25A magazine June 2014

June 2014

25A Gold Coast Luxury Magazine

Zach Braff Tony Shalhoub Richard Gunn The Tonys

Julianne

MICHELLE

Art | Design | Fashion | Features | Food | Health | Luxury | Profiles | Sports | Shopping | Travel

O LEG C ASSINI E L E G A N C E K N O W S O N LY O N E N A M E

速

Anywhere in the World.

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With one of the nation’s largest fleets available, we offer versatile aircraft charter options for all of our passengers from the convenience of Long Island’s MacArthur Airport. Whether for business or leisure, for domestic or international travel, ExcelAire’s fleet offers premium comfort and luxury, fulfilling your specific needs or desires for any trip.

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contents june 2014

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14

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32

Cover

Julianne Michelle

The Year of Actress Julianne Michelle. A Career ‘Awakened’ Through Movie Roles, Charity Work and Business Ventures

Splurge

14 20 36

Sea Cliff Perched on a cliff on the edge of the Long Island Sound sits the Village of Sea Cliff, a waterfront town with old world charm

Couture

Great Looks for Father’s Day Robert Talbott Bloomingdales Oleg Cassini

Classic Rocks The product of a mother/daughter duo, each of whom brings her unique perspective to their designs

Regimen

42

Natural Summer Saves

20

Fitness Corner

36

The Skinny on Thin

Some tips to help you eat healthfully while you’re traveling or vacationing this summer

The benefits of strength training

We have arrived at the age of non-surgical fat dissolution to melt away a few inches of fat while simultaneously tightening skin

Dramatic, yet graceful. Effortlessly simple, with cutting-edge technology.

Ghost Series II forges a silent path of serenity through an ever-changing world.

No ordinary power. Experience it for yourself.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC 300 Chestnut Ridge Road, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677, USA Tel: 1-877-877-3735 www.rolls-roycemotorcars-northamerica.com Š Copyright Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC 2014. The Rolls-Royce name and logo are registered trademarks.

contents june 2014

Design

48

The Home of Your Dreams

52

Master Bedroom Design for Two

With its stately proportions, this 12,000-square-foot brick classic residence is filled with unique entertaining features.

Profile

56

Big Daddy and Gary Melius

58

Man With a Mission

60 64 70 74 80 82 90

48

Long Island interior designer Jody Sokol transforms a Hamptons master suite with a harmonious color scheme that flows from master bathroom to master bedroom

Helping others through the Big Daddy Celebrity Golf Classic at Oheka

Associate real estate broker Randell Beck

64

Features Defining Succe$$

By Professor Jack K. Mandel

Pembroke Once upon a time there was a place of magic and mystery that overlooked Hempstead Harbor in Glen Cove

Art and Architecture, Destruction and Preservation Trying to save and preserve the Gold Coast mansions

82

Inside the 68th Tony Award Nominations The Tony nominations are occasionally the beginning of a predictable race, but the 68th annual awards to honor the best in the business of Broadway is definitely not one of them

Celeb

Tony Shalhoub The Tony award-winning actor sits down with 25A as he gets the nod for Act One

Zach Braff Gets his first shot at Broadway in Bullets Over Broadway

Granite Flats’ Top Gunn Chatting with TV and movie star Richard Gunn

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90

contents june 2014

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94 96 98

102

Taste Fabulous Summer Salads Letting fruit take the center stage by Andrea Correale of Elegant Affairs

Bourbon and Barbecue The perfect summer pair

Vetro Restaurant and Lounge Changing the landscape of fine dining in Queens

Jetset

100 Everwunder 102 A Diamond on the Gulf 108 Journey to Marrakech Local getaways and hot spots

108

La Playa Resort and Golf Course in Naples, Florida

A kaleidoscope of color and culture

112 114 116

Artform Art Was the Key to my Freedom The work of Artist Dale Mathis

Pop-Up Gallery in East Norwich Featuring the work of Artist Jill Krutnick

25A List Events from around the towns

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114

Now everyone gets an upgrade.

We’re obsessed with improving everything about flying.

Naturally, that starts with the planes. So we’re building the youngest, most modern fleet among the largest U.S. airlines, featuring amenities like Wi-Fi, USB and universal powerports and personal in-seat entertainment regardless of where you sit. We’re putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. The new American is arriving. aa.com/newplanes

AmericanAirlines, aa.com and the Flight Symbol logo are marks of American Airlines, Inc. oneworld is a mark of the oneworld Alliance, LLC. © 2013 American Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved.

publisher’s note June is a special month and the longer days means summer is upon us!

O

ur cover girl for this issue is Julianne Michelle, star of the movie Awakened, where the actress also explores her first opportunity in the role of co-producer. She is proving to have quite the head for business, running a new company, Supernova Media, as well as a new custom line of handcrafted bracelets called Juls.

25A brings you inside the 68th Tony nominations with in-depth interviews with several nominees, including Tony Shalhoub. We also sit down with Granite Flats star Richard Gunn and actor Zach Braff.

Take some time and don’t miss our Father’s Day fashion ideas for that special dad on his special day.

Journey to Marrakech and stay with us at the Riad Wow Hotel, a true gem in the exotic land of Morocco. Then join us in La Playa for some more R&R. Monica Randall takes us back in time to Pembroke, the famed yet lost Gold Coast mansion and the story of its creator, Captain DeLamar. In a fascinating article by Victoria Crosby, read about the destruction of Inisfada, another Gold Coast mansion that could not be saved, this one destroyed in the present day.

As always, browse through and enjoy pages of fashion, design and culinary delights in features we at 25A are always happy to share with our readers.

Chase Backer Publisher

12 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

Luxury, Sophistication, Style, & Relaxation

www.marinemax.com

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Manhattan

Huntington

Lindenhurst

Mattituck

Copiague

Hampton Bays

Westhampton

25A

November 2013

25A Gold Coast Luxury Magazine

Long Island’s Gold Coast Luxury Magazine

Publisher Chase Backer Editor-In-Chief Jason Feinberg

Nassau County Exec Ed Mangano Maksim Chmerkovskiy Megan Hilty Gateway Canyons Resort

Jr. Art Director Rebecca Townsend Office Manager Lori Biddiscombe Asst. Office Manager Linda Cunningham

TIM

MATHESON

Art | Design | Fashion | Features | Food | Health | Luxury | Profiles | Sports | Shopping | Travel 10/23/13 1:59 PM

December 2013

25A Gold Coast Luxury Magazine

25A

LAURA BELL

February 2014

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Gold Coast Luxury Magazine

BUNDY

Dan Lauria Peter Max Gold Coast Holiday Style Art | Design | Fashion | Features | Food | Health | Luxury | Profiles | Sports | Shopping | Travel

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25A Gold Coast Luxury Magazine

March 2014

KATIE

LEE

Oleg Cassini Vera Wang The Gateway to Machu Picchu Bridal/Romance issue

Cover photo by Nigel Barker

Art | Design | Fashion | Features | Food | Health | Luxury | Profiles | Sports | Shopping | Travel

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Fran Drescher Courtney Reed Eden Roc at Cap Cana Baker House 1650

Food Issue Alex Guarnaschelli Kingside Damaris Phillips Vitae American Cut Revel Gold Coast Chefs

BOBBY

April / May 2014

25A Gold Coast Luxury Magazine

FLAY Art | Design | Fashion | Features | Food | Health | Luxury | Profiles | Sports | Shopping | Travel

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Mother's Day Gift Guide Voltaire's Castle The House on Fort Hill

Copy Editor Carla Santella Director of Strategic Marketing Prof. Jack Mandel Director of Financial Marketing Georgia Gerosaus Editor-at-Large Gwen Wunderlich Fashion Editor Debi Pine Features Editor Victoria Caruso Fitness Editor Pam Polestino Food Editor Venus Quintana Contributing Health Editor Scott B. Wells, M.D. Nutrition Editor Lindsay Brustein Rosen, M.S., R.D. Society Editor Christopher Robbins Arts and Travel Editor Diana Pinck Features Writer Victoria Crosby Gold Coast Writer Monica Randall Contributors Dr. Gerald Acker, M.D., Melissa Argueta, Andrea Correale, Shane Fonner, Natalie Gaebelein, Olivia Katz, Jane Lerman, Liz Mendoza, Kelly O’Malley Mattone, M.D., Andrea Mineo, Aline Marie, Alyssa Nightingale, Ilena Ryan, Iris Wiener Contributing Photographers Patrick McMullan Deann Arce, Van Cushny, Paul Gerben, Clifton Parker, Paul Prince, Kat Rabbit, Johnny Schiano, Neil Tandy, Jennifer Thomas Contributing Photo/Videographer Benno Klandt Contributing Illustrator Robert Bergin Advertising Account Reps Paul Anthony, Trish Cope Contact: 1057 Jericho Rd East Norwich, NY 11732 516.864.2525 (f) 516.399.2444 www.25Amagazine.com facebook/25amagazine twitter/25amagazine Writers, Models, Musicians and Photographers please inquire

Anthony Rapp Basketball Legend

CLYDE

FRAZIER

Art | Design | Fashion | Features | Food | Health | Luxury | Profiles | Sports | Shopping | Travel Apr_2014_CV1.indd 2

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Pantone 872 C

© Copyright 2013 by 25A magazine, All rights reserved. 25A magazine is published ten times per year. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as such and unconditionally assigned for publication subject to 25A magazine’s right to edit.

Introducing our 564 mph recharging station.

We believe that inspiration and relaxation go hand in hand. That’s why we’re the first U.S. airline to introduce the new 777-300 with First and Business Class cabins where every seat lies flat and offers aisle access.

We’re putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time.

The new American is arriving. aa.com/flybetter

AmericanAirlines, aa.com and the Flight Symbol logo are marks of American Airlines, Inc. oneworld is a mark of the oneworld Alliance, LLC. © 2013 American Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved.

splurge

25A

Waterfront Village, Old World Charm

16 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

By Kathleen DiResta, photos by Deann Arce

P

erched on a cliff on the edge of the Long Island Sound sits the Village of Sea Cliff, a waterfront town with old world charm. Located only 25 miles from Manhattan, the village is reminiscent of another time. This quaint community is just one square mile, with sloping hills and winding roads, dotted with historic painted ladies and gingerbread homes.

Originally, circa 1871, Sea Cliff was used as a campground site by the Methodist Church. Campers arrived by steamship from New York City and rented small plots of land. Eventually, they started building on the small parcels, resulting in many bungalow homes. The larger hotels of the time did not last but many of the Victorian homes remain. Sea Cliff has more than 50 homes with landmark status.

Known for its bohemian feel, the village is home to many artists and musicians. Community events that showcase their talents include SpringFest and MiniMart, both of which attract hundreds of visitors.

During the summer, you’ll likely catch a concert or drum circle at Memorial Park, nicknamed Hippie Park and also known as Sunset Park for its breathtaking views at day’s end.

The business district extends three blocks along Sea Cliff Avenue.

Dreams East and Artisans Well Designs offer crystals and healing products. Unique handmade jewelry can be found at Sorella or K. DiResta Collective. Stop in the Village Wine Merchant for weekly wine tastings or sign up for their concierge service.

SEA

CLIFF

June 2014 | 17

SEA CLIFF

A popular gathering spot is the Sea Cliff Bistro, with muffins fresh from the oven, homemade soups and more. Musu offers gourmet sushi with oneof-a-kind dishes. Oak Room and Metropolitan Bistro serve delicious entrees, cooked with care. The newly opened Still Partners, with weekly live music, is in a space that has been operating as a bar since the 1930s. Gallagher’s, a classic Irish pub, is known for its burgers and eggs Benedict.

The jewel of Sea Cliff is the village beach with picturesque views of the Long Island Sound. During summer months, the beach café and free concerts are open to the public. The Sea Cliff Yacht Club is a sailor’s paradise.

This year, the club will host its 38th annual Around Long Island Regatta.

Visit Sea Cliff to experience the village’s beauty and many attractions. Take a tip from Mayor Bruce Kennedy, who describes Sea Cliff as “a place from a bygone era, where neighbors socialize daily and everybody looks out for each other. We are a genuine community.” This North Shore treasure is not to be missed.

DRESS your

man well

HIS on

DAY F

by Debi Pine

rom the boardroom to the beach, you want your man to shine. Show him how much you love having him by your side this Father’s Day. Whether it is a pocket square or a swimsuit your man will be dressed to impress.

Between Robert Talbott and Bloomingdales you can shop for the classic dad to the hipster dad, providing smiles all around. Have some fun with colors and textures this season.

Robert Talbott | Red Vintage Wash Knit Shirt

Robert Talbott | Grey Stillwater Suit | Lilac Trim Fit Estate Dress Shirt Best of Class Lilac Tie | Lilac Pocket Square

Robert Talbott | Grey Carmel Coat | Sky Trim Fit Estate Dress Shirt Gold Pocket Square | Best of Class Sky Tie

Robert Talbott | Green Linen Sport Shirt | Sand Clint Trouser

Vilebrequin | Red panda-print swim trunks, also in navy, $250. on boy White piqué polo with embroidered turtle logo, also in turquoise and red, Boys’ 2–14, $70. Red panda-print swim trunks, also in navy, Boys’ 2–14, $120–$140.

Available at Bloomingdales

ike behar | Pink/blue check dress shirt with French cuffs, $98.50. Light blue semisolid tie, $115. Men’s Dress Shirts/Neckwear.

Available at Bloomingdales

Bloomingdales (only Ours)| Navy zip field jacket, $495. Navy/yellow piquĂŠ polo, $68.

Light stone twill pant, also in navy, $98.

Available at The Men’s Store at Bloomingdales

Eton | Turquoise gingham dress shirt $255, Navy/multi-dot tie $135 Hamilton | White/blue/brown tattersall check dress shirt $265 Drake’s | Rose striped tie, also in lilac $150 Available at Bloomingdales

Canali | Blue/pink/white striped dress shirt $275 Red neat tie, also in yellow, orange, brown and purple $155

The art o f shaving Fusion Chrome Power Razor with built-in spotlight and eight Gillette Fusion ProGlide blades, $175. The 4 Elements of The Perfect Shave Set includes: 2.0 oz Pre-Shave Oil, 5.0 oz Shaving Cream, a pure badger shaving brush and 3.4 oz After-Shave Balm, $115.

Shown in Sandalwood, also in lemon, lavender, ocean kelp and unscented.

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4.2 oz Eau de Toilette Spray, $84.

John Varvatos Vintage. Sensuous and masculine with an aromatic, spicy core warmed by notes of leather.

4.2 oz Eau de Toilette Spray, $84.

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COMMIT to

STYLE with

CASSINI

Cotton sateen in a crisp midnight navy color sets the tone for summer. The blazer suit for men is worn with a white silk shirt, matching tie & vest for a nautical feeling.

(After the wedding - the blazer would also look perfect with a navy striped tee).

All clothing by Oleg Cassini

Jet black silk and mohair blend together for the Tuxedo wedding suit which he wears with a crisp white silk shirt and matching tie.

All clothing by Oleg Cassini

The Groomsmen are wearing matching navy cotton blazer suits that have a signature look for summer dressing All clothing by Oleg Cassini

couture

25A

Two Generations of Creativity Merge in Classic Rocks

By Ilena Ryan

C

lassic Rocks is the product of a mother/daughter duo, Alex Meyer and Merritt Schlanger, respectively, each of whom brings her unique perspective to their designs. The women are no strangers to the fashion industry – Alex previously owned a luxury retail boutique on Long Island for 15 years, while Merritt worked for high-end magazines. Their collection is extremely versatile and can be worn everyday or for special occasions.

The idea stemmed from a particular occasion: Merritt was taking her parents to the theater for their anniversary, so Alex purchased a bracelet to wear for the night. At dinner, when Alex asked Merritt if she liked her new bracelet, both realized upon closer observation that the piece wasn’t well made, despite a hefty price tag. When they got home, the women did some research and realized they could make their own jewelry of superior quality at a much lower cost. They could oversee the process from start to finish and create a product they loved. “We saw designs out there and thought ‘We can make it better,’” Alex says.

From there, Alex and Merritt (who has a degree in fine arts from Syracuse University and a keen eye for design), began creating their own designs and wearing them around town. Soon, friends were asking to purchase their designs, which led to selling successfully at trade shows. They realized the business had legs and went on to create a retail website. Other high-end stores, such as Intermix, picked up on their designs and began selling them as well. What began as a casual idea at a restaurant had officially become a business.

Classic Rocks started as just jewelry, but because they were using a variety of beautiful stones during the design process, the women were inspired to create home goods, such as Lucite boxes topped with different gems. In addition, similar to their attitude toward store-bought jewelry, Merritt and Alex wanted to take the same approach to handbags.

“We obviously love handbags; what woman doesn’t? So we started looking into different materials we could use to create our own designs,” said Alex.

Their collection includes exotic textures such as python and stingray in larger tote form, as well as clutches and evening bags. For them, it’s all about making luxury more affordable – luxe products don’t need to cost as much as they do in high-end retail stores.

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| 25A www.25Amagazine.com

Phantom Bracelet. Rose Gold and Diamond. $2,200

Kylie Bracelet. Yellow Gold, Opal and Diamonds. $2,480

The duo draws inspiration from trips they take and patterns they see – the use of stingray, for example, came out of a vacation in the south of France.

Instead of buying the clutches they saw made of the exotic material, they made their own collection. The design process typically involves bouncing ideas off each other, where they share thoughts on products they’ve seen, which inspires new ideas.

Bella Earwing. White Gold and White Sapphires: $545

“One idea triggers another, and it turns into something completely different than where we started,” Alex explained. “We have similar taste, but [Merritt’s] obviously younger than I am, so she looks out for women her age and I look at it from a more mature perspective, to appeal to all generations.”

Based on Classic Rocks sales, the biggest trends as we move into spring/ summer are rose gold, black diamonds and ear wings, which go on to and up the side of your ear vs. a traditional earring. Classic Rocks sells them in a variety of different materials, such as white sapphire, pearls and diamonds and they sell out as soon as they become available.

Alex and Merritt are a creative duo with deep New York roots. While Merritt currently lives in Greenwich, CT, she grew up on Long Island, and Alex has lived on Long Island her entire life. Their favorite part of the business is, quite simply, working together, as well as the products they’re able to design and create from start to finish. After all, as Alex says, “What girl doesn’t like something that’s sparkly?”

June 2014 | 37

couture

25A

Suit

Yourself Preferably in the trends we’re obsessing over, from sporty silhouettes and wrap-around straps to mesh details and a whole lot of fringe. Just make sure they’re in the chicest color combo of the season: minty green and classic black.

L Space | Pistachio fringe bandeau, $86; and hipster, $61. Swim.

Select Bloomingdale’s stores.

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| 25A www.25Amagazine.com

Nanette Lepore | Indigo hibiscus print bikini top, $72; and bottom, $76. Swim.

Select Bloomingdale’s stores.

June 2014 | 39

couture

25A

DKNY | Black one-piece with mesh cutouts $100

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| 25A www.25Amagazine.com

Michael Kors | Navy bandeau with goldtone embellishment, $76; and hipster, $68.

June 2014 | 41

regimen

25A Natural Summer

SAVES

By Lindsay Brustein Rosen, MS, RD

W

hether you’re heading to a camping site for a guys-only weekend or cruising down the highway in a carful of rowdy kids, a road trip is the ultimate ritual of summer. But along with the classic rock music blasting on the radio, road trips often involve the kinds of food you’d never think of eating at home.

When you’re miles away from your kitchen, you can drive for hours without seeing anything more nutritionally promising than a gas station. However, with a little smart packing and a good plan in place, you can eat almost as well on the road as you do at home.

Here are some tips to help you eat healthfully while you’re traveling or vacationing this summer:

Healthy eating starts where you stop If you’re on the road and stop at a fast food joint, your food choices will be limited to just that – fast food. However, if you stop at a grocery store that offers whole or healthy foods (think fruits, bagged carrots, nuts, low-fat yogurt and hummus), you quickly expand your choices and inevitably reduce junk food temptations.

Eat plenty of protein Eating the right amount of complete protein for your weight and activity level stabilizes blood sugar, enhances concentration and keeps you lean and strong. A complete protein is any animal and dairy product or a grain plus a legume (such as whole grain bread with nut butter, or brown rice with beans). When you need energy for a long hike, a long drive, or a long day at the beach, fuel your body with some high-quality, lean protein.

42 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

Pack snacks so you’re not skipping meals Often when we’re traveling, we don’t have access to food regularly. When we skip meals, our body responds as if it is facing a food shortage and our metabolism slows down to prevent starvation. To keep the mind and body running smoothly, pack healthy snacks in your car or backpack. Nutritious examples include nuts and trail mixes, raw vegetables and hummus, low fat yogurt and berries, fresh and dried fruit, and hard-boiled eggs.

Buy a cooler Plan ahead. If you take long trips, a cooler and a couple of bottles of water will save you money and help you eat more nutritiously. The cooler can keep both food and drinks cool, allowing you to have luncheon meats, dairy products and fresh fruits and vegetables on hand.

Avoid “Feel Bad” foods When you’re on the road, it’s important to avoid foods that drain your energy and deflate your mood. Avoid simple carbohydrates or high glycemic foods, such as fruit juices, sodas, refined grain products or sugary snacks, as well as items that are deep-fried or made with artificial ingredients and colors.

Drink lots of water Drinking plenty of water will flush your body of toxins, keep your skin fresh and help you eat less. It will also help you avoid travel lag, symptoms of overexposure to the heat or sun and junk food cravings.

nutritionbybru.com

Lindsay Brustein Rosen, MS, RD is a registered dietitian and the founder of Nutrition by Bru, a nutrition counseling and consulting practice in New York. She received a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from New York University, and has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, as well as the Greater New York Dietetic Association.

fitness corner

BENEFITS of

Strength Training

By Pam Polestino

I

see many gym goers choosing extremely light weights in the gym with the fear that they will ‘bulk up.’ Anyone who is lifting is trying to create strength, get a more toned body or be stronger. That being the case, the secret to getting strong is not about how much weight you lift but about working your muscles to where you literally cannot lift them for one more repetition – otherwise called muscle failure. So if you were to choose extremely light weights, you would need to spend enormous amounts of time lifting to get the best result.

By lifting challenging weights you create micro muscle tears in the muscle fibers. These tears repair but the muscle becomes stronger and a little bigger. Muscle is in fact more dense than fat, so decreasing fat and adding that little extra muscle, you still look leaner. Heavier weight training not only builds your strength but also increases your metabolism for the rest of the day. Regular lifting also can retain muscle and rebuild lost muscle, which happens with aging.

Along with the fear of bulking up, many who exercise want to lengthen their body. Who would not want to look longer and leaner? Actually there is no exercise that actually lengthens your muscles. Your muscles are a certain length because they attach to your bones. Various exercise like Pilates, yoga and various stretching can make you more flexible so you feel longer or taller.

Aside from being able to transform the shape of your body, strength training has day-to-day benefits. Lifting children, carrying groceries, running to catch a train and walking up and down stairs are tasks made so much easier when you strength train. You have better balance, which can prevent injuries, and you will sleep better, too. You are also preventing heart disease and reducing your risk of diabetes.

My best advice to anyone looking to start a program incorporating strength training or seeking to change a current program is to work with a personal trainer. With a PT, your program is customized, as it is not 44 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

often that your personal goals are the same as everyone else in the gym.

Whether you want to be a better golfer or just lose weight, your PT will tailor your own program to meet your needs. When you have a PT you will use correct form and will be less likely to get injured. You learn from your trainer the correct way to train, so that when you are no longer with that trainer, the education stays with you. You will also make your time at the gym most efficient when you work with an educated fitness professional.

Being able to work with a PT, whether short- or long-term, will help you open the doorway to your personal growth experiences. Knowing you have your trainer, you will be more committed to your gym time and you will have that buddy system of support. Every workout with a PT will push you harder than you can ever push yourself.

In hiring a personal trainer I would choose someone who understands your specific goals and needs, can be available when convenient for you and has the proper certification. Working with a personal trainer who has many years experience in the fitness industry can not just change your body but can give you a new outlook on training with heavy weights.

As always, email me with any of your fitness questions.

Ppolestino@yahoo.com

Kelly O’Malley Mattone,M.D. Ultherapy - CoolSculpting - Botox - Dysport - Restylane - Lashes - InvisiLift MicroCurrent Facial Sculpting - Endermologie - Facials - Painless Hair Removal 8 Bond Street, Suite 200, Great Neck, NY 11021 - 516.482.2424 - www.aestheticmedicalstudio.com

regimen

25A

The Skinny on Thin W

By Scott Wells, MD

e all remember the iconic scene in the movie The Wizard of Oz when the Wicked Witch of the West is doused with a pail of water and shreiks, “I’m melting, I’m melting.” Well, until recently, only witches could truly make that claim. But alas, we have arrived at the age of non-surgical fat dissolution and anyone seeking to melt away a few inches of fat while simultaneously tightening skin a little bit can make the same claim … without the shriek! Within the last half-decade, a slew of new generation fat melters has arrived promising lost inches without surgery. I thought that since we are entering bathing suit season, it would be a good time to share with 25A readers my thoughts, musings and especially scientific and medical expertise on the subject.

The recent arrival of the many new lypolytic (fat melting) devices reflects advances in several different technologies in the medical marketplace. They all essentially share the common denominator of causing a permanent disruption of the fat cells leading to apoptosis (fat cell death), with the subsequent absorption of the released fat into the metabolism as in regular weight loss. It is the differences between the various technologies, however, that shapes the decision of which to use.

Early devices for fat and cellulite improvement have come and gone. One such device, Endermologie, enjoyed some popularity for a while. These early devices really only rolled and massaged the tissues, temporarily ‘grooming’ the fat, like combing hair. The visible results were only temporary at best. Today’s devices rely on real science to permanently destroy fat cells and many even tighten skin. One of the first of the real science technologies was Zeltiq, which relies on cryolipolysis (freezing fat to death), in a process appropriately named CoolSculpting. With this procedure, localized areas of fat are sucked into a cooling chamber and

46 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

held there for one hour so that the fatty tissue is chilled down to a low enough temperature to trigger cellular death. Each area needs only one session for treatment, but in order to cover large areas like the abdomen or hips, several sessions are necessary, making this a laborious process.

Discomfort is minimal to mild, often described as a pins and needles tingling due to the chilling effect on nerve endings. It is generally accepted that an approximate 20 percent reduction of the localized fat bulge can be expected. The science is good, but the delivery system and practicality for larger areas are the main drawbacks to this device.

“I’m melting,

The newest radiofrequency device on the market, Vanquish, destroys fat over the broadest areas such as the entire abdomen and both hips at the same time. This device emits an entire field of energy, not just a localized or focused region. Multiple 30-45 minute sessions are needed, however the treatment is quite comfortable and often reported as relaxing due to the gentle warming sensation experienced. Particularly beneficial is the fact that the energy emitter does not contact the skin directly, resulting in very little chance of a burn, less so than any of the other devices. Additional advantages of Vanquish are its safety profile, comfort and ease in treating large areas. The drawback is that multiple sessions (4-6) are needed. In my practice, this is the most widely preferred method.

I’m melting.“

For rapid, efficient and deeper fat melting, there are devices employing high-intensity ultrasound energy. These devices also require only one session per area and can be very effective. The downside to this technology is that the extreme heat and depth of penetration of high intensity ultrasound causes this to be one of the more painful procedures.

Patients often need medication for sedation to deal with the pain and soreness, bruising and swelling for several days are to be expected.

Lyposonics is the brand name of the most popular of ultrasound devices.

Radiofrequency devices make up the last category of fat dissolving technologies currently available. Like focused ultrasound devices, they also work by heating up fat cells to induce apoptosis (cellular destruction).

Radio waves heat the tissues more gently than high intensity ultrasound so they are much more comfortable, however, more treatments per area are needed for a result. Various radiofrequency devices exist on the market.

Monopolar devices, like Thermage or Exilis, are effective as they allow the energy to travel in a focused manner. They can penetrate to a depth of about one inch so they reach the fat but can also give some skin tightening effect. Discomfort can be experienced during a treatment. Bipolar devices, on the other hand, generally do not penetrate deep enough to be useful for fat melting and are thus generally only applicable for skin tightening procedures.

Ultimately, the decision of which device to choose comes down to an analysis of lifestyle and the variables mentioned above. Fat melting can be done fast and hard if one’s tolerance for pain is high, or it can be done low and slow if one is not in a rush and prefers total comfort.

Ultrasound devices are painful but rapidly effective. Cryotherapy works well for more limited area bulges. Radiofrequency devices, especially Vanquish, are the most comfortable and appropriate for large areas, though time may need to be factored.

In closing, I feel that as a surgeon, I would be remiss in not mentioning laser assisted liposuction as the gold standard in body contouring. Of course it is a surgical procedure but, in excellent hands, the results of surgical shaping and fat reduction are far superior to any that are done non-invasively. I will admit there is a tiny bit more expense and it may be perceived as more daunting. Above all else, adopting a healthy lifestyle of proper nutrition and exercise will always ensure optimal long term results from any surgical or non-surgical intervention.

Plastic surgeon Scott Wells, M.D. has been located in the heart of Manhattan’s Upper East Side for nearly 20 years. He is seasoned in traditional plastic surgery as well as in the newest high-tech bio-restorative techniques. A leading authority in facial rejuvenation, Dr. Wells’ unique and knowledgeable approach to lasting beauty through a combination of surgical and non-surgical disciplines sets him apart in the field of aesthetic rejuvenation. Dr. Wells currently serves as medical director of The Skin Gem Maintenance Spa and the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Center. He is available for consultation by private appointment. Visit www.scottwellsmd.com.

June 2014 | 47

design

25A

the homeof your Dreams with a backyard resort

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Entry Foyer

W

ith its stately proportions, this 12,000-square-foot brick classic residence is filled with unique entertaining features. The home was designed with spaces in mind that are functional and beautiful to entertain adults, children and pets. The owners created, captured and continued a sense of excitement of being together in a place where each member of the family and their friends could gather and connect to enjoy indoor and outdoor fun all year around.

One of the great features of this home is its flow.

The property sits on a fantastic location within the Village of Old Brookville and is quite cloistered. Accessed from a long private drive and brick pillars, this elegant home is the epitome of true luxury.

One of the great features of this home is its flow. The dramatic two-story foyer entrance is grand and welcoming. Each first floor room is connected but can instantly be secluded by closing a door. The interior finishes include 10-foot ceilings, marble floors, mahogany doors and trim, Brazilian cherry wood floors, a custom-made mahogany wet bar in the family den which

opens to the breakfast room, and a top-of-the-line kitchen with Viking appliances, great for casual entertaining.

The house also features designer baths and a lavish master suite with an Onyx spa bath. All bedrooms have en suite bathrooms and there is an additional two-room guest suite on the second floor.

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Kitchen

Formal Living Room

A Runco professional movie theater with the

latest technology, including Dining Room

surround sound,

not to mention its own

popcorn machine!

Outdoor Kitchen

The fully landscaped grounds boast attention to detail and generate an inviting and invigorating retreat with a heated Olympic-size pool and cascading fountains that are fully automated and can be controlled from a smart phone. A fully equipped pool house ensures lazy summer relaxation.

The superbly crafted structure and design takes its inspiration from vacation resort cottages that were built in the Greek Isles.

A professionally outfitted summer outdoor kitchen is equipped with refrigeration, cooking facilities and a full-size bar dressed with a granite counter finished with natural edge cuts. The bluestone patio is large enough to entertain hundreds of guests. With hidden rock speakers throughout the property and splendid outdoor lighting, guests can enjoy music and ambiance late into the night.

Pool with fountain

Wine Cellar Ultimate perfection and attention to detail went into designing the 4,000-square-foot lower level, outfitted with a well-equipped gym and a Runco professional movie theater with the latest technology, including surround sound, not to mention its own popcorn machine!

A strategically placed focal point is the wine tasting room. Inspired by Wine and Spirit magazine, it is truly every man and woman’s dream. It is the owners’ favorite place to begin entertaining VIP guests. An impressive 2,900-bottle collection of wines from around the world sparks conversation for a lifetime. This home is by far the most exquisite and original creation and use of space that will forever stay in your memory.

This impressive newly built estate is available for sale and will surely provide the next owner the satisfaction of owning a preeminent property and luxury residence on the North Shore that they can be move right into and enjoy immediately. Price upon request. Shown exclusively by Douglas Elliman’s Richard Stein (Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker) and Michael Stanco (Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker). Richard can be reached at 516.708.6001 orrichard.stein@elliman.com and Michael at 917.293.0915 or michael.stanco@elliman.com.

Movie Theater

June 2014 | 51

design

25A

Master Bedroom Design for Two

by Jody Sokol Design

D

esigning a space for two can be challenging. Home décor is a collection of furniture, art and accessories that reflects your personal style. So how do you merge different styles, pieces and personalities that create one cohesive space?

Long Island interior designer Jody Sokol of Jody Sokol Design transforms a Hamptons master bedroom with a harmonious color scheme that flows from master bathroom to master bedroom and designs a custom bed that wows both personalities to create the perfect balanced space.

Design inspiration can come from anywhere. The black and white color palette of the en suite inspired Sokol. She wanted to make sure that the master bath designed by the previous owner and bedroom would flow together harmoniously. Designing with black is a bold decision for any homeowner and some shy away from the color and play it safe. But it’s a color decision that injects a big dose of style no matter the gender. The punctuation of black throughout the room draws your attention to the

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fabrics and the accessories, which help ground your eye in a large space.

The elegant color choice directs you to the custom bed and night tables that are a dark ebony finish and were designed to be the focal point of the room.

Many people think that dark furniture can lead to a dark space and make a space feel small. However, this room gets so much natural light that Sokol kept that in mind when designing the bedroom. The cream linen drapes allow for continuous sunlight. Any color can be paired with black, but cream is a calming color palette and emphasizes the yin yang element that Sokol was striving for.

“You can use these colors in a tasteful, elegant way as long as you balance all the elements in the room” Sokol said. The blacks, grays, creams and aqua of the neck roll pop off the ebony finish of the custom bed and night tables. The cream swivel chairs and ottoman by Kravet, silk/linen rug by

Stark Carpet and throw help to bring balance to this space. When the sunlight dances off the ottoman and chairs, the room comes alive. It is a great use of light and dark colors that create a sophisticated and elegant design in this Hamptons master bedroom that pleases both personalities.

Not too feminine. Not too masculine.

Colors choices can have a big impact on how a room feels. If you’re working on merging design styles pull a space together and get creative with fabrics. To merge a space for him and her, Sokol added fabrics with texture, which can be seen in the bedding and pillows. She kept the floral to a minimum on the neck roll and tried to use modern type of fabrics, which can be seen in the coverlet. Jody purposely selected dark colors with high performance fabrics for the bedding from Robert Allen.

Sokol’s master bedroom design will inspire you to be daring with colors while keeping your partner’s design personality in mind. Create an atmosphere with a unique decor touch. Carefully selected colors, furnishings and accessories will help to transform your space into that elegant master bedroom.

For more information please visit jodysokol.com or call 516-790-5265.

At a Glance. Masters Degree (University of Texas.)

10 years SEAL Team experience. Extensive real estate experience. Pros. Trust. Committment.

Excellent follow through and really great service.

Cons. Be ready to move. Randell is all about results!

Randell Beck

Carle Place Office 356 Westbury Ave., Carle Place, NY 516.334.3606 ext.15 c.516.509.6943 randellbeck@danielgale.com

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

Douglas Manor, NY Classic historic Colonial in waterfront community. SD #26. MLS# 2662530. $3,098,000.

Ann Carlucci, 516.627.4440 ext.203, c.516.672.2023 Catherine Matteo, 516.627.4440 ext.243, c.516.313.4466

Brookville, NY SD #15. MLS# 2663742. $2,400,000.

Lois Kirschenbaum, 516.484.1800 ext.229 c.516.526.7425

Cold Spring Harbor, NY – Classic Estate CSH SD #2. MLS# 2668940. $2,875,000.

Kimberley Como, 631.692.6770 ext.231 Margy Hargraves, 631.692.6770 ext.227

Huntington, NY – Knollwood Beach Harborfields SD #6. MLS# 2657093. $615,000.

Bonnie Williamson 631.427.6600 ext.210 c.516.443.5958

Huntington, NY – Flower Hill Area SD #3. MLS# 2659754. $1,149,000.

Lee Cunningham 631.427.6600 ext.315 c.516.429.1180

Huntington Bay, NY – Waterfront Sandy Beach SD #3. MLS# 2668512. $1,850,000.

Maria Boccard 631.427.6600 ext.361 c.631.834.5713

Lattingtown, NY – Panoramic Views SD #3. MLS# 2643299. $2,795,000.

Lisbeth Finnerty, 516.759.4800 ext.172 c.516.965.3258

Laurel, NY – Waterfront Paradise SD #9. MLS# 2668244. $1,925,000.

Ellyn Finkelstein, 516.677.0030 ext.305 Patricia Cosmadelis, 631.734.5439 ext.222

Laurel Hollow, NY – Traditional Elegance CSH SD #2. MLS# 2666954. $2,499,000.

Deborah Tintle Hauser, 631.692.6770 ext.328 Margy Hargraves, 631.692.6770 ext.227

Roslyn Harbor, NY Exquisite waterfront Colonial with panoramic views and unbelievable sunsets.

SD #3. MLS# 2666035. $3,100,000.

Marilyn R. Jenney, 516.759.6822, ext.107, c.516.236.4278

Inc. Village of Lloyd Harbor, NY CSH SD #2. MLS# 2642554. $1,299,000.

Ruth Vago 631.427.6600 ext.214 c.631.379.1679

Lloyd Harbor, NY – Elegant Estate CSH SD #2. MLS# 2630244. $2,899,000.

Maria Boccard 631.427.6600 ext.361 c.631. 834.5713

Manhasset, NY SD #6. MLS# 2665970. $1,625,000.

Annie Holdreith, 516.627.4440 ext.372 c.516.509.4082

Manhasset, NY SD #6. MLS# 2655881. $3,999,000.

Deirdre O’Connell, 516.627.4440 ext.360 c.516.532.9736

Each office is independently owned and operated. We are pledged to provide equal opportunity for housing to any prospective customer or client, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.

danielgale.com

Port Washington, NY Vintage classic Colonial offers timeless elegance and ageless beauty. SD #4. MLS# 2666304. $999,000.

Anne Arter, 516.883.2900 ext.111, c.516.639.4448

Manhasset, NY SD #6. MLS# 2646885. $1,819,000.

Ann Carlucci, 516.627.4440 ext.203 c.516.672.2023

Muttontown, NY SD #15. MLS# 2654117. $2,575,000.

Lois Kirschenbaum, 516.484.1800 ext.229 c.516.526.7425

Muttontown, NY – “Hunter Acres” SD #3. MLS# 2658506. $2,988,888.

Eloise Halpern, 516.759.4800 ext.128 c.516.455.8187

Matinecock, NY – Stunning Brick Colonial SD #3. MLS# 2657905. $2,349,000.

Eloise Halpern, 516.759.4800 ext.128 Geraldine White, 516.759.4800 ext.139

Nissequogue, NY SD #1. ML#2656484. $7,950,000.

Marianne J. Koke, 631.584.6600 ext.206 c.631.335.7111

Northport Village, NY – Historic Gem SD #4. MLS# 2665423. $779,000.

Holly Newme, 631.754.3400 ext.205 c.631.742.1256

Old Brookville, NY – Exquisite SD #1. MLS# 2664201. $2,299,000.

MaryAnn Iannello Clara, 516.677.0030 ext.335 c.516.314.4322

Old Westbury, NY SD #15. MLS# 2661290. $3,800,000.

Ellen Zipes, 516.626.7600 ext.15 Jared Zipes, 516.626.7600 ext.16

Sea Cliff, NY Original Gold Coast Mansion tucked away in Victorian Village near beach and marina.

SD #1. MLS# 2670165. $2,698,000.

Marilyn R. Jenney, 516.759.6822, ext.107, c.516.236.4278

Old Westbury, NY SD #15. MLS# 2664407. $2,850,000.

Ellen Zipes, 516.626.7600 ext.15 Jared Zipes, 516.626.7600 ext.16

Old Westbury, NY SD #2. MLS# 2634642. $2,500,000.

Ellen Zipes, 516.626.7600 ext.15 Jared Zipes, 516.626.7600 ext.16

Port Washington, NY – Beacon Hill SD #4. MLS# 2621638. $1,299,000.

Diane Goetze, 516.883.2900 ext.166 c.917.940.4621

Sands Point, NY SD #4. MLS# 2618327. $2,795,000.

Yvonne J. (Bonnie) Doran, 516.627.4440 ext.222, c.516.729.5663

Each office is independently owned and operated. We are pledged to provide equal opportunity for housing to any prospective customer or client, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.

BIG DADDY & GARY MELIUS Helping others through the Big Daddy Celebrity Golf Classic at Oheka

by Cindy Habberstad, Photo by Neil Tandy

I

t’s funny how life works. I’ve always been the person people come to for protection. Big Daddy, Richard Salgado – the insurance guy. As a University of Maryland offensive lineman I kept 300-pound goons off my quarterback. In the business world, I founded Coastal Advisors LLC, an insurance company that safeguards the lives of more than 300 athletes, performers and CEOs.

I’ve been a pretty tough guy all my life. And I’ve always worked hard to prepare and protect people through my business. But no one is bulletproof.

But when I got up on that stage to thank everyone who contributed to making my charity a success, I broke down. I was in tears as I thanked my girlfriend Nancy Knapp, who was at my side every day for months after I came out of surgery.

But one day in September 2008 everything turned upside down. I got a relentless earache. My doctor told me to get an MRI. They found a massive aneurysm. One of the biggest they’d ever seen. Now I was the one who desperately needed help.

After 8½ hours of surgery and 85 staples, I was aneurysm free! I walked out of the hospital eight days later, elated. So happy just to be alive.

That’s when it hit me. I’d always gotten involved in my clients’ charities and foundations. But I wanted to organize something myself. I wanted to give back to the wonderful doctors who saved me. To the hospital that cared for me. And to the folks I met while convalescing, who, like me, had their world turned upside down in just one instant.

So I reached out to Bob Broderick at RTB Media LLC who handles my PR and we cooked up the Big Daddy Celebrity Golf Classic at the beautiful Oheka Castle in Huntington, NY.

The first year was amazing. We organized the event in four months flat.

Gary Melius, the owner of Oheka Castle, opened his doors to us. Justin Tuck and Michael Strahan signed on, along with 150 other celebrities and golfers.

That first year we raised over six figures for local Long Island charities, primarily to benefit the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health Brain Aneurysm Center at Cushing Neuroscience Institute in Manhasset, NY. 56 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

The success of the The Big Daddy Celebrity Golf Classic has been unbelievable these past three years. It’s grown so big it’s now a 12-month operation working with our great title sponsors that include Pernod-Ricard, Nike, Delta, Arizona Iced Tea, Anheuser-Busch and The Hain-Celestial Group. In just our second year we raised more than $1 million for the The Long Island Children’s Museum. I just wish we could build another 18 holes next to the 18 that are already there. We could fill them all up in a heartbeat.

This year we are supporting the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and the Health and Humanitarian Aid Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to providing aid to people affected by famine, poverty and disaster in Ghana.

Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck will be on hand again, along with Melissa Joan Hart, Marshall Faulk and many others.

But I’ve got to tell you one of my best memories ever. Who can say that they had a Super Bowl-winning NFL coach (Brian Billick) at their charity golf outing — not playing golf at all — but driving the beer cart making sure everyone had an ice cold drink. Now that’s the ultimate co-host!

I encourage everyone to visit www.bigdaddygolfclassic.com to attend or in some way become a part of our event.

Gary Melius with Richard “Big Daddy” Salgado

June 2014 | 57

Man with a Mission Associate Real Estate Broker Randell Beck

By Melissa Argueta

Seeing a mission through to completion is something licensed associate real estate broker Randell Beck knows how to do better than most.

Growing up in oil country, the native Texan recalls his fun childhood days spent working on farms and cattle ranches. In the summers, he would rope calves in the rodeo arenas with his uncle, who was a Texas Appaloosa horse breeder.

58 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

As a young man, Beck’s ability to stay mission-focused developed when he joined the Navy. One of his many jobs was constructing buildings, and that experience planted the seed for his real estate aspirations. As a former Naval Surface Warfare Officer and an Assault Craft Commander, Beck was also responsible for running a squadron of speedboats full of Navy SEAL assault teams to be deployed to ship or shore. “While I was

in the Navy, I was part of the Research and Development Team at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group that developed the Sea Lion assault craft, which is a stealth speedboat that the Navy SEALs use,” he explained.

After leaving the Navy, Beck earned an MBA in real estate from the University of Texas. Soon after, he decided to make real estate his full-time occupation and became involved in numerous development and construction projects, as well as residential, commercial and investment sales.

After 20 years working in the industry, Beck credits his extensive training in the military for his success. “There is a mission focus that I bring to business. And because as an officer, I would be in charge of large groups of people, whether it was on a ship or an assault team or whatever, I am very good at handling responsibility and thinking through complex processes in a strategic way.”

associate real estate broker based out of Daniel Gale’s Carle Place/Westbury office, Beck has become an expert on the Long Island real estate market — from buying and selling apartment buildings and vineyards to commercial properties and homes. He emphasizes the importance of carefully tailoring and marketing properties to suit buyers’ and sellers’ individual needs. “When you list with me and Daniel Gale, your house is on 30-plus websites. It’s massive exposure and marketing,” Beck explained.

“Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International has one of the best programs to meet people’s needs through its market presence.”

In order to provide the highest level of customer service to his clients, Beck, who carries three computers with him on any given day, says it’s important to stay technologically connected and available at all times. “It’s more than being reachable, though. You can reach any realtor

“Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International has one of the best programs to meet people’s needs through their market presence.”

— Randell Beck A key figure in land investment and development in Austin, Texas, Beck gained valuable experience in construction, site development, finance and operations. One of his specialties is putting together partnerships to buy and operate vineyards down in Texas, where long-term returns are high. “The Texas winery industry now is where Long Island was about 25 years ago.

It’s poised to explode. The wineries sell their entire output in the state of Texas. The reason for that is they can’t satisfy the distributors to expand nationally because they can’t get enough grapes. There are only a certain amount of grapes being produced out there and they are trucking in tank trucks of grape juice from California to meet the demand,” he said.

“The Texan was recalled by the Navy for special projects and eventually moved to the East Coast, where he resides today. As a licensed

and still get a poor job done on your home or property. It’s about assessing the needs … and being very diligent to taking care of people when they are making large investments.”

According to Beck, there are a lot of buyers coming into the residential market right now, but not enough inventory. If you are thinking about selling a house, he says this is ‘a very good time.’ But can every listing really sell?

Beck emphatically says he is the man to solve the problem. “I’m constantly coming in where a house hasn’t sold and [I] apply some honest-togoodness analytics and marketing to it, list the house and get it sold. In my entire career, I’ve never had a listing expired unsold — not one time.”

Whether you are looking for a real estate broker with good old-fashioned Texas charm or 20 years of industry education and experience,

Beck brings a unique background and skillset to any real estate transaction. “I have analytic tools, marketing tools, education, service, judgment and mission focus, far ahead of the average of the real estate person,” he said. “My clients don’t wait around to hear from me. And they don’t get generalities; we work with reality.” As the top sales agent at Pointe West Real Estate, Beck closed more than 60 transactions per year.

A resident of Nassau County, Beck lives with his wife in a century-old English country home that he renovated himself. In the Navy, Beck was named the recipient of the Joint Service Commendation Medal for outstanding performance. He enjoys giving back and is proud to be involved with the Gift of Life, a local charitable organization. An avid horseman and dog enthusiast, he is a member of the council at the Life Lutheran Church, and enjoys competitive trap and skeet shooting. He is also vice president of the Long Island/Gold Coast Vintagers.

Randell Beck, Associate Real Estate Broker Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty Carle Place/Westbury Office 356 Westbury Avenue Carle Place, NY 11514 516.334.3606, ext.15 c. 516.509.6943 randellbeck@danielgale.com

June 2014 | 59

features

25A

DEFINING SUCCE$$

By Professor Jack K. Mandel

W

hether it pertains to your business, profession or personal life, there is a key word that always plays a pivotal role in an individual’s success: negotiation.

As a college professor, each semester I find students trying to negotiate a variety of things with me. I find it very rude to have students texting during my lectures and I do not allow it. They want to know why. I set an attendance policy of four absences or a student is withdrawn. Again, they want to know why.

Why? My classroom – my rules! That’s why.

For 25A readers who have children at home, I am certain you negotiate daily about chores, computer use and/or TV time. And I seriously doubt that any employee ever stops negotiating with his/her supervisor or boss for a yearly raise or promotion in the workplace. It’s a part of life.

What I find interesting is how some of us are far more successful than others in the fine art of negotiating. Remember – it’s not like there are a set of guidelines to follow.

Take sports, any sport. Be it basketball, football or soccer, a distinct set of rules always exist, leaving little room for error. Umpires or referees interpret the rules regarding the particular game

60 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

in play. And although mistakes can be made, what constitutes fair or foul team play is not difficult to accept (in most cases) by players and fans

tantrum, their parent will give in. Some parents have to learn the hard way to stick to their guns about difficult decisions. Because, in fact, age does not matter in the negotiation process.

But in the ‘game of real life,’ there are many subtle and not so subtle methods to communicate information to others around us.

Negotiations can be verbal and non-verbal. I used to think that individuals who ‘talk the talk’ most loudly were bullying others. Now I am not so sure. Maybe it’s the other way around.

When I define success, I realize that those of us who are flexible, forgiving and understanding usually come out on top.

Sometimes people who say less achieve more.

What about the person who doesn’t accept your text or phone call? What about a person who cancels an appointment with you 15 minutes before a scheduled meeting? A rather telling tactic, I would think.

After 35 years of teaching and consulting I have learned that business negotiation is not a perfect science. Many times the outcome is not as expected or desired. There is no simple concept of one person being a winner while the other is a loser.

I like to think that both parties involved know that success can be fostered on many fronts.

Every negotiation can improve your skills as you move forward. Think of how many young children learn that if they scream or have a

And please remember the old adage ‘If you fail to plan, you are actually planning to fail.’

Always have a strategy, focus and be ready to implement what is fair and just for all parties concerned.

Do you have anything you wish to share about your business journey? Please email your thoughts to me at jack@25Amagazine.com.

Enjoy Life’s Simple Pleasures

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features

25A

PEMBROKE PEMBROKE Story and Photos by Monica Randall

Arial of the main house and attached palm conservatory.

O

nce upon a time there was a place of magic and mystery that overlooked Hempstead Harbor in Glen Cove. For little more than half a century Pembroke stood tall like some mythical mirage amidst its 68 acres of well-tended formal gardens. It may have been the third largest home in America but that’s subject to debate. Still, its monolithic façade sprawled along the shoreline some

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600 feet and could only be photographed in sections. Sneaking over there as a teenager to capture it on film, I found it was no match for my humble Rolliflex box camera. It would be some time before I discovered airplanes as the only way to do justice to those massive abodes.

Pembroke was perhaps the most exciting property to go trespassing on during the ’60s.

There were so many wild rumors about the place you didn’t know what to believe. According to

locals, there wasn’t a Hollywood movie star who hadn’t spent the night there or fallen drunk into the pool at some point. Everyone knew that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton spent their honeymoon in the beach house in 1964 after they fell in love on the set of Cleopatra. Some years back a fisherman claimed to have seen a body or two fished out of a tunnel on the estate, the result of a gangland shooting going back to the days of Prohibition.

name DeLamar which means ‘from the sea’ in Italian. He spent his time on huge fishing vessels and visited all the ports of the world.

As a young man he began salvaging gold from shipwrecks, making millions. By the time he came to America during the late 1870s, he invested his money in gold claims in Leadville mines, making him even more millions.

Interior of the palm court showing the grotto, waterfall, and Tiffany globe hanging from the ceiling.

There was only one elderly caretaker living in a rundown cottage off the premises, which made the estate an easy target for Gold Coast ruin worshipers, and what a ruin it was.

Abandoned since the ’50s, vandals had long since broken open the tall glass doors to the palm conservatory that stretched the length of a football field. The all-glass ceiling in the center rose up 60 feet from a tropical rain forest that housed a huge indoor swimming pool studded with 14 karat gold and lapis blue tiles.

A suspended bridge of ornamental bronze led to a gazebo that appeared to float in the center.

Its roof glistened with colorful Tiffany glass panels. At one time hundreds of palm trees and exotic flowering orchids filled the room with an intoxicating scent. Lemons, oranges and grapefruit flourished in the orangery wing, as desert cacti plants filled another. At the far end of the north wing, a mysterious cave and grotto lagoon made of stalactites created a fantasy backdrop for an alabaster nymph that rose up from the pool. The nymph and the entire room were reflected in a giant opalescent mirror that

covered the back wall. One of the weirder things about the place was that if you stood inside the cave and called forth its ghosts, your voice would echo hauntingly for a long time before fading away.

So who was the mastermind of this place of dreams?

Captain DeLamar Captain Joseph DeLamar was one of those mythical figures whose life story should have been made into a Hollywood movie by now.

But for all their high-tech set design tricks, they could never capture the full scope and breath of the dazzling kingdom DeLamar created.

According to legend, as a young boy DeLamar, was the lone survivor of a shipwreck where his family was lost in the Mediterranean. Near death, he clung to a wooden barge before being rescued by Italian seamen who gave him the

DeLamar was an energetic man with boundless abilities and he entered politics and became a state senator from Idaho. At the same time he juggled being president of Dome Mines, and vice president of Delta Sugar, International Nickel and American Bank Note companies.

According to legend, DeLamar fell in love with a photograph of a beautiful young model he had seen on the cover of Redbook magazine.

He sent one of his aides to New York to find her. When she was finally located, he arranged to be formally introduced. He proposed to her on their first date. When she accepted a short time later, he built Pembroke as a wedding present. But she was said to be unhappy with the Gold Coast lifestyle and soon ran off with the chauffeur.

Though a quiet man by nature, DeLamar’s lavish parties and celebrity-filled costume balls lasted all weekend. Ziegfeld girls danced through the halls and dove off the balcony into the indoor pool that was rumored to be laced with highpriced gin. Colorful paper lanterns were decked from the 30-foot palm trees in the all-glass court.

Dozens of tropical mynah birds, parrots and cockatoos that DeLamar collected on his many travels were said to speak several languages. A caretaker on the estate once told me that one macaw, Pocco, brought over from Italy, would seductively purr ‘bella signora’ to any lady guest walking by. DeLamar was still fine-tuning his palace when in 1918 he died at the age of 75 following complications from abdominal surgery.

The house stood empty for some time.

June 2014 | 65

features

25A Marcus Loew In the early1920s, the estate caught the eye of Hollywood mogul Marcus Loew, a self-made man who controlled most of the movie industry.

Not only did he produce many of the films with his partner Adolf Zuker, they owned more than 400 theaters where the films were screened all across America. They used the estate as a backdrop for several films including A Society Scandal.

The stone dock where Captain DeLamar moured his huge yacht.

Pembroke, showing the glass conservatory and theater looking south.

66 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

With the profits, he bought a huge yacht to moor at his 300-foot dock, and named the yacht Caroline after his wife. Loew was said to be a modest man who was loved by everyone.

He took delight in the wonders of his new home and never tired of giving tours to an ongoing list of celebrities. One night, silent film star Buster Keaton climbed to the top of the grotto cave in the palm court, then turned a knob at the top. He screamed with delight as water began gushing down the sides, causing him to tumble into the pool – soaking wet. Another noted guest, Mae West, is said to have fallen into the pool in a silver and fox-trimmed gown. Italian heartthrob Rudolph Valentino started out as one of DeLamar’s gardeners on the estate, but he was also an accomplished tango dancer. Sometime later, Loew is said to have recognized that spark of mysterious, forbidden eroticism about him and featured him in his early films. After starring in The Sheik in 1921, Valentino became the first matinee idol who caused women to faint in the aisles. Several obsessed fans were said to have committed suicide after hearing of Valentino’s sudden death from a bleeding ulcer in 1926.

Loew, like his fictitious neighbor Jay Gatsby across the bay, invited everyone to his fabled home. At one point an anonymous reporter who visited wrote, “It was a dream of gorgeousness, a magnificent, eye-filling, incredible mélange

Photo: Glen Cove Historical Society The neo-classic bath house with its upper deck for dancing was located on the beach.

in which the glories of Versailles and the Paris Opera House were all rolled into one.�

One entered the main house through a vast marble vestibule where the main floor rooms were remincent of the grand old movie palaces.

There was a marble goldfish-filled fountain in the hall, imported tapestries, oversized gilt thrones and a massive Renaissance mantel dominating the main parlor. In the north wing there was an unusual French breakfast room decorated with ornate trellises set off against mirrored panels.

An elaborate electrical system was designed to illuminate the palm court and pool at night. From the Long Island Sound it shone like a blazing diamond against the black sky. Upstairs all the bedrooms and baths were furnished with solid gold fixtures. Loew never stopped working or obsessing on the running of his movie empire, and with more than 8,000 men depending on him for their livelihoods, the stress and worry is believed to have brought about his early demise. In 1927 he died of a heart attack at

the age of 57. Thousands attended his funeral, with 200 cars carrying floral tributes. Among the pallbearers were William Randolph Hearst, Cecil B. DeMille, Joseph P. Kennedy and D.W. Griffith, to name a few.

After the funeral, his son Arthur Loew took over the running of Pembroke and continued the tradition of entertaining on a grand scale. At weekend parties some of the guests included Cary Grant, who liked to play ping-pong with the butler in the glassed-in loggia. Zsa Zsa Gabor often arrived with an armload of white poodles.

Bette Davis played cards with Gregory Peck, Douglas Fairbanks and Groucho Marx, who also had an estate in nearby Great Neck. Guests were often exhausted with all the activities their host had planned for them during their stay.

There was an indoor tennis court, stables filled with fine horses, speedboats and yachts for jaunts along the Long Island Sound, and a man-made lake with a rowboat in the Japanese garden. On the water’s edge there was a huge

neo-classic bathing cabana with a jade fireplace and a second floor garden terrace for dancing on warm summer evenings. In the main house, below the palm conservatory, there was a fullscale movie theater with more than 400 red velvet seats and gold-fringed drapes on the stage. The walls were painted with scenes from the old silent films The Sheik and Blood and Sand.

Life at Pembroke was grand while it lasted, but things were beginning to fade by the early ’50s as the new sensation of TV began to intrude on the theater industry. The cost of maintaining such a vast property became impossible and the main house was closed and boarded up.

Arthur Loew and his family moved into the beach house next to the stone dock. By that time the main gate was usually locked.

June 2014 | 67

The sprawling estate stretched over six hundred fett, as seen from the Long Island Sound.

Joe Davis In time I got to know the elderly caretaker, Joe Davis, who grew up on the estate, as his father had been head superintendent before him. Davis was tall, vigilant and weathered, as though he’d spent his life at sea. Sheltered from the modern world, he took care of whatever he felt was needed to maintain order, but even with the main house gone, it seemed to hover in his memory like an unwelcome ghost. He began sharing stories about the glory days and I began keeping a notebook to keep track of them all.

During the days of Prohibition, Davis recalled, he once saw the infamous New York gangster Waxy Gordon pull up to the dock in a speedboat full of booze along with his gun-toting henchmen. The bootlegger then realized he was at the wrong estate, turned around and sped off in search of the right one farther up the cove, probably J.P Morgan’s? In 1949, a severe hurricane hit, with

68 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

hailstones the size of silver dollars that fell from the sky like rockets, some smashing onto the glass in the palm court. Dozens of the tropical birds escaped. All the estate workers spent days driving around Glen Cove trying to round them up with huge nets.

Davis spent much of his time chasing trespassers off the beach during the summer, and while I was one of those pests, he soon realized he had a captive audience in me and he began to enjoy reliving his memories of a time that went largely unrecorded. While walking along the beach one day, Davis stopped and pointed toward the west. “That’s Heart Island out there,” he said, “Owned by the city. It’s where they bury the unclaimed dead in a potter’s field. Well, during that hurricane in ’49, the water rose six feet above normal and when it receded, a lot of those bodies washed out into the Sound.

One of them floated out here, still in its coffin, and got stuck in the rocks … dreadful business.

Finally the Coast Guard came and fished it out,” he said, staring out across the bay at Castle Gould in the distance. Without turning around he added, “We take so much for granted, the times we live in, thinking it will all go on forever.

Then you wake up one day and it’s all gone, and will never come back.”

In 1968 I drove over to the estate not having been there in more than a year and was shocked to find half of it gone. Mr. Davis was nowhere to be found that day. I arrived just as the wrecker’s ball exploded into the maze of pipes and chimes of the interior pipe organ in the main stairwell. The sound rang in the air like a steel blade smashing into a wall of glass.

There were still traces of the house in the heaps of rubble. Thousands of shattered bricks, pillars and carved moldings were entangled with long strands of vines. Twisted steel girders and broken glass doors were everywhere. The palm court had been flattened as though it had never

existed. Through the aperture of my camera I watched in horror over the next few weeks as DeLamar’s former showplace was swept into extinction. Even the Japanese garden with its charming pagoda, red wooden bridge and lake, once home to dozens of contented swans, was plowed under without leaving a trace.

Sometime during the late ’90s, the estate was turned into yet another development, though the dock and some of the outbuildings remain as part of a private club. Mr. Davis lived out his days in the stone cottage where he grew up.

Authors note: For more of Joe Davis’ stories, I devoted an entire chapter to him in my book Winfield. He was an astute observer of little known details and tantalizing nuances of an era that perhaps some of us may wish we’d been part of.

We take so much for granted, the “times we live in, thinking it will all

go on forever.

Then you wake up one day and it’s all gone, and will never come back.

“

design

25A

A N D

ArchitecturE A N D

Preservation

By Victoria Crosby Photography by Jason Feinberg, Gary Lawrance

I am heartsick as I write about the demolition of yet another Gold Coast mansion. The photos you see are not from a time past. Its from the destruction of this magnificent home only a few months ago.

Inisfada, which means Long Island in Gaelic, was also known as the St. Ignatius Retreat House. It was sold by the Jesuits to a group of developers who will presumably build smaller Mansions.

Where is the sense of history, of beauty and art, in knocking down a unique and priceless structure that cannot be replaced? A group of concerned citizens, including members of SPLIA, the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, and many residents of Manhasset tried hard to prevent this tragedy, but alas, within several months of the purchase being finalized, the wrecker’s ball demolished this magnificent mansion.

I was fortunate to have visited the mansion many times. One visit was shortly before it was demolished and I witnessed the empty room where St Genevieve’s Chapel used to be. The altar, woodwork and stained 70 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

glass windows were preserved and the Jesuits’ plan is for the chapel to be resurrected at Fordham University sometime in the future.

Some of the artifacts from Inisfada were auctioned off and some items were purchased by Martin and Millicent Carey who own, among other estates, the former Woolworth mansion in Glen Cove known as Winfield.

The Careys are lovers of art and history and appreciate the great loss that the demolition of Inisfada is to Long Island’s history.

Another history lover who purchased some items and has become a champion of Genevieve Brady, who once owned Inisfada, is Port Washington resident Chuck Idol. His interest transcends the actual building, but focuses more on the history and legacy that Mrs. Brady left to Long Island and the world. With her influence and financial support, she was responsible for Marie Curie’s scientific research that led to X-ray technology. Mr. Idol has researched and compiled a collection of old articles and photographs and developed them into a book, which is available online as an e-book or in print.

Although some preservationists feel that if this knowledge were more widespread the mansion would not have been knocked down, others feel that for the right price, no amount of historical importance will keep certain developers from demolishing history. To paraphrase what one of the nuns told me, to them it is just a building and God’s work will continue with or without it.

In contemplating what the response would have been if the Vatican was threatened with destruction, Richard Bentley, who had fought hard to preserve Inisfada, responded, “Based on the shameful Jesuit actions that focused more on cashing in their Inisfada property and a Village of North Hills Mayor Marvin Natiss, who saw no historical value in Inisfada and who chose to instead support so-called ‘progress’ of a new housing development on the land that both have led to Inisfada’s demolition, an appropriate answer to your question is: It could depend on how much money the Jesuits are able to sell the Vatican property for.”

Donald Trump was a perfect example of how finances overshadow historic and artistic importance when in 1980 he demolished the Bonwit Teller building on Fifth Avenue to build a tall tower with his name on it.

Although preservationists tried to save the art deco bas-relief on the outside of the building, and Trump had at one time said he would donate them to a museum, he ultimately found it too costly to preserve them, so they were destroyed.

There is some good news regarding an historic mansion in England.

Wentworth, the great country estate in Yorkshire that Catherine Bailey wrote about in her book Black Diamonds and I reviewed in 25A magazine’s January/February issue, was purchased by British architect Clifford Newbold in 1999 for £1.5 million, or about $2.5 million, from the previous owners. Perhaps the need for such extensive renovations scared many potential buyers away, as the price for the mansion and property seems like a bargain to me compared to $39 million for Inisfada, which was in

great shape in comparison, and yet they still demolished it. Newbold, his wife and their three sons, Paul, Marcus and Giles, are in the process of restoring the building with the goal of eventually opening it to the public. Since much of the surrounding property was strip-mined, there is structural damage to parts of the house, in addition to it standing empty and boarded up for a long time. An interesting footnote to this is that Inisfada sold for $39 million and was demolished, although of course it’s historic value, the art and architecture of Inisfada was priceless.

Many Glen Cove mansions still stand, yet many were demolished to make way for houses, including Pembroke, as chronicled in Monica Randall’s books and previous article in 25A, and by Gary Lawrance on his website, Mansions of the Gilded Age (garylawrance.blogspot.com).

While it is understandable the cost of owning, maintaining, renovating and restoring some of our historic mansions is not as easy financially today as it was for the people who built them, I think we all share the same hollow feeling when we see part of our unique history disappear and often without a trace. We are fortune to live in an area that has consistently made history and it is our duty to help preserve it.

June 2014 | 71

American Car Wash

SPARKLES

in Roslyn

By Melissa Argueta Photography by Benno Klandt

W

ashing cars has been a proud American tradition ever since they were invented. What many people may not know is that 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the world’s first ‘process line’ professional car wash. Developed in the Motor City in 1914, the ‘automobile laundry’ has expanded into a global phenomenon with more than 150,000 retail car washes worldwide, according to the International Car Wash Association.

“ to environmentally Taking an innovative approach

sustainability practices, American Car Wash

is proud to be one of the only

green

car washes on Long Island.

“

Today’s savvy consumers understand that professional car wash services not only protect vehicles but also increase their value and appearance. At American Car Wash in Roslyn, the traditional car washing experience has been reinvented on an extraordinary level. Since first opening in May 2010, managing partners and real estate developers Janet and Heskel Elias have built a loyal following of satisfied customers who enjoy having a clean, high-quality and environmentally friendly car wash, along with a convenient one-stop retail shopping experience. “Every car here is a Rolls-Royce to us. We treat our customers with the common courtesy that they deserve,” the owners explain.

72 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

When your car pulls into American Car Wash, a greeter carrying a wireless hand-held computer walks the line of cars to help you select the proper service you need and scans your license plate for faster processing — and less time spent waiting in line. Staffed with 30 employees on busy days, the facility can service up to 100 cars per hour, so no single car is left waiting on the street. Whether you want a full-service Platinum Wash, Gold Wash, Silver Wash, Simoniz High Gloss Hot Wax, or the Early Bird Special (Monday to Friday, 7 – 10 a.m.), American Car Wash offers a complete menu of car washing services and detailing services that will fit all your car care needs.

With more than 30 closed circuit TV cameras recording at all times, customers can rest assured that American Car Wash is watching out for the safety and security of each and every car. Step inside and you are bound to be impressed by the pristine surroundings. Tastefully decorated to reflect each holiday and season, the comfortable waiting room offers an ample seating area fitted with a TV and the latest financial magazines and popular newspapers to read while you wait for your car. Busy parents can bring the kids to have fun in the designated play area or get a free coloring book to draw in. Additional amenities further enhance the overall customer service experience, such as the complimentary tea and coffee bar — with more than 18 selections — and immaculately kept ladies’ and men’s rooms.

If you love to shop for hard-to-find books and unique items, American Car Wash’s high-end retail store is fully stocked with snacks, sodas, ice cream, greeting cards, products for pets, floats, gift items and much more. Janet, a full-time technology teacher in the field of education for 20 years, is passionate about offering her customers the highest

lated from the roof and our final rinse is done with fresh water,” Heskel said. “Our conveyer system is unlike that of many other car washes because it pushes cars rather than pulls them.

This generates a great benefit because, unlike systems that pull cars, systems that push cars require less energy and do not destroy the car’s wheel balance.”

cording to the owners, this ensures a better quality wash and allows for the car to still be washed properly in the event that certain equipment experiences a mechanical failure. In addition, the car wash’s state-of-the-art detailing center has its own cooling and heating area to keep employees and vehicles comfortable for optimal results.

American Car Wash has also installed many skylights in the tunnel, walkway and detail cencommon courtesy ter to increase natural light and save power during the day. In addition, the facility has a radiant that they deserve. heating system underground at the entrance and exit that is powered by a boiler that heats quality merchandise that parents and grand- antifreeze. “As a result, we do not need to use parents will treasure. This includes an expan- salt to melt snow. This process is better for sive collection of educational toys for children the environment and prevents customers from to keep them occupied while taking road trips dragging back salt into their clean cars from the or airplane trips with their families. “We’re proud bottom of their shoes,” the owners explain. to be a great resource for educational toys and learning toys for children that engage and en- For many aspects of the car washing process, tertain. If you purchase a toy at American Car American Car Wash has double the equipment, Wash, we guarantee that your children will which is enough for two car wash facilities. Aclearn— and have fun— while they play,” Janet remarked.

As a proud supporter of local community charities and organizations, American Car Wash offers a variety of discounts for seniors, students, teachers and law enforcement employees.

Open seven days a week, customers can purchase prepaid washes that can be used by any family member. Also, be sure to ask the front desk about getting a free club member gold card to automatically receive your seventh car wash free. Visit American Car Wash’s Facebook page to receive the latest coupons, contests and promotions all year long.

Every car here is a

Rolls-Royce to us.

We treat our customers with the

Taking an innovative approach to environmental sustainability practices, American Car Wash is proud to be one of the only green car washes on Long Island. A registered WaterSavers car wash facility that uses brand name natural cleaning products, American Car Wash recycles its water through a very sophisticated purifying system, which includes four underground tanks that can hold more than 40,000 gallons of water. “Our process utilizes rain water accumu-

American Car Wash 1035 Northern Boulevard, Roslyn, New York 11576 516.627.5555 www.myamericancarwash.com facebook.com/American Car Wash

68

Inside the 68

th

Tony Award

Nominations

By Iris Wiener

T

he Tony nominations are occasionally the beginning of a predictable race, but the 68 th annual awards to honor the best in the business of Broadway is definitely not one of them. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder leads with ten nominations, including a nod for Best Musical and three acting nods, while Hedwig and the Angry Inch follows with eight nominations. Theater fans were left scratching their heads over the snubbing of stars such as Denzel Washington, Daniel Radcliffe, Michelle Williams, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, as well as the complete pass over of the huge box office hit Betrayal, mega-musical Big Fish, and creative gem First Date.

Competition in the category for Best Musical is the most intriguing. After Midnight, a song and dance compendium rather than a story with a plot, is in the running against Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which also lacks any original music (though the book and talented cast make it a rightful nominee). Aladdin features music from the Disney film, as well as original material and spectacular staging, so it makes for an interesting competitor. A Gentleman’s Guide has received excellent reviews from the critics but lacks support in enthusiastic ticket sales.

Best Revival of a Musical is a bit easier to predict. With only three nominees, Les Misérables is sure to be left ignored. The real competition here is between Hedwig and the Angry Inch 74 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

and Violet, vastly different productions in scope, but both stories of a personal struggle in finding one’s identity amid societal judgments.

The Best Play nominee choices leave little room for surprise, as Robert Schenkkan’s albeit questionably lauded three-hour LBJ piece All the Way is pitted against Act One, James Lapine’s adaptation of Moss Hart’s autobiography of the same title and Harvey Fierstein’s Casa Valentina.

The wild card slots here went to Terrence McNally’s Mothers and Sons (which has a total of two nominations) and John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar (a total of one).

The four play revivals received multiple nominations, and each could rightfully get a win: The Cripple of Inishmaan (six), A Raisin in the Sun (five), The Glass Menagerie (seven), and Twelfth Night (seven).

Only hours after receiving their exciting news, acting and creative nominees spoke with 25A about the road to the most prestigious competition in the theater industry: Anika Noni Rose (Actress in a Featured Role in a Play), on making her role as Beneatha Younger in A Raisin in the Sun original: “It’s the same challenge that you always have in making anything alive and real and bringing honesty to it and making it true. I don’t think about the fact that it’s a classic, and the fact that Diana Sands did it and that she did it in such a way that people are still saying her name. I’m thankful. We’re in the Barrymore [Theatre], which is where the play was originally done.

We’ve been blessed to walk in these people’s footsteps and to tread the same boards. I dive in.”

Danny Burstein (Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical), on taking the wellknown role of Herr Shultz in Cabaret and making it fresh: “I’m just trying to be honest with it as much as possible. I did not look at any other productions. I listened to a couple of the recordings just so I could learn the songs initially, and then I never listened to anything else. I just tried to make it my own. People are always saying to me in roles that

I’ve done revivals of, ‘It’s so different from any of the others.’ Well, I’ve never seen any of the others, on purpose. I don’t look back, and so far, so good.”

Warren Carlyle (Choreographer and Director of a Musical) on the biggest challenge in telling After Midnight’s story without a book, and entirely through song and dance: “I don’t know that it is a challenge. I think that the way I express myself most clearly is through dance. The language of music such as Duke Ellington’s is very clear, and it sounds like dialogue. I love telling stories, so the thought that I would be able to do that book through dance is really kind of fun.”

Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt (Original Score, Music and/or Lyrics) on the challenge in writing songs for two parallel stories in If/Then: “The biggest challenge was clarity and trying to write it in such a way that people knew which story was which, which story they were in, and what was going on when the stories changed. Keeping that clear was a challenge, but it was also a challenge not to be too clear so that the people who were on board and knew what was going on didn’t feel like they were being condescended to or spoon fed.”

Celia Keenan-Bolger (Actress in a Featured Role in a Play) on the most rewarding aspect of bringing Laura Wingfield to life in The Glass Menagerie: “I went to see a show a few weeks ago and there were three teenage girls that I sat next to and one of them turned to me and said, ‘The Glass Menagerie is our favorite play.’ When I was in high school I had no use for The Glass Menagerie and I think that maybe we introduced a whole new generation of young people to this amazing play. I’m so grateful on behalf of myself because it was not one of my favorite plays. In doing it, I just realized how wrong I was.”

Cabaret, photo by Joan Marcus

Nick Cordero (Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical) on what he has learned about being a performer with a uniquely tall physique through portraying Cheech in Bullets Over Broadway: “There is a place in the world of theater for everybody. Some people who are a little more the norm as far as height or appearance may work a little more often. The roles for people who are more different are few and far between, but when they come, they’re awesome. I think this role is a testament to that. I couldn’t imagine a better role in my life. Every actor’s life is a struggle, so I just say stick with it or create your own work. If it’s not out there, then get a pen and pad or a camera and do a Web series.

There are so many avenues available to you to represent yourself out there, there’s no excuse anymore.”

Turn the page for exclusive interviews with 25A’s top five must-see Tony-nominated performers, all of whom you can currently catch on Broadway.

The Glass Menagerie, photo by Michael J. Lutch

June 2014 | 75

Audra McDonald

By Iris Wiener

Best Performance by an Actress

in a Leading Role in a Play, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill

I

t came as quite a surprise for Audra McDonald when she found herself contemplating a complete embodiment of Billie Holiday for Lanie Robertson’s ode to the singer’s tragic story. “I never thought that I could play her, or capture her sound,” says McDonald, who is noted for having an impeccable soprano, while Holiday had a low, husky tone. “I knew I could work on it, I’m good at working hard at things, but I just didn’t know if I’d be successful.”

It’s safe to say that McDonald successfully portrays the singer with both compassion and intrigue, which is why she is now on the cusp of a recordbreaking sixth Tony win. “I had to make sure I inhabited her spirit and did not just do an imitation,” she says of the decision to bring Holiday to Broadway audiences. “Her vocal style is so distinctive and specific. I had to try and attempt her voice and not sing it as my voice because trying to interpret her songs with my own voice would be too disconnected.” McDonald says that during the rehearsal process there were times when she was only able to channel Holiday’s voice, while on others she was only able to find her emotional life. “The challenge was marrying the two.”

McDonald is known for choosing roles that inspire and motivate her audiences to show compassion and to contemplate their own worlds. Her portrayals of Bess in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and Ruth in A Raisin in the Sun are testaments to that fact. She admires Holiday’s story because it too has a viable message for contemporary audiences.

“If you look back during that time there was a style of singing that everybody followed,” she says of the late ’50s. “Billie Holliday just bucked the trend and said, ‘I’m going to sing like me, and nobody else.’ That’s what everybody fell for.” McDonald considers the fact that in her own memory, Holiday was the first artist who embraced her personal singularity. “That was what was special about her that nobody else had as an artist and she refused to go mainstream with it.”

McDonald can potentially make history as the Tonys’ first person to win in all four female acting categories, which is even more of a feat considering the fact that eight times each week she faces two of the most difficult practices in stage work: interacting with the audience and working with a four-legged co-star. However, she repeatedly does it with great class, and speaks very highly of the only actress who could upstage her at Circle in the Square Theatre. “Roxie doesn’t give it away, as far as her affection is concerned,” says McDonald of the Chihuahua. “You have to earn it with Roxie, so I feel quite honored that I’m in Roxie’s circle now.” Roxie may be a tough cookie, but she certainly won’t be the only one rooting for McDonald on June 8.

76 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

By Iris Wiener

Jessie Mueller

Best Performance by an Actress

in a Leading Role in a Musical, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

O “

ne of the things that attracted me to this role is that it was so intimidating!” says Jessie Mueller, who takes on the title role in the true-life story that just received seven Tony nominations.

“There’s a huge expectation attempting something like this and it’s a very hard bar to reach. I also had and have very much respect and admiration for Carole, but I never want people to feel like I’m speaking for her,” she says about the difficulty she faced in bringing the singer/ songwriter’s essence to Broadway. “This is simply my version and my interpretation of her.”

That being said, it’s this Tony nod and her boyfriend that make the ‘earth move’ under Mueller’s feet. “That song’s about rejoicing and being able to lose control in the right way and just walking down the street and feeling like things are good,” she says happily. “We know what we have with Beautiful, and we have a good thing. When other people are measuring it, it’s kind of this, that and the other. But if you take the good with it, which is that you worked hard and somebody recognized it, it’s a wonderful thing.”

Mueller states adamantly that her performance is not an impression of the icon. “She is authentic and is truly herself,” she says. “Carole doesn’t do it like anybody else and that’s why I think she stood the test of time for so many years. I knew not only that I shouldn’t do an impersonation, but that I wasn’t capable of it.”

Anyone who has seen Mueller perform knows that she is quite capable of amazing feats on stage. She received her first Tony nomination in 2012 for her supporting role in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and was lauded for her hysterical turn opposite fellow 2014 Tony nominee Andy Karl (Rocky) in The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 2013. She credits her second nod in part to the lessons she has learned from the actors with whom she has worked in the past.

“I have really learned something from each and every one of the roles I’ve done since I started doing this professionally,” she says. “People like Chita Rivera and Harry Connick, Jr. have taught me how to be gracious, but they know how to stand up for themselves when they need to. That’s something that I certainly watch and admire in other people and I’m still learning how to do. It’s important to me.”

Mueller struggles when it comes to pinpointing her favorite song in Beautiful, a show with which she has been more a part of the creative process than she ever has been in the past. “I always loved ‘It’s Too Late’ because I think it’s so brilliant,” she says. “There’s a line I get to say to Gerry Goffin in the play when I first meet him: ‘There’s so much feeling in them, but it’s put so simply.’ Certainly as I grow and I go through things in my life, the meaning of the songs take on different things, but I think anybody who’s experienced heartbreak can listen to a song like that and go, ‘Oh yeah, that’s totally it.’”

June 2014 | 77

Lena Hall

By Iris Wiener

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch

L

ena Hall’s transformation in Hedwig is so consuming that her own mother couldn’t find her on the Belasco Theatre stage.

When she finally identified Hall, who plays Hedwig’s Croatian male husband Yitzhak, she said, “My girl. She’s so handsome,” Hall laughs of her mother’s reaction to her engrossingly nuanced disguise.

It’s no surprise that Hall has been nominated for her first Tony Award, as her performance is revelatory to all audiences – even those not in her family.

Hall first auditioned for the coveted role of Neil Patrick Harris’s co-star using a video of herself in character, vehemently promoting a fake Kickstarter campaign. She speaks of the role of Yitzhak with great fondness, due in part to the fact that she has been a fan of Hedwig since it first ran offBroadway in 1998 (“My sister and I were crying and sobbing at the end of the show with our arms in the air – it was like a religious experience for us!” she laughs.)

“Yitzhak has this great talent and is amazing, but is clueless because he’s so foreign,” she says of the character who is berated repeatedly by his transgender wife. “He has a really open heart, but that really works against him because people just take advantage of him.” Though Hall’s personality is nothing like that of Yitzhak’s, she does see much of herself in the character. “Hedwig is about longing for something that you desire to be,” she says. “Yitzhak wants so badly to be in the spotlight. I constantly long for having the roles and the opportunities to really show who I am on stage and to be given the spotlight and show the world what I have bottled up inside.”

Being on stage is nothing new for Hall, whose theatrical credits include Kinky Boots, Cats, and The Toxic Avenger. Hall is also the frontwoman for The Deafening, a rock band with whom she says she gets to express herself … to a limited number of people. Yitzhak and Hedwig finally allow her the opportunity to share a large portion of herself.

That being said, portraying a man does present an interesting task for Hall.

“The biggest challenge is that you can never relax,” she says of playing someone of the opposite gender. “The minute I relax my back starts to sway, my hip goes out to the side, and then I’m a girl. I’m so aware of my body. It’s like a 100-minute dance that is constantly moving.”

Despite the added attention heaped on her due to her first Tony nomination, Hall maintains her bubbly personality and creative sense of humor. “Starting with the first preview, I had this idea that as Yitzhak I

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wanted to write Hedwig a card before every show documenting something funny that had happened to either the character or something that was relevant within the production,” she laughs of her personal ritual. “Every day I’ve been giving Neil cards that are story lines. One day I said that I went to a really big Russian therapist (which was just a scam to take my money) and the only thing he said was, ‘You no cry.’ Sometimes I’ll get a card back from Hedwig that’s always some horrible insult. It’s a fun little thing that helps me develop some stuff for myself.” Could the cards be some ideas for a Hedwig spin-off, perhaps? Hall lets the thought sink in. “Oh my god, that would be amazing!”

James Monroe Iglehart

By Iris Wiener

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical,

A

lot of Genie is me,” Iglehart says of his beloved take on the whimsical character he embodies in Aladdin. “If you look at Genie and me, he’s me with the volume turned up to about 15. He does all the things that I think about doing in real life that you technically can’t do because we’re supposed to be respectable, normal people in public! You’re not supposed to jump around and break out into song and you’re not supposed to just grab things off the wall and use them as props. That’s so me.” “

Iglehart finally gets to show every bit of his goofy, heartfelt self in the Disney classic adapted from the 1992 film. However, this is not to say that he didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve as Bobby in Memphis, a performance that put him on the map. However, in Aladdin he continually gets the rare mid-show standing ovation after his show-stopping rendition of “Friend Like Me,” leaving audiences talking Tony at intermission.

Iglehart considers how he made the character a new Broadway treasure.

“I was originally doing a lot of Robin Williams, but as we left the Seattle production, [director/choreographer] Casey Nicholaw said, ‘I want more of you in this. I want to see the James Monroe Iglehart genie. What does that look like?’” he recalls. “So I looked at videos of Cab Calloway, Fats Waller and Duke Ellington and I said, ‘What was it that made them so cool?’

There was a smoothness and a confidence that they had from the moment that they walked in the room, and the audience was theirs. Once I started emulating that, I was like, ‘Oh, Genie is mine now.’”

A man of many talents, Iglehart also raps with the freestyle hip-hop troupe Freestyle Love Supreme and is currently writing himself a one-man show based on stupid things he’s done in his own life (like being beaten up at a young age by an older girl and her gang, or trying to pick up a girl by singing Michigan J. Frog). However, one talent he only recently picked up was tap dancing, a skill with which he has become incredibly proficient throughout the process of becoming Genie. “Most of the people who tap on Broadway have been tapping since they were six,” he exclaims.

“Learning how to look like I knew what I was doing within a year before we got to Broadway was quite the challenge.”

Aladdin

Receiving his first Tony nomination has not gone to Iglehart’s head. “My cat meows at me immediately when I get home as if to say, ‘Daddy, you’ve been gone all day, I don’t care who cheered for you, feed me now,’ he laughs. “My wonderful and beautiful wife also keeps me grounded. She’s like, ‘You’re Tony nominated! There’s still dishes in the sink.’ Well, we’ve crumpled that real quick!” But Iglehart does like to consider what he would like to do now that he has conquered his dream of being a Disney character on Broadway. “I would love to go to London to see theater but more importantly I want to go to the Tokyo Dome in Japan, eat sushi and watch professional wrestling,” he says of his own fantasy destination, à la Genie’s dream of visiting Hawaii. “Plus, they do have a Japanese Disney.

I’d love to go there!”

Tony Shalhoub

By Iris Wiener

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, Act One

S

halhoub confesses that when it comes to Act One, James Lapine’s adaptation of playwright Moss Hart’s memoir, there is one line that reflects his own feelings for the art of theater. “I say it at the top of the show. ‘Theater is not so much a profession as a disease,’” Shalhoub laughs softly as he considers the factors that regularly draw him to the stage. “In the play, Hart says, ‘After seeing his first play at a very early age, it was the beginning of a lifelong infection.’ There’s a lot of fun and glamour attached to it all, but the process can be torturous!”

The fun aspect to which Shalhoub refers is most likely the act of being nominated for Tony Awards, as he is now celebrating his third nomination for the three real-life characters he portrays in Act One: Moss Hart, Barnett Hart (Moss’ father) and playwright George S. Kaufman (Moss’ mentor and collaborator). As for the torturous part? “We all have a certain level of insecurity about our own work, whether we’re going to be able to succeed and if we succeed, if we’re going to be able to sustain that,” he says.

“These things are just ever-present in this kind of work.”

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Tony Shalhoub in Act One. Photo by Joan Marcus Despite his insecurities (and the fact that he is forced to give himself daily workouts through quick climbs on a long staircase throughout the play), Shalhoub was easily drawn to the story. “What spoke to me was the fact that it’s about the world of the theater and the people who are stage struck,” he says. “That right there takes a certain kind of obsessive quality. Though Moss Hart wasn’t OCD, he did obsess over his work and he was a driven perfectionist. Whether you want to interpret that drive as raw ambition or whether it has more to do with an inner mechanism, it becomes a compulsion to do this kind of work and to succeed at it.”

Shalhoub’s turn as the obsessive-compulsive George S. Kaufman has raised comparisons to a certain obsessive-compulsive detective he portrayed on the small screen for eight seasons. “There’s a crossover to the Monk character that I played, so people ask me, ‘Is that something the director or writer put in? Is that a choice you made?’” he laughs. “The fact is that it’s just a coincidence. Long before Adrian Monk was born, everything indicates that George S. Kaufman was suffering from OCD.”

Shalhoub jokingly remarks that when it comes to his own life, he is equally as talented at playing a man with OCD.

That quality may have been an advantage when it came to researching the people he would be re-creating at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater. “I got some audio on Moss Hart, and there’s also a ’50s television interview Edward R. Murrow did on Person to Person,” he says of his audio and visual preparation. “I had a little bit of Kaufman later in his life when he was on the game show This Is Show Business. There are only four or five clips of those, so I just tried to read as much as I could and watch as much as I could get my hands on.”

Shalhoub says that a challenge in playing real people is the struggle to be true to the character while not commenting on it. “You can’t editorialize your own feelings or impressions of the person, but you just have to trust that if you’re true to what he is and what he does, it will best serve the material,” he says in a moment of reflection. “I try not to form too many strong opinions of the people I play, especially if they’re real life people. You want to make sure that you’re not turning them into a caricature. There’s also the challenge of trying to bring something fresh to it.”

No one would accuse the seasoned actor of not bringing something original to each of his roles. A professional stage thespian for years after graduating from the masters program at the Yale School of Drama in 1980, he landed his breakout role as Antonio Scarpacci on television’s Wings in 1991. He went on to receive his first Tony nod in 1992 for Conversations with My Father, and his second for Golden Boy just last year. Along the way Shalhoub has also racked up three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work on Monk, and has starred in a seemingly endless list of films (Galaxy Quest, Men in Black II).

Tony Shalhoub in Act One. Photo by Joan Marcus

Between his long career in entertainment and his chaotic childhood as one of ten siblings (“We’d perform little skits for each other – we always had built-in audiences, I guess”), one might wonder when he will follow in the footsteps of Moss Hart by writing his own autobiography. “I’ve been thinking about that, just kind of going back and picking through my experiences to see what they look like on paper,” he says. “I think that might be interesting.” In that case, if someone were to attempt to portray Tony Shalhoub, what would be the most challenging aspect of the role for the lucky actor? “They would struggle to keep themselves sane!” he says, laughing sheepishly. “I think playing me would be a little maddening, really.

I’m a little all over the map. I have to keep talking myself off ledges.”

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celeb

25A Zach Braff

Gets His First Shot at

Broadway T

By Iris Wiener

hroughout the creation of Bullets Over Broadway, Zach Braff found himself cheerfully overwhelmed at the fact that he was living his dream of being on Broadway. After all, there’s quite a lot of pressure on you when you’re making your Broadway and musical debut with seasoned talents ranging from Tony-winning director/ choreographer Susan Stroman to Tony nominee Marin Mazzie. Don’t forget the small fact that Woody Allen wrote the book for Bullets Over Broadway, which just received six Tony nominations … and is also based on Allen’s own film.

“I feel really lucky to be working on Broadway,” the actor says, immediately humble when contemplating his current spot on one of the most coveted stages in the world. “It was a childhood dream of mine, so to be doing it is very surreal, and I just feel very grateful.”

Braff, who is most well known for his role as Dr. John Dorian on Scrubs, is also a director and playwright. In fact, his 2011 play, All New People, saw a successful run off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre. Ironically, in Bullets Braff is portraying a playwright struggling with maintaining his creative freedom.

“The similarities between myself and [my character] David Shayne are very bizarre, especially because I just made a film [Wish I Was Here] and crowdfunded it with the mantra of ‘Help me make a film with no compromise,’” Braff says. “This entire play is about artists’ struggles to make things without compromise. In fact, all but one artist in Woody’s book compromises at some point, so obviously Woody Allen is making a statement on all that. I realized when I was a playwright at Second Stage that in any art form, trying to get what’s in your brain to the audience without it being messed up by someone or something is a great challenge.”

Set in 1929, Bullets is the story of David Shayne, a playwright with dreams of bringing his own work to the bright lights and big city. He manages to find a backer for his play (Vincent Pastore), only to discover that his financier is actually a mobster with some creative ideas of his own. The 82 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

comedic aspect of the show is nothing new for Braff, who has proven his talent with both humor and drama many times over (see Scrubs and his film Garden State for a reminder). Braff has also done stage work such as off-Broadway’s Trust and Twelfth Night, but Bullets features a slew of rousing song and dance numbers set to tunes of the ’20s, creating a new challenge for Braff.

“Learning to sing eight shows a week without losing my voice was probably the most difficult thing,” he says of his experience with the show.

“I can sing, but I’m not a professional singer. I guess technically I am now, but I never sang this much in my life!”

Singing may have come later in life, but Braff has always wanted to perform. He remembers making James Bond films with his brother on a Super 8 camera, but theater would come calling at around the age of nine years when he witnessed his father performing in a local production of Hello, Dolly!

“It was just exciting,” he says of seeing his father on stage. “I was a kid in public school who didn’t find any interest in sports, which is not a rarity, but it is a problem in your average American public school. None of that excited me, so I felt very lost and alienated. Then I went to see him do community theater and I just totally lit up. I liked magic as a kid and the idea that the curtain would close and there would be a different set, that the lights would change, there was an orchestra … it was so exciting to me. It was like the circus came to town and my dad was the star!”

Even though Braff is now the star of a huge Broadway production, he continues to take advice from other Broadway actors – particularly Mandy Patinkin, who is also featured in Braff’s upcoming film, Wish I Was Here.

“Mandy sent me a whole checklist of things I should be watching out for and doing,” Braff says. “He’s so paternal and lovely and wonderful, and in a great twist, was in my exact dressing room when he did The Secret Garden at The St. James!”

One aspect of the business about which Braff needs no advice is his rapport with his fans. After each performance of Bullets, fans of both Scrubs and his theatrical talent can be found lining up for selfies with the affable star (“I’ve never heard the word selfie so much in my entire life! I have it down to a science,” he jokes). It should come as no surprise that Scrubs: The Musical is already in development. “We did a musical episode,” Braff points out. “It’s a really good launching point for one. I’m not involved with it. I wouldn’t be in it, obviously, but it will be fun to watch and see it develop.”

Braff plans to be watching its progress from nearby, as he would love nothing more than to continue doing theater for years to come. “It just brings me so much joy to entertain people and to make people laugh,” he says. “You’re quite literally making 1,700 people crack up every night. It’s the best job in the world.”

Photo by Paul Kolnik

celeb

25AThe Year of Actress

Julianne Michelle A Career ‘Awakened’ Through Movie Roles, Charity Work and Business Ventures

By Victoria Caruso / Photography by Neil Tandy / Stylist Elena Turina / Makeup by Anna Naso / Hair by Lucia Torres of NuBest Salon & Spa

T

he year may only be half over, but 2014 is already looking to be a very good one for actress Julianne Michelle.

Julianne’s new movie Awakened hit select theaters earlier this year and she has three other projects headed to the big screen in the upcoming months.

Add to that the launch of her own jewelry line, a growing independent film production company and involvement with some pretty important charities, and 2014 could very well be the actress’ year.

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Awakened, which opened in New York City on March 21 followed by premieres in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas and other US and Canadian cities garnered Julianne the distinction of Best Actress at the 2013 New York City Independent Film Festival; additionally the film itself was named Best Narrative Feature.

In the physiological and supernatural drama filmed entirely in Southampton, Julianne plays the lead role of Samantha Winston, a young woman who

returns home after 14 years to track down her mother’s killer. The empowering film with a tagline that reads ‘Don’t Trust Anyone’ also stars John Savage, Edward Furlong, Steven Bauer, Stelio Savante and Oscar nominee Sally Kirkland.

Not wanting to divulge too much – especially since Awakened will be available on video on demand July 1 – Julianne notes that the movie features many twists and turns as her character struggles to find her mother’s killer and describes her character as “the lone female surrounded by a lot of bad men.” Inspired by the characterdriven script, Julianne said she felt it was her responsibility to convey Samantha’s story. “I wanted – needed – to take that journey with her.

It is a very empowering and inspirational story for women.”

Awakened also provided Julianne her first opportunity to co-produce a film. as well as the chance to work alongside her mother, Joycelyn Engle. Engle, a leading talent manager, feature film director/producer and casting director, wrote the Awakened script and served as its codirector and co-producer. “She started writing the script and it just took on a life of its own.

The end result was a good character-driven drama that just grew and evolved over time,” said Julianne.

Over the course of her acting career, Julianne – who describes herself as having been a very outgoing and rambunctious kid who loved talking to people – has appeared in more than a dozen motion pictures and, over the years, has gueststarred in roles on some of TV’s most popular sitcoms. Chances are you’ve seen something she’s starred in. “Occasionally, someone will tell me they can’t place my face but know they have seen me in something,” said the actress.

She starred in her first commercial at age five and began landing guest roles on such popular sitcoms as Phenom, Roseanne and Who’s the Boss? two years later. Those small television gigs soon led to motion pictures and before she was 10, Julianne had garnered principal parts in a number of feature films, including I Don’t

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“

… Julianne Michelle

for women.

It is a very empowering and inspirational story

“

celeb

25A

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Buy Kisses Anymore and Street Knight, before landing her first starring role as Anne Archer’s daughter in the 1993 motion picture Family Prayers.

Throughout the mid-1990s, she voiced the character Dot in all nine of Paramount’s The Little Wizard Stories full-length movie videos and starred alongside child actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas in The Oz Kids.

In 2005, Julianne starred in The Innocent and the Damned and the following year won a Best Actress award at the Flash Foundation’s Young Film Festival in Poland for her role in The House Is Burning. Over the next six years, she appeared in a handful of other films, including Polycarp, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Apartment 1303 3D and starred as the title role in Shannon’s Rainbow. Additionally, she is a three-time Youth in Film Best Actress nominee (1993, 1994 and 1999) and, in 2001, was named one of Teen People’s 20 Teens Who Will Change the World.

Although she doesn’t favor one genre over another, Julianne admits she tends to gravitate more toward dramas. The final decision to do a specific movie, however, always comes down to two things: “If the script is compelling and there is a good team of people behind it, that’s what counts.”

It seems that personal mantra is working. Her films Reaching From Above, Awake and Sweet Lorraine, which all star A-list actors and actresses – including Minnie Driver and Mira Sorvino – are set to hit the big screen this year.

And while she isn’t personally working on anything ‘film-wise’ right now, that doesn’t mean Julianne isn’t busy. Over the next few months, she will be dedicating her time and talent to growing Supernova Media, the New York-based entertainment company she runs with Engle, and has just launched Juls, her own custom line of hand-crafted bracelets made from natural onyx, agate, peridot, turquoise and hematite stones to sparkling Swarovski crystals in an array of colors.

Her many philanthropic efforts, which date back more than a decade (in 1999, Julianne received the Young Artists Highest Achievement Award for her accomplishments in fundraising for charities), also keep the actress quite busy. In addition to volunteering her time the past few months at a New York-based nursing home and supporting the Alzheimer’s Foundation, Julianne has been actively involved with St. Jude Children’s Hospital for several years and serves as auction chair for Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl (CCOC) Children at Heart Celebrity Auction and Dinner, an annual black-tie fundraising event chaired by Steven Spielberg. She is also involved with Fountain House, Variety – the Children’s Charity and, on Oct. 9, will chair Fall Fête, a major pediatric cancer fundraiser for Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. Dedicated to her causes, Julianne donated 10 percent of ticket proceeds from the first two New York City showings of Awakened to CCOC.

“I just love kids – they are so innocent and don’t deserve to be sick. It’s just so unfair, especially for those who don’t have a chance to grow up and make something of themselves,” Julianne said of her decision to dedicate so much of herself to pediatric causes. “My heart goes out to them and wants to see them have those opportunities that I have and other people have.”

Born in Teaneck, NJ as Julianne Michelle Di Palma, her mom originally taught acting and speech while her father worked as a tax attorney. The family moved west when Julianne was just two years old and spent the next eight years living in Beverly Hills, during which time Julianne has fond memories of trick-or-treating at Jimmy Stewart’s house. Additionally, while on set as a child, Julianne could often be found chatting it up with Patti LuPone and Anne Archer.

“I was just a kid; I didn’t have a clue,” she laughs, adding that one of her fondest memories dates back to when she received a bouquet of flowers from co-star Tony Danza following her appearance on Who’s the Boss? “It was so sweet, especially since my character had to kick him,” she joked.

When she was 10, the family, which also includes her television producer sister Joy, moved back to the East Coast, settling in Manhattan, where Julianne still resides today. She later went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Marymount and hopes to pursue a master’s in either social work or film in the near future, two fields the actress said aren’t as estranged as one may think.

But that doesn’t mean she’s giving up acting any time soon. Julianne said she would love the opportunity to work with the one-and-only Meryl Streep one day, acknowledging that it would be a ‘dream come true.’ But at the same time, the celebrity scene isn’t something Julianne dwells too much on, admitting she is more honored than star-struck when it comes to working with other celebrities. “I admire their amazing talent and have been so fortunate to work alongside so many amazing people.”

Perhaps being exposed to celebrity at such an early age is what makes Julianne so grounded and the advice she offers aspiring actors so raw and honest. “Stay focused, try really hard and don’t take rejection personally.

Just pick yourself up and keep going,” she urges. “If you are persistent, eventually – if this is something you really, really want – it will happen. Just don’t forget to be grateful for every opportunity, whatever it may be.”

You can learn more about Julianne Michelle’s upcoming projects and charitable causes at www.juliannemichelle.net or SupernovaMedia.net.

You can also follow her on Twitter @JulMichelle and Facebook. To learn more about her personal line of handcrafted bracelets, visit www.julsnewyork.com.

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Granite F L A T S’ TOP

Gunn Chatting with TV and Movie Star

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ctor Richard Gunn landed his first role as Jack in the short film The Fire Inside in 1998 and a few small guest spots followed before the California native was cast two years later as Calvin ‘Sketchy’ Theodore, the male lead in James Cameron’s FOX television series Dark Angel. Despite the series – which also starred Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly – lasting only lasting two seasons, its popularity helped Gunn make a name for himself and soon he began landing guest spots on The Mentalist, Dexter and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. To date, he has appeared in a dozen motion pictures, including For the Love of Money, The House of the Rising Sun and The Astronaut Farmer.

“Dark Angel was my first television show; I hadn’t guest starred on anything before that and it was a very fortunate break for me,” Gunn said of the series. “It was an amazing opportunity and I got to work with some very intelligent and creative and accomplished people.”

These days, Gunn can be seen in the original BYUtv series Granite Flats, which last month concluded its sophomore season. The show, which is 90 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

Richard Gunn

By Victoria Caruso Photography by Hareth Tayem Wardrobe Stylist Mike Sam

filmed entirely in Utah and set in the 1960s during the height of the Cold War, was inspired by the CIA initiative Project MKUltra – an actual little known military event. A key member of the show’s ensemble cast, Gunn plays John Sanders, chief of police in a small, quintessential and fictional Colorado town that becomes a hotbed of mystery and intrigue after an unidentified object falls from the sky in a fiery blaze.

“What seems like a quiet and quaint little town ends up being one wrapped up in a conspiracy” when, said Gunn, it is revealed (spoiler alert!) that it was a Soviet spy satellite that crashed down.

Immediately suspicious of the strange events occurring around his town, Gunn’s character gets drawn deeper and deeper into a world of espionage and Cold War secrets. While the chief must work with an FBI special agent to help ferret out a KGB spy among them, a nurse at the VA Hospital (played by Annie Tedesco) digs into unusual practices at the hospital and in her late husband’s past, uncovering evidence that her boss (played

by David Naughton) is conducting mysterious tests on soldiers as part

of the Project MKUltra program to develop mind-control as a weapon against the Soviets. And, to make matters more complicated, the chief’s youngest son and two of his friends have banded together to form their own private detective agency, unaware that the implications of what they’re investigating and gaining insight into in the complicated political world becomes the backdrop to their own coming-of-age experiences.

With its sophisticated period intrigue for adults and adventure and romance for kids, Granite Flats has been promoted and commended for being a family show – a rarity on TV these days. “It’s truly a quality program that is making a name for the network and attracting a huge audience. There is really nothing else like this on,” said Gunn, who in April had the opportunity to meet with fans and hear firsthand what they think during his appearance at Comic Con in Salt Lake City. “Everyone I spoke to was really responsive to Granite Flats. That was great to see and hear. We are all so proud of this show and happy people are responding to it so positively.”

best of friends who did not date –for years and years until one day it all just switched over and kind of surprised both of us,” Gunn said of his wife Jenna Mattison.

In February, Gunn and Mattison, an actress, novelist, producer and screenwriter (she wrote the screenplay to For the Love of Money as well as The Third Wish and is the author behind the best-selling series Eye Spy, The Chronicles of Liza Radley Housewife Detective), celebrated their oneyear wedding anniversary. “We work and collaborate really well together. I am always the first one to read her first drafts, screenplays and books and she offers great notes on my performances. We will do a lot of projects in the future,” Gunn, who himself is working on a script, said. “It truly is a great collaborative relationship creatively as well as romantically. Being married is really great; I am a big fan of it!”

“We are all so proud of this show and happy people are responding to it

so positively.” – Richard Gunn

Quiet and soft spoken, Gunn admits to being very shy and more of an introvert in high school – a lot like the character he plays on Granite Flats.

“We have a lot in common; he’s got a very investigative nature, as do I. He’s also a fairly quiet guy, the type who is thoughtful and has that strong and silent quality, all things which I am as well.”

Academically successful with a flair for mathematics and the sciences – he is a member of MENSA, the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world – Gunn turned to acting after his guidance counselor suggested he try drama or speech in an effort to break out of his shell. The California native went with the former, surprising a lot of people, particularly those close to him. “People have this misconception that to be an actor you need to have a gregarious personality and, stereotypically, [be] someone who is the life of the party! That still isn’t me. Acting was the last thing anyone, especially my parents, expected me to do,” admits Gunn, who after graduation went on to major in theater at UC Santa Cruz, appearing in productions with the professional repertory company Shakespeare Santa Cruz, one of the top 10 influential Shakespeare Festivals in the country.

And while Dark Angel may have helped pave the way for Gunn’s professional success, it also played a major role in his personal life as well.

“We met through one of my costars on Dark Angel and were friends – the

This summer, Gunn and Mattison will join forces once again when he stars in her latest film, Ghost Station, opposite Mischa Barton. The paranormal thriller, being produced by Michelle Weisler (The Ring), will be shot in Toronto at the abandoned subway station built on the graveyard that inspired its script. Additionally, Gunn has three movies coming out in 2014.

He will play Lou Cates in this summer’s highly anticipated mystery/thriller Dark Places, which is based on the Gillian Flynn novel of the same name and also stars Christina Hendricks and Charlize Theron. Gunn can also be seen in the forthcoming thriller Hidden In the Woods with William Forsythe and in the independent drama/thriller Sympathy Said The Shark.

Although he doesn’t favor one genre over another, Gunn admits he is drawn to dramas and thrillers, especially those that are ‘intelligent with a darker edge.’ While he is also a big fan of sci-fi, fantasy shows and appreciates a good sitcom, his personal guilty pleasure is the HBO original series Game of Thrones. “I just have to watch it! It’s so great,” Gunn said, adding that American Horror Story is also high on his must-see list. “I just love the whole premise behind it; you are basically being cast in a whole new show each year. I think as an actor it would be very cool to be involved in something like that.”

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“

misconception that to be an actor you need to

People have this have

a gregarious personality and,

stereotypically,

[be] someone who is the life of the party!

That still isn’t me.

– Richard Gunn Over the course of his career, Gunn has had the opportunity to work alongside some very talented actors and directors and ranks legendary actor Sam Elliott and Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard top on his wish list. “Ron Howard makes very smart choices and delivers such quality work. He is such an enormously successful director,” Gunn said, noting that when it comes to overall acting, Elliott is his guy. “He has, in my opinion, really nailed it. He is a great actor with a unique persona and a unique voice. There isn’t anyone like him.”

Gunn has experienced firsthand ‘the role that got away’ but rather than make it the bane of his existence he usually shrugs it off and moves on, knowing it comes with the business. “You have to accept it and move on.

You cannot take it personally; usually it’s something you don’t have any control over.” He truly believes determination will pay off in the end.

“Do a lot of acting and do it in the context you want to work in. I know that is hard to just do because it is hard to get work without having worked, but it’s all about perseverance. You need to do whatever you can get your hands-on experience to find your style and your own voice,” said the actor, adding that being nice doesn’t hurt either. “It is much more enjoyable to work with people who are easy to get along with and have a good, positive attitude.”

“

So what would the lifelong Californian with a keen interest in vintage motorcycles and classical guitar do if he weren’t an actor? “I am not sure, but I know the jobs I was doing before I began acting were definitely not the ones I wanted to be doing!” Gunn laughs, before seriously giving it some thought. “I love acting, but if it wasn’t an option I would either be involved in some sort of mathematical or scientific field or be classical guitarist. Actually, I would probably have a science job during the day and play guitar on the side because professional, classical guitarist would probably be an even tougher way to make a living than acting!”

Granite Flats airs on BYUtv (DirecTV channel 374, Dish Network channel 9403 and Verizon FiOS channel 290) on Saturdays at 9 p.m.; the series can also be watched in its entirety for free online at graniteflats.com. To learn more about Richard Gunn, you can visit his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter @RichardGunnInc, where he has been known to respond personally to fans.

taste

25A Fabulous Summer Salads Letting Fruit Take Center Stage

By Andrea Correale

June is here, which means people are prepping their barbeques, taking their outdoor furniture out of storage and getting ready for outdoor entertaining. Whether you’re hosting a big group or your immediate family, the barbeque often becomes the focal point of outdoor meals. While steak, fish and chicken usually comprise main barbeque dishes, people are craving healthier side dishes that are packed with flavor and freshness.

outside the typical salad bowl. As summer progresses, the fruit available in Long Island is at its prime, so let it become the star of your salads.

Watermelon “pizza” is a delicious way to do so. Slice watermelon into triangles and top with ingredients like feta cheese, red onion, black olives, basil, and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar and place them onto a pizza plate for effect.

One dish that can fall into a rut is salad – people get complacent, slicing up vegetables and tossing them with lettuce and dressing. It’s time to think

Melon and prosciutto is a classic combination, so use those ingredients to make a more creative salad. Try combining melon, smoked boccaccini

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or mozzarella, prosciutto, and finishing with mint vinaigrette. Another classic is the heirloom tomato salad, but when you add peaches and red onion, it takes on a new flavor. Throw some purple pansies in for a splash of color and you’ve created a fresh, colorful dish.

You can also mix greens with fruit to create an interesting salad. Try mango as the base and mix with greens, kiwi, crumbled blue cheese and citrus honey dressing – it makes a perfect side dish for fish or chicken. Berries are another great fruit to incorporate into salads, as they’re packed with antioxidants. Use kale as a base and add goji berries, blueberries, apricots, nuts or seeds and drizzle with your favorite salad dressing.

Try it for yourself – let fruit take center stage in your summer salads!

Andrea Correale, president of Elegant Affairs, is a celebrity caterer and the new national entertaining expert for the Lenox brand. Andrea has been featured in multiple magazines and on television networks such as People magazine, Woman’s Day magazine, Oprah. com, FOX 5, WCBS, Bravo, VH1, Lifetime , and Martha Stewart Living. L’Oreal Paris Academy calls her their lifestyle expert with a series of entertaining videos used to inspire women nationwide.

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Bourbon and Barbecue

B

The Perfect Summer Pair

By Venus Quintana

ourbon’s qualities as a libation are legendary and it seems as though the well-loved drink is becoming the new vodka. The cool factor of drinking brown spirits is back and it’s just as much a woman’s drink as it is a man’s. From the classic manhattan to the simple mint julep, bourbon is what you should be sipping tonight. The corn-based whiskey, named for Bourbon County, Ky., has very similar complexities to wine, with respect to aging, color, nose, flavor and finish, and though it might more commonly be used in sweet cooking applications, its savory capabilities shouldn’t be overlooked. In fact, bourbon can play the secret ingredient role in sauces and marinades, especially on the barbeque! Its versatility makes it the perfect spirit for experimenting with new and unique food and drink ideas.

Here are my two favorite summer bourbon cocktails and a recipe for some delicicous food to complement them :

Summer Fling

Bourbon Peach Blast

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

2 oz. Booker’s bourbon

2 oz. Maker’s Mark bourbon

1 oz. blackberry brandy

2 oz. fresh peach purée or peach Schnapps

Ginger ale

1 oz. orange juice

Dash of Angostura bitters

1 oz. St. Germaine liqueur

1 tbsp. simple syrup

2 oz. prosecco or champagne

1 lemon twist

1. Shake bourbon, peach, OJ and St. Germaine with lots of ice

4 blackberries

2. Pour into a goblet-type glass

Preparation

3. Top with prosecco or your favorite champagne

1. Muddle the blackberries with the lemon twist and simple syrup 2. Add everything but the ginger ale to a shaker and shake well with lots of ice 3. Pour into a collins glass and top with ginger ale 4. Garnish with a fresh blackberry

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And who doesn’t like a good kabob?

This recipe is great for outdoor grilling:

Grilled chicken and shrimp kabobs with bourbon glaze (Yields 4 kabobs) Bourbon glaze Ingredients: ½ cup honey ½ cup molasses 4 oz. bourbon 1 oz. fresh thyme, chopped 1 tsp. poppy seeds 1 oz. minced garlic 1 oz. olive oil Pinch crushed red pepper Preparation: Combine all ingredients thoroughly and chill to set for 30 minutes

Kabob Ingredients: 1 lb. chicken breast 1 lb. jumbo shrimp 1 medium pineapple 2-3 bell peppers, assorted colors 2 red onions Preparation: 1. Cut all ingredients except shrimp into cube-like portions, all of relative size.

2. Skewer chicken, followed by pepper, followed by shrimp, followed by onion, then pineapple. Repeat 2 times per single skewer. Arrange the ingredients any way you want.

3. Heat the grill to high.

4. Cook the kabobs for 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is firm to the touch.

Baste the kabobs with glaze several times while cooking. Add additional sauce afterward.

Enjoy!

Recipes provided by Danny McAvoy. Check out his YouTube channel ‘Danny Mac’s Kitchen’ for more inspiring recipes!

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V

etro Restaurant and Lounge …

Changing the landscape of fine dining in Queens

V

By Venus Quintana

enturing into unfamiliar territory has always been a favorite part of my writing life. Journeys into the unknown, random encounters and serendipitous discoveries can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Usually when I expect less, I get more. Vetro by Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach was one of those very encounters and my expectations were exceeded in more ways than one. Howard Beach has always been a stranger to me and I was pleasantly surprised to discover this lively neighborhood in the southwest portion of the borough of Queens, north of Jamaica Bay and home to a very large Italian-American population.

In 1987, Frank Russo Jr. opened the doors of Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach. For more than 25 years, the iconic catering venue has been a tradition for family and friends celebrating life’s most important moments. Vetro is an offspring of the Russo’s brand and is now in its fifth successful year.

Vetro makes a bold statement on Cross Bay Boulevard, the main commercial strip that runs through Howard Beach. Bright lights illuminate the majestic brick façade in its spectacular waterfront setting with an interior that is equally matched in its regal beauty. As a restaurant, lounge and catering venue, Vetro offers a modern, elegant setting for any event or occasion. This awe-inspiring destination venue has changed the landscape of fine dining, from its exquisite cuisine and expansive wine cellar to its private rooftop cocktail lounge. Offering five spacious areas including the restaurant, lounge, Murano Room, rooftop and wine cellar, Vetro encompasses a multi-dimensional dining experience. The elegantly decorated lounge featuring live music is perfect to relax, have a drink and catch up with friends and family. Should you prefer the outdoors, the rooftop lounge with a panoramic waterfront view of the bay serves as the ideal setting. For those times when your preference is a more casual atmosphere under the sun or stars, the outdoor waterfront dining area is not to be missed.

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World-renowned Chef Michael DeGeorgio is the genius behind the creative and classic Italian cuisine, combining traditional offerings with exciting global inspirations. Michael graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1987 and received the Waldorf Astoria award for graduation

atop his class. After more than 20 years as executive chef in a 5-star Manhattan restaurant, Michael found a new home with the Russo family in 2004 as executive chef for Russo’s on the Bay, Vetro and Giardino.

Receiving the coveted 5-star diamond award for fine dining, Vetro is the first restaurant in Queens to be bestowed this award by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences and joins an elite group of restaurants such as Adour Alain Ducasse, Bouley and Le Bernadin, to name a few.

On my visit to Vetro, I was treated to an exquisite eight course meal.

Lobster cappuccino served in an espresso cup was a whimsical interpretation of lobster bisque, which was followed by polenta with oyster mushrooms and clams oreganata. Lobster ravioli and cavatelli Bolognese were bursting with flavor, while the grilled Branzino with escarole and beans took first prize. A juicy veal chop stuffed with crabmeat was uniquely flavorful, served with asparagus and fingerling potatoes. Desserts dazzled with fried chocolate ravioli, tiramisu, cannoli with praline crust and the most decadent New York-style cheesecake with a raspberry coulis.

Whatever the occasion, Vetro offers a world of diverse culinary treasures in an extraordinary setting that is like no other!

Vetro 164-49 Cross Bay Blvd.

Howard Beach, New York 11414 718.843.8387 www.vetronyc.com

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ever wunder

Party Like It’s 1922

By Gwen Wunderlich-Smith

W

ith the summer solstice approaching, we’ve got your social calendar planned out for some of the longest days of the year. Whether you want to grab your dancing shoes or a wetsuit, our guide helps you look cool as it gets hotter. And a great way to celebrate your dad makes June sound like the best month of the year!

Photo by Markus Kalina courtesy jazzagelawnparty.com Clear your schedule on June 14 or 15 for a glamorous Gatsby-style event and step back into the Roaring 20s at the 9th annual Jazz Age lawn party at Governor’s Island. This year get ready to dress up in your best flapper and dapper costumes, dance to the Dreamland Orchestra, pose for a vintage portrait, take a spin around the Island in a genuine rumble seat and shop for the best of vintage finds. Or maybe you’ll prefer to lie on a blanket under a shady grove of centuries-old trees, caressed by fresh sea air while you sip on Saint Germain cocktails all day. No matter what suits your fancy, this will surely be one of the most memorable parties of the summer so round up your friends and hop on the ferry for the ultimate affair. We’ll see you there.

Do Your Body Good

Now that summer is finally here and you’re surrounded by sun and sand, we suggest a cleanse to start the season off right. Our favorite juice cleanse is Love Grace created by a young New York couple, Carissa-Ann Santos and Jacob Mabanta. Santos is a holistic counselor and Mabanta began as a chef who has headed up healthy-leaning restaurants like Williamsburg’s Rockin’ Raw. Totally pure, never heated, plentiful and packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, Love Grace juices have been successfully used to increase energy, gain mental clarity and lose weight. Our personal favorite is the Chocolate Superfood Smoothie with purified water, banana, Goji berries, cacao, vanilla bean and coconut oil. With gourmet juices, smoothies and elixirs, the New York-based Love Grace Foods provide customers the tools they need to reach their health goals with ease and excitement. Sold all over Long Island. www.lovegracefoods.com 100 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

Surfin’ Safari Because every year we say I’ll learn how to surf, I’ve finally convinced myself that with Main Beach Surf + Sport Women’s Surf Camp, this will actually be the year! Join us and start your Mondays and Fridays off right by grabbing your closest gals and heading down to the beach. Taught

by Evelyn O’Doherty at Main Beach in the Hamptons, not only are you learning to hang ten, but also you’ll meet some other surfer chicks that you can practice your new skills with. Good vibes are an absolute must because this camp is more about good times than competition. Board and more included in the lessons. www.mainbeach.com

Cook Up Some Fun on Father’s Day An afternoon on the grill is just what Dad needs to have the perfect Father’s Day. Whether he’s an expert griller or burns the buns every time, he’s sure to learn something new at Chef Tom Fazio’s BBQ Boot Camp at Waters Crest Winery on Saturday, June 14. Marinades, rubs and injections are a majority of the lesson and it’s recommended that Dad bring any questions for the demo. Of course there’s a complimentary wine or beer for Dad to enjoy on his special day! If all else fails and he still overcooks after the lesson, don’t worry. Chef Fazio is providing samples for everyone! RSVP required. www.waterscrestwinery.com

Golfing to Support Cold Spring Harbor Lab Make your way over to the Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s 21st annual golf tournament on Tuesday, June 17. With lunch, cocktails and dinner provided, you couldn’t ask for a better way to enjoy the greens. Not only are you taking part in an exciting day with a live auction and raffles, but participation supports CSHL’s research program. Golfing for a good cause has never sounded like so much fun.

Visit www.cshl.edu

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LAP A Diamond On the Gulf

The LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort in Naples, Florida

By Victoria Caruso All photos courtesy of LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort

“LaPlaya offers a Caribbean feel without any of the hassle of ever needing a passport”

N

aples, Florida is known for its beautiful white sand beaches, year-round perfect weather and palm tree-lined streets. The affluent community boasts plenty of lodging options, but if it’s a casual, yet sophisticated atmosphere, superior service and instant beach access you long for, the LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort is where you’ll want to stay.

Situated on the Gulf of Mexico and nestled next to Vanderbilt Bay, LaPlaya delivers the perfect mix of Old Naples charm, laidback luxury and tropical islandesque indulgence. Equally suited for families and couples, the boutique hotel offers everything one would expect from an island getaway, all without having to break out a passport.

It also doesn’t hurt that LaPlaya is the only true beachfront resort in Naples, offering guests a daily front-row seat to picturesque sunsets and southwest Florida’s panoramic Gulf Coast – one of the top reasons it is frequently selected as a top destination wedding location, hosting more than 100 nuptials each year on its private beach.

“LaPlaya offers a Caribbean feel without any of the hassle of ever needing a passport. We are simply a direct flight away,” said David Martorano, LaPlaya’s director of sales and marketing.

LaPlaya prides itself on providing a level of service that is second to none and Martorano attributes that to the resort’s employees. “They provide consistent, genuine service and care for each and every guest,” he said, noting that personal customization is very important and LaPlaya’s mission is to provide each guest with the type of service they are accustomed to. “Our guests expect a certain level of service and we deliver. We don’t want them to worry about anything. Here, it’s all about taking care of our guests.”

And it appears the travel industry – and the hundreds of guests who return each year – agree. Recently, LaPlaya joined the exclusive American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts Program and was named to Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List for both 2013 and 2014. The resort also took home Travel + Leisure’s 2014 World’s Best Hotel award and U.S. News and World Report’s 2013 Top Hotels in Naples award. Additionally, TripAdvisor. com, which awarded the hotel a Certificate of Excellence in 2013, ranks

LaPlaya as the #3 resort in Naples, a high honor considering there are close to 60 to choose from, including a nearby Ritz Carlton and Waldorf Astoria.

With its open, rocking chair-lined porch and airy and casual, yet sophisticated, Florida décor, LaPlaya is intimate and upscale but in no way stuffy. Each of the resort’s spacious beachfront and bayfront suites, rooms and bungalows in its Gulf Tower, Bay Tower and Beach House has a ‘sinkin’ four-poster wrought iron bed draped with delicate butterfly netting and such comforts of home as full length and makeup mirrors, plush robes and flat screen TVs. Premium guest rooms in the Gulf Tower not only feature private, furnished balconies with unobstructed views but also tout floor-to-ceiling glass walls in the bathrooms, offering guests scenic views of the Gulf from the comfort of private, in-room whirlpool tubs. Guest rooms in the Bay Tower, located across a small residential street from the main resort, offer stunning views of Vanderbilt Bay while highly coveted ground floor guest rooms in the Beach House feature a private terrace just steps away from the sand and surf.

For those who wish to simply hang out at the resort, LaPlaya’s private white sand is perfect to catch a glimpse of the dolphins in the early morning hours and soak up some rays or build a sand castle in the afternoon while enjoying lunch and cocktails delivered by a beach butler. Guests can also rent private cabanas, spend the day poolside, venture off on a fishing tour, go parasailing or rent a Waverunner or kayak.

Light fare and tropical spirits are served during the day and evenings at the Tiki Bar, LaPlaya’s poolside café, while Baleen, the resort’s on-site restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, offers indoor and outdoor seating and a menu comprised of traditional favorites with a coastal twist. Grab a seat on the terrace or reserve a private table on the beach and enjoy cooked-to-perfection rib eye steaks with king crab butter crunch, lobster risotto, blackened ahi tuna, whole-fried stuffed yellowtail and snapper with yucca. The Baleen menu also features a nice selection of salads – the black and blue salad with its fresh wedge of lettuce topped with blue cheese, bacon and blackened shrimp is a must – and various ceviche and crudo options.

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From the furnished balconies of LaPlaya’s beachfront rooms and suites, guests can soak in unobstructed views of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest Florida’s pristine beaches

The waiting room at SpaTerre

LaPlaya also offers numerous on-site amenities, including a private beach club, a fitness center with free weights, workout machines and daily classes, and the LaPlaya Boutique, an upscale lobby shop offering unique resort wear, necessities and logo items as well as exclusive dresses and coverups from a wide range of international designers. For those looking to be pampered, there is SpaTerre, a full-service spa and salon offering specialty products, exclusive massages, facials and body treatments as well as manicures and pedicures. The only Naples spa to be named to Condé Nast Traveler Top Spa list in 2013, SpaTerre has intimate rooms and private patios featuring traditional outdoor Japanese Relaxation Tubs filled with aromatherapy infused water and topped with fresh flower petals.

A short and direct flight from New York to Fort Meyers, LaPlaya is a quick 15-minute ride from the airport and its location, tucked away in a quiet residential community, makes it ideal for those who wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the city but still be close to nearby attractions.

Fine dining, luxury shopping and entertainment are located only minutes away on Third Street South and Fifth Avenue South while family-friendly options, including but not limited to the Naples Museum of Art, Dinosaur Playground, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, are also close by. Additionally, LaPlaya’s full-service concierge is available to make reservations, arrange transportation and schedule your tee time, of course.

With the most courses per capita in Naples than anywhere else in the United States, it’s safe to say golf is a pretty popular pastime in southwest

The LaPlaya Beach Resort in Naples, Florida

LaPlaya’s Baleen offers guests access to al fresco dining and picture-perfect sunset views

Florida and since 2002 LaPlaya owner Noble House Hotels & Resorts has been offering guests access to one of the most challenging and scenic courses in the area.

The LaPlaya Golf Course, located on Palm River Boulevard just three miles from the hotel, offers an 18-hole, 6,900-yard, par 72 championship course with lush fairways, rolling hills and meticulously manicured greens that gently wind around 14 beautiful lakes. Ranked a #1 Top Florida Golf Resort and Club by Condé Nast Traveler, the Robert Cupp-designed course is challenging for the expert golfer and fair for the novice golfer. “Water is evident on 17 of the 18 holes, however the genius of the design requires only a handful of ‘forced carries over water,’ making avoiding the side that the water sits on the real challenge,” said the club’s general manager Alan Findlay.

Additionally, LaPlaya boasts a pro shop, elite clubhouse and is home to the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. One of only four such prestigious golf schools in the continental US, the academy has a double-sided driving range, complete short-game practice facility, spacious classrooms outfitted with the latest in V1 Golf swing analysis computer technology and some of the best certified golf instructors in the world.

The course is also very pleasing to the eye with more colorful bougainvillea plants per hole than any other course in Naples – and there are over 80 golf courses in Collier County alone – making it a beautiful place to not only play but to also hold weddings and other private affairs. Additionally, ‘Stay

All of LaPlaya’s beachfront and bayfront rooms and suites feature Florida-inspired décor with luxurious four-poster beds draped with delicate butterfly netting, whirlpool Jacuzzi tubes and private balconies

The view of LaPlaya’s cascading waterfall pools and private cabanas from the resort’s Beach House

LaPlaya’s Bob Cupp-designed golf course features breathtaking views, a challenging 18 holes, a pro shop, driving range, clubhouse and the David Leadbetter Golf Academy

& Play’ packages featuring per-night resort credits and golf lessons are available year round.

“Our membership is very special and happy to welcome first-time visitors and guests alike,” Findlay added, noting that players receive LaPlaya’s superior level of service at the course as well. “Our entire LaPlaya staff is dedicated to ensuring that everyone has a fun and memorable experience.”

Regardless of whether you spend a ‘hard’ day shopping, improving your swing or soaking up the sun, LaPlaya is the place to be at sunset. Guests gather down by the water, on their private balconies or around intimate fire pits to watch the grand descent. And as the sun dips below the tranquil turquoise waters of the Gulf Coast, casting a bright orange glow, guests applaud Mother Nature and a perfect day in the City of Palms.

“LaPlaya is a luxury beachfront boutique resort with service second to none, incredible food and beverages, world-class golf and an awardwinning spa,” summed up Martorana. “If you are looking to be directly on the beach and are ready to be pampered from check-in to check-out, LaPlaya is the choice for you!”

For more information on the LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort, visit laplayaresort.com.

P LANNING ON HAVING AN AFFAIR?

delicious cuisine, stylish presentation, impeccable service

OFF-PREMISE CATERING & EVENT DESIGN for your HOME, BUSINESS or VENUE Southampton 631 324 9825 路 Glen Cove 516 676 8500 路 Manhattan 212 991 0078 ElegantAffairsCaterers.com

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The entrance to the RIAD WOW

Journey to

Marrakech A kaleidoscopic of color and culture

M

arrakech is known for its kaleidoscopic spectrum of color and culture. Having lured everyone from the Rolling Stones to Yves Saint Laurent, perhaps it’s time that you, too, travel

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By Gwen Wunderlich-Smith

far and wide to this city in Morocco to see what it is about. Marrakech is more than just a city. It is a pearl polished by history and a tradition of hospitality, which, for centuries, has known how to welcome visitors.

Located in northwest Morocco, Marrakech is around two hours from Casablanca, made famous by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, of course. You may not believe me if I told you that on the plane to Casablanca, where we

The spa at the RIAD WOW

A master suite at the hotel

The open air lobby with pool at Riad WOW

had to transfer to reach our destination, we actually watched the movie Casablanca with blankets and glasses of champagne, but it’s true.

After the movie and a few hours of sleep on our overnight flight, we touched down feeling rejuvenated and ready to see what Marrakech and the Riad Wow had to offer us.

first hotel. The Riad Wow encompasses everything you have heard about great Moroccan design and unparalleled service.

tricate tiles, every inch is made with luxury in mind. Each of the 12 rooms of the hotel was abundant with rich reds, hot pinks and deep purples as well as earthy nudes and browns.

The geometric furniture added the modernistic aspect, which separates the hotel from others and gives it a 21st century edge.

The Riad Wow, a small luxurious hotel, is ideally located in the heart of the old Medina of Marrakech with a panoramic view of the Koutoubia Mosque and the Atlas Mountains. The gold doors at the entryway suggest excitement and mystery and when we entered we couldn’t believe our eyes. Jewel tones were in great abundance, custom furniture was shaped like hamsa hands and there was a wading pool right in the middle of the open-air lobby. Parisian owner Alain Sarraf has truly outdone himself with his

Our room was an interior designer’s

dream

come true Our room was an interior designer’s dream come true and our junior suite was absolutely breathtaking. The two-tone, lush bedding was the focus of the room and it was as plush and comfortable as it looked. From the plush sheets that envelope you in luxurious sleep to the in-

For guests’ convenience, Riad Wow proposes unique guided city tours and on our first day we ventured into the neighboring souk. The souk is where you will find everything from teapots and spices to jewelry, handmade leather goods, apothecaries and more. It’s a place that will tantalize all of your senses, even ones you weren’t aware you had. The rich aroma of herbs and spices set the perfect background to the numerous tables of delicate fabrics, handmade clothes and shoes, to name a few items.

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A junior suite at the Riad Wow

Luxuirous soakiing tubes in the bathrooms of Riad WOW

The roof at RIAD WOW

After an adventurous day, we napped until the late afternoon when it was time to get ready for dinner at the intimate Riad Wow restaurant.

We enjoyed classic Moroccan cuisine such as couscous, harira, Morocco’s famous tomato and lentil soup, aaluk, which is cooked eggplant and tomato salad, and a feast of grilled Moroccan meats and vegetables, all seared to a golden finish and covered in delectable spices.

Fresh fruit is a traditional part of a Moroccan meal and we were served fresh orange slices sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. We ended the night with meeting fellow travelers and sat in front of the fireplace, drinking aged whiskey and engaging in thought-provoking conversations.

Living room suite at Riad WOW

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The next day, we visited the Jardin Majorelle, a 12-acre botanical garden and Marrakech’s

Sunset on the hotel rooftop of RIAD WOW

crown jewel. There were paths of gardens brimming with bamboo, cacti, palm trees, pots and buildings, birdsong and pools. The serenity was palpable and potent. Yves Saint Laurent, the prestigious fashion designer, owned a home here and had his ashes scattered among the beauty, which solidifies the phrase, “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”

In the afternoon, we toured the ancient city and were immersed in beauty and history as we visited the 14th century Attain Medursa. There is no denying its mesmerizing grandeur – from the arches to the intricately designed tiles. Its perfect location is where the past meets the future!

its hot desert to the frigid mountains; very few places can offer two such distinct climates. We made it our mission to see them personally and on our trip, we drove up, stopped at the waterfalls (how could we not?) and rode a camel. We also stopped at the ancient Berber village and spoke with the locals about the classic Moroccan way of living. It was inspirational to hear the pride behind their voices as they spoke about their deep history and culture. The local shops carried the most authentic of handcrafted rugs, pottery and silver. However, our favorite find was a restaurant on the river, where we ate alongside the locals and new friends.

We knew our Moroccan trip would not be complete without a trip to the snow-covered Atlas Mountains. I was especially fascinated by the climate extremes Marrakech has to offer, from

On our last day, we decided to see the city from above and take in some sunshine and champagne on the hotel rooftop among palm trees and lounge chairs. It was the perfect way to

end such an exquisite trip. The stunning vistas range from palm trees to the snow capped Atlas Mountains – a flawless way to toast m’a ssalama to an exotic and unforgettable trip!

Marrakech is a city full of life and enthusiasm as its omnipresent dynamism reveals and travelers will be charmed by their finds, encounters, strolls and picturesque souvenirs. We recommend none other then the Riad Wow to stay – and tell Alian we sent you! www.riadwow.com

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DALE MATHIS Art Was My Key to Freedom

By Diana Pinck

L

ooking at one of Dale Mathis’ entrancing sculptures, one is filled with awe and wonder. The elegance of their sweeping curves combined with minute details, intricate turning gears and mechanisms executed with magnificent craftsmanship is mesmerizing. Ultimately, however, it is their deep meaning and soulfulness that makes the pieces true, outstanding works of art.

Mathis’ pieces are mainly carved out of wood that is faux painted to look like metal. Real metal pieces, resin parts, neon lights, Swarovski crystals and semi-precious stones are incorporated into the design. Despite a distinct mechanical aspect, each sculpture is imbued with a life and soul of its own. It tells a story, most often of love, pathos and triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds.

Mathis grew up in Inglewood, Los Angeles, one of the toughest neighborhoods in the United States. Encouraged by his family, it was mainly his love of art and his passion for creativity that kept him off the mean streets. In high school, he took some classes in architecture and

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Key to Freedom

drafting and subsequently studied electro-mechanical design at Cerritos College, CA. The young artist relocated to Las Vegas, where he honed his skills creating highly specialized construction projects for museums, hotels and casinos. At 26, he moved into a loft, which he decided to trick out with some cool pieces of his own design. The wall clock he subsequently created set him off on his path to fame and fortune. Everybody that saw the clock wanted one.

To meet the ever-increasing demand for his sculptures, Mathis was inspired to open a studio in the Philippines. It would afford him the opportunity to produce more pieces and create on a grander scale. His daughter was supposed to accompany him but the girl’s mother changed her mind at the last minute. Mathis had to make the toughest decision of his life: Follow his artistic vision by getting on that plane to make a better living for all of them, or hire a lawyer and engage in a bitter custody battle. He decided to leave. From the heartache and longing for his daughter he created the spellbinding sculpture Beat Of My Broken Heart.

“

Beat of my broken heart

“

If you believe in something, never give up.

Don’t let anybody ever tell you can’t do it. [sic]

Astro Clock

Executive desk

In retrospect, Mathis is happy with the choice he made. He now splits his time between Las Vegas and the Philippines, and his sculptures are in eminent collections from China to Brazil, from Australia to Indonesia. He told me about his plans to expand his vision on a much larger scale and I can assure you, dear 25A readers, that we have but seen the tip of the iceberg of what is to come forth from the beautiful mind of Dale Mathis.

To find out more about Dale Mathis and his work visit www.dalemathis.com or call 702-646-8881.

No way out

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Pop-Up Gallery in East Norwich featuring

JILL KRUTICK’S PAINTINGS & CARPETS BY HEIRLOOM

By Diana Pinck

Dear 25A readers, most of you are probably familiar with the ‘pop-up’ concept, utilized to fill a temporarily vacant space for a short time. Fine artist, Jill Krutick, has partnered up with Zia Zaman of HEIRLOOM, a premier Antique European and Oriental Rug dealer, to open AT-HOME GALLERY at 6303 Northern Boulevard in East Norwich, from now until Sunday, July 31st, 2014. The official opening reception and wine tasting will be held on Sunday, June 1st, 1-4PM. All 25A readers are welcome to attend. Exhibited will be Kruticks’s vivacious abstract paintings and Heirlooms’s fabulous rugs.

Krutick, who was born in Roslyn, retired early from her first career as a top ranking investment analyst to embarked wholeheartedly on her second career as a fine artist. She has already won numerous awards and has had many group and solo exhibits. One can immediately sense her love of the impressionists in her glowing palette, yet her paintings are mostly abstract. I would dare to label her style as ‘Abstract Impressionism’. To see more of Krutick’s work visit www.jskartstudio.com.

On exhibit are also HEIRLOOM’s wonderful carpets. Heirloom has recently relocated to a brand new store at 21 The Plaza in Locust Valley. www.heirloomli.com.

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Luxury Vehicle Owners Only Trust

American Car Wash

Gift Shop

Meet me at the car wash

1035 Northern

Toys for kids

Blvd. Roslyn NY, 11576 (516)-627-5555

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Pink Tie

On Monday April 7, 2014, the second annual PinkTie.org -Real Estate Professionals Networking for a Cure Event was held at the beautiful Carlyle On The Green in Bethpage State Park. This year’s event raised over $250,000 for FACT breast cancer foundation.

Photos by Neil Tandy | | Photos by Deann Arce | 116 | 25A www.25Amagazine.com

Photos by Benno Klandt

Mr’Tique Fifth Year Anniversary Celebration

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Downton Abbey

Afternoon

By Victoria Crosby

L

ords and Ladies gathered at Mill Neck Manor for a Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea of delicious sandwiches, little cakes, chocolate covered strawberries and scones with cream and jam – all prepared and served by Tina Mazzerella of Sweet Tomato in Oyster Bay. A Downton Abbey trivia contest was won by historian Gary Lawrance while Nan Guzzetta of Antique Costume and Prop Rentals in Port Jefferson helped those who didn’t arrive in costume to accessorize their outfits. Talented musician Brandee Younger entertained on the harp and fragrance designer Victoria Collette helped the ladies to find their inner essence of seductress, innocence or beauty with her line of exotic perfumes. Monica Randall gave a slide show presentation and lecture on Downton Abbey and the Gold Coast

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Matador Cigar Lounge

Photos by Benno Klandt

Mitchell Gold &

Bob Williams

Photos by Deann Arce

On Thursday May 1, 2014 Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams hosted their 25th Anniversary and Grand Opening of their signature store in Manhasset.

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Gentlemen’s Night Out

By Nicole Teitler Photos by Neil Tandy

On Wednesday, April 16 Ferrari-Maserati of Long Island hosted its second annual Gentlemen’s Night Out at the Plainview showroom. Locals and members of the car owners’ club enjoyed an evening headlined with cigars, fast cars, cuisine and cocktails.

The event benefitted the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center of Huntington, a non-profit no-kill animal shelter. “Ferrari is incredible to us; they always do fundraising,” shelter Executive Director David Ceely beamed.

Vincent Ancona of Ancona Associates passed out cigars. “Cigars, a good glass of scotch, beautiful cars and gorgeous women. That’s Gentlemen’s Night Out.”

Several dogs showed up in their finest furs. Brie, a beautiful German shepherd pup, was a special guest who is still undergoing jaw surgery, a procedure that can amount to more than $5,000. “When it’s a medical issue it takes a lot of help. We’re not known for a big budget,” Mike Sarrosick, the Dog Program Manager, explained.

Attendees had a chance to win raffle prizes such as hypnosis sessions, The Experience and therapeutic massages, and they tested their luck at gambling while gazing at luxury clothing from Blue Hampton and elegant jewels provided by Maddaloni Jewelers. One of the timepieces included a rare Flying Royal Blue Tourbillon, priced at $310,000. A guest described the exquisite piece more suitable as a Ferrari for your wrist.

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The event was a success that had people buzzing for days. Two gentlemen even partook in a friendly competitive drive, testing their horsepower – soberly, of course! “We’re here to support the charity but it never hurts to promote the car! If he asks (pointing to the other gentleman driving), I meant to go that slow.”