MAR / APR 2019 by grapixstudio

USA $7.50 INTERNATIONAL $9.50

MAR / APR 2019 ISSUE

MAGAZINE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WITH

KEVIN O’BRIEN SOCIAL MEDIA BREAKUPS

WITH SUE MCGAUGHEY TAMMY’S KITCHEN

BRINGING YOUR FAMILY TOGETHER BEAUTY, BRAINS, AND AMBITION

ISBN 978-1-365-58375-9

90000

9 781365 583759

CATHERINE YORK

TRAVEL Hello, Asheville

COVER STORY Catherine York – Beauty, Brains, and Ambition

CONTENTS

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FILM Be Like Mike Kevin’s "Day" Dream TAMMY'S KITCHEN Bringing Your Family Together ENTERTAINMENT Man in Black Hot Cole MODEL Brandy-Ray Lasonde

SUE’S COFFEE TALK

HUMAN INTEREST

Social Media Breakups Clearing The Clutter, Without Breaking Your Heart

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MEET THE TEAM President/Publisher/Co-Owner Vice President/Director of Operations/Co-Owner Executive Editor/Managing Editor

LISA SNYDER citytocountrymagazine@aol.com TAMMY KC HEGYES tammykchegyes67@gmail.com TERRI R. BASSETT editorcitytocountry@gmail.com

Consultant DON SNYDER Creative Director/Head of Layouts

AMY PAYCANA ESPALDON amie_paycana@yahoo.com

Journalists Head Writer/Advice Columnist

Interviews (Owner/CEO at Wings By The Flock)

SUE MCGAUGHEY ctcmsue@gmail.com www.twitter.com/suze612 CAMERON HOLDER

Freelance Writer, Owner/Founder of TOM KELLY Chasing Your Dream Radio Freelance Writer

LILI DEBARBIERI

Contributing Writer

LEAH REISE

Staff Writer

JULIA VOGE

PR Contributors MG Agency CA

SUE MCGAUGHEY

October Coast CLINT MORRIS

Photographers/Photojournalists Head Photographer/Owner of J. Route Photography JONATHAN ROUTE jroute13@gmail.com Photojournalist

ED SANDOVAL

Photojournalist ERIC TIER

Write To Us: 1911 Market Street Beatrice, Nebraska 68310 CITY TO COUNTRY MAGAZINE LLC would like to thank our sponsors for their contributions and will be making changes to our digital and print issues to bring our readers and viewers the best of the best! Sponsors: Sue’s Coffee Talk Chef John’s Events & Catering www.chefjohns.net/ Blueyed Pictures www.blueyedpictures.com/

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TRAVEL “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” ~ Augustine of Hippo

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e l l i v e h s A Written by Tammy KC Hegyes

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rom the coastline to the Blue Ridge Mountains, there are many places to have adventures and discover even more reasons why you live in North Carolina. It’s just a matter of hopping in your car and heading in the direction of your journey. So, are you ready for my hop, skip, and jump to Asheville, North Carolina? With a rather interesting art scene, Asheville is a beautiful town that is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. “A little drop of blue in a sea of red; the blueberry in the tomato soup,” is what one of the locals told me. I knew I’d have a great time, but I underestimated just how much I would enjoy this city. Here are the reasons why I fell so hard for Asheville. Asheville has the most amazing people. I want to make that point first. It is home to some of the nicest people I have ever met anywhere, and that goes for the US and abroad. But Asheville is special. People aren’t just polite and welcoming. It’s a genuine, honest, open kindness on a level I’ve never seen elsewhere. And it’s not necessarily Southern hospitality. It’s almost serene. Asheville is different. It’s “Mountain South.” It’s like all the kindness, but none of the cloying sweetness. I was definitely onboard with that.

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The crazy thing is that Asheville is a city of transplants. I met people from Chicago, California, Florida, Michigan, New Orleans, and elsewhere in North Carolina. They all ended up in Asheville, because they saw something special in the city. I find it uncanny, but wonderful, that, in a city of transplants, everyone seems to have such a sunny personality. On Biltmore Street, you’ll find a “Before I Die” chalkboard with spaces to write your life goals. It made me smile that most of them were people stating who they wanted to marry. While walking around town, you should try a cold drink. Lavender lemon soda? Absolutely! I rarely drink soda, but I loved this stuff. The Waynesville Soda Jerks are headquartered not too far from Asheville and have other soda flavors like strawberry rhubarb, apple rosemary, and blueberry basil. You can buy them in downtown Asheville at The Rhu.

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TRAVEL A surprising amount of Art Deco architecture is in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We all know Miami is the top Art Deco city in the United States, but who would have guessed Asheville would be a runner-up? The Grove Arcade is a collection of shops downtown. One shop is the Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar, which is exactly what it sounds likeâ&#x20AC;Śused books, champagne, and a place to chillout. Asheville is home to several spots on the Western North Carolina Cheese Trail, a new collection of creameries scattered throughout the region. I got to experience a stop on the trail during a tour with Asheville Farm to Table Tours. These tours seek to educate visitors on how food is grown at the source and used to supply businesses and feed people throughout Asheville.

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We started with a visit to Looking Glass Creamery, where we learned about several kinds of cheeses they make and were served the prettiest cheeseboard I’ve ever seen. Yes, without a doubt, it was the loveliest cheese plate I’ve ever seen! Our second stop on the tour was Flying Cloud Farm, which was home to fresh produce, flowers, and an adorable puppy that was keeping watch. Want to buy some produce? Just pick out what you’d like and put some money in the box! And not just that. They’ve modernized for the present day. You can also pay via PayPal. How amazing is that?! What better way to finish a day of farm-hopping than with a chance to ogle baby goats and pigs at Hickory Nut Gap Farm? We had a lunch with sandwiches made with home-cured capicola and a salad made with astoundingly-fresh feta and topped with purple flowers.

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Asheville’s culinary scene has really picked up in the past several years, and one of the standouts is Cúrate Tapas Bar, a Spanish tapas restaurant. I expected the food to be decent, but not extraordinary. Was I ever wrong! This was my first meal in Asheville, and it remained the best. As well, they have the best tapas I have ever had outside of Spain. After all you’ve read, would you be surprised to hear that Asheville is a major arts destination as well? Asheville is home to more than 200 artists, many of whom are clustered in the River Arts District, which is a little more than a mile from downtown. You can walk around and explore the neighborhood on your own, but I recommend taking the two-hour Asheville Art Studio Tour. Led by John Miguel Almaguer, an accomplished glass artist who even apprenticed in Murano in Venice, this tour took us to visit four studios in the neighborhood. John has more personality in a fingernail than most people I’ve ever met. The man isn’t just a visual artist. He has the most wonderful presence. You’ll love him. If there’s any one attraction you should visit in Asheville, it’s the Biltmore Estate. This massive, French-style chateau was built by George Vanderbilt in 1889, and it has since become one of the symbols of Asheville. As soon as I saw the mansion, I knew it looked familiar, but how? Then, it hit me. It was the Richie Rich house! Seriously, how is this place in North Carolina?! George Vanderbilt was an avid reader, averaging 81 books per year, which puts me to shame. So, there’s currently a display of costumes from literary movies like Anna Karenina and Finding Neverland. Uma Thurman’s peacock costume from The Golden Bowl is featured in the picture. CITY TO COUNTRY MAGAZINE LLC

TRAVEL If you want to see even more of the mansion, the rooftop tour is pretty cool. I couldn’t believe those gargoyles! The Biltmore is such a cool place, and there are plenty more grounds to discover, including a winery and some gardens. And if you’re looking for the ultimate Asheville selfie, throw on your favorite red dress and pose in front of the building! Asheville is home to more breweries per capita than any city in the United States, so if you love beer, you need to come here at least once in your life. I like beer, but I’m not a hardcore beer fan. I’ll go to breweries in the company of my beer-loving dad and mom, but not on my own. Still, I liked the look of the Wedge Brewing Company, located in the River Arts District, and decided to give it a whirl on my way back from the Biltmore Estate. I couldn’t go to Asheville and not hit up a brewery. Like everywhere else in Asheville, the Wedge is casual and welcoming. It’s a familyfriendly brewery, with games for kids and space for them to run around during the day. It becomes adults only after 8:00 p.m. I tried four beers and especially liked their Hefeweizen and porter. It was so nice to just sit outside in the shade, enjoying a few beer samples and watching the freight trains go by. Chill breweries are the best breweries. Southern cuisine is the sweetest of cuisines. Blackbird is one of the signature restaurants in Asheville, and if you’re looking for something Southern with a twist, this is the place to visit. I adore Southern food and go for it whenever I can, but it’s always best at the source. I started with a local peach and brie salad. Peach and brie are a heavenly combination. How have I never had that in my life before? Next was trout with a peanut romesco and zucchini watercress salad. Owner Jesson Gil told me that he considered this dish his “death-row meal.” It was fabulous and light, which is great, considering how much heavy food you’ll be eating in Asheville. Of course, I had to order their award-winning coconut cake. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring you a box,” my waitress told me. I wondered just how big this cake was going to be! It was pretty damn big, and yes, I did use the box. OH MY GOD,

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THIS CAKE! SERIOUSLY, THIS CAKE! It is so decadent. One of my favorite shops was the Asheville Bee Charmer, a beautiful store devoted to honey and related products. The owners, Kim and Jill, came to Asheville from Chicago and envisioned their business out of “…a passion for honey, a curiosity of bees, a love of cooking, and a yearning for connection to community.” I asked Kim, “What do you wish people knew about honey?” “That honey is not just one basic product,” she said. “There are 350 kinds of honey. Tasting honey is like tasting wine.” I tasted a lot of honey: dark buckwheat honey that could substitute as molasses, chai-infused honey that would be fantastic in green tea, and even ghost pepper honey, which was certainly hot, but not nearly as bad as I feared. Now, here is something that might surprise you, something I had never seen in my life. A red, double-decker London bus has been turned into a coffeeshop, and it’s the coolest! It’s technically called Double D’s Coffee and Desserts, but most people in Asheville just call it “the double-decker bus.” The bus doesn’t drive anywhere, but it’s parked in a lovely, little lot, where you can sit outside at a picnic table underneath an umbrella. A weekend is not enough time to experience the best of Asheville. I think five days would be perfect. At one point, I gazed over the French Broad River, saw people floating along in tubes, and thought, “I want to be there.” I didn’t get to do too much outdoorsy stuff, and I definitely want to go rafting and do some hikes to waterfalls. I want to visit the Sierra Nevada Brewery, which is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building and a beacon of environmental sustainability in architecture. Oh, yeah! I also need to hit the French Broad Chocolate Lounge for dessert. If you’re interested in reading other travel adventures that we’ve explored in City to Country Magazine, visit our official website at www.citytocountrymag.org.

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COVER STORY

Beauty, Brains, and Ambition

CATHERINE YORK "I would love to work in pediatrics with children affected by chronic illness and also their families. I really want to be a good influence and help make a real difference in the way children with chronic illness view themselves."

Written by Sue McGaughey

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n a world with so much recent negativity, there are some bright stars that shine amongst the darkness. Catherine York is one of them. When you read the news or scroll through social media, you see a lot of hate, selfishness, and negativity floating around in our world. Catherine lends positivity, compassion, and light, especially to those who are fighting obstacles like diabetes. She takes time to encourage youth, as well as be a role model about self-image. She’s competed in pageants and continues her work by helping others who want to compete. City to Country Magazine recently caught up with Catherine York, the reigning Miss Massachusetts. Catherine is a student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, studying dietetics. She is working on her master’s degree in public health in a program coordinated with her dietetics program. Learning about nutrition and being able to help others live a healthy lifestyle are very important to Catherine, as she has type 1 diabetes. She wants to be able to encourage youth who have diabetes to live a happy and healthy lifestyle. Her dream is to work in the pediatric dietician field to help children with chronic illness and their families. Catherine is very ambitious, competing and working on her master’s, while still advocating for others.

CITY TO COUNTRY MAGAZINE: Thank you, Catherine, for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions for our readers. I know you are currently the reigning Miss Massachusetts. When did you win that title? CATHERINE YORK: I became Miss Massachusetts US International in July of 2017. I then competed for the title of Miss US International in June of 2018. I placed in the top ten in the national pageant. CTCM: What was the process like when competing for the Miss Mass title? YORK: We didn’t have a state pageant when I was crowned Miss Massachusetts. The title was considered atlarge. CTCM: What responsibilities come along with earning that title? YORK: Throughout your year of service, you can promote your own personal platform, as well as volunteer in the community. I traveled from Maine to Rhode Island as Miss Massachusetts, promoting the system, as well as my personal message of body acceptance. CTCM: Why did you want to compete for this title, and what message do you hope to send to other young ladies out there? YORK: Besides the opportunity to go to Japan to compete for the international title, I wanted to compete to send a message to young boys and girls with a chronic disease. I have had type 1 diabetes for the past eight years, and I’ve seen young boys and girls discouraged with what they think they can and can’t do with their diabetes diagnosis. I decided to get involved in pageants to help provide inspiration to those children and show them that people with diabetes can accomplish anything they set their minds to.

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CTCM: How did this competition change you, if at all? Please explain. YORK: This competition helped me to develop a sense of confidence in myself and learn skills I wouldn’t have been able to. For example, going through my senior year of college, while working two jobs and being Miss Massachusetts, was crazy at times. However, with the title, I was able to develop skills to help learn how to manage time to ensure that everything was done to the best of my abilities. CTCM: What did you have to do to get in shape for this competition? YORK: I ate pretty healthy before getting ready for the competition, but once competition preparation started, I really focused on eating whole foods. I also attempted to go to the gym five to six times a week to really feel physically my best. I couldn’t have been completely physically prepared without my sponsors, Orange Theory Fitness in Burlington, Massachusetts. They helped to make sure I was physically ready for the swimsuit competition. CTCM: Was there a swimsuit portion of the contest, and how did you feel about it? YORK: There was a swimsuit portion to the pageant. I feel good about the fact that they include a swimsuit portion in the competition. The girls I have spoken with feel confident whenever they do a swimsuit portion of a pageant, and they also feel that the swimsuit portion makes them want to be healthier, leading up to the pageant. CTCM: Do you have a personal philosophy you live by? YORK: I live by the motto, “Let food be thy medicine.” I’m in school to become a registered dietitian, and I believe that the type of food someone eats can make a big difference in how someone’s overall health turns out. CTCM: What do you do for work? Does that job have anything to do with you competing for Miss Mass? YORK: I currently have two jobs. I work for the dean of my college, and I’m also a hostess at a local restaurant. The jobs don’t have anything to do with Miss Massachusetts. CTCM: What is your ultimate goal for your future? YORK: I hope to become a registered dietitian for my future career. I would love to work in pediatrics with children affected by chronic illness and also their families. I really want to be a good influence and help make

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a real difference in the way children with chronic illness view themselves. I feel it’s important for them to know that they don’t have to give up because they have an illness. Illness doesn’t define people. People have the capability of defining themselves. CTCM: Well, Catherine, thank you so much for your time. You are quite an inspiration to others. You’ve even inspired me to challenge myself a little more, so thank you for that.

As you can read in this interview, Catherine is definitely a go-getter, a rare find amongst the negativity in the world. She’s working hard to encourage others and make a real difference in life. Whether it’s competing in pageants, guiding others to compete, or working with children with diabetes and their families, she is confident and compassionate in all she does. We, at City to Country, wish Catherine much success. For more information on Catherine York, follow her on social media: www.facebook.com/catherine.york.9 www.instagram.com/catherineyork17 Jonathan Route, Photographer J. Route Photography www.jroutephoto.com

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ike Kravinsky spent 29 years working in TV news before deciding, “I want to make movies!” Okay, so it didn’t quite happen like that or even as easily as that, but as the writer and director of the beautiful and poignant new movie Nothing to Do tells Jess Svenson, it was the determination to find a “creative outlet” that spurred the newsman’s career change. JESS SVENSON: I guess we start at the most obvious place. How does a newsman become a filmmaker? MIKE KRAVINSKY: Hi! Thanks for the interview. There are a lot of similarities between working in TV news and being a narrative filmmaker, like technology, working on deadlines, etc. The main difference is working in news is based on facts and what’s actually happening in the world, while narrative filmmaking can be absolute fiction. Although both jobs use the same equipment, it’s how it’s used. When I first started out at ABC News in Washington, DC, I thought I would spend a year there, then move out to Los Angeles to try to become a film editor. But ABC was great…great colleagues, interesting, work, and meeting important people. I decided to stay, and I wasn’t disappointed. In my spare time, though, I enjoyed making personal videos, just something to show my friends, a creative outlet. In 2010, after 29 years, I was offered a buyout and decided to give the dream I had put aside, decades earlier, a crack. SVENSON: What did you do in the news arena? KRAVINSKY: I was both a technical director and a video editor. I worked on shows like Primetime, 20/20, Good Morning America, and World News Tonight, among others. I also traveled the US and the world. It was all very exciting. SVENSON: How long did you work in that field? KRAVINSKY: I spent 29 years at ABC. Before that, I was at the Public Broadcasting Service for three years, where I was also a video editor. SVENSON: Any reason why you left? KRAVINSKY: I felt I had accomplished everything I set out to do at ABC. Although I knew I’d miss my coworkers, many of whom I had worked with for decades, it was time. Plus, many news organizations were in the process of downsizing. ABC offered me a buyout. I was able to use that money to make my first film, The Nextnik. It’s the story of someone who left his job after 25 years and the journey to discover what’s next. The films that I do are fictional versions of true experiences I’ve had.

Written by Jess Svenson

SVENSON: When and how did filmmaking become part of the dream?

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FILM KRAVINSKY: As I mentioned, telling stories, using video, was always in the back of my mind. So much so, that I would make short videos to show my friends at parties. Nothing special, just a fun, creative outlet. In 2010, after I left ABC, I tried my hand at doing a regular vlog about the week’s events. It was fun, but it was really just what I had been doing for my entire professional career. It took a couple of years before I could get out of my comfort zone and write something that involved actors, locations, and real crews. SVENSON: Is this your second or third film? KRAVINSKY: This is actually the fourth film. There are three features and one short. They’re done as ultra-low-budget films. That means the director does a lot: location manager, food, scheduling, editing, etc., etc. It’s the only reason I can keep making films. I keep the costs way, way down. SVENSON: It’s a personal film? Your story? KRAVINSKY: Yes, Nothing to Do is my most personal film yet. It’s based on the experience of caring for my father, Joe, in hospice, at the end of his life. Caring for him, being there and supporting him at the end, was one of the most profound and stressful moments of my life. Although the story of the brother and sister in Nothing to Do is fiction, that aspect of the story is based on what many families go through during that stressful time.

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There are both comic and dramatic moments, between all the members of the family, as they deal with supporting their father in their own way. Everyone wants to do what’s right, but what’s right isn’t always the same thing. SVENSON: What message do you hope people take from the film? KRAVINSKY: I hope people can identify with it. We get many people at festivals and reviewers who comment on how Nothing to Do touched them and that they can relate to the story. Many viewers have been through what the characters have gone through. At film festivals and other screenings, the actors and I often end up getting into wonderful conversations with audience members who want to tell us their story of being with a parent at the end. Although the story is about a serious topic, I kept a lot of humor in Nothing to Do. Family can drive you crazy, but family can make you laugh as well. SVENSON: Will you be on the “news” in Washington to promote it? Surely! KRAVINSKY: So far, we’ve been in a few local publications. We’ll see where that goes! We do get a lot of interest from film publications and reviewers, though. Nothing to Do hits iTunes in March.

FILM

KE VIN’S

” DAY” DREAM Written by Jess Svenson

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ilmmaker Kevin O’Brien grew up in a conservative, evangelical Christian home. He was taught to “love the sinner, hate the sin.” As he later learned, that wasn’t a good way of viewing the world, and he soon realized the LGBTW community is “…full of the most loving, compassionate, and giving people I’ve ever met.” At the End of the Day, which O’Brien wrote, directed, and produced, is that story. JESS SVENSON: Where are you based these days, Kevin? KEVIN O’BRIEN: I live in Lakeland, Florida. It’s practically centered between Tampa and Orlando, so we’re equal distances from beaches and Mickey Mouse. SVENSON: Is it a misconception that one has to be based in Hollywood to be a successful filmmaker? O’BRIEN: I’ll let you know, if I become a successful filmmaker! I certainly hope so, and I hear stories that it’s possible. I think it’s much easier, if you are making your own projects. SVENSON: Do you juggle your filmmaking career with another gig, something that helps pay the bills? O’BRIEN: I am lucky enough that my other gig is filmmaking. My company, Journey Box Media, creates short films and sells them in our online library for speakers and communicators. But feature films are my love and passion. That’s the goal. SVENSON: Were you born there too? O’BRIEN: I was born in another part of Florida, Panama City Beach. My dad was in the Coast Guard, so we moved a few times when I was younger. He retired in Virginia, and that’s where I did most of my growing up. SVENSON: What’s the film community like? O’BRIEN: I love the filmmaking community. The vast majority are super-cool people trying to make great art. SVENSON: Why movies? O’BRIEN: Because I love them! I love the way movies can transport you to another time and place. I love the whole experience – the visuals, the dialogue, the music. They’re magical. SVENSON: What was your first project? O’BRIEN: My very first video I edited was back when I was a teenager. I was a church kid, and we wrote and edited this promo video for a youth-camp event. It was terrible, but I remember spending entirely too much time on it, and I loved that. SVENSON: How do you feel you’ve changed as a filmmaker since then? O’BRIEN: Ha, in every way possible, except for the openness to

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work way too long on something! I have evolved in taste, writing, technique, and collaboration. I hope that my films move people in some way, even if that’s just to laugh. SVENSON: Why At the End of the Day? O’BRIEN: Because, for far too long, the church has been providing answer with such certainty, saying that those who don’t fit into that mold are losing their lives. I grew up in a conservative Christian home, and once I started asking questions and meeting other people, I realized how diverse the ideas of God and love and life are. And I knew I could help others see that also. SVENSON: Tell us about your main character’s journey. It’s a difficult one. Is it fictional? O’BRIEN: It’s fictional, but it’s true. Dave’s journey of faith is shaped by his relationships with people he once thought of as “other.” Through seeing the world through their eyes, he realizes that he is the one who was wounded and broken. SVENSON: How did you find the right actor? O’BRIEN: I got crazy lucky. We had been looking for quite a while and didn’t have the right person. We were just weeks away, and I posted a last-ditch post on an actor’s Facebook group in Atlanta. Stephen loved the poster (a guy hiding behind a bible with a rainbow ribbon hanging out of it) and sent in his audition. He was really the only one who seemed to get the audition scenes in a deeply meaningful way. SVENSON: Was everything scripted? It’s all delivered very naturally. I suspect some might be improvised? O’BRIEN: I’ll be happy to pass that compliment along to the actors! Yes, everything was scripted. Of course, we’d adjust things on-set at times, but our cast was incredibly talented and authentic. That’s why they landed the roles! SVENSON: What did your cast bring to the characters that wasn’t on the page? O’BRIEN: The cast seriously brought them to life. More than a few times, I’d be getting emotional at the monitor in a rather non-emotional scene, just because of how real all these characters were. That is all on the actors. Most of the time, it’s a look or a noise, and that made everything so full of life. SVENSON: What do you hope audiences take away from the movie? O’BRIEN: I want them to feel loved and challenged. I want them to take a second before they assume what someone else’s life is like. And I want them to ask more questions, then listen to the answers. At the End of the Day is available February 26th On Demand.

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TAMMY'S KITCHEN

“Nothing is better than going home to family and eating good food and relaxing.” ~ Irina Shayk

r u o Y g n i Bring Family Together Written by Tammy KC Hegyes

ringing one’s family together, nowadays, has become one of the biggest challenges, but finding those perfect recipes that you all enjoy might just do the trick – that perfect Sunday dinner, no exceptions.

Growing up in a family that loves to cook, you will have many honest critics who will help improve your inspiration with flavors. My grandmother was my best teacher. Walking into her kitchen was like smelling all the wonders of the world, with all the flavors tantalizing your taste buds. You watched, you learned, you tasted! She was one of the most inspiring cooks in my life. She didn’t have a restaurant, or write articles, or even share her recipes with the world, just her family. But that was enough for her, because each generation experienced the wonders of her laughter, her conversation, and all the wonderful flavors. You want to bring your family together, teach them traditions, and enjoy the flavors of your past, present, and future. Let me share a few recipes my family enjoyed creating together. Then, open the door and watch your children, your grandchildren, and their children come home. Cooking and enjoying those flavors, amongst the ones you love, is where we all need to reside.

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TAMMY'S KITCHEN

Smoked Prime Rib A

re you ready? I prefer using a boneless prime rib, then seasoning the outside and smoking it! If you love a great cut of beef and want to WOW your family, a prime rib roast is the way to go for a main course. A perfectlycooked, smoked prime rib is a showstopper at any meal! Slow smoking infuses the meat with the most amazing flavor, and it’s a lot easier than you think. No way, right?!? This is a set and step-away kind of meal, which makes it easy for you to prepare your sides: baked potatoes on the grill, bacon-wrapped grilled asparagus, and dinner rolls. Seriously, does a meal get any better than that? Then, you can sit back, sip a beverage or two, and simply enjoy the evening!

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

• 5-pound boneless prime rib roast,

Remove roast from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Trim away excess fat from top of roast, leaving about ¼” thick.

tied back

• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper • 2 teaspoons garlic powder • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary • 1 teaspoon onion powder • 2 tablespoons brown sugar • 2 tablespoons kosher salt • 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

Place seasonings in a bowl, stirring to combine. Rub seasoning mixture all over prime rib. Tie back prime rib, if this is not already done, with butchers’ twine. Preheat electric pellet grill to 225° F. Place roast on smoker, fat side up, close lid, and smoke until internal temperature reaches desired doneness. It takes about 30 minutes per pound for medium rare. Rely on meat thermometer for testing temperature. Smoke until internal temperature is 120° F for rare or 130° F for medium rare. Remove roast from smoker and tent with foil. Allow to rest at least 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

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TAMMY'S KITCHEN

Grilled Cheddar Bacon Twice-Baked Potatoes M

y family loves twice-baked potatoes. The inside is like creamy mashed potatoes, the skin is crispy, and they are topped with bacon and melted cheddar. This is an ultimate potato side dish. Now, the potatoes in this recipe are classic twice-baked potatoes, but they are done on the grill, which is super simple! While the recipe is delicious as is, there are so many options for toppings. Make these for a guaranteed hit or get creative and try something different. Mix the potatoes with cubed ham and cheese or top with some broccoli. The possibilities are endless, and your family will enjoy creating and eating their own creations.

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

• 4 large baking potatoes • 1/4 cup butter • 1/3 cup 10% cream • 2/3 cup sour cream • Salt and pepper, to taste • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese • 4 bacon strips

Wrap potatoes with aluminum foil. Preheat grill to 400° F. Place foil-wrapped potatoes on upper grill grate/rack and close lid. Bake potatoes for about 75 minutes or until soft when poked with a toothpick. While potatoes are baking, cook bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towel and crumble into small pieces. Let potatoes cool slightly. With sharp knife, cut top off each potato. Scoop out inside of potato and spoon into large bowl. Using fork or hand mixer, mix scooped-out potatoes with butter, cream, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth. Spoon mixture into potato skins. Top with grated cheese and bacon. With the grill still at 400° F, place potatoes directly on grill grate and close lid. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 1520 minutes.

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TAMMY'S KITCHEN

Brown Sugar Sauce Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Spears T

hese are the bacon bomb, man! As a child, I was not a big fan of vegetables. I mean, what child is? But when you have a grandmother that loved to create new ideas for her grandchildren, I found myself loving them more and now share them with my children. You can make this recipe without the sauce and enjoy a great Keto or low-carb side dish. Just wrap your favorite bacon around the asparagus bundles and bake it without the sauce. I like to bake my asparagus until the ends are crispy and crunchy, but cook to your preference. I just love those crunchy ends! If low carb is your main goal, read the bacon packages. There can be hidden sugars and carbs in some bacon!

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

• 32 asparagus spears, 4 per bundle • 8 slices of bacon, 1 per bundle • 1/4 cup salted butter, melted • 1/3 cup brown sugar • 1/3 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Trim asparagus spears by placing a hand on each end, then bend the stalk. It will snap where the tender part meets the woody, tough part, leaving you with perfectly tender asparagus every time. You can do a few asparagus at a time. Each one will break in a different spot. It’s pretty cool to see! Take 4 spears of asparagus and wrap 1 piece of bacon around it, tucking the ends in under bundle when placed on baking sheet. Repeat until all 8 bundles are done. If you are NOT making the sauce, skip to the baking step. Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and garlic powder, mixing until smooth and thoroughly combined. Pour evenly over the bundles. For bundles with sauce, bake for 20-25 minutes. For bundles without sauce, bake for 15-20 minutes, until bacon reaches desired doneness. CITY TO COUNTRY MAGAZINE LLC

TAMMY'S KITCHEN

Perfect Dinner Rolls INGREDIENTS

t took me six years of testing and tasting to finally land on this recipe for the best dinner rolls EVER. These soft and fluffy dinner rolls are slightly sweet and salty, irresistibly buttery, and made from scratch!! This recipe yields the dreamiest, smoothest, easiest-to-work-with dough on the planet! I like to use my standing mixer to stir and knead the dough, but doing it by hand is just as easy.

• 1/2 cup warm water,

about 105° F • 1/4 cup granulated sugar • 1 tablespoon active, dry yeast • 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled • 1 cup milk, 2% or whole

• 1 egg, room temperature and lightly beaten

• 1/2 tablespoon sea salt • 3-4 cups all-purpose flour • 1-2 tablespoons butter, melted

• Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

Grease large bowl and transfer dough to bowl. Cover with warm, damp cloth and set in warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Line a 9”x13” baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Once dough has doubled, thoroughly flour hands and work surface. Squeeze dough to remove gas. Form 12 equally-sized dough balls. Use a food scale to weigh full batch of dough, then divide that number by 12. Make sure every dough ball is close to that weight to ensure even baking. Roll until they’re smooth balls. Place into prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced into 4 rows of 3.

Add sugar, water, and yeast to the bowl of standing mixer. Have dough hook attached. Let the mixture sit until foamy, about 5-10 minutes. Melt butter completely. Mix in milk until it’s combined and not lumpy, but just slightly warm. Set aside to cool completely, so you do not kill the yeast. That’s really the only tricky part of this recipe! If any part of the recipe is too warm (over 105° F), the yeast won’t proof, then the rolls won’t rise. Once yeast is foamy (proofed) and butter and milk mixture is cool, pour mixture into bowl of standing mixer with yeast. Mix on low until combined. Add egg and mix until combined. Add 3 cups of flour and 1/2 tablespoon salt and knead with dough hook. Start with 3 cups of flour. It’s important not to add too much flour. So, start with 3 cups and gradually knead in more as needed, until a slightly-sticky ball forms.

Cover with warm, damp towel and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 30-60 minutes. When rolls have risen about halfway, preheat oven to 375° F. Place fully-risen rolls into preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the rolls are golden-brown on the top and sound hollow when tapped with wooden spoon. Remove rolls from oven and immediately brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve warm.

I do hope that you enjoy your meal, and feel free to vary the recipes to suit your taste buds. We all have a way of adjusting or adding to fit our preferences. If you would like to explore other recipes from Tammy’s Kitchen, make your way to www.citytocountrymag.org and order previous issues. Not only will you find wonderful, tasteful delights, but also some rather great Travel, Entertainment, Fashion, and Advice articles. Join us at City to Country Magazine, where we bring you the best in Lifestyle and Entertainment.

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ENTERTAINMENT

BLACK Written by Jess Svenson

roducer Patrick DeCesare, the force behind Artist Rights Distribution, talks about the company’s first major release, Driving While Black, a comedy that tackles some very important subjects.

JESS SVENSON: Can you explain to the readers what producing entails, particularly in the realm of feature films? PATRICK DECESARE: There are several different types of producers, each with varying duties. The executive producer (EP) typically has the most broad-ranging responsibilities, from initial concept of the film to creating the entity; acquiring the property (screenplay); hiring the writer, director, casting director, director of photography, line producer, location scout, and production designer; making casting and location decisions; budgeting; acquiring production insurance; setting up payroll; signing the deals with the Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America, and Writers Guild of America and posting the required bonds with these unions; keeping the production on schedule and within the budget; hiring the post-production supervisor, music supervisor, and special effects company; entering the film in festivals; and making decisions on distribution. In my opinion, the most important aspects of an executive producer’s responsibilities are raising the money (sometimes that’s a combination of equity, debt, presales, tax credits, and other means), keeping the production on budget, and making sure the film is marketed properly and monetized to its fullest extent. SVENSON: So, a producer’s job differs from film to film too? DECESARE: It depends on the type of producer. A line producer will have different responsibilities, based on different films, that’s true. As an executive producer, I’m always going to have the fullest extent of involvement that I can possibly have at every level of the film’s life. I think it’s incumbent upon any EP who has their money or who is responsible for others’ investment in a film to be intricately involved. So, from that perspective, I don’t think an EP’s responsibilities differ from film to film. Of course, at higher budget levels, there will be more work and responsibility, but the goals remain the same. SVENSON: On Driving While Black, what were your main responsibilities? CITY TO COUNTRY MAGAZINE LLC

ENTERTAINMENT

DECESARE: I joke about this sometimes, with the punchline being that my MAIN responsibility was to pay for everything. So, raising the money was an important part of the process. Secondly, it was keeping the production on budget. This is not easy, because everyone involved with the film is constantly asking you for more than was budgeted in their category. The director wants this other actor whose rate is higher than budgeted; the director of photography wants to use special lenses that weren’t budgeted; the location scout wants to film at a more expensive location with higher permit fees; the production ran over by a few hours on certain days, so you have to pay the crew overtime and pay extra for the location fee; the post-production supervisor wants special effects that weren’t discussed; the music supervisor wants an expensive track in the film that wasn’t budgeted; and on and on. I’d say the third most important duty is in the monetization of the film. Can we get a theatrical release, what VOD platforms can we release on, what kind of marketing can we do, how do we get the film out there? SVENSON: This sounds like a pretty confronting movie, yet it’s billed as a comedy. How does that work? DECESARE: At its heart, it’s really a comedy with dramatic overtones. Yes, the underlying subject is serious, but the writers used comedy as a tool to make it relatable to wider audiences to get the socially important message across, which may not have been possible otherwise. There are some tense moments in the film, but the writers took care to interweave them in a story that is unique and engaging and that holds the viewer’s interest until the very end. SVENSON: Have you ever had run-ins with the police like Dominique Purdy, the writer and star of the movie, had? Could you relate to his plight? DECESARE: Obviously, we are trying to bring attention to the fact that black people are racially profiled by the police. I haven’t run into too many people out there who dispute that. Personally, I have not had any run-ins with the police, and all my experiences have been positive, but then again, I’m a white guy. Although I’ve never experienced what Dom has gone through, it was not difficult for me to relate to his experiences, simply because I can absolutely understand what he and other people of color have been through. It’s been so prevalent here in the United States over the last several years, that, unfortunately, it’s become a bigger cultural issue, so much so, it’s hard not to empathize with them, because of what they’ve experienced. Moreover, after sitting in about 100 theaters, watching this film with audiences, I feel confident in saying that Dom’s experiences resonate with audiences and that they definitely feel for his character at every twist and turn in the film. SVENSON: What is the film trying to say? DECESARE: The film is attempting to raise awareness about racial profiling, but in a non-confrontational and humorous way that we hope will cause audiences to embrace the message, rather than turning them off by ramming it down their throats. The film was written with input from members of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and we feel that we’ve put a fair and balanced take on the issue, so that it’s not a heavy-handed preaching of a social agenda. The message is that racial profiling exists, and it’s not okay. We hope that putting the viewer behind the wheel of the main character’s car will allow people to understand what people of color go through and empathize with their plight, in hopes of affecting change. SVENSON: This is merely just one of the films that your new distribution company is releasing. When and why did you decide to release your own films through your own company, instead of going with an existing distributor?

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ENTERTAINMENT

DECESARE: Film distribution is an ugly business for filmmakers. It’s a necessary evil, unless the filmmaker has the financial resources, the expertise in marketing, the connections with theatre bookers and VOD platforms, and the time and energy to do it. After having received many bad distribution offers from small and mid-level distributors for Driving While Black, I understood that I had all of these resources and decided to do it myself. So, last year, I started a distribution company based upon the same principles that were important to me as the executive producer of Driving While Black, and it resonated with other filmmakers who needed distribution. Filmmakers all want the same thing after their film is complete. They want to deal with someone they can trust; they want transparency in income and expense reporting; they want their film to be properly marketed; they want a theatrical release; they want critical reviews and exposure; they want the highest possible licensing deals; they want access to the top VOD platforms and foreign sales; and they want a distributor who is looking out for their best interests to guard against unnecessary expenditures and inflated recoupments against their film and to mitigate risk in the distribution process. We’ve figured out how to do all this in a practical, no-nonsense way that the filmmakers understand and appreciate. SVENSON: Is Driving While Black the first release through your company? DECESARE: Yes, we started with a theatrical release for Driving While Black and were fortunate to have had a strong response from the film’s community and audiences nationwide. The film ran in theaters for 11 weeks, and we were even held over in some cities. We received some great critical reviews from large print media, online media, and film bloggers. We have several other films in the pipeline, right behind Driving While Black, and are excited for their successes as well. SVENSON: What other types of films will you be releasing? DECESARE: We have several comedies, two horror films that are currently in production and one that was just completed, some dramas, and we expect to be signing three newly-completed documentaries. So, if the film is wellmade and a good story, we’re interested, no matter what the genre. SVENSON: What do you like to do in your off-time? Where’s the hangout on the weekends? DECESARE: I have very little time off, but luckily, I love what I do, so I don’t really consider it to be work in the traditional sense. I live in Los Angeles, so it’s not uncommon for me to be on the phone with someone on the East Coast at 7 a.m., then be on the phone with someone in Europe at midnight. Plus, I go to a lot of film festivals. Sometimes, every week. Otherwise, my priority is to hang out with my family. I have two boys who keep my wife and me busy with studying, after school sports, or playing. The weekend hangouts would be the beach in Santa Monica or Malibu, and I like to walk around the grounds at Greystone Mansion to decompress. I hang out at the Polo Lounge and the Chateau Marmont a lot. You can find me at the Chateau seven days a week, some weeks. There’s so much history there, and I’ve found it to be really inspirational, in terms of creativity, to do work there. Some days, I’ll take my notebook computer there to work for lunch, and before I know it, several hours have passed. I take a lot of meetings there, and it’s just a cool place to hang out, because you never know who you’re going to run into there.

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MODEL

Brandy-Ray Lasonde Written by Jonathan Route

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MODEL

eet Brandy-Ray Lasonde, a 16-year-old dancer and model. She is from the small town of Shirley, Massachusetts, and lives with her parents and siblings. Brandy-Ray became interested in modeling from childhood photo sessions with her parents, when they took pictures of her in dresses and Halloween costumes. She enjoyed it so much, her parents decided to take her to a photographer for a professional photoshoot. Brandy-Ray said, “What makes me love modeling is that my photographer makes me feel like I’m at home and makes me feel comfortable in my own body. Modeling helps me, because I can be creative in the photos, and no one can tell me how to look or how to feel. You can just be yourself.” Brandy-Ray has also been dancing for 13 years. She said, “Dance has created me as a person and a dancer and has taught me how to love others and that everyone is different in their own way.” She explained that is why different people tell different stories through dance. One of her goals is to create a dance school for people with special needs or disabilities, because they are full of love and happiness and are non-judgmental. Brandy-Ray said, “What I think I’m going to do, after high school, is go to New York City or Los Angeles, where all the big names are, and work my hardest to build on what I want to be when I’m older.” Jonathan Route, Photographer J. Route Photography www.jroutephoto.com

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