May 2024

Brant Point Waterfront

47 Hulbert Avenue

Brant Point | 6 Bedrooms | 5 Full, 1 Half Bathrooms | $15,995,000

Positioned along esteemed Hulbert Avenue, Brant Point, this waterfront home has private beach access and outstanding water views! A calm water beach is yours to enjoy boating, swimming, or just gazing at the mesmerizing views. An inviting and comfortable home with classic style. Gracious entry into large foyer with beautiful formal staircase. To the left is a lovely office and den with comfortable seating area and fireplace. The living room at the rear of the home has a fireplace surrounded by built-ins and access to a furnished sun porch and the private deck beyond. Adjacent is the beautiful dining room with French doors to the deck facing the harbor. The kitchen has a breakfast nook with built in seating, granite countertops and high-end appliances. There is access from the kitchen to a private covered porch with shaded seating al fresco. The first floor also has a side entrance that leads to a single bedroom that doubles as the laundry room and has a full bath. The second floor has a large stairway landing providing access to four bedrooms. The third floor is a twin bedroom, private balcony, and private bath. One step off the back deck and your toes are in the sand.

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TO FLY.

It is flying that is an extension of what you value not an interruption of it.

Less harrowing than flying commercial. More intimate than flying private.

IT’S FLYING PERSONAL.

And once you’ve done it, you’ll never want to fly any other way.

SCHEDULED SERVICE TO NANTUCKET FROM THE NEW YORK AREA.

NANTUCKET STONE

Tom Nevers Waterfront

15 Lyford Road

Tom Nevers | 3 Bedrooms | 3.5 Bathrooms | $7,495,000

“Never Ending” is a dream come true home perched on the Tom Nevers Bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Perfectly renovated and beautifully appointed, the house sits on a private lot with deeded beach stairs leading to a gorgeous sandy beach located steps from your front door. Three bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths, with multiple decks and an inviting covered porch. There are views from almost every window and the soothing sound of the surf make “Never Ending” the perfect beach house. Sold Fully furnished and ready to move in to start making your “Never Ending” memories.

Maury People Sotheby’s International Realty

37 Main Street, Nantucket MA | www.maurypeople.com

Welcome to this stunning pond front home with breathtaking ocean views located in a private and exclusive Cliff Road neighborhood. Custom built and designed by Botticelli & Pohl Architects, this property features a 5 bedroom and 6 bath main house, detached two-car garage with 2 bedrooms and 2 full baths, swimming pool, hot tub, fire pit, and outdoor space with panoramic sunset vistas. Offered furnished, price upon request.

Chandra Miller & co

Nantucket Luxury Real Estate Team

Sales, Rentals & Everything Home

508.360.7777

chandra@maurypeople.com

@cmillerandco

CONTRIBUTORS

Meet the talented group of writers and photographers who helped make this issue possible.

BY THE NUMBERS

A numerical snapshot of Nantucket this spring.

NTOPTEN

All the places you need to be and see.

NECESSITIES

Put these items on your spring wish list.

KID’N AROUND

How to keep your kiddos entertained this spring.

NGREDIENTS

The perfect dish for Daffy Day picnics and beyond.

HEALTH N WELLNESS

Brazilian jiu-jitsu provides not only physical benefits but psychological ones as well.

NEAT STUFF

Bring “quiet luxury” to your tablescape this summer and beyond.

NBUZZ

All the news, tidbits and scuttlebutt that’s fit to print courtesy of the Nantucket Current

NEED TO READ

Tim Ehrenberg gives his spring reading list.

One of the world’s best restaurants lands on Nantucket.

NDESIGN

Kimberly

Florabundant’s Anita Nettles Stefanski talks family and farming on the island.

Keith Yandle’s on-island hockey camp.

Astronaut

Packy Norton, Rocky Fox and John Jordin of The Chicken Box.

Photography by Kit Noble

NQUIRY

Understanding America’s Mental Health Crisis. 88 96

Rocky Fox, Packy Norton and John Jordin reflect on the 75th anniversary of The Chicken Box.

Getting to know Nantucket’s new chief of police.

Observations from Muskeget’s only homeowner, Crocker Snow Jr.

NVOGUE

Nantucket’s physical fitness boom is not without hot fashions and cars. 114

NHA

Food, friends and sunshine have always been the ingredients for a good day.

NUPTIALS

Courtney and Matthew Maskell celebrate their nuptials at the White Elephant. 134 FOGGY

A recap of Nantucket’s hottest events.

NOT SO FAST

Jeff Tuohy partners with Kevin O’Leary for a vinyl reissue

HER (Left)

SWIMSUIT: MURRAY'S TOGGERY SHOP

GOLD JEWELRY: KATHERINE GROVER

NAVY AND GOLD BRACELET: BARBARA VANDERBILT

HIM

SWIM TRUNKS: CURRENT VINTAGE

SUNGLASSES: NICO EYEWEAR

AVAILABLE AT INKERMAN

HER (Right)

BIKINI: VINEYARD VINES

JEWELRY: KATHERINE GROVER 114

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Nantucket is indeed a unicorn. As the world around us becomes more and more divisive, the island remains a place where a sense of community still prevails and provides a reassuring and consistent haven in which to enjoy our summers.

Nantucket is indeed a unicorn. As the world around us becomes more and more divisive, the island remains a place where a sense of community still prevails and provides a reassuring and consistent haven in which to enjoy our summers.

A wonderful example of the consistency of life on Nantucket is The Chicken Box, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Owners Rocky Fox, Packy Norton and John Jordin have provided the island with a consistent venue to listen to live music, shoot pool and let loose. There is something about a location that lasts three-quarters of a century that is part of the grounding experience of Nantucket, and one that has managed to stick to its roots. Rather than succumb to the pressures of upscaling that has altered the character of many island institutions, the owners of The Chicken Box are to be commended for keeping it just the way it is.

A wonderful example of the consistency of life on Nantucket is The Chicken Box, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Owners Rocky Fox, Packy Norton and John Jordin have provided the island with a consistent venue to listen to live music, shoot pool and let loose. There is something about a location that lasts three-quarters of a century that is part of the grounding experience of Nantucket, and one that has managed to stick to its roots. Rather than succumb to the pressures of upscaling that has altered the character of many island institutions, the owners of The Chicken Box are to be commended for keeping it just the way it is.

BRUCE A. PERCELAY Publisher

The battle between Nantucket’s past and present has been an ongoing struggle between those who would like to see the island revert back to the days of yore and those who embrace growth. Recently, few topics have drawn more controversy on the island than the issue of short-term rentals. The recent surprise ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court against short-term rentals caught many by surprise on both sides of the argument.

The battle between Nantucket’s past and present has been an ongoing struggle between those who would like to see the island revert back to the days of yore and those who embrace growth. Recently, few topics have drawn more controversy on the island than the issue of short-term rentals. The recent surprise ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court against short-term rentals caught many by surprise on both sides of the argument.

No matter what your position, Nantucket has grown dependent upon the taxes generated by short-term rentals, as well as thousands of additional visitors to the island who rely on house rentals. Those who would like to see the island revert to the days of less traffic and more stable neighborhoods have a legitimate concern, but putting the genie back in the bottle will not come without economic consequences. We would all like to see $2.00 ice cream cones, $1.50 a gallon of gasoline and an affordable slice of pizza on Nantucket, but going back in time is hard to execute in real life.

No matter what your position, Nantucket has grown dependent upon the taxes generated by short-term rentals, as well as thousands of additional visitors to the island who rely on house rentals. Those who would like to see the island revert to the days of less traffic and more stable neighborhoods have a legitimate concern, but putting the genie back in the bottle will not come without economic consequences. We would all like to see $2.00 ice cream cones, $1.50 a gallon of gasoline and an affordable slice of pizza on Nantucket, but going back in time is hard to execute in real life.

Our story about food insecurity highlights the impact of the cost of living on Nantucket. For an island with such extreme affluence, it is difficult to rationalize how people could actually go to bed hungry, but it is an uncomfortable reality that we need to address.

For those born on Nantucket or who have been coming to the island for decades, the appeal of a simpler Nantucket runs deep. However, we have a lot to hold onto from yesterday with places like The Chicken Box, The Whaling Museum, Fourth of July on Main Street and many elements of life on Nantucket that are still special.

For those born on Nantucket or who have been coming to the island for decades, the appeal of a simpler Nantucket runs deep. However, we have a lot to hold onto from yesteryear with places like The Chicken Box, The Whaling Museum, Fourth of July on Main Street and many elements of life on Nantucket that are still special.

As the summer season begins, we should all appreciate the Nantucket we have. It is not perfect, but the way it stands looks better and better by the day.

As the summer season begins, we should all appreciate the Nantucket we have. It is not perfect, but the way it stands looks better and better by the day.

Contributors

Larry LINDNER

Larry Lindner is a New York Times bestselling author who also penned a nationally syndicated column for The Washington Post for several years. His writing has appeared in publications ranging from The Los Angeles Times to The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler and Reader’s Digest. He is currently working with noted Hingham artist Sara Holbrook on an illustrated book about the surreal experience of being a caregiver to a loved one with a long-term disease such as Alzheimer’s. Learn more about him at larrylindner.com.

Greta FEENEY

A regular contributor to N Magazine since 2018, Greta Feeney focuses her work on arts, culture and the environment. A graduate of Nantucket High School, Feeney studied writing at Bennington College and then pursued a career in opera. She received formal training at the Juilliard School and was a featured artist at the San Francisco Opera for 15 years. While working full time as a singer, she studied chemistry and environmental economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and completed a doctoral degree in music at SUNY, Stony Brook. She performed and taught in the Greater Boston area until moving back to the island full time in 2020. Most recently heard in a program of patriotic songs at The Kennedy Institute, she opened with the national anthem for the Boston Pops on Nantucket this past summer. In addition to her work at N Magazine , Feeney serves as director of education at Nantucket Community Music Center and director of music ministries at St. Mary ’ s Parish. Learn more about her at gretafeeney.com.

GRAZIADEI

Jason Graziadei has lived and worked on Nantucket for the past 20 years, writing about the island’s people, politics, economy and crime. He is the editor-in-chief of Nantucket Current and previously wrote for the Inquirer and Mirror, as well as serving as communications officer for Nantucket Cottage Hospital for eight years. Graziadei has volunteered on the island with Big Brothers, Big Sisters and served on the boards of the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, A Safe Place and Nantucket Community Television. Graziadei and his wife Alicia, the director of the Nantucket Community School, are the parents of two boys attending Nantucket Public Schools.

OVERALL WINNER

Winner of Luxury Awards. Experience the William Raveis Advantage.

NANTUCKET BY THE NUMBERS

200

Years +

The amount of time that the gray whale was thought to be extinct in the Atlantic Ocean. In early March, a New England Aquarium

7,800

Took place on opening day of the Steamship Authority’s summer reservations, generating more than $4.2 million in revenue. transactions

1 $

Million

The amount Jose Fontanez of Boston hit on a scratch ticket while visiting his girlfriend on-island. He purchased the ticket from Old South Diner.

600,000 $ 0

Thanks to a $410,000 grant obtained by the island transportation agency, it will be free to ride the Nantucket Regional Transit Authority’s Wave buses this summer.

The amount granted to Habitat for Humanity for a brand-new affordable housing project on Waitt Drive.

1,887

4 $ Million $

The number of rides NanTukTuk completed in 2023.

8,709

The total number of bushels harvested by island fishermen from this year’s commercial scalloping season. This is the first time the number has been this high since the 2019-20 season.

The selling price of a waterfront home located at 4 and 6 Sheep Pond Road, threatened by severe erosion.

200 Feet

The height of the new recently announced Nantucket DreamSphere, opening summer 2028.

24.16 inches

The total sum of precipitation on Nantucket in 2023.

15 & 17 Pilgrim Road

Cliff | $11,495,000 | Stephen Maury co-listing with

8,500sf+ parcels available from $5,595,000

A rare oversized parcel in the prestigious Cliff neighborhood offers several opportunities. The highly advantageous R5 zoning and town water and sewer allow for more than 8,500 square feet of ground cover! Work with the renown team of Hanley Development and Sophie Metz Design to execute your vision. Create your dream private compound within walking distance to town, north shore beaches, and the popular Westmoor Club. There is potential for a developer to divide the parcels into 3-4 lots. Smaller parcels are also available for purchase.

3 Lyford Road

Tom Nevers | $11,000,000 | Joyce Montalbano

Unobstructed ocean views! Build your compound on this 2.45 acre property with ample ground cover to build your dreams.

2 Maple Lane

Surfside | $6,995,000 | Stephen Maury

6-bedroom custom home with pool, cabana and garage.

81 Polpis Road

Polpis | $8,795,000 | Stephen Maury

Sweeping harbor views from this custom home with 5 en suite bedrooms, oversized pool cabana on a private 1+ acre lot.

35 Fairfield Street

Tom Nevers | $2,395,000 | Joyce Montalbano

Timeless appeal, overlooking acres of conservation land.

THE FLOWER POWER PARTY

APRIL 26

Whaling Museum

Kick off the 48th Nantucket Daffodil Festival at the Whaling Museum for a mood-lifting, colorful spring celebration. During the evening, view the museum’s newest additions and enjoy music, dancing, Island Kitchen hors d’oeuvres and an online auction. nha.org

DAFFODIL FESTIVAL ANTIQUE CAR

PARADE & TAILGATE PICNIC

APRIL 27, 9:30 AM-3:00 PM

Main Street

Come to town for this year’s vintage car parade on Main Street. The parade starts at noon, so come early to get a closer look at the vehicles and vote for your favorites outside the Chamber of Commerce office.

NANTUCKET DAFFODIL FLOWER SHOW

APRIL 27-28

Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm

EVENTS

Sponsored by the Nantucket Garden Club, this year’s show is titled “Spring Sings … Let’s Party!” Enter your floral design in a variety of themes, including “Shindig at the Opera House,” “Fun and Games at the Island Fair” and “Tailgate Picnic in Sconset.” nantucketgardenclub.org 10 4

JAMIE KENNEDY

MAY 25, 7:00 PM

The Dreamland

THE CINCO DE MAYO PARTY

MAY 4, 7:00-10:00 PM

The Dreamland

Welcome back well-known mariachi Veronica Robles and her band for a festive night of music, drinks and dancing in partnership with the Nantucket Historical Association. Light bites and a cash bar will be at the event. nantucketdreamland.org

GREY LADY WELCOME RECEPTION

MAY 15

White Elephant Deck

Kick off the 26th annual Nantucket Wine & Food Festival with a glass of Veuve Clicquot during the Grey Lady Welcome Reception. With the event featuring rock-star chefs, winemakers, vintners, sommeliers and more, guests can expect an evening of mixing and mingling between bites and sips. nantucketwinefestival.com

HARBOR GALA

MAY 16, 6:30-9:30 PM

White Elephant Main Tent

Experience sips from renowned winemakers and food from award-winning chefs during the walk-around tasting. Over 40 wines from Italy, Argentina, France and more will be featured in the pairings. nantucketwinefestival.com

SHUCK IT! OYSTER AND WINE SEMINAR

MAY 17, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM

White Elephant Shoreline Tent

A summer on Nantucket isn’t complete without oysters, so why not kick off the season with the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival’s oyster and wine seminar? During the event, guests will experience a tasting with shuckers and growers

Johnny Sheehan from Salt Raw Bar + Fine Cuisine and Kelly

Punch of Mere Point Oysters in Maine, during which the flavor profiles of the mollusks will be discussed as well as which wines they pair with best. nantucketwinefestival.com

TONY SARG: GENIUS AT PLAY

MAY 24-DECEMBER 30

Whaling Museum

Explore the world of Tony Sarg’s personal and professional life through original artwork, illustrations, marionettes, animations, nooks and more at the Whaling Museum’s newest summer exhibit. The exhibition also includes nearly 200 objects and images from the NHA’s own Tony Sarg collection, highlighting not only the artist’s talent and legacy but also how Nantucket inspired his work. nha.org

NEW MOON FEST — NANTUCKET EMPOWERING WOMEN

MAY 25

Siasconset Casino

Nantucket’s newest festival focuses on spotlighting the voices of women storytellers from around the world. A series of short films will be on view at the Siasconset Casino, with a portion of the programming dedicated to submissions from filmmakers who have ties to the island. newmoonfest.org

Add some laughs to the agenda during Figawi weekend as The Dreamland hosts actor and stand-up comedian Jamie Kennedy. Before the show, catch up on one of his more recent comedy films, Don’t Suck, or see him in the Oscar-winning As Good as It Gets nantucketdreamland.org

COHEN LOAFERS

A refined take on the traditional penny loafer, the Cohen Loafer features a slimmed-down elongated, and slender profile, along with a wholecut moccasin-style upper and prominent stitching set back to showcase an attractive almond-shaped toe. All Beckett Simonon shoes are made to order and made to last!

A piece from Arrowhead’s private line of outdoor furniture, this solid teak Adirondack Chair is a modern twist on an old favorite. Made to handle Nantucket’s varying climate and a wonderful addition to any island home.

ARROWHEAD NURSERY & FURNITURE

arrowheadfurniture.com arrowheadnursery.com

ROSEY ROMPER

The Rosey Romper has all the darling details. From the bows at the top to the Chesapeake Bay Boats print, this sweet nautical piece is perfect for memory-making this spring and summer season!

WISH LIST

FESTIVAL TICKETS

Don’t miss out on this brand-new film event presented by NCTV featuring competitive short films honoring the voices of women around the world! Guests will enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction at the Siasconset Casino this May 25th.

NCTV @newmoon.nantucket newmoonfest.org

with local artisans to create one-of-a-kind novelties. Hand-embroidered on island, the brand’s madeto-order The Grey Lady Sweater is a lightweight, 100% Mongolian cashmere design that’s suitable for any season—and the perfect way to add a little charm and cheekiness to your wardrobe!

STEPLANE @steplanenantucket • steplanenantucket.com

CREATE AT THE ARTISTS ASSOCIATION

The Artists Association of Nantucket will be offering a variety of weekly art camps for your kids this summer. Beginning June 24, your child can explore various artistic pursuits from clay sculpture and comics to mixed media and watercolor. Young budding artists ages 4 to 14 are encouraged to experience the creative process of artmaking in this welcoming environment. @ackartists, 508.228.0722, nantucketarts.org

DISCOVER THE NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

The Nantucket Historical Association will feature a new exhibition this summer, “Tony Sarg: Genius at Play,” with related elements at the children’s Discovery Center. Known as the father of modern puppetry in North America and the originator of the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons, Sarg was an accomplished illustrator, animator, designer and nimble entrepreneur who summered on Nantucket and was inspired by the island’s beauty for nearly 20 years. Be sure not to miss this exhibition and interactive activities that provide entertainment for the whole family! Among the NHA’s daily presentations are exploring life aboard a whaleship and the Essex Gam. @ackhistory, nha.org

SPRING INTO BARNABY’S TOY & ART

Barnaby’s is kicking off the season with more than 100 art classes for children ages 2 to 13. Taught by professional educators and artists, the classes will guide your child’s creative processes and techniques in a loving, warm environment in

downtown Nantucket—empowering creativity, inspiring innovation and creating long-lasting friendships. With the doors open for children to drop in and create any time of day, the boutique also offers a wide variety of toys and art kits to go that have been handselected and designed for all ages. 508.680.1553, @barnabystoyandart, barnabysnantucket.com

SPRINGTIME AT PEACHTREE KIDS

Peachtree Kids is one of Nantucket’s favorite children’s shops located at the foot of historic cobblestoned Main Street. Carrying timeless classics and the latest fashions for infants and children through size 14, the boutique supports small, woman-owned and sustainable brands, including Sammy + Nat, Nanducket, Petit Peony, Joy Street Kids, Maddie & Connor, Brown Bowen, Lake Label, Duffield Lane, Timo & Violet, Bits

did you know that the observatory also features activities with local astronomers? Throughout the month of May, families can participate in the popular “Look Up!” program: a free stargazing series geared toward children and students on Nantucket. @maria_ mitchell_association, mariamitchell.org

THIS SPRING AT THE NANTUCKET COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER

The Nantucket Community Music Center kicks off its spring orchestra immersion program with the Boston String Academy on Saturday, April 27! Providing underprivileged children with high-quality string instrument instruction, the academy is a notto-be-missed performance. Plus, the music center has partnered with Nantucket Public Schools in offering island students a five-week immersion program with worldclass musicians free of cost. @nantucketcommunitymusiccenter, nantucketmusic.org

137 WAUWINET ROAD | $4,495,000

Stretching from the harbor to the ocean, the best of summer can be enjoyed at this four-bedroom Wauwinet beach house. Appreciate every sunrise and sunset, fishing, boating, and swimming just outside your front door. Available for summer occupancy.

SUNCHOKE SALAD

With a Charred Ramp Chimichurri ROASTED

The perfect dish for Daffy Day picnics and beyond

On Nantucket, the early months of spring bring excitement for a veritable array of happenings— Daffy Day, the promise of better weather on the horizon and, for those at the Lemon Press, Nowruz. Celebrated in March, the Persian holiday marks the beginning of spring and a period of reflection throughout the following months. Here, the Lemon Press team offers their rendition of this holiday dish, featuring sunchokes as the main attraction. It’s also the perfect plate to enjoy as we start to prepare for the island’s upcoming summer season.

1

2

3

DIRECTIONS

To roast the sunchokes:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wash and dry sunchokes.

Toss the sunchokes with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.

4

Place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper for easier cleanup and roast for 35 minutes or until fork-tender.

5

Set aside and allow to cool.

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA DEPACE PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

To make the charred ramp chimichurri:

Wash and dry ramps, making sure to remove any roots.

Toss the ramps in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and grill over high heat to develop a dark smoky crust.

Once the ramps are cooled, give them a rough chop and set in a medium mixing bowl.

To the bowl, add:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons

pomegranate molasses

1⁄2 cup chopped cilantro

1⁄2 cup chopped mint

1⁄2 cup chopped basil

1⁄2 teaspoon of ground cumin

1⁄2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon salt

Mix everything together.

In a serving dish, mix arugula, the chimichurri and the sunchokes gently together, and top with crumbled feta cheese and sunflower seeds. This dish is best served at room temperature. 1

ABOVE THE BELT

Brazilian jiu-jitsu provides not only physical benefits but psychological ones as well.

Two years ago, Nantucket resident Sarah Todd decided to fulfill her mixed martial arts fighter fantasy and sign up for Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). She began taking private lessons with Jules EmbryPelrine, owner of the Nantucket Martial Arts Alliance. As she gained confidence in the sport, she moved into public classes with Andre Dobrochinski of the Werdum Training Center—the only other BJJ school on-island. “Very simply, BJJ completely changed my life,” says Todd, who has earned a blue belt in the sport. “I’ve been in therapy and practiced yoga and mindfulness techniques for more than 20 years, but nothing has helped me heal from trauma in the way that BJJ has.”

This isn’t a rare outcome for those who decide to learn the self-defense combat sport, which gained popularity in the United States in the early 1990s due to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer Royce Gracie. While there are obvious physical benefits (one can burn between 500 and 700 calories per hour, if not more), it’s the mental advantages that outweigh them all.

“The growth from jiu-jitsu is far beyond the physical—the true value of jiu-jitsu is mental,” Dobrochinski explains. “When you’re on the mats, you leave the problems and stress of the outside world behind. No electronics or thoughts outside of jiu-jitsu—you are 100 percent focused and present, learning skills that will help you succeed both on and off the mats. We learn how to be humble and calm; we learn how to be composed and strong under pressure.”

In fact, the mindfulness techniques practiced throughout BJJ—teaching students to be more aware of their surroundings and to move and react with intention—are similar to those of meditation.

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA DEPACE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

Andre Dobrochinski instructing one of the youth classes

Sarah Todd

The sport proves to be especially effective on Nantucket, specifically during the long, dragging winter months. It gives locals something to do, something to focus on and skills they can carry outside of the dojo and into real-life settings. “If you can learn how to be focused and effective while another human is actively trying to control your body and choke you, you can carry this resilience and sense of calm into the rest of your life,” Todd says. “Talking about your problems and learning to stay present are also essential tools for healing, but there is nothing like the somatic experience of BJJ for reorienting your nervous system’s response to triggers in real time and having endless opportunities to practice this skill.”

Another key benefit to the ground-grappling sport, according to Embry-Pelrine, is independence. “You don’t need to be physically powerful and imposing to be very, very successful,” he says. “I would really encourage people to give themselves permission to find that strength and empower themselves rather than looking for someone else to empower them.”

This extends to the younger community onisland, which Dobrochinski focuses on. Outside of holding children’s classes regularly, he also teaches BJJ at the Nantucket New School and Strong Wings Adventure School for eight weeks every year for children in grades 5 through 8. He also has a facility on the Strong Wings

Medals from the Werdum academy. campus, allowing children to come to after-school programs easily. The martial art has gained so much traction that Dobrochinski led the Werdum children’s team (ages 5-16) to several competitions in 2023, including the Professional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s Boston Fall Open. The Werdum Nantucket Academy placed second of 20 teams.

“It’s totally different than any other sport because they’re 100 percent active the entire time. It’s not like soccer, where the ball might not touch your feet for minutes at a time. … In jiu-jitsu, you’re in contact, engaged constantly,” Dobrochinski explains. He adds that, unlike most other martial arts that focus on kicks and quick, upright movements, BJJ gets students comfortable on the ground and teaches them to neutralize an opponent efficiently, with as little violence as possible, through joint locks and chokes.

“I would really encourage people to give themselves permission to find that strength and empower themselves rather than looking for someone else to empower them.”

– Jules Embry-Pelrine

It’s one reason why BJJ has proven to be one of the most effective martial arts in the world, giving top UFC fighters like Charles Oliveira, Fabricio Werdum (the Werdum Training Center’s founder) and Nate Diaz a leg up in the ring compared to their counterparts who are primarily focused on upright fighting.

Todd says, “It’s like a puzzle for the body and for the mind that keeps you coming back for more despite any frustration that comes up. It’s a beautiful practice for learning the right balance of knowing when to tap or let go, how to stay in control, and choosing the right action at the right time.”

Embry-Pelrine and Dobrochinski hope to grow the Nantucket BJJ community in the near future. “It tends to be very community building because you’re struggling together towards a common goal,” Embry-Pelrine says, noting that the closeness of the sport, in general, also helps to melt away any social awkwardness.

Both instructors dream of having larger facilities and programs, which would help the on-island martial arts society to thrive. Dobrochinski concludes, “We fight with each other, but we fight for each other. Our own growth is strengthened and reflected through the growth of our partners. We want everybody to get better, not only for their jiu-jitsu but for their life outside of jiu-jitsu.”

Jules Embry-Pelrine

Jars Magnifique

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA DEPACE

Bring “quiet luxury” to your tablescape this summer and beyond.

Quality and luxury have been associated with Jars Céramistes since 1857, when founder Pierre Jars opened his family ceramics workshop in the Drôme region in the South of France. “He really had this vision of combining beauty and utility,” explains Tessa Keller, director of marketing at Emile Henry USA, the parent company of the ceramics brand.

Today, Jars’ vision still reigns within the soul of the company, where each piece is designed and made by hand in the original workshop in Anneyron. The embodiment of slow-luxury and 100 percent French-made, each product has at least 18 touchpoints from start to finish. The brand describes the process as a “ceramic ballet,” showcasing artisanal flexibility and manufacturing consistency and ending with durable, beautifully designed tableware collections meant for everyday living. Keller describes the pieces as beautiful but entirely functional—especially considering that they’re dishwasher safe as well. “They’re really meant to be everyday luxuries, not to be kept for best,” she adds.

Keller highlights Wabi, Dashi and Plume, which all feature organic edges and a variation of glazes, colors and overall finishes that are bound to complete any Nantucket summer tablescape.

The consistent quality and beauty that the brand produces has led to its continued popularity in France, where pieces are highly sought after and collected. An outlet shop connected to the factory is often crowded with collectors from all over France and wider

moments of sharing and conviviality, referred to by the company as “la joie de la table”: beautiful tables, prepared with tenderness, around which life takes place.

Despite its products being everyday tableware, Jars Céramistes creates conversation pieces that keep any fête going all night long. “Every single piece is done by artisan hands so it’s really a slow production process. And, for that reason, every piece is unique,” Keller explains. “We like to believe that each piece you acquire was destined to be yours. While similar, the specialness of handmade ceramics means no two people will have the same piece even if they purchase the same style.”

Looking at the collections, any hostess is guaranteed to find their aesthetic, whether that be more organic, coastal or colorful.

Europe—but now, the brand wants to share its philosophy and its pieces with the United States.

The niche customer that Jars Céramistes attracts is one who falls in love with the authenticity of the brand and resonates with its mission to reveal the poetic potential of simple things and to cultivate

Learn more about Jars Céramistes and shop the brand at jarsusa.com.

Wabi

Dashi

Vuelta

Plume

Plume

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TOWN UNVEILS PLANS FOR NEW OUR ISLAND HOME

Nantucket is one of only two towns in the state that operates a municipally owned nursing home, and the Select Board recently unveiled plans for the new Our Island Home skilled nursing facility. The proposed 61,216-square-foot building would be relocated from its current site on East Creek Road overlooking Nantucket Harbor to town-owned land at the Sherburne Commons campus off South Shore

Road. It would include 45 singleroom beds—sustaining its current capacity for residents—while making

significant upgrades that the town believes will improve care, safety and sustainability. The current Our Island Home facility on East Creek Road was built in 1980 and, according to the town, is “outdated, inefficient and does not meet current best practices for patient care, or current Department of Public Health regulations for nursing support and mechanical systems.” A budget for the project has not yet been defined.

LAND BANK BUILDING ‘ RAIN GARDEN ’ ON EASTON STREET

At the intersection of Easton and North Beach streets, the Land Bank is in the midst of building a so-called rain garden pocket park that it hopes will be open to the public by the summer. The 0.2-acre property, located at 65 and 67 Easton Street, is being transformed into a small walkable public park that will also serve to “direct,

absorb and filter stormwater runoff before it runs into storm drains.” The $784,250 construction project is being completed by Speakman Excavating LLC, which was the sole bidder for the work. The Land Bank purchased both properties in 2020, paying $200,000 for 67 Easton Street and $700,000 for 65 Easton Street. Beyond improving the property as a park for public use, the goal is for this rain garden to serve as an example of how individual homeowners can use nature-based solutions as stormwater management strategies on a smaller scale to mitigate flooding issues on their property, according to Land Bank Executive Director Jesse Bell. “Along those lines we intend to have interpretive signage on-site to educate the public about rain gardens in general as well as the plants used in this one in particular,” she said.

A rendering of the proposed facility off South Shore Road

SELECT BOARD WILL NOT

APPEAL COURT RULING ON

SHORT-TERM RENTALS

Following a landmark court ruling earlier this month that could significantly restrict short-term rentals on Nantucket, the Select Board announced on March 29 that it would not appeal the decision. A Massachusetts Land Court judge ruled against the town on March 14 in the short-term rental legal challenge brought by Silver Street resident Cathy Ward against her neighbors and the Nantucket Zoning Board of Appeals. Judge Michael Vhay ruled that the town's zoning bylaw does not allow short-term

rentals as a principal use of a primary dwelling. He reversed the Zoning Board's prior decision in the case, and remanded the matter back for further consideration.

While there was speculation that the town would appeal the ruling, the Select Board voted that Thursday against that strategy in a closed-door executive session. The vote was unanimous, according to Select Board member Brooke Mohr, who chaired the meeting."At its executive session on March 28, 2024, after considering input from the Zoning Board of Appeals and Town Counsel, the Select Board voted not to appeal the recent decision in the case of Ward v. ZBA...recognizing that the appropriate step to resolve this issue is amendments to the zoning bylaw, which would need to be adopted by Town Meeting," the town announced in a press release.

At the upcoming Annual Town Meeting on May 7th, island voters will have an opportunity to vote on attorney Steven Cohen's citizen petition - Article 59 - that would amend Nantucket's zoning bylaw to codify and allow short-term rentals in all zoning districts (with the exception of commercial-industrial, or CI). If approved, the zoning change would render the Land Court ruling moot, however, it will require a two-thirds majority for passage. Similar zoning amendments have either been rejected or tabled at Town Meeting over the past three years.

EMERGENCY DEMO FOR HOTEL DEVELOPER'S BEACH HOUSE DUE TO SEVERE EROSION

Billionaire summer resident Barry Sternlicht’s beach house in Cisco is set to be demolished after severe erosion left him with no options but to tear down the three-bedroom home that sits between Hummock Pond and the Atlantic Ocean. Unable to retreat any farther on the eroding property or move the house to an entirely new location, Sternlicht filed for an emergency demolition permit in March, which was unanimously approved by the Nantucket Historic District Commission. “This house was scheduled to be moved about four years ago, then there was significant erosion, a storm that resulted in about 30-plus feet of erosion,” Nantucket architect Matt MacEachern told the commission. MacEachern is the founder

of the island-based firm Emeritus and represents Sternlicht. “So the house has been on cribbing since that time. It also posed some challenges because we were trying to find a new location for the house on the remaining portion of the lot, but it did require utility access and easement access,” he added. “But basically, there were really no options because all the land was eroded. We have talked to a number of different companies to try to move the structure and they told us it’s just not possible because of the location, so we’re

before you today to ask for an emergency demolition.” Sternlicht, 63, is the co-founder and CEO of the investment fund Starwood

a net worth of $3.8 billion.

Photo by Kit Noble

Capital Group as well as founder of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. According to Forbes, he has

Photo by Cary Hazlegrove

TOWN PULLS PLUG ON SOLAR PROJECT AT WANNACOMET WATER COMPANY

An initiative more than a decade in the making to build Nantucket’s largest solar farm on the Wannacomet Water Company property off Milestone Road quietly came to an end earlier this year. In early March, the Select Board officially

voted to back out of the project by terminating a lease agreement with Solar Star Tranquility, a subsidiary of the giant French energy company TotalEnergies that had been selected in 2019 to develop the 3.8-megawatt ground-mounted solar array. The vote on the “mutual termination agreement” went through without any discussion among the members of the Select Board. Permitting challenges—specifically a determination last August by the state that the property was subject to an article of the Massachusetts Constitution that would have required state legislative approval—ultimately led to the project’s downfall.

‘IT’S A GAMBLE’ NANTUCKET BEACH

SELLS FOR $600,000 HOUSE THREATENED BY EROSION

A waterfront home on Nantucket sold for $600,000? That’s not a typo. While most properties with water views on the island are selling in the tens of millions of dollars, the home at 4 and 6 Sheep Pond Road changed hands in late February with a price tag so low that it turned heads. A combination of severe erosion and a motivated seller resulted in an asking price that dropped from $2.2 million to $600,000 in a matter of months, leading to a frenzy of interest and one of the most unique real estate sales on Nantucket in recent memory. The former owner, a limited liability company registered to Connecticut resident Lynn Tidgwell, is taking a haircut of more than $1 million on the sale, having purchased it just three years ago for $1.65 million. While the home was being rented for $15,000 per week during the summer, the winter months brought storms that continued to chip away at the backyard. During Tidgwell’s brief ownership, erosion along the southwest shore of Nantucket was severe, with more than 30 feet of dune between the home and the ocean lost to the waves. The new buyer of the property, Brendan Maddigan, a managing

director at the real estate investment firm JLL, saw the risks but also saw an opportunity. Maddigan grew up in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and told the Current he has a longtime connection to Nantucket. He has been taking his family to the island on vacations for years, and they all love the Madaket area. So he had an eye on the property for some time, and when the price dropped

THOUGHT TO BE EXTINCT IN ATLANTIC OCEAN, GRAY WHALE SPOTTED OFF NANTUCKET

In an incredibly rare event, a New England Aquarium aerial survey team in early March spotted a gray whale 30 miles south of Nantucket. The species has been extinct in the Atlantic Ocean for more than 200 years, and the sighting marked just the fifth documented observation of a gray whale outside the Pacific Ocean in centuries. Aquarium scientists were flying south of the island on March 1 when they sighted an unusual whale. The animal repeatedly dove and resurfaced, appearing to be feeding. The survey plane circled the area for 45 minutes, allowing observers to capture additional photos. After the encounter, the observers reviewed the images and confirmed their

say out loud what it was, because it seemed crazy,” said Orla O’Brien, an associate research scientist in the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, who has been flying aerial surveys since 2011. The species disappeared from the Atlantic Ocean by the 18th century, but in the last 15 years, there have been five observations of gray whales in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, including off the coast of Florida in December 2023. Aquarium scientists believe the gray whale seen off Nantucket in March is the same whale sighted in Florida late last year.

The Casa Real Restaurant & Bar at 5 Macys Lane officially opened its doors to the public in March. The new Mexican/Salvadoran-style restaurant where A.K. Diamonds and The Salt Box were located was immediately swarmed on its opening night, with a line out the door. Inside, the pupusas were steaming, the fajitas were sizzling and the margaritas were flowing (although they briefly ran out of their homemade mix). Salvador Aguilar and Mayra Escobar, the owners of the Salvadoreña Food & Market on Old South Road, purchased 5 Macys Lane for $3.2 million last March. “This has been one of my lifetime dreams,” Aguilar told the Current last year. The couple are originally from El Salvador but have lived on the island for two decades. “We are very excited to have this opportunity and looking forward to this whole new adventure,” Escobar said. While the hours are still fluctuating as the restaurant gets up and running, Casa Real will be open most days at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and dinner, with the hope to add breakfast service soon.

Tim Ehrenberg of “Tim Talks Books” gives you his 7 Reads for Spring!

For even more book recommendations, follow @timtalksbooks on Instagram. All books available at Mitchell’s Book Corner and Nantucket Bookworks or online at nantucketbookpartners.com.

GET THE PICTURE: A MIND-BENDING JOURNEY AMONG THE INSPIRED ARTISTS AND OBSESSIVE ART FIENDS WHO TAUGHT ME HOW TO SEE BY BIANCA BOSKER

I consumed Cork Dork, Bianca Bosker’s first book, a wine-fueled adventure among the obsessive sommeliers, big bottle hunters and rogue scientists who taught her how to live for taste. She made sipping and reading about wine fun and educational. Bosker is back with the same gorgeous writing, humor and obsessive research and deep dive into a subject, but this time she encases us in the art world. Bosker throws herself and by proxy the reader into the nerve center of art and the people who live for it. You’ll be introduced to gallerists, collectors, curators and artists and examine art through history, our culture and our hearts. I promise to never enter a gallery or look at a piece of art the same way again, and I’m sure you will agree. Get the picture!

Bianca Bosker will be joining us for the Nantucket Book Festival next month. Save the date: June 13-16, 2024

THE TITANIC SURVIVORS BOOK CLUB BY TIMOTHY SCHAFFERT

I will read anything with Titanic in the title, but add in a tale about the life-changing power of books and you have one of my favorite novels of the spring! Yorick, an apprentice librarian for the White Star Line, spots his own name among the list of those lost at sea after the Titanic sinks. Luckily for Yorick, he missed the doomed voyage. However, this twist of fate leads him to own a bookshop in Paris where he meets a secret society of fellow survivors who form a book club together. This motley crew of memorable and lovable characters (and voracious readers) discuss literature, grapple with their own brush with death, and reflect on love, chance and the transformative magic that inspires us all when we open a book. It’s the perfect selection for your own book clubs and reading groups this month.

GOOD MATERIAL BY DOLLY ALDERTON

This isn’t just good material, it’s great material! Say hello to Dolly Alderton, a popular British journalist for The Sunday Times. Her column “Dear Dolly” offers advice to people with personal problems, and her wisdom and experience shine brightly in her books. Her newest novel, Good Material, out earlier this year, has a simple premise: Andy and Jen were together, and now they are not. This premise reveals to us so much about relationships, love, life, friendship, family, really everything that makes us tick. If you have ever gone through a breakup, watched friends go through one or are just looking for a good read, you will want to pick up Good Material. I was laughing out loud at one page and holding back tears on the next.

WANDERING STARS BY TOMMY ORANGE

Another favorite novel from earlier this year is Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange. Vividly written, the story traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, which forced the assimilation of Native American children into white society, through to the shattering events in Orange’s award-winning debut, There, There. Characters in this stunning prequel discuss how stories do more than comfort: “They take you away and bring you back better made.” This is an important look back at America’s war on its own people and what it means to be descendants of a legacy of massacre and institutional violence. While not an easy read by any means, it’s poetically told (I felt like I was reading a real-life diary rather than fiction) and important for our times.

JAMES BY

PERCIVAL EVERETT

I remember reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain in a high school literature class. It was the first classic I remember enjoying, and I personally reflected on its prose, themes and historical context. James by Percival Everett is a reimagining of Twain’s novel, one told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view. I loved spending time in the mind of James and seeing the story of Huck Finn in a different light. His personality, insights, humor and the unspeakable brutality he faces are evident in every turn of phrase and plot twist. Reminiscent of Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, another favorite retelling of mine, James has the potential to become a classic on its own, realizing everyone has a side and perspective to a story we think we know.

EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT BY BENJAMIN STEVENSON

It’s not a mystery that I love a good whodunit. I have been writing this column for almost a decade, and I always feature a mystery in this spread. When I was younger, I devoured every Agatha Christie case. I would write all the suspects on a piece of paper and attempt to guess the culprit before the big reveal. (Who am I kidding? I still do this.) Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect has everything I like in my mystery fiction: a locked-room murder that needs to be solved with multiple suspects, red herrings and detectives; an interactive narrator; and a twist ending! This novel also has one of the best setups I’ve read in a while. The victim and suspects are all writers traveling on a train for a Mystery Writers’ Society Festival. It’s Murder on the Orient Express meets Clue, where each character and the reader need to become their own best detective to solve the crime. It’s right up my alley and pure fun from beginning to end.

THE SUMMER WE STARTED OVER BY NANCY THAYER

Spring has officially sprung when we see the new Nancy Thayer novel on bookshelves. Similar to the daffodils and cherry blossoms that cover the island this month, Thayer brightens up our days with her whimsical and comforting Nantucket stories and characters.

In The Summer We Started Over, we meet two sisters, Eddie and Barrett, who are no strangers to life’s challenges. They reconnect on Nantucket to help their eccentric father and face old resentments, family secrets, old loves and new professional and personal opportunities. This novel sets the scene for another Nantucket summer to remember and reminds us that there truly is no place like home and family, especially when that home is Nantucket Island.

You can meet Nancy Thayer at Mitchell’s Book Corner on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to noon to get your copy signed, or order an autographed copy with exclusive extras while supplies last online at nantucketbookpartners.com.

TASTE ITALY

For those looking beyond a slice of pizza on the slip, a slice of real Italy is arriving on our shores… at least temporarily. Picture this: You’ve just tucked into your seat at this year’s Nantucket Wine and Food Festival Ceretto wine dinner with Piazza Duomo—Alba, Italy’s threestar Michelin restaurant. Each course is accompanied by wine pairings from the legendary Ceretto Winery. Chef Jacopo Campobasso of Piazza Duomo and Federico Ceretto, a third-generation family member of Ceretto, lead the evening.

The first course of pickled zucchini tacos with guacamole sauce and garlic mayo over salanova salad and flowers sets the tone before a second course of raw red prawns seasoned in red shiso powder follows. Dishes of sea bass and caponata sauce, rooibos risotto, lamb and chamomile, and profiteroles for dessert complete the rest of the menu for the evening. “We were thinking about the highlight of the season here in Italy,” explains Campobasso, who works hand in hand with head chef Enrico Crippa.

This is only one example of the many experiences and notable chefs on the island during the 2024 festival. Other names include Chef Iván Azar of Michelin-starred restaurant Casa Vigil in Mendoza, Argentina;

One

of the world’s best restaurants

lands on Nantucket

acclaimed restaurateur Lisa Dahl of Sedona, Arizona’s Mariposa Restaurant; Stefano Cinelli Colombini, the 20th-generation heir to Fattoria de Barbi; Boston’s own Lydia Shire; New York wine critic Eric Asimov;

A bird’s-eye view of the Piazza Duomo garden on the Monsordo Bernardina Estate

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA DEPACE PHOTOGRAPHY BY LETIZIA CIGLIUTTI

Inside Piazza Duomo’s world-renowned restaurant

Federico Ceretto

Chef Jacopo Campobasso

and so many more.

But it’s perhaps the international flavors being brought to the table this year that are the most impressive— giving Nantucket a taste beyond the United States by venturing into places attendees may not have been before.

The private dinner with Ceretto and Piazza Duomo is a prime example of this. For a bit of background, the Ceretto family partnered with Crippa in the early 2000s to open two restaurants, Piazza Duomo and La Piola, within the Piazza Risorgimento building in the heart of Alba. Both restaurants promote the local area from a gastronomic point of view. By 2006, Piazza Duomo had earned its first Michelin star, followed by a second in 2009 and a third in 2012. In 2022, it earned a Green Star in recognition of its sustainability efforts.

“To work in one of the best restaurants in the world is amazing. When I first entered this restaurant, I was a boy knowing nothing about this work. I learned everything about cuisine—the strictness, the discipline and the philosophy behind this kind of restaurant.”

– Jacopo Campobasso

Piazza Duomo sources ingredients directly from its garden on the Monsordo Bernardina Estate, part of the Ceretto Winery. “All the inspiration that Enrico has is due to what he can grow and find in that garden,” explains Roberta Ceretto, director of communications and marketing at Ceretto Winery. “During the year, you can probably find around 400 different species and varieties.”

It’s for this reason that no Piazza Duomo menu is ever the same—changing daily depending on what is at peak freshness in the garden. Produce is typically picked two hours prior to serving. Campobasso

adds, “To work in one of the best restaurants in the world is amazing. When I entered this restaurant, I was a boy knowing nothing about this work. I learned everything about cuisine—the strictness, the discipline and the philosophy behind this kind of restaurant.”

Even being so far from home, the Piazza Duomo team plans on bringing a similar experience to Nantucket. Campobasso will also be at the Harbor Gala, where he will serve a mezze maniche cacio and whiskey, Crippa’s personal version of the classic cacio e pepe. For the restaurant’s presence at La Fête, a riso e zafferano—a traditional Milanese saffron risotto flavored with rosemary, sage and lemon zest—will delight guests. Campobasso concludes, “I want to discover the island, discover the people that are joining the festival, discover the people working at the festival. I am very excited about everything.”

The inspiring seasonal ingredients and philosophy from the Piazza Duomo team will be brought to Nantucket during this year’s Wine and Food Festival

Learn more about this year’s Nantucket Wine and Food Festival at nantucketwinefestival.com.

WALLS THAT TALK

CREATIVE ISLAND HANG-OUTS

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA DEPACE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

Four years ago, custom home builder Stephen Cheney was on the hunt for a space that could double as a shop and employee housing. “When I came across this property, it checked both of those boxes, but there was also a substantial space that I thought would be great for housing the man cave,” he says. Located in Miacomet, this ideal property—a boat maintenance building—measured just over 2,000 square feet and came with 14-foot ceilings, massive barn doors and loads of versatility.

Today, it functions just as Cheney desired: employee housing with a wood shop and a space where he and his employees can explore their passions in automobiles and motorcycles or kick back and relax. “I took the opportunity to create a space so that myself and all my employees could store and work on toys,” he explains. Memorabilia celebrating all things automobile hang throughout the building—including gas station signs, neon signs, vintage

bikes and a more recent addition of a Formula One McLaren nose clip. Cheney dreams of hanging a Formula One car upside down on the ceiling. “One of my favorite pieces is a neon funeral home sign because I just think it’s such a weird combination,” he explains. “You get the Las Vegas aspect of it, but then something as serious as a funeral home. It’s an interesting juxtaposition.”

TOY

STORE

In general, the space is a juxtaposition to Nantucket itself— completely leaving the nautical aesthetic behind. “In the middle of winter where you get an island that’s gray and bleak, you walk in there, you turn those neon lights on and you’re in a city from the ’50s,” he explains. Overall, it’s a space for all to come and let go, as a way to promote an ever-important worklife balance for both Cheney and his employees. He’s even hosted birthday parties there, one of which was a surprise for an employee with 75 guests. He adds, “It’s just unexpected.”

HUT TIKI

The tiki bar is open on this Nantucket property. “The inspiration was actually taken from one of my clients’ favorite spots, which was also one of Jimmy Buffett’s longtime favorites for a waterside cocktail,” explains interior designer Marla Mullen of the 300-square-foot hut, later named Sunday Funday. And yes, she’s referencing the Staniel Cay Yacht Club in the Bahamas—but with a twist. “It’s meant to feel fun and casual, and as if you are transporting yourself to a tiki bar setting in the Caribbean without leaving the magical island of Nantucket,” she says. For her clients, who are dedicated Nantucket community members, one of the biggest priorities was making the space appropriate for mixed-use entertainment. Being a larger family with children in a range of ages, they needed versatility in the mini space—one that could allow them to host something more formal but then casual as well. Mullen adds, “It’s an anything-goes vibe, just like the Bahamas.”

Inside the inspired tiki bar, Mullen utilized bright colors, textures and mixed materials to make it fun and stand out. There are at least three to four wallpapers used, including a gorgeous green fringe patterned paper on the ceiling, meant to mimic the palm thatches commonly used in tiki bars, and a silly monkey wallcovering from Pierre Frey behind the wet bar. Mullen adds, “They’re all doing mischievous and silly things, making this wallpaper in particular really fun to look at over and over again because you are always finding new details.” The other walls are covered in a Thibaut grasscloth with a wide braided weave.

Two custom high-top surfboard tables are at the center and, like any of the furniture in the hut, can be moved around separately depending on the use. And from buffets to dance parties, the clients have been able to do just that. Above, a large organic light fixture made of natural reeds woven in a whirl direction makes another statement. “All of the colors in the space are bright and lively, just the way it feels drinking a notorious piña colada, listening to Jimmy

Buffett and looking out at the crystal blue water of Staniel Cay,” Mullen says. “It’s designed to be transportive and different from any other experience you would have or see on Nantucket.”

CAPSULE TIME

This boathouse is the time capsule,” says owner Mason Heydt. Built over three years starting in 2000, the 3,000-square-foot dwelling features a plethora of items throughout that are all from Heydt’s history—whether it be family, career or hobbies. Take the fighting chairs, for instance, which sit in front of the upstairs fireplace. They previously were on Heydt’s father’s boat before he restored them. “When I sit down on that chair, I think of my dad,” he says.

There’s also the pool table, which Heydt’s wife gifted him on his 30th birthday; the 13-foot rainbow boat bar, which he found with his dog in a field four blocks away from his Nantucket residence; the vintage 1954 17-foot Chris Craft boat that he and his father restored 40 years ago and now hangs above the pool table; and a collection of pipes that all started with his grandfather.

Photos and illustrations of boats are on view throughout the abode, all of which Heydt owned throughout his marine career. There’s even a wall filled with photos of moments and mentors throughout his life. “Everything in that place, I’ve either earned or I’ve cherished or I’ve stored, but not purchased, so that’s the uniqueness of my facility,” Heydt explains. “I’m out there probably every day because of that. It brings back memories.”

Of course, that’s not all. Aside from the aforementioned treasures, Heydt hosts a car collection in the garage of the boathouse, featuring a 1967 Morris Minor Woody Wagon, a 1929 Model A Ford Huckster, a 1950 Chrysler Town and Country and a 1951 Chevy pickup.

A reflection of Heydt’s life, the house itself consists of two bedrooms, a back room and a 40-foot-long room upstairs—best used for Sunday football parties and other family fun. Recently, he added a widow’s walk with a mahogany staircase that he built himself. Heydt says, “The boathouse is really special from a structure standpoint because I designed it and I got to build it.”

Floating a New HOUSING IDEA

WRITTEN BY BRUCE A. PERCELAY

IAccommodation vessels are making waves around the world.

t doesn’t come as a shock that Nantucket’s most abundant natural resource is water—after all, we are surrounded by it. On the opposite side of the spectrum, one of the island’s most limited resources is housing. But what if we utilized our biggest strength to counterbalance our biggest weakness?

Given the cost and shortage of land on Nantucket and the abundance of salty H2O, Nantucket could do what other desperate housing-starved communities have already done, which is to provide

floating apartment buildings.

Imagine several hundred housing units located off the jetty, where lowcost living and unlimited water views connect. When seasonal demand is at its peak, the ship would arrive, and by early October, the floating apartment building could pull up anchor and head to another port.

While this idea may not hold water, it gives the word “liquidity” as a real estate investment new meaning. The idea would require no infrastructure improvements,

presumably no zoning or Historic District Commission approval and no construction lead times. Additionally, the ability to modulate housing needs with peak demand periods would be unlike any other housing solutions available to the island and would also avoid burdening the school system as it would be designed simply for summer workforce housing requirements.

Yachtworld.com boat broker Captain Ken Caine, among others, has been marketing surplus cruise ships and similar vessels to other markets around

All photos courtesy of Yachtworld.com

the globe. “Right now, we get maybe 10 requests a week for accommodation vessels from around the world,” Caine explains. “There’s housing problems in every major city. It’s not only here in the United States: every city is trying to solve this problem.”

But like many new-wave ideas, accommodation vessels don’t come without their own set of problems. For one, Caine says that it can often become a political issue, painting mayors in a negative light as it emphasizes the housing crisis in their city. Another problem lies within hooking the ships

up to electricity/shore power. If there aren’t specific hookups available at the location, the vessels have to rely on generators.

Regardless, the first step for anyone interested in the accommodation vessels is to call the local port authority, no matter the country. Caine adds, “A lot of times when they want to dock a vessel, the local inhabitants don't want it there because depending upon who it is, they don’t want strangers roaming around in their area. … They don’t want an unsightly ship sitting there.” In all, the boats are a temporary solution until more

permanent housing is built.

But even if an accommodation vessel wasn’t our perfect answer, it begs the need for Nantucket to start thinking about creative ways to launch new ideas to solve a vexing problem for the island.

Accommodation vessels are not a perfect solution, particularly for a high-end destination like Nantucket, but they can address a deepening problem for housing-starved communities. While unconventional and controversial, ideas that could stem the tide of high rents for an island like Nantucket may hold water.

On May 25th, 2024, Nantucket Community Television Proudly Presents

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Background Image by Charity Grace Photography

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catering and private chef services to private homes, clubs, yachts and aircraft

BREAKING

THE CYCLE

Nantucket’s Kimberly Kozlowski discusses the Women’s Prison Association.

Nantucket’s history as a Quaker sanctuary has had a lasting impact on our community’s identity. From the island’s historic downtown architecture to the social norms of community solidarity and resilience passed down through generations, the visionary leadership of the Society of Friends continues to inspire us.

It was prominent Quaker women who, in 1845, first founded the Women’s Prison Association (WPA) in New York, but it’s Nantucket’s own Kimberly Kozlowski as former board president who is the driving force behind the organization’s strategic vision. “What a full circle moment for me when I moved to Nantucket and learned about the Quaker history,” says Kozlowski, who remains on the association board as an active member and mentor to the new board president. “I am privileged to be heading up this incredible organization, which … remains steeped in

Quaker values and principles.”

“For 175 years, WPA has provided safe, supportive housing and other critical resources to women and mothers who’ve experienced incarceration.”

– Kimberly Kozlowski

As America’s oldest women’s advocacy group, the WPA is still leading the way with innovative strategies that aim to solve some of society’s biggest and toughest problems. Today, it is known for its pioneering alternative to incarceration (ATI) program, which uses educational programming to help keep mothers and children together.

Women who are accepted into the WPA program receive training in vital life skills, as well as career counseling and continuing education. The positive impact is tremendous,

often breaking the vicious generational cycle of incarceration experienced by families. “Especially when mothers are imprisoned, the cycle tends to repeat itself,” Kozlowski explains. “For 175 years, WPA has provided safe, supportive housing and other critical resources to women and mothers who’ve experienced incarceration. This is important because WPA is centering on the needs of women and mothers in a way that society isn’t accustomed to. Women and mothers are known as our caregivers, and many times are the breadwinners in households and communities, yet when they don’t fit into the cookie-cutter role expected of them, they are easily and quickly discarded and disregarded. WPA has forced society to extend grace to these women, and the importance of that can never be downplayed.”

WRITTEN BY GRETA FEENEY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

Kimberly Kozlowski, who is the founder of family consulting firm Harborside Advisors, is currently in a management role at Vertex Solutions, a $40 million virtual reality training company for military special forces.

The real-life stories of women facing murder, drug and prostitution charges— many with heartbreaking backstories of trauma, domestic violence and human trafficking—are not for the faint of heart. Given the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of thousands of justice-involved sisters, wives, mothers and daughters whose lives had taken an unexpected and unfortunate turn, Kozlowski rolled up her sleeves and went to work.

For me, it’s about having an opportunity to give a learning and teaching moment to people who have never had to think about criminal justice. I was struck by the barriers and injustices women face. Incarceration is a family issue, and the stigma is very different for women than it is for men,” explains Kozlowski, who joined the WPA board in 2015 and became president in 2018, bringing a powerful skill set in finance, technology and entrepreneurship to the table. She first employed these skills to help stabilize the organization and then point it toward a new direction of growth.

“I felt I could not only help women but change the trajectory of future generations,” Kozlowski says, describing her work alongside other WPA board and staff members. This meant securing government and other funding sources, which are, according to Kozlowski, “constantly compromised and rarely consistent from year to year. [But] I am proud to say we succeeded at this.” During her time with WPA, she has helped to grow the $3 million to $4 million organization into an $8 million to $10 million one. Overall, this growth has helped to reach more women with resources like housing, child care, access to therapists and counseling, job training and more.

When Kozlowski is not traveling abroad or working in Fort Lauderdale; Cincinnati, Ohio; or New York, she can be found in her Japanese-inspired garden office suite in the house she lives in on Nantucket.

moment when a woman in desperate straits might make a tragic choice that could end with her in prison, Kozlowski sees the synergy of a technology-assisted intervention.

“I want WPA to be the first thought, or the 911 if you will, when faced with in-the-moment decision-making.”

– Kimberly Kozlowski

“I want WPA to be the first thought, or the 911 if you will, when faced with in-the-moment decision-making. Our programs would allow potential offenders in a compromising situation to exit their circumstances safely while providing life-changing opportunities, creating stability through on-the-job training, education, counseling, housing, child care, trauma care and legal support,” she says. “We have effective support systems that can be expanded upon, and we want to raise awareness of WPA’s capabilities from

Part of what made the harmony between WPA and Kozlowski so productive is her signature leadership brand—a special combination of grit and grace that comes from a unique upbringing as the daughter of a U.S. Marine and a native of Japan, and her pioneering career experience as one of the few women analyst-traders on Wall Street in the 1990s. Growing up in Jacksonville, North Carolina, home of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Kozlowski learned the values of honor, discipline and tradition. She’s also an active advocate for female entrepreneurship at the Women’s Equity Lab, Silicon Valley Chapter.

By combining the wisdom of her formative years with her cutting-edge business acumen, Kozlowski has a vision of how to grow the good work of the WPA far beyond what its Quaker founders could ever have possibly imagined. Imagining that critical

a New York City, regional level to a national, even international, level eventually serving both men and women. This is what WPA does and does well, but we want and need to go bigger.”

To date, Kozlowski has helped to grow the organization into an $8 to $10 million one.

Clockwise from top, Photo: by Framestock/AdobeStock; by ChaoticMind/AdobeStock; courtesy of Kim Kozlowski

HARBORSIDE ESTATE IN POCOMO

7 LAURETTA LANE

Nantucket’s premier design/build team of Hanley Development and Sophie Metz Design has collaborated to create this custom-built, harbor-side estate, located on three acres with deeded beach rights in the island’s most tranquil setting. The package consists of a five-bedroom main house, a two car/two bedroom garage/guest house, a private pool and cabana. Available for occupancy in summer 2025. $16,495,000.

15 LAURETTA LANE

Complete your waterfront compound by adding this front row, two-bedroom house that has been completely renovated by Hanley Development in 2024. This 1.7 acre property includes a mooring. Enjoy this summer in your waterfront cottage while you select finishes for 7 Lauretta Lane. $4,695,000.

7 LAURETTA LANE

15 LAURETTA LANE

Petal Power

Florabundant’s Anita Nettles Stefanski ’ s blooming island business

While the rest of Nantucket is still sleeping, Florabundant’s Anita Nettles Stefanski is already hard at work on the farm. Every day in the summer she begins cutting flowers around 5 a.m. and then delivers the haul of seasonal blooms to florists and private clients around the island. She starts early to avoid working in the heat, but also because it’s what the flowers seem to prefer.

WRITTEN BY KRISTIN DETTERLINE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARITY GRACE MOFSEN

Anita Nettles Stefanski

The flowers don’t like to be cut in the middle of the day or when it’s really hot,” says Stefanski. “They love to be cut first thing in the morning. That’s when they’re going to behave the best. Flowers are like people—they can be temperamental.”

Florabundant Inc. is Stefanski’s landscaping company specializing in full-service install, design and maintenance for residential and commercial clients. Started in 2006 with business partner Julie Hilberg-Hunt, Stefanski has been the sole owner and designer for more than five years. Stefanski summered on Nantucket as a child but moved to the island full time when she was seven years old with her mother, who grew up in Sweden, and her father, who was born and raised in Harlem. She’s married to Michael Adam Stefanski, a fellow green thumb who owns Seed to Stone Landscaping.

Stefanski among the blooms, which she picks early in the morning for optimal results

Stefanski credits her free-flowing approach to design to her mother, who was an internationally known weaver and designer. “I spent a lot of time in the studio with her, watching her work and observing her movements. I feel like that has inspired how I lay out gardens. Movement and color are very important to me.”

Stefanski says that her aesthetic is always changing based on her clients’ needs as well as garden availability. She prefers to design onsite rather than prepare elaborate plans that are often prone to change. That organic approach to gardening, along with a long-standing family relationship, was one of the reasons that Dean Long invited Stefanski to grow flowers at his farm, Nantucket Vineyard. This summer will be their

“There’s a lot of brown girls on Nantucket who really want to do something like gardening.”

– Anita Nettles Stefanski

third season working together.

As a Black woman farmer, Stefanski belongs to a dwindling community. According to the most recent statistics available in the 2017 Census of Agriculture, the United

States had 48,000 producers who identified as Black, either alone or in combination with another race. They accounted for 1.4 percent of the country’s 3.4 million producers. Over a century ago, there were nearly one million Black farmers in the United States.

Stefanski says that she is proud to be a Black farmer and a face for the local farming community. “There’s a lot of brown girls on Nantucket who really want to do something like gardening,” she adds. “There needs to be more guidance and mentoring for children of color on the island in general because I feel like they’re still in a box where they can’t do certain things. They can do whatever they want to do when they grow up.”

TEAM

PLAYER

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA DEPACE PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID CREED

Keith Yandle’s on-island hockey camp

Keith Yandle during last summer’s camp

For former National Hockey League player Keith Yandle, the summer of 2023 was filled with firsts. It was his first time summering on Nantucket since purchasing a home here, and it was his first time running an ice hockey camp with brother Brian Yandle. The camp, called Yandle Hockey, took place in two sessions and was at full capacity with 60 kids enrolled from around the United States. “It was about giving back to the game that has blessed me with so many great opportunities,” Keith says.

Hockey has always been a part of the Yandle brothers’ lives. They grew up in Milton, Massachusetts, where their father was a youth hockey coach, giving the brothers full access to the ice rink whenever they wanted. Keith found inspiration from players like Cam Neely, Ray Bourque, Chris Bourque and Adam Oats. In 2005, he joined the ranks of his favorite players when he was drafted by the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes.

Yandle Hockey, 2023

Over 16 seasons in the NHL, Keith played in more than 1,100 games as a defenseman and made three all-star teams. Before retiring in 2022, Keith broke the NHL record for playing the most consecutive regular season games and continues to hold the second-longest streak with a total of 989 consecutive games. “To be a part of the NHL for as long as I was, was one of the most surreal moments of my life,” he says.

And now, he’s giving back to the game that gave so much to him. After the success of last year’s hockey camp, the brothers plan on bringing it back for this year’s summer season (sessions to be announced) with the hope of continuing to enhance youth players’ skills. “They know they can come to Nantucket in the summertime on a nice vacation with their family and still get better over the weekend

and not miss out,” Keith says.

For the brothers, the biggest goal at Yandle Hockey was to get the students comfortable with being uncomfortable by working on moves that they might not otherwise focus on.

“To be a part of the NHL for as long as I was, was one of the most surreal moments of my life.”

– Keith Yandle

“As a kid when you’re playing, all you want to do is the stuff that you’re good at, but our biggest thing was pushing them to work on things that they’re not so good at to get them better … to get them more confident

in their overall game,” Keith explains, noting strong turning on the left and backhand passes as examples. The ages of the players varied, with the youngest starting at 8 years old. Keith adds, “It was cool to see how the younger kids had a goal and wanted to achieve that.”

This season’s camp will continue to focus on these core elements of the game, but Keith does hope to concentrate more on arranging the children in the right groups based on their talents, which in all, will help them to thrive in a friendly yet competitive environment. He says, “Seeing how excited those kids are every day coming to the rink and to just have fun and playing hockey … it’s one of the best things that I ever learned.”

The Yandle brothers pushed young athletes on weaker skills to make them well-rounded players

“It was about giving back to the game that has blessed me with so many great opportunities.”

– Keith Yandle

For more information on this summer’s camp sessions, visit yandlehockey.com.

Keith and Brian coached a variety of ages last summer, the youngest being 8 years old.

Keith and Brian Yandle

A healthy community starts here.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital is the island’s source for health and wellness, providing compassionate care with the expertise you would expect from Mass General Brigham.

Amy Beaton, MSN, RN, BSN, Nurse Director, and Dr. Michael Bell, Medical Director, care for patients in NCH’s Emergency Department.

DOWN TO EARTH

Astronaut Daniel Bursch’s lightship baskets in orbit

It was 1969 when 11-year-old Daniel Bursch saw a glimpse of his future. He was at summer camp, propped up against the radio, listening as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. “That was the first time I thought, ‘Oh, that might be something I could do … to become an astronaut,’” he says. “That started the spark.”

Fast forward 55 years and Bursch is now a retired NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy captain living between California and his family cottage in Tom Nevers on Nantucket. During his NASA career, which began in 1990 after first serving in the Navy, he launched into space four times—one of which included six and a half months on the International Space Station (ISS). “On my first flight I remember being up there and just having to pinch myself as we flew over the Earth at five miles a second,” he says.

Official portrait of astronaut Daniel W. Bursch, Mission Specialist

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA DEPACE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

Bursch with some of his miniature baskets, currently at the Hadwen House

Bursch continues, “When I first looked out the window, we were still climbing. The engines had cut off, and we were at about 80 miles coasting up, eventually to orbit around 200 miles above the Earth. Looking out the window, it reminded me of the old Star Trek movies as the starship Enterprise entered orbit around a planet. I could easily see the curvature of the Earth out the front windows of the space shuttle.”

During his ISS training, which started in 1997, Bursch was told that he could bring a hobby with him. “They kept us fairly busy on the space station, but it was a unique experience. I think a lot of people felt isolated during COVID-19, and it was very similar in some ways that there were only three of us on the space station most of the time,” he explains. “So you needed something to relax and do—something totally different than your current work.”

Bursch with his baskets on the ISS

A photo of Nantucket that Bursch took from ISS

For the Northeast native who grew up summering on Nantucket at his grandmother’s house in Sconset, it was basket weaving that kept him going while on his missions. “It became very helpful and soothing when I was up there,” he says. But how does a naval officer turned astronaut learn basket weaving? It was a love story, of sorts, to his mother, who had never owned a lightship basket despite her many years of coming to Nantucket. So, in the early 1990s, Bursch decided to give it a try. From there, the rest is history.

he explains of his time in space. “And it takes a while to get used to moving around when you ’ re weightless. That, itself, is physically challenging.”

“

Looking out the window, it reminded me of the old Star Trek movies as the starship Enterprise entered orbit around a planet.” Bursch

Logistically, bringing the basket weaving materials to his missions was easy, except for the box cutter knife, which Bursch had to convince NASA to let him bring due to his experience in the craft. Then it was figuring out how to weave in weightlessness, which required him to wet the weavers with drops of water on his fingers while using a straw with a clamp to keep the rest of the water still. “Your body is learning how to adapt to weightlessness,”

He certainly got the hang of it— during his 196 days aboard the ISS (December 2001 to June 2002) as the flight engineer for Expedition 4, he wove approximately 36 baskets—12 sets of miniature nests of three. Since he has retired, one of those nests has been on display at the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum as well as the Nantucket Memorial Airport. They are currently on display at the Hadwen House.

– Daniel Bursch

While Bursch is no longer spending time in space, his fascination

with outer space continues. Last year, he was a part of the Science Speaker Series at the Maria Mitchell Association. Since then, he has continued to assist at the Open Night and Look Up! programs at the Loines Observatory. In addition, Bursch published a children’s nighttime book, Up to the Moon , with his wife, Sharon Yencharis. They plan on publishing three others in a series that will cover other adventures. He says, “I ’ m a big fan of education, and whether it’s future astronomers or future scientists or future explorers, I want to help them to pursue whatever they want.”

wove 36 baskets while in space

IS NO GAME HUNGER

WRITTEN BY LARRY LINDNER

A deeper look into Nantucket’s food insecurity

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

Photo by Tommy Stock Project

Ihave had moments when I had zero in my bank account and zero in my pocket and had to go around my cabinets and find whatever it is and cook,” says Maria Partida, a divorced mother of three who runs her own Nantucket-based housekeeping business. Sometimes, she says, when short-term summer visitors vacate a house they have leased, they leave behind food they bought but never opened. Because the place needs to be completely emptied out for the next renters, she brings it home.

The offseason is the hardest. “Getting enough food in the winter is a scramble,” she reports. “You go and try to find the loose change in your house, hoping that you will find [money] that you forgot in one of your jacket pockets.”

Partida’s experience isn’t rare on Nantucket—food insecurity runs rampant on the island, often the result of housing insecurity. With rents averaging nearly $3,000 a month, there’s often a shortfall in the grocery budget. Someone “could be making a solid living by the standards of off-island,” says Select Board Vice Chair Brooke Mohr. “But if you’re spending 60 to 70 percent of your income on housing, there’s not a lot of money left to go to the supermarket and buy food for your family. There are people on-island who are actually going hungry.”

Maria Partida, who runs her own business on Nantucket, sometimes has trouble feeding her family.

Indeed, while one in eight American households suffers from food insecurity, for year-round Nantucketers, that number rises to nearly one in three—more than 4,500 people. Sometimes the problem manifests itself as flat-out hunger. In other cases, it might be the inability to put nutrient-dense meat and fish on the table as well as vegetables and fruits and relying instead on cheaper fillers. One elderly woman on a fixed income, for example, has English muffins for breakfast and will then have English muffin pizza for dinner.

An eighth-generation Nantucketer descended from the Swains, Starbucks and Colemans says that on many occasions while she was growing up, her parents had trouble putting food on the table. Her grandparents would share their soup. “Whatever you could stretch is what you ate,” she says.

Mohr points out that when people go to a restaurant on-island, “the person putting the plate in front of them may not be able to feed their kids.” She adds, “There are people working in kitchens on Nantucket whose families would not be fed if their employers weren’t

“If you’re spending 60 to 70 percent of your income on housing, there’s not a lot of money left to go to the supermarket and buy food for your family. There are people on-island who are actually going hungry.”

A behind-the-scenes look at the Food Pantry

– Brooke Mohr

Ruth Pitts, Pantry Manager, with Dixon and Pantry Assistant Gerry Holmes.

a bag for someone at the Food Pantry.

letting them take home leftover food at night.”

It’s not that there aren’t organizations onisland to help ease the crisis. There are actually dozens of them. But they have been working in a scattershot manner, with many people slipping through the cracks. That is changing, however, thanks to the formation two years ago of the Nantucket Resource Partnership, or NRP. Headed by Mohr as board president, its mission is to coordinate the efforts of all the other organizations tackling food insecurity on Nantucket and make sure provisions get to the people who need them.

To help figure out where the bottlenecks are and how to resolve them, the NRP has contracted with Process First, a data/technology consulting firm focused on social impact work. Mohr says the company allows “a kind of bird’s-eye view so it’s easier to identify where there are problems that need to be fixed. They have the research and systems development expertise.” They also have deep roots on the island. The firm’s founder and principal is Matt Haffenreffer, who spends a lot of time on Nantucket in his family’s home. He works closely with the company’s community and systems strategist Kelly Steffen, who also has been coming

for the Food Pantry over here, for WIC over there and for Meals on Wheels for seniors over there. What I know as a social worker is that people who are struggling in crisis have the least bandwidth to navigate.”

With Food First, people at almost every single social service agency on the island—Fairwinds, the Boys and Girls Club and so on—ask certain questions of the people they come into contact with who might be food insecure, including whether they have basic transportation to pick food up or need it delivered and whether they simply need groceries to cook or ready-to-eat hot meals (many do not have kitchen facilities). They then put that information into the food-wide system, and someone reaches out to the person, easing them into a food program that they might not even know about.

To date, says Steffen, Food First has made enough referrals to food security programs to impact 15 percent of

“There’s something very personal about food. It’s very sensitive.”

– Thomas Dixon

One of the things Process First has done is develop a computerized form called Food First, which allows programs that provide food to reach out to people who need it rather than suppose that food-insecure people will find them. Before the advent of Food First, says Mohr, “someone at a counseling center might hand you a phone number

the island’s food-insecure population. For instance, largely because of the referral form, 80 families have been receiving a weekly box of fresh produce—enough to feed a family of three or four—from Nourishing Nantucket, a program administered by the Pip & Anchor market on Amelia Drive. More than 140,000 servings of fruits and vegetables have been distributed since 2022.

“Every week we’re feeding over 300 people,” says Chris Sleeper, co-founder of Pip & Anchor. “Everything comes from as close by as possible and is seasonal.” That means that in summer, “you’re talking about strawberries and raspberries, asparagus,” he says. One week this past winter, each box contained carrots, potatoes, daikon radish, kale, spinach, kohlrabi, apples, onions and lettuce. Another program, Fresh Connect, administered by Nantucket Food, Fuel and Rental Assistance, has also benefited hundreds of people. It’s a prepaid debit card program of $100 a month per person (up to $500 per family) that is usable at the island’s Stop & Shops.

Haffenreffer points out that programs like these can be funded by charitable foundations, which is critical because those entities have lower eligibility criteria than government food assistance programs. His company has, in fact, been taking a deep dive into the issue of how to build local food programs that ease eligibility criteria. “If you make $70,000,

Matt Haffenreffer (left) and Kelly Steffen of Process First, a consulting firm focused on social impact that is helping to resolve Nantucket’s food insecurity issues.

that disqualifies you for many state and federal food programs,” he says. That much money is enough in most places.

“But on Nantucket,” he says, “if you’re paying $3,500 a month in rent, after taxes that leaves you 15 grand a year.”

It’s not enough to put enough food, or at least enough nutritious food, on the table with all of life’s other expenses. A further benefit of these programs is that they erase the stigma. “It’s really dignified access,” Steffen says. When you walk into Pip & Anchor to pick up your box, you’re like any customer who has paid for a weekly box of produce. There’s no

visible distinction between those who can afford the food and those who can’t. It’s the same with the debit card used at the Stop & Shops. There’s no way for shoppers to tell who’s who. The stigma is on everyone’s mind. The eighth-generation Nantucketer knows someone who went to the island’s food pantry only two or three times after signing up because, as she puts it, “there’s no discreetness” there. “There’s this feeling of pride that steps in the way of people being able to help themselves,” she says. “If people could have privacy, it would absolutely encourage them to go for

the programs.”

Select Board member Thomas Dixon, who helps oversee food pantry operations as assistant director of Nantucket Food, Fuel and Rental Assistance, is well aware of the issue. While he says that Process First has helped sign up more people for assistance from his organization via its Food First questionnaire, he understands some islanders’ hesitation. “Maybe in the future people could shop at the food pantry to help remove the stigma,” he says, the way people both shop at Pip & Anchor and pick up free boxes of produce there. “There’s

“Every week we ’re feeding over 300 people.”

– Chris Sleeper, Nourishing Nantucket

something very personal about food,” he says. “It’s very sensitive.”

But the bigger problem right now is a lack of funding. Two years ago, the Community Foundation for Nantucket received a $1.8 million grant from the state that it distributed to address food insecurity. New grants have been applied for since then, but the going is tough. For instance, the waiting list for the weekly box of food at Nourishing Nantucket keeps growing—Maria Partida is one of those on the list. “I think the program is amazing,” she says. “Vegetables are super expensive on-island.”

Unfortunately, the money is about to run out even for those already in the program, let alone for those trying to join. That’s why people who are integrally involved say charitable largesse is critical.“The limitation is not the amount of food available,” says Sleeper of the Nourishing Nantucket program. “The limitation is the money.”

Mohr frames it like this: “While I’m 100 percent behind building out [in order to ease] our housing insecurity, right now the quicker path to alleviating stress on people is to feed them and their families. If somebody wrote a check for $100,000, we could give a lot of people a Fresh Connect card so they could go to the supermarket every single week instead of just sometimes.”

Even $100 takes care of one person’s card for a month. Similarly, just $74 buys a box of fresh produce for someone through Nourishing Nantucket.

“We’re all in this together,” Mohr says, “making sure our

DONATE

Donations to the following organizations go directly to feeding food-insecure people on Nantucket. neighbors are fed, when they need to be fed because whether you come for a week or for the summer or live here year-round, your experience with a person behind the counter at a store is going to be better if they’re not hungry. The person laying brick at your house is going to be performing better if they’re not worried about how they’re going to be putting food on the table that night for their kids.”

Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands (Meals on Wheels)

Health Imperatives (Women, Infants and Children program, or WIC)

Nantucket Food, Fuel and Rental Assistance (Food Pantry and Fresh Connect debit card program)

Nantucket Resource Partnership (Nourishing Nantucket program run by Pip & Anchor)

Our House Nantucket (dinners for teens and young adults)

St. Paul’s Church (prepared meals)

The Warming Place (meals for the homeless)

Haffenreffer concurs, adding, “We can get this right. We can make it work.”

NWe don’t call it the Current for nothing.

When major Nantucket news breaks, the mainland broadcast networks and newspapers turn to the Nantucket Current for insights on what’s happening. Our work has been cited dozens of times in some of the most respected national and regional media outlets, and our team has appeared on CNN and Fox News to discuss island-related stories.

Nantucket Current is the largest and most-read digital news source on the island, providing instant news to your phone or email inbox. The news doesn’t wait to break every Thursday, so why should you?

Discover why thousands of Nantucketers now view the Current as their single source of news.

THREE CHEERS

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA DEPACE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

Rocky Fox, Packy Norton and John Jordin reflect on the 75th anniversary of The Chicken Box.

On an island that has evolved into a destination for the wealthy, time has continued to stand still at 16 Dave Street.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, The Chicken Box remains one of the few places on the island where you can see people of all social, ethnic and economic status, together. It’s where the late Jimmy Buffett played a multitude of impromptu concerts, during which locals and visitors alike sang along to top hits. It’s where people have met their soulmates, gotten married or simply socialized after a day of hard work.

“There are two things I always make time for in the midst of a busy summer work schedule— the beach and The Chicken Box shows.”

– Sheryl Aquiler

But when it comes to whom to thank for all of these memories on Nantucket, it’s not necessarily the establishment itself, but the faces behind the scenes: Rocky Fox, Packy Norton and John Jordin. This month marks their 25th anniversary of owning what has become so lovingly known as “The Box.”

Harry Truman was president in 1949, when The Chicken Box was originally founded by Willie House, a young Black man from Kentucky: who came to the island with his employer during the summers. During their leisure hours on Thursdays and half-Sundays, he found little to do. After remodeling a vacant shack in what was then

From left: Rocky Fox, John Jordin and Packy Norton on stage at The Box

considered a remote part of town, The Box was opened. And the rest is history.

For Fox, Norton and Jordin, their own story with The Box starts in 1992, when the trio all worked there under the ownership of Robert “Cap’n Seaweed” R. Reed. Somewhere between scrubbing floors, cleaning bathrooms, barbacking, working as doormen and bartending, the guys decided to buy their beloved Box after hearing that Reed was ready to move on. At the time, Norton had moved on to managing the bar at Straight Wharf. “At that point, it became public knowledge that The Chicken Box was for sale. That’s when Joe Pantorno and Jimmy Buffett threw their hats into the ring to buy The Box, and we were naturally pitting against those two guys,” explains Fox, whose mother often frequented the restaurant during its time under House. “But Seaweed took less money from the three of us because of the relationship that we had with him over the years.”

At the time of purchase, they were in their late twenties and early thirties.

“It wouldn’t happen in

today’s world. When Rocky, John and I started talking, we had zero money. We were young,” says Norton. “There were a lot of dominoes lined up that wouldn’t line up today, and we got lucky.”

Old regulars at The Box include Adam Weldy, who has felt at home there for decades. And he’s not the only one. Newer island generations flock to the live music destination, which books both local and off-island talents to its stage. “There are two things I always make time for in the midst of

emphasis on being a large footprint within the community. “There’s a saying that goes, ‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,’” Jordin jokes. In all, they made minor cosmetic updates to bring The Box up to the 21st century but kept the shell the same.

In regards to their favorite memories, the owners claim that there are too many to count, but even then, there are some that stand out more than others. In fact, both Jordin and Fox met their wives at The Box prior to ownership. But through famous

faces on stage and late-night laughs, it’s thinking outside of the box (pun, intended) and expanding into community efforts that the men are most proud of. In addition to popular events like the “See You Later Alligator” party previously hosted at the end of the summer, they’ve held countless fundraisers and formed partnerships with the Boys and Girls Club, Meals on Wheels, Big Brothers Big Sisters and more.

“We’re always giving back to the community,” Fox says. “We raised a substantial amount of dollars out of that place.”

Of course, 25 years of ownership hasn’t come without its challenges, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, but even then, they surpassed expectations by running a food truck and giving locals a place to be outdoors. “Even though we weren’t open at night and didn’t have music, people were just excited to have a place to go outside and sit and have a

“

Thank you to all of our customers, because they have options where they really can go.”

– Rocky Fox

couple of drinks and still be in The Box,” Norton says. In a world of uncertainty, The Box was a place of familiarity and comfort that the island needed.

And just as they supported the community, the community supported them. “I only have one other thing to say that I would be remiss if I didn’t,” Fox says. “Thank you to all of our customers, because they have options where they really can go.”

Looking forward, Fox, Norton and Jordin plan on keeping The Box the same, with some celebrations on the horizon for the anniversaries. “We need places like The Box with the direction the island’s going,” Norton concludes. “We’re not going to make anything fancy or different. It’s going to be the same place it’s always been.” Three cheers to that!

Packy Norton

Rocky Fox

John Jordin

Jody Kasper

TOP COP

WRITTEN BY JASON GRAZIADEI PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

Getting to know Nantucket’s new chief of police

The job first came to Jody Kasper’s attention in mid-2023, when she saw a posting by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association about the Nantucket Police Department. After nearly 20 years with Bill Pittman as Nantucket’s top cop, the island was searching for his replacement as he was up against the state’s mandatory retirement age. And Kasper just happened to be looking for a change herself. She had spent the past 25 years with the Northampton Police Department in western Massachusetts, including the last nine as chief. She was intrigued about the job and the prospect of a new start in a different community. But she had never been to Nantucket before and knew very little about the island.

Just months later, Kasper would be named Nantucket’s new chief of police, beating out more than 40 other candidates for the job and becoming the department’s first female chief. She had done her research—paying a visit to the island so she could learn more before even applying for the job— and it became clear it was the right move for her and her family.

had never been to Nantucket,” Kasper says. “So when the job was posted, we came out to the island and started making every effort to learn about Nantucket in different ways. I mean, visiting an island is one thing, but really it was the importance of learning about how government works and learning about the department, about the town and the concerns of people in the town. So that’s what I spent time doing prior to coming here.

“I thought that it would be a great fit,” she adds. “My wife is from Yarmouth. … So we come out to the Cape quite a bit. And I think we were ready to relocate. We were excited about exploring new opportunities. I had been with Northampton for a long time. So the position came up, and it seemed like a great fit.”

Since arriving in early January and starting in her new position, Kasper has continued the learning process about the island, the department and the nearly 40 police officers now under her command. That process has included dozens of meetings with her staff, town officials, community groups and the press, along with getting out into the community for events and immersing herself in the island’s offseason.

So, what can the community expect from Kasper as police chief? “They can expect visibility,” she emphasizes. “I’ve always been very visible in my communities. Even when I was in Northampton as chief of police, I still went out and walked around downtown and chatted with people. I like to know what’s going on, what challenges there are for business owners, for residents. I go to a lot of community meetings,

and I listen to people talk to me about concerns, issues and questions they have. So I’ve always been that kind of chief. I expect to be that way here, as well. … Other than that, I just bring a lot of experience and a different perspective to the department and to the island.”

Kasper’s wife, a longtime school guidance counselor, is now working at Nantucket Public Schools, while her teenage son is off to college. The family will be residing in a town-owned housing unit that was part of the compensation package offered to the incoming chief of police candidates.

“I’ve always been very visible in my communities.”

– Jody Kasper

The housing offer from the town was among the deciding factors that helped Kasper feel comfortable taking the job, and the island’s housing crisis is major issues she has learned about in her first few months on Nantucket. It’s an issue, she says, that impacts her department greatly, along with every business and organization on Nantucket.

“I don’t think I would have taken the job without housing only because in my role, the way that I do this job is being out in the community,” Kasper explains.

Kasper says she is certainly cognizant of the fact that she is

Nantucket’s first female chief of police—a distinction she also held in Northampton—but emphasizes that gender has not been something she has spent a lot of time thinking about during her career in law enforcement and her rise to the top of now two departments.

“I’m proud of being a chief of police, regardless of my gender,” she says. “I think rising to the top of police organizations is hard, and so I feel proud of that. I’m very humbled and honored to have been selected here as well. It’s a lot of trust that the community has placed in me. But I don’t think about gender too much. I do understand the importance of representation to see women, especially in non-traditional careers, that are moving through the ranks, leading organizations.”

Kasper grew up in western Massachusetts, attending Mohawk Trail Regional High School in Shelburne Falls and later Greenfield Community College and Westfield State University. When asked how she got her start in law enforcement, Kasper emphasizes that it wasn’t some dramatic life event that led to her career choice, but rather a chat with her high school guidance counselor.

“Many people that I’ve talked to say, ‘Oh, I’ve wanted to be a police officer since I was a little kid,’ but that was not the case for me,” Kasper says. “For me, I was in high school, I sat down with my high school guidance counselor and said, ‘I don’t really know what I want to do.’ And she put a college course

catalog in front of me and said, ‘Well, what classes are you interested in?’ And I looked through them, and I was attracted to criminal justice classes. So I went to college for criminal justice. And really, in my first year of studying criminal justice, I knew that would be a good career path for me.”

After more than two decades in law enforcement, Kasper says she is bringing many of the lessons learned in Northampton to her new role on Nantucket,

especially a collaborative approach to addressing many of the problems the police department is asked to resolve.

“When you look at the challenges that officers are facing, the types of calls they are going on, it has become abundantly clear over maybe the last five to seven years that the problems that we are sent to help people with require collaborative efforts from other community entities,” Kasper says, noting examples like addiction, mental health and homelessness.

“Historically, police officers have been called to deal with those situations, but those problems are extremely complex, and it took decades for the person, probably, to get into the situation that they’re in … and it takes a lot of time, energy and effort to get them out of that situation and to help them properly.”

“I’m proud of being a chief of police, regardless of my gender. I think rising to the top of police organizations is hard, and so I feel proud of that.”

– Jody Kasper

On an island where these challenges are abundant, Kasper has already connected to other community entities like Fairwinds, A Safe Place and The Warming Place. “All those sorts of entities that work together, along with the hospital,” she explains. “So that’s really what I have seen change: a lot more collaboration for the good. It’s completely necessary to help address some of these complex problems.”

Kasper puts a large emphasis on getting to know the community in order to effectively do her job.

The Massachusetts Land Court has ruled that short-term rentals are not permitted as a primary use on Nantucket unless they are added to the island zoning code.

Vote YES on Articles 59 & 60 to protect the right to rent your home.

Vote at Town Meeting

Starting Tuesday, May 7th, at 5pm Nantucket High School Register to vote by April 26, 2024 if you’re not already a registered voter.

• A YES vote on Article 59 will overturn the court decision prohibiting short-term rentals, and keep the decision-making local.

• A YES vote on Article 60 will stop corporate ownership of short-term rentals and add to the existing regulations that protect our neighborhoods from health, safety and nuisance issues.

• YES votes on both articles protect our island’s tourist economy by adding millions of dollars for local businesses, and visitor-paid taxes to the town’s budget for critical services, affordable housing and major infrastructure projects.

MUSKEGET MUSINGS

WRITTEN BY CROCKER SNOW JR.

Observations from Muskeget’s only homeowner, Crocker Snow Jr.

No one really owns an island. No one living anyway. It is the spirits, ghosts and history that really own an island more than those breathing. I am fortunate enough to know one island very well, inside and out. The tiny, well-weathered uninhabited island of Muskeget is a smudge of treeless sand dunes just over the horizon 10 miles to the west of Nantucket’s shores.

I was first exposed to it when I was 9 years old, and have been going there in all different seasons since. I pay real estate taxes too, though small due to the lack of town services. For Muskeget, it’s the past stories and the living species—seals, voles, seagulls, shore birds and close-by fish and shellfish—that truly own the island. It’s these for whom I and my family are committed to keeping the island “forever wild” as long as need be.

are situated on the terminal moraine of the last ice age. Muskeget can see its lifetime in a mirror, moving, changing, getting smaller and anchored mostly now by poison ivy roots and dwarf cedar bushes. Its time is coming pretty soon. You could make the same case for Nantucket’s outlying parts, for Madaket and Siasconset and Coatue where the water-winds prevail and Mr. and Mrs. Erosion are the biggest taxpayers.

Treeless Muskeget lies 10 miles west of the Nantucket Water Tower.

An aerial view of Muskeget

LEFT:

PHOTO BY DANA GAINES ; INSET: GEORGE REITHOF

When you curl your toes in the shallows of Muskeget’s waters, you know it washes in from somewhere else and undertows elsewhere, oft to some very far places. Surely there’s something of Nantucket somewhere on the rocky shores of other far-off islands: a bottle, a skeleton, driftwood from a ship, even a washaway to tie their island stories.

Witness the rusty metal sign “Live Ammo: Be Aware” in Japanese characters and English that we found on a Muskeget beach

in 1949, and because of the rough map diagrams on it, we concluded it drifted in the sea and icepack from the Aleutian Islands beyond Alaska. A well-known humpback whale named Pegasus who lived and was tracked in the Caribbean for most of her life and whose mass carcass we found in the summer of 1991 on the north beach of Muskeget qualifies. The small open boat that capsized between Muskeget and Tuckernuck a dozen years ago and was found on Spanish shores a year later also applies.

Recently, I journeyed far away from Muskeget and was exposed to another island on the other side of the world. One hundred miles southwest of the coast of South Korea is its largest island, Jeju. Think oval, think volcanic— the central volcano is called Hallasan. Think roughly the size of Manhattan with a big enough population of 650,000 inhabitants. Think geographically strategic. Think delicious fresh seafood, too. Though markedly different than Muskeget, and Nantucket for that matter, Jeju revealed some central characteristics that most islands share.

Like Nantucket, Jeju is very picturesque. Its people are cranky, purposeful and have an attitude of their own. Each island, and Muskeget even moreso, is engineered by the weather as much as the climate. Each is refreshed by onshore winds, of course, plentiful storms and fog. All three islands reflect the can do, can’t do, leave me alone but come on aboard stance that island folks around the world wear quite naturally.

Each island has its dark history, too. For Nantucket, Herman Melville’s equally crazed captain and white whale tormenting each other stands out. Even though the fictional story’s duel to the death took place half a world away, Nantucket owns the story because their battle site, the Pequod, sailed from Nantucket, along with many of her crew.

Crocker Snow Jr.

PHOTO BY KIT NOBLE

Muskeget in early winter, when gray seals annually take over the island for pupping and breeding

The two surviving structures on Muskeget in 2024: an old duck blind in the foreground and the long-ago lifeguard boathouse, circa 1912, twice moved since 2008.

Jeju’s dark history also involves bloodletting and is fact-based. It revolves around what was labeled an “uprising” during the post-World War II, pre-Korean War period of U.S. occupation with outbursts of fighting between islanders and outsiders about the island’s future political stance. An estimated 10,000 people were killed. A few skeletons are still being unearthed in remote volcanic caves.

Muskeget’s most-told story is about a different type of spirit: more than 2,000 cases of Scotch whisky adrift after the shipwreck on nearby shoals in December 1924 of a rum-running schooner during the height of Prohibition. The seven crew members were all rescued and turned over to the authorities. The cases of whisky were saved too, taken by lifeboats to Muskeget for self-keeping. Their distribution was never fully recorded by the Coast Guard thereafter. The mystery prompted lots of newspaper articles, including one titled “Nantucket: 90 Proof,” but no reliable forensic evidence of what happened.

60 feet and stay underwater for four minutes in summer and winter waters scouring the rough sea floor for prized abalone, octopus, sea urchins and particular seaweeds.

Called haenyeo, they are central to Jeju’s history. For many generations during the 20th century, they were the most prosperous and political group on the island, prompting what has been called a matrifocal society—a bit like Nantucket’s Quaker wives during the whaling years. At the height of things, there were 50,000 diving women in local collectives, and many traveled

and documentarians examining the prime, controlled, closed ecosystem at hand. Why is this species growing? Why no tern migration or eider ducks this year compared to last? How come this kill-off? Which disease or pathogen might be responsible, and might it spill over into the human chain? Is erosion the main cause or effect?

Most such island interns occupy their own silos of special interest. Some also ask if Darwin really missed something in the Galapagos, and is climate change accelerating things?

seasonally to more fertile water pastures at Vladivostok or the Japanese islands.

Among these island ghosts and spirits, it’s still the sea and seafood that forge the primary island ties and enrich its hardiest peoples who make their livelihoods catching, hauling and cleaning fish and shellfish for market.

Nantucket counts its boatbuilders and whalers from lore, and its scallopers in open boats in the late fall and early winter days. Most all are fishermen, making a tough living on the water. Jeju’s most noted fisher people are all female, water women who free dive up to

Today, an estimated 1,500 of them are still at it, still in collectives and selling their fares to many small eateries attracting visitors. As with Nantucket scallopers, their success depends not only on their fishing acumen but also on the speed they can shell, clean or cut their daily catch to sell ultra-fresh. For the record, Muskeget’s only prime fisher people today are the pods of big gray seals that consume up to 15 pounds of small fish and shellfish a day—and don’t share it.

All three islands attract lots of attention from scientists, researchers

One assumes that the tug of war between exposed wind and waters, the forces of typhoons, hurricanes and tidal waves as carriers of climate change, will ultimately determine these islands’ destinies. Probably so. But there’s another key tug of war that’s heating up: the growing tensions between preservation and development. Is Nantucket modernizing, building and sanitizing too much and losing its natural allure? Have the fast ferries become a curse? Which way should Jeju, suddenly overwhelmed with tourism (the one-hour Seoul-Jeju flight is thought to be the busiest in the world) and considering a second airport to facilitate it, turn? Are the haenyeo diving women, most of them over 50, under threat from being replaced by the young surfer crowd?

Muskeget doesn’t have these questions. It’s much too small and exposed. With only one camp shelter now standing, unlike Nantucket and Jeju, it’s only activity that’s still open for business is Nature itself.

The camp, which was moved due to sea erosion, was primarily used by lifeguards to move heavy dinghy lifeboats to the waterline for the then-regular groundings and shipwrecks nearby.

We are pleased to offer a rare office leasing opportunity at 19 North Beach Street in Brant Point. The space offers convenient parking and easy access to town and is now available.

Steven Rowley

Nancy Thayer Casey Sherman Safiya Sinclair Tara Karr Roberts

Jim Patrick Ben Mezrick Lara Love Hardin Katherine Howe Bill Janovitz Erik Larson Paul Harding

Rob Benchley Gabriella Burnham Kwame Alexander Sara DiVello Adrienne Brodeur Bianca Bosker

Christy Cashman

A STATE OF MIND

Understanding America’s Mental Health Crisis

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately one in five adults live with a mental illness in the United States. This statistic isn’t new to Patrick J. Kennedy, who was the lead author of the landmark Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act during his time in Congress. Since then, his mission has been hyperfocused within mental health, continuing on to find The Kennedy Forum, as well as co-authoring New York Times Bestseller A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction, among other initiatives. More recently, he published book Profiles in Mental Health Courage, along with Stephen Fried. N Magazine sits down with Kennedy to address the United States’ mental health crisis, possible solutions and more.

INTERVIEW BY BRUCE A. PERCELAY PHOTOGRAPHED BY KIT NOBLE

You've written one book on mental health issues. What was the impetus for this book?

After COVID, there was clearly a different receptivity to all subjects relating to mental health. There was a previous awareness that everyone came to feel that this wasn't just their problem; but this was everyone's issue, because of the trauma, the isolation, the worry about loved ones, and the fact that no one was doing anything like they used to. So there was a greater understanding.

What was the approach you took with this?

The book featured 12 profiles— people of different backgrounds, socio economic race, gender, and diagnoses. What I write in this book, which is different from most narratives about mental health, is I include the family members, and the coworkers and the best friends and even the doctors. I needed to talk to mothers, fathers, brothers, your sister, wives and husbands. One in five may have some kind of mental

health issue but it's really higher, because we're affected when one of our family members is affected. We think about the individual number of suicides, which is skyrocketing more now than car accidents, but it’s the whole family who suffers.

Let's talk about COVID. Did It exacerbate the mental health problem or just expose it?

I believe that it is exposed something that was already there. These aren't new stories. In fact, they're very common stories that we've never reported on before. That's what people need to understand is that these issues have been going on forever. It's part of the human experience, the battles that people struggle with, not only with their illness, but getting help, getting the right help, getting the right support, are battles that every one (faces). (Not everyone) knows what getting mental health and addiction care means. Cancer, we know. We screen people early. We want to catch it at stage one. Mental health, not the case. We wait till it's stage four, because it has to be a crisis before we intervene. In mental health and addiction, if you ask them, what is getting mental health care mean? Does it mean getting medication management? Yes. Does it mean talk therapy? Yes. Does it mean social supports? Yes. Do all of those things get offered together? No.

their safety at risk? Put their livelihoods, and their very life at risk, and jeopardize the relationship with their family members? No one gets up in the morning, says I'm going to piss off everybody I know. I'm going to try to lose my job, We want to be loved, respected, embraced.

If you grow up in a family of alcoholism, of mental illness, if your parent is in jail, if you live in poverty, if you witness violence, those factors are like a biomarker. It's almost as good as taking your A1-C level, because the studies show a combination of these factors is not determinative, but there's a strong correlation. That's the kind of new way we look at it. It's not the blood test.

Nantucket has unique mental health issues. The fact that the winters are particularly isolating for individuals, they don't have social interaction. Do you see that as a factor in what is a very serious and probably disproportionate problem on Nantucket?

Does that lack of physical evidence diminish the sympathy for people who have mental health issues?

There's judgment, there's shame, everything that accompanies this illness, which isn’t the case with other illnesses. You make the decision not to discuss it. Who do you know, as human beings, that would willingly put their job at risk every day? Put

There's no doubt that in places like Alaska, Maine, Nantucket, there are higher incidence levels of suicide, of alcoholism, and we also know that there are a lot of other factors. The thing we're always looking for is the silver bullet. What either caused this and what can I do to solve this? When I wrote this book, it's clear from those 12 profiles, that there are no easy answers. We in our society do not like messy; we do not like complex; we want simplicity. And the thing that we have to come to realize is that things are messy, are complex. That doesn't mean we have to denigrate it. It's just the way it is.

Suicide in Nantucket has long been an issue. And one question that I’ve heard from parents who had lost a child is that they didn't see it coming. They saw the depression, but they didn't see suicide coming. What part of suicide is preventable and how does that how does the parent process it?

I do a profile in the book on my cousin Mark Murray, who lost his son Harry, who used to spend a lot of time on the Cape. He was 19 when he took his life. I talked to Mark, I talked to Harry's brother Belton. I talked to his college roommate. After Harry died, none of them had talked to each other. And there was no conversation because there's so much shame and guilt.

They talked to me. They learned things that each of them had experienced with Harry that the other ones didn't know about. His college roommate talked about a car accident that his father didn't know about, talked about a head injury that his family didn't know about, talked about his change of personality and behavior. And then, you compare it.

Harry had increased religiosity at some point, that took Mark back a little bit. You can't say there was one determinative factor, but when you look back on it. In retrospect, you can start to see patterns. But one way to definitely reduce the overall number of suicides is there a lot of early indicators. They do self harm and end up in an ER, they take an overdose, it was clearly a suicide attempt or self harm. With those people, we can save their

lives. When you look at the number of overdose deaths and suicides, those were not the first time they crossed the line and entered the radar, but what was our response?

We never taught them the skills to mediate their intrusive thoughts. So when you point out that someone takes their life and it's so abrupt, no one can play the tape through, this is a condition of itself.

The Green Berets have more mental health per Green Beret than any other branch of the service. These guys are jumping out of planes, swimming underwater, hitting the beach and speaking six languages and are in their home reading to their kids by dinnertime. It's because they want to optimize their capacity. You cannot optimize your abilities in life if you have your brain telling you things that are not based in reality that are based upon fears that you can't acknowledge, you're just acting on.

Do you know what the economic cost is of mental illness? Has that number been calculated?

So the World Bank did a cost estimate of disability adjusted life years. And what was

interesting about that, is it refocused us looking at this illness from a mortality point of view. These illnesses hit you when you're young, and they disable you throughout the life. So we don't see it as big a problem because it may not have the same death rates that other illnesses have, but the death rates are not the same, because you're also talking about disability, which no one factors into the calculus, but on the actual economic effect, we have not really seen the impact beyond the total cost of care, because we know undiagnosed addiction, anxiety, depression, really ratchets up the rates of death. If you have heart disease, you're four times more likely to have a heart attack and die. We know total cost of care, because 80% of our rhetoric in this country is chronic illness. I guarantee you have that of that 80%, mental health and addiction is underlying— exacerbating those costs.

How do we make Nantucket a healthier place to be from a mental health perspective?

There are, like anything, protective factors in people's lives—the social connection, the treatment of trauma, the acknowledgement of risk in someone's family history...there's a whole lot of things that could help us have better literacy. Even if you don't have cancer, you know what it entails. We in this world do not know what it entails. And even the government doesn't know what it needs to be doing. These are threefold illnesses, bio, medical, psychological and social. And we need the medicines and we need good therapy. There is a

big difference between someone with an eating disorder, someone with complex grief, someone with addiction, someone with depression. Some people need more of one kind of type of medication or psychological therapy or social support. They don't need one size fits all. You can personalize mental health, which will give you much better outcomes. There's so much we can do.

Florida just banned social media for kids under 14. From bullying to the isolation caused by the computers and mobile devices to the lack of people skills, it fosters changes how young people interact. How big a deal is this?

You put people in solitary confinement, they die. You isolate people, you've just created all kinds of problems,

“You can personalize mental health, which will give you much better outcomes. There’s so much we can do.”

– Patrick Kennedy

you can take the mentally healthiest person in the world, you isolate them, they're going to suffer, and they're going to have mental health problems. So that's real factor. My 15 year old has a phone that only has talk and text. And yes, I'm worried about the fact that she's going to miss out on some things that are on Snapchat, but I'm willing to make that trade off. Yes, social media on cell phones will limit their social connection. It's a struggle.

PHOTOGRAPHER: BRIAN SAGER

WARDROBE STYLIST: LEXY KAROLYI

MAKEUP STYLIST: JURGITA BUDAITE OF ISLAND GLOW

HAIR STYLIST:

KATE DIGGAN OF RJ MILLER

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: RYLE FERGUSON

FEMALE MODEL 1 (BLONDE):

JILLIAN SHEPPARD OF MAGGIE INC.

FEMALE MODEL 2 (BRUNETTE):

RILEY ELLEN OF MAGGIE INC.

MALE MODEL: BRETT PETERSON OF MAGGIE INC.

MUSCLE CARS: PROVIDED FROM PRIVATE COLLECTION

GYM EQUIPMENT: ACKTIVE FITNESS RENTAL

SWIMSUIT: MURRAY'S TOGGERY SHOP

EARRINGS: BEAU & RO

SUNGLASSES: NICO EYEWEAR AVAILABLE AT INKERMAN

BRACELETS: BARBARA VANDERBILT

EARRINGS AND BRACELET:

HEIDI WEDDENDORF

NECKLACES AND RINGS:

ICARUS & CO

SWIMSUIT: SALT SCRUNCHIE: CURRENT VINTAGE

HER (LEFT):

SWIMSUIT: MURRAY'S TOGGERY SHOP

BAG: BEAU & RO

JEWELRY:

KATHERINE GROVER

HER (RIGHT):

SWIMSUIT AND BAG:

MURRAY'S TOGGERY SHOP

EARRINGS:

BARBARA VANDERBILT

NECKLACE AND RING: (SHOWN LEFT)

THE VAULT

RING (SHOWN RIGHT): ICARUS & CO.

GAME ON!

N Magazine’s digital news source Nantucket Current covered all the Whaler sports this fall and winter. The star of the fall season was the Nantucket golf team, which under the leadership of head coach Sam Herrick placed fourth out of 12 teams in the Division 3 state championship. They were led by senior captain Henry Kathawala, who will continue his golf career at Wesleyan University. The field hockey team won a tournament match and earned Nantucket High School its first-ever Golden Anchor—a new tradition begun between Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard where several fall teams play one another on the day of the Island Cup for the right to take home the trophy. And during the winter, three of the five varsity teams made their respective state tournaments. Junior swimmer Jake Johnson had a fantastic finish to his season, securing two fourth-place finishes in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races at his state meet in Boston.

Amare Bramwell going up for a layup

Rory Murray leading the warm-up for Nantucket’s cross-country team

The Nantucket cheerleaders during one of their halftime performances

Boys hockey celebrating after a big win over Martha’s Vineyard

Jake Johnson taking on a defender

Dorian Manov

Jake Johnson congratulated by his sister Myah following one of his swims

Senior Colby O’Keefe watching head coach Sam Herrick make a putt.

Maddie Lombardi driving to the hoop

The Nantucket field hockey team after winning the island’s first-ever Golden Anchor

Gianna Quinn

Shelbi Harimon running to her team after a win

Henry Kathawala

Chloe Marrero From left, Emerson Pekarcik, Bailey Lower, Claire Misurelli and Siena Monto

Claire Misurelli leaping on the back of goalie Madden Myers after a win Arann Hanlon scoring during the Island Cup

Jeremy Jenkinson with a huge hit on a Martha’s Vineyard player

Senior Carlos Aguilar breaking a tackle

WRITTEN BY DAVID CREED PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS TRAN

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

An evening of dancing, bites, prizes and more led to a multitude of unforgettable memories during the ’80s Prom Night fundraiser for the Nantucket Lighthouse School in late March. Held at the Nantucket Hotel Ballroom, the party was a journey back in time with iconic ’80s fashion and music by Billy Voss. PPX satisfied all sweet-tooth cravings with an array of desserts, while late-night pizzas from Muse were served for dinner.

Laura Davison, Cayla Prichard

Kathleen Featherston, Maggie Featherston, Emma Graham, Gail Spencer

Billy Voss

Emily Miller, Julia Maury, Cayla Prichard, Jess Torres

Chris Bistany, Seth Lynn, Jamie Foster

Osagie Doyle & K. Bradford

Jess Torres, Chris Wendzicki, Cayla Prichard

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA DEPACE PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARITY GRACE MOFSEN

Pat McEvoy, Tharon McEvoy, Kara Titone, Sam Titone

Barbara Zachary, Charity Grace Mofsen

Laura & Brett Davison

Nicole DuPont

Joni Amaral, Linda Ballinger, Carol Pillion, CJ Stephens, Allison Johnson

Chris Wendzicki, Laura Cunningham

Kelly & Dave Bartlett

Alicia & Jason Graziadei

Amy Pallenberg, Doug Cote, Joe Gauvin

LIFE’S

A PICNIC

Food, friends and sunshine have always been the ingredients for a good day.

A group of friends holding a “squantum,” or clambake outing, at Coatue in September 1915. Many proprietors of local businesses would provide supplies and transportation for visitors wishing to partake in this local tradition.

IMAGES COURTESY OF NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION’S ARCHIVES

Two young women (labeled “Mary, Jane Carroll” on the image, likely friends of the Rawson sisters, Dorothy and Marion) in bathing suits, eating watermelon on the beach in the mid-1930s

Jouett Lee Wallace (in hat) and possibly William Wallace, Linda Lee, Cole Porter and an unidentified man having a picnic on the beach, in the 1910s

Sue Odell at a beach picnic in August 1933

Constance Viola Greene Haroldson, Brynjulf Haroldson and daughter, C. Jacqueline, in 1942. The image is captioned: “Here we are with our little girl, Jacqueline, fishing line hanging up our blanket pitched all set to end a happy day with a picnic.”

A teacher and her sixth-grade students enjoying a picnic on the beach in the spring of 1913

People enjoying a picnic, most likely at Wauwinet Beach on the harbor side, in the 1920s

A large group, mainly men, at a clambake, where they appear to be feasting on steamer clams cooked in a fire pit at the beach, in the 1880s

Cast members of the play Company—Jo Brian Royster, second from left; Vicky Goss, third from left; and Gayl Michael, on the right—are having a picnic in Sconset after the Daffodil Antique Car Parade in 1985.

At the Congregational Church Sunday School picnic held at the fairgrounds in June 1916 (from left): Eunice Brooks, Ann W. Chase, Elizabeth Davis, Lydia Bunker Gardner and Dell Russell

A group having a picnic near a life-saving station in the 1900s

featured wedding

Bride: Courtney Maskell

Elegant Aura

• Groom: Matthew Maskell

• Photographer: Emily Scannell

Florist: Parties & Petals

• Venue: White Elephant

• Videographer: B. Remembered

• Officiant: Saint Mary's

• Bridal Hair: Bre Welch

• Wedding Planner:

• Caterer: White Elephant

• Bridal Makeup: Haley Page

GROOVE

JEFF TUOHY PARTNERS WITH KEVIN O’LEARY FOR A VINYL REISSUE

GETTING IN THE W

hen Jeff Tuohy first came to Nantucket in 2008, it was to perform at the beloved Chicken Box. “Fifteen years later, I’ve established local, lifelong friends leading to international excursions, annual Jazz Fest pilgrimages and more,” says Tuohy, who now works as the Cisco Brewers entertainment manager. Between booking some of the island’s favorite local and global musical talents, Tuohy produces tunes of his own, including a recent vinyl release of the album Hudson Delta with Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful, Kevin O’Leary. As Tuohy geared up for a new season of shows (including his own performances on-island), N Magazine spoke with the musician about growing Nantucket’s entertainment scene, his inspiration, working with O’Leary and more.

During the day, you’re the entertainment manager for Cisco Brewers. What does this entail and how do you hope to grow the entertainment scene on-island?

We’re fortunate to be part of a vibrant performance community. I’ve toured extensively, and Nantucket is one of the most supportive when it comes to music. Truth be told, I’m building on a timehonored tradition. Working with Cisco came about after CEO Jay Harman and I had a post-show conversation during Christmas Stroll. We discussed featuring local acts and accentuating with talent from around the globe. People visit Nantucket to enjoy a variety of flavors, and Cisco’s roster is curated to enhance that experience.

I initially coordinated entertainment for the flagship. That grew to five locations and three partnerships with 1,100-plus shows booked annually. It’s not a “day gig” as much as part of everyday life—particularly in summer. The staff and I answer calls 24/7 from artists with last-minute conflicts while my band loads into a festival. There are a lot of moving pieces with 40-plus shows weekly.

What brought you into the music industry? Who or what was your inspiration?

Performance. Art is a means of communication. It’s integral to our

being. My teachers were my inspiration. I could discuss favorite artists like Prince, Michael Jackson, Tom Petty and Dave Matthews. At the end of the day, it was Joe Calabro, Chris Clark, Bob D’Angelo, Gary Durham, Jim Scianna, Stephen Terrell, Frank Thomas, Scott Wheeler and a slew of talents who passed the torch. I owe my success to their investment in every life they touched, including mine.

You’ve produced three albums so far. How would you describe the soul of your music?

Journalists call it “Skyscraper Americana” and “big city bravado with backroads grit.”

Tell me more about the Hudson Delta album.

Hudson Delta emerged from my New York City experience. There was an independent record deal that crumbled as a result of a financial crash, which left me bartending as a hopeful professional musician/actor. I had a choice: Make good on my marketing degree or double down on art. I chose the latter. Some weeks we’d play nine, three-hour shows. We’d finish 12-hour days, then cab over to friends playing in the Village or Lower East Side. The album features a cast of those performers.

What makes this project special?

The songs and musicians. It’s organic, real and takes the listener on a journey. My hope is anyone who gives it a spin feels the same.

What was it like working with Kevin, and how did he get involved?

Kevin sat in with the band for two Cisco Fourth of July celebrations. People know him for his “brass tacks persona,” but he’s also a visionary connoisseur. Whether it’s wine, watches or guitars, he appreciates refined craft and execution. We discussed Hudson Delta’s momentum post-gig, and he asked why I hadn’t released a vinyl edition. I relayed that if I was going to press it, I wanted to do it right. That meant proper mastering and manufacturing. Luckily, he considered it a worthwhile endeavor. If Kevin believes in something, he’s 100 percent supportive and attentive.

Catch Tuohy and his band at Cisco Brewers and The Chicken Box throughout the summer season.

Scan the FlowCode to listen to Hudson Delta.

INTERVIEW BY ANTONIA DEPACE PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

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