New Haven magazine January 2009

JANUARY

2009

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‘Dr. Crime,’ forensics superstar Henry Lee, tells all

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New Haven I January/2009

Animal magnetism, Hysteria Lane, and much more

Meet the world’s most distinguished forensic scientist — New Haven’s Henry Lee

Eclectic jazz drummer Jesse Hameen in the pocket

54 Words of Mouth Caffé Bravo: Eatin’ good in the ‘hood

17 Let’s Get Physical

56 Chef on the Grill

Retooling your body for 2009

Up close and personal with Jacques Pépin

22 Trouble in Paradise Scandal on the Shoreline: What’s wrong with Madison?

28 Twisted Cistern

Anthony DeCarlo

8 ONE2ONE

46 ‘Cheese’ Is Back in Town

PHOTOGRAPH:

7 In Intel

62 Pot Calling the Kettle In DISCOVERED, get your pottery thing on

New Haven’s most distinctive home — revealed!

36 Sweat Equity Look totally awesome hitting the gym

38 In Gallery Mary Maguire turns everyday objects into instant classic

46 New Haven

| Vol. 2, No. 4 | January 2009

Publisher Mitchell Young, Editor Michael C. Bingham, Design Manager Larissa Wigglesworth, Design Consultant Terry Wells, Contributing Writers Brooks Appelbaum, Elvira J. Duran, Joyce Faiola, Michael Harvey, Liese Klein, Cindy Marien, Melissa Nicefaro, Tashema Nichols, Joanna Pettas, Ron Ragozzino, Steven Scarpa, Cindy Simoneau, Editorial Assistant Sarah Politz, Photographers Steve Blazo, Anthony DeCarlo

4 january 2009

Advertising Director Laura Whinfield, Senior Publisher’s Representatives Mary W. Beard, Ronni Rabin, Publisher’s Representatives Cynthia Carlson, David Gullotti, Paula Thompson, Sara Zembrzuski New Haven is published 12 times annually by Second Wind Media Ltd., which also publishes Business New Haven, with offices at 85 Willow St., New Haven, CT 06511. 203-781-3480 (voice), 203-781-3482 (fax). Subscriptions $24.95/year, $39.95/two years. Send name, address & zip code with

payment. Second Wind Media Ltd. d/b/a New Haven shall not be held liable for failure to publish an advertisement or for typographical errors or errors in publication. For more information e-mail NewHaven@Conntact.com.

OUR COVER Henry C. Lee, photographed by Steve Blazo.

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THE SHOPS AT RICHARD PENNA

Wishing Love... Light & Peace

EDITOR’S L E T T E R

New Beginnings, Best Intentions

H

appy New Year!

In this month of new beginnings we offer up a wideranging potpourri for your reading (and viewing) pleasure.

In an era when the science of forensics has become sexy (witness the popularity of the various CSI programs on television), we have an in-depth conversation with the man who may be New Haven’s best known figure to the rest of the world — Dr. Henry C. Lee (he of O.J. Simpson and William Kennedy Smith fame). Lee is revealing about many of the fascinating cases he has worked on, but what gave me pause were his observations about how very public crimes can (and often do) easily become politicized and bureaucratized in the hands of law enforcement.

Fascinating stuff.

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Speaking of law enforcement, in this issue Senior Writer Liese Klein takes an in-depth look beneath the surface gloss of the tranquil and seemingly pristine shoreline town of Madison to reveal what’s behind the recent wave of police and political scandals roiling its normally placid waters.

January is the month of good intentions, when we all pledge to do more, and better, in our personal and professional lives. Melissa Nicefaro writes on how to make New Year’s resolutions that we can actually keep in order to make our lives better.

T HE FRENCH DOOR Fine Gifts & Decor Seasonal Sparkle, Bridal & Baby

One way many of us likely plan to make our lives better this month is to hit the gym in order to sweat off those unwelcome (but seemingly unavoidable) holiday pounds. New INSTYLE columnist Jessica Misener tells us how to sweat, well, in style while we huff and puff our way to (one hopes) a higher plane of physical fitness.

Likewise in this issue we respond to long-running reader and advertiser requests by introducing a new department, BODY & SOUL. This new monthly section will address improving and maintaining physical well-being, with subject matter ranging from fitness to disease-prevention to looking your best. It’s a great, healthy way to ring in the New Year.

In OFNOTES, Sarah Politz profiles one of the New Haven jazz scene’s coolest cats — drummer Jesse Hameen, known to his peers as “Cheese” for his thousand-watt smile. From Grover Washington Jr. to Curtis Mayfield, Cheese has played with greats across the popularmusic spectrum, and his enthusiasm for music and life is infectious.

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I have lived in New Haven for more than 20 years (I can’t believe I just wrote that), and over that entire span I have wondered what that vaguely castle-looking thing was high above the northern terminus of Prospect Street. In the 1990s it suddenly spouted windows, which added to the intrigue. Well, last month I finally was able to unlock the mystery, and in this month’s ATHOME I am finally at liberty to tell all.

What a relief! v

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I NT EL Hysteria Lane Soon after New Haven’s most famous crooner, Michael Bolton (né Bolotin) put his $11 million (asking price) Westport estate on the market he was shown the door by Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan.

You Go, Girl!

Northwest Airlines will resume direct flights from Europe’s paid sex-and-drugs capital — that would be Amsterdam — to Connecticut’s Bradley Airport next June. The flights were discontinued last October primarily in response to soaring fuel costs. The service connects to KLM’s Amsterdam hub and 81 cities in Europe and the Middle East.

The flights, which commenced in July 2007, proved pretty popular, reaching 85-percent capacity in the summer. Northwest was brought back to Bradley’s international terminal with a package of incentives from economic development groups in Connecticut and western Massachusetts as well as $500,000 from Bradley itself to help support and market the operation. Gov. M. Jodi Rell told a business group, “I may have to take a flight to Amsterdam.”

We’ll ask for a drug test on her return.

“possesses” the house. The family calls in a priest who appears to triumph over the ghosts, but Matt gets worse and the haunting escalates to real danger.

The pair were still sharing their $4.4 million Tinseltown mansion since August when they broke off their two-year engagement. According to the New York Post, Sheridan tired of the arrangement, demanded that Bolton leave and drop his claim to half the home.

Connecticut’s huge film tax credits weren’t enough to lure the production crew here — they filmed in Manitoba, Canada instead.

For more than 55 years, Henry Gustav Molaison — known as HM to the scientists that studied him — lived able to remember only fragments of his past and no more than 20 seconds of his immediate life.

Sneak Preview The “true story” of one family’s supernatural ordeal, The Haunting in Connecticut will be slipping into theaters next June.

Based on the Snedeker family’s alleged encounter with the paranormal in their Southington home, the story was featured in the book In A Dark Place by Ray Garton and on the Discovery Channel series A Haunting.

In the film, Sara and Peter Campbell’s family tale begins when their son Matt is diagnosed with cancer, and they move to Connecticut for his treatment.

In their new home, Matt grows increasingly “affected” by paranormal activity that

Remembering Henry

Space Cadets The Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium at 355 Prospect Street in New Haven will kick off the International Year of Astronomy (2009) with a free class on how to get the most out of your amateur telescope.

Michael Faison of Yale’s Astronomy Department will explain how telescopes work and give hands-on lessons. Bring your own telescope January 7-9 from 7 to 9 p.m. To reserve a space, e-mail michael.faison@yale.edu or visit leitnerobservatory.org.

Molaison, who grew up in Hartford, died last month at a Manchester nursing home at age 82. HM participated in more than a half-century of research and hundreds of studies that helped show how memory was localized to a specific brain area.

Molaison was afflicted following an experimental brain operation in Hartford to correct extreme seizures. After the surgery the seizures remained while HM lost the ability to form any new memories. He could remember facts from before his surgery but couldn’t form any new memories.

Many scientists say that HM was the most important patient in the study of the brain.

A True Pedigreed Eileen McCaughern of Bethany has been named Hero of the Year for “extraordinary service for the welfare of animals” by the Animal Planet television network.

McCaughern is founder of Retired Greyhounds as Pets (REGAP) of Connecticut and the country’s first matching-funds greyhound retirement home. She’s dedicated the past 35 years to rescuing more than 5,000 greyhounds. McCaughern recently opened the retirement kennel with the help of state grants, local businesses, generous individuals and the American Greyhound Council for the fleet-of-foot canines as well.

The award brings $10,000 to McCaughern’s cause. You too can help by visiting regapct.com.

new haven

7

PHOTOGRAPH:

Steve Blazo

From O.J. to JonBenét, the world’s preeminent forensic scientist tells all

8 january 2009

P

erhaps the world’s best known forensic scientist, Henry C. Lee, recently celebrated his 70th birthday as well as more than 35 years helping to solve criminal cases through science and scientific analysis.

Lee emigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan in 1965.

Lee is retired from daily service as director of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory, and as the state’s chief criminologist from 1979 to 2000. He remains active as a lecturer and author (more than two dozen volumes) and as a crime-solver for cases across the globe. From Manila to New York, from San Francisco to Beijing, Lee’s fingerprints can be found on nearly every major case that has hit the media spotlight, including the investigation of the death of JonBenét Ramsey, the trial of O.J. Simpson and the suicide of Clinton White House counsel Vincent Foster. Lee has testified in more than 1,000 criminal and civil cases. Lee’s most lasting legacy, however, is likely to be his impact on the science and teaching of forensic science. Credited with major contributions in blood, tissue, semen, hair and bone typing and investigation techniques, Lee is also responsible for establishing the University of New Haven’s Forensic Science Program, now known as the Henry C. Lee Forensic Institute. NHM Publisher Mitchell Young interviewed Lee for ONE2ONE.

vvv How is forensic science different today from when you first started?

It’s no longer like the early days [when] forensic scientists were generalists. We do everything from autopsy to toxicology to hair analysis, fingerprint[s]. Now we have 36 specialty areas. A forensic pathologist just does autopsy; they know nothing about fingerprinting. A fingerprint examiner know[s] everything about fingerprinting, and nothing about ballistics — and a firearm examiner doesn’t know DNA. It is a field of specialization, just like medicine.

I would think a specialized investigator wouldn’t be an effective ‘crime solver.’

Good observation. That’s the biggest problem that we worry about: You become so specialized that no one can solve a case — everybody only sees a little part of it.

Somehow, not by choice but gradually, I

have become the leader of the pack in an international respect. [In] the U.S., South America, Europe and Asia, there are a lot of ‘unsolvable’ cases, and they ask us to help. The reason is because I have an overall view; I started as a police officer detective.

When and where was that?

1959 to 1964, in Taiwan. At that time you never heard of a cop getting a Ph.D. in molecular biology. That was unheard of.

How did you get from there to here?

At that time, solving cases basically relied on interrogation. You develop a suspect, and then arrest a suspect either with the charge or with another charge. Then [you] start interrogating, at that time it was sort of legal to use water hose or workover — you force a confession. So I felt if you forced a confession, you really didn’t solve the case; you created another tragedy.

Meanwhile, the hardcore criminal got away. So I said there must be a better way to solve the case.

[In the] early days, we had fingerprinting, crime-scene and physical matching, but lacked a systematic forensic approach. At that time in the U.S. forensic science was not a major field. I got a BS at John Jay [College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York] and majored in chemistry, and soon after they received a grant to train forensic scientists. When I came here [to the U.S.] with my wife I only had $50 in my pocket. I had to work in restaurants, wait on tables, teach selfdefense classes. In 1975 when I finished my degree [in chemistry and molecular biology], I was 27. I came to the U.S. to study forensics — I wanted to go back to it. [The University of New Haven] was looking for an assistant professor in forensic [science]. At that time, 19 universities had a program. UNH had a very small program. We only had two students; more were in law enforcement.

How long did it take you to build the program?

In ’75 we didn’t have a laboratory, and how can you teach forensic science without a laboratory? What we did was cut a corner partition in the chemistry lab. A student and I built the laboratory. Then we got a couple of grants.

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Now with the CSI [television shows], it seems like the crime-scene people solve all the cases.

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How did you get started with the state of Connecticut investigations?

We built the laboratory and I volunteered my services, but most police departments and prosecutors were not taking. They had their own laboratory, the state police had their own laboratory, everybody had their own laboratories. So the public defender’s offices contacted me. There was a case in Litchfield with an individual charged with rape and they won the case with scientific evidence, which they never had before.

After the trial the Litchfield prosecutor had a meeting with the law-enforcement agencies and she said, ‘From now we want that Chinese guy on our side.’

Because you were strong in court?

Lee: ‘It’s just like putting a puzzle together — one piece at a time, no short-cuts.’

So the government saw the need for more forensic scientists at that point?

In ’75 it was still not really popular yet and nobody knew what a forensic scientist did. Of course now even elementaryschool students know what forensics are, but it didn’t become popular until the late ’90s. In the ’70s we were actually pioneers in the field. We received a few research grants and developed a program to type human tissue. We were the first group to develop the procedure, the first to do bone typing, so all of a sudden we became a hot commodity. We also developed a systematic way to look at a crime scene.

We noticed the crime scene was the 10 january 2009

biggest problem.

How so?

If you don’t recognize the physical evidence, collect the evidence, that evidence will never become the evidence.

If you ruin the crime scene it doesn’t matter what we do in the laboratory.

Wouldn’t that be a police function?

Exactly. That’s how we later got a couple major grants to train police officers, because they are part of the forensic team.

In contrast to the early days [as in the TV show] Quincy, it shows the laboratory people solving all the cases. It’s not; it’s a team. It has to start at the crime scene.

Evidence. [In the] early days nobody paid much attention to the evidence. At that time examination of evidence in Connecticut was pretty primitive. Then many other states — New York, New Jersey, Maine and California — started contacting us. [The then-State Police] commissioner also contacted me, asking me to be an advisor. Also I started training the crime laboratory people.

The troopers assigned to the laboratory had some college or junior-college training, but most just had high school.

Many of them really wanted to learn [forensics] but there was no place, so the University of New Haven offered them the opportunity and the program really was taking off, including getting students from foreign countries. The [1973] Peter Reilly case created a lot of criticism for the investigation system. [Then-18-year-old Reilly was convicted of killing his mother.

The conviction was overturned when exculpatory evidence was found in the files of the prosecutor after he died.] In 1977 or ‘78 Gov. [Ella T.] Grasso asked me to the join the service.

It took me almost 30 years, [but] now the State Police is building a Phase III laboratory. They start digging now.

That’s my last project. It will unify all the forensic services under one roof and one system. We developed a statewide system. It doesn’t matter if it’s Greenwich or Litchfield. When the evidence goes to court, it’s much easier — item number, case number, who collected it, what item and where.

That wasn’t typical?

Early days, it was not. Then we developed a crime-scene procedure, how to

document and collect [evidence]. Early days they used a plastic bag to cover the hand — that’s a no-no. You destroy all the biological evidence. Condensation, moisture, fungus can grow and it can defeat the scientific purpose, but nobody taught that. Next we worked on each section, like fingerprinting. Early days, we just use powder and a brush, that’s the worst [approach], because you have physical contact and you literally brush the ridges away. For each section we developed a scientific approach.

a photo and said, ‘That’s the one.’ He had a prior record; they put him in a lineup and she picked him out again. Her vaginal swab extracted DNA, and it’s not his. I still remember, the police chief came to me, [saying] ‘This is a good suspect. She’s a good witness.’ DNA says it’s not him.

[They say,] ‘Dr. Lee, you did not do the DNA personally.’ They have to de-arrest him. Seventeen minutes later the DNA hit the sex offender record and this person [who eventually confessed] doesn’t even look like him. We solved a couple of cases.

Are you ever called in as a defense witness?

Very selectively. I retired three times, but I still work as chief emeritus [for the Connecticut State Police Lab]. I only work on cases troubleshooting, and my salary is $1. To take a defense case, I look at three things: I have to have a feeling [that in] this case some injustice [is] involved.

Second somebody doesn’t have resources, the third that plays a factor [is if it is] a friend, a lawyer. For example, this Florida case, Caylee Anthony [a toddler missing since June; her mother Casey Anthony

Is forensics today an art or a science?

A lot of people think that was the most important case in its impact on New Haven.

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Laboratory analysis is definitely a science.

Investigation is a combination of science and art. Reconstruction, to put the case together, [is] also a combination of art and science. That’s the most difficult part.

Congress appropriated $2 million for our institute to train law enforcement forensic scientists and crime-scene investigation.

Some learn pretty quick, some not so quick, some still don’t understand the concept and the limitations. It’s just like putting a puzzle together, one piece at a time, no short-cuts. It’s not like the movies; one person cannot solve everything. We depend on a lot of other people. We depend on data mining, if there is a database to mine. In the Penny Serra [murder] case, it took us 27 years to solve. Not because we didn’t find the crucial evidence, but [Edward] Grant’s fingerprint was not in the records. Before John Serra passed away, he called me from the hospital and said ‘Please don’t forget my daughter.’

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There were three other suspects. The last suspect, he was arrested and ready to go to trial. Mary Garvin was the prosecutor and she called and said, ‘What do you think?’

I said we should type his blood. He had told the police his blood type was the most popular, type O. We typed his blood it was type A and he was excluded. They dropped the charge. Mary got a lot of heat.

I got a lot of heat from detectives; they said, ‘That was a good suspect.’ Many times as a forensic scientist we’re working on a little area with a lot of pressure.

Whatever our finding, we’ll never satisfy both sides.

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Where did you first learn to handle that conflict?

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I remember vividly a man was picked up as a suspect. The night before a senior citizen center, someone broke in and raped an old lady and robbed $14. She looked at

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has been charged with her murder] people say [the mother] is definitely guilty.

Whether or not she’s guilty or not that’s a separate story. All the findings [don’t] really say she’s guilty. But every night they say she’s guilty — the media and public already convicted her. So a group of forensic scientists, we feel sorry. I’m not saying she is guilty or not guilty, as long as she gets a fair [hear]ing.

Speaking of the media, there are more TV shows about forensic science than any other topic. How realistic are they?

It’s a Hollywood version. In real life we need a good detective, good investigator, prosecutor, the public, everybody. By second commercial they have to have a clue. Many times we don’t have a second commercial, we spend seven days at the scene and we still haven’t found any clue.

By third commercial they are ready to [arrest] somebody, have a chase, girls and by the last episode they get to eat in a fancy restaurant. We never have that — who’s going to pay the bill?

In a very public case, when you’re involved on a personal level and you’re not siding

with the consensus, what is that like personally?

It’s a lot of pressure. Not only does it come from the police, but the victim’s family, the public, the media, your own friends and your family. I come from a country of law enforcement, national police. I graduated from a police college. I think every citizen should obey the law.

But when I first came to this country I met this judge and he says, ‘This is a country where you must prove everything beyond a reasonable doubt, and if you can’t you must rule in favor of the defendant.’ I said why? He said, if you are innocent and charged with a crime which system do you like to live under?’ I would rather live under the U.S. system.

In another system you don’t have a chance. Very rich people can prove [their innocence], very poor can prove. Middleclass people, we don’t have that chance.

Is forensic science a disruptive force to that ‘other system’?

Nobody wants to see innocent people go to jail. Ninety-nine percent [of people] don’t want innocent people to go to jail.

Some few, they think, well if this guy isn’t guilty of this, probably more guilty of something else. They don’t have any conscience problem to plant evidence.

When I became commissioner of state police I said we have to raise our ethics standard above normal people. If we frame people we’re more guilty.

Are we close to having every case being able to be solved through science?

In theory, yes, but unfortunately [not in practice] because of carelessness of the investigator or jumping to conclusion to quick and develop[ing] a tunnel vision.

Or when detective or forensic scientist gets to the scene, it’s already destroyed.

In Connecticut, for a while our homicide clearance rate was 90 percent but you only have limited resources.

Depending on which side you might be testifying for, does that give you a big advantage with the jurors?

Doesn’t matter which side we’re working; our report will be the same. If I testify for the prosecution, the defense lawyer will say I’m part of the prosecution team. If I testify for the defense, the prosecutor will

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say I’m a hired gun. Both sides know in their heart I’m fair, but that’s a lawyer and a trouble with our judicial system, it’s an adversarial system.

You can’t testify for the court ever?

In England you can. In Asia you can have a court-appointed expert. Many times the adversary system creates a problem for forensic scientists. One side is going to beat you up. Instead of challenging the science they develop a personal attack: ‘Did you ever flunk a course?’ ‘Did you ever cheat on your income tax?’ If you testify for the defense the prosecutor is even worse. They’ll go through your tax records, employment records; cops that prepare the case may even go undercover, attend your workshops.

What lies in the future for the Henry Lee Institute at UNH? It will continue to grow. Today forensic science is not limited to criminal [cases.]

[There are] many civil cases, for example liability cases: one car hits another car, now you need an expert. White-collar crime, national security, medical fraud, even bridge collapse. Anything happens, plane fall, building collapse, furnace

explode, even family violence and now this program is becoming international, like a training center. This afternoon we’re going to have 20 Chinese officers coming here for two days training. We just finished another one for Europeans.

We just went to train Bahamian police.

Some students are coming in because they’re in the police field. Are others being brought in by the publicity?

They are looking for a career, others want to get a BS and go to law school, where if you have a BS in forensic you’re more prepared than another lawyer. Some go to medical school and now even private detectives want to learn some techniques.

It is a rewarding career. However, working a forensic laboratory it’s not like the movies, you’re basically doing test, lab work. Not everybody is like me, a bridge to science and fieldwork. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Won’t a detective in the future have to be more like that?

Like the Penny Serra case, the Suzanne Jovin murder generated a lot of controversy locally. What role have you played?

That’s ten years now. At that time I was the commissioner for public safety. I called the New Haven chief [and said,] ‘Do you need any assistance?’ The answer was no. I said, ‘If you need any assistance just call me — we’ll send major crime or forensic team.’ I get a phone call many months later: ‘We have some evidence to examine.’ The sent me six items, but the worst thing was split[ting] the evidence.

Some came to us, some to the FBI, some went to other places, so nobody knows the whole puzzle. Now I often tell the detective, ‘Call me right away or don’t call me.’ Early days when I’m in charge, it doesn’t matter if you call me or not, I’m going to show up. Now I’m retired, I don’t have jurisdiction. [Police departments] send cold cases; I say send everything if you want me to help. I have about 800 cold cases [from around the world] on my hands. v

Except I tell the detectives solving cases you don’t need a Ph.D. You need common-sense logic, and you first have to understand human nature.

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You Should (But Probably Wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t) Keep

14 january 2009

That’s why it’s called ‘resolve’ — you’ll need it to succeed in ’09

By Melissa Nicefaro

H

ere you go again with the New Year’s resolutions. Pull out the list from last year — if you dared to put them in writing — change the date and you’re good to go.

Lose weight. Check. Get in shape. Check.

Quit smoking. Check. Drink alcohol only on weekends. Check. Maybe this year your good intentions will last through February. But chances are, if you bite off more than you can chew, you won’t even get that far.

New Year’s resolutions do have a purpose and if planned and executed correctly, they can reap satisfying results. Have you ever wondered what is at the root of resolutions? All resolutions are attempts to achieve one thing: happiness. Whatever the goal, the end result typically means less stress — on the body and mind — and more happiness.

The New Year is a time to reflect on years past and decide on the changes we’d like to make in the year ahead, all with the hope that at this time next year, we’ll be somehow better than we are now.

Get Happy, Dammit!

Easier said than done, right? Not if you try.

Allison Aboud Holzer is in the process of collecting 100 different definitions of happiness. She runs a monthly gathering of the New Haven Happiness Club, the local chapter of the national Happiness Club. Don’t roll your eyes. These people are onto something.

“Happiness is made of strong self-esteem and the feeling that you can accomplish something,” Holzer says. Notice she says “something” and not “anything.” Meeting New Year’s resolutions begins with steering clear of the delusional “save the world before midnight” mentality.

“Goal-setting is a way to build things up and find confidence that you are able to accomplish goals,” says Holzer. And that’s what she recommends.

“People have very different ideas about what happiness is,” says Holzer. “The scientific and research community breaks happiness down into three components: the presence of positive emotion, the absence of negative emotion and the feeling of satisfaction in one’s life.”

Isn’t that what we’re all looking for? Some

good, old-fashioned peace and happiness, right?

Goals and a sense of accomplishment are undoubtedly keys to happiness.

“Write it down,” Holzer says. “If you have a goal and just think about it, there’s not a great chance you’re going to accomplish it. If you talk about it with someone, the chance that you’ll keep it goes up. But if you write it down, the chance that you’ll meet the goal jumps to around 85 percent.”

“Take the New Year as an opportunity to write down your goals,” she says.

“And remember that happiness comes from being able to use your strength to accomplish things or to give back to the world,” Holzer believes.

She herself is, of course, happy.

“Unpleasant emotion is not bad, but many people get stuck in the unpleasant and don’t know how to get out of it,” she says.

The New Haven Happiness Club meets monthly to listen to guest speakers and discuss happiness. There are also chapters that meet in Madison and Milford as well as a phone-based happiness club and a Club Happiness e-club online. More information is at happinessclub.com.

And Then There’s Our Physical Well-Being Come this time of the year, if many of us could crawl out of our bodies and leave them behind, we would.

“Making a New Year’s resolution to exercise presents an opportunity and even if doesn’t provoke permanent change, at least it gets the idea out there,” says Ellen Barrett, a New Haven fitness expert.

But take it slow and don’t be overly ambitious.

“Fitness is one piece of the wellness pie,” says Barrett. (Did she say pie?!) “It’s about not doing other things like drinking soda and overeating and so many behaviors that can sabotage your exercise. You can work out five times a week, but if the other bad stuff isn’t cleaned up, you’ll stay overweight.”

“Spend some money for a membership, get some cute workout clothes and you’ll feel that much more of a commitment to stick to it,” she says.

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16 january 2009

exercise is good for you, inside and out.

The act of something even so minimally rigorous as a brisk 20-minute walk can be a mood enhancer as it releases endorphins into the body.

“Ten years ago it was all about getting flat bellies and tight asses, but people are slowly turning to be interested in total well being,” she says. “Find something that is torture-less for you and try it.”

But keep in mind that exercise — however you see fit to do it — is only part of the pie and you can’t eat the rest of the pie on the way home from the yoga studio.

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“Then we wind up in crisis management and we pay for it,” he says.

“We all have too much to do and we’ve all been taught to get it all done — to finish the food on our plates, to finish all of our homework. Back then [during childhood] it was good advice, but today we all have too much to do to get it all done,” says Wetmore. “Instead of getting it all done, we should try to get more of more things done.”

But if every single one of us has the same number of hours in a day and days in a week, how is it possible that the woman next door can work full-time, raise three kids, run a PTA bake sale, go to church or synagogue every weekend, tell you about the book she’s just read — and you can barely find time to tie your shoes? The answer: She doesn’t waste time. She sets her priorities right, takes care of herself and is a powerhouse because of it.

“People are just tired and sleep-deprived,” says Wetmore. “If you have all kinds of tools in your time-management toolbox, but you’re too tired to open the box up, you can’t survive. We’re all taught to

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“The word ‘no’ is one of the most powerful words in our time-management vocabulary,” says Donald Wetmore, who runs seminars on time management. “You don’t have to say no, but you do have to mean it. Say you have too much on your plate right now or offer to do it at another time.”

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be people pleasers, to serve and accommodate and we’re whip-sawed trying to fulfill all of the demands and requests of our time.”

Wetmore suggests writing your own personal book of life — backwards. Look at the seven vital areas of life — health, family, professional, financial, social, intellectual and the spiritual dimension — and think about where you want each of those chapters to conclude.

“If you could wave your magic wand and make it happen, what would you really like to say?” he asks. “It’s a scary task, but once you do it, you work your way backward to figure out your monthly, weekly and daily goals to make it happen.”

It’s true that there’s never enough time for anything, but there’s always

enough time for the important stuff.

When people say “I didn’t have time to…,” what they should say is “I didn’t make time to….”

“Did you brush your teeth this morning? Did you feed the dog?

Did you put gas in your car?” says Wetmore. “Of course you did. Some people did go to the gym today. We all have the same resource — the same number of hours in a day — so why didn’t you have time to go?”

The intent is there but, notes Wetmore, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. He is an attorney and a college professor who created a time-management program for his students about 20 years ago.

Today he runs the Productivity Institute, his seminar company.

Finding time to do the things that make us happy and relaxed can in turn lead to a better, stress-free night’s sleep.

“The No. 1 issue here is our health,” he says. “People are overcommitted and flat-out tired, and it’s mostly

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because of the way we run our lives.

Take control, create the balance, prioritize and stick to it. You’ll reduce the stress level, sleep better, be more productive, and everything just falls into place.”

“The holidays are stressful, everyone gets over-extended since we all want to make the most of it and enjoy it, but it’s too much,” he says. “The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions are broken before they’re given a chance.”

The bottom line is that we want to be happy and lose weight, stop smoking, save money and harvest more time in each day. These are the paths to that elusive bottom line: happiness.

Whatever your resolutions may be, in order to make them stick, follow Wetmore’s four seemingly simple rules: quantify your goal and don’t be vague, set a deadline, change one or two things at a time and be realistic.

Follow that advice, and this might really become the last year you need that New Year’s resolution thing.

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19

What’s Wrong With Madison?

Socked by scandals, a picture-perfect Shoreline town confronts the demon within

By Liese Klein

Madison’s most recent police corruption scandal began with the theft of lobster from freezers at Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale on the Post Road.

PHOTOGRAPH: Anthony DeCarlo

20 january 2009

ce e y d.

L

obster on a buttered roll goes for $13.99 at Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale, a classic New England seafood joint on the Post Road in Madison. You can also get the savory crustacean in a salad for $12.99, or splurge on the “Fish Tale Lobster Feast” in the summer for the market price.

What lobster doesn’t come in at Lenny & Joe’s is frozen chunks, and it’s definitely not free for the taking. But Madison police Officer Joseph Gambardella thought he’d help himself to some frozen lobster from the Lenny & Joe’s freezer on an October night in 2006, taking about $900 worth of Maine’s finest along with some frozen shrimp. What he didn’t realize is that a security camera was running and the whole caper was caught on tape.

Pardo says he’s sick of all the negative press coverage and thinks Madison gets an unfair share of attention for its foibles.

“I think it could happen anywhere; a couple of bad apples could appear anywhere,” says Pardo, whose son is a police sergeant in Madison. Officers are tired of the cracks about the scandal and determined to root out corruption, he adds. “‘The majority of the people in this town are outstanding.”

Most New Haven-area towns keep their government buildings close to the historic center, like Guilford’s Green or Branford’s Main Street. New Haven’s municipal offices are in a relatively new building, but still overlook the city’s Green.

Madison, however, has moved its town offices and police department to a “campus” in a residential area more than two miles away from the gingerbread mansions and high-end boutiques of Main Street. Town Hall is a 1990svintage structure full of blonde wood Gambardella’s midnight seafood heist was and carpeting that suggests a progressive the first and most colorful bust in the long- private school. One of the few concessions running Madison police corruption trial to the town’s 367-year history is a stern that has stretched the town’s thin blue portrait of James Madison that hangs line to the breaking point and tarnished in the meeting chamber. On a recent its reputation. Ten officers on a force evening, Madison’s slightly disapproving of about 25 have been fired, resigned or gaze was leveled at a room full of citizens faced discipline in the last three years. concerned about the town’s finances.

Police Chief Paul Jakubson was put on That tension between old and new comes paid administrative leave in April and up again and again around town, where an acting chief is managing day-to-day the hottest issue this winter has been the operations as the department struggles to struggles of seniors to pay taxes during rebuild. the economic crisis. Many bought homes The town of Madison has been left with decades ago when the town was relatively hundreds of thousands in legal bills and affordable and are now facing mammoth a lingering reputation as the corruption bills as once-modest homes have risen in capital of the Shoreline, a place where value even as portfolios shrink. cops can’t be trusted.

The economic crisis has also led this And just as a final report was expected winter to a surge in home burglaries, the on the police scandal in December, only crime of note recorded in most years another Madison resident made news in in Madison, one of the safest communities a corruption bust. Anthony Perrelli, a in the state. “No arrests were made and Madison resident and longtime advocate no incidents were reported” is a common for condo-association reform, was arrested daily entry in the police logs published in Hartford on December 10 and charged weekly by The Source, Madison’s weekly with attempting to pass an envelope full newspaper. of cash to a state legislator, Madison State So perhaps boredom is to blame for the Rep. Deborah W. Heinrich (D-101). As rash of bad behavior that came to light news of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s early last year involving the night shift arrest dominated the national news, the at the Madison police. Four officers were Madison resident’s alleged bribery attempt accused of arranging sex with prostitutes made the front page of many Connecticut while on duty. One of the cops accused newspapers and Web sites. had already been under investigation for “We’re supposed to be the ‘gold coast’ of improperly using department databases the east,” says Peter Pardo, a former to get information about women he was selectman and member of the town’s interested in dating.

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The ex-cop pleaded guilty to burglary and larceny charges this fall and was sentence to a two-year suspended sentence and two years of probation, plus about $2,000 in restitution to Lenny & Joe’s to cover the seafood thefts.

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New hires and a revamped policing strategy are helping Madison’s force rebuild trust with the community, Acting Chief Robert Nolan says.

PHOTOGRAPH: Anthony DeCarlo

Police Professional Standards Unit began a probe of the department, which grew to include the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives and forensic accountants. Just as the scandal was winding down, another cop was arrested this July and charged with driving an unregistered car and misuse and theft of a license plate. That investigation was scheduled to wrap up in December.

“Bad apples” have been a problem on the Madison force for more than a decade: Then-Chief Dennis Anziano was fired in 1992 after he was charged with larceny for using town money to buy a pickup truck and accused of buying a machine gun and handgun for several residents.

That scandal also triggered a wave of “What’s Wrong with Madison?” stories in the regional media. One resident linked the 1992 scandal to the surge of drug violence then bloodying the streets of New Haven and Hartford. “The city’s problems are encroaching like a cancer,” the Madison resident told the New York Times.

Sex scandals also have a history here: 22 january 2009

Five cops were suspended in 1998 amid allegations that a prostitute was paid to perform a sex act at a bachelor party.

The department is currently in rebuilding mode, explains Acting Chief Robert Nolan. When all the hiring is finished, ten to 12 of the department’s 25 officers will be new, he adds.

“The main process right now is getting these new people on board,” Nolan says.

The veteran officers are undergoing additional training to make sure ethics lapses don’t happen again. The recent scandals have also changed how policing is done in Madison.

“We spend more time out of the car now,” Nolan says. “We want the officers to have contact with the citizens here in Madison.

Every day something else is reviewed.”

Morale is slowly improving, Nolan adds.

“I think they see some light at the end of the tunnel as far as all the investigations being finished,” Nolan says of his cops.

“The officers that have gone through this have carried an awful lot on their shoulders — they’ve worked numerous

hours,” he adds. “I totally take my hat off to them.”

Residents, too, are ready to move on.

“I think [the media] like to pull Madison down a little bit,” says Bob Roxborough, president of the Madison Property Owners Association. “They’re overboard with trying to nail Madison.”

Even as the police and bribery scandals made news this winter, Madison’s Daniel Hand High School was named among the best public schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Roxborough adds.

“I think it will pass,” Roxborough says of the bad press. “There are many positive things about this town.”

And after all, the myth of the “picturepostcard New England town” has always been just that — a myth. After all, towns that seem quaint and peaceful today have always been cauldrons of sex and violence, like most any other human community.

Madison even has a macabre claim to fame as epicenter of the 1878 murder of Mary Stannard, a case that broke ground

in early forensic science. Both the victim, a single mother, and the suspect, a married clergyman with whom she was having an affair, lived in the Rockland section of North Madison. Yale professors made national news when testifying about the presence of arsenic in Stannard’s bloodstream and helped set the stage for the current fascination with forensic science.

Arsenic Under the Elms, a 1999 book on the case by a historian, paints 19th century Madison as a forbidding landscape rife with lust and class divisions. “It was hard to believe that this remote wilderness, this almost-frontier town, was only a short way from the bustling city of New Haven, the home of Yale College,” author Virginia McConnell writes.

On a modern-day visit to the murder site: “There has been much residential development, but the woods where Mary went to meet Herbert Hayden that day in 1878 are still deep, dark and tangled with underbrush,” she continues. “It is easy to understand Mary’s reluctance to penetrate them alone.”

Sitting in the chic café at R.J. Julia Booksellers on a weekday afternoon, it’s hard to imagine Madison as a “remote wilderness.” Pairs of women nibble on the café’s signature scones and take in the local art on the walls, mostly tranquil waterfront scenes. Out in on the bookstore’s main selling floor, business appears brisk as a steady stream of people bring books up to a counter, where the image of celebrity chef and Madison resident Jacques Pepin beams from a shelf above the register.

Outside on Main Street, the Madison Chamber of Commerce has signs up urging residents to buy local and storefronts shimmer with holiday decorations.

Perhaps taking the “buy local” exhortation to heart, Anthony Perrelli, a 17-year resident of Madison, was in a meeting with State Rep. Heinrich on December 10 when he allegedly tried to give her an envelope stuffed with cash. Perrelli and Heinrich had been discussing changing the rules governing condominium associations, and the cash was offered as a “Christmas party donation,” police said. He was arrested in the legislature’s parking garage minutes later and charged with bribery, then released on bail later that evening.

Perrelli has said he was misunderstood.

“We had such a nice meeting, and then this

one little thing, holy mackerel!” he told the Hartford Courant.

Heinrich, an earnest woman with a background as a microbiologist, says she had no qualms about reporting the alleged bribery attempt.

“I think holding office is a privilege, that whether you’re a legislator or a congressperson, you have to set the example,” Heinrich says. “You have to be the one who says it ends here.

“I thought my constituents knew me better than that,” Heinrich adds. “That’s what surprised me. My shock came from how could he possibly think I would [accept the bribe].”

Despite Heinrich’s actions, corruption of all kinds is common in Connecticut, experts say, despite its national image of Yankee rectitude.

Connecticut ranked as the most corrupt of Continued on 60

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B O D Y & S OUL

Let’s Get Physical Retooling your body for ’09 involves so much more than hours on the elliptical — By Sarah Politz

C

ome January 1, you might be so exhausted from holiday revelry that resolutions are the furthest thing from your mind. But as you drift back to consciousness from your foodinduced coma, the future begins to loom before you. Failed resolutions of New Year’s past drift hazily through your mind.

Maybe you resolved to drop ten pounds, to work out five days a week or to quit eating the frosting straight out of the container.

Maybe you are gifted in the discipline department, but if you’re like the rest of us, you fell off the wagon by Valentine’s Day.

“If you want a New Year’s resolution to stick, you have to plan as well as resolve,” says David Katz, director of the YaleGriffin Prevention Research Center in Derby. “You have to ask yourself, ‘What will make it hard to stay with this?’”

“People need to focus less on their weight and more on their behaviors,” says Marlene Schwartz, deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale.

“Part of it is psyching

yourself up to believe that making the small changes is worth it, even if you don’t notice an overnight change.”

In the spirit of change and selfimprovement, here are a few small goals for the New Year that you may actually find yourself able to achieve.

• Make physical activity a part of what you already do. Instead of promising yourself to go to the gym six mornings a week, try finding ways to incorporate exercise into your existing daily routine.

“The best exercise is the one you’re going to do,” says Schwartz. “It’s about making reasonable goals to find ways to build it into your life. You’re more likely to actually do it.”

Figure out which places are within walking or biking distance of your home or work. Exercising will stimulate your endorphins, which actually make your feel happier, and getting sun will boost your vitamin D intake, which has a multitude of benefits that scientists are only beginning to discover.

“Each time you take advantage of technology to reduce your energy expenditure, you actually are letting that technology threaten your health,” Katz says. “We are born with a native, animal vitality which we then relinquish because we neglect it and let it atrophy. We should really revel in it.” Take the stairs. Walk with co-workers during

lunch breaks. If the snow starts to pile up outside, try walking at a shopping mall or indoor track, or take up skiing. Start a snowball fight if you have to — but get moving.

• Get enough sleep. “People turn to sugar or caffeine for energy, and that can be a downward spiral,” says Schwartz. “After a while you feel worse. Just getting up and taking a walk around the block is better, just trying to make sure you keep regular meal times and regular sleep, getting a full night’s sleep. It’s a back-tobasics approach.” Losing sleep can also compromise your immune system, and make you less able to cope with stress.

Adults need at least seven hours of sleep a night, but it can vary between individuals.

Listen to your body.

• Create a healthy food environment.

“People eat what’s accessible, what’s affordable, and basically what’s available to them,” says Schwartz. “The trick is to create an environment for yourself where you have healthy food to eat.

The real environment is the complete opposite, so you have to create an artificial environment.”

This is simple enough at home, where you can determine the food choices available to you and your family simply through grocery shopping. Katz recommends a simple trick: look for foods with the shortest ingredient lists, because they are likely to have fewer artificial ingredients that our bodies can’t easily process. “That will get you closer to nature, and that’s generally a good place to be,” he says.

If you need to hear it in a small, digestible nugget, follow author Michael Pollan’s advice from yesteryear: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

24 january 2009

• Release stress. “Finding the things that help you to release stress and making time for those things is really important,” says Schwartz. This might mean taking time for a 15-minute walk on your lunch break, learning how to meditate or making time to go out for coffee with a friend.

It is very common for busy individuals to subordinate their own needs to family or career demands, which can lead to burnout.

“It’s like they always say — put your oxygen mask on first before you help your child,” Schwartz explains. “You’re not any good if you can’t breathe yourself.” Stress can also contribute to other problems like loss of sleep, poor eating habits and high blood pressure.

“You’re not going to be able to get stress out of your life entirely, but if you can prevent it from affecting your health and your behavior, that’s a real benefit,” says Katz. “The idea is not to eliminate stress at the source, but to enhance your ability to process it. Let’s face it — we’re living in stressful times.” Your doctor’s office can be a great source of information on healthy ways of managing stress.

• Spend more time with family. “One of the most important things you can do is

have dinner as a family,” Swartz says.

Dinner is a time to check in with your children about their day at school and to enjoy a healthy meal with your family. “It also gives you a chance to cook from scratch,” Schwartz explains.

Maintaining relationships is also important, Katz says: “More research is showing us that loving relationships make an enormous difference in almost every category of health outcome.”

• Take charge of your surroundings.

“The most important factor for eating and exercise behavior is the environment people are living in,” says Schwartz. “It really helps just by being a really active consumer, trying to do whatever you can to improve the environment.” This can mean becoming more involved in your children’s school lunch choices, asking grocery stores to carry more local, organic and nutritious foods or simply informing yourself about the alternatives available for a healthier lifestyle.

• Finally, be realistic. One of the most important things to ensure your success is to take small, achievable steps toward improving your lifestyle. Part of being

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TOWERING

26 january 2009

G PRESENCE

New Haven’s most distinctive residence began its life a century ago as a lowly concrete cistern

By Michael C. Bingham

W

hen architect Peter de Bretteville discovered the hulking, derelict 365,000-gallon cement water tank perched high on a promontory overlooking the HamdenNew Haven town line, he thought: perfect.

Two years later, he and his wife Sheila called it their new home.

Motorists have long remarked on the concrete cylinder looming ominously (if incongruously) over the northern terminus of Prospect Street — an odd interruption of the rather grand homes that form a skyward arc along Hamden’s Deepwood Drive.

Erected in 1907 as part of a rapidly industrializing city’s new public-water “infrastructure” (a word not in common use in 1907), the water tank provided fresh city water from the New Haven Water Co. to what is now known as the East Rock neighborhood and the rest of the city until it was decommissioned by the water company in 1977. And there it sat — in all its magnificent decrepitude — until the early 1990s, when Yale-educated architect de Bretteville discovered the structure.

In many ways “The Cistern,” as it is today known, was hard to miss: 50 feet in diameter, and 25 feet tall, it dominates its prominent hillside like an grand turret oddly detached from its castle.

The Cistern as it appeared when the de Brettevilles purchased it (inset), and in all its sun-drenched glory today.

PHOTOGRAPH: Robert Benson

The ability to provide clean, inexpensive water to its citizens was a key milestone in the development of cities such as New Haven during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century — the “first essential of municipal sanitation,” as Yale civil engineering professor R.H. Suttie wrote in his landmark 1928 New Haven Health Survey.

The private New Haven Water Co. began to develop its system in 1860 under the inspiration of Eli Whitney, pumping from Mill River at the “Point of Rocks” by water wheels to the reservoir near the head of Prospect Street.

The Cistern was commissioned in 1907 and provided water to residents for seven

new haven

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PHOTOGRAPH: Robert Benson

28 january 2009

Avid bibliophiles, the owners housed a two-story library in the heart of their home. Four circular skylights provide generous illumination even in the core of the cylinder.

decades until it was replaced by two much larger tanks in the 1970s.

First offered for sale in 1986, the Cistern attracted plenty of attention. In a New York Times article headlined â&#x20AC;&#x153;For Sale in Hamden: One Huge Rm w/Vu,â&#x20AC;? a Regional Water Authority (successor to the New Haven Water Co.) spokesman noted that the auction had attracted nearly 100 bidders. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Certainly the idea of living in a water tank has tickled the fancy and caught the attention of a lot of different people.â&#x20AC;?

The de Brettevilles met as grad students at Yale but then lived for years in Los Angeles. When they returned to New Haven (Sheila as the ďŹ rst tenured female professor in the graduate School of Art; Peter as a visiting critic in the School of Architecture) they were attracted to the idea of reclaiming a former industrial space as their new home. But loft space proved scarce, so as an alternative they decided to check out this thing high on a hillside.

When Peter de Bretteville ďŹ rst descended into the water tank from its rooftop staircase, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was terrifying,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything was black. The walls looked very decayed, and there was 18 inches of waterâ&#x20AC;? that had seeped in, presumably from rain.

The prognosis? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I knew right away it would make a great house,â&#x20AC;? de Bretteville says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was ideal because it was in a residential neighborhood and it was the right size [3,200 square feet]. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no more heroic site in New Haven than this.â&#x20AC;?

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Beyond that, the structure was as solid as the rock into which its foundation was drilled, with 18-inch concrete walls and (obviously) no windows.

PHOTOGRAPH: Robert Benson

The de Brettevilles had some overarching design principles in mind as they approached transforming this dank, dark concrete cylinder into an inviting space for work and play. One was to allow lots of light to penetrate the entire structure.

To accomplish this, the interior was designed with an unusually open ďŹ&#x201A;oor plan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The driving [considerations] in designing the home,â&#x20AC;? Peter de Bretteville says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;were geographicâ&#x20AC;?: the living area faces south for the best light and best views.

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The open kitchen (and master bedroom, directly above) faces east to welcome the morning sun.

De Bretteville began the restoration by applying insulation to the exterior walls, then applying a salmon-colored Tuscan stucco finish. On the interior, the concrete walls were painted with a lime wash, which hardened and stabilized the surface.

Then they were covered with textured plaster for an elegant finish. The four concrete structural columns that support the ceiling were sandblasted and left bare.

PHOTOGRAPH: Robert Benson

Those same columns defined a 16-foot square in the middle of the structure, which provided the logical basis for room configuration. Four circular skylights were cut into the ceiling to allow light into the center of the home, which houses a dramatic floor-to-ceiling library (the de Brettevilles are avid bibliophiles with a collection of more than 500 linear feet of books). In the center is a large “library” table that doubles as a dining-room table for large feasts. The table is surrounded by feather-light aluminum chairs de Bretteville says were made for use on submarines.

Near the westward-facing front door a steel staircase leads up to a completely different second floor with master and guest suites linked by a clear glass catwalk (“Don’t look down!” the host cautioned).

Throughout the interior the visitor is confronted with contrasts — rough vs. smooth, wood vs. steel, etc. “That’s part of the dialogue of why we love industrial buildings,” de Bretteville allows, “that contract of the domestic and the industrial.

There is a kind of autonomy to the industrial — it’s larger and rougher and more robust, and the domestic stuff is finer, smoother, more finished.”

Then there is the contrast of home and office sharing a space that must accommodate both equally. “I wanted as little intervention as possible,” Sheila de Bretteville told an architecture magazine. “”I don’t like closed doors and spaces that are divided up, but we needed some privacy and wanted to make the interiors function for both home and work.”

But it is out of doors that the Cistern really struts its stuff. A semi-circular stone terrace envelops the home’s south side, covered by a canopy of vine-bearing 30 january 2009

PHOTOGRAPH: Robert Benson

bedroom (directly above it) face east to optimize the rising sun. (Directly outside those windows is a magnificent flowering cherry tree that adds visual appeal in the springtime.) De Bretteville’s architecture studio occupies the cistern’s northern quadrant to take advantage of the most diffused light.

The interior space is organized around a 16-foot square defined by four supporting concrete beams (original to the water tower).

PHOTOGRAPH: Robert Benson

trellises and canvas awnings that provide shade in summer months. In winter the awnings disappear to allow the southern sun to penetrate, and the black tiled floor functions as a thermal mass for solar heat.

Thermally, the structure is “extremely efficient,” explains de Bretteville, “not because of its insulating value, but because it has tremendous thermal mass. The insulation is all on the outside [of the original concrete shell], and the concrete has a stabilizing effect — like a church in Rome that you go into during the summer and it’s cool.” A gas furnace disguised by handsome white tiles fuels convection radiators beneath the floor.

Back outside, to the northeast a handsome hexagonal tower, original to the building, houses an iron spiral staircase that leads to the roof. “This is the real treat,” de Bretteville says as he guides a visitor up the winding steps.

In the 1949 film classic White Heat, Jimmy Cagney’s gangster meets his Maker in a blaze of glory, screaming, “Made it, Ma! Top o’ the world!” But climbing the original exterior spiral staircase that leads to the Cistern’s roof 25 feet up, one has the sensation of really being on top of the

The glass second-floor walkway between the master and guest suites is probably not for those who suffer from vertigo.

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PHOTOGRAPH: Robert Benson Distinguished by 25foot ceilings, the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior is flooded with light, especially the south-facing living area with its unmatched view of New Haven and Long Island Sound.

32 january 2009

PHOTOGRAPH: Robert Benson

PHOTOGRAPH: Robert Benson

world â&#x20AC;&#x201D; at least the world of the Elm City.

The west-facing main entrance with its graceful glass-andsteel French doors.

Facing due south, the stately homes of Prospect Street stretch out beneath. To the right is West Rock, where Regicides Edward Whalley and William Goffe sought succor from the henchman of the Restoration in 1661.

To the left is East Rock, with its commanding views of downtown and Long Island Sound. The de Bretteville home rises some 250 feet above sea level â&#x20AC;&#x201D; some 150 feet less than the two â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rocks.â&#x20AC;?

But there are no private residences on the latter, meaning the de Brettevilles have, verily, the best view in town of the urban grid and the natural expanses beyond.

The de Brettevilles moved to New Haven from Los Angeles, and liken the panorama from their hilltop perch to that visible from their previous home high on the City of Angelsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; iconic Mulholland Drive.

Even people who have never ventured west of the Hudson know of Mulholland Drive. But probably few New Haveners even know of Deepwood Drive or the name of the hillside it ascends (Mill Rock, for the record). But just about everyone knows the Cistern house â&#x20AC;&#x201D; perhaps the Elm Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most distinctive abode. v A N D

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INS TYLE

Sweat Equity How to look awesome when hitting the gym

By Jessica Misener

I

s “gym style” an oxymoron? After all, you rarely see a sports bra coming down a Gucci runway, and couture does not look its best sweat-soaked on the Stairmaster. But this is 2009, the image-fueled era of Project Runway and high-end fashion designers crafting clothes for Target. Showing up for yoga in ratty sweatpants and an Olivia NewtonJohn style headband only exercises your capacity for fashion faux-pas.

Luckily, it’s not impossible to look smashing while chipping away at that winter weight gain. Having chic activewear can motivate you to hit the gym in the first place, and you never know who you’ll meet or run into when you’re there. Whether you’re twisting into Pilates positions at LA Fitness or pumping iron next to the Yale kiddies at Payne Whitney, ONJ may want to hear your body talk, but your choice of gym clothing also speaks volumes. Here’s how to sweat away stylishly in the Elm City.

• Cover up. Just because you’re proud of the work the elliptical machine has been doing on your posterior doesn’t mean you need to display the results half-uncovered to the world. Form-fitting clothes will do the figure-flattering work for you; flaunt your quads in a pair of black yoga pants or capris, and pair them with a colored tank top or tee to highlight your arms.

And really, this is Connecticut, not Cabo San Lucas: save the skimpy outfits for a balmier climate.

• Stick to lightweight fabrics. Nylon, polyester, or — heaven forbid — wool will only increase your bulk and hinder your workout. Look for gym clothing that is slim-fitting and made of cotton or spandex. “I like to work out in aerobics leggings for comfort, breathability, and

34 january 2009

• Have fun with sneakers. Let’s face it; athletic shoes are more suited for function over fashion. But all sneaks are not created equal. White shoes attract dirt; black shoes (especially when paired with black socks!) attract computer geeks and European tourists. Stick to a white sock cut low on the ankle, and pair it with a gray or colored sneaker that provides proper arch support.

• Match. If we’ve learned anything from fitness guru Richard Simmons, it’s that sequined tank tops and striped shorts are only suitable gym attire for, well, Richard Simmons. When it comes to colors, monochromatic is best. If your sports bra is going to show, stick to one in a solid color like black.

• Rock out in style. Getting moving on the treadmill demands a decidedly un-chic playlist of Timbaland and old-school Madonna. An iPod is a must, but sleek headphones are key; tiny earbuds often work best, as bulky headsets can slip off or wobble during an intense workout. Even better, get a belt clip or an armband for your mp3 player to keep it out of the way and cranking Christina Aguilera without interruption.

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• Dress for less. Looking chic in the locker room doesn’t have to cost an arm and a well-toned leg. Nab your recessionproof gym gear by scouring TJ Maxx in Hamden and North Haven for reduced Nike and Adidas wear. Target (North Haven and Orange) also has inexpensive activewear. While it’s important to buy good quality workout clothes, save pennies wherever you can and spend the extra cash on a sexy dress in your newly reduced size.

• Freshen up quickly for post-workout plans. Making the transition from working out to going out is tricky but do-able. A powdered shampoo or a volumizing spray can liven up limp hair in no time. As for makeup, reapplying lip gloss or eyeliner will look too severe; instead, a quick sweep of blush will brighten your face and highlight your endorphin-charged glow. Swap your sneaks for some embellished flats, and you’ll be ready to go from Bally to Bespoke in no time. v

new haven

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Making

from

Mary Maguire turns everyday objects into instant classics

By Michael Harvey

O

n winter evenings Mark Twain would stand in front of the fire and delight his children with stories concocted from the pictures and knickknacks arranged along the broad mantle. Had Twain ever visited the house and studio of Mary Maguire he’d have stories enough for several lifetimes.

Every square inch, every corner, every nook and cranny, it seems, is occupied by something: large wooden letters, a

toy British bobby, a bowl full of sea shells, a wooden elephant, 19th-century family photographs, old maps, engravings, porcelains, antiques, miniature books, labels — and of course lots of paintings, by Maguire. Maguire’s playground is three centuries of Pop art, Outsider art, folk art and assorted ephemera for which she hunts, all over New England, and recycles into whimsical creations of her own.

Growing up in a large Irish family in Providence, R.I., Maguire thought she would probably become a lawyer like her father. But after a year of studying European history at Providence College she switched to majoring in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). In 1980 she moved to New York City to become a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. She got jobs from Newsweek, Good Housekeeping and the like, PHOTOGRAPH:

Anthony DeCarlo

Mary Maguire is chockablock with raw materials waiting to be turned into art. ‘I guess I was born in the wrong century,’ she says.

36 january 2009

director announced, ‘You’re all fired and must be out of the building by 3 p.m.’”

Still in development at the time, the magazine, Lauren, never made it to Vol. I, No. 1.

From there she moved on to become editorial director of the Muppets Press division of Jim Henson’s growing empire.

For two years she coordinated Muppets book projects that were being published by various houses. But by 1998 she’d had enough of New York and moved to Connecticut, buying a home in Lyme.

Watercolor is based upon a mid-19th century woolwork of a ship entering a harbor, all flags flying. 25-1/2 inches x 29-1/2 inches.

but while illustrating a children’s book she was offered a full-time job at publisher Alfred A. Knopf and decided to take it.

For a year Maguire worked in the Knopf publicity department until Bob Gottlieb, the publishing houses renowned editor in chief, suggested she become his assistant.

“It was an amazing job for me,” she recalls, seemingly still surprised by the offer. “From my little alcove office off the corridor I would find myself talking to people like Joseph Heller, Doris Lessing, Katharine Hepburn or John Updike.”

Entrée into the Manhattan publishing world, where she worked on everything from cookbooks to memoirs, superseded her artwork for a time. “I almost never painted the whole time I was in New York,” Maguire explains, though she did do a few graphics jobs as a sideline. What didn’t recede was her fascination with visual ephemera, which had been kindled during her RISD days with an interest in old frames. She became a regular at the 26th Street Flea Market every Sunday.

“I particularly liked Chinese rice paper paintings and Natural History prints,” she recalls, and soon began assembling works to hang on the walls of her apartment.

When she gave a going-away party for a colleague, the latter after studying the

artworks said, “Mary, you should be doing this for a living.”

In 1988 Gottlieb was named editor of the New Yorker. For a time Maguire continued to work with him while maintaining her job at Knopf, where she assisted new Editor in Chief Sonny Metha. After three years she moved on to Condé Nast, where she coordinated special projects between the company’s various magazines. “We worked on a lot of lifestyle books — coffeetable books,” she recalls. One Maguire project was assembling photographs for Brooke Astor’s memoirs, and the grand dame took a liking to her. “She was always saying, ‘You really need to do something with your hair, Mary.’” And trying to fix her up with various men.

Astor’s father had commanded the Marine Detachment in Peking, China when she was a child in the days before World War I. “She would tell stories of coming home from school in a rickshaw.” Or as a young woman, “Playing tennis with Max Beerbohm.”

One day Condé Nast announced the whole department was fired. “That same day I got hired by the Ralph Lauren company to be the features editor of a new magazine” the designer was developing, Maguire says. “A year later we were all gathered into a room and the personnel

Even before settling on the house Maguire had brought a lot of her by now considerable collection of antiques, frames and ephemera to rented booths in the area. While she worked on the house and converted the garage into a studio, Maguire mulled her future through the prism of a few key life experiences. One was a visit she had made to a friend’s country place in upstate New York during the 1980s. She and her friend had gone out to visit the neighbors — children’s book illustrators whose house was filled with the most amazing art: old masters, Picassos, Braques. “I specifically remember an extraordinary Holbein,” she recalls.

Surely, Maguire reasoned, the collection must be worth millions — but they all turned out to be fakes. The illustrators had painted them themselves. “It was a revelation to me,” Maguire says. “I wanted to own a 19th-century folk painting.

I thought, ‘Oh — I could paint it myself.’”

The other experience Maguire summoned was her experience with lifestyle magazines, which had given her insight into what people liked and to the relationship between art and commerce.

And, of course, there was her former colleague’s admonition from that long ago going-away party: “Mary, you should do this for a living.”

“I started in the living room painting mostly nautical [images] — ships and whaling subjects,” says Maguire. They are executed in watercolors in a 19th-century folk style, just the kind of thing she had long wanted to own.

But that was just the beginning. “I do 19thcentury British cow and dog portraits, too, like Stubbs. And I really like the early eye portraits. Originally, in the 19th century, they were painted to fit in brooches and pins. I guess I was born in the wrong century.”

Maguire also likes to gather old photographic portraits that individually new haven

37

when it sells. Art and commerce are inextricably entwined in what Maguire does, whether it’s something she paints herself or something she refreshingly re-presents.

may not seem that striking, but when she puts them in groups — say, women in hats, or men with moustaches — they become quite comical. Much of the art that Maguire finds — an old watercolor, a French label, a fragment of 18th century wallpaper, a cigarette card, a snapshot — is reinvigorated simply by the way she presents it. Choosing the right frame and setting she’s able to turn something of passing interest into something quirky and delightful. And saleable.

Indeed, Maguire works hard at the commerce side of her art. During the fairer months she is constantly loading her van with artworks and a tent and setting out for the big antiques fairs.

It’s a pre-dawn to post-dusk occupation on market days. In the colder, darker months she is back in her studio with all the resource material she has gathered during the remainder of the year. She also sells through galleries around New England, through her Web site and on eBay.

Maguire’s art is a playful art following the wake of Saul Steinberg, Edward Lear, New Yorker wits, the inventions of Lewis Carroll. It is not the mainstream art of museums with The Artist in the lead role. It does not take itself too seriously.

Instead, Maguire is more of a character actor, slightly eccentric and quirky, concerned less with grand themes and ego than with the success of the work.

And unlike many artists Maguire is very clear that a work of art is successful

A folk art watercolor of a mysterious looking cat with a wonderful face, painted after the 19th century original.

It is all work but in the end Mary Maguire has found a way to funnel the talent and experiences of her life and personality into doing something she loves. And it’s saleable. v

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38 january 2009

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ART Take an Introductory Tour of the Yale Center for British Art’s (YCBA) Permanent Collection. 11 a.m. January 3, 10 & 31 at YCBA, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-2858, ycba.yale.edu.

Experience Sun, Wind, and Rain: The Art of David Cox under the guidance of a Center docent in an Exhibition Tour.

Noon January 3 at YCBA, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-2858, ycba. yale.edu.

Studio Tuesday is an informal, noninstructional “paint-in” that meets each, um, Tuesday. Come work in a creative environment alongside other artists.

9 a.m.-noon January 6, 13, 20 & 27 at Margaret Egan Center, 35 Matthew St., Milford. Free. 203-878-6647, milfordarts. org.

It’s hip to knit. The Blackstone Knitting & Crocheting Group meets Wednesdays in the Lucy Hammer Room. Informal gathering for knitters, crocheters and other fiber artists of all ages, from beginner to the expert.

First-time knitters welcome — coaches available. 5:30-7:45 p.m. January 7, 14, 21 & 28 at Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., Branford. Free. 203-488-1441 ext.

313, events@blackstone.lioninc.org, blackstone.lioninc.org.

Bring your sewing, fine art or craft projects to the Contemporary Sewing Circle. Artists share ideas and get advice from each other every second Thursday of the month. 6-8 p.m. January 8 at Artspace, 50 Orange St., New Haven. Free. 203-772-2709, artspacenh.org Works by Connie Pfeiffer and Paula Gabriel. Co-founder of City Gallery, a New Haven cooperative gallery, Pfeiffer maintains a studio in Chester and has taught at the Creative Arts Workshop since 1999. She is preparing for a solo show at UConn/Avery Point’s Alexey von Schlippe Gallery in April 2009.

Gabriel began exhibiting her work exclusively in Paris in the early 1980s and then showed throughout Europe for the remainder of the decade. In 1989, she moved to Connecticut for new inspirations and settings for her nature-inspired art. Through Jan 4 (reception 6-8 p.m. December 6) at River Street Gallery at Fairhaven Furniture, 72 Blatchley Ave., New Haven. Open 9 a.m.6 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. 203-776-3099, fairhaven-furniture.com.

Celebrating a major gift of more than 200 photographs from the collection of Allan Chasanoff (Yale College ’61), First Doubt: Optical Confusion in Modern Photography will explore the seldomdiscussed phenomenon of optical confusion in photography. Some 100 photographs by a diverse array of photographers across the 20th century.

Through January 4 at Yale University

40 january 2009

Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel St., New Haven.

Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Mon. (until 8 p.m. Thurs.), 1-6 p.m. Sun. Free.

203-432-0600, artgallery.yale.edu.

In 1795 Benjamin West, American-born president of the Royal Academy in London, fell victim to an elaborate hoax. He was persuaded that an old manuscript held out hope of rediscovering Venetian High Renaissance techniques of oil painting.

West used these materials and techniques to execute an ambitious historical painting: Cicero Discovering the Tomb of Archimedes. But the manuscript was a fake and the story an absurd invention. When the fraud was exposed, West suffered profound professional embarrassment. Seven years later West painted an almost identical version of his painting, this time according to his own methods.

Benjamin West and the Venetian Secret brings together both versions of West’s composition, along with recent technical analysis, copies of the fake manuscript and other works on paper pertaining to the hoax. Through January 4 at the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Mon., noon-5 p.m. Sun. Free. 203-432-2858, ycba.yale.edu.

The Yale Center for British Art is the first and only U.S. venue to present a major retrospective of David Cox (17831859). Marking the 150th anniversary of the artist’s death, Sun, Wind and Rain: The Art of David Cox examines the work of this important figure in the development of British landscape and watercolor painting. Through January 4 at the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Mon., noon-5 p.m. Sun. Free. 203-432-2858, ycba.yale.edu.

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven presents works by Joanne Schmaltz

and Gar Waterman. Schmaltz’s photographs explore form, gesture and sensuality in nature. Waterman’s sculptures in stone, bronze, steel and wood examine the relationship between the structured design of architecture and the curve of form in nature. Through January 9 at Gallery 195, NewAlliance Bank, 195 Church St., 4th floor, New Haven. Open 9 a.m.3 p.m. weekdays. Free. 203-772-2788, newhavenarts.org.

In En Masse regional artists take their genres (from book arts to digital prints), material, concept or technique to the next level of its associated tradition.

Artists include Ron Abbe of Meriden, North Havener Jeanne Criscola, John Favret of Uncasville, New York’s Yosiell Lorenzo, Irene K. Miller of Woodbridge and New Haveners Elise Wiener and Deborah Zervas. Curated by Suzan Shutan. Through January 9 at the Small Space Gallery, 70 Audubon St., 2nd floor, New Haven. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. Free. 203-772-2788, dhesse@ newhavenarts.org, newhavenarts.org.

Artistry on the Shoreline, the Guilford Art Center’s (GAC) annual holiday sale, features fine handmade crafts and art by artists who live and work on the Connecticut shoreline. Through January 11 at the Shop at GAC, 411 Church St., Guilford. Open noon-6 p.m. weekdays, noon-5 p.m. Sat. Free (all items individually priced). 203-453-5947, info@ guilfordartcenter.org, guilfordartcenter. org.

Inside/Outside. Lisa Hess Hesselgrave brings a new body of work exploring a variety of media on paper alongside her better known work in painting. Her long history with oils and portraiture gives way to works done in pastel, pencil and collage. Hesselgrave often addresses the human figure or landscape with intentional focus

on color and light. Scott Paterson’s work clearly shows his interest in architecture. His fascination with painting houses began as a student in San Francisco, perusing newsprint realestate mailers. He turned the black-andwhite images into color, focusing on the architecture of composition rather than the homes. Through January 11 at the Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Ave., New Haven. Open 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Thurs.-Sun. and by appointment. Free.

203-389-9555, kehlerliddell.com.

Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women spotlights a selection of Bessie Potter Vonnoh’s (1872-1955) small sculpture and garden statuary that portray women as both icons of beauty and moral guardians of family and home. Through January 11 at the Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme St., Old Lyme. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $10 ($9 seniors & students, $6 children 6-12, free under 6).

860-434-5542, flogris.org.

Women Artists in Connecticut: Selections from the Florence Griswold Museum features works focusing on the contributions of women artists in Connecticut, particularly the members of the Lyme Art Colony.

Artists include Cecilia Beaux, Matilda Browne, Margaret Cooper, Elisabeth Gordon Chandler, Caro Weir Ely, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, Lilian Westcott Hale, Breta and Lydia Longacre and Margaret Hardon Wright. Through January 11 at the Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme St., Old Lyme. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $10 ($9 seniors & students, $6 children 6-12, free under 6). 860-434-5542, flogris. org.

More than 150 crosses and crucifixes from around the world (where they were used in churches or by individuals) are on loan from the

CRITIC’S PICK Turning Up the Heat Freddi Elton’s work ranges across several media. Earlier shows have focused on her photography, in which abstract images were informed by printmaking. The work in Hot/Medium/Cool, the current show, returns to printmaking (a “cool” medium) and encaustic (a “hot” medium) to explore how the two

Lacerate, encaustic on Japanese paper, shows the artist’s more fiery side.

approaches to imagemaking inform one another.

— Elvira J. Duran January 2-31 (opening reception 3-6 p.m. January 3) at City Gallery, 994 State St., New Haven.

Thurs.-Sun. noon-4 p.m.

Free. 203 397-2152, info@ city-gallery.org, citygallery.org.

Woods Kemper Professor of American History and Kamensky is a history professor at Brandeis. 5:30 p.m. January 21 at the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. Free. 203-4322858, ycba.yale.edu.

Intricacies: Extreme Detail in Current Art, an obsessive, intimate and universal show of works by artists who incorporate extreme detail in their work.

Artists include John Arabolos of West Haven, Rachel Hellerich and Mark Tsang of Milford, Hamden’s Cham Hendon, Charles Printz Kopelson from New York, Weston’s Edith Borax Morrison and Alyse Rosner of Westport. Through January 23 at Haskins Laboratories Gallery, 300 George St., 9th floor, New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Wed.-Fri. Free. 203-772-2788.

Nativity scene handcrafted from crushed dolomite stone and resin by the Sisters of the Monastere de Bethleem, France, from the collection of Rev. Timothy Goldrick, is one of the many found in Nativities of Europe: Folk Art to Fine Art. extensive Yvonne Shia Klancko Collection of religious items and displayed for the first time in Crosses & Crucifixes. Through January 15 at Knights of Columbus Museum, 1 State St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Free. 203-865-0400, museum@kofc.org, kofc.org/museum.

Davide Lombardo, visiting fellow, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and

Toledo Museum of Art, lectures on Times and Spaces of Cruikshanks London. 12:30 p.m. January 20 at the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-2858, ycba. yale.edu.

Jill Lepore and Jane Kamensky discuss Heads and Tales: Portraits, History and Fiction and autograph copies of their book. Lepore is Harvard’s David

Internationally renowned Tibetan master artist Lama Tsondru Sangpo of the Thupten Ling Dharma Center exhibits Sacred Art of Tibet. The Lama began formal training as a disciple of Master Zarwa Archok, the most highly skilled thangka painter in the Tibetan refugee community. It was under his tutelage that the Lama received his first instruction in the traditional techniques of foundational diagrams and figure drawing. January 9-23 (opening reception: 6-8 p.m. January 9; gallery talk: 2-5 p.m. January 17) Center for the Arts, 40 Railroad Ave., Milford. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 2-5 p.m. Sat. 203-8786647, milfordarts.org.

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Marianne Clerc, visiting scholar and lecturer in the art history department of the Universit Pierre Mends-France Grenoble II, will lecture on French Artists in London (ca. 1680-1745): Examples of a Cooperation Between French and British Artists. 12:30 p.m. January 27 at the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-2858, ycba.yale. edu. Gateway Community College students present their semester work in the Gateway Art Students End-ofSemester Exhibition. Through January 30 in the Gateway Community College Gallery, 60 Sargent Dr., New Haven.

Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri. & 9 a.m.noon Sat. 203-285-2241, nhalko@gwcc. commnet.edu.

Amateur and professional photographers from around the state are invited to submit their portfolios for review by a panel of prestigious judges for the annual statewide, juried photography show, Images 2009. 5-8 p.m. January 30, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. January 31-February 1 at the Guilford Art Center, 411 Church St., Guilford. Free. 203453-3890, info@shorelinearts.org, shorelinearts.org/images.cfm.

Trees and Arches on Chapel is a group show featuring works of Kevin Conklin, Min Sim, Frieda Howling, Sharon Tracy, Paul Gobell, Amber Matia and resident artist Denise Parri. Through January 31 at White Space Gallery, 1020 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily (until 7 p.m. Thurs.); Sun. by appt. Free.

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between painting and sculpture. Waters attempts to blur the boundaries that typically separate these media through his manipulation of materials and space, creating a new dialogue between the viewer, the object and the artist.

January 15- February 14 (artist talk: 6 p.m. January 15) at Artspace, 50 Orange St., New Haven. Open Noon-6 p.m.

Tues.-Thurs. & noon-8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free.

203-772-2709, artspacenh.org.

In her site-specific installations, Miriam Songster confounds viewers’ understanding of space and place by overwhelming their senses. In Dirt, Songster radically alters the conventional function of the “white cube” gallery through her sensorial intervention. Using a custom-made perfume, Songster brings the outside in by infusing the gallery with the unexpected smell of fresh dirt. January 15- February 14 at Artspace, 50 Orange St., New Haven. Open Noon-6 p.m.

Tues.-Thurs. & Noon-8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free.

203-772-2709, artspacenh.org.

Tibetan artist, Lama Tsondru Sangpo displays all of his Sacred Art of Tibet at the Center for the Arts in Milford from January 9–23.

203-495-1200, whitespacegallery.com.

Group Experiment features selected works by Seth Anderson, Thaddeus Beal, Charlie Goodwin, Elizabeth Gourlay, Sarah Gustafson, Julie Gross, Vaune Hatch, Jerome Hershey, Janet Lage, Mitch Lyons, Pamela Marks, Kelly Jean Ohl, Meg Brown Payson, Ross Racine, Debra Ramsay, Jefri Ruchti, Evelyn Rydz, Thomas Stavovy, Malcolm Wright, Julie York and others. Through February 1 at EO Art Lab, 69 Main St., Chester. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat., noon-6 p.m. Sun. or by appt. Free. 860526-4833, chester@eoartlab.com.

In continuing with its tradition of exhibiting Nativity scenes from around the world during the Christmas season, the Knights of Columbus Museum exhibits Nativities of Europe: Folk Art to Fine Art and Christmas in Connecticut this year. The 90 crèches represent over two dozen vibrant cultures from Western and Eastern Europe. In addition, the art students and faculties of two local Catholic high schools have teamed up to present the Birth of Jesus in the setting of their own towns. Through February 9 at Knights of Columbus Museum, 1 State St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Free.

203-865-0400, museum@kofc.org, kofcmuseum.org.

Stains and Puddles. Joe Fucigna creates abstract sculptural forms using

42 january 2009

common industrial materials like rubber and plastic to explore ideas of transformation and flux. Drawn to the physical and expressive capabilities of commercially produced materials, Fucigna crafts sculptures that juxtapose notions of the organic with the inorganic and interior with exterior in order to alter viewers’ relationship to the physical and psychological space that they inhabit. January 15- February 14 (artist talk 6 p.m. January 15) at Artspace, 50 Orange St., New Haven. Open Noon6 p.m. Tues.-Thurs. & noon-8 p.m. Fri.Sat. Free. 203-772-2709, artspacenh.org.

Architect Duo Dickinson presents images that speak about the natural processes of decay and evolution as revealed through the structural components used in the iconic architecture that characterizes Venice, Italy in Erosion/Revelation. These highly detailed photographs of bricks and other common building materials highlight the inevitable effects of time.

January 15- February 14 (artist talk: 6 p.m. January 22) at Artspace, 50 Orange St., New Haven. Open Noon-6 p.m.

Tues.-Thurs. & Noon-8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free.

203-772-2709, artspacenh.org.

Recent Work. Using wood, tape, paint and plastic to create his variously scaled abstract forms, Jonathan Waters investigates the physical and perceptual relationships that exist

In her highly detailed, realistic drawings, Paris-based artist Tali Gai presents unsettling scenes of figures caught in varying states of physical and psychological transition. Though spare and elegant, her intimate drawings found in My House Was Collapsing to One Side are filled with emotion ranging from fury and anxiety to lust and humor. January 15- February 14 at Artspace, 50 Orange St., New Haven.

Open Noon-6 p.m. Tues.-Thurs. & noon-8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free. 203-772-2709, artspacenh.org.

Jacob Galle’s single-channel video juxtaposes ordinary activities occurring in extraordinary settings. In [spring fever/pilgrimage], the camera captures Galle trekking to a beautiful and remote mountainous locale in order to accomplish the most mundane of domestic duties: the drying of laundry. Simple yet absurd, Galle’s work speaks to, among many things, the profundity of manual labor as a spiritual endeavor and a form of social resistance in our technological world.

January 15- February 14 (artist talk 6 p.m.

January 15) at Artspace, 50 Orange St., New Haven. Open Noon-6 p.m. Tues.Thurs. & noon-8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free. 203772-2709, artspacenh.org.

Sasha Rudensky: Photographs. In her first major solo exhibition Sasha Rudensky (Wesleyan ’01) showcases two recent photographic series: Remains and Demons. In Remains, Rudensky, who was born in Moscow in 1979, explores the political and social transformation of the former Soviet Union by focusing on the intimate details of everyday life, poignantly evoking reservation and ambivalence about the future. Demons is a series of hybrid portraits, or “moments,” of family members and friends in which theatrical gesture is used to suggest a fantastical version of the artist’s childhood. January 24-February 15 at Zilkha Gallery, Wesleyan University, 283 Washington Terr., Middletown. Open noon-4 p.m. Tues.-Sun. (until 8 p.m. Fri.).

Free. 860-685-3355, boxoffice@wesleyan.

edu, wesleyan.edu/cfa.

Family Business brings together diverse artists and media to explore the business of being a family. Featured artists include: Steven DiGiovanni, Larissa Hall, Joe Saccio, Hrvoje Slovenc, the Broell Bresnick family of New Haven; Bob Gregson of Orange; Erika Van Natta of Bethany and Thuan Vu of Hamden. Curated by Howard el-Yasin and Debbie Hesse. Through February 27 at the Parachute Factory Gallery at Erector Square, 319 Peck St., Bldg. 1, New Haven. 203-772-2788, karsenault@ newhavenarts.org.

From soaring skyscrapers to glowing steel mills, rolling farm fields to smooth tennis courts, American printmakers captured the excitement and conflicts of modern life in the first half of the 20th century. Organized by students in a Wesleyan seminar, the exhibit Modern Times: American Graphic Arts, 1900–1950, includes works by John Taylor Arms, Thomas Hart Benton, Martin Lewis, John Sloan, Grant Wood and others. January 30-March 5 at the Davison Art Center, Wesleyan University, 301 High St., Middletown. Open noon-4 p.m. Tues.-Sun. Free. 860-685-2500, lberman@wesleyan.edu, wesleyan. edu/dac.

Deep black and beautifully textured, this exhibition’s contemporary Chinese Rubbings record distant places and ancient times. By pressing paper onto stone monuments and inking it, the Chinese were able to make copies of important documents before the invention of printing. The process, called “rubbing” or “squeezing” remained important after the invention of printing because of its association with authority and the past. January 28-March 6 at Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies Gallery, Wesleyan University, 343 Washington Terr., Middletown. Open noon-4 p.m. daily except Mon. Free. 860-685-2330, wesleyan.edu/east.

Layers of Time and Memories: A Retrospective of Hand-Dyed Watercolor Torn Paper Collage Portraits from 1988-2006. Marilyn Cohen’s work is a reflection of collage — layers of lives and families, images and memories. The colors and textures are like the colors and textures in each life. The layers of paper echo the layers of generations that create a family while she creates a celebration of life.

January 22-March 8 at Thomas J. Walsh Gallery, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Rd., Fairfield. Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Mon., noon-4 p.m. Sun. Free. quickcenter.com.

Who I Am on the Inside is an exhibition of works by young people in the state’s juvenile justice system. The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance organized the exhibit to highlight the struggles and potential of these young people. The works are highly personal and often reference the children’s difficult life histories. Many show precocious talent, especially considering that most of the young artists are from school districts that

Rachel Hellerich’s Fade To Jade is a prime example of the super details seen in artists’ works in Intricacies: Extreme Detail in Current Art, on view through January 23 at Haskins Laboratories Gallery. offer little or no studio art. January 20-March 13 (reception 5-7 p.m. January 22) at the Small Space Gallery, 70 Audubon St., 2nd floor, New Haven.

Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. Free. 203772-2788, dhesse@newhavenarts.org, newhavenarts.org.

A prolific artist whose work defies easy categorization, Mark Mulroney borrows familiar imagery from popular

culture and turns it on its head. In Wet with Glee, his newly commissioned installation for Gallery 1, Mulroney renders colorful images of people, places and things in an illustrative, even cartoon-like, style. Though seemingly benign, Mulroney’s fractured yet whimsical scenes speak tellingly about social and cultural taboos, while commenting on issues ranging from power and excess to anxiety and loss.

January 15-March 14 (artist talk 6 p.m.

January 15) at Artspace, 50 Orange St., New Haven. Open Noon-6 p.m. Tues.Thurs. & noon-8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free. 203772-2709, artspacenh.org.

A range of media from realistic to abstract, representing varied issues from identity to environmental concerns, can be seen in Oppositions, a juried exhibition of recent artwork

exploring dichotomy and/or binary opposition presented by the Arts & Literature Laboratory. Works will be integrated with furniture in a unique architectural space. January 24-March 21(reception 6-8 p.m. January 31) at River Street Gallery at Fairhaven Furniture, 72 Blatchley Ave., New Haven. Open 9 a.m.6 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. 203-776-3099, fairhaven-furniture.com.

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43

O F NOT E S

Groove

By Sarah Politz

In the

Drummer Jesse Hameen returns home to revitalize New Haven jazz scene

44 january 2009

PHOTOGRAPH: ANTHONY DeCARLO

‘Cheese’ in the pocket: ‘That’s what we are in New Haven, is groovy.’

W

hen Jesse Hameen II plays a show in his native New Haven, word travels fast: “Cheese” is in town. The past ten years have seen the amiable jazz drummer, whose nickname comes from his brilliant smile, return to live in his hometown, keeping up a busy performing career and releasing a new solo album, all while giving back to the community as a teacher and a mentor.

A September article in the New York Times rightfully places Hameen at the center of a New Haven jazz scene that is reclaiming a measure of its former place of prominence.

“It’s really gratifying being back, because I’m able to make a difference over here,” says Hameen. “It’s the gratification of knowing that we were able to do something to give back to the city, to bring jazz to life here, to put it back in the lives of the people.”

Born in 1941 and raised in the Elm City, Hameen was raised in a musical family. “My family, they’re into gospel,” he explains. “Some of the best gospel musicians in the New Haven area, a lot of them are in my family. My parents never once told me my drums were too loud or to stop practicing. I said, how could they tolerate it like that? You couldn’t ask for more supportive parents.

“I played drums my whole life. My mother said that as soon as I came out of the womb I was playing.”

In 1950, at the tender age of nine, Hameen started his own band with drummers Paul Huggins, currently of the African American Cultural Center at Yale, and Billy Fitch. “Paul taught us the AfroCuban thing,” he says. “I was playing the congas and the bongos. By the time I was ten, we started performing professionally.”

Hameen enlisted in the Air Force in 1958, before the U.S. became embroiled in Vietnam. His service took him to London, where he honed his chops aft er hours among heavyweights like Joe Harriott and Ginger Baker. Hameen returned to the States in 1962, as jazz was making the transition from fiery bebop to bluesy cool.

“New Haven during that time was one of the meccas for jazz,” he recalls. “Hartford was pretty good, but New Haven was the spot for Connecticut.”

The clubs were concentrated in the Dixwell neighborhood, most within walking distance of Hameen’s home, like the Playback on Winchester Avenue, which was owned by New Haven native

Willie Ruff, who now conducts the Yale Jazz Ensemble; and the Monterey Café, run by New Havener and vaudeville performer Rufus Greenlee.

The Monterey, Hameen recalls, “was more than just a jazz club; it was a rite of passage. You got all ready to go — you had a certain code of conduct in there. It was the kind of thing people brought their children to. The place was packed seven nights a week.”

With jazz jumping all around him, Hameen worked six months at the post office to earn himself a new set of drums, and then took off on a series of road tours that eventually landed him in New York City. He began freelancing, traveling with Charles Earland to Puerto Rico, and then to Las Vegas and the West Coast. He has played with the era’s top names, including Grover Washington Jr., Irene Reid (for whom he has produced two albums and written numerous compositions), vocalist Leon Thomas, hard bop pianist Tommy Flanagan, Lou Donaldson and soul star Curtis Mayfield, to name a few. He converted to Islam in 1979 and changed his name from Jesse Kilpatrick Jr. to Jesse Hameen II. But to many native New Haveners, he will always be “Cheese.”

In 1995, Hameen decided to move back to New Haven to care for his ailing parents.

“My parents were so supportive of me, that when the time came I had to take care of them,” Hameen says. “I told my mother, ‘I’m terrified to come back to New Haven, because my business is all built up in New York. There’s no way I’m going to be as busy up there.’ She said, ‘Well, don’t worry, God’s going to bless you.’”

What Hameen found surprised him. He became involved with Jazz Haven, a nonprofit which supports and advocates for jazz music and musicians and produces the annual summer New Haven Jazz Festival.

Explains Jazz Haven President Doug Morrill: “When Jesse came back, he wanted to offer something to New Haven.

He is very much a community person, and jazz is a wonderful community-building vehicle.”

Hameen was also appointed the chair of the lauded jazz studies program at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, a role that gives him the chance to teach and mentor young jazz musicians,

among them young pianist Christian Sands. He is also on faculty at the Hartford Conservatory.

“What makes Jesse different from other jazz musicians is his willingness to go the full mile in terms of keeping the music alive,” says Morrill.

“I believe that being a musician is not just an individual path, but that people should benefit from it,” Hameen says. “My goal is to be a human excellence advocate.”

His recent album Sign of the Times, his first solo project in over 20 years, was released last August on his independent Inspire Music label, and rings with the sounds of jazz that is New Haven’s own — well traveled and world-wise, but determinedly funky.

“New Haven has a sound — a bluesy, funky sound,” Hameen says. “Just like people all over the country have their different accents, their different personalities — that’s their voice. On my CD I like everything to be groovy. That’s what we are in New Haven, is groovy.”

The album combines six bluesy, recently penned compositions with three other Hameen originals from a 1993 session featuring New York trombonist Benny Powell. All of the tracks are filled with the rich sound of the Hammond B-3 organ, an instrument Hameen has tapped often in his career.

As its title suggests, it is a timely album in many senses, with songs like “Conducive Environment,” which features Hameen’s two-fisted explosion of a drum solo in 6/4 time, and “Tighten Your Belt,” a funky number which allows the group to really lock in.

“All of my songs have meaning,” Hameen said enigmatically in a November concert. “‘Tighten Your Belt.’ We all know what that means,” he said, alluding to the current recession.

Of President-elect Barack Obama, Hameen says, “Whether he was elected or not, the fact that there’s so many people who are willing to accept an AfricanAmerican President is a sign of the times.

That shows that the climate has changed, that people are now realizing that it’s the content of a person’s character and not the color of their skin that’s happening.”

While Hameen was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and plans to undergo radiation treatment, he says he feels strong: “I feel good, my ideas are flowing, I’m still writing. I practice every day.” v

new haven

45

MUSIC Classical The New England Guitar Society (NEGS) meets monthly for informal solo and ensemble performances, ensemble readings, member recitals and lively discussion about the classical guitar. 2 p.m. January 4 at Center for the Arts, 40 Railroad Ave., Milford.

Free. info@newenglandguitar.org, newenglandguitar.org.

Yale Schola Cantorum in Baltic Voices, a show featuring music from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by Augustinas, Mazulis, Tormis, Part, Tulev and Vasks.

8 p.m. January 17 at St. Mary’s Church, 5 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven. Free. 203432-4158, yale.edu/music.

The Tokyo String Quartet returns to Yale with a program featuring BEETHOVEN String Quartet in F Major Op. 18, no. 1; BRAHMS String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat Major Op. 67; JANACEK Quartet No. 2 (Intimate Pages). 8 p.m.

January 20 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. $34-$27 ($14 students).

203-432-4158, yale.edu/music.

St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-4158, yale. edu/music.

The Kingdoms of Castille: Sacred and Secular Music from Spain, Italy and the Americas features Ensemble El Mundo performing works by Arajo, Padilla, Quiroz, Hidalgo, Duron and Handel.

The group includes director Richard Savino on guitar, soprano Jennifer Ellis Kampani, violinist Adam LaMotte and William Skeen on violoncello and viola da gamba. 3 p.m. January 25 at Yale Collection of Musical Instruments, 15 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven. $20 ($15 seniors, $10 students). 203-432-4158, yale. edu/music.

Choate’s professional chamber orchestra-in-residence, the PMAC Chamber Orchestra, performs works under the baton of Philip Ventre. 7:30 p.m. January 9 at the Paul Mellon Arts Center, Choate Rosemary Hall, 333 Christian St., Wallingford. $20 ($15 students & seniors). 203-697-2423, artscenter@choate.edu, choate.edu.

Faculty artists James Taylor, tenor, and Donald Sulzen, piano, perform a program that includes music by SCHUBERT, BEETHOVEN An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 9 and SCHUMANN Dichterliebe, Op. 48. 5 p.m. January 25 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-4158, yale.edu/ music.

Opera’s charismatic real-life couple, Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna, provide the star power to deliver a new production of Giacomo Puccini’s ravishing romance La Rondine in the Met Live in HD. Gheorghiu plays the kept woman who gambles on true love and Alagna is the man who makes her question the cost of her glittering existence. Nicolas Joël directs the new production of this gorgeously melodic look at love. 1 p.m. January 1011 at Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Rd., Fairfield. $22 ($20 seniors, $15 children & students). quickcenter.com.

Renowned French pianist Pierre Reach will perform J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. 8 p.m. January 28 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. $18$5 ($5 students). 203-432-4158, yale. edu/music.

Hear the Neighborhood Music School’s auditioned youth ensembles perform in the Youth Ensembles Winter Concert by the Concert Band and Concert Orchestra (2:30 p.m.) and the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Youth Orchestra (4 p.m.). January 11 at Battell Chapel, New Haven. Free. 203-624-5189, nmsmusicschool.org.

Enjoy readings, choir carols and hymns for the season of light sung by the Trinity Choir of Men & Boys in A Procession of Lessons & Carols for Epiphany. 5 p.m. January 11 at Trinity Church on the Green New Haven. Free.

203-776-2616, music@trinitynewhaven. org.

Composers Patrick Burke (8 p.m.

January 15) and Sebastian Zubieta (8 p.m. January 29) begin this semester’s Degree Recitals series with their Doctor of Musical Arts recitals. Bo Li will perform on viola (8 p.m. January 16) and Ellen Connors on bassoon (8 p.m.

January 27), as Laura Atkinson, mezzosoprano, (5 p.m. January 30) dazzles the crowd with her voice in their Master of Music recitals. Sun-Mi Chang plays violin (8 p.m. January 22) and Thomas Bergeron sounds the trumpet (8 p.m.

January 31) during their respective Artist Diploma recitals. At Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. Free. 203-4324158, yale.edu/music.

As part of the Pan-Baltic Choral Series, guest conductor Paul Hillier leads the

46 january 2009

Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell comes to town January 14, bringing his progressive folk, classical, country, noise sound, along with his effects.

Catch him in one of his two shows at Firehouse 12 in New Haven.

Under the baton of guest conductor Peter Oundjian, the Yale Philharmonia performs BARTOK Viola Concerto (Margaret Carey, viola); BRUCKNER Symphony No. 8, and others. 8 p.m.

January 23 at Woolsey Hall, 500 College

Music Director William Boughton conducts the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, with Jennifer Lim on piano, in The End of an Era. BERNSTEIN Candide Overture; RACHMANINOV Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; ELGAR Symphony No. 2 in Eb, Op 63. 7:30 p.m. January 29 at Woolsey Hall, 500 College St., New Haven. $65$10. 203-562-5666 or 888-736-2663, newhavensymphony.com.

The Ives Vocal Marathon Festival features the complete 185 songs of Charles Ives, in all of their versions, over three evenings. With a keynote address, scholarly panels, a conversation with the legendary Helen

Rusty Evans and his band, Ring of Fire, rock the Palace Theater on January 28 with A Tribute to Johnny Cash.

Boatwright and other events. Part I, 8 p.m. January 29; Part II, 8 p.m. January 30; Part III, 8 p.m. January 31 at Crowell Concert Hall, Wesleyan University, Middletown. $5 ($4 seniors & students).

860-685-3355, cfa@wesleyan.edu, wesleyan.edu/cfa.

Music by Saint-Saens, Debussy and Durosoir will be played by faculty artists Ole Akahoshi, cello, and Elizabeth Parisot, piano. 8 p.m. January 30 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-4158, yale.edu/ music.

Popular Carlene Carter, granddaughter of “Mother” Maybelle Carter, daughter of June Carter and Country Music Hall of Famer Carl Smith and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash, is the heir to one of the richest musical legacies of all time. Launched by Emmylou Harris’ hit recording of her song “Easy From

CRITIC’S PICK To Hear Bluegrass in the Snow International Bluegrass Music Association awards since 1996. Their current album Through the Window of a Train is No. 1 on the bluegrass charts, and the title track won the 2008 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Song of the Year. They rarely play in New England, so don’t miss out.

— Elvira J. Duran Blue Highway is one of the most well liked and influential groups in contemporary bluegrass. Individually, Jason Burleson (banjo, guitar, mandolin), Rob

Ickes (dobro), Shawn Lane (mandolin, fiddle, vocals), Tim Stafford (guitar, vocals) and Wayne Taylor (bass, vocals) are masters at work, but together,

they form a special combination. Tim Stafford was an original member of Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Rob Ickes has won an unprecedented ten

3 p.m. January 11 at the Little Theater, 1 Lincoln St., New Haven. $40-$30. 203-430-6020, guitartownct.com.

Now On,” the twice-divorced mother of two left Nashville at age 22 to make a record in England with rocker Graham Parker and the Rumour. She was married to English rocker Nick Lowe until 1990, when her album I Fell In Love topped the country charts.

Now happily married to musician Joe Breen, the Grammy-nominated Carter moves fluidly from the sassy country-rock of her past to reflective acousticcountry tunes closer to her family roots. Her new album Stronger is garnering rave reviews and her voice is sounding better than ever. 7 p.m. January 10 at the Little Theater, 1 Lincoln St., New Haven. $40-$30. 203430-6020, guitartownct.com.

What a better way to kick off the New Year than with a return visit from Virginia’s Bob Zentz, who has been described as a one-man minstrel show with a smorgasbord of contemporary, traditional and original songs. Zentz, who hails from the Norfolk, Va. region, has been performing for more than three decades and offers up a program that is a unique testimony to his vast repertoire and varied personal interests. Concertgoers can expect to hear a concert that includes traditional Celtic tunes and ballads, science fiction songs, sea chanteys, tales of “old timers and old rhymers” and poetry set to music. Zentz accompanies himself on a variety of acoustic instruments, including guitars, dulcimers, banjos, autoharp, concertina, melodeon, cittern, jew’s harp and harmonica. 8 p.m. January 10 at First Congregational Church, 1009 Main St., Branford. $15 ($12 members, $5 children under 13). 203-488-7715, branfordfolk@yahoo.com, folknotes.org/branfordfolk.

One of the leading jazz guitarists since the late 1980s, Bill Frisell has built a career manipulating the sound of his guitar to create unexpected sonic landscapes.

Frisell’s eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical, country, noise and more. He is known for using an array of effects (delay, distortion, reverb, octave shifters and volume pedals, to name a few) to create unique sounds from his instrument. 8:30 & 10 p.m. January 14 at Firehouse 12, 45 Crown St., New Haven. $25. 203-785-0468, firehouse12.com.

Children will want to sing along with Maria Sangiolo and her familiar favorites as well as her original songs, which tell of everything from mermaids and fairies to sea turtles. 4 p.m. January 23 at Neighborhood Music School, 100 Audubon St., New Haven. $10 ($5 children).

Proceeds will benefit the school’s preschool and toddler programs. 203-624-5189, nmsmusicschool.org.

Mark Morris’ acclaimed production of Christoph Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice returns to the Met. This complete vision, with choreography by Morris and costumes by Isaac Mizrahi, features the artistry of Stephanie Blythe in the title role. The alluring Danielle de Niese is Orfeo’s adored wife Euridice, who inspires the hero to face the underworld for her sake. Music Director James Levine conducts. 1 & 7 p.m. January 24 at Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Rd., Fairfield. $22 ($20 seniors, $15 children & students). quickcenter.com.

John Luther Adams’ Veils are electronic soundscapes that fill time and space with enveloping atmospheres of harmonic color. They are sculpted from long strands of pink noise, rising or falling. Polyphonic choirs of these lines pass through three “harmonic prisms.” The resulting fields of sound fill the air with many tones sounding at any moment. They tend to meld together into rich, ambiguous sonorities in which the higher tones sound like harmonics of the lower tones. The timbres are clear and slightly breathy, like human voices mixed with bowed glass or metal.

5-11 p.m. January 27 at World Music Hall, Wesleyan University, Middletown. Free. 860-685-3355, cfa@ wesleyan.edu, wesleyan.edu/cfa.

Upper School Grades 9 – 12

Middle School Grades 6 – 8

Lower School Pre-K3 – Grade 5

OPEN HOUSE

January pm October 25, 19, 2009 2008 •• 11 pm TO RSVP: 203-236-9560 OR ADMISSIONS@CHASEMAIL.ORG AN ACADEMICALLY DEMANDING COED DAY SCHOOL IN THE CLASSIC INDEPENDENT SCHOOL TRADITION

565 Chase Parkway Waterbury, Connecticut 06708 Tel: 203-236-9560 admissions@chasemail.org www.chasecollegiate.org

YOUR PALACE ~YOUR PLACE For Legendary Tributes RUSTY EVANS A TRIBUTE TO

JOHNNY CASH

THE LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE PERFORMED BY HAMMER OF THE GODS

203.755.4700 palacetheaterct.org 100 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT

FEBRUARY 27th • 8:00 pm

JANUARY 28th 7:30 pm

Kick off the New Year in High Gear!

ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN

MARCH 16th • 7:30 pm

Continued on 60

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ONSTAGE CABARET The Goodspeed Festival of New Artists brings together a showcase of new songs by sundry artists at its New Artists Cabaret. 10 p.m. January 16 at the Gelston House, 8 Main St., East Haddam. $15 ($10 students). 860-8738668, goodspeed.org.

THEATER Disney on Ice. Join Mickey and Minnie Mouse on a journey into the magical worlds of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Peter Pan and Lilo & Stitch. You’ll be captivated by the music, beauty and laughter in a journey so magical that you’ll never want to go home. January 1-4 at Arena at Harbor Yard, 600 Main St., Bridgeport. $55.25$15.25. 203-368-1000 or 203-624-033, arenaatharboryard.com.

As Christmas approaches the world of Frogtown Hollow, Emmet Otter and his Ma can only dream of buying each other gifts. So when a Christmas Eve talent contest is announced, both secretly enter hoping to win the prize money. In a heartwarming twist on “The Gift of the Magi,” Otter and Ma risk all they have and end up with the greatest grand prize of all. Based on director Jim Henson’s television feature, this new theatrical adaptation of Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas features a lovable mix of actors and puppet characters from the Jim Henson Co. as well as a toe-tapping score.

Through January 4 at the Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main St., East Haddam. $49-$26. 860-873-8668, goodspeed.org.

Bob the Builder and his team embark in a brand new adventure in Bob the Builder Live: Spud’s Big Mess. Join Bob, Wendy, Scoop, Lofty, Dizzy, Scrambler and the rest of the gang in fantastic songs and an exciting adventure as they deal with Spud’s mischievous antics, as well as some monster surprises.

And this time, the friends pull together to build the first ever Sunflower Valley recycling plant and wind farm.

Based on the popular international television show. 2 & 5:30 p.m. January 10 at the Palace Theater, 100 E. Main St., Waterbury. $30-$20. 203-755-4700, palacetheaterct.org.

Life on the Mississippi. Young Samuel Clemens leaves home to learn steamboat piloting on a Mississippi riverboat in 1858 and unexpectedly finds himself learning about life, death, love and writing; all this while navigating his way from boyhood into manhood and from Samuel Clemens to Mark Twain.

Based on Twain’s autobiographical coming-of-age tale. Book & lyrics by Douglas M. Parker. Music by Denver Casado. Directed by David Glenn Armstrong. Music Direction by William J. Thomas. Part of the Goodspeed Festival of New Artists. 7:30 p.m.

January 16 at Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main St., East Haddam. $15 ($10 students). 860-873-8668, goodspeed.org.

Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy is an all-new live theatrical adventure that takes audiences soaring into a magical forest through the air and on stage. An international cast of graceful aerialists, spine-bending contortionists, vineswinging characters, muscle men and balancers bring this jungle dream to life in a lush, Broadway setting filled with wildly unpredictable designs, special effects, inventive choreography, puppeteers and dazzling costumes. 8 p.m. January 16-17 at the Palace Theater, 100 E. Main St., Waterbury. $58-$48. 203755-4700, palacetheaterct.org.

There’s no better way to introduce your family to the wonders of live theater and dance than with the magic, the mystery and the memory of the most popular musical of all time. Cats, winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, features 20 of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s timeless melodies, including the hit song “Memory.” 8 p.m. January 16-17, 2 p.m. January 17, 1 & 5 p.m. January 18 at Shubert Theater, 247 College St., New Haven. $68-$15. 203562-5666 or 888-736-2663, shubert.com.

Ever wanted to develop your musical writing skills? Here’s your chance. The

The Palace Theater brings the high-flying, human circus show, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, to town January 16 & 17.

48 january 2009

Benjamin Howes (center) with the cast of The Trouble with Doug from Goodspeed Musicals’ Third Annual Festival of New Artists. This year’s festival will feature works by new artists January 16-18.

Goodspeed Festival of New Artists helps spur new artists on with the Symposium: Writing Musicals for a New Generation. 4 p.m. January 17 at the Gelston House, 8 Main St., East Haddam. $15 ($10 students). 860-8738668, goodspeed.org.

the direction of Kaia Monroe and Music Director Ian Schugel. Part of Goodspeed’s Festival of New Artists. 1 p.m. January 18 at Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main St., East Haddam. $15 ($10 students). 860-873-8668, goodspeed.org.

Enjoy a three-course meal and an informative discussion about musicaltheater legend Noel Coward at the Goodspeed Festival of New Artists’ Festival Dinner. 5:30 p.m. January 17 at the Gelston House, 8 Main St., East Haddam. $15 ($10 students). 860-8738668, goodspeed.org.

Meet the Writers Reception. Gain insight into the inspirations and methods of theater writers.

Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cash bar. 3:30 p.m. January 18 at the Gelston House, 8 Main St., East Haddam. $15 ($10 students). 860-8738668, goodspeed.org.

Gordon Greenberg directs Band Geeks!, a show based on a book

by Tommy Newman. The story is a tribute to the life of an outsider in the Cuyahoga High School Beavers Marching Band. Enrollment is down, the budget is bad, and a cool new kid threatens Beaver tradition. Elliott, the husky, tuba-playing band captain, must find a way to overcome his pride, unite the band and help them win back their respect at the Festival of Champions. Music & lyrics by Mark Allen, Gaby Alter, and Tommy Newman.

Music Director Michael O’Flaherty. Part of Goodspeed’s Festival of New Artists.

7:30 p.m. January 17 at Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main St., East Haddam. $15 ($10 students). 860-873-8668, goodspeed.org.

Based upon the critically-acclaimed book by two-time Newbery awardwinning writer Lois Lowry, The Silent Boy challenges and satisfies audiences as it recounts a special early 20thcentury childhood relationship between a young girl named Katy Thatcher and an autistic boy named Jacob. When events take an unexpected and tragic turn and Jacob is blamed, it is Katy alone who is determined to unravel the convoluted mystery of what happened and why. Best for grades 5-9. 9:30 & 11:30 a.m. January 30 at the Palace Theater, 100 E. Main St., Waterbury. $8.

203-755-4700, palacetheaterct.org.

The Lowell Mill Factory Girls must fight to maintain their country values and their humanity as they become America’s first independent working women. Armed with her pen and her voice, and fueled by a revolutionary spirit, one girl secretly rallies her coworkers against the burgeoning “soulless corporation.” Her choice affects not only the girls and their community but also the fate of the American worker. Enjoy the music and lyrics of Sean Mahoney and Creighton Irons, who also wrote the book. Under

Veronica Jonkers left her beloved grandfather’s farm to pursue her dream of a singing career in Cape Town.

Carrying a painful secret and a heart filled with disappointment, she returns after his death and strives to plant the seeds of a new life for her young son in Coming Home. Playwright Athol Fugard finds hope in human relationships and the power of the imagination in his newest work. Directed by Gordon Edelstein. January 14-February 8 at Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Dr., New Haven. $60.75-$45.75. 203-787-4282, 800-782-8497, info@longwharf.org, longwharf.org.

BELLES LETTRES The Writers Group of the Milford Fine Arts Council, which includes fiction and poetry scribes, meets monthly.

Bring work in progress or completed manuscripts. 7:30 p.m. January 8 at the Center for the Arts, 40 Railroad Ave., Milford. 203-878-6647, milfordarts.org.

Engage in A Conversation with Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. Kushner will discuss his wide-ranging and controversial body of work. Kushner is best known for his two-part epic, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. He also wrote the screenplays for Mike Nichols’ film of Angels in America and Steven Spielberg’s Munich. Tackling the most difficult subjects in contemporary history, Kushner rejects ideology in favor of what he calls a “dialectically shaped truth” which, in his view, must be outrageously funny, absolutely agonizing and move society’s views forward. He gives voice to characters that have been rendered powerless by the forces of circumstances. 8 p.m.

January 23 at Memorial Chapel, Wesleyan University, Middletown. Free. 860-6853355, cfa@wesleyan.edu, wesleyan. edu/cfa.

BENEFITS The St. Vincent’s Swim Across the Sound Sports Gala & Auction will begin with a silent auction of sports memorabilia (5:30 p.m.), followed by dinner, sports commentary and a live auction (7 p.m.). The sports celebrity lineup includes Jim Lonborg, 1967 Cy Young Award winner with the Boston Red Sox; former Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Willie Clay Upshaw; Minnesota Twins hurler Craig Breslow; “Tremendous” Travis Simms, 2003 & 2007 WBA Super Welterweight Champion and Howie Schwab, Host of ESPN’s Stump the Schwab. Attendees will hear their sports commentary and meet the celebrities. Proceeds to benefit Connecticut police, firemen, correction officers and EMS personnel and their families battling cancer.

January 19 at Anthony’s Ocean View, 450 Lighthouse Rd., East Haven. $100 ($60 tax deductible). 203-576-5451, swimacrossthesound.org.

to movies, politics to Shakespeare, geology to sports and everywhere in between. Ages 21 and older. Arrive early to get a table. 9 p.m. January 6, 13, 20 & 27 at Anna Liffey’s, 17 Whitney Ave., New Haven. $10 per team. 203-773-1776, annaliffeys.com.

CULINARY City Farmers’ Market at Wooster Square. Enjoy food from local farms including seafood, meat, milk, cheese, organic greens, root vegetables, handcrafted bread and baked goods, honey, more. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. every other Saturday January 10-May 2 at Russo Park, corner Chapel St. and DePalma Ct., New Haven. 203-773-3736, cityseed.org.

DANCE

COMEDY

The Neighborhood Music School Dance Department presents it annual Winter Concert. 7 p.m. January 16 at ECA’s Arts Hall, 55 Audubon St, New Haven. $10 (free for children under 12).

203-624-5189, nmsmusicschool.org.

Test your knowledge and have fun doing it at Anna Liffey’s Trivia Night.

Teams of one to five compete for prize money. Topics range from music

The Yale Astronomy Department hosts

FAMILY EVENTS

three nights of free classes on How To Use a Telescope (7 p.m. January 7-9), along with Public Observing Nights (6 p.m. January 20 & 27). Twice monthly the department runs a public night during which astronomy buffs can come and peer through one of the department’s many telescopes and ask questions about the wonders of the night sky. Viewable celestial objects change seasonally and range from the moon to the planets to nearby star clusters and galaxies. This month, participants will also enjoy a planetarium show. At the Leitner Family Observatory, 355 Prospect St., New Haven. Free. cobb@astro.yale.edu, astro.yale.edu.

The Eli Whitney Museum in Hamden will display A.C. Gilbert trains in its annual holiday train show, Mr. Gilbert’s Railroad. Kits ($9) available for young visitors who wish to build wooden trains with magnetic couplers. Through January 11 at Eli Whitney Museum, 915 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. & noon-5 p.m. Sun. Free. 203777-1833, kl@eliwhitney.org, eliwhitney. org.

Chinese New Year Festival. Phoebe M. Barron will lead an inter-generational, inter-cultural celebration of the

Ring in the Chinese New Year in style at Neighborhood Music School’s Chinese New Year Festival on January 17. It’s sure to be a blast for young and old alike with a myriad of activities, music, crafts, and a pot luck supper.

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Chinese New Year with music, crafts and potluck supper. 4 p.m. January 17 at Neighborhood Music School, 100 Audubon St., New Haven. Free. 203-6245189, nmsmusicschool.org.

Radio Dramas presents Favorite Shows from a repertoire of seven years’ work. Audience favorites from all genres will be presented, from edge-ofyour-seat suspense to outrageous live sound effects. 8 p.m. January 23 and 3 p.m. & 8 p.m. January 24 at the Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Rd., Fairfield. $25. 203254-4110, quickcenter.com.

The Toughest Spot on Dirt: Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour brings professional bull riding to Bridgeport. Watch 2,000 pounds of nature’s fury against the original “extreme” athletes in the classic battle of man vs. beast. Bull riding has always been a crowd favorite at rodeos; it has been called the toughest spot on dirt. All prize money won on the Enterprise tour will count toward qualification for the challenger tour finals and Built Ford Tough World Finals. 7:30 p.m. January 24 & 2 p.m.

January 25 at Arena at Harbor Yard, 600 Main St., Bridgeport. $45.25-$20.25 ($15.25-$10.25 children). 203-368-1000, arenaatharboryard.com.

The Neighborhood Music School’s Semester II Open House will be an afternoon of mini-lessons, sample dance and early-childhood classes, special activities and more. 1-4 p.m.

January 31 at Neighborhood Music School, 100 Audubon St., New Haven. Free. 203624-5189, nmsmusicschool.org.

Borders of the Mind is a psychic show for the whole family (ages 10 and up) conceived and performed by Joshua Kane. 3 p.m. & 8 p.m. January 31 and 3 p.m. February 1 at the Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Rd., Fairfield. $20 (children $15).

203-254-4110, quickcenter.com.

Have a few mad scientists around the house? Then bring them to the Coastal Center’s Saturday Scientists to enjoy an hour of wacky science experiments. New theme explored each week. Discover how to make gooey slime from cornstarch and water, how to launch a rocket with Alka Seltzer and how to get an egg into a bottle without touching it. Participants will also be taught some fun, safe and easy science experiments to do at home on cold winter days. Appropriate for families with kids ages 8 and older. 10 a.m. January 17 & 31 and February 28 at Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford, 1 Milford Point Rd., Milford. $7 member, $12 non-members ($5 child member, $8 child non-members, $5 seniors). 203-878-7440, ctaudubon. org/visit/milford.htm.

Snowflakes and Snowballs. Explore the structure of snowflakes and have a ball finding out why it snows. Make a real crystal snowflake ornament to take home. If there’s any snow, hand lenses will be used outside to get up-close looks at snowflakes. All ages. 1 p.m.

January 31 at Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford, 1 Milford Point Rd., Milford. $5 member, $10 non-members ($3 child member, $6 child non-members, $5 seniors). 203-8787440, ctaudubon.org/visit/milford.htm.

LECTURES/ DISCUSSIONS Sunlight Solar Energy will present Connecticut Solar Energy Options available to homeowners. Presentation will briefly explain the solar technology, site qualifications, federal tax credits available in 2009, other current rebates available to homeowners and the Connecticut solar lease program, followed by a Q&A session.

Homeowners are encouraged to bring their electric bills to have their usage evaluated. Space is limited so pre-registration is recommended but not required. 6-8 p.m. January 6 at Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford, 1 Milford Point Rd., Milford. Free. 203-878-9123, diana.bercury@sunlightsolar.com, ctaudubon.org/visit/milford.htm.

MIND, BODY & SOUL Yoga promotes a deep sense of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Classes are designed to help cultivate breath and body awareness, improve flexibility, strengthen and tone muscles, detoxify the body and soothe the spirit. All levels welcome.

Bring a yoga mat. Class led by Nelie Doak. 5-6:15 p.m. January 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 at Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., Branford. $10. 203-488-1441, ext. 313, yogidoakie@earthlink.net or events@ blackstone.lioninc.org, blackstone. lioninc.org.

Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible. Start the week off right with a Sunday Morning Recharge:

Meditate! Learn to cultivate and maintain a happy, positive mind.

Inspirational talk, special prayers and guided meditation with Buddhist teacher Kaitlyn Brayton. 11 a.m.12:30 p.m. Sundays in January at Mariner’s Corner, 2415 Boston Post Rd., No. 11, Guilford. $10 (members free). 860-268-3863, info@odiyana.org, meditationinconnecticut.org.

SPORTS/RECREATION Cycling Elm City Cycling organizes Lulu’s Ride, weekly two- to four-hour rides for all levels (17-19 mph average).

Cyclists leave 10 a.m. from Lulu’s European Café as a single group; no one is dropped. 10 a.m. every Sunday at Lulu’s European Café, 49 Cottage St., New Haven. Free. 203-773-9288, elmcitycycling.org.

The Little Lulu (LL) is an alternative to the long-standing Sunday morning training ride. The route is usually 20-30 miles in length and the ride is no-drop, meaning that the group waits at hilltops and turns so that no rider is left behind. The LL is an opportunity for cyclists to get accustomed to riding in groups. Riders should come prepared with materials (tubes, tools, pumps and/or CO2 inflators) to repair flats.

10 a.m. Sundays in January at Lulu’s European Café, 49 Cottage St., New Haven. Free. 203-773-9288, paulproulx@ sbcglobal.net, elmcitycycling.org.

Critical Mass. Participants meet at the flagpole on the New Haven

No need to head to Texas for some good ol’ fashioned bull riding, simply head to Bridgeport’s Arena at Harbor Yard on January 24 & 25. Join the roughest and toughest at The Toughest Spot on Dirt: Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour

50 january 2009

Green at 5:30 p.m. on the last Friday of each month for a slow-paced ride through New Haven streets. The ride ranges from 30 minutes to over an hour depending on weather. Critical Mass is not an organization; it’s an “unorganized coincidence” — a movement of bicycles in the streets as traffic. After the event, everyone is invited to a potluck dinner at the Devil’s Gear Bike Shop. 5:30 p.m.

January 30 at Temple and Chapel streets, New Haven. Free. elmcitycycling.org.

Hikes This Class A/B, New Year’s Day hike will lead hikers through Sleeping Giant State Park. Wear warm clothing and bring water and lunch. Rain cancels.

Snow will be fun. 10 a.m. January 1, meet at the parking lot on Carmel Ave. 203-288-7878, nhhc.info.

New Year’s Day Hike. Trek though Sleeping Giant State Park with others to ring in the New Year. Wear comfortable shoes, bring snacks and water. No pets, please. 1:30 p.m. January 1 at Sleeping Giant State Park, opposite Quinnipiac University on Mount Carmel Ave., Hamden. Free. 203-272-7841, sgpa.org.

Active Singles, a non profit group for singles (30s-50s), sponsors hikes on the first and third Sunday of each month throughout the state, as well as occasional dinner dances, beach parties, cruises, bus trips, coffee &

conversations. There is never a fee or dues collected to belong to Active Singles. January’s hikes will be at West Rock (9:30 a.m. January 4) and Sleeping Giant (9:30 a.m. January 25) in Hamden. Free. 203- 271-2125 or 860-489-9611, activesingles@snet.net, activesingles.org.

Join in on a three-mile, Class C hike by Maltby Lakes in West Haven. Hikers will do a loop up the steep yellow trail, along the Regicides Trail and down the red trail from the overlook. Geoffrey Smith leads the excursion. Heavy rain or snow cancels. 9:30 a.m. January 16, meet at the parking lot off Derby Avenue (Rt. 34), West Haven. 203-288-7878, nhhc.info.

Road Races The New Year’s Day Chilly Chili Run features a 5K certified course for runners, a two-mile fitness walk and brunch to benefit the Amity Teen Center. Walkers and wheelchair participants welcome. Ninetieth birthday celebration for “Doc” Whitney, who is expected to race. (Participants are encouraged to wear two different colored socks as a tribute to Doc.) Awards to the first overall finishers (male/female) and to the top three males and top three females in each age group. 10:30 a.m. (8-10:15 a.m. registration) January 1 at High Plains Community Center, Orange. $22 (5K),

Students in Neighborhood Music School’s Dance Program perform in a recital each semester. This semester’s Winter Concert will be on January 16. $12 (walk). 203-387-0205, chillychilirun@ hotmail.com, hitekracing.com/chilly Guilford Rotary Club Frosty 5K. USATF-certified Race starts on the Guilford Green. Proceeds from the race go to the Guilford Rotary Club Memorial Education Fund and to community based programs sponsored by the Guilford Rotary Club. 11 a.m.

(9:30-10:45 a.m. registration) January 1 at the Guilford Green, Church St. Guilford.

The Pine Brook School Presents:

$20. 203-453-8068, guilfordctrotary.org.

Please send CALENDAR information to CALENDAR@conntact.com no later than seven weeks preceding calendar month of event. Please include date, time, location, event description, cost and contact information. Photographs must be at least 300 dpi resolution and are published at discretion of NEW HAVEN magazine.

Comfort without compromising style.

A PARENTING ROADMAP a speaker series designed to guide parents through key milestones of childhood

Wednesday, January 21 st • 7-9 pm

Fostering leadership, creativity, and friendship in your pre-teen A discussion for parents of children ages 8 - 11 Presented by Bill Kaplan, Former Head of the Wightwood School

Wednesday, February 4 th • 7-9 pm

Reading: What happens when your child learns to read

JUST RITE COMFORT SHOES, LLC TEMPLE MEDICAL BUILDING TEMPLE MEDICAL BUILDING 60 New Haven, CT 60 Temple TempleStreet, Street, New Haven 203-772-3884 •• Hours: OpenDaily daily M-F 203-772-3884 Hrs: Open M-F

Understanding the developmental stages in learning to read Presented by Elizabeth Hart, Ph.D.

Wednesday, March 4th • 7-9 pm Raising your child for success

How to foster successful life skills in children Presented by Tracie Bush, Behavioral Consultant

Learning as a way of life

This series is free and open to the public. All seminars will be held at The Pine Brook School Library, 56 Stony Creek Road, Branford.

Please call (203) 481-0363 to reserve your space

We’re Gonna Make Your Day... www.ctcalendar.com new haven

51

WO RDS of MOUT H

By Liese Klein

Heirloom’s interior manages the difficult trick of seeming spacious and intimate at the same time, with its dark wood floors, matte leather banquettes and carefully chosen tableware. A scarlet peppershaker sits in the middle of each table, setting the tone for the bright flavors and textures to come.

The Study opened earlier this year in a space on Chapel between Park and York streets long occupied by a faded hotel and a succession of sub-par restaurants.

In the “boutique hotel” model, the Study’s innovative design can barely be glimpsed from the sidewalk. But step inside and you’re in a different world — the brushed metal, stone, wood grains and soaring spaces echo Louis Kahn’s Yale Art Gallery down the block. The architecture of both Yale and New Haven inspired the restaurant’s design, says manager Michael Capadona.

Banish the cold with a hearty soup like the tomato or New England oyster chowder. Both are satisfying but be sure to ask about ingredients if you have dietary restrictions: Bacon was not listed as part of the velvety, smoky tomato soup but clearly present. A bit of summer lives on in the heirloom tomato salad with aromatic fruit layered with basil vinaigrette and burrata, a fresh mozzarella.

f you want to impress that out-of-town visitor skeptical of New Haven’s charms, the new Heirloom restaurant at the Study at Yale hotel is the place to go. With its spectacular setting and wellexecuted, sophisticated food, Heirloom is one of the most exciting new eateries in the region.

52 january 2009

Entrées continue on the “new comfort food” theme, with a roasted “Amish” chicken cooked to moist perfection with

tender root vegetables and herb gnocchi.

Shrimp ravioli give off the heady perfume of fresh seafood, which blends beautifully with an elderflower liqueurspiked butter sauce. Servers are attentive and helpful in recommending the perfect wine or cocktail for your dish.

Chef John Nordin, formerly of Craftsteak at Foxwoods, brings that legendary eatery’s attention to detail to the savory and satisfying fare at Heirloom. This is also one of the rare New Haven restaurants to bring the streetscape inside, with huge windows offering a glimpse of the bustle on Chapel at just above eye level. With its stylish space and excellent food, Heirloom is a must-visit for serious eaters and architecture fans alike.

Heirloom at the Study Hotel, 1157 Chapel St., New Haven (866-930-1157).

Anthony DeCarlo

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A stunning space and inventive food overseen by dining manager Michael Capadona make the new Heirloom restaurant at The Study Hotel a must-visit for serious eaters.

PHOTOGRAPH:

NEW EATS: Heirloom at the Study Hotel

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WELCOME TO 4MOE’S

Chef John DiPaola shops every morning for the fresh produce, fish and meat used in the daily specials at Caffé Bravo in East Rock.

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JUST A TASTE: Caffé Bravo Ristorante

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ew Haven is chock-a-block with Italian eateries, but few near downtown offer the combination of affordable fare, a casual setting and culinary excellence. Time to take notice of Caffé Bravo Ristorante, which has been pleasing diners in the city’s East Rock neighborhood since 2002.

generous portions of fresh bread to sop up the last drops. Another deceptively straightforward dish is seared tuna with spinach, which lesser chefs often deliver with a charred exterior and ice-cold interior. Caffé Bravo does it perfectly, and with buttery greens and a generous portion size to boot.

Chef John DiPaola, an immigrant from Amorosi, Italy, runs the show at Caffé Bravo, shopping for produce, fish and meat every morning for that day’s menu.

His influence is obvious as you enter the eatery, where Sinatra is often on the stereo and soft chatter in Italian can be heard from the tables closest to the kitchen. But the tile-floored, sunlit space also gives the space a friendly, casual ambience perfect for a business lunch or meal out with friends.

On the main menu, salads like a simple arugula with lemon and olive oil or Romana with romaine and Caesar shine, along with antipasti like broccoli rabe and sausage. Pastas range from a rich fettuccine Bolognese to piquant Gamberi Fra Diavolo. Most entrees are in the $15 range with chicken, veal and pork dishes around $20.

Stick with the daily specials, which showcase DiPaola’s deft touch with humble ingredients, like a lentil soup with expertly cut and flavored vegetables in a delicate tomato broth. It’s the kind of simple, subtle dish you’ll try to copy at home — in vain. Use the

Don’t leave without trying the creamy, fresh-tasting tiramisu, custom-made for the restaurant by a New York baker using DiPaola’s recipe. Just get there soon: With its charming ambience and tasty food, Caffé Bravo won’t stay a neighborhood secret for long.

Caffé Bravo Ristorante, 794 Orange St., New Haven (203- 772-2728).

THE Place to Eat on Wooster Street

776-4825

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The Pantry, 2 Mechanic St., New Haven (203-7870392). Lines get long on weekend mornings at this East Rock institution, known for its breakfast goodies like gingerbread pancakes, fluffy waffles and hearty omelets.

PHOTOGRAPH:

Anthony DeCarlo

BREAKFAST/DINERS

EDITOR’S PICK

Bella’s Cafe, 896 Whalley Ave., New Haven (203387-7107). Brunch with flair is the specialty at this Westville favorite. You can’t go wrong with the daily specials or omelets like the Tuscan with eggplant and peppers or the Tex-Mex with cheddar and salsa.

Parthenon Diner, 374 E. Main St., Branford (203-4810333). Open 24 hours for hearty, well-made Greek and diner fare, with some low-carb and vegetarian offerings. Another location (not 24/7) in Old Saybrook at 809 Boston Post Rd.

Suzette and Arturo Franco-Camacho still shine with their ceviché appetizer at Sabor, a reincarnation of Roomba inside Bespoke on College Street.

Ceviché at Bespoke/Sabor

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hich is it, a New American bistro or a Nuevo Latino lounge?

The two restaurants that coexist in the same space at 266 College Street in New Haven, Bespoke and Sabor, have been impressing diners and critics since the eateries joined forces under the same roof last year. Both are excellent, but January is the perfect time to take a trip south of the border with Sabor’s ceviché appetizer, one of the best “small plates” in town.

Although Bespoke is the name listed out front, Sabor’s Latin cuisine reigns in the upstairs lounge and is served throughout the sleek, artfully styled restaurant.

Owners Arturo and Suzette Franco-Camacho created Sabor earlier this year as an incarnation of Roomba, their Latin eatery on Chapel Street, which was forced to

54 january 2009

Copper Kitchen, 1008 Chapel St., New Haven (203777-8010). Downtown’s most convenient spot for a diner-style, affordable fry-up of eggs, bacon and toast. Cash only, but you won’t need much of it.

Patricia’s Restaurant, 18 Whalley Ave., New Haven (203-787-4500). Tasty and very affordable diner basics in an unironically retro setting near Broadway and the Yale campus.

close in a dispute with landlord Yale University Properties.

Start your evening at the restaurant’s bar on the ground floor, a seductive space embellished by yards of deconstructed chandelier made up of dangling crystals.

A “pineapple with a kick” cocktail is the perfect start to a spicy evening with its winning combination of fruitinfused vodka and chilies.

You’ll also get a bit of a show with your libation from the attractive bar staffers, who make a performance out of their cocktail-shaker moves.

But save room for your ceviché, the marinated raw-fish dish from Latin America that has found a true champion in chef Arturo Franco-Camacho.

Silky scallops and tender shrimp are paired in his version, presented in half a coconut shell with a plantain chips on top.

His marinade blends citrus, onion, cilantro and tomato with a smoky

kick from chipotle chilies. The texture and flavor the seafood comes through and you’ll be tempted to slurp down the remaining sauce.

Move on to the eatery’s succulent lobster arepa or a duck empanada appetizer and you’ll be hard-pressed to squeeze in an entrée. But if you’re feeling ambitious, Sabor’s full range of savories awaits, along with Bespoke specialties like pomegranate-glazed rack of lamb and a combo of Asian duck confit and duck breast with rhubarbcelery salad.

Franco-Camacho’s inventive and appealing cuisine has kept Bespoke/ Sabor on the radar for serious eaters and should guarantee the restaurant’s success for years to come. Or should that be “restaurants” plural?

Bespoke/Sabor, 266 College St., New Haven (203-5624644).

Athenian Diner, 1064 Boston Post Rd., Milford (203878-5680). Visible from Interstate 95 — if not from outer space — this chrome-and-glass landmark draws customers from all over the region with its hearty portions and tasty classics. Great Greek favorites and overstuffed sandwiches. Open 24 hours. Also open all night in New Haven at 1426 Whalley Ave.

SOUTHEAST ASIAN/KOREAN Bentara Restaurant, 76 Orange St., New Haven (203562-2511). Supersized noodle soups and spicy curries are good bets at this Ninth Square Malaysian/ fusion hotspot. The stylish interior and extensive cocktail list also make it an excellent pre-nightlife stop. Open for lunch.

Kari Restaurant, 1451 Whalley Ave., New Haven (203389-1280). Bright flavors and unusual ingredients make this Malaysian restaurant worth the drive up Whalley. The friendly servers are happy to explain the cuisine to newcomers and highlight the catch of the day.

Pot-Au-Pho, 77 Whitney Ave., New Haven (203-7762248). Great for a quick bowl of pho, Vietnamese soup, along with tasty noodle dishes and affordable Asian specialties. Limited hours, so call ahead.

Oriental Pantry Grocery & Gifts, 486 Orange St., New Haven (203-865-2849). A foodie favorite for its home-style Korean dishes like soups and bibimbap.

Takeout sushi, breakfast sandwiches and Asian drinks and sweets are also available.

Soho New Haven, 259 Orange St., New Haven (203-745-0960). Right downtown and in an elegant space, Soho draws a diverse crowd for its top-notch Korean fare. Try the mandu dumplings and fieryhot chicken galbi.

Midori, 3000 Whitney Ave., Hamden (203-248-3322).

Big flavors in a small space are the hallmark of this Korean/fusion restaurant, tucked away in a strip mall. Best bets are soups, the fresh-tasting bibimbap and spicy bulgogi.

THAI

“A treat for the Senses”

Thai Taste Restaurant, 1151 Chapel St., New Haven (203-776-9802). A standout on Chapel’s “Thai Row,” with toothsome basics like pad thai, drunken noodles and green curry.

Bangkok Gardens, 172 York St., New Haven (203-7898718). Tasty Thai in a charming, light-filled dining area with great service. Wide ranges of classics and vegetarian options.

Rice Pot Thai Restaurant, 1027 State St., New Haven (203-772-6679). Great spot for a romantic dinner and some truly tasty Thai food. Try the impeccably fresh spring rolls, delicately flavored soups and assertive curries.

Thai Awesome, 1505 Dixwell Ave., Hamden (203-2889888). Tangy curries and rich soups make this Thai eatery worth the drive from downtown, but leave time to find parking on this busy stretch of Dixwell.

The Terrace, 1559 Dixwell Ave., Hamden (203-2302077). The chef’s French training shows in this Thai eatery’s above-average plating and seductive flavor combinations.

Ayuthai, 2279 Boston Post Road, Guilford (203-4532988). Quality Thai in a casual setting. Excellent duck and curry plates, along with above-average papaya salad and desserts.

CHINESE/TAIWANESE Iron Chef, 1209 Campbell Ave., West Haven (203-9323888). Unusual Taiwanese specialties and wellexecuted classics shine at this student favorite.

– Hartford Courant “Amid elegance, a variety of Indian dishes” – New York Times

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House of Chao, 898 Whalley Ave., New Haven (203389-6624). This Westville institution draws diners from across the region for its bright flavors and eclectic menu.

Lao Sze Chaun, 1585 Boston Post Rd., Milford (203-7830558). You don’t get much more authentic locally than this outpost of Szechwan delicacies and tasty dim sum.

East Melange Too, 142 Howe St., New Haven (203848-3663). Affordable and authentic noodles and Cantonese classics keep this lively eatery near Yale hopping at all hours.

Great Wall of China, 67 Whitney Ave., New Haven (203-777-8886). Its location near downtown’s best Asian market and an affordable, high-quality buffet attracts a multicultural clientele to this Yale-area spot.

COFFEE SHOPS Cafe Grounded, 20 Church St, Guilford (203-453-6400).

Tasty sandwiches and coffee drinks star at this aviation-themed cafe that operates inside a quonset hut near the town’s Green.

Publick Cup, 276 York St., New Haven (203-787-9929).

Top-notch sandwiches, coffee drinks and teas with a creative flair and a studious vibe that befits its oncampus location. You can even order ahead online.

Kasbah Garden Cafe, 105 Howe St., New Haven (203-777-5053). Quality teas, good conversation and Moroccan treats on New Haven’s best outdoor patio.

Willoughby’s Coffee & Tea, 258 Church St., New Haven, (203-777-7400). Enjoy both the low-key ambience and the region’s best selection of

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premium roasts and rarities at this small chain.

With Branford and Madison locations.

Bare Beans Coffee, 14 East Grand Ave., New Haven (203-260-1118). A funky new outpost of quality beans and drinks over the bridge in Fair Haven. Weekday mornings only for drinks; order top-quality organic, Fair Trade and eco-friendly beans online at barebeanscoffee.com.

Cafe Atlantique, 33 River St., Milford (203-8821602). Visit this neighborhood favorite for creative caffeinated classics, bistro food and wine and a charming indoor/outdoor seating area.

FUSION CUISINE

Bespoke, 266 College St., New Haven (203-5624644). High-end Latin fusion with a flair, wit and excellent service. Try the lobster arepa and duckconfit empanada upstairs at Sabor, the in-house Latin lounge. Fixed-price pre-theater menu serves up three courses for only $29.

Friend House, 538 Boston Post Rd., Orange (203-7956888). In a plaza next to Trader Joe’s, Friend House brings together stylish sushi and Chinese and Thai favorites. Best bets are the inventive hand rolls with ingredients like mango, tempura flakes and mint.

Formosa, 132 Middletown Ave., North Haven (203-2390666). Creative and beautifully presented dishes with pan-Asian panache. Don’t miss the Szechwan “ravioli,” tender chicken dumplings in a delicate

peanut sauce, or Taiwanese seafood specialties.

Kudeta, 27 Temple St., New Haven (203 562-8844).

Every major cuisine of Asia is represented on Kudeta’s menu, with something for every taste in an evocative interior. Generous and inventive drinks along with good sushi and noodle dishes.

AMERICAN Bespoke, 266 College St., New Haven (203 562-4644).

Cutting-edge presentation and flavor combinations take center stage at this successor to Roomba. Latin flavors are featured in the upstairs lounge, called Sabor. Open for lunch.

Foe, 576 Main St., Branford (203-483-5896). The perfect setting for a romantic evening, Foe shines with sublime beef and pasta dishes. A black fig and cherry-glazed duck breast also showcases the chef’s sure hand with poultry. Lunch and bar menu.

Anthony DeCarlo

Mickey’s Restaurant & Bar, 2323 Whitney Ave., Hamden (203-288-4700). This eatery’s sophisticated interior and artful blend of Israeli and Italian flavors bring big-city flair to downtown Hamden.

Sip a Mickey’s margarita with your Marrakech salmon and Israeli couscous and you’ll swear you’re on the beach in Tel Aviv.

PHOTOGRAPH:

JUST A SIP

Owners Phil Parda and Judy Guard enjoy one of the more than 200 blends at Savvy Tea Gourmet in Madison. The stylish cafe also offers a full menu of sandwiches, soups and cheeses.

Savvy Tea Gourmet

A

merica has come a long way from its “Lipton or nothing” culture of teadrinking, but it’s something else to contemplate 250 varieties of the warming beverage. That’s the selection at Madison’s new Savvy Tea Gourmet, which offers a full food menu along with a bewildering array of smoked, flavored, herbal and roasted takes on the humble tea leaf.

On Durham Road just south of I-95, Savvy opened this year as the first retail outlet

56 january 2009

of a Killingworth-based tea purveyor. That expertise is visible as you enter the store, with hundreds of tins of tea stacked on shelves to the ceiling. It’s a bit intimidating, but the knowledgeable staff is quick to approach and help guide you to the right brew.

Every conceivable variety of green, black and herbal teas is available to sample or take home in tins or pouches.

Make your choice for a cup and settle back with a bowl of soup, panini sandwich

or beautifully composed salad, like the satisfying and tea-complementary arugula with pears and gorgonzola cheese. Pastries, gelato and a selection of cheeses are also available to eat in or take out.

As for the teas, Savvy’s selection of Chinese teas is most comprehensive, with everything from jasmine and smoked teas to the costly and rare Pu’er, said to burn fat and lower cholesterol.

Japanese and Indian brews and herbal blends are also represented, along with flavored teas like Earl Grey.

Start your collection with a “travel tin” for about $6 or splurge with a larger, 50-gram tin in the $12 range. Teas can also be sampled at the store’s regular tastings and high teas or found online at the store’s site, drinkgreattea.com.

But better to get the advice of Savvy’s experts in person to help you navigate the very wide world of tea. After all, there’s no better way to spend a winter afternoon than sampling an exotic leaf in a cozy café.

Savvy Tea Gourmet, 28 Durham Rd., Madison (203-318-8666).

Sage American Grill & Oyster Bar, 100 S. Water St., New Haven (203787-3466). The tranquil harborfront view sets off skilled seafood and raw bar selections. Excellent seasonal specials and a full bar add to the attractions of this veteran favorite.

Foster’s, 56-62 Orange St., New Haven (203-859-6666). The chef himself is likely to bring over your meal at this acclaimed newcomer in Ninth Square. Comfort food with cutting-edge flair like llama burgers on toasted brioche.

Zinc, 964 Chapel St., New Haven (203-624-0507). Consistently excellent food, drinks and service in a central location. Innovative seafood like tamari-cured tuna with wasabi oil is a good choice, along with the drink specials and seasonal desserts.

INDIAN Thali, 4 Orange St., New Haven (203-777-1177). Downtown’s best Sunday buffet, with ample meat and vegetarian selections as well as fresh masala dosa crepes and unusual treats like goat curry and carrot pudding.

atmosphere set this Wooster Square eatery apart. Open for lunch and private parties; also hosts a series of cooking classes.

Skappo Italian Wine Bar, 59 Crown St., New Haven (203-773-1394). White truffles and chestnuts are two of the compelling flavors you’ll encounter at this cozy eatery in Ninth Square.

A great place to sample wines and small plates in an unpretentious setting.

Tre Scalini Ristorante, 100 Wooster St., New Haven (203-777-3373).

Acclaimed pasta, seafood and antipasti in an opulent Wooster Square setting. Also open for lunch.

L’Orcio, 806 State St., New Haven (203-777-6670). Outstanding modern Italian in an intimate setting. You can’t go wrong with the pasta specials and perfectly cooked and seasoned steaks.

Roseland Apizza, 350 Hawthorne Ave., Derby (203-735-0494). Don’t let the casual pizzeria decor fool you — this Valley favorite makes some serious Italian food. Look for the daily specials and enjoy.

Zaroka Bar & Restaurant, 148 York St., New Haven (203-776-8644).

Opulent setting for one of the city’s most popular Indian buffets.

Enjoy the birayani pilafs, crunchy pappadum crackers and fluffy desserts.

Adriana’s Restaurant, 771 Grand Ave., New Haven (203-865-6474). Meat is the thing at this Grand Avenue favorite, especially veal and sausages.

Fresh pasta and classics in a formal setting.

Royal India, 140 Howe St., New Haven (203-787-9493). Tasty North Indian fare in an intimate setting on Howe’s mini-restaurant row. Nice variety at lunch buffet with fresh bread.

MEXICAN

Darbar India, 1070 Main St., Branford (203-481-8994). Award-winning shoreline favorite with excellent atmosphere and north Indian classics, run by Royal India owner.

Spicy vindaloos and tandooris are a good bet.

Coromandel, 185 Boston Post Rd., Orange (203-795-9055). Great breads and regional specialties from the local outpost of a celebrated Fairfield chain. Try the shrimp in coconut sauce and unusual lentil dessert.

Swagat, 215 Boston Post Rd. West Haven (203-931-0108). A tiny outpost of south Indian favorites near the University of New Haven. Best bets are the masala dosa and many vegetarian dishes, plus the friendly service.

ITALIAN Consiglio’s of New Haven, 165 Wooster St., New Haven (203-8654489). Beautifully executed Italian classics and a warm, welcoming

Open 7 Days a Week: Lunch & Dinner

Baja, 63 Boston Post Rd., Orange (203799-2252). An expansive salsa bar and fish taco entrée appeal to homesick Californians and big eaters.

Guadalupe la Poblanita, 136 Chapel St., New Haven (203-752-1017). Simple, authentic cuisine from Puebla in a down-home atmosphere.

Jalapeno Heaven, 40 N. Main St., Branford (203-481-6759). Tasty Americanized fare in a cozy setting with excellent margaritas.

Long Wharf Taco Trucks, Long Wharf Drive near Veterans Memorial Park, weekdays at lunch. Tacos as they’re served in Mexico — just corn tortillas, meat, cilantro and a spicy sauce — eaten al fresco by New Haven Harbor.

Mezcal, 14 Mechanic St., New Haven (203-782-4828). Big portions and wideranging menu with lots of surprises.

No liquor license.

Taqueria Mexico No. 1, 850 S. Colony Rd. Wallingford (203-265-0567). The best tortas — or small sandwiches — in the area, filled with spiced meat and accompanied on the weekends by a lip-smacking posole hominy soup.

50% Off Sushi, Sashimi, & Rolls.

20% Off Hibachi.

Mon–Sat: 4:30–10:30pm and All Day Sunday Our bar is now open until 2 a.m. Thurs. Fri and Sat. with a live D.J spinning your favorites.

7 Elm St, New Haven: 203-562-6688 (Free Parking After 5:30 & All Day Sun)

new haven

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Chef On The Grille: Jacques Pépin

to do and the ingredients can be found in the supermarket. People really use it.

Is it possible to cook well on the cheap?

That’s the whole point of the new book.

This is not the cheapest way of cooking because you buy boneless, skinless breast of chicken. For me, I buy the chicken and bone it too, so for one price I get the bones and everything. Still, it’s much, much less than going to a restaurant and more importantly, you can choose your own food and feed the right food to your kids and yourself. You don’t have to eat any junk. You can eat good, fresh food in a minimum of time.

How has the Connecticut food scene changed since you moved here?

I’ve been here 32 years, and now in Madison we have a farmer’s market on Friday afternoon and we have a bunch of markets in New Haven. It’s much better than it used to be. And the restaurant scene is quite different. The amount of restaurants in New Haven, the diversity — it’s amazing.

Celebrity chef and Madison resident Jacques Pepin tells home cooks to use the supermarket as a sous-chef in his latest cookbook.

acques Pépin was a little hung-over on a recent Monday — he had hosted a dinner for charity on Friday night and the party continued through the weekend. That joie de vivre and community spirit has made Pépin a favorite on public TV, in bookstores and in the town of Madison, where the French-born chef has lived since 1976. Pépin’s latest book, More Fast Food My Way, was published this fall and his TV series of the same title can be found online at kqed.org.

J

What is the new TV series about?

I did a series about five years ago called Fast Food My Way and so this is a continuation of it, More Fast Food My Way. The idea is different from many of my other books, where if I don’t kill the chicken and pluck it, I’m explaining it all, going from the beginning. In this book, I’m using the supermarket as a prep cook.. In the supermarket now you have so much pre-done stuff. You have skinless, boneless breast of chicken and pre-washed spinach, pre-sliced

58 january 2009

What are your favorite local restaurants?

mushrooms. So you can take advantage of that and cook something fresh and nice.

Chefs are everywhere on TV and “foodie” culture has become mainstream. Has that changed how you do things?

It’s interesting because on the one hand people tell you that no one cooks any more, and on the other hand the supermarkets have never been as plentiful and beautiful as they are today.

When I came to America there was only one salad in the supermarket — iceberg.

There were no leeks, no shallots, no oriental vegetables. I do think that people are cooking somewhere and if you do it using the supermarket, it makes things easier.

How have people responded to the “fast food” concept?

I have more people cooking out of those books than any other books that I’ve done. People tell me, ‘Oh, I tried that recipe and this one and that one.’ It’s easy

Union League Café for me is my favorite restaurant. To paraphrase James Beard, the best restaurant is where they know you. [I go] from that type of elegant restaurant to the Clam Castle here in Madison on the Boston Post Road. It is great in summer.

What dish do you make most at home?

For me, chicken and potatoes are the basic ingredients I couldn’t do without.

Now that it’s cold out, it’s going to be soup; I do soup almost every day.

Chicken soup?

That, and what my wife calls ‘fridge soup,’ using anything I have in the refrigerator. The first thing that I do is put on a pot of water on the stove.

Then I open the refrigerator and find half an onion, half a zucchini, a carrot — whatever is there. I grate all of that on the box grater and by the time the water is boiling I drop those vegetables in it and some salad leftovers and some scallions. By the time it comes back to a boil, it’s basically cooked. Then I put four or five tablespoons of cream of wheat or grits, and that takes a few minutes to cook. Then I finish with a bit of oil or a pat of butter on top. We serve that up with grated cheese. That’s a soup you can do in 15 minutes.

RECIPE: Hearty Vegetable Bean Soup A winning mix of simple ingredients and fresh flavors, this soup is warming and simple to prepare. Serves 4 (about 6 cups).

4 cups water 1 medium leek, split, washed, trimmed (retaining most of the green) and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups) 1 cup peeled and diced (1/2-inch) carrot 1 cup peeled and diced (1/2-inch) white turnip 1 cup diced (1/2-inch) celery 2 tablespoons good olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 can (15.5 ounces) cannellini beans 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese, preferably an aged variety Pieces of baguette or sturdy country bread 4 sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish (optional) Combine the water, leek, carrot, turnip, celery, oil and salt in a large saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and boil gently for about 12 minutes.

Add the beans, including the liquid and bring to a boil again.

Boil for a few minutes. Serve in bowls with a generous sprinkling of grated Gruyère and a parsley sprig (if desired) on top and bread alongside.

Viva Zapata, 161 Park St., New Haven (203-562-2499).

Toothsome classics and a killer sangria in a festive pub atmosphere. Open for lunch.

MIDDLE EASTERN Mamoun’s, 85 Howe St., New Haven (203-562-8444).

Cheap plates of falafel and Syrian-style specialties like stuffed eggplant keep this student favorite hopping late into the night. Make sure the fryer’s fired up and stick with the classics, like the silky baklava.

Istanbul Café, 245 Crown St., New Haven (203787-3881). With its airy yet opulent interior, this critics’ favorite has the best ambience in town and consistently flavorful food. A grilled octopus salad and red lentil soup are standouts, along with lamb dishes.

Turkish Kebab House, 1157 Campbell Ave., West Haven (203-933-0002). Every kind of kebab imaginable, from doner to minced chicken to cubes of lamb, is on tap at this neighborhood eatery. Also vegetarian and seafood options.

King Falafel, 240 College St., New Haven (203-8483076). Follow a trip to the Shubert with a tasty falafel sandwich across the street at this late-night favorite. Large portions of the freshest fried chickpea patties in town, with all the trimmings.

Kasbah Garden Café, 105 Howe St., New Haven (203777-5053). Moroccan-style lamb and vegetable dishes prevail on the limited but tasty menu. Savor mint tea and baklava outside on the idiosyncratically landscaped patio.

SEAFOOD Lenny’s Indian Head Inn, 205 S. Montowese St., Branford (203-488-1500). Fried clams praised by national critics and the freshest steamers around make Lenny’s a local favorite. The Shore Dinner covers all the bases with cherrystones, corn on the cob, lobster and steamers.

Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale, 1301 Boston Post Rd., Madison (203-245-7289). What it lacks in formality it makes up for in taste — the freshest, crispest fried seafood around. The perfect spot for quick eats after beach or a coastal drive, with an ice cream stand onsite.

Guilford Mooring, 505 Whitfield St., Guilford (203458-2921). Pasta dishes, a stellar chowder and a full range of grilled fish set this Shoreline favorite apart.

And where else can you savor Lazy Man’s Stuffed Lobster as you watch lobstermen at work on the Sound?

YellowFin’s Seafood Grille, 1027 South Main St., Cheshire (203-250-9999). Flavors are light and bright at this fusion eatery, with a menu that ranges from cioppino to Asian scallop salad to Tilapia St. Tropez. A raw bar and house-brewed beer round out the offerings.

Jimmie’s of Savin Rock, 5 Rock St., West Haven. 9343212. Take the family out and enjoy the boardwalk view at this West Haven institution, known for its moderate prices and casual atmosphere. All the fried favorites, a full menu of broiled fish and lobster and the famous split hot dog.

SUSHI Wasabi, 280 Branford Rd., North Branford (203-4887711). Good quality rolls and sashimi at reasonable prices, along with Korean specialties like mandu dumplings and bibimbap rice bowls. The sake flows freely on Monday nights, a favorite with students.

Akasaka, 1450 Whalley Ave., New Haven (203-3874898). Unusual specials like baby octopus and blowfish make this veteran eatery worth a visit.

Live sea urchin roe and scallops are also a best bet, along with tasty pickled vegetables.

Sono Bana, 1206 Dixwell Ave., Hamden (203-281-9922).

Fresh fish, inventive rolls and extensive combo options make this a neighborhood favorite. Try a fruity saketini with your sashimi “boat” and ask the chef to load up on the catch of the day.

Miya’s Sushi, 68 Howe St., New Haven (203-777-9760).

Unusual combinations like rolls with cheese and Ethiopian spices are the draw at this Elm City institution. Let go of your preconceptions about sushi with help from some of the beguiling infusedsake cocktails.

Number 1 Fish Market, 2239 State St., Hamden (203624-6171). Make your own sushi at home with fresh seafood from this market, which supplies many area restaurants. The helpful staff will steer you toward the best quality tuna, salmon, scallops and red snapper; items like sea urchin roe are available to order.

VEGETARIAN Claire’s Corner Copia, 1000 Chapel St., New Haven (203-562-3888). This veggie veteran has updated its menu with lots of vegan options, of-the-moment meat substitutes and superfoods like acai berry juice.

The homey ambience and great location seals the deal.

Edge of the Woods, 379 Whalley Ave., New Haven (203-787-1055). The natural market offers a superb selection of vegetarian products in addition to a lunchtime buffet with salad bar, hot entrées like lasagna and seitan stir-fry and a colorful array of main-dish salads.

Shoreline Diner & Vegetarian Enclave, 345 Boston Post Rd., Guilford (203-458-7380). Non-veg diner fare along with vegan favorites like a tempeh Reuben with sauerkraut on grilled rye and “Twin Towers” of vegetable strudel. Great place for groups with different dining preferences.

Thali Too, 65 Broadway, New Haven (203-776-1600).

Tasty Indian vegetarian street food you won’t find anywhere else in the state, if not the region. Try the super-sized masala dosas and exotic yogurt drinks.

Ahimsa, 1227 Chapel St., New Haven (203-786-4774).

Wide-ranging vegan fare is featured at this (kosher) eatery that uses no animal products. South Indianstyle dals and curries star at the daily $10 lunch buffet, with more extensive offerings at Sunday brunch.

From More Fast Food My Way, by Jacques Pépin.

new haven

59

Madison Scandals

FÊTES

More than 400 residents of New Haven homeless shelters enjoyed holiday festivities at Gateway Community College’s eighth annual Holiday Celebration December 12. Guests were transported to GCC’s Long Wharf campus in busses and then treated to an evening of entertainment, holiday festivities and gourmet food prepared by the college’s culinary arts students.

More than 200 children received gifts from Santa and Mrs. Clause (pictured, with helper) while adults received gift bags full of health products. Guests were invited to choose warm winter items from the clothing closet and coatroom

Continued from 60

the New England states in a recent report on public corruption by Corporate Crime Reporter in Washington, D.C. The 2007 list analyzed Justice Department data on public corruption convictions in the 35 most populous states over the past decade and placed Connecticut at No. 14, between Oklahoma and Missouri and just below New York. Massachusetts ranked No. 17.

The Nutmeg State’s high ranking for corruption was no surprise to Corporate Crime Reporter Editor Russell Mokhiber, who immediately mentions former Gov. John G. Rowland. Rowland resigned during a corruption probe in 2004, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and tax fraud and served ten months in prison. New Haven has also made national news with a police corruption scandal in recent years involving the narcotics squad and allegations of planted evidence and theft from crime

scenes.

But Mokhiber adds that the state’s high corruption ranking is not necessarily a symptom of a rotten political culture.

“It could be a good sign — the prosecutors are very active,” Mokhiber says. “It’s the same with corporate crime: If you have an activist prosecutor, you’re going to get more prosecutions.”

Heinrich sees the same dynamic at work in both the alleged bribery case and the police corruption scandal. “I hardly think that Madison is the only place that has problems like this,” she says.

“When the problems come to light, Madison works hard to root it out and fix it.

“I was approached by someone from Madison, but I live in Madison and turned it down and went to the police,” Heinrich adds. “We also can be known for doing the right thing.” v

Music Calendar Continued from 60 Members of the South African cast of Coming Home paid a visit to their Long Wharf Theatre counterparts on December 17. The newest play by Athol Fugard, Coming Home receives its world premiere at LWT January 14 through February 8. The show will make its South African debut in March at the Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town. L-r: From the Long Wharf cast are Roslyn Ruff, Colman Domingo and Mel Eichler with their Baxter Theatre counterparts Bronwyn Van Graan and David Isaacs.

A ribbon-cutting by Hospitality 3 developer Paul McGowan (with scissors), General Manager Dezura and Mayor John DeStefano Jr. marked the official opening of the Study at Yale, a new luxury boutique hotel at 1157 Chapel Street, the site of the former Colony Inn.

60 january 2009

John Luther Adams: A Personal Journey into the Music of the Arctic.

For 30 years the vastness of Alaska has swept through the distant reaches of the composer’s imagination and every corner of his compositions. Adams will discuss his upcoming book, The Place Where You Go to Listen, which proposes an ideal of musical ecology, the philosophical foundation on which his largest, most complex musical work is based. The book includes two seminal essays, the composer’s journal telling the story of the day-to-day emergence of The Place, as well as musical notations, graphs and illustrations of geophysical phenomena. 7 p.m. January 28 at Center for the Arts Cinema, Wesleyan University, Middletown. Free. 860-685-3355, cfa@ wesleyan.edu, wesleyan.edu/cfa.

Rusty Evans is a rockabilly original whose love of country music was inspired by a meeting with Johnny Cash.

Join him and his band, Ring of Fire, for A Tribute to Johnny Cash. Hear tunes like “Ring of Fire,” “Thoughts Have Wings,” “Chaos Lady,” “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and more. With a voice like rolling thunder and a spirit like gentle rain, Evans

channels the true essence of Johnny Cash. 7:30 p.m. January 28 at the Palace Theater, 100 E. Main St., Waterbury. $40.

203-755-4700, palacetheaterct.org.

The Milford Fine Arts Council Performance Coffeehouse welcomes the Second Circle Bluegrass Band, a “progressive” bluegrass outfit familiar to listeners throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island. Members of the band are Eben Salter (guitar and vocals), Terry Salter (vocals), Gary Davis (mandolin and vocals), Jack Kavanaugh (bass and vocals), Mark Schleicher (banjo) and Vic Gallagher (guitar, fiddle and vocals).

8 p.m. January 30 at Center for the Arts, 40 Railroad Ave., Milford. $10. 203-8786647, milfordarts.org.

The first in the next generation in Beatles stage shows, Ticket to Ride features members of Beatlemania Now in a performance that brings your favorite Beatles songs to life. 8 p.m. January 30-31, 2 p.m. January 31 at the Shubert Theater, 247 College St., New Haven. $58–$15. 800-228-6622, shubert. com.

2009 Make It Great!!!

JANUARY

2009

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PHOTOGRAPH:

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A Roll in the Clay Get your hands on some warm, bright pottery for a cold, dark month

By Joyce L. Faiola Fired Up! employee Maria Gold.

G

umby was a beloved 1960s “claymation” toy and a favorite weekend TV treat. But there were no Gumbys to paint at Fired Up! in Branford. What I did find on a snowy Sunday afternoon were happy kids and adults painting pottery on large papercovered tables while Burl Ives sang “Have a Holly-Jolly Christmas.”

I settled into a seat and proprietress Robin Kramer helped me assemble my palette of primary colors to paint a rainbow on my trinket box. In seconds I was hooked and helper Voniette Jacobs, with her adorable four-month old baby observing all from a stomach-hugging papoose, came by to give me the lowdown on what to and not to do.

Soon I was painting and yakking with regular Mary Beth Zukerberg, Robin’s friend who comes every weekend to paint away at least one afternoon. Nearby was the Gottschalk family with five-year old cutie Josh, who was having a blast painting a sun vase during his first visit.

Kramer and partner Nancy Hemingway purchased Fired Up! a year ago because they wanted a “happy place.” What they also got was a busy place that also has a cozy room for private painting parties for everyone. Adults, who book the room for a party, often BYOB, turn up the music and paint the night away. After you paint your pieces they are kiln-fired and ready to pick up a few days later.

62 january 2009

O

ver in Guilford there’s the terrific Guilford Art Center, where adults and kids work in creative media such as weaving, painting, photography and ceramics. Here master potter and teacher Alice Chittenden patiently showed me how to work the wheel and fashion a pot from a hunk of clay, while I kept looking around for another kind of hunk (to no avail, alas). Alice makes it look effortless, but pay attention or your pot — and name — will be mud. (Fashion tip: Wear beige clothes that look great when dusty.) This is a wonderful ceramic studio with small kilns and intimate classes where students and teachers become family. All types of winter ceramic classes begin in early January. The Art Center has a more-thaninteresting gift shop with special and useful wares by local artisans.

A

s its name implied, New Haven’s Creative Arts Workshop (CAW) is a beehive of creativity. Its workshops cover virtually every creative art form, from bookbinding to jewelry-making to painting and of course, pottery. There are kids’ classes and adult workshops for the neophyte as well as the advanced artisan.

Pottery department head and kiln king Stephen Rodriguez has been at CAW for almost two decades. He is also a master potter whose creations are sold in the CAW retail shop. Snug and warm in the kiln room, Rodriguez showed me how the

pottery is loaded for a 24-hour firing and we discussed the painstaking procedures involved with creating strong finished ceramics for actual use.

CAW’s executive director for 21 years is Susan Smith, who has a personal affinity for the pottery world. “I take great pleasure in knowing that what we provide here has allowed people to discover and expand their creative self,” she says.

This year’s gala raised over $50,000 along with $12,500 towards CAW’s scholarship fund. Occupying two floors, the retail shop is a wonderland of exquisite handmade goods. Don’t miss the big sale January 3-6 and be sure to check out Ivoryton potter Hayne Bayless’ wonders in clay. Rather than working on a wheel, he works by building it piece by piece, similar to how the first known pottery was crafted in 10,000 BC. CAW’s new semester begins in January with pottery classes for every level.

Fired Up! 1060 Main St., Branford, 203-4811015, firedupbranford.com Guilford Arts Center , 411 Church St., 203-4535947, guilfordartcenter.org Creative Arts Workshop, 80 Audubon St., New Haven, 203-562-4927, creativeartsworkshop.org v

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