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ART ACROSS AMERICA
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1 S e m i n o l e W a y, H o l l y w o o d , F L SeminoleHardRockHollywood.com
INTRODUCING THE ALL NEW OIRFL.COM.
BRINGING YOU ALL THE FL AVOR AND RICHNESS OF OUR UNIQUE NEIGHBORHOODS AND NEW CONSTRUCTION RENAISSANCE. INTERVIEWS with some of our most interesting residents
REVIEWS of the hottest new development projects
People W H O M A K E T HE Place I T’ S THE
LUXURY
INTERIORS BY PERLA LICHI
perlalichi.com
Perla Lichi Luxury Home | Turnkey Interior Design Products and Services 7381 W Sample Rd Coral Springs, FL 33065 | USA | DUBAI | WORLD WIDE Tel: 954.726.0899 | info@perlalichi.com | Monday-Saturday 9-5 Latest Control 4 Home Automation on Display in Our Showroom
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Experience the before and after
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ASTONISHING
2 3 3 S o u t h F e d e r a l H i g h w a y, B o c a R a t o n , F l o r i d a • Te l : 5 61. 4 7 7. 5 4 4 4 BOCA RATON | NEW YORK | LOS ANGELES | CHICAGO | DALLAS | GENEVA | LONDON | HONG KONG | TEL AVIV | DUBAI | PANAMA | MOSCOW Fall 2016
Opulence
11
Oracle | Stainless Steel | 89 x 52 x 20 inches
HANS VAN de BOVENKAMP
Indoor & Outdoor Sculpture by Internationally Acclaimed Artists
Treemonisha | Machined Aluminum | 25.8 x 10 x 11 inches
JOHN HENRY
SAMUEL LYNNE GALLERIES 1105 Dragon St. | Dallas, Texas 75207 www.SamuelLynne.com | 214.965.9027
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42
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90 106
T O P F E AT U R E S 82
LOVING VINCENT
The world’s first fully painted feature film
99
THE ART OF VANISHING
72
PIXELMANIA
Mike Campau style* * Campau custom-created the cover art of this issue!
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Opulence
Fall 2016
SUPERIOR LOCATION. LARGER RESIDENCES. STARTING AT $1.2 MILLION.
ARTIST CONCEPTUAL RENDERING. DEVELOPER MAY CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
ONLY 95 BEACHFRONT RESIDENCES / OVER 80% SOLD / NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION 2 Bedrooms, 3 Bedrooms and 4 Bedrooms Available / 954.719.5620
ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THIS BROCHURE AND TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE.
120 30
2016 JAMES BEARD AWARDS
54 THE FRENCH CHEESEMONGERS OF MONS FROMAGERIE
38 GEORGE LOPEZ I got into stand-up because I didn’t want to be nobody
40 TRACY MORGAN How I’m picking up the pieces
42 STEVEN TYLER AND HIS LOVING MARY BACKING BAND
56 MONGER VS. MONGER 2016 Cheesemonger Invitational winners
58 A GLASS FULL OF MIRACLES Grgich Hills Estate Winery
62 FOOD BYTES 3D food printing
64 TAKING THE KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL
45 MOONSHINE OVER MANHATTAN
46 SMOOTH OPERATOR The Jon Saxx experience
48 SIP THE ALLURE OF ALLAIRE
50 WEST LOOP SALUMI Not your father’s cold cuts
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Fall 2016
67 SELLING BOTERO Art dealer Felipe Grimberg on Botero fine art
70 FLAGS OF VALOR Combat veteran Brian Steort’s remarkable artistic business for patriots
O P E N SE V E N DAYS A W E E K NE W LUNCH ME NU O N SAT URDAYS
#K U R O HAR D R O C K HOLLYWOOD, FL · SEMINOLEHARDROCK H O LLYWO O D. CO M · 954- 5 85 - 5 3 3 3
128 141 features (continued)
128 SPELLBINDING MARINE BEINGS IN BONAIRE
132 HOW BIOELECTRONIC MEDICINE 76 ADOBE ARTIST CHALLENGE
COULD SUPERSEDE MEDICATION
Re-creating Lost Masterpieces
134 ELECTRIC BLOSSOM 87 THAT’S SO TULLE 90 COURAGEOUS SELF-EXPRESSION OF REFLECTIONIST LEA FISHER
94 A HUMANISTIC REVIVAL IN LATIN-AMERICAN ART
Oscar Carvallo’s fabulously theatrical fall collection
140 TURNING THE BIG 9-0 The iconic Brazilian Court Palm Beach
144 MY BABUSHKA, MY HERO The little-told story of atrocities endured in Ukrainian villages during WWII
106 CONDUCTING BLUE CHIPS AT THE OPERA
112 EVERY STEP SHE TAKES Perla Lichi’s grand stairways
116 LIVING ONE NIGHT AS A VENETIAN ARISTOCRAT
120 FROM THAILAND WITH LOVE What to see, do and eat
124 BONAIRE & COUSTEAU Preserving the Caribbean’s soul
departments Editor’s Letter
20
Gadgets
22
Art Across America
24
Social Living
25
Entertainment Calendar
26
Broadway Across America
28
National Dining Guide
32-35
Dishing With The James Beard Foundation President Fine Art Conservation
105
Landscape Literature
108
Women’s/Men’s Grooming
139
PhilanthropyAudrey Gruss & Joe Namath Condo Law 18
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Fall 2016
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148, 149 152
WELCOME TO
A
uberge is truly a treasured destination, located directly on the white sand beach of the Atlantic and offering an unparalleled standard in luxury living. From sunrise to sunset, Auberge offers the best in premium beachfront living. Spend mornings pampered at our state-of-the-art spa and fitness center, mid-day lounging in poolside perfection and evenings enjoying delicious bites at our James Beard award-winning restaurants. EXCEPTIONAL BUYING OPPORTUNITIES NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE SOUTH TOWER North Tower over 90% sold. 2200 North Ocean Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305
(954) 908-2085
AubergeBeach.com
Oral representations cannot be relied upon as correctly stating representations of the developer. For correct representations, make reference to this brochure and the documents required by Section 718.503, Florida Statutes, to be furnished by a developer to a buyer or lessee. This Condominium is developed by PRH FAIRWINDS, LLC (“Developer”) and this offering is made only by the Developer’s Prospectus for the Condominium. Developer, has a licensed right to use the trade names, marks, and logos of: The Related Group, Fortune International Group, The Fairwinds Group, and Auberge Resorts, LLC. Auberge Resorts LLC and its affiliates (the “Auberge Group”) are not related to, affiliated or associated with, or a partner in the business of the Developer. No representation, warranty or guarantee is made or implied by the Auberge Group with respect to any statement or information made or provided about the Condominium. Neither the Auberge Group, nor any of its directors, officers, employees, or agents has or will have any responsibility or liability arising out of, or related to, this publication or the transactions contemplated by this publication, including any liability or responsibility for any statement or information made or contained in this publication. Auberge® is the registered trademark of Auberge Resorts, LLC and used by license agreement. In the event the Auberge® license should lapse, this Condominium and any hotel affiliated with this Condominium will not be permitted to use the name Auberge®. The managing entities, hotels, brands, artwork, designers, contributing artists, interior designers, fitness facilities, amenities, services, and restaurants proposed are subject to change at the Developer’s discretion. The Developer is not incorporated in, located in, nor a resident of, New York. This is not intended to be an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, condominium units in New York or to residents of New York, or any other jurisdiction where prohibited by law. Any art depicted may be exchanged for comparable art at the Developer’s discretion. Consult the Prospectus for all terms, conditions, specifications, and Unit dimensions. Reproduction for private or commercial use is not authorized. 2016 ® PRH FAIRWINDS, LLC, unless otherwise noted, with all rights reserved.
HORIZON
editor’s letter
EARTHQUAKES & ELECTIONS
PUBLISHING EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER & OWNER Geoff Hammond, CEO Jayne Hammond, President
American electorate on both sides of the aisle would agree on one thing: The 2016 election year has rolled out not unlike the tumultuous nature of an earthquake. You laugh? Consider this: In 1981, UCLA seismologist and mathematical geophysicist Vladimir Borok phoned American University History Professor Allan Lichtman and asked him to collaborate – get this – on taking his model designed for predicting earthquakes months in advance and applying it to predicting U.S. presidential elections.
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER David Hammond EDITOR IN CHIEF Robin Jay editor@southfloridaopulence.com
Together, the men studied presidential election results dating back to 1860 and identified 13 key factors that apply to all of them. Interestingly, the 13 keys have nothing to do with data from polls, campaigns, fundraising, mudslinging advertising, media pundits, speeches or debates. “The Keys to the White House is a historically based prediction system that has forecast correctly the popular vote results of every American presidential election from 1984 to 2012,” said Lichtman, author of ‘Predicting The Next President: The Keys To The White House.’ “The system is based on the realization that presidential elections are primarily referenda on the performance of the party holding the White House. Using the Keys system, I have usually been able to predict election results years ahead of time; in 2005 for 2008 and in 2010 for 2012. However, this year presents a steep forecasting challenge because of the unprecedented character of the Donald Trump campaign.” Answers to the 13 Keys identify the performance of the incumbent administration during the previous four years…”as measured by the consequential events and episodes of a term — economic boom and bust, foreign policy successes and failures, social unrest, scandal, and policy innovation.” The keys include four political questions, seven performance questions and two personality questions. “When five or fewer statements are false, the incumbent party is predicted to win; when six or more are false, the challenging party is predicted to win,” Lichtman said. Skeptical? Answer the following 13 True/False questions and see if you can accurately predict the winner of the November 2016 election: 1. After the midterm elections, the incumbent party holds more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives than after the previous midterm elections. 2. There is no serious contest for the incumbent party nomination. 3. The incumbent party candidate is the sitting president. 4. There is no significant third party or independent campaign. 5. The economy is not in recession during the election campaign. 6. Real per capita economic growth during the term equals or exceeds mean growth during the previous two terms. 7. The incumbent administration effects major changes in national policy. 8. There is no sustained social unrest during the term. 9. The incumbent administration is untainted by major scandal. 10. The incumbent administration suffers no major failure in foreign or military affairs. 11. The incumbent administration achieves a major success in foreign or military affairs. 12. The incumbent party candidate is charismatic or a national hero. 13. The challenging party candidate is not charismatic or a national hero.
True or False True or False True or False True or False True or False True or False True or False True or False True or False True or False True or False True or False True or False
As of press time, Lichtman has not yet announced his prediction for this year’s presidential run, citing the unprecedented uncertainties of this most unusual election. As for me, I’ll do my own math. But I will say this: If you are an American, exercise your patriotic duty – go vote! Robin Jay Editor in Chief
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SENIOR CREATIVE ART DIRECTOR Adriana Naylor artdirector@southfloridaopulence.com 954-331-3912 PR AND MARKETING MANAGER Chantal Forster marketingmanager@southfloridaopulence.com 954-331-3390 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT Michael Jay michaeljay@southfloridaopulence.com 954-593-5060 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: John D. Adams Samuel Adams Carol Antman Stephanie Bonilla Jana Soeldner Danger Mike Grgich Michael L. Hyman Steven Joseph Dale King & Julia Hebert Gordon Lewis Mel Jay Kristen Mager
Tracy Morgan Ava Roosevelt Todd R. Sciore John Sevigny Brian Steorts Suzanne Stewart Clifton Thuma Susan Ungaro Carleton Varney Kelly Villasuso Beth Watson Mary & Hugh Williamson Gina Woods
COVER ARTIST Mike Campau PHOTOGRAPHERS Douglas Lance Silvia Pangaro Raul Villasuso Beth Watson PROOFREADER Suzanne Shaw GENERAL COUNSEL Barry Weiss bweiss@csiinternational.com South Florida Opulence Magazine is published quarterly by Horizon Publishing LLC. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved. Horizon Publishing LLC, 6700 North Andrews Avenue, Suite 400, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 – Vol. 6, No. 3, Fall 2016 (ISSN # 2157-5274) Subscription Rates: $40 per year, $10 per issue. For subscription inquiries or change of address, contact the subscription department, (954) 308-4300 Ext. 4312, Fax: (954) 331-6028. Horizon Publishing, LLC, its affiliates and contributing writers have exercised due care in compiling the information contained herein, but with the possibility of human or mechanical error, cannot assume liability for the accuracy of this data. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in part or in full in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording and any information storage and retrieval system without first obtaining permission from the publisher.
Gadgets
INSTANT MINI PHOTO PRINTING CAMERA
This point-and-shoot camera instantly prints wallet-sized photographs. www.hammacher.com $119
STEWART GOLF X9 FOLLOW
The X9 Follow is the latest generation of the multi-award winning X-Series from Stewart Golf. Originally launched in 2003 as the X1 Remote, the X-Series is recognised as one of the world’s finest remote controlled machines. www.stewartgolf.com £1,499.00
THE INSPIRATION ARCHIPOD
This spherical pod creates an environment conducive for creative working with an interior that conveys a sense of space that belies its compact external dimensions. The frame is constructed from timber and clad with Western Red Cedar shingles. The walls are double insulated, plastered, and painted, resulting in a seamless 12 1/2' diameter x 8 1/4' high interior space with no visible joints. www.hammacher.com $40,000
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TESLA WATCH
The Tesla Watch goes with your steampunk aesthetic. With a weatheredbrass look, leather strap and two faux vacuum tubes with red LEDs inside, everybody will ask you the time so they can see your watch. Just remember to follow the answer with, “... 1875.” www.thinkgeek.com $69.99
ART ACROSS AMERICA
CHICAGO THE NEW CONTEMPORARY Ongoing
Art Institute of Chicago 111 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60603-6404 (312) 443-3600
WASHINGTON NEW YORK CITY DC FRENCH GALLERIES Ongoing
National Gallery of Art
4th and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20565 (202) 737-4215 Iconic contemporary masterpieces by artists http://www.nga.gov such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Exhibit Description: View classics Monet, Jasper Johns are among the 44 new works Manet, Renoir, Rousseu, Van Gogh, that transform the presentation of our Courbet, Cassat, Gauguin and many contemporary collection. www.artic.edu more classic impressionists.
Andy Warhol. Liz #3 [Early Colored Liz], 1963. The Stefan T. Edlis Collection, Partial and Promised Gift to the Art Institute of Chicago. © 2015 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc./Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Ongoing Smart Museum of Art 5550 S Greenwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60637 (773) 702-0200 smartmuseum.uchicago.edu The Asian collection encompasses a rich variety of forms, materials, functions, and subjects, ranging from millennia-old ritual bronzes to contemporary photography.
Gandharan (present day Afghanistan and Pakistan), Swat or Buner, Kneeling and Seated Mourners, Circa 3rd to 4th century, Carved gray-green schist bas (low)-relief. Gift of Lewis and Susan Manilow, 1999.87. (NY City Continued)
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Fall 2016
POP, MINIMAL, AND FIGURATIVE ART
THE OLD BALL GAME: NEW YORK BASEBALL 1887-1977
Ongoing
Ongoing
151 Third Street San Francisco, CA 94103 415.357.4000 www.sfmoma.org This exhibition of works from the 1960s and beyond features American Pop and Minimal artists, as well as the work of key figures exploring the human form as subject.
THE MET FIFTH AVENUE 945 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10021 (212) 731-1675 www.metmuseum.org This exhibition features 400 baseball cards dating from 1887—when the Dodgers were called the Bridegrooms, the Giants were known as the Gothams, and the Yankees didn’t yet exist—to 1977, when the Mets had replaced the Dodgers and Giants as New York’s primary National League team.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Roy Lichtenstein, Figures with Sunset, 1978: The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; (C) Estate of Roy Lichtenstein; photo: Katherine Du Tiel
PAUL GAUGUIN SELF-PORTRAIT 1889 Oil on wood Painting 79.2 x 51.3 cm (31 3/16 x 20 3/16 in.) Credit: Chester Dale Collection
ASIAN ART
JANIS KANTER AND THOMAS MCCORMICK GALLERY
CALIFORNIA
CONNECTIONS: CONTEMPORARY CRAFT AT THE RENWICH GALLERY Ongoing
Smithsonian American Art Museum Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W., New York City “Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery” includes iconic favorites alongside new acquisitions that will be displayed at the museum for the first time.
Erik Demaine Martin Demaine, Green Balance, 2011, Smithsonian American Art Museum. Mi-Teintes watercolor paper, 15 × 10 × 16 in., Gift of the artists in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 2011.54.3 © 2011, Erik and Martin Demaine through the Howard Kottler Endowment for Ceramic Art © 2014, Steven Young Lee
Lindner, Eddy & Claus, American, New York Allen & Ginter, American, Richmond, Virginia. William Ewing, Catcher, New York, from World's Champions, Second Series (N43) for Allen & Ginter Cigarette. Baseball card,1888. Commercial lithograph Sheet: 2 15/16 x 3 1/4 in. (7.4 x 8.3 cm) The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick (63.350.202.43.12)
GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION Ongoing
SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM 1071 5th Avenue, New York City, NY 10128 (212) 462-0085 www.guggenheim.org In gallery space newly devoted to the permanent collection, the Guggenheim is showcasing its rich holdings of early modernism. Featuring works by such artists as Constantin Brancusi, Marc Chagall, Vasily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Joan Miró, and Piet Mondrian. Marc Chagall, The Flying Carriage, 1913. Oil on canvas, 42 x 47 1/4 inches (106.7 x 120.1 cm), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection. © 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
GAETANO PESCE: MOLDS (GELATI MISTI) SEPT 3 – NOV 27, 2016
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles 250 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 General Information: 213/626-6222 http://www.moca.org Gaetano Pesce: Molds present a selection of cast-resin objects made by internationally lauded Italian artist Gaetano Pesce, organized by MOCA Senior Curator Bennett Simpson.
Gaetano Pesce, Vase with Hair, 2015, polyurethane resin, 11 x 13 3/8 x 12 3/16 in. (28 x 34 x 31 cm), courtesy of Gaetano Pesce, New York, photo by Sebastian Piras
OPULENCE SUMMER LAUNCH PARTY Wednesday, June 15, VIP guests were invited to our summer launch party held at the exclusive Miami Supercar Rooms. Guests enjoyed canapés matched with wine selections provided by Big Chef, opulent signature cocktails with spirits sponsored by Allaire, craft beers sponsored by Khoffner Brewery USA and fine cigars by Gurkha Cigars.
Fall 2016
Opulence
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Upcoming Events In Florida OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
25-26
11
ADELE
American Airlines Arena Adele will return to North America for her first tour in five years. Adele will be performing live in Miami for two concerts. www.aaarena.com
CHRIS YOUNG WITH DUSTIN LYNCH & CASSADEE POPE
Hard Rock Live
www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com
NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER
18
MARC ANTHONY LIVE
American Airlines Arena
Marc Anthony is one of the most influential performing tropical salsa artists of his time, and an ambassador of Latin music and culture at a global level. www.aaarena.com
19
CARRIE UNDERWOOD THE STORYTELLER TOUR
BB&T Center
Seven-time Grammy winner and ACM Female Vocalist of the Year nominee Carrie Underwood is extending The Storyteller Tour- Stories in the Round and making a stop at BB&T Center on November 17. www.thebbtcenter.com
OCTOBER
26
TONI BRAXTON
Hard Rock Live www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com
LADIES NIGHT
Legends Lounge
Every Thursday beginning January 2016. Enjoy champagne specials, live entertainment and luxury brand giveaways.
DECEMBER
1- 4
Art|Basel ART BASEL'S 15TH EDITION IN MIAMI BEACH
Miami Beach Convention Center
Art Basel 2016 comprises 269 leading international galleries, drawn from 29 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Exhibitors will present works of art by Modern and Contemporary artists. For venue details visit: www.artbasel.com/miami-beach
吀䠀䔀 䌀夀匀吀䤀䌀 䘀䤀䈀刀伀匀䤀匀 䘀伀唀一䐀䄀吀䤀伀一
䈀氀甀攀 圀愀瘀攀
匀甀椀琀攀 倀愀爀琀礀℀ Nanzuka, Keiichi Tanaami, Dazzling City, 2016
WINE DOWN WEDNESDAYS
䈀䈀☀吀Ⰰ 䌀攀渀琀攀爀ⴀ 倀愀渀琀栀攀爀 倀欀眀礀Ⰰ 匀甀渀爀椀猀攀 䘀䰀 ㌀㌀㌀㈀㌀ 䄀 䌀伀倀夀 伀䘀 吀䠀䔀 伀䘀䘀䤀䌀䤀䄀䰀 刀䔀䜀䤀匀吀刀䄀吀䤀伀一 ⠀⌀䌀䠀㤀㔀㘀⤀ 䄀一䐀 䘀䤀一䄀一䌀䤀䄀䰀 䤀一䘀伀刀䴀䄀吀䤀伀一 䴀䄀夀 䈀䔀 伀䈀吀䄀䤀一䔀䐀 䘀刀伀䴀 吀䠀䔀 䐀䤀嘀䤀匀䤀伀一 伀䘀 䌀伀一匀唀䴀䔀刀 匀䔀刀嘀䤀䌀䔀匀 䈀夀 䌀䄀䰀䰀䤀一䜀 吀伀䰀䰀ⴀ䘀刀䔀䔀 ⴀ㠀 ⴀ㐀㌀㔀ⴀ㜀㌀㔀㈀ 圀䤀吀䠀䤀一 吀䠀䔀 匀吀䄀吀䔀⸀ 刀䔀䜀䤀匀吀刀䄀吀䤀伀一 䐀伀䔀匀 一伀吀 䤀䴀倀䰀夀 䔀一䐀伀刀匀䔀䴀䔀一吀Ⰰ 䄀倀倀刀伀嘀䄀䰀 伀刀 刀䔀䌀伀䴀䴀䔀一䐀䄀吀䤀伀一 䈀夀 吀䠀䔀 匀吀䄀吀䔀⸀ 吀䠀䔀 䌀夀匀吀䤀䌀 䘀䤀ⴀ 䈀刀伀匀䤀匀 䘀伀唀一䐀䄀吀䤀伀一 䠀䄀匀 一伀吀 刀䔀吀䄀䤀一䔀䐀 䄀 倀刀伀䘀䔀匀匀䤀伀一䄀䰀 匀伀䰀䤀䌀䤀吀伀刀⸀ ─ 伀䘀 䔀䄀䌀䠀 䌀伀一吀刀䤀䈀唀吀䤀伀一 䤀匀 刀䔀䌀䔀䤀嘀䔀䐀 䈀夀 䌀䘀䘀⸀
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OPULENCE
Fall 2016
Sorrisi Every Wednesday. All night at Sorrisi Wine Bar. Enjoy specially-priced small bites paired with fine wines.
FEBRUARY 22-26, 2017 FEATURING: VALERIE BERTINELLI GUY FIERI BOBBY FLAY DUFF GOLDMAN
ALEX GUARNASCHELLI ROBERT IRVINE EMERIL LAGASSE RACHAEL RAY
MICHAEL SYMON TIFFANI THIESSEN ANDREW ZIMMERN & MANY MORE
TICKETS ON SALE IN OCTOBER SOBEFEST.COM | 877.762.3933
TITLE
HOSTED BY & BENEFITING
HOST HOTEL
PREMIER
OFFICIAL AIRLINE
Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management
PLATINUM
GOLD
DIAMOND
SILVER
SPECIAL THANKS
Confirmed sponsors as of August 2016
Broadway 2016/17 Season
CHICAGO CADILLAC PALACE THEATRE, NOV. 9-13, 2016
MIAMI
SAN JOSE, CA
MIAMI
SAN JOSE CENTER, JAN. 6-8, 2017
ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER DEC. 27, 2016-JAN. 01, 2017
WEST PALM BEACH
NEW YORK CITY
KRAVIS CENTER, MARCH 2, 2017
THE PALACE THEATRE ONGOING
WEST PALM BEACH KRAVIS CENTER DEC. 6-11, 2016
ELMIRA, NY CLEMENS CENTER FEB. 21-22, 2017
FORT LAUDERDALE BROWARD CENTER JAN. 10-22, 2017
PEORIA, IL PEORIA CIVIC CENTER JAN.18-19, 2017
ASTOR PLACE THEATRE, ONGOING
ORIENTAL THEATRE DEC. 4-31, 2017
CHICAGO
MIAMI
BRIAR STREET THEATER, THROUGH DEC. 24, 2016
ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER, FEB. 14-19, 2017
MIAMI,
NEW YORK
ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER, JANUARY 1, 2017
STEVEN SONDHEIM THEATRE ONGOING
SCHENECTADY NY PROCTORS MAY 9-14, 2017
SAN JOSE, CA CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS JUNE 6-11, 2017
WASHINGTON, DC EISENHOWER THEATER JULY 11-AUG. 6, 2017
WEST PALM BEACH KRAVIS CENTER FEB. 1-5, 2017
MIAMI
BAKERSFIELD, CA RABOBANK ARENA THEATER MAY 18, 2017
NEW YORK
CHICAGO
ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER, MARCH 3-5, 2017
CHICAGO THE ORIENTAL THEATER DEC. 6-24, 2016
NEW YORK CITY ETHEL BARRYMORE THEATRE ONGOING
SAN FRANCISCO THE GOLDEN GATE, JUNE 27 - JULY 23, 2017
WEST PALM BEACH
ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER NOV. 29 – DEC. 4, 2016
CHICAGO
WEST PALM BEACH
PRIVATE BANK THEATRE SEPT. 27 2016-MARCH 19, 2017
KRAVIS CENTER JAN. 3, 2017- JAN. 8, 2017
SCHENECTADY, NY PROCTORS NOV. 8 2016-NOV. 13, 2016
NEW YORK
CHICAGO CADILLAC PALACE THEATRE NOV. 22-DEC. 4, 2016
THOUSAND OAKS, CA KAVLI THEATRE FEB. 2, 2017-FEB. 5, 2017
FORT LAUDERDALE
KRAVIS CENTER NOV. 15-20, 2016
BROWARD CENTER JUNE 13, 2017
WASHINGTON DC
SAN FRANCISCO SHN JAN. 18-FEB. 12, 2017
KENNEDY CENTER OCTOBER 5-23, 2016
RICHARD RODGERS THEATRE ONGOING
SAN FRANCISCO SHN ORPHEUM THEATRE STARTING MARCH 17, 2017
WASHINGTON, DC KENNEDY CENTER MID-JUNE TO MID-SEPTEMBER 2018
FORT LAUDERDALE BROWARD CENTER APRIL 25-MAY 7, 2017
CHICAGO ORIENTAL THEATRE JUNE 14-JULY 9, 2017
BINGHAMTON NY, FORUM THEATER APRIL 18-19, 2017
MIAMI ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER OCT. 11-16, 2016 MODESTO, CA
SAN DIEGO
ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER MAY 9-14, 2017
MIAMI
SAN FRANCISCO
ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER APRIL 4-9, 2017
GALLO CENTER JAN. 24-25, 2017
FORT LAUDERDALE BROWARD CENTER FEB. 22-MARCH 5, 2017
NEW YORK CITY LUNT-FONTANNE THEATRE ONGOING
Opulence
Fall 2016
FORT LAUDERDALE
SHN NOV. 15-DEC. 11, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC KENNEDY CENTER JULY 11-16, 2017
BROWARD CENTER MAY 19-21, 2017
BALTIMORE, MD HIPPODROME JAN. 13-15, 2017
FORT LAUDERDALE BROWARD CENTER OCT. 7-9, 2016
FORT LAUDERDALE
SAN DIEGO CIVIC THEATRE JAN. 10-15, 2017
WASHINGTON, DC NATIONAL THEATRE JUNE 24-25, 2017
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SAN DIEGO CIVIC THEATRE JAN. 31-FEB. 5, 2017
MIAMI
CIVIC THEATRE MAY 9-14 2017
CHICAGO CADILLAC PALACE THEATRE 12/14/16 - 1/8/17
WEST PALM BEACH KRAVIS CENTER 3/23/17 - 4/1/17
BROWARD CENTER MARCH 21-APRIL 2, 2017
NEW YORK CITY ST. JAMES THEATRE ONGOING
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THE 2016
JAMES BEARD AWARD GOES TO...
Opulence Magazine is a proud member of the James Beard Foundation (JBF), which has a mission to celebrate, nurture and honor America’s diverse culinary heritage. For culinary professionals in the United States, receiving a coveted nomination
or award from the James Beard Foundation is the gastronomic equivalent of earning an Academy Award. Here we share our regional dining recommendations among 2016 JBF award winners and nominees, as well as a few nods to previous year.
OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT ALINEA, CHICAGO
Chef Grant Achatz draws foodies with New American tasting menus featuring highly creative plates. 1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL (312) 867-0110
Chef Grant Achatz (third from right) with Alinea staff
OUTSTANDING CHEF: SUZANNE GOIN LUCQUES, LOS ANGELES
Set in a refined carriage house, this acclaimed restaurant serves market-driven Californian cuisine. 8474 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA (323) 655-6277 Chef Suzanne Goin
OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF: DAHLIA NARVAEZ OSTERIA MOZZA, LOS ANGELES
Lauded upscale Italian cuisine from chefs Nancy Silverton & Mario Batali in a bustling atmosphere. 6602 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA (323) 297-0100
Chef Dahlia Narvaez 30
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GUIDE
BEST NEW RESTAURANT: SHAYA NEW ORLEANS
Chef Alon Shaya’s modern Israeli fare is served in a bright blue-andwhite space with a back patio. 4213 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA (504) 891-4231 Chef Alon Shaya
RISING STAR CHEF: DANIELA SOTO-INNES COSME, NYC
Mexican share plates made with local ingredients & tequila & mezcal in sleek digs with a big bar. 35 E 21st St, New York, NY (212) 913-9659
OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR: KEN FRIEDMAN THE SPOTTED PIG
No-reservations Village eatery drawing throngs for European-inspired meals & celebrity sightings. 314 W 11th St, New York, NY 10014 (212) 620-0393
PHOTO: HUGE GALDONES
Chef Daniela Soto-Innes
THE BRESLIN
TOSCA CAFÉ, NYC
Contemporary British pub food via chef April Bloomfield is served at this hip spot in the Ace Hotel. 16 W 29th St, New York, NY (212) 679-1939
Straightforward Italian eats are combined with sushi at this large, loungey eatery with a roofdeck. 4038 E Tremont Ave, Bronx, NY (718) 239-3300
JBF GALA HEADSHOTS BY HUGE GALDONES
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DINING
GUIDE FLORIDA A. ALTER RESTAURANT & BAR JBF Award Nomination 2016: Best New Restaurant Semifinalist AND Rising Star Chef Of The Year Semifinalist Bradley Kilgore 223 NW 23rd Street, Miami, FL (305) 573-5996 Refined New American fare served up in a spare, industrial setting with an open kitchen and a garden.
B. BERN’S STEAKHOUSE A
JBF Award Winner 2016: Outstanding Wine Program 2016 1208 S Howard Ave., Tampa, FL (813) 251-2421 Perfectly aged steaks. The largest wine collection in the world. An internationally famous dessert room.
B
C. THE ST. REGIS BAL HARBOUR RESORT
JBF Award 2016: Outstanding Pastry Chef Semifinalist Antonio Bachour 9703 Collins Ave, Bal Harbour, FL (305) 993-3300
C
NEW YORK D. BARBUTO
D D
JBF Award 2016: Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs), Jonathan Waxman 775 Washington St, New York, NY (212) 924-9700 The roast chicken is renowned at this chic Italian eatery where the walls open up in warm weather.
E
E. MAISON PREMIERE JBF Award 2016: Outstanding Bar Program 298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY (347) 335-0446 Oysters, cocktails & small plates in a New Orleans-styled setting with an atmospheric garden.
F. FISH & GAME
F
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JBF Award 2016: Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT), Zak Pelaccio 13 S 3rd St, Hudson, NY (518) 822-1500 Former blacksmith’s shop-turned-eatery serving a seasonal menu of farm-to-table New American fare.
DINING
GUIDE NEW YORK G. BROOKS’ HOUSE OF BBQ JBF Award 2016: America’s Classics 5560 State Highway 7, Oneonta, NY (607) 432-1782 Welcoming, long-running BBQ joint prepping its celebrated chicken in a giant indoor charcoal pit.
G
H
H. LOCANDA VERDE
JBF Award 2016: Outstanding Chef Semifinalist Andrew Carmellini 377 Greenwich St, New York, NY (212) 925-3797 TriBeca hot spot showcasing rustic Italian cuisine in a lively atmosphere.
WASHINGTON, D.C. I. ROSE’S LUXURY
JBF Award 2016: Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA), Aaron Silverman 717 8th St SE, Washington, DC (202) 580-8889 Eclectic New American tapas menu crafted in a cozy, converted townhouse with an upstairs lounge.
I J
J. THE DABNEY
JBF Award 2016: Best New Restaurant Semifinalist 122 Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC (202) 450-1015 Chef Jeremiah Langhorne serves Mid-Atlantic cuisine at this rustic spot set in a former row house.
CHICAGO
K L
K. GRACE
JBF Award 2016: Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH), Curtis Duffy 652 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL (312) 234-9494 Modern business-casual dinner spot featuring New American tasting menus (wine pairings available).
L. 42 GRAMS
JBF Award 2016: Best Chef: Great Lakes Semifinalist Jake Bickelhaupt 4662 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL Reservations only: www.42gramschicago.com High-end BYO eatery with New American tasting menus served at a communal table & a chef’s counter.
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DINING
GUIDE CHICAGO M. THE BLANCHARD
JBF Award 2016: Best New Restaurant Semifinalist 1935 N Lincoln Park W, Chicago, IL (872) 829-3971 Upscale choice for contemporary French cuisine served in sophisticated environs with a patio.
M
N
O
N. INTRO CHICAGO
JBF Award 2016: Best New Restaurant Semifinalist 2300 N Lincoln Park W, Chicago, IL (773) 868-0002 Upscale à la carte American cuisine by chef Stephen Gillanders in classy digs with reservations.
O. SPIAGGIA
JBF Award 2016: Outstanding Chef Semifinalist Tony Mantuano 980 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL (312) 280-2750 Longtime Chicago institution serving Tony Mantuano’s upscale Italian meals in a refined setting.
P. NEXT
P
JBF Award 2016: Rising Star Chef Of The Year Semifinalist Jenner Tomaska 953 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL (312) 226-0858 High-end foodie destination known for Grant Achatz’s themed tasting menus & inventive presentations.
CALIFORNIA Q. ANIMAL
Q
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JBF Award 2016: Best Chef: West (CA, HI, NV), Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo 435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA (323) 782-9225 Trendy, minimalist New American restaurant celebrated for its offal specialties & other meat plates.
DINING
GUIDE R. BRACERO COCINA DE RAĂ?Z
JBF Award 2016: Best New Restaurant Semifinalist 1490 Kettner Blvd., San Diego, CA (619) 756-7864 Modern-rustic destination for refined Mexcan cooking, cocktails, craft beer & wine.
S. CALA
R
JBF Award: Best New Restaurant Semifinalist 2016 149 Fell St, San Francisco, CA (415) 660-7701 High-end Mexican cuisine, seafood & cocktails in bustling, rustic-chic quarters with big windows.
T
T. CASSIA
JBF Award 2016: Best New Restaurant Semifinalist 1314 7th St, Santa Monica, CA (310) 393-6699 Casually cool spot for upscale French-Asian fare & seafood served indoors or on the cozy patio.
NEVADA
S
U
U. BARDOT BRASSERIE
JBF Award: Best New Restaurant Semifinalist 2016 ARIA Resort & Casino 3730 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV (702) 590-7757
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dishing with the James Beard Foundation President
“WILL TRAVEL FOR FOOD”
BY SUSAN UNGARO
This inextricable link between travel and food inspires our national food tour, Taste America, which is entering its fourth consecutive year of bringing our Foundation around the country to shine a spotlight on some of our nation’s most dynamic food cities.
Susan Ungaro “Travel is an important part of my food life,” wrote James Beard in the introduction to one of our favorites of his many books, Beard on Food. I think many of us can relate to his sentiments when planning our vacations. In fact, whenever Beard traveled to a new city, the first places he visited were the food markets and local restaurants; not the museums and cathedrals. After all, what better way to experience a new place than through the cuisine or a dish in the place where it originated—and what better way to experience a city than to taste the best regional dishes from the best local chefs?
This year our honoree All-Star chef is multiple James Beard Award winner Tom Colicchio, who joined us at the James Beard House in New York City a few weeks ago to kick off the festivities for 2016, and from September 22 through November 5, we’ll be traveling to Boston; Charleston, SC; Chicago; Kansas City, MO; Los Angeles; New Orleans; Phoenix; Portland, OR; Twin Cities, MN; and San Francisco, with a team of AllStar chefs that includes Dan Barber, John Besh, Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, Jose Garces, Alex Guarnaschelli, Stephanie Izard, Gavin Kaysen, Anita Lo, and Missy Robbins. These chefs will be traveling around the country, and each will be paired with a local chef in one of our Taste America cities. In each city, we will also be hosting free cooking demonstrations and Q&A sessions with many of these chefs at select Sur La
Table stores in those cities. Sur La Table will also hold cooking classes featuring recipes from the James Beard Foundation’s cookbook, James Beard’s All-American Eats, at select stores on the tour. We’re so excited to be taking the James Beard House dining experience on the road again this year with such an incredibly talented group of chefs. I hope you’ll join us in a city near you! You can find out more about our events, including a full roster of participating chefs, at jbftasteamerica.org.
THE JBF RESTAURANT FINDER Even if you can’t make it to one of our Taste America events this year, we’ve made it easier to find great restaurants whenever you travel. One of the first things I do when I go to a city is look up who all of the James Beard Award winners, nominees, and semifinalists are so I can visit as many of them as I can. I am thrilled that this information is now all in one place on our website so that anyone can do the same. Be sure to check out jamesbeard.org/restaurant-finder the next time you’re planning a trip!
JAMES BEARD’S SICILIAN-STYLE TOMATOES As James Beard Foundation members know, as summer turns into fall, I look forward to eating tomatoes from my husband’s garden. While I love a simple tomato salad, I also love looking to James Beard’s books for different ideas about what to do with the tomatoes. In the headnote for this recipe, he writes that these tomatoes gently cooked with fresh herbs and spices are “unusually good,” and I have to agree. 6 firm, ripe tomatoes 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup olive oil ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper ½ teaspoon allspice
Remove the tops of the tomatoes and rub the tomatoes with salt. Lightly squeeze the tomatoes to loosen the pulp, then put them, cut-side-down, onto paper towels.
Recipe adapted from James Beard’s American Cookery. Find more recipes at jamesbeard.org.
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Pulse the oil, parsley, basil, garlic, cinnamon, pepper, and allspice in a blender or food processor to combine. Pour the mixture into a heavy skillet. Place the tomatoes, cut-side-down, into the mixture, and simmer over medium-low heat until cooked through but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Right the tomatoes and spoon the pan juices over them to serve.
The Art of Comedy
GEORGE LOPEZ: I GOT INTO STAND-UP BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT TO BE NOBODY BY STEVEN JOSEPH
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he comedy world is filled with rags-to-riches success stories. I guess growing up rich doesn’t make you very funny. Comedian George Lopez is just one of many performers out there who rose from inauspicious beginnings to snag a share of the limelight on his journey from local comedy clubs, to the silver screen, to talk-show host, sitcom star, and one of the most recognized voices in the entertainment industry. George first got into stand-up comedy as a teenager, describing his entrance as ‘primitive’ compared to today’s rising stars who gain notoriety with YouTube videos and other technological advances he didn’t have. “You had to go to a club, sign up, wait in line, do horribly, come back the next week, do horribly again. You had to do horribly for like three years and then finally find some light,” Lopez told Opulence. The funny man never lost hope and, eventually, found success. “I had no idea if there was anything good on the other side of this [grueling comedy club process], but I kept coming back.”
HELP FROM MY PAL ERNIE AND ACTRESS SANDRA BULLOCK George’s best friend growing up, Ernie, with whom he is still in touch, convinced George that he could do it. “We spent a year writing material, and right as I was graduating, I went and performed it at the Comedy Store in Westwood (California) that’s now an Italian restaurant.” And the rest is history. Lopez worked hard on the stand-up circuit, appearing for two decades without ever really crossing into other mediums. Despite two small bit roles in feature films in the early ’90s, George remained a live performer until a big break in 2000. Unbeknownst to him, superstar actress Sandra Bullock was a fan and started lobbying Lopez’s representatives to set up a meeting. Eventually the pair landed a meeting with Bruce Helford, co-creator of the Drew Carey Show. Lopez admits he didn’t think the meeting would lead to anything, “Bruce took the meeting to meet Sandra… and then he met me.” Suddenly there was a lot more pressure at George’s shows. “You can’t do bad when Bruce comes to see you. So one night, Sandra comes, Bruce comes, the head of the studio comes, and the president of the network comes. I did 20 minutes, and 17 minutes in I was killing them. I thought, ‘If they don’t buy my show now, I’m never gonna get it.’” The next day, George flew to Houston, and as he got into his Towncar, he received the call that changed his life. Lopez recalled, “Bruce calls and he said, ‘Are you sitting down?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m sitting down, I’m in a car,’ and Bruce said, ‘Well you got a television show. Be happy.’ So I had no one to share the news with. I had to tell the driver, I said, ‘Hey man, I just got a television show’ and he looked at me in the rearview mirror and he didn’t say a word. I had to share it with a Towncar driver who didn’t even have the respect to say, ‘Good luck.’”
GEORGE HITS THE BIG TIME No doubt the Towncar driver regretted his silent disbelief when he saw the TV show, ‘George Lopez,’ which ran from 2002 through
2007 on ABC and made George a household name. From there, Lopez propelled himself to hosting ‘Lopez Tonight’ on TBS for a short while and also lent his distinctive voice to the film series Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Rio. He also co-wrote his biography, ‘Why You Crying?’ with journalist Armen Keteyian. When asked to read for the audio book, however, Lopez found that was one role that was just too difficult. “I got one hour into it, and I couldn’t stop crying. You know it’s one thing to live your life, but it’s a whole other thing to read it. I just couldn’t believe the stuff I’d been through,” Lopez said.
A HARD KNOCKS LIFE – AND LOVING EVERY MINUTE For George, getting to the top wasn’t a joy ride. He was abandoned by both of his parents before his teens, and was raised by his grandmother, a good-natured woman who kept George humble as his star rose. “Whenever we’d be out with a group of people and it would get quiet, she would blurt out, ‘Did I ever tell you about the time George soiled himself after a Little League game?’ She had to hose me down before she let me go in the house. She loved that story,” George recalled with a wry smirk. Lopez also suffers from a genetic disorder that causes his kidneys to deteriorate. He has dedicated a portion of his life to raising awareness for the disease. The comedian has received countless honors for his work within the Hispanic and entertainment communities, but the award he is most proud of is extremely personal to him. “I got an award from The Nephrology Association, from the kidney doctors last year in San Diego. When I got sick, I didn’t think there were options, but because of them, there were options. But because of me, there are better options, so that was pretty significant.” George’s journey has come full circle back to stand-up, and his talents will soon be on display at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood in September. Don’t miss an opportunity to see his unique brand of comedy! Fall 2016
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The Art of Comedy
Tracy Morgan– How I’m Picking Up the Pieces BY TRACY MORGAN
Editor’s note: On May 21, 2016, I had the privilege of attending Tracy Morgan’s very first return appearance to the stage at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, following his tragic near-death automobile collision two years ago. What a remarkable comeback! His message of gratitude for a second chance at life, being a proud new father, a faithful husband and an against-all-odds return to live stand-up comedy had the audience laughing, tearing up and cheering. So, rather than report further, we thought you’d rather read Tracy’s own words…*
H
ey guys. It’s Tracy Morgan. As you probably know, I’m back. And you know what? I’m ready to start being funny again. For as long as I can remember, I’ve used comedy to deal with anything that’s come my way. I figure it’s why God gave me my sense of humor. After all, if you don’t laugh, you’re going to cry.
So I decided to go back on tour. Even after everything I’ve been through, all those hardships, I knew it was time to go out there and feel the pulse of the people. And being back on that stage again? Ah, man, it’s like the first day I lost my virginity. Just incredible. It’s like a rebirth. I remember when I stepped up on that stage during the Emmys last September, my first appearance since everything that happened. Oh, man, it was emotional. But at the same time, I wanted to let my family know that I was back by being funny. Because, to me, that’s the important thing. It was a moment that I’ll never forget in my life. To see L.L., Jon Hamm, Tina Fey, Jon Stewart...see all the people that I love in the game. They were welcoming me back. They were welcoming me home.
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Now that I’m on the road, I’ve gotten back to my usual structured routine. To me, there’s nothing worse than living in chaos. I refuse to have that. Not at this point. That’s why I’m so grateful to have my family with me on the road. They keep me grounded. I’m a family man first; I’m a husband and a father above everything. Just seeing my wife and daughter every day has reminded me of what’s important and what’s really not. Keeps things in perspective. I know that lots of you might be going through hard times right now, but remember one thing: Tough times don’t last, tough people do. In my opinion, you’ve got to either get busy living, or get busy dying— and I tell everybody to get busy living! Take it from me—I almost lost my life, and it’s too precious. You’ve got to live your life to the fullest. Don’t just follow your dreams, start living them. I just want to finish this up by letting all you fans know that I love you all. I can’t wait to come to a city near you and give you that real ‘Tracy Morgan’ flavor. This tour, it’s the experience of my life. So let’s pick up the pieces! See Tracy Morgan in a city near you... Get tickets to his tour, Picking Up the Pieces, at www.tracymorgan.com/tour *Tracy Morgan originally wrote this letter to WhoSay.com. It is reprinted here with permission.
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PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE CAMPAU & PAUL MOBLEY
OUT ON A LIMB WITH
STEVEN TYLER BY SAMUEL ADAMS
An interview with Steven Tyler and his songwriter Marti Frederiksen on the rock legend’s latest album and his backing band Loving Mary
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i
conic rock front man Steven Tyler has embraced the Nashville music scene with a new and talented backing band that also brings a little country flair of their own to the party. Opulence had a unique opportunity to chat with the very down-to-earth, multi-instrumentalist and longtime Aerosmith songwriting collaborator, Marti Frederiksen, about his friendship with Tyler, his own music career and hitting the road with The Loving Mary Band. And Tyler gave us his two-cents, as well. “I headed down to Nashville last spring to start working on this project, wrote some kick-ass songs with some of Music City’s finest songwriters and now we get to share them with the world,” said Tyler. “Country music is the new Rock ‘n Roll. It’s not just about porches, dogs and kicking your boots up. It’s a whole lot more. It’s about being real. And nothing is more real than understanding We’re All Just Somebody From Somewhere.”
MEET THE SONGWRITER-PRODUCER
Marti Frederiksen Marti’s songwriting relationship with Steven Tyler goes back to early 1997 and the two are close friends, which led to The Loving Mary Band being handpicked as Tyler’s backing band for his latest tour [Steven Tyler’s Out On A Limb] supporting a new solo album We’re All Somebody From Somewhere. “The record has some country flavors, and at the end of the day, it’s a really great record… I ended up producing three songs…” Frederiksen said. Grammy Award-winning producer T-Bone Burnett also lent a hand in the production role, as did Tyler himself. Fall 2016
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PHOTO COURTESY OF DEAD HORSE BRANDING
Steven Tyler jamming with his backing band Loving Mary.
“The Loving Mary Band is the most phenomenal band I get to sing with,” Tyler said. “There’s a metamorphosis that happens when you’re with other people that do things another way if you’re open to it.” To spice up the show’s tour, while audiences become familiar with the new material, Tyler is throwing a few Aerosmith classics in the set list, too. “He is one of the few artists who is still singing the original songs in the same key…he’s a freak of nature!” said Frederiksen. “Steven is having more fun than I’ve seen him have in years…he’s definitely got a smile on his face.” While the members of Loving Mary are all accomplished songwriters who have penned successful tunes for themselves and other artists, Marti is a master craftsman having written for both Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne. As Marti pointed out, sometimes it is the unintentional aspects of a session when the best material comes out. “When I wrote [the Aerosmith song] Jaded with Steven, he was on the phone and I just started playing that guitar riff that 44
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starts the song. He was like, “What’s that, what’s that you’re playing?” I was like, “I don’t know, I’m just waiting for you to get off the phone!” Steven hung up, and we wrote the song and you know what? If he wouldn’t have said anything, I would have moved on to something else and that song would never have existed.”
pop, country…we’re definitely left field of the country thing, maybe more of an Eagles or Fleetwood Mac style approach. We’re just enjoying each other’s company and making music. We will see where we end up, but we’re sure having a good time and we see people smiling in the audience when we play.”
Marti notes there are sometimes challenges between guiding the artist and suppressing the inner musician. “There’s definitely been times being in the studio with multiple artists where you want to say, ‘no, not like that, let me play it,’ but sometimes it’s hard to grab a guitar out of someone’s hand and say, ‘play it like this!‘”
With more hooks than a home for aging pirates, The Loving Mary Band’s debut release, Little Bit Of Love, should keep the crowds smiling while Marti and his bandmates Rebecca Lynn Howard, Suzie McNeil, Elisha Hoffman, Andrew Mactaggart and Sarah Tomek continue spreading love across the land on their own – and, of course, backing Steven Tyler.
THE LOVING MARY BAND Regarding Tyler’s new backing band, Marti said Loving Mary’s repertoire is a blend of musical genres. “Through the rock music that I’ve played over the years, I’ve always been a fan of harmonies and melodies. Between everybody in The Loving Mary Band, the music is almost rock,
American fans can experience live versions of the new tracks, in addition to signature hits throughout the limited-run, 19-city solo tour, ‘Steven Tyler’s Out On A Limb.’ Tickets are now on sale, bringing the dynamic front man to a series of intimate venues for a once-in-a-lifetime evening with rock royalty.
MOONSHINE OVER MANHATTAN BY KRISTEN MAGER
Make room, vodka. A new spirit is moonlighting on the top shelf. Bottled in geometric Art Deco-style glass, Manhattan Moonshine is the first luxury moonshine to hit the market. And it’s making a smooth entrance into the elite New York restaurant and speakeasy scene, where hipsters and anyone with fine taste belly up to the bar for posh Prohibition-style libations. Crafted by founder Will Kehler and master distiller and author Ian Smiley, Manhattan Moonshine is a modern throwback to the underground cocktail culture of the 1920s. “When people hear moonshine, they think of something illegal, cheap, low-quality, and high-proof that’s made out of the hills,” said Kehler. “Today, it’s just another name for white whiskey. What we’re doing is very different from other moonshines out there. We’re putting ours in the hands of the most talented bartenders and mixologists—anyone using new ingredients in creative ways.”
THE BACKSTORY
four-grain blend primarily of oats and rye. All grains are sourced from resident farmers in New York, which helps the local economy and ensures that the spirit is consistently made from the highestquality, freshest ingredients possible. Handcrafted in small batches, the production process takes about two weeks from grain to bottle. And, because the moonshine is aged for less than one hour in oak barrels, it doesn’t host the heavier barrel flavors like oak and smoke. With its exceptionally soft taste and versatility, Manhattan Moonshine is the perfect stand-in spirit for your favorite martini, Moscow Mule, or Mai Tai. “It caters to the modern crowd and many first-time whiskey drinkers,” said Kehler. This makes it a favorite on the rocks or in almost any cocktail, whether it’s mixed with simple grapefruit juice, tonic water, or exotic ingredients such as lavender, black walnut peel, or saffron.
MODERN MOUNTAIN DEW
Kehler, a longtime whiskey aficionado, tried moonshine a few years ago. From that first sip, he set out to mix a premium recipe of his own—one that didn’t have the grassy harshness of corn so typical of others on the market.
Every detail of Manhattan Moonshine—from the sourcing to the distillation to the bottling—adds to the distinctive impression of the high-end label. Rather than the typical Mason jar, the modern hooch bedazzles in a vintage Chanel-like bottle from the Art Deco days. And, a little secret: The label was designed to wash off so you can save the decorative bottle as a decanter long after the whiskey is gone.
Setting itself aside from other white whiskeys, the newcomer on the market is based on a
Look for Manhattan Moonshine in fine Manhattan establishments and soon available in the Bronx and Long Island. Visit manhattan-moonshine.com for more recipes and information.
MIX UP YOUR COCKTAIL MENU WITH MANHATTAN MOONSHINE FLY AWAY WITH THE “AVIATION” 2 oz. Manhattan Moonshine 1⁄2 oz. Fresh lemon juice 1⁄4 oz. Luxardo maraschino liqueur 1⁄4 oz. Crème de Violette Add all ingredients to a shaker over ice and shake hard, then strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lemon peel.
LIFT YOUR SPIRITS WITH “LADY JANE” 1 egg white 2 ounces Earl Grey tea infused Manhattan Moonshine 3⁄4 ounce lavender simple syrup 3⁄4 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice Lavender sprig for garnish Add all ingredients except the garnish to a cocktail shaker and shake without ice. Open shaker, fill with ice and shake once more. Fall 2016
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Smooth
Operator a The Jon Saxx Experience
BY TODD R. SCIORE
lways impeccably dressed, Jon Saxx is Miami’s very own saxophone Superman who left the corporate grind in his rearview mirror and dove head long into a music career. Jon generously shared with us his love of jazz and the story behind his success and latest album, The Jon Saxx Experience.
THE MIDWESTERN MUSIC MAN It was back in Cincinnati, Ohio, where a precocious 10 year old, guided by doting parents with a love of music, first picked up the saxophone. “My parents strongly encouraged my decision to play the saxophone, but I would be required to play until I graduated from high school… I was inspired very deeply by music and the saxophone was my first instrument, my only instrument. I was captivated by its harmonious sounds. The saxophone and my soul are truly joined in melodic matrimony,” Saxx said. Inspired by musicians, such as Kenny G, Grover Washington Jr., and John Coltrane, Jon continued playing during college. “I was accepted into Miami University in Ohio on an academic scholarship for manufacturing engineering. I played the saxophone for the Miami University Gospel Singers." With an engineering degree in hand, Jon entered the corporate world with Johnson & Johnson. However, in 2007, while working as a lean manufacturing engineer of embolic coils for the brain, he was laid off. Most people would consider it a major setback. But the resilient Jon Saxx isn’t like most people. “I told my parents that I was giving myself one year to see if I could create some entrepreneurship opportunities for myself in music; otherwise I would go back to Corporate America.” After establishing his business, Jon Saxx Entertainment Group, along with a band Endless Possibilities, the opportunities opened up and he never looked back. “I became the official saxophone player for the NBA Miami Heat basketball team, performing the Star Spangled Banner once a month at home games. We also became the official house band for Blue World Travel “Festival At Sea” on Carnival Cruise Lines and the official house band for the NFL Miami Dolphins football team. "We perform at all the home games on the Club Level," Saxx said. They even won a competition to play at the Jamaican Jazz and Blues Festival in Montego Bay. 46
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As his entertainment engagements increased and name recognition continued to build, Jon knew it was time to release a CD and spread his free-flowing sound to a wider audience. Jon enlisted Grammy-nominated producer Jason Farmer to oversee the new album entitled, "The Jon Saxx Experience," which showcases Saxx’s jazz chops while infusing other musical genres. “I wanted to introduce myself musically. I chose 11 songs that express my musical thoughts, feelings and emotions. This is an introduction to the sound track that has been playing in my mind. I broke it down and wrote it note by note," Saxx said. Several noteworthy tracks include the breezy Latin-tinged Lost In Spain and a reggae jazz send up of the Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney duet The Girl Is Mine. “I created the song Klark Kent as a self-reflection of the path I took to become Jon Saxx. I was once a medical device engineer during the day, but at night I became Jon Saxx,” he said.
ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES For those looking to replicate Jon’s bold career move, it would be wise to remember that successfully carving out a niche in the arts requires tremendous dedication. Jon's formal training has been put to good use. “I had to get into the mindset of an entrepreneur when it came to the music business," he said. "I utilized the principles of lean manufacturing to help me create a strategic plan for success.” The ever optimistic Saxx added the following sage advice to budding musicians, “Never let your passion become work. Make sure you love what you do and understand what your purpose is in life. It’s hard to get to your dream if you don’t know what your dream looks like. Mastery of self is very hard to do, but once you know yourself, the sky is the limit." With four singles released digitally, the sky seems the only limit to the success of Jon Saxx and his aptly named band of brothers, Endless Possibilities. To download Jon's latest album, or for booking information, go to www.jonsaxx.com.
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SIP THE ALLURE OF ALLAIRE
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The story of three entrepreneurs daring to share the top shelf of spirits
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BY KRISTEN MAGER
eet the bold and sexy Allaire Collection Privée. Tethered in handcuffs, this vodka, rum and tequila threesome poured into the Miami market last December, raising the bar for sophisticated cocktails.
Produced by The Bar Company, this premium spirit is the brainchild of three cousins who set sail along the French Riviera. The entrepreneurs—Santiago, Javier, and Andres—who choose to go by their first names, were celebrating the success of their tortilla business in Mexico—when they embarked on launching a luxury line of spirits that lived up flavor-wise to their authentic culinary expectations. “You see handcuffs connected to briefcases in movies to protect something of value,” Santiago said. “We wanted our customers to know that, with Allaire, you’re unlocking something really special.” Built on the values of quality, elegance and uniqueness, the brand carries out its founders’ tradition of delivering excellence to the food and beverage industry. From production to packaging, Allaire caters to the hardworking and taste-making generation that values million-dollar experiences. “Our customers appreciate the finer things in life, whether it’s cars, boutique hotels or fine art,” said Santiago. “As consumers ourselves, we wanted to create something completely original from anything on the market. Through Allaire cocktails, we are bringing together friends who expect the same attention to detail.”
WHAT’S IN A NAME? The name Allaire is a combination of allure and billionaire. The founders say it lives up to its moniker with selectively sourced ingredients. Grains for the vodka come from the heart of the Polish plains and are filtered in crystalclear water. Handcrafted in small batches, the vodka is distilled six times and then filtered five rounds before bottling to perfection. The Mexican tequila starts with 100 percent select blue weber agaves that are
“You see handcuffs connected to briefcases in movies to protect something of value,” Santiago said. “We wanted our customers to know that, with Allaire, you’re unlocking something really special.” gradually cooked to the exact sweetness called for in the proprietary recipe. It’s then aged in bourbon casks and filtered until it reaches a smooth agave flavor and signature crystal hue. Allaire rum is distilled from fermented molasses born of the best sugarcane in Barbados. It’s then aged for a minimum of
three years in oak barrels and filtered to a pure tone like its spirit sisters. “Since the vodka, tequila and rum come from different regions of the world, we decided to tie them together with a symbol that speaks to each one,” said Santiago. The anchor represents the pure water feeding the vodka; the hook links to the stronger, more vibrant tequila. And the trident— a symbol the cousins selected before knowing the connection—happens to be the national emblem for the island rum’s home, Barbados. Outfitted in elegant glass with gold and black adornments, each bottle alone symbolizes an affluent lifestyle. Together, they make a statement—here’s something different. “We took exemplary care in packaging,” said Santiago, who shared that the golden handcuff sealing each case of three was designed to be a bit disruptive.
UNLOCK THE ALLAIRE ALLURE You can find the Allaire Collection Privée on the menus of fine and fashionable bars and restaurants in Miami, New York and Los Angeles markets. Look for it in other leading markets coming soon. Visit www.allaireprivee.com. Fall 2016
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WEST LOOP SALUMI – NOT YOUR FATHER’S COLD CUTS Tying up oldworld, globally sourced and delicious masterpieces BY KELLY VILLASUSO
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAUL VILLASUSO
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In the Windy City, not only is Greg Laketek’s West Loop Salumi the first U.S.D.A. salumeria in Illinois, it also seems to be producing the hottest commodity in the country.
t
he trendy West Loop neighborhood of Chicago is home to just what you might expect: hundreds of the city’s hippest, hottest restaurants, bars and shops. It is also home to something very unique – West Loop Salumi, an old-school salumeria and
a very young salumiere. Salumiere? Indeed!
In Italy, there is a salumeria (a delicatessen serving cured meats) with a corresponding salumiere (the proprietor) on practically every corner. You might say a salumiere is to gourmet cured meats what a sommelier is to fine wine.
This soppressata was named “best soppressata” by Food & Wine.
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Salumeria?
In the Windy City, not only is West Loop Salumi the first U.S.D.A. salumeria in Illinois, it also seems to be producing the hottest commodity in the country. That’s because 31-yearold owner and Salumiere Greg Laketek is serving up his dream in each bite of his handtied, old-world, globally sourced capolavori di salumi (salumi masterpieces). Since its launch in 2013, culinary artisans at West Loop Salumi have been tying up high praise from an enviable list of clients, chefs, and critics alike, including Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Moët Hennessey, The Alinea Group, Sydell Group (NoMad), Tom Douglas’ Home Remedy, Eataly in New York and Chicago, and Boca Raton Resort & Club, to name just a few. In fact, although technically still in the initial-growth phase as a small business, this little salumi-enginethat-could has already garnered a “best soppressata” from Food & Wine Magazine (August 2015) and made it into Mimi Sheraton’s 2015 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover’s Life List for its ciauscolo.
So why are the air-cured, preserved meats of this tiny — less than 1,500 square feet to be precise — West Loop salumeria on the tip of the gastronomy world’s tongues to the tune of 2,600 pounds per week? “I believe it is our unwavering dedication to the old-world methods I learned in Italy and to our passion for sourcing the finest ingredients, regardless of locale,” shared Laketek.
HE’S BRINGING OLD WORLD BACK (YAH)… Though raised in the northwest suburbs Caviar RusseMiami of Chicago, Laketek spent his summers in Le Marche, Italy, with his grandparents where he first learned how to make cured meats, as well as such vital accoutrements as bread, cheese and wine. It was this hands-on exposure to the heritage of preserving commodities that stayed with him long after the summer visits to his grandparents’ farm ended and served as his inspiration when he became burnt-out with his consulting business.
Laketek recounts, ”I remember thinking ‘I am young. I am single. What do I want to do for the rest of my life if I could choose anything?’ And then it hit me. Salumi. I missed salumi. So I set out to create the best salumi in the United States.” Young Laketek was flying by the seat of his pants when he booked a one-way ticket to Parma, Italy, to learn the art of this Italian mainstay. No friends. No connections. No language proficiency. Just a deep-seeded passion to make authentic, old-world salumi back home in Chicago. The Italian salumi gods definitely took kindly to Laketek, guiding him directly into the path of Master Salumiere and owner of famed Antica Corte Pallavicina, Massimo Spigaroli. “As I was exploring Parma,” Laketek recalled, “I kept seeing his [Massimo’s] photo and I thought ‘he seems to be the man around here.’ So I booked a dinner reservation and
Hand-tied salumi curing at West Loop Salumi in Chicago.
arrived early in hopes of meeting him personally.” It was this brass that led to him becoming the first to ever apprentice under Spigaroli. Over the course of five months, he learned the art of old-world salumi making from the Master and his team, particularly how to make culatello — the prized salumi of Parma. Wine, no dextrose or sugar. Natural casings, no collagen casings. Hand-tied, no netting. These are just a few of the fundamentals Laketek was schooled on in Italy and to which he remains vehemently true in his production today at West Loop Salumi.
AND IT’S NOT YOUR FATHER’S COLD CUTS In today’s culinary industry, local is the new black. Everywhere you turn, you see locally sourced meats and seafood, locally grown produce, farm-to-table, house-made, and so on, which is certainly a good trend. To Laketek, however, local is in the eye of the beholder, particularly when seeking the best-of-the-best-of-the-best ingredients for West Loop Salumi. Laketek shares, “We, of course, get the highest-quality pork right here in the Chicago suburbs. Meat cutters prepare the cuts on Monday and we are making salumi with it by Wednesday. To me, that makes absolute sense. We wouldn’t want to go out of the area because it wouldn’t be the freshest, finest product.” But for all of the other ingredients he uses in his salumi and soppressata, the world is his “local.” “We use Kashmir Curry from Canada, salt from Trapani, Italy, fennel pollen from India, fresh lardo from Spain, and fresh Calabrian chile peppers. Why?” Laketek said. “Because in order to create the very best product, I need the very best ingredients. So I source globally to get the best.” If West Loop Salumi’s enviable following is any indicator, his “no borders” approach clearly is a good one. And when his salumi board touts Winter Black Truffle Salami with Veuve Clicquot Rose, it’s equally clear Laketek is not making your father’s cold cuts. West Loop Salumi is located at 1111 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60607. 312-255-7004, www.westloopsalumi.com Fall 2016
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THE FRENCH CHEESEMONGERS OF MONS FROMAGERIE
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BY JANA SOELDNER DANGER
any food historians call the exact origins of cheese making a mystery, speculating the culinary art started some 10,000 years ago when man first domesticated milk-producing mammals. And it’s thought that cheese was discovered accidentally – perhaps when someone added acidic fruit juice to milk and noticed the curdling effect; or that the separation of curds and whey was observed in the practice of storing milk in pouches made of animal stomachs. What they do know for certain is that by the time Julius Caesar ruled the Roman Empire, cheese making proved commonplace in Europe and the Middle East. However, you may find it interesting that cheeses considered household names today – like Parmesan, Swiss, Cheddar and Gouda, for example – are, relatively speaking, somewhat new to the cheese scene, having hit culinary documentation just a few hundred years ago. 54
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MEET THE MONS The process of making and aging fine cheeses and getting them to market is a complex one that requires talent, skill and patience. The Mons family has been doing it for decades in the French city of Roanne. Brothers Hervé and Laurent Mons are among the rare commercial cheesemongers left in the world who control their cheeses in all stages, including production, aging and marketing. Since its beginnings in the 1960s, the Mons Fromagerie has grown into an international company that distributes its products in 25 countries around the globe, offering top quality cheeses you can find in some of the best restaurants and shops in the world. In 2002, the Mons Fromagerie received well-deserved recognition when it was named Cheesemonger of the Year by the Pudio gastronomy guide.
SIMPLE BEGINNINGS In 1964, Hervé and Laurent’s father, Hubert, decided to quit his job with a milk cooperative and try selling cheeses in small markets in
and around Roanne. He began by scouring the French countryside in a small van in search of the products he needed. “My dad found farmers and cheesemakers by asking locals at coffee shops, or the mailman,” said Hervé, who began working with his father when he was 9. “Sourcing the cheeses was one of his great skills. He would often take me with him to see the farmers and producers and to buy the cheese, and I loved meeting the people we were working with.” The night before going to market, it was Hervé’s job to clean and fill the cream buckets and prepare grated Gruyère bags. Market days themselves were long and exhausting. “We had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning, so I usually slept in the truck on the way,” he recalled. “The atmosphere at the market was nice, though; there were kids from other stands, and although we worked hard, we also had fun.” Eventually, Hervé started going to the markets by himself, and also sold cheeses in the small villages surrounding Roanne. His customers grew to trust him completely. “Selling door to door was a great experience,” he said. “Those are my best memories. The clients were
BUILDING SUCCESS But the shop was a success, and others followed. At about the same time, the company constructed maturing cellars where cheeses could be prepared for aging, and then stored in caves that maintained ideal temperature and humidity. “It was essential for the company to have good caves, because we had decided to source young cheeses from farmstead producers, and we needed the space to store and age them in perfect conditions,” Hervé said. Hervé’s younger brother Laurent joined the company during the 1990s. Then in 2001, the brothers opened the Opus Caseus Concept training center for aspiring cheesemongers. “The creation of Opus Caseus Concept was a necessity for our craft, because cheesemongers were disappearing,” Hervé said. “The supermarkets and distribution system in France had hurt a lot of small retailers.”
“Shops that offered more than 200 kinds of
cheese existed only in places like Paris and Milan,” Hervé said. “And even though Roanne had a great gastronomic culture, it wasn’t Paris!” – Hervé Mons
not always available at the beginning, but after two years, they would hide the keys to their houses for me and leave me notes on their tables with their orders and their wallets to pay for them.” When Hervé was 17, he became an apprentice to some of the best cheesemongers in Paris. “I started by cleaning, organizing and aging the cheeses, and cutting and preparing the orders,” he said. “It was only after doing these tasks for a year that we could start selling. It was rigorous work; everything had to be perfect, from the quality of the aging and the presentation of our booth to the outfits we wore.”
MATURING MAGIC Maturing is a vital part of the cheese-making process, and it is carefully controlled at Mons Fromagerie. “Aging a cheese requires a lot of attention because it is a living product made from milk that evolves with fermentation,” Hervé explained. “Cheese results from two transformations: The first is from milk into curds; the second is from curds into cheese. Aging allows the cheese to develop its rind, which will protect the inside in the same way our skin protects us.”
When Hervé returned to the family business after his stint in Paris, he was ready to try new things. “I had lots of ideas,” he said. One of the first things he did was to open the family’s first ever cheese shop. “It was stressful, because I didn’t have much money,” he recalled. “And my dad was a bit on the fence about the project, because he had only worked in markets.”
The maturing process also allows the cheese to develop flavors, texture and aroma. “Maturing results from a complex alchemy between atmosphere, place and time,” Hervé said. “When we are maturing a cheese, we are rearing it, leading it toward its second life. It requires delicate and appropriate care in relation to the family and region the cheese belongs to; wood, straw, stone, and soil are our allies. They help us maintain the atmospheres of our cellars. This living world has a very fragile balance and requires constant vigilance.”
Adding to the risk: It was the first shop of its kind in a provincial area. “Shops that offered more than 200 kinds of cheese existed only in places like Paris and Milan,” Hervé said. “And even though Roanne had a great gastronomic culture, it wasn’t Paris!”
Hervé loves a wide variety of cheeses. But if he could have just one cheese for the rest of his life, what would it be? “It would be Salers de Buron,” he said. “It was my first mountain cheese discovery, and nothing has changed in its making.”
READY FOR CHANGE
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MONGER VS. MONGER Meet the winners of the Summer 2016 Cheesemonger Invitational Competition BY ROBIN JAY
No matter your preferred nomenclature – fromager, cheese steward, cheese purveyor – a cheesemonger is to fine cheese what a sommelier is to fine wine. Without cheesemongers, “cheese would die a lonely, sad death,” said the host of the 2016 Summer Cheesemonger Invitational championships in New York City. “They are caretakers, truth tellers and therapists for the cheese. They are knights, priests and politicians for the cheese. And when cheesemongers do
their jobs well, a cheese lives its final days with nobility, honor and respect.” Last June, dozens of cheesemongers flocked to the Big Apple for the Wrestlemania of cheese championships. Judges selected winning mongers based on practical skills and knowledge of the science and history behind fine cheese. Now, without further adieu, I introduce you to this year’s Summer 2016 Cheesemonger Invitational Winners...
1ST PLACE: NADJEEB CHOUAF OF FLORA ARTISANAL CHEESE AT TIMBERCREEK MARKET An American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, Nadjeeb opened Flora Artisanal Cheese in 2013 – Charlottesville’s first cut-to-order cheese shop. His focus is educating the public on all aspects of cheese pairing and presentation. “Cheese was this mysterious food that few people knew very much about – and I wanted to be that person – a cheesemonger,” said Nadjeeb. “It is such an honor to be named the winner of the 2016 Cheesemonger Invitational and to see my passion for cheese come full circle.” 722 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22903 • timbercreekmarket.com, (434) 202-8052
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2ND PLACE: SASCHA ANDERSON OF CHEESEMONGERS OF SANTA FE Every interaction with customers at Cheesemongers of Santa Fe is a pungent opportunity to share the love of cheese as a treasured part of our collective culinary and cultural fabric. “Like most cheesemongers in this country, I fell into the profession sideways. I studied literary criticism and thought I would be a writer, but fell in love with the interdisciplinary nature of cheese. Inside of a cheese case, I found lessons on geography, politics, history, economics, anthropology, chemistry, microbiology, and more. Being a cheesemonger allows me to tell stories of how just four ingredients – milk, salt, cultures, and rennet – combine to form the myriad cheeses we know, love, and have yet to discover,” said Sascha. 130 East March Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501 • cheesemongersofsantafe.com, (505) 795-7878 3RD PLACE: SARA ADDUCI OF FEAST! “I am really proud of the cheese selection I curate at Feast! I also happen to be the buyer for the shop. This is my favorite part! What fun to find all the most delicious cheeses the world has to offer,” said Sara. “All we do as cheesemongers is eat, sleep and breathe cheese. We carry local Virginia cheeses, as well as wonderful offerings from around the U.S., Italy, France, Spain, England, Croatia, Portugal, you name it! There is an amazing diversity of flavor, texture, and style, so there is truly something for everyone in the case.” 416 W Main St, Ste H, Charlottesville, VA 22903 • FeastVirginia.com, (434) 244-7800 4TH PLACE: SAMANTHA KANE OF DI BRUNO BROS. “My first cheese mentor said, ‘Our job is to find a quality product, take care of it as if it were our own, and then find it a home with someone who will feel the same way,’” said Samantha. “I cooked professionally for eight years and was looking for another outlet to fulfill my deep passion of working with food. I spent time at a Pennsylvania Dutch Country farm working with specialty produce. Cheese was always part of my portfolio, so when I learned Di Bruno Bros. was expanding their cheesemonger fleet, I applied immediately!” No doubt Samantha’s CMI award confirms she made the right choice! 930 S. 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 • dibruno.com, (215) 922-2876
5TH PLACE: JORDAN EDWARDS OF PASTORAL ARTISAN CHEESE, BREAD & WINE “The ability to put a human face – the farmers and cheesemakers – behind what you eat is one of the more compelling aspects of the artisan cheese industry,” said Jordan Edwards, Head Cheesemonger at Pastoral. “The monger becomes the torchbearer for the cheesemakers to convey the narrative to the consumer. Since the CMI was really tight this year, I was pleased to make top five, but in all honesty, I want to keep competing for the number-one spot. After all, no one remembers who came in 5th in the Olympics.” 2945 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL 60657 • pastoralartisan.com, (773) 472-4781 6TH PLACE: ALICE BERGEN PHILLIPS OF VIA UMBRIA “I spent lots of time at my grandparents farm in northern England, learning to milk goats, gather eggs, pick berries, and I helped my grandmother – who trained at the Cordon Bleu in Paris – prepare meals. I was lucky to eventually travel further afield, eating (and studying) my way across Europe,” Alice said. “My customers look at me like I’m insane when I say this, but sweet pickle and cheese is one of my all-time favorite combinations. At Via Umbria, I match Gordy’s Pickles Sweet Chips with Vermont Shepherd’s Invierno, a salty, tangy sheep and cow’s milk cheese. The combination is absurdly good!” 1525 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007 • Viaumbria.com, (202) 333-3904
To find more award-winning cheesemongers in a town near you, go to cheesemongerinvitational.com. Fall 2016
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A Glass Full of
MIRACLES BY MILJENKO “MIKE” GRGICH
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t was the summer of 1954. Although the day was warm, I felt ice cold as I sat on the train that was charging toward the border of Yugoslavia. When it slowed to a halt, my heart was pounding as loud as the engines.
The guards appeared: stern-faced men with guns, watching people who got off to pass through the border controls. The inspectors would check everyone trying to leave Yugoslavia; one false step and you would not be getting back on the train. My papers were in order, stating that I, Miljenko Grgich, was a student from the University of Zagreb in Croatia, which was then a part of communist Yugoslavia. I had been granted a four-month passport to take part in a United Nations student exchange. I was being allowed to leave Yugoslavia to work the harvest in Germany. The guards inspected the things I was carrying. A little cardboard suitcase held all I owned in the world; most important to me were my fifteen textbooks on winemaking. I wondered if they were going to ask me why I was wearing a French beret. Would they believe me if I told the truth: I had lost my umbrella and this was the cheapest covering for my head that I, a poor student, had been able to afford? Let them ask me about my hat, I thought, as long as they don’t look too closely at my shoes. There I had hidden another treasure, thirty-two Amer-
ican dollars. To carry foreign currency out of Yugoslavia was forbidden, as were many things under the rule of Communism. If they found it, the guards would not only confiscate my money but they would take my passport as well. Even if I didn’t end up in prison, I would never get another passport, another chance to escape. That is what I meant to do. If I got past the border, I was never coming back to this country, my homeland, dominated now by fear and oppression — where you never knew when the secret police might be following you; where people disappeared and you never saw them again; where you didn’t know if you would be alive or dead the next day; where you had no chance to work for your dreams. I had carefully collected my thirty-two American dollars, and somehow I was going to get to America, to a place I had only heard of in whispers: California. I wanted to own a piece of land I could call my own. I wanted to make wine. But most of all, I wanted to be free. God was with me that day, as He often has been in my life. The inspector stamped my passport, I got back on the train, and then I began to breathe again. Today, more than half a century later, when I think about that young man and his crazy plans I know that, as big as his dreams were, he never could have imagined what lay ahead. — Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, Calistoga, California, 2015
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And Now, for the Rest of the Story… BY JANA SOELDER DANGER
T
hat brave young student did get to California, where he eventually turned the global wine industry upside down. But the route was a circuitous one.
With the Cold War over for almost three decades, it can be difficult to remember what those days were like. But when Miljenko “Mike” Grgich successfully crossed the Yugoslavian border, he was one of 12 million refugees from Eastern Europe trying to escape Communism. Because he had relatives in Canada, he was allowed to go to Vancouver. “The son of my sister helped me get a job as an assistant dishwasher,” he recalled. “Eventually, I got a job at a paper mill where I used my background in chemistry to monitor quality control.”
(L-R) Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, his daughter Violet Grgich and nephew Ivo Jeramaz at their winery in Rutherford, CA
But Mike wanted to make wine, which he had loved for literally most of his life. His mother breastfed him until he was 2, and then switched him to “bevanda,” the Croatian term for a mixture of half water and half wine. “I have liked wine ever since,” he said. “I cannot imagine my life without wine.”
PURSUING THE DREAM It wasn’t just that he wanted to make wine, however. He wanted to make it in California. While he was still a student in Croatia, one of his professors returned from a sabbatical there. “We were bursting with questions, but Professor Sherman was clearly afraid to talk to us for fear that the Communists would hear him,” Mike said. “Finally a few of us found him alone, and we asked him, ‘What was it like, this place, California?’ He looked around to see if the secret police were listening. When he was sure it was safe, he whispered, ‘California is paradise!’ I started thinking, why should I wait until I die to go to paradise?” Trying to break into the industry, Mike ran an ad in the Wine Institute Bulletin seeking employment. It worked. The owner of Souverain Cellars gave him the job guarantee he needed to get a visa. Although Mike worked with several iconic winemakers, one of the most memorable was Robert Mondavi, who had studied the techniques of the great chateaux of France. “I learned that energy and passion, as well as science, are necessary to make good wines,” Mike said. “Robert was always go! go! go! I admired his great energy and his belief in what he was doing. He also believed the answer to raising the quality of our wines was scientific progress.”
THE GAME-CHANGING MOMENT In 1972, the owners of Chateau Montelena asked Mike to become their winemaker. This new opportunity led to an event four years later that shocked the world. It was 1976, when a Paris wine shop owner was searching for ideas to promote his business. Why not, he thought, stage a blind tasting in Paris to coincide with the bicentennial of the United States? Fall 2016
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would crush the grapes for him. “I knew he wouldn’t have enough tank space for extra grapes, but still he gave me this promise,” Mike said.
He gathered a group of renowned French judges, as well as some of the finest French wines. In honor of America’s 200th anniversary, he added a few vintages from California, including a 1973 Chateau Montelena chardonnay crafted by Mike.
Happily, Mike’s fledgling winery was able to crush the grapes after all. “The equipment was in place, but the roof wasn’t finished, so we put a plastic sheet over the rafters,” he recalled.
To everyone’s amazement, the chardonnay won the highest point total of any wine, white or red, in the entire tasting. The third and fourth place winners were also California whites. A California cabernet sauvignon took first place in the red competition, topping some of the best Bordeaux.
Mike’s first foray into red wines was with zinfandel, which is nearly identical to plavac mali wine in Croatia. Today at age 93, he still calls it his favorite. “At home, what I enjoy most is zinfandel,” he said. “It reminds me of my homeland.”
A few of the shocked judges tried to suppress the results, but to no avail. “With the 1976 Paris Tasting, we in Napa proved we could make wines even better than the French!” Mike said.
MIKE’S BUCKET LIST But he still hadn’t achieved his heart’s desire. “My American Dream was to own my own winery,” he said. “That was impossible in Yugoslavia under Communist rule, but in America, it didn’t matter who your parents were or your politics.” In January 1977, Mike purchased 20 acres of property for the new winery. “I was so proud,” he recalled. “I finally had a parcel that I could step on and say, “‘the land is mine!’”
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ALL IN THE FAMILY
Mike and his business partner, Austin Hills, broke ground on their winery, Grgich Hills Estate, on July 4, 1977, but construction was painfully slow. Alarmed, he was sure the winery wouldn’t be ready to crush the 60 tons of chardonnay grapes he had already purchased. “I was so tense and nervous I went to my old mentor, Robert Mondavi,” he recalled. His friend reassured him that it was indeed possible to meet the timeline, but told him that if the winery wasn’t finished, he, Robert,
Over the years, the wine industry has changed and grown more competitive, said Mike’s daughter Violet. “There are so many different wines now from so many different countries,” she said. “The quality of wine making has improved, and even everyday wines are much better than they were. “But my father’s style has stayed the same,” she continued. “It’s a balance between elegance and food-friendliness. The nature of a great wine pairing is that it makes both the food and the wine taste better.”
“My American Dream was to own my own winery,” he said. “That was impossible in Yugoslavia under Communist rule, but in America, it didn’t matter who your parents were or your politics.” — Miljenko (Mike) Grgich
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Food Bytes A look at 3D food printing technology BY DALE KING AND JULIA HEBERT
3D
printed food. It’s what’s for dinner – or will be in the not-toodistant future. A cadre of technologically adept people swear that machines capable of printing three-dimensional morsels will someday grace household kitchen counters everywhere, in a revolutionary move unsurpassed since the microwave oven arrived in the 1980s. When it comes to food, most of us still cook caveman-style, using fire or heat. “Kitchens are the most primitive thing in our house,” said Hod Lipson, engineering professor at Columbia University and creator of 3D food printing technology. Connecting a computer to a 3D food printer and “uploading” recipes or sending them in from SD cards is the new roadway to the culinary future. 62
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Coincidentally, the Israeli native was angling to invent a machine that could print a complete robot using 3D printed parts. “We built printers to handle multiple materials, but the students were not using robotic components, they were using cookie dough and cheese as testing ingredients. It was then that we discovered that printing with food is interesting in itself.” Printing 3D comestibles caught on, and soon, “quite a few caterers contacted us. They were not interested Hod Lipson
in printing whole meals, but, rather, small decorations or pieces tailored to events.” Lipson said restaurants could conceivably use 3D food printers once the machines’ capabilities bump up. The existing breed can ooze raw materials from plastic extruders, but can’t cook the resulting goop. Hooking up a cooker is the next hurdle to overcome in 3D food print technology – and may arrive by year’s end, said Lipson. The owner/creative director of a high-end Manhattan catering firm is vitally interested in the professor’s work in a field destined to restructure the food industry. “I went to my team and said, ‘Figure out how to make an edible bone for a mini-chicken drumstick,’” said Peter Callahan, the food guru Martha Stewart dubbed the master of mini-hors d’oeuvres. Callahan holds Lipson in high esteem. “The guy’s amazing with technology. But I’m not in the business for space ships. I’m here to rock people who have seen everything. I’m on a quest to make an edible, tasty chicken bone,” he says, admitting he may have to “wait for the next generation” of printers.
SWEET SCIENCE He’s not the only innovator with 3D food extrusion on the brain. While researchers have toiled to print tasty treats with cellulosebased materials, the Magic Candy Factory has
delicious and healthy food and an amazing multisensory experience,” Dobrzensky said.
WORLD’S FIRST 3D FOOD PRINTING RESTAURANT OPENS IN LONDON Food Ink is perhaps the closest thing to an actual, operating restaurant where 3D fare predominates. Last July, organizers took their pixels, printers and plates to the upscale Shoreditch section of London for a three-day, gourmet presentation of 3D printed food. The bustle took place in a storefront behind big front windows where crowds queued up to get a look at what may be the food preparation system of tomorrow. The event featured row after row of hightech machines equipped with nozzles extruding fancy ingredients to make creamy morsels, elegant sides and chocolaty desserts, all more intricate than human hands can fashion. As diners dug into segments of their nine-course meal (seven portions printed by machine), several flashed thumbsup signs as they devoured their servings. “With the pop-up [restaurants], we want to announce to the world that this concept is now viable,” said Dobrzensky. “It’s a much better way than sitting in a boardroom in a suit making a boring pitch.”
3D food printer invented by Hod Lipson Lipson says the foods of the future are only a few bits – or is that bytes? – away. “We’ve already seen that putting our technology into the hands of chefs has enabled them to create all kinds of delicacies that we’ve never seen before. This is just a glimpse of what lies ahead.”
Examples of 3D-printed candies
been spreading its 3D printable gummies around the world – in places like Dylan’s Candy Bar, the chain of major sweet shops operated by Ralph Lauren’s daughter, Dylan. Entrepreneurs Antony Dobrzensky and Marcio Barradas are melding their multidimensional expertise to push a dining spot called Food Ink. “Our goal is to work with the best designers and chefs to create nutritious,
One major Italian food maker has put its euros where its mouth is. Barilla has unveiled the prototype for a 3D pasta printer, a device developed in cooperation with the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). It pops out pasta bites using pre-filled dough cartridges containing a mixture of durum wheat flour and water. It can produce four distinctive shapes in two minutes.
Antony Dobrzensky and Marcio Barradas, owners of Food Ink, the world's first 3D food printing restaurant in London Fall 2016
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TAKING THE
Kentucky
Bourbon Trail BY CLIFTON THUMA
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Ancient buffalo carved paths through the wilderness that led Americans to new frontiers. One such trail led to the banks of the Kentucky River where Buffalo Trace Distillery has been making bourbon whiskey the same way for more than 200 years.
Y
ears ago, I visited a bourbon distillery in Clifton, Kentucky. It was the name thing. What a dreary place. It was gritty with patched siding, weathered roofs — just dust and rust. ‘This is where my ‘Clifton’ bourbon is from?’ I thought. The foreman showed me around. He explained that the United States got into Scotch whisky after WWII, but then shifted in preference to vodka. Bourbon sales fell heavily. A few years later, new owners removed the Clifton whiskey inventory, the copper stills and closed it down. My how things have changed since 1981! In an attempt to revive the bourbon industry, in 1999 the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) started a marketing promotion called the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour (kybourbontrail.com). The purpose was to give visitors a firsthand look at the art and science of crafting bourbon, and to educate them about the rich history and proud tradition of the state’s signature spirit.
THE ORIGINS OF BOURBON According to historians at the KDA, the love for bourbon began in the 1700s with the first settlers of Kentucky. Like most farmers and frontiersmen, they found that getting crops to market over narrow trails and steep mountains was a daunting task. They soon learned that converting corn and other grains to whiskey made them easily transportable, prevented the excess grain from simply rotting, and gave them some welcome diversion from the rough life of the frontier. Since then, generations of Kentuckians have continued the heritage and time-honored tradition of making fine bourbon, unchanged from the process used by their ancestors centuries before.
WHAT’S IN THE NAME? How did bourbon get its name? Guests on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour learn that one of Kentucky’s original counties was Bourbon County, established in 1785 when Kentucky was still part of Virginia. Farmers shipped their whiskey in oak barrels — stamped ‘from Bourbon County’ — down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. The long trip aged the whiskey, with the oak wood giving it the distinct mellow flavor and amber color. Soon, say experts at the KDA, whiskey from Bourbon County grew in popularity and became known as bourbon whiskey. In 1964, Congress officially recognized bourbon’s place in Kentucky’s history — and its
COLONEL EDMUND HAYNES TAYLOR, JR. As a descendant of two U.S. presidents, James Madison and Zachary Taylor, you might say that E.H. Taylor, Jr. had ambition in his blood. While Madison went down in history as the “Father of the Constitution,” E.H. Taylor, Jr. earned a legacy as the “Father of the Modern Bourbon Industry.” He purchased what is now the Buffalo Trace Distillery in 1870 and called it the “O.F.C.” (which stood for Old Fashioned Copper) because he said the finest whiskey was made in that type of still.
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tries to the world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour in the last five years alone. New facilities are being built and old ones restored to meet the demand for high quality bourbon. (Even my old Clifton distillery is being rehabbed!) Whiskey fans love the backstory — to see where these bourbons are made. (I was definitely an early adapter!)
Buffalo Trace Bourbon pouring out of barrel future — by declaring it a distinctive product of the United States. Or, as bourbon distillers like to say, “America’s Official Native Spirit.”
WHAT OFFICIALLY QUALIFIES AS BOURBON? The ‘grain recipe’ of bourbon is up to the distiller, although it must be at least 51 percent corn. The water the distiller uses for the fermentation of the ‘mash’ affects the flavors of the distilled liquid, too. The result is a clear, high-alcohol distillant (the ‘white dog’), which is aged in new, charred, white oak barrels. The bourbon is then cut with water from 125 proof (62.5% alcohol) to between 100 and 80 (the legal minimum) for bottling. Water is why you want to go around visiting different distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The Appalachian Mountains drain into aquifers that cross Kentucky’s deep underground, passing through limestone and gravel. This mineral-rich water comes up in small springs across much of the state. Early settlers discovered that the springs in central and eastern Kentucky made for better whiskey. (The limestone filters out the dissolved iron, which would cause a sulphuric residue.)
BOURBON FOR AFICIONADOS Today, Kentucky is experiencing a renaissance in ‘high-end’ bourbon. Famous brands your great-grandfather would have imbibed are sharing the tony boar shelves with new, small-production bottlings. These are very fine drinking indeed. Members of the KDA are pleased that Kentucky Bourbon is receiving the American recognition it deserves. Bourbon is a signature industry that has helped create 9,000 jobs, generating more than $125 million in tax revenue each year and is a growing international symbol of Kentucky craftsmanship and tradition. Bourbon tourism is skyrocketing, too, with nearly 2.5 million visitors from all 50 states and 25 coun66
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Elmer T. Lee joined what is now the Buffalo With so many options now Trace Distillery as a maintenance engineer for visiting, a bourbon ama- in 1949 after serving as a Radar Bombardier teur or aficionado may in World War II. He became the distillery's first Master Distiller. need help choosing which distilleries and tasting rooms to experience. Opulence spoke with David Nichols of Louisville’s Mint Julep Tours (mintjuleptours.com) for recommendations. “We work with the KDA and other partners in meeting the demand for distillery tours. We offer the smaller distilleries on the Craft Trail, too,” Nichols said. “Anytime is great to tour, but the autumn and springtime are especially beautiful here in Kentucky.” Several times a week, Mint Julep has a public tour of two distilleries and a tasting. With transportation, guide, admission fees and lunch, the tour is $139.
BOURBON 101 Bourbon labels tell you a lot if you know the lingo: ‘Straight’ bourbons state how long they were barreled (at least two years). They cannot have any other spirits, caramel coloring or flavorings added. ‘Blended’ bourbon is half straight bourbon mixed with vodka-like ‘neutral grain spirits’ and additives to ‘smooth’ it out.
THE TRACE TOUR The Trace Tour begins with an engaging video of the history of Buffalo Trace Distillery. You will then walk amidst the path of rolling bourbon barrels and enjoy the alluring smell and atmosphere of bourbon sleeping inside the aging warehouses. Then you will go inside the renowned Blanton’s Bottling Hall where you will see signature bourbons being filled, sealed, labeled, and packaged—all by hand. All tours are complimentary and include a tasting of some of our award-winning products.
In 1984, Blanton’s namesake bourbon was the world’s first ever Single Barrel Bourbon sold commercially.
All visitors are welcome to walk in and there is no need to make a reservation unless you have a group of 25 or more. Please contact reservations@buffalotrace.com for booking large group tours.
The Art of Selling
BOTERO BY JILL PATTERSON
F
elipe Grimberg’s success as a private art dealer spans nearly three decades. Often he has operated under the radar without others knowing what he does. He guards his connections closely and grants interviews with press selectively. For these reasons, his recent book, Selling Botero, proves a fascinating read, with a glimpse into the world of a fine art dealer. Fernando Botero himself showed surprise to discover Grimberg had sold more of his works than any other art dealer worldwide. In interviews, Botero refers to Felipe as a man of deep connoisseurship, he has become an expert in my work, a curator with an unerring eye for its history and provenance. He can spot a fake at a glance. He has also become a friend. In Grimberg’s book, he reveals his journey from nearly invisible admirer to Botero’s trusted dealer. Peppered with engaging anecdotes about his life, he talks about how he can see and feel the energy of a great work of art as it passes through his hands, and he describes his job as a “transferor of beauty.”
works are in the most prestigious art collections, and have achieved a record volume of sales at auction. In regard to commissions Botero never takes a commission to produce artwork. He paints what he likes and the market buys whatever works he has to offer. JP: Can you expand on what it is about Botero’s art that you and the public find so captivating? FG: First of all, I was captivated by him being a Colombian artist (I am also from Colombia), and when I grew up, he was already the most famous and important artist initially in Colombia, then one of the 10 top leading Latin-American artists. His style, the volume, the colors and the way he translates to the public the real Colombian landscape – and the life figures in a very joyful way – all contribute to my passion for his art. I studied his work and it was like love at first sight. He was not painting exactly the volume of the people, or as people would
JP: Can you talk about why the art world considers Botero the most important living Latin-American artist today? Does it have to do with the number of works in museums or the number of commissions? FG: The international art community considers Botero one of the most important living Latin-American artists because in his 70-year career he has had exhibitions in the most important museums worldwide, his
Botero, Fernando, b. 1932 Uccellino, 2013 Bronze, Edition of 6 31 7/16 x 31 7/16 x 19 5/8 in (80 x 80 x 50 cm) Fall 2016
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JP: What is your advice for young collectors or people new to collecting? How do you pick a winner?
Still Life with Mandolin. “I was drawing a mandolin, and I made the sound hole very small, which made the mandolin look gigantic. I saw that making the details small made the form monumental. So in my figures [of people], the eyes, the mouth are all small and the exterior form is huge,” Fernando Botero once told the Los Angeles Times on how he developed his signature style.
FG: Since a lot of people are just buying because it’s fashionable today to buy art, it’s definitely important for young collectors to get proper advice and focus on the art they like, understand, and makes them feel happy and comfortable. Collecting art is not merely buying art, it is more of a process that requires researching, evaluating, visiting museums, galleries and looking in the right places. There are experienced gallerists and art dealers like me that have a proven track record in the art field and we as professionals, guide, find, sell and assist our clients and collectors in either acquiring single pieces or in building or complementing their collections. To pick a winner artwork for me is to choose the one that won your attention, that you liked the most, that you can afford, that you can live with hanging in your home, and makes you happy.
say, fat people. He never painted fat people. It was always volume, which is what he discovered in the late 50s. Once when he was painting a mandolin, he made the center hole very small and expanded the rest of the instrument dramatically – and that’s when he started analyzing these kinds of transformations, arriving at a point of increasing the volume [as his signature style]. That’s one of the things that I like, that he is still able to play in a joyful way with this transformation of the human figure. JP: How has the value of a Botero artwork increased over the years as collectors buy and hold on to his artwork? FG: I have always been mindful of protecting and maintaining the value of Botero’s work for both the artist and the collector. During this 30 years selling his work, the value of his art, of course, has increased very steadily. He is an artist whose prices deserve to be high because of his career, life and success. But reality is what it is. If he was born in the northern hemisphere, his prices would have been much higher. There is always the stigma for artists coming from Latin America, that they can’t surpass the American or European artist, but it is a myth. Botero is the driving force in the Latin-American auction sales in New York. Without his works these sales will not take place. My first sale of a Botero sculpture 25 years ago was for $32,000. The same piece sells today for $380,000. Botero, Fernando, b. 1932 • Woman With A Fan, 2003 • Oil on Canvas 44 7/8 x 37 in. (114 x 94 cm)
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JP: Is there any rule of thumb about how much of a high-net-worth portfolio should be fine art, as compared to stocks, real estate, precious metals, etc.? FG: At this time, banks and financial institutions are advising their customers that a certain amount of their portfolio should be invested in art. No specific amount is stipulated. JP: In your book, you say that Botero believes art should produce happiness. Could you comment?
PHOTO CREDIT: PROMETHEUS72
FG: I have sold many other artists besides Botero. Botero is one of the most important ones in my career because I have dedicated a lot of my time to his work and I think I understand it very well. It became a passion. But when I buy something, an artwork, for me or for a client, or collector, I have to have a good feeling about it because I cannot sell something that is not nice according to my taste. I have to like it. So that’s when I say that art that comes to my hands and I transfer then to whoever will buy it from me, it’s like I’m passing the beauty that specific artwork is carrying. Felipe Grimberg Fine Art is located at 4770 Biscayne Blvd. Ste 840 in Miami, Florida. Selling Botero is now available on Amazon. Find more information at www.fgfa.com. DON’T MISS “THE DOS AND DON’TS OF ART BASEL” November 17, 2016, an evening with fine art dealer Felipe Grimberg, hosted by Opulence International Realty. For more information, please call 305-615-1376.
Felipe Grimberg (shown above left), author of 'Selling Botero,' has sold more Botero (above right) artworks than any other art dealer in the world.
FELIPE GRIMBERG IS AN ART DEALER BASED IN MIAMI, AUTHOR OF ‘SELLING BOTERO.’ HE CURRENTLY IS A MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD OF THE CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY.
Fernando Botero and Felipe Grimberg met when the painter was 54 and Grimberg was 21 and dreaming of becoming an art dealer of renown.
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FLAGS OF VALOR WOODEN FLAGS MADE IN AMERICA BY COMBAT VETERANS WHO’VE PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE FOR AMERICAN FREEDOM BY BRIAN STEORTS
I
spent my entire childhood surrounded by veterans, starting with my father. Growing up in a military family, I found myself drawn to service from a very young age. My brother joined the Army, my sister joined the Navy, and I initially joined the Army where I became a paratrooper. It was never a question of if I would serve. It was only a question of how. At Flags Of Valor we have three distinct core values. We believe that made in America still matters. Veterans are an invaluable resource. And we believe in giving back! We love that we do and have been. I’ve deployed numerous times to Afghanistan, the Middle East, East Africa, and the Pacific Islands. The thing I am most proud of is the people I had the honor of serving with. I’ve never used the word patriot to describe myself because it seems like a lofty description of a duty that should be in all of us, whether it be to serve in uniform, serve our communities, or to serve our nation through business. We all have the chance to serve a cause greater than ourselves.
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PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN BUSINESS OWNER My business, Flags Of Valor, is another avenue of service. When we create our wooden American Flags, we get to create a product that represents the greatest symbol of freedom in the world. We get to make something by hand in America. We Brian Steorts get to employ America’s best and, most importantly, we get to give back. Our core values shouldn’t be unique to Flags Of Valor and can be applied to a myriad of businesses and philanthropic causes. Knowing the strength of the American veteran community is one of our greatest strengths at Flags Of Valor. We have little concern about an employee’s background in carpentry. We can teach that. What we look for are people called to do something they believe in and who
hanging hardware are American made. This project morphed overnight into something that I realized could touch so many lives and give our veterans an opportunity to transition to a work environment outside the military, while preserving their camaraderie, passion to give back, and love of country.
(Above) Flags Of Valor team; (Below) Flag being produced
have a shared set of values. These values are incredibly consistent within the veteran community and, hopefully, more companies will follow our lead in trusting the value of these great team members.
THE ISSUE OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS PTS is a very delicate subject. Veterans have returned from war for centuries and essentially forced themselves to deal with the psychological changes they have experienced. Veterans with symptoms should be able to talk about it, but I know that isn’t always easy. That’s one reason why we’ve worked so hard to create an environment where service disabled vets can work together, whether they are dealing with PTS, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), pain or a number of other issues. Our work environment at Flags Of Valor is a family and we’ve found our team makes enormous strides from the mutual understanding and team-focused environment. I began woodworking while rehabilitating from a service related injury. For me, working with my hands and creating something meaningful from a pile of raw materials was both therapeutic and meaningful. My woodworking went from a hobby to an obsession. My abilities transformed from novice to craftsman, and my focus became a passion. After donating several pieces to the families of fallen EOD soldiers, I realized there was a lot more work to do. I transformed my passion into Flags Of Valor.
MADE IN AMERICA At Flags Of Valor, I’m proud to say we source all of our supplies from the United States – from our Dewalt ‘Made in America’ line of tools to the wood we source from North Carolina. Even the screws and
We love what we do and are humbled by how fast and wide our message has resonated with so many people. Every flag journeys through a weeklong process and the whole crew of craftsmen work together to make it happen. It starts with building the “canvas,” which involves cutting the wood down to the sizes required, routing the appropriate edges, pre-sanding every board, staining the backs, and final assembly. Then we dedicate the rest of the week to perfecting the face of the flag that the customer actually sees. This involves hand painting each color, finish sanding, staining and final application of protective polyurethane coating. It’s amazing to see the entire progression from raw wood on Monday to beautiful American flags on Friday. Our veterans will overwhelm you with their creativity and work ethic. Nothing beats the joy of giving back. The most rewarding thing for me is seeing the impact the flag has on our customers. When we can help someone celebrate a special occasion or commemorate someone’s service, it’s tremendous. We do a lot of custom work, too, and every custom piece comes with a story. These customer stories can be very emotional. We get to be a part of so many lives and have a very direct connection with each of these people and the sacrifice of their families. We’ve made ordering a flag as easy as possible through our online store at flagsofvalor.com and directly through Facebook. We also accommodate customers who prefer to order on the telephone and even invoice customers who prefer to send a check by mail. The customer experience is critical to our mission and we want everyone to feel a part of what we are trying to achieve at Flags Of Valor. The national media exposure we received in July [at the RNC Convention] helped us tremendously and we’ve worked through the backlog. We are now shipping standard orders in as few as 48 hours of receiving them and custom orders generally take 7-10 days to finalize. Our pricing ranges from $149 - $399 and we offer special discounts to Veterans and First Responders.
IT’S ABOUT THE VETERANS The single biggest aspect to all of this is our people. We set out from the beginning to hire only combat veterans to make this beautiful product. We built an environment where veterans can thrive. This environment is in many ways similar to the camaraderie that exists in the uniform. We want the veteran who doesn’t fit into a corporate environment. We want the veteran who has bounced around jobs missing the soldiers’ bond. We want the veterans who are service disabled. What we’ve found is that even the toughest stories find a joyful ending at Flags Of Valor. We’ve created a new family where everyone “gets it” and supports each other. It’s an amazing thing to see people challenge each other to work harder, to get stronger, and to work toward a shared goal. This is our story. Our people are our story.
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PHOTO BY PAUL MOBLEY
BlueManGroup
PIXELMANIA CAMPAU STYLE Meet Mike Campau, Hollywood’s CGI Go-to Guy* BY JOHN D. ADAMS
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A
re you looking closely? You don’t want to miss anything. And with any Mike Campau image, you’ll want to look for hours. Campau’s works are truly visionary, exceptionally unique, and dance between the lines of fantasy and reality. Through his amalgam of traditional photography and computer-generated imagery (CGI), Campau compels us to rethink the boundaries of the real and the unexpected.
MASTER OF ILLUSION It takes an illusionist years and thousands of hours of trial and error to make the impossible seem effortlessly possible. It was no different for artist Mike Campau. You don’t become a digital wizard overnight. He always played around with art in one form or an-
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Motion in Air
other but couldn’t reconcile a paying career with it. Working as a digital photo retoucher, Campau immersed himself in the fledgling world of computer aided visuals. “I developed a good understanding of how to work with the first versions of Photoshop,” remembered Campau. “I began to come across very rudimentary 3-D rendering programs comprised of just very basic shapes and simple shading tools… At that time it was just a hobby and I really enjoyed it. But I recognized the advantages of using that kind of package once the technology developed and improved.”
ZEN AND THE ART OF CGI Fast-forward 15+ years. CGI capabilities make those original programs look like cave drawings. Under Campau’s mastership, he corrals, sculpts, and lights multitudes of computer pixels, breathing life into virtually anything that can be imagined. Campau stresses the importance of balance between traditional photography and computer generated imagery. “Sometimes I use it to be over the top surreal and it becomes a matter of the viewer wondering ‘How did he do that?’ or ‘What is real and what is not?’ And then some of my work is overtly, obviously completely CGI.” 74
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Whether it is a personal project or collaboration with clients and other artists, Campau begins each project by visualizing the end result first. “Sometimes I use CGI because it is just quicker and more budget conscious than a physical photo shoot. For instance, if we wanted an image of a car sliced in half, to
try to do that in studio would be a massive, expensive undertaking. But I can go in and create a computer generated image of it and it saves all of that labor, time and money. “Other times, I want to achieve something that just wouldn’t be possible through traditional photography. You have no
limitations when working with CGI. There are no physics or logistics involved. With my Motion in Air pieces, I could have had those sculptures built and brought into the studio. Instead, I created those forms digitally, maintaining a freedom to change or adapt them any way I saw fit…” For his Living Sculptures series, Campau created varied CGI shapes and then introduced a human element — clothing — to them. “All of the sudden these undefined, formless objects become characters, each now imbued with movement, life and personality… And that’s the important yin
Living Sculptures
and yang of using CGI and photography… Knowing when to use it and when not to.”
shadow somewhere between the physical and the ephemeral.
Whether behind a camera or in front of a computer screen, Campau is always enthusiastic about the next project, the next digital challenge. We can be assured that he will offer us an impossible dream, an orchestrated magic between light and
See more of Mike Campau’s work at www.mikecampau.com * Mike Campau is the artist who created the 3D CGI paint art on the cover of this issue of Opulence. Fall 2016
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DARING ARTIST CHALLENGE:
RE-CREATE LOST MASTER PIECES BY ROBIN JAY
In Opulence, we frequently interview artists who have painted great masterpieces, experts who have restored great masterpieces or curators who have exhibited great masterpieces. In this issue, we introduce you to three talented digital artists from around the globe – including India, France and the United States – who were tasked with an especially novel challenge: To re-create lost masterpieces – by Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Schinkel – that were either destroyed in a fire, stolen from a museum, lost at war, or
vanished in transit. But here’s the catch – the re-creating artists had just 20 days to replicate these masterpieces using ONLY photos found in the 55 million image library of Adobe Stock, along with tools within Adobe Photoshop to manipulate them. What follows are the results. See if you can tell the difference between the original masterpieces and the replicas, and then read what each digital artist told Opulence about the tactics used to achieve this seemingly impossible challenge.
RE-CREATING REMBRANDT’S “STORM ON THE SEA OF GALILEE” History of the original painting: In 1633, Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt van Rijn painted his only seascape – “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” – to depict the miracle of Jesus calming a storm as written in the Bible’s Gospel of Mark, Chapter Four. Meet the Re-creating Artist: Ankur Sing Patar is an awardwinning digital artist and creative director from India’s advertising industry. He specializes in illustrations, creative retouching and photography. “I was commissioned by Adobe to re-create Rembrandt’s lost masterpiece “Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” which was stolen in 1990 from the Gardner Museum of Boston, Massachusetts,” Ankur said. “I was tasked to make it look as close to the original as possible, entirely out of Adobe Stock photography. The painting is beautiful and has a wonderful story behind it. Rembrandt’s painting had everything from action to emotion, which attracted me the moment I saw it. “Finding stock images was one of the hardest challenges for the re-creation,” Ankur explained. “I had to get the hang of how I could find a specific picture. Gradually, it became easier. I found that if I had to build a boat similar to the painting, rather than finding the exact boat, I had to find different parts of the boat, or just some wood textures, and then mold them to create the boat. Similarly, for building a specific character, I had to find a face that looked similar [to the one in Rembrandt’s painting], but I could also build a face with features picked from various other stock images. As soon as I understood the technique, it became much easier. 76
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“The project took 247 stock photos to complete, and it was the most challenging project I have ever worked on,” Ankur said. “That I could do it gave me immense pleasure and confidence. I felt that if I could re-create a masterpiece from stock imagery, I could create anything.”
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Remake
“For building a specific character, I had to find a face that looked similar [to the one in Rembrandt’s painting], but I could also build a face with features picked from various other stock images.” — Ankur Sing Patar
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retouching. The Frenchman enjoys creating funny, unusual and poetic photos and is currently illustrating a children’s book. Jean-Charles told Opulence, “For the ‘Make a Masterpiece’ project, I tried to make this new picture as close as possible to the original, but I wanted to keep it realistic and give the illusion that the scene really happened. I tried to make a fair balance between the fidelity of the original painting and the photographical sources I could find.
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RE-CREATING CARAVAGGIO’S “SAINT MATTHEW AND THE ANGEL” History of the original painting: Baroque style Italian master painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio created “Saint Matthew and the Angel”in 1602 for the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. The artist’s realism derived from using live models. In 1945, World War II bombings at Berlin’s Kaiser Friedrich Museum destroyed the masterpiece. Today, only black and white photos of it (enhanced with color) exist. Meet the Re-creating Artist: Digital artist Jean-Charles Debroize serves as art director at the Kerozen Studio in St. Gregoire, France. After developing a love for drawing and painting, he took classes to learn digital painting and
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“Due to the particularity of the character’s posture in the painting, it was not easy to find the perfect matching pictures. Nobody in real life poses in such an emphatic way,” JeanCharles said. “Consequently, the arms, legs, hands, faces, etc., are all remade with several sources. It was like playing puzzles with a choice of a million pieces in the image bank. To make this research easier, I often used the ‘similar picture’ or ‘same model’ functions that allowed me to find very quickly many pictures shot in the same light conditions or with the same subject.
“Moreover, the morphology of the bodies in the painting are extremely amplified,” Jean-Charles continued. “Saint Matthew is not a normal guy you can find on the street. I had to search in the bodybuilder’s section to find the same muscled arms and legs (and in the elderly section to find his face). “The angel’s parts were also difficult to find, due to the perspective of her face and arm. For the wings, I only used three different pictures of feathers. I duplicated and deformed them to re-create Caravaggio’s wings. For the clothes, it was really hard to find exactly the same folds, but I tried to get the same movement and the same texture. “To sum up, I used 45 different pictures to remake the whole painting, but I tried hundreds of ones,” Jean-Charles explained. “I’m really glad to have the opportunity to participate in this beautiful project. It was one of the most complicated I’ve done and I’m quite proud of it.”
Remake
Digital artist Jean-Charles Debroize only used three different pictures of feathers. He duplicated and deformed them to re-create Caravaggio’s wings as close as possible to the original.
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Original
RE-CREATING SCHINKEL’S “CATHEDRAL TOWERING OVER A TOWN” History of the original painting: One of Germany’s most renowned Prussian neoclassical and neogothic architects, Karl Friedrich Schinkel had previously earned a living as a painter. Much of his artwork reflected a belief that for a building to ‘avoid sterility and have a soul, it must contain elements of the poetic and the past, and have a discourse with them.’ In a tragic twist of poetic irony, the fate of Schinkel’s father (who died in a fire when Schinkel was just 6) eerily proved the same fate as one of the artist’s most famous paintings, “Cathedral Towering Over a Town,” which fire destroyed in 1931 at the Glass Palace in Munich. Meet the Re-creating Artist: Mike Campau, who resides in Southeast Michigan, found his passion in a combination of illustration, photography and computer-generated illustration (CGI). When Adobe approached him to re-create Schinkel’s lost masterpiece, he quickly rose to the challenge. “I’m used to combining stock photography with my own reference shots or rendering elements CGI, but now I had to look for images inside of images to find details, textures and structures that would match to the original,” Campau said. “The final result was created with 162 Adobe Stock photos, 180+ hours of Photoshop work, and a very sore index finger from scrolling through millions of images.
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Original “When I used the search terms church and cathedral, the results were too broad,” he said. “I quickly researched Schinkel and learned that the kind of architecture he specialized in is called Gothic. When I entered gothic architecture into the search field, the results were more similar to what’s in the painting.” Campau used the Gothic images to clone windows, arches and filigree to mimic Schinkel’s distinct towers. He used Photoshop’s Pen Tool to segregate squared sections of architecture that matched the German painter’s technique. And Mike cleverly crafted organic masks by employing the Refined Edge Tool along with Channels and Color Range applications. Re-creating the people in Schinkel’s painting proved no cakewalk. “For one woman, I selected a face, dress, and boots all from separate stock photos,” Campau said. “The arms I found weren’t in the right position, so I modified them in Puppet Warp. I used Liquify on the bonnet to get the right shape.” Then came the last step – aging the re-creation. “Everyone’s used to seeing classic paintings. Their blacks are a little faded, their whites are a little dingy. I achieved that with color tones and overlays, like bringing violets into the shadows. I duplicated the plaster image, inversed it, and nudged it off a bit to give the cracks some depth,” he said. “The most rewarding part of the project was finishing it… it was a brutal exercise in patience and painstaking detail work. But seeing the final image completed made it all worth it.” To see the 4th Adobe Lost Masters "remake" of Frida Kahlo's 'Wounded Table' painting by Karla Cordova, go to www.southfloridaopulence.com.
Original
Remake
See if you can tell the difference between the original masterpieces and the replicas.
The re-creating artists had just 20 days to replicate these masterpieces using ONLY photos found in the 55 million image library of Adobe Stock, along with tools within Adobe Photoshop to manipulate them.
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LOVING VINCENT The world’s first fully painted feature film COMPILED BY ROBIN JAY
T
he pioneering film Loving Vincent brings the paintings of Vincent van Gogh to life to tell his remarkable story. More than 80 professional oilpainters traveled from across Europe to the Loving Vincent studios in Poland and Greece to hand oil paint each of the film’s 62,450 frames.
Why painting animation? Writer-Director Dorota Kobiela explained, “It is the best way I can imagine to tell Vincent van Gogh’s story. There have been many biopic films about him, but every time his paintings were there merely
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as a prop. In Loving Vincent, his paintings (130 of them) are the main character – his paintings are telling the story. Like Vincent said in his last letter to his brother: ‘We cannot speak other than by our paintings’. ” As remarkable as Vincent’s brilliant paintings was his passionate and ill-fated life – and mysterious death. No other artist has attracted more legends than Vincent van Gogh. Variously labeled a martyr, a lustful satyr, a madman, a genius and a layabout, the real Vincent is at once revealed in his letters and obscured by myth and time. Vincent himself said in his last letter: ‘We cannot speak other than by our paintings.’ “We take him at his word and let the paintings tell the real story of Vincent van Gogh,” Kobiela said.
THE EPIPHANY BEHIND LOVING VINCENT How did Kobiela come up with the creative idea of creating a feature film out of animated painting? “It all started when I was in the moment of crisis in my life,” Kobiela said. “I had just finished a directing course in film school and was working in animation, but I was really missing painting. I felt that I needed to combine these passions and strike out on my own path. “We are painting each frame of the film with oil paints on canvas - trying to keep as
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close as possible to his technique and style,” Kobiela continued. “Painting animation is normally done by 1-2 painting animators, so to create a feature film in the traditional way would take decades. We decided to train painters in animation instead of involving animators – this way we were able to create a much larger team. We also developed special Painting Animation Work Stations (PAWS) to simplify the process of animation. Of course all these are just tools to aid the painters, the most important thing for our film is the talent and skills of our painters, and their ability to transfer frames into Van Gogh painting style and bring his paintings to life.” Loving Vincent was first shot as a live action film with actors and then hand-painted over frame-by-frame. The final effect is an interaction of the performance of the actors playing Vincent’s famous portraits, and the performance of the painting animators, bringing these characters into the medium of paint. Loving Vincent stars famous faces to match the famous paintings they portray…here is a synopsis:
STORY OVERVIEW France, Summer 1891. Armand Roulin (played by Douglas Booth), a feckless and directionless young man, is given a letter by his father, Postman Joseph Roulin (Chris O’Dowd), to hand-deliver to Paris. He is to deliver it to the brother of his father’s friend Vincent van Gogh, who, they have just heard, killed himself. Armand is none too pleased with the mission: He is embarrassed by his father’s association with Vincent, a foreign painter who cut off his ear and was committed to the local asylum. In Paris there is no trace of the brother. His searching leads him to the paint supplier, Pere Tanguy (John Sessions), who tells him that the brother died shortly after Vincent, apparently destroyed by the death of his older brother.
Armand resolves to wait, during which time the villagers tell him different theories of why Vincent took his life and who is to blame. While in Auvers-sur-Oise, Armand stays at the Ravoux Inn, where Vincent stayed for the last 10 weeks of his life, and where on July 29, 1890, he died of a bullet wound to his abdomen. Here Armand meets the innkeeper’s daughter, Adeline Ravoux (Eleanor Tomlinson). While he awaits Doctor Gachet’s return, Armand also interviews Doctor Gachet’s housekeeper, Louise Chevalier (Helen McCrory), the Doctor’s daughter, Marguerite Gachet (Saoirse Ronan), and by the river where Vincent often spent his days he meets the Boatman (Aidan Turner).
Pere recounts how the brother helped Vincent on this incredible transformation from a down-and-out at 28 who had failed at three careers and was living in a barn in the mining district of the Borinage in Belgium with a bunch of books and no idea what to do next, to the new artistic sensation of Paris at the time of his death 10 years later. After hearing this story, Armand believes he may have misjudged his father’s friend, and really wants to know why, after such struggle, Vincent chose the moment of impending success to take his life: Pere has no answer to this. So Armand journeys on to Vincent’s final destination, the quiet village of Auvers-sur-Oise, an hour outside Paris, to meet Doctor Paul Gachet (Jerome Flynn), Vincent’s doctor in his final weeks, to find the answer. The doctor is away for a couple of days.
Armand gets the sense that the truth is being hidden from him, and feels like a pawn in overlapping village feuds. Armand is determined to root out the truth, for his father, for Vincent’s memory, and for himself. A run in with the local police, an unexpected encounter with a second Doctor, and finally his much anticipated meeting with the mercurial Doctor Gachet, lead to unexpected and heartrending revelations, but also to Armand understanding and appreciating the passionate and surprising life of Vincent van Gogh. In Europe and Asia, film distributors for Loving Vincent have been firmed up; however, a U.S. distributor and release date have yet to be secured, but filmmakers speculate a release here sometime in 2017. For more information, visit www.lovingvincent.com. To view the movie trailer visit: southfloridaopulence.com/loving-vincent
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Tulle That’s So
Artist Benjamin Shine's "The Dance" exhibit portrays lifelike movement and romance out of a most unusual medium BY ROBIN JAY
Is it colored smoke? A Photoshop tool? A light projection? Bet you’d never guess these Benjamin Shine sculptures are crafted out of tulle – yes, the netting best known for use in ballerina tutus and ballroom skirts, not fine art. “I originally studied fashion design, which introduced me to fabric as a new medium,” London native Shine told Opulence. “I became interested in one-piece garment construction, which soon developed into construction ideas away from the body as sculptural pieces.
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t
ulle was one of the first materials I used, but it wasn’t until 2008 that I realized its inherent translucent qualities could be manipulated to create portraits from a single piece.”
THE ALLURE OF TULLE “I was intrigued by the potential to create tones by folding the material – whereby each fold generates a darker tone,” Shine said. “I have created highly detailed and intricate works, especially portraits, but more recently have become interested in conveying a sense of motion and free flowing movement. Above all, I love that tulle netting is half in existence and half non-
existent. It is smokelike and ethereal and I am exploring different ideas that revolve around energy and the relationship between the material and immaterial. “There are many challenges in working with tulle – it can burn or melt easily, so it’s important for me to understand how to control this,” Shine said. “The material is delicate, but also strong enough for many
www.benjaminshine.com
applications. I am still enjoying discovering new ways to use it.”
ART IN MOTION Shine’s works shown here are from his collection “The Dance.” We asked Shine to describe his unique technique.
“The most detailed sections are made by hand compressing and sewing the tulle,” Shine explained. “It is very similar to sculpting clay, as the material can be squashed and manipulated quite well. I also use the tulle as a structural support so that the figures are suspended by the same material they are made from, without wires, which allows the effect to retain a sense of effortlessness. “There is a well-known association between tulle, ballet, femininity and movement, so for a long time I have been thinking about how to create an idea that encompasses these subjects. “The Dance” explores the idea of creativity as a powerful yet brief force, charged with passion and energy. It represents this flow and fleeting expression
(Top) The Dance Male; (Lower Left) The Dance Female; (Lower right) The Dance- 2 Dancers 88
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The Dance
bursting from the source as if manifesting momentarily. “A white circular vessel releases a smokelike plume of tulle high into the air, engulfing the ceiling above. The colours converge to form two large faces and a series of dancing figures, silhouetted within the flowing fabric as if suspended in motion. The faces and figures were based on two very talented ballet dancers who I photographed in the different poses to create the sculptures,” Shine expounded.
“I take photographs as I make my tulle projects because it helps me see the work from a different perspective and it shows up things I don’t see in reality. I have quite a sizable studio where I generally have six or seven projects in progress at once. There’s tulle everywhere – even hanging from the ceilings. There are many irons everywhere, many of which are ‘retired’ – after a while, they just stop working!”
IT’S ALL ABOUT THAT FACE For Shine, the effort to pioneer into such an unusual art medium is all worthwhile
when he sees the priceless expressions on viewers’ faces. “I hope to offer something that provokes uplifting reactions and intrigue,” Shine said. “If the viewer responds with either ‘how?’ or ‘wow!’ then I feel I’ve done my job!” Editor’s note: Givenchy was so impressed by Shine’s tulle works that the fashion house invited him to collaborate on an art/couture clothing line. In the world of fine art, his artworks now resonate globally. A video of his latest installation “The Dance” generated more than 65 million views. Fall 2016
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COURAGEOUS
Self-Expression of
REFLECTIONIST
LEA FISHER BY JOHN D. ADAMS
Lea Fisher was always an artist. She just didn’t realize it. “As a child I loved doing anything artistic, but I never considered it as a profession or even something I would do later,” she said. Looking at Fisher’s work, a freewheeling heyday of color, texture and composition, it is hard to believe that she has only been painting for 10 years.
“THE GIFT” Fisher had attended college and graduate school to become a counselor. Painting wasn’t even a hobby. “I honestly had never really thought about it [art] again until JD and I met,” she recalled. “He had a studio space and we would paint while we were on dates. And that’s the only time I’d picked up a brush or painting knife… It was during the second painting I was doing that both of us realized that there was really something going on here. It was an exciting moment.” Over his 20+ years as a painter, gallery owner, teacher, and founder of the Reflectionist movement, JD Miller understands that talent and expression don’t always intersect. “I can teach anyone to paint,” he said. “But nobody can teach ‘The Gift.’ Lea absolutely has the gift for painting. From the first night we started I could see it. The things she’s doing now are blowing my mind, they are so good.” Like Miller, Fisher uses massive amounts of oil paint to project her visions out of the confines of two-dimensional space. “It’s exciting because you feel unbounded. It is like sculpting on canvas.”
REFLECTIONS ON A JOURNEY In just a decade, Fisher has managed to develop an impressive array of work. Now that she has found her voice, she can’t stop singing. “I felt like I had returned to something that had always been there, but that I’d never paid attention to. As a Reflectionist painter, my major motivation is the energy that I draw from the universe and Photography: Rhiannon Lee, Dress: Abi Ferrin, Necklace: Magela Blanco
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FLAMING SNOWBALL 40" X 30"
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I think my journey shows that if you really lean into life and trust in yourself and your process, you will be taken where you need to be. Opulence
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DESERT DREAM 72" X 36" everything around me. I allow the creative process to flow through me.” It is fascinating to observe how Fisher’s hand and mind have developed. As we look at “Desert Dream,” done in her earliest style, Fisher remarked, “Lots of people say it looks like it’s breaking out of or in to something. And that’s exactly what I was doing. I was breaking out of my own mold. I had gone to grad school for 7 years to become a therapist and suddenly I was an artist. I was breaking away from the goals and expectations I had been carrying for myself.” There is a rat-a-tat thrill of color and movement to Fisher’s next period, which includes “Desiree” and “Reflection of a Moment.” “I’d gone away from everything that felt deliberate. It is a lot looser and I was no longer reticent to use a lot more color. I was becoming much more assured of myself when doing those pieces.”
DESIREE 48" X 36" Latest creations like “Flaming Snowball,” showcase Fisher at her most liberated to date. “I’ve finally given myself full permission to do whatever I want, however I want,” she said. “I’m using a variety of mediums including diamond dust, oils, even pen and ink. And for the green texture I use a special little tool.” As we consider Fisher’s remarkable development, she and Miller become reflective. “Lea’s gift is something I have rarely seen. It is akin to perfect pitch in music. Hers is perfect pitch in painting,” said Miller.
Adds Fisher: “This has been an evolution of courage for me, of coming into my own as an artist. It’s a dream I never knew I had come true. I think my journey shows that if you really lean into life and trust in yourself and your process, you will be taken where you need to be … This is a gift that I’ve been given. I just want to do the very best I can, enjoy it, and share it with other people.” Lea Fisher is represented by the Samuel Lynne Galleries. www.samuellynne.com Visit her website at: www.leafisherart.com Fall 2016
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Humanistic
Revival In Latin American art, something more intelligent, more human, is emerging BY JOHN SEVIGNY
From colossal Olmec heads and gold Inca figurines, through the paintings of Dr. Atl, the Mexican muralists and the grande dame of Salvadoran painting Rosa Mena Valenzuela, Latin American art has always been humanistic, representational and figurative. To some, that is changing as artists across Ibero-America ape the styles of artists who have done well on the ever growing art mega-market. Moreover, the lasting artists of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s - including Leon Golub, Ed Pashke and Anselm Kiefer never abandoned representation or reflecting the human condition. An art history professor I know in the Mexican State of Coahuila recently lamented the fact that so many Mexican artists were imitating Jeff Koons, Richard Prince and Damien Hirst, artists more concerned with spectacle than substance.
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Guerreros Modernos by Andres Conde
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their mother was turned into a pillar of salt marks a return of interest in intelligent, historical and technically masterful painting. But economics are also part of the equation and collectors are shying away from “the next big thing.” The art market is shrinking and, as it does, buyers who once flipped Hirsts and Schnabels the way people flip condos are looking for more secure investments. “The market has definitely shrunk,” Wendy Cromwell, an art advisor told The New York Times in July. “But that isn’t a result of sellers not wanting to sell in an uncertain market, but of a lack of spectacular guarantees.”
ART MARKET TRENDS In the contemporary art market, it may signal a return to substance and style over glamour, glitz and celebrity.
Make Believe by Anthony Ardavin
“They’re copying bad artists,” he said as we chatted in his office in Torreon, not far from the town where Julio Galán, one of Mexico’s most famous late 20th century painters was born. “What’s worse is they don’t even understand what they’re imitating. What they’re doing, like the artists they copy, it’s a kind of conceptualism with no concepts behind it.”
AS GOES COAHUILA, SO GOES THE WORLD But that may be changing. For decades now, since the big-money boom of the 96
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’80s turned third-rate painters such as Julian Schnabel into celebrities, art journalism has focused on big sales of generally big art with bloated price tags produced by people with bloated egos. Last month’s auction at Christie’s was dominated not by Tracey Emin’s shallow phrases rendered in neon or Hirst’s dissected animals, but by the $58.2 million sale of a 17th century painting by Peter Paul Rubens, “Lot and His Daughters.” The sale of a biblical painting about an ancient king seduced by his daughters after
One dealer betting on a return to representation in art is Miami’s Stacy Conde of Conde Contemporary. Her stable of artists includes the young Darian Rodriguez Mederos, whose large facial portraits clearly reflect his Baroque influences; Enrique Toledo, whose work features bold colors, complex scenarios, and a marriage of Mannerism and the surreal; Aurora Molina, who makes textile and thread drawings, which, despite their spareness, call to mind rich, domestic narratives; and Luis Enrique Toledo del Rio, whose surrealist approach to classicism brings to mind the late works of Max Ernst as well as the aforementioned Julio Galán. All are Cuban and all of them deal, in their own manner, with the human figure. The same is true of Anthony Ardavin, painter, sculptor, curator, and art professor born in Cuba in 1959. “These are stories from my native country, or experiences that I have had through my journey,” he says of his paintings. “In my work, cultures overlap, coexist and intermingle. I paint the past and the present, the contemporary and the primitive.” Which is to say that Ardavin, like many artists Conde represents, is a Modernist in the truest sense of the word. He seeks to blaze
Time of The Golden Birth by Luis Enrique Toledo del Rio
a path into the future while keeping an eye on artistic traditions. Luis Rodriguez NOA takes a different approach to representing reality. His vast cityscapes, rendered in spare lines, echo the work of the early 20th century. But his work also reflects Spanish and Latin American painting traditions. There's a touch of early Joan Miro in these playful paintings, and a dose of the Uruguayan painter Joaquin Torres Garcia. “I feel as though a curtain has been drawn back and at last the viewer can see The Great Oz’s machinations. Art should move you, and not require a ten page statement, which often purposefully obfuscates. I’ve invested my time and resources into this group of artists because I respect them, and their work. I know what they create is important and will stand the test of time,” said Stacy Conde. “Conde Contemporary specializes in technically driven, representational art by, primarily, Cuban artists with a focus on contemporary Cuban art,” she said. Most of her artists were born and trained
Once, the Sea Dreamed by Enrique Toledo
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“I feel as though a curtain has been drawn back and at last the viewer can see The Great Oz’s machinations.” — Stacy Conde
in Cuba, a fact which may have something to do with their disinclination to the Saatchi-sponsored brand of minimalist, preconstructed, opaquely and allegedly Conceptualist work. A Line Out by Luis Rodriguez NOA
Mrs. Conde, and her husband Andres, a painter who is also represented by the gallery, are doing well enough to have moved their main space to Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, while maintaining a project space, CCPS, in Little Havana. Andres Conde is a painter capable of working in diverse styles. Much of his recent work recalls mid-20th century pin-up posters painted in a crisp, almost-Edward Hopper style. In a recent piece, The Moon, he continues that approach even as a more ethereal touch of Gustav Klimt rises to the pastel-toned surface. Cuban artists are given rigorous training in drawing and painting techniques. After leaving the island nation, they are plunged into a frenzied art market where they must establish their own styles. The difference between many Cuban-trained painters and their New York art school contemporaries is that Cubans make the plunge armed with a better knowledge of art history, often no exposure to what art magazines decide is the flavor of the month, and technical preparation that is decreasingly emphasized in U.S. art schools, where students are expected to learn their craft and “find their artistic voice” in just four years. There is space in the American and global art markets for a vast diversity of styles. Works by Hirst, Koons and others purchased by major museums are now a permanent part of art history. At the moment, however, it appears that their age of dominance is over and something more intelligent and, most importantly, more human, is emerging, at least in Latin-American art.
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For more information, visit: www.condecontemporary.com
Cecilia Paredes: Rhythmic Garland
T H E
A R T
O F
BY ROBIN JAY
One of my favorite covers of South Florida Opulence featured a stunning painting of what appeared to be the alluring face of a blue-eyed leopard. The uniquely textured cover turned heads like crazy. But what really surprised our readers was when we noted the image wasn’t a leopard at all – but rather an illusion painted on a naked woman by one of the world’s premiere body painters, Craig Tracy, who is legally blind. In response to readers' requests, it's time for a follow-up story on a new trend in body painting: The Art of Making a Human Vanish. Here you'll meet seven amazing artists from around the world.
CECILIA PAREDES: VANISHING IN WALLPAPER Peruvian-born Paredes studied fine arts at the Catholic University of Lima and at Cambridge Arts in the United Kingdom. She now works between Lima and Philadelphia. “I came to the United States for true love in 2004 – when I married opera composer Jay Reise.” You might call Paredes a wallflower. She is best known for camouflaging herself into fancifully papered walls (see image above). “I wrap, cover or paint my body with the same pattern of the material and represent myself as part of that landscape. Through this act, I am working on the theme of building my own identification with the part of the world where I call home.”
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Paredes combines themes in nature - origins, camouflage, transformation and her body - to acquire multiple identities with a blend of sculptural re-creations and photography. Each element reminds one that humans are but one element in nature, of which the body is pristine expression. “The backgrounds in my photographs symbolize a place I have lived, some with flowers, some with patterns, related to a personal story," said Paredes, who first paints the back side of a model, photographs it, and then has another artist repaint it on her back for the final image.
“My mother would listen to Chopin while I was playing around her as a young girl and I think it influenced me since I was forming expressions at a tender age. In kindergarten, I was already looking at things in a different way and doing strange looking collages. Growing up in Peru, one is influenced by a visual wealth of history, art, crafts, tradition and religion, and that indents your subconscious and comes out when creating art.” Curious, I asked Paredes why she doesn’t typically show her face. “The face is the protagonist and the character I interpret is usually expressing feelings with hands or movement and
does not need more. I do leave a bit of skin when camouflaging, as an anchor to reality.” For Paredes, whose work has been exhibited at museums worldwide, one situation was especially memorable. “We were preparing for an outdoor performance,” she said. “It was ready to snow. Everyone was bitterly cold and short of patience. It was 6 a.m. in the open forest. I was posing as a bird on a branch. Seconds before the shoot, a deer came into the scene. He looked at us, smelled me and peacefully left. We remained speechless. It was a gift, a reward, pure magic!” To see more of Paredes' artwork, go to www. ruizhealyart.com.
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thing which can`t hurt me. I was born in Sofia, the capital, in 1982, a very hard time for intellectual people who didn’t want to be stuck in a communist society, where almost everything was forbidden,” Volen said. “The government was taking away people’s houses to make kindergartens. Two houses next to ours were taken, and they wanted our house, too. If a house had some kind of cultural heritage, the government couldn't take it, so my smart mother painted the entire staircase of our three-floor house with murals – and saved our home.
Chaos and Order by Bella Volen
JOHANNES STÖTTER Johannes Stötter is autodidactic artist, musician and fine art body painter. He grew up in the Alps in South Tyrol, Italy, as the oldest son of five children in an artistic and musical family. After high school he studied education and philosophy at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Johannes Stötter started experimenting with body art in the year 2000 and got slowly into this art form while painting on canvas, creating nature art / land art works and realizing various music projects. With the years he developed an individual style, which is deeply related to nature and to spiritual themes. His work includes various kinds of body painting (camouflage, fashion, anatomy, installation, fine art and more). Today Johannes works as a professional body painter; his art is shown in commer-
cials, fashion, workshops, music videos, film, theater, live performances and more. In 2009 he joined the international body painting scene with the 5th place at the world championship. Johannes' biggest successes were: the World champion title 2012, the Vice World champion title 2011, the Italian champion title 2011 and 2013 and the 1st place at "living art America" body painting contest 2013, Atlanta, USA. 2013 he was featured in worldwide press and TV and became famous through his artwork of a tropical frog consisting of five women.
BELLA VOLEN: BLENDING ART, POETRY & MUSIC Bulgaria native Bella Volen is passionate about her craft (shown above). “Art is my life – my dreams, my hopes, my breath. It's the only
“Communist Bulgaria was a gray world. Daily hours without water or electricity and long lines for sugar or oil were normal. At home was a different world. We had a library with books in many languages. My mother taught me about different minorities and cultures. My father was a poet and writer. They gave me huge freedoms. All of the room walls were my canvas. I was allowed to paint on them with whatever I wanted. The lack of things can be the best food for inspiration...so was my family. My mother’s father was a documentary filmmaker, one of the few people allowed to leave the country. I thought if he could find a way out of the system, I would also travel the world. My grandmother and aunt were on the jury of ballet festivals. I played piano for 10 years, the language of my soul. My mother painted theatrical stages and costumes. They all influenced me. “At age 20, I followed the adventure in my chest and moved to Vienna, Austria, to study painting," Volen said. “My work is like a symphony played by an orchestra, or a tree in the fog creating sounds of an orchestra. It is complex. One of the most important goals in my art is the impact on the observer. I want every age group and origin to enjoy it. My painted canvases are colorful, my painted bodies are dressed in patterns, they are not naked. I cherish old traditions, new ideas, style and knowledge. In times of conflict, the world needs more beauty, more art, more music.” To enjoy more of Bella Volen’s creativity, go to www.bella-volen.com.
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Chic by Craig Tracy
CRAIG TRACY “It is my intent to continue to explore and expand the perceptions and boundaries of this most ancient, alluring, and contemporary art form,” said iconic world-renown fine-art body painter Craig Tracy. The pioneering artist is a native of New Orleans – the city host of Mardi Gras, the largest annual costumed celebration in the world and (incidentally) the location for this season’s “Skin Wars” (the body painting competition television show on GSN) for which Craig is a celebrity judge.
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“I grew up in a family with a tradition of painting each other’s faces for Mardi Gras,” said Craig. “My hometown’s authentic and vibrant culture largely influenced my creativity and passion for body painting. Interestingly, I personally didn’t take body painting seriously for five or six years. The day that I finally asked myself ‘why,’ why I liked painting on people so much, that led me to… well, what if I take this passionate interest seriously? That one question and a quick Google search changed the course of my life.” Considered a cornerstone in body painting’s progressive movement, today Craig focuses
his art career entirely on body painting. He owns and operates the very first art gallery in the world dedicated to fine-art Chic-Craig body painted Tracy images. The gallery allows even the most seasoned art collectors and novices to see and experience firsthand what body painting is ultimately capable of expressing. With a passionate and pioneering spirit, Craig personally meets and educates hundreds of people each week in the gallery. To see more of Craig’s extraordinary artwork, visit: craigtracy.com.
Natalie Fletcher painted a person into these store wine shelves as a challenge in the TV competition show “Skin Wars”.
NATALIE FLETCHER A recent winner of “Skin Wars,” Natalie Fletcher celebrated in a far more adventurous way than a trip to Disney World. She outfitted a van into a sleeper-studio and set out on a cross–country art project she called “100 Bodies Across America,“ during which she painted two people in each of the 50 states. Then again, Natalie has always been venturesome. At age 5, she found drawing to be much more interesting than math class. Upon graduating high school in Texas, she journeyed to Oregon and enrolled in an intense four-year painting school in Ashland. In 2010, she thought, “Now what?” She created a pin-up girl calendar to raise money to move to Bend, Oregon, in search of a job. In the newspaper was an ad for a body painter, one of the few niches in painting for which Natalie had no experience. “When they replied and requested images of my work, I thought, ‘Oh crud, I better
paint some bodies!” So she did. In just a few days, she painted four bodies, including her own, and – with her finger crossed – sent off the pictures. “I got the job and I’ve been hooked ever since!” she said. The image shown here of the person painted into the shelves of a wine store was one of the challenges that led to her “Skin Wars” championship. “It was the most difficult camo[flage] I have ever done,” Natalie said. “Paint for the body is different than other paint; blending and layering can be quite tricky. I actually had to paint the highlights and labels before the darks and shadows. NIGHTMARE! But despite my model having a cold, and the clock ticking, I was really pleased with the results.” And so were the judges. In Natalie’s brief career as a fine-art body painter, she has painted more than 300 people. “I remember all of their names and love each and everyone of them.”
SEE IF YOU CAN FIND THE PERSON PAINTED INTO THE SHELVES OF A WINE STORE. IT WAS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT LED TO FLETCHER’S “SKIN WARS” CHAMPIONSHIP.
To see more of Natalie Fletcher’s fine-art body painting, go to www.artbynataliefletcher.com.
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AVI RAM “I love a good challenge and body painting is certainly one of them,” said Avi Ram, an artist who also appeared on “Skin Wars,” where he created the outdoor nautical scene shown at left. “It’s amazing to see the audience’s reaction to a live canvas. It’s an art form that intrigues people, especially at events when they see the live transformation. Body painting has become very popular; it’s taking the art form to the next level.” Originally a fine-art airbrush artist focusing on clothing, murals and caricatures, Avi affectionately became known among fans as the ‘Airbrush Hero.’ He branched into body painting in 2010 when he moved to Florida, where the warm-climate clientele brought frequent requests for face and body painting. “I found it very inspiring – I loved it!” As with any artist venturing into a new art form, Avi faced some new challenges. “The most important challenge is to make sure that the live canvas (the model) is drinking and eating enough, and to make sure the model is comfortable all the time,” Avi noted. “Another challenge is that blending is from one point of view and it’s tricky to create matching lines on a person to match the background, especially if it’s outdoor blending because you’re fighting with the sun and the clock. When time changes, the colors change!” Avi Ram’s nautical “Vanishing Project” he created in the “Skin Wars” TV body painting competition
CHERYL ANN LIPSTREU
To see more of Avi Ram’s body painting, visit www.airbrushhero.com.
Cheryl Ann’s latest body painting endeavor – The Flag Series – will be an accumulative community project. “I will paint a camouflage body painting into each flag for every country in the world,” she said. “Currently there are 196 countries, along with a few select flags, such as my home state, that I will feature. The creative use of body painting utilized in this collection will become a meaningful inspiration of national pride for every country, every nation and every individual to witness the works. This type of work has never been done before, and as an artist, it is thrilling to create a project of this magnitude with such global influences. It’s a dream coming true with every painting!” To follow along as Cheryl Ann completes her flag project, visit cherylannlipstreu.com. 104
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American Flag in Cheryl Ann Lipstreu’s Flag Series. Flag photo credits: Model: Elizabeth Rose; Photographer: Frank Chodl
BY GORDON LEWIS, CONSERVATOR
Fine Art Conservation
FELLOW SNOWBIRDS, IT’S TIME FOR YOUR ANNUAL ART COLLECTION CHECKUP where there was no problem in the past. It is extremely important that the collector has a full copy of all of these documents. If there is ever a problem between the collector and the conservator, or if the collector or conservator moves, then the collector needs to be in full possession of these documents for the next time the collection is evaluated.
Good to be back in Florida for the winter season; summer was great in Maine/France/ Cleveland/Hamptons or wherever you chose to vacation. Art is coming out of summer storage and now is the perfect time to have an annual checkup before it goes back up on the wall, on the pedestal or out on the lawn. You, as the owner, should take the first look at it to see if you note any problems but then call in a conservator to examine it carefully. There are many subtle telltale signs which the conservator may pick up on but would be lost to an untrained eye. The value of this annual checkup is to stop problems before they can become serious. At one point or another, conservation programs and universities decided they should follow the model of medical schools and have conservators specialize in a single discipline, such as paintings, works on paper, sculpture, etc. The truth is that most conservators can master more than one discipline, but at this point in time, it is unfortunate that they are not trained to do so. Of course, for the collector, this means going to several conservators specializing in several arenas. Be that as it may, the collector will need conservators who specialize in the materials they collect. Since a full inventory of the items which a conservator will check is massive, we will illustrate with just a few: paper and paintings, but don’t forget that these evaluations are equally true on nearly every type of collectible and every media: On paper, the conservator will look for: 1. Media condition (ink/pencil/crayon/etc.) 2. Support condition (paper/parchment/etc.) 3. Mount condition (if the art is attached to a backing) 4. Condition of the frame and its impact upon the art, among other issues
A NOTE ABOUT STORAGE
Some of the issues the conservator will look for on paintings include: 1. Strainer or stretcher condition (infestation/ mildew/deformation) 2. Support condition (canvas/board/paper/ etc.) 3. Ground layer and/or paint layer condition (tears/abrasions/delamination/cleavage/ loose paint/paint losses/etc.) 4. Protective coating condition if varnished (discoloration/blanching crackling/grime/etc.) 5. Frame condition (breaks/disjointed/structural problems/insect attack/warping/etc.)
IMPORTANCE OF A CONSERVATOR’S BASELINE FOR YOUR COLLECTION The first time a collection is surveyed, the conservator should use this not only to assess problems in the collection, but also as a baseline for future evaluations. In fact, one of his most valuable contributions is the baseline. This will let the conservator know if problems begin to develop in the future
A number of insurance companies feel that a collection should be “sheltered in place” within the collector’s home if the home is substantial enough to withstand a hurricane. I have had extensive experience with this and enough experience to know that while everything may come through the hurricane in good shape, it is after the hurricane that massive problems and damage can and do occur. One collector kept his collection of 38 pieces through the storm and the electric went out for nearly 6 weeks afterward. Massive humidity built within the house and every piece was attacked by mold because, although he had a generator, he ran out of fuel and he could not acquire surplus fuel because the roads were closed. In Palm Beach – one of the wealthiest towns on the face of the earth! – I’ve seen this scenario many times. We have worked with several clients where we have built museum quality, waterproof storage boxes for their collection in advance and stored the crates for them. When a storm threatened, we put their collection into the cases and put them into category five storage until the event had passed, electricity was up and running, and they could safely be returned. Another advantage of the cases is that, in several instances, our clients moved to another residence; the cases were right there to protect the art during the move. Please feel free to call us if you have any questions regarding this or other issues where we may be able to help you: The Fine Arts Conservancy, LLC, 561-684-6133.
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Conducting Blue Chips
At The Opera
BY ROBIN JAY
BY ROBIN JAY
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hen Monteverdi composed the first opera 400 years ago in Italy, he aimed to make music acquiescent to the lyrics. Four centuries later, in 1994, when Frenchman Gilles Dyan opened the firsta Opera Gallery in Singapore, he aspired to launch another kind of global opus – one that focused not on auditory works of art, but rather on fine visual works of art.
“I chose to name my first art gallery ‘Opera’ because in Latin, the term can involve many different forms of art and it’s easy to remember,” said Dyan, who discovered his love for fine art as a boy in Paris. “I entered the art world by chance. My parents were both schoolteachers, and every day on my way to school, I walked past a small art gallery with very nice abstract painters’ prints. I was dreaming of owning a fine-art piece in my bedroom. “I bought my first work of art at the age of 13, a lithograph by Miró, with the money I was offered for my Bar Mitzvah. When I was 25, I started door-to-door selling prints by French contemporary artists on weekends; I was working in an advertis-
“I chose to name my first art gallery ‘Opera’ because in Latin, the term can involve many different forms
At an Opera Gallery, you'll find works by blue-chip artists, including Picasso, Chagall, Botero and Warhol. Dyan described some of his favorite pieces currently or recently on display in Miami (also shown here): “L’Âne bleu is one of Chagall’s very typical paintings with all the items that made him so famous worldwide: the donkey, the coq, the lovers, etc.,” Dyan said. “Tennessee Williams by Warhol is an iconic portrait of the American writer, and Tête de femme by Picasso
of art and it’s easy to remember.” – Gilles Dyan
ing company on weekdays. Afterward, I changed my career to be an art dealer.”
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO GLOBAL ENTERPRISE
Picasso – Tête de femme, 1944 Oil on Canvas Signed ‘Picasso’ (lower right) and dated ‘1er mai 44’ (on the reverse) 46 x 33 cm – 18.1 x 13 in
When Dyan first got into the art business, the average price of the prints fetched no more than $500. “Since the business was prospering, I took on a few people and opened galleries in shopping centres on the outskirts of Paris. In 1994, I utterly changed my target when I opened Opera Gallery in Singapore with very different collectors. I was then featuring young contemporary artists.” Today, Opera Gallery is one of the leading dealers in modern and contemporary American, European and Asian art with an exclusive list of museum and private clients worldwide. With presence in 11 major international destinations including Paris, London, Geneva, Monaco, New York, Miami, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Beirut and Dubai, Opera Gallery sets the industry mark in showcasing artworks of exceptional quality supported by two decades of client service excellence and integrity in the field.
OPERA GALLERIES IN THE U.S.
Tennessee Williams, by Warhol, ca 1983, Synthetic polymer and silkscreen inks on canvas, Size : 50x40 Cm / 19,7x15,7 In
Last March, Dyan opened Opera Gallery in the Miami Design District (after having a 14year presence in nearby Bal Harbour), with forthcoming new U.S. locations planned in New York and Aspen, Colorado.
L’Âne bleu, by Chagall, circa 1978, Oil, acrylic, tempera and pen and ink on canvasboard, Size : 41,3x33,3 Cm / 16,3x13,1 In
is a portrait of a girl with the artist’s famous composition and colours.”
FINE ART AS INVESTMENT “The art market is still very strong all over the world: Over the last few years, the transaction values have amounted to over $65 billion. More people collect art; museums and foundations are opening throughout the world,” Dyan said. “One cannot be wrong when investing in nice paintings by the blue-chip artists mentioned above: They are historical artists. Since blue-chip artists are much sought after by young rich collectors and museums, which need to feature these names in their portfolios, the prices of their paintings have doubled in less than 6 years. Investing a part of one’s assets in art is a good choice, even for young collectors. Art has become an asset more than a passion for many investors.” For more information about Opera Gallery, go to www.operagallery.com. Fall 2016
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Title Here
GARDENS of Miami BY MARY AND HUGH WILLIAMSON
T
he Villagers, a non-profit Miamibased organization that focuses on the preservation of historic structures has published a stunning book entitled “Gardens of Miami”. It does not disappoint. An impressive “coffee table book”, this tome is not the typical “armchair gardener” offering. Instead, this work celebrates the South Florida natural habitat, with its lush vegetation. Nearly infinite textures, shapes, sizes and shades embrace the influence of our native environment, as well as the many species that have come over the years to seem native. The plant environment is portrayed as a collective “historic structure” to be preserved, and certainly follows The Villagers’ mission. Gardens of Miami is much more than it portends and is an effort of grand proportions. The masterful photography by Steven Brooke highlights daytime venues that radiate with sunlight, and it catches a magical glow in evening shots. The crisp narrative of Elaine Mills and Julie Petrella Arch succinctly captures the mood of each entry as the examples change character from page to page. Some gardens appear to be happenstance, growing as if nature were the sole designer. Others appear planned and formal, while still utilizing plantings that have adapted to the hydrology and geography of our state, and because of that adaptation to our conditions need little care. This celebratory book includes examples of numerous subtropical treasures….our beloved palms as well as hammocks and mangrove swamps, with beautiful applications for our South Florida lifestyles. At the same time it encourages the preservation of the habitat of our threatened wildlife.
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Pictured here is an impressive Thai Buddha fountain, embellished with cultivated flowers and nestled in lush greenery that includes ginger.
GIVING NATURE HER DUE Rather than illustrating applied “afterthought” landscape solutions that are dominated by buildings and hardscapes, the many dramatic and beautiful gardens pose man-made additions to the environment incorporated as a minor feature. They are “tucked into” the luxuriant growth that dominates the thesis. There is a prominent deference to the majesty of the flora that we are so blessed to have all around us. Examples of cultivated floral additions appear as well, including classic garden favorites often in containers, and well-tended hedges, but they all seem to give a nod to the overriding theme of local subtropical splendor. They meet the “wilderness” halfway; the best of both. Most of the color, however, is found with native and adopted flowering plants and trees, shrubs and vines; bougainvillea, orchids, heliconia and anthurium. But sparkling foliage prevails, with all its drama and diverse textures.
BUILDING ON OUR HERITAGE From formal gardens, pool environments, waterfront settings and sculpture gardens, this edition salutes the concepts long ago brought to bear by Charles Deering, James Deering, Marion and David Fairchild, George Merrick and others who recognized that the Miami experience is like no other. The authors introduce us to notable gardens and botanical centers in and around Miami. These resources provide visual enjoyment and the opportunity for further study of archaeological and nature preserves, as well as an education on endangered plants and habitats. It is pointed out that Florida gardening history can continue to inspire us going forward. The history of ornamental gardening and a review of the principles that it has traditionally employed is eloquently outlined in the book’s introduction, penned by Joanna Lombard. It is worth reading and rereading. Mediterranean art and architecture always seem to look right at home in South Florida, due in part to the “common denominator” palms. Our omnipresent Mediterranean Revival residences
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Vizcaya is a study in classic, formal design, Miami “Style”
This “Mediterranean” wall sets the tone for this garden.
Art objects, decorative mosaic walls and fences that show the reader some local creativity.
and parks with Moorish influences and seemingly age-old “ruins” are exquisitely illustrated within the pages of this volume, but there are other cultures that are shown to be right at home as well. The serene Asian influence is a good example, and one that finds an important place in this book.
BRANCHING OUT Pages that feature “old world” and other traditional themes are punctuated by contemporary applications, including a few Bohemian surprises. There are art objects, decorative mosaic walls and fences that show the reader some local creativity and are departures from the expected.
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This book will serve not only to heighten awareness of Miami Gardens with all their variety, but perhaps to inspire the reader to create a unique habitat in their own corner of South Florida. Gardens of Miami is available at www.thevillagersinc.org/ projects-the-garden-book. $60
Mary and Hugh Williamson reside in Bluffton, South Carolina, where their environment includes cultivated gardens adjacent to their nature preserve.
Get the exclusive T-shirt. Shop the weekend. Show your support. Join Saks Fifth Avenue in the fight against cancer. Get the shirt, designed by Christian Louboutin, available exclusively at Saks this October. Then shop Thursday to Sunday, October 27 to 30, when Saks will donate 2% of sales to local and national cancer charities.* Special thanks to Halle Berry,the 2016 Ambassador for the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer and Saks Fifth Avenue’s Key To The Cure
*FROM THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 TO OCTOBER 30, 2016, TWO PERCENT (2%) OF NET REVENUE (AS DEFINED BELOW), FOR UP TO A TOTAL OF USD$500,000 ON A PRO-RATA BASIS, GENERATED FROM SALES OF MERCHANDISE OF VENDORS PARTICIPATING IN THE KEY TO THE CURE PROMOTION (THE “PARTICIPATING VENDORS”) (I) AT THE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK STORE, THE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE BEVERLY HILLS STORE AND ON SAKS.COM WILL BE DONATED TO THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION (“EIF”) AND ITS PROGRAM STAND UP TO CANCER (“SU2C”) AND (II) AT THE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE QUEEN STREET TORONTO STORE, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE SHERWAY TORONTO STORE AND ON SAKS.CA WILL BE DONATED TO EIF CANADA AND ITS PROGRAM STAND UP TO CANCER CANADA (“SU2C CANADA”). IN ADDITION, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT (100%) OF GROSS REVENUE GENERATED FROM SALES OF THE KEY TO THE CURE T-SHIRTS SOLD FROM OCTOBER 1 TO OCTOBER 31, 2016 (I) AT THE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK STORE, THE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE BEVERLY HILLS STORE AND ON SAKS.COM AND SAKSOFF5TH.COM WILL BE DONATED TO EIF/SU2C AND (II) AT THE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE QUEEN STREET TORONTO STORE, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE SHERWAY TORONTO STORE AND ON SAKS.CA AND SAKSOFF5TH.CA WILL BE DONATED TO EIF CANADA/SU2C CANADA. AS USED HEREIN AND FOR PURPOSES OF THIS PROMOTION, “NET REVENUE” SHALL MEAN GROSS REVENUE MINUS SALES TAX, DISCOUNTS, RETURNS, CREDITS, CANCELLATIONS, LOST, STOLEN OR DAMAGED MERCHANDISE AND BAD DEBT. IN ADDITION, ALL SAKS FIFTH AVENUE STORES, OTHER THAN SAKS FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE BEVERLY HILLS, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE QUEEN STREET TORONTO AND SAKS FIFTH AVENUE SHERWAY TORONTO STORE, (THE “REMAINING LOCATIONS”) WILL EACH DESIGNATE AND PARTNER WITH A LOCAL CANCER CHARITY. ANY FLAT DONATIONS RECEIVED FROM PARTICIPATING VENDORS WILL BE PAID OUT TO SUCH LOCAL CHARITIES BASED ON THE ALLOCATION FORMULA SET FORTH BELOW. IN ADDITION, TWO PERCENT (2%) OF NET REVENUES GENERATED FROM SALES OF MERCHANDISE OF PARTICIPATING VENDORS ÐFROM THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 TO OCTOBER 30, 2016 AT THE REMAINING LOCATIONS (THE “REMAINING LOCATION NET REVENUE”) WILL BE ALLOCATED AMONG SUCH LOCAL CHARITIES BASED ON THE ALLOCATION FORMULA SET FORTH BELOW. THE ALLOCATION TO EACH LOCAL CHARITY WILL BE BASED ON ITS PARTNER STORE’S PORTION OF THE REMAINING LOCATION NET REVENUE. FOR EXAMPLE, IF STORE A IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FIVE PERCENT (5%) OF THE REMAINING LOCATION NET REVENUE, THAT STORE A’S DESIGNATED LOCAL CANCER CHARITY WILL RECEIVE FIVE PERCENT (5%) OF THE AVAILABLE DONATION (I.E. FROM ANY FLAT DONATION FROM PARTICIPATING VENDORS AND THE REMAINING LOCATION NET REVENUE). IN ADDITION, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT (100%) OF GROSS REVENUE GENERATED FROM SALES OF THE KEY TO THE CURE T-SHIRTS SOLD ÐFROM OCTOBER 1 TO OCTOBER 31, 2016 AT SUCH REMAINING LOCATION WILL BE DONATED TO SUCH STORE’S DESIGNATED LOCAL CANCER CHARITY.
Every Step She Takes
BY JOHN D. ADAMS
Master Designer Perla Lichi steps it up with an array of grand stairways
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“There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.” – Zig Ziglar
M
aster interior designer Perla Lichi and I are discussing how she leaves no space untouched; how her gifts for magical thinking extend to every corner of a house. We are under a stairway. Not, perhaps, since Busby Berkeley has anyone heaped such adoring attention upon the design and aesthetic beauty of interior design’s utilitarian necessity — “the Staircase.” Like that master film director/choreographer of groundbreaking classics “Footlight Parade,” “Gold Diggers of 1933,” and “Dames,” Lichi appreciates that stairways offer unexpected opportunities for artistic and dramatic effect.
STEP IT UP Where some see the staircase as a strictly functional feature best left to the shadows, Perla sees a stairway to heavenly delights. “It’s just another way to infuse a grand home with the elemental personalities of the owners. It’s got to be in there, so I embrace the challenge! What do we absolutely see and use every day? Our stairs. I love transforming the staircase into a beautiful sculpture. It’s a central part of the house, so
why not step it up and create a fascinating focal point?”
STEP BY STEP For a home in Kenya (this page, lower left), Perla took advantage of a “very straightforward, against-the-wall, stairway.” Perla opted to give the most attention to the balustrade, handrail and newels. She selected a breathtaking, hand carved mahogany, aged and gilded in silver leaf. “The color, texture, the detailing of the wood and iron…we made a statement with these because that large space could handle the ‘weight’, of a heavier design. To me, it almost becomes a tapestry,” Perla said. At a Star Island home (page 112), an aweinspiring double staircase commands center stage. It is one of Perla’s favorites and boasts a unique hourglass design that our old filmmaker Berkeley would have appreciated. “I think this is a magnificent staircase. The shape is unique. We were fusing a variety of styles here. For the ceiling we chose to hand paint a Marrakech-inspired damask texture. But the scrollwork throughout the wrought iron is more Mediterranean.” Most designers would likely have pulled back on the iron detail work since there would be so much of it. Not Perla. “We went for it!” she enthused. “The space is so grand we wanted to go all out. The volume is there and the house just called for it. Since it is centrally located between a piazza and the main sitting room, this staircase is very sculptural and had to become a major architectural art piece. To me, it had to be a jewel given proper attention to the details.”
STEP ASIDE Many designers can step aside for Perla, who is all about exploiting every square inch of space. Which brings us back to under the staircase. It isn’t white, like most you see. The entire breadth and width under
Left page: Graceful wrought-iron railings enhance a grand staircase. Photo by Craig Denis Left: Hand-carved, silver-leafed mahogany details blend into a tapestry of design. Photo by Craig Denis
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this white lacquered staircase is bejeweled in dramatic silver leaf. “It’s like adding a ring to your finger,” she explained. “Above is a silver dome and crystal chandelier, which looks like it is cascading down like rain… This is my funky house. Look closely at the railing. We designed that on an angle. Most of the time the design runs straight up and down. We angled the design to look almost as if you have taken a horizontal painting then angled it upward.” No staircase design story would be complete until we speak a bit about “the stringer.” That is the piece that covers the sides of your risers and treads. And it is another area that is often left featureless. For one house in South Africa, Perla’s unprecedented use of heavy carving and silver leaf serves a
Above: Three-story spiral features silverleafed hand carving. Photo by Craig Denis Left: Crystal chandelier cascades down like rain. Photo by Craig Denis
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purpose besides just being a showstopper. “That stairway is a spiral three stories high,” she remarked. “So you have 300 feet of space tunneling around connecting the three stories.” Each level branched off, creating a variety of ceiling heights creating a visually chaotic tableau. Perla needed to pull attention away from the confusion of ceilings. “So we made the stringer the star of the show. It is customdesigned gypsum, made by hand, first by carving a wooden mold then pouring the gypsum. Finally, each piece is hand molded to the other, making sure there would be no breaks or seams. Then an artist came in and silver leafed and antiqued it.” We walk out from underneath the staircase and head for the front door. Looking back, I pause to admire the staircase with a deeper appreciation of Perla’s imagination and energy. She truly makes the ordinary extraordinary. Learn more about Perla Lichi online at www.perlalichi.com
Above left photo: White lacquer stairway transformed into a sculptural centerpiece. Photo by Butchworx Photography Right: Grand stairway enhances classic look of this ocean side mansion. Photo by Kim Sargeant
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BY JOHN D. ADAMS
Venice is a floating monument to faith and dreams. It’s a magical place where anything seems possible. How else to explain the audacity of will required to erect a civilization atop 117 tiny islands, connected by canals and linked by bridges? Italian husband and wife team Matteo Della Grazia and Daniela Mencarelli, owners of Discover Your Italy, exemplify this spirit of passion and mystery. “We specialize in custom-made itineraries in Italy,” explained Matteo in his musical Italian accent. “It is our passion to create a very specific experience for every client based on their interests, where they’ve already been, what they want to see and, of course, what they want to experience.”
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LIVE LIKE A ROYAL: ATTEND A GALA AT A VENETIAN PALACE What better place than Venice to experience a magical event of your own? For centuries Venetians steadfastly believed that anything is possible. Who could argue with that? If you live on hundreds of waterlogged marble pillars, every aspect of normal life becomes a challenge to overcome with style and panache. No roads. No cars. No trash service… They have never bowed to trends or conventions. Indeed, they have often defined innovation -- from eyeglasses, to (gasp) uncorseted dresses and platform shoes. Matteo enthuses about one of their company’s carefully planned, elegantly executed events built upon the magic and majesty of Venice. “For one night in Venice, guests will live the life of a noble Venetian aristocrat as they are whisked away aboard a private water taxi to a gala dinner set in a palace overlooking the Grand Canal.
LIVING ONE NIGHT AS
A VENETIAN ARISTOCRAT BE WHISKED AWAY ABOARD A PRIVATE GONDOLA AS A PALACE GALA GUEST OVERLOOKING THE GRAND CANAL IN VENICE Fall 2016
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It will be an evening of total sensory experiences while guests linger over cocktails and dinner in this extremely unique historic mansion that has welcomed legendary Alisters from today’s Hollywood set to the doges of Venice and Italian nobility.”
“FUORITINERARIO” Fuoritinerario is a word created by Matteo and Daniela to describe their company. Derived from a combination of Italian words, it literally means “Off the Beaten Path.” Perhaps in Venice’s case, you could say: “off the beaten canal.” Everything here seems oneof-a-kind. Venice’s food is a miracle of originality. “The Lonely Planet” describes Venice’s cuisine: “Garden islands and lagoon aquaculture yield specialty produce and seafood you won’t find elsewhere – all highlighted in inventive Venetian cuisine, with tantalizing traces of ancient spice routes. The city knows how to put on a royal spread, as France’s King Henry III once found out when faced with 1200 dishes and 200 bonbons…” Transportation is, by necessity, different too. There are no roads, no cars. And if you want to travel Venice in style, the only name to
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know is “Riva.” Riva is to motorboats what Ferrari is to automobiles. Completely handmade, highly-burnished, detailed wood, incredibly fast with an amazing design, this icon has been popular with the Jet Set since the 1950s. If you’re really looking for an experience that screams Italian style, travel Venice Lagoon in a Riva. Matteo offers a variety of Riva excursions unmatched in Venice.
WE ARE VENETIANS So now. As we have lazed along Venice’s Grand Canal, we can literally reflect upon the majesty of this aquatic place. We have
enchantingly experienced royal dinners in ancient, grand ballrooms; raced to sumptuous banquets aboard a Riva; gloried in the hidden nooks and crannies…We have experienced Venice. Indeed, Matteo also mirrors the pride and passion that embrace Venetian culture: “Our job is to share the Italian culture with travelers. It is very important to shape and design itineraries with that kind of Italian style. A style famous all over the world.” For more information, please visit www. discoveryouritaly.com
YOUR WEDDING EXPERIENCE Presented by David Tutera
The wedding show that helps you dream, plan & experience.
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THAILAND
With Love BY STEPHANIE BONILLA
Thailand, the land of smiles, will forever change your travel game. There’s a reason, after all, why so many people choose to make it their permanent residence after visiting. I know I was tempted to stay long term when I first visited! If you ever venture to this remarkable country, here are some of my favorite things to see and do‌ 120
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WALK WITH GENTLE GIANTS Elephant Nature Park is a rescue and rehabilitation center for abused or orphaned elephants. Their mission is not only to provide a sanctuary for these gentle giants, but to educate visitors on the plight of this endangered species. There is a dark side to elephant tourism that most of us are unaware of. If you’re ever interested in learning why you shouldn’t ride an elephant, this is the place to visit. You’ll not regret seeing this wonderful pachyderm haven. Your entrance fee allows you to feed, bathe and play with these magical creatures, making you an elephant trainer for the day! There isn’t a more humbling experience than roaming freely alongside these magnificent animals.
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Ever watch Leo DiCaprio’s movie The Beach and imagine yourself sitting on the sand, looking out into the distance at dramatic limestone cliffs peeking their heads out of glimmering turquoise waters? Yeah, we all have. So if you find yourself in Phuket, you MUST hop on a boat and explore the surrounding islands. There are island hopping tours offered all throughout the island, allowing you to live in a postcard for the day.
ISLAND HOP
DINE IN THE SKY
They say you can never feel more like a Disney princess than paying a visit to Magic Kingdom. Well, that may be true until you go to Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai. You will never feel more like Princess Jasmine than laying face to fur with a real tiger. There’s no experience more exhilarating than hanging out in a cage with 5-6 carnivorous killing machines — let alone laying with them, touching them and even playing with them. If you’re incredibly concerned about animal abuse and this just doesn’t feel right, then it probably shouldn’t be on your list. If you’re skeptical and want to see for yourself, go give a tiger a high five.
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Although very Hangover 2-esque, you should definitely experience one of Bangkok’s sky-high restaurants that offer guests a bird’s-eye view of this magical city. Teetering on the expensive side, this might be the most money spent on a meal during your stay. However, the amazing views and ambience are worth the splurge. These skyscrapers are typically built to allow the restaurant to be completely exposed, with no walls or structures blocking any views. You’ll really feel on top of the world here.
HUG A TIGER
CYCLE — BANGKOK STYLE
Bangkok is a vibrant city, offering a wide range of cultural activities and historical attractions. Although this colorful metropolis is mostly known for its lively nightlife, there are plenty of daytime places to explore. One of the best and most unexpected experiences is partaking in a city bike tour. You can experience Bangkok like a true local, going off-the-beaten path into local temples, vegetable and flower markets, and surrounding slums. Activities vary by operator, but learning the proper way to enter a temple, fold a lotus flower and eat a grasshopper are some of the standard elements of each tour. You will be traversing a city that houses over 10 million people and has one of the busiest rush hours in the world. But when in Bangkok…right?
BECOME A HANG WITH BUDDING MONKS COOK Self-proclaimed Thai food lovers in the states have never truly experienced Thai food unless they’ve been to Thailand — specifically, until having taken a cooking class there. Some of the best cooking classes are offered in Chiang Mai, teaching students how to make traditional Thai dishes. You’ll shop for ingredients at local markets, cook a number of different meals, and likely get to take swigs of Thailand’s local beer as you devour it all.
No temple in Thailand lacks majesty, making it difficult to choose which ones to visit. Wat Kanlayanamit, also known as the “best friends” temple, is one temple you won’t want to miss! Unlike the more well-known temples, this house of worship has no crowds and no designated number on one of those “10 must-see temples in Thailand” lists. In fact, you will rarely find this sanctuary on any list. Visited mainly by locals, this is where you’ll get to experience the most authentic Buddhist rituals and practices. Surrounded by monks dressed in their bright orange robes, the experience will feel otherworldly. The penetrating chants will follow you long after you’ve left. It’s an indescribable event, and one you truly have to experience to understand its greatness.
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Bonaire& Cousteau: PRESERVING THE CARIBBEAN’S SOUL BY KELLY VILLASUSO
“
Bonaire is one of those rare places that still has a look, a feel, a semblance of what the Caribbean was like when I was a child,” he stated passionately. “I feel its soul.”
If you are one of the lucky ones, you recognize the place Fabien Cousteau — renowned filmmaker, explorer, ocean preservationist and the grandson of famed explorer Jacques Cousteau — speaks and have been stirred by its innate beauty. Bonaire guests understand why Cousteau declares, “This is how things should be everywhere.”
Fabien Cousteau
Bonaire’s 24-mile-long, five-mile-wide stretch of omnipresent beauty faces outside pressure to develop. However, it strategically plans to remain a close reflection of its current, untamed self. According to Cousteau, the world’s most notable preservationist and conservationist, “I want to help this place stay Bonaire and still have a soul and thrive and be beautiful. And together maybe even make its natural assets grow.”
IT TAKES A NATION, A VILLAGE, AND A BIT OF COUSTEAU
Jacques and Fabien Cousteau
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Renown for the best shore diving in the world, Bonaire is a Dutch island nation in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea and a sister island to Aruba and Curacao. Although small in stature, Bonaire is an environmental Goliath, declaring 20 percent of its land area and 100 percent of its surrounding waters as protected national parks. Bonaire’s government and residents recognize the symbiotic relationship between their economic growth and their environment. For instance, Bonaire was the first Caribbean island to collaborate with the Coral Restoration Foundation to help conserve its reefs and create programs to reduce CO2 emissions.
Bonaire is an environmental Goliath, declaring 20 percent of its land area and 100 percent of its surrounding waters as protected national parks.
Tourism businesses on Bonaire, such as the luxury resort Harbour Village Beach Club and its Great Adventures Bonaire PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center, share the concern about developing too quickly and negatively impacting the environment. They have launched major nature preservation and conservation initiatives, including a coral nursery and restoration site right off the beach of Harbour Village. Because Bonaire is at a very pivotal time when a broader global audience has taken notice of the Caribbean’s ‘best kept secret,’ they are broadening efforts by partnering with Fabien Cousteau.
BON BINI FABIEN COUSTEAU’S OCEAN LEARNING CENTER Harbour Village and Cousteau hope to exponentially build awareness of ocean conservation and preservation on Bonaire and throughout the world. Cousteau believes the expansion of his New York-based non-profit Ocean Learning Center on Bonaire, “will enable us to build a model that looks at oceans as the very real life blood that drives our businesses and economies, while also building into the model the rules and regulations that ensure we look at our natural resource bank account and, as a society, live only off the interest rather than eating away at its capital.” In addition to being a very unique luxury travel experience, the Ocean Learning Center at Harbour Village has two key objectives: First, it will serve as a think tank, bringing some of the greatest minds from government, business and education worldwide together at the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Summits & Symposiums. Harbour Village Executive Director Eric Ewoldt confirmed that 3D coral printing, biorock building and 3D topographic mapping will be among the breakthrough initiatives launched via the Ocean Learning Center in Bonaire. Second, the Center will educate and engage Bonaire residents and visitors, giving them a better understanding of our human/ocean connection and a path to being part of the solution. Guests may attend educational Fabien Cousteau Ocean Symposiums and other conferences and may participate in land and water-based projects, such as beach cleanups and helping the team fragment coral and clean the “trees” as part of the coral reef restoration program. “Over the generations in my family — my grandfather, my father, myself — we’ve seen a lot of things change,” said Cousteau. “The general public has become more aware — after decades of talking — that without a healthy ocean, there’s no such thing
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as a healthy environment or a healthy people. Through this partnership with Harbour Village, we can seize this moment to make a greater impact on what is our last frontier on this planet.” When asked if Cousteau’s legendary grandfather, Jacques Cousteau, would be supportive of his efforts in Bonaire, Fabien shared, “My grandfather would see this as a natural progression of the family philosophy that he started. He used to say, ‘People protect what they love. They love what they understand. And they understand what they are taught.’ This mantra is our operating principle at the Center. I am proud to continue in the family’s finsteps to preserve the soul of Bonaire and serve as a model elsewhere.”
“ and honor to be a young child going [I have] had the unique privilege
on expeditions in places that no one had ever seen before, and really seeing
”
those places in their natural state,
PHOTO COURTESY BETH WATSON
shared Fabien Cousteau.
Coral preservation diver at Bonaire Reef
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THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME: FABIEN COUSTEAU VOYAGES “[I have] had the unique privilege and honor to be a young child going on expeditions in places that no one had ever seen before, and really seeing those places in their natural state,” shared Fabien Cousteau. Through the Fabien Cousteau Voyages, guests can experience what young Cousteau did with his grandfather, Jacques Cousteau. Join Cousteau and his team on a seven-day expedition into virgin territory, traveling on a 187-foot NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) research vessel equipped with five luxury staterooms. Dive beside and ride in a submarine down approximately 1,500 feet below the blue carpet with Cousteau — and see things no one has ever seen before. Work alongside him and his scientists in the wet lab and dry lab on board to study the science behind the scenes. According to Cousteau, on this high-end travel excursion, “You just might be the lucky one that spots an animal that has never been discovered before and it can be named after you.” And when each day is done, dine in luxury with Cousteau. At the end of the expedition, you will return to Harbour Village Beach Club for a few days of relaxation. To book a coveted spot on board a Fabien Cousteau Voyages expedition, email: laureen@substation– curacao.com For information on Fabien Cousteau Ocean Summits & Symposiums 2017, email: eric@harbourvillage.com www.harbourvillage.com reservations@harbourvillage.com • 1.800.424.0004
Fabien Cousteau Voyage's 187-foot NOAA research vessel with five luxury staterooms for guests Fall 2016
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The Portrait
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M A R I N E BY BETH WATSON
B E I N G S
of Bonaire
y entrée into photography was happenstance. On January 30, 2000, my family’s excitement was reigning high – it was difficult to keep our emotions in check. Super Bowl XXXIV had arrived, our beloved St. Louis Rams were playing – and we were going to the game. To document the memorable day, I took along my first digital camera, a Canon G2. The St. Louis Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV by defeating the Tennessee Titans 23-16. After the Super Bowl, it was great fun uploading images to the computer, editing, printing and sending them electronically to family and friends. This gave me much enjoyment. It was new and exciting. This encouraged me to take my photography skills a bit further and try to figure out how to use the dials and buttons on the camera. What did it all mean? I had no clue. It was all very confusing. I wanted to investigate.
GOING NAUTICAL Coincidentally, our family began diving in 2000. After our first dive trip, I purchased a housing for my Canon G2. The switch had been flipped and I was excited to experience the world of underwater photography. The next six months were spent reading anything I could get my hands on, trying to learn all I could about photography. My head was going to explode. Our next dive trip was in six months; I had to be ready. My photography skills and learning stagnated over the next several years. Then one day in 2007 changed everything. There was something different about a photo I took of a vibrant fish. I liked it for starters, that was unusual. I am my own harshest critic. The composition looked good. It had vivid colors. The eye was sharp with highlights to boot. This image was an inspiration for me to dig deeper, learn more, experiment and to improve my skills. Not Aqua Fire
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The realm of diving and photography is fascinating to me. Photography is a niche that allows me to express my creativity that fuels the artistic part of my soul. – Beth Watson
realizing it at the time, but eventually I would become a huge fan of “negative space.”
GOTTA LOVE IT The realm of diving and photography is fascinating to me. Photography is a niche that allows me to express my creativity that fuels the artistic part of my soul. My objective is to create unique, impactful, thought-provoking imagery. I enjoy the challenges of photographing wideangle reefs and wrecks, but also have a deep adoration for the creatures in the sea – like the spectacular sea life shown in these spreads that I had the privilege to photograph in Bonaire. This Dutch island offers world-class scuba diving and allows divers to go at their own pace, selecting when and where to dive next.
The Cryptic
The Stare-Down
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The Intimidator
COMPASSION FOR THE SEA Having compassion for my subjects and respecting our fragile ocean environment is important. My goal is to produce unique, creative and thought-provoking imagery, showcasing the beauty and wonders of the sea. The most important aspect is to raise awareness to the importance of conserving and preserving the health and vitality of our ocean environment. Editor’s note: Beth Watson has received national and international recognition for her photography, has been widely published and selected for juried art exhibitions. To see more of her work, visit www.bethwatsonimages.com.
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Cutting-Edge Medicine
BY JANA SOELDNER DANGER
DISCOVER HOW ELECTRICITY COULD SUPERSEDE MEDICATION
Diagram illustrates process behind the groundbreaking technology.
I
magine a world where tiny devices implanted in the body replace the need for injections and pills to treat diseases. And imagine a world without the often annoying, and even debilitating and life-threatening, side effects of medications.
It’s a world that may become reality through bioelectronic medicine, a relatively new science that brings together molecular medicine, bioengineering and neuroscience. Researchers are hard at work trying to uncover new technologies that can treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, hypertension, kidney disease, diabetes, and even cancer by controlling biological processes through nerve regulation instead of with drugs. “It’s a new approach to treating disease,” said Dr. Christopher Czura, PhD, vice president of scientific affairs at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, NY.
A COMMUNICATION CONDUIT Here’s how it works: Nerves deliver electrical signals about what’s going on in body or132
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gans to the brain, which can both monitor and regulate organ functions. “The brain receives the information and then sends signals back,” said Dr. Czura. Dr. Christopher Czura, PhD
Most diseases begin when something goes wrong in one of the body’s organs and the electrical signals become distorted. The goal of bioelectronic medicine is to restore their normal transmission and stimulate the body’s immune system. “By tapping into those backand-forth signals, we’ll be able to treat disease by listening in on the conversation,” said Dr. Czura. Tiny electronic devices approximately the size and shape of a Tic-Tac are implanted into the body or placed against the skin where they analyze, record, stimulate and block nerve signals. “A doctor working remotely will be able to hear the signals and change their activity,” Dr. Czura said.
In the future, once a device is implanted, a patient may be monitored and treated at home, eliminating costly and inconvenient trips to the clinic or hospital. That’s not yet a reality, however. “First we need to be able to interpret the language of the nervous system,” Czura said.
SERENDIPITOUS BEGINNINGS Bioelectronic research at the Feinstein Institute began in the 1990s when doctors discovered that the vagus nerve, which extends all the way from the brain stem to the abdomen, could directly control the immune system. While many nerves in the body deliver electrical signals to and from the brain, the vagus is the primary conduit. “We were studying inflammation,” said Dr. Czura. “Inflammation in itself can be a good thing, but many diseases are caused by inflammation gone wrong. We thought if we could understand the normal brakes, maybe we could make them work better. And at first, we were thinking about drugs.” But then to their surprise, researchers realized that electrically stimulating the
vagus nerve could turn off immune system pathways associated with some inflammatory diseases. It was an amazing revelation. “Many things in science are discovered by accident,” Czura said. Because all organs in the body are stimulated by nerves, investigators began to wonder if the technology that modulated neural signals might also provide effective treatment for other diseases. Happily, further research indicated that it could. “This is a real breakthrough in our ability to help people suffering from inflammatory diseases,” said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, discoverer of the inflammatory reflex and co-founder of SetPoint Medical. “…until now we had no proof that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can indeed inhibit cytokine production and reduce disease severity in humans. I believe this study will change the way we see modern medicine, helping us understand that our nerves can, with a little help, make the drugs that we need to help our body heal itself.”
Dr. Kevin J. Tracey, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, discoverer of the inflammatory reflex and co-founder of SetPoint Medical.
Photo shows actual device and size
CUTTING-EDGE TEAMS The process is a complex one that involves cutting-edge teams of experts. First, molecular and cellular biologists must identify the targets to be treated. Neurophysiologists then map neural pathways and work to understand how nerve fibers propagate signals. Finally, neurotechnologists must figure out how to stimulate, block, record and analyze respective nerve signals. Research in bioelectronic medicine is burgeoning around the world and is still in its infancy. Some of the therapies , however, are already available. Two devices currently have FDA approval. One treats sleep apnea by regulating movement of the tongue. The other targets obesity by controlling signals, which otherwise might be delayed, that tell the brain the body has had all the food it requires and it’s time to stop eating. Meanwhile, a California company is conducting clinical trials for bioelectronic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. While focused on rheumatoid arthritis, the trial’s results
DISEASES CAN BEGIN WHEN AN ORGAN MALFUNCTIONS AND ELECTRICAL SIGNALS TO THE IMMUNE SYSTEM GET DISTORTED. BIOELECTRONIC MEDICINE AIMS TO RESTORE NORMAL
may have implications for patients suffering from other inflammatory diseases, including Crohn’s, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and others. The tiny electronic device wraps around the vagus nerve in the neck to provide needed control of electrical impulses. Maintenance is simple. “Once a month, the patient wears a collar to charge the battery,” Dr. Czura said. Dr. Czura himself is co-inventor of a bioelectronic device that controls bleeding. It is an external device that works through the skin, making it practical for the quick treatment required in cases like accidents and gunshot wounds. “The first trial will be for postpartum hemorrhage,” said Dr. Czura.
BIOELECTRONICS VERSUS PHARMACEUTICALS The devices have advantages over some drug therapies, particularly those which have harmful and even potentially lethal side effects. While pharmaceuticals that target specific disease processes do exist, once the drugs circulate through the body, they may affect other, non-targeted processes. Bioelectronic devices, on the other hand, are stationary. “Because these devices are specifically targeted, they avoid side effects,” Dr. Czura said. The science is still very young — stay tuned!
SIGNALS AND IMMUNE SYSTEM STIMULATION.
To view the video about bioelectronic medicine, visit: southfloridaopulence.com/bioelectronic-medicine
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“Technology has evolved throughout the years, and so has love,” said Caracas-born Oscar Carvallo, a lawyer-turned-fashion designer inspired by French ‘couturier’ Guy Meliet, a devotee of Christian Dior. “The past decade has changed at a fast pace, just like the rhythms of our mentality. Hidden obsessions are now free. We travel the world to find passion, as well as freedom for our thoughts.”
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ELECTRIC A look at Oscar Carvallo’s fabulously theatrical, fairytale-esque fall couture collection
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“Art has become a way of life,” the fervent Carvallo continued. “Nature is real beauty and this beauty is reflected through the enticing and intricate details of my Electric Blossom collection.” The ensemble colors are vividly seen through Jacquard textiles that are meant to catch light. Tech fabrics are combined with the classic couture finishes that represent the core of our firm.
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“I’ve interwoven into the collection some elements of surprise that are accentuated by elaborate tailoring of details, such as bondage straps that percolate on the bodices of gowns, and embroidery hearts that are emblazoned on upper torsos,” Carvallo said with a wry smile. Carvallo’s collections exhibit his irreverent, unusual, somewhat theatrical style, highlighting his tendency toward organic forms, fairytales and pop culture. His designs are the perfect marriage of elegance and femininity with a touch of rebel. Perhaps that is why he is lovingly nicknamed L’ Enfant Terrible de Caracas.
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Electric Blossom and previous collections, as well as his ready-to-wear clothing items, are available at the Oscar Carvallo Paris Atelier in Miami’s Design District.
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Women’s & Men’s Grooming
CHAMPAGNE HEELS BY KOBI LEVI
Celebrate with these champagne-bottle heels with “bubble” holes in the toe-peek uppers. Cheers! Kobilevidesign.com $1,400
MCQUEEN PARFUM FOR HER
McQueen Parfum is made from the three night-blooming flowers, for women who bloom at night. Saks Fifth Avenue, Bal Harbour. 50ml, $395 CREED AVENTUS FOR HER
DEFENAGE TRIO
DefenAge cosmeceuticals uses fourth generation anti-aging stem cell technology. Defenage.com. Minute Reveal Masque $74; 24/7 Barrier Repair Cream $127; 8-in-1 BioSerum $220
House of Creed unveils this olfactory celebration of femme forte inspired by history’s most powerful women. Creed boutique.com. 250ml, $695
TIES OF A FEATHER BY MEL JAY
Artist Lucille Houting handcrafts bowties using cage-free peacock, pheasant, duck and other feathers found in South Carolina. “My 12 Gauge Ties make a new fashion statement in menswear in the form of ‘wearable art,” Houting said. “The naturally beautiful feather ties are perfect for any season. They show off a man in a tuxedo or as a sportsman’s accessory for someone who really wants to stand out. One can be dressed up or down wearing these unique ties.” To find Houting’s unique bow ties, you can visit many fine retail establishments in the Charleston, South Carolina area, or contact Lucille Houting on www.esty.com/shop/12gaugeties.
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TURNING THE
BIG 9-0 The Brazilian Court Palm Beach Still Keeps Good Company BY KELLY VILLASUSO
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E
leanor Roosevelt once said, “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” In this the year 2016, Mrs. Roosevelt’s words ring truer than ever as we celebrate the 90th birthdays of such glorious works of art as Queen Elizabeth II, crooner Tony Bennett, rock legend Chuck Berry, pioneering feminist Elizabeth Martinez, mogul Hugh Hefner, and broadcast journalist David Attenborough – all of whom continue to make an indelible impact on our world. The philosophy inherent in Mrs. Roosevelt’s words – simply put, people get better with age, can often be applied to genuine works of art, literature, and architecture, too. Works such as A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, and the final paintings in Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series are but a few examples of works of art and literature that have stood the test of time, awing millions as they mark their 90th birthdays this year, too. On the architectural front, in South Florida alone, there are three significant works of art also each celebrating their Big 9-0: Boca Raton Resort & Club (to which we paid homage in the summer edition of South Florida Opulence on page 102, “Celebrating 90 Years of Coveted Opulence”), The Biltmore in Coral Gables (to which we will wish cheers in our winter edition), and The Brazilian Court in Palm Beach, to which we wish a very happy birthday below.
THE BRAZILIAN COURT – IF WALLS COULD TALK, THIS BIRTHDAY GRAND DAME’S WOULD BE SINGING Since its New Year’s Eve launch on January 1, 1926, The Brazilian Court was destined to serve as the eclectic backdrop to the fairytale lives of the uber-rich … and remains so to this day. Brainchild of Architect Rosario Candela, both the design and the intention of The Brazilian Court stood in stark contrast to other
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Palm Beach hotels of the time. Instead of Hollywood glamour and ostentation, The Brazilian Court offered serene, classic elegance through Spanish-Mediterranean architecture, rich, intricate Pecky Cypress ceilings, and warm environs. Rather than the expected “see and be seen” atmosphere of America’s Riviera, The Brazilian Court intentionally offered discretion through its lush, meandering grounds and courtyards, and its well-trained staff — its reputation for which repeatedly drew the likes of Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Fred Astaire, Greta Garbo, Amelia Hearst, Gary Cooper, and Ingrid Bergman. Careful attention has been paid to preserving the structure, the grounds, and the reputation of this Palm Beach Grand Dame over its 90-year history, and The Brazilian Court continues to be a go-to oasis for today’s rich and famous. As a guest, you can expect to experience the same level of discretion and personal attention as was provided to Cary, Katharine, and Marlon, and more recently to Sophia Vergara before, during, and after her rehearsal dinner at the spectacular Café Boulud of world-renown Chef Daniel Boulud within the hotel. It is easy to imagine such icons ensconced in the beauty of the grounds, dining in elegance … now if only the walls could talk. A very happy 90th birthday to The Brazilian Court — a mecca of old-world charm, serenity, and discretion in a fast-paced, tell-all, paparazzi world. The Brazilian Court Palm Beach 301 Australian Avenue Palm Beach, Florida 33480 800.552.0335 www.thebraziliancourt.com
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My Babushka, My Hero BY ROBIN JAY
An interview with Tatiana Brooke about the little told story of atrocities endured during and after WWII by Ukrainian residents of Kherson and nearby rural villages
Tatiana Pisarchuk Brooke, then 4 in 1978, with her Babushka Maria Sipko Poteriyako in Musikovka, Ukraine
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O
n April 26, 2016, the 30th anniversary of the Ukraine’s catastrophic Chernobyl nuclear explosion, an intriguing press movie trailer arrived in my inbox. It promoted ‘Babushkas of Chernobyl,’ a documentary about the remarkable Ukrainian grandmothers who, with a veracious love of their homeland, refused to evacuate the toxic radioactive zone and have, uncannily, far outlived their husbands who fled three decades ago. How do these amazing Ukrainian women survive against all odds?
history books. This Babushka’s story is about the extreme strife that she, her family and her village of Musikovka endured to survive German occupation during WWII – and even worse hardships after the Red Army returned post war. How has this story gone ignored by the world for decades?
I remembered my colleague Dan Brooke had recently traveled to the Ukraine with his wife, Tatiana, to visit her family in Kherson. Might she possibly know a Babushka whose story I could tell?
(l-r): Tatiana Brooke's Great Grandmother Tatiana Sipko who is holdI came upon the 2013 ing her Aunt Katerina, with her mother, Luba, standing center front thesis of Vladyslav Chris- next to her other Aunt, Nadia (blonde). Her Grandfather Nikolay and Maria sitting in the back. tian Alexander at the University of Texas at Austin entitled, ‘Surviving Total War in Kherson Region, Ukraine.’ He had researched the important story for his Babushka who, like Maria, had lived it. Alexander wrote, “While there are plenty of published materials concerning survival in Ukraine during World War II, most of those bypass the Kherson region and focus primarily on the German occupation [and not the struggles during the post-war return of the Red Army]. This work attempts to provide an Ukrainian villagers curiously watch as a answer to the question of why the populaGerman soldier types a report during Operation of a provincial city, which endured no tion Barbarossa; the German invasion of the Soviet Union. major combat, was reduced from about 100,000 residents in 1941 to less than 100 on the day of return of the Soviets Tatiana Sipko (Maria Sipko’s mother and Tatiana Brooke’s great grandmother) fired in 1944.” up the earthen oven to make breakfast. THE FATEFUL DAY IN 1941 She kneaded fresh bread dough formed On the pre-dawn morning of August from wheat harvested on her farm. Nearby, 19,1941, in the Ukrainian farming village daughter Maria, 20, braided her long brown of Musikovka, about three kilometers from hair as her older brother Vasiliy prepared to Kherson, a mother and two children were walk to the well for water. A tattered photo stirring in their two-room cottage built of of their father Stepan and their brothers clay walls and thatched roof. Ivan and Stepan Jr., who were away at war, laid nearby.
The answer was ‘yes.’ Communists had forced Tatiana's uncle Evegeniy, 30 at the time and father of two boys, to help clean Chernobyl. "They took only men with children because they knew when they returned they wouldn't be able to have children," Tatiana said. "Evegeniy was forced to keep it secret and no one heard from him for two months. When he came home, he lost all his teeth, but he always joked, 'at least I am alive.' " Little did I expect that Tatiana’s story about her Babushka Maria Sipko would prove even more captivating. Why? Because, unlike the well publicized Chernobyl story today, the story about Maria Sipko – shocking in its atrocities – is not found in our
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As Maria donned an apron to help Tatiana, she ignored the far-off sound of motorbikes heading toward Kherson, the city founded in 1778 by Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin on demand by Catherine the Great. Alexander wrote, “The locals say several motorcyclists showed up, climbed onto the trees, and after surveying the territory through binoculars resolved that there was no military stationed in the city [Kherson]. A few hours later the troops [Germans] occupied the city without any resistance… The conquered population anxiously observed, through holes in the fences and windows, the victors marching through the city streets… …“Germans entered the cities and towns of Ukraine and other conquered countries as liberators, hoping to convince the people that they should be thankful to Hitler for freeing them from Soviet oppression… …“The largest portion of the population, those natives who decided to maintain political neutrality, indirectly agreed to the terms and conditions of the occupational authorities in order to ensure survival, often leaving own fate to chance,” Alexander’s thesis said. “On September 30, 1941, all citizens of the city ages 16 to 45 were required to register with the Labor Office, where the unemployed received ration cards, entitling them to 12 kilograms of flour and 175 grams of butter per person per month. The only categories exempt from registration were married women with children and schoolchildren. Those who disregarded the occupational government’s directive… could be sent to Germany as forced labor.”
BACK IN MUSIKOVKA Alexander wrote, “It would be incorrect to state that it was easier to survive in the countryside than in the city, as life under German occupation in settlements of the region entailed their own dangers…Peas146
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ants in the countryside were heavily exploited by the Germans…” “My Babushka Maria said people were terrified,” said Tatiana [Brooke]. “Village people had to cook, clean and wash the coats of the occupying Nazi soldiers – or otherwise be killed. Many young people in Musikovka, including Maria's brother Vasiliy, were taken to German concentration camps. (Vasiliy died at the camp.) “Tatiana tried to disguise Maria so the soldiers wouldn’t rape her or take her to the camp. She put coal dust on her daughter’s face and dressed her in heavy coveralls so that if German soldiers found her, they might think it was an ugly man. When uniformed men arrived, they pulled at her clothes. Somehow Maria exposed her hand and they saw it was a young girl’s. The man dragged Maria by her hair through the village, while Tatiana chased them and screamed, ‘Please stop!’” A German Commander heard the commotion and came outside. “My Babushka ran to him yelling ‘help!’ Because Tatiana had already cooked meals for the soldiers, the Commander was appreciative and ordered the soldier to release Maria. The angry Nazi man smashed Tatiana’s face with the rifle butt. She had a scar on her face for the rest of her life.”
Russian Foreign Minister V.M. Molotov said an interim war report told of mass rape occurring as the Germans pushed through the Soviet Union
The Commander whispered to Tatiana, “You need to hide Maria.” And so she did – in the mud oven. “It was a dangerous hiding spot because soldiers would check the deep ovens by stabbing into them with their rifle knives. Maria was nearly killed when the sword sliced deep cuts in her back. The Nazis didn’t find her that time, but Tatiana knew she had to find a new hiding spot for her daughter,” Brooke said. The cow house in the backyard – a structure used to store feed for cows and pigs and dried cow manure paddies for oven fuel – became Maria’s next hiding place. Tatiana stacked piles of cow chips around her as camouflage. Maria hid in the cow paddies for weeks at a time, surviving on what little food and water Tatiana could sneak to her.
JEWISH BOY’S REFUGE According to Alexander’s thesis, “The Jewish population of the Kherson region, just as elsewhere in the German-occupied territories, suffered from tremendous cruelty and had a very low chance of survival.” “My Babushka Maria told me that in her small village, the Nazis took a Jewish family away and killed them. A son managed to elude the Germans, so Tatiana allowed the boy to hide inside a mud wall in their home. They poked a hole in the wall and gave the boy a small wheat straw through which to breathe. When the German soldiers would arrive, Tatiana put mud on the wall and painted it white to ensure the men could not see the hole,” Brooke said.
SOLDIERS SPOTTED MARIA The Jewish boy managed to hide for the full war, but Maria wasn’t as fortunate. A year be-
PHOTO: UNCENSOREDHISTORY.BLOGSPOT.COM
A panoramic view of the holiday village at the Dnieper riverbank near Kherson (Ukraine)
When Maria was 89, her leg was amputated. “It was heartbreaking, but it didn’t slow my Babushka,” Brooke said. “She refused to allow people to bring her food; she would crawl to the table on her own. She was a strong woman who believed one should never give up and that it’s better to help others than one’s self.”
THE WAR’S HARSH TOLL “According to the Kherson Regional Emergency Committee that was established in the region on May 13, 1944, two months after liberation, 28,500 civilians were shot, 43,589 civilians were tortured to death, and nearly 37,000 were sent to Germany as slave labor,” Alexander’s thesis said. And Ukrainians who were drafted into the Red Army suffered harsh treatment from the Russians, as well. “Maria's father Stepan and brothers Stepan Jr. and Ivan fought in World War II on the Russian side. One day, the Ukrainian soldiers were marching in the heat for hours. A Russian Commander ordered them to stop and sit. He said, ‘Do not move!’ A badly wounded soldier sitting next to Ivan and Stepan Jr. had cracked lips and whispered to my uncle, ‘Water. Water.’ So Stepan Jr. ran to a river, filled his helmet with water and gave it to the soldier. The Russian Commander came back and said to my uncle, “I ordered you do not move!” He shot Stepan Jr. dead right in front of Ivan. My uncle was devastated,” Brooke said. (Stepan Sr. also died at war. Ivan is alive today in the Ukraine.)
POST-WAR HELL The war's end was no reprieve for the Ukrainian residents in Musikovka. A famine was induced by Stalin’s scorched earth policy and a Red
PHOTO: UNCENSOREDHISTORY.BLOGSPOT.COM
fore the war’s end, soldiers found Maria in hiding and sent her to a German concentration camp. “They forced her to do hard labor… to move rocks and metal pieces. The Nazis used wooden rods to beat her legs to make her work faster. When Maria came home, she had horrible scars on her legs. I asked, ‘What is that grandma?’ She didn’t want to talk about it. She never complained. She said her treatment wasn’t as harsh as the torture her husband’s sister Nina suffered at another camp – Nazis forced her to run outside naked in snow; and they raped her frequently.”
After WWII, a famine was induced by Stalin’s scorched earth policy and a Red Army that pilfered nearly every grain in this breadbasket region of the Ukraine. Army that pilfered the grain in the Ukraine's breadbasket region. “When the Russians arrived in the village, they were very tough,” Brooke said. “They lined up the whole village and told the armed soldiers, ‘Shoot all of them, because they were helping the Germans. You are all traitors because you gave them food!’
home food for her own children, Maria took a piece of leftover school bread, wrapped it in a handkerchief and put it in her skirt. Somebody saw her take it and reported it to village government. Officials came to investigate. Maria told them, ‘I had to feed my family. The school was just throwing away the bread.’ ”
“One brave woman stood up and said, ‘What would you do if you were in our shoes? What would you do if you knew they would take your family? We had no choice. We were worried about our lives.’ The Commander told the soldiers, ‘Okay, don’t kill them.’ ”
“My Babushka Maria was a very strong woman who never gave up on anything. She made me a stronger person, too. She would tell me ‘it doesn’t matter what is happening in your life, you always need to think positive. My mom, Luba, is very much like Maria and still lives in Kherson. Her favorite time is the summertime because she can eat from her garden – apples, cherries, watermelon and peaches. And when she visits me in the United States, she can hardly believe how much food we have here. She always tells me never to waste any of it – and never, ever take the freedom and opportunity you have in the United States for granted.”
“My Babushka said after World War II everybody was starving. Ukraine once had very rich land full of grain and potatoes, corn, watermelon and tomatoes. Stalin’s troops came in with tractors and they dug up every grain and destroyed the farms. The Russians took everything from us for the people in Moscow.” Tatiana’s hardworking family survived day by day. Maria married Nikolay and they had three daughters, including Luba, who today is Tatiana Brooke’s mother. However, famine persisted and Nikolay lost an eye in combat, returning home as an invalid.
STOIC ENDURANCE
*A PDF of Anderson’s complete thesis is available at www.SouthFloridaOpulence.com. The citation handle is: hdl.handle.net/2152/22445
“In 1958, Maria went to work as a cook in a school cafeteria to support her family. But even with a little money, the stores contained practically nothing – no bread, no sugar, no flour. Desperate to bring ‘Babushka’s of Chernobyl airs later this year in remembrance of the 30th anniversary of the nuclear explosion. Fall 2016
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Philanthropy
BY AVA ROOSEVELT
AUDREY GRUSS AND THE HOPE FOR DEPRESSION RESEARCH FOUNDATION the Audrey and Martin Gruss Heart and Stroke Center. In Palm Beach, Audrey is on the board of The Hospice Guild and joins me on the Board of the Palm Beach Preservation Foundation. She is a Founder of the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and a member of the Benefactor’s Council of the Society of the Four Arts. And she helped raise $38 million toward a merger of Good Samaritan and St. Mary’s hospitals.
Audrey Gruss
B
eing both European born, Audrey Gruss and I quickly became friends after we met in Wellington, Florida, years ago during her husband Martin’s polo-playing days. Audrey is a woman in charge. Her achievements in philanthropy are remarkable. A graduate of Tufts University with a B.S. degree in biology, Audrey’s career flourished in the marketing world at Revlon, J.P. Stevens, and Elizabeth Arden. She co-founded the Terme di Saturnia skin care line for Saks Fifth Avenue. After marrying Martin Gruss, owner of the international high-goal Pegasus polo team, and owner of investment firm Gruss and Company, the couple created the Audrey and Martin Gruss Foundation.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE The Foundation has raised multimillions to fund projects in education and cultural arts worldwide, including the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center Theater, New York Botanical Garden, The Horticultural Society of New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and
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In Europe, Audrey serves on the American Friends of the Victoria & Albert Museum board in London, the International Council of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, and the Advisory Board of FAI, Italy’s leading architectural preservation group. In 2006, Audrey called me about her newest focus, the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF), to find a cure for depression, which deeply affected her mother, Hope, whom I met on numerous occasions in Greenwich. She was a lovely lady. Ava: Audrey, what were your mother’s first symptoms? Audrey: My family and I don’t recall any sudden differences, but we noticed she slept much more, became withdrawn, didn’t want to go to social events and stopped smiling. My mother had a wonderful personality. She loved to sing, dance and write poetry. All that stopped. Ava: What steps were taken to improve your mother’s condition? Audrey: My mother was hospitalized, treated with electroconvulsive therapy and medication, such as tricyclics, but we weren’t told much. I consulted with my mother’s psychiatrist and several leading psychopharmacologists. I found there were no new medication categories since Pro-
zac was introduced in 1985, and that only 50 percent of patients respond to existing SSRI-type medications. I saw the need for additional depression research funding. When we held our first HDRF Luncheon Seminar, the word “depression” was scarcely spoken in public. Today, we have made good strides in raising awareness. Ava: Please tell us about the importance of the Think Tank you founded. Audrey: The neuroscience research process is glacially slow and bureaucratic. I wanted to form a working think tank. It took five years to engage key neuroscientists to collaborate in a Depression Task Force. Scientists today still do not know depression’s root causes. They are looking for underlying biological mechanisms. They have identified specific brain circuits and a handful of genes and molecules that might act as biomarkers for potential new medications. Ava: What is the process to bring a new medication to market? Audrey: There is no way I can be specific. The first part of the process is “Proof of concept” through laboratory “discovery research.” This can take years and millions in research grants at different universities. Then small clinical trials for 2-5 years before Phase I and Phase II FDA approval. Some existing medications have taken decades and cost tens of millions by the time they appear on pharmacy shelves. I certainly hope depression will ultimately become a disease of the past, but it will take many years and more research funding. We are the only research organization focusing solely on depression, and we need much more private funding to solve the complex mysteries of the brain. For more information, visit hopefordepression.org. Ava Roosevelt is the author of The Racing Heart. She is also a Palm Beach philanthropist and wife of the late William Donner Roosevelt, grandson of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
BY CARLETON VARNEY
Philanthropy
A GUY NAMED JOE Way back in 1943, Metro Goldwyn Mayer released what was to become a classic film, A Guy Named Joe. The film is about a World War II bomber pilot played by Spencer Tracy who finds his end in an aerial attack after ordering his crew to safety. Tracy is then sent back from heaven as a guardian angel to a young pilot in his mission. Along with Tracy the film stars Irene Dunne and my good pal the late Van Johnson. While the worlds of Tracy and Johnson are now in the classic archives, the world of our guy named Joe is becoming a most talked-about subject in Southern Florida, particularly by those associated with the Jupiter Medical Center. Our guy named Joe is Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath, a gentleman I have known and admired since he became an international star for the New York Jets. Yes, Joe in his green and white, always gave the fans a more than spectacular performance on the field. He was, is, and will always be a larger than life personality. Today Joe is working to make his name synonymous with cutting-edge clinical research, hope, and healing for those living with traumatic brain injuries.
THE NEW YORK PLAZA GALA TO HONOR JOE The Joe Namath Neurological Research Center is to become an integral part of the Jupiter Medical Center. On the evening of October 21, 2016, the center is to honor our Joe at a gala dinner in the Plaza Hotel, New York City, with proceeds from the dinner to benefit traumatic brain injury patients at the Jupiter Medical Center. Those interested
in any information about the Center should reach out to Tara Holcomb (561-263-3724 or tara.holcomb@jupitermed.com). The Center is to be a place of healing for athletes who face neurological problems resulting from on-the-field sports competition, as well as those military men and women returning from combat, victims of automobile accidents, and stroke patients who suffer from the effects of what is know simply as TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury).
JOE’S OWN EXPERIENCE WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY Joe Namath is putting his name and his faith in searching for a treatment that will help those in need. Joe himself experienced medical difficulties when he approached Dr. Lee Fox, Chief of Radiology at JMC. Dr. Fox and a colleague at JMC in charge of the hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) program knew of this treatment for patients with injuries and diseases of the brain or head trauma. After being tested doctors believed that Joe was indeed suffering with TBI. Scans found areas of reduced blood flow to Joe’s brain, after which Dr. Barry Miskin, Vice Chief of Staff, designed an extensive series of HBOT treatments. The results after one year – Joe was retested and found not only did the benefits of his treatment remain, but there was also no regression. To quote Joe himself, “My thinking is much clearer. Finding the right words has become easier, and I remember events with more
PHOTO CREDIT: PAUL MOBLEY/MIKE CAMPAU
PHOTO CREDIT: PAUL MOBLEY/MIKE CAMPAU
The Joe Namath Neurological Research Center is to become an integral part of the Jupiter Medical Center
Joe Namath
clarity. One of the great results is that my sleep has improved; I sleep more soundly and have vivid dreams. I now have more energy and strength – I feel great!”
GIVING BACK And to honor Joe at the Plaza on October 20, I, who once spent some time decorating for Joe in his Manhattan town house residence, have created a design for the Plaza event all in fall colors. White, pumpkin, gold, leaf brown, and berry red. After all, isn’t October football time? Time for those big white and gold pom-poms, the ones ladies once attached to their warm jackets? Isn’t October the time for baskets filled with colorful autumn leaves and small gourd pumpkins carved out with just enough room for a votive candle? Just as a surgeon knows how important details are in their work, and just as Joe Namath knows that every moment and pass on the field is to be considered during play, I know how much I wish the Plaza gala honoring the guy I know with the name Joe should be perfection. For South Floridians, Jupiter Medical Center is striving to be the best of its kind.
JOE NAMATH’S SPECT SCAN SPECT SCAN AFTER BEFORE HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY Fall 2016
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CONDO LAW
BY MICHAEL L. HYMAN
NEW MONITORING SERVICES Help Associations Catch Owners Conducting Unauthorized Short-Term Rentals
T
raditionally, community associations have resisted and discouraged short-term rentals through strictly enforcing documentary provisions that prohibit transient occupancy of units. The problem of short-term rentals offered through Airbnb and other similar websites in violation of community association documents and rule restrictions has quickly become one of the most pressing issues facing associations today. Even though Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO claim they prohibit their hosts from renting residences in communities with rules prohibiting against short-term rentals, enforcement of this policy by the online home sharing providers is virtually nonexistent. Unit owners conducting these rentals know full well that they are violating provisions in their association’s documents, so they typically walk their new guests into the property and advise security that their visit is authorized. These unauthorized guests can cause potentially serious nuisance, security and liability issues for associations, which are now developing and implementing new registration forms and non-compensation
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statements to verify that guests are not paying for their stays. In addition to these and other measures, a number of new service providers have now sprouted up to help associations monitor and detect listings for rentals of their properties in all of the leading home sharing websites as well as Craigslist. These include STRMonitor, BNBShield, SubletSpy, Sublet Alert and Stopbnb. These service providers use automated search applications and algorithms to find and report listings in their clients’ communities and properties. Once the listings are identified, some offer additional investigation and enforcement services to help associations take the necessary steps in order to stop the rentals from taking place. The growth of Airbnb and its competitors in today’s sharing economy appears to have no end in sight. By working with ex-
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perienced association counsel and utilizing these new rental monitoring and prevention services as necessary, community associations will be able to effectively enforce documentary provisions prohibiting shortterm rentals. Michael L. Hyman is a partner with the South Florida law firm Siegfried, Rivera, Hyman, Lerner, De La Torre, Mars & Sobel, P.A., who has focused on community association law since 1970. The firm represents more than 800 associations and maintains offices in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. (305) 442-3334, www.srhl-law.com, www.FloridaHOALawyerBlog.com.
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Information deemed reliable but is not warranted. This offering is subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. Not intended to solicit currently listed properties. Equal Housing Opportunity. 2016© Opulence International Realty.
Fall 2016
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21459 BURNSIDE COURT
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Information deemed reliable but is not warranted. This offering is subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. Not intended to solicit currently listed properties. Equal Housing Opportunity. 2016Š Opulence International Realty.
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Information deemed reliable but is not warranted. This offering is subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. Not intended to solicit currently listed properties. Equal Housing Opportunity. 2016Š Opulence International Realty.
THE
CLOSING
TO P P RO D U C E R S CLOCKWISE Mary Handel, GianCarlo Butron, Melissa Horman and Marianna Dubinsky (not pictured). CLOCKWISE Melissa Horman, GianCarlo Butron and Mary Handel.
Greetings all, First up, we want to thank all of our Top Producers for the last quarter, Mary Handel, GianCarlo Butron, Melissa Horman, and Marianna Dubinsky (not pictured). You are all rockstars! Congratulations! Since the market has slowed and inventory has swelled, it’s a good time for buyers since there is lots to choose from. Please give us a call or log on to our new website, www.oirfl.com. We love our new look - that comes in mobile, tablet and desktop. With info on all the new projects, maps, market stats, interviews and local lore, we want to be your go-to resource to find your home and all the life that goes with it. In the works is our new developer sales partnership with Mi3 Global. Mi3 is a International marketing company that features state of the art technology that will blow your socks off. We are super excited to be able to offer developers sophisticated sales platforms that use 3D imaging and virtual reality to give buyers the true experience inside their new purchase. Finally, we have a few great events coming up. “2nd Friday’s” is our open house casual gathering that happens, - you guessed it – every second Friday. Please feel free to stop by our offices at 2060 North Bayshore Drive at the base of the Paramount Bay building and enjoy a glass of wine, great music and friends. Ever wonder what makes a certain piece of art more valuable than another? Plan to attend “The Dos and Don’ts of Art Basel” on November 17th. Hosted by seasoned art collector and dealer, Felipe Grimberg, we will be giving a primer for new collectors or anyone with a love or interest in the art scene. For more information or to rsvp, please call us at 305-615-1376.
Wishing you a fabulous fall from everyone at Opulence International Realty. JILL PATTERSON, Broker Opulence International Realt y
Information deemed reliable but is not warranted. This offering is subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. Not intended to solicit currently listed properties. Equal Housing Opportunity. 2016© Opulence International Realty.
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