Luxe Beat Magazine May 2015

Julian Chang’s 2015 Resort Collection Executive Chef Timothy Connan Keller, a Northwest Gem

MAY 2015

Contents 14

82 64

Travel

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Put a Pin in it!: Star-studded Swiss Cities of Lausanne and Montreux Global Etiquette – International Dining

08

GA Quick and Quirky Stopover in Quito

14

Ritz-Carlton Bangalore: Hedonism Galore

56

20

The Luxe Side of Japan: Exploring The Palace Hotel Tokyo

Epicure

22

Cabo Rebuilds Luxuriously

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Mom and Daughter Bond at Disney Speeding

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EUROPA 2: Luxury My Way

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Cruising the Islands of New England with Blount Small Ship Adventures

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Échapper to Cap Est Lagoon Resort and Spa

87

No Nonsense Anti-Aging Treatment

Fashion

104 Island Magic: A Welcome Cruise Addition 106 From Hemingway to Cash: Arkansas’ Literary and Musical Past

History

60

Lula Cellars Offers Exclusive Limited Production Wines

88

Julian Chang’s New 2015 Resort Collection Dresses

112 Marie Curie: Greatest Female Scientist

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Corporate Executive Chef Timothy Connan Keller, A Northwest Gem

90

A Perfume Heaven in Barcelona

92

STITCH Tailor Made

Feat. Contributor

70

New technologies help realise Vineyard of Future

Technology

72

Sampling Our Way Through Portland, Oregon’s Food Carts

96

Priciest Purchases Available Via Mobile App

98

aerelight™ Organic LED lamp

36

Glam Surfing at Rancho Pescadero

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38

Business Class: Don’t Leave Without It

Culinary Splendor in Charlottetown

78

40

Ten Reasons to Stay in a Boutique Hotel

Living the Farm Sanctuary Life Recipes

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Luxe Layovers: YVR

2

Spa / Beauty

92

114 Michael Cervin, Featured Journalist

Business 117 Quality Business: Develop Your Players’ Skills

100 Motion Pro II Race Car Simulator

Literature

Art / Music

118 Play Golf Better Faster

103 Adley Stump’s “Little Black Dress”

121 Imaginary Things

SHERRIE WILKOLASKI Editor-in-Chief and Managing Partner

MARALYN D. HILL Executive Editor

BENJAMIN BENNETT Creative Director

LILLIAN AFRICANO Editor

KATHY WANAMAKER Advertising Sales

NORMAN HILL Editor

LEAH WALKER Editor-At-Large

DALE SANDERS Senior Travel & Lifestyle Editor/ Director of Photography

COURTNEY LOWDEN Fashion Editor-At-Large

COLUMNS

CONTRIBUTORS

Global Etiquette Maralyn D. Hill

Quality Business Tom Raffio

Luxe Layovers Susan Lanier-Graham

Intern

Put a Pin in it!

Debbie Stone

Andrea Lochen Debbie Stone Debi Lander Devanshi Mody Gene Baur with Gene Stone Inka Piegas-Quischotte Jan Ross Jan Ross Jill Weinlein

Kalliope Barlis Karin Leperi Kimberly Fisher Lillian Africano Lisa Collins-Haynes Nick Carne Susan Lanier-Graham Tiffany Thornton Tom Raffio

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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Editor’s Letter FUTURISTIC LUXURY is the focus

of the May 2015 edition of Luxe Beat Magazine and there are so many interesting articles in this issue, readers may not know where to start!

When I think about luxury products of the future, cars are the first thing that comes to my mind.

Driving in the fastlane is best when you’re in a luxury vehicle.

Debi Lander’s bonds with her daughter on a getaway weekend to Disney’s speedway and shares with us the details of her escape.

If you’re looking for a racing experience that is a bit closer to home, why not check out the Motion Pro II Race Car Simulator.

An in-home luxury racing experience that will have you ready for the Indy 500 in no time.

Editor, Lillian Africano brings to us the news on what is happening with EUROPA 2 and how this ship elevates luxury to its highest level.

Whether you’re a cruiser or not, this is an article you won’t want to miss.

Fashion designer, Julian Chang has done it again! Bringing our readers his Spring 2015 collection of dresses that are the present and future of fashion. Speaking of clothing, Alex Harden, founder of STITCH, educates us on how he is modernizing the tailoring experience, taking an oldfashioned approach with a modern-day twist.

The future of luxury is in the palm of your hands with Luxe Beat Magazine...enjoy!

For our epicurean explorers, we have an incredible chef interview with Executive Chef Timothy Connan Keller, covered by the official Epicurean Explorer, our Executive Editor, Marlayn D. Hill.

He shares with us a futuristic recipe, Sakuramaki, Cherry Blossom and chevre, and his technique on solidifying a liquid will have your dinner guests amazed.

Sherrie Wilkolaski Editor-in-Chief

5

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Letters To The Editor Dear Editor,

The artists that are featured regularly by Renee Phillips and Linda Cordair are so different. Is this for a particular purpose or to stimulate the mind?

Regards, Bob, Toronto, Ontario

Dear Bob,

We lucked out in knowing two extremely talented women who represent artists. Renee is a curator for artists worldwide and understands the ins and outs of all of their work. Linda on the other hand, focuses on Romantic Realism and delves in depth in that field. With that combination, we are sure that our readers always have a good mix.

Personally, I’m partial to the Romantic Realism.

However, I learn and appreciate more with every article Renee writes and enjoy the journey. So in your words, my mind is stimulated.

Sincerely, Maralyn D. Hill, Executive Editor

Dear Editor,

Luxe Beat Magazine has so many wonderful photos, are all of your writers professional photographers?

Sincerely, Mary Jo, London

Dear Mary Jo,

We have a combination of talent. We have journalists who, out of desperation, have learned to develop skills as a photographer. We have professional photographers who have taken writing classes to develop their journalistic skills, journalists you rely on stock photography from the destinations, and everything in between.

Cameras have improved to make taking good photos much easier. But an exceptional photographer will capture that special shot that another’s eye would miss. It is always interesting to see shots that several people take at the same time and place and who captures what.

Dear Editor,

In the January (2015) issue of Luxe Beat Magazine, you had an article which featured “The Art of Food” and the Bocuse d’Or. Are you going to do a follow up piece on that showing photographs from the 2015 competition?

Food Lover Dave, New York

Dear Dave,

I promise you that article will be forthcoming.

Now that I know there is interest, I will make sure it is out by the June issue. I’ll try for May, but June is more likely as May is just about closed for new articles. I’ve hundreds of photographs to go through to determine which ones to select, so that has been the reason for my delay. You can look forward to seeing it soon.

Sincerely, Maralyn D. Hill, Executive Editor

Dear Editor,

I really enjoyed the Farmbox Direct article in the March (2015) issue of Luxe Beat Magazine.

Do you think it will expand across the country?

Like it fresh Jean

Dear Editor,

How do you pick which fashion designers to feature in Luxe Beat?

Fashion student Kim, Los Angeles

Dear Kim,

We get requests daily. In turn, we request they send any sample of their new line so we can test it, see how well it is put together, made, how good the fabric is, wash it, and basically, and ask if it measures up to the standards it says for our readers. If it does, then we will feature it. The better fashion houses are eager to do this to get the coverage. Sometimes, we receive products that are so poorly made, we will immediately send it back, as we know we can’t cover it, but in general, it is not our policy to return samples, as they have been used and abused by the time we are through testing and we simply do not have the time. We feel the person who has done the sampling has earned them and the designer is getting coverage. It’s a win-win. Samples are tested by a number of us. It depends for whom the sample would be the most appropriate fit. I hope this helps answer your question.

Sincerely, Sherrie Wilkolaski, Editor-in-Chief

Dear Jean,

I think Farmbox Direct has gone as far as it can reach to ensure quality and freshness. I would love to see Ashley Tyrner develop a turn-key training program similar to a franchise, for farmers in other areas to set up similar programs and not reinvent the wheel. I’m glad you enjoyed reading about it, as Farmbox Direct is a top-notch service.

Sincerely, Sherrie Wilkolaski, Editor-in-Chief

Sincerely, Maralyn D. Hill, Executive 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 Please send Letters to the Editor to LuxeBeatMag@gmail.com Subject: Letter to Editor 7

A Quick and Quirky Stopover in Quito

By Debi Lander

Fun at the Equator

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Travel

P

rior to embarking on a cruise in the Galapagos, many tourists choose to spend a night or two in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. The historic old town is a cultural hub with narrow streets, centuries old churches, colorful balconied houses, restaurants and lots of people. Since I had never been to South America before, I wanted to get a taste of this city and the Andes Mountains.

Quito sits at 9,000 feet elevation so you may want to check with your doctor about altitude sickness before traveling. Most folks don’t have trouble if they take it easy and drink lots of water, avoiding alcohol.

Getting there is easy, as flights from Miami to Quito take just three and a half hours and the clock remains in the Eastern Time zone. (Flights from NYC take about five hours.) I arrived in the late evening and arranged for a pre-paid taxi driver to meet me and my companion at the baggage claim area.

Boutique Hotel Maisón de Angel

Breakfast is included in price of your room, and the small dining area felt like an aviary; birdcages housed live birds that filled the air with melodic song. A breakfast buffet offered typical continental items, including deli meats and fresh croissants.

A waiter took orders for eggs and bacon or ham making it a full English spread. Organic Ecuadorian coffee made my morning.

Following the meal, we were met by a guide and driver from Destination Ecuador/ Tropic Journeys who offered to introduce us to Quito. We began by driving out of the city to sculptor Sara Palacios’ home. Sara, a most gracious host, welcomed us in her Spanish Colonial style house. Oh my, what a gem it is.

Ms. Palacios is a renowned Ecuadorian artist who combines the expressive form of her sculpture with poetry, drawing and video art. Her work has been linked to more than twenty years of research in Quito’s Colonial Art. Garden art

He drove us to Boutique Hotel Maisón de Angel, my online lodging choice that turned out to be fabulous. The hotel was the former home of an Ecuadorian tobacco tycoon. Guests climb up a two-tiered staircase in front of the salmon-colored facade to enter the opulent lobby, filled with paintings, chandeliers and a corner office for the staff. (Climbing stairs is where I felt the altitude; I quickly became breathless.) The staff was very helpful answering our questions (in English), booking taxis and speaking to the driver to confirm plans, and allowing us to print boarding passes.

Our spacious suite felt luxurious as did the very comfortable beds and deluxe sheeting and comforter. The tiled sitting room was arranged with a chair, desk and sofa that faced a coffee table accented with a vase of 12 fresh long-stem roses. One end of the sitting room featured a fireplace and mantle, while a large and modern bathroom sat on the opposite side.

The Poncho Lady

We were out touring when the complimentary afternoon tea or wine was served in the upstairs salon.

However, we later meandered there to see the ornate second floor lobby and have a look out the windows at the cloud-shrouded Andes Mountains.

I also peeked into some of the other rooms and took photos as the bedrooms ooze decorative charm and character.

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The monument at the Equator

She explained how she used significant works in the historic area as creative stimulation for her own projects. Her angel statues are stunning.

We entered the house through a sunlight gallery that is often used for social gatherings but which currently displays pen-and-ink drawings by Pilar Bustos and a grand piano. Artists for the rotating gallery are selected by Sara based on their quality and expressive power.

We then followed her out the back door into tiered flowering gardens bursting with plants endemic to the area: colorful shrubs and carob, walnut and fruit trees. As you stroll around the yard you encounter Sara’s statuary, ranging from formal to some humorous works. Her commentary provided an inside peek into her personality and artistic style.

Following a snack we drove into the historic colonial quarter of Quito for Straddling the line at the Equator

Cathedral inspiration

Sitting room in my suite

a walking tour. We had the exceptional honor of having Sara and her husband join us (though this is not typical).

Quito is one of the most wellpreserved Spanish colonial cities in South America and should be an essential part of every Ecuador trip.

The city was recognized in 1978 as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site and its narrow cobblestone streets lined with whitewashed walls and historic churches certainly made me understand why.

First stop was the San Francisco Cathedral and Monastery, a huge Roman Catholic complex with an equally large plaza begun in 16th century. The property encompasses nearly seven and a half acres, including 13 cloisters, three churches and a large courtyard. The main church interior houses about 3,500 works,

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including priceless paintings, sculptures, altars and chapels.

We walked down the central nave with its high ceiling and transept supported by four main columns. We found chapels on either side, each laden with silver or gold candlesticks and beautiful altarpieces. We didn’t stay too long because of a tight schedule, but I could clearly see Sara’s inspiration for the Madonna statues she had shown us in her home.

I felt privileged to gain an insightful connection between the past and present art works and Sara’s ongoing creativity.

Next we stopped into La Compañía de Jesús, Ecuador’s most beautiful church, paying a nominal $4 entry fee.

This UNESCO Heritage Site does not allow photography, which forced me to stand and pause in its breathtaking

Travel La Compania, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

beauty. They say seven tons of gold leaf was used to gild almost all surfaces on the walls, ceiling and altar. The wild extravagance is overwhelmingly gorgeous to behold and the dazzling Baroque richness gives a sublime feeling of warmth.

The Jesuits began building this church in 1605 and it was not finished until 1765 -- coincidentally the same year the Jesuits were expelled by the Spanish. The somewhat drab colored facade (compared to the interior) features carved volcanic stone, twisted columns and Corinthian pillars by the side doors. The cornice forms an arch over the main door, and contains a niche with a statue of the Virgin, surrounded by cherubs, angels and saints.

What made La Compañía even more special was the fact that Sara and her husband were married there, another personal link that made this tour so unique and memorable.

Room in boutique Hotel Maison del Angel

Maison del Angel Lobby

Upon exiting this church, we walked down the Calle Garcia Moreno or the Street of Seven Crosses to the Plaza Grande or Plaza del la Independencia.

Unfortunately the skies opened with pouring rain and we weren’t able to enjoy the plaza to its fullest. And, we had to get back to the hotel for a quick change of clothing and an afternoon journey to the middle of the earth!

The Quirky Mitad del Mundo

back when we made our stop. Here, we posed for the mandatory photo op while straddling the equatorial line and placing our body in two hemispheres at the same time.

Everyone does it and seems to have a good time. I was pleasantly surprised that the site was less touristy-tacky than anticipated and actually very well done. I wish we had not been so short on time, as there is a museum we missed.

No, we weren’t going to Frodo’s Middle Earth or taking Jules Verne’s journey to the center of the earth, we were headed to the Mitad del Mundo, the Middle of the World and the monument that marks the equator and contains the GPS latitude coordinates 0-0-0 . For that reason alone, I just had to go!

Believe it or not, the taxi driver only charged a total of $30 for the three-hour trip, including the difficult drive he made in the rain and, of course, waiting for us. We tipped him well. Travel tip:

We arranged for a taxi to take us to the attraction, about an hour north of Quito. The roads were flooded on the drive, but the sky miraculously held

We were flying to Guayaquil the next morning so this evening was the last in our quick stopover in Quito. Had we stayed another day or two, we could

You don’t need to hire a tour guide to go here. Just hire a driver.

Upper Salon Maison del Angel

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Travel San Francisco Cathedral in Quito, Ecuador

Exterior facade of Maison del Angel

have taken in a cooking class, gone to see hummingbirds at the Yanacocha Preserve, visited a famous market and followed the Chocolate Trail. Check out the Discover Ecuador website to see these tours and many more escorted by Tropics.

Founded in 1994, Tropic Journeys in Nature is an award–winning ecotourism company specializing in responsible, community-based tourism through high-quality operations and exceptional service in Ecuador. Guests visit the most spectacular natural areas of the country in the company of its native peoples, practicing the philosophy that one of the best ways of conserving an area - whether it be the Ecuador Amazon, the Galapagos Islands, the high Andes or a cloud forest – is to engage the participation of native, local people in creating the magic of an eco-vacation. Locals’ vested interest in travelers’ experiences assists the goal of preserving their culture and landscape. Programs combine lifechanging, active-but-cultural ecotourism experiences focusing on nature, conservation, diversity and sustainability.

Disclosure: My trip to Quito was self-funded, but the tour of Quito was provided complimentary by Tropics.

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Travel

Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore Hedonism Galore

By Devanshi Mody

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T

he IT boom set Bangalore bang in the centre of international cyber cool.

Bangalore has the bang and the lore and far from “ban galore,” it feeds hedonism galore.

Heightening the hedonism is India’s very first Ritz-Carlton.

It hasn’t banged on about its presence. Indeed, I discovered it quite fortuitously, when a hotel I was to visit bungled their airport transfer, leaving me stranded at the airport. There, savvy young Saurabh Bharti, Ritz-Carlton’s Guest Relations agent, noted this damselin-distress and gallantly intervened.

Over an hour, whilst Saurabh tracked another hotel’s errant airport transfer, he duly dazzled me with the glories of his own hotel. I could not but check into the most booming new address in town.

I’m bang on time for the launch of the searing-sexy, soaring rooftop bar, Bang, that opened with, well, a bang (for want of a more explosive expression). Under blazing stars, a bonfire crackled, contoured by sleek white seats. Hot young things, sizzlingly skimpy, kept up the temperatures, whilst thumping music maintained the tempo (much to the chagrin of guests trying to sleep on the musically porous floors below). There were cabanas to canoodle in over teetotaler mixologist Manu’s cocktails.

Illusions created by clever use of light, including the surrounding city reflected in glass, furled round the bonfire, and scintillating lights streaked across the floor that looked like rising steps, leaving you lightheaded in every sense.

No illusion, though, the ubiquitous artwork, no less than 1,280 pieces, made this hotel a live-in art gallery.

Light fixtures that struck down like crystal rain or fell like snow drops or tumbled like silver curls made for an enlightening experience.

Yet the hotel’s signature and pervasive decorative motif was the jaali, an interlaced intricacy of grill.

In metal or wood, contemporary geometric patterns abounded with oriental teak filigree doors, windows and glass panels, whilst even cement acquired chic when finely fashioned, as on the hotel’s facade.

Suites have bathrooms stretched along their length that are a combination of walk-in wardrobe, closet, shower-corner and marbled white space, where an ample bathtub reigns. Suites come with Asprey

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Travel

toiletries, much artwork and access to the Club Lounge, with its framed splashes of colour and fab South Indian filter coffee, unless you prefer Illy.

A superfluity of food and beverage options is the norm nowadays, and the Ritz-Carlton’s inordinate selection seems commensurate with its staggering artwork. In addition to sky-rocketing Bang, there’s the Ritz-Carlton Bar, whose swinging sofas, exotic elegance and discretion I prefer, although actually I go there for the deviled cashew nuts. There’s also zingy Lantern Bar, which partakes of the three-tiered Lantern restaurant, specialising in delicate dim sums to be had on swank alfresco terraces. The hotel’s designers didn’t bottle up their creativity when they arrayed beautiful glass bottles across allday dining at The Market. There, Executive Chef Anupam Banerjee buzzes over bubbly Sunday brunches.

If you missed the fluffy idlis and dapper dosas at breakfast, make up with brunch-time mezzes, including suave mushroom paté and go-onhave-more green curry. But don’t glut on green curry if you’re dining at Riwaz, where a banquet unleashed at my table. Young Chef Ramandeep Kukreja presents fat, flavoursome bakarkhani bread that takes 14 hours to ferment, and dal makhani that requires 20 hours to acquire its unction. Chef’s repertory of NorthWest Frontier specialities includes supple mushroom kebabs and sumptuous Kashmiri-mushroomed Kandahari bharwan guchi curry.

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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.

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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.

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Photos by Darren Setlow

Xxxxx xxxxx

After obscenely wallowing in all of these, I can but manage slender slices of iced saffron kulfi, studded with pistachios and almonds--alas.

I’d planned to luxuriate in a cabana at the Poolside Bar, over a panini (made fresh with basil pesto, tomatoes and aubergines, all from Chef Banerjee’s herb garden). But Carlos from Rossano Ferretti would have none of it! The hair-dresserers who play with Angelina Jolie and Kate Middleton’s tresses have now established themselves exclusively in India at the Ritz-Carlton. Carlos relates, as his fingers and scissors dance in ellipses over my hair, that Ferretti began cutting hair at 14,

became Vidal Sassoon’s protégé and his sole approved successor. But I’m more amused by the gossip that whilst the Los Angeles salon has clandestine entrances for Hollywood stars, the London branch, where Carlos worked, obliges queen-inwaiting, Kate Middleton, to walk an entire four meters of common ground to have her hair done at RF’s.

Carlos would continue, but dash I must to the spa, Espa, for chokka.

They cannot accommodate a fullfledged body ritual, comprising scrubs and seaweed wraps, but I manage a Radiance Facial that Philippine therapist Anna does excellently, followed by the

signature four-hand Jaali massage for which must-book-with Thai therapist Pai joins Anna. As they effect smooth, soothing traceries over my body, I would lull, except that I’m tickled by tales the therapists tell of old men.

Spa-ctacularly naughty!

I bolt from the spa, not because I’m alarmed by the hilarious stories, but

because it’s that time of the afternoon for something naugh-tea; what else but afternoon tea that the Ritz-Carlton does so delightfully, always, everywhere? Sadly, the order takes its time to arrive, allowing me but a nibble of superb scones and sandwiches. The three-tiered platter’s pastried pinnacles I never attain, having to make a loftier journey – my flight!

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The Luxe Side of Japan Exploring The Palace Hotel Tokyo

By Kimberly Fisher

T

okyo is one of the most elegant, refined cities in the world, and the appreciation of true luxury is shown throughout the city in its cuisine, architecture and fashion.

Know for its natural beauty, history, entertainment and expansive food and drink options, Tokyo is a must for any world traveler.

I had the pleasure of living in Tokyo for 3 months in 2013, and gained valuable insight to the city of many delights.

Upon exploring, I discovered one of the most notable accommodations in the city, The Palace Hotel Tokyo.

Formerly an iconic 60’s hotel, the historic property has since been transformed by a three-year restoration into a majestic architectural masterpiece. It was officially reopened in 2012, and the award-winning hotel has since been frequented by notable guests from around the world.

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The hotel features 290 stunning rooms & suites, 10 luxe restaurants & bars, Japan’s only evian SPA and incomparable views of the city’s most rarified green space - the Imperial Palace gardens.

Located right in the heart of the Marunouchi business district and a short walk from the Tokyo station and the Imperial Palace, the hotel in the perfect location for sightseeing and getting around Tokyo.

Art aficionados will enjoy the surprising collection of art curated by local Art Front Gallery featured around the hotel. Valued at over 1 million dollars, over 1,000 different pieces add an elegance and individuality to the hotel decor not seen in most properties.

With 10 different dining options, variety is the spice of The Palace.

From elegantly sophisticated one Michelin star French food at Crown to authentic Japanese with a view at

Wadakura to Old World Chinese at Amber Palace, diners will have a multitude of exotic choices. The Grand Kitchen offers all day dining options with an eclectic mix of American, French, Italian and Spanish. Hotel guests can also indulge in 24 hour room service.

The hotel rooms feature contemporary interiors, and the design is sleek, yet comfortable, with understated luxury features such as 300-thread count Imabari bed linens, Imabari towels and Anne Semonin toiletries. The soft, airy color palette of the rooms are ultra-inviting, with white and light greens framing a pristine wall of glass. Guests staying in Club Rooms or suites will enjoy access to a private Club Lounge. Most balcony suites have amazing views of the city, and is a great way to start or end your day with the exquisite sunrise or sunset views.

The bathroom has a two entrances,

View from the lobby of The Palace Hotel

one from the hallway and one from the bedroom. No luxury has been left out with a separate soaking tub, in-mirror TV, separate rain shower and Toto heated-seat toilet.

The hotel also keeps in mind its most discerning travelers with the creation of amenities such as the Quintessentially Tokyo package.

Combining the best of arts, gastronomy, culture and the natural wonders of Japan, the package combines a unique collection of activities over a five-night, six-day stay for easy travel options.

The tour starts of on day 1 with a full-day art excursion lead by a local expert from the Tokyo bureau of Blouin ARTINFO, the world’s leading art and culture curators.

Next up, guests get to explore a one-on-one foodie tour with a local culinary aficionado. Tour options can be catered to individual needs and

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evian Spa

Living room of the Palace Suite

range from sipping sake with the country’s foremost non-Japanese expert on Japan’s favorite fermented brew, to navigating the famous Tsukiji Fish Market with a local chef, sommelier and book author.

On day 3, tailor a four-hour private session with a cultural expert to explain and help navigate Japan’s deeply rooted, and sometimes complex, customs and traditions.

As a special gift, receive a single, luminous Akoya Pearl. This was made famous by Marilyn Monroe and cultivated in Japan for more than a century, to take home as a memento.

The luxury accommodations for this package are in the posh Palace Suite, known as the crown jewel of the property. The 210-square-meter contemporary space has its own private art collection, along with views of the city’s skyline, Wadakura Park and Imperial Plaza Park.

The Quintessential guests can also be treated to exquisitely crafted seasonal Japanese cuisine with a kaiseki lunch or dinner for two at Wadakura, and unwind from their explorations with two 80-minute Vitalizing Signature treatments at Japan’s only evian SPA. The stunning lobby area represents a stone garden, welcoming you to the open Alpine-inspired space. With floor to ceiling windows throughout the spa, the blend between nature and self is imminent.

The spa’s signature treatment is an indulging cultural experience, with Japanese seitai acupressure-style trigger points being combined with European-style massage techniques for maximum tension relief and relaxation. Seitai is translated to “property ordered body”, and is said to readjust the physiology of the body.

Dignitaries and celebrities from

Europe regularly visit the Evian Resort on the shores of Lac Léman in Europe, and now the renowned spa from the Evian Resort makes its first appearance in Japan. An interpretation of “health through waters,” the spa offers a unique combination of hot baths and quality treatments to lighten one’s body and mind from daily life in a serene,

peaceful atmosphere using the very best products and service. Services are meant to rejuvenate, renew and refresh. Between spa treatments, guests can make use of the relaxation lounges, sauna, heated baths and indoor pool.

For more information please visit: www.palacehoteltokyo.com/v

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Cabo Rebuilds Luxuriously

By Jill Weinlein

F

lying into Los Cabos International airport, tourists don’t recognize too much damage from Hurricane Odile, which hit Baja California Sur on September 13, 2014.

Driving towards the lavish hotels and beautiful resorts towards the Cabo San Lucas Marina, guests will notice how the strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in the Baja Peninsula of Mexico, destroyed almost every building in its path with its 125mile-per-hour winds.

An estimated 92% of the population were left without power or water. It was the biggest electrical disaster in the history of Mexico, according to the Mexican Electric Company (CFE).

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One of the first luxury resorts to open after months of repairing the damage was the Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos. The resort officially opened to guests on November 23, 2014 with new paint, furniture, a new lobby, spa, restaurants and landscape.

The 249-room resort offers seven restaurants, five bars and five infinity-style swimming pools.

There is an all-inclusive option that includes food and beverages.

The friendly staff were attentive and catered to all the guests’ needs cheerfully. They are pleased that the resort was full again.

January through May is an ideal time to visit Cabo to see the migration of the Pacific Gray Whales. Females

arrive in the warm lagoons of the Gulf of California to give birth to their young. Guests look out along the coastline from their rooms or along the beach to see whales spouting water from their blowholes, breaching, splashing and slapping the water with their tails.

In the morning guests enjoy either a seated breakfast at the Peninsula restaurant overlooking the ocean or a buffet breakfast on the outdoor patio of Vina del Mar. For a light lunch after snorkeling and swimming in the pool, guests dine at either La Cevicheria for fresh seafood dishes or the Grill Bar for burgers and fries.

By sunset, families and couples dine

at the handsome La Bodega Steakhouse for fresh fish specialities and steaks. There is also a Mexican cuisine restaurant, another serving Italian fare and one near the lobby serving sushi.

Many guests grab a cab and take a trip into town to eat at the The Office, perhaps the most famous spot on Playa Medano in Cabo San Lucas.

It suffered damage from Odile, yet re-opened on October 1, 2014 with a new face lift.

Others make reservations for a sunset dinner at the beautiful Hacienda Beach Club & Residences along Medano Beach. The resort was closed for repairs for about five weeks after Odile hit. Hurricane protectors purchased and installed

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days before the storm saved this property millions of dollars.

Cabo San Lucas offers a variety of activities from horseback riding on the beach, snorkel adventure boat tours, whale-watching trips and fishing excursions. It’s also a wonderful place to kick back with a book and margarita.

Driving back to the airport, visitors can see that every resort north of the Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabo is still closed to guests while being repaired. Many restaurants, bars and shops display “We are now open” signs to alert visitors and locals.

Tours and attractions are reopening by the dozens every day.

Cabo San Lucas is bouncing back from Odile with renovated resorts, friendly staffs and luxuriant sunshine to help weary visitors unwind and feel pampered.

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Mom and Daughter Bond on the Disney Speedway

By Debi Lander

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’d like to think my needs are minimal: a clean bed, food and water (maybe a little wine) a camera and computer. However, I admit my desires run toward luxury and I have developed a taste for out-of-theordinary travel and adventure. Feeding that hunger can be challenging.

Luck was on my side as my twentythree year-old daughter (yes, she’s spoiled) and I were presented an appetizing treat. We didn’t nibble at the chance, we devoured the opportunity to drive an exotic luxury car as fast as we could handle. Decadent, for sure!

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Everyone knows Disney creates magical memories and that’s exactly what we received: a day of automotive dreams.

We left St. Augustine in my car and drove to Orlando, then passed through the gate to enter the Magic Kingdom.

We weren’t headed to the theme park, but rather to Walt Disney World Speedway, which sits near the Disney parking area.

We found an official race oval, originally built and used for NSCAR events, but crowds of theme park guests and race enthusiasts caused major traffic congestion. So now Disney offers the Richard Petty Driving Experience and an Exotic Driving Experience on alternate days.

Just imagine, sitting behind the

wheel and driving the world’s fastest and most exotic high performance cars on a real racetrack...no traffic... no stoplights...no law enforcement.

What an amazing gift this would make for someone special.

We were ready to jump into a super sexy car; however, all participants must first attend a class and watch an educational video which is supposed to make you feel comfortable. In my case, it made me anxious. Laura and I were surrounded by a number of macho guys who were on a company outing and couldn’t wait to show off their skills. What if I became an embarrassing slow poke?

I thought about that and then decided to forget it. Yet I knew

I wanted to race that car. Would I have the courage?

The one-mile course combines the speed of racing on an oval track with the challenge of a street-style course. You don’t roar around like a NASCAR driver; instead you maneuver sharp turns more like a Grand Prix racer.

We headed out to the spectator area to watch some of the earlier students taking their laps. Whoosh.

As the cars whizzed by, you could actually notice the drivers increasing the speed with each additional lap.

Okay, I could do this.

We were soon told which cars we

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would drive and Laura’s smile grew so large, her eyes were nearly shut.

We were photographed by and in the car before being fitted with helmets and introduced to our expert instructors. These brave souls would sit in the passenger seat and talk us through the course. I can’t envision myself working as a driving instructor in a vehicle that can blast from zero to sixty in less than four seconds with amateurs behind the wheel. I’d choose parading as Mickey on a hot day anytime.

Laura slowly entered the seat of a flaming red Ferrari with an MSRP price of $262,000, and I must admit she looked fabulous. Well, come on... just about anyone would look marvelous in a car like that. I was offered a silver Audi R8 that carries a MSRP sticker of $150,000. Whoa!

Together we were driving nearly half a million dollars’ worth of machines.

On the first lap I was instructed to drive at whatever pace felt comfortable and just familiarize myself with the track. I was fine on the oval but the turns were tight...honestly, very tight. I actually thought I was done with the series of zigzags and hairpin turns, but completely missed the last one. I kept my car on the track -- just not the correct portion of the track. My

coach was pretty laid back, but told me to be sure to include all the turns the next time through.

With each successive lap, I did get faster and faster and felt more confident until I actually floored the pedal to the metal and let that baby take off. I was flying at 114 miles per hour. Not too shabby for a grandmother of eight! I actually wished the braking portion of the track didn’t come up as quickly because I loved the adrenaline rush of speed and the reassurance that the track was safe. However, the turns were always difficult for me and by the end of my series I began to feel nauseous as I swerved around the corners.

What a blast! Laura took right to it and she couldn’t wait to Instagram about driving a Ferrari. She adored her car and naturally wanted to drive it home. I told her she’d have to marry someone very rich.

If you are looking for an upscale, different kind of mother-daughter bonding experience, I cannot think of anything better. I highly recommend driving the dream cars at Disney.

Magical memories guaranteed.

Disclosure: Thanks to Disney for hosting us for this amazing experience.

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Europa 2

Luxury My Way

By Lillian Africano

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hile there is no shortage of luxurious ships sailing the oceans of the world, they are not all the same.

What they may have in common are spacious and comfortable staterooms with verandas or

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balconies and full bathrooms; high-end amenities; excellent food; fine spas and fitness centers and exceptional service. Where they differ? Personality. And that can be the difference that elevates luxury to its highest level.

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EUROPA 2 Pool

Many passengers love the luxury ships that have a very formal personality, reflected by Captain’s receptions, fixed meal times and assigned tables, formal cocktail parties and similar events.

My wish list doesn’t include any of these. Which is why a cruise on Hapag-Lloyd’s EUROPA 2, offered me days of relaxed luxury: the freedom to enjoy the ship my way – but with the services of an exceptionally well-trained multi-lingual European crew and a superior kitchen. In fact, the only way the service could have

been better would have been if I’d had my own private staff on my own private yacht.

The ship’s older sister, the EUROPA, is also top-rated, but it has a very different vibe – a formal atmosphere that appeals to an older European (mainly German) crowd. When Hapag-Lloyd built EUROPA 2, the intent was to appeal to a younger, English-speaking demographic, including young families (the EUROPA is not kid-friendly). The result was a ship that The Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships describes as “superb, elegant,

contemporary.” Eco-friendly EUROPA 2 has “green features” like the optimized hull to reduce fuel consumption; a service water treatment plant with the highest standards in the industry; a system for ballast water treatment that prevents spreading flora and fauna.

It’s the first cruise ship with SCEcatalytic converter to reduce nitric oxide emissions. The so-called “mermaid pods” reduce vibration to the point where it’s hardly noticeable.

With a capacity of 516 passengers, the ship provides the greatest space per

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passenger ratio in the industry. With 370 crew members, it also has one of the highest ratios of crew to guests.

Unique to the EUROPA 2 is what might be described as “wasted space,” which means spacious corridors and walkways that make the ship’s interiors feel like those of a luxury hotel. The ship’s atrium has massive windows and high ceilings, which also contributes to this feeling of space.

The corridors are lined with original and engaging art works by such distinguished artists as David Hockney and Damien Hirst; a gallery features shows and pieces for purchase. Boutiques offer high-end jewelry and clothing. The library houses computers for passenger use.

The suites – all with verandas – are between 301 and 1,066 square feet, with flat-screen TVs, tablet computers, a coffee machine, Wi-Fi (complimentary), portable phones and tablet PCs and complimentary mini-bars, replenished daily with beer and soft drinks (the upper-tier categories include a selection of complimentary liquor).

Miele Culinary School

My suite had a jetted tub, which I enjoyed at every opportunity, especially since fragrant bath salts were provided. The complimentary liquors were wasted on me, but they would be a welcome amenity to anyone who liked to have a cocktail or aperitif within easy reach.

The 560-square-foot Grand Ocean Suites have bathrooms with daylight views, double sinks, TVs within the mirrors, rain showers, steam showers and whirlpool tubs. The Penthouse Suites, at 840 square feet, add a bigger veranda (108 square feet) a separate dining table and a daybed.

As for the two drop-dead-gorgeous Owner’s Suites, the luxury level rises to include butler service, a private whirlpool with a view of the ocean and the ability to freely partake of just about anything the ship has to offer. Paintings by famous artists adorn the walls.

The decor in all the suites is understated: clean lines everywhere; luxury fabrics in natural earthy colors; modern sofas and chairs, floor-to-ceiling windows leading outside and allowing lots of natural light to brighten the day. The beds are very comfortable, the linens are high-end and the selection of pillows serves every preference.

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Some luxury ships only put out the ‘welcome” mats for kids during school vacations – if at all. EUROPA 2 is decidedly family friendly, with seven family “apartments.” The free Baby Welcome Package enables parents to order extensive baby equipment for their suite, freeing up considerable luggage space. Children under 11 travel free; youngsters 12-15 cost about $65 a night when

travelling with two adults in the same suite.

Child care is offered for ages two and up; I visited the cheery area reserved for very young kids and was impressed with the care the highly trained nannies provided. Programs are tailored to all age groups up to age 15. The brightly-decorated Kids’ Club serves four- to 10-year-olds and

the somewhat more “sophisticated” Teens’ Club caters to 11- to 15-yearolds. A nice feature for parents who would like to sleep in while the children want to play: The late-riser service will pick up the kids from the suite and look after them until parents want them back.

As I had previously sailed on the EUROPA, I expected the dining

Travel choices on her younger sister to be well beyond the ordinary. They were – and I was able to sample the cuisines of the world from Chateaubriand with Béarnaise sauce (one of my favourite dishes) at the French brasserie, Tarragon, to Mediterranean classics at the elegant Serenissima to Asian Fusion cuisine at Elements. The sushi bar, Sakura, is a passenger favorite, and with good reason. Here, the sushi master prepares nigiri, maki, sashimi and other delectables that are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate. There are seven restaurants in all, plus an eighth option that can be booked for private dining for a surcharge.

Tarragon

With dozens of champagnes and some 500 different wines onboard, individual tastings can be arranged with real vine rarities. As verified by the Guinness Book of World Records, the EUROPA 2’s collection of 35 gins is world’s largest aboard a ship.

I don’t like gin – at least I thought I didn’t – but after I attended a complimentary tasting, I found the taste of the French Saffron gin was really pleasant.

But wait – there’s more. Midafternoon is tea time, so many varieties, both leaf and in bags, are serve in the library, along with cakes, pastries, mini-sandwiches – and piano music. My temptation was located on the pool deck where freshly made waffles with ice cream and/ or a choice of toppings are also served every afternoon.

Sushi

In response to the growing popularity of culinary travel, the chef de cuisine of Tarragon, teaches cooking classes (based on the cuisine of the ship’s cruise destinations) in the Miele Culinary School. The extra

charge (about $100) includes accompanying wines, cooking aprons and recipes (and the meal, of course). During my cruise, a sushi class was taught by one of the sushi masters, and while I didn’t excel, I did learn to make some edible rolls.

Though I’m not given to visiting gyms at sea, the EUROPA 2 has one with ocean views and state-of-art equipment by Technogym; personal trainers are available.

There’s also state-of-the-art golf simulator, which allows guests to play virtually on several famous courses. A PGA golf professional provides video analysis and support.

One of my favorite spots is the Ocean Spa, which has a hammam, whirlpool, a Finnish sauna, herbal sauna, bio sauna and Tepidarium – a relaxation room with heated loungers.

As it’s possible to customize so many experiences on EUROPA 2, it’s also possible to book a Personal Spa, with a private lounge, sauna and whirlpool.

I simply crave the massages, for is there anything as pleasurable as being massaged at sea, with no obligations or cares to dim the sense of well-being?

Another favorite area is the goodsize pool located under a retractable roof, which makes it possible to swim laps in any weather. Lounges around the pool and on the deck

EUROPA 2, Crew

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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

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above invite relaxation. Also on the deck above: lounges facing the ocean and bed-size chaises.

In the evening, the shows in the ship’s high-tech theater (which has a two-story LED wall) feature dance, music, acrobatics and daring moves that made me think of Cirque du Soleil. There’s also a small movie and lecture theater, where artsrelated and destination-related talks are given, as well concerts by talented musicians.

The ship has no casino, which may disappoint some, but not me. Unless I’m visiting Vegas or Atlantic City, I don’t want to hear clanging slots and the typical din of a casino.

Alternative venues are the bars and lounges, for listening to jazz or piano music, dancing the night away, hanging out with fellow passengers, indulging in cigars and spirits.

When the ship docks, and depending on the destination, passengers can

choose diving expeditions, snorkelling trips, jeep safaris, zodiac expeditions, mountain bike excursions, horseback rides – or just about anything the Travel Concierge can arrange. Families can choose special excursions or have their children accompanied by specialists who take care of such details as sun protection and provisions.

This year, the ship will call at ports in North and South America, the Caribbean and Panama Canal, Europe, the Baltic, the Mediterranean, Turkey/Greece, Scandinavia, Africa, Asia, the South Pacific and the Middle East. Cruises vary in length, starting at seven days (to appeal to younger travellers); some can be combined to make for longer itineraries.

All luxury cruises come at a price; the two-bedroom suite on a luxury ship that launches next year costs $5,000 a night. Sailing on EUROPA 2 will run about $600-$700 a day.

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Cruising the Islands of New England with Blount Small Ship Adventures

By Jan Ross Boarding the Grande Caribe

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f you have never visited New England, as my husband and I hadn’t, a cruise of the area is the best way to visit and really enjoy your trip. And the Islands of New England cruise on the Grande Caribe from Blount Small Ship Adventures is the best cruise to take. One of the best things about cruising is that you can take your cozy, comfortable cabin along with you on your travels!

Spend your week relaxing on board as you cruise, visiting some of the most well-known locations in New England.

The Grande Caribe is not a huge cruise ship; it has space for about 80 passengers in small but comfortable staterooms and is just the right size to be homey. The lounge area on the main deck is furnished with plenty of comfortable upholstered furniture and tables for playing games, reading or just enjoying the passing scenery. The adjoining bar area includes space for the liquor and wine bottles that Blount encourages you to bring aboard and soda dispensers where you are welcome to fill a glass with ice and a drink whenever you want. Not only do they encourage you to bring aboard your own liquor and wine, they even provide snacks and mixers to accompany them, and two very nice cocktail parties during the week-long cruise with scrumptious hot appetizers.

Island home and bridge in Newport

Sunset on Cuttyhunk Island

The upper deck includes a shaded area and lots of tables and chairs, along with loungers for relaxing in Cruising past a sailing school TOP Fishing boats in dock

Beautiful New England home with an amazing view!

ABOVE Repairing the fishing nets

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unpacking and finding a place for everything in our small stateroom (this is made easier by the fact that you can stow all your luggage under the beds) and a delightful lunch of fresh lobster salad, we headed to the top deck to watch our ship begin the short journey to Cuttyhunk, the outermost of the Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts, where we would drop anchor for the night. The beginning of our voyage set the tone for the rest of the trip, with friendly fellow passengers, gorgeous weather, and calm water. Quiet Cuttyhunk was mainly a place to spend a night sleeping blissfully but a few of us did disembark and stroll the quiet island paths in the dusky evening.

Gorgeous home on Martha’s Vineyard

the sun as the ship cruises along the waterways. The dining room downstairs has tables of varying sizes where you will meet and get to know your fellow passengers much better than you could on any large ship cruise. There’s also a soft drink dispenser, along with fresh coffee and other hot drinks and plenty of cookies, pastries and fresh fruit for snacking in between meals. You will not go hungry on this cruise and you will enjoy every bite.

Beautiful homes on Nantucket

Charming downtown on Block Island

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The cruise embarks from tiny Warren, Rhode Island, where Blount Small Ship Adventures is based. It’s convenient to park for free in their parking lot, hand over your luggage, and walk aboard with no fuss. After

Nantucket was our next stop and a bus tour was provided by Blount.

We were properly awed at the beauty of the gray shingled New England homes, something we would see on every island on our cruise.

Quaint cobblestone streets, bicyclers, lines for the ferry on and off the island, dozens of shops with clothes way above our budget and a local farmer’s market set up for the morning seemed to epitomize the island. There was an optional walking tour offered by Blount, but we just picked up a walking tour map at the tiny visitor center and strolled around the neighborhoods on our own, trying to imagine how many millions of dollars some of the mansions must cost.

Martha’s Vineyard the next morning provided another bus tour, but this time we made a stop at the historic Southeast Lighthouse to appreciate the astonishing view and get some photos. After lunch back on the ship, we decided to brave public transportation, as a bus stopped precisely where we were docked. We hopped aboard, paid the extremely Lunch with a view!

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reasonable fare and headed back to Oak Bluffs for a stroll along the coastline and, once again, to marvel at the astonishingly beautiful Victorian mansions in the area.

A large and very popular park lies in the middle of town, surrounded by truly amazing mansions, all of which are single family dwellings and many of which are only used in the summer. Families were relaxing in the park, many with picnics and several with kites which caught the strong wind from the ocean.

New Bedford, Massachusetts was once the whaling capitol of the world and their fascinating and historic whaling museum was where we headed the next day after our arrival in port and a walking tour of the waterfront. We also strolled around the dock and saw plenty of fishing boats and fishermen.

Lunch, a nap, and an afternoon of reading on deck made this the perfect day. Soon enough, it was time for another fabulous dinner.

Our meals onboard the Grande Mariner were absolutely delicious, each one better than the last. We had lobster in some form every day.

For our authentic lobster bake, the chef and assistants set up a steamer oven on the top deck consisting of a plywood frame enclosing a stove with seaweed layered under the freshly caught lobsters, potatoes, and fresh corn. When we were served a whole lobster that night, some of us had no clue how to eat this monstrosity, but, after a demonstration of how to crack the claws and tail, we all dug in and relished every buttery bite.

Heading back in the direction of Rhode Island the next day, we stopped on Block Island -- which was a shock! Expecting a quiet island Fabulous fresh lobster!

Mansion in Newport

with a few homes, we were surprised by the busy town with shops and restaurants full of tourists. Our bus tour soon pulled away from town,

and we saw the island we were expecting, with wonderful views, beautiful oceanfront homes, stone fences, lighthouses and ponds filled with gorgeous, blooming lily pads.

We spent some time strolling around town and had lunch on yet another restaurant patio, this time with a view of the ocean. We couldn’t get enough lobster rolls and ordered yet another one for lunch. This ubiquitous New England treat is basically a lobster salad comprised mainly of cut up lobster and mayonnaise, served on a buttered and toasted bun. It’s delicious! Don’t leave the area without sampling one – or possibly two or three.

Blount Small Ship Adventures planned well and included an extralong stay at the end in Newport, our favorite location on the cruise. Don’t leave Newport without touring some

of the incredible mansions which were summer homes for some of the most affluent families in America a hundred years ago. The Breakers is especially stunning and allows you access to the Cliff Walk, a sidewalk that winds along the cliffs overlooking the gorgeous Atlantic Ocean.

We all woke early on our last morning as the Captain skillfully steered us out of the Newport harbor and back towards Warren, where we would sadly disembark. After last minute packing and breakfast, we waited in the lounge, chatting with our new friends as the passengers who had planes to catch were helped off the ship; then we disembarked, loaded up our suitcases, and headed home. We were sorry to see our cruise come to an end but excited that Blount has lots of other itineraries to choose from because we are already making plans!

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Glam Surfing at Rancho Pescadero

By Jill Weinlein

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itting in the raised hot tub overlooking the stunning pool and bar area of the elegant boutique resort, Rancho Pescadero, guests congregate in the hot, bubbly water. Many are here to surf during the day, while their spouses take a yoga class or sit in one of the “floating” chaise lounges in the pool with a cool hibiscus margarita.

You don’t have to be a surfer to stay at this luxury boutique resort.

Guests range in their mid-40s to -60s. No party animals allowed here.

Just well-off people, ready to relax, eat great organic food, take long walks along the beach and surf.

If you don’t bring your own board, the resort has a few to borrow. One of the staff members or guests will happily teach you a few of the basic skills to get started.

Rancho Pescadero is located about 90 minutes from the Los Cabo International Airport.

Guests can either rent a car at the airport or take a shuttle to the property for about $200 for up to six passengers. It’s located just south of the charming, artist colony/ surfer town Todos Santos. Turn off the smooth Highway 19 onto a dirt road leading to the Pacific Ocean.

There are 15 acres of organic gardens and sandy beach.

Rancho Pescadero has 28 unique

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guest rooms, two pools, a bar, Yoga studio and gourmet restaurant.

Everywhere you walk, you’ll find beautiful views and hear the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore.

Staying in the spacious room #14 for one night, I thought the designer kitchen was prettier than most homes. There was a grand living and dining room that could have entertained all the guests in the resort.

This used to be the owner Lisa Harper’s unit. She left her corporate life as a CEO of children’s apparel company, Gymboree, and moved to Baja California with her husband, George. They purchased the land and soon built 12 luxurious suites. Later, they built 16 more to keep up with the demand of guests searching for a boutique resort near the waves.

Most of the suites have king-size

beds, with mosquito netting creating a romantic vibe. The bathrooms have huge concrete soaking tubes and an open shower with his-and-her shower heads. Out on the palapacovered patio are two comfy lounge chairs, a day bed and dining room table for eating al fresco. Best of all, there are no televisions or telephones.

Guests receive a complimentary welcome margarita by the friendly bartenders. Afterwards, guests don bathing suits and swim before sunset. Before nightfall couples take long walks on the beach to collect shells and admire the driftwood, while the sun sets into the Pacific.

The resort has an open-air Garden Restaurant built near the organic Rancho Pescadero guest room

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Rancho Pescadero ABOVE-RIGHT Complimentary cocktail

garden. Many of the ingredients on the modern Mexican menu are harvested from here.

The selective wine menu offers glasses and bottles of wonderful Mexican white, red and rosĂŠ wines.

While enjoying pork cochinita filled in housemade corn tortillas with pickled onions and a chile puree, we learned that a culinary duo, Jeff and Susan Mall from Zin Restaurant, are due to arrive next week to take over the kitchen to continue the farm-totable philosophy.

with loud music, lots of beer and skinny dipping at midnight. In fact, children under 18 years are not allowed.

Staff members deliver baskets filled with fresh fruit, sprinkled rolls and coffee to the front door of each suite. Later, guests gather near the lobby for healthy breakfast plates of eggs and roasted vegetables on curry toast, before attending the complimentary 10am yoga class in the nearby yoga pavilion.

In the evening, guests point out the Big and Little Dipper, Orion’s Belt and shooting stars, while sitting near the roaring fire-pit.

Before check-out, couples take one last dip in the pool, before driving back to the airport. The resort provides magazines, sun hats and a variety of sunscreens at the poolside bar.

By 9pm the on-site Garden restaurant closes, and 9:30pm the bar by the pool shuts down. This is not a Spring Break surfer destination

Rancho Pescadero is a luxury, chic vacation destination that leaves guests with a new appreciation of Baja California Sur.

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Business Class Don’t Leave Without It H

ow in the world did I end up in business class? Long story short—pure luck. With fewer than thirty days notice, I found myself prepping for a trip of a lifetime. Thank goodness for connections, links and networking as all things fell into place effortlessly. I’ve never been so lucky, but also not one to kick a gift horse in the mouth. When a friend of a friend called and asked if I wanted to go on a trip with her, I graciously accepted before she could finish asking. It’s kind of a blur, but all I remember hearing was: Grand prize winner, two business class tickets to Thailand; do you want to go?

Fast-forward to an experience in travel to which I had never been privy. I always knew I had been born for business class travel and Qatar Airways catered to my ego. Not to downplay the service received at the

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check in counter or gate, because it was exceptional; however I do believe that life hasn’t been lived to the fullest until you are exposed to the world of Qatar Airways Business Class. True, I have absolutely nothing to compare it to, but Skytrax, the global benchmark of airline excellence, named them World’s Best Airline and I concur. They also bill themselves as an unparalleled travel experience, for very good reason.

The level of service and attention by the cabin crew was phenomenal. I lost count of how many times my jaw dropped during the flight to Phuket.

Bottle service was a nice touch when we got to our seats. Not being harassed to store our luggage before the flight took off was equivalent to not taking our shoes off, pre-TSA. It was like traveling pre-9/11, like the good ole’ days. Refreshing to say the least. As we took our seats we were

offered a warm moist towel to freshen up. This, I liked a lot.

Our cabin attendant was so nice, pleasant and accommodating as she popped bottles and poured our champagne, that I hadn’t even noticed she had been sizing us up.

Next thing I knew she was bringing us pajamas to wear, and the sizes were correct. Now that takes some skill; bring the wrong size to an overly sensitive passenger and it could set a negative tone for long flight. Luckily, we didn’t have that issue. Our cabin attendant also delivered Salvatore Ferragamo amenity clutch bags filled with perfume, lip balm and hand cream.

Menus and appetizers started rolling out before we even left the ground, and with the long haul flight we were embarking on, food itself became an event. White glove service, without the white gloves, is the best way to

describe meal times. The white cloth overlay that covered our trays, actual silverware (no sporks), fresh assortments of warm bread – is this an airplane I’m on? I was amazed that at 40,000 feet, our meals were so sophisticated and prepared with a top-notch quality and flair. This was like no airline food I had ever seen before; rich, boldly pronounced flavors and picture-perfect plating made me think a food stylist was behind that little curtain. Each meal was more delicious and beautiful than the last in a nearly endless smorgasbord of courses. Cheese trays and treats by Godiva at the end, yes, another jaw dropping moment for me.

Lay-flat beds, luxurious bedding and an inflight entertainment system including noise canceling high-end headphones were a definite perk.

This was the perfect combination to

PHOTOS COURTESY OF QATARAIRWAYS.COM

By Lisa Collins-Haynes

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make the extended journey more enjoyable. Between the times I was eating, the time I was sleeping and the time I was glued to the inflight movies, I hardly noticed the thirteen hours it took to get to our destination.

Everyone has to have a first time, and now that I know better, I’ll be doing better. After tasting the business class bubbly, I’ve acquired a taste for nothing less. Qatar Airways is indeed a tough act to follow, but I will thoroughly enjoy testing the high standards of other airlines’ business class services in the future.

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Ten Reasons to Stay in a Boutique Hotel This article is courtesy of El Portal Sedona Hotel

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hen you travel, there are always plenty of options when it comes to choosing accommodations. All too often, travelers fall back on wellworn choices, choosing the stay at a large, chain hotel with buildings in multiple cities in many different countries. This is an understandable decision because the traveler knows

exactly what they’re getting when they book with these larger companies. However, what isn’t talked about nearly as often is what is missed when a chain hotel is picked over a boutique hotel. Yes, you know what you’re getting, but that’s because it is the same in every single city in every single country, which results in a less rich traveling experience. Staying at a boutique hotel can provide a far richer experience when it comes to exploring the area and the

accommodations provided. Here are the top ten reasons to stay in a boutique hotel instead of a large chain when you come to Sedona.

1. Unique experience: Staying at a boutique hotel means that you’ll get an experience you cannot get any place else on the planet. The hotel is unique, one of a kind, and what it offers travelers can’t be replicated any place else.

2. More personal service: Many

boutique hotels have a lower capacity – fewer rooms overall are available – so it’s possible for owners and staff to provide a much more personalized experience for their guests. They will recognize your face, pet and be more aware of any needs you may have.

3. Location: Many boutique hotels are located in the heart of the city – their smaller size is less disruptive and means they don’t need to be on the outskirts. These hotels are often closest to shopping, dining, and adventures.

4. No Two Stays are the same: Boutique hotels change with the years and the seasons in a way that large chain hotels simply cannot do.

You can stay in different rooms with radically different aesthetics and lay outs, experience different events, and much more.

5. Knowledgeable staff: The staff at a boutique hotel are often local, dedicated and incredibly knowledgeable about the area, which allows them to help guests with more nuance and detail than the staff of a large hotel.

6. Local connections: A boutique hotel is a local business, which makes it easier for them to make connections to other local businesses. This can include partnerships with restaurants, tour agencies, spas, and many others that guests can benefit from when they stay.

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7. Distinctive architecture: Rather than following a pre determined design, many boutique hotels have their own distinctive architecture that sets them apart from the multi-floored cookie-cutter rooms at the larger chains. With unique style and beautiful buildings, boutique hotels can be an experience in and of themselves.

8. Award winning: There are plenty of instances of boutique hotels receiving awards from such well known travel organizations as AAA and Trip Advisor where travelers have recognized the unique experience provided by such oneof-a-kind hotels. Take a look at information pages to find out what kind of recognition these gems have received and see!

9. Intimate Atmosphere: The smaller capacity of boutique hotels makes for a cozy, private atmosphere that is almost impossible to find in the long hallways and echoing lobbies of large, chain hotels. The quiet spaces of boutique hotels, their unique architecture, and their attentive personnel help create an intimate, relaxing environment during your stay.

10. Pet Friendly: Being an independent business allows for more creativity in hotel rules, so many boutique hotels have accommodations that larger chains simply don’t have. One such accommodation is the welcoming of guests as well as their pets.

Pet friendly hotels provide a caring environment for animals as well as people.

El Portal Sedona Hotel is no exception when it comes to boutique hotels. A visitor to Sedona, Arizona who chooses to stay at El Portal will

have a vastly different experience than if they were to stay at the chain hotels. El Portal has won multiple awards and boasts an unbeatable location. Close the Grand Canyon, world-class hiking, and top flight shopping and dining, El Portal is close to many of the favorite spots that visitors want to see.

And the owners and staff are knowledgeable and ready to help any guest organize a tour, select a hiking or biking trail, and decide which restaurant they would like to try that night. With only twelve rooms, El Portal is personal and welcoming to both humans and their pets as one of the best pet friendly hotels in the nation. The next time you come to Sedona, or when you decide to visit for the first time, keep in mind boutique hotels like El Portal Sedona.

About El Portal Sedona Hotel El Portal Sedona Hotel is a boutique hotel with 12 amenity-filled suites.

Unpretentious luxury resonates from this meticulously and accurately created “hacienda.” With a romantic courtyard and beautiful great room, guests can enjoy the serene, ageless spirit of Sedona.

It is a pet-friendly hotel, a AAA Four Diamond Hotel, voted one of America’s Best Pet Friendly Hotels

by Condé Nast Travelers Readers (2015), and Best Pet Friendly Hotel in the USA by USA Today and 10Best. com (2013). El Portal offers guests personalized concierge services for the Sedona area to enjoy, explore and discover Sedona.

Contact Information: El Portal Sedona Hotel 95 Portal Lane, Sedona, AZ 86336 800.313.0017 info@ElPortalSedona.com www.ElPortalSedona.com

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Luxe

Canada Line from YVR. Photo by Larry Goldstein for Vancouver Airport Authority

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Layovers: YVR

Travel

By Susan Lanier-Graham

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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.

Vancouver International Airport, Canada: YVR

Vancouver International Airport sits

on Sea Island, an island on the Fraser River in Richmond, British Columbia.

Situated about 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, the airport started with a single runway and a wood shack in 1931.

During World War II, the airport housed the Royal Canadian Air Force and became a manufacturing site for Boeing. The airport further expanded in 1968 with a new $32 million terminal, which served 1.9 million passengers that year. During the 1980’s, international travel blossomed in and out of YVR, with service by Air China, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

The next major expansion was in 1996b with a new $250 million, 16-gate international terminal and new control tower. The airport received great attention on 9/11 when 34 US-based aircraft, carrying more than 8500 passengers, were diverted to Vancouver.

Today, 53 airlines serve YVR to 109 non-stop destinations in Canada, the US and around the world. Last year, YVR served approximately 18 million passengers, making it Canada’s second busiest airport.

The Airport Layout

Vancouver International Airport has been voted best airport in North America for six years and it’s immediately obvious when you arrive, whether you land at Vancouver’s international terminal or enter landside, why that is the case.

When arriving from the U.S. or another international location, you find yourself in a well-marked, modern terminal. Enroute to the customs queue, you walk past beautiful artwork that gives you an immediate sense of being in the Pacific Northwest. You will pass through a post and beam longhouse, go past a sandy beach with sounds of birds and water and past a traditional Pacific Northwest canoe.

The overhead wooden sculpture is representative of Canada’s First Nation artwork.

When arriving at YVR, you clear border service and immigration, gather your baggage (free carts are available), give your declaration card to Canada Border Services and proceed through the international reception lounge to the exit and public greeting area. You can find tourism information, money exchange and several shops inside the international reception lounge.

Fairmont Vancouver Airport. Photo courtesy Fairmont Hotels

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When departing YVR, there are different check-in terminals: Domestic, International and USA terminals. If you are going to the U.S., you will clear customs at YVR before boarding your flight. If you have U.S. Global Entry, you can enter security, fill out the questions on the Global Entry kiosks, and then proceed to security in a matter of moments. If you do not have Global Entry, you will need to fill out the paper USA Declaration Card and proceed to the US Customs and Border Protection line before heading to security.

Travel Be sure to check out the Green Wall, the largest living wall in North American, connecting Canada Line’s Airport Station to the surrounding Chester Johnson Park. The massive living wall measures nearly 56 feet tall and extends for 36 feet. It is covered with nearly 27,400 individual living plants.

If you prefer to secure private transportation, Aerocar Service is the airport’s licensed limo service.

There are set fees of $53 to hire a sedan from YVR to downtown Vancouver. To make a reservation, call 888.821.0021 or visit online at aerocar.ca.

Airport Clubs & Lounges

In addition to several airline-specific lounges (here is a list of all airlines that fly into YVR and you can check with individual airlines for lounge information), YVR has three Plaza Premium Lounges. These lounges are available to all passengers at an hourly rate.

If your layover in VYR allows time to explore the area, it is easy to get from the airport into downtown Vancouver. One of the easiest ways to get into town is via the new Canada Line train. The train is located between the international and domestic terminals. From international arrivals, exit the building with your luggage and follow signs to the Canada Line.

Just before the parking structure, take the escalator or elevator up to the platform.

Jade Artwork at YVR by Ed Bierman

For domestic arrivals, pick up your bags on Level 2 and then go up to Level 3, walk toward the Link building, following signs to Canada Line. The trip is easier if you purchase a DayPass, Monthly FareCard or FareSaver Ticket at the 7-Eleven or Pharmasave in the domestic terminal (in Arrivals, Level 2). the trip takes about 18 minutes to downtown Richmond or 26 minutes to downtown Vancouver.

• Distinguished Visitors Lounge is landside in international arrivals.

It is an ideal spot to meet or to freshen up before leaving the airport. It is available by reservation only with a minimum charge for four people ($50 CAD per person for 3 hours). The lounge seats up to 20 people and includes a large shower room with amenities, refreshments with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soft drinks, juice, beer and wine. Premium liquor and foods are available for purchase. There is also free Wi-Fi, newspapers, magazines and television for guests.

• Domestic Departures is the newest Plaza Premium Lounge at YVR. It recently opened near Gate B15.

Reservations are available but not required. It is open from 6am to 9pm Saturday through Friday and 6am to 8pm Saturday. The cost is $40 CAD for 2 hours; $50 CAD for 3 hours; or $70 CAD for 6 hours. You will find a variety of hot and cold meals, including sandwiches, burgers, pulled pork sliders, live cooking pasta stands and a variety of Canadian poutines. There are also beverage selections including coffee, tea, juice and alcoholic beverages. There is free Wi-Fi, magazines, newspapers, televisions, a business center with four computer workstations, phones, private resting areas and shower rooms with amenities.

• USA Departures is the lounge for guests waiting departure to the U.S. It is located across from Gate E87 and overlooks the arrivals hall. The lounge seats about 60 guests. There is food and beverage service

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Green Wall by Larry Goldstein for Vancouver Airport Authorityv

throughout the day with hot and cold beverages, alcoholic beverages, fresh sandwiches and desserts.

There is free Wi-Fi, two computer stations, televisions, magazines and newspapers. The lounge is open from 5am to 7pm Sunday through Friday and 5am to 6pm on Saturdays. It is available to any traveler at a rate of $40 CAD (2 hours); $50 CAD (3 hours); or $70 CAD (6 hours).

Restaurants & Bars

There are a variety of restaurants and bars at the various terminals in YVR. You can find a Tim Horton’s, serving up Canada’s favorite coffee, in each terminal. Below are the other recommended restaurants and bars at YVR. Domestic terminal • Monk’s Grill is named for the local False Creek neighborhood hangout Monk McQueen’s. It brings drinks and West Coast cuisine to passengers at YVR and is located near Gate C45.

• Stanley’s Happy Landing Lounge is a long-time YVR favorite. It’s located outside security near baggage claim, making it an ideal meeting spot.

International terminal • Koho Restaurant & Bar serves a full menu of local favorites from BC wines and beers to mussels, wings and the YVR burger. There is also a large gluten free menu. Koho is located outside security on Level 3 in the international terminal.

• Milestones Bar and Grill is an upscale casual restaurant near Gate D53. Favorites include BC wines, shared plates and prime rib. There is a large gluten free menu available.

USA terminal • Jetside Bar is actually located inside the lobby of The Fairmont Vancouver Airport, just outside security above the USA departures terminal. The popular bar offers a sophisticated spot to pass the time between flights. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer great views of North Shore mountains and the runways.

You can relax in a sofa by a roaring fire to enjoy drinks and appetizers along with free Wi-Fi and televisions. There is live music every Friday and Saturday evening. The bar is open 11am to midnight daily.

• Globe@YVR is the airport’s only fine dining restaurant, also located at The Fairmont Vancouver Airport.

The restaurant specializes in Pacific Northwest cuisine and practices an Ocean Wise Program. The restaurant, with panoramic views over the runway, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 6am to 10pm daily.

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Travel

Shopping

There are a variety of shops at YVR, offering everything from tourist items, souvenirs and books to luxury products, rare whiskies and gourmet items.

Domestic terminal • Virgin Books and Entertainment offers books, music and entertainment, including electronic entertainment such as DVDs, computer games and electronics.

There are two locations in the domestic terminal, one on Level 3 before security (open 5:30am to 10pm daily) and one near Gate C32 (open 6am to 9pm daily).

• Rogers’ Chocolates started in Victoria, BC back in 1885. Favorites still include the individually-wrapped Victoria Creams and sea salt caramels. Located near Gate C31,

open 6am to 9pm daily.

• Westcoast Liquor Store is a large, full service liquor store where you can pick up BC wines, imported wines, spirits, beers and accessories.

It is before security on L1, so you will either want to pick up items as you arrive in Vancouver, or put the items in your baggage prior to checking it. You won’t be able to get the large bottles through security.

The store is open 9am to 11pm Monday through Friday and 10am to 11pm on weekends.

• Gallerie Vancouver sells Kenneth Cole, Roots, Fossil, Thompson, Jack George and Columbia Sportswear clothing and accessories. The store is located near Gate C31 and open 6am to 9pm.

• Marshall Rousso sells women’s lifestyle fashions along with handbags, jewelry and shoes. The

shop, located near Gate B16, is open 5:30am to 10pm.

• Taraxca Jewellery sells handcrafted jewelry from BC artisans. The shop has large selections of abalone, pearl, shell, Aboriginal inspired West Coast collections and wood/silver collections. Located before security on Level 3, the shop is open 7am to 8pm.

• Tumi sells high-end suitcases, bags and travel accessories. The store is located near Gate B14 and is open 5:30am to 10pm.

• Crafthouse sells unique, handcrafted gifts from BC artisans, including jewelry, artwork, clay items and clothing. Crafthouse is located before security on Level 3 and is open 6am to 9pm.

• Explore Sea to Sky offers items from Vancouver’s Sea to Sky Corridor from Vancouver to Whistler.

The shop showcases the area’s art and culture, including local gourmet delicacies. The shop is located near Gate C47 and is open 6am to 9pm daily.

• Travel + Leisure is the world’s first branded shop by the luxury travel magazine of the same name. The store includes luggage, accessories, literature, maps and travel guides.

It is located before security on Level 3 and open 6am to 9pm daily.

International terminal • The Beauty Shop sells high-end cosmetics and fragrances. Beauty Advisors are on hand to help.

Located near Gate B53, the shop is open 9am to 8pm.

• Collection offers tax and duty free prices on such labels as Pandora, Swarovski, Prada, Gucci, Tag Heuer, Longines and Swatch. There are two

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Flight Spindle Whorl by artist Susan Point.

Photo by Larry Goldstein for Vancouver Airport Authority.

locations, open 24 hours daily. One is on the ramp just past security while the other is near Gate D53.

• Connoisseur Collection offers fine, rare whiskies and cognacs from around the world. The shop, open 24 hours, is located on the ramp just past security.

• Hermès is the world-renowned retailer of fine bags, clothing, accessories, fragrances and home decor. The duty-free shop, located near Gate D53, is open 9am to 5:15pm daily.

• Brooks Brothers offers fine clothing, including both business and casual wear. It is located before security on Level 3 and open 9am to 10pm daily.

• Hudson’s Bay Company Trading Post is probably Canada’s most famous department store. Among the shop’s famous offerings is the Canadian multi-strip Point Blanket and accessories. The shop is open from 9am to 10pm.

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• Gifts of the Raven is adjacent to one of the airport’s most beloved pieces of art, Bill Reid’s The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe. The shop is filled with cultural items and artwork from BC’s First Nations people. The shop, located before security on Level 3, is open 9am to 8pm.

USA terminal • Kids Works is filled with educational toys, crafts, travel games and other toys. The shop is located near Gate E87 and open 5am to 7:30pm daily.

• Roots is a favorite Canadian brand for leather goods, sports gear and apparel. The shop is located near Gate E87 and is open from 7am to 7:30pm daily.

• Victoria’s Secret offers its beauty products and accessories including bags, sunglasses and skin care items.

The shop is located near Gate E87 and open from 5am to 7pm.

• Indulgences offers spa-quality bath and body products. The shop is located near Gate E85 and is open 7am to 7:30pm daily.

• Discover Vancouver sells products from Vancouver exhibits, attractions and landmarks along with items from First Nation peoples including art and jewelry. The shop is located near Gate E87 and is open 7am to 7:30pm daily.

• Science World is brought to YVR by Vancouver’s popular Telus World of Science. the shop, near Gate E87, is open 5am to 7:30pm and sells educational toys, puzzles, games, experiments and books.

• Vancouver Kitchen sells a selection of regional foods, including sweets, sauces, seafood, drink mixes, local linens, giftware and cookbooks. The shop is located near Gate E87 and open 7am to 7:30pm.

For Your Health

Vancouver International Airport

offers several services that are rare to find at airports. There is a pharmacy, dental clinic and medical clinic on Level 1 of the domestic terminal before clearing security.

The pharmacy, Pharmasave, is open 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday.

It has prescription drug service and also sells gifts, cards and over-thecounter medications.

Next door to Pharmasave is the medical clinic. The walk-in clinic offers both primary care and family care. Other specialties include travel medicine, physiotherapy, podiatry, acute injury management and aviation health services. It is open 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday.

The dental clinic, which offers both appointments and walk-in services, practices aesthetic, cosmetic and general dentistry. The clinic is open 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday and 9am to 5:30pm Saturday.

Travel tall, in the International arrivals terminal. These items were traditionally positioned on beaches to welcome guests to special events.

The most dramatic totem, Celebration of Flight, is in the Graham Clarke Atrium in departures Level 3. The work is by artist Don Yeomans and includes many mythological symbols. You can find additional totems outside the International terminal.

Another great way to spend some time during your layover is at the public observation area on Level 4 of the domestic terminal. You will have to exit and re-enter security, so it’s a great way to spend some time on long layovers. The public observation area is open to the general public, so you will often see people there hanging out watching the planes come and go. The large space is filled with floor-to-ceiling windows, 23 feet tall and stretching for almost 140 feet. There are telescopes available to give you close up views of the planes. Other features include touch-screen kiosks detailing the airport’s history, air traffic control listening stations, an interactive model of Sea Island and a video that gives you a behind the scenes look at how your luggage travels throughout YVR.

Rest Your Head

For Fun & Relaxation

The artwork at YVR is one of the things that has made it a travel favorite. As you walk through the airport’s terminals, you will find yourself surrounded by great artwork, most of it from Canada.

One of the key features of the International terminal is the Aquarium and Creek. The indoor creek is surrounded by cafes, shopping, seating and artwork. The satellite location of the Vancouver Aquarium is a large, 30,000-gallon aquarium that showcases indigenous sea animals. This massive aquarium is located on Level 3 and includes thousands of creatures, including wolf eels, anemones, striped perch, sea stars, live rock, kelp, corals, sea urchins and fish. There is a smaller jellyfish exhibit on Level 4 that includes more than 12 types of jellies.

If you have a long layover, you can download one of several maps that showcase the artwork located throughout the terminals. One of the self-guided tours, Land, Sea & Sky, showcases the variety of artwork at YVR. Another great self-guided art tour focuses First Nations Art & Architecture. Both include details of the artwork (with photos to ensure you are reading about the correct work of art) along with a detailed map to lead you through the terminals. You can either download the PDF before you leave home, or open it on your tablet so you can follow along at the airport.

Some of the highlights include the Flight Spindle Whorl by artist Susan Point. This is the world’s largest Coast Salish Spindle Whorl, measuring more than 16 feet in diameter and about a foot thick.

The Flight Spindle Whorl greets

passengers as they enter the Customs Hall in the International terminal.

Another favorite artwork is the Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe by artist Bill Reid. The massive piece was installed in the International terminal in 1996 and is probably YVR’s most famous item.

It is a bronze casting with a jade green patina. Haida Gwaii means “Islands of the People” while the Jade Canoe represents all living beings in the world. Just behind The Jade Canoe is the Great Wave Wall by artist Lutz Haufschild. The work, measuring more than 130 feet long by nearly 33 feet tall, consists of thousands of glass pieces representing the ocean.

Throughout the airport, you will find a variety of totems and Clayoquot welcome figures. There are several figures, standing nearly 10 feet

The only hotel at YVR is the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Airport.

The hotel, located directly above the USA Departures terminal, includes 392 luxury rooms, all sound proofed with floor-to-ceiling windows so you can sleep in peace, but enjoy watching the planes at the airport during your stay. The hotel offers a full-service day spa.

Day use rooms are available for 4, 6 or 8 hours, and includes use of the pool or health club.

The hotel has a bar and restaurant (see above in the restaurant section of the USA terminal) and serves afternoon tea between 2 and 3:30pm. For reservations, visit online at www.fairmont.com/ vancouver-airport-richmond/.

Be sure to go online at www.yvr.ca/ en/default.aspx for any current updates before you leave home.

When you are at the airport, if you have any questions, you can contact one of 12 customer care counters located throughout YVR. Each one is open 24 hours. There are also dozens of volunteers in bright green vests located throughout the airport. Any of them can answer your questions or guide you in the right direction.

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Put a Pin in it

By Debbie Stone

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Travel

Star-studded Swiss I Cities of Lausanne and Montreux

t’s hard to imagine what a noted British poet, a famous film actor, a celebrated French fashion designer and the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen could possibly have in common. Yet each of them – Lord Byron, Charlie Chaplin, Coco Chanel and Freddie Mercury – all resided, at one point in their lives, in and around the French-speaking region of Lausanne and Montreux, Switzerland.

After visiting this vibrant and alluring locale, I understand why these celebs and so many others have chosen to call it home.

Lausanne’s allure is widespread, from its glorious location on Lake Geneva and its Mediterranean ambiance to its rich history and flourishing arts scene. The city’s prominent Cathedral of Notre-Dame, a 13th century Gothic edifice with four stately towers and no less than 105 stained glass windows, dominates the landscape and establishes the town’s medieval roots. Buildings dating to the Middle Ages line the cobblestone streets within the picturesque city center. More than just a pretty face, however, Lausanne is a destination of learning, commerce and culture that attracts university students, business titans and visitors from around the globe.

Most tourists are surprised to discover that the main headquarters of the Federal Supreme Court has been situated in this town since 1874 and that it has also been home to the International Olympic Committee since 1915. The acclaimed, state-of-the-art Olympics Museum, one of Lausanne’s

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main attractions, is based here as well. Plan to spend time exploring this wonderful, interactive museum, which tells the Olympic Story over time, from antiquity to to the present day, while paying tribute to the men and women who celebrate and epitomize the Olympic ideal. One floor is devoted to the origins of the ancient Olympic Games, their revival

by Pierre de Coubertin and their spread throughout the world. Other galleries focus on the Games and delve into the greatest feats and stories of the athletes who participated in the competitions.

Additionally, there are displays that explore the daily lives of athletes before, during and after the Games.

Outside the museum, overlooking scenic Lake Geneva, is the Olympic Park, which features works of contemporary artists and sports activity areas.

Art aficionados will rejoice in the city’s offerings, especially the Hermitage

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Foundation, a gem of a museum housed in a preserved 19th century villa that holds exhibitions of paintings and sculptures created from 1850 to 1920, with a special focus on Impressionism and French art. Another unique, must-see cultural attraction in Lausanne is the Collection de l’Art Brut. The impetus for this museum stemmed from a donation of works by French artist Jean Dubuffet, who began collecting creations outside the mainstream in hopes of shedding light on art that was free from cultural and social conditioning. Works on display are by untrained artists, many who lived difficult lives. Some resided in mental institutions or were incarcerated in prison; others were social outcasts, loners or just eccentrics who turned to painting, sculpture and other artistic media as a means to express themselves. Though the pieces can be disturbing at times, they are truly fascinating, as is the accompanying biographical information about each of the contributors.

Travel

Lausanne is also a magnet for shoppers who flock to Place de la Palud and Rue de Bourg, pedestrianfriendly areas with over 1,500 boutiques and stores, along with colorful open-air market stalls selling everything from flowers to local produce, fish and wine. You’ll know you’re in the right spot when you see the Fountain of Justice, distinguished by a statue holding a scale in one hand to weigh the soul and a sword in the other to right the wrongs. It’s just one of 120 historical and whimsical fountains in the town.

When it comes to nightlife, the Flon district is the place to be. The area was once an industrial hub and architects were careful to preserve

the original style of the buildings during renovation. Today, it’s a collection of avant-garde-like structures that house shops, offices, apartments and entertainment venues which come alive when the sun sets and the party-goers appear.

With Lausanne’s Lake Geneva backdrop, it’s impossible not to want to spend some time near or on the water during your visit. Stroll down the beautiful lakeside promenade, or opt for a boat ride to explore neighboring Evian, France. Though only thirty minutes separates the two cities, they are worlds apart from one another when it comes to culture, people and ambiance.

Finding good food is never a problem in Lausanne -- or anywhere in Switzerland for that matter. The offerings are versatile, from awardwinning fine dining establishments with gourmet cuisine to cozy cafes and trendy bistros that boast inventive and exciting dishes.

Sampling Swiss chocolates is an activity in and of itself and a pursuit I took very seriously, especially when I was informed by a noted chocolate maker that eating chocolate or imbibing a chocolate beverage should be an intensely emotional experience. He emphasized the power of fine chocolate on one’s psyche, explaining that it has the ability to make you dream and to set your mind free. My favorite find was

at Le Barbare, a tiny café by the cathedral in Old Town. The place has achieved cult status thanks to its original 1950s décor and its sublime, swoon-worthy hot chocolate, whose aroma envelops you as you enter the door. You’ll want to keep your spoon handy, as this is one cup of cocoa that you actually eat, not drink.

Though sadly you won’t be able to see Charlie Chaplin, Coco Chanel, Lord Byron or Freddie Mercury around town, you might catch a glimpse of some other celebs if you stop in at the bar at Beau-Rivage Palace, one of the most prestigious hotels in the city. It’s where the stars like to stay, and for Diana Ross, as well as Phil Collins, it has also served as the perfect wedding destination. Stroll the gardens and you’ll come across an unusual site – a pet cemetery – where Coco Chanel’s beloved dog is purported to be buried, along with other pooches of note.

Lausanne provides easy access to the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Lavaux Vineyards. Even if wine is not your thing, you’ll want to put this Swiss treasure on your list due to its jaw-dropping setting. Ten thousand vine terraces, a system created by Cistercian monks in the 11th century, hug the steep slopes that face the Alps above the shimmering waters of Lake Geneva. This is the birthplace of the Chasselas grape variety, a wine appreciated for its pure scents and delicate fruit notes.

Other varietals grown here, such as Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cabernet Franc, Gamaret and Sauvignon, are testimony to the richness of Lavaux’s terroirs which benefit from a temperate climate and a Mediterranean character to the

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region. Patrick Fonjallaz is one of 250 vineyard owners in the Lavaux region. He is the successor of twelve generations of wine producers, a wine dynasty established in 1552.

His winery is destination-worthy, not only because of the high quality of the wines, but because of its breathtaking views of the surrounding environs.

Continuing south from Lavaux along the lake, you’ll soon come to Montreux, Switzerland’s “festival city” and a noted international tourist resort. As in Lausanne, many celebs have been attracted to the area due to its beauty, temperate weather and good quality of life.

Among the sights to take in is Chillon Castle, the most-visited historic building in Switzerland. It’s located on a small island in the lake, a mere few feet from the shore, and was once the residence and profitable toll station of the Counts of Savoy. For hundreds of years, the occupants extracted a fee from people and goods passing between Italy and the rest of Europe. In more modern times, it became famous for having inspired Lord Byron’s poem, “The Prisoner of Chillon,” which was based on the true story of Francois Bonivard, a political prisoner from Geneva. Byron is said to have carved his name in one of the columns in the dungeon where Bonivard was kept for several years. The castle has had many well-known visitors over the years, including Henry James, Victor Hugo and Salvador Dali.

If you happen to be in Montreux during the first weeks of July, you’ll

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Travel be sharing the town with the masses who are there for the Montreux Jazz Festival. The event was the brainchild of Claude Nobs, a young, enterprising Swiss man with a love of music and a forward-thinking approach to technology. He organized the first festival in 1967 and over the years its popularity has extended across the globe, attracting musicians from a wide variety of genres. Big names such as Pink Floyd, Chicago, Santana, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison and Miles Davis have all performed in Montreux. The headliners play in the acoustically sophisticated Stravinsky Auditorium, while lesser-known acts give their shows in smaller venues around town. The energy and enthusiasm is palpable among the festival-goers, who range from children to seniors, many who make this special event an annual tradition.

Those who come to Montreux at other times of the year won’t be disappointed, as the city’s first-class hotels and spas, mesmerizing Alpine views and hip restaurant and nightlife scene provide enjoyment and entertainment. And its lovely palm-fringed, lakeside promenade helps to give Montreux a wonderfully relaxed vibe. If you can tear yourself away from this grand Swiss-style Riviera, take the GoldenPass Railway to Les Rochers-de-Naye, the top of the mountain that dominates Montreux. You’ll ride a cogwheel train, which will transport you to the summit in less than an hour.

At almost 7,000 feet, the view overlooks Lake Geneva with an impressive panorama across the mountains. Atop, there’s an Alpine garden with thousands of plants and flowers from around the world, as well as colonies of marmots, more commonly known as the mascot of the Alps, who live in the vast expanse of the area. There are also two restaurants, a conference room and several authentic Mongolian yurts for those interested in spending the night in this serene environment.

Like the celebs of the past and those of the present, you, too, will be enticed by the enchanting Swiss cities of Lausanne and Montreux.

Their charms will cast a spell on you, ensuring that you will return again and again.

If you go

For Switzerland travel information: www.MySwitzerland.com For information about all things Swiss: www.swissworld.org

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Global Etiquette International Dining

By Maralyn D. Hill

A

ny country you are visiting may have extremely different dining etiquette rules than those you are used to. On the other hand, they may be similar. The key is to be prepared. You may find yourself sitting on the floor, eating with your hands, or trying exotic food.

To avoid too many shocks and surprises, take some time to discover the dining etiquette rules that are common at your destination. Be sure to be humble and respectful when you make a mistake. There is a lot to learn and it helps to keep a little notebook as you go along of dos and don’ts. I’m not covering every country, but generalities and some specifics I know.

Asia

You’ll be expected to eat with chopsticks. If you can’t manage the regular moves, use them as a scoop.

The small end of a chopstick is the eating utensil, and the large end is used to serve others. Place chopsticks on your plate or a chopstick rest when not using

them, never in or across the rice bowl. You may hold the rice bowl close to your mouth when eating, so it acts as a safety net, if you are using the chopsticks as a scoop.

Japan

It is important not to cross your chopsticks, lick them or stick them vertically into a bowl of rice, as all three mannerisms are considered rude. However, with soup, it is fine to drink directly from the soup bowl. Slurping soup and noodles is considered a compliment to the chef, and the louder the better.

Don’t tip in a restaurant.

China

Belching is viewed as a compliment to the chef for preparing such a satisfying meal. Be sure to leave some of your food on your plate, which indicates the chef prepared more than enough to satisfy you, and don’t dig through a dish of anything to get to a particular part you like.

It is considered rude. Like Japan, don’t tip.

Thailand

Courses will be served all at once and generally shared, Sharing is common, and dishes are often served to spit among the table. Your fork is used to push food onto your spoon. Eat with your spoon. Be sure not to take the last bite from the sharing bowl.

India

It is important to finish your meal, since wasting food is viewed as quite disrespectful. Wash your hands both before and after eating, and be sure to clean around your fingernails.

Don’t eat too quickly or too slowly.

A medium pace is recommended.

Never eat with your left hand, as it is considered unclean. Use the right hand instead. Utensils are rarely provided.

Middle East

Arabs are well known for their hospitality and their meals. They often start much later than you may be used to, and a meals consist of many courses. Be sure to pace yourself. You will not be served alcoholic beverages as drunkenness is frowned upon and illegal in the majority of Muslim countries. Eat only with your right hand.

Israel

Food is both mid-eastern and western, and eating customs are generally the same as Western Europe.

Africa

Here they take great pleasure in

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entertaining and eating, as well as being generous. In most instances, you would be invited to someone’s home. In many of the countries, there will be no utensils of any sort and you’ll be expected to eat with your hands. Be sure to remember, in Muslim countries, don’t eat with your left hand. A tip is to watch your hosts in other countries for similar taboos and do what they do.

Caribbean, Central America and South America

Business lunches are common in Latin America and usually quite long.

Dinner is purely social and can be very late, sometimes starting at 10 or 11 p.m. In general, throughout Latin America, it is best to keep your hands above the table at all times when eating. You pass food and drink with your right hand. You can rest your wrists on the table, but not your forearms or elbows.

Europe

Whether you are in Western, Eastern, or Mediterranean Europe, you will find that table manners are quite similar to the United States.

There are some differences, but not an overwhelming number.

Europeans eat using the Continental style. This is when you hold your fork in your left hand and your knife in your right. The fork and knife remain in your hands at all times.

Americans switch the fork to the right hand after they cut meat, and set their( knife down on the plate.

Travel

Europeans are known to be stricter about table manners than Americans are. (Not than my family was. My grandfather noticed everything and was the enforcer.) In Europe, don’t rest your elbows on the table, but keep both hands above the table at all times. This feat can be accomplished by resting your wrists on the edge of the table. Never be tempted to tilt your chair back on two legs or push food onto a fork with your fingers.

Italy

If you are tempted to ask for extra cheese, don’t. It’s a giant faux pas to put more cheese on your pizza.

A bigger sin would be to add it to seafood. A service charge is usually added in the bill, but if the service is exceptional, add 5 to 10% gratuity.

Portugal

If you are someone who uses a lot of salt and pepper and there are not salt and pepper shakers on the table, don’t ask for them.

It is quite offensive to the chef’s seasoning skills.

France

Don’t ask to split the bill, as it is considered unsophisticated. You offer to pay the bill or someone else will. I personally have a problem with this custom. I have found myself in situations where someone paid the bill and, later in the taxi, I slipped them some money to help cover my share. I knew their budget, but I also knew they were French. They were very appreciative. Use bread to help push food to the fork. Tear a piece of bread off and use it.

When not in use, bread belongs on the table, not on the plate, unless a very formal dinner.

In our multi-cultural environment and global marketplace, dining with others is one of the most common ways to build and cement relationships. You will find it quite useful to be cognizant of customs and dining etiquette of

countries you are visiting. This is especially true if you are traveling there for business, but even if for pleasure, it is nice to be aware.

This shows your host an awareness and courtesy for their customs.

The more you travel, the more you will learn and discover and build your repertoire of worldwide dining customs, while you enjoy breaking bread with people around the world.

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Lula Cellars Offers Exclusive Limited Production Wines

L

ula Cellars is an exclusive, limited production winery in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley. I sat down this past fall with long-time winemaker Jeff Hansen and sampled some of his wines. I discovered surprisingly complex wines, an idyllic setting and a passionate winemaker.

About Lula Cellars

Hansen has been in the wine business a long time—nearly 30 years—and says growing grapes and making wine is in his blood. After all those years in the hectic wine industry of Napa Valley, it is clear that Lula Cellars and Mendocino County are now Hansen’s passions.

The wines at Lula Cellars (named

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after his maternal grandmother Lula) are limited to about 2,500 cases each year and they are not available through distributors. You can get them online or by visiting the new tasting room in Philo, California, right off of Route 128—The Mendocino Highway— that runs from Sonoma County through the Anderson Valley to the California coast near the town of Mendocino.

The tasting room sits on 22 acres and includes a lovely pond -a perfect venue for wine tasting.

Be sure to look for Honey, the winery dog.

Lula Cellars produces Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Dry Gewürtztraminer, Pinot Gris and Rosato (Rosé of Pinot Noir) wines. All of the grapes are

By Susan Lanier-Graham

Lula Cellars wines in the vineyard RIGHT Lula Cellars Tasting Room

Wine Lula Cellars vineyards

Lula Cellars Pinot Noir wines

from Mendocino County, which is not only one of California’s cooler appellations with sunny days and cool, foggy nights, but also the largest US producer of organic wines. Lula Cellars is in the long, narrow Anderson Valley, known as one of the top Pinot Noir regions in North America.

I tasted several 2012 wines and one 2013 wine from Lula Cellars. By combining the abundance of the fertile valley, the cool foggy nights and sunny days with years of experience and just the right amount of aging in oak barrels, Lula Cellars has created some world-class wines and is sure to offer exceptional wines for many years to come.

There are several different Pinot Noirs offered by Lula Cellars. The 2012 Mendocino Pinot Noir is a blend of pinot grapes using four different Pinot Noir clones from two coastal vineyards, both planted in 1998.

The blend of this wine is 35 percent Pommard, 30 percent Dijon #115, 15 percent Dijon #777 and 20 percent Dijon #667 clones. The wine is handmade in small fermentation vats, with no pumps or mechanical devices used during the fermentation process. Hansen ages each clone separately for 12 months in 50 percent new French oak barrels, blends the wines, and then returns the blended wine to the barrels for six more months.

The 2012 Mendocino Pinot Noir, which sells for $45 per bottle, is surprisingly complex for such a new cellar, obviously reflecting Hansen’s years of expertise. The nose on this one had a classic Pinot Noir sweetspicy, reminiscent of roses and coriander with cherries. The flavor is full of luscious ripe black cherry and has a nice balanced acidity.

Hansen suggests pairing it with something like a pork Milanese.

My favorite Pinot Noir at Lula, however, was the 2012 Costa Vineyards Pinot Noir. This one is bottled from grapes that grow on five acres in the nearby coastal mountain town of Comptche. That coastal climate is ideal for producing

this full-bodied Pinot Noir. The wine is 65 percent Pommard and 35 percent Dijon #115 clones grown in the same vineyard. Again, the fermentation process is completely non-mechanized; the two wines age separately for 12 months in 50 percent new French oak, are blended and then aged for an additional six months. This is an absolutely gorgeous ruby wine, perfectly balanced and full-bodied. The first aromas are that subtle rose and a deep earthiness that comes from the coastal area of Mendocino. The flavors of ripe raspberries bring the wine to life and the finish of plum is finessed with that idea amount of oak aging. I literally felt as if I were tasting the very soul of Mendocino when I drank this wine, which sells for $45 per bottle.

beautifully with braised lamb shanks.

Dry Gewürztraminer

The 2013 Mendocino Dry Gewürtztraminer comes from grapes that grow in the hills near Ukiah.

There are some Gewürtztraminers that don’t seem quite so balanced, ending up either too sweet or without any taste of the fruit.

The Lula Cellars Gewürtztraminer, however, offers a nice balance with lovely tangerine notes and a crisp acidity and subtle spices that make it a pleasure to drink. It made me want to go grab some seafood (maybe the local Dungeness crabs),

Lula Cellars Zinfandel

The 2012 Mendocino Zinfandel is from grapes grown at Mariah Vineyards on Mendocino Ridge. The vineyard, planted in 1980, is dry farmed, with no irrigation other than the natural winter rains. The wine is fruit forward with lovely aromas of blackberry jam. The taste is all about the fruit with a touch of spice. Unlike some of zinfandels, this one remains fruity on the finish without any of that heavy, often chalky feel that can sometimes accompany a zin. The wine is dark and full-bodied, priced at $29 per bottle. This one would pair

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Lula Cellars Tasting Room

but it would also pair well with a nice smoky cheese or the Thanksgiving turkey. The wine normally sells for $20 a bottle, but the 2013 is sold out. Lula Cellars will

be introducing the 2014 wines soon, so this might be a good wine to get before it’s gone again.

Rosato (Rosé of Pinot Noir)

Rosé wines in the U.S. are just starting to gain popularity, in part because people see a “pink” color and think sweet. A true rosé, however, is nothing like those pink, sweet white Zinfandels so popular two decades ago. A true Frenchstyle rosé is made by letting the juice have limited contact with the skins. The 2013 Mendocino Rosato was sourced from a single Pinot Noir vineyard in nearby Comptche. The wine is made of five different Pinot Noir clones—Pommard, Dijon #115, Dijon #777, Dijon #667 and Swan— with several hours of skin contact for the juice. The low temperature fermentation process (at 60 degrees F) creates a lush, fruity wine that feels delicate, but with great flavor.

When you sip this one—probably my favorite style wine for a hot summer day—you get strawberries and watermelon as you lift the glass to your nose. The crisp acidity keeps it smooth and balanced. As I tasted this one, I closed my eyes and imagined sipping it with a gentle ocean breeze and munching on a salad with goat cheese and citrus vinaigrette. The 2013 Mendocino Rosato sold for $20 a bottle, but

is also sold out. Definitely another one to watch for as soon as the 2014 Rosatos are released.

Heading for the Coast

The next time you head to Northern California, rent a car and drive northwest to the coast of Mendocino. It’s worth the drive to meander along Highway 128 from north of the city, past Sonoma County, into Mendocino County and through the Anderson Valley to the coast. Lula Cellars tasting room is the last one before you leave the town of Philo (or the first one on your way back to the city). Take the time to stop in and sip the wines.

Dan, the tasting room manager, will help you find your perfect wine. If you can’t get to Mendocino anytime soon, you can join the Wine Club or order wines online (shipping instructions are clearly stated on the winery’s website). I think I may have to make a return trip just to pick up a bottle of the 2014 Rosato—and take it on over to the coast with me for a day of wine, cheese and ocean breezes. For more on Lula Cellars, visit online at lulacellars.com.

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Corporate Executive Chef Timothy Connan Keller a Northwest Gem Corporate Executive Chef Timothy Connan Keller

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W

By Marlayn D. Hill

hen I was fortunate enough to meet Chef Tim Keller for the first time was Fall of 2008 in Ashland, Oregon. Tim was the Executive Chef at the Carriage House. As an appetizer that evening, we tried his onion rings that were dipped in a polenta batter and fried fast, hot and crispy, yet sweet inside. They were served with his tamarind catsup on the side, which was just the right combination of spices. The next day, we interviewed him and it was like a stand up comedy act. Then we got to see him in action preparing duck confit. I bring out his humor and passion, as when you read through Executive Chef Timothy Connan Keller’s interview, his sense of passion for life comes through, but not his sense of humor. It is there, and those who know him are fortunate to see and experience it.

Now that he is Corporate Executive Chef for the renowned Harry & David

Corporation, I wanted to interview Tim again and get an update.

When it comes to passion, creativity and dedication, Executive Chef Timothy Keller ranks with other top chefs throughout the world. Chef Keller’s approach to cuisine is that of a true artist who finds the often subtle beauty of an ingredient or flavor and then creates a masterpiece. For more than twentyfive years, he has delighted and educated his guests and peers with his fascination, creativity and techniques in creating a perfect dish.

As a young boy, Chef Keller grew up in the small town of Davis, in the heart of the Northern California farming industry. It was in this area that he learned the importance of organic farming, cheese making, and wine production. He immersed himself in the area’s aromas and flavors, with an approach that led

Epicure him to the exciting and exacting world of food.

Chef Keller continued with his hands-on education by working at several prominent San Francisco, California restaurants, as well as attending culinary school. He had the honor of working with Albert Tordjman at the Flying Saucer, for example. He appeared in the kitchen scenes in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire, which were filmed at Bridges Restaurant in Walnut Creek, California. He received a sterling write up in Bon Appetite magazine, and was commended for being an outstanding, creative and innovative chef.

Chef Keller followed these experiences by opening his first restaurant, The Firefly, in Ashland, Oregon. The Firefly was quickly noted in a number of publications, such as the Oregonian, as “one of the most outstanding restaurants in the Northwest.” During this time, Keller continued to master his concept of combining traditional European cooking techniques and American-Northwest innovations.

Other professional opportunities beckoned, and Chef Keller assumed the position of Executive Chef at the historic Jacksonville Inn in Jacksonville, Oregon. The Inn was rated as “Best Restaurant” for five years in a row. During this time period, Keller had the opportunity to prepare meals for President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton. Keller then accepted a position at the Carriage House Restaurant, also in Jacksonville, where he had the opportunity to build a renowned restaurant from concept to implementation. These experiences led Chef Keller to establish himself as an imaginative, innovative and knowledgeable leader within the culinary arts community.

Chef Keller: My family was very supportive in my decision to follow a career in food and hospitality.

They knew I was very artistic, creative, and passionate, and a hard dedicated worker. My parents aren’t “foodies”, but they appreciate good food and service. When I was eleven, I joined a club that studied how to set dinner tables and serve food properly. They were aware very early on that I enjoyed the moments created at the dinner table.

Painting Cherry Blossoms

My father was only concerned with the amount of work it takes to succeed in this profession. His mother owned a restaurant and he saw firsthand the amount of dedication that’s required to sustain a well-executed restaurant.

However, he knew that I too was committed to excellence and enjoyed pampering guests.

Candied Cherry Blossom

Chèvre and Cherry Blossoms

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

Chef Keller: I became very interested in food at the early age of five, when my family hosted a foreign exchange student from Paris.

My first recollection of her cooking, she prepared Crepe Suzette. Not only were the crepes incredibly tasty, but she had spelled our names into each one! I was treated by a beautiful French girl, and I thought she was a culinary sorceress!

snacks. I especially loved the buttery pillowy inside that we removed to allow room for the vanilla pastry cream. That first memory, buttery steam, succulent wisps of soft, warm pastry and that sensual rich flavor are embedded into my makeup.

My next introduction with fine foods was with pate a choux, which some thirty-five years later is still very dear to my heart. Choux paste taught me that with very few ingredients, I could create fantastic

I also remember making popcorn balls when I was very young, maybe nine or ten, and “burning” the butter.

I used the darkened butter and remember the flavor being life changing! It was my first

introduction to beurre noisette and simply a revelation. I now was intrigued with how a food could change in flavor, and how something so simple could create a completely different flavor profile. From caramelizing the oranges in the crepes, the pate a choux and beurre noisette in my popcorn balls (I imagined they were planets), I was fascinated with ingredients and especially butter.

As a boy, I grew up outside of San

Cherry Film and Chèvre

In 2011, Keller became the Corporate Executive Chef for the renowned Harry and David Corporation, which is known world-wide for its fine chocolates, premier fruits and specialty foods. During this time, Keller has appeared on television food segments in Denver, Colorado, Birmingham, Alabama and Detroit, Michigan, where he has shared his own creative recipes and signature cooking style which incorporates many Harry and David outstanding products. To date, Chef Keller continues to impress with his energetic cuisine and outgoing personality.

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

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Francisco, California. I was immersed in outstanding agriculture, the fine wines of the Napa Valley, heavenly cheeses, dairy, and poultry. Also, their was exotic fish from Hawaii, the dungeness crab, sourdough bread and the amazing chefs of the city!

It was in this grand area that I fell in love with food and dining. Sign me up! I was ready to attack fulltime in restaurants at age fifteen.

Maralyn: Did you do an apprenticeship or go to a culinary school?

Chef Keller: I believe you can learn a great deal in both culinary schools and apprenticing, but I believe it’s of the utmost importance to find teachers and Chefs that drive your passion. Individuals who push themselves, continuing learning, inspire me to be great as well. As a chef, you need to enjoy the process, the challenges and the rewards, otherwise it’s the toughest job one can face. I have often said, the day I stop learning is the day I stop living, and that’s really the key, I believe.

Always grow professionally and personally, they both go hand in hand.

I had been working in restaurants for more than three years, when a sauté cook from a country club I was working at the time asked me if I would like to go to culinary school with him. I thought that sounded like a great idea. I had been pursuing fire technology courses and working on my bachelor’s degree at Sacramento City College, but was not too excited about it. Culinary school sounded like an exciting, fantastic idea, so I enrolled.

While in school, we toured a local hotel and I quickly broke off from my group to fill out an application. I soon was working in one of the finest hotels in the San Francisco bay area.

While working, I realized that I was learning more than in culinary school, but school was giving me contacts and credibility. I realized that I was now Sous Chef of a big hotel, but at culinary school, I was learning how to be clean shaven, punctual, observant, engaging and professional.

my go-to snack. Pizza, I love pizza, any pizza. French Fries, croissants, baguette and I especially enjoy ice cream. Duck! I am duck crazy!

During this time, I came to a huge realization, the sooner I could learn everything, the sooner I could be an executive chef. I knew I was pushing myself to the brink, but I was learning a tremendous amount of skills in many areas of the kitchen and the hospitality industry. Then I realized, this is an ever-changing art form and while there are traditional methods of cooking (that should always be remembered), there is an endless supply of information; always growing and changing as with languages and art. This gave me an even brighter eyed approach!

She looked up at me and said, “They’re tasty”.

My last year of school, I went to work for Chef Albert Tordjman, a French Chef trained for many years

by Chef Paul Bocuse. It was here that all my training (6 years) had come full circle. I was learning more in one day than I had learned in weeks at culinary school and other restaurants. Here is where I realized what true passion is. This restaurant, The Flying Saucer in San Francisco, is where I would find my inner passion! The schooling and years of working in the trade coincided beautifully, and I would now open my first restaurant, Firefly, in Oregon.

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

Chef Keller: I enjoy preparing all foods, from the simplest to the sophisticated. A chef once told me “beauty in simplicity”. Being ingredient driven, I get excited around fantastic ingredients.

I love dishes that require days of preparation and many layers of flavor.

What really inspire me are new techniques. I love cooking sous-vide and have a blast working with liquid nitrogen. I like feeling as if I am a child in a laboratory of foods.

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

Chef Keller: I don’t really have a favorite traditional comfort food.

I always love chips and salsa, that’s

I remember walking my three year old daughter by the ducks at the park and pointing them out to her.

That’s my girl! I love duck and have eaten my weight in confit easily.

I enjoy all foods and really find the most comfort in those foods that conger up fond, warm and safe memories. That can simply include fantastic Champagne, fire and a view of a stormy ocean.

I am really texture oriented. I love crunchy and I love smooth. I also love salty and bitter.

Maralyn: How do you personally view presentation?

Chef Keller: Presentation is very important to me; I want to reflect my creativity and personality throughout my dishes. Like an artist, I want you to be able to recognize Candied Cherry Blossoms

my food. An art lover can recognize a Picasso or a Monet instantly, and I hope to convey the same visual message to my guests. I am not so worried if this should go here or there, I want the dish to be mine.

I want each dish to be a reflection of me, my individuality and my spirit.

I obviously trade ideas with other chefs, but I never want to copy.

I might share a technique, but I want to make it visually mine. Like music or painting, there are only so many colors, so many notes, it is individuals sharing their emotions that touch us.

Maralyn: What is your favorite cooking utensil?

Chef Keller: My fingers! I also love tweezers, but just because they make me feel like a scientist. I always have a spoon in my pocket, large enough to scoop and small enough to taste. Spiders, Japanese mandolins, tongs, wooden spoons, they all are much appreciated. But when all else fails, the fingers.

Maralyn: Anything else you would like to share about being a chef?

Chef Keller: Stay focused. Eat right!

Sleep and be tolerant and respectful of your staff.

I have often regretted how I have treated my staff in the past. I always thought people should be as passionate as me, then I realized, most likely are. But they have other passions, mine are in the kitchen.

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Epicure ingredients as these chefs.

I work with many local farmers and artisan food makers. I love creating relationships with people who want to try new approaches and ideas.

Often, the products made individually are far superior than large company produced products.

Maralyn: Do you have a favorite dessert?

Chef Keller: I can’t commit to a favorite, I really love everything! Éclairs, ice cream, crème brule, chocolate, fruit tarts, tortes, sabayon, fresh fruit and pretty much anything else.

I remember eating at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry. I had just had the twelve-course meal and the server asked me if he could get anything else. I literally wanted to do the whole dinner again. That would have been a fantastic dessert.

Watch for the pitfall of being so devoted to your work, that you lose perspective of other aspects.

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

Chef Keller: I have always thought the best ways to learn are by reading, traveling and doing. Do all three as much as you can!

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

Chef Keller: My most enjoyable moments come from guests enjoying their experience. I have a difficult time accepting praise, especially from myself. My career has been full of moments of greatness, opening restaurants, creating over hundreds of expertly crafted dishes and I guess it’s the sum of the parts that I appreciate. I look back at my career thus far, pat myself on the back for a moment and get back to creating.

I really don’t stop, I am continually thinking of ideas, not just food related concepts, but within every aspect imaginable.

I can’t help being proud when a favorable review or article is printed, validating the hard work and commitment, not only of what I have accomplished, but also of my collective team.

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

Chef Keller: I love eating at very fine restaurants; I love all of Thomas Keller’s restaurants, Bouchon, French Laundry and Ad Hoc. I have enjoyed many great meals at Fleur d Lys, Cyrus and The Girl in The Fig. All of these are San Francisco Bay area landmarks.

Le Pigeon, Imperial, The Benson, Blue Star Donuts and anything else in Portland, Oregon!

I might grab a burrito or some Thai here and there, but for the most part, I really enjoy my own food.

I love eating out and being served, having someone else take care of the dishes, but I would much rather eat in and spend my money on the vinyl records I play during dinner. I am spoiled with flavor. We refer to our smoke alarms as flavor detectors.

Our house smells wonderfully smoky at times.

Maralyn: Do you focus on using local products?

Chef Keller: This was a question brought up to me years ago, the local organic thing and I answered that writer with this statement: Fine chefs have been using local and organic products forever. That was our secret weapon. The average consumer would shop at grocery stores and the occasional fruit stand. Great chefs have always had fantastic connections directly with these producers. This is why restaurants were so special; you simply couldn’t get as many fine

Food for me is about the moment.

I want the dish to compliment the mood. Sure, there are standbys, but what will caress the emotions of the moment; for instance, ice cream in the sun, a warm tart by the fire or some marshmallows over the coals. The foods I eat paint pictures in my head.

Maralyn: Do you cook at home a lot?

Chef Keller: I cook every meal at home! I have to eat good, fresh meals every day. I often make three meals a day. I bake bread, make ice cream, BBQ, tons of pizza. I believe the more good energy is put into your food, the more good energy is put into you. And, I am a food snob who can’t afford to feed a family of four at fine restaurants. So I bring

Focaccia Crackers

Maralyn: How do you work with local growers?

Chef Keller: Working with local farmers can be a great collaboration, where we spring board off each other’s ideas, elevating our own products, practices and approach.

I also try to minimize the amount of plastic and cardboard being used. I am often set back by the amount of trash a restaurant can generate. If I can create less garbage I will. By having local products available, this means I can reuse bins, jars, bags and boxes.

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Katherine Frelon

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Epicure

Sakuramaki

the restaurant to us. I’m the cook, the waiter, dishwasher and usually the entertainment. Also, the main reason I enjoy cooking at home is that I know I am creating lasting memories with my family.

Maralyn: Would you share a recipe with us?

Chef Keller: This technique of “solidifying” a liquid has become a trademark component in many of my dishes.I made this recipe in reference to the spring celebrations in Japan.

Sakura translates to cherry blossom, and this is my take on a maki roll.

I use agar agar, which is very popular in Asia, and fuse it with French chevre. The flavor is delicate, light, bright and rich all together, balanced like sushi and perfect for spring entertaining.

Sakuramaki

Cherry Blossom and chevre For the candied blossoms ½ teaspoon granulated sugar ½ teaspoon whipped egg white 1 tablespoon granulated sugar For the maki 3½ ounces chevre or similar goat cheese 1 cup tart cherry juice 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon agar agar

25 cherry blossoms (reserve 3 for candy) For the candied blossoms, preheat oven at 100 Fahrenheit or a prepared dehydrator. Mix the egg white and sugar to create a sugar “paint”. Carefully remove the petals from the blossoms. Have a dehydrating pan, a set of tweezers and a paintbrush for assembly.

Using a very small amount of paint, paint each blossom petal, front and back. Drop into the tablespoon sugar, remove with tweezers and place on dehydrating pan. Candy all the petals and dehydrate, using manufacturer settings. Dehydrate in a convection oven set at 100 Fahrenheit for 1 day.

Line a small sheet pan with acetate film. This preparation can work on any flat cool surface, but the acetate is a bit easier to work with and creates a beautiful shine to the film. Portion the goat cheese into ¼ ounce cubes, cover and refrigerate. Place the cherry juice, sugar and agar agar into a small saucepot. Whisk well and bring liquid to a boil. Turn the heat off immediately and pour onto the acetate sheet. Refrigerate until firm. Remove the petals from 15 blossoms and adhere to the cubes

of chevre. Cut the cherry film the width of cheese and 6-7 inches in length. Place the chevre on one end of the strip and firmly roll up, allowing the seam to be hidden on the bottom.

Plating Plate the sakuramaki on a platter, garnish with one candied petal and one fresh blossom per maki. serve with chopsticks.

Yields 4 small servings.

Chef Keller also shared one of his recipes for focaccia crackers that go especially well with this dish.

Focaccia Crackers

3 cups warm water 3 tablespoons active dry yeast 3 tablespoons honey 3 tablespoons salt ⅔ cup olive oil 4 cups bread flour 4 cups all-purpose wheat flour Additional 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (reserved for final baking) Place the water, yeast and honey in a small mixer with a hook attachment, and mix on low for one minute. Add the salt and oil and mix for an additional one minute.

Add the flour, mix and knead on low for ten minutes. Place dough in

oiled bowl and rise until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add one tablespoon of the reserved olive oil to a half sheet pan, gently turn the bowl with dough upside down over the pan and release the dough from the bowl. It should pop right out on its own, then roll dough to fit pan.

Use a fork and put holes into the dough, roughly ¼” deep. Brush the remaining olive oil across the dough and let stand for 20 minutes. Place dough in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool and slice the dough in thirds and freeze. Place frozen focaccia onto a large cutting board and defrost until the bread can be sliced without cracking. Slice very thin and place on half sheet pan, bake for 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cool and keep tightly covered until served.

Chef Keller will be sharing some of his tasty recipes from Harry & David in the June issue of Luxe Beat Magazine. We are also happy to announce that Chef Keller will be a regular contributor to Luxe Beat Magazine.

You can follow Chef Keller on Twitter or Instagram @Chef_TKeller.

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New technologies help realise Vineyard of the Future

By Nick Carne

S

outh Australia’s vision of a “vineyard of the future” is already producing results for the vineyards of today.

University of Adelaide researchers with combined expertise in

engineering and plant biology have developed three new techniques for monitoring grape and vine performance, with others in the pipeline.

The first – an iPhone app to measure

canopy growth – is being beta tested by a leading wine company prior to being released through iTunes.

The second is a new way of measuring vine water status using near-infrared spectroscopy (wave lengths above our visual range). The aim is a “point-and-click” measure of how much water stress a vine is under.

“In that range there are strong absorption peaks corresponding to water, so you can look at the absorption of these wavelengths as a measure of how much water is in the leaf,” said project leader Professor Steve Tyerman, who is a chief investigator with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology.

The third technique uses impedance spectroscopy to measure grape quality, in much the same way as measuring fat levels in humans. An electrode is attached to a berry, an alternating current passes across it,

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and from this you can tell how the cells are behaving in the berry.

“Are they leaky or degraded? How much sugar does the berry contain.

All this can be worked out from a single measurement,” Prof Tyerman said.

To test these and other techniques, he and his colleagues established what they call their “vineyard of the future” – a one-hectare vineyard on the Waite Campus equipped with sophisticated sensors and image analysis equipment.

“The aim is to monitor the vineyard at different levels to see how efficiently things are working and how well the vines are performing, almost to the point where you could have hardly any visits necessary by people,” he said.

“Ultimately you could have a control system in front of you, with the

Wine “You could even get to the point in the future where, as in the mining industry, a lot of stuff would be robotically driven.”

Prof Tyerman is not alone in thinking this way. He recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with like-minded researchers at the University of Melbourne, the University of Talca in Chile and Spain’s University of La Rioja to share technology and ideas and seek research grants.

Their combined interests range from the use of drones to hyper-spectral imaging that can produce massive amounts of information from what are essentially overhead photographs.

“We invested in expensive cameras that measure the temperature of the canopy – each pixel is a measure,” he said.

“Take a picture of a canopy (or a whole block if on a drone) and you can tell where the hot spots are, and that tells you whether leaves are functioning properly. We have also used that approach to test the effect of smoke on vines.”

Prof Tyerman’s personal focus remains primarily on the potential of single vine sensors and infrared techniques, which keep an eye on a vineyard 24/7 and send data back to a central computer.

vineyard wherever it is, and you could see what’s going on, what needs to be done in terms of spray regimes or whatever, from the sensors and the imaging that you’ve got at your fingertips.

“You don’t often see something out of the ordinary in a vine unless it’s exposed to some sort of stress,” he said. “If we get a heatwave we don’t sent people out to measure, so you are missing what’s happening. But sensors don’t.”

Article republished with approval, theleadsouthaustralia.com.au

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Sampling Our Way Through Portland, Oregon’s Food Carts

By Jan Ross

Sampling from the array of choices

A

s huge fans of local foodie tours, my husband and I will often make a foodie tour of a city our first priority when visiting. It gives us a chance to sample some local restaurants and make a decision about whether or not we would like to return to enjoy a full meal. In this manner, we have explored Seattle, Scottsdale, San Francisco and lots of other locations.

But truly one of the most unique foodie tours was one we participated in just recently in Portland, Oregon,

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given by Food Carts Portland. Long before food carts or trucks became a phenomenon spreading throughout most major cities, Portland started the popular craze that other cities are now trying to emulate. Always a place on the cutting edge of culinary daring, Portland is the perfect place to check out the food cart scene.

For the uninitiated, food carts are basically just mobile kitchens from which food is served to pedestrians passing by. While food carts are technically mobile, those in Portland are stationary, set up into pods all

over the city. Food carts are versatile, offering an array of goodies, and appealing to a variety of customers, from businessmen on a lunch break to families of all ages to students.

Food carts are often creative in design as well as in the food they offer but it’s pretty easy to tell which are the most popular carts – just follow the lines! But how did Portland become what is arguably the food cart capitol of the United States? Most of this is due to Portland’s cart-friendly regulations.

Not much red tape, reasonable

start-up costs for entrepreneur chefs and a very supportive community all add up to the perfect food cart venue. In addition, Portland is a very walkable city with a culture that fosters creativity and craftsmanship so it’s no surprise that the food carts have flourished and had a huge impact on the city.

Empty lots and parking lots have filled with food cart pods and the influence in the surrounding areas can be seen when you stop for a bite.

Local parks have turned from places you would not want to walk through

Epicure

Brett, a tall, bespectacled, gregarious individual with unique mutton chops, has been talking and writing about Portland’s food carts since 2008. His tours cover not only the history of the carts, but also the conditions which helped them grow and thrive. Of course, the tour includes tasty samples.

Along with about 15 other people, we met Brett in a parking lot filled with a dizzying array of food carts.

Everything from gyros to dumplings to pizza to luscious items we could not even identify were being consumed, and the delicious smells wafting about were enough to make anyone abandon any idea of diet plans. Brett introduced himself and began telling us about the food carts, which was extremely interesting but in reality, we were probably all thinking the same thing: Bring on the food!

The Dump Truck food cart ABOVE-LEFT Brett Burmeister, our affable host

Finally, after walking around for several minutes and showing the amazing choices, Brett began offering us food. And what food! This was not the hot dogs/funnel cake/barbecued sandwiches we were used to at special events in our home city; this was delicious, unique, amazing, and please can we have more? to family-friendly locations and small shops and restaurants have sprung up in the nearby neighborhoods.

The astonishing variety of delectable selections can be a little overwhelming – where to start? Our foodie tour with Food Carts Portland would help us learn more about this trend and sample some of the most popular offerings. With over 600 food carts offering food from all over the world, it helps to have an expert along, and Brett Burmeister, the owner and managing editor of Food Carts Portland, is just the guy.

We visited several different food cart pods on our tour, strolling from one to the other and enjoying the beautiful city of Portland and the friendly residents. We chowed down on items from a number of carts and a number of countries, including taco, pizza, and gyros but a couple were absolute standouts.

The Dump Truck is a bright yellow food cart owned by Julia and Reid who discovered the joy of dumplings when they lived in Beijing in 2007.

Taught the secret to making perfect dumplings, they came to Portland

So many choices - and not enough time!

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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 Susak, Charlene offers a mouthwatering selection of toppings for her liege style waffles, which are truly unique. These are not your typical waffles; rather they are made from a sweet, brioche-style dough with chunks of pearl sugar kneaded into the dough right before baking.

This dough gives the waffles a chewy texture, and the added sugar gives then a sweet, carmelized taste.

The toppings are also chosen with care and made with only fresh, local, organic and seasonal ingredients. For a great introduction and to fully appreciate how delicious these waffles are on their own, try the original liege waffle simply dusted with powdered sugar. That’s what we had for a sample, but I looked so yearningly at the other menu offerings that my husband took pity on me and we walked back over to The Gaufre Gourmet for breakfast the next morning. I had the Belgian chocolate drizzled waffle, which I highly recommend. I could cheerfully eat there every single day until I had tried every waffle – then start again!

The Food Carts Portland tour was the perfect introduction to the fascinating world of food carts in Portland and we highly recommend it. Luckily it was our first day in Portland, so we were able to check out a variety of food carts for other meals during our stay. We never visited a single restaurant during our stay, as we were able to satisfy every craving with a food cart item.

The next time you are in Portland, check out the Food Carts Portland tour -- and try some of those waffles for me!

Just a few of the Portland Food Carts RIGHT Our group sampling the waffles

where they made them for friends, one of whom was the owner of a local restaurant who added the dumplings to his menu. Julia experimented with a variety of crazy but delicious dumplings which were so popular that the couple decided to open a food cart to bring their offerings to the masses.

We tried several different dumplings but our favorite by far was the cheeseburger dumpling – that’s right, a uniquely American concoction plunked into an Asian filling and it absolutely works.

Waffles are one of my favorite things in the entire world, so when we

stopped at The Gaufre Gourmet food cart, my salivary glands were vibrant with expectation. That expectation was met with the glory that is their delicious waffles. Gaufre is French for waffle and Charlene Wesler’s love for gourmet cuisine is evident in the name she chose for her business.

Together with fellow chef Michael

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Culinary Splendor in Charlottetown

By Tiffany Thornton

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C

anada’s Prince Edward Island has long been touted as “the gentle island”. With its small rolling hills, verdant potato fields and pastoral vibe, it’s a place that makes you want to linger lazily and watch the purple hue of the evening sky unfold. The capital city of Charlottetown is where the birth of the Canadian nation evolved one hundred and fifty years ago. This small idyllic city is on the edge of a bustling harbour.

The tree-lined streets invite you to meander. The grand old Victorian homes and colonial buildings provide a sense of old world charm.

The location on the Atlantic pretty much assures any visitor that the seafood will be a fresh catch of the day, but knowing where to go for the absolute best in town can be tricky.

Epicure Lobster tacos at the Row House Lobster Co

seeing the word “lobster” in the name of a restaurant will be temptation enough to check it out. Located on Richmond Street, possibly the quaintest street in downtown Charlottetown, the Row House Lobster Co. menu is certainly a “catchy one.” The lobster tacos are stuffed to the brim with charred corn, tomato salsa, pickled red onions and generous lobster chunks.

On a lobster kick, the next must-try are the lobster lollipops, tempurabattered lobster served up with spicy mayo and cilantro lime dipping sauce. Lastly, don’t leave without trying the red rock local oysters slurpy and sensational.

The view from the Grand Holman Hotel in Charlottetown

Moonsnail Soap Works

What better way to wash it all down than with a locally-brewed beer from Charlottetown’s Gahan House? They handcraft some superb ales made on site at the brewery, which you can tour. Located inside an old historic building that once was a convent, the Gahan House brewery boasts the best beer in town. The tour will take you back in time, as it includes the brewery’s history and how the name Gahan came to be. Of course, sampling of some of the top ales, like the Sir John A honey wheat and the island red amber ale are all included.

Charlottetown may be a small city, but it certainly has a plethora of superb dining options. Whether it’s a lobster roll lunch, or some of the best oysters you will ever indulge in, P.E.I. has several varieties that will leave your palate tingling for more.

When it comes to accommodations, The Grand Holman Hotel certainty lives up to its name. With its open airy entrance, towering ceilings and walls filled with wonderful art, it’s an inviting spot located in the heart of historic Charlottetown. The Island Suite rooms are stellar and offer modern touches, amenities and cozy comforts like the dual fireplaces (one in the bedroom, the other in the main sitting area of the suite).

For many travellers to the Maritimes,

Every trip needs to powered up by a scrumptious brunch. Leonhard’s Café in downtown Charlottetown is not just good, it’s divine. The café has an inviting ambiance, and the menu has touches of Germaninspired, locally-sourced quality food. The Bavarian breakfast is out of this world and is stuffed with P.E.I. potatoes, bacon and onions, and is served with a side of greens. The smoked salmon casserole is baked with cheese and consists of more P.E.I potatoes, spinach, onions and herbs. Make sure you save room for the freshlybaked vanilla rolls.

No visit to P.E.I. is complete without taking a piece of the island home with you. Moonsnail Soap Works is a unique and funky shop which produces over 30,000 handmade soaps per year. The soaps and body products are inspired by the land, the sea and the alluring red beach sand that surrounds the coast of Prince Edward Island. The P.E.I. Sand Scrub is so addictive it’s best to grab a few to take home with you, along with the Red Clay & Sea Kelp Soap. Each is infused with bay, lavender and cedar oils. Best of all, Moonsnail will ship anywhere, in case you wish to replenish your supply after you return home.

A scrumptious brunch is served at Leonhard’s Café

The Gahan House’s wonderful selection of ales

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Living the Farm Sanctuary Life

L

iving the Farm Sanctuary Life

by Gene Baur with Gene Stone is the “ultimate guide to eating mindfully, living longer and feeling better everyday.”

The book tells the story of Farm Sanctuary, which was established in

1986, includes actionable advice on going cruelty-free, and improving the health of planet Earth. Here are a few of the recipes featured in the book, courtesy of chef Jason Wyrick, The Vegan Taste and author of Vegan Tacos.

Blood Orange, Olive, and Basil Salad

Says Jason: “This salad, typically made with whatever fresh oranges are on hand and made with blood oranges here, is a popular winter dish throughout the south of Italy.

Fennel and red onion are popular additions, but my favorite version (this one) concentrates on the interplay of the sweetness of the oranges, the saltiness of the olives, the pop of the basil, and the smoothness of the olive oil.

It showcases one of the quintessential elements of Italian cuisine, namely that you don’t need complicated recipes to make outstanding food. You only need outstanding ingredients and the willingness to let them speak for themselves.”

Makes 2 servings Time to Make: 10 minutes 4 blood oranges or oranges of your choice, peeled and carefully chopped into bite size pieces 3 tablespoons chopped oil cured pitted black olives or ¼ cup chopped pitted kalamata olives ¼ cup finely sliced basil leaves ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons good-quality extra-virgin olive oil (preferably with a peppery finish) ¼ cup thinly sliced fennel, if in season, optional In a large bowl, toss together the oranges, olives, basil, pepper, oil, and fennel, if using. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Make it low fat by omitting the oil.

Pancakes with Orange Moscato Syrup and Pine Nuts Says Jason: “I created this recipe

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when I was leading a vegan food tour in the south of Italy. Everyone really wanted pancakes for breakfast, but I wanted to utilize some of the exceptional ingredients we had. That included a bottle of orange moscato, fresh pine nuts, and oranges picked directly from the orchard outside the villa where we stayed.

It’s quintessential Italian.

Not a lot of ingredients so the ones that are there can really shine. Best of all, this is a fancy breakfast that doesn’t take any more effort than making regular pancakes.”

Makes 4 servings Time to Make: 15 minutes 3–4 tablespoons pine nuts ⅔ cup whole wheat pastry flour ¼ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder ⅔ cup almond milk 2 teaspoons olive oil grated peel of 2 oranges ¼ cup agave nectar 3 tablespoons orange moscato* In a medium skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts for 1 minute.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder, making sure they are evenly distributed. Whisk in the almond milk and oil until you have a thin batter.

Bring a medium skillet to just above medium heat. Add a very thin layer of olive oil and wait about 30 seconds for it to heat. Pour about ⅓ cup of the batter into the skillet and quickly rotate it a couple of times to get the batter to spread out. Cook the pancake for 2 minutes, then flip it and cook for 2 minutes. Remove and keep it warm.

Epicure Repeat until you are out of batter.

In a medium bowl, combine the orange peel, agave, and moscato.

Plate the pancakes, pour the syrup on them, and top with the toasted pine nuts. *Skip the moscato and add 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice and 1 tablespoon white wine.

Tacos with Salted Grilled Plantains, Salsa Verde, and Pepitas

Says Jason: “If the tortilla is the soul of a taco, then the filling is the body, and fresh lime and spicy salsa are the life of it. It’s the fusion of all three of these components that makes tacos the perfect handheld meal. Because the traditional tortilla for a taco is only about 5½” in diameter, one serving is usually two or three tacos—or four if you’re hungry!”

Makes 12 tacos Time to Make: 25 to 35 minutes

2 cups fresh masa (corn dough for making tortillas) or 12 small premade corn tortillas 2 medium semi-ripe plantains, peeled 1 tablespoon garlic-infused oil grated peel and juice of 2 limes 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder 1 ½ cups salsa verde ¾ cup toasted pepitas 2 cups shredded red cabbage Heat a grill, preferably using mesquite wood. If using a gas grill, bring to medium heat and add soaked mesquite chips in the smoking box.

While the grill is coming to temperature, make the tortillas.

Bring a griddle or comal to medium heat. Lay plastic wrap over the bottom flap of your tortilla press.

Take 2 to 2½ tablespoons of the masa and form it into a ball. Lay this on the plastic wrap, just

slightly off center toward the hinges of the press. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap at least the size of the tortilla press flap over the masa ball. Press down firmly until the masa is flat and you have a tortilla ready to be cooked. This takes a little practice, so if your first few tortillas don’t turn out right, simply re-form the dough into a ball and press it again. Make as many uncooked tortillas as your griddle can handle before laying them on the hot griddle. Typically this will be 2 to 4 tortillas. Make sure to press each tortilla in its own plastic wrap and keep them in the wrap until you are ready to lay them on the griddle.

Brush the plantains with the oil.

Grill them until they are heavily browned on both sides. Remove them from the grill and chop into bite-size pieces.

Immediately toss them with the lime peel and juice and then the salt and chile powder.

To each tortilla, add the plantains, 2 tablespoons of the salsa verde, 1 tablespoon of the pepitas, and the cabbage.

Remove the top layer of the plastic sheet. Flip the tortilla over and remove the other layer. Gently lay it on your griddle. Cook the first side for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until you see the edges of the tortilla change color.

Flip the tortilla over and cook for 1 minute. Flip it back over one more time and cook it for another 30 seconds. Remove the tortillas from the heat, stacking them and keeping them covered so they don’t dry out.

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Images: Jessica Pearl and Kristin Hettermann. Aerial Photo:

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Échapper to Cap Est Lagoon Resort and Spa

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Travel

By Lisa Collins-Haynes

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I

think it was a proverbial French kiss between France and the Caribbean that made Martinique an alluring and romantic island.

With rolling hills, fancy cars and the accent that rolls off the tongue…it’s the perfect French connection, without having to cross the pond. My escape to Cap Est Lagoon Resort and Spa made Martinique even more appealing.

Situated on the east side of the island in Le François, Cap Est boosts an intimate fifty suites throughout eighteen villas. I found it to be a playground for the sophisticated, with a quiet ambiance that oozes romantic getaway beach retreat. It

may not be at the top of your travel hit list, but it should be. It’s a five-star resort that goes beyond stars to meet the needs of their clientele, with attention to detail and impeccable service that translates to repeat visitors year round.

My introduction to the resort came as my driver pulled up to a giant wooden privacy gate; my name was on the list, they were expecting me. As the doors slowly opened, we drove the windy path to the reception area. Greeted with a cool refreshing towel and a glass of the sweetest fruit tea that had been sweetened from the region’s pure sugar cane. I was visiting for lunch,

but an impromptu mid-day rain shower forced me to wait in the reception area briefly until the weather cleared.

I had time to stroll the covered grounds and bar, and was struck by the architecture and design. The furniture and style had a strong Creole and Asian feel which was calming and relaxing. I wandered over to an enclave set apart from the

reception area to do a little windowshopping. Encased behind sliding glass were available essentials, in case one forgot to pack something important for a French-Caribe escape -- like a silk scarf, designer sunglasses or evening apparel.

When there was a break in the rain, Nicholas, a staff member, escorted me to the water’s edge and Le Campêche, for lunch served by Executive Chef Guillaume Bregeat.

As I took in the serene scenes of the lagoon, I was entertained by a one-woman fashion show. A model pranced through the restaurant in fashionable swimsuits and cover-ups.

As I sat there, she probably did ten wardrobe changes.

The Le Campêche menu was full of locally sourced ingredients and fresh seafood; all tempted me, but I decided on the grilled sea bass with vanilla and vegetables. It’s not often I eat sea bass and this reminded me of best meal I had on my first trip to Paris, so I kept with tradition. The fish was grilled just right, flaky and succulent with the vanilla on the side, which I used to occasionally heighten the flavor palette. I didn’t walk away until I experienced the Caribbean fresh fruit salad and guava sorbet for dessert. I’m a pushover for dessert and this flavorful combination did not disappoint.

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Travel a spa treatment and hydrotherapy is definitely the way to go. In keeping with the Asian theme throughout the resort, Le Spa is also equipped with a relaxation center with a Japanese pool to increase physical and mental health and overall well-being.

With colors borrowed from madras patchwork fabric, the reds, blues and greys are seen throughout the resort. On a site visit of the deluxe suite, I was impressed by the spacious quarters; the shallow “punch bowl” pool overlooking the lagoon; the private outdoor shower and even the luxury bath amenities designed by Molton Brown. Mood lighting and a bed covered in flower petals is always a nice touch.

Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the deluxe suite was the accent chairs that faced the window allow guests to sit comfortably and take in the tranquil view, chat about the day’s events or just mediate in the essence of Cap Est and all her glory.

Now that Martinique is rightfully added to your next vacation list, I want to leave you with a quick travel tip. Although situated in the Caribbean, Martinique is still very French. Brushing up on your conversational French will go a long way on this beautiful and romantic island.

helicopter rides around the island, 4x4 tours, deep-sea diving and sport fishing. Feeling idle, you’ll find the cascading pool as inviting as I did.

A trip to the spa will relieve more than winter blues, stress and work burnout.

Le Spa has a facial parlor, a body care room, two massage rooms and two hydrotherapy rooms.

Let’s face, it you must have

The property offered an array of activities. Head towards the pier through the well-manicured archway for snorkeling, kayaking, wind surfing or a ride on the White Shark, the resort’s private catamaran.

Guests are invited to explore the lagoon and islets of François and Robert, the Fonds Blancs, LoupGarou and Chancel,where the diversity of the flora is equaled only by its beauty. I would have loved to be held hostage at Cap Est, but some people may actually enjoy seeing a bit more of Martinique and opt for the resort to book a separate excursion. Available to guests are

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This potent, anti-aging cream with IMPATM Complex, is a unique blend of hexapeptides, glycoproteins and protein hydrolysate developed by Phyto-C founder, Dr. Mostafa Omar. The proprietary formula stimulates cell-cell interaction, assistant in the formation of collage and combats skin imperfections in just days.

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elasticity, tightens and firms skin.

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IMPATM Complex, Aleosin, Madelic Acid, Vitamin B12 Phyto-C Signature retails for $240 and is available at estheticians and doctors’ offices, as well as online via www.myphyto-c.us.

For more information, please visit www.phyto-c.com.

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Julian Chang’s New 2015 Resort Collection Dresses

By Marlayn D. Hill

J

ulian Chang has outdone himself again with his 2015 resort collection of dresses.

His feather light poly-blend sheer fabric makes an ideal beach cover up and transitions flawlessly from day to evening.

Personally, I liked last year’s line, but this year’s line-up is better than ever. Julian has managed to offer something for every figure, from flowing caftans to fitted bodice with flowing bottom gowns. The short dresses are sassy and long dresses classy. I especially like the introduction of lace and beading to the collection this year. The coverups are so stylish, they may just make it to your permanent wardrobe.

Whether you are partial to the vibrant colors of his collection or the muted selections, all distinctive lines flow well.

Peruvian born Julian Chang is Miami, FL based, and this well-known and

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respected fashion designer resides in Miami Beach.

Chang has been able to encompass sophisticated evening wear, as well as a contemporary women’s collection, that now is available in more than six hundred boutiques worldwide. He is also known for his custom designs for celebrities who include Britney Spears and Gloria Estefan.

He has said, “Style is not based on brand names, labels or latest seasons must have. Style is within you. My collection will bring you an effortless look that is outlined with your own style by mixing timeless, comfortable pieces that will always be relevant to your wardrobe. Miami’s lifestyle is my inspiration, so I mix glamour with sexiness and confidence.”

Julian has a deep admiration of Diane Von Furstenberg, and has based his business model on the best of hers.

He also has aspirations to create a

range of fashion similar to icons such as Tom Ford, Alexander Wang and Valentino.

Julian has also received top honors, including MIFW “Pret-aPorter Designer of the Year”, Pret-a-Porter Style Award, Ebenezer Award of Honor World Fashion in Korea, Florida International’s Designer Star Winner, Vogue En Español “Designer’s Choice Award”, and Cadillac Luxury Lifestyle Award.

Women’s Wear Daily selected Chang as the “Up and Coming Ready-toWear Designer to Watch”. He is also the Gen Art Fresh Faces Award winner, and recipient of The Key to the City of Miami Beach, Vox Out Award, and AI Alumni Wall of Fame.

From 2010 through 2013, Julian has opened the Miami Fashion Week International Runway Show, and has been awarded for his Ready to Wear Collection. In 2013, Miami Fashion Week presented Julian with the Humanitarian Award.

Julian Chang Cover-up Julian Chang Long gown with lace

Fashion

Julian Chang Caftan Julian Chang Muted Long Gown

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A Perfume Heaven in Barcelona

By Inka Piegas-Quischotte

Perfumes in Basilica Gallery BELOW Objets d’art

B

arcelona’s Gothic Quarter is a maze of small squares and narrow, sometimes cobbled, streets. Stretching between the Ramblas de Catalunya and Via Laetana, dominated by the cathedral and a basilica, the Gothic Quarter is a treasure trove for any visitor who seeks extraordinary shops, exquisitely designed clothes, bespoke wicker furniture, colorful costume jewelry and just about everything else that smells of individuality and luxury.

And talking about smells: On my recent week-long trip to Barcelona, I was rather aimlessly ambling around Plaza del Pi, looking at the paintings of artists who exhibit their works there at weekends. Turning into a narrow street called Calle Sant Sever, I caught a whiff of exquisite perfume. As it turned out, the enticing scent emanated from the open door of a shop called La Basilica Galeria Perfume.

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As the name indicates, it’s an art gallery cum perfume shop close to the Basilica del Pi. My nose had already led me there and now my eyes were caught by the stunning display of a nearly life size sculpture in the window, with a dress made entirely from rose petals. Art and perfume combined demanded further investigation.

I was lucky as there were only two other customers when I entered, so I seized the opportunity to talk to the charming assistant and asked her to explain the nature of this fabulous shop.

There appear to be three owners, each one an artist with a different specialty. One is a sculptor and the creator of not only the ‘rose lady,’ but also several other works of art in the same vain. The assistant proudly explained that these sculptures play a prominent part in the famous flower festival which is

Fashion held in the third week of May each year in the city of Girona on Spain’s Costa Brava.

Of course flowers and perfume go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that another owner is a perfume specialist. Rows upon rows of tiny, pretty perfume bottles wrestle for space next to the sculptures and on

glass shelves throughout the shop.

The assistant was happy to let me sniff to my heart’s content. “ You can of course buy the ones we already have here, but what we like to do most is to create individual scents for our customers. There are so many factors which need to be taken into consideration to make a truly special scent for a person. Do they want fruity, fresh, musky, light or heavy, for day use or for the night? What is their taste in clothes, which flowers do they prefer and, very important, what is their skin condition? You may admire a scent on one person and when you try it out, it smells very different on you and you may not like it at all. We ask our customers for whom we create an individual scent to wear a sample for a day and then come back for fine-tuning, so to speak,” he adds with a laugh.

Perfume making is an art and, like all works of art, the final product does not come cheap. On the other hand, you can be sure that nobody else in the world will have exactly the same

Flower sculpture BELOW Designer dress Gothic Quarter/ Barcelona

scent as you, and that is truly the height of luxury.

The third owner looks after the commercial side. “You see,” said the assistant, “perfume and the sculptures are only one aspect of our enterprise. If you go across the road, you’ll find our second shop, which sells antiques and objets d’art from Asia and Morocco.”

After acquiring a small bottle of ready-made perfume because I didn’t have the time to indulge in the process of individual creation, I went into the second shop, as sweet-smelling as the first.

Plaza del Pi/ Barcelona ABOVE White lady made from leaves

There I met with an equally pleasant assistant who was happy to show me around. If ever you need a special gift or a piece to decorate your home, this is the place to come. In addition to the aforementioned antiques, there is a vast collection of ceramics, vases, plates and much more. Perhaps one day I will return with a more relaxed agenda and indulge in the luxury of choosing an individual perfume.

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E

veryone needs a neighborhood tailor they can trust. When a hem comes undone, a button goes missing, or getting your favorite garment ready for a big event, your tailor is the one you turn to. In this modern world we live in, the future of the tailoring business is in the technology.

I recently discovered Los Angelesbased STITCH and was blown away by their high-quality alterations and design services. They have re-invented the tailoring experience.

Whether you drop in to the LA shop, or they come to you, this is no back-room shop with a fleet of grandma’s working 100 year old sewing machines. They make house calls and do it all with the utmost style.

Alex Harden is the founder, owner and visionary of STITCH and he took the time to talk with me to give our Luxe Beat Magazine readers the inside scoop on their innovative approach to the classic tailoring service.

Sherrie Wilkolaski: In this day and age, where does STITCH find a seamstress?

Alex Harden: Our core business is clothing alterations; pant hems to wedding gowns and everything in between. As a result, we work with seamstress from a variety of backgrounds including, customers, tailors, fashion designers and dressmakers.

In terms of recruitment, STITCH has a presence on all of the recruiting websites but this only accounts for a third of the applications we receive.

Since opening, word has got to the industry and we have a number of enquires both through our website as well as directly. Additionally, we have built good relationships with the trade schools, in particular, FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) whose alumni are some of the most talented professionals in the industry.

SW: Is tailoring, a lost art?

AH: Firstly, I think the appreciation for tailoring has declined but is back in favor. Over the last decade, with the surge of online retail and dramatic fall in clothing prices due to cheaper manufacturing overseas, clothing became disposable. As a result, people were less inclined to spend money altering a garment they would eventually throw out.

However, in recent times, with pressure to improve manufacturing quality and to bring work back into the United States, people are

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Fashion

STITCH Tailor-Made

By Sherrie Wilkolaski

About STITCH Founded in Los Angeles, STITCH is a progressive alteration and tailoring company, providing high-quality alterations and design services to a broad customer base. The flagship shop is located in Los Angeles, and STITCH aims to become the first American alterations chain with plans to expand across the nation. Most alteration shops in the country lack the size, resources and expertise to offer a quick turnaround and a standard of work that is superior and guaranteed.

STITCH has reinvented the tailoring experience, combining a luxurious atmosphere, top talent, and technologically advanced communications to better service the individual client, as well as corporate retailers and fashion/ entertainment industry professionals. Unlike any other business in the industry, STITCH is altering people’s perceptions on what to expect from a tailor. This is the brand fit to set the standard in fast, reliable and quality alteration and design services.

For more information or to make an appointment, please visit www.stitchnational.com.

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beginning to invest in pieces for the long-‐ run. So while the art of tailoring may have been lost, I think people are starting to realize its importance and the added benefits that a good tailor can bring to a look.

In addition to this, historically, many established tailors were self-‐taught and often started sewing as a hobby.

With the growing presence and influence of technical trade schools, which utilize modern technique, machinery and technology, are produce expertly trained professionals.

SW: What type of sewing and/ or tailoring technology does STITCH utilize, or is everything done by hand?

AH: Everything is done by hand.

There are a number of companies, usually made-to-measure suit

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companies that are based online, and do not have a brick and mortar store. Most these companies use ‘technology’ to try and find the perfect fit. This is usually computed with the use of an algorithm and 10,000 or so data points that produce an analysis of your body.

While technology can get close, it is nowhere near as accurate as having a trained and experience seamstress or tailor measure and make the needed alterations.

SW: What type of training do your STITCHERS go through?

AH: All of our lead seamstress have a combination of technical knowledge (i.e. they went to some sort of trade school) and 10+ years of experience in the industry. Right now, being one location, all work is overseen by our master seamstress.

With an eye for expansion, we are

developing a training program for new recruits that will standardize our methods.

SW: Who is the STITCH client?

AH: STITCH serves a broad customer base. Our everyday walk-‐in clients

are locals in the surrounding area who alter their day-‐to-‐ day clothing; jeans, skirts, suits and occasional evening wear.

Additionally, we work a lot with brides-‐to-‐be and their wedding party. STITCH Bridal offers in-‐home

Fashion

‘fit-‐parties’ where we travel to a location of the bride’s choice and fit her dress and often, the bridesmaids at the same time.

STITCH is also tied into the fashion and entertainment industry, providing tailors to work on-‐set and for large events. We work with a number of fashion stylists, production companies and celebrity clients.

SW: What is luxurious about STITCH? AH: Think dark hardwood floors, white marble and plush furnishings.

We designed the store and the experience to make the customer feel comfortable and actually enjoy the process, rather than it be chore on their Sunday to-‐do list. We offer our clients water, juice and champagne and also ensure when they have their clothes altered it is private and they have the adequate one-‐on-‐one time with our tailor to really discuss the alterations that are being made.

SW: How did the concept behind STITCH develop?

AH: Like a lot of business it started with frustration and the thought that there had to be something better. I wore suits every day and

found the experience of getting a new suit altered to be less than satisfactory; unreliable and poor customer service, the inability to communicate and an environment

that was not comfortable.

After investigation, I also saw an inefficient industry, on that had remained ‘mom pop’ with no real brand in the industry. STITCH will be that brand across the US. SW: Will STITCH be using mobile technology to connect with customers?

AH: Firstly, our technology in-‐store allows us to track customer loyalty as well as customer data so we can start to understand preferences etc.

Additionally, we provide electronic messages, via text and email to alert customers of any changes and/or when their pieces are ready to be picked up. As we grow we will develop an App that allows customers to build a profile as well as book in-‐home appointments and

select options such as pickup and delivery services.

SW: What is the plan for expansion in the coming year? In five years?

AH: Over the next year we will focus on streamlining our in-store process as well as developing additional relationship with the fashion and entertainment industry. Following that, STITCH is poised to grow aggressively over the next 5 plus years. We are looking at store two already, and we would like to have between 25 to 50 stores, on the west coast alone. Ideally, we would be in the top 50 markets within the US. We a see a niche and want to exploit that by creating a trustworthy, reliable and high-quality alterations and tailoring business that is available to a wide range of customers across the U.S.

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Priciest Purchases Available Via Mobile App A

s technology continues to develop and e-commerce becomes more secure, the days of major purchases requiring extensive credit checks and collateral are gone. Luxury purchases can now be done simply via a smartphone - from last minute flights, to ordering the latest designer fashions, advancements today allow consumers to accomplish tasks effortlessly and efficiently with the touch of a finger.

Here are just a few of the priciest purchases available via mobile apps: A Private Jet: JetSmarter allows

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travelers to charter a private jet within three hours of departure from anywhere in the world. The app’s keen technology eliminates the “middle man” of chartering a private jet, making the process simple and transparent. Some of the most expensive trips, near and far, include New York to Madrid: $105,200 (VIP airliner); Miami to Los Angeles: $58,100 (heavy jet); and New York to Paris: $175,500 (heavy jet).

A Designer Handbag: Among the many luxury retailers to offer mobile sales via app is Marcus. Known as one of the world’s finest fashion retailers, Neiman Marcus launched their app in 2014, which allows shopaholics to search by department or contact sales associates at any Neiman Marcus store. Users may also choose to receive advance notice of upcoming store events and special offers. The stylish Tom Ford Natalia Pony & Alligator Doctor Bag is available on the app for $10,280.

A Diamond Engagement Ring: The BlingFinder app features over 3,000 rings and fashion jewelry pieces that can be purchased while on the go.

Technology

The app combines the traditional shopping and selection process with an in-app Wish List that’s designed to assist in the tedious process of selecting engagement rings and fashion jewelry. The Tacori RoyalT three-carat diamond ring was recently available on the app for around $29,000.

Caviar: Coincidentally, the mobile app, Caviar, can deliver just about any cuisine a consumer is craving, including one of the world’s most

elite delicacies, caviar. Users can browse a picture menu, customize their meals, and get delivery straight to their door. For $3,449, a 17.6 oz tin of Beluga Sturgeon Caviar can be delivered in Manhattan to make for an impressive office lunch.

Champagne: Minibar Delivery, a new app available in select cities, offers to deliver your choice of liquor, wine or spirits on demand. Minibar Deliver promises that with just a few taps, a user can have wine, liquor of beer delivered to their door. For an impromptu celebration or simply if a craving for champagne kicks in, an ice cold bottle of Dom Perignon 2000 can be delivered to midtown Manhattan for just $550.99.

A Yacht: GetMyBoat is a boat rental marketplace that allows users to charter a yacht (or kayak) on a whim.

Launched in San Francisco January 2013, GetMyBoat allows owners of every type of boat, from kayaks to sailboats to motorboats, to post their watercraft for rent on the app. Anywhere in the world, from California to Croatia, the app’s users can search, find, and book a boat to rent by the hour or day. For only $41,012 per hour, you can charter the Nautical Empress Power Mega Yacht in New York. The rate also includes A Sweet Suite: Leading luxury hotel brand, The Ritz-Carlton, now has an app for booking luxurious accommodations around the world while on the go. The app serves as a reservationist, local guide and on-property concierge all-in-one.

For $2,500 a night, a standard room at The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles can be all yours.

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aerelight Organic T LED lamp Benefits of the aerelight ™

he aerelight™ desk lamp is the World’s first consumer‐ready Organic LED lamp.

Powered by an advanced energy‐efficient Organic LED light panel, the aerelight lamp provides a warm, natural light source unlike any traditional light source.

Organic LED is the next‐generation of energy‐ efficient lighting, generating natural light by passing electricity through a thin

layer of carbon‐based organic dyes.

While the technology has been successfully implemented into high‐end smartphone displays in the last few years, the launch of the aerelight desk lamp marks the first consumer‐ ready Organic LED lamp at an affordable price.

It is available in red, black and silver anodized aluminum finish with white and black accents.

Be one of the first to touch the future of lighting and pre‐order today at aerelight.com.

™

Energy Efficient

Long Life

Environmentally Friendly

Capacitive Touch Control

Super Bright

Wireless Charging Pad

Uses less energy than traditional light sources, only 7W at maximum brightness.

Crafted from sustainable materials without any toxic mercury or other heavy metals.

Provides up to 1,000 lux of illumination, double that of a typical office environment.

Dimmable

Fully dimmable for use in a variety of different settings, including night time.

OLED Light Source

Powered by an advanced Organic LED light panel that is <2mm thick.

Warm Light

Emits a soft warm natural light with a CCT of 2,900K, similar to incandescent.

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The rated lifetime is 20 years with a typical usage of 3 hours per day at full brightness.

Touch anywhere on the aluminum frame for intuitive power and dimming control.

The base houses and built‐in wireless charging pad that can charge all Qi compatible mobile devices. For devices without wireless charging built‐in cases are available from ChargeSpot.

Power Source

Electrical power is provided by an external power adaptor (included) with a 60” (150cm) long cord.

Pricing and Shipping

Priced at for $239 USD. Currently shipping to Canada, USA, and the UK with delivery in early 2015.

Technology

Motion Pro II Race Car Simulator

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Technology CXC Simulations Is Right at Home in the Global Center of Innovation

C

lusters of high tech innovators and companies spanning from the Santa Clara Valley to the San Francisco Bay make up what is known as the Silicon Valley – a worldwide mecca for technological innovation. The modernization of this region has opened doors for a product that falls perfectly in line with the direction of this global center of entrepreneurship: CXC Simulations’ Motion Pro II. An elite advancement in engineering and top-of-the-line virtual realism, the Motion Pro II is the only professional-grade racing simulator practical for home use.

Companies like Google, Facebook and GoPro have all harnessed the ability to innovate new technologies that have kept them at the top of their respective industries. CXC, in the same way, has always been a leading force in experiential simulation. CXC Founder and CEO Chris Considine has much in common with many of the most successful Silicon Valley pioneers who are consistently seeking new technological advancements in virtual realism.

He engineered his first race car when he was only six years old, and from there his enthusiasm for racing only grew.

A number of forward-thinking companies in Silicon Valley have already begun to incorporate CXC’s sim center model as a techapplicable form of team building.

Well-established extreme entertainment and amusement venues have also invested in this concept as a profitable business venture. CXC offers a complete package ranging from retail space design (interior design), customized hardware, gaming software, venue management software, training and maintenance. Supporting nearly any number of users, sim center setups can be upgraded at any time from a single station to multiple unit clusters.

Depending on the model, this technology toy comes with a hefty price tag ranging from $54,000 up to $83,515. To learn more go to www.cxcsimulations.com/.

As a former race car driver and professional instructor, Considine honed his knowledge of the physics and dynamics of high performance driving. He also established his high level of computing skills as a System Administrator for the visual effects studio Digital Domain, working on movies such as I, Robot and Speed Racer. A self-taught computer and mechanical engineer, he taught himself 3D CAD and manufacturing.

When Considine founded CXC in 2006, he took his vision from concept to reality with the Motion Pro II. The Motion Pro II is not strictly for private consumers and professional racers; in fact, CXC offers an array of possibilities for multi-users. CXC simulators allow sim drivers to race against their friends and colleagues and compare lap times while spectators watch the full trackview action – all in real time. Not only do these sim center setups present a lucrative business model, but they also make for a high-end attraction in the most innovative corporate centers.

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Fashion

Adley Stumps Stump’s Little Black Dress

L

ittle Black Dress Wines recently announced a partnership with groundbreaking country star and Oklahoma-native Adley Stump.

The NBC’s The Voice Season Two/ Team Blake Shelton contestant and new host of Country Showdown, the largest and longest running country music talent search in the country, will collaborate on a variety of marketing and promotional initiatives including production and performance of a “Little Black Dress” single, promotional appearances and fan meet-and-greets.

“Adley’s presence on The Voice, combined with her wonderfully infectious personality and extraordinary talent, will foster

a deep connection to Little Black Dress Wines’ customers. The fusion of Adley Stump’s & Little Black Dress Wines’ commitment to female causes, coupled with the brand loyalty and influence of Country Music fans, makes this alliance a perfect pairing,” said Marc Goodrich, President of Excelsior Wines, parent company of Little Black Dress Wines.

Highlights

• A “Little Black Dress” single co-written and recorded by Adley Stump. The song will be available on iTunes and via Little Black Dress Wines social media contests throughout 2015.

• An Eat Travel Rock video segment highlighting Host Kelly Rizzo and Adley Stump’s favorite Little Black Dress wine and food pairings

• Co-branded promotional items will be created exclusively for Adley Stump fans. Items will be available through social media channels and select appearance locations.

“It has always been fundamentally important to align myself with the right team, support brands that champion women and women’s initiatives, and to send a consistent message as I evolve within the entertainment industry. Just as all American women swear by their personal little black dress as their classic and timeless go-to outfit, I love Little Black Dress Wines. It is the perfect brand to bond strong, sophisticated women together in fun, fashion and style while supporting causes universally important to all women,” said Stump.

Listen to what others are saying about Adley “Adley’s personality and talent can light up a whole room.”

Blake Shelton

“A superior powerhouse.”

Yahoo

“Significant confidence and vocal prowess.”

Billboard

“That girl has some MAJOR chops!”

Christina Aguilera

About Little Black Dress Wines

Get into a Little Black Dress wine, accessorized with fruit-forward aromas, hints of dazzle, an impeccable sense of balance and a body to die for. Great taste is your best accessory. Little Black Dress Wines cover every mood from spirited to sophisticated and turning heads along the way. The company got its name from the iconic little black dress, known to be simply timeliness, playful yet elegant and ready for anything at a moment’s notice. With grapes from California, Little Black Dress is a wine that is appealing to classic fashionablyminded women. Masterfully created by the talented winemaker Zidanelia “Z” Arcidiacono, the Little Black Dress family of wines (including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Divalicious Pink Pinot, Divalicious Red, Merlot, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Noir) are versatile and timeless.” www.lbdwines.com

About Adley Stump

Adley Stump is the social phenomenon who made her first major splash into the public eye in May 2012 on Team Blake/NBC’s “The Voice.” Since then, she has been kept

busy writing, recording and releasing new music, shooting her web reality series “Get Stumped” pranking fans with funny random acts of kindness, touring the world with non-profit To Write Love On Her Arms, and opening for acts such as Vince Gill and Charlie Worsham. www.adleystump.com Listen now and understand why so many country lovers are getting STUMPED. Go to www.freenewtune.com to get current new single.

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Island Magic A Welcome Cruise Addition

By Norman Hill

M

y wife Maralyn and I have always loved cruising.

During our most recent Caribbean trip on Holland America’s ms Eurodam, in March, 2015, we were delighted to watch the steel drum quartet from Trinidad known as “Island Magic.”

On a week’s cruise, during evenings after dinner, we usually plan to see two sessions of the ship’s singers and dancers. This time, we decided to take a fling and also see an unknown band, the Island Magic. We weren’t sure whether this was reggae or calypso.

Either would be okay, though reggae wasn’t our first love, as Broadwaystyle singing and dancing were.

Out came the band quartet, in formal attire, three men and one woman.

As we came to know later, the four were: Julian Gibbs, the leader, playing Instrument ”Bass – four drums”; Kerlanda Matthias, playing Instrument

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“Double Seconds – two drums”; Dereck Ayum, playing Instrument “Tenor – two drums”; and Michael Pamphille, playing Instrument “Drums – standard drums.”

Lo and behold, they did not play reggae or calypso at all. Instead, they covered a fascinating variety of popular and classical tunes. These included “Phantom of the Opera” and “Orpheus in the Underworld.” For their finale, they brought the house down with “William Tell Overture.” The Lone Ranger never sounded so good.

The next morning, we interviewed Julian Gibbs and listened to his interesting story. In Trinidad, most steel bands have more than a hundred members, but the demands of ship travel call for them to be as small as a limit of four. Most such Trinidadian musicians begin at an early age, as young as four or five.

Gibbs, on the other hand, didn’t get

involved with steel bands until age seventeen or so. He was trained as an accountant and employed for six years in the field, so he had to convince his skeptical parents when he wanted to pursue this music full time. Their support came reluctantly.

Over the next twenty-five years, he has perfected his craft to the level it’s at today. You can enjoy a sampling on this video: Gibbs described the other three members of his band. The woman, Kerlanda Matthias, is the newest member of Island Magic. She also started late, after working as an IT systems programmer for a number of years. In fact, she designed the group’s website. She has played her instrument for 15 years. Just as with Gibbs, her parents had to be won over about a fulltime music career.

Dereck Ayum, playing the Tenor, also didn’t start music fulltime until age

17. For him, as the preceding two, schoolwork had to come first. He has been with Island Magic and Gibbs for 15 years.

Finally, Michael Pamphille, the drummer, has played drums for over 30 years.

None of the four Band members can read or write music, and are self taught. Gibbs said he can listen to a tune and get the “feel” of all contributing instruments. They can master some songs in as little as 10 minutes. Classical pieces are more demanding and may take several hours. Now their repertoire includes over 400 songs. Gibbs claims, and I have no reason to doubt him, that once they have mastered a song, every time they play it, it will be exactly the same.

Gibbs started the Island Magic twenty-one years ago, although with different members than today. On a

Music Island Magic Steelband on stage, Image: Maralyn D. Hill

Gibbs agreed that big money could be had in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and similar club sites. He is considering this step up for Island Magic. To perform in the mainland U.S., they would have to apply for work permits and fit in during the off-season.

In addition to talking with us about the group’s background, Island Magic provided a Q&A where they really took time to explain how the steel drums were made. They are called a “Steelpan,” and they are all made by hand. The process starts with an empty fifty-five gallon steel drum.

The first step includes the bottom of the drum being stretched to form a concave shape. This allows space for the notes and is done with a sledgehammer with a shortened handle. The depth the drum is sunk depends on the type being made.

This is a detailed process, as next, templates cut in the shape of notes are placed on the stretched surface of the drum and outlined using a pencil. This ensures the notes are placed correctly and are consistent.

Then the area between the notes is flattened more. For this, special tuning hammers are needed, which forces the notes to protrude a little and to take on a convex shape.

now defunct cruise line, they started as a poolside band, playing reggae and calypso selections. Then, Gibbs decided to add Broadway and classical collections. On a trial basis, they started doing evening shows, which continued on a number of top level lines: Commodore; Crown; Premier; Cunard; Costa; and our current line, Holland America. They have been with Holland America since 2008. Many passengers check with the cruise line to see on which ship they will be performing and book accordingly.

For several years, they performed at sea for eleven months out of the year. Now, since all four have families, they have tried to cut down cruise time to about six to eight months out of twelve. The time off they do take is in the summer so they can spend as much time as possible with their families.

Grooving comes next, with indentations placed in the note outlines, using a small chisel-like instrument. It creates an area of “dead” metal around each note, which helps to keep notes from bleeding into each other. Larger notes are on the outside of the drum and smaller in the middle. Next is cutting the skirt (outside) when you determine how deep or tall you want the drum to be. This length makes a difference in the type of steelpan being made. Tenor and double tenor have the shortest skirts and cellos and bass would have longer skirts for echoing effect.

The drums are not done yet. The metal has to be tempered by rapid heating and cooling, which helps it hold the tuning. Then, actual tuning begins. After completion, a protective finish is applied to prevent rusting. Most commonly used are chrome plating, painting and more recently, powder coating.

Finishing does not affect the sound.

The drums are played with pansticks that have rubber at the end, which allows the sound to come out and not damage the drum. We appreciated getting the abbreviated lesson on making the drums.

perform and then finding out the backgrounds of these talented people represented one of the high points of our latest Holland America cruise.

You can hear Island Magic on our link or order their albums from their website islandmagicsteelband. webs.com. We want to thank Julian Gibbs for permission to share clips and images.

Island Magic Steelband ABOVE Steeldrum (steelpan) showing notes

Island Magic in action

In summary, listening to Island Magic

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Hemingway to Cash

By Karin Leperi

A

rkansas usually is shortshifted when it comes to recognizing cultural geniuses of the past. What most Americans do not realize is that Ernest Hemingway came to Arkansas via his second wife Pauline Pfeiffer. In the 1930s, Pauline’s parents converted the barn on their property into a place where Hemingway could write while visiting. He completed parts of

A Farewell to Arms and several short stories here. Johnny Cash and his family moved from Kingsland to Dyess, Arkansas in the 1935, and occupied a house in the Dyess colony through 1953. Arkansas was the influence and roots of his budding beginnings as a musician and singer.

When we think of one of America’s literary greats - Ernest Hemingway - a genius of staccato phrasing and the short story, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, seldom do we evoke a vision of Hemingway

in Arkansas. Yet this is where he penned one of his greatest works, A Farewell to Arms.

Nor do we think of Arkansas when we hum Johnny Cash’s famous songs, “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Blues” or “Ring of Fire.” But we should. For Dyess, Arkansas is where the future singer and song writer spent his impressionable years growing up.

The Dyess Colony was part of a Roosevelt experiment designed to provide homes and jobs to poor farm families during the Great Depression.

And though the Cash family worked hard and had little, Johnny Cash remembers a childhood that was happy.

While Ernest Hemingway was not a native son, Johnny Cash was born and raised in Arkansas. Nevertheless, both spent significant time in Arkansas and both were influenced by their Arkansas life. To put it succinctly: Arkansas impacted both men, and it was reflected in their writings and their songs.

Hemingway’s forgotten haven

Original piano that belonged to Johnny's mother is on display in his boyhood home

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Piggott, Arkansas is a long way from nowhere; You have to want to go there as you won’t accidentally stumble upon it. Located in the upper part of northeast Arkansas, about 10 miles from the Missouri border, you can expect about a

Hemingway’s desk and chair

three-hour drive if you are coming from Little Rock. However, any fan of Hemingway will find that it is well worth the journey.

The Pfeiffer House, located at Tenth and Cherry Streets, belonged to Hemingway’s wealthy in-laws, Paul and Mary Pfeiffer. Their daughter Pauline was Hemingway’s second wife, once a good friend to both Hemingway and his first wife. He was married to Pauline from 1927 to 1940, and during this time the couple frequently came to stay at the white house estate.

In addition to coming from a wealthy family, Pauline came with quite a set of credentials. Graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism in 1918, she worked for the Cleveland Press and Vanity Fair in New York before accepting a job as editor for the Paris Bureau of Vogue Magazine.

She met Hemingway and his first wife Hadley in 1925 at a party in Paris.

So that Hemingway would feel at home and could be productive during his time in Piggott, the Pfeiffers converted the red carriage house on their property into a working apartment and studio for him. Here he could have the privacy he required to write. And write he did. During his time he would pen his famous A

ALL PHOTOS ARE BY KARIN LEPERI

Arkansas Literary and Musical Past

Music Hemingway’s deep-sea fishing boat. Of course, the generous underwriting by Uncle Gus disappeared when Hemingway filed for divorce from Pauline so he could marry wife number three.

Typwriter similar to one used by Hemingway

On what would have been Hemingway’s 100th birthday, the Arkansas State University opened the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Education Center in Piggott in July 1999. The barn studio behind the home, where Hemingway spent much of his time in Arkansas, is part of the museum. Surprisingly, the home still has most of its furnishing, including some of the artwork that was hanging back in the days when the Pfeiffers owned the home.

Farewell to Arms, which was published in 1929. A movie was subsequently made and had its world premiere at the Franklin Theater in Piggott during December 1932. It is thought that Hemingway probably worked on fragments of seven other books and numerous short stories during the time he was married to Pauline.

The Pfeiffer family was quite generous in supporting Hemingway as a writer, especially during the Great Depression. And the support Cash's custom Gibson guitar

from Pauline’s Uncle Gus was generous to a fault. Uncle Gus was especially close to Pauline, and after her marriage, he took a liking to Hemingway immediately. He seemed to enjoy supporting Pauline’s husband as a writer and made some of Hemingway’s field research possible through his magnanimous financing. Uncle Gus paid for the couple to travel to Africa for a safari to the tune of $25,000 during the Great Depression. He also helped pay for their apartment in Paris, a car, their home in Key West and

The studio still has the original hardware on the door that leads to Hemingway’s studio. He began writing in the barn in 1928, working on A Farewell to Arms and other short stories. Finally, in 1932, the Pfeiffers converted the barn into a permanent studio for Hemingway.

Inside is the original poker table that Hemingway used for evening entertainment with local friends.

A typewriter of the kind that Hemingway would use sits on a desk. A large mural of Pauline’s and Hemingway’s African safari in 1933-1934 graces a wall on the upper loft that used to be their bedroom. Their safari experience would provide inspiration for Hemingway’s Green Hills of Africa and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.”

As the home and barn studio are designated as an Arkansas State University Heritage Site, public tours are given on the hour from Monday-Friday, starting at 9:00 am and finishing at 3:00 pm Tours are

also given on Saturdays from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Walking the line with Johnny Cash

Born the son of poor Southern Baptist sharecroppers, Johnny Cash - or “JR” as he was known to his family - lived in Dyess from the time he was three years old until he graduated from high school and joined the Air Force in 1950. These were impressionable years for him, when living meant scraping a meager existence from the land even as

Cash joins the Air Force

Front view of Dyess boyhood home

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a depth and density that could fill any room. Sometimes it felt like thunder. It was never meek or mild.

There was no escaping the strength and intensity of his voice and the message he delivered through his music. And much like his boyhood, his songs embraced both the joy and sorrows of life, delivering insights with a stark simplicity that was the essence of the man Johnny Cash.

Hemingway safari mural on upper loft of barn office

members remember is the piano that belonged to their mother.

Like many people who knew hardship, Johnny Cash found solace in music.

He picked up his first guitar at the age of 12 and found that music provided him with a foundation. As an adult, he would share with his audiences how growing up in Dyess influenced and inspired many of his songs such as “Five Feet High and Rising.” Cash wrote in his 1997 autobiography: “Back in Arkansas, a way of life produced a certain kind of music.”

family, music and religion provided a pillar of strength that lifted them during times of adversity.

The Dyess Colony was built in 1934 as part of a federal agricultural resettlement and Works Progress Administration project. It was designed to provide homes and jobs to poor farm families during the Great Depression. After the federal government purchased 16,000 acres, they built 500 farmsteads and provided for a town center that would provide medical care, schooling and even a company store. This would be the largest resettlement community in Arkansas.

Indigent families were recruited from all over the state and promised 20 acres, a home and outbuildings.

The only catch was that they were expected to repay the government

for the farm after they cleared the land for farming. To kick start the process, the government would clear the first two acres.

His kind of music was minimalist in structure, yet it came with the tonality power of a booming baritone. Accompanied only by guitar, his words reverberated with

While the Dyess Colony Museum and the Cash home are completed and ready for visitors, the overall master plan is still a work in progress. (Still, you should visit the museum as it gives a rare insight into a period of American history that is seldom told.)

The Arkansas State University will be developing a heritage tourism site that will include the reconstruction of other buildings at the home site and of a second colony home. This will serve as a visitor center next to the Cash home. Signage will be improved and will mark locations for the church, school, and other facilities.

“I’d like to wear a rainbow every day / and tell the world that everything is ok. / But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back. / Until things are brighter, I’m the Man in Black.”

Johnny Cash

Favorite books of Cash on his bed

The Cash family volunteered to be resettled from Kingsland, Arkansas and moved to Dyess in 1935, whereupon, it is said that Carrie Cash (Cash’s mother) broke down and cried when she saw their new home.

Her humbling remark was that the family had never had it this good.

The family lived in a five-room house while farming 20 acres of cotton and other seasonal crops. All seven children, including Johnny, worked alongside their parents to eke out an existence that was still better than what they had before. They would continue to live in their Dyess home until 1953. One thing all family

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Marie Curie Greatest Female Scientist

By Norman Hill

M

arie Curie is considered to be the greatest female scientist, and perhaps even more significant, the most inspirational female scientist.

Her achievements include being the first female to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes, the only woman to win prestigious awards in two fields, and the only person to win such awards in multiple sciences Her scientific achievements include formulation of a scientific theory of radioactivity. This involved techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes. She isolated two hitherto unknown elements, polonium in 1898 and pure metallic radium in 1910.

Curie was born in Poland in 1867.

This was a turbulent and difficult period for the people of Poland, who had been deprived of their political identity and freedom for nearly a century. Her family lost most of its wealth, due partly to bad investments and partly due to connections with groups advocating Polish independence.

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Curie, under her maiden name, Marie Sklodowska, followed her older sister to Paris in 1891. She eventually became a French citizen and resident, although she remained devoted to the country of her birth.

She lived to see Poland restored as a sovereign nation after World War I. Perhaps just as well, her 1934 death spared her from witnessing the ravaging of Poland by Hitler during World War II.

Curie received a degree in physics from the University of Paris in 1893.

This was followed by her second degree in 1894. Around 1894, she met a young Frenchman, Pierre Curie.

Their shared interest in natural

History science drew them together. When Curie proposed marriage to her, she at first declined, since she had planned to return to teach in Poland.

But she was rejected for a teaching post at Krakow University -- because she was a woman.

Pierre’s pursuit of her by letters convinced her to return to Paris to obtain a PhD. Part of her decision must have been related to the fact that her own pressure on Pierre led him to write up his research on magnetism and receive his PhD and professorship in 1895. Marie’s focus was on invisible radiation from uranium salts, which led to her PhD from the Sorbonnes Institute.

Marie and Pierre were married in 1895 in a civil ceremony. (Curie was not religious, which fact was used against her professionally.) Their two pastimes were bicycling and journeys abroad, but primarily their joint passion was collaboration in scientific research. After the marriage they continued this study and made numerous experiments together. However, they both agreed that for work, Marie would publish her findings under her own name.

Marie concentrated on two uranium minerals: pitchblende and torbernite.

By 1898, from these minerals, they were able to isolate two new radioactive substances: polonium and radium. Despite considerable skepticism from other scientists, by 1902, they were able to isolate this radium completely. As a result, she and her husband received the 1903 Nobel Prize.

Curie began teaching in Paris in 1900. She became the first female full professor of physics at the renowned Sorbonne in Paris. She succeeded to her late husband’s chair after his untimely death from a carriage accident in 1906. Despite her grief, she continued her devotion to scientific research.

Marie Curie continued work with intricate scientific experiments.

During this period, she developed her scientific theory of radioactivity.

After isolating pure metallic radium in 1910, she received a second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry.

radon, was very useful in sterilizing infected tissue.

She started to travel extensively, coming, in 1921, to the United States, where she was welcomed at the White House and received numerous honors and monetary awards. She also traveled to Belgium, Brazil, Spain, Czechoslovakia and her native Poland.

She visited Poland for the last time in early 1934. That summer, she became critically ill with aplastic

anemia and died in July, 1934. The conclusion was that Curie had suffered fatal effects from long term exposure to radiation. During her lifetime, the damaging impact from such exposure and the need for protective clothing were not known.

By the time of her death in 1934, Marie Curie had received eight prizes, 16 medals and decorations, and 104 honorary titles and degrees.

Over the years since, no one else has risen to claim the title of world’s greatest female scientist.

After a break due to illness, Curie worked on developing a new Radium Institute, which was completed in 1914. In between, she visited Poland again, after being offered a directorship in a new laboratory in Warsaw. However, when World War I broke out, she returned to Paris.

Most of the researchers in her new Institute were drafted into the French Army, which ended most of its activities until 1919.

During the Great War, Curie performed great service for her adopted country. She saw the value of radiological centers near battlefields to assist surgeons. She developed mobile radiography units and became director of the Red Cross Radiology Service.

In 1915, Curie produced a device known as a “hollow needle,” which contained “radium emanation,” a colorless, radioactive gas given by radium. This gas, later identified as

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Michael Cervin Featured Journalist

By Maralyn D. Hill

M

ichael Cervin and I met in 2009 while attending a conference. We have since been on several press trips and conferences and have served together on a board. So, interviewing Michael is more like interviewing a longtime business friend than a new acquaintance. He’s an accomplished author and wine writer, diligent about getting his thoughts down while they are fresh, working out, and having fun.

Maralyn: How did you discover your love of wine, which led to travel?

Michael: Curiously, I discovered my love of wine when I moved to Santa Barbara and ended up working weekends at a wine tasting room.

The winemaker was available and helpful to me, and I ended up giving winery tours and became fascinated by the process of grapes turning into wine. As for travel, I had no concept I’d end up writing travel books. I was heading to Germany on a wine-specific trip and I asked the newspaper I wrote for if they would want a wine-travel article. To my surprise, they said yes, and everything literally snowballed from there. The point being, you never know where the path will take you.

But as long as you are willing to take step after step on an uncertain road,

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you might find yourself in territory you never expected.

water each day, which helps with mental acuity.

photography should inspire people to explore far beyond their boundaries.

Maralyn: Are you more passionate about writing or photography?

Michael: Whereas I started writing early. I received my first check when I was just 14 years old for a poem I wrote before I ever picked up a camera. Of late, the challenge, patience and often immediacy of photography have captivated me.

The old proverb of a picture being worth a thousand words is absolutely true. But for me, you can’t have one without the other; a camera and a pen are a mighty combination.

Maralyn: Where is your favorite place to travel?

Michael: Though I’ll travel anywhere in the U.S., I adore New Mexico because of its food and amazing history and the Columbia River Gorge outside of Portland for its sheer diversity and beauty.

Internationally, I am in love with Switzerland and Austria.

Fortunately, I get sent to places I never expected, and any new place we travel to means a new learning opportunity.

Maralyn: What is one of your favorite experiences while traveling?

Michael: I was fortunate to visit the Great Wall of China. I was a guest of the Chinese government, and so my guides were always with me. But when we arrived at a portion of the Wall, about two hours outside of Beijing, they let me roam free. As I ascended the wall, the throngs of people were intense. To my right was the popular part, and a literal wall of people were slowly moving in that direction. To my left was less crowded, but steep and uneven, though still crowded. I went left and walked and walked and walked.

Eventually, I was one of only a few people on a desolate portion of the Wall. Alone and nearly isolated, it was a memorable experience, as I could see portions of the wall snaking out across the mountains, away from the throngs of tourists.

Alone with my thoughts, I was able to get into a groove, a subject I later recounted on my global travel blog.

Maralyn: What is your writing process?

Michael: Mornings are most productive for me. I aim to be at my desk by 6 a.m. After a few hours, I’ll work out (run, cycle or power-walk).

Then it’s back to my desk until noon-ish. After a lunch break, it’s back to work until around dinner time, when I make dinner for my wife (which also provides a creative outlet). My wife works evenings, so it’s often back to the desk until 9 p.m. or so. Throughout the day, I take about four 10-minute breaks, where I get outside and walk and stretch.

And I routinely consume two liters of

Maralyn: If you could be anyone else, who would it be?

Michael: Not to sound trite, but I have no interest in being someone else. Being me is already a fulltime job, and I still have so much to learn to become a better version of myself all the time.

Maralyn: What motivates you to be a luxury journalist?

Michael: Much of that motivation comes from the desire to let people know some of the places they may not have ever thought of in their travel plans. Not everyone has the means to travel, nor to travel at the luxury level, and travel writing and

Maralyn: Tell us about a favorite dish from your travels.

Michael: I don’t usually have a favorite anything. But I vividly

Featured Contributor that the majority of what I do – wine, food and travel – is already like a vacation. I am so fortunate to do what I love, and therefore my “hobbies” are actually what I love to do: visit places and write about them. I simply cannot go without working. For example, my wife was speaking on a cruise to the Bahamas, and I went along to support her. We visited several ports during what was vacation time. But being me, when in Nassau, I ended up visiting several properties for Forbes Travel.

Work? Kind of, but not really. I sincerely love my job, and the thought of “working” while on a cruise seems perfectly logical to me.

Maralyn: What are your thoughts on the luxury travel market?

Michael: Luxury travel is indeed changing, and as I see it, a higher level of travel is opening up to many people who could not otherwise afford it. And that is a positive thing. Of course, there is always that ultra luxury travel experience that most of us will never get to, but more and more, hotel and tour operators are offering a better level of concierge service to “average” travelers, and I support that.

remember being in Germany and visiting a small winery where the winemaker’s wife made spundakas – literally spoon cheese - fairly common in Germany. However, her iteration of it was amazing. It was one of those stunning moments of eating something so simple, but so unique and original to exactly where you are at that moment that made it so special. I obtained her recipe, but

have lost it along the way (never a good thing), but to this day I recall the fresh, potent flavors; dipping chewy pretzels into the spundakas, generally making a pig of myself, and being fascinated by my environment.

Maralyn: How do you enjoy spending your free time?

Michael: It may sound odd, but I don’t really vacation. By this, I mean

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Maralyn: If you were stranded on an island, name one person and three items you would bring.

Michael: As obvious as it sounds, I would have to be with my wife. Not only is she my best friend and laughs at my jokes, but we travel exceptionally well together.

• My smart phone–not because I’d be calling anyone (though I would want to get off the island), but because there are so many photos and videos of friends, family and my highly adored cats on it, and those memories are powerful things.

• Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman – This collection of poems speaks to me on a very tangible and sensory level.

• My camera – To be able to document moments of time (I shoot with a Canon Rebel Eos T3 – pretty basic but immensely powerful) is a luxury and near duty to me. Life passes quickly, and I find that still images slow us down, give us pause and help us recall the things we truly find important.

Maralyn: If we came to your hometown of Santa Barbara, what would we do?

Michael: Living in Santa Barbara and having penned five travel books on the region, I’m the best person to ask, and I have a long list. But to keep it manageable: My favorite restaurants include Toma (terrific

Italian food), The Shop Café (a small diner-type place with killer, fun food), Paloma (excellent Mexican and South American food).

Santa Barbara has a wealth of things to see and do, but often overlooked is a visit to our County Courthouse – literally one of the most beautiful public buildings in America, with Moorish and classic Spanish detailing.

A visit to the Channel Islands is a must; it’s a step back into time, and the majority of the islands are pristine land. While there, you can hike and scuba dive as I have done – and snorkel and kayak around the gorgeous volcanic islands.

Maralyn: What are three necessities you won’t travel without?

Michael: • Lip balm - perhaps an odd thing to mention, but cracked dry lips, regardless of where you are, is never a good thing.

• Water – this might seem obvious, but often, we can get stranded without water. I recall a flight back from Europe where they announced on the flight as we were mid way over the Atlantic Ocean that they had run out of water on board. The moan from the passengers was nearly deafening. I had my (filled) water bottle with me, so I was good.

But it’s also important to know that many of us experience the beginnings of dehydration without actually noticing it. Water can help quickly refresh us and also fight fatigue.

• Yes, plastic baggies, mainly for food, leftovers, to keep something fresh, to store food along the way, whatever. It’s been a great thing to have in case you need it. Plus, it can act as a waterproof bag should you need one.

Maralyn: What does Luxe Beat Magazine mean to you?

Michael: The fantastic thing about Luxe Beat is that it puts travel and related content within reach for everyone. It doesn’t cater to just the wealthy, it caters to anyone who has a desire to travel, try new things, see new places and evolve as a citizen of the planet. With such a breadth of seasoned travel writers, the magazine provides a stunning array of opportunities to explore.

It is certainly a pleasure having Michael represent Luxe Beat Magazine.

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Business

Quality Business Develop Your Players Skills

By Tom Raffio

D

uring my more than thirty years in the business industry, I have learned a thing or two about what it takes to run not only a business, but a successful one.

What follows is the second article in a series of twelve that will position any business for success.

In my last column I discussed how to find the right employees for the right position within a company. While you are hiring dependable and capable employees, you must also be willing to take the next step in your commitment to them by developing their skills. At Northeast Delta Dental, we regularly monitor what training employees need through evaluating performance reviews, communicating with managers, and we even ask the employee what they would like to learn. From there, we develop a training plan.

Depending on your business’s product and your clientele, I suggest offering training that will help your employees do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. For example, we offer dental terminology courses and training for employees to earn or maintain professional licenses and certifications. We also have a substantial repository of helpful books and other materials related to anything from business savvy to retirement planning.

Don’t forget that managers need training, too, as they must be able to mentor and train their employee colleagues. We train our managers on situational leadership so they are able to deal with others in a non-cookie-cutter manner.

This has been especially

helpful in recent years as there has been a greater number of the millennial generation (born in the early 1980s to early 2000s) entering the workforce and the baby boomer generation (born in the late 1940s to early 1960s) is slowly retiring.

Because of this, we train our managers to understand these generational and cultural differences – especially because the millennial generation has started to transition to managerial roles, and often times, this requires baby boomers to report to an employee colleague who is younger than they are,

something that may be uncomfortable for both parties at first. The training we offer allows for all employees regardless of race, gender, age, religion or a disability to be coaches and mentors -- not dictators.

Employees want their managers and co-workers to respect them and see them as individuals and not just as people who exist to get a job done.

If you are utilizing financial and human resources on training, I recommend you monitor how you are

doing and determine if you are achieving the goals of the employee and/or manager and if this translates to success for the company. For example, our customer service employees receive about 300 hours of on-site training before they are answering customer phone calls on their own.

The bottom line is: If you invest in your employees, they will invest in you. Another way you can develop their skills and encourage them to meet goals in their professional and personal lives is through offering a formal tuition reimbursement program. When your employees advance in their roles or earn their degrees, you should celebrate this as a company success story. My company is fortunate to have many success stories like this, and sometimes this results in employees leaving the company to advance their careers.

While you will miss these employees and their contributions to the company, instead of being disappointed about it, we celebrate with them and note this as a “promotion outside of the company.”

In summary, any successful business needs to demonstrate a commitment to its employees. If you invest in them through training and/ or tuition reimbursement, they will always remember you for this. It will make their work lives easier and you can rest assured knowing you are giving your employees the tools and encouragement to be successful in their personal and professional lives.

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Book Excerpt from Play Golf Better Faster By Kalliope Barlis “Everybody can see that my swing is homegrown. That means everybody has a chance to do it.”

Bubba Watson Develop a swing that promotes consistency while maintaining a healthy body. Moe’s swing is simply elegant for both. Choose a golfer whose swing you want to have.

Golfers ask where the power is generated from into the swing.

Everyone has answers. But, the truth is, your body works as a whole and

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Your Swing can- not be broken down into parts without losing functionality. Every part of the body moves as one unit during the swing. That one unit is your body that is influenced by your target. It’s a matter of keeping it in balance. More specifically, what really matters the most in your swing is what happens between the top of your swing, through the ball into the follow through, and your connectedness with the target.

Imagine a rubber band; you pull back the rubber band, hold it in a momentary pause to shift direction, then let go so that it fires forward.

A slingshot does the same. You pull back the elastic band, pause, look at your target, release the band, and the projectile is thrust forward.

Does it really matter here how you pulled back the elastic band? It’s your connection with the target before you let go the elastic that will make you land your tar- get.

Now, let’s apply a similar process to the swing.

In the ready position, you are balanced and centered. You begin the backswing. During the backswing you are collecting energy. When you get to the top of your backswing, pause and set your club where you maintain balance, full of power with the energy collected. If balance is lost, so is control of the club. Think, if you pull back too much on the rubber

Book Excerpt band, it snaps. The same will happen to your balance if you go too far back in your back- swing. Instead, you know this hasn’t happened because you remain powerfully balanced. While you are in the set position, an image of your target pops open in your brain. Rivet your attention to the center of your target. Your eyes, center of your chest and body center all face your target. Watch the ball as it lands your target.

Golfers can’t see their target while golfing. In most other games the athlete is looking at their target.

A soccer player aims for the goal, a tennis player aims for within the lines, and an archer aims toward the bull’s eye, the center of a target.

You as a golfer, rely on your image of the target in your brain because you are looking at the ball, not the target. Rivet your attention and have a vivid picture of your target in the set position of your swing. This way, your ability to land your target will become more frequent because you see the bull’s eye before you swing forward.

The clearer your image of the target is while feeling good about it, the more neurons in your brain will fire to engage your body to respond to your target. Look at the previous illustration once again.

Many golfers end up in a position that creates a C-shape in their upper body.

Imagine what this looks like, because you will find that it puts strain on the back. The C-shape follow through will put strain on the spine, swing after swing after swing. Avoid doing this to save your back.

Rather, end the follow through of your swing in an upright position. Imagine and feel how much more comfortable your back is in a straight, upright position. This type of repetitive motion will maintain the health of your spine over time.

Exercise

Having your Favorite Golf Swing Part one Saturating Your Senses

1. Choose a golfer whose golf swing you want to model.

2. Watch video footage of them until one of their swings resonates with the swing performance you want.

3. Play the video footage at regular speed, slow speed, and then regular speed again. Watch the general motion of the swing in regular speed, then notice the detailed movement in slow speed.

Once again, play it at regular speed for the motion to flow again. Saturate your senses with their movement.

Part Two Stepping Into Action

1. Stand in a position that allows you to walk forward a few feet.

Stay in place for now.

2. Draw an imaginary circle of grass on the floor

in front of you.

3. Place the golfer inside the circle.

4. Imagine the golfer’s swing motion; life size, colorful, and holo-graphic so that when you look at it from different angles, you can see what’s going on and feel what they feel.

5. Watch them swing at regular speed, slow speed, then regular speed again.

6. Now, find the right angle of approach as you are stepping into their swing motion.

7. Sense how their talent merges into your own.

8. As you are looking through their eyes, see what they see. Feel the lightness of their body and hear the sound of the swing as you listen to the center of the club face strike through the center of the back of the ball.

9. Now, their swing synthesizes with your own. Their swing is yours now.

10. Now that you have a new ability, feel how you feel, see how you see through your own eyes, and hear the ball flight after you strike the center of the club face through the center of the back of the ball. Listen to the ball flight as the ball takes off like a rocket.

Redo the exercise. Except this time pay attention to how they perform their routine. How do they focus on their target, aim & align, get ready, set, go, swing, and follow through, watching the ball take flight.

I had the opportunity to do the “Stepping Into Action” exercise on the range where a famous number-one golfer practiced. I took it a step further. I knew it would be magical as I tuned into his swing as I stood in the same area as he did during practice. I gained 10 yards on each club that day, 20 with my driver.

Magical outcomes like this happen because the brain does not know the difference between what is thought, observed, or performed. They are all the same to the brain. It’s a matter of doing it now.

People hesitate to do things not because they have a fear of success or a fear of failure, but because they are afraid of their own power after achieving what they want and how good they will feel from it. Failure is when you stop yourself from even starting to do the right thing. But if you start and continue to do something that is right for you and you do the best you can, then you are successful no matter what.

“You are who you think you are.”

Moe Normon

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Book Excerpt

Book excerpt of “Imaginary Things”

by Andrea Lochen It would’ve been easier to think of our stay with my grandparents as a fresh start if their home in Salsburg hadn’t been the place I’d been shipped to whenever I needed to recover from my other failures in life. My mom had first sent me to stay with them the summers I was seven and eight, after serious “behavior problems,” as she called them. Then after some spectacular mischief my sophomore year of high school I was exiled to Salsburg again for the entire duration of the school year. Most recently, when I was eighteen, they took me in for part of my pregnancy.

So the symbolic significance of the fact that I was going there now, after I’d lost my job as a receptionist at Lakeview Dermatology, was not lost on me. Or them, I was sure. But they had always been good about taking me in, dusting me off, and attempting to set me back to rights again. Winston and Duffy Jennings were not stern, preachy types nor were they permissive, indulgent push-overs.

Since my mom had made them grandparents before they were even forty, much too young to be dubbed Granny and Pops, Duffy had insisted I call them by their first names instead. She owned a small beauty salon and over the years had learned to talk auctioneer-fast, pausing rarely to catch her breath, lest someone interrupt her. She called it like she saw it; sometimes she called me a dumb-ass and sometimes she called me a snickerdoodle, and whichever it was, usually rightfully so. Winston was a semi-retired farm equipment mechanic who had adapted to his wife’s loquaciousness by speaking up only when necessary; his silence was occasionally restful but most of the time kind of unnerving.

My grandparents rarely left their one square mile of southeastern Wisconsin, their beloved population-

Imaginary Things of-one-thousand town, and they acted as if driving all the way to the “big city” of Milwaukee was as treacherous and cumbersome as hitching up a team of horses to a covered wagon and setting out for the great unknown.

Driving alone both ways with a baby was unappealing to me, and I was an appallingly lazy correspondent; I patted myself on the back if I remembered to send them a Christmas card with a recent photo of David in it. So the pathetic fact was that the last time we’d come to Salsburg for a visit was for David’s second birthday, and if I was nakedly honest with myself about it, I’d admit it was because I had been flat broke (though nowhere near as destitute as I was now), and I had known I could count on them to buy cake and presents.

Still when I had called Duffy two weeks ago to explain my financial woes and plead my case, I had barely squeaked out that I’d lost my job, when she’d interjected, “Why don’t you two come and stay with us for a spell? You know, Anna, that we’ve got those two spare bedrooms just collecting dust and storing Winston’s old Revolutionary War junk, and it would be so nice to spend some time with you and Davey. Why, I haven’t seen the little guy since he was still in diapers! It would be good for him to get out of that big city and get some fresh air and experience a taste of small town living.”

And that had been that. What I’d hoped for, of course, as I had dialed their number, and though the length of a “spell” had not been agreed upon, something about this stay seemed much more permanent and serious than all the others before it. I had no home to return to this time.

I was leaving no one behind who really gave a damn. This was not merely a respite from my life.

This was my life.

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