EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CEO & FOUNDER
KUBA JEWGIENIEW
PUBLISHER, PRESIDENT & CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER CORY VASQUEZ
EDITORIAL WRITER MELISSA KANDEL
CREATIVE DIRECTOR KIMMI ROBERTSON
ONE LUXE DIRECTOR & VP OF MARKETING TAYLOR CHRISTENSEN
KUBA
CEO AND FOUNDER, REALTY ONE GROUP
The latest edition of Realty ONE Group’s ONE LUXE Magazine is all about the comforts of luxury.
Explore spectacular destinations in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Portugal and Spain, so good they’ll convince you to kick up your feet and stay. Submerge into a high-end cold plunge then relax in a free-standing Canadian Red Cedar sauna, where the stress of the world literally melts away.
Hungry? We’ve got that too, deliciously digging into Southern California’s elevated comfort food scene, where inspiration is simmered in local, seasonal produce, and meatloaf is far from the familiar dish you’ve always thought it to be.
The stories in this issue got me thinking: Why is it that we crave comfort every day? Is it because our worlds are so busy that in comfort, we’re able to finally take a minute to breathe?
Maybe.
Or maybe it’s because in finding comfort, we find ourselves, so we seek out these experiences – of mind, body and soul – to feel more at home with exactly who we are. And at Realty ONE Group, we believe home is wherever you want it to be.
Enjoy the magazine,
The Hot
Cold
“You can be out skiing on your last run, grab your phone, turn on your sauna and when you get home, it’ll already be 195 degrees for you,” McMahon says.
HUUM, one of the first companies to use this smart sauna technology, is an award-winning heater brand that combines modern Nordic design with Estonian sauna wisdom. It’s what McMahon describes as a “sexy, Instagramworthy heater”, made from stone and steel. In this era of the home sauna, HUUM heaters are definitely hot.
“We recently installed a free-standing outdoor sauna for a client, and it has just about everything you’d want,” McMahon says. “It has a big HUUM heater, dark, black wood on the outside, really nice lighting and a glass front. When it’s snowing, it’s the greatest thing ever.”
The sauna was delivered to the Sun Valley client’s home via crane, not only on Thanksgiving day but also on the very first snowfall of the year. His clients were just that eager for their delivery. And McMahon explains that the so-called “fringe benefits” of saunas are never part of the sales conversation. “Saunas were invented in Finland hundreds of years ago,” McMahon says, wistfully. “A hundred years later, we don’t need to make up stuff about them to sell them. They’re great on their own.”
Custom Sauna Design by Symmetry Modern Sauna Design
After visiting the snow capped mountains of Sun Valley, let’s travel someplace a little colder (and a lot smaller) — a tub, filled with chilled-to-the-bone water that makes for the perfect cold plunge. It might seem strange people willingly submit to this near-arctic submersion, but after talking with David Haddad and Thomas Schiffer, co-founders of BlueCube Wellness, it makes total sense.
“In the athletic realm, they’ve been using cold plunges for decades, for recovery, muscle soreness and inflammation, explains Haddad.”
“Just like the sauna, it’s a longevity tool that primes the body to repair and reset itself”, he says.
Haddad likens the cold plunge to a visceral gratitude journal; step in and you’ll emerge undeniably thankful for the warmth of a new day. It’s a similar kind of adaptive pressure to the feeling of completing a tough workout – you did it, you’re done. Phew.
Schiffer adds that it doesn’t take long to feel the gratifying effects. “Two to four minutes of a daily regimen will give you hours, if not a full day, of relief on the inflammatory side.”
Step in, step out, stay a while or just dip your toes in the water, the experience is completely up to you. “It’s a contained and controlled exposure event to meet your needs,” Schiffer says. “You don’t have to start at 36 degrees [Fahrenheit]. Not everyone is an Instagram hero. You can be super gentle about it.”
And on the subject of social media, it’s the Instagram Reels, TikToks and Stories that have sent the popularity of cold plunges into the stratosphere. “There’s a hyper-focus on cold plunges because of social media,” explains Haddad. “You just can’t fake someone’s reaction when they get into a 36-degree ice bath and that makes for a compelling editorial narrative.”
Trendy as they are now, Haddad and Schiffer say cold plunges are nothing new. From Ancient Roman bath houses to the father of medicine and avid cold bather, Hippocrates, the cold plunge has cultural roots that run deep. Haddad calls it a “dormant giant,” and it’s one the BlueCube Wellness team continues to wake.
“The cold plunge [is like] a visceral gratitude journal; step in and you’ll emerge undeniably thankful for the warmth of a new day.”
What Defines a Luxury Cold Plunge?
Adjustable Flow Rates - Luxury cold plunges, like the kind the BlueCube team crafts, have adjustable flow rates, which you won’t find in lower-priced, inflatable products that often use air jets.
The BlueCube Breakdown: “Especially if you live where the air gets to 80 degrees, the air jets work harder and are prone to breaking or failing.”
Long-term Durability - Luxury cold plunges are built for extreme durability, so they’re weatherproof no matter where you live.
The BlueCube Breakdown: “When you have a molded product made out of acrylic or plastic, you’re thinking in terms of volume and bottom line – build as cheap as possible, sell as many you possible but we’re building a legacy piece of equipment with state-of-the-art innovation crafted in a way to handle inclement weather or, for commercial clients, hundreds of people using the cold plunge in a single day.”
“Toes to Nose” Manufacturing - BlueCube makes everything stateside, with as many local parts and components as possible.
The BlueCube Breakdown: “We’re working with American manufacturers who are creating a lot of innovative products. We also build everything; we don’t get it shipped.”
Seamless Quality and Sophistication - Developers and luxury homeowners invest a lot in their pools or hot tubs, so why not have a comparable dollar-todollar cold plunge system that fits with the aesthetic of the home?
The BlueCube Breakdown: “It would look out of place to have a $500 inflatable acrylic hot tub in a luxury home. We’ve got that high-end design.”
Deluxe Details - Made from wood and steel, these cold plunges are built to last.
The BlueCube Breakdown: “We aren’t outsourcing our products with sexy branding. We are doing labor-intensive craftsmanship and sourcing highquality materials for every single part that goes into this product.”
Finally, let’s return to Idaho, to a functional showroom by Symmetry Saunas, where the company’s coowner Sam Rogers says people walk in, see what a gorgeous, high-end sauna might look like and immediately say, “Oh my gosh, I want this in my home!”
The company launched when Rogers met one of his now-business partners, who at the time was running U.S. sales for a couple of sauna companies. “Then I came along with a hairbrained idea of, ‘I think we can do this better.’”
So they did.
Today, Symmetry Saunas is capitalizing on this highdemand, creating luxury products for those who want a sauna at their disposal, right in their own homes. Currently, the team is creating a sauna (price tag: upwards of $200,000) in North Carolina that has stadium seating, Himalayan salt walls, a red light room, a changing room, and as Rogers describes, “a lot of really beautiful aesthetics and design that are all functional for health but also look really cool.”
Has a client asked for a TV in one of their saunas yet? Rogers says: “Hey, if you want it and your budget allows it, we will find a way to make it happen,” referencing his team’s European source for highheat TVs. However, he adds, “At the heart of our company, we love sauna because it is a de-stressor, where you have 30 minutes or however much time to unplug from this fast-paced world.”
Rogers says they don’t steer people too much on the features for their in-home sauna; it’s totally up to them. “But we do say ‘hey, one of the greatest benefits of sauna is not having your phone, a computer, a TV in there and truly taking the time to slow your bid, breath, relax and decompress from stressful things while you’re inside.”
Ah, we can feel that warm, soothing heat now.
OK, we’re convinced saunas are trendy, in-demand and beneficial for our health and well-being, right? There’s still one sauna-minded question to untangle: What’s the difference between any old sauna and one that truly stands out, one that’s a stunning, nearwork of art to display and use in your home? Rogers has the lowdown …
Quality
“The lumbers we use are specific sauna lumbers that have been kiln-dried and baked to a certain moisture content. We also source worldwide what we think are some of the more beautiful lumbers, which really make a difference in the quality of the sauna,” Rogers explains.
Wide Range of High-End Options
“The long-standing staple for saunas is cedar,” Rogers says. “However, we sell a lot of beautiful clear grain cedar saunas and do anything from very, very light color, like aspen all the way to black Taika lumber.”
A Nod to Timelessness and Trends
Rogers says one of the big trends for high-end custom homes is to build an outdoor sauna with a sleek black exterior and a “very light and bright, spacious interior with black accents.”
Customization
A luxury sauna is a sauna that’s exclusively yours. “Matching the sauna to the aesthetic of your home is a newer trend in the sauna industry,” Rogers says. “Especially in high-end custom homes, they want everything to be matching. We’re doing a ton of bathroom remodels or turning a bedroom closet into a walk-in sauna, and really tieing in the design to the theme of the house.”
Stunning and Functional Features
High-end sauna features include: stadium seating in larger saunas, himalayan salt walls, back-lit LED lighting, and a wave bench (curved to shape a human’s body and ultra comfortable).
Round 1 designs for Jeff Kasper
Custom Outdoor Sauna 0.3125 in
Food
Southern California’s Comfort Food Scene
BY MELISSA KANDEL
From elevated meatloaf to French toast with macerated berries, these Southern California-based chefs are serving up the comforts of home with all the luxury of an unforgettable meal.
Ready, SET, Eat
Chef John Jung (Chef JJ) is putting a new spin on sushi and steak. At SET, a garden-like oasis of an eatery inside the sleek Pendry Newport Beach hotel, guests can expect Chef JJ to serve up the unexpected, all with a Peruvian and Japanese flair.
SET is also known for its stunning ... well, setting. On the patio, lanterns hang from lush trees just above spacious wood tables and wraparound booths. Inside, it’s dim lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows, wood blinds, steel accents and a large bar, where classic cocktails, innovative specialties and an extensive wine list ideal for an after-work sip. SET also launched a new brunch service, and it’s been a very good Sunday morning for SET diners ever since.
ONE LUXE MAGAZINE: Tell us about your culinary story. How did you become interested in a professional cooking career?
JAMES JUNG: I’ve been in this industry for about 22 years. I started back in 2004. I was going to [culinary school] Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. After that, I worked in different areas of the culinary world until I met Chef Ricardo Zarate, a Peruvian chef, and I clicked with the Peruvian cuisine, specifically this cuisine called Nikkei, which is a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian. It made sense because my background is Japanese and Asian cuisine. I’ve since opened
multiple restaurants with Chef Ricardo and that gave me the opportunity to feel comfortable making my own menus and start taking on projects. Before SET, I was at a restaurant called Lumi in San Diego, and was fortunate enough to take that project from the ground up and launch the Nikkei concept out there. In 2021, I joined Clique Hospitality and started getting ready for the project in Newport Beach, at the Pendry hotel, and opened the restaurant with the concept theme of Japanese Nikkei steak and sushi. The steak sauce, for instance, is not your typical steak sauce flavor.
You just launched a brunch. What was the process like approaching that menu?
Before we launched brunch, we were already open for lunch, so transitioning from lunch to brunch was easier. It took me about two or three weeks to come up with the menu, source the ingredients and complete the R&D. After that we opened, and it was a great opening.
Favorite item on the SET brunch menu?
I’m a very simple guy, so it’s French toast for me. I think the French toast with macerated, assorted berries and blackberry maple syrup, which is made in house, is one of my favorites. The lobster chorizo scramble was one thing I asked, ‘Do we think this will work?” And it came out nice.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Whenever I think about comfort food, I go back to my culture, Korean food. A really nice warm soup in the morning, that would be my go-to.
Any fun chef stories you can share?
When I first launched my restaurant in San Diego with that niche cuisine, a handful of guests came to eat who were Peruvian. After the meal, they asked the servers if the chef would be willing to stop by their table. When I met them, the guests were surprised I wasn’t Peruvian. I explained that I learned to cook Peruvian cuisine from Chef Ricardo and they said, “This is really good! Better than some of my dishes!” That really said something to me about how much time I’d put in to hone my craft.
At SET, how do you put your elevated spin on comfort food?
I would say it happens in two ways. First, definitely through seasoning – umami – and second, the presentation. And both have to be there. If a guest comes in and sees an awesome presentation but it doesn’t taste nice, it doesn’t work.
So, flavor and presentation. What comes first?
For us, it comes down to the flavor profile, the seasoning. Is it really balanced? What’s the acidity level? Salt level? Or, is it something people have never tried before but still enjoy it? I feel comfortable putting out the menu if I actually enjoy it, if I’m satisfied with the flavor profile, that’s the ultimate thing.
What is your approach to building a menu, and how has it changed over time?
I really want to get feedback from the guests and my team. My first question to my team is: What do you think about this? What do you think about that? Then, by the time I put something on the menu and present it, I’m probably about 90% satisfied and that final 10% comes from the guest’s perspective.
As much as I love putting things together the way I want, the guest still has to enjoy it, so that’s where it has to start. When a dish comes back and it’s fully empty, I’ll go to the table and ask about the dish. If a dish comes back about 80% consumed, I’ll check on the table and ask, “Hey, how was the lunch?” Then I’ll get that feedback. Maybe the portion wasn’t quite right or the flavor needs an adjustment. Things like that are so important, so I can also adapt and adjust.
When I was young, I wouldn’t pay attention to feedback, but after time passed, I realized you have to listen to the guests – it’s a major key. There is never going to be a 100% chance every single guest will appreciate every single thing coming through the kitchen door, but if I can do more on top of what I’ve already done to help them enjoy the meal, that’s always my goal.
How does your food reflect the laid-back California lifestyle?
When I moved from L.A. to San Diego, it was the first time I was really going to the farmers market and it was eye-opening. I met a fisherman who specializes in catching mackerel and delivers it straight from the ocean to the restaurant. There’s a farm I found that has its own grocery shop at the farm, so you’re able to go and try things. There’s a fisherman named Shane, who always opens up his booth at Tuna Harbor in San Diego. You can go down there, meet him and he will catch fish, drive the boat to the harbor and set up a booth. Who can say that’s not fresh?
How do these experiences ultimately benefit your guests and the stories about the food you’re able to tell?
It gives me a better idea of how to create a locally driven menu, and the people growing and catching the food become more familiar to me. It’s the highest quality of food when you’re getting it directly from the source. When I’m putting together a menu, I know I can talk to guests and tell them a lot more stories about the food. I can tell them, “This is from a farm not too far from you.”
You have to listen to the guests – it’s a major key.
What are some of those food stories about local produce?
At SET, we have Aaron, who lives in Irvine but has a farm in San Marcos, in San Diego County. He was on his drive home and said, “I’ll stop by the hotel with some samples,” explaining that he had some samples I haven’t tried before. “Great, let’s bring it on,” I told him.
Now, when a chef asks a farmer to bring samples, it usually ends up being two, three, maybe five. But he
brought probably 35 different things. I said, “You did too much,” and he said, “Chef, I have another round tomorrow.”
He specializes in ingredients I enjoy using in Peruvian cuisine, like the oca tuber, which is hard to raise in the U.S because the climate is so different from Peru. Aaron did a trial for almost eight years and figured out how to grow it and a way to get the price down, because at first they were pricey. When he visited the hotel, he brought 10 pounds of oca.
So, the more I appreciate the farmer, the more I realize they’re appreciating the chefs. Ultimately, we get awesome ingredients in our restaurant and guests can enjoy these products that are the benefit of so much effort and passion from people like Aaron and my other buddies who are really doing it right. For Aaron to be willing to drive from San Diego to O.C. to drop off samples, it’s such an honor.
Your Momma’s Meatloaf
A Dana Point, California eatery transforms the traditional while crafting luxurious, local flavors
ONE LUXE MAGAZINE: Take us back to the beginning: How did your restaurant career get started?
BLAKE MELLGREN: It’s funny because I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if it wasn’t for a speeding ticket. When I was 16, I got a speeding ticket and my parents were like, “Go get a job, pay for it. You screwed up. It’s not our fault.”
I got a job as a host in a restaurant in Laguna Niguel called Mangia Bene. I naturally gravitated toward the industry. As a kid, I was watching Food Network and ESPN. I always loved food. We ate out five nights a week, so food and restaurants were always something I really enjoyed and then I just kind of parlayed it from there.
Step inside Craft House and it’s a little dark, a little mysterious. Illuminated wine cabinets flank the walls, brass pendant lights hang from high, wood-beamed ceilings and a free-standing shelf filled with all types of liquor separates the dining area from the front-ofhouse bar.
On any given night, Craft House patrons sit at neatly arranged tables, on brown-leather banquettes, at the open-air patio or around the large, rectangular bar, sipping something like an Old Fashioned aromatized
Did your idea to become a professional chef start from that very first job at age sixteen?
Actually, I went to college [at Loyola Marymount University], got a marketing degree, thought I wanted to be a booking agent for bands, realized that wasn’t going to work out well then got back in the kitchen in 2010 and worked at Chez Melange in Redondo Beach for like, two years. I moved out to New York and worked [as a line cook] at the Modern, [a restaurant inside the Museum of Modern Art] and had the pleasure of working for Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group.
A little over a year later, I moved back home and designed and built out the whole restaurant. In March, it’ll be 8 years that Craft House has been open, but including design and everything, it’s been like 10 years.
What was your initial concept for Craft House?
When we were designing, I told the architect: “Hey, I want it to look like a roadhouse, not in a cheesy sense, but I want it to look like it’s been there for a long time and seen some stuff.”
I don’t want it to feel like it’s a brand-new building, you know? I wanted it to have that warm and distinguished vibe. My mom’s mom is from Tennessee. My dad’s mom was born in Arkansas and grew up in New Mexico. Southern food and things of that nature were always present. There’s a hilarious photo of me as a little kid standing on a stepstool at my grandma’s house stirring a pot of soup. It always made sense to me to have a restaurant based on comfort food. That’s the best way I can describe it. It was innate. I grew up surrounded by strong women who showed me around the kitchen.
Did you know what kind of food you wanted to serve from the very beginning?
Cuisine-wise, definitely elevated, comfort food was the goal, just taking everything you know and love and doing it our way. That’s where the name came from, too. All the craftsmanship within the restaurant, the different aspects of craftsmanship, I want it to feel homey and comfortable like going over to a friend’s house, and the focus has always been comfort.
I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if it wasn’t for a speeding ticket.
I want it to feel homey & comfortable like going over to a friends house
How would you define ‘comfort food’?
To me it usually takes a Southern slant, like meatloaf. Meatloaf is a very quintessential comfort food dish and one of our signature offerings here. Fried chicken as well, and to some extent the potato tacos and our mac and cheese, I think those would all fit the bill.
Comfort food is usually food that has that Southern flair to it but also dishes that may not necessarily be Southern but have a long history in your life, things your mom used to make for you growing up. I always feel like you try to pluck at people’s heart strings when you do a dish. You want them to say, “Oh I remember when my mom used to make ‘fill-inthe-blank,’ and this one reminds me of that.”
I also think what qualifies as ‘comfort food’ is that it’s very simple fare. It’s not a filet mignon and it’s not a lobster tail. It’s leftover mashed potatoes you can make into leftover-type food. Dishes that come from humble beginnings. Simple.
Would you say comfort food can sometimes be deceptively simple, though? Like maybe a dish seems simple but requires a lot of finesse and experience to get right?
Oh yeah. Everyone says our meatloaf is the best thing here, and meatloaf can bring up visceral memories of childhood. I look at them and I’m like, “Your mom used to make you a charcoal briquette she slathered in ketchup and called meatloaf. Don’t worry, this one isn’t that.”
We take those things you sometimes have negative connotations with – “My Mom did it horribly, or ugh that thing?” – and elevate them, making them simple but elegant. I like to describe it as walking a tightrope. You can’t miss. You can’t be off the mark. If you’re going to keep it simple, you’ve got to nail it.
Is your emphasis on local fare part of your concept of elevated comfort food?
When you’re working locally, you’re working directly with the farmers or fishermen. You know where your food is coming from and it allows that simplicity aspect to be much easier. If you’re buying whatever it is at the peak of the season, it’s going to taste that much better and you’ll have to manipulate it a lot less. When we get a tuna in or whatever fish they’re catching, people say, “That was the best piece of fish.”
Well yeah, it was swimming 24 hours ago. You’re not going to taste a fresher piece of fish and that makes my job easy. You make something that will go with the fish but you don’t overpower it or make it disappear. I like to say, “Just get out of the way of the fish.”
How has your menu evolved since you first opened Craft House?
We used to change our menu daily, which is a little riskier out here. We would do meat-based pasta, vegetable-based pasta, and fish. We would change the steak up every few days, just throwing new things on the menu. But then someone comes in, has the special and shows back up a week later, saying they’ve been thinking about how good the dish was last week. We’d have to tell them: “Oh yeah we don’t have that tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was a one-off. We may make it again, may not. I don’t have an answer for you.”
We would get a lot of people mad. They’d say, “That was the best dish I ever had,” and I wouldn’t even remember what I made.
Slowing down the evolution of our dishes was super helpful for us and realizing it’s hard to control your costs with a menu that changes every day. Now we do the classic four big changes. We make weekly changes but for the most part we give people a lot of consistency.
Do
you think that consistency has helped solidify a regular crowd?
We definitely have some regulars. And when I found out they tell their friends they’re going to Cheers, they don’t even refer to us by our name, that aspect of it is exactly what I want. I want people to feel at home, like this is their watering hole. When people are just like, “This is where we go,’’ it’s really cool.
Any celebrity Craft House fans?
We have had a handful of notable people like Sam Hagar who has been in a couple of times and loved it. Amos Lee has been in here and we became friends with him over time. He was like, “Oh these are the best Brussels sprouts.” He became infatuated with the food and I’m like, “Oh wow, you could go anywhere you want and you’re electing to come here and hang out.”
And you know, Amos is not coming in once and having dinner, he’s coming back two and three times while he’s down here working on an album, which is super cool.
What’s your favorite dish on the menu right now?
Right now my go-to is steak frites. I have it almost nightly for dinner. Every now and again I’ll go back and have a piece of fried chicken or a bite of the meatloaf. Those dishes are so good. They work. We do change up what we serve with the dish and how we do it, but meatloaf is as day one as you get here and it still holds up. [Orange County Register food critic] Brad Johnson said it was the best thing he ate this week. He only made [Chef] Paul Prudhomme’s meatloaf recipe that Paul gave him personally, and he said it was better than that so I was like, “Oh wow. Look at us go.”
Can you talk a little more about how keeping things local and seasonal plays into your dishes?
For the Farmers’ Market Burrata Salad, we have a farmers’ market in Dana Point that happens every Saturday. A few years ago I said, “Oh, let’s go check it out and see what we can get,” and went there with our sous chef. That’s how we found Sunny Cal Farms, one of the vendors at the market, and we’ve been working with them now for more than seven years from that initial visit. I text Sunny Cal Farms: “Hey, we need this, this and this.”
And we get it. I go to the market, hang out for 20 or 30 minutes and ask, “Oh, what’s coming in next week?”
They’ve got pluots, peaches and nectarines, and plenty of citrus in the winter. They have everything. The Farmers Market Burrata Salad changes every single day based on what we pick up from Sunny Cal Farms to carry us through the week.
With our local fishermen, one of my chefs was working at a different restaurant when a guy showed up at the back door one day, said “Hey do you want a yellowtail?” And that was that.
About a year in at Craft House, I said to my chef, “Hey let’s see what kind of local stuff we can get,” and we gave this guy a call. He told us we can buy whatever we want from him and I said, “Let’s go. Give me some fish.”
I worked a deal. I get first right of refusal on everything they catch and seven years later, here we are. My ice machine is their ice machine to help out with cost, and now I’ll say, “Go get me some fish. Halibut, yellowtail, mahi, bluefin, yellowfin …”
Then whatever is swimming out there as long as they can put a hook in its mouth gets to me usually the next day. What’s cool too is that these dudes are one line, one hook. They’re doing it very sustainably, too.
We have to finish up this chat with a few thoughts about your cocktails. What are some of the most popular drinks you serve?
I feel like whiskey, bourbon in particular, go hand in hand with comfort food, so that’s obviously a big one for us. We have an enormous craft cocktail list but our focus is American whiskeys. We have 100 different whiskeys, everything that’s hard to find, and we try to make what we can. We will never buy anything pre-infused. We infuse everything ourselves. We make as much stuff in-house as possible from cordials, syrups, whatever we need. My favorite cocktail, our old fashioned, is fantastic. It’s a solid cocktail and it kind of became our mainstay so I’d say that’s one of our most popular drinks. Just like the food menu, there’s a new cocktail on the list almost every week, so we’re always going through new ideas, pumping out cool new things for people to try and check out. If it hits and they’re like, “Oh we like that,” we’ll let it sit a little bit on the drink menu. We won’t change it as quickly, just like the kitchen. We keep it as fresh and local as we can, and that’s why everything feels so ever-changing and new.
Craft House Fried Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
CHICKEN SPICE
Yield: Two cups
1/2-cup onion powder
1/2-cup garlic powder
1/2-cup paprika
1/3-cup chili powder
3 tablespoons Old Bay
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 tablespoon plus scant one-third-teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Pre-Assembly
CHICKEN
6 six-ounce boneless chicken breasts, cut in half 1 quart buttermilk
CHICKEN FLOUR
Yield: Five-and-a-half cups
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rice flour
1/2-cup chicken spice (see recipe)
FRYING
4 cups lard
1. Combine all the dry ingredients. Reserve a half-cup of the mixture for later.
2. Place the chicken in a medium stainless steel or glass bowl. Sprinkle the spice mix over the chicken, cover the bowl and refrigerate. Let the meat marinate, ideally for 24 hours.
3. Four hours before cooking, add the buttermilk and mix it thoroughly so that all the meat is covered.
Assembly
1. Preheat the lard in a deep saute pan or cast iron skillet to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove the chicken breasts from the buttermilk and allow the excess liquid to drain.
3. Toss the chicken breasts in the Chicken Flour to coat each side thoroughly.
4. Gently place the breasts, one by one, into the oil, being careful not to crowd them. You may have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet.
5. Allow the chicken to cook for seven to eight minutes, then turn the breasts over and cook for an additional seven to eight minutes. A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Remove from the lard and serve.
Call it “All or Nothing”, an UNtraditional approach to real estate, or whatever you like - at Realty ONE Group, we are a transaction-based brand that lets you keep 100% of the commission you earn. Our business model means growth, no matter the market.
In the latest Luxury Market Report released by the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing (ILHM), residential real estate conditions are categorized as a “seller’s market,” though advantages for buyers are steadily growing. “The luxury sector shows resilience and balance,” the report notes, adding: “Buyers and sellers alike should keep an eye on interest rate trends, inventory and consumer sentiment, as these factors will likely continue to shape demand.”
Inventory and Sales (Single-family Luxury Homes)
The report reveals that October was a “significant turning point” in the single-family home luxury market. Inventory jumped 19.7% year-over-year, new listings increased 11.7% and sales climbed 21% as previously sidelined buyers re-entered the market.
Median Sales Price
Median sales price for both luxury single-family and attached markets remained relatively unchanged from a month-over-month and year-over-year perspective.
Buyer Advantages
Customized And Personalized Homes
In today’s luxury market, personalization and customization is key. Adding high-end and on-trend amenities like a wine cellar, movie theater, luxurious home office, gym, bar, spa or pickleball court help entice affluent buyers to the resort-like experience the property provides. Buyers are also looking for homes enhanced with smart technology, featuring high-end appliances and equipped with security, lighting and entertainment to create their very own personalized retreat.
The luxury market changes quickly, and the best way to stay ahead of these changes is to partner with an experienced Realty ONE Group real estate professional who can show you how existing and upcoming trends can help you turn real estate dreams into reality.
New inventory is bringing additional options for buyers looking at competitive, in-demand neighborhoods. An increase in the level of inventory coupled with an uptick in sales activity is giving buyers an edge they haven’t seen in a long while.
Seller Standstill
Despite rates appearing to be on a downward trajectory, many sellers are still hesitant to give up their favorable rates in search of a new home. This has created what IHLM calls a “current holding pattern,” keeping inventory – despite recent rises –at historically lower levels.
Location
What are some of the top preferences of luxury buyers today? Privacy, space, lifestyle amenities, proximity to nature, high-quality living and access to exclusive services like golf courses, marinas and private communities, as well as activities like dining, shopping and entertainment, says ILHM. Today’s affluent buyer is moving away from urban centers and toward suburban and even rural locales, which offer resort-style living whether on the tranquility of the beach or in the rugged escape of the mountains.
By The Numbers
A quantitative glance at the current luxury real estate landscape for single-family homes, courtesy of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing
MEDIAN LIST PRICE
MEDIAN SALES PRICE
MEDIAN PRICE PER SQ. FT.
TOTAL INVENTORY
NEW LISTINGS
TOTAL SOLD
MEDIAN DAYS ON MARKET
$1,625,000 $1,300,000 $389 60,562 18,928 14,384 24 $1,572,000 $1,283,750 $402 72,493 21,147 17,401 30
Median prices represent properties priced above respective city benchmark prices.
MEDIAN LUXURY THRESHOLD PRICE: $900,000
MEDIAN LUXURY HOME SALES PRICE: $1,283,750
MARKETS WITH THE HIGHEST MEDIAN SALES PRICE:
Telluride ($7,197,500)
Paradise Valley ($4,000,000)
Vail ($4,000,000)
Los Angeles Beach Cities ($3,900,000)
Contact your luxury real estate professional for more information on the full report published by the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing.
Comfort
In 2024, chic and comfort are inextricably entwined. There’s a new kind of sartorial refinement in the air, and it’s all about the delicate art of balancing textures, fabrics and colors to create a statement that’s softly sophisticated and entirely your own.
Here are some trends that are defining this era of comfort chic …
Quiet Luxury
What is quiet luxury? It’s a hushed contradiction to the logo-driven fashion apparel that loudly announces, “Hey, I’m wearing this brand.” And while there’s nothing wrong with sporting your favorite designer, quiet luxury takes a more reserved approach. With precise tailoring and a distinct point of view, brands are silently reimagining wardrobe staples like cashmere sweaters, leather loafers and silk blouses. As it turns out, there’s a lot to be said when you listen to the quiet.
Oversized Silhouettes
Baggy yet chic—it’s the ultimate style synergy. Combine a white tee or button-up with an oversized blazer and relaxed-fit pants, and you’ve got an ensemble that’s undeniably on-trend. The appetite for an oversized silhouette is not slowing down, and the power behind this look springs from its playful upending of expectations about form, contour, shape and style.
High-End Athleisure
Elevate your athletic wear and never feel “underdressed” again. To embrace the “athleisure trend,” try pairing sleek sunglasses, a matching workout set, and your favorite sneakers. What’s so casual about that? Athleisure mixes sportswear and sophistication, so you can go from the gym to happy hour cocktails without missing a step.
Minimalism
The true essence of this low-key trend lies in its simplicity; luxurious fabrics such as cashmere and organic cotton are used to transform basics like sweaters, shirts and even bed sheets into pared-down pieces that emphasize crisp, sleek and polished design. With muted tones and streamlined color combinations, minimalist clothes serve as wearable reminders that the ultimate luxury is feeling at home, wherever you are.
Live, Play & Get AWAY.
AGENT
Exploring the beauty and undeniable appeal of ONE LUXE markets around the globe.
TAMARA CAÑARTE
REALTY ONE GROUP ECUADOR
Location: Originally from Machala, Ecuador, but currently resides in Guayaquil, Ecuador
If we can do it, you can do it.
During her first month in real estate, Tamara Cañarte achieved the near-impossible: $1,150,000 in sales. With a background in marketing, technology and interior design, Cañarte now focuses on the luxury sector of Guayaquil as she helps her community buy, sell and invest in homes, educating clients about the best decisions to make along the way.
Cañarte credits her broker, Erik Jiménez, as well as her brokerage for the inspiration to succeed. Under Jiménez’s leadership, the office is a place where Cañarte can sharpen her skills and where she’s constantly collaborating with peers; almost every real estate professional at Realty ONE Group Ecuador is under 25 years old.
“If we can do it, you can do it,” she says, reiterating the mindset shared by the brokerage’s young, ambitious crew.
One of Cañarte’s most memorable moments in real estate? “I met a client during my first networking event who was looking for commercial properties,” she explains. “After chatting about my background and capabilities, not only did he buy commercial properties with my help but also through his family and friends, I was able to lock down a $1.1 million listing, which as a rookie in Ecuador is unheard of!”
People love investing in beachfront properties. What’s better than life at the beach?
The Guayaquil market, Cañarte says, is hot, with buyers recognizing the profitability of purchasing property, especially in Punta Centinela and Salinas, where a combination of a luxury coastal lifestyle and homes with ever-growing equity attracts buyers to the beach.
The commercial market is equally strong. Listings for office buildings, strip malls, restaurants and other local businesses go up for one or two days – a week at most – before they’re sold or rented out.
“A lot of buyers are Ecuadorians or American Ecuadorians wanting to own property here,” Cañarte says. “People love investing in beachfront properties. Ecuador is like a paradise where you can relax and enjoy life how it’s supposed to be. You can live in an expensive place for not a lot of money, and what’s better than life at the beach?”
ANA ROCHA
REALTY
ONE GROUP PORTUGAL
Location: Porto, Portugal; Famalicão, Portugal and the Northern Coastline
It’s a Good Life
says Ana Rocha, agent with Realty ONE Group Portugal, about living along the glittery coast of Northern Portugal, an up-and-coming market where good food, good weather and good home prices combine.
Rocha has been helping buyers and sellers for about six years, a second career after spending 18 years in banking. “I love people and I love the challenge of stepping outside my comfort zone,” she explains. “The market is always changing and you have to be flexible.”
Right now, real estate in Northern Portugal is marked by robust sales activity and a fast-moving market. “Demand is high and properties tend to sell quickly,” Rocha says. “Depending on the location and type of property, it can take weeks or even days to sell.”
The swift pace of sales is to be expected, she explains. Who wouldn’t want to live in Portugal?
The Douro Valley offers stunning landscapes threaded by hillside vineyards, twists of the Douro River and obviously, wine. (It’s the birthplace of Port wine.) Comporta, just one hour south of Lisbon, is described as “Portugal’s best-kept secret,” an unhurried place of wild pine forests, ancient sand dunes, pristine beaches and luxury homes. Porto is a picturesque city with stunning architecture all along the Douro River. Azores and Madeira are volcanic islands with dramatic landscapes and a ton of outdoor activities like hiking, sailing, mountain biking and kayaking.
EUGENIA ECHEVERRIA
REALTY ONE GROUP COSTA RICA
Location: Escazú, Costa Rica and Santa Ana, Costa Rica
“When I first started working at Realty ONE Group, I realized I was in the right time and in the right moment,” Eugenia Echeverria says, adding that her previous experience in the tourism industry helped her build a wide network of connections while honing her English-speaking skills.
Today, Echeverria covers the Central Valley of Costa Rica, specifically Escazú – a popular suburb of the capital city, San José – and Santa Ana, known as the Valley of the Sun, where the name fits perfectly because a lower elevation ensures the weather is typically mild and warm.
“We have everything here,” Echeverria explains of the Costa Rican lifestyle. “Entertainment, international food, nice malls, private universities, culture, theater, music. The Central Valley is also surrounded by mountains, so you have a perfect view from a lot of different places where you can live.”
The mountain vistas are just one of many draws bringing foreign buyers to Costa Rica, where Echeverria says the market is “thriving.” Buyers from the U.S., Canada and Europe (particularly Germany and Spain) are heading to Costa Rica in droves.
Even though we have beautiful forests, oceans, beaches and wildlife, buyers are drawn to this kindness –the Pura Vida life.
“I think the number one reason foreign buyers like Costa Rica is because of the people,” Echeverria explains. “Costa Ricans are very polite and kind and we want to help everybody. Even though we have beautiful forests, oceans, beaches and wildlife, buyers are drawn to this kindness – the Pura Vida life.”
As an example, Echeverria says she was once contacted by a new client who had found her on the internet. The owner had a cottage in San Carlos, Costa Rica that he wanted Echeverria to help him sell, even though she was located about two-and-a-half hours away. They settled on the contract, and she posted about the house online. To her surprise, a buyer was almost immediately interested in the property … and that buyer wanted to look at it now.
“I called the owner and said, ‘Listen there’s a buyer from the U.S. who wants to go visit the house, but she’s there right now. I’m almost three hours away, what should we do?’”
“No problem,” the owner told her. “I can show the buyer around.”
The buyer saw the property and loved it, so Echeverria worked out the terms of the deal. Without stepping foot on the land – and with the kindness of its owner – she sold the Costa Rican cottage in less than a month.
Pura Vida indeed.
ISTVAN PASKU
REALTY ONE GROUP SPAIN
Location: Malaga, Spain and Marbella, Spain
Before Istvan Pasku became a Spanish real estate superstar, the serial entrepreneur was working in tourism, creating holiday packages and contracting with luxury hotels throughout Europe. When tourism waned during the pandemic, he took his career in a different direction, and in June 2021, became the master franchise owner for Realty ONE Group Spain, acquiring the brand’s franchising rights throughout the country.
Since then, he’s been helping high-end clients find stunning properties throughout Malaga and Marbella, two cities known as ultra-luxurious global destinations. The region, called Costa del Sol, is dotted with high-end luxury developments, like the Lamborghini Villas, which Pasku and his team are currently offering for about €4 million to €5 million each, and, as he says: “They’re selling like hot cakes.”
For buyers, the stable, steady Spanish market is a big draw.
“The price ratio attracts buyers,” Pasku says, adding that property values in Costa del Sol have been steadily increasing by about 10% each year, and the average occupancy rate for luxury properties is over 75% per unit per year. “If I have a big house, I can rent it out 250 days out of 360, which generates a gross 1% or 12% return on investment,” he explains.
We have every luxury amenity you could want.
In Pasku’s experience, luxury buyers are incredibly savvy about their investments. “If they’re buying something for five million dollars, they’re considering all factors – property tax, maintenance, the strength of the tourism industry, the quality of the hospitality industry, restaurants, beaches,” he says. “Once they take everything into consideration, they recognize that Spain isn’t so expensive because they’re getting a lot for their money.”
Plus, there are all those luxurious perks of Costa del Sol living, too.
“We have every luxury amenity you could want,” Pasku says. “We have Louis Vuitton, Gucci, the Dolce & Gabbana beach club, Nobu, Nobu hotels and Puerto Banús in Marbella, one of the largest luxury yacht ports in Europe.”
By the numbers, Marbella and Malaga have more than 12 Michelin Star restaurants within a half hour radius, 77 golf courses within a fifty-minute drive, and almost 300 days of sunshine each year. (Pasku says it’s why the Costa del Sol region is known as “European California.”) Malaga is what Pasku calls a “mini Barcelona,” with all the excitement of a big, urban metropolis mixed with miles of sun-drenched, sandy white beaches. There’s also the historical city of Granada nearby and the Sierra Nevada Mountains just an hour drive away. Each season, the mountains get snow from the end of Christmas through the Easter holiday, making it possible, as Pasku explains, “to ski in the morning and sunbathe in the afternoon.”
Pictured: Marbella Diamente Villas
ONE LUXE professionals are the embodiment of sophistication and world-class service. With access to ONE-of-a-kind elite marketing assets and global reach, the ONE LUXE brand takes a distinctive approach to marketing high-end properties. The reputation spans beyond a designation through the Institute of Home Luxury Marketing, ONE Luxe professionals are dedicated to making each transaction a high-touch, stress-free experience.
ONE Luxe is alifestyle.
