South florida opulence fall 2015 by Adriana Naylor

FALL 2015

BY TH E F LO RIDA MAGA ZIN E ASSO CIATIO N

CHEERS TO UMAMI

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UNDER-THE-SEA DINING, LODGING AND PHOTOGRAPHY

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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.

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ntitled-3 1

An aerial view of South Floridas Fisher Island overlooking Downtown Miami, South Beach, and the Atlantic Ocean. Summer 2014.

Introducing Palazzo Del Sol. 47 new waterfront condominium residences on celebrated Fisher Island. Where the legacy of original American chic has been brilliantly re-imagined for the New Miami. True luxury is both timeless and timely.

Priced from $6.5 million to $35 million. Now under construction. One Fisher Island Drive, Fisher Island Designed by Kobi Karp with indoor spaces by Antrobus + Ramirez and outdoor spaces by Enzo E On-site Sales Pavilion: 305 535 6071 info@palazzodelsol.com palazzodelsol.com

ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS REPRESENTATIONS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION ORAL CANNOT BE RELIED UPON ASOF CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED B 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, ORAL TO BEREPRESENTATIONS FURNISHED BYFLORIDA ACANNOT DEVELOPER TOTO A BE BUYER LESSEE. All artist’sTO or Aarchitectural renderings, sketches, graphic materials and photos depicted orand otherwise described herein are proposed and STATUTES, FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER BUYER OR LESSEE. artist’s or architectural renderings, sketches, graphic materials photos depicted otherwise described herein areSECTION proposed BE RELIED UPON ASOR CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OF All THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THEorDOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY conceptual only, and are based FLORIDA upon preliminary plans, which are subject to change. This is not an offering in any state in which registration is required but in which registration requirements have not yet been met. This and are based upon preliminary development plans, which are subject to change. This is not an offering in any state in which registration is required but in which registration requirements have not yet been met.concept This ad STATUTES,development TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. All artist’s or architectural renderings, sketches, graphic materials and photos depicted or otherwise described herein are proposed and ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY advertisement is not an offering.and It isare a solicitation of interest in the advertised ofNo theoffering advertised units can in be made noand deposits can is be accepted, oror reservations, binding or non-binding, can beinmade in New offering. It is a solicitation of interest inwhich the advertised thean advertised units can beand made no deposits can be accepted, reservations, binding or non-binding, can made Newherein York until an offeringa based upon preliminary development plans, areNo subject to change. This isofnot offering any state inarchitectural which registration required butgraphic in which registration requirements have notbe yet been met. This advertisement FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE property. FURNISHED BYoffering Aproperty. DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. All artist’s or renderings, sketches, materials and photos depicted or otherwise described are proposed New York State Department of Law. York until an offering plan is filed with the New York State Department of Law. offering. It is a solicitation of interest in the advertised property.development No offering of the which advertised units can be made and no deposits can or reservations, or but non-binding, can be made in New York until offering planThis is filed and are based upon preliminary plans, are subject to change. This is not an offering in be anyaccepted, state in which registration binding is required in which registration requirements have notanyet been met. adv New York State Department of Law. offering. It is a solicitation of interest in the advertised property. No offering of the advertised units can be made and no deposits can be accepted, or reservations, binding or non-binding, can be made in New York until an offering New York State Department of Law.

ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTIO FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER A BUYER OR LESSEE. artist’s or architectural renderings,REPRESENTATIONS, sketches, graphic materials photos depicted orDOCUMENTS otherwise described herein BY are SECTION proposed and conce ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATINGTO REPRESENTATIONS OFAll THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT MAKEand REFERENCE TO THE REQUIRED 718.503, and based uponBY preliminary development plans, which are subject to change. This is not anrenderings, offering any state ingraphic whichFOR registration is required in which registration requirements have notproposed yet beenREQUIRED met. This advertisemen ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BETO RELIED UPON ASLESSEE. CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OFinTHE DEVELOPER. CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, REFERENCE TOherein THE DOCUMENTS BY SECTION FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BEare FURNISHED A DEVELOPER A BUYER OR All artist’s or architectural sketches, materials and photosbut depicted orMAKE otherwise described are and conceptual only, offering.FLORIDA It is a solicitation of interest inORAL the advertised property. No offering of the advertised units can be made and no deposits can be accepted, or reservations, binding or non-binding, can be made in New York until an offering plan is file STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. All artist’s or architectural renderings, sketches, graphic materials and photos depicted or otherwise described herein are proposed and concep CANNOT BE is RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OFCORRECT THE DEVELOPER. CORRECTMAKE REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TOThis THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS THE DEVELOPER.isFOR REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION and are based upon preliminary development plans, whichREPRESENTATIONS areRELIED subject to change. This not an offering in any state in OF which registration required but inREPRESENTATIONS, whichFOR registration requirements have not yet been met. advertisement is not718.5 anB New York State Department of Law. FLORIDA and are based upon preliminary development plans, which are subject to change. This is not an offering in any state in which registration is required but in which registration requirements have not yet been met. This advertisemen STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. All artist’s or architectural renderings, sketches, graphic materials and photos depicted or otherwise described herein are proposed FLORIDA TO BE FURNISHED BY A of DEVELOPER TO A units BUYER ORbeLESSEE. artist’s or architectural renderings,orsketches, graphic materials and photos depicted otherwise described herein are proposed conceptual offering. It is a solicitation of interest inORAL theSTATUTES, advertised property. No offering the advertised can made All and no deposits can OF be THE accepted, reservations, binding or non-binding, can be or made in New York until an offering plan isand filed with theo REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION ORAL REPRESENTATIONS BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OFare THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE THE REQUIRED BYmet. SECTION 718.503, offering. Itand isCANNOT aare solicitation of interest inORAL the advertised property. Noare offering of to thechange. advertised units can be made and no can beinTHE accepted, orwhich reservations, binding orTO non-binding, can behave made inyet New York until anyet offering planThis isisfile and are based upon preliminary development plans, which subject to change. This isdeposits notinan offering any DEVELOPER. state in registration is MAKE required but in DOCUMENTS whichTO registration requirements have not been met. ad based upon preliminary development plans, which subject This is not an offering in any state which registration is required but in which registration requirements not been This advertisement no REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OF FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, REFERENCE THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.5 New York State Department of Law. FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. All artist’s or architectural renderings, sketches, graphic materials and photos depicted or otherwise described herein are proposed and concept FLORIDA STATUTES, TOItState BE BYof Aoffering. DEVELOPER TO A BUYER LESSEE. All artist’s or architectural renderings, graphic materials and photos depicted or described areNew and only, It is aadvertised solicitation of interest inoffering the advertised Nounits offering of advertised can be made and no deposits can be accepted, orotherwise reservations, binding orherein non-binding, can be until made inconceptual Newherein York until an offering New York Department Law. STATUTES, TOOR BENo FURNISHED DEVELOPER TOartist’s A BUYER OR LESSEE. Allrenderings, artist’s or architectural renderings, sketches, graphic materials and photos depicted orproposed otherwise described are a offering. is aFURNISHED solicitation of interest inFLORIDA the ofBY theAproperty. advertised can bethe made andsketches, nounits deposits can be accepted, or reservations, binding or non-binding, can be made in York an offering plan isproposed filed with FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BEpreliminary FURNISHED BY Aproperty. DEVELOPER TO Aare BUYER OR LESSEE. All or architectural sketches, graphic materials depicted or otherwise described are proposed and conceptual on and are based upon development plans, which subject to change. Thisstate is not offering in any state in which registration is registration requiredand butphotos in which registration requirements haveherein not yet been met. This New York State Department of change. Law. and are based upon development plans, which are subject to This is not an offering inare any inan which registration is required butstate in which requirements have not yet been met. This advertisement is advertisement not an This adv and are based upon preliminary development plans, which subject to change. This is not an offering in any in which registration is required but in which registration requirements have not yet been met. Newpreliminary York State Department of Law. and areItbased upon preliminary development plans, property. which areNo subject to change. This is notunits an offering in anyand state indeposits which registration is required but in which registration requirements have not in yetNew been met. This advertisement not offering. is aadvertised solicitation of interest insolicitation the advertised offering of advertised canadvertised be made no can be accepted, or reservations, binding or made non-binding, can be made York until offering plan isisfiled offering. It is a solicitation of interest insolicitation the property. offering ofofthe advertised units canproperty. bethe made no deposits can benoaccepted, ormade reservations, binding can be incan New York until ancan offering plan isan filed with offering. It isNo aadvertised interest inoffering the advertised Noand offering of the units can be and no deposits canorbenon-binding, accepted, oror reservations, binding or made non-binding, be until made inoffering New York untilisthe an offering offering. It is a of interest in the property. No of the advertised units can be made and deposits can be accepted, or reservations, binding non-binding, be in New York an plan filed with New York State Department of Law. New York State Department Law. New of York State Department of New Law.York State Department of Law.

HOME AAHOME A HOME A HOME AS PRIVATE A HOME AS ASAS AAPRIVATE HOME HOME AS PRIVATE AS AS PRIVATE AS A HOME YOUR TRAVELS AS PRIVATE AS A HOME AS PRIVATE AS A HOME YOUR TRAVELS AS PRIVATE AS YOUR TRAVELS A HOME YOUR TRAVELS AS PRIVATE AS YOUR TRAVELS A HOME AS PRIVATE AS YOUR TRAVELS AS PRIVATE AS YOUR TRAVELS Introducing Palazzo Del Sol. AS PRIVATE AS YOUR TRAVELS 47 new PRIVATE waterfront condominium residences on AS AS YOUR TRAVELS YOUR TRAVELS celebrated Fisher Island. A haven of privacy Introducing Palazzo Del Sol. 47 new waterfront condominium residences on Introducing Palazzo Del Sol. Introducing Palazzo Del Sol. celebrated Fishercondominium Island. A haven Introducing Palazzo Del residences Sol.of privacy 47 new waterfront Introducing Palazzo Del residences Sol. on 47 new waterfront condominium on Introducing Palazzo Del Sol. 47 new waterfront condominium residences and exclusivity, minutes South and celebrated Fisher Island.from A haven of Beach privacyon 47 new waterfront condominium residences on celebrated Fisher Island. ASol. haven of Beach privacy and exclusivity, minutes from South Introducing Palazzo Del 47 the new waterfront condominium residences celebrated Fisher Island. AMiami, haven ofBeach privacy cultural attractions of with superbly and exclusivity, minutes from South andon and celebrated Fisher Island. AMiami, haven ofBeach privacy Introducing Palazzo Del Sol. Introducing Palazzo Del Sol. and exclusivity, minutes from South and 47 new waterfront condominium residences onsuperbly the cultural attractions of with celebrated Fisher Island. A haven of privacy and exclusivity, minutes from South Beach and the cultural attractions of Miami, with superbly curated building amenities and 6-star Introducing Palazzo Del Sol. 47 new waterfront condominium residences on and and exclusivity, minutes from Beach 47celebrated new waterfront condominium residences on the cultural attractions of Miami, with superbly Fisher Island. A haven ofSouth privacy the cultural attractions of Miami, with superbly curated building amenities and 6-star and exclusivity, minutes from South Beach and curated building amenities and 6-star white-glove services. Introducing Palazzo Del Sol. 47 new waterfront condominium residences on celebrated Fisher Island. A haven of privacy the cultural attractions of Miami, withand superbly celebrated Fisher Island. A haven ofBeach privacy curated building amenities and 6-star and exclusivity, minutes South curated building amenities and 6-star white-glove services. the cultural attractions offrom Miami, with superbly white-glove services. 47 new waterfront condominium residences on celebrated Fisher Island. A haven of privacy and exclusivity, minutes from South Beach and curated building amenities and 6-star and exclusivity, minutes from South Beach and white-glove services. the cultural attractions of Miami, with superbly white-glove services. Priced from $6.5 million to $35 million. curated building amenities and 6-star celebrated Fisher Island. A haven of privacy and exclusivity, minutes from South Beach and cultural attractions of Miami, with superbly thethe cultural attractions of Miami, with superbly white-glove services. Now under construction Priced from $6.5amenities million to $35 million. curated building and 6-star and exclusivity, minutes from South Beach and white-glove services. Priced from $6.5 million to $35 million. the cultural attractions of Miami, with superbly On-site sales pavilion: 535 6071 6-star Now under construction curated building amenities and Priced from $6.5 million to305 $35and million. curated building amenities 6-star white-glove services. Priced from $6.5 million to $35 million. Now under construction On-site pavilion: 305 535and 6071 6-star info@palazzodelsol.com | palazzodelsol.com the cultural attractions of Miami, with superbly curated building amenities Nowsales under construction white-glove Now under construction On-site sales pavilion: 6071 info@palazzodelsol.com |services. palazzodelsol.com white-glove services. One Fisher Island Priced from $6.5 million to305 $35 535 million. On-site sales pavilion: 305Drive, 535 6071

YOUR TRAVELS YOUR TRAVELS

curated building amenities and white-glove services. On-site sales pavilion: 305 6-star 535 6071 Priced from $6.5 million toconstruction $35 One Fisher Island Drive, Fisher Island, Florida 33109 info@palazzodelsol.com |million. palazzodelsol.com Now under info@palazzodelsol.com | palazzodelsol.com Priced from $6.5 million to $35 million. Fisher Island, Florida 33109 info@palazzodelsol.com | palazzodelsol.com Now under construction white-glove services. On-site sales pavilion: 305Drive, 535 6071 One Fisher Island One Fisher Island Drive,

d, FL 33109 Enea.

Now under construction Priced from $6.5 million to $35 million. One Fisher Island Drive, Priced from $6.5 million to305 $35 On-site sales pavilion: 535 6071 Fisher Island, Florida info@palazzodelsol.com |million. palazzodelsol.com Fisher Island, Florida 33109 Priced from $6.5 million to 33109 $35 million. On-site sales pavilion: 305 535 6071 Now under construction Fisher Island, Florida 33109 Now under construction info@palazzodelsol.com | palazzodelsol.com One Fisher Island Drive, Now under construction info@palazzodelsol.com | palazzodelsol.com On-site sales pavilion: 305 535 6071 Priced from $6.5 million to $35 million. On-site sales pavilion: 305 535 One Fisher Island Drive, Fisher Island, Florida 33109 On-site sales pavilion: 305 5356071 6071 Now under construction One Fisher Island info@palazzodelsol.com | Drive, palazzodelsol.com info@palazzodelsol.com | palazzodelsol.com Fisher Island, Florida 33109 info@palazzodelsol.com | palazzodelsol.com On-site sales pavilion: 30533109 535 6071 Fisher Island, Florida Fisher Island Drive, OneOne Fisher Island Drive, One Fisher Island Drive, info@palazzodelsol.com | palazzodelsol.com Fisher Island, Florida 33109 Fisher Island, Florida 33109 Fisher Island, Florida 33109 One Fisher Island Drive, Fisher Island, Florida 33109

A World A World Apar Apart t A World Apar t

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BEACH | MARINA | TENNIS | GOLF | RESTAURANTS & BEACH CLUB

A World Apar t

COUNTRY MARKET | FERRY SERVICE TO & FROM THE MAINLAND

A | World Apar t BEACH | MARINA TENNIS | GOLF | RESTAURANTS & BEACH CLUB & FITNESS CENTER | BOUTIQUE | CLUB DAYMAINLAND SCHOOL MARKET || FERRY SERVICE TOHOTEL & THE BEACH |SPA MARINA | TENNIS GOLF | |RESTAURANTS &FROM BEACH BEACH |COUNTRY MARINA TENNIS |CENTER GOLF | RESTAURANTS &HOTEL BEACH SPA & |FITNESS BOUTIQUE | DAY SCHOOL COUNTRY MARKET | FERRY SERVICE TO & FROM THE MAINLAND SPA & FITNESS CENTER | BOUTIQUE HOTEL | DAY SCHOOL BEACH | MARINA | TENNIS | GOLF | RESTAURANTS & BEACH SPA & FITNESS CENTER | BOUTIQUE HOTEL | DAY SCHOOL BEACH | MARINA | TENNIS | GOLF | RESTAURANTS & BEACH CLUB MARKET || FERRY SERVICE TO & MAINLAND BEACH | MARINA | TENNIS GOLF | RESTAURANTS BEACHTHE BEACH |COUNTRY MARINA | TENNIS | GOLF | RESTAURANTS &&FROM BEACH CLUB COUNTRY MARKET | FERRY SERVICE TO& &HOTEL FROM|THE THE MAINLAND SPA & FITNESS CENTER | BOUTIQUE | DAY SCHOOL COUNTRY MARKET | FERRY SERVICE TO FROM MAINLAND SPA & FITNESS CENTER | BOUTIQUE HOTEL DAY SCHOOL & FITNESS CENTER | BOUTIQUEHOTEL HOTEL| |DAY DAYSCHOOL SCHOOL SPASPA & FITNESS CENTER | BOUTIQUE COUNTRY MARKET FERRY SERVICETO TO& &FROM FROM THE MAINLAND COUNTRY MARKET FERRY SERVICE FROM THE MAINLAND COUNTRY MARKET ||FERRY SERVICE TO THE MAINLAND COUNTRY MARKET || FERRY SERVICE TO &&FROM THE MAINLAND

SOUTH FLORIDA

T O P F E AT U R E S

144

76 HISTORIC SERENITY

& SPIRITUAL AMBIENCE

5 Splendid Monastery-Conversion Resorts Around the World

CHEERS TO UMAMI

The Art of Making Japanese Mushroom Bourbon

70 SLEEPING UNDER THE SEA

Lodging and Dining with the Fishes in Dubai

THE RAINBOW OF AFRICA GEM COLLECTION

THE MAN FROM ATLANTIS

Surreal Underwater Photographer Henrik Welle 24

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

F O RT L AU D E R DA L E ’ S O N LY N E W T RU E B E AC H F R O N T R E S I D E N C E S An exceptional development from the team behind many of South Florida’s most desirable properties, including Jade Beach, Jade Ocean, Murano Grande, and Apogee. With lifestyle amenities and services from the brand behind award-winning residential and resort destinations, including Esperanza, Auberge du Soleil, and Calistoga Ranch. aubergebeach.com

Sales by RELATED REALTY in collaboration with FORTUNE DEVELOPMENT SALES

954.908.2085

F ORTUN TUNE E I N T E R N A T IO NA L GROUP

Obtain the property report required by federal law and read it before signing anything. No federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. 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. This is not intended to be an offer to sell, or solicitation of an offer to buy, condominium units to residents of CT, ID, NY, NJ and OR, unless registered or exemptions are available, or in any other jurisdiction where prohibited by law, and your eligibility for purchase will depend upon your state of residency. This offering is made only by the Prospectus for the Condominium and no statement should be relied upon if not made in the Prospectus. Developer (as is defined herein below) reserves the right to revise or modify designs and construction specifications. All depictions of appliances, fixtures, counters, soffits, wall coverings, floor coverings, furnishings, closets, and other matters of detail, including, without limitation, items of finish and decoration, are conceptual only and are not necessarily the final finishes and details included with the purchase of a Unit. The managing entities, operators, hotel operators, amenities, resort managers, spas, restaurants, and other features referred to are accurate as of the date of this publication; however, there is no guarantee that these will not change. Dimensions and square footage of the Units are approximate and may vary with actual construction. This Condominium is being developed by PRH Fairwinds, LLC (“Developer”), which has a limited right to use the trademarked names and logos used herein pursuant to a license and marketing agreement. The Related Group, Fortune International Group, and The Fairwinds Group are not, singularly nor jointly, the developer. No real estate broker is authorized to make any representations or other statements regarding the project, and no agreements with, deposits paid to or other arrangements made with any real estate broker are or shall be binding on the Developer. All prices are subject to change. Services and products offered by any spa, resort, concierge, beach club, restaurant, or other vendor are offered for a fee. Consult the Prospectus for the site plan and the location of the Unit you desire. © 2014, PRH Fairwinds, LLC. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted, the content is owned by Developer and the unauthorized reproduction, display or other dissemination constitutes copyright infringement. Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

SOUTH FLORIDA

82 46 THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TRUTH OF MALIBU RUM

ICELAND’S CEO OF H2O

90 HISTORIC POETRY FOR THE WRIST Van Cleef & Arpels reissues a timepiece created 80 years ago for the Duchess of Windsor.

92 THE GOLDEN AGE OF COLLECTING & INVESTING IN FINE MINERALS

96 THE NEXT GENERATION OF HILFIGER 54

New Miami Beach Resident, Jaimie Hilfiger, Dishes On What It’s Really Like to Be the Niece of Legendary Designer Tommy Hilfiger

BRAVO’S YACHT CHEF BEN ROBINSON

56 CHEF LORIS NAVONE BRINGS HIS AWARD-WINNING CULINARY HERITAGE TO TAMARINA

101 MOBILE LUXURY AT YOUR DOORSTEP Let the Saks Fifth Avenue Club Come to You

102 ASTON MARTIN MAKES HISTORY AGAIN WITH THE VANTAGE

60 INDULGE IN A ROMANTIC OREGON WINERY VACATION A Delicious Look at the American Pinot Noir Getaway at Willamette Valley Vineyards

64 A TOAST TO THE CURIOUS HISTORY OF CORK

DOMAINE LAROCHE Chablis that Dares to Stand Up to Red Meat

82 BAUBLES, BANGLES & BEADS Perla Lichi’s Guide to Adding Sparkle to Your Home Decor

86 CARLETON VARNEY My 2015 Voyage to Cuba

South Florida OPULENCE

Summer 2015

104 BACK IN THE SADDLE Dressage Riding and Its Uncanny Similarities to Fine Business Practices

108 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PEDRO MARTINEZ Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Pitcher, Miami Resident

110 IT’S ALL ABOUT THE THRILL SPORTS

Between the Lines | Mixed Media | 72 x 36 x 36 inches

SAMUEL LYNNE GALLERIES

ROBERT HUDSON 1105 DRAGON ST. | DALLAS, TX 75207 | 214.965.9027 | WWW.SAMUELLYNNE.COM

SOUTH FLORIDA

71 features (continued) 113

WORLD-CLASS HEALTHCARE

AT BAPTIST HEALTH INTERNATIONAL

115

136 THE EXUBERANT ASSEMBLAGES OF ROBERT HUDSON

141 THE STORYTELLER Nick Garcia Photography

A MAN IN THE KNOW An Exclusive Interview with Billionaire Investor Wilbur Ross

117 THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING’S STEPHEN HAWKING My Computer Is My Voice

144 MARINE TURNED MODERN AMERICAN GLASSBLOWER

148 HUNT FOR A MILLIONAIRE’S

118 DEFYING ALS Coral Springs’ Jean Cox Compares Her Life with ALS to That of Dr. Stephen Hawking, as Portrayed in the Recent Movie “The Theory of Everything”

120 AN OPULENT BOND

HIDDEN TREASURE

150 GETTING INTO THE MIND OF SADDAM HUSSEIN An Interview with FBI Special Agent in Charge George Piro, Miami Bureau

Miami Meets Manhattan Real Estate

124 SUITE LIFE AT THE RITZ 128 CREATING INSPIRATIONAL CONTAINER GARDENS

132 FERNANDO BOTERO An Intimate Look inside the Life of Latin America’s Most Famous Living Artist

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

departments Gadgets

Calendar of Events

34, 36

Theater: Once, The Broadway ‘Best Musical’

Dining Guide

Gurkha Tobacciana

For Her and Him

100

Real Estate

120

Condo Insurance

154

Miami Real Estate

156

Condo Living

159

Condo law

159

Social Living

160

LANVIN

saks.com

Bal Harbour and Dadeland

BAL HARBOUR 305.865.1100. DADELAND 305.662.8655.

editor’s letter

What Age is Too Young? An ongoing conundrum for parents, teachers, lawmakers, insurers and society as a whole is knowing at what ages children have developed decision-making skills sufficient to handle independent responsibilities without immediate adult supervision. Teenagers can receive a license to drive a car at 16, volunteer to put their lives on the line in the Armed Forces at 18, but must wait to drink a beer at 21. On the other hand, in Florida, there are no specific age laws that we could find as to when a child can walk to school or go to the park alone, and there is no license or minimum age requirement to operate a boat - other than a safety class that can be taken online - in a state that leads the nation in boating accidents and deaths. If these age inconsistencies weren’t confusing enough, it also seems to me a bit hypocritical how age-related laws – or lack of them – are enforced. Last year, a mother in Port St. Lucie was arrested when she allowed her 7-year-old child to walk to a local park even though she had placed a cell phone in his pocket so that she could check on him and had grown up in the neighborhood in which they lived. There was no law indicating what age the city deemed old enough to walk alone, so one might surmise it would be the parents’ decision based on knowing their own child’s maturity level. Instead, it is the officer who decides, with no guiding law, and regardless of the situation, the officer is required to report each call to Child Protective Services.

HORIZON PUBLISHING EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER & OWNER Geoff Hammond, CEO Jayne Hammond, President ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Mark Blackburn David Hammond EDITOR IN CHIEF Robin Jay editor@southfloridaopulence.com 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 DIRECTOR Erika Buchholz ebuchholz@southfloridaopulence.com 954-609-2447 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT Michael Jay 954-593-5060

On the other hand, with boating, we’ve seen this summer two horrific Florida tragedies involving teenagers. In July, two 14-year-old boys who were skilled in fishing were allowed to take out a 19-foot boat by themselves. A storm passed through, the boat capsized and the boys were lost at sea. Then, in August, six teenagers were allowed to take out a 13-foot boat at 10:30 p.m. They crashed into a bridge, killing one and injuring five. The teens and their heartbroken parents broke no age laws. News reports said that in South Florida, it is a 'way of life' for teens who live on waterways to be handed boat keys to visit neighbors. In this case, who should be held accountable? If the parents followed the law, then perhaps it should be policy makers who created the lackluster law who should answer to CPS? As a mother of four children, ages 25, 20, 16 and 8, I wonder: Is it breaking the law if I were to allow my 8-year-old son to walk to school or meet his friends at the park even though we reside in a town with one of the lowest crime rates in Florida? School forms ask whether my children will walk home, bike home or be picked up in a car. Are the first two illegal options? Compared to when my 25-year-old daughter was a child, children in the neighborhood are rarely seen outside playing – they’re probably online playing video games with people they don’t know, eating processed snack foods they won’t burn off, or texting instead of having face-to-face social interaction. Could there be a correlation between fear of legal repercussions of allowing children to play outdoors and the fact that the average American child has seven hours of “screen” time a day (TV, video games or Internet) and that the rate of childhood obesity has doubled in the last 20 years? What’s worse – the risk of allowing a child to play outside or the long-term risk of diabetes and heart disease associated with sedentary childhood obesity?

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: John D. Adams Dale King & Julia Hebert Carol Antman Dr. Robert Lavinsky Donna Berger, Esq. Linda Marx Jean Cox Jill Patterson Jana Soeldner Danger Andy Rand Dr. James Espey, OBE Denise Reynolds Kara Franker Ava Roosevelt Hope Gainer Todd R. Sciore Kaizad Hansotia Clifton Thuma Stephen Hawking Carleton Varney Leah Jayasanker Mary Fong Walker Veronica Jimenez & Jim Walker Steven Joseph Mary & Hugh Williamson Stephen J. Keeler

So what's the solution? Perhaps policy makers should collaborate with experts in childhood brain development to identify gaps in age-related laws, licensing, education and consistent enforcement. Scientists from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry have identified the amygdala in the brain as being responsible for instinctual reactions including fear and aggressive behavior. This region develops early. However, the frontal cortex, the area that controls reasoning and helps us think before we act, develops later, into adulthood. Adolescents' actions are guided more by the amygdala and less by the frontal cortex. As a result, they are more likely to act on impulse, misinterpret social cues and emotions, get into accidents, and engage in dangerous or risky behavior. Should laws reflect the science? I wonder.

PROOFREADER Suzanne Shaw

Robin Jay, Editor in Chief

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

FINE ART EDITORS Michael and Karen Bivins PHOTOGRAPHERS Harry Benson Nick Garcia Silvia Pangaro Henrik Welle

South Florida Opulence Magazine is published quarterly by Horizon Publishing LLC. Copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. Horizon Publishing LLC, 6700 North Andrews Avenue, Suite 400, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 – Vol. 5, No. 3, Fall 2015 (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.

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GADGETS THE SMARTPHONE CONTROLLED ELECTRIC SKATEBOARD This is the electric skateboard that is controlled by a smartphone. A free app allows riders to accelerate, slow down, and stop simply by sliding their finger across the screen. Supports up to 220 lbs. For ages 14 and older. Compatible with all iPhones running iOS 6.1 and later or Android. 37 3/4" L x 10 3/4" W x 5" H. (19 lbs.) $749.95. www.hammacher.com

THE PERSONAL DAY SPA This is the personal spa that provides soothing heat, massage, and aromatherapy to relax the mind and body. The spa produces dry, sauna-like heat that penetrates deep into tissue to improve circulation and relieve swelling. The bed is made from soft memory foam that contours to the shape of your body and delivers a full-body vibration massage that relaxes tense, overworked muscles and joints from your shoulders to your ankles. Special conditions and guarantee limitations apply. 39"-89" H x 89" L x 35" W. (260 lbs.) www.hammacher.com Price $8,000. (Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.)

ESSIO - AROMATHERAPY DIFFUSER FOR THE SHOWER Essio works with virtually any shower to diffuse 100 percent organic essential oils into the shower. It turns your shower into a spa. Try Essio essential oil aromatherapy, which moisturizes and balances skin with six original organic blends. The superluxurious formula will also benefit weather-worn hair. Installs in minutes with no tools necessary. Starter kit with 3 essential oil pods: $44.99. www.essioshower.com

THE INSTANT PHOTO PRINTING CAMERA This is the point-and-shoot camera that prints photos by itself. Using a self-developing high-speed film, the camera produces a vibrant, scrapbook-worthy 2 1/2" H x 3 3/4" W color print in only 20 seconds. Includes a 20-shot pack of instant photo film, a snap-on lens with a mirror for close-ups and “selfies”, wrist strap, and four AA batteries. 4 3/4" H x 7 1/4" W x 3 3/4" D. (1 1/2 lbs.) Price $199.95. www.hammacher.com 32

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

AROMA360 Easy-to-manage diffusers, which cover spaces anywhere from 600 to 8,000 square feet, are sleek, whisper-quiet, and allow for multiple fragrance concentration levels. Ranging from $229 to $1,299. www.aroma360.com or call 561.203.0053.

UP & COMING EVENTS SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

17-1/3

6-7

NO BOUNDARIES: ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN CONTEMPORARY ABSTRACT PAINTING

2015 OPENING SEASON:THE RUSSIAN MUSICAL SOUL New World Symphony

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor www.nws.edu

PAMM

The exhibit brings together the work of nine Aboriginal Australian artists: Paddy Bedford, Janangoo Butcher Cherel, Tommy Mitchell, Ngarra, Boxer Milner Tjampitjin, Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, Tjumpo Tjapanangvka, Billy Joongoorra Thomas, and Prince of Wales (Midpul). Each of these men is a leader within their community and while they began painting late in life, their works explore complex and innovative modes of abstraction. www.pamm.org

16-17

JERRY SEINFELD LIVE

OCTOBER

CIRQUE ÉLOIZE “ID”

American Airlines Arena

8-11

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts

TAYLOR SWIFT

Taylor Swift returns to American Airlines Arena on October 27, 2015 with special guest Vance Joy. aaarena.com/events

NOVEMBER

AMERICA AND THREE DOG NIGHT

Seminole Hard Rock LiveHollywood

www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com

BILLY IDOL

Seminole Hard Rock LiveHollywood Billy Idol and The London Souls bring Kings & Queens Of The Underground Live Tour. www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com

NOVEMBER

OCTOBER

LANTERN FESTIVAL IN THE SPIRIT OF OBON

Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens

Enjoy Japanese folk-dancing, drumming, an Ennichi street fair and iconic lantern floating ceremony. www.morikami.org

South Florida OPULENCE

America’s premier comedian will perform his signature stand-up routine. www.kravis.org

NOVEMBER

Kravitz Center for the Performing Arts

OCTOBER

The stage comes alive with acrobats, break dancers, and contortionists, a one-of-a-kind video trampowall finale. www.arshtcenter.org

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

Fall 2015

6-15

MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

Miami Beach Convention Center A showcase of new vehicles from over 40 manufacturers from around the world. www.miamiautoshow.net

Miami, 10 NE 39th Street, Miami Design District, 305.573.4331 Los Angeles , Pacific Design Center, 8 6 87 Melrose Avenue, Suite G170, 310.35 8.0 9 01 New York, Decoration & Design Building, 979 Third Avenue, Suite 1424, 212.334.1271

UP & COMING EVENTS

2015 BROADWAY SEASON Oct. 6-18

BROWARD CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

broadwayacrossamerica.com

DEC. 15-27

Oct. 22-Nov. 8

Nov. 17-29

Dec. 8-13

BROWARD CENTER FOR BROWARD CENTER FOR BROWARD CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS THE PERFORMING ARTS THE PERFORMING ARTS broadwayacrossamerica.com broadwayacrossamerica.com

www.browardcenter.org

DEC. 29-JAN. 3

JAN. 26-FEB. 7

FEB. 2-7

BROWARD CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

broadwayacrossamerica.com

2015

BROWARD CENTER FOR ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER FOR THE THE PERFORMING ARTS PERFORMING ARTS broadwayacrossamerica.com

broadwayacrossamerica.com

FEB. 24-MARCH 6

APRIL 12-17

ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

APRIL 12-17

MAY 10-22

LADIES NIGHT

Legends Lounge Every Thursday beginning January 2016. Enjoy champagne specials, live entertainment and luxury brand giveaways.

ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER FOR THE ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER PERFORMING ARTS FOR THE broadwayacrossamerica.com PERFORMING ARTS

BROWARD CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

broadwayacrossamerica.com

BROWARD CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

broadwayacrossamerica.com

2015

KEY to the CURE

Get the shirt. Shop the weekend. Show your support. Join Saks Fifth Avenue in the fight against cancer. Get the shirt, designed by Jason Wu, available exclusively at Saks this October. Then shop Thursday to Sunday, October 15 to 18, when Saks will donate 2% of sales to local and national cancer charities.*

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAYS

Sorrisi Every Wednesday. All night at Sorrisi Wine Bar. Enjoy specially-priced small bites paired with fine wines.

South Florida OPULENCE

Special thanks to Julianne Moore, the 2015 Ambassador for the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer and Saks Fifth Avenue’s Key To The Cure

*THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15 TO 18, 2% OF PARTICIPATING VENDOR NET SALES AND PARTICIPATING VENDOR FLAT DONATIONS FROM SAKS FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK AND BEVERLY HILLS, AND SAKS.COM UP TO A TOTAL OF $500,000 WILL BE DONATED TO OUR NATIONAL BENEFICIARY, THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION (EIF) AND ITS PROGRAM STAND UP TO CANCER (SU2C). ADDITIONALLY, FROM OCTOBER 1 TO OCTOBER 31, 100% OF THE KEY TO THE CURE T-SHIRT SALES FROM THESE LOCATIONS AND SAKSOFF5TH.COM WILL BE DONATED TO EIF/SU2C. FOR ALL OTHER SAKS FIFTH AVENUE LOCATIONS, AN ALLOCATED AMOUNT BASED ON STORE’S WEIGHTED AVERAGE OF TOTAL SALES COLLECTED FROM 2% OF PARTICIPATING VENDOR NET SALES AND PARTICIPATING VENDOR FLAT DONATIONS FROM THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15 TO 18, ALONG WITH 100% OF THE KEY TO THE CURE T-SHIRT SALES WILL BE DONATED TO EACH STORE’S DESIGNATED CHARITY PARTICIPATING IN THE KEY TO THE CURE CAMPAIGN.

SOUTH_FL_OPULENCE_5.8375x2.55_MAG_KTTC.indd 1 Fall 2015

8/10/15 8:14 AM

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Emerald Cavern | 3D Oil on Canvas | 40 x 40 inches

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SPECIAL THANKS

theater

THE BROADWAY ‘BEST MUSICAL’ ABOUT THE POWER OF YOUNG LOVE AND MUSIC Set in Dublin, Once is the smash-hit, 8-time Tony award winner (including Best Musical) that has captured hearts around the world with its touching love story, glorious music and irresistible humor. It’s a celebration of music, love and the city that inspired it. Now it’s coming back to South Florida – at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts October 6-18. Once tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who’s about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs. As the chemistry between them grows, his music soars to powerful new heights... but their unlikely connection turns out to be deeper and more complex than your everyday romance. It’s an unforgettable story about going for your dreams... not living in fear... and the power of music to connect all of us. All the music in Once is played live on stage by an extraordinary cast of actor-musicians. Between them, the 12 actors play 30 instruments during each performance, including guitar, cajon, melodica, harmonica, piano, violin, castanets, bass guitar, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, tambourine, drums, accordion and cello. Once is an exhilarating must-see story about seizing life, chasing love and finding joy in making music. For tickets, visit www.browardcenter.org; by phone 954-462-0222.

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

DINING GUIDE

boca raton- deerfield beach- delray beach MAX’S SOCIAL HOUSE 116 NE 6th Ave Delray Beach 561-501-4332 www.maxssoho.com

Social House (SoHo) is a foodie’s Mecca, offering everything from artisanal and craft to local and sustainable. And they deliver, without being pretentious and without leaving you hungry. Although the daily menu offers “small plate” portions, the platings are sizable, encouraging sharing as opposed to merely tasting. Don’t miss the octopus a la plancha – its bath in the sous vide makes it incredibly tender and it’s finished on the grill for a crispy crust. It's served alongside smooth gigande beans, flavorful lamb sausage, and addicting falafel croutons. The tomatoes in Vito’s burrata were deliciously sweet (think candy) and paired well with fresh, creamy, lightly salted cheese. Did we mention the drinks and desserts? Our favorites: Dueling Banjo Iced Tea and Hot Daniela Does Wimbledon. The ultimate dessert: the SoHoles, a.k.a., fluffy balls of donut-y goodness with just the right amount of fresh ricotta inside, served with Wonderberry jam and a salted caramel sauce.

CAFE MED RISTORANTE 2096 NE 2nd Street Deerfield Beach 954-596-5040 www.Cafemeddeerfield.com

South Florida OPULENCE

“From the moment owner Corey Simpson met us at the door with a firm handshake and a smile – and Japanese-style sodas for my younger brothers, I knew Yoko-San was no ordinary hibachi restaurant,” said Ryan Jay. “Not only was the table-side Asian cooking spot-on, the warm hospitality and innovative ambience made it feel like going to an upscale night club – but for dinner. The Hibachi steak, calamari, lobster, shrimp and chicken were cooked to perfection right in front of our eyes. It was so delicious that my girlfriend and I have driven to Boca Raton for dinner at Yoko-San four more times since writing this.” Yoko-San has skyrocketed into the South Florida culinary and nightlife scene. The inventive cocktails, wine and sake lists are designed to complement the menu. “To us, making sushi should be as much of an art to see made as it is decadent to eat,” said Simpson. “Customers love our hookah bar, too.”

TANZY 301 Plaza Real Boca Raton 561-922-6699 www.Tanzyrestaurant.com

Chef Tulio Castillla has created a delightfully refreshing casual Italian café adjacent to the Deerfield Beach pier. Each dish was a clever combination of ingredients. Tiny red teardrop sweetie peppers adorned the sculpture of prosciutto, eggplant, olive tapenade, goat cheese and asparagus – a dish to remember! The homemade pasta truffle tartufo dish served in foil was like a gift to unwrap and enjoy. The lobster seafood ragout served in a casserole dish looked and tasted like a home-cooked meal, and the coffee-encrusted Techila Kailua marinade on the tomahawk ribeye was a delicious surprise! The homemade vanilla gelato and red velvet donuts had guests smiling like children on Christmas. And the wines paired with each dish led diners on a vivid two-hour tour of Italy.

YOKO-SAN HIBACHI FUSION 99 SE Mizner Blvd., Suite 110 Boca Raton 561-430-3565 www.Yokosanboca.com

Fall 2015

Wolfgang Puck would be proud! His former right-hand gal, Chef Sherry Yard – herself a Food Network Star and James Beard Award Winner – is now blazing a whole new culinary trail at Tanzy in Boca Raton. Along with Master Mixologist Adam Seger – the Charlie Trotter of cocktails – the duo are wowing guests at the venue uniquely located at the iPic Theaters. Must-tries include the Housemade Meatballs, Tuna Crudo, Tuscan Kale Salad, Quinoa and Almond Crusted Goat Cheese Salad, the Strozzapretti and Pappardelle with Forrest Mushrooms and Roasted Chicken. For dessert, be sure to indulge in the decadent Italian Donuts. If you’re imbibing, Seger’s signature mojito is amazing!

Herman LeVern Jonesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; TheatreSouth Atlanta, Inc. Presents

The Eve of Jackie Starring Chester Gregory An evening celebrating the life of

Jackie Wilson October 14-25, 2015

305.949.6722 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33132 www.arshtcenter.org

CHEERS TO UMAMI! The Art of Making Japanese Mushroom Bourbon Ooh-baby, you’re going to love the ‘Umami’ taste of Jared Boller’s headturning Hachi cocktail at Kuro in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. It’s made with – get this – mushroom bourbon! Seriously, the Hachi, made with four-mushroom bourbon, mirin (a sweet

rice wine used in Japanese kitchens), black pepper syrup and lemon juice, is without doubt my new favorite bar room mélange.

WHAT IS UMAMI? If you’ve never heard the term ‘umami’, you’re not alone. I discovered it on a whim when my husband and I stopped into Kuro to check

BY ROBIN JAY

out the innovative Japanese craft kitchen after a concert. Jared, the ever-aware NewYork-trained mixology professional, noticed my eyebrow raise in puzzlement when I saw the ‘umami’ category on his drink menu. He politely stopped over to explain, “Umami means ‘savory.’ It’s one of the five basic flavor palates besides sweet, sour, salty and bitter.” A Picasso of cocktails, Jared cleverly uses these five taste categories on his out-ofthe-box cocktail menu (and he names each of them with a Japanese number) to help guests choose drinks suited best to their personal palates. Being a mushroom and truffle fan, I just had to try the Hachi. Pow! The Hachi was so uniquely delicious that even my husband pushed aside his off-menu foo-foo drink and ordered one for himself. Who knew mushroom bourbon existed, let alone tasted so darn good?! “Mushrooms and bourbon make a harmonious marriage,” said Jared with a smile. “It’s the perfect blend of wheat and corn in the bourbon that pairs so well with mushrooms. When I created the drink, I thought ‘If the pairing makes sense in a food recipe, why not pair the two in a cocktail?’” I was so impressed with this idea of ‘mushroom bourbon’ that I asked Jared if I could see the bottle label. His reply surprised me: “No.” “What? Why not?” “Because there is no label…I make the mushroom bourbon myself in the Kuro kitchen.” Cool! I knew right away I had to share Jared’s mushroom bourbon story in South Florida Opulence. Even if you make it at home, I highly recommend you stop into Kuro to try the real McCoy. It’s Kuro’s bestselling cocktail!

OYSTER

SHITAKE

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

Chop all of the mushrooms into large pieces.

Over medium heat, begin to heat up grapeseed oil in the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is heated, add all of your mushrooms. Gently stir the mushrooms for 5-10 minutes and break them down until they are lucid and brown.

In a large sealable plastic container, add the bottle of bourbon and cooked mushrooms. Cover the mushrooms/bourbon and let sit for 48 hours (tip: the longer they stay, the better the bourbon tastes!) Through a chinois strainer, you can pour the bourbon back into the bottle for storage in the refrigerator.

Hachi

BY MIXOLOGIST JARED BOLLER AT KURO

Yields 1 cocktail

Ingredients: ¼ oz. Mirin (a sweet rice wine used in Japanese kitchens) ¾ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice ¾ oz. Black Pepper Syrup (recipe below) 2 oz. 4 Mushroom-infused Buffalo Trace Bourbon (3-step recipe above)

Method: • Using a jigger, pour the ingredients in their proper amounts into a cocktail shaker in the following order: fresh lemon juice, mirin, black pepper syrup and mushroom-infused bourbon. • Once all ingredients are combined into cocktail shaker, add ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. • Fine strain the shaker mixture with a mini strainer (e.g., chinois strainer) over fresh ice. • Garnish with lemon twist and dry shitake mushroom and enjoy!

JAPANESE 4 MUSHROOM BOURBON Ingredients: ½ cup Shitake mushrooms ¼ cup Portabella mushrooms ¼ cup Oyster mushrooms ¼ cup Maitake mushrooms 1 tbsp. Grapeseed oil 1 bottle Buffalo Trace Bourbon

Method: See Step Photos BLACK PEPPER SYRUP Ingredients: 1 qt. Sugar 1 qt. Water 1 cup Black Pepper

Method: Simmer ingredients over low heat for 30 minutes. Fine-strain cooked mixture for cleaner fuel.

MAITAKE PORTABELLA

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

Tobacciana

BY KAIZAD HANSOTIA

ARE CUBAN CIGARS REALLY BETTER? Here Are Five Reasons Why They Are Not

iven the prospect that the 50-year-old Cuban trade embargo may soon be being lifted, many in the tobacco industry are speculating about what this will mean regarding the mystique that surrounds Cuban cigars as the “forbidden fruit,” now that it’s no longer forbidden. Will Cuban cigars still be considered superior? Will Cuban cigars retain their stellar reputation once they are no longer considered contraband? Or has isolation and neglect of the Island Nation destroyed what was once a truly unique crop? Top cigar companies such as Davidoff, Gurkha, Flor Dominicana, Padron and Pepin Garcia all produce premium cigars that can stand up and compete with a Cuban cigar any day of the week. By comparing the flavor profiles of Cuban cigars with the finest cigars from around the world, here are five distinct reasons why Cuban cigars are NOT better.

3. The Communist regime has left its mark on half a century of workers. Wages are still low. Morale is low. Labor conditions are still poor and the labor force remains unmotivated. 4. Around the time that the Soviet Union began to fail, petroleum became scarce in Cuba. It became more difficult to rotate crops regularly. Animals like oxen and mules became more common in agricultural systems to rotate crops, but there remain rumors that the land has become bad for farming. 5. Once Cuba opens up, the demand for skilled rollers will increase elsewhere. Other countries, willing to pay more, will be able to lure quality workers away from Cuban factories. All of these changes will cause the already inflated prices of Cuban cigars to raise substantially as demand for greater wages will cause prices to increase 10 times the current rate.

1. Cuban cigars are one dimensional in their flavor base. They don’t have the complexity that blended cigars have. The tobacco isn’t grown in different soils from other well-known tobacco nations such as the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua or Honduras for example. How can Cuba compete? What will Cuba do? The general consensus is that Cuba will not even try to compete. The Cubans will shy away from buying any tobacco made outside of their native country. But their biggest concern should be how introducing their tobacco to the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua will fare given that blends from those countries will continue to be made better.

In conclusion, while the demand for Cuban cigars will most likely increase in the short term once the embargo is lifted because even the casual cigar smoker will be interested to see what they’ve been missing all these years, it won’t be a permanent situation. The increased demand will probably cause a lower quality product, creating disappointment and sending the regular cigar smoker right back to his or her favorite brand. All of these points are, however, positive for the rest of the cigar-making world. Consumers will initially get their “fix” and be driven to better quality cigars made outside of Cuba.

2. Quality control outside of Cuba is 10 times better than it is inside Cuba. Hand rolling cigars is tiring and only the best rollers in the world can be consistent with their rolling style throughout their entire shift. Draw testing cigars is the best way to make sure they are not rolled too tightly or too loosely. Yet draw testing can slow down production, increase costs and is often overlooked. Tightly rolled cigars then pass through the line all too frequently.

Kaizad Hansotia is the CEO of Gurkha Cigars. Gurkha, known for creating the finest, most expensive cigars in the world, produces eight million cigars per year that are sold in more than 50 countries worldwide. The Gurkha Cigar Group Inc. is located at 6600 Hiatus Road, Tamarac, FL 33321. For information, visit www.gurkacigars.com.

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

PA RK I T IN YOUR P E R SO N A L VAULT

For specialized storage and shipping services, trust RoboVault. Our facility offers flawless security for all your collectibles, from vehicles to wine. Our highly-trained packing specialists can be trusted with anything from a favorite painting to the entire contents of your household. Whether you want to store a piece of jewelry or move a priceless piece of art, you’ll have peace of mind.

PACKING • CRATING • SHIPPING • MOVING • STORAGE • SECURITY For more information or to request a complimentary on-site estimate, call 954-766-9997 or visit RoboVault.com. Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TRUTH OF

MALIBU RUM BY DR. JAMES ESPEY

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

herever I go, the 36-year-old brand is phenomenally successful, selling nearly 4 million cases annually and voted the No. 2 liqueur in the world. But Malibu, too, had a humble beginning and the tale is worth telling.

Fame has many fathers and there are many who claim to have been involved in the creation of Malibu. I remember well when in 1983 I was the Chairman of IDV UK Limited (one half of Diageo UK) and an enthusiastic Malibu brand manager from UK came to visit us. He gave me a lot of advice and direction as to how Malibu should be positioned among several othDr. James Espey O.B.E. er things about the brand. I bit my tongue in exasperation because he was waxing eloquent about the brand without knowing its true origin. Today, there is a wonderful distillery in Barbados and if you ask any consumer where the brand originated, they will say the Caribbean without batting an eyelid. Ironically, the brand was started by the three founders of The Last Drop Distillers Limited – Peter Fleck, Tom Jago and me.

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TRUTH In the ‘70s, I worked for Gilbeys South Africa as the Marketing Director of the company, a subsidiary of IDV and thus Grand Metropolitan of London. We lived in an apartheid South Africa, with all the unfortunate and sad laws imposed by the then Nationalist Government, affecting the interaction and the relationship between the different races. We were a tiny liquor company, compared to the two main juggernauts competing against us. We had to be flexible and agile and we did everything possible, as a liberal British company, to completely ignore government rules and regulations as we sought to employ the best possible team irrespective of race, creed or colour. We were also a very entrepreneurial company, trying new ideas based on instinct rather than research. There is no test as good as a living test in the marketplace. We used to spend a fair amount of time traveling around the world looking at ideas that could be adapted to South Africa. Peter Fleck, my good friend and colleague, joined Gilbeys South Africa in the early ‘70s, and when I was transferred to London in 1977 as the Group Marketing Director Worldwide, he replaced me, eventually becoming Managing Director of Gilbey SA. Toward the end of ’78, I returned to South Africa on a business trip and Fleck showed me his newest brand: Coco Rico, a light coconut flavoured Caribbean style rum. It was in the distinctive Malibu bottle and I loved the crossed palms and the setting sun. In every respect it was from the Caribbean! I asked Fleck how he managed to have a white bottle produced, to which he replied, “The glass manufacturers could not produce it, so we simply, in a very Heath Robinson fashion, created a conveyor belt with the bottles hung upside down and they were

spray painted by a gentleman whose specialist job was to spray paint new fridges white.” There is nothing like ingenuity! I simply loved it and Fleck and I agreed that it had a worldlevel potential.

BIRTH PANGS First and foremost, Coco Rico was produced in South Africa. Politically, South Africa was a pariah nation and Nelson Mandela was still in jail. On the other hand, who would ever believe that a rum produced in South Africa, looking as if it is from the Caribbean, could sell on the world stage, and lastly, an additional problem for me, as a new boy to London was to convince, if I may say, a rather “English” set of colleagues (remember, I am British not English) that this could be a world beater. I sat down immediately with my good friend Jago, who was the Director of New Product Development Worldwide. First and foremost, the name Coco Rico was actually registered by National Distillers, so we decided to see what else we could find. Jago often tried and tested little ideas and never disposed of them, for he believed that one day they would reappear. He had a failed brand in his locker called Malibu, and immediately we loved the name, so we ensured we had clear registration in every country of the world. Then we appointed an advertising agency to work with us with shaping and positioning, which would say nothing about the background, but everything about the promise in the bottle. They came up with a brilliant slogan, “It comes from paradise and tastes like heaven.” We then had to convince our skeptical colleagues that the brand was worthy of serious attention.

SECURING CORNERS Shortly after I moved to London, I established a New Product Council, which involved the top marketing people from all the different IDV subsidiaries meeting once a year to review all the various projects on the table. In 1979, we planned a major New Product Conference in the Bahamas. I then visited Professor Ted Levitt who, when I was a student, was my absolute guru. He wrote a marvelous article published many years ago called “Marketing Myopia.” It was first published in 1960 and is as relevant today as it was then. I called upon Levitt in Boston and persuaded him, along with his wife, to have a holiday in the Bahamas and help us present the Malibu story to my skeptical colleagues. Levitt loved the idea and agreed to act as a catalyst. We paid him a small fee, he had a wonderful weekend and would you believe it, at the end of the weekend everyone thought let’s give it a go.

LITMUS TEST CALLED UK We launched the brand in the UK through the Peter Dominic stores, which we owned and through bars and nightclubs. It was trendy, it Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

was cool, and it was different. In addition, we sold it at a price similar to brands, such as Smirnoff and Bacardi, but it was 25 percent alcohol in strength. This meant that we paid less duty and was thus more profitable and initially we called it a liqueur, which allowed us to advertise on television. In the ‘70s and ‘80s no spirits brands were ever advertised on television, but liqueurs were happily able to do so!! In no time Malibu took off and then we moved to sell it in different markets on the world stage. Of course, Duty Free was also an important springboard, which helped us with this process.

GLOBAL RESONANCE Suffice to say, it rapidly grew to become a very popular international brand and some years later, when Diageo was formed, IDV sold it to Allied Distillers for around USD 1 billion. They had to dispose of the brand because they had acquired Captain Morgan and it was deemed as second serious rum, so in terms of the Monopolies Act, they had to sell off one of their rum type brands. A few years on in more recent times, Pernod Ricard acquired Allied Distillers and thus they obtained Malibu, where it resides today. But it goes beyond that. It is now a total Caribbean brand. The original bottle said “Caribbean style rum.” Nothing has changed. It simply says “Caribbean Rum.”

IMPRINTS LEFT BY THE PAST Fortune favours the bold and there is nothing like a living test market.

Marketing imagination is a great requirement. Courage, tenacity and the ability to try something, ignoring one’s negative colleagues is also a requisite. Luck, because of course one has to have luck. It was of course a great flavour and at the time people were happy to have something new. Last but not least, I was fortunate to have the support of the Board of IDV and its Chief Executive, Sir Anthony Tennant (sadly now deceased). I was the Board champion, Jago, my partner, was the Head of New Product Development and Fleck, a key member of the New Product Council, who started with Coco Rico. In essence, the IDV team got together and made it happen. I wonder whether the same process would apply today or would we be consumed with the inevitable hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on research rather than going out and trying a great idea.

ABOUT DR. JAMES ESPEY AND THE LAST DROP Dr. James Espey O.B.E. is a true veteran of the Liquor Industry, with over 46 years of experience. Together with his longtime friends and partners, Tom Jago and Peter Fleck, he created and launched Baileys Irish Cream and Malibu, as well as The Classic Malts, Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Chivas Regal 18, amongst others. Seven years ago, instead of retiring into the shadows, the trio created their own boutique spirits company, The Last Drop Distillers Limited – with the slogan “before there is no more.” The Last Drop Distillers Ltd is the world's most exclusive Spirits company. The team consider themselves "rare spirits hunters," seeking out hidden barrels of some of the oldest and most precious ‘last drops’ of whisky and cognac in existence. Many are tasted, but very few are deemed eligible for the Last Drop… and all releases to date have been award-winners. The current release is a 48-yearold blended whisky voted as the Scotch Whisky of The Year in the authoritative 2015 Whisky Bible. The recommended retail price is $4200 - and there are only 180 bottles in the USA. The Last Drop team intend to bring out no more than three small unique releases each year; to be first in the know why not join their mailing list? www.lastdropdistillers.com

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

NOELIA CHASKIELBERG IS SELLING

South Florida Luxury

BATH CLUB

MEI

SOLD

“To be successful, attitude and ability are equally important. My goal is to continue to work harder than anyone else. You can trust I will deliver.”

APOGEE SOUTH BEACH

SOLD

BRICKELL CITY CENTRE

SOLD

NOELIA CH ASK IE LBE R G, SA LE S ASSOC IAT E 305.978.3481 I nchaskielberg@oirfl.com

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2060 N Bayshore Drive I Miami, FL 33137

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

BY HOPE GRAINER

BY HOPE GAINER Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

ometimes the best things come about by accident. Entrepreneur Jon Olafsson hails originally from the ‘land of fire and ice,’ Iceland. At just 14, the enterprising lad started his impressive path to becoming a major media mogul – owning 85 percent of Iceland’s music industry in radio, TV and mobile phones. He was a big fish in a small country with a population of only about 300,000 people and a land mass the size of New York. In 2003 he decided to retire and sold everything. He wanted to find a bigger playground and landed in London. About this time, Jon’s son Kristjan was approached by a Saudi to find a water business in Iceland. He found one, secured it for his client, but when it came time to pay, the Saudi disappeared. The Olafssons got stuck with buying the water company. It was a blessing in disguise. Jon discovered he was a work junkie and was eager to come out of retirement. They did their due diligence and realized water could be a good business. With about 50 percent of the market from the U.S., but only about 20 percent of the world consumption, they were ready to take on the world. They saw the success of Fiji and decided to jump on the water bandwagon and open an office in L.A. “The water category, much like the media industry where I came from, is a very crowded space. The key to success is having a very unique product and building a brand around it,” Jon Olafsson, Chairman of Icelandic Glacial water, told South Florida Opulence. In spring of 2004, Jon and his son Kristjan launched Icelandic Water Holdings, developed a world-class bottling plant and launched their award-winning water brand, Icelandic Glacial water. Based in Hlidarendi, Iceland, not far from Reykjavik, the water is sourced from the naturally replenishing underground Olfus Spring. The natural source was created as a result of a huge volcanic eruption 5,000 years ago. It is protected by an impenetrable layer of lava rock contained in a 128,000-acre exclusion zone replenished by rainfall and snowmelt over uninhabited and untouched lava fields, which take 400 to 600 years to reach the river source. Thus, it is a natural, renewable product. The overflow alone that goes into the ocean daily is twice the amount of all bottled water consumed worldwide.

FROM NATURE TO BOTTLE The glacial water goes directly from the source into the stateof-the-art facility via a stainless steel pipeline. The plant is one of the greenest and cleanest, run entirely by geothermal and

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

hydroelectric power. The filling process is automated and handsfree, capable of producing 30,000 bottles per hour. Nothing is added or taken out of the water and it is never exposed to outside air. It has a high alkalinity and PH balance of 8.4 “The average person drinks a lot of low PH level beverages, like coffee and alcohol, so the high water PH helps to balance the body,” said Jon. The first time Icelandic Glacial water comes into contact with the open air is when the consumer breaks the seal. Adding to the perfection of the water is the sophisticated packaging with its signature sculpted, glacier-inspired bottle neck winning it numerous awards for both overall concept and design. The materials for the bottles and packaging are recyclable. Icelandic Glacial has been designated as the world’s first bottled water certified as Carbon Neutral for both product and operation. Even the shipping is done by empty cargo space on vessels returning to the U.S. or Europe. This fall, Icelandic Glacial is adding bubbles to its super-premium spring water. The new sparkling water will be delivered in glass bottles that are more round in shape to maintain carbonation. The still water will also start being available in glass, as well as in a more elegant and subtle bottle design. Kristjan Olafsson, co-founder, said the line extensions were in “a response to what the market’s been telling us.”

SALT OF THE EARTH The Olafsson family seems to have come from a good gene pool full of entrepreneurial spirit. Jon’s mother, who raised him in a modest home with a dirt floor in Iceland, is enamored with her son’s success. “I am incredibly proud of my son. He is truly one of the hardest-working, most dedicated men I have ever known,” raves Heida. Kristjan adds, “It is a privilege to work side-by-side with my father, as I’ve learned so much from him.” Patriarch Jon chimes in, “It’s been a fulfilling journey building a company with my son.” But success is not enough for these Icelanders. Giving back is always on their minds. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, they shipped 42 tons of water to the country. Jon Olafsson sees the charity side as his foray for the future. “I want to make sure everyone has access to clean water.” But will he ever really be able to give up the reigns and retire again? Time will tell. And a fun fact: Icelanders hold the top spot for highest life expectancy in the world. Could it be something in the water? For more information and store locators: www.icelandicglacial.com .

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

ans of Bravo TV’s popular series Below Deck may wonder what handsome, talented Chef Ben Robinson is like when he is offcamera. The reality show, a kind of nautical Upstairs, Downstairs, tells the story of what goes on behind the scenes in a luxury mega yacht as it cruises the Mediterranean. Robinson is in charge of making meals for finicky wealthy guests as well as the hardworking crew, while cameras film the process.

BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC The product of an English father and an American mother, the single, 34-yearold culinary artist who owns a home in Fort Lauderdale owes his sexy accent to his European upbringing, but his foray into the glamorous world of yachting is the result of childhood visits to this side of the pond. His family summered on Cape Cod, where he saw yachts come and go regularly. When his brother suggested he get a job on one of them, he signed on as a deckhand. In addition to his maintenance and cleanup work, he began to do a bit of cooking. “The captain realized I had a lot of skill in the kitchen,” Robinson recalled. “He said to me, ‘What are you doing washing my boat when you can cook like that?’ Then he took me to the kitchen and told me, ‘This is your new office.’” Years later, Robinson landed the TV show gig by answering an online ad for the job. “It was late at night and I’d had a couple of drinks, so I sent off an email,” he said. Two days later, he got a casting call.

BEN RO BRAVO’S YACHT CHEF

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

BY JANA SOELDNER DANGER

HIGH STRESS PROFESSION

ARTISTIC PRESENTATIONS

REALLY REAL?

Robinson is passionate about his profession, but the job isn’t easy. He typically gets a day off just once every six weeks, and he once worked four months straight without a single one. His days begin at 5 a.m., and he often spends 19 hours in the kitchen. “I’m the only chef there is,” he said. “I don’t have a helper, and there are 12 crew members and nine guests. I get breakfast, I make pastries from scratch, and throw something out for the crew. Then I do crew lunch, guest lunch and guest hors d’oeuvres. Then it’s crew dinner and guest dinner and midnight snacks. And everything has to be great. It’s a stressful job.”

Although he is meticulous about everything he does in the kitchen, he is especially careful about presentation. “I want every plate to look the same, and have amazing form, composition and color,” he said. “It’s like I’m doing nine little paintings. I really get into the moment when I’m plating.”

How much of what happens on the show is impromptu, and how much is planned or even scripted? Robinson isn’t allowed to talk about it, but he admitted that some events are enhanced for drama. “When you film a reality show, you have to be more expressive than in normal life,” he said. “We’re trying to tell a story to an audience.”

Having camera and lighting crews traipse behind while he works in the already cramped quarters of a yacht kitchen makes it even more challenging. “They tell us we have two jobs—one is your actual job, and the other is being a cast member,” he said.

He enjoys dabbling in molecular gastronomy, a technique that explores the science of cooking, and the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur during the process. One of his favorite dishes in the genre joins together blocks of sushiquality tuna and salmon. “It’s an amazing delivery—bright orange and bright red,” he said. “It’s slightly provocative, and I think food should be provocative. On a yacht, people are looking for the wow factor.”

KEEPING IT FRESH Where does he see himself in the future? Maybe he’ll travel or write a book, he said. “The key to success is to keep learning, keep it fresh and open new doors. To be a good chef, you have to challenge yourself. “This is just the beginning.”

KEEPING GUESTS HAPPY— NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES Guests frequently request dishes with exotic ingredients, and Robinson does his best to provide them. “I have a lot of contacts, and I can pretty much get any ingredient in the world within 48 hours,” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure to keep the guests happy.” He recalled one day when an imperious Russian guest insisted that he simply must have black truffle and porcini mushroom risotto for dinner—that very same night. The yacht was traveling between Sardinia and Sicily, and Robinson hurriedly dispatched a crew member in a small, fast dinghy to head into port and hunt down the needed ingredients. “Happily, the guest got his porcini and truffle risotto that night,” Robinson said.

Ben Robinson (left) with the cast of Season One. To see the cast of Season 3, tune in on Bravo TV.

OBINSON Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

Chef Loris

Navone

Brings His Award-Winning Culinary Heritage to Tamarina BY STEVEN JOSEPH

ood should inspire. The tastes, smells, textures, and presentation should move your entire being to a place where every bite is a step in a journey personally designed for you by the chef. And with every new chef who steps foot in a kitchen, they bring along with them the memories and maps of every journey they themselves have taken up to that point. The hope is that their unique experiences along their personal culinary road have honed their skill-set to maximize your enjoyment of their creations. Enter Chef Loris Navone, newly crowned Executive Chef of Tamarina in Miami, a restaurant focusing on “coastal Italian” fare. Chef Navone’s path to Miami began in Switzerland of all places, as a young Italian boy who literally played in the kitchen with his grandmother. “I didn’t speak the language, and so my grandmother protected me from the neighborhood boys by sheltering me in the kitchen.” Navone didn’t think he was cooking at the time, “I grew up playing with pasta dough the way children in America play with Play-Doh.” Navone’s grandmother served at his extended family’s pasta store, making “to go” batches for his aunts and uncles to pick up on the way home from their jobs. Her simple, peasant-style recipes served as his jumping-off point for his love of the kitchen, but very little of his current

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Fall 2015

repertoire would appeal to her pared-down tastes. “My grandmother would scorn how I mix foods, she would never believe in combining say, gnocchi and clams.” When asked what, if any, of his present menu she would recognize, Chef Navone points to the spinach and ricotta ravioli. “This is more reminiscent of what she taught me, very simple, yet still delicious.” From Switzerland, Navone moved back to his native Italy, specifically Carnia, located in the Northwest region of the country. Navone describes Carnia as “smaller than a town. And yet, we were the ‘big village’ of 5,000 people, surrounded by even smaller groups of 300-500 people.” There Navone honed his skills under the tutelage of his mother. As successful as he has become, Navone still relishes his trips home, and he spends his free time daydreaming about the dishes he will ask her to cook for him that remind him of his childhood. “I am excited for ‘frico di patate’ which is a crispy potato cake made with cream cheese, and ‘cjarsons’ which is a sweet and salty ravioli made with chocolate and chestnuts.” Upon graduating from high school, Chef Navone followed his peers into engineering, but was isolated in his classes from his friends and sought out his true passion, being in the kitchen, the safe haven of his childhood. Navone bounced around a few restaurants before settling in at a locale specializing in coastal Italian, making use of the extremely fresh seafood. When a regular patron mentioned he was looking to bring an Italian chef to America, Chef Navone tagged along and soon found himself in Miami. Navone then worked his way up to Chef du Cuisine at Dolce, one of Miami’s most famous Italian restaurants.

Beet Salad

PHOTO: SILVIA PANGARO Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

“I want to make food that is fun AND delicious.” – Chef Navone Dolce was then featured on the television cooking competition “Best New Restaurant” on the Bravo network. Navone and his fellow Dolce chefs made it all the way to the finale where he and his team won the competition with a menu featuring the same “frico di patate” he craves from his mother. “People were always telling me I was a good chef, but I never believed it until we won.” The attention and praise Navone received from his time on the show attracted the attention of Yona and Tunu Puri, established restauranteurs of Indian descent. They approached him to helm their new Coastal Italian concept Tamarina, giving him full control of the kitchen to create the Italian menu that he wanted. Navone has wasted no time injecting the menu with his playfulness and zeal. He even created a hamburger as tribute to the owners’ heritage; “It is made with lamb, which is central to Indian cooking, and the bun is infused with curry spices.” So make your way down to Tamarina in the heart of Miami’s booming financial district. Designed by David d’Almada and Yona Puri, Tamarina is furnished with dark wood, brass accents and antique mirrors evoking Italian glamour with a Miami accent - chic and lively, yet relaxed and cozy, also showcasing a Champagne Bar Terrace. Chef Navone recommends you open your meal with something light, and experience his modern approach on crudos with the owner’s vision of a crudo bar complementing the Coastal Italian culinary experience at Tamarina. Chef Navone is constantly experimenting with exciting takes on the fresh fish classic, and is currently tinkering with an uni ice cream. “I want to make food that is fun AND delicious,” he says. Then proceed to tantalize your taste buds with his signature grilled octopus before settling into your entrée. No matter what you select from the cutting-edge menu, you're in good hands: Navone-tested and Grandmother-approved!

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: SILVIA PANGARO 58

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

Pork Belly

NAVONE

Cheesecake Brulee

Cavatelli Lamb

im Bernau probably got in serious trouble for overly enjoying the sips of wine his parents gave him as a child. Especially when they discovered that the effects had motivated him to pilfer Concord grape juice from the freezer, read up on fermentation in the family’s encyclopedias and stash a batch of brew in the crawl space of the house. They’d certainly have been more lenient if they’d known that Jim was beginning his life’s work: introducing pinot noir to Oregon.

HISTORY OF WINE IN OREGON

“Jim is an amazing person,” says Christine Collier, the winery director. “When you meet him the word ‘visionary’ comes to mind. Everyone says that.” He believes in hard work and collaboration. In 1983 he bought an overgrown plum orchard in the Salem Hills and began Willamette Valley Vineyards, watering his vines with 17 lengths of 75-foot garden hoses he bought on sale. Over the years he purchased neighboring vineyards and continued to lobby to stimulate the industry’s growth. To build the enterprise, he conducted the first crowd funding in the nation with over 2,000 wine enthusiasts and vineyard owners acquiring shares. Today it’s one of the smallest companies on the NASDAQ. So now the mossy, wet climate of Oregon has cache. “The focus in Oregon will be Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sparkling wine — it’s practically a spitting image of Burgundy, France,” enthuses the blog

Wine Folly. “Our terroir is unique with ancient volcanic, glacial and sedimentary flood soils on slopes where orientation, elevation and grade create unique growing conditions,” Jim describes. The winery is committed to being a thoughtful steward of its land. All vines are naturally grown and tended by hand. Biofuel tractors and sustainable corks have earned the vineyards a “Hero of Salmon” and the industry’s coveted Founders Award for low impact viticulture. “Our approach is to grow, by hand, the highest quality fruit using careful canopy management and to achieve wines that are truly expressive of the varietal and the place where they are grown,” Jim proudly explains.

SUCCESS! The pinot noir is reaping praise and awards. Wine Enthusiast Magazine calls Willamette Valley Vineyards “One of America’s great pinot noir producers.” The vineyard was named “2011 Winery for the Year” by Wine and Spirits Magazine and a “great ambassador for wines of Oregon.” They received the hottest small brand award from Wine Business Monthly. “It’s been quite a quest,” Jim muses. Now that the winery is producing over 100,000 cases a year, it is

PHOTO BY ANDREA JOHNSON

Wine had not been produced in the state since prohibition and laws were unfavorable. Eschewing the plan his father had for him to become a lawyer and the popular path of dilettante vineyard owners, Jim worked as a lobbyist before he planted the first vine. He helped pass legislation in 1981 to establish an advisory board for research and promotion of the industry. Further law changes made wineries a permitted use on farmland, allowed the direct shipment of wine and began wine tastings in stores and restaurants. The Oregon Wine Board was begun. His philanthropy funded a professorship for fermentation science at

Oregon State University. This was probably when Jim’s dad reconsidered Jim’s childish mischief and speculated, “Someday our hillsides will be covered with vines.” “We’re just getting started,” Jim countered.

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

Indulge In A Romantic Oregon Winery Vacation A delicious look at the American Pinot Noir getaway at Willamette Valley Vineyards BY CAROL ANTMAN

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

available for under $30 a bottle nationwide. Aficionados describe the pinot’s taste as fruity with nuances of cranberries and earth. Visitors to Oregon can sample flight tastings at the vineyard or tasting rooms at McMinnville or Tualatin or tour the operation which Rachel Ray called “One of my most memorable experiences out in the vineyards.” For East Coast enthusiasts, Willamette Valley Vineyards is hosting a cruise out of Miami Nov. 7 to 14, 2015 with Jim leading workshops, winepaired meals and tastings on the luxuri-

ous Celebrity Reflection. The wine’s popularity inspires a rowdy annual grape stomping where costumed participants get up to their knees in fruit. Couples are flocking to the newly renovated hospitality suites for romantic “Under the Tuscan Sun” weekends. There’s even pinot poetry as in this ditty from Richard Dyer of South Carolina“…With distinctive aromas of earth, oak and spice… Very intriguing and ever so nice…Perhaps it’s the soil or even the seasons, or maybe the winemaker is really the reason…”

Go on the cruise from Miami: syndical.com/blog/willamette-valley-vineyards-kirklandsignature-cruise-syndical

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

PHOTO BY ANDREA JOHNSON

If you go: Visit the vineyard: www.WillametteValleyVineyards.com.

NATURE & SCIENCE AUCTION October 15, 2015 | New York | Live & Online

The Rainbow of Africa Gem & Mineral Collection

Photography by Mark Mauthner

View all lots and bid online at HA.com/NatureandScience Inquiries: CRAIG KISSICK 877-437-4824 ext. 1995 CraigK@HA.com

TSAVORITE – 65.72 CT.

Merelani Hills, Arusha Region, Tanzania Estimate: $1 Million – $1.5 Million

Always Accepting Quality Consignments in 40 Categories Immediate Cash Advances Available 900,000+ Online Bidder-Members 877-HERITAGE (437-4824) K. Guzman #0762165; Heritage Auctions #1364738 & SHDL #1364739. BP 12-25%; see HA.com. 37327

A good cup of joe

A TOAST TO THE CURIOUS HISTORY OF

BY CLIFTON THUMA

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

Philanthropy Ah, the pop of a cork – no other sound better says, “The Party has started!” Have you ever wondered where cork comes from or how the curious bit of bark is fashioned to close up wine for 10 or 20 years to emerge at just the desired moment? The answer is that cork is nature’s marvel – buoyant, pliable, resistant to water, ancient in its use, yet a most modern eco-friendly material. An oak tree, the Quercus Sober, has adapted to the dry soil and strong light of southern Portugal. The bark of this tree is fashioned into cork. The Alentejo region is home to half the world’s cork production. South Florida Opulence spoke to cork oak farmer Francisco de Almeida Garret about his experiences raising this unusual crop in the town of Monte Novo. “Our cork farms have been in the family for 400 years. 2,200 acres of our estate are cork forests with 80-120 trees per acre.” Since only 10 percent of the trees can be harvested, this leaves large areas for the native plants and wildlife to thrive. “The cork oak forest, the ‘Montados,’ is multifunctional, and in terms of biodiversity is one of the richest ecosystems in the world,” Francisco said. Each year, Alentejo oaks older than 25 years have their bark harvested by hand in the summer when the trees will not be damaged by the stripping. “At harvest time, we avoid any possible contamination from the soil. We ship the cork as soon as it is harvested to the factories that process it.” Francisco and his crews are worried the bark may become contaminated with ‘cork taint.’ This is a natural fungus in the soil. Recent technology has improved the quality of corks, all in an effort to make the best natural stopper. But before these practices, some wine bottles seemed to develop a musty, odd taste. Some wineries shifted away from cork and used plastic cylinders or even

screw caps to close their wine bottles. While these rather unpoetic materials avoided the taint concern, they presented another problem. The French call great wine of an esteemed estate or excellent vintage ‘Vin Garde,’ wines to be guarded. They are wines to be laid down in a quiet, secure, cool vault to ‘cellar’ and develop in the bottle. Ten years of aging for Bordeaux’s great chateaux and 20 for the deep wines of vintage port are needed. There is debate about what is happening, but several centuries of experience have shown that high quality natural corks of good length allow a slow ‘maturing’ of the wine. As to the new plastic cylinders, no one knows what two decades or 10 might do to the wine. We do know that aluminum caps will remain intact, but how does the wine evolve under them? The grand chateaux are staying with natural cork. And maybe we all should. If wine producers still use natural cork, then Francisco’s three children can repeat the old adage of the farmers of the Montados: “Vinhas das minhas, Olivias dos meus Pais e Montados dos meus Antepassados.” (Vineyards of mine, Olive Groves of my parents and Cork Forests of my ancestors.) “I would like Americans to know our cork farm is very important for biodiversity, conservation and carbon sink, and that cork stoppers are essential for the economic sustainability of the ‘Montado’ ecosystem. “And …I love what I do…”

Each year, Alentejo oaks older than 25 years have their cork bark harvested by hand in the summer when the trees will not be damaged by the stripping. The Alentejo region in Portugal is home to half the world’s cork production. Fall Fall 2015 2015 South South Florida Florida OPULENCE OPULENCE 65A

Domaine Laroche

Chablis that Dares to Stand Up to Red Meat BY DENISE REYNOLDS

One can never be too rich or too thin, the saying goes. And in South Florida, one might add too young to the trifecta. In many ways, Chablis reflects this sensibility. Like the taut sunsplashed bodies drawn to our shores, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intensely fresh, with a steely minerality reminiscent of crushed seashellsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and it begs to be paired. Tension grips the tongue with undeniable energy, as surely as a penetrating gaze across a sizzling South Beach dance floor just before dawn.

hile lovers look to small boxes for jewels to proclaim their devotion, French Chablis fans who limit their food pairings to classic matches like oysters or chèvre are missing out on some surprisingly bold combinations. Even red meat works with certain Chablis, notably wines from Chablis Grand Cru. Recently, a sultry evening dinner at Flagler Steakhouse at The Breakers in Palm Beach proved this seemingly preposterous point in a memorable fashion, as winemaker Grégory Viennois from Domaine Laroche shared a stellar lineup of Chablis that both reinforced and shattered pairing preconceptions. These complex white wines can be a good choice for wine drinkers who, nine times out of ten, reach for something red.

CHABLIS PRIMER Chablis comprises four appellations located in northern Burgundy, France: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru, and Chablis Grand Cru. The most esteemed Chablis wines are Chablis Grand Crus, which are further divided into seven climats, all of which fan out in the commune of Chablis, facing the sun at varying altitudes along the right bank of the Serein River. At Domaine Laroche, a Chablis producer dating back to 1850, chardonnay grapes are pampered from start to finish. Like all white Burgundy, Chablis is pure chardonnay, yet the expression of Domaine Laroche wines varies widely based on micro-terroir factors—including vineyard elevation and sun exposure—just as children born from the same parents often have completely different personalities and achievements. The common ground in Chablis is coveted Kimmeridgian subsoil—layers of clay, chalky limestone marl, gravel, and nutrient-dense fossilized oyster shells dating back 150 million years—that imparts unmistakable minerality, a bracing characteristic that distinguishes French Chablis in blind wine tastings. As in South Florida, the real estate mantra: “location, location, location” echoes throughout Burgundy, separating great vineyards from profoundly great vineyards. “It’s very important to secure the best blocks,” says Grégory Viennois, winemaker for Domaine Laroche, “the best vines to produce the best wines. Buying new plots today is très cher, so it is a true asset to have plots in premier and grand crus. “We have a lot of old vines in our estate,” says Viennois. “These grow grapes with thick skin. In the skin we find all the good natural compounds that give remarkable minerality to the final wine and protect it against oxidation.” In 2001, in response to cork pollution concerns, Laroche decided to embrace screwcap closures. Today, corks from tightly controlled suppliers are found only on their premier and grand crus, which will improve for at least ten years with cellaring.

GRAPE NANNIES Laroche adapts winemaking techniques to each individual plot. Grapes grow in tiny single-vineyard plots of land, each with its own dedicated viticulturist who oversees all aspects of their care. Organic concepts prevail, as this one grower nurtures vines by double pruning, debudding, and soil conditioning. To further ripen grapes, these vine nannies selectively remove leaves to aerate the canopy, maximizing sun exposure for baby grapes—so essential in Chablis’ continental climate, where warm days are punctuated by chilly nights during the growing season. Laroche perpetually searches for the best fruit, segregating all plots of premier and grand crus from harvest to bottling. Yields are kept low, ensuring vines produce topquality fruit that typifies its origin. Plot-by-plot, vines are hand-harvested and grapes

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arrive at a sorting table to ensure even more control over fruit selection before being gently whole-bunch pressed. After malolactic fermentation and settling, wine is kept partially in stainless steel tanks and partially in mostly older French oak barrels for nine months until it is time to birth the final blend. “We declassify plots we are not perfectly satisfied with,” says Viennois. At this stage the wine is transferred to stainless steel tanks where it ages on fine lees for the next year. Domaine Laroche owns nearly 100 hectares (247 acres) of vineyards in prime locations, including eleven premier crus and three grand cru climats: Les Blanchots, Les Bouguerots and Les Clos. Laroche’s most acclaimed wine, La Réserve de l’Obédience, is a blend of separate steep-slope plots of

Les Blanchots with southeastern exposures that protect the fruit from late afternoon sun. Formerly a village monastery, monks made wine at l’Obédiencerie as early as the ninth century.

DARING AU PAIRING All this obsessive attention to detail in the vineyard and the winery beautifully translates terroir to the glass, making Chablis one of the world’s most food-friendly wines. Perfect to serve year-round in South Florida, Domaine Laroche pairs wonderfully well with a wide variety of dishes. Pour Chablis for friends who eschew chardonnay for whatever reason and watch their surprised expressions when the label is revealed.

INSIDER GUIDE TO CHABLIS, FRANCE Stay at Hôtel du Vieux Moulin in Chablis. Situated in an 18th-century mill over a rushing millstream, this charming boutique property offers bucolic views overlooking gently sloping grand cru vineyards. Seven spacious rooms, including two suites, are modestly decorated and encourage relaxation, as do the cozy robes and slippers. Continental breakfast is served in the lounge or on the sun terrace, and an honor bar is stocked with wines from Domaine Laroche. Centrally located yet ideal for a romantic getaway, it’s within walking distance of the Obédiencerie. www.larochewines.com/en/vieux-moulin-hotel Sample Domaine Laroche wines. An impressive 13th-century wooden wine press — one of the last two existing in perfect working order — is still used to ceremoniously crush chardonnay grapes during the annual Harvest Festival in Chablis. View the press during a Domaine Laroche tour and tasting at Obédiencerie, a former monastery that houses the oldest wine ageing cellars in Chablis. (See also page 76 for a selection of monasteries around the world that have been converted to luxury hotels.) Designated as a French National Heritage site, these cellars are used today to age premier cru and grand cru wines. Discover these wonderful wines at Boutique Laroche wine shop at Obédiencerie. www.larochewines.com/en/wine-shop Dine at Au Fil du Zinc. Located in the hotel, this unassuming modern bistro restaurant dazzles diners with culinary skills honed at Joël Robuchon’s Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris. Über-talented chef Ryo Nagahama and his wife Vanessa, pâtissière extraordinaire, use pristine seasonal ingredients to prepare delightful dishes worthy of their own star. Robust attractively priced wine list, especially the Chablis. Menu changes every ten days and offers six-course dégustation or à la carte selections. Serves lunch and dinner daily, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. www.restaurant-chablis.fr/home

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Ramp up the reveal by pairing a hearty red meat with a Laroche grand cru Chablis. Chef Thomas Laimo from The Breakers shares his recipe for Marinated Veal Chop with Leek and Chive-Infused Risotto and Ricotta Salata, surprisingly yet stunningly coupled with 2012 Domaine Laroche Chablis Grand Cru Réserve de l’Obédience. Or try one of the winemaker’s own unconventional red-meat pairings for Laroche grand cru Chablis: Asian Beef Tartare with ginger, coriander, soy sauce and lime. Either pairing will reflect Stephan Tanzer’s 95+ point review: “outstanding mineral lift, giving the wine a penetrating quality and keeping its fruit under wraps today. Most impressive on the smooth, dense, palate-saturating finish. This very long but tight wine will need at least several years in bottle to unfold.” Sure sounds like the South Beach scene, where unexpected pairings are often the most fascinating of all.

FLAGLER STEAKHOUSE Chef Thomas Laimo – THE BREAKERS PALM BEACH Marinated Veal Chop with Leek and Ricotta Salata Risotto This hearty center-cut veal chop pairs superbly with Domaine Laroche Chablis. SERVES 2 2 12-ounce bone-in center-cut veal rib chops 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon meat seasoning 6 ounces veal marinade (recipe follows) Cooked risotto (recipe follows) 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, sautéed until browned ¼ teaspoon sea salt Position oven rack about 3 inches from heat source; preheat broiler to high (or preheat grill to medium-high). Rub veal chops with vegetable oil; sprinkle both sides with meat seasoning. Place veal chops on hot grill or ridged cast-iron grill pan; grill or broil for 2 minutes. Without flipping, rotate chops by 45 degrees to create hatch marks, then cook 2 more minutes. Turn chops over. Grill or broil second side of chops for 2 minutes; rotate for hatch marks. Cook 2 more minutes until browned and meat thermometer inserted horizontally into center reads 125° F. Remove from heat; transfer chops to a wire rack, let stand. To serve, spoon cooked risotto onto center of individual plates. In a large, shallow broiler-proof baking dish, place veal chops; pour marinade over chops. Heat under broiler until lightly charred. Remove dish from broiler; top chops with browned butter. Season to taste with sea salt. Arrange chops on top of risotto, slightly off to the side. Top chops with remaining marinade. Serve immediately. TO MAKE THE VEAL MARINADE 2 tablespoons Parmigiano - Reggiano

2 cups olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

½ cup white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons garlic cloves, minced In non-reactive mixing bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside. TO MAKE THE RISOTTO 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste ¼ cup onion, minced (½ of a small onion) ½ cup leeks, cut into 2-inch julienne strips (1 small leek) 1 cup Arborio rice 1 teaspoon fresh chives, chopped 2 cups chicken stock, heated ¼ cup ricotta salata Trim root ends and tough dark greens from leeks; discard. Slit remaining white and pale green leeks lengthwise and then into quarters. Rinse well to remove dirt; cut into 2-inch matchstick julienne. Set aside. In a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add diced onions to pan; sweat until translucent. Add Arborio rice; with wooden spoon, stir to coat. Add hot chicken stock, 2 ounces at a time, allowing rice to completely absorb stock each time, stirring constantly until rice is tender yet firm to the bite with a creamy consistency. Add ricotta salata and butter, a little at a time; stir gently. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Fold in leeks. Add chives to garnish. Plate immediately.

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SLEEPING UNDER THE

SEA COMPILED BY ROBIN JAY

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Atlantis The Palm hotel has quickly become an icon of Dubai. Inspired by the ocean and its wondrous marine life, everything about Atlantis is larger than life. Designed to exhilarate and destined to impress, signature suites are the jewels in this hospitality crown, complete with a dedicated butler to look after guests’ every need. Bespoke guests can submerge themselves in the underwater suites – truly a unique experience where the bedroom and bathroom look into the mesmerizing Ambassador Lagoon. The two underwater suites, Poseidon and Neptune, are perhaps our most intimate and romantic suites where guests descend into the perfect hideaway.

Elegant aquatic-themed accommodation includes a large living area complete with a dining table, a separate majlis/ TV room, a beautifully appointed bedroom and en-suite bathroom. However, it is the view from the bedroom and bathroom that makes this suite so very special. With floor-to-ceiling windows into The Ambassador Lagoon, guests are simply mesmerized by the dramatic ancient ruins of the mythical lost city and its 65,000 marine inhabitants.

ENTER THE FASCINATING WORLD OF DOLPHINS And if sleeping with the fishes inspires

you to play with them, you’ll find set within lagoons the fascinating Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins of Atlantis. Dolphin Bay is Dubai’s first mammal rescue and rehabilitation centre and focuses on education and conservation whilst offering a range of intimate and unforgettable shallow and deep-water interactions. Qualified Marine Mammal Specialists guide guests through their memorable encounter with these playful and highly intelligent creatures. For more information, visit www.atlantisthepalm.com

DINING WITH THE FISHES AT AL MAHARA Al Mahara, ‘The Oyster Shell’ in Arabic, located at Burj Arab Hotel in Dubai doesn’t just tantalize your palate; it’s a dining experience that will stimulate all your senses. The stunning floor to ceiling aquarium inside the restaurant sets the scene for a meal where only the best will do. Sink into the soft seats and be mesmerized by the world of colorful sea life swimming beside your table, while our team of award-winning chefs prepare you something very special. For reservations, call +971 4 301 7600 or email BAARESTAURANTS@JUMEIRAH.COM.

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Surreal underwater photographer Henrik Welle is…

The Man from Atlantis L BY JOHN D. ADAMS

ike an epic character out of Melville or Conrad or Stevenson, underwater photographer Henrik Welle would sail across oceans to tame an unnamed restlessness and uncover his passionate obsessions. One look at Henrik Welle’s underwater photography conveys his exultation for marine life and human interaction with the water. He has managed to imbue the majesty and mystery of the sea that any landlubber can appreciate. But it was many years before Welle would find the current that would propel him to combine art and the ocean. His is a centuries-old maritime tale that will lead him to the treasure of found passion.

FROM A POOL TO THE SEA “Since I was a child I could dive underwater before I could even swim,” Welle recalls. “People would freak out, reminding my mother that I couldn’t swim. But my mother would just say, ‘He’s okay. He is like a turtle. He goes under, comes up and takes a breath, and then he goes down again.’” These adventures were poolside, of course. Welle didn’t live anywhere near natural bodies of water. “In Germany, it was tough to follow that passion.” By 1997 Welle was living in Hamburg and working in marketing. But it wasn’t a satisfying choice. One day a friend suggested he learn how to scuba dive to see if perhaps that would lead him in a better direction. “It was the middle of winter and I went to an indoor pool to get some instructions. They put a tank on my back and threw me in. I was blown away. They had to drag me out of the pool. I thought, ‘Why haven’t I been doing this for years?’” He immediately began to inquire about how to become a dive instructor. A year later, Welle had left his native Germany to take a six-month certification course with Ft. Lauderdale’s Pro Dive USA. “While I was going through dive classes I soon realized that if I did become an instructor, I’d probably never certify anybody because they wouldn’t meet my standards. So I still wasn’t going in the right direction. But I did have my certification as a dive master.”

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A NEW HOPE To make ends meet, Welle was working as a selftaught videographer and video editor. But he still felt a bit lost. Until something amazing happened. “I went on a dive vacation with some friends,” he says. “I had a cheap little camera with an underwater housing and I was just taking nature pictures underwater of what I liked. Everybody looked at them and were amazed by the pictures I took. Someone said, ‘Why don’t you do something with underwater photography?’ I sold all of my video equipment and got a proper camera and that’s how my nature pictures began.” Because of his natural affinity for water, Welle could spend less time worrying about his dive equipment and concentrate on honing his photographic skills. He taught himself about lighting, and how to contend with water temperature, currents, and the flotsam that is eternally floating around his subjects. He began diving and photographing during different times of day. He learned that sometimes, the sea offers up its most exotic beauty at night. “You can look at a rock during the day, and it’s just a rock. But you do a night dive and that rock is exploding with all sorts of life with brilliant forms and colors coming out. That’s why I love night diving. So I do most of my pictures at night.”

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AQUA, MAN, AND THE AGENT OF TIME Today, some of Welle’s most riveting work combines man and water in surprising and beautiful ways. But again, it was a friend’s suggestion that would ferry Welle to this connection. “A friend of mine asked me to do an author photo of him underwater. So we began brainstorming. He was fully dressed and sitting as he is in a café just reading a book. But he was underwater. When we started looking at the pictures, I thought: ‘Wow, this is really neat. Let’s do more.’” After much experimentation, the black-suited Agent of Time was waterborne. In one arresting shot, he appears to be smoking, lean-

ing against a wall while water approaches. “He is actually lying on the floor of a pool with weights in his pockets. The ‘smoke’ is milk coming out of his mouth. I took the picture then turned it so you see the surface of the water vertically.” More pictures with this man in black surfaced. “The body of work is called ‘The Only Time.’ The surface, the person and the wall. Past, present and future. He is the agent of time and is an everyman who can exist in all three times but always remains. And the only reality is the NOW.” More work with man and water has developed, and Welle has a host of new ideas to explore. Like the great seaman explorers before him, it seems Welle has at last navigated to his own utopia. “This is my niche. This is my element. This is my passion.” Fall 2015

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Historic Serenity Spiritual Ambience BY JANA SOELDNER DANGER

Centuries ago, monasteries and abbeys were places of refuge offering shelter to travelers as they journeyed on dangerous roadways beset by bandits and wild animals. Today, many of the structures that once housed religious orders have been transformed into hotels and inns, and travelers are once again finding refuge there. Gone, however, are the thin mattresses, dim lighting and austere furnishings the structures once held, and in their place are 21st century comforts. Although they are modern and comfortable, many of the properties have preserved architecture, artifacts and other elements of what they once were. If you are looking for a vacation that combines history, serenity and a spiritual ambience, you might try one of these.

MONASTERO SANTA ROSA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SALERNO PROVINCE, ITALY Visitors to Monastero Santa Rosa on the Amalfi coast can travel back in time as they admire many of the architectural features of a Dominican monastery originally built in the 17th century. Sister Rosa Pandolfi, a member of a noble family, funded its construction, and when the convent was completed in 1681, it was dedicated to St. Rose of Lima. In recent history, an American woman, Bianca Sharma, fell in love with the ancient building in the Salerno Province of southern Italy when she first saw it from the deck of a friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s yacht. She bought and restored the three-story building, with a careful eye to preserving the medieval arched entrance, the original parlor, the vaulted ceilings and other elements. The hotel has a spa, and all 20 rooms have ocean views.

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5 Splendid Monastery-Conversion Resorts Around the World

Monastero Santa Rosa â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Salerno Province, Italy

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MANDARIN ORIENTAL – PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC This intimate hotel located in a former Dominican monastery is set amidst the palaces and gardens of Prague’s historic Malá Strana. A former Renaissance chapel houses the award-winning spa, and the newly opened Spices Restaurant and Bar offering authentic Asian fare and contemporary design blending local history with modern luxury. It offers an exquisite private dining room hidden below the restaurant in a spectacular wine cellar – said to be the former apartment of a monastery friar. With authentic details such as bare brick walls and an original medieval well, it’s the ideal place for wine tastings, private dinners or romantic proposals.

COUVENT DES MINIMES – MANE, FRANCE The Couvent des Minimes sits on a hillside near the French village of Mane in Provence, France. The original structure dates back to 1613, when it was home to Minimes monks. Then in the early 20th century, it became a convent for an order of Franciscan nuns who planted exotic flowers in terraced gardens, fruit orchards and olive groves. Today the property is a luxurious boutique hotel that mixes medieval architecture with contemporary design. The 71 cells that once housed the nuns have been transformed into 46 modern guestrooms, and the gardens and orchards that were tended by the sisters now help supply the hotel’s on-site restaurant. Amenities include the L’Occitane spa, indoor and outdoor pools and tennis. 78

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PARADOR DE SANTO ESTEVO – GALICIA, SPAIN The Parador de Santo Estevo in Galicia, Spain, situated on a densely wooded hillside, was once a Benedictine monastery that dates back to the sixth century. It overlooks a wine growing region know as the Sacred Shore, where vineyards cover the steep slopes of two river valleys. The monastery’s architecture features Romanesque, Goth and Baroque elements, and in 1923, it was declared a historic monument. Today, the hotel the monastery became is modern and contemporary, yet it preserves the ambience of its past. Each of the 77 guest rooms in three cloistered areas has its own unique décor. Amenities include a heated indoor pool, a spa, a sauna and a restaurant that serves local fare.

MONASTERIOR – CUSCO, PERU This historic venue once housed a Spanish monastery built in 1595 on the site of the Inca Amaru Qhala’s palace. A few years later, the Spanish took it over and established a seminary there. Then in 1650, an earthquake caused major damage, and the reconstruction included the addition of a Baroque chapel that still exists. The structure was remodeled into a hotel in 1965, but the building remains a historical landmark protected by Peru’s National Institute of Culture. The 126-room hotel features stones around the entry doors that bear the Spanish Arms Escutcheon, ancient archways and antique artwork. It is built around a central courtyard with a 300-year-old cedar tree. Because of the hotel’s extreme height, some rooms can be enhanced with oxygen. The Monasterior has a spa, a bar and two restaurants.

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for the love of home

MIAMI 900 Centre Park Blvd., Suite 476

californiaclosets.com 3 0 5 . 6 2 3 . 8 2 8 2

BAUBLES, BANGLES & BEADS Bubbles aren’t just for champagne and celebrations. Add some “Holiday” sparkle to your everyday life

BY JOHN D. ADAMS

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“Baubles, bangles, Hear how they jing, jinga-linga, Baubles, bangles, Bright, shiny beads. Sparkles, spangles, Your heart will sing ...” Frank Sinatra sings “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” Master interior designer Perla Lichi and I are browsing through her online portfolio. I pause to express the kinds of “oohs” and “aahs” usually reserved for the lighting of a Holiday tree or a champagne toast on New Year’s Eve. But this is the middle of summer. And those beautifully cascading baubles and beads, those lovely hued chandeliers ripe with glass and crystal spheres aren’t Holiday decorations. They are integral, and unique, elements of interior design. They just put you in a Holiday mood. And that’s exactly the point. “When I think about using bubbles and beads with interior designs, I get excited,” Perla enthuses. “They make me happy. They make me want to have fun. To me, design is art, so I might as well use all kinds of shapes and elements and textures … why not use circles, bubbles and beads?”

CIRCLE OF TRUST As ever, Perla is feeling creatively effervescent. She has been thinking a lot about how crystal spheres, bangles, glittery beads, even

rounded furnishings like Arne Jacobsen’s famous 1958 “Egg Chair,” can all be employed in creative ways to bring a little peace and pizzazz to any home’s interiors. “Balance tastefully,” advises Perla. “Trust your own creativity. A couple of egg-style chairs to balance out your more angular pieces… It depends on the person.” So what is it about circles, spheres and rounded furnishings that feel so jubilant yet comforting? Perla, a devotee of Feng Shui, notes: “The circle is a water symbol. Holding round objects, having a balance of circular representations, gives us a kind of comforting feeling that calls us back to the womb. The comfort of that softness … Some need more of that water element and so we add many more rounded elements to the space. Then there are others who just might like touches of it, in perhaps a decorative blown glass sphere.”

BAUBLES AND BLING Even though Perla is always upbeat, she gets impossibly excited when talking about glitz, crystal baubles, spheres, and shimmery touches. Do a Google search on decorating with baubles and beads. All you will see are Holiday decorating ideas and images. Perla rejects that notion. “These elements are not just for Holidays and celebrations! Crystals, diamonds, clear spheres, I’m thinking about Swarovski. It’s so hot right now. And it is exploding with possibilities. Contemporary, crystal chandeliers, beads for pillows, towels with beaded trim, this is the bling. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but this is the jewelry for your interiors… “Designing for the Holidays is all about the lights and the glamour and the ornaments. But why should you limit that to a few weeks out Fall 2015

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“You have to play and be honest with yourself. What makes you most comfortable? Think of it this way. When you were a child blowing bubbles, how much was enough? I wanted to use the whole bottle!” – Perla Lichi

of your year? You can always have things lighted and beaded. It brings life and joy!”

CREATIVE CRYSTALS The more we discuss crystals and spheres, it becomes clear that you can bring in that essential comforting circle motif in a thousand overt or subtle ways. We discussed beaded curtains that act as room dividers. Not a new concept. They were big in the 1960s and have continued to festoon dorm and laundry rooms across the country. Perla, of course, thinks about what a sumptuous luxury the “drapes” can convey. “More and more in

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commercial spaces and in homes, we have been creating dividing walls from curtains of shimmering beads, little glass orbs, small crystals, gold and silver chains… Recently, I did a girl’s bedroom and sitting room. She wanted a very feminine space but still wanted to divide her sitting area from the sleeping area. So we did a wall of crystal strands that really does give the room a soft, shimmery waterfall feel. You still have an open room but the view is softly obscured.” Perla emphasizes the importance of details. “Remember, these touches are the jewelry of the house. In one house we imbedded the owners’ initials on the master bedroom door panels using Swarovski crystals.” Think about bringing back a version of

crystal doorknobs. Crystal faucet handles. Fill baskets with glass balls. The ideas are limitless. And it could certainly be easy to go overboard. “You have to play and be honest with yourself,” advises Perla. “What makes you most comfortable? Think of it this way. When you were a child blowing bubbles, how much was enough? I wanted to use the whole bottle! But you might have only liked to use a little bit. For some people, less is more. But for me, more is better.” See more of Perla’s work online at: www. perlalichi.com

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M Y 2 0 1 5 V OYA G E T O

BY CARLETON VARNEY

Cuba is a country for the curious, yes, and it is a country filled with contrasts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a world that once was, prior to the revolution in 1959, and a world constantly in flux and change over the last 55 years. The Cuba of today is the one that is complex, as well as curious. My associate Brinsley Matthews and I were in the Island nation recently visiting sites that have been the talk of our country for years and years.

View of Colonial City of Trinidad, Cuba

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No one can doubt the beauty of the country with its sandy beaches, lush mountains, tobacco and sugar cane fields, for they are working still as they were generations ago, not at the same speed, however. The buildings have magical style and with architectural elements: Moorish-shaped windows, decorated tile walls, and wrought iron balustrades – while crumbling in many and in most instances – are there to remind all that there was, and is, a glamour and beauty in its very being. Over the last five decades, much has been neglected for lack of funds to protect architectural heritage,

but not for lack of want to preserve. When asked what is the magic of the country, I can say without hesitation, is its people – charming, hospitable and loving with hope there will be a future of prosperity and rebirth. For the future visitors of this island country, only 90 miles from the coast of Florida, here are some hints and observations about Cuba today.

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PLANNING YOUR FLIGHT Cuba is reachable by air only on charter aircraft from Miami. One must travel with a group – fully authorized by the government of the island country (and ours) – for purposes of cultural and professional interest. Generally, American tourists, for tourist purposes only, are not permitted. I traveled with the Ohio Alumni Group of Oberlin College. Our group stayed at the Parque Central Hotel in the center of Havana, where most foreigners stay when in the city. The hotel is nine stories high and has two roof swimming pools. I give the hotel a four-star rating, as rooms, dining facilities, cocktail lounges and shops are all handsomely appointed. One of the most unexpected pleasures was the dream breakfast buffet, which included cold meats and cheeses to dried fruits, omelets, fruit juices (I loved the pineapple smoothies!) and a decadent bakery section.

VARADERO BEACH A visit to the white-sand beaches of the Varadero Beach resort, with a stop for a coffee at the DuPont Mansion and nine-hole golf course, is a must. The residence, with its eight guest rooms, was built in the 1930s for the DuPonts and their friends. When in Havana, a must is a stop-and-see at The Hotel Nacional De Cuba, the crowning jewel of Havana, built in 1930 on top of Taganana Hill with views over the oceanfront avenue, known as the Malecon. The hotel was designed by the prestigious New York architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, which had designed Palm Beach’s convention resort hotel, The Breakers. The roofs of the Nacional are classic Roman architecture with Sevillian patios that in Cuba had their expression in 19th century colonial constructions. The outer arcades are Californian mission

Pictured – Malecon, a seaside avenue

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style with French Gothic gargoyles. There is a Sevillian air of refined style in the main lobby floor tiles, which have a Moorish Spain influence. The splendid ceilings recall the tradition of the Roman coffer. The English Gardens are from the Romantic period. While the Nacional is in need of vast refreshing (visit but don't stay there for the night), the classic bones are there. While there, a must to see is The Hall of Fame, where legends have been photographed – like Josephine Baker, Betty Grable, Ginger Rogers, Tyrone Power, John Paul Sartre, Errol Flynn, John Wayne. Rita Hayworth honeymooned there with Prince Aly Khan.

HAVANA'S SEASIDE AVENUE A stroll down Malecon, Havana’s seaside avenue, is a must. You'll enjoy seeing a hotel design of the late 1950s – The Riviera. This hotel, designed in the spirit of the Fontainebleau (in Miami), but not as stylish, was the genius idea of Meyer Lansky of mafia notoriety to fulfill his casino/hotel dream. Visiting the hotel interiors and swimming pool is like walking through a time warp. New times are coming, but I doubt the domed Lansky gambling casino will find its tables or slots back in place. The gambling days, favored by Luciano, Lansky, Genovese and President Batista, were immediately destroyed by the rebellion of the masses and the Castro forces.

EXCURSIONS Staying at the Parque Central offered the visitors on our cultural trip the opportunity to walk the Prado Promenade. Here one finds fabulous villas of yesterday waiting to be restored and brought back to their original intent to be seen and enjoyed There are shopping streets in Havana where trend-setting European clothing can be purchased, but at prices that are not affordable for the Cuban population – who live on meager wages and rationed food products. Transportation around the city is by Coco motorcycles – yellow bubble-looking vehicles with three wheels and by some now contemporary taxi vehicles. Cycling carts are also on the streets, along with the automobiles left on the island in the 1950s by Cuban families who sought exile in the United States. The vehicles, yes, the Chevrolets, the Buicks, the Cadillacs, all in full colors – yellows, reds, pinks, greens. Unfortunately, most of the autos of yesterday need restoring. Windows

are held together with tape and coat hangers, and seats are low and needy of springs. Along the walk down the Prado, take note of the Capitol modeled after the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., built in 1929. Also check out the Moorish style of the Inglaterra and Sevilla Hotels, as well as the original Bacardi factory, which I’m certain the Bacardi family seeks to reclaim one day.

OLD HAVANA PLAZAS Old Havana and its Four Plazas offer a glimpse of what a colonial city is all about. The Four Plazas comprise Cuba’s first UNESCO World Heritage site. Visit the Plaza de Armas, the site of the oldest Spanish fortress in the New World (1519), also the locale of the first mass held in Cuba. In the Plaza de San Francisco, you can visit the restored Basilica San Francisco de Asis. At the Plaza Vieja, you’ll find artist galleries, boutiques, museums and market places. Most of the books available for purchase feature the words of the revolutionaries. Wandering through the street of the old town with plazas filled with cafés, you will see architecture spanning five centuries. End your old world walking tour at the Plaza de la Cathedral.

ART, MUSEUMS & FUSTERLANDIA Certainly there is a plethora of art galleries and museums in Cuba – from a museum of The Revolution, where airplanes and missiles are exhibited, to the Presidential Palace directly across the calle where Fulgencio Batista was ousted in 1959. There is even a town, a small “Gaudi-esque” village, where houses and shops are ceramic-treated and covered by the artist Jose Fuster. Fuster has transferred the town with wonderlands of sculptures, mosaic and murals where local neighbors volunteer their homes to become part of the sprawling masterpiece called Fusterlandia. La Factoria is a late-night place to rendezvous and look-see all the art, from photography to watercolors and giant oils. There are bars and open terraces where there will be lots of hands holding sugar lumps and mojitos. Our visit to Cuba was a most memorable cultural experience – and I can’t wait to go back when Cuba is once again in full color. Maybe then postal service to the U.S. will be restored so that I can mail postcards of this beautiful island to my friends.

DINING IN CUBA Paladar is the Spanish word for dining restaurant and there are many now open where private enterprise is allowed. You will find them sublime (but drink bottled water only)! I recommend these eateries: CONCORDIA – 418 e/Gerrasio y Escoban, Centro Havana. Formerly known as La Maison Camaguey, this was the locale of the Cuban iconic film “Fresa y Chocolate.” It is one of the most popular dining spots.

Traditional restaurant exterior with table settings on the terrace and view of Old Havana in the Caribbean island of Cuba

PALADAR MERCADERES – 207 e Lamparilla y Amas Gura, Havana Vieja. This restaurant, where lobster is always a treat, is inside the home of the owner in Old Havana. EL AJIACO – Calle 92 (Los Pinos) #267 entre Stay 3r, Cojimar. This restaurant is in the fishing village where Ernest Hemingway kept his boat “The Pilar.” Before dining, visit Finca Vigia – the plantation style colonial house where Hemingway wrote “The Old Man and the Sea” and lived from 1940 to 1960 with his wife Martha Gellhorn and their children. SAN CRISTOBAL PALADAR – San Rafael 469 E/Leal tad y Campanario, Centro Havana. This local Cuban custom antique restaurant may have a cluttered look, but it has been rated the #1 Paladar in Havana by the English newspaper “The Guardian.” MY FAVORITE: LA CASA VERDE PALADAR IN VINALES VALLEY - Lealtad 208, Centro Habana, Havana, Cuba No one should visit Cuba without driving through Pinar del Rio Province. This is the pine-populated, red-soiled tobacco region where you can visit a tobacco farm and enjoy yourself at the restaurant “La Casa Verde,” and see the most beautiful mountain views in the country. The country style food is made of home-grown produce and you can hike the hillside terraced gardens. Carleton Varney and taxi driver Enma Leydis in Havana

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

HISTORIC POETRY FOR THE WRIST

BY DALE KING AND JULIA HEBERT

an Cleef & Arpels, the company renowned for its exceptional jewelry, fine men’s and women’s fragrances, and watches that are dubbed “poetry for the wrist,” imbues its pieces with magical, mystical qualities – and has for 119 years.

Estelle Arpels marries Alfred Van Cleef

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

Based in Paris, the prestigious design and fabrication firm was born in fairy-tale fashion after Estelle Arpels, daughter of a Parisian precious stones dealer, and Alfred Van Cleef, son of a diamond cutter from Amsterdam, were married. They became partners in business, as well as life, and drew upon the talent of members from both families to expand and diversify.

In 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels opened its “jewelry salon” at the now-famous address of 22 Place Vendôme in the French capital. Many locations worldwide would follow.

THE ‘NEW’ VINTAGE RETURNS The high-end house of jeweled goods and aromatiques (called “La Maison,” French for “house”) is about to reissue a timepiece it created 80 years ago. Van Cleef & Arpels had been making sumptuous bejeweled watches since the 1920s, but it was not until 1935 that the Maison created the model which would define the marriage between beauty and functionality: the Cadenas watch. Inspired by Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, the Cadenas timepiece resembled a bracelet rather than a watch. At the time, it was considered gauche for genteel women to wear wristwatches in

that became wildly popular. A friend and client, Frances Gould, wife of American railroader Jay Gould, inspired it. She was running to a meeting with Charles Arpels and threw her necessities into a metal Lucky Strike cigarette box. Arpels took that impromptu carry-case idea and made it his own. Perhaps the firm’s most intriguing contribution – one that bears a 1933 patent – is a technique of setting gems “invisibly” onto jewelry, enhancing the aesthetics of each piece. In actuality, the gems are held within an unseen metal grid on the underside. The process of meticulously placing the tiny stones can take up to 1,000 hours.

THE JEWELER OF ROYALTY Throughout the decades, Van Cleef & Arpels has enticed clientele from the ranks of royalty (the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco), Hollywood stars (Gloria Swanson, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren, among others) and leaders of finance, the Mellons, Kennedys, Vanderbilts and the Onassises.

PHOTO: ROBERT KNIESCHE, BALTIMORE SUN

1939 drawing of of the Cadenas watch design

public, so those who did had to view the time with a furtive glance. The Cadenas line made that task easier, and will do so again. Like its revived timepiece brand, Van Cleef & Arpels has also adapted to a new era. It has an e-boutique on its Web site and allows shopping and catalogue browsing online.

SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF THIS LUXURY BRAND The firm has spent generations riding the crest of the high-end fashion jewelry and fragrance market, responding to trends, creating its own and even patenting a “Mystery Setting” process, the likes of which will be revealed to all later in this article.

The Duchess of Windsor wearing her Cadenas watch during a visit to the U.S.

Throughout its varied, fanciful history, Van Cleef & Arpels has leapt from milestone to milestone, often based on the substantial abilities of family members who worked in unison to make things happen. Estelle’s three brothers came on board around 1900. Alfred and Estelle’s daughter, Renée Puissant, served as artistic director from 1926 to 1942. Her arrival boosted brand identity, and her savvy led to the appearance of amazing creations.

The coming rebirth of Cadenas watches is being hailed throughout the Van Cleef & Arpels network, which includes four Florida locations: Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Naples and Bal Harbour, Miami.

In the 1930s, Estelle’s brother, Julien, also had sons – Claude, Jacques and Pierre – who entered the business. By the 1970s, the mantle had been passed to a new generation: Phillipe Arpels and Dominique Hourtouille (Jacques’ children) and Caroline Daumen (Pierre’s daughter).

Slightly updated from the 1930s-era timepiece, with a larger dial and enhancements to the stone, setting and clasp, the new Cadenas was unveiled at the 2015 Salon Internationale de la Haute Horlogerie. “It’s an eternal watch, thanks to its design that is simultaneously extraordinary and restrained,” said Catherine.

Van Cleef & Arpels turned a fluke into a fashion statement in 1930 when it created “the minaudiere,” a type of evening bag/vanity case

“It was appreciated by women in the 1930s, and it’s appreciated by women in the 2000s.”

“The Cadenas watch is made up of a double snake chain […],” said Catherine Cariou, the firm’s heritage director. “The dial is notable for being completely slanted, enabling only the person wearing the watch to tell the time.”

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

The Golden Age of Collecting & Investing in Fine Minerals Left: Perhaps the finest known example of a rare hot pink tourmaline with a blue top, from a famous 1972 find in San Diego’s mountains. This piece, part of the Kitt collection, is considered the iconic example of the find and of an American tourmaline specimen for its balance and aesthetics. Lower right: World-class cluster of gem Aquamarine crystals with Garnet and Quartz, 20 cm tall, from Pakistan. Found in 2013, now in the Kitt collection.

BY DR. ROBERT LAVINSKY

ine minerals are specimens of naturally crystallized beauty that mesmerize those of us who collect them. They are regarded for every reason that a fine Rodin sculpture might be: provenance, condition, context and rarity. These are beyond mere ‘scientific objects’ to be put on a shelf. And, they are millions of years old. The shocking reality is that they exist at all, to enjoy, given the rigors of survival.

TRACING THE HISTORY OF MINERAL VALUE In the days of the European Royalty’s ‘Grand Tours’ around the Continent, fine mineral specimens were gifted as a matter of course, between educated members of the royal class. Cabinets of ‘natural curiosities’ were in many palaces of the times, and some even survive to the present. The Archduke Stephan von Habsburg-Lothringen (1817-1867) was one of the greatest collectors of all time. In the early 1900s, the action in the mineral collecting world shifted to the USA, following the energy and dynamism of technology and new wealth. Notables such as Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, and J.P. Morgan (the gemstone ‘Morganite’ was named in his honor!) were among the top collectors of the early 1900s, spending millions in inflation-adjusted dollars. J.P. Morgan’s collection still forms the core of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC to this day. After his donation, the era of fine minerals, and the appreciation of these treasures of Nature, withered. Today, we live in a ‘Golden Age’ for this hobby-turned-asset class. Fine minerals are being seen as an Art class by top collectors of other forms of beauty, exhibited as masterpieces in homes and museums (such as the Smithsonian, Houston Museum, Dallas’ new Perot Museum), and sought after with increasing zeal by top collectors

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

Left: A case from the Jerome Shaw collection, showing major fluorites and an azurite formerly in the collection of Andrew Carnegie. Photo: Silvia Pangaro Right: The world's best specimen of Rose Quartz, 33 cm tall, known as ‘The Madonna.’ Sold by Heritage Auctions in 2013. Mark Mauthner Photo, courtesy Heritage Auctions. Now in the J. Shaw collection, via Arkenstone. Below: Kitt collection prizewinning case at the Tucson 2015 Gem & Mineral Show, for Best-in-Show. Photo: Christi Cramer (Mineralogical Record)

who are building another round of world-class collections as did the industrial royalty of the early 1900s.

CASE IN POINT #1: THE JEROME SHAW COLLECTION Jerome Shaw founded and sold a major insurance company and then pursued a second career as a gallery owner (101Exhibit in L.A.) and art investor: A lifetime collector of decorative and fine arts, his collections were exhibited at several major museums. He went to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show with his collections curator Nathan Reiskin to learn more about his new hobby. Cautiously, he went to higher levels of collecting in the field (I met him halfway there). Jerome told me he treats minerals just like any other field of art he has collected over the years: He buys what he likes, what gives him pleasure to look at. He still treats it as an investment and intends to make a profit in the long run, by following the strategy of spending 80 percent of the money

on 20 percent of the specimens to help him keep focus on value over time. He has the space to add the “fun pieces,” but the money is in the specimens that other major collectors would want.

CASE IN POINT #2: THE BARRY KITT COLLECTION Barry Kitt came into my office like an excited kid in 2010, entranced by having seen his first tourmaline cluster in the Smithsonian and the realization that ‘YES, you can actually own such things!’ He realized that he had the immediate opportunity to gain entry into minerals at the top end of the field. He then made the hard-nosed decision that as an investor in other things, he should buy minerals the same way: ONLY the best. He also considered the trend toward investors looking for investable hard asset categories and he realized that these natural mineral treasures, as an asset class, were virtually unknown by the mainstream investor community. He has actually taught me a lot about applying these logical principles to build his small but focused collection that is constantly being upgraded as any opportunity might arise. He buys pieces that correspond to a uniform size range and meet his own individual assessment for incredible beauty. To his credit, even after only 5 years in the field, he has managed to buy, or trade, an incredible number of famous old pieces while also chasing down some of the new “Van Goghs” that come to our market. He exhibited for the first time at the Tucson Mineral Show, the largest mineral show in the world, in Feb. 2015, and won the top prize for a mineral collection on exhibit at the show. The role of the Internet has been pivotal in educating savvy tangible investment collectors. Market giant Heritage Auctions noticed this asset class and added it as an art class to the auction world. In only 20 years, my rather opaque hobby has turned into a worldwide sport and an emergent asset class. For more information about mineral collecting, visit www.irocks.com.

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

T H E

R A I N B O W

O F

AFRICA GEM

C O L L E C T I O N

BY MARY FONG/WALKER & JIM WALKER, DIRECTORS OF HERITAGE AUCTIONS NATURE & SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

urator of the Rainbow of Africa Museum, located in the English countryside outside London, contacted us at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, to ask if we would consider bringing their museum collection to auction. Given the distance, we had to pencil it into the schedule. After a flight across ‘the pond,’ a train ride out from London, and a short cab ride later, we found ourselves standing in front of a very nice home in the suburbs. We thought, ‘there’s a museum here? Are we at the right address?’ We were greeted at the door by a smiling gentleman and his equally congenial wife: Warren and Di Taylor. After the usual introductions and pleasantries, we were still wondering where the museum was.

A SURPRISE OF A LIFETIME 7

The answer came when we were escorted through the house and then down the stairs. As we wound our way down the staircase, an African theme emerged through prints and paintings on the wall. We were being transported from England to another continent: Africa. We found ourselves in a room completely filled with museum display cases. We were very pleasantly surprised! It was like entering another world – one full of spectacular gems of every size and color imaginable. It was both mind-boggling and quite beyond our expectations. 99 times out of a hundred, when we are told someone has something spectacular they would like Heritage to auction, we find ourselves disap-

1) Bicolor Tourmaline; 2) Indicolite Tourmaline; 3) Paraiba Tourmaline; 4) Tsavorite Garnet; 5) Cerussite; 6) Mandarin Garnet; 7) Pink Spinel; 8) Scapolite; 9) Tsavorite Garnet;

10) Morganite; 11) Cuprite 94

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Fall 2015

pointed and faced with the delicate task of informing the person that, although their prized treasures are very nice, they are not something suitable for auction. This was that other elusive 1 percent: the ‘Holy Grail’ for which every auction company searches. Who would have thought we’d find it in an unassuming home in the English countryside? The astonishing thing was that these gemstones were some of the finest the world has ever seen! We were not talking good, or merely excellent, we were staring at some of the finest examples of gems ever to come out of Africa! Period. No debate – we knew it as soon as we looked into the first two cases and beheld a huge 360+ carat Morganite of luscious pink, an incredible blood red Cuprite that was almost 300 carats, an unsurpassed Cerussite (looking like a giant Diamond) at 430+ carats, and the crowning glory: an unbelievably large, bright green Tsavorite Garnet weighing 65.72 carats (about the size of a quail’s egg). And those were only some of the impressive gemstones in the first case – there were many more cases containing:

through the cases that represented either a type of gem or a region.

RAINBOW OF AFRICA COMES TO AUCTION IN OCTOBER

THE COLLECTION STORY

Heritage Auctions is proud to be bringing this collection to auction. The Taylor family just wants every gem to find a good home – passing it on to the next ‘caretakers’ who will appreciate these treasures as much as they have enjoyed bringing them together. The auction will be held in New York City on October 15. All of the gems and minerals will be there on display – re-creating the Rainbow of Africa Museum one last time before the collection is scattered to the Four Corners of the World.

How was this astonishing collection amassed? Well, it turns out this museum represented over 50 years of collecting, and three generations of the Taylor family. Warren had grown up in South Africa and had been fascinated by gems and minerals for most of his life. It was his father, Morton Taylor, who introduced him to the hobby. Morton had become fascinated by the wonderful crystals and rocks that surrounded him, and the two would spend days wandering around in the ‘bush’ going treasure hunting. Later, Warren had the opportunity to take some geology courses while at university, and when he had to do his internship, he got the chance to work in the famed Tsumeb mine in Namibia. He was hooked! He spent most of his wages buying specimens, and so it began.

Collection Curator Warren Taylor

Later on, Warren narrowed his focus to acquiring superior examples of the gem crystals of Africa, taking the rough he accumulated and having it cut by master lapidary

THE STAR OF THE AUCTION WILL BE THE MAGNIFICENT 65.72 CARAT

TSAVORITE, EXPECTED TO BRING AT LEAST $1 MILLION. #9 AT RIGHT Paraiba Tourmalines, Mandarin Garnets, Aquamarines, Tanzanites, and exotic, one-ofa-kind collector stones. The color and variety were incredible, the quality and size were world-class, and the gems were all well cut, brightly polished, and well proportioned. We went from case to case with our jaws on the floor, excitedly pointing out one spectacular gem after another. All in all, well over 350 gemstones were on exhibit! And there was more – a fine selection of African mineral specimens and meteorites were interwoven with the display to round out the story of the Taylor family’s discoveries. This was a comprehensive museum, documenting the gem world of Africa: from Morocco at the northern end, to South Africa at the other, and all parts in between. Each display told a story. You could spend hours (and we did) just going

artists into the wide array of gemstones now found in the Rainbow of Africa collection. What we were looking at was the distillation of those decades of experiences, filling the cases of this marvelous museum. Warren, and later his son Ian, have spent the last 25 years focusing all of their efforts on displaying those gemstones of Africa – building what is arguably the world’s finest African gem collection. “It’s a snapshot in time,” Warren said. “And that snapshot won’t be repeated again. Somebody else will take another snapshot, but this is a snapshot of the early times when the gem discoveries of Africa, excluding diamonds, really got going.” He set out to create a world-class collection of African gems, reflecting all colors of the rainbow, and quietly, patiently, he achieved his goal.

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

Photographer: Chiaroscuro Fotografia Wardrobe Stylist: Lina O'connor MUA: Desiree Sutter Hair: Priscilla Minney

Hilfiger THE NEXT GENERATION OF

New Miami Beach resident, Jaimie Hilfiger, dishes on what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really like to be a young entrepreneur and the niece of legendary designer Tommy Hilfiger. BY KARA FRANKER

South Florida OPULENCE

Fall 2015

Photographer: Rochalle Stewart Photography Makeup/Hair: Leeza Zain Garvin

orn into a family of accomplished entrepreneurs, most notable of which is her uncle, fashion mogul Tommy Hilfiger, Jaimie Hilfiger is blazing her own path to success. “Hard work runs in my family,” said Jaimie, who at the age of 25, launched the first phase of her own skincare line in partnership with La Curcio.

to compare Jaimie’s career trajectory to those of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, Jaimie insists that her path is unique.

MEET JAIMIE

Born to ambitious parents who taught her the value of hard work, Jaimie admits she experienced a privileged childhood growing up in New York. “Family is very important to me and my mom and dad have sacrificed so much in their lives,” said Jaimie, an only child whose father is one of “MY PARENTS TAUGHT ME Tommy’s eight siblings and owns his own THAT I COULD ACHIEVE ANY- construction company. “My parents taught me that I could achieve anything I wanted THING I WANTED TO, SO to, so I graduated from high school when I I GRADUATED FROM HIGH was 17 and college when I was 20.”

When Tommy was 25 years old, he had just suffered a major setback. Due to a devastating flood and a downturn in the economy, he had to close his first store, The People’s Place in Elmira, New York. Tommy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy As a teenager, Jaimie left her parent’s house in 1977. Against all odds, he then turned SCHOOL WHEN I WAS 17 AND in the Northeast to attend the University his namesake label into an iconic Ameriof Central Florida in Orlando. Though she COLLEGE WHEN I WAS 20.” can apparel brand and years later, in 2010, didn’t know a single soul, Jaimie hoped that sold his company for a whopping $3 bil– JAIMIE HILFIGER the Sunshine State would provide her with lion. One of his newest projects includes more temperate weather and a chance to mix and mingle with a renovating the historic Raleigh Hotel on South Beach. different crowd than back home. While her sorority sisters at Alpha His niece, Jaimie, is now 25 years old, a new Miami Beach resident and Delta Pi were working toward becoming nurses, lawyers and teachengaged to celebrity jeweler Igal Dahan. While her story is strikingly ers, Jaimie had her sights on stardom. “I modeled throughout coldifferent than that of her uncle’s, Jaimie represents the next generation lege and I began saving my money to move to L.A.,” said Jaimie, who of young entrepreneurs. Not only do they want traditional success in began her modeling career when she was 7 years old. the terms of financial gain. They also want fame. While some are quick Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

LIVING A GLAMOROUS LIFE, HILFIGER STYLE

a huge misconception by a lot of people, including my own family.”

In Los Angeles, Jaimie continued to work as a model, landing more than 15 magazine covers. Critics presumed that Jaimie’s successes came from a boost from her highly-connected uncle and even her own family members assumed that Tommy pulled in a few favors. One of her cousins heard a rumor that Tommy hired Jaimie’s publicist and that’s why she had landed gigs with E! and The Huffington Post. But according to Jaimie, those rumors were false. “Tommy has always supported me and loved me as his niece, but we’ve never mixed our relationship together with our businesses,” said Jaimie, who hired her own Beverly Hills Publicist Lee Runchey in 2010. “It’s actually

Jaimie is quick to point out that her uncle would help her with her career if she asked him to and that he did offer her a college internship at his company. But Jaimie wants to build her own empire and she’s willing to put the work in without calling her uncle for help. “And I’ve never asked him because I think that would be tacky,” she added. Being perceived as “tacky” is simply not in Jaimie’s DNA, but developing an extraordinary personal fashion sense does run in the family. Jaimie’s closet is full of Christian Louboutin shoes, Chanel purses (she’s particularly fond of her CC Signature 2.55 in creme with gold hardware, but she has all the colors) and an impressive jewelry collection with handmade pieces from her fiancé’s line, i.d x-change Cuffs of Love. What’s next for the model-turned-entrepreneur? She’s planning her wedding, working on a cosmetics line and getting acquainted with her new neighborhood: Miami Beach. As far as career goals go, she’s stepping out from under her uncle’s shadow and charting her own course in the beauty industry. www.JaimieHilfiger.com

Photographer: Chiaroscuro Fotografia Wardrobe Stylist: Lina O'connor MUA: Desiree Sutter Hair: Priscilla Minney 98

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Fall 2015

LAUNCH OF LA CURCIO COLLECTION The first phase of The Jaimie Hilfiger Collection By La Curcio includes a hydrating mist ($65), lip balm ($37) and hand cream ($23). The second phase, targeted to debut this winter, will include a face and eye makeup remover, a detoxifying mask, and a calming serum. The entire La Curcio Skincare line, ranging from youth extending day creams to dramatic performance serums, features products that are multifunctional, paraben and gluten free with no artificial fragrances or dyes. Additionally all products are made in the USA in luxury containers that are all recyclable. In the spring of 2016, Jaimie plans to launch an entire cosmetic line featuring her signature lip color: hot pink. In the meantime, she is the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spokesperson and recommends the products for women of all ages and anyone who desires timeless, younger looking skin. www.LaCurcio.com

Photographer: Rochalle Stewart Photography Makeup/Hair: Leeza Zain Garvin

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

FOR HER & HIM FOR HER

ULYSSE NARDIN EXECUTIVE DUAL TIME LADY

ALAIA PARIS

Dual Time system with its patented instant time zone adjustment. Self-winding movement with time zone quick setting and permanent "home time" display. White mother of pearl dial and 18 ct rose gold case set with diamonds. Price $32,800. Available at Ulysse Nardin Boutique, Aventura Mall - 305-830-1786 boutique.aventura@ulyssenardin.com

Renowned Parisian couturier Azzedine Alaia debuts his first fragrance for women: Alaia Paris, which is defined by its freshness. "It is not a parfum, but an eau de parfum." $150. Only at Saks Fifth Avenue. 3.3 fl. oz spray.

LISA BOOTS The Lisa boot is a classy PVC injected, tall rainboot, using a high-quality, eco-friendly compound. Navy, Black or Gray. $189. Available at Lupa Shoes in Miami.

FOR HIM SWIMS LACEFRONT LOAFER A classic boating loafer made in SWIMS signature rubber. $159. Available at Nordstrom.

FOR BOTH CLINIQUE SMART CUSTOM-REPAIR EYE TREATMENT Visibly brightens, lifts, smooths fine lines and hydrates skin around the eye area. Available at Saks Fifth Avenue. $49

WILD CARROT SERUM Wild carrot seed oil from France helps restore a youthful, vital glow.Â www.odacite. com. $55

CREED ROYAL MAYFAIR A vaulted scent that honors the Duke of Windsor. Saks Fifth Avenue. 17oz, 500ml $935

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Fall 2015

The Practicality of Luxury Let the Saks Fifth Avenue Club Come to You

BY LEAH JAYASANKER

f you think luxury cannot meet convenience, think again. Saks Fifth Avenue’s latest service, the Personal Shopping Experience (PSE), exclusive to Bal Harbour, Beverly Hills and New York City, redefines customized, at-your-doorstep shopping with all-things luxurious. Deborah Slack, Vice President and General Manager of Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store in Bal Harbour, explains how the PSE elevates shopping to a cutting-edge practice. “We bring the store to you. Really, there is a void in the market; no other retailer is doing this type of service; the Personal Shopping Experience is innovative and customized, catering to client requests.”

TAILOR-MADE SHOPPING AT YOUR DOORSTEP The Personal Shopping Experience is an extension of Saks Fifth Avenue Club's inhouse team of consultants who deliver a more tailor-made service. "Our clients include those who are time-starved or who want more privacy, such as a celebrity. Or it may be a guest visiting a luxury local hotel, or someone who wants

to get her girlfriends together for a party," said Slack. Saks will match customers based on a profile questionnaire that identifies likes and dislikes, from favorite colors, to specific designers; and based on their answers, one of five dedicated consultants assemble a personalized look. Slack said, “We have consultants who speak Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Russian — within our store, we speak 21 languages. We match up a client so she or he feels comfortable; a client might want a consultant whose style is conservative or another client prefers an edgy consultant who pushes the envelope on fashion.” The PSE is outfitted within a Mercedes Sprinter Van that is custom fitted with a safe for jewelry, hanging bars, shoe racks, an alterations setup, collapsible rolling racks, and room for eight people. “We take the store to you,” Slack said. Currently the PSE caters to shoppers throughout South Florida. To schedule a Personal Shopping Experience, call 305.744.1580.

Fall 2015

South Florida OPULENCE

101

IMPECCABLE POISE SCULPTED BY SPEED Designed to face the demands of the real world, the V8 Vantage takes the road in its stride COMPILED BY ROBIN JAY

The story of Aston Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rise from a two-man operation working from a small London workshop to a globally respected marque has been long, colorful and often dramatic. A rich and prestigious heritage defines Aston Martin as something truly unique within automotive history.Â

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F If 007 were to have his Aston Martin of choice today, he’d certainly consider the V8 Vantage an A-list automobile.

ounded in 1913 by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin as ‘Bamford & Martin Ltd’, the company has developed into an iconic brand synonymous with luxury and elegance. 1914 saw the birth of the name ‘Aston Martin’ following one of Lionel Martin’s successful runs at the Aston Hill Climb in Buckinghamshire, England. Within a year, the first Aston Martin had been built and registered with the name, and an icon of the automotive world was born.

JAMES BOND’S ICONIC RIDE OF CHOICE Since its launch at the turn of the century, thrilling fans at the racetrack, Aston Martin is also extremely proud of its long-term silver-screen relationship with James Bond. The association began in 1964 with the film “Goldfinger” featuring the iconic DB5 and has continued to present day, with the marque’s 11 Bond film appearances.

MODELS: FROM VINTAGE TO VANTAGE And if 007 were to have his Aston Martin of choice today, he’d certainly consider the V8 Vantage an A-list automobile. Widely acknowledged to be one of the all-time great pieces of car design, the Vantage has effortless presence and an exceptionally clean, sculptural form. “The Vantage is a modern sports car with classic ideals. Potent, charismatic and blessed with inimitable style and exceptional athleticism, the revitalized Vantage range is the fastest and fittest ever,” said Dr. Andy Palmer, Aston Martin CEO. “Whether you’re drawn to the poise and purity of the V8 or the unprecedented pace of the new V12 S, you’re assured an electrifying driving experience and a car that captures the true essence of Aston Martin.”

An inimitable design packed with innovative engineering and plentiful performance, the V8 Vantage is endowed with truly great sporting dynamics yet offers excellent everyday usability. Award-winning looks, standard-setting dynamics and pulse quickening desirability make the V8 Vantage an excellent choice. With a muscular and musical V8 engine, all aluminium construction and a high level of hand-craftsmanship, it has the same inherent quality and integrity as all Aston Martin cars. And with a choice of Coupe and Roadster body styles, manual or automated paddle-shift transmissions and virtually limitless scope for personalization there’s a version to perfectly suit your individual taste and driving style. Lithe and low, with minimal overhangs and a foursquare stance, it looks resolutely planted to the road, while the skintight tailoring emphasizes its athletic physique. All Vantage models feature aerodynamic refinements from the Vantage GT4 race program. These include a deeper and more aggressive front splitter, more prominent side sills, a rear diffuser and a tailgate featuring a more pronounced upswept ‘flip’ to reduce lift and increase high-speed stability. “Vantage GT is also closer than you think, with MSRPs starting from $99,900,” said Ken Gorin, President and CEO of The Collection, South Florida’s premiere luxury automotive dealership housing the globe’s most celebrated automotive brands. THE COLLECTION Aston Martin is located at 200 Bird Road, Coral Gables. To schedule a test drive, call 305-444-555 or visit www. thecollection.com.

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BACK IN THE SADDLE A reawakening of the passion for riding and its uncanny similarities to fine business practices BY TODD R. SCIORE

hile only a small subset of outliers are able to turn their favorite hobby into a prosperous, full time career, many of us know that despite our passion for a particular pastime, it is often forced to take a backseat to educational, familial and professional obligations. In other words, life gets in the way. However, if fortune smiles upon us, we sometimes get a second chance to revisit our youthful ambitions – only this time with a larger budget. Such is the case with Broward County, Florida resident Susan McGregor. Susan is the current President of Fort Lauderdale based RoboVault (a stateof-the-art Museum-Quality Storage and Services Vault owned by BBX Capital), and she generously shares with South Florida Opulence her love of dressage horseback riding, its confluence with corporate leadership skills, and one (perhaps the only) early life negotiation ‘failure.’ “I rode horses as a child; I was one of those young girls who was just head over heels horse crazy. I had a huge poster of all of the Kentucky Derby winners over my bed…and I was always trying to convince my parents to get me a horse. I used to try to convince my father that he wouldn’t have to cut the grass!” It was logical situational assessments like this that predestined Susan to pursue degrees in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and achieve success as a high-level human resources executive with Florida-based Bank Atlantic before moving into the corner office herself. “I took lessons, I rode as a kid and I would go out with my friends and ride in college, but you go on to grad school and kind of put all of that away. I got married, I had a son and I was focused on my family and career.” While Susan’s story to this point sounds like it could belong to any number of career-minded individuals, in her case, opportunity knocked one more time and, fortunately, she was home to answer the door. “About seven years ago, I started riding again, and this time I bought a horse. I started riding dressage and I had never taken dressage lessons before.” While she has a genuine appreciation for the horsepower of the exotic sports cars under her safekeeping watch at RoboVault, experience in the dressage ring has taught her that there is more to life than a need for speed. “When you’re younger, it’s the thrill of riding, and when you’re older, you realize that thrill can end up in broken bones.”

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“I RODE HORSES AS A CHILD; I WAS ONE OF THOSE YOUNG GIRLS WHO WAS JUST HEAD OVER HEELS HORSE CRAZY.”

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Susan McGregor with her horse Tsundance Kid

Dressage, a French word for “training,” is, as Susan advises, a good way to learn the fundamentals of riding – the correct posture and communication techniques. “Dressage is very disciplined; you have to be very precise…it’s been referred to as ballet with your horse. The cues are very subtle, you’re almost dancing with your partner, but your partner can weigh one thousand pounds.”

HORSE SENSE The legendary comic W.C. Fields once quipped that horse sense “is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.”However, there is more to it than that. It’s that instinctive ability to take the lead and safely navigate the pitfalls in front of you. Inspiration to continue leading effectively sometimes comes from unconventional sources, and despite partaking in various leadership seminars during her career, some of the most effective lessons are those Susan learned while training with her beloved, fullblooded Arabian gelding Tsundance Kid at Galloways Farm in Parkland, Florida.

Susan McGregor, President and General Manager of RoboVault Museum Quality Services, with the "other horsepower" in her life. (RoboVault offers white-glove, state-of-the-art safe storage of exotic cars.)

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(L-R): Ellie Scofield, Proprietor of Galloways Farm in Parkland, with Susan McGregor and Tsundance Kid

ANOTHER KIND OF HORSEPOWER IN BUSINESS Communication Breakdown, a rock standard from the Led Zeppelin catalog, may be a great song for hitting the open road; however, in practice it can be a death knell to your organization. “Dressage is a wonderful sport and the horse will respond to your communication or lack of it. Horses are herd animals and one of you has to be the leader. If the horse is not confident in you as the leader, it will be the leader, and I think it’s the same at work, as well.” Susan also sagely advises that “you have to remember that you’re only a leader if someone is willing to follow you, and if you get too far out in front, you’re not a leader, you’re alone.” The pages of South Florida Opulence are often filled with features on individuals pursuing their passions, sometimes after a long hiatus. Whether it be reforming the band, dusting off the easel and palette, or climbing back in the saddle, give it a whirl. Who knows, you just might learn something. Oh, and in case you’re wondering about Susan’s one early ‘failure’ mentioned earlier? It’s that despite her efforts, Dad didn’t fall for the “If you buy me a horse, we won’t need a lawnmower” routine. But Susan says this early “failure” taught her one of the most important lessons of her life, “Success might not come on the first try; but never ever give up on your dream.”

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Carolina and Pedro Martinez in their home at Murano Portofino, Miami Beach

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PEDRO MARTINEZ M Red Sox Hero, Hall of Fame Pitcher, Miami Resident BY STEVEN JOSEPH

y earliest sports memory is being 6 years old and watching my father cry after his beloved Boston Red Sox lost their post-season series to the Oakland Athletics for the right to play in the World Series in 1990. I was too young to understand the defeat was just one of many devastating “almost but not quites” in the Red Sox history. But what neither of us knew then was that Pedro Martinez, a cornerstone of the 2004 Red Sox incarnation that would end the franchise’s 86-year championship drought, was most-likely laughing.

Pedro was 19 at the time, a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system playing In Montana, just a short time away from being called up to Bakersfield’s minor league outfit. From there he went to the majors as a reliever for Los Angeles, then a Cy Young (baseball’s highest honor for a pitcher) winner as a starter for the Montreal Expos, before being traded to the Red Sox in 1998. In his six years in Boston, he’d win two more Cy Young’s and help bring Boston its first World Series title since 1918. Martinez then landed in New York, as a Met, where his career wound down before he finished his Hall of Fame career with the Phillies. Pedro was one of Major League Baseball’s most entertaining players, on the field and in the locker room.

THE MAN BEHIND THE GLOVE Already one of baseball’s hottest commodities, Martinez arrived in Boston with a reputation as big as his heart, described by one of his pitching mentors as “that of a lion.” Martinez’s success was surprising to some because he was undersized and unheralded as a scrawny teenager from the Dominican Republic, consistently fighting to prove doubters wrong and outgrow the shadow of his brother, Ramón. Martinez was known positively for his tenacity and accuracy, and negatively for several well-publicized inside pitches, and their resultant scrums and fall-

out. But in Boston, he also met and married a volleyball player at Boston College. Pedro and Carolina Martinez are a fairly private couple.

“We’re really very simple,” Carolina told South

Florida Opulence, and Pedro added, “A day spent fishing, sleeping, and eating was a

good day, and I've had a lot of good days.” They bought a home in Miami as an oasis

Already one of baseball’s hottest commodities at the time of his trade to Boston, Martinez arrived in Boston with a reputation as big as his heart, a heart described by one of his pitching mentors as “that of a lion.” from harsh winters and harsher Boston media scrutiny. “It’s the closest, weather-wise, to the Dominican Republic. In Boston it would be 2 p.m. and I’d already be getting sleepy, it gets dark so early,” Pedro said. Miami serves the dual purpose of being a short flight to the Dominican Republic. “We’re different in some ways, but we’re similar in matters of the heart. What we care for, how we want to treat children, and we both love the Dominican Republic,” said Carolina.

A SOFTIE FOR FAUNA Now that Pedro is retired, life has slowed down. “It used to be a spectacle. It was a circus every five days when he’d pitch.” Carolina described his pre-game ritual, “I was amazed by his focus.

I’d be ready to go to the park and he’d be out back trimming his flowers.” Wait. Trimming his flowers? A man with the heart of a lion and once nicknamed “Señor Plunk” for hitting batters with a baseball loves flowers? “He was raised in nature, from the mango trees to his mother’s garden,” Carolina said. Pedro’s love of flowers runs so deep that there are flowers hidden in his painting in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

GIVING BACK With his recent induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and the publication of his autobiography, Pedro, there is a noticeable uptick in media attention, “but this time, it’s very different. It’s different when they’re not trying to get you at every turn,” said Pedro. But even the positive attention can be overwhelming at times. “His comfort zone is loneliness and the sea,” said Carolina. Indeed, Pedro spends the majority of his time fishing on his custommade Contender, named “Kissing Bandit.” Pedro and Carolina also devote much of their time to the Pedro Martinez and Brothers Foundation. The main program is called “Hay Poder en Aprender (There Is Power in Learning)” and benefits disadvantaged kids in the Dominican Republic and the U.S. “I knew the work would be very good for him,” said Carolina. “I always knew he’d make an excellent mentor. He’s such a great teacher. And the kids love him.” Pedro strives to instill a positive message in everything he does, telling the kids, “Everything I do now, you need to do in the future, when you become me. As for me, as I move into Middle Age, I want to open the window on Pedro the human being.” Note: Steven Joseph, the article’s author, has donated the proceeds from this article to the Pedro Martinez and Brothers Foundation. For more information or to donate, visit: haypoderenaprender.org

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IT’S ALL ABOUT

THE THRILL

BY ROBIN JAY

or Austria-born marketing guru Dietrich Mateschitz, the epiphany of a lifetime came during a business trip to Thailand on a mission – of all things – to sell Blendax toothpaste for Procter & Gamble. There, he became infatuated with a high-sugar, high-caffeine drink called ‘Krating Daeng’ (which means Red Bull) that mostly truck drivers and other intensive-labor-driven workers bought for stamina.

Some colleagues thought Mateschitz was nuts when he suggested launching a similar energy drink in Europe and the United States. But the shy executive stuck to his guns, connected with the founder of Krating Daeng, and in 1987 co-launched Red Bull. Today, 27 years later, it is the highest-selling energy drink on the globe, selling more than 5 billion cans in 167 countries in 2014. Why the super success? Because Mateschitz knew it was never just about a sports drink in a can – it was about an adrenaline-driven lifestyle brand. His company’s slogan, “Red Bull gives you wings,” is marketed ingeniously through a campaign of worldwide thrill events – like cliff diving; air racing; ice climbing; mountain scaling; sky diving, and racing about anything on wheels (just to name a few). Mateschitz has told reporters, “Red Bull is an invitation, as well as a request, to be active, performance-oriented, alert and to take challenges. When you work or study, do your very best. When you do sports, go for your limits.” Get a load of some of the Red Bull’s best thrill-sport action scenes performed by some seriously rugged athletes joyously juiced up on Red Bull in the last year…

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Fernanda Maciel trains in Lapinha da Serra, Brazil on February 19, 2015 PHOTO: Marcelo Maragni MAIN PHOTO: PICTURED FERNANDA MACIEL 2015

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Alex Megos climbs ‘Beekeepers Apprentice’ at the Buttermilk Boulders near Bishop, CA, USA on November 18, 2014. PHOTO: Ken Etzel

March 23, 2015. Leg 5 to Itajai onboard Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. Day 05. Phil Harmer finds space to brush his teeth away from the saltwater. PHOTO: Matt Knighton

Marco Waltenspiel, Marco Fuerst and Georg Lettner fly their wingsuits in tight

TJ Rogers poses for a portrait

formation above the crater

at Red Bull’s Last Resort just

of Mt. Bromo in Indonesia

outside of Halifax, Canada on

on March 2, 2015.

September 19, 2014.

PHOTO:

PHOTO: Scott Serfas

Wolfgang Lienbacher

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World-Class Healthcare at Baptist Health International

Mario A. Mendez, MD

BY STEPHEN J. KEELER

Sir Isaac Newton is known to have said, “If I have seen a little further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” His implication was that by continuing the good work of our predecessors, we become giants for our children’s generations. According to Mario A. Mendez, MD, the Corporate Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Baptist Health International, it is in this spirit that Baptist Health South Florida continues the legacy of a world-class, leading, nonprofit health system dedicated to the communities it serves, for more than 60 years.

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aptist Health South Florida includes almost 16,000 employees, with over 2,300 physicians serving in seven hospitals and nearly 30 urgent care and medical plazas throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties for non-emergent and emergent care. Given Miami’s position as a gateway between North America and the Caribbean and Central and South America, Baptist Health's mission now encompasses serving patients from around the world, with a particular focus on the extended community of the eastern Americas.

CARE WITH A GLOBAL APPEAL “Miami, being situated where it is, has enjoyed continuous patient traffic for services that are unavailable or unreliable in the Caribbean, Central and South America,” Dr. Mendez explained. “To serve these patients, we developed over 20 years ago an infrastructure that is now the largest hospital-based international program in the United States. We have a multilingual staff that operates 24/7 every day of the year, managing more than 5,000 calls monthly from the international market, and treat over 10,000 patients every year from some 90 different countries.” The quality of care is identical to that provided to U.S. citizens, he noted. “All of our Centers of Excellence are included in the program, including cardiovascular, neurology, oncology, and orthopedics – the same level of service and care we provide through sports partnerships with teams like the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Heat, for example. “Across the system, the amount of robotic surgery is considerable in gynecology, oncology, gastrointestinal and urologic surgery,” according to Dr. Mendez. “In many places, a robotic prostatectomy is unavailable; we perform them regularly, so that procedure is available to everyone who needs it.”

A WIN-WIN The types of patients who most take advantage of Baptist Health International are those of singular high acuity, according to Dr. Mendez. “We perform sophisti-

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cated types of procedures that aren’t offered in our patients’ home countries. We don’t want to cannibalize business that can be handled safely and appropriately in-country; rather, Baptist Health is here to be an extension of their local facilities if treatments or procedures are not available.” To serve as that extension, Baptist International has endeavored to create strategic partnerships with hospitals and health systems throughout the Americas. Everything has an academic platform, such as monthly video conferences with Baptist Health’s luminary physicians, which are transmitted to various medical schools. The programs are in English with simultaneous translations and interactive capacity to interact with the speakers. Up-and-coming lecture series of the Miami Cancer Institute will discuss the most cuttingedge modalities of treating cancer, including proton therapy, all of which enhance the brand presence and value of the partnerships Baptist Health has across the Americas.

BLAZING THE TRAIL IN CUTTING-EDGE HEALTHCARE Year in and year out, Baptist Health ranks among the highest-rated clinically integrated delivery networks in the country and the world. And the domestic market is not ignored. Baptist Health offers a robust second-opinion service for any U.S. resident considering going to another country for any type of treatment, promising a 72-hour turnaround from leading physicians (96-hour for oncology). “Our biggest differentiator for U.S. patients is the same for our overseas patients,” Dr. Mendez told South Florida Opulence. “It’s our renowned high-touch service. We hold the patient’s hand from beginning to end; our conciergelevel service is world-renowned as we hold the hands of family and friends, and provide regular communications with the patients’ physicians.”

And all this in your own backyard of South Florida.

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BILLIONAIRE INVESTOR WILBUR ROSS

A MAN IN THE KNOW W BY AVA ROOSEVELT

ilbur Ross has been a part of the global financial landscape for decades and has successfully navigated a fragile balance between risk and reward. He is best known for leveraged buyouts and restructuring failed companies in industries such as steel, coal, telecommunications, foreign investments, shipping and textiles. Wilbur’s voice of reason is no stranger to those enjoying pre-trading hours on CNBC. Unlike many other guests, his resounding wisdom provokes calm even in the most turbulent stock market zigzags of missed opportunities, burst bubbles and colossal windfalls.

I sat down with Wilbur to discuss his views on finance and business.

Wilbur Ross

Ava: I understand you aspired to be a writer, yet you left Yale’s Daily Themes course, not Yale, for a summer job on Wall Street and ended up with an MBA from Harvard. Rather than playing with words, you decided to play with money and became a bankruptcy advisor. Wilbur: Yes, I advised the creditors of Drexel Burnham in the bankruptcy. Our other big cases included Texaco, TWA, Public Service of New Hampshire, Bank of New England, AH Robins and Mesa

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Petroleum. I was Executive Managing Director of Rothschild before buying the private equity business from them on April Fools’ Day, 2000. We actively turn businesses around in order to create equity values. Most investors buy stocks and passively hope they will go up. That excites me! Ava: You are considered to be one of the wealthiest individuals in the world. Please tell us what this kind of wealth means to you? Wilbur: Wealth lets me help others. I donated the Norman Foster designed Ross Library at Yale’s School of Management’s new campus. Money also lets me collect art and share it with the public by lending paintings to exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art, MOMA, Chicago Art Institute, The Tate, National Art Center in Tokyo, Forbidden Palace Museum in Beijing, The Vatican Museum, the Albertina in Vienna, The Brooklyn Museum and Arts in Naples, Florida. If these works were just in a vault in Switzerland, the public would never be able to enjoy them. Ava: Which investment gave you the most joy or the biggest headache? Wilbur: Bank United in Miami Lakes was the happiest because it never had one missed step between when we bought it from the FDIC until its IPO 18 months later, the largest bank IPO ever and a triple for our funds. Greece is our biggest headache for obvious reasons. Ava: What is your view on the record high prices of U.S. stocks and world markets? Wilbur: We obviously are closer to the market peak than the bottom. No one can call the exact top or bottom, but in the last 12 months, we sold five times what we bought.

and art. I am still overweight in securities because of my business. Ava: Are the high real estate prices here to stay? Wilbur: Easy money boosts values of existing properties, but eventually leads to over building, except in places like Palm Beach where there is little vacant land and zoning is very strict. Ava: The persistent low price of oil surprised even the most seasoned investors. Where is it going and why? Wilbur: Technological innovation caused the shale boom, much of which is OK at $60 plus, so oil is not likely to go much over $70 because more wells would come on then. Also, OPEC keeps increasing production to punish Iran and Russia. Ava: China holds $1.2 trillion of U.S. debt. Its currency, yuan, is pegged to the dollar. What is your view on the present and future value of the dollar?

“TO MAKE HEALTHCARE UNIVERSALLY AVAILABLE AT REASONABLE COST, YOU NEED TO CAP MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, APPROVE NEW

Ava: Would the highly anticipated correction of the market be healthy in the long run and why?

DRUGS FASTER AND

Wilbur: Low rates equal no return on shortterm debt and everyone knows rates will rise, hurting long-term bonds, so the only things people are buying are stocks and Picassos. Greed has dominated markets, but fear will reappear from time to time.

ELIMINATE NON-CRIT-

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AT LOWER COST, ICAL FEATURES AND PERMIT HOME CARE FOR THE AGED.”

Wilbur: FRB [Federal Reserve Bank] will raise rates no later than September, keeping the dollar strong. Ava: What do you think of the rise of China? Do you see this as a threat to U.S. hegemony? Wilbur: Geopolitical power derives from economic and military strength, provided leaders have the will to exercise it. The Obama lack of will has caused disruption throughout the world. Geopolitical power ultimately derives from economic power but is only effective if the President has the political willpower to exercise it. Ava: What if China makes the yuan a goldbacked currency? Wilbur: China will not adopt a gold “standard.” Doing so would slow its economic growth by constraining monetary supply. Ava: What is your view on Obamacare and its staggering costs? Wilbur: Obamacare was based on wrong assumptions and poorly executed. To make healthcare universally available at reasonable cost, you need to cap medical malpractice, approve new drugs faster and at lower cost, eliminate non-critical features and permit home care for the aged. Ava: What was the biggest risk you ever took? Did it pay off? Wilbur: Biggest risk was buying the private equity business and becoming an entrepreneur at age 63. It has been great! Ava: The residents of Palm Beach are thrilled that you were appointed to the Underground Utilities Task Force. Is ten years a realistic time frame to bury most of the power lines on the island? Do you foresee any problems and how will you assure this ambitious project will be accomplished in our lifetimes? Wilbur: Palm Beach's undergrounding is long overdue. Everglades Island, Hobe Sound and Jupiter had successful, smaller projects. People shouldn't worry. The process is not very intrusive and any damage to landscaping will be restored. Then, the more sections being undergrounded at the same time the faster the work will be done, but more sections mean more near term disruption so there is a trade-off.

Stephen Hawking: My Computer Is My Voice

rilliant theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking explains how his computer gave him a voice when ALS took his own. In 1963, Stephen Hawking contracted motor neurone disease (ALS) and was given two years to live. Yet he went on to Cambridge to become a brilliant researcher. From 1979 to 2009, he held the post of Lucasian Professor at Cambridge, the chair held by Isaac Newton in 1663. Professor Hawking has over a dozen honorary degrees and was awarded the CBE in 1982 by the Queen of England. He is a fellow of the Royal Society and a Member of the US National Academy of Science. Stephen Hawking is regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Einstein. In 2014, the blockbuster movie “The Theory of Everything,” starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, took a look at the relationship between the famous physicist and his wife. Today, at age 73, Hawking’s brilliance is unwavering – quite a remarkable victory over the condition so deadly for

[

screen. A cursor automatically scans across this keyboard by row or by column. I can select a character by moving my cheek to stop the cursor. My cheek movement is detected by an infrared switch that is mounted on my spectacles. This switch is my only interface with the computer. EZ Keys includes a word prediction algorithm, so I usually only have to type the first couple of characters before I can select the whole word. When I have built up a sentence, I can send it to my speech synthesizer. I use a separate hardware synthesizer, made by Speech+. It is the best I have heard, although it gives me an accent that has been described variously as Scandinavian, American or Scottish. Through EZ Keys, I can also control the mouse in Windows. This allows me to operate my whole computer. I can check my email using the Eudora email client, surf the Internet using Firefox, or write lectures using Notepad. My latest computer from Intel, based on an Intel® Core™ i7 Processor and Intel® Solid-State Drive 520 Series, also contains a webcam which I use with Skype to keep in touch with my friends. I can express a lot through my facial expressions to those who know me well. I can also give lectures. I write the lecture beforehand and save it on disk. I can then send it to the speech synthesizer a sentence at a time using the Equalizer software written by Words Plus. It works quite well and I can try out the lecture and polish it before I give it.

[

The life of Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking and his success despite ALS was portrayed in the movie “The Theory of Everything.”

I keep looking into new assistive technologies, and recently Intel® has sponsored a team of its engineers to design a new facial recognition system aimed at improving my communication speed. They also have some new ideas regarding my software interface and it will be interesting to see the results of this. It looks quite promising. I have also experimented with Brain Controlled Interfaces to communicate with my computer, however, as yet, these don’t work as consistently as my cheek-operated switch.

most. Professor Hawking continues his lectures and communications through a computer device that translates his keystrokes into audible speech…he controls the computer with his cheek movements. He shared details about his computer system that may help others dealing with ALS communicate easier…

STEPHEN HAWKING: Since 1997, my computer-based communication system has been sponsored and provided by Intel® Corporation. A tablet computer mounted on the arm of my wheelchair is powered by my wheelchair batteries, although the tablet’s internal battery will keep the computer running if necessary. My main interface to the computer is through a program called EZ Keys, written by Words Plus Inc. This provides a software keyboard on the

BOOKS BY STEPHEN HAWKING Professor Hawking has published many books tackling the fundamental questions about the universe and our existence. For information about these and other books, visit Stephen Hawking’s Web site, go to www.hawking.org.uk. Fall 2015

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HIS UNIVERSE AND MY SOLAR SYSTEM Coral Springs’ Jean Cox compares her life with ALS to that of Dr. Stephen Hawking, as portrayed in the recent movie “The Theory of Everything” BY JEAN COX

ecently I watched the movie “The Theory of Everything,” about theoretical physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking’s misfortune of having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. I could relate to his plight more than most because I, too, have ALS. However, being older and more mature when diagnosed at age 50 (Dr. Hawking was just 21), I was fortunate to have enjoyed more years of life without the condition. I was happily married to my husband, Charles, and our children were grown, and we were looking forward to traveling. Life was good. Still, all of us were devastated at first. Now, 18 years later, we have all learned to live with my disease in the best way possible.

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WHAT IS ALS? ALS is a horrible disease and worse, by far, for some. It leaves the mind intact and the body in shambles. Life expectancy for most is two years. Yet, for some that is a blessing; for others it is overwhelming. When viewed in the right light, it can provide an unappreciated benefit: It gives one the time to settle matters with loved ones and friends. Sudden death offers no opportunity to settle matters or say goodbye. When Dr. Hawking was diagnosed, he was a promising young student in the physics department at Oxford University. How devastating that prognosis must have been for him. Not only was he told he had only two years to live, but that his body’s muscles

would waste away quickly. Here was a brilliant young man with high hopes and his whole life in front of him.

DEALING WITH THE DEVASTATING NEWS For me, the onset of my ALS was so odd that it took many doctors and two years to get a final diagnosis. It began in 1997 when my leg muscles began to feel tight. Then in August of 1999, things changed, but subtly. On my walk one morning, I tripped. This was no big deal, I thought. When it began to happen with regularity, I took note, but still dismissed it. That December, while in Virginia visiting relatives, the weatherman predicted a snowstorm for the following day. Not wanting to get caught in it, I made a new reservation and departed for the airport. When I walked onto the tarmac, my leg muscles became so stiff that I was barely able to make it to the plane. I was terrified. Once home, I went to our family doctor who referred me to a neurologist. He was the first of many over the next two years. I was examined, pinched, poked and tested for everything the doctors could imagine. Results always showed negative. With such odd, vague symptoms, doctors were baffled. Instinctively I knew I was dying, and I was truly frightened. I didn’t want to die! I had things to do with my life. But what was wrong? My limitations increased to the point where I needed a walker. Without warning, I suddenly and inexplicably found myself falling to the floor. I would often narrowly miss hitting my head on the corner of a table. Matters had become dangerous. I quickly lost my ability to speak. Except for losing one’s sight, not being able to speak is the worst thing imaginable. Some assumed that because I could not speak, I must be mentally impaired. Imagine the frustration this causes! Once I had to argue down a hospital administrator who thought I didn't know my own name! Thank God I can write notes.

HOPE FOUND! When Stephanie sent me information about glyconutrients and said that they looked promising, I paid attention. I had grown up thinking doctors always knew best, but my doctors’ attitudes about ALS shocked me. It took courage to break out of my traditional, conservative mold and try an alternative treatment, but I knew I must if I were to have any hope of getting better - I had nothing to lose because I was on a slow but steady decline approaching death. The information I read made sense, so in October 2004, I began taking glyconutrients. Almost immediately, I had a very surprising result. To my delight, my hair stopped falling out. New small improvements followed, about 21 in all.

STEPHEN HAWKING Dr. Hawking’s and my own experience have much in common. The main physical differences are in mobility. I can still write and feed myself, although slowly in each case. And each of us has had loving care. Yet, there is one where we have a cardinal difference: in the matter of faith. I feel I am more fortunate than he. His vast knowledge and reasoning of the Cosmos has convinced him that there is no God, and no hope for an afterlife. Thus, he looks forward to a few more measured heartbeats and then an eternal sleep. His belief leaves him without a star of hope.

“In my opinion, the

most important thing

I am college educated with a reasonable amount of intelligence. Compared to Dr. Hawking, however, I am a dwarf. Yet I cannot understand how he concludes that no God exists. Even though he was raised an agnostic, he does have supreme reasoning abilities. I know enough about reason to know that one cannot prove or disprove the existence of God. Yet, I have inferred His existence through miracles in plain sight. Consider a rose. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote through characters FINALLY, AN ANSWER Holmes to Watson in The Naval Treaty, "A rose – Jean Cox In October of 2001, Dr. Jeffery Rothstein of is not an essential for life, such as oxygen and Johns-Hopkins University diagnosed my condition as the dreaded ALS. It was a relief to know, although I was stunned. water; it is an embellishment of life.” Its color, fragrance, velvet touch, I thought things could not get worse, but I soon found out differently. and beauty are all extras, unbidden gifts from the Lord. Only a SuIn February 2004, Charles and I lost our eldest son in a tragic accident. preme Being would give such an extra. Indeed, a rose is as unique Stress from this took a huge toll. Events turned negative again when I as a quasar, and quite as wondrous. I believe Dr. Hawking could developed a urinary tract infection that quickly turned into acute co- learn much from this small wonder. Still, I do not begrudge him his litis and sent me to the hospital. For six weeks, I was at death's door. beliefs. They are his “Natural Rights,” as John Locke and Sir Isaac Twice my doctor asked Charles if he should put me on life support. My Newton reasoned.

is not the hand one has been dealt, but how one chooses to play the cards.”

family even discussed my funeral. It took three months of touch and go in the hospital, but thankfully, I eventually pulled through. I was thrilled to get home. Stephanie, our daughter, had spent countless hours researching alternative health options for me because my doctors had told me to go home and prepare to die. They reiterated there was no cure and even discouraged me from looking for alternative treatments. My primary ALS doctor said, “The disease is progressing and we cannot stop it. I will not let you suffer.” As grave as the situation was, I knew there must be something I could do.

Some may say I have been dealt a bad hand, and from all appearances, I have. Yet, in my opinion, the most important thing is not the hand one has been dealt, but how one chooses to play the cards. People quickly learn a lot about their character when facing death. One makes life choices every day. The choices one chooses make all the difference in quality of life. Yes, I miss my good health and active life. But, if my strong faith serves God’s purpose and inspires others to believe, then I feel very blessed. In closing I say: Bless Him and bless him. Fall 2015

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An Opulent Bond:

Miami Meets Manhattan BY JILL PATTERSON

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iami and New York have a long-standing relationship. One might even say, Miami is New York’s beautiful younger sister. She’s sunny, glamorous, sexy. She likes to party. For decades New Yorkers have traveled to her shores for rejuvenation and revelry. Their ties go way back. It is no wonder that Opulence International Realty has just created a strategic alliance with another real estate firm in the Big Apple. After 18 months at the helm of Opulence International Realty, President and Broker James Hoffman can see that the tide is changing. Buyers from South America, which were responsible for the bulk of transactions in Miami for many years, are beginning to slow with the value of the dollar increasing. New York has historically been a bread and butter feeder market for Miami. Besides her obvious beauty and ease of transit, the tax advantages alone make her very attractive to New Yorkers looking for a foot in paradise. It is interesting to note that buyers for the preconstruction projects in this new phase of development in Miami, especially on Miami Beach, have largely been New Yorkers. As Opulence International Realty expands, Hoffman has felt the need to find an alliance in the big city to leverage all that the firm has to offer. After some research, he and Director of Development Solutions, Jack Paget, found a solid partner who could mirror Opulence’s values and strengths. Enter Bond. Like Opulence International Realty, Bond is a privately held real estate firm. In fact, with seven offices in Manhattan and over 500 agents, Bond is the largest independent firm in New York. Bond was established in the year 2000 by two lifelong friends, Noah Freedman and Bruno Ricciotti. Their motto was “friendship first, business second.” “Business is about relationships and

Opulence International Realty President and Broker James Hoffman

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everything in an organization trickles from the top down. I firmly believe the respect and trust in our relationship [with co-founder, Noah Freedman] is the foundation upon which Bond is built and is the backbone of Bond culture. …Every decision I make is one that tries to take into account the whole picture and whether or not it is sustainable and fruitful in the long term for all parties involved. Success is a team effort and at Bond, we are all a family.” Bond is a full-service brokerage, covering all New York neighborhoods for residential sales and leasing, commercial sales and leasing, new development marketing and corporate relocation. This kind of a diverse market strategy is what has set Bond apart from the competition, but they have

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still retained their hands-on approach. Ricciotti states, “No other company our size is self-managed. They have been created through mergers and acquisitions. The people who built them aren’t there day to day, and you can see that in all the interactions within that firm. Bond is not like that. We don’t ever want to be run like a corporation.” Bond’s inclusive, friendly management style has reaped some huge rewards over a relatively short span of time. Last year, it logged in a 222 percent increase in listing dollar inventory year over year and is counted in the top 12 brokerages in New York. For Opulence International Realty President and Broker James Hoffman, Bond’s flexible, personal approach to business is very like

his own. Hoffman is a real estate veteran of 20 years who has been executing start-ups in the real estate industry for his entire career. He thrives on the creation process. He founded his own company, Steamroller, Inc. that acquired and repositioned its own company assets over an abundant 10-year period. In addition, he has made himself an expert in all areas of the industry, including mortgage brokering, residential appraising, assemblage and development execution. Powerhouse brokerage, Corcoran Group, eventually recruited Hoffman and there he developed his inventive marketing approaches and established protocols for delivering top-of-the-line services to customers in the Palm Beaches. “All of the ventures I was a part of over the years

came down to people and process. I have met some exceptionally talented people in this business. I have learned a lot about the multitude of disciplines in the industry and the passion and expertise that the real pros bring to the table.” Hoffman brought the wealth of his experience to launch Opulence International Realty in 2014, employing state-of-theart technology with an expert eye for personnel talent to achieve his goals. “The moment you arrive at our office, you know we are not your typical real estate company,” Hoffman says. “We bring a level of sophistication, industry intelligence, and personal attention that communicates that we understand that you are seeking a unique and professional relationship, not just a Realtor.”

The New York alliance is part of Hoffman’s larger plan to expand Opulence International Realty. After founding the first Sports and Entertainment Division last year, Opulence International Realty was quickly able to obtain significant high profile listings, thanks to the talents of their OSE Senior Vice President, Tomi Rose. Hoffman’s next move was to create the Developer Solutions Department to capture a piece of the new development market. He hired longtime development top producer, Jack Paget, for the task. The New York alliance is his next move. “We are so excited about the opportunities this opens up for our agents and, in particular, our customers. Leveraging OIR’s networks in Latin America,

locally and now with Bond in New York, we can offer our customers extensive access to buyers.” Bond is also keen for the connection. After seeing other top New York brokerages either establish offices in South Florida or team up with established South Florida brokerages, Bond welcomed the partnership. Bond’s company culture is all about cooperation and teamwork. Principals Ricciotti and Freedman recognized an affinity with Opulence and look forward to nurturing a relationship that will be winning on both sides and one that will capitalize on the strengths, creativity and connections of both firms for years to come.

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Suite Life At The Ritz

A LOOK AT THE RICH HISTORY OF THE RITZ-CARLTON BRAND AND THE GRAND SUITES AND AMENITIES AT THE RITZ-CARLTON KEY BISCAYNE, MIAMI

Suite at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston 1927, when the average room rate was $15.

he history of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company originated with the landmark Ritz-Carlton, Boston, where standards of service, dining and facilities serve as a benchmark for all Ritz-

Carlton hotels worldwide – including the spectacular

Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami shown here.

The legacy begins with the celebrated hotelier Cesar Ritz, the “king of hoteliers and hotelier to kings.” His philosophy of service and innovations redefined the luxury hotel experience in Europe through his management of The Ritz Paris and The Carlton in London.

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Cesar Ritz died in 1918, but his wife Marie continued the expansion of hotels bearing his name. In the United States, The RitzCarlton Investing Company bought and franchised the name. In 1927, Edward N. Wyner, a local Boston real estate developer, was asked by Mayor Curley to build a world-class hotel. Wyner, who was constructing an apartment building and was up to the second floor at the time, agreed and changed the apartment building into a hotel. Because of the reputation of Ritz in Europe and the cosmopolitan society in Boston, Wyner knew The Ritz-Carlton name would secure immediate success. It opened on May 19, 1927, with a room rate of $15.

One of the 21 suites available at The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston was regarded as a private club for the very wealthy. Up until the 1960s, the hotel was very formal. Guests were regularly checked to see if they were in the Social Register or Who’s Who and the hotel sometimes went so far as to examine the quality of writing paper on which the guests wrote to the hotel requesting reservations (if it wasn’t of high enough quality, they were refused). Dress codes were enforced for all guests, in great part due to the formality of Boston society. Cuisine in the hotel restaurants was

created in the hallowed tradition of Cesar Ritz’s partner Auguste Escoffier. The cuisine at every Ritz-Carlton has always been classic but never boring, innovative but never trendy.

SUITES AT THE RITZ-CARLTON KEY BISCAYNE, MIAMI Every guest room at The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami is posh, but if you’re in the mood for something extra lavish, 21 suites are available, ranging from 800 to 2600 square feet. Some offer Club Level concierge service with food and beverage presentations. The largest suite offers a master bedroom with a king bed and sitting area; the adjacent bedroom has two queen beds; the suite also boasts a living room, library, full kitchen, dining room table that seats eight, dedicated concierge service, two oversized terraces with spectacular ocean views, two and a half bathrooms (with a whirlpool tub in the master), and plenty more.

THE SPA Guests here may also choose to escape to the quiet serenity of The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Key Biscayne. Marvel at the mosaic waterfall and contemporary art displays and feel your mind and body begin to unwind. Then, indulge in pampering treatments designed to soothe every facet of your being.

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The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Key Biscayne offers an oasis of serenity

Key Pantry marketplace café

Rumbar offers a selection of more than 85 varieties of rums, piscos and cachacas

es. While there, shop the unique gift selection.

KEY PANTRY: EAT.DRINK.SHOP. At this new open-style marketplace café, enjoy a freshly brewed cup of Panther Coffee, a Miami-based specialty coffee roaster with a unique twist. Each cup is roasted on-site. After the selection of the coffee beans, a professional technique known as “cupping” begins, resulting in the correct caramelization of the sugars within the coffee beans, exposing the natural sweetness. Nosh on ice cream, pastries, and sandwiches, all house made. Or, choose a bottle of wine hand-selected by the resort’s sommelier, and artisanal chees126

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RUMBAR One of the only venues in Miami offering live Latin music, Rumbar transports guests into the 1940s Havana-style bar and lounge with a new transformation. With a selection of over 85 varieties of rums, piscos and cachacas, Rumbar’s seasoned mixologists create amazing cocktails, including the signature Black and Blue Mojito. Whether you’re visiting from afar or a local patron seeking a weekend of pampering and the “suite life,” reserve your getaway at www.ritzcarlton.com or call (800) 542-8680.

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Information deemed reliable but is not warranted. This offering is subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. Equal Housing Opportunity. © 2015 Opulence International Realty Fall 2015

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“CONTAINED” AR T

THE

BY MARY AND HUGH WILLIAMSON

ardening in South Florida has its joys; our nearly 11-month Zone 10 grow-

ing season and the incredible abundance of available planting varieties, especially our fabulous natives, can ensure the look of paradise! Yet, gardening in the Sunshine State also has a few drawbacks – like weeding in the heat of the summer and fall. Happily, there is a solution. Illustration by: Sergey Likhachev

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LANDSCAPE

Container gardens, whether you have an expansive landscape or a condominium balcony, can be a colorful, manageable and delightful means of bringing texture, interest and glamour to your outdoor environment. They also offer a potential and compelling obsession to collect and to utilize unique containers. Earthenware pots, cast iron urns and stone vessels from around the world can be special reminders of travels and provide great additions to your garden, patio or rooftop. Some collectors are not satisfied until a prize from each continent is procured!

A LITTLE HISTORY Container gardening is not a recent phenomenon. Perhaps one of the first examples of the concept was the 6th century BC Hanging Gardens of Babylon, at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is present-day Iraq. As one of the Seven Wonders of the World, these gardens were said to include remarkable feats of irrigation engineering. The precedent of containers atop columns and as part of rooftop plantings has lived on. Just imagine what might have been the concept for the composition of those plantings. Perhaps it was the availability of plant material, but considering the genius of the architectural design that was set forth, it is unlikely that planning and cohesive concepts for plantings were not incorporated. What was the design inspiration? Color? Drama? It would be so much fun to know. The practice of Container Gardening then emerged in China in the form of the bonsai, and as simpler, religion-oriented sites in Ancient Greece. Rome then made the garden experience its own,

THE HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON MAY TRULY BE THE HANGING GARDENS OF NINEVEH The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, as illustrated here, is one of the most mysterious of the Seven Wonders of the World. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been long thought that King Nebuchadnezzar II built the Hanging Gardens in the sixth century B.C. in Babylon as a gift for his wife, who missed the lush fauna of her home in the Northwest Iraq. Yet, archaeologists had never actually found the site. In 2013, Dr. Stephanie Dalley, an expert in ancient Mesopotamia languages at Oxford University, discovered why the location has eluded scientists: because they were looking in the wrong place. Dr. Dalley translated the ancient texts of King Sennacherib that described what she felt could be the Hanging Gardens â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in Nineveh, Assyria. Excavators there have recently unearthed an extensive aqueduct system that fits the description.

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with a more pleasure-focused approach. Those who could not afford actual gardens often employed the skills of artisans to provide them with trompe l’oeil versions on walls. The roof garden at the National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh, with fabulous containers and plantings, represents over two centuries of evolution that reflect its predecessor institutions and celebrate the glory of diverse Scottish environments.

A FEW SECRETS FOR A PRACTICAL APPLICATION Some notable container gardeners refer to the perfect container formula as incorporating “the thrill, the fill, and the spill”— a stunning tall center feature, a mid-height filler, and a spilling flower or vine to drape over the edge. South Florida offers a host of native “thrills.” Annuals provide color and often the right height for the “fill.” And they can be changed frequently without disturbing the “thrill.” The “spill” can be provided by Euphorbia, Vinca Vine, Ornamental Potato Vine and so many others. It is that “spill” component that caused the gardens in Babylonia to appear to be “hanging,” and it remains an important visual in today’s applications.

HOW ABOUT YOUR CLOSET? OR MAYBE A FAVORITE PAINTING? Your home may be graced with a Pierre Deux fabric, with its thoroughly French palette of splendid yellows and blues. That could be continued with a container that boasts a “thrill” of blue Porterweed, a “fill” of native golden Lantana, and a “spill” of white Euphorbia.

Do you own a prized Fernando Botero masterpiece [such as those shown on page 134]? His vivid palette of bold reds, magentas and blues are an inspiration for a color-filled explosion of Salvia, Red Fountain Grass and Purple Queen. Your “thrill” component is best met with an indigenous Florida plant. They are reliable. The drought and heat-resistant qualities of these make your plantings sustainable and the maintenance a breeze. Do remember that specimens planted in containers dry out more quickly than those in the ground. While irrigation has been around since 5,000 BC, and modern-day irrigation can be 130

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customized for your container garden, the simple task of watering these wonderful additions to your abode can be more precise, satisfying and therapeutic; wonderfully simple and low-tech.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AL WHITELY

Is Lilly Pulitzer your gal? Pink and green Coleus as a “fill,” an Aztec grass “thrill,” and a Vinca Vine “spill” can carry the love to your outdoor space. Maybe you’d prefer a fill of pink Pentas, which does not even have to be deadheaded! Or Brazilian Red Hots.

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Fernando Botero: An Exultation of Volume

An intimate look inside the life of Latin Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most famous living artist BY JOHN D. ADAMS

El Arrastre (Dragging away the Bull), 1992, oil on canvas. Private collection

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rt aficionados recognize the paintings and sculpture of Fernando Botero by his signature style, also known as ‘Boterismo,’ which joyously depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume. Widely considered the most famous living Latin American artist, Botero’s works are found in prominent galleries, museums, and residences globally. While we see him as a cultural icon, Juan Carlos Botero knows him simply as “Papá.” South Florida Opulence sat down with father and son to learn more about Fernando’s artistic style, his strong convictions, and his philosophies on life and art.

FAMILY TIES “Joyous. Beautiful. Comforting.” These are just a few words that Juan Carlos Botero uses to describe his father’s art. The words also resonate as adjectives to their familial relationship. Juan Carlos has explored his own artistic persona as an award-winning novelist. His father is his greatest supporter. In 2012, to coincide with Botero’s 80th birthday, the two collaborated on the book: The Art of Fernando Botero, in which Juan Carlos deciphers Botero’s aesthetics and universality. “It was a great experience writing the book because he [Botero] is the one who requested it. This book was a mustthing to do.” Juan Carlos has had a front row seat to his father’s life and work, but he learned more while writing the book. “What's really amazing to me is his profound conviction that art should celebrate life,” says Juan Carlos. “His work is very different from the more tormented works by artists like Edvard Munch or Francis Bacon. They are full of life and light, sensuality and beauty. I find this truly admirable from someone who had such a hard time in his own personal circumstances. He grew up around poverty in Colombia, his father died when he was 4.” Despite these dire situations, Botero’s passion to create art propelled him to Europe where he studied the great museums, artworks and artists. Through these experiences, Botero developed a deep conviction regarding the history of art. In his father’s opinion, Juan Carlos said, “If you study the history

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sensuality and beauty while at the same time enhancing and glorifying reality. That’s what his work is about.” Fernando, the artist himself, added with a wry smile, “A large, immense apple is more of an apple than the commonplace apple of everyday life. The purpose is to magnify the essence of things.”

BULLFIGHTING “As an authority on art history, Fernando Botero has known the most fecund ways of creating lasting art is to have acquired a virtuoso mastery of one’s craft and to build one’s work on the foundations of an important pictorial tradition that has been exposed to the inexorable test of time,” said Juan Carlos.

Alof de Vignacourt as Seen by Caravaggio, 1974, oil on canvas. Private collection

Connoisseurs of Botero’s work know the main subject of the master’s work is Latin America. For years, he made nothing other than paintings of bullfighting. “He was influenced by his uncle, Joaquin, an enthusiast of bullfighting, who motivated the artist to see the art of bullfighting as practiced by the most illustrious

of art up to the 20th century, most was about beautiful and uplifting things. During the Renaissance, you see works that denounced atrocities through violent images, but they were also always very poetic and beautiful. Even if the lives of the artists were tormented, their works always portrayed an exultation of life. That is the tradition of art that he wants to belong to.” Fernando Botero surmised, “Learning to paint requires great effort, a true calling, and many years of dedication. But today, one has to learn this all by oneself. Before, in the Renaissance, for example, artists began as child apprentices to village masters, and in their studios they became familiar with the techniques, resources, methods and artistic innovation of their time. But today’s universities do not fulfill this function, or they do so very poorly, so the student has to learn by himself, practically from scratch. And very few have the patience. In art, what matters in the end is what remains, and the mediocre tinkering of conceptual artists whose only goal is to momentarily shock their viewers will certainly neither survive nor surpass the implacable test of time.”

NOT FAT, BUT IMMENSE Botero’s signature style, depicting an exaggerated “fullness” in his subjects, is occasionally viewed as “fat people and animals.” But Juan Carlos emphasizes that is a crude underestimation of the artist’s intent. “That poetry of volume and form is essential to my father’s work that some people misunderstand. He is conveying an exultation of volume. Volume has been one of the most important elements in painting from the Renaissance up to the beginning of the 20th century when abstract art appeared. It is a perfect form to communicate

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Self Portrait, 1994, oil on canvas. Private collection

Pedrito on Horseback, 1974, oil on canvas. Medellin, Museo de Antioquia matadors of his time,” Juan Carlos said. “Fernando explored the subject of bulls with boundless passion…such as in the scene [shown on page 132] of the tumult of dragging the bull out of the ring.”

HISTORIC PORTRAITS This Colombian master is also revered for portraits of famous people in history – for their good or bad actions. About this, Fernando Botero said, “It is very difficult to make a portrait of someone in real life without violating the principles of one’s artistic style.” “Some have even been re-envisioned from the canvas of other artists,” explained Juan Carlos. “For example, he reinterpreted the superb knights of Malta like in Alof de Vignacourt by Caravaggio” [see Botero’s interpretation shown upper left page]. On other occasions, Fernando Botero has made portraits of people he knew in real life. “Special consideration must unquestionably be given to those Botero made of his son, Pedrito Botero, who died at the age of 4 following a tragic car accident in Spain in 1974. He and his wife were overwhelmed by boundless grief. But as soon as he could, Fernando shut himself in his studio, faced his pain headon and began painting Pedrito [including Pedrito on Horseback shown here]. These sublime creations reflect incomparable love, tenderness and sweetness. In the painting, to the right of the boy is a small toy house with the windows wide open. There, we see the boy’s mother and father looking out at the emptiness that follows a loss of this magnitude.”

SELF PORTRAITS Fernando also painted portraits of himself, as did many great Renaissance painters. Sometimes he showed himself in specific

everyday poses, such as sitting in a barber’s chair getting a haircut [at left].

appear in Catholicism. Each work is gigantic, absolutely monumental and beautiful…

Now 83 years old, Botero continues to produce a voluminous quantity of painting and sculpture. The artist divides his time between homes and studios in Paris, Monaco, Colombia, Greece and the centuries-old town of Piesrasanta in Northern Italy. “Every time I get the opportunity we go to see him,” says Juan Carlos. “The entire family spends every summer together. I spoke to him today. He is currently doing a stunning exhibition in Zurich. It’s really amazing. It is a new subject matter – the female saints that

“I think that what he has done is extraordinary; and not only his goals as an artist but also as a philanthropist. He has donated more than 700 works of art valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. He has created two huge museums in Colombia, and he has done it all by himself. He doesn’t have a secretary or a messenger. He is an extraordinary human being, so whatever I can do to help communicate that idea is welcome because he deserves so much praise and recognition for what he has accomplished.” Fall 2015

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The EXUBERANT Assemblages of

Robert Hudson BY ROBIN JAY

MARGUERITE “Having a tea set in my studio is what started this sculpture. It belonged to Mavis’ mom, Marguerite Jukes, who was a teacher and a plein air painter. Sometimes it’s hard to part with objects. But it wasn’t like parting with the tea set when I made the sculpture. It was more like keeping it, but in a different form.” – Robert Hudson Photos By John White 136

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i Robert Hudson

ANVIL

t’s 3 p.m. on July 22 – not a cloud in the sky on Highway 395 in northern California. Robert Hudson and his wife Mavis Jukes are headed home from a weekend on their land in the high desert, where furnishings include a picnic table beneath a piñon pine and sky for a roof. They’re en route to their farmhouse in Cotati, a rural town close to Sonoma State University.

“The stump I used was at my farmhouse when we bought the place,” Robert explained. “It was used to split wood by the family who built the house, which was heated by a wood stove. I also used it to split wood. But the history of the stump isn’t what motivated me to put it on the sculpture. I just like what it is: a stump. Blacksmiths often put anvils on stumps. But in the case of Anvil, the anvil is 6’ above

Under the seat for safe transport rest treasures Robert bought earlier in the day – an old clothing iron made of heavy cast iron, and an antique tool for ‘taking the dents out of cars.’

the stump.”

You might presume Robert and Mavis are an average retired couple out for an afternoon of antiquing. But they are far from retired and they’re certainly not average. Mavis is a celebrated children’s book author, elementary school computer teacher and former lawyer; and Robert is a world-renowned artist, best known for his funk art assemblages, but also his paintings and ceramics. Assemblage is an art form dating back to the cubist constructions of Pablo Picasso, an artist of which Robert’s work is often compared. “I would describe my sculpture as abstract polychrome weldedsteel sculpture painted to create spatial illusions, incorporating found metal objects, shapes, and forms," Robert clarified. Hudson is one of the founders of the Bay Area Funk Art Movement of the 1960s. The movement’s name derives from the jazz term ‘funky,’ illustrating the eccentric, sensuous fervor of the genre’s musicians. Some say 1920s jazz funk was unrefined. But die-hard musical artists proved it was woven solidly into Americana, just as visual artists like Robert Hudson proved funk was an American art form worthy of high praise and high value. The story behind how Robert Hudson became such a notable artist is as interesting as the man himself. It’s a story best told in his own words… “My sculptures have been described as ‘a riot’ of color, ‘joyous,’ ‘dizzying illusions that defy the shape of welded steel,’ ” he said. “A sculpture is like 3-D painting. And the objects are a sort of paint. Every move I make is considered; every color I choose is deliberate. None are interchangeable. Many are kinetic: When the sculptures rotate, you can watch the changing colors, shapes, spaces, and lines. Fall 2015

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“I have used found objects in all areas of my art: works on paper, collage, assemblage constructions, ceramics, sculpture. I have an inventory of stock and scrap steel; cast iron dogs and horses, ornamental iron and colorful enameled cast iron sinks and bathtubs - which I break up with a sledgehammer.”

BETWEEN THE LINES “This sculpture incorporates shards of cast iron sinks, which I buy in recycling centers and break up with a sledgeham-

IN THE BEGINNING

mer,” said Robert. “Stainless

“How and where my parents lived, what they valued, what they made, and the materials they gave me all encouraged me as an artist, so it’s important to know where we lived and why.

steel cubes rotate on swivels. The scroll shapes were patterned after a plastic drafting template and cut out of steel.”

“My father was originally a cowboy in Wyoming, but learned carpentry from his father. He married my mother and they settled in Pioche, Nevada, where he worked as a carpenter in a silver mine. Pioche had a grocery store, a drugstore, a post office and about six bars. I looked forward to him coming home and opening his lunch pail. He always saved me half his sandwich. “When I was 5, we packed up the ‘37 Ford and headed first to Salt Lake, where my parents bought a 24’ house trailer. My dad then got a job building grain elevators in Silverton, Oregon. We lived in a trailer park near a stream. We moved to Richland, Washington, when I was in 4th grade. My father worked on government buildings out in the desert at a place called ‘The Area,’ where they made atom bombs. We lived in a trailer park near the Columbia River. I liked sleeping outside with my dog Coalie. I had an older brother, Richard, who got me construction jobs installing kitchen cabinets while I attended the Art Institute of San Francisco. “My parents always said I was born creative. I had tinker toys. I built things, like raceways for bottles in the snow. And I was always on a treasure hunt. That’s why I incorporate found objects, often natural objects, in my work. My family found beauty in natural objects, especially rocks. We went on excursions - sometimes fishing for trout, but mostly looking for arrowheads and agates. My mom rigged me a fishing pole with a stick, string and safety pin. I had a collection of agates in a bucket. “At home, we all liked to draw with pencils and paper. I also had crayons. My favorite colors were the pointed ones. On birthdays, Mom gave me an art kit: pencils, papers and crayons. Christmases, the art kit included watercolors. In junior high, I

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bought my own art supplies with money I earned by working as a deckhand on a tugboat. “I met my friends William Wiley and William Allan [both now renowned artists] in Richland. Wiley and I met when my cousin Jim and I made a circus, involving my dog, Coalie, who could shake hands and climb ladders. Wiley showed up with his little brother, Chuck, and bought tickets. Chuck’s ticket was discounted to a nickel. “Bill Allan and I met on an art trip organized by the Richland High School’s art teacher, Jim McGrath – legendary among his former students. He trusted me with a key to the art room, so I could work there after hours; sometimes all night. McGrath took us to museums, like the Seattle Museum, where I first saw Morris Graves’ paintings, which influenced my work. He took students to Native American dances and root and berry festivals and salmon festivals. He had ‘Thought Fires’ by the Columbia River where we sat around a campfire and talked. “People ask me about the serendipity of three world-class artists growing up together. It was nothing in the water – it was great public schools, very well funded by grants, great art teachers, Native American drummers and dancers, beautiful landscape, sagebrush and the Columbia River. “I received a Scholastic scholarship for tuition at the Art Institute of San Francisco. If I hadn’t gotten a scholarship, I’d have been a tugboat pilot who made art.” Robert earned a BFA in painting and MFA in sculpture. He has taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, the University of California at Berkeley, and was a visiting professor at the University of California, Davis, and the California College of Art.

THE ARTIST’S LIFE TODAY “My main studio is in a field in Cotati that includes vernal pools and a hill covered with eucalyptus trees.” His other is the outdoor sagebrush studio mentioned earlier with the picnic table and the piñon tree. “Friends and neighbors drop off or send things they think I might use in sculptures. One gift was from Jack, a farmer: his old hay

baler. It sat in my field for 30 years. I never used it, but I liked looking at it. My friend Mike gave me an antique marble statue of a bathing woman. I cast it in bronze and put it on a sculpture. Friends in New York sent me cast iron table legs from Paris. And a big box full of lemon yellow porcelain bathroom fixtures once arrived via UPS with no return address. That’s where Mavis drew the line. “One of my most fulfilling accomplishments was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lee Krasner Foundation. I have four adult children, whom I adore, all artists.” Today, Robert Hudson sculptures and paintings reside in many prestigious venues – the Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and the Chicago Art Institute, to name a few. “I’ve been making art in the same place at my own pace for 38 years,” said Robert. “I do feel lucky. I don’t have a bucket list; I just want more of the same – more time with my family, more fly fishing, and more making art.” Robert Hudson is represented by Samuel Lynne Galleries in Dallas, Texas. For more information please contact them at www.SamuelLynne.com

BLUE “This is an abstract figure: head, body, bent arm. My guess is that the split in the steel, outlined in white, was made by a cannonball being fired at steel as an ammunitions test.” Fall 2015

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STORYTELLER BY JOHN D. ADAMS

“

I’m a yarn teller. My job is to engage you as much as I can and as often as I can,” said Ridley Scott, film director (“Thelma & Louise,” “Blade Runner,” “Gladiator,” and many more).

shadow, color, contrast, depth, and dimension to spring out of each photograph, as fully formed as any two-hour movie.

There are many ways to tell a story. Verbally we do it all of the time. There are writers of every stripe. Painters. Filmmakers convey a story through combinations of sounds and images. And then there is Nick Garcia, who as a photographer, has arguably the most difficult task – he must tell a story within a static, silent, two-dimensional photograph. Garcia’s talent is his ability to engage a viewer within the first second, and hold his attention, allowing the play of light,

A Nick Garcia photograph is all about the details. As a portrait photographer, he must build a scene that will convey at a glance his subject’s career status, job description, personality, basically anything the client wants. Oh, and to complicate matters, he just met the subject five minutes ago. It is a common situation and one that seems nearly insurmountable. “I like that,” laughs Garcia. “I don’t get scared of going to an unfamiliar place. I like that moment where I get to a place and there’s nothing there so

TELL ME A STORY

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I have to build a scene, create a new environment, and compose it in a way that is going to reflect the personality of the client.”

THE BACKGROUND IS THE FOREGROUND Look carefully all around the subjects in Garcia’s photographs. He pays special attention to architectural and textural details, lighting, focus, and, of course, color and movement. “I got to a point where I was able to shoot people, fashion, and portraits so my background helped me to look at the environment around as well as the primary subject.” And for Garcia, this “signature style” sets him apart from other portrait photographers. “Most times we work with a very specific style. We emphasize the importance of the background

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and how it is lit and how it interacts with the subject. A lot of people don’t do that. They only concentrate on the subject. It is very important for me, how that person fits in there. A lot of times we are shooting in a hotel room or a room or environment that isn’t theirs, so I strive to achieve the feel that they are comfortable and belong in that environment. As for color, we are in Miami! I have been all my life surrounded with that high contrast, beautiful saturation, and that translates into how I view the world. “For me it is all about the image. I’m not necessarily good with words. I’m not a writer. But I’m telling stories. I tell them through my images.” See Nick Garcia’s work at www.nickgarciaphotography.com

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MARINE TURNED MODERN AMERICAN GLASSBLOWER Up Close And Personal With Acclaimed Artisan Doug Frates BY TODD R. SCIORE

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an’s fascination with glassmaking began with simple beads circa 3500 BC, and while the basic concept hasn’t changed, the process has undergone myriad innovations over the centuries. Refined manufacturing processes fostered the age of mass production, and utilitarian items from windows to wine bottles rolled off assembly lines as fast as the mind can count. However, the quest for mastering glass also included talented artisans, who despite their small numbers, continue to push the boundaries of creativity. South Florida Opulence had a special opportunity to speak with Doug Frates, one of today’s preeminent glassblowing artists to get the dish on how he started out and his thoughts on working with glass.

HIDDEN TALENT In a perfect world, Doug Frates Glass wouldn’t exist. He is a walking contradiction of sorts — a rough-and-tumble former U.S. Marine successfully working within the delicate medium of glass. He is friendly with an underlying intensity and is focused yet tangential. A quick glance at a bowl from his alluring yet functional Sedona or Splash Glass collections and one would assume he has several decades of experience. Doug’s foray into glass came by chance just over 10 years ago after leaving the military. ”It was luck of the draw — I pretty much took it [a glassblowing class] on a whim; I didn’t go to college for it.” Laughing, Frates shared that upon his return from a 2003 tour in Iraq, he tried his luck in Sin City first. ”I had a bunch of money saved up. I took a big trip to Vegas and spent it all over a weekend. But, I did have a little left over when I came back and spent it on a glassblowing class. After I took that class I became enamored by it.” Armed with a new found passion, Doug realized he had a hidden talent for it. ”I was able to grow enough to start working for other people, and through that process, I learned my own techniques and skills.” Those ”other people” Doug worked for and trained under were

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A good cup of joe

none other than Fritz Dreisbach and Tom Philabaum — two luminaries within art glass circles. Doug’s family initially thought glassblowing would be just ”one of those phases he would grow out of.” But to the contrary, Doug’s passion was permanent and, within the artisan set, he found a surprising similarity to his military career. ”We all work cohesively together for one main purpose, and that brings me back to the Marine Corps; there’s a large level of camaraderie and teamwork involved.”

GLASSBLOWING TECHNIQUES Today, like a conductor of a symphony, Doug is the gaffer of his own hot box studio, guiding and cuing teammates, such as the blower, as he dips the blowpipe into a 2300-degree ”glory hole” pot, twirling it like a honey wand, to gather molten glass. Once enough is gathered, Doug instructs the blower to carefully puff just the right amount of air, with just the right amount of pressure, at just the right speed, to initiate the shape of the intended piece. Doug directs another teammate to get the ”punty” ready — that’s the mass of glass placed on a receiving pipe to transfer the glass from the blowpipe so that another artisan can work on the other end. ”Grab the caliper to secure the piece,” Doug says to a colleague as he further shapes the

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fire-red mass with a flat steel plate called a marver. The glass conductor, Doug, may then call for a bit of ”kurling” to add decorative glass bands or beads to the base, as well as some ”caning” to twist and pull the glass to blend in colors and sculpt the precise shape. Then, it’s back into the glory hole for a quick flashing to ensure the glass remains hot and pliable. This continues until the project reaches Doug’s expectations, at which time he performs some final polishing before placing the glass into an annealing oven that gradually cools the finished work.

A MYSTERIOUS MEDIUM WITH A MIND OF ITS OWN ”Glassblowing is an animal unto itself. It requires skill, knowledge, physical strength and respect,” said highly regarded glass artisan William Morris. Doug expands upon this by showing deference to the molten, amorphous substance. ”You learn it by doing it, and that’s what’s cool about glassblowing - it’s always teaching you, you’re never teaching it. There are so many dynamics to glassblowing, that’s what reeled me in and keeps the adrenaline rushing!” To see additional glasswork by artisan Doug Frates, go to www.DougFratesGlass.com.

“you learn it by doing it and that’s what’s cool about glassblowingit’s always teaching you, you’re never teaching it.” – Doug Frates

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Hunt For A Millionaire’s HiddenTreasure BY STEVEN JOSEPH

There’s gold in them thar hills! By “hills” I mean the Rocky Mountains. And by “gold” I mean, well, gold, actually. But this isn’t your great-great-grandfather crying out, “Manifest Destiny!” and prospecting in California in the late 1840s. No, this gold has already been panned, found, refined, and processed and coined. And then after going through all of that trouble, collected in an ornate brass chest and promptly hidden again. Only in the case of this treasure hunt, the map is a series of cryptic clues, and no “x” marks the spot.

PHOTO COURTESY JEN JUDGE

The treasure in question originally belonged to Forrest Fenn, a former Air Force pilot-turned art dealer who settled in New Mexico in the 1970s after retiring from the service. He and his wife opened the premier art gallery of the Southwest and soon attracted high-profile clientele including Jackie Onassis and Steven Spielberg.

Forrest Fenn

Combined with a passion for American history, Forrest accumulated the largest private collection of Native North and South American artifacts in the world. Forrest’s collection boasts thousands of pieces of pottery, artwork, and even Sitting Bull’s favorite pipe. “Forrest has been a collector his whole life, he started as a child with marbles and as an adult that love transitioned into art, and then artifacts,” says longtime friend Michael McGarrity.

THRILL OF DISCOVERY Eventually Fenn closed the gallery and began writing to pass the time. His books were mostly about exploration and archaeology but shared the common thread of the spirit of discovery. Then in the ’90s, Fenn was diagnosed with kidney cancer and not given an optimistic prognosis. His mortality looming, Forrest planned an elaborate treasure hunt as a play on traditional charity. Fenn spent his free time between cancer treatments acquiring the chest and filling it with 265 gold coins, gold nuggets, and jewelry. Upon beating cancer, the idea of the treasure hunt became a reality as Forrest ventured off to hide the chest. In 2010,

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Fenn published this memoir with nine clues in a poem that leads to the treasure he hid. Fenn released his memoirs, The Thrill of the Chase, which contained nine clues hidden in a poem that alluded to the treasure. Fenn’s book was self-published with the proceeds benefiting the local book store which carried the title, so at first, there was little buzz surrounding the three million dollar prize. But word soon spread, and with it, some bizarre and unintended consequences. Indeed, in addition to hundreds of thousands of e-mails Forrest has received (he claims to have stopped counting at 65,000 three years ago), Fenn has also received death threats, stalkers, and one man even threatened to dig up his father’s grave. “I told him flat out, ‘For the sake of your family don’t do this,’” says McGarrity. McGarrity and Fenn first met over 40 years ago when Santa Fe was still a small town of under 50,000 people. They became much better acquainted when McGarrity established himself as a writer of historical novels, which appealed to Forrest’s two passions. The first, of course, is his insatiable hunger for all things archaeological. But the second, and only observed by those who know him on a personal level, is celebrity. “Don’t let Forrest’s ‘Aw, shucks’ demeanor fool you,” McGarrity says. “He is loving the attention.”

each year, and with it so too has Forrest’s legacy. “I think the biggest disappointment for Forrest would be if someone finds or, has already found, the treasure, but is keeping it a secret, selling off the contents one piece at a time so as not to attract any attention,” muses McGarrity. “But Forrest tried to safeguard against that by including some really rare pieces that he would notice if they showed up at auction.” Many wonder if the treasure is even real. Several sleuths claim to have already found Fenn’s millions, but that the treasure is intangible, that the journey is a spiritual one, and that the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow is the exquisite beauty of nature experienced along the way. When asked to prove the chest is indeed hidden, Forrest replies, “Well, you know the only way two people can keep a secret is if one of them is dead. So I could prove the existence of the treasure by taking you to it… but then I wouldn’t want to be your insurance agent.”

THE CHASE CONTINUES As the treasure hunt gains notoriety and publicity, people have increasingly sought out Forrest for quotes and soundbites, but McGarrity warns, “He has a real ‘Will Rogers’ sense of humor.” Forrest himself has said, “Every writer ups the value of the treasure, so when it gets up to $20,000,000.00 I’m going back to get it.” This year alone, more than 30,000 amateur treasure hunters will channel their inner Indiana Jones and head to New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana hoping to strike it rich. The search has led to a stark increase in tourism-related funds flowing into the four states, as well. “Of course it’s been a great economic boon to the area. One of the hotels here downtown even has ‘The Forrest Fenn Reuben’ on their lunch menu,” McGarrity adds. The treasure-related frenzy has grown In the hidden treasure, Fenn included some really rare pieces so that if they hit the market,he’ll know the treasure was found.

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Getting into the Mind of Saddam Hussein An interview with the FBI’s Special Agent George Piro on how he got ‘High Value Detainee #1’ to befriend, trust and talk after his capture. BY ROBIN JAY

e remembers the moment like it was yesterday. The time was 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 24, 2003. FBI Special Agent George Piro had left his office and was driving to the mall to catch up on some last minute Christmas shopping. The car phone rang. He could never have imagined how answering that call would put him center stage for one of the FBI’s most important missions. “It was a senior official from FBI Headquarters in Quantico,” Piro told South Florida Opulence. “He said I had been selected to serve as the team leader to interrogate Saddam Hussein,” the deposed president of Iraq captured just 12 days prior while hiding in a spider hole in a mud hut in Ticrit. “I was told to prepare to leave for Baghdad.” At the time, Piro had been an agent with the FBI just five years. “When I received that unexpected call on Christmas Eve, I was blown away.” The importance of the assignment was overwheming – in a moment’s notice, I had the reputation and the legacy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation riding on

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my performance and I didn’t want to disappoint my country.” Because of the Geneva Conventions and that Hussein had been classified as a prisoner of war, it was the first time in history the FBI had been put in charge of interrogating such a significant head of state in his home country. It was a monumental assignment.

WHO IS GEORGE PIRO? But make no mistake, Piro was no rookie to law enforcement. Prior to joining the FBI in 1999, he served as a security policeman in the United States Air Force. Afterward, he became a detective at a California Police Department, went to night school to earn a college degree in criminal justice, and then joined the ranks as a criminal investigator for the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office and was assigned to the County’s Drug Enforcement Agency. Piro’s appreciation for law enforcement developed at a young age. Born in Lebanon with an Assyrian heritage, he witnessed as a boy firsthand the turbulence and terror of the Lebanese Civil War that broke out in 1975. Schools and businesses shut their doors. His family sought cover in a bomb shelter. It was a frightening experience no child should ever endure. Piro’s father, being an expert in dental manufacturing and having relatives in the United States, found the means to relocate his family to the safety of Turlock, California, when George was 12. “My parents wanted a better life for us,” Piro said. “I was eager to become an American and to fit in with the other kids. I didn’t want them to judge me because of my accent, so I began avidly studying and watching TV [his favorite program was the California Police Department show called CHiPs]. I was fluent in English within a year – and had every bit of an American accent. I wanted to dedicate my life to giving back to this country.”

THE COVERT MISSION TO BAGHDAD At the time of the Iraq War, only one in 1,000 FBI special agents was fluent in Arabic –

Hussein’s native language. Piro was one of those agents – and his Assyrian heritage made him the most likely candidate to earn the trust of the high-level Arabic prisoner. It would take trust to get the narcissistic Hussein to discuss extremely sensitive matters, such as the location of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), to admit to mass homicidal gassing of Kurds in Northern Iraq, to reveal any ties with Al-Qaeda, and among other things, to reveal reasons behind the invasion of Kuwait that sparked the Gulf War. Piro prepared for his daunting task by watching countless news videos and reading newspaper reports; studying the history of Iraq and Hussein’s political ‘accomplishments’ (such as improving healthcare, education and infrastructure in the third-world country), and even reading the dictator’s four published books and poems. In January, following his appointment to lead the Hussein interrogation, Piro’s team of analysts from the CIA, FBI intelligence analysts, language specialists and a behavior profiler, landed unannounced in Baghdad in the middle of night at Camp Cropper. Being a high-value detainee, Hussein was separated from the other prisoners in a windowless barrack cell. “When I arrived, Hussein wasn’t feeling well and asked to see a doctor,” Piro recounted. “No one was cleared to translate for the physician, so I saw this as an opportunitiy to start building a relationship with the man I was there to interrogate. I knew Hussein wouldn’t respond positively to threating language, so my mission was to get him to trust me, to befriend me. It would be no easy task, but, fortunately, we had no particular deadline – we had time on our side that would be necessary to penetrate his guarded wall of rhetoric and for me to learn his behaviors in order to know when he was lying and when he was telling the truth. “The doctor and I approached his cell at the end of the hall. I knocked on the door and walked in. I introduced myself in Arabic as ‘Mr. George.’ Hussein was standing and was wearing a traditional white robe. He was

Saddam Hussein clean shaven, with a mustache, and was much taller than I expected – 6’1”, about an inch taller than me. It was so hard to believe I was standing there, face-to-face with Saddam Hussein, the disreputable man I had watched on television news reports in the ’80s and ’90s who was notorious for causing such horrific conflicts and atrocities.”

PERSUADING A SOCIOPATH TO TALK TRUTHFULLY At first, Hussein was guarded and reserved. But as a special agent of the FBI, Piro was highly trained in the skill of interviewing reluctant sociopaths, understanding what makes them tick, how to gain their trust and get them to talk. Interestingly, Hussein thought Piro reported directly to President George Bush. If he had known that Piro was an FBI agent (and had never even met the President), he would likely have viewed his position as being beneath him and may have refused to communicate. From his very first encounter with Hussein, Piro subtly set the scene psychologically to demonstrate he was in charge and that the inmate was at a submissive disadvantage. Overtime, the strategy was designed to break down Hussein’s defensive walls of superiority. “I positioned his chair so that it literally put his back up against a wall. I sat between Hus-

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sein and the door,” Piro explained. “It was a subliminal message that he couldn’t escape without dealing with me. I told him that if he needed anything – even the time of day – he needed to go through me. There was purposefully no clock on the wall and I was wearing a very large watch. The strategy was to get him to rely on me and only me.” Special Agent Piro came back to the cell every day for 9 months, spending increasingly longer amounts of time with him, at Hussein’s request. Sometimes they spent as many as seven hours a day together. Sometimes he listened for hours as Hussein read him poetry he had written – a task he detested but very convincingly pretended to enjoy.

down, he needed the same basic things every human being does – to have companionship and interaction with other human beings.” Piro had discovered Hussein’s human weakness and would covertly take advantage of that vulnerability. The subtle psychological initiatives continued to ensure Saddam’s deeper dependency on George – and for the prisoner to come to his own realization that he’d never again be free or take back the saddistic rule of his country. In a prior interview with 60 Minutes, George said he showed Saddam videos of his statue being torn down by fellow Iraqis, and he once allowed him to look out the window during a nighttime flight over

Iran find out he didn’t have WMDs; to do so would show weakness and invite defeat. Hussein said he underestimated the United States, assuming the most he’d have to endure for his lies would be minor air strikes.” With regard to the homicidal gassing of the Kurds, Saddam made no denials. “In his twisted mind, Saddam truly believed the people he killed were getting what they deserved for committing acts of treason,” George said. Interestingly, when asked about Saddam’s connections to Al-Qaeda, the former dictator told George that he was against a united Islamic state and viewed Osama bin Laden as a lunatic, a threat.

In a twist to make Saddam think his interrogator was his friend, George brought him ‘birthday cookies’ made in his own mother’s kitchen. “I spoke to him about things I knew he’d be proud of – like the books he had written, how he had developed Iraq with improved healthcare and nationalized oil production, and about philosophies of religion and politics,” said Piro. “I stayed away from subjects that would make him angry and clam up – like his childhood. He didn’t want people to know his father wasn’t kind to him or that he grew up poor and underprivileged.” Eventually the two were on a first-name basis – George and Saddam. Sometimes they would eat together or walk next to each other in the exercise yard. And there was one characteristic about Saddam that Piro found particularly surprising. “He seemed more ‘normal’ than I expected; he had some likable qualities. He was polite and sometimes charming. He shook my hand. Don’t get me wrong – there were times I could see hate in his eyes. And he could be cold, like when I brought up the death of his sons, it didn’t seem to phase him. But deep

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Baghdad so that he could see for himself the bright lights and bustling activity. The unspoken message: Iraq is thriving without you. On Saddam’s birthday, it became apparent to the former dictator that none of his countrymen celebrated. But in a twist to make Saddam think his interrogator was his friend, George brought him ‘birthday cookies’ made in his own mother’s kitchen.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH Saddam’s trust in George grew. At just the right moment, in the natural progression of a conversation that Saddam initiated, George asked him about the weapons of mass destruction and where they were hidden. “Saddam confided in me that Iraq didn’t have WMDs, that most were destroyed during the U.S. inspections. But he did say he fully intended to rebuild WMDs again one day,” George said. “I asked him why he adamantly lied about having WMDs, risking the penalty of war against his country. He said it was because he was more fearful of letting

And the real reason for Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait? Saddam revealed to George that it was revenge for an insult from the country’s leader – for an Emir saying it was his mission to turn every woman in Iraq into a $10 prostitute. In the end, Special Agent George Piro won the cunning game of chess – getting his opponent, one of the most brutal dictators in history, a man who knew his fate, had no motivation to cooperate, and had “no remorse, no regret” – to entrust him, to believe “the show,” and to tell us what we wanted to know. His boss at the finish of the interrogation said, “Piro’s expert work in revealing Saddam’s secrets was probably one of the top accomplishments of the agency in the last 100 years.” Today, it’s no wonder why Mr. Piro is Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Bureau of the FBI. Well done, sir.

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IS YOUR LEGACY PROTECTED? BY VERONICA JIMENEZ

ealth management professionals have labored intensively to ensure their clients’ portfolios are well structured and protected from the risk of market volatility. Through hard work and effort, individuals can rest assured knowing the professionals are managing not only their wealth, but also their legacy. However, risk to a client’s wealth doesn’t end with market fluctuation and investment decisions. Many other potential perils exist. Personal liability insurance and lifestyle risk management are essential to protecting the wealth of mass affluent individuals. This coverage is usually overlooked, underrated or misunderstood. Some risk areas are volunteer activities, Trust or LLC, employment practices, reputational damage and cyber liability.

By serving as a director or officer for a not-for-profit organization, individuals may be putting their personal wealth at risk in the event of allegations of libel/slander or poor employment practices. With a Trust or LLC, liability coverage may not be extended to include the Trust or LLC, leaving it exposed to legal issues without coverage. Also, the entity may not be able to be named as an insured on the policy. Claims of discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination made by domestic employees are on the rise. Local governments are also instituting new laws and regulations to protect these employees. Lastly, the increased use of social media, blogs and the Internet for leisure use has equated in a growing number of personal injury and defamation claims.

In addition, it is important that a sufficient personal liability limit be available for adequate protection. About 70 percent of high-net-worth individuals and families are currently insured through a direct or captive agent. In many cases, these agents are unable to provide the higher limits of liability high-net-worth individuals need. Veronica Jimenez is the Private Client Sales Leader at Brown & Brown Insurance and has been an agent in South Florida for over 8 years specializing in high-net-worth insurance portfolios. Brown & Brown is one of the world’s 10 largest insurance intermediaries and is publically traded on the NYSE under BRO. For assistance with any insurance needs, please contact me at vjimenez@bbftlaud.com

What is it about your community’s risk management program that keeps you up at night? • Does the D&O policy we purchased fully protect the board? • Will our Disaster Preparedness/ Recovery Plan be effective when we need it? • Is our Insurance Program in compliance with our bylaws? • With all these recent natural disasters, how do we effectively budget for next year?

We have the answers.

• If we have a claim will it be adjusted and paid correctly?

S e r v i n g S o u t h F l o r i d a F o r 9 0 y e a r S • 8 0 0 - 6 3 8 - 8 6 6 4 • w w w. S l at o n r i S k S e r v i c e S . c o m

75 Years.

proudly insuring the needs of condos and their residents

At Brown & Brown, we know that we must be as agile as the cheetah in order to thrive in the competitive insurance environment. Our unique culture has enabled us to quickly chase down new opportunities, adapt our products and services to best meet market demands, and satisfy our customers.

AUTO • AircrAfT • bOnds • cOndOminiUm • cOllecTibles • flOOd • heAlTh benefiTs • hOmeOwners • liAbiliTy • mArine * persOnAl • prOperTy • UmbrellA • wOrkers’ cOmp

Fort Lauderdale Division 1201 W. Cypress Creek Road, #130 • Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 Phone: 954.776.2222 • Toll Free: 800.648.9303 • Fax: 954.771.9192 www.bbftlaud.com

Serving South Fall Florida clients’ needsFlorida since 1939 2015 South OPULENCE

real estate

BY JILL PATTERSON

MID-YEAR MARKET REPORT:

MIAMI STILL ON FIRE PACE

Although market experts warn that the rising U.S. dollar has slowed overseas investment and that Miami sellers continue to list at unrealistic prices, the numbers don’t lie. Miami is still on fire. Perhaps fueled by the impending rise in interest rates and the fact that South Florida is the sixth fastest growing metropolitan area in the country, June 2015 was a record-breaking month closing out the mid-year strongly. Residential sales volume and prices rose significantly year over year and are on course to break annual sales records by year-end. The commercial market is equally robust, with the attractive economic environment of a booming retail market, low vacancies and increasing rental rates.

At the current sales pace, there is a 4.9 month supply Jill Patterson is a Sales Associate at Opulence International Realty. of Miami single-family homes and a 8.9 month sup- 305.203.9985 or visit ply of condo inventory. Single-family home inventory Opulenceinternationalrealty.com has decreased 11.4% year over year, while condo inventory has increased 14.2%. A balanced market between buyers and sellers offers between six to nine months of supply of inventory. Miami’s single-family home constrained inventory places the market at the seller’s advantage, while the condo market appears to be more balanced between buyers and sellers.

SALES VOLUME UP

PRE-CONSTRUCTION

The month of June 2015 broke the record for the highest number of single-family home sales for any month in Miami-Dade’s history, up 8.5% from June 2014. The previous record was set in 2005, at the height of the market, with 1,317 homes sold. This June saw 1,390 homes turn over. Overall, sales for existing single-family homes rose 8.5% for the first half of 2015 compared to 2014. Existing condo sales were up 4.5% from June 2014 but declined 2.3% for the first half of 2015, mainly due to the new construction supply coming on the market and attracting many buyers.

While there has been a slight cooling of sales in the pre-construction market due to the strengthening of the dollar, developers are responding by moving north and appealing to U.S. buyers. 42 new condo buildings are proposed, planned or under construction in the downtown Fort Lauderdale, creating 3,300 new units.

SALES PRICES UP

Year over year, June median sales prices for single-family homes rose 14.9% from June 2014 and 7.9% for condos from the same period. Median sales prices for the combined first half of 2015 rose 11% compared to the first half of 2014 for single-family homes and 7% for condos. Even with four years of consistent price increases, the market remains at 2004 price levels.

VALUE According to the National Association of Realtors, an average 1,292sf (120 square meter) apartment in the Miami/Miami Beach/Fort Lauderdale area is priced at roughly $149,000. These same square meters would cost $960,840 in London, $776,280 in Hong Kong, and $1.6 million in New York today.

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COMMERCIAL “Miami is becoming a launching pad for new industries,” states Miami Association of Realtors Commercial President Barbara Tria. “Technology companies and other businesses are moving to Miami largely because of the region’s top-tier cultural offerings, outdoor lifestyle, and affordability compared to other major cities around the globe.” In the last year, Miami has increased jobs by 3% and decreased unemployment by nearly 1%. Miami’s vacancy rates for office (14.9%), industrial (5.3%), retail (6.3%), and multi-family (4.4 %), are nearly all below the national average. Miami’s hospitality market is the second strongest in the country behind New York City with record hotel sales. A high demand for quality assets and low interest rates have continued to compress cap rates. Foreign investors from around the world seem to have a mandate to invest in U.S. real estate.

State-of-the-art Building Services and Superior WorkForce Management

CSI International, Inc. provides custodial, mechanical and corporate support services to commercial Class A properties — educational, manufacturing and industrial — in the eastern half of the United States. At CSI, everything we do stems from one simple premise… We make life easier for our clients and ensure this by providing the finest in: • Janitorial services • Operating engineers services • Green cleaning options • Building mechanics services • Mechanical services • Corporate services

Fort Lauderdale Corporate Headquarters 6700 North Andrews Avenue, Suite 400 • Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 • 954.308.4300 Fall 2015

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THE CONSTRUCTION LAW EXPERTS For more than four decades Becker & Poliakoff attorneys have been helping communities pursue their rights against developers and design professionals for defects associated with new construction, renovation and repair projects.

Steven B. Lesser serves as the Chair of Becker & Poliakoff’s Construction Law Group and is also the Immediate Past Chair of the national American Bar Association’s Forum on Construction Law. Mr. Lesser is a nationally recognized expert on construction law issues and leads a team of board-certified construction lawyers assisting communities throughout Florida, New York and New Jersey.

“The more time you spend negotiating and drafting your construction contracts, the less time you’ll spend fighting about the results afterwards.” Visit our Construction Law Blog http://www.floridaconstructionlawauthority.com/

954.987.7550 | care@bplegal.com bplegal.com/construction Florida • New Jersey • New York • Northern Virginia • Washington DC

condo living

SHOULD ASSOCIATIONS CASH CHECK PAYMENTS WRONGFULLY MARKED AS PAYMENT IN FULL? BY ANDREW RAND, CONTROLLER & DIRECTOR OF ASSOCIATION ACCOUNTING AT CSI MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC Before August 8, 2014, community associations were comfortable with §718.116(3), which provided “any payment received by an association must be applied first to any interest accrued by the association, then to any administrative late fee, then to any costs and reasonable attorney fees incurred in collection, and then to the delinquent assessment.” However, when a Florida Court of Appeals ruled on the case of Saint Croix Lane Trust & N.L. Shapiro, Trustee v. Saint Croix at Pelican Marsh Condominium Association, Inc., everything changed.

THE SITUATION The association had filed a lien foreclosure against a unit. The unit had a first mortgage, so the association didn’t bid at the foreclosure sale. Once the Saint Croix Lane Trust took title, the association demanded it pay

the full amount of assessments due. The trust attorney disputed the amount, but provided a check for $840.00, which was less than the demand. A letter with the check said payment was being made “in full and final satisfaction of all claims made against the trust.” The association indicated it would accept it as a partial payment. At trial, the court ruled in favor of the association. However, on appeal, instead of §718.116(3), the court relied on §673.3111, which dealt with accords and satisfactions. It found that because the accord and satisfaction language was in the letter, and that the association cashed the check, the full amount due was satisfied.

& Sobel, P.A. said the case struck fear in associations familiar with accepting partial payments. Now partial payments and accompanying correspondence had to be carefully examined to ensure there was no language indicating accord and satisfaction. Fortunately, the effects of the Saint Croix case were short lived. Effective July 1, 2015, the Florida Legislature adopted amendments to §718.116(3) to clarify the existing law. It now reads, “ … the foregoing is applicable notwithstanding §673.3111, any purported accord and satisfaction, or any restrictive endorsement, designation, or instruction placed on or accompanying a payment.”

A SHOCK FOR ASSOCIATIONS Attorney Michael Chapnick of Siegfried, Rivera, Hyman, Lerner, De La Torre, Mars

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA CHAPTER

condo law

NEW ONLINE ASSOCIATION VOTING LAW: RELIEF OR HEADACHE? BY DONNA DIMAGGIO BERGER, ESQ. The Florida Legislature recently approved a new law that will allow community association members to cast their votes for director elections and other matters online through the use of an electronic voting system. While associations in other states have had this ability for some time now, this is a change for the millions of Floridians living in shared-ownership communities.

manager who doesn’t like them somehow ‘kept them off.’ We’ve heard tales of ballot boxes being stuffed, tampered with and altogether ignored. In the condominium setting, allegations of forgeries on outer envelopes is always a concern, while in the HOA setting, complaints of rampant proxy abuse are common in connection with the election of the board members.

If casting a vote becomes easier for association members, the hope is that more of them will participate. However, even if member participation increases, will the use of an online voting system bring new concerns for your community? For years, many of the disputes in condominiums, cooperatives and homeowners associations, have stemmed from the annual meeting and election process. People who ran for the board and weren’t elected are often convinced that the current board or the

Election disputes don’t come cheap. They are subject to mandatory arbitration with a Florida state agency and can cost up to $5,000 or more depending on how hotly contested the matter is. Other votes, such as waiving reserves, amending use restrictions and approving material alterations can all have significant long-term consequences, so ensuring the integrity of the voting process is crucial. While the online voting process will undoubtedly have some wrinkles (particularly

at the outset), the current ‘paper’ voting system also has its warts. Boards who wish to utilize an online voting system need to pass a Resolution, obtain written consent from their members and vet online voting providers. With the proper due diligence, there is little reason not to embrace an online voting system for your community. Donna DiMaggio Berger is a Shareholder at the community association law firm of Becker & Poliakoff and has represented all types of shared ownership communities throughout Florida for more than two decades. She is the author of a popular association industry blog – www.communityassociationlawblog.com. Ms. Berger can be reached at (954) 364-6031 or via e-mail at dberger@bplegal.com.

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SOCIAL LIVING

Guests (left) with Cristina and Eric Soulavy at the 101 Key Biscayne Grand Opening

Josh Tomey, Jessica Oxios, Nicole Blackburn, Mark Blackburn & Jason Randolph at the 101 Key Biscayne Grand Opening Scott Meyer, Michael Tillman & Alexander Heckler at the SoLe Mia Miami Groundbreaking Ceremony

Harrison LeFrak, Richard LeFrak, Jackie Soffer, Jeffrey Soffer at the SoLe Mia Miami Groundbreaking Ceremony CSI MANAGEMENT SERVICES PROUDLY SUPPORTS THE SOUTH OF FIFTH NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION The South of Fifth Neighborhood Association’s (SOFNA) mission is to serve and support the South of Fifth community through energized and focused advocacy. CSI Management Services is pleased to support the growth of the community group. “SOFNA would like to thank CSI for its ongoing support,” said Michael Barrineau, SOFNA Board President. “Our board, resident committee members and enthusiastic residents are engaged with the City of Miami Beach on parking, traffic, pedestrian safety, lighting, greenspace and growth management issues, to name a few.” (Pictured at right l-r): Josh Tomey, VP, CSI; Herb Santiago, Sr. Director of Operations, CSI; Michael Barrineau, SOFNA Board President; Clare McCord, SOFNA Board Secretary; Dominique Bailleul, SOFNA Board VP; Ron Starkman, Director, CSI; Amanda Aguiar, Business Development Manager, CSI; Charles Smith, Sr. Director of Operations, CSI.

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