The North Shore Weekend, February 18th, 2023

Photography by Katrina Wittkamp

The Art of Living

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8 classic rock

Jonathan Salem Baskin of Glencoe puts a centuries-old epic poem to music

9 the story behind the story

Author Adam Langer is set to tell the story behind an iconic Anne Frank play next month at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

LIFESTYLE & ARTS

10 mountain luxe

Get your ski glam on and hit the slopes in style this season with a stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch

11 snow day

Sacred Heart School's annual Snowflake Festival returns after a hiatus

12 #hashtag

Cassie Mancuso Carver of Lake Forest shares the things that keep her revving and on-trend

13 material pursuits

From a luxury retreat to products that make you feel fabulous, these must-haves will make your weekend

14 sharper

Rex Reed gives this fast-faced psychological thriller a rave review

15 your place or mine

Plodding and predictable, this Netflix rom com is a waste of two Hollywood talents

16 north shore foodie

Our recipe for sweet corn pie comes with a delicious twist

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

18 sunday breakfast

Newly appointed Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center CEO Bernard Cherkasov shares a harrowing, inspiring story—his family's escape from Azerbaijan

John Conatser FOUNDER & PUBLISHER

ADVERTISING @NSWEEKEND.COM

Jennifer Sturgeon

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Dustin O'Regan, Kemmie Ryan, Sherry Thomas, Megan Weisberg

FASHION EDITOR

Theresa DeMaria

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Mitch Hurst, Bill McLean, Rex Reed, Monica Kass Rogers

DESIGN

Linda Lewis PRODUCTION MANAGER/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Chris Geimer ADVERTISING COORDINATOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART

Monica Kass Rogers, Katrina Wittkamp

PHOTOGRAPHY

Tom Bachtell, Barry Blitt

ILLUSTRATION

Cheyanne Lencioni ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

PLAYING FOR KEEPS From PG 1

BY THOMAS CONNORS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Lacrosse, fencing, crew. All fine sports. But for most fans, they don’t hold a candle to baseball, football, and basketball. Yet, in what you could only call a counterintuitive move, another elite athletic recreation—squash—was envisioned as a portal to empower young people back in 1996, by Williams College and Harvard graduate, Greg Zaff. A former pro player himself, Zaff devised a program— SquashBusters—that combined the sport with academic tutoring to enhance the lives and minds of middle schoolers and high school students. The concept caught on here in Chicago as MetroSquash. And it has had quite an impact.

Established by outgoing CEO David Kay—who’d coached the men’s squash team at the University of Rochester and was a top-ranked player on the professional doubles tour—MetroSquash began operating on the South Side in 2005 and in Evanston in 2018. The organization has reported a 100 percent college acceptance rate among participants, 98 percent enrollment rate, 88 percent persistence rate, and 85 percent of its alumni have landed full-time employment. “The best part of the program is that there are caring adults committed to supporting you from age 10 to 22,” says Janaé Meyer, who will be transitioning from Chief Program Officer into the role of CEO in September 2023. “You don’t have to be an amazing athlete or have your academic career figured out. We provide a safe and supportive environment, we help make learning fun, and we are with students every step of the way.”

MetroSquash helps young people increase their confidence, clarify their ambitions, and strategize how to achieve their goals both

in and beyond the classroom. When they’re not on the court perfecting their drop shot, program participants get an assist in keeping on top of their studies with personalized plans geared toward improving their academic performance. Meanwhile, the MetroSquash College & Careers Program supports students in realizing their postsecondary goals.

The program creates a nurturing environment that provides participants with insight into how to become their best selves in a challenging world. “If you open an article, scroll

through your social media feed, or tune in to your favorite news station, there is no shortage of discouraging news,” notes Meyer. “Food deserts, gun violence, and unemployment are all too common. When you walk through our doors, nourishment, safety, and a caring and supportive environment are bottom-line nonnegotiable. I have seen the transformative difference this program has made for not only our students but for families, mentors, and the community. Many of our parents introduce new families to the program because they have witnessed the difference. We help build confidence during a time when self-doubt can be debilitating and when our young people are at their most vulnerable.”

Raised in Chicago’s Washington Heights area, Meyer knows firsthand the effect thoughtful mentoring can make. “I was fortunate enough to have adult role models in my life who helped me dream big and who believed that I could do anything. My mom is a constant inspira-

tion, sacrificing and pushing me to always shoot for the stars. My grandmother was also a great source of strength and unconditional love. I carry her wisdom with me wherever I go,” says Meyer. In graduate school, Meyer met a nonfamily member who made a huge impression. “My professor Melissa Roderick helped me make sense of the world in such a way that I knew I would never look back. She helped me take pride in who I was, where I came from, and the story I was destined to tell.”

Meyer holds a Master’s in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s in Applied Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Before joining MetroSquash, she worked with I Have a Dream–North Chicago, a nonprofit organization aimed at helping students from under-resourced communities realize their true potential.

Meyer knew early on that she wanted to work with young people and families, and MetroSquash has provided her with the kind of professional and personal satisfaction we all hope for. “As a little girl, I could never have dreamed of a better place to be and I sincerely mean that. What David Kay has created is nothing short of spectacular. Over the years, I have witnessed students overcome incredible odds to be the first. The first in their family to graduate college, pursue graduate studies, or land the dream job that will help change the life trajectory of future generations. I have witnessed students dare to attend college across the country, study abroad, and shatter glass ceilings. This program is a gift to many and we get to see it and feel it each and every day.”

For more information, visit metrosquash.org.

Students playing squash at MetroSquash

BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Jonathan Salem Baskin wants to bring classic literature to the modern masses and figures he’s found a good way to do it. The PR man, author, and Glencoe resident has written a rock song for each of the books that make up the poet John Milton’s classic, Paradise Lost Twelve songs. Sixty thousand words. Ten thousand lines of prose.

Baskin is a classically trained pianist who studied English Literature at Colby College in Waterford, Maine. His obsession with the classics took hold during a 10-week course at the University of Chicago when he immersed himself in the great writers and poets from previous centuries. Those experiences inspired him for the Paradise Lost musical project.

“I have a degree in English literature. I read the classics and I've always wondered why it is so hard to understand this stuff,” he says. “You have to have a degree in Shakespeare to

CLASSICS ROCK

understand the dialogue and you have to focus and you have to study it.”

Baskin says he thinks back to when the classics were performed on stage, when Shakespeare was all the rage or Dickens read his poems. People would lose their minds. There was screaming in the audience and crying and laughing and throwing stuff.

“These people didn't have college degrees, and I was thinking there’s something missing here. It occurred to me it's not an original idea, but their context was different than ours,” he says. “If you were a 16th Century or 17th Century person in England hearing Milton, you were used to sitting in church and listening to a minister or priest talk for an hour, and you were used to convoluted sentence structure. There were no TikTok videos.”

Capturing the content in a format that would be more accessible to people became something of an obsession. The audience didn't have to study it or even analyze it or get all of it. “Who cares how much you get from watching The Hobbit as long as you enjoyed it, “he thought. “It’s mission accomplished if you get

one plot line that means something to you.”

“That's what got me playing around with this idea. I’ve been putting poems to music now for a while. I've done Emily Dickinson. I've done John Donne and William Carlos Williams,” says Baskin. “I took a class at the University of Chicago in their Classics Program, and we read many of the classics and my mind exploded. There was so much there, and I thought, ‘Wouldn't it be interesting to see if I could reimagine it in a format that people could get?’ You know what they say, ‘If it has a good beat and is easy to dance to’.”

Baskin says he chose Milton because so many people are already familiar with Milton's Paradise. It is radical stuff, he says, and he has no idea why Milton didn't end up beheaded or pilloried in the stocks. Once Baskin landed on the text, his next challenge was musical genre.

“I was in a punk rock band in college back in the ‘80s when that was the thing to do. I’ve played all different genres of music and where I landed on Milton was, I wanted it to be really easily accessible,” he says. “What bands don't offend you and are easy to listen to?”

Enter the Grateful Dead. The jam band format was perfect for Paradise Lost because the work has a lot of long phrasing. He also wanted to allow the other members of his band to be able to express themselves through the music.

“Imagine Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon with a plot,” Baskin says.

The current music project has got Baskin thinking about how many other classic works could get the rock ‘n’ roll treatment. He has a day job running a public relations company that does work for large corporations on technology issues, and he’s written nine books on various topics and been a columnist for Forbes and Advertising Age. Though his appetite for music has been whetted.

“It’s not terribly interesting stuff (the day job) but I’m open to a career change,” he says. “Who knows how big the market is for songs based on 17th-Century writers?”

Baskin and his band, along with special guest Stephen Kohler, will play SPACE, 1245 Chicago Avenue, in Evanston on Tuesday, February 28. For tickets, visit evanstonspace.com.

Jonathan Salem Baskin has scored the entirety of Milton’s Paradise Lost in the form of what he describes as a rock concept album. He and his band will play the songs live at Space in Evanston on February 28.

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

Journalist and author Adam Langer tells the history of the play, “The Diary of Anne Frank,” in a new podcast produced by the Forward, a prominent Jewish publication based in New York. Langer will discuss this project on March 23 at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center.

BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Diary of Anne Frank in the early ‘80s and how its young cast members were forever altered by the play’s subject matter and theme in ways that changed their lives.

“This was a work of fiction, and I was exploring the lives of these characters and how one piece of art could change someone's life for the better,” Langer says. “When I was done, I kind of thought I hadn't completed the work because there is a real production of The Diary of Anne Frank. Real people were in it, they were real actors, and directors, and so forth.”

Langer was curious about what happened to the actual cast, and what happened to the people who were on Broadway in 1955 and who toured the country with it. He started poking around and found the stories of the people who were in that production very compelling, some of whom are still around and who he ended up speaking to.

“I haven't done a podcast series before, but just hearing these people's voices made me think that print wasn't something I wanted to do,” he says. “I wanted these voices to be heard, particularly since a lot of the people haven't told their story, or if they have, they haven't done so in 60 or 65 years.”

went into writing and directing, and some got into civil rights causes.

Ironically it is art, rather than history class, that exposes many of us to the most important stories—and lessons—of the past. The ultimate example of this principle at work is, perhaps, the play “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

The stage adaptation of the posthumously published memoir of Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl first opened on Broadway in New York in 1955. An Oscar-winning film adaptation was released in 1959. The play continues to be one of the most performed productions across the country.

In January, Evanston Township High School (ETHS) graduate, former Chicago journalist, and author Adam Langer launched a podcast at the Forward, a publication for which he serves as Executive Editor, which tells the story of the play through some of its original cast members and how the play impacted their lives.

Last year, Langer published Cyclorama, a novel about a high school production of The

Langer will discuss the history of the play and the podcast project at an event at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center on March 23. Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones will moderate.

“The podcast is a very condensed 2-1/2-hour story of me guiding the listener through it, and allowing these people to tell their stories,” Langer says. “I didn't tell everybody's stories. Not everyone was available and not everyone is still alive, but I think I was able to tell as many of these stories to kind of give a history of the production and also to give some sense of the impact it had on the people in it.”

Langer says what’s intriguing about the project was that almost everyone who was involved in the production went in a very different direction afterward. Almost everyone took on some kind of feeling of social responsibility. A lot of the actors didn't act much after the original production. One became a photographer, some

“Very few of the people I spoke to viewed it as just one more role in a series of roles,” he says. “It seemed to all of them to make them think about why they were doing what they were doing and not wanting to do art that was frivolous.”

The Holocaust Museum has always had as part of its mission to reach out and educate younger audiences, something that’s been particularly evident the past few years, and I asked Langer during our phone conversation if he felt a podcast such as this fits neatly within that agenda.

“It does. What I found during the course of researching and reporting this podcast is, for whatever reason, the original play became a Holocaust education for the country,” Langer says. “It was what introduced audiences to this story.”

The play went on the road to more than 100 cities, including the deep South, and a lot of cast members said the audiences didn't know the story of Anne Frank and didn't know the story of the Holocaust. Langer says some audience members hadn’t met a Jew before in their lives.

“This persists decades and decades later. This

is the text that introduces many high school students to the Holocaust,” he says “The last episode of the podcast I zip forward from the 1950s to the 21st century, and I speak to high school students who were in the production last year. I spoke to them about how it impacted them because a lot of the people in their audiences didn't know the story, and for the kids in the show who are still teenagers that was their introduction to the story of the Holocaust.”

Langer says it's hard to find the proper way to educate kids about the Holocaust. He remembers Holocaust awareness assemblies he attended at ETHS where there were 3,200 students and some of them were paying attention while some were hanging out.

“You’ve got to find a way to connect with students,” Langer says. “I understand why you want to try a bunch of different approaches in order to do it.”

“Playing Anne Frank: A Conversation with the Forward’s Adam Langer” takes place at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center on March 23. For more information and to reserve seats visit ilholocaustmuseum.org. To subscribe to the podcast, “Playing Anne Frank,” visit forward.com.

Adam Langer

Photo provided by Anthony Collins

Anne Frank

Photo provided by the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

MOUNTAIN LUXE

BY SHERRY THOMAS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

From the outside, The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch looks like it’s always been there, nestled along towering pine trees and breathtaking Rocky Mountains, almost hidden from view. Black-and-white photos you’ll see of this soaring, log-cabin-style lodge—located four miles from the Beaver Creek ski mecca—might indicate it was built even before Vail Resorts (which also operates Keystone, Breckenridge, Park City, and many more) began buying and developing ski properties in the area more than 40 years ago.

However, the minute you step inside this magnificent, five-star resort in remote Avon, you realize that everything you’re about to experience from here will live up to the legendary brand that is The Ritz. Since 2002, the property has served as the ultimate escape for skiers and non-skiers alike, with multiple snowshoe hikes, unique access to Beaver Creek Mountain (and now, the newly debuted McCoy Park terrain), a chic après ski scene, divine culinary offerings, a 21,000-squarefoot spa, and a Ritz Kids’ program that includes a Ski Nanny (do we need to say more?)

While there is much to do here even in summer months (imagine access to the finest Vail Valley and Beaver Creek golf courses), this year, it’s all about the winter ski season where the property will put the finishing touches on its recent renovation in time to celebrate a milestone 20-year anniversary.

And yes, you’re invited. Now the only question is, what do you want to do first?

Whether you’re craving the thrill of a black diamond slope or are just along for endless spa treatments and boozy concoctions by the fire, this is a place where you can literally choose your own mountain adventure (ask about the in-room camping). We’ve put together a little guide to help you chart your course.

SKI-IN, SKI-OUT

The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch is notorious for exceptional skiing and the most seamless ski-in, ski-out experience in the region. From the resort’s ski concierge to the vast mountain terrain for all ski levels, it really doesn’t get better than this.

With more than 2,000 acres of diverse terrain, Colorado’s Beaver Creek is perfect for making fresh tracks, riding moguls, or cruising down groomed runs. You are literally within moments of the area’s best skiing for all skill levels. Ski-in, ski-out privileges, an in-house outfitter, a ski and snowboard school, and a dedicated concierge are just a few of the perks of staying here.

The resort also now offers premier access to the newly debuted McCoy Park terrain. The expansion includes 17 trails and 250 acres of ski terrain

for beginner and intermediate skiers as well as a family-friendly learning area. And if that wasn’t enough, Vail is just 15 minutes away—offering more than 5,000 acres of skiable terrain, including seven legendary Back Bowls spanning seven miles and three terrain parks to cater to skiers of all levels.

SNOW PATROL

If skiing isn’t your thing, the resort offers many other wintery activities that doesn’t require a lift. There are seven different snowshoe hikes, including select routes that are timely for the season.

Want to admire the silhouettes of the Rocky Mountains, then the sunset snowshoe hike is for you. If you want to get some (snowshoe) steps in, opt for the village-to-village snowshoe hike—a serene four-mile trek from Bachelor Gulch to Beaver Creek village.

But perhaps the most alluring route (and one you’ll be talking about long after you get home) is a stargazer snowshoe tour that reveals the splendor of the mountains at night under a glimmering sky. That epic experience can be followed by warm signature cocktails in The Great Room, which leads us to our next (and this author’s favorite) category.

APRÈS SKI

Sometimes the best part of a Colorado winter getaway is what comes after you give the skis or snowshoes back to the concierge and settle comfortably for some après ski indulgence.

Even if your “active day” was back-to-back spa treatments, there’s something magical about having everyone come together in the evening around a delicious dinner or round of toasty drinks.

Stacked stone, rich wood, nature-inspired artwork, a crackling fireplace, and lounge-worthy seating

set the mood for mountain cuisine, barrel-aged cocktails, après ski fare and robust coffee.

Among a diverse array of culinary offerings, WYLD presents the finest from the valley, displaying bold cooking techniques and seasonal ingredients. Sakaba serves as Beaver Creek’s premier sushi restaurant, offering a menu of fresh sushi, sake, and craft cocktails in an intimate setting. Buffalos elevates gastropub cuisine in a Coloradoforward space with rustic wood and grand stone features, presenting a cozy atmosphere and warming appetites with their famous Bison chili.

For an authentic glam après ski or poolside dining experience, check out the Fireside Bar. Surrounded by mountains and forest, this barbeque restaurant features casual meals and signature cocktails. And then there’s The Great Room, a must-see on your Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch experience. A grand three-story stone fireplace is the centerpiece of this lodge-inspired lounge, where you can end your evening on a cozy couch with live music and decadent après ski offerings.

What’s up for tomorrow? Maybe it’s time to go back to that spa.

JUST SAY “AH”

Tucked into the mountain, The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Bachelor Gulch mimics the resort’s stunning surroundings with treatments focusing on mind and body. As a guest, you will also have access to a veritable spa oasis of 19 treatment rooms, relaxation lounges with steam rooms, saunas, yoga rooms, plunge pools, and a stone-lined coed grotto.

Signature spa treatments incorporate locally sourced herbs, plants, and minerals, and address the familiar body aches you veteran skiers experience after days on the slopes.

The Miner’s Mineral Mud Wrap looks particu-

larly appealing, even if you’ve done nothing all day. This mineral-inspired treatment uses indigenous ore that is hand mixed during the treatment to take you on a rejuvenating journey. Foraged from the depths of Colorado’s mines, activated charcoal mud is renowned for its powerful detoxifying properties. Coupled with amethyst oil, rose quartz salt, and shea butter, this is the perfect recipe for a calm mind and uplifted body. (Did we mention it also includes full body exfoliation, body wrap, scalp massage, hydrotherapy bath, and full body massage ... ahhhh.)

Now let’s talk about the children.

RITZ KIDS

Whether they’re your own littles or the grandbabies, the Ritz Kids program is a lifesaver. Catering to children ages 5 through 12, a full Rocky Mountain regime of memorable experiences full of adventure, creativity, and wellness awaits.

The resort’s beloved Ski Nanny program is also back this winter—a resource as amazing as it sounds.

Kids enrolled in the full-day Beaver Creek Group Ski School will be outfitted in gear by their Ski Nanny as well as escorted to and from their lessons on the mountains.

What this means is you have more time on the slopes, at the spa, or (who are we kidding?) the lounge. Last but not least, because the holidays are here and we’ve been invited to help celebrate a milestone, it’s time for a countdown.

Sounds pretty incredible, no? Maybe we’ll see you there.

For more information about The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, call 970-748-6200 or visit ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/colorado/bachelor-gulch. You can also follow the resort on Instagram at @theritzcarltonbachelorgulch.

Get your ski glam on and hit the slopes in style this season with a stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, a luxury Beaver Creek resort that celebrates its 20th anniversary this winter.

Photos provided by The Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch

SNOW DAY

Sacred Heart School’s

A long-time tradition at Sacred Heart School in Winnetka returned last month after a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. The Snowflake Festival was held on January 18 and hosted by faculty who came into work on a Saturday to set up snow-themed activities for children in the gym. The event was open to school families and others in the community.

“It’s a great opportunity for kids to have fun while parents sip coffee and meet new people,” says Laura Wettersten, Sacred Heart’s Early Childhood Coordinator. The Sacred Heart root belief is “we are family” and she says that value epitomizes the event. “I love this day!” Wettersten adds. “When I was raising my children, I was always looking for ways to connect. This allows people to see old friends and make new ones. Plus, everyone had a great time!”

annual Snowflake Festival returned on January 28 after a two-year hiatus.

GLENDENNING FAMILY

CASEY FAMILY

TAYLOR OLIVER, LAURA PEHOSKI, ALLISON STECKO

FERRELL FAMILY

SEAN SULLIVAN, RYAN & SULLIVAN HARRISON IACOVO FAMILY

LAURA, PIPER, MADDIE, CARTER

STELLA, WYATT & ELIZABETH

REAGAN, KATE ANDERSON

STECKO FAMILY

RUDERSDORF FAMILY

COLIN & LAURIE

HANSEN FAMILY

#HASHTAG

Lake Forest’s CASSIE MANCUSO CARVER revs her engines as the head of marketing/events/hospitality along with some client management at Ferrari Lake Forest. The family business is run by her father (Rick Mancuso), Carver, and her brothers, Nick and Adam. Each family member oversees very different parts of the business with oversight on the operation as a whole. The business is made up of many different departments and it takes each department and the entire team “firing on all cylinders” to push forward and grow. The operation covers 12 states and the family strives to be one of the top dealerships in the world with the best hospitality/customer service for their clients. Increasing client satisfaction makes Carver’s job a lot of fun as it allows for creativity to build unique experiences aligned with brand status. Currently, Carver’s philanthropic focus is the Lyon Family Foundation and the Spirit of 67 board for the Lake Forest school district. She is the mother of three little girls in the district and feels that her board work helps the district as a whole and not just her children. Here is how Carver stays on trend in a fast paced world.

EDITED BY DUSTIN O'REGAN ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

#ON

MY NIGHTSTAND

“I’ve actually been working with my father for a few years to write a biography. I’m currently reviewing the chapters in progress. My children will walk into our store and see everything we have now but they have no concept of how it was built. It came from my father. We all absolutely helped grow it into what it is today, but the risks and sacrifices he made in the beginning are the reason we are in the position we are today. That’s not lost on me but it is lost on them. I want my children to understand hard work and what it takes to build something. I start each morning badgering my father on the status of his book. Some mornings go over better than others. My father’s story is incredible and I can’t wait to share it with my children.”

#ON

MY MOBILE

“I know I’m in the minority here but I try to stay off social media. I really don’t like it. I absolutely understand the power and appreciate all that it does for brands and businesses but personally I try and stay off as much as I can. I love everything about travel so I do keep up with travel information as much as possible. Discovering new places and unique resorts is a big highlight for me.”

#IN MY EARBUDS

“I listen to a ton of music daily. I appreciate all types of music. I love pop and ‘90s hip hop because who doesn’t if you’re around the age of 40, but I mostly listen to tropical house music/DJs both personally and professionally. We create a lot of videos and playlists for our events. I constantly need fresh new music to pair with both, so during my daily walks if I’m not on calls, I’m trying to find new music. I’m definitely not a trendsetter but I get really excited when I feel like I’m the first person to discover a new track that’s not mainstream yet.”

This weekend’s curated luxury trends MATERIAL PURSUITS

Barneys New York Beauty introduces the brand’s new Personal Care Collection. The PERSONAL CARE SENTIAGE™ LINE features hand care products such as hand wash and hand cream, and body care products including body wash and body lotion offered in subtle and contemporary scents with a poetic yet elegant touch. The new products, inspired by the grandness of nature as well as modern lifestyles, offer a new “scentual” (scent+ritual) experience. Each fragrance offering has been jointly developed with a world-leading fragrance

maker and uses only the best vegan ingredients. Using Barneys New York Beauty’s exclusive Scent-Entrapped Sentiage™ technology, each scent is richly released as soon as the texture touches the skin, leaving a longlasting fragrance and potent moisturizing power. Three scents are available: Better Than Ever (floral citrus), which possesses a deep charm with the scent of aromatic mandarin and subtle reverberations of sandalwood and amber; Attract All Things (aromatic green), which expresses a dreamy surrealist forest; and Mystery For Everyday (floral woody), where cedar wood reverberations create sensuality and calmness. For more information, visit barneys-beauty.com.

The retreat’s founder, Heidi Zimmer, sought to create a nature-focused Wisconsin respite for travelers, creative instructors, and anyone seeking a peaceful escape. She resurrected the name of the former James Beard-nominated Wild Rice Restaurant, paying homage to Mary Rice, its memorable owner and the “Queen of Bayfield,” and developed a special year-round destination with wonderful food, an appreciation for natural surroundings, and a thoughtful role in the local Bayfield community. The retreat brings a new level of hospitality to the Midwest with its first-of-its-kind arts and wellness resort. The $10 million property features modern Scandinavian design and includes unique accommodations (Treehauses, RicePods, and Nests), studio spaces, wellness facilities, outdoor trails, and spa amenities. Guests can experiment with forest bathing, unwind in The Sanctuary’s Sauna Haus and Rain Room, explore scenic trails, savor peaceful meditation and yoga, and enjoy nourishing meals paired with artisanal cider and small-production natural wines. Condé Nast Traveler recently highlighted the all-seasons resort in their “Best Places To Go in 2023.” We are wild about this retreat. For more information, visit wildriceretreat.com

Looking for paradise in nature? The WILD RICE RETREAT is your destination

Katie Mankoff, a mom of three, has made it her mission to spread positive energy, one sip at a time. With the founding of MANTRA MATCHA in 2021, Mankoff said “peace out” to the crash, jitters, and anxiety associated with coffee and said hello to the crash-free, mood-boosting energy of plant-based matcha tea. Quality is everything when it comes to matcha, and this product line of small-batch, Super Premium Ceremonial Matcha infused with flavorful, nutritionally dense ingredients and superfoods is unmatched. All Mantra Matcha blends use a limited number of organic, non-GMO, clean ingredients beaming with health benefits. A handful of these potential benefits include restored vitality, increased metabolism, decreased stress levels, enhanced focus, and an overall feeling of well-being. For every Mantra Matcha purchase, a meal is donated to a child in need through the No Kid Hungry organization. All orders ship free and fast and come with a 60-day 100 percent money-back guarantee. Restore, revive, and come alive naturally with Mantra Matcha. For more information, visit mantramatcha.com.

Coming Soon!

201 Moraine Rd Highland Park

A stunning new construction luxury home from goodjar development is now rising and features the finest features and finishes on a scenic wooded lot fronting the dramatic Highland Park ravines. Ideal location steps from Moraine Park and Lake Michigan.

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 56 minutes

RATING: 3.5 stars

SHARPER

BY REX REED THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

A total (but entertaining) contrivance from start to finish, the noir thriller Sharper is a monument to pretense without being pretentious, a puzzle without a pattern, an equation without an equal sign.

This makes logic impossible and the search for solutions a waste of time. In the Random House Dictionary, the word "sharper" is a rarely used noun defined as a "shrewd swindler." That pretty much describes every character in the film as they plot to cheat, betray, and ruin each other with taut, sexy performances by a uniformly terrific cast including Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, and John Lithgow, slicing the air like newly sharpened steak knives under the streamlined direction of Benjamin Caron.

Surprises heighten every scene and nothing is what it seems, including the smashing denouement. One of the classiest intellectual thrillers in ages.

Initially told in reverse chronological order, the narrative begins where the movie ends, and the ending signals a new beginning. It shifts gears so many times that it keeps you guessing, and just when you think you've figured it out, even the feverish style make you wonder if what you saw really happened at all.

Slowly unraveling in subheadings labeled after the names of the people who are either advancing the text or whose stories are just beginning, it's a film that captivates like the kind of rich novel you take to bed and never want to finish. "Tom,” the first chapter, lures you in without a pause as a pretty girl named Sandy (Briana Middleton) walks into an arty book shop and so enchants the owner (Justice Jesse Smith) with her charm and intelligence that he invites her to dinner. She's studying for a PhD at NYU on defining radicalism in American literature.

Fascinated, he hands her an original first edition of Jane Eyre, and falls. When their affair turns serious, he gives her $350,000 to save her brother's life from drug dealers. She vanishes, leaving him broken-hearted and hell-bent on revenge.

In the next chapter, "Sandy," it turns out she was a recovering addict who served time in jail, not a college student, and when a handsome guy at a bar saves her from a crooked female parole officer by selling the cop his Rolex watch, a bargain at $5,000, Sandy starts a new affair. The watch is a fake, so he gives Sandy a thousand for her "cut" and they become partners (and lovers). The guy at the bar is a supremely crafted con artist named Max, played by the supremely handsome Sebastian Stan.

Max becomes Sandy's mentor, teaching her the art of relieving wealthy men of their bank accounts. His gorgeous, glamorous mother Madeline (Julianne Moore, in one of her most uninhibited centerpiece roles, is so appalled by her son's callous criminal behavior, that she throws him out, but in "Madeline", the next chapter, we learn that she's conducting a con of her own in a distinguished billionaire (John Lithgow) with a son who turns out to be Tom, the book store owner from the first scene, and Max is not Madeline's son at all, but (get ready for it) her lover.

As you begin to move the pieces along the board, a light slowly dawns, and you realize the movie is not always unfolding in reverse. Sometimes it's just laying the groundwork for future hustles. Madeline marries her billionaire and when he dies from a weak heart valve, she inherits $9.2 billion but it's controlled by Tom, so to outsmart him she reconciles with flim-flam king Max, who is now conning Sandy, Tom and Madeline. It's so complicated that this is a movie you might really need to see twice to figure out how all the pieces fit the puzzle.

Even now, in retrospect, I'm still asking myself questions about relationships, continuity, and character motivations. The only nagging furrow in my brow is that the ending, where everything and everyone's fate is unveiled within the final five minutes, does some damage to the film's over-all plausibility, but not to the film's abundant sense of style.

The contrivances that propel Sharper are sometimes annoying but easily forgiven, because the screenplay, by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, simultaneously shocks and amuses, the actors are edgy and mesmerizing, and the fresh ideas are ceaseless, like a game of chess with human pieces making up their own rules, inciting a thrill a minute.

Illustration by Tom Bachtell

Famed film critic Rex Reed weighs in on Sharper and Your Place Or Mine.

This intellectual thriller weaves a deliciously contrived, yet very compelling, interlocking series of stories that’s impossible to resist.

YOUR PLACE OR MINE

This Netflix rom com lacks originality and plot, despite the star power of Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher.

BY

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 51 minutes

RATING: 1 star

Amid today’s endless junk pile of filthy, violent, and unwatchable films about crime, vampires, and war, they always save the romantic comedies for Valentine’s Day. This year Netflix brings us a stale rom com called Your Place or Mine that fritters away the considerable charms of Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher.

Even for a third-rate farce with two stars who appear together on screen for no more than a total of five minutes, it’s derivative and preposterous--worse than a rejected TV pilot, and about as romantic and funny as a root canal.

Peter and Debbie are best friends. Twenty years ago, they had a one-night stand they could never forget, but for reasons unexplained, they decided to separate—live miserable lives on opposite coasts and remain best friends forever.

Two decades later, he lives alone in a gorgeous but impersonal penthouse above Manhattan with a sweeping view of the city and no character (his cocktail glasses still have price stickers attached and even the unread books in his bookcases are color-coordinated). A dedicated bachelor with no career or ambition, paralyzed by commitment problems, he abandoned his desire to be a great American writer to miraculously earn millions as a “business consultant”, whatever that is. (He is never shown doing any kind of work, or anything else.)

She once dreamed of being a book editor but settled for a listless job in accounting, married and divorced a mountain climber covered with tattoos who never came home, and ended up as a single mom living a pragmatic life in a practical, nondescript house in Los Angeles with her precocious 13-year-old son Jack (Wesley Kimmel). The only highlight in their lives is the daily long-distance relationship Peter and Debbie still share, confiding in each other about everything.

The week they finally plan a reunion in New York while Debbie attends some kind of mysterious master class, Jack comes down with a fever, his babysitter cancels, and so does Debbie—until Peter comes to the rescue with an offer she can’t refuse. He will fly to California to sit with her son if she flies to New York and spends the week in Peter’s apartment.

None of it makes sense, but it gets worse by the minute when they swap lives for the week and discover—wait for it!—the grass was

greener back in their own back yards.

Debbie’s house comes with a criminally wasted Steve Zahn as an oddball neighbor named Zen who made a fortune in technology and now spends his time tending her garden wearing as little as a family-oriented flick will allow (a criminal waste of Steve Zahn), a stack of tasteless frozen casseroles for Jack’s multitudinous illnesses, neti-pots to flush out his sinuses, and Post-its warning Peter that Jack is not allowed to see anything but G-rated movies, and his allergies must be fed Sunflower butter, no-nut peanut butter, and gluten-free everything.

The fun of being a surrogate father for the first time in his life wears out fast and Peter feeds the boy Mexican food, traumatizes him with Alien, and auditions him for the school’s hockey team instead of supervising his homework. Meanwhile, in New York, Debbie discovers a gargantuan secret novel Peter wrote and never told her about and pitches it to a powerful editor she’s sleeping with who agrees to publish it without telling Peter.

The whole thing drags on indefinitely while the stars share split screen bubble baths like Doris Day and Rock Hudson in Pillow Talk When it’s not boring you to death, the movie is reminding you that you’ve seen it all before, in better films than Your Place or Mine

Nothing original or even mildly entertaining ever happens in either the hackneyed first-time direction or the moronic dialogue, both by Aline Brosh McKenna. Example: Debbie describes her present love life as “wind on an open prairie … or footsteps in an empty attic … or tumbleweeds blowing through an old ghost town,” while Peter defines himself with “I was gonna be a great American novelist and find somebody to spend my life with … now I’m just a lonely guy with outstanding hair that tells other people who to be even though I’m not sure who I am.”

Half the time, the dialogue seems to be invented by an undecipherable dictionary. About a man Debbie sees at a bar: “He is fuego.” When she meets Debbie, Peter’s ex-girlfriend says: “I love this whole sexy Gen-X Earth Mama thing you’ve got going on.” Even the kid’s critique after seeing Alien (“That was dope!”) needs translation. They call each other “Brodiddley.” This bilge is accompanied and connected by horrible pop tunes by a forgettable group called The Cars. The predictable final five minutes, when Peter and Debbie stage a screaming donnybrook in the Los Angeles airport and solve 20 years of denial with a kiss, makes you wonder if maybe you had an aneurism somewhere in the middle of Your Place or Mine and nobody told you.

REX REED THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SWEET CORN & BACON PIE

Nestle one of the heartland's favorite ingredients—sweet corn—into a decadent filling then tuck into a flaky crust for this unforgettable spin on a classic dish.

BY MONICA KASS ROGERS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

The waitress at Ernie Risser’s family restaurant in Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, watches me looking dubiously at the gravy boat she plunked down with the corn pie I ordered. Assuming we’re in cahoots, she leans in and whispers, “I like to eat corn pie with hot milk, too!” and winks conspiratorially. Whisking away the gravy, she returns with a little pitcher of milk. Stranger and stranger, think I, new to these small-town Pennsylvania gustatory habits. The savory pie wasn’t bad, though bland. So, before I left, it had me plotting something more flavorful and akin to my Midwest upbringing: Homemade creamed corn with bacon and onion. What if I put THAT in a flaky pie crust? The result is this lovely recipe. To make it, cut fresh sweet corn from the cob, simmer it in a peppered white sauce with smoked bacon, onion, and red pepper, put it in the pie crust and while it bakes, slice some homegrown tomatoes to serve on the side. And you can skip the Womelsdorf pitcher of hot milk!

INGREDIENTS

For the double-piecrust:

• 9-inch pie dish

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (two sticks) very cold unsalted butter

• 4 to 5 tablespoons very cold cream or evaporated milk

• Egg wash made by whisking 1/2 cup milk with one egg

For the filling:

• 5 or 6 fresh ears of sweet corn (enough to make 3 1/2 cups of kernels)

• 1/3 lb. uncured smoked bacon (cooked, bacon bits should measure 1/2 cup)

• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced to make 3/4 cup

• 1/4 cup sweet red pepper, cored, seeds removed, and very finely diced

• 2 teaspoons salt, divided (or slightly less–to taste)

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 cup whole milk

METHOD

Make pie crust: Sift flour, sugar, and salt together. Cut butter into flour mixture with two knives or fingertips until mixture resembles wet sand with some pea sized bits in it. Add evaporated milk (or cream.) Mix with a fork until pastry begins to pull together. Turn pastry out onto sheet of plastic wrap and knead through the plastic to form into a ball. Cut in half. Wrap each half of the pastry in plastic wrap, then flatten into two disks. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

While dough chills, make filling: Cut corn off all of the cobs. Measure 3 1/2 cups of kernels into a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Brown bacon in frying pan until fat has rendered and bacon is well cooked. Remove to a separate bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving bacon fat in skillet. Sauté onion in bacon fat for two minutes, stirring often. Add 1/4 cup water and cover, simmering until onion is very soft but not brown. Stir corn and red pepper into onion. Add 1/2 cup water. Cover. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until corn is hot through and loses “raw” flavor. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly-ground pepper. Remove to a bowl.

Melt butter in sauté pan. Whisk in flour and toast for three minutes. Whisk in 1 cup of evaporated milk (or regular whole milk) until a smooth white sauce forms. Season to taste with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt and more freshly ground pepper. Add corn mixture to white sauce. Stir in bacon. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out one of the pie pastry disks and fit into bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Fill pie with corn filling, mounding in the center. Roll out second pie pastry disk and top pie. Decoratively crimp edge. Brush top of pie with egg wash. Cut slits in top of pie to vent steam. Place pie on center oven rack and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until top of pie is nicely browned and filling is bubbling. Let pie cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

Photography by Monica Kass Rogers

‘ITS MISSION IS A PART OF MY DNA’

New Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center CEO Bernard Cherkasov is emboldened to shepherd a vital institution that serves to educate people of all ages on a number of historic issues and individuals and inspire social justice.

BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

Bernard Cherkasov and his 13-year-old daughter live in Lakeview, a few homers’ distance from Wrigley Field.

The newly appointed Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center Chief Executive and his all-time favorite teen love to bake goods together, particularly croissants. They have already traveled together to 11 countries, covering three continents.

They have heard—from the warm, happy confines of their abode—the delightful roars of the Chicago Cubs’ fans emanating from the Friendly Confines at 1060 West Addison Street.

“Their fans are quite passionate,” an animated Cherkasov, 47, says on the second morning (February 9) of his tenure at the Museum in Skokie.

“Wonderful spirit,” he adds.

It’s late 1989, in Cherkasov’s native Azerbaijan. He’s … 13. It’s not so wonderful in the transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Antisemitism pervades.

Ethnic violence rages.

Young Bernard and his parents, Gregory and Malika, and five other family members flee.

“We left our home and all of our possessions,” Cherkasov recalls. “It had been determined that the risks of staying in Azerbaijan were higher than those of fleeing.

“We got on a train with other refugees.”

First stop: Austria. They arrived on October 10 and stayed for three weeks.

“Our first day, it was beautiful,” Cherkasov says. “The stores we entered were full of … things, all kinds of things. Most of the stores in Azerbaijan, their shelves were empty. We met a kind woman named Ava, who, on Tuesdays at 10 a.m., would welcome refugees to her house and let us choose pieces of clothing to keep. She was an upstander, incredibly giving, one of many on our journey.”

The Cherkasovs then called Italy home for five weeks, tasted food they’d never tasted before, and savored every bite.

On December 14, they enjoyed Day One in the United States, waking up to a snowstorm in Southfield, Michigan. It snows in Azerbaijan about as often as Halley’s Comet appears visible from Earth or Meryl Streep gets panned by a movie critic.

Bernard received a variety of toys and more clothes in North America.

“We found kindness, courage, and conviction from others wherever we stayed,” Cherkasov, still grateful, says.

What he hopes visitors to the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center discover:

enlightenment. The mission of the Museum—it first opened its doors in 2009—is expressed in its founding principle: Remember the Past, Transform the Future. The Museum is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Holocaust by honoring the memories of those who were lost and by teaching universal lessons that combat hatred, prejudice, and indifference.

The Museum fulfills its mission through the exhibition, preservation, and interpretation of its collections; and through education programs and initiatives that foster the promotion of human rights and the elimination of genocide.

“This Museum is special to me; its mission is a part of my DNA,” says Cherkasov, who’d established himself as a national nonprofit leader before succeeding former Museum CEO Susan Abrams. “It’s important to educate about hatred and atrocity, and more specifically about the Holocaust and its lessons, because even though it’s history, the lessons of it are as important today as

they were at any point.

“The antidote to prejudice, to hatred, is education,” he adds.

In 2022, the Museum generated record-high attendance and gained international attention for its groundbreaking virtual reality exhibition (The Journey Back) and leadership in combating antisemitism and speaking out for justice.

The Journey Back films apply cutting-edge technology to engage visitors on a journey as they travel through concentration camps with Holocaust Survivors who experienced them. The exhibition is a global game-changer, revolutionizing the field of Holocaust memory through innovative technology and transportive storytelling.

Now playing at the Museum is A Promise Kept, which tells a gripping life story of Czechoslovakia native Fritzie Fritzshall, who was 13 when her mother and two brothers were murdered after the family had been deported to

the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center.

Fritzshall fulfills her promise to the 599 women who saved her life while imprisoned together.

The Museum will present Don’t Forget Me March 1-March 31. It takes viewers on a journey back to Auschwitz, Mauthausen, and Ebensee concentration camps, imparting George Brent’s will to survive in the face of Nazi tyranny.

“The stories of Holocaust Survivors need to be told,” Cherkasov says. “It’ll give you chills, hearing their voices. They found a way to hold on to life, refusing to be led like sheep to slaughter. They fought back, never gave in.

“They also managed, under terrible conditions,” he continues, “to find love and hope inside the camps, one day to the next.”

The exhibition The Negro Motorist Green Book opened January 29 and runs through April 23 at the Museum. It was developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with the awardwinning author, photographer, and cultural documentarian Candacy Taylor.

The exhibition reveals how the handbook provided African American travelers with information on restaurants, gas stations, department stores, and other businesses that welcomed them during the Jim Crow Era. Through artifacts, historic footage, and firsthand accounts, the exhibition revisits not only the apprehension felt by African American travelers, but also the resilience, innovation, and elegance of the people choosing to live a full American existence.

“History is heavy here,” Cherkasov says. “We have agency, as citizens, to never forget the atrocities that occurred throughout the world. We, as a Museum, must continue to be a light and to transform.”

Cherkasov earned his J.D. at the University of Michigan and a Master’s in Theological Studies from Harvard University. He practiced corporate law for seven years in Chicago before answering the call to the nonprofit sector, first as CEO of Equality Illinois and later as chief operating officer of Cradles to Crayons, an organization that provides essentials to children living in poverty and crisis situations.

He met the Museum’s full team on his first day as CEO.

“I’d heard all about the team members’ passion, and then I saw it, felt it, while we interacted,” Cherkasov says. “I’m looking forward to celebrating together, to learning lessons together. I’m excited about where I am now.

“I’m home.”

The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, 847-967-4800, is located at 9603 Woods Drive in Skokie. Visit ilholocaustmuseum.org for more information.

The stories of Holocaust Survivors need to be told. It’ll give you chills, hearing their voices. They found a way to hold on to life, refusing to be led like sheep to slaughter.

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