Boca Raton magazine March/April 2014

PASS OR FAIL? LOCAL EXPERTS HAND THE CITY ITS REPORT CARD or

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17th of September 1755. In the offices of the solicitor Mr. Choisy, a young Master Watchmaker from Geneva named Jean-Marc Vacheron is about to hire his first apprentice. This agreement is the first known reference to the founding watchmaker of a prestigious dynasty and it represents the establishment of Vacheron Constantin, the oldest watchmaking manufacturer in the world in continuous operation.

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March/april 2014, Vol. 34, Issue 2

Shauna Sweeney, one of the local musicians featured in our “Can’t Stop the Music” story on page 118

103

Does Boca Make the GraDe?

How does the city stack up in categories ranging from urban planning and tourism to its financial health? Our team of local experts weighs in. by tom collins

follow the leader

110

state of Grace

The latest in spring fashion finds a picture-perfect oceanside backdrop at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. photography by melina deyá

118

can’t stop the Music

Reality shows aren’t the only places to find the next big thing in music. Homegrown talent in and around Boca is taking center stage in a variety of genres. by john thomason

128

history in the MakinG

Fresh off a centennial celebration, The Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande continues to delight visitors with its Southern hospitality. by marie speed

[ bocamag.com ]

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MICaH KvIdT

features

March/april 2014 vol. 34, no. 2

departments

42

Mail

Readers comment on articles in recent issues of Boca Raton.

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44 Editor’s lEttEr

Being editor of such a respected magazine makes a sitting president proud.

133 BackstaGE pass

Our A&E insider turns the Festival of the Arts spotlight on neuroscientist and author Daniel J. Levitin. Also, Take 5 with a South Florida radio personality and founder of a famed broadcasting school, who is celebrating a major anniversary.

HoMEtown

Celebrate the people, places and events that give our community its identity— including the perfect person to help with your spring organizing, someone who knows a thing or two about taxicab confessions and a Boca woman intent on giving adults with autism the tools to succeed.

by stefanie cainto, kevin kaminski, bridget sweet and john thomason

57

sHop talk

Boca Raton takes an eco-conscious look at style, skin-care products and home accessories with the help of local experts devoted to all things organic.

by stefanie cainto

67 FEEl Good

As if the weather wasn’t enough to get you out the front door, we have eight outdoor adventures worth investigating. Also, find out how local hospitals are doing more than ever to accommodate patients. by lisette hilton

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Meet four talented and dynamic new chefs bringing their particular brands of culinary creativity to restaurants in and around Boca Raton. by bill citara

by kevin kaminski

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94 tHE Boca intErviEw

by john thomason

141dininG GuidE

The coffee table quietly sets the tone in rooms throughout Florida; learn how to maximize its potential as a statement piece.

Don’t leave home without it—our comprehensive guide to the best restaurants in South Florida, including new reviews of 13 American Table in Boca and Terra Fiamma in Delray.

by brad mee

reviews by bill citara

81Florida taBlE

167out and aBout

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HoME BasE

With the help of a local top chef, Boca Raton pays homage to a staple of Asian cuisine—noodle dishes. In addition, we deconstruct a lasagna dish with no meat or pasta—plus we raise a glass to sangria. by bill citara

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FacE tiME

Meet a celebrated master of sleight of hand, the reigning Woman Volunteer of the Year, and a couple with a unique recipe for cakes—and love. by kevin kaminski and john thomason

You might just see some familiar faces in our snapshots from talked-about social events in and around Boca Raton. by stefanie cainto

175 spEEd BuMps

A rich story with roots in Africa continues to resonate here in South Florida. by marie speed

176 My turn

The author works on taking a deep breath, enjoying each day and leaving his baggage behind.

by john shuff

On the cOver

pHotoGrapHEr: Melina Deyá FasHion: Proenza Schouler jacket, from

Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center at Boca Raton; all jewelry by Oscar de la Renta, from Neiman Marcus, Town Center; skirt, from Emilio Pucci, Palm Beach stylist: David Arthur Fittin, Artist Management/Miami ModEl: Stephanie Nazoyan, Mega Model Management Hair/MakEup: Tony Lucha, using Laura Mercier cosmetics location: Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, Manalapan

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57 march/april 2014

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bocamag.com WEB ExTRAS

Check out these bonus items unique to bocamag.com, related to stories in the March/April issue of Boca Raton or pertaining to events in our area.

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FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS: A&E insider John Thomason leads our coverage of the cultural event of the year in Boca (March 6–15), including special interviews, reviews of shows and lectures, and much more.

NAME THAT TUNE: Click on the “Web Extras” link on our

home page to sample some of the standout performances by the hometown artists featured in our “Can’t Stop the Music” story (page 118).

SANS THE PASTA: Get the recipe for Joey Giannuzzi’s

vegetable lasagna featured in this issue’s “Deconstructing the Dish” (page 84), by clicking on the “Recipe” drop-down link under “Dining.”

YOU OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES: We have the latest snapshots from major social events in and around Boca. Just click on the “Photos” link.

ULTIMATE DINING RESOURCE: The online version of Boca

SEE IT NOW Boca Raton’s awardwinning video team covers the hottest South Florida events, catches up with celebrities that make local appearances and gives you behind-the-scenes glimpses into stories that appear in our magazine. Click on “BocaMagTV” for all the action.

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[ bocamag.com ]

micah kvidt

Raton’s award-winning dining guide—the only one in South Florida compiled with original reviews—breaks down the restaurant scene from Palm Beach Gardens to Miami.

Yalyen Savignon

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

Keep up with the latest happenings around town, find out what’s trending locally, check out photos from events and store openings—and enter to win prizes throughout the year—by keeping tabs on our Facebook page (facebook.com/bocamag).

march/april 2014

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bocamag.com ThE GREEN GOddEss featuring Alina Z.

The BenefiTs of a Juice DeTox: If you didn’t follow through on that New Year’s resolution to lead a healthier life, spring is the perfect time to revisit that vow. For starters, consider a simple juice detox.

Why a juice cleanse? Even those who watch what they eat and make the right food choices still can have toxins lurking in their bodies.

For example, those who dine out may ingest pesticides and toxins from the nonorganic foods found in many restaurants. The potential side effects: weight gain, low energy, unclear skin and even illnesses.

A simple detox gives your digestive system a vacation so your body can rid itself of toxins, boost its energy and even reduce stress— in addition to possible weight loss. some dos and don’ts of juice cleansing: • DO take advantage of nutritional consultations prior to the detox.

• DO eat light vegan foods before and after your cleanse.

• DO choose only organic juices to prevent toxins and pesticides from entering your body.

• DO choose cold-pressed juices that retain most benefits from fruits and vegetables.

• DON’T eat heavy foods, such as bread and animal proteins, right before and right after the cleanse.

• DON’T use the cleanse as a quick fix; it’s a reboot for the system and not a crash diet.

• DON’T pressure yourself into doing a long cleanse if you’re not ready.

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[ bocamag.com ]

alina’s Top local organic Juices [1] My OrgAnic Juice: Includes personal delivery (weekday deliveries only); complimentary nutritional counseling is available; call 561/809-5925 [2] SwAMi Juice: Free delivery on juice cleanses; one-day cleanse has six juices and three energy shots; available at Farmer’s Table restaurant in Boca (1901 N. Military Trail); call 855/467-9264 [3] rAw Juce: Smoothie and juice bar at 2200 Glades Road (next to Flywheel); offers walk-in cleanses and juice samples before purchase; call 561/424-5823

ABOuT ThE GREEN GOddEss

alina Z., aka “the green goddess,” is a certified holistic health coach, detox specialist and raw-food chef (she conducts occasional classes at whole foods in boca). Visit alina’s website at alinaz.com, or follow her on facebook (facebook.com/couturefood) or twitter (@couturefood). the green goddess blog runs every other wednesday at bocamag.com.

BLOG CENTRAL

Stay connected to the community with our team of bloggerS: A&E: john thomason takes readers inside the arts with concert, exhibition and movie reviews, cultural news and special profiles every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Dining: Bill citara breaks down the tri-county restaurant scene—from new reviews and dining news to chef stories and kitchen gossip—every Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

Shopping: Discover upcoming trunk shows, store openings, money-saving tips and fashion trends Tuesday through Thursday with stefanie cainto—and special fashion news from New York with jo Peswani.

Community: Health

and our in-house team keeps you on top of events and happenings in and around Boca throughout the week.

trAvEl: Visit bocamag.com for local resort news, special deals, international escapes, weekend getaways and other travel updates.

editor lisette hilton delivers local news from the worlds of exercise and medicine,

march/april 2014

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group editor-in-chief

marie speed

editor

kevin kaminski

assistant editor

john thomason

web editor

stefanie cainto senior art director

lori pierino

assistant art director

nancy kumpulainen

photographer

aaron bristol

production manager

adrienne mayer

certified organic color and botanical hair care mintbeautyboca.com • 561.405.6994 • info@mintbeautyboca.com 261 E. Palmetto Park Rd. • Boca Raton, FL 33442

contributing writers

tom collins, lisette hilton, john shuff, bridget sweet

contributing photographers

melina deyá, micah kvidt, cristina morgado, scot zimmerman video production

david shuff, jen stone mintbeautyboca_brm1213.indd 1

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food editor

bill citara

home editor

brad mee

sales director

mark gold

national account manager

tim schwab

senior integrated sales manager

georgette evans

director of special publications

bruce klein jr.

special projects manager

gail eagle

account manager

karen jacaruso

events coordinator

sarah frank

JES publishing

5455 N. Federal Highway, Suite M Boca Raton, FL 33487 561/997-8683 (phone), 561/997-8909 (fax) www.bocamag.com magazine@bocamag.com (general queries) kevin@bocamag.com (editorial)

Boca Raton magazine is published seven times a year by JES Publishing. The contents of Boca Raton magazine are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Boca Raton magazine accepts no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts and/or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. Boca Raton magazine reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for products. Please refer to corporate masthead. groveopticians1/3sq_brm0314.indd 1 38 [ bocamag.com ]

1/14/14 4:06 PM

march/april 2014

JES publishing

president/publisher group editor-in-chief controller circulation director subscription services

margaret mary shuff marie speed jeanne greenberg david brooks david shuff

JES Publishing produces the following magazines: Boca Raton • Delray Beach • Mizner’s Dream • Worth Avenue • Boca Raton Chamber Annual • Salt Lake • Utah Bride and Groom • Utah Style & Design • The Canyons • Salt Lake Visitors’ Guide

Florida Magazine association 2013 charlie awards charlie award (first place) best overall online presence (Boca Raton) best department (Boca Raton)

silver award best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best column (Boca Raton)

bronze award best online video (Boca Raton)

2012 charlie awards charlie award (first place) best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best feature (Delray Beach) best photographic essay (Boca Raton)

silver award best overall online presence (Boca Raton) best use of photography (Boca Raton)

bronze award best in-depth reporting (Boca Raton)

2011 charlie awards charlie award (first place) best new magazine (Delray Beach) best custom publication (Worth Avenue)

bronze award best overall magazine (Boca Raton)

2010 charlie awards charlie award (first place) best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best overall design (Boca Raton)

2009 charlie awards charlie award (first place) best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best overall design (Boca Raton) best feature (Boca Raton)

2008 charlie awards charlie award (first place)

WILD AND WONDERFUL WOMENSWEAR

best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best feature (Boca Raton) best single, original B&W photo (Boca Raton)

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[ bocamag.com ]

services

“Before you and your staff from Boca Nursing Services started taking care of Helen and I, we existed; now we are living again! Thank you, Rose.”

-Dr. K.D.

[ directory ] Boca Raton magazine is published seven times a year, with February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/ October, November and December/January issues. If you have any questions or comments regarding our magazine, call us at 561/997-8683. We’d love to hear from you.

Rose Glamoclija, R.N. Owner and Administrator

[ subscription, copy purchasing and distribution ] For any changes or questions regarding your subscription or to purchase back issues, call subscription services at 855/276-4395. To inquire about distribution points, ask for circulation director David Brooks at 877/5535363.

It’s The Personal Touch That Makes The Difference

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Celebrating Our 5th Anniversary!

Take advantage of Boca Raton’s prime advertising space— put your ad dollars to work in the premier publication of South Florida. For more information, contact sales director Mark Gold (mark@bocamag.com), national account manager Tim Schwab (tim@bocamag.com), senior integrated sales manager Georgette Evans (georgette@ bocamag.com), director of special publications Bruce Klein (brucek@bocamag.com), special projects manager Gail Eagle (gail@bocamag.com) or account manager Karen Jacaruso (karen@bocamag.com).

[ custom publishing ] Create a magazine tailored to fit the needs and character of your business/organization. Ideal for promotions, special events, introduction of new services, etc. Contact Marie Speed (editor@bocamag.com).

[ story queries ] Boca Raton magazine values the concerns and interests of our readers. Please submit story queries by e-mail to Kevin Kaminski (kevin@bocamag.com). Due to the large volume of pitches, the editor may not respond to all queries.

[ web queries ] Submit information regarding our website and online calendar to Kevin Kaminski (kevin@bocamag.com).

[ letters ] Your thoughts and comments are important to us. All letters to the editor may be edited for style, grammar and length. Send letters to the address listed below, or to Kevin Kaminski (kevin@bocamag.com).

Letter to the Editor, Boca Raton magazine 5455 N. Federal Highway, Suite M Boca Raton, FL 33487

[ arts & entertainment ] Where to go, what to do and see throughout South Florida.

Please submit information regarding galas, art openings, plays, readings, concerts, dance or other performances to A&E editor John Thomason (john.thomason@bocamag. com). Deadline for entries in an upcoming A&E section is three months before publication.

[ dining guide ] 1185 Third St. So. Naples, FL 34102 239.643.8900

204 E. Atlantic Ave Delray Beach, FL 33444 561.272.6654

Mashpee Commons Cape Cod, MA 02649 508.477.3900

Mon-Wed 10am-9pm Thu-Sat 10am-11pm Sunday 11am-6pm

Meet the artist: Gabriel Ofiesh March 7th & 8th 3-9 p.m.

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1/21/14 9:15 AM

Our independent reviews of restaurants in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. A fine, reliable resource for residents and tourists. For more information, contact Marie Speed or Kevin Kaminski.

[ people ] A photo collage of social gatherings and events in Boca Raton and South Florida. All photos submitted should be identified and accompanied by a brief description of the event (who, what, where, when). E-mail images to people@bocamag.com.

march/april 2014

L’agence go SiLk

[ directory ]

HeLmut Lang

tHANK yoU For SUBScriBiNG to BOCA RATON MAGAZiNe!

majeStic

We appreciate your business, and we want you to get the most from your subscription. This customer guide will help you contact us for all your subscription needs.

RaqueL aLLegRa PedRo gaRcia

[ first issue ] Your first issue will be mailed four-to-six weeks after receipt of your order. Subsequent issues will arrive every other month and monthly in November and February.

FaLieRo SaRti

[ missing or late issues ] Once in a while, production, transportation or the postal service may delay delivery. If you don’t get an issue, or if your magazine is repeatedly late, please call and report your problem to our subscription department at 855/276-4395, or send an e-mail to: subscriptions@ bocamag.com.

deb orah jame s

[ if you have questions about your invoice ... ] If you have already paid your bill and then receive a new bill, here’s what you should do: 1. If you have paid your bill within the past four weeks, ignore the new invoice. (The computer simply has not given your account credit quickly enough.)

2. It’s most likely that your payment and our notice just crossed in the mail; check the date on the notice to see when we mailed it.

3. If you get another bill or renewal notice, call our subscription department at 855/276-4395, or send an e-mail to subscriptions@bocamag.com, and we will straighten out the problem.

[ change of address ] permanent: If you are changing your address, send us your complete old address, complete new address, including ZIP code, and the effective date of the change.

You can also leave us a message with your old and new address by calling 855/276-4395. You can also change your address online at bocamag.com.

ROYAL PALM PLACE Boca Raton 561-367-9600

LAS OLAS Ft. LaudeRdaLe 954-524-2585

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temporary or seasonal: Please send us your complete permanent address, your complete temporary address and the dates that you want your issues forwarded.

[ back issues ] If you are interested in purchasing any back issues, please call 877/553-5363, ext. 222, indicating the issue date you would like. The cost of each issue including shipping and handling is $9.95.

[ gift subscriptions ] You’ll find a subscription to Boca Raton magazine makes a thoughtful and useful gift that lasts throughout the year. If you’d like more information about giving a gift subscription, please call our subscription department at 855/276-4395.

[ online subscriptions ] Receive additional savings by subscribing online. Visit bocamag.com for more information.

[ for any of the above services, please contact our subscriptions services department ] Call TOLL FREE: 855/276-4395 E-mail: subscriptions@bocamag.com Write: Boca Raton magazine Subscription Department 5455 N. Federal Highway, Suite M Boca Raton, FL 33487

follow the leader

Complimentary Style Consultations Lisa Michael, Allied ASID 561.278.3400 thecolor happyhome .com

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mail Home Sweet Home I love your magazine. It reminds me of my hometown and makes Boca feel “real.” Much appreciation for your effort!

—Kait Neese Twitter

Food For tHougHt What a wonderful surprise in the [December/ January] issue of Boca Raton to see our family business featured [Dining Guide, “Neighborhood Pick” on Olympia Flame Diner in Deerfield Beach]. We now have, thanks to you, a new and expanded customer base. It was great to see old and new faces referring to the article. On behalf of our entire family and staff, thank you for including us in your issue. We are humbled to be in print—and we will continue to strive for quality food and service, as we have for the last 22 years. From all the mom-and-pop shops out there, thank you for spotlighting us.

—Patty Miranda e-mail

reality ruleS icejewelry_brm0214.indd 1

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What a great idea for a story [“Reality Bites] in the [December/January] issue. This may be my favorite story ever in Boca Raton magazine. I could read about reality [TV] all day.

Thanks for taking us “behind the scenes.”

—Susan Brown e-mail Editor’s update: Golfer Stefanie Kenoyer, featured in the “Reality Bites” story for her experiences on the Golf Channel’s “Big Break” show, did not make the final-day cut at qualifying school and did not receive her 2014 LPGA Tour card. However, 19-year-old Boca resident Jaye Marie Green won the five-round qualifying school tournament by a whopping 10 strokes to earn her card.

CoFFee talk Boca may have the most Starbucks stores per capita. People have a favorite barista who makes their coffee just right. [What about a story] on these people and how much they are loved?

—John Abbott e-mail Editor’s note: John, thank you for the idea.

When it comes to Starbucks per capita, Seattle is the reigning champ (the concept originated there) with roughly 25 per every 100,000 residents. I recently visited Seattle and, trust me, there is one on every street corner. That said, we’ll keep the barista story in mind. vertufineart_brm0314.indd 1 42 [ bocamag.com

]

1/20/14 2:34 PM

march/april 2014

Rubin & Associates CPA Firm, PA

Ode tO estes Thank you so much for the touching tribute to Estes [Park] and for asking people to remember and support us. [Speed Bumps, December/January issue] It means the world to me. Things are getting back to normal for many, but others are still devastated and heartbroken. ... I am honored that you used my words in your article. It’s only with your kind of message that people will rethink a trip to our beautiful little place.

—Patti Gillette Estes Park

eVeNts Boca Raton is a proud media sponsor of the following three events in March.

Personal, Professional & Caring Service for Every Client

• Highest quality accounting and tax preparation by our expertly trained staff • Specialists in individual, estate and business returns

30+ years combined staff experience

• Resolution for past IRS issues with trained professionals

Festival oF the arts Boca When: March 6–15 Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater and Cultural Arts Center What: The eighth edition of this cultural extravaganza includes performances by the likes of Arturo Sandoval and the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company, as well as author lectures from Anna Deavere Smith and Doris Kearns Goodwin. Maestro Constantine Kitsopoulos will conduct two concerts, including Cirque de la Symphonie.

Tickets: $25 to $125 Contact: festivaloftheartsboca.org

Book oF hope luncheon When: March 17 Where: Boca Raton Resort & Club What: The 24th annual luncheon to benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s Florida chapter includes a silent auction—and leadership speaker Tommy Spaulding.

Tickets: $125 Contact: 561/218-2929

2080 N.W. Boca Raton Blvd. #6 Boca Raton, FL 33431 T: (561) 750-8299 • F: (561) 750-8330 RubinAssociatesPA.com

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editor’s letter

[ by kevin kaminski ]

Built to Last

L

ast summer, I had the great honor of being elected to a third term as president of the Florida Magazine Association, an organization that has been serving publishing professionals throughout the state since 1953.

It’s a responsibility that I’ve taken far more seriously than being elected president of honor society in high school; that year, I trounced the other nominee in a landslide by—no kidding—promising my fellow bookworms that we’d fight to have Elvis’ birthday (Jan. 8) declared a teacher workday. It was an unorthodox strategy given that students had no say in such matters—and that pushing an Elvis agenda in the early 1980s was tragically unhip for a high school senior. But something about invoking the King, instead of running on a platform of new Bunsen burners for the chemistry lab, spoke to the brainiacs.

Publishing professionals expect a bit more from their organization’s leader. Yes, we were able to incorporate a Bob Seger song as part of the 2013 convention—thanks to our “Turn the Page” theme—but beyond that, the onus is on FMA to inform, educate and inspire its membership.

To that end, I’ve been enormously proud to serve FMA as editor of Boca Raton magazine. Over my past two-plus years as president, publishers, writers, editors, art directors and photographers from the Panhandle to the Keys have reached out to me with questions and kudos regarding the way our publication conducts itself—and not just because I hold the extra drink tickets during happy hour at the FMA convention.

Boca Raton carries with it a cachet that was established long before I took over the editor’s chair eight years ago this April.

Publishers John and Margaret Mary Shuff launched this publication on a foundation of journalistic integrity—there would be no pay-for-play at Boca Raton—as well as progressive thinking.

Several years ago, when other publications were using their websites as little more than marketing tools, with identical material online and in the magazine, Boca Raton created a second vehicle through which to serve its readership. At award-winning bocamag.com, we post daily news and reviews in categories ranging from the dining scene and A&E to health and shopping.

But as much as we enjoy celebrating this community, it’s been Boca Raton’s goal for each of its 34 years to also examine

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it. This issue is no exception, as reporter Tom Collins and a team of experts hold the city up to the light regarding urban planning, economic development, cultural offerings, financial health—and much more—to see if Boca makes the grade (page 103).

Over the years, Boca Raton has prided itself on introducing readers to talent that either was just starting to make waves or that was flying under your radar. John Thomason pens the next chapter in that ongoing story (page 118) by showcasing some of the area’s rising musical standouts— from a classical violinist to a singer/songwriter who loves her “nerdy boyfriend.”

Last August, on the night of FMA’s annual Charlie Awards ceremony, which celebrates magazine excellence throughout the state, an editor from a publication outside of Orlando shook my hand and thanked me. I asked why. The previous year, he said, he brought a Boca Raton back from the convention to show his publisher. The content, design and approach of our magazine inspired his company to revamp its own consumer publication.

As honored as I am to serve so many outstanding Florida publishing companies as president of FMA, I’m equally humbled to represent a magazine that continues to earn the respect and admiration of its peers.

Enjoy this issue of Boca Raton.

march/april 2014

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In your Premier playground, there’s plenty of time for after-hours and weekend socializing at the Boca Beach Club or deal-making on the golf courses or tennis courts; spa afternoons, romantic dining to casual family meals by your choice of pools; kite flying or surf lessons on a 1/2 mile of pristine beach, personal and business celebrations, and holiday festivities. You’ll only find it all here at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and Boca Beach Club, Waldorf Astoria® Resorts.

To schedule your private tour, please contact Premier Club Membership Sales at 561-447-3100.

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hometown [ 47 local hero • 48 boca by the numbers • 50 meet the expert • 52 what’s cooking • 54 behind the biz ]

Opening Doors

Adults with autism find an ally in a Boca woman who knows all about navigating uncharted waters.

M

ichelle Rubin and husband Bob were sitting in a

small office at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, a Johns Hopkins affiliate in Baltimore, Md., when a team of doctors rendered their verdict on Jan. 29, 1995 after three days of testing. The Rubins’ son, Scott, about to turn 3, had been diagnosed with moderate to severe autism.

And the prognosis, according to the experts, was bleak.

“The lead doctor said that autism was really rare [reported rates into the early 1990s were 1 in 10,000 cases],” Michelle says. “There wasn’t much we could do for Scott, he said, because there weren’t programs for kids with autism. My head was spinning. I didn’t know what to do.

“I just knew that doing nothing was not an option.”

Two decades later, the longtime Boca resident continues to be a modern-day Lewis & Clark for local families dealing with children and young adults with developmental disorders on the autism spectrum—a condition that today, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affects 1 in 88 American children.

After charting a course through childhood and teen issues that established her as a leading advocate and go-to source for other parents, Michelle launched Autism AfteR 21 in 2011, a nonprofit intent on creating opportunity and altering perceptions.

“Scott [who turns 22 in March] is once again at the front of a wave of [adults with autism], and there are thousands of kids in Palm Beach County coming behind him,” says Michelle, who has two other sons with Bob, Andrew (17) and Matthew (12). “We’re trying to fill in the blanks.”

In addition to a tech-training program that provides participants with iPad minis in an effort to “maximize their skills in the work world,” Autism After 21 goes virtually door to door in an effort to educate businesses about potential employees.

“Unemployment for adults with autism is reported at 80 to 90 percent, much higher than other disabilities,” says Michelle, an honoree at Bethesda Hospital Foundation’s annual Women of Grace Luncheon last November. “There’s a fear of aggressive behavior, that any little thing may make someone with autism snap. We’re trying to dispel that.

“They’re good at doing things that other people might find boring, like a repetitive task. So when they get the experience, adults with autism often become amazing employees.”

Look no further than Scott, who was non-verbal until almost age 14. This fall, he was riding his bike to Lynn University, taking classes, hopping on the Palm Tran bus and going to work at Brewzzi by himself.

“I would’ve never dreamed that he could have that level of independence,” Michelle says. “He continues to exceed our expectations.”

—Kevin KaminsKi

Michelle Rubin with son Scott

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home town [ Boca By the NumBers ] What’s the buzz around town? These numbers tell part of the story involving

March and beyond.

25 years 1.4

million This many adults and children suffer from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, conditions that wreak havoc with the digestive system. On March 17, the Boca Raton Resort & Club will host the annual Book of Hope Luncheon, a signature fundraiser for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s Florida chapter. Call 561/218-2929 for ticket information.

1953

Fresh off its 60-year anniversary, the Boca Raton Garden Club continues to beautify the community through its educational programs and special events. Spring promises a flower show and a Kentucky Derby luncheon. Visit bocaratongardenclub.org for event dates and info.

Congratulations to Lisa Shapiro, celebrating the silver anniversary of her Lisa Todd store (2200 Glades Road) in Boca Raton. The owner/designer of the chic and casual collection that caters to women of all sizes sells apparel in some 150 boutiques throughout North America. Call 561/395-1930 to see what anniversary plans Shapiro has for the flagship Boca store.

30 & 140 13 games Catch the St. Louis Cardinals, fresh off a World Series appearance, at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter for a full slate of home spring training dates this March. Oh yes, the Miami Marlins also train there. Visit rogerdeanstadium.com for schedules.

Expect at least this many local restaurant dishes and featured wines under the big top at Mizner Park Amphitheater during the Grand Tasting, the annual finale to Boca Bacchanal weekend, which runs from March 28–30. Visit bocabacchanal.com for ticket and event info.

geOrgia handy phOtOgraphy

12 city blocks $1.2 billion “The Greatest Show Under the Sun”—aka, the annual Delray Affair— stretches from the Intracoastal to Northwest Second Avenue in downtown Delray Beach. Atlantic Avenue will be lined with booths featuring fine art, crafts, food vendors and much more from April 25–27. Visit delrayaffair. com for more info.

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That’s the combined worth of the yachts, boats and marine accessories that guests will have an opportunity to view March 20–23 at the 29th annual Palm Beach International Boat Show on Flagler Drive. Call 800/940-7642 for info on one of the top five boat shows in the U.S.

march/april 2014

MD FACS

“For more than two decades, I have taken great pleasure in helping my patients look their best and enter their mature years with joy and confidence.

And today, my practice is all about the face.”

– Dr. Vivian Hernandez, MD, FACS

P

INJE C

P

O

E

Actual patient of Dr. Hernandez

T

EX

R

R

EX

RT

TO

E

C RT INJE

• Board Certified Plastic Surgeon • Dedicated solely to facial procedures for the past decade • Specialist in face, neck, brow and eyelid surgery • Expert injector: facial fillers, volumizers and Botox® • Accredited surgical facility with overnight suite • Trained at Cornell: North Shore University Hospital • Advanced specialized facelift training, two fellowships with renowned surgeons at: -Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital -Baker and Gordon in Miami

DrHernandez.com

561-750-8600

4799 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton

home town [ meet the expert ]

Space Exploration

3 WAyS TO GeT OrGANIzed IdentIfy: Pinpoint what areas are causing concern, and create goals for the space.

Set aside a budget and find possible solutions for the problems.

Start Small: “Don’t bite off more than you can chew,” Worthington says.

“Maybe just a single drawer of your kitchen, not the whole kitchen.

You don’t want to get overwhelmed or burned out.”

AAron Bristol

follow a SyStem: Go through the process of sorting, purging and assigning containers. After you’ve completed all your goals, make sure to keep your newly organized space updated.

A

s a young girl, Michelle Worthington, now 36, surprised her mom time and again by reorganizing the family’s garage without even being asked. In college, she was the go-to person for friends at the University of South Florida when it came to arranging closets and pantries after moves.

Unfortunately, it didn’t pay to be so organized. That is, until a few years ago. After toiling for more than a decade in corporate America—most recently as a senior systems analyst programmer and business systems consultant—Worthington finally found her calling on the Style Network. Shows like “The Amandas,” which featured an organizing specialist, began to pique her interest regarding a career change.

Worthington googled the National Association of Professional Organizers (of which she is now a member) and learned about the profession. Inspired by the possibilities, she quit her job and launched her own service, Worthy Spaces, in 2012.

Her Boca-based company now serves homes and businesses all over South Florida, helping them to de-clutter and establish easyto-manage systems.

“It’s a matter of what works for each individual client to make his or her [life] more functional,” she says.

Therein lies the joy for Worthington, who sees the difference that transforming a space can make for those who struggle to keep their houses in order. “I kind of equate myself to the person who’s on the soccer team, sitting on the bench,” she says. “I’m like, ‘I can’t wait to be called in to help.’”

Worthy Spaces offers both organizing services and consultation.

For the first 20 hours, the cost is $50/hour, with the first session lasting four hours. The cost thereafter is $40/hour. The exception is nights and weekends, when Worthington charges $75/hour.

Consulting sessions run $175 for 90 minutes.

For more information or to set an appointment, visit worthyspaces.org or call 561/289-4140.

—Stefanie Cainto

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march/april 2014

Boca’S fIRSt BoaRD-ceRtIfIeD feMale PeDIatRIc DentISt GetS neW iPluS laSeR! After having used Biolase laser technology since she opened her office in Boca Raton, Dr. Saadia has invested in the latest technology for her patients. The iPlus laser allows her to treat most of her little patients who have cavities with no shots. The laser also allows her to help gently “wiggle” teeth out rather than the old fashioned pulling.

Proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of American Girl Fashion Show® to benefit The Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition, Inc. Mark your calenders for April 12th at the Boca Raton Marriott.

For tickets: www.literacypbc.org

What are the benefits of iPlus laser dentistry?

• Since, in most cases, there are no needles or any numbness, kids will not chew their lips or tongue upon leaving the office and can eat right away.

• The laser’s pinpoint accuracy allows the dentist to leave as much healthy tooth as possible, when removing tooth decay.

• The laser performs numerous soft tissue (gum) procedures with little or no bleeding and no need for sutures.

• Soft tissue healing after laser surgery is faster than surgery done with traditional scalpel blades or elector surgery. iPlus laser uses only light and water to cut, so surgical sites heal very quickly and with minimal or no bleeding.

What can be done in the dental office with iPlus laser?

• iPlus Laser results in the very conservative removal of decay resulting minimally invasive cavity preparations.

• iPlus Lasers are very efficient at gum re-contouring (gingivectomy) procedures, especially during and after orthodontics (braces).

• iPlus Lasers are ideal for relieving a child who is tongue-tied. Where the tongue cannot move normally because it is held by too short of a fibrous cord of a tissue in the floor of the mouth.

• iPlus Lasers can relieve painful canker sores with guaranteed accelerated healing.

Saadia I. Mohamed, D.D.S. First female Board Certified Pediatric Dentist in Boca Raton Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry Member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Member of College of Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry

9250 Glades Rd., Suite 212 Boca Raton 561-477-3535 • pbpdcares.com

home town [ what’s cooking ]

Table Service

F

or Jamie Gulden, the die was cast early on. While other children her age were watching cartoons, she was studying Julia Child. Years later, Gulden’s selftaught culinary talent prompted her friend to quip, “I wish you could cook for me.” That request led her to open a personal chef service in Atlanta.

By 1999, Gulden had migrated to more family-oriented Boca Raton, bringing the chef service with her—and adding a brickand-mortar café two years later, a winning recipe called Set the table (48 N.E. First Ave., 561/392-9660).

Busy families, working couples or anyone with special dietary needs can order a full two week’s worth of meals. Gluten-free, vegetarian and pescatarian dishes are available, and Gulden takes care of food allergies and portion control to boot.

“When I started, my goal was to bring families back to the table,” Gulden says. “I wanted to be able to have [healthy] meals ready for them so they didn’t have to sacrifice nutrition when ordering in. [The chef service] allows them to really have that family time.”

Customers looking to dine out also can eat healthy at Gulden’s café. The ever-changing menu offers a wide variety of salads, soups, sandwiches, wraps and sweets—as well as morning breakfast specials. The small, personable staff delivers homemade quality right down to the salad dressings, which also can be bought by the bottle.

“I want to grow with what people’s needs are,” she says. Judging by her loyal customers, Gulden can’t set the table much better than she already is.

AAron Bristol

—Bridget Sweet

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march/april 2014

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home town [ behind the biz ]

Brock and JoAnne Rosayn owners, Metro taxi

CeleBRity FARe Metro Taxi has shuttled a number of celebrities to their destinations, among them Goldie Hawn, Wayne Rogers, Chad Everett and Elton John.

Most of them used aliases.

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AAron Bristol

W

hen Brock and JoAnne Rosayn took over a shuttered Palm Beach County cab company called Metro Taxi 29 years ago, they did so as a husband-and-wife operation. They started with two vehicles. Two years later, they brought a daughter, Arielle, into the fold, becoming a true mom-and-pop business.

Now, they’re a mom-and-pop-and-daughter-andson (Alex) team, all of them sharing a couple of small rooms in a nondescript industrial building off Linton Boulevard and I-95. They all have a hand in running the business, with its more than 40 cars. A trip to the office is a bit like a visit to a Rosayn family gathering. You’re likely to be greeted by Remi, their friendly rescue mutt, and Ava, Arielle’s newborn— whose career, Arielle jokes, is already determined.

“She’ll be a dispatcher one day.”

“We all know what we’re thinking. We all know what to expect from each other,” says JoAnne, 60.

“And I like to think that because we’re family-oriented, we can give a personal touch [to our service].

We know our customers personally.”

Being a boutique, personalized cab business has helped Metro Taxi stay a step ahead of its competition—namely Center Yellow Cab, the official cab company of the Palm Beach International Airport, with its ubiquitous army of mustard-colored transporters. In 2008, Metro Taxi became the first Palm Beach County cab company to install Personal Iden-

Taxicab confessions

Brock, Alex, Arielle and JoAnne Rosayn of Metro Taxi

brock: “Every ride is a good ride, as long as they pay.”

tification Management systems in all of its cars—a way for customers to swipe credit cards discreetly from the backseat. Last year, Metro made news across the county when it became the first local cab company to launch hybrid taxis, a major financial risk that has helped alleviate perennial problems like fuel costs.

Thanks to a federal grant, the company is working to expand its fleet of wheelchair-accessible vehicles, part of a business plan that will see its overall fleet increase to 75 within five years. It’s no surprise that Metro Taxi took home the coveted Small Fleet Operator of the Year award from the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association, the industry’s largest nonprofit trade association.

The company’s latest rollout is an interactive backseat television that will screen weather reports, advertisements, maybe even a message from the mayor of Boca Raton, educating visitors about the city.

“We’re the only company, I believe, that has it,” Brock says. “We’re always looking to do better and improve the business and serve our community.”

—John Thomason

brock: “We had a construction worker who we used to take back and forth to work, and he used to pay us on Fridays. One week, we sent a car to pick him up on Friday, and he was very upset. He had just gotten laid off, and he didn’t expect that. He was very apologetic, and he said, ‘I don’t think I have the money to pay the cab fare for this week, but I’d like to give you something of equal value.’ He lived in Boynton Beach, and he said, ‘Come in the backyard.’ He had these little bulldogs. And he said, ‘I want to give you a puppy for the cost of the fare.’ I didn’t have a dog at the time, and I don’t know why I did it. We took the dog, and I wished him well.”

Joanne: “That dog brought us many years of happiness.” arielle: “There have been a few occasions where somebody’s robbed a bank and called a taxi as their getaway car. The driver didn’t know what was happening until after the fact. It’s happened at least twice.” brock: “One of the problems, and it happens more and more due to the state of the economy, is that a lot of people will take a cab, and when you get there, they’ll jump out of the cab and run, or they’ll say, ‘I don’t have any money.’ Sometimes we’ll call the police department, give them the location, describe what the people look like. For $20 or $30, it may be easier to write it off a loss.”

march/april 2014

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[ by stefanie cainto ]

shoptalk eco-hip

Celebrate Earth Day (April 22) in style this year with eco-friendly fashion. Several top designers are incorporating environmentally sustainable pieces into their lines.

Take this chic white dress by Anne Fontaine, a brand that utilizes natural fabrics during production. ($403, Anne Fontaine, Town Center at Boca Raton)

SuSTAinATopiA! As part of this year’s sustainability festival, April 16–22 at locations throughout Miami, check out the ethical fashion and eco-conscious design summit (date TBD). Visit sustainatopia.com for details.

for more style tips, visit bocamag.com.

follow the leader

[ bocamag.com ]

57

shop talk [ fashion ]

[1]

Go Organic

Designers and fashion houses continue to find creative ways to stay stylish and eco-friendly.

[3] [2]

[4]

[5]

Market Call

Local vendors, artists and craftsmen will hold court at Monument Piazza in Royal Palm Place (308 S. Federal Highway) on March 23 and April 27 as part of the Downtown Open Market. Expect a unique variety of offerings, from vintage clothing and handmade jewelry to bath products and custom-designed pet accessories.

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Be a DOll

1. These thin-framed Stella McCartney sunglasses are made with natural materials like citric acid, castor-oil seeds and biodegradable acetate plastic. ($250, Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center at Boca Raton) 2. Designer Carolyn Rafaelian goes by the philosophy that recycled materials make a product more beautiful. That’s why she purchases scrap metals from local mills to create jewelry, like this adjustable chain bracelet. ($58, Alex and Ani, Worth Avenue) 3. This loose-fitting Eileen Fisher v-neck dress is made from Bluesign-certified silks; the material was dyed and finished using fewer chemicals, less water, and less energy. ($318, check availability at Bloomingdale’s, Town Center, or purchase online at eileenfisher.com) 4. This Zero + Maria Cornejo bathing suit is crafted from 100-percent recycled yarn, created by repurposing landfill waste. ($330, Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center) 5. For the impromptu beach getaway, throw your essentials into this heavyweight canvas weekender, which is made from recycled cotton. ($78, Anthropologie, Town Center)

Barbie takes a backseat April 12 at the Boca Raton Marriott (5150 Town Center Circle) during a fashion show that celebrates american Girl dolls. The two-hour event, which benefits the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, is recommended for children ages 5 and up.

Festivities include prize giveaways and a doll hair salon.

shop talk [ beauty ]

Proper Nourishment

Skin is the largest organ of the body. Treat it right—with natural ingredients that enrich it with nutrients.

Balanced Guru drop dead Salt ScruB, $40, balancedguru.com Results are visible after just one use of this certified organic exfoliator, made from Dead Sea salt and created in Boca. Its gritty formula is mixed with sesame and jojoba oils, so you don’t lose moisture as your skin reveals its softest and smoothest form.

Smooth affair facial primer & BriGhtener, $48, Nordstrom, town Center at boca Raton This gluten-free primer is made with aloe-leaf juice and extracts from grapefruit, apple, green and white tea leaves, algae, olive leaves and honeysuckle. Skin absorbs its light formula so quickly that it’s possible to apply makeup immediately after application.

nouriSh liGhtweiGht moiSturizinG face lotion, $21.99 for 1.7 ounces, Whole Foods Nourish’s face lotion is so light that its hydrating power seems overstated.

But it’s formulated with Moroccan argan oil and Shea butter, which keeps skin quenched all day.

Free of fragrances, alcohol and gluten, it’s the perfect daytime moisturizer.

Read the LabeL When it comes to picking the right treatments for your skin, Tammy Fender says a product is only as good as its ingredients label.

“Read the ingredients, not just the marketing material,” says the founder of the Tammy Fender Holistic Skin Care line and spa (711 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, 561/659-2229).

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Vapour atmoSphere Soft focuS foundation, $48, vapourbeauty.com Want full coverage without looking like you just put on a mask? Vapour’s atmosphere foundation is made with 70-percent certified organic ingredients and 30-percent mineral pigments and vitamins. The foundation doubles as a moisturizer without being heavy or clogging pores.

For more than 20 years, Fender has incorporated a person’s overall well-being— sleeping habits, thought patterns and emotions—into her creations. With that in mind, she says the key to finding the best products is looking for ingredients in their simplest and purest form. For example: • Anything ending in “cone” is a red flag.

the Silk Soap co.

Soap BarS, $6, thesilksoapco.com Created in the kitchen of Delray Beach resident Kristen Koscielniak, these luxury soap bars are formulated with real silk particles and no synthetic materials. The deliciously scented soaps are made from natural ingredients, including avocado oil, goat’s milk and ginger.

• Avoid parabens, preservatives or chemical ingredients.

• Use products made from 100-percent botanical components, which nourish and heal the skin. Chemicals, on the other hand, can prematurely age it.

“You want to feed and nourish your skin just as you would the rest of your body,” she says.

march/april 2014

T he Junior League of Boca Raton’s community initiatives focus on issues that have been identified as being of greatest concern within the community: Hunger, Child Welfare and Non-Profit support.

Throughout the year, JLBR members will contribute more than 35,000 volunteer hours and donate more than $250,000 to support our mission of training volunteers, developing the potential of women and improving the South Florida community.

For more information on joining or supporting, please contact our office at 561-620-2553 or visit www.JLBR.org CONNECT WITH US:

www.jlbr.org

561-620-2553

The Junior League of Boca Raton, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

R

shop talk [ InspIratIon ]

GO GREEN

The eco-chic home A vegetarian since she was 15, Marci Zaroff has long been an advocate of eco-friendly practices. On top of being president and chief marketing officer of Portico Brands and Under the Canopy, the Boca resident—who coined the phrase “ECOfashion”—speaks internationally as an expert on sustainability and organic fibers.

HIGHLIGHTS: Products found in the bedroom, bathroom and living spaces that are affordable, accessible and authentic

Ocean organics flax bathrobe, $260, ABC Carpet & Home, Delray Beach

Organic Plissé Blanket, $79–$109, West Elm, Village at Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach

Under the Canopy unity sheets, $59.99– $99.99, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Boca Raton

“

“Textiles are among the leading causes of air and water pollution, making it one of the most toxic industries in the world.”

“

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Q&A

Gaiam Reversible Geometric Rug, $138 for 6 x 9, gaiam.com

Under the Canopy eternity pillow in lavender aura, $39.99, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Boca Raton

Portico strada towel, $16.99, Bed, Bath & Beyond

with Marci

How do you determine if a material is eco-friendly?

Through raw materials and manufacturing methods. We look at all the impacts relative to textiles: chemical use, water, waste, energy use, social justice and labor standards. Those are all different spokes in the wheel relating to what a sustainable textile is, so you can address any one of those areas or all of them.

Go-to organic brands?

Under the Canopy, Portico, Loom State, Stewart + Brown, H&M, Stella McCartney.

What special care does organic fabric require?

We recommend people wash their textiles and clothing with eco-friendly detergent, such as Method or Generation. It’s about leaving out a lot of very harmful chemicals that are in the more conventional detergents.

What are your must-have organic pieces for the home?

Sheets; you sleep six to eight hours or more a day. Pillows, robes and towels; anything that’s touching your mouth, skin and body at that level.

march/april 2014

2014

Spring

fashion pre view

Spring is in the air—along with changing fashions. Check out Boca raton magazine’s guide to the hottest local fashion events and the latest trends available at these fine retailers.

Ralph Lauren Black Label Spring 2014 Collection at Saks Fifth Avenue Join Saks Fifth Avenue Boca Raton and The Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum on Friday, March 28 for a very special afternoon of fashion and philanthropy, featuring the beautiful Ralph Lauren Black Label Spring 2014 Collection for men and women. Held in conjunction with the annual Boca Bacchanal food and wine celebration, this fashioninspired fundraiser will benefit local programs to educate the community and to preserve the history of Boca Raton. To learn more, please call 561/620-1230.

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Join us for the season's most distinctive charity event: the Sixth Annual Proper Affair, April 10 at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca from 6:30-9 p.m. The evening features fabulous food, cocktails, a silent auction and a much-anticipated runway show with the hottest trends of the season, compliments of Boston Proper. For details and tickets, please visit www.properaffair.com.

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feelgood Get Out!

While our neighbors to the north continue to deal with post-winter chill, South Florida is basking in its spring glow. Experience Boca and beyond in all its outdoor splendor by attending or participating in the events on the following page.

Yoga at the Beach When: Weekly Where: Red Reef Park East and West, 1221 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton What: Offered through the City of Boca Raton, classes take place Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at Red Reef East and Red Reef West parks. The first class is free for both residents and non-residents.

Contact: 561/393-7807, yoga-at-the-beach.com

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feel good [ fitness ]

Outdoor Adventures

March and April are perfect months to enjoy outdoor recreation, South Florida-style.

Here are just some of the events worth circling on your calendar.

Delray Beach TwilighT FesTival When: March 22–23 Where: Downtown Delray Beach What: For the third straight year, Delray opens its streets to serious two-wheeled enthusiasts with men’s and women’s races sanctioned by USA Cycling. The course covers three downtown blocks, and begins and ends near SPoT Coffee on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue. In addition, the twoday affair includes a BMX stunt show, a twilight VIP party—and a 62.5-mile “Gran Fondo” ride for cyclists of all levels.

Contact: 561/289-9052, delraybeachtwilight.com

souTh FloriDa open wheelchair championships When: April 4–6 Where: Patch Reef Tennis Center, 2000 Yamato Road, Boca Raton What: This USTA-sponsored wheelchair tennis tournament on the hard courts at Patch Reef features singles and doubles events in divisions for men, women, juniors and seniors.

Entries are limited to USTA members and must be received

by March 30.

Contact: 561/367-7090

wellingTon KiDs TriaThlon When: April 6 Where: Wellington Aquatics Complex, 12150 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington What: Fitness is the buzzword for this annual Wellington event

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Delray Beach Twilight Festival

in which children born between 2000 and 2010 receive an early glimpse at endurance events— but in a safe, supervised environment. Distances are established based on age, with maximums set at 200 yards for the swim, four miles for the bike ride and 1.25 miles for the run.

Contact: 561/791-4082, wellingtonfl.gov (check the community calendar)

ruggeD runner challenge When: April 6 Where: Dreher Park, 1301 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach What: Proceeds from this fourmile, obstacle-style race (expect more than 20 obstacles) benefit the local chapter of Girls on the Run Palm Beach (girlsontherunpbc. org), which delivers scholarship opportunities to low-income girls.

A two-mile course is available for

children 15 and under.

Contact: ruggedrunner challenge.com

reeBoK’s sparTan race When: April 12–13 Where: Florida International University, 3000 N.E. 151st St., North Miami What: Expect the unexpected at this roughly eight-mile obstacle course at Oleta River State Park (parking is at FIU) that promises only “fire, mud, water, barbed wire and, occasionally, Hell on Earth.” The rest is a surprise, but rest assured that the hundreds of participants will have to endure more than 20 demanding obstacles.

Contact: spartanrace.com

gumBo limBo green TurTle gallop When: April 13

Where: Spanish River Park, 3001 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton What: This early-morning 10K (6.2-mile) run or one-mile fun walk along A1A benefits the Sea Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation facility at Gumbo Limbo.

The first 500 participants receive T-shirts; prizes will be raffled off after the race.

Contact: 561/361-1950, runnersedgeboca.com/gumbolimbo-green-turtle-10k-1-mile

ZumBa anD more When: Every Saturday Where: Sanborn Square and the South Beach Pavilion (Palmetto Park Road and A1A), Boca Raton What: The city offers free shapeup fitness classes, including yoga, Zumba and Pilates.

Contact: Nicole Gasparri, ngasparri@myboca.us, 561/3677040, ci.boca-raton.fl.us/bocacal. shtm (see calendar for times)

march/april 2014

Faces.

It’s what we do ... naturally.

- Rafael C. Cabrera, MD, FACS Bring a friend and join us as Dr. Rafael Cabrera, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, discusses his new quick recovery facelift procedure, TheSmarterLift™. Minimal downtime, affordability and the use of local anesthesia (or light sedation) are just a few of the perks of this procedure. Find out what makes this procedure different from other “quick recovery” procedures and what makes it “smarter” than the rest! In addition, Dr. Cabrera will discuss non-surgical options that can take years off your face in just minutes!

Thursday, March 6th 5PM - 7PM

Plastic Surgery Specialists of Boca Raton 951 NW 13th Street, Suite 4A Boca Raton, FL 33486

Space is Limited!

Call 561.393.6400

to reserve your spot today!

• Board Certified Plastic Surgeon • Cornell / NYU School of Medicine • Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital • Four Fully-Accredited Operating Rooms • Private Overnight Suite • Over 15 Years in Private Practice • Specializing in Face / Neck / Eyes • Recognized as a Master Injector

561.393.6400 | 951 NW 13th Street, Suite 4A, Boca Raton, FL | www.pssbocaraton.com

feel good [ health ]

Patients First

The local health-care landscape is rich with new services designed to offer people in Boca Raton and surrounding communities both quality and comfort.

Making neuroscience history: The 56,000-square-foot, $42 million Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital (800 Meadows Road, 561/955-7100) is set to open its doors in April 2014. It’s the first of its kind in South Florida.

Posternack Doctors there will treat neurological diseases including stroke, memory disorders, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors and more.

“We are having, within this Institute, technology that most places can only dream of,” says Charles Posternack, the hospital’s chief medical officer. “That’s what’s going to allow us to not only diagnose but also provide the latest treatment for all of our patients.”

On deck is a 22-bed combination neuro intensive-care unit, as well as two dedicated neurosurgical operating rooms, one of which is going to have the only intraoperative MRI in South Florida, according to Posternack. “That’s an MRI machine that surgeons will be able to use right in the middle of surgery,” he says.

Boca Raton Regional has recruited Robert Levy, who Posternack says is among the best neurosurgeons in the country, to head the Institute.

“When you put together the best physicians with the best equipment, you end up with the best results,” he says. “That has always been the adage [here]. We’ve been so fortunate because of the philanthropy of our community.”

DiD You Know?

easing breast-care anxiety: It takes a team to determine if a mammogram finding needs treatment.

Going from one test to another—and one doctor to another— Feldman can be stressful for women who want answers fast.

West Boca Medical Center (21644 State Road 7, 561/367-1989) has taken steps in the last year to better coordinate breast care, so women can get those all-important answers in one day, at one place, according to Mitch Feldman, the Center’s chief executive officer.

“We have more of a team approach in tackling breast disease, so that the care a woman receives is handled confidentially and quickly,” Feldman says.

The West Boca Medical Center Breast Center not only provides screening mammography but also, if the onsite radiologist detects something that requires further scrutiny, more advanced imaging and procedures. An onsite primary care doctor, with a special interest in breast disease, can talk with the patient about options. And the center’s patient navigator can help with scheduling needed treatment.

the heart of the Matter: Delray Medical Center (5352 Linton Blvd., 561/498-4440) has grown its heart program in the last year, according to the hospital’s chief nursing officer. “It has always been a strong program in Palm Beach County, but we’ve

really tried to maximize our cardiac services, bringing comprehensive services to the community,” says Jennifer Chiusano.

The focus has been on building programs for patients with heart rhythm problems, such as atrial fibrillation, as well as heart-valve conditions, such as heart murmur or aortic or mitral valve diseases. Delray Medical Center’s new 1,000-square-foot electrophysiology lab offers high-tech equipment necessary to capture the detailed images needed to diagnose and treat heart rhythm disturbances.

The hospital’s cardiac valve clinic focuses on the heart’s structure. For example, people who have heart murmurs can go to the valve clinic to determine if any treatment is needed. To better accommodate patients who may need multiple tests, the clinic staff coordinates all diagnostic testing for one day.

concierge-level service: Bethesda Hospital West (9655 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., 561/336-7000) opened its doors in 2013 aiming to improve the patient-care experience, according to hospital PR director Lisa L. Kronhaus.

“We wanted to create a five-star hotel experience,” she says. “And from the moment you arrive in the three-story lobby with a baby grand player piano to welcome guests, you realize Bethesda Hospital West is a hospital like no other,” she says.

This 80-bed, 208,000-square-foot facility has all private rooms. Its “de-centralized” nursing stations allow nurses to be close to their patients at all times. Meals are made to order and delivered when patients want them. And, for the patients who want it, Bethesda Hospital West offers a special kosher menu.

1 4

About in deaths every year in the U.S. are from heart disease.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women.

(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) (Source: NIMH)

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march/april 2014

There’s distinguished.

|

Then there’s distinguished.

When it comes to Healthgrades® annual listing of the country’s hospitals with the best overall clinical performance, there’s distinguished…and then there’s distinguished. That’s because at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, we’ve been named by Healthgrades as a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence™ — ten years in a row. Only 24 of the nation’s 4,500 hospitals have earned such a consecutive distinction.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Advancing the boundaries of medicine.

For more information call 561.95.LEARN (955.3276) or visit BRRH.com

we’ve mastered artful simplicity PREMIUMKITCHENS

premiumkitchens CONTEMPORARY INTERIOR DESIGN

PREMIUMKITCHENS.COM 561-465-2539

7400 NORTH FEDERAL HIGHWAY BOCA RATON, FL 33487 (Located in North Boca between Yamato & Linton)

homebase

[ by brad mee ]

coffee TALK

Photo courtesy of Bernhardt

Your coffee table may be the hardest working piece of furniture in your home. Not only does it serve as the catchall for everything from magazines and remote controls to cocktails and stocking feet, but it also must complement the seating and accent pieces that surround it. As evidenced by the following pages, the options are endless.

Bernhardt’s round Haven table boasts a nickelfinished frame and white top that enhance the room’s fresh, airy design. The table’s height complements that of the room’s seating pieces.

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home base

Barry Grossman, Grossman PhotoGraPhy

▼ StateMent MakinG From industrial carts and shortened oil drums to vintage trunks and even glass-topped lobster traps, any piece that is sized properly, that is stable—and that complements your decor— provides a unique option for a coffee table.

Design by Robert McArthur Studios.

clear thinkinG

Get the Look

▼

A transparent glass table enhances this room’s contemporary style and allows views of the bold geometric rug to flow through its form. Its brown tint and rectangular shape accentuates the unique wood wall-to-ceiling treatment. Design by Brett Sugerman and Giselle Loor, b+g design inc.

▼

rOUnDinG OUt

A round table not only balances rooms furnished with sharply angled furnishings, but its corner-less form also serves as a safe choice for homes with children. Design

by LMK Interior Design.

▼

scot Zimmerman

SOFt lanDinG

Ottomans and upholstered tables invite you to put your feet up while utilizing their functional flat surfaces. Design-wise, they provide a key spot to feature a favorite fabric. Design by Harman-Wilde Interior Design.

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march/april 2014

1730 lands end road, manalapan

$8,895,000

Having built hundreds of homes for the Hamptons’ most discerning buyers, Farrell Building Company is now pleased to announce its first offering here in the Palm Beaches. On the southern point of Manalapan Island, this spectacular 7,600± SF residence is presently underway, encircled by 360± feet of sprawling shoreline, offering panoramic views of almost unimaginable beauty. Stylishly appointed and cleverly equipped, completion is anticipated in the fall of 2014. Brokers protected. Open listing. bridgehampton, ny

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home base

Cosmopolitan coffee table, Z Gallerie, Boca Raton Domicile cocktail table by Bolier, To the Trade, bolierco.com

The X Factor Providing relief from straight lines and curvy forms, X marks the spot under some of today’s most eye-catching coffee tables.

Irving bunching tables by Bernhardt, Brown’s Interior Design, Boca Raton

Rosewood x-leg coffee table, Mod Shop, modshop1.com

Timber trestle door table, Restoration Hardware, West Palm Beach

whaT The pros know No sitting area is complete without a carefully chosen coffee table. Make certain yours adds both practicality and panache to the room by adhering to the following rules.

1

Know your needs: Before you make your selection, consider the functional needs for your table. Many have shelves, drawers, extensions and even shadow boxes.

2

Think about space: A coffee table should accommodate the space within a seating area and fit a room’s traffic pattern.

Too tight, and guests bump into its edges; too loose, and it looks like an unreachable island. The distance between a sofa or chair’s edge to a coffee table should be approximately 18 inches.

3

Consider the height: Choose a coffee table with a surface height 1 to 2 inches lower than the seat of the sofa or chairs.

This makes it easier for guests to reach and set objects upon the table.

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4

Be tot-friendly: Choose round or oval tables with gentle edges in rooms used by kids. Also, think about wood vs. glass. Wood surfaces stain with spills, but glass shows messy fingerprints and smudges. Many of today’s finished stone and synthetic surfaces serve family homes best.

5

Reveal the rug: A glass-top table is a clear choice for a room with a stunning rug or floor beneath. The table’s transparent top provides a solid surface without hiding the beauty of what’s under it.

6

Think scale: Large rooms require a furniture piece to anchor the space, and the coffee table often is the obvious choice.

In small spaces, weighty coffee tables can bully the room. Know your needs then

consider not only the scale of the table, but also its material’s effect. Wood often adds heft and weight, as do iron and stone. Glass and delicate metals, conversely, appear light and airy.

7

Go for a group: A group of small tables can perform as well as a large single table, plus they provide flexibility in placement— ideal for small spaces. Many manufacturers offer bunching and nesting tables to serve this purpose.

8

Edit displays: Cover a coffee table with too many accessories, and there will be no functional surface to spontaneously place magazines, plates or beverages. Overworked displays also clutter decors and hide a beautiful table surface.

march/april 2014

It feels good to be home.

Inspired by you.

Created by...

interior design

COMPLETE INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICES. FINE FURNISHINGS. ACCESSORIES.

www.brownsinteriors.com

BOCA RATON 4501 N. Fed. Hwy (561)368-2703 • JUPITER 661 Maplewood Dr., Ste. 22-23 (561)744-1116 • License #IBF000548 / License #IB0001203

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march/april 2014

Stem Cells: An Alternative to Replacement Surgery Stem.MD emerges as a leader in regenerative medicine with a focus on medical excellence.

Stem.MD is an inter-disciplinary national medical practice run by world-renowned physicians and surgeons. It’s a young company with cutting-edge technology and a rock star Chief Medical Officer who is a local practitioner to Boca Raton, Dr. Joseph Purita. In 2010, MLB player, Bartolo Colon received stem cell injections from Dr. Purita after half a decade struggle with shoulder and elbow injuries. Dr. Purita treated him and in a comeback that was nothing short of miraculous, Colon went on to pitch his signature 95-mile-per-hour fastball the next season, and after a standout 2013, received an unprecedented offer from the Mets at 40 years old for $20 million over a two-year contract.

Regenerative medicine, however, is no longer reserved for professional athletes. Many people have joint pain and/or injuries at all ages and professions that need effective treatment. These innovative minimally invasive non-surgical procedures help heal many degenerative conditions such as knee injuries, osteoarthritis, tendinitis, rotator cuff conditions, COPD, and many more.

To demystify the use of stem cells, Stem.MD does not use cord blood or placenta, but what tends to be an unlimited source of your own adult stem cells from bone marrow, adipose fat and blood. There is no worry of rejection when relying on your body’s natural cellular system. Stem cells are the building blocks that signal your body to fix itself. In addition, to acting as a healing mechanism, stem cells can also be used to help fight aging. Stem.MD offers these services, which have become very popular with celebrities as of late, known as Vampire Facelifts, PRP injections, and Cytokine creams.

Stem.MD doctors have successfully performed over 5,000 stem cell related procedures, serving patients all over the United States. For more information on stem cell therapy and our treated conditions please visit our website www.stem.md. Please call us for a free phone consultation with a medical professional.

Shawn Taylor, President of Stem.MD and Dr. Joseph Purita holding "Best of Boca Medical Group Award" 2013

www.stem.md 866.302.5640 info@stem.md

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The Oaks:

Over 35 years | More than 175,000 families Building one dream home at a time

Beautifully Boca

From the $900s in Boca Raton | 561-910-4244 | RichmondAmerican.com/Oaks Prices, specifications and availability are subject to change without notice. ©2014 Richmond American Homes, Richmond American Homes of Florida, LP, CBC1257429

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Celebrate

a weekend of wine and food by award-winning chefs and vintners

Let the Revelry Begin

Get ready to indulge in a weekend of wine, food and luxury at the 12th Annual Boca Bacchanal benefitting the Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum on March 28th – 30th, 2014. Acknowledged as one of the most prestigious wine and food celebrations in Florida, guests will be able to savor wine produced by top vintners from around the world and delectable cuisine prepared by an elite group of renowned chefs.

Vintner Dinners

The weekend begins Friday, March 28, with Vintner Dinners held in magnificent private residences and unique locales in Boca Raton. At each location, a chef and vintner will be pairing their talents for an intimate five-course dinner that perfects the art of food and wine pairing.

Tickets: $325

Bacchus Bash

On Saturday, March 29, the Bacchus Bash will delight your senses with an interactive wine and food experience at the historic Boca Raton Resort & Club. Guests will have the opportunity to meet each of the 6 vintners and 6 chefs while sampling their exclusive wine selections and signature cuisine. Guests will also enjoy entertainment, music and dancing while bidding on silent and live auctions offering unique wine, travel and lifestyle lots.

Tickets: $225

Grand Tasting

The Grand Tasting will be Sunday, March 30 from 1 - 4pm at the Mizner Park Amphitheatre. Attendees will enjoy over 140 wines, by-the-bite specialities prepared by exceptional chefs from South Florida restaurants and the back-bypopular demand beer garden. New this year will be a live performance by the popular Miami band PALO! Tickets: $85 in advance

@BocaBacchanal

/BocaBacchanalFest

florida table [ 82 asian noodles • 84 deconstructing the dish • 86 why sangria rules ]

[ by bill citara ]

Far East Favorite

ThE Kapow!

FacTor

Executive chef Caleb Holman and the team at Kapow! Noodle Bar in Mizner Park have drawn raves with their innovative mix of Asian cuisine with a French Vietnamese spin.

Holman honed his kitchen skills under Bruce Feingold of Dada in Delray Beach.

AAroN Bristol

Noodles may have originated in China, but their popularity quickly spread throughout Asia, whether made with wheat flour, rice flour, buckwheat flour or mung bean starch—and with or without the addition of egg. Wherever they’re made, and whatever they’re made with, cuisines would be a lot poorer without these strands of flour and water. Turn the page for more on Asian noodles.

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florida table [ eat ]

SESAME TUNA UDON Courtesy of Caleb Holman

IngredIents 2 quarts water 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons dashi granules 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 package udon noodles Water Sesame oil 3/4 pounds tuna Black and white sesame seeds

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12 ounces kimchee 1 lime, sliced and charred under the broiler Cilantro sprigs, bean sprouts and sliced scallions

PreParatIon 1. In large pot, bring water to boil and add dashi granules, stirring to dissolve.

Add soy sauce and simmer briefly.

2. In another pot, cook udon

noodles in boiling water according to package directions. Drain, toss with sesame oil and reserve.

3. Crust tuna in sesame seeds and sear in hot pan on both sides, leaving interior rare/raw. Slice into 3-ounce portions.

4. To assemble, divide dashi broth in four bowls, add noodles, seared tuna and kimchee. Garnish with charred lime slices, cilantro sprigs, bean sprouts and scallions.

march/april 2014

aaron BrISTol

Executive chef, Kapow! Noodle Bar 431 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 561/347-7322

Know Your noodles

Asian restaurants typically offer an inordinate number of noodle dishes. Here are the basics.

Mein: The more familiar transliteration of “mian,” the basic Chinese noodle, made from wheat flour, water and egg.

RaMen: The Japanese word for the Chinese noodle, introduced in Japan in the early 1900s. It’s made with kansui, an alkaline mineral water.

Soba: A gray-brown noodle typically used in Japanese cookery. Made from buckwheat flour, it has a distinctive nutty flavor.

in the Beginning

Despite the fact that pasta is as synonymous with Italy as Sophia Loren and driving on the sidewalk, most scholars agree that noodles actually originated several thousand years ago in China. Those noodles—made from wheat flour and water in the south; and wheat flour, water and eggs in the north—came to be called “mian” and were the basis of many soups and stir-fry dishes. When rolled thin and cut into squares or circles, they’re the foundation of all manner of rolls and dumplings.

Udon: A very thick, soft, mild-tasting wheat noodle, most often used in soups and broths as it readily absorbs other flavors.

Cellophane: Also called bean thread or glass noodles. Usually made from mung bean starch but also yam, potato and cassava starch.

RiCe: Rice flour noodles that come both round and flat in a variety of thicknesses and require very little cooking time.

Hot SpotS

The following local restaurants all prepare standout noodle dishes.

5 Spice ASiAn Street MArket Where: 1200 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, 561/989-1688 What: Vietnamese pho, Singapore rice noodles in coconutcurry broth and crispy Cantonese egg noodles are all on the menu.

Lemongrass Asian Bistro

follow the leader

kin noodle BAr Where: 200 S. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, 561/361-8777 What: Oodles of noodles here—rice, egg, udon, bean thread, ramen—in soups and stirfries. Try the flat rice noodles with peanut sauce.

leMongrASS ASiAn BiStro Where: 101 Plaza Real S., Boca Raton, 561/544-8181 What: Several tasty variations on the noodle theme, like Peking duck in duck broth with rice noodles, bean sprouts and toasted garlic.

Joy noodleS & ASiAn cuiSine Where: 2200 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, 561/655-5212 What: Noodles are the specialty here, including fresh egg noodles Indonesian style and low-carb Japanese shirataki noodles in a soy-based sauce.

[ bocamag.com ]

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florida table [ eat ]

Deconstructing the Dish

Thank you, Boca Raton

The original lasagna had roasted carrots, but the chef at Joey Giannuzzi’s former restaurant, The Green Gourmet, misunderstood and used sweet potatoes.

When Boca Raton reviewed the dish and singled out the sweet potatoes, Giannuzzi revisited the recipe and decided to leave them in.

Get tHe recipe at bocamaG.com.

Vegetable lasagnaod stuff, part When you think light, healthy, vegetarian eating, lasagna isn’t the first dish that comes to mind. Unless you’re Joey Giannuzzi. The chefpartner at Farmer’s Table in Boca Raton (1901 N. Military Trail, 561/4175836) has made a career out of proving that light, healthy cuisine can be delicious. Here, he recasts this often-leaden dish as a panoply of garden-fresh

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vegetables in brighttasting tomato sauce— with no meat, pasta or cheese. [ 1 ] Grill (re)marks: “Grill vegetables about three-quarters of the way through, just to leave a bit of texture. But cook the eggplant all the way through. If you don’t, it’s kind of like putting your tongue on a nine-volt battery. That’s one of my

pet peeves in the kitchen, undercooked eggplant.” [ 2 ] Letter perfect: For his tomato sauce, Giannuzzi uses only San Marzano tomatoes labeled D.O.P., or Denominazione d’ Origine Protetta, essentially a government guarantee that the tomatoes are of the proper strain and have been grown, harvested and packed according to regulation. There’s a “huge

difference” between D.O.P. San Marzanos and San Marzano-style tomatoes, Giannuzzi says.

that’s gone into [the lasagna]. We drain it off and add it to white bean soup or various dishes.”

[ 3 ] no drain, no gain: “We put the lasagna in a hotel pan and fill eightquart containers with water and press it overnight so it holds its shape and there’s not a lot of liquid on your plate [when served]. The liquid has this intense flavor from everything

[ 4 ] accept many substitutes: Chef de cuisine Wilson Wieggel suggests experimenting with different vegetables, depending on what’s in season. Grilled fennel, asparagus, parsnips and butternut squash are a few of his recommendations. march/april 2014

florida table [ drink ]

sanGria To The rescue If you have a lemon, make

lemonade. That’s easy. But what if you have bad wine and water that’s full of bacteria?

That’s easy too. Make sangria.

As the story goes, thirsty Spaniards in ancient times cobbled together wine, water, fruit and spices in the hope that the alcohol will kill the bacteria in the water and the fruit and spices would kill the taste of their crummy wine.

That theory may or may not be true, but nowadays the water is pure, Spanish wine is some of the best on the planet, and the only thing sangria kills is your thirst.

Think of it as lemonade for adults.

Quick Tips

■ Use a good red wine, not a great one, preferably Spanish.

Tempranillo and Rioja are good choices.

■ If you want fruit to retain its texture, add just before chilling. If you want it to soak up some of the alcohol, let it macerate in the sangria for several hours.

■ The fruit component of sangria makes it a good complement to Spanish cured meats and cheeses, ceviche and any spicy dishes.

SANGRIA

Courtesy of Gary Burke Bar manager, ceviche Tapas Bar & restaurant (116 N.e. sixth Ave., Delray Beach, 561/894-8599) INGRedIeNtS 1 750-milliliter bottle red wine 3 ounces Triple Sec 3 ounces Spanish brandy 6 ounces simple syrup Fresh fruit, sliced (green and red apples, oranges, lemons, limes, peaches, nectarines, whatever else you like)

PRePARAtIoN Combine all liquids in a pitcher.

Add fruit. Chill and serve.

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[ bocamag.com ]

march/april 2014

Be beautiful. Be confident. Be you...only better.

Anthony n. DArDAno D.O., F.A.C.S.

not an actual patient

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The Gloves are Off

Goodman levitates his assistant, Leah Sessa.

aaron briStoL

One of Goodman’s favorite stories is his encounter with Muhammad Ali, whom he met by chance at an airport terminal in North Carolina. The boxing great was sitting down, waiting for his flight, his head bowed.

“I [remembered] that Muhammad Ali loves magic. He does magic. So I go over to Ali, and I introduced myself as a professional musician. He looks up with a big smile and says, ‘Show me something.’

“So I ask him for a dollar bill. I take his dollar, and he’s watching me very closely.

Right before his eyes, I turn that bill into a hundred-dollar bill. He stood up, and was amazed, and he reached into his pocket and took out a little red scarf. He went, ‘whoosh,’ and it disappeared. And he’s looking at me, and I’m like, ‘Well done, Muhammad Ali!’ And the next thing you know, crowds of people gather.

“If I didn’t know that he was a magician, I would have been very shy and awkward.

He did not look approachable. But because I knew we had this connection with magic, that helped create that moment.”

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march/april 2014

facetime [ by john thomason ]

Gary Goodman For the lonGtime illusionist, every little thinG he does is maGic.

L

ike a mime, magician Gary Goodman is pretending to shuffle a deck of cards. He fans his invisible deck and asks me to pick a card, any card. I pretend to pick one, look at it, memorize it. In my head, it’s the 5 of diamonds. He tells me to “put it back in the deck.” I comply. He asks me if I picked an ace or a joker; I tell him I didn’t. That still leaves 48 possibilities.

Then Goodman takes a real deck out of its box and begins to fan it in front of me, telling me that only one card—my card—will be facing down, while all the others will face up. Sure enough, I can see the backside of one card. He flips it over. It’s the 5 of diamonds.

I’m flummoxed. I have no idea how he did it.

“I tell everybody that any 8-year-old with 40 years’ experience can do this,” says Goodman, 55. “If I told you [how I did it], I’d have to make you disappear.”

Lord knows he could. We’re in Gary Goodman’s home in Boca Raton, an immaculate, white living room decorated with posters of his profession’s godlike figures: Alexander Conlin, Howard Thurston, Harry Kellar and Harry Houdini, whose illusions continue to haunt and inspire Goodman’s act, which he performs at public events and private gatherings across South Florida and beyond. He’s played at the halftimes of Miami Heat games, Halloween shows at Sugar Sand Park, and at least a decade entertaining attendees of Chris Evert’s ProCelebrity Tennis Classic in Delray Beach.

The trick he performed for me is a combination of close-up magic and mentalism, which is the art of mind-reading. As Goodman puts it, “I follow the leader

influence people’s thoughts, get them to say a certain thing, get them to think a certain way.”

But he’s perhaps most known for his grand illusions, whose props are so large and plentiful they no longer fit in his home. He has a repertoire of 20 that he’s perfected over the years, and most of them involve slicing sharp objects through beautiful assistants trapped in baskets or boxes; shortening a beautiful assistant in a cabinet until she’s nothing but a head and a pair of feet; making beautiful assistants disappear and reappear; and changing places with beautiful assistants, despite being padlocked in a trunk (the latter is an old Houdini trick that still amazes).

“No trick or illusion is airtight,” he says.

“Every time I do a grand illusion, there’s an element of danger. So my mind is so focused, because I can’t let that illusion fall off the stage.

Every night is a new venue, so you can’t just assume the floor will be just right for it, or the angles will be just right for it. And when you do these things long enough, you get a feel for the backup plan: If this happens, then I’ll do this.

There are moments when you just have to say, ‘Let’s pause a moment for the trick that just died.’ Fortunately, that’s very, very rare.”

And Goodman has been doing this a long time. He was catapulted into showbiz at a young age; his father played in an orchestra and owned a music store, and his mother was a singer, and they encouraged his early interest in magic. By age 12, he had enough material to perform in his Niagara Falls garage for two hours, charging neighborhood kids a dime to see him.

Then, through a magician hired to play his

birthday party, Goodman met Colonel Gene Alcorn, a recluse who had built illusions for Houdini. Alcorn, still active in his 80s, agreed to let the adolescent Gary shadow him while he worked. By age 14, Goodman could pull off grand illusions.

“I really jumped up the ladder because of that,” Goodman recalls. “When you’re an illusionist, you can work for thousands. Now you’re working with lady assistants, with lighting, with curtains, with sound, and the music’s got to be right, and it’s all got to come together for the grand illusion to really look great.”

Goodman’s career has led him into some of South Florida’s most luxurious homes and events. He’s performed for Celine Dion at a private party, played to Nick Nolte at a bar mitzvah, and helped Miami Beach restaurateur Shareef Malnik saw his girlfriend, “Burn Notice” star Gabrielle Anwar, in half for charity.

He made his acting debut in 2011’s “Jack and Jill,” in which he did the saw-in-half illusion to Adam Sandler on a cruise ship, and he’s even played at the Tower of London, for the queen’s guards.

“Magic has helped open up a lot of doors,” he says. “I’ve been to every hotel and country club in South Florida, rooms no one has ever been in. I’m never around people that are in a bad mood, because I see them at the anniversary, the birthday, the holiday party.

“When you’re doing strolling magic, you do come across people that don’t look very happy, and sometimes I purposefully go up to them, because in my mind, I want to make them smile and laugh. It’s all about knowing how to make it fun for the audience.” [ bocamag.com ]

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facetime [ by kevin kaminski ]

Peggy Jones

L

ittle about the room directly Raton recognized Jones, who receives no comacross from Peggy Jones’ office— pensation for the 30-hour weeks she often logs with its neatly arranged desks, at Helping Hands, as its Woman Volunteer of old-school wooden podium and secondhand computers—screams transformative.

But don’t tell that to the downand-out locals who’ve launched personal comebacks at one of the 12 workstations here. For approximately 600 unemployed individuals over the past five years, there has been magic in that room—opportunity that wasn’t exactly knocking prior to meeting Jones and the team of some two dozen instructors and volunteers that she oversees as coordinator of the job mentor program at Boca Helping Hands.

People from all backgrounds and of all ages—including unemployed in their 70s—have found work thanks to the computer classes, interview preparation, skills training and other resources offered by the Jones at the job mentor lab nonprofit renowned for its food and inside boca Helping Hands emergency assistance programs.

“I feel like we’re planting seeds,” says Jones, who started at Boca Helping the Year. It’s a second “career” to which Jones, Hands in September 2008 and coordinated who spent nearly two decades as a school psythe opening of the job mentor lab the followchologist at various Broward County schools, ing April. “We’ll help anyone who wants to felt an immediate connection. be helped. But they have to participate in the “These were the people I’d seen as children process and take responsibility. We’re not gowho weren’t fitting into the school system,” ing to spoon-feed them. says Jones, who has lived in Boca since 1978 “I’ve seen people that I know come through with husband Mark. “Now they were adults, these doors, and, yes, it surprises me. It’s upand they still weren’t fitting in—and they setting. You want to think everybody is OK, weren’t managing their lives well.” but it could be any one of us. That’s part of the The original job mentor program at Helpreason I do this. We can’t ignore people just ing Hands involved assistance just two days a because they’re struggling.” week. Since Jones has come aboard as direcLast November, the Junior League of Boca tor, the scope has broadened in more ways

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than just Monday-through-Friday access to a lab featuring a dozen computers, most of which were donated by Saint Andrew’s School.

Last January, thanks to funding from, among others, the Jim Moran Foundation, Jones helped to launch Esperanza Catering, a three-phase program that results in hands-on work experience. The first phase includes life-skill training—how to get along with others, how to resolve conflicts, how to set goals. From there, participants receive skills training—followed by paid gigs as part of a catering team that works everything from private parties to chamber events. Of the first 44 people who went through the program, 36 went on to find jobs in the catering or restaurant industry—including one man who is now managing a bed-and-breakfast.

“These were people who were unemployable; the ones who could not get a job through the job mentor program,” Jones says. “When you’re out of work for two or three years, nobody wants to talk to you. Employers think that there is something really wrong with you. So we give Esperanza workers recent job experience and an updated skill set.”

Though press material accompanying Jones’ honor as Volunteer of the Year noted that she had helped more than 300 people find employment since joining Helping Hands, the number actually is double that—and counting.

“We’re showing people strengths that maybe they didn’t know they had,” Jones says.

“When they come through that door, they don’t see any good in themselves. ... We’re trying to empower them. ... We’re building human potential.” march/april 2014

aaron bristol

Director of Job mentor Program, boca HelPing HanDs; Woman Volunteer of tHe Year

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Boating & Beach Bash for People With Disabilities

When: March 22 Where: Spanish River Park, 3001 Florida A1A, Boca Raton What: Expect more than 5,000 people, including Purple Heart recipients, at the sixth-annual event that honors people with disabilities and their caregivers. Festivities include free lunch, entertainment, arts and crafts projects and free boat rides along the Intracoastal.

Website: boatingbeachbash.com

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Jeff, Celia and Madeline Glasser

march/april 2014

facetime [ by kevin kaminski ]

Jeff and Celia Glasser Life is an adventure for a BoCa CoupLe that inspires with their Love story, unique sweets and muCh more.

AAron Bristol

J

eff Glasser surveys the cupcakes and treats spread out on the dining room table inside his west Boca home, pats his stomach and shakes his head in mock disapproval.

“I probably taste test a bit too often,” he says, trying to conceal a chuckle. “I’m packing it on. I used to be very skinny. Used to be. I totally blame Celia for this.”

“Right, and what happens when I’m baking and don’t save something for you?” says Celia, Jeff’s wife and the kitchen star behind Cake Ah Licious, an online purveyor of specialty treats—including its signature cakes in a jar— made with all organic ingredients. “‘Where is the extra buttercream? Where are the extra cookies?’ Believe me, I’ll hear about it.”

Don’t let the sarcasm fool you. If ever two people were on the same page, it’s Jeff and Celia Glasser. When Celia took Cake Ah Licious from hobby to full-blown business in late 2012, Jeff built her website. When Celia decided to add to her culinary knowledge by taking classes at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Jeff, 27, enrolled there as well to improve on his self-taught skills as a Web designer.

And when life presents obstacles related to Jeff’s lower-body paralysis—like the day the airline lost his wheelchair the first time the couple traveled to Celia’s home country of New Zealand—the Glassers work together to overcome them.

“There are plenty of things in life that people just can’t deal with,” says Celia, 29. “But we figure it out as we go along.”

Eight years ago, the only thing Jeff knew for certain was that he wanted to defend his country’s honor. Sept. 11 was still fresh in his mind when he enlisted in the Army after graduating from Olympic Heights. But on follow the leader

Dec. 22, 2005—while he was home on holiday leave after basic training—life as Jeff knew it came to a grinding and tragic halt.

Jeff was on the back of a friend’s motorcycle when a motorist ran a stop sign on Southwest 18th Street and cut across two lanes. When the motorcycle and car collided, Jeff, according to the police report, flew 40 yards in the air. “The impact was so strong that I flipped right over my friend [who escaped without major injuries],” Jeff says. “A witness said that my body folded in half backward while in the air.”

The resulting T6, T7 and T8 thoracic spine fractures caused paralysis of everything below Jeff’s chest. He spent two weeks at Delray Medical Center before being transferred to James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa for four months.

“I remember, at first, thinking that I’d be up and walking in a few weeks; but as time went on ...,” says Jeff, who would later spend a year in Atlanta at the Shepherd Center for spinal cord injury rehab. “I’d gone from marching 25 miles with 100 pounds on my back to this.

I wondered if I was ever going to be able to have a family. How were people going to look at me? Was I going to be viewed as the same man I was?

“I went through a very long stage of anger, about two years worth. I was punching holes in walls. ... But eventually, you have to move on.”

By 2008, that meant posting a candid profile on match.com that caught the eye of a young woman who had just moved to Boca from New Zealand. “His post said that he was in a wheelchair but also that he was very independent,” Celia says. “We went to the drive-in at the Swap Shop [in Sunrise] on our first date. He didn’t even have to get into his

wheelchair that night, because he had picked up dinner for us at Chili’s.”

“I thought long and hard about that date,” Jeff chimes in. “How can I keep this simple and still make it look good?”

“For me, a wheelchair doesn’t make someone different than who they are,” Celia adds.

“Jeff is still a person. He was down to earth, easygoing, and we liked a lot of the same things. My type of guy.”

A year later, Jeff would propose on the way to a Florida Panthers game. The couple would marry three different times between 2009 and 2011—once in a lawyer’s office for Celia’s green card, once for Celia’s family in New Zealand, and once in South Florida for Jeff’s family and friends.

Despite being told that having a child by natural means was next to impossible for someone in Jeff’s condition, the Glassers defied the odds and did just that, welcoming Madeline into the world a little over two years ago.

In addition to raising a daughter they refer to as the “best surprise imaginable,” the Glassers have plenty of career irons in the fire. Celia is filling multiple orders per week through Cake Ah Licious (cakeahlicious.com), which offers cookies, cupcakes and some 20-plus flavors of cakes decoratively and deliciously packaged in mason jars.

Jeff, meanwhile, continues to spread the message that a disability “is just a bump in the road.” He’s in the process of developing an online site that will showcase handicap accessible travel, events and activities. He’ll also be involved in this month’s Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities in Boca.

“Some challenges are harder than others,” Celia says. “But most of the time we manage to work it out. ... Life is an adventure, right?” [ bocamag.com ]

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Clockwise from top left: Ellis Cooley, Anthony Fiorini, Daniel Naumko and Wilson Wieggel

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march/april 2014

theBOCAinterview [ by bill citara ]

Table for Four

Meet the next wave of local culinary stars, top chefs Making early naMes for theMselves in Boca and delray.

N

ick Morfogen. Dean James Max. John Belleme. Anthony Pizzo. If you’re a serious diner you know these are some of the chefs who drive our local restaurant engine.

But what about Generation Next?

Which chefs coming up behind these established stars are poised to goose an already estimable culinary scene even higher? The following four kitchen standouts may not be household names yet, but we have a sneaking suspicion that you’ll be hearing from them for a long time to come.

AAron Bristol

Ellis CoolEy, 3rd and 3rd 301 N.E. Third St., Delray Beach Ellis Cooley did it “the old way,” eschewing culinary school for the restaurant school of hard knocks (and harder work) ever since he first moved to South Florida at age 19. Cooley helped to open 3030 Ocean with chef Dean James Max, who has been a friend and mentor to the Atlanta native ever since.

Like most chefs, he followed opportunity wherever it led, leaving 3030 Ocean for a year and cooking at two of the best restaurants in Barcelona, where some of the world’s most exciting cooking and advanced cooking techniques were served up on a daily basis.

His rigorous training, hitched to the adventurous spirit exemplified in Spain, is at the follow the leader

heart of his cooking, whether at the Cleveland restaurant where he scored “Best New Chef” honors or at 3rd and 3rd, where dishes like roasted cauliflower with an ethereal warm Parmesan foam share space on the menu with a thick, juicy burger.

How would you cHaracterize your cooking?

[It’s about] the simplicity of getting good

ingredients and being able to do whatever you want with them. [But] it’s really about technique. When you learn techniques, they can be applied to anything. All the nouveau cuisine you see happening everywhere now— sous vide cooking to espumas [or froth] to the different chemicals used for these things—I was schooled on very early in my career. Now I use them a lot. Not all the time, but I go back to [those] techniques to get something to behave [a certain way in order to] make the dish the way I want.

wHat sHould people expect coming to 3rd and 3rd?

Most of the time you come into the restaurant you’re going to see something you don’t see anywhere else. I take great pride in the fact that we don’t do South Florida food here. We don’t cook what everyone else is cooking. It really motivates me to know that people can come here and experience different things, but they don’t have to pay Café Boulud prices or sit in a stuffy setting. [They can] still enjoy food on a higher level.

tHe restaurant business is famously brutal. wHat keeps you going?

I enjoy it. I really enjoy it. When I left the Marriott, I took a 50-percent pay cut to do this.

I don’t say that as, ‘Woe is me.’ I say that because I’m a lot happier making half as much money doing what I want to do. I know it’s hard work. I know it’s a lot of hours. But I’m a happy guy. [ bocamag.com ]

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theBOCAinterview Wilson Wieggel, Farmer’s Table 1901 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton

What are the challenges of cooking “clean” the Way you do?

People think that no cream, no butter, less salt means no flavor. That’s not the case at all.

We take time to pick very good ingredients and let the ingredients stand on their own. I also use a lot of different spices. A lot of cultures have always cooked like this, without hiding stuff or faking it with a lot of salt and butter and cream. Those are things that create a mouth-feel; we have to do it with other means.

you cook light and healthy. do you eat that Way? In 2008, I weighed 298 pounds at my heaviest; I felt worn down and unhealthy. So I lost 90 pounds in nine months. I did it by cutting out all fast food. I cut out sugar completely and started eating healthier. I got back to cooking at home because I wanted to eat big flavors without sugar, cream and butter. Before I even met Joey, I had gone down this path in my personal life. I’ve kept the weight off and continue to eat that way.

Where do you get your inspiration for dishes?

For most high school kids, time spent working in local restaurants is just a blip on the road to something else. To Wilson Wieggel, those months were the entrée to an industry that would allow his passion and creativity to flourish. A deli job in Cape Cod ignited that passion and led to a stint at the Culinary Institute of America.

His introduction to the merciless world of big-time restaurant cooking came soon after when, on his first day at a Connecticut restaurant, “this hulking chef kicked open the back door and out fly two full pans of overcooked lamb shanks.”

Upon moving to South Florida, he worked his way through several spots in the Burt Rapoport-Dennis Max empire, where he met fellow chef and eventual collaborator Joey Giannuzzi. After a few years in Santa Fe, N.M., Wieggel returned to South Florida as executive chef of Green Gourmet, which, in turn, led to the same position at Giannuzzi’s new health-conscious Farmer’s Table restaurant.

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I look at a lot of different cultures and the way they eat—North African, Moroccan, Middle Eastern. A lot of those places don’t have access to the “fake food” we have here. Inspiration [also] comes from what cutting-edge chefs are doing. Often I’ll go to New York and pick the 10 best restaurants and pull up their menus to see what they’re doing. And part of the inspiration is going into the walk-in and seeing what’s fresh. That’s what keeps me excited about this business, the creativity involved in it.

“You have to be about giving good product and service to the customer.”

—Anthony Fiorini East, where he worked off and on for 10 years.

Some of those “off” years were spent in Italy, cooking in a Michelin-star restaurant in Piedmont; others were in New York, first as a line cook and then sous chef at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe.

All that experience comes together at 13 American Table, where Fiorini’s simple yet refined, ingredient-driven cooking gets a boost from the Josper oven, a charcoal-fired oven-grill hybrid rarely seen in this country (see our Dining Guide review on page 142).

you’ve spent a lot of time cooking in italy.

What did you get from it?

It was mostly the approach; this is how Italians do it. We use our local ingredients. In

anThony Fiorini, 13 american Table 451 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton Most chefs get their love of cooking early, though not as early as Anthony Fiorini, who at age 10 was making gnocchi with his grandmother. There were no recipes, he recalls.

“Being an Italian woman, she did everything by touch and taste,” Fiorini says. “She never really had written recipes.”

After cooking around at local restaurants and graduating from the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach, he got a job with acclaimed chef Nick Morfogen at 32 march/april 2014

advice would You give to cooks who want to work their waY up the ladder like You have?

Piedmont, the chef’s wife would go shopping and pick up eggs from chickens that only ate carrots; the yolks were very orange and they were the only eggs we made pasta with. It was going to Bra for sausage because that’s the best sausage in the area. The truffles in Piedmont that you can smell before you see them. The best porcini mushrooms you can get. Pairing a dish with a Barolo made 30 miles from where we were. It was quite a full experience.

It’s not a glamorous job. All the television shows and the Food Network make it to be very glamorous, but it’s a tough job. I recommend that, before going to culinary school, you do an internship, go work somewhere. Because it’s a hard career. You’re not with your family. You work holidays and weekends. You’re not going to have time. You have to be about giving good product and service to the customer. At the end of the day, that’s what we do.

You’re one of the few restaurants in the countrY with a Josper oven. what’s that like?

The Josper is pretty amazing. It’s not like a conventional grill. All the smoke you would usually lose stays in the oven. Grilled vegetables just get salt, pepper and olive oil. We don’t marinate meats. We try not to do too much to stuff. Everything is very simple because the Josper allows us to get flavor on everything. It’s quite a cool piece of equipment.

this is Your first executive chef Job. what

Daniel naumko, Sybarite Pig 20642 Florida 7, Boca Raton Beer—in Daniel Naumko’s case, at least—is a gateway beverage, the gateway to becoming a chef and restaurateur, as well as an aspiring brewer. A half-dozen years ago the native Venezuelan got bitten by the craft-beer bug.

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a c o B Does e h t e k Ma

? e D a r G We asked experts in a number of areas—from finance to tourism— to give us an updated report card for the city. Here’s how we scored.*

By Tom Collins

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oca Raton calls itself a “city for all seasons.” It’s a nod to the year-round warm weather, but the slogan may be more boastful than that. It has the ring of a declaration that it is a well-rounded city with a high quality of life—and good things to offer to many people on many fronts.

Let’s see about that.

Boca Raton decided to pick the brains of experts in a variety of fields to really assess how well we do on crucial municipal benchmarks: attracting tourists, securing new jobs, urban planning, providing cultural opportunities, protecting the environment and fostering healthy political discourse.

The experts dissected the city. Some of what they said was laudatory. And other comments, well, not so much.

* The editorial team at Boca Raton administered the final grades.

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ny place on the map can call itself a city. But good urban planning separates the men from the boys.

Michael Busha, executive director of a planning council that includes four counties and 50 municipalities, says he rates a city’s urban planning quality in terms of walk-ability, the availability of mass transit, whether codes allow mixed uses (such as apartments and shops, side by side), and whether it is “full-service,” with jobs, entertainment and grocery stores all readily available.

“I would say that Boca stacks up pretty high,” he says. “Boca’s right up there with the top five, or top three even, in Palm Beach County.”

That doesn’t mean, he says, that Boca is an urban paradise like New York or Chicago. But compared to similarsized cities, it’s doing pretty well.

Take mass transit, for example. Sure, there’s no spaghettinetwork subway system (the population wouldn’t support it), but Boca is a bit ahead of other cities in the area, Busha says. In the northwest district of the city, it has created a “planned mobility district,” with greater densities of residential allowed in areas nicely connected to places of employment. A change in state law allows these districts, but, so far, Boca is one of the only cities in the state to pursue it aggressively.

“It’s sort of undergoing a little renaissance up there,” Busha says.

This district is a bold step by the city toward correcting its lack of affordable housing, which has been identified as a growing problem in many of South Florida’s more affluent urban centers.

The city’s Tri-Rail station is the most used on the entire line, Busha says, because of the multitude of uses surrounding it. Boca also has world-class health care. And there are

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plenty of higher-education options. Whatever you need, you don’t have to leave the city for it.

A higher bar to clear is connecting all of its uses “without being tethered to your car keys,” Busha says. The city’s “walk score” from walkscore.com, which gauges how easy it is to get from one place to another on foot (based on scores provided by website visitors), is 49 out of 100 in the category of “car-dependent.” Not a great score, but better than Delray Beach (44) and West Palm Beach (48) and a little below Lake Worth (55). Busha says Boca is working on this last phase of its urban planning.

“West of I-95 is a little less compact, a little more difficult to serve, a little less walkable,” Busha says. “East—the original plat for the city—is much more walkable and much more easily served by transit.”

Popular opinion holds that Boca’s downtown (or lack thereof) is problematic, with empty storefronts, a busy Federal Highway bisecting it and no pedestrian-friendly town center. The inability to create a viable “spine” between Mizner and Royal Palm Place due to landowners’ refusal to sell at reasonable prices may be part of the problem; others see the lack of a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) independent from the city as a contributing factor.

But Busha begs to differ. While Boca has struggled to generate a vibrant downtown presence beyond Mizner Park, he says that it’s not surprising that a city of its size doesn’t have more than one hopping entertainment district, “just like you’re not going to have more than one CityPlace or more than one Worth Avenue.”

He sees the city as having three downtown districts— Mizner, the original downtown street grid south of Palmetto Park Road and the North Federal Highway area. Each has its own character, and that’s all right from an urban planning perspective, he says. It gives residents a variety of options.

“Consider the population of Boca,” he says. “You’re not going to get this sort of hustling, bustling downtown area. ... I think the city has done a pretty good job as far as providing what people need.” march/april 2014

econo m i c develo Pment

Expert: Kelly Smallridge, president & CEO, Business Development Board of Palm Beach County

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here are a bunch of ingredients that go into a city’s recipe for attracting big corporations that offer high-paying jobs. The policymakers need to have made decisions creating commercial, office and light-industrial spaces that big employers actually can use; everything can’t be condos and retail shops.

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There has to be an incentive process to lure the big companies. And they need to roll out the welcome mat when top-dog executives come to town to scope things out.

Boca Raton has been there, done that—and is still doing that, says Kelly Smallridge, who is entering her ninth year as president of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.

“The city is very, very business-friendly,” she says.

The city’s permitting process has come under fire for being sluggish. But that problem has been helped by an expedited process for Business Development Board projects—in other words, the city does better lately when it comes to catching the biggest of the fish. And the city has a pool of money set aside for incentives that can be used to attract corporations—one of the few to do that, she says.

When it comes to courting prospective CEOs, the mayor often greets them personally—“CEOs are very impressed with the mayor,” Smallridge says. Plus, the city manager and his assistant give a detailed presentation on the city’s business and living environment. Local business leaders have opened their homes to entertain relocating families, and the Chamber recently hung a banner welcoming a CEO to town.

There are other factors, of course: Two Boca-based universities, and several nearby colleges, with potential employees for incoming corporations. And a high quality of life, with cultural and entertainment options.

Over the past 12 months, the city has landed Digital Risk, a company focusing on the foreclosure industry that has brought several hundred jobs. It has landed ADT, the security company. It has even landed Kayne Capital Advisors, a New York real-estate firm, with 50 jobs.

For 2012-13, the city captured 706 “high-profile” jobs through economic development projects worked on by the Business Development Board. The entire county captured just 2,520 such jobs—so Boca landed an impressive 28 percent of that total.

“It has been as high as 50 percent,” Smallridge says.

That said, there is still room for improvement. The office space in the city is aging, for instance. “Boca has not had a new office building in quite some time,” Smallridge says.

Plus, congestion on Glades Road between Federal Highway and I-95 can be problematic, though the new interchange at Spanish River should help. Also, making itself a more walkable place with more retail options will be essential to retain the young workforce educated here.

“They want urban areas that are hip, that are funky, that are vibrant,” Smallridge says.

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Expert: Craig Agranoff, political consultant, social media consultant

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t the heart of any great city is a robust democratic process, with full-throated debates on the crucial issues, residents weighing in at public meetings and elected officials keeping their fingers on the pulse of what citizens want, and responding accordingly.

So how does Boca stack up? Not too well, according to Craig Agranoff, a political consultant who has represented city council candidates and who follows the city’s politics.

“It all goes back to one common problem,” Agranoff says.

“And that’s lack of community involvement.”

If there are people in the crowd at a public meeting, chances are they’re there because they themselves will be affected, he has observed. “The city meetings are extremely poorly attended,” he notes. “Attendees are there for the most part to advocate for a personal issue, and then they disappear. And few advisory boards or committees draw any audience whatsoever. It’s actually quite pathetic.”

Recent numbers bear this out. Municipal elections in 2011 and 2012 drew 7.7 percent and 11.5 percent of registered Boca voters, respectively.

This lack of interest has led to election cycles that have been lackluster, without great candidates and with rela-

Expert: Rena Blades, president & CEO of the Palm Beach County Cultural Council

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tively little substantive debates on city issues, he says.

“A lot of people move to Boca Raton, and in their first year or two they think they’re qualified to be a candidate for the city,” Agranoff says. “They come from the northeastern states or other places and they come down here and they’re like, ‘I’m going to get involved in politics,’ without fully understanding the Boca Raton landscape or the political environment.”

What can be done to improve the city’s democratic process? For one, the city could be more proactive about informing residents of important issues and related meetings, rather than simply putting the onus on residents to go out and seek information. Delray Beach, for example, is more proactive in this regard, Agranoff says.

Residents need to keep informed—and then go out and cast ballots for the candidates they think will address their issues. Not rocket science, but it isn’t happening to the degree that it should be, Agranoff says. He adds that his remarks aren’t meant to be a condemnation of the city as a whole— they’re just observations about the political processes.

“I think residents themselves are their worst enemies,” he says. “We’re very lucky to be residents of the city. ... I would just like to see more people care.”

ny good city feeds the soul. And that is largely done through the arts.

Boca has plenty of choices in that regard: There’s the Boca Museum of Art, the Symphonia, the Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum, the renowned Lynn University Conservatory of Music, plus venues like the Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn, Florida Atlantic’s University Theater, and the Mizner Park Amphitheater. The Festival of the Arts BOCA is in its eighth year, and the old Caldwell has risen again as the Wick Theatre. The city has a tradition of being mindful of the arts, says Rena Blades, the president of the Palm Beach County Cultural Council, which provides grants to cultural organizations throughout the county.

“Historically, it has contributed line-item funding, actually, march/april 2014

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Expert: Joanne Davis, community planner with 1000 Friends of Florida

uild, build and build some more. Over recent decades, that’s been the South Florida philosophy.

But—not to sound like the Lorax here—what about the trees?

Environmental preservation can be overlooked in the grand scheme of all the things a city does. But that can come at its own expense—just look at New York’s Central Park to see the value of keeping things green in the middle of a city.

So how is Boca doing?

Pretty well on some things, and not as well on others, says Joanne Davis, community planner with 1000 Friends of Florida.

“They’re pretty good on canopy,” or general tree cover, Davis says. And, since 1992, the city has required that a quarter of the land in new developments be set aside for environmental preservation. The city also has 368 acres of public preserves, but no specific line item in the budget for maintaining those lands, though the city partners with the county for that purpose, says Nora Fosman, the city’s senior environmental officer.

The city also boasts a growing number of LEED-certified buildings, uses recycled water to water public spaces, and

is lauded for its pristine oceanfront, secured when Boca established a beach tax district to buy the coastal land and prevent it from going to condos and development.

Plus, the city’s rules for lighting along the beach are very good for sea turtles, which are guided by moonlight on the water to find their way to the sea and can be fatally fooled by artificial light coming from the other direction. Lighting along State Road A1A is embedded in pavement.

“They’re one of the best on turtle lighting,” Davis says. “It’s not on a post or anything that would cast light out to sea.”

But Boca has fallen prey to a common enemy, as so many other cities have: the car, which, of course, is no friend to Mother Nature. “You can’t do anything without a car,” she says. “Even if you’re only a quarter of a mile away, there’s just no way to get there without your car.” A lack of bicycle paths and shade at key points makes walking undesirable in too many areas of the city, she says.

An opportunity for the city exists with its older golf courses that are past their prime. Maybe they could add to the environmental landscape, Davis suggests. Or take a page from Broken Sound Club, which has won awards for its advanced “green” practices like composting and other initiatives.

“It would be really good to re-look at that as green space,” she says. “Maybe it doesn’t have to be a golf course—but maybe it doesn’t have to be town homes either.”

to some of the organizations, which is a really good indicator that they’re committed and they’re trying to support the economic development side of those organizations,” she says.

But culture is about more than money. The city also takes the arts into account with its urban planning and zoning, such as its “Museum Center Zoning District,” meant to create a hospitable environment for the arts, allowing mainly museums, performing-arts schools, and shops and restaurants to support those uses. It’s also about sustaining a high quality of life by keeping it clean and relatively crime-free, which Boca has done well.

Boca might not be known as a hot spot for attracting large numbers of new artists—like Lake Worth is, for example. But, Blades says, “that might be just a fine choice as long as a city is making a strategic decision about what’s the best way for them to utilize the arts.

“I definitely think Boca’s strength is the support for and nurturing of what I call major cultural institutions, like the Boca Museum of Art. Those institutions have also done a very good job of being community citizens and reaching out

for partnerships with the business community. I would say that’s their strength and they’ve built audiences really well that way.”

All of this said, Boca’s cultural institutions could be doing a better job of keeping themselves financially stable. Some, like the Boca Museum of Art, are stable enough, but they should aspire to the same degree of financial stability as older cultural organizations up North. It’s crucial to their future, Blades says.

The Boca Museum has exhibit quality similar to its sister museum in Cleveland, but “they are not on par in terms of financial stability because that Cleveland institution has been around 150 years and had that long to build endowment and reserves.

“If our patrons would like to see the institutions (stay) around and do innovative things for the next 100 years, there needs to be both city and philanthropic investment at a high level.”

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Expert: Jorge Pesquera, CEO, Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau

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he name Boca Raton still has that ring to it. Luxury, style, leisure. So as far as tourism, Boca Raton still does exceedingly well, says Jorge Pesquera, who has been in his current post with the county’s tourism agency since 2007.

The trick for Boca Raton is maintaining its competitive edge.

“Boca Raton has an excellent reputation in the consumer market, as well as with the travel, trade

cultural venues, hotels, and shopping locales, work together to keep Boca on top of its tourism game. A recent coup was the presidential election debate at Lynn University in 2012— the city, chamber, the CVB and others maxed out the experience with a Rock the Vote event at Mizner Amphitheater. The event was attended by 3,500 people and live-streamed by 500,000 Xbox subscribers, Pesquera says. The estimated media value of the event—what the exposure would have cost in paid advertising—was $642,000, according to the CVB. Boca is sandwiched by Orlando and Miami, two competitors for tourism dollars. But that can be tweaked into an advantage, Pesquera says. “[Orlando and Miami] are both major ports of entry into the country and top destinations domestically for travel,” he says. “Our convenient positioning between these two popular spots, paired with our vastly different tourism assets and offerings, means that we have

“Boca Raton maintains 25 percent of the county’s total hotel inventory, which makes it incredibly important.” and meeting-planner industry,” he says. “The challenge is always remaining visible, relevant and top-of-mind in a saturated travel market with so many options to choose from.”

The Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, along with city officials and people from

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the opportunity to tap into their visitors with strategic and timely messaging, particularly among their top international markets, such as Brazil and other Latin American countries.”

Still don’t believe Boca’s a top destination?

Consider this.

“Boca Raton also maintains 25 percent of the county’s total hotel room inventory, which makes it incredibly important,” Pesquera says, “particularly as we work to capture major meetings and conventions that require strong inventory and room night support.” march/april 2014

Experts: Judith Teller-Kaye, founder of Boca Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility; Randy Schultz, former editor of the editorial pages, Palm Beach Post

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n the end, a city is nothing if it doesn’t have its finances in order. Heck, Detroit might be willing to give up its claim to Motown music fame if that meant it could suddenly afford to pay its employee pensions.

So when it comes down to it, how financially healthy is Boca Raton?

The city would have residents think it is the leanest, meanest financial machine in Palm Beach County—a fourcolor brochure sent to residents each year touts its low tax rate. At $3.42 per $1,000 of taxable property (not including the amount that residents pay toward debt), it’s certainly a low rate—West Palm Beach’s is $8.35.

But at the same time, the city has an enormous tax base on which it can levy those taxes—at $22 billion, that tax base is $10 billion more than West Palm Beach’s and more than twice Delray Beach’s. The city also has incorporated more pay-foruse components into its services—meaning residents pay taxes, then might have to pay again to use a ball field.

Then there’s the hot-button budget issue—the pension funds of the police and fire departments. From fiscal year 2012 to fiscal year 2013, the police pension costs jumped by $1 million, and the fire pension costs jumped by $1.5 million, after actuarial adjustments had to be made. Florida State University’s LeRoy Collins Institute, which studies public policy, grades the city’s general pension fund as an “A,” but the police and fire pensions a “C.” Judith Teller-Kaye, who founded Boca Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility along with resident Betty Grinnan, says it’s a serious problem.

“The city is conservative in the way that it manages its finances,” she says. “But it is allowing public safety costs to increase at a substantially higher rate than other services,

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which means over the long term that taxes either have to go up or other services have to be squeezed.”

She does give the city props for at least listing pension sustainability among its goals this year. The city commissioned an independent actuary to assess the pension obligations; the report confirms, according to Teller-Kaye’s group, that “without substantial changes to police and firefighter pension benefits, Boca Raton’s public safety pension plan is not sustainable.” The group hopes the city will seize a “window of opportunity” when contracts between the city and the police and firefighters’ unions expire Sept. 30.

Schultz, who has extensively researched the issue, says the pension issues have to be addressed aggressively, as other cities have done.

“Boca does keep its tax rate low, but in a city with a tax base that other cities would kill for, that’s like picking stocks in a bull market,” he says. “The public safety budget, especially pensions, is to the city’s finances what Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are to the nation’s finances—unsustainable.”

Another way to try to gauge the level of services that residents actually get for what they pay is the number of employees a city has. The most current figure for Boca was 1,291 full-time, budgeted employees. Using the 2010 Census figures for population, that translates into 15.3 employees per 1,000 residents. Delray Beach has 12.1 full-time employees for every 1,000 residents.

Based on that, Boca residents may have more employees who are presumably “at their service,” but questions remain regarding whether we’re getting the most bang for our tax dollars.

•••••• Despite the recent recession and looming budget problems, the sky is not falling in Boca Raton. It needs to address the public pension fund issues, as do most municipalities in the nation, and it needs to keep its eyes on sprawl and transportation—as well as affordable housing. It needs to counteract voter apathy, and it must remain competitive in an increasingly cutthroat economic marketplace when it comes to attracting new industries. But it has prevailed on several fronts, where many South Florida cities have stumbled, and it still offers a strong quality of life.

We’d go as far as to say that the future looks bright—as long as we become fully engaged as a community and help steer the ship.

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State of Grace Add a touch of elegance to your wardrobe this spring with sophisticated fashion that never goes out of style.

Photography by Melina Deyรก Shot on location by Boca Raton magazine at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. All prices upon request.

Proenza Schouler jacket, from Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center at Boca Raton; all jewelry by Oscar de la Renta, from Neiman Marcus, Town Center; skirt, from Emilio Pucci, Palm Beach

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Stella McCartney top and shorts, from Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center; all jewelry

by Oscar de la Renta, from Neiman Marcus; purse, from Emilo Pucci

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september/october 2013

Jacket, from Emilio Pucci; Christian Dior dress and Rupert Sanderson shoes, from Saks Fifth Avenue, Palm Beach; Celine purse, from Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center; Dior sunglasses, from Neiman Marcus

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Dolce & Gabbana dress, from Saks Fifth Avenue, Palm Beach; Marni leather jacket, from Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center; sunglasses, from Emilo Pucci; Fendi shoes and Oscar de la Renta jewelry, from Neiman Marcus

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september/october 2013

Valentino dress, and Oscar de la Renta earrings and bracelet, from Neiman Marcus; purse, from Kiosk, Palm Beach; Jeffrey Campbell shoes, from Nordstrom, Town Center

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Valentino jacket, Oscar de la Renta jewelry, Givenchy purse and Fendi shoes, all from Neiman Marcus

StyliSt: David A. Fittin, artist-management.net Art director: Lori Pierino Model: Stephanie Nazoyan, Mega Model Management HAir/MAkeup: Tony Lucha, using Laura Mercier cosmetics MAnicuriSt: Nicole Davis, Pure Glitz Salon & Spa, Boca Raton ASSiStAnt Art director: Nancy Kumpulainen StyliSt ASSiStAntS: Melody Amezquita, Defernando Zaremba pHotogrApHer’S ASSiStAnt: David Friske digitAl tecHniciAn: Bradley Youngburg Special thanks to the staff at eau palm Beach resort & Spa (100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, 561/533-6000). For spring specials, visit eaupalmbeach.com.

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Can'T SToP The

South Florida remains a breeding ground for local musicians looking to break into the mainstream in genres ranging from country to classical.

Look no further than the following artists—all poised for the big time.

Story by John Thomason • Photography by Micah Kvidt

Maggie Baugh

The talented crooner gives new meaning to the genre “early country.”

On a busy afternoon this past December, South Florida Fairgrounds hosted two luncheons. In one of them, a speaker addressed the subject of science education for an audience that seemed significantly more interested in barbecue chicken; the sound of table chatter and clinking cutlery nearly drowned him out.

In the other luncheon, about 10 steps away, a crowd of about three dozen attendees for the Association of Professional Fundraisers’ annual meeting seemed to hang on every word of the event’s performer, Maggie Baugh.

Donning a cowboy hat and jewel-studded tan boots, the singersongwriter performed a handful of original songs on her Luna Flora Rose guitar, strumming folk rhythms with a country twang. The crowd was impressed, especially after hearing Baugh’s age.

The eighth grader at Boca Middle is only 13.

her MuSiCal PaTh Of course, Baugh should sound polished by now—she’s had music in her blood for the past 11 years.

“I asked to play the violin at 2, but my parents said no,” Baugh recalls. “So I asked again when I was 6, and I’ve now been playing for seven years.” After starting on the fiddle, she migrated to the guitar.

“As we go into the second year of her songwriting, it’s just who she is,” says Maggie's mother, Alyson. “You support what your child has a dream to do. Until it stops, you keep supporting it.”

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Baugh doesn’t expect it to stop. Since her 2011 debut at a singersongwriter showcase at the Broward Center, she’s performed everywhere from Kevro’s in Delray Beach to the Tri-Rail Airport Station in Dania Beach to the Fraternal Order of Police in West Palm Beach.

Baugh has played fairs and festivals, schools and fundraisers, coffeehouses and boat parades and birthday parties, some 60 performances in 2013 alone—anywhere to get her name out there, except, for obvious reasons, nightclubs. Also, she doesn’t perform on school nights.

Baugh even has a debut CD to sell at her gigs and online. Titled “Only Good Things,” it features 11 of her original songs, and professional liner notes that show Baugh in such country-fied positions as walking down a lonely road and posing on the hood of a pickup truck.

“Country is so down to earth,” Baugh says. “Instead of talking about getting drunk and going to a bar and meeting girls, you sing about home and family, and it has a great beat and pulls you in.”

But what does Baugh, at 13, know about the heartache and hardlivin’ that has been the backbone of country music for decades? You’d be surprised: While it’s grounded in age-specific subjects like middle school and boys, Baugh has an old soul, exhibiting a maturity and wisdom beyond her years on tracks like “Remember” and the title song.

It seems Baugh has struck the perfect balance between studies and music, earning straight As midway through the school year. We’ll see what happens this fall, when she embarks on a challenge that will no doubt inspire another album’s worth of lyrics: high school. march/april 2014

Favorite singers on Baugh’s iPod Jake Owen Cassadee Pope Luke Bryan Hunter Hayes Tim McGraw

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Maggie Baugh

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From left: Joel Tillman, Ryan Burk, Ates Isildak and Lauren Dwyer

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The Band in heaven

The West Palm Beach dream-poppers reach for the skies.

It’s funny to think of heaven as a place with its own band: a group of beatified bohemians welcoming new entrants at the Pearly Gates, like the house band at a fancy hotel. But listening to West Palm Beach’s The Band in Heaven, which makes dreamy, ethereal headphones music of the highest order, it’s easy to picture them in that capacity.

The dream-pop group, which began as a duo in 2010 and has blossomed into a fuller quartet, makes secular music that nonetheless feels lost in the clouds, reaching toward glorious heights. On the band’s debut LP, “Caught in a Summer Swell”—released last September on Decades Records, the boutique label run by Respectable Street’s Rodney Mayo—front man and lyricist Ates Isildak (his first name is pronounced “Uhtesh”; it’s Turkish) provides the lead vocals, which have the clear, soothing drone of a sixth instrument, while Lauren Dwyer’s harmonic vocal accompaniment can best be described as, well ... heavenly.

“That’s a new addition to our recordings,” Isildak says. “Our early recordings had unintelligible vocals, and in the live show we used to use a lot of reverb and delay on the vocals.

My first tendency was to bury the vocals, and everyone kept saying, ‘Your lyrics are good, your voice is good, let everyone hear what you’re saying instead of just guessing,’ which is always what it’s been: You assume it sounds deep, because you can’t hear what I’m saying.”

Their musical paTh

Favorite bands on isildak’s iPod Neutral Milk Hotel Modest Mouse DIIV The Rolling Stones The Beatles

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For the past three years, even with a noisier, harsher sound, The Band in Heaven has been one of the go-to groups whenever a major indie-rock act stops by South Florida. They’ve opened for marquee names like Kurt Vile, The Drums and No Age, among many others.

But with the release of “Caught in a Summer Swell,” and its 10 accessible tunes, the music world at large seems to be taking notice. The Band in Heaven has been reviewed or promoted on Spin.com, MTV.com and Pitchfork.com, all major players in independent and mainstream music. A Google search finds more than 500,000 Web pages mentioning the band.

None of that guarantees indie-rock superstardom: coverage in Rolling Stone, songs appearing in commercials, interest from major or semimajor labels. Being a great local, notquite-national band is a hard-knock life. The Band in Heaven’s music still doesn’t pay the bills, and all of its members have full-time jobs.

“The idea of releasing music and getting paid for it is becoming increasingly difficult,” Isildak says. “There’s this illusion that if I just do this, or have this many plays, or this many people ‘Like’ my Facebook page, then we’re there. It doesn’t exist until you’re actually, to me, getting paid to play your songs for large audiences. It’s happened for bands like Sleigh Bells and Surfer Blood; they started in Florida. ... I feel like it’s never set until the big shots with the money come in.

“To us, it’s always been a labor of love,” he adds. “It’s something we enjoy doing. I don’t want to say it’s a hobby, but it’s a passion, it’s a love.”

Still, after festival appearances at such esteemed gatherings as South by Southwest in Austin, Texas—where they played nine shows in four days, sleep be damned—and the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, The Band in Heaven seems poised to reach a wider audience. Thanks to Isildak’s nostalgic lyrics, expect “Swell” to continue striking a chord with Gen-Xers who can still remember when MTV was cutting-edge, when summer was the most liberating time of the year, when love and regret seemed to hang in the hazy air in equal portions.

The group’s sound seems more in tune with the 1990s as well, when the reverb pedal became many band members’ fifth appendage. To keep with this vibe, The Band in Heaven didn’t just release “Swell” on CD; they also pressed it on vinyl—and, yes, cassette tape.

Because in heaven, they still use Walkmen.

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“For a young girl of 19, [Yalyen is] very mature and knows what she wants to do in this life.

She’s a wonderful addition to the school.”

—Carol Cole, Lynn Conservatory

Yalyen Savignon

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YalYen Savignon

A violin phenom brings Cuban-Russo rigor to the Conservatory of Music at Lynn.

It’s about 3 o’clock on a December afternoon in Florida, but it feels like a July afternoon. As the sun beats relentlessly down just outside of the Schmidt College Center at Lynn University, Yalyen Savignon is in her own world.

She’s just taken her violin—an 18th-century model from Germany, gifted by a friend of her father—out of its sturdy, blue-felt-lined case. She’s preparing to play “Quiereme Mucho.”

“My grandmother loves [this song],” says Savignon, 19, a student at Lynn’s renowned Conservatory of Music. “I always play this song when I’m nervous, before concerts. It’s something fun to play for someone that needs a little bit of love.”

This Spanish-language ballad has been covered by everyone from Julio Iglesias to Engelbert Humperdinck and Linda Ronstadt. But Savignon’s interpretation needs no words; it’s rich and clear and resonant with romance. It belongs on the soundtrack of a silent movie, when two lovers embrace, before the storm.

Perhaps more than anything else, the performance is a three-minute study in control and exaction, which Savignon gained in her native Cuba, where music is taught using the thorough, ultrastrict Russian method.

The American style is free-flowing by comparison, an easier learn.

“She had wonderful training coming from Cuba,” says her instructor, Carol Cole, assistant professor of chamber music at the conservatory. “It’s very thorough.

And for a young girl of 19, she’s very mature and knows what she wants to do in this life. She’s a wonderful addition to the school.”

Her muSical patH Savignon’s journey toward the violin was not predestined at birth, like it is for many child prodigies. She was born in Havana in 1994, and her initial interest was painting. Then she joined a chorus. By age 7 she had picked up the violin.

“It’s an inspirational sound, very melodic, a very romantic sound,” she says. “It was very close to singing, and that’s why I decided on the violin.”

For what we would call elementary, middle and high

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school, Savignon matriculated at two of the most prestigious music conservatories in Cuba—Conservatorio Guillermo Tomás and Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán.

During her three years at the latter, she became concertmaster of its symphony orchestra and performed with the Chamber Orchestra of Havana and the Camerata Romeu, Cuba’s legendary all-female chamber orchestra. She even founded her own intimate baroque orchestra, where she had the opportunity to perform with renowned British violinist Walter Reiter.

After emigrating with her parents to Miami in 2012, as part of a family reunification benefit, it wasn’t long before she was competing in a Side by Side competition with the New World Symphony, while picking up English from young-adult novels and music documentaries.

She was driven, in other words—accomplished beyond her years by the time Lynn’s Conservatory of Music accepted her. Now Favorite a freshman, she lives on the quiet camcomposers pus and enjoys its perks, like the meal on savignon’s plan and the iPad for every student, on ipad which she downloads sheet music and Bach practices the violin three to five hours a Corelli day, in addition to her classes.

Vivaldi “It’s a great environment,” she says.

Beethoven “The conservatory is small, and the Mozart teachers are very close to the students, so that whenever we need help, not just with the music, they give us advice. It’s like family here.”

She misses her parents and her sister, who is not eligible to emigrate to the U.S. until 2020. But she talks to her mother and father three times a day, and they drive up to the campus for her performances, at the school’s Wold Performing Arts Center or Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall.

She plays them all with the same international violin, with its two-plus centuries of history, though she is quick to point out that “having an old instrument is a point on your side, but it’s not the violin that makes the music.

“It’s the musician that can make magic with the instrument.”

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from left: Kev Marcus and Wil B

Favorite artists on Wil B’s iPod John Legend Donny Hathaway Hans Zimmer Max Richter Common

Two worlds Collide

Classical music meets hip-hop when Black Violin takes the stage—the Fort Lauderdale duo that has the presidential stamp of approval.

At a TEDx talk late last year at Florida International University, Black Violin performed a pair of songs and shared its remarkable story. Kevin Sylvester—aka Kev Marcus—spoke for the duo, sporting a getup that included a suit, a tie and a sideways baseball cap, a wardrobe that encapsulates the two worlds in which Black Violin operates: classical and hip-hop.

Kev has been playing violin since the fifth grade, pressured into the instrument by his mom. He met Wilner Baptiste (aka Wil B) in high school at Dillard Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale, where they both studied classical violin and viola: Kev was first chair, Wil was second.

“When we met in high school, we were friends almost immediately,” Kev recalls. “[Wil] was always very creative, and he showed a high interest in other instruments besides the violin/viola. We didn’t begin really working together until after high school, once we began to realize that there were more things we can do with our ‘classical’ instruments.”

After college—Kev went to FIU, Wil attended Florida State University—they decided to put their degrees to the test in one of the music world’s most unusual hybrids: classical-rap fusion. Top 40-style beats inter-

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mingle with Bach-inspired violin parts, complemented

by Wil B’s smooth vocals.

It’s a path that led to them from tiny clubs on South Beach to Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater. Since then, they’ve shattered expectations—playing with Alicia Keys at the Billboard Music Awards, opening for Kanye West and Jay-Z, performing at three Super Bowls and the U.S. Open, and scoring a gig at the 2013 presidential inauguration, in Washington, D.C., where they received a handshake and a personal thank-you from President Obama.

All of this while releasing music on their own independent label, without mainstream radio airplay.

You can’t even buy the duo’s latest album, “Classically Trained,” on Amazon. It appears that even after playing for the president, Black Violin still has musical mountains to climb.

What does hip-hop music offer that classical doesn’t, and vice versa?

Kev: Classical music is what most Western music is based on. The chord progressions that were developed by greats like Bach and Mozart are still used today by artists like Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake. Classical march/april 2014

Looking to discover great live, local music in Palm Beach County? These excellent clubs, dives and concert halls will get you started.

The Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery

BoSTon’S on The BeaCh

norTon MuSeuM oF arT

address: 2621 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton Signature sound: Its free “Homemade Jams,” every Monday night, where musicians gather to invent new music on the spot Contact: 561/368-4643, thefunkybuddha.com

address: 40 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach Signature sound: Three hours of local country star Amber Leigh every Saturday afternoon; Grateful Dead tribute band Crazy Fingers on Sunday nights; local and regional blues acts on Tuesdays Contact: 561/278-3364, bostonsonthebeach.com

dada

ProPaganda

BB king’S BLueS CLuB

address: 52 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach Signature sound: Another Monday night “open jam”; prominent local indie bands on Fridays and Saturdays, playing directly on the open floor Contact: 561/330-3232, sub-culture.org/dada

address: 6 South J Street, Lake Worth Signature sound: Local indie bands, often given the opportunity to open for prominent touring acts on its intimate stage Contact: 561/547-7273, propagandalw.com

offers the education and consumption of music on a “higher,” more intellectual level, whereas hip-hop offers the performer a level of freedom to create music without the constraints that some classical pieces force upon their performers.

did you have any doubTs ThaT your innovaTive music would work?

Wil: We knew we loved it. We didn’t necessarily know that everybody else did. Even in the early years, when we used to perform in Miami clubs a lot, we would get a really good response, but not the response that would make us say, “Oh, man, this is going to be incredible.”

We just loved what we were doing, and we felt like we had something special. It wasn’t until we went to the Apollo in 2004 that we realized how it’s done. This is the toughest crowd in the world: If they liked it, I guess the world would like it, too.

any reason you haven’T signed wiTh a major label yeT? Wil: We’ve never really approached labels that way. It’s hard for labels to really get it, because they’re normally follow the leader

address: 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach Signature sound: The Norton’s Art After Dark program showcases local jazz, rock, classical or country artists, depending on themed programming, every Thursday night Contact: 561/832-5196, norton.org

address: 550 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach Signature sound: Eclectic local band Pangea for four hours every Thursday night; local and national blues Fridays and Saturdays Contact: 561/420-8600, bbkingclubs.com

dealing with rappers, singers, rock stars, or whatever.

We’re neither. But we’re open to discuss the label situation, and it’s probably something we’ll try to explore further with our new album.

you’ve described whaT you do as a “movemenT” ThaT goes beyond music. can you elaboraTe on ThaT? Kev: We believe that we have a responsibility to entertain, educate, and inspire everyone, especially the kids that attend our performances. Not everyone has the platform to own a large crowd’s attention for 60 minutes.

We try to make the most of it by teaching kids to think outside the box and to outwork everyone.

whaT was iT like performing aT The presidenT’s 2013 inauguraTion?

Wil: It’s hard to find a word to express that. It was the highlight of our year, the highlight of our career, to be honest. We performed between Smokey Robinson and Usher. I thought, this is crazy ... I’m standing next to Smokey Robinson and waiting to take a picture with the president. It was almost like, what are we doing here?

To waTch music videos from our selecTed musicians, visiT bocamag. com.

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Shauna Sweeney

“[Songs] come to me like dreams, where you have all these different pieces that are floating around ... And then you have this fantasy that they can turn into something really cool if you put them all together.�

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Shauna Sweeney

A folksy singer-songwriter channels her inner nerd.

The first hit you’ll come across when you Google Shauna Sweeney is a video of the singer-songwriter, 29, in a geeked-out living room—a video game on the television, gaming posters on the wall, action figures atop a shelf full of DVDs. She’s playing an acoustic guitar, with a wide smile on her face, singing about the relationship with her nerdy boyfriend and its necessary quirks.

There are references to binary code, BitTorrent, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and Comic-Con; in the video, she and her bespectacled paramour (played by her younger brother, Austin) visit Nathan Sawaya’s LEGO exhibition at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, play arcade games and dress up in “Star Wars” costumes.

The video for “My Nerdy Boyfriend”—as inspired as the song is catchy—has drawn more than 54,000 YouTube views and hundreds of comments from the nerd community. Most of them are positive, but some are prickly—one commenter took her to task for referring to “Alien: Resurrection” as “Alien 4.” (Sweeney has since become engaged to the nerd who inspired the song, a video-game designer named Bryan.)

“I got lucky that a couple of sites that are trafficked by the nerd community picked it up,” recalls the Coral Springs resident, shortly before her weekly open-mic hosting gig at the Kingshead Pub in Sunrise. Her long auburn hair rests under a stylish grey fedora. “I guess it struck a chord. The nerd hasn’t been celebrated enough.”

her muSical path It’s about time Sweeney had a bona fide hit; she’s been making original music for 10 years in Florida, where she relocated from prior stomping grounds Boston and Chicago for college at Stetson and later at Florida Atlantic University. Some of her earliest memories involve music.

“My mom and I were driving in our car—I was probably 8—and she started singing a song she knew as a little girl,” Sweeney says. “She showed me that you can sing harmony, that it doesn’t have to be one part, that it’s two parts and they go together. I was flabbergasted. To this day, I can see the beauty of that night and the sky and the moon, and how the world was in harmony.”

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Raised on Michael Jackson, Elton John and Sting, Sweeney’s original music would eventually resonate with those kind of homespun harmonies, finding residence in South Florida’s folk circles but by no means limiting itself to the genre. The songs on her first and only release, 2009’s “Catch the Light,” are complemented by classical strings, djembe drum percussion, the spaciousness of Americana, and glossy pop-like production values.

Lyrically, the songs run an emotional gamut, acting as snapshots of her relationship status, from the uncertain prospects of new love to the regrets of an increasingly loveless coupling.

“I’ve often said that [songs] come to me like dreams, where you have all these different pieces that are floating around, and they don’t all make sense together. And then you have this fantasy that they can turn into something really cool if you Favorite acts put them all together.” on sweeney’s Sweeney’s repertoire consists of iPod about 24 originals and growing.

Ryan Adams Those, plus covers, can sustain her Dave Matthews regular, four-hour marathon shows at John Mayer Lake Worth’s Old Key Lime House on Sigur Ros Wednesday nights; she also gigs reguArcade Fire larly at Lake Worth’s Bizarre Café and Deerfield Beach’s JB’s on the Beach.

She’s also had the pleasure of belting out the national anthem at Marlins games; opening for Dave Matthews Band, Better than Ezra and Sister Hazel; and playing for troops at Guantanamo Bay, thanks to an invitation from Armed Forces Entertainment.

As for “My Nerdy Boyfriend,” it’s probably the most heterodox song in an oeuvre that thrives on the universal language of love and heartache.

But the joy she exhibits when playing it live is infectious—and proof that she can take criticism. At the Kingshead Pub show, having learned of the gripe about the proper name of the “Alien” sequel, she sung it as “Alien: Resurrection” instead of “Alien 4.”

May the geeks rejoice.

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›› The

GaSparilla inn & CluB

Where: 500 Palm Ave., Boca Grande ConTaCT: 941/964-4500, gasparillainn.com aMeniTieS: 137 rooms, 63 in the main inn and 74 in the surrounding cottages; Pete Dye signature 18-hole championship golf course on Charlotte Harbor; Gasparilla Inn Spa, with nine treatment rooms, private lap pool, steam rooms and saunas, and the James Griffith Salon for hair and nail services; Gasparilla Inn Beach Club with family pool, beachfront, fitness center and exercise studio; full-service marina and fishing charters; seven Har-Tru tennis courts at Tennis Club; three USCA-certified croquet lawns DininG: The Inn’s Dining Room, Pink Elephant, Beach Club and Gasparilla Golf Club Gazebo

Opposite page: The grand façade at Gasparilla Inn This page: Boca Grande

History in the Making The grace and charm of Old Florida is alive and updated at The Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande.

By Marie Speed

I

t’s not just “old world,” it’s old school.

And we don’t mean fusty. We mean mannerly—steeped in decorum but with a warmth you’d find in most small Southern towns.

These are the hallmarks of the venerable Gasparilla Inn & Club, a Florida landmark that was started by the Boca Grande Land Company on Gasparilla Island. The hotel, designed back in the day to attract wealthy seasonal residents, opened in time for the 1913 social season.

Fresh off its centennial celebration, the Inn continues to charm visitors, earning a reputation over the past century as a graceful winter getaway in Boca Grande, arguably one of America’s finest sport-fishing destinations. (As follow the leader

far back as 1914, a well-heeled contingent of Northern businessmen formed a fishing club, the Pelican Club, headquartered at the Inn.) The Inn’s first guests were blueblood Boston society people, but over the years the guest list has included the likes of tycoons J.P. Morgan and Henry du Pont, Florida railroad and resort magnate Henry Plant, and the George H. Bush family. Guests arrived by private yacht or railroad until the Boca Grande Causeway was built in 1958.

Over the years, The Inn changed ownership; Barron Collier added the grand neoclassical façade in 1931 that defines the Inn today, and du Pont heir Bayard Sharp was next in line. The Inn is now owned by the William Farish family; Farish is a former United States [ bocamag.com ]

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The Big T Another word synonymous with Boca Grande is tarpon. This is one of the primary reasons people first came to the island— and it remains a legendary spot for fishing the “silver king.”

Captain Sandy Melvin of Gasparilla Outfitters puts it this way: “Golf has Augusta National, baseball has Yankee Stadium, then there’s Green Bay’s Lambeau Field. Well, in the sport of tarpon fishing, there is only one place like that, and that is Boca Grande Pass.”

Tarpon season runs from May through July, and you can charter boats and captains through The Inn. Here’s all you need to know about the mighty tarpon.

• Tarpon reach sizes up to 8 feet and can weigh up to 280 pounds.

• The life span of a tarpon can exceed 50 years. The oldest tarpon in captivity lived to be 63.

• Because of its strength, stamina, and fighting ability, the tarpon is one of Florida’s premier game fish.

• Tarpon can only be fished recreationally in Florida. Most recreational anglers practice catch and release since the fish is not considered to be of any food value. However, anglers can possess them for trophy purposes at the cost of $50 per tag, per fish. Without this tag, possession is illegal.

• If tarpon tags are purchased, anglers need to mail their return cards to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute by the end of August each year.

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The golf clubhouse and course

ambassador to The Court of St. James; his wife, Sarah, is the only daughter of the late Bayard Sharp. It’s no wonder that the Inn has maintained a certain pedigree over the last century, a quality that persists to this day.

For example, there is still a high season— from Dec. 21 through March 21—when gentlemen are asked to wear jackets at dinner. Shorts are acceptable after 6 p.m. in the lobby only in the months of October, June and July. There is afternoon tea during social season. The decor of the Inn is Southern-plantation style—mixed with a dash of Sister Parish. The vast lobby is a sea of white rattan, Audubon prints, potted palms, and bright stripes and florals.

The Inn’s grace and civility is tempered by its laid-back island context. Boca Grande has been spared the commercialization of most

of coastal Florida, with homes mercifully to scale, people on bikes instead of Bentleys, and a vibe that falls somewhere between Mayberry and Martha’s Vineyard. The loosely organized village “downtown,” a few blocks from The Inn, has some shops, a few good restaurants and a firehouse. Shorebirds wheel overhead, bougainvillea blazes, and there are porpoises just offshore in the turquoise Gulf. This is how Florida was, when people first fell in love with it. And it may be the last place in the state you can feel it so perceptibly.

The Inn closes in the late summertime, hearkening to the seasonal model that used to define resorts, but the formality of a more traditional order doesn’t dampen the Inn’s hospitality, from rockers on the verandah to guests relaxing in the lobby with the Sunday paper.

Fishing for tarpon at Boca Grande

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Spa and lap pool at the Inn

Renting bikes at the Beach Club

The sprawling oceanfront beach club is a short walk away, and golf carts are the preferred mode of transportation. It’s that Gulf-side ambience that creeps into the place, from the impeccable service and friendliness of staff, to the unhurried pace of a day at the beach or out on the water. Nowhere was this vibe more evident than last summer, when I attended The Gasparilla Inn & Club’s “First Annual B4 Weekend: Beach, Bourbon, BBQ & Beer.” (This summer’s dates are June 20–24.) Weekend beverage sponsors were Makers Mark, Smooth Ambler, Naples Beach Brewery, Florida Beer Company and Stan’s Coffee. Visiting chefs were from The Greenbrier Hotel, White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.; Farmington Country Club, Charlottesville, Va.; Old Town Social, Chicago; The Everglades Club, Palm Beach; and chefs from The Inn. There

were tastings and seminars—even a fancy grand finale dinner Saturday night.

But the most memorable event was Friday night at the Beach Club. Fine bourbons and beers were offered at various stations along the sand. Under a tiki hit, someone was handing out halved coconuts with some kind of island drink. And then there were those long tables, all piled high with pink Gulf shrimp, soft-shelled crab and fresh mussels, hot off smoking open grills. There was some soft island music, a pink sun slipping into the Gulf and a soft breeze ruffling the palms. We were barefoot on the sand with good bourbon, fresh shrimp and the happy realization that the night was only beginning.

After a longish soiree on the beach, guests headed up to the patio for the “real” din-

A cottage at the Inn

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ner. There were lights strung over the patio, tables set and a buffet that went to college, or at least to the culinary institute. Salads, Southern casseroles and all kinds of fresh vegetables preceded a flotilla of elegant pit masters manning their domed carving stations. These seasoned chefs had prepared their versions of Southern barbecue, some for days. I remember one brisket stopped me dead in my Southern tracks; the savory richness and hearty crust defied any notion I ever had of barbecue. It was the Greenbrier chef, and I asked him how he had done it.

“I can’t tell you that,” he demurred in a soft Virginia drawl. “But it’s all good. It’s made with a lot of love.”

Which is exactly how I felt about that weekend at the Gasparilla Inn.

Terrace dining at the Inn

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JOIN US

for the YMCA OF SOUTH PALM BEACH COUNTY 12TH ANNUAL INSPIRATION BREAKFAST Boca Raton Resort & Club Tuesday, April 8, 2014 8:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M.

FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT® FOR HEALTHY LIVING FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

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John Offerdahl Keynote Speaker Former Miami Dolphin 1986-1993 & Owner Offerdahl’s Café Grill

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From 1986 to 1994, John Offerdahl was a 5x All-Pro middle linebacker for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. He was recently named the 26th member of the prestigious Dolphins Honor Roll as well as inducted into the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame in May 2013. He is also owner of seven South Florida restaurants named Offerdahl’s Café Grill.

Amazing Sponsorships Available Now! A variety of sponsorship opportunities are available including a VIP Sponsor Reception at the exclusive Seagate Country Club in Delray Beach! Contact Mary Workman at 561.237.0944 or mworkman@ymcaspbc.org for more information on how you can get involved.

★ Individual Tickets - $80 ★ Table of 10 Sponsor - $2000 includes title recognition and premium seating at event Peter Blum Honoree

John Offerdahl Keynote Speaker

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The 12th Annual YMCA of South Palm Beach County Prayer Breakfast helps to raise awareness and funds that support the YMCA of South Palm Beach County’s financial assistance program which allow everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, to have access to the YMCA of South Palm Beach County and its various programs that help build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

★ Reserve your ticket or table today at

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Official magazine sponsors

backstagepass [ 134 hot list • 136 take 5 • 138 festival of the arts profile ]

[ by john thomason ]

“Wangechi Mutu: a Fantastic Journey” When: April 11–July 6 Where: Museum of Contemporary Art, 770 N.E. 125th St., North Miami About: The word “fantastic” doesn’t begin to convey the crazed enormity of the work by this provocative Kenyan artist, who has emerged as one of the art world’s foremost groundbreakers. Her collages, primarily mixed-media on Mylar, are part feminism, part transhumanism, part Grand Guignol horror.

Combining found materials, magazine cutouts and sculpture with her own painted imagery, Mutu’s works are unsettling and beyond categorization, focusing on female bodies that have been disfigured or have merged with plant, animal and machine parts to create new hybrids. The resulting images make even Picasso’s cubist portraits look positively square. This touring exhibition of her first solo museum exhibition includes more than 50 works confronting such subjects as African traditions, international politics, the fashion industry and science fiction.

Cost: $3–$5 ContACt: 305/893-6211, mocanomi.org

More A&e coverAge At bocAMAg.coM Visit bocamag.com for all your local A&E coverage, including John Thomason’s Monday breakdown of the upcoming week’s cultural events; movie, concert and theater reviews; interviews with local entertainers—and much more.

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backstage pass

hotlist When: April 13–14 Where: JAZZIZ Nightlife, 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton About: Chances are that outside of cell biologists, most of us know very little about spirogyra, a genus of algae found in freshwater areas. There are more than 400 species of the algae, which is only slightly higher than the number of songs released by Spyro Gyra, the modern jazz supergroup by the same name.

The band formed in 1974 in Buffalo, which was, believe it or not, once a happening musical incubator akin to Chicago. Within a few years, the group, despite having only a couple of permanent members, became a dynamic live act and a top seller for MCA Records, mixing R&B, funk and pop into its smooth jazz framework. With 29 albums on its résumé, the group returned to its roots as a jam band for its latest record, 2013’s “The Rhineback Sessions,” an album entirely written and recorded over a three-day session in the Hudson Valley town of Rhinebeck.

Cost: $65–$95 ContACt: 561/300-0730, jazziznightlife.com

Spyro Gyra

brian friedman

Spyro Gyra

From left: Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood

Colin MoChrie and Brad Sherwood When: March 8 Where: Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive About: OK, here it goes: I want to see a soap opera taking place in the Old West, spoken entirely in pig Latin. Oh, and you have to be upside down the entire time. Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, alumni of the beloved improv series “Whose Line Is it Anyway?” are used to requests like these; they’ve become peerless experts at making up brilliance on the spot, welcoming each new hurdle that’s thrown in front of them. And in their live show, which Sherwood calls “the longest running international improv show on planet Earth, we think,” the comedy stakes are raised higher than ever. The production’s signature obstacle is an elaborate assemblage of 270 mousetraps—dangling from the air and spread across the stage like landmines—which the dynamic duo must avoid, or more likely stumble into, while performing an audience-suggested sketch.

Cost: $40.28–$61.28 ContACt: 954/344-5999, coralspringscenterforthearts.com

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“CheSS” When: March 21–April 15 Where: Slow Burn Theatre Company, 12811 W. Glades Road, Boca Raton About: I know what you must be thinking: Nothing screams “Broadway pizzazz” quite like a couple of people playing a protracted, deliberate, cerebral game of chess. This 1984 musical is, of course, about much more than that, touching on Cold War strife between the U.S. and Russia in the context of a chess-centric love triangle. It was written by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, and it spawned a couple of pop hits that transcended this jaunty tale of furrow-browed Russians and a black-and-white board: “One Night in Bangkok” and “I Know Him So Well.” Patrick Fitzwater, co-artistic director at Slow Burn, told Boca Raton, “It’s going to be a real fun, rocking night, and it will really pull in a cult audience.” One thing is for sure: I’d rather see this than the 73rd tour of “Mamma Mia!” Cost: $25–$40 ContACt: 866/811-4111, slowburntheatre.org

march/april 2014

From left: Sting and Paul Simon

When: March 15 Where: BB&T Center, 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise About: It’s hard to imagine Paul Simon knocking on the door of Sting’s Upper West Side loft to borrow a cup of sugar or a guitar pick. But apparently, the nature of these two songwriters’ relationship dates back earlier than their success as solo artists: They shared a residence in the same Manhattan building. “For 20 years, this guy would be borrowing things all the time,” Sting joked of Simon, in a recent New York Times interview. Now, they’ll be sharing, borrowing and re-arranging their own tunes during this unique tour, conceived after the two performed together at a benefit concert last May. Each artist will play with his band, and then they’ll perform onstage together. Sting has said that he and Simon “don’t have a clue” where this adventure will go once they take the stage, which makes the possibilities all the more exciting.

Cost: $61.50–$275 ContACt: 954/835-8000, livenation.com

wireimage

Paul simon & sTing

anne m. Peterson

“Tales of Hoffmann” When: March 21-23 Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach About: Some people have all the luck. Others? Let’s just say they always seem to catch every red light when they’re late for work. Hoffmann, the titular protagonist in this romantic opera based on the stories of E.T.A. Hoffmann, is one of those people who, today, would arrive at the subway just as his train had left. In operatic terms, his bad luck is magnified to epic, life-anddeath proportions: In the triptych of “Tales,” he first falls in love with the perfect girl ... except that it turns out she’s a mechanical doll. Then, he falls hard for a violinist’s daughter who will die if she sings. And she sings. Finally, he sidles up to a lovely courtesan who is under the thumb of a rival magician, so you know that won’t end well. Palm Beach Opera will bring all of this rotten luck to the stage in grand fashion, with six of the seven cast members making their company debuts.

Cost: $25–$135 ContACt: 561/8327469, kravis.org follow the leader

February 20-March 23

The Full Monty will have you cheering for six guys down on their luck who conquer their fears and take charge of their lives. The funniest show you’ll ever shed a tear over, The Full Monty is a celebration of friendship that is simply inspiring! Note: the show contains mature themes and adult situations.

April 3 -April 20 This poignant comedy takes place in Truvy ’s Bea uty Salon where six Southern women meet to dish about life, love and loss.

Alternately hilarious and touching, Steel Magnolias reveals the strength and purposefulness which underlies the antic banter of women who are “tough as steel, but soft as magnolias.”

May 8 - June 1 The musical soul of 1930's Harlem lives on in this rollicking, swinging, finger-snapping revue that is still considered one of Broadway's best. Ain’t Misbehavin’ moves with the zest and vigor reminiscent of Manhattan nightclubs like the Savoy Ballroom and the Cotton Club.

THE WICK THEATRE & COSTUME MUSEUM

Formerly the Caldwell Playhouse

7901 North Federal Highway Boca Raton Matinees at 2:00 p.m. Evenings at 7:30 p.m.

561-995-2333 www.theWick.org wicktheatre_brm0314.indd[ 1b o c a m a g . c o m ]

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backstage pass

take5 “There was always a need for what I thought was music for people over 50, or over 60.

They’re not being well-served in any area.”

Dick Robinson

Radio peRsonality, ConneCtiCut sChool of BRoadCasting foundeR

T

he first thing you notice when you enter dick Robinson’s north palm Beach loft isn’t the spectacular view of singer island from his balcony. it’s the endless hallway of photographs of Robinson gripping and grinning with countless entertainers, from Connie francis to Woody allen, lena horne to don imus, Roy Rogers to Kenny Rogers. there’s Robinson hanging out with the Beatles. here he is taking his son to meet ted Williams. over there, he’s lounging in a salon with Cher while she’s getting her first pedicure. this was Robinson’s life from 1954 onward, and in many ways it still is. the loquacious broadcaster, now 75, began his radio career at WaRe in Ware, Mass. in the early 1950s, working for $48.50 a week. he played music and covered sports and the news, schmoozing with stars and growing his career, which included stints in providence and new york. By 1964, he would open his first Connecticut school of Broadcasting, an institution that has spread to 12 campuses along the east Coast. these days, he’s most known for carrying the torch of the music he loves most: the great american songbook. he

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founded a nonprofit called the society for the preservation of the great american songbook, and each week he hosts “american standards by the sea,” a nationally syndicated twohour songbook show that broadcasts from his 70-foot yacht (a televised version of “american standards” airs saturdays at 6:30 p.m. on WXel).

But for Robinson, and the dedicated fans who tune into his program, 120 minutes a week isn’t enough. so last year, amid talk of the wobbly future of aM/fM radio, Robinson bucked conventional wisdom by purchasing a local radio station, the Jupiter-based 100.3, which he converted into a round-the-clock standards station called WlMl: Where legendary Music lives. “instead of having nine commercials in a row, we’ll do nine commercials an hour,” he told Boca Raton a few months before the launch. “it’ll be live, we’ll be talking about the community, about the charities and the arts and anything that applies to palm Beach County.” you could say that after six decades in broadcasting, this self-described “old geek” is returning to his roots. march/april 2014

Q1

Do you believe this Songbook music will endure a generation from now?

I think it will endure 500 years from now. I really do. Maybe I’m smoking ... but I really believe this music, that started around 1922, will have parity to Beethoven and Brahms and that era. The young people who are carrying the torch are coming out with some knockout versions.

Q2

How did you come up with the idea to broadcast your show from your yacht?

I love to work ... I don’t go out and play golf or shuffleboard. So I said, how about I broadcast from an old boat? It will get me out. When I began that $48.50 job in Ware, the surroundings were terrible. We were next to a beauty parlor, with all that stench coming from it. We couldn’t turn the air conditioning on, because it would peak the VU meter. So for me to do this on a boat was such a kick.

Q3

When you first started in radio, you played music, reported news, covered sports. Today, stations are much more compartmentalized. Do you miss those days when the rules weren’t written yet?

In 1958, some of the rules had been written, but I miss the spontaneity and also taking a chance.

When you’re playing a record now that you have to play every other hour ... or if you have a format that’s country or heavy metal or classic rock, they don’t give you that many recordings. We’ll have 3,000 in our [Songbook] playlist.

Q4

Reportedly, some of the newer car models will not have AM/FM radios by 2016. Are you concerned, especially now, that terrestrial radio is becoming obsolete?

Absolutely. I’ll tell you what the biggest concern is: Two years ago, General Motors said they would put radio in as an app that would come in streaming. It would not come from a tower. I said to them, “What happens if all of a sudden the Internet got knocked out, and we have a fire in Boca?” All of a sudden, the safety factor is what got them. I don’t think towers will ever be extinct, because of safety.

Program IV

don Quixote skirts will swirl, fans will flutter, and the stage will be overrun with macho bullfighters and sensual gypsies in this all-time popular performance.

MaRCh 21–23 Br owar d center Ft. Lauder dale

MaRCh 28–30 kr avis center West Palm B each

TICKETS FROM $20

(305) 929-7010 toll-free (877) 929-7010

miamicityballet.org

lourdes lopez Artistic Director

MCB IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY AN AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS. ARTWORKS. SPONSORED IN PART BY THE STATE OF FLORIDA, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, DIVISION OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, AND THE FLORIDA COUNCIL ON ARTS AND CULTURE. UNDING FOR THIS ORGANIZATION IS PROVIDED IN PART BY THE BROWARD COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE BROWARD CULTURAL COUNCIL. MCB PROGRAMMING IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE SUPPORT OF PALM BEACH COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800) 435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. MCB REGISTRATION NUMBER: CH1034. PHOTO © GIO ALMA.

561-832-7469 kravis.org

miamicityballet_brm0314.indd 1

954-462-0222 browardcenter.org

1/20/14 9:04 AM

Q5

You’ve fundraised for the American Heart Association and countless charities.

What draws you to so many causes?

I think people should give back, and what’s great about the people in Palm Beach County is that you’re not dealing with corporate America. You’re dealing with foundations and families. It makes a big difference. Where else can you go in the country and find a million dollars in one night? follow the leader

BOCA0148_Futurism_AD_BocaMagazine_4.75x2.312.indd 1 bocamuseum_brm0314.indd 1

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backstage pass [ inside festival of the arts boca ]

Daniel J. Levitin

This besT-selling neuroscienTisT always has songs in his head.

N

ot many people can say that they’ve engineered albums by Santana and the Grateful Dead, played guitar with Blue Oyster Cult, penned jokes for Jay Leno, taught psychology and computer science at an esteemed Canadian university and sold more books than any other scientist in the past 10 years.

Then again, most people are not Daniel J. Levitin, who has enjoyed enough careers for several lifetimes over the course of his 56 years. The San Francisco-born son of a professor father and a novelist mother, Levitin spent his 20s in the music business, working as a player, producer or engineer with artists such as Jonathan Richman, Mel Torme, Roseanne Cash and David Byrne. Along the way, he discovered a few things about the way our brains interpret sound and found that he might be better suited for academia than rock ’n’ roll. His resulting book, This is Your Brain on Music, combined his passions for music and neuroscience, and it has become a definitive text on the neuroanatomy of musical expectation, emotion, listening and performance.

“Your Brain on Music” also is the name of Levitin’s presentation on March 10 at Festival of the Arts Boca, which will be structured as a musical/literary dialogue with the festival’s music director, Constantine Kitsopoulos (for tickets, call 561/368-8445).

“I’m curious to know what he does to try and evoke emotions from musicians and how he tries to get into the heads of composers to figure out what they intended,” Levitin says.

“I’d like to know how he does what he does, and I can talk a little bit about what I think is going on in the brain when players play and composers write and listeners listen.”

How far back does music stretch, evolutionarily?

The oldest human-made artifacts that are

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found in burial sites are musical instruments.

We’ve even found musical instruments that appear to predate humans and are associated with Neanderthals. It goes back 50,000 years.

This is Your Brain on Music is subtitled “The Science of a Human Obsession.”

What do you mean by “obsession”?

To somebody who doesn’t get music—to the proverbial Martian who comes down and is not musical and sees us engaging with music—it does seem to be an obsession. We spend a lot of money on it. We spend a lot of time surrounded by it. It’s in more places than the average person realizes. It’s piped into shopping malls and bus stations and elevators. It accompanies ads. So just trying to be objective about it, it seems like we are a particularly musical species, and calling it an obsession is not far off the mark if you’re trying to be objective. I don’t mean it in a pejorative sense.

Why do some songs get stuck in our heads?

We don’t really know. I think it’s because for most of our history as human beings, we didn’t have written language. Writing is only 5,000 years old. So for roughly 45,000 years, human beings were doing what they do but needed some way of preserving information.

I think music became one of the chief ways that they did that, because the mutually reinforcing cues of rhythm and meter and rhyme constrain the words that can fit. So it would be easier to memorize a song that had important information in it, like where to get your water, what plants are edible, things of that nature.

The fact is, we still use music to encode information. Most children learn the alphabet from a song. And they learn to count from a song. So even today, in a hyperliterate culture, preliterate humans—that is children of a certain age—are still learning information

through song. I think songs get stuck in your head because they evolved to do so.

Do you hope that people, by reading your books and listening to your presentations, will change the way they listen to music?

I don’t know that I hope they change the way they listen to music, but I’ve heard a lot of people say that after reading the book or hearing a talk by me or my colleagues, that they feel a deeper connection to music; they feel a sense of appreciation for understanding a little bit about how it works. Without demystifying it, they feel that things start to fall into place and make sense about their relationship to music.

Most of your industry experience seems to have been in the pop/rock world.

Many people have perhaps a snobbish perception that classical and jazz have more intellectual validity than rock, that babies should be listening to Mozart in the womb, and not the Sex Pistols, for instance.

It is just snobbishness. There’s no experimental evidence that listening to one kind of music versus another makes you smarter or more well-adjusted.

There’s a little bit of evidence that suggests listening to music with violent lyrics, like gangsta rap, alongside violent video games and violent television programming, leads to more aggressive behavior. But it’s not the genre of the music, per se. There’s certainly heavy metal and rap music that’s not talking about killing people. So there’s nothing about the canonical three chords of rock ’n’ roll or the distorted guitars of heavy metal that are going to corrupt the youth of America.

for more of our interview with daniel levitin, visit bocamag.com.

march/april 2014

“We spend a lot of money on it. We spend a lot of time surrounded by it. ... calling [music] an obsession is not far off the mark. ...�

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“I F YOU M A K E GR E AT FOOD T H E Y W I L L COM E ” Walking distance from the Boca Resort Dinner nightly 5:30 - 10 p.m. Sunday - Thursday • 5:30 - 11 p.m. Friday - Saturday Private Rooms Available for Parties of 6 - 45 499 East Palmetto Park Rd, Boca Raton • 561-393-6715 www.trattoriaromanabocaraton.com

diningguide [ 142 13 american table review • 144 terra fiamma review • 152 the boca challenge • 155 buzz bites ]

for starters mozart café

Wild mushroom bruschetta

M

ozart Café is aiming to prove that fine dining and kosher dining are not mutually exclusive concepts.

Mike Zikri’s coolly contemporary restaurant in the posh Fountains Center of west Boca strictly adheres to kosher precepts regarding the provenance and preparation of certain ingredients and the separation of meat and dairy products—not to mention rigorous rabbinical inspections. However, the menu executed by recently arrived chef Scott Pierce is hardly about self-denial.

Breakfast choices include Belgian waffle with peach compote and whipped cream, and the classic Middle Eastern egg dish, shakshuka (soft-cooked eggs, tomato sauce, peppers and onions). Lunch and dinner options include follow the leader

everything from wild mushroom bruschetta and salmon shawarma to four-cheese pizza and miso-marinated grouper.

There’s no meat—remember, meat and dairy can’t be cooked or eaten together—but there is a sushi bar where you can enjoy edamame hummus, tuna tartare and a variety of specialty rolls.

For Pierce, who earned his culinary bones working with the likes of Todd English, cooking kosher is rather less challenging than you might imagine. True, he admits, “there is no such thing as a cheeseburger” in a kosher kitchen, but “once the products are through the back door, food is food.”

Good food, he might also add, is good food—kosher or not.

IF YOU GO PrIce ranGe: $8 (low end on breakfast options) to $32 (high end on large-plate items) HOUrs: Mon.–Thurs. 8:30 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. –3 p.m., Sat. 4:30–11 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–10 p.m. websIte: mozartcafebocaraton.com

—Bill Citara

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cristina morgado

730 W. Camino Real, Boca Raton, 561/367-3412

dining guide review 13 american table

451 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 561/409-2061

PrIce ranGe: $18–$38 HOUrs: Mon.–Thurs. 5–10 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 5–11 p.m. websIte: facebook. com/13AmericanTable

Josper-roasted chicken with baby broccoli

D

on’t look now, but some of the hippest restaurants in Palm Beach County are in Boca Raton.

Despite the town’s image as a goldplated enclave of the One Percent, talented, forward-thinking young chefs and restaurateurs have discovered that there’s a clientele hungry for their quirky, ambitious, highly personal restaurants—Rebel House, Sybarite Pig and Ninja Spinning Sushi to name a few. They don’t occupy the “prestige” locations at Mizner

From left: Chef Anthony Fiorini and chef/owner Alberto Aletto

Park or Royal Palm Place, or the spots clustered around Town Center mall. Instead, they land in places like the string of modest strip malls lining Palmetto Park Road east of Federal Highway, home to Rebel House and Ninja Sushi.

Now those modest storefronts also are home to the newest and perhaps the best of Boca’s image-defying eateries, 13 American Table. It’s the brainchild of chef-owner Alberto Aletto and 13’s head chef, Anthony Fiorini. The duo has

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etched out a cozy, comforting space with lots of rustic wood finishes and fixtures, an exposed brick wall, a tiny bar, covered outdoor seating and a pricy and rare (at least in our little corner of paradise) Josper oven (see sidebar).

The Josper doesn’t turn lead into gold, but it does draw the delicious out of just about anything chefs put into it. Roast chicken, for example. I know, the humble bird is often derided as the choice of diners who don’t want anything interesting to eat. But it’s also one of the best indicators of a kitchen’s prowess; consistently producing chicken with crisp golden skin, little excess fat, and tender, juicy dark and white meat is the culinary equivalent of tap-dancing across a high wire carrying a pair of anvils.

13’s Josper-roasted chicken is, to put it simply, damn near perfect—it’s the only bird I’ve tasted that compares with the famous drybrined, wood oven-roasted chicken served at San Francisco’s Zuni Cafe. You can get it (and all entrées) with a choice of sauces, like a fine salsa verde rendered unnecessary by the succulence of the chicken.

The Josper is equally complementary to a half-dozen fist-sized shrimp, which come out as tender, juicy and lightly kissed with smoke as the chicken. A mildly spicy red curry-ginger glaze enhances their meaty flavor, as does a side dish of faintly charred corn cut off the cob and spiked with queso fresco, chili aioli, cilantro and lime, a riff on a Mexican street food classic.

Not everything at 13 is Josper-fied. A jumble of house-made potato chips emerge from the

the Josper effect

Though it’s just beginning to become a trendy addition to restaurant kitchens in the United States, the Josper oven actually was invented in 1970 by a pair of Spanish restaurateurs. Calling it an oven isn’t precisely accurate. It’s really a charcoal-burning, grill-oven hybrid with adjustable dampers to let in air, and vent smoke and gases. Because cooking occurs in an enclosed space at temperatures of up to 900 degrees, foods cook quickly without the loss of flavor and moisture that occurs on an open grill. Prices are surprisingly hard to come by, but a Web search reveals that they start around $20,000.

fryer like tissue-thin oblongs of crispy-salty glass, made even more addictive when dunked in a creamy Vermont cheddar fondue. As bold and hearty as the chips were delicate was a slab of Josper-roasted pork belly paired with a piqant barbecue sauce and vinegar-y slaw that cut its aching (but oh-so-luscious) richness.

Dessert is another riff on a classic, this one French. A quartet of profiteroles, those airy little puffs of pâte à choux, get an elegant rebirth when filled with ethereal mousse—two caramel with chocolate sauce and two pumpkin with caramel sauce and cranberries. So forget image.

The hippest (and smartest) thing you can do right now is head over to 13 American Table.

—Bill Citara

march/april 2014

cristina morgado

IF YOU GO

Live Entertainment

The Flavor of Delray Comes Alive at the Atlantic Grille Savor deliciously inventive cuisine that takes the contemporary to the extraordinary. Enjoy signature seafood, steaks, pasta and salads, all prepared with finesse and flair.

Tuesday: 8 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Doo-wop, Joey Dale and The Gigolos Wednesday: 7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Orson Whitfield Thursday: 8 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Blues Night, Joey Gilmore, Orson Whitfield and Andrew Brennan Friday: 8:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

Orson Whitfield Saturday: 8:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

Orson Whitfield and Emelee Sunday: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Laura Yany, Acoustic Guitarist and Vocalist

OUR NEW MENU FEATURES SEASONALLY-INSPIRED DISHES

Ocean-themed specialty cocktails • Moon jellyfish aquarium and shark tank • Sensational seasonal menu Open Daily (Lunch & Dinner) • Happy Hour 4 – 7 p.m.

Delray’s Best Brunch Sat. & Sun. 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

For information or reservations, visit theatlanticgrille.com or call 561-665-4900 At The Seagate Hotel, 1000 E. Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach

dining guide

9169 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/495-5570

S

ome things are eternal. Like death. And Joan Rivers. Also the appeal of simple, hearty, well-made Italian-American cuisine.

The truth of that last one is as obvious as the crowds clogging the hostess stand at Terra Fiamma, Wendy Rosano’s hipper, more stylish Delray Marketplace redux of her late, lamented Cucino Mio. Like Mio, Terra Fiamma (“earth” and “fire”) doesn’t aspire to reinvent the culinary wheel, rather to carefully execute familiar dishes and gently tweak others, dishing them up in generous portions at reasonable prices.

It’s an approach that, like the food itself, never gets old. Take, for example, meatballs.

Terra Fiamma offers four: traditional beef, spicy pork, veal with Marsala sauce and Buffalo chicken. The veal meatballs are simply as good as they can get, almost creamy, pillow-y orbs in a Marsala-touched, mushroom-strewn demi. If it ever does start raining meatballs, hope that it rains these.

Pizza is another house specialty, both traditional New York from a gas-fired oven and Neapolitan style from a wood-burning hearth.

The Rustico is a slightly heftier take on the classic Margherita, adding feta, Kalamata olives, arugula and prosciutto to the basic tomato, basil and mozzarella. It’s a good effort that

could have been better had the thin crust gotten crisper and blistered in a hotter oven.

Farfalle pasta arrives Abruzzi style—that is, in a cream-enriched, vodka-inflamed tomato sauce. The huge portion hides a handful of butterfly shrimp and a lot of sun-dried tomatoes that, frankly, kind of overdid the tomato thing.

Chicken Allessandro takes the basic chicken (or veal) paillard, plus garnishes and sauce, and endows the cutlets with a profusion of spinach, mushrooms and artichoke hearts in a delicate sauce given only a faint tomato kiss.

Desserts are similarly straightforward, both in conception and presentation. Which hardly negates the pleasure of a finely wrought tiramisu, a square of airily whipped mascarpone crowning fervid espresso-soaked ladyfingers in a checkerboard of chocolate and caramel squiggles. It too is likely to be as eternal as Joan Rivers, though truly in much better taste.

—Bill Citara

IF YOU GO PrIce ranGe: Entrées $16–$30 HOUrs: Mon. 4–10 p.m., Tues.– Thurs. 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. websIte: terrafiamma.com

cristina morgado

review terra fiamma

The Rustico pizza

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march/april 2014

r i s tO r a N t e

For 31 years the family tradition continues...

distiNguished restauraNt Of NOrth america

Authentic itAliAn cuisine New elegaNt OutdOOr PatiO available perfect for After dinner drinks + cigArs

Open daily for dinner and lunch (M-F) and special events for parties of 6-150. Live music nightly.

6750 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton | 561-997-7373 | www.ArturosRestaurant.com

dining guide Dining Key

$ Inexpensive: Under $17 $$ Moderate: $18–$35 $$$ Expensive: $36–$50 $$$$ Very Expensive: $50 +

n ext sta r sau r a n ts st to r e h e gu ide: n in t rato Bo ca a l l H r e m a of f

palm beach county boca raton abe & louie’s —2200 W. Glades Road.

Steaks. This outpost of the Boston steak house cooks up slabs of well-aged, USDA Prime beef like nobody’s business. Two of the best are the bone-in ribeye and New York sirloin. Start with a crab cocktail, but don’t neglect side dishes like steamed spinach and hash browns. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. Brunch Sun. 561/4470024. $$$

arturo’s ristorante—6750 N. Federal Highway. Italian. Arturo’s quiet, comfortable dining room; slightly formal, rigorously professional service; and carefully crafted Italian dishes never go out of style. You’ll be tempted to make a meal of the array of delectable antipasti from the antipasti cart, but try to leave room for main courses like giant shrimp with tomatoes, cannellini beans, rosemary and an exceptionally well-done risotto. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/997-7373. $$$ biergarten—309 Via De Palmas. German/

Wing it

not up for the German fare (think pierogies or potato pancakes) on Biergarten’s appetizer menu? check out the “Beastly” chicken wings ($12)— smoked first, then fried.

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pub. Part vaguely German beer garden, part all-American sports bar, this rustic eatery offers menus that channel both, as well as an excellent selection of two-dozen beers on tap and the same number by the bottle. The food is basic and designed to go well with suds, like the giant pretzel with a trio of dipping sauces and an upscale burger featuring Florida Wagyu beef, knockwurst, cheddar cheese and more. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/395-7462. $

bistro provence—2399 N. Federal Highway. French. With the convivial ambience and hearty good food of an authentic Parisian bistro, this inviting, unpretentious restaurant deserves its local popularity. Mussels are a specialty, and roasted duck is excellent too. • Dinner nightly.

561/368-2340. $$

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bonefish grill—21069 Powerline Road.

Seafood. Market-fresh seafood is the cornerstone—like Chilean sea bass prepared over a wood-burning grill and served with sweet Rhea’s topping (crabmeat, sautéed spinach and a signature lime, tomato and garlic sauce.) • Dinner nightly. 561/483-4949. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 1880 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, 561/732-9142; 9897 Lake Worth Road, Lake Worth, 561/965-2663; 11658 U.S. Highway 1, North Palm Beach, 561/799-2965) $$

casa d’angelo —171 E. Palmetto Park Road. Italian. Angelo Elia’s impeccable Italian restaurant is a delight, from the stylish room to the suave service to the expansive wine list, not to mention food that’s by turn elegant, hearty, bold, subtle and always delicious. Dishes off the regular menu make excellent choices, like fat prawns wrapped in pancetta and grilled. But pay attention to specials like pan-seared snapper and scallops in a spicy, garlicky cherry tomato sauce. • Dinner nightly. 561/338-1703. $$$

brio tuscan grille—5050 Town Center

the cheesecake factory—5530 Glades

Circle. Italian. The Boca outpost of this national chain of 100-plus restaurants does what it set out to do—dish up big portions of well-made, easily accessible Italian-esque fare at a reasonable price. If you’re looking for bruschetta piled with fresh cheeses and vegetables, house-made fettuccine with tender shrimp and lobster in a spicy lobster butter sauce, and a creditable version of the classic tiramisu, you’ll be one happy diner. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/392-3777. $$

Road. american. Oh, the choices! The chain even has a Sunday brunch menu in addition to its main menu, which includes Chinese chicken salad and Cajun jambalaya. Don’t forget about the cheesecakes—from white chocolate and raspberry truffle offerings. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/393-0344. (Other Palm Beach County locations: CityPlace, West Palm Beach, 561/8023838; Downtown at the Gardens, Palm Beach Gardens, 561/776-3711) $$

butcher block grill—7000 W. Camino Real. Steak house/contemporary american.

This casual steak house with a Mediterranean twist and a local, seasonal, sustainable ethos gives the stuffy old-fashioned meatery a swift kick in the sirloin. Beef here is all-natural and grass-fed, delivering big, rich, earthy flavor; the New York strip is 12 ounces of carnivorous pleasure. Seafood, whether raw (tuna crudo) or simply grilled (wild-caught salmon), is palatepleasing as well. Don’t miss the fresh mozzarella, made and assembled into a salad at your table. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/409-3035. $$$

the capital grille—6000 Glades Road.

Steaks. This is one of more than three dozen restaurants in a national chain, but the Boca Grille treats you like a regular at your neighborhood restaurant. Steaks, dry-aged if not Prime, are flavorful and cooked with precision, while starters from Wagyu beef carpaccio to a lighter version of the hardy chopped salad are nicely done too.

Parmesan truffle fries are crispy sticks of potato heaven; chocolate-espresso cake a study in shameless, and luscious, decadence. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/368-1077. $$$

chops lobster bar—101 Plaza Real S., Royal Palm Place. Steak, seafood. Steaks are aged USDA Prime—tender, flavorful and perfectly cooked under a 1,700-degree broiler. There’s all manner of fish and shellfish, but you’re here for the lobster, whether giant Australian tails flashfried and served with drawn butter or sizable Maine specimens stuffed with crab. • Dinner nightly. 561/395-2675. $$$$

cuban café—3350 N.W. Boca Raton Blvd. cuban. Diners pack this traditional Cuban restaurant for lunch specials that start at $7.95, including slow-roasted pork served with white rice and black beans. Other highlights include the Cuban sandwich and (on the dinner menu only) lechón asado. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/750-8860. $ grand lux cafe—Town Center at Boca Raton. american. The Cheesecake Factory’s sister brand is an upscale take on the original formula, with an atmosphere inspired by the great cafes of Europe.

The menu offers a range of international flavors, and the specialty baked-to-order desserts are always a big hit. • Lunch and dinner daily; breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. 561/392-2141. $$

march/april 2014

dining guide

the Big Dipper

The Texas-sized French Dip Au Jus ($20) at Houston’s, made with thinly sliced Prime rib and served on a toasted French roll, is one of the best in town.

the grille on congress—5101 Congress Ave. American. Dishes range from tasty chicken dishes and main-plate salads to seafood options like pistachio-crusted snapper or simply grilled yellowfin tuna. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.– Sat. 561/912-9800. $$

outweighs chic at this Boca favorite. The ambience is quiet and stately but not stuffy, and the menu is full of hearty dishes to soothe the savage appetite, like three-cheese eggplant rollatini and chicken scarpariello. • Dinner nightly.

561/988-0668. $$

houston’s—1900 N.W. Executive Center Circle. American. With rustic features like butcherblock tables and comfy padded leather booths, Houston’s has created a “nonchain” feel, although there are more than 40 nationwide.

The menu is straightforward—big burgers on sweet egg buns, Caesar salad, roasted chicken, filet mignon—but it’s not lacking in ingenuity.

• Lunch and dinner daily. 561/998-0550. $$

kapow noodle bar—431 Plaza Real.

josef’s table—5030 Champion Blvd.

Continental. Josef’s touts itself as offering “the slightest dash of nostalgia,” and that’s a good thing. Though the kitchen does have a timid hand with sauces and seasonings, there’s no quibbling about the execution, whether a light, refreshing “tower” of lump crabmeat with mango, cucumber and tomato; rosy-rare double-cut lamb chops with port wine-mint sauce; pan-seared hogfish with orange beurre blanc; or the richly decadent half-moon chocolate tart. • Dinner daily. 561/353-2700. $$$

kathy’s gazebo café—4199 N. Federal Highway. Continental. This local stalwart smoothly rolls along with its signature blend of French and Continental dishes. The ornate, formal dining room and equally formal service are anomalies these days but are comforting nonetheless. Classic dishes like creamy lobster bisque, house-made duck paté, broiled salmon with sauce béarnaise and dreamy chocolate mousse are as satisfying as ever. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/395-6033. $$$

josephine’s—5751 N. Federal Highway.

Italian. Tradition trumps trendy, and comfort

Buzz Bites i New to Boca: Making diners happy on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border is Madison’s New York Grill & Bar (2006 N.W. Executive Center Circle, 561/994-0808), which took over the spacious, stylish spot in Boca Raton formerly home to Stephané’s.

Though a link in the wellknown Montreal-based chain, Madison’s food is pure Americana, offering an extensive menu of what is probably best described as steak house meets upscale comfort food. What that means in your mouth are starters like shrimp cocktail and fried calamari; a roster of composed salads, sandwiches and burgers; an assortment of steaks and surf-n-turf options; and desserts ranging from crème brûlée to cheesecake.

There’s a full bar, of course, plus a roster of craft beers and some 90 wines available by the bottle and 24 by the glass.

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Pan-Asian. This wickedly stylish Asian-inspired gastropub delivers a delicious and inventive punch to the taste buds. Among the hardest hitters are green tea-cured salmon with micro and fried basil and longan berries stuffed with yuzu kosho gelee, and cheesecake springrolls with a banana caramel dipping sauce. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/347-7322. $

kee grill—17940 N. Military Trail.

American. The attraction here is carefully prepared food that is satisfying, flavorful and reasonably priced. The fist-sized crab cake is a good place to start, followed by sea bass with a soy-ginger-sesame glaze. • Dinner nightly.

561/995-5044. $$$ la rosa nautica—515 N.E. 20th St. Peruvian. Expect no ambience, no pretensions, low prices and food that satisfies on a very high level. Good starters include antichuchos, chunks of grilled beef heart, and causa, a terrine-like layering of mashed potatoes and chicken salad. Ceviche and the lomo saltado are among the best in South Florida. • Lunch daily.

Dinner Tues.– Sun. 561/296-1413. $$ la tre—249 E. Palmetto Park Road. Vietnamese. For almost two decades, this elegant little spot has been celebrating the delicate, sophisticated flavors and textures of traditional and contemporary Vietnamese cuisine. A house signature, shrimp tossed with coriander curry pesto, is an inspired riff on Vietnamese classics.

Service and wines match the refinement of the cuisine. • Dinner nightly. 561/392-4568. $$ la villetta—4351 N. Federal Highway. Italian.

This is a well-edited version of a traditional Italian menu, complete with homemade pastas. Try the signature whole yellowtail snapper encrusted in sea salt, deboned tableside. Shrimp diavolo is perfectly scrumptious. • Dinner nightly. (closed Mon. during summer). 561/362-8403. $$ le rivage—450 N.E. 20th St. French. Don’t overlook this small, unassuming bastion of traditional French cookery. That would be a mistake, because the dishes that virtually scream “creativity” can’t compare to the quiet pleasures served here—like cool, soothing vichyssoise, delicate fillet of sole with nutty brown butter

sauce or perfectly executed crème brûlee. Good food presented without artifice at a fair price never goes out of fashion. • Lunch Tues.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/620-0033. $$

maggiano’s—21090 St. Andrews Blvd. Italian. It’s the neighborhood spot where families congregate for great food and a good time. Do as the Italians do and order family-style, sit back and watch the endless amounts of gorgeous foods grace your table. In this manner, you receive two appetizers, two salads, two pastas, two entrées, two vegetables and two desserts. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/361-8244. $$ mario’s osteria—1400 Glades Road. Italian.

This popular spot is swanky in its reincarnation, but the rustic Italian and Italian-American fare keeps with an osteria’s humbler pretensions.

Signature dishes like the garlic rolls, lasagna and eggplant “pancakes”—basically deconstructed eggplant Parm—are on the new menu, as are posh veal osso buco ravioli in truffle cream sauce and thick, juicy rib-eye served “arrabiata” style. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/239-7000. $$ matteo’s—233 S. Federal Highway. Italian.

Hearty Italian and Italian-American food, served in giant “family style” portions, needs no reinventing. Though there is no shortage of local restaurants cooking in that genre, it’s the details of preparation and service that make Matteo’s stand out. Baked clams are a good place to start, as is the reliable chopped salad. Linguini frutti di mare is one of the best in town. • Dinner daily.

561/392-0773. $$ max’s grille—404 Plaza Real, Mizner Park. Contemporary American. Though its signature California-influenced cookery and “American bistro” ambience are no longer furiously trendy, this stylish restaurant is as popular as ever due to consistently tasty and well-prepared food.

Dishes run haute to homey, from seared-raw tuna to meatloaf wrapped with bacon. And don’t miss the luscious crème brûlée pie for dessert. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/368-0080. $$ morton’s the steakhouse—5050 Town Center Circle. Steak house. There’s seemingly no end to diners’ love of huge slabs of high-quality aged beef, nor to the carnivores who pack the clubby-swanky dining room of this meatery. The star of the beef show is the giant bone-in filet mignon, which trumps with unusually deep and meaty flavor. The side of Grand Marnier soufflé is a cloud of luscious, citrus-y beauty that says while beef may be what’s for dinner, I am what’s for dessert. • Dinner daily. 561/392-7724. $$$

new york prime—2350 N.W. Executive Center Drive. Steak house. This wildly popular Boca meatery packs them in with swift, professional service, classy supper club ambience and an extensive wine list. And, of course, the beef—all USDA Prime, cooked to tender and juicy lusciousness over ferocious heat. The bone-in ribeye is especially succulent, but don’t neglect the New York strip or steak-house classics like oysters Rockefeller, garlicky spinach and crusty hash browns. • Dinner daily. 561/998-3881. $$$$ march/april 2014

The names will bring you in… but the food will bring you back!

Vic & Angelo’s serves up delectable, rustic Italian cuisine, including soul-satisfying house-made pastas, crispy, thin-crust pizzas, refreshing salads, fresh fish and seafood, and enticing veal and chicken dishes, in a warm and welcoming setting.

The Office is a modern American gastropub that serves delicious, gourmet comfort food, in a setting reminiscent of a luxurious home office. Menu favorites include an array of juicy burgers, inventive salads, swell sandwiches, wonderful appetizers and mouthwatering seafood, chicken and beef entrees.

• Lunch & Dinner Served Daily • • Early & Late Happy Hour at Indoor & Outdoor Bars • • Brunch Served Saturday & Sunday • • Indoor and Outdoor Dining •

• Lunch & Dinner Served Daily • • Early & Late Happy Hour at Indoor & Outdoor Bars • • Dine Indoors or on the Patio •

290 E. Atlantic Ave. • Delray Beach • 561-278-9570 4520 PGA Blvd. • Palm Beach Gardens • 561-630-9899 vicandangelos.com

201 E. Atlantic Ave. • Delray Beach • 561-276-3600 theofficedelray.com

dining guide nick’s new haven-style pizzeria—2240 N.W. 19th St. Italian. Cross Naples (thin, blistered crust, judicious toppings) with Connecticut (fresh clams and no tomato sauce), and you’ve got a pretty good idea of the pies coming out Nick Laudano’s custom-made ovens.

The “white clam” pizza with garlic and bacon is killer-good; Caesar salad and tiramisu are much better than the usual pizzeria fare. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/368-2900. $

did you Know?

If these Ninjas seem familiar it’s because the same owners brought Boca diners the venerable Yakitori Sake House at Royal Palm Place.

ninja spinning sushi bar—41 E. Palmetto Park Road. Japanese/sushi. “Whatever floats your boat” isn’t just a saying at this hipster sushi bar. Your sushi really does float on a boat, one of many bouncing along a channel cut into the top of the restaurant’s large, square sushi bar. High notes are the Mexican roll with tempura shrimp and avocado, and the sneakily fiery jalapeñolaced tuna tartare. If sushi doesn’t float your boat, gingery gyoza and crispy fried shrimp with a drizzle of spicy mayo probably will. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily. 561/361-8688. $$

soup for you!

It shouldn’t take an afternoon of lingering winter chill to create some spring fever for a good bowl of hot soup— not when there are offerings like the ones at these four Boca spots.

Ramen at Kapow!

pellegrino’s—3360 N. Federal Highway.

Italian. The bold, brash flavors of New York-style Italian-American cuisine are as in your face as a Manhattan cabbie at this low-key favorite of chefowner Bobby Pellegrino, nephew to the clan that owns the legendary Rao’s in East Harlem. Pungent smells of garlic, anchovies, tomatoes and peppers fill the air; dishes like the rarely seen spiedini alla Romana, chicken Scarpariello and seafood spaghetti in Fra Diavolo sauce fill your belly. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/368-5520. $$$ p.f. chang’s—1400 Glades Road. Chinese.

There may have been no revolution if Mao had simply eaten at P.F. Chang’s—the portions are large enough to feed the masses—and the exquisite tastes in each dish could soothe any tyrant.

We particularly like the steamed fish of the day, as well as the Szechuan-style asparagus. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/393-3722. (Other Palm Beach County location: 3101 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, 561/691-1610) $$

piñon grill—6000 Glades Road. Contemporary American. The menu seemingly lists every recent trendy dish to come out of modern American restaurant kitchens, but Piñon succeeds with spot-on execution, mammoth portions and reasonable prices. Try the grilled artichokes with a zippy Southwestern-style rémoulade, a pair of giant crab cakes with more of that good rémoulade or a chocolate-peanut butter pie that is the irresistible definition of lusciousness. • Lunch and dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/391-7770. $$

racks downtown eatery + tavern—402 Plaza Real. Contemporary American. Though the menu generally falls under the heading of modern American comfort food, that can mean anything from elegant presentations like the jaw-dropping lobster cobb salad to homier offerings like burgers and pizza, fiery Buffalo-style calamari, succulent chicken roasted in the wood-fired oven and an uptown version of everyone’s campfire favorite, s’mores. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/395-1662. $$

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Kapow!

Noodle Bar Address: 431 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 561/347-7322 The soup: Chicken ramen ($13) Wow factor: Unlike the cheap, flavorless staple of college students, this ramen actually delivers a dose of nutrition. Packed with sweet soy chicken, bok choy, scallions and soft boiled egg, these noodles put all imposters to shame.

Casimir Bistro Address: 416 Via De Palmas, Boca Raton, 561/955-6001

The soup: French onion ($7.50) Wow factor: Topped with a finishing touch of Gruyère cheese, this French classic blasts away the gloomiest winter blues.

the tiN muffiN Address: 364 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 561/392-9446 The soup: Soup of the day ($4.25) Wow factor: The Muffin dishes fresh homemade soups daily with a mix of varieties—gazpacho, potato, chicken vegetable and

countless others—that keeps you coming back for more.

offerdahl’s Café Address: 17940 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton, 561/995-7355 The soup: Chili Souper Bowl ($5.99) Wow factor: This chili packs the kind of wallop that former Dolphins linebacker John Offerdahl can appreciate. The toppings pile high with cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, scallions and guacamole. Chicken or steak can be added.

—BrIdget Sweet

march/april 2014

dining guide the boca challenge

the burrito

T

hink of the burrito as a culinary duffle bag. It’s inexpensive, versatile and almost infinitely expandable, capable of being stuffed with virtually all the elements of daily sustenance.

No one is really sure how the rolled-flour-tortilla-asculinary-duffle-bag got its name. (“Burrito” means “little donkey” in Spanish.) But it is traditional fare in northern Mexico, a spare and simple dish made with a mere handful of ingredients.

In this country, however, we don’t do spare and simple. We do big and bold. And our big and bold burrito is said to have originated in the 1960s in San Francisco’s Mission District, where local taquerias took manhole cover-sized tortillas and packed them like ... well, duffle bags, with meat, cheese, rice, beans, salsa, guacamole and anything else they could find.

It didn’t take long for some savvy entrepreneurs to pick up on the concept, and before you could say, “Holy frijoles!” Chipotle, Moe’s, Baja Fresh, Qdoba and other purveyors of what became known as the Mission Burrito had spread throughout the land. steak

fixins

flavor

For this month’s Boca Challenge we unhinged our jaws and chowed down on big, bad Mission-style burritos of three prominent local joints.

To keep things even, we ordered grilled steak burritos with the works (rice, beans, cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and veggies). Judging was on the quality of meat and fixins, overall flavor and value; scores were averaged to come up with a total.

Call them duffle bags, donkeys or burritos—they make for some big and tasty eating.

value

—Bill citara

total

the dish

chipotle

Chipotle is the big dog of Burrito-ville, and this well-stuffed burrito shows why: big cubes of medium-rare steak tasting of the grill and their adobo marinade, tender beans and “medium” salsa with a nice chili tingle, generous amounts of everything else and not too much rice. Guacamole was a pricy addition at $1.80 but worth it. $8.45.

moe’s

The kitchen sink burrito at Moe’s is called the Homewrecker, and while it probably won’t wreck your home, it will put a serious hurt on your hunger. Grandly packed with all the good stuff—lots of molten cheese and fresh tomato salsa, plus guacamole, sour cream and the rest. The only flaw: tiny cubes of steak, many of which were tough and gristly. $7.99.

zona fresca

The Delray newcomer from this burgeoning local chain dishes a Mission-style burrito it calls the Siesta Maker. Unfortunately, the kitchen must have been asleep when it assembled mine, as you needed a magnifying glass to find the promised steak, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. A burrito that’s mostly rice, beans and onions doesn’t earn its $7.95 price tag.

ratings:

fair

good

Chipotle, 2301 Glades Road, Boca Raton, 561/443-5540

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very good

Moe’s, 2200 Glades Road, Boca Raton, 561/347-1750

excellent

Zona Fresca, 1705 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach, 561/901-9662

march/april 2014

dining guide red the steakhouse—1901 N. Military Trail. Steak house. While it does provide the level of comfort, luxury and beef-centric cuisine affluent carnivores demand, Red does so with a lighter, fresher and more casual touch. It also serves some of the best—and best cooked— steaks in town. Try the succulent, gum-tender steak tartare. Gulf shrimp in a seductive white wine-garlic-Dijon butter sauce will have you lapping up every last drop. Do the giant donut holes for dessert. • Dinner daily. 561/353-9139. $$$

New York cheesecake from Red the Steakhouse

renzo’s of boca—5999 N. Federal Highway.

Italian. The buzzword is fresh at Renzo’s. Fish is prepared daily oreganata or Livornese style, sautéed in white wine with lemon and capers or grilled. Homemade pasta is artfully seasoned, and Renzo’s tomato sauce is ethereal. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/994-3495. $$

ristorante sapori—301 Via de Palmas, Royal Palm Place. Italian. Sapori features fresh fish, veal and chicken dishes imbued with subtle flavors. The grilled Italian branzino, the veal chop Milan and the zuppa di pesce served over linguine are especially tasty, and the pasta (all 17 kinds!) is available in full and half orders, with your choice of 15 zesty sauces. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/367-9779. $$ ristorante saporissimo—366 E. Palmetto

ruth’s chris steak house—225 N.E. Mizner Blvd. Steaks. This is a refreshing departure from the ambience common to many steak houses; the room is comfortable, and conversation is possible. Naturally, we come here for the steak (they are sublime), but the lobster and fish are great. All your favorite sides are here, too. • Dinner nightly. 561/392-6746. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 661 U.S. Highway 1, North Palm Beach, 561/863-0660; CityPlace, West Palm Beach, 561/514-3544) $$$

Back in Black

Table 42 doesn’t mess around when it comes to its signature Black Manhattan ($12): We’re talking Maker’s 46 bourbon, Amaro Ramazzotti, bitters and cherries.

Down the hatch.

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seasons 52 —2300 Executive Center Drive.

Contemporary American. The food—seasonal ingredients, simply and healthfully prepared, accompanied by interesting wines—is first-rate, from salmon roasted on a cedar plank to desserts served in oversized shot glasses. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/998-9952. (Other Palm Beach County location: 11611 Ellison Wilson Road, Palm Beach Gardens, 561/625-5852) $$

sushi ray—5250 Town Center Circle. Japanese/Sushi. Impeccably fresh and exactingly prepared sushi and other Japanese specialties are on display. The Nobu-esque miso sea bass gives a taste of this modern classic at a fraction of the price of the original, while the chef’s sushi assortment offers a generous arrangement of nigiri and maki for a reasonable $20. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/394-9506. $$

[ bocamag.com ]

cRisTinA MoRgADo

Park Road. Tuscan. This little restaurant is making culinary magic. Here, a taste of Italy is brought to life with rabbit cacciatorá (Tuscany style), veal ossobuco, homemade pasta with wild boar sausage, and a tasty rack of venison. Homemade desserts, including tiramisu, panna cotta and zuppa ingles, will take your breath away. Service is out of this world. • Dinner nightly. Outdoor dining. 561/750-2333. $$$

table 42 —399 S.E. Mizner Blvd. Italian. A contemporary Amer-Italian osteria with pizza describes Gary Rack’s reborn Coal Mine Pizza.

The menu is compact but offers mix-andmatch opportunities done with great attention to detail—like irresistible honey balsamic chicken wings with grilled onions and blue cheese; and linguine in deliriously rich and creamy pesto. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/826-2625. $$ tanzy—301 Plaza Real. Italian. Part of the swanky iPic Theater complex (though it does not service the theater), this handsome spot relies on quality ingredients and careful preparation instead of culinary special effects and car chases. The Parma Bar, a sort of sushi bar for meat and cheese fanatics, also does terrific ricotta-stuffed fried squash blossoms. Panseared branzino and massive bone-in veal chop are excellent, and the ethereal rosemary beignets with rosemary-olive oil gelato are luscious and cutting edge. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/922-6699. $$$

taverna kyma —6298 N. Federal Highway. Greek/Mediterranean. Few present Greek cuisine better. Expertly prepared dishes cover the spectrum of Mediterranean cuisine,

from cold appetizers (dolmades; grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs) to hot starters (spanakopita, baked phyllo with spinach and feta cheese) to mouthwatering entrées like lamb shank (slow-cooked in a tomato sauce and served on a bed of orzo), massive stuffed peppers or kebobs. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/994-2828. $$

trattoria romana—499 E. Palmetto Park Road. Italian. This local mainstay does Italian classics and its own lengthy list of ambitious specials with unusual skill and aplomb. The cozy dining room is a welcome respite from the outside world, and service is at a level not always seen in local eateries. Pay attention to the daily specials, especially if it includes impeccably done langostini oreganata and the restaurant’s signature jumbo shrimp saltimbocca. • Dinner daily.

561/393-6715. $$$

truluck’s—351 Plaza Real. Seafood. This stylish and sophisticated Mizner Park restaurant applies the steak house formula of classy, clubby ambience, formal service and an extensive wine list to seafood from across the nation, with great and consistent success. Crab is the specialty here and there are myriad versions—stone, Dungeness, Alaskan, soft-shell and more. Crispy march/april 2014

soft-shells stuffed with crab and andouille are very good, if served without a drizzle of ketchupy sauce on top. • Dinner nightly. 561/391-0755. $$$

uncle julio’s —449 Plaza Real, Mizner Park. Mexican. Taking Tex-Mex cuisine gently upscale with better-quality ingredients and more skillful preparation, this colorful eatery offers more than the usual suspects. You can get frog’s legs and quail, as well as beef and chicken fajitas, and one of the only palatable tamales around. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/300-3530. $ uncle tai’s —5250 Town Center Circle.

Chinese. In an area with more cookie-cutter Chinese restaurants than cookies, Uncle Tai’s stands out for the elegance of its decor, the professionalism of its service and its careful preparation of familiar and less-familiar dishes. The “specialties” section of the menu has exciting dishes, like the Hunan vegetable pie,

Buzz Bites ii

finely minced veggies sandwiched between sheets of crispy bean curd skin, and Hunanstyle lamb, whose seared and succulent meat shows off the kitchen’s skill in the use of wok qi.

• Lunch and dinner daily. 561/368-8806. $$$

villagio italian eatery—344 Plaza Real.

Italian. The classic Italian comfort food at this Mizner Park establishment is served with flair and great attention to detail. The reasonably priced menu—with generous portions—includes all your favorites (veal Parmesan, Caesar salad) and some outstanding seafood dishes (Maine lobster with shrimp, mussels and clams on linguine). There is a full wine list and ample people-watching given the prime outdoor seating. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561-447-2257. $$

vino —114 N.E. Second St. Wine Bar/Italian.

An impressive wine list of some 300 bottles (all available by the glass) offers a multitude of choices, especially among Italian and California reds. The menu of “Italian tapas” includes breaded and fried artichoke hearts, and ravishing ricotta and fig-stuffed ravioli with prosciutto, balsamic syrup and brown butter.

• Dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/869-0030. $

West BoCa

Sunny With a ChanCe of MeatballS: The star-crossed west

Boca space that once housed Assaggio del Forno and Damiano is now pouring meatballs with the debut of Meatball Room (3011 Yamato Road, 561/409-4111), a restaurant dedicated to those tasty little spheres of ground meat—and to infusing a little nightlife in the fairly staid area.

Top toque is Louie Zweifo, who comes to SoFla from Vegas, where he opened the massive Sugar Factory Brasserie in the Paris hotel.

His menu is pretty extensive, with a dozen different meatballs, from the classic veal, beef, pork and brisket to reuben-style corned beef and salmon.

If meatballs aren’t your ball of meat, there will be a lengthy list of pastas, pizzas and entrées, plus desserts ranging from tiramisu and cannoli to cheesecake and whoopee pies. Wash them all down with a roster of cocktails, including “goblets” spiked with liquid nitrogen.

The space itself (5,500 square feet) is as big as the menu, with two bars, an open kitchen, a wood-fired oven and plasma TVs, plus outdoor seating and a lounge area that features live music and a 2 a.m. closing time seven days a week.

city fish market —7940 Glades Road. seafood. A multimillion-dollar remodel of the old Pete’s has turned it into an elegant seafood house with a lengthy seafood-friendly wine list, impeccably fresh fish and shellfish cooked with care and little artifice. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/487-1600. $$

sybarite pig—20642 State Road 7. Contemporary american. A labor of love, pork and beer, everything at the Pig but the coarse-grain mustard is made in-house, from the bread for sandwiches to the eclectic sauces to the variety of terrific sausages. Creamy cotechino, savory duck and subtly spicy “Hellswine” are among the standouts. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. Brunch Sun. 561/883-3200. $

tempura house —9858 Clint Moore Road, #C-112. Japanese/asian. Dark wood, rice paper and tiles fill the space. An appetizer portion of Age Natsu, fried eggplant, is a consummate Japanese delicacy. Don’t miss the ITET roll with shrimp tempura and avocado, topped with spicy mayo, tempura flakes and eel sauce. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/8836088. $$ villa rosano —9858 Clint Moore Road. Italian. You can be forgiven for imagining yourself in some rustic Italian hill town as the smells of garlic and tomato sauce waft through the air.

Start by sopping up the house olive oil with slices of crusty bread, then move on to a stellar version of clams Guazzetto and delicate fillets of sole done a la Francese. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily. 561/470-0112. $$

Boynton BeaCh bäd ragaz—1417 S. Federal Highway.

Bavarian. The Swiss municipality of Bad Ragaz

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is known for the healing powers of its thermal waters. This Bäd Ragaz is known for the healing powers of a different liquid: beer, some two dozen on tap and another 50 or so by the bottle. The suds-centric food has its hits and misses, but is generally on target more than not. Good choices are the Black Forest ham-stuffed mushrooms, generously portioned smoked trout salad, and crispy and golden Vienna veal schnitzel. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/336-3297. $$

bar louie —1500 Gateway Blvd. eclectic.

Attempting to split the difference between happening bar and American café, Bar Louie mostly succeeds, offering burgers, pizzas, fish tacos and a variety of salads, all at moderate prices and in truly daunting portions. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/853-0090. $

china dumpling—1899-5 N. Congress Ave. Chinese. The dim sum basket is an absolute must-try. A choice of signature steamed dumplings are likewise spot on. The steak kew is delicious, and the clay pot casseroles are enticing. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/737-2782. $ prime catch —700 E. Woolbright Road. seafood. Simple pleasures soar—full-belly clams, fried sweet and crispy, or a perfectly grilled piece of mahi or bouillabaisse overflowing with tender fish. Don’t miss one of the best Key lime pies around. • Lunch and dinner daily, Sunday brunch. 561/737-8822. $$

sushi simon —1614 S. Federal Highway.

Japanese. Local sushi-philes jam the narrow dining room for such impeccable nigirizushi as hamachi and uni (Thursdays), as well as more elaborate dishes like snapper Morimoto and tuna tartare. Creative, elaborate rolls are a specialty. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/731-1819. $$

delray BeaCh 3rd & 3rd—301 N.E. Third Ave. Gastropub. John Paul Kline’s quirky, individualistic, obscurely located little place is one of the most important restaurants in Delray. The menu changes frequently, but hope the evening’s fare includes plump scallops with caramelized mango sauce, shrimp and chorizo skewers with corn puree, stunning delicious roasted cauliflower with Parmesan mousse and bacon, and wicked-good espresso panna cotta on it at your visit. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/303-1939. $$

32 east—32 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary american. At a time when chefs and restaurants seem to be constantly shouting their own praises, Nick Morfogen and 32 East go quietly about their way of serving thoughtfully conceived, finely crafted dishes with a minimum of fuss and artifice. The menu changes daily, but recent examples of Morfogen’s culinary expertise include plump scallops given an elegant bouillabaisse treatment and fork-tender venison with a terrific Asiago-fig risotto. When the food is this good, you don’t need to shout. • Dinner daily. 561/276-7868. $$$ 50 ocean—50 S. Ocean Blvd. seafood. The former Upper Deck at Boston’s on the Beach is [ bocamag.com ]

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atlantic grille—1000 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood/Contemporary American. This posh restaurant in the luxurious Seagate Hotel & Spa is home to a 450-gallon aquarium of tranquil moon jellyfish and a 2,500-gallon shark tank.

Savor deliciously inventive cuisine that takes the contemporary to the extraordinary. Bold flavors, inspired techniques and the freshest ingredients make every meal a culinary adventure. • Lunch and dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/6654900. $$ buddha sky bar—217 E. Atlantic Ave. Pan Asian. Don’t miss a meal at this stylish Asiameets-industrial chic spot with a view of the Delray skyline. Chinese-influenced dim sum is inspired, while rock shrimp tempura and Wagyu tenderloin skewers with twin chimichurri sauces touch the heart and the taste buds.

Veggie fried rice is exemplary thanks to the kitchen’s application of wok chi. • Dinner daily.

561/450-7557. $$

Cheers!

Burt & Max’s draws a hearty cocktail crowd with daily drink specials, including halfpriced cocktails and wine for unaccompanied ladies on Thursday nights.

burt & max’s —9089 W. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. Burt Rapoport and Dennis Max have struck gold with their first collaboration in years, bringing an accessible and affordable brand of contemporary comfort food to the underserved denizens of west Delray. A few dishes from Max’s other eatery, Max’s Grille, have made the trek, like the hearty chopped salad and bacon-wrapped meatloaf.

Other dishes are variations on the comfort food theme, from crispy potato and taro chips with ranch dipping sauce to a stellar trufflescented wild mushroom pizza. Dinner daily.

Sunday brunch. 561/638-6380. $$$ cabana el rey—105 E. Atlantic Ave. Cuban tropical. Little Havana is alive and well in Delray Beach. The menu is a palette-pleasing travelogue.

Mariquitas (fried banana chips) are a tasty way to start your meal. For dinner, seafood paella is a winner, with mussels, shrimp, conch, octopus, scallops and clams. And the churrasco is terrific. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/274-9090. $$ caffé luna rosa—34 S. Ocean Blvd. Italian.

This favorite is always lively, and alfresco dining is the preferred mode. Entrée choices are enticing, but we went with the penne alla vodka with pancetta, tomato and basil. Also delicious was the costoletta di vitello, a center-cut 14-ounce veal chop lightly breaded and served either Milanese or parmigiana. For dessert, you can’t go wrong with the cheesecake imported from the Carnegie Deli. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 561/274-9404. $$ casa di pepe —189 N.E. Second Ave. Italian. A welcoming staff, familiar Italian dishes

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LiBBy VoLgyes/shaMin aBas PuBLic ReLaTions

now the more upscale, seafood-oriented spot.

The menu ranges from familiar to slightly more inventive, from a classic lobster bisque and crisp-tender fried clam bellies to duck confit egg rolls and well-executed potato-crusted grouper. The cinnamon-dusted beignets are puffs of amazingly delicate deep-fried air and should not under any circumstances be missed.

• Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily. Brunch Sun. 561/278-3364. $$

Rob roll at Buddha Sky Bar in Delray

done right and moderate prices define this cozy spot with a spacious outdoor patio. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/279-7371. $$

ceviche tapas bar & restaurant—116 N.E. Sixth Ave. Spanish/tapas. With more than 100 different tapas, plus paellas and entrées, this cozy, bustling eatery in the old Falcon House location has all the small platesgrazing bases covered. There’s also an equally expansive wine list. Among the best dishes to pique your palate are the well-made house ceviche and cooling gazpacho. The towering tres leches cake is merely divine. • Dinner daily.

561/894-8599. $$

city oyster—213 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood.

This stylish mainstay of Big Time Restaurant Group serves up reasonably priced seafood that never disappoints, such as crab-stuffed shrimp with jalapeño cheddar grits, bacon, shiitake mushrooms and warm vinaigrette. • Lunch Mon.–Sun. Dinner nightly. Outdoor dining.

561/272-0220. $$

cut 432 —432 E. Atlantic Ave. Steak house.

Hipper decor, a more casual vibe and an inventive take on steak-house favorites make this sleek restaurant just different enough to be interesting. Starters such as ceviche (prepared Peruvian style) and ultrarich oysters Rockefeller are first-rate, while the wet-aged beef is appropriately tender and tasty. • Dinner daily.

561/272-9898. $$$

d’angelo trattoria—9 S.E. Seventh Ave. Italian. Don’t go expecting the tired old “Italian” culinary clichés at this wickedly stylish trattoria.

Instead, open your palate to more authentic and exciting Roman-style cuisine, like roasted veal bone marrow with brisk caper-parsley pesto, creamy-dreamy burrata with roasted fava beans and watercress salad, the classic tonnarelli cacio e pepe (“cheese and pepper”) and the best gelato this side of a real Roman trattoria. • Dinner daily. 561/330-1237. $$

deck 84 —840 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. Burt Rapoport’s ode to laid-back tropical dining is like a day at the beach without getting sand between your toes. Though the restaurant is casual, the kitchen takes its food seriously, whether the steallar flatbreads, the thick and juicy 10-ounce special blend burger or homey apple cobbler. And the waterfront location just seems to make everything taste better.

• Lunch Mon.–Fri. Brunch Sat.–Sun. Dinner daily. 561/665-8484. $

dig—777 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. This organic-healthy-sustainable eatery is all about “Doing It Green” with dishes like plump pan-seared diver scallops with pineapplemango salsa. The different greens mixes at the salad bar are crisp and pristinely fresh. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily. 561/279-1002. $$

fifth avenue grill—821 S. Federal Highway. American. Since 1989, this upscale tavern has been a Delray favorite. The straightforward menu focuses on entrées, especially the famed Allen Brothers beef; choose from numerous cuts and preparations—and add a lobster tail for good measure. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/265-0122. $$

greek bistro —1832 S. Federal Highway.

Greek. Flaky, overstuffed spanikopita and light and delicate beef meatballs should be at the top of your appetizer list, and though entrées don’t always reach those heights, both a long-braised lamb shank and grilled whole snapper are certainly satisfying. And the baklava is great. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/266-8976. $

the grove—187 N.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. Chef-partner Michael Haycook and chef Meghan O’Neal change their menu biweekly, turning out dishes exhilarating in their freshness, creativity and elegant simplicity. An appetizer of octopus with sun-dried tomato tapenade is merely terrific, as are rosy march/april 2014

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slices of gum-tender duck with cauliflower gratin and nickel-sized coins of crisp-chewy shiitake mushroom.

• Dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/266-3750. $$

henry’s—16850 Jog Road. American. This casual, unpretentious restaurant from Burt Rapoport in the west part of town never fails to delight diners. Expect attentive service and crisp execution of everything—from meat loaf, burgers and fried chicken to flatbreads and hefty composed salads. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly.

561/638-1949. $$ house of siam —25 N.E. Second Ave. Thai. The normally riotous flavors of Thai cuisine are muted at this family-friendly downtown spot, but that seems to suit diners just fine. Dishes, well-prepared and generously portioned, include steamed chicken and shrimp dumplings with sweet soy dipping sauce and crisp-fried duck breast in a very mild red curry sauce. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/330-9191. $$

BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER

Daringly Traditional.

You crave it. We serve it.

Turkey Avocado Sandwich Slow roasted turkey breast, avocado, arugula, tomato with lemon garlic aioli.

Exclusively at TooJay’s Gourmet Deli

il girasole —1911 S. Federal Highway. Northern Italian. This South Florida classic is not trendy, but it offers a level of comfort and consistency that has been bringing people back for 30 years. The food is fine hearty Italian, with excellent service. Try the veal Kristy or the frogs legs. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-3566. $$

j&j seafood bar & grill—634 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood. This local favorite on Atlantic Avenue—owned

by John Hutchinson (who is also the chef) and wife Tina—serves up everything from burgers and wraps to a menu brimming with seafood options. Don’t

Buzz Bites iii Joey’s Back: It’s a new (green) day for chef-restaurateur Joey Giannuzzi, who’s teamed up with local real estate developer Mitchell Robbins to open Farmer’s Table (1901 N. Military Trail, 561/4175836) in the old Rosso Italia space next to Red Steakhouse in Boca Raton.

A continuation of the health and environmentally conscious philosophy that drove Giannuzzi’s now-shuttered Green Gourmet, Farmer’s offers food based on “fresh, seasonal ingredients in their purest form, devoid of excess fat, salt, processing, toxins and all the other extras you don’t want.” Also offered are menus for kids, vegetarians, the gluten-averse and other restricted diners.

The 200-seat restaurant features sustainable fish, grass-fed meats, produce from local purveyors and specialty cocktails. The menu offers everything from Jackman Ranch beef burgers and Korean-style wings to edamame-shrimp dumplings and cauliflower and brie flatbreads, as well as zahtar-spiced salmon, vegetarian lasagna, wood-fired apple crisp and vegan “gelato.”

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Since 1981, TooJay’s Gourmet Deli has been delighting diners with an exciting and eclectic menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When the craving strikes indulge in authentic NY–Style deli sandwiches or settle in with slow roasted turkey, old fashioned pot roast and other time–honored comfort food favorites. Friendly, professional service is a part of every meal, so make plans today to join us for “a little taste of home”.

Legendary desserts: carrot cake, black & whites, chocolate Killer Cake.

Boca Raton Polo Shops (561) 241-5903 • Regency Court Plaza (561) 997-9911 • Glades Plaza (561) 392-4181 Locations also in Coral Springs, Plantation, Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach www.toojays.com toojays_brm0314.indd 1

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dining guide forget to inquire about the stunning array of 10 specials—every night. • Lunch and dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-3390. $$

Kyma oysters at City Fish Market

jimmy’s bistro —9 S. Swinton Ave. Eclectic.

Best bets are a lovely salad of ripe tomatoes and fresh, milky house-made mozzarella; a rich, elegant version of lusty Cajun etouffee; and caramelized bananas in puff pastry with silken vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. • Dinner daily. 561/865-5774. $$ la cigale —253 S.E. Fifth Ave. Mediterranean. True culinary professionals turn out gently updated and classically oriented dishes notable for the quality of their ingredients and careful preparation. Sweetbreads in chanterelle cream sauce are glorious; a barely grilled artichoke with mustardy remoulade is gloriously simple. Watching your server skillfully debone an impeccably fresh Dover sole is almost as satisfying as eating it. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/265-0600. $$

lemongrass bistro —420 E. Atlantic Ave. Pan-Asian. Casually hip ambience, friendly service, moderate prices and a blend of sushi and nouveau pan-Asian fare make this a popular destination. The quality of its seafood and care in its preparation are what gives Lemongrass its edge. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/2785050. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 101 Plaza Real S., Boca Raton, 561/544-8181; 1880 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, 561/7331344). $ max’s harvest—169 N.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. Dennis Max, instrumental in bringing the chef and ingredientdriven ethos of California cuisine to South Florida in the 1980s, is again at the forefront of the fresh, local, seasonal culinary movement.

Max’s Harvest soars with dishes like plump Cedar Key clams with house-made tasso, savory bourbon-maple glazed pork belly, and crispyskinned wild sockeye salmon with yuzu-truffle vinaigrette. • Dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/381-9970. $$

the office—201 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. Your office is nothing like this eclectic gastropub, unless your office sports more than two dozen craft beers on tap and a menu that flits from burgers and fries to mussels. Don’t miss the restaurant’s winning take on the thick, juicy Prime beef burger and simply wicked maple-frosted donuts with bacon bits and two dipping sauces. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/276-3600. $$

Change in the Kitchen

In December, former “Top Chef” contestant Lindsay Autry left Sundy House after 18 months to pursue personal projects.

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park tavern—9 S.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. The guys from Cut 432 have done it again with this hip, casual modern American tavern. The menu is tightly focused and tightly executed, whether Maryland crab cake featuring fat chunks of succulent crab or crisply sautéed pork belly with apricot mostarda. Don’t miss the behemoth slab of tender, juicy prime rib for a near-saintly $29—or the decadent soft pretzel bites, perfect for the cocktail hour munchies. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/265-5093. $$

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prime—110 E. Atlantic Ave. Steak/Seafood.

Prime is aptly named for its heart of the action location, classy neo-supper club decor, extensive wine list and roster of designer steaks.

Starters and desserts fare better than entrées, especially plump, crabby Maryland-style crab cakes and indecently luscious chocolate bread pudding. Service is a strong suit too, so with a bit of work this good-looking restaurant will fully live up to its name. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/865-5845. $$$ racks fish house & oyster bar—5 S.E. Second Ave. Seafood. Gary Rack, who also has scored with his spot in Mizner Park, certainly seems to have the restaurant Midas touch, as evidenced by this updated throwback to classic fish houses. Design, ambience and service hit all the right notes. Oysters are terrific any way you get them; grilled fish and daily specials are excellent.

• Lunch and dinner daily. 561/450-6718. $$$ sundy house—106 S. Swinton Ave. Contemporary American. It’s fine dining served in arguably the most beautiful restaurant and gardens in Delray. Menus are seasonal and imaginative. Try the crispy whole branzini, the roasted bone marrow or any of the fresh local fish dishes. • Lunch Tues.–Sat. Brunch Sun. Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-5678. $$ tramonti—119 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. With its roots in New York’s Angelo’s of Mulberry

Street, this venue is always packed. Homemade stuffed manicotti is aromatic and glorious. Tramonti’s platter for two, containing fillet marsala, veal cutlet with prosciutto, fried zucchini and potato croquettes, is terrific. • Dinner daily.

561/272-1944. $$

tryst—4 E. Atlantic Ave. Eclectic. It’s tough to beat this hotspot with the lovely outdoor patio, well-chosen selection of artisan beers and not-the-usual-suspect wines, and an eclectic “gastropub” menu of small and large plates.

Try the crisp-fried rock shrimp with chipotlemayonnaise sauce. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/921-0201. $$

union —8 E. Atlantic Ave. Pan-Asian. This purveyor of “Asian comfort food” has brought in wacky-maki expert Candyfish Gourmet Sushi as a restaurant-within-a-restaurant.

Salt-and-pepper calamari, pot stickers with panang curry sauce and “volcano” chicken wings are well-prepared. Candyfish’s sushi rolls blend all manner of fish and shellfish with cream cheese, fruits and veggies. • Dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/330-4236. $$

vic & angelo’s —290 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. God is in the details at this upscale trattoria, and He doesn’t miss much, including stellar service and an outstanding wine menu.

Ingredients like Buffalo mozzarella, housemade pastas and San Marzano tomatoes are

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first-rate, and execution is spot on. Try the “Old School” meatball to start, the whole-wheat tagliatelle with garlic and chili-infused olive oil and the perfectly cooked veal chop. Portions are substantial, so expect leftovers. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/278-9570. $$$

a modern continental restaurant full liquor bar over 20 wines by the glass craft beer on tap

Lake worth couco pazzo —915-917 Lake Ave. Italian. Despite the name, there’s nothing crazy about the cooking at this homey eatery. It’s the hearty, soul-satisfying Italian cuisine we’ve all come to know and love. Spaghetti Bolognese is a fine version of a Northern Italian classic; house-smoked mozzarella—breaded, fried and presented with a tangy tomato-basil fondue—is equally tasty. • Dinner nightly. (Tues.–Sun. during summer).

561/585-0320. $$ paradiso ristorante—625 Lucerne Ave. Italian. A Tomasz Rut mural dominates the main dining room, and there is also a pasticceria and bar for gelato and espresso.

Chef Angelo Romano offers a modern Italian menu. The Mediterranean sea bass branzino is definitely a must-try.

Plus, the wine list is a veritable tome. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/547-2500. $$$ safire asian fusion—817 Lake Ave. Pan-asian.

This stylish little restaurant offers food that gently marries East and West, plus a roster of more traditional Thai dishes and inventive sushi rolls. Menu standouts include tempura-fried rock shrimp or calamari cloaked with a lush-fiery “spicy cream sauce.” Expect neighborly service and reasonable prices. • Lunch Tues.–Fri. Dinner Tues.– Sun. 561/588-7768. $

5837 N. Federal Highway | Boca Raton 33487 561-961-4156 | www.dorsiarestaurant.com dorsia_brm0314.indd 1

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LaNtaNa the station house—233 Lantana Road. Seafood. If you’re hungry for Maine lobster, plucked live out of giant tanks and cooked to order, this modest replica of a 1920s train station is the place to go. Lobsters come in all sizes (up to 8 pounds) and are so reasonably priced that getting a taste of one without reservations is highly unlikely.

• Dinner nightly. 561/547-9487. $$$

PaLM BeaCh

Chef Paul Collange offers a selection of timeless French classics in a warm and friendly environment, which is sure to delight your senses and your palate.

bice —313 Worth Ave. Italian. Bice continues to hold the title of favorite spot on the island. The venerable restaurant offers a marvelous array of risottos and fresh pastas and classic dishes like veal chop Milanese, sautéed chicken breast and stuffed rack of lamb. The wine list features great vintages. • Lunch and dinner daily.

Outdoor dining. 561/835-1600. $$$ buccan—350 S. County Road. Contemporary american. Casual elegance of Palm Beach meets modern culinary sensibilities of Miami at the first independent restaurant by chef Clay Conley. The design offers both intimate and energetic dining areas, while the menu is by turn familiar (wood-grilled burgers) and more adventurous (truffled steak tartare with crispy egg yolk, squid ink orrechiette). Dinner daily. 561/833-3450. $$ café boulud —The Brazilian Court, 301 Australian Ave. French with American flair. This hotel restaurant gives Palm Beach a taste of Daniel Boulud’s world-class cuisine inspired by his four muses. The chef oversees a menu encompassing classics, simple fare, seasonal offerings and dishes from around the world. Dining is in the courtyard (not available during summer), the elegant lounge or the sophisticated dining room. follow the leader

Open for Lunch Tuesday to Friday 11:30am-2:00pm • Open for Dinner 7 Days 5:00pm-9:00pm

450 NE 20 St • Shore Centre • Boca Raton • 561-620-0033

www.restaurantlerivage.com

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dining guide • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 561/6556060. $$$

café l’europe —331 S. County Road.

Current international. A Palm Beach standard, the café has long been known for its peerless beauty, the piano player, the chilled martinis and the delicious Champagne and caviar bar.

Try one of its sophisticated classics like Wiener schnitzel with herbed spaetzle, grilled veal chop and flavorful pastas. • Lunch Tues.–Fri. Dinner nightly (closed Mon. during summer).

561/655-4020. $$$

chez jean-pierre—132 N. County Road.

French. Sumptuous cuisine, attentive servers and a see-and-be-seen crowd are hallmarks of one of the island’s premier restaurants. Indulgences include scrambled eggs with caviar and the Dover sole meunière filleted tableside. When your waiter suggests profiterolles au chocolat or hazelnut soufflé, say, mais oui! • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/833-1171. $$$ cucina dell’ arte—257 Royal Poinciana Way. Italian. The wide range of items on the menu and the great quality of Cucina’s cuisine, combined with its fine service, ensures a fun place for a casual yet delectable meal—not to mention being a vantage point for spotting local celebs. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Outdoor dining. 561/655-0770. $$

echo—230A Sunrise Ave. Asian. The cuisine reverberates with the tastes of China, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam. Crispy jumbo shrimp with soybean plum sauce is delectable, the Chinese hot and sour soup is unlike any other, and the Mongolian beef tenderloin is perfection. Sake list is also tops. This offsite property of The Breakers is managed with the same flawlessness as the resort. • Dinner nightly (during season). 561/8024222. $$$

sister Cantina

Don’t miss the second incarnation of this cantina and tequila bar at Delray Marketplace. Call 561/499-0378 for details.

nick & johnnie’s—207 Royal Poinciana Way. Contemporary American. Expect flavorful, moderately priced California-esque cuisine in a casual setting with affordable wines and young, energetic servers. Try the short-rib or jerk chicken quesadillas as appetizers, and don’t miss the four-cheese tortellini as a main course. • Lunch and dinner Mon.–Sat. Breakfast Sun. 561/6553319. $$ renato’s —87 Via Mizner. Italian with continental flair. This most romantic hideaway is buzzing in season and quietly charming all year long with Italian classics and a Floridian twist—like the sautéed black grouper in a fresh tomato and pernod broth with fennel and black olives and the wildflower-honey-glazed salmon fillet with crab and corn flan. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/655-9752. $$$

ta-boó—2221 Worth Ave. American. This selfdescribed “American bistro” is less typical “American” restaurant or classical French “bistro” than it is posh-casual refuge for the see-and-be-seen crowd in and around Palm Beach. The eclectic menu offers everything from roasted duck with orange blossom honey-ginger sauce to dry-aged steaks and an assortment of pizzas. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/835-3500. $$ trevini ristorante—290 Sunset Ave. Italian.

Maitre d’ Carla Minervini is your entrée to a warm experience, complemented by a stately but comfortable room and excellent food. We love the crispy fillet of herb-crusted sole in a rich, buttery sauce and the veal scallopini in a lemon caper Chardonnay sauce. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/833-3883. $$$

hmf—1 S. County Road. Contemporary American. Beneath the staid, elegant setting of The Breakers, HMF is the Clark Kent of restaurants, dishing an extensive array of exciting, inventive, oh-so-contemporary small plates. Don’t depart without sampling the dreamy warm onionParmesan dip with house-made fingerling potato chips, the sexy wild boar empanaditas, chicken albondigas tacos, Korean-style short ribs and terrific butterscotch panna cotta. The wine list is encyclopedic. Dinner daily. 561/290-0104. $$

pAlm beACh gArdens

imoto—350 S. County Road. Asian Fusion/

café chardonnay—4533 PGA Blvd. Contemporary American. This longtime stalwart never rests on its laurels. Instead, it continues to dish finely crafted American/Continental fare with enough inventiveness to keep things interesting. The popular herb-and-Dijonmustard rack of lamb, regular menu items like duck with Grand Marnier sauce, and always superlative specials reveal a kitchen with solid grounding in culinary fundamentals. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/627-2662. $$

Tapas. Clay Conley’s “little sister” (the translation of Imoto from Japanese) is next to his always-bustling Buccan. Imoto turns out Japanese-inspired small plates with big-city sophistication, like witty Peking duck tacos and decadent tuna and foie gras sliders. Sushi selection is limited but immaculately fresh. The mille-crêpe cake is 20 layers of lacy, mango-sauced goodness. • Dinner daily.

561/833-5522. $$

leopard lounge and restaurant—The Chesterfield Palm Beach, 363 Cocoanut Row. American. The restaurant offers excellent food in a glamorous and intimate club-like atmosphere.

In fact, it’s advisable to make early reservations if

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a quiet dinner is the objective; the place becomes a late-night cocktail spot after 9. The menu is equally decadent. • Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner daily. 561/659-5800. $$

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cabo flats—11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave. mexican. Mexican cuisine often has more personas than Madonna. This highly stylized cantina adds another—that of California’s Chicano culture. All your favorite Mexican dishes are there, as well as enormous margaritas, but also niftier items like the terrific tuna ceviche in “tomatillo broth.” • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/624-0024. $

wesT pAlm beACh b.b. king’s blues club—550 S. Rosemary

spot won’t leave you singing the blues, but it will leave you wishing for more than a spoonful of the lusty flavors of its Southern/New Orleans cuisine.

Punch up the flavors of pan-fried catfish and shrimp with jambalaya sauce and chicken-fried chicken on a bed of mac ’n’ cheese, and you could let the good times roll. Buffalo wings, fried pickle chips and luscious banana bread pudding are good bets. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/4208600. $

cabana las palmas—533 Clematis St. nuevo latino. With its bold, vibrant decor and flavors, this colorful restaurant is a treat for the palette and palate. Must-orders include mariquitas, thin, crispy plantain slices that are the irresistible Cuban answer to potato chips; cookbook-perfect ceviche of shrimp, octopus and calamari that shows how chili heat can be both fiery and subtle; and the signature “Coco Cabana,” a habanero and coconut milk-infused curry with a wealth of veggies, tubers and fat, succulent shrimp. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/833-4773. $$

Buzz Bites iV Fork in the road:

Contemporary comfort food from a pair of Michigan natives has landed in downtown Boca, with Lee Tushman and Scott Niskar opening Fork & Knife (99 S.E. Mizner Blvd., 561/405-6542) in the old Moquila space.

Marrying the casual, accessible, feel-good fare of American cafés and diners with the modern focus on seasonality and a dash of creativity, F&N’s cookery will “put a smile on your face,” as Niskar puts it.

That smiling cookery comes from former Café Chardonnay and Amici chef Herbert Micak, who’s turning out dishes like French green bean salad, turkey meatloaf cupcakes, chicken and waffles, and fried apple pie wontons. Of course, there will be burgers and dogs too, Detroit Coney hot dogs grilled and doused with chili and mustard, and 10-ounce beef, chicken, turkey and veggies patties that can be customized to order.

Design, by Fort Lauderdalebased Pamela Manhas, gives the restaurant a modern look with cobalt blue colors and contrasting maple and stainless-steel accents.

The 6,800-square-foot space also includes a communal table, outdoor eating area, and indoor/outdoor bar with five TVs.

Ave. American. The restaurant at this club-dining

march/april 2014

café centro —2409 N. Dixie Highway. Italian. There are many things to like about this modest little osteria—the unpretentious ambience, piano nightly after 7 p.m., the fine service, the robust portions and relatively modest prices. And, of course, the simple, satisfying Italian cuisine. The kitchen breathes new life into hoary old fried calamari, gives fettucine con pollo a surprisingly delicate herbed cream sauce, gilds snowy fillets of grouper with a soulful Livornese. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily.

561/514-4070. $$ leila—120 S. Dixie Highway. Mediterranean. Flowing drapes and industrial lighting complete the exotic decor in this Middle Eastern hit. Sensational hummus is a must-try. Lamb kebab with parsley, onion and spices makes up the delicious Lebanese lamb kefta. Take your Turkish coffee to the patio for an arguileh (water pipe) experience. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sun. 561/659-7373. $$

marcello’s la sirena—6316 S. Dixie Highway.

Italian. You’re in for a treat if the pasta of the day is prepared with what might be the best Bolognese sauce ever. Another top choice is the chicken breast, pounded thin and filled with fontina and prosciutto. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. (closed Memorial Day–Labor Day). 561/5853128. $$

pistache —101 N. Clematis St. French. Pistache doesn’t just look like a French bistro, it cooks like one.

The menu includes such bistro specialties as mussels mariniere, coq au vin and steak tartare. • Brunch Sat.– Sun. Lunch and dinner daily. 561/833-5090. $$

rocco’s tacos—224 Clematis St. Mexican. Big Time Restaurant Group has crafted a handsome spot that dishes Mexican favorites, as well as upscale variations on the theme and some 150 tequilas. Tacos feature housemade tortillas and a variety of proteins. Made-to-order guacamole is a good place to start, perhaps followed by a grilled yellowtail (an occasional special) with mangopineapple salsa. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly.

561/650-1001. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, 561/416-2133; 5090 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, 561/623-0127) $ table 26°—1700 S. Dixie Highway. Contemporary American. Take a quarter-cup of Palm Beach, a tablespoon of Nantucket, a pinch of modern American cookery and a couple gallons of the owners’ savoir faire, and you have Eddie Schmidt’s and Ozzie Medeiros’s spot. The menu roams the culinary globe for modest contemporary tweaks on classically oriented dishes.

Try the fried calamari “Pad Thai” or the fist-sized pair of Maryland crab cakes with irresistibly crispy sweet potato fries. • Dinner daily. 561/855-2660. $$$

top of the point —777 S. Flagler Drive. Contemporary American. The food is not only good but surprisingly adventurous, and the service is exceptional at this fine-dining spot along the Intracoastal. Though there are plenty of steaks for the more conservative of palate, there also are edgier offerings, like smoky grilled octopus with “Catalan salad.” • Dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/832-2424. $$$

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1/16/14 4:14 PM

Paul Mitchell • DiBi • Joe Blasco • Nioxin • Framesi • Gerda Spillman • L’Oréal

Paul Mitchell • DiBi • Joe Blasco • Nioxin • Framesi • Gerda Spillman • L’Oréal

American. Once a diner, the interior is eclectic with plenty of kitsch. The crab cakes are famous here, and the tapas are equally delightful. Homemade ice cream and the chocolate chip cookies defy comparison. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/833-3406. $$

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Paul Mitchell • DiBi • Joe Blasco • Nioxin • Framesi • Gerda Spillman • L’Oréal

rhythm café —3800 S. Dixie Highway. Casual

Full Service Salon Since 1984 Royal Palm Place Plaza 121 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Suite 12 • Boca Raton • 561-394-2707 {walking distance from the Boca Raton Resort & Club} L’Oréal • DiBi • Joe Blasco • Nioxin • Framesi • Gerda Spillman • Paul Mitchell

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New fashions are in bloom this spring at

broward county

Spring into New Fashions

CoCoNUT CrEEK nyy steak—Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, 5550 N.W. 40th St. Steak house. The second incarnation of this New York Yankees-themed restaurant swings for the fences—and connects—with monstrous portions, chic decor and decadent desserts. The signature steaks, dry-aged for 21 days, are a meat lover’s dream; seafood specialties include sautéed sea bass, Maine lobster and Alaskan king crab. Don’t miss the NYY Steak 151 volcano for dessert.

• Dinner daily. Brunch Sun. 954/977-6700. $$$$

Sizes Newborn to 14 Girls and Boys Over 87 Designer Brands Accessories, Shoes, Books and Toys

NEW

LOCATION

Royal Palm Place 101 Plaza Real South, # B Boca Raton FL 33432

561.447.4545

SugarPlumFairyBoca.com sugar ad- for brm - spring 2014.indd 1 sugarplum_brm0314.indd 1

dining guide

dEErfiEld bEaCh tamarind asian grill & sushi bar

New to our store:

• Registry • Gift Baskets and Layette

—949 S. Federal Highway. asian. Quiet and soothing, this multicultural venue serves sushi, sashimi, yakitori and wide-ranging Japanese appetizers, but Tamarind also presents a full menu of Thai classics and a sake lounge. • Lunch and dinner daily. 954/428-8009. $$

Special Events

forT laUdErdalE

• Story Time, Art Classes, Yoga 1/4/14 10:39 AM 1/14/14 4:07 PM

15th street fisheries—1900 S.E. 15th St. Seafood.

Surrounded by views of the Intracoastal, this Old Floridastyle restaurant features seafood and selections for land lovers. Entrées come with soup, salad, a sorbet course and fresh breads. We love the prime rib. • Lunch and dinner daily. 954/763-2777. $$ 3030 ocean—Harbor Beach Marriott Resort, 3030 Holiday Drive. american. The menu is heavy on seafood and changes several times a week. We recommend the sautéed Florida red snapper or the indulgent butter-roasted Maine lobster. For dessert, try the popular roasted banana crème brûlée. • Dinner nightly. 954/765-3030. $$$

bistro 17—Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Hotel, 1617 S.E. 17th St. Contemporary american. This small, sophisticated restaurant continues to impress with competently presented food. The menu is surprisingly diverse, with everything from seafood chowder, burgers and pizza to cherry-glazed breast of duck. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 954/626-1701. $$

bistro mezzaluna—1821 S.E. 10th St. italian. The bistro is all Euro-chic decor—mod lighting, abstract paintings. It also has good food, from pastas to steaks and chops and a wide range of fresh seasonal fish and seafood. Don’t forget the phenomenal wine list. • Lunch and dinner daily.

954/522-6620. $$ bongusto ristorante—5640 N. Federal Highway. italian. This is a well-kept secret, featuring dishes that will meet the standards of those who savor authentic Italian.

Involtini capricciosi—tender-rolled veal stuffed with spinach, prosciutto and fontina cheese—is satiating, while the yellowtail snapper oreganatta melts in your mouth. • Dinner Tues.–Sat. 954/771-9635. $$ check out our complete tri-county dining guide only at bocamag.com.

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1/16/14 9:13 AM

march/april 2014

WORLDWIDE MARKETING

MIzNER GRANDE REALTy CELEbRATING $1.3 bILLION IN SALES! If I have your listing, I will sell your home!!!

REASONS TO LIST WITH MIzNER GRANDE REALTy, LLC 1. duPont REGISTRY Partnership with Mizner Grande Realty with 20 Page Full Color Spread around the World to 54 Countries... Locally, Globally & Internationally featuring Florida & Boca Raton 2014 Issue 2. Weekly Full Color Advertising in the Sun-Sentinel Spectacular 1 Acre Lakefront Mansion Over 7,000 sq. ft. under air, 6 Bedroom, 6.5 Baths, Guard Gated Community, Library, Wet Bar, 701 Chilled Wine Cellar, Fireplace, Media Room, Game Room, and Resort Style Pool and Spa.

ARI ALBINDER

3. Homes & Land of the Palm Beaches Full Color Magazine 4. High Impact Advertising in the Boca Raton Magazine 5. High Impact Advertising in the Delray Beach Magazine 6. Mizner’s Dream - The Official Magazine of the Boca Raton Resort & Club with our 19 Page Full Color Spread & sitting in 1,065 rooms at the Boca Hotel & Resort always!

Broker / Owner

7. Full Color Direct Mail to over 10,000 qualified buyers monthly

Direct - Call or Text

8. Boca Club Life - Premier Club Member Magazine for the Boca Raton Resort & Club with a readership of over 10,000

561.702.0413 Office 561.393.7000 Ari@MiznerGrandeRealty.com

9. Millions of viewers everyday on Realtor.com, SunSentinel.com & MiznerGrandeRealty.com 10. High Powered Optimization obtaining qualified buyers daily for your property

www.MiznerGrandeRealty.com

24 thth 24 24 th

Mark your calendars for Join the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America Mark your calendars for for the ANNUAL

ANNUAL ANNUAL

Book of Hope Book ofof Hope LUNCHEON

Monday, March 17, 2014 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club Silent auction begins at 10:30 am, luncheon begins at noon Monday, March 17, 2014 Featuring keynote speaker Monday, March 17,Resort 2014 & Club at the Boca Raton Tommy Spaulding at theauction Boca Raton Resort & Club am, Silent begins at 10:30 For tickets, please call am, Silent auction begins at 10:30 luncheon begins at noon Amanda Niklaus begins at luncheon at noon Monday, March 17,561-218-2929.

2014Featuring keynote speaker Featuring keynote speaker at the Boca Raton Resort & ClubSpaulding Tommy Tommy Spaulding Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America – Florida Chapter 501 (C) 3 For tickets, please call Silent auction begins at 10:30a.m., For tickets, please Amanda Niklaus at call luncheon begins at noon.Amanda Niklaus at 561-218-2929.

561-218-2929.

LUNCHEON LUNCHEON

For tickets, please call Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America – Florida Chapter 501 (C) 3 Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America – Florida Chapter 501 (C) 3 Amanda Niklaus at Featuring keynote speaker 561.218.2929 option 1, ext. 2.

Tommy Spaulding

www.ccfa.org

Jew Je ewe wels in Time m me Specializing in fine new & pre-owned timepieces Diamonds ♦ Fashion & Estate Jewelry ♦ Buy-Sell-Trade

Shoppes at the Sanctuary 4400 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33431 (1/4 mile south of Yamato Road on the east side of the street)

(561) 368-1454 ♦ (888) 755-TIME ♦ JewelsInTime.com Not an authorized agent, representative or affiliate of any watch appearing in this advertisement. All watch names, dials & designs appearing in this advertisement are registered trademarks in the U.S.A.

Cover Girl Is Back!

Have you ever dreamed about being on the cover of an award-winning magazine? Boca Raton is giving local women the chance to make that dream come true with the return of our popular “Cover Girl” competition.

Festival oF the arts Your Backstage Pass

Heat of tHe MoMent Q& A: LeBron JAmes

Food For thought LocaL Dining Buzz

or

Ma ida

gazine

As

cia so

Fl

bocamag.com

ovBeeST honrall 2003 ors

This could be you!

tion

-2013

the [only] boca raton magazine

sheer delight The Season’s Sexiest Styles

News of the

Weird straNge-But-true florida Crimes

Sign Up:

Saturday, March 22 • 12 p.m - 3 p.m. • Town Center at Boca Raton Eligible participants (Palm Beach and Broward county women, ages 18 and over) will be photographed and asked to submit bio information.

The editorial and art teams at Boca Raton magazine will evaluate the candidates—along with the help of our readers, who will have an opportunity later this spring to vote for their favorite model.

The prize? An appearance on the cover of one of Boca Raton’s high-season issues in 2014!

For more information: 561/997-8683, ext. 300 • bocamag.com/covergirl

out&about

[ by stefanie cainto ]

AAROn BRisTOl

[1]

SakS Men’S Store opening

WHere: Boca Raton aBoUt tHe eVent: Saks Fifth Avenue celebrated the grand opening of its renovated men’s store at Town Center at Boca Raton with a special VIP extravaganza inside the chic, custom-designed department. Several of the men styled by Saks for the “Taking Care of Business” story in the November issue of Boca Raton were on hand for an event that included a presentation of the hottest new styles hosted by Eric Jennings, Saks’ corporate director of men’s fashion. [ 1 ] John and Michelle Antonini, and Patricia and Bob Shaheen

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More event coverage Visit bocamag.com for photo galleries from social events, store openings, charity fundraisers and other community gatherings in and around Boca Raton. To submit images for Out and About, e-mail appropriate material to people@bocamag.com.

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out&about [2]

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SAKS MEN’S STORE OPENING (cONT.) [ 2 ] Models from the men’s runway show [ 3 ] Doris Goodman and David Goldstein [ 4 ] Eric Jennings, Lori Pierino, Eric Glasband, John Antonini and Kevin Kaminski [ 5 ] Nene Amachree-Piltoff and Gail Eagle [ 6 ] Timothee Lovelock of M2G

AARON BRISTOL

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SAKS MEN’S STORE OPENING (cONT.) [ 7 ] Kristen Ross and Michael DeSio [ 8 ] Andrew Learner and Taylor Periu [ 9 ] Louis Margolin and Deborah Green [ 10 ] Debbie Revah, Natalie Abecassis and Gregg Champion [ 11 ] Laurie Styein and Sherri Waldman [ 12 ] Britney Linsky and Caresse Schwartzberg

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out&about [1]

Pro-Celebrity tennis ClassiC

WHERE: Boca Raton ABOUT THE EVENT: A host of celebrities joined philanthropic forces with a tennis legend during the 24th annual Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic, which raised $600,000 for the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida and its ongoing fight against drug abuse and child neglect. The two-day event—including tennis matches, a cocktail party and a pro-celebrity gala—was held at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and Delray Beach Tennis Center and Stadium.

[ 1 ] Chris Evert and Kevin McKidd [ 2 ] From left: David Cook, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Scott Foley, Chris Evert, Gavin Rossdale, Rennae Stubbs, Pam Shriver, Jon Lovitz and Maeve Quinlan [ 3 ] Gavin Rossdale and Deborah Silver [ 4 ] Elisabeth Shue, Chris Evert and Maeve Quinlan [ 5 ] Carole Siemens and Rebecca Siemens Spooner

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FIFTY TABLES UNDER THE STARS

WHERE: Boca Raton ABOUT THE EVENT: The Shops at Boca Center hosted an enchanting dinner under the stars, accompanied by live entertainment from the Lynn University Conservatory of Music (which the event benefited). Guests enjoyed a three-course dinner from Uncle Tai’s, Morton’s The Steakhouse, BRIO Tuscan Grille, Rocco’s Tacos or English Tap & Beer Garden, based on the ticket purchased.

[ 6 ] Robin Newman and Maxine Becker [ 7 ] Chris and Deanna Wheeler, and Marilyn and Mark Swillinger [ 8 ] Back, from left: Kathy Assaf, Jay Stuart, Jan McArt, Christine E. Lynn, John Gallo and Charles Krauser Front, from left: Ron Assaf, Kevin Ross, Phoebe Chapman and Rose Krauser [ 9 ] Jon Robertson, Debi Devigili, Grace Kamakani and Holly Borgman [ 10 ] Terry Fedele and Elaine Wold

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legendsradio.com

Sinatra Damone Bennett Jones Fitzgerald Tyrell Stewart Francis Krall Martin Cole Clooney Como Connick Callaway Maye Pizzarelli TormĂŠ Basie James

A Dick Robinson Entertainment Station

Boca Raton's

insider advertising • promotions • events

Mar. 15

BOCA muSEum OF ART ANNuAL BENEFIT

Don’t miss the Boca Museum of Art’s annual Benefit on Saturday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.

Celebrate your love for art and help raise funds for the Museum’s comprehensive education programs for children and adults.

501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton 561/392-2500 • bocamuseum.org/benefit

CARIdAd CENTER

The heart of Caridad Center is its 400 volunteer doctors, dentists and social service professionals who donate their time and talent to provide care for the uninsured poor.

Their contributions helped earn Caridad’s designation as the South Florida Business Journal's "Nonprofit of the Year" for 2013. We thank them for their service to Palm Beach County's working poor.

8645 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach 561/853-1638 • caridad.org

LORd & TAyLOR

Calling all nonprofits! Lord & Taylor Boca Raton is hosting Shop Smart, Do Good: A Fundraising Day on April 3. This is a special event hosted by Lord & Taylor in support of local fundraising organizations. For more info: lordandtaylor.com/dogood.

Separately, the store is presenting spring fashion to the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club women’s group on March 12.

Mizner Park, 200 Plaza Real, Boca Raton 561/394-5656 • lordandtaylor.com

STATE-OF-THE ART SKINCARE

Dr. Shari Topper and Dr. Jodi Fiedler of DermPartners, offer their patients the most progressive laser procedures such as CoolSculpting, Pearl Fraxel Laser, Limelight IPL Photorejuvenation by Cutera, Laser Genesis and CoolGlide Hair Removal. Call for more information and to schedule your complimentary consultation.

21020 State Road 7, Suite 120, Boca Raton 561/883-5640 • dermpartnersbocaraton.com

Visit bocamag.com/events for more information.

theBOCAinterview continued from page 97

Wanting to open his own brewpub, he decided to get serious about his food.

Already an accomplished home cook, the then-Houston resident entered a local cooking competition and won. His prize? A class in charcuterie from Houston chef Adam Dorris.

They became something of a team, cooking together in restaurants and at festivals, to the point that when a west Boca storefront became available in 2012, Naumko jumped on it and opened Sybarite Pig. At the Pig, his charcuterie skills are on full display, making several varieties of sausage, along with breads, kimchi and even ketchup. He acknowledges that, at first, “I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing.” But you certainly can’t tell by what Naumko puts on the plate these days.

How did tHe Pig get its name?

The name came from a good friend of mine calling me that. In Spanish. We used to have these little gatherings at my house every Thursday, trying to outdo each other cooking. My friend came to one, and he called me a sybarite pig. I said, “Dude, I don’t know

whether to thank you or slap you in the face.”

I didn’t even know what the word was, so I looked it up and realized he was very accurate in his description.

“Little details make a difference.”

You’re obviouslY not aiming to offer a standard, corPorate-tYPe restaurant exPerience. wHat kind of dining exPerience do You want guests to Have at sYbarite Pig? I hope people come into our restaurant, lay back, chill and slow down. Enjoy yourself, have a couple of beers. Leave your phone on the table and have a good time.

—Daniel Naumko March/April 2014 issue. Vol. 34, No. 2. The following are trade-

You make a varietY of sausages in-House. wHat’s tHe most imPortant asPect of sausage making?

Understanding seasonings, the balance of flavors. The quality of the meat is also important. If you use scraps and fillers it’s not going to have the same taste sensation, the same juiciness. Cooling down all your equipment before you start working [is important]. Also keeping everything very, very clean. It’s the same as brewing; brewing beer is all about sanitizing everything, keeping certain temperatures. Little details make a difference.

CARIDAD CENTER

SAVED MY LIFE

marks in the state of Florida of JES Publishing Corp., and any use of these trademarks without the express written consent of JES Publishing Corp. is strictly prohibited: Florida Funshine and Florida Style. Boca (ISSN0740-2856) is published seven times a year (September/October, November, December/January, February, March/April, May/June and July/August) by JES Publishing Corp.

Editorial, advertising and administrative offices: 5455 N. Federal Highway, Suite M, Boca Raton, FL, 33487. Telephone: 561/9978683. Please address all editorial and advertising correspondence to the above address. Periodicals postage paid at Boca Raton, Fla., and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: $14.95/7 issues, $19.95/14 issues. Single copy $5.95. No whole or part of the content may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission of Boca magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Boca magazine, P.O. Box 820, Boca Raton, FL 33429-9943.

ROSA Caridad Patient

Volunteer doctors at Caridad have helped Rosa overcome basel cell carcinoma, a nodule on her breast and severe dental decay.

Today she is healthy, practices preventative care, and is able to work and support her family again.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LARGEST FREE HEALTH AND DENTAL CARE CLINIC IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND HOW YOU CAN HELP AT CARIDAD.ORG OR CONTACT OUR DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AT 561-853-1638 caridadcenter_brm1213.indd 1 174 [ bocamag.com

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1/21/14 4:32 PM

march/april 2014

speedbumps [ by marie speed ]

One Late Bloomer The sTory sTarTed in africa and kepT geTTing beTTer as she Told iT.

S

pringtime marks beginnings, new growth, new possibilities. And every year I feel it, although I am now most certainly drifting into the late bloomer category. Not that I mind. People like Coco Chanel and Edward Hopper and Grandma Moses and Harry Truman were all late bloomers, people who never stopped believing they could change the world, or themselves, or create something real and lasting from a singular idea.

My favorite late bloomer—who used to visit me every spring— never made it into a book; she isn’t a household name. She was, however, everything I always secretly wanted to be. Tall and elegant with a British accent, Irene Mugambi was an African woman who studied at the London School of Economics and served as a private envoy for Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta. She always loved clothes (I remember following her from one store to the next at Town Center mall many years later), and in her youth became one the world’s first African fashion models. After that, she began designing clothes that were modeled by people like Iman, and photographed by Peter Beard.

But the big career shift came later, in mid-life, when she was compelled to come home to the true heart of Africa, becoming a safari guide (and, later, an influential conservationist) for Abercrombie & Kent. That’s how I met her and became her friend. I remember her sitting under a big acacia tree with a book on her lap in the late-morning sun at a camp near the Samburu Game Reserve somewhere on the Ewaso Nyiro River. We had just gotten back from a dawn game drive and breakfast, and Irene was about to explain the world of Africa to us. “An elephant spends his life learning to be an elephant,” she started, and we knew the story had begun.

Irene’s story was rich, full of people like Richard Leakey and Cynthia Moss and aviatrix Beryl Markham. When she started coming to America on her annual safari marketing trips, I always insisted she stay at my house so I could show her off; when you were with Irene, people just started sending Champagne over, or finding any excuse to come meet her. She was charming, exotic—

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irene Mugambi

and invariably adrift in some billowing African pajama invention no one else could possibly wear. She was also always conjuring up new business ideas, from making jewelry to buying land in the Sudan for her own camp, to starting her own safari company.

One of the latest ventures was last year, when she was making all-natural yogurt that she and a new business partner were marketing in Nairobi.

She was always reinventing herself, blooming, re-blooming.

I never saw the hard parts of her life, or met all the people she tried to take care of. When I got word at Thanksgiving that she had died unexpectedly, all I saw was the Irene of long ago under a drowsy acacia tree, sunlight dappling her face, spinning wonder and stories from the African bush. This spring I am trying to think who she would have been next, or what new adventures were to come. It is all changed now, the stories silenced.

And springtime or not, I cannot possibly imagine them without her.

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my turn

[ by john shuff ]

Penny For Your Thoughts

The worrier’s lesson: reduce The sTress and lighTen up.

M

ost parents really know their children. They know w Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their maker. their moods, their fears, their ups and downs. This private sixth sense—the radar trained on their w If you can’t be kind, have the decency to be vague. child’s emotional development—is paired with the kind of unconditional love and support that helps w No one cares if you can’t dance well; just get up and dance. launch a child into the future.

My mom was a classic example; sometimes I think she knew me w We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty better than I did. For example, she knew I was a worrier. She knew the and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, frown, the look that said there was something on my mind. She invaribut they all have to live in the same box. ably said, “A penny for your thoughts,” and I invariably remained mute.

No sale. w Always make right turns, thus avoiding And I always have worried about many crossing in front of traffic. things, some inordinately. This kind of From left: The author’s brother paul, mother Mary, John shuff, stress weighs me—and everyone around w Always keep your words soft and sweet and brother Tom me—down. The longer I carry it, the just in case you have to eat them. heavier it becomes, emotionally and physically. w Celebrate those birthdays. The more That kind of baggage isn’t healthy. We you have, the longer you’re around. all know that worrying is unproductive, that it drains energy, that it can be paraw Accept that some days you’re the pilyzing. In fact, the better we can manage geon and some days you’re the statue. our emotional burdens, the sooner we can rid ourselves of them, leading to a w A truly happy person is one who can more vibrant and refreshed life. enjoy the scenery on a detour.

So whatever worries you have, whatever burdens you are carrying, put them w And dad’s favorite from Will Rogers: on the back burner. Relax, take a deep “Never squat with your spurs on.” breath and enjoy every day that God gives you. To coin an old saying, “Life is In retrospect, my mom was trying to short, but it sure beats the alternative.” tell me to lighten up. And it’s taken more My dad kept the following list on a than 70 years for that to sink in. yellow tablet in his desk. When he shared Better late than never. it with me, he said it brought a smile to his face and helped him deal with his particular burdens:

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march/april 2014

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