Grandeur Magazine December 2020 by Grandeur Magazine

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| STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS |

CELEBRATING THE GOOD LIFE IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

VOLUME 17, NUMBER 3 | PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Editor | General Manager Art Director Associate Editor Production Director Contributing writers Contributing photographers

Kathryn Robinson Kinsey, kkinsey@gannett.com Lindi Daywalt-Feazel, ldaywalt@gannett.com Pamela Hayford, phayford@gannett.com Dennis Wright, drwright@gannett.com Gina Birch, Anne Reed, Lance Shearer, Andrea Stetson, Jennifer Thomas, Jon Austria, Alex Driehaus, Amanda Inscore, Andrea Melendez, Ricardo Rolon, Andrew West

William R. Barker Shawna Devlin Robin Calabrese Karin Doty

Regional VP, Sales VP, Sales Manager Sales / Naples Manager Sales / Fort Myers

Director Circulation Distribution Jim Keeble Distribution Manager Greg Fyvie Distribution Services Asst. Eileen Serrano

6 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

ON THE COVER

Holidays bring out our generous spirit, a time when we want to show our appreciation for all the wonderful people in our lives. We’ve got ideas for you starting on page 27. ILLSUTRATION GETTY IMAGES

Grandeur is published 8 times a year by The News-Press, a Gannett company. Complimentary copies are home delivered to News-Press subscribers in select neighborhoods throughout Lee and Collier counties. Copies are also inserted into Sunday editions of The News-Press in Collier County – in newsstands only. Subscriptions to the magazine are $24.95, and single copies are available at the News-Press offices and at various locations throughout Lee and Collier counties. To read the free e-edition visit grandeurmagazine.com. To advertise: 239-335-0457 To subscribe: 239-335-0211 To reach the editor: editor@grandeurmagazine.com

| INSIDE |

DECEMBER 2020

CONTENTS 14 FACES

LARC Development Director Angela Katz talks about a lifetime of work with nonprofits. Then Jim Rice, of Jim Rice fish fame, talks about his artwork and the studio that’s launched numerous great artists.

18 MODEL BEHAVIOR

The Monterey model home at Talis Park in Naples sports a wide array of luxury options and design, including a grand piano in the foyer.

27 COVER STORY

Our 2020 holiday gift guide covers a wide variety of tastes, from great glam to foodie must-haves. There’s even something for the high-tech genius who has everything.

52 GRAND RIDE

Steve Regester has a thing for classic English roadsters, like his Jaguar XKE, dubbed by Enzo Ferrari as the “most beautiful car ever made.”

56 PETS

Bentley the Doberman is as sophisticated as the car he’s named after. He trains and works every day with his peeps, Marilynn Katatsky and Rick Kaufmann.

68 MAKE IT A DOUBLE

Psst... We know a best kept secret, where one can get top-notch craft cocktails while keeping social distance. LYNQ offers both an impressive drink menu and a spacious indoor/outdoor bar.

ALSO INSIDE 10 Editor’s Letter 12 The Colors Pages 22 Dining 40 Style

42 50 64 68

Getaway Wine & Spirits Open Door Make it a Double

52 GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 7

| ONLINE |

Creating a Path to a Brighter Future, One Child at a Time

You can explore the Grand life anywhere you go with our mobile-friendly website. From galas and fine dining to the amazing homes of Southwest Florida.

Child's Path is a local nonprofit organization that gives underserved young children scholarships so they have access to high-quality early education and care.

Will you join with Child's Path to break the cycle of poverty at one of its roots?

TOP HOLIDAY EVENTS IN SWFL N

After the year weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just had, we could all use some fun and merriment. Preferably involving bells, snowmen and a jolly old elf. Visit grandeurmagazine.com for all the biggest events.

Research indicates that at-risk children who receive high-quality early education are exponentially more likely to graduate high-school, attend college, own a home and enjoy higher wages later in life.

Our Annual Impact 300 children served 85,000 free meals 4 Centers in Collier County $375,000 in scholarships

Discover how you can help Website: www.childspath.org Email: info@childspath.org Phone: (239) 643-3908 8 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

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| EDITOR'S LETTER |

’ve been mulling this over for weeks, knowing that I would need to face this deadline and say it: that resonating, final farewell. I will be moving on to new opportunities and leaving after this issue. Looking through my past Editor’s Letters, I noticed I’ve written about goodbyes — in some capacity — a few times. When I said goodbye to the seasonal visitors heading home and giving us back our roads, restaurants and sanity. When I said goodbye to my former life as a mother to small children, I wrote about new beginnings. When I moved out of my historic home, I wrote a farewell to the breathtaking waterfront views I enjoyed. This is different; I’m saying farewell to you. As an original member of the Grandeur staff, I’ve taken pride in each role I’ve played during this long journey. From sales champion, to production manager and then back to my editorial roots as editor these past five years. Each of these positions has been both challenging and exciting. I’ve also learned about what our readers care most about: art, style, dining, the environment, charities, culture … about life. My varying positions have humbled and amazed me, allowing me to share stories and photography in print, on grandeurmagazine.com, on Facebook and Instagram. And like other Grandeur staffers before me, I will take my own collection of past issues that will serve as reminders to the work we’ve done these past 17 years. With every page I will think of my dedicated team. Through lots of laughter, absolute anxiety of production deadlines and pride we each have felt as we released that last page to the printer. I will never forget them. They will also preserve the memories of sharing stories about my loving family and my milestones with readers, moments that have shaped my life during this time. This editor’s letter is for you. I’m tremendously thankful to have spent my career as a part of this team. Here’s to you. Here’s to them. Here’s to what’s coming next.

PHOTO BY BRIAN TIETZ

10 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

KATHRYN ROBINSON KINSEY EDITOR & GENERAL MANAGER

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| THE COLOR PAGES |

Elegance

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• Swaddle your AirPods in luxury with the Saint Laurent case in smooth calfskin leather. A silver-toned keychain loop keeps it handy, and a snap-button closure keeps it secure. $295 at ysl.com.

BLACK+WHITE This visual combo elicits images of sophistication and opulence. Black tie galas. Diamond-draped necklines. It

Crystal kicks • The

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also suggests simplicity, be it an elegant necklace or a vintage movie. It can play a supporting role, allowing bright stars to pop against rich backgrounds. However, today, here and now, these black-and-white f inds play the prominent role. — PAMELA HAYFORD

The star of comfort

• It’s easy to relax in this baby-soft loungewear set. Plus, just below the elastic drawstring waist … pockets. Zip-up hoodie $95, joggers $83 at Jennifer’s in The Design Center, Fort Myers, jennifersfortmyers.com.

12 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| THE COLOR PAGES |

Stealth mode • Mercedes-Benz calls this special model “Stealth Edition” but we don’t think anyone can go unnoticed in

this baby. Its sleek but powerful lines are sure to turn heads. The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT coupe and roadster come with enhancements to speed, performance and other features. MSRP to be announced. Availability expected in early 2021. mbusa.com.

Sky’s the limit •

Coffee kettle

Reach for the clouds. The extralarge Cloud clutch by Balenciaga features croc-embossed leather and an adjustable, removable crossbody strap. $1,350 at Saks Fifth Avenue, saksfifthavenue.com.

Friends forever •

This 688-page ode to our relationship with dogs features works by Elliott Erwitt, William Wegman, Man Ray, Eric Fischl, Vincent Versace and many more. “The Dog in Photography: 1839-Today” by Raymond Merritt, $20 at Barnes & Noble, barnesandnoble.com.

• Get the water temperature just right for that perfect cup of pour-over coffee with the Stagg EKG electric pour over kettle with variable temperature control. $149 at Nordstrom, nordstrom.com.

Royal flush •

Step up your poker game with Louis Vuitton playing cards and pouch Arsène. Call for inquiry or check availability in stores at louisvuitton. com.

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 13

| FACES |

STORY BY ANNE REED | PHOTOS BY AMANDA INSCORE

GROWING A

GIVING

SPIRIT From a long line of Southwest Floridians, LARC Development Director Angela Katz has dedicated her life to helping nonprofits.

he holiday season inspires the spirit of giving, spurring people to donate a little extra money or time to charities and nonprofits. When that giving spirit is strengthened and nurtured from the very start, embedded in the roots of someone’s being, it grows and blooms into a person who gives their time and talents year-round. Angela Katz’s spiritual roots don’t just run deep; they’ve been growing in the soil of Fort Myers for five generations. Prior to the construction of the Sanibel Causeway, the Kinzies owned and operated three ferry boats — the Islander, the Best and the Rebel — that transported people, cars, freight and supplies from Punta Rassa to Sanibel. They also delivered mail to Sanibel, Captiva and other islands and owned two steamers — the Dixie and the Gladys — that took people and supplies up the Caloosahatchee River. For over a century, the Kinzie family has owned and lived on 36 acres near downtown. “My great grandparents grew roses and the property was known as Kinzie’s Rose Gardens,” Angela recalls. “It was beautiful. They never reopened the gardens after Hurricane Donna but continued growing roses for their florist until the 1970s.” The family transitioned to growing mostly palms as part of a wholesale plant nursery, which continues today. “I stayed in Fort Myers my whole life, and I’m proud,” Angela says. A graduate of Fort Myers High School, she studied fashion merchandising at Florida Business Academy

14 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| FACES |

before starting a family. While raising her three daughters from her first marriage, Angela worked 17 years as a regional vice president for a candle company, working on national projects and leading a sales team of over 300 consultants. She became a professional multitasker, a skill that would come in handy when she retired in 2011 and started on the nonprofit path. Her husband, Lenny, volunteered a lot; it was part of their family culture. When she was still with the candle company, Angela and her team volunteered to prepare meals once a month at Ronald McDonald House. An opportunity there opened as a part-time event coordinator and she applied. Angela pursued and received her certification in fundraising management from Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. That, combined with her degree in business management from the Florida Career Institute (now Southern Technical College), helped prepare her for the job, which led to a full-time position as development director. “I was with the Ronald McDonald House for four years,” Angela says. “Leading a sales team was all about building relationships. Moving to the director of development was a natural transition because it is all about building relationships and connecting people to your organization.” After four years, she left Ronald McDonald House Charities and started consulting for nonprofits. Many couldn’t afford full-time development directors. “I was at a point in my life where I felt like I was ready to help other nonprofits,” she says. “Oftentimes, when you are working with just one, you can’t necessarily help others the way you’d like to.” Her consulting contracts included assisting with fundraising events and completing fundraising audits, where she would dissect the nonprofit’s fundraising strategy and look for things that did really well and try to find things that could be modified and enhanced. “I really tried to teach nonprofits how to diversify their revenue streams,” she says. Which led her to LARC Inc., a nonprofit established in Lee County that works with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families to help them achieve their full potential. Angela started first as a consultant for special events and fundraising, then transitioned to a staff position in 2016 as the development and communications director. “My heart was so called to say yes,” she explains, but she struggled with the idea of only helping one nonprofit, when she had been helping many in her consulting role. “Sometimes in life we have to silence ourselves, and just listen and really think on what that next step in your journey will be. I really believed that this population didn’t really have a voice in our community like they’d had so long ago.” LARC was started in 1954 by families who had children who were not allowed to go to school because they were differently abled. Their families went to the school board and requested a school.

“The superintendent said, well, I’ll give you a teacher, but you have to find your own place,” Angela explains. “Nobody had really been a voice for LARC for so long that I felt that, well, I’d do this for a couple of years, then turn it over to someone else and go back to consulting.” Four years later, she is still with LARC and has built a program that, like her family’s ferries and nursery, has woven her name into the community in a way that will have impacts for decades to come — the creation of learning labs at LARC. “In early 2019, we started pulling data from the school district, and there were over 3,700 students in the Lee County School District with cognitive disabilities,” Angela says, noting that the number is likely higher as it does not account for private schools or home school. “We asked ourselves, how do we prepare for future generations like the families did in 1954?” Vocational training was an established program, dating back to the 1960s, and something that LARC was doing well, but Angela looked at all the skillsets needed to train, teach and support students to maximize their employment opportunities. The result was LAB — Learn, Achieve, Become — a program that consists of five labs that build on each other and are designed to enhance the skills needed to maximize students’ independence and employment success. The lab for living is a mock studio apartment that teaches life skills that students need to live on their own or help with an aging caregiver. It teaches skills like laundry, folding towels, stripping and making a bed, which can lead to employment in hospitality. The smart living lab is technology-based. “If we do not teach this population how to thrive with technology, they will get left behind,” Angela notes. The LARC campus has 60 iPads, allowing each student access when they are on campus. A small conference room is being transformed into a broadcast studio and to provide digital media training, and a pending grant with the Cape Coral Community Foundation will transform a larger conference room into a hybrid classroom with smart boards that can interact with the iPads. “It’s teaching them so many skills, not just how to use technology,” she explains. “They are learning how to use Microsoft, how to use Google. We are building job skills, how to use apps for transportation and filling out job applications.” The wellness lab focuses on personal care, teaching physical and mental care. Hygiene skills are also taught, because that can enhance a student’s independence and tie into job performance. The vocational exploration lab works with business partners that outsource work to LARC, which includes packaging, assembling, woodworking and engraving. LARC is fundraising to build a commercial training kitchen on campus, a project stalled by COVID-19. “The last lab is collaboration,” Angela explains. “It’s about our community and integration. What can we do to bring community partners on campus to deliver

training and support tools, and then how do we take our individuals into the community and integrate them and learn from the community as well?” Now, due to COVID, LARC is bringing partners in virtually to teach and share with students. LAB is designed so students can choose to just work in one lab, or work through all of them. The program, though, has a few hurdles. The first was building and creating the labs in existing buildings that needed renovations. The lab for living was donated by the community. A team from Lowe’s cleaned out the room, installed kitchen cabinets and flooring and donated appliances. Other community partners include Aztec Plumbing and the United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee. The health and wellness lab is supported through a partnership with Lee Health and the American Heart Association, which gifted LARC with two teaching gardens — which led to MW Horticulture donating soil for planting. Educating the community is another hurdle. LARC is training and delivering a capable workforce to fill gaps with dedicated, enthusiastic, long-term employees, “but we need more partners to understand the value our individuals bring to their team.” They created the Exceptional Employers of Southwest Florida event, which featured three employers that worked with LARC, and was designed to educate other businesses in attendance about employing individuals with unique abilities. The result was more companies partnering with LARC. The last hurdle is funding. In Lee County, as of September 1, there were 1,056 individuals receiving home and community based-waiver (Medicaid iBudget Waiver) services, and another 517 on the waitlist. Nearly all, 94%, of the individuals that LARC serves rely on those benefits and only 6% are able to privately pay for LARC’s programs. “Of the 94%, LARC is only reimbursed about 54% of the actual cost of services,” Angela explains. “We work every day to make up that 46% so when it comes to expanding and creating innovative programs, fundraising is essential.” The new Lori Carroll-Collins Scholarship Fund will allow uniquely abled individuals with economic limitations to reach their goals and increase the amount of people LARC can help through their LAB program. “I get so excited about LAB,” Angela says. “It is going to outlive me. LAB is going to change these lives for generations through this innovation that can grow beyond what we’ve created today. The goal is to impact a growing population for years and to build it for what the needs of the families are today.” And LAB is not just impacting the individuals that LARC serves. It’s also had a significant impact on Angela. “It’s even bigger than LAB… I don’t have anyone in my family that has a disability, but to be their voice or to be a part of the change, to make a difference in a population who oftentimes get forgotten or dismissed — it’s a gift.” GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 15

| FACES |

FISH

STORY

Jim Rice fish from the Clay Place are a Naples tradition. STORY AND PHOTOS BY LANCE SHEARER

othing says “Naples” like a Jim Rice fish plate. Jim Rice doesn’t call what he does art. But many others would beg to differ. The longtime East Naples fixture, owner and chief potter at the Clay Place on Shadowlawn Drive, Jim is in the 42nd year for his studio at the same location and has turned out thousands of clay creations over the years. The studio’s output ranges from wine goblets to signs, from bowls to microwave bacon cookers — “You have to try this, it’s amazing and the healthy way to eat bacon,” he says – to wall clocks and ashtrays, ceramic turtles and hibiscus. But the signature items at the Clay Place, the ones that have won Jim a following all around the country and beyond, are the fish. With myriad variations, ranging in size from 3 or 4 inches to 3 or 4 feet long, painted and glazed in a riot of tropical colors, a Jim Rice fish platter is synonymous with Naples for many, and a reminder of their southern home for many snowbirds. Actually, Jim says, he has created fish pottery as big as 7 feet long, a snook made as a commission for a collector and angler. Recently, he added small fish mounted on aluminum dowels, suitable for adding to your yard or garden, pieces he calls “fish sticks.” 16 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

Jim says he has no idea how many clay fish he has created over the years, but the enormous mound of broken, vividly colored ceramic fragments behind the shed that holds the kilns on the grounds of the Clay Place gives some idea. Thousands of pottery shards lie piled up, in a rainbow of colors, and thousands more have been used for mosaics or walkways. “That’s not a scrap pile; that’s a statement of quality control,” Jim says. “I won’t sell it if it’s not just right.” The studio’s grounds, a tropical compound tucked away off Davis Boulevard in East Naples, are worth a visit on their own, exactly what a tropical pottery workshop would look like if envisioned by a Holly-

wood set designer. Mature bamboo, cabbage palm surrounded by massive strangler figs, podocarpus, gumbo limbo, sea grapes, and ficus and live oak trees hung with orchids and bromeliads create shade, along with a chickee hut with a table and benches covered in ceramic fish. Whimsical sculptures, including Chinese foo dogs, ceramic pieces not created by Jim, lend the Clay Place an Eastern air, along with the lush bamboo everywhere. A variety of buildings and roofed-over enclosures dot the campus. The gallery building holds a sample of pieces ready for immediate sale, but the detached workshop is where the work is created. On a recent morning, Jim worked to turn out a batch of fish

| FACES |

platters, painting cobalt accents on a succession of unfired clay fish. Asked how many steps go to create one of the platters, though, he demurred. “I’m not giving classes. I send anyone who wants those up to Clay & More,” he says. But each fish begins as a block of wet clay which is cut to fit inside a textured roller that squeezes it down to the proper width. The shape is cut out with something like a big cookie cutter, molded on a pattern, and gets feet attached. Background colors are sprayed on, and then decorative colors applied, which is where the artistry really kicks in, as opposed to craftsmanship. Each signed and dated, the platters are truly one of a kind and handmade, and as Jim points out, you can cook with them. Many years ago, that factored into his choice of métier, or subject matter, he says. “I like to eat fish, and fish is a dish that’s hard to keep hot. You can bake it right on one of these plates.” All his fish, he points out, are oven, dishwasher and microwave-safe. “But if you’re putting it in the microwave, take off the metal hanger.” With so many used as wall hangings, they come both with clay feet — feet of clay? — and hangers. While he puts in extensive hours at the studio, Jim is happy to show visitors around, and the pocketbookfriendly prices make it easy for anyone to acquire a Jim Rice original. You can buy a small “sauce fish” for $12, or spend up to $1,500 for an enormous ceramic pineapple. Jim Rice and the Clay Place have become something of an institution on the Naples art scene, with local residents telling newcomers about the hidden treasure away

from the beaten path, or the art galleries of Fifth Avenue and Third Street South, or taking them for a visit. The perennially smiling and cheerful proprietor is part of the appeal. He gets a steady trickle of guests, but one day a year, it mushrooms into a torrent. One Sunday each March, the Clay Place hosts “Five Painters and a Potter,” an annual show for local artists who, over the years, have become leading lights of Naples’ arts community. The potter, of course, is Jim, joined by artists including Paul Arsenault, Phil Fisher, Natalie Guess, Tara O’Neill and Rick Wobbe. Paul and Phil share the bright, sun-splashed color palette seen in Jim’s pottery, and have been part of the show since its inception 20 years ago. “We were rebelling against the Fifth Avenue galleries, and the giant shows downtown,” Jim says. “But this thing has really grown.” For the first time in decades, Five Painters and a Potter had to be canceled, or go virtual, but the date for 2021 has been set, with fingers crossed, for March 7. “Jim brings color to the community, in many ways,” says watercolorist Phil Fisher, his tendency to needle Jim a little betraying their long friendship. “I like that he explores different things and every once in a while goes off on a tangent.” “The Clay Place has been a wonderful clubhouse for the Naples art community,” Paul says. “It started as we were all coming up, and now we’re bridging the gap between the old guard and the new. “I love how Jim has been an adaptable artisan, both to a resort community and his own artistic temperament. He’s graphically and practically talented, and he’s beloved.” One of the collectors who has Jim Rice fish and other ceramic pieces both in her Naples home and her northern residence is longtime Collier County Commissioner and East Naples booster Donna Fiala. She has one of his fish as the address marker sign outside her Ohio home, she says. “Jim is such a wonderful guy, and his artwork is so distinctive. It looks like Naples, not Miami. Nothing says Naples like a Jim Rice fish.” Jim also throws pots on the potter’s wheel, which will become the goblets, bowls, and aforementioned bacon cookers. So how does craft become art? “I have no idea,” he says. “But remember, good art doesn’t have to match your couch,” which might be a tough concept for condo dwellers to wrap their heads around. “And with these fish, at least you can eat off it.” “I’m trying to be a functional potter, creating pieces people can incorporate into their everyday life,” Jim says. “And if it breaks, you can afford another.” GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 17

| MODEL BEHAVIOR |

GRAND D ESIGN STORY

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A black baby grand piano is prominently placed as a focal point just beyond the foyer of the new Monterey model at Talis Park. 18 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| MODEL BEHAVIOR |

FROM TOP: The great room features drop ceilings in geometric shapes that are similar to the ceiling in the master bedroom. Dark window and door frames make a stark contrast to the lighter interior colors. • Large mirrors make rooms appear even grander. This mirror in the master suite reflects the king-size bed.

uxury begins right inside the front doors of the new Monterey model at Talis Park in Naples. That’s where a shiny black baby grand piano is prominently placed. You don’t see many model homes that showcase an instrument like this. Yet it is all part of the upscale feeling created by Seagate Development Group. “The entrance has that baby grand piano and that is a really great feature,” says Ruta Menaghlazi, vice president of design for Theory Design. “It just seemed like a nice thing to do. The space was big enough. It was a big transitional place. We thought it would be nice to have a piano, and it looks really great there.” The piano is just the beginning of the luxury found in this model inside Isola Bella, a 4.5-acre enclave of Talis Park that will have 17 homes at buildout. Dark wood frames filled with grass cloth on the wall act as a backdrop for the piano, and a similar treatment creates feature walls in the great room and master bedroom. “Most of the house is painted really light and we wanted to add some warmth to the space,” Ruta explains. “If you don’t address it right with the right artwork, spaces tend to look a little cold, and this added a level of warmth to that space.”

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 19

| MODEL BEHAVIOR |

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The home is more transitional in style with its dark lines and dark windows that offer a contrast to the lighter furniture, walls and floors. Sliding glass doors in this living room open to the lanai to make one great big open space. • The Monterey has three guest suites including this one on the upper floor. The master suite and two guest suites are upstairs and there is an additional guest suite on the main level. • The outdoor living space includes a living room, dining area and outdoor kitchen under roof and the pool and spa just beyond.

Ruta added a dark wood bench with gray pillows by the front door so guests can sit and take in the view of the home and water beyond. Visitors are so enchanted by this entrance that it takes a while for their eyes to move to the rest of the home. “For us it is the features; the reverse soffits on the ceiling; the way it drops is such a great architectural feature,” says Brett Backus, vice president of sales and marketing for Seagate Development Group, when asked about his favorite elements. “These floating ceilings really blow people’s mind. The feel of this whole house is different than what anyone is used to.” Ceilings in the kitchen, living room and master bedroom all have this form of drop ceiling in geometric shapes. Brett also points to the color scheme as a focal point. “This is a little more transitional with the dark lines and the dark windows,” he says. “This is what we think is happening, the trend at this time. People are getting away from the grays and going more to the blacks. We are always forward thinking.” Dark cabinets in the kitchen match the color of the window and door frames. Behind the kitchen is a butler’s pantry with a dishwasher, a refrigerator and lots more counters and cabinets. 20 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

“People lose their mind over this pantry,” Brett says. The great room also has a glass-door wine room that holds 177 bottles. Lightly wire-brushed, white oak floors unify the great room and entrance. Tyler Kitson, president of Talis Park, says it’s the views that he likes best. “The views out of this back that you get immediately upon entry are phenomenal,” he says. “The island and the bridge light up so beautifully at night.” The home is on a man-made lake near an island full of mature plants and close to a European-style stone bridge. Sliding glass doors in the living room and dining area provide views of the water from the great room and entry. The lanai has an infinity edge pool with a waterfall and a spa. A few steps down is a fire pit area. Under roof is a dining area, sitting space and outdoor kitchen. A wall with a two-sided fireplace separates the dining and sitting area from the pool. Screens and shutters both drop from the ceiling on the under-roof section of the lanai. The lanai is encircled by a glass fence. “You want to capture the view completely especially here,” Tyler says about why glass fencing is so important. “You not only have the water, but the islands and you have these beautiful oak trees that have

matured.” “It’s really nice to capture the view, especially in the morning light. It is really nice,” Ruta adds. Inside, the main floor also has one guest suite with a king-size bed, a bathroom and a walk-in closet. A staircase and an elevator lead to the second story. “I think the staircase came out really nice,” Ruta says. “The modern cable railings are beautiful.” Upstairs there is a hallway with a morning bar and mini refrigerator and then a spacious loft area that overlooks the water. Sliding glass doors lead to a wide porch. The master suite also has glass doors that lead to the terrace. This luxury suite features white oak flooring and a grass cloth wall that match similar features on the main floor. The master bathroom has his and her sides, each side with a sink and toilet area. There is also a tub and a glass shower along with two huge walk-in closets. Two more guest suites fill the upstairs. Both have king-size beds, bathrooms and walk-in closets. The Monterey model spans 4,414 square feet under air and a total of 6,452 square feet of space. The fourbedroom-plus-study house has four full and three half bathrooms. There’s also a three-car garage. The house is listed for $3.995 million fully furnished.

| MODEL BEHAVIOR |

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The new Monterey model at Talis Park has four bedrooms and a study and four full and three half bathrooms. • The master suite has a sitting area by a wall of windows. The windows overlook the lake and stone bridge. • The laundry room has lots of storage space with multiple cabinets both above the washer and dryer and on the other side of the room. • The Monterey has a glass door wine room that holds up to 177 bottles of wine. • The kitchen features cabinets that stretch all the way to the ceiling giving lots of storage space. • The infinity edge pool has a waterfall and spa. Glass walls around the lanai give clear views of the lake and bridge just beyond the property. • Upstairs is a spacious loft that overlooks the water. The loft is decorated as a sitting room and has sliding glass doors that lead to a porch that overlooks the water.

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 21

| DINING |

STILL Prawns over crispy sushi rice is one of the many small plates offered at Bistro 821

GOT

IT More than 25 years after its opening,

Fifth Avenueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bistro 821 is still a leader in fine dining.

BY GINA BIRCH

22 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

PHOTOS SPECIAL TO GRANDEUR

| DINING |

hen Bistro 821 opened on Fifth Avenue South in Naples, it was 1994 and it was a gamble. Fifth Ave was not the thriving scene it is today. Bistro was the first high-end dining establishment to take a chance on the redeveloping downtown area. It was also one of the first in Naples to ditch the basic seafood and prime rib that, at the time, was being served almost everywhere, according to Jesse Housman. Jesse was there in the beginning and he’s there today as executive chef and co-owner. Twenty-six years after its doors opened, Bistro 821 is still thriving, still offering exemplary food and service, and still standing out, even in a sea of competition.

“The menu today offers all of the best specials we’ve run since 1994,” Jesse says. “We’ve collected them all and customers just love it; they (customers) drive our menu.” When designing the original menu, Jesse remembers traveling to Miami with Bistro founder and legendary local restaurateur Michael Hernandez. They visited popular restaurants on the east coast looking for inspiration. That’s how the famous Bistro Salad was born, an item that over the years has been replicated in one way or another at restaurants across Southwest Florida. “At the time, we were seeing more composed salads with different ingredients, not just a bowl of lettuce,” Jesse remembers. He took ingredients that were being used in other dishes, such as sundried tomatoes, portobella mushrooms and pine nuts, putting them together with mixed greens. The salad is topped with gorgonzola cheese and house-made balsamic dressing. Add a grilled protein and it’s one of the best entrée salads on the avenue.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Chilean sea bass is served in a lemon beurre blanc. • Bistro 821 is one of the pioneering restaurants on Naples’ famous Fifth Avenue South. • The menu at Bistro 821 is full of longtime favorites as well as chefs specials.

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 23

| DINING |

For starters, try the prawns; they are giant, U6. Marinated and grilled, they come atop a crispy sushi rice cake. Completed by a drizzle of Thai chili sauce, it’s a “must have” dish for sharing. Jesse has long-term relationships with several local fishing captains as well as seafood companies and prides himself on the quality he brings into his kitchen. Seabass is Bistro’s No. 1 dish, marinated in sake, mirin, sugar and miso. “We think it’s the best you can get anywhere,” Jesse says. His regulars agree. Snapper is another longtime favorite. The light, flaky filet is prepared in a coconut, lemongrass and ginger crust, with a Thai chili glaze. Served over jasmine rice, peanuts add texture as well as taste. Duck comes as a duo and “It’s a lot of work,” says Houseman. “The way we cook duck is fairly unique for Naples.” The breast is seared, the leg and thigh are slow cooked in duck fat for 24 hours, then seared. The result is extremely tender, flavorful meat with a delightfully crisp skin. The beef comes from local butcher Jimmy P’s; Jesse hand selects the meat daily, then cuts, and cooks to order. If you’re a diner who has trouble making up your mind or wants to try everything on the menu, the Pick Two or Three section has your name all over it. Select two or three smaller portions of several popular entrees, and the kitchen will neatly put it together on one plate.

THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Bistro’s bouillabaisse is loaded with seafood in a savory lobster saffron broth. • The Bistro Salad has become iconic, replicated at numerous Southwest Florida restaurants. • Warm and comforting pot roast at Bistro 821. •The restaurant had a face-lift but kept some of its signature artwork.

24 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| DINING |

ABOVE: With Boursin cheese and blue crab, the Bubbly Crab dip is a favorite starter. BELOW: The bar at Bistro 821 is known for barrel-aged and craft cocktails.

Desserts vary but Bistro has two staples: vanilla bean crème brûlée and flourless chocolate cake. “It’s the best chocolate cake you’ll ever put in your mouth,” Houseman gushes. “We put as much chocolate as you could possibly fit into that space without it becoming hard.” The wine list is full of big-name favorites and the beer on tap is local, from Anchor Lab. Bartenders use house-made infusions and tinctures in their cocktails and pride themselves in barrel-aged cocktails. Small barrels sit behind the bar, full of classics like Old-Fashioned and Manhattan. There’s also Zombie, which can have more than a half dozen ingredients, a time-consuming endeavor on a busy night. From the barrel, just shake over ice and serve with a garnish. Besides convenience, the barrels help to integrate flavors, adding layers to the mixes as they sit for two weeks. Over the past year, the Fifth Ave restaurant has undergone a bit of a face-lift: new banquets and flooring, a coat of soothing seafoam green on the walls and new mixed media art. However, many of the original pieces still hang, such as the brushed metal fish and a colorful painting of diners. Bistro 821 is credited with putting the “bistro style” of dining on the map in Southwest Florida, decades ago. Setting a standard for fine dining that was also fun rather than pretentious. In a world where so much is changing, it’s nice to know the dining experience here remains consistent. GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 25

| COVER STORY |

Giving GUIDE THE

Holidays bring out our generous spirit, a time

when we want to show our appreciation for all the wonderful people in our lives. Whether shopping for a glamour girl, an outdoorsy adventurer or a high-tech gadget lover, we’ve got ideas for you. – GRANDEUR STAFF

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 27

| COVER STORY |

Simple elegance • Wise

men give gold. The Running G bracelet by Gucci elegantly links GG logos with an 18-karat gold chain. It’s a beautiful way to say, “You’re important to me.” Italian craftsmanship. $1,050 at Nordstrom, nordstrom.com.

Glam THE

Organic beauty • Ah…

a face mask we like to wear. VOYA’s moisturizing Maskerade facial mask contains antioxidant-rich organic ingredients like pro-collagen extract. Hydrating seaweed and soothing chamomile extracts leave skin refreshed and rejuvenated. $66 at The Spa at Shangri-La Springs in Bonita Springs. Online ordering and curbside pickup available.

LIFE Make the night sparkle • Bring the party wherever you go. Christian Louboutin’s signature pump is covered in sparkling glitter, perfect for celebrating new beginnings. The Pigalles Follies 100 are $745 at Saks Fifth Avenue, saksfifthavenue. com.

28 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

Curls and waves • For the straight-

haired beauty who wants to pump up some curls, the Dyson Airwrap Volume+Shape is engineered to give fine, flat hair body and shape. Various brushes and barrels produce lots of curls and waves. $499.99 at dyson.com.

| COVER STORY |

Burst of blue • Add a burst of blue in her life with these Tiffany & Co. Schlumberger Sticks earrings in 18-karat yellow gold with oval tanzanites, over 12 total carats. Turquoise rounds out the pair. Price upon request. Available from Tiffany & Co., tiffany.com.

Pop of citrus • In bright

citron, this adorable leather bag by Mark Cross is perfect for high season in Florida. The Benchley features a top handle and a detachable chain strap. Italian craftsmanship. $2,290 at Marissa Collections, marissacollections.com.

Celebrate time • Like the

drum it’s named after, the Tambour watch marks the passing of time. Make the Tambour Monogram White your own by choosing from an array of interchangeable straps. $3,505 at Louis Vuitton, us.louisvuitton.com.

Soft & silky

• Wrap your love in silk. Or treat yourself. The Soma Sensual Silk Kimono Robe is designed in-house and is made of 100% silk. It’s pure luxury. $198 at Soma, soma.com.

Pucker up • With six hues of Rouge Dior to choose

from, there’s a lipstick for every holiday occasion and mood. The sticks themselves are even adorned with snowflakes. Includes limited edition couture case. $180 at Macy’s, macys.com.

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 29

| COVER STORY |

PHOTOS BY ANDREA STETSON

Great THE

OUTDOORS

Turtle power

• Support wildlife and local entrepreneurs with this Turtle Classic cap from the Lazy Turtle, based in Naples. It’s made with lightweight, breathable, stain-resistant fabric. A portion of proceeds go to the Sea Turtle Conservancy. Eight color combinations available. $32 at shoplazyturtle.com.

Surf’s up • Think you’ve tried every water sport known to man? Meet

the electric jetboard by Radinn. A powerful water jet lets you surf like you’ve never surfed before. Waves or no waves. Boards start at $7,200. Available at radinn.com.

Explore space Pure hydration • This water bottle cleans itself — and the water inside it. Using UV-C LED light that turns on every two hours, the LARQ Bottle Movement purifies water in 60 seconds. Available in 24-ounce and 32-ounce. Doublewalled available in 17- and 25-ounce. Starting at $78 at livelarq.com.

30 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

• This is not your father’s telescope. The Stellina by Vaonis is an observation station, a combination of telescope and camera. It’s smart, as in connected, and it boasts a light pollution filter to see more of the sky, even in the heart of the city. A companion app allows you to learn about what you’re seeing. $3,999 at vaonis. com/stellina.

| COVER STORY |

Lovers Key manatee

• Adopt a manatee and help support the new Welcome and Discovery Center at Lovers Key State Park. Adoptions include a plush manatee mom and baby named Molly and Minnie, a certificate, fun manatee facts and a four-page story about Molly and Minnie. $20 in person at the park, $28 online at friendsofloverskey.org/shop.

S’more time

• FLÎKR Fire is your personal fireplace. The tabletop device uses rubbing alcohol to create a flame you can cook over (hello, s’mores). Just 5 ounces of 70% or 91% isopropyl rubbing alcohol gives you 45 to 60 minutes of burn time. And it doesn’t emit carbon monoxide. $95 at flikrfireplace.com.

Eye for the sea • Named

after the pelican and inspired by the sea, Costa’s Peli sunglasses take an aviator shape and add boat-hull textures and blue mirror lenses. Polarized. Retail price: $279. Available at Sunshine Ace Hardware.

King of the road

• Outside, it’s like a silver bullet. Inside, it’s the height of luxury RVing. Maybe we should call it a land yacht? Bowlus Road Chief’s Endless Highways Performance Edition boasts the best in every detail. Skylights bring in the natural light by day and allow stargazing by night. Its electrical system is built for off-grid adventures. It’s Bluetooth enabled so you can access features on your smartphone. Starts at $225,000, bowlusroadchief.com.

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 31

| COVER STORY |

Future of casual

Sweet HOME

• The future is now. The Jackson accent chair blends casual qualities with the necessities of comfort and luxury of quality materials. $899 at Scan Design, scandesign.com.

HOME

Give in to gravity • The

Gravity weighted blanket is like being embraced in a big ol’ hug — and it’s that pressure that causes your body to produce serotonin and melatonin, which in turn prime your mind and body to sleep. Gravity blankets are one of the most popular. $195 at gravityblankets.com.

Salty sounds • We

could all use a little more relaxation. This Vie Oli lamp combines soothing sounds and Himalayan salt crystals to create a relaxing atmosphere. $50 at Macy’s, macys.com. 32 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| COVER STORY |

Art for a cause • The work of world-renowned artist Barbara Ernst Prey is collected by U.S. presidents and

dignitaries, European royalty, business magnates and celebrities such as Orlando Bloom and Tom Hanks. For the holidays, she released limited edition prints with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Project Sunshine, which aims to bring play, engagement and human connection to hospitalized children. Shown here: “Early Light,” $2,000, barbaraprey.com/new-digital-prints.

Smells like home

• Whether you long for your Long Island abode or bask at your Florida beach cottage, Homesick candles smell like home. The Florida candle features scents of citrus, woody mangroves and Spanish moss mixed with smooth vanilla and amber. $34 at homesick.com.

Keep it clean • No one wants

Ode to LV • This leather tray is cut from

a vacuum for Christmas — unless it does the work for you. The Shark ION Robot not only cleans all surfaces, corners and edges, it can also be operated remotely or by voice control. Now that’s a gift. $415.99 at Macy’s, macys.com.

a single strip of leather and topped with a glass disk. Use one alone or stack them for a striking centerpiece. The tray is the genius of the architectdesigners at Atelier Oï. Leather Rosace Tray MM, $1,130 at Louis Vuitton, us.louisvuitton.com.

Plants for all • Plants are good for your

health. They not only produce oxygen; studies show a walk in the woods is a great mood booster. Bring the plants indoors with a plant subscription from The Sill. Each month, a plant is delivered to your door. There are plans for beginners, for low light environments and for pet parents. Starting at $42 a month. thesill.com

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 33

| COVER STORY |

Tech HIGH-

The one ring •

You’re Fitbit might go the way of the dinosaur after you try this smart ring. The Oura puts sensors around your finger to capture body signals like heart rate, body temperature and calorie burn. $299 in silver, $399 in gold at ouraring.com.

MUST-HAVES

Bring out the devil • The Ducati Diavel 1260 boasts the performance of a naked sport bike with the ergonomics of a muscle cruiser. At the heart of it: a 159-horsepower Testastretta DVT 1262 engine. New for Model Year 2020, the color range has been updated. Standard is now available in Dark Stealth, total black with matte black superstructures, and the S version is available in red with white graphics. Starting at $20,295, ducati.com.

Well, hello • Join the 21st century with 5G speed and Apple’s A14 Bionic, said to be the fastest chip in a smartphone. Billed as the world’s smallest, thinnest, lightest 5G phone, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are Apple’s latest offerings. Starting at $699.

Eliminate germs • Phones collect a lot of germs, and in cold and flu season, let alone a pandemic, it’s smart to keep our favorite devices clean. Vie Oli’s UV-C sanitizer and wireless phone charging kit uses UV light to kill 99.9% of harmful microorganisms that congregate on your phone and other small items, like keys and remotes. $29.99 at Dillard’s, dillards.com.

34 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| COVER STORY |

The ultimate ride • The 2021 Cadillac Escalade is billed as the most technologically advanced Escalade ever. It has Super Cruise, a hands-free driver-assistance feature for compatible highways. It touts the industry’s first curved OLED (organic LED) display with twice the pixel density of a 4K TV. There’s a studio quality sound system. When you approach the vehicle, it illuminates a series of lights, including a puddle lamp with the Cadillac Crest. And it’s the largest and longest Escalade ever built. From $76,195, cadillac.com.

Goodbye language barriers • Ever wish you had a

personal translator? Hire an Ambassador. Waverly Labs’ Ambassador Interpreter allows seamless conversation without losing important details in translation. Translates 20 languages and 42 dialects. $129 at waverlylabs.com.

Smart notebook • This

notebook has the look and feel of an ordinary notebook with an ultra-smooth writing experience. But the Rocketbook Core and its companion app are engineered to digitize your notes and keep them organized in the cloud. The app transcribes and digitally embeds your notes into your scans to make them easily searchable. Add a drop of water to the pages and notes easily erase so you can use it again and again. $34 at getrocketbook.com.

Beautiful sound • Your

earbuds can now be as stylish as the rest of your ensemble. The Louis Vuitton Horizon wireless earphones offer cutting-edge sound quality, noise cancellation and ambient listening mode in a sleek package with an LV logo on a brushed pink gold-colored stud. $1,190 at Louis Vuitton, us.louisvuitton. com.

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 35

| COVER STORY |

Click and grow • Growing your own

Foodie THE

herbs can be as easy as making coffee with a K-Cup when you have The Smart Garden 3. Biodegradable plant pods contain seeds and nutrients and the Smart Garden automatically administers all that the plants need to grow food and flowers all year long. A companion app teaches you how to be a plant expert. $99.95 at clickandgrow.com.

FINDS Stay chill •

No ice buckets required. The Vinglace wine chiller keeps your vintage of choice perfectly chilled for hours in a vacuuminsulated stainless-steel canister. $89.95 at Nordstrom, nordstrom.com.

These glasses are rockin’ • Has your glass

had one too many? The Club Rocking Tumblers from Sagaform add playfulness to the home bar. The bottom is designed to allow the glass to rock side-to-side without tipping over. Drink stones cool without watering down the drink. $34.99 for a set of two at Bed Bath & Beyond, bedbathand beyond.com.

36 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

The sweetest gift • The

holidays in Southwest Florida aren’t complete without Norman Love chocolates. The Classic Stocking Stuffers Bundle is the perfect way to share the joy. It includes a 10-piece candy cane gift box filled with limited edition holiday flavors, like White Christmas and Java Jingle, a Chocolate Inclusion bar, candy cane bark and chocolatecovered almonds. $62.50 at Norman Love Confections, normanlove confections.com. Explore the entire 2020 collection for delicious gift ideas.

| COVER STORY |

Noodle bowl

• This beautiful stoneware bowl from tag is designed with depth, perfect for noodles and soups. There’s even a built-in resting spot for the included bamboo chopsticks. The Henna noodle bowl and chopstick set comes with four bowls and four sets of chopsticks. $65.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond, bedbathandbeyond.com.

One pan wonder • The Always Pan was designed to replace eight pieces of cookware — the fry

pan, saute pan, steamer, skillet, saucier, saucepan, nonstick pan, even the cooking spoon and spoon rest. It comes with a custom stainless-steel steamer basket and beechwood cooking spoon with a built-in spoon rest. Its nonstick ceramic coating is made without toxic materials. And it’s compatible with all cooktops. $145 at fromourplace.com.

Caffé perfecto

• Designed to make the perfect cup of coffee every time, the Nespresso Vertuo Next Espresso Maker by De’Longhi spins the coffee capsule 7,000 rotations per minute to extract every drop of flavor. After brewing, the capsule is automatically stored to be recycled later. $236.99 at Macy’s, macys.com.

Flawless loaves • Breville has figured out how to make a bread

machine that produces loaves of bread that look like they came out of an artisan bakery. The kneading paddles collapse for a perfect shape. An automatic dispenser allows for add-ins like fruits and nuts. And 13 settings allow you to make a variety of bread types. Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker, $450 at Williams Sonoma, williams-sonoma.com. GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 37

The Ritz-Carlton"

6 Championship Golf Courses

10 Restaurants

For families looking to change course or reset, Reynolds Lake Oconee offers a different kind of lake lifestyle. About 85 miles east of Atlanta, the community is home to miles of pristine shoreline, six championship golf courses, a lakefront Ritz-Carlton® and a range of world-class restaurants and amenities. Here, neighbors become lifelong friends, meals become lasting memories, and dreams of life at a truly different pace become reality.

Sporting Grounds

350 Miles of Shoreline

Book your real estatepreview, starting at $289"·per night. ReynoldsLakeOconee.com/Grand (866) 324.6018

'Excludes holidays ond subject to ovoilobility; dub credit for promotional purposes only. Reol estate ond other amenities ore owned by Oconee Lond Development Company LL( ond/or other subsidiaries ond offiliotes of MetLife, Inc. (collectively, "OLD(" or "Sponsor") ond by unrelated third parties. Reynolds Loke Oconee Properties, LL( ("RLOP"I is the exclusive listing agent for ony other jurisdiction where prohibited by low. As to such states, ony offer to sell or solicitation of offers to buy C!Jlplies only to Resole Properties. Access ond rights to recreotionol amenities moy be subjectto fees, membership dues, or other limitations. Information provided is believed occurole os of the dote printed but moy be subject lo change from time to time. The Ritz-Carita _

groperty. Void where �rohibited by law. WARNING: THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENI OF REAL ESTATE HAS NOT INSPtCTED, EXAMINED, OR DISQUALIFIED THIS OFFtRING. An offering statement has been filed with the Iowa Real Estate Lommission ana a copy of such statemen Protection at 1700 G Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20552. Certain OLD( properties are registered with the Department of Law of the State of New York. THE COMPLETE OFFERING TERMS ARE IN AN OFFERING PLAN AVAILABLE FROM SPONSOR. FILE NO. Hl4-0001. Notice t beholf of the developer/offeror or anyone acting with the developer/offeror's knowledge. No such offering, or purchase or sale of real estate by or to residents of the state of New York, shall take place until all registration and filing requirements under the Martin Act and th(

| STYLE |

INTERVIEWED BY ANNE REED PHOTO BY ANDREA MELENDEZ

DAUN

DESSAK Co-owner, Golden Rind Cheese & Wine

40 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

Wine, cheese and charcuterie? Yes please! We asked Daun Dessak, part of the family behind Golden Rind Cheese & Wine, for the perfect fashion pairings for small-plate holiday soirees. Who she is: I am first and foremost a tennis lover. I play

almost every single day, and I belong to two teams at Gulf Harbour. I’m a mom, wife and mother of two cats that I adore (Coco and Baby).

Her fashion inspirations: I love high fashion; my favorite is

Chanel. I love Gucci and I’m a jeans girl. I’d prefer to be in a pair of jeans and T-shirt and a cool jacket any day.

Her fashion tip: Buying quality is very important.

Designer clothes fit better and look better.

| STYLE |

Daun’s

FASHION ESSENTIALS FOR HOLIDAY PARTY PAIRINGS: A holiday wine and cheese party starts with the basics and, for Daun, that means the perfect wine glass by Gabriel-Glas, which she found while visiting Napa. This universal glass was designed to bring out the best in every wine, from the deepest reds to the sparkliest bubbles. 1 GABRIEL-GLAS GOLD EDITION, $71 AT GLASINTERNATIONAL.COM

Daun is a longtime collector of beautiful cuffs and necklaces. “I gravitate towards aqua blues and white and black,” she explains. The sea or the ocean are common themes in her favorite picks, and she loves anything from Mark Loren Designs. 4 QUARTZ PENDANT WITH RARE FOSSILIZED TURITELLA SHELL AT MARK LOREN DESIGNS, FORT MYERS.

Daun looks for a great fit with a straight leg. “Lately since I don’t wear heels, I look for ankle length,” she noted. Like a beautiful board, the jeans are the base for the outfit, so color isn’t as important to her as a clean line and fit, and her favorite brand, Joseph, offers a range of colors and styles.

Crisp white or a blue and white pinstripe provide the perfect second layer and clean backdrop for holding a gorgeous glass of wine. Her favorite is Carolina Herrera. “She makes the best white shirt,” Daun says.

3 L’AGENCE STRAIGHT-LEG JEANS, $275 AT SAKS.COM

2 CAROLINA HERRERA BUTTON-FRONT WHITE BLOUSE, $790, SAKS.COM

The best way to keep your hands free to hold wine and nibble on cheese? Opt for a crossbody-style handbag to not only add interest to an outfit, but conveniently store your cell phone and credit cards. Bonus? You won’t spend valuable party-time searching for your purse each time you want to re-apply your lipstick. 5

BB BLANCHE CROSSBODY BAG, $2,080 AT US.LOUISVUITTON.COM GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 41

| GETAWAY |

STORY BY JENNIFER THOMAS

LIKE A NORMAN ROCKWELL CHRISTMAS

PHOTOS SPECIAL TO GRANDEUR

Destinations throughout New England charm visitors over the holidays with picturesque settings and beautiful dÃ©cor.

42 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| GETAWAY |

houghts of a New England Christmas spark visions of a Norman Rockwell painting or a scene from a Hallmark holiday movie. These visions come to life, albeit a bit subdued during a pandemic, in a variety of places throughout the region. One New England state that is near and dear to Southwest Florida, with its Boston Red Sox connection, is Massachusetts. “Massachusetts is a four-season destination, but there is definitely something very magical about the holiday season in the Commonwealth,” says Keiko Matsudo Orrall, executive director of the Mas-

Southern Harbor

sachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. “Despite the pandemic, the holiday spirit is very much alive in the Commonwealth this year, and that spirit shines through in all 16 of our tourism regions. Our current ‘Love My Local MA’ campaign showcases the unique holiday offerings, both in-person and virtual, that our local businesses, attractions, restaurants and retailers are featuring at this time, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of the many exciting holiday events as they shop local this holiday season.” The holidays in Massachusetts are magical and offer something for everyone, both indoors and out, according to Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism spokesperson Phyllis Cahaly. “Enjoy an outdoor vintage, Dickens-inspired scene filled with holiday strolls and shopping, twinkling lights and costumed carolers, coastal lighted boat parades heralding Santa’s arrival, downtown glitz and glamour or a cup of hot cocoa by a cozy fire,” Phyllis suggests. “Winter activities abound, like the quintessential outdoor ice skating, horse-drawn sleigh rides and downhill and cross-country skiing. Don’t forget the après ski fun. The Massachusetts scenery doesn’t disappoint, from historic ports to quaint towns to the bright lights of the city — sprinkle in some snow on the mountains and treetops and holiday magic comes to life.” Cape Coral resident Stephanie Dowd grew up in Massachusetts, and her entire family still resides there, spread out between her home state, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. One of the towns Stephanie lived in, Barre, Massachusetts, was the location for a Hallmark movie. “Many New England towns are certainly the ideal, picturesque, Norman Rockwell scene of the holidays,” Stephanie says. “Most of the small towns have a town common with the white gazebo or bandstand, pillared town halls, plenty of brick buildings and antique homes and estates complete with historic designation plaques, white church steeples, miles of stone walls and plenty of snow for building a snowman.”

“The Massachusetts scenery doesn’t disappoint, from historic ports to quaint towns to the bright lights of the city PHOTOS SPECIAL TO GRANDEUR

— sprinkle in some snow on the mountains and treetops and holiday magic comes to life.” — PHYLLIS CAHALY

GRANDEUR | NOVEMBER 2020 | 43

| GETAWAY |

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or Nashoba Valley are great options, Stephanie says. “They were close by enough that we could drive there after school for evening skiing. Massachusetts certainly doesn’t have the mountains of the northern New England states,” she says. “I would say that skiing and snowboarding are the highlight of a winter season for New Englanders who partake. Kids in New England love sledding and playing in the snowbanks and building snow forts.” For more seasoned skiers who want lots of great powder and tougher, longer trails, Sunday River Whitecap, Sugarloaf and Saddleback mountains are popular in Maine and offer something for everyone. In Boston, the winter setting is full of romance, including horse-and-carriage tours of downtown. “This is a unique and romantic way to tour downtown Boston; snuggle up with a blanket, a hot cocoa and your special one as you clip-clop around historic Boston, lit with holiday splendor,” Phyllis says. Another romantic excursion is dining at Café

Boulud with Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud and outstanding wine cellar, located at the luxurious Blantyre Resort in Lenox, Massachusetts, featuring old school charm and romance with luxurious amenities. There’s no shortage of romantic dining options. The North End has numerous intimate restaurants with candle-lit tables lining the narrow nook and cranny streets of Boston’s “Little Italy.” Some coffee houses and pastry shops are open until midnight. Christmas is not complete without touring the holiday lights. This year there are holiday lights and tree lightings all around the Commonwealth. New for 2020 is the drive-thru Magic of Lights at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, home of the New England Patriots. Other drive-thru light displays include the Festival of Lights Drive-Thru Light Show at the Boston/Cape Cod KOA Campground in Middleborough and the Bright Nights at Forest Park. For those visiting Martha’s Vineyard, the Oak Bluffs Tree Lighting is slated for December 2.

Nobska Light

PHOTOS SPECIAL TO GRANDEUR

Just strolling through the town commons, a feeling of Christmas exudes with the trees trimmed with holiday lights and large wreaths and white candles lighting up the windows of town buildings. A must-do holiday activity for Stephanie and her family is the Boston Common tree lighting. “It’s always a beautiful, large, full tree,” she describes. “The Frog Pond on the Common opens for outdoor public skating. And the Make Way for Ducklings statue on the Common even gets dressed up in matching winter hats and scarves or even Santa hats.” You might even see trees made from stacked lobster pots, she adds. “There are holiday boat parades held, too, just like we have here, but you see much bigger trawlers, fishing or commercial boats compared to personal watercraft, as the seas are not too boater friendly in the winter,” Stephanie says. Visitors can choose from cozy bed-and-breakfasts in woodsy winter wonderlands with roaring fireplaces or elegantly decorated hotels with harbor and winter light views. The Red Lion Inn on Main Street in Stockbridge, painted by Normal Rockwell, is the ubiquitous winter getaway spot, according to Phyllis. And the Four Seasons Hotel on Boylston Street in Boston offers spectacular views of the Boston Public Gardens and the Boston Common and holiday lights. For travelers looking for a few luxurious activities or places to stay during the holidays, Phyllis recommends the oceanside Chatham Bars Inn with seasonal spa specials and private dining. Other things to do include taking a luxurious two- to three-hour cruise on the Boston Harbor’s Odyssey with tableside service and breathtaking view of the Boston skyline and waterfront landmarks adorned with lights for the holiday season and live music. Another favorite activity is taking a stroll and shopping at the top designer stores along Newbury Street in downtown Boston. For the more active winter visitor, a first run of skiing down one of the state’s snow-covered mountains — Butternut, Wachusett or Jiminy Peak — adds an exciting snow experience to the holiday schedule. For skiing in Massachusetts, Wachusett Mountain

Sleigh ride in Bethel

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EXPERIENCE NEW ENGLAND

HOLIDAYS ONLINE

The pandemic is forcing destinations to be a bit more creative in providing holiday cheer. In Maine, due to COVID-19, visits with Santa won’t include cookies and sitting on Santa’s lap this year. Instead, guests should keep an eye out for Santas in snow globes, pop-up Santas and other creative, socially distanced adaptations. For those not traveling over the holidays, several of the traditional Massachusetts holiday events have gone virtual so even those in Southwest Florida can enjoy. Here is a sampling of scheduled virtual activities. Christmas Revels 2020: A Virtual Celebration: For the first time in 50 years, the annual Christmas Revels will be celebrated online featuring a special performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. revels. org/shows-events/virtual-xmas Boston Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”: A new, one-hour broadcast of this beloved, annual story. bostonballet.org/thenutcracker “Black Nativity”: Virtual programming of the 50th anniversary of Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity” by National Center of Afro-American Artists. ncaa.org/blacknativity PHOTOS SPECIAL TO GRANDEUR

Virtual Santa: Nantucket’s virtual visits with Santa Claus are set for December 5 and 12. nantucketchamber.org Live in Falmouth: Falmouth is livestreaming these annual events on fctv.org/v3: • December 4 at 5 p.m.: Caroling at Nobska Lighthouse in Woods Hole • December 5 at 10:30 a.m.: Santa Claus sails into Falmouth Harbor • December 5 at 7 p.m.: Lighting of the Falmouth Village Green • December 6 at noon: 57th Annual Christmas Parade “It’s a Wonderful Life”: A live radio play performance of “It’s A Wonderful Life” by The Concord Players. concordplayers.org

Snowshoeing on Mount Apatite

Methuen Festival of Trees: The 27th annual Methuen Festival of Trees celebrates this year virtually with exhibits, a festival raffle and silent auction November 21 through December 6. methuenfestivaloftrees.com

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 45

| GETAWAY |

Driving around looking at holiday lights is a favorite New England holiday pastime, Stephanie says. “We would often just drive neighborhoods, sipping hot chocolate and enjoying candy canes while looking at lights. Many have the tradition of leaving a little note or gift for those homes with the best lights,” she says. “A trip to one of the many large light displays is a must. In Attleboro, Massachusetts, La Salette Shrine puts on a delightful walk-thru light event. It includes fountains, candle lighting and a Bible story theme as well as the best hot chocolate. For a nonreligious affiliated experience, Bright Nights at Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts, is a drive-thru light event like nothing you’ve ever seen.” Another favorite New England destination for Stephanie during the holidays is Maine. She loves how easy it is to travel state to state in this region in a day and see so many different things. She recommends Kittery, Maine, as in ideal spot to go holiday shopping. “There are outlets and shops, and everything is picture-perfect holiday decorated,” she says. Maine’s small towns and cities make Christmas special. “Historic downtown settings with streetlamps, brick sidewalks, cobblestones and 19th century architecture lend a timeless atmosphere to community celebrations, and festivities reflect local traditions,” says Steve Lyons, director of the Maine Office of Tourism. “For example, in the coastal community of Rockland, Santa typically arrives by lobster boat to light up the town’s lobster trap tree. In the mountain community of Bethel, where snow is almost a guarantee, a horse-drawn sleigh gives visitors rides from the Bethel Inn on the town green, and nearby Sunday River ski resort hosts skiing Santas at an annual ‘Santa Sunday’ holiday fundraiser.” Bar Harbor, Maine, is fun to visit during the holidays as well, according to Stephanie. “Bar Harbor is such a picturesque little New England town with plenty of cozy inns and wonderful little shops that remain open in winter months,” she adds. “The views from Bar Harbor and neighboring Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park are stunning. While some of the park area roads close due to the dangers of the icy winters, the general area is fun to visit year-round and you can cross-country ski the carriage roads or go ice skating in the park area.” Steve says this year, the Bar Harbor Inn and Spa near Acadia National Park is extending its season through the holidays and offering holiday packages. “It’s a wonderful year to experience Acadia as a winter wonderland,” he says. When visiting Maine, Steve recommends travelers take in the sights, tastes and scents of the destination. “Drink hot cocoa or a hot toddy by a roaring fire in one of Maine’s inns or lodges. Be sure to go to a Christmas tree farm or tree lot, even if it is only 46 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

to smell the fresh pine,” he advises. “Shop in small independent downtown boutiques for made-in-Maine items and explore one of Maine’s iconic Renys department stores and visit the outdoor retailer L.L. Bean’s flagship store in Freeport and take in the holiday decorations in Freeport.” Even in the winter months, guests can visit a farmers’ market for locally sourced seasonal food and craft items, he adds. Portland, Maine, is known as a culinary hot spot and due to the pandemic is adjusting for its diners. “The culinary mecca of downtown Portland is extending outdoor dining and shopping permits through early January, which means places like the

neighborhood bar Hunt + Alpine Club can serve drinks through the holidays at an all outdoor heated and covered winter space they are calling ‘Base Camp at Hunt + Alpine.’ Portland’s Merry Madness celebration is being extended for an entire month, instead of just a weekend,” Steve explains. While visiting Portland, Steve also suggests booking a “Wine Wise” wine and food pairing experience curated by sommelier Erica Archer in partnership with Portland’s celebrated chefs and delivered to the guest’s location in Portland. For travelers seeking the winter wonderland feel in accommodations in Maine, Steve has a couple of recommendations. “It’s difficult to choose one, but I would look for an inn that embraces the holidays and the winter season. My top two picks would be the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport and The Rangeley Inn in Rangeley (home to the newly reopened Saddleback ski resort, December 15).” Maine during the holidays is like being in a Hallmark movie. “Whether it’s a small shop or bakery, a Christmas tree farm or a stately home on a tree-lined street all dusted with snow,” Steve says, “these are the quintessential New England sights you see right here…and in the movies.”

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Stock Signature Homes Covington III model.

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 47

WildBlue Sophia Model III exterior.

Stock’s New Furnished Models and Neighborhoods Wow Homebuyers Stock Development is well known throughout Southwest Florida for beautifully furnished models of exceptional quality. Building on strong sales this year, the company is opening even more models for homebuyers to tour and has begun construction on many more for the upcoming winter season. According to Brian Stock, CEO of Stock Development, new models have been completed in Fiddler’s Creek, Isles of Collier Preserve, Naples Reserve and WildBlue. “Our construction team has been busy this summer building new models and inventory homes for the winter season,” said Stock. “We had a great summer of sales with 276 new home sales worth $342.6 million for the year. Sales contracts are up 21.6 percent for the year and sales revenue is up 30.5 percent. In addition, the company has closed on 189 homes worth $266.8 million.” Stock were also big winners at the CBIA Sand Dollar Awards, earning 16 awards across several furnished models and neighborhoods. Naples Reserve is a remarkable gated, waterfront community located minutes from downtown Naples and the beaches. Stock Signature Homes has already sold out Sparrow Cay and is now offering exceptional homes in three more neighborhoods: Canoe Landing, Crane Point and its newest release - Bimini Isle. Stock has introduced new floorplans and new furnished models for these homesites. The new homes are priced from just the $500s! Bimini Isle is an intimate neighborhood of only 35 high-end homes from Stock’s renowned Signature Series. This private enclave is situated along an elegant cul-de-sac that is surrounded by three lakes. Four new beautifully-furnished models are open for viewing. Prices in Bimini Isles will begin in the $700s. Crane Point is a neighborhood of 85 homes dominated by stunning water vistas. It is almost completely encircled by the shimmering waters of Naples Reserve’s largest lake and will feature lush

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landscaping. In the center of the neighborhood is yet another lake. Eight floorplans are available and priced from just the $500s. Canoe Landing consists of 64 homesites, neary all of which offer wonderful waterfront views. Half of the homesites have been released in the first phase with home and homesite packages beginning from the $500s. At Fiddler’s Creek, Stock Signature Homes is building within the exclusive gated village of Marsh Cove. The Livorno and Capistrano neighborhoods are sold out! Capistrano features three spacious floorplan options with extraordinary flexibility of design and options. The Cambria III model has 2,627-square-feet under air and 4,033 total-square-feet. It includes three-bedrooms, three and one-half baths, a large great room, island kitchen and a large screened and covered lanai. This outdoor living area features a summer kitchen with fireplace, pool and spa. The plan also includes a three-car garage and has an interior deisgn by Pizzazz Interiors. Stock’s floorplans at Fiddler’s Creek are priced from the $700’s. The Isles of Collier Preserve has been a big hit with homebuyers and Stock Signature Homes provides an amazing array of choices in the community. Stock has a new Covington III, Easton III model and Cambria III models open and a Cocoplum model nearing completion. The luxury coastal lifestyle community features The Isles Club, with a boathouse, dock and kayak launch, and the newly opened Overlook Bar & Grill with waterfront views of the Cypress Waterway. Stock offers three series of homes, many of which are on display among its numerous furnished models. WildBlue is a spectacular 3,500-acre community nestled between Naples and Fort Myers in Estero.

The first phase of amenities is now under construction. These are located on a spectacular peninsular site that offers expansive views of WildBlue’s largest lake. The Sports Club, which recently began construction, features more than 8,500 square foot under air with a large exercise room and state-of-the-art equipment. Stock’s 148 lots are situated on WildBlue Lake and offer breathtaking views, encompassing the beauty of this singular community. Stock’s pricing begins from the $900s and new homesites have been released for sale! Stock Signature Homes is offering nine floorplans on 85’ lots. Three furnished models are open with a new furnished Covington III model just completed. On The Peninsula, Stock Signature Homes and Stock Custom Homes are offering a variety of awardwinning floorplans and custom homes designs on 102’ and 140’ lots and three opulently furnished models open for viewing. Quail West is the premier golf and resort-lifestyle community in North Naples. Stock just sold its final home in the neighborhood. The Calista by Stock Custom homes sold immediately upon completion and won awards for Product Design of the Year, Best Outdoor Living Area, Best Master Suite, Best Kitchen Design and Best Flooring. It is a 5,506 square feet residence that includes a sprawling great room and island kitchen, a formal dining room, a clubroom/library, four bedrooms, four full baths and two half-baths, and an outdoor living area with an outdoor kitchen and dining area, a bar, conversation areas, and a pool and spa. A four-car garage is also included. The interior design as by Laurie Walter at Cardamon Design Please join us at our sales centers to view our best home offerings yet! To see all that Stock has to offer, please visit the Stock Development website at www.stockdevelopment.com/tour. Email at info@stockdevelopment.com or call (239) 592-7344.

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TASTY WISH LIST The duo behind Sails Restaurant in Naples help select our holiday wine picks.

very December, as we stare down the end of the year, we tend to wonder where the year has gone, marvel at how quickly time has passed. 2020, however, is a year that couldn’t pass fast enough for most. This holiday season, I’m looking forward to safely spending time with friends and family, breaking bread together and popping corks — lots of them. It’s a fun time for exploring new wines, as well as seeking out tried and true favorites, both for serving and for giving. For help with holiday wine suggestions, I’m joined by Corinne Ryan and Veljko Pavicevic. The dynamic duo behind Sails Restaurant in Naples have eclectic palates and have put together a worldly wine list that is full of small-production, hand-crafted gems from family and privately owned vineyards. They also lean green by supporting vineyards and brands that embrace sustainable, organic or biodynamic practices, something I too embrace. As we put the lid on 2020, dig into your stash and open something old, look forward to the new (vintages) and just say yes to a wine splurge. Chances are — you deserve it.

Gina Birch Gina Birch is the wine columnist for The News-Press in Fort Myers. Follow her social media here: Twitter: @ginabirch Facebook: GinaBirch

Corinne Ryan & Veljko Pavicevic

Guest columnists, Sails Restaurant

GINA’S WINE PICKS

CORINNE & VELJKO’S WINE PICKS

| WINE & SPIRITS |

Maison de Montille “Le Jarron,” SaintRomain, Cote de Beaune, 2014 • I love anything from this small producer. This selection is an unbelievable entry-level white Bourgogne on our wine list. Domaine de Montille wines are known for their great aromatic purity. For me, they are very pretty, elegant wines that pair perfectly with fresh seafood crudo to start the evening — or simply to enjoy over good conversation with no food at all. No overpowering oak or acidity, it’s lighter, more delicate in style, and each sip is an absolute pleasure. ($115)

Billecart Salmon Brut Rose • I love bubbles year-round but especially during the holidays. Anytime I see Billecart Salmon, I almost giggle in anticipation. This 200-plus-year-old Champagne house has a new release for the holidays, Brut Nature ($60), but the rose always has my heart. A pretty, pale pink that in the right light also has hints of gold, it’s 40% chardonnay and 30% each pinot noir and pinot meunier. It has this wild strawberry mousse that almost dances in your mouth — and it’s definitely a happy dance, with an occasional flash of jazz hands. ($80)

Villa Elisa “Glitter” Satèn, Franciacorta, Italy, 2012 • I always start with a glass of quality bubbles, a great aperitif that pairs perfectly with almost everything. Satèn is a term reserved for Franciacorta, which is crafted in the same traditional method as Champagne and can only be made as a Blanc de Blancs from chardonnay and/or pinot bianco. This one is 100% chardonnay, and each sip is like silk given its fine perlage. An incredible value for a 2012 vintage. ($135)

Ehlers Estate 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017 • During the holidays I think of giving, and while many brands give back, Ehlers has always been a favorite. All their profits go to cardiac research, hence the heart configured into the “E” on the label. 1886 is the year the estate was founded. The wine is a beautiful deep color and smells like ripe dark berries. It has flavors of cherry and chocolate with a little umami on the finish. Balanced and approachable, silky and feminine, it’s a wine to sit with and savor, enjoying as it opens and evolves in the glass. ($125)

Tabor Adama II “Storm,” Galilee, Israel, 2013 • This is our first wine from this area of the world on Sails’ wine list, and what a delight! I always get such great satisfaction from exploring and discovering new appellations. This is an amazing value highlighting the world-class wines from Israel. Definitely a must for anyone who shares my passion for adventurous sipping. This big cabernet sauvignon and petite syrah red blend is bold, with a long silky finish. ($95)

Bacigalupi Renouveau Chardonnay, 2018 • If I’m going to splurge on a chardonnay, which isn’t often, this is the one; its exceptional. The vineyard site in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley is legendary; its grapes were used in the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay (Napa) that won the famous Judgement of Paris. The third generation of the Bacigalupi family crafted this to honor Helen, the family’s matriarch and winery founder, along with her husband, Charles. It’s crafted with little intervention, native yeasts, is unfiltered, and a true representation of the vineyard. It smells soft, it tastes clean with lovely layers of fruit, minerals and acid. Only 99 cases were made. Grab a bottle while you can. ($82) (Wine prices may vary.)

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| WINE & SPIRITS |

COCKTAIL PICK he warm, comforting and complex flavors of bourbon and whiskey are popular with connoisseurs yearround, however, those flavors are particularly pleasing around the holidays and going into the cooler winter months. Those who love this spirit also love to discover unique and small batch producers from around the country. The folks at High West Distillery should know a little something

about warming drinks; after all they are located in the famous winter skiing destination of Park City, Utah. Their American Prairie bourbon is named after a group that’s working to create the largest wildlife preserve in the lower 48 states. A blend of bourbons that are at least 2 years old, American Prairie is aromatic, a little earthy and woody, with sweet vanilla. Easy to sip on its own, its flavors are especially agreeable for mixing in a craft cocktail.

HIGH WEST BULETTE • 1½ ounces High West American Prairie bourbon • ¼ ounce Amaro Santa Maria • ½ ounce fresh beet juice • ½ ounce fresh lemon juice

• ½ ounce pink peppercorn syrup • ¼ ounce fresh ginger juice • 4 basil leaves • Basil leaf garnish

Speaking of cocktails, High West also makes a barrel-aged Manhattan and an Old-Fashioned, mixed and ready to serve; just add ice and a garnish. A brand that gives back, High West has teamed up with ecominded outdoor gear and apparel company Coalatree to create the Kachula Adventure Blanket, made from 100% recycled materials. $30 of each purchase is donated to conservation efforts of the American Prairie Reserve.

Muddle 3 basil leaves in a cocktail shaker. Add all ingredients to the cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a basil leaf.

SOURCE: Steve Walton, beverage director at High West Restaurant & Saloon

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STORY AND PHOTOS BY LANCE SHEARER

BRITISH

INVASION

STEVE REGESTER’S COLLECTION DISPLAYS A LOVE AFFAIR WITH CLASSIC ENGLISH ROADSTERS.

Steve Regester’s 1954 AustinHealey 100 BN1 Roadster with its distinctive foldable windshield.

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he Jaguar XKE is one of the most iconic sports cars of all time. Naples resident Steve Regester owns two of them, and one comes with a whiff of high society scandal, one of the most high-profile murder cases of the last century. The Jaguar XKE (in England, its home country, it was called the EType) is the automobile that no less an authority than Enzo Ferrari declared “the most beautiful car ever made.” It was ranked No. 1 in Sports Car International magazine and on the Daily Telegraph list of the 100 most beautiful cars of all time. It was the car that initiated the (fictional) drag race in the Jan and Dean song “Deadman’s Curve.” The Museum of Modern Art in New York has just six automobiles in its collection; one is the 1963 XKE. And a 1963 Jaguar XKE roadster in opalescent silver blue metallic with red leather interior and all the original trimmings is parked in Steve’s Naples garage, making him the instant envy of car buffs everywhere. Steve’s ’63 Jag has all matching numbers, a blue soft top and matching hardtop, he says, with everything original including the toolkit, jack AM radio, and the owner’s operating manual. That manual is where the scandal comes in. It is signed by Dr. Sam Sheppard, who stood trial two times for the murder of his wife and was the inspiration for the television show and movie “The Fugitive.” Sheppard, who was acquitted at his second trial and apparently drank himself to death afterward, was the reputed owner of the silver-blue XKE, although Steve says he has been unable to come up with definitive documentation to verify the story.

Steve Regester with his 1963 Jaguar XKE (left). Steve’s collection of automobiles leans toward British motorcars.

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Like Steve’s other historic sportscars, the ’63 looks as good as the day it rolled out of the factory, maybe better, after a “rotisserie restoration,” in which the vehicle is completely disassembled and the body taken off the frame. The stripped skeleton is then placed on a rotisserie, which can be turned to expose any aspect of the car. “I had the car rotisserie restored. It was stripped to bare metal,” Steve says. “Every nut and bolt was removed. This restoration took 2 3/4 years to complete.” But Steve still wasn’t satisfied. After driving the car, he turned it over to renowned restorer Keith Pershing at Island Automotive on Marco Island (featured in Grandeur’s February 2020 issue) and spent an additional $23,000 to get it back to showroom form. Jaguars including the XKE have “a challenging history,” says Steve, a reputation for being temperamental and spending a lot of time — and money — in the shop, but his efforts still would appear a bit extreme. It seems to work for Steve, though. He went through the exact same sequence with his ruby red 1964 XKE. “It hadn’t been driven — it was a single-owner car. It was hard to start, had no brakes, made all kinds of noises, really didn’t run well,” says Steve, in what is something of a reverse sales pitch. “I duplicated what I did on the blue one, and now it’s a dream car.” Both XKEs share the same specs, each with a 3.8-liter double overhead cam, triple SU carburetors and four-on-the-floor,

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developing 275 horsepower and capable of 150 mph. Steve says he takes that on faith, and personally has never had the cars over 110. His blue XKE won first place in the Jaguar Clubs of North America in 2019 in the “driven” class. In any event, he is keeping the red ’64 XKE and looking to sell the silver-blue ’63 — the Sam Sheppard car. He must sell one, he says, because he has only a three-car garage, and he will soon take delivery of his newest baby, a 1960 Porsche 356 Roadster he has had undergoing restoration for the past three years. So something had to go. Steve and his wife’s daily drivers — matching modern-day Audis, an A8L for him and an A3 2.0T quattro for her — are already banished to live out in the elements, and the new/old Porsche will certainly rate a berth in the garage. So what could Steve prize highly enough to deal away the head-turning, gorgeous, car-with-a-mysterious-past Jaguar? Meet his 1954 Austin-Healey 100 BN1 roadster. If anything, it is even more of a head-turner than the E-Type, also in fire-engine red, and especially with its windscreen lowered, which is the way Steve leaves it. All these cars are great conversation starters, and a surefire way to draw ladies and car enthusiasts. With the Austin parked alongside a quiet street for a photograph, Steve is stopped by several passersby with questions, knowledgeable comments, and even a request to bring the car to a photo shoot “with lots of beautiful bridesmaids” that weekend.

Regester’s 1954 Austin-Healey bears a placard attesting to its race car modifications.

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“I drive these cars all the time,” Steve says, and often he finds himself engaged in conversation about them. “They stop people and turn heads all the time.” What he doesn’t do is drive them in the rain, if he can help it all, which can be a challenge for anyone living in Southwest Florida, particularly the summer months. “If it rains, I don’t use the windshield wipers. I don’t want anything to break,” he says. On the Austin, he has gone further — the wipers are removed, which you have to do to lower the windshield — and stashed away in the car. The BN1 has a heritage of some more aggressive driving though. Built to contest the Le Mans Grand National road racing circuit when the company started in 1953, just one year before Steve’s car was made, the two-seater with original matching num-

bers has a 2,660-cc inline four-cylinder engine with twin SU carbs and produces about 110 horsepower. Steve’s Austin-Healey had the Le Mans modification kit added at Healey’s Cape Warwick facility in England, and a plaque on the dash attests to the upgrade. Much of its speed and agility, like the XKE, comes from the car’s diminutive size and lightweight construction. Getting in and out takes a modicum of agility and feels more like climbing into the cockpit of a fighter plane than the typical experience of hopping into a car. Like the 1964 XKE Steve intends to keep, and like the Porsche roadster that is on the way, the Austin-Healey is cherry red, so once he makes the swap, Steve will have a garage full of scarlet fillies. He does his own detailing work, and keeps all his cars spotless, bending over during a photographer’s

visit to whisk off an invisible, or imaginary, speck of dust on the “boot” (they are British, after all) of one of the cars. The funds to finance Steve’s obsession with “British Invasion” motorcars come from his company, Prevent-Plus LLC, where he is co-founder of a bio-medical firm that develops technology to prevent skin infections and promote healing without antibiotics. Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, Steve caught the English sports car bug early, when his veterinarian father owned a succession of Triumph TR3s and TR4s. He had a souped-up Mustang in high school, a Datsun 240-Z, and an MG-B. Over the years, he says, he has owned “10 or 11 XK’s,” plus a variety of other cars including a 1915 Cadillac. Nothing in modern medicine seems likely to cure him of a serious case of the British Invasion.

Steve Regester’s 1964 Jaguar XKE roadster

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STORY BY ANDREA STETSON | PHOTOS BY ANDREA MELENDEZ

SOPHISTICATED

BENTLEY This pup combines exquisite pedigree, top-notch training and calm demeanor in one handsome package.

entley calmly walks beside his owner. On command he sits, stays and lies down. The 1-yearold chocolate-colored European Doberman is as precise and upscale as the car he is named after. Top training and a healthy lifestyle contribute to the dog’s success. He’s had a personal trainer, and now continues his education with his owners. Bentley’s day starts like clockwork at 6 a.m. “He can read the clock,” says his owner, Marilynn Katatsky. “He gets up early.” “As soon as it is light out, he is at the dog park for a full hour,” says Marilynn’s husband and dog co-owner Rick Kaufmann. Rick and Bentley walk to Baker Park and enjoy the spacious dog run there. “We probably do 30 to 45 repetitions of sit and down, and then I walk all the way halfway across the dog park and he stays there. Then I call him and that is his training,” Rick says. After that training Rick uses a ball thrower to toss a ball to his beloved pet. “This morning he jumped up 4 feet and caught it in mid-air,” Rick says. After exercise and training, Bentley and Rick head home where the dog devours a large breakfast of kibble and boiled chicken. “He goes to sleep and then he watches me work,” says Marilynn, who works from home as a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley. 56 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

“He comes in and checks out the market and watches CNBC. He likes the pet trades.” Then it’s more kibble and boiled chicken for dinner, followed by bed. “As soon as the sun goes down, he heads to the kennel in the bedroom,” Marilynn says. “He just walks in the kennel at night and goes to sleep,” Rick adds. “We don’t lock it.” Routine and repetition resound remarkably for the 80-pound canine, and he’s quite calm for a young dog. Bentley was born September 11, 2019. He comes from a local breeder in Naples. Marilynn says she found him on the internet and was pleased by his demeanor and his training. “What impressed us is that this dog grew up with a baby crawling on the floor, a 1 year old and a 4-year-old,” she says. “We could see how sweet he was with babies and children.” Bentley stayed with the trainer for another month after Marilynn and Rick selected him.

| PETS |

THE GIFT OF A PET

“The trainer would take him down to Fifth Avenue,” Marilynn says. “He took him to the bank. He got a lot of socialization.” In February Bentley was ready for his new home. Marilynn says everything from the dog’s manners to his name were perfect. “My husband came up with all these warrior-type things because he is a retired army colonel,” Marilynn says. “He comes up with names like Zeus. I had just one word in my head and it was Bentley.”

Soon after selecting the name, they went to meet the dog. “We show up at the guy’s house, which is on the outskirts of North Naples, and what is in the driveway? A blue Bentley convertible, brand new,” Marilynn says. “I don’t know how I thought about the name Bentley, but somehow in my head all I could think about was the name Bentley. I thought it was funny when we showed up there was a Bentley in the driveway.” Bentley is not Marilynn’s first Dober-

man. It’s actually her fourth. She was living in Annapolis, Maryland, when she first got that breed. “There was a murder of an ex-marine who was carjacked in his driveway in September of 2000,” Marilynn says. “Anyway I had two little silky terriers. I loved the little dogs. Then I kept thinking about that horrible murder and I started thinking I need a Doberman. I had never seen a Doberman, but I had this idea that I needed a Doberman pinscher.”

any people adopt pets during the holidays. Those with pets often enjoy wrapping gifts for their furry friends, dressing up their dogs and cats in holiday costumes and inviting their pets to join the festivities. Dr. John Morton, the veterinarian at Humane Society Naples, says people looking to adopt a pet this holiday season or anytime should follow these tips. • Look for an animal that is an appropriate weight and size for its age and breed. • Look for appropriate activity levels for that age, breed or species. “It should be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,” John says. • It is also important to look for medical histories. “We are happy to share any medical histories,” he says. The holiday season can present some dangers for pets. “Poinsettias are some of the famous ones,” John says. “They are not the worst, but they are toxic. The big things around the holidays are your chocolates and table scraps. I had a friend who had a little dog that got into dark chocolate and that is especially toxic.” Too many table scraps can also be harmful. “We do see a little bit of an increase in the vomiting and in the diarrhea,” John says. “Mostly from getting into the table scraps that they shouldn’t be eating. You can have both short-term and long-term effects.” He says lilies are also an especially toxic plant. Then there are the toys. “Be extra cautions and extra aware of small items,” John stresses. “If you have small children with small toys, we don’t want those puppies and kittens eating things they should not be eating. GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 57

| PETS |

PET GIFT CONTINUED

BENTLEY CONTINUED

She researched on the internet and found one in a shelter. Chief soon became her first Doberman. “Then I just fell in love with the breed,” she says. “There is nothing like a Doberman. They are smart. They are loyal. People are afraid of them, but every single one we have had is gentle and sweet.” Chief was followed by Jazzy and Maximus and finally Bentley. Bentley wasn’t originally what Marilynn wanted. “He was everything I didn’t want,” Marilynn recalls. “I wanted a black and tan one. I wanted a female. He is obviously neither black and tan nor female, but we are so lucky to have him.” Marilynn and Rick say Bentley is the perfect dog for them, but he isn’t perfect. “He is the only dog we have had that chases geckos. He chases geckos and birds,” Rick says. “When you are a 1-year-old Doberman, everything is an adventure.” He is also a chewing machine. “He puts everything in his mouth,” Marilynn says.

58 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

“He has tested every indestructible toy on Chewy. They give you your money back if he chews it up. We have gotten so much money back from Chewy. When Amazon shows up at the door he goes straight to the door and straight to the package. He knows it is for him and 8 out of 10 times it is for him. He’s tested a lot of toys. The only toy that has lasted is the Jolly Ball. The Jolly Ball has not been punctured or destroyed. Every other toy has been destroyed.” It’s not just toys that meet Bentley’s razor-sharp teeth. Rick pulled out his wallet to show rows of teeth marks. “His favorite toys are expensive shoes,” Marilynn adds. “He only does the left shoe. He never does the right shoe.” Even though Bentley came from a breeder, Marilynn and Rick are big supporters of Humane Society Naples. They love going to the yearly gala and smaller fundraising events. “We feel they do such a great job,” Marilynn says. “We are big donors.”

Vaccines are also important. “With puppies and kittens, it is hard, but make sure they are staying up on their vaccines even with all the craziness that is going on,” he says. Jonathan Foerster, director of community affairs for Humane Society Naples, says there are many things people should look for when choosing a pet. “Don’t set in your mind a specific dog but set in your mind the traits you want the dog to have,” he says. Jonathan says the best matches are the ones where the pet meshes well with the owner’s lifestyle. “If you are thinking about adding a pet, think about what your lifestyle is. How often you are home? And then really go in and ask the people at the shelter,” he says. “And be patient. We get so many people that will say, ‘I need a hypoallergenic dog that weighs 25 pounds,’ and that does not exist. So think about those things that are important. What your lifestyle is and how you expect that dog or cat to fit into your lifestyle. There are some cats that are really comfortable with being picked up and held and there are some cats that are not. Ask the shelter, ‘Is this animal comfortable being picked up and held? Will this cat be comfortable playing with toys with my son?’ Whatever your lifestyle is, find the pet that fits that.” If the animal is a holiday gift for children, there are even greater criteria. “A lot depends on the emotional maturity of the kids,” Jonathan says. “You have to think about both the children and the pet itself. Each animal is so individual. Some will work really well with children and some will not. Talk to our team about what will work well with kids. We think about that a lot.” Jonathan says even better than getting a pet as a present for someone, is to give a certificate so that person can pick out the perfect pet. “Write out a certificate for one good adoption and let that person go in and pick the animal that is right for them,” Jonathan says. “Make it a family experience, something you can bond over. It is not a product; it is a life, so treat it like that. I have seen people adopting the animal and you see this joy in their eyes and having that experience, there really isn’t words to describe it. The gift of that experience is wonderful.”

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WELLNESS DIRECTORY

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 59

Engagement Earns Excellence for Millennium Physician Group Defined simply as the emotional commitment to one’s work, engagement in the workplace is a difficult quality to measure, but a leader in measuring, understanding, and improving the delivery of healthcare has measured the immeasurable, and Millennium Physician Group has come out on top. Millennium has been named a 2020 Pinnacle of Excellence Award® winner in Physician Engagement by Press Ganey. The award recognizes topperforming healthcare organizations nationwide based on extraordinary achievement and consistently high levels of excellence for at least three years. This is the second year in a row Millennium has received the honor. Only nine other organizations nationwide received the honor this year, out of nearly 9,000 healthcare facilities who were considered. According to Millennium CEO Kevin Kearns, the award represents an important recognition from an industry leader, and Millennium’s physicians deserve such high praise each and every day. “Although our engagement survey results are impressive, every day we see the commitment and dedication of our physicians come to life through their relationships with their patients.” The Press Ganey Pinnacle of Excellence Award is a highly regarded symbol of achievement in the healthcare industry. When considering Millennium Physician Group for the honor, Patrick T. Ryan, chairman and chief executive officer of Press Ganey says the caregivers and staff of Millennium Physician Group touch the lives of patients and their families in profound ways, adding “This award reflects their deep commitment to listening to the voices of their patients and our shared mission to reduce suffering and improve the safety, quality, and experience of patient-centered care.” According to Millennium Physician group staff, patients often comment on this patient-centered approach. “What a great doctor and staff. Friendly,

60 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

professional, organized, caring, explains and listens well,” one patient recently commented about her experience. “Knowledgeable but down-to-earth and spends time. The office staff and atmosphere is alive with electricity. Obviously love their work and they really like patients.” 2020 has been a particularly challenging year for the healthcare industry. A few weeks into the pandemic, the Medical Group Management Association found that COVID-19 had a negative financial effect on 97 percent of the 724 medical practices it surveyed. Millennium Physician group credits its team’s extraordinary engagement with each other and their patients as a top reason for being able to continue to provide outstanding care during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Millennium’s Chief Medical Officer Alejandro Perez-Trepichio, M.D., explains, “The patients have trusted us, and we told them we could still connect with them, let us prove it to you,” and they did. Early on in the COVID-19 crisis, Millennium Physician

Group launched its telehealth service in just one week’s time. A feat that is virtually unheard of. The use of telehealth technology is not new, but widespread adoption had been relatively slow. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, trends showed some increased interest in the use of telehealth services, but the worldwide pandemic spurred recent policy changes that have knocked down barriers and promoted the use of telehealth as an acceptable and accessible way to deliver care. Millennium Physician Group is the largest comprehensive independent physician group in the state with more than 500 healthcare providers throughout Florida. Its telehealth service, MPG Connect, provides patients the opportunity to see their physician in the comfort of their own home through the convenience of their computer, smartphone or tablet. With corporate headquarters in Fort Myers, Millennium Physician Group consists of primary and specialty-care offices, imaging centers, lab services and walk-in centers, with a footprint that stretches from Marco Island to Jacksonville. And in the seven months since the pandemic began affecting Florida, the practice has hit another milestone -- topping 150,000 telehealth visits through MPG Connect! Referring to MPG Connect, Dr. Perez-Trepichio says, “That trust that we created through the years allowed us to provide care to these patients at the moment of greatest need, by their own doctors.” Staying on a dedicated path to continued excellence, Dr. Perez-Trepichio assures that Millennium’s physicians consistently strive to improve patient experience and outcomes by successfully engaging with their patients as well as each other. He adds “We will never get it right if we think we are there.” Perez-Trepichio describes the award as a confirmation the group is on the right path adding, “But it’s not the award that makes us better, it’s making sure the patient is satisfied and wants to come back.”

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| OPEN DOOR |

Sylvie and Jean Dedouvre wanted lots of natural light in their home. They used a variety of ways to achieve this: from sun tunnels and lots of windows, to the skylights seen here on the under roof portion of the lanai.

STORY BY ANDREA STETSON | PHOTOS BY ANDREA MELENDEZ

A HOUSE AHEAD OF ITS TIME Sun tunnels, an artificial reef and feats of creative engineering culminate in the dream home of Sylvie and Jean Dedouvre.

62 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| OPEN DOOR |

very room has a view of the water. Blue lights glow in the wavy patterned ceiling. Sun tunnels squeeze natural light all over the home, and an outdoor kitchen is actually inside. It took Sylvie and Jean Dedouvre years to build their dream house in Fort Myers. That dream home is not only luxurious, but incredibly creative and unique. The journey began one day in 2016 when Sylvie was riding her motorcycle down a quiet street and noticed a For Sale sign in the yard of a home surrounded by water on three sides. “We had spent a year looking for a lot,” Sylvie says. “I saw the For-Sale sign, and I went and saw the back, and when I saw the back I said, ‘This is it.’ I went and rang the doorbell and the man gave us the price and I said I will be right back with the deposit, and I came back 20 minutes later with the deposit. We had been looking for so long and we knew exactly what we wanted.” Sylvie was overjoyed with the property. It had two important criteria: southern exposure and the ability to build a home where she would not see the neighbors. It was also on a deep-water canal that’s 20 minutes from the Gulf by boat. Then the long planning and design process began. “We bought a tear-down and started from scratch,” Sylvie says. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Blue lights glow in the ceilings of this home along a canal that leads to the Caloosahatchee River. The lights are also seen under furniture, on the lanai and in rooms throughout the house. • The owners of the home are well traveled and have items from all over the world that they display throughout the home. • An outdoor fire pit is one of the features on the humongous lanai. The lanai and deck wrap around three sides of the home.

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 63

| OPEN DOOR |

The result is an ultra-modern home with creative features that have rarely been seen before and sophisticated engineering feats to make it all happen. “It was a true product of what our company can do,” says Gary Aubuchon, president of the Aubuchon Team of Companies. “It was a labor of love. Everything about the house is done with a high level of sophistication.” Ron Kopko, the interior designer, says it took more than two years to design the house. The straight lines, modern look and details were all created first. Then the fun details were added. That’s what happened with the living room ceiling. “We had been working on the design of the house 10 to 12 hours a day and it was a Friday night, and we were drinking tequila, and we knew everything was straight in every room, and we wanted this room to be fun,” Ron says. “We were playing with the lines from the jelly jars from Publix and we came up with the design and we made it work. That is how the ceiling came about.” “We wanted this room to be fun,” Sylvie adds. The room was a challenge to create. “In the first version of the plan, it was an outdoor lanai,” Gary explains. “Sylvie challenged us because Sylvie wanted the room to be air conditioned. But she also didn’t want any columns or posts. So the engineering feat here was to make the indoor space and the outdoor space blend seamlessly. That room is essentially suspended out in space.” This living room is one of Sylvie’s favorite places to be. Glass doors on three sides of the room offer views of the pool and the river. Only a small wall for a large television and long gas fireplace stop the floor-to-almost-ceiling glass. Sunshades retract into the ceiling to block light when desired. “These are very European doors,” Ron says. “I saw these in Europe, and I found a place making it in Florida. Everything is buried in and there is even drainage in the concrete so now when you open it you truly have all living space. There is nothing blocking your view.” This big open room with the spectacular view is where Sylvie starts her day:

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Sylvie Dedouvre wanted a room that was fun and creative. This room with its many walls of glass sliding doors and wavy ceiling with glowing blue lights is one of her favorite places. • The home almost doubles in size when you add all the outdoor living space. • The water in the pool is level with the decking. This was a challenge for the builder who had to create a sophisticated system under the deck to keep rainwater away from the home. • The master bathroom has shelves with Lalique glass creations. There is also a room full of shelves with more Lalique. Jean Dedouvre’s late wife, Marie-Claude Lalique, was a designer who ran the Lalique company founded by her grandfather Rene Jules Lalique. 64 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| OPEN DOOR |

“Typical day: 4 a.m. the clock rings. I go in the kitchen for a cup of coffee and breakfast. Then I video exercise for two hours and then into the pool for 50 laps. I do yoga. I do stretching. I mix it up. There is so much on YouTube. Then into the pool. It is nice and warm, about 95 degrees. By the time I get out of the pool, I am ready for my second breakfast. And that is when everyone else is getting up.” Sylvie says she often pushes the furniture aside in this living room to make a big space for her exercise routine. She likes looking up at the moon and stars through the glass windows as she works out in the early morning hours. She then spends most of the day with her husband in the den working. Two walls of glass doors open to the lanai, and in the nice weather with the doors open, it is like working along the water. Even in the hot weather, the views through the doors give her that feeling of living in paradise. The rest of the house is also designed to be practical, pretty and pleasant. Flat white cabinets give the kitchen a sleek look. One of the cabinets opens to a hidden pantry. An enormous kitchen island, with a sink and stovetop insert, stretches below another ceiling that glows with blue inset lighting and also has a skylight above. The skylight can be clear glass or opaquer. “It changes,” Sylvie says. “We were sitting here chopping vegetables and we were getting a sunburn, so we had a filter put on and it can be on or off.” Sylvie and Jean wanted a way to slightly separate the kitchen from the dining area without losing the light and views. The solution was a floor-to-ceiling glass wine room with 203 bottles hanging in a floating style. Twelve-foot-tall panes of glass were carefully transported from California to create the room, and a jewelry company in Arizona created the pieces to hang the bottles. That wasn’t even the biggest challenge. “With the wine room, the client didn’t want a track to receive the glass,” Gary explains. “It is almost what you don’t see that shows how sophisticated it is. There are no tracks at the bottom. It literally extends into the slab itself and into the ceiling. To be able to do that was a heck of a challenge. We had to get the exact location and size and dimension well before it arrived because it was imbedded into the floor and the ceiling, so there was no margin for error.” The home has three bedrooms plus four full and one half bathroom. Sylvie says that’s enough bedrooms for her and her husband and for her two grown children. The master bedroom has a king-size bed and a sitting area by the two walls of windows. Sylvie say she enjoys lying in bed watching the boats go by. The master bathroom was designed to have viewing points through the bedroom windows. FROM TOP: A skylight brightens the kitchen. To keep it from getting too bright this skylight can be adjusted to be either clear or opaque. The owners also wanted some separation between the kitchen and dining area, but didn’t want to block the views. The answer was a glass wine room in between the two sections. • Sylvie and Jean Dedouvre love their home along the water in Fort Myers. • Their daughter’s room, just like their son’s room, has two sections. There is a king-sized bed in one area and then a sitting space in another section. Glass doors lead to the walkway along the water. GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 65

| OPEN DOOR |

“We had a wish list that we see the water from every room in the home,” Sylvie says. Both her son’s room and daughter’s room have glass doors that lead to the walkway by the water. Both rooms are divided into two sections, one with a king-size bed and the other a sitting area with a television. Both have walk-in closets and bathrooms. A special room was made with display shelves for dozens of Lalique glass creations. Jean’s late wife, Marie-Claude Lalique, was a designer who ran the Lalique company founded by her grandfather Rene Jules Lalique. Shelves and glass cases full of unique Lalique creations fill the room. There are also two bookshelves full of books by Jules Verne. “My gallery has all my favorite books,” Jean says in French while Sylvie translates. “I have been collecting them since I was 8 years old. This is my favorite room.” His oldest book dates back to 1875. Jean says he also loves his office with the gorgeous views. The home spans 6,400 square feet under air and a grand total of 11,000 square feet. That difference illustrates just how large the outdoor living area is. The tiles on the lanai match the interior tiles. When the doors open, since there is no raised lip between the indoors and outdoors, the home flows right into the lanai. There is a pool, a spa and stepping stones over a shallow pool of water that leads between the pool and spa. The water in the pools is level with the deck, giving the builder another big challenge. “To make that all work we put in a very sophisticated system under the pool deck to keep rainwater from getting into the house,” Gary says. “To make things even more complicated, the soil is very poor, and we needed 200 support pilings to support the house, pool deck and swimming pool. It took a tremendous amount of engineering and planning to make that work.” It also took some planning and engineering the get the 10 palm trees on the deck that lines the river on three sides of the home. “We planted all those before the slab was poured so we had to keep them healthy during the entire construction process so they would stay like that,” Gary says. Bonsai plants, which Sylvie has been working with for 14 years, line part of the lanai. Two big outside sitting areas were created under huge umbrellas. Enormous picture screens for the pool cage keep the view unobstructed. A deck that wraps around three sides of the home provides a walkway along the water. Under the deck, artificial reefs were created using a resin material.

FROM TOP: There are lots of shaded sitting areas around the pool. • A small wall with a fireplace and television is the only wall on three sides of this room. The rest of the three sides are sliding glass doors that overlook the lanai, pool and canal. • Sylvie starts her mornings in this room by the glass doors. She works out to videos while watching the sun rise and then heads out for a swim in the pool. 66 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| OPEN DOOR |

FROM TOP: Sylvie Dedouvre’s closet in the master bedroom is spacious and very neatly organized. • Jean spends a lot of his day in his den. He often works there alongside Sylvie. The room has sliding glass doors that overlook the pool and canal making it a very pretty place to work. Sun tunnels in the ceiling give extra natural light to this room. • This room is one of the owner’s favorite places to be because of the walls of windows. This room actually has an outdoor kitchen that is inside. • Under the roofline on the lanai are many sitting areas and eating spaces.

“We see lots of fish,” Sylvie says. “We are seeing big turtles now and dolphin.” The outside is so expansive and the walkway so wide and picturesque, that Sylvie says people have come past in boats asking if the restaurant is open, or if they have rooms available for the night, thinking that this place of luxury must be a commercial establishment. The home was designed with many other unusual features. The most creative just might be the sun tunnels. “There are 35 sun tunnels in the house that allow natural light to come in,” Gary explains. “During the day the house is fully illuminated as if the lights are on. The round circles on the roof are sun tunnels. They are like a skylight except you don’t see through them. The little round dome lets in light and travels through a reflective tube and inside the house is a lens. You would never know it walking through the house that you are looking at natural light.” Sylvie loves those sun tunnels. “My original house was dark,” she says. “One of the first things we had on our list for this house was we wanted it to be bright everywhere and we wanted it to be natural light.” The blue lights that illuminate the wavy ceiling

in the living room are replicated in most of the other rooms. The lights are seen in the ceilings, under the furniture, and under the kitchen cabinets. These lights can be programmed to illuminate in a wide variety of colors. “You know what I like about this house?” Sylvie asks. “It is totally controlled by my iPhone.” The ceiling of the under-roof portion of the lanai has two skylights. Then there is the outdoor kitchen that is indoors. This kitchen is actually by the side of the living room near the glass doors. “We told the builder that we wanted a barbecue inside the house, and they said nobody has ever done that, and they said, ‘We can’t do that; we won’t pass the inspection,’ and I said, ‘Figure it out,’ and they figured it out.” The three-car garage has an extra space in the back for her motorcycle, paddleboard and more. There is a back garage door that can be used to pull a vehicle into the backyard. “It is a hot house to talk about,” Gary says. “It is the ultra-modern, but it is subtle. You have to really study it to appreciate all the details.” When Sylvie and Jean moved into their home in January, they held a huge housewarming party and invited everyone who worked on their home.

“It was very gracious,” Gary says. “It was a wonderful event. A lot of the workers that work usually never get to see the finished product. Everyone was able to come and see their work and the work of others. It was a magical evening.” Before the pandemic, the house was a great place for entertaining. “Before COVID, on the weekends we would have barbecues,” Sylvie says. “My family and my friends would come over and go swimming.” The pandemic stopped the entertaining, but Sylvie says it is a great place to stay put and isolate. “It wasn’t so bad to be confined over here,” she says. “Instead of going to the gym, we move that table and do some YouTube videos, and after the workout we go in the pool. “It is just nice to come out here and relax and read a book and have a glass of wine and watch the boats. “After we moved here, we watched all the boats go by and so I took my captain’s class and we got a boat,” Sylvie says. “Pretty much every weekend we pack our stuff and go on the boat and go have some fun. We go to Cabbage Key or Captiva and then we come back and we just jump in the pool. We really enjoy everything about this house. We are so comfy here; we don’t want to go anywhere.” GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 67

| MAKE IT A DOUBLE |

ONE OF

HAPPY

HOURâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

BEST

KEPT SECRETS Drink your dessert with this Raspberry Cheesecake Martini at LYNQ.

68 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

LYNQ offers spacious outdoor seating and a diverse menu of craft cocktails.

| MAKE IT A DOUBLE |

STORY BY GINA BIRCH PHOTOS BY AMANDA INSCORE

he lush patio at LYNQ in south Fort Myers is one of the best kept outdoor secrets in the area, and the happy hour might just be another. The indoor/outdoor bar is spacious and attracts a friendly, diverse crowd for happy hour, which lasts well into the evening. Smoking drinks are in fashion and while they more typically involve bourbons and whiskies, at LYNQ it’s tequila. Patron Anejo, sweet vermouth and chocolate bitters make up one of the season’s newest drinks: Dapper Chris. Patrons can choose between cherry wood, apple wood or mesquite wood chips, which are smoked tableside. Not only does the glass fill with sweet smoke, so does much of the bar; it’s warm and comforting. LEFT: The bar at LYNQ opens to the outside patio, a lush space perfect for distancing. • BELOW: Made into perfect bites, LYNQ’s sushi nachos.

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 69

| MAKE IT A DOUBLE |

The nostalgia of a campfire also comes alive in Give Me S’mores, garnished with a skewer of marshmallows, toasted by the flames of a torch. The rim of a mason jar is brushed in vanilla frosting then dipped in graham crackers. It’s filled with a mix of locally distilled Mr. Tom’s vodka and Mr. Tom’s caffe latte liqueur, along with Godiva dark chocolate liqueur and chocolate bitters. Smoke from a chuck of dry ice adds to the campfire illusion. In another local partnership, LYNQ uses Love Boat Ice Cream lemon sorbet for When Life Gives You Lemons. Ketel One vodka, limoncello liqueur and fresh lemonade is strained into a martini glass over a ball of sorbet. Eat the sorbet or let it melt. Either way it’s light, refreshing and pairs well with spicy sushi. Pocket Full of Greens is also refreshing. Mint, cucumber and lime juice are muddled together, and then shaken with Hendrick’s gin and St. Germain elderflower liqueur. Add a splash of soda and have it served to your liking: on the rocks or straight up. Crisp and with a kick, it almost feels healthful. For dessert, the Raspberry Cheesecake Martini hits the spot. The glass has a graham cracker crust rim and is swirled with raspberry syrup for a festive touch. To accompany the large selection of cocktails is an

equally large selection of appetizers, all of which are $8 during happy hour and in full-sized portions. Carpaccio is a staple, thinly sliced eye of round topped with arugula salad, drizzled in truffle basil oil and balsamic glaze. Sushi nachos are easy to share, even though you might want them all to yourself. Crafted into perfect bites, on house-made corn tortilla chips, is a mixture of spicy tuna, scallions, masago, tempura flakes and jalapenos, drizzled in eel sauce and spicy mayo. Quesadillas are double layered, and the Asiago pesto gnocchi “makes you want to lick the bowl,” general manager Melissa Jensen says with a laugh. LYNQ also has numerous plant-based items and vegan wines. “We are linking cultures, cuisines, music and people,” Melissa says. “We really do have something here for everyone.” Those who like to brunch with bubbles make reservations weeks in advance for the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brunch. The third Sunday of the month, the theme often changes but the deal is the same. The iconic Champagne is $10 a glass or $50 a bottle. Celebrating the end of 2020 and looking forward to 2021, LYNQ offers lots of space to do so safely and deliciously.

RIGHT: Built around Hendricks Gin, Pocket Full of Greens, is a refreshing favorite. • BELOW: Beef carpaccio is a signature appetizer and a popular happy hour nosh.

70 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

| MAKE IT A DOUBLE |

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: For an aromatic and delicious drink full of nostalgia, this one is s’mores in a glass. • When Life Gives You Lemons features vodka and a scoop of lemon sorbet from Love Boat Ice Cream. • Olivia Dupay toasts marshmallows used to garnish Give Me S’mores.

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 71

| GRAND TIMES |

BIG REDS WINE DINNER

1. Gina Birch and Kathryn Kelly 2. Keith Durling and Elly Hagen 3. Tim and Sandy Youngquist 4. Tom Hornby and Teri Palmer 5. Marja and Jerry Norris

PHOTOS SPECIAL TO GRANDEUR

The Heights Foundation hosted a Big Reds Wine Dinner at Harold’s Restaurant on November 10. The dinner was a fundraising event for The Heights Foundation, that works to build strong, self-sufficient families in the Harlem Heights neighborhood. Chef Harold Balink teamed up with local media personality and wine journalist Gina Birch to pair stunning big red wines from around the world with Harold’s creative cuisine. Seating was limited and COVID-19 precautions were in place.

LE CIRQUE DE VILLAGE

1 1. Auctioneer Chris Marchand 2. Sarah Germain, Maggie Talford, Rick Talford and Michael Germain

72 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

PHOTOS SPECIAL TO GRANDEUR

The Village School of Naples’ held a hybrid in-person/virtual fundraising event on November 14.

| GRAND TIMES |

JENNIFER’S 38 YEARS IN BUSINESS CELEBRATION

PHOTOS SPECIAL TO GRANDEUR

Jennifer’s boutique celebrated 38 years in business on November 18 with a small reception in the store. Guests enjoyed appetizers from Black Salt Catering and music by Kyle Anne. Jennifer Williams opened her Fort Myers boutique in November 1983. Her unique and timeless sense of style and personalized service has created a loyal following. Jennifer’s is located in The Design Center at 13251 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers.

1. Anne Marie Lavallee, Diane Meyers and Robyn Moe 2. Mimi Dolphin and Tracey Dolphin Arasimowicz 3. The staff of Jennifer’s, Julie Sherer, Alanna Quimby, Jennifer Williams, Cindy Call, Maria Gervacio, Jessica Doresti 4. Ashleigh Kent and Lauren Wesolek 5. Jennifer Williams, Jacob Williams and Kenny Williams

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2020 | 73

| NEXT MONTH |

WOMEN IN CHARGE Local leaders talk about what it takes to

reach the top of their fields and their plans to empower the next generation of women.

74 | DECEMBER 2020 | grandeurmagazine.com

Quality Furniture & Interior Design

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11/6/20 11:50 AM