Luxe Beat Magazine October 2015 by Luxe Beat Magazine

OCTOBER 2015

Asheville’s Hidden Gems Taiwan’s Top 12 Taste Treats Chef Damien Jones of Lydiard in Ballarat Warm Fall Cocktails

Sreenath Sreenivasan

Technology Guru

Contents 18

44 34

Travel

Chef Damien Jones of Lydiard in Ballarat

Luxe Beat Exclusive: Interview with “Cigar Czar” Richard Carleton Hacker

Spa & Beauty

Asheville’s Hidden Gems

Hemingways Naughty Nairobi

High Tea and Original Frescoes

Going Green in the Emerald City

Rum Tasting at the Four Seasons Nevis

Straight To The Source

Extravagant Mandarin Oriental

Leah Travels France--October

Culinary and Wine Tasting Getaway to the Gervasi Vineyard

Star Clippers

Southern Wines and Spirits of Nevada Opens Unique Beverage Learning Center

Epicure 34

Taiwan’s Top 12 Taste Treats: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

Sake 101 with Sake Sommelier Eiji Mori

Gourmet Dining at the Harbor Fish Market and Grille

Is ‘Made In America’ Primed For A Comeback?

Philantrophy

A Stay at Miraval is the Ultimate Gift to Yourself

As the World’s Farmers Age, New Blood is Needed

Fashion & Design

“The Art of Pink” Transforms The Peninsula Tokyo

How To Stay Fresh and Glamorous For Air Travels

Business 70

Sree Sreenivasan: America’s Tech Guru

International Dining

Literature 82

Metropolis: Mapping the City

The Poet’s Secret

SHERRIE WILKOLASKI Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

MARALYN D. HILL Executive Editor

BENJAMIN BENNETT Creative Director

LILLIAN AFRICANO Managing Editor

NINA AFRICANO Editor

JESSICA O’HEHIR Production Editor

LEAH WALKER Editor-At-Large

DALE SANDERS Senior Travel & Lifestyle Editor/ Director of Photography

KAITLYN PHILLIPS Assistant Production Editor

COURTNEY LOWDEN Fashion Editor-At-Large

CONTRIBUTORS

COLUMNS Global Etiquette Maralyn D. Hill

Put a Pin in it! Debbie Stone

Up and Coming Fashion Designers Jessica O’Hehir

Quality Business Tom Raffio

Danielle Nierenberg Debi Lander Devanshi Mody Jan Ross Janice Neider Jeremy Black Jia Li

Jill Weinlein Karen Catchpole Kenneth Zak Kimberly Fisher Mark Chipperfield Tim Cotroneo 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 TAILORED LUXURY is the focus

of the September 2015 edition of Luxe Beat Magazine. When I think of luxury, my thoughts wander to Burgundy, to spending a month cocooned somewhere cozy in the French countryside, sipping on Aligoté from Flavigny vineyards. What I consider luxury is tailored to my own personal preferences. There are so many ways to experience your own tailored luxury. We share with you in this issue some incredible travel experiences that were tailored just for our writers.

Keeping with the subject of France, Leah Walker launches her new column, Leah Walker Travels France. She’ll be sharing her experiences in her new homeland with us every month. Michael Cervin brings us a lovely article about the Loire Valley in his piece Of Castles and Cabernet Franc: Leisure Days in the Loire. Fashion is literally tailored and we’re showcasing several up and coming fashion designers in this issue. Designer Jia Li premieres her first article with us in Three Hacks To Stress-free Daily Dressing Routine. How do you tailor your luxury?

Sherrie Wilkolaski Editor-in-Chief

Letters To The Editor Dear Editor,

It was so interesting learning about Philadelphia Fashion Designer LeGrand Leseur in Luxe Beat Magazine’s last issue. Can I look forward to monthly fashion interviews with designers in the future? Jane H. Modesto, CA

Dear Jane,

Yes, we’re running a regular monthly column on up and coming fashion designers. Our fashion editors are on the prowl for interesting designers, with a cutting edge style. Those who are utilizing environmentally friendly materials and practices are of interest as well. Sherrie Wilkolaski Editor-in-Chief

Dear Editor,

I was delighted to read Global Etiquette: Enjoyable Conversations, and laughed out loud when I read about “turning the table”! While some etiquette traditions remain standard, I’m happy that women are no longer expected to carry that particular one on. Feeling Liberated in Vermont

Dear Feeling Liberated in Vermont,

These are the questions I enjoying seeing in our “Letters to the Editor” section! In this particular Global Etiquette column, it reads, “Years ago, there was a practice that was called “turning of the table”. When the hostess would turn from the man on her right to the man on the left, the rest of the women at the table would follow.” It is this type of detail that is what helps make this column, by Maralyn D. Hill, and other articles throughout our publication interesting. Thank you for taking notice. Sherrie Wilkolaski Editor-in-Chief

Dear Editor,

Himalayan High Life in Paro, Bhutan was a fascinating article! I’m so curious; how do Luxe Beat Magazine’s authors choose the particular destinations that they write about? Sam O. Tiptonville, TN

Dear Sam,

We have writers from all walks of life, writing for us all over the globe. Many have destinations that are of interest to them personally, and they may write about that. Others are sent out on assignment, because we’re interested in covering a specific place or experience. In many cases, a writer is selected by a destination, or hotelier because of their previous writing experience and they are then brought out to a site location to write a story. We expect that our writers to write their honest opinions about their travel experiences. We are not looking for articles that just highlight what a destination might want to promote. The world is a big place and we are interested in covering the most unique, and luxurious experiences. Sherrie Wilkolaski Editor-in-Chief

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

Asheville’s Hidden Gems By Debi Lander

owntown Asheville, North Carolina buzzes with a collective hum. Perhaps it’s due to the city’s membership in the Bee City USA national pollination program. More likely it’s because Asheville resonates for everyone: the rich and famous who came in the 1920s, today’s health enthusiasts who bicycle, jog or hike the mountainous roads, musicians who perform on street corners and micro-breweries that concoct the latest craft beer. Asheville is a happening crossroads where visitors, locals and honeybees thrive on diversity and natural delights. I was attracted by the elegant and extraordinary Biltmore Estate, Asheville’s claim to fame. No wonder;

Travel Vibrant skyline at sunrise – Courtesy of ExploreAsheville.com

it’s America’s largest home, constructed for George Vanderbilt over six years and opened on Christmas 1895. After the NYC tycoon first visited the area, he fell in love with the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains and clean air. His decision to build in Asheville brought prosperity to the entire region. Touring his art-filled house with an audio guide is a must. Allow between one-and-a-half to two hours, but don’t rush. Think of the place as a vast art museum with the personal touches of a multi-millionaire: medieval tapestries, spectacular sculpture, detailed wood prints, exquisite paintings and fine furniture from world-class craftsmen. In addition, the home includes a gorgeous library with 10,000 volumes, a castle-like banquet hall with a 70-foot ceiling, 65 fireplaces and 43 bathrooms. The rambling exterior incorporates stone architecture resembling the chateaux in the Loire Valley of France and carved stone figures like those found on Notre Dame. The immense property makes you shake your head in disbelief. The Biltmore may not be a hidden gem, but taking the behind the scenes Rooftop Tour certainly ranks. The tour, led by a knowledgeable expert, guides a small group through areas off limits to regular visitors. Naturally, ascending to the rooftop is the highlight; it and the wraparound balconies offer incredible panoramas. Climb the spiral staircase in the Observatory to venture outside. You can inspect the stone carved grotesques and gargoyles, stone figures that act as drain pipes. “Patting the buttocks of the statue without a tail gives good karma,”

claimed my guide. So naturally I just had to give him a tap! You’ll learn how the roof was designed to prevent snow from cascading down and damaging the glass solarium. At the tour’s end, you stop at the spot George Vanderbilt liked to take his guests for sunset. Wine tasting at the Biltmore is included in your ticket, but I missed Antler Hill Village and Winery due to lack of time. To properly see the estate, gardens and vineyards you need a full day. Consider advance reservation at an additional cost for outdoor extras such as the Sports Clay School, horseback riding, Segway tours, fly-fishing, biking and kayaking. Don’t cut yourself short.

Sourwood Inn

My lodging choice was truly a hidden jewel; I passed it by twice before locating the entrance to the Sourwood Inn off the Blue Ridge Parkway and Elk Mountain Scenic Highway. Once you find it, your cares drift away. The twelve-room retreat sits on one hundred acres of mountainous terrain at 3,200 feet elevation, but just ten

winding miles from downtown Asheville. Owner and hostess Susan Curtis is the sweetest lady ever. You’ll want to come back just to chat with her. In fact, 80% of the inn’s business is return guests. The bedrooms are spacious, airy and inviting, and each comes with a fireplace stacked with logs and kindling. All you have to do is strike a match. The common areas like the lobby, library and sitting rooms beckon one to sit and reflect. I’d call the decor refined rustic, not cutesy country. Warning: there is no Internet or television in the guestrooms. (A television can be found in the downstairs game room.) My Smartphone got access, but some do not. Sourwood was designed to be a relaxing getaway, so indulge yourself and escape the high-tech world. Full breakfasts and afternoon refreshments come with a stay, and you may bring your own wine or beer. The chef prepares dinner on selected evenings, usually the end of the week through the weekends. Don’t miss

these; they are bargain priced gourmet meals from a fabulous chef. Another hidden gem at Sourwood is owner Jeff Curtis’s falconry. Make an appointment to meet some of his hawks and learn about how they are trained and later released. Jeff has a love affair with the birds and loves to share his passion. Ask about hands-on demonstrations for groups or hire him for a hawk walk.

Omni Grove Park Inn

The Omni Grove Park Inn is another Asheville landmark, a grand dame in the style of the National Park Lodges: Old Faithful Inn, Yosemite’s Ahwahnee and El Tovar. The hotel, constructed from local stone, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013. I discovered some hidden areas in the grand lobby that are certainly surprising treasures. I rode up an elevator in the chimney within one of the massive stone fireplaces. The secret elevator isn’t that clandestine, however. It has its own operator who will gladly take you for a ride to the 3rd floor Palm Court. This area, the solarium, is

illuminated by an enormous skylight and acts as a sunroom or lounge. The decor and furnishing are originals in the Arts and Crafts style of Roycroft or Stickley or copies. The details in the woodwork and wall stenciling show the influence of Native design, again reminiscent of National Park lodges in the West. I loved this little hideaway. The Omni Grove Park earns AAA Four-Diamond Hotel status and has hosted many United States’ presidents and other notable personages over the decades. The hotel’s real hidden gem

Travel is the subterranean spa, a $44 million, 43,000-square-foot addition completed in 2010. Only those with appointments may enter. I was told that services are offered in 31 treatment rooms and open air Pagoda massage rooms. I didn’t have time to take a spa treatment, but I will return to Asheville just to indulge. I also lunched on a scrumptious lobster Cobb salad on the Sunset Terrace. The views from this location are some of the best in the city. Even if you don’t stay, stop by the Grove Park Inn to tour, dine or book a spa treatment. Another upscale Asheville gem I found and adored was Rhubarb, a restaurant on Pack Square, featuring meals prepared by Chef John Fleer. Chef’s command of the kitchen previously put the Blackberry Farm in Tennessee on the foodie map. Try the Rhubarb glazed duck comfit. One visit to this scenic area brimming with activity is not enough. I found more than enough reasons to return to amiable Asheville.

Hemingway’s Naughty Nairobi By Devanshi Mody

’m in snug rolls of blankets, gently rolling into slumber, when gently my breakfast order is requested. It looks as if Naomi Campbell is speaking to me. Am I dreaming? But I’m not on Kenya Airways’ justlaunched new Dreamliner, I’m in their more down-to-earth aircraft. Though I’m in their world-class Business Class, I haven’t quite expected its multi-award-winning amenities to include Naomi Campbell as hostess. Attending me is Victoria, about whose uncanny resemblance to the super model I remark. Victoria smiles that she did indeed model but hasn’t the “X-factor.” She has, however, the “I” factor, intelligence — demonstrated in our discussions on Kenya’s ethnic composition. Victoria is subtle. Nevertheless, I soon envision ranchowning, rich “Kenyan Cowboys,” around whose heads power wreaths like lassos. White hegemons, it would seem, dominate a black majority. Just then, I spy a mountain, its dusky amplitude wreathed atop in white snow. A metaphor for Kenya’s shaded power dynamics? We land. I’m offered an abundant bouquet, almost bigger than I am, of

Travel fragrant Kenyan roses in fuchsia. Is this yet another Kenya Airways Business Class feature, I wonder? The red carpet doesn’t roll out, but a sleek pick-up rolls up, and I’m escorted through immigration, the forms filled, formalities fulfilled. Curious. Only when seated in a waiting vehicle does my escort explain that she is the Hemingways Hotel’s airport representative, and I have experienced but one of those little courtesies extended their VIPs. I wasn’t aware I was “VIP,” but I think I could get used to it. I (along with my newfound VIP status) are soon conveyed to the calm, cool suburbs of Karen, to the hotel. Why recreate a grand colonial-style all-suite place, the sort Ernest Hemingway lived in, on Karen Blixen’s erstwhile farm, not far from where Lord Erroll was mysteriously murdered and with views over the fabled Ngong Hills, where Finch Hatton was buried? Well, it’s all rather dramatic. And whilst Ernest Hemingway wasn’t given to drama, he expressed style. So too does Nairobi’s new Hemingways Hotel. There’s no lobby, only a colonnaded reception embraced in winding staircases. Check-in happens in-suite, mine the Hemingway suite, which happens to be the Presidential Suite. It has a splendid dinner table, upon which my butler places that overwhelming bouquet of fuchsia roses that he has trailed along. The flowers fall on delicate homemade confections and vibrant fruit. I leave them to explore my suite, with its smart trappings and colonial elegance, its living rooms that open onto terraces trimmed in plush lawns and the bedroom with four-poster beds swaddled in choice linen. As for the white marble bathroom stocked with chic Parisian Anne Semonin toiletries, that’s a story apart. I’d linger in my suite, but Simon Penfold, then the sales manager, “cruelly” gives me gorgeous suites and then lures me away with breakfast. This could be had on terraces overlooking flying lawns, across which the misty Ngong Hills waver or indoors, where walls bear quotes on Kenya by famous people. I can’t decide where to sit, keep changing tables (my every whim patiently entertained) and finally settle on terraces bedecked with Nairobi’s beautiful people and businessmen, who strike deals over cappuccinos and espressos. Over outstanding sourdough toast and

Travel

granola, I people-watch. The racial melange distinguishes Nairobi from Cape Town or Johannesburg, where you wouldn’t see blacks or coloureds in luxury establishments except as waiters, cleaners or worker. Simon knows everyone who’s anyone in Kenya and quite possibly the world (if not the universe); he knows everything about everything (almost). With wit and charisma, Simon stretches breakfast until lunch and then to supper — but not before we partake of drinks at the balconied bar, where locals who look

as if they belong on an English country estate gather to chit-chat about their horses over Nairobi’s finest cocktails and canapés. Supper. There’s super pumpkin soup, cashew and feta salad and homemade pasta. However, Nairobi’s elite come for steak tartare, prepared by an Algerian chef who worked on the French Riviera. Chef also excels at traditional English afternoon tea, served in the quaint colonial salons and library. Incidentally, Kenyan tea is a revelation.

Kenyan Coffee is also special; when you’re mummified in it during the oriental spa’s signature Coffee Scrub Ritual designed for honeymooners. Gents, if you succumb to the tender touch of pretty young therapist, Margaret, whose soft hands are craftily implemented to out-massage Thai and Balinese counterparts, prepare for another honeymoon. After overly indulging in the spa, I realise coffee is best had in a cup at the Brasserie. I do little else other than return to this exceptional spa, for an Anne Semonin Deep Marine Purifying Facial. Over applications of seaweed, algae, sea salts and personalised blends of essential oils and trace elements, spa manageress Katy imparts terrific Kenyan tales of passion. I then learn that Lord Erroll was the 22nd Earl of Erroll, who was part of the “Happy Valley Set,” colonials notoriously devoted to debauchery and decadence. The rakish young aristocrat, an overly accomplished lover, famously got murdered on the Nairobi-Ngong Highway — but not before infamously seducing heiress Idina Sackville, scandalously wrecking her marriage. I next learn that Karen Blixen was a Dane, best-known for writing Out of Africa, and lesser known for dissipating aristocratic husband

Baron von Blixen’s inheritance on coffee plantations she didn’t know how to cultivate. She became famous for her raging romance with aristocratic big game hunter Denys Finch Hatton, who perished in his private plane. Kenya certainly inspires wild passions. I’m yet to meet the irresistible Masai, for whom European princesses forsook their palaces. Despite its historic location, I witness no untamed occurrences at Hemingways. Sigh. Indeed, decorum is maintained by an impeccable butler service headed by David who customises my itinerary and sends me to neighbouring celebrity haunt Talisman. At this enchanted Aladdin’s Cave-like under-the-stars restaurant, you could be eating spinach-feta samosas and seaweed salad, served by legendary waiter Alfonso. Simultaneously, the enigmatic manager, Stephen, refuses to acknowledge it’s Brad Pitt sitting in a corner, dipping into chocolate fondant. Travel Tips: Kenya Airways(www. kenya-airways.com) just launched Boeing 787 Dream Liner out of Paris and New Delhi. It provides awardwinning in-flight service and food, in addition to air hostesses resembling super models.

Guests of Casa Gangotena are treated to complimentary high tea

Spacious, light filled rooms at Casa Gangotena have luxe beds and, in some cases, original frescoes

Inside Casa Gangotena, The Best Hotel in Ecuador

Guests checking into Casa Gangotena in Quito, Ecuador are welcomed with a glass of jugo de vida, the juice of life. It’s made with 20 different herbs and even after an international flight and the rigors of landing in a city at more than 9,000 feet, the juice is refreshing enough to bring you back to life. Opened in 2011, the hotel is the result of a five-year renovation which transformed the Art Nouveau and Art Deco home of the Gangotena family into the best hotel in Ecuador, full of original details including pressed tin ceilings, frescoes in some rooms and a jaw- dropping marble spiral staircase. The 31 rooms at Casa Gangotena (20 luxury rooms, eight plaza view rooms, two junior suites and one full suite) follow three color schemes– turquoise, red and blue and brown– and average 377 square feet (35 square meters) in size. Rooms 102 and 212 have original restored

frescoes. Plaza view rooms are also coveted for their views of the picturesque and storied Plaza San Francisco on which the hotel sits. Legend has it that an indigenous man named Cantuña sold his soul to the devil (then ingeniously cheated him out of it) in order to get the large and elaborate stone niches built beneath the San Francisco church that anchors the plaza. As Quito grew, the San Francisco plaza became the site of a crowded and sketchy marketplace before being rejuvenated as part of an overall reclamation of Quito’s historic center which resulted in the area being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Travel Tip: The San Francisco church is only open to visitors during early morning mass on Tuesdays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. And you definitely want to get a look inside this amazing church. Completed by the Spanish in 1680 after more than 150 years of construction, the San Francisco church saves all its

Travel Historic Plaza San Francisco unfolds directly in front of Casa Gangotena

High Tea and Original Frescoes By Karen Catchpole

This elegant stairway from the lobby of Casa Gangotena in Quito, Ecuador was part of a five-year renovation

bling for the interior which is heavily gold-leafed and is home to the wooden Virgin of Quito sculpture. Double pane windows in the hotel keep out any street noise, though the muffled bells of the San Francisco church can still be heard pleasantly. Rooms are outfitted with absolutely addictive beds dressed with creamy sheets. The hypoallergenic pillows are in the closet, which has a scented sachet and a full compliment of hangers. Bathroom amenities are indulgent and there are robes and slippers in his and hers sizes. The airy, art-filled restaurant at Casa Gangotena is where a vast and varied breakfast buffet (included in room rates) is served as well as all other meals. It’s tempting to overdo it, thanks to a spread that includes delicious local cheeses, freshly baked bread and pastries, perfect tropical fruit and juice plus a full menu of hot items, but save some room for high tea later in the day.

Guests of Casa Gangotena are welcomed to free afternoon tea daily from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tea (or a cup of Ecuador’s excellent coffee) is served with a two-tier tower of bocaditos Quitano (Quito snacks) like empanadas, along with international favorites like quiche, biscuits with cream and jam, bite-size desserts and more. Served in a light filled atrium positively bursting with arrangements of roses (Ecuador is one of the world’s top rose producers), high tea at Casa Gangotena is elegant and bountiful and you’ll want to linger over it. Indulgence and elegance aside, service is also a top priority at Casa Gangotena. For example, staff will burn a CD of your digital camera images for free to clear up card space so you can take more photographs during your stay. Casa Gangotena is one of the best meldings of a historic renovation with modern touches, much like the city of Quito itself.

To Do

Just a few blocks from the hotel is Casa del Alabado Museum, home to expertly curated and displayed Pre-Columbian treasures in a gorgeously restored home built in 1671. Take a break with a traditional hot chocolate made using Ecuadorian chocolate at an outdoor table at the Tianguiz Café on Plaza San Francisco. Buy a handmade Panama hat (which originated in Ecuador) from the venerated Homero Ortega shop. You’ll need it for the sun which is extremely strong on the equator. Casa Gangotena, part of the Kiwi Collection, was on the 2012 Conde Nast Traveler Hot List, on the 2012 Travel+Leisure It List, was rated 92 by Andrew Harper and has received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence since opening. For more information and reservations visit www.casagangotena.com/en/

Going Green in the Emerald City By Jan Ross

Travel

ush, dark green coastal rainforest surround the urban wonderland that is Seattle, and this is the main reason it has been dubbed “The Emerald City”. However, this beautiful city is green for another reason, and that is the healthy, organic experience you can find there. From a hotel with a bright green grass roof to the well-known Pike Place Market where you can select flowers, local produce, locally caught seafood, and other lovely choices, Seattle has a lot to offer environmentally conscious visitors. Located on an isthmus with Puget Sound on one side and Lake Washington on the other, the scenery is astonishingly beautiful in any direction and the city is a great place to spend a few days. Fresh seafood from the surrounding waters, locally produced wines and brews, fresh cheeses, bakeries highlighting local ingredients and restaurateurs focused on farm-totable cuisine combine to create an idyllic organic foodie’s paradise. When you arrive at Sea-Tac airport, you can grab a cab or any manner of public transportation, but the ideal way to arrive at your destination in style is to arrange a limousine with Bayview Limousine Service. They not only gave us a great ride to the hotel, our driver also expended a lot of effort locating us in the airport as we apparently blithely walked

right past where we were supposed to meet him where he was standing and holding up a sign with our name. He kindly never complained but instead escorted us to the limo, insisting on taking most of our luggage, and then presented us with cold bottles of water and bags of chocolates. A limo might seem like a big extravagance but we have learned that cabs are so incredibly expensive to take from the airport in a big city (we were shocked to pay $75 for a cab in Niagara Falls) that the convenience of a private and comfortable limo is usually not much more and well worth it. Bayview was completely professional and our driver dropped us off right at the door of our hotel, even making sure he let us off at the area of the check-in desk where there were no stairs so it would be easier to manage our luggage. The Hyatt at Olive 8 is the hotel with the green grass roof mentioned previously. Located within easy walking distance of Pike Place Market and downtown shops and restaurants, it’s a convenient place to stay in the city. Not only is it convenient, however, it’s a gorgeous, modern hotel with plenty of green options — like turning the power on in your room by inserting your room key into a slot. My husband and I have not seen this in any hotels other than those in Europe, but it’s

a great energy-saving option. We may have had our impression of this luxury hotel slightly skewed by the fact that we stayed in the jaw-dropping, 1,600-square-foot Presidential suite during our stay and will probably never have quite such a luxury experience in all our travels. With two dining areas, a small but complete kitchen, a living room with a gas fireplace, an office complete with a computer, a lovely bedroom with a king-size bed, two bathrooms (one which actually had a small television mounted in the wall mirror) and a walk-closet that was as large as many big city hotel rooms, it was the most amazing suite we have ever experienced. Huge floor to ceiling windows added to the ambience by providing incredible views of the city in every direction. Technically, this suite is probably most often used by organizations

having conferences in the hotel, as it was obviously too large for only two people, but we still enjoyed every second of our stay. Not only was the suite fabulous in every way, it was also environmentally friendly, just like the rest of this LEED certified hotel. The first hotel in Seattle to be LEED certified and the first of the Hyatt Corporation hotels, the Hyatt at Olive 8 has an assortment of energy and water saving options, which include the option to turn off the power when you leave your room. The hotel is equipped with dual flush toilets, which use much less water than traditional toilets, uses plenty of natural light to conserve energy and even has in-room recycling containers. The hotel is also beautifully designed with a contemporary atmosphere which includes plenty of open areas, large windows, and a

Travel bright, airy feel. Another option during your Seattle visit is a stay at the beautiful and historic Mayflower Park Hotel. The Deluxe Queen Suite is a luxurious expanse which includes two bathrooms, a very nice bedroom with two queen beds, a living room with a television, luxury robes, free Wi-Fi and a flat screen television in the bedroom. Before you even arrive at your suite, you will be impressed by the beauty of the sumptuously decorated lobby as you walk through the glass and brass doors of the hotel. Complete with a fireplace and cozy seating, the lobby is a great introduction to one of the city’s finest hotels. Built in 1927, the hotel is still locally owned and an important part of the Seattle downtown area. An entryway leads directly to the Westlake Center, a mall with plenty of shops, restaurants, and a tram stop for the tram which runs directly to the iconic Space Needle. One of the best things among the many wonderful pluses of staying at the Mayflower Park Hotel is the fact that it is less than a block from one of the best spas we have ever experienced. The locally owned Ummelina International Day Spa is just a short walk down Fourth Avenue but a world away from busy downtown Seattle. Step through the door, go up the stairs and enter that fragrant spa environment which always makes me take a deep breath and begin relaxing. The lovely folks at the spa suggested The Equator as one of the choices in the Journey experiences for couples, and we were in complete agreement. Especially after we read the

description: Journey Solo or Duo...On this odyssey, relax under a true waterfall and receive the natural healing and restorative properties of the flowing water. Move your body to receive the water’s healing forces. The scents of nature surround you and the water washes away all stress. Leaving the Waterfall behind, journey into the warm, moist environment of the steamy Rain Forest. While relaxing under a canopy of gentle rain, surrender to the pleasure of an exfoliating salt rub followed by a luxuriating water massage. Pause in a comfortable lounger for a brief rest before continuing your journey.

Arrive in the Desert, where dry heat enfolds you as warm oils and muds from around the world are applied to your body. You lie basking as if in the warmth of the meridian sun. A visit to the Monsoon, to cool down your body and center before returning to the world anew, fresh and well-traveled. ~ 2 hours Ummelina is truly a fascinating place to visit. Using both new and ancient healing rituals gathered from all over the globe combined with state of the art spa equipment, the massage therapists spent three hours making sure we enjoyed every single minute. All the spa’s therapies are shaped by the natural environment and the philosophy that for centuries, indigenous people listened to the earth and used its riches as part of their lives. This philosophy helps restore health and promotes a balance between the individual and the environment. First, we changed clothes in the beautifully decorated locker room. In our robes, we settled into the waiting room area which was comfortable and sun-lit, with chairs made for relaxing and plenty of stools to rest your feet on. I was surprised and delighted when a spa employee came into the waiting area, softly introduced herself and proceeded to pour hot water into a basin where she gently washed our feet. A calming and relaxing ritual, it’s something they do for all their guests and we loved it.

From there, we proceeded to a room with a large, low tub and an elaborate faucet on the wall which, when turned on, created a warm, miniature waterfall which we both loved. After relaxing in the waterfall for a while, we adjourned to the Rain Forest room where we took turns having a salt scrub, then relaxing as overhead faucets gently rained warm water down on our back, rinsing off the salt and leaving our skin babysoft. Our last stop was in the tropical Desert where the heat had been turned up and we were each treated to different oils and muds applied to our bodies, then allowed to dry and harden to draw out toxins and make our skin even softer. We returned to the waterfall room to rinse off and cool down, then it was sadly time to go. We didn’t make time to visit their Tea Spa which I regret because it is something truly unique and I was very interested. They offer a variety of events and ceremonies for different groups and they also offer specially blended teas for sale. The spa uses over 250 organic herbs to create teas formulated for their medicinal value, a practice used for hundreds of years. Seattle is sublimely focused on their local organic and fresh culinary offerings. Experience some of the best culinary offerings in the city by spending an afternoon on a guided culinary walking tour with Savor

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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Seattle Food Tours. Starting at The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company where you can choose a swoon-worthy Pancakes ‘n’ Bacon cupcake, you’ll make your way through offerings as diverse as freshly made pizza from Serious Pie and locally produced brews at the Pike Brewing Company. Stroll along with the guidance of a charming, friendly and knowledgeable guide and it’s the perfect introduction to local foods. One of the most important ways Seattle has been going “green” for years is that tourist destination: the Pike Place Market. Not only is the market a tourist destination, for years, it has served as a great example of the farm-to-table concept, allowing you to buy directly from farmers. Pick up freshly caught fish, grass-fed beef, fruits and vegetables picked hours earlier and bakery products created from healthy, locally sourced ingredients. It’s the perfect introduction to local foods.

After tasting a wide variety of culinary offerings on the foodie tour, you will want to spend some time trying what the many great restaurants in Seattle have to offer as well. Urbane is located in the Hyatt at Olive 8,so it’s not only convenient to visit during your stay, they have some of the best food that we ate during the entire time we were in Seattle. Specializing in Northwest cuisine, Executive Chef Greg Lopez says “Good food depends on good ingredients.” He works with farmers across Washington and the Pacific Northwest who are dedicated to sustainable growing techniques and bringing the best possible product to market; this is definitely reflected in the menu, which changes seasonally. Try the rib eye steak with locally sourced fiddle-head ferns and you won’t be sorry. Andaluca is located right off the lobby of the Mayflower Hotel so it’s also a convenient spot for dinner if

you are staying at the hotel. It’s a very popular spot for locals and hotel guests alike. With a Mediterranean influence evident in the mahogany mill work and hand painted murals, Andaluca offers seasonal salads, Northwest specialties and some fabulous local cheeses. Be sure to order a platter of them. Also try the fresh and delicious pear salad, the tender steak skewer and the crispy potato croquettes. Then get the melting chocolate cake for dessert – even if you have to order it to go! Agrodolce is a casual trattoria hidden away in the Fremont neighborhood featuring handmade pasta inspired by Italy’s coastal cuisine and other delicious offerings, all made with organic and sustainable ingredients from the region. The restaurant is owned by Maria Hines, winner of the James Beard Award for best chef in the Northwest in 2009 and also the Iron

Chef winner in 2010. The restaurant’s delicious focaccia bread, made fresh daily and served with imported virgin olive oil, will surprise you. Try the amazing cream of onion soup and one of the house’s homemade pastas. And don’t forget to save room for dessert as the rice pudding fritters are a must. Crispy and golden brown, they’re served with a scrumptious caramel sauce for dipping. After dinner, take a stroll around the artsy Fremont neighborhood, where you’ll find loads of interesting shops and cafes, some situated by beautiful Lake Union. You’ll also spot plenty of houseboats moored in the lake, which inspired the movie Sleepless in Seattle. So, stay, relax and eat your way through the “Emerald City” and enjoy everything this green lovers’ paradise has to offer!

he first time I flew into Hong Kong was in 1992, onto the runway of the Hong Kong International Airport. It was ranked one of the most dangerous airports in the world, which I instantly realized as our Cathay Pacific airplane flew very close to skyscrapers and landed on a runway jutting out into Victoria Harbor.

Kong now has a population of over 1.2 million people. It’s a formal city with men and women in business attire walking to work next to street vendors and butchers cutting raw meat along the sidewalk in the open air markets. Fish are piled up on ice for locals to purchase and live eels swim in small plastic white and blue bowls.

This airport closed in 1998 and has been replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok. I flew into this safer airport recently in June, 2015, after 10 days in China. I was surprised to see so many more skyscrapers 23 years after my first flight. I learned that Hong Kong has the most skyscrapers in the world: 8,000 buildings that have more than 14 floors. That is almost twice as much as New York City.

It’s a sophisticated city with British pubs, Marks and Spencer Stores and every high end jewelry, clothing and shoe store lined up in a tidy row along the narrow streets. Teslas, Mercedes and Audis purr along the streets next to Buicks and Nissans. Our first night we stayed at the more sleek and modern The Landmark Mandarin Oriental. Located next to a large and elegant shopping mall, the hotel appeals to all of your senses. The smells are pleasing the moment you walk into the lobby, elevator and guest rooms.

Since I was staying overnight at two of the The Mandarin Oriental properties in Hong Kong, I was provided with car service from the airport to the first hotel. An airport staff member greeted my family and me as we departed from our flight and helped us obtain our baggage. Upon exiting the airport, a MO (Mandarin Oriental) driver welcomed us and guided us to our black van. Inside we received cold washcloths, bottled water and complimentary Wi-Fi connection. The British government colonized Hong Kong in 1841 during the first Opium War (1839-43). It was handed back to China on July 1, 1997. Hong

Our feet enjoyed the plush slippers with the signature M on the top located next to our king size bed adorned with Frette linen and goose down bedding. There is a walk-in wardrobe with black silk robes hanging inside. A stunning circular glass-walled bathroom offers a dramatic spherical spa tub, and plush cotton robes hanging next to the soothing rain-forest shower. The Mandarin Oriental caters to an elite clientele and offers extra amenities that other hotels don’t, such as a tube of Happy Feet, a refreshing blend of peppermint to

perk up hot and tired feet after climbing and exploring the hills of Hong Kong Island. There is also a bottle of tea tree oil to provide antibacterial protection and a deodorizing effect. We dined at the MO Bar for a opulent breakfast buffet and later in the evening for a lively dinner and cocktails. Staff members Joyce, Nicole, Ryan and Nicholas offered exemplary service during both our culinary experiences. In the evening , the MO Bar changes into a sophisticated nightspot with cocktails and dining. To add to the

vibe, a DJ spins each night. The hip, club-like destination has debuted Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Annie Lennox on its small stage. The second day, we checked out of The Landmark and into the hotel chain’s flagship, the Mandarin Oriental. Celebrating 53 years, it’s old world elegance with tradition and pomp, and about two blocks away from The Landmark. We were professionally greeted by Niko Penttinen, the duty manager, who escorted us up to our suite on the 12th floor (rooms 1226 and 1227), checked our passports and

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Extravagant Mandarin Oriental By Jill Weinlein

took a copy of our credit card. Our room offered the most spectacular bathroom I ever seen, with a large white soaking tub showcasing the center of the marble room, overlooking the Ferry Building, Hong Kong Ferris Wheel and Kowloon.

with an exquisite china tea pot and cups. We sat on the sofa and enjoyed a proper afternoon tea with biscuits in our suite before exploring the sights of the city.

Since this is the year of the goat, our daughters each had an adorable stuffed Chinese goat on their pillow as a welcome gift.

Taking the Star Ferry across the Victoria harbour to Kowloon, we gazed out to the impressive General Post Office and noticed the stately signature fan and brass Mandarin Oriental letters decorating the top of the hotel.

The elegant living area had a sitting area and desk with every amenity discerning guests might desire. Niko brought us two large baskets filled

Upon our return I met with the General Manager, Jonas Schuermann of the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. He informed me that the Mandarin

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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Oriental hotel spent $150 million to renovate its 501 guest rooms, 10 restaurants, and numerous public spaces, as well as to construct the Mandarin Spa. Now there are 71 individually-designed suites and 430 guest rooms with either exciting city or lovely harbor views. I also learned that Hong Kong is very green, with approximately 3/4 of Hong Kong being rural, comprising 24 country parks, scenic hills, woodlands, reservoirs and coastline easily accessible from the city. The

concierge team is happy to share with guests the best walking and hiking trails. Also, within the last five years the art and wine world have established a major presence in Hong Kong. “During art auctions, the airport runs out of space for all the private jets,” shared Jonas. “Hong Kong has become a city filled with stunning artwork in all of the galleries.” Jonas told me that people come from all over to buy rare and popular wine, because there in no tax. “It makes

buying wine or anything in Hong Kong very attractive,” said Jonas. Before dinner, management sent a staff member to our room with a tray of fresh bread, small bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and chocolates. An ice bucket held a chilled bottle of Ruinart French Brut Champagne. It was a treat before our dinner at the MO Bar. Early the next day, the sun broke through an array of clouds to cast a rose-colored glow on the hills above Victoria Harbor. Situated between

Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, the harbor attracts an interesting array of international ships with its deep, sheltered waters next to the South China Sea. Before our car service took us to the airport, we bade goodbye to all of the professional and classically trained staff members we met at the Mandarin Oriental. The memories of our two-night experience make me long to come back to this exciting cosmopolitan city before another 23 years slips by.

Leah Travels France October

By Leah Walker

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Each month, our Editor-at-Large and Paris resident, Leah Walker, is opening her French address book. She’ll share the latest, greatest, little known, classic and up-andcoming finds in her adopted home country. Find more travel tidbits on her website, LeahTravels.com and get your daily French dose from her Instagram, LeahTravels. Visit this Museum

ith nearly 1,200 works from artists such as Andy Warhol, Alain Jacquet, David Tremlett and Cesar Arman, the Museum of Modern Art and Contemporary Art (MAMAC) is a must-visit when in Nice. Documenting art from the 1960s until today, the MAMAC is nearly 50,000 square feet of avant-garde works from Europe and the USA. The building is just as impressive as the art inside. Greeting visitors are massive sculptures on the esplanade Niki de Saint Phalle by artists like Alexander Calder and Bernar Venet. And with glass passageways connecting the four square towers, don’t miss going to one of the rooftop terraces for an excellent view over Nice. Admission is €10 and is closed on Mondays. Museum of Modern Art and Contemporary Art, Place Yves Klein, 06364 Nice

Check In

Opened in March of 2015, Maison Souquets is a five-star boutique hotel in Paris’s up-and-coming area of South Pigalle (SoPi). A former brothel, the hotel was once run by Madame Souquet during the early 1900s. The neighborhood south of Montmartre and near the Moulin Rouge is still a bit rough around the edges, with plenty of massage parlors and adult shops, but the gentrification is evident with its trendy bars and restaurants. In keeping with the spirit of the area and the building’s past, famed French designer, Jacques Garcia, melded his signature baroque style using antiques from the 18th century to create a modern, French classic. As part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Maison Souquets feels like a home rather than a hotel. The lobby mimics a living room, while the adjoining bar has an old-school library look, with its rich wood, plush fabrics and cozy corners. Breakfast is served in the bright, mirror-filled Winter Garden, with a small outdoor space that can be used by smokers. In the basement, there is a large pool (by Paris standards), a steam room and massage room, which can be booked 24-hours a day. The entire space can be exclusively reserved by guests

for an hour each day for the utmost privacy. The fourteen rooms and six junior suites are named for a famous courtesan and uniquely designed. From Napoleon III to Japanese to Art Nouveau, the finest silks, tasseled lamps, handpicked antiques and Hermes toiletries unify the rooms. This petite hotel is absolutely big on style, luxury and character. Maison Souquet, 10 rue de Bruxelles, 75009 Paris

Sample this Specialty

Marseille is synonymous with bouillabaisse, a seafood soup that was originally made by fishermen in Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second city. The original recipe is cause for debate, but ProvenĂ§al herbs and spices are used to make the broth, while bony local Mediterranean rockfish and sometimes various types of shellfish are the heart of this traditional dish. In many restaurants such as Miramar, the broth is first served with bread and rouille, a sauce made from olive oil, garlic breadcrumbs, saffron and chili peppers. The fish is then brought out on a large platter, deboned table side and placed into

Travel the broth-filled bowls. It’s as much about presentation as the taste, and a trip to Marseille is incomplete without sampling bouillabaisse. Restaurant Miramar, 12 Quai du Port, 13002 Marseille

Take this Tour

It was in 1715 that Englishman, Jean Martell, left his home in Jersey to begin trading eaux-de-vie in Cognac. This year, Martell Cognac celebrates its 300th anniversary. Lovers and those curious about Cognac are invited to take Martell’s hour-long tour. While exploring the grounds of the oldest of the great Cognac houses, visitors will not only learn the origins of Martell by touring Jean Martell’s modest, limestone home, but also historical storehouses. Through a series of exhibits, the tour takes guests from the grape to the glass. Displays of vines and soil samples from the different crus make the words of the expert guide come to life, while a room showcasing the barrel-making process rounds out the Cognac education. Centuries of Martell Cognac bottles and hand-written ledgers are on display and represent the evolution of the brand. For those over the age of eighteen, a tasting is available in Martell’s shop to complete the tour. Martell & Co, 7 Place Edouard Martell, 16100 Cognac

Fine Dining

It’s a family affair at the two-star Michelin rated Albert 1er in Chamonix. Spanning five generations, current head chef, Pierre Maillet, took over the restaurant from his father-in-law, Pierre Carrier. The unfussy and natural menu is not only influenced by the surrounding Mont-Blanc and nearby Piedmont region of Italy, but also Chef Maillet’s childhood in Toulouse and his work in restaurants along the Mediterranean. Dishes are ever changing to reflect the freshest ingredients available, but the cheese trolley filled with special hard and soft cheeses from France and Italy, as well as a decadent dessert trolley, are ever-present. Look to head sommelier, Alain Gousse, for advice on the nearly 20,000 bottles of wine available in the cellar. Albert 1er, 38 route du Bouchet, 74400 Chamonix Mont Blanc

Drink Up

Just off of Avenue des Ternes in Paris’s 17th arrondissement is one of the best cocktail bars in the city. L’Ambre Bar is an unassuming place

that just serves really good drinks. Prior to opening the bar, owners, Anthony and Kevin, worked at the historical Hotel De Crillion before it closed for renovations. At L’Ambre, handcrafted cocktails are made with the freshest ingredients, while the selection of spirits is inspiring for a bar of its size. L’Ambre has a neighborhood feel, where regulars are called by name and first-timers are greeted just as warmly. Live music can often be heard in the evening and a limited tapas menu is available. L’Ambre, 29 rue Brunel, 75017 Paris

Chat with a Concierge

I sat down with Yannick Bastoni, the Chief Concierge at Hôtel Fouquet’s Barrière in Paris, for insight on some of his favorite things from the City of Light. Leah Walker: What restaurant would you choose for a special dinner? Yannick Bastoni: I love to start with a drink at Hôtel Costes. After, I’ll eat Japanese at Kinugawa in the 1st arrondissement, just around the back of Hôtel Le Meurice on Rue du Mont Thabor. Another place for dinner would be at Monsieur Bleu, a restaurant inside Palais Tokyo. It has a terrace overlooking the Eiffel Tower, and in the summer, they use the terrace for aperitifs and live music from 7 p.m. After drinks, go inside for dinner. I’m sure you can find better food in the trendier restaurants, but the atmosphere, ambiance and people there is funnier than maybe in a proper French restaurant. Hôtel Costes, 239-241 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris; Kinugawa, 9 Rue du Mont Thabor, 75001 Paris; Monsieur Bleu, 20 Avenue de New York, 75116 Paris LW: What is an ideal Saturday in Paris for you? YB: I get out of Paris. I’m from Cannes in the South of France, so I’m used to Nature. I play golf and am a member of the Paris International Golf Club, which is the only course designed by Jack Nicklaus in France. There’s a swimming pool, so I’d spend the day with my children. It’s about 35 kilometers from Paris and guests can pay to play with a member. However, the public can visit the restaurant. The chef once worked for Alain Ducasse, so it’s a nice place to go for lunch. Paris International Golf Club, 18 Route du Golf, 95560 Baillet-en-France LW: What classic Parisian experience never goes out of

style, even for Parisians? YB: When my family comes to Paris, we always end up going to the same places. On Sunday afternoon, we go to the Marais. It’s definitely a thing tourists like to do. It’s really the only place that shops are open on Sundays. But, everyone goes there, even locals. It’s fun, lively, has great shops and beautiful architecture. I just love the area. This is something that I enjoy doing, maybe not every Sunday, but every now and again, for sure. Le Marais, 3rd and 4th arrondissements LW: What is your favorite café in the city? YB: My favorite café isn’t one in particular, but it is a traditional French brasserie. The decorations and architecture must be traditional. I like places that have been there for years. I really just love having an orange juice, coffee

and croissant while reading the newspaper in any of these types of places. I particularly like those in the 17th near Place des Ternes or Parc Monceau, such as Le Courcelles. Le Courcelles, 92 Boulevard de Courcelles, 75017 Paris LW: What’s trendy in Paris now? YB: It’s trendy to be fit, but even French people are starting to look at what they have on their plates— gluten-free and that sort of stuff is getting more popular. It’s a really special thing for us to go have a nice lunch or dinner. It’s a great notion of pleasure and sharing when we eat. Even though I’ve been brought up like this, I’ve always looked after myself and checked what I put in my stomach. Now, we are understanding more and more what we are eating, and that’s something pretty new for the French.

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warm breeze moves through the air, encouraging the palms to sway to the rhythm of the island. In the Caribbean, time moves at a slower pace. Put the cell phone away, and lose yourself in the calm aqua waters. The world you will discover is a unique Caribbean paradise. Let your only decision be whether to snorkel or lie on the beach. Star Clippers operates three of the world’s largest and tallest sailing vessels. Visiting ports often untouched by larger cruise ships and offering passengers the activities, amenities and atmosphere of a private yacht, Star Clippers is recognized as one of the premier specialty cruise lines. Passengers can enjoy the romance of

sailing on board a true tall ship in a relaxed atmosphere, with high standards of service provided by an attentive crew. All three ships have expansive teak decks, swimming pools, informal dining, a convivial Tropical Bar on deck and a comfortable piano bar and are large enough to offer first class accommodation and dining, but small enough to call into intimate ports, untouched by large cruise ships. The two smaller ships, Star Flyer and Star Clipper, take 170 passengers each, with a crew of 74, while Royal Clipper carries 227 with a crew of 106.

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A cruise aboard Royal Clipper is the perfect platform from which to launch diving adventures in the Tobago Cays, where the reefs are a

Aboard Star Clipper in 2015 and 2016, sail from St Maarten on alternating itineraries that offer fantastical sailing adventures in

Royal Clipper sails from Barbados on alternating voyages to explore the Spice Islands of the Grenadines and the Windward Islands with enchanting ports like Basseterre and Terre de Haut. New itineraries on the Royal Clipper will include round-trip Barbados sailings focusing on the British Virgin Islands, known for its reef-lined beaches for Christmas and New Year’s cruises. A new 14-day Royal Clipper ABC Island voyage will make stops in Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Venezuela, Grenada, Grenadines and St. Lucia in Winter 2016 and Spring 2017.

optimal conditions. This St. Maarten route will be available in 2016/2017 on the Star Flyer. Make your way across the Anegada Passage and discover the Treasure Islands, so named because they include some of the most exclusive jewels in the Caribbean, on both the Star Clipper and the Star Flyer. Head southward on our Leeward Islands itinerary and step ashore on Nevis, overflowing with natural beauty. Rain forests, rushing rivers and a hundred waterfalls await in luxuriant Dominica. While at Guadeloupe, the island shaped like the town wings of a butterfly, the jungle clad slopes of Soufrière beckon to be explored. Star Flyer will also be offering new departures from Jamaica’s gem, Montego Bay, in 2016 and 2017.

Taiwan’s Top 12 Taste Treats From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

By Janice Nieder

Wenwu Temple

aiwan still remains largely undiscovered, particularly by Western travelers, but this seriously underrated, economically successful (it has become one or the world’s richest countries in less than fifty years) democratic little island is poised to nab the title of “Best Hidden Travel Gem of 2015.” Visitors will be blown away by the country’s eight pristine national parks, majestic Buddhist temples, line-up of spectacular festivals, which range from the traditional Dragon Boat Festival to the Fat Pig Festival, plethora of modern designer shopping malls, the 150 natural hot springs (and many luxurious spa resorts) and the overwhelming friendliness of the people. But I was there first and foremost for the food, since truly knowledgeable foodies consider Taiwan the ultimate food destination for Asian cuisine. The island is a fabulous culinary mash-up due in part to the fact that the Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish and

Japanese have all settled here at one time, layered with a fusion of distinctive regional Chinese styles of cooking from the Fujian, Cantonese, Szechwan and Hakka communities. Here are a dozen of foodie favorites

From the sublime: countryside, Zen version of The French Laundry

If you’re in a hurry you might want to bypass Shi-Yang Culture Restaurant, which requires a minimum of two to three hours to fully appreciate the innovative prix-fixe 10-course meal. After a 45-minute drive from bustling Taipei you’ll arrive at the lush Yangmingshan National Park where Mr. Lin Bin-hui, previously an acclaimed architect/designer, realized his vision of creating a culinary mountainside retreat. The organic Zen-like restaurant was inspired by his appreciation of the Song Dynasty, 10th century China. His creative cuisine focuses on reinterpreting traditional foods with an eye to refined beauty and a nod to

a more health-conscious diet by focusing on the highest quality seasonal ingredients. A seafood still life of sashimi, sea urchin, shrimp, squid, and rice Shi-Yang Culture Restaurant

paper-wrapped rolls topped with salmon roe was so beautifully presented that we hesitated (for at least a full ten seconds) before digging in. However, the pièce de résistance appeared to be just a

Cuisine simple black cauldron of chicken soup until the waiter gently placed a large lotus blossom on top which dramatically unfolded over the next several minutes due to the hot steam.

Shi-Yang Culture Lotus blossom soup

After lunch a short stroll through the tranquil forest surroundings, brings you to Shi-Yang’s teahouses, where a tea ceremony can be pre-arranged. Inside tip: To avoid disappointment, reservation should be made months in advance.

Poo-Poo ice-cream at Modern Toilet

To the ridiculous-but oh so fun! The Modern Toilet restaurant chain is the epitome of tastelessness but if you thought the movie, There’s Something About Mary, was funny, than you’ll love it here.

Each restaurant is slightly different but most have bathtub tables, showerheads or plungers hanging from the ceilings, feces-shaped pillows; toilet paper dispensers dispense napkins. Instead of chairs you’ll be sitting on artsy toilets, eating out of mini-toilet bowls, urinals or bedpans. Menu offerings include swirled piles of chocolate Poo Poo Ice cream (the pink berry flavor is Hemorrhoid!) or you might want to choose one of the meal specials such as Meal B: Drink + soup + shit ice cream Inside Tip: The Mac & Cheese with mushrooms was actually quite tasty.

most expensive restaurant to a makeshift alley cart, everyone wants to be known for serving the best beef noodle soup. Noodle Cuisine (Tel: (02) 2741-6299) is certainly a strong contender. Owner Wu Zanhao was originally a decorator, which is evident in his styled-out restaurant laden with Swarovski crystal chandeliers. In 2011, he participated in the Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival, placing 8th in the Creative category. The signature dish here, World-Class Selections Beef Noodles Soup, has three cuts of beef: tendon, shank and tail, Wu likes to pair this with a most unique beverage: a bottle of Onion Red Wine.

Best place to cool off Beef Noodle Soup at Noodle Cuisine

Ice Monster’s refreshing mango dessert

The Ice Monster offers the quintessential Taiwanese-style shaved ice dessert consisting of a humongous pile finely shaved ice (think powdered snow) topped with a variety of sweets, beans, tapioca bubbles, jellies, and fresh fruit. They have a special machine that shaves the ice in a quick circular motion, producing a pile of fluffy powdered snow. The hands down fave is their refreshing mango “avalanche,” consisting of mango flavored shaved ice piled high with fresh mango cubes, pudding, sweetened condensed milk, mango jelly, with

a mango ice cream snowball perched on top.

Bragging rights: there’s nothing like a snake dinner to separate the boys from the men. To try a full range of snake (as in cobra) delicacies, head to Snake Alley, formally known as Huaxi Street Night Market. The snake meat can be “enjoyed” in a variety of dishes. We manned up with a full serpent feast consisting of snake soup, snake sautéed with water spinach and fried snake skin paired with our choice of snake bile, venom or blood wine.

Worst first date dinner

When the stench of burning rubber mixed with rotting garbage and a little sewage first assails your nostrils, you’ll know you are in the right place to buy some Stinky Tofu. This Taiwanese staple begins life innocuously enough as fresh white tofu, which is then fermented in vats of brine (often made from fermented milk, vegetables, and meat) until it reaches just the right stench of ripeness. Street vendors will then deep fry it until crispy and serve it with some equally smelly sour pickled veggies. Non-foodies will give it a wide birth, but I have to tell you, I really liked the stuff — but I’m also a fan of Limburger cheese. Once you make peace with the smell Artistic creations at Yu Shan Ge

Best no frills way to start the day: our home-style breakfast

Although the décor of the bare bones Fu Hang Dou Jiang, tucked away upstairs in the HuaShan Market Building may leave something to be desired, their carbo-heavy food might be the world’s best cure for jet lag. As you join the perpetual queue, you’ll pass the open kitchen where you can watch the Taiwanese version of “time to make the donuts” as bustling bakers churn out shao bing, a chewy sesame flat bread cooked in a fiery hot barrel, and tiao, deep-fried Chinese crullers served with sweet or savory soy milk. For a delish, all-in-one takeaway brekkie order, the sao bing youtiao (thin flatbread with Chinese doughnut and egg).

Stinky but delish Tofu

Most unusual wine pairing

Taiwanese are obsessed with beef noodle soup, which much like our chicken soup is quintessential Taiwanese comfort food. From the

their succulent soup dumplings accompanied by assorted veggies, pot stickers, salads and eightflavored sticky rice. At the popular Taipei 101 basement location you can watch the cooks masterfully folding whisper-thin wrappers around the juicy pork meatballs to create these quality XiaoLongBao, which explains the one to two hour wait. Inside tip: Put your name in, get your number, and then cross the hall to the fried chicken stand for some appetizers. Their flavorful fried popcorn chicken niblets, liberally sprinkled with salt, pepper and basil, kick Colonel Sanders butt!

Best oasis of calm

Din Tai Fung’s XiaoLongBao

Tea snacks at Wistaria Tea House

the yin/yang of the crunchy exterior and silken inside and sweet and sour flavor profile can be highly addictive. Stinky tofu can be found at most any night market stand or you can try over 20 different vegan varieties at Jiaziyuan Restaurant in New Taipei City. Insider tip: There’s almost nothing worse than stinky tofu breath. One helpful breath freshener, “Watering KissMint” chewing gum, can be bought at any of Taiwan’s 5,000+, 7-Eleven stores. These convenience stores sell everything

Pick your own fresh seafood at Addiction Aquatic Development

The best oyster omelet maker

from hot dinner and concert tickets, to a bottle of Johnny Walker, and they’ll even mail your packages.

Best work of art veggie alternative

Vegetarians will have an easy time in Taiwan with its 6,000 vegetarianfriendly restaurants. But even the most ardent meat eater will be tempted to turn veg-head after trying the vegetarian Kaiseki haute cuisine at the elegant Yu Shan Ge. No matter which set menu you order you are in for a creative culinary experience that is seldom seen in vegetarian dining. The artistically presented meaty hedgehog mushroom was as satisfying as any Wagyu steak, and the stylized platter of cold appetizers had some sort of pink agar that I would have sworn was cured salmon. Plates were artistically garnished with living plants, mini-rock gardens or candles nestled inside cutout oranges.

Worst kept secret: XiaoLongBao Shilin Night Market

Din Tai Fung’s renown culinary empire (two of its Hong Kong stores have been awarded a Michelin Star) got off to a slow start as a cooking oil shop in Taiwan in 1958. When sales began to dwindle owner Yang Bingy and his wife started selling XiaoLongBao, steamed soup dumplings on the side and the rest is history. Now no trip to Taipei is complete without slurping down

Wistaria Tea House is a traditional wooden tea house that was originally a Japanese naval dormitory built in 1920. It was designated a historic monument by the Taipei government in 1997. Opt for one of the serene tatami rooms to experience the ultimate Taiwanese tea ceremony. Wistaria uses water (the most important ingredient in making tea) from the Wu Lai Mountain Spring, which is poured into a glass pot and heated on a kerosene boiler. They offer a wide variety quality teas (try their special Pu’ehr tea from Yunnan, China) with wonderfully poetic names, accompanied by sweet and savory snacks.

Freshest seafood meal that lives up to its name

Addiction Aquatic Development is made up of a cluster of seafood eateries located next to the Taipei Fish Market serving pick-your-ownfrom-the-happily-swimming-in-thetank-fresh fish, scallops, geoducks, prawns, abalone and king crab, etc. Pay for your selection and then they will either run it over to one of the restaurants where they will cook it to your specifications or you can bring it home to cook yourself. Visitors can join the crowds at the supermarket area which is stocked with shelves of pre-packaged, fresh sushi, sashimi, salads and side dishes, as well as a nice selection of wine and beer. Then scurry outside to nab yourself a spot at one of the standing only tables. For the ultimate hunter/gatherer types you can head to Shillin Night Market, where you can rent baby fishing poles to catch your own shrimp, not as easy as you would think! Afterwards, they will grill your catch on a tiny hibachi at the back of the stand.

Cuisine Hot Star Fried Chicken

Best one stop eating for all tastes: Night Market street food

But the foodie highlight of the whole week was experiencing Taipei’s night markets. At last count the island had over 300 night markets which are mostly open-air bazaars lined with hundreds of stalls selling mouth-watering xiaochi (small eats) which are a BIG thing in Taiwan. The granddaddy of them all is the sprawling Shilin market. 5 not-to-be-missed snacks include: 1. The aforementioned stinky tofu. 2. Oyster omelet (Orh ah jian) This popular treat is as much about texture as it is flavor. Plump, briny bivalves, eggs and chopped lettuce are gently folded together with a little sweet potato starch to provide “the chew” factor that is so beloved by the Taiwanese. 3. Big sausage wrap small sausage (Da chang bao xiao chang) possibly

the best edible redundancy ever, is this Taiwanese pork sausage wrapped in a slightly larger sticky rice sausage. 4. Hot Star large fried chicken (Hao Da ji pai): crispy and delicious over-size fried chicken cutlets covered with a gossamer layer of perfectly crisped batter without a trace of oil. Taiwanese are obsessed with fried chicken, and according to a Taipei Times‘ report of 2011, Taiwanese devour more than 250,000 fried chicken cutlets a day! 5. Pepper pork buns (Hu Jiao Bing) were def in the running for my favorite bite on the trip. There is always a line at this booth, but after my first bite (careful, they emerge burning hot from the charcoal-filled, tandoori-like oven and its virtually impossible to wait until they cool off) of the sesame-covered bun filled with generous amounts of peppered pork and spring onion, with flavorful burnt edges, I was more than ready to queue up again. Insider tip: Unfortunately, I was too stuffed to partake of any of the many phallic foods (which should so be on the menu at Modern Toilet) that are available as penis -shaped popsicles, waffles and hot dogs! When I think back over the incredible variety of foods Pearls of wisdom from Lin Bin-hui

I enjoyed in Taiwan, I was struck by a simple yet profound quote by Lin Pin-Hui, the Yoda-ish owner of Shi-Yang Culture Restaurant: “A taste can become a memory.”

Best place to sleep off your food coma

The award-winning, five-star Regent Taipei is located in the Zhong Shan district, in the heart of the capital’s lively downtown area. Just a few of the many reasons to stay here are the immaculate spacious suites, gigantic well-lit marble bathrooms with a push-button Japanese toilet that will wash, dry and fluff; separate deep soaking tub and shower, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi and bottled water, uber-comfy king-size feather beds, plush robe and slippers, roof-top heated pool with expansive city view, modern fitness center and a bountiful international breakfast buffet (delish smoothies, handmade Onigiri, Japanese rice balls made to your specifications and scrumptious grilled salmon).

Best Transportation to Taiwan:

The hands-down winner is China Airlines‘ beautiful new aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER, which holds 358 passengers in business class, premium economy and economy seats – but no first class cabin. The swanky interior, created by acclaimed Taiwanese architect Ray Chen, reflects traditional Taiwanese culture by using warm persimmon tree wood throughout the cabin and painted Chinese scrolls to decorate the bathroom walls. The industry’s first high-ceiling Premium Class Sky Lounge has a soothing tea-tasting area offering six varieties of

Taiwanese tea and a variety of Taiwanese snacks; a coffee corner with Taiwanese-grown ground coffee and pastries and a helpie-selfie bar with wines, beers, cocktails, tapas and cup noodles. The shelves are stocked with a monthly selection of books and periodicals in both Chinese and English. Welcome modern touches include Wi-Fi Onboard service for smart phones, pads and laptops. Panasonic’s inflight entertainment is shown on the biggest screens in the history of aviation, and there is even a social networking function called “Seat Chat” that allows you to message other passengers on your flight. It’s so worth trading up to the Premium Economy class for the spacious 39 inches of legroom, footrest, and a truly comfy seat with adjustable lamps and headrests and a 12-inch IFE screen. Or better yet, treat yourself to a “seat” in Business Class that morphs into a bed that lies absolutely flat so you can really stretch out in comfort. Each seat has a generously-sized 18-inch video screen with a 4.1” ‘second screen’ on the handheld controller, with AC and USB sockets to keep your travel tech charged during the flight. I swear minutes after we boarded the flight I heard one of the journalists utter words I’ve never heard before. “I wish our flight was longer!” she murmured as she reclined her chair, put on her slippers, ordered a glass of wine and snuggled in to watch the latest Helen Mirren film.

Regent Taipei Tai Pan Lounge

Chef Damien Jones of Lydiard in Ballarat By Maralyn Hill

hile visiting Ballarat, I had dinner at the Lydiard Wine Bar, winner of a number of Golden Plate Awards, with Head Chef Damien Jones in the kitchen. After dinner, there was time for a brief interview, during which he shared one of his favorite recipes, salad of pomelo and prawns with lemongrass. I’m also including photos of dishes I enjoyed at Lydiard during my visit. One of the incredible dishes we enjoyed at Lydiard Maralyn: How did you get started? Damien: I always knew I wanted to be a Chef and I consider myself lucky that I when I applied for my first job (at only 15 years old!) that I got it. Twenty-two years later, I still love cooking, so I thank the industry for being so vibrant and exciting – I am continuing to learn and grow all the time. I have lots of memories about being interested in food from a young age, with my father and grandmother in particular, so a chef apprentice was a logical step. MDH: What is your favorite type of cuisine? DJ: I actually have two favorites! Thai and French, both of which I have

trained extensively in. Thai food is fantastic because the seasonings and ingredients are tropical and vibrant – it’s a cuisine like no other. French is naturally familiar to me! I enjoy the comforting nature and luxury of classic French food. Coming from cool climate Ballarat its hard beat beautiful French braise in the winter! MDH: Do you have a favorite cooking utensil? DJ: I do! A mortar and pestle – it is used by all cuisines and the task of pounding in a mortar and pestle is thoroughly enjoyable to me. It creates a flavour and aroma that is so much better than processing in

Epicure a food processor. My granite mortar and pestle that I got in Thailand many years ago is a wonderful companion in the kitchen. MDH: Where do you go to eat when you eat out? DJ: I like to eat out to be inspired. I don’t often get a chance, funnily enough, as I’m generally in the kitchen or home with my young family. When I can eat out, I choose to go to Melbourne and I tend to eat in modern, professional restaurants where the chefs are cooking with intent and passion and pushing food boundaries. It’s not so much a cuisine that I would be seeking out, but the restaurant itself, as I am interested in what they are trying to achieve in the kitchen with food and wine. I’m actually flying to Bangkok to have dinner at David Thompson’s new restaurant, Nahm in April. I’m so excited! MDH: Do you have a favorite spice? DJ: I can’t choose! Definitely vanilla and chili, but I also can’t go past fresh bay leaves. It’s hard to imagine desserts without vanilla as it has a beautiful perfume and adds a depth of flavour to so many dishes. Chili gives heat and although all of the Thai seasonings are great, chili is the platform to work off. You can add salty, sour or sweet and with chili as a base you can flavor a dish in a way that best suits the ingredients you are working with. Bay leaves, again, can be used in so many ways. Fresh bay leaf is a wonderful, base spice to add to dishes, both savoury and sweet. Now on to Damien’s recipe:

Salad of Pomelo and Prawns with Lemongrass

(serves 4) This is a simple and delicious recipe that can be assembled in around 15 minutes. Best accompanied by a cold beer or a Riesling! It’s a beautiful light lunch when served with steamed jasmine rice.

or not enough of another. If it tastes like there is too much mint, then maybe there is. You can make this salad your own by tailoring it to your tastes.

You will need to gather the ingredients first with a visit to the green grocer. Pomelo is an Asian citrus fruit that is similar to grapefruit, but not as bitter. It can be found at Asian markets, greengrocers and occasionally, supermarkets. If you cannot find pomelo, a good substitute is pink grapefruit as it is sweeter than normal grapefruit but still has the sourness required for this delicious salad.

2 coriander roots, cleaned, washed and chopped 2 fresh garlic cloves pinch Sea salt 2 large fresh red chilies (de-seeded and chopped a little) 3 large limes, juiced (must be fresh, with no bitterness) 2 heaped tablespoons white sugar 2 tablespoons Fish sauce (Squid brand is best)

Half a pomelo peeled and segmented (you will only need about half, so save the other half for breakfast the next day... or another round of the salad as you will love it so much!) Approx 1 dozen fresh prawns, cooked 2 shallots (peeled and finely sliced) One stick of lemongrass, remove the first 2 cm of the bottom/bulb end and peel of the first two layers to revel the softer, younger heart of the lemongrass Approx 5 lime leaves, finely sliced Small handful of mint, washed Handful of fresh coriander, pick and wash the leaves (you will use the roots in the dressing below) Chop, slice and prepare the ingredients as above and you are ready to go! Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and quickly toss and taste before you add the dressing. Use your own tastes and preferences to decide if there is too much of one ingredient

Red Chili Dressing (Green nahm yum)

Add coriander, garlic, salt and chilies into a mortar and pestle and pound to a fine paste. (If you do not have a mortar and pestle, then use a blender – put all the ingredients in at the same time and give it a quick whiz – and add a mortar and pestle to your Santa list!). Add lime juice, then the sugar and fish sauce last. Before dressing the whole salad, try some with a little of the dressing. The combination should taste sweet first, then a little sour, hot and salty. If it’s a bit sour for your liking, add some more sugar to the dressing. If it’s too sweet, add more lime juice. Do not be afraid to use what looks like a large amount of sugar – it is important to balance the flavours. When you are happy with the overall taste, splash the dressing with abandon over the salad. Pour another cold drink and enjoy! To try some of Damien’s creations: Lydiard Wine Bar 15 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat, Victoria 3350, Australia Phone: 035327 2787

Interview with “Cigar Czar” Richard Carleton Hacker

Luxe Exclu Beat sive

By Kimberly Fisher

His book, The Ultimate Cigar Book 4th Edition, was first published in 1993, recently republished and sold

worldwide. The book is touted as the most comprehensive, factual and up-to-date book for the cigar smoker, but it’s also perfect for those who just want to learn more about the fascinating and popular world of cigar smoking. We sat down with Richard and chatted about the life of a cigar aficionado. Kimberly Fisher: How did you get into cigars? When was the first time? Richard Carleton Hacker: I started smoking cigars during my senior year in college. I had smoked a pipe (I have never smoked cigarettes), but found cigars a whole new experience. They felt comfortable in the hand and they looked good. Plus, like pipe tobacco, they were made of pure tobacco and nothing else — no additives. And they were easy to clip and light. I started off with inexpensive stogies, but once I lit up a hand-rolled premium cigar, I never looked back. That’s when I formed my philosophy that I would rather smoke one good cigar a month than seven mediocre cigars a week. KF: For someone just starting off in cigars, what do you recommend? RCH: Start with a mild cigar, like a Macanudo or a Davidoff Anniversario. Experiment with different brands and different sizes. Don’t buy a whole box. Instead, buy single cigars of individual brands and experiment. It’s like going to a wine bar and sampling different varietals. Ask a tobacconist for his recommendations as well. As for sizes, one of the most popular is the robusto, which provides plenty of flavor and will last

about 30 to 45 minutes. And remember, with cigars, you don’t inhale – you get all the flavor from the smoke, which you then exhale. KF: You have traveled the world exploring the making and history of cigars. Where have you been and what are some of your favorite places? RCH: I’ve been to every major cigar-making country, including Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and the U.S, of course — although we don’t make nearly a fraction of the cigars we did during the late 19th and early 20th centuries because of labor costs. I find it interesting that today the most elegant premium cigars are made in third word countries, where labor is cheap. Of all the places I’ve visited, among my favorites is Cuba, because of its great cigar-making tradition and — politics aside — its people (who are as curious about us as we are about them), and the Dominican Republic, as they supply most of the world’s non-Cuban cigars. Plus, I am a big fan of Dominican food and rum. KF: What do you think spawned the cigar craze in America? RCH: It was caused by individuals who literally had money to burn — that is, they had no qualms about lighting up a ten-dollar cigar — and were looking for a new lifestyle experience that was complementary to other aspects in their lives, such as fine dining (cigars are a great

digestif after a meal) as well as whiskies and cognacs, which pair well with cigars. In addition, cigar smoking is a very social endeavor. They invite conversation, especially with fellow cigar smokers. It’s a very social thing that breaks down all sociological, ethnic and even political barriers. Plus, cigars have always retained an aura of success. And, they are relaxing to smoke, an important aspect in today’s hectic world. KF: What is your favorite cigar? RCH: Whichever one I happen to be smoking. KF: In your book you list several types of cigar pairings. What is your typical pairing? RCH: It depends on my mood, but invariably it involves a stronger spirit rather than a lighter one. A single malt whiskey, such as a Macallan 18 Year Old and a Padron Family Reserve or a Fuente OpusX is nothing short of perfection. I also like pairing certain complex bourbons, like Blanton’s, with Honduran cigars, and LBV ports with medium-strength cigars like the Dominican Cohiba or the Cuban H. Upmann. To learn more about cigars or Richard, please see: richardcarletonhacker.com

CIGAR IMAGE COURTESY OF FREEIMAGES.COM, ALL OTHER PHOTOS KIMBERLY FISHER

f there is one person who knows a lot about cigars and cigarettes, it’s Richard Carleton Hacker. Known as one of the world’s foremost authorities on the subjects of cigars and cigar smoking, he was given the nickname “the cigar czar” by several media outlets. He has written more than five hundred articles on the topic for publications such as The Robb Report, RobbVices, Collection Magazine, The Tasting Panel, Somm Journal and cigarworld. com. In 1994, he was knighted by the Internationales Tabakskoliegium in Germany for his numerous writings on the subject of tobacco.

Cigars

Rum Tasting at the Four Seasons Nevis By Tim Cotroneo

f it’s Thursday night on the island of Nevis, then you’ll find three shot glasses perfectly positioned on the mahogany bar counter at 101 Rums Bar. Like a magician ready to perform a sleight of hand, Mark Theron stands ready and willing to work his rum magic for a new group of students.

as a 17-year-old soldier in the South African Air Force.

More than Three Shots of Rum

Theron’s gallery is comprised of travel savvy vacationers who fly from around the world to luxuriate at Nevis’s posh Four Seasons Resort. The vacationers are in Nevis to enjoy a real Caribbean experience, in this case, learning about the liquid that for centuries has been the drink of choice for pirates, navy officers, beach bar owners and collectors like Theron.

Today, Theron’s personal collection of rum varieties is 200 and counting. While mesmerizing students with stories of rum history and rum-making at 101 Rums Bar, Theron actually has 126 rums at his disposal. The bar, connected to the Four Seasons oceanfront Mango Restaurant, is building a reputation as a Caribbean rum destination site. The bar and restaurant is also home to Kendie Williams, an award-winning mixologist, who concocts colorful rum cocktails for vacationers on a nightly basis.

Theron journeyed to Nevis after first having set up shop in the sail making and hurricane protection business on the island of St. Martin. The now-50-year-old Theron confides that his personal rum story began after drinking a rum named Red Heart while serving

The three shots that Theron focuses on at the beginning of his presentation represent the categories accounting for the rum industry as we know it. We’re talking Ron for Spanish rum, Rum for English rum, and Rhum for French rum. The students’ mission,

if they choose to accept it, is to inhale and then sip these diverse categories of rum in the hopes of not only determining which they like best, but also to earn a certificate for their night of rum tasting. For Theron, the best part of his night is sharing with students how studying the history of rum is like journeying across the Caribbean. Theron counsels students in how to read a rum label, what to look for when buying a new rum, the difference between column stills and pot stills when making rum, and the best way to expand their rum palette. “Personally, I’m always seeking out new rums. I love the anticipation just before taking that first sip. Here, at 101 Rums Bar, we like to tickle our taste buds and discover our new favorite rum,” Theron said.

A Priceless Rum

When asked which was the most expensive rum currently stocked at 101 Rums Bar. Theron pointed

skyward to a top-shelf rum in a black container embossed in gold. “The Applewood Estate Jamaica rum is aged in oak barrels for 50 years before serving. Here at 101 Rums Bar, a shot can be purchased for $450,” Theron said. He then remarked that the age and the price of a rum doesn’t always mean it’s better than another. “What tastes right for me doesn’t always taste right for you,” Theron cautioned. After a night of rum appreciation, the students admired their certificates before hailing bartender Williams in the hopes of advancing their newfound rum tasting abilities. Theron beamed like a proud Papa while watching and listening to his new protégés speak his language. On the tiny island of Nevis, the 101 Rums Bar is a great place to talk ron, rum, and rhum. www.fourseasons.com/ nevis/dining/restaurants/ mango/101_rums/

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Straight to the Source Straight to the Source originally published and with permission from theleadsouthaustralia.com.au.

t is mid morning on South Australia’s pristine Baird Bay and a group of Australia’s top chefs is getting their final instructions before diving with a colony Australian sea lions. “You can dive and play with them, but chasing them doesn’t work,” says Alan Payne who has been running these tours for 22 years. “The best thing is to let them chase you. Don’t pick up empty shells, don’t stand up and, remember, please don’t put your [sic] hand under a rock – you might be in for a nasty shock.” On a normal day these industry

professionals would be sweating over menus, tracking down exotic ingredients or furiously prepping for lunch. Instead, here they are frolicking with a colony of playful sea lions on the remote shores of the Eyre Peninsula – 720 kilometres northwest of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia.

Rather than dodging their mundane chores in kitchen these 10 chefs are actually in the middle of an intensive three-day Straight To The Source tour of the peninsula which offers these (mostly) city-bound food professionals a chance to see where Australia’s most desirable produce comes from – and to meet oyster farmers, abalone divers, wine growers, sheep farmers and others who live and work in this majestic

but challenging place.

By the time this group reaches Baird Bay they have already toured some oyster leases, enjoyed an outback lunch at Smoky Bay and learned about the intricacies of abalone harvesting. The itinerary also includes a fish filleting lesson, a taste of local bush tucker and a Catch & Cook Community Dinner, where the chefs work together to create a multi-course dinner for the people of Ceduna – the last town before the expanse of the Nullarbor. Despite the packed itinerary, changeable weather and long distances, the visiting chefs clearly relished their time on the Eyre Peninsula and were inspired by the hard work, commitment and sheer

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grit shown by so many local producers. “Of course it’s amazing to spend a morning on an oyster lease,” says Mary-Louise Brandtman, who owns a large catering firm in Sydney. “I’ve been in the hospitality industry for 20 years and I never really understood where oysters came from – I’d certainly never handled spat [oyster larvae] before. But the thing I really got from this tour is the passion of the small producers for what they do – they are so committed.” Although Regional Development Australia (RDA), with the support of individual producers, has been hosting chefs and other industry specialists on the Eyre Peninsula for

the past decade, the organization has recently teamed up with a number of specialist operators, such as Tawnya Bahr, a Sydney chef and food consultant – and creator of the Straight To The Source model. Mark Allsopp, food industry development officer for the Eyre Peninsula, says these new tours build lasting relationships between producers and food professionals and generate tangible sales results. Demand for new culinary tours is running hot – previous invitees include celebrated Sydney chefs Pete Evans, Sean Connolly and Martin Boetz. “Last year I hosted four chef’s tours and this year we’ll do 10 tours. I can’t do all of them myself so it

makes sense to align ourselves with people like Tawnya,” Allsopp says. “I get plenty of positive feedback about the extra business being done – that’s in addition to the direct relationships being forged between producers, chefs and other food professionals. That’s a pretty good outcome.” Tours such as Straight To The Source naturally complement the region’s overall marketing strategy which promotes the Eyre Peninsula as “Australia’s seafood frontier” based around Port Lincoln, Coffin Bay, Streaky Bay and Ceduna. Allsopp sees future scope in taking such hands-on experiences to an international audience – and possibly for a growing legion of dedicated home cooks and wannabe celebrity chefs.

For her part, Bahr believes that her food tours offer classic win-win scenario for both parties, since chefs and industry professionals often have little chance to engage with small producers first hand. “Unlike other vocations where professional development is an expectation, chefs and front of house staff are expected to teach themselves. Noticing this gap we have tailored tours with the professional in mind while still offering a unique experience for the food loving public,” she says. “Spending time at the source provides an opportunity to learn what cannot be learnt by reading a cookbook or eating at a restaurant.”

Culinary and Wine Tasting Getaway to the Gervasi Vineyard By Jan Ross

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f you like to taste a variety of local wines, take a cooking class, enjoy a fabulous culinary experience, or just relax in a charming Italian villa, you should plan a getaway to the lovely Gervasi Vineyards in Canton, Ohio. The vineyard is the best kept secret in the area, hidden away in a quiet neighborhood, but you will soon spot the elaborate entrance. A large 55-acre estate which includes 5 acres of vineyards producing a variety of grapes, two restaurants, an outdoor pavilion for weddings and other events, a cozy shop, an event center, and 24 guest suites housed in some amazing, Tuscan-influenced villas, it’s a pleasant surprise. That same Tuscan influence of the family who purchased and built the vineyard is felt throughout the property in every detail from wine bottle shaped sinks in The Crush House restaurant, to the gorgeous faucets in the bathroom villas, and even chandeliers made from wine bottles. The Swaldo family is originally from Italy and Grandma Gervasi (her maiden name) was known for her wonderful cooking. Gervasi Vineyard is truly a family location as several family members work at the vineyard so their traditional Italian heritage which includes great food, wine, fun, and an appreciation for beautiful things is evident everywhere. One of the most unusual activities you can experience at the vineyard is the extensive culinary and wine tasting classes offered at The Cucina, in the Villa Grande, which also includes event space and the check in area for the Villas. With a large, professional, working kitchen and a dining area to enjoy what you prepare, they offer classes on cuisines of Mexico, Japan, Italy, or South America, and even some focusing just on specific items like seafood. Most of the classes are hands-on and everyone in the class will get personalized instruction from one of the experienced chef instructors to create a meal that you will sit down and enjoy with a glass of wine. My husband and I observed and photographed the seafood cooking class and were amazed at the detailed work that went into preparing the beautiful final products – which they were kind enough to share with us! There are also some demonstration classes, where you observe a master chef at work and get to sample as they cook.

You can register online at the Gervasi Vineyard web site but they fill up quickly, so do it soon if you are interested. Dress casually and comfortably and don’t worry about an apron; you will get a free one to take home as part of your registration fee. Kids 15 and older can also register for the classes and they do offer some cooking classes for smaller children as well. The fee for the class includes a glass of wine with your meal although not while cooking – for safety reasons! Although we did not participate in a wine tasting class, this is one of their specialties, and they offer a variety of classes. Whether you are new to wine or have your own wine cellar, they offer classes that will have you thinking about and learning to appreciate a wide variety of wines. There are classes on wine appreciation, demystifying wine tasting, wine and food pairings, or looks at wine vintages of Italy or France. All classes are taught by experienced wine educators in the tasting room in the Villa Grande. Even though we did not take a wine tasting class, we did take a tour of the amazing state-of-the-art winery facilities at The Crush House, the new restaurant at the vineyard and tasted a few of the wines. No reservations are required for the public tours and we were astonished at all the computers, modern equipment, stainless steel tanks for storage, and absolutely immaculate state of the winery. Every Saturday at 3:30 and 4:30 they also offer more in-depth tours of the winery led by a member of the wine making team. This includes a selection of small bites and Gervasi wine tastings at the end of the tour. You can purchase tickets online. In addition, private winery tours are available for small groups of 30 or less interested in a tour. You can choose from wine tastings or a wine paired with small plates and there are also private rooms available for rent to enjoy the wine after the tour. Either before or after your tour of the winery, you will definitely want to have a meal (or several) at The Crush House restaurant. After we had dinner there our last night, we were very sorry we had to leave the next day after only one meal! Designed to resemble a very contemporary restaurant you might find in a big city, with lots of open spaces, red walls, and a staircase to a second level, the Crush House offers a casual dining atmosphere with a focus on small plates and

variety of taste experiences. We sampled their famous short ribs, a fragrant potato and leek soup, a potato skins appetizer, and a flat bread sandwich and all were delicious. We also had both lunch and dinner as well at The Bistro restaurant. A little fancier than The Crush House, The Bistro resembles a rustic, Tuscan Italian farmhouse with lots of wood, comfortable seating, a fireplace and a menu with Italian small and large plates for sharing. Using fresh, seasonal ingredients, they offer antipasti, salads, and wonderful brick-fired artisan pizzas. We sampled the crab roll appetizers and the hot and amazing pizzas and recommend both. Be sure to pop in The Marketplace, a little shop right beside The Bistro where you can buy wine to take home as well as an assortment of interesting gifts. We enjoyed every single thing about our visit but one of our favorite parts was staying in the amazing and unique Villas. The Villas comprise an upscale boutique Inn which has six Villas each having four individual suites and a cozy, spacious lobby area complete with a small kitchen,

comfortable furniture, a fireplace, and doors out onto a furnished patio. Many of the Villas overlook the spring-fed lake where ducks and swans swim lazily around, creating a lovely and scenic view. The gorgeous suites each have their own fireplace, stucco walls, heated floors, and rustic wood interiors. The small kitchen in the lobby is furnished with a microwave, ice maker, sink, and refrigerator stocked with complimentary drinks including bottled water, teas, juice, and sodas as well as yogurt. Guest services replenish the drinks daily when they make up the suites. The most unusual and most appreciated amenity at the Villas is

a fresh, hot breakfast delivered every morning to each villa. You can specify the time you want it delivered and just open your suite door to find a large wooden box with a lid and the number of your suite on it left on the kitchen counter. Every day the food was different but featured freshly made pastries stuffed with meat, cheese, and vegetables, freshly baked dessert bars, and fresh fruit. We did not have time on this trip to take advantage of the spa services offered in the Villas but you can schedule manicures, pedicures, massages, facials or hair and make-up all in your private Villa. Perfect for a special event or wedding group that is taking over the entire Villa. So, whether you want to take a class or sample wines, eat, drink, stroll around the beautiful property which adjoins local hiking trails, or just relax in front of the fireplace and read a good book, Gervasi Vineyard is the perfect culinary and wine tasting getaway location!

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Southern Wines and Spirits of Nevada Opens Unique Beverage Learning Center Academy of Beverage and Fine Services Learning Center “Raises the Bar” on Education

as Vegas will reinforce its place as the center of innovation and education in the beverage world when Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada announces the launch of the Academy of Beverages and Fine Service’s new Learning Center. Housed in a custom-built space worthy of any of the Strip’s finest bars and lounges, the world’s most advanced beverage training facility was created by the world renowned design firm Tal Design. The look, style and cutting edge technology all complement each other, capturing the vision of Mr. Larry Ruvo, Senior Managing Director of Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada.

“The beverage industry is constantly evolving to be at the forefront of style and tastes, and we are constantly stepping up the ways we educate and inform those who will be the face of our industry,” said Mr. Ruvo. “Just as Las Vegas is a worldclass destination, this facility ensures that Las Vegas will continue be the world standard for the beverage industry.” The Learning Center was designed with the input of Francesco Lafranconi, creator of the Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada’s Spirits and Mixology Program. One of the few of its kind in the world, the Program has boasted over 1000 graduates since 2000 who have been taught their craft by some of the world’s leading beverage authorities. Actively teaching at the Learning Center with Lafranconi will be

Cicerone Beer expert Sam Merritt, Master Sommelier Joseph Phillips, and Level Three Sake Sommelier and Master Sommelier Luis De Santos. Also on offer will be a rare Certified Barista Program. The Center also benefits from the expertise of Southern Wine and Spirits experts like Livio Lauro, Senior Director of Sales for Spirits, Master Sommelier Ira Harmon and Master Mixologists and Spirits Educators James Starkus, Max Solano and Jair Bustillos. Francesco’s input and experience are seen in the beautiful stainless steel work stations, built in a unique, completely ergonomic “racetrack” design for speed, efficiency and ease of movement, currently being patented. All tasting surfaces are LED-equipped to help students capture the true color of the beverage. Over a dozen mood

light settings replicate for learners various hospitality environments. The entire space is fully integrated with a host of impressive audio and visual tools that also enable remote learning and streaming of a variety of classes and events. The Academy Learning Center is bound to quickly become a leading draw for beverage and hospitality professionals from around the world. As part of Southern Wines and Spirits commitment to education, the Academy of Beverages and Fine Service’s Learning Center will be available to host supplier, trade and consumer events that create unique value for suppliers and partners to further incentivize their brands with Southern Wine and Spirits. All images credit to Southern Wines and Spirits of Nevada.

Images: Jessica Pearl and Kristin Hettermann. Aerial Photo:

ONE WORLD . ONE OCEAN . ONE VODKA

Organic Ocean Vodka. Clean, Pure, Award-Winning Vodka from Paradise.

Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery shares the dream with you, educating guests on the importance of organic farming for the conservation of land and ocean, green manufacturing and the production of spirits. We welcome you to visit our organic farm, distillery and gift shop, situated on a breathtaking 80-acres on the slopes of Mount Haleakala. Contact us for corporate and private events. Tours daily, seven days a week. 4051 Omaopio Road, Kula, Maui, Hawai‘i - (808)877-0009

Certified 100% USDA Organic . Gluten Free . Powered by the Sun Organic Sugar Cane . Deep Ocean Mineral Water . Made on Maui Please Enjoy Responsibly. Produced and bottled by Hawai‘i Sea Spirits, Kula, Maui, Hawai‘i 40% ALC/VOL (80 Proof) ©2013.

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Sake 101

with Sake Sommelier Eiji Mori By Jill Weinlein

ake is an elegant beverage to sip with Japanese cuisine during a special meal or festive celebration. Innovative Dining Guide (IDG) employs three sake experts to guide guests in their upscale Sushi Roku restaurants in Hollywood, Santa Monica, Pasadena and Las Vegas and their West Hollywood Katana restaurant. IDG’s Sake Sommelier Eiji Mori shared 10 interesting facts vabout sake:

1. Sake is made from fermented rice, but the rice is not the same grain that one would eat. It’s a special rice that is larger, stronger and contains less protein and lipid than ordinary rice.

4. Cold sake is better for pairing with food, especially sushi, then hot “sake bombs.” Heating can obscure the quality of the sake, and affect one’s taste buds.

2. To make sake, the outer layers of the rice grain and bran are polished off to expose the center. The more that is exposed, the purer the finished sake will taste.

5. While many people liken sake to wine because it is often called “rice wine,” it is actually more similar to beer. Sake is not made from fruit. Sake is made from a grain and the starch is converted into sugars before being converted to alcohol.

3. There are three levels of sake. The daiginjo is the premium, then ginjo and last, junmai.

6. When pairing sake with food, Eiji

recommends sushi or sashimi with daiginjo sake. This sake is pure, light and offers clean notes that complement the delicate fish without overpowering it. 7. Acidic dishes are best to pair with the crisp, fruit-forward flavors of a ginjo grade sake. At Sushi Roku, the salmon Carpaccio with soy truffle olive oil is a good dish to enjoy with a ginjo sake. 8. Cooked or fried dishes pair nicely with junmai grade sake, because the sake has a bit more body and can hold up against heartier elements. Junmai pairs well with Sushi Roku’s Japanese Fried Chicken “Tatsuta-Age.” 9. West Hollywood’s Katana Restaurant on the Sunset Strip is celebrating its 18th anniversary this year and is offering private label sake bottled exclusively for guests dining in the restaurant. 10. World Sake Day is October 1. It’s a 1,000 year old annual tradition held in Japan that serves as a tribute to the beverage and kicks off the country’s sake production season.

tried escargot for the first time on a river cruise in Europe and, although it was with some trepidation that I took my first bite, I loved it. Similar to a mushroom, it had been drenched in butter and garlic so it was quite tasty. The second time I had escargot was just recently at the Harbor Fish Market and Grille on the charming peninsula of Door County, Wisconsin. This time the escargot were tucked neatly away under a delicious and flaky crust but again were delicious. You may think a small restaurant in Wisconsin is an unlikely place to find escargot and you are right, but this charming restaurant in a historic building on the main street of Bailey’s Harbor features amazing gourmet dining, along with a fantastic view of the bay complete with outside dining. The large building in which the restaurant is located was added to a smaller building in 1908, which was originally used as an ice cream parlor and later a tavern. The larger building was used as a tavern and dance hall where whole families would come to dance; the children were put to bed upstairs while the adults continued dancing. In the ice cream parlor, cones were only five cents, later on in the ’40s and ’50s, movies were shown, and there was roller skating on the hardwood floors on Sundays. The building went through a few owners until 1997 when it was bought by restaurateurs Carl and Karen Berndt; our family was thrilled to pay them a visit on a recent visit to Door County. Carl has been in the restaurant/ entertainment business for nearly 50 years and has been a very successful small business owner. Karen and Carl met over 20 years ago when they bred their golden retrievers and it was love at first sight – for owners and dogs! Over the years, all five of their children have worked with them in the restaurant. They have a fascinating story of what they do

Epicure

Fish Market Grille By Jan Ross when the restaurant is closed for the winter – they spend the time living on their sailboat in the San Blas area of Panama that is only accessible by water and air. One of the most interesting traditions in Door County is a fish boil where the local whitefish is boiled in an open pot over a fire, but Carl and Karen decided to change this up and offer a lobster boil instead; this has become extremely popular with locals and tourists alike. The boil is actually a threecourse dinner which starts with a cup of their creamy Maine lobster bisque, then moves on to the boil which includes a two-pound Maine lobster, baby red potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, New Zealand mussels and steamed clams. The meal finishes with a generous portion of homemade Door County Cherry Bread Pudding. The lobster boil is so popular that the restaurant serves up to 40 to 50 lobsters a night during the summer! They have a wood-fired pot between the dining room windows

and the water’s edge so folks can watch one of the staff run back and forth all evening long, dropping the lobsters into the boiling water and retrieving them. If Mother Nature doesn’t think it’s a good idea to be outside, they can do the boils in the kitchen, but the outside boils are extremely popular, as you might imagine. Unfortunately, we did not get to experience the lobster boil, but a sample of the lobster bisque made us realize we need to make plans to do so on our next visit.

the same as New England clam chowder but using local whitefish to make it the restaurant’s own special soup. (As previously mentioned, an amazingly delicious lobster bisque is also available.) Also on the menu: a to-die-for

Flourless Chocolate Cake, served a little warmer than room temperature which makes it quite literally melt in your mouth. The most popular entrée during our visit was the Chilean Sea Bass which is lightly dredged in potato and gently fried, then served with a lemon buerre blanc. Guests

Everything they serve is made from scratch using local ingredients whenever possible, including garden vegetables, the local famous tart cherries and other kinds of fruit. They buy local fish from the Hickey Brothers Fishery right in Baileys Harbor, fly in lobster from Maine and fish from Hawaii. Their menu changes to fit the seasons and to utilize whatever fresh products are available; however some items are always on the menu. The popular Harbor Chowder is a whitefish cream chowder, made much

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Epicure hollandaise. There is even a lobster omelet and a Lobster Benedict. Quiches are made with from-scratch crusts with all fresh ingredients and are among the guests’ favorites. Lunch includes all the usual sandwiches plus a traditional New England lobster roll. Vendors couldn’t supply the traditional top split buns, so the restaurant just makes their own bread for the lobster rolls. One of their most popular lunch sandwiches is the Whitefish BLT. Harbor Fish Market and Grille might seem like a small town restaurant, but with their truly gourmet offerings, along with their delicious and beautifully prepared food, you can be forgiven for thinking you are in a restaurant in a large, metropolitan city. If you can’t arrange a visit anytime soon, here is their recipe for Door County Cherry Bread Pudding.

Door County Cherry Bread Pudding

say it is the best sea bass they have ever eaten and we are in agreement after sampling it during our visit. Although the restaurant is designated a “seafood place,” their meats are also some of the best available; my steak was absolutely fabulous. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served seven days a week. The breakfast menu offers four different types of Eggs Benedict,which are delicious with their house prepared

Cut one loaf of Texas toast bread (or other heavy bread) into cubes. In a loaf pan layer bread cubes with other layers of sweetened Door County tart cherries Sprinkle 1tsp cinnamon on top Mix 3 cups half & half with 4 egg yolks, 2 whole eggs, 1 cup sugar & 1 T vanilla. Pour this mixture over bread/cherries mixture and push bread down into pudding. Bake at 350 degrees until done – approximately 45 minutes. We use a convection steam oven here so we are guessing a bit about the timing — so watch carefully. It can be served warm or cool.

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Put a Pin in it A Stay at Miraval The Ultimate Gift to Yourself By Debbie Stone

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eights are just not my thing. But, there I was dangling in a safety harness 40-feet off the ground. The group below, who had just moments ago hoisted me up to this point by pulling on a rope in tug-of-war style, yelled encouraging comments to me. The leader told me to breathe deeply, enjoy the beautiful scenery and set a personal intention before letting go of the rope clenched in my right hand. To be honest, my intention was to get down from this scary place as soon as possible because I knew if I spent any amount of time appreciating the desert landscape or tried to engage in some intense soul searching, I’d lose my nerve. I had signed up for this activity, aptly named “A Swing and a Prayer,” because I wanted to put myself in a situation that would get me outside of my comfort zone. And as heights present a continuous challenge to me, the experience seemed tailormade to my needs. When I finally let go, I screamed as my stomach dropped in rollercoaster fashion. It felt like the whole world was falling beneath me. I decided it was time for the prayer part of this activity. And then I began to swing in pendulum style from one pole to another. My legs were shaking and I had a white-knuckle grasp on the rope. The movement suddenly changed and sent me soaring in a wide circular formation. I forgot to mention that spinning is not my thing either! Although I wanted to stop, I was urged to take a moment and relax, while letting go of first one hand on the rope, then the other. And

I reluctantly did, surprising myself by awkwardly leaning into something that resembled a backbend. As I contemplated the world from this pose, I was suddenly reminded of my childhood and the sense of pure joy and freedom that came from such simple pleasures like playing on the swings. Back on terra firma, with the group congratulating me on my accomplishment, I felt elated and proud. Yes, it was frightening and no, I’m not ready to audition for Cirque du Soleil, but it was also liberating to completely let go and exhilarate in the moment. Celebrating life and one’s limitless potential is what it’s all about at Miraval, a well-known destination spa near Tucson, Arizona. This special retreat, nestled on 400 acres of idyllic land within the picturesque Santa Catalina Mountains, prides itself on its pioneering selfdiscovery and growth activities, not to mention its luxurious accommodations, deliciously healthy cuisine and state-of-the-art fitness and spa facilities. It’s a place to be inspired, rejuvenated, appreciated and motivated to focus on your emotional, spiritual and physical well-being. There are many reasons why people come to Miraval. For some, it’s the need to get out of the rat race for some good old R&R, along with a hefty dose of pampering. Others view it as a chance to kick start a program of healthy habits. And then there are those who are eager to try new activities and challenge themselves in different ways. There are also individuals who come in search of help to deal with relationship or grief and loss issues.

Though each has his/her own purpose, they all share a commonality: the desire to do something good for themselves. A stay at Miraval is the ultimate gift to yourself. And you can spend it anyway you wish. One of the most popular spots is the spa, where an extensive menu of services is delivered by practitioners with magic hands in serene indoor and outdoor sanctuaries. There’s everything from hot stone massage and anti-aging facials to mud wraps, prickly pear sugar scrubs and even acupuncture. One of my favorite treatments is Aqua Zen, a form of massage within a warm water pool. The water invites complete relaxation and allows the body to be manipulated and stretched with greater freedom than traditional massage. The results are wonderful. Stress and strain melt away and you are left a loosened and lighter being. When you’re ready to leave spa heaven, you can opt to continue the bliss with a nap poolside or on the deck of your private casita. Or maybe you’d like to get your heart pumping a bit. If so, check out the Body Mind Center, where you’ll find classes in spinning, yoga, Pilates, kickboxing, dance, water aerobics and other body conditioning activities. It’s fun to try something new. I dropped in on a cardio drumming class and was surprised at the high-energy workout it gave me,

not to mention the pure joy I got from beating on the drums within a supportive and uplifting group setting. For the adventurous adrenaline junkies, there’s rock climbing, mountain biking, a challenge course and even a zipline experience. When you wish to quiet your mind, there are guided meditation sessions offered at various times of the day. One morning I started out with I Chi Flow, a class that incorporated Tai Chi movements in the water. The gentle flow of the movements combined with the warmth of the early morning sunlight and the sound of the birds chirping brought serenity to my soul and gave me positive energy to begin my day. Another morning I opted to do a group hike in the surrounding desert landscape. Wild flowers and jack rabbits poked their heads up among the interesting shaped cacti. And even a colorful Gila monster showed up in this natural splendor, only to slither quickly into the brush. If you are interested in outlets for self-expression, the spa also has you covered. Unleash your creative spirit or hone your artistic skills in sessions devoted to painting, weaving and photography. One of the more unique and newest experiences at Miraval is “An Unforgettable Canvas,” which encourages participants to use the side of a horse as their canvas to paint. Just as Native Americans did years ago to tell stories in symbols on the sides of their horses, workshop attendees have the opportunity to do the same. Horses are used as living, breathing canvases as a reminder for participants to stay present and grounded in the story-telling process. Other self-discovery and growth activities come in the form of workshops taught by hand-picked professionals and distinguished experts on such topics as stress reduction, life balance, guided imagery, mindful eating, communication, grief and loss and intuitive living. And then there’s the Equine Experience, a Miraval Signature activity aimed at gaining greater self-awareness through sessions that involve working with specially selected horses. Wyatt Webb, founder and director of the program, is a wise old cowboy with much to say about the behavioral insight that can be gained from interacting with a horse. He believes that a person can begin to notice

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personal patterns of learned behavior that may be holding them back from the life they want to live. “If it’s not working, then you need to make changes,” he says. “First you have to acknowledge that it’s not working. And then you have to decide to do something about it. Determination of intent is important, but it means nothing unless you follow through.”

off, then stride toward my horse with confidence and determination to follow through on the action. On the third try, I was successful. Self-doubt, combined with my fears of horses and of failure, had gotten in the way. Webb reminded the group that the exercise is less about cleaning the horse’s hoof than “about cleaning or clearing out your head.”

I had chosen to take part in the Equine Experience because of the discomfort I feel around horses. Once again, I wanted to push those boundaries and deal with my fears. The first challenge was to scrape mud and manure from a horse’s hoof with a tool resembling a large crochet hook. My horse and I reached an immediate standoff on the first try. Though I pinched his lower right back leg repeatedly, as instructed, he ignored me. Webb told me to back

A session in the ring followed. Using body, breath and movement, each participant had to get a horse to walk, trot, change directions and then come to a complete stop. You weren’t allowed to talk or touch the horse in the process. To be successful in this endeavor, you can’t be a tightly wound vessel or allow your energy to overpower you -because you will convey this to the horse and it will most likely react adversely. “Horses only pick up two

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things,” says Webb. “Is it safe or unsafe? Clear or unclear?” Remembering to breathe deeply, the Miraval “mantra,” I calmed my nerves and miraculously was able to get the horse to follow my directions. It was definitely a “horse whisperer” moment and one for the memory books. All this activity, fresh air and introspection do wonders to

stimulate the appetite. But, if you think you’ll be restricted to a Spartan diet simply because you’re at a spa, think again. Miraval’s award-winning cuisine is created with the belief that healthy ingredients can also mean exquisite flavor. Guests are encouraged to explore mindful eating and discover tasty, satisfying dishes that are moderate in calories and fat. For those interested in learning healthy

cooking tips and tricks, the spa offers a variety of instructive culinary workshops and cooking demos. Mealtime at Miraval is a wonderful opportunity to connect and share experiences with others. Don’t worry if you come solo. You’ll be in good company, as there are others who have chosen to make this journey on their own.

How To Stay Fresh and Glamorous for Air Travel How to Stay Fresh and Glamorous for Air Travel originally published and with permission from jiacollection.com/.

e all hate the feeling of getting off the plane feeling sick and tired. There couldn’t be a worse way to get your feet on new ground. Make the most out of your trip by preparing properly, traveling with the right tools, and feeling/looking great when you land so that you can fully enjoy the whole journey. Using these 15 simple tips, you can set yourself up for stress-free traveling with sky-high glamour!

Pre-flight...

1. When booking your flight, make a special meal request according to your dietary standards. We highly recommend a fish or low sodium meal to keep you full and puffiness at bay. 2. In the days leading to your trip, be mindful of your everyday health. Try to get proper amounts of sleep and avoid as much stress as possible—or learn the coping mechanisms to handle it well. This

will help to discourage under eye bags and break outs from appearing. 3. Plan and shop ahead of time for destination dependent essentials you might not have already. Make a list of what you need to bring and do not pack last minute.

The day of...

4. Wear comfortable, soft clothing and layer up. You want to be prepared for changing climates and cold planes, but avoid pajamas. You won’t feel ready to take on the day after your trip. Max, our reversible and convertible scarf/cape with detachable sash, can be worn at least 8 different ways and is the perfect flight-and-beyond companion. 5. Get to the airport early and check in in advance so you can settle in and hang out in the lounge. This helps reduce the stress of getting to the airport in time and rushing with a frazzled disposition.

In-flight...

6. Keep your hair tied back and off face to keep skin clear. 7. Drink water. Plane air is very dry. And the small cups they bring around during the

food service are not enough. Drink more water to keep your skin happy and stop you from feeling bloated and tired from dehydration. Bring your own water bottle and ask flight attendant to fill the bottle up for you so you can drink plenty of water through out the flight. 8. Get up and walk. At least once an hour get up even to go to bathroom to keep blood flowing and stop you from getting sore. 9. Bring your own snacks without too much salt. Healthier snacks will keep you from feeling gross and save you money

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since you won’t need to buy them at airport or on plane. 10. Make up remover pads. We recommend wearing little to no make up, but if you do make sure to remove it before going to sleep. Also, don’t use water in bathrooms to wash your face - the water isn’t clean. 11. Pack a travel toothbrush or gum to make your breath feel fresh until you can check into your hotel and freshen up. 12. Bring your beauty essentials with you. • Dry shampoo can make your hair

feel fresh after a long flight. • Leave-in conditioner is great for dry ends. • A hydrating facial mist. • Moisturizer for face, eye (eye cream), and lips (lip balm) • SPF - You are closer to the sun when in flights, especially if you sit by the window. • And you can bring whatever make up you can’t leave the house without for touch ups. 13. Carry a hat. It helps to hide slept on hair and then you don’t need to worry about it getting squished in your checked bag.

14. If it’s a long flight, make sure you get a good sleep. Pack an eye mask and ear plugs, don’t start an exciting movie right before you want to go to bed. Use the time on the plane to try to start switching over to the new time zone if needed. 15. Consider investing in compression socks. It may sound a bit old lady-like, but it’s actually a great way to keep your legs from feeling sore and tired, and the added circulation can help ward off spider veins.

We hope these tips for traveling in comfort and style are easy enough to follow and make use of. Find little ways to treat your body and skin well on a daily basis. You will feel and look more rested and healthy in the long run. Remember you can bring 3 oz. containers of your favorite beauty products with you on the plane, so there’s no reason why you can’t feel and look beautiful even on your longest flights. By the time you’ve put all of these tips into practice all of your travels will be a breeze!

Sree Sreenivasan America’s Tech Guru

By Lillian Africano

hen Sree Sreenivasan (@sree) was appointed Chief Digital Officer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013, that was the latest step in what he calls “a three-decade, one-way love affair with one of the world’s great museums.” Since his appointment, a lot has happened at the Met, reflecting Sree’s expertise in all things digital, especially social media. In April 2014, the Met’s Instagram account was selected as the Webby Award Winner in the Social Arts & Culture category in the 18th annual awards program. (The Webby, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.) In September 2014, the Met launched an app on iPhone and iPad that was used more than one million times in its first nine months. Of this feature, Sree (rarely is he called “Mr. Sreenivasan”) said that it “serves as a digital companion before, during and after a visit to the Met—and it’s accessible to our international audience, with whom we are always trying to connect better from afar.” The goal of connecting with audiences everywhere is clearly being met. The museum’s digital

audience is increasingly globally, with international users up to 36% on the website, 50% on Instagram, 54% on Twitter and 70% on Facebook. On Weibo, one of China’s largest social media networks, the Met had 10 million impressions in 2015. At the close of the fiscal year, the Museum’s Facebook account had more than 1.3 million followers (with a reach of 48.5 million people) and its Twitter feed had 982,000 followers (with tweets receiving 148.5 million impressions). The website had a total of 32million visits. All this online activity has led to record-breaking visits to the brick-and-mortar museum. In July it was announced that a record 6.3 million people – from the United States and around the world – had visited the museum during the fiscal year. This was the highest visitorship since the Met began tracking admission statistics more than 40 years ago. When these changes are mentioned to Sree, he acknowledges them happily – but declines any credit, preferring instead to mention “our team” (At the Met, he leads a world-class team of 70 working on topics he loves: digital, social, mobile, video, data, email apps and more.) “It all starts with Tom Campbell,” he says emphatically, “who embraced the idea of a digital

Met.” (Thomas P. Campbell is the museum’s director and CEO.) “We are building a virtual circle with people all around the world. When they come in person, we want them to stay connected to the museum Attendance has changed and grown and broken records. We are increasing access to scholarship, but there is no dumbing down anywhere. We work at a deep scholarly level and also a lighter one. We want to achieve a balance and to serve all ages.” Expanding the commitment to serve all ages, in September of this year, the museum launched #MetKids, a new online feature with multimedia content made for, with and by kids. “The full effect of what we are doing will not be seen for years,” Sree reflects, pondering the question of how to best make connections and how to make them have a serious result. To make the point, he adds: “Few of us saw how quickly Instagram would grow.” Sree joined the Met after spending 20 years at Columbia University as a member of the faculty of the Columbia Journalism School and a year as the university’s first Chief Digital Officer. As an adjunct professor, he still occasionally teaches at Columbia, where he is fondly remembered by both students and associates. Liz Borod Wright first met Sree when

she was a student at Columbia’s Journalism School. Ten years later, she became the adjunct professor for his social media lectures for three years. Liz recalls those years: “Sree’s lectures are so entertaining that students don’t even realize the sheer volume they’re learning until long after it’s ended. His enthusiasm for social media is contagious; it’s impossible to hear him speak and not feel inspired to use social media for whatever your personal and professional goals happen to be. “I’ve seen students attend his social media lectures multiple times, traveling for hundreds of miles just to hear him speak because they will always pick up something new. He is always up-to-date on the latest trends, technologies and data. But his real passion is for helping people. He loves to ask for people’s twitter handles so the group can follow them, and then he’ll give an individualized critique as to how the student can do better. Sree’s passion for helping and teaching is evident in everything he does, but especially in how his lectures would frequently run an hour over their ending time -- and even then he’d continue the conversation with students over pizza.” Given the depth and breadth of Sree’s involvement in the digital world, one would expect that his own 12-year-old twins would have started using social media while they were toddlers. Not so, he says. In

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fact, the opposite is true, as Sree and his wife, Roopa Unnikrishnan, resisted involving their children in social media. “People were surprised,” he says. “We were among the last to get the kids cell phones. You don’t need one when you’re a kid – and we saw that lots of technology people were restricting the use of technology with their kids. Now the twins are 12 and they are on Instagram.” So are they aware now of how prominent their dad is? “Well,” Sree replies, “they’ve been dragged to some events, so they are somewhat aware, but not the full range of what I do.” The “full range” of what he does is impressive: In 2015, he was named to Fast Company’s list of 100 Most Creative People in Business, in part for the work he and the museum are doing on the future of culture. In 2015, he joined CBS Radio’s new Play.It podcast network with the “@Sree Show: Talking tech, culture, entrepreneurship”

In 2009, he was named one of AdAge’s 25 media people to follow on Twitter and in 2010 was named one of Poynter’s the 35 most influential people in social media; in 2014, he was named the most influential CDO in the US. He is co-founder of SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, a group of more than 1,000 journalists of South Asian origin across the United States and Canada. Though Sree’s involvements have been international in scope, he says he has “an immigrant mindset” that makes him more appreciative of his city and his country. Understandable, given the fact that his father was a diplomat for the Indian government, a post that meant frequent relocations. So Sree was born in Tokyo, Japan and grew up in the USSR, Fiji and India. He attended kindergarten in Moscow, P.S. 6 in Manhattan, Marist Brothers High School in Suva, Fiji and St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, India. (He graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in history and received a Master of Science degree in Journalism from Columbia’s

Graduate School of Journalism.) Today, as a leader in all things digital, Sree retains his love for the printed page and believes that technology can’t completely replace the daily newspaper. He mentions that “in other parts of the world, print newspapers are still strong.” They are also strong in the Sreenivasan household; Sree subscribes to both magazines and newspapers. And as for books, he points out that E-book sales have fallen, but the numbers for print books has risen. “Print is still relevant on many levels,” he says, “as a kind of backlash and also due to the fact that technology has not yet caught up. A digital image, for example, can’t compare with a beautiful coffee table book.” Warming to this theme, he says: “An email ‘thank you’ cannot compare with a card. I keep every card I receive from students and friends – and I display them all.” As if to further demonstrate the backlash against a tech-loving world,

Sree says: “Vinyl records are selling again, and cassette tape sales had their best year since 1967. Can you imagine? I didn’t even know they were still around.” Since Sree lives so much of his professional life in the spotlight, was there anything about him that hasn’t been widely discussed? “My first job,” he says. “It was handing out flyers at a pharmacy on 88th and Madison. So many people refused to take them, it got embarrassing. So I resolved that when I got older, I would always take a flyer from anyone who was handing them out. If you walk with me, you will see that I do that.” And if you walk with Sree, you will also see that he is always tweeting about the world around him, always finding something new and interesting to add to the conversation.

If you’d like to know more about Sree Sreenivasan:

You can find him on Twitter at twitter.com/sree and on Facebook at facebook.com/ sreetips and on Instagram at instragram.com/sreenetand on the web at sree.net.

Global Etiquette International Dining By Maralyn D. Hill

While our Global Etiquette expert is away, the editors of Luxe Beat Magazine have reprised some of her excellent tips from past columns. Here, just in case, you may have forgotten, we remind of how to use chopsticks in Japan -and when it’s fine to belch at dinner in China.

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 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

Travel set their( knife down on the plate. 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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Business

Is ‘Made In America’ Primed For A Comeback? More Companies Could Manufacture In The U.S. By Investing In Automation, Says InterVac Design Founder

he decline in American manufacturing and the rise of products made in China have frustrated America workers and been fodder for political commentators for years. But more recently, signs have emerged that a reversal of fortunes is in the making. Rising labor costs in China have prompted many manufacturers to look elsewhere to produce their goods. Some upped their production in other Asian countries, such as Vietnam, but the stage also was set for many businesses producing overseas to return to the U.S. Of course, some never left these shores to begin with. “In many cases, companies can manufacture in the United States if they are willing to invest in automation,” says Susan Schlapkohl of InterVac Design, which makes built-in vacuum cleaner systems for boats, RVs and small homes. “A lot of businesses were drawn overseas because they felt the

cost-savings associated with foreign production made sense. Now that studies show the cost gap between the United States and China is shrinking, they are starting to see the advantages of coming back home.” Schlapkohl understood those advantages all along. She and her husband, Peter, an engineer who emigrated from Germany in 1964, were determined to keep InterVac’s production in the United States when they founded their company in 1998. “We were certain that with our automation and design background, we would be able to make our vacuum cleaners in America using American workers,” Schlapkohl says. “We were right.” Schlapkohl isn’t the only one who is high on America’s odds of rebounding on the manufacturing front. The Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, said in 2011 that China’s manufacturing-cost advantage over the U.S. was shrinking rapidly. The firm predicted then that within five years rising Chinese wages, higher U.S. productivity and other factors would “virtually close the cost gap between the U.S. and China

for many goods consumed in North America.” “We are starting to see that happening,” Schlapkohl says. She says in her view, “Made in America” is more than just a slogan. It makes good business sense. She offers a few reasons why.

Quality control

It’s much easier to maintain quality when you are overseeing the process yourself, rather than farming out the job to someone in a foreign country, Schlapkohl says. “In our case, we wanted to make sure we were shipping vacuum cleaners that meet our standards as well as the standards of Underwriters Laboratories,” she says. “So we invested in automation, because that is the only way to deliver a consistent product at a competitive price.”

Financial considerations

The rise in Chinese labor costs that made the wage gap less significant is just one factor that is making domestic production more enticing. Shipping costs also have jumped. Meanwhile, a reduction in domestic natural gas prices has helped keep electricity costs from soaring. “Also, when you are importing, you fight the battle of what product mix to bring in,” Schlapkohl says. “If you

guess wrong, you end up with higher inventory levels and that reduces profit because of slow inventory turnover.”

Economic boost

Americans need jobs, so any time a company can keep them here rather than ship them overseas is a win, Schlapkohl says. Those jobs help boost the overall economy, she says, which improves business for everyone. “For anyone who says manufacturing companies can’t compete if they don’t go overseas, my response is simple,” Schlapkohl says. “At InterVac, we’ve been making our products in the United States for 17 years. So don’t tell me it’s not possible.”

About Susan Schlapkohl

Susan Schlapkohl, who has a background in finance and investment, is founder with her husband, Peter, of InterVac Design, which manufactures built-in vacuum cleaner systems for boats, RVs and small homes. Schlapkohl previously had 30 years of banking experience, and also was president of JJFN Services Inc., which purchased model homes from builders and leased them back to the builder. www.intervacdesign.com

As the World’s Farmers Age New Blood is Needed By Danielle Nierenberg

griculture has an image problem. For the majority of the world’s youth, agriculture isn’t an attractive avenue of employment. Most youth think of it as back-breaking labor without an economic pay-off and little room for career advancement. This week in Des Moines, the World Food Prize has honored and highlighted youth in agriculture education programs. With an aging population of farmers, it’s clear that agriculture needs to attract more young people. This is a global challenge: half of the farmers in the United States are 55 years or older and the average age of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa is around 60 years old. The United Nations’ International Labour Organization predicts that, globally, there will be 74.2 million unemployed young people this year, an increase of 3.8 million since 2007. The agricultural sector offers huge potential for job creation and communicating this to youth can radically change their image of agriculture. Youth across the world are already turning to farming and the food system for careers. Agriculture in the 21st century means more than subsistence farming. Today, young people can explore career options in permaculture design, biodynamic farming, communication technologies, forecasting, marketing, logistics, quality assurance, urban agriculture projects, food preparation,

environmental sciences, and much more. “Increased access to education and new forms of agriculture-based enterprise mean that young people can be a vital force for innovation in family farming, increasing incomes and well-being for both farmers and local communities. Young people can transform the agricultural sector by applying new technologies and new thinking,” explains Mark Holderness, executive secretary of the Global Forum for Agricultural Research. Farmers, businesses, policymakers, and educators need to promote agriculture as an intellectually stimulating and economically sustainable career while making jobs in the agriculture and food system attractive to youth. U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden recently announced resources and policy changes designed to improve the financial security of new and beginning farmers and ranchers, including a new online portal that will be a one-stop resource where farmers can explore the variety of USDA initiatives designed to help them succeed. In Iowa, the Practical Farmers of Iowa’s beginning farmers’ program is growing more than just crops; it is cultivating the next generation of farmers. The program helps families transition their farm to beginning farmers by writing business plans, facilitating access to capital, providing marketing education, offering online seminars, on-farm

field days, and more. In Africa, One Acre Fund provides a holistic set of services to help small-scale farmers and new agriculturalists succeed by distributing feed and fertilizer on credit, offering training, and facilitating market access. By 2020, they hope to not only represent Africa’s largest network of smallholder farmers but to also provide services to at least 1 million farming families. The Young Professionals for Agricultural Development is an international network of young farmers contributing to innovative agricultural development. The network is shaping the future of agriculture by providing resources and tools for the next generation of farmers to be successful. Members can attend events, discussions, workshops, and contests; find a mentor; and raise awareness of agricultural careers. The International Fund for Agricultural Development Rural Youth Talents Program in South America is publicizing and sharing knowledge learned from rural youth agriculture programs. Their goal is to establish and strengthen networks of youth involved in food and agriculture. With the growth of these and several other projects and resources, we can make agriculture not only “cool” but also economically and environmentally sustainable for the world’s youth.

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Philanthropy

“The Art of Pink” Transforms The Peninsula Tokyo T

he Peninsula Tokyo is once again thinking pink for a purpose this October, when it marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its eighth anniversary in 2015 to raise awareness and funds for local breast cancer charities. Over the course of the month, guests may enjoy pink-inspired fashion, photography, dining and spa experiences, with JPY 500 from each sale donated to the Japan Breast Cancer Screening Society®. The drive is part of a brand-wide program launched in Hong Kong in 2010 and now participated in by each of the ten Peninsula Hotels worldwide. Pink is the preferred color at The Peninsula Tokyo throughout the month of October. This year, in a celebration of the fun-loving, fashion-forward girlish spirit, the hotel lobby will showcase six photographs mounted on its lattice walls of Peninsula Pagegirls modeling a new collection of pink-only hand-knit wirebags by Anteprima Creative Director Izumi Ogino. An instant hit when they were first released in 1998, Anteprima wirebags have since become an iconic symbol of the confidence, strength and playfulness that characterize today’s independent young women. Izumi’s unique Hello Kitty® and My Melody® wirebags, together with her exclusive pink creations including a panda, dog, pig and monkey complete “The Art of Pink” wirebag collection. A highlight of the month will be an auction of Izumi’s “The Art of Pink” wirebag collection at the exclusive invitation-only “The Art of Pink

Charity Gala Dinner” on October 19, 2015. Chef de Cuisine Laurent Poitevin of Le Lobby at The Peninsula Paris will prepare a five-course dinner accompanied by a stellar lineup of French wines and Champagne sponsored by importers Enoteca Co., Ltd. and Vinorum Co., Ltd. With the generous support of luxury fashion magazines 25ans and Richesse, The Peninsula Tokyo plans to raise more than JPY 1.2 million to donate to Keep A Breast Japan®. In a show of solidarity with cancer survivors and their families, and underscoring the architect’s vision of a Japanese lantern when lit at night, The Peninsula Tokyo becomes a shining pink beacon every evening in October, when all sides of its soaring 100-meter exterior are illuminated in pink. All staff members wear a specially commissioned pink ribbon pin, and the hotel’s floral designs sport rosy hues as well. At the conclusion of last year’s campaign, The Peninsula Tokyo raised JPY 3.32 million for Keep A Breast Japan® and JPY 909,902 for the Japan Breast Cancer Screening Society® – a total of JPY 4,229,902 in support of their many activities to foster awareness about early detection and treatment. At Keep A Breast Japan®, such initiatives in 2014 included localization of an Englishlanguage “Check Yourself” app for a Japanese audience, distribution of self-check cards and awareness bracelets, and the installation, at women’s clinics and college campuses, of colorful vending machines designed with instructive panels on self-check techniques. news.peninsula.com/

Metropolis Mapping the City 82

ities are places of hopes and dreams, of vision and order, as well as centers for destruction and conflict. Although cities are not creations of the modern era, for many people they represent the core element of life as we live it today, when most of the world’s population lives I an urban hub of commerce, technology, transport, and social interaction between people, and in communities of often quite diverse cultures. Whereas only a century ago perhaps 10 percent of humankind lived in a city, now most people do and the world’s economic development is characterized by the relentless, and often unrestrained, expansion of our ever-growing urban metropolises. Globally, cities have become inextricably identified with this sense of progress, success and advancement, whether individual, social, or economic; cities are believed to be places where things “happen.” In fact, historically, this has long been the case, with cities impossible to separate from the evolution of human civilization. Trade and religion are two of the oldest practices of humankind, and cities originated and grew to facilitate the complex human webs of exchange involved in both, which

have left their marks throughout the millennia on the form and features of our cities—to facilitate the buying and selling of goods and to enable people to gather for matters more transcendent and less material. And just as civilization grew out of humankind’s conscious attempt to control, change, and organize our environment, so cartography and mapping arose out of our need for tools to measure, record, understand, navigate, plan, and protect our surroundings. Cities— centers of spiritual, economic, and political power—became leading centers of mapmaking as well as prime subjects for cartographers. City maps are among the most popular, as well as oldest, forms of cartographic representation. However, the survival rate of early maps is limited and most maps date only from the last 500 years. Early maps are also fragments; sometimes literally in the physical sense, but also because our knowledge of them is incomplete, based upon a partial understanding of the cultural context within which they were made, though it seems quite clear that the world such maps depict was centered upon the culture of origin and that cities loomed large as places that gave meaning and identity to those same cultures.

The First Civilizations

The shift to crop cultivation encouraged the production of regular food surpluses, which made it possible for some workers to specialize in other tasks. Urban

development rested on agrarian systems that were able to support substantial populations, and these were found first in fertile river valleys, such as the Euphrates and, later, Tigris of Mesopotamia (Iraq), the Nile valley of Egypt, and the Indus valley of modern Pakistan. In Adean America, in what is now Peru, large temple mounds appeared in the central Andes along the Pacific coastal river valleys, in places such as the Supe Valley, from c.2500bce. In East Asia, the Yellow River was the later basis for Erlitou, founded in about 1900bce, China’s first city. In Mesopotamia the city-state of Uruk developed in about 3500bce. The sacred enclosure of a raised mud-brick ziggurat temple complex was an important feature of the early Mesopotamian cities, not only because the priests provided sacral power but also because the temple administered much of the city’s land while the priests could record production and store products. By about 3300bce walled towns had begun to be built along the Nile in predynastic Egypt, Nekhen, or Hieraconpolis, and Naqada being the earliest. When the country was unified in about 3100bce by Kind Narmer, the first pharaoh, he founded Memphis as his capital, which was built on the west bank of the Nile, south of the delta not far from modern Cairo. In the Indus Valley, walled settlements were followed, in about 2500bce, by major cities, notably Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Spread

over 148 acres (60 hectares), the latter city had a population of maybe 50,000 as well as crucial urban infrastructure in the form of a sophisticated sewage system.

Commerce And Conflict

Because trade was such an important aspect of these early urban civilizations, long-distance commercial networks grew by sea and land. These included ports, such as Byblos (Lebanon), founded

c.3100bce, as well as Dilmun (Bahrain) and Ras al-Junayz (Oman) to link the eastern maritime centers, and trading cities and colonies across the South Asian inland hinterland, such as Shortughai along the Oxus River in northern Afghanistan, c.2500bce. Competing interests and the need to maintain control and security encouraged the walling of settlements in anticipation of large-scale conflict. The first empire in western Asia was founded in about 2300bce by Sargon, who united the city-states of Sumer (southern Mesopotamia) and conquered neighboring regions. An empire based on the city of Ur followed. Protected by encircling walls and a fortress, Ur was linked to the Euphrates River by canals, which provided another inter-urban form of transportation network for trade. Later came the Babylonian empire of Hammurabi (reigned 1790-1750bce). With places such as Babylon, cities became further associated with

learning, culture, the law, and manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s management and modelling of nature.

Persians in 539bce.

A Babylonian clay tablet from about 600bce provides the earliest known evidence of world mapping, though the purpose of the map is unclear. The world map centers on Mesopotamia, with Babylon shown as an elongated rectangle. Parallel lines running to and from it represent the River Euphrates. All these symbols are contained within a circle that represents the ocean. If this map could be interpreted as revealing a sense of cultural self-confidence, perhaps it is no coincidence that cities also became the focus of empires engaging in territorial conquest, helping to expand the influence of urban civilization and offering up a template for successful replication.

In ancient China, then as now the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most populous country, a strong economy, built upon the production of millet and rice, combined with a sophisticated administrative system that meant the state was able to support a large urban population. Under the Shang Dynasty (c.1800-1027bce), there were a number of capital cities, notably Erlitou and Anyang. Its Zhou successor (1027-403bce) again had a number of capitals: it is from the Zhou Dynasty that we have the first documented city planning. The principles of Zhou urban design, which continued to underpin Chinese grid layouts into the modern era, were based upon a holy square system derived from a mixture of cosmology, astrology, geomancy, and numerology.

The stone reliefs from the palace of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire (c.950-612bce), depict sieges of cities. In turn, the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzer II extended to Palestine, where Jerusalem was destroyed in 587bce, only to be overthrown in turn by the

Cities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Global Phenomenon

During the Qin Dynasty (221206bce), there was a series of administrative centers under the imperial capital of Xianyang. This was also the case in the Han era

Book Extract (206bce-220ce) with its successive capitals of Chang’an and Luoyang, as well as its thriving coastal maritime cities such as Fuzhou. Later, under the Tang (618-970), Chang’an (modern-day Xi’an) was the capital and it had a population (within and outside the walls) of about two million by the eighth century. The city’s symmetrical layout was used to organize specialized and orderly functional neighborhoods, the demarcation of which arose out of by then deeply-rooted Chinese ideas about the spiritual efficacy of spatial arrangements and alignments—ideas that were diffused to various degrees throughout East Asia. Ancient China’s urbanization was such that in Tang-dynasty China there were more than ten cities with populations of 300,000-plus. During the later Song dynasty (960-1279), the merchant’s entrepot and metropolis of Hangzhou had a million residents at a time when London had around 15,000. The commercial wealth of 11th-century Kaifeng, a canalized capital of the Northern Song in north-central China so beautifully depicted in the Qingming scroll by Zhang Zeduan, far outstripped that of any European city at the time.

Well before Europeans settled there, cities also had developed in the New World of the Americas, notably the hilltop Zapotec city of Monte Alban in Central Oxaca (southern Mexico) in about 500bce and El Mirador, the largest early Maya city by about 250bce. To the west, in central Mexico, Teotihuacan, a grid city with temple-topped pyramids, had 125,000-200,000 inhabitants by 500bce. In South America, Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco) on the shore of Lake Titicaca in modern-day Bolivia, a center of religious activity, had up to 40,000 inhabitants. In the cast of another city-based empire—Rome—the purpose of the city was clear and highly important: the display of power. A large-scale plan of the city, the Forma Urbis Romae, was incised on a wall for public view. The display of maps was used by Julius Caesar and other leaders to demonstrate how Rome was fulfilling its destiny through imperial expansion. The rise of Rome stimulated an interest in the wide world among the polity’s leadership, which resulted in the earliest known globe of the earth being produced there in about 150bce by the Greek scholar Crates of Mallos.

A city with a large population had to be sustained through well-organized,

well-maintained infrastructure, and this created a need for maps that could record useful information in graphic form. Rome’s population may have reached about a million in the second century ce. The supply of goods to support this population was a major economic, governmental, and logistical achievement, notably for the supply of grain from Sicily, Tunisia, and Egypt, with Alexandria operating as a key entrepot. Major warehouses in the southwest of Rome along the River Tiber testify to the importance of trade. Rome also depended on a network of aqueducts to supply it with water. Jeremy Black is Professor of History at the University of Exeter and a Senior Fellow at the Center for theStudy of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. He is the author of more than eighty books and has lectured extensively around the world. Jeremy’s recent publications includeAvoiding Armageddon: From the Great War to the Fall of France, 1918-40 (Bloomsbury, 2012), The Great War and the Making of the Modern World (Continuum, 2011) and London: A History (Carnegie, 2009). www.jeremyblack.co.uk/index.html Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Conway Publication Date: October 13, 2015

The Poe

By Kenneth Za

that simple, remote, fleeting spectacle had captivated him. He had never seen another since, even though he had returned to the island several times. But the image he now envisioned wasn’t that fragile blossom. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. He opened his eyes.

Exotic, extraordinaire

Writing could wait.

Seductress, surreal Enchantress, revealed. Imagine. All this, yet more

He jumped up. His feet planted on the cool dirt floor. He pulled his notebook off the table and glanced at the hectic scribbles from the previous night. There she was, staring back from every slashing word. She even filled the spaces in between.

Come hither, explore All dared, all dreamed Eclipsed emeralds, this sea. Cameron awoke alone in the hilltop hut. He had planned to write the entire day. He needed to remember why he had come to the island. He closed his eyes and envisioned sable-trimmed petals, interlaced with patches of coppery gold webbing framing brilliant emerald daggers, the markings of the island’s rare siproeta stelenes. In full blossom it resembled a Malachite butterfly in flight. A local had told him it blossomed once every ten years, and then only for several days: brief, brilliant, doomed. Until its next bloom it was nothing more than the barest twig. Cameron had seen the butterfly orchid’s blossom once, a few summers before. He had knelt by the orchid in awe of its wild perfection. Something about

He yanked on a pair of shorts and stretched his torso into a threadbare T-shirt. He grabbed his scratched sunglasses, slid on sandals and ran from the hut, tracking her footsteps down the path to the seaside village. He recalled her pensive look as she turned away to leave. His sandals clapped against the dirt. By the time he reached the village he was drenched in sweat. The villagers seemed in a hypnotic lull. The sea lazed against the shore. Beneath that calm he knew the sea floor dropped so quickly that yachts often moored barely a spit from the sand. But there wasn’t any vessel in sight. He rambled past a dozen shanties, rickety houses stacked no more than three deep from the water, all lounging in a permanent recline in the unforgiving sun. A steel-haired woman beating a rug outside her

window shook her head as he passed. He prowled streets nothing more than alleys, streets so narrow they didn’t warrant names.

Her grin dropped away and she shook her head back and forth.

He scoured the small open-air market. Weary tables clustered under spinnaker tarps overflowed with island bounty. Here he slowed. This was where he first saw her just the day before. He caught his breath and picked up a bunch of green bananas, squeezed several mangos and mulled over some guava, wondering if her fingers might have graced these same fruit. He stood in the same spot she had been when he first noticed her, next to a bushel of pomegranates. He wanted to inhabit the space she had filled. What the hell am I doing?

“Where? What’s that?” he asked.

But the island boy had told him the blossom lasted only days.

Why did people come to Mataki? To disappear, or maybe to forget, he thought. Was that why she was here? He had come to find something, to remember. He had come to finish that short story about the butterfly orchid, to resurrect his voice.

A bone-skinny, russet-skinned woman offered him a pomegranate. She looked to be one hundred years old, but her eyes tracked him like a hawk. “No thanks,” he said. She broke into a gummy grin. “You lookin’ all obzokee. Maybe you need it. This one’s sweet too bad,” she said and sucked at her gums. “Yesterday, the woman?” he asked. “Gone like a duppie?” the old woman asked and chuckled. “Please,” he said.

“Peong,” she said under her breath.

She tapped her hand against her chest, pointed the pomegranate at him and smiled. “Your heart peong,” she said. “If you see her, tell her Cameron was here.” She nodded. He ran off to the cantina. He peered through a broke-open shutter. The tables were empty. The stale smell of beer wafted through the window.

His stomach began to knot. His head felt light. He started to feel sick inside. Man, pull yourself together. He asked a fat old man who rented rooms by the day. The bald landlord swatted at sparrow-sized mosquitoes while he shook his head. He hadn’t seen her. Cameron jogged past a young boy fishing along the beach. The boy watched him pass, squinting in the sun to reveal a missing front tooth before turning back toward the bay

Book Excerpt

et’s Secret

to eye his line. Cameron finally collapsed on a bench. He pushed back the sweaty strands of hair matted against his forehead. The sun had nearly reached its late morning peak. The sleepy village would soon deaden even deeper into siesta. Backtracking to the market, he bought a missile of bread, a palm-full of goat cheese and a cheap bottle of wine, all the while obsessing over how she had vanished without a trace, convinced he had blown it. He doubted sleep. Stinking from the search, he dropped the plastic sack of food on the sand and waded into the bay. The fishing boy had pulled his line and was sitting in the shade of a drooping palm. Cameron glided between two decrepit fishing boats resting after the morning catch. The skiffs reminded him of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. With each stroke he stretched further, trying to calm himself into a rhythm, but her face remained right in front of him. He recalled Santiago’s battle with the great marlin. He thought of the old man’s perseverance. He felt capable of the same. But would he get the chance? A navy of blue tangs parted beneath him. It seemed useless. He swam ashore, picked up his sack and hiked back to the hut. The afternoon sun dried him. His sweat soon smelled of brine. Several miles away a yacht’s engine rumbled.

By the time Cameron reached the hut, an ivory ship had entered the bay. The fishing boy squinted as it slipped back to its mooring. The boy knew its inhabitants. He waded into the water and set down his pole into a small wooden boat. Back in the hut, Cameron sliced the goat cheese and sprinkled the fleshy insides of a tomato with salt and olive oil. It was the same thing he had eaten for dinner the day before, and the day before that. But this afternoon he ate more from ritual than hunger. He uncorked the bottle of red wine and poured it into a squat tumbler. He emptied the tumbler and poured another. Only after the second glass did the velvet breeze finally soothe him asleep. And he dreamed. Swimming down, he descended beyond an underwater cliff into deep recesses. Daylight dimmed into a marine-blue fog. No longer needing to breathe, he was surrounded by underwater creatures. Schools of fish engulfed him. Dolphins danced in and out of sight. They grinned, chattered and enticed him to swim even farther, leading him toward a distant light, where one figure eclipsed that glow. A mermaid. A flicker of recognition. Aluna. But he couldn’t reach her, no matter how hard he tried. She turned away from him and toward the glow before swimming away. He gasped for breath, and the sudden pressure collapsed his lungs. Gulping for air, he began to drown. He awoke drenched in sweat. His heart pounded. He opened his eyes. And there she was again. Aluna gazed at him from the doorway. But this was no dream. Backlit by the sun, a halo framed her, yet he could still make out the green of those eyes. He sat up. She walked into the hut and sat down by his side. He felt an instant pang in his gut. But instead of offering the kiss he craved, she collapsed and buried her face into his chest. Her hair smelled of

gardenia. He hugged her and she began to cry.

nestled deeper into him. Then she sighed as her eyes reopened.

“What is it?” he asked.

Still cradled in his arms, she spoke in a hush.

She didn’t answer. Tears laced against his bare chest. The insides of his stomach began to twist. This woman, so filled with life yesterday, now felt so fragile, like she might break apart in his arms and her petals fall to the ground. She pulled back from his grasp. Her eyes that just yesterday had so unflinchingly locked on him now avoided his own. It took every ounce of strength to not pull her close for a kiss. But he waited, submitting. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand to wipe away the tears. He caressed her face and stroked the ridge of her ear, and then around to the nape of her neck where his fingers combed through her auburn hair. The two sat there in silence, in almost every way still strangers to one another except for yesterday’s inexplicable, primal connection. Aluna placed her hands upon Cameron’s shoulders and pressed him back down onto the cot. He slid over to one side and she slipped off her sandals. She lay down next to him, still without a word spoken. She kissed his bare chest and nestled her head upon him. Her hair felt like silk. He wrapped one arm around her waist. His fingertips sought out those dimples in her lower back. She clutched one hand and pulled it up to her chest. Her body again seemed perfectly encased in his.

“Promise me something,” she said. He finally placed her accent as Portuguese, but her diction was perfect. “Anything,” he said. He propped himself on one elbow. She lifted her head and stared into his eyes. “I mean it,” she said. He met her gaze without blinking. “So do I.” “Never speak my name.” “What?” he asked. “Do not speak my name, to anyone, ever.” He flashed to his frantic search that morning. Had her name already passed his lips? “But why?” he asked. They had shared so few words and already she was taking one from him, and one so precious. A myriad of reasons shot to mind, none of them good.

Tucked away from the afternoon swelter, with the sultry breeze slipping across them, he watched her eyelids surrender for the first time. Only then did sleep return for him.

“Just promise me,” she said.

And this time, he slept without dreaming.

“If there is some sort of problem, let me—”

Cameron awoke to the scent of gardenia and the sensation of clutching her. Neither had stirred. Both his panicked nightmare sweat and her tears were long dried. He checked to be sure she was in his arms and watched her chest rise and fall. Each sleeping breath coincided with his.

“Please,” she said and cut him off.

He watched her awaken to find him. She smiled, closed her eyes again and

She sounded as if her life depended on it. Cameron had a sick feeling that maybe it did.

He felt helpless. He wanted to protect her, but from what, he didn’t even know. Her request seemed so trivial to the resolve he felt. Take away all his words. Burn his notebooks. He would fall mute.

that mountaintop shanty on a remote island, with the two of them wrapped only in one another, they sealed a lover’s pact. She sat up and slipped her feet into her sandals. “Don’t follow me. Don’t try to find me,” she said. The knots in his gut tightened. He could not bear to lose her again, even for an instant. “But I’ll be back.” She leaned into him. He felt her even before their lips met, like the electricity foreshadowing a thunderstorm. He cupped the back of her head with his hand and she kissed him. “This is real,” she said. She sounded somewhat bewildered, almost as if she were trying to explain it to herself. “I know,” Cameron said, “I know.” And she left. Aluna peered back toward the island in the late afternoon sun. The gray fishing boat had only two wooden slats for seats. She perched on the front bench while the dark boy with jet- black hair and a missing tooth sat on the rear bench facing her. With calm, even strokes, he guided them toward the yacht. As the boy steadied the small skiff, she climbed up the rope ladder and stepped onto the deck of the yacht. She looked down at him and nodded, then walked toward the main cabin door and peeked in. Inside the cabin, five men huddled over a nautical map spread across a table. A dark, tattooed man looked up and nudged another, who turned to her and said, “We can talk at dinner.” Aluna turned from the room, but before she left she heard the same man announce to the others, “Okay then, we’ll give it one more week.”

“As you wish,” he whispered.

She left them studying their maps. A smile crossed her lips.

And hidden away from the world in

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