Luxe Beat Magazine December 2014

December 2014

XXIV Karat Gold Diggers A Train to the Sublime Red carpet holiday rentals An Ireland Discovery

The Luxury of Handbag Design

Luxury Celebrations

Contents

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114 Travel 8

The Rocky Mountaineer: A Train to the Sublime

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Alpine Winter Perfection is Found in Austria’s Arlberg

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Guide To Trendy Tallinn

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Gifts For the Traveler

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Luxe Layovers: AMS (Amsterdam)

Extraordinary Chef Ben Sutter, CEC

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Sky Cocktail Atop The Tower Club at lebua Hotel

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Global Etiquette: Table Settings in U.S. and Europe

Epicure 60

$10 Million Reasons to Play Omni La Costa

Yosemite’s Bracebridge Dinner: Christmas Old-School Style

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New Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace, St. Petersburg

XXIV Karat Gold Diggers Make a Splash

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FOUR’s Top 10 Restaurants

106 Handbags for the Holidays

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Popping the Corque: Wine Country’s Best Digs

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Holiday Dinner from SCARTS School of Culinary Arts

110 Style Heist

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Luxury and Value are Possible in Paris

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Fall Winter Seasonal Cocktails

114 What Are You Renting for the Holidays?

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Fifth Generation Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner

118 An Eye For Design: Martyn Lawrence Bullard

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Tips for Gifting and Pairing Wines for the Holidays

122 Suki, Skincare Specialist

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Perfect Holiday Gifts for Wine Lovers

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Turtle Patrol on the Florida Panhandle

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Finding Myself In Ireland

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Where Do The World’s Millionaires Reside?

Fashion | Design Celebrity Eyes on Christian Roth for 30 Years

Art | Music 126 Nadine Robbins Paints Unconventional Portraits and Oysters

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130 Rocking the Boat 132 Bernini: The Artist Who Breathed Life into Marble

History 136 Three Not Well (Enough) Known Pocono Americans

Featured Contributor 140 Benjamin Bennett: The Story Behind Luxury Magazine Designer

Literature 144 Gone with the Wind: Happy 75th Anniversary 148 An excerpt from No Dawn for Men 149 Whatever Happened to the Metric System? How America Kept Its Feet

SHERRIE WILKOLASKI Editor-in-Chief and Managing Partner MARALYN D. HILL Executive Editor BENJAMIN BENNETT Creative Director LILLIAN AFRICANO Editor NORMAN HILL Editor LEAH WALKER Editor-At-Large DALE SANDERS Senior Travel & Lifestyle Editor/Director of Photography COURTNEY LOWDEN Fashion Editor-At-Large JASON DUMAS Creative Content Director PRODUCTION EDITOR Taylor Young KATHY WANAMAKER Advertising Sales CONTRIBUTORS Allan Kissam Beth Graham Chef Lance Seeto Dana Rebmann David Beebe Debi Lander Dena Roche Dr. Kathy Gruver Gillian Nicol Herve Laurent Inka Piegas-Quischote Ivan Flowers

Janice Nieder Jenna Francisco Jenna Intersimone Katherine Frelon Kurt Winner Lacey Reeves Larry Larsen Leah Walker Lillian Africano Linda Cordair Marilyn Green Martha Heath

Mary Haban Norman Hill Renee Phillips Sandra Chambers Sonja Hegman Andras Stacey Wittig Susan Lanier Graham The Cooking Ladies Tim Cotroneo

Luxe Beat Magazine is published in English. Our audience is a global market with global contributors. Each writes, using the form of English with which they are familiar. So you’ll see US, UK, AUS, CAN, versions, etc. We hope this eliminates any confusion on spelling.

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Season’s Greetings and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

From everyone at

Luxe Beat Magazine

Editor’s Letter LUXURY CELEBRATIONS

For our readers who love to travel during the holidays, we have the firsthand knowledge of some exciting destinations. If train travel is on your holiday wish list, you are sure to enjoy The Rocky Mountaineer: A Train to the Sublime by Lillian Africano.

If skiing is more your style check out Leah Walker’s article on her Alpine winter adventure in Austria’s Arlberg.

is the focus of our December edition of Luxe Beat Magazine. From Christmas to New Years, December is a month of celebrations all around the world. To celebrate in luxury is to give more than just gifts wrapped in designer wrapping paper. Why not consider something bigger, like traveling to exotic destinations or toasting with a glass of champagne filled with 24 Karat Gold.

Speaking of style, What Are You Renting for the Holidays? Find out what is the hottest thing on the holiday runway this season.

For our readers who love to give, we have plenty of articles to give you ideas. Whether your special someone is a wine aficionado or a world traveler, there are gift lists that are sure to inspire you.

From everyone here at Luxe Beat Magazine, Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year!

Sherrie Wilkolaski Editor-in-Chief

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Letters To The Editor Dear Editor,

In your September issue you had one of your writers in Crete (Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries), another in Istanbul (Rejuvenating At The Pera Palace Istanbul), Buenos Aires (Private Shopping in Buenos Aires), etc. Do you send all of these writers on assignment?

Dear Editor,

Robert Lang, Delaware

I’ve read the last two issues of Luxe Beat Magazine and was pleased to see you are covering a variety of art. This month you featured The Museum of Arts and Design Offers An Array of Beautiful Objects, The Importance of Art in the Workplace, and Discovering The Art Of Tanjore Paintings In Southern India. I like that you are featuring a variety and not just sticking with modern or traditional. Please keep it up.

Dear Robert,

Madalynn, France

The reason Luxe Beat Magazine has such a broad blend of articles is that our contributors travel the world and reside all over as well. We do get requests to cover specific destinations, but then the destination has to cover the expenses to have the writer/s come and experience the location. If it meets Luxe Beat standards, it will be covered.

In most cases our contributors have their trips planned out and work with our editorial calendar so we can provide a wide variety of material for our reader.

Sincerely, Maralyn

Dear Madalynn,

Thank you for writing and we are thrilled you like our variety of art. We consider ourselves quite fortunate to have Renee Phillips and Linda Cordair as our two art experts along with our other contributors. They will insure that we keep offering a fine selection for our readers.

Sincerely, Maralyn

Please send Letters to the Editor to LuxeBeatMag@gmail.com Subject: Letter to Editor

Dear Readers, We were happy to receive some letters to the editor this month and hope more of you will continue to write to make comments or ask questions

Dear Editor,

I’ve noticed that you have started to introduce articles on technology. I hope you continue to introduce more.

Joe Blankenship, Los Angeles

Dear Joe,

Yes Joe, we are going to have more technology features. Our Technology Editor-at-Large, Sonja Hegman Andras keeps up on the latest and newest trends in the marketplace and will be passing them on to our readers.

Sincerely, Maralyn

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Travel Verdant forests and majestic mountains offer picture postcard views from the train

The Rocky Mountaineer

A Train to the Sublime

By Lillian Africano 9

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ometimes a train trip is more than transportation from Point A to Point B. My journey from Banff to Vancouver on the Rocky Mountaineer’s westbound route was be a sublime 594-mile traverse – all in daylight – across Canada’s majestic Rocky Mountains.

Prior to the train adventure, I stayed, as many passengers do, at the baronial Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, known as “The Castle in the Rockies.” The hotel was built in a spectacular Rocky Mountain setting between spring 1887 and spring 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, and over the years has been expanded, altered and variously improved; it is now a property that cossets its guests and delights the eye.

Along with an eager crowd of fellow passengers, I boarded the train (which originated in Calgary) at the historic Banff station early in the morning. This was nothing like boarding a crowded coach flight, struggling to find overhead space. Here, I walked a red carpet, was escorted to my seat by a courteous attendant who carried

my hand luggage and made sure I was comfortably settled before he went on to the next passenger. (As for the rest of my luggage, I would not have to actually handle it until journey’s end.)

I would enjoy the luxury of the Mountaineer’s GoldLeaf service, the equivalent of first class on a plane, traveling in a glass-domed car with 360-degree views, relaxing in an oversize seat that reclined and rotated and being pampered by unfailingly cheerful attendants.

Beverages and snacks were served as a prelude to breakfast downstairs in the dining car. Unlike the microwaved fare and bad coffee served on other trains, meals for GoldLeaf guests are actually cooked in a real (galley) kitchen – and the coffee is freshly brewed. Breakfast choices, served with fresh fruit, juices and baked goods, included a cheese omelet; scrambled eggs with smoked steelhead salmon, kelp caviar and chive crème fraiche; eggs benedict with Montréal smoked meat and tarragon hollandaise; buttermilk pancakes and a granola parfait.

After a thoroughly satisfying meal, I positioned myself in the viewing area on the dining level, which provided a good spot for serious picture-taking, first of imposing Castle Mountain and later of the log-cabin-style train station at Lake Louise. The station, we were told, appeared in the film, Dr. Zhivago.

The Continental Divide, the highest point on the trip (5,332 feet above sea level) called for more photos of

Red carpet boarding on the Rocky Mountaineer

Guests are welcomed to GoldLeaf service with a toast

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the small monument and wooden sign marking the boundary between Alberta and British Columbia.

This was also the signal to put my watch back an hour, as BC is an hour behind Alberta.

This itinerary is overwhelmingly scenic, and my iPhone camera got little rest as I tried to capture photos of glacier-fed lakes, rushing rivers, verdant forests and jagged

Travel peaks of majestic mountains. I had hoped for some shots of the (sortof) promised bears – and I was too slow to catch bald eagles and ospreys in flight. But, after all, a journey like this should be lived in the moment and not only through the lens of a camera.

Back in the GoldLeaf car, the attendants were serving up route information with generous interludes of quizzes, jokes and cruise-director-type patter. Since cocktails and wine were also generously served, passengers were inclined to appreciate both travelogue and patter.

We were alerted when we were about to reach the two famous Spiral Tunnels, which were built in 1907. After the train passed Wapta Lake, it entered the first of the tunnels and actually executed a spiral, then emerged down the mountainside, facing the opposite way. Later, the train descended into the Lower Spiral Tunnel and traveled even further downward. Wacky as this part of the route seems, the tunnels replaced the steep and very

vodka, Clamato, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Though the zeal for photography had slowed somewhat, the photogenic scenery still rolled by: the graceful Stoney Creek Bridge; the Last Spike that completed the Canadian Pacific Railway, marked by a monument and small museum; “Osprey Alley,” where birds nest atop telegraph poles and trees; and picturesque houseboats on Shuswap Lake. (The town of Sicamous, on the lake, is said to be the “Houseboat Capital of the World.”)

dangerous “Big Hill” and were considered a marvel of engineering at the time.

Traveling through Kicking Horse Canyon, we followed the Kicking Horse River for long miles, passing scenic bridges and tunnels. The landscape shifted as we approached the Columbia River and traveled through the pine-rich valley known as the Rocky Mountain Trench.

Lunch provided another relaxing interlude in the dining car, where smiling servers offered wine (including Rocky Mountaineer’s own label Sumoc Ridge merlot) beer and soft drinks along with a meal of soup or salad and a choice of entrées: Wild BC Sockeye Salmon; Alberta Pork Tenderloin; Wild Mushroom Crusted Chicken Breast; Braised Alberta Beef Short Ribs; Northwest Spot Prawn Bouillabaise. Desserts featured chocolate, ice cream and baked treats with coffee or tea.

We arrived in Kamloops after traveling 309 miles and were transported to a modest but comfortable hotel. Though an option for food and entertainment was available, most of us chose showers and sleep.

Early the following morning, motor coaches transferred us (luggage traveled separately) back to the train, where breakfast awaited. Soon after departure, the Mountaineer traveled into First Nation territory, and our attendants pointed out a small church that was said to be used in Clint Eastwood’s film, The Unforgiven. A bald eagle alert was sounded near Kamloops Lake, and once again, cameras came out. Soon the landscape turned arid and inhospitable as our train moved toward the black lava cliff known as “Black Canyon,” then gave way to rocky terrain and stands of pine trees. Somewhat scary was the section of track that passed under a soaring cliff wall known as “Avalanche Alley,” where, yes, we saw avalanche protection sheds, a reminder of how easily disaster could strike.

The afternoon passed sweetly, with convivial conversation, tasty snacks and cocktails. I discovered the piquant Caesar, the Canadian version of the Bloody Mary, made with

The next dramatic sight came almost a couple of hours later, when we reached Hell’s Gate, so named by

Service in the dining room is cheerful and attentive

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early explorers who likened this narrow and raging torrent of the Fraser River to the gates of Hell.

According to one estimate, the water is forced through here at the rate of two million gallons a minute, more than the water flow on the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls.

We traveled on, surrounded by farms scattered along a peaceful valley.

Close to Vancouver, the train slowed, crossed the Fraser River on a long steel bridge, took us through the city suburbs – and finally to the Rocky Mountaineer terminal.

Our 594-mile odyssey ended amid a flurry of good-byes and thanks and hugs given and received by the train staff. It had been a memorable experience, an opportunity to see the great Canadian Rockies in comfort and a reminder of how civilized and pleasant train travel once was – and could (wishful thinking) be again.

Travel Information: The Rocky Mountaineer offers regular scheduled departures along several routes between April and October. In addition to the GoldLeaf service described here, two other classes are available. SilverLeaf passengers ride in a single-level glass-domed car and are served meals (including hot entrées) at their seats. RedLeaf passengers have reclining seats in a single-level car and are served chilled breakfast and luncheon selections at their seats. An overnight journey between Banff and Vancouver costs about $2,000, GoldLeaf; $1,600, Silver; $1,100, Red. For more information, visit rockymountaineer.com or call 1-877-460-3200 (toll free USA and Canada).

Alpine Winter Perfection is

By Leah Walker

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Travel

s Found in Austria’s Arlberg

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lose your eyes and imagine a place where the skies are a bit bluer and the clouds a little fluffier. Magnificent mountains are awash with a thick coating of the most pristine snow ever to fall. The air is crisp and the sun strong. In the early morning, the only discernible sounds come from church bells and the crunch of snow beneath heavy, cumbersome ski boots. Evenings bring stars, snow and sometimes both. Now, imagine quaint villages, where people in woolen layers surround roaring fires, while sipping on strong spirits. This place not only exists in your mind, but also in the western most end of Austria. It’s known as the Arlberg.

Winter Activities

Serious skiers should know this region. After all, the Arlberg is the cradle of Alpine skiing, where Hannes Schneider developed modernday downhill ski techniques nearly 100 years ago. Ski Club Arlberg is

one of the oldest in the world, where members include Olympic and world champions. For the purist, skiing the Arlberg is not only an opportunity to experience the sport’s historical roots, but also some of the very best snow and terrain in all of the Alps.

Here, mountains reach as high as 9,200 feet and receive an average of twenty-three feet of annual snow, creating a dramatic and awe-inspiring landscape. It’s no wonder that ski resorts, Lech Zürs and St. Anton, draw winter sports enthusiasts from over fifty countries each year. As part of the prestigious Best of the Alps organization, Lech Zürs and St. Anton resorts are not only known for their tremendous Alpine activities, but also their historical significance and tourism infrastructure.

For centuries, humans have attempted to conquer these mountains. Treacherous passes,

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Travel strong snow storms and avalanches made this stretch of the Alps extremely dangerous, but travel to the region became easier with the opening of the Arlbergbahn railway in the 1880s. And today, over eighty state-of-the-art gondolas and lifts disperse skiers and snowboarders to the nearly two hundred miles of varied mountain runs, as well as to the one hundred miles of off-piste possibilities. It’s Alpine innovation at its finest.

For those who can’t be bothered to ride a lift or simply want the euphoria of experiencing virgin snow, heli-skiing is a luxurious possibility in the Arlberg, which isn’t the case in all the Alpine countries.

Freestyle skiers and snowboarders will enjoy the jumps, boxes and rails found throughout the mountains.

Not simply for downhill skiers and snowboarders, the Arlberg also has

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forty miles of cross-country ski runs, illuminated toboggan runs, winter walking routes, ice skating, ice climbing, paragliding and curling opportunities.

Villages

St. Anton, St. Christoph, Lech and Zürs are four of the villages that comprise the Arlberg region. And despite their close proximity to one another, each village has its own charm. The largest (about 2,700 full-time residents) and most well known is St. Anton, or Stanton, as residents lovingly refer to it.

Cosmopolitan St. Anton offers a variety of lodging options, gastronomic restaurants, a modern wellness center and one of the best spots for après ski.

Tiny St. Christoph sits at nearly 6,000 feet and is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It’s home

that dates to the 14th century, when a kind-hearted shepherd named Heinrich Findelkind founded the hospice as a place for weary travelers crossing the Austrian Alps.

Now a five-star hotel, the Arlberg Hospiz is still a welcoming and comfortable place for guests. With its traditional Austrian feel, the hotel also has a large spa, four gourmet restaurants and remarkable wine cellars, one of which dates to 1386, known as the Brotherhood’s Cellar. To say that the hotel owner, Adi Werner, is fond of fine wines would be an understatement. The neighboring Hospiz Alm Chalet is also home to the world’s biggest collection of special large wine bottles, many of which come from the famed French wine growing regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy.

to a 14th century hospice, built as shelter for travelers crossing the Arlberg. True to its origins, it’s now home to a five-star hotel, offering fine cuisine and an internationally acclaimed wine cellar, as well as a training center for elite skiers.

At first glance, Zürs appears to be an unassuming place. However, it’s the village of choice for some of Europe’s royal families, which brings

slopes, this minute car-free village is surprisingly lively, thanks to the number of hotels and restaurants.

Lech Zürs and St. Anton are winter sports enthusiasts’ dream, but that’s not all. Their resorts and villages are also ideal destinations for spa, wine and culinary connoisseurs.

with it a certain level of sophistication. Luxury hotels, stylish bars and hailed restaurants provide an exclamation point to the day’s activities on the slopes.

Perched at nearly 4,800 feet, Lech sits in a high valley very close to Zürs. Known for its gastronomic prowess, Lech is a prime destination for epicureans. A short cable car ride away is Oberlech. Directly on the

Experience in St. Christoph

Arlberg Hospiz Hotel has a legacy

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Austrian Hospiz Gallery is an unexpected find inside of the Arlberg Hospiz Hotel. Home to varied contemporary art exhibits, the gallery is the brainchild of Florian Werner, artist and son of Adi Werner, owner of the Arlberg Hospiz. The “Artists in Residence” program gives contemporary artists a place to live and work, with their creations later displayed in the gallery.

Hospiz Alm Chalet is located directly on the ski piste and is an excellent place for lunch while skiing St. Anton. It’s not your typical resort restaurant; Hospiz Alm Chalet’s menu is gourmet and features the extensive wine list found at the Arlberg Hospiz Hotel. Inside, the restaurant is warm and rustic.

Travel Outside are rows of picnic tables filled with hungry skiers. The most sought-after and exclusive spots are on the terrace. And if you’re really lucky, owner, Adi Werner, will be your waiter.

Experience in St. Anton

Museum St. Anton is far more than a place for ski relics. First built in 1912 by German industrialist, Bernhard Trier, the villa has played significant roles in both the history of skiing and World War II. After the war, there were plans to turn it into a hotel, but in order to preserve a piece of its heritage, St. Anton purchased the villa and turned it into a ski museum and restaurant. Guests are invited to learn about the history of skiing in Austria and dine on regional dishes in the inviting and intimate restaurant.

Hotel Post is a four-star hotel located in the heart of St. Anton on a pedestrian-only street. Dating to 1896, the hotel offers traditional Austrian charm in a quaint Alpine setting. While eating schlutzkrapfen and sipping a hugo on the hotel terrace, watch villagers pass by.

“Schneetreiben-The Snow Must Go On” is an elaborate ski show that takes place at Finisher Stadium every Wednesday night, starting at 9:00 pm during the ski season. The show lasts about an hour and recounts the evolution and history of skiing in the Arlberg. Complete with lights, special effects, music, fireworks and talented locals and instructors, this elaborate presentation is a must-do for all ages.

Verwallstube is the highest situated Gault Millau-rated restaurant in Europe and has received two hats.

Found on the Galzig, one of the best-known mountains in St. Anton, Verwallstube not only has fine cuisine, but also a panorama that beckons skiers to linger over lunch.

On Thursday evenings, head chef Bernhard Neuhold offers a candlelight dinner, where guests arrive by the Galzigbahn, St. Anton’s Ferris wheel gondola system.

Experience in Lech, Oberlech and Zürs

Hotel Goldener Berg is a four-star superior hotel in Oberlech. Hop a gondola in the center of Lech to be transported to this unique, carless village on the mountain. Traipse through the snow, or take the underground tunnel system leading to Hotel Goldener Berg. There’s no

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Travel

need to bother with luggage; hotel staff driving carts take care of the heavy lifting by delivering bags directly to the hotel. Though certainly not the easiest place to get to, it’s worth the trek.

Operated by the Pfefferkorn family, Hotel Goldener Berg feels like walking into a friend’s Alpine home.

The welcoming and comfortable atmosphere is enhanced by its ideal location directly on the piste. Four gourmet restaurants, as well as an extensive wine cellar, offer guests a variety of culinary options, while the stunning spa is a welcome treat after a day on the slopes. Don’t miss the opportunity to wander around this historical hotel. There are surprises around each corner.

Aurelio is a five-star superior hotel in Lech. As one of the newer hotels in the village, Aurelio has made a splash. Its 19 rooms and suites are elegant and luxurious, while the adjacent chalet is beyond reproach.

With six double bedrooms, two junior suites and one master suite, the

The beauty of visiting the Arlberg is not just its unforgettable vistas, but also all of the extra features that make Lech Zürs and St. Anton world-class ski resorts. While providing some of the best skiing in the world, the Arlberg also caters

chalet sleeps twenty people. The chalet’s private spa area includes an indoor pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, steam bath, two treatment rooms, and relaxation area. Dining options include a gourmet restaurant that features modern adaptations on traditional Austrian dishes. Lunch with a view is enjoyed on the Sun Deck, while the Licca Lounge is a cozy and inviting place to curl up with apéritifs and digestifs.

Combine these first-class amenities with 24-hour butler service and its ski-in, ski-out location on the Schlegelkopf piste, and Aurelio is the ultimate in luxury.

Hotel Hirlanda is a four-star hotel in the heart of Lech. Found directly on the piste, next to the bottom station of the Trittkopf lift, the restaurant is an ideal place for a relaxing lunch.

Its menu is eclectic--traditional Austrian food, lamb, fish, oysters and foie gras to name a few. Of course, a meal is not complete without at least one glass of wine, and the restaurant has a stocked cellar.

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to those with discriminating tastes when it comes to accommodations, food and wine. Austrian hospitality and luxurious options combine to make Lech Zürs and St. Anton must-visit destinations for any winter aficionado.

Guide To Tre

Estonia’s new

By Janic

Nightime falls over Old Town

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Travel

endy Tallinn

wly cool capital

ce Nieder

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M

y first visit to Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, was about 15 years ago. I remember thinking that although the medieval buildings in Old Town were stunning, there wasn’t much else to see or do.

Also, my meals consisted of barely discernible variations on chunks of pork and potatoes, cabbage and (thankfully) wonderful rye bread.

WOW- what a difference a decade plus makes! After last month’s visit, Tallinn gets my vote for “Best Makeover Ever”! It’s been magically transformed into one of the trendiest capitals in Europe, scoring the title of European Capital of Culture in 2011. Did you know that this baby Baltic country is now a world leader in high-tech industries?

Not only was Skype invented here, but Estonia was the first country to allow online voting -- 98% of its 1.3m citizens bank online, and it holds the world record in start-ups per person.

Another factor behind Tallinn’s successful rebranding is its exciting food scene, which buzzes with a new breed of dedicated young chefs garnering attention with an Estonian twist on the trendy New Nordic Cuisine. There is a new wave of stylish restaurants paying homage to a rich bounty of local ingredients (think wild boar, morels, berries, pike, herring roe, goat cheese, and apple wine), gathered from the country’s farms (many organic), forests and waters.

You’ll notice this same creative energy as you wander the

Waiting for Santa to appear

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Travel seaside location. Even if it were situated at the end of the dark alley, I’d recommend it for artful presentations, light clean flavors and eclectic menu, cleverly categorized by Surf, Surf and Turf and No Turf (veggie)…and more of that fabulous bread.

Do

There are a variety of walking tours, centered around the twisty, cobblestone streets of Tallinn’s impeccably preserved Old Town, but for an utterly fascinating overview of Estonia’s tumultuous past, our guide, Uve Poom, the CEO of Unitas Foundation and author of “Tallinn by the Stand-Up Tour Guide,” not only educated us but kept us in giggles.

See

Even if you normally steer clear of maritime museums the new Lennusadam Seaplane Harbour, housed in a huge, century-old hangar, is utterly mesmerizing. It’s uber hands-on (test your Top Gun skills on

Addictive brown bread ABOVE Balloon views can’t be beat

atmospheric streets of Tallinn’s Old Town, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site since 1997. It now spills over with sophisticated designer boutiques, quality artisan shops taking root in repurposed limestone factories, eclectic museums, and renovated Medieval mansions that have been converted to luxe hotels.

Stay

Check into St. Petersbourg Hotel, where hipness and history join forces. St Petersbourg dates back to the 15th century and is the oldest hotel in Estonia, but without a hint of stodginess. After a recent sprucing up by renowned British interior design agency Andrew Martin, it’s like you are staying at a wealthy Russian aristocrat’s home, decorated with erotic works of art, sumptuous fabrics, and crystal

chandeliers. The hotel loves ballet and believes in kick-starting the day with a scrumptious Estonian buffet breakfast.

Eat

Leib Resto ja Aed- It will take supreme effort, but try and limit yourself to just one basket of addictive, handmade “Leib” (black bread), so you’ll have room to enjoy the pure flavors of Liivimaa grassfed beef, farm-fresh goat cheese and house smoked trout fillet.

The talented owners, a chef and a sommelier, created Leib because they are “passionate about sharing the goodies from their homeland.”

Noa is not content to be known simply for its stellar skyline views of Tallinn, hip architecture, amusing driftwood furniture, or picturesque

Farm fresh greens and cheese

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Eesti Esindus features local artisans

the machine gun, torpedo & flight simulators) and high-tech. Plan on a couple of hours to explore war ships and the world’s largest ice breakers, crawl through a 600-ton submarine from 1936 and then peruse their new fashion exhibition, Sea in the Wardrobe.

Afterwards, walk a block to the Kalamaja (“Fish House”) district, lined with wooden boardinghouses where fishermen, sailors and factory workers used to live. It has recently evolved into a trendy bohemian district, filled with artist studios, popular eateries, cool music venues, and a colorful Russian flea market where you can score deals on

everything from Soviet bullet casings to pork chops.

For a totally different perspective, head underground to tour the Bastion Tunnels. These secret pathways were built in the 1600s, and used as a defensive tunnel system for transporting soldiers, ammunition and for spying on the enemy. Many years later, the tunnels were transformed into air-raid shelters equipped with electricity and running water.

Highs & Lows

For an eagle-eye view, float high above the city in the new Balloon Tallinn. The helium-filled balloon is tethered to the ground and smoothly rises 400 feet high, where (on a clear day) you can see Finland.

Although it was originally thought to be a seasonal attraction, the ride has been so popular that the owners have decided to stay open year round. “Winter balloon rides will be very exciting: the sea is frozen and our fairy-tale-like Old Town is covered in white snow.”

Shop

Estonia’s arts and crafts scene is in synch with the burgeoning food scene. Both respect traditional methods and utilize local products, but add a contemporary, creative spin.

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Katariina Gild- start at this historic merchant’s house, filled with artisans’ studios and watch skilled craftspeople create felt hats, hand-carved wooden spoons, quality leather-bound books, sophisticated woven goods, stylish linen fashions, etc.

Estonian Design House- this attractive limestone gallery exhibits exciting works by cutting-edge young artists, such as Reet Aus, a fashion designer who created Trash to Trend – Using Upcycling in Fashion Design.

Eesti Esindus- at first glance, it looks like a typical souvenir shop,

Travel Leib Resto ja Aed

but everything in this co-op is locally made from natural materials.

Good buys include trivets carved from fragrant juniper wood (put a hot teapot on one and the lovely juniper aroma will permeate your kitchen), handmade linen scarves and an interesting selection (with copious samples available) of artisanal food products such as elk sausage, dried berries and local schnapps.

P.S. if you’re a fan of European Christmas Markets, the fairytale atmosphere of Tallinn’s can’t be beat. This stands to reason, since according to Tallinn’s Tourist Office, the Christmas Tree on Town Hall Square was erected by the Brotherhood of Black Heads guild in 1441, making it (arguably) the first public Christmas tree ever put on display in Europe.

Old Town is filled with huts selling mulled wine, marzipan, gingerbread, sea-grass animals, knitwear and wooden handicrafts surrounding an enormous Christmas tree hung with lights and decorations. Special holiday programs include Christmas plays, jazz and classical music concerts and performances by traditional Estonian folklore groups.

For more ideas on what to see and do in Tallinn or the rest of Estonia, check out the user-friendly, official tourist information website Visitestonia.com.

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$10M Reasons to Play Omni La Cost

By Tim Cotroneo

Omni La Costa Champions & Legends Golf Courses in Carlsbad, CA

Prioritizing $10 million is a delicate undertaking for golf architects looking to get maximum bang for their buck. When handed the reins to an Omni La Costa redesign in Carlsbad, CA, architects Damian Pascuzzo, Steve Pate, and Jeff Brauer knew they first needed to pay homage to a golf course legacy linked to some of the most storied names in golf.

While adhering to La Costa’s trademark nuances dating back almost 50 years, the Omni La Costa

again and again,” Superintendent Steve Auckland said. From left to right, one witnesses the La Costa bell tower, the pool area, the Diversions Restaurant outdoor seating, and to the south, a wondrous expanse of the Champions 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes as well as the Legends’ first, ninth, 10th and 18th holes.

of today looks as fresh as newly mowed Bermuda grass on a spectacular Southern California morning. Omni La Costa’s dramatic facelift is immediately evident upon walking beyond the Pro Shop and out to the Legends Lawn. A 180-degree view emerges from this far-reaching vantage point. Nearly everything you need to know about the Omni La Costa renovation is revealed when no less than eight golf holes are showcased from a single landing spot.

Millions into Gold

One of the changes that members realize but first time visitors would not, is that Omni La Costa’s $10 million dollar investment also includes drainage upgrades, the latest in turf technology, and

“Our owners wanted members and guests to experience a view that not only stops you dead in your tracks, but will bring you back to La Costa

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a subtle buildup of low lying areas.

These improvements have made La Costa’s Superintendent and a legion of golfers very happy. “It never rains in Southern California, but when it does, our 6-feet above sea-level terrain had a hard time recovering from soggy conditions,” Auckland said. Over 3,000 dump trucks of sand, more generous tee boxes, and deft contouring of greens, have translated into a new La Costa that is revitalized in appearance, condition, and personality.

The Omni La Costa upgrades don’t just apply to the Champions and Legends courses. La Costa’s Pro

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Shop is now one of the finest on the entire West Coast. Combine all these enhancements with a spa, rated number one in the nation, and you’ll see why Golf Magazine christened Omni La Costa as Southern California’s only 2012 Gold Medal Resort.

La Costa: Can You Feel It?

With a renewed energy pumping daily life into La Costa’s 400 luxurious acres, can a return to hosting events on the PGA and LPGA tours be far behind? When asked if La Costa will begin adding new names to a storied winners’ circle that features Nicklaus, Woods,

Mickelson, Player, and Watson, Pascuzzo replied, “Our Omni owners are already involved with the Champions Tour. The La Costa courses are definitely tour ready,” Pascuzzo said.

Thirty miles north of San Diego, golfers are feeling a tremor that has nothing to do with Southern California earthquakes. Omni La Costa’s Champions and Legends’ golf courses are back. La Costa doesn’t just feel like a million dollars, it feels like $10 million. www.lacosta.com/ pascuzzopate.com/

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New Four Seas Palace

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sons Hotel Lion e St. Petersburg Fit For a Czar

By Janice Nieder

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hen the iconic Four Seasons decided to open their first hotel in Russia, one might have expected them to head to the capital city of Moscow. But instead, they chose majestic St. Petersburg, the intellectual and cultural center of Russia, a stunningly beautiful city filled with extravagant historical palaces, cathedrals and royal gardens.

Last year, the Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg welcomed their first guests through palace doors guarded by twin marble lions, immortalized in Alexander Pushkin’s poem, The Bronze Horseman.

Designed in 1820 by French architect Auguste de Montferrand, as an exclusive residence for Princess Lobanova-Rostovskay, the “Lion Palace” is now the city’s first luxury hotel.

Four Seasons spent years painstakingly restoring the hotel back to its former palatial glory. The sumptuous, imperial golden yellow and sky blue guest suites leave you feeling like Russian royalty, as you snuggle under the down-filled comforter or watch tv while soaking in a deep tub filled with Bulgari bubbles. Other welcome amenities include LCD TVs hidden behind the mirrors, DVD players, an illy espresso machine, iPod docking station and free Wi-Fi access.

“Years of meticulous restoration and perfecting of the guest experience are setting the stage for a new era of style and luxury in St. Petersburg,” says Christopher Norton, who is President – Europe, Middle East and Africa for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

A prime example of “perfecting the guest experience” is the addition of an intimate four-level spa, with a glass topped relaxation pool, 24-hour fitness club, 8 treatment rooms and a traditional Russian

Four Seasons Lion Palace and St. Isaac’s Cathedral

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steam room complete with birch branches to stimulate the skin.

But perhaps their most inspired move was hiring Michelin-starred, Executive Chef Andrea Accordi, who is wowing both sophisticated locals and international guests with his creative twists on Russian cuisine.

This is a good thing, since Accordi has big shoes to fill- his own! After four years as Executive Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Prague, he became the first chef to receive a Michelin star in all of Eastern Europe.

Accordi places a priority on utilizing fresh local and sustainable ingredients at all the hotel’s eateries: Percorso Restaurant, which specializes in fine Italian cuisine, pan-Asian Sintoho Restaurant, the stylish, walnut-paneled Xander Bar, and the glass-domed, garden-like Tea Lounge, where I (over) indulged myself every morning on Accordi’s ethereal blinis and caviar offered at the exquisite breakfast buffet.

Our last night we were treated to an unforgettable Chef’s dinner, where we were completely blown away by Accordi’s imaginative interpretations and beautiful presentations- such as a delicate potato foam and caviar dish served in at Fabergé -styled egg.

Other standouts included a sublime Olivier Salad, embellished with quail and crayfish, hollowed-out green apples that served as vessels for the beet borsch and commonplace pickled herring. This was elevated to the heavens with beetroot foam and grain mustard ice cream.

Not only does Accordi consistently delight guests with his inspired cuisine, but he is also passionate about “paying it forward” by training local Russian chefs, as he was once trained himself.

Four-level spa offers many relaxation choices

Chef Accordi gives final check before afternoon tea

Exquisite Lobanov Presidential Suite

Potato foam and caviar “Fabergé” egg

ALL PHOTOS BY LEAH WALKER.

“It will be a long and enthusiastic process. But by setting high standards and training well, we’ll grow together as a team” explains Accordi.

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Insider Tips • During your visit, ask if you can join this engaging chef while he shops for the best, freshest ingredients at the morning farmer’s market.

• For a memorable splurge, reserve the impressive, 1,636-square-foot, Lobanov Presidential Suite, with a private furnished terrace, an exquisite hand-painted ceiling fresco above and a deep bathtub carved from a single slab of marble.

• Across the street is St. Isaac’s Cathedral (also designed by Auguste de Montferrand), the third largest cathedral in the world, capped by a shimmering dome made from 100 kilos of gold! Climb the stairs for the best birdseye view of the hotel and St. Petersburg.

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Popping the Corque

Wine Country’s Best Digs

By Michael Cervin

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or New York, not rural Solvang, but that is part of the beauty of this unique property.

humash Indians walked lands around Solvang, Los Olivos and the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County for thousands of years before Europeans settled here. Of course, it was Danes who bought and developed Solvang, creating a unique Danish village. But the circle has become complete as the Chumash tribe, with their acquisition of Hotel Corque, has returned to its roots.

Though located in Solvang, Hotel Corque is really the antithesis of its Danish surroundings. Solvang started in 1911 as a Danish outpost from its native homeland and is still ripe with its Scandinavian heritage. But a new modern sensibility, as evidenced by the interior design of this hotel, has taken hold. Located off Solvang’s main road, this is a quiet property near the Alisal golf course, wine tasting, and horseback riding.

This was originally a high-end Danish hotel, but it has morphed into a sleek and sophisticated hotel catering to a younger crowd. The 122 rooms and suites, ranging in size from 550 to 900 square feet, are very non-Danish, replete with autumnal tones, colors and wood accents. Twenty percent of the rooms offer full bathtubs and some with private balconies and/or patios.

The bathrooms utilize green marble countertops, while all the rooms offer flat screen TVs, free Wi-Fi. Beds are cradled with leather headboards and are fitted with Egyptian cotton sheets, and the result is rooms and a hotel that feels professional, business like but still comfortable and relaxing. There are in-room refrigerators and coffee makers as well, though they have coffee service in the lobby every morning. What are called the Mission View rooms peek out to the historic Santa Ynez Mission. Additionally, this is a smoke free facility, with an exterior brick patio, outdoor pool and hot tub, and plenty of free parking. One of the nice touches is that, though the hotel is only three floors, key card access is required for elevators to help ensure privacy and security. There’s also 7,500 square feet of meeting space for intimate gatherings, weddings and reunions.

Two million people visit Solvang each year and with high-end properties almost non-existent, it’s no wonder that Hotel Corque runs at capacity.

Santa Barbara is a 35min drive away for beach activities and cultural events, The historic Santa Ynez Mission is, literally, a stone’s throw away and, though rarely mentioned, there is a private motorcycle museum across the street open for public viewing with a $10 fee.

Cachuma Recreation area is just nine miles down the road, another former Indian settlement, and now a place for boating, fishing and camping.

Hotel Corque is only a four-block walk to Solvang’s restaurants, wine-tasting room, Danish specialty stores and microbreweries. But it’s just as easy to make a short drive to picture perfect wineries, studded with vines and oak trees, for a classic wine country picnic.

Since Corque is owned by the Chumash Tribe, if you have a hankering for some gambling or even live concerts, there is free shuttle service to the Chumash Casino, just three miles down the road. The Casino also has its own hotel and spa services are available for guests of Corque, including getting a pedicure while reclining on their zero gravity chairs. The Spa at Chumash Casino Resort actually is the most comprehensive spa in the Santa Maria Valley, and there is nothing like it between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. This is the only Five Diamond service you’ll find, and the spa commands 4,500 feet of space with multiple treatment rooms, massive men’s and women’s locker rooms, an outdoor pool and hot tub, and indoor fitness room. Open daily from 9am to 7pm the spa does not cater to anyone under 18 years of age.

The traditional Scandinavian exterior belies the heart of this hotel and its sophisticated modern feel. Taken down to bare bones, the renovation from its former iteration took nine months to transform the interior of this property into something out of the ordinary for Solvang.

The interior is urban hip, large over stuffed chairs dot the lobby, custom created lighting fixtures illuminate public spaces. The exterior and verdant grounds remain traditional Danish, with the exception of the open-air brick patio. This straddles the hotel and restaurant, perfect for dining al fresco, or a glass of local wine. But the mix of old and new blend seamlessly here. Hip, modern and sophisticated, Corque feels like it belongs in San Francisco

Sleek and sophisticated, Root 246 is the hotel’s fine dining experience.

Located in a separate building next to the hotel, it looks like it belongs

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in Hollywood, not in rural Solvang, and that’s part of the evolution of Solvang and wine country cuisine.

The menu rotates often, depending on seasonal ingredients, since this sits squarely in an agricultural region. You’ll find house made charcuterie, local bison dishes, and steelhead trout on the menu from the local river. The clientele is more the young, urban crowd, and you don’t see a lot of old school Danish residents here. The restaurant has two rooms separated by a bar with an elegant club feel. They offer their “kitchen table,” located directly inside the kitchen itself for a unique energetic dining experience. Root 246 offers dinner only and a Sunday brunch. The Santa Ynez Valley and Solvang really visually pop in early spring, April and May, after winter rains cause the hills to become verdant green, and this is the best time to visit. The vineyards are just experiencing bud break and the pace of the Valley is slow and casual. But the fall is also a great time to visit; the air is crisp and clean, crowds have subsided and sunrises and sunsets bathe the Valley in amber hues. Fall brings harvest in wine country, so it’s still a beehive of activity. True, there are more events that take place during summer, but that also means crowds and lines for this small village which can easily get congested during peak summer days. Wine tasting rooms, several within walking distance of the hotel, can also be immensely crowded during summer. So bypass the hectic in favor of the relaxed and make Hotel Corque your choice for a wine country getaway.

To learn more go to www.HotelCorque.com.

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Luxury and Value Possible in Paris

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here are an unbelievable amount of hotels in Paris, but what would you expect from the #1 tourist destination in the world? Couple leisure travelers with those who go to the city for business, and there’s rarely a low season.

Paris is one of the most luxurious

sidewalk cafes, there is no shortage of luxury Parisian hotels that also offer excellent values.

places in the world. From high-end designers and jewelers to Michelinstarred restaurants and palace hotels, there are plenty of places to spend your euros. The cost of presidential suites in the most prestigious Paris hotels come with a five-digit price tag per night, but what if you’re not a sultan and still want a little extravagance? Just like

The concentration of hotels in Paris’ 8th arrondissement is extraordinary.

From world-renowned names in luxury to humble hostels, there’s something to suit most everyone’s budget in this popular district. Home

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to Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Grand Palais and many other favorites, it’s no wonder this area is one of the most popular for visitors.

The words “Hyatt” and “boutique hotel” aren’t two words that you’d normally associate together, but that’s exactly the case at Hyatt Paris Madeleine. This five-star hotel,

ALL PHOTOS BY LEAH WALKER

By Leah Walker

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are s

breakfast, lunch, dinner or tea. With excellent food and a glass dome by Gustave Eiffel, the restaurant is worth a visit. If the view outside is just as important as the one inside, then make sure to book a top-floor room. Mine had two terraces that overlooked sights such as Opéra Garnier and Place de la Madeleine, but the best was watching the Eiffel Tower light show twinkle from my bed.

As one of the largest hotels in Paris, L’Hôtel du Collectionneur is also located in the 8th arrondissement in front of Parc Monceau, one of Paris’ best parks. Decorated in a 1930s Art Deco style, this five-star hotel has 478 rooms and suites that surround a beautifully landscaped garden and patio. It is a nice place to enjoy an apéritif before dinner at Le Safran, the French gastronomic restaurant in the hotel. Follow up the meal with a digestif at Purple Bar. One amenity that I love is an executive lounge, and L’Hôtel du Collectionneur has one. When staying in an Executive Room, access to the lounge and its breakfast, snacks and bar is included in the price. It’s a terrific added value, especially when traveling with kids. For something extra special, book one of the 41 rooms and suites that have a terrace.

Not only does this offer a brilliant view of the garden below, but also an unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower. The atmosphere is so splendid that I spent a summer Saturday night on my terrace, drinking in the view and a bit of Champagne.

Tucked away just off the prestigious avenue George V in the 8th arrondissement, Hôtel de Sers sits next to some of the finest hotels in the city, yet still holds its own in terms of luxury. Quite frankly, Hotel de Sers is just straight up sexy, yet in a classy French way. A former private mansion, this five-star hotel mixes classic and contemporary design beautifully.

located in the 8th is housed in a historical Haussmannian-style building with 86 rooms and suites.

Renovated in 2007, Madeleine is charming and comfortable, without the pretense often associated with a Parisian five-star hotel.

In the heart of the hotel is La Chinoiserie, a cozy place to enjoy

Rooms begin with a light canvas, and then are accessorized with elegant furnishings topped with bright colors and fun prints. Life-sized photos depicting Parisian-themed scenes canvas room walls, which adds an unexpected touch. Request a Deluxe Room with a view of the Eiffel Tower or a Panoramic Suite that offers a look at some of Paris’ most well known monuments. And for something even more private and special, book the apartment.

It encompasses the entire 7th floor and features a kitchen, dining room,

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Travel living room, bedroom and large bath, along with two terraces.

Another boutique hotel from an internationally recognized brand is the InterContinental Paris-Avenue Marceau.

Literally a one-minute walk from the Arc de Triomphe, this four-star hotel is also in the 8th arrondissement. What once was the private mansion of Lord de Breteuil is now a beautifully restored hotel, featuring 55 guest rooms and two suites.

Since this was originally a private home, there are no cookie cutter rooms, which also extends to the décor. Each offers a unique design and atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed my room overlooking Avenue Marceau.

Located on the first floor (that’s the second floor for Americans), the room features a soaring ceiling and upstairs bathroom. For a terrace, book one of the two suites located on the top floor.

Away from the 8th and into the 1st arrondissement is where Hotel du Louvre is located. As its name indicates, this Hyatt hotel is right next to possibly the world’s most famous museum. This prime location is also a short distance to the Tuileries, Palais-Royal, Place Vendôme, Place de la Concorde and some of the best shopping in Paris, making it an excellent base for exploring the city.

Dating to 1855 at the request of Napoleon III, Hôtel du Louvre is a five-star hotel with 177 rooms, 43 of which are suites. Classically French, the hotel was redesigned in 2001. Located within the hotel is Brasserie du Louvre, which serves up traditional French food in a relaxed setting, while Le Bar offers a quintessentially Parisian atmosphere to enjoy a cocktail or coffee.

Perhaps one of my most memorable stays in Paris was in the hotel’s Corner View Suite. At over 500 square feet with tall ceilings, the suite feels massive. But what is most impressive is the fact that I could see into the Louvre from my bed, couch and wrap-around terrace.

That’s an experience I will remember for quite some time.

Options abound in terms of Paris hotels, but a posh stay isn’t out of reach for the luxury-loving traveler, also looking for a great value. Keep in mind that no matter where you rest your head, Paris is truly a magical place, and true luxury lies in the city itself.

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Turtle Patrol on t Florida Pan hand

By Dana Rebmann

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acations, by definition, are not typically meant to involve wake-up calls and alarm clocks. But when the jarring buzz knocked me out of a sound sleep just after 5am, I hopped out of bed with little hesitation. The sun was still hours from being up, but it was busy along the beaches of lesser-known Gulf Coast County, Florida. The St. Joseph Peninsula Turtle Patrol was getting ready to hit the sand.

turtles crawl ashore and across the beach toward the dunes to lay their eggs. Under the cover of darkness, female sea turtles dig their nest, lay 100-plus ping pong-sized eggs and camouflage their speedy work before disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico.

The combination of dark sand dunes with reflection of the moon and stars off the water guide their night’s work. Mother Nature has a big say in what happens next; to coyotes and sand crabs, turtle eggs

Time is of the essence on these early mornings. Whether it’s spotting a freshly dug nest or checking on one about to hatch, volunteers’ best chance of catching sight of any clues left in the sand comes with day’s first light. Changing tides, moving rain storms and inevitable footprints quickly cover turtle tracks. Seven days a week, volunteers walk miles of sand searching for answers.

Every summer, loggerhead sea

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the dle

It takes an estimated ten-thousand eggs to produce one thriving sea turtle.

When a nest is discovered, volunteers construct a turtle campsite. A square of metal mesh is placed over the nest. Each corner is secured with long pieces of wood that, once wrapped with bright yellow caution tape, serve as open-air beach barrier. If walls can talk, these make their point loud and clear. Give us our space in the sand. Think of it as rental of sorts for the 50 or so days it takes eggs to hatch and emerge.

At the very least, for close to two months, the Turtle Patrol will walk by every nest once a day. But even when you’ve got miles to cover, it’s hard to just walk by.

Headed to Sea!

“We have our superstitious tricks to get the nests to hatch,” said volunteer Penny Easton.

As she and McKenzie walked the beach this Saturday morning, they picked up the occasional stray feather, poking them in the sand near nests yet to hatch. Akin to hanging a horseshoe overhead, some of these nests could use a little extra luck.

When the 200 to 300 pound females come onto the beach to lay their eggs, the goal is to build their nests near dunes, away from high tides that can flood the nests. Their eye site is anything but 20/20. Light from nearby homes and beach bonfires can throw them off course.

A pop-up beach shelter that spends the night on the sand can throw turtles off track and lead to nests in less than safe or convenient locations.

Turtle Patrol Perk, Perfect Sunrise Spot

make for a tasty snack. But as folks flock to the coast, it’s what we do during our time on the sand that can have the biggest impact on this endangered species.

In a perfect world, according to Volunteer Coordinator Jessica McKenzie, there would be close to 300 nests to monitor. This season, they have 141. Even if each nest has more than 100 eggs, hatchlings’ odds of survival are not encouraging.

Feathering a Sea Turtle Nest

Nest Success

“They’re so focused on nesting, they’re kind of oblivious to things.

It’s amazing what people bring on the beach,” said McKenzie, as she and Easton talked of how one group of vacationers had set up their living room on the sand, complete with couch and recliner. Along with her job as Volunteer Coordinator of the St. Joseph Peninsula Turtle Patrol, McKenzie is also working on her M.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. The ultimate goal of her research, she says, is to “develop and refine sea turtle and coastal ecology education and outreach programs for visitors and residents in North Florida.”

The multiple eggs in nests don’t miraculously hatch simultaneously,

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Luxury & ELEgancE

with ocean views from every window.

Each suite has a separate sitting and sleeping chamber with a king sized bed and a luxury private bath.

Wake up to beautiful breakfasts served by our lighthouse keepers in the cozy kitchen with fireplace and ocean vistas.

Our living quarters are outfitted with the latest modern technology including wifi, LED televisions, and USB ports.

Come and stay...

Surround yourself with sweeping panoramic views of Maine’s Atlantic Coastline and bask in contemporary luxury and design. The custom millwork, beautiful moldings, coffered ceilings and marble bathrooms are the ultimate in craftsmanship. The views from every window are dramatic, 360 degree ocean views. The Cuckolds is a unique experience, receiving each guest in contemporary luxury through layers of bespoke craftsmanship and design. All honoring the sense of place and Cuckolds history.

Reservations Toll Free: 855.212.5252 www.innatcuckoldslighthouse.com

Photos by Darren Setlow

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Left Behind

but hatchlings communicate with each other and make the decision when to emerge together. Every now and then, someone can get left behind. So three to five days after a nest shows signs of hatchlings’ mass exodus, gloves go on, the protective campsite comes down and volunteers get down on their hands and knees and start digging.

With as little help as possible, found hatchlings are boosted atop the sand and begin their hopefully quick and successful journey to the water.

Along with lending the occasional helping hand, excavating nests allows volunteers to track the success of the nests. All egg shells are removed and counted. Nest number 98 brought smiles and cheers. All 101 eggs hatched, with only one stray needing help

with the journey to the Gulf of Mexico. After egg shells are reburied, and the hole filled, paperwork is finalized, caution tape, mesh and wood are collected and carried off the beach. If you didn’t get up before the sun, it appears as if nothing special happened on this small stretch of sand.

You don’t have to live in the Sunshine State to accompany the Turtle Patrol. The St. Joseph Peninsula Turtle Patrol is happy to have early morning company of visitors from all around the world. If you’re in town during nesting season, typically May through October, send an email and do some good while you get some vacation exercise. You may go home a little tired, but naps are the best way to kill time on airplanes.

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Finding Myself In Ireland

By Barbara McNally

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lmost ten years ago, I took my first trip to Ireland, where I found images and parts of me that I didn’t know existed. I found them in faces and personalities all around me; in their laughter and ability to laugh at themselves; in scenery; castles and cottages; in the weather—stormy and changeable like myself; in the roads: driving on the “wrong side of the road” (the story of my life); in their music and dancing that made me feel alive and proud to be Irish; in their passion for independence and self expression in any form; and in their stories of heroes and villains, sinners and saints—all that is within me. It was like going HOME after a long absence away from my friends and family. It was like coming home to myself.

My inspiration for the trip was my Irish Grandma Pat. After she passed away at 92, my mother and I came upon a collection of photographs among her effects—of 70-year-old Grandma Pat baring her breasts, wearing not much more than feathers and furs. All my life, I’d been compared to my Grandma Pat,

a flapper and suffragette who was bold and passionate. But discovering these racy photos, I realized I was nothing like her. I’d just gotten out of a deeply dependent marriage and was finally free, but I didn’t know what to do with my freedom. So with Grandma Pat as my internal guide, I struck out alone toward the shores of this faraway country.

I didn’t know what to call what I was doing: A vacation; a voyage? I was on a trip to rediscover myself by going back to my roots. It was a recreation of the person I longed to become, a rebirth. I had a feeling that if I traveled back through the archways of history, I might find in my Irish ancestors some reflection of my lost self, some thread that I could carry into the future. Ireland was the best of both worlds—completely foreign and new to me, but also deeply embedded in my DNA. I believed that, on the Emerald Isle, I could tap into something primal, mysterious, and true.

During my 23 years of marriage, I’d let my husband plan all of our family vacations. But this time, he would not be sitting beside me, hogging

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the armrest and putting his stuff on my tray table. I’d booked my flight at the last minute. I hadn’t booked a hotel room or reserved a rental car.

I didn’t even know how long I’d be gone. Aside from a vague notion of going to Westport, the small coastal town in County Mayo where my great-great-grandmother Bridget O’Dwyer was born, I didn’t have a plan. With no timetables or itineraries, no maps or travel guides to follow, it was a flying-by-theseat-of-my-pants kind of trip.

However, when I landed at Shannon Airport, I discovered I had no pants because my luggage didn’t make it.

I would start my adventure single and ready to mingle in Dingle.

It was August—peak tourist season—but I managed to get the last rental car at the airport; a “super-compact” little blue Fiat 500.

Maybe a good thing my luggage hadn’t arrived, because it probably wouldn’t have fit. I drove out of the airport (on the left side!) and kept driving until I saw a sign for a destination that I found impossible to resist: Dingle, 70 km; not Dublin nor Donegal; not Cork nor Kerry; not even Westport, where my great-great-grandmother was born.

Also, in the late 1970s, British adventurer Tim Severin journeyed from the Dingle Peninsula to North America in a handcrafted replica of Brendan’s curragh, a rugged little sailing vessel. Severin successfully reenacted Saint Brendan’s brave sail, but what I found most fascinating was that Saint Brendan was fortysix years old when he set sail across the Atlantic—the same age as I on my first trip to Ireland.

Looking back, it seems fitting that I started my exploration of Ireland on the Dingle Peninsula. I read that Saint Brendan the Navigator began his journey to North America— nearly one thousand years before Columbus—from Dingle. Brendan was an Irish monk born in 484. In 530, he embarked on a journey that lasted seven years. Scholars disagree as to how far Brendan traveled, but archeologists have documented the presence of ancient Irish runes in West Virginia.

The scenery was enchanting, rolling

Travel which offers genealogy services.

I got a preliminary report, then the lady directed me to a local bed-andbreakfast run by a Connor McNally.

Connor taught me that the McNally name means ‘poor.’ The clan is known as Black Irish, because the native Irish mixed with Spanish survivors of the Armada that wrecked off the coast of Westport. He told me one woman in my bloodline is legendary— Grace O’Malley or Gráinne Ní Mháille, the Pirate Queen.

forts” built by the Celts in the Iron Age. Later that night, we went to a pub to hear a fiddler, and I gave Irish dancing a try.

The next morning, she introduced me to Celtic Christianity and took me to a beautiful Sunday service filled with poetry, music and singing in Gaelic. In town, she introduced me to her friend, Bridget—a witch (or Wiccan)—who taught me about women as a healing force, which was an interesting idea to me as a physical therapist. Bridget suggested I visit a well in Liscannor, dedicated to her namesake, Saint Brigid, the patron saint of women, wanderers, and children born out of wedlock. When I arrived at the well, it was night, under a full moon, and I met Bridget’s friend Naidra, a fellow Wiccan, who had a six-fingered hand.

At this point of the trip, I was wondering when I’d wake up and find myself back in my bed in California.

Grace had been a strong-willed woman of means, who lived in the area during the sixteenth century.

Her family came from Clare Island, just off the coast of Westport, and she used it as a base of operations for her seafaring adventures. She attacked ships at sea and fortresses on the coast--a real take-noprisoners kind of woman, admired for protecting Ireland. She was respected by men and women alike for her savvy techniques and recognized as a leader of fighting men, a real coup for a woman, especially in those days.

Married several times to prominent figures, Grace accumulated a great deal of wealth, both through her own escapades and her inheritances.

Grandma Pat had looked up to her as a kind of role model, a woman ahead of her time; a fearless, heroic warrior who lived during a period of social change and political upheaval—one of Ireland’s foremost feminists.

But, I was there to seek and find myself. I followed Naidra in their custom of drinking from the spring three times and making a “wish” to Saint Brigid. I felt such positive energy there—like a deep hum that came from within my own body, feeling my ancestors and their joy, their pain, their triumphs, their tragedies, and their strength. green hills that gave way to villages with low stone fences and thatched cottages and lichened churches. In Dingle, each storefront was painted deep maroon, slate blue, or sage green. It looked like a postcard, where every third business was a pub.

I found a room at a quaint bed-andbreakfast, where the owner shared my great-great-grandmother’s name—O’Dwyer. I enjoyed beef stew and freshly baked soda bread and a proper “fry-up” for breakfast. I’d eaten traditional Irish foods all my life, but nothing quite like that breakfast: fried eggs, hot porridge, bacon, sausage, and black pudding.

When I was a child, my grandpa used to say, “If a lassie is brave enough to eat black pudding, she’ll go far in life.”

On my first day, I found a nearby stable to ride horses. I picked a bay Connemara, an authentic Irish breed known for its athleticism and good temperament. Fiona, the girl who took me riding, gave me a history lesson on the area. She took me to the thousand-year-old Gallarus Oratory and showed me the “fairy

My next stop was Galway, where I stayed at the majestic Ashford Castle in County Mayo, a thirteenthcentury, five-star hotel with stables—my kind of fairy tale.

At the castle, I took advantage of their world-renowned equestrian center, and explored the grounds on horseback, where Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness planted thousands of trees.

I also visited Ireland’s School of Falconry, where they train predatory birds like falcons, eagles, and owls.

Connor also taught me about the Great Famine—the reason my great-great-grandmother had left Ireland. She was one of eight girls, and the only one brave enough to sail on a “coffin ship” to America. Her sisters chose to stay in Ireland and either joined the convent or starved to death. None of them had children.

I biked to Croagh Patrick, with the thought of climbing the mountain and paying my respects to Ireland’s patron saint. But I ended up sidelined by the National Famine Monument, a coffin ship with skeleton bodies bearing tribute to those who had suffered and died during the Great Famine. I hadn’t expected my visit to Westport to be so emotional, but like most Americans, living in the land of dreams, I’d been blind to the significance of my ancestors’ suffering until I walked that same path, pedaled that same road. I shed many tears and visited the graveyard in Aughavel to thank my ancestors for their sacrifices.

There was a magic in the air in the Ireland that left me wanting some company. I made a bold move and asked one of the falconers, a handsome British man, out to a pub. That night, I took him to bed— my first one-night stand, which felt like waking up after a long, troubled sleep. I was literally swept off my feet...in a castle.

I left Ashford Castle for nearby “Cathair na Mart,” the Irish name for Westport. Driving through, I realized that many of the landmarks were familiar from stories Grandma Pat had told me over the years. I was home!

In Ireland, my understanding of life and religion had been ripped open

There, I visited the Heritage Centre,

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and exposed, and there in Aughavel, I felt as if it had been sown back together. I felt at peace, knowing that I came from brave, honest stock. I had the genes to be a strong, independent woman, to do good things in life. I was ready to go back to California. My time in Ireland was over.

On my last day, I went to explore the history of the village of Knock in County Mayo, which houses the Church of the Apparition. I ended up having tea with Sister Catherine, a nun in the Saint Mary of the Angels order, and talked to her about Christianity and being Baptist vs.

Catholic, and the idea of whether or not you’re able to be both a spiritual and sexual being.

My experiences in Ireland taught me I couldn’t live a one-dimensional life—or even two. There was so much more. I wanted to embrace every aspect of being a woman, mother, lover, fighter, and sage. I wanted to be passionate and stand up for what I believed. The Wiccans had shown me the value and power of the feminine warrior within. The pirate queen, my ancestors, Grandma Pat, and even Sister Catherine had shown me that it was perfectly acceptable, maybe even commendable, to have and enjoy sex, to speak up for what I wanted.

On my way to the airport, I felt a sense of resolution. I was a McNally through and through. I didn’t have to change, but realized that I just had to be myself. I came back from Ireland more aware of myself and of my place in the world, more confident and less dependent. Ireland taught me to move on and leave the baggage behind.

Barbara McNally is the founder of Mother Lover Fighter Sage, a foundation dedicated to providing women with opportunities for growth and self-discovery, and the author of Unbridled: A Memoir. To learn more, visit her website at: UnbridledFreedom.com.

Where Do The World’s Millionaires Reside

According to the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report, 41 percent of the world’s millionaires live in the United States. Japan comes a very distant second with 8 percent.

This gap wasn’t always so pronounced - Japan’s millionaire population fell considerably in recent years while the United States has experienced a significant increase. Globally, Europe has the highest density of millionaires.

France is home to 7 percent of them while Germany and the UK follow closely with 6 percent each.

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Travel

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Gifts For The Traveler

By Maralyn D. Hill

My Air

Don’t let flu and cold germs ruin your next overseas vacation. We all know that exposure to viruses and bacteria can make us sick, but here are some things you might not know... Your nose does more than just smell - it’s part of an elaborate network of sinuses that warms and

also aggravate allergies, asthma & COPD. My Air solves the problem by reducing moisture lost in exhaled breath, and by blocking germs and allergens. It is an ultra thin mask with advanced filtration and an attractive design that will keep you looking and feeling your best. www. myairmask.com Retail: $19.99

humidifies the air you breathe, and also acts as a filter. When not properly hydrated or protected, the nose and mouth become open gateways for germs and contaminants. This happens more often than you think, and dry tissues in the nose and throat not only make you more susceptible to germs, but

My Air ABOVE NapAnywhere Travel Pillow

MDH: At first, I thought, “I can’t think of too many times I’d use this.” Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. I’ve a low immune system and log 55,000 to 70,000 air miles a year. I know the air in planes is re-circulated, and My Air seems to be the answer. I also know it will help me when it’s pollen time at home or when traveling.

Hopefully, I won’t need it for more dangerous situations, but it will be nice to know I’m prepared.

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NapAnywhere Travel Pillow

Traveling can be a real pain in the neck ... literally. For many travelers, falling asleep upright and waking up with neck discomfort happen far too often. The problem is in the pillow... or trying to nap without proper head support. Skip uncomfortable airline pillows and try NapAnywhere, a minimalist, head-support device developed specifically by a physician for travelers. It effectively provides head support while in a seated position. This comfortable, portable device can be used while traveling on planes, subways, trains, buses and cars as a passenger. Small and compact, it fits easily into your carry-on, backpack, laptop bag or purse. It’s also stain-resistant and can be wiped clean. A carrying pouch is included to help protect the NapAnywhere when not in use.

Available in five colors: black, crimson, cobalt, cream and lime. www.napanywhere.net Retail: $59 MDH: Before I received and tried my NapAnywhere Travel Pillow, I had seen it advertised. As I saw it in airline magazines, I thought once

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE VARIOUS MANUFACTURERS

F

or this Gifts For the Traveler list, I’m going to use the manufacturers’ descriptions and then my own experience below.

Gift Guide well, durable, collapsible and I think will hold up well for many flights. I also like that it seals to prevent leakage. I like this product so well, I’ll probably purchase two or three more, so Norm can have two in his suitcase and I can have two in mine.

one in black. I like being able to recharge my iPhone from the pack, as my phone does run down while in air; even when in airplane mode or off. It is big enough for a tablet, but not a laptop, unless you have a notebook size. For those who want to be super organized, this a good solution, and they have a nice number of colors to choose from.

Wine Traveler

Enjoy wine on-the-go when tailgating or while relaxing at the pool or beach in style. The Wine Traveler is a plastic wine sippy cup, with clear benefits in many situations.

Its lid design prevents spills on choppy oceans or while carting down the golf course. Keep bugs and dirt from getting in your drink while relaxing at the beach or in the garden. The Wine Traveler will keep your favorite beverage cool longer with its dual chamber sealed insulation. Holds 12 ounces. It is top rack dishwasher approved.

Vinnibag Inflatable Travel Bag

you bent it to conform, it would be great, but cumbersome to carry around. What I was delighted to discover was it flattens out to the circle again, fits in its nice carrying case, and slides in my briefcase. I recommend it because it works great, convenient, and maybe I won’t lose this one.

High Altitude Flight Bag

by Genius Pack

Ultimate convenient carry-on bag, that is great for electronics, magazines, books, tablets, smart phones and chargers. Innovative patent-pending design attaches t o the seat tray in front of you to maximize space-savings and keep things from flying off the tray table during turbulence or bumpy flights.

Recharge your smart phone directly from the pack when you integrate the Portable Mobile Charger.

Includes removable padded shoulder strap. Slides on top of larger carry-ons for stress-free movement at airports. www.geniuspack.com Retail: $58.00 MDH: This is the height of organization.

The photo is in blue and so is my sample.

After I use it a few more times, I will probably order

How do you safely get bottles of aged Italian wine or pure olive oil back home after a coastal holiday? Not rolled up in a hotel towel, but in an inflatable, reusable Vinnibag. Liquids, fine collectible items and any fragile valuables that an elite traveler wants to protect will be safe in a reusable Vinnibag in carry-ons or checked luggage.

VinniBag is TSA friendly and was engineered specifically to withstand air travel and high altitudes. Design and materials allow for significant changes in air pressure and temperatures. Sophisticated testing was done at an independent test lab, using altitude chambers that surpass normal conditions in aircraft cargo holds. Packing one is easy. Travelers stick items in the bag, inflate it with a few breaths of air, snap the bag closed, pack in their travel bag, and then deflate when they get home.

Travelers can likely fit up to three inflated Vinnibags in their suitcase.

Vinnibags can be reused as an ice pack, a smartphone holder in water, or even a bath pillow. www.vinnibag.com Retail: $28

Wine Traveler LEFT High Altitude Flight Bag by Genius Pack ABOVE Vinnibag Inflatable Travel Bag

MDH: My suitcase always has a wine bag carrier or two, which I may use for wine or other breakable items.

Some work better than others.

What I especially like about the Vinnibag Inflatable Travel Bag is it is designed to hold other breakables as

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store.theproductfarm.com Retail: $14.99 MDH: It’s winter here, but if traveling where it’s warm, this is an ideal accompaniment. I also think it is ideal for sipping a glass of wine while in the Jacuzzi or pool.

Right now for me, it is the beginning of Jacuzzi weather. I especially like that water cannot splash into the Wine Traveler.

Of course, there is nothing like sipping fine wine from a crystal glass, but in many situations, the risk of broken glass is not worth it. The Wine Traveler is ideal for those moments.

For those of you who try any of the gifts we’ve pulled together, please let us hear from you. Your comments are always welcome. Email LuxeBeatMag@gmail.com and in the subject line, put Letter to the Editor.

Luxe Layov AMS

By Susan Lanier-Graham

Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

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Travel

vers:

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R

emember the days when the thought of an airport layover brought shudders and a sense of dread? Today’s airports are breaking out of that mold— and breaking all the old rules — to offer bespoke services to modern travelers. From luxury lounges, modern spas and art museums to wine bars, gourmet restaurants and markets filled with fresh produce, airports around the world are revolutionizing the travel experience.

Discover a new place each month for your next luxe layover.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, The Netherlands: AMS

Automated departure lounge for KLM at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Photo by Guislain Mary Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (pronounced shki-pole) had its beginnings back in 1916 when a little military two-seater flew into a field outside Amsterdam. Just four years later, in May of 1920, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines landed the first commercial plane there, with two journalists from England on board the plane. Over the next half-dozen years, Schiphol earned the nickname “Schiphol Bathing Resort” because, more often than not, the field was a mud bath due to heavy rainfall.

The airlines even hired big burly Dutchmen to carry passengers off the plane on their backs. In 1926, the city of Amsterdam took ownership of the new airport in anticipation of the 1928 Olympics, and created an impressive system of tarmacs to prevent planes and passengers from sinking.

All the advances in what was then one of the world’s most modern airports were destroyed during World War II. After The Netherlands was invaded by German forces, Schiphol’s modern airport — only minutes by air from England — became a major threat to the Allies.

In one 30-minute stretch during December 1943, US bombers dropped more than 400,000 kilos of bombs on the airstrips, leaving them unusable for German troops. The Germans then destroyed anything remaining, effectively annihilating Schiphol.

Following the war, however, the industrious Dutch quickly rebuilt their airport, opening the first terminal in 1949. By 1950, more than 350,000 passengers flew through Schiphol every year. To handle growth demand, the city of Amsterdam and The Netherlands joined forces to begin operating the

KLM Fokker 100 on the Panorama Roof Terrace at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Photo by Calflier

airport and to expand it based on designs of Jan Dellaert. On April 28, 1967, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, with a revolutionary new oneterminal concept and modern conveniences, opened. Today, AMS serves 99 airlines, flies to 323 direct destinations and welcomed 52.6 million passengers in 2013.

into four “lounges”—Lounges 1, 2, 3 and 4. The B and C gates are in Lounge 1; D and E gates are in Lounge 2; while the F, G and H gates are in Lounge 3. All of those lounges are connected and you can move between them easily. Lounge 4 is home to the new M Gates, which serve the low-cost carriers of BMIbaby, Flyby, Easy Jet, Jet-2 and Air Berlin. While there are restrooms in Lounge 4, there are no other services in that area.

Today, AMS is known as an “AirportCity”, with a city park, art galleries, library, free WiFi, shops, restaurants, hotels, spas, a museum and even a casino. Here are a few of the things you can find to keep you busy on your next layover at AMS.

For those who have previously traveled through AMS, you might remember clearing security, walking through shops and restaurants, then needing to go through security a second time to get to the gates. This has always been a bit inconvenient, and you couldn’t take some items through second level security. As part of its major redesign, AMS is centralizing security through five checkpoints—three in the Departure Halls and two for transfers. After the remodel is complete in early 2015, you will clear that one security and be free to shop, eat, make purchases and find your gate without any additional security. Due to these major renovations, much of the airport is under construction through mid-2015.

Understanding the AMS Layout

Unlike most airports, AMS continues to have a one-terminal concept. The Arrivals hall and Schiphol Plaza, with most of the shopping, are on the first level of the airport. You will also find baggage claim, airport hotels and transportation on this level.

When you depart AMS, you will go up to the second level. Depending on your airline, you will find automated baggage checks and ticket counters in Departure areas 1, 2 or 3. Once through security, you will notice that the Departure level is divided

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Airport Clubs & Lounges

As with most modern airports, AMS has its share of lounges, where you can relax while you wait for your flight. The most popular lounge at AMS, because it serves as the headquarters for KLM Royal Dutch

Travel Airways Galleries lounge in Departures 3 for Oneworld alliance members. All others can use the Servisair Lounge in Departures 2.

Servisair Lounge is a fee-based lounge open to anyone, no matter which airline you fly or which class of service. The fee for three hours starts at a little more than $30, depending on the exchange rate.

Servisair Lounge has free WiFi, papers and magazines, wines, beers, spirits, free snacks and hot food.

The lounge overlooks the airfield, so you can watch planes come and go while you wait. For an additional fee, you can use the showers and there are also smoking facilities available. The lounge is open daily (except for Christmas Day) from 5:30 am to 11 pm.

€270 (approximately $335) for incoming or departing flights (an additional €100 or $125 for each extra person in your party). To assist you with transfers—picking you up from an incoming flight, taking you to the lounge while luggage is transferred and the flight boards, then taking you to the connecting flight—is €400 or about $500.

In addition to these regular lounges, there are also two additional facilities that cater to VIP travelers and business travelers. Schiphol’s VIP Service is available to anyone arriving/departing from AMS or even transferring at the airport. If you book VIP Service for an outbound flight, there is a special check-in location away from the main terminal (detailed directions are on the website). There, the concierge greets you, takes your baggage and your passport to get you checked in, while you relax in the lounge with free WiFi, coffee, tea, soft drinks, beer, wine, snacks and even showers. The VIP service gets your bags on the plane for you (you keep your cabin baggage with you). Then, about 15 minutes before departure, they escort you through a private security screening and drive you to the plane in a personal town car. The service works the same way on incoming flights—you are met plane-side, escorted to the private lounge where you wait in style while the concierge collects your luggage. The price is

AMS consistently ranks in the top airports around the world, in large part because of the variety of food you can find during a layover. As with all airports, there’s an ample supply of grab and go type food and even the requisite McDonald’s, but for those who want something a bit more memorable and even healthy, there are amazing options for international cuisine at AMS.

Say Cheese and House of Tulips in the Central Square of Lounge 3.

Photo by TJEP

Airlines, is the KLM Crown Lounge, which recently underwent a major renovation. The Crown Lounge, shown above, is in Departures 2. The lounge, open from 4:45 am until the last KLM flight departs each night, has rest areas, entertainment, magazines and newspapers, snacks

and drinks, free WiFi, fax and photocopiers, computers and a designated smoking area.

Depending on which airline you are flying, you may be able to use the KLM lounge if you are on a partner airline and/or Skyteam alliance.

British Airways operates a British

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Finally, Airport Business Point is a convenient lounge located outside of security in the middle of Arrivals Hall 2. The lounge, open 9 am to 6 pm, is ideal for meeting a driver, business partners or other associates. While you wait, you can use the WiFi and relax out of the fray of incoming passengers.

Restaurants & Bars

Café Rembrandt: This is an authentic recreation of a typical Amsterdam “brown cafe.” The feeling is rich, with Rembrandt’s work on the walls, wood floors, dark red curtains, a large bar and a sheltered and heated outdoor café for smoking guests. This classic cafe is open 9 am to midnight in Arrival Hall 1, outside Passport Control.

Bubbles Seafood & Wine Bar: Munch on caviar while sipping champagne at this centrally located bar in Lounge 1. Be sure to check out the saltwater aquarium in the middle of the bar.

Open 6 am to 9 pm.

Café Coco: An upscale bar that will

take center stage in the revamped Lounge 2 that opens by Summer 2015. You’ll be able to sip champagne or order up a custom cocktail.

Café Amsterdam: Another typical local Amsterdam bar, Café Amsterdam is a great spot to sit and read the paper while you sip a drink or order up a meal. The café is open 7 am to 9 pm in Lounge 3.

Café Chocolat: This is the spot for all chocoholics, where you can sample an array of chocolates for eating or drinking. The café is located in Lounge 1 and open 6 am to 8:30 pm.

Say Cheese: This is the go-to spot for finding the best Dutch cheeses, all of which you can get in bit sized pieces to eat while you’re in the airport, or in larger helpings to stash in your carry-on bag. Be sure to ask about taking cheese into the U.S. While there are many varieties available at Say Cheese you can bring home, there are others (the unpasteurized varieties) that you need to eat before you have to clear customs back in the US. Say Cheese is center stage in Lounge 3.

NL+: This is a fun little shop that sells an array of flavors you’ll find

luxury chocolates from Belgian chocolatier Neuhaus. I never purchase quite enough.

only in the Netherlands. Most of the products are packaged in handy carry-on sizes. NL+ is located in Lounge 3.

Grand Café Het Paleis: Is an all-day eatery, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner (and you can order breakfast all day). The restaurant also has a full bar. It is located in Lounge 1 and open 6:30 am to 8 pm.

EAST bar & bites: This cosmopolitan bar has an Asian flair. You can order up such specialties as Japanese Yakitori and sushi—an extensive list of Asian finger foods. You can also sample one of the sake cocktails.

EAST is in Lounge 3.

Harvest Market: Located on Pier D in the Departures area, you will think you’re wandering through a Dutch street market when you shop at Harvest Market. You can find cheese, organic beef, fruit and vegetables from local farmers. Of course, once you pick out what you like, the market prepares your market fresh dishes for eating before your flight.

The market is open 6 am to 9 pm.

Neuhaus: Although Neuhaus is not a Dutch shop, it is a must-do when you visit Schiphol. The shop sells

Shopping

In addition to great food, AMS is known for its great variety of shops, from places to pick up little trinkets to shops where you can take home a Rolex watch or Gucci purse. One of my favorite shopping areas for Dutch products is Holland Boulevard.

This is part of the AMS renovation, and some shops will be alternately opening and closing now through Summer 2015. Here are some of the shops you will find at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Schiphol Plaza: Schiphol Plaza boasts more than 60 shops and restaurants, many of which offer luxury products and services.

Schiphol Plaza is in the lower Arrivals level of the terminal. Some favorites include Paolo Salotto Luxury Leathergoods, with bags by Tumi and Victorinox (among others); Shoes by Paolo Salotto, offering women’s fine shoes and handbags; Victoria’s Secret. There is also a drugstore and a Service Point that offers dry cleaning, shoe mending and other personal services.

Holland Boulevard: There are several shops that sell Dutch products, from a bar and kitchen to a shop that sells souvenirs. Perhaps the most popular is House of Tulips. What could say Dutch more than tulips? At House

The shops at Airport Park Schiphol.

Photo by Maurice Mentjes, courtesy Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Niijima Floats by Dale Chihuly.

Photo by digicla

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of Tulips—you can’t miss the bright green glass “green house” that hydraulically lifts during the shop’s open hours—you can pick up tulip bulbs to take home for your own garden. The shop is located next to Say Cheese in Lounge 3 Central Square.

Shops at the Airport Park: For something a bit different, head to the Airport Park (see below) in Lounge 1 for some fun naturethemed gifts. You can also pick up tulip bulbs and other flower bulbs and seeds here.

Luxury Shops in Departure Halls & Lounges: There are more than 75 shops in the Departure Halls and in Lounges after Passport Control, many of which offer luxury items. In fact, when the remodel of Lounge 2 is unveiled by Summer 2015 (see the video below), there will be an entire section dedicated to luxury experiences. Some favorite shops include Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Omega, Bulgari, Mont Blanc, Rolex, Apple, Burberry, Hermès, Swarovski and Victoria’s Secret. Be sure to stop by Exquisite in Lounge 3 for fine spirits and cigars and by the FineFood outlet, also in Lounge 3, to take home some gourmet goodies.

Museums & Art Work

In a city renowned for Great Dutch Masters, it seems fitting that the airport embrace art as well. The official airport position is that “Art adds human perspective and creates

Travel

XpresSpa at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Photo by Sharon Hahn Darlin

restful focal points” in the airport.

It definitely adds to the character of AMS. There are more than 80 art pieces on display throughout the airport, including the annex to the famed Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The museum inside the airport is currently closed during remodel, but will be open again, with free viewing of some of the world’s greatest art, by late 2015.

In addition to the museum, the airport is filled with major works of art, including the one shown above, Niijima Floats, by Dale Chihuly.

The massive glass balls, installed on water at the entrance to the adjoining World Trade Center, are

designed after Japanese glass fishing baubles.

KLM Crown Lounge.

Photo courtesy KLM Royal Dutch Airline

In addition to the Chihuly works, some of the most popular include these works: Coda by Dennis Adams: a collection of 28 red and white objects found at airports, such as towers and signposts. This is a perfect meeting spot, located outside security in the Arrivals Hall.

P2 Tunnel is an installation lithograph by Stanislaw Lewkowicz.

Since 1999, this display has been highlighting the passageway to one of the parking garages.

Metamorphosis is a 158-foot-long

work by Escher. This piece has been on loan to the airport, and can be found in Departure Lounge 4.

Tracing Reality is a colorful glass facade covering almost 5,000 square feet from Departure Lounge 1 to Pier B. The work is a compilation of places near the airport, including Amsterdamse Bos city woodland and the Aalsmeer flower auction.

seats. Kids of all ages enjoy exploring the living aviation museum. The plane is open 9 am to 5 pm in winter and 7 am to 8 pm during the summer, weather permitting. The display is free and open to the general public since it does not require going through Passport Control.

For a complete list of the artwork before clearing passport control, you can view the PDF here.

Depending on the length of your layover—and whether or not you spend your entire layover shopping— there are plenty of other things to do at AMS. One of the best ways to explore Schiphol is by taking the Behind the Scenes Tour. This is a great way to experience the airport in a way most people never do. The bus tour takes about an hour and gives you a chance to learn about the airport’s history. You will have a chance to see Schiphol East (the cargo part of the airport), the fire station, snow clearance squad, the old air traffic control tower and some of the large aircraft hangars. The experience includes fun stories and

For a list of the artwork after getting through passport control, you can view this PDF document.

Another fun thing to do during a layover is to visit the Panorama Terrace on the route between Arrival Halls 1 and 2. Although it is currently undergoing renovations, the terrace will reopen in mid-2015. The terrace is home to a KLM Fokker 100. You can climb into the plane to learn about the history of aviation, sit in the cockpit, take a seat in the original

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For Fun, Relaxation & Pampering

Tower Suite at Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel

multimedia experiences. You will need to go outside security, exit the terminal and head to the bus lane in front of Schiphol Plaza. You can go online to purchase tickets in advance. Reservations are required.

If you don’t have time before you leave, you can also purchase tickets in Schiphol Plaza before your tour.

The cost for the one hour tour is €15.50 per adult ($19.50), €7.75 per child ages 4 to 12 ($10) or €35 ($45) for a family with two adults and two children.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is one of the few airports in the world that includes a casino; not just a few slot machines like you find in Las Vegas, but a full casino. In fact, Holland Casino is a full-service casino with slots and table games. It is free to enter and open to anyone 18 and over with a boarding pass and an ID. The casino is in Departure Hall 2, behind Passport Control between Gates E and F. The casino is open daily from 6:30 am to 7:45 pm.

If you’re after a little quiet time, head to the Airport Library in Holland Boulevard. The library has books available in about 20 different languages, as well as electronic materials for downloading to your own device. The library is closed

for remodeling until late 2015.

AMS is one of the only hotels in the world with an Airport Park. In fact, the Airport Park is a unique faux park concept, with indoor spaces simulating a city park, a real 130-year-old tree anchoring the space, as well as an actual outdoor terrace. There are great lounge chairs where you can rest, animal sounds are filtered throughout, interactive screens project images of people riding bikes through open parks and even butterfly projections dot the floors. For something really unique, you can hop on one of the stationary bikes to charge your phone. When you head outside, you can enjoy the open air and watch planes come and go in the distance.

The café in the Airport Park serves up organic snacks and fair-trade coffee you can enjoy at any of the numerous picnic tables. The Airport Park is located in Lounge 1, toward Pier D, on the second floor.

XpresSpa: This successful airport spa chain has three locations at AMS where you can get everything from a full body massage to a quick back and neck massage; facial; manicure; pedicure; wasting; oxygen treatment; or an automated massage chair. You can find XpresSpa on Holland Boulevard, Lounge 1 between Gates E and F; on Level 2 of Lounge 3; and in Concourse D. Each location is open daily from 7 am to 9 pm.

Rituals Spa: This local Dutch company offers a variety of products to help the body and soul. In addition to offering products, you can also

Terrace at Airport Park Schiphol.

Photo by Maurice Mentjes for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Most of us get off a flight, even after a night sleeping in one of the fully-flat seats, feeling a little achy and perhaps a bit jet lagged. AMS has several options for relaxing:

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get a hand and/or foot treatment.

The spa is in Lounge 1 toward Piers B and C and is open 6 am to 8 pm daily.

Massage-O-Matic: For a completely automated experience, check out the Massage-O-Matic units scattered throughout the airport. These modern units have a shiatsu massage chair and calming music. For 2€ ($2.50), you can relax for 5 minutes between flights.

Silence Meditation Centre: This is a quiet area located on Holland Boulevard. You can find books in many different languages, quiet area for prayer and/or meditation.

Travel Although it is open 24 hours, it is staffed from 9 am to 5 pm daily. There is a church service every Sunday at 11 am—Mass, Anglican and Protestant that is delivered in English.

Rest Your Head

Most airports have a plethora of hotels nearby, but international travelers often find themselves needing somewhere to rest between flights, whether it’s overnight or simply for a few hours. To be able to simply walk from the arrivals area to an adjoining hotel is the ultimate in ease. There are several hotels at AMS that offer overnight stays or rooms when you need to refresh for a few hours. citizenM Schiphol Airport: A hotel with modern design, flat-screen TVs and a Philips Moodpad that lets you modify room colors with LED lights, room temperature, blinds and black-out curtains. Each room has a rain shower, free WiFi, free movies, in-room adapters for US, UK and Eu plugs. The restaurant/bar CanteenM is open 24/7. You walk to citizenM from the Arrivals Hall at the terminal.

Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol: There are sound proof rooms, flat-screen TVs, a minibar and modern décor in every room. The hotel also has a gourmet restaurant and separate sports bar and hotel bar.

For guests who want to get in some exercise between flights, there is a 24-hour fitness center with sauna.

The hotel is adjacent to the terminal via a covered walkway. You will exit the Arrivals Hall to Schiphol Plaza and follow the signs to WTC/ Sheraton. The hotel is about 50 yards past the parking ticket machines.

Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol: You access the Hilton via covered walkway. Each soundproof room has a bathtub, black-out curtains and coffee/tea service.

There is free WiFi in the public areas, a fitness center with sauna and several restaurants, including the Teppanyaki Table, Greenhouse Restaurant and Stopover Bar. The hotel is about 100 yards from some great shopping.

Hilton Hotel at Schiphol Centre (Mecanoo): This modern Hilton Hotel is expected to open adjacent to the terminal in mid-2015. The 433-room property, in a unique cube shaped building with rounded corners and diamond-shaped windows, will boast a 35-foot-high atrium. You will be able to access the hotel via covered walkway from the terminal.

Hotel Yotel: These pod-style hotel rooms are intended for short term stays between flights. Every room has an electric pull-out bed with luxury linens, ensuite bathroom with monsoon rain shower, free WiFi, LCD TV, sound systems, ambient lighting, chair, table, wall sockets with international adapters and free hot drinks. You can select a Standard cabin of 75 square feet with a single bunk style bed; a Premium cabin with a sofa that converts into a double bed to sleep two in 110 square feet, and extra luggage storage under the bed; or a Premium with double bunk room that has one double and two single bunks in 248 square feet to sleep four. Hotel Yotel is located on the second floor behind Passport Control in Lounge 2 at the beginning of Pier D.

While these full service hotels adjacent to the terminal offer a great night’s sleep and all the amenities, there are also a couple of options if you are looking for something inside the terminal for just a few hours’ sleep. Here are two alternatives to renting a regular hotel room: Hotel Mercure Schiphol Terminal: This is a unique mixture of overnight hotel and short-term rooms. There are 33 rooms at the Hotel Mercure, which is located inside the terminal on Holland Boulevard after Passport Control, making it ideal for those transferring to another flight in a few hours. Each room has a bath or shower, toilet, phone, TV and minibar. If you don’t need an entire room, you can rent a shower room, which includes shower, toilet, hair dryer, soap, shampoo and towel.

For a quick rest when you don’t even have time for a sleeping pod, you can find a couple of options at Schiphol.

There are lovely lounge chairs in the Airport Park, and AMS is known for its more than 400 “Snooze Chairs.”

Premium room at YOTEL Hotel at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

These amazingly comfortable black reclining chairs are close to each of the Departure Points (1, 2 and 3) and then up a level.

Whether you have an hour or a few hours, there’s always something to do at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, AMS. Whether you choose to catch a few hours of sleep, relax with a massage, go shopping at world class boutiques, sip champagne, nibble chocolate and cheese, order a fine dining meal, try to win a fortune at the casino or want to enjoy the outdoors at the Panorama Terrace or Airport Park Terrace, there’s plenty to see and do to help pass the time.

Be sure to check carefully if you travel throughout 2015, as stores will be opening and closing to make way for beautiful renovations.

Modern conveniences and upgraded shopping, dining and experiences are likely to bump the popularity of AMS to the top of the list.

For more on Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, visit online at www.schiphol.nl.

Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Bar

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When Indy’s Libertine Liquor Bar landed on Esquire’s “Best Bars in America” list, it was acknowledgment of not only a bar, but a scene that has been building. From our breweries raking in gold at the Great American Beer Festival to our chefs stirring up buzz over our dining scene, Indianapolis is serving up more than the race cars and hoops we’re known for. Take a long weekend and discover the Midwest’s best kept secret for yourself.

For what to see, do, and eat, go to VisitIndy.com | BLOG: DoingIndy.com | FOLLOW US: @VisitIndy

Yosemite’s Bracebridge Dinner

Christmas Old-School Style

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By Michael Cervin

designation in 1890 and was still difficult to get to.

ince its inception in 1927, the Bracebridge Dinner, held each December at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park, is a Yuletide pageant of food, song and spectacle; a unique and utterly incomparable holiday event.

So the Bracebridge Dinner was envisioned, a formal holiday pageant loosely based on Washington Irving’s 1822 book, “A Christmas at Bracebridge Hall.” The show has certainly evolved over the years into a one-of-a-kind experience in Yosemite, at one point being so popular they held a lottery to give out tickets. “It’s on-going and ever changing,” says Fulton. “It used to be a male-only chorus from the Bohemian Club in San Francisco. They were all prima donnas,” Fulton jokes.

Not part of the script nor show in the old days, Ansel Adams would show up to rehearsals with, “a case of scotch and a case of rye,” Fulton says. It’s a wonder the show ever came to fruition. It’s no longer a male dominated show and the booze makes no appearance during rehearsals anymore (just closing night). Bracebridge has evolved just like its stunning surroundings into a show so integrated with the Ahwahnee that they are nearly inseparable.

Famed photographer Ansel Adams not only helped catapult Yosemite to a national audience via his haunting black and white images of the park, but he was instrumental in getting the Bracebridge Dinner off the ground as its director and performer.

“Ansel had a great, fine eye for detail,” says current director and actor, Andrea Fulton. “He would have a light changed by only an inch or two.” The set-up was simple: when the Ahwahnee Hotel opened in 1927, designed for an upscale clientele, it was decided to offer a Christmas pageant to help lure in potential wealthy patrons who might ultimately help fund the park’s meager budget. It had only received its national

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Almost 90 years after the first performances, the dinner, offered only in December and for only eight performances and running at near capacity, is a four-hour, sevencourse meal; a culinary and visual treat. Over 60 performers in sensationally detailed costumes (I visited with the costume designer and saw and felt the costumes up close and they are brilliant) and singers from the San Francisco Opera, combine to make this not only a feast for the stomach, but also a feast for eyes and ears as well. Rehearsals begin in September and many of the performers have been on this stage for a long time.

Fulton in fact first appeared not as director, but as one of the “forest folk” when she was a mere five years old, giving her her 63 years as part of the show; another actor had performed for 52 years. “It makes the group cohesive and builds a great camaraderie,” Fulton told me.

The dinner begins with guests dressed, most in formal attire, enjoying cocktails and Christmas carols at the two pianos in the Great

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Hall, the Ahwahnee Hotel’s signature public space. Then, trumpets sound and guests are escorted to their tables in the dining hall. Their convivial conversation is interrupted as lights dim and a solemn chorus sings, its melodious voices filling the massive space. What ensues at the home of Squire Bracebridge is part musical, part farce and ultimately a whimsical celebration of the season, where no one is wrong and everything turns out right. The French Chef and Housekeeper battle over what foods to present to Squire Bracebridge for Christmas dinner, the jester deploys himself into the audience to prank unsuspecting guests (except for the year a ring-tailed cat wandered on stage, upstaging the jester!). Other characters in this flamboyant production include the woodsman, a courtesan, as well as a host of choral singers and an impressive peacock comprised of 1,300 feathers, all of whom intermingle to create a luxurious holiday show. Many props are original, dating from the 1920s including the boar’s head, and baron of beef. But to keep the show more contemporary, Fulton updated it to be more reflective of current times

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Epicure a few years back. Interspersed with the show are times for table conversation before the next short act of the pageant gets underway.

The seven-course meal includes fish, duck and beef, all of which play an integral part in the show itself, and the dinner ends traditionally with wassail and plum pudding.

Ultimately fewer than 3,000 people get the chance to attend the event each year, which is part of its allure.

The sheer pageantry is also due in part to the Ahwahnee dining hall, with its 45-foot ceiling, massive sugar pine timbers flanking the capacious room, and square cut rocks flanking the stage, heightening the drama of the evening. The pageant concludes with the traditional melody of Silent Night, sung en masse, which is surprisingly moving.

Bracebridge is not exactly a once in a lifetime experience; in fact, many guests makes this an annual holiday event. But considering its price tag, $389 per person, it is a vaulted bucket-list addition. You are not

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obligated to stay at the Ahwahnee Hotel during the Bracebridge dinner.

There are other properties within Yosemite Park like the Wawona Hotel, Yosemite Lodge, and Camp Curry. But the Ahwahnee Hotel, listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places, is a fitting backdrop for the Bracebridge and they offer package deals. What Bracebridge does not offer is photography of any kind, so your memories will remain only with you.

Bracebridge Hall,” book from 1822.

And he captured so perfectly what makes the Bracebridge Dinner so special; an authentic sense of camaraderie and hospitality, goodwill, graceful moments, great food and wine and a celebratory spirit. If you’re looking for a unique event to heighten the holidays, this just might be it. www.bracebridgedinners.com, or (801) 559-5000

Yosemite in winter is a stunning visual display, as snow and ice highlight the granite faces of Half Done, El Capitan and flood multiple meadows with virgin white snow.

There are fewer people in the park during the winter and there is skiing at Badger Pass, ice-skating, and snowshoeing to complement the Bracebridge. “There is an emanation in the heart of genuine hospitality which cannot be described, but is immediately felt and puts the stranger at ease,” Washington Irving wrote in his “A Christmas at

(yields ½ gal, 64oz)

Bracebridge Wassail Punch 1qt apple juice 1qt cranberry juice 5oz port wine 4 whole cloves 1 star anise 1tbsp dried Hibiscus dried orange rind from ½ an orange 1 cinnamon stick ½ oz ginger, grated Place all ingredients into a saucepot and simmer for 30mins, strain, serve.

XXIV Karat Gold Diggers Make A Splash C

By Sherrie Wilkolaski XXIV was created. As millennials, we wanted to capture something innovative, exclusive and made by our generation, for our generation.

We’ve been very fortunate to receive acceptance by our target market and others who enjoy a glass of sparkling wine and champagne.”

hampagne is my absolute favorite cocktail. Give me some bubbles in a flute of sparkling wine or Prosecco and I’ll be happy. Indulgence is everything when you’re celebrating and “bubbles” is my red carpet drink. When I thought nothing could be better than a brut glass of sparkling wine, I discovered my cocktail could become more luxurious with a new spirit called XXIV Karat.

It’s the first California sparkling wine infused with indulgent 24-karat gold flakes. Trying this new brand wasn’t enough, I was even more intrigued when I found out that co-founders Nicholas Cowherd and Kegan Klein are their own target demography; two recent college grads who are taking this luxury product line to high-end streets.

If you’re wondering about the actual cocktail, the sparkling wine is infused with gold-leaf flakes.

The XXIV Karat brand thrives on innovation. They see their dancing gold mixing with effervescence of bubbles to be the new caliber of what millennials expect. An LED light illuminates the bottle from within and it definitely creates a distinctive experience. The product is sourced from their vineyard in Mendocino, California and bottled in Lodi. It is blended with multiple varietals, vintages and California Coastal appellations to assure a consistent quality of every bottle. “Our consumers not only enjoy XXIV Karat at exclusive nightclubs and parties, it’s also something one can enjoy in the luxury of their own home or give as the ultimate gift,” adds cofounder Kegan Klein.

The idea for the XXIV Karat product came about when these young gentlemen were on the frontlines of the nightclub and bar scene, enjoying Champagne and sparkling wine regularly. They are targeting 21-35 year old millennials who are influenced by pop culture, celebrities and want to set themselves apart from the average bar scene. Nicholas says, “We noticed that the Champagne and Sparkling Wine space lacked innovation and we saw this as an opportunity to change that. Inspired by the sparkler that is so iconic with champagne presentation at nightclubs,

They are young entrepreneurs who have found a niche market that is doing well for them, especially with holidays just around the corner.

When I asked about the history behind the launch of their company,

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Spirits Kegan told me they are very fortunate to be great business partners. “We are both extremely motivated, hungry and we embody our motto, ‘Live Life All In.’ The first two rounds of funding came from Nick, who put in nearly $1 million. As a growing business, we are always looking for additional capital and we have been very fortunate. We closed a multimillion-dollar investment Q2 of this year, which gave us the ability to grow our executive management and sales team, along with investing in company infrastructure. We are currently closing our 4th round of financing with an NBA basketball player. As of now, his name is proprietary information, but we will be sure to make an announcement once the ink is dry.”

Entrepreneurship doesn’t seem to intimidate the pair, and they take day to day business operations in stride. Nick remarks, “Every day is a challenge. Our days consist

They are laid back in their business approach, but still have a focus while running the business living in two different cities. Nick resides in Los Angeles and Kegan is based in San Diego. The distance, which could be considered a business challenge, isn’t an issue. They have secured an experienced executive team and Kegan says they feel secure in the direction the business is moving.

“We were very fortunate to have a terrific team with decades of beverage industry experience. We believe in full transparency and open lines of communication. We have our corporate office in Newport Beach, centrally located and where our CEO, Dan Holland, a 40+ year beverage industry veteran, can be found on a daily basis. We are constantly in contact with our CEO, VP of Sales, and EVP of Business Development, via email and cell phone. We are in our Newport Beach offices five or six times a month, and working the remainder of our time in our

of managing our team, continually innovating and moving the business forward, managing the budget, and making daily decisions that can have a positive and lasting effect on future success of the company... these are challenges that we love.”

They are not the first to blend gold-leaf and a fizzing cocktail together. There are a handful of other gold-leaf bubblies on the market, but they don’t appear to have a direct competitor in the United States within the Champagne and sparkling wine space. Jane Brook Estates in Australia offers two 23 Karat gold sparkling wines, a Sparkling Gold (Chenin Blanc) and Sparkling Gold (Premium).

Lussory Gold launched a nonalcoholic gold-leaf product in Dubai in September. “We’ve found a way to differentiate ourselves from others on the shelf and showcase a clear point of difference with our 24-karat gold flakes.”

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respective cities.”

They take each of their responsibilities seriously. Nick’s primary focus is marketing and PR and Kegan supports his co-founders’ assets, “Nick has a terrific ability to network and connect with those in the industry who support and sell our product.”

Kegan’s primary focus is the operations and production side of the business. Nick has this to say, “Kegan loves numbers, metrics and controlling the controllable. This was what kept us friends - we stayed in our own lanes, a Ying and Yang per say, and we had very similar visions for the direction of the company.”

As a self-proclaimed entrepreneur for over 20 years, I went back and forth on whether or not to ask them about how their age impacts their business dealings. They are two young guys just out of college, they

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Spirits must come across challenges with age being a factor, and Nick confirmed it. “We would be lying if we said it doesn’t. As young business professionals and executives in our company, we will always have to prove ourselves to new customers, business associates, distributors, etc. There is something comfortable for a 50-year-old businessman to do business with someone his own age.

Sometimes, we can see hesitation in the eyes of the man or woman sitting across from us, and understandably so. However, we find that with hard work and good business practices, questions about our age go out the window very quickly.”

As they approach the holiday season, they are entering they’re 7th market, and two more will follow in the coming weeks. “In one year, XXIV Karat will be a recognized name throughout the hospitality, nightlife and entertainment industry in the U.S. In five years, we aim to expand our brand with new products.” Nick comments. “We believe XXIV Karat is a lifestyle brand that turns any

occasion into a special one. We encourage you to ‘Live Life All In’ and that’s the motto we live by.

October, November and December are big business in the beverage industry, especially for the XXIV Karat brand. We have some fantastic partnerships lined up with both retail outlets and on-premise nightlife outlets that are really excited to help push XXIV Karat as the feature drink to celebrate the holidays and ring in the New Year!

We are very fortunate to grow every day, and we thank our customers for all of our success.”

These young entrepreneurial prospects have found their own 24-karat goldmine. Their passion for champagne and sparkling wine blossomed into a unique luxury product that is sure to be a holiday hit for years to come. Do they still drink other varieties of sparkling wine? The answer is no. They say they are loyal to their brand and now it’s only XXIV Karat.

To find a retailer near you go to xxivkarat.com.

More about Nick and Kegan About Nicholas Cowherd Nicholas Cowherd is the co-founder of XXIV Karat. Cowherd’s taste for luxury and lifestyle began in his early career, charting private jets and yachts.

A natural-born networker, Cowherd quickly made connections with club owners and managers in his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona.

After earning high status among movers and shakers in the nightlife industry, Cowherd realized the surge of champagne & sparkling wine consumption and the need for a product that would create a memorable and decadent experience.

In 2012, at the age of only 22, Cowherd left his job at Apple Inc. with his best friend Kegan Klein to pursue their passion to create and introduce one of the most unique products in the industry. The two created what became the first California sparkling wine with indulgent 24-karat gold flakes. Its award-winning design and exquisite taste, truly makes it a craft wine that leaves an everlasting impression.

Cowherd holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Communications from the

After graduating college at Arizona State University, he quickly built his resume, working for companies such as Gannett Media, Groupon and Yelp. In 2012, while observing the nightlife scene and the sparkler that is so iconic with champagne presentation, Kegan and his best friend Nicholas Cowherd created the idea of XXIV Karat, the first California sparkling wine with indulgent 24-karat gold flakes.

W.P Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and currently resides in Los Angeles.

What do you do for fun?

Nick: Work... Seriously, I enjoy working. But I do love cooking and playing video games to unwind from a long day of work.

What is your favorite film?

Nick: The Wolf of Wall Street.

Since launching in 2013, XXIV Karat far exceeded expectations in both on and off-premise accounts in Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina and more recently, California, through its distribution partnership with Southern Wine & Spirits.

What are you reading now?

Nick: The Wolf of Wall Street.

What is your favorite midnight snack?

Nick: Candy or ice cream.

What is your favorite piece of technology?

Nick: My phone. I don’t know what I would do without it!

Kegan holds a Bachelors degree in Business from Arizona State University and currently resides in San Diego, California.

About Kegan Klein Kegan Klein is the co-founder of XXIV Karat. Kegan’s desire for business and marketing began at a young age, working for his family business, operating and opening new restaurant concepts throughout his high school and college years in Arizona.

What do you do for fun?

Kegan: I am a typical 26-year old.

I love to workout, golf, play basketball, go to the movies, hang out with friends, chase girls, and most recently, hit the beach. There was a time in my life that I loved the nightclub scene. Aspects of this job

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were everything you might want when you’re still in college, but now the club life seems like work. Every now and then, you will find me letting loose and having a good time in a club, but I must always be mindful of who I am and where I am, and hopefully I don’t embarrass myself.

What is your favorite film?

Kegan: As a huge baseball fan, I must say it is For Love of the Game. I just love that movie.

What are you reading now?

Kegan: Killing Patton by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard.

What is your favorite midnight snack?

Kegan: Fire Hot Cheetos, I am a sucker for those things!

What is your favorite piece of technology?

Kegan: The iPhone is both my favorite and least favorite piece of technology. The convenience of constantly being connected to all lines of communication (email, phone, text, social media) is very important to any business owner.

However, I have a hard time turning it off and getting away for a period of time to enjoy family and friends.

Brought to you by FOUR

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s the world’s leading luxury food magazine, FOUR has revealed the Top Ten Restaurant list as a reflection of the essence of fine dining: “This list is synonymous with what is wonderful about fine dining: great tasting, beautiful food, with locally sourced, sustainable ingredients, served in a flawless environment”, FOUR’s co-founders Antioco Piras and Jakob Siegeris stated.

Drawn up by a world-class panel

#10 | Per Se | Thomas Keller

of food critics, journalists and devoted foodies, a repertoire of the finest international restaurants was researched and whittled down to ten. The FOUR team and its researchers are proud to present this food-centric list, defined by each restaurants’ culinary philosophy, menu and dishes.

What? New York-based Per Se restaurant is the culmination of 10 years of culinary excellence.

The attention to detail not only sweeps across the understated menu, but also throughout the spotless service and décor.

Signature dishes pepper the nine-course Tasting Menu and à la carte menu, offering a combination of American and French cuisine.

Who? Michelin maestro and Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux Thomas Keller is at the helm of Per Se’s

FOUR’s acclaimed list includes dining venues that are located across the continents. Featuring restaurants in North America, Europe and Asia:

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cuisine. With a plethora of awards to his name, Chef Keller stands tall amongst others as an internationally renowned master of classic, yet modern and innovative cuisine.

Where? 10 Columbus Cir #4, New York, NY 10019, United States | perseny.com

#9 | Steirereck Restaurant | Heinz Reitbauer

What? Serving modern Austrian cuisine, Streirereck is considered the best restaurant in Vienna.

Passionate about featuring the best

Epicure Yoshiharu Kakinuma

menu at Fäviken taking inspiration from Nordic culinary traditions, with the likes of aged meat, buried fish and eight month old vegetables.

Where? Fäviken 216, 830 05 Järpen, Sweden | faviken.com

What? Every day, Sushi Shikon has the freshest ingredients flown from Tokyo. The restaurant, which closely recreates the standards of its Tokyo-based sister restaurant, offers an intimate atmosphere, where up to eight guests can watch sushi masters craft each dish in front of their eyes. Complemented by a wonderful sake and wine list, Sushi Shikon offers a quintessential Ginza sushi experience.

Who? Yoshiharu Kakinuma is hailed as one of the best sushi chefs in the world. Having worked under Masahiro Yoshitake – owner of Sushi Shikon – Chef Kakinuma is illustriously the Hong Kong’s first Japanese three Michelin star chef.

Where? The Mercer Hotel, 29 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong | sushi-shikon.com

#5 | Il Mosaico | Nino di Costanzo

What? Using the best raw ingredients, Il Mosaico interprets recipes from its home island of Ischia and the Campania region.

Working with traditional Mediterranean cuisine at its heart, Il Mosaico offers a chef’s table for those who desire full emersion into the gourmet cuisine, and a pool side table in an extraordinary atmosphere.

Who? Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux Nino’s cuisine is simple and simultaneously refined. A sense of purity and simplicity remains at the heart of Chef’s ingredients and the methods of preparation, which he employs, allowing him to maintain flavour, colour and substance in all his culinary creations, while turning each one into a masterpiece.

Where? Terme Manzi Hotel & Spa, Piazza Bagni 4, 80074 Casamicciola Terme, Isola d’Ischia, Italia |termemanzihotel.com

#7 | La Vie Restaurant | Thomas Bühner

What? Culinary creativity reigns strong at La Vie. Local, fresh ingredients dictate the menus, keeping produce at the forefront of each dish and combining it with creativity, craftsmanship and sophistication. Rendering the cuisine avant-garde, Chef Thomas Bühner is at the helm of each of the restaurant’s three Michelin stars.

Who? Thomas Bühner, Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux, has worked hard to ensure his cuisine embraces the product. His flavours are extremely clean, he intensifies the flavours that are already there. The menus presented in La Vie are not just a collection of different meals, but a symphony.

Where? Krahnstraße 1, 49074 Osnabrück, Germany | restaurantlavie.de

#4 | Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare | César Ramirez

What? Changing its tasting menu daily the Chef’s Table at the Brooklyn Fare is a one of a kind.

Acclaimed for the majority of the courses of its Tasting Menus containing both raw and cooked seafood, predominantly shellfish, the Chef’s Table has an intimate 18 seats, making for a truely unique restaurant. Located in the heart of Brooklyn, it is acclaimed for being the only restaurant in the area with three Michelin stars.

Who? César Ramirez puts his heart and soul into his cuisine, which is brought to each guest and explained personally by him. Taking pride in each part of his cuisine, Chef Ramirez sources his ingredients carefully to ensure each dish is perfect.

Where? 431 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018, United States | brooklynfare.com

#6 | Fäviken | Magnus Nilsson

products, the menu features classic dishes with a contemporary twist.

With an extensive wine list, the restaurant caters for every taste.

Who? Presiding over Steirereck, is Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux Heinz Reitbauer. Describing his cuisine, ChefReitbauer says that it is “a contemporary reinterpretation of Austrian cuisine, which is very much shaped by products and season”.

Where? Am Heumarkt 2A/im Stadtpark, A-1030 Vienna, Austria | steirereck.at

#8 | Sushi Shikon |

What? Sitting in the barren north Swedish mountains of Jämtland, Fäviken follows seasons and traditions with the utmost respect.

Harvesting crops from the restaurant’s land, the kitchen prepares dishes using traditional Nordic methods and contemporary research. Dried, pickled, salted and boiled preserves are stored for the dark winter months, and the hunting and gathering starts again in the spring and summer months.

Who? Magnus Nilsson is a leader in the new wave of the Nordic food movement, combining technical excellence, bold flavours and locally sourced ingredients. Adapting to the sometimes-hostile weather in Sweden, chef Nilsson created the

#3 | Hof Van Cleve Restaurant | Peter Goossens

What? Standing tall in Flemish fine dining, the Hof Van Cleve Restaurant’s roots are reflected throughout its seasonal menu.

Both fish and shellfish are heavily

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featured on the menu at the 3 Michelin star restaurant, while freshness and flavour nudges the memories of its guests to recall the source of their food.

Who? Judging by the sheer quality of Peter Goossens’ culinary creations, it comes as no surprise that this Belgium-based chef has been enjoying his craft for over 20 years. Using his Flemish roots along with his passion for local produce, Peter follows the seasons to create dishes with subtle flavour combinations.

Where? Riemegemstraat 1, 9770 Kruishoutem, Belgium | hofvancleve.com

#2 | André | André Chiang

What? Combining art and philosophy, André applies selfcreated ‘octaphilosophy’ to ensure each dish is unique, pure, fresh and, of course wonderful. Keeping the ingredients simple, the restaurant has been awarded a huge amount of acclaim for its simple yet poignant cuisine. The wine list is entirely natural and from artisan vineyards, complemented by the 30-seat dining room.

Who? The philosophy of chef André Chiang is simple: to only use the freshest of seasonal produce. This straightforward approach is all part of Chiang’s success, earning him the accolade of “one of the world’s best young chefs,” while Restaurant André has been labelled as one of the ten best worldwide.

Where? 41 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089855 | restaurantandre.com

#1 | Eleven Madison Park | Daniel Humm

What? Eleven Madison Park perfectly combines the finest classic haute cuisine, with a perfect atmosphere. The multi-course tasting menu focuses on the extraordinary agricultural bounty of New York and on the centuriesold culinary traditions. The restaurant’s dramatically high ceilings and magnificent art deco dining room are the ideal backdrop for the delicious, artful cuisine.

Who? Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux Daniel Humm creates modern, sophisticated French cuisine that emphasises purity, simplicity and seasonal flavours and ingredients.

A classicist who embraces contemporary gastronomy, Daniel’s cooking style is delicate and precise.

Where? 11 Madison Ave, New York 10010 | elevenmadisonpark.com

Holiday Dinner from SCARTS School of Culinary Arts

By Maralyn D. Hill

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CARTS School of Culinary Arts – Central America and its students recently put together a festive holiday menu of dishes they felt would appeal readers at Luxe Beat Magazine. The dishes they have presented are labor intensive and they have included recipes for the Beef Wellington and the Strawberry Swiss Roll.

Instead if focusing on the recipes (even though they are wonderful), this article is showing you one of the processes of how our culinary students learn at SCARTS. We decided to do this, as we have had some inquiries as to how we go about teaching some of the aspects we cover.

The students had great fun preparing the meal all together.

They had the challenge of coming up with a dinner that would have some aspects that would appeal to everyone and be extra special.

After looking through many of their cookbooks, the students decided to use Le Cordon Bleu recipes with the help of the famous “Cooking Techniques” cookbook.

As is standard, the recipes they picked were demonstrated, followed by their doing individual practice of the same dish.

worldwide and their employment after internships and certification confirms their success.

We hope you enjoy the menu they have prepared for a fancy holiday dinner.

Beef Wellington

This worldwide popular dish has been created in honor of Wellington who won Waterloo fight against Napoleon. The classical recipe includes puff pastry, beef, mushrooms, bacon and herbs. I propose you a French version, with brioche dough, easier to prepare, and delicious portobello mushrooms.

Serves 10

1lb portobello 1ssp vegetable oil 2 shallots 2 cloves garlic 1ssp butter 1 bunch parsley

Brioche dough 250g soft flour 10g fresh yeast 1ssp water 5g salt 10g sugar 3 eggs 100g butter Meat 4lbs beef tenderloin 1ssp vegetable oil 1ssp butter

Prepare the dough Mix yeast and water, add flour and eggs, finish with salt and sugar. Work the dough 5 minutes, then add the soft butter. Rest the dough at room temperature for 30mins.

Mushrooms

Prepare the meat

The menu students chose to prepare the following dishes: Rock Lobster Christmas Apple salad Beef Wellington Decorative Christmas Cake Strawberry Swiss Roll SCARTS offer diplomas in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management.

SCARTS focuses’ are lots of practice and little theory. Theory matters, but without practice, is difficult to implement.

Most SCARTS classes are demonstrations and Master classes, which are then followed by individual practice of completing the same dish. This procedure allows students to learn at a more rapid rate, while developing hands on confidence and pride in achievement.

Other teaching techniques include teamwork, special dinners and SCARTS restaurant at the school, with real working conditions in a professional kitchen.

SCARTS students go on to intern

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Trim then cut the meat, leave it covered at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then brown the meat all sides, using oil and butter. Cook medium rare.

Prepare the mushrooms Cut the portobello in large slices.

In a frying pan brown the mushrooms with little oil.

Add chopped shallots (or onions), then garlic, finish with salt, butter and chopped parsley.

Finish the Wellington Roll out the dough, place the meat

S C A R T S School of culinary arts With french master chef hervĂŠ laurent

Graduates' placement is our success!

www.scarts.com.sv

Epicure in the middle (already seasoned), the mushrooms on top.

Bake in the oven 400°F 15-20mins until brown and cooked.

Strawberry Swiss Roll

When I was a kid, my mother always made for Christmas the traditional chocolate rolling cake, looking like a piece of wood, for Santa Claus to place by the fireplace! I propose for you a lighter cake, with pastry cream and strawberries.

Serves 10 Sponge cake 4 eggs 125g sugar 75g flour Strawberry sauce 200g fresh strawberry ½ lemon (juice) 100g icing sugar Pastry cream 500ml milk 4 egg yolks 100g sugar 1tsp vanilla Decoration 1lb fresh strawberries Prepare the sponge cake Prepare the tray with greaseproof paper, melted butter and flour.

In a bain marie, whip the eggs and sugar until warm. Keep beating, using the mixing bowl – Gently add the flour – Display on the baking tray and cook 5mins at 385°F. Prepare the strawberry sauce Blend strawberries, icing sugar and lemon juice.

Prepare the pastry cream Boil the milk. Mix egg yolk and sugar. Add flour. Then the milk and cook 2 minutes mixing with a whisk.

Decorate the cake Using a brush, flavor the sponge cake with strawberry sauce. With a spatula, arrange the pastry cream on the surface. Decorate with strawberries. Roll the cake using greaseproof paper.

Refrigerate 15 minutes. Use fresh strawberry and strawberry sauce for the presentation.

Bon Appétit!

Happy Holidays to you all! www.scarts.com.sv

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Images: Jessica Pearl and Kristin Hettermann. Aerial Photo:

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t’s not every day that one is given the opportunity to sail on a rum runner in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The mere thought of hopping aboard a 77-foot schooner in the heart of the Caribbean’s’ bluest waters seems like a scene right out of a Johnny Depp movie. On a brilliant Sunday afternoon in Providenciales, 12 adventurous souls did exactly that when they took off on Dave Douglas’ Atabeyra for a four-hour tour.

When Douglas moved from the Bahamas to Providenciales in 1992, he began hauling rum, beer, and who knows what else between Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic.

After keeping a close eye on the surging Providenciales tourist trade, Douglas christened Sun Charters tours in 1998 and he began transporting wide-eyed tourists on sailing excursions full-time.

For the well-traveled Douglas, the Atabeyra is a boat and a business he and his wife Jenny literally built with their bare hands. The schooner’s two towering masts came from pine trees grown in the forest just outside the Douglas’ former New Orleans home.

Beyond Grace Bay

Today’s version of Douglas’ sailing business is running full speed ahead.

On most days during the Turks and Caicos high season of November through June, the Atabeyra sails twice per day. Douglas’ crew of Tibi Gula and Junior Relis operate half day snorkeling tours, sunset cruises, and private charters. Twice a month and three days after a full moon, Sun Charters also offers an excursion dubbed the Glow Worm Sunset that features the phosphorescent mating ritual of male and female worms floating on the surface of the Caribbean Sea. Sun Charters is a diversion for vacationers flocking to Providenciales’ Grace Bay Beach, a destination TripAdvisor ranks as the most beautiful beach in the Caribbean. When these beachcombers get restless and wish to see one of the other 37 islands making up the Turks and Caicos chain, that’s when they turn to Douglas and his crew.

What many of these remote islands lack in refinement, they make up for in sheer beauty. Enter the words “most beautiful private Caribbean island” into a search engine and this is what Atabeyra passengers see during their snorkeling tour.

JoJo and Happy Juice

need Happy Juice to keep from smiling after a relaxing day sailing, a JoJo sighting, and a wonderful escape to the shores of Pine Cay. Around 4:00 in the afternoon, the Atabeyra docked, and passengers who began the day as strangers ended their journey as friends. As the last guest stepped upon the Blue Haven dock, the 70s disco song “Good Times” played softly from the Atabeyra P.A. system.

If you’re ever asked to sail on a rum runner in the Turks and Caicos Islands, you’ll be missing a “good time” if you say anything but “yes.”

How many opportunities do you get to star in a scene that usually headlines Johnny Depp? www.suncharters.tc

On today’s excursion, Douglas’ dynamic duo of Tibi and Junior explain to guests what to anticipate during the next four hours. Junior concluded his talk by saying, “What makes each excursion special is you should also expect the unexpected.”

Almost on cue, a passenger pointed to a dark object swimming 30-feet from the Atabeyra’s stern. Junior exclaimed, “There’s JoJo and he’s got a girlfriend.” JoJo is Turks and Caicos’ most famous mammal, a dolphin known for swimming solo and loving the company of humans.

Today, JoJo greeted the Atabeyra with a companion that Junior determined was a female. Perhaps JoJo’s potential romance had something to do with the Atebeyra name which means the Goddess of Fertility.

Tim Cotroneo is a freelance writer specializing in Caribbean travel, business, and golf. www. timcotroneo.com

The passengers feverishly shot photos of the congenial JoJo until he submerged after 10 minutes of frolicking with the Atabeyra. Junior felt this JoJo close encounter was reason to celebrate. He suggested that the best way to honor JoJo’s appearance was by sipping an orange rum concoction he referred to as Happy Juice.

Pine Cay Paradise

After another five minutes of sailing, Captain Tibi anchored the boat and explained the ground rules for an hour of optimum snorkeling. For those guests who chose to submerge into the sea, they’d witness a wealth of coral and fish particular to this region of the Caribbean.

When the snorkelers hoisted themselves back on deck, Tibi explained that the Atebeyra’s next stop would be Pine Cay, an island hosting a single hotel. Pine Cay, located about 30-minutes by boat from Providenciales, is home to The Meridian, a private club consisting of 38 private homes and a 13-room beach club.

Legend has it that in 1492, Pine Cay was Columbus’ first stop in the New World. One can only wonder why, when Columbus witnessed Pine Cay’s powder white beaches and calm turquoise waters, he just didn’t raise his flag and stay forever.

Atabeyra’s passengers luxuriated for an hour in Pine Cay’s shallow waters.

This serene stop could only be described as paradise at its finest.

What Would Johnny Depp Do?

On the way back to the Atabeyra home port at The Blue Haven Resort and Marina, it was time for the passengers to reflect. You didn’t

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Fifth Generation Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner

By Sherrie Wilkolaski

to talk with Luxe Beat Magazine and during the interview, he took me down the Wagner family memory lane and when we were done, there is no question where their success comes from.

upon. Along with the opportunity that was in front of me when I joined the family business, came a great amount of responsibility for the current times, but more importantly, to pass the family legacy on to my children in a better state than when I received it. The focal point of being any generation of a family winemaker is expanding upon the trade that I was taught, and handing that down to my children while working alongside of them. We each have our domains that we focus on, which create a broader scope of understanding for wine styles throughout the entire family. We often share our experiments...both the good and bad, which stir up great debate and eventually a rapid

Running a business is hard work.

Running a business with your family must be even harder. I asked Joseph what it was like to be a fifth generation vintner and this is what he had to say about his family’s business. “When you’re talking about a family business, I was fortunate to be raised in a grape growing and winemaking family. Having the amount of knowledge and know-how from generations before me set an immense foundation for me to build

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evolution of new styles. We can take each other’s successes and build upon them.”

With such a strong family workethic and drive to keep the legacy of the Wagner family alive for generations to come, I wondered where the name “Meiomi” came from.

As it turns, out it means “coast” in the language of the native, coastal dwelling Wappo and Yuki tribes, and pays tribute to and symbolizes the origin of their Pinot Noir.

“Meiomi began as a blend of Pinot Noirs from Sonoma’s Coastal regions with the 2002 vintage. The concept of diversity of character was well intact over the years, and then with

IMAGES COURTESY OF MEIOMI WINES

O

enophiles appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into winemaking, from planting crop, harvesting the grapes to the magic that transcends the barrels. At the heart of it all is the care that goes into the winemaking process, that impresses us as we raise the wine to our lips, swish and then spit. One such impressive family of winemakers, the Wagners, has been making wine for five generations in Napa Valley, California. Their Meimoi and Belle Glos history originated in the 1880s and is currently in the hands of Joseph J. Wagner a winemaker with a passion for Pinot Noir. He has been overseeing vineyard operations and winemaking since 2002. He sat down

Epicure is the beauty of it. Over the years, I have toyed with Zinfandel and have found that it is just as expressive as Pinot Noir, but allows for more winemaking control. It also happened to be my Grandfather’s favorite wine to drink, so there is a bit of the nostalgia playing into Zin, becoming one of my favorite wines to work with. The challenges are still there, but it’s like a child that listens rather than one who is always bucking the trend (like Pinot). We will be launching a new red Zinfandel in January, called Beran, which encompasses the best regions in the state for the variety. It has been a pleasure to bring all the years of experiments to a wine in bottle.”

His favorite time of the growing season is autumn, “Grapes are coming off the vine after a year of heavy input to make sure they are just right. Then the foliage starts to go yellow, the high temperatures segue into beautiful cool fall days and the entire California wine country is a stunning mix of beauty and comfort.” He unfortunately doesn’t get to spend as much time in the vineyards during the fall or during other times of the year. He averages about 10 hours a week and moves around to Sonoma, Monterey, Santa Barbara or Napa. “The more time I can get out there, the better.

That’s where the magic starts!”

The wine that is his all-time favorite is Belle Blos, Las Alturas Pinot Noir, “From scouting the barren land, planning and planting the vineyard, then creating a vineyard designate Pinot that has become a hallmark of Santa Lucia Highlands is really something special for me to have under my belt. The whole process of finding a site such as that, and the 2008 vintage, I wanted to expand the diversity while staying coastal. I moved into Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties, which augmented the flavor and textural profile to an enormous degree. It’s also allowed us to maintain consistency from vintage to vintage.

Since the 2008 vintage, the style has maintained a very consistent character. More recently, we added a Meiomi.

Chardonnay with the same concept of sourcing. I am very happy with how it has come along to complement the Pinot Noir.”

Joseph had no formal wine education, just worked alongside his

father and learned the job as he went along. “I started with vineyard, then winemaking, then sales, and finally business management. I had my weaknesses and made mistakes, but it was that hands-on learning that cannot be replicated by books.

Winemaking and grape growing are very reactive processes. You never know what you are going to be faced with when you wake up in the morning. For me, it’s the challenges and independent learning that I enjoy the most.”

It is no secret that Pinot Noir is in his blood and it’s what he cuts his teeth on, and he says there is always something new to learn about it. “It is a very challenging grape and that

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creating a wine that can be enjoyed for years to come, will always be a highlight in my mind. It’s the way it should be done.” His appreciation of craftsmanship is clear and he is enthusiastic about the future of the Meiomi legacy. It’s the little things that create those “ah ha” moments in the life of a winemaker. He said they recently discovered that, “cryo extraction and cold fermented Pinot Noir created wines of profound depth and character. It was so unconventional, but so simple. It set the bar for how we make our Pinots and has had a lasting change to all that we do with red grapes. Also, Meiomi recently received the “Wine Brand of the Year” award from Market Watch, which was a huge kudo to the entire team! Being able to receive such an award on behalf of all the people involved was huge.”

Team work, successful science projects and legacy are very commendable, but I’m curious as to his individual ego as it relates to his career. He’s been given this path in life, walking the vines and squashing grapes. Is this is true passion? It most certainly is. He has big plans and is constantly working to grow the family business, while still making an impact on the wine industry, “I would like to bring the research and development side of grape growing and winemaking to the customer. There is so much to learn, and so many wines out there, that most consumers don’t fully get their questions answered. I would like to create an environment that brought those experiments to the foreground, with a detailed explanation as to why, what and how we came up with it. If the customer is educated, they will help push the wine industry harder in the right direction.”

Epicure

Joseph J. Wagner’s Recommendations Recommendations for the novice wine drinker The Meiomi Pinot Noir is a nicely rounded wine. For a novice wine drinker, it is full of character and very forward in expressing berry tones and sweet oak notes. It’s voluptuous up front, but the back is not tannic and drying, so it’s a great way to get acquainted with high end wine styles.

Biggest challenge as a winemaker Balancing the artisanal side with the business side; vineyard,

Educating the consumer is one thing and a bold initiative. For his fellow winery owners and farmers, he says it’s a lifestyle choice more than a get rich quick scheme. “This business takes patience and tying up money for a good period of time. If you are looking for an heirloom on which to work with your kids or grandkids,

Barbara and Monterey, and it is a natural fit, as they grow in those areas as well, “It’s nice to talk about our farming practices and relate them to theirs. It’s kind of like shooting the bull...but there is typically something learned through such interactions. We have created some amazing relationships through

and money is not a concern, it is the right fit. Like any other business, it is competitive and people will do the most outlandish things to get a share of mine. Starting with a focused vision, not deviating from it and being patient will do anyone well in this industry.” Meiomi works with growers in Napa, Sonoma, Santa

winemaking, sales, accounting... they all have different needs and need to be in balance.

If one side overbears, the business will not thrive.

Best place to showcase a wine I love pairing wine with food.

There is no better place to showcase a wine than at the dinner table. Learning the basics of food and wine pairing should be taught in high school. It turns food into a meal.

working with growers over long periods of time. Being a family company and grape growers ourselves has been a major piece to our understanding of the growers’ needs, and it is reflected in the great relationships we have now.”

He says being a vintner is a great gig, “but it’s no retirement project. I can go days without seeing my family even though I’m five miles away. Duty calls, and time needs to be put in, but when winter comes and the wines are laid to rest, there is nothing more rewarding than knowing you have created a wine that will reflect that vintage’s trials and tribulations for years to come.”

The feeling of “family” seems to extend further out than just their own land, and I have the sense that blending of grapes from a multitude of growers is one of the secret ingredients that makes Meiomi wines so special.

To learn more go to www.meiomiwines.com.

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Wine

Holiday Tips for Gifting and Pairing Wines

By Paula Moulton

W

ith the holidays right around the corner, some of us are asking the question: How the heck do I pick up a great wine?

Tips for Pairing Wine For The Holidays:

look at couples. There are two types of couples in this world: There are the couples who are similar to one another and make each other whole almost like being one person and then there are the couples who are

In general, I pair wine using a simple technique that I learned from a famous sommelier in France. “Wine pairing should be looked at like we

Tips for Gifting Wine

Be Adventurous: Dare to be different and pick your wine based on the beauty of its label as long as it fits in with your price range.

You may be surprised to learn that wine labels oftentimes reflect the personality of the wine in the bottle so perhaps your eye will be your trainer for the evening.

completely opposite and one would never put them together.”

Yet both couples work together and form a powerful bond...

Is this wine similar to the menu?

Here is an example: A heavy beef stew with lots of pepper and bay leaves would have flavors similar to a peppery, earthy red wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a spicy Pinot Noir. The bold aromas and flavors of the wine are similar to the strong and spicy ingredients in the stew.

Is this wine opposite from the menu? Here is an example: A creamy white sauce over pasta would pair well with a nice Sauvignon Blanc.

Why? The acidity in the wine is opposite from the creamy, smooth sauce and actually subdues and balances both flavors.

Don’t Forget to Share: Wine is about sharing, so bring the gift of wine based on what you would pick to drink yourself.

What About The Rules: Break the Rules! Your host/hostess is making pizza, but you only drink white wine and you’ve heard that red wine is traditionally paired with pizza.

You might be surprised to learn that a full-bodied white and even a sparkling white or Champagne pair well with pizza.

About Paula Moulton

Paula Moulton is a wine expert who started off growing grapes for some of the most renowned labels in the nation (as a woman let alone!) and is using everything that she has learned (life lessons included-wait till she tells you about spitting or swallowing!) to educate the average person on wine.

Don’t Forget to Learn: You want to branch out and try wine from other countries so research your host/ hostess and bring a wine from the country of their origin.

Paula is an author, contributor for Wine Enthusiast, and is currently one of only 20 people in the world who has passed the wine course earning the prestigious Cordon Bleu Wine Management degree in France.

Remember the Seasons: Pick your wine based on the season. Is it winter and time for something hearty or isit summer and sizzling hot, pick your wine based on the weather?

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Perfect Holiday Gifts forWine Lovers

By Taylor Young

P

icture this. The holidays are quickly approaching, and you want to get a fabulous gift for your wine loving friend or family member, but you don’t just want to get their favorite wine like you usually do. In this list, we have many wonderful gift ideas for you to choose from to go with your

wine lover’s favorite wines!

From the simple gifts to the more extravagant, there is a gift here for every level

of wine connoisseur.

1. Riedel Vinum Cabernet / Bordeaux (Set of 8)

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This wine set is crafted especially made for drinking Cabernets and Bordeaux. Each wine glass is fine-tuned to direct the flow of the wine onto parts of the palate that will best express the flavors and aromas of a specific wine varietal. The fine crystal offers superb clarity, so you can experience the wine’s color and texture. It’s available on wineenthusiast.com and retails for $177.

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2. Vinous Wine Tote Handmade by Moreschi

This wine tote is handmade in Italy, made of French calfskin leather and Italian goatskin suede. It can hold two wine bottles safe and sound. It is a perfect tote to take your wine to go. It will be available exclusively

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3

Wine

ALL IMAGES ARE PROVIDED BY WINEENTHUSIAST.COM, VINOUS MEDIA, AND LIEBHERR

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appointed stainless steel cabinet holds up to 12 bottles of Bordeaux on solid beech-wood shelving and has a convenient drawer that can maintain a warmer temperature than the wine compartment for holding wine accessories or chocolates.” – Leibherr

4. Personalized Reclaimed Wine Barrel Waiter’s Corkscrew (Oiled Finish) on www.VinousMedia.com on November 1st. Only 100 will be available, so come and get yours quickly! It retails for $1200.

3. Liebherr Wine Storage Unit

“For a true vino aficionado, Liebherr’s wine storage unit is the ideal gift that won’t disappoint.

The compact unit (model: WS 1200, $1,699 MSRP) gives wine enthusiasts premium wine storage in an attractive package. The well-

This corkscrew has a handle made out of reclaimed wine barrel wood and is personalize-able up to 18 characters. The metal parts of this corkscrew are brushed stainless steel. Each one is unique, so this corkscrew can make a great gift! This corkscrew is available at wineenthusiast. com and retails for $59.99

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6 decoration! This wreath is made out of 70 wine corks attached to a bamboo base, and is garnished with faux holly berries, cedar leaves, and red and white baubles! This wreath is the perfect, charming holiday decoration for any wine lover, and is available on wineenthusiast.com retailing for $79.95.

5. eSommelier Private Wine Management System

This product is perfect for people who want a sophisticated system to manage their private wine collection! This touch screen device uses label images to represent different wines in the collection, allowing users to browse and select the wine they are looking for. This system also has a barcode scanner and receipt printer to keep track of business transactions.

The eSommelier Private Wine Management System is a great investment for true wine connoisseurs! This system is available on wineenthusiast.com and retails for $3,995.

8. Clef du Vin Pocket Wine Tasting Tool (Brushed Steel)

When dipped into wine, the patented metal alloy on the tip replicates the aging process, softening the tannins in young wines and improving their taste.

This is a great gift for those who enjoy tasting many different wines! It is available on wineenthusiast.com and retails for $99.95.

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6. Riedel Amadeo Lyra Decanter

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This unique decanter was designed for Riedel’s 250th birthday. Each piece is glass blown, and no two decanters are exactly alike! Only skilled glass blowers can create this lyra shape! This gift is available on wineenthusiast.com and retails for $425.

7. Holiday Wine Cork Wreath

What is a holiday wine gift list without a wine inspired

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9. Personalized 1 Letter Initial Bottle Stopper

This acrylic bottle stopper is a sweet and simple gift for the wine lover. It can be personalized with one letter, and has a chrome base and rubber gasket that will keep air out and flavor in the wine! This product is available on wineenthusiast.com, and it retails for $24.95

10. EuroCave Wine Art

This preservation system keeps your wines protected from oxidation and at the perfect service temperature for 10 days! It holds two bottles, fits on kitchen counter tops, and it has an easy one-button operation. It is a perfect appliance for people who want their wines to keep a consistent taste after the bottles have been opened! This wine art is available at wineenthusiast. com and retails for $499.

Extraordinary Chef Ben Sutter CEC

By Maralyn D. Hill

Ledges has a café, whereas, The

flavors at 4- does that count? My first serious interest was when I took a job as a dishwasher when I was 16, and then one day the salad guy didn’t show up and it was like, “Hey Ben, you wanna be a salad guy?” That night, I got my first steak as a thank you and I was hooked.

Settlers Inn is famous for its dining room. In fact, it’s so famous, people drive from Philadelphia and New York on a regular basis to dine and spend the night. After our eight course pairing meal, we had a chance to meet Chef Ben. In addition to our interview, we convinced him to share two recipes.

MDH: What was your family’s reaction to your career choice?

Ben: This career has pretty much destroyed any normal family relationships. How many weddings

MDH: When did you start showing an interest in cooking and how did you get started?

Ben: I started mixing Kool-Aid

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have you been to in your life? I’ve been to one, my own. And I catered it.

MDH: Did you do an apprenticeship or go to a culinary school? If so, could you tell us about it?

Ben: I worked my way up. I’m a true self-taught chef, because most of the chefs I worked for couldn’t stand me. But I always showed up for work, I made the food correctly, so I kept moving up the rungs. I’ve definitely mellowed a lot, since running my own kitchen. I’d probably be more patient

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SETTLERS INN

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arely do I have the opportunity to meet the chef managing two properties, The Settlers Inn and Ledges Hotel, at the same time. The Settlers Inn is a long time wellknown Inn in Hawley, Pennsylvania and Ledges is a new contemporary boutique hotel in a 1800s abandoned glass factory. Just under a mile apart, Chef Ben Sutter does an exceptional job.

Epicure something’s wrong, I’m asking for another one and when a cook needs a fire lit under him, I’m up to the task. When someone makes something exceptional, I like telling them that as well. It’s about leadership, and that has always been a strength of mine in the kitchen.

Expediter is where the strongest leader needs to be. So it’s fulfilling.

MDH: How do you personally view presentation?

Ben: Obviously, presentation is very important. What’s that old phrase, “Sight before bite?” I used to like things stacked up as high as I could get them, but I’m not so much into that anymore. To me, presentation should be a logical display of how the food is to be eaten.

MDH: What is your favorite comfort food and is there a particular reason?

Ben: I love fried chicken. Reminds me of a Sunday afternoon in the summer.

My Mom made great fried chicken.

But I also love sweetbreads. I still remember the first time I had them.

To many people, that’s not comfort food, but to me it fits. Then again, I also love mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, oh and bread. I could live on good bread – all very healthy choices!

MDH: What is your favorite cooking utensil?

Ben: My line cooks Mike’s hands. It’s like he is wheeling heatproof gloves, but he’s not. He can touch and hold anything, no matter how hot. You should see him in action – very impressive. Wish I had hands like those. I’m kind of a sissy.

MDH: Do you have a favorite dessert?

Ben: Hands down, chocolate.

MDH: What is your favorite type of food to prepare?

Ben: I get a hint of satisfaction from preparing food that has a humble beginning. That takes skill to turn into something fantastic. Something like a lamb shank takes more skill to make it great than something like a filet mignon. There’s nothing wrong with filet mignon, but it’s definitely more satisfying to cook the lamb shank. There are a lot of other things that fall in that category, things like pork belly or veal breast, but not all of them are meats. It also takes a lot of skill in vegetables, or to cook a really good gnocchi or a great celeriac purée.

and pick up more mentors along the way. Grant at Settlers Inn had been a great mentor for me.

and pick up more mentors along the way. Grant at Settlers Inn had been a great mentor for me.

MDH: Did you do an apprenticeship or go to a culinary school? If so, could you tell us about it?

Ben: I worked my way up. I’m a true self-taught chef, because most of the chefs I worked for couldn’t stand me. But I always showed up for work, I made the food correctly, so I kept moving up the rungs. I’ve definitely mellowed a lot, since running my own kitchen. I’d probably be more patient

MDH: Which is your favorite station in the kitchen, the hotline, pastry, etc.?

Ben: Expediter for sure. In a lot of the bilingual kitchens I worked in, it was like being the referee at the United Nations. Everyone yelling – I loved it personally. I was in control, and yeah, that probably means I have some control issues, but I don’t know too many chefs who don’t. When

Settlers Inn Pumpkin Custard with Pumpkin Macaroon and Cinnamon Glazed Pumpkin Cake

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MDH: If you could provide one or two tips for prospective chefs, what would it be?

Ben: Don’t do it unless you want to do it for the right reasons. Money is tight, especially in the early years.

Hours are as tough as a doctor in his/her residency. So unless you really enjoy the rush, and delight at a soul filling level in beautiful and delicious food, then find something else. There are careers where you can be half committed and succeed.

This isn’t one of them.

MDH: Do you cook at home a lot?

Ben: Tons of PBJ for my two great kids!

MDH: What are the highlights of your career, your “ah ha” or “wow” moments?

Ben: So many, I could fill this thing.

Big aha moments while working in Hollywood -- famous people ALL eat

Settlers Inn Veal Shank

weird; Larry King – huge plates of chicken fingers, we didn’t even have them on our menu; I puréed a mid rare steak once; Paris Hilton ate a well-done hamburger with nothing, absolutely nothing else on the plate; Mr. T actually wears the gold chains everywhere he goes. I could name a dozen more. They all eat weird. I was in my twenties - I thought these people were larger than life, but they are just people.

When you go out, where do you go to eat?

Ben: Sushi.

MDH: Do you focus on using local products? If so, to what degree?

Ben: Yes, as much as the reduced growing season in the Northeast allows.

MDH: How do you work with local growers, if you do?

Ben: We have a couple who grow just for us. It’s always a struggle to find and keep farmers employed and hats off to them for hard work and little reward. But damn, they make some great stuff!

I also discovered Ben grew up in Pennsylvania and began his career at the Inn at New Berlin, under Chef Scott Brouse. Later, he moved to California and worked in various restaurants such as Saffron’s, The Sycamore Inn, Montage Resort, Hotel Bel-Air and landed his own kitchen at The Palm in West Hollywood.

Returning to his roots in Pennsylvania from The Palm was a huge move and settling in at The Settlers Inn has been an ideal combination. Even though selftaught with mentors, Ben Sutter does have certifications from the Culinary Institute of America and the American Culinary Federation.

wish to prepare. If you read the recipe through, it is easy to see approximately what would meet your individual needs, whether it be for one or many.)

The Settlers Inn

To learn more about Ben, go to thesettlersinn.com and ledgeshotel.com.

This would not be complete without our talented chef sharing two of his recipes.

Settlers Inn Veal Shank

For the Veal & Vegetables: (Exact ingredients are not listed, as it is due to the number of servings you

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Veal Shank Salt Pepper Chopped garlic Onions Carrots

Epicure

Ledges Hotel

Bay leaves Rosemary stems Whole garlic cloves Red wine Veal stock Marble potatoes Salted water Sweet potatoes Salted water Brussel sprouts Salted water Ice water Season the Veal Shank with salt, pepper, and chopped garlic. Sear on high until golden brown on all sides. Place in roasting pan with onions, carrots, bay leaves, Rosemary stems, whole garlic cloves, red wine, and veal stock until ¾ of the veal shanks are submerged. Cover and cook at 350°C until falling off the bone tender. Usually 6-8 hours.

For the Potatoes Blanch Marble potatoes in salted water until fork tender, remove from water. Set aside.

For the Sweet Potato Puree

Peel sweet potatoes, cook in water until very tender. Blend in food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

1tsp baking powder 1tsp baking soda 4 whole eggs 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 15oz pumpkin purée

For the Brussels sprouts Cook in salted water until fork tender. Shock in ice water and set aside.

Mix all ingredients together, continue mixing 2 minutes. Pour into pan and bake at 350°C until cooked through and toothpick comes out clean.

To Finish Strain the jus off the shanks and discard remaining vegetables.

Heat potatoes, Brussels, and sweet potatoes and place on the perimeter of the plate (use a piping bag for the potatoes). Place shanks in a pan with some of the jus over high heat and stir in butter.

Sprinkle in chives. Place one shank per plate and pour jus over to finish. Garnish with Rosemary.

Cinnamon Glaze Powdered sugar Apple cider Cinnamon Mix all ingredients together

Settlers Inn Pumpkin Custard with Pumpkin Macaroon and Cinnamon Glazed Pumpkin Cake Pumpkin Cake 2 cups all purpose flour ½tsp salt 2tsp cinnamon

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stiff peaks, slowly incorporate dry ingredients by hand, Incorporate vanilla. Bake at 350°C until puffed and dry.

Pumpkin Custard 3 cups heavy cream 2¼ cups pure pumpkin 1tbsp pumpkin spice ½tsp salt ¾ cup sugar 9 egg yolks Heat cream and dry ingredients until steam forms, then slowly incorporate the sugar and eggs.

Bring back to a simmer, sieve, and cool.

Pumpkin Macaroons 4oz almond flour 8oz powdered sugar 1tsp pumpkin spice 5oz egg whites 2½ox granulated sugar 1tsp vanilla ½tsp Kosher salt

To finish Cut a circle out of the pumpkin cake and pour the glaze over.

Pipe whipped cram on top of the custard and place the macaroon on top of the custard. You an also garnish with mint, flowers and fresh apples, if desired. If using apples, dip in lemon juice first.

Combine dry ingredients, whip egg whites and sugar together until

Thank you Chef Ben for these delicious holiday recipes.

Sky Cocktail Atop The Tower Club At lebua Hotel

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ky Cocktail, part of Sky Bar’s Elements Cocktail Series – “The cocktail series represent flavors of each of the four classical elements (fire, air, earth and water) plus an additional: sky – an element that exists only at the glittering postmodern multi-hued bar in the slipstream between neon and stars.

The five elements of the underlying principles of each cocktail to tease your palate with different flavors, textures & aromas.”

absolutely love the silk. I cannot think of a better place than the Sky Bar in the Tower Club at lebua to spend New Year’s Eve.

Most of you who know me, know how much I favor Bangkok, Thailand since my first visit in 1989 and my numerous returns. I enjoy the people, culture, hotels, and

For the second year in a row, this will be the highest ball drop. You will have a front row seat, as the Bangkok Ball begins its descent of 872 feet. You will be watching the

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ball drop and the fireworks coming up at you.

The mixologists will work their magic with various Elements Cocktail Series and celebrated chefs will serve extraordinary cuisine. This combination provides an exceptional atmosphere to welcome in the New Year.

ALL RESORT AND COCKTAIL PHOTOS COURTESY OF LEBUA HOTELS AND RESORTS | FEATURE IMAGE COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK

By Maralyn D. Hill

Epicure lebua Ball Drop, Bangkok Thailand

About lebua

RIGHT The Sky Cocktail

lebua is a new player during the past couple of years and certainly one to be watched.

It currently has six luxury properties in Thailand, New Zealand, and India.

The Sky Cocktail is featured in the new Elements Cocktail Series. The drink will be served at Sky Bar atop the Tower Club at lebua for New Year’s Eve.

Sky Cocktail Recipe 1oz Plymouth gin 1oz chocolate liqueur 2oz aloe vera pina colada foam 0.25oz simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and shake vigorously. Rim martini class with Parmesan cheese on top, and strain in to drink. You are ready to toast in the New Year.

If I were going to ring in 2015 in this spectacular setting, I would certainly get a room reservation and spend the night. The Sky Bar is absolutely delightful. Nothing would be nicer than to have a lovely dinner in one of lebua’s fine restaurants, ring in the New Year at the Sky Bar, and retire to a comfy room. Sounds good to me!

Reservations for the Sky Bar: www.lebua.com/sky-bar.

The Sky Bar Element Series Cocktails

“lebua Hotels and Resorts is a Bangkok based, internationallyexpanding luxury brand that operates distinctive hotels, fine restaurants and bars. Led by visionary CEO Deepak Ohri, lebua takes an innovative approach to Hospitality, formed by working with anthropologists to create an emotional experience for guests and diners.

“The company’s award winning collection includes Bangkok’s best performing luxury hotels (Tower Club at lebua and lebua at State Tower), three boutique hotels in India (Devi Garh by lebua, Udaipur; lebua Resort, Jaipur; and lebua Lodge at Amer, Jaipur), and an invitation-only lodge in New Zealand (Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua).

“The Dome at lebua, the group’s collection of restaurants and bars atop its Bangkok hotels, include: Sirocco, the world’s highest open air restaurant; Sky Bar, named “the most stunning rooftop bar you’ll ever see” by The New York Times; Breeze, highlighted by USA Today as one of the world’s “10 most cutting edge restaurants” in 2014; and Mezzaluna, honored as a “Foodie Top 100” fine dining mecca in 2013. lebua is bringing the Breeze concept, the “new face of Asian dining,” to major cities across Europe, starting with Frankfurt, Germany next year, and is also exploring hotel management contracts in city and resort destinations worldwide. In 2015, lebua plans to launch new Thai QSRs in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.” To learn more about lebua Hotels, go to www.lebua.com.

Happy New Year!

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Global Etiquette Table Settings in U.S. and Europe

By Maralyn D. Hill

In general, I will stay focused on settings. But I may toss in some manners along the way, like not talking when your mouth is full. Let’s get on to table settings.

In 1990, my husband Norm and I had two college graduates from an exclusive girls school join our Thanksgiving dinner. They wanted to help prepare. I had all the dishware set out on the table, and said, “Go ahead and set the table, that will be a big help.”

About five minutes later, they came into the kitchen and admitted they did not know how to set the table.

“I’ll set the first place, and you can use it as a guide.” What I said worked and they felt proud. I could not believe that four years at a finishing school and this was

Three-Course Place Setting

something they did not know.

You never know when you will be in the position to go to a function where you will have more silverware than you know what to do with.

After all, most of our dinners at home are not that fancy. But when you do know what and how to manage, it does make a difference in how you are perceived, if you plan to move up the corporate or social ladders.

U.S. Starting on the left, you would have the salad fork, dinner fork, plate with napkin on top, dinner knife, and salad knife. Above the forks, you would have a bread and butter plate with a butter knife/spreader laid across the top. Above center of plate, you have the dessert fork with points facing right, and above the fork the dessert

spoon with the bowl of spoon facing left. The water glass would go above the dinner knife and the wine glass above the salad knife.

Europe The difference in the set up is that the dinner fork would come first and the salad fork second, plate with napkin, salad knife, and dinner knife.

The reason for the difference is that in Europe, salad is frequently served

So we are going to go through set-ups for a three and five course meal in the United States and in Europe, as well as make a couple of side notes on the U.K. Believe it or not, it is different and can help if you understand ahead of time.

When you sit down at the table, the amount of silverware at each place setting indicates the number of courses that will be served. There is a general simple rule, start from the outside and work your way toward the center. You can’t go wrong.

However, it helps more, if you understand which is which.

TABLE SETTING DESIGN BY CAROL CLINTON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHERRIE WILKOLASKI

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able settings are something that many of us grew up with and many did not. They used to be taught in schools and summer camps, but it seems they have been dropped from many.

They are so different around the world, I simply cannot cover them all in one column, so this month we will focus on the U.S. and Europe.

Let’s start with a three-course place setting, which is usually for salad, main course and dessert.

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after the entrée instead of before the entrée. For an informal dinner in France and Italy, bread goes on the table and a bread plate is not used.

Five-Course Place Setting U.S. A five course meal in the U.S. usually consists of soup, salad, fish course, main course and dessert.

Starting from left to right, you would have the salad fork, fish fork, dinner fork, plate with napkin (and possibly a name card), dinner knife, fish knife, salad knife and soupspoon. The butter plate would be above the forks, like the three courses, and the same is true of the dessert fork and dessert spoon being above the plate.

Glasses are more challenging. The water goblet is closest to the dessertspoon and fork, the white wine glass above the fish knife, the red wine glass behind that and the champagne flute further back. The sherry glass is closer to the front.

Europe A five course meal in Europe usually consists of soup, fish course, main course, salad, and dessert.

Starting from left to right, you would have the fish fork, dinner fork, salad fork, plate with napkin (and possibly name card), salad knife, dinner knife, fish knife and soup spoon.

Glasses are set up the same, thank goodness.

Now, it is not just knowing what is what and what to use when. It is important to know how to place your utensils while you are eating. Why, you may wonder? It lets servers know in a polite way when you are finished.

Again, there are differences between Americans and the Europeans. I try hard to adopt European manners when in Europe, as it makes things go more smoothly, and makes me look like I know what I’m doing. But sometimes I slip and revert to American ways.

people would chant (I’ll use my name), “Maralyn, Maralyn, aren’t you able to keep your elbows off the table.” Since I was not allowed to do it at home, I did not have to worry, but the embarrassment worked with others.

the fork with tines down is crossing the top of the knife facing 2.

If you want to pick up a glass or finish a course before your are finished, place the knife tip at 11 with the handle at 2 and fork in the lower right at 4.

Miracle of miracles, dessert finishes the same for both the U.S. and Europeans with fork and spoon at 4 pointing towards 10.

When you are finished, place knife on left and fork on right with the tines up, with the tip pointing to 10 and handles at 4.

For dessert, if it is the fork only or fork and spoon, place lower section at 4 pointed toward 10.

European When Europeans eat, the knife stays in the same hand as they cut with and the fork does too. This makes the one bite at a time very efficient and keeps elbows off the table, as the wrist is usually just there.

While Eating

U.S. After you’ve cut a piece of meat (one at a time), place knife on rim of plate with cutting edge inward. You can rest the hand you are not eating with in your lap or your wrist on the table, but never your forearms or elbows.

To learn this, when I was at YMCA camp when I was six, if it was done,

When a European wants to indicate they are going to rest a few minutes and sip some wine, but are not finished, the knife tip is facing 10 and

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The finished position for Europeans is the same as the U.S. The U.K. places tips towards 12 and the handles at 6.

I have heard controversy on the resting position that Europeans use.

A good friend, who is a French Master Chef, says it is a preferred position for finishing for servers. This way, they can place their finger on the curve of the fork, hold both in place, and not worry about any slippage.

I’m sure there are many more thoughts on this subject and I would be very interested in hearing any of your thoughts. Just write to me at LuxeBeatMag@gmail.com and in the subject line, put Global Etiquette.

Please let me know if there are etiquette topics you would like covered. I’ve studied the topic a lot, along with growing up in a home with extremely strict grandparents when I was young. Plus, I do not mind doing the research.

DELICIOUS BY DESIGN.

Stone Fruit Skillet Pie with Basil Blossoms

by Eva Kosmas Flores.

FINEXUSA.COM

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he right pair of shades can make anyone feel like a celebrity. There is a transformation that occurs that can’t quite be explained, as a stylish pair of specs glide up your nose and the whites of your eyes slowly disappear behind the lenses. When it comes to luxury eyewear, Christian Roth transformed how the world looks at optical fashion, both inside and out. It’s been 30 years and Christian Roth is still adored by celebrities and those who want to feel like a star. In 1984, Eric Domège and Christian Roth founded Christian Roth eyewear. The company is independently owned and operates from the design duo’s studio in Miami Beach, Florida.

Co-founder, Eric Domège, tells me, “It all started when celebrity culture was much different. It was not about endorsement or gifting. The celebrities with or without their stylists actually chose their own accessories. And when they found the right pair of sunnies, they just were happy to wear them! We are very privileged, style makers of yesterday, today and tomorrow still have the same attitude with our collection.”

Celebrity Christian Roth

By Sherrie

These leading optical designers have been taking the visionary world by storm, for three decades and it all started with Andy Warhol.

The 1980s

The 1980s were defined by incredible fashion trends, like big shoulder pads,

LEFT Rihanna and Karl Lagerfeld in Christian Roth Christian Roth In the Italian Dolomites at Factory site

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y Eyes on h for 30 Years Wilkolaski

parachute pants and wild sunglasses.

Andy Warhol was a key influence in the eyewear market that defined his own personal style and decade.

“When it all started, he loved our design at first sight and had it made as an optical frame. It changed his famous look! Same year, we shot our first campaign with the model, Rudy, with Norman Watson, on the background of the legendary USS Intrepid, Andy loved the picture and signed many prints for us,” says Eric.

When I think back to my own 1980s fashion eyewear, I remember a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses with black speckles of paint and mirrored lens. As it turns out, one of my favorite films of the times influenced my choice of shades. Until now, I had no idea that Christian Roth had been my inspiration. “Rosanna Arquette, you remember ‘Desperately seeking Susan’, Madonna came to our showroom with her stylist Maripol and chose this frame for Rosanna.

The blue mirror made a splash ... and will continue to do so!”

The 1990s

Matthew Modine is a 1990s icon, with his laid-back, cool look, along with many other 90s celebs. As we dive deeper into this era, flashbacks are being clearer and again, I realize the influence the Christian Roth brand has played in the world of optical fashion. Eric talks about the many fashion icons that made their statements with their brand, “Matthew Modine was being shot for L’ Uomo Vogue, promoting ‘Wind’.

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At his personal request, he asked to be photographed with an oversized optical frame which we had just released in Milan during the MIDO optical fair. Still the days when everybody wore tiny spectacles.

“Stella Tennant was one of favorite Karl Lagerfeld runway models in the 90s. We accessorized Karl Lagerfeld’s show for Chloe and his own brand. Stella kept one of the

Talking about Kate, Royston Langdon’s Space Hog was to become the husband of her best friend, Liv Tyler. Royston started to wear Kate’s sunglasses after she gifted him. The metrosexual trend started!”

runway pieces and was shot with this design many times.

“Kate Moss, since her debut, she is a big fan of our large sunnies to hide and to disguise. One of our favorite pictures of her for Vogue Magazine, when she wears our opticals, was very inspiring and sending a strong message: Boys are starting to make passes at girls who wear glassses.

The 2000s to Present

Over the last decade and a half, Eric and Christian’s designs still are having an impact on the red-carpet

Andy Warhol in Christian Roth

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Fashion

Diane Krueger in Christian Roth

Stella Tennant in Christian Roth

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Kate Moss in Christian Roth

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Fashion elite. Eric tells me of one of his most dedicated customers, rock star and guitar genius (and yes, I am a fan) Lenny Kravitz. “Lenny Kravitz, one of our most faithful customers, visited us in the mid 90s in our NYC showroom and was fascinated by our designs. He became a source of inspiration, and was spotted in our designs since then.” Perhaps Lenny Kravitz is referencing his fashion eyewear with his song, “Are You Gonna Go My Way”? I have to wonder. Mr. Kravitz is a living portrait of fashion, so my mind wanders and imagines that his fans follow in his footsteps like the Pied Piper, all wearing funky pants and donned in Christian Roth “sunnies”.

As I snap back to reality he tells me of their

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The “Pop Power 2” design is just one of a myriad of new styles in the 2014/2015 winter collection, and they are all quite brilliant. These designers have been able to define the eyewear fashion market and still continue to amaze and impress the market, and they’ve been at it for 30 years. Here is what Mr. Christian Roth has to say about their new collection. “A tribute to Abstract Geometric Art Form, this new collection is made with love in elegantly stylish acetate materials.

They are Happy Shades and composed by Essential Shapes.”

Eric Domège adds, “And they are tweaked for double duty: opticals and sunglasses designed to step up your style, by infusing a twist into any formal or informal ensemble. Be confident in glasses that really fit.”

Lenny Kravitz in Christian Roth

influence via film and photography.

“Diane Krueger, from modeling to stardom after Quentin Tarantino’s film ‘Inglourious Bastards’, chose Christian Roth for a movie star attitude! Agyness Deyn, is also a great story. Our dear friends and photographers, Jannis Tsipoulanis and Rene Habermacher, shot our campaign and discovered a new face. Then, she was known under the name Agnes. One season after our campaign, she changed her name, landed major advertising campaigns and became the IT girl of the 2000s!

It took us a while to realize it was

our Agnes.”

One final story he can’t help but share with me, before we talk about their 2015 collection, is R&B pop star Rihanna. “Rihanna, today’s fashion icon, found our sunnies in Karl’s studio and could not resist, they became hers! Cute story.

After a recent Chanel show, Karl and Rihanna were photographed together, wearing both our designs!

We love this picture.”

The more I learn about the history of Christian Roth, the more I find

myself searching their website for my next pair of sunnies. Their website is filled with dramatic photos of fabulous people in scenes that look like they are out of a movie. As I flip through the pages, I find I’m drawn to a pair of gorgeous Hollywood-style frames called “Pop Power 2” from their new collection.

The round lens in the tortious shell frame have my name written all over it. The fact that model Laurenne Juliet is posing in these beauties, in front of an old-fashioned Pepsi machine, is a sign that these must be mine.

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A key influence for the coloration came after reading a quote from Mr. Ottavio Missoni, “To create a chromatic harmony by adding a third color to two clashing ones.” His words set in motion an explosion of wildly vivid hues that battle primary colors and forever classic earth tone colorations. The graphic patterns, composed on the front and temple tip areas, are reminiscent of a magnified view through a kaleidoscope. Christian started by cutting up his favorite aviator and used the pieces on other fronts and temples, spliced together. This unique technique -- hereto unseen -- was then replicated in these essential shapes. While the manufacturing process of this luxury eyewear is long and extremely meticulous, the end result is a seamlessly “cut and paste”.

A creative and practical identity is the motto “All are handmade acetate in Italy with love,” and in their beautiful Italian Dolomites highest altitude factory at 4800 feet.

Celebrate the next decade of Christian Roth designs with a pick from their new collection. I know moving forward, I will look at “sunnies” with the utmost respect and appreciation, after learning of the impact and hard work that Eric Domège and Christian Roth have put into their designs. It’s assured that whatever they do next will be iconic with a classic modern twist, that we’ll have us all feeling like wearing our sunglasses by day and at night.

To learn more about Christian Roth, go to www.christian-roth.com or #easytofindyourglasses.

Rosanna Arquette in Christian Roth

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C H A R D O N NAY 2013 VINTAGE

This Chardonnay brings together the best of three notable coastal California wine regions that have proven to be ideal for growing Burgundian varieties.

Each area has dramatically different climates, topography and soil types, producing Chardonnay with its own distinctive characteristics. For our maiden vintage, we chose the following blend of components to create the perfect balance between spice and fruit; weight and restraint; crispness and creaminess.

49%

30%

21%

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

SONOMA COUNTY

MONTEREY COUNTY

Exotic sweet spice and lively tropical fruit

Crisp apple and lean minerality

Ripe stone fruit and a round, creamy texture

The 2013 growing season was exceptional along the entire California coastline, with a dry, warm spring, prompting early bud-break, followed by a textbook summer, free of any heat spikes. The long warm days and cool nights gave us rich, ripe fruit, balanced with some nice bright acidity. Each lot was kept separate in the winery so we could tailor the winemaking techniques to enhance the unique regional nuances. Upon unifying them together, we were able to create a well-balanced Chardonnay that possesses the signature Meiomi style – rich and ripe, with depth and complexity. Fermentation took place in a combination of French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks, retaining some of the vibrant fruit to contrast beautifully against the rich, textural oak characteristics. All blend components underwent 100% malolactic fermentation to add further depth and roundness.

TASTING NOTES: Light straw-gold in color, the bright, enticing layers of citrus fruit, pineapple, subtle minerality and candied Asian pear aromas awaken the senses, hinting at the intense fruit flavors to come. Exotic, warm spice notes enhance the complex palate of succulent tropical fruit, apple cream pie, peach, hazelnut and vanilla crème brulee.

The lush, creamy mouth-feel is nicely juxtaposed by a clean, vibrant acidity that carries through from beginning to end.

- Joseph Wagner, Owner & Winemaker MEIOMIWINES.com

Fashion

Christian Roth Sunglasses 2015 Collection Fly Girl

Pop Power 2

In tortoise with neon yellow inserts, pink and neon yellow mismatched polka dots.

In brown marble with burned orange and red polka dots. Featuring circles graphically composed on the front and temple tips. This frame is reminiscent of a magnified view through a kaleidoscope.

In crystal clear with black and beige inserts and mismatched polka dots.

This frame exudes a spring awakening with a fun use of colors, gentle constructions, architectural shapes and inventive combinations for a chic contrast.

Be the Star of your own adventure. Don’t be afraid to be the hero – after all, fashion eyewear glory never goes to the timid. A hyper-glamorous shape with clean lines and contrast details add a graphic sophistication. Sexy out-sized full brown marble Cat-Eye with burned orange and red polka dot details.

Connect the dots! Sup

The object of affection for the 2015 season has just arrived.

A sophisticated and sexy cat-eye shape is musing around in lasting and effortless elegance. It is about the charm of the rare and unique. Superb craftsmanship features the unexpected and mismatched coloration details on the temple ends.

Opposites Attract

Eric’s Own

In rose pearls with havana and neon orange mismatched inserts. Parisian elegance meets Miami’s tropical glamour.

The graphic and sexy look of ‘Opposites Attract’ has all the energy of street life with a hint of drama and living large attitude. Superb craftsmanship features the unexpected and mismatched coloration details on the temple ends.

Christian Roth Optical. In tortoise with tangerine temples. Sleek and playful rectangular tortoise front paired with tangerine temples, and fluo green & fluo yellow details.

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Eric - only very recently - came to a time in his life when wearing glasses became a necessity. He designed these spectacles for himself and named them Eric’s Own.

Handbags For The Holidays

By Sherrie Wilkolaski

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here are so many choices when it comes to fashion accessories, and handbags are no exception. As you make your way to the local shopping mall and sit on Santa’s lap, which handbag will you be asking for this holiday season? We talked with two handbag designers who showcase classic styles, and new materials that are sure to please a woman of any age on Christmas morning.

Sheena Sujan

High-end Style with a Classic Look Sheena Sujan was launched in the fall of 2013. Celebrities such as Giuliana Rancic, Demi Lovato and Kim Kardashion have all been seen wearing a Sheena Sujan handbag on their arm.

As one of the world’s most exclusive purveyors of luxury leather handbags and accessories, Sheena Sujan’s rich history and tradition of excellence shine through like the proverbial diamond in the rough. Her leather goods are crafted in the same Italian province where top global luxury brands have produced their accessories since the early 1900s.

Every handbag is constructed by expert artisans and masterfully cut and stitched together by hand, using only the finest Italian leathers and exotic skins. This heritage equates to an exquisite collection of simplistic-timeless elegance.

LEFT TO RIGHT Kimora Lee Simmons wears an Hermes Birkin Bag

Kim Kardashian wears an Hermes Birkin Bag

Giuliana Rancic wears a Sheena Sujan Barclay Tote

Demi Lovato wears a Sheena Sujan Barclay Tote

Sheena’s thoughts on why handbags are such a status symbol: “In my opinion, a handbag is the final touch to an outfit. A well-made designer handbag is extremely striking and can be noticed from far away. Carrying a designer that has a signature look shows others what kind of style the wearer wishes to portray.”

Have you wondered if shoes need to match the bag? “Ideally, it would be nice if the shoes matched the bag.

However, as long as women feel confident when carrying a Sheena Sujan handbag, that’s what matters the most to me.”

The Sheena Sujan emblem is fabled in ancient history, as a creature of regal beauty. The two-headed tiger stands strong; she’s the master of her own destiny, a legend in both the ancient and modern world.

Her majesty and exclusivity foretell tales of royalty and might.

In the month of October, 20% of each sale is given to the Susan G. Komen Foundation to help find a cure for breast cancer. Sheena says, “I’m a strong advocate of women helping women, and I’m always looking for new and exciting ways to give back.”

The Sheena Sujan collection retails from $220 to $500. To learn more, go to www.sheenasujan.com.

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d i s c o v e r c h a r l e v o i x ’s h i d d e n g e m

reservations 1 800 441 1414 fairmont.com/richelieu

The castle on the cliff.

Guardian of the mighty St. Lawrence River.

Perched majestically between the ever-changing St. Lawrence River and the rolling terrain of Quebec’s unrivalled Charlevoix region, the Manoir has its special place in history.

And in memory. Tales of elegant hospitality, spectacular golf, exquisite cuisine, non-stop activities all year round ... or total relaxation. Come experience it for yourself!

FA I R M O N T L E M A N O I R R I C H E L I E U

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HÔTEL

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CASINO

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GOLF

Fashion

Robert Matthew

Boho-chic and Animal Friendly Many Robert Matthew handbags are produced with the highest grade of affordable, Animal Friendly PU Leather, giving the customer a bag that feels like real leather, but protects animals. Alicia Silverstone tweets, “Thank you @ RMRobertMatthew for this elegant vegan bag, it’s so cute! (May 2014) It all started when lifetime friends, Robert and Matthew, were discussing the unique, yet intriguing trend setting fashions that continue to evolve within their home state of California; from the casual styles of San Francisco to the fashion forward influences of Los Angeles.

It became apparent that the California lifestyle needed a new luster in order to reflect the fashion of today. Robert and Matthew, always intrigued with connections that women have with their handbags, soon developed a passion to embody style, personality, and the latest trends in creating fashionable purses for all occasions.

Thus, Robert and Matthew set out to create the hottest new fashionable, yet functional, handbags that women around the world are proud to flaunt. They have over 17 years of experience in the fashion and handbag industry, which can be seen in their latest styles and fashion forward looks.

Robert Matthew is more than just handbags, they are accessoryfocused

with collections of designer scarves and jewelry. They are also very charity-driven, and have donated auction items to the ACS Skyline soiree, where all proceeds support the American Cancer Society. They were recently featured on the Today Show, where they hosted a huge sale of all their genuine leather wallets, wristlets, and clutches, along with some of their other bestselling bags.

Ten percent of all proceeds were donated to the American Cancer

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Society for Breast Cancer Awareness.

The Robert Matthew collection retails from $138 to $210.

To learn more, go to www.robertmatthew.com.

No matter what your handbag fancy is this holiday season, we hope you find just what you were looking for under the tree on Christmas morning.

Style He A

re you a fashion thief?

Think long and hard before answering. Fashion thrives on stealing style ideas from those we consider icons and trend-setters. Advertising and marketing cannot compete with celebrity sightings in a fashion rag or scenes from the red carpet.

Brand legacies are born when the masses grab hold of a look and make it their own or become simple carbon copies. When you’re searching for inspiration or just want something you can pull off the rack that is fashion ready, pop into Heist. Nilou Ghodsi is the proprietor and she is setting the style trends

in Venice Beach, California, in a high-end women’s designer boutique. Her shop is located on famed Abbot Kinney Blvd., which GQ ranked as “the coolest block in America” in January, 2014.

Nilou is known for her choice style, and in the summer of 2004, decided

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to share her wardrobe savvy with the retail market and opened Heist.

She later expanded and launched shophiest.com, so it’s not required that you live in Southern California to take advantage of her good taste. She turned her intuitive fashion sense into a full-time career after leaving the financial industry

IMAGES COURTESY OF HEIST

By Sherrie Wilkolaski

Fashion

eist

Nilou Ghodsi

Style Tips from Nilou The one piece that is a must-have for every woman’s wardrobe A crisp white slightly oversized button down shirt, because it always looks chic no matter how it is worn. It’s an absolute no-brainer on those days that you can’t seem to find anything to wear...unless of course it’s in the dirty bin, so you may want to have two or three!

Favorite accessory My favorite accessory is a scarf by Faliero Sarti. Not only do they feel amazing on the skin, it’s the easiest way to instantly elevate any ensemble and add a touch of luxury.

The designer who everyone woman shouldn’t live without Nili Lotan…no one does wardrobe staples like her! Rather than reinventing herself each season, she consistently offers up her classic tried and true shapes in novelty textiles. She appeals to every woman, regardless of age or body type.

Heist in Venice Beach, Califorinia

to spend more time with her family.

Copycat or Trendsetter

Being a fashion copycat is easy when you know where to look. Nilou is a trendsetter who has women everywhere mimicking her style. She is the sole buyer for her boutique and her taste is impeccable. Heist

stocks elite designer clothing labels that will impress the styleconscious shopper. The overall style can be described as “understated chic.” She says, “I was amongst the first retailers to bring designer Isabel Marant stateside, and I credit Marant as one of my biggest influencers over the years.”

The label to watch Ulla Johnson, a designer who is inspired by all the places she traveled with her archeologist

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parents. She’s evolving and elevating her brand beautifully; definitely one to watch.

The most sought after designer at Heist Raquel Allegra. We just can’t keep it in stock no matter how deep we go.

Her pieces are at once relaxed and refined...hitting a sweet spot with our Venice clientele.

Favorite piece of jewelry My oversized index ring...I feel naked without it, and besides, it’s a great conversation starter.

Designer with the most staying power It’s a tie between Humanoid and Nili Lotan. They do the best job in staying true to their sensibility and at the same time enticing us with new materials. Their consistency garners a loyal following that comes back season after season.

Must-buy splurge for Fall The thought of having to select only one piece is scary, but it would have to be a fur vest – I mean if it must be just one piece, it would have to be something amazing!”

Nilou takes the time to make each of her in-store customers feel special. She sends thank-you notes to customers after every purchase and don’t worry about a hard sell, she won¹t let you buy anything if it doesn¹t fit just right. It’s all about the experience. A little insider “secret”: all models on the website are employees -- clothing on the website is photographed in the all-white space upstairs. And if you love the boutique’s furniture, purchased from Denmark50, she will sell it to you. Shhh…Heist is a celeb favorite, but she won’t name names.

If clothing and accessories were not enough for Nilou, she also has a passion for jewelry and likes to spend her free-time designing her collection of costume jewelry.

We asked Nilou to put together some of her favorite style tips for our readers. She encourages you to steal any of your favorites to incorporate into your own wardrobe this fall and holiday season.

Heist features both international designers, such as Isabel Marant, Jerome Dreyfuss and Vanessa Bruno, and domestic apparel including Gary Graham, Inhabit, NSF Clothing and Raquel Allegra. www.shopheist.com

ALL PHOTOS BY LEAH WALKER.

Scarf by Faliero Sarti

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Fashion

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What Are You Renting for the Holidays

By Sherrie Wilkolaski and Courtney Lowden

I

f you want to feel like you just came off the runway, rent it.

Fashion moves as quickly as taking your next breath. Its constant evolution can be difficult to keep up with when you want to be garbed in the latest designer look, and prefer to wear a piece only once. What is a girl to do! There is a retailer that caters to just such a shopper and it’s called Rent the Runway. When I heard about the service, I knew we had to send our Fashion Editor, Courtney Lowden, out on assignment to investigate. She was already familiar with the designer rental company,

but had never personally used their service. There was an event on her calendar that called for a high-class look and off she went to their flat iron location. We attempted to do a more in-depth interview, but their PR department informed us there was no one at the company available for interview.

Here is a look at Courtney’s experience with renting an evening dress from Rent the Runway.

SW: How did you hear about Rent the Runway?

CL: My friend Jen turned me onto it a few years ago. She rented a dress... while she wasn’t in love with her particular results (she had the dress mailed to her and never got to try it on), she LOVED the service. The idea is genius. I always wanted to try it, but I never trusted what the dresses would look like in person. Spending $100-$200 on a dress for an evening seemed risky if I wasn’t sure I would look my best. When I found out they opened a brick and mortar store in the flat iron district and got a wedding invite, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try it out! And BAM, it worked!

SW: How was the overall experience?

CL: Booking was super easy, I did it online via their website. They had a lot of appointments available, which was helpful, and also have walk-in appointments if you don’t know when you can get there. My stylist was great, she had dresses ready for me based on some guidelines I sent her when I signed up, including; sizes, colors, length and price range.

She had about six dresses selected and waiting for me. I ended up seeing a dress on another client and ended up going with that, I just had to try it on. It was the Lady in Waiting Gown by Nicole Miller and it was perfect!

It retails for $960 and rents for $150. Since it was my first purchase, I received a $25 off coupon for signing up online,

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Jon and Courtney Lowden before the big event

Fashion which was nice.

SW: Would you use their service again?

CL: Absolutely! I can’t wait to get invited somewhere fabulous.

SW: Have you ever rented a dress before?

CL: Never. My philosophy was always that I would rather spend $400 on something nice that I would get use out of over the years. Typically, I can style anything for day or night, dressy or casual, so I’m never in fear of underutilizing something. Stretching out my pieces over many, many years is something I have a knack for. There is a Marc Jacobs cocktail dress hanging in my closet that I spent $1000 on in 2005. It has probably been worn at LEAST three times a year, excluding time being pregnant.

Having two kids limits my disposable income, cutting into my spending on designer cocktail dresses.

SW: As a fashion expert, how do you feel about Rent the Runway’s collection of designers?

CL: They have some really

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d i s c o v e r c h a r l e v o i x ’s h i d d e n g e m

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great selections, some of your goto dress designers, such as Nicole Miller, Badgley Mischka, Calvin Klein Collection, Vera Wang and Herve Leger; then some really cutting edge designers like Roksanda Ilincic, Bibhu Mohapatra and Prabal Gurung. It’s great because you can go with something you would never buy for yourself, especially with actual retail prices of the gowns in the $2-3K range.

Rent the Runway Facts

• Rent the Runway was founded in 2009 by Harvard Business School classmates Jennifer Hyman (CEO) and Jennifer Fleiss (Head of Business Development).

• The brand has quickly grown to over 5 million members and over 270 designer brands since launching in November 2009.

• Rent the Runway is funded by Kleiner Perkins, Bain Capital Ventures, Highland Capital, American Express, Advance Publications (Condé Nast) and Novel TMT ventures. The company has raised approximately $54 million to date in VC funding.

• Today, Rent the Runway employs over 300 people, and houses an inventory of over 65,000 designer dresses and 15,000 accessories in a 40,000 square foot warehouse in New Jersey.

• Rent the Runway currently has 3 showrooms, 2 in New York City and one location in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

About Rent the Runway

Rent the Runway is a fashion company with a technology soul.

Powered by a transformative business model, proprietary technology, a unique reverselogistics operation and some of the smartest people on earth, and thus in a position to challenge old systems and rewrite new rules. By giving people access to remarkable luxury experiences, it is changing the meaning of ownership — and revolutionizing retail in the process.

Holiday Online Order Deadlines If you live in Manhattan: 12/24 for Christmas Eve and 12/31 for New Year’s Eve (they do same-day delivery within Manhattan).

Anywhere else: 12/23 for Christmas Eve and 12/30 for New Year’s Eve (overnight shipping within the US).

Lady in Waiting Gown by Nicole Miller

To learn more about Rent the Runway, go to www.renttherunway.com.

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An Eye For Design Martyn Lawrence Bullard

By Dana Rebmann

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ulti-award winning interior designer to the stars, Martyn Lawrence Bullard weaves together a touch of magic in every home he decorates. Revered by his A-list clientele for his eclectic style, savvy fashion sense and keen eye for luxury. Architectural Digest has named him one of the world’s top 100 interior designers. In addition, Bullard has starred on Bravo’s hit TV show “Million Dollar Decorators” and the UK based reality design makeover show “Hollywood Me”.

Bullard boasts a stunning line of

fabrics inspired by his travels around the globe and he is presently working on a fashion and jewelry line, which is bound to be a success.

Luxe Beat Magazine chats with Martyn about life, luxury and the little touches.

You initially started out pursuing acting. What was the impetus that inspired the career shift towards design?

Martyn Lawrence Bullard: My career shift towards design happened when the producer of a film I was in came to dinner at my home and loved it. He

then asked me to help decorate their offices, which I did for fun and then many people started calling me and asking me to do it for them.

I suddenly had a new career!

small boxes of ivory, silver and stone inlay, old iron stone decorative plates, transfer-ware china and many other pieces that have travelled all over the world with me.

Since you were a teen, you have had an eye for buying and selling antiques. Do you recollect one great find that really impressed you and why?

MLB: I still have some of the treasures I collected from my early years, when I spent my weekends buying and selling antiques etc.

These included Georgian tea caddies,

Where do you derive much of your inspiration from when designing such exquisite interior spaces?

Is it a certain country, place, or muse?

MLB: My inspiration comes from all around me. Every day, I see, smell or touch something that will inspire me.

Travel, however, is my biggest form of inspiration. A new country,

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Design

under on cold nights while watching a good movie; a great crisp sound system, preferably piped throughout the house, especially in the bathroom! I’m a huge advocate for natural, organic mattresses. Custom comfort in LA makes an amazing medium firm mattress that’s stuffed with organic cotton and wool -- the perfect night’s rest, the ultimate luxury! It’s like sleeping on a cloud.

I travel so much for work these days that I dream of nights at home blissfully snuggled up in my bed and cuddling my beautiful baby dog, Daisy, a soft coated wheaten terrier.

You have a great knack for detail and incorporating a melting pot of styles. Where do you think that flare comes from?

MLB: My personal style is certainly eclectic. I love so many styles from so many periods and find for myself the perfect interior blends together pieces from many centuries that have a common thread in color, form or mere beauty. I guide myself thinking of the words of the great Oscar Wilde, “All beautiful things belong to the same age”. For my clients, I don’t give them my style.

cultures, colours, tastes; they all become the threads I weave my decorative tapestry from. It is the most important thing for me to see the world and experience all the beauty that each new culture has to offer.

What Luxury items in your abode could you never live without?

MLB: My must haves for the home are my small moments of comfort; fabulous cotton sheets are my everyday luxury; double stuffed down pillows for the bed; large Scottish cashmere throws to snuggle

Kid Rock’s black soap stone fireplace surrounded by his collection of guitars

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Decision Serge Marshennikov 20” x 17” Signed and numbered giclee print on canvas

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Design

Kid Rocks’ custom “Harbour Island” bed draped in white muslin

The entry to Cher’s bedroom

Instead, I work with them to create their style, to extract their dream interior that will reflect their personality as well as coordinate with a beautiful, luxurious home.

My approach to decorating a room Ch er’s Pied-à-Terre bedroom

is to first look at the architectural style and pay honor to that. Then, I try to understand the client’s needs and requirements from that space. With this information, I can plan out the furniture configurations

and colour palettes that will serve the client and space best.

You work with a lot of A-list clients. Are they resistant to change initially? How do you get them to open up to fresh design ideas?

MLB: Celebrities are just like the rest of us, except their personal lives become more animated and they really do need a private sanctuary to recover and rest in.

They tend to want to live out their fantasies too and are usually more adventurous with their decorative ideas. It’s my job is to reel this back in, formulate the desired look and make their home into a beautiful sanctuary for them that meets all of their needs and decorative dreams.

A tropical island or a villa tucked away in Tuscany?

MLB: I love so many different architectural styles that it is really hard to pinpoint my ultimate dream

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home. I think if pushed, I would have to say a beautiful villa in Tuscany, designed by 16th century architectextraordinaire Andrea Palladio, would do just fine!

Martyn Brings The Style

It seems Martyn Lawrence Bullard is always working on exciting projects for well known celebrities. Most recently, he designed Cher’s Pied-àTerre penthouse in West Hollywood.

Inspired by an Indian fantasy and fit for a princess, Bullard filled rooms with exotic and magical touches from South East Asia, including a triplearched entry way reclaimed from a Rajasthan palace. In addition, he recently designed Kid Rock’s Malibu digs. Rock was looking to create a true hidden oasis, and Martyn delivered a “Zen Rock n Roll” abode with a real tropical vibe that was filled with all the comforts of home.

Learn more about Martyn at www.martynlawrencebullard.com.

Suki Skincare Specialist

By Maralyn D. Hill and Sherrie Wilkolaski

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e had the opportunity to interview Suki Kramer of the suki skin care line, which is re-launching in December. We were quite interested to see what Suki had to tell us. The product line has many more products than we tested. We would suggest checking out the website to consider the right combination for your needs.

LBM: How did you get interested in skincare products and get started?

Suki: I struggled with skin problems and sensitivities my whole life and the loss of confidence that came with them. I grew up teased and bullied, and of course, felt reluctant to participate fully in life like many people with that kind of background.

I tried everything from pharmaceuticals that temporarily blocked symptoms, to synthetics that inflamed and irritated my ultra-sensitive skin, to “gentle naturals” that at best, moisturized with no effect. In my 20s, I began experimenting with a more holistic approach to skincare and lifestyle, and started creating my own 100% pure herbal preparations, while studying and researching traditional remedies. It was then that I learned the cause of skin problems lies under the surface of the skin. Therefore, treating only symptoms, which is what the science of topical treatment is all about, is just a frustrating cycle that offers no real solution for people with real problems or sensitivities, nor any great skincare for people in general.

I started suki skincare in my kitchen about 17 years ago, and incorporated my company in 2002. I was looking to create a cure...100% toxin-free and scientifically advanced, effective treatments, well, for me, really!

I sought out the teachings of progressive chemists, because most traditional scientists flat out said what I was looking to achieve, formulating a pure plus highpowered botanically active cosmetic, could never be possible, much less as effective as a synthetic. I persevered and became a formulator myself.

I experimented for over 2 years each night, while working three jobs, as well as learning about marketing, web development, business development, branding, design, everything it took to create a cosmetic business. The most important things I learned though, were there were root causes of skin problems – inflammation, systemic issues of bacteria and oil production imbalances, allergies, etc. Eventually, I launched a simple line that I could take around to stores, and here we are today.

LBM: This is such a competitive field, at what point did you feel you could make a difference?

Suki: I always knew I could make a difference, as soon as I solved my own skin problems and those of my friends and family, and as long as I never swayed from my ideals. While it is a very competitive industry, we stand out because of our integrity, reputation, formulation strategy, real, visible results and our

commitment to our independent retail partners.

LBM: We realize you are relaunching the suki® skin care line with redesigned products.

Could you tell us why and what innovations brought this about for the various products?

Suki: Throughout the history of the company, I’ve tried to inform people that a pure product is not only efficacious, but this product has clinicals. We conduct third party clinicals not done in the industry that show my formulas outperform most synthetic formulas! The branding and design became a bit too clinical, as a result of trying to educate the public. So at the beginning of the year, my goal was to bring the soul and voice back into the line.

The suki tag line, strong, safe solutions for your skin problems and sensitivities, really says it all about what we do for people. “Know your beauty” will always be the empowered philosophical meaning behind my brand.

I also hired an independent market research team that helped us simplify the line, making the brand easier to sell and buy – and providing the categories we have today.

LBM: Could you explain TLC™ technology and what it means?

Suki: TLC implies just what you would think, tender loving care. The unique suki® formulation strategy combines

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TLC™ technology, the first highpotency actives derived from botanic sources and highly stabilized to deliver deep into the derma for long term effectiveness, so that VSA (Volatile Synthetic Active) inflammatory response, that caustic irritation usually felt when using say high potencies of Vitamin C, Salicylic

Beauty As a woman, I have been underestimated and misunderstood on more than one occasion, but that makes the successes all the more satisfying. More women create their own companies because of the lack of truly infinite growth that can occur for us in traditional business settings.

I am often questioned for my decisions, and must explain myself on an ongoing basis in a way I see men do not. I tested this “theory” by bringing in men to say the exact same things and people just listen to them, no questions asked. But what can you do but continue to be successful? A life well lived and all that...

LBM: Is there one aspect of skincare that you feel is the most important?

Suki: Exfoliation is extremely important to me, to keep the skin youthful, plump, clear and really smooth, and that’s all over! The reason exfoliation is so important too is that, for having well-hydrated skin, like most things, preparation is the key. Your canvas (the skin) must be fresh, dry-patch free and smooth.

An exfoliate that actually works will provide that. With a body brush or loofa, and your favorite exfoliate (get one that doubles as a cleanser and you’ll save time), you’ll start your routine with fresh, new, soft skin. Your driest parts will take some time to get back to a state of real softness, so don’t be discouraged if this takes a couple weeks!

Acid, Vitamin A, Retinol – for example, is avoided. This is true is all aspects of our products.chemistry/sebum.

LBM: What have been your biggest challenges to overcome with building your brand?

Suki: Honestly, each step along this journey has been brand new and full of challenges, fear, insecurities to meet and master, risks, sacrifices and doubt. I’ve had to learn everything I know each step of the way, but I’ve also had a lot of angels -- I was a freelance writer and waitress and had just finished my bachelor’s degree at 34 when I started this.

I did not have a background in science or any training in business management. I went to the Small Business Association (SBA) for guidance on so many things, and they helped tremendously. I really started from scratch and learned everything from the ground up.

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LBM: What do you see in the future for skincare product development?

Suki: The overall trend toward buying “naturals” continues, and will indefinitely, of course. We all want the best there is and are willing to pay a premium for more healthful products. The trick is knowing that what we are paying that premium for is truly more healthy and pure, and formulated to actually work.

Many consumers are unaware of the questionable industry ethics, hidden ingredients and toxins in this largely unregulated industry. We are starting to finally make some headway in oversight, thank goodness, California, of course, leading the way. But there are also good-natured, badly informed people out there making decisions who are effective manufacturers, but that do not actually do anything in the end, for consumers.

LBM: When you are not working on your company, what do you do in your free time?

Suki: I love writing, driving long

Beauty drives in the sunshine, crisp fall air, horse back riding, biking, swimming, sculpting, cooking, I actually love going to the movies by myself but my true love is dancing...I started finally finding time for myself again 6 years ago, about 14 years after I started my business. Before that, I literally worked on my business from morning til morning!

I danced as a child and that was my dream, but not to be. I had taken classes in college and had a great interest in learning ballroom dance.

It took about a year at least to fully commit to it, but I finally did, and since, I haven’t looked back. I’m really lucky and grateful that I get to dance, because it is the one time of my day I don’t think about the stresses of my business at all and it gives me so much.

Sherrie Wilkolaski’s Product Review

Changing beauty products is challenge for me, given my propensity to have an allergic reaction to new fragrances and ingredients. When we decided to review the Suki Skin Care line for their new re-launch, my fingers were crossed. I received a box of Suki’s personal faves, which include: exfoliating foaming cleanser, ultra-protect™ eye balm – night, 4-swipe™ formula lip care and ultra-protect™ body balm. The packaging is very modern with a modern white backdrop with yellow and black lights; very clean.

The first product I tested was the 4-swipe™ formula lip care. It comes in an oversized tube so there is no worry that you won’t capture your entire lip during the application. For those ladies that have danced with Botox around their lips, you’re sure to be covered. The product instructs “soften with skin’s heat” and that is an absolute must. It is not something you can open and use, as the gel in the tube is very firm and it does not glide on, it does need the assistance of heat to work effectively. It has kept my lips soft after each application.

Next, I tested the exfoliating foaming cleanser and I really enjoyed this product. It has a very fresh smell of citrus, and the exfoliating beads stayed active long enough to get a good

cleanse before they dissolved. My face was smooth and clean after using it and it is my favorite pick of all the products I tested.

After my exfoliating exercise, I moved on to the ultra-protect™ eye balm – night product. The application instructions say, “gently massage small amount around eyes &/or lip area until absorbed.” The product is a bright yellow color in the jar and, like the earlier mentioned lip product, it was very firm. It took a while for me to get the product warmed up and then I patted it around my eyes. It was a bit sticky and not smooth like a gel or cream. For me, gentle care around the lips and eyes is crucial to warding off the onset of wrinkles, and this product was very rough for what I feel is a sensitive area.

Lastly, I moved on to the ultraprotect™ body balm before slipping into bed. This product was very firm and required work to get out of the jar. “Warm a small amount between palm smooth into skin until fully absorbed”, read the instructions.

This product did not have the lovely citrus smell found in the exfoliating foaming cleanser. It had a very heavy eucalyptus-type of scent which I didn’t like, and it was mixed with some other heavy fragrance that did cause me to have an allergic reaction and an evening of sneezing. That aside, I did use the product and worked it into my hands, forearms and elbows and it did work well. It was very thick and again, it needs to be warmed up. If the fragrance is appealing to your nose, I would recommend it for the winter months for those rough elbows, chapped hands and cuticles.

Overall, the products do work well, I will continue to use the refreshing exfoliating foaming cleanser, but will pass on the other products for either being too much work to warm-up before use, and with ultra-protect™ body balm, I have to pass due to fragrance.

Maralyn D. Hill’s Product Review

My experience was different than Sherrie’s in that, in general, I do not have allergic reactions. I’m always excited to try new skin care lines, but my attitude is quite results driven, as I’ve more age to contend with the damage when I was not careful.

I too, tried the 4

swipe™ formula lip care. As one ages, the lips get thinner and I don’t like the lines that find their way sweeping down. I really like the 4 swipe and the suki® difference sugar crystals that gently remove the dead skin are great. But I do have one wish, a little plastic mini spreader, not to spread the product, but to get it out of the jar. It is a challenge, as the product is nice and hard and I have to dig with my fingernails. As for the results, I do like the product.

The exfoliating foaming cleanser wins me over from the Suki’s personal faves group. Its fresh light fragrance and exfoliation of skin were ideal. This product is gentle and effective at the same time. Again, I wish it had a mini spreader in the cap. Suki® products are packed in tight, which as a result, are challenging to dig out of the container. But they are worth the effort.

The ultra-protect™ body balm won

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me over with its eucalyptus scent.

I am not sure of the additional scent, I would have been happy with just the eucalyptus. But it worked great, especially on the heels of my feet and elbows. I no longer live in cold weather, but if I did, this would be a once a week must. Again, I’d like the spreader in the cap. I really appreciate that the bottles are packed tight with the product, but wish they were easier to get out, except for the 4 swipe.

All and all, thank you, Suki, for giving us the opportunity to test out your products and get our different viewpoints. Everyone that use products are different and not all products are meant for all people.

At Luxe Beat Magazine, we try to provide a balanced approach.

Between our age difference and allergies, we provide a good team.

We encourage you to enjoy Suki products and would be interested in your reactions. For more about suki products go to sukiskincare.com.

Nadine Robbins Paints Unconventional Portraits and Oysters

By Renee Phillips

W

hether Nadine Robbins is creating a large painting of a family portrait or a closeup view of vibrant red oysters glistening on a bed of ice, her approach is always unconventional. The unique perspective that she brings to her light-filled realistic paintings has attracted the attention of numerous collectors and praise from the art community.

For instance, critic John Seed, writing in the Huffington Post, chose Robbin’s portrait “Mrs. McDonald” as one of his “Ten Memorable Paintings for 2013.”

Seed praised the “sultry mood and unique beauty” of the image, and was then inspired to write a second article -- “An Alluring Woman with Fries” --

dedicated to analyzing the painting more completely.

Nadine Robbins grew up in Southern France and currently lives in the Hudson Valley, New York. Her large portraits have been featured in exhibitions worldwide. The prestigious Royal Society of Portrait Painters in London selected “The Rolling Buns” (above) and “Acacia and the Bowman” to be included in two consecutive annual exhibitions.

Her nude portrait “Moxie” is part of the legendary Tullman Collection in Chicago, Illinois. The painting was also a finalist in the international Creative Nude Art Erotic Signature’s Art Competition.

Keith Shaw, art critic and art historian, referred to Robbins’ portrait, “The Golden Gown,” as “the best nude oil painting I’ve seen in the Berkshires, outside The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.” He remarked, “Nadine Robbins is a superb figure painter, and her double portrait is an American masterpiece.”

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of asking Nadine Robbins a few questions about her art.

RP: Nadine, please tell me how you first became interested in art.

NR: Having lived in France, I grew up in a culture steeped in visual art. My mother, herself an artist, encouraged me and introduced me at a very early

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age to her favorite painters, Renoir, Picasso and Dali. Winning best artist in my elementary school was pretty memorable as well. I think that my fate was sealed. I guess art is in my DNA too.

RP: Your extraordinary portraits have been hailed as masterpieces and having unique beauty. What attributes do you think distinguish your portraits from those by other portrait painters?

NR: My portraits aren’t conventional. For years, I worked as a graphic designer, and I spent far too much time doctoring images of people in Photoshop. That drove me crazy. I don’t want to idealize my subjects or strive for any conventional sense of beauty.

Art People inspire me and I’m intuitively attracted to those who exude authenticity and confidence. When I’m at a photo shoot for a painting, I try to capture people in various ways, whether it’s a humorous pose or a candid one. These photo sessions are informal and improvisational. I stay on the lookout for moments that speak to my intuition. My best work has come when my plans go awry and I go with the moment. What comes from it are real, uncluttered and serendipitous moments.

RP: What do you try to capture in your portraits?

NR: I take a modern, uncluttered approach to portraiture by abandoning the rigid postures of traditional canvases. I invite people to relax and show their silly, sassy, confident or mysterious selves.

I want to convey their personalities through a striking pose, sumptuous gown, eating french fries, or sticking out their tongues. Anything goes as long as my paintings depict real people in accessible—even vulnerable—moments.

With my portraits, I hope to give something to people that they can relate to and feel drawn to, and maybe a laugh and a smile as well.

My portraits have personality.

RP: Your portrait subjects appear so natural. How do you prepare for your portrait commissions?

Nadine Robbins, PEACE, oil on linen, 72” x 66”. A year in the making, this painting of the Crosby family portrait, was recently unveiled at

the Frying Pan Gallery, Wellfleet, Massachusetts to the delight of collectors Ned and Kelly Crosby from Osterville, Massachusetts.

NR: To start, I love to get the chance to meet the people I paint and hang out; dinner, some drinks and relax. It’s a casual and comfortable way of getting to know each other and throwing ideas around. If we don’t have a chance to socialize, that’s ok. Either way, I just dive right in and start with a photo shoot that is kind of like a journey without any kind of fixed destinations.

Nadine Robbins, Afternoon Cocktail, oil on cotton, 12” x 12”

RIGHT Nadine Robbins, Oysters in the Afternoon, oil on linen, 36” x 18”.

This painting is available as a limited edition print.

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Later, when I look over the photos, I often end up not picking the image I planned or thought was going to be “the one” during the shoot. The final image choice appeals to my visual sense of humor or intuition.

RP: You achieve extraordinary accuracy, exquisite texture and light in your paintings. I’m sure your painting process is laborious.

Please explain your painting process.

COMING SOON

Coconut Bliss is more than just one man’s journey to the edge of the world. It is a story of transformation; cultural contrasts and a clearer understanding of how diet and disease are inextricably linked to the seeds of agriculture and the food we eat. Against the backdrop of one of the world’s most exotic and ancient civilizations, Coconut Bliss shines a magisterial spotlight on humanity and the foods of life. www.lanceseeto.com

Art NR: I use traditional methods. I block in color where I apply a thin layer of oil paint — with only turpentine added — intended to help determine values and color relationships. I then apply a thicker layer, in which I add linseed oil to the turpentine and create what’s called a medium that is then added to the oil paint. The process “fat over lean” refers to the principle in oil painting of applying paint with a higher oil to pigment ratio (fat) over paint with a lower oil to pigment ratio (lean) to ensure a stable paint film. It is believed that the paint with the higher oil content remains more flexible. This second layer is where accurate color and shapes are crucial. It takes the longest.

The third and final pass is the most fun and much less technical. It’s where I add fine details and

highlights or touches of black — all the goodies that make the painting pop and come alive.

RP: In addition to your portraits, you are also known for your incredible series of oyster paintings. How did they come about?

NR: I grew up outside Charleston, South Carolina and in Europe, always close to the sea and seafood. I’m crazy about food in general, and I chose oysters as a subject because they are something I really love.

It was either going to be cheese or oysters. I opted for oysters, as they are better for my waistline!

I see each oyster as an individual: sculptural and raw, beautiful and abstract.

RP: Do oysters still continue to hold your interest?

Nadine Robbins, Mrs. McDonald, oil on linen board, 18” x 24”. This painting was chosen as a finalist in the 31st Annual Artist’s Magazine’s Competition.

Nadine Robbins, Rolling Buns, oil on linen, 48” x 72”.

NR: Yes, in between my paintings of people, when I find myself in need of a moment to breathe and am hungry for new inspiration, I go back to my roots near the sea to paint oysters -- pure and beautiful.

RP: Is there a particular philosophy that motivates you?

NR: I am driven by passion in whatever I do. I’m also a very hard worker, with a work ethic rooted in my years as a graphic designer. I relate to what the artist Chuck Close says: “I don’t work with inspiration. Inspiration is for

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amateurs. I just get to work.”

RP: Nadine, where can we view your art work in the near future?

NR: I’ll be part of a group show called “Immortality and Vulnerability” in Chicago in April of 2015. I’ll show two paintings, which I’m currently working on, that explore bad habits and guilty pleasures.

To see more of Nadine Robbin’s art work, visit her website at www.nadinerobbinsart.com

Rocking The

By Dana Rebmann

C

oncerts and cruise ships.

There was a time when they had nothing in common.

No more. Thanks to some creative composing and logistical maneuvering of the floating variety, Carnival Cruises has brought the seas alive with the sound of music. A first-of-its-kind in the competitive industry, the Carnival Live Concert Series offers music loving guests the chance to spend sun filled hours in popular ports before ending their day on a high note with a star-studded show.

The vacation concert combination makes sense. So much so, you wonder why somebody didn’t think of it sooner. All of the not so fun parts of seeing your favorite act sink and disappear at sea. No driving, parking and fighting crowds in theaters and stadiums. Just sitting in the sun, and

strolling to the show with optional umbrella topped drink in hand. After the final encore, it’s a short walk back to your cabin, or to one of many bars for another colorful drink.

Artists don’t sail on the cruise; they fly into ports of call to meet ships when they dock. But all performances take place onboard.

Smaller theaters that range from 900 to 1,300 seats deliver intimate performances to music lovers in vacation mode. Think of shows where you can watch changing facial expressions and see guitar picks flying through the air. The theater set ups allow performers to interact with the audience in ways not possible in traditional concert settings. During a Styx Concert aboard Carnival Breeze in Cozumel, Mexico some lucky concert goers in the first row got to reach

out and pluck a few guitar strings.

Moments later Lawrence Gowan borrowed a nearby fan’s iPad and took some on stage Styx selfies.

With the exception of the first handful of rows, all concert seats are general admission. They’re also pretty cushy and a whole heck of a lot more comfortable than typical stadium seats. Doors typically open an hour before the show. Some dedicated fans will line-up before show time to get the best seat, but we’re only talking about a couple hours, because these music lovers have other important vacation must-dos like spend the day in Cozumel snorkeling or soaking up some sun on the beach. Zip lining is a popular way to spend a preconcert day on Catalina Island.

It’s not a bad way to get your adrenaline flowing either.

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One of the biggest critiques of cruising is that there’s not enough time to explore destinations beyond the often touristy port areas.

Carnival Live ships enjoy an extended day in port - to the tune of sometimes 15 or more hours. Folks taking in a concert have more than enough time to explore, come back aboard to shower and catch the show.

In some ports, there’s even enough time to head back onshore for one last call before the ship sets sail.

Music

e Boat The inaugural 2014 Carnival Live Concert Series includes 49 performances with 15 carttopping artists including names like Styx, Lady Antebellum, Jewel, Chicago, Jennifer Hudson and Martina McBride.

The 2015 Spring Series kicks off in March. Docking in Nassau, Cozumel and new Carnival Live port St. Thomas, it has all the makings for a harmonious dose of sunshine and tunes. In addition to the popular ports, there’s the popular names that have signed up for seaside entertainment duty. Journey, Smokey Robinson, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts are all coming aboard. Styx is returning for the second season.

If the vacation-concert combination wasn’t enough, ticket prices have fans singing a happy tune.

Ranging from $35 to $60, you can’t touch a concert ticket for that price on terra firma. Wouldbe vacationers can book their concert tickets at the same time they book their vacation. Not sure you’re ready to rock it on the high seas? You can wait and buy tickets onboard, but you run the risk of the show selling out and being left empty handed. If you can afford to splurge, VIP tickets run $125 to $250. For the same cost many folks are accustomed to paying for a concert, you score seating in the first four rows, a meet and greet that includes a photo with the artist and a souvenir concert pass.

Dana received a complimentary Carnival Live sailing, but as always her thoughts and opinions are her own.

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Bernini The Artist Who Breathed Life into Marble

By Taylor Young

I

f you have ever been to Rome or the Vatican, you have definitely seen Bernini’s work.

He is a sculptor and architect from the 17th century, who has impacted the artistic and cultural image of Rome under patronage of cardinals and 8 Popes. He grew up with sculpture in his father’s workshop and showed promise early in his life.

It is said that, when he was just 8 years old, Bernini first made a sculpture that amazed everyone who looked at it (later on, it was suggested he was actually a few years older than that). From there, he was commissioned by several Catholic Church authority figures throughout his life. His work has amazed and splendidly decorated Rome, and Bernini has been deemed the artist who epitomized the Baroque architectural and artistic movement. Of course, no famous art is without controversy. Some of his works are more known for the scandal they created than for their actual craftsmanship.

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Art Works under Cardinal Borghese

In his early 20s, Bernini was hired

by Cardinal Borghese to adorn the garden of his villa, Villa Borghese.

He soon gained enough repute at age 22 to create the bust of Pope Paul V. Bernini then established his wonderful mastery with marble through capturing four tense moments in Roman mythical history.

One of them, called Apollo and Daphne, captures the moment in the classic myth when Daphne transforms into a tree. What was revolutionary about the way Bernini portrayed this event and many others is that he captures it as if the moment was happening, rather than a more posed style of previous sculptors. In addition, the detail and use of light in the location this statue was placed in adds to the drama and theatrics of the sculpture itself. Bernini was skilled at theatrics of myth and religion, and Apollo and Daphne is definitely a great example.

Works under Pope Urban VIII

Under Urban VIII, Bernini was given several titles and commissions that allowed him to expand his horizons and make his marks all over the city of Rome. The most famous of this is the canopy he designed to stand above St. Peter’s tomb, called Baldacchino. He created this while he was appointed Chief Architect of St. Peter’s Basilica. Made of bronze and standing 30 meters tall, Baldacchino is meant to be the stunning centerpiece of the symbolic heart of Rome. Of course, Bernini also left room for some of his statues to be placed. This work is one of the first landmarks Bernini created that tourists from all over

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the world come to see, and it certainly wasn’t his last.

Works under Pope Innocent X

Just before he worked under Pope Innocent X, Bernini designed two bell towers that were to be built on the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica. When the first tower was erected in 1641, however, cracks begin to form and the tower was eventually torn down.

Bernini’s reputation was tarnished for a while, and the event impacted his finances as well. But he never lost patronage, and Pope Innocent X allowed Bernini to keep his jobs and commissions. Bernini was also given many commissions for funeral memorials and chapels.

One chapel he was commissioned to design, called the Cornaro Chapel, is his most controversial work when it came to chapels. This chapel features his best example of blending architecture and sculpture into one cohesive creation. The centerpiece of this chapel is the sculpture called Ecstasy of Saint Teresa that depicts the spiritual overwhelming of the Spanish nun Teresa of Avilla. What stands out about this piece is how the smiling angel holds an arrow aimed at the swooning Teresa and where exactly he was aiming it. It wasn’t pointed at her heart, the place of the soul, but it was aimed lower, a lot lower.

The aim of that arrow caused controversy among viewers of the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. However, that didn’t stop this work from becoming one of Bernini’s most famous sculptural works, using a lot of the same methods he used with Apollo and Daphne to create the dramatic, theatrical feel that was his signature.

Art

Works under Pope Alexander VII

While working under Pope Alexander VII, Bernini made his mark even more

in the streets of Rome when the new Pope commissioned massive architectural changes in the city.

Bernini’s biggest contribution during

this time period is the piazza leading to St. Peter’s Basilica. Bernini was the one who designed two iconic semi-circle colonnades that have created the arena from which the world can see appointments of new Popes and many other historic appearances from the Pope. Bernini’s use of columns and structure reins in the giant space that was previously wide open, and it brings focus to the Vatican’s greatest landmark.

Beyond the Papacy

Along with his works around Rome, Bernini received commissions from all over Europe, from French royalty to English nobility. Bernini has created many busts of famous, sculpted fountains, and has done hundreds of works beyond what’s described in this article. Bernini was a highly sought artist, not just because of his style and skill, but also because of his diligence. The number of works he produced along with his apprentices is astonishing.

It is said that if you put together all the hours he spent on meals and sleep in his lifetime, it couldn’t

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amount to a full month. Bernini ate very little, and he spent little time in sunlight due to migraines. His self-discipline showed his dedication to his craft, and it is due to his effort that he is a permanent part of the cultural history of Rome, right along with the great Michelangelo.

I remember covering Bernini’s life and career in one of my art classes in college, and was amazed by his work the most. Bernini’s work definitely makes me want to travel to Rome, and be among the millions who have had the pleasure to view his Baroque dramatics in person.

Sources

www.smithsonianmag.com/artsculture/berninis-genius11934809/?noist=&story=fullstory&page=1 www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ bern/hd_bern.htm#slideshow4 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gian_ Lorenzo_Bernini

Three Not Well Enough Known Pocono America D

uring our recent trip to the Pennsylvania Poconos, we had the opportunity to study three notable Americans.

These three, although not household words, made significant accomplishments during their lives and deserve further acclaim. They are Jim Thorpe, Asa Packer, and Gifford Pinchot.

Jim Thorpe

Thorpe, born in Oklahoma in 1888, was 50% Caucasian and only 50% Native American. Both of his parents were half and half. But he always seemed to consider himself a Native American. On his own, he entered an Industrial School (probably a high school in Pennsylvania) and from there entered Carlisle College. He earned a reputation as an amazing

all round athlete, proficient in track and field, football, baseball and even basketball. One year, he led his football team to the number one college rating, by virtue of an upset win over Harvard.

Thorpe’s records at the 1912 Olympics have never been equaled.

He won both the pentathlon and decathlon events.

During his professional career, Thorpe played both semiprofessional and wholly professional baseball and football. In football, he played with the New York Giants of the young NFL. He played six seasons of professional baseball, compiling a batting average around .322.

An ugly incident which may have

involved racism clouded his life. It came to light that, before the 1912 Olympics, Thorpe had played several seasons of semi-professional baseball. He wrote to the Olympics President and did not deny this, although several other players in similar circumstances did. Although the complaint against him was made more than 30 days after the games had ended, and therefore should have been invalid, he was stripped of all his medals.

Thorpe experienced difficulty in earning a living after retiring from football at age 41, just at the start of the Great Depression. Alcoholism plagued him for much of his later life, until his death in 1953.

His widow was incensed that the

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state of Oklahoma would not prepare a memorial for him after his death.

She turned to Pennsylvania, where his college fame was earned, and they were very receptive. Their bargain was that the town of Mauch Chunk would be renamed Jim Thorpe, and his remains would be moved there from Oklahoma.

Regaining Thorpe’s Olympic medals was more difficult and wasn’t achieved until 1983. At least throughout the 1950s, there was an almost fanatical determination to require “amateurism” in its most literal form. This was despite the fact that Communist participants in the games were full-time state employees, whose “professional” task was advancing Communist propaganda. Eventually, rules

PHOTOS OF JIM THORPE MEMORIAL ARE COURTESY OF POCONO MOUNTAINS VISITORS BUREAU

By Norman E. Hill Photos Maralyn D. Hill

History changed and players such as NBA and NHL stars started to represent the U.S. With this enlightened attitude, Jim Thorpe’s Olympic medals were finally returned to his widow.

Today, Jim Thorpe is regarded as one of the great all time athletes, perhaps the greatest ever.

l n ans Pennsylvania Poconos ŠMaralyn D. Hill

Asa Packer

Another outstanding resident of Jim Thorpe, PA, before its name change, was Asa Packer. He started earning a living as a carpenter, and then switched to running coal boats on the Lehigh Canal. Soon, he and his brother started to build coal boats for canal shipping.

In 1846, Packer saw the future in railroads and announced plans to build one for hauling coal. By the 1850s, the railroad was viable and his Lehigh Valley Railroad started to haul coal on a large scale, from mines to cities and factories. By the time he died in 1879, his line across New Jersey and New York and included 650 miles of track.

During his lifetime and in his estate, Packer gave away about $30 million of his $54 million personal fortune.

He founded Lehigh University in Bethlehem and endowed it with $500,000, an incredible sum at t he time. He aimed that the Lehigh curriculum would combine business studies with liberal arts and theoretical economics topics.

Today, Lehigh is one of the highest ranked universities in the U.S. Packer enjoyed some political success, serving in the Pennsylvania legislature and representing the state for two terms in the U.S. Congress.

Jim Thorpe Memorial Showing Recognition Flags

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Pinchot dining table where Cornelia had guests pass food across the water.

Photo: Maralyn D. Hill

Jim Thorpe Memorial Statue

Asa Packer Home Photo Maralyn D. Hill

Although the epithet “Robber Baron” was freely tossed around in the late 1800s and early 20th century, I never heard it aimed at Asa Packer.

Gifford Pinchot

The father of Gifford Pinchot had acquired enough wealth in New York City to allow retiring, at least for summers, to Milford, Pennsylvania.

There, he built a mansion reflecting extensive French influence. His oldest son, Gifford, was born in 1865.

View from Asa Packer’s home.

Photo: Maralyn D. Hill

The older Pinchot was very concerned about large scale forest destruction and resulting soil erosion throughout the U.S., a practice sometimes called indiscriminate “clear cutting.”

He instilled this concern in his son, born in 1865. From then on, Gifford

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Pinchot worked tirelessly to promote scientific forestry and conservation of natural resources. One technique may be known as “thinning,” by which older trees are cut to make way for younger trees to thrive.

Pinchot always stressed that a reasonably long time horizon in forestry management was more profitable than seemingly mindless cutting for the sake of cutting In 1905, under sponsorship of President Theodore Roosevelt, he became head of the new United States Forest Service. Although part of the Department of the Interior, this new federal agency grew in size to control more than 170 million acres. Logging by private companies would be permitted, but on a strictly controlled fee basis that would preserve overall forest size. The so called thinning approach would be followed.

Pinchot thus did not advocate an eternal “state of nature”, untouched by human hands. This evidently led to debates with John Muir, another naturalist, who evidently did not

ALL PHOTOS BY LEAH WALKER.

The Asa Packer mansion in the town of Jim Thorpe is considered an outstanding example of Victorian architecture. It is faithfully preserved, both inside and outside, and is considered one of the outstanding sites in the Poconos.

History Roosevelt’s backing, raised seemed to involve: • Roosevelt had an intense aversion to corporate size, as evidenced by his aggressive antitrust lawsuit against Standard Oil. Thus, he and Pinchot wanted lumber sales from government forests limited to small companies, not giant corporations.

This seemed to hold, even if corporations were willing to follow Pinchot’s cutting regulations. Taft and Ballinger, Secretary of the Interior, were apparently willing to sell timber on a first come first come basis, under existing regulations. believe that men were morally entitled to make any modifications of nature.

In 1910, Pinchot had a heated dispute with the Secretary of the Interior and President Taft, which led to his dismissal. When he was

intensely backed by former President Roosevelt, his issues partially led to formation of the Bull Moose or Progressive Party, and Roosevelt’s split with the conventional Republicans.

The issues that Pinchot, with

• Taft was willing to allow coal mining exploration in the Alaska territory, where vast federal forests existed. Pinchot and Roosevelt were quite opposed to this.

Later, Pinchot reconciled with the Republican Party and served two separate terms as Governor of

Gifford Pinchot Living room off entry hall © Maralyn D. Hill ABOVE Portraits of Cornelia Bryce Pinchot and Gifford Pinchott Photo Maralyn D. Hill

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Pennsylvania. When his political career ended, in 1937, Pinchot toured some federal forests in western states. He was appalled to find that, earlier, a former protégé of his had become a form of religious fanatic and had allowed indiscriminate clear cutting in many forests. Denuding of land and resulting soil erosion were rampant.

For the rest of his life, which ended in 1946, he spoke and wrote passionately with the aim of restoring his original approach to forestry.

Today, Grey Towers, the summer home of the Pinchot family, is preserved as part of the U.S. Forest Service.

In summary, Gifford Pinchot deserves credit for promoting public education on the advantages and necessity for maintaining long term time horizons in utilizing natural resources.

Benjamin Benn

The Story Behind Luxury Magazine D

As a reader of a magazine, you may, or may not, have a full comprehension of what goes into putting together a monthly publication. From article conception, to editing, more editing and little bit more editing, to the selection of photographs, and the flow of content, there is a team of specialists working on each issue. At the point in which all of the content is finalized, it moves on to the design department. Enter, Benjamin Bennett.

If you’ve been reading Luxe Beat Magazine since the release of its first issue, you’ll notice a transformation of the look and feel of the publication. Ben was fulfilling some prior commitments before the initial release, and we had pulled in a temporary design firm to work on the first few issues. Unfortunately, the designer fell ill and I had to pick up the design work. Have I mentioned

publishers, then in advertising and editorial sectors, to name a few.”

that I am not a graphic artist? There was a huge sigh of relief when Ben finally picked up 100% of the design work. He had the sense of style and eye for design that we envisioned.

He also has a love of food, travel and zest for life, so he fits right into the group.

Maralyn Hill, Executive Editor, says, “We wanted the extraordinary and that is what we get with the creative talent of Benjamin Bennett.

Our contributors provide great images and Ben works his magic in laying them out to enhance the words on the page.

“More importantly, Ben works closely with us to make Luxe Beat Magazine be the best that it can be. We know what we want and between all of us, we keep adding more. Ben is eager to keep Luxe Beat Magazine on the cutting edge. Fortunately, during deadlines and time zones, we are all able to keep a sense of humor.”

He says of his role as creative director, “My role is to ensure quality. Here at Luxe Beat, we pride ourselves on this and it can be easy to cut corners. Quality and luxury do not cut corners! I ensure that the magazine and brand are the epitome of luxury and always looking to improve and thus stay ahead of the game.” He has been designing since he was 10. “My father is a designer (so are my brother and sister!), and I have always been interested in the finer, more quality things in life.

After completing art and design at school, I went on to study graphic design at Cornwall College, then completed a degree in visual information design at the famous Ravensbourne College of Design and Broadcasting . I have been working in design ever since; firstly with book

His approach to the design of the magazine, simplicity. “Busy pages always detract the eye and make it harder to read. By stripping all ornament from the page, you are left with the bare bones — the essentials — this is where the designers come in and makes the page sing and thus the reader is left with a layout that is easy to read and pleasant to look at. The images can breathe and the copy talks.” He says of the transformation of the publication since he came on board, “I like to think it’s now purer, cleaner and has more scope for content. We have excellent content in our magazine, and the design backs this perfectly, I think. Everyone loves big, beautiful images and that’s what I’ve brought to the design — pictures lead content (especially with the food and travel pages) that readers will enjoy looking at and give them that feeling of almost being there!”

There is more to Ben than just design. He is a total “Type A” personality who can’t seem to sit still. “I enjoy keeping fit! I love running, it’s become a bit of an obsession this year. I ran my first 10km run, in London, in July and loved it. I’ve done two others since and have two more lined up! My personal best is 46:13, and I’m aiming next year to get as close to 40 minutes as possible. I also love cooking. I take a recipe and will make it exactly as described, then will make it another time and tweak it slightly, or maybe combine recipes.

Eight years ago, I could barely cook, so it’s nice to have got myself to this position of cooking. There’s not much better than cooking.” He says that competing as a runner does influence

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his creativity, “I believe running helps relieve stress and thus contributes toward a healthy mind. That has to be good for your creativity!”

While on our trip in France, I had the opportunity to cook with Ben. We also met up again in London for a follow-up event with chef Katherine Frelon, so I’ve seen his passion for food, live and in person. He opened up about where this passion for food originated, “Food is something I really didn’t pay much attention to until a girlfriend introduced me to Heston Blumenthal. I became quite interested in his idea of perfecting classic dishes. I learnt so much ‘attempting’ to make some of these recipes! One success story is the spaghetti bolognaise recipe.

I followed it to the word, and afterwards, I could take some of those methods and adapt them to make a simpler, quicker version of my own. My version still takes about 4-5hrs, but it’s an improvement on the 10hr version Heston does! I now adapt that ideal to most things I cook — I find a recipe I like the look of, make it a couple of times, then adapt to make it my own. I’m also making my way through a book called Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza, by Ken Forkish. Through this, I’m learning the basics on how to make bread from scratch! It’s actually quite difficult but ultimately rewarding — few things top a slice of warm, freshly baked bread with lashings of butter and a glass of good red wine!”

Alright ladies, he’s a hardworking graphic designer and he cooks. The trifecta is this young gentleman is a travel writer. “I’m lucky to work in an environment where I am given these opportunities. Writing is not my

MAIN PHOTO BY CAROLINELEEMING.COM ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY SHERRIE WILKOLASKI

T

ravel can take you places you never dreamed of, and it can bring people into your lives that end up being a part of your daily life, once the excursion is over. While on a foodie trip in Burgundy, France, I met such a person, Benjamin Bennett. We were staying at La Ferm de la Lochere, owned by chef Katherine Frelon. She hosts culinary holidays and we were two of the journalists on this particular trip. We had the occasion to talk about each of the publications we were writing for, and I learned that he was more than a writer, he was a graphic designer with book and magazine experience.

Given the nature of what I do for a living, he was someone I put on my list to follow up with. When the time came to find the creative director for Luxe Beat Magazine, I didn’t hesitate to reach out to Ben. He was just what we were looking for and then some.

By Sherrie Wilkolaski

Featured Contributor

nett

Micronesia is another place I’d love to see. I like the idea of spending a few days in remote paradise, living off coconuts and other fruits of nature

Designer

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Shop. Cook. Eat.

Katherine Frelon

To learn more go to www.katherinefrelon.com

Featured Contributor forte, but through the chance of visiting places around the world, it’s something I’ve been able to work on.

Visiting Florida and the Sea World parks in June this year was really fun, and their roller coasters are an experience everyone needs to enjoy at least once in their life! It also opened my eyes up to another side of Seaworld -- the rescue side, which I’ve realised people don’t know exists! Mauritius in 2013 was idyllic paradise as was Iceland, but in such a different way, and from visiting these, you realise how much the world has to offer.”

He doesn’t have a favorite travel destination, he focuses more on the experience, “It depends on how I’m feeling, and what kind of holiday I’m looking for. For a beach holiday, I’d say the Caribbean. I was lucky to have visited there twice a few years ago, and there’s a small special island just off of St. Maarten that had a restaurant on it that only serves lobster and French wine! Can’t say what the island is called though, as it’s a bit of a secret! For a city break, it would have to be New York.

I’m in love with that city. It has so much to offer and I’ve found that as cool as London is, it is still following the standard and style set by NYC! I can’t wait to go back! For a holiday with friends, it would probably be Ibiza. You only need a couple of nights there and you’re done! It’s expensive but SOOO worth it!”

Some of Ben’s favorite things Favorite Dessert Not sure I really have one as it changes quite regularly. At the moment it would be anything to do with baklava- the middleeastern sweet made with almonds and honey. It is just simply divine!

Favorite Holiday One that involves exploration, relaxation and good company. But I’d say I’d prefer three different favourite holidays. A beach holiday (relaxing), one visiting a new country or city (exploring) and one going away with my good friends which can be anywhere!

Favorite Band That’s a tricky one as I like anything and everything really. If I’m pushed though I’d say: The People Under the Stairs, Rolling Stones and Elbow ...

Oh and I can’t stop listening to Ben Howard right now!

Village of Flavignysur-Ozerain, France ABOVE Ben at La Ferme de la Lochre BELOW Ben with chef Katherine Frelon at Flavigny-sur-Ozerain at market

His approach to travel has me looking at it in a different light. I can’t help but ask what type of travel he would like to experience next. “Somewhere that has been the least touched by humans. I have this real urge to go to Siberia! Micronesia is another place I’d love to see. I like the idea of spending a few days in remote paradise, living off coconuts and other fruits of nature.”

As the Editor-in-Chief of Luxe Beat Magazine, I can truly say it is a pleasure working with Ben, and doing this interview has made me appreciate him more. I knew there was a story behind this luxury magazine designer, that was meant to be uncovered. I’ll leave you with his final words on what he is planning for us in 2015 as it relates to the publication, “More interaction and more innovation. I don’t want to say too much, as it will spoil the surprise, but the magazine it going to have a great year next year, I feel! Contrary to my previous answers, I will bring in a flurry or two — some minimal amount of ornament, but only if it’s right for the magazine.”

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Gone with the W

Happy 75th Anniv

S

eventy-five years ago, over a million people traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, in anticipation of the gala premiere (on December 15, 1939) of Gone with the Wind. Three days of celebration included a costume ball, receptions, a parade

of limousines carrying stars from the film – and thousands of confederate flags. Gone with the Wind went on to become one of the biggest blockbusters of all times.

While some movies have casual fans who watch a film once, then move on

to the next new thing, GWTW still has legions of fans who are loyal for a lifetime and are sometimes called “Windies”.

As a devoted Windy, I fell for Rhett Butler’s roguish charm when I was five, wished for Scarlett’s tiny waist

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when I was 12 – and still cry each time I watch the Confederates go down to defeat.

Some years ago, I took one of my favorite trips of all time, a kind of Gone with the Wind pilgrimage, to visit the places Margaret Mitchell

ALL PHOTOS: © TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES

By Lillian Africano

Literature

Wind

versary

County girlhood home, Tara. Clayton County was designated the official home of Gone with the Wind by Mitchell’s brother Stephens. All around were signs that this is truly GWTW country: Tara Elementary School, Tara Wedding Chapel, Tara Florist and – well, you get the idea.

The county has even had a couple of Scarletts: Melly Meadows, a striking Vivien Leigh lookalike who traveled worldwide in this role, delighting everyone she meets with her fiddle-dee-dees and, more recently, Cynthia Evans.

My GWTW orientation began at the Road to Tara Museum, housed in the 1867 Jonesboro Railroad Station, about 15 miles south of Atlanta.

Gone with the Wind Movie Set BELOW Gone with the Wind Movie Poster

This relatively small museum has drawn Windies from all over the world; the guest book includes visitors from Norway, Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, the U.K., China and Japan.

Here is so much to delight the most dedicated fan: first editions of the novel, autographed photos, costumes (including the pantalets worn by Scarlett in the scene where Mammy is lacing up Scarlett’s corset before the barbecue at Twelve Oaks), movie posters – and seats from the Loew’s Grand Theater, acquired by the late “Windy” collector Herb Bridges, whose massive collection was known worldwide and who donated many choice items to the museum.

Recently added were items donated by the estate of the late Ann Rutherford, who played Scarlett’s sister, Careen O’Hara.

I could have spent an entire day at the museum, enjoying favorite scenes from the movie, as it played and played on one wall, looking over signed scripts and one of the world’s

Vivian Leigh on the set of Gone with the Wind RIGHT On the set of Gone with the Wind

had written about in the 1936 blockbuster novel upon which the movie was based – and to learn more about the people she brought to life in her story.

My first stop was Jonesboro, Georgia, Scarlett O’Hara’s Clayton

largest collections of GWTW autographed photos. Olivia de Haviland, who played Melly and who celebrated her 98th birthday in July, is here of course, but so are the movie’s bit players, such as the Tarleton twins. (Actor George Reeves, who later played Superman on TV, was Stuart Tarleton.)

One wall of the museum is dedicated to GWTW author Margaret Mitchell, who grew up on firsthand stories of the Civil War. “I heard everything in the world except that the Confederates lost the war,” she once said. “When I was 10 years old, it was a violent shock to learn that General Lee had been licked.”

Perhaps my favorite exhibit – because I wanted a happy ending for Rhett and Scarlett – was a working script with an alternate final scene, with Mammy and not Scarlett speaking the final lines.

“He’ll come back,” Mammy says.

“Didn’t I say the last time? He’ll do it again. I knows. I always knows.”

Though I knew that some of the incidents in the movie were based in reality, I was surprised to learn how many of Mitchell’s characters are based on real people.

Those revelations came during a Hysterical and Historical “Gone with the Wind” tour, given by Peter Bonner, a born storyteller of Civil War History.

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At the Patrick Cleburne Memorial Confederate Cemetery, where some 1,000 fallen soldiers from the Battle of Jonesboro are buried, Bonner, who has taken part in past re-enactments of the battle, vividly described the ferocity of the two-day combat. As he spoke in his rich southern accent of 12,000 Confederates arrayed against almost 100,000 Union soldiers, it was easy to imagine the smell of gunpowder, the cries of the wounded. The loss at Jonesboro (spelled “Jonesborough” at the time), he explained, cut the supplies to the Confederacy and enabled General William T. Sherman to take Atlanta.

He said that Mitchell used Jonesboro for scenes in her novel, asking: “Remember how Melanie gave birth during the Battle of Atlanta?”

That, he said, was based on a Mrs. Hanes, who delivered a baby during the Battle of Jonesboro. She was driven away in a wagon, just as Melanie had been.

“So much of Mitchell’s story was true,” Bonner said, “that after the novel came out, the local people went around asking each other: ‘Who are you in the book?’”

I love bits of historical gossip, so I was pleased to learn that the famous “Doc” Holliday of OK Corral was a cousin of Mitchell’s – and very likely the model for Ashley Wilkes. Like Ashley, “Doc” was in love with his cousin Melanie, but the Catholic church forbade the marriage. So Melanie became a nun and “Doc” headed West, never to marry.

Perhaps that’s why Mitchell allowed Ashley to marry his Melanie – and to continue loving her after death.

I learned that while there is no Tara in Georgia (the “real” Tara was in Ireland), the old Fitzgerald plantation did exist, where, as Mitchell wrote, “the earth is so red, it could be scarlet.”

The tumbledown Southern-style wooden mansion was owned by Mitchell’s grandparents, the county’s largest landowners and slave owners.

After my time in Jonesboro, I visited the Atlanta Cyclorama, where the battle of Atlanta plays out at regular intervals throughout the day.

Viewed from a revolving platform, the panoramic painting that’s 42 feet high and 358 feet in circumference is a dramatic representation of the fierce struggle between the troops of General John Hood and General Sherman.

With music and narration, as well as a diorama of 128 figures, a cannon, trees and railroad tracks, the battle

vividly comes to life. (Some historians say that, for the most part, Mitchell’s account of the battle may be the most accurate one on record.)

My pilgrimage ended with a visit to the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta.

The centerpiece of this complex is the tiny apartment – Mitchell called it “The Dump” – where she lived with her second husband, John Marsh.

Here, while laid up with arthritis in

her ankles and feet, she began what her friends jokingly called “the great American novel,” using stories of the war (Southerners called it “the war of the Northern Aggression”) that her elders had told while she was growing up.

The original manuscript of Mitchell’s 1,037-page novel was five feet tall.

Though the Remington typewriter she used is in the Atlanta Library, along with the Pulitzer Prize she received for the novel, the corner

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where she worked is re-created here, even to the towel she used to cover her work because she was too insecure to let anyone see it.

The book sold one million copies in the four months after publication, no small feat with a cover price of $3, a substantial sum in Depressionera America.

Producer David O. Selznick paid $50,000 for the movie rights, top dollar at the time. He gave Mitchell

ALL PHOTOS BY LEAH WALKER.

Vivian Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind

Literature choir, dressed in slave clothes and singing spirituals during the threeday premiere celebrations.

In the front row is a 10-year-old boy in a white hat. It is Martin Luther King, Jr. Wow, I thought, wow, so much history and so many personalities woven into the story of this movie and the novel from which it was created.

It’s a story that seems to go on and on. In 1991, writer Alexandra Ripley penned Scarlett, a sequel authorized by the Mitchell estate – and earned scathing reviews (plus plenty of money) for her efforts.

In 2007, Donald McCaig turned out Rhett Butler’s People (also authorized); while light years better than Scarlett, it isn’t nearly as engaging as Mitchell’s work.

This past fall, Turner Classic Movies sponsored 75th anniversary screenings of GWTW in more than 650 theaters nationwide, released a special anniversary Blu-Ray/DVD edition of the movie and offered a special televised presentation hosted by film historian Robert Osborne.

But wait, there’s more. Coming soon, this time a prequel to GWTW: Donald McCaig’s version of Mammy’s life, entitled Ruth’s Journey.

No doubt there will be even more. At this very moment, Peter Bonner is working to restore the iconic façade of the Tara movie set, which he acquired from the son of the late Betty Talmadge (it’s a long story).

He hopes to make the set part of his GWTW tours and believes that if he builds it, the tourists will come.

Stay tuned.

On the set of Gone with the Wind

Clark Gable (left) on the set of Gone with the Wind

Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable on the set of Gone with the Wind

another $50,000 after the film’s spectacular success.

The museum houses Mitchell’s family photographs and correspondence.

They illuminate a woman who was the daughter of a suffragette, the first woman to cover hard news for the Atlanta Journal and a tireless volunteer.

Mitchell funded black and white emergency clinics at Grady Hospital, sponsored the medical school

education of some 50 black Morehouse College graduates and gave money to many other causes. It’s possible that Mitchell herself, along with her Fitzgerald grandmother, was the model for Scarlett.

The museum also has a collection of movie memorabilia, newsreels and photos surrounding the movie’s opening at the Loew’s Grand Theatre on Atlanta’s Peachtree Street. I was drawn to a small historic photograph of the Ebenezer Baptist Church

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Whatever Happened To The Metric System? How America Kept Its Feet

by John Bemelmans Marciano (Bloomsbury, 2014, 310 pages, hard-cover with inset of colour and black and white photos) Quick: Where were you the day the Metric System died in America? ctually, it’s a trick (and tricky) question. For one thing, despite what the gas-station attendant pumping your gas in gallons would tell you, the metric system is very much alive in The U.S.A. Your medicine comes in metric doses (no one, on a long trans-Atlantic flight, asks for 1/18th of an ounce of Xanax), as does cocaine (in kilos), and soda (remember those famous 1970s “2-litre Pepsi ads”, where the kid knocks the bottle off the table in super slow-motion and the family is horrified—until the bottle doesn’t break! It bounces!) And if you’ve watched the Olympics or the World Cup (in Russia and Brazil, respectively), all of those sprints are measured in metric.

But then, we go about buying our pound of butter, gallon of milk, and sponsoring the neighbourhood kids in

A

a “two-mile-Fun-Run” to cure cancer, reverting to our own weird Americanonly system of measurements.

John Bemelmans Marciano, who sat down with us to talk about his latest book in his Red Hook, Brooklyn home, has written what must be considered the definitive (and eminently readable) book on the metric system: Whatever Happened To The Metric System? How America Kept Its Feet.

“Actually, I wanted to do a full-on history of measurement, going back to the 1600s”, Marciano noted. However, like all authors who must work with a heavy-handed editor, his book begins in the late 18th-century, with a triad of Americans in Paris: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the bon vivant of the Parisian salons, Benjamin Franklin.

Turns out that the Metric System is (or was) a lot more American than most of us ever gave it credit for. It was that renaissance man—architect, president, vice-president, secretary of state, University of Virginia Founder, and author—Thomas Jefferson who, per Marciano, really

got the Metric System rolling, by (1) getting out of America and over to our newest ally, France (who hated Great Britain at least as much as we did), where a fetish to measure everything from the circumference of the earth to systemizing weights and distance and coinage was all the rage, and (2) coming up with a decimal system we still use today: our dollar currency (after all, our dimes, dollars, etc. are based on tens—nickels and quarters not withstanding).

Marciano says that the book took him “About four years to research and write” and I believe him; for what the book mercifully lacks in foot- or end-notes, there’s no question that Marciano has done his (and our) homework on The Measuring System That Almost Was. And it’s a personal tale, too.

Marciano, who is sorely stricken with tall, dark and handsome European good looks, and American fitness, was born the same year I was (and, for that matter, Luxe Beat Magazine Editor-in-Chief Sherrie Wilkolaski), 1970. This was the beginning of “The Decade of Nightmares” (to use Philip Jenkins’ title) and at the same time, “It Seemed Like Nothing Happened” (Peter N. Carroll’s title), and whatever else was going on (Watergate, the end of the Vietnam War, the hostage situation in Iran, Three Mile-Island), the Metric System was going to happen here, dammit! As President Gerald Ford famously boasted, “America is miles ahead when it comes to the metric system!” Yogi Berra could not have said it better himself.

Part of the charm of this book is Marciano’s balanced but not boring approach. He’s lived in France, Italy and Canada (all metric countries), and was raised on a farm in New Jersey (which is a foreign land, too, but not metric), so he has no proverbial, clichéd axe to grind. And in place of a lot of boring theories, he brings to life the men (and a few women) who fought over what system would eventually triumph.

In the fever-pitch of those 1970s salad-days, when the Schoolhouse Rock Saturday morning videos featured how “cool” the metric system was, one could have believed that we were going metric. After all, the U.S. had not only just adopted soccer—another completely foreign concept-- but in creation of the New York Cosmos, featuring Pele, Carlos Alberto and Giorgo Chiellini, became “Cosmo-politan”. And soccer was (and is) measured metrically.

However, like many metoric rises and overnight successes, whether they be the Cosmos or

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the Metric System, most go into a shooting-star fall. In the case of the Metric System, President Reagan, to prove he wasn’t afraid to take axe to the Budget when it came to fat, decided to cut the U.S. Metric Association out of the government.

Ironically, the USMA still exists—and is even growing—as a nongovernmental agency. And once this was done, a lot of people started wondering aloud why, exactly, we needed two forms of measurement, especially if Uncle Sam wasn’t going to MAKE us do it.

But Marciano does a better job of summing this up, “I could never feel Celsius”. La mot juste.

In addition to epiphanies like this, the book produces a simply superb section of colour-plates and blackand-white photos, all of which are art-gallery quality. Further, the book, once you get used to its pace, really reads. After all, you start to wonder, “How on earth are we going to get from 1786 to 2014 in 300 pages?”

Marciano does a masterful job.

This isn’t Marciano’s first time at the dance, far from it. He had success with two books on word origins, Anonyponymous and Toponymity, and prior to that, gave his grandfather’s (Ludwig Bemelmans) Madeline a whole new lease on life with Madeline and the Cats of Rome, Madeline Says Merci, Madeline at the Zoo, Madeline and an Old House in Paris, Madeline in America, and Madeline’s Tea-Party, all of which he illustrated as well.

However, if you are waiting for Madeline And The Metric System— don’t hold your breath; “There will be no more Madeline books”, Marciano says.

Whatever Happened To The Metric System? is a revelation on a number of levels—perhaps most remarkably, it makes learning not only about the metric system itself, but crazy history behind it fascinating reading.

IMAGE COURTESY OF BLOOMSBURY

By Kevin DiCamillo

Book Excerpt

An Excerpt from

No Dawn for Men

By James LePore and Carols Davis

P

rofessor Tolkien, from his seat in the back of the Eagle and Child pub, the Bird and Baby, as it was known around Oxford, watched as his old student, Arlen Cavanaugh, weaved his way, a Guinness stout aloft in each hand, to him. Tall and thin, his blond hair swept back to reveal twinkling blue eyes, pointy ears and a narrow face, his former student seemed to glide effortlessly around and through the knots of people standing, talking and drinking, in the crowded pub. Did his feet touch the floor? The professor remembered that Arlie had been a great athlete, swift and graceful on the rugby field where he seemed never to lose his balance, and the squash courts, where be bested all comers, smiling impishly and barely breaking a sweat the whole match.

The word elvan came to Professor Tolkien’s mind, which surprised him since he was used to thinking of elves as smallish creatures.

On the five-minute walk from Pembroke he had had a quick lesson in the improbable. Arlen, a poor student from a rich Midlands merchant family, had, after flunking out of Oxford, wangled an appointment to Sandhurst, where he lasted less than a month, and then managed somehow to land a job in Naval Intelligence, where he now worked directly under its director, a man named Hugh Sinclair, who Arlie referred to as Uncle Quex.

SIS, MI-6. Quite.

“Why the note under the rock?” the professor asked when Arlie was seated.

“I was just having fun. You know me.”

“That’s why you were sent down, Arlie.”

“No doubt, sir.”

“What’s your interest in Havamal?”

The professor had pulled the note out of his pocket and spread it on the scarred wooden table.

“We think Herr Hitler is interested in it as a code book.”

“That’s absurd,” John Ronald replied.

“It would be easily deciphered.”

“Decoded, actually.”

The professor, now forty-six and with World War One between him and his youth, rarely recalled his undergraduate days with anything but pain. Two of his best friends lay buried in the Somme Valley. He smiled now though, thinking of the brashness of the TCBS’ers, as he and his small coterie of public school classmates called themselves, not unlike the brashness of Mr. Cavanaugh.

“So you’re lecturing me now,” he said, trying unsuccessfully to turn his smile into a frown of mild indignation.

“No, sir. Just correcting your usage.

Codes are decoded, ciphers are deciphered.”

“Is this what you’re learning at Bletchley House?”

“Yes, sir. Among other things.”

“Excellent. Learning something.”

“We had the same thought,” Cavanaugh said, “about Havamal. The Germans have Enigma machines. They are well beyond code books.”

“Should I still be worried about German aggression?”

“Professor...Are you serious?”

“I was rather hoping the headlines were accurate.”

“There’s no chance of that. Hitler’s a madman.”

“Are you sure?”

“They have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies’ blood.”

“My God, Arlie. You were listening.”

Silence, and a disarming, boyish smile from Arlie; then, the smile short-lived, the young man’s face suddenly deadly serious: “He’s killing Jews by the thousands. He’s arming himself to the teeth. Uncle Quex says he’ll invade Poland next year.”

“And what is it you need of me?”

The quote from Beowulf had penetrated the professor’s defenses.

He had learned about evil on the Somme and did not want to believe that its great dark shadow was again falling over the world. But of course it was. And here was a young man some might consider intellectually challenged to remind him, to jar him from his personal struggle with what was after all just a novel, a fiction, epic though he hoped it might be.

“Do you know a Professor Franz Shroeder?” Cavanaugh asked.

“Franz Shroeder? Yes. He taught one term at King Edward’s when I was there.”

“He’s a top man in his field.”

“Correct. Norse Mythology, of which Havamal is a core text.”

“He’s retired I believe.”

“I hadn’t heard that.”

“Or on a long sabbatical.”

“You can get to the point, Arlie.

Indeed, having heard Grendel’s words fall from your lips, I am eager to know what it is.”

“You’re going to Berlin on Wednesday, to talk to a publisher, I believe. A German translation of The Hobbit.”

“You believe?”

“I know.”

“What else do you know?”

“You have a five-day visa.”

“Correct.”

“Shroeder is working on something on direct orders from Himmler. We’d like you to help us find out what it is.”

“Who is Himmler?”

“The head of the SS, Hitler’s political police. A nasty bunch. The Gestapo comes under his command.

You’ve heard of them of course.”

“I have. Difficult to avoid hearing of them from time to time. How would I do this – discover what Shroeder is working on?”

“The Hobbit is popular in Germany, among those who read English. It appears the German-only readers are clamoring for a translation.

Shroeder is something of a celebrity there at the moment because of the Nazis’ obsession with runic symbols and all that Aryan nonsense. We’ve arranged for you to meet with Professor Shroeder. Famous Dons Discuss The Norse Gods and Middle-Earth.”

“I see. Are you wincing, Arlie?”

“Inwardly, yes.”

“You should be.” Tolkien retrieved his pipe and tobacco from his jacket pocket and proceeded to fire up. It was a comfort

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to him, this ritual, and also an excuse to think. Who is Himmler? indeed.

Where have you been, John Ronald?

“It’s a children’s book,” he said, finally.

“Perhaps,” his former student answered. “But there are certain...the Nazis seem to like it.”

The Professor, drawing on his pipe, raised his eyebrows and then lowered them slowly. Bloody Nazis, he thought, surprising himself. He had, he realized, been so miserable over his writer’s block and his London publisher’s failure to see reason that he had forgotten to pay attention to the real world, which was obviously careening toward disaster. Cease the selfindulgence, John, he said quietly to himself. Cease and desist. “Go on,” he said out loud.

“There will be stories written,” Cavanagh continued, “for UK and German consumption. The Reuters man will be working with you. The Nazi Propaganda Ministry is all in.”

“All in?”

“Yes, it’s a gambling term.”

“Ah, are you a gambler, Arlie?”

“I’m afraid I am.”

“What Reuters man?”

“His name is Ian Fleming. He’s in Germany now, covering Munich, the annexation.”

“How will we accomplish our objective?”

“We have a simple plan.”

“As simple as there and back again, I suppose.”

This time Arlie Cavanaugh did not get the reference. So much for an author’s pride. Or did he? He was hunching forward now, his blue eyes twinkling again, ready to explain.

To learn more about James LePore go to jamesleporefiction.com/.

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