The Icons Issue Vol 17 Spring 2020 by Flamingo Magazine

No.

OYSTER REVIVAL A L O N G TH E F O R G OT TE N C O A ST

17 THE ICONS ISSUE

For Floridians. By Floridians.

KEY LIME PIE: THINK YOU KNOW FLORIDA’S MOST ICONIC DISH? THINK AGAIN! MADE IN FLORIDA }

15 ways j put the sun in your shine

Vrooom...

R A C I N G I C O N HURLEY HAYWOOD ON A LEGENDARY CAREER & SPEAKING HIS TRUTH

World Champion Longboarder

JUSTIN QUINTAL,

THE BURLY FLORIDIAN c DANCING FEET

WHAT’S Q BUZZ?

WE’RE ON THE FRONT LINES TO SAVE HONEYBEES

Organically grown in its native rainforest environment, Guayakí Yerba Mate is a high energy infusion brewed from the mighty, emerald green mate leaves. Reach deep into yerba mate culture and you’ll discover people have long gathered to imbibe mate to awaken the mind, perform extraordinary feats and to exchange confidences. Guayakí’s vision holds that yerba mate culture will power our Market Driven Regeneration™ business model to regenerate ecosystems and create vibrant communities.

guayaki.com

A DV E R T O R I A L

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD With unspoiled beaches and rare attractions, the Treasure Coast proves it’s more than

IN 1715

a fleet of Spanish ships loaded with treasures was traveling back to Spain when a hurricane struck, causing 11 of the 12 vessels to sink just off of Florida’s east coast; millions of dollars worth of gold, silver and jewelry rained down on the ocean floor like confetti. Three hundred years later, divers still search for these riches—their hunt taking place up and down what’s been coined Florida’s Treasure Coast, stretching from Stuart to Sebastian. Made up of three counties—Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River—the Treasure Coast is in many ways a yet-to-be discovered secret. “Most people might just drive by because we’re right between Orlando and Miami,” says Charlotte L. Bireley, director of tourism and marketing for Visit St. Lucie. Travelers just passing through the Treasure Coast miss the opportunity to admire all 65 miles of its

unspoiled beaches; views of nature unmarred by highrises; some of the state’s finest fishing and golfing; and a growing arts and culture scene. Martin County, the Treasure Coast’s Southernmost point, is home to Blowing Rocks Preserve managed by the Nature Conservancy, the largest Anastasia limestone beach on the East Coast; and Jonathan Dickinson State Park, where visitors can camp, explore and paddle along the Loxahatchee River. Perched on the coast of this county is downtown Stuart, a gem known for its quaint boutiques, such as Snappy Shack and Gumbo Limbo Coastal Chic, as well as its beloved restaurants, including The Gafford and District Table & Bar. After you’ve shopped and snacked by the sea, head north into St. Lucie County, a haven for history buffs and outdoor enthusiasts alike. While you’re there, tour the National Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce. It’s the only museum dedicated solely to the history of the U.S. Navy SEALs. Anglers will enjoy deep sea fishing via the Fort Pierce Inlet, a hub for mahi-mahi, tuna, sailfish, kingfish, swordfish and pompano. A few miles south, equestrians gravitate toward Hutchinson Island, as it is one of the few places in Florida that allows horseback riding on the beach. In addition to the natural beauty found in St. Lucie County, the region also has some notable manmade landmarks. Every year, Clover Park in Port St. Lucie becomes the Spring training home for the New York Mets. If you’d rather swing a birdie than catch a fly ball, visit the PGA Golf Club, a 54-hole championship golf course designed by legends Tom Fazio and Pete Dye. Cap off your Treasure Coast trip with a stop in Indian River County. In Vero Beach, Broadway-trained

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actors and performers take the stage at Riverside Theatre where an unsurpassable lineup of live theater shows, comedies, ballets, concerts and lectures are constantly cycling through. For a front-row seat to Florida’s ecosystem, cruise through Blue Cypress Lake on an airboat and keep an eye out for blue herons, white ibis, snowy egrets and the occasional gator. Vero Beach holds even more treasures beneath the surface. Take a snorkeling trip to the SS Breconshire Shipwreck for sightings of a 300-foot-long, 19th-century ship submerged 20 feet below the surface, where bluehead wrasse and angelfish swim among the leftover bow and boilers. From sunken ships to native wildlife, Florida’s Treasure Coast offers a wealth of attractions and intriguing history. Traverse this vibrant region and you’ll find that the gold and silver hidden on the ocean floor aren’t the only riches waiting to be discovered. FloridasTreasureCoast.com Clockwise from left: National Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce; The House of Refuge at Gilbert’s Bar in Martin County; visitors take an airboat ride through Indian River County

DISCOVER MARTIN COUNT Y, VISIT ST. LUCIE, VISIT VERO BEACH, FELLSMERE, SEBASTIAN

just a drive-through town; it’s the secret jewel of South Florida.

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SANTA ROSA COUNT Y TOURIST DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

— Sp ri n g 2020 —

CONTENTS F E AT U R E S

UNDER THE HOOD WITH HURLEY HAYWOOD

THE BATTLE FOR BEES

FROM SEED TO SALTINE

SHIP SHAPE

BY MONI BASU

Hurley Haywood spent four decades behind the wheel of Porsche race cars— winning at Le Mansand the Rolex 24 at Daytona—all while fighting to keep his private life a secret.

Cover Photography by

BY ERIC BARTON

Much is riding on Florida’s fight to save the honeybee—including many of the foods Americans eat. Find out why and what can be done to prevent more colonies from dying.

PETER HARHOLDT

On the cover: 1970 Porsche 917K, driven by Steve McQueen in the racing film, Le Mans, on display at the Brumos Collection in Jacksonville

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B Y S T E V E D O L LA R

On Florida’s Forgotten Coast, where the Apalachicola oyster once reigned supreme, a new crop of pioneers attempt to revive the region’s iconic shellfish.

B Y N I LA D O S I M O N

Maritime artist Monique Richter has made a name for herself as a prolific and much-sought-after faux finisher and gold leaf expert. Here’s how a broken pinky toe led to painting multimillion-dollar sportfishing boats.

D E PA R T M E N TS

WADING IN

COLUMNS

ON THE FLY

15 /// THE SPREAD: Key West hookers— the sponge fishing kind—helped create Florida’s treasured dessert.

39 /// C APITAL DAME: A love for language, expressed through books and music, blossoms at Tallahassee’s Word of South.

100 /// BIRD’S-EYE VIEW: How to eat, shop and play like a DeLand local

19 /// M ADE IN FLA: Homegrown self-care products for ladies and gents 24 /// T HE STUDIO: A waterlogged camera inspires an artist 26 /// O NE-ON-ONE: Jacksonville local Justin Quintal leads a revival of surfing’s biggest weapon. 30 /// FLEDGLINGS: The Currys on bending genres and honoring roots

91 /// PANHANDLING: It might not be a traditional free dive, but our columnist braved a claustrophobia-inducing chamber to return to herself. 96 /// F LORIDA WILD: Carlton Ward Jr.’s search for panthers turns into a quest to solve an elusive orchid mystery.

33 /// JUST HATCHED: From cocktail bars to art museums, check out all that’s new around the state.

102 /// G ROVE STAND: One of Miami’s most celebrated chefs finally finds her groove—and invites us to brunch. 108 /// THE ROOST: Timeless estates with lavish looks and storied pasts 112 /// DESIGN DISTRICT: Meet the father-son architectural duo infusing Old Florida style with modern flair. 116 /// T HE TIDE: Toss a dead mullet across the state line, dress up like a swamp monster or go worm gruntin’ at one of these springtime celebrations. 120 /// F LORIDIANA: A shipwreck off Florida’s coast sheds light on a forgotten past.

On this spread: A 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, the company’s first true sports racing car and one of the many vehicles on display at the newly opened Brumos Collection in Jacksonville Photography by Peter Harholdt

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EDITOR’S NOTE

what’s your florida icon?

issue, our writer Steve Dollar heads back to the Forgotten Coast to examine the rebirth of the Panhandle bivalve and to taste its new iteration in his feature “From Seed to Saltine.” Reinvention pops up as a theme throughout this issue. In our cover story “Under the Hood with Hurley Haywood,” writer Moni Basu gets personal with the sports car racing star, who, after 40 years, is finally living his truth. Our piece “Ship Shape” by Nila Do Simon profiles rising star artist Monique Richter, whose faux finishing and gold leafing transform sportfishing boats into works of fine art. Then we delve into the complicated world of honeybees in “The Battle for the Bees” by Eric Barton and learn why Florida is at the center of their survival story and what we can do to help.

Aside from storied icons like Haywood and Marino (the winner of our football poll by a hair), a new generation of future sports heroes find themselves at the pinnacle of their success. Our interview with newly crowned world-champion surfer Justin Quintal reveals a talent on the precipice of what looks to be a legendary career. Could Quintal be the next Kelly Slater of longboarding? One thing is for sure, we’ll be rooting for the “burly Floridian with the dancing feet.” We each have impassioned views, shaped by our unique existence here, of what constitutes a Florida icon: the sports we play (surfing or football), the town in which we live (Key West or Perdido Key), how long we’ve been here (generations or weeks), the hobbies we pursue (boating or reading), the music we listen to (Jimmy Buffett or Camila Cabello) and the food we eat (Cubans or casseroles). But no matter what you eat or where you live, we’re all Floridians. It’s critical that we celebrate our diverse experiences, find common ground and most importantly make room for reinvention. Like those new-fangled oyster farmers, you never know what or who might emerge as the new symbols of our Sunshine State.

E di tor i n Chi ef & P u b lish e r

let us know what you think. Email me at jamie@flamingomag.com

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MARY BETH KOETH

e stirred a bit of controversy among our readers over the last few weeks. We asked you which Florida icons reign supreme in our Fresh Squeezed newsletter. Each week we sent out new matchups: Key lime pie versus stone crabs; Everglades versus Weeki Wachee Springs; manatees versus flamingos; Marino versus Shula. Spurrier versus Bowden? Those are still fighting words. Even in the office, we couldn’t agree on who to include in our football poll. It’s an exercise we look forward to each spring: deciding which classic Sunshine State symbols, pastimes and figures to include in our pages. Flamingo’s first edition flew into the world four years ago with a story about an endangered icon: the Apalachicola oyster. The writing and photography in “Where Have All the Oysters Gone?” still stand out as some of our all-time best. The piece won Flamingo a top award that year from the Florida Magazine Association. We reported on the active but dwindling oyster industry in Apalachicola, a place where locals once climbed oyster shell mounds as high as sand dunes. Today, as expected, the shell mounds are gone, along with the wild oysters that once thrived in those Panhandle waters. Hurricanes, oil spills, overfishing and a decades-long battle with Georgia over water usage all played a part in knocking down this piece of beloved history. While the Florida versus Georgia rivalry has moved from the gridiron to the U.S. Supreme Court, reengineered glimmers of hope are rising up from those salty seas. A new crop of entrepreneurial oyster farmers are growing the classic shellfish in a more controlled environment. In this

ISSUE

CONTRIBUTORS

For Floridians. By Floridians.

• FOUNDED IN 2016 •

MONI BASU is a veteran journalist who has worked as a reporter for CNN and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She now teaches advanced writing classes at the University of Florida and is a distinguished professor of practice in the University of Georgia’s MFA program. Basu covered the Iraq war from its inception and published an e-book, Chaplain Turner’s War (2012, Agate Publishing). Born in India, Basu grew up straddling two cultures, and her work often explores the complexities of identity. In Flamingo’s cover story, she delves into the life of famous race car driver Hurley Haywood.

CARLTON WARD JR. is an eighth-generation Floridian and National Geographic Explorer who uses photography to inspire conservation of his home state’s nature and culture. His current National Geographic project, Path of the Panther, is creating an unprecedented glimpse into the life of one America’s most endangered and elusive predators. Ward is the author of four books, and his photographs have appeard in publications including National Geographic, Audubon and Smithsonian. In this issue of Flamingo, Ward tells the story behind capturing a groundbreaking photo of a ghost orchid pollinator.

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EDITORIAL Editor in Chief and Founder JAMIE RICH jamie@flamingomag.com Consulting Creative Director Holly Keeperman holly@flamingomag.com Photo Editor and Senior Designer Ellen Patch ellen@flamingomag.com Assistant Editor Jessica Giles jessica@flamingomag.com Senior Writer and Cont ributin g Editor Eric Barton Contributing Designer Ellen Swandiak Cont ributin g Writers Moni Basu, Jeanne Craig, Christina Cush, CD Davidson-Hiers, Steve Dollar, Prissy Elrod, Bucky McMahon, Alyssa Morlacci, Diane Roberts, Maddy Zollo Rusbosin, Nila Do Simon, Carlton Ward Jr. Contributing Photographers & Illustrators Leslie Chalfont, Beth Gilbert, Mary Beth Koeth, Stephen Lomazzo, Mark Wallheiser, Carlton Ward Jr. Copy Editors & Fact Checkers Brett Greene, Katherine Shy, Ellen Stenstrom Editorial Interns Georgia Montgomery, Lianna Norman, Cori Santucci

SALES & MARKETING Publisher JAMIE RICH jamie@flamingomag.com Sales & Marketing Shylo Kline shylo@flamingomag.com Digital Strategy Christina Clifford For general inquiries email hello@flamingomag.com Contact Us JSR Media LLC 100 Executive Way, Suite 106 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 P: (904) 395-3272 E: info@flamingomag.com All content in this publication, including but not limited to text, photos and graphics, is the sole property of and copyrighted by JSR Media and Flamingo. Reproduction without permission from the publisher is prohibited. We take no responsibility for images or content provided by our advertisers.

JSR MEDIA

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CNN, VERONICA RUNGE, CL AUDIA BUCHER, L ACE Y IRVING PHOTOGR APHY

STEVE DOLLAR, a Tallahassee native and frequent contributor, writes about film, music, art and other popular culture for a wide range of publications including The Los Angeles Times, Artnews, The National Sawdust Log Journal and Filmmaker magazine. This spring he hosts the 2020 edition of the Tallahassee Film Festival (April 15–19), for which he is the artistic director. In this issue of Flamingo, Dollar visits rural Wakulla County, where a new wave of aquaculturists strive to revive a legendary oyster industry, once known for producing one of the world’s most distinctive and delicious bivalves.

MADDY ZOLLO RUSBOSIN is an Orlando-based writer and style expert. In addition to regularly curating Flamingo’s Made in Florida department, Rusbosin has written for Cosmopolitan, Robb Report, Southern Living, Women’s Health and Orlando magazine. The Florida native is particularly excited about her piece “Well Groomed,” in this edition of Flamingo, because she spent eight years working as a beauty editor in New York at Seventeen and People Style and loves nothing more than checking out the latest and greatest products and scaring her husband by testing face masks.

— s p r i n g 20 20 —

Our Members return each year as faithfully as the tides.

From the moment you enter the palm-studded harbor, touch down on the runway or pass through the gates of Ocean Reef Club, you begin to sense a very Unique Way of Life. One that has been attentively upheld, polished and passed down to succeeding generations of Members. Situated on the northern reaches of Key Largo, beside America’s only living reef, Ocean Reef Club boasts a world-class marina and yacht club. Its own private airport and accompanying flying club. Two championship golf courses. A tennis and games center. An art league and cultural center, croquet, racquet and rod and gun clubs. A museum, library and theater, medical center, restaurants and gracious residences. Even a school for your children and a vet for your pet. In essence, all the comforts and services of a small but sophisticated town. There are also comforts of a different kind. Among them, a tangible sense of privacy, security, tradition and values, and perhaps most important, a sense of belonging unlike any other club on earth. There are only two ways to experience Ocean Reef Club’s Unique Way of Life – as a guest of a Member or through the pages of Living magazine. Visit OceanReefClubLiving.com or call 305.367.5921 to request your complimentary copy.

ADVERTORIAL

FISH ON!

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the year. The best time, though, is during bait runs, which begin in August and end by November. Two of the most sought-after species for beach fishermen are pompano and whiting, which show up when the water temperatures drop in November. There’s plenty of inshore action, too, particularly in the Indian River Lagoon, a 156-mile estuary where grass flats are fertile feeding ground for spotted sea trout. Small species are also drawn to roots of Mangrove trees, which in turn attract large predators like snook and redfish. From the high perch of a public dock you can try to lure the flounder and black drum that gather around the pilings. Anglers love Fort Pierce for its variety of species, but amenities like multiple marinas, free public boat ramps, bait and tackle shops, cleaning stations, charter boats and fishing guides, along with great hotels keep them returning every season. And then there are the friendly locals, who, unlike some sportsmen, are happy to share their favorite fishing spots with visitors (well, maybe not ALL the secret spots!). VisitStLucie.com

PHOTOS COURTESY VISIT ST. LUCIE

IT’S NOT UNCOMMON for fishermen to want to save the best fishing spots for themselves, but in Fort Pierce, it’s tough to keep the good locations secret. That’s because there are so many places from which to cast a line and hook into a game fish. “Fort Pierce remains one of the best destinations in Florida for recreational fishing,” says Charlotte Bireley, director of tourism and marketing for St. Lucie County. “There are a variety of places to fish, a diversity of species and many opportunities for anglers of all skill levels.” Fishing is a big part of the area’s DNA. Commercial and recreational fishing in Ft. Pierce date back over a century. In the early 1900s, fishing was a major industry. On the riverfront in Fort Pierce were fish houses and packing plants for the mackerel, mullet and kingfish that were brought in by the boatload and then shipped out by railroad up the East Coast. Today, recreational fishing is the draw for anglers. They descend on Fort Pierce with rods and reels knowing that the waters can deliver big rewards, including record-breaking catches. The Florida record spotted sea trout, at 17.7 pounds, was captured here, in the Indian River Lagoon. If you head offshore by boat, you can bottom fish for species like grouper or troll the water’s surface for mahi-mahi and sailfish. The area is also known for kingfish; it’s home to the national championship tournament hosted by the Southern Kingfish Association. Don’t have a boat? You can cast lines from the jetties that flank the Fort Pierce Inlet. This is a great place to find snook all year long, but especially in summer months. Beaches are another good place for species ranging from tarpon, blacktip sharks and mackerel to permit and jacks. And there’s action throughout

THE ACTION IS HOT —INSHORE AND OFF— IN FORT PIERCE.

Dream. Explore. Just Get...

Trace your path through miles of untouched nature preserves and heritage trails, float down the most biologically diverse estuary in the country, or simply drift away into vacation bliss. Immerse yourself in warm south Florida sunshine, blue skies and avacation of serenity or adventure. From tides to trails...plan your coastal escape to St. Lucie, Florida today. To get inspired, go to VisitStLucie.com

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THE SLICE P R O D UC TS + EVENTS + PROMOTIONS

LOVE ME, LOVE ME KNOT

Keep style close to your heart with this love knot necklace from Kendra Scott’s spring 2020 collection. A modern take on the classic silhouette, this timeless Presleigh strand comes in gold, rose gold or silver. $78. Shop this at seven stores in Florida. kendrascott.com

MUSIC & FOOD MASHUP

Find the Flamingo Stage at this year’s Word of South Festival (April 3–5), where books and music combine to create a cultural stew of national and local authors, songwriters, performers and—new this year—chefs. Singers and songwriters will take to the Flamingo Stage alongside cookbook authors and food bloggers to whip up a performance that will have you doing the yummy food boogie. wordofsouthfestival.com

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead’s latest novel, The Nickel Boys, tells the story of a young black boy, Elwood Curtis, during the Jim Crow era in Tallahassee, who finds himself in the “wrong place at the wrong time” and winds up at the Nickel Academy, a school for troubled boys. Inside, he discovers that it is more like a torture chamber than a reformatory school, where the “students” are subjected to physical and psychological abuse from the guards. Based on the true story of the Dozier School for Boys that operated in Marianna for over a century, this novel dives into Florida’s grisly past with unflinching candidness and reminds readers of a dark time not all that long ago. The Nickel Boys is a New York Times best-seller. colsonwhitehead.com

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F O R T H E L AT E S T H A P P E N I N G S , P H O T O S & V I D E O S , F O L L O W @ T H E F L A M I N G O M A G

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KENDR A SCOT T, CHRIS CLOSE, WORD OF SOUTH

A TALLAHASSEE TALE

— F lor idians, far e, f inds —

WADING IN — The Spread —

We can tha n k Aunt Sal ly for Fl ori da’s m os t i c oni c di s h

— MADE IN FLA —

U p y ou r self-car e wi t h t he s e Suns hi ne St at e pr oduc t s

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A broken camera l e ads t o a ne w be gi nni ng for t hi s ar t i s t

— one-on-one —

G et to k n ow t he worl d’s gr e at e s t l ongboar d s ur f e r

— fledglings —

This family tri o found t he i r s ound i n t he Panhandl e

— Just Hatched —

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A d d these new at t rac t i ons t o your Fl ori da bucke t l i s t

This page:

Farm-raised oysters harvested in Panacea

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S O C LO S E , YET A WORLD AWAY

REOPENS MARCH 1, 2020 N OW ACCE P TI N G R E S E RVATI O N S

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Key Lime Time STOCKFOOD / HILDEN SMITH, EVA

Sponge fishermen can claim credit for the dish that might be more American than any other

he dish you’d likely name Florida’s state food, the pride of the Keys, more American than apple pie, got its start as a way to prevent scurvy. Back in the 1800s, Key West sponge fishermen, called “hookers” by the locals, kept limes on board simply to prevent sickness. They’d mix the juice with sweetened condensed milk, sometimes with wild bird or maybe sea turtle eggs. They’d pour the sweet-tangy mixture over

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WADING IN :THE SPREAD stale Cuban bread and leave it in the sun for a bit to set. Sounds good, right? “Yeah, it’s really, really good,” says David Sloan, author of The Key West Key Lime Pie Cookbook. Back home, the wives of the sponge fishermen fancied up the treat by baking it in a pie crust. But it remained the modest dessert of the working class until Sarah Jane Lowe Curry, the daughter-in-law of Florida’s first millionaire, started serving it to the kids who came to her house. They called her Aunt Sally, and she’s the mother of the Key lime pie we know today, Sloan says. In those days they called it hooker pie or simply lime pie, and it wasn’t long until it was sold at every restaurant and tourist stand, eventually even frozen with a stick through it so people could stroll Duval Street munching on one. Because Key lime pie has no strict heritage, no set rules on the ratios of ingredients, few recipes are the same, and there are countless variations, which Sloan says only helps. When he was researching his book on the pie, Sloan did the math and figured there are at least 150,000 recipes. Add less condensed milk if you’d like it to be less sweet, more lime juice to make it tangier, whatever type of pie crust you like. Some of Sloan’s favorite additions include bacon, which turns it almost savory, and jalapeno, which pairs well with the lime. The recipe Above: In The Key on these pages, West Key Lime Pie from Pepe’s Cookbook, David Sloan tells the zany history Cafe Key West, of Florida’s signature is one of Sloan’s dessert alongside tips from island locals and favorites. creative recipes that readers can try. The Key lime

Pepe’s Cafe Key Lime Pie S e rv e s 6 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 large egg whites 4 large egg yolks 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cup Key lime juice 1 cup heavy cream 3 tablespoons powdered sugar PREPARATION: Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle with melted butter and stir to combine. Press mixture evenly onto bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes or until set and golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool. With a mixer or whisk, beat egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk. Add lime juice and whisk until combined, then fold in 1/3 of the egg whites to lighten mixture before adding remaining egg whites, folding until evenly combined. Gently spread mixture in prebaked pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees until just set in center, about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. For whipped cream, combine heavy cream and powdered sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. To serve, garnish pie slices with dollop of whipped cream. *Editor’s tip: Try a springform cake pan for a cheesecake-style presentation.

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pie has also had a wide influence, inspiring everything from marinades to cocktails. For an adult beverage, Sloan favors the one served at General Horseplay in Key West (slogan: “Cocktails & Tomfoolery”). The Key lime pie–inspired cocktail isn’t always on the menu, says the bar’s co-owner and chief cocktail creator, Tim Rabior, simply because he can’t always source Key limes. Rabior says his concoction uses orgeat, a floral almond syrup, for added complexity and less sweetness. “To me, the orgeat makes it,” he says. The way Sloan was introduced to Key lime pie sounds like something straight out of a Carl Hiaasen novel. He was working in a hamburger joint that baked its own buns and desserts. The head baker had narcolepsy and passed out one day on his way to the oven, breaking both wrists. The owner promoted Sloan, with no baking experience, from the counter to head baker. Shortly after, a customer suggested he add a Key lime pie to the menu. It was not only delicious but exceedingly easy to make. Sloan started thinking about a book on the pie after touring the Curry Mansion, home to Aunt Sally’s father-in-law, where there’s a plaque declaring the place home to the Key lime pie. After asking around town, Sloan learned that there was no clear origin story to the pie. It took years of research to find evidence to support the Aunt Sally story, which he told for the first time in his book, one of 20 he’s written. The pie’s homegrown origin makes it quintessentially American, and it deserves far more accolades in the canon of this country’s dishes. “They say nothing is more American than apple pie, but apple pie is from England. Hot dogs are German,” Sloan says. “Nothing is more American than Key lime pie.”

ISTOCK / IANA MIROSHNICHENKO, ISTOCK / BHOFACK 2

FLO RIDA-F R ESH BITES & BEVS

General Horseplay Key Lime Pie Daiquiri S e rv e s 1 2 fluid ounces white rum 1 fluid ounce lime juice 1 fluid ounce orgeat syrup Graham cracker crumbs Whipped cream Lime wheel PREPARATION: Add rum, lime juice and orgeat syrup to cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake. Strain into prepared cocktail glass. Optional: Wet the rim of the cocktail glass and dip in graham cracker crumbs. Garnish with whipped cream and lime wheel.

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Every product produced by this Miami grooming brand is made with the highest quality natural and organic ingredients. $35 for Purifying Charcoal Face Mask brickellmensproducts.com

3. No B.S. Skincare

The name says it all. This South Florida brand keeps icky stuff like harmful chemicals out of their products without compromising efficacy. $35 for caffeine eye cream, $40 for vitamin C + E serum livenobs.com

4. Naples Soap Company

Time to fill up your bathtub. Naples Soap Company makes pampering yourself easy with products like fizzing bath bombs and sea salt scrubs. From $6 for bath bombs and up to $38 for scrubs naplessoap.com

TOURNESOL, ZEROGR AVIT Y, NAPLES SOAP COMPANY, NO B. S. SKINCARE, VIC TORIAL AND BEAUT Y, BRICKELL MEN’S PRODUC TS; PREVIOUS SPREAD: TAMMY FENDER, ISTOCK

5. VictoriaLand Beauty

This Naples-based brand is the epitome of feel-good skin care. It relies on natural formulations with packaging that’s 100 percent inclusive to the visually impaired community. $44 for the Skin-Loving Treatment for Eyes and Lips victorialandbeauty.com

6. Zero Gravity Skin

This LED skin care device from Miami-based company Zero Gravity is designed to rejuvenate aging skin. $1,499 for the Perfectio model zerogravityskin.com

7. Tournesol Beauty

Just because you live in Florida doesn’t mean you have to bake in the sun. Instead use a faux glow formula from Tournesol Beauty like the selftanning towelettes or powder. $12 for towelettes, $32 for powder tournesolbeauty.com

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WADING IN :MADE IN FLA 8. H.I.M-istry Naturals

Shave the years off your face with these anti-aging shaving essentials that are formulated to help minimize the look of wrinkles and discoloration while also nixing dehydration. From $10.99 for the shaving products himistry.com

8 9

9. Brott’s Beard Care

Show your scruff some love with an all-natural, handcrafted beard care set that includes a beard oil and balm. From $37.99 to $44.99 for a set that includes matching scents of the oil and balm brottsbeardcare.com

10. Under The Sun

Every Floridian knows how the sun can take a toll on your hair. That’s exactly why this Delray Beach company launched a collection of shampoos, conditioners and leave-ins that are designed to protect against the elements. From $28 to $100 alwaysunderthesun.com

11. Curls Dynasty

With vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients, this deep conditioning mask prevents breakage, promotes growth and hydrates thirsty hair. Talk about curl power! $14.99 curlsdynasty.com

Floridian Nickie Nougaisse decided to transition to natural hair, she struggled to find products that were healthy and effective at reviving her strands. Before long, she began mixing up her own formulas in her kitchen that were free of harsh chemicals, dyes and preservatives. Eventually, she launched Curls Dynasty, a haircare line dedicated to curly girls everywhere.

HAIR 22

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CURLS DYNAST Y, UNDER THE SUN, BROT T’S BEARD CARE, H.I.M-ISTRY NATUR ALS

Meet The Founder: When South

WADING IN :MADE IN FLA 12. Palladio Beauty

Makeup can be pretty and practical. Case in point: Palladio Beauty has infused vitamins and botanicals into their products, so you can give your skin a health boost while looking glam. From $8 for blush and $10 for bronzer palladiobeauty.com

13. Mia Del Mar

Is there anything more Florida than flamingo-themed makeup? We think not. $38 for Flamingoals blush palette miadelmar.com

14. Be Rad Cosmetics

A set of faux lashes from this Miami company gives your eyes serious fringe benefits. $23.99 for I Have A Thing For Drama lashes, $29.99 for the all-natural eyelash adhesive remover beradcosmetics.com

15. Formula Z Cosmetics

From vibrant lipstick to highshine gloss to luminizing balms, paint your pout (or your lids) with a playful pop of color. From $14 for Amaze Glaze to $49 for the First Class Gloss Kit formulazcosmetics.com

FORMUL A Z, BE R AD, MIA DEL MAR, PALL ADIO BEAUT Y

Meet The Founder: Most 15-year-olds wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think to start their own beauty brands, but for Zach Dishinger it was a no-brainer. Dishinger, who was born and raised in Weston, loved the freedom, creativity and self-expression that came from makeup, so he began creating his own cosmetics at home. Before long, he launched Formula Z, a collection thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designed for everyone regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation or race with the hopes to inspire others to be true to themselves.

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WADING IN :THE STUDIO FLORIDA ARTIST PROFILES B y C h ri st i n a C u sh

ARTFUL Awakening The waterfront inspires a St. Augustine artist to transform her life—and how she uses brushes, acrylics and canvases.

a November afternoon in 2014, artist Alma Ramirez was strolling Jacksonville Beach, wondering how her life had drastically detoured. On the brink of divorce, facing single motherhood and missing her family in Mexico, she found solace where the waves lapped the shore. During this particularly transformative day, Ramirez whipped out her camera to snap some photos. As a trained professional artist, she never left the house without some artistic supplies to capture an inspiring moment. While she was clicking away, a wave doused her camera, leaving it beyond repair. But when she downloaded the waterlogged, pixelated images on her computer, she didn’t see something broken; she had the epiphany of a lifetime. “The pixels formed a broken picture, but also something

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beautiful and new,” Ramirez says. This fresh perspective motivated her to deviate from the realistic portraits she’d made after graduating in 2008 from Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. Instead, she’d try something more colorful, abstract and straight from her heart. “When I had that broken camera moment, my son Noah was about 18 months,” Ramirez, 35, recalls. “That night, I put him in bed and started mixing colors and painting patterns as relaxation exercises.” Over the next few weeks, she did more of this meditative painting, channeling positive thoughts and blocking out stress. “I was sad and overwhelmed, going through divorce. I wanted joy, vibrancy, boldness and peace,” she says. Ramirez, the second oldest of five girls, comes from a close-knit family of scientists, who nevertheless always encouraged her to explore her artistic side. When her older sister, Lupita, came to visit, she was captivated by the

COURTESY ALMA R AMIREZ

Above: Boats on the water in Afternoon Glare; artist Alma Ramirez; a tranquil marsh landscape in Harmony.

Amelia Island Come stay with us!

new works. Canvases with vibrant and modern interpretations of light reflecting off the water filled the studio, and Lupita urged Ramirez to show them to a gallery. Ramirez started with Plum Gallery in St. Augustine. “The owner was there, and I was shy to show her my paintings,” she says. “But she thought she could sell them.” Ramirez sold six paintings in one month. Clearly, there was an appetite for her style. Since then, she’s painted technicolor sailboats and their mirror images, playful palms swaying by the shore and ocean horizons bursting with possibilities. Now, Ramirez paints for eight hours every day, which is evident from her color-splattered clothes, and her art is sold at galleries in Naples, Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach and other parts of Florida. Whether her work is hanging in her garage or selling out at big shows, Ramirez’s hope remains the same: she wants to move people with her art, the same way she has been moved by others’ works. “Seeing Monet’s water lilies in one circular room, that was such a good curation,” Ramirez says. “I felt so much in the moment. It spoke wonders to me. If I can make one person feel that way with my brush strokes and composition—that’s my mission.”

Amelia Hotel at the Beach ameliahotel.com

904-206-5600

Above: Vibrant colors dance on the canvas in

Three Palm Trees.

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WADING IN :ONE-ON-ONE CO N VE RSATIONS, INTERVIEWS, STOR IES By Buc k y M c M a h o n • I l l u st ra t i o n b y S t ep h en L o m a zzo

Legendary Logger

Jacksonville Beach native justin quintal talks conquering waves, shaping boards and scoring world titles

uring a typical sunrise surf session at Mayport Poles, the premier surf break at Katherine Abbey Hanna Park in Jacksonville, you’ll see two tribes of surfers sharing the knee- to waist-high swell. The shortboarders, who make up most of the pack, attack the waves with sudden bursts of speed and slashing turns, bashing the lips of the breaking waves. Their style is aggressive, distinctive of the contemporary moment, seeking to blast free from the face of the wave for the elusive big air—X-Games style. Except for the littlest groms (the youngest surfers), they all wish the surf was bigger. The other tribe, the longboarders (the loggers), harks back to old Hawaii—or at least to California in the 1960s—when surfing was all about gracefulness. The loggers’ turns are smoother and their rides longer, cruising from the outer bar all the way to the shore break, gliding over the slough where shortboards bog down. Longboarders don’t seek to conquer the wave, but rather to dance with it. For the loggers, the surf could be even smaller and they would still be stoked, which is why their tribe is growing among all ages and genders. Whether from common sense or from increasing historical awareness, the surfing world is awakening to a new golden age of traditional longboarding style, and a leader of the movement is 30-year-old Jacksonville Beach local Justin Quintal. On a typical day at the Poles, you might

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see J-Quinny choreographing an astonishing array of maneuvers: hanging ten, noseriding, trimming and getting tubed, perfectly attuned with the wave. “The burly Floridian with the dancing feet,” as a Facebook friend dubs him (he’s a big dude with thick shoulders, barrel chest and impeccable balance), has been a feared competitor since his early teens. A decade ago, the rising star caught the eye of internationally renowned surfing impresario Joel Tudor, Generation X’s most innovative longboarder, who offered him the last wild card slot in the prestigious Vans Duct Tape Invitational. Quintal won the event—a stunning upset by a first-time competitor—and has gone on to win an unprecedented nine more Duct Tape titles. Quintal has since founded his own invitational event, the Justin Quintal Loggerhead Classic, which held its second annual iteration this past September at the Jacksonville Beach Pier. A graduate of the University of North Florida, Quintal has garnered an array of sponsors, including Vans, Sunrise Surf Shop and Mellow Mushroom; launched his own surfboard label, Black Rose MFG; and continues competing in contests around the world. Long considered one of the world’s best longboarders, J-Quinny made it official in December 2019 in Taiwan, winning the World Surf League’s Longboard World Title. Flamingo called in on the world champ as he caught his breath and pondered his next move. CONGRATS, CHAMP. YOU’VE BEEN ON A COMPETITIVE TEAR. WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE YOU MIGHT BRING HOME THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP?

Well, I won at Noosa [Australia] and in Spain. I was the points leader going into the final event [in Taiwan] so I knew I had a pretty good chance. But the way the tour is set up, the last event is 10,000 points, almost like a clean slate, so everybody had a chance. The conditions were really heavy in Taiwan and I did terribly, but I had enough points to hold on.

HAVE YOU BEEN A LONGBOARDER SINCE YOU WERE A GROM, OR DID YOU MAKE THE TRANSITION LATER?

My dad was a shortboarder, and he started pushing me into waves at Satellite Beach when I was 3 years old. It was a shortboard, but a pretty big board for me. At age 11 I started competing in ESA [Eastern Surfing Association] contests riding shortboards. There were a lot of events offered—shortboard, bodyboard, longboard—so you could either hang out on the beach all day waiting for your heat, or enter a lot of the events and spend more time in the water. That’s how I got started competing on longboards, and I discovered I had a knack for it.

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE! ROBIN ABR AHA M

Serving Jacksonville & Surrounding Areas Since 2002 904-566-4748 • Robin@RobinAbraham.com • RobinAbraham.com KELLER WILLIAMS® REALTY 4116 3RD STREET SOUTH JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FL 32250

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QUINTAL

Stats A G E:

30 H O M E TO W N:

JACKSONVILLE BEACH I N S TA G R A M :

@JQUINNY A V E R A G E H E AT S C O R E:

13.65

A V E R A G E W AV E S C O R E:

4.80 H E AT W I N S :

NOTABLE WINS:

2019

WORLD SURF LEAGUE WORLD LONGBOARD CHAMPION

2019 NOOSA LONGBOARD OPEN

2019 GALICIA LONGBOARD CLASSIC

2019

M E N’ S VA N S J O E L TU D O R D U C T TA P E I N V I TATI O N A L

YOU HAVE A BIG COLLECTION OF SURFBOARDS FROM ALL ERAS, AND YOU’RE A STUDENT OF SURFING HISTORY. WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR HEROES WHO HAVE INSPIRED YOUR SURFING?

Locally, I’d say Larry Miniard, Dickie Roseborough (known as Rozo), Joe Roland, Bruce Clelland. Also, Jeff Crawford, Claude Codgen, David Nuuhiwa, Gary Propper and Joel Tudor. All these surfers have inspired me to get back to the roots of longboarding. I’ve learned a lot from their styles and from the surfboards they rode. Ricky Carroll has been shaping my boards since I was 15. He’s a great shaper and also a great surfer. We’ve spent countless hours together in the shaping bay, bouncing ideas off each other.

THE ESSENCE OF-OLD SCHOOL LONGBOARDING COMES DOWN TO THREE THINGS: HEAVY LOGS, SINGLE FINS, NO LEASHES. THESE CAN ALL SEEM COUNTERINTUITIVE. WHY GO BACK? WHAT’S FUELING THE INTEREST IN RETRO LONGBOARDING? In the ’90s and early 2000s there were a lot of lightweight, high-performance tri-fin longboards. They were really just elongated versions of shortboards. You could noseride on them, but not in the traditional ways. What resulted was just a worse version of shortboarding. The surfers of the 1960s really had a lot figured out. Now we’re taking what they knew about surfboard design and pushing the limits of performance. It’s subtle, like jazz. From a spectator’s point of view, shortboarding is so fast, so radical, it’s hard to digest unless you really know the sport. Longboarding is slower, more fluid, more fun to watch.

YOU WON THE CLASSIC RETRO EVENT, THE VANS DUCT TAPE INVITATIONAL, THE FIRST TIME YOU COMPETED. HOW BIG AN INFLUENCE HAS JOEL TUDOR HAD ON YOUR CAREER?

The Duct Tape is really all about creativity. It displays how authentic and beautiful longboarding can be. Winning there really kick-started my professional career. I was 19 when I started competing at Joel’s events. I’m 30 now. It’s really cool to keep going back as an older surfer now, mentoring some of the younger surfers. Joel has also been a big influence for the World Surf League, a model for their competitions.

YOU WERE A REAL ROAD WARRIOR, HOPPING IN YOUR VAN AND DRIVING CROSS-COUNTRY TO SURF IN CALIFORNIA, LIVING OUT OF THE VAN FOR MONTHS. ARE YOU STILL DOING THAT?

Ha. I haven’t driven cross-country now for

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a few years. I fly there now, but I still keep a van for when I’m there. I still log a ton of miles chasing storms up and down the east coast: the Outer Banks, Virginia, New Jersey, New Hampshire.

YOU DID A TRAVEL PIECE WITH SURFER MAGAZINE ABOUT THE FAROE ISLANDS IN THE NORWEGIAN SEA. COLD ENOUGH FOR YOU?

We didn’t really get great waves in the Faroes, but it was real on-theedge surf travel. Nobody to advise you where to go, how to access the breaks. We were pioneering the place. We got better waves in Iceland, which was a lot fun. I’ve got a group of friends there who call themselves the Arctic Surf Club. It’s seriously cold. Even with the best equipment you lose heat fast, especially in the winter, when it’s snowing. You can get in a lot of trouble real fast.

YOU’VE SAID THE TWO THINGS YOU LIKE BEST IN SURFING ARE NOSERIDING AND GETTING BARRELED. SO WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE: KELLY SLATER’S SURF RANCH [STATE OF THE ART ARTIFICIAL WAVE POOL] OR PIPELINE?

Oh, definitely Pipeline. The wave pool is another fun thing to do, and I feel privileged to have been invited to surf there. It’s a perfect wave. But the real thing, all that natural energy traveling hundreds of miles, striking the reef just right, on the right tide, with the right wind, there’s something cosmic about that.

HAS BEING THE WORLD LONGBOARD CHAMPION CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

So far it’s still pretty fresh. I got sick after the final contest in Taiwan. I hadn’t been sick for years so it was almost inevitable. Then it was the holidays, and my birthday, and then the Surf Expo in Orlando. It’s just been go go go! But today I went surfing at Huguenot Park, just me and my girlfriend. It was a beautiful day. I paddled out and there were some groms in the water and they were congratulating me. I think that’s when it finally started to sink in: World Champion. Yeah. It’s pretty cool.

ADVERTORIAL

Finding Peace and Quiet at Navarre Beach

The Panhandle destination is a perfect retreat from our noisy lives.

our fast-paced, techobsessed world, it’s nearly impossible to escape noise—a neighbor mowing his lawn, a car beeping its horn in traffic, a cell phone buzzing with a text message. Fortunately, you can have access to one of these nearly extinct locales. Respite from our busy world can be found at Navarre Beach, where silence still exists. The Panhandle town is an uncrowded, unspoiled destination for relaxation, complete with waterfront beauty and backwoods adventure. The only sounds you’ll hear are ocean waves crashing at Gulf Islands National Seashore or fishermen casting lines from the

Navarre Beach Fishing Pier with the hopes of catching pompano, cobia or red snapper. Located 30 miles from Pensacola International Airport and 25 miles away from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, Navarre Beach’s remoteness is enough reason to visit Santa Rosa County. But if time permits, venture beyond the beach to Milton, where visitors can uncover a bit of history at the West Florida Railroad Museum or immerse themselves in nature while hiking along the Blackwater Heritage Trail. After exploring the rivers and trails of the region, take advantage of activities like zip lining and canoeing through

Adventures Unlimited Outdoor Center, where overnight accommodations include a lavish treehouse called the Lorax Loft and a repurposed caboose nicknamed Katie’s Kaboose. Glamping opportunities expand to Coldwater Gardens, where luxury tents, tiny-house cabanas and treehouses boast TempurPedic beds, coffee makers, outlets and more amenities. Whether your preferences lie with the sand or the woodlands, Santa Rosa County gives visitors the opportunity to escape cramped beaches and stifling cities in order to rediscover relaxation through the luxury of calm and quiet.

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WADING IN:FLEDGLINGS FLO RIDA MUSICIANS ON THE R ISE B y Jessica Giles

Folk Family Panhandle trio the currys blurs genres and blends harmonies

ithin minutes of chatting with Galen, Tommy and Jimmy Curry, the fact that they’re relatives is unmistakable. They laugh and tease with an ease that comes from years spent together in the Florida Panhandle. Unsurprisingly, this organic camaraderie seeps into their music. Their voices weave together into a transcendent harmony that sounds otherworldly—and totally natural to them, although they promise it hasn’t always been that way. When the trio got their start in 2013 playing listening rooms and Panhandle oyster bars, they only knew enough songs to fill 30 minutes. “There was nowhere else that would have us,” Jimmy laughs. But it was in these dive bars dotting the coast that The Currys found their sound, which admittedly, can be hard to pinpoint. Some tracks ooze Americana, while others teeter on folk-pop. Now with three albums under their belt, The Currys seem to enjoy blurring genres. Flamingo caught up with them during a stop in Palm Beach to talk about their Sunshine State origins and what’s next.

HOW HAS FLORIDA INFLUENCED YOUR MUSIC AND THE STORIES THAT YOU TELL?

Jimmy: We have family in California and family in Arkansas and in Florida, but we always meet up in Florida. We’ll show up to a bar with 40 Curry family members. So for whatever reason, partially because it’s where Tommy and I grew

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Above from left:

Bandmates and family members Jimmy, Galen and Tommy Curry

F RO M

SING ALONG

CO T TAG E S

to Castles

The Currys’ Top Tunes

1 2 3 4

“COME ON HOME” Follow

“IF I FIND IT” West of Here “FIRESTARTER” West of Here Neal Smith of East Coast Virtual Tours

“FAULT LINES” This Side of the Glass

GULF COAST HOME” “ This Side of the Glass

up and partially because it’s where we first started playing music, it has had some effect, even if all the songs are not explicitly Florida songs. It’s seeping its way in one way or another because it kind of can’t help but do that.

335 Ponte Vedra Blvd.

TALK ABOUT YOUR FUNDRAISING WORK AFTER HURRICANE MICHAEL HIT.

Tommy: Our experience of the hurricane was watching from afar from this position of feeling like we had abandoned the Panhandle. It was obviously a really sad day, but also just helpless. We couldn’t really do anything except watch. So after we were getting a sense of what had happened, we felt like we needed to do something. We set up a donation page on our website where you could give any amount, you got an early download of the song “Gulf Coast Home” and all of the money was funneled into a Gulf County nonprofit. We raised about $8,000. We canceled a couple weeks of gigs to come back home, play some free shows, help my parents move stuff out of their house that had sort of been washed through and just spend some time in the area.

(904) 553-2032 ELIZABETHHUDGINS.COM

YOU ALL WILL BE RETURNING TO THE WORD OF SOUTH FESTIVAL THIS YEAR. WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO ABOUT PLAYING THAT VENUE?

Galen: We love that festival. We’re being paired with someone who wrote a cookbook this year. We’ve never been paired with an author before. We play so often it’s fun to be thrown into a situation that’s a little bit different. You can always fall back on the stuff you know you can do but then it could change in the moment, which I enjoy.

THE CURRYS

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR MUSIC?

Tommy: There are no grand lessons we want to portray to everyone, but the things that we write about specifically are things that we care about. We’re not just making rhymes. Sometimes even when we’re singing sort of trivial songs, it’s about something we’ve done or seen or something we find humorous. And most of our songs aren’t trivial. There’s something in them that we at least find profound and we’re trying to share it with people.

FOR THE LATEST HAPPENINGS, PHOTOS & VIDEOS, FOLLOW @THEFLAMINGOMAG

(904) 334-3104 SARAHALEXANDER.NET

Specializing in Florida’s

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EXPERIENCE AN IMMERSIVE

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With sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Fish to Fork weekend will be a celebration of Mother’s Day with Southern cuisine and family recipes. Join us as we welcome renowned chefs from around the country to showcase their ﬁshing and culinary skills, leading up to a ﬁnal chef showdown.

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WADING IN :JUST HATCHED DEBUTS TO PER USE (NORTH) Choctawhatchee Bay at this speakeasy by the sea. farmandfirepizza.com

BECASA

A PA LA C H I C O LA

Above: A bartender serves up cocktails at the Farm & Fire Southern

Pizzeria in Santa Rosa Beach.

FARM & FIRE SOUTHERN PIZZERIA

COLLEEN DUFFLE Y

S A N TA R O S A B E A C H

Chef Jim Shirley expands his eatery empire with this Prohibition-era pizzeria. The vaulted ceilings and the mobsters in the building’s history naturally lent themselves to a speakeasy-style restaurant. Legend has it that the club that used to occupy the space had a gun check at the door, Shirley says. Diners won’t find a place to store their firearms, but they

will find coal-fired cuisine in a vintage coastal setting. Guests can watch from their tables as their pizzas, meatballs and fish are cooked in an 800-degree clean-burning coal oven that leaves the perfect char. The farm portion of the name comes from the restaurant’s partnership with local farmers, who provide fresh ingredients for salads, cheeses, meats and desserts. Cap off the night with a cocktail at the copper-top bar and soak in expansive views of

FOR THE LATEST HAPPENINGS, PHOTOS & VIDEOS, FOLLOW @THEFLAMINGOMAG

The coastal clothing and home goods in Emily Raffield’s collection are more than just beach accessories: they’re tangible pieces of her home. Raffield’s designs and the understated accessories sold alongside them at Becasa not only serve as everyday staples for Floridians, but also evoke a sense of nostalgia for the Gulf Coast. Raffield releases limited collections multiple times a year, featuring natural, no-fuss clothing suited for life on the beach, along with black and ivory pieces that stick around all year long. Breathable midi dresses, cotton tank tops, linen throws and other beautifully basic pieces harken back to her childhood in Port St. Joe. “I don’t claim to be a couture designer, but I know what people want and need in their closets, especially at the beach,” Raffield said. She opened her online shop in 2018 and grew such a loyal fan base that she opened a brick-and-mortar storefront in 2019. shopbecasa.com

SAGO COFFEE JACKSONVILLE

This new coffee shop just blocks from the beach is designed to make people linger. Wide, clear garage doors roll up to let the seaside breeze waft in, and ample seating invites people to settle in for a spell. Sago was started by the neighboring Beach Church as a way to build local relationships. “So many people know what churches are against. We want to be known by what we are

for,” said executive pastor and owner Carey Sumner. Here, coffee is an experience, a means to bring people together. With an emphasis on community, Sago selects a different organization each quarter to receive 25 percent of its profits. Since opening in September, the coffee shop has supported Beaches Habitat for Humanity and The Donna Foundation. All of the coffee is brewed by Concord Coffee in Lakeland, and the pastries are sourced from local bakeries including Jax Bread Co. and Lucy’s Sweet Shop. Starting in April, Sago will offer a limitedrelease specialty brew to let customers taste coffee from all over the world. sagocoffeejax.com

CITY GATE SPIRITS ST. AUGUSTINE

The latest addition to the Old City’s lauded distillery scene brings playful flavors of rum, vodka and moonshine to the cobblestone streets of St. Augustine. Just steps from the Castillo de San Marcos, City Gate Spirits aims to offer libations for every palate. Stop in to take a swig of apple pie moonshine, sweet tea vodka or pineapple rum during a 15-minute tasting experience. Booze buffs will find that the liquor is infused with more than just tropical fruit and spices—it’s also rich in the town’s lore. Each bottle sports a postcard-style image of an iconic landmark from the city and includes a fact about the location, making it the perfect keepsake. Since celebrating its grand opening in October, City Gate has launched new flavor options for 2020 and promises its soon-to-come whiskey won’t disappoint. citygatespirits.com

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WADING IN :JUST HATCHED DEBUTS TO PER USE

THE FLORIDA LOCAL NEW SMYRNA BEACH

Above: Greenery fills the coworking space inside the Florida Local.

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One block over from bustling Canal Street, this charming artisan market and specialty coffee shop is a curated collection of all things made-in-Florida. “We wanted people to be able to see the great things that we have in our state,” said co-founder Alonda McCarty. So in June 2019, McCarty and her friend Chelsea Preston opened a retail space that celebrates the state’s accomplished makers. Locally sourced goods from brands like Le Chic Miami, Lure Paper Goods, Naked Bar Soap

Co., Aramore Art and more line the shelves. Even the lattes froth with DeLandbased Trilogy coffee. The duo wanted to create not just a boutique but a place where locals can gather to work, socialize and learn new things. The Living Room, a playful space filled with greenery, flamingo-patterned chairs and a large wooden table at the center, functions as a coworking office and workshop classroom, where the shop hosts everything from wreath-making seminars to author talks and oyster shucking lessons. floridalocalmarket.com

LINDSE Y THOMPSON

(C E N T RA L )

WADING IN :JUST HATCHED DEBUTS TO PER USE (C E N T RA L ) THE ROBINSON O R LA N D O

PLANT LOVE ICE CREAM ST. PETERSBURG

When mother and son duo JoAnn and Matthew Matchin decided to start churning their own ice cream, they wanted their product to rival all other frozen treats while also remaining dairy-free and vegan. Given the hype around the recently launched Plant Love Ice Cream, it seems they’ve accomplished just that. The psychedelic shop boasts a creative rotating menu with specialties such as molten chocolate and cookie butter made from simple ingredients. The use of plant-based components, such as almond

milk and coconut milk, instead of dairy means that even people with certain allergies and lactose intolerance can enjoy a scoop. Customers also have the option to add CBD drops to their orders to reap the chemical’s stress-relieving benefits, JoAnn Matchin said. Along with making better-foryou ice cream, the pair also wanted to run a business that was healthier for the planet. They only use biodegradable serving dishes and wood or metal silverware, and even their water is sold in glass bottles, making the dessert experience virtually guilt-free. plantloveicecream.com

1 6 0 2 W. S N O W C I R C L E , TA M PA , F L | H Y D E PA R K V I L L A G E . C O M

When guests first enter this nostalgic cocktail room, dimly lit by vintage street lamps, it isn’t clear whether they’ve stepped into the 1980s or the 1800s. The sleek black marble countertops, velvet fabrics and gold accents give a distinctly modern feel to this storied space. Built in 1884, the building originally functioned as a laboratory for the state’s chemist, Norman Robinson. Today, it serves as the historical backdrop and inspiration for this swanky new Orlando hot spot. Owner Daniel Mawardi goes beyond shaking and stirring to carefully craft

innovative drinks, using a centrifuge to infuse liquor with unexpected flavors and create imaginative combinations, like apricot bourbon and banana fernet. Sink into one of their plush couches and order the crowd-pleasing Just To Be Clear gin-based cocktail or, if you’re feeling adventurous, give the boozy Rum Fashioned a go. Eco-conscious revelers can enjoy their beverages guilt-free knowing The Robinson operates with sustainability in mind. This means limiting their waste and using all pieces of the produce in their cocktails. therobinsonroom.com

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WADING IN :JUST HATCHED DEBUTS TO PER USE (SOUTH) SARASOTA ART MUSEUM S A R A S O TA

BOIA DE MIAMI

At this intimate Italian eatery in Miami’s Buena Vista neighborhood, simplicity meets sophistication. With an emphasis on stellar service, owners Alex Meyer and Luciana Giangrandi hope to walk the line of fine dining in an approachable atmosphere. Boia De is one of the few restaurants in the city that offer natural and low-intervention wines. Guests can expect simple yet exceptional plates, such as seared grouper with artichokes and Meyer lemon beurre. The interior, inspired by the Memphis design style of the ’80s, sports geometric shapes and splashes of color. The bathrooms have a hint of whimsy with monkey

wallpaper—be on the lookout for a tiny hidden monkey figurine. The duo have infused the space with their personalities by incorporating treasures from their travels around the world. Venture down the hallway to catch a glimpse of a lithograph from Erberto Carboni displaying an advertisement from 1926. boiaderestaurant.com

CHATEAU MIAMI MIAMI

If it weren’t for the works of Miami artists adorning the walls of this historic minicastle in the heart of Brickell, diners at Chateau Miami would be forgiven for thinking they had been transported to Europe. Formerly the residence of community activists John and

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Ethel Murrell, the French-style villa will now be the home of James Beard Award semifinalist Clay Conley’s newest venture. Returning to Miami for the first time in a decade, Conley brings with him the global-inspired open-fire cooking methods lauded at his flagship Palm Beach restaurant Buccan. Designed for sharing, Chateau’s menu will highlight South Florida’s natural ingredients, like Florida pink shrimp and quail eggs, while also reflecting Conley’s world travels. After passing around a plate of grilled Florida peaches, linger a little longer in the lounge to sip on a cocktail and gaze out into the classic European garden surrounding the manor. chateaumiami.com

ALISSA DR AGUN, RYAN GAM MA

Above: James Beard Award semifinalist Clay Conley leads the kitchen at Chateau Miami. Below: The Sarasota Art Museum opens with an installation by Sheila Hicks exploring color and material.

As soon as visitors step inside this new contemporary art museum, it’s clear that the space itself is a masterpiece. What was formerly Sarasota High School, a 1926 collegiate Gothic building, has transformed into 15,000 square feet of sweeping exhibition spaces. Along with areas for site-specific and site-responsive installations, the museum features a 110-seat auditorium for live performances and a great lawn, which hosts temporary sculptures, installations and special programming. As a contemporary “kunsthalle,” the museum is a noncollecting art institution, which means art lovers can expect an endless rotation of new works. The museum debuted in December with an exhibition by Sheila Hicks exploring the science of color and material through large-scale fiber art (pictured below), fine art photography by Brazilian artist Vik Muniz and a light installation by Christian Sampson that uses the architecture of the building and the sun’s rays filtering through. ringling.edu/museum

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— Unf ilter ed Fodder —

Capital Dame B y D i a n e R o b ert s

A LITERARY LOVE AFFAIR

ISTOCK / DR AFTER123

Bob Dylan and Shakespeare knew it all along: books and music are an inseparable couple

When Bob Dylan won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, some prominent (I’m not saying jealous) writers rolled their eyes. Gary Shteyngart tweeted, “I totally get the Nobel Committee. Reading books is hard.” Irvine Welsh, of Trainspotting, snarked: “This is an ill-conceived nostalgia award wrenched from the rancid prostrates of senile, gibbering hippies.” Oh, come now, gents: the Swedish Academy proclaimed Dylan “a great poet,” which is indeed a defensible position. The author of “Like a Rolling Stone” is a proud

heir to the great medieval lyricists we study in English Lit., with lines like these from “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”: Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn Suicide remarks are torn From the fool’s gold mouthpiece the hollow horn Plays wasted words, proves to warn That he not busy being born is busy dying Literature and music have been all up in each other’s business for millennia. It’s a mutual obsession. Shakespeare, whose plays were supposed to be seen and heard, wrote

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terrific songs. Take this one, from Antony and Cleopatra: Come, thou monarch of the vine, Plumpy Bacchus with pink eyne! In thy vats our cares be drown’d, With thy grapes our hairs be crown’d. Every bit as good as my favorite Lou Reed song, 1980’s “Power of Positive Drinking,” which goes: Some like wine and some like hops But what I really love is my scotch It’s the power, the power of positive drinking.

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Capital Dame UNF ILTER ED FODDER

An O r i g i n Story Not that it’s a contest, but we think that music preceded language. Archaeologists and evolutionary psychologists think we made rhythmic sounds first with our bodies, then with rudimentary instruments. The oldest instruments date from approximately 40,000 B.C. The oldest writing we have goes back a mere five millennia. Our most ancient stories— Gilgamesh, The Iliad, the Old Norse Edda—began as oral epics, chanted by poets and bards. They weren’t committed to papyrus or paper until centuries after their creation. Sitting around reading a book is a relatively recent phenomenon. Before the middle class burgeoned in the 19th century and with it widespread literacy, literature belonged to the privileged. Two centuries ago, ordinary people might own a Bible and that’s about it. Music, on the other hand, was street. It belonged to everybody. The guy in the tavern could sing about Robin Hood or Barbara Allen, recounting stories as weird as any Homer dreamed up. For example, my favorite ballad, “The Two Sisters,” would make a hell of a magical realist novel/Netflix series. A jealous princess pushes her younger sister into the sea and watches her drown. A man finds her body and strings a harp with her hair (as you do) which, when played, sings out that the older sister is a murderer. Humans tend to divide things into categories and want them to stay separate, the way a kid prefers the peas on her plate not touch the mashed potatoes. But that won’t work when it comes to music and literature. The same section of the temporal lobe that allows humans to memorize words and their meanings also helps us retain melodies, while the frontal lobe is in charge of lodging the rules of syntax and

harmony in our unconscious. There are big differences, of course: language owns serious real estate in the left brain while the right brain is the kingdom of music and non-verbal communication. Still, music and writing are allied in transmitting feelings, experiences and images. Both transport us to realms of the imagination, expanding our understanding of

includes playing trumpet in the Leon High School Redcoat Band, used his own cash to kick-start the fest in 2015. A novelist, Mustian wanted Tallahassee to host a nontraditional book festival: not just words on the page, but chords ringing out. “It started out as an experiment,” he says, “but we’ve discovered over six years that music with literature works extremely well. We tell the authors and musicians that they can do whatever they want together (yodel, shout, swear, scowl and mutter), but it’s been special every time.” Mustian’s favorite was in 2015 when Jeff VanderMeer, bestselling author of the Annihilation trilogy and Dead Astronauts, appeared with the guitarist Vernon Reid—“Reid’s one of the best in the world and came to the festival for near-nothing. When I asked him why he did it, he said no one had ever asked him to do anything like that before.” In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you that Mark Mustian is a friend of mine, and I’m biased. I love Word of South. What other literary confab would get a mini marching band to play “Yea Alabama,” “On Wisconsin” and the FSU fight song in between me reading from my book Tribal: College Football and the Secret Heart of America? What other event would encourage John T. Edge, presiding genius of the Southern Foodways Alliance, to declaim from his book The Potlikker Papers on Lester Maddox’s segregated chicken shack while Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, a punk band from Birmingham, Alabama, raged on stage? Where else would the National Book Award laureate Bob Shacochis read from The Immaculate Invasion, a tour de force dissection of America’s disastrous involvement in Haiti, alongside RAM, the renowned Haitian roots band who have long

Writers openly want to be rock stars. -Mark Mustian

what it is to be human. Some writers listen to music while working. Stephen King rocks out to Metallica while weaving his nightmarish webs. I write to English choral music unless I’m doing a political column, then it’s the Clash. This ain’t a one-way street, either: musicians are famously inspired by literature. There’s Aaron Copland’s “Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson,” Verdi’s Otello, and who can forget 1980s songstress Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights”? (“Heathcliff! It’s me, Cathy!”) Dy n am ic D uo What we have here is a co-dependency, two art forms that can’t quit each other. Praise the Muses, Tallahassee’s annual Word of South festival honors this symbiotic relationship in a way that makes both hemispheres of the brain light up like a millionaire’s Christmas tree. Novelists share a stage with musicians, poets and jazz artists interview each other: As Word of South founder Mark Mustian says, “Rather than being just like every other book festival, we decided to try and be something different. We’ve had authors sing and musicians read.” Mustian, a lawyer and former Tallahassee city commissioner whose musical experience

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resisted both Yankee colonialism and corruption in Haiti’s government? It’s true that, as Mustian says, “writers openly want to be rock stars.” The band Rock-Bottom Remainders (now more or less disbanded) at one time included Stephen King, Amy Tan, Dave Barry, James McBride and Barbara Kingsolver and would play to raucous book fair crowds. Bruce Springsteen reportedly told them, “Your band’s not too bad. It’s not too good either.” The Dog House Band, featuring novelist David Gates and New Yorker book critic James Wood, played the inaugural Word of South festival. It’s also true that rock stars want to be writers. Patti Smith, Chrissie Hynde, Carly Simon and Keith Richards all produced well-reviewed memoirs, as did two-time Grammy winner Rita Coolidge. Another award winner, funkmaster George Clinton, who’s lived in North Florida for 25 years, read from his Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You? at Word of South. I’m not joking when I say the hits keep on coming. It’s clear to me the dynamic interaction of words and song creates an art experience not bound by the rules of either. As Mustian says, “Something about music seems to bring out nuances of the writing that otherwise might not be apparent, and vice versa.” The troubadours, Shakespeare and Bob Dylan would surely agree.

Diane Roberts is an eighth-generation Floridian, educated at Florida State University and at Oxford University. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian and the Tampa Bay Times. She has also authored four books, including Dream State, a historical memoir of Florida.

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Above: 1972 Porsche 917-10

HOOD

D E N U R

H T E *

with

HURLEY 5 9 HAYWOOD The legendary life of the Brumos race car driver and the secrets he kept locked away until recently By MONI BASU

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design and development through remarkable cars. They include the Porsches Haywood drove, instantly recognizable by the white, red and blue Brumos livery. Haywood’s vintage 356 is expected to arrive from California in May; he had a lift installed in his two-car garage to accommodate his prized possessions. He has coveted the 356 since he was a boy, since he knew what a Porsche was but long before he earned a place in the highest echelons of sports car racing and became the stuff of legend, especially here in Florida. Haywood retired from racing in 2012, but throughout a

PETER HARHOLDT, NASCAR ARCHIVES & RESEARCH CENTER VIA GET T Y IMAGES (PREVIOUS SPREAD)

urley Haywood, perhaps the greatest sports car endurance racer in history, has just returned home to St. Augustine. He flew to Los Angeles to see his new baby, a 1960 Porsche 356 coupe. Haywood’s blue eyes light up with the joy of a child on Christmas morning as he talks about how renowned restorer Rod Emory is customizing the classic car with an updated suspension and modern motor technology. Over the course of his storied racing career, Haywood drove every Porsche ever made, except the iconic 356, the first car Porsche manufactured in 1948. It’s no coincidence that Haywood was born that same year, destined to drive and later become an ambassador for the German automaker and its Jacksonville dealership, Brumos. The Brumos name rose to fame under its racing banner. Both the dealership and the racing team, which competed in the International Motor Sports Association racing series, are gone now, but a recently opened museum, the Brumos Collection in Jacksonville, tells a sweeping story of automotive

This page, from top: Haywood

PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA

& Gregg race at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1973; Haywood on his way to his first Le Mans overall win; Haywood at Daytona in 1973; 1992 Porsche 911

career that spanned more than four decades, he amassed an astounding number of victories in the most intense form of motorsport: endurance racing. He won five times at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, three times at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and twice at the 12 Hours of Sebring. From the moment he began racing in 1967, he was Superman immersed in a sport dripping with testosterone. In the macho and glamorous world of speeding cars, Haywood, with his good looks, charm and elegance, was constantly surrounded by cameras and beautiful women. He’s been compared to Paul Newman, a friend of Haywood’s who shared his passion for fast cars. Haywood says people often took their likeness to mean he was the actor’s brother. I’ve seen photos and videos of Haywood, sometimes shirtless, hoisting trophies and kissing pageant queens, models and Playboy bunnies. Back then, car racing was all about selling speed and sex. And Haywood played the role perfectly. It was a life second only to one he might have led in Hollywood, a life that forced Haywood to keep secrets.

SUPERMAN UNMASKED “He looked like a movie star. He acted like a movie star,” says H.A. Branham, a sports author and director of the NASCAR Archives & Research Center in Daytona Beach. “He had an

It was a life second only to one he might have led in Hollywood, a life that forced Haywood to keep secrets. aura. He was big. And he backed it up by winning all the time.” But it was the life Haywood lived off the track that fascinated me most. I admit to knowing little about car racing— watching gas-guzzling cars speed around a track and sometimes horrific crashes never appealed to me. I was more interested in speaking with the racing star about aspects of himself that he had kept hidden until recently. Had I not seen the recent documentary Hurley, I might have been surprised by Haywood’s appearance and demeanor. At 71, he’s still Hollywood handsome but there’s no air of arrogance. Everything about him challenges the stereotype I have of a car racer. He’s soft-spoken and humble. I hardly feel I am in the presence of a man known the world over. He is dressed casually in a blue Ralph Lauren polo and grey khakis and welcomes me into the waterfront house he built

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seven years ago. We walk through the kitchen and onto the back patio. It’s a warm January day, even for Florida, and we sit by a lap pool in our Ray-Bans, soaking in views of the Matanzas River and inlet spilling into the Atlantic. Haywood’s

two English cocker spaniels, Indie and Watkins Glen—both named after race tracks—join us for a while until their barking poses too much of an interruption. Haywood’s longtime partner, Steve Hill, stays out of the way, as he has done much of his life, working so quietly from home that I do not even realize he is here. This is the part of the celebrity racer’s life that the public has rarely seen, and intentionally so. Until Haywood’s memoir was published two years ago, few people outside of his inner circle knew he was gay. That fact became more widely circulated with the 2019 release of the documentary, executive produced by actor Patrick Dempsey, himself a racer who was mentored by Haywood. “It’s not easy to talk about,” Haywood says on film about his sexual identity. “This is the first time I’ve talked about this. To anybody. Publicly.” He’d met Hill in 1979 at a Jacksonville bar on his way back from Christmas vacation in his hometown of Chicago. But they were never open about their relationship. Hill should have been atop a race car with Haywood on Victory Lane. He should have been at every celebration alongside the wives and girlfriends of the racers. Instead he watched the person he loved from behind a chain-link fence, with the rest of the crowd. Both men knew it had to be that way to preserve Haywood’s career. To come out as gay in the racing world might have been a death knell.

This page, from left: A portrait

of Haywood; Haywood on the podium with his teammates at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2012 after the final drive of his career; Haywood won the Rolex 24 at Daytona five times.

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COURTESY HURLE Y HAY WOOD, PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA , THE BRUMOS COLLEC TION

Right: Haywood and his husband, Steve Hill, on the way to a private island off Key West with their dogs Indie and Watkins Glen

When I finally meet Hill, he tells me he is still an intensely private person. He never liked racing and had no idea who Haywood was when they first met. “I still don’t like car racing, but I became a fan of Hurley’s,” Hill laughs. Haywood says he resisted being interviewed on film about their relationship. But friends convinced him that it would help others. That is essentially why Haywood finally decided to come out, why he chose to reveal his true identity at this stage of his life, after all those years when he had carefully protected his public persona. A few years ago, a high school senior was writing a paper about the business of racing and came to interview Haywood at the Brumos dealership, where he was then a vice president. “He got about halfway through the interview, stopped cold in his tracks and said, ‘I need your help,’” Haywood says. The teenager told Haywood he was gay and sensed Haywood was, too. He said he had been bullied all his life. He woke up every morning in despair and even contemplated suicide. In that moment, Haywood knew he could help by voicing his own story. It was the very first time Haywood had admitted to a stranger that he was gay. “‘One thing you have to remember as you go through life is this: It’s not what you are, but who you are,’” Haywood told the teenager. “‘You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. Just think positively and don’t give up.’”

Hurley’s Florida Faves hometown hangouts and highways Favorite scenic drive in Florida? A1A from Amelia Island to Daytona. You go through the marshes and take the ferry across the river. There are a lot of great places to stop for lunch. Must-have band on your road trip playlist? Billy Joel or Elton John. They both have a nice beat to them that makes driving kind of fun. I don’t listen to music a lot when I’m driving. I just like the sound of the road, especially when I’m driving a nice car. If you could vacation anywhere in Florida, where would you go? I have a friend who has a beautiful piece of property in Hobe Sound. If I had to choose a place to hang out, that’s where I’d go. Favorite Florida outdoor activity (besides racing)? Jaguars football games. I like it more when they’re winning. Favorite hometown restaurant or hangout? The Blue Hen in St. Augustine. It’s a place where a lot of locals go. They have a great breakfast and lunch. Favorite race to watch in Florida? Rolex 24 at Daytona What’s a place in Florida you’ve never visited but always wanted to go? Sanibel Island

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Racing

loved me and also difficult for Steve.” Dempsey believes that the film not only communicated an important message from Haywood but also helped tell the story of motor sports in a completely different way, one that was compelling and human. “And that I think is really important right now in the world that we live in,” says Dempsey, who honed his own racing skills under the tutelage of Haywood all the way to the podium, placing second in his class in 2015 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s oldest and most rigorous endurance race. Still, Haywood was worried about the repercussions of making such a public declaration of his sexuality. He thought there would be a backlash, that longtime fans would feel betrayed, angry even. Maybe his reputation as one of the world’s greatest race car drivers would crumble in an instant. “But that was not the case,” he says. “I guess the world has changed. People are more accepting of different lifestyles.”

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An Insider’s Guide to the Brumos Collection museum in Jacksonville What started as a rough sketch scribbled on a napkin is now a oneof-a-kind interactive exhibition of rare, world-renowned automobiles. More than three dozen significant cars ranging from Brumos Porsches to collectible Millers are housed inside this 35,000-square-foot industrial-style building modeled after a Ford plant. Opened to the public in January, here is the scoop on this unique experience.

GET T Y IMAGES / MICHAEL TULLBERG, PETER HARHOLDT

Haywood never heard back from the student but about two years later his mother called. She told Haywood that he had saved her son’s life. A HAIRPIN TURN Her words got to Haywood. He realized that if he could help one kid, he had the power to help Haywood grew up in Chicago, where his social circles were considerably less many more. accepting. He came from wealth, “That’s kind of the reason why the and as a boy, he spent time on film was started and why I agreed to one of the family’s seven farms do the book,” he says. THE outside of Chicago. He found himself But that was just part of it. BRUMOS Success, Haywood believes, depends COLLECTION surrounded by roads and developed a fascination for cars at an early age. on the man or woman who stands — LOCATION — By the time he was 12, he was behind behind you through your career. For 5159 SAN PABLO ROAD S. JACKSONVILLE, FL the wheel of a 1948 Studebaker Haywood, that meant coming clean — HOURS — truck. The farm foreman constructed about the love in his life. THUR.–FRI: 10 A.M.–3 P.M. a special seat and blocks for the “I just didn’t want to lie about it — TICKETS — pedals so that little Haywood could anymore,” he says in one of several PRESALE TICKETS ONLY, NO WALK-INS $15–$20 maneuver it. poignant moments of the film. “I drove that car successfully Haywood’s biggest regret remains thebrumoscollection.com without getting caught until I was 16 that he went through his glory years and was able to get a regular license,” at the track without acknowledging Haywood says with pride. his partner. He may have broken the law, but the “I wish I had been able to share my life 100 experience proved invaluable. He became a percent with him,” he says. “But America was skilled driver before he graduated from high just not ready for that. Above: Patrick It would have not only school. He understood the mechanics of underDempsey and Haywood at the been difficult for me, but steering, oversteering and all the other intricacies premiere of Hurley in 2018 difficult for the fans who of controlling a car.

Reimagined

F I V E M U ST-S E E C A R S

1970 Porsche 917K: Steve McQueen drove this Gulfliveried stunner in the racing film Le Mans, and it makes a dazzling reemergence at this new museum space. Widely considered to be the most famous Porsche 917 ever built, it was used for Le Mans testing before making its Hollywood debut.

1968 Porsche 908:

1979 Porsche 935:

Known for its remarkable performance at the Green Hell, this vehicle carried drivers Jo Siffert and Vic Elford to a historic win at the Nürburgring 1000km in 1968. Siffert set a lap record in the 908, tearing through 44 laps of the 14-mile course through the German forest.

This twin turbocharged beast capable of speeds over 200 mph was Peter Gregg’s last race car for his final record-setting season. Peek inside the windows of this #59 Brumos Porsche and you’ll find Gregg’s signature tartan upholstery, just as it was when he won the 1979 IMSA Championship. It’s believed to be the only unmodified 935 in existence.

1972 Porsche 917-10:

1959 Porsche Tractor:

The first Brumos Porsche to sport the iconic red, white and blue livery and famous sweeps. Both Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood raced this automobile in the Can-Am series, Gregg finishing ninth at the 1972 Championship and Haywood clinching third in the 1973 season.

Slightly different from the neighboring sleek sports cars, this hulking red tractor represents a little-known side of the Porsche name. Between 1956 and 1963, Porsche manufactured about 125,000 diesel tractors. Although you won’t see this flying through hairpin turns at Le Mans, it’s still a great photo-op.

Above: Porsche 917K

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Haywood bought a Corvette and left home in 1967 to study business administration at Jacksonville University. He’s lived in Florida ever since then. Soon after, he got his big break when he met racer Peter Gregg, then the owner of Brumos. (He bought the dealership in 1964 from Hubert Brundage.) Gregg was so driven to win that his nickname was Peter Perfect. He showed up at an autocross in a Porsche 911 with a team of assistants. That didn’t faze Haywood; he bested Gregg in his Corvette. Impressed with Haywood’s skills, Gregg took the young race car driver under his wing. Haywood’s first major race was with Gregg in 1969, in a Brumos car in the Six Hours of Watkins Glen. They won the GT portion. By then, the revving of engines, the smell of fumes, and the exhilaration of driving a sports car at more than 200 miles per hour had been ingrained in Haywood. He was pumped to race more, to chalk up more wins, when he received the dread letter that was mailed that year to 850,000 other American men his age: a draft notice. Haywood tells me that his family was established enough that they could have pulled strings and found a way out of Vietnam. But Haywood had friends who were killed in the war; he felt compelled to serve and deployed as a specialist

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Above inset:

Haywood behind the wheel of a 917-10 Porsche Spyder at Road Atlanta Can-Am Championship in 1973.

third class, working as an assistant to an airfield commander stationed south of Saigon. “The country has asked me to go fight a war,” he says. “Regardless of how I feel about it, it’s my duty to do that.” After his tour, he remembers coming home with his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. At O’Hare, people were spitting on returning soldiers. It would be the only time Haywood felt scorned publicly.

This spread from left: Haywood in

PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA , NASCAR ARCHIVES & RESEARCH CENTER VIA GET T Y IMAGES

a Porsche Dauer 962 No. 36; Haywood at the 1973 Riverside Can-Am Championship; Jack Adkinson, Bob Snodgrass, Haywood and Gregg powwow

He returned to Florida and rejoined Brumos. He and Gregg developed a close relationship and soon were known as the dream team of racing. Haywood credits the skills he acquired in the Army as a reason for his success. He had learned how to take orders without doubting; he’d learned ultimate discipline. “He had a God-given gift and that makes him special and a cut above everybody else,” Dempsey says to me. “He was also very disciplined and developed that to the highest potential for himself. And then transcended the sport because of that.”

SECRETS TO HIS SUCCESS Haywood drove in 15 races, sometimes 20, a year. Some were 24 hours long. Others 12 or six. Most were three. They required much more than just speed. Haywood had to learn the complex choreography of switching drivers and how to adapt to constantly changing situations. “In endurance racing, you often race at night,” says Branham, the author and former Tampa Bay Times reporter who covered auto racing. “When Hurley raced at Daytona, we didn’t even have lights. “You may have to race in both cold and warm conditions, wet and dry, nighttime and day,” Branham says. “It’s almost like you are several different drivers all at once.”

It’s easy to let emotion and enthusiasm overtake you when you’re flying around a turn at 220 miles per hour, Haywood says. It’s so easy to chase the car in front of you at any cost and override better judgment. He recalls the Porsche reps giving him stern advice: “You’re going to drive a really fast car, a car that can win the race. But we will not win unless you make zero mistakes.” In many ways, Hurley says, car racing is like a game of chess. It requires a driver to look at the long-term goals and consider how to win the war, not just one battle. “You have to look so far ahead at the move you are going to make,” Haywood says. “You can’t afford to make any foolish moves.” “What was the key to Hurley Haywood’s success?” I ask. “It’s a very simple answer,” he says without hesitation. “It’s being patient and waiting for the opportunity to avail itself to make a move. And being able to adapt to change. Every lap, every corner is different than the last time you went through. If you are only locked into one way of doing something, you will never move forward.” And there were a few other ingredients to success as well. Haywood always made sure he had chewing gum. It helped keep his mouth hydrated—there was no water in

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“It would be impossible for me to use the English language to describe what that feels like,” Haywood says. Were you ever afraid? I ask. “Fear? Yes. Without fear, you would crash,” he replies. “You would make stupid mistakes. You might get away with it one or two times but eventually it would catch up with you. “When it’s raining and you’re going at 220 miles an hour and you can’t see the nose of your car, that’s scary. But you’ve got to hold your foot down. Drivers have that sixth sense about where danger lies.” Haywood’s partnership with Gregg lasted a decade. But Gregg was battling depression and the constant pressures of perfection wore him down. On a December day in 1980, Gregg ended his life. It was a shock to Haywood. He lost the person who was like a brother to him, the mentor who had taught him everything. Three years later, Haywood crashed his car in a race in Canada. It shattered his left leg and took two-and-a-half years to heal. But against his doctor’s advice, Haywood was back in the driver’s seat four months later. It was the only time in his

He had a God-given gift, and that makes him special – Patrick Dempsey

This page, from top: Haywood

and Gregg; engine of the 1979 Porsche 935; likely the last remaining unmodified Porsche 935; Gregg’s signature tartan upholstery in the 1979 Porsche 935

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PETER HARHOLDT, NASCAR ARCHIVES & RESEARCH CENTER VIA GET T Y IMAGES

the cars back then and in a three-hour race, he stood to lose five pounds of weight that could only be regained through an intravenous drip. And even though there was a threat of choking, the cool, minty gum helped calm Haywood down. It’s a habit he passed onto Dempsey, who jokes about how both he and Haywood are always at the ready at a race to hand each other some gum. Haywood also believed in superstition. He learned from the legendary racer A.J. Foyt that the color green was bad luck in the racing world. “I never asked him why,” Haywood says. “I just never wore anything green during a race.” “There was a regimen I did before every race,” Haywood adds. “There were certain steps I would take. There were some superstitious things I believed in.” I grow curious. How exciting that I am about to learn Haywood’s deepest racing secrets. “Oh no. I’m not going to tell you what they were,” he says. Somewhat disappointed, I ask him instead about the thrill of it all. What does it feel like to be in the driver’s seat?

career that he wasn’t driving a Porsche; he couldn’t push the clutch pedal. Instead, he raced in a Jaguar equipped with a gear box without a clutch. Haywood still keeps his left leg bandaged below the knee. “Every step I take, I feel it.” Haywood doesn’t race any more, except for fun. The Brumos brand is gone after the dealership was sold a few years

ago. He’s still the Porsche man, representing the car maker in various ways and training young drivers at its academy. Two years ago, Porsche celebrated milestone birthdays for the company and Haywood. Both had turned 70. After our interview, Haywood walks me out to my car. “Oh, I like that,” he says upon seeing my Mini Cooper sprinkled with red daisies. An honor, I think, that Haywood should approve of my little car. “Let me show you what a Mini Moke looks like,” he says, opening up the garage to reveal the blue recreational vehicle parked next to a Porsche Panamera hybrid. Above us is the lift that will soon hold his restored vintage 356. It’s been almost eight years since Haywood raced, but I can see his love for cars burns eternal. I ask Haywood one last question. He had told me how important home was to him. This is where he could leave the sexy, speedy racing star behind and be Hurley again. This is where he could be with the man he loves. So why did he and Hill choose this particular spot in St. Augustine to live out the rest of their lives? I think about his response as I drive away from this historic town. And it makes me laugh. He had always wanted to live in a place, he told me, where he could walk to the dry-cleaners, shops, restaurants—everywhere, really. Where he wouldn’t have to get in a car.

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The Battle for Bees ISTOCK / L ARISABOZHIKOVA

With one of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest populations of honeybees, Florida

has much resting on its fight to keep them flying

By ERIC BARTON // Photography by MARY BETH KOETH

A sound like a hundred thousand cell phones set to vibrate all going off at once, angry and haunting

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Above: The Hackenbergs’ 4,000 colonies are responsible for

pollinating a range of crops from New England to California.

elongated thorax distinguishing her. By following a horde of bees all crawling in the same direction, toward the queen, somebody finally spotted her, snatched her up safely in that hair clip device and dropped her in her new home. That queen, and the hive that came with her, ended up in my yard. Like a few thousand Floridians in recent years, I became an urban apiarist, hoping to do my part to save the honeybee. Depending on who you ask, we hobbyists could either be the key to keeping bees from extinction or are simply not enough to hold off a flood of threats to honeybees. Why should you care about a little bug that you might think is hell-bent on stinging you to death? It would be hard to overestimate just how important bees are, both to the production of so many of the foods we eat and to the state of Florida, home to a fifth of all of the country’s hives. On these pages we’ve compiled all you need to know about the fight to save Florida bees and what you can do right now to keep them from disappearing.

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or as much as we understand about honeybees, about how they communicate, how they make decisions as a hive and how there’s one queen at the top who’s both in charge and a slave, the bees still occasionally do totally baffling things. Like a hive in Fort Lauderdale, three years ago, that had grown on a palm frond. It was a terrible place to build a home. The weight of the comb and honeybees had weighed the frond down until it leaned against the trunk of the cabbage palm. With the frond the color of dead grass, it would likely fall someday soon, the hive with it, crushing everything the bees had built and exposing them to ants and lizards and all manner of creatures hungry for their sweet honey. The three of us, volunteers for a nonprofit that aims to save threatened honeybees, were there to relocate the hive. It shared a piece of land with a Fort Lauderdale house under construction, and the workers had complained that the bees were divebombing them. If we couldn’t relocate them, the construction company would call out exterminators. The goal with a relocation is to find the queen. Catch her in a device that looks like a hair clip and you can get the entire hive—all 80,000 bees or so—to follow her into a box that allows an apiarist to bring them to a new home. But with the hive’s precarious perch 20 feet off the ground, we had to try something risky. With a power saw, we cut through the palm frond where it met the tree. The idea was to lower the hive— all 100 pounds or so—with ropes. But it slid out from the ropes as soon as it was cut, falling in a rush to the crabgrass below. With their home crushed in the fall, the bees rose up like a frightening storm cloud, a cumulonimbus to be precise, one of those almost mushroom-shaped thunderclouds you see across the horizon of central Florida. It was terrifying, a sound like a hundred thousand cell phones set to vibrate all going off at once, angry and haunting. In suits that generally keep one sting-free, we spent another hour combing the ground for the queen, her

Honeys You Need to Try

A few of the specialty honeys you’ll find in Florida Orange blossom: Long a staple of roadside produce stands, this light honey has an undeniable citrus taste. While it used to be abundant, hits to Florida’s citrus industry in recent years make this one harder to find.

Tupelo:

The tupelo trees in southern Georgia and the Florida Panhandle have long been popular for beekeepers, and the end product is a light amber honey with a delicate sweetness and smoothness.

Saw palmetto: Saw palmetto bushes, the inhospitable-looking razor-sharp ground cover, produce a honey that’s just as bold as the plant, with tasty hints of citrus, caramel, smoke and wood flavors. What’s in season:

Unlike in northern climates, where bees go dormant in the winter, in Florida bees are generally busy all year, and the honey they produce here has an inordinate number of natural flavors that taste like the fruits and veggies the plants produce. Of the honey you need to try, you might find your new favorite among: mango, gallberry, Brazilian pepper, blackberry, avocado, mangrove or seagrape.

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Just like kids go to kindergarten and come home with colds, we are seeing a lot more problems shared between hives. —BILL KERN

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You might know the Fort Meade restaurant John’s Drive-In for its chicken buckets and cowboy burgers, but it’s also a hangout for commercial beekeepers. They were all gathered around a table one afternoon three years ago when their conversation converged on a problem that nobody had spotted before. Their colonies were dying, not from the tiny mites that have sapped the resources from hives for years now. It wasn’t colony collapse disorder, a mysterious phenomenon in whic worker bees simply disa pear, leaving the queen and her nurse bees to die as their resources deplete. This time, the hives were just dying, healthy one day and then a couple weeks later, ghost towns of dead bees. “Somebody thought it was the stuff the state is spraying from planes. Somebody else thought it was what they’re putting in the water,” recalls Dave Hackenberg, one of the men sitting at the table. Those chemicals, used to kill mosquitoes, can cripple a bee colony when the foragers carry the chemicals home and spread them around inside the hive. “It’s all going to hell,” Hackenberg tells me. He ought to know. Hackenberg might be the largest beekeeper on the East Coast, operating up to 4,000 hives some years. His company, Hackenberg Apiaries, spends summers in Pennsylvania and, since ’71, winters in Dade City, Florida. He sends thousands of hives across the country every year to help pollinate local crops. Blueberries and cherries are dependent on honeybees, which mostly arrive from elsewhere when those plants bloom. Almonds are entirely dependent on bees, and farmers in California typically pay more for hives than other farms, due to the state’s $11 billion almond crop. Above: Dave Hackenberg was the first to identify Hackenberg was what would be known as colony colthe first to identify colony collapse lapse disorder, when 90 percent of his disorder in November 2006. hives mysteriously died in November

UF/IFAS HONE Y BEE L AB, ISTOCK / PR ANEE TIANGK ATE, NEVODK A

THE TROUBLE WITH BEES

2006. Since then, colony collapse has slowed, and in some years maybe just stopped. But the threats to honeybees have continued to increase, with pesticides and mites and things we still don’t understand killing a quarter to half of the 600,000 hives in Florida each year. Almonds are among the reasons bees in Florida have begun to die off in such big numbers. The crop is so valuable that almond farmers have been paying as much as $200 a hive to beekeepers who will send them there, says Bill Kern, with the University of Florida’s research lab in Davie. Bees get sent out to California almond groves from around the country, which has enabled mites and diseases that previously would’ve been regional problems to spread nationally. “Just like kids go to kindergarten and come home with colds, we are seeing a lot more problems shared between hives,” Kern says. Now when the beekeepers meet up at John’s Drive-In, the talk is mostly dire. “We just have a lot of stories about how bees are dying,” Hackenberg says.

THE GOOD AND THE BAD By some statistics, things seem to be going well for the honeybee. These days, the state has about 5,000 beekeepers, a staggering five-fold increase since 2006. But while that sounds like good news, it may offer little help to the honeybees. Nearly all of the new beekeepers are backyard hobbyists; the state has added few commercial beekeepers with enough hives to make a difference in the overall loss of colonies each year, says Kern, with the UF lab in Davie. While the state now has 650,000 colonies, it’s a number

Above: Florida has

650,000 colonies of bees.

Below from left:

Bees in a toxicology study at UF/IFAS Honeybee Lab; Dave Hackenberg runs one of the largest beekeeping operations on the East Coast; a worker bee on a frame of open nectar cells

inflated by the problems beekeepers face, Hackenberg says. They’re likely to lose a third or half of their hives every year, compared to 5 percent of hives that died off yearly when Hackenberg first became a beekeeper. To combat that, commercial beekeepers now split hives far more than they used to, meaning they take half of the colony’s resources to create a new hive, making the production far less efficient. Think of it like a brewery with a leaky tank that, instead of plugging the hole, just puts less beer in each bottle. It wouldn’t be sustainable for the brewery, and for Florida bees, it might not be enough to save the colonies.

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orker W bees live about 40 days

The sometimes baffling Life k Bees

Beekeepers can spend a lifetime tryingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and not always succeedingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; to understand how honeybees work. Here are a few facts about bees to get you started:

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H ealthy hives have about 70,000 worker bees

orker W bees produce a 12th of a teaspoon of honey in their lifetimes

H ives also have a few hundred drone or male bees whose sole purpose is to mate with a queen

E ach hive has one queen who can live three to four years

T he queen is doted upon, fed a special diet of royal jelly, and forced to produce eggs at a rapid clip, with estimates ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 eggs a day

ISTOCK / BRET T HOLMES PHOTOGR APHY

hen the W queen’s production runs low, the hive will produce a handful of new queens who then battle it out for control

A fter her birth, the queen heads out on a mating flight and meets up with drones from other colonies

ees send B messages by pheromones, including alerting other bees of an intruder

R eturning workers do a “waggle dance” that tell other bees where to find food and water

I f a hive outgrows its home, it’ll grow a new queen and send one of the queens off with a portion of the hive, looking for a new home

H umans have kept bees for 9,000 years

ne hive can O produce 20 to 70 pounds of honey every year S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 /// FLAMINGOMAG.COM

GAINESVILLE’S WORLDRENOWNED BEE EXPERT

Below: Honey from Hackenberg Apiaries, which operate out of Pennsylvania in the summer and, since ’71, Dade City in winter

Jamie Ellis dreamed he was a beekeeper when he was 8 years old. He doesn’t remember the details, but not long after, he convinced his parents to let him have his own hive. Was it a premonition that led Ellis down a path to become one of the world’s foremost experts on honeybees? Ellis just doesn’t think that way. “I’m not big on dream interpretation,” he says to me with a laugh. After getting that first hive in sixth grade, Ellis started doing science fair projects on honeybees. He was fascinated by how bees think, how they somehow make decisions together and how he could influence those decisions by making small changes in the hive. In high school, he started working with an expert from the University of Georgia, who talked Ellis into majoring in beekeeping in college. He went all the way to South Africa for his doctorate, and in 2006 joined the University of Florida faculty. He now runs the state’s Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory in Gainesville, one of the world’s foremost centers for such work.

What You Can Do To Save the Bees argeted Gardening: Your yard T might just be the best place to help keep bees from trouble. Add native flowering plants that attract bees and install a water source.

ecome a Beekeeper: A few B hundred dollars and a hive check every couple weeks is generally all you’ll need to become an apiarist. Much of what you’ll need to learn can be found online nowadays. But most beekeepers recommend finding a local expert, such as the Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida, which, like many regional clubs, offers workshops and meetups to help newbies get started.

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dopt a Hive: If a backyard A colony isn’t in your future, several organizations offer the chance to financially adopt bees. The Pinellas Beekeepers Association, for instance, offers an adoption program. A $300 donation gets you six pounds of honey come harvest time.

While in Africa, Ellis began work on researching a tiny mite called the varroa. It’s now one of the biggest threats to —Jamie honeybees. It’s hard to detect, and, if left unchecked, it can decimate a colony in days. It’s possible Ellis and his team can figure out a simple solution to killing mites. Consider the case of Swiffer sheets. A few years back, some entrepreneurial beekeeper whose bees were getting overrun with hive beetles dropped a sheet in a colony. The legs of the beetles get caught in the material of the sheets, ridding colonies of the pests. If Ellis gets lucky, the solution to mites, colony collapse disorder and perhaps

I’m not big on dream interpretation. Ellis

a hundred other problems facing these insects will be that simple.

THE MASON-DIXON LINE FOR ‘KILLER BEES’

The origin story of the Africanized bee sounds reminiscent of Frankenstein’s monster, a tale of how science can go terribly wrong. It began in the 1950s, when an apiarist in Brazil had the idea of mating the common honeybee with a variant from Africa that can survive heat but also comes with a bad attitude. The new highly productive but also extremely defensive strain escaped, and ever since, they’ve been spreading and making their way slowly north, up through Central

Above: Davey

Hackenberg works at the apiary in Dade City alongside his father.

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Why Bees Matter, By the Numbers $25 million: $29 billion:

value of crops nationally that rely on honeybees

6 million:

U.S. hives in 1947

2.5 million:

U.S. hives in 2019

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. National Agricultural Statistics, Cornell University

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UF/IFAS HONE Y BEE L AB, ISTOCK / PR ANEE TIANGK ATE, NEVODK A

value of honey produced in Florida each year

Opposite: Florida holds a fifth of all the country’s bee hives.

America, then to Texas and Louisiana. They likely flew onto cargo ships and then made landfall in Florida in the early 2000s. The media called them “killer bees” and a series of headlines starting in 2006 predicted the hybrids would terrorize the state. The reputation bees got from all those killer bee stories might do harm to the overall effort to save the species. As they already face threats from pesticides, mites and a thousand other issues, Ellis worries that the exaggerated reporting on the problem scared people into seeing all bees as a threat. In Florida, the Africanized bees rarely mount a severe attack. They largely stopped migrating at the Interstate 4 corridor. That line is also the frost line—meaning the land is unlikely to freeze below it. Above that line, it also rains far more. Perhaps the Africanized bees don’t like a lot of rain or frost. The Africanized bees could continue north as climate change affects Florida’s frost line and rainfall. For now, though, I-4 has been like a Mason-Dixon Line for the angrier breed. South of it, most or perhaps all of the feral beehives living in the wild are now affected by Africanized hives: Because the queens of commercial and backyard beekeepers will fly off to mate with the males of other colonies, it’s thought that all hives in the southern half of the state could be affected. Ellis says it’s impossible to get rid of the Africanized bees, and communities just need educating. He and his team have spent years traveling to schools and working with police agencies to show them how to live with the Africanized colonies, rather than having them exterminated. For most people, the secret to evading a swarm of Africanized bees is simply running away. That’s harder for those who aren’t able to run, and Ellis

says it’s those people who usually account for the Africanized bee fatalities. Ellis says it’s important to remember that bees aren’t aggressive—they’re defensive and won’t attack unless they feel threatened. The average adult can withstand a thousand stings or so before they become potentially deadly, and in all the years he’s been working with bees, Ellis says he’s never encountered a colony that attacked for no reason. “All of my sting stories sound the same,” Ellis says. “I’ve still never had to run from a hive.”

Above: Jamie

Ellis teaching a group of beekeepers

Right: Threats to honeybees continue to increase.

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From the Panhandle waters, where wild oysters no longer flourish,

a new breed of farmer emerges with the promise of a distinct Florida flavor and the hope of good fortune.

SEED j SALTINE

By STEVE DOLLAR // Photography by MARK WALLHEISER

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out on the oysters. They’re out there, thousands of them, clustered in black polyurethane baskets strung in long rows in 80-foot-wide parcels. Sixty-seven of those parcels stretch across some 100 acres of the harbor that are leased by the state of Florida to oyster farmers. After a few minutes, we arrive at one of the sites, where David’s son Stone stands in another boat, hoisting “bags,” as they’re called, with his brother Hunter. This multigenerational crew is checking up on a maturing batch of oysters, which have been growing in the harbor since last July. The saline water is prized for the distinctive character it imparts to the oysters and inspired the name of the Cowie family enterprise: Semper Salty Oysters. To prove the point, David empties out a basket of about 200 oysters onto a portable sorting table, digs through to

Above: In its heyday,

Florida’s wild oyster industry supported hundreds of oyster boats raking Apalachicola Bay along Florida’s Forgotten Coast.

PREVIOUS SPREAD: SHUT TERSTOCK

Although it is midafternoon in Panacea

, the atmosphere is not quite the balm implied by the name of this coastal town, population 816, near the hinge of the Florida Panhandle. A thick fog hangs over Alligator Harbor, 20 minutes south of Panacea across Ocklocknee Bay off U.S. Route 98, and David Cowie is steering his 24-foot oyster boat straight into it. He motors across the flat, glassy surface of the water as it evaporates into the mist, the clouds hanging like puffs of dirty cotton. It’s a nautical canvas composed in impressionistic shades of gray, or else it’s a John Carpenter movie, and a phantom hook will all at once manifest out of the haze and sweep us—David, his father Preston and myself—into the aqueous beyond, with only the tall pines and gnarled water oaks to bear witness. And that would really be terrifying—because we’d miss

Clockwise from top left: John

STATE ARCHIVES OF FLORIDA , FLORIDA MEMORY

Fountain, with Nature Coast Oyster Company, divides baskets of baby oysters to split cages in the production of farm-raised oysters at Alligator Harbor; a man tonging for wild oysters in the region at a time when supply seemed endless; a basket of farm-raised oysters from Alligator Harbor; Apalachicola oystermen of yesteryear only needed to harvest oysters, not farm raise them like they do today; Megan Di Pietrantonio tags a box of fresh cleaned, farmraised oysters at the Panacea Area Oyster Company; two girls climbing an oyster shell mound in Apalachicola in 1956; shucked farm-raised oysters at the Seineyard at Rock Landing in Panacea; a little boy on an oyster shell mound at the Florida seafood festival

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— Reid Tilley

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STEVE DOLL AR

It was booming back in the day. If a gentleman wanted to make some money, he’d go out there and tong up some oysters.

find a keeper and pops it open with a knife. It’s a little soon yet, in mid-January. The shell is a bit thin, but the oyster is already as long as a thumb, and as meaty. I tip the shell back so the liquor washes over my tongue, as stimulating as a tequila shot, and the oyster slides fast behind, a brackish eruption that tastes like the day feels, all sea and brume and chill and mottled, monochrome sky. Only a couple of years ago, the Cowies had other pursuits. Stone, 28, is a professional golfer. Hunter, 29, was moving furniture. David, 56, had been a first sergeant in the United States Marine Corps—hence the nod to the Marine Corps motto in his brand name—and went on to manage a branch of a satellite dish installation company. Preston, 80, was a retired insurance man. Between tournaments, Stone had been working for the Panacea Oyster Co-op, and talked his family into launching their own business. “I realized [my boat] was the best office in the world,” David says. “I grew up always fishing and hunting and being outside. When I got out of the Marines I worked in an office and I thought, ‘I don’t like this too much.’ I love working out of a boat.” David also finds a different level of satisfaction when praise comes not from a corporate supervisor but a happy customer. “Your feedback doesn’t come for nine months, but for some reason when it happens it keeps you running for another year.” The budding oyster industry became viable after the state allowed oysters to be farmed off-bottom or in what’s called the water column, where cages are floating on or submerged in the water. Prior to that, leases allowed farming up to 6 inches above the bottom of the water. Higher up, there is a richer supply of nutrients and fewer predators. Oysters can grow bigger and faster. The Florida Department of Aquaculture has issued more than 700 leases of state-owned submerged land held by a variety of companies ranging from mom-and-pop farms to larger operations, with sites circling the state from St. Johns County to Escambia County. By one oyster farmer’s rough estimate, there are perhaps 40 outfits or individuals farming in Alligator Harbor alone. Much like Semper Salty, the farmers’ brands evoke a marshy “merroir”—a coinage based on “terroir,” which refers to the factors affecting the taste of wines—and entrepreneurial attitude in equal measure, with names like Saucey Lady Oyster Company, Outlaw Oyster Co., Oyster Boss, OysterMom, Pelican Oyster Company, Nature Coast Oyster Company and Wakulla Mystique Oyster Farm.

Opposite: Wild Apalachicola oysters used to be harvested and made up the bulk of Floridaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bivalves. This page: Plastic cages

used in the production of farm-raised oysters at Alligator Harbor

SECOND-ACT FARMERS Wild oysters are harvested, not farmed. The resurgence of farming comes amid the collapse of an older, traditional wild oyster industry in Apalachicola that once supplied a tenth of the nation’s bivalves and 90 percent of Florida’s. The culprits are many. Hurricanes, overharvesting and ecological issues took their toll, but the worst factor has been the so-called “water war” between Florida, Alabama and Georgia. That feud goes back to the 1940s, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began building a series of five dams that restricted the flow from the Apalachicola-ChattahoocheeFlint River Basin into Apalachicola Bay—water that wild oysters need to flourish. The case now is headed to the Supreme Court. “It was booming back in the day,” says Reid Tilley, 24, who partnered with his father Jeff to launch Oyster Boss, a company that raises Alligator Harbor brand oysters in those namesake waters and also operates a processing center in Sopchoppy. “If a gentleman wanted to make some money, he’d go out there and tong up some oysters and take them to a seafood house.” No more. “It’s not a day-to-day paycheck,” Tilley continues. “You have to nurture the oysters, and plan well in advance the income you’re going to have until the oysters get up to size. “There’s not a lot of opportunities in smalltown America anymore. If you want a decent, good-paying job you’ve got to move to the city or an industrial area or be an entrepreneur.” Even successful farmers face a long haul. “Our best month has been 20,000 a week,” says Tim Jordan, 74, co-founder, with Walt Dickson, of the Panacea Area Oyster Company, purveyor of Saucey Lady oysters and a processing facility that serves many other farms. “Right now, we’re striving to hit 10,000. Hurricane Michael kicked our butts.” Saucey Lady oysters are farmed in Oyster Bay, off Shell Point, where the salinity is lower than in Alligator Harbor. That accounts for what Jordan calls a “creamier” taste and texture,

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It’s a hard way to make a living. I don’t think anybody’s made much money. We’re going to have to get really efficient and learn how to do it. — Tim Jordan

“not too salty but still salty.” Salt level is but one of multiple factors that determine how an oyster turns out. Heat, nutrient levels and the technique used to grow the bivalves all come into play. “That’s what’s so wild about oyster farming. You can have two oyster farms sideby-side and the [oysters] still will be unique.” The romance comes at a premium. The labor is intensive, high risk is only a hurricane away and profit can be wishful thinking. “It’s a hard way to make a living,” says Jordan, joking that he’s heard some of his peers refer to themselves as ranchers. “I don’t think anybody’s made much money. We’re going to have to get really efficient and learn how to do it.” Jordan, who once made his living selling produce, got into oysters six years ago when Tallahassee Community College initiated a one-year aquaculture program run by its Wakulla Environmental Institute in Crawfordville, where Jordan’s wife was a coordinator. If you meet someone farming oysters in the Panhandle, they are probably one of its graduates, who number around 120. Jennifer Fountain is one of them. She started the WEI class in September 2017 and harvested her first oysters the following spring, operating under the school’s lease. Fountain’s family has owned a house on St. Teresa Beach, about an hour south of Tallahassee, since the 1930s, “right there by the oyster and clam leases,” so life on the water is second nature to her. Her husband has a full-time job and her children are older, which allowed the former stay-at-home mom to take on a new challenge. “I’m trying to stay afloat out there,” says Fountain, 45, who markets her oysters under the name Nature Coast. “Just This spread being out there on the water, from left: Colton it’s a purpose.” Fountain’s is McUlley, one of the smaller operations Dylan Thompson, in Wakulla County, although and Connor she emphasizes quality. “I Whitfield, with Oyster take a lot of pride. I’m a Boss, work an meticulous person. My oysaquaculture lease in ters, I try to baby them.” Alligator Even though wild oystering Harbor

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This page:

Apalachicola oysters are known for their salty sweet taste.

is a male-dominated industry, oyster farming draws more women to its ranks. Deborah Keller, another aquaculture student turned farmer, christened herself “Oyster Mom” and sells oysters under the brand. Outlaw Oysters, one of the larger outfits in Panacea, is owned by Denita Sassor and her partner Blake Gardner. Sassor estimates they move between 20,000 and 30,000 oysters a week, bolstering the income they make as regional dealers of oyster farming equipment. “You can be respected for what you’re doing,” she says. “Luckily, it’s an industry that either one [man or woman] can do.” Asked about her experiences, Fountain has to laugh. “In the summertime, me and my friend were out there in our bikinis working, so I guess we get a little more attention than the guys there,” she says, drawing a contrast to the beer commercial imagery of bare-chested men hauling cages out of the water. It’s the same effect when Fountain is hauling a boat behind her macho Ford F-350 truck. “People know who we are.” In the coming years, Fountain and her fellow farmers can expect a lot more company on the water, thanks to the Wakulla Environmental Institute.

Where to Eat Forgotten Coast Oysters In the Panhandle: Up the Creek Raw Bar

313 Water St., Apalachicola

Paddy’s Raw Bar

240 E. 3rd St., St. George Island

Indian Pass Raw Bar

8391 County Road 30A, Port St. Joe

Dat Cajun Place

8501 Thomas Drive, Panama City Beach

The Seineyard at Rock Landing

99 Rock Landing Road, Panacea

Farther afield: Luke’s Kitchen and Bar

640 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland

DoveCote Restaurant

TINKERING WITH TASTE “When you get done you know more about oysters than you ever thought,” says Bob Ballard, the institute’s executive director. That sentiment includes Ballard, as well, a former deputy secretary of land and recreation for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection who developed the aquaculture program from scratch after local residents signaled a need for it. The institute, housed since 2016 in a unique, eco-friendly building on a wooded compound in Crawfordville, also offers programs in agriculture, conservation and drone technology. It’s the aquaculture classes, though, that have made the most social impact, fostering the promise of a return to the glory days when the oyster ruled the coastal counties of Wakulla, Franklin and Gulf. The nighttime sessions draw their share of students who have long made their income from the water, which could be expected. Ballard was surprised, however, when half the enrollment came from state workers from Tallahassee, retired or close to it. “They’ve been behind a desk all their life, and now they want to get out in the wild,” he says. “This has been a fantasy for them. They turn out to be really good students.” Ballard called on former Gov. Rick Scott to expand

390 N. Orange Ave., Orlando

Reel Fish Coastal Kitchen + Bar

1234 N. Orange Ave., Winter Park

The Local Pearl Oyster Shoppe

124 Canal St., New Smyrna Beach

Beach House Waterfront Restaurant

200 Gulf Drive North, Bradenton Beach

aquaculture leases to include the full water column in 2013, which allowed oyster farming to take over from wild oyster harvesting. He refers to his students as “pioneers,” and brings an inventor’s spirit to his mission. He’s seeking a patent for a device—an “oyster dome” made of high-strength concrete—that he believes can regenerate the state’s native oyster population, which in turn could trigger a domino

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Above: John Fountain,

with Nature Coast Oyster Company, shows off some baby oysters as he and his wife, Jennifer, split cages in the production of farmraised oysters.

effect of ecologically positive results. “It may take five years. It’s not a light switch,” he says, but if his plan succeeds, the outcome could be a dramatic response to Florida’s plague of red tide. “Red tide skipped over Wakulla County. You put out the oysters and red tide will go away. One oyster filters 50 gallons of water a day.” When someone sits down with a cold beer, a slice of lemon and a bottle of hot sauce to sample a dozen raw oysters from Alligator Harbor, Oyster Bay or Skipper Bay—the three main oyster farming spots near Panacea—what they are tasting is a work in progress. “It’s a bit of a saga to get this decoded and figure out how Mother Nature wants to do this

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for us,” says Jeff Tilley of Oyster Boss. “An industry needs to improve to be healthy, and there’s only so much [money] we can get at the wholesale level.” To produce more oysters, to meet a demand that outstrips supply, to boost the odds of an oyster surviving from seed to saltine cracker, Tilley emphasizes the need to use science. After suffering “stout losses” in some early harvests, he convinced a breeder to tinker with his Alligator Harbor brood stock and got dramatic results. “An 80 percent success rate,” he says. “I’m becoming quite optimistic that maybe an improvement on the genetics has unlocked what we need on the north Gulf Coast.” American shellfish hatcheries date back to the 1970s,

according to Bill Walton, an associate professor at Auburn University’s Shellfish Lab on Dauphin Island, Alabama. Oyster farming took off in the ’90s. “Our region is behind because we’re the part of the country that still had abundant wild oysters,” he says. “It’s tremendous to see Florida come on board and grow quickly.” Soon, all five Gulf Coast states will be in alignment. Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana have smaller aquaculture industries, and Texas just passed legislation to authorize its own off-bottom farms, which Walton expects will be in business by this time next year. “The analogy here is microbrews,” says Walton, also known as “Dr. Oyster,” who suggests that there are different markets for wild and farmed oysters, and plenty of room for both. “Maybe we should build on the fact that we have this amazing, quality, fresh seafood that is harvested sustainably from water that is well regulated. Florida is absolutely capable of producing world-class oysters at these farms. It’s only Below: Hunter and his

father, David Cowie, sort oysters on a table in their boat at Alligator Harbor.

a matter of time before you see these oysters on menus in New York or Boston or Washington or Chicago.” Reid Tilley remembers his first time sampling an oyster. It was at his father’s hunting club. “Old dudes standing around a tailgate popping these rocks open,” he says. “I was 6 or 7. My dad handed me one on a cracker, and I thought, ‘Man, that does not look appetizing.’” As he got older, Tilley acquired a taste for them. “Now I’ve eaten so many I could care less to eat another one.” Nonetheless, Tilley describes the appeal of the classic Apalachicola oyster to a tee. “The first part is you get that hit of salt, and at the end, you chew it up, and the sweetness comes up out of it. Just a hint of sweetness at the end.”

The Panhandle is the last stretch of coast that has not been turned into a heavyduty residential-commercial area. — Reid Tilley

Although oysters are harvested all along the Gulf Coast, and across Florida, Tilley and his neighboring aquaculturists are fortunate to be farming exactly where they are, a place that imbues their oysters with something extra. “The key is water quality,” Reid Tilley says. “The Panhandle is literally the last stretch of coast that has not been turned into a heavy-duty residential-commercial area.” Fewer people means less wastewater and pesticide. “There’s not that many lawns.” Tilley is wary of a population surge that could threaten his livelihood. “More and more and more people are coming. It’s only a matter of time,” he says. Time enough, anyone might hope, for the Lost Coast’s fabled shellfish to again find something like perfection. Last spring, Tilley and his father participated in the Billion Oyster Party, a charitable gathering at the Liberty Warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn, to benefit restoration efforts in New York Harbor. “There were 50 farms from all around. The Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf, Alaska. Hundreds of oysters. I couldn’t find one, and maybe I’m biased,” Tilley says, “but I couldn’t find one that tasted nearly as good as the Florida Panhandle oyster like we grow.”

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S IM O N A DO IL N y B

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M A RY hy by p a r g o

BETH

KO E T H

hter c i R e u niq o M t ood s i w t r k a a e e t m x fau ariti n r m es e e u d l q o a i d n m r h e g c d n i te Fort Lau he world blend d leaf lettering oats. travels t nd age-old gol r sportfishing b a a painting ultimillion-doll on m 78

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This page: Maritime

artist Monique Richter puts the finishing touches of gold leaf lettering on a 64-foot Weaver boat.

unicorn in this field. Where other industry artists might paint a few dozen vessels in a year, Richter, by contrast, estimates that she paints between 200 to 300 boats, working for 54 boatbuilders worldwide. Richter has made a name for herself not just through the sheer quantity of boats she’s painted, but also through the types of media she specializes in: faux teakwood painting and gold and platinum leaf lettering. Together, they are a dichotomy of eras; the former is a newer art form, whereas the latter is an ancient craft that dates back to Egypt. To Richter, it all falls under the umbrella of art, which, she says, “is a second language to me.” Dressed in a racerback tank top that reveals a constellation of platinum leaf specks on her back right shoulder that match the ones dotting her hands and fingernails, Richter is nearing the end of this job, which entails lettering the boat’s name in platinum. When she’s done, she will head to Costa Rica to paint for a client who’s commissioned her for yet another one of his vessels. She’s a workhorse who’s on the job seven days a week, sometimes in Dubai or Australia, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Mexico or the Eastern Seaboard. When asked why she works so much, Richter smiles, shrugs and simply says, “That’s just how I am.”

make no mistake—Richter is a unicorn in this field.

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ILLUSTR ATIONS ON PREVIOUS SPREAD COURTESY MONIQUE RICHTER

Monique Richter is in total concentration mode. She stands atop a 6-foot scaffold behind the stern of a 64-foot Spencer Yacht named Cabana, paintbrush in one hand, a rectangular palette in the other and the noonday sun glowing high above her right shoulder. A soft offshore wind rustles through the blonde hair peeking out from under a baseball cap. She outlines the final “a” in the boat’s name with a fine detail brush and absolute precision, a task she makes look routine. Today at Seminole Marine boatyard in Palm Beach Gardens, the setting looks similar to the 150-some job sites she’s worked on over the past 10 months, a sea of multimillion-dollar sportfishing boats and yachts from Merritts to Ryboviches to Vikings. For the past three years, more often than not Richter could be found at boatyards across the globe painting boat names, prized marlins and other adornments on hulls, transoms, bows, sterns and any other boat part that an owner desires. That’s because Richter has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most in-demand boat artists, painting 675 boats over these three years for some of the world’s most discerning clients, including Johnny Depp, Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson. With a sun-kissed tan, wavy blonde hair and an alluring, personable disposition, Richter could be mistaken for a modern-day mermaid. But make no mistake—Richter is a

Richter counts Johnny Depp, Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett among her clients; hand-painting a boat’s name in gold leaf harks back to a time when old-world techniques reigned; gold leaf lettering is a rare skill and a calling card for owners of multimilliondollar vessels.

The Reel deal It was a broken pinky toe that led Richter to become a premier gold leaf and faux teak artist. Born to a botanist mother and an electrical engineer father who was part of the Apollo missions, she grew up in Fort Lauderdale, immersed in an outdoor culture that included water sports and boating. As a high schooler, she would skip classes to go wakeboarding. Once, while sneaking off the American Heritage School’s campus, her shirt got caught at the top of the fence she was trying to hop, and she was forced to rip it to get loose. There was something about the open water that kept calling to her. As Richter says, “When I see water, I see an adventure.” At age 16, she became a professional wakeboarder, successfully competing around the world for seven years and winning second place in the 2006 national championships in the open women’s division. Then, one Friday night in 2013 while enjoying a night out with friends in downtown Fort Lauderdale, someone stepped on Richter’s toe. It broke, and that took her off the tour, unable to balance without 10 healthy toes.

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After ending her wakeboarding career, Richter still never left the water by joining the crew of a yacht. She became a captain, part of a growing group of female skippers around the world, running a marlin boat out of St. Thomas. While in the Bahamas, Richter remembers seeing a boat painted like real teak. It wasn’t that painting was new to Richter. She first started painting as a kid and even sold a few of her works in high school. Painting boats was an altogether enticing offering, a chance to converge her two beloved universes of art and water. Customizing a boat has become a way of life for today’s seafarers, a chance to individualize themselves. As Richter puts it, “My clients like to be different and also to have their toys be different.” Faux teak painting is a relatively new trend, born of the traditional real teakwood used in ship construction since the 16th century. Real teak has been a coveted material to builders for its strength, durability and overall rich beauty. Because it takes nearly half a century for a teak to become mature enough to harvest (and because it’s listed as a threatened species), sourcing teak has become increasingly

COURTESY MONIQUE RICHTER

Above and opposite:

My clients like to be different and also to have their toys be different. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;MONIQUE RICHTER

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difficult. Today’s builders are turning toward alternatives, including faux painting on fiberglass hulls. Roy Merritt, the owner of storied boatbuilder Merritt’s Boat and Engine Works in Pompano Beach, says he was an early adopter of the faux teak trend. “I’ve been in the boatbuilding business all my life, and we only did natural wood,” he says. “But since I became more open to transitioning away from it, we’ve been selling more and more boats not made of teak, and today’s owners are happy to have faux teak painted on their boats.” For some classically minded owners, Merritt has to sell them on the legitimacy of faux wood finishing. “I get it,” he says. “It’s like if you want a Steinway piano, then would you buy a fake Steinway? But it’s not really like that with faux teak painting.” Merritt counts its advantages, which include requiring less maintenance than real teak; natural wood needs to be sanded and revarnished multiple times per year, rather than once every eight years for faux teak. When the craze was catching on, Merritt remembers a fresh-faced Richter asking him in 2017 if she could do some faux teak painting on one of his boats. “She walked in one day with a board that featured some of her work and a desire to do faux painting,” he says. “I looked at it and said that her colors were good, but not her graining.” But something about Richter’s eagerness impressed Merritt. He gave her a test: painting a yacht door. She aced it. He then proposed a bigger project: a $16 million, 72-foot Merritt. “He said, ‘That’s your new canvas,’” Richter recalls. “I remember looking at the boat once I finished painting it and couldn’t believe what I produced. Roy gave me a shot, and I’m now famous for my painting because of him.” Within three years, she created a name for herself in the market. She became so synonymous with her craft that clients have taken to calling her “Faux-nique.” Richter’s work is always done freehand with Awlgrip marine paint, creating a durable finish. The painted wood graining is so precise that it has fooled many an eye into thinking the boat is manufactured out of natural teak. “She’s an artist. That’s what makes her work different and special,” This spread from left: Richter estimates Merritt says of Richter. “She’s not that she paints more just a sign painter, which can be than 200 boats each year; one of Richter’s pretty mechanical. She has an eye gold leaf lettering projects in progress for aesthetics.”

I get it. It’s like if you want a Steinway piano, then would you buy a fake Steinway? But it’s not really like that with faux teak painting. —ROY MERRITT

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painted the faux teak finish inside The Last Mango, a 42-foot Freeman with a custom-built pilothouse by Merritt Boatworks; Richter putting her final touches on The Last Mango

GOLDIELOCKS After Richter mastered the art of faux finishing, another art form caught her eye: gold and platinum leaf lettering, a practice with deep ties to boating history. For thousands of years, boat names gilded in gold have glistened against the water’s reflection, with historians finding Egyptian relics from as early as 3000 B.C. Gold was considered a divine material by ancient Egyptians, who believed that it came from the skins of gods and goddesses and was an element reserved for kings and nobles. Most transoms feature boat names spelled with glittery

I remember looking at the boat once I finished painting it and couldn’t believe what I’d produced. —MONIQUE RICHTER

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vinyl lettering: stickers made to look like gold or platinum leaf. Richter says gilding is a dying art, one that she takes on with great care and reverence for its history. The trade is passed down from artisan to artisan, mostly through on-the-job training. Brushing on the ultrathin 23-karat gold leaf is no easy feat. First, Richter applies gold sizing to the boat’s surface, then allows it to dry before placing the gold leaf on top of it. From there, she manipulates the leaf by hand, giving form to each letter. Richter credits Fort Lauderdale–based John Teeto, who she calls a master gold leafer, with teaching her the trade. “We saw each other at the marinas a lot, and we’d bump into each other here and there,” Teeto says. “I started following her around with her faux painting and was really impressed with her work in that medium. She reminded me of me when I was young. She’s nonstop. She works seven days a week, and that drive reminded me of myself when I started.” After decades in the field, Teeto says he was at a point where he wanted to slow down and take on less jobs. The two set out to do a few jobs together, with Richter picking up lettering techniques from Teeto, quicker than anyone he had ever seen.

7 SEAS MEDIA , MERMAID & ME PHOTO

Above from left: Richter

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She reminded me of me when I was young. She’s nonstop. — JOHN TEETO “The first time I did gold leafing, I failed miserably,” she says. It was for a job in Costa Rica three years ago, and Richter remembers burning through the gold, a disastrous outcome that renders the expensive material useless. She was all alone on that job, with no guide to turn to. So she did what any up-and-coming artisan would do: cried, went for a walk, regrouped and came back to figure it all out. These days when Richter isn’t painting at boatyards and marinas, she’s painting at the homes of her clients. One recent project includes the former Huizenga estate in Fort Lauderdale, where she was hired to apply antique gold on the iron gates. Richter mostly works in jean shorts and a tank top and brings a crew of equally fit and attractive assistants to the job (this past fall she hired her first male team member). The allure of having Richter work on your boat might be partially attributed to her modern, feminine vibe. Her Instagram account (17,900 followers and rising) includes not only videos and photos of her prize works, but also playful clips of her and her crew dancing

to GS Boyz’s “Stanky Legg.” “Who knows. Maybe her charm is part of the draw for these guys,” says Teeto of the male-dominated maritime world. “When those girls get up on scaffolds, they have the whole marina stopping to look at them. But Richter knows how to handle those situations. When she gets up there and does her thing, all the guys look at her in a different way, like the professional that she is.” For Richter, it’s all about the ability to balance having fun while still dedicating herself to her craft. She says her work speaks for itself, and the boat owners who hire her recognize that. “You have to be a strong woman in this industry,” she says. “The owners respect the boundaries. They are blown away with my accomplishments and my work ethic, and I think that sets the tone for the business relationship.” And with that, Richter grabs her palette, fine-tip brush and the last of the platinum leaf, and heads back to work. After all, the ocean is still calling, and Cabana is one final “a” from setting sail.

Above: Richter uses

gold and platinum leaf imported from Italy in creating her maritime lettering.

Opposite: Richter stops to enjoy the view of her latest canvas, a 64-foot Weaver.

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— sunny dispatches from NW FLA —

Panhandling By Pr i s sy E l ro d • I l l u st ra t i o n b y S t ep h en L o m a zzo

Taking the plunge Sometimes, we have no choice but to face our deepest fears

’ve lived in Florida all my life and am amazed how much I don’t know about it. This comes from someone who professes to know everything about anything even when I know nothing about something. Sometimes I believe myself. Thankfully, I’m a good person and not some con artist.

Like Oprah, there’s one thing I know for sure. A tireless debate ensues over Florida’s most iconic food. Is it our scrumptious Key lime pie or the slurpy Apalachicola oysters? Would it be Florida’s orange juice or the infamous Gatorade? None of the above. It’s conch chowder, baby.

FOR THE LATEST HAPPENINGS, PHOTOS & VIDEOS, FOLLOW @THEFLAMINGOMAG

Truth be told writing for this magazine has opened my eyes to things I’ve missed— The Ringling Museum of Art, the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West and Naples Botanical Garden—so much to see. One of the very first stories that caught

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Panhandling

sunny dispatches from NW FLA

my attention way back in 2016 was about freediving. Similar to scuba diving in terms of gear: wetsuit, mask and fins—minus the tank. Free divers hold their breath. Say what? No silver tank—hell no! For me, depths, diving and motion— forget it. I get seasick on shore watching waves. Open glass elevators? No way. Railings near edges? Nope. Narrow mountain roads, bridges, ski slopes? No. No. No. Heights—hate. My high heels are the only exception. I want to be taller. Diving. You’d never catch me doing that—who in their right mind would? Last fall I wrote a column for Flamingo titled “French Lemonade.” It was about the unexpected happenings in life, based on my broken ankle. I addressed the upside of positivity through peril. At the time, I was confident I was on the mend, three months post-surgery. The universe decided to wrestle with my view and knock me down. Take that you optimistic piece of pathetic! To say I had no idea what awaited me is an understatement. My journey to Never Say Never Land. As Flamingo’s fall issue hit newsstands, I was hitting a pain management clinic for spinal injections. They had diagnosed me with chronic regional pain syndrome. They tried to block the nerve going to my ankle with no success. I became allergic to the metal plates and screws holding my shattered ankle together. A second surgery was performed to remove the metal. Two weeks after surgery I was cleared by my surgeon for a work trip to New York. I booked my flight and hotel two hours later. The day before departure my ankle looked like E.T.’s baby. I was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. Was it staph, cellulitis or septicemia? I was admitted. A third surgery was performed to clean

out the infection from the second surgery two weeks earlier. Cultures were taken to determine what took up residence in my bloodstream. And an infectious disease team was called in. They infused me with various antibiotics—none worked—while awaiting the results of the culture reading: methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (or MSSA) was the winner for this loser. A PICC line came aboard and was inserted from my bicep to my heart, and then invited to go home with me, along with home health care. Renee, the nurse, would teach my traumatized husband how to become an unqualified nurse. I was discharged after a week. “You’ll have three syringes for each daily infusion: saline, Rocephin, heparin. Be sure and remove any air bubbles from each syringe. One bubble will stop her heart.”

“I have HBO already,” I texted. “No oxygen,” he texted. “Oxygen TV?” I texted. My cell phone rang. “Not TV—oxygen therapy.” I half-listened to whatever he was going on about. He called the next day and the next. “I’m telling you it may help.” He was relentless. Prissy Positive was in a slump from the everyday infusions and a nurse sucking out vials of blood, checking my white blood cell counts to see if the antibiotic was even working. I was told my PICC line would be removed on Dec. 6. I marked the days off inside my empty calendar. For whatever reason, I called the wound center for information on the oxygen jargon, maybe to appease my friend. Maybe a God wink. Either way, enter HBO … hyperbaric oxygen therapy, aka dry diving. It sent shivers up my spine. Remember, I’m the person who hates depth and motion, not to mention closed spaces. Even so, I agreed to a three-hour MRI for screening. I told myself if insurance pays … maybe. I thought this with knocking knees. Infection must have ransacked my body, since I did qualify. Thirty dives, two hours a day, five days a week for six weeks was recommended. The cost: $4,200 for one dive. $126,000 for 30. If insurance agreed to pay that, I knew I was in trouble. Inhaling the gold oxygen might be a golden ticket. The only way to get my life back. Take the chance, Prissy. I signed on the dotted line. The next day I met Frank, the gentleman in charge of the chamber. It was orientation day: instructions, method and rules, lots of rules. It went something like this: You will be on a stretcher enclosed inside a chamber at greater than normal atmospheric pressure and breathing pure oxygen. It will

The man had three chances a day to kill me—a perfect crime.

My heart heard her say that and skipped three beats. I watched the color drain from my husband’s face. That made me feel better. The man had three chances a day to kill me—a perfect crime. By then it was late October, and six months had passed since my ankle rolled in a wedge shoe. This bears repeating. A lovely Gentle Soul wedge caused three breaks, three surgeries, three months plus of nonweight bearing, three months of spinal injections, a week of hospitalization, six weeks with a PICC line injecting 2000 milligrams a day of an antibiotic into my holistic body. Enough? Not even close. Thanksgiving came and went as Christmas peeked around the corner. “Prissy, you need HBO,” the text read. It was from Alex, a retired physician and dear friend. The very one I wrote about in my first book, Far Outside the Ordinary.

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OC EAN TH E M E D AP PAR E L TH AT GI VES BAC K

for your Florida lifestyle saturate your blood plasma allowing it to carry from 15 to 20 times the normal amount of healing oxygen to your body’s tissues. The chamber is clear. You can see through it but will be sealed inside for two hours each treatment. A band is placed around your wrist grounding you to the power lines running below the building, should we have a power outage or electrical storm. We take vitals before and after your dive. He went on: If you weren’t born with it, then it isn’t allowed inside this chamber. That means no iPods, earphones, cellphones, reading material, hair products, jewelry, clips, nail polish, lotion, makeup … zip, zero, nothing. One of my favorite poets, Ralph Waldo Emerson, wrote, “What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do.” My first dive was scheduled for the following Monday. But only a few feet down my eardrum ruptured, blood filling my ear canal. Hours later an ENT physician inserted tubes inside both my eardrums. A procedure just like the one my 2-year-old daughter underwent decades earlier. I’m disciplined and fearless when I make up my mind about something. I’d decided to become a diver. The next day, tenacity and determination escorted me back to the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, and I never missed a day, except when they removed my PICC line. Only two hours after it was trashed, we boarded a plane for New York to celebrate. Humor joined my regimen to help me cope. I would paint one toenail red for every dive completed. The team laughed over my toe calendar. The “what if” scenarios lessened as days went by (what if they forget me, what if a terrorist strikes Tallahassee ... what if, what if). Locked inside a chamber, you learn to discipline the brain to control such thoughts. I kept reminding myself I was diving 25 feet down. Okay, maybe I was naked under my blue scrubs and not wearing some cool

wetsuit with shiny fins, but I was still down there. Not a scuba or free diver. But in my own way, I was diving in Florida, the dive capital of the world. I felt bionic, even iconic, the heroine of my own self. The most amazing thing about life is the mystery of living it. All those lessons we learn without knowing we’re being taught. What we don’t know but think we do. Life is our teacher and realizing, dissecting and accepting a life event is how we learn. We grow by relishing the joy, avowing dismay, seeking courage and defying fear. We don’t know how resilient we are until we challenge ourselves. I sat with impoverished, despairing and wounded people suffering from cancer, diabetes and vascular disease every morning. I witnessed pain, suffering and the atrocity of life’s hardships. I was humbled and reminded how fortunate I was to have a foot. Many had no legs. I believe all the mystical unknowns can be attached to one profound and powerful word. It’s undefinable and unsolvable, has two consonants and a vowel. It threads the good, bad and ugly in life but gives no rhyme, reason or rational answers. That word is why. The answer is because. I broke my ankle in April, and it’s now the middle of January as I write this. Nine months. My last dive completed two days ago. I’ve been released from the team of everyone who surrounded and helped me get back on my feet … literally. Ralph Waldo Emerson also wrote, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Indeed, that truth is in the knowing. I know the truth. Prissy Elrod is a professional speaker, artist and humorist and the author of Far Outside the Ordinary. She was born and raised in Lake City and now lives in Tallahassee with her husband, Dale. Chasing Ordinary, the sequel to Far Outside the Ordinary, was released in early 2019.

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ON THE FLY — FLORIDA WILD —

A search for panthers turns up a more elusive find

— BIRD’S-EYE VIEW —

The perfec t day i n downt own De Land

— GROVE STAND —

Miami chef Michelle Bernstein finally finds herself

— THE ROOST —

Step inside opulent Old Florida homes

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ON THE FLY: FLORIDA WILD P H OTOGR APHS & F IELD NOTES B y C ar lton Ward J r.

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Ghost Busters I

set up base camp at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge on the edge of the Fakahatchee Strand. It was summer 2016, and I was just beginning my Path of the Panther project with the National Geographic Society. In an effort to photograph elusive panthers, I was building custom-made camera traps—professional DSLR cameras and multiple flashes, all in waterproof cases and triggered by invisible beams. The biologists who moved into the trailer next to mine were on a different mission: to study the rare ghost orchids that grow deep in the same swamps. The pollinator of these fairy-like flowers with spindly white petals has long evaded scientists. One of the biologists was using an off-the-shelf game camera to photograph the ghost orchid bloom. I knew there was little chance that camera would be fast enough to capture a speeding moth during a pollination visit that could NOTES last less than a second. My friend and fellow photographer Mac Stone had talked about — HABITAT— camera trapping a ghost orchid a couple FLORIDA PANTHER NATIONAL WILDLIFE years prior, and the idea had seemed nearly REFUGE impossible. But by 2016, I had some new tools, including a high-speed laser trigger that could change the game. So I took the — SEASON — SUMMER challenge and configured a camera trap to try and photograph a moth. The orchid researchers and I paddled the — TIME OF DAY— camera system into the heart of the flooded EVENING forest and pointed it at a bloom they had discovered. Hanging from the side of a pond — SUBJECT— apple tree, 8 feet off the ground and 5 feet GHOST ORCHID above the water, were two delicate white flowers that might persist for two weeks, if we were lucky. Standing on my paddleboard, we hung the camera, flashes and laser triggers dangling above the water. I knew the attempt was a bit crazy. Of the one in 10 ghost orchids that blooms each summer, approximately one in 10 gets pollinated. And I only had one camera trap pointed at one orchid. In the unlikely event that a moth would visit, the camera trap would then have to work, which is not a given in a hostile wetland with trigger tolerances so tight that the flower drooping by just 1 inch could throw off the aim. The bloom lasted for three weeks, and my camera captured hundreds of photos but only of raindrops and falling leaves. My Path of the Panther project continued into 2017, giving me the chance to try again. That summer I moved the camera trap to multiple blooms and got a series of photos of a green

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ON THE FLY: FLORIDA WILD P H OTOGR APHS & F IELD NOTES

This page: Carlton Ward

Jr. paddles through the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Florida.

moth on the lip of a flower. The moth was too small to be a pollinator, but the photos proved that the technology worked. By then, ghost orchid obsession had taken hold of me. In the summer of 2018, I dedicated more equipment to the orchid quest. I had learned a lot from two years of failures and was committed to one last try. Three orchids, six blooms, three cameras, 11 flashes and five laser triggers all hung above the murky water. Three weeks later, when it happened, I couldn’t believe my eyes. As I stood on my paddleboard and scrolled through the photos, a huge orange moth filled the screen. The date was July 3. A couple days

later, another moth was caught on camera, this time with a cluster of ghost orchid pollen visible on its head. It was the first-ever photograph of ghost orchid pollination, and even more exciting, it wasn’t of a giant sphinx moth, the species most of the orchid world assumed to be the flower’s sole pollinator, but rather a fig sphinx moth. The photographs fueled me to keep going, and the discoveries just kept rolling in. During the summer of 2018, my cameras captured first-ever photos of five different species of sphinx moths probing and potentially pollinating ghost orchids. Three of the moths had ghost orchid pollen clearly visible on them, including the individual in this photo,

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a rustic sphinx moth, caught in the act of giving or receiving pollen. That summer, Mac Stone and biologist Peter Houlihan set another camera trap 50 feet up in a cypress tree at Corkscrew Swamp. They got the first-ever identifiable photo of a giant sphinx moth probing a ghost orchid and discovered new evidence that the giant sphinx might not actually be a pollinator after all! You can watch a short film about our team’s project and discoveries, Chasing Ghosts, on National Geographic’s YouTube channel.

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ON THE FLY:BIRD’S-EYE VIEW A G U I D E TO O U R FAVO R I T E N E I G H B O R H O O DS

A darling day out

Where to eat, shop, explore and soar in historic deland

Above from left: Athens Theatre, DeLand Wings mural, Stetson Mansion, Volusia County Historic Courthouse and a Skydive DeLand plane

The storied building has been a vaudeville theatre, movie palace and video game room in its past lives, but now it’s restored to its former glory as a stage for local productions, concerts and lectures. 124 N. Florida Ave.

2. SANTORINI GREEK CUISINE

There’s a reason you’ll always see a crowd outside this incredibly authentic Greek eatery. Arrive early to grab one of the few tables inside and enjoy the best gyros, moussaka and spanakopita in the state. 210 N. Woodland Blvd.

3. DELAND WINGS

You’ll have to journey off the beaten path to find this Instagram-worthy mural by local artist Erica Group, but it’s well worth the detour. Hint: look in the alley behind No. 9 on the list. Persimmon Lane

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4. SKYDIVE DELAND

Thrill-seekers from around the world flock here to this skydive training capital of the world. Free fall over scenic downtown DeLand or grab a seat at the on-site restaurant and observation deck to watch the jumpers. 1600 Flightline Blvd.

5. BOSTON COFFEEHOUSE

With its exposed brick interior, delicious breakfast menu and hidden garden in the back, this cozy coffee shop is the perfect place to start your weekend. Tip: order the Yankee doodle. 109 E. New York Ave.

6. SPEC MARTIN MEMORIAL STADIUM

Watch the Stetson Hatters and the DeLand Bulldogs football teams punt and tackle under the Friday night lights at this stadium: the same one that Adam Sandler plays on in the 1998 film The Waterboy. 260 E. Euclid Ave.

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7. CHICAS CUBAN CAFE

This cafe is nestled inside the historic Artisan Hotel. Don’t fill up on croquettes until you’ve tried the signature Chicas chicken. 215 S. Woodland Blvd.

8. PERSIMMON HOLLOW BREWING CO. Drink sensibly but get a little weird at this downtown brewery with quirky flavors like the Daytona Dirty Blonde and the Tipsy Friar. 111 W. Georgia Ave.

9. THE HIVE BOUTIQUE

Shop trendy women’s clothing, accessories and local brands at this adorable spot on the main strip, formely known as Dressed. 108 S. Woodland Blvd.

10. STETSON MANSION

Wander around the luxurious estate of famous hat magnate John B. Stetson. It’s the only Gilded Age mansion in Florida. 1031 Camphor Lane

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Hike, bike and fish at this secluded island on the St. Johns River. Be on the lookout for remnants from the original Mayaca Native American inhabitants, including a 10-foot owl totem pole. 2309 River Ridge Road

Chef Nora De La Vega serves up exceptional Latin fusion dishes at this charming downtown restaurant. Snag a seat on the patio and sip on sangria while you people-watch. 128 N. Woodland Blvd.

13. SIDECAR HOME MARKET

Is it a bar? Is it a vintage furniture store? Both! Browse repurposed furnishings and goods by Florida artisans like FinchBerry soaps and Rifle Paper Co. all with a cocktail in hand. 100 S. Woodland Blvd.

14. RODEO WHIP

This family-owned ice cream shop has been around since 1983, and the homemade swirls often draw a drive-thru line that circles the building. Insider’s tip: order the small; the scoops are huge. 1250 S. Woodland Blvd.

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ON THE FLY: GROVE STAND SEASON’S EATINGS B y E ri c B a rt o n

Bernstein’s Bailando Despite a roster of award-winning restaurants and a lauded career, Chef Michelle Bernstein says she’s finally found the right beat with Cafe La Trova

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MICHAEL PISSARI

ome people smile with simple half circles, the corners of their mouth upturned. Not chef Michelle Bernstein. Her delight comes through in a wide, toothy expression that fills her face. And on a recent trip to a neighborhood fruit market, she beamed with her signature joyfulness, elicited by the sight of mounds of fresh produce and the friendly faces of the market vendors. It’s a simple place, an open-air bazaar nestled in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana, crates loaded with coconuts and guava and and exotic, combining her own Argentine, tomatoes haphazardly stacked in the center. A Russian and Jewish heritage. But with Cafe La woman roughly shoved sugar cane Trova, now open for one year, she stalks into a crusher, catching the says she finally figured things out. CAFE LA TROVA lime-colored juice in a pitcher and “You know when you’re — LOCATION — filling the place with the faint smell younger how you’re always trying 971 SW 8TH ST MIAMI of candy. to define yourself?” she said. A — HOURS — Bernstein took a seat at a table baby chick navigated between BRUNCH covered with a frayed quilt. “Isn’t the legs of the table beneath her SUN. 11 A.M.–3 P.M. it amazing?” she said, still with that while Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailando” LUNCH TUES.-SAT, 12–3 P.M. infectious smile. blared from a speaker somewhere. DINNER It’s called Los Pinareños “We’re not pretending to be DAILY 4 P.M.–12 A.M. Fruteria, and it’s five blocks from anyone else. We’re just ourselves, cafelatrova.com Bernstein’s latest restaurant, Cafe and either you like me and my La Trova, a name that pays homage cooking or you don’t. And I’m OK to a style of Cuban pop music. with that.” Bernstein is as Miami as the cafe cubanos Bernstein opened Cafe La Trova in January served up at the market’s counter nearby. Named best chef in the South by the James Beard Foundation in 2008, Bernstein became a local celebrity thanks to a high-profile win on Iron Chef, in which she beat Bobby Flay, and her role as a judge on Top Chef, not to mention local TV programs she has hosted for years. She did all of this while running a slew of lauded restaurants—the kind of places you bring a first date or celebrate an anniversary. She’s known for food that seems both homey

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2019 with longtime friend Julio Cabrera. They met nearly 20 years ago when she went to Mexico to open a restaurant. When he came to Miami, the city didn’t have the kind of cocktail scene it’s known for now, and Cabrera gets credit for ushering it in, training many of the city’s star mixologists. In those first few months of Cafe La Trova, Bernstein says she took criticism for whether the place was authentic enough, or whether classic Cuban dishes should be redefined. She turned 50 shortly after it opened, and that sparked some introspection. When she stopped caring what anyone else thought, she says the place started to kill it, to the point where now she’s booking it up nightly. This page from top: The

dining room at La Trova in Little Havana; guests dance to live Cuban bands every night.

Opposite: James Beard winner Michelle Bernstein says she has finally found her groove with her latest restaurant La Trova.

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ON THE FLY: GROVE STAND SEASON’S EATINGS

In figuring out what the menu should be, Bernstein says she looked at her own background. Growing up in Miami Shores, she ate classic Latin dishes like ropa vieja and also Jewish dishes like latkes and cabbage rolls. Cafe La Trova’s menu reflects that cultural fusion, spelled out in a culinary lineup found nowhere else: chicken empanadas with corn and fermented garlic; croquettes with spinach and feta; a tres leches cake with bananas, bourbon gel and

Cuban French Toast 4 large slices of challah or brioche 1 cup whole milk 1/2

cup heavy cream

2 large eggs 1 tablespoon sugar 1/4

teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 orange, zested and segmented 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Pinch of salt

Above from top: Bernstein created a brunch menu inspired by her childhood in Miami with dishes like rancheros garnished with avocado cream and baked ricotta pancakes with maracuya curd and brown butter syrup.

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corn flakes for crunch. The place feels classic Cuban, with wrought iron and floor tiles harking back to another era, and the bar just inside the front door reminiscent of a 1950s Havana supper club. Cuban bands play from a stage along the wall facing the bar, with tables crowded between them giving it a party vibe. Cabrera runs two bars: one in the front of the house serving people waiting for a table and a second bar elevated in the back for anybody just stopping in for the mojitos. During Bernstein’s recent visit to the fruit stand, she had been ruminating on brunch ideas and hitting the market regularly to load up on guava, plantains and papaya. In planning a brunch menu, she considered

2 1/4-inch thick slices of Guava paste

PREPARATION: Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place bread slices on a wire rack set in a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Mix together milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, ground cinnamon, orange zest and vanilla extract with pinch of salt. Soak toasted bread for 1 to 2 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a nonstick saute pan or griddle over medium heat. Add butter or ghee and cook French toast until golden on both sides. Spread guava paste on half of the slices and cream cheese on the others. Place in oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with orange segments and maple syrup. A NOTE ON GUAVA: In Tampa or South Florida, finding guava paste means a trip to the right Publix or Winn-Dixie. For those of us without a well-stocked supermarket Latin section, the sweet, tangy jelly can easily be procured online, including from Walmart and Amazon, which sell guava from Goya, Iberia and El Sembrador.

MICHAEL PISSARI

Midmorning meals in Miami mean kicking hangovers with the rich and fatty, a bit of pork belly somewhere on the plate.

2 1/4 -inch thick slices of cream cheese, cut cold

find

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We’re not pretending to be anyone else. We’re just ourselves, and either you like me and my cooking or you don’t. And I’m OK with that. — M I C H E L L E B E R N STE I N

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Cuban French toast

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©2017 An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity.

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ON THE FLY: GROVE STAND SEASON’S EATINGS

that midmorning meals in Miami mean kicking hangovers with the rich and fatty, a bit of pork belly somewhere on the plate. But she also knows that both the hungry and the hurting patrons want something sweet, and she answered that with creations like her Cuban French toast, with an undeniable inspiration from Miami’s pastelitos, those ring-box-sized pastries served at every coffee counter in town and

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often filled with tangy cheese and guava jam. With brunch officially launched in January, she’s on to new challenges. “I always have eight jobs,” she jokes. She’s working on a new restaurant and in discussions for a second TV show and a children’s book. She might have found herself, but Bernstein says she’s far from done. “I have to keep going,” she says. “I have to keep moving.” Before we leave, she gives a crate of gourd-

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shaped guavas a once-over before settling on one that’s equal parts neon green and yellow. “You feel that?” she says, pushing on the skin gently. “That’s ripe. This one’s going to be good.” It’s not always clear with fruit, she explains. Sometimes it has spent time on the vine and simply didn’t ripen well. But sometimes, when you’re lucky, everything comes together just right.

MICHAEL PISSARI

Above: Bernstein opened La Trova with close friend and celebrity bartender Julio Cabrera. Cabrera runs the restaurant’s two bars, energetically serving up Clasicos Cubanos, like the daiquiri clasico made with Bacardi rum, lime juice and sugar

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ON THE FLY:THE ROOST RE AL ESTATE DOLLARS & SENSE B y T h e E d i t o rs

Storied stunners

These historic estates bursting with old-school splendor prove that the best homes have rich stories to tell.

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NEAL SMITH/EAST COAST PROVISION

he curb appeal of this historic 1929 Riverside estate earned it a place in Beautiful Homes of Jacksonville. Flanked with greenery, the faรงade of this four-bedroom, five-bathroom brick threestory is accented by lush, symmetrical landscaping. Stepping stones lead to the front porch where spiral columns support a stately ogee arch. Inside the 4,629-squarefoot abode, guests are greeted by an opulent iron gate in the entryway, which swings open to reveal a cozy eating nook. Ascend the staircase in the foyer to find the second-story patio overlooking the pool deck. The lines and layout of the saltwater pool and jacuzzi evoke the spirit of Venice. The balcony and entrance are reminiscent of a small Italian Gothic palace. Having been owned by very few residents, the home maintains its original appeal while also boasting impressive additions including a media room, dining space and three-car garage. 3404 Saint Johns Ave., Jacksonville $1,850,000

ON THE FLY:THE ROOST RE AL ESTATE DOLLARS & SENSE

RUSKIN

A ARON FLORES/AF IMAGING

riginally built in 1910 and lovingly named “Lamb Manor,” this impressive home on the National Register of Historic Places was ferried across Tampa Bay by barge to its delightfully secluded location with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico. Arriving at the doorstep of the mansion requires guests to explore some of its sprawling 5 acres. Journey down a palm tree–lined path past a tranquil lagoon complete with a waterfall for an introduction to this estate’s splendor. Inside the 6,583-square-foot beauty, intricate crown molding, hand-carved cabinetry and oak paneling create a welcoming-yetregal atmosphere. Given the lavish details accenting the seven bedrooms and six-anda-half bathrooms, it’s no surprise this manor was named the Wall Street Journal House of the Year in 2015. After a multimillion-dollar restoration, this home offers all of today’s luxuries without forfeiting its historic charm. 2410 W. Shell Point Road, Ruskin $1,595,000

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ON THE FLY:THE ROOST RE AL ESTATE DOLLARS & SENSE

CORAL GABLES

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THE NICOL AS GROUP

his understated-yet-elegant piece of history is situated in one of Coral Gables’ rare “themed villages,” built by famed real estate developer George Merrick in 1925. Nestled within a Dutch South African enclave of homes designed by Palm Beach architect Marion Sims Wyeth, the 3,385-squarefoot residence exudes a timeless charm. The exterior whitewashed walls and wooden shutters are hallmarks of the Cape Dutch style that Merrick used as inspiration when constructing one of only five themed homes he built during the 1920s. Inside, a mixture of hardwood and tile flooring meets simple white walls for a clean and finished appearance. The property is a two-for-one, with a main residence and a guest house comprising five bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths together. A stunning pool surrounded by indigenous South Florida palms and plants is complemented by a fully covered veranda, perfect for outdoor entertaining. 6705 San Vicente St., Coral Gables $1,525,000

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5 3 85 Dixie Landin g Drive, Jacksonville A rare opportunity to own a piece of history on the Intracoastal in a central yet private Jacksonville location. The 4+ acres exude Old Florida with a long, private road entry lined with oaks. The historic home, built-in 1902 in Avondale and later floated down the river to this location, holds craftsmanship unseen in today’s homes. The interior is richly finished with curly pine and coffered ceilings. Eight fireplaces radiate warmth and hospitality felt throughout the property. The home overlooks the water and a new, finely built dock with two boat lifts. Zoned for top-rated St Johns County Schools. OFFERED AT $3,200,000 GWINN VOLEN t hevo leng ro u p @ g m ai l. c o m

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[ ON THE FLY: DESIGN DISTRICT B y C D D a v i d so n - H i ers

Cracker comeback Haase Design pairs contemporary desires with the architecture of Old Florida.

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COURTESY HA ASE DESIGN, DAVID HA ASE

avid Haase sees music in architecture. It’s a melody found in the lighting of a room, the perspective he wants to create—it’s almost as if the notes were playing out on the page as he sketches an idea. And David’s specialty, what’s known as Florida “cracker” architecture, is like putting jazz onto the page because, as he says, “it’s born out of the region.” David, 52, is an architect based in Gainesville. He runs a custom house design studio with his father, Ronald, called Haase Design. Ronald, known as “Ron,” is in his mid-80s and is a professor emeritus of the University of Florida School of Architecture. The duo collaborates on designing custom houses that belong to a place and account for the issues of our time. With deep overhangs and shady porches, the houses they create

harken back to the years of early Spanish settlers. Boasting vaulted ceilings and clerestory windows to bring in natural light and cool air, the houses are built to interact with the environment around them. In the late 1970s, David and his family moved from New Hampshire down to Gainesville. The family was pursuing inspiration in this patchwork state, and David was a preteen. “Living close to nature suddenly seemed more elusive than I had thought it would be,” Ron told the Orlando Sentinel in 1986, when the family arrived to find everyone shut up inside with their air conditioners on. Despite the surprise, the elder Haase pursued his passion for sculpting houses tied to the land, earning multiple grants and awards for his projects. In the early ’90s, Ron published Classic Cracker: Florida’s Wood-Frame Vernacular

Opposite: Haase Design homes often feature shady porches like the one pictured..Above: The homes

the Haases design are meant to interact with the environment; David and Ron Haase; high ceilings let natural light filter in.

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Architecture. The book describes what a cracker house looks like, how a family turns a house into a home through design and Ron’s personal journey with the style. The father’s passion caught hold of the younger Haase. David went on to study architecture at Louisiana State University and at the University of Kansas. As he moved into his career, David joined large architectural firms in Kansas City, Missouri, designing casinos and banks, Caribbean resorts and U.S. multifamily homes. But he found himself missing the subtle elegance of Florida’s landscape and came home to Melrose. It was then that the fatherson pair began to formally collaborate on projects—and Haase Design began. “I was born to do it,” David says of designing buildings. “There’s the analytics of architecture, and then there’s the aesthetics of art and design. Those, to me, mesh together pretty well with how I experience the world.” Cracker-style architecture is one of four styles David describes as common to the Sunshine State. The other three are Spanish, such as the tanned mission homes found in St. Augustine; Sarasota, which produces “white, efficient boxes”; and the swinging curves of art deco, born out of Miami’s South Beach. Much like jazz, David says, cracker houses are an American invention.

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ON THE FLY: DESIGN DISTRICT

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Above: A rendering of the Two for One house near the St. Johns River Below: The Two for One house

boasts a master suite, wide covered porches and stunning views of the river.

“When you are out in the wilderness as a settler and there’s no sound of cars or anything, you’re going to hear that ‘crack’ sound,” David says. The Haase Design studio works with a range of clients, from those looking for more minimalist living to those wanting to build more than 5,000 square feet. The larger houses are challenging, David says, because cracker houses were built to evolve over time. Like reverse Russian nesting dolls, cracker

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houses began with a smaller room and developed outward as settlers’ families grew. Starting with a bigger foundation requires even more of an artist’s touch. For the Haase projects, David says he is not trying to “recreate history.” He instead considers what his contemporary houses would look like if they had begun years ago and grown over time. He is always curious what questions will define a house, no matter the style. For instance: “Where do you want the laundry room to go?” David jokes that half his job is architecture and the other half is navigating personalities. Spouses rarely have the same ideas, he says—though many people choose to put the laundry room next to the kitchen. The Haases have completed projects in Naples, near the Ocala National Forest, near Jacksonville and down the St. Johns River. Their work stretches from the Atlantic to the Gulf Coast, from South Florida to the Panhandle and even beyond the state line. David has been asked for decades if cracker architecture is becoming more popular. His answer: it was never just a trend. “That passive solar technology—shady porches, windows in the right place, natural light—those things are eternal,” he says.

COURTESY OF HA ASE DESIGN

To describe one of the houses is to explain what makes Florida—well, Florida. The ground is moist, the climate subtropical, so Spanish settlers built their houses up off the ground, David explains. Mosquitoes and other insects whined with the threat of disease, so houses were often built with cypress wood, a natural bug repellent common to the region. Homes developed high ceilings and well-placed windows to combat the summer heat. “A lot of times it comes back to elegant simplicity,” he says of the houses’ charm. “Cracker” has multiple connotations, David explains. One, which William Shakespeare uses in his King John play, means a braggart. Another, more sinister meaning refers to a slave driver “cracking” a whip. Yet another could have its beginnings in the sound of “cracking” corn husks. But a fourth use of the word, and David’s favorite because of the image it paints, is of cattle drivers “cracking” whips while herding cows through Florida’s backcountry. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León introduced cattle to Florida, and to North America, in 1521.

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ON THE FLY:THE TIDE ROAD TR IP–WORTHY EVENTS (NORTH) FLORA-BAMA INTERSTATE MULLET TOSS P E N S A C O LA

April 24–26 For the past 34 years, revelers have been flinging dead mullet across the state line at the Gulf Coast’s biggest beach party. Proceeds go to local youth charities and the local birds get a free meal of mullet. florabama.com

FISH TO FORK A M E L I A I S LA N D

May 7–10

The flavors of the South take center stage at this year’s foodie weekend, where guests can fish for their own fresh catch alongside world-renowned chefs, who compete to create the best dock-to-dish specialty at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort. Chefs will draw on family recipes to tell their culinary stories in honor of Mother’s Day. omnihotels.com

TA L LA H A S S E E

April 3–5

Wordsmiths descend on Cascades Park for a weekend of literary and lyrical bliss. This three-daylong marriage of music and literature hosts nationally touring musicians and popular authors for collaboration, performances, live readings and Q&A sessions. The 10-time Grammy-nominated country singer behind That Lonesome Song, Jamey Johnson, will headline this year’s festival, joined by young adult writer Jason Reynolds, indie rock band Big Thief, poet David Kirby, Memphis-based musician Valerie June and others. Catch conversations with Florida Book Award winners and playful partnerships between featured guests. With authors and artists performing across seven stages and spanning the spectrum of genres, there’s something for all tastes. Even kids can let their imaginations roam at the Story Fort tent with writers and musicians especially for them. wordofsouthfestival.com

UNWINED

WORM GRUNTIN’ FEST

March 20–21

April 11

PA N A M A C I T Y B E A C H

Custom cocktails, local boutiques and some of the area’s best chefs come together for a two-day culinary festival featuring performances by alternative rock bands Death Cab for Cutie and Joywave. visitpanamacitybeach.com

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SOPCHOPPY

Get down and dirty beside the Sopchoppy River for this delightful-yet-disgusting occasion where children compete to see who can scare the most worms to the surface in the worm gruntin’ contest. wormgruntinfestival.com

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DIGITAL GRAFFITI A LY S B E A C H

May 15–16

The white walls of Alys Beach are a backdrop for stunning projections at this unconventional art festival, where artists use animation and technology to cast their handiwork on buildings. digitalgraffiti.com

TALLAHASSEE FILM FESTIVAL TA L LA H A S S E E

April 15–19

Cinematic visionaries and film aficionados descend on the All Saints arts district for special screenings, filmmaker encounters and parties at this year’s film festival. tallahasseefilmfestival.com

Above: A pixelated image is projected

onto a home in Alys Beach during the Digital Graffiti festival.

WORD OF SOUTH, COURTESY OF ALYS BEACH

WORD OF SOUTH

ON THE FLY:THE TIDE ROAD TR IP–WORTHY EVENTS (C E N T RA L ) FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL P LA N T C I T Y

Feb. 27–March 8 Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts and Lynyrd Skynyrd take the stage at this year’s event in honor of the local berry harvest. Go for a spin at the Midway and eat strawberries in every form imaginable (think: pizza, sandwiches and kettle corn). flstrawberryfestival.com

WEEKI WACHEE SWAMP FEST W E E K I WA C H E E

March 6–8

Only in Florida do swamps get their own celebration. Browse over 100 vendors, and don’t be surprised to see creatures wandering the park draped in layers of Spanish moss and duckweed for the Swamp Monster costume contest. swampfestweekiwachee.com

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG ST. PETERSBURG

March 13–15

CIT Y OF CLEARWATER

Waterfront streets become an IndyCar speedway at this racing weekend. The addition of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA adds more track action than ever. Take in sights like the Dalí Museum, attend driver autograph sessions and relax in the beer garden. gpstpete.com

PIER 60 SUGAR SAND FESTIVAL C L E A R WAT E R

April 10–26 Watch horses gallop in the Kentucky Derby, survey the New York City skyline and come face-to-face with literary greats, all without ever leaving the shores of Clearwater Beach. At this 17-day sand spree, 14 artisans craft an elaborate walk-through art exhibit of detailed scenes and sculptures out of 1,000 tons of pure white sugar sand. Each masterpiece is handcrafted without molds. Visitors can see the sculptors in action as they etch scales on an alligator or wrinkle lines in a face with brushes and dentist tools. The theme changes every year, inspiring completely original masterpieces. This year’s topic, “SANDimals, An Animal Adventure,” will prompt a set of never-before-seen wild creations. Feeling inspired by the ornate artwork? Stick around for a free sand sculpting workshop and the speed sand demonstrations. sugarsandfestival.com

WINTER PARK SIDEWALK ART FESTIVAL

SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL

SEBRING SODA FESTIVAL

W I N T E R PA R K

March 20–22

March 27–April 5

April 3–5

Admire works from 225 artists at one of the nation’s largest outdoor art festivals. Here, music, food and art mingle beneath the canopy of oak trees lining Park Avenue. wpsaf.org

More than 100 films are screened at this celebration of motion pictures. With past guests including Sophia Loren and Jason Momoa, who knows what star power will surprise Sarasota this year. sarasotafilmfestival.com

S A R A S O TA

SEBRING

FLORIDA ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR ST. PETERSBURG

Historic downtown transforms into a soda pop shop with more than 200 beverages to try and buy. Stick to traditional colas or get adventurous with flavors including candied bacon and peach cobbler. sebringsodafest.com

April 24–26

Relive the era of bob cuts and flappers as this year’s fair examines the Roaring ’20s. Browse bound treasures in the Coliseum from Hemingway to Zora Neale Hurston. floridaantiquarianbookfair.com

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ON THE FLY:THE TIDE ROAD TR IP–WORTHY EVENTS (SOUTH) INTERNATIONAL GAY POLO TOURNAMENT PA L M B E A C H

April 4

Arrive early to participate in the over-the-top tailgate, and pack stilettos for the divot stomping. Six polo teams compete for three trophies at the most glamorous tournament in the Sunshine State. gaypolo.com

TORTUGA MUSIC FESTIVAL F O R T LA U D E R D A L E

April 17–19

Fort Lauderdale Beach becomes an oceanside honkytonk with some of the biggest names in country music. Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw and Luke Bryan will play to thousands of fans dancing on the sand at this party for a purpose: supporting ocean conservation efforts. tortugamusicfestival.com

CONCH REPUBLIC INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

D E L R AY B E A C H

March 23

Grab 1,000 of your closest friends and fill Florida’s longest dining table, stretching five blocks down the middle of Atlantic Avenue. Fifteen of downtown Delray’s finest restaurants put on a four-course meal with a smorgasbord of food for this annual evening of wining and dining. Each table sports a different cuisine, from Italian pasta plates to raw oysters, so choose your seat wisely. This year’s restaurants include 50 Ocean, Elisabetta’s, Lionfish, Racks Fish House & Oyster Bar and more. Food isn’t the only thing you’ll find on the tables. Since presentation is a crucial element of fine dining, restaurants also compete to design the most appealing tablescape on the block. Past tables have been adorned in impressive floral arrangements, towering sculptures and rows of roses. Tables compete to win a People’s Choice Award and prizes from the event’s judges. downtowndelraybeach.com/savortheave

KEY WEST

April 17–26 March with pirates in the “World’s Looooongest Parade,” tear through the streets on a bed with wheels, board a sunset cruise and toast the Conch Republic’s independence at the quirkiest party in the Keys. conchrepublicdayskeywest.com

CENTENNIAL SOIREE AT BONNET HOUSE F O R T LA U D E R D A L E

MIAMI SAILING WEEK COCONUT GROVE

March 4–15

More than 200 sailboats take to the windward waters of Biscayne Bay to compete in this spring regatta. Watch skippers of all ages tack and heel toward the finish line to raise funds for the city’s youth sailing program. miamisailingweek.com

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PELICAN ISLAND WILDLIFE FESTIVAL

WELLINGTON BACON & BOURBON FEST

March 7

March 21–22

VERO BEACH

Master of ceremonies President Theodore Roosevelt commemorates the 117th birthday of this wildlife refuge with historical reenacments, wildlife shows and boat tours. firstrefuge.org

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WELLINGTON

Pair bacon-infused cuisine with over 60 bourbons and whiskeys during this weekend celebrating two American delicacies. Sign up for a seminar to participate in Pappy Van Winkle samplings. baconbourbonfest.com

April 25

Party where Old Florida elite have gone before at the treasured Bonnet House, once owned by renowned artist Frederic Clay Bartlett. Guests will enjoy a lavish dinner, take home a VIP commemorative gift and toast specialty cocktails to the next 100 years. bonnethouse.org

DELR AY BEACH DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORIT Y

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FLORIDIANA ALL THINGS VINTAGE B y E ri c B a rt o n

Left: The St. Augustine

Lighthouse and the surrounding museum campus

Below: A leather pouch excavated

from a 1782 shipwreck off the coast of St. Augustine

An Uncommon Treasure

hen Chuck Meide and his team reached the ocean floor off the coast of Northeast Florida, there was nothing but sand: an underwater desert, pitch black and utterly desolate. Meide, who leads a group of archaeologists from the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, jammed a 10-foot steel probe into the sand, hoping the rod would strike the wreckage of a ship. “Nothing,” Meide remembers. “It went in without resistance.” He started again a few feet away. The pole was heavy and unwieldy, and the effort sapped his oxygen. He lined up the pole and speared the ocean floor. This time it landed with a thud. “We sunk it down and into something, and I knew we had found it,” Meide recalls.

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Since that day in 2009, they’ve pulled artifacts from the ship they discovered in the sand. The find earned fewer headlines than other wrecks full of gold and gems found off Florida’s shores. But among archaeologists and historians, it would shed light on a little-known moment from Florida’s pioneer days. When that ship sunk in 1782, the colonists had nearly won the Revolutionary War, and anybody who had remained loyal to England was ostracized. King George offered to evacuate the loyalists. That December, 120 ships set off for England and several of its settlements, including St. Augustine. The ship Meide’s team found likely held everyone from aristocrats to slaves. Among the artifacts they unearthed is a small leather pouch full of nails, likely owned by a master carpenter or apprentice, who would’ve attached it to a toolbelt. It’s uncommon for leather to survive

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centuries on land or in the sea, so the pouch remains an exceedingly rare glimpse of a moment in history. With few records about the wreck, it’s hard to say what happened to the carpenter. Perhaps rescued by another ship in the flotilla, the carpenter may have had a chance to thrive in St. Augustine, where the population had burgeoned tenfold with refugees. But the settlement would not be a respite for long. In 1783, King George gave Florida back to Spain. Maybe our carpenter found success in Spanish Florida or boarded a ship to the Old World, a story told only in part by the leather pouch left behind on the ocean floor.

ST. AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE AND MARITIME MUSEUM

A find on the ocean floor near St. Augustine ends up far more significant than diamonds or gold

Just A Little Overboard.

West Palm Beach waterfront along Flagler Drive pbboatshow.com THURSDAY - SUNDAY MARCH 26 - 29

The Icons Issue Vol 17 Spring 2020

Articles inside

The Battle for Bees