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VOL. 6, NO. 1
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Associated with this competition since 1981, Rolex is today a privileged partner of world golf.
Marco Bicego’s pieces are designed to be mixed, matched and worn together. Here we feature selections from our Lunaria Collection.
Three Rolex Laureates tell us how they are tackling some of the world's biggest problems.
ELEVATING YOUR WATCH GAME
Discover the new Tudor Black Bay novelties for 2022.
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We preview the next generation of Luxury EVs.
David Oscarson's namesake writing implements are like precious jewels.
journey that transports diners to different eras in Southern Missouri.
The new Tudor Ranger
Bulrush’s famous acorn doughnut
Scott Bolozky
6. What are you never late for__________________
7. For you a good time involves__________________
8. Finish this sentence: No matter how busy, I would always give the time of day to__________________
9. What is your favorite story that starts "once upon a time"__________________
10. In a sentence or two, what makes you tick?
Sincerely, Scott Bolozky | Owner & Founder
Scott Bolozky
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Jordan Spieth. Winner of The Open in 2017.
Moreover, the brand has also championed the creation of: the Rolex Series, the finest tournaments on the DP World Tour; the Rolex Player of the Year award which recognizes the best woman golfer on the LPGA circuit; and the Rolex Junior Players of the Year awards, which honour players aged 18 or younger, boy and girl, who perform best in a given season. Undeniably, Rolex has become “the partner watch of world golf”.
A winner of 15 Majors, he has triumphed at The Open on three occasions, including twice at St Andrews.
The venue in Northern Ireland hosted The Open in 1951 and 2019.
Between 1975 and 1983, he won The Open five times, with four victories on Scottish soil and one in England.
Among the many great names in golf who belong to the prestigious family of Rolex Testimonees, several have won The
Open: Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.
Hans Wilsdorf believed in challenging oneself and held a lofty view of sport’s role in society. To test his watches, he entrusted them to those who pushed themselves to the absolute limit. Driven by an unwavering quest for excellence, the founder of Rolex discovered valuable allies in athletes through their exceptional feats.
For many decades, the brand has actively championed culture, architecture, exploration and planetary conservation. And in the sporting world, it has built a diverse range of partnerships across tennis, golf, equestrianism, skiing, sailing and motor sport. Rolex partners governing bodies, competitions and athletes from established champions to promising talents in long-standing engagements that perpetuate the future of these disciplines and promote excellence.ls.
Associated with this competition since 1981, Rolex is today a privileged partner of world golf.
In 1976 Rolex’s ground-breaking Oyster watch, the world’s first waterproof watch, celebrated its 50th anniversary. To honor the stellar achievement that changed the world of watchmaking, Rolex launched a new program, the Rolex Awards for Enterprise.
The award is as singular as the watch it pays tribute to. It is given to remarkable men and women who are tackling challenges in unique, inventive ways as they attempt to solve problems such as climate change, pollution, health care, or the imperiled state of the ocean. The award winners draw on personal reserves of enterprising and innovative spirit, the same
qualities that Rolex prides itself on possessing.
The awards stand out for another very important reason as well—they are given to those who would not otherwise have access to traditional fundraising, due in part to the originality and uniqueness of each winners’ pioneering visions. Nearly 1000 hopefuls apply each year to receive the award, out of which only five are chosen.
Since its inception Rolex has awarded 155 exceptional winners. Here are three of the awardees who, with Rolex’s support, are dedicated to making the world a better place.
Rolex Laureates Felix Brooks-church, Miranda Wang and Gina Moseley
One of the saddest statistics of our time is that 15,000 children die each and every day, the result in large part due to poor nutrition.
Enough, thought Felix Brooks-Church. So he came up with a
Brooks-Church was struck with the pervasiveness and devastating result poor nutrition can have on health and life itself when he volunteered to run a program in Cambodia to get children off the streets
and into safe environments. He saw first-hand the toll that poor nutrition took on the youngsters. “These children were often sick. They had weak immune systems, low IQs, learning disabilities and some died from things that you should not die from.”
The program is set to expand to other countries. “What we are doing is not just adding nutrients to food,” BrooksChurch said. “What we are going is ensuring a basic human right, to good nutrition.”
solution to stop the tragic losses of life. He worked out a way to solve the nutrition crisis by adding basic nutrients—Vitamin B12, folic acid, iron, and zinc—to a universal diet staple, flour. He started a program doing so in Tanzania, providing bags already containing the nutrients to small, local flour mills, mills often overlooked by any sort of government assistance, to fill with flour.
Brooks-Church’s program has taken off and helps nourish two million people a day, and all for a reasonable cost. Less than $1 dollar will fortify food for one person—a child, mother or baby--for an entire year.
In 2010 Miranda Wang’s high school environmental club took a field trip to a local landfill in Vancouver. The teenager was appalled by what she saw: mountains of trash representing only two or three days of Vancouver’s municipal waste—and mountains contained mostly plastic. She was even more horrified when she learned that this heap of garbage would soon be carted away to other landfill, or be incinerated or, more likely, dumped in the ocean and replaced with a new monumental collection of polluting plastic waste.
Wang and her fellow student Jeanny Yao knew something had to be done, and decided that they could do it. They came up with a solution: why not utilize a bacteria that would feed on plastic to eliminate the problem. With the help of a professor, they located such a bacteria in a local river.
For more than four decades, through the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, Rolex has supported exceptional individuals who have the courage and conviction to take on major challenges.Felix Brooks-church
The solution, while brilliant and effective, could not readily be applied on the scale Wang and Yao wanted and that the world needed: globally. So Wang and Yao developed another solution, a chemical that could be produced and put into action on a grand scale. And it comes with as bonus: it produces a compound that can be used in other products, like perfume.
The program is enjoying a pilot run in San Jose, California, before being rolled out on the wider scale needed to tackle the worldwide problem: the 340 million metric tons of plastic produced every year.
By 2050, unless something drastic is done, there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills. Wang credits the Rolex Award for Enterprise with helping take the solution she and Yao have developed global. “Rolex has helped shine a light on the work we do, boosting my fundraising to scale-up this new technology invention.”
In the north of Greenland there are caves that are so distant and difficult to reach that they have only ever been spotted at a distance, but never entered. Gina Moseley and a team of six explorers are determined to do so for a very important reason; each cave holds a treasure trove of information that could help prevent our earth from literally drowning.
That’s the premise and the promise of Artic explorer Mosely. The
caves are believed to hold calcite deposits known as speleothems. “Caves are like time machines,” Mosely told Rolex. “Calcite forms layers, like tree rings. We can analyze each layer to get information about the past climate.” From studying past cooling and warming periods, scientists can gain insight into the impact the current melting of the polar caps will have on everything from rainfall patterns to ocean currents.
And what a past the northern caves will provide. Currently scientists are studying ice cores that are “only” 128,000 years old. The speleothems Mosely plans to reach are anticipated to date back half a million years.
The work is vital and can’t come a moment too soon. Polar regions are heating up twice as fast as other areas on the earth. In 2019 so much of the ice in Greenland melted that it added 12 billion tons of water to the ocean in one day. Said Mosely “The Rolex Awards are pretty much the only program out there that could or would support such an expedition.”
Miranda Wang
Gina Moseley
This year’s Tudor Black Bay novelties combine a tradition of the dive watches commissioned by the US Navy with new features and new flair.
The Tudor Watch Company has been producing watches ever since 1946, when Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, decided to create a new brand with outstanding dependability and accuracy—but at a more affordable price point. The original advertising campaign for Tudor demonstrated its toughness.
A Tudor watch was strapped to the wrist of a riveter operating a pneumatic jackhammer. After a month of shock treatment, the watch was removed from the riveter’s wrist and tested. It passed with flying colors.
Tudor soon became known for watches that were the height of functionality. That reputation was sealed when, in the late 1950s, the brand started supplying the US Navy with dive watches. In 1967, the US government requested a tactical diver’s watch that would meet a new set of specifications, and Tudor’s engineers conducted extensive research to fulfill the request.
When Tudor launched its Black Bay collection in 2012, it drew on the advances and performance of those esteemed dive watches, and on its classic aesthetic and vintage appeal. It was an unbeatable combination. Today, after only a decade on the market, the Black Bay stands out as Tudor’s best-selling watch.
Watch expert Elizabeth Doerr, editor in chief of the watch website QuillandPad.com, expressed her thoughts on what makes this timepiece so desirable. “The Tudor Black Bay has without a doubt worked its way into the hearts of every lover of tool watches. That’s not just because it’s the little sibling to Rolex and is infused with the same quality, but also because its design is perhaps a touch more modern—though it still wears its vintage values on its sleeve. Despite all that, I believe the two factors that make the Black Bay so darn popular are its ‘nice price’ and its availability to everyone.”
Black Bay Pro.
Each year Tudor adds new ideas and updates to its Black Bay collection. Besides the iconic dive watch, there are now Black Bay dress watches, chronographs, and a GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) model that displays both a 24-hour and a 12-hour timescale. This year’s models continue to offer plenty of news. But what remains the same:
all the new Black Bays come with a five-year transferable guarantee, with no requirement for registration or periodic maintenance checks. Also, the Black Bays sport Tudor’s “Snowflake” hands, a hallmark of its dive watches since 1969, with Grade A Swiss Super-LumiNova luminescent material for ultimate visibility. Most of the latest novelties also offer a choice of straps, ranging from a rubber-and-leather hybrid to comfortable fabric to a riveted steel bracelet with Tudor’s special “T-fit” clasp system to enable rapid adjustment. And these new Black Bays all contain Tudor’s own in-house manufactured movements.
Tudor’s newest Black Bays are available at authorized jewelers throughout the US.
BLACK BAY PRO The Black Bay Pro drew excited attention when it was unveiled this year in Geneva. It is an entirely new technical model with a fresh aesthetic and a dual time zone feature that displays the local time without losing sight of the time in another time zone. Compact, robust, and sporty, this model has many unique aesthetic details. It celebrates the spirit of the technical watches Tudor has produced for professionals throughout its history,
The details: A 24-hour-graduated, satin-brushed and polished case in stainless steel, 39 mm in diameter, with a 24-hour-graduated fixed bezel in stainless steel. The Black Bay Pro is powered by the Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5652 with built-in GMT function.
BLACK BAY GMT Steel & Gold The iconic Black Bay GMT model is now available in an S&G (Steel & Gold) version, with warm colors and a nostalgic touch.
It has multiple time zones, a highly functional complication that establishes local time without losing sight of the time in two other time zones. Recognizable by its 24-hour-graduated rotating bezel with two colors, representing day and night, the Black Bay GMT S&G also gives a subtle aesthetic nod to the history of this watchmaking function.
The details: A satin-brushed and polished case in 316L stainless steel and yellow gold, 41 mm in diameter, with a bidirectional rotating
bezel in yellow gold and an insert in black and brown anodized aluminum as a hallmark of the GMT function. The Black Bay GMT S&G has a Manufacture Calibre MT5652, is COSC-certified with a silicon balance spring, and has a 70-hour power reserve.
BLACK BAY CHRONO Steel & Gold Tudor has been producing watches that are closely tied to the world of motor sport since the presentation of its first chronograph, the Oysterdate, in 1970. And since 1954, Tudor has been constantly refining its watches for professional divers. The Black Bay Chrono S&G model combines these traditions in a sport chic chronograph, with contrasting sub-counters and a high-performance automatic Manufacture Calibre, with column wheel and vertical clutch. And now the Black Bay Chrono S&G offers a version with an attractive Champagne dial.
The details: A satin-brushed and polished case in 316L steel and yellow gold, 41 mm in diameter, with a fixed bezel in yellow gold and an insert in black anodized aluminum with a tachymetric scale. The Black Bay Chrono S&G sports a Manufacture Calibre MT5813 chronograph, is COSC-certified, and has a silicon balance spring, 70-hour power reserve, a column wheel, and a vertical clutch in the tradition of sporting timepieces.
BLACK BAY 31/36/39/41 Steel & Gold Tudor presents a new version of its Black Bay line in steel and yellow gold with a fixed bezel. The curved case, highlighted with polished yellow-gold sections, and the option of diamond bezel markers bring a new sophistication, versatility, and unisex chic to the iconic tool watch spirit. This model comes in four sizes for utmost wearability. The five-link bracelet’s Tudor “T-fit” clasp allows for rapid adjustment and instant comfort.
The details: A satin-brushed and polished case, 31, 36, 39, or 41 mm in diameter, in 316L steel and yellow gold. Also available with a diamond-set bezel. The Black Bay 31/36/39/41 S&G models are powered by Manufacture Calibres MT5201 (31 mm), MT5400 (36 mm), MT5602 (39 mm), and MT5601 (41 mm), and are COSCcertified with a silicon balance spring.
Today, after only a decade on the market, the Black Bay stands out as Tudor’s best-selling watch.
Clockwise from top left: Black Bay Pro, Black Bay Chrono S&G, Black Bay 31, 36, 39, 41 S&G, Black Bay GMT S&G.
Say the words “Aspark Owl.” Just about as fast as you can. In the time it took, you went from zero to 60 in 1.69 seconds in an Aspark Owl, the fastest-accelerating car in the world.
It’s all-electric, costs $3.5 million, and packs 1,985 horsepower with 1,475 pounds of torque.
The rare 2023 Owl is just one of the hot EVs (as electric vehicles are known) available today, as more and more automakers, from plain vanilla to super luxury, are putting out emission-free, lithium-ion-battery offerings.
Ferrari, Bentley, and Lamborghini EVs are not on the market yet, but those elite automakers promise that in the next few years they’ll be joining this green, quite expensive, and very fast trend.
How fast? The Owl, for example, made by the Japanese engineering firm Aspark, hustles up to 186 mph in 10 seconds, with a motor for each wheel. To ensure equally fast stops, the Owl has a carbon-ceramic braking system with ten-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers, the equal of most racing cars.
Today, most EV buyers are concerned with range on a full charge. The Owl takes 80 minutes to ramp up with a high-velocity charger.
Still, in that range category the Owl is only middling: you’ll get 280 miles at most before you find yourself immobile and stuck by the side of the road. And you will need a home charging station, which costs about $5,000 with installation. But when you’re spending $3.5 million for your ride, why quibble?
Equally short on range, but the Owl’s opposite in every other respect (including price), is the Chevrolet Bolt hatchback, which gets 247 miles on a charge. The Bolt costs $28,035, has front-wheel-only drive, and pumps out a relatively puny 200 horsepower. It cannot be called luxurious, but here again, at $28K and change, why quibble?
The Aspark OwlThe The Lucid Air is the champion in the range department, at 516 miles on a full charge if you don’t stomp on it. And when you buy any Lucid model, you get three years of complimentary charging on the Electrify America charging network.
As for cost, the Air is the mean between the extremes. The Sapphire model, at $250,000, jumps to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds if you do push that pedal to the metal. Like other high-end EVs, the Lucid has several big touch screens, including one that folds into the dashboard.
It also has an array of safety features, like blind-spot alert, forwardcollision warning, automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, cruise control, and a rear camera.
Mercedes Benz also offers a high standard of luxury in its three EVs: two sedan models, the ESQ 580 and ESQ 450, and a SUV with a third row for three, where someone who’s 5’11’’ will feel comfortable without bending over. Pretty unusual for a third row.
For any of the Benz models, 30 minutes plugged in provides a boost from 10 percent of charge to 80 percent, and about a 350-mile range for all three.
The SUV has enough off-road gears to plow through sand. Fold down the seats in the second and third rows and you have 31 cubic feet of space.
Not to be outdone is the rear-wheel-drive Lyriq, Cadillac’s first EV ever, at a base price of $59,990. It has fast charging in 70 minutes, and a zero to 100 mph time of 14.4 seconds—hardly the cumbersome King Turtle among cars.
The Lyriq takes infotainment seriously, with a curved screen up front that measures two feet, six inches wide. No speedster, the Lyriq has a top end of 118 mph, but comfort and quiet are the premium here. Just like those Cadillacs of 70 years ago.
Meanwhile, perhaps the most unusual EV on the market is a truck. Yup. It’s the Rivian R1T, with all-wheel drive, 835 horsepower, and strong enough to tow 11,000 pounds. The very base price is $79,000, but cough up $150,000 for the Adventure model and you’ll get a Meridian sound system, a cabin with leather and wood panels, and big trunks in the front and back where you can lock up 12 cubic feet of storage.
From the top: Lucid Air, Cadillac Lyriq, Ford Mustang Mach E, Jaguar IPace.Perhaps the most unusual EV on the market is a truck. Yup. It’s the Rivian R1T, with all-wheel drive, 835 horsepower, and strong enough to tow 11,000 pounds
It also has three 110-volt outlets.
The R1T’s safety features include automated braking and lane-departure warning. And even though it’s a truck, it can jet to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds with the optional large battery pack. The 2023 model with that “Max” battery will provide more than 400 miles with a full charge, according to Rivian, an American company that sells its EVs directly to buyers. But what would the American field look like without a Ford Mustang EV? Well, it’s here already ¬-— the Mach E, with several models to choose from, starting at $44,995. Power up to more than $66,000 for the Premium model, with a panoramic sunroof, Bang & Olufsen sound system, and a power liftgate because the Mach E is really sort of a crossover. You can order a Ford charging station, available online and connected to certified electricians for installation. It can charge fully overnight with household current, and the GT and GT Performance models with 480 horsepower both hit 60 in 3.7 seconds.
That US favorite aside, there are several foreign big-name luxury EVs out there, such as the BMW i4M50, crossing 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and costing $76,760. Like other EVs, it has optional one-pedal driving, called regenerative braking: when you take your foot off the accelerator, the BMW slows down nicely, not abruptly. You still have a standard brake, though.
The Jaguar IPace SUV has a modest-for-a-Jaguar base price of $71,300. For that you get a vehicle with all-wheel drive and a reasonably robust 394 of horsepower to take you from zip to 60 in 4.5 seconds. Leather seating is standard, as are heated and ventilated front seats and ventilated rear seats. Also standard is traffic-sign recognition, so you’ll never hear that “Didn’t you see that stop sign?” shout from the passenger side again.
But the big advantage for the Jag, and for all SUVs, is the charging cost: not $4.60 a gallon for premium, but rather with batteries, at an annual charging cost of $850 based on an average of 15,000 miles driving per year, which is typical of American drivers.
Numerous other overseas-manufactured EVs are also available, including offerings from Kia, Audi, Hyundai, and others. The lithium-ion future is here and now. Jump in.
From the top: Mercedes Benz ESQ, BMW i4M50, Rivian R1TIn a world where technology reigns supreme and writing by hand almost feels like an outdated way to capture words, the luxury pen designer David Oscarson is an anomaly, to say the least.
Based in Wildwood, Missouri, Oscarson has a flourishing business that’s only grown more successful since its launch in 2000. He grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, and worked in retail buying in the gold and diamond industry before debuting his eponymous brand. The fountain and rollerball pens he creates are collectibles in the same vein as jewelry, art and fine wine, and emblematic of a centuries-old craftsmanship that’s increasingly rare.
Oscarson’s designs for writing implements, which rely on intricate techniques, come to fruition at the brand’s atelier in South London, where four goldsmiths do most of their work by hand. The pens retail for between $6,200 and $6,400 each and are highly sought after by pen connoisseurs and by consumers with an appreciation for fine objects. The fact that every piece is part of a limited edition centered on a theme—say, sea turtles, American Art Deco, or koi—gives these pens even more cachet.
We talked to Oscarson about what inspires his work, the detailed process behind crafting the pens and his newest collection—from which you should consider acquiring a piece before it sells out.
Why did you decide to start a brand of high-end handcrafted pens?
I took my inspiration from Henrik Wigstrom, a fellow Swede who
became the head workmaster for Fabergé and is behind many of the brand’s famous gilded eggs. I so admired his talent and the enameling techniques he used for Fabergé that I was motivated to create my own stamp using these increasingly forgotten techniques. I chose pens because I’ve always loved pens and writing.
As a kid, I used to visit the pen department at NK Stockholm and play around with them. My first collection was named after Wigstrom, and in what’s come full circle, Nordiska Kompaniet is our exclusive retailer in Sweden.
Are all your collections limited editions?
Yes, they are. I want the pens to be special, and the way to do that is to limit the number produced for each design. It’s no different than a painter with a limited number of prints for a certain work.
The most pens I’ve ever had for a collection is 800 — that was for my Magna Carta collection, in honor of the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.
But I normally have fewer than 100 pieces in a collection. My Alfred Nobel collection had 63 pens, because Nobel lived for 63 years. Each pen has a unique serial number on the cap.
Where do you get the inspiration for your designs?
From the world around me, my family and the people I admire. My Ellis Island collection, for example, pays homage to my great grandparents, who came from Stockholm to Ellis Island. Sir Alexander Fleming is named after the doctor who discovered penicillin. Can you elaborate on the techniques used in crafting the pens?
Every pen starts with a sterling silver rod, and I build from there.
David Oscarson
Take itto the LimitSmoke MultiClockwise from Top: Carl Linnaeus Blue, Consider the Lilies Opaque Black, Take it to the Limit Smoke Multi, The Magna Carta Blue, Celestial Fire Red, Alexander Fleming Grey, Ellis Island Red Silver, Alfred Nobel Black.
Our design has two main fundamentals. The first is a technique called guilloche, a precision diamond-cut engraving that reflects and refracts light in the same way that rare diamonds do. The body of the pen is decorated with a guilloche pattern.
The second is a method called hot enamel, which is basically kilnfired glass—and what we’re known for. We start by crushing glass by hand with a mortar and pestle, and then we add metal oxides for different colors. For a red pen, for example, we use copper oxides. We blend the oxides with the glass and add water to create a paste. Then we take a quill and apply the paste by hand onto the guilloche.
After that, we hang the body of the pen on a wire and place it into a kiln. We repeat this process more than 20 times, depending on the pen’s color combinations. The darkest colors, specifically the blues, require the highest temperatures — exceeding 1,000 degrees. But the reds won’t tolerate temperatures over 830 degrees; more heat will burn the copper and turn the pen brown.
After each firing, we file the glass with a diamond file to make it flat, until its smooth glass finish is finally ready.
This is not an easy process. What can go wrong?
pieces in each hue. Take It to the Limit is a follow-up to our last collection, Nikola Tesla, named for the Serbian inventor and electrical engineer who inspired the name of the famous car.
A robust community of people are willing to pay not-sosmall fortunes for writing implements like yours. Can you give us a glimpse into this world?
It’s mostly men, but more and more women are coming on board because they appreciate the craft and the enameling technique. They buy us at upscale jewelry stores like Clarkson’s. Over the years I’ve gotten to know many of my collectors personally, and I consider all of them friends.
Besides the art and workmanship that go into creating your pens, is it any different writing with one?
Consider the Lilies Fountain Pen
Yes. Our pens weigh almost 3.3 ounces, or 95 grams — compared to the average plastic pen, which is less than 6 grams. Our pens are intentionally heavy because the silver needs to withstand the high heat of the kiln. Yes, they’re weighty, but they’re comfortable to use and perfectly balanced, because the gripping is constructed of solid sterling silver. This puts the weight of the pen on the paper rather than on the hand.
After firing, the silver caps and barrels tend to cool and contract faster than the glass does. This means that the glass can shatter, and we have to start again. We have a 20-percent failure rate during the enameling process.
Tell us about your newest collection.
It’s called Take It to the Limit (One More Time…), and it’s a tribute to fans of fossil fuels. They better enjoy their gas-powered cars while they can! The design includes a speedometer and tachometer on the cap, along with a gas gauge and engine temperature dial. Colors include ruby red, sky blue and British racing green: there are 100
Your pens make the ultimate presents. What advice do you have for someone who’s trying to buy the perfect one as a gift?
You need to consider the person’s heritage, occupation and whether they prefer a gold or silver finish — their watch should tell you that. A lawyer might appreciate the Magna Carta, for example; a doctor would like the Alexander Fleming.
Do you have a favorite?
I would have to say that the Celestial, the Tree of Life and Consider the Lilies are among my top picks — even after 20-plus years of daily use. Along with the Carl Linnaeus, they’re more nature-themed, but they also hold a higher meaning for me.
“The Celestial, The Tree of Life and Consider the Lilies are among my favorites”
David Oscarson
Below, selections from the Princess Flower and Venetian Princess Collections.
OVER THE LAST 45 YEARS, IT'S BEEN THE SECRET JEWELRY SOURCE FOR WELL dressed women around the world. Just take a peek into the jewelry wardrobes of Selena Gomez, Isabelle Adjani and Christy Turlington Burns. To own a sleek and sculptural Roberto Coin piece, from any of his signature collections, is like owning a mesmerizing piece of art. Each sumptuous shape is hand-crafted in Vicenza, Italy, known for its centuries-long traditions in goldsmithing. The company was founded in 1977. At that time, the business created and manufactured for other Italian lines. The Roberto Coin brand – a marvelous mix of centuries-old Italian craftsmanship and modern design techniques -– was launched in 1996, quickly becoming a world-renowned luxury brand of Italian designer jewelry.
A seven-course journey that transports diners to different eras in Southern Missouri
When Rob Connoley opened his restaurant Bulrush in 2019, he knew he wanted to offer diners more than just a nice meal. He wanted to give them a multisensory experience. That purpose has served the 54-yearold chef well. This hot spot in the bustling Midtown neighborhood has garnered Connoley national accolades — including being named a semifinalist for best chef in the Midwest this year by the prestigious James Beard Foundation.
Connoley, who was born and grew up in St. Louis, describes Bulrush as an in-depth exploration of Ozark cuisine. “Indigenous inhabitants, settlers, and enslaved people are the population that comprised the Ozarks, and their food is something of an enigma,” he says. “My goal is to unearth how they ate and showcase those traditions on a plate. I do the first part by working with archaeologists and paleoethnobotanists.”
Bulrush (the European word for cattail, which grows in North America) is a seven-course journey that transports diners to different eras in Southern Missouri, including the early 19th century. Connoley takes a hyper-local approach to his cooking, sourcing 90 percent of his ingredients from within 30 miles.
He applies modernist techniques to these finds for his elevated creations, changing the menu weekly. That could mean a confit wild turkey with pawpaw chili sauce and sweet potato gratin, or catfish poached in tomato okra and served with sweet corn panna cotta.
Then there’s his famous acorn doughnut, served on a bed of vegetables and white chocolate potato mousse. Connoley presents it in a covered, nut-shaped dish filled with persimmon smoke. “When the lid is opened, the fragrant air wafts up; it feels like being at a campfire,” he
says. Even cattails are served, In an homage to the restaurant’s name: made into a salad along with local fruit like pears. And each course is paired with a cocktail, wine, local cider, or beer.
Bulrush’s design evokes the landscape’s many hills and beige patina, further immersing diners in the world of the Ozarks. The 24-seat dining room has natural wood elements and a shot of color — much like the hue of a Missouri persimmon — on a long wall of drip paint in shades of blue, purple, and orange.
Though Connoley is already well regarded, his foray into the industry is relatively new. After graduating with a doctorate in sports psychology from Purdue University, Indiana, he spent nearly two decades working in nonprofits, a career that eventually took him to rural New Mexico.
There, as he turned 40, he decided to change course. “I was tired of the hustle of nonprofit work,” he says. “I’d always enjoyed cooking, and I told myself I should give it a go professionally.”
Connoley’s first spot, The Curious Kumquat, was in Silver City, NM. The menu reflected his interest in sustainable sourcing: foraged ingredients with a contemporary preparation. The crowds soon arrived.
In 2016, Connoley moved back to St. Louis, seeing an opportunity to open a restaurant with a similar concept in a city, as opposed to a small town. “Bulrush is the result,” he says.
Today, this gem is regarded in food circles and by Missourians as a destination more than a restaurant — a reputation that Connoley considers apt. “A good dinner is a dime a dozen in St. Louis,” he says. “At Bulrush, we want to tap into your stomach, of course, but also your mind and soul.”
Above: Rob Connoley foraging, some of the popular dishes at Bulrush.
by a woman, for a woman sylviecollection.com
Anti-magnetic. 5-day power reserve. 10-year warranty.
The new ProPilot X is powered by Oris Calibre 400.
