Simply Buckhead July/August 2012

July/August 2012 Issue 11 • free

Your Guide to Living Well in Atlanta

Buckhead’s 5 Unsung Heroes

Highland Bakery’s Stacey Eames ★ Homeland’s Morgan Saylor The Lovely Drifters’ Amy Andrews ★ The Identity Thief’s Topher Payne The Atlanta Braves’ Pouya Dianat ★ Photoconceptual artist Nikita Gale

Special Travel Section: Central and South America

“A Bank That Supports My Passion” “At both Souper Jenny and Café Jonah, my vision is to create a friendly and inviting environment for my customers and staff.

I want every customer to feel like they are a personal guest in my home. All of our soups, salads and sandwiches are made fresh every day.

I’m glad I get that same level of warm and personal service from my bank. Georgia Commerce Bank has supported me every step of the way helping me to build my business. It’s wonderful to walk into a bank and feel right at home.

Georgia Commerce Bank may just be the right ingredient for your business success.”

— Jenny Levison, Owner Souper Jenny and Café Jonah

Georgia Commerce Bank now has six locations in metro Atlanta.

Acworth • Buckhead • Cumberland Cumming • Marietta • Woodstock Jacki Watson

Tripper Mansfield

Christin Nally Viola

Senior Vice President, Private Banking

Senior Vice President, Private Banking

Senior Mortgage Consultant

2970 Peachtree Rd., NW, Suite 100 • Atlanta, GA 30305

gacommercebank.com (404) 240-5000

Who Needs a Faster, Smarter Brain?

...Who Doesn’t?

“I was initially very anxious about making another investment, after trying so many other tutors, etc. because nothing else had worked. However, from the beginning, we were able to see the positive results of the program. Clayton no longer needs me to read his Social Studies or Language Arts reading homework assignments to him. This used to be an almost nightly occurrence before he began the LearningRx program. He has been able to complete school testing within the same timeframe as his classmates. The continuous improvements really helped us feel confident that this program was addressing and meeting all of his needs. We are now looking forward to our other son beginning the program!” -Lisa Victory; Atlanta, GA “Tabitha took the SAT for the first time about a month ago. We just got her scores back. On the Reading and Math portions, she earned a 650 on each section, for a total of 1300 on the "old SAT" portion. On the writing portion she earned a 620. (Tabitha got that question about reality TV that has made the news - a bad question for a kid who doesn't watch TV). Anyway, she earned a grand total of 1920 for the first time! We were thrilled! She only made an 1100 on the PSAT, so this improvement is huge!There was a large amount of reading comprehension on the SAT, and Tabitha says she wouldn't have even been able to complete those sections before brain training at LearningRx Atlanta-Buckhead!” -Glynn Banks; Atlanta, GA

LearningRx Atlanta-Buckhead 5252 Roswell Road, Suite 100 | Atlanta, Georgia 30342

404-25-BRAIN(27246) | www.learningrx.com/atlanta-buckhead 3

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Relax at Majestic Mountain Retreat, a private 4600 square foot, 4 bedroom, five bathroom mountain home situated a mile high in the Smoky Mountains on the Cataloochee Ranch.

- 3 1/2 hours drive from Atlanta - 45 minutes from Asheville and Historic Biltmore - Panoramic Views and Spectacular Sunsets - Horseback Riding, Hiking Trails, Swimming, Fishing, Cows - Private Hot Tub under the stars - Luxurious Amenities & Internet Access Area activities include white water rafting, fishing, golf, mini golf, tubing, Sliding Rock, canoeing, outdoor music and festivals, Cherokee Indian Village and Waynesville with quaint shopping, dining and art.

Available May through October Minimum One Week Stay $3500 per week For more information, contact Christina Lavery at MajesticRetreat@gmail.com Facebook link www.facebook.com/majesticretreat

Photo: Dr. Christian Coachman and wife Roberta Comachio

600 Galleria Parkway, Suite 800 Atlanta, Georgia 30339 | 404.261.4941

Visit us at

5 

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Ideal live copy area border Minimum copy limit area

We don’t expect perfection from our work. We insist on it.

We know the style of your home or business is often defined by its finishing touches. Castle is the premier provider for your painting and remodeling needs. Using only the highest quality products, we provide onsite project management to deliver our legendary five-star service. We’ve served thousands of satisfied customers in the greater Atlanta area and we would love to serve you.

Three coats of service. Four coats of craftsmanship.

1-855-MYCASTLE (692-2785) • CastlePaintingGA.com

S I M P L Y B U C K H E A D ® | j uly / au g us t 2 0 1 2

Contents /// COVER STORY

52 buckhead’s Rising stars Buckhead has no shortage of talent, but this group of six phenoms (all of whom live or work in our area) are the year’s standouts.

56 buckhead’s unsung heroes As we honor Buckhead’s rising stars, we can’t neglect to salute its tireless champions.

Meet the five on our list.

/// FEATURES

19

Special Travel Section: Central and South America.

26

empire state of mind A relocated family infuses big-city style into a traditional Southern home.

44

keep the woodfire burning E.J. Hodgkinson holds his own with popular ‘Top Chef ’ Kevin Gillespie.

Clockwise from bottom: Marcia Jaffe, Glynis Terrell, Sandy Bruce, Nancy Jones and Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe— Buckhead’s unsung heroes.

Photo by Sara Hanna

/// DEPARTMENTS 11 LETTERS

35 SIMPLY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

13 SIMPLY NOW 43 SIMPLY DELICIOUS 25 SIMPLY STYLISH 61 SIMPLY HAPPENING

“Marma is golden in helping one feel a sense of mental clarity and self compassion ...

Who doesn’t need some of that today?”

– “Unconventional Wisdom,” page 33

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

7

Your Guide to Living Well in Atlanta

Serving Buckhead, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, Vinings, Decatur and Virginia Highland july/august 2012 | ISSUE 11 P.O. Box 11633, Atlanta, GA 30355 www.simplybuckhead.com For advertising rates call: 404-538-9895

/// BEHIND THE COVER Publisher

Joanne Hayes Editor-In-Chief

Allison Weiss Entrekin

carlos.emory.edu Facility rental Group tours Programs Exhibitions

Beauty lives here

AYURVEDIC MARMA THERAPY - Balance hormones - Improve sleep - Reduce anxiety - Alleviate headaches - Enhance immunity - Naturally detoxify - Address vertigo, digestion, reduce any kind of pain - Promote mental clarity and restore energy - Improve ADD and ADHD for children

Creative Director

Alan Platten

Our group of rising stars arrived in jeans and T-shirts at the InterContinental Buckhead for our cover shoot, but they were soon transformed by stylist LaNetra Butler and a hair and makeup team from Authentic Beauty. During the prep time, they noshed on sandwiches and pastries from Highland Bakery, sipped wine and listened to tunes by The Lovely Drifters, Amy Andrews’ band. When Simply Buckhead Chief Photographer Sara Hanna began shooting them on the hotel’s lawn, the group gamely moved from pose to pose, with Topher Payne keeping everyone laughing between snaps. Only Pouya Dianat had a hard time making eyes for the camera—as he told us, he’s used to being on the other side of the lens.

Producers: Allison Weiss Entrekin and Joanne Hayes Chief Photographer: Sara Hanna Photography Assistant: Austin Holt Stylist: LaNetra Butler Stylist Assistant: Robyn Thomas Hair/Makeup: Crystal Rock and Ann Mary Johnson of Authentic Beauty

Chief Photographer

Sara Hanna www.sarahanna.com Senior Account Executive

Cheryl Isaacs Associate Editor

Giannina Smith Bedford Contributing Writers

Katie Kelly Bell Wendell Brock H.M. Cauley Carly Cooper Jennifer Bradley Franklin Rachelle Hicks Curt Holman Brooke Porter Elsa Simcik Graphic Designer

Leslie Haugen Copy Editor

Ellen Glass Legal Counsel

Scott I. Zucker

All wardrobe courtesy of Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square

Gedaliah Genin, ND. Naturopath Holistic Intuitive 404.814.9808 www.gedaliahhealingarts.com

8

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

We welcome all contributions, but we assume no responsibility for unsolicited material. No portion of this publication can be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission.

Copyright © 2012 by Simply Buckhead®. All rights reserved.

Printed by Walton Press, Inc. Distributed by Distributech, Network Communications, Inc., and Distribution Services Group.

Simply Buckhead® is a member of the Buckhead Business Association.

find us online Read Simply Buckhead online at

www.SimplyBuckhead.com with click-through capability Facebook facebook.com “Like” or “Friend” us at Simply Buckhead Magazine

29th Annual

Twitter twitter.com Follow us @SimplyBuckhead

/// featured contributor

Monday, October 8, 2012 Cherokee Country Club

Curt Holman Freelance writer/editor Curt Holman grew up near Chastain Park and has lived most of his life in Atlanta, apart from taking degrees at Vanderbilt University and the University of Georgia.

A staff writer and critic for Creative Loafing for 11 years, he has also written for Atlanta Magazine, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, web-based publication ArtsATL, Paste and Salon. com. In 2005, he received a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship and has won Critical Writing awards from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) and the Society of Professional Journalists. He has been the president of the Southeastern Film Critics Association since 2010.

Tee-Off Party honoring the Shepherd Center Cup sponsors and golfers Sunday, October 7, hosted by Linda & Tom Morris.

The Tee-Off Party will feature live and silent auctions, great food and cocktails.

Photo by Aubrey Daum

Visit ShepherdCenterCup.com to register for the tournament or to purchase tickets for the Tee-Off Party

/// Proud sponsor of:

shepherd.org

For more information, contact Cara Puckett 404.350.7778

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

9

Anne Irwin Fine Art introduces Jane Filer

Tide Riders

31X38

Megan Lightell

Afternoon Heat

www.anneirwinfineart.com

20X60

690 miami circle #150 | atlanta, GA 30324

S I M P L Y B U C K H E A D ® | j uly / au g us t 2 0 1 2

Letters

/// EDITOR’S LETTER

I

from our tweet hearts and facebook fans!

My husband, George, came home today with a copy of Simply Buckhead. Both [H.M. Cauley and Sara Hanna] did a wonderful job with the piece about Buckhead Heritage’s Orly events.

Thanks so much! …

Helen, you are right that Simply Buckhead is an excellent publication that deserves to be very well received.

–Penny Hart I picked up my wife from work this evening and we sauntered through Miami Circle. We stopped in a store called Joseph Konrad and on a table by the entrance I picked up a copy of Simply Buckhead. I loved the size, eye-catching cover and general layout of the magazine.

–Richard Gooding I liked the article on Bath, etc. Really good.

I enjoyed looking through the magazine.

–Liz Davies I would like to congratulate you on Simply Buckhead. I’ve seen it around, and it is a very well-done piece. It was great to make your acquaintance and I wish you continued success.

Take care and God bless.

–Jarret Byrd The magazine looks fantastic! Love how the warm colors just pop right off the cover!

–Elise Colcord Been seeing all this Buckhead stuff on Facebook. Any chance your staff can send me a copy? Just curious—looks interesting.

After all, I went to EGHS with the boss!

–Jay Leach (from the woods of Smithfield, Rhode Island) Love the new edition; I saw it online.

Looks GREAT!!!

–Randall D. Fox

Follow us @SimplyBuckhead and on Facebook @SimplyBuckhead @PinnacleGym Gr8 seeing you. Love the magazine cover colors this month. Stupendous look!

–@N10CT (Kelsey L. Crook)

Thank you to @SimplyBuckhead for the article about our youth speed and agility summer camp @ PinnacleGym. Chk out the May/ June 2012 issue.

–@atlfitnesscoach, Brandon Butta Butler

Many thanks to @SimplyBuckhead for saluting our own @John Hightower for his community service efforts in Kenya.

–@ArkeSystems

Love the May issue—amazing work.

–L. Green Studios via Facebook

Relaxing after a stressful day, reading @SimplyBuckhead and having an iced tea.

–@Jamey_Giddens

#MVPSchool highlighted for hosting NFL Camp this summer via @ SimplyBuckhead current magazine page 19.

–@jbrettjacobsen (Dr. Brett Jacobsen)

Can’t believe the new issue is out already … we haven’t gotten to your restaurant picks from last time yet!

–@DanDavisRadio (Daniel Davis)

Happy to follow an essential Atlanta publication.

–@kwallace489 (Kelly Wallace)

Thank you, @SimplyBuckhead.

Looking good!

–@Wilshirelenox

@SimplyBuckhead has put out another great issue. It’s hard to believe it’s FREE!

–@Noschmitt (Linda Schmitt Paskie)

/// LETTER BOX ///

Tell us what you think! Send your comments, compliments and criticisms to editor@simplybuckhead.com. All letters will be considered for publication and may be edited for length and clarity.

t’s crazy to think that just 12 years ago, Sara Blakely was a woman in an Atlanta apartment making cold calls about her footless pantyhose.

Today, she’s a woman in a Buckhead high-rise surrounded by stacks of Forbes with her picture on the cover.

BILLIONAIRES, the headline says.

And then Blakely’s caption: YOUNGEST SELFMADE WOMAN. What a difference a dozen years makes.

In this issue of Simply Buckhead, we feature the area’s rising stars. Six Sara Blakelys in the making, if you will.

Their names are the ones you hear at cocktail parties (“Have you caught Topher Payne’s latest play?”), see on photo credits (there’s Pouya Dianat in Sports Illustrated again), and find in galleries (who doesn’t have something

by Nikita Gale on display?). The people on our list have a buzz, but that buzz isn’t yet a roar (à la Blakely’s bellowing one). They’re well on their way, yet they can still come to a cover shoot without an entourage.

Speaking of the shoot, I think what struck me the most as I observed this talented group gathered in one place was its diversity. Different ages, backgrounds, styles and vibes. Yet they’ve all deliberately chosen our area as a launching pad, and our area, in turn, has chosen them right back. As I sat and watched them get to know one another (Dianat was intrigued to find out that Stacey Eames’ dad once played professional baseball; Eames was flattered when “Homeland”’s Morgan Saylor raved about Highland Bakery, Eames’ restaurant), I thought to myself: Remember this moment.

Because in 12 years, each of their stars may have fully risen. And the closest we’ll get to them is a copy of Forbes.

Allison Weiss Entrekin editor@simplybuckhead.com

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

11

Now Open in Brookhaven Supremely satisfying signature dishes made fresh for you.

Sizzle this summer.

Our delicious portion- and calorie-controlled gourmet meals are designed to help get you out of the kitchen and into that hot summer swimwear.

Call 404-815-7695 or place your order online today at GoodMeasureMeals.com

sh! e r F d e r e v Deli

100% of proceeds support Open Hand community-based nutrition programs.

12 

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

GMM_Simply_Buckhead_QtrPg_June.indd 1

5/9/2012 9:54:51 AM

L O C A L S A L U T E | E V E N T S | T R AV E L

Simply now

travel

Patagonian Pampering, Page 20

Hikers at The Cliffs Preserve at Patagonia in Chile tackle one of the many scenic trails through the rainforest and along the oceanfront.

“When you catch sight of the towering cliffs and pristine Pacific coastline ... you’ll vow to leave everyday life behind forever.”

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

13

JoinUs

F O R A N E V E N I NG O F G OU R M E T F O O D & FINE WINE

at the Cherokee Town & Country Club Sunday, August 19, 2012 at 5:00 PM $275 per person, $2500 per table of 10 chefs plus our Chef Chairperson in honor of Give Me Five's Sixth Georgia's best sommeliers. Each course will be accompanied by commentary from our chefs and sommeliers.

ATLANTA FISH MAR KET BISTRO NIK O

NEIGHBO R HO O D FR E NCH BI STR O

BUC K HE AD D INE R Chef Chairperson

Sommelier Chairperson

Michael Deihl, East Lake Golf Club

Silvio Garcia, Cherokee Town & Country Club

NE W AME R I CAN

C HOPS LOBSTE R BA R C ORNE R C AFÉ

SE AFO O D

PR I ME STE AK S & SE AFO O D

EUR O PE AN STYLE CAFÉ & BAK E RY

Matt Bradford, Canoe Restaurant

K Y MA

M EDIT ERRANEAN SE AFO O D

Anthony Gray, Southern Art

Dorine Buche, BLT Steak

N AVA

S OUT H WES T ERN

Heather Hurlbert, HH Desserts

Niko Karatassos, Buckhead Life Restaurant Group

Pano Karatassos, Kyma

Andres Loazia, Aria Restaurant

Eric Karell, St. Ives Country Club

PRIC C I

CONT EM PORARY I TALI AN

V E NI V ID I V IC I 103 WE ST

CLASSI C I TALI AN

PRIVAT E EVE NTS

t for

BOC A RATON C HOPS LOBSTE R BA R C ITY FISH MARK E T

giv

14

vedinner.org | 770.463.5151

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

PR I ME STE AK S & SE AFO O D

SE AFO O D

S IMP LY n ow

Local Salute story:

Carly Cooper

An Artful World 2-Day Walk team members Becky Thompson, Kim Jarvis, Dr. Debra Schreibman and Nidia Walkup.

Photo by Glenn Martin

Walking for Health The Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer celebrates its 10th anniversary In the late 1990s, the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk was the talk of the town. After four years in Atlanta, it encountered financial difficulties and shut down in 2002, later becoming the Susan G. Komen 3-Day. Longtime walker Randi Passoff also stepped in, organizing a new walk called The Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer, with headquarters in Sandy Springs and a walk route going through Buckhead.

“It’s a kinder, gentler breast cancer walk,” says Kim Goff, executive director of It’s the Journey Inc., the nonprofit Passoff founded to support the 2-Day. “It’s two days, 30 miles and we sleep at the Marriott Marquis, as opposed to three days, 60 miles and sleeping in a tent.”

This year’s walk is October 6 and 7. Walkers raise a minimum of

$1,000 and those who elect to walk only Sunday (10 miles) raise $500.

Seventy percent of walker donations go toward grantees, such as the Cancer Support Network, Northside Hospital and Grant Park Clinic.

“The aim is to be able to say yes to any worthy grant application,” Goff says. “We don’t want women to skip a mammogram simply because they can’t afford it.”

This year is the 10th anniversary of the 2-Day and Goff couldn’t be more excited. “There’s so much to celebrate: the people who have conquered breast cancer and remembering and honoring those who didn’t,” she says. “It will be a very special year.”

Atlantans can register to walk until September 8 online at: www.itsthejourney.org

Buckhead resident Jennifer Lester uses art to connect with teens and inspire social change “I decided I wanted to be in service to the world,” says Jennifer Lester, a Buckhead resident and founder of One Love Generation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youths to inspire social change through art and service. Having studied fine arts, Lester realized the power art has in connecting people, especially teenagers, and capitalized on it.

In 2009, she and a few fellow artists began working with 10 teenagers every other week. They mentored the teens, took them on field trips to galleries and did service projects with them. By 2011, the number grew to 50 teens, with programs operating three times a week. “Being in the trenches and fighting for more love in the world gives me a sense of a meaningful life,” Lester says.

One Love Generation offers a studio program where enrolled teens work together on an art project that addresses a philanthropic, environmental or socio-economic issue. It also offers a mentoring program in which teens are paired with local professional artists to create art focused on issues facing the world. Teens must submit a letter of recommendation, provide artwork samples and answer a series of questions to apply for the programs.

One Love Generation founder Jennifer Lester (center) poses with mentees and other program mentors. Photo by Jennifer Abrams

Enrollment begins in August.

Each year, Lester also chooses a small group to participate in an international art service project in which they use art to solve a problem in a foreign country. Last year, the group went to Guatemala where they made art out of trash to raise awareness about littering.

“I’m constantly inspired by the potential of the organization’s growth,” Lester says. “I can’t wait to see how it will unfold, how many communities it will impact and how many heart-centered leaders it will launch into the world.”

For more information on One Love Generation, or to register for the mentoring program, visit www.onelovegeneration.com

Inspiring the Leaders of Tomorrow Orange Duffel Bag story inspires a Buckhead resident to help at-risk youths

Orange Duffel Bag Foundation President and Co-Founder Echo Garrett coaches foster system youths.

In the summer of 2010, Buckhead resident Michele Stumpe heard about the book “My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change” by Sam Bracken, a once-homeless 15-year-old who graduated with honors from Georgia Tech—despite the fact that when he arrived in Atlanta, everything he owned fit inside an orange duffel. Stumpe also heard that Atlantan Echo Garrett, co-

Photo by Kevin Garrett

author of the book, was co-founding a foundation to help at-risk youths called the Orange Duffel Bag Foundation (ODBF). Stumpe was inspired and decided to help, becoming a member of the board and the advisory committee.

“It’s such an underserved section of the population but the message

of the book is clear: There is hope,” Stumpe says. “By providing guidance at critical stages, we have the chance to change lives.”

Today, the ODBF provides coaching, training and ongoing mentoring to more than 300 homeless youths, ages 12 to 24—those who are too old for the foster care system—so they can develop realistic life plans. When they complete the 12-week ODBF program, they receive a laptop computer and an orange duffel bag filled with a journal, gift cards and more. They also get access to ongoing coaching that encourages them to further their edu-

cation and helps with their job search.

“We have a crisis of young people who leave foster care without one safe, caring adult in their lives,” Garrett says.

“In Georgia, only 14 percent of kids in foster care graduate from high school or get their G.E.D.” In June, ODBF offered its services to 400 young attendees of the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Youth Summit. In July, it is working with Camp Belong to match up foster kids with their birth siblings for a week of bonding.

For more information, visit www.orangeduffelbagfoundation.org

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

15

16th Annual Vineyard Festival Sunday, August 26th, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

...

xperience ...

Four-Star Luxury Inn - Full Production Winery & Vineyards Wine Tasting & Tours - The Wine Market Over 100 Domestic and International Wines Cooking and Wine Seminars with Chefs and Wine Experts Local Harvest Food Tent & B.B.Q. Live Music by “League of Decency” Dancing & Grape Stomping Overnight Packages Available Inquire about the Chef & Winemaker Dinner with Tickets Free Parking - Must be 21 or Over All Inclusive Ticket Price

$75 Per Ticket, Includes Tax Tickets by Advanced Purchase Only

order online www.chateauelan.com order by phone 678-425-0900 x 41

Join us at www.facebook.com/chateauelan Château Élan | 100 Tour De France, Braselton, Georgia 30517 Located I-85 North, Exit 126 - 30 Minutes North of Downtown Atlanta

S IMP LY n ow

e ve n ts

/// FEATURED EVENT ///

C’est très magnifique!

Huff Harrington Fine Art celebrates Bastille Day French-style Huff Harrington Fine Art Celebrates Bastille Day July 14-28 Bastille Day Exhibit’s Featured Paintings: “French Flower Market” by Bill Davidson “Bonjour Provence,” “Sunday, Sur la Sorgue,” and “Sur la Table”

by Nancy Franke “L’Arbre en Luberon” and “Forêt”

by Brigitte Curt “Bonnieux Study” by Lesley Powell

Huff Harrington Fine Art 4240 Rickenbacker Drive Atlanta 30342 404.257.0511 www.huffharrington.com

key french terms:

Admiring French artwork while eating pastries and sipping wine on Bastille Day? Oui, oui, oui! Photos by Huff Harrington Fine Art

I

n celebration of Bastille Day, or French National Day, Huff Harrington Fine Art Gallery is going completely French. And we mean all the way—from wine to pastries, from art to atmosphere. Sure to be a soirée for the bon vivant, the gallery’s Francophile celebration will feature a très magnifique opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on July 14 and a Frenchthemed exhibit continuing until July 28.

The opening will introduce the gallery’s collection of French artists, along with American painters influenced

by the French joie d’esprit. Featured French artists include Pascal Bouterin, Andree Thobaty, Georges Nasri and Christian Nepo. French-inspired American artists include Nancy Franke, Bill Davidson, Lesley Powell and Brigitte Curt. There will also be work showcased by those who went on the Painting in Provence trip, hosted by Huff Harrington for art students.

All chefs d’oeuvre range from abstract and impressionist to still life, portraits and landscapes.

/// FAMILY-FRIENDLY ///

Expect delectable amuse-bouches and French wine à gogo from Buckhead’s own Soiree Catering. For entertainment, the gallery’s accordion player will serenade guests with French classics. Entre nous, he goes by the moniker “Jacques” because of the twinkle in his eye and his joie de vivre.

If you can’t make opening night, check out the exhibit Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment.

Soirée – Party Bon vivant – One who enjoys life Très magnifique – Very fabulous Joie d’esprit – Joyful spirit Chefs d’oeuvre – Masterpieces Amuse-bouches – Mouth amusers or small bites À gogo – In abundance Entre nous – Between us or confidential Joie de vivre – Joy of life

– Rachelle Hicks

Artistic Summer Fun

for the Whole Family

Young di Domizio’s artists show off their masterpieces.

Between summer camps, visiting grandparents and frolicking with friends in the sun, it’s easy to skip family time during the summer.

Di Domezio’s Art Centre in Sandy Springs is helping parents and kids get in some quality time together during the busy summer season through creative, low-key weekly art classes. Erin Harvey, an art teacher at di Domizio’s, is hosting the family fun summer art classes in July and August, taking children and their parents on a journey through different art mediums. Each class features a new way of creating art through mixed media. Expect anything from charcoal drawings and watercolor to lessons on doodling and basic art theory.

Classes are every Saturday from 1-3 p.m. for children 8 and older, parents and even grandparents of all ages. Cost is $25 per person for one class, or $150 for six classes. Call in advance to book a slot.

Photo by Erin Harvey

– Rachelle Hicks

Children and parents discover their artistic talents during di Domizio’s summer art classes Summer Fun Family Art Saturdays, July 7-Aug. 11 Di Domizio’s Art Centre 6030 Sandy Springs Circle Sandy Springs 30328 770.634.7073 www.oldworldart.net

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

17

SI MPLY now

events

/// FREE EVENT ///

Complimentary

Concerts Nothing epitomizes summertime like an outdoor concert. Although we often turn to Ticketmaster for a musical night under the stars, Heritage Sandy Springs’ Concerts by the Springs offers the chance to enjoy some open-air tunes free of charge. So rather than pay big money for a piece of grass at a large venue, head to Heritage Green on the Sandy Springs Society Entertainment Lawn one Sunday evening each month through September. On August 5, the 16th annual Concerts by the Springs welcomes The GLOW Band, a local performance dance and show band comprised of seven musicians and vocalists who play classic tunes you know by heart.

Prepare for the band’s lead singers to infiltrate the crowd and get people dancing to the sounds of guitar, bass, saxophone, violin and drums.

Arrive early (gates open at 5 p.m.) to spread out a blanket and enjoy a picnic with friends and family before the music kicks off at 7 p.m. and continues until 8:30 p.m.

– Giannina Smith Bedford

Heritage Sandy Springs concert by the springs.

Aug. 5 6110 Bluestone Road Sandy Springs 30328 404.851.9111 www.heritagesandysprings.org

Crowds gather at Heritage Green in Sandy Springs to hear some free music.

18

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

SI MPLY now travel

Summer Special:

Central and South America We may share the same hemisphere, but these destinations are a world away.

Come along as we explore our neighbors to the south.

savor

Guatemala soak up

Chile

explore

Peru

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead 

19

S IMP LY n ow

TRAVEL : c hile

Patagonian Pampering A vacation at The Cliffs Preserve takes luxury to a whole new level feature:

Giannina Smith Bedford

F

orty-four miles west of Puerto Montt in southern Chile, there is a lavish adventure that doesn’t just fulfill expectations, but exceeds them. Travel away from the city via dirt roads and through small rural towns to arrive at The Cliffs Preserve at Patagonia, where guests are welcomed with a fresh-squeezed fruit juice and smiling staff at the front door. You’ll be delighted by the service and seclusion of the property upon arrival, but when you catch sight of the towering cliffs and pristine Pacific coastline surrounding the resort, you’ll vow to leave everyday life behind forever.

The Cliffs combines the wild natural beauty of its rugged environs with luxurious pampering that can only be found at some of the world’s top resorts. Situated on 8,000 acres of temperate rainforest in northern Patagonia, the eco-resort features an oceanfront lodge with a spa and six deluxe villas with 18 suites overlooking a pristine beach, unblemished by cabanas or lounge chairs.

Villas are named after native animals you may catch a peek of during your stay—from the Penguino (Penguin) to the Chungungo (Sea Otter)—and are adorned in a chic, rustic

20

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

style with plenty of local woodcarvings and hand-woven native rugs beneath vaulted ceilings. The spacious accommodations include a full kitchen (stocked with your preferred snacks and drinks) and living area equipped with a crackling wood-burning fireplace and private porches. Much of the wooden furniture in the villas is crafted onsite at The Cliffs’ woodworking shop, and the decorative flower arrangements adorning each room are created with blossoms picked from your backyard.

This “self-sufficiency” mantra extends across much of The Cliffs’ operations, including the onsite organic farm that supplies the main kitchen’s bounty.

Each suite (there are two to four in each residence) features queen or king beds, bathrooms with whirlpool tubs and a pinchme view of the six miles of oceanfront. Your favorite part of the accommodations won’t be found inside your not-so-humble abode, however. Take a short walk down a meandering path and you’ll discover a wood-burning hot tub tucked into the cliffside and overlooking the ocean below. One dip into these wood-warmed waters and you are sure to think you’ve died and gone to heaven.

When you’ve regained the use of your legs, take a short walk to the lodge, a 20,000-square-foot structure on the main beach where you have your pick of working out in the gym or taking a yoga class. You can also book a deep-tissue massage in the quaint spa, where treatments are tailored to guests’ likings. In fact, everything is customized to your personal preference at The Cliffs. Simply let a desire or request enter your thoughts and it seems a staff member is quickly at your side to fulfill it. The five-star touch is also infused into the gourmet meals, which can be enjoyed in the lodge or within the privacy of your villa.

Wherever you choose to dine, meals are inspired by organic produce picked at the farm and seafood from the coast, including abalone, sea bass and mussels. The mostly three-course meals are accompanied by your choice of housemade cocktails (definitely go for Chile’s famous pisco sour) or a glass of top-notch Chilean wine. For those who prefer to pass on the alcoholic beverages, fresh-squeezed juice concoctions are whipped up from scratch and often come with an edible flower garnish.

Although tempting, fight the desire to spend your visit having cocktails in the lodge

SI MPLY now

TRAVE L: p eru

Peru,

three ways

Clockwise from top left: Wood-burning hot tub; Cliffs’ residence overlooking the coastline; unspoiled Patagonian beach; hiking trails through the vast acreage; villa living room adorned in native woods and textiles; gourmet local fare and Chilean wine.

How to tackle this South American country, whether you’re exploring the city, visiting ruins or bedding down in the jungle feature & photos:

Brooke Porter

A

Country Home Retreat

For more information visit www.cliffspreserve.cl

For more information visit www.quinchocountryhome.cl

The City: Cusco The capital of the Incan empire, Cusco is an interesting mix of antiquity and modernity. Ruins like Sacsayhuamán (almost sounds like “sexy woman”) sit just minutes from posh restaurants like MAP Café, serving up reinterpreted Peruvian classics. The city is small enough to conquer on foot in a few days: stroll the artsy neighborhood of San Blas; visit the cathedral at the Plaza de Armas; wander the stalls at San Pedro market. There are hostels on almost every corner, but for more upscale digs, check into the Sonesta Hotel Cusco, a 10-minute walk from the center of town. Daring eaters should try the local specialty cuy (guinea pig), served at most upscale restaurants. If you prefer a taste of home, the wood-fired pizza at the cozy La Pizza Carlo is surprisingly good.

s

or making the best use of your gorgeous accommodations (mainly the hot tub) because the true impact of The Cliffs can be found in its surroundings. A myriad of spirit-lifting activities led by knowledgeable (and English-speaking) guides awaits. Choose from horseback rides along the beach, scenic hikes to stunning landscapes and a boat ride to a nearby penguin colony (during which you are likely to also see dolphins, sea lions, sea otters and maybe even a whale). You don’t have to get on a boat to see wildlife, however. On a short walk to your suite, you may encounter a pudú—the world’s smallest deer—a mountain monkey or one of the 58 bird species that call the area home.

If The Cliffs Preserve seems too good to be true, well, it just simply is. The only fault that can be given to this utopia-like getaway is the lack of constant sunshine needed to spend a day on the beckoning beach—rain, clouds and sun during the same day are characteristic of Patagonian weather. Our advice when the clouds roll in: Grab a pisco sour and sit on the porch, letting nature draw you in and erase any memory of a “civilized” life. n

If you’re looking for a serene haven to use as a home base for exploring Chile’s lake district, Quincho Country Home is the ideal retreat.

Situated less than 40 minutes from the town of Puerto Montt (where the main airport is located), this fourbedroom sanctuary with a maximum occupancy of eight guests impresses with personalized service that includes evening cocktails with General Manager Silja Torborg and a custom-planned itinerary for area activities with a private guide. Accommodations done in natural textures and warm woods are named after native birds, and the gourmet meals—enjoyed in the dining area or the kitchen family-style—are prepared with local produce. The storybook home sits on a beautiful piece of land surrounded by nearly 10 acres of woodlands and manicured lawns. The incredibly private property is hidden behind unmarked wooden gates and provides stunning views of Lake Llanquihue and volcanoes Osorno and Calbuco.

From its gorgeous location at the gateway of Patagonia to its welcoming staff, Quincho Country Home is a hideaway that truly quiets the mind and leaves you wishing you could move right in.

ll eyes were on Peru last year, as it celebrated the centennial anniversary of U.S. explorer Hiram Bingham’s discovery of Machu Picchu. While the ancient Incan city is by far the highlight of any trip, there are many other draws, such as charming cities like Cusco (Cuzco) and the wildlife of the lush Amazonian jungle. (And if you make a stop in the capital of Lima, don’t miss a visit to the catacombs, a walk on a Miraflores beach, and a fresh ceviche lunch.)

A market in the Sacred Valley sells colorful blankets and tapestries handcrafted by local artisans.

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

21

S IMP LY n ow

TRAVEL : pe ru

SI MPLY now

TRAVEL: guat em al a

The Ruins: Machu Picchu This ancient Incan citadel is only 70 miles from Cusco, but the scenic train ride via PeruRail takes almost four hours. Once in Aguas Calientes, the town below the ruins, it’s a windy 30-minute bus ride up. Ignore the guides swarming the entrance and go at it alone; any decent guidebook can point out the highlights.

Laid-back hikers should make the steady climb to the Sun Gate, but for avid adventurers, nothing compares to the 1,180-foot trek up Huayna Picchu, the peak above the ruins. A limited number of hikers are allowed on the trail per day; to snag a coveted spot, purchase a combination entrance ticket. As for accommodations, the 29-room Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge is the only hotel within the gates, but at $925 per night, it’s a splurge.

Most travelers stay in Aguas Calientes; for something contemporary yet unfussy, book a room at the centrally located El MaPi.

Savoring Guatemala Where the table is set for culinary adventure

The Jungle: Puerto Maldonado The flight from Cusco is only 45 minutes, but Puerto Maldonado is worlds away (and about 9,500 feet lower in altitude). The town is the gateway to the Peruvian Amazon, and the best way to experience this overgrown jungle is by booking a couple of nights at an all-inclusive lodge. The travel company Rainforest Expeditions and a local community co-own and manage three such places, the most accessible of which is Posada Amazonas, reached via a bumpy 45-minute drive followed by an hour-long boat ride on the Tambopata River. This is no relaxing getaway: there is no electricity; the water is cold (or “fresh,” as the indigenous guides like to call it); and the schedule is packed with 4 a.m. wakeup calls and nighttime hikes. The payoff: breathtaking sunrises, wildlife sightings (tarantulas, sea otters and macaws, anyone?); and the kind of star gazing city dwellers can only dream about.

El MaPi Hotel 800.442.5042; www.elmapihotel.com PeruRail 51.84.581414. www.perurail.com Rainforest Expeditions 877.870.0578; www.perunature.com Sanctuary Lodge Hotel 800.237.1236; www.sanctuarylodgehotel.com Sonesta Hotel Cusco 800.766.3782; www.sonesta.com

Book It Want to do the city, the ruins and the jungle in one trip?

Enlist the help of a travel agency like Peru for Less which creates a customized itinerary—including hotels, inter-country airfare and tours—for free. 877.269.0309; www.peruforless.com

22

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

feature & photos:

S

Wendell Brock

ome vacations are meant to be spent skiing dramatically situated slopes or kayaking down pulsequickening white waters. Others are best savored in quietude with a dear companion. You find some idyllic place where the closest thing to stress is deciding what to eat next.

My friend Bill and I recently spent a handful of days doing next to nothing in Antigua, Guatemala. About an hour’s drive over bumpy roads from the capital of Guatemala City, Antigua is a treasure of a town and a fine spot to begin a culinary journey.

Founded by the Spanish in the 1500s and named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, the central Guatemalan city is a wonderfully walkable grid of Baroque architecture and lush gardens surrounded by a trio of majestic volcanoes and coffee-planted hills.

On a previous visit, Bill fell under the spell of this complex tapestry of Eu-

ropean and Mayan influences—where women balance baskets gracefully on their heads, wash clothes in public basins and pat out corn tortillas by hand—and wanted to share.

So we checked into his favorite haunt—Quinta Maconda, a unique, luxurious, word-of-mouth guesthouse just off the main square—and did Guat-ever we felt like, at our own unapologetically leisurely pace.

One morning, we hopped a truck to nearby Finca Filadelfia, a sprawling coffee plantation where we enjoyed a tour, tasted the java, bought beans to take home and had a restful lunch of ceviche and Gallo (Guatemala’s refreshing pale lager). Another day, we took in the frantic Sunday market at Chichicastenango, then made haste to the world-famous, volcanocupped Lake Atitlán, where we sat by the water and wrapped blue tortillas around pepian de pollo (chicken

What’s cooking, Guatemala?

Where Europe meets Maya on every plate.

Quinta Maconda: Breakfast starts with a fruit plate, and then a delicious egg dish like this.

Posada de Don Rodrigo: This classic chicken stew, pepian de pollo, at the Panajachel location on Lake Atitlan, is Guatemala’s answer to mole.

Clockwise from top left: Guatemala is a place of great color and beauty, and some options to consider in Antigua are the hotelmuseum complex of Casa Santo Domingo, where you can sit for a moment in this color-drenched space; the Baroque architecture, which has been shaped by time and natural disasters; Meson Panza Verde, where you can sign up for a yoga class or just soak up atmosphere such as this bright-blue pool; and Quinta Maconda, a hidden gem of a bed and breakfast right off the town square.

stewed in a tomato-chili-and-cinnamon-scented sauce similar to molé).

I bought peanut brittle and coconut candy from a street vendor.

But we never strayed far from Antigua, where we explored ancient churches cracked open by earthquakes (many transformed into beautiful gardens and museums). We peeped into the courtyards of stately old palaces with bubbling fountains, whispering palms and intricate boxwood mazes (many of which are now hotels and cafes). Often, we just chilled at Quinta Maconda, for it was hard to budge from this blissful, art-andantique-filled bed and breakfast with its sleeping porches, breezy atrium and immaculately manicured private garden of nooks and crannies, orchids, bananas and birds. Though Lee Radziwill, Francis Ford Coppola and Ashley Judd roamed the place before us, we were lucky enough to be

the only guests during our stay. Most mornings, we took breakfast outside—fruit plates and yummy stacks of pan, smashed black beans, fried eggs and piquant salsa. Later, if we felt like staying in, the sweetly ministering staff whipped up a three-course feast on short notice.

Wandering Antigua, we had crispy fried chicken at Pollo Campero (not bad!). At the suggestion of my food-writer friend Sandra Gutierrez, we bought a sampling of classic sweets (candied figs, or higos; canillitas de leche; paciencias; and colochos de guayaba) at Doña María Gordillo, a candy store dating from 1872. Twice, at casual La Fonda de la Calle Real, we filled up on some of the best local grub of the trip—pupusas studded with chicarrónes; the spicy Mayan turkey stew called kaqik and another stew made with everything pork, including the liver. And when we tired

La Fonda de la Calle Real: An essential Antiguan stop for traditional Guatemalan grub like this trio of stews.

of the beans, rice and plantains that are staples of Guatemalan cooking, we discovered the fettucine carbonara of a lifetime at a quaint Italian-village style place called Quesos y Vino.

Who’d a thunk it?

At the beautiful Mesón Panza Verde, we were intoxicated on atmosphere alone, from reflecting pool to rooftop view, and later returned for a drink or two. We had a lovely lunch and a bottle of rosé in the beautiful palm court of the elegant Palacio de Doña Leonor. And we couldn’t stop admiring Casa Santo Domingo, an old convent that is now a warren of hotel rooms, restaurants and museums.

Traveling inside Guatemala can be as challenging as the scenery is spectacular. The countryside is rugged; crime is a concern. Better to take your time here. Linger and embrace. Make every comida count. Someday you’ll want to return, and bring a friend. n

Doña María Gordillo: Cases are lined with sweets at this landmark candy store dating back to 1872.

Casa Santo Domingo: www.casasantodomingo.com.gt Finca Filadelfia: www.filadelfiacoffee.com La Fonda de la Calle Real: www.lafondadelacallereal.com Mesón Panza Verde: www.panzaverde.com Palacio de Dona Leonor: www.palaciodeleonor.com Quesos Y Vino: www.quesosyvino.com Quinta Maconda: www.quintamaconda.com

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

23

FREE In-Home Consultation

404-633-3785 Call today to schedule your complimentary in-home consultation and get your FREE Design Guide

Buy More, Save More!

Wood & Faux Wood Blinds and Cellular Shades Through September 30, 2012

www.BudgetBlinds.com

24 

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

H O M E | FA S H I O N | W E L L N E S S

Simply stylish

Home

Empire State of Mind, Page 26

“The home needed a revamp that showcased the owners’ New York-inspired contemporary style.”

In the foyer, original blackand-white checkered floors complement the antique movie theater chairs and black-andwhite family photographs.

Photo by Sara Hanna

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

25

SIMPLY stylish

home

Empire State A relocated family infuses big-city style into a traditional Southern home feature:

Giannina Smith Bedford Photos: Sara Hanna

A

fter living in Manhattan and Brussels, Laura Dickerman and her family made a big move to the South.

Her husband, an executive with an Atlantabased company, was transferred and in July 2010 the family purchased a traditional brick home in Druid Hills—their first true home of their own after living in New York City apartments and renting a home in Brussels.

“We couldn’t believe that it was considered in ‘the city.’ Coming from Manhattan, we feel as though we live in the countryside,” Laura says of the 1.5-acre property, complete with a rope swing, huge tulip poplars and a wooded park just beyond its backyard border.

Built in 1925, the 3,500-square-foot house perched on a hill was originally a wedding

26

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

gift from local architect G. Lloyd Preacher (designer of Atlanta City Hall) to his daughter, Mary Preacher Burke, who lived in it for 60 years (her black-and-white portrait still hangs in the home today). Already renovated once by a previous owner, the four-bedroom, four-bath residence with a guesthouse and pool was almost perfect for Laura’s newly transplanted family of four, but it needed a revamp that showcased the owners’ New York-inspired contemporary style, vast collection of books and special items collected during their international travels.

“We love the clean, sleek lines of midcentury modern furniture … and we try to avoid too much clutter,” Laura says.

“Though we have enough photos, special

objects collected from travels, etc. to make the house feel personal and welcoming.”

To revamp her new Atlanta home, Laura hired design and construction firm Home ReBuilders. The team knocked down large decorative columns inside the home to give it a more updated look and replaced rounded arches framing almost every doorway with sleeker squared-off entrances that Laura says remind her of “a pre-war Upper West Side New York City apartment.” The home renovators also added built-in bookcases in almost every room to display and store Laura’s enormous book collection—a former English teacher who is writing her first novel, she owns thousands of books, including an 1889 complete collection of George Eliot’s novels and a few Charles Dickens novels from 1861 that belonged to her grandfather. To freshen up the home’s colors, Home ReBuilders repainted the dark walls with a calming grayish-blue paint by Porter Paints called Winter Haven and refinished the light oak floors to a dark walnut-and-ebony mix. “We love how lightening the house up in terms

“I love my kitchen—it’s certainly the most beautiful and spacious I’ve ever had.”

three columns and arches—Ercan also designed a workstation with a built-in desk and floating shelves. “Laura really wanted a desk for the kids to come home from school and do their homework and she also likes to have counter space to put her computer on and look at recipes,” Ercan says. “The idea was to create one solid piece that encompassed both of those things. I envisioned something sleek and modern and beautifully aesthetic that was just a fluid piece.” Built by Stephen Evans Furniture and Fine Woodworking, the birch desk finished in a white lacquer runs almost the entire length of the wall, offering more than enough room for Laura’s daughters, 10-year-old Lucy and 8-year-old Isabel, to do homework and art projects.

“I love my kitchen—it’s certainly the most beautiful and spacious I’ve ever had—and I love how the girls do their homework or drawing or reading at their desks while I’m cooking,” Laura says. “I used to have dinner parties in a one-bedroom, fifth-floor walk-up in New York City with a kitchen the size of my sink area today. So we’ve come a long way.”

From left to right, clockwise: Set back from the road and surrounded by trees, the two-story brick home is the ideal haven for Laura Dickerman and her family.

Although Dickerman did much of her own interior design, architect and interior designer Ebru Ela Ercan of E3 assisted with specific home projects.

Dickerman and Ercan have since become good friends.

The living room’s centerpiece is a prized painting above the mantel by Italian artist Alessandro Papetti of a woman in a pool.

The custom desk in the kitchen area fulfilled Laura’s desire for a place her daughters could do homework and art projects after school while she cooked nearby.

Previously a dark shade of khaki, the kitchen was repainted in light colors and furnished with molded plywood stools by Norman Cherner.

s

of paint and opening up rooms with wider doors and building all the bookcases made the house more to our taste,” Laura says.

In the kitchen, where she spends much of her time cooking, Laura replaced the blackand-green granite countertops with whiteand-gray marble-like granite called Invierno and added a mosaic glass tile backsplash.

She also had the dark wood cabinets painted white and the cabinet hardware replaced with Richelieu metal handles in matte chrome.

Rather than replacing the wood-paneled appliances to fulfill her desire for stainless steel, Laura took the advice of Home ReBuilders and saved thousands of dollars by re-paneling the front of the Sub-Zero fridge and one of the dishwashers with stainless steel.

After working with Home ReBuilders to complete the larger renovation projects, Laura enlisted the help of architect and interior designer Ebru Ela Ercan of E3. Ercan helped her find a Saarinen pedestal table from Knoll for the kitchen and Saarinen executive chairs for the dining room. In the kitchen eating area—where Laura removed a large fireplace,

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

27

SIMPLY stylish

home

Laura’s top four favorite things about Atlanta DeKalb Farmers Market: What I love most about this enormous indoor market is the produce section—there are hundreds of fruits and vegetables from all over the world, and hundreds of people from all over the world shucking corn, knocking on melons, deciding among twenty varieties of peppers, stocking up on fresh spices, examining the live fish tanks, and wheeling their overflowing carts around. There may be other markets with more local produce or a better choice of East Asian foods, but the DeKalb Market has the best people watching.

Little Shop of Stories: This is a special independent bookstore in Decatur, the kind that is becoming more rare in the age of Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It’s primarily a store for children, but there is a very thoughtful and interesting section for adults as well. They sponsor readings (every well-known children’s book author has read there, as far as I can tell!), book clubs, summer camps, book parties, and the people that work there can find you the perfect book for anyone at any age. My girls and I spend a lot of time hanging out in there.

King of Pops: When we first moved here I was getting gas at Buddy’s in Poncey Highland.

There were about 30 people huddled in the shade near the gas pumps eating popsicles ... I soon learned about King of Pops, brothers who make gourmet popsicles with flavors such as chocolate sea salt and blackberry mojito. Now we look for the King of Pops rolling cart and rainbow umbrella all over town.

Little Five Points Halloween Parade: I have never experienced anything quite like it—the crowd is about as diverse as it gets and people are in a festive mood. The Halloween parade includes neighborhood regulars, tourists, live music, gruesome costumes, tattooed lunatics on bikes, skipping children dressed as fairies, local business people throwing candy from themed floats, drag queens, and a host of marching bands. I don’t know if we’ll make it an annual tradition, but I do know that seeing it once made us feel good about living in Atlanta.

Above: The master bedroom renovation included the creation of a book-lined entrance to add much-needed storage and a private dressing area for the couple. The room features Jonathan Adler lamps and a bed the family purchased in Brussels.

The nearby dining room is furnished with a Giò Ponti mid-century dining table, Belgian Art Nouveau chandelier and large refinished sideboard Laura’s husband commissioned in Belgium. The raw wood country-style piece, which was originally finished with ornate crown molding, was modernized with the help of Ercan and Stephen Evans Furniture and Fine Woodworking into a more streamlined and sleek piece. “We took the top off of it and we swapped out the hardware and got the whole thing stained a dark chocolate and now we love it,” Laura says.

Ercan also designed a bookcase and closet in the master bedroom to provide Laura and her husband with more storage. Now, rather than walking into a big open room, the bookcase and closet create a hallway-like entrance and dressing area for the couple.

What’s more, the newly added closet and

bookcase fit perfectly with the home’s original aesthetic. “We matched the molding and the look to what was existing, even down to the doorknobs,” Ercan said.

Although Laura infused her family’s New York roots and worldly sensibilities into nearly every room in her home, she says her favorite space is the living room. Here, furniture pieces like an Eames chair and surfboard coffee table (given to Laura by her brother as a wedding gift) create a space that has traveled with them through their various adventures.

“I love the living room because we’ve had those pieces of furniture with us in New York City and Brussels, so it’s always the first room we put together and the first room that feels like home,” she says.

Who knows, maybe on the next move, a little bit of Atlanta-inspired style will creep into their décor. n

Above: The property includes a garden, pool and adjacent guesthouse, offering plenty of room for outdoor entertaining.

Left: The dining room mixes Dickerman’s contemporary taste of a Giò Ponti mid-century dining table with more traditional décor items, such as the Art Nouveau chandelier picked up during the family’s time in Belgium.

28

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Your summer adventure starts now!

May 26 - September 9, 2012 www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive . Atlanta, GA . 30313 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive . Atlanta, Georgia . 30313

The Big Adventure was created by The Children's Museum of Houston in collaboration with the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative (YMEC).

DISCOVER YOUR BROADWAY! 2012/2013 Season Tickets on sale now!

Tony 5 2011 Awards

PAC STA KAG R ES $14 T AT 5

®

SEPTEMBER 25-30, 2012

NOV 27 - DEC 2, 2012

FEBRUARY 5-10, 2013

Subscribers get it all:

MARCH 12-17, 2013

*Discounts up to 30% day of show pricing *Priority access to best seats *Free exchanges *Ticket reprinting *Discounted dining options and more!

APRIL 23-28, 2013

BUY SEASON TICKETS TODAY! www.BroadwayInAtlanta.com • 800-278-4447 July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

29

SIMPLY stylish

fashion

2 1 3

accessorizing with color If you’re not quite ready to take the color plunge, our local store owners suggest you start small with these accessories: “I personally would either do a stack of bracelets in bright colors or a necklace,” Sabrina Davis of Range says. “I wouldn’t do earrings because I don’t think you would get as much color pop.”

“My customers are coming in with coral bags or red bags or bright yellow bags,” Mary Swanson of Tulipano tells us.

She says you can make a bright colored bag work with any outfit.

For guys, Chip Stockton of H. Stockton says, “Do it gently with a necktie.”

Look on the bright side Don’t be nervous about neon or timid about tangerine.

1. Southern Tide Knit Polo in grenadine, available for $75 at H. Stockton.

When it comes to color, the bolder, the better. story:

I

Photo courtesy of H. Stockton

Elsa K. Simcik

f you thought clothes were colorful before, you might need sunglasses to walk into stores now.

Color isn’t just big; it’s huge. “We’ve always had color, but to me they’re getting more vibrant,” says Mary Swanson, owner of Tulipano, a women’s boutique in Buckhead. When a designer first showed Swanson a particular neon pink top, she says, “It almost hurt look at it, but in a good way.” Now she says, “I don’t even bat an eye about ordering neon [clothes]. They will sell.” Her store is full of items in coral, orange, tomato red, fuchsia, bright green and turquoise.

Even men’s clothes are trending away from basic black. “There’s a lot more color in this store than there was a couple of years ago,” says Chip Stockton, president of local clothing store H. Stockton. “I think people are more optimistic about things and are not afraid of drawing attention to themselves.” He says that in the last couple of years people have been dressing like they were going to a funeral, but now, “There is more of a sense of optimism.” And guys aren’t just going for colored shirts; Stockton sells lots of trousers and shorts in soft blues and greens.

Sabrina Davis, owner of Buckhead boutique

Range, says she’s “a color girl.” Shoppers will see that in everything from the flowy tops gracing her racks to her trademark accessories (Davis also owns sister store Brina Beads). She says her customers are wild about local designer Dianne Price’s silk tops, which come in a variety of bright hues, including magenta, orange and yellow.

“I’ve sold them to everyone from teenagers to 75-year-old women,” she says.

According to Davis, bright colors go with almost all skin tones. “You don’t have to have a tan,” she says. “Hot pink is easy [to wear]. Orange is easy. Green is easy.” The only one that’s tricky?

Yellow. “Yellow is tough for people,” Davis says.

“Bright yellow needs to be on someone with a darker skin tone. Pale yellow, on the other hand, is easier and most people can get away with it unless they have a lot of yellow in their skin.”

Our experts say color isn’t off-limits anywhere—even at work. Women can still wear their go-to black suit, but Swanson recommends adding a pop of color with a cami or a shell.

Stockton agrees, adding, “In the business world everything’s pretty quiet so it’s your one way to show some individuality.” n

2. Bright orange top by local designer Dianne Price, available for $130 at Range.

Photo courtesy of Range

3. Shoshanna electric blue tiered April dress, available for $355 at Tulipano.

Photo courtesy of Shoshanna

H. Stockton Buckhead location (Lenox Square) 3393 Peachtree Road N.E. Atlanta 30326 404.233.1608 www.hstockton.com Range 3231 Cains Hill Place N.W. Atlanta 30305 404.816.8230 Tulipano 3145 Peachtree Road, Suite 185 Atlanta 30305 404.816.3550 www.tulipanoboutique.com

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

31

Looking to Include More Whole Grain and Protein in your Family’s Diet?

Full Cup is Atlanta’s Fresh Milled Bread Shop. All of our products are high in fiber and protein.

We offer bread, muffins, cookies, sandwiches and the BEST Chicken Salad and Pimento Cheese in the City!

Get

10% off your entire purchase

CALL US!

404.848.1002 ADDRESS: 3794 Roswell Road Atlanta, GA 30342 HOURS OF OPERATION: Mon-Friday 9:30-5:30 Sat 10-5 Sunday CLOSED

32

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

One time use during this period, please.

One coupon per purchase.

Offer good 7/1/12-8/31/12

S IMP LY ST YL IS H W EL L NESS

Unconventional Wisdom Marma treatments bring Eastern medicine to Buckhead story:

E

A marma session with Gedaliah Genin involves gemstones and sound vibrations to promote energy flow.

Photos by Sara Hanna

Jennifer Bradley Franklin

ven after a massage or lying on a beach in some far-flung locale, I never felt this relaxed. But rather than sipping a cocktail on the white sand, I’m reclining on a table in a tiny room in Brookhaven: It’s a wonder, as I’ve had one of my most stressful weeks in recent memory. As I breathe in lavender essential oil and feel the coolness of gemstones on energy points on my neck, rib cage, head and in my hands, I realize a marma session with Gedaliah Genin, who holds a Ph.D. in Traditional Naturopathy, is unlike anything I’ve experienced.

While I wouldn’t describe myself as an official skeptic (I write about wellness, after all), I wasn’t sure what to expect from a marma session; I’d never even heard of the practice before embarking on research for this story. On the phone before our meeting, Genin described the practice and its benefits as “a bit like acupuncture, but without the needles.” For me—a huge needlephobe—that sounded just my speed.

A 5,000-year-old art of Ayurvedic medicine, marma involves a therapist working to bring calm to a patient, often with gentle touch (on chakras, or energy points on the body) and the use of tools, such as the gemstones and a tuning fork sound instrument, which provides gentle vibration on the body.

“Marma helps with many conditions like stress, headaches, weight loss, digestion, sleep, hormonal balance, pain, ADD and even paralysis,” Genin explains. “What I see mostly when patients come in is stress, anxiety, worry, grief and often a sense of disconnect from themselves.” The initial evaluation session (45 minutes to an hour) is $120, and subsequent sessions start at $50 for 30 minutes; Genin likes to see patients every week or every other week.

The only therapist practicing marma in Atlanta, Genin trained at the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico and honed her craft in energy medicine for more than 15 years in California before opening her practice in

Atlanta. Later this year, she’ll spend six weeks with Vasant Lad, a renowned Ayurvedic teacher in Pune, India.

While she’s a thin, stately woman with a supportive demeanor that invites open dialogue, it is her direct insightfulness that stunned me most. During my session, she asked if I had a difficult birth (as a possible cause for my frequent migraines). I didn’t know the answer, but asked my mother, and sure enough, she was in labor for more than 30 hours with me. I walked away with some tips on ways to reduce stress, including practicing yoga, drinking alkaline water and regularly applying essential oils to my temples and pressure points on my wrists.

“Marma is golden in helping one feel a sense of mental clarity and self compassion,” she says. “Who doesn’t need some of that today?” After such a stressful week, I walked out of the Brookhaven office with a sense of calm. I’m well on my way to being a believer. n

Gedaliah Genin Naturopath/ Energy Medicine 2556 Apple Valley Road Atlanta 30319 404.814.9808 www.gedaliahhealingarts.com

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

33

Hello my Fun Fit Friends!

Here’s the BestyBody “BEST” Body – Move More. That’s it. That’s all. It’s that simple. Make a point to do something more physical than you did the day before. Tomorrow, do something more than you did today, & so on & so on & so on. Before you know it, you’ll need a personal trainer to help you think of more things to do!

(Shameless plug)

Energy

– We all know our portion sizes are out of control big! If a restaurant offers half-size servings of entrees or sides, take them up on the offer. Or ask your server, really really nicely, to box up half of it before it hits the table. This is crucial if you are one of those folks who feel guilty for not cleaning your plate, especially when you are eating out. And yet another handy way to have your lunch made for the next day!

Self – Right now, tell yourself one thing you love about you. It can be your eyes, the way you snort when you laugh, the fact that you make the best lasagna in your hood, you can do a mean British accent (ala Madonna) or just quote my friend Jill, “I looove me some me!” Right Now! If you have more than one just keep them coming!

Thoughts – How do you get what you want? Pick a goal & act as if you have already achieved it. The big point being, You Gotta have Goals!

Determine a few objectives for yourself then pick a goal…any goal & give that wheel a spin.

The "BEST" from BestyBody

Spread the Word!

If you like any or all of this, please Facebook (yours, mine, yo mommas), Tweet, SOTCH (stand on the corner & holla), or share it however you like. FB page & Twitter handle are BestyBody Are you ready to find your Best You? Give me a call, or shoot me an email, and we can chat. I promise, that part won’t hurt!

You! – Alright all you magic makers out there.

Some people need proof that this works.

Inspire others by sharing a story of how got what you wanted, once you put it out there.

(Come on folks…keep it clean) Post your story on the BestyBody Facebook page.

Big Love, Joy & Abundance, Bets Happily submitted by BestyBody “Your Best Body” A Soulful approach to Whole Self Training

34

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Twitter: @BestyBody Facebook: /BestyBody 404-787-3932

www.bestybody.com betsexton@gmail.com

A RT V I E W | L I T E R A RY | O N S TA G E

Simply arts & entertainment

Managing director Lauren Morris (left) and board co-chair Ashley G. Preisinger (right) have a little costume fun at Georgia Shakespeare. In reality, they are the financial pillars of the theater.

on stage

Shakespeare Sharpshooter, Page 40

Photo: Sara Hanna

“After almost closing its doors last year, Georgia Shakespeare has surpassed its fundraising goal and is now in the midst of its 27th summer season.”

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

35

®

Please join the Shepherd Center Society on Wednesday, July 18, 6:30pm at Greystone, Piedmont Park Conservancy for a night of fine wine, great food, live music and an exciting auction to raise money for Shepherd Center.

Atlanta’s most talented chefs from our best restaurants will offer their finest fare, expertly paired with fine wines from around the world.

© Center for Puppetry Arts

Adapted and directed

by Jon Ludwig

Through July 15

Ages 4+

Hoist up the main sail and get ready for Hans Christian Andersen’s tale with a swashbuckling, musical twist!

By Paul Mesner Puppets of Kansas City, MO Ages 4+

No bones about it – The Dinosaur Show will tickle your funny-fossil and stimulate your imagination!

THE

www.gettheumbrella.com

July 17 - 29

THE

TORTOISE, HARE, Ages 2+

g

ery oun Y

V

Aug 2 - Sept 9

ater for

the

Adapted and directed

by Michael Haverty

The

AESOP’S FABLES

Jeffrey Zwartjes

AND OTHER

Fun interaction when the carnival comes to town and presents five of Aesop's fables.

For more information and to purchase tickets please scan with a smartphone or visit ShepherdCenterSociety.com

404.873.3391 www.puppet.org 1404 Spring Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30309 Limited FREE Parking MARTA Accessible Advance purchase is highly recommended.

Season supported in part by: Fulton County Arts Council, Georgia Council for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs

36

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

SIMPLY A&E

ar t vie w

Photo by Luciana Carneiro

The art

whisperer After 25 years, Anne Irwin knows how to listen when art speaks

story:

H.M. Cauley

Photo by Nancy Jo McDaniel

W

hen Anne Irwin says art speaks to her, she means it.

She’s heard the soft sigh of a piece snuggling into just the right place at a new owner’s home and the harsh screech of a work in the wrong one screaming, “I hate this place!”

After 25 years of matching owners and artworks in and around Buckhead, Irwin is a master at finding the right fit for both.

“I have a real passion for getting art in people’s homes,” she says. “It does speak to you, and it says different things at different times in your life. And it may say one thing when it starts in the living room and another when it goes in the bedroom.”

Irwin got her start in the art business by listening closely to her own art sense. Though she has no formal art education, her ability to make an emotional connection with a piece has turned into a career.

“Art is enchanting, alluring—a completely emotional experience,” she says. “Everyone gets a different feeling

from it. I think that’s why new buyers get nervous; they’re unsure of their own eye and feeling. I love going to people’s houses and dissipating that nervousness by showing them that once you get art in your house, it’s personal.”

Irwin started making the emotional connections between art and owners in 1987 out of her Vinings home. She eventually moved into a Buckhead gallery space on Bennett Street in 1997 and, after 15 years, moved to Miami Circle, into a sleek, open space adorned with art that calls out to her.

“I believe you can only sell what you like, and I like a mix, a balance of abstract, impressionism and realism from artists who are well-known and emerging,” she says.

Irwin likes being in Buckhead and didn’t consider setting up shop anywhere else.

“Buckhead has got incredible diversity of art,” she says. “People come here from all over the Southeast, as well as New York and Chicago, because

our art scene has grown exponentially.

Even in the economic slowdown, we haven’t seen that many art galleries close. Buckhead’s art scene is still vibrant, with lots of artists, galleries and great art schools.”

The 30 artists on her roster show off that vibrancy with pieces priced from $500 to $20,000. For the last four summers, she’s expanded that list by showcasing emerging artists who have not exhibited before.

“This August will be our fifth year, and we’ll have 35 artists who are young in their craft,” Irwin says.

“It’s important to me because when I first started out, I worked with all emerging artists. I’ve grown along with my clients.”

As Irwin and her artists matured, so did Buckhead, she says. “We’ve become much more sophisticated; we’re now a town that knows about art,” she says. “Part of that is because people have realized how important it is to have art in their homes—where it can speak to them.” n

Hear the Emerging Artists Works by 35 artists who have not exhibited before are the focus of Anne Irwin’s annual show.

Opening Aug. 10 Anne Irwin Fine Art 690 Miami Circle, #150 Atlanta 30324 404.467.1200 www.anneirwinfineart.com

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

37

SIMPLY A&E

L it erary

Inspired by real-life events, Buckhead attorney Scott Zucker penned a legal thriller that does double duty as a fundraiser for cancer research.

Photos by Sara Hanna

Fiction as fundraiser Buckhead attorney’s thriller delivers chills for readers, donations for cancer institute

F

or years, Buckhead attorney Scott Zucker was a closet writer—an author who never imagined anyone would read his work, but he kept at it anyway.

The 49-year-old was prolific, with several stories in various stages of development.

On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane crashed, and everything changed.

“It gave me this germ of an idea,” Zucker says. “I know, that sounds so bizarre. But I grew up in Massachusetts with admiration for the Kennedy world and everything that happened to them seemed to have a story behind it. From that came the essential storyline.”

Zucker also spent time in Washington, D.C., and drew on his experiences there to weave a mystery about a senator’s plane crash and his lawyer son who launches a personal investigation. The final result, Chain of Custody, took four years to complete and was finally self-published in January.

So far, despite many other outlines, it’s the only book he’s finished.

“It’s tough keeping a balance

between working, raising a family and writing a book,” says Zucker, who practices business litigation with Weissmann, Zucker, Euster and Morochnik and is also the legal counsel for Simply Buckhead. “I have two sons; I write briefs and legal articles all day. But fiction is so different; you can really lose yourself in it.

But I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. It was enough for me to have created something.”

It wasn’t long before the buzz about the book gave Zucker a small following, and an inspiration.

“I realized selling books was a great way to raise money for something I feel close to,” Zucker says.

“Both my wife and I lost our mothers in 1990. In fact, both of them were sick at our wedding. It left an indelible mark on both of us, and we’ve always wanted to support cancer research and treatment.”

Volunteering for various cancer organizations, such as City of Hope and the National Cancer Institute, led Zucker to a seat on the community advisory board of Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute,

story:

H.M. Cauley

where he’s seen first-hand the importance of having a world-class health facility in Atlanta. So important, in fact, that he’s donating the proceeds of his book to Winship’s efforts.

“A lot of people have to leave the state and their families to get treatment, but having Winship allows people to be treated here where they live,” Zucker says. “I believe it’s really important to know what Winship is doing for the state of Georgia, and I hope my efforts will make other people inquire about what it’s doing.”

While Zucker has no ambition to be the next John Grisham, he is working on a second book and happy that his first work will make a difference in the lives of cancer victims and their families.

“Because face it,” he says, “everyone has a connection to cancer.

There’s no way to avoid it.” n Scott Zucker’s Chain of Custody is available at Barnes & Noble stores and online at www.amazon.com

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

39

SIMPLY A&E

on stage

Left: Georgia Shakespeare co-chair Ashley G. Preisinger and managing director Lauren Morris.

Right: Preisinger promises a “crowd-pleasing” season.

Photos by Sara Hanna

Chairman of the

Bard

Volunteer aims to put theater on solid financial ground

A

shley G. Preisinger traces her love of theater back to The Tater Patch Players. That was the community thespian group her grandmother started in their hometown of Jasper, Ga., in the late ’70s. Preisinger was just a kid then. Today the Brookhaven resident is a wealth manager with the Buckhead firm Homrich Berg and a volunteer with her own neighborhood theater, Georgia Shakespeare. As the board co-chair of the acclaimed professional playhouse on the Oglethorpe University campus, Preisinger is using her grandmother’s Southern charm and her own deep roots in the city’s business community to help the financially troubled institution turn a corner. Last fall, Georgia Shakes had to decide whether “to be or not to be.” Beaten down by a slow economy, the theater had to choose whether to close down for good—or go public with its cash-shortage problem.

Fortunately, it chose to fight. Fueled by a grassroots campaign that caused patrons to empty their piggy banks and write heartfelt letters, Georgia Shakes surpassed its halfmillion-dollar fundraising goal and is now in the midst of its 27th summer season (see sidebar). It hired a new managing director (Lauren Morris), revived its popular spring kickoff in Piedmont Park and partnered with The Goat Farm and Scoutmob on its recent gala. Still, Preisinger, a former Invesco executive with an MBA from Emory, remains cautiously optimistic. “Now we have a really big obligation to have a successful 2012,” says the

40

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Homrich Berg director of client development and marketing. We recently sat down with Preisinger—wife of The Coca-Cola Company executive Mark Preisinger and mother of 12-year-old Katie and 10-year-old Brooke— to talk about everything from Shakespeare to her love of competitive shooting.

What happened at Georgia Shakespeare last year? We went into the summer knowing that we had our work cut out for us. A couple of big individual donors and corporate donors had not come in at the level they had in years past so that was a gap we had to make up. We spent the summer quietly making as many phone calls as we could and trying to replace those funds. … We got to a point in mid-September—it was a very painful series of meetings—where we realized we were out of options. We had no choice. We either shut our doors or we deal with it more publicly to see what kind of response we get. Does the community want us here?

What was the response? When all was said and done, we raised $524,000. So we actually surpassed our ($500,000) goal. And the best part of the story, I think, is that it came from 2,000 different donors. It wasn’t from five or six who stepped up and wrote checks.

Now what? Right now we have to come up with just a really strong 12-month strategy that’s going to deliver profitability to the organization.

story:

Wendell Brock

How do you feel about the season? It’s probably one of our more crowd-pleasing lineups. …

If ever there was a year when we lean on more of the box office, it’s this one.

Tell us about your life outside the boardroom.

I am a real outdoors person. I love going to Blast classes here in Buckhead. I think Blast900 is the best fitness studio around. I love to hike over by the Chattahoochee River.

I take my family out there or sometimes just go walk with girlfriends. I love to shoot. I’m in The Annie Oakley Shooters. Shooting sporting clays is one of my all-time favorite pastimes.

I shoot some tournaments.

So you carry a gun? I do. I have a 20-gauge Beretta over/under. But I don’t carry it with me unless I’m going shooting. I don’t shoot pistols very well. I’m more of a shotgun girl. n

At Georgia Shakespeare this year “Illyria: A Twelfth Night Musical.” June 6-Aug. 5 “Much Ado About Nothing.” June 21-Aug. 4 “The Importance of Being Earnest.” July 5-Aug. 3 “The Emperor and the Nightingale.” July 14-Aug. 3 “Macbeth.” Oct. 4-28

Georgia Shakespeare 4484 Peachtree Road N.E. Atlanta 30319 404.264.0020 www.gashakespeare.org

Dazzling Smiles

®

770-993-9217 Located in the heart of buckhead

Michaela McKenzie, DDS American sterling flatware Replace missing pieces Add place settings Over 1,200 new & used patterns • Large selection of sterling holloware & gifts • Bridal Registry

Free Custom Bleach Trays ($350 value) or Free Cosmetic Veneer consultation

with comprehensive exam, periodontal charting, regular cleaning and full mouth x-rays for

only $290.00

Atlanta’s premier source for fine sterling silver

404.261.4009 / 800.270.4009 We buy sterling silver.

Careful appraisal for maximum value.

3164 Peachtree Rd, NE Atlanta, GA 30305 sterlingsilver@beverlybremer.com www.beverlybremer.com

Have that Dazzling smile you’ve always dreamed of!

DazzlingSmiles_4th.indd

1

9/1/10

Business Legal Services + Dispute Resolutions

Real Estate Landlord/Tenant Employment Construction Collections

Wedding/Shower Favors; Bar and Bat Mizvah Favors, Graduation, Corporate Gifts, Holiday.

"Wishing you Love, Laughter and "Sweetness" Ever After...Chocolate Ooh La La's".

Wedding Gifts Baby Showers Corporate Gifts Holidays

Scott I. Zucker, ESQ

Visit us at www.chocolateoohlalas.com

404.364.4626 Direct One Securities Centre 3490 Piedmont Road, Suite 650 Atlanta, GA 30305 Scott@WZlegal.com www.WZlegal.com

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

41

7:15:45 A

m r e d e v u J d n a x o t o B l a i c e p S Receive $75 off when you combine treatments of Botox and Juvederm in July and August!

R E V I E W | W I N E | F O O D I E J O U R NA L | R E S TAU R A N T S

Simply delicious

wine

Rising Stars from the South... of France, Page 46

“France’s Languedoc is the wine region to watch right now.”

Vines near the town of Carcassonne ripen in the brilliant Languedoc sunshine.

Photo by Gilles Deschamps for the CIVL

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

43

S IM P LY D EL I C IOUS

R E VIE W

keep the woodfire burning E.J. Hodgkinson holds his own with popular ‘Top Chef’ Kevin Gillespie at Woodfire Grill.

I

t can’t be bad for business to have a celebrity chef whose cult of personality brings home the bacon. Still, what do you do when your superstar is off somewhere else being famous? You make sure his understudy can rise to the occasion and razzle-dazzle ’em.

Just ask Nicolas Quiñones, co-owner of Woodfire Grill, the acclaimed 95-seat restaurant on Cheshire Bridge Road where “Top Chef ” finalist Kevin Gillespie has soared to success in recent years. Not that anyone expects the beloved red-headed, tattooed, cherub-faced, pork-loving executive chef to have perfect attendance. “Kevin has had an astonishing couple of years,” says Quiñones, who bought Woodfire with partner Bernard Moussa after founding chef Michael Tuohy departed for California in 2008. Indeed, Gillespie has been working on two books, the first of which, Fire in My Belly: Real Food, is due out from Andrews McMeel this fall. The time-pinched chef can’t always be there to greet his public, much less create and execute the locally sourced, ingredient-driven daily menus that give his restaurant such panache.

The only responsible thing to do, then, is put a “Man Behind the Curtain” who is truly a Wizard. That person, by all accounts, is chef de cuisine E.J. Hodgkinson. He was Gillespie’s first hire when he took over for Tuohy. Now the two are virtual co-equals.

44

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

“It’s E.J.’s restaurant,” Quiñones says. “He does everything. He absolutely runs the show, from creating the dishes to managing the staff. They collaborate very well together.”

Of course, the boss would say this, right?

We decided to investigate by checking in on a crucial Tuesday. Woodfire is closed on Mondays, so Tuesday night is the swing shift, when the week’s new dishes are being tweaked, wine pairings selected and the staff is on high alert to absorb it all and not go blank when customers ask what the orange mayonnaise-y stuff in the bouillabaisse is.

(It’s the classic aioli-like French sauce called rouille.) Woodfire Grill is a high-end experience where you expect every detail—from cocktails to mignardises—to be well-nigh flawless. (For the record, we spied Gillespie in the smoky grill area at the front of the room when we arrived, but aren’t sure if he was there when we left.) After a three-hour, fourcourse dinner with cocktails and wine, we can report without reservation: The Woodfire team, with or without Gillespie, remains at the top of its game, and Hodgkinson, at 28, is a rising star of the Atlanta restaurant scene.

Taking a cue from the menu, our first curveball for the team: Could the lady (my guest) get a $10 “bartender’s choice” libation with brown liquor and decided ginger notes?

“Why, yes, yes you can!” declared our server, Amanda, in so many words. Soon, to my

feature:

Wendell Brock

date’s delight, came a spicy elixir concocted from rye, millet, peach, “lots of bitters,” a strip of lime zest and bartender Brian Stanger’s hand-crafted ginger soda. Delicious, frothy and enough to make me want to go sit at the bar and play a drinking man’s version of Russian roulette all night long.

Next challenge: Could the fried green tomatoes possibly live up to “Whistle Stop Café” fantasies and Grandma’s cornmeal crust? Well, no, no they couldn’t! The greentomato discs were competently executed, just not the mind-blowing crispy/tangy combo that makes us giddy. Still, the kitchen gets kudos for the toppings of whipped chèvre and charred corn-and-red onion relish with hints of oregano and red-wine vinegar. Now back to the bouillabaisse: ’Twas a Southern twist on the French classic with Virginia clams, Georgia shrimp, poached halibut, chorizo and grilled sourdough for dipping.

Bon appétit, y’all! Good to the last slurp.

The game continued with Berkshire pork belly, a signature ingredient, prepared here with Asian flair: Chinese pepper salt, marinated bok choy, jalapeño, green onion. Bam! Out of the park. The lady’s Hudson Valley duck breast was perfectly pink, on a crunchy cushion of duck fat-roasted barley, with arugula, red onion, charred fennel and lemon gastrique. Even better to me was the halibut with sautéed favas, confit of red potatoes, Arbequina olives, parsley

From left to right: Chef de cuisine E.J. Hodgkinson; pan-roasted wild striped bass, Brussels sprouts, potato emulsion and apple-cider gastrique; glazed pork belly with local apples, turnips two ways and pork jus; interior shot.

All photos by Fredrik Brauer, except photo above, by James Camp (Please Note: Dishes change daily)

salad and a drizzle of chile oil—some nice pungent flavors to offset a lovely and toothsome piece of fish. We found the wine pairings— from French pinot noir with the duck to Riesling with the halibut—to be on point.

Dessert was the oddest sensation of the night—pastry chef Chrysta Poulos’ meander of caramelized Valrhona white chocolate, peaches, pretzel crisp, balsamic and peach mustard ice cream was quite an invention.

How unfortunate that the thing looked like some strange, undulating creature from the deep; how nice that the visually squirmy wormy was perky on the palate. (The way the ice cream dissolved to reveal grains of mustard was totally cool!)

While Woodfire’s decor feels a bit like an outdated Crate & Barrel home makeover, the food and service are both finely tuned.

In these celebrity-obsessed times, keeping fresh talent in the locker room is always a good call. When top players aren’t available, pinch-hitters must step up to the plate. n Woodfire Grill 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road Atlanta 30324 404.347.9055 www.woodfiregrill.com First and second courses: $9-$15.

Main courses: $30-$39.

Five-course tasting menu: $70.

Seven-course grand tasting menu: $90.

Bottom line: No. 2 chef ready for prime time.

“Woodfire Grill is a high-end experience where you expect every detail—from cocktails to mignardises—to be well-nigh flawless.”

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

45

S IM P LY D EL I C IOUS

wine

Rising Stars from the South … of France

Complex and interesting, these wines are great values, for the moment

story:

Katie Kelly Bell

T

his month’s issue centers on Buckhead’s rising stars, so it seems fitting to focus on up-and-coming wines resting on Buckhead store shelves, patiently waiting for you to take notice. France’s Languedoc is the wine region to watch right now. Skirting the southeastern edge of the Mediterranean, the Languedoc is a windswept, scrubby place dotted with wild lavender, thyme and endless rows of gnarled Carignan, Syrah and Grenache vines. It’s also one of the largest wine-producing regions in the world with more than 30 different varietals planted, several microclimates and few government restrictions. The rugged, relaxed, Mediterranean mojo makes Languedoc wines unlike anything else in France—but it has also led to Languedoc’s historic reputation as the land of simple, unserious, cheap wine.

This unfortunate reputation is being revolutionized by producers such as Didier Barral and Gérard Bertrand (Bertrand’s winery was recently named the European Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast). These producers are diligently polishing the Languedoc’s cheapo image by taking advantage of the region’s free-spirited versatility. “In the South of France I am lucky because here you can create your own story; this is not so in heavily traditional places such as Bordeaux or Burgundy,” Bertrand explains. The minimal rules and flexible regulations of Languedoc allow winemakers to grow a broad range of varietals and blend according to individual taste and personal style. Consider the staggering variety: fortified dessert wines, rosés, crémants (sparkling wine), unique red blends of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache and whites such as Muscat and Gris Blanc … if you can conceive of it, someone in the Languedoc probably makes it. And, saving the best for last: Most of the wines are pleasantly affordable.

Here’s what is on the shelves in Buckhead now: Note— prices vary by retailer and some wines may be out of stock; ask your retailer to order them for you. n

46

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Gérard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux, NV, $12. This is a fabulous steal for anyone who loves sparkling wine. Zesty and fresh with mouthwatering joyfulness, you’ll get citrus and green apple notes on the nose.

Gérard Bertrand Cigalus, 2009

Picpoul de Pinet, 2011, $10: One of the best values in white wine on the market, this white varietal loves the Languedoc sunshine. Packed with crisp, refreshing minerality, this is the perfect hot-weather white to enjoy poolside.

Gérard Bertrand Cigalus, 2009, $50: This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot offers up a dense, rich taste showcasing what the Languedoc can do.

Made from biodynamically farmed grapes, it’s plump with leather, spice, dark fruits and a hint of wild herbs.

Château d’Oupia, Minervois, 2009, $13: A red blend of Carignan, Syrah and Grenache, you’ll get notes of warm spice, cedar and dried herbs. It’s an elegant wine with a rustic soul.

Château de Lascaux, 2009, $15: Dominant with spice, pepper and dense blackberry, this red blend has an intellectual complexity that belies its value price tag.

Domain Léon Barral, Faugères, 2008, $25: Reminiscent of aged leather, with olive and cocoa notes, these flavors make this a fascinating wine. Biodynamically farmed and composed of Carignan, Grenache and Cinsault.

Château Coupe-Roses, Minervois, La Bastide, 2010, $14: A blend of Carignan and Grenache, with a whiff of Syrah, this wine has blue fruits in the nose balanced with compelling earthiness.

Very refreshing to drink.

Gérard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux

Main Photo: One of the Languedoc’s rocky hillsides in Corbières, the largest appellation in the region.

Photo by Gilles Deschamps for the CIVL

Available at: Buckhead Whole Foods Market 77 West Paces Ferry Road N.W. 404.324.4100 www.wholefoodsmarket.com Green’s 2612 Buford Highway N.E. 404.321.6232 www.greensbeverages.com Tower Wine and Liquor 2161 Piedmont Road N.E. 404.881.0902 www.towerwinespirits.com

by Michele Coulter

404.261.0404

260 Pharr Road NE, Atlanta

Spa Services:

Hair Services:

-Facials -Massages -Waxing -Brow & Lash Tinting

-Cut -Color/Highlights -Balayage -Keratin Smoothing -Extensions

Visit our website for a complete list of services. www.citysalonandspa.com

Kerastase | Rene Furterer | KMS California | Oribe We're so sure you'll love us, we're offering 30% off your first visit to the salon!* (with mention of this ad) *With certain stylists

www.specialtytile.com

www.anneirwinfineart.com

www.kitchensmith-atlanta.com

www.nottinghamantiques.com

www.dearingantiques.com

www.thegablesantiques.com

SIMPLY STYLISH. DESIGN.Shop. Eat. It'S all hErE.

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead 

47

S IM P LY D EL I C IOUS

foodie journal | Culinary News & Notes story:

Jennifer Bradley Franklin Free Food

the best

pasta You Never

Knew Existed

P

asta is practically a national staple, right up there with pizza, hamburgers and apple pie. But, if you listen to Garden Hills resident and chef Michael Patrick talk about this popular dish, he is likely to use words you never heard before, like cjalsons, casonsei, bertù and culingionis. These are not remote Italian villages, however.

They are rarefied pastas that Patrick worked tirelessly to preserve and bring to Atlanta.

Originally from Boca Raton, Fla., Patrick has had a slew of jobs in and around the culinary world: He became a chef with a culinary degree right out of high school, got his sommelier certification, worked as a consultant, a food writer and even became a paramedic (the one departure from a career in food and wine). About six years ago, he started traveling to Italy regularly to visit friends, discovering pastas that were a rapidly dying breed. “I’ve always loved pasta, and from my years in journalism, I have a love of deep research,” Patrick explains. He pursued any clues leading him to the discovery of a recipe, eventually uncovering more than 180 pasta recipes. He worked in a monastery, studied dusty old cookbooks and even knocked on doors to meet nonas, or grandmothers, who might

48

teach him how to prepare rare pastas. Through the process, he learned Italian so he could read decades-old (or more!) cookbooks. He says, “I don’t necessarily want to be perceived as ‘hard core,’ just historical.”

On Jan. 1, 2012, after three years gathering recipes, Patrick launched Storico Fresco Pasta, operating out of a commercial kitchen in DeKalb County. He sells both dried and fresh, filled pasta through the Moore Farms CSA (community supported agriculture), Farm Mobile and at Buckhead’s Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Each pasta package comes with an artfully drawn label telling the history of the pasta (many of them in unfamiliar shapes with unique fillings such as ricotta, local honey, lemon zest, roasted beets and bone marrow) and a simple recipe for home cooks. “The pastas are quite delicious on their own; you’ll find you really don’t need canned sauces,” he says. For foodies who prefer to have someone else prepare their pasta, look for Storico Fresco products on the menu at Holeman & Finch and possibly at a yet-to-be-announced Buckhead storefront, coming later this year.

Gluten-free and dairy-free food has gotten something of a bad rap in the taste department, but Dr. Sweet’s Cake Emporium is helping improve its reputation. Bringing delicious desserts to Buckhead and Brookhaven residents, the bakery is quickly dispelling any idea that those with restricted diets can’t enjoy desserts like everyone else. Owner Robbie Medwed started baking as a hobby in early 2011, inspired by his sister-in-law, who has a gluten intolerance. He discovered he has a talent for making desserts without certain ingredients just as tasty as the originals.

Some of his specialties include carrot cake, double fudge brownies, chocolate truffles and ginger cookies (this writer’s favorite!).

All Dr. Sweet’s Emporium desserts are nut- and gluten-free, but Medwed also creates items without soy, dairy and eggs for those with even stricter diets. He also offers custom baked goods upon request. “We recently had the chance to make a birthday cake for a 4-year-old who couldn’t eat eggs. It was his very first cake, ever, and he turned 4!” Medwed explains. “We like to say ‘dessert belongs to everyone,’ and we mean it.” Currently, Dr. Sweet’s doesn’t have a storefront, but makes deliveries to residences in Sandy Springs and Brookhaven (there is a $10 delivery charge on all orders), as well as appearances at the Sandy Springs Farmers Market.

Order online at www.drsweetscakes.com.

Tippling Means “To Drink”

Classic cocktails are all the rage, employing spirits less widely seen, such as Dolin blanc, crème de violette, pisco and rye whiskey.

The newly opened Pinewood Tippling Room (in the Decatur storefront formerly occupied

by Cakes & Ale) is wholly dedicated to cocktails in a classic style (with fun names like “Day That I Die”), some of which will be offered on draft (yes, you read that right). While cocktails are certainly the star, Southern small plates such as a fried bologna sandwich with egg salad, local pea hummus and collard green egg rolls—from a menu created by consulting chef Julia LeRoy—are welcome nibbles to offset your “tippling” at the rough-hewn bar.

Pinewood Tippling Room 254 West Ponce de Leon Avenue Decatur 30030 404.373.5507 www.pinewoodtr.com

For information and locations to purchase, visit www.storicofresco.com

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Photo by Mai&Bri Photography

Photo by Alex Michaud

Ciao Bella!

There’s nothing like a field trip to make learning fun, but add delicious Italian food to the mix, and learning is a true joy. Sandy Springs’ Italiano Language Center, started in 1986, takes that principle to heart, offering not only standard Italian lessons in the classroom, but also “Italiano a Tavola” or “Italian at the Table” meals at Double Zero Napoletana. Students enjoy rubbing elbows with others who are committed to learning Italian and immersing themselves in the culture with wood-fired pizzas and artisan pastas offered by the restaurant.

Organizer Hadinnet Yohannes says, ‘“Everyone that comes leaves satisfied by the new things they learned and cheered by the great company, like a big family!”

Bi-weekly dinners are offered at $39, including the meal and the language lesson.

Italiano Language Center 5064 Roswell Road Atlanta 30342 404.452.8899 www.italianolanguagecenter.com Double Zero Napoletana 5825 Roswell Road Atlanta 30328 404.991.3666 www.doublezeroatl.com

THE HIGHLAND PSYCH

collaborative

“Do not be satisfied with the

stories that come before you.

Unfold your own myth.”

- Rumi

n

Refresh & renew heart, mind & spirit

n Elegantly

appointed, tranquil sanctuary

n Individual,

couples & family therapy

UGreat comomisingly Food

For to-go or delivery please call the cafe:

Expert Care

Caring Experts

Experienced clinical psychologist & psychiatrist team

Ofrecemos servicos psicológicos en Español 678 701 9559 www.highlandcollaborative.com 675 SEMINOLE AVE | STE 307 | ATLANTA 30307

404-816-0306

For catering inquiries please contact Joy via e-mail at joy@joydelivered.com Open weekdays for lunch Saturday and Sunday for brunch Opening for dinner in July. Watch for details!

Joy Cafe

316 Pharr Road Atlanta, Georgia 30305

For all your business graphics and signage needs, including full vehicle wraps, Speedpro Imaging is committed to delivering top quality products and customer service.

Trade Show Displays/Exhibits Banner Stands • Vehicle Wraps Large Format Posters Full Color Banners • Signage

Twitter - @joycafeyum

www.joycafeatl.com

Contact us today to learn more:

404-577-9090

www.speedprometroatlanta.com July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

49

S IM P LY D EL I C IOUS

featured restaurants A sampling of great eats in and around Buckhead by:

Rachelle Hicks

n Another Broken Egg Café 2355 Peachtree Road N.E. Atlanta 30305 404.254.0219 www.anotherbrokenegg.com This French-inspired breakfast café was created with an atmosphere of comfort, excellence and family dining in mind.

Creative plates and a charming staff give Another Broken Egg Café a little extra twist of style and distinction. A great way to start off a meal here is with the biscuit beignets—a generous basket of eight powdered sugared beignets accompanied by a sweet honey marmalade dipping sauce. The omelettes are also quite decadent. Two of our favorites are the smoked salmon—made with cream cheese, red onions, capers and ripe tomatoes—and the Chez B’s—a veggie selection made with caramelized onions, sweet marinated red peppers, sautéed portabella, melted feta and Parmesan and garnished with basil chiffonade. They also serve a few variations of eggs Benedict, like the Benedict Oscar—a hearty sirloin steak atop two fresh English muffins, along with layers of two poached eggs, sautéed crabmeat, grilled asparagus and béarnaise sauce.

For lighter options, they offer fruit, granola, yogurt bowls and a house specialty, blackberry grits.

n Blue Ridge Grill 1261 West Paces Ferry Road N.W. Atlanta 30327 404.233.5030 www.blueridgegrill.com Heralded as one of Buckhead’s most sophisticated restaurants, Blue Ridge Grill offers distinguished guests the luxury of comfort and style. The atmosphere is modeled after a rustic cabin, complete with exposed-beam ceilings, antique furniture and a breezy dining porch, perfect for summer and autumn days. A great way to start a meal here is with the creamy, pan-seared, aged goat cheese.

It’s served with fresh veggies, apple butter and a baguette—perfect for sharing!

If you are in the mood for sharing two appetizers, the creative salads are also a

50

great meal starter. The Blue Ridge Grill house salad tossed with organic mixed field greens, poached pears, local blue cheese and toasted pecans is a deliciously healthy way to start the meal off right. Among the meat and seafood options, some of our favorite entrées include the roasted Kurobuta pork loin served with quince, local white cheddar grits and caramelized pork jus. For a seafood plate, we love the Dayboat sea scallops served with Anson Mills Sea Island red peas and rice and drizzled with mustard vinaigrette. And what is a lovely summer-to-autumn feast like this without dessert? Indulge in a rich pear crumb cake with cinnamon ice cream while sipping on your last glass of Steele Winery Chardonnay, a private label for Blue Ridge Grill.

n Enat Ethiopia Café 1999 Cheshire Bridge Road N.E. Atlanta 30324 404.685.9291 www.enatethiopiacafe.com Enat Ethiopia was the honored name given by the Ethiopian priests to owner Martha Kebede when she lived in her home country. It is a name that represents generosity, hospitality, a warm smile, a good meal and all things great about Ethiopia. Kebede has put every ounce of her caring nature and love of her home country into Enat Ethiopia Café. The restaurant is styled like a traditional Ethiopian restaurant, using decorations she brought from her homeland. All meals here are eaten with your hands and scooped with a traditional spongy flatbread called injera. The menu features a number of vegetarian, chicken and beef plates, including the Misser Wott—lentils cooked with onion and Ethiopian-style red pepper sauce spiced with garlic and ginger. There is also the famous Kitfo—Ethiopian steak tartare ground and seasoned with herbed butter and spiced chili sauce, and served with homemade ayeb cheese. All menu items are made with herbs and spices imported from Ethiopia. After the meal, we recommend you take part in the traditional coffee ceremony. It is

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Spotlight n Blue Moon Pizza 325 East Paces Ferry Road N.E. Atlanta 30305 404.814.1515 www.bluemoonpizza.com The folks at Blue Moon Pizza Photos by Amy Hunsinger of Sing Photography truly stand by their slogan, “Life should be less ordinary.” They’ve mastered the art of making the little details shine by bringing consistent creativity, humble service and an appealing presentation to every meal. We recommend you don’t pass on the appetizers. They serve palate-whetters like soft cheesy bread, wings and portabella mushrooms baked with goat cheese, fresh basil and their house marinara (which they refer to as “Grandma’s sauce.”) Ordering a signature pie is also a good idea—they are quite the inventions. For meat lovers, The Meateor is a divine option made with house cheese, pepperoni slices, herb Italian sausage, ground beef, ham and—hold your breath—cayenne-candied bacon. If you’re not on board for this kind of meaty, cheesy indulgence, we also recommend the Luna—spicy chorizo, caramelized onions, jalapeños, black olives, spicy drizzled ranch and fresh cilantro all melted together with the house cheese. They even serve specialty sandwiches called “flatwiches,” which are made from their house-made pizza dough. If you’re satisfying that Blue Moon Pizza craving on the go, order a BLT or chicken Parmesan flatwich. Or, better yet, order a few pies and flatwiches for the office or a weekend pajama party—they cater and deliver!

an Ethiopian tradition founded on the principles of patience, enjoyment and spending time with loved ones. Plus, the coffee is to die for. Call one hour before to book the coffee ceremony. The café is closed Mondays.

n McKinnon’s Louisiane 3209 Maple Drive N.E. Atlanta 30305 404.237.1313 www.mckinnons.com Once you go Creole, it’s hard to go back. Aziz Mehram and his nephew, Bill Glendinning, know this better than anyone. Having worked and managed McKinnon’s Louisiane since the 1970s, the two have nurtured their long-lived

passion for marvelous dishes from the Cajun Bayou. All dishes are made with authentic Cajun spices and served in an intimate, warm dining room.

They offer dinner nightly with delicious entrées like the grouper Yvonne with lump crabmeat, peppers, onions and tender artichoke bottoms or the stuffed eggplant casserole, also served with crabmeat, shrimp and an herby purée of eggplant baked in a cream sauce. As a side or appetizer, the spicy popcorn crawfish is perfectly delightful to share. And to balance the intense flavors of the meal, treat yourself to the Creole bread pudding drenched in whiskey sauce. If you’re in the mood for entertainment, make sure to dine during open mic nights on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

n Mirko Pasta 4233 Roswell Road N.E. Atlanta 30342 404.303.2110 www.mirkopasta.com

n OK Cafe 1284 West Paces Ferry Road N.W. Atlanta 30327 404.233.2888 www.okcafe.com

Mirko is an excellent place for pasta experimentation. Choose your pasta of choice, which ranges from corta and lunga (short and long pasta) to five different stuffed raviolis. Then choose a sauce. There’s the satisfying classic pomodoro—made with Italian tomato and basil—or more elaborate mixtures like the Amatriciana—tomato sauce, Italian bacon, red onions and spicy pepper.

There are also entrées available like the creative tagliatelle granchio—fresh noodles, tender crabmeat, sun-dried tomatoes, green peas and brandy sauce—or the salmon fillet with basil pesto sauce and a side of butter-sautéed asparagus.

To end the meal Italian-style, order a doppio espresso with a cannoli. Paired with a strong Italian coffee, the crispy cannoli shell stuffed with sweet ricotta and garnished with cocoa, lemon zest and orange peel provides a beautiful finish to the meal.

OK Cafe opened in July 1987 as a Southern-style restaurant cooking food that would make Grandma proud.

The menu is a decent-sized picture book, so, to narrow it down, these are a few of our favorites for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast, there is everything from OK homemade granola and cheesy omelettes to unique specialties like sourdough French toast and scrambled tofu with onions, green peppers, broccoli and water chestnuts.

Lunch includes basic sandwiches and burgers as well as blue plate specials like chicken pot pie and roasted turkey with gravy and cornbread dressing.

The dinner menu is a tailored version of the lunch menu with specialties like the pickle chips appetizer, roasted chicken salad sandwich and the country fried steak entrée. And a meal approved by Grandma wouldn’t be complete without dessert. Indulge your inner child’s desires with a thick malted milkshake or a rich homemade lemon coconut cake.

n New York Prime 3424 Peachtree Road N.E. Atlanta 30326 404.846.0644 www.centraarchy.com/newyorkprime_ Atl.php Did you know that only about 3 percent of beef available to consumers and restaurants is graded “prime”? The people at New York Prime pride themselves on their top-graded selection of meat, refusing to cut corners and serving only prime-graded cuts. To prep for the meal, choose an appetizer like the oysters Rockefeller, topped with garlic, Parmesan and bacon, or the in-season stone crabs. For the main course, there’s a decent-sized selection of steaks, fish and chicken—all graded prime, of course.

Steaks are aged 28 days and prepared “Pittsburg-style,” making them charred on the outside but tender and juicy in the center. Plates are available for all appetites, from an 8-ounce center-cut fillet of rib eye to the 40-ounce “Porterhouse for Two.” There are also seafood options like the broiled Florida pompano almondine, seasoned and topped with flaky, toasted almonds, or the live lobster, which can range from 3 to 13 pounds!

And the sides also give guests a thing (or two, if you’re sharing a few) to talk about. The onion straws, Southwest creamed corn and asparagus with hollandaise are some of our favorites.

n The Palm 3391 Peachtree Road N.E. Atlanta 30326 404.814.1955 www.thepalm.com Italian natives Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi founded The Palm in New York in 1926. Now on its third generation of ownership, The Palm is a timetested gem among family-owned restaurants. Through the years, it has retained its essential philosophy of delivering exceptional food, great service and treating customers like family—and they obviously know a thing or two about family. Located in the heart of Buckhead at The Westin Buckhead Hotel, The Palm serves lunch and dinner plates ranging from sandwiches and steak burgers to chops and lobster. Signature specialties include the 18-ounce double cut lamb rib chops with fresh mint sauce and the broiled jumbo Nova Scotia lobster that ranges from 3 to 5 pounds, and sometimes larger!

There’s even a three-course business lunch special, priced at $20.95, which comes with a choice of a starter, entrée, single-portion side and a dessert—an impressive way to entertain clients and colleagues!

Would you like to be a distributor of Simply Buckhead?

Contact us at: publisher@simplybuckhead.com

n Swan Coach House Restaurant 3130 Slaton Drive N.W. Atlanta 30305 404.261.0636 www.swancoachhouse.com

n Taqueria Tsunami 2293 Peachtree Road N.E. Atlanta 30309 404.963.5049 www.taqueriatsunami.com

The Swan Coach House was brought to life as a historic Atlanta house and restaurant in the late 1960s. It is now a pristine event location and delightful spot for lunch, which is available Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or by appointment. The restaurant’s signature starters include delights like house-made chicken salad served with a creamy frozen fruit salad and handmade cheese straws.

Entrées include dishes like the chicken curry—served over rice with a yellow curry sauce and garnishes of chutney, toasted coconut, green onions, bacon, peanuts and grated hard-boiled eggs.

There are also sandwiches like the fried green tomato on toasted foccacia topped with Swiss cheese, fresh mixed greens and red pepper aioli and the Caribbean chicken salad made with tender grilled chicken, tomatoes, pineapple, strawberries, crunchy almonds and scallions topped with a creamy citrus dressing. The wine menu hosts a small selection of reds and whites from California-based wineries Salmon Creek, Kendall Jackson and Wycliff.

Decked out in red and lime green décor, this taqueria offers a modern LatinAsian fusion menu, colorful cocktails and nightly entertainment. From the hand-ground corn tortillas to the tasty libations, made even sweeter with bits of ripe fruit, all meals and drinks are made fresh to order. Start a casual lunch or dinner with flavorful nuggets of shrimp de fuego—crispy tempura fried shrimp and jalapeños accompanied by a sweet and spicy Thai sauce—or dip into the made-from-scratch cilantro hummus garnished with Thai chilies. The restaurant also serves a wide variety of tacos, bowls and salads, including the noodle salad with marinated filet, sweet mango, cabbage, tomatoes, green onion and avocados mixed with a spicy Thai peanut sauce and the asada zing taco made with Bulgogi marinated steak, shiitake mushrooms, lettuce and soy-sesame vinaigrette. Options for fresh-made drinks include specialties like the Bourbon Sunrise—Jack Daniels, orange liqueur, orange pulp and tea—and Tokyo Rose—Absolut Vodka, strawberries, orange liqueur, lime juice, ginger root and passion fruit.

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

51

S IM P LY B UC K HE A D COV ER STORY

Buckhead’s

feature:

Curt Holman Photos: Sara Hanna

A high-school actress in a show that took home a Golden Globe. The founder of a bakeryturned-empire. A sports photographer at the top of his game (at the ripe old age of 26, no less).

Buckhead has no shortage of talent, but this group of phenoms (all of whom live or work in our area) are the year’s standouts. Each one is going places, but they all swear they still won’t go far from home. “I think Atlanta is a great place for people interested in building something from the ground up, as opposed to injecting themselves into an existing infrastructure,” says artist Nikita Gale, who The Oxford American ranked No. 4 on its recent list of 100 Under 100: The New Superstars of Southern Art. Right on, Nikita. May you and the other five stars keep reaching high— with your feet firmly planted on Buckhead ground.

52

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Stacey Eames Creator of the bakery that could The Highland Bakery, owned by Stacey Eames with a location in Buckhead, has become a neighborhood eatery that caters to the sweet tooth of a nation. Lead cake decorator Karen Portaleo has won multiple competitions on Food Network and baked for such celebrities as Demi Moore, Jane Lynch, Lil Wayne and Sir Elton John. Eames is clearly proud of Portaleo’s accomplishments, saying “Karen has become our Food Network Star, and one of the most sought-after cake decorators in the world.”

But Eames, 47, who opened the Buckhead Highland Bakery location in 2011, doesn’t want the national spotlight to distract from her goal. “I love making our customers happy. That’s just the bottom line. I love for people to leave with a full belly and a good feeling about spending time with us,” Eames says.

Eames describes her motto for her early career as “Have coffee, will travel.” She says, “I started my first coffee cart in 1993, at Piedmont Hospital. This was before Starbucks came to town, when there weren’t many places to get good espresso or cappuccino.” She had grown up around food preparation; her father, baseball player Paul Eames, operated a restaurant called the Hit and Run as well as ballpark concession stands in her hometown of Albany, Ga. Today the Highland Bakery hits home runs with its cupcakes and other baked goods, with Eames’ favorites including the Sweet Potato Biscuit and any item that combines peanut butter and chocolate, such as the Peanut Butter High Hat cupcakes.

In addition to its outpost in Buckhead, Highland Bakery has locations in Midtown and Old Fourth Ward. “Saturdays and Sundays are our busiest days,” Eames says, acknowledging that all the national attention of late has been a boon for her business. “The challenge is to keep up the consistency and performance when you have a busy time. I try to make sure everyone is upholding our standards. It’s definitely like an orchestra back in the kitchen when all the food orders are coming in.”

And if Highland Bakery, at its peak hours, is like an orchestra, Eames is unquestionably the maestro. ✪ Highland Bakery www.highlandbakery.com Theory Ladies White Button-Down Shirt: $215, Hugo Boss Light Grey Pant: $175, Theory Light Grey Tie: $98, J.D. Fisk Grey Canvas Lace Oxfords: $169. Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square

Amy Andrews Singer/songwriter on the rise “If you’re nice, I’ll be nicer, but if you’re bad, I’ll be worse,” folk singer and Decatur resident Amy Andrews quipped as a Top 10 finalist in the Texaco Country Showdown, an international singing competition to open for Loretta Lynn, one of the queens of country music. Although that expression sounds like a title of a country song, it actually originates with Andrews’ “fiercely protective” Italian-American family based in Baltimore.

Andrews, 26, has taken a roundabout journey to become a singer/ guitarist earning national acclaim. “I’m a classically trained soprano and I expected to have a career in an operatic or classical setting, but I also grew up listening to a lot of folk and blues music. Now, I’m just doing folk,” says Andrews, who fell back in love with roots music at Randolph College in Virginia. While touring after college, Andrews became so enamored with Eddie’s Attic and the Atlanta music scene, she decided to move to Decatur in the fall of 2010. “People were so responsive to our sound. In Baltimore, there’s not really a folk music scene or an appetite for it,” she says.

A fan of such country singers as Patty Griffin and Bonnie Raitt, Andrews sings and plays guitar with cellist Alex Sia in the two-woman group The Lovely Drifters, and their interplay leads to the aching beauty of “The Mariner’s Song” and fierce urgency on “I Don’t Know You.” Whenever her muse speaks, Andrews listens, no matter what she’s doing at the time. One morning she was driving from her home to her day job at the Dean of College offices at Agnes Scott College, and a song came to her about a women’s music festival she visited over the weekend. Andrews says she acted quickly: “I had to pull over immediately and record the hook. So I was singing into my phone on the side of Candler Parkway.”

Andrews’ career is just getting started, and her immediate goals involve touring, playing music festivals and opening for more established acts. While she loves living in Decatur, she also has an appreciation for Buckhead. “I think of Atlanta as being full of these little gems, like Jackson Fine Art on Shadowlawn Avenue, or the guitar store on Maple Street,” Andrews says. “The attitude shared by these two streets suggests that the community puts a lot of value on the arts.” ✪ Amy Andrews www.thelovelydrifters.com LM Collection Silver Embellish Front Dress: $228, Badgley Mischka Gold Glitter Peep-Toe Pump: $200, Carolee Silver/Diamond Clip-On Earrings: $45, Aqua Grey/Gold Enamel Bangle: $25. Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

53

S IM P LY B UC K HE A D COV ER STORY

Morgan Saylor Actress on Showtime’s “Homeland” Morgan Saylor isn’t just a rising senior at Decatur High School. She’s also a rising Hollywood starlet.

Her career as a teen actress began with such films as The Greening of Whitney Brown and Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, which set the stage for her big break as a regular on “Homeland,” Showtime’s acclaimed series about domestic espionage.

Saylor plays Dana Brody, the rebellious daughter of Nick Brody (Damien Lewis), a Marine POW rescued after eight years of captivity in Iraq. “My So-Called Life’s” Claire Danes stars as a troubled CIA analyst who suspects Sgt. Brody of being a sleeper agent. “I don’t get to do the crazy action stuff, which is a little disappointing,” Saylor admits. “But on the season finale I had my first scene with Claire, which was more adrenaline-y than what I’d been doing in the first part of the season.”

When she was 10 years old, Saylor and her family moved from Villa Rica, Ga., to Decatur. She loved acting beginning with her first experience at community theater summer camps. At an open casting call for hundreds of child actors, she met Atlanta-based talent agent Joy Pervis, who continues to represent her. When she got the offer for “Homeland,” Saylor and her parents talked over whether she should appear on an occasionally risqué TV series. “The pilot had me swearing and smoking pot, but it’s okay. It’s TV. It’s not real,” she says.

Despite such glitzy extracurricular pastimes as attending the Golden Globe Awards, where “Homeland” won for Best Drama, Saylor still has to keep up with her schoolwork, which means she’s required to do three hours of tutoring a day in the fall. “But if I have an intense scene, I’ll have a chill school day. I do a lot of faxing and emailing to all seven of my teachers to keep up with my classes and keep in the loop.”

The demands of school and the show prevent Saylor from getting out too often to enjoy her favorite pastime, rock climbing. She climbed competitively on a team for six years and says she spent practically every day at the Atlanta climbing wall, Stone Summit.

“Homeland’s” second season premieres Sep. 30, which should ensure that more strangers will recognize her, a phenomenon she’s still not used to. “The first time a woman told me, ‘You look like the girl on “Homeland”,’ I didn’t know what to say. I turned red and ran away!” Saylor says. “I got my first fan letter, which is the weirdest thing in the entire world. It’s mind-boggling that people are watching the show and writing to me. It’s crazy. Crazy!” ✪ Morgan Saylor www.imdb.com/name/nm2838320/

Ted Baker Coral Strapless Dress: $420, Via Spiga Gold Strappy Sandals: $185, Aqua Gold Necklace: $45, Kate Spade Gold Diamond Earrings: $98, Aqua Coral/Peach/Gold Enamel Bangle: $35, Lydell Gold Diamond Owl Cocktail Ring: $40. Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square

Topher Payne Actor/playwright on a roll Actor/playwright Topher Payne lives in Decatur, but seems to be practically everywhere.

In the upcoming year he’ll premier new scripts at area playhouses from Roswell’s Georgia Ensemble Theatre to 7 Stages in Little Five Points to the Springer Opera House in Columbus. The tireless 32-year-old served as Grand Marshal of the 2011 Pride Parade and recently filmed a movie scene opposite Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy for the 2013 comedy The Identity Thief.

This July, at Essential Theatre’s festival of new plays (staged at Actor’s Express on the Westside), Payne not only debuts his award-winning comedy about the education system, “Evelyn in Purgatory,” he contributes to the anthology play “The Local” and stars as the lead in Jordan Pulliam’s “Bat-Hamlet,” a theatrical mash-up of the DC Comics’ caped crusader and Shakespeare’s melancholy Dane. Earlier this spring, Payne faced his most challenging performance when he took on the title character of “Auntie Mame” for the Process Theatre in Decatur. “It was absolutely the hardest, most flopsweat inducing performance of my career. I’m 6 foot 2, and nothing’s going to change that,” says Payne of playing the signature role of movie star Rosalind Russell to soldout houses. “It’s all about posture: This is how I would move if I did weigh 120 pounds.”

Payne and his partner live in Decatur in a house they purchased just before the real estate bubble burst. He explains, “We thought it would be our first house, but now it’s just our house.”

He’s in no hurry to move, though. While many of his peers establish themselves as artists and then leave Atlanta for bigger cities, Payne says, “I don’t have dreams of Hollywood. I have dreams of making Atlanta the city I moved to when I left Mississippi.

We’re the town that produced Alfred Uhry, author of “Driving Miss Daisy.” I don’t know if I’m going to be the next Alfred Uhry, but I want to help make sure that the next Alfred Uhry is heard.”

With so much going on, does Payne even sleep? “Do you know how many people ask me that?” he replies.

Theory White Button-Down Shirt: $195, Ted Baker Blue Plaid Vest: $220, Theory Light Grey Pant: $195, Trafalgar Brown Leather Belt: $75, To Boot New York Adam Derrick Cognac Oxford Shoes: $395. Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square

54

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

✪ Topher Payne www.topherpayne.com

Theory White Button-Down Shirt: $195, Ted Baker Light Blue Jacket: $505, Acquaviva Ivory Linen Pant: $155, Trafalgar Brown Leather Belt: $75, To Boot New York Adam Derrick Cognac Oxford Shoes: $395. Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square

Pouya Dianat Atlanta Braves official team photographer “My name means ‘dynamic’ in Persian, although I don’t always feel that way,” confesses Buckhead resident Pouya Dianat. Humble though he may be, dynamism never fails to emanate through 26-year-old Dianat’s personality or his work as the official team photographer for the Atlanta Braves. Dianat’s images capture moments frozen in time, yet frequently convey arrested motion, such as his acclaimed overhead shot of Braves outfielder Nate McLouth, arms outstretched, sliding into base headfirst.

Even over the phone, Dianat radiates the energy and optimism of a lucky young man who loves his work. “I think it’s the coolest thing in the world to have so much access and to find a new perspective on things people have seen many times already,” he says. Therein lies the challenge, as well. “Imagine approaching the same scenario 80 to 90 times a year, just for baseball, and making sure your images stand out. I’m constantly moving around to find new angles and build up trust with my subjects.”

For the past two years, Dianat has lived with his fiancée in Chastain Park, his favorite part of the city. “We first saw the house a night before a Weezer concert, so there were families walking around, a nice green park, frozen yogurt every two feet—and a Fellini’s Pizza nearby,” he says. “I’ve lived in Decatur and the Highlands, but this is the place. I feel like I’m in the center of everything.”

Born in Iran, Dianat grew up in Washington, D.C., watching the Atlanta Braves on TBS. His images have appeared in publications including The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and TIME magazine, but his ambitions extend beyond sports photojournalism. “The creative part of photography really interests me,” he says. “While I’m a visual person, I think story is king, and I yearn to be a storyteller. At age 26, I don’t want to confine myself to one medium. I want to find a way to combine creativity and technology and change the city of Atlanta.”

Dianat’s personality and photography both prove so dynamic, he just might live up to that level of ambition. ✪ Pouya Dianat www.pouyad.com

“At age 26, I don’t want to confine myself to one medium. I want to find a way to combine creativity and technology and change the city of Atlanta.”

Nikita Gale Southern artist to watch In its Spring 2012 issue, The Oxford American named Atlanta’s Nikita Gale No. 4 on its list of “100 Under 100: The New Superstars of Southern Art.” But instead of taking her rising star to a well-established art city like New York, Gale (who works in advertising by day at a Sandy Springs travel company) decided to stay put. “I think Atlanta is a great place for people interested in building something from the ground up, as opposed to injecting themselves into an existing infrastructure,” she explains.

A nearly ubiquitous presence at Atlanta’s galleries, including Buckhead’s Kai Lin Art and Mason Murer Fine Art, Gale, 28, creates works that combine photographic images, painting and text to comment on ideas like advertising and personal perspective. Her series “Convergence” examines the nature of memory by juxtaposing old family snapshots with the articles of clothing the people wore in the photos. “I feel like every day my art gets more difficult to explain. Right now I’m going with the title ‘Photoconceptual Artist,’” Gale says.

With her current work, Gale focuses more directly on the South as a place. “My new body of work is about the year 1861 in the American South and what was going on in terms of politics and racial tensions,” she says. “That’s the first time I’ve addressed geographical space in that way. As an artist, you have to think about where you’re creating art, just like being a black artist creating work, or a woman creating work.”

Born in Anchorage, Gale earned her degree studying archeology at Yale University but has been interested in art and photography her entire life. After graduation, she liked taking photographic portraits of her favorite musicians, and remembers staking out The Earl in 2009 to take photos of St. Vincent lead singer Annie Erin Clark.

When Gale was first out of school, she worked as a corporate headhunter in Buckhead, and soon realized that she wanted to do other things. “I feel like life has a way of steering you in the right direction,” she says. She thinks fondly of Buckhead, however: “On one Valentine’s Day, I was trying to find a stuffed koala for the person I was dating. I looked all over Buckhead and finally found it at Neiman Marcus. So I always remember that Neiman Marcus will have stuffed koalas.” ✪ Nikita Gale www.nikitagale.com

Theory Cream Double-Breasted Jacket: $415, Theory Cream Wide-Leg Pant: $255, Theory Sea Grass Sleeveless Top: $200, Cole Haan Khaki/White Stripe Oxford Lace Shoes: $158, R.J. Graziano Tortoise/Gold Necklace: $65, Aqua Gold Square Pave Earrings: $35, Aqua Mint Green Enamel Bangle: $35, Aqua Gold/Turquoise Cocktail Ring: $28. Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

55

S IM P LY B UC K HE A D COV ER STORY

Marcia Jaffe Founder of a dance team for the young at heart

Buckhead’s

As a performer with the Dream Supremes, the senior dance team of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, Sandy Springs resident Marcia Jaffe does flips and splits that put many teenagers to shame. The Dream Supremes members, with an average age of 63, take to the court to dance at halftime, to the delight of fans. “It’s 80 to 90 seconds each game, which doesn’t sound like much, but is an eternity,” Jaffe says. “It ends with us doing stunts, which is risky on wood. I say a little prayer every time.”

Jaffe acknowledges that “as problematic as the physical part can be, the hard part is remembering. I can do flips and splits, but the memory issues are really hard.”

The idea for the Dream Supremes originated at a meeting of the Buckhead Business Association, where Jaffe serves as vice president for retail. “Atlanta Dream Owner Kathy Betty gave a speech about how sports had affected her life and kept girls out of trouble.

This was around the same time I saw a trend story on CBS with Katie Couric about these senior dance teams,” Jaffe says. “It’s great to empower young women, but how about older women?”

Jaffe demurs at revealing her age, but says she graduated from college in 1971 and lets other people do the math. Her team features a total of 19 members with ages ranging from 55 to the 70s and includes several men. Although they perform during the WNBA season (May to August), the Dream Supremes practice year-round. “We can’t perform the same dance each time, and though we started with Michael Jackson and James Brown’s ‘I Feel Good,’ they wanted us to be more hip,” Jaffe says. “We didn’t know who Lady Gaga was, but we performed to ‘Poker Face’ and, more recently, Beyoncé’s ‘Put a Ring on It.’” The Dream Supremes don’t confine their moves to Philips Arena; in October 2011, they kicked off the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Atlanta Walk for 15,000 people. In addition, every other Saturday Jaffe and other members of the team perform for seniors and the disabled at such facilities as the William Bremen Jewish Home. “We hand out pompoms and talk about each of the girls—we have some schoolteachers, business owners, a minister’s wife—we talk about what we do and how we got involved,” Jaffe says. “We don’t expect to be acknowledged (by the elderly), but sometimes we get a glimmer from an old song. If someone’s giving me eye contact, I do a split in front of them.” The example set by Jaffe and the Dream Supremes suggests that you’re never too old to have a role model. Or be one. ✪ Marcia Jaffe www.wnba.com/dream/dream_supreme_bio_marcia.html

feature:

Curt Holman Photos: Sara Hanna

Far below Buckhead’s towering high-rises, out of the media glare, five heroes dwell among us. They go to work every day to make our community a happier, cleaner, more welcoming place. As we honor Buckhead’s rising stars, we can’t neglect to salute its tireless champions, the folks who never get recognized—yet work every day to bring important issues some recognition.

Our hats off to you. You’re the real-life caped crusaders.

56

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Glynis Terrell Director of a nonprofit program that teaches English to immigrants As a teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL), Glynis Terrell isn’t just an instructor, but almost an American ambassador for her immigrant students. As she describes her job, “It’s not just acclimating them to English, it’s acclimating them to the United States. I help people become active and productive members of society.”

Terrell works as the director of the English for Successful Living program at La Amistad, a nonprofit organization that provides tutoring and other educational programs for Latino children and adults. Located at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Buckhead, La Amistad offers Georgia’s largest community-based ESL program, and as she points out, “It’s for people from all countries who want to extend their language skills.”

Terrell retired after 30 years in the Atlanta Public School System and taught ESL through the Technical College System of Georgia for five years before joining La Amistad in 2011. “I consider myself to be fairly young, even though I’m retired,” says Terrell, who has a son and two grandsons. “I was fortunate to get a job right out of college, so when I got to 30 years, I was not old—I’d just turned 50. I thought, there are many more things I can do!”

Although Terrell estimates that she puts in at least 40 hours a week at La Amistad, her position is considered part-time, and all of the teachers she supervises work on a volunteer basis. For her, the greatest reward comes at the end of a 12-week session.

“The students will be able to thank you and give a speech in English,” she says. ✪ La Amistad www.laamistadfriendship.org

“It’s not just acclimating them to English, it’s acclimating them to the United States.

I help people become active and productive members of society.”

Sandy Bruce Founder of a theater program for locals on the autism spectrum

Buckhead’s The Basement Theatre provides a home for Shenanigans!, an applied theater program for adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum. Shenanigans! Founder Sandy Bruce uses improv theater to cultivate social skills in people with such conditions as ADHD and Asperger’s syndrome.

Bruce recalls supervising a Shenanigans! summer camp with the help of The Basement Theatre’s artistic director, a man who goes by the name of Jstar. One minimally verbal young man spent much of the first two days in a fetal position in the corner. On the third day, Jstar asked for someone to direct “Sleeping Beauty,” and the young man unexpectedly volunteered. “He found eloquence and strength in leading people,” Bruce recalls. “He costumed the others from the prop box, and since they were all boys and none wanted to be Sleeping Beauty, he played Sleeping Beauty and the Handsome Prince. Jstar and I looked at each other, amazed.”

Bruce’s teenage grandson inadvertently inspired her to establish Shenanigans! in early 2009.

“He has Asperger’s and loves to be center stage, to talk and entertain,” she says. “He tried conventional theater and that didn’t work out. I did research and discovered improv theater, where you have to be spontaneous and think on your feet. All that serves to help my grandson with his social connections.” Having formerly worked in corporate sales and marketing, Bruce had no theatrical background. “My daughter was taking improv lessons with Jstar at The Basement Theatre. I had coffee with [Jstar], made the pitch and he jumped on the idea.”

Shenanigans! offers Saturday classes for about 45 to 50 people at a time, ranging in ages from tween to adult, as well as summer camps. Most people associate improv with live comedy performances, but Bruce says, “We have friends-and-family shows at the end, but it’s more about learning flexibility of thinking. Sometimes people with Asperger’s have trouble stepping into the shoes of other people. Here, they make friends and start social groups outside of classes.”

Shenanigans! was nominated for a Tommy Nobis Program of the Year Award in early 2012, but Bruce says, “The main reward comes from the families we work with. Families notice the difference in the young teen or adult in family gatherings or social gatherings.” Looking forward, she says, “We want to expand to work especially on moving [Shenanigans! participants] from the school system to more independence in life. We’ll keep the fun of improv, but we really want to teach good, practical skills.” ✪ Shenanigans www.shenanigansimprov.com

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

57

S IM P LY B UC K HE A D COV ER STORY

Nancy Jones Executive Director of Blue Heron Nature Preserve A surprise visitor stole the show when Nancy Jones took a group of schoolchildren on a tour of Blue Heron Nature Preserve, the 25-acre habitat in Buckhead where she is executive director. “We saw a pileated woodpecker fly over to a dead tree, and out of a hole popped two little heads. It’s the first nesting of a pileated woodpecker here that we know of,” Jones recalls. “The kids were so excited. Usually the birds are hard for young children to spot, but this woodpecker was 17 inches long.”

It’s easy to overlook Blue Heron Nature Preserve, as it’s tucked in between Roswell Road and Rickenbacker Lane, not far from Chastain Park. Consisting of 25 acres along Nancy Creek, the wilderness includes a community garden, an apiary, a hidden tire swing and plenty of flora and fauna, including a solitary heron who gives the habitat its name.

A Buckhead resident and former art teacher at nearby Sarah Smith Elementary School, Jones developed a fondness for the stretch of Nancy Creek more than a decade ago, when she’d bring her young son down to the water to play. When she discovered that a developer was buying up land in the area, Jones and the North Buckhead Civic Association took action to protect the creek and the floodplain.

The Blue Heron Nature Preserve began with seven acres donated by the developer in 2000, and the City of Atlanta added three adjacent pieces over the next five years.

Jones feels that her job as the executive director and sole paid employee of the preserve came to her out of necessity. “A tree would fall down, and people would call me. I started learning about environmental issues,” she says. While the preserve is a City of Atlanta park, Jones points out, “The city provides no maintenance or monetary support. All of the money we make [through donations and fundraising] goes into the grounds, the building and projects like rebuilding the trailhead. We manage 25 acres, and there’s a lot of responsibility.”

In addition to organizing volunteers and seeking other parcels of land to add to the preserve, Jones finds, “The challenge is fundraising and making us sustainable for the future. It’s hard to get the word out. Almost everyone who comes to Blue Heron says, ‘We had no idea this was here.’” ✪ Blue Heron Nature Preserve www.bhnp.org

Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe Director of a nonprofit program that teaches English to immigrants Mark Twain said, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”

Many people maintain a comparably blasé attitude about the environment, so Buckhead resident Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe founded Live Thrive in 2010 to encourage people to do something about it.

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Buckhead, Live Thrive promotes and assists efforts to create healthy and sustainable environments in and around Atlanta. In practice, this means holding recycling events, blogging about grassroots and corporate environmental initiatives, and educating young people about the consequences of pollution. Initially, Ratcliffe was less interested in cleaning up the environment than cleaning dirty laundry. “In 2009 I was looking for green dry cleaners in the city of Atlanta,” she says. “I Googled and couldn’t find any list of or databases of green businesses.

I started my own, the Living Green Pages, an online directory of green businesses, products and services.”

A teacher whose students have ranged from second-graders to grown-up computer users, Ratcliffe wanted to think of ways to teach people to use the green directory and otherwise become more environmentally conscious. She began with small recycling events and built from there.

“We organized the first city of Atlanta household hazardous waste recycling event in 2010. It took a year to get a sponsor because the word ‘hazardous’ freaks people out,” she says, citing paint, pesticides and batteries as examples of such waste. Upcoming events include another citywide household hazardous waste collection with the city of Atlanta on October 6, at a location still to be determined at press time.

Ratcliffe grew up in Atlanta and was raised to respect the land. “My father had a farm in Cumming, so I was brought up with organic gardening,” she says. “It’s been awesome to see Atlanta grow so much, but not to see it tear down trees and not really take care of itself.”

Live Thrive has built eye-catching symbols for the annual Dogwood Festival, including a dragon built of 1,400 water bottles and a moving carousel made of all-reclaimed items, powered by a stationary bicycle. Ratcliffe feels particularly gratified when she can use something like the dragon to make a point to children. “I told kids that there’s more than 70 million plastic bottles sold each year, and how it takes 700 years for a bottle to degrade. Afterward, I’d get emails from young people asking, ‘Why does it take so long?’ Whenever you can enlighten someone, it’s worth it to see the lights come on.” n ✪ Live Thrive www.livethrive.org

58

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

58 

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

NEW Mobile Grooming Pet Spa

PA I D A DV E R T I S E M E N T

P E T PAG E

Grooming Daycare Boarding Pet Supplies

www.ThePetSet.com

Buckhead

MidTown

2480 Briarcliff Rd Atlanta, GA 30329 404-633-8755 Grooming, Daycare, Boarding, Pet Supplies

976 Piedmont Ave Atlanta, GA 30309 404-249-6668 Save $10 Grooming, On your 1st grooming!

Mobile Only Pet Supplies

Giddy over Grooming The Pet Set adds mobile grooming to its slew of stellar services

By Giannina Smith Bedford

DR. RIVA WOLKOW & DR. CARRIE UNGER 216 E. BELLE ISLE ROAD ATLANTA, GA 30342

Since 1982, The Pet Set has been offering top-notch pet products as well as personalized boarding and grooming. From natural and holistic pet foods to toys for four-legged friends of all sizes and temperament, The Pet Set prides itself on its high quality services and products.

An exclusive member of the National Dog Grooming Association of America (NDGAA), a designation bestowed only on certified master groomers, The Pet Set boasts grooming and spa services at both its locations—one on Briarcliff Road and the other on Piedmont Avenue.

After more than two decades of service, the boutique pet shop is now also offering mobile pet grooming services to its loyal customers. For senior citizens who have a hard time getting around or those who are just too busy to take Fido or Fifi in for an appointment, simply call The Pet Set and they will come to you.

“I have two other locations that have been grooming in Atlanta over the past 25 years so it was a natural progression—instead of opening another spa, to try and take the spa to the client,” says owner Bob Fawcett.

As part of the new mobile service, pets enjoy pampering spa and grooming treatments in a top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz van complete with a stainless steel tub, electric table, air conditioning and heating system and a 60-gallon hot spring water tank.

“It has been well received and now we go to our client’s home or office and the groomer services the pet inside the van and after the pet goes inside the house or into the client’s office; it seems to be a good fit for some pets,” Fawcett says.

What’s more, The Pet Set uses some of the best pet grooming products around. Its natural and organic soap free shampoos, conditioners and coat enhancement products make sure to keep pups safe from harsh chemicals and lessen the impact on the environment.

Because of the popularity of The Pet Set’s first-rate grooming, appointments are highly suggested, and can now be made online.

Walk-ins are also accepted, although they are taken based on availability.

Book your pooch’s beautifying service and make sure they look dashing all summer long.

For more information, visit www.thepetset.com.

60

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

S I M P LY BU Z Z | S I M P LY C H A R I TA B L E | S I M P LY S C E N E

Simply happening

Artists showcasing a variety of mediums gather for the first annual Sandy Springs Artsapalooza.

Spotlight Sandy Springs Artsapalooza July 7-8 174 Johnson Ferry Road N.E. Sandy Springs 30328 www.sandyspringsartsapalooza.com

Hit the streets of Sandy Springs to celebrate “Founders Day” at the inaugural Sandy Springs Artsapalooza.

The two-day outdoor event will be held on a closed portion of Johnson Ferry Road between Roswell Road and Sandy Springs Circle and feature

150 arts and crafts vendors showcasing one-of-a-kind works of photography, painting, sculpture, glass, metal and much more. The introductory event will also include up-close artist demonstrations, a carnival for little ones, and local musicians, as well as a

chance for festival attendees to learn about the history of Sandy Springs.

Put on by The Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces, the free event benefits a scholarship fund for local artists.

Festival hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

61

SIMPLY happening

simply buzz | Events, exhibits, galas and more by:

n Atlanta Botanical Garden Sculpture in the Garden May-October Atlanta Botanical Garden 1345 Piedmont Avenue N.E. Atlanta 30309 404.876.5859 www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org A group exhibition of internationally acclaimed artists is taking over Atlanta Botanical Garden. From May until October, Independent Visions: Sculpture in the Garden will showcase the contemporary works of nine renowned artists never before presented in the Southeast.

Hosted in collaboration with the Marlborough Gallery New York, the event features 20th- and 21st-century sculptures, including a 24-foot-by-24-foot stainlesssteel rod sculpture by Kenneth Snelson spanning the Garden’s Aquatic Plant Pond. Admission is $18.95 for adults, $12.95 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children under 3 and Garden members.

n Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta’s The Big Adventure May 26 – Sept. 9 Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive N.W. Atlanta 30313 404.659.KIDS (5437) www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org Add Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta’s new feature exhibit, The Big Adventure, to the summer agenda. Until Sept.

9 you can take the kids to enjoy this creative exhibit composed of different adventure areas.

Each area encourages miniadventurers’ desires to explore and investigate—while also tiring

Giannina Smith Bedford

them out with some fun physical activity. Children can take part in interactive exhibits like Adventure Mountain and The Tunnels of Fun, climbing a six-foot wall of rocks and crawling through dark tunnels. Other simulated activities include soaring through the air on the Virtual Flyer (a kid-size airplane) and escaping alligators at River Crossing: Bridge Out! Admission to the Museum is $12.75 plus tax for adults and children ages 2 and above; children under 2 are free.

n AJC Peachtree Road Race July 4 AJC Peachtree Road Race Begins near Lenox Square Mall and ends in Piedmont Park Atlanta 30326 404.231.9064 www.peachtreeroadrace.org You entered the lottery and actually got a number. Now it’s time to get your running shoes on and join the largest 10K race in the country. If you weren’t one of the lucky 55,000 runners to strike gold (or if you’re just not a runner), you can still join in on the fun by lining Peachtree from Buckhead to Midtown to cheer on the Fourth of July stampede.

Beginning near Lenox Square and ending in Piedmont Park, this celebratory event begins with a wheelchair race at 6:45 a.m. followed by the footrace at 7:30 a.m. After the 6.2-mile jaunt down Peachtree Street, runners receive an AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt and are treated to a post-race party complete with live music and vendor samples.

n Fourth of July Fireworks at Lenox Square July 4 Lenox Square 3393 Peachtree Road N.E. Atlanta 30326 404.233.6767 www.lenoxsquare.com Celebrate Independence Day in the heart of Buckhead at Lenox Square’s 53rd annual fireworks display. Start the day with shopping at Lenox Square, which is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., then

stick around for the free party featuring musical entertainment from Jimmy Buffet tribute band Sons of Sailors, followed by headlining band Party on the Moon at 7:30 p.m. The fireworks, said to be the largest display in the Southeast, are expected to begin at approximately 9:40 p.m.

n Diana Krall at Chastain Park Amphitheatre July 11 Chastain Park Amphitheatre 4469 Stella Drive Atlanta 30327 800.745.3000 www.classicchastain.com/event/ diana-krall Pack your coolers and enjoy an evening with pianist and vocalist Diana Krall at Chastain Park Amphitheatre. Grab a table or spread out a blanket on the lawn as one of the most successful jazz artist of the 1990s belts out her self-written ballads. Krall, who is married to Elvis Costello, will perform songs from her 12th album, Quiet Nights, which uses Brazil as a musical point of reference. She will also employ her signature vocals to perform some of her past award-winning tunes. Doors open at 7 p.m. and show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35.

n Callanwolde “Open Mic” Poetry Night July 11 Callanwolde Fine Arts Center 980 Briarcliff Road N.E. Atlanta 30306 404.872.5338 www.callanwolde.org Work up the nerve to share some of your original poetry in front of a crowd or simply sit back and take in the poetic works of others at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center’s “Open Mic” Poetry Night. Held in the Callanwolde Library, the event begins at 8 p.m. with both amateur and professional poets sharing their word art. Readings are open to the first ten poets who call and sign up. Sold at the door, tickets are $5 for general admission and $3 for students with ID, seniors and Callanwolde members.

n Cheese Making Class at Oakhurst Garden July 12 Oakhurst Garden 435 Oakview Road Decatur 30030 404.371.1920 www.oakhurstgarden.org Have you always wanted to make your own gourmet cheese?

Learn how during a cheese making class at Oakhurst Garden.

Chef Cassandra Loftlin will show you how easy it is to make everything from ricotta to mozzarella right in your own kitchen.

Taking place from 7 to 9 p.m., the class includes shared equipment, resources and recipes. Advance registration is required and the cost is $25 for Oakhurst Garden members and $30 for nonmembers.

n Northside Atlanta BeltLine 101 at Buckhead Library July 25 Buckhead Library 269 Buckhead Avenue N.E. Atlanta 30305 404.446.4404 www.beltline.org Come learn about the monumental Atlanta Beltline at the Buckhead Library. This free informative gathering, taking place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., is part of monthly 101 sessions The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership is conducting around town to help residents learn the basics about the massive redevelopment project the City of Atlanta is undertaking. The Buckhead Library is one of five locations where the sessions are being conducted. Listen, learn and feel free to ask questions.

take place on the Piedmont Park grounds and welcome up to 200 painters, photographers, sculptors, leather and metal workers, glass blowers, jewelers and crafters.

Along with artist demonstrations and live acoustic music, the lively event will also include a children’s play area plus festival foods and beverages. Organized by The Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces LLC, the event will benefit a local charity or scholarship supporting the arts, which will be selected by a jury. Festival hours are Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

n AJC Decatur Book Festival Aug. 31–Sept. 2 101 E. Court Square Decatur 30030 866.633.5252 ext. 3346 www.decaturbookfestival.com Attracting more than 900 authors, the AJC Decatur Book Festival prepares once again to welcome nearly 260,000 festivalgoers to historic downtown Decatur. Taking place over Labor Day weekend, this popular event is the largest independent book festival in the country. Spend the holiday weekend going from author readings to book signings to panel discussions. The seventh annual event also features an interactive children’s area, live music, parades, cooking demonstrations, writing workshops and more. Although this is the biggest event of community-based nonprofit The Decatur Book Festival, the organization also promotes literacy throughout the year through fundraising and events, including Decatur readings and signings with authors like Salman Rushdie and Paula Deen.

n Piedmont Park Summer Arts & Crafts Festival Aug. 18-19 Piedmont Park 1071 Piedmont Avenue Atlanta 30309 404.845.0793 www.piedmontparkartsfestival.com Join art enthusiasts, families and festival fans at the 2012 Piedmont Park Summer Arts and Crafts Festival. The two-day event will AJC Decatur Book Festival

62

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

SIMPLY happening

Casi McCamy, Sheri Scruggs and Lori Quackenbush

c ha r itab le

Conner Collins, Clay Scruggs and Andy Williamson

Juliane McCaleb, Jamie Gilbert, David Mills, Bo Keatley and Suzanne Vickery, all members of Answer Atlanta’s board

Eleanor Anne and Tyler Fann

First Annual Answer Atlanta Crawfish Boil Photos by Sara Hanna

M

ore than 110 young professionals gathered at the Brookwood Hills Pool Pavilion to eat crawfish, mingle with friends and learn about Answer Atlanta’s plans for the year. Answer Atlanta was created in 2008 by several locals who wanted to pool their resources and efforts to support one local cause annually and have a tangible, longterm impact on that cause. The crawfish boil raised more than $5,000 and sponsors included Miller Brothers, Southern Beverage Company, Pervenche Press and Monday Night Brewing Company.

Casey Abare, Aly Kennedy and Hadley Quisenberry

Attendees enjoyed food and drinks aplenty

For more information about Answer Atlanta or to nominate a cause for the organization to support, visit www.answeratlanta.org.

Stesha Black and Brooke Mullis

Bob Reich and Amanda Wesseling

Cameron and Kristie Conner

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

63

SIMPLY happening

simply scene

Heads or Tails?

At this Buckhead crawfish boil hosted by Answer Atlanta, hungry attendees opted for both. photo:

64 

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

Sara Hanna

One call is all it takes to get the insurance you need:

AUTO, HOME, BUSINESS, HEALTH and LIFE.

BUY ONE GET 50% OFF 2ND GUEST RATES

For Reservations and Information contact:

Nancy Yoffe, ECCS;LCS

Elite Cruise Counselor Scholar; Luxury Cruise Specialist

Toll free: 888-579-3082 or 864-579-3082

BOOK NOW AVAILABILITY IS LIMITED

www.CruiseChick.com

SHIP Celebrity Constellation

ITINERARY 12 Night Europe Wine Cruises

INSIDE

SECOND GUEST

STARTING FROM

STARTING FROM

$1, 199* $599* Call for Select Fall dates

Celebrity reserves the right to impose a fuel supplement up to $10 pp per day if the price of fuel excedes $65.00 per barrel. Prices are in US Dollars, cruise only, pp based on double occupancy on

Julian J Thome Agency 1140 Hammond Dr. NE Bld. K, Ste.112 Atlanta, GA 30328 (678) 537-8010 jthome@amfam.com

American Family Mutual Insurance Company and its Subsidiaries American Family Life Insurance Company American Family Insurance Company Home Office – Madison, WI 53783

1-800-MYAMFAM AMFAM.COM Product availability varies by state. Health insurance underwritten by American Republic Insurance Company, Des Moines, IA 50309, 1-800-247-2190.

select sailings subject to availability. Itineraries and pricing subject to change without notice. Government taxes and fees are additional. Certain restrictions apply. Ships registry Malta and Equador.

YOUR GUIDE TO LIVING WELL IN ATLANTA

P.O. Box 11633, Atlanta, GA 30355 www.simplybuckhead.com • 404-538-9895

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

65

Spa Sydell now introduces

HEALTH WELLNESS RESULTS Celebrating 30 years in business, Atlanta's true day spa now offers

INTRACEUTICALS

The revolutionary Intraceuticals treatment uses therapeutic-grade oxygen to cool and calm the skin, resulting in luminous, unparalleled hydration and visible, age defying results.

Spa Sydell is open seven days and seven nights a week.

For more information, visit spasydell.com or call 404.255.7727.

http://bit.ly/O0oc27

www.norrisbroyles.com | 404.257.1430

66 

July/August 2012 | Simply Buckhead

And now there’s even more to love: SAVE $1,500 on your new pool before August 31st!

There’s a lot to love with a Desjoyaux (“Deige-y-oh”) in-ground pool. They’re beautiful. They’re eco-friendly.

And they’re worry free. And for a limited time you can save $1,500 on your new pool AND get another $1,500 worth of furniture for free*! Just reference “Simplicity” to receive your discount.

Visit our website or showroom, today, and start falling in love with your own Desjoyaux in-ground pool.

11007 Alpharetta Highway, Roswell, GA 30076

desjoyauxpools.com • (770) 225-0825 *Pool deposit must be received on or before August 31, 2012 for discount and furniture offer to apply. Discount applies to materials for a new in-ground Desjoyaux Pool. $1,500 furniture discount applies only to in-stock furniture from the Desjoyaux showroom.

Live without regret.

Pictured above left to right: Drs. Will Draper, Amy Mathews, Megan Stewart, and Laura Hooper

www.thevillagevets.com