The LIFE 400 North

THE

LIFE 400 NORTH

BUILDING ATLANTA The team behind The Avalon, Braves Village & more

All in the acting family The Lintz kids are grabbing big roles on the big screen

Spring Flavors With Chef Todd Hogan

MORE ATHLETES WHO TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM

GO TO CHILDREN’S.

©2015 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved.

As the leader in pediatric sports medicine, we see and treat every type of injury. So if your child gets hurt, count on us to help him get back in the game. Learn more at choa.org/sportsmed.

CHILDREN’S AT FORSYTH - 410 PEACHTREE PKWY., CUMMING 2

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February•March 2015

“bringing care back to healthcare” We practice a wide range of medicine, so whether yours is an illness, chronic care or routine exam, we can help.

Physican Assistants Amy Burnham and Jaime Kutter with Dr. Jim Morrow

• State-of-the-art technology • Old-fashioned care • Same day appointments • Walk-ins welcome • Chronic disease management • Complete physicals • Care for acute illnesses • Cardiac stress testing

Call us today

770.781.8004 1400 Northside Forsyth Drive Suite 200 Cumming, GA 30041 (On the campus of Northside Hospital Forsyth)

www.morrowfammed.com

...the emphasis is on family!

February•March 2015

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E ditor

from the

W

e almost didn’t get this issue out in time. Deadline was creeping up just as the ice storm was rolling in, but we prevailed. What a relief. Starting a new magazine from scratch can be a daunting task. In fact, the month of February 2015 has been one of the most stressful in my life. But since putting the finishing touches on the final pages, I have been nothing but excited. There is so much going on in the North Atlanta metro at this point in history, and though we’re headquartered in Forsyth County, we get to bring you the stories that are accumulating off of all the exits of Georgia 400 North. In this, our inaugural issue, we take you to the men that are helping shape the future of development on this corridor. Wakefield Beasley and Associates, having just finished Phase 1 of The Avalon, is ready to take on the mixed-use development surrounding the new Braves Stadium – one they assure us will be the best in baseball.

Through these pages and our storytellers, you’ll see that this really is Atlanta’s platinum corridor. The high level of education, the quality of life, the diversity in business, all these things are coming together to make one of most impressive 30-mile radiuses in the country. This is “The Life – 400 North.”

—

Micah Green

Now is the time!

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February•March 2015

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4165 Old Milton Parkway, Suite 200 East, Alpharetta, GA 30005 THE LIFE 400 NORTH

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Contents 9

Teeing off in the Metro

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22

All in the Family The Lintz kids are snagging big roles on the big screen.

26

Wakefield Beasley & Associates The men behind The Avalon, Atlantic Station and the new Braves Village.

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Liquid Health Alternatives to coffee and soda.

Success STEMS from Knowledge Robotics team at Forsyth Central works in 3-D.

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From the Editor

4

Sports Gallery

16

Events 29

Grassroots Approach Interview with Branchwater Chef Todd Hogan.

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Pediatrics • Adult Dentistry • Orthodontics • Oral Surgery

Welcome to Your Dental Home

NOW OPEN AT AVALON www.johnscreekdentaltown.com Avalon

770-622-1515 5260 Avalon Blvd Alpharetta, GA 30009 The Collection At Forsyth

770-887-8807

410 Peachtree Pkwy • Bldg 400 Suite 4250 • Cumming, GA 30041 Johns Creek Dental Town

770-622-1515

4300 Johns Creek Pkwy Suite 100 • Suwanee, GA 30024

Off of 141 & McGinnis Ferry, Behind Kohls

Most Dental Insurance Plans Accepted

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Contributors Content Director

Micah Green mgreen@forsythnews.com 770-887-3126

Advertising

Ryan Garmon - Director rgarmon@forsythnews.com 770-205-8960 Cheri Boghos cboghos@forsythnews.com Connor Kelly ckelly@forsythnews.com

Thank You for voting us #1 in Forsyth!

A proud supporter of Forsyth County Schools.

Graphic Design Angie Decker

Copy Editor/Paginator Tracie Pike

Contributing Writers Kelly Whitmire Kayla Robins

Executive Staff

Publisher Vince Johnson vjohnson@forsythnews.com Editor Kevin Atwill katwill@forysthnews.com Circulation Director Lisa Salinas lsalinas@forsythnews.com Online Editor Jim Dean jdean@forsythnews.com

Call to schedule your complimentary vein screening

678-513-1600 Peter Wrobel, M.D.

Cumming 4415 Front Nine Dr. Ste. 600

www.NorthGeorgiaVein.com

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February•March 2015

TEEING OFF IN THE METRO Chestatee- Semi-Private www.chestateegolfclub.com Chestatee Golf Club is located only 20 minutes from Alpharetta on Ga. 400 in Dawsonville, Georgia and set among the North Georgia Mountains, along the shoreline of one of the most beautiful lakes in the Southeast, Lake Sidney Lanier. Golfers enjoy access to a pristine 18-hole championship golf course with brilliant water holes and vigorous mountain-like terrain. Designed by award-winning golf architect, Denis Griffiths, the golf course is one of the South’s most memorable and picturesque golfing experiences. 706-216-7336

Cobblestone- Public Course www.cobblestonegolf.com Located on the banks of Lake Acworth in Acworth, Georgia, Cobblestone Golf Course has been a long standing favorite for Metro-Atlanta Golfers. Owned by Cobb County and operated by Mosaic Clubs & Resorts, Cobblestone is one of the most popular and accessible public golf courses in the North Atlanta.

Cobblestone opened in 1993 and underwent a full renovation in 2010. Offering fantastic Champion Bermuda greens, white sand bunkers and a lakefront Ken Dye design, Cobblestone Golf Course has racked up the awards and accolades over the years. 770-917-5152

St. Marlo Country ClubSemi-Private www.stmarlo.com Enjoy one of Metro Atlanta’s best golf courses when you play St. Marlo Country Club. Located in Duluth, Georgia just off of McGinnis Ferry Road, lies a beautiful 18-hole golf club designed by Denis Griffiths. Enjoy artistic waterfalls, distinctive stone work, and beautiful hardwoods all designed to flow with the natural, rolling terrain of the land. When you enjoy St. Marlo Country Club you will experience a fair and exciting challenge on the course as well as the customer service you deserve. 770-495-7725 February•March 2015

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WAKEFIELD Story and photographs

by Micah Green

A

26-year-old Lamar Wakefield was about to take the Architecture Registration Exam for the first time.

Up to that point, it was the most significant test of his life.

All the years of schooling, all of the internships, seminars and the hours of studying lead up to this exam.

Yet, strangely, Wakefield was not worried one bit.

But it was hardly because he was confident.

“No one passes it on the first time, anyway,” he recalled.

Wakefield shouldn’t have even really

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Two of Atlanta’s very own ‘He does all the inside stuff, and he is so good at it; the details, that’s his thing’ Lamar Wakefield

been taking the exam this time.

He missed being eligible for the ARE in Georgia by about a month, but he was eager to get to work so he asked for a favor.

The late Rocky Rothschild, a partner in the Atlanta firm FABRAP - which was responsible for the iconic AT&T Headquarters in Midtown and the CocaCola Headquarters off North Avenue was the man who answered that call.

He wrote a letter for Wakefield asking that the state of Florida allow him to take the test in Tallahassee at Florida State University, and, of course, with Rothschild being who he was, the state obliged.

So Wakefield made the trek to Tallahassee and started prepping for

February•March 2015

BEASLEY are building the metro’s future. the five-day exam.

“And, long story, short, I passed it,” he said. “It was hilarious to me; I honestly thought they had to have curved it.”

At the time, Wakefield knew one other person who had passed the exam the first time around: John Beasley.

Today, those two men, both Atlanta natives, are heading up some of the city’s – and the world’s - biggest developments together. In May, Wakefield Beasley and Associates will celebrate its 35th anniversary.

“I think anniversary is an appropriate term too,” Beasley said. “In a lot of ways, two people starting a business together is like a marriage.

February•March 2015

‘He is the rainmaker, he is out there selling Wakefield Beasley everyday’ John Beasley

“I guess the only difference would be that in 35 years of business, we have only had maybe five cross words between the two of us.”

The dichotomy between Wakefield and Beasley is immediately apparent when you meet the two men. They both understand each other’s strengths and operate their business to fit them.

“Lamar has got his foot on the gas, and I have my foot on the brake,” Beasley laughed. “He is the rainmaker.

He is out there selling Wakefield Beasley everyday … I am thinking about clauses and contracts and fees.”

Wakefield said Beasley fits a role that he just can’t fill.

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“He does all the inside stuff, and he is so good at it,” he said. “The details, that’s his thing.”

Whatever they are doing is working.

Wakefield Beasley & Associates has been headquartered in Atlanta since 1980, but the reach of the company is global. With offices in Jacksonville, Florida, Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, Panama City, Panama and Shanghai, WBA has a portfolio that could rival any firm in the country.

And in Atlanta, there is almost no firm hotter than WBA, especially when it comes to mixed-use live, work, play developments.

With projects like the Atlantic Station remodel, The Avalon in Alpharetta and the mixed-use area surrounding the new Braves stadium in Cobb County, WBA is in high-demand.

“We have left a footprint, clearly,” Wakefield said. “And because of projects like (The Avalon) and Atlantic Station, we are in the conversation of most mixed-use deals in America.”

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Mixed-use projects aren’t anything new, but demand for these type projects has skyrocketed recently, partly because of the increase in land prices. Beasley doesn’t see the demand dwindling anytime soon, either.

“Malls are done for,” he said. “This trend is so strong, I see it sticking around for the foreseeable future.”

According to Wakefield,

‘We have left a footprint, clearly.’

Lamar Wakefield

mixed-use development isn’t about leasing the space, it’s about merchandizing it, and extending “dwell” time, something malls and shopping centers struggle with.

“If you can’t extend dwell time through some kind of experience so that you are promoting cross shopping up and down this avenue, then these retailers can’t make it,” Wakefield said, referring to The Avalon.

“Especially the food and beverage, they just can’t do it.”

Combining live, play and work aspects into one mixed-use component means that when the office guy leaves at 5:30 p.m., that apartment resident is showing up at 6:00 p.m., and you’re energizing your space for 16 to 18 hours a day.

It all has to be demographic driven, though. Most retailers, when looking at moving into a space, look at three-mile, five-mile or tenmile radius demographics.

“We aren’t the wealthiest 3-mile or 5-mile radius, but that 20-mile circle is the wealthiest in America,” February•March 2015

Wakefield said. “One of the hardest things to do is just getting kids to work here. They simply don’t need the money.”

The retailers at The Avalon, which still has an entirely new phase to complete this summer, know that their demographic is willing to drive all the way to Lenox or Phipps to shop, so giving them an option in their backyard is a no-brainer.

The work being done to widen 400 is vital.

Wakefield said that with nearly 80,000 high tech jobs in North Fulton, the goal now is to figure out how to get the kids that are reverse commuting

from the city to relocate to the suburbs where they work.

“Our biggest problem up here is obviously infrastructure,” he said. “It’s just as bad going north on 400 as it is south now.”

So how do you convince millennials to stay here?

“Well, you build this, The Avalon,” he said. “There is no better corridor than the platinum corridor of 400 North,” he said. “Value, education - all the things that you think about where business and industry want to locate. It really does compete with most places in the U.S.” As for the mixed-use component sur-

rounding the new Braves stadium, both men skirted the details due to client agreements, but did say that it’s an incredibly remarkable project with great leadership. “[The Braves] are very much pushing to have the very finest mixed-use successful deal in the country,” Wakefield said. “Outside of the Braves 81 home games a year, we’ll have an entertainment venue and just a very successful village, that would simply have the Braves as a lead tenant.”

“Of course, we all hope it’s more than 81 games, right?”

A true Atlantan.

Renderings submitted by WBA February•March 2015

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Success STEMS from knowledge

Program at Central boasts 3-D printer, other tech tools Story by Kelly Whitmire Photographs by Micah Green

A

s engineering careers continue to develop new technology, David Johnson wants to ensure Forsyth Central High School students are prepared for those jobs.

Johnson teaches engineering as part of the Cumming school’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, Academy. He also serves as adviser for the school’s Robotics Club.

According to Johnson, his students have access to some of the best technology

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3-D models made by Forsyth Central students.

and expertise in the area.

“But it’s a lot of fun. There are some amazingly talented, very creative and resourceful students and we have a phenomenal group of industry mentors and partners that come in and help the students understand particular

area of expertise that may not be my area of expertise,” Johnson said.

Students can go from a novice to building things that would have been considered science fiction not too long ago.

“They have to start with

baby steps. When they come through the door, some of them don’t even know how to measure as a ninth grader,” Johnson said. “To go from there to building robots and electric cars, it’s a four-year journey.”

Along with mentors, engineering students also have access to some of the best technology, including 3-D printers.

“The 3-D printer is amazing technology that allows the kids to produce threedimensional prototypes of their design,” Johnson said.

“So instead of just being able to design it in the computer and look at a two-dimension technical drawing … they’re actually able to prototype working models.”

February•March 2015

Chad Vranich, president of because of the disDigital Media Inc., is one of tance,” said Drew the mentors Johnson brings in McClain, a senior to share expertise with students. planning to study “This particular technology mechanical engihas been around for a long neering at Virginia time, but it’s so expensive that it Tech. just now is becoming reason“We also made able,” Vranich said. “This is these 3-D printed $50,000, but that’s cheap. Eight bearings for our years ago, this was $300,000 spring mechanism, and it wasn’t nearly as good.” so when this is Central students have access Teacher David Johnson speaks with students after school. down it actually to three different machines, helps it go up. You each of which prints with different materials. One printer can’t buy anything like this, and it gives us a lot of different uses acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, the same plastic used in things we can do.”

LEGO blocks, while another uses gypsum, a material similar Johnson said the students have made presentations to to drywall. various groups around town, and that he wants to equip them “There isn’t a 3-D printer that does everything,” Vranich with the experience to be successful. said. “When you hear about them 3-D printing tissue or “We work with the [Cumming-Forsyth County] Chamber 3-D printing cake, it’s always a different machine.” of Commerce. We’ve presented to them and to the local All around the classroom at Central sit chess pi eces, Optimist Club and to the Rotary Clubs around town to mugs and shoe models designed and printed by students. make sure that they’re aware of the preparations that these Included are parts for the robotics club’s FIRST Robotics kids are getting to be tomorrow’s work force,” Johnson said.

Competition entry, a 120-pound robot that lifts and stacks “[We’re] prepping these kids with the skills and thought totes using a chain mechanism, electronics and 3-D parts. process to be the problem solvers of tomorrow. They are “[The part goes] between our chain and our slide, already becoming valuable employees for these local combecause otherwise you couldn’t hold this against the chain panies.”

Because of

DANCE she will grow up with

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CummingDanceAcademy.com February•March 2015

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Sports on 400 North

Our favorite portraits of some of the area’s most talented athletes.

Photographs by Micah Green

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February•March 2015

Left: Lochlain Corliss, point guard, North Forsyth High School; Top: Blake Atmore, swimmer, South Forsyth High School; Bottom (L-R): Eric Furphy, Tucker Maxwell, Seth Beer, Jeremy Johnson, JD Dutka, baseball, Lambert High School.

Branchwater Chef Todd Hogan Cooking up a lifestyle through grassroots Story and photographs by Micah Green

W

alking through the double doors of Branchwater in Vickery Village, I see owner and operator Chef Todd Hogan chatting with a visitor whose son, I later find out, had just signed to play football at Georgia Southern University.

They talk for a good five or 10 minutes before Hogan notices me.

I don’t mind, though. Witnessing that genuine encounter showed me an intimate side to Hogan.

One that I would soon learn has been key to his success.

Hogan knows the food industry, inside and out. There’s no question. After graduating from

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Johnson & Wales, the Duluth native helped develop and jumpstart high-end restaurants across the country. From Miami to Dallas to New York, he is well traveled.

“Restaurants would recruit me,” Hogan explained. “Your name gets out there, write-ups in publications, people ask if you would be interested in consulting, and it goes from that to would you consider taking on the project.

“I was never a partner, I was kind of a hired gun,” Hogan said.

“I would come in, establish the menu, establish the recipes, train the staff. By the end of 12 months, I was ready to move on usually.

Like, OK, where’s the next party?”

Hogan is a member and recurring February•March 2015

guest chef of the illustrious James Beard Foundation, a Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award recipient, and has also appeared numerous times as a guest chef on the Food Network.

Despite the industry notoriety, and all the experience, even the most talented and vetted chef can flounder trying to open a restaurant over which he has complete creative control. When it comes to the bottom line, stubbornness can quickly override skill in the kitchen.

If a chef refuses to tailor a menu towards his customer base, then it’s going to be hard to keep people coming back.

Hogan, who also runs a catering company and previously owned other restaurants along the Ga. 400 corridor, nearly experienced this first hand with Branchwater, and he’s not ashamed to admit it.

When he opened Branchwater in June 2013, Hogan began with a much more expensive, gourmet menu.

“It was almost the kiss of death,” he said. “So we had to start literally asking our customers what they wanted to see.”

What they found out was simple.

Customers loved the food, and the atmosphere for “date night” dinner was on point.

“But a lot of people also wanted a

place they could grab a beer and a burger on the weeknights and maybe just watch a game,” Hogan said.

After that, once a month, he and his staff would make minor changes to the menu. This continued for a few months until they felt as if they had come to a sweet spot. Meaning, the identity of Branchwater as a steak and seafood restaurant remained, but a new face had formed. One that made it more accessible, more neighborly.

“If we would have opened with our current menu, we would have knocked it out of the park since day one,” Hogan said. “But I also wouldn’t have gotten to meet the people that I have met and forged the friendships I have.”

And those friendships have led to countless others, as well as a grass-roots marketing campaign.

Regardless of

whether he liked it (he did), the name Branchwater was becoming known in the neighborhoods that dot western Forsyth County.

That word of mouth has been a huge part of the restaurant’s success. But it’s the people who work beside him there, including his wife Lauren Carol, that Hogan considers the crux to that success.

If his customers are his friends, then his nearly 20 employees are his extended family. And Hogan tries to stay away from the term employee, anyway.

“I’ve got guys that have been working for me for 10, 11, 12, 13 years,” he said. “I had one guy that just left who was with me for 21 years.”

Even on the weekends, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to run into Hogan as he passes from the bar to the kitchen.

“I like to stay sharp,” he said.

“Plus, it shows everyone working. I think anyway, that I am a part of the family, and they are a part of my family, that we are interchangeable.”

BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR SOME OF CHEF HOGAN’S SPRING INGREDIENTS

• • •

Pork Belly Chiles Diver Scallops

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• • •

Tri-tip Sweet Peppers Feta

• • •

Spanish Chorizo Humbolt Fog Manchego Grits THE LIFE 400 NORTH

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All in the family

Two south Forsyth parents are raising four child actors. Not considering some inevitable rejection, they’re learning how to adapt in life and in roles. It can be hectic. They love it.

Story by Kayla Robins / Photographs by Micah Green

M

ackenzie, Madi, Matt, Macsen and parents Marc and Kelly – no, that trend is not an accident – spend a lot of time in one room downstairs. There’s not much in it. It can’t be more than 12-by-12. There’s the one blue wall that plays background to their audition tapes. Two lights. One stool. A chair.

There’s the carpet that maybe used to be a light tan that they won’t replace for fear of messing with its mojo. On it sits a “magic board” Marc and Kelly hold

up when someone can’t remember their lines.

Walls throughout the rest of the house are plastered with headshots, cast photos and posters of movies and TV shows the four siblings have worked in.

The house from the driveway looks like many other houses in south Forsyth.

Multi-story, nice neighborhood, a backyard on an incline. But maybe that’s why they like it.

The Life sat down with the Lintz family to talk about their life as actors, their favorite roles and why they love Forsyth County.

For interview see pages 24 & 25

Roll Credits Mackenzie, 18 -

The Hunger Games (2012) Under The Dome (2013) Drop Dead Diva (2011)

Madi, 15

The Walking Dead (2010) After (2012) Nashville (2012) Parental Guidance (2012) Bosch (2015)

Matt, 13

Halloween II (2009) What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012) Sleepy Hollow (2013) Kill the Messenger (2014) Pixels* (2015)

Macsen, 9

Hall Pass (2011) What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012) Scary Movie 5 (2013) Grudge Match (2013) Project Almanac (2014)

The Life: So tell us a little about your family and how everyone got into acting.

Kelly: I’ve been doing it forever. I have a degree in performing and worked at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater in central Florida after school. I actually didn’t think Mackenzie would go into it because she always preferred sports. The middle two worked with me when I had roles. There’d be people playing kids, and at a point it was like, Mom, we’re here.

Macsen is actually a funny story. I was going over lines with Matt for an audition, and he started saying the lines along with him. Matt got upset and screamed, “Be quiet!” So I ended up taping an audition for him, too.

The Life: Does it help that you’re an entire family of actors?

Madi: It stands out, but not as much as you would think.

Marc: She used to be recognized a few times when she was on “The Walking Dead,” but those fans are crazy. She would have fans waiting for her at the airport.

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Madi: Yah, OK, Dad [laughs]. That happened once or twice.

Mackenzie: Sometimes it really just depends. I get recognized more when I straighten my hair because my character on “Under the Dome” has straight hair. Or at the Cracker Barrel in Wilmington [N.C.]. I’ve gone there multiple times and someone will be like, “Hey, it’s Norrie!”

The Life: How do you keep up with class when you’re filming?

Madi: It ends up being that I spend a lot of afternoons catching up on assignments. We have tutors on set, but a lot of people are homeschooled.

The Life: Right, I was going to ask if you are homeschooled.

Kelly: I used to homeschool them.

I’m a big believer in it. [Now they go to a private Christian academy.]

Mackenzie: I’ve been doing distance learning at Auburn, and that’s been the hardest part. It’s hard when you have a job you’re working 10 hours a day, then you have all this other work to do. But it’s just like I have to get it done.

Marc: They’re supposed to do three hours of school a day. We’ve never had a problem with it because they’ve learned time management.

The Life: So what’s each of your favorite roles?

Matt: Definitely “Pixels.”

The Life: Why? Matt: We filmed in Toronto, which was really cool. It’s with Adam Sandler and Josh Gad, who was Olaf [in “Frozen”]. They’re just all really nice.

Kelly: And Peter Dinklage [from “Game of Thrones”]. Meeting Adam Sandler.

Marc: That’s a story by itself. It could take pages. For another time.

Matt: There’s a story on that?

Marc: [laughs] No, not yet.

Madi: Mine was “The Walking Dead.” It was just really cool seeing how everything was set up. It’s like its own world. You’d be walking around on the set during lunch, and you’d be like, oh, there’s a zombie eating lunch.

Kelly: I think especially with the original cast, we knew it was going to be something special from the begin-

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ning, but maybe we didn’t know just how big it would be.

The Life: How long did your makeup take?

Madi: Two hours.

Kelly: But even before that [final day being a zombie], it was great because we would purposely have her not shower or look nice because we knew however she showed up they were just going to make her dirtier.

Mackenzie: I’m going to cheat because I have two. “The Hunger Games” was my favorite book series at the time, and I really wanted to audition. It’d be something like being in the Harry Potter films. Like being on set was like jumping into the pages of my favorite book. But also “Under the Dome” because I’ve had the chance to really work on something and go through the story, and creating Norrie as a character has been a real privilege to me.

Kelly: Mac, what about you? He’s the only one I forced into acting. He wants to be a [football] kicker. But his problem is he’s really good.

Marc: Was it “Hall Pass”?

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Macsen: Yah, “Hall Pass” with Owen Wilson because it was really funny.

The Life: So does everyone want to continue acting?

Mackenzie, Madi and Matt: [nods] Macsen: [Sits with one shoe off] Kelly: I’ve always said it’s a commitment. Like being on a sports team.

Once they’re 18, they can decide, and if they want to do something else, well frankly I would prefer it. But this is what I know how to train them in.

Marc: There are so many things this can branch into. Mackenzie is studying communications; she’s maybe interested in broadcast journalism. It’s good to get you prepared to be professional.

The Life: What do you like about living in Georgia, in Forsyth County?

Matt: Pilot season can be heartbreaking.

Mackenzie: Yah, definitely. I mean, even when you’re just auditioning you spend so much time

on it you have to attach yourself to the character a little. And you may not even get it. A lot of times you don’t. Forsyth County is a good place to live because I have my school friends, my sports friends, and maybe a couple acting friends. In LA, all they have is acting friends. It can be overwhelming and kind of crushing.

Matt: I like that you can come back here. It renews your spirit.

Marc: I didn’t realize how much time I would have with my family.

As a real estate agent, I would work until 6, come home for dinner and they’re in bed by 8. There’s always time to sell real estate.

They’re only 0-18 for so long.

Kelly: I traveled 10 months out of last year between being with them all. It’s looking like the same this year. The most common question I get is how do you do it? I can do it because Marc stays with the other kids. We’re what I call working class actors. We do a lot of work, but we’re not in the spotlight getting those huge superstar roles.

Yet.

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L IQ UI D HEALTH These recipes and businesses promote different items, but they all aim for the same goal. We can drink our nutrients, and it doesn’t have to take away time from our busy days.

Story by Kayla Robins Photographs by Micah Green

W

e see trends come and go. That’s the nature of a trend.

Interest peaks when it reaches a frenzy before leveling out, making room for the next big thing. One trend that hasn’t seemed to go away, however, is healthy eats.

While the pinpoints may land on myriad options to stay healthy — eat kale, don’t eat kale; soy is great, soy is awful; vegan; Paleo; detox — those in the craze may agree that healthy options, overall, are here to stay.

But there’s just one problem — not everyone has time to meal prep every week or stand in front of a Vitamix for hours. So here are some on-the-go options for those of us who want to be healthy. Now.

Detox with infused water

Some call it sassy water. Others call it detox infusions. Whatever the name, it tastes great.

Just by soaking some fresh ingredients in water overnight or even for a

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few hours, you’ll get naturally flavored water packed with taste that doesn’t have all those added ingredients and sugars from energy drinks, soda and processed juices.

These recipes are so simple, you may want to experiment some, but here are two never-fail concoctions.

Cucumber-lemon water Ingredients -1 liter water -½ medium cucumber -¾ lemon -3 sprigs mint leaves

Strawberry-lime water Ingredients - 1 liter water - ½ medium cucumber - 2 limes - 1 cup strawberries - 10 mint leaves quartered

Directions

Slice cucumber and lemon thinly.

Think sandwich slices, maybe ¼ inch.

Put ingredients into a liter container

and pour water over them. Let sit overnight or for a few hours. Serve chilled with ice.

Tip: Adjust the amounts of each ingredient. For example, if you want water that is less tangy, add more strawberries for a natural sweetener. For a cleaner taste, add more cucumbers over lemons.

Where to get the goods

The produce matters. You’ll be able to taste the difference in freshness between average produce and fresh, organic or local ingredients.

You may already have a farmers market or favorite store, but Sprouts Farmers Market is a little of both, and it has a lot to offer.

The company recently opened a location in Cumming’s Lakeland Plaza and also has set up shop in Johns Creek on Peachtree Parkway.

Sprouts’ produce is always new and fresh, so your water will taste equally as so if the ingredients come from there.

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If you don’t want to buy a bunch of produce, go back home and make water, juice or smoothie, why not just take a trip to the store?

Juices can benefit almost any part of the body. Drinking fruits and vegetables in liquid form allows you to absorb highly concentrated nutrients efficiently.

Sprouts squeezes fresh — that word keeps popping up, but it’s true — juice daily. How fresh?

The orange juice tastes like liquid orange, tangy and sweet, not like an orange-flavored beverage.

Nothing added, nothing taken away.

And there are four mixes to choose from.

Ingredients include the basics like apples and carrots, as well as the trendy but now common additions like parsley, kale, ginger and celery.

Caribbean vibes

Here’s a dilemma. You want to do a juice cleanse, as you’ve heard the buzz. It’s supposed to help with a flatter belly, renew the liver, rid the body of toxins and stress.

But does it work? You don’t want to spend all that time juicing hordes of produce.

Godfrey Lewis opened Avocado Vegan Café & Juice Bar about 11 months ago in Alpharetta, and he offers almost any type of healthy dish imaginable. All with a Caribbean flair.

Lewis said he was always NEWin “health and interested healing through food,” but that was hard to maximize as a software engineering manager.

“It wasn’t that I was dissatisfied with what I was doing,” he said. “I was dissatisfied with what I wasn’t doing.”

The Jamaican-born health guru took the leap of faith with his café on State Bridge

Morning “Glowry” and Everyday Green.

Lewis even offers a juice cleanse program. For $36 a day, he’ll prepare six juices to replace all your meals. He’ll even recommend the optimal order in which to drink them.

So take your pick: water, juice, smoothie. All can be taken or grabbed on the go, and none sacrifice taste for health.

Lanier Place

Lanier Place, our senior living community, is known for being warm, inviting, and active. We develop individual care plans to meet the needs of each resident, and a full-time registered nurse is available 24 hours a day to provide clinical oversight and coordination of care.

Our residents engage in a variety of activities, such as Tuxedoz & Suitz tai chi, bingo, pool, cards and board games, and yoga.

We also offer four church services per week, weekly performances by musical groups, and shopping, dining, and entertainment outings. For senior living in Cumming, Tuxedos & Suits Georgia, schedule a visit at Lanier Place today.

Regular & Slim Fitz Care Levels

Thanks for voting us #1 Fitz

Road, pressing the idea that vegan food can taste delicious.

The menu boasts an array of Caribbean-influenced meals, but the smoothies — try the post-workout mix with bananas, dates, oats, cinnamon, chia seeds, vanilla extract and almond butter — and the juices are where it’s at if you’re low on time but high on health.

Among the juice favorites are the Metabolism Booster,

W Tuxedo T

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Call (770) 888-1114 for more information or to schedule a tour THE LIFE 400 NORTH

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We Want to be Your Family’s Medical Care Provider.

Family Practice • Pediatrics • Obstetrics • Prenatal Care • Pharmacy On-site Laboratory Services On-Site Certified Application Counselors for the Health Insurance Marketplace *We accept Medicare, Medicaid, and most Major Insurance Sliding Fee Scale Program*

If you would like to request an appointment with any of our wonderful providers, or would like more information on our programs and services, please call (770)887-1668 or send us an email at info@ghms-inc.org. Serving Forsyth and surrounding counties since 1979, GHMS is open to anyone; regardless of income, insurance status, or language spoken. New patients are always welcome to our practice.

Locations

www.ghms-inc.org

GHMS-Cumming Family Medical Center 260 Elm Street, Cumming, GA 30040 770.887.1668

GHMS-Canton Family Health Center 220 Oakside Lane, Canton, GA 30114 678.807.1050

GHMS-Bartow Family Health Center 475 West Avenue, Ste A, Cartersville, GA 30120 470.315.4689

Monday-Wednesday: 8:00 am-5:30 pm Thursday: 8:00 am-7:30 pm Friday 8:00 am – 12 pm, Saturday: 9 am-1 pm

Monday-Wednesday: 8:00 am-5:30 pm

Monday-Wednesday: 8:00 am-5:30 pm

Thursday: 10:00 am-7:30 pm, Friday 8:00 am-12 pm

Thursday: 10:00 am-7:30 pm Friday 8:00 am-12 pm

EVENTS

• “SMASHED LANDSCAPES”

@ Beep Beep Gallery

Beep Beep Gallery is proud to present new work by Atlanta based artist Steve Pomberg. His abstract work combines bright color-fields and simple precise geometric shapes to convey abstracted landscapes and objects. “Smashed Landscapes” continues through March 28.

Phone: 404-429-3320

• Art in Bloom

@ High Museum of Art February 27 - March 1 will be a three-day celebration featuring exotic and imaginative floral interpretations of select work from the High Museum of Art’s permanent collection.

Phone: 404-733-4444 February•March 2015

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• Ringling Bros.

EVENTS

and Barnum & Bailey Presents LEGENDS In an all-new show, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents LEGENDS unveils the unbelievable to Children Of All Ages™.

Experience epic family fun as legendary circus artists from around the globe perform awe-inspiring feats of daring, spectacles of strength and thrills of wonder to summon the mythical and the mysterious visions that have only existed in your imagination until now. Join us for an unforgettable family night of legendary proportions at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents LEGENDS at The Arena at Gwinnett Center, February 19 – March 1.

Phone: 770-813-7600

North Cumming Dentistry Welcoming Smiles and Compassionate Care

FREE TEETH BLEACHING With Adult Exam and Cleaning

• • • • •

Most Insurances Accepted Emergencies & Dental Anxious patients welcomed Full Dental Services provided Weekend & Evening Appointments Accept Medicaid Kids & Adults

Dr. Farid Moghaddam, D.M.D.

New Patients Welcome

1715 Friendship Circle | Suite 100 | Cumming, GA 30028

470-253-7349 30

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(678) 947-4040

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February•March 2015