Sheridan Road, December/January 2023

2026 N MOHAWK ST

7 Beds | 6.4 Baths • $9,500,000

2026NMohawkSt.info

Double lot, 11,000 sq ft home on coveted East Lincoln Park block. Amazing interior width with custom windows, tall doors, high ceilings, and elevator. Fantastic design for entertaining with gracious living and dining rooms. Easy access to outdoor space from large kitchen/great room. 2nd level with 4 bedrooms, 3 ensuite baths, playroom, powder room and laundry. Top floor primary suite with 2 walk-in closets, white bath, exercise room + bedroom and den. LL with guest suite, theater, game room, and play space. Attached 4 car heated garage with fab mud room. Close to Oz, Parker, Latin and Lincoln!

Double lot home in a premier Lincoln Park locale! Huge top floor 850 sq ft addition to the home makes this totally unique. Incredible outdoor space with oversized side yard, hardscaped patio, and garage roof deck all with southern exposure! Main level offers multiple spaces to host and entertain with a freshly updated eatin kitchen. Amazing natural light from the south-facing windows overlooking the spectacular side yard. 3 bedrooms on second floor, including oversized primary suite with attached office! Rec room, guest bed, and sunny top floor addition make the ultimate penthouse level!

1714 N HERMITAGE AVE

5 Beds | 3.1 Baths • $2,575,000

1714NHermitageAve.info

Extra-wide, fully remodeled home in a fab Bucktown location! Main level has wide open spaces with multiple areas for hosting. Huge east/west facing windows with treetop views. The eat-in kitchen is ultra-chic with 13’ ceilings, an oversized marble island and top-end appliances. Landscaped side yard with an outdoor kitchen! Second level with 3 gracious bedrooms and laundry room. Penthouse level access to southwest roof deck! Huge rec room, 2 guest beds, and wine cellar in lower level, plus 3 car attached garage!

Amazing corner lot in the coveted Graceland West neighborhood with fantastic outdoor space! Lush & expansive front yard with a wraparound porch. Open-floor concept with an outstanding kitchen/great room and a gracious living & dining room. Great natural light throughout! Second level with 4 bedrooms and exceptional full bath. Top floor dedicated to expansive primary suite with vaulted ceilings and fabulously updated bath. Lower level offers a guest bed, full bath, & laundry room. Gated side lot parking for multiple cars. Easy access to incredible restaurants & shopping in Lakeview, Wrigley, & Southport Corridor!

©

the architect

Siblings Wallace and Julie enjoy a favorite winter tradition in their front yard, where they take on the challenge of building the neighborhood’s best snowman.

What do you love most about your home? Share with us on Instagram.

BECOME A Visionary

Experience Transcendent

Enter a world of comfort and ease, where each day begins with boundless pleasure. Timeless elegance meets modern convenience in this 101-story s scraper designed by award-winning architect Jeanne Gang. Revel in exquisite interiors, exceptional finishes and panoramic views of Chicago and Lake Michigan. The Residences at The St. Regis Chicago. Live high above it all, right in the middle of it all. Learn more at srresidenceschicago.com or by calling +1 312 854 8524.

Ultra-luxurious lakefront residences, from 1,097 SF pieds-à-terre to full floor, 6,800 SF, 360°-view penthouses. One-to-five-bedroom homes from $840,000 to $18,500,000.

363 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601 | srresidenceschicago.com

The St. Regis logos are the trademarks of Marriott International, Inc ., or its affiliates. The Residences at The St. Regis Chicago are not owned, developed or sold by Marriott International, Inc. or its affiliates(“Marriott”). The developer of the residential project, Parcel C LLC,Dev License #2418452, uses the St. Regis marks under a license from Marriott,which has not confirmed the accuracy of any of the statements or representations made about the project. If this license is terminated or expires without renewal, the residential project will no longer be associated with, or have any right to use, the St. Regis tradenames or trademarks. Sales by Magellan Marketing Group.

Opposing viewpoints.

The most difficult decisions require the most trusted attorneys.

The Future of Family Law Since 1981

“Susan and Ben exceeded my expectations in helping me find and purchase my new dream home. They worked together as a team to make the process as easy and painless as possible for me as a client. They were both very professional and provided expert advice and support at each critical stage of the home buying process. They truly care about their clients and advocate harder for them than any of the other people I have worked with in the past. I would definitely work with them again. You will be in great hands with Susan Burklin as your Realtor and Ben Cohen as your lender!” – R.K.

Lo Mein Noodles Chicken Teriyaki Philly Cheesesteak Roll Spicy Tuna Roll Baby Kale Salad Steak Fried Rice Tuna & Hamachi Tartare Miso

Tartare Wok Charred Shishito Peppers Lumpia

Crab Teriyaki Ribeye Bank Lane Asian Salad

THE NEW

The North Shore Weekend combines a local news digest of doings and reviews with stunning art and photography for which the NS Weekend is known, together with lifestyle features, which enriches the leisure time of our devoted Saturday and Sunday readership since 2012.

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FEATURES

MAG MAVEN

TIME’s Director of Partnerships Sarah Matteson celebrates the company’s centennial.

A SPIRITED COLLABORATION

Winnetka’s Jennifer Solberg Katzman tells the story of co-founding Chicagobased Rhine Hall Distillery with her father, Charlie Solberg.

STAR STYLIST

Lake Forest native Charlene Roxborough Konsker shares her journey into the world of fashion.

DINING WITH DEEDA BLAIR

An intimate interview with Mrs. William McCormick Blair Jr. “Deeda” reveals details of her riveting new book, fascinating fashionable life, and outstanding contributions to the fields of medicine and science.

ON THE COVER

Sarah

ON THIS PAGE

Charlene Roxborough Konsker

in Star Stylist wearing Brunello Cucinelli, Neiman Marcus Northbrook. Photography by Katrina Wittkamp, styling by Theresa DeMaria, hair & makeup by Leanna Ernest

Matteson featured in Mag Maven shot on location at the house of Sarah Rogers (of Sarah Rogers Design). Photography by Katrina Wittkamp, styling by Theresa DeMaria, hair & makeup by Leanna Ernest

featured

J.W. CONATSER

DUSTIN O’REGAN

JENNIFER STURGEON

MORGAN HOGERTY, MEGAN WEISBERG

THERESA DEMARIA

ALLISON DUNCAN

THOMAS CONNORS, ALLISON DUNCAN, BILL MCLEAN, MONICA KASS ROGERS, ROCHELLE NEWMAN RUBINOFF, ANN MARIE SCHEIDLER, LAURA LAYFER TREITMAN

JORDAN WILLIAMS

LINDA LEWIS

AMIN QUTTEINEH

SAM SUAREZ, CHRIS GEIMER

REDDING WORTH

NATHAN BRIEVA, IAN MCLEOD, MONICA KASS ROGERS, LISA SCIASCIA, KATRINA WITTKAMP

ROBERT RISKO

CHEYANNE LENCIONI GRETCHEN BARNARD

RAHEELA ANWAR, EILEEN BENNIN, RENEE CROWN, JEFFREY EISERMAN, MAUREEN GRINNELL, DANA HUGHES, JOYCE BRUCE JIARAS, JILL KATZ, LEXIE KNOX, YOANNA KULAS, ARTHUR MILLER, MEREDITH MITCHELL, SANDRA CASPARRIELLO, RONI MOORE NEUMANN, IBBY PINSKY,

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THIS MONTH I WILL BE

Welcome to our December/ January issue. I can’t believe I am writing a note bidding adieu to 2022 and welcoming 2023. Wasn’t I just dream ing of leaping over dear old Father Time at the stroke of midnight and dashing into 2021? There is something about the pandemic that has erased the years. But now it is time to celebrate and this issue delivers tales of milestone anniversaries, lo cal libations, Hollywood style, and a fashion icon.

Sarah Matteson, Director of Partnerships at TIME, toasts the 100th anniversary of a company that is a household name and one that has persevered through wars, recessions, and presidents. Sarah shares how this iconic institution will ring in its centennial. Moving from champagne toasts to fruit brandies, our second feature highlights Winnetka’s Jenny Solberg Katzman who shares the road to co-founding Rhine Hall Distillery with her dad. Leaving the Chicago Industrial district, we head to Hollywood where Lake Forest native Charlene Roxborough Konsker styles red carpet stars. Trading Oscar gowns for table settings, our fourth feature celebrates Deeda Blair, a member of the Chicago family who founded the investment banking giant, William Blair. Deeda, a fashion icon, shares her new book Deeda Blair: Food, Flowers & Fantasy Swapping books for art, Art & Artist features Jacqueline Kott-Wolle who commemorates Jewish life both past and present by transcribing her family photos with paint. Moving to the art of the cocktail, Trending introduces Winnetka’s Kevin Bratt—no stranger to the perfect pour.

We’ll have to ask Trending’s Kevin for the ideal pairing for Recipe’s herbed pork loin with grapes, pomegranate sauce, fingerlings, and shallots. I see this dish as a top choice for festive dinners all winter long.

Hungry for an escape? First Class shares the extraordinary charm of Québec City. How did I not realize that I could be immersed in French culture after only a two-hour flight? The architecture, cuisine, hospitality, wine, and endless activities took my breath away. I believe this is my new weekend getaway—join me?

Back on the shore, Home Tour highlights the famed Clement Stone mansion on Lake Michigan in Winnetka. This cherished piece of North Shore history could be yours as it is on the market for the first time in ages.

We end the issue with words from Marett Taylor, whose family founded the luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent (A&K). As Vice President of Sales for A&K, Marett is continuing to bring travel dreams to life. Let’s make “seeing the world” a New Year’s resolution. Happy holidays and cheers to 2023.

DUSTIN O’REGAN

Editor-in-Chief dustin@jwcmedia.com

Follow Sheridan Road on Instagram: @sheridanrdmag

Collector’s Corner highlights Hindman’s December Fine Arts Sale.

La Dolce Vita, Knightsbridge, London, 1953 by Thurston Hopkins (1913-2014) offered in the December 6 Photographs sale.

Jenny Solberg Katzman featured in A Spirted Collaboration

JULIE COHN

FINDS, OPINIONS, OBSESSIONS

Amber Scott wearing Vincent James Climate Beneficial Cardigan. Photography by Mira Adwell. Vincent James is featured in Newsworthy

AGENDA

SAVE the DATE

Sheridan Road provides the North Shore’s comprehensive social calendar.

EDITED BY DUSTIN O’REGAN

THROUGH JANUARY 1

A CHRISTMAS STORY

WHERE: The Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire

From the songwriting team behind Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman, A Christmas Story brings the beloved 1983 movie about the Parker family to musical life on stage. The play is directed by Scott Weinstein with musical direction by Jeff Award winner Ryan T. Nelson and choreography by Tiffany Krause. marriotttheatre.com

DECEMBER 3 – 27

THE NUTCRACKER

WHERE:

Lyric Opera House

The Joffrey Ballet’s annual holiday tradition celebrates the magic of the season and the rich cultural heritage of Chicago. Magic is on the horizon for young Marie and the Nutcracker Prince, thanks to a visit from the mysterious Great Impresario. At the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, Marie sets out on an unforgettable journey through Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, a marvel of sights, sounds, and entertainment. joffrey.org

DEC 8 – FEB 15

SALLY MICHEL: MOMENTS IN TIME

WHERE: Anne Loucks Gallery, Glencoe

The exhibition will include 35 exceptional examples of Sally Michel’s paintings from 19621989. The selection of works represents the simple pleasures of home, family, and friends that filled the artist’s life. One can feel the intimacy of the conversation and the gift of the idyll afternoon. Michel’s genius came from her ability to capture emotion with simplified shapes, broad fields of color, and surfaces that were never overworked. The artist’s career spanned nearly 70 years and today her work is held in many public and museum collections. loucksgallery.com

DECEMBER 10

JDRF ONE DREAM GALA

WHERE: McCormick Place and Arie Crown Theater

The gala will feature fantastic silent and live auctions, inspirational stories from the Type 1 diabetes community, and exciting live entertainment. jdrf.org

DECEMBER 14

SIP N SHOP

WHERE: Glenview Club

Josselyn Auxiliary Board hosts its inaugural “A Few of my Favorite Things” soiree. Guests will enjoy an evening of sipping and shopping with some of the most exclusive and unique boutiques of the North Shore. Josselyn, a community mental health center in Northfield has launched its Intensive Outpatient Program for teens. All proceeds go directly to providing transportation to kids throughout Cook and Lake counties so they can get the therapy they need; furthering the Josselyn Auxiliary Board’s vision of mental health for all kids. josselyn.org

FEBURARY 9

THE LOYOLA PROJECT,

DOCUMENTARY

WHERE: Gorton Community Center, Hughes Theater

Join us for a showing of

the ESPN “30 for 30” style documentary about the 1963 Loyola University-Chicago’s men’s NCAA championship team. A compelling look at race tension, courage, and the game that changed college athletics forever. Compass Financial Partners is proud to present this Northwestern Mutual sponsored film. For more information visit gortoncenter.org/film.

JANUARY 11 – 15

DISCOVER® BOATING CHICAGO BOAT SHOW

WHERE: McCormick Place

The iconic Chicago boat event, the largest of its kind, is always a fun weekend featuring hundreds of boat companies showing their newest boats in cold January. This fun, sunny re spite has been held in Chicago for over 80 years annually. A highlight of the show is two million-dollar yachts, which attendees may tour. chicagoboatshow.com

The Joffrey Ballet The Nutcracker. Photography by Cheryl Mann

Interior with Plant, 1987, 40x50. SALLY MICHEL: MOMENTS IN TIME exhibit at Anne Loucks Gallery in Glencoe. December 8 – February 15.

NEWSWORTHY

CONSCIONABLY CLOTHED

Vincent James creates foundational pieces for a chic capsule ward robe that carries you with confidence and ease from park dates to board meetings to cocktail parties. The line uses the highest quality natural fabrics sourced and sewn sustainably and ethically.

VINCENT JAMES creative director and founder Heather Sullivan’s passion for design started as a child when her pattern-maker grandfather, Vincent James, would help make her fashion designs come to life. As a mother of four, Sullivan’s passion for environmental and women’s rights drives the line’s ethics. For example, Vincent James’ reversible merino sweater dress is made from 100 percent domestic, regenerative, soil and climate-beneficial fibers. The way the animals are raised enhances the soil by capturing more carbon thus helping to mitigate the harmful effects of carbon in our air and water. A beautiful and conscientious concept. For more information, visit vincentjamesdesigns.com.

UPTOWN GLENCOE

in a new way. Enter UPTOWN, a unique and versatile event space designed to feel like an expansive living room, complete with a 21-foot-long bar. Uptown, unlike many event spaces, requires no added decor to feel finished and festive. Guests are the only thing needed to bring the room to life. The 2,100-square-foot space is clean and modern, yet still cozy and inviting thanks to sumptuous lounge seating. Large windows fill the space with sunlight during the day and twinkling white lights on surrounding trees create a serene environment in the evening. The Rubins envision renting Uptown, which accommodates up to 110 guests in a variety of layouts, for gatherings like milestone birthdays, showers, corporate events, board meetings, fundraisers, and even small weddings. The venue is ideal for a live band or DJ and dance floor, and guests may use Hometown or outside sources for catering. Just another reason to love Hometown Glencoe. For more information, hometowncoffeeandjuice.com.

TOP SHELF

HERE HERE MARKET is the next-generation marketplace for true food enthusiasts and drink aficionados. The platform sells memorable food moments with curated gift boxes, artisanal products, and other culinary delights. All items are from notable and up-andcoming independent chefs, restaurateurs, food artisans, and more, and are delivered to shoppers’ doors or as a gift nationwide. You’ll find a wide variety of unique, gourmet food sourced directly from places

Founders Collection, Crème de la Crème, Exclusive Restaurant Tour, Master Sweets, and the James Beard Chicago Alumni Deluxe Edition. Say goodbye to boring bites and hello to memorable food moments with culinary delights from the best local bakers, chefs, and mixologists. For more information, visit hereheremarket.com.

Amber Scott wearing Vincent James Duster Cardigan. Photography by Joshua Drake

Brittany Hume wearing Vincent James Merino Sweater Dress. Photography by Kirk Robert

like Stephanie Izard’s This Little Goat and Sarah Grueneberg’s Monteverde as well as thoughtfully curated food and drink gift packages including the Female

Hometown Glencoe proprietors Lou and Julie Rubin jumped at the opportunity to purchase the property above their bustling business to serve their loyal clientele

Six brands at one campus allows us to give our customers thousands of vehicles to choose from and an array of certified stunning variety of pre-owned options.

Earn rewards, schedule service, unlock access to our cafe and car wash and more with our exclusive customer rewards app

Visit our all-new and improved Wash Werks facility, right next our campus - projected to open Q4 of 2022.

Fast, simple, smart and centered around you. Work with one commission free client advisor who’s sole focus is providing our customers with a perfect car buying experience

EDITOR’S SELECTS

My favorite finds for a little fun on the slopes.

EDITED BY DUSTIN O’REGAN

FUSALP PANTS modaoperandi.com

JIMMY CHOO BOOTS modaoperandi.com

BOGNER SKI JACKET modaoperandi.com

EMILY WHEELER BRACELET modaoperandi.com

BOGNER SWEATER modaoperandi.com

TRUFFOIRE WHITE TRUFFLE EYE SERUM truffoire.com

BOTTEGA VENETA SKI GOOGLES modaoperandi.com

MONCLER BEANIE modaoperandi.com

Katie Moor

HALIE BRADEN has always been drawn to the arts. As the daughter of an NFL player, athletics were introduced at a young age. She quickly flourished as a nationally-ranked figure skater and studied ballet throughout college. Today she works for Pinterest, where she flexes her creative muscles on a daily basis. Braden recently found another opportunity to let her innovation shine, through a top-to-bottom renovation of her 100-year-old Kenilworth home. This busy mom of three (under the age of 4) takes a creative break to share her favorites from the city and the shore.

EDITED BY MORGAN HOGERTY PHOTOGRAPHY BY LISA SCIASCIA STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA HAIR & MAKEUP BY LEANNA ERNEST

What’s on the horizon? Attending the Joffrey’s Nutcracker with my daughter (her first time), various holiday parties with friends, traveling to see extended family, and finally moving back into our house after a yearlong renovation Mantra? Don’t worry, be happy Best grooming tip? SPF, a full night of sleep, or an SK-II face mask when a full night’s sleep isn’t in the cards Guilty pleasure? Homemade buttered popcorn and a glass of French chardonnay Favorite foods? My mother’s homemade pasta Music you love? Taylor Swift and Vitamin String Quartet Best advice ever given to you? Work hard, stay humble, and have fun Best advice you’ve given? Be kind and always assume positive intent Earliest memory? Early mornings with my mom driving me to the ice rink. She spent so much time allowing me and encouraging me to follow my passion When you wake up, you? Stretch and drink lemon water before eating the breakfast my husband makes for me Before bed, you? Kiss my husband and

talk about our days—then review my calendar for the next busy day ahead What’s on your bookshelf? Vogue, Traditional Home, and Get Your House Right You can’t live without? My husband, my babies, and my parents—they are my whole world Love to escape to? Mackinac Island and Nantucket. Those tiny islands are both magical places rich with history Ad vice you would give to your younger self? Be patient, trust your instincts, and believe in yourself

ON THE SHORE IN THE CITY

Your style is? Feminine and comfortable. I love a good tweed cardigan paired with flats Can’t leave the house without? Lip balm and snacks for everyone Transportation? My SUV to fit all three car seats or my pale pink PUBLIC bike Driving music? I’ve been spotted dancing to Disney music along with my kids in the carpool line of preschool Place to eat? Pomeroy and Aboyer Shop? Bunny & Babe for amazing clothes, Anna’s Mostly Mahogany for antiques, and Penny’s from Heaven for precious children’s items Best thing about the Shore? The community, neighborhoods, and proximity to the lake Worst thing about the Shore? All the traffic from construction The perfect day is? A barre class at The Salt Barre before grabbing a smoothie from True Juice. Taking our kids on a stroll through one of the gorgeous historic streets for inspiration. Lunch with friends at Towne & Oak. Taking my kids to a local park with friends followed by dinner out with my husband

Your style is? Feminine, classic, and tailored. I love to wear dresses and heels Can’t leave the house without? Cell phone Transportation? Walking Driving music? Pod casts—The Style Files: Conversations with Creatives and Great Women of Business Place to eat? Le Colonial and Sweet Mandy B’s for sweets Shop? P.O.S.H. Chicago and Space 519 for unique finds and American Girl Place for my daughter Best thing about the City? The Joffrey Ballet Worst thing about the City? The crime and traffic The perfect day is? A morning spent in the Art Institute’s impressionist galleries, lunch at RL, followed by a meeting with Annie Liddle Design at the Mart, and drinks with friends at a new restaurant before heading home to snuggle and tuck my kids in for the night

Merchandise Mart, Chicago

Halie Braden wearing alice + Olivia, Neiman Marcus Northbrook

STRATEGIC DIVORCE THE LIMITATIONS OF DIVORCE LAW

Strategic Divorce attorney Michone J. Riewer explains the realities of divorce law and the importance of client mindset.

WORDS BY MICHONE J. RIEWER AND DEBS RENZ / PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA / HAIR & MAKEUP BY LEANNA ERNEST

When most people enter a divorce attorney’s office, they experience a wide range of emotions. They may feel broken, violated, lied to, betrayed, abused, or mistreated. They may feel embarrassed that they were unable to make their marriage work. They may also feel completely numb to the process or might even feel relieved.

All of these feelings are valid and perfectly normal, but they can also be incredibly destructive. Hurt feelings often cloud judgment, leading to unrealistic goals for the divorce grounded, not in a desire to win, but to make sure their spouse loses. We often ask clients to consider what would have to occur so that when we meet in a year, they could be happy with the outcome and their situation. A large number of clients respond with, “I want my spouse to burn in hell.” That is not realistic. No attorney can achieve that goal.

Somebody may feel they are entitled to more than an even split. They may even be right. Unfortunately, the courts don’t recognize this desire. Courts aren’t interested in why you believe you deserve more assets or money. Courts don’t care how or why the marriage is ending, and it doesn’t matter to the legal system how hurt your feelings may be.

The judges care about one thing—upholding the law.

Many people believe there is a great deal of wiggle room in the legal system or that hiring a more aggressive lawyer and fighting for years will result in a better outcome. This is usually not true. When it comes time for the judge to sign off on an agreement or rule after a trial, these decisions are typically determined by a formula. Child support is determined by a formula. Spousal support or maintenance is determined by a formula.

A good lawyer will help you understand your rights and repre sent your best interests so that you don’t make decisions that will negatively impact those formulas. But a good lawyer won’t promise you something that isn’t attainable or encourage you to fight your spouse to gain a split of assets that a judge would never agree to.

Contentious divorces happen when parties allow their hurt feelings or anger to get in the way of rational decision making. Some lawyers will take advantage of these destructive mindsets. Acrimony is their business plan. When a client comes to them saying they want 70 percent of the marital assets, the attorney doesn’t explain why that is an unlikely outcome. Instead, the attorney encourages their client to fight for 75 percent. The attorney knows the law and knows no judge would award that division of assets. The attorney also knows that the longer the divorce drags on the more money that attorney will collect in legal fees. Encouraging acrimony has a clear benefit for the attorney and a clear drawback for the client.

Choosing the right attorney is very important. Having the right mindset going into a divorce is equally important. Spending thousands of dollars fighting over a piece of kitchen equipment does not result in a win for anyone but the divorce lawyer. At the beginning of the divorce, we provide each of our clients with the name of a therapist so that they have someone to help them with their mindset. Throughout the divorce, we provide solid counsel to our clients so that they have an opportunity to understand the likely outcome and then reach that outcome more quickly and with less acrimony. This approach provides our clients with more assets to divide in the long run and fewer legal bills.

Michone J. Riewer is an attorney with Strategic Divorce in Lake Bluff, 847-234-4445, strategicdivorce.com.

Michone J. Riewer

Samantha Barnett wearing top by Katie J NYC from Soul 2 Soul and Lululemon pants. Photographed at Soul 2 Soul Dance in Highland Park

TINY DANCER

Samantha Barnett makes a huge impression on the dance floor.

WORDS BY ROCHELLE NEWMAN RUBINOFF / PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA / HAIR BY CATHLEEN HEALY

The lights go down, and the magic comes up. Samantha Barnett has been putting her dancing shoes on since she was 4 and her feet have never stopped.

Dance offers so many wonderful benefits to students of all ages. In addition to the physical exercise, dance students get to experience the priceless feeling of community, friendship, creativity, and a sense of accomplishment.

A fifth-grade student at Lake Forest Country Day, Barnett has been part of the Soul 2 Sole Dance family in Highland Park since she started taking lessons. She heads to the studio four days a week and is part of five different teams competing in five dance competitions throughout the year. “They compete with studios all over Illinois,” Laura Barnett, Samantha’s mother, says.

“Samantha loves dance and is proud of the hard work she has done over the years that has allowed her to grow and advance,” Laura says.

This is clearly Samantha’s passion. Yet, dance has not always come easily to her.

“There’s a lot of discipline involved and a lot of responsibility—she cannot miss practice even if she isn’t feeling well. As long as she’s fever-free, she still needs to sit on the sidelines and watch. I think it shows her that if you work hard at something you will reap the rewards.”

Both Samantha and Laura say that they’re beyond grateful that they have Drew Tamez-Hull as Samantha’s coach. “I love my coach,” Samantha says.

“Drew is really special,” Laura continues. “He coaches at several studios in the city, and he’s a professional dancer and actor.”

As a coach and artistic director at Soul 2 Sole Dance, Tamez-Hull’s goal is to inspire and make every student count on the dance floor and to help them achieve their personal goals.

“From my experience, I feel like dancing is a healthy outlet and a form of expression for these kids. I sometimes think of it as dance therapy. Kids are constantly in environments where they’re told to be quiet. Sit down. Calm down. When I get them after school, they’re all wound up. They have all this energy, so they’re coming in and getting therapeutic movement.

“The second big takeaway I’ve noticed over the years is that dance creates a community of people whom students can get to know artistically, creatively. So, it gives them a sense of belonging,” he observes.

Not surprisingly, the respect that Samantha and Laura have for Tamez-Hull is reciprocated. A student like Samantha does not come along every day.

“Samantha is not only an inspiration, but she is the ideal example of what it means to be a part of a team. She is somebody who had to work super hard a few years ago just to get noticed or to even get the smallest part. But she would always have a huge smile from ear to ear. And for me as a coach, this is somebody whom you want to support because every year you can grow with that student. There’s no ego with her. It’s just all about hard work.”

For now, Samantha is thrilled to keep working hard, being part of the team, hanging out with her awesome coach and nice dance friends, and, of course, keep dancing.

Sole 2 Sole Dance is located at 799 Central Avenue in Highland Park, sole2soledance.com.

Samantha Barnett wearing Burberry dress from Neiman Marcus Northbrook with her dance coach Drew Tamez-Hull

Our mission is to bring peace of mind and quality of life to each and every one of our clients. Backed with nearly six decades of wealth management experience through some of the most turbulent markets in history, we have the toolset to help bolster your peace of mind. We pair the resources from one of the largest financial institutions in the country (Wells Fargo) with a personalized touch to wealth management. Each client portfolio is personalized to their goals and risk tolerance, as we manage each account individually – not by a computer software program.

Quality of life is how you define it! We love learning what quality of life means to you – your dreams, hopes, and aspirations for you and your family. Yellowstone Wealth Management believes individual management & true client discovery is the only way we can tailor a portfolio that is truly designed to help bring you peace of mind and quality of life.

Yellowstone Wealth Management

Steven Esposito President, Managing Partner

Dr. John Q. Cook

“I know I have achieved my goal, when a patient says to me, ‘now my face matches my mood.’”

JohnQCookMD.com Gold Coast North Shore

Real Patient Ratings

John Q. Cook, M.D. Plastic Surgeon

Yale, M.D. Northwestern Rush University Medical Center Plastic Surgery Staff U.S. News Top Doctor Castle Connelly America’s Top Plastic Surgeons

LIVING AND DRESSING WELL

Zimmermann Floor Length Dress, zimmermann.com

EDITED BY ALLISON DUNCAN

EDITED BY ALLISON DUNCAN

Warner Institute is proud and excited to offer

Warner Institute is proud and excited to offer

THE S IFT SCULPT

THE S IFT SCULPT

warner institute

THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS FINALLY HERE! Ahead of any festive gatherings, make sure your profile sparkles and shines.

AS WE MAKE OUR WAY INTO THE COOLER MONTHS, now is the best time to spruce up and get restorative procedures done so you’re fully recovered for any and all upcoming holiday celebrations from Halloween to New Years!

The Warner Institute is excited to offer the SWIFT Sculpt, a minimally invasive procedure that contours and tightens the jaw and neckline leaving lasting results and the profile you have dreamed of. This new procedure, developed by renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Jeremy Warner, takes place under local anesthesia in less than one hour in the practice’s brand-new, state-ofthe-art facility in Northfield. This means zero need for hospital operating room costs, tedious drains, and long recovery times, all while getting the gift of the jawline and profile on your wish list! Callourofficetoscheduleyourconsultation today,tofeelyourbestselfintimeforyour holidayparties!

The Warner Institute's State-of-the-art Warner Institute Facelift Technique (SWIFT Lift™) is the perfect treatment for the ultimate facial refresh. Developed by Dr. Jeremy Warner, MD FACS, the SWIFT Lift achieves the same results as traditional facelifts without the need for hospital operating rooms, general anesthesia or long recovery times. During the procedure, which usually takes less than two hours, Dr. Warner uses a proprietary technique to effectively target specific facial areas and tighten the surrounding skin, creating a natural, long-lasting look that yields minimal recovery time (only 10-14 days compared to the month needed for traditional surgery!).

Look and feel your best for all your holiday festivities to come and call our office today to schedule a consultation!

ACTUAL PATIENT OF DR. WARNER after after before before

ACTUAL PATIENT OF DR. WARNER

DR. JEREMY WARNER, MD FACS

CULTURE & ARTS

THE NORTH SHORE’S MOST CREATIVE PURSUITS

PICTURE PERFECT

Collector’s Corner shines a light on Hindman Auctions Fine Art sales this December. The December 6 Photographs sale includes the photograph on this page: Young Velvets, Young Prices, Hat Fashions, for British Vogue (The New York skyline from the roof of the Condé Nast building on Lexington Avenue, New York City, 1949) by Norman Parkinson (1913-1990). Estimate: $3,000-$5000. The Post-War & Contemporary Art and Prints & Multiples auctions will take place the next week on December 14 and 15, respectively. For more information, visit hindmanauctions.com.

ART & ARTIST

Jacqueline Kott-Wolle wearing multicolor top, cape, and pant by Akris SHERIDAN

SAY “CHEEEESE!”

Transcribing family photographs with paint, Jacqueline Kott-Wolle celebrates past and present.

WORDS BY THOMAS CONNORS / PHOTOGRAPHY BY LISA SCIASCIA STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA / HAIR & MAKEUP BY LEANNA ERNEST

Whether it’s da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, or an Alex Katz rendering of his wife, Ada, nothing quite grabs us like a portrait. After all, it’s only human to study other people. And when faces are captured on canvas, we’re free to stare in a way we’d never (one hopes) do in a store, restaurant, or on the street. It doesn’t matter whether the subject is famous or anonymous, our eyes seek to meet the man or woman looking back at us.

Sitting in the sun or posing in a powder blue suit before a big date, the folks in the work of Highland Park artist Jacqueline Kott-Wolle might be anyone. These images, mundane yet special—as the most quotidian moment is to the one living it—are drawn from photos of her family and their friends. And while Kott-Wolle’s works chronicle Jewish life, there’s a good deal of universality in her specificity.

As she created Growing Up Jewish–Art & Storytelling, KottWolle had Fairfield Porter in mind, the 20th-century, Winnetka-born artist whose work often depicted his family at leisure at their summer home in Maine. “Where Porter captured images of his friends playing tennis together, I found images of my family on vacation in the Catskills at one of the famed Jewish resorts of

the 1960s. Where Porter created paintings of beautiful family Christmas celebrations, I found images of my family celebrating the Jewish festivals of Passover or Rosh Hashanah. Who can’t connect to a holiday celebration with multiple generations sharing a meal together? Who hasn’t wondered about the travails of past generations and felt grateful to live in a free society where there is an opportunity for a better life, even with all of our current challenges?”

Based on five generations of vintage photographs, Kott-Wolle’s paintings form both a family portrait and a cultural testament. “It was important for me to document the challenges that my grandparents and parents had to overcome as Holocaust survivors who arrived in Canada as refugees,” relates Kott-Wolle. “Equally important was the question of what it means to be Jewish in the face of American-style freedom and the pull toward assimilation. Can one be fully identified with both traditional Judaism and American life? How will my children and future generations connect to their heritage?”

Kott-Wolle concluded the series of forty canvases with Ice

LEFT: Kot Textiles BELOW: The Pines Resort in the Catskils

ART & ARTIST

Cream Dreams at St. Faustin, which depicts her mother and her mother’s parents enjoying cones while on vacation in the countryside in the 1950s. “That vacation and its simple pleasure came only a few short years after the devastation they endured in the Holocaust,” notes Kott-Wolle “In studying that photo and translating it into a painting, I realized that I am so very fortunate to have lived in two countries—Canada and the United States— where my freedom to engage or not engage with my religion is guaranteed.”

After moving to the North Shore with her husband, David, in 2004 (the couple has three children aged 16 to 23), Kott-Wolle found a creative home at The Highland Park Art Center, where she was mentored by landscape painter and mixed media artist, Ina Beierle. Determined in those early days to “hold on to my memories of precious summer vacations,” Kott-Wolle painted from pictures of her children at the beach. “I once asked Ina if she thought it was ridiculous that I only wanted to paint my kids and her answer provided the exact encouragement and ‘permission’ I needed. Ina said, ‘When you paint, say what you need to say until you’re finished saying it. And when you are done, use your art to say something else.’ There was something so liberating about not being judged or evaluated. I was free to express my deepest emotions, using my paintbrushes.”

Family photos, no matter the family, can be a source of sweet memory and even mirth (“Look at that wallpaper! Can you believe I wore my hair like that?”). But when the people pictured have passed and that living room is long gone, the snapshots of our lives can be sad and, sometimes, inscrutable. Kott-Wolle’s subjects—their celluloid mortality translated into paint—seem to rise above hard truth. Many of her pictures project an unmistakable echo of good times together. But when they touch on something other than joy, she doesn’t change a sour face to a smile or straighten a back to its youthful uprightness or ignore, in the text accompanying these images, tough times and unrealized expectations. She accepts life in every aspect, in sunlight and in shade.

For more information, visit paintingsbyjacquelinekottwolle.com.

RIGHT: Bar Mitzvah Boy BELOW: 1950 Ladies Auxiliary Tea BOTTOM: Nobody Asked Aunty Sylvia

COLLECTING WITH CONFIDENCE

Learn how to approach auctions with Hindman’s Joe Stanfield and Zack Wirsum.

EDITED BY MORGAN HOGERTY / PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP / STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA

Ahead of Hindman’s December Fine Art Sales, we spoke with Hindman’s Vice President and Senior Specialist of Fine Art Joe Stanfield and Director and Senior Specialist of Post-War & Contemporary Art Zack Wirsum about how to approach buying at auction and developing a collection.

Where does one start with buying at auction?

Joe Stanfield: Auction is one of the best ways to start collecting and is more fun than people might expect. I would recommend attending an auction preview and discussing the process with a specialist. We love nothing more than welcoming clients into the galleries after spending so much time selling virtually during the pandemic.

Zack Wirsum: Bidding at auction is quite simple and there are several different ways to do it. You can still bid live with a paddle during the sale, as many people might imagine when they think of an auction. Prior to the auction, you can also leave an absentee bid—the maximum amount that you would be willing to pay—that will be executed on your behalf by the auctioneer during the sale. Another option is to telephone bid. One of our team members will call you and bid as your proxy in real-time. Recently, more and more of our clients bid online using Hindman’s Digital Bid Room. No matter how you choose to participate, we love to see new bidders compete for property in our sales.

How does one know which artworks will be a good investment for their collection?

JS: We rarely suggest buying artworks specifically for investment. The best collections are built from the heart with love, time, and research on the artists that form the collection. That said, if you are interested in buying works that you hope go up in value, it is wise to see what market trends are happening. In recent years, there has been a well-overdue amount of attention paid to female artists and artists of color in the art market which is one area we see a lot of potential for growth. For example, we were blown away by the prices achieved in September’s sale of Gertrude Aber crombie paintings from the collection of Laura and Gary Maurer.

With the majority of works selling for well above their estimates, it was clear that this female surrealist is continuing to rapidly gain attention. As an Abercrombie collector myself, it’s been very special to see how her market has flourished.

What are the pros of buying at auction?

ZW: Auction is an incredible place to buy art. But, of course, there are a number of venues where collectors can begin today— the choices can be overwhelming for everyone from the novice collector to the experienced one. If you are interested in buying from a gallery, dealer, or an online platform so you can have the painting immediately irrespective of an auction calendar, that is certainly understandable. Most of our clients buy from auctions, art fairs, galleries, and more. I recommend that collectors buy from both the primary and secondary markets to build a rich collection.

What are you looking forward to offering this December?

JS: I am particularly excited about two works we have by Doris Emrick Lee, a renowned American figurative painter and printmaker, that will be included in our December 7 American & European Art auction. The Art Institute of Chicago has one of her best paintings in its collection which I have always loved. To top it off, we also had a large consignment of paintings by Lee in the very first sale I worked at Hindman in 2006 so I am somewhat nostalgic about her as well.

ZW: The December 14 Post War & Contemporary Art auction will feature a plethora of compelling works. I’m eager to see how a number of charming Abercrombie works will perform, and we also have outstanding works by Henry Moore, Sam Francis, Joan Snyder, and Alexander Calder to name just a few.

Hindman will present five Fine Art sales this December beginning with two photography sales on December 6: Eugène Atget Photographs Sold by the Museum of Fine Arts Houston; and Photographs. The following day on December 7, Hindman will present its American & European Art auction. The Post-War & Contemporary Art and Prints & Multiples auctions will take place the next week on December 14 and 15, respectively. For more information, visit hindmanauctions.com.

Joe Stanfield and Zack Wirsum.

Joan Snyder, Midnight Garden, 1999, Estimate: $15,000-25,000

LIQUID INTELLIGENCE

Winnetka’s KEVIN BRATT has been actively involved in wine service and restaurant hospitality for more than two decades and is cer tified by the Society of Wine Educators and the Court of Master Sommeliers. After 21 years as the National Wine & Spirits director at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab (Chicago/Las Vegas/Washington D.C.), he has also taken over as Beverage Director at Shaw’s Crab House (Chicago/Schaumburg), and is working on a recent concept, The Gin Commission. Like his own affinity for travel, history, great food, and, of course, gin, The Gin Commission is a gin-focused cocktail bar embodying all of that and then some. It features more than 50 varieties of gin from around the world, with a rotating selection of gin-focused craft cocktails, as well as a seafood-centric menu of small plates. If gin isn’t your spirit of choice, there’s also a full bar available. Keep an eye on Bratt @invitisveritas and look for news about The Gin Commission – it is not to be missed. Bratt puts down his glass to share how he stays on trend between sips.

“I’ve gone back to revisit The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot. I’m discovering bits and pieces that I missed the first time around and using it as context to decipher some of my life experiences. I’m fascinated by the debate over whether we control our own destiny or whether everything is predestined. I also like to explore the idea that there’s something more to this life than what meets the eye. After saying all that, you’ll probably find it hard to believe I typically avoid science fiction.”

IN HIS EARBUDS

“Musically, I’ve really been into the recent Gilla Band release, ‘Most Normal.’ Not gonna lie, it’s definitely not for everyone, and I’d affectionately describe their sound as dinosaurs having a passionate conversation about nothing at all. Emotionally, it rattles my veins with energetic fervor, and the chaotic message they convey is poignantly soothing to the soul. If you’re open to unique and new noise, this might be an album for you. If not, don’t say I didn’t warn you. They’re also coming to Lincoln Hall in February if you’d like to see them in concert with me.”

ON HIS NIGHTSTAND ON HIS MOBILE

“I don’t have a profound list of people or pages I follow online, but I do enjoy @imbibe and @deathandcompa ny on Instagram for fun cocktail photos and inspiration for The Gin Commission. Also, @maunaeatschicago, @theishitaedition, and @agirlaboutchicago always keep me in the know about where to dine and drink in Chicago. Beyond that, I’ve always been a big fan of Danny Meyer, founder of Union Square Hospitality Group in New York City, and whenever I’m in the mood for some restaurant guidance or inspiration, I’ll turn to Audible and listen to his book, Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business. Whenever I need a reminder that our hospitality industry is just that, hospitality, I always find a good lesson in Danny’s message.”

EDITED BY MORGAN HOGERTY/PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP/STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA

Kevin Bratt

FIRST CLASS DINING AND TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

A Québec

building. Photography by Francis Fontaine

City

HERBED PORK LOIN

With grapes, pomegranate sauce, fingerlings, and shallots.

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MONICA KASS ROGERS

Ioften hum in the kitchen, especially when the meal prep is for a special family gathering. During the holidays, it’s usually some sprightly jingle. But for this delicious pork loin dish, with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme all fragrantly present, the tune had to be Simon & Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair.”

I first encountered a version of this recipe 17 years ago, in acclaimed chef Suzanne Goin’s James Beard Award-winning cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Goin’s Los Angeles restaurant Lucques lasted for nearly 21 years, closing in 2020, but the beautiful recipes in her cookbook live on. The New York Times did a version of the loin 16 years ago, replacing spring onions and haricot verts with shallots, grapes, and fingerling potatoes, which I liked very much. To give the dish a holiday slant, our version has a tart/sweet sauce made with fresh-pressed pomegranate juice and white wine.

Honoring Goin’s practice of using the best possible ingredients, I make this with farm-sourced produce and use French Dijon for the mustard marinade (Maille is good— Bornier, even better!) I use champagne grapes, but seedless red grapes (choose small, firm ones) work as well.

INGREDIENTS

• 1, 2.5 to 3 pounds boneless center-cut pork loin

• 12 thyme sprigs: leaves from 4 sprigs (stems discarded) finely chopped to make 1 tablespoon; 5 whole sprigs to top roast; and 3 small sprigs to garnish finished dish

• 3 sprigs parsley, stems discarded, leaves finely chopped to make 1 tablespoon

• 5 sprigs rosemary: leaves from one sprig (stems discarded) finely chopped to make 2 teaspoons; 3 whole sprigs to top roast; and 1 small sprig to garnish finished dish

• 5 sprigs sage: leaves from one small sprig finely chopped to make 2 teaspoons; 3 whole sprigs to top roast; and 1 small sprig to garnish finished dish

• 1/2 cup good quality French Dijon mustard

• 6 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 1/2 teaspoons Maldon Sea Salt Flakes or kosher salt

• 3 teaspoons freshly ground black peppercorn

• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

• 1 pound finger ling potatoes, skin-on, washed well, and halved lengthwise

• 6 shallots, peeled and quartered lengthwise

• 1 pound champagne grapes, snipped into small bunches or 1 pound small red seedless grapes

• 1/2 cup fresh-pressed pomegranate juice (method follows)

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 1/2 cup chicken stock

• 1 large pomegranate

METHOD

Blot pork loin with paper toweling and use lengths of kitchen twine to tie the loin at 2-inch intervals. Rub loin with 1 teaspoon salt flakes and 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper and place in large shallow dish. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon each of the thyme leaves and finely chopped parsley, plus 2 teaspoons each of the finely chopped rose-

mary and sage leaves. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and ½ cup mustard. Coat the loin with this mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is even better).

Remove loin from refrigerator. Using a spatula, scoop marinade off of the loin and into a small bowl. Set aside. Grind another teaspoon of pepper all over loin, turning as you go. Repeat with remaining 1 teaspoon of salt flakes. Place a roasting pan in oven on rack at center position; preheat oven to 325 degrees. Add 2 tablespoons of remaining olive oil to large, nonreactive sauté pan over high heat. Heat oil until smoking. Sear pork loin in oil for four minutes. Roll loin and repeat searing until all sides of the loin are well browned. Remove sauté pan from heat. Take out preheated roasting pan from oven, add loin, top with reserved mustard marinade, ½ of the butter pieces, and sprigs of sage, rosemary, and thyme. Replace pan in oven; roast for 15 minutes.

While loin roasts, gently toss the halved fingerlings, quartered shallots, and the small bunches of grapes in remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with a bit more of the salt flakes and fresh ground pepper. Set aside.

Place a large bowl of water in the sink. Cut pomegranate into quarters and place quarters in the water. Using your hands separate the pomegranate “seeds” (arils) from the peel and membrane. The arils will sink to the bottom of the dish and the membrane will float to the top. Discard membrane and peel. Scoop arils into a measuring cup with a slotted spoon—you should have 1 cup of arils. Place pomegranate arils in the bowl of a food processor and pulse five or six times to release juice from seeds. Do not over-process—you are not trying to grind the seeds, just release the juice. Pour mixture into a fine-meshed strainer over a measuring cup. Gently press to release all of the juice. You should have ½ cup fresh juice.

Remove loin from oven after 15 minutes. Place halved fingerlings around the roast; top with shallots and grapes. Place pan back in oven and roast for 50 to 60 minutes until internal temperature of the meat reads 125 degrees. Remove loin from oven to a cutting board. Toss the potatoes, grapes, and shallots gently in the pan juices. Allow loin to rest for 10 minutes.

While loin rests, make sauce. Discard oil from sauté pan. Scrape fond (crusty bits left from searing the pork) on the bottom of the pan to loosen it. Set cooktop heat to medium-high and add pomegranate juice to pan. Heat to boiling, whisking continuously until juice has reduced and almost no liquid remains. Add white wine and repeat. Add chicken stock and repeat. Add butter, still whisking until you have a smooth sauce. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a spouted cup.

Slice pork loin into medallions and arrange on serving platter surrounded by potatoes, shallots, and grapes. Add remaining fresh sprigs of herbs to garnish. Pour pomegranate sauce over medallions. Serve immediately.

Experience some of your favorite holiday traditions in the charming Village of Elkhart Lake with the Old World Christmas Market, Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides, Children’s Holiday Workshops, Breakfast with Santa, Brunch with St. Nicholas and his Reindeer, and Holiday Musical Revues. Visit ElkhartLake.com for holiday vacation packages, trip ideas and holiday highlights.

Old World Christmas Market Admission Monday to Thursday To redeem,

present this coupon at the Old World Christmas Market at The Osthoff Resort.

SHERIDANRD

JOIE de VIVRE

Travel to Canada’s Québec City for an immersion in French culture, cuisine, and language.

WORDS BY DUSTIN O’REGAN

Beloved for its Old World character and charm, Québec City is a Francophile’s dream steeped in 400 years of history. North America’s cradle of French civilization is accessible via a twohour flight from O’Hare airport (about the same time it takes me to drive to Chicago in traffic). A visit to one of Canada’s oldest cities and the only remaining walled city in North America makes you feel as if you’ve traveled back in time to the elegance of centuries past.

Situated on the cliffs overlooking the great St. Lawrence River,

Old Québec, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has a fairytale essence with its narrow cobblestone streets and gorgeous architecture—think stone facades, grand cathedrals, and steeply pitched roofs. With French (the official language of the province) words dancing in your ears, café tables spilling out onto the cobblestones, and scent-filled bakeries dotting every corner, you can hardly believe you aren’t in the Old World. One of the many things that I absolutely loved was the sense of safety. No matter what time of night, we felt completely at ease strolling arm in arm, without a care in the world. Our laughter and philosophical banter were our only focus (as it should be).

Auberge Saint-Antoine facade. Photography by Stephane Groleau

STAY

We chose the luxury Auberge Saint-Antoine located in the historic district of Québec. The hotel stands on an archaeological site that has links to every stage of the historic district’s evolution. The hotel’s proprietors, the Price family, have masterfully mixed hospitality with history—creating a luxurious hotel that celebrates the centuries of Québec City. More than 500 archeological items are on display in the public areas, corridors, and rooms. Even a simple elevator trip is remarkable because it takes you through three and a half centuries of history; with each floor representing an archeological layer.

Every suite has a name, a signature artifact, and a story. My cheerful river view room, the “Lacy Glass Room,” incorporates the color cranberry—an ode to a fragment of a delicate glass European lamp sold between 1880 and 1925. In addition to the artifacts, the hotel incorporates stones from ancient French structures and the reception’s counters are made from oak timbers once used in 19th-century wharves. While the hotel celebrates the past, it is also outfitted with the most modern of amenities.

The Price family, with plans to expand, recently purchased the building next door. It was under construction when we visited, but when complete it will offer large suites for VIPs and multiroom suites for families. Celebrities flock to Québec City; the next time Celine stays at the Auberge Saint-Antoine, I suspect she will be quite thrilled with her brand-new accommodations. saint-antoine.com

DINE

Chez Muffy

Overlooking the St. Lawrence River, this charming restaurant was named in honor of Muffy Price and exudes cozy elegance. The original stone walls and wooden beams of this former 19th-century maritime warehouse create a welcoming atmosphere in one of Québec City’s most historically significant buildings. The menu is a brilliant composition of Québec gastronomy focusing on savory flavors and ingredients from an organic farm on Île d’Orléans. The presentation is a work of art, and I highly recommend the duck if it is on the menu.

Chez Rioux & Pettigrew

A fan favorite on Rue Saint-Paul, this charming eatery and a fixture in the Old Port of Québec was named in honor of Mr. Rioux and Mr. Pettigrew who opened a general store in the 1860s. Those gentlemen would have surely approved of the restaurant’s focus on “boreal cuisine,” which uses seasonal products from small local producers and farms to assure quality ingredients. We opted

for the blind-tasting menu and were dazzled by each course and wine pairing.

Tanière3

Interested in a three-hour culinary journey that is out of this world? Then book early at this Québec hot spot nestled between the St. Lawrence River and Place Royale. Reservations are essential because guests are texted the combination to the keyed lock on the restaurant’s front door. As you push open the heavy door, darkness yawns before you. A backlit forest motif emerges once your eyes adjust. A labyrinthian hallway delivers you into a barrel-vaulted stone room where the adventure begins with the first three courses of the 16-course meal.

Before we began our 16-courses, the barman arrived with an isotonic beverage brimming with vitamins to prepare us for the many libations to follow. One of which contained a beautifully frozen blueberry slush that spewed fluffy white smoke when dry ice entered the glass—breathtaking in presentation and taste.

The Tanière3 experience is a blind-tasting, boreal cuisine menu. As every menu is different, I won’t describe each devastatingly

Québec City’s cobblestone streets with Chateau Frontenac in the distance. Photography courtesy of Destination Québec City

Chez Rioux & Pettigrew

Chez Muffy. Photography by Francis Fontaine

beautiful and tasty course. I, however, must describe two experiences that speak to a truly exceptional level of service and attention to detail. First, after moving into the main dining room for the “dinner” courses, a key was placed on my plate. It opened a drawer in the table where I found a note with my name, welcoming words, and prose inspired by the caviar delicacy that was served next. Later, at the evening’s end, we found ourselves in a magical room resembling an enchanted forest of birch trees. Here we were each given a menu with a gold wax seal—a memento of an unforgettable feast. This bastion of excellence was recently awarded the coveted CAA/AAA Five Diamond designation and should not be missed.

IMBIBE

The conveniently located Bar Artefact is the perfect place to enjoy the Auberge Saint-Antoine’s signature drinks. We took a mixology class with head bartender Félix-André and enjoyed a fairly boozy afternoon. My favorite? An Aphrodite cocktail made with lycée liquid, vodka, grapefruit, and ginger. The bar showcases relics unearthed on-site during one of the excavation digs—be sure to visit the cannon and the cannonball still attached to the wood it crashed into eons ago.

EXCURSIONS

Tour Québec City

Hire a guide (we recommend Tommy Byrne 418-999-7096) for an engaging education about the city’s history and culture. Old Québec is the most intact fortified town north of Mexico, retaining

its colonial architecture for more than four centuries. It is the historic and cultural heart of Québec City and the birthplace of French North America. We began our adventure at the foot of the famed Chateau Frontenac perched just above the St. Lawrence River at what must be the city’s highest point. Here you will find the monument of Québec City’s founder Samuel de Champlain. My favorite neighborhood on the tour was Petit Champlain. I adored the architecture—houses with charming dormer windows, gabled roofs, and wide chimneys. In winter, this pedestrian street is decked from cobblestone to rooftop in all things Christmas. Seeing Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, one of the oldest churches in North America, and the immense Québec City trompe-l’oeil mural gives you a glimpse into the city’s history and culture.

Tour Musée National Des Beaux-Arts Du Québec

This stunning museum contains three buildings offering a vast pan orama of Québec’s art history from the 17th century to the present day. We visited the spectacular Pierre Lassonde Pavilion, which houses the museum’s expansive collection of contemporary art dat ing from 1960 on. During a fascinating tour, we learned about the “King’s Daughters,” the 800 women who immigrated to Québec in the 1600s under a program designed by Louis XIV and the contro versy that surrounds that bit of history. I can’t wait to return to visit the Charles Baillairgé Pavilion, which occupies a former prison and now uses the cells that once held prisoners to hold art.

Tanière3 stone barrel vaulted room where the culinary adventure begins

Tanière3 Mises en bouche

Musée National Des Beaux-Arts Du Québec’s Pierre Lassonde Pavilion. Photography by Bruce Damonte

A view of Petit Champlain from above

Québec City’s cobblestone streets with Chateau Frontenac in the distance

The heart of the island is home to a beautiful orchard, Domaine Steinbach. The orchard, set on the St. Lawrence River, contains 3,000 apple trees and soon will be 100 percent organic. I highly recommend tasting the flight of ciders to witness the scale of flavors. The quaint store offers a delightful array of ciders, jams, butters, and mustards. domainesteinbach.com

Our last stop of the day was OhBio-Ferme Jean Pierre Plante, a pristine farm with the most delicious produce. The certified organic producers, Jean-Julien and his wife, are passionate farmers who take extraordinary pride in their products and have a deep respect for nature—pride and respect you can taste. The farm family has a close relationship with the Price family (owners of the Auberge Saint-Antoine), and the farm’s fruits and vegetables are incorporated into the hotel’s cuisine. ohbio.ca

Strøm Spa Nordique

For a Nordic spa experience beyond compare, make the short jaunt to Strøm Spa Nordique. This is an ideal spot to experience thermotherapy, a thousand-year-old wellness ritual that uses water for therapeutic purposes. Our treatment began with immersions in glorious, outdoor heated pools followed by a variety of cold plunges all while enjoying river views and birdsong. You could easily spend hours here enjoying the various steam rooms, saunas, and serene relaxation rooms—they even offer gourmet regional cuisine, beauty, and spa services. I could actually live there. One thermal experience I missed is the candlelit indoor flotation salt bath. I am dreaming of going back for this meditative experience. stromspa.com

Fly with Complexe Capitale Hélicoptère

Take a helicopter ride for a phenomenal aerial view of Québec City, the St. Lawrence River, Montmorency Falls, Île d’Orléans, and the mountains. complexecapitalehelicoptere.com

With so much to experience in this extraordinary city just two hours away from Chicago, why am I not there several times a year? Perhaps that is a New Year’s resolution. For you too? Bon voyage!

Isle de Bacchus vineyard

Strøm Spa Nordique heated pool overlooking St. Lawrence River. Photography © Bianca Des Jardins pour Strøm FIRST CLASS

Visit Île d’Orléans

Rent a car via volvodequebec.com and visit Île d’Orléans known as “the garden of Québec,” located just a half hour from the city. Spend the day experiencing all that this verdant island has to offer. Start with Cassis Monna et Filles, the winner of many international awards for making black currant products. The black currant, known by Québecers as “gadelle noire,” is a remarkably fragrant, purplish-black berry originally appreciated for its medicinal qualities. The berry is not only brimming with vitamin C and immune system boosters but also creates incredibly tasty libations. Visit the store downstairs to taste the wide variety of products from wines and liqueurs to vinaigrettes and foie gras mousse. Pop into La Monnaguette upstairs for their famous Poutine—an oddly delicious combination of French fries, cheese curds, gravy, and duck. You’ll need something in your stomach for the rest of the day’s tastings. cassismonna.com

Next, visit the Isle de Bacchus vineyard for a wine tour and tastings. Founded in 1982 in Saint-Pierre de Île d’Orléans, the vineyard is a pioneer in the history of Québec viticulture and produces red, white, rosé, aperitifs, and liqueurs as well as internationally renowned ice wine. This was my very first introduction to “ice wine,” a beautifully fruity dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The setting is breathtaking with vines cascading from beneath the main house to the St. Lawrence River. isledebacchus.com

Winnetka’s famed Clement Stone house is on the market with Jena Radnay of @properties Christie’s International Real Estate

A HOME FOR DREAMERS

Only once in a lifetime do homes like 445 Sheridan Road in Winnetka come on the market. As luck would have it, that day is here.

WORDS BY ANN MARIE SCHEIDLER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID WARD

Aerial view of lakefront Clement Stone mansion. Photography by Larry Melvin

When the current owner of 445 Sheridan Road in Winnetka first walked up the stairs to this home, his breath was taken away by the majestic views of Lake Michigan.

“My client told me a story just this morning,” Jena Radnay of @properties Christie’s International Real Estate shares. “He said he knew the minute he walked into the foyer of this home and saw the lake that he felt like he had ‘arrived.’ He knew he had to have this house.”

This Winnetka estate has long been one of which stories have been told—stories of self-made millionaires whose successes were celebrated within the gates of this iconic residence.

“If you grew up in Winnetka, you knew this house as the one with the gates and the red tile roof. It’s a rarity for an estate like this to have an ‘in-town location’ with lakefront access,” Radnay says. Built in 1912, this Spanish-influenced villa is glorious and rem-

iniscent of a time when entertaining on Lake Michigan was a true way of life. This home has only had four homeowners to date—W. Clement Stone being the most notable. When he purchased the property in early 1966, Stone had garnered success with the founding of Combined Insurance Company (now Aon Corporation). Born into poverty on Chicago’s South Side in 1902, Stone started his own insurance agency at the age of 20, and within a decade, his company had 1,000 agents selling low-cost policies throughout the country.

The Stones extensively renovated and lavishly decorated the house and were known for the parties they hosted. According to the Winnetka Historical Society, one such party was described as having “a sit-down dinner on the first floor, champagne on the second, and dancing to two bands in the third-floor ballroom.”

When arriving at the Stones’ glamorous fetes, guests were greeted by the grand foyer entrance with postcard views of the lake, a double atrium staircase accented with braided columns,

View from foyer looking into living room

Dining room with view to solarium breakfast area

HOME TOUR

matching arched casings, and a fireplace. The sunrises, sunsets, and lakefront breezes only added to the magic.

Stone and his wife, Jessie, both lived to age 100 and died on the same day two years apart. The house went on the market a few months later and was sold in 2006 to its current owners. These homeowners worked with architect Paul Konstant to improve the property while maintaining its historic character.

Almost all of the rooms in this home face the water allowing for incredible natural light from the lakefront’s reflections. Formal spaces on the first floor provide the ideal flow for entertaining. The grand living room has 10-foot ceilings and curved corners with built-in areas to display treasures. The family room, with more panoramic views, follows. An enchanting dining room with an intricate hand-molded ceiling, five chandeliers, and a separate

solarium breakfast area create areas for formal and informal dining.

The recently renovated second floor has a primary suite side with a sitting room, walk-in closet, spa bath, and bedroom with 180-degree views of the lake. Three additional bedrooms with new quartz baths are also found on the second floor. The formal ballroom with its own exquisite lake views is still on the third floor. An elevator connects the floors—including the Hollywood-esque speakeasy on the lower level. If these walls could only talk, those stories would write a book about the custom bar, booths made for lounging, and custom-plastered mosaic ceilings with hand-painted and mirrored tiles. The oversized recreation room, home to a billiards area, sauna, and full bath, is just what you would expect in a home of this stature.

While the current homeowners worked with Konstant on re-

Foyer

Hollywood-esque speakeasy

Terrace on Lake Michigan

storing the home, their most prized collaboration was the cabana and hotel-level pool experience they created in the front yard.

“This is such a special part of this property,” adds Radnay. “This four-season, commercial-sized pool was built in front of the home to protect it from the cool lake breezes so that it can be enjoyed all year long. The construction has been grandfathered into the zoning laws of the Village of Winnetka and can never be replicated anywhere else.”

The Konstant-designed two-story cabana house features an elevator, a custom bar with mahogany-coffered wooden ceilings, two full kitchens, two bedrooms, and two full bathrooms. A stunning fountain adds the finishing touch and creates the most peaceful and tranquil of settings.

“While this home is historically significant to our community, it is not bound by any preservation restrictions,” Radnay explains. “This means that someone can come in and modernize the living space to how families live today or create something entirely new. There are only a handful of lakefront properties like this with acreage of this size.”

To this end, Konstant has already drawn up plans for how this home could be reimagined. And, the new homeowners will have this architect’s expertise close at hand as he lives just down the street.

“This home was built for dreamers,” Radnay adds. “Some of our city’s most successful entrepreneurs have lived here—individuals who dreamed big and found incredible success. This is the kind of person who will make this luxurious estate their home.”

To learn more about this property, visit atproperties.com or contact Jena Radnay at 312-925-9899.

Living room

Dining room Bathroom

EDITED BY ALLISON DUNCAN

DESIGN TRENDS

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Kashian Bros is located in downtown Lake Forest and Wilmette. For more information, call 847-251-1200 or visit kashianbros.com.

Sarah Matteson shot on location at the house of Sarah Rogers (of Sarah Rogers Design)

MAG MAVEN

TIME’s Director of Partnerships Sarah Matteson celebrates the company’s centennial.

WORDS BY ALLISON DUNCAN / PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA / HAIR & MAKEUP BY LEANNA ERNEST

“T

hough we are nearly 100 years old, it feels like we are just getting started,” says Sarah Matteson, Director of Partnerships for TIME. Matteson is leading the charge on the brand’s upcoming 100th anniversary in 2023, which will be a year-long celebration of TIME’s history and its future.

“Heading into the next 100 years, our content and our brand have never been more relevant or impactful. We are excited to celebrate both our rich legacy and our future in our 100th year,” says Matteson. “We’re so much more than the magazine your parents read. TIME is a global storyteller, and our purpose is to build a better world. We will continue to innovate and evolve how we do that.”

Today, TIME’s suite of products and platforms for storytelling also includes the Emmy Award®-winning film and television division TIME Studios, and a live events business built on the powerful “TIME100” and “Person of the Year” franchises.

Matteson first began her career at the Kraft Heinz Company in their sales leadership training program but “always loved magazines.” A networking opportunity led her to a sales role with publications like Four Seasons, BlackBook, and Wine Spectator, the latter of which turned out to be serendipitous thanks to Matteson’s “personal passion” for wine and her then roommate’s career in spirits distribution.

“We were very young—in our 20s—and having a ton of fun,” laughs Matteson. “My roommate brought home a lot of samples.”

Later, Hearst recruited Matteson to work on the Cosmopolitan title, and then she eventually moved to Bon Appetit to help reposition the legacy brand into one less like “your grandmother’s Bon Appetit,” recalls Matteson.

After her wedding, Matteson stepped away from the editorial business to launch Revelry Alliance, an online start-up that streamlined the wedding planning process by connecting brides and grooms directly with vendors based on each couple’s customized profile.

But when a friend called in 2013 about a job at TIME Matteson knew it was now or never to return to publishing.

“If I was ever coming back to this industry, it was going to have to be worth it,” says Matteson.

That said, the 2010s were a volatile era for the venerable magazine, with the company undergoing numerous selloffs and acquisitions (Meredith Corporation sold TIME to Salesforce founder

and tech billionaire Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne Benioff for $190 million in 2018).

With three young children (her daughters are now 9, 7, and 5) at the time, Matteson says she “wasn’t paying attention to the world much” outside of her four walls.

“If I was ever coming back to this industry, it was going to have to be worth it.”

But the transition to new ownership meant she soon had the chance to lead purpose-driven projects for TIME and to dive deep into the brand.

Take, for example, one of TIME’s most ambitious projects: The March. The idea, says Matteson, was to recreate the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. “There is a TIME cover from the 1960s that looks out over the National Mall from behind Dr. King,” explains Matteson. “We wanted to recreate that moment from the crowd’s point of view, to allow today’s generation to connect with history in a new and meaningful way and through a lens they are familiar with—or perhaps just leaning into.”

TIME obtained exclusive rights from the estate of Martin Luther King Jr. to recreate Dr. King as a digital human. Matteson secured American Family Insurance as the presenting sponsor of The March and brought on Chicago’s DuSable Museum where the project premiered.

The interactive exhibit features groundbreaking immersive technologies that let visitors travel in time, starting with an audio experience that teaches visitors about the beginnings of the civil rights movement. Virtual reality lets viewers attend The March on Washington and witness firsthand the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, and AI storytelling creates an interactive video interview with a real civil rights activist.

“Over 200 people worked on this project in some capacity, and we were all aligned in our vision of creating something powerful and important. I believed so much that this needed to come together and be in the world.”

TIME put Dr. King on its cover again, this time as a digital human. And the project has since been expanded to an immersive digital exhibit on TIME.com and the gaming platform Fortnite, transporting players with collaborative mini-games that promote educational curiosity.

Matteson also helped launch TIME’s “Women of the Year” project in 2020, a course correction following 72 years of TIME “Man of the Year” and, later, “Person of the Year.” TIME went into its archives, choosing a “Woman of the Year” for every year since the magazine’s inception in 1923. That meant creating 89 new TIME covers, like Coco Chanel in 1924 and Eleanor Roosevelt in 1948.

Everyone on the project—from the writers to the illustrators— were women, and the project has since expanded to an in-person event recognizing women “doing amazing things in the world right now,” says Matteson. Think actress Kerry Washington and athlete Alison Felix, both of whom were celebrated last year at a TIME “Women of the Year” event on International Women’s Day in Los Angeles. TIME Studios is also making an anthology series for Amazon with filmmaker Alma Har’el, based on TIME’s “Women of the Year” project.

“What people love most about TIME is our trusted storytelling. While historically we have done that with our iconic magazine and website, we are now doing that on every platform with many new products. And as we move into the next 100 years we are going to go beyond providing information, and also provide solutions.”

“You just get to tell your story once,” says Matteson. “I want to leave a great legacy. Every experience builds the narrative to tell an incredible story.”

“Every experience builds the narrative to tell an incredible story.”

Sarah Matteson wearing Oscar de la Renta cream sleeveless gown with applique, Neiman Marcus Northbrook

A SPIRITED COLLABORATION

Winnetka’s Jennifer Solberg Katzman tells the story of co-founding Chicago-based Rhine Hall Distillery with her father, Charlie Solberg.

WORDS BY BILL MCLEAN / PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA / HAIR AND MAKEUP BY CATHLEEN HEALY PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY BY AZUREE WIITALA

Between the ages of 10 and 18, former Barrington High School soccer star Jenny Solberg often climbed trees in her neighbors’ yards in the fall months and shook, shook, shook the limbs.

The center midfielder—now 34-year-old Jenny Solberg Katzman mother of a precious hat trick (Sienna, 4; Wade, 2; and Eva, six months)—had placed a sheet of tarp atop a stretch of lawn to serve as a gathering material for falling apples.

Or plummeting pears.

“You could say I was cross-training in the trees,” the Winnetka resident says with a laugh. “But I never told my high school soccer coach about it; he probably would have considered it unsafe.”

Katzman’s father, Charlie Solberg, had sanctioned the lofty activity. Back then, the patriarch of the family needed the fruit as step one in the five-step process of producing a fruit brandy. The other four steps: chop fruit (via a bicycle-powered chopper); press fruit; ferment fruit; distill fruit.

“It was my family’s hobby and passion,” says Katzman. Her father had learned to distill in the abundant fruit-growing region of Austria, where he’d played professional hockey as a forward.

Years later, when Katzman was living in San Francisco and working for the international tech company Meltwater, her husband, Taylor, encouraged her to morph the passion project into a business.

Katzman then ran the idea by Solberg.

Charlie Solberg’s original bicycle-powered chopper

Jennifer Solberg Katzman wearing Altuzarra black knit dress with sequins, Neiman Marcus Northbrook

Rhine Hall Oak Aged Apple Brandy

“My father told me he’d start a business with me, but only if I moved back to Chicago,” Katzman recalls.

Head east, young woman. And that’s what she did.

The father-daughter entrepreneurs launched Rhine Hall Distillery in 2012. Katzman runs the day-to-day operations of Rhine Hall, a distillery with 14 products that focuses on European-style fruit brandies. These delicious brandies, crafted from 100 percent fruit, are described as eau de vie (water of life).

“Or,” Katzman elaborates, “the purest expression of fruit.”

Solberg, 69, also owns Solberg Manufacturing, an industrial equipment supplier based in Itasca.

The production space at Rhine Hall—located in Chicago’s Kinzie Industrial Corridor and named after the Austrian ice rink Rheinhalle, where Solberg once skated and slapped shots for a salary—is open to the public for tours, tastings, cocktails, events, and more.

“My father is innovative, always has been, and he’s someone who doesn’t like doing things conventionally,” says Katzman, who after Barrington High School earned an NCAA Division I soccer scholarship at the University of Vermont.

“He’s also a sounding board for me, as well as a mentor,” continues Katzman, the

youngest of Solberg’s five children. “What I love about what I do is building relationships with growers and makers, along with learning all about the fun ways other cultures make products. My husband and I went to Normandy, where I learned how the French make apple brandies.”

Katzman majored in European Studies and minored in marketing at Vermont. How prescient.

She took an entrepreneurship course in college and—eerily—had to come up with a marketing plan for picking and selling apples (yes, apples) at a farmers market. The professor was impressed and praised Katzman for creating a cogent, sumptuous presentation.

“What my professor said to me that day motivated me to pursue a business career,” Katzman recalls. “I remember it so well; I can see her now. I’ve been goal-driven all my life. I like having a goal in mind and putting the pieces of the puzzle together to get there.”

Rhine Hall Distillery has been a great success thanks to the potent blend of a committed father-daughter combo.

“A fruit brandy is a difficult product to make, and it’s challenging at times to source fruit (apples, pears, cherries, apricots, and plums, among others),” Katzman says. “But we’ve figured out how to be successful at it. We’ve done that by staying loyal to fruitbased products—our core.”

But the best part of her career to date has nothing to do with Rhine Hall Distillery’s bottom line and everything to do with her business partner.

“I am the luckiest girl in the world to work with my dad,” Katzman says.

Rhine Hall Distillery is located at 2010 West Fulton Street in Chicago. For more information, visit rhinehall.com.

Rhine Hall Distillery products

Rhine Hall Distillery Still

selling luxury

JOEY GAULT

Broker and Co-Team Lead

BETH WEXLER Broker and Co-Team Lead

LIZ SALINAS Broker and Managing Partner

Charlene Roxborough Konsker

STAR STYLIST

Lake Forest native Charlene Roxborough Konsker shares her journey into the world of fashion.

WORDS BY ALLISON DUNCAN / PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA / HAIR & MAKEUP BY LEANNA ERNEST

Fashion stylist Charlene Roxborough Konsker (“Roxborough”) was born in Jamaica and moved to Chicago as a child. Immediately upon graduating from Lake Forest High School, she decamped to St. Louis to pursue a degree in psychology. Inspired by her mother’s “impeccable taste” and in search of warmer weather, Roxborough headed to Los Angeles and the American College of Applied Arts.

As a student, Roxborough landed a part-time job in a boutique at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles and assisted a fashion stylist in curating accessories for a music video. That shoot opened the door to her future in the fashion industry.

At the beginning of her career, she was styling for celebrities from Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs to John Legend and Nelly Furtado. Roxborough made a name for herself in the styling world as an artist who could enhance a person’s aesthetic, rather than change it, and as one who cares about curating the right pieces for the right person.

“Styling is an innate artistic ability, it is not necessarily something you can teach,” says Roxborough. “I love to live vicariously through my clients by creating looks that appear effortless, modern, fresh, and chic. Creating a timeless image for a client is part of my artistic role.”

That philosophy is why Roxborough has attracted clients including supermodel Miranda Kerr, entrepreneur Kris Jenner, and actress Eva Longoria, among many others. Today, Roxborough’s focus is on editorial and red carpet styling for events like the Academy Awards and the Cannes Film Festival.

For the latter, Roxborough dressed Longoria—a client of more than 20 years—in a variety of elegant looks, including a Stella McCartney green dress with cutouts; an Alberta Ferretti black tiered gown accessorized with Chopard jewels; a Victoria Beckham orange cocktail dress; and a Cristina Ottaviano strapless shimmering mirror gown.

“You can change up to six times a day for Cannes,” explains Roxborough. “Styling a celebrity/muse like Eva, who embodies confidence, grace, and glamour, makes my job so seamless.”

Of her many career highlights, “styling Lon-

goria for Cannes for the first time was one that stands out,” Roxborough recalls, adding “that styling Naomi Campbell for David LaChapelle’s book was another major moment.”

Roxborough has also styled the cover of TIME, Harper’s Bazaar, Rolling Stone, and more. She’s done collaborations with fashion houses like Alberta Ferretti, Ralph & Russo, and Cristina Ottaviano, and she debuted her own loungewear line, CRK X VIMMIA, in 2020. The collection merged advanced technical fabrics and high-end design and was created for the woman on the go. “I wanted the collection to be relaxed and comfortable with pieces that could take you from day to night,” she explains.

Currently, Roxborough is focused on a new project that will launch in 2023. The mom of four might have a bit of help from her 4-year-old daughter Stone Windsor, who watched Roxborough’s Sheridan Road photoshoot with rapt attention and is a fashion lover like her mom and grandmother.

“She’s so stylish,” says Roxborough. “She loves to dress up and to help me when I am working. She’ll point out her favorite looks and is very opinionated. But she’s usually right, too. Her favorite thing at the moment is watching fashion shows online.”

At Paris Fashion Week this fall, Roxborough coveted the latest collections from Coperni—especially the now infamous spray-on dress modeled by Bella Hadid—and Victoria Beckham.

“Victoria Beckham’s collection speaks highly of how a woman should look and how she should feel,” says Roxborough. “Strong, beautiful, and classic. It was absolutely breathtaking.”

Although Roxborough says she dislikes the word “trend,” there is one staple piece she thinks every woman, particularly the Chicago woman, should have in her closet—a great coat. A coat, she says, conveys a story about one’s personality.

“Fashion is a lifestyle,” says the stylist. “I’m proud of where I started, where I’ve been, and where I am now. I’ve learned to never take things for granted, to strive to be the best in my craft, and to always remember the people who helped pave the way.”

Follow Roxborough on Instagram @charroxstylist.

Wearing Victoria Beckham orange cocktail dress

Eva Longoria’s Cannes looks styled by Charlene Roxborough Konsker Wearing Alberta Ferretti black tiered gown accessorized with Chopard jewels

Wearing Cristina Ottaviano strapless shimmering mirror gown

DINING WITH DEEDA BLAIR

An intimate interview with Mrs. William McCormick Blair Jr. “Deeda” reveals details of her riveting new book, fascinating fashionable life, and outstanding contributions to the fields of medicine and science.

WORDS BY LAURA LAYFER TREITMAN

The newlywed Blairs at home in the embassy residence, Copenhagen, 1961. They sit beneath Renée Bouchet’s portrait of Deeda

The new release of Deeda Blair: Food, Flowers, & Fantasy (Rizzoli), is a page-turner, both for its presentation and its prose. In the book, Catherine Gerlach Blair, known as “Deeda,” reveals the inspirations behind her table settings, renowned for their menus and decor. Some selections were influenced by places she visited, such as the interiors of Gustav III’s Pavilion in Stockholm’s Haga Park or the grounds of the French chateau once belonging to her friend, couturier Hubert de Givenchy. She also shares tips learned over a lifetime of entertaining including where to buy fine caviar at a reasonable price and treasured family recipes.

It was Eunice Kennedy Shriver, living in Chicago in the 1950s with her husband, Sargent Shriver, who initially introduced Mrs. Blair to her late husband William McCormick Blair Jr. His father was a founder of the investment banking firm, William Blair & Company. Mr. Blair, a lawyer by training, chose a different career direction. He worked with Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson, before becoming the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark and the Philippines during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. In 1971, at the invitation of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Ambassador Blair was named General Director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

While the Ambassador was lauded for his devotion to public service, Mrs. Blair devoted her considerable talents to the arts and philanthropic efforts toward scientific and medical advances. Her signature coiffed hair and exquisite sense of style have always made her a sought-after subject of fashion bibles like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and photography greats Cecil Beaton and Andy Warhol.

Now, her own artistry and talented vision will captivate her readers and admirers. In our interview below she graciously answers questions about the publication and her past and present pursuits.

What made you decide this was the right time to write?

At the beginning of COVID, I was watching all the political news on television. I would always have art books and magazine pictures in my hands during the interminably long commercials, and I would make files for the next scrapbooks. A friend and editor Deborah Needleman saw them and suggested that I create a book. So, when quarantine began, I started to select pictures and think about ways it could be as different as possible. It was all about looking back in my engagement books and doing a great deal of reading.

What was the research process like?

Both my husband and I were keepers of scrapbooks, his date from childhood and continued until the end of his life. There are more than 50 very large books at the Chicago History Museum. In my home, eight books of highlights remain from all of our family and friend-related events.

Then, I have 22 more parch ment-bound scrapbooks that are totally different. They are filled with pictures of places, travels, and works of art that I find beautiful, interesting, unexpected, and often surprising. These contain pictures cut from magazines, auction cata logs, books, and snapshots dating back to the ‘60s.

You grew up in Chicago, can you talk about your upbringing and memories of the Midwest?

My first recollection is from when I was about 3 or 4 and picking a lily from a Lincoln Park flower bed. Then a very angry policeman took me and the nanny home to my mother to make sure it would never happen again. To this day white lilies are among my favorite flowers.

I lived, if I remember correctly, at 3500 Lake Shore Drive, and also at 2440 Lake View Avenue. I attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart for 12 years. Among the special memories: the Saddle and Cycle Club and lots of tennis, Fortnightly club for dances, Racquet Club for debut party, reading to children at Children’s Memorial Hospital, and campaigning for JFK with Eunice Shriver and Rose Kennedy. The Shrivers lived next door, and I was great friends with their children going kite flying and horse riding in the park. There were frequent visits to the Art Institute of Chicago, and the huge pleasure of seeing the David Adler houses along the North Shore.

Were your parents influential in your affinity for aesthetics?

My parents loved traveling and took me on two great trips around the world. I left both early and went to Paris; I think nowhere in the world is there more imagination and attention paid to detail. Also, everything is made to order. I remember a pastry shop where whatever leaf you wanted could be made in the best chocolate. My parents adored restaurants and were very interested in food— which would be an important part of the trips.

You’ve donated many of your couture pieces to museums over the years, but is it true that in retrospect you wish that you had kept many of them to wear today?

Sightseeing along the Dalmatian coast, 1960s. Photo courtesy of Cecil Beaton

I was lucky, very lucky to shop for clothes in Paris, and I would rather have a few couture pieces to wear for years than many things.

Yes, I have given many to museums, and so many of the Balenciaga and Chanel I do wish I had back as the very colorful and complicated fashion of the moment is not for me. I had beautiful evening dresses in the past, but today’s life is very different.

How did your “look” for interiors and dress evolve with each of your residences?

Our homes in Washington, D.C. and New York were very different. In Washington, we had a rather large house. There was a dining room that could seat 24 and on the basement floor, there was a large office for Bill and an adjoining playroom for our son, William, that when the furniture was removed could seat as many as 90—which is what we did for the opening of the Kennedy Center. When we moved to New York, we were ready to give up anything resembling a large event. We changed the dining room into a library, and the living room has a table for six in the window looking out on the East River of Manhattan. The colors remain similar except in the living room, which is very pale bluegrey Venetian plaster. Many of the floors are painted white as they were in our home in Washington.

What I love about the book is the balance of sophistication and simplicity—and your creativity with flowers—almost like

accessorizing an outfit!

I do like simplicity in both clothes and rooms. In clothes, I like very easy tailored coats, dresses, and suits that are classic and that I will want to wear for many, many years. I adore flowers and plants, and they are usually in unadorned baskets.

To me, your footprint is so distinctive and diverse, particularly in your contributions to the medical science field. Please talk about how the Deeda Blair Research Initiative for Disorders of the Brain at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health began.

This occurred after meeting Mary Lasker. She was considered among the greatest advocates for all aspects of biomedical research and made a unique effort in the growth of the National Institutes of Health. I began to learn about cancer research when we left the Philippines and moved to Washington where I spent a great deal of time at the National Cancer Institute—where much of the early work in molecular biology was focused. Then, in the early 1980s, I began work at the Harvard School of Public Health and subsequently became deeply involved in their AIDS Research Programs for more than 20 years.

I had paid a great deal of attention to brain research for many years. After the death of our son, my husband and I began thinking about what we wanted our estate to support and concluded that what was most missing and needed were projects in the field of mental health.

The Deeda Blair Research Initiatives for Disorders of the Brain was conceived by me after being a member of the Board of Directors at the Foundation for the National Institute of Health. The mission of our research awards program is to identify and support the work of the next generation of researchers in neuroscience and psychiatry. Our program supports the taking of risks and developing creative, even disruptive, ideas to accelerate research in the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of severe mental illness.

We are giving awards to M.D.s and Ph.D.s who have already shown imagination, passion, focus, and vision in their residency programs. The past decades have seen unimaginable progress in basic research that remains highly dependent upon creative and committed individuals to implement. We gave three awards in 2021 and we are planning on four or five in 2022.

Deeda Blair: Food, Flowers, & Fantasy was written by Deeda Blair, edited by Deborah Needleman, with an introduction by Andrew Solomon and principal photography by Ngoc Minh Ngo. Copies are available at The Book Stall in Winnetka.

Deeda tablescape. Photo courtesy of Ngoc Minh Ngo

LIVING & GIVING

ADAM LIPPES TRUNK SHOW

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY NATHAN BRIEVA

Lake Forest’s Wendy Franzen invited her friend, famed New York designer Adam Lippes to showcase his winter and spring collections at the historic North Shore estate of Francesca Connell. Franzen, Connell, and Sheridan Road magazine’s Editor in Chief Dustin O’Regan hosted the soiree. Guests perused the sumptuous fabrics and prints of Lippes’ lines as the designer weighed in on fit and pattern. The brand is inspired by Lippes’ personal aesthetic for unhurried elegance and understated design. Ladies exited the event with arms full of glamourous goodies. adamlippes.com

Amy Allen

Wendy Franzen, Adam Lippes, Dustin O’Regan, Francesca Connell

Wendy Franzen, Adam Lippes

Pooja Adhar

Chloe Mendel, Ceil Barrie

Liam Connell, Dena Perry

Courtney Wright, Katie Moor

Lydia Kutko

HINDMAN AUCTIONS 40TH ANNIVERSARY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN MCLEOD

Hindman Auctions celebrated 40 years with friends and supporters at a private club in Chicago. Memories were exchanged over glasses of champagne and Leslie Hindman’s signature chardonnay. Hindman CEO Jay Krehbiel shared a movie tribute spanning the auction house’s four decades with great quips by Leslie Hindman fans including Chicago art leader and former Hindman Director of Fine Art Gary Metzner, interior designer Nate Berkus (who began his career at Hindman), and M.K. Pritzker. Leslie Hindman’s favorite flowers—white orchids—made grand appearances at every turn. The extraordinary evening was a perfect toast to the auction house’s milestone anniversary. hindmanauctions.com

M.K. and Governor J.B. Pritzker, Leslie Hindman

Caroline Cassady, Amy Tivshrany

Karina Hammer, Ashley Galloway, Sally Klarr, Vaughn Smith

Marisa Palmer, Sally Klarr, Ruth Thuston

Luigi Zingales and Jill Ingrassia

Guests dancing

Christina and Ron Gidwitz, Dia Weil

Leslie Hindman, Jay Krehbiel

LIV ING & GIVING

Dustin O’Regan and Steve Worth

Leslie Hindman’s favorite flower, the white orchid

Alexandra Drexelius, Aimee Guzman, Ashley Galloway, Mallory Waxman

Timothy Long, Pamela Iacobelli

Jay Krehbiel and Silvia Beltrametti

Nate Berkus

THE CHICAGO SHOW

PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN MCLEOD

The Woman’s Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital hosted the opening night party for The Chicago Show: Antiques & Art & Modern on October 6 at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. Presented by Hindman, more than 500 guests gathered to celebrate the return of the show and to be the first to shop prior to its public opening. The elegant evening featured honorary chair Alessandra Branca and Master of Celebrations Bronson van Wyck. It was chaired by Woman’s Board member Suzette Bulley, who was joined by co-chairs Keevie Silvay, Beth Hughes, and Heather Webster. Guests entered the affair through billowing panels illuminated in green, blue, purple, and yellow light to enjoy bountiful libations and delicious hors d’oeuvres while surrounded by great art and design. wbnorthwestern.org, thechicagoshow.net

Kathleen Brill, Maureen Bennett

Tyler and Brian Arnfelt

Whitley Bouma Herbert, Susan Bouma

Kathryn Scodro, Emily Krall, Amanda Gorter

Dan Au, Ken Papineau, Enrique Useche, Luke Palese

Anna Zabiegly, Sean Bustard, Hatice Yavuz

Keri Cook Falls, Susan Weninger

LIVING & GIVING

Mimi Doyle, Barrett Erker

Lynn Litwin, Kirby Pearson, Lisa Ehrhart

Kate Homyk, Georgia McElveen, Tess Hall, Kate McLenaghan

Molly Gershon, Kate McLennon, Stephanie Kaslow, Paola Torreblanca

Vaughn Smith, Madeline Schroeder, Karina Hammer, Nick Coombs

Kate Holland Pim Alley, Keevie Silvay

Jenny McKinney, Chrissy Davis

Jodi Morton, Elizabeth Bergmann

Ryan Vogt, Martin Horner

Kate Holland, Lauren Peters

Alessandra Branca, Suzette Bulley

POWER WOMEN

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY IAN MCLEOD

Neiman Marcus and Sheridan Road magazine co-hosted a luncheon to acknowledge and thank the talented North Shore women highlighted in the October 2022 Power Women feature. After an elaborate luncheon, Giorgio Armani’s Senior Director David Greenleaf presented a curated collection of Giorgio Armani’s power looks. Models walked the runway in fall’s fabulous fashions as Greenleaf offered an insightful commentary. Guests exited the event armed with new friendships, chic styles, and goody bags full of Chantecaille beauty essentials. What a powerfully beautiful afternoon. neimanmarcus.com, sheridanrd.com

Elise Brill, Melissa Pas Blake

Nicole Elipas Doherty, Katie Rowe Mitchell

Lauren Cousino, Kemmie Ryan

Kathryn Mangel, Kelly Mangel

Megan Falsafi, Michone Riewer, Ann Leone

Elise Brill

Jessica Margot, Korie Minkus, Mara Smith

Giorgio Armani Senior Director David Greenleaf with model

LIVING & GIVING

Svetlana Bakla-Nova, Heather Hehman

Dr. Sara Dickie, Mary Pat Wallace

Dustin O’Regan, Camille Fetter, Nicole Elipas Doherty

Diane McGuire, Svetlana Bakla-Nova, Annie Turbin

Dustin O’Regan, Courtney Wright

Jessica Margot, Alyssa Quinlan

Marcia Balonick, Jill Weinberg

Kim Flashner, Lisa Bulzoni

Megan Falsafi, Judge Elizabeth Rochford, Ann Leone

Korie Minkus, Stephanie Cook, Susan Burklin

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE LYRIC

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACLYN SIMPSON AND ROBERT KUSEL

Chicago’s most generous philanthropists know There’s No Place Like Lyric, an adage proven yet again when the Lyric Opera of Chicago hosted a sold-out gala by that name to celebrate the opening of its 68th season. For the first time, the gala was held at the breathtaking Lyric Opera House, an appropriate locale to celebrate the company and all it does for the city. Susan Morrison, a member of both Lyric’s Women’s Board and its Board of Directors, provided visionary support and creative direction as the evening’s chair of an event well known for its innovative and modern approach. She was fully supported by the entire Women’s Board, under the leadership of its president Nancy Santi. The event was designed by HMR Designs and a family-style dinner prepared by Calihan Catering was served to guests at intimate tables in the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Grand Foyer. lyricopera.org

Kimberly Taylor-Smith, Nancy S. Santi, Karen Freeman-Wilson, Soprano Gabriella Reyes

Anna Paglia, Sandy Mamlick

Penelope Steiner, Nicole Steiner

Patrick and Catherine Baudhuin, Susan Morrison, Emily and Steven Krall

Sheila and David Ormesher

Laura and Craig Martin

Gabriella Reyes and John Holiday

Enrique Mazzola, Nancy S. Searle, Anthony Freud, Lili Gaubin

FRIENDS OF PRENTICE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZOE RAIN

Friends of Prentice (FOP) hosted its 36th annual fall fundraiser with a “Celebrate with Friends” theme. FOP, a nonprofit organization working in partnership with Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital to fund innovative and leading-edge research benefitting the lives of women, raised more than $650,000. The fundraiser was held in person at Theater on the Lake and welcomed more than 400 of Chicago’s business and philanthropic leaders. The dollars raised will go toward awarding doctors and clinicians grants needed to continue their life-saving research across all areas of women’s health. friendsofprentice.org

Laurelle Moseley, Justine Liebling

Caroline Cassady, Amy Tivshrany

Kate Gibbs, Ronelle Berlin, Angela Hunsicker, Tracy Roemer

Donna Socol, Shannon Flavin, Kristen Field

Tracy Esbrook, Vincent Hart

Dan and Nikki Blank

LIVING & GIVING

Heather and Joe Napoli, Alex Jacobson

Kristen Field, Justine Liebling

Dustin O’Regan, Courtney Wright

Sara Dym, Nik Mozolewski

Neil Pearlman, Eden Juron, Morgan Grotewold

Kelly Michelson, Susan Rizzato, Eric Gastevich, Cathy Nardi

Angela Hunsicker, Chris Daniel

SHERIDAN ROAD 129

DREAM HOME, DREAM TEAM

Meet Pam MacPherson, President of The MacPherson Group.

EDITED BY ROCHELLE NEWMAN RUBINOFF / PHOTOGRAPHY BY INDYWRAP

Once a winner, always a winner. Pam MacPherson, President of the MacPherson Group at @properties Christie’s International Real Estate, can’t help but believe in the power of a team. A lifelong athlete, she participated in a variety of sports while growing up, ultimately landing a coveted setter position on the volleyball team at Duke.

MacPherson takes that teamwork sensibility to her profession every day as a realtor with @properties Christie’s In ternational Real Estate. “I always knew I wanted to lead a team,” MacPherson says. Her office is located in Winnetka but she and her team cover a wide range of luxury markets all across Chicago and the suburbs. This dedicated, enthusiastic group in cludes: Western Suburbs Specialists Emily Gangwer and Lori Stellwagen; North Shore Specialists Trish Herakovich, Lori Hooten, Andrea Miller, and Wendy Smith; City Specialists Kate Murlas, Courtney Otis, and Molly Weisman; Staging Specialist Xochitl Sanchez; Business Manager Anne Warns man; and Transaction Manager Fallon English. All are well-known throughout the industry for their honesty, integrity, and ingenuity.

Each member of the MacPherson Group has a particular area of expertise, yet they work together seamlessly to provide the ultimate in concierge services for their clients. One of the main advantages of working with the group is the system they have in place to make the most of every buying or selling experience and to help with any issues sellers and buyers typically encounter along the way. Their team includes professionals who provide decluttering services, staging, and contractor referrals. A high priority is put on creating advanced marketing tools and the group works diligently on all marketing—print, social media, and digital—to reach not only city and suburban markets but also national and international markets. With so many experts working together, they have cornered the market on community insights garnering the largest selection of off-market listings.

What MacPherson finds most fulfilling is trying to be the matchmaker between her clients and their “dream” house. “We try to be very creative,” she says. “We have strong connections with people in construction and extensive remodeling experience. It’s very hard to find the absolutely perfect house for someone. We need to be innovative with how we can help clients create that perfect house for themselves. I really do love that challenge. And then when we’re listing, we have our own stager and decluttering expert so we come in and help transform the house to be the

perfect house for the buyer’s eyes.”

MacPherson grew up on the North Shore. “I think real estate has always been in my blood. My mom has always done various construction projects. Probably every three years she would add on to or remodel our house. So, I got to watch our house change over time while growing up.”

MacPherson is a person who loves to move. “I always love the next adventure, the next project!” In fact, when she and her husband were first married, they moved five times in four years. “I always had to research communities and learn a lot about the areas. As I was already doing it for myself, I figured I might as well get my license and do it for other people.”

When not selling houses, MacPherson enjoys spending time with her husband and three children and cheering on the Northwestern football team.

When you sign on with the MacPherson Group, you know you will receive the benefit of their huge network, impeccable customer service, strong negotiation skills, extensive market knowledge, and unflappable attitudes.

“One of my friends bought me a sign that says, ‘Chaos Manager.’ I love it. I do very well in chaos,” she laughs.

The MacPherson Group is a real estate team with @properties Christie’s International Real Estate in Winnetka, 30 Green Bay Road, 847-508-8048, atproperties.com/agents/5382/pam-macpherson.

Wendy Smith, Andrea Miller, Lori Stellwagen, Courtney Otis, Trish Herakovich, Kate Murlas, Pam MacPherson, Lori Hooten. Not pictured: Molly Weisman and Emily Gangwer.

WORDS BY STEVEN BLOCH, M.D. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES GUSTIN

Plastic Surgery Update: TUMMY TUCK

One of the most frequent requests that I get is for a “Tummy Tuck.” Many patients find that despite diet and exercise they cannot achieve the shaped, toned, flat abdomen they desire.

In assessing a patient for a “Tummy Tuck” multiple factors are taken into account.

1. What is the status of the overlying skin and the degree of laxity? Is the laxity confined to the lower or upper part of the abdomen or both?

2. What is the status of the under lying muscles? Do they meet in the midline or are they separated from pregnancies or intra-abdominal fat?

3. What is the distribution of excess fat? Is it diffuse or localized in the lower upper abdomen? Does it extend to the flanks?

Depending upon the above assessment a customized operation can be performed to address these concerns. Multiple procedures or techniques can be employed.

The procedures vary from non-invasive to full abdominoplasty or some combination. Methods include:

1. Non-invasive CoolSculpting or CoolTone.

2. Minimally invasive BodyTite or Renuvion for skin tightening.

3. Vaser liposuction for fat reduction.

4. Modified abdominoplasty for the lower abdomen.

5. Full abdominoplasty combining liposuction, repositioning umbilicus, skin tightening, and underlying muscle repair.

The above procedures can often be combined to give you a customized operation to achieve the results you desire.

For additional information, visit bodybybloch.com or Dr. Bloch can be reached at his Highland Park office at 847-432-0840.

BodyByBloch bodybybloch

Steven Bloch MDBodybybloch

WELL-TRAVELED

Marett Taylor and her family have been making travel dreams come true for decades.

WORDS BY LAURA LAYFER TREITMAN / ILLUSTRATION BY ROBERT RISKO

When Marett Taylor says that her current hometown of Lake Forest is top on her list, it’s a rating worth taking note of. As the Vice President of Sales for Abercrombie & Kent USA (A&K), the travel company founded by her family over half a century ago, Taylor’s roster of residences is wide and varied. Growing up between safaris in Kenya and skiing the Montana mountains, she appreciates her proximity to the North Shore’s trio of lake, land, and city. “The Midwest is one of our biggest markets, not to mention the convenience of being a direct flight away from pretty much anywhere in the world,” she says. Whether up in the air or on the ground, for both Taylor and A&K access is key to their success and no distance is too far.

“My grandmother was a sophisticated London debutante with an intrepid sense of daring. She sailed on a ship from the U.K. to Mombasa to marry my grandfather, Colonel John Kent,” Taylor recalls. The couple began taking friends on safaris, ultimately realizing a rare market opportunity. After raising their children in Kenya’s Aberdare Mountains amidst leopards and elephants in the forests surrounding their farm, they moved to Nairobi and established A&K. The business, like the life of its proprietors, mixed adventure with a touch of luxury—a signature of its success. Similarly, Taylor’s own parents had a cross-continent courtship. Her mother arrived in Montana, stopping on a cross-country drive for a visit during rodeo week. She met Taylor’s father, who grew up on a ranch and still works in ranch real estate out West. Today, Taylor’s uncle Geoffrey Kent, also an A&K founder and current co-chairman, is the impetus behind the brand’s now global presence with 55 destination management office locations, a full staff in the most highly desirable destinations, and sales and marketing headquarters in England, Australia, and Illinois.

Taylor’s exposure to the industry started at an early age as a third-generation female safari guide. She decided to pursue studies in America, first at boarding school in New Hampshire and then at Middlebury College, with a focus on environmental studies. Her subsequent work as a field biologist took her to various seasonal stints that ranged from Costa Rica and St. Lucia to Yellowstone, and ultimately back to graduate school for a degree in environmental economics at Duke University. While she thought a career at a place such as the World Bank might be in her future, along the way, Taylor’s interests had evolved into eco-tourism and a return to her roots.

Safety, security, and the deep local knowledge in each region are what Taylor feels set A&K apart. She has opened camps and offices all over the world, driven clients to the doctor’s office in a foreign country, and even arranged for a wheelchair-bound guest to have a sedan chair designed for the trek to see gorillas in the wild. “We can make any dream come true,” remarks Taylor, “and post-pandemic, people seem to be going straight for those experiences.”

She notes that there has been a recent surge in small group travel via private planes to help bypass the vagaries of commercial airlines, as well as trends in longer, multi-destination vacations. “We have a guest-first mentality and, in turn, they are incredibly loyal, but it’s never lost on me the multiplier effect of the experiences we create,” she says. “Each individual working with us in less developed regions supports multiple family members with shelter, food, and schools, and the fact that our experiences contribute to their lives gives me great pride.” It’s a pay-it-forward notion that she is already handing over to her own 9-year -old daughter, herself now a budding safari enthusiast. “People frequently ask if it’s worth taking young children because ‘will the memories endure?’ To me, it’s not about that—it’s about learning how to have empathy, perspective, and patience. Plus, I often find kids always do remember.”

For more information visit abercrombiekent.com.

The best gifts

gifts in life are the ones that keep on giving!