINGS, $125, AT TWENTIETH CENTURY LTD.

THE ENIGMA ROSEMARY HOYT “Oh, we’re such actors — you and I.” —Tender Is the Night AIDAN MATTOX GOWN, $475, AT NEIMAN MARCUS. JEAN-MARIE POINOT CUFF, $150, AT TWENTIETH CENTURY LTD.

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � ARMOIRE

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THE JADED DÉBUTANTE ROSALIND CONNAGE “I suppose all great happiness is a little sad. Beauty means the scent of roses and the death of roses….”

—This Side of Paradise THIS PAGE // CYNTHIA ROWLEY DRESS, $420, AND BELT, $60, AT CYNTHIA ROWLEY. THEORY SHIRT, $225, AND MANOLO BLAHNIK SHOES, $730.

BOTH AT NEIMAN MARCUS. SAMANTHA HOUSE NECKLACE, $265, AT PERSONA JEWELRY+.

OPPOSITE PAGE // THOMAS WYLDE SHIRT, $1,175, AT RICCARDI. THEORY PANT, $225, AT NEIMAN MARCUS.

THE UNEXPECTED CONQUEROR ROSEMARY HOYT “I know you don’t love me — I don’t expect it. But… now for my birthday present I want you to come into my room a minute while I tell you something. Just one minute.”

—Tender Is the Night 67

THE UNATTAINABLE PRIZE DAISY BUCHANAN “Oh, you want too much!

I love you now—isn’t that enough?

I can’t help what’s past.”

—The Great Gatsby THIS PAGE // BADGLEY MISCHKA GOWN, $890, AT NEIMAN MARCUS. EARRINGS, $740, AT TALIA DON. OPPOSITE PAGE // CATHERINE DEANE DRESS, $1,120, AT NEIMAN MARCUS. LAWRENCE VRBA EARRINGS, $250, AT TWENTIETH CENTURY LTD.

THE SHREWD VIXEN ROSALIND CONNAGE “Sometimes when I've felt particularly radiant I've thought, why should this be wasted on one man?”

—This Side of Paradise

Photographs by JESSICA WEISER Art Direction & Styling by JOSEPH GORDON CLEVELAND Hair & Makeup by CARI DUPREY Art Director's Assistants OLIVIA CARTLAND, SYDNEY KIRSTEN, ALEXA ROBERTIELLO Model LEXIE B., CLICK >>> CYNTHIA ROWLEY 164 NEWBURY STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 587-5240 >>> DANIELA CORTE 211 NEWBURY STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 608-4778 >>> NEIMAN MARCUS 5 COPLEY PLACE BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 536-3660 >>> PERSONA JEWELRY+ 504 COMMONWEALTH AVENUE BOSTON, MA 02215 (617) 266-3003 >>> REISS 132 NEWBURY STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 262-5800 >>> RICCARDI 116 NEWBURY STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 266-3158 >>> THE TANNERY 711 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 267-5500 >>> TALIA DON 865 WASHINGTON STREET SUITE 1 NEWTON, MA 02460 (617) 795-1926

THE INSATIABLE PLAYER JORDAN BAKER “He throws large parties.

And I like large parties.

They’re so intimate.

At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”

—The Great Gatsby BLAYDE JACKET, $695, AT RICCARDI. ALEXANDER WANG SKIRT, $230, AT THE TANNERY. CHANEL ANKLE BOOTS, $1,495, AT NEIMAN MARCUS. 70

>>>TWENTIETH CENTURY LTD. 73 CHARLES STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 742-1031

It’s your BSO.

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Proof of age required. Tickets are available by phone, web and at the Box Office on a first-come, first-served basis on both the orchestra and balcony levels.

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FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � ARMOIRE

gem class

Just as no two stones are identical, no two—or in this case, three—approaches to jewelry are, either. Here’s how a trio of local artists distinguish their adornments.

BY AUSTYN ELLESE MAYFIELD �� PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOEL BENJAMIN

While some may greet September’s arrival by fussing over frocks and obsessing about outerwear, jewelry designers take a more detailed look at the artful ornamentation of the human form. Some are artists influenced by the elemental rawness of nature; others find inspiration from abroad. Others still are more concerned with singular treasures.

All of them, though, have just one end: an exquisitely appointed portrait of fall style.

Hair by ROSE AGOGO Makeup by SYDNEY KIRSTEN

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Alexa Cach creates grand pieces with feminine charm.

HOUSE OF CACH NECKLACE, $295, AT HOUSE OF CACH.

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � ARMOIRE

the ARTIST ALEXA CACH doesn’t mince words when it comes to her philosophy on jewelry. “Fashion is supposed to be art,” she states. “But it’s all been so mass-marketed that the art of it gets a little lost.”

Her zeal is born from experience. Not long after moving to the U.S., having made a name for herself as a producer of some of Europe’s premier fashion events, Cach and her business partner Molly Gately found themselves selling uninspired sterling silver trinkets to retailers. She remembers a friend once jokingly calling the duo “design prostitutes.” “We weren’t making things we loved,” she recalls. “The joy was gone; it was all about numbers.”

Fed up, the pair launched House of Cach in 2009. Part jewelry label, part artists’ collaborative, the Providence, Rhode Island, operation aims to help solve the one-style-fits-most problem. Its turnout of bracelets, earrings, necklaces—even headpieces—composes interplay between the organic and artificial, using semiprecious stones, leathers, and sculpted acrylic. “We didn’t want to start creating from what the market wants,” she explains, “and the only way to do that was by giving ourselves the freedom to really create.”

For Cach, the new season brings new additions to her collections, and more opportunities to experiment with her craft. “From a fashion perspective, I’ve always loved autumn/winter dressing much more. It just allows for added creativity because you do wear more clothes. And it’s the same thing for accessories.”

alexa’s tips:

GO FOR THE BRONZE Avoid going the traditional gold and silver route. “I really love antique brass for this fall,” says Cach.

BE A WRIST TAKER The winner for the must-have piece this fall? “I think it’s still the cuff,” Cach states. “They’re just so versatile.”

TOUGHEN UP For Cach, fall’s take on femininity has a hard edge. “I like the tribal warrior princess look this season,” she says.

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WORLDLY WISE Mousumi Shaw's extensive travel itineraries inspire her jewelry collections.

NECKLACE, $550, RING, $250, AND EARRINGS, $165. ALL AT SIKARA.

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � ARMOIRE

the GLOBAL GUIDE MOUSUMI SHAW is quite comfortable being on the move; she’s accrued over 30 different country stamps in her passport in the past ten years. So it’s no wonder she named Sikara & Co., her “modern-fusion” jewelry company with a pop-up-turned-flagship store on Newbury Street, after the Indian word for “houseboat.”

Then again, staying put isn’t really in Shaw’s DNA. Her parents emigrated to the U.S. from Calcutta and instilled a love of international travel in their children. “Whenever we’d visit India, we’d always do a side trip through London, Japan, or Korea,” she recounts. “And just seeing that diversity so early was incredible. I’ve always had a very global perspective.”

Shaw also got her first exposure to the business side of retail early, playing among the offerings at her mother’s jewelry store, but developed more of an affinity for the entrepreneurial spirit than an eye for carat weight. After brief stints as a corporate finance strategist and dot-com founder, Shaw found herself in graduate school at Harvard, looking for a more cohesive way to approach the things she treasured most. “I loved travel, fashion, philanthropy, and business,” she says. “And I had this jewelry industry that I grew up in and knew something about.”

So in 2005, she founded Sikara & Co., creating jewelry based around her travels abroad and sourced from artisanal jewelers across the globe. Using personal photos and detailed descriptions to guide the design process, Shaw acts as a creative director, working with designers to transform her travel logs into the dazzling items in her stores.

Her current collections pay homage to visits to Brazil, Egypt, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and of course, India. While she’s mindful of seasonal shifts in the industry, her focus remains celebrating a global sense of self-expression. “People abroad don’t necessarily follow magazines; they have great self-identity,” she explains. “Whenever I travel, I see people pushing boundaries, whether in fashion design or architecture— and that’s reflected in our pieces.”

mousumi’s tips:

JOIN THE NAVY Shaw’s autumn “It” combination? “Mixing navy blue and black,” she says.

GO EAST Shaw likes the nod that the fashion industry seems to be giving to the land of her heritage: “Many of the big fashion houses are featuring Indian designs.”

TAKE A SHINE With gold currently at a premium, vermeil pieces are an inexpensive way to get your gleam on. “It’s rich looking and lasts,” says Shaw.

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE For Margarita Druker, jewelry’s personal meaning trumps its material worth.

SAMANTHA HOUSE NECKLACE, $265, AT PERSONA JEWELRY +.

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � ARMOIRE

the COLLECTOR MARGARITA DRUKER doesn’t describe herself as a “jewelry person.” Yes, she co-owns Persona Jewelry+ with her husband, jewelry designer Gary Shteyman. But she’s not a girly girl. “I practically live in these,” she says, gesturing to a pair of elegant yet simple diamond hoops dangling from her ears. “My girlfriends are always yelling at me to do more, but I’ve never worn a lot of accessories.”

For her, the allure of jewelry isn’t tied to its tangible form (“It’s just metal and stones until you add some feeling to it,” she says). Instead, she’s in love with finding beautiful things and discovering new people.

It’s her favorite part of the day-to-day operations at her Kenmore Square boutique. “I constantly get to be on the lookout, almost like a detective.

It’s fun because, in a way, I get to shape the way [our clients] experience jewelry.”

In addition to the pieces designed in-house, Druker and her husband seek out other artisanal collections to complement their own. The showroom is filled with selections of baubles from around the world. “We look for unique designers and items that are mostly handmade, versus the big manufacturing houses,” she explains. “That way, it’s more about the story of piece.”

For Druker, the narratives told by items have the power to engage in ways that aren’t dictated by trends. “So many of our clothes are massproduced; jewelry can be much more individual and more emotional than a piece of clothing. Sure, I think [fashion] seasons do matter,” she concedes, “but your personality and the events happening in your life matter more.”

margarita’s tips:

TAKE A LOAD OFF Deceptively light embellishments take the burden out of accessorizing.

“I’ve seen a lot of lace- and brocade-inspired jewelry coming this fall,” says Druker. “Pieces that look weighty and substantial but are actually very light and airy.”

RETHINK. REUSE. RECYCLE. An old standard can easily become a new favorite in the hands of a designer.

“There’s always a way to reshape a necklace or a ring so you can find a new way to enjoy it,” insists Druker.

ROMANCE THE STONE Enough with run-of-the-mill rubies and sapphires. “People are getting more comfortable with unique stones,” she says. “We’ve worked with some vesuvianite, this really beautiful deep green stone that’s very different.”

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In the sea of “sameness,” there’s one destination that upends all others – LuxCouture.

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9 Lincoln Street, Newton Highlands, MA 02461 PH: 617-969-5600 luxcouture.com

THE BURNING QUESTION Is reversing summer's damage to your face realistically possible?

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � VANITY

ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE For those of us who still have trouble forgoing the sun, fall is when we scramble to try to undo summer’s transgressions.

Luckily, the new ways to reverse the results are almost as easygoing as all those afternoons on the beach were.

BY ROBIN HAUCK

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT CHECKING MYSELF INTO REHAB—FOR SUN WORSHIP. Yes, I know I should wear sunscreen 365 days a year. I know I should reapply regularly, and wear a hat at all times. But this summer, I relapsed to my teenage ways, spending full weekends at the beach with my kids. I was lazy about sunscreen. Plus, I look ridiculous in a hat.

Fall is that time of year when the imperfectionerasing, cheekbone-enhancing glow of summer skin—poof!—disappears, and what’s left behind is as depressing as the end of summer itself. So thank the (sunny) heavens for local gurus who are rolling out new ways to undo damage and restore that glow… the healthy way.

I first swoop by the office of Robin Travers, dermatologist with Skin Care Physicians in Chestnut Hill. She gets right to the point: dark spots, wrinkles, and melasma may simply look bad, she explains, but UVA and UVB exposure is serious business. The Melanoma Foundation of New England confirms that skin cancer rates are increasing faster than nearly all other cancers.

Melanoma is the most common cancer among women ages 25 to 32, and it kills as many as 10,000 people a year.

I listen hard, and forget to be vain.

Travers hears many adults complain that the chaos of parenting prevents them from getting much sunscreen on themselves. That’s a missed opportunity for modeling behavior: “Make a big show for your kids,” she urges. “Really lube it on and show them how to do it right,” and it will pay off later on when they automatically do it themselves.

Check. Lesson learned. But what about the damage that’s already been done? Travers swears by retinoids, derivatives of vitamin A. “They do just about everything,” she says. That includes speeding cell turnover, unclogging pores, and boosting collagen to reduce fine lines. Prescription retinoids include tretinoin such as Retin-A, tazarotene, and adapalene. Over the counter, Travers recommends RoC, first imported from France in 1999 and now available at just about every neighborhood drugstore.

Similarly, Brad Duncan Skin Care in the South End focuses exclusively on perfecting the dermis (no manis or pedis here) and has an arsenal of anti-aging treatments and products. Owner Brad Duncan has had great success treating uneven pigmentation, brown spots, and fine lines with something called “dermal rolling.” And no, you don’t have to stop and drop before doing it. Also known as microneedling, it’s a topical treatment in which a small tool that looks like a minipaint roller covered in tiny needles rolls over your skin.

This “creates channels to allow anti-aging product to penetrate the skin,” says Duncan. It’s sort of like aerating your lawn, but on your face. With no pain, he promises, and no downtime.

Rolled skin absorbs high-potency products much more completely, allowing it to penetrate deeper layers. Duncan’s top pick for that is Environ, a product line created by a South African doctor with the highest concentration of vitamins A and C available in the U.S. (Environ also makes a roller you can use at home called the Cosmetic Roll-Cit.)

Meanwhile, in the summer, it’s not just sun, but air conditioning, too, that sucks the life out of skin. Thus Jane Aransky, owner of La Residencia Spa in Newton Upper Falls, emphasizes the importance of hydration— both internal via drinking water and external via products.

At La Residencia, she’s designed a menu of treatments to reverse dehydration, sun damage, and signs of aging. Heading it up is light therapy, or photorejuvenation. “LED [light-emitting diode] therapy actually exercises the facial muscles,” she explains. In a 30- to 45-minute session, LEDs pulse an intense combination of visible and infrared light into the deep layers of the skin, encouraging collagen production. It’s nonchemical and noninvasive, making it gentler than most laser treatments—and just the kind of no-downtime solution I can realistically fit into my schedule.

Phew, I’m out of rehab. Anyone for a drink?

83

well, what does it say?

can you read it?

i’m not sure, but i think we’re famous.

INTRODUCING

FARM TO a changing weekly menu dedicated to a different local farm or fishery.

Sept: Brambly Farms, Norfolk MA Oct: Kimball Fruit Farm, Pepperell MA Nov: North Atlantic Traders, Lynn MA

Are You A Farm-Fresh Foodie?

Check us out on facebook for a chance to win fun prizes including VIP tickets to our Farm-to-Post event on November 14th. www.facebook.com/post390 406 Stuart Street (corner of Clarendon Street) Boston MA • 617.399.0015

www.post390restaurant.com

BREW UNTO OTHERS (Clockwise from top) Ian Chester, Alex Rabe, and Alex Zielke at their current brewing location in Waltham.

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T

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � COUP D�ÉTAT

TAPPED INTO STYLE

The design-loving trio behind just-launched Portico Brewing Co. is adding a substantial new flavor to Boston’s craft beer scene.

BY AUSTYN ELLESE MAYFIELD PORTRAIT BY JOEL BENJAMIN

WHEN FORMER STEM CELL RESEARCH SCIENTIST ALEX ZIELKE went back to college, he did so with beer on the brain. “I came to start a brewery,” Zielke recalls about enrolling in Babson College’s MBA program. He was armed with a freshly minted brew master’s certification from Berlin’s prestigious Versuchs-und Lehranstalt für Brauerei.

And he was ready to use it.

“I was always pitching ‘beer this, beer that,’” he says, describing his in-class presentations and conversations with other students. Which is how he started talking to classmate and fellow brewing enthusiast Alex Rabe, a former public relations executive. Both had come to business school looking for a new lease on their professional lives, and they began organizing weekly home-brew sessions. Then, when summer of 2011 came and everyone around them started scrambling for corporate internships, Zielke and Rabe decided to go a different route.

“We said, ‘Hey, we’re at Babson. It’s known for being entrepreneurial. Forget internships. Let’s make as many beers as we can, figure out a business plan, and a name,” Rabe explains. “We didn’t put a whole lot of pressure on ourselves; we just allowed it to happen organically.” Most importantly, though, they brewed. Every day.

After experimenting with a slew of recipes (and just as many names), they brought on Ian Chester, another fellow classmate, who happened to have a

resume piled with distribution experience. Thus was born Portico Brewing Company—the name a nod to Alex Rabe’s love of architecture. In fact, that focus allows Portico to opt out of the agro-inspired rustic aesthetic that’s become typical in the craft beer industry. With the slogan “Put Some Design in Your Stein” (and hand-carved tap pulls inspired by the Guggenheim Museum), the brand leans deliberately uptown—a choice they believe will expand appreciation for small-batch brewing to a demographic thirsty for something new.

“That fringe group of young, urban professionals, that’s the market where we see opportunity,” says Chester.

Rabe agrees. “There’s a new generation of brewers out there: twenty-something craft beer lovers, looking for more interesting beers. We want to give them something they can relate to visually, and a taste they can appreciate but won’t be totally overwhelmed by.”

Now, three months after landing their first account, Portico is available on draft at more than 15 bars in and around Boston. Their three current brews—“Fuzzy Logic” (a weiss Kölsch), “Rendition” (a raspberry sour), and “Saison Charrette” (an aromatic take on the classic French ale)—are in steady production, with the immediate goal of having bottled offerings in the near future.

But the ultimate mission behind Portico Brewing Co. goes beyond producing smooth sips; the team is currently building capital to open their own brewery and tasting room where other craft brewers can brew and the public can stop in for swigs. For his part, Zielke can barely wait. “I love craft beer. Perhaps too much. And being able to bring other people into that experience is awesome. Who wouldn’t want to have a community around that?”

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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT //

HIGH-SPEED STYLE

The new Porsche Boxster S has Bostonians geared up for a highly fashionable fall.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RUSS MEZIKOFSKY

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � SPONSORED FEATURE

91

DRIVEN BY DESIGN The fourth generation of its kind, the Porsche Boxster S personifies style, power, and elegance. An icon of innovation and functionality, it surrounds you with a sleek exterior and plush leather seating. Plus, both interior and exterior are completely customizable, so you can add your own personality to Porsche’s already impeccable quality. Which means whether you’re rushing to a meeting in the Financial District or cruising along the Charles River, you’ll be traveling in a machine every bit as individual as you are.

FULL SPEED AHEAD Who said sports cars were just for gearheads?

The Porsche Boxster S is a roadster for the stylish and fashion-forward. Its daring design defines its sleek and dynamic performance. A nod to its history, the style of the headlights was inspired

by Porsche racecars that ruled the road and track during the ’60s and ’70s. If that doesn’t make you feel rock star enough, then the rush you get from accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in a mere 4.8 seconds certainly will.

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � SPONSORED FEATURE

ON AMBER // ANDREW MARC LEATHER JACKET, $595; BASIX SEQUIN GOWN, $790. BOTH AT NEIMAN MARCUS. ON ERICA // NICOLE MILLER DRESS, $420, AT NEIMAN MARCUS.

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INTERIOR DIALOGUE They say it’s what’s on the inside that truly counts.

And in the new Porsche Boxster S, the options are endless. With colors ranging from smooth, sexy black and deeply seductive red to intriguing lime gold, your leather interiors will boldly declare your personal style. The option to include a customized-for-Porsche Bose surround sound audio system only further ups the ante. Personalization is all about choices, but once you get the technicalities of materials, colors, and customized features out of the way, the only decision you’ll be making is: top up or down?

ON AMBER // ANDREW MARC LEATHER JACKET, $595; BASIX SEQUIN GOWN, $790. BOTH AT NEIMAN MARCUS.

THE SAFE ZONE It’s like Mom always said: Safety comes first. As always, Porsche’s precisely engineered chassis and highperformance braking system keep everything in control.

Countless other safety features and highly practical design elements (such as a voice-control system and hands-free phone functions) in the new Porsche Boxster S mean you get to focus on the road, and on the ride.

Finally, a car to make Mom—and you—proud.

FALL ���� � COUP BOSTON � SPONSORED FEATURE

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the first annual

A DAY FULL OF MARINE ACTIVITIES (MUSIC, CRAFTS, AND COSTUMES) AND EATING (ALL-DAY CLAMBAKE, CHOWDER TASTE-OFFS, OYSTER SHUCKING CONTESTS, CHEF DEMOS, HARPOON BEER, AND MORE).

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Rain or shine BANK OF AMERICA PAVILION 290 NORTHERN AVE., BOSTON Tickets are $10. Buy some here.

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BY ALEXANDRA HALL �� PHOTOGRAPH BY JOSEPH GORDON CLEVELAND

ANATOMYof a CHEESE PLATE

IF BOSTON HAD AN OFFICIAL CHEESE WHIZ, IT WOULD DOUBTLESS BE LOUIS RISOLI, maître d’ and resident fromager at the ever-venerable L’Espalier restaurant. Back when New Englanders thought brie was just a preppie Beacon Hill girl and a Taleggio was something you bought tickets to at the B.S.O., Risoli was enlightening diners about cheese in unconventional ways. (He still does—nightly in the dining room, and then monthly at his Cheese Tuesday events, which see crowds swarming in for educational musical numbers-cum-lectures about his favorite fromages.)

In short, no one builds a cheese plate like Risoli. Above, he breaks down the construction and balance of a perfect plate—start to finish, sweet and light to deeply rich, and creamy to crumbly. Click on the numbers above corresponding to each cheese to scoop up a sampling from Risoli himself.

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_RUGGLES HILL CREAMERY // LEA'S GREAT MEADOW 29 HARDWICK, MA “The ideal starting point for any cheese plate: A fine line of fresh herbs bisects the pure white cheese and beautifully complements the goat’s milk’s tangy minerality. The texture is dense but moist and is a bit chalky—which is typical of goat cheese. The thin rind has a mild mushroom flavor. The cheese is not salty, allowing the flavors of the milk to dominate.”

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_WOODCOCK FARM // SUMMER SNOW WESTON, VT “A soft-ripened sheep’s milk cheese by makers Mark and Gari Fischer. The creamy, oozing layer just inside the papery white rind surround is a denser interior. Unctuous and sensual, with a sweet, buttery, and slightly earthy flavor that becomes more animalistic as the cheese ages.”

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_PECORINO GINEPRO EMILIA-ROMAGNA REGION, ITALY “Our third cheese is also sheep’s milk, but this is a larger wheel, well aged to a dry, light, flaky consistency and rubbed with a balsamic vinegar and juniper.

Its flavors are full, with a typical sheep sweet/sourness. The beautiful deep purple rind provides a nice contrast to the golden paste [the interior of the cheese] and has a rich, almost floral aroma.”

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_CABOT CREAMERY // CLOTHBOUND CHEDDAR JASPER HILL FARM, VT “Produced at Cabot and aged for a year and a half, this cheese made

by Andy and Mateo Kehler has outstanding flavors of caramel, summer fruit, and toasted nuts.”

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_VERMONT CREAMERY // CREMONT WEBSTERVILLE, VT “Cheese maker Allison Hooper was one of the pioneers of American artisan cheese. She introduced this cheese, styled on an Italian robiola, two years ago.

The cow’s milk and cream contribute a rich butteriness, while the goat’s milk adds a citrus note that keeps the cheese from feeling too heavy on the tongue.”

_AMANTEIGADO PORTUGAL “Leaving behind the comfort of Cheddar, we’re entering uncharted territory with this showstopper of a sheep’s milk cheese. Long ago, the Portuguese discovered a method of coagulating milk with thistle, instead of the usual animal rennet. The end result is a cheese that’s hard and lustrous on the outside, and a creamy interior that has the texture of a steamed pudding. The aroma is of lanolin, and the flavors are of oil-cured olives and a boozy, cherry brandy’s sweet and sourness.

It is traditional in Portugal to cut off the top, give everyone a spoon, and dig in.”

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_CONSIDER BARDWELL FARM // DORSET WEST PAWLET, VT “A beautiful orange rind covers this supple, semisoft cow’s milk cheese.

That bright color lets us know that this is a washed rind cheese—a style developed in the Middle Ages in European monasteries. Washed rinds are generally associated with stinkiness and full flavors. Dorset has a smooth and velvety mouth feel, and a distinct earthiness and eggy custardlike appeal. A touch of sweetness keeps it from becoming obnoxious.”

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_SPRING BROOK FARM // TARENTAISE READING, VT “Our second Jersey cow selection is a 25-pound Alpine wheel. The cheese is firm with a bit of elasticity, has a beautiful golden color, and flavor that nearly explodes with nuttiness and toasty brown butter flavors.

Then the long, lingering finish slides towards bright tongue-tingling spiciness reminiscent of Szechuan pepper. This is my ‘desert island’ cheese and a perfect setup for the blues to follows.”

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_JERSEY BLUE TOGGENBURG REGION, SWITZERLAND “Blues aren’t usually associated with Switzerland, and Jersey cows aren’t usually associated with blue cheese (Berkshire Blue is a local exception), but master cheese maker Willi Schmid recently invented this stunning exception. Before cutting into it, one notices the almost lumplike paste, generously streaked with blue veins, which is a stunning contrast to the ivory background. This may be my winner for ‘World’s Most Beautiful Cheese’ award. These flavors are buttery milk and mild, piquant blue that doesn’t have to hit you over the head to prove its point.”

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_JASPER HILL FARM // BAYLEY HAZEN BLUE GREENSBORO, VT “Brothers Andy and Mateo Kehler produced this blue, which has a rugged, natural rind and a slightly dry, crumbling texture. The flavors are deep and bold, with an air of mystery that keeps you craving more and more.”

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