The Vibrant Doctor Issue 2022/2023

robertocoin.com

TRIA GIOVAN

Martha Gundersen

Lic. Assoc. R.E. Broker M 631.405.8436 | O 631.537.4144 martha.gundersen@elliman.com

Paul Brennan

Lic. Assoc. R.E. Broker M 631.235.9611 | O 631.537.4144 paul.brennan@elliman.com

PICTURE-PERFECT BUILDING SITE

$14,500,000 • 2.5

ACRES

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CORE JEWEL BOX

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BATHS

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TOP OF THE WORLD LIVING AND ENTERTAININGEXCLUSIVE WEST END LUXURY RENTAL

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5 BEDS, 7.5 BATH • CALL FOR PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

ASPEN This 9,286 square foot home on over half an acre has space inside and out for the family to enjoy. Light and bright living spaces, a large indoor lap swimming pool and hot tub, and a wet bar off the outdoor deck for indoor and outdoor entertainment. Located next to the music tent.

ASPEN

E DITOR

S L ETTE R

SWEET SLUMBER

Science says we spend a third of our lives sleeping, but are we really? Sleep is the foundation of health, physical and mental. Our brains and cells regenerate and “cleanse” overnight when we go into a deep sleep. As we move through different sleep stages throughout the night, we need to figure out how to create a heat exchange for peak sleep performance. For this issue of Purist, Dr. Reuben Chen, in “Get Into the Rhythm,” outlines how circadian methods—those that align with natural cycles of light and dark—are a pathway to health. “Make sure your bedroom is cool to cold,” he writes, “as lower body temperatures promote deeper sleep.” The first stage of sleep is light sleep, when we enter a hypnagogic state of falling asleep, then comes deep sleep, often referred to as the “fountain of youth” or “slow wave sleep,” where DNA heals and minds reset, and finally REM sleep, when the body clock begins to warm up the body to wake it up. It’s estimated that by age 80, we only get about seven minutes of deep sleep. So why wait until it’s too late to create healthy sleep patterns?

Most people know how light affects our circadian rhythm—and the downsides of cellphone usage at bedtime—and now we’re learning more about temperature working in concert with light. A recent interview I did with sleep expert Tara Youngblood, a trained scientist and student of traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic practices, neuroscience and psychology, yielded a few disturbing facts. The scariest of which is about the health impact of sleep deprivation if one gets fewer than six hours of sleep in a two-week time frame (students, people dealing with profound grief or trauma, health care workers, drivers, postpartum mothers), it’s the same as being legally drunk, which leads to stress, depression, short-term memory loss and, as we get older, advanced brain shrinkage.

So what’s the solution? As with anything, quality over

quantity. Sleep rituals are essential—mind-resting bedtime ones like reading, meditating, bathing, dim lighting. Environment, behaviors and mindset, the pillars of sleep, need to be in balance. An important fact: body temperature drops 2 degrees to effectively fall asleep, stay asleep and go into a deep sleep, so regulating and maintaining that—by sleeping cool—through the first cycles of sleep is essential. Metabolism, hormones and the aging “thermostat” needs help cooling off.

Youngblood was tired of being tired, and became what she refers to as a “mad scientist,” reading over 300 books on science and neuroscience, intent on learning how to maximize the benefits of all the stages of sleep and sleeping cool. Her aha moment came when she realized there is a recipe to sleep, and turned all the sleep hacks into a product. Her invention of a temperature-regulating mattress topper, based on one’s personal needs—simply, Chilipad Pro mattress cooling from www.sleep.me (part of the Dock Pro Sleep System)— protects us from body-warming mattresses and blankets that are counterintuitive to a deep state of quality sleep. But don’t just take my word for it—Time just recognized Dock Pro as one the top inventions of the year. Purist readers get a 30% off discount using the code PURIST30.

Besides learning from problem-solving thought leaders and moms like Youngblood, the gift of sleep might just be the best gift I’ve given myself this year. What’s the best selfcare gift you’ve given yourself this year?

To all, a good night’s sleep!

From our family to yours—merry new year! With Chris and our brood—Bella, Carolina and Mario.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURES

108 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…

HER

Actress and wellness mogul Tracee Ellis Ross celebrates turning 50 and shares her experience as an entrepreneur and an artist, while delving into her own self-care and selfactualization journey, honoring Black female beauty and her recent Hulu docuseries, The Hair Tales.

116 MOVING MOUNTAINS

Amely Greeven explores how sacred circles and spiritually powerful lands can lend themselves to transformative traveling experiences.

Tracee Ellis Ross

MINDFUL

32 ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE An invitation to choose happiness

34 GUIDED BY BIET

Spiritual teacher Biet Simkin answers readers’ questions.

36 FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC

Pamela Fiori recalls the soundtrack of her life.

40 NOTE FOR NOTE

A story of friendship forged over an appreciation for jazz

43 LIFE SAVER

Life insurance is crucial for high-net-worth individuals. Financial adviser Joe Colombo explains why.

HEALTH

46 GRAND CONVERGENCE

Introducing a boutique wellness and weight-loss spa

An eclectic living room at 2 Charlies Lane, Shelter Island.

on the Upper East Side, Well by Messer.

48 SOUL PROVIDER

Psychotherapist Carder Stout, Ph.D., reveals how to transform the mind through spiritual practice.

50 FAST COMPANY Find out why Aspen realtor Maureen Stapleton swears by water cleanses.

52 DANCE TO DETOX

Learn how to live a life of wellness from Dr. Christina Rahm.

54 SAGE ADVICE

Wellness destination Sage + Sound is NYC’s newest self-care hot spot.

56 CIRCADIAN MEDICINE

Dr. Reuben Chen reveals tips to keep your fitness clock ticking.

58

THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

The author of The Age-Proof Brain, Marc Milstein, Ph.D., shares tips to keep the noggin resilient against stress.

SPACE

62 REFLECTED GLORY

How a mirrored home brings out the best in its architect, builders, residents and the environment.

66 HOME BASE

Meet a trendsetter in the next generation of luxury living experiences.

68 ROOM TO RENOVATE

How architect Chiara Santini and her husband began a new life in Aspen as proprietors of the LEED-certified interior design firm, Santini Studio.

70 PURE PROPERTY

Real estate news in the Hamptons and Aspen GLOW

74 RITUAL CARE

Antedotum’s Essential Daily Sunscreen is a skin-care must.

76

REFRESHED AND RENEWED

The co-founder and CEO of Furtuna Skin, Kim Walls, shares why the brand values regeneration over sustainability.

78 CLEARLY SPEAKING

Dermatologist Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank weighs in on the newest technology that battles acne.

80 PURE PICKS

Hair care essentials, lifestyle mainstays and fashion musthaves from celebrity hairstylist Valery Joseph Chris Foster

WEEKEND

84 FASHION INFUSION

Copenhagen-born designer Christian Juul Nielsen talks day-to-night fashion and hygge.

85 SECOND SKIN

A revolutionary sunsuit from actress Lois Robbins

86 SUITE LIFE

A collection of quintessential getaway havens

87 PALM BEACH CONFIDENTIAL

From luxurious hotels to top-tier dining, a roundup of the best wellness destinations.

88

EDITOR’S PICKS

Purist founder Cristina Cuomo’s holiday gift guide

89 SOFT SURROUNDINGS

Alicia Adams Alpaca proves this cozy material is a more-

Aerin Lauder’s chic Aspen home.

than-worthy investment.

90 PURE PICKS

Coffee table books to spirit you away.

91 NEW ROMANCE

Enjoy floral-infused chocolate at this enchanting apothecary.

VIBRANT

93 ’TIS THE GIVING SEASON

Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson talks about how altruism can transform your life.

94 GET YOUR GLOW ON How to nourish your inner light

96 WELLNESS OASIS

The best spots to refresh and recharge in Chicago, Phoenix and Scottsdale

FOOD IS MEDICINE

99 THE SCIENCE OF BLOOD SUGAR

BALANCING

Nutrition expert Sarah Wragge shares the secret to keeping sugar intake at bay while staying festive this winter.

100 VIVE LE FRANCE

Daniel Boulud, founder of Café Boulud, celebrates its 20th anniversary in Palm Beach.

102 SIPPING THE SUBLIME

Female founded-and-led premier tequila brand Casa Dragones releases its fourth masterpiece.

103 HANDS THAT FEED

Executive Chef Jesus Alvarado brings Mediterranean flavor to Duemani Aspen this season.

104 LOCAL FLAVOR

Meet the founders of Aspenbased biodynamic catering company, The Farmer & Chef.

106 MIAMI HEAT

The Magic City delivers with many new eateries.

PLAY

122 WINTER SOJOURNS

Four escapes in Aspen that offer quiet respite and backcountry exercise

124 INTO THE WILD

Three Aspen men find bonding time through mountain adventures.

126 PURE GOOD

International nonprofit Sleep in Heavenly Peace gives beds to children in need.

128 NUMEROLOGY

A by-the-numbers look at actor and philanthropist Brad Pitt

Scan to see the results for yourself.

THE FUTURE OF BEAUTY IS REGENERATIVE. Pure Potency. Sustainable Farming. Economic Vitality. Unparalleled Performance.

EDITORIAL

Founder + Editor Cristina Cuomo

Executive Editor Ray Rogers

Features Editor Jim Servin

Senior Wellness + Beauty Editor Amely Greeven

Beauty + Fitness Editor Beth Landman Wellness Editor Fernanda Niven

Contributing Health Editors Dr. Jeffrey Morrison,The Morrison Center; Tapp Francke Ingolia, STANDwellness Copy Editor Michèle Filon

Research Editor Jill Malter

Contributing Food Editor Peter Som

Special Project Editors Jenny Landey,TR Pescod

Contributing Fashion Editor Gretchen Gunlocke Fenton

Contributor Priyanka Kumar

Contributing Writers Rebecca Babcock, Marisa Belger, Dr. Samantha Boardman, Donna Bulseco Candace Bushnell, Constance Chen, Dr. Reuben Chen, Alina Cho, Katie Colgate Camille Coy, Chris Cuomo, Dr Gerry Curatola, Donna D’Cruz, Matt Diehl, Matt Dornic Dimitri Ehrlich, Melissa Errico, Pamela Fiori, Marisa Fox, Steve Garbarino Ann Louise Gittleman, Kara Goldin, Kelly Hayes, Linda Hayes, Laura Hine Nancy Kane, Matthew Kenney, Dr. Gail King, Dr. Frank Lipman, Dr. Lea Lis Michael Mailer, Martha McGuinness, Kevin Menard, Marc Milstein Roxanna Namavar, Dr. David Perlmutter, Annelise Peterson Kelly Posner Gerstenhaber, Amanda Rae, Dr Christina Rahm Dr. Whitney Roban, Hal Rubenstein, Caroline Russo, Michele Shapiro, Brooke Shields Natasha Silver Bell, Biet Simkin, Lea Sisson, Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson, Dr. Carder Stout Julia Szabo, Abby Tegnelia, Edwina Von Gal,Tess Weaver, Regina Weinreich Ali Wentworth, Constance C.R. White, Julie Wilcox, Sarah Wragge

DESIGN

Contributing Design Director Ben Margherita

Contributing Art Director Mikio Sakai

Contributing Designer Seton Rossini Web Managers Tarin Keith, Aubrée Mercure

Contributing Photographers Camilla Akrans, Frederic Auerbach, Lachlan Bailey, David Bellemere, Justin Bettman Cass Bird, Brian Bowen Smith, Natalie Chitwood, Bob and Dawn Davis Gregg Delman, Mikey DeTemple, Sophie Elgort, Marili Forestieri, Morgan Maassen Roberto Matteo Marchese, Mary Ellen Matthews, Peter McBride, Miller Mobley David Molle, Ryan Moore, Nino Muñoz, Patrick O’Keefe, Matt Sayles, Simon Upton Cathrine White

ADVERTISING

Publisher Helen Cleland helen@thePURISTonline.com

Chief Revenue Officer Andrea Greeven Douzet Executive Sales Directors Nicole Levy, Eden Williams Aspen Publisher Alexandra Halperin Aspen Media Consultant Cheryl Foerster

MARKETING

Director of Marketing Ilene Frankel

OPERATIONS

Chief Financial Officer Caryn Whitman Production Direction Digital Workflow Solutions

Purist is distributed in New York City, the Hamptons, Aspen, Miami, Palm Beach, Los Angeles, and now in Chicago and Scottsdale.

For advertising inquiries, please contact sales@thePURISTonline.com

For editorial inquiries, please contact wellness@thePURISTonline.com

For production inquiries, please contact production@thePURISTonline.com Follow us on Instagram @thePurist and Facebook.com/puristonline www.thePURISTonline.com

Millbrook - Aspen - Malibu aliciaadamsalpaca.com

CONTRI BUTORS

SARAH WRAGGE who wrote “The Science of Blood Sugar Balancing”

SIMKIN who shares her spiritual teaching and wisdom

WHAT IS YOUR NUTRITION PHILOSOPHY?

Focus on what you add to your life, instead of what you remove. Eat whole, nutrient-dense real food 90 percent of the time while leaving room for the fun stuff.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF MINDFULNESS IN EVERYDAY LIFE?

Listening to life, you hear that it’s a symphony. Tasting life, you taste that life is a wild strawberry!

BOB & DAWN DAVIS who photographed Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson

WHAT DO YOU FIND ENLIVENING ABOUT YOUR WORK AS A PHOTOGRAPHER?

Photography has been a passport into the lives and culture of many wonderful people, and satisfies our endless curiosity.

DR. CARDER STOUT who wrote “Soul Provider”

DR. CHRISTINA RAHM who penned “Dance to Detox”

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED ON YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY?

The power of forgiveness is essential to the healing process.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY HAS TAUGHT YOU? To be consistent in your fitness goals.

Wragge is the CEO and chief holistic nutritionist of Sarah Wragge Wellness. She has taught thousands of people how to eat for optimal health and energy, how to lose weight effortlessly—and enjoy the foods they love.

Biet Simkin is a bestselling author, spiritual teacher, and creator of large-scale meditation and breath work experiences globally that are scored by her own music. She is also the founder of the Guided By Biet method. Follow her on Instagram: @guidedbybiet.

Bob & Dawn Davis, an international wedding photography and design studio, are a husband and wife team based in the Chicago area. Their client list reads like a who’s who of entertainment. Bob and Dawn are passionate about faith, family, and making the best of their lives.

Dr. Carder Stout is an LA-based psychologist and author of two books, We Are All Addicts and Lost in Ghost Town In his private practice he works with addictions, relationships, complicated family dynamics, anxiety, depression, grief and trauma.

Dr. Christina Rahm has an extraordinary mind and a passion for helping others. Her Native American and Eastern European heritage influenced her approach to health and wellness, in addition to her education from Cornell and Harvard in nanotechnology, pharmaceutical management and nutrition.

BIET

As cold weather sets in, cultivate the practice of being present.

PHOTOGRAPHY

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

In the face of chaos and uncertainty, keep calm, carry on and choose kindness.

BY DONNA D’CRUZ

By the pricking of our collective thumbs— whether we use them in now old-school ways to turn the page of a newspaper or magazine, or pad them quickly over our smartphones—the news seems glum and dispiriting. Political and societal forebodings loom large. Tectonic plates that seem to have kept our lives on an even keel are creaking and shifting in ominous ways that can make the most sanguine among us restive and uneasy.

It’s a daily task that’s quickly becoming a Herculean one, to live up to the now-ubiquitous red reminders exhorting us to “Keep Calm and Carry On,” part of a singular trifecta of advice originally issued by British civil servant A.P. Waterfield among others similarly concerned over public morale, at the start of the second World War. Now seems as good a time as any to look at a few forgotten pieces of advice, with their clarion call echoing over many decades: “Freedom is in peril. Defend it with all your might.” “Your courage, your cheerfulness, your resolution will bring us victory.” Or from the inimitable FDR, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Those peppy, platitudinous red squares remind us to keep on, to practice our practice of discovering and nourishing

seeds of gratitude in life, from relishing the blissful warmth of late-autumn sun on our back to enjoying, with the sweet innocence of Winnie-the-Pooh, the sheer delight of walking through blowing fall leaves on a blustery day. This practice does not move us toward perfection, but rather refines our decision to actively choose happiness and positivity in the face of all evidence to the contrary.

...The choice to tell ourselves that we deserve more than to be buffeted by the moods, choices and whims of others, and to listen more actively to our own, usually unerring, inner voice as to what sits well with us.

…The unflinching determination to see through a promise made, the ability to infuse good cheer like a vein of gold running through rock, and to temper resolution with kindness. Marcus Aurelius spoke well when he said, “Be tolerant with others, and strict with yourself.”

The eye of the beholder is the creator—you You are the beauty and perfection you seek. Close your eyes, take a long deep breath and prepare for the most joyous, transcendent journey…within. donnadcruz.com; IG @donnadcruz1; Thursdays 5PM EST with @cristinacuomo on IG LIVE

The practice of gratitude refines our decision to actively choose happiness.

The Color of

Green is the color of nature,growth,and youth.Attributes you will discover when visiting our tropical paradise, a haven of relaxation that will take you in a rejuvenating experience for your body & mind on a sensory journey of tranquility.

Rediscover the Joy of Travel among other rejuvenating activities at www.puntacana.com

GUIDED BY BIET

Dear Biet, I have a really hard time with the word God. I find it off-putting, and it usually makes me angry. I am, however, looking to be more spiritual. Sometimes I think these feelings are contradictory. What are your thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks, Lidia Grace, Tennessee

Dear Lidia Grace, It’s so normal to be annoyed about the whole God thing. In this new day, it is our duty to create that mythology ourselves. We cannot be spoon-fed something that some man wrote 2,000 years ago or even 5,000 years ago. With that said, I am a huge fan of Jesus and of Buddha...it’s just we must reunderstand who these enlightened masters were. What I say is, go write your own definition of God. Then get a new God. Get one that loves you unconditionally. Get one that wants everything good for you. Get one that makes you feel joy. Hope this helps! I get how hard it can be.

Love, Biet

Dear Biet, I am always depressed. I feel life has no meaning, and I can’t seem to get over how depressing the tragedies of my life have been I lost my partners to horrible illnesses and cared for them for years. Many friends of mine have died

suddenly. I can’t believe that there is any rhyme or reason to this life. Is there any hope? I just feel so endlessly depressed.

Warmly, Candice, NYC

Dear Candice,

I know how hard this world is! It has given me so much loss and pain. I get that it’s not an easy ride! With that said, how can we change the narrative so that that’s OK? In my view, I came here for the full experience. The agony, the bliss, the gifts, the losses. If I focus on only one side, I am missing the glorious magic of Earth! Earth is not an easy place; it’s brutal and harsh and ends in death (the great mystery). I found that once I had acceptance for the great variety here and stopped expecting everything to feel like the end of a rom-com...I found life got so sweet! It’s a choice, Candice. No one can make it for us and I will say this: If you’re down and out as you say you are, you have nowhere to go but up! However, you have to change everything. Your habits, your beliefs, your practices, maybe even your friends. That’s what I did, and it led me here. I come from nothing and dust, and if I can do it so can you! You have to spend as much energy on joy as you do on your endless mystery! Make a swap! What do you say? You in?

I believe in you!

Love, Biet

Dear Biet, I was doing some of your meditations and breath work recently and had the realization that I was holding a secret that I did not know. I feel I remember I was molested as a child, by my uncle. While I am shaken by the discovery, I am also at ease, as I feel relieved to remember the truth. It is because of the powerful work of the Biet breath work that I have found this memory. Do people often remember things when doing this type of work? What do you recommend to clients for healing? Thanks, Mar, NYC

Dear Mar, Oof, truth is truth isn’t it? Even if it’s a lemon…somehow it’s a treasure to just know what’s up. I remember when I first awoke to sobriety and returning to my father’s work, the first step was just seeing how ugly everything was, how ugly I was… how broken, how flawed. That first step led to this bliss I live in now. Same with this painful and horrorlike discovery you made I see you asking questions because of it that will lead you to your gold. There is nothing more beautiful than you! Even with this horror, even with this pain. You are perfect and even more so!

Love you! Biet bietsimkin.com

Spiritual teacher and bestselling author Biet Simkin answers Purist readers’ questions.

Jack Krzysik

FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the Imagination and life to everything.” —Plato

Some people seek silence. Others need a hot shower or a long soak in a warm bath. For many, it’s meditation or yoga. A friend of mine runs 4 to 6 miles six days a week no matter where on Earth he is. It clears his head. For me, it’s music—all kinds, every day—and has been for most of my life. From lullabies to rock ’n’ roll, from The Great American Songbook to modern jazz, from baroque to the blues, music has soothed my soul, uplifted me, made me laugh and cry, and gotten me through the toughest of days and the hardest of nights.

With few exceptions, I consider music to be the world’s most foolproof panacea. Think of the power of national anthems like “America (My Country, ’Tis of Thee)” and “God Save The King” (same melody, by the way) to stir a throng. Likewise, a marching band at a Columbus Day or St. Patrick’s Day parade. Both the real-life John Philip Sousa and the fictional Professor Harold Hill of The Music Man knew well the potency of that unbeatable combination of drums, tubas and trombones (ideally, 76). Gospel music

raises our spirits and hymns cause us to reflect. And then there is music that can do harm: Take the legend of the Pied Piper, originally a scurrilous character in the early 13th century who promised to get rid of rats in the German city of Hamelin by luring them away and is now another name for any leader who can incite a crowd with bad intentions (anybody come to mind?).

None other than Oliver Sacks, the revered neurologist, wrote a book called Musicophilia. In it he states: “Music, uniquely among the arts, is both completely abstract and profoundly emotional. Music can pierce the heart directly; it needs no mediation.”

My parents were music lovers. (Incidentally, the word for music lover is “melomaniac.”) They grew up during the Great Depression and in the 1940s big-band era (led by Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and others) during and just after World War II. Their musical choices, in turn, influenced mine to this day.

By the time it was the early 1950s, I knew the lyrics to whatever was on Your Hit Parade (a then-popular TV show), including inane tunes like “(How Much Is) That

Pamela Fiori, former editor in chief of Town & Country, gets joyful therapy from an eclectic range of tunes. Here, she shares the soundtrack of her life.

Fiori’s playlist includes lullabies, rock ’n’ roll, modern jazz, baroque and the blues.

Doggie In the Window.” With the advent of long-playing records (LPs) and hi-fi and stereo systems, the landscape markedly improved. By then, my parents were buying albums by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. I remember hearing Sinatra crooning, “I’ve Got the World on a String,” arranged by the brilliant Nelson Riddle, and memorizing every line. Imagine an 8-year-old kid belting out “What a world, what a life, I’m in love!”

Early in the 1950s, my grandmother took me to see The Wizard of Oz (originally released in 1939) at a movie theater. The score is forever in my heart. My sister and I committed the lyrics and some of the famous lines (“I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too”) to memory. At family gatherings and to my parents’ utter embarrassment, we’d perform to eyes rolling.

Enter Elvis, rock ’n’ roll and doo-wop in the late ’50s. As soon as school let out, I’d rush home to watch American Bandstand with its host, Dick Clark, and a bunch of teenagers from Philadelphia dancing to the Shirelles

A later fling with opera and classical music enhanced my listening repertoire, so these days there isn’t much I won’t listen to. Confession: I am not a Wagner fan and while I like dissonance, I wince when I hear anything too discordant.

In my opinion, the best radio station for classical music is WQXR. I have the app, am a longtime monthly sustaining member and wake up to it every single morning. The hosts are dedicated, sometimes funny and have exquisite taste. Even the occasional fundraisers are bearable because the team is having a good time.

That brings me to the here and now. Like many people, I regularly tune in to Pandora, sometimes Spotify and Amazon on a regular basis. I have Sonos speakers, several pairs of earbuds and large noise-canceling headphones. My online library is extensive, so don’t expect me to call out to Alexa for sentimental reasons. I often turn on YouTube to watch favorite videos and just signed up for “Jazz Live,” Jazz at Lincoln Center’s new video app for an annual fee of $99.99, which is less than an orchestra ticket.

My go-to for the season is A Charlie Brown Christmas, played by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. I light up to Leonard Bernstein’s overture to Candide and weep over “Somewhere (There’s a Place for Us)” from West Side Story.

(“I Met Him On a Sunday”), Danny & the Juniors (“Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay”) and Chubby Checker urging us to “Twist again like we did last summer.” OK, I’m dating myself. But it was none other than Dick Clark who coined the phrase “Music is the soundtrack of our lives.” It certainly became mine.

By the 1960s, Motown, the Beatles, the Beach Boys and a new Brazilian sound called bossa nova had swept in. It was also my introduction to jazz, thanks to a boyfriend who played the saxophone (sort of) and waited tables on weekends at the Five Spot Café in Greenwich Village, where the hipper-than-thou pianist and composer Thelonious Monk held court.

I was enthralled by it all, but it was my obsession with jazz that deepened, leading to attending late-night jam sessions in overcrowded downtown clubs and eventually— years later—to a seat on the Board of Jazz at Lincoln Center, headed by the incomparable Wynton Marsalis. I even took piano lessons for about 10 years in the late 1980s to learn how to play chords and read from what’s called a “fake book.” My teacher was superb, despite one irritating flaw: He was an ultra-right-wing conservative who worshipped Rush Limbaugh. But as soon as he sat at the keyboard, he became Erroll Garner or Oscar Peterson.

As for music’s ability to console, when my husband died two years ago, I turned to what we considered “our songs” (especially the Gershwins’ “Love Is Here to Stay).” Miraculously, music got me through, as it has for so many in mourning.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, my go-to for the season is the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas, composed and played by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Two of my favorite “place” songs are “April in Paris” (sung by Dinah Shore, accompanied by André Previn) and Billie Holiday’s rendition of “Autumn in New York.” Both were written by Vernon Duke (real name: Vladimir Dukelsky). I light up to Leonard Bernstein’s overture to Candide and weep over “Somewhere (There’s a Place for Us)” from West Side Story

If it seems as if I’m way too “back there” for some of you Purists, then so be it. I don’t apologize for my preferences, and neither should you. Yes, music can bring us together— at a Broadway show, a concert, an opera or a fireworks display. It can also tear us apart “(Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” or “Earth, Wind & Fire’s “After the Love Has Gone”). Sometimes, it’s best experienced when all alone. No matter. Listen to what pleases, pacifies or ignites you. Silence may be golden, but music is magic— and the world’s best medicine.

NOTE FOR NOTE

For 60 years, two buddies were equally matched in their love of jazz.

BY DIMITRI EHRLICH

My father and Mike had been friends for as long as I could remember. They met long before I was born, at a party in New York City some time in the early 1960s, and started a close friendship that lasted 60 years. Like my father, Mike was raised in Queens in the 1930s, but their similarities ended there. Unlike my dad, Mike was a great raconteur, a quality that came in handy in his career as a college professor. For many years, he taught courses on American history and culture; jazz was his favorite topic. His eyes would light up as he talked about the great jazz drummers of the 1940s. He was more than just a fan. The music inhabited Mike as much as he inhabited it.

My father was also more than a casual fan. When he was a teenager, he had a swing band called Milt Edwards and His Orchestra; they wore matching uniforms and had matching bandstands and would play the hit parade by Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman and Harry James at bars and clubs all over New York. The two men went to garage sales every weekend, and in the years before GPS, would plan their route carefully on a paper map. Decades later, as an adult, when I came home to visit my parents on a weekend, Mike would be there at 9AM every Saturday morning, ready to hit the sales.

A few years ago, Mike’s memory started to go. It began with little things, but soon he couldn’t remember even the most basic facts, and it was clear something was wrong. My father and he continued their garage sale expeditions, but then the pandemic hit, and Mike’s cognitive decline continued to get progressively worse. To replace their weekly garage sale outings, every Saturday, my father would call Mike up and play him their favorite songs—the music of the 1940s, with selections that ranged from Dean Martin and the Andrews Sisters to Duke Ellington and Sarah

My father would play DJ, inserting CDs into a stereo and then blasting the music at a volume that shook the entire house. After my mom died last year, this weekly ritual with Mike became one of the last close personal connections in my father’s life. He was fiercely devoted to that one hour a week. Mike and he only exchanged a few words between the songs; mainly they just listened to the music together, my father selecting the music and playing it over the phone as a small gift—the gift of time, of caring for another person.

A few weeks ago, while my father was playing his weekly selection of jazz for Mike, I happened to pop into the room and shot a few fleeting seconds of video on my iPhone and posted it to Instagram. My account (@dimitriehrlich) is mainly for family and friends; a typical post might garner 20 or 30 views. But this video was different. As of this writing, it’s been seen over 100,000 times on my account and over 3 million times in various reposts. At the age of 90, my father had gone viral.

What I didn’t know was that video would be the last time my father played music for his friend. Mike died a few days later, and with him, a library of stories about the best places to eat in Little Italy, about the saxophonist Mezz Mezzrow and the cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, about the things you could buy for a nickel at Coney Island. But that light in Mike’s eyes when he talked about the music, burning brighter than the tip of an unfiltered Pall Mall, that light has not been extinguished. It lives on in memory, and in the echo of the records my father used to play.

Vaughan. Even though by that time Mike was having a hard time remembering what happened yesterday, the music always transported him. He could sing along with lyrics and remember melodies from music that was 75 years old.

Music comforts with its power to transport.

LIFE SAVER

Award-winning financial adviser Joe Colombo of Charter Oak Financial weighs in on why securing life insurance is especially crucial for high-net-worth individuals.

PURIST: Only 54 percent of adults in America have life insurance. Why is this percentage so low?

JOE COLOMBO: Mostly due to many thinking that life insurance is too expensive, and they do not know what life insurance can do.

PURIST: Most people purchase life insurance to cover burial costs and final expenses, allow a surviving family to pay off a mortgage, and replace income lost by the death of a family’s primary earner. What are other reasons and good uses for life insurance?

JC: In a young person’s case, the problem is creating cash so their family can pay off a mortgage. For the older person, it is to conserve it. Much of my work is with individuals, families, and businesses whose net worth often exceeds $20,000,000.

PURIST: How do you help those individuals, families and businesses that are worth more than $20,000,000?

JC: Many of these clients are illiquid. Realize that part of what everyone owns is not theirs. It belongs to Uncle Sam. When a large estate is left, Uncle Sam expects his cut or percentage paid to him within nine months. To these clients, I do not necessarily sell life insurance. I am selling money. Life insurance is the only tool that takes pennies and guarantees dollars.

PURIST: How can a life insurance policy guarantee dollars that will only cost pennies?

JC: There are many types of life insurance policies. Term insurance is only temporary. A healthy 50-year-old can rent life insurance for as little as one-tenth of a cent per dollar. $1,000,000 of coverage would cost less than $1,000 per year. Permanent insurance for the same healthy 50-year-old would cost 1 penny per dollar per year. $1,000,000 coverage guaranteed for life would cost less than $10,000 annually.

PURIST: You mentioned that you help many wealthy clients who probably need more than $1,000,000 of life insurance. So, if a 50-year-old would like to buy $20,000,000 of permanent insurance, they would need to pay $200,000 per year? Is there a more efficient way to purchase large amounts of life insurance?

JC: With the help of specialists in this area, we can arrange for life insurance premiums to be financed by a bank. This reduces the client’s out-of-pocket costs. This strategy is called premium financed life insurance.

PURIST: Have you been doing this for a long time, and how many clients have you secured life insurance using this strategy?

JC: My team and I have been doing this for 10 years. We have secured insurance using this strategy for approximately 200 individuals/families as a group.

PURIST: Is there any risk to this type of transaction?

JC: There are always risks when you are leveraging to purchase something.

PURIST: Have any of the 200 transactions your team has been involved in not been successful?

JC: I am glad to say that we are well known for being a very conservative team of professionals, and we underpromise and over-deliver. All transactions that followed what was designed at inception are performing better than planned.

PURIST: Can you give us an example of a real-life case?

JC: Six years ago, a female client of ours, age 52 and in good health, was fortunate to have an inherited real estate portfolio. She wanted to make certain her children would have the proper liquidity to pay estate taxes when the portfolio passed to them. It was agreed that she should secure life Insurance to have a guaranteed death benefit that would provide for her children. This would eliminate any need to sell any property or refinance and take on any additional debt. Over the past five years, the client’s total cost to secure a lifetime guaranteed amount of $27,000,000 of life insurance has been $729,000. The strategy is guaranteed, and she has no additional charges in the future. She secured future money at a rate of 2.7 cents per dollar.

PURIST: How is it best for someone to get started with you and your team in strategizing what might be the best type of life insurance planning to meet their needs?

JC: It all starts with a phone call, or preferably a meeting in person.

PURIST: Do you charge fees ?

JC: No We consult and design risk management plans without fees. If our recommendations and solutions make sense, the carriers we select compensate us directly. We also get paid through referrals. If we’ve added value and earned the client’s trust, referrals are appreciated. That is how we grow our respective practices.

HE A LTH

Nourishing your body by eating clean is one of the best ways to live a balanced life. Check out thepuristonline.com for the best recipes to try this season.

Sage+Sound/Instagram and Joe Mortell

GRAND CONVERGENCE

At Well by Messer, evidence-based medicine meets a weight-loss spa and healthy-living emporium on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. BY

DIMITRI EHRLICH

Dr. Caroline K. Messer, an endocrinologist who works on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, had been practicing for more than a decade when she had an epiphany. As a specialist in disordered eating, Messer knew that one obstacle her patients faced was simply the inconvenience of the constellation of different specialists they needed to see. And so was born the idea of Well by Messer, a boutique wellness and weight-loss spa located on East 60th Street in New York City, where patients have access to a board-certified endocrinologist, registered dietitian nutritionist, psychologist and personal trainers—all under one spalike roof.

Messer’s vision was practical: She wanted her patients to have “an evidence-based medical practice where they can get continuous support rather than have to travel a long distance to reach a medical spa. I really believe the key to weight loss is continuity. But there’s no continuity if you’re flying to Arizona for two weeks.”

Well by Messer is focused on helping people who are struggling to lose weight, but also treats all endocrine issues, including low testosterone, diabetes and osteoporosis. “We provide a boutique medical experience,” says Messer, “in which the patient is first

evaluated by an endocrinologist who performs a full workup to determine any hormonal underpinnings of weight gain and rule out any medical complications behind it.”

This is not a one-sizefits-all approach, so after the patient and endocrinologist have determined whether bespoke medical prescriptions, cognitive behavioral therapy or other psychological interventions are appropriate, the in-house dietitian can craft a meal plan based on input from the endocrinologist.

The office offers both in-person and virtual personal training, as well as meditation, yoga and tai chi. But Messer’s guiding principle is results. “The word ‘wellness’ has been cheapened a little bit,” Messer says. “It now can be used to mean tinctures and infusions that aren’t necessarily indicated. When I say ‘wellness’ I mean low blood sugar, absence of fatty liver, normal reproductive hormone levels and preventive care, which is the essence of internal medicine and endocrinology. We treat the mind to treat the body, so we include meditation and other holistic modalities, but the methods are all evidence-based.” wellbymesser.com

An in-house dietitian creates specialized meal plans for Well by Messer clients.

SOUL PROVIDER

In his new book We Are All Addicts: The Soul’s Guide to Kicking Your Compulsions (Viva Editions), therapist Carder Stout, Ph.D., praises the power of spiritual practice for removing self-destructive thoughts and tendencies.

We have soul moments every day, even if we are not aware of them. Each time we look at something beautiful and are moved by its exquisite nature, we are connecting with the soul. During these instances of appreciation, give a brief nod to the soul— perhaps a simple thank-you. When you spend time with your children, your friends or your family and there is laughter, gratitude and authenticity, you are having a soul moment. Take a minute to reflect that glow back to the soul. When you feel your curiosity abounding and your mind expanding with thoughts of selfassurance and humility, your soul is present. Give your soul a quick hello. Improving your relationship with the soul, and sparking and continuing a dialogue with it, will fill you with a sense of belonging. As with anything else, if you incorporate this into your daily rituals, it will soon become a habit. Taking stock of these soul moments will help you become aware of how different they are from the ego moments. One springs from a nucleus of love, and the other from self-centered fear. Which do you prefer?

So why do so many refuse to acknowledge the soul’s existence, even as we reference it in common language all the time? Carl Jung wrote, “People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. They will practice Indian yoga and all its exercises, observe a strict regimen of diet, learn the literature of the whole world—all because they cannot get on with themselves and have not the slightest faith that anything useful could ever come out of their own souls.”

Because the ego is so dominant, it attempts to negate the existence of the soul in a competitive power grab. It tries to convince us that the soul is a figment of our

imagination. Our ego tells us that we must ignore our pain and rely on the mind to move rationally beyond our frailty. Unfortunately, the mind is not built with a healing function, and therefore we end up frustrated at our ineptitude at solving our own problems. Most of us have never even considered that we possess the ability to heal ourselves. Take a leap of faith with me: For a moment, choose to believe that the soul is real and has the ability to make your life infinitely better. Listen deeply. There is a voice inside you that is waiting for your acknowledgment. You may be surprised by what you hear.

You might find it curious that I am placing so much emphasis on the soul in a book about healing addiction. Maybe you find it naive to think that your addictions could be cured by fostering a relationship with the soul. Skepticism is a part of human nature, but it is expressly derived from the ego. The soul is grounded in a more optimistic point of view. I am a recovering addict. I have tried multiple different ways to address my obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions. I have endured several stints in rehab, completed eons of therapy and attended hundreds of 12-step meetings. I am an expert in the field of addiction—living it, treating it, writing about it. I have found that of all the resources available to me, my own are the most effective. Nurturing a relationship with my soul has removed all the self-destructive thoughts and tendencies from my psyche. Although other methods helped nudge me along the way, it was the development of my own spiritual practice that eliminated addiction from my mind and body. carderstout.com Excerpted with permission from We Are All Addicts: The Soul’s Guide to Kicking Your Compulsions (Viva Editions).

Soul moments spring from a nucleus of love.

Located on one of the most picturesque lanes in Nestled on a beautiful 3-acre hilltop lot in Amagansett, this stunning newly completed project provides privacy and opulence. With over 9,600 square feet of living space, including seven ensuite bedrooms, eight full baths, and two half baths, the design merges a bucolic idea with contemporary lines to produce an astonishing modern barn aesthetic. The proximity and convenience to the Village center and ocean beaches are balanced by the privacy and beauty provided by this unmatched gated property.

Jessica Vertullo

FAST COMPANY

“My line of work has given me exposure to some of the most intelligent and fascinating people—people who change the world,” says Maureen Stapleton, a Coldwell Banker Mason Morse global luxury real estate specialist based in Aspen/Snowmass. She isn’t bragging; she is being thankful for her dynamic clientele. Three years ago, one such client turned friend asked if Stapleton might be interested in traveling to an Arizona resort to do a [medically supervised] water cleanse together, for mutual support. Not quite ready to follow her friend’s full seven-day program, but intrigued by the potential health benefits of ingesting only water (while practicing meditation and doing light exercise), Stapleton committed to a shorter fast: “I agreed to drink water only for three days, while checking my blood pressure, blood oxygen and heart rate throughout the process,” she recalls. “The second day was the hardest!”

Going through six or seven glass liter bottles of spring water each day had unexpectedly positive results. “By the third day, I felt amazing: My mind felt so clear, I felt so light, like something really great was happening to me,” says Stapleton. “At that point, I said, I’m going to try for five days!” Staying calm and relaxed was key. Both travelers did light stretching and yoga, and enjoyed daily spa treatments. On day five, Stapleton decided to join her friend for the full seven-day fast “The minute after seven days were up, I said, ‘I’m done.’” Careful to break their fast in a healthy manner, the duo slowly transitioned back to

eating solid food. “We went to a restaurant and ordered bone broth. I also had some fresh papaya—which tasted so incredibly sweet! It was unbelievable how different things tasted.” After that, unhealthy foods (notably, packaged items) lost their appeal; a craving for nutritious liquid led Stapleton to purchase a juicer. These days, her favorite breakfast is a green blend of cucumber, spinach, ginger, lemon and celery: “I’m so addicted to my green juice in the morning!” she says.

Since that epic first fast, Stapleton has completed four more, and the natural high she’s felt after each one has impacted every aspect of her life: “It put me on a path of being really healthy. Now, in addition to hiking, I do the Lagree Method on the Megaformer—it’s like Pilates, but with a challenging twist.” The regimen also whetted her appetite for adventure: “I have traveled more this year than I have in the past 10 years: a spa stay in Switzerland, paddleboarding on Kauai, hiking in Croatia, digging my feet in the sand of Mexico, and I’m not usually a beach girl.”

The thirst for exciting experiences has positively impacted business, too. “Last year was my best year ever in Aspen real estate,” she adds, while getting ready to depart for a stay in St. Barts. “I closed well over $100 million in sales last year (2021), and this year looks to be equal...maybe better, with two career-best top-dollar sales in 2022. I can’t say this is all because of the water cleansing—but it has definitely empowered me to live my healthiest life.”

Aspen realtor Maureen Stapleton joined forces with a friend for a transformational water cleanse. BY JULIA SZABO

A medically supervised water fast, combined with yoga, can boost wellness.

It

s all in the DETAILS.

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santinistudio.com milan chicago aspen

A N E W PA R N T E R I N A R C H I T E C T U R E +

D E S I G N H A S A R R I V E D I N A S P E N .

DANCE TO DETOX

In her new book, Cure the Causes, Dr. Christina Rahm shares her invigorating approach to living a life of wellness based on cleansing and fortifying body and mind.

“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body; it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” —John F. Kennedy

Exercise is one of the best ways to deal with stress and other emotional and mental toxins, and it can be fun if you have the right approach. I have developed a fitness plan that I call “Dance to Detox.” These exercises target toxins that gather in our bodies that can cause physical, mental and emotional damage. If you think of exercise in the same way that you think of dancing, you will look forward to it and embrace it.

Your workouts don’t have to be long. Even 15 to 20 minutes a day can jump-start your metabolism and kick your body into high alert! As you rid your body of toxins through exercise, you will feel healthier and more active than you ever have.

The first exercise I recommend is a restorative yoga/ Pilates workout. This type of exercise helps to stretch your muscles. Stretching can reduce pressure and stress, which can give you more mental peace and clarity. A yoga/Pilates workout is a great way to practice self-care, as it provides relaxation as well as physical exercise. If you are feeling a bit run down mentally, physically or emotionally, this restorative workout can help you combat those feelings. It is extremely beneficial for your body. The stretches and light movement help improve circulation without putting too much stress on your body.

This is also a good workout to do if you do not want to engage in a more intense, complex training workout, but would still like to benefit from the physical exercise

and relaxation. You will feel your mood lift and your mind relax as you go through the movements.

Another exercise I recommend is rebounding. Rebounding is a low-impact exercise that is usually performed on a rebounder, a device that is like a mini trampoline. Rebounding is extremely beneficial for your health as it supports the proper functioning of all internal organs. When you jump on a rebounder, you are working against gravitational pull. When you land, the cells in your body contract, which helps them get rid of waste. Increased circulation during this type of exercise provides your cells with oxygen and nutrients from your bloodstream.

The motion of a rebounding workout also activates the lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs that help rid the body of toxins. The lymphatic system also transports lymph, a fluid that contains infection-fighting white blood cells, throughout the body. Substances that are bad for your body, such as heavy metals and other toxins, get thrown out through the lymphatic system. Blood is pumped through your body by your heart. The lymphatic system does not have an organ that provides this function. It requires active movement to start the flow of lymph. Human beings have more lymph in their bodies than blood.

In addition to exercise, meditation is another way of relaxing your mind and detoxifying your body. The combination of meditation and exercise will have you dancing your way to detox in no time. Cure the Causes is available on amazon.com; drchristinarahm.com

Annie Spratt; book jacket courtesy Christina Rahm

Fifteen to 20 minutes of exercise a day can jump-start the metabolism.

Artist’s conceptual rendering. All information subject to change. Presented by Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate.

SAGE ADVICE

A thoughtfully curated new wellness destination opens on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

BY ANNELISE PETERSON

Revitalize mind and body at Sage + Sound, NYC’s self-care central.

Founded by Lacey Tisch and Lauren Zucker, Sage + Sound, a 5,000-square-foot mecca for mindfulness on New York City’s Upper East Side, curates the best in class of everything, from products to practitioners, and from healers to health food. “I always knew where to drop in to work out my body,” says Zucker. “What I was looking for— and what Lacey and I really connected on—was finding the same type of place to focus on self-care.”

Featuring facials by Tracie Martyn and Osmosis Beauty, Biologique Recherche treatments, acupuncture by Paul Kempisty, IMD Beauty Spa lymphatic massages, and eyebrow therapy by celebrity artist Paulo Siqueira as well as a Sundays nontoxic nail studio offering a “meditative manicure experience,” Sage + Sound aspires to bring more than just colorful hands and shapely brows to Manhattan. Furthering its commitment to physical as well as mental fitness, Sage + Sound Study hosts five to seven classes a day in The Study, a space dedicated to mindfulness practices under the leadership of program director Ryan Haddon. Sage + Sound also entrusted the most on-trend

fashion label, La Ligne, to design its staff ensembles. Restaurateur Lisle Richards has made Sage + Sound home sweet home to his latest culinary adventure, Isle of Us market cafe. Offering wholesome and nourishing made-to-order and prepared foods, along with a rotating selection of house-made pantry provisions, Isle of Us prides itself on the principles of health, conscious living and sustainability. The elegant yet playful space, designed by Nicholas Obeid, encourages convivial conversation around food. After all, self-care doesn’t have to be a (completely) serious endeavor.

In a world with ever-increasing demands on time and attention, well-being must be an intentional practice. Finding an hour and the space to nurture physical, emotional and spiritual needs replenishes one’s personal resources, builds resilience in the face of life’s challenges and sends a subconscious message about self-worth. All beings deserve love—an empowering mantra for family, friends, community and the planet. Let it begin…on 84th Street and Third Avenue. sage-sound.com

CIRCADIAN MEDICINE

Dr. Reuben Chen details five ways that circadian medicine promotes optimal body functioning around the clock.

Circadian medicine is an emerging field focused on the interplay between circadian rhythms and health. Research is in its infancy, but the evidence is already overwhelming— disruption of natural biological rhythms can contribute to disease. Clinical studies show that alteration of the biological clock may increase inflammation, raise cholesterol levels, disrupt the gut microbiome, promote tumor growth and cause premature aging.

To keep your fitness clock ticking, here are five hacks from board-certified physician and pain management expert Dr. Reuben Chen:

1 Know Your Chronotype. You’re probably already aware of whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, although most people fall somewhere in between. These aren’t simply preferences; rather, they’re biological. Along the spectrum of these two polar opposite chronotypes, people have different times for peak alertness, body temperature, melatonin secretion, and cortisol levels. The morningness-eveningness questionnaire is the gold standard for chronotype identification.

2 Your Job Should Revolve Around Your Rhythms, Not the Other Way Around. Most night owls have had the boss who is an early bird and wants to schedule a meeting at 8AM. And we drag ourselves, bleary-eyed, to the meeting, knowing that productivity isn’t in the cards. The good news is that Generation Z has heralded a new work ethic, where individual work styles are embraced. Talk to your company about adjusting your hours to match your biological clock. This is becoming more common as

asynchronous work becomes normalized.

Keeping a regular eating and exercise schedule promotes better sleep.

3 Wake Up and Choose Your Own Ending. If you wake up raring to go, then early morning exercise or powering through some complex work is in order. If you can’t open your eyes, or that snooze button is your best friend, spend the first 30 to 60 minutes quietly meditating, doing pranayama or listening to relaxing music.

4 Your Biggest Meal Is Up to Your Biological Clock. For those who wake up ravenous, make breakfast your biggest meal and keep it well rounded—chock-full of protein, rich in fiber and heavy on nutrients. If you wake up with no appetite, grab a protein shake with some fruit and have your meals get more calorie-dense and complex as the day goes on.

5 Get Your Zeitgebers in Sync. A zeitgeber is a cue, such as light and temperature, that entrains your biological clock. If you’re an early bird, sleep with the shades open and let the natural light wake you up. If you’re a night owl, keep the shades drawn but use a full-spectrum light on a timer to begin to signal your body when it’s your natural waking time. For any type, make sure that your bedroom is cool to cold, as lower body temperatures promote deeper sleep. And keep your eating and exercise habits consistent. A schedule trains your body to know when to expect certain activities, which in turn primes the body for sleep.

Circadian medicine shows that the body is telling us how to function optimally. Once we listen and honor these rhythms, we’re taking another step on the path to wellness.

Ian Beckley

THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

In his new book, The Age-Proof Brain, Marc Milstein, Ph.D., makes a medical case for letting bygones be bygones.

If we can consciously create feelings of happiness and satisfaction, can we consciously let go of anger and resentment? Others may say or do things that intentionally or unintentionally hurt our feelings. We may ruminate on these negative thoughts and interactions, which releases cortisol. When our brain is chronically bathed in cortisol, this increases the stress response and can damage the brain. A resilient brain is protected against stress-induced changes to its structure and function. A practice called self-compassion and acceptance really works, and it’s being used in the real world. Here’s how to do it in three simple steps:

1 Think of a person (or a pet) that you love Sit with that feeling for about five minutes.

2 Take that feeling of love for someone else and give it to yourself for about five minutes.

3 Take that feeling of love and send it out to people you are upset with. Even if you have every right to be upset with them, send this feeling for about five minutes.

You might be wondering why a practice called selfcompassion includes Step 3. Why should you send good

Practicing self-compassion and acceptance keeps the brain resilient against stress.

feelings to someone you’re upset with when you have every right to be angry at them? Well, have you ever heard the expression “Forgiveness is for you, not them”? That statement has real credence in brain science. A constant state of anger can damage the brain due to the chronic release of hormones such as cortisol. It is important to take a moment and not only forgive yourself, but also forgive others if you are holding onto anger.

Of the three steps, though, researchers found that Step 2 was the most likely to be skipped. Participants said they could cultivate a feeling of love and send it to someone who had hurt them or with whom they were angry, but when it came to giving themselves the feeling of love, the responses ranged from discomfort to disgust. We tend to focus on everything we do wrong and not what we are doing right; we need to be kinder to ourselves. Vitally, though, those who skipped Step 2 did not show as resilient a brain in the scans.

Excerpted with permission from The Age-Proof Brain; BenBella Books. drmarcmilstein.com

“Doug’s market knowledge in the highly dynamic Aspen market is unparalleled.

I have bought and sold assets with him over the years, and his guidance has been essential in making highly accretive investments. In addition, Doug’s demeanor always makes him a complete pleasure to work with.”

- Vann Avedisian

Sustainability and beauty are tenets of a mirrored home in Pound Ridge, New York.

Peter Aaron for Esto

Photographics

REFLECTED GLORY

A mirrored home in Pound Ridge brings out the best in its architect, builder, residents and environment. BY JIM SERVIN

The exterior of the home is polished stainless steel.

“They are great, adventurous clients,” says Jack Truman, president of Prutting & Company, who supervised the building of a 5,250-square-foot mirrored home nestled in a 33-acre forested enclave in Pound Ridge, New York. “They hired professionals to design a piece of art, and that’s what they got. It’s functional from the interior, and sculptural from the exterior.”

Six years in the making, the south-facing abode was planned with exquisite care, with equal regard for comfort, sustainability and minimal environmental impact. “There was a real push to build an energy-efficient building with triple-pane windows and a geothermal system—a highly efficient energy envelope,” says Truman.

The clients, a couple with grown children, loved the rocky outcroppings strewn across the property, boulders that have existed “from time immemorial,” says architect Jason E. Smith of the award-winning Philadelphia firm KieranTimberlake. But the terrain posed serious construction challenges. “With wetlands and steep slopes,” says Smith, “not much of the site was developable.” Architect, builder and clients eventually settled on a portion of the property just below a ridge, where glacial outcroppings reach a moment of flatness.

Into this space, three 24- x 60-foot structural volumes, insulated panels of zinc-coated copper, polished stainless

Peter Aaron for Esto

Photographics

Concrete slab floors continually radiate heat into the house.

Between vertical windows, gallery panels display art.

steel and glass were placed—a single story for kitchen, living room, dining room and outdoor terrace, and a double-height enclosure for bedrooms atop a garage, workshop and wine cellar. The panels were assembled off-site and then dropped onto the foundation by a small crane, “rather than having 25 guys out there with nail guns and two-by-fours,” says Smith. “A lot of modern homes fight the land. They want to assert dominance over it. This is a different approach. We asked, ‘What can we do to work with the land?’”

The design of the house, elegant in its simplicity, displays a mirrored facade of highly polished stainless steel, eye-catching and chameleon-like. “When it’s a fall day, the house becomes brilliant in crimson and orange,” says Smith. “When it’s snowy, the home disappears into

the snowscape.” The largely white oak interior—floors, windows, ceilings—exudes low-key, natural calm. Windows are strategically oriented to make the best use of sunshine, “and the warm wood interior reflects a lot of that light,” says Smith.

Over time, the property has responded to the care extended to it, the mindful restoration of natural vegetation that includes shade-loving perennials, ferns and a moss garden. “The site is still overwhelmingly forested. When you visit it, your first order of appreciation, no matter how much you love architecture, is of the forest canopy and the rocks,” says Smith. “The land is healthier now than it was before the home was built. When you can build on a site like this and restore the health of the landscape, you’ve done it all.”

A house grown from rocks was the vision of clients and architect. Peter Aaron for Esto Photographics

The 33-acre site is covered in maple, oak and birch trees.

“A lot of modern homes fight the land,” says architect Jason E. Smith. “We asked, ‘What can we do to work with the land?’”

HOME BASE

Aura sets new standards for responsible mountain living in Snowmass Base Village.

BY LINDA HAYES

Think luxury accommodations in Colorado mountain resorts these days, and what comes to mind? Floor-to-ceiling windows, top-of-the-line appliances, and of course, ski-in, ski-out locales.

Aura, a collection of 21 private residences set along the Assay Hill ski trail at the edge of Snowmass Base Village (SBV), takes amenities and practices further with a near- unprecedented mix of biophilic design, all-electric strategies, and mass timber construction, offering what’s touted as the next generation of luxury living experiences. “It’s a most special property for this type of exclusive, ultra-high-end residential project, combining the guiding pillars of health, sustainability and luxury living,” explains Andy Gunion, Colorado-based real estate development company East West Partners managing partner for Snowmass and the Roaring Fork Valley. “Aura residences will not only feel good to live in, but will be a home that you can feel really good about owning.”

Designed by two Denver-based firms, 4240 Architecture and interior design studio River + Lime, which specialize in high-end mountain resorts (4240 also designed One Snowmass in SBV; both firms are involved with the in-process Electric Pass Lodge there), Aura’s appeal is both obvious and subliminal. Visually striking, the mass timber exterior also

speaks to sustainability, generating lower carbon emissions in production than steel or concrete, and helping to blend the five-story building into the surrounding environment.

Biophilic design features, such as large operable window walls and expansive terraces, encourage natural light into the interiors and offer a connection to the natural surroundings. Wood ceilings, beams and columns further that connection and help create a calming interior aesthetic. Powering the all-electric building 100 percent by renewable energy (primarily through local Holy Cross Energy’s PuRE program) helps mitigate carbon emissions as well. LEED Gold Certification is being sought for the building.

In the style of single-family homes, residences feature four- and five-bedroom options, with one bedroom in each designed as a flex space that may be customized for uses such as an office, media room or game room. While residences are sold unfurnished, recommendations for local designers are available. Furthering ownership advantages, amenities range from ski lockers, concierge service to the indoor-outdoor Aura Lounge and a private outdoor oasis known as the Aura Grotto.

Completion is set for summer of 2024. Prices range from $8 million to $12 million. 970.924.9100, aurasnowmass.com

The ski-in, ski-out Aura residences are powered by renewable energy.

ROOM TO RENOVATE

“My husband and I quit our jobs at the same time in 2019,” says Chiara Santini, founder and creative director of interior design firm Santini Studio. “We were both having midlife crises, but instead of buying a Porsche, we started our own companies.” An architect, Santini was thriving professionally in Chicago as a design director, but she wanted more creative control and the chance to build something for herself, so she gave her notice and took a leap into the unknown. She opened her eponymous company at the end of 2019—right before COVID hit—but the fledgling firm weathered the early disruptive months of the pandemic, thanks to Santini’s strong business relationships.

In the summer of 2020, Santini and her husband escaped to Aspen for a week of hiking. “I grew up in the Italian Alps. I love Chicago, but it’s really flat land,” she notes with a laugh. “When we were in Aspen, we agreed that it would be nice to have a business here, so we could come more often.” And just like that, Santini Studio bought a small design-build firm in the valley, rebranded it and started working for clients on renovation projects.

“The smaller projects gave us the credibility to win bigger projects,” Santini says. “Now, we’re working on the renovation of a 12,000-square-foot home, and we’re also working on a new construction house.” The Aspen builds have given the LEED-certified business a chance to find sustainable materials and solutions for their clients. “We work to educate our clients and show them that the sustainable choice

is also often the smart choice,” she says. “For example, reclaimed wood costs a little more, but it has already lived 50 to 60 years, so it has advantages in a climate like Aspen’s, and requires less maintenance over time.”

The firm’s Chicago projects, while wildly different from what they’re doing in Aspen, give Santini the chance to continue to flex her creative muscles. Her Chicago team, which includes two full-time Chicago-based designers, are working on hospitality projects that include a 220room hotel as well as a mixed-use building that includes two condos and a ground-floor restaurant. Plus, Santini has a once-in-a-lifetime project to restore a house built by Frank Lloyd Wright’s firm after his death and design Prairiestyle interior furnishings for the home. “The clients want an integrated approach so the interior and exterior go together,” she says. “It’s what Frank Lloyd Wright did when he designed a house, and they’d like us to restore those original, but lost, features.”

Growing up with a father who was an architect, Santini was perhaps destined to someday own her own firm, but she recognizes that taking that leap isn’t always easy. “I wouldn’t recommend that a couple quit at the same time because it’s a lot of stress,” she admits. “But we’re happy and we’re closer now than we were three years ago because we decided to take this adventure together. We’re both really proud of what we have each accomplished.” santinistudio.com

In

need of major life changes,

architect Chiara Santini rebuilt herself, personally and professionally. BY LAURA HINE

Santini Studio prioritizes sustainable design choices.

PURE PROPERTY

A 6-bedroom on Artist Colony Lane in Southampton Village sits on just over an acre on a tree-lined cul-desac. Built by noted architect Arthur Fraser as his personal residence, it’s been renovated with every modern convenience. Over 6,600 square feet on three levels, it includes a highceilinged living room with a woodburning fireplace, an open gourmet kitchen with a large center island bar and a family room with fireplace and breakfast nook. The pergola-covered bluestone patio is ideal for dining and year-round entertaining and the finished lower level features a large rec room, media room, wine room and an attached two-car garage. Grounds were landscaped by Marders, with specimen trees and hedges offering

From top: Chris Foster, Courtesy of Corcoran

From a waterfront estate on Shelter Island to a ski-in, ski-out abode in Aspen, these are homes for all seasons. BY NANCY KANE

2 Charlies Lane, Shelter Island

17 Dering Lane, East Hampton

complete privacy. With Martha Gundersen and Paul Brennan of Douglas Elliman, asking $8,495,000.

Corcoran’s Gary DePersia has a stunning waterfront estate with a dock and bayfront on Shelter Island, at 2 Charlies Lane on West Neck Harbor. The address is a water-lover’s dream, with a bulkheaded bayfront on protected waters. The gated compound features a home originally designed by Bertrand Goldberg, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright. Now rebuilt and expanded by architect David Schefer, the 6,000-square-foot home features six bedrooms and four bathrooms, as well as heated stone floors, a mahogany ceiling and a stone fireplace. A secluded primary wing offers water views; there is also a media room, a gym, a heated pool, a twocar garage and patios that take in the bay. An underground cistern cultivates an organic landscape and supports the natural surroundings—including a bayside gravel garden and a beach

sand firepit. Asking $13,950,000. New builds offer a house hunter all the bells and whistles. Currently in preconstruction, the 7-bedroom,

8.5-bathroom postmodern from Talo Builders at 17 Dering Lane in East Hampton features front and rear porches, a great room, a gourmet kitchen with a wine room and a butler’s pantry, a formal dining room, a sunroom and a lavish primary suite. A lower level will include two more guest suites, and an area perfectly suited for a media room or a gym. The property sits on over an acre in a tennis community. Michael DeSario at Corcoran has the listing, asking $6,995,000.

If skiing or hiking right outside your door on the best trails Aspen has to offer is what you’ve got in mind, look no further than Jennifer Engel of Douglas Elliman’s listing at 30 South Willow Court in Maroon Creek Club. Asking $19,700,000, the home offers views of Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Tiehack on Buttermilk Mountain. The newly renovated five-bedroom home is bright and contemporary, with upgrades that include expanded upper and lower backyard patios and decks, refinished wood surfaces and new mechanicals that make for a stress-free, turnkey move-in.

Courtesy of Douglas Elliman Real Estate

30 South Willow Court, Aspen

3 Artist Colony Lane, Southampton Village

Use organic and natural ingredients for optimal skin care results.

David Bartus

RITUAL CARE

With its latest key ingredient, Aspen bark, Antedotum delivers a sunscreen to transform daily skin regimens.

BY PRIYANKA KUMAR

A forerunner in the skin care industry for its use of transformative ingredients, Antedotum provides plant-powered products that are both holistic and backed by science.

Karina Perez-Marconi, founder and CEO of Antedotum, grew up in Puerto Rico, observing her elders’ rich beauty traditions and how they took pride in even the simplest daily routines. Fast-forward to her years living in Paris, where she saw how French women defined effortless beauty. After returning to the United States, she was fortunate to work for Chanel and be a part of a brand that’s defined by its timeless elegance. Ultimately, she learned that there was a need for a new type of beauty regimen that was simple and transparent, that combined the power of tradition and science.

Antedotum uses minimal but potent ingredients. It looks to flora for key

Antedotum’s Essential Daily Sunscreen contains Aspen bark & zinc.

ingredients that were used by the Ute Native Americans, one of Colorado’s Indigenous tribal nations. In doing so, the brand discovered Aspen bark—an antidote to aging and unbalanced skin that has been used for everything from healing to sun protection. Aspen Bark Complex is one of the key ingredients in the line’s Essential Daily Sunscreen. This SPF 30 also has liquid crystals derived from olive extract, hydrolyzed pea protein and vitamin C. This lightweight sunscreen has an invisible finish and protects from both UV rays and blue light—the perfect daily sunscreen for hydration and protection.

“Antedotum offers a beauty routine that lines up with an active,family-focused lifestyle,” says Perez-Marconi. “Beauty that is effective, clean and absolutely gorgeous; something that provides joy as it is applied.”

It’s an antidote with the highest efficacy and without compromise. antedotum.com

From top: Courtesy of Antedotum; Kristin L Gray Photography

Karina Perez-Marconi

REFRESHED AND RENEWED

Regenerative living is the basis of Furtuna Skin, a highly potent beauty brand with roots in Sicily. Furtuna Skin co-founder and CEO Kim Walls tells Purist about the restorative, strengthening power of organic extra-virgin olive oil. BY CRISTINA CUOMO

CRISTINA CUOMO: You’re at the forefront of regenerative farming and beauty. Tell me about how you founded Furtuna Skin, and the Sicilian farm from which you extract all of your amazing ingredients.

KIM WALLS: Regeneration has been around for a long time in agriculture but is new to the beauty industry. If you think about sustainability, it’s earth-focused, whereas regeneration encompasses community, animals and heritage. Agatha Relota Luczo and I co-founded the company five years ago after she and her husband, Steve, purchased an 800-plus acre parcel of rich, organic land in Sicily that had been his grandmother’s original home. There’s more biodiversity in Sicily than almost anywhere in the world, and this particular land is home to thousands of wildly potent botanicals and centuriesold olive trees, so it is a crucial area that needs protection and care. Through our mission to create highperformance skin care that protects the biodiversity, animals, communities and heritage of our land, we’ve been able to revive it and rejuvenate the local economy.

CC: One of Furtuna’s hero ingredients is EVOO. What are its benefits?

KW: Olive oil and olive leaf water are very much the hearts of the brand and the bases of our formulas. Olive oil is packed with a beauty arsenal of ingredients, including powerful antioxidants, phenols and vitamin E, to help protect against environmental aggressors and soothe skin damage caused by free radicals. To further enhance our EVOO as a skin care

ingredient, we infuse it with a specially crafted blend of wild foraged medicinal plants using our signature Soundbath method. The result is the high-performance skin care formulas that we are known and loved for.

CC: Furtuna Skin’s approach to aging is unique in the beauty industry—can you tell us about that?

KW: It’s connected to the idea of regeneration and longevity. If you’re

not aging, you’re not living! When we think about the skin exclusively as a surface area and not as part of the more extensive system of the body, we’re limiting our potential to glow. Our approach is to think about it comprehensively, which is why we recently launched our extra-virgin olive oil ingestible, LXR06. This is taken internally to help balance the microbiome, reduce inflammation and create a better ability for the body to absorb crucial nutrients.

CC: What does the name Furtuna Skin mean?

KW: Steve’s grandfather would toast “Buona Fortuna,” which meant different versions of things like good journey, good health and may all good fortunes go with you. It was important to Agatha and me to draw a thread through that history, to celebrate it.

CC: What order do you apply these products, and how often?

KW: All our products are intended to be used daily and are multipurpose, giving you the peak nutrients your skin needs in fewer steps. For example, our bestselling Transformation Set contains three products that deliver the results of a modern 10-plus step skin care routine. It includes our Micellar Cleansing Essence—a tripurpose formula that gently cleanses, tones and nourishes skin—and our Face & Eye Serum, a multitasking serum that visibly lifts and protects skin and evens tone. The final product is our awardwinning Biphase Moisturizing Oil, which replenishes skin moisture and provides a luminous glow. furtunaskin.com

Due Alberi Biphase Moisturizing Oil

Rinascita Delle Olive Replenishing Balm

THANK

CLEARLY SPEAKING

While many people associate acne with puberty, it actually impacts the lives of up to 50 million Americans, young and old. For a condition so widely known to take a toll on both the physical and emotional aspects of sufferers, a safe, prescription-free solution seemed way overdue.

patients with skin sensitive to topical therapies and those who want to avoid oral medications, such as antibiotics or isotretinoin for long periods of time.

“AviClear has been proven safe and effective for all skin types and skin tones with a pain level rating scale of approximately three out of 10,” continues Dr. Frank.

AviClear laser treatment dramatically reduces acne and minimizes future breakout episodes.

This year, a breakthrough treatment finally arrived. Enter AviClear, the first-of-its-kind, FDA-cleared energy device offering a safe, prescription-free solution for the treatment of mild, moderate and severe acne. So how does it work? This innovative laser treatment selectively targets and suppresses the sebaceous glands, which produce sebum (the oily substance on the skin) that can cause and worsen breakouts.

“In addition to reducing existing acne, clinical trials show that AviClear minimizes future breakout episodes, making them shorter, less intense and more infrequent,” explains cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank. “The device is also effective in reducing red acne scars and overall oily skin.”

While many of those battling acne are on oral medication and prescription creams, AviClear is a great option for

Despite many options for acne, AviClear has set the gold standard in prescription-free acne treatment. “Unlike other options, AviClear gives doctors and their patients a prescription-free tool in their acne clearance arsenal, with results continuing to improve over time, demonstrating the treatment’s long-term efficacy,” says Dr. Frank.

As for results, the proof is in the data. Clinical data showed patients’ acne improved dramatically at three months and even more so at the six-month marker, after the last of three treatments. Given the safe, relatively painless experience surrounding this high-impact and possibly life-changing treatment, it’s safe to say that AviClear is slated to become the tool of choice in the battle against acne.

A new, first-of-its-kind technology is literally changing the faces, bodies and lives of those battling acne. Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank weighs in.

Newly Renovated

and Waiting for You!

This expansive Classic Seven Room Residence bathes in both southern and northern sunlight and enjoys city and skyline views throughout! Features four spacious bedrooms, four full proper bathrooms, an elegant formal dining room, a gorgeous windowed chef’s kitchen with stainless steel appliances, dishwasher, wine refrigerator, Bosch washer/dryer, fantastic counter space and cabinets. The primary bedroom offers a walk-in closet with a windowed en-suite bathroom. All of the bedrooms are separate from each other and enjoy en-suite bathrooms.

The Victorian is a meticulously maintained luxury cooperative built in 1963. The building is located near Central Park, elegant shopping and dining destinations. Residents enjoy an on-site parking garage, 24-hour doorman service, laundry and private storage space. Pieds-a-terre and co-purchasers are welcome. Pets under 60 pounds are allowed.

175 East 62nd Street, Apartment 15D. Offered for sale at $1,495,000 through Brown Harris Stevens

Louise Phillips Forbes

Lic. Assoc. R.E. Broker

E. lphillips@bhsusa.com O. 212-381-3329 C. 917-846-8640 louisephillipsforbes.com

virtually staged

Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales, LLC All information is from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, prior sale or withdrawal without notice. No representation is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate and all information should be confirmed by customer. All rights to content, photographs and graphics reserved to Broker. Broker supports Fair Housing and Equal Housing Opportunities.

“Your home is the base upon which the rest of your life is built.”

virtually staged

virtually staged

PURE PICKS

Hair guru Valery Joseph, who opened the latest outpost of his high-end salon in Miami’s Design District in 2021, shares his favorite hair care and lifestyle mainstays.

“My favorite men’s perfume, made from grapefruit, cedar and shiso. It’s not overpowering and it always gets me lots of compliments.”

Terre d’Hermès Parfum, $229, hermes.com

“My favorite designer and good friend. His pieces are extremely unique, edgy and unisex.” Yigal Azrouël, yigal-azrouel.com

“This unique formula helps fix damaged hair. It goes deep into the hair molecule with Smart Keratin, which targets damage, repairs it and nourishes it back to healthy, shiny-looking hair.” Heal mask and Heal shampoo, from $36, Long by Valery Joseph, amazon.com or at all Valery Joseph salons

“My salons have a very personalized approach, which creates a certain level of intimacy between the team and the clients. Our clients trust us to not only create beautiful hair, but also to be a part of their lives. We now serve them in New York, the Hamptons and Miami.”

Shop Valery Joseph at all Valery Joseph salons and on Amazon. NEW YORK: 25 Central Park West; 1044 Madison Ave. BRIDGEHAMPTON: 2454 Main St. MIAMI:140 North East 39th St., Suite PC208

“An amazing treatment that washes all the metals found naturally in water out of your hair. It stops hair breakage after the first use, and prevents color fade.” Metal Detox, $64, L’Oréal, available to purchase at all Valery Joseph salons

“My favorite tequila— I take it with one big cube of ice.” Clase Azul Tequila Reposado, from $120, Clase Azul México, drizly.com

“I love this dry shampoo.You can spray it right after a blow-dry to give it texture, or a day after to refresh your blowouts. It’s light, so it won’t wear your hair down, and it has a fresh scent.” Refresh Dry Shampoo, $30, Long by Valery Joseph, amazon.com or at all Valery Joseph salons

“Irresistible freshness of a bouquet of roses, sweetened with blackcurrant leaves.”

Baies/Berries candle 600g, $160, diptyqueparis.com

Courtesy of Valery Joseph

DR. LARISA GAITOUR: Certified Functional Medicine Physician. Dr. Gaitour holds Medical Doctor (MD) and Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) degrees, practicing a personalized root cause approach to the whole body using leading edge functional medicine lab testing, education, lifestyle management, and vibrational transformation to help build the foundation for true health and wellness.

DR. TIA TRIVISONNO: Naturopathic Physician and Licensed Acupuncturist. Dr. Trivisonno holds a doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine, a master of sciences in Chinese medicine, and has extensive training in biologic and Ayurvedic medicine. She is one of the most educated and sought after practitioners, and President of the New York Association of Naturopathic Physicians (NYANP).

DR. GERRY CURATOLA: Internationally renowned Biologic, Restorative, and Cosmetic Dentist. Dr. Curatola, established Rejuvenation Health as one of the first centers in the United States merging biologic dentistry, naturopathic medicine and cutting-edge wellness therapies in an integrative environment.

WE E K | E ND

Daily relaxation promotes mental health, reduces stress, boosts creativity and increases productivity.

FASHION INFUSION

Creative director of Hervé Léger and designer of his independent line AKNVAS, Copenhagen-born Christian Juul Nielsen pursues beauty, business and life’s simple pleasures. BY JIM SERVIN

PURIST: AKNVAS is known for its clean aesthetic. Does the minimalist approach contribute to wellness—feelings of order, strength, focus?

CHRISTIAN JUUL NIELSEN: Yes, I really think it does. I try to create clean yet creative frames around me, in everything from my designs to my office to my home. In the chaotic world we live in, it feels safe to protect yourself with simplicity.

PURIST: You spent many years living in Paris, doing couture, before moving to America. How do Parisians do wellness?

CJN: In Paris, wellness is found in cozy apartments. When working, the Parisians stay kind of hard and chic, but once at home they have warm, cozy apartments, creating zen and relaxed ambience, often supported by a good bottle of wine.

PURIST: Working on two labels simultaneously, how do you keep a balance, and stay fit and healthy?

CJN: To be honest, it is hard to keep a balance between two jobs, but I do my best. I usually work out in the morning, at least three times a week. I eat healthy, starting every morning with a selection of berries and a smoothie, whole grain and fiber-rich cereals. I walk to work, and try to drink a lot of water. However, I sometimes overdose on coffee and candy, but I try to keep that secret.

PURIST: You were born in Copenhagen. Much has been made in recent years of your birth country’s hygge movement—“the quality of being warm and comfortable that gives a feeling of happiness—a focus on the simple pleasures.” Are you a proponent of hygge?

CJN: I am 100 percent a proponent of hygge. I import Danish candles (ASP-Holmblad) to NYC, and burn several

every night. I love soft blankets and pillows. I love several sources of soft light in my living room. Relaxing and creating a cozy hygge atmosphere is key to reloading for me, ideally with a good book.

PURIST: Which of your many past associations in fashion (Christian Dior, John Galliano, Raf Simons, Oscar de la Renta, Hervé Léger, Nina Ricci) are influencing you today?

CJN: My latest runway was inspired by the artistic energy of Christian Lacroix. My drapings and romantic volumes were learned in my years working under John Galliano, and my sketching and development of modernity was taught by Raf Simons. Hervé Léger taught me about the universe of knitwear, which I have translated to a more Scandinavian and oversize vibe at AKNVAS.

PURIST: You’ve stated the importance of day-to-night functionality in your designs. What is the key to making a seamless, successful transition from day to night?

CJN: I love creating styles that can be worn to work, but dressed up for the evening by adding a high heel and lipstick. An example of this would be a mid-calf knit dress. You can wear it with sneakers or other flat shoes, but style it up with high heels at night. Voilà Desk to dinner.

PURIST: What are your wellness goals for today? This month? This year?

CJN: Today—sleep minimum nine hours, as I am jetlagged from my trip to London. This month—work hard to get through a very busy December, to then relax and reload in hygge Copenhagen, Denmark. This year, I will continue to focus on eating healthy, keeping my workout routines but also working harder on my skin care. aknvas.com; herveleger.com

From top: Martina Keenan, Hervé Léger by Kevin Sinclair

AKNVAS Olive open-back ruffled mini dress

Christian Juul Nielsen outfits a model in Hervé Léger.

SECOND SKIN

A bright outlook for fashionable UPF protective sunwear, designed to be worn in and out of water. BY JULIA SZABO

Filming was about to start on Ithaca, Meg Ryan’s directorial debut feature, in mid-July 2014. One of its cast members, actor Lois Robbins, was packing her bags in anticipation of the shoot near Richmond, Virginia, well known for its hot and humid summers. A lifelong sun worshipper and outdoors enthusiast, Robbins was also planning a family vacation in the Grand Canyon. But first, she paid a visit to her dermatologist, who had recently removed a basal cell carcinoma from Robbins’ lip.

The doctor delivered this decree: “You cannot be in the sun any more.” A stunned Robbins got through the movie shoot by “holding an umbrella over my head every time I was outside,” she recalls. As soon as filming wrapped, Robbins began researching chic ways to dress for sun protection, a search with “pretty bleak” results, she says. Then one night, Robbins bolted upright with this thought: “It would be really cool to have a catsuit and skirt made of soft, two-way stretch fabric with UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) 50+.” She called a friend skilled at sewing, and together

the duo turned out six of the ensembles Robbins envisioned, zip-front catsuits in six different patterns (including her favorite, spotted leopard), each with a matching wrap skirt. These quickdrying layering essentials, blocking 98 percent of the sun’s rays and designed to be worn in and out of the water, formed the nucleus of WATSKIN, the name intended to evoke the meeting of water and skin.

The collection now includes the original catsuit and skirt, plus bodysuits, pareos, even hats. The hood looks sleek worn up or down, while long sleeves cover the vulnerable skin on the wearer’s hands, thanks to the clever thumbhole (which, together with bold, colorful zippers, assures a second-skin, photo-finish fit that Instagrammers love).

“WATSKIN is so comfortable that when I wake up in the morning, I can’t think of anything I’d rather wear. That’s not a plug, it’s the truth,” says Robbins, who donates 5 percent of each purchase to the Melanoma Research Alliance. “I’m getting so much joy out of creating the sunsuits,” she adds.

“It’s a great new chapter.” watskinsunwear.com

WATSKIN’s stylish sunwear blocks 98 percent of the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Statement-making catsuits and skirts in leopard print with pops of color

SUITE LIFE

The corridor from Miami to Palm Beach has become higher end and more in demand than ever, but fortunately, new hotels are opening to accommodate the surge of travelers.

AKA West Palm

Booming West Palm Beach will get a new hotel this season, and it’s perfect for those seeking long-term stays. AKA, which opens in December, will have accommodations from studios to two bedrooms that are more like residences, complete with kitchens and washer-dryers. Outposts of popular local spots Egg Bar and The Blind Monk will be opening on the property. 695 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach; stayaka.com

Tideline Ocean Resort & Spa

A new management team has made for a more seamless experience at this popular spot. The tranquil spa uses YonKa and Biotone lines, and the infinity pool has just added a bar on Saturdays. The coastal cuisine restaurant Brandon’s overlooks the ocean, and there is a sushi bar, Mizu. 2842 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach; tidelineresort.com

AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Beach

A location just minutes to the Fort Lauderdale airport but still steps to the beach makes this new hotel ideal for a quick getaway. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the ocean or Intracoastal Waterway in most rooms, and the fitness center has an outdoor deck. Tapas can be enjoyed in the AC Lounge or at the pool area, and hydration stations with filtered water and refillable bottles are scattered around the property. For a quick tour of the area, hop on a complimentary bike. 3029 Alhambra St., Fort Lauderdale; marriott.com/en-us/hotels/fllaw-ac-hotel-fortlauderdale-beach/overview

Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort

A renovation has given this newly branded boutique hotel a vibrant atmosphere and art deco flair. Aquaphiles will warm to its location between the ocean and Intracoastal, as well as pools in the courtyard and on the rooftop. If swimming isn’t your fitness option, there is a gym, along

with yoga classes and complimentary yoga mats in each room. A new coastal Italian restaurant, La Fuga, has just opened, and the hotel is so pet friendly, the front desk will even provide amenities like water bowls, treats, leashes and waste bags. 2900 Riomar St., Fort Lauderdale; shorebreakfortlauderdale.com

Loews Coral Gables Hotel

A spa, pool with reservable cabanas, and fitness center with Pelotons are just part of the draw at the chic new sister of the famed South Beach resort. There are 23 luxury suites, including the Presidential, which boasts sweeping views all the way to Biscayne Bay. After sampling the signature dining room, Americana Kitchen, guests can step outside and enjoy the shops and restaurants at the newly developed The Plaza Coral Gables. 2950 Coconut Grove Drive, Coral Gables; loewshotels.com/coral-gables

Mayfair House Hotel & Garden

A two-year renovation has brought this spot to a new level, but the flourishing grounds still give it a bucolic feel—from the courtyard, filled with curated art and fountains, to the accommodations’ private terraces. Head to the pool for Caribbean food, drinks and live music. 3000 Florida Ave., Miami; mayfairhousemiami.com

Arlo Wynwood

The first hotel to open in the vibrant cultural district, this Meyer Davis-designed spot is a deal, with rooms starting at $239. The space has a modern industrial vibe, and features Brad Kilgore’s restaurant, MaryGold’s Florida Brasserie, as well as a bar with live music on weekends. 2217 NW Miami Ct., Miami; arlohotels.com

The Elser Hotel and Residences

The 49-story tower in downtown Miami is complete with a holistic spa and upcoming small plates restaurant by Jaguar Sun. A huge sundeck has water views, a 132-footlong pool, day beds, a large lawn and charcoal grills for guests’ use. 398 NE 5th St., Miami; theelserhotel.com

So many new places to rest and rejuvenate in South Florida.

BY BETH LANDMAN

AKA West Palm opens in December.

PALM BEACH CONFIDENTIAL

Where to get your wellness on this season, from top-tier dining to sumptuous new hotels and the ultimate spa pampering. BY

BETH LANDMAN

PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens was brought to a new level and reopened last winter after a $100 million renovation, but its spa has just reopened and it was worth the wait. The first spa designed by Venus Williams’ firm V Starr, the 40,000-square-foot space has 29 treatment rooms and an outdoor deck with therapeutic mineral pools featuring different salts and temperatures. pgaresort.com

Nearby, the Hilton West Palm Beach will feature yoga classes on its magnificent lawn, including once a month full moon sessions at 8PM. Locals as well as guests are welcome. hilton.com

Several restaurants are in the works to premiere at The Square, a complex developed by Related Southeast. Among the new entries are Felice, Sant Ambroeus’ more casual sibling (which is slated to open in the fall of 2023); Wall Street American grill Harry’s; and RPM Italian, Lettuce Entertain You’s first foray into Florida (at nearby Phillips Point). thesquarewestpalm.com

The Colony Hotel, above, features updated interiors by Sarah Wetenhall. Below, a classic pool at Hilton West Palm Beach

do in-room yoga classes, as well as order room service and other amenities at the touch of a few buttons. thebraziliancourt.com

Things will be festive at The Colony Hotel, not only because Aerin Lauder is once again providing the holiday decor, but it’s also the hotel’s 75th anniversary. Situated near the beach and Worth Avenue, The Colony has gone through an update this year that includes a room renovation as well as the opening of a seasonal shop by Dolce & Gabbana. thecolonypalmbeach.com

The Boca Raton, which underwent a massive renovation last year, has just overhauled its Tower building and has three new restaurants. Both the Italian dining room, Principessa, and the Japanese Bocce Club are partnerships with Major Food Group and designed by the Rockwell Group, and a more casual American spot, the Harbor House, is due in early winter. thebocaraton.com

Rick Wahlstedt, who is probably the only man congenial enough to manage being partners over the years with both Le Bilboquet’s Philippe Delgrange and Le Colonial’s Jean Denoyer, is opening an outpost of his famed, FrenchVietnamese-inspired Le Colonial on Delray Beach’s Atlantic Avenue in late January. lecolonial.com

The Chesterfield Hotel, long a Palm Beach staple, has closed its doors, but the property was taken over by the Oetker Collection, the brand behind Hôtel du Cap-EdenRoc, Le Bristol Paris and Eden Rock-St Barths. It will reopen late next year as The Vineta. oetkercollection.com

The Brazilian Court Palm Beach is now selling comfy and stylish BC-branded athletic wear and yoga mats, and the chic hotel has added bedside tablets, so that guests can

Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa has one of only eight five-star spas in Florida, and it has brought on cult favorite Biologique Recherche this year, along with a series of facials from that line. One treatment not to miss is the 24-karat Super Facial from Valmont, which improves elasticity and uses ultrasound and oxygen for the ultimate glow. eaupalmbeach.com

The Tammy Fender Holistic Spa that opened last season in Delray Beach’s Opal Grand is now offering Thai yoga massage, and meditative crystal light bed therapy to realign chakras. tammyfender.com

The Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort and Spa is also worth a visit for spa aficionados. This season’s new offerings include a detoxing lemongrass scrub and a hydrafacial with a gold mask finish. marriott.com

From top: Courtesy of The Colony Hotel; Courtesy of Hilton West Palm Beach

EDITOR’S PICKS

and lifestyle

“A winter fragrance, clean and fresh (no chemicals) that transports—like ‘Studied—A Room of One’s Own.’ A quiet morning indoors reading and daydreaming in a pool of sunlight.” Eau de Parfum, $165, Liis, liisfragrances.com

“This hemp oil literally rejuvenates skin cells overnight, giving an apparent morning glow.” Night Magic, $68, Prima, prima.co

“Dragon Hemp’s Reach combines Chinese herbs with the highest quality, single-sourced hemp from Abby Rockefeller’s farm in upstate New York. It gives me the energy my brain needs in the morning to wake up.” Reach, $45, Dragon Hemp, dragonhemp.com

“I put Sakara’s delicious chocolate powder in my coffee to eliminate bloating while keeping my digestion on point.” Metabolism Super Powder, from $45, use code PN_PURIST for a discount, Sakara, sakara.com

“This

“A great recovery balm for releasing tension.” Full Spectrum CBD Balm, $65, oHHo, weareohho.com

“These new brain-boosting gummies with lion’s mane work on cognition and improve memory and focus.” Brain Gummy, from $25, use code PURIST20 for a discount, Earth & Star, earthandstar.com

“The softest (and chicest) silk pajamas— custom designed for Via Coquina with a cool racer stripe.” Nigel Curtiss Women’s English Garden Silk Pajama Set with Stripe, $645, Nigel Curtiss, viacoquina.com

Foundational Face Mist, $48, S’eau Prima, seauprima.com

“This toxin-free fragrance

sense of smell with pungent florals of jasmine and Tunisian orange blossoms.” Amara, $565, Cultus Artem, cultusartem.com

enraptures the

hypochlorous acid spray soothes, protects and purifies the face throughout the day.”

Skin care essentials

favorites for this holiday season. BY CRISTINA CUOMO

“These are the perfect gifts for you or your loved ones.”

Properly primped at The Pink Paradise aka The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach at our Purist Retreat. Beach cover-up from Nieves Lavi (nieveslavi.com); Sandals from Manolo Blahnik, East Hampton. Hair by Julien Farel and his new PB salon (225 Royal Poinciana Way Suite #2 Palm Beach, FL 33480).

SOFT SURROUNDINGS

Slip into something luxurious and warm this winter—a cozy alpaca cape from a Hudson Valley farm. BY

ABBY TEGNELIA

In Aspen social circles, there’s a sign that winter is coming that’s as clear as cool, crisp air: the appearance of capes from Alicia Adams Alpaca all over town. But while the ultrasoft, incredibly luxe outerwear pieces are now ubiquitous— fashionable women prefer the capes to puffy coats when wanting a more elegant look—the company started with a production of baby clothes, a testament to just how soft this impeccably made alpaca fleece feels on the skin.

Adams and her husband, Daniel, moved to the Hudson Valley, New York, town of Millbrook from Germany in 2006 for a brand-new adventure: raising alpacas. After a few years of idyllic farm living—and caring for the alpacas’ fibers that had to be shorn yearly—Adams knew that the bags of soft material simply couldn’t go to waste.

“I am not a weaver or a knitter,” she says. “I had had a romantic fantasy when I was pregnant that I would knit, but my scarves came out looking like Swiss cheese.” So the then-mother of three went out scouting (a fourth child, a daughter, was born a few years later). After some trial and error, she headed to “the source”: Peru, the country of origin of her beloved alpacas. Now her precious upstate New York alpaca fiber is woven in talleres, Peruvian workshops, by artisans with generations of experience weaving the superfine fiber. The items are then sold in Adams’ flagship store in Millbrook, and the Aspen and Malibu Lifestyle stores, as well as in Comerford Collection in Bridgehampton, and French Presse in Amagansett.

Adams also works with interior designers including Martyn Lawrence Bullard; she outfits hotels such as Hampton Bays’ Canoe Place Inn & Cottages with her throws and runs a robust wholesale business, selling to over 200 stores.

“Alpaca is so tightly woven that it protects you from the cold and keeps you super warm,” she says. “The cape, or a super-duper chunky sweater, doesn’t feel heavy; it feels like it’s hugging you. All of our accessories are also popular—hats and scarves. Alpaca is super versatile.”

Adams advocates against fast fashion, and loves that her throws and staple clothing items are true investment pieces. “You can buy a throw as a shower gift for a baby, and watch the baby grow with it,” she says. “The baby is swaddled with it, then the mom uses it as she nurses—and then the child chooses to bring it to the dorm when going to college! If treated well, an alpaca item is long-lasting and can be passed on. No more buying five cheap sweaters that end up in the landfill. We have to stop that.”

The rare alpacas (who give birth only once a year) are also endearingly gentle on the environment. “Alpacas have pads versus hooves,” Adams says. “So when they’re grazing they’re not destroying the grass. They also nibble at roots, but don’t tear them out, like goats do. Their carbon footprint is pretty low—no big machines are used—and there’s not a lot of waste with the fiber. And they’re born in an array of colors, 22 of them, including ivory, black and brown.” aliciaadamsalpaca.com

Alicia Adams, top right, with her family in Aspen

EDITORS’ PICKS

Purist’s guide to the must-have holiday coffee-table books.

From the Hamptons to Costa Rica, a talented team of tour guides (including Michael Mundy, Barbara de Vries and Alastair Gordon) offer an insider’s look at the interiors and modernist aesthetic of master builders Barnes Coy Architects. Assembled in Light, The Houses of Barnes Coy Architects, by Alastair Gordon, published by Rizzoli USA; barnescoy.com

If you can’t spend a summer in Italia, this bellissima book truly is the next best thing to being there. Villeggiatura: Italian Summer Vacation by Cesare Cunaccia, published by Assouline; assouline.com

An owner’s-eye view of sublime residences created by the architectural dynamic duo of Brian Messana and Toby O’Rorke, whose minimalyet-inviting spaces define unpretentious glamour. Messana O’Rorke: Building Blocks, by Mayer Rus, published by Rizzoli New York; rizzoliusa.com

Cool covers are a specialty of the publisher responsible for this visual feast conjuring the Ibiza of Portugal. Comporta Bliss, by Carlos Souza and Charlene Shorto, published by Assouline; assouline.com

A marvelous maze, in three volumes, captures the creative soul of The Doors frontman Jim Morrison.

A Guide to the Labyrinth, by Jim Morrison, published by Genesis Publications; genesis-publications.com

Lifelong local Aerin Lauder delivers a lovely read about Palm Beach from her point of view as the style and image director of the cosmetics empire founded by her grandmother, Estée Lauder. Palm Beach, by Aerin Lauder, published by Assouline; assouline.com

From top left: Courtesy of Rizzoli, Assouline, Rizzoli, Assouline, Assouline, Genesis Publications

NEW ROMANCE

Take time to smell the roses, and the floral-infused chocolate, at The Quiet Botanist.

BY CAROLINE RUSSO

The Quiet Botanist is an enchanting, wild-crafted apothecary intertwining beauty, wellness and design. Founder Rebecca O’Donnell, former luxury beauty creative director (at Burberry, Laura Mercier and Estée Lauder, among others), curates meaningful goods and whimsical, foraged floral arrangements. Here, she reveals her brand’s new adventure, blending edible flowers in chocolate, perfectly timed for Valentine’s Day.

Tell us about The Quiet Botanist shop experience. I wanted the customer to experience beauty and appreciation without feeling the pressure to hurry or shop. The idea that our customers explore and discover at their own pace is quintessentially The Quiet Botanist. A special aspect of the store is that the lovely smell of the flowers travels out onto the street, enticing people to wander in.

How is working with botanicals meditative for you in today’s world?

It allows me to slow down and be truly present. Many of the botanicals also have healing properties. Lavender, for instance, is relaxing and stress-relieving. Working with my hands also allows my mind to

wander. The moments when I can arrange bouquets and shut out the noise of the world are super-generative and integral to the brand.

Describe your favorite botanical bath.

Having grown up in Australia near the beach, I feel a strong connection to water and comfort in the ocean. Living upstate, especially in the winter, means I’m only able to connect with water in the bath. Baths are incredibly healing; I take one at least twice a week to reset and detox. I love adding botanicals to the water for a medicinal soak; my go-to flowers are our organic calendula and rose. They’re anti-inflammatory and great for the skin. I put them in a muslin bag along with Murray River Salt from Australia and use the bag to steep the plants without making a mess in the tub However, if you’re up for the cleanup, soaking amid beautiful rose and calendula petals looks and feels quite luxurious!

What inspired you to create your new range of chocolates? I was inspired by our edible botanicals—organic flower petals, leaves and stems. Chocolate pairs so well with herbs and flowers that the possibilities were endless.

447 Warren St., Hudson, New York; thequietbotanist.com

The floral assortment on view at The Quiet Botanist

Chocolates inspired by the shop’s edible botanicals

V I B R A N T

BOB AND DAWN DAVIS PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN

“Giving leads to growth, advancement, flourishing and strengthened relationships.”

—Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson

’TIS THE GIVING SEASON

An essential part of human connection is giving. Giving leads to growth, advancement, flourishing and strengthened relationships. It’s something that we can all do year-round, but as we enter the “giving season” around the end of the year, it’s a great time to reflect on the true power of giving, for us and for others.

It’s important to give of your time, talents and treasures as a gesture of thoughtfulness to others. Sometimes, thoughtfully giving is the best remedy for stress or sadness, because it takes you outside of yourself. Giving and sharing your resources, time or talents can actually increase abundance, lower stress and infuse you with a deep sense of gratitude for the gifts in your life. But my best piece of advice for the giving season? Don’t aim too small.

I loved working as a doctor, but honestly, I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. In private practice, you can only see a finite number of patients a day, but I wanted to reach people in larger numbers. I realized that I was able to do the same thing in a different way through philanthropy. I’m honored to serve as vice chair at Gateway for Cancer Research, which is the only nonprofit organization that focuses exclusively on Phase I and Phase II clinical trials— early-stage research that serves as the proving grounds for innovative new approaches to cancer treatment. Working with Gateway has shown me how important it is to look

past your own expertise to find new and unexpected ways to change people’s lives.

The scientists we work with are on the cutting edge of cancer research. They’ve spent years, decades even, dedicated to specific treatment options, or types of cancer, or even a single symptom. I can’t design a trial for them, that’s not my area of expertise. But I can help that researcher get funding, and I can help sick people get access to those trials.

2022 has been a banner year for Gateway, and we’re thrilled about some of the innovative, groundbreaking trials that we’re supporting. This year alone, we plan to award nearly $9.7 million in grants and funding to trials doing incredible research in the fields of breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and more. October and November brought with them two of Gateway’s tentpole events—Vino con Stelle in Arizona, and our annual Cures Gala in Illinois—a truly wonderful way to kick off the giving season by celebrating the men and women who are changing the face of cancer research, as well as the doctors and patients whose lives we’re able to change. And we’re already looking ahead to April’s Gateway Celebrity Fight Night, where we will continue to raise funds for this crucially important research. That’s just one area of my life where I can truly feel the effects of giving. What are some of yours? drstaciestephenson.com

From left: Bob and Dawn Davis Photography and Design; Philip Van Nostrand

Why altruism is more important than ever. BY DR. STACIE J. STEPHENSON

Gateway for Cancer Research has raised over $4M at its last two fundraisers.

Cristina Cuomo and Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson

GET YOUR GLOW ON

CRISTINA CUOMO: We’ve talked about the power of green spaces, of ecotherapy, of being outside and what that means for health. But it’s equally important to focus on the glow that you can generate from within. You talk about this in your powerful book, Vibrant: A Groundbreaking Program to Get Energized, Own Your Own Health, and Glow STACIE J. STEPHENSON: Glow, from my perspective, is about cellular energy. Exercise, essential oils and hydration contribute to a higher and more efficient production of the energetic molecules of your body, which are produced by tiny cells called mitochondria. Muscle tissue houses a wealth of mitochondria within each cell of the muscle. You only make so much per day, but you can upregulate—in other words, increase your body’s “money” by feeding yourself appropriately and exercising. As you add more volume of muscle tissue with exercise, you’re going to naturally add more cellular energy. You gain currency in your body’s energy bank account with fitness and nutrition. It costs almost nothing but time, presence and intention. Energy is vibrancy. You have to move.

CC: The more you exercise, the better off you are. People often say you are what you eat, so talk a little bit about that, and how nutrition really determines how we feel. SJS: Yes, it absolutely will. If we have enough power to move along our day with excitement, joy and gratitude, we’re going to have that glow-y, wonderful sense of ourselves and it’s going to show. I’m always fascinated, too, when someone goes through very intense circumstances and you think they would look terrible. But because sometimes

they’re able to move through an experience with gratitude and intention and maybe it’s a very negative experience, they can end up looking very alive, alert and engaged. You are not going to have a wonderful glow if you are eating a lot of sugar and poor fats, if you’re forgetting about your greens.

CC: Can you talk a bit about herbs and spices, what they’re good for and why we should incorporate them into our foods?

SJS: Spices also have traditionally been used to preserve and protect food. I can’t say enough about turmeric, a potent antiinflammatory that has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, and its cousin, curcumin, the active antiinflammatory worker part of turmeric. Turmeric tastes wonderful. You can add it to shakes. Let’s say you’re treating exercise recovery and you’re really training and you’ve got a sore back or ankles. Turmeric, that is to say, curcumin, is one way you could support your exercise recovery. You can also take it as a supplement. Most of us are battling a little something, whether it’s autoimmunity, allergy, seasonal, sinus; whether you’re in some level of recovery from any form of illness, turmeric is an incredible go-to.

A diet rich in immunitysupporting greens is key to a healthy glow.

CC: It’s amazing that they’re still discovering these benefits. So, what are carotenoids?

SJS: Carotenoids, the active ingredient in carrots, produce the orange color you also see in yams, and are utilized as vitamin A.

CC: Do pigments from carrots and yams protect you from the sun? Do they add color to your skin?

Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson shares tips with Purist founder Cristina Cuomo on how hydration, nutrition, exercise and breath work let your light shine bright.

SJS: They can add color, and offer a good level of skin protection, but I don’t want to say that if you ingest vitamin A and carotenoids, ergo, you just created sunscreen. I don’t want to go there.

CC: Does the powder form of turmeric have the same beneficial properties?

SJS: If it’s a concentrated powder. If you want it as a powerhouse part of your shake, take a lot of curcumin, like 100 milligrams or so a day. We don’t think of it right away as anti-bacterial, but there’s some evidence that curcumin has a touch of that. I think it would calm the pores, and cleanse the skin.

CC: Collagen is an important element to create firmer skin. It supports joint health. It is the ingredient that we deplete over time. I remember when I started going to dermatologists in my 30s, collagen was like the holy grail, the fountain of youth.

SJS: Collagen is made by cells in your skin called fibroblasts. Any dermatologist will tell you they’re looking for ways to make your own collagen, because we don’t have clear evidence that you do anything when you ingest collagen except break it down. Collagen production begins to decrease a little with aging, but the truth that we’re learning is not so much that fibroblasts can’t make the collagen with aging—we’re finding that we’re not feeding the fibroblasts as well as we should because we’re not feeding the rest of the body. I don’t know how we can expect to not hydrate, to not eat well, to not support detoxification systems, to not manage hormone systems, to not manage stress, and then go to a dermatologist and say “Make me perfect.” It’s not going to happen. You really can’t drink too much water. You know the shorthand for hydration—drink half your body weight [in ounces] in water per day.

CC: Does drinking tea count?

SJS: Herbals I now count as water. The truth is, it’s really just plants and water in the tea. Add the flavor. I get bored with water. Add some fruit juice.

CC: Does flavored carbonated water satisfy the hydration?

SJS: I don’t love for people to rely on bubbles and carbonation as their hydration source. If that is your hydration selection, I say you need to work harder.

CC: How do you get the bloating down after drinking so much water? People who drink massive amounts of water at once will feel the weight of it in their bellies.

SJS: If you’re feeling that way, my suspicion is your gut is not moving, and that you really need to work on the

microbiome and motility of the gut. You’re eating excess carbohydrates in some form. If water makes you feel weighted, expansive in some way, something else is going on. Something is retaining it, because water gets absorbed very quickly, moves into the bloodstream and through the kidneys. No, something else is going on, probably with the food that you’re consuming. Possibly inflammation.

CC: What is beauty breathing, and how does it help your glow?

SJS: It’s yoga breathing. You want to do a four, five and eight count: four in, then a hold of five and an exhale of eight. It’s a meditation. You can do it for five minutes. When you make that extra-concerted effort to do breath work, your brain really benefits, because we tend to breathe too high up in the chest. We tend to not get into the diaphragm. We tend to inhale at weird times and exhale at weird times. Remember that beauty breathing takes presence. It’s something that you could add to your meditation in the morning, to your yoga practice or just do anytime. When you have five minutes to yourself, do your breathing and it will change your outlook.

CC: Tell us about the triple oil treatment.

SJS: It’s just my fun way to remember how to get in essential oils. No. 1: You’ve got to eat EPA-DHA, the oil in cold-water fish. It’s the only essential oil that we cannot manufacture in our bodies from other healthful sources. EPA-DHA makes your skin look gorgeous. It’s highly anti-inflammatory, and wonderful for all the mucous membranes. You have to ingest it in its own whole form, which can be a pill, a liquid, it can be in food; I do all of the above. I don’t ever absolutely rely on food. You really want the insurance, you need to supplement your EPA-DHA. Think about fatty fish—salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines and anchovies. Extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil and grape-seed oil are fabulous just to consume. Avocado oil is my favorite. Coconut oil is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antimicrobial, easy to use, great for skin care. Do your hydration, your coconut oil, take your EPA-DHA, your avocado oil. You’re going to get strong nails, wonderful hair and gorgeous skin.

CC: We can’t forget about the importance of positive relationships in our lives, and how they affect how we feel and how we look. SJS: It’s indispensable. We’re social beings. I believe we can practically live on love. It makes us look better, and feel better. Giving is even better than receiving. I don’t think we can ever talk about a vibrant life without talking about relationships, love, connection and community. drstaciestephenson.com

WELLNESS OASES

The spa is also the first in Chicago to offer Biologique Recherche facial treatments. 108 E. Superior St., Chicago; peninsula.com

Kohler Waters

Spa at Lincoln Park

This 20,000-square-foot Lincoln Park spa is home to 21 treatment rooms, a thermal suite, a sauna, a steam room, and a cool plunge pool as well as an outdoor terrace. There are also Kohler Custom Vichy showers in assorted hydrotherapy treatments and a hydro-

CHICAGO

AIRE Ancient Baths

Located in a restored historic River West factory dating back to 1902, these baths are inspired by the traditional Roman, Greek and Ottoman ancient experience of bathing. Spend the day soaking it all in. 800 W. Superior St., Chicago; beaire.com

Allyu Spa

With its dramatic white draperies and soft, warm lighting, this is exactly the kind of place where you’ll be tempted to linger. 600 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago; allyuspa.com

Ruby Room:

Head to this Ukrainian Village respite for an intuitive reading. Depending on your preferences, the spa’s healers might read your energy or aura or call upon some numerology for insight. Afterward, you can break free of any negative vibes with a soothing crystal or healing massage (complete with the company’s own flower and gem essences), opt for a wax service or even pick up a smudge stick in the spa’s gift shop to clear the energy in your home. You’re bound to leave

1743 W. Division St., Chicago; rubyroom.com

Massage Evolved

Selecting a service at this womenowned spa is like choosing a delicacy from a restaurant menu: You’ve got CBD massage (infused with 250 milligrams of THC free hemp) for the tightly wound, sports massage for the athletes, Himalayan warm salt stone massage for balancing the body’s electromagnetic field…and that’s all before you ever even get to the spa’s other services, such as hydrafacials. 118 N. Clinton St., Chicago; massageevolved.com

The Peninsula Spa

Spanning the top two floors of The Peninsula Chicago, The spa offers an extensive list of modern and timeless treatments inspired by Ayurvedic and Asian philosophies. These include an all-natural hot stone massage that combines aromatic and holistic oils, and a reflex zone foot massage, which relaxes the body and mind and regulates the movement of qi by a targeted massage on the reflex points and meridians on feet and lower legs.

massage experience pool experiences custom-designed by Kohler’s hydro experts. You’ll find a range of state-ofthe-art amenities and more than 50 innovative water services, facial and body treatments and therapeutic massages. 2358 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago; kohlerwatersspalincolnpark.com

feeling cleansed and rejuvenated.

Where to recharge in Chicago, Phoenix and Scottsdale. BY PRIYANKA KUMAR

The pool cabanas at Revive Spa, Phoenix

From top: Couresy of JW Marriot Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Courtesy of AIRE Ancient Baths

SCOTTSDALE/PHOENIX

The Phoenician Spa

The Phoenician Spa rises in celebration of the individual spirit, nurturing and contemporary in its approach to service, relaxation and overall well-being. At its essence is a collection of exclusive offerings, transformative in nature—promoting peace, purity and strength well beyond the spa experience. 6000 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale; thephoenician.com/ spa/

The award-winning Moroccan-inspired Joya Spa is home to the only hammam, or Turkish bath, in Arizona, a classic spa amenity that has been used since the Roman Empire expanded into Turkey. One of the centerpieces of the spa experience at Joya is the Hammam Experience, which includes a brisk scrub using a traditional herbal black soap-and-scrub blend applied with an exfoliation mitt The treatment is said to increase circulation and activate the lymphatic system. Massage therapy, facial, body treatments, naturopathic services and alternative therapies are also available. 4949 E. Lincoln Dr., Scottsdale; omnihotels. com/hotels/scottsdale-montelucia

Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa

41 beautiful treatment rooms awaits you in north Phoenix. A spa lobby with a two-story rotunda greets you upon arrival, and the gentle sound of water flowing from the spa’s central water feature sets the mood for a day of ease and relaxation. Facials, body wraps and massages inspired by the natural elements of the desert fill out the spa menu. There’s also a full-service salon. A spa bistro offers tasty, healthy pick-me-ups between treatments. 5350 E. Marriott Dr., Phoenix; theclubjwdesertridge.com/spa

Tierra Luna Spa at Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia

Reminiscent of a Mediterranean villa with lofty architecture, Moorish arches, tiled fountains and leafy walkways, Omni Montelucia is paradise in the Phoenix area, featuring a wealth of activities and top-notch amenities.

Come to Paradise Valley near Phoenix for an Asian-inspired spa that has a Zen meditation garden, reflection pond and tranquil spa services. Spa packages are available for girls’ getaways, pregnancy and more. Set on 53 acres of paradise, this resort has 109 casitas and suites, as well as eight private mountainside villas for more privacy and room to relax. 5700 E. McDonald Dr., Paradise Valley; gurneysresorts.com/scottsdale

Revive Spa at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa

This 28,000-square-foot sanctuary with

Take a break from the mundane to enjoy a day of luxury at this 22,000-square-foot resort spa. From facials and manicures to cascading whirlpools and body therapies, Tierra Luna provides the cure for whatever ails you. Since 1929, people have been escaping to this classic desert retreat, which features spa packages, a salon and an expansive spa treatment menu. The popular Quartz Oasis Journey includes an 80-minute luminous quartz cryo and thermal facial, a quartz or desert oasis massage, and an intention bathing ritual. This spa experience lasts nearly three blissful hours. 2400 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix; arizonabiltmore.com/ wellness/tierra-luna-spa/

The Phoenician Spa, Scottsdale

From top: Courtesy of Omni Hotels and Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa, Courtesy of The Phoenician Spa

AIRE Ancient Baths, Chicago

Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia

FOOD IS MEDICINE

DIRECTIONS:

INGREDIENTS (Makes 12 slices)

For the banana bread

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal 3 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil, melted, plus more for the pan 3 medium-ripe bananas, mashed (about 11/2 cups) 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar 3 tablespoons raw honey 31/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 11/4 cups almond meal 11/2 cups oat flour 11/2 cups gluten-free oats 3/4 cup almonds, finely chopped 1 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped

For the vanilla-tahini butter 1 cup store-bought organic pumpkin puree 1 cup tahini 2 tablespoons wildflower honey 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Himalayan salt, to taste

1. Make the banana bread: In a small bowl, stir together the flaxseed meal with 2 tablespoons of water. Allow the mixture to sit for 2 minutes to thicken slightly.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease an 8x41/2-inch loaf pan with oil and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the bananas, vanilla, oil, sugar, honey, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and flaxseed meal-water mixture. Add the almond meal, flour and oats Stir until combined. Fold in the almonds and hazelnuts

4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the bread feels firm and the top has turned golden brown and is slightly cracked. If the bread starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil and continue baking.

5. Make the vanilla-tahini butter: In a food processor or blender, combine the pumpkin, tahini, honey and vanilla with a pinch of salt and blend until smooth.

6. Enjoy the bread warm, slathered with the tahini butter and a tiny sprinkle of salt. Store leftovers in the fridge—the bread keeps for up to three days, and the tahini for up to five days.This bread also freezes well: Wrap the loaf in foil and place in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Store in the freezer for up to two months

Rich in magnesium and potassium, bananas support digestive and heart health.

Sakara Life’s Classic Banana Bread With Vanilla-Tahini Butter

Courtesy of Sakara Life

THE SCIENCE OF BLOOD SUGAR BALANCING

Holiday treats can lead to blood sugar spikes. Here’s how to find balance, while staying festive through the season. BY SARAH WRAGGE

There’s a lot of talk in the wellness space about blood sugar balancing, but what exactly does it mean, and how can you go about it? Glucose (blood sugar) is the most abundant form of simple sugars. Most carbohydrates break down into glucose. Insulin is a peptide hormone that shuttles glucose into cells for energy or storage. This is how metabolism is regulated. Insulin resistance occurs when we can’t use glucose from blood for energy. The pancreas make more insulin to initiate a response, which over time causes blood sugar levels to rise, leading to weight gain and potentially Type 2 diabetes.

Foods for Balancing Blood Sugar

When we need a quick boost, we often want to grab a sugary carbohydrate. Our bodies are smart, and know these foods give us immediate energy, but it’s not a good choice in the long term. When you’re craving sugar and carbs, you actually need protein and fat.

Protein slows digestion and prevents blood sugar spikes. Carbohydrate consumption kept on the lower end generates little or no insulin response to protein. The general rule is to aim for 20 to 30 grams of protein at a meal, and 10 to 15 grams for a snack. Women should aim for 80 to 100 grams, and men between 100 to 150 grams daily, depending on goals.

Pair your protein with healthy fat. Dietary fat [eaten in moderate amounts] has virtually no effect on insulin and, like protein, it keeps you full and fueled throughout the day. It’s also essential for absorbing certain nutrients, building hormones and keeping your skin supple.

Sources of quality protein

and healthy fats include organic chicken, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised eggs, avocado, olive oil, wild salmon, nuts and seeds, and coconut oil.

Five Ways to Balance Your Blood Sugar Over the Holidays

1 Commit to moving your body after meals. It can be a 10 to 15 minute walk around your neighborhood.

2 Drink 1 tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar in 4 ounces of water before a carb-rich holiday feast.

3 Have a 4PM mini-meal. If you are planning on dining out or attending a holiday party, drink a protein-filled smoothie without fruit to act as your insurance policy to prevent overeating.

Choose a protein-rich snack such as yogurt.

4 Give yourself the gift of wellness this season with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to stay on track. We recommend NutriSense to all of our clients. Placed on the back of your arm, it monitors your glucose values 24/7. NutriSense became my arm accessory staple when I realized how much my blood sugar spikes from even lower-sugar foods and when drinking alcohol.

5 Don’t snack on holiday cookies throughout the day! Enjoy one indulgence within 20 to 30 minutes of eating your meal.

For other valuable resources to balance your blood sugar, visit sarahwragge.com. Sarah Wragge is the founder of the SWW Method, a six-week program of group and private coaching to transform your health to a new level through personal guidance. It covers a full module on blood sugar balancing and provides guidance on what foods balance and triggers blood sugar spikes.

VIVE LA FRANCE

BY RAY ROGERS

Hailing from Lyon, France, Daniel Boulud arrived in New York City in 1982, and has since built a culinary empire that stretches throughout the States and extends to locations around the world including Montreal, Singapore, the Bahamas and Dubai.

RAY ROGERS: Café Boulud celebrates its 20th anniversary at the Brazilian Court Hotel in Palm Beach this season. Congratulations, that’s quite a milestone. Can you take us back to opening night—what do you recall about that evening, and what went into preparing for the launch?

DANIEL BOULUD: Opening night in Palm Beach was much anticipated, as the entire time we were under construction, we were talking to our guests in New York City about what was happening there. At that time, I already had a big following in New York; guests coming in from around

the world were very excited. The local clientele, the local chefs, Palm Beach clients who were through different connections, media, industry, customers, socialites— they all embraced us right away. There have been many restaurant openings in Palm Beach over the years, but many didn’t last and we have stood the test of time.

RR: When did you feel like you got into a groove here?

DB: Pretty quickly we got into a groove because we could offer everything for our guests in the same location—from a bar and lounge to an amazing outdoor space, to a wonderful dining room, a covered terrace and private dining rooms. In cuisine, the Café Boulud concept was red-hot in New York—only 5 years old at the time. There was already a base of customers in NYC who traveled down to Palm Beach and spread the word about us.

RR: I imagine you’ve seen quite a change over the past 20

Courtesy of Café Boulud

A toast to Café Boulud’s 20th anniversary at the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach.

Café Boulud honors two decades in Palm Beach with food and wine celebrations.

years in Palm Beach. Can you tell us about your experiences there over the course of that time?

DB: We could tell 20 years ago that Palm Beach was in an evolution. There were trendy restaurants— some short and some long-lived, but Palm Beach has always been classic, and Café Boulud is part of the classic mode 20 years later. People need classics, just as they need newcomers, and Palm Beach has grown exponentially. We have made it a priority to really ingrain ourselves in this community. I have done a lot of private parties here. We work very hard to find good local suppliers and support them well.

RR: People’s understanding of food and choices in how they eat have also dramatically changed. Of course, your menus have always prioritized seasonal produce. In what ways have you been able to stay true to your vision as a chef, while also evolving with the times?

DB: I don’t know if people have changed, or if trends come and go. For me, I still see we make an amazing Cobb, and that’s still popular. Ingredients are the key to consistency and quality. We develop new menu items based on other locations in the Daniel Boulud family and feed each other ideas. Café Boulud was always about French cuisine, but also with a focus on seasonal cuisine. For example, fresh vegetables for the Le Potager part of our menu. And on the Le Voyage part of the menu, while we are not a Thai or a Japanese restaurant, we play with flavors and dishes that pay homage to those cuisines. Palm Beachers always enjoy quality and consistency—you can tell if a dish has been made by a chef or a short-line cook. Chef-driven restaurants have always existed in Palm Beach, and I associate myself with chef-driven concepts more than anything else.

RR: For instance, is there a dish you now serve that would have been unthinkable when you started—or ingredients that are now more commonly in use?

DB: We always do an amazing chilled soup. You want things that are light and refreshing in Palm Beach. The first thing I do when I come to town is have our Cobb salad. We celebrate ingredients, so when it’s truffle season, that’s the focus. When it’s stone crab season, you will see this on our menu. We do a lot of wine dinners—we have a wonderful wine cellar. The fish at Café Boulud is always seasonal. We always try to celebrate what’s coming from our local fish suppliers, surprising our guests with dishes that are not always conventional in a restaurant.

RR: Do you have a current favorite item on the menu?

DB: The Bass en Paupiette—this recipe is 35 years old. I

created it as a young chef, and it has never gone out of style.

RR: Craft cocktail culture has also blossomed over those years, and I know the bar area expanded when you renovated some years back. What inspires you about the craft cocktail movement?

DB: I’ve been following this for a long time in New York and it’s nothing new in Europe. Le Cirque had a cocktail culture without calling it that. Now it’s like cooking—bartenders are utilizing flavors like vegetables and maturation and infusion to create a liquor of their own. A great cocktail you sip with leisure. In Palm Beach, people have plenty of leisure time.

RR: How will you celebrate the 20th anniversary at the Brazilian Court?

DB: I’m coming down to Palm Beach and we plan to do a fantastic event. What I love about Palm Beach is I know the clientele, the grandparents, parents, children. Throughout the year, we will create celebrations about wine and food to honor this special moment in our history.

RR: How do you help people entertain in Palm Beach— and how does that differ from other locales?

DB: We have two courtyards at the Brazilian Court, and often there are events that start in the North Courtyard and move to the South Courtyard, or to our private dining room. It’s a perfect combination for us.

RR: What does wellness mean to you?

DB: Palm Beach puts you in the mood for wellness because it’s perfect weather. You feel energized.

RR: What is the perfect Palm Beach day, from morning to night, for you?

DB: I have young children, and my wife spent quite some time living in Palm Beach. To be able to catch sunrise on the beach—it’s the coolest moment of the day with the kids. We love spending time on the beach. We also love to visit The Breakers, one of the finest hotels in America. Of course, lunch at Café Boulud. Then, play tennis or have a boat ride. I like the galleries on Worth Avenue. I also enjoy old West Palm Beach and make sure to stop and see my friend Marcello at La Sirena.

RR: Tell us about your work with Citymeals on Wheels. Why did this organization’s mission call to you?

DB: This has always been an important cause for me, and I have worked with Citymeals for many years. It’s an essential fabric of New York, ensuring that the homebound elderly get the nutritious meals they need. Chefs have always been asked to support food charities, whether local or international. Food is life.

301 Australian Ave, Palm Beach; cafeboulud.com

Daniel Boulud

SIPPING THE SUBLIME

Rested in rare Japanese oak casks, exceptionally crafted Casa Dragones Reposado offers a new tequila experience.

The female-founded and female-led premier tequila brand Casa Dragones has released its fourth masterpiece: Casa Dragones Reposado Mizunara, the first tequila aged in mizunara, an oak native to Japan that is traditionally used for aging Japanese whiskies. Japanese oak—characterized by its twisting trunks and branches—is much rarer than its European and American counterparts. The tree typically yields only half as much timber as other oaks, and can grow up to 200 years before it is harvested and handcrafted into the highest-quality casks in Japan. Casa Dragones Reposado delivers subtle notes of magnolia and orange blossom on the nose, with hints of butterscotch and oak on the palate, and a long, warm finish of coffee bean and mellow spice.

“Innovation is what we like to do best, to explore the possibilities within the tequila category,” says

Savor notes of magnolia and orange blossom with every sip of Casa Dragones Reposado.

Nieves,

“We’re thrilled to continue our journey of taste with Casa Dragones Reposado Mizunara. Tequila lovers out there and spirit aficionados in general will be very excited to experience something completely different.”

A tequila house committed to sustainable production, Casa Dragones has been recognized by the Tequila Regulatory Council as having the most eco-friendly method of tequila production in the industry. Its process requires less energy than other methods, and also produces far less waste. The pure spring water used for Casa Dragones is enriched with a perfect balance of minerals. To your health! casadragones.com

Courtesy of Casa Dragones

Casa Dragones co-founder and CEO Bertha González

the first female Maestra Tequilera certified by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila.

HANDS THAT FEED

A new Mediterranean menu and dedication to wine drive the evolution of Duemani Aspen. BY AMANDA RAE

Executive Chef Jesus Alvarado is spicing up Duemani Aspen this winter, importing some 60 flavors from Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Lebanon, Sardinia, Spain and France. Bold Mediterranean ingredients represent a broadening of horizons to transport diners beyond coastal Italy.

“Obviously I try to sneak in some Asian ingredients,” quips Alvarado, an Aspen native who is Korean Mexican and began working in his father’s Chinese restaurant in Michoacán at age 12. “I’m taking techniques I learned from Nobu [Matsuhisa] and my old boss and mentor Phil Tanaka and putting a twist on it.”

Duemani’s winter dishes are refreshingly diverse, and include yellowtail crudo with red yuzu kosho, lemon, fried garlic, micro-cilantro and Hawaiian red sea salt; whole roasted branzino served over 12-hour puttanesca sauce; and sea bass (carved almost daily from 60-pound fish) with a brown butter-lemon-caper sauce and fennel puree. Fresh pasta specials might well include raviolini stuffed with beef braised in soy, mirin and sake, then glazed with a butter-soy reduction.

“Even our chimichurri sauce—that’s South American, but instead of using red pepper flakes I’m using gochugaru, Korean chile flakes,” Alvarado says.

The herby condiment accompanies an organic half-chicken, cooked sous vide then seared until crispy, alongside brown-butter mashed potatoes. Alvarado’s dehydrated Kalamata olives enhance a scallop crudo in piquillo pepper vinaigrette; merguez sausage kefta is paired with fluffy, orange-tinged

Espelette pita; and grilled lamb chops get black lime labneh. Duemani’s bestselling crab tostadas remain, with a Mexican twist; oysters arrive with 10-day-fermented Fresno chile hot sauce.

The move toward Mediterranean cuisine— combined with subtle style upgrades, an eight-item bar menu and a flat-screen in the 26-seat wine room for private events—honors a healthy evolution since Aspen Hospitality Group acquired Duemani (and sister restaurant Acquolina) in October 2021.

“Duemani means ‘two hands,’ embracing cultures,” explains founder and managing partner and prominent, Aspen-based sommelier Carlos SolorzanoSmith. “We put our own touch on what the soul of the restaurant has always been.”

He can hardly wait to introduce diners to featherweight Zalto stemware, crafted in Austria. Duemani’s wine cellar has 4,500 bottles, and the wine list of more than 900 different labels from France, Italy, Spain and the Americas is worth it (and the cost of a dishwasher upgrade). “When you come to Aspen, you come for an experience,” Solorzano-Smith says.

Part of Duemani since day one in December 2019, general manager Darko Petrov agrees. “Duemani is about wine—we are elevating that experience,” he shares. “If someone wants to come in ski boots, it’s all good! We can do it fancy this way as well.”

216 S. Monarch St., Aspen, 970.920.2555; duemaniaspen.com

Scallop crudo with piquillo pepper vinaigrette

Jesus Alvarado

LOCAL FLAVOR

BY PRIYANKA KUMAR

PURIST: The concept for The Farmer & Chef is all about localizing food systems. How does that work within the context of your business?

JOEY SCARLETT: We want to show that fresh, nutrient-dense, local food is obtainable. We source available ingredients from local farms and producers. By doing this we don’t have just one or two purveyors that we source our produce from, we have about six or seven farms that we work with regularly, that are all about an hour and a half away. Buying from them directly also means putting more money in that producer’s pocket, and forming relationships with the people growing our food.

PURIST: Why Roaring Fork Valley?

JOEY SCARLETT: A job offer brought us here and the local agriculture scene, views and the abundance of summer have kept us here. I grew up in Denver, so it is nice to be fairly close to family, too.

TIFFANY PINEDA-SCARLETT: The community is incredible, welcoming, supportive and forward- thinking. Growing up in Miami, I didn’t get to experience the change of seasons. Every fall, I am in complete awe of the beauty around us. We feel very lucky to call this valley home.

PURIST: How would you describe biodynamic food?

JS: Biodynamic isn’t just about the food we eat, but about sequestering carbon, regenerating the land, and using biodiversity to help grow more nutrient-dense foods. It looks past the present to the future, and how the soil is responding to mainstream agriculture.

TPS: Organic farming includes things like bonemeal and fish meal that come from commodity operations. Biodynamic

farming, on the other hand, only allows inputs from the whole farm organism, because the philosophy understands that a healthy farm organism already has everything you need. Biodynamic farming goes beyond regenerative farming to consider the sun/lunar cycles, the seasons, the animals.

PURIST: What lessons in wellness has running this business since the winter of 2020 taught you?

TPS: Prioritizing our wellbeing has become crucial in order to show up as our best selves for our staff, our customers and our community. I can think of countless nights of cooking nutrient-dense, real whole foods for other people that end with having packaged, processed ramen for ourselves at one in the morning after a 14-hour day. However, we’ve gotten a lot better about intentionally preparing nourishing meals for ourselves at home. For me, it also means prioritizing yoga practice and simple routines. I feel best when I take care of my body.

PURIST: Do you have a favorite seasonal dish you like to prepare in winter?

JS: Anything with squash or mushrooms. But what comes to mind for a good winter meal is a braised meat—whether it’s beef, pork or chicken served with polenta and really good garlicky mushrooms.

TPS: Stews and soups! One of my favorite dishes to make and eat in the winter is sancocho de pollo—just a Colombian chicken soup. I made some yesterday with Dooley Creek Farm chicken and Sustainable Settings potatoes, finished with a lot of fresh cilantro and lime. It’s a very rustic, simple, comforting dish that reminds me of home. thefarmerandchef.com

Joey Scarlett and Tiffany Pineda-Scarlett, the husband-and-wife founders of The Farmer & Chef in Aspen, speak with Purist about their biodynamic catering company.

Fresh, nutritious fare from The Farmer & Chef

BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY PARTY NOW!

The dining scene in Miami is so hot that top New York restaurateurs have been flocking south to launch their newest projects. Below, a few of the top contenders.

Avra Estiatorio Miami

After opening its third Manhattan space, the popular brand just unveiled an awe-inspiring dining room within The Estates at Acqualina. The menu is classic Greek, from tomato salads to charred octopus to grilled lamb. Leave room for yogurt and honey or baklava. 17945 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach; theavragroup.com

MIAMI HEAT

Noma Beach at Redfish

Coastal Italian cuisine will be the main focus of celebrity chef Donatella Arpaia’s new restaurant with an open bay view in Matheson Hammock Park. Black sea bass and steak are prepared in a wood-burning oven, while other attractions include spiny lobster when in season and the chef’s famous meatballs. 9610 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables; noma-beach.com

Orno

Food & Wine’s Best New Chef of 2020, Niven Patel, premiered his New American restaurant within the Thesis Hotel

in Coral Gables. He sources ingredients from his backyard farm, and prepares many of them over an open flame. Among the items on his ever-changing menu are Vidalia onion gratin, and bucatini with sunray venus clams. 1350 South Dixie Hwy., Coral Gables; ornomiami.com

Fabel Miami

When you dine alfresco in December, you feel like you’re beating the system, and where better to do that than on LA architect Matthew Rosenberg and chef Ian Fleischmann’s new rooftop restaurant and lounge in Wynwood.

Courtesy of Rosie’s: The Backyard

The Magic City boasts several buzzy new spots this season. BY BETH LANDMAN

Enoy a Southern American brunch at Rosie’s: The Backyard.

A list of rare wines accompanies the Mediterranean fare. 50 NW 24th St., Miami; fabelmiami.com

MaryGold’s Florida Brasserie

The Florida-inspired brasserie from Brad Kilgore focuses on local seafood and house-made pastas. Among the other offerings are a veggie-friendly cabbage terrine, and hay-smoked chicken with scrambled eggs for two. 2217 NW Miami Court, Miami; sevenrooms.com/reservations/marygolds

Mayfair Grill

The $50 million renovation of Mayfair House Hotel & Garden in Coconut Grove includes two new eateries. The Mayfair Grill celebrates wood-fired food of the Southwest, along with agave cocktails and Napa valley wine. The other, Sipsip, is a Caribbean rooftop bar with daiquiris, conch fritters and rock lobster rolls. 3000 Florida Ave., Coconut Grove; mayfair-grill.com

Sushi by Scratch Restaurants

Opened in a historic Coconut Grove house, this outpost of the Michelin-starred Montecito raw fish mecca serves up a 17-course omakase that is strictly nigiri. 3242 Charles Ave., Miami; sushibyscratchrestaurants.com

Tablé

Antonio Bachour’s new Parisian bistro

in the Miami Design District, with a chic bar, outdoor patio and glass-enclosed bakery, is a perfect place to pop in after visiting the nearby shops. 180 NE 40th Street #102, Miami; antoniobachour.com

Isabelle’s Grill Room & Garden

A new chef, Ashley Stanton, and a decor update have revamped The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove’s signature restaurant. The trellised outdoor deck is an idyllic dining spot in which to enjoy pappardelle with mushrooms, Meyer lemon and ricotta salata; roast chicken with corn succotash and farro ragout. 3300 SW 27th Ave., Miami; ritzcarlton.com

The Key Club

This bar and grill from David Grutman features contemporary American fare and has already attracted a high-profile crowd who can be seen downing chips and caviar, coconut lobster rolls and sushi. 3015 Grand Ave.; Coconut Grove; thekeyclub.com

Rosie’s: The Backyard

Conceptualized by Jamila and Akino West, this Southern American food spot with European influence is strictly outdoors this season. It’s noted for lemon ricotta pancakes and Gulf white shrimp and grits. 7127 NW 2nd Ave., Miami; rosiesmia.com

Bayshore Club

What was once a Pan Am seaplane terminal and hangar is now a waterfront bar and grill overlooking Biscayne Bay from Grove Bay Hospitality Group. Diners enjoy tuna tartare cones with avocado mousse, grilled fish tacos and coconut chicken n’ rice. 3391 Pan American Drive, Miami; bayshoreclubmiami.com

Aba

Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors predominate the new South Florida restaurant from Chicago-based restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You. Menu standouts include smoky garlic hummus, shawarma-spiced skirt steak with watercress, horseradish labneh, and black garlic mushroom jus, and diver scallops with fig, fenugreek, sumac and date vinaigrette. 9700 Collins Ave., Suite 101, Bal Harbour; abarestaurants.com

Beauty & The Butcher

Due in December, this seasonal small plate concept with a rotating meat program from Top Chef champ Jeremy Ford and local restaurant group, Grove Bay Hospitality, focuses largely on meats and seasonal vegetables. Look for cozy booths and a large U-shaped bar. 6915 Red Road, Coral Gables; beautyandthebutchermiami.com

From left: Deanna Candelas. Courtesy of NOMA BEACH; Courtesy of Grove Bay Hospitality

Donatella Arpaia Bayshore Club

Tracee Ellis Ross won a Golden Globe and five Emmy nominations for her role as Dr. Rainbow Johnson on the ABC comedy Black-ish.

H

Ladies & Gentlemen...

AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS, BEAUTY MOGUL, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND WELLNESS WARRIOR Tracee Ellis Ross SPEAKS WITH PURIST FOUNDER CRISTINA CUOMO ABOUT SELF CARE, SELF-ACTUALIZATION, AND HONORING BLACK FEMALE BEAUTY, IDENTITY AND HISTORY ON HER RECENT HULU DOCUSERIES, THE HAIR TALES.

CRISTINA CUOMO: Happy birthday. Welcome to 50.

TRACEE ELLIS ROSS: Welcome to 50. I’m so happy up here. It’s a really nice place. I think there’s a higher vibration up here.

CC: I absolutely loved your Oh, Hello 50 video and your quote, “I could intuitively handle situations which used to baffle me. I have an unbreakable and unshakable foundation for life underneath me.” What are some of the things that have brought you to this remarkable place?

I know you to be a wildly intelligent, thoughtful, lovely person, having known you in college.

TER: I feel like at this age I have amassed so many different tools and modalities of how to navigate this crazy, wonderful thing that is life, that is not a movie. It’s not a fairy tale, and the real thing requires community, support, a lot of baths, therapy, exercise, meditation, really good sleep, a lot more water than I think anybody sets out to think you should be drinking in a day. At 50, you do a lot of taking stock. I feel like it’s a privilege to be able to get older, to be able to be here and actually have realized that some of the stuff I’ve done has worked.

CC: On your new show on Hulu, The Hair Tales, you’ve given power to having real conversations about everything. That’s an important thing to remember when it comes to conversations around the dinner table during the holidays. What were some of the holidays like at your home growing up?

TER: Well, my mom [Diana Ross] is real big on holidays, and birthdays are within that category. She just loves a celebration, and it’s funny because I don’t know if it’s in response to that—I don’t decorate for the holidays and Christmas. I don’t have children, so that also could be part of why I don’t feel such a need to do that. But for me, what I grew up understanding and experiencing about the holidays is they are an opportunity to gather with your loved ones. I absolutely love my family but I also really like them. We still cannot wait to get together for the holidays. We’re usually all in one house, and we usually cook with each other. I have friends who at least once a year get together, usually in Italy, for an extended period of time. It creates a very special kind of bond; it’s different from meeting intermittently, joining for a couple of hours and then disappearing. So, that’s what I look forward to. It’s what I come from; it’s a part of my foundation.

CC: Traditions and rituals. You cover a spectrum of Black identity and culture in the new series, which is just a lovely love letter to Black women. In the show’s intro, you say every kink, curl and coil in a Black woman’s crown

has a hair tale. This mission to create more space for belonging, self-actualization and community is centered around hair. It’s not just a conversation about hair. Why was this important to you?

TER: One of the missions in my life that flows through all the things that I do is really about joining the chorus of people who are helping to create a safer, more just world where we can all be free. Free to be ourselves, and free to be who we are authentically. I have a particular eye toward Black women and girls, and really doing whatever I can to expand the real estate and safety for us to be ourselves and for our humanity to have room to blossom and be flexible and just be present. The idea for Hair Tales sort of dovetailed right into that mission. The idea was brought to me by Michaela Angela Davis. She was doing a version of it and wanted to turn it into a television show. This was an opportunity in a really beautiful way to give space to this experience that so many of us are in. It was a great experience for me as an executive producer, with an opportunity to interview and listen.

CC: You’ve certainly led by example, and speaking of being a good example to others and the importance of mentors, Oprah Winfrey, as you said in your series, is one of those who helps people discover a life bigger and more brilliant than they ever imagined. How has she influenced your life?

TER: She’s interviewed my family three times, interviewed me twice and then I got to interview her. Someone once asked her what is her next dream or something like that and she said I think I’m living in God’s dream for me. And I think that’s part of what she has been, a beacon of living in your purpose. We had pitched this show to numerous places, most of whom did not understand it, did not think it was “sexy or interesting enough for television” and “what was the angle” and blah, blah, blah. That often happens. The experience of Black women is not considered interesting enough to put at the forefront of storytelling, which I disagree with. I don’t know where this weirdness comes from.

CC: But what you’ve created is so interesting and different. TER: I’m so glad you felt that way, and I did, too. But it was interesting, because when we pitched it to Oprah, we didn’t even have to finish the pitch. She was like yes, I get it. I have a hair tale, let’s make it. We’ve got to get to the business of making a beautiful show immediately.

CC: With your clean hair care brand, Pattern Beauty, you’ve incorporated safe ingredients. I see how that ties now into an exploration of the ways that Black hair

Tracee credits meditation, breath work and spiritual practices with keeping her balanced.

“I was raised watching a woman utilize beauty as an entranceway into agency,” Tracee says of her iconic mother, Diana Ross.

and beauty culture have lit the way to self-acceptance and self-care. What has your own journey with beauty and beauty culture looked like?

TER: I have the distinct honor of being my mom’s child. I was raised watching a woman utilize beauty as an entranceway into agency. My mother always did her own hair and makeup for the stage. I would watch her transform into another version of herself, but it was still herself and it was one that she was in charge of. She wasn’t being tarted up by other people. It was a way that she glamorized herself, and then she would stand on that stage in command of a room as a way to wield and transfer love and connectedness. And so as a result, for me my first relationship with beauty was through that. When I started to embrace my own hair, et cetera, I wasn’t seeing it mirrored back to me. Sure, I was seeing it in my mom, but no teenager cares what their mother looks like. You want to look like the people that are in the music, doing the music that you love and on TV and the shows that you love. I didn’t see my hair texture. And so I started a contentious relationship both with my body and my hair somewhere in my early teens. From that point I had to lose my connection with my hair and then find it again.

CC: Is that how you conceived Pattern Beauty?

TER: That is one of the ways. Pattern Beauty was 10 years in the making before we launched. I wrote my first hair care brand pitch when I left Girlfriends and it took me 10 years of trying to make it happen. Everybody thought, “Why do we need another hair care brand?” “I don’t understand. You’re an actress. Why do you think you can tell us anything about hair?” I just kept rearticulating and clarifying my vision. What became our first set of SKUs was what I wrote in my hair care brand pitch 11 years before they got on the shelf. I remember I was in Women’s Wear Daily receiving an award for the brand. We’re now this multimillion dollar company and winning awards. One woman from a very well-known company, who had been part of my journey, part of my noes, said to me, “You said all of these things to us about seven years ago, and we did not agree with you, or think that this was the road map, and look at you now.”

CC: That must have been fulfilling.

TER: There needed to be a paradigm shift in how Black hair care was marketed. But it’s really marketing in general that I had an issue with. Marketing is based on, You’re not good enough, you have a problem and you need to buy these things to fix it. I just don’t agree. I wanted to create a company that was based on the marketing of, There’s not a problem. I want to meet you where you are, support you and celebrate you with the needs that you have. I wanted to create formulas that I believed didn’t exist. I remember my mom came in my room when I was 14 and she said, “Listen here, little girl. You cannot spend any more money on hair products. I don’t know what’s happening.” I was buying everything—René Furterer, JF Lazartigue, the most expensive products you could buy.

CC: So, it was in the making early on.

TER: Yes, she was like, You better get a rich husband or a great job. So I created a hair company. That’s what happened.

CC: What were some of the great lessons your mother imparted to you?

TER: One of my favorite ones was, “Did you do your best?” I remember my SATs, for example—I just hadn’t done well on my SATs, and I was so upset and I thought I was going to ruin my future. I remember my mom saying, “But sweetheart, did you do your best?” And I said, “Yes.” She said, “Did you study? Did you do all the things you knew you could do?” I said, “Yes.” She said, “Then this is where we are, and then we’ll just look at how to make the difference. What you did was your best, and that’s what matters.” Oh my god, my mom is ringing through right now. How crazy is that.

CC: I love that.

TER: I literally just said her name. And then some of the other lessons are to go toward the love, go toward the things that make your heart sing. That’s how you will find your path. Don’t make decisions out of fear or money. She used to always say, “Don’t hold on to things too tightly. They will slip through your fingers. Hold things with a loose grasp.” The other favorite one that bugged the hell out of me growing up but really has been a helpful thing was when she used to say, “Did you make a new friend today?” I remember turning around in high school and I

“

I work out really hard, because when my body is strong, my heart and mind can do the things that they want to do. I can live out my dreams.”

was like, “Mom, I’ve been at this high school for four years. I know everybody here.” She was like, “Did you talk to somebody different?” Now I look back and I think it’s one of the mottoes of my life now. It’s like, lean into kindness and connect with people, even if you don’t know them. A smile goes a long way. My mom and my dad [Robert Ellis Silberstein] set really good examples. My dad has the best sense of humor. I get it from him; the best part of his sense of humor is his sense of humor about himself. It’s something that I adopted, and I think I came by it through DNA, but I definitely have stuck with it.

CC: You’ve mentioned that you’ve healed yourself through meditation and breath work and I know you’re very physically fit— you practice different interval training and battle ropes and Tracy Anderson. What are some self-care practices that you do, and what are your self-care philosophies?

TER: My self-care philosophy is really around a space of wholeness and choosing compassion, curiosity and kindness over judgment and whatever the other matches would be to those words. I do practice meditation. It is not anything traditional; I don’t practice any religion, or Buddhism specifically, or anything like that. My spiritual practice is one that I have gathered through all the years of trying everything and I’ve taken on the things that work and feel the most comfortable for me. Sometimes it is as easy as me not thinking of 700 things at once while I do the dishes. I don’t know if you saw on Instagram last night, but I did a deep condition of my hair and ended up organizing my drawer with all my hairpins and rubber bands and everything.

CC: Impressive!

TER: I separated the big pins from the small pins, which I’ve wanted to do since I moved into this house, and they somehow got all jumbled in together. I often start a day with a bath instead of a shower, because sometimes at 4 AM a shower is too abrupt for me. I love a bath at night. I do a moisture mask constantly. I work out at least two times a week, but my preference is four. I spend so much time in my head as a CEO, as an executive producer and doing

the business of my career and so much time talking in what I do, that I really love the hour when I get to work out.

CC: You have over 11 million followers on Instagram. You’ve inspired so many with your insight into every aspect of your life and, of course, your humor. One follower wrote, “I admire and appreciate you sharing so many different parts of your life with the public. Very inspiring to step into being more transparent and authentic.” Why is being transparent and authentic so important to you?

TER: One, because I refuse to let a public persona or even an Instagram version or social media version of myself create a distance between who I present to the world and who I really am. At 50, to feel as fit and in my body and have a sense of wholeness and wellness that I have, it’s hard-earned. At 18, I woke up with flat abs. At 50, not so much. I work out really hard, and my working out is yes, because of vanity, but it’s also because when my body is strong, my heart and mind can do the things that they want to do. I can live out my dreams and work a 15-hour day.

CC: What’s something you’d like to do that you haven’t done yet?

TER: I would really love to do an action movie. I would really like to go to Japan. I would love to write a book, and I’d really love to find a partner, a husband. The right husband.

CC: I don’t doubt that all those things will happen for you in the coming years. One last question. You said before the midterm elections on your Instagram that mischief is done at a state level. Everything we hold dear is under attack. You use your voice for good. What are the political issues that motivated you to spread the word to vote? What change do you want to see happening in the world? TER: I would like the right to bodily autonomy to be ratified and put into law so that it cannot be changed. One of the most empowering things is to vote, and they say selfesteem comes from being of service to the greater good. I believe in democracy. I think we have taken for granted that it is just going to be here, and that is not the case if we do not keep showing up.

Pattern Beauty, Ellis Ross’ award-winning hair care line, supports and celebrates its loyal customers. From left: leave-in conditioner, curl gel, styling cream, strong-hold gel, edge control, hydrating mist, hair pick, and hair pins from Pattern Beauty

MOVING MOUNTAINS

On a quest for self-connection and personal discovery, Amely Greeven discovers how sacred circles on spiritual lands are creating a new opportunity for travel.

Dan Meyers

What can happen when women gather? The question whispered itself as I landed at Jackson Hole Airport. Snow had turned the Teton mountains otherworldly white, but I wasn’t there to ski. I had come as a spiritual traveler, to participate in a two-day event called Across the Water that promised special medicine for isolating times— healing, ritual, feminine connection and a chance to “reclaim the sacredness that has been lost in the stress of everyday life.”

Though Jackson Hole is lauded for its national parks and swanky second homes, I’ve always been magnetized by the place’s extraordinary energetic essence.

Across the Water co-founder Brandy Tuttle, an Indigenous energy worker and author of Grateful Powerful Strong: Next-Level Navigation for the Spiritual Warrior, says that’s because the sacred elements of earth, air, fire and water are powerfully amplified in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Jackson Hole is a crucible of sorts, she says, where two static mountain ranges to the east and west frame the fluid Snake River moving through the middle—masculine containing feminine, rock meeting water—and the sacred fire of nearby Yellowstone ignites the heart centers of those who visit. Ceremony has long been held on these lands by Native peoples, and metaphysicists say that the spirits of great masters reside within the Tetons.

Tuttle, who grew up steeped in the cultural importance of ceremony, received a vision seven years ago of golden rings on every continent on Earth. The rings surrounded powerful gatherings of women who together created a beam of light that radiated off the planet. Women’s circles have been growing in popularity since that time. They’re not structured classes led by experts, or about getting fitter or thinner or better at anything. They’re nonhierarchical sharing spaces that support our inner lives. Attending a woman’s circle might involve healing, or spiritual conversation, or passing on ancestral skills, or honoring our journeys and our cycles. Sometimes, they are gateways to connect deeper to nature or the cosmos. Increasingly, people are traveling to high-energy destinations for multiday circles. (The pioneering Spirit

Weavers gathering in rural Oregon is a rootsy example.) It’s a small but growing niche within the billion-dollar category of wellness travel. Tuttle describes how this year, Spirit told her and event co-founder, Sita Daavettila, that it was time to offer a circle in Jackson.

It’s wild how the logical parts of our minds can belittle intangible activities like gathering, even in bucket-list locations. “I’m too busy right now!” it complains. “What will I get out of coming?” The linear conveyor belt of work, parent, repeat doesn’t offer much space or time for circling up. But a decade ago, my spiritual teacher, a mystic named Deirdre Hade, told me in no uncertain terms that rough times were coming and women should tether to each other for strength and support. The tendency to go at spiritual life alone, she counseled, did not fit the way female biology, and neurology, works. “We are wired for connection, and we need it.” My right brain—the nonlogical, intuitive part—has never forgotten her words.

Which is how I found myself in a room full of women of all ages in view of the Grand Teton mountain as poet and sidereal astrologer Lyn Dalebout recited a verse she had written: “The oldest thing we know...is Mystery…the oldest thing Spirit was is Mystery…Now we have Beauty as Mystery settled into form, but the oldest thing we know is Mystery.” With a great exhale, I allowed myself to receive. Dalebout went on to describe two little-known galactic fields of energy in a creative square—one in fiery Sagittarius and the other in earthy Virgo—that are mirroring, or perhaps influencing, a powerful tension between masculine and feminine. This resonated deeply: For many women I know, the onus to produce, provide and fix through mental effort and gritted teeth eclipses the possibility to dream, envision and create from the heart. By sheer necessity, one part gets precedence—and the depletion and disconnection this creates is real. Dalebout encouraged us to sink inward to insight and reflection, saying, “We are in a moment of a great turning toward the leadership of the sacred feminine to bring this Earth back into balance.” She described how astrologically, this winter is a time for resting and reflecting, feeling present to our feminine, yin essence, because

Brandy Tuttle, Across the Water co-founder

come April next year, cosmological shifts will see us acting on our visions—braiding the inner yang, or masculine essence, to the yin. Being present to both aspects is how our feminine leadership is integrated, authentic and whole.

Over the hours that followed, it felt as if veil upon veil of this feminine essence layered itself upon me, softening my armor and shifting me out of solving mode. Soul midwife Ulrike Talisea led a mystical inner journey to experience the creative power of my womb. (Two weeks later, my middle-of-the-night anxiety was instantly quelled by placing my hands on my belly. Whatever she did, worked.) Shakti dance facilitator Asheeliyah Welch had me moving in joyful communion with my inner child, igniting a sensation of unshakable self-love. Shaman Elena Radford cleared ancestral wounds so I could more confidently “be the source” as a writer sharing what I know. Kathie Chandler, who channels a light being named Aluma, taught me how to call upon spiritual support from my invisible guardians. “You must get back to being quiet!” Aluma told the room, through Chandler. “That opens the door to nine-tenths of your full being.” Practical sessions about money, and sex, and sleep, and stress offered by local female

That name was given to her when she was young by a Sioux elder who was the grandson of Sitting Bull. Explaining that “Spirit meets you where you are, and I simply open the channels of energy for whatever a person is ready to receive,” Standing Holy Woman created a container for me to receive a moving healing, encircled by other women. Her words—“We are all here having our own unique experiences, walking each other home”—echoed for hours afterwards in my mind.

Inconvenient though it may be, tethering to each other takes intention and commitment, and a willingness to step out of the norm. It doesn’t happen through text messages and quick catch-ups. I knew exactly what Daavettila meant when she described what Across the Water had gifted her—an end to treading the path alone, and the birth of deeper wisdom: “Women are meant to shine together, in constellations,” she said. “We can light the way for each other, and we can flow as one body of water, like the river.” I reflected on that image as I left Wyoming’s mountains behind. The light of the Soul has been described by mystics as a feminine Presence. To my mind, this is what the phrase “divine feminine,” so easily tossed

practitioners balanced out the esoteric offerings—one hand to heaven and one hand to Earth.

Late on the second day, Brandy Tuttle led an energetic activation to close the circle. Rooting strongly into the earth, she invoked a journey taking me back to my past, then forward to my future, then back into the now, empowered and in touch with what she called my authentic “heartsong.” Tuttle has begun sharing her powerful stories through a podcast named Standing Holy.

around but not so easily translated, means. We call our Soul forth not by efforting and working at it—but by creating a container for her, replete with beauty and mystery, and others to hold space together. As soon as I arrived home, I brought some flowers into my home, laid a silver tablecloth on the table, and gathered my daughter and sister around it as the night drew cold outside. We circled up, and got quiet together, and just listened. acrossthewater.co

“The light of the Soul has been described by mystics as a feminine Presence. To my mind, this is what the phrase ‘divine feminine’ means. We call our soul forth not by working at it, but by creating a container for her, replete with beauty and mystery.”

Lighting the way: podcaster Sita Daavettila and daughter Sage

“Play keeps us vital and alive. It gives us an enthusiasm for life that is irreplaceable. Without it, life just doesn’t taste good.”

—LUCIA CAPACCHIONE

WINTER SOJOURNS

While it might seem counterintuitive to leave the paradise that is Aspen in winter, three properties beckon skiers, ski tourers, Nordic skiers and snowshoers (including first-timers) to their picturesque locations within an hour’s drive from town. From a luxurious cabin at the back of Aspen Mountain, to a historic lodge on the Frying Pan River, to a shepherd’s wagon at the base of Mt. Sopris, these destination stays in Aspen’s backyard offer quiet respite and backcountry exercise.

THE SMITH CABIN FOR SKI TOURING

Rustic wilderness meets modern comfort and private luxury at The Smith Cabin on the backside of Aspen Mountain. The cabin, designed and built by two local brothers, Colt and Bridger Smith, sleeps six in three bedrooms, and its open living area and spacious deck offer unique views of 14,000-foot peaks and the Castle Creek Valley. From the front door, backcountry ski (hire a private guide through Aspen Expeditions) the terrain off Richmond Ridge, skin or snowmobile to the top of Aspen Mountain to ski the resort, or meet Aspen Powder Tours for a day of snowcat skiing untracked snow in glades, bowls and wide-open meadows. smithcabinaspen.com

NORDIC SKIING AT BEYUL

Part backcountry-adventure lodge, part wellness retreat (the resort encourages a digital detox and offers a cedar sauna and cold plunge bath), Beyul Retreat encompasses 13 cabins and a seven-room lodge (think Western charm meets boho chic) on 32 acres along the scenic Frying Pan River. Beyul has grown a loyal following since it opened in 2020 with community-driven events like this winter’s Snowga, a yoga retreat (February 17-20, 2023), and a Cowboy Curling Tournament on January 21. Guests can Nordic ski right from the property on two marked trails (plus many backcountry trails) and on nearby Forest Service roads,

TESS WEAVER

and Beyul’s new grooming machine is creating new trails that tour along 1,700 feet, including some along private riverfront. beyulretreat.com

MARBLE DISTILLING CO. AND FAT BIKING

Sleep with the stills in downtown Carbondale at The Distillery Inn, the first and only inn in the world to be housed within an operational distillery. The boutique luxury inn offers five contemporary rooms built on a model of sustainability within Marble Distilling Co., a craft spirits distillery that filters Crystal River water through marble to make its award-winning spirits. After you’ve had a Marble-rita with house-stilled Marble Vodka and Gingercello, wander the Carbondale Creative District, which includes craft breweries, farm-to-table food, music venues, healing gardens, artist collectives and more. Five miles away, Prince Creek, a trail network at the base of Mt. Sopris, is the perfect place to try fat biking, a form of mountain biking on snow. Rent a bike equipped with oversize tires that provide traction on snow, and you’ll be able to ride miles of scenic singletrack in winter. marbledistilling.com

SNOWSHOEING AT AVALANCHE RANCH CABINS & HOT SPRINGS

Avalanche Ranch, between Carbondale and Redstone, lures locals and visitors to its geothermal hot springs for their detoxifying and relaxing effects and for the breathtaking views of Mt. Sopris and the Crystal River Valley. Its 1950s log cabins and authentic shepherd wagons offer country ambiance and 24-hour access to the hot springs for lodging guests (day passes are also available by reservation from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for visitors). The property provides a fleet of snowshoes for guests to use on-site or to take to nearby trailheads at Avalanche Creek, Coal Basin and McClure Pass. Follow up your snowshoeing with a massage or a private yoga class in the barn. avalancheranch.com

Four Aspen backyard escapes offer scenic respite and outdoor adventure. BY

Beyul hosts Snowga, a yoga retreat, February 17-20

INTO THE WILD

Friendships among Aspen men thrive on mountain adventures.

It is well known that having a circle of good friends can help you deal with setbacks, improve mental health and even increase life expectancy. And yet, for far too many men—especially men over 40—emotionally intimate friendships seem to be about as much of a priority as pedicures.

Other than watching sports together and hanging out in a bar, research shows that most heterosexual men rely on their wives to organize their social lives. As men move into middle age, with the pressures of careers and children, there are ever fewer casual opportunities to hang out with friends. Even before the pandemic, most of us were spending more time with Netflix and Instagram than we were with buddies. Lockdowns only made the isolation worse, and neuroscientists say that a crisis of loneliness is causing our amygdalae to release more stress hormones. That means more inflammation and fewer antibodies to fight viruses.

But if a lack of friendships can have a negative impact on our health and well-being, the opposite is also true. And three friends from Aspen are living proof. Chris Lane, Kenny Smith and Doug Leibinger started skiing 30 years ago in the Aspen backcountry and their friendship has evolved and grown into something as sturdy as a silver maple tree.

They all landed in Aspen in the early 1990s with about $500 between them, and a passion for living in the mountains. Since then, the three pals have climbed peaks over 14,000 feet, fly-fished local rivers, mountain biked rocky trails, and faced some serious danger.

Like soldiers who’ve experienced the bonds that only come from fighting side by side, their adventures in the Colorado wilderness have made them as close as brothers. Over the years, they’ve saved each other from near-death moments on more than one occasion.

BY DIMITRI EHRLICH

One night, during a camping trip in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the early 1990s, the three friends were asleep outside their vehicle when they awoke to banging sounds—a 300-pound black bear had gotten into their International Harvester Scout.

While marriage and family commitments have naturally meant they have less free time, all three men have continued to make a priority out of their friendship. “There is more of a consideration of risk management as we’ve all gotten older and had kids and wives,” Smith admits. “We continue to push our comfort level a little bit, but with more of an eye on the consequences.”

When they met, each man was working three or four jobs to pay the bills—waiting tables and guiding fly-fishing trips. Today, Smith and his wife own Meridian Jewelers, a watch and jewelry boutique. Lane is the CEO of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, and Leibinger is a founding partner of Compass Aspen, a real estate firm recently recognized as the top brokerage in the U.S.

“Although we have all had great success in our respective careers in Aspen, the bonding we have experienced has been founded in nature,” says Leibinger. “Those moments have cemented our friendships forever.”

“When you’re in the wilderness there are no phones, no TVs, no screens—just who you’re with. You’d better like them, and you’d better trust them,” Lane adds. “When you’ve done that for 30 years, you’re gonna get pretty tight. Sometimes we won’t see each other or talk for a month, but when we get together, it’s like no time has gone by.”

“Being deep in nature on adventures is a safe place to share and talk among men,” Smith says “We have definitely been there as therapy for each other.”

of Assouline; Inset Courtesy of Doug Leibinger

From left: Chris Lane, Kenny Smith and Doug Leibinger

PURE GOOD

Making sure no kid sleeps on the floor with Luke Mickelson, founder and executive director of Sleep in Heavenly Peace. By Adam Rosante

ADAM ROSANTE: For anyone who’s not familiar, what is Sleep in Heavenly Peace?

Luke Mickelson: It can be hard to imagine, but there are children living in your town who don’t have a bed to sleep in. It’s called child bedlessness. After a long day at school, these children sleep on the couch or a pile of clothes. Some even sleep on the bare floor. We’re an international nonprofit dedicated to ending that. Our mission is to see that no kid sleeps on the floor in our town. And we want to make our town everyone’s town. Specifically, we build, furnish and deliver twin-size beds to children ages 3 through 17 who don’t have one.

AR: How does your team find the children in need?

LM: The families reach out. Anyone can apply for a bed or refer us to a child in need right on our website, shpbeds.org. Click on the tab “Apply for a Bed” and fill out a simple form. Our chapter presidents review the applications, select what they feel is the most dire need and arrange for a delivery.

AR: You were named one of the Top 10 Heroes by CNN in 2018. How did things change for SHP after that?

LM: It legitimized our organization even more and provided additional national coverage, which helped us raise awareness to the problem. We were able to really announce to the world that this is a serious issue with a simple, powerful solution that you can be part of. And right in your own hometown.

AR: If you could go back 10 years to just before you started SHP, what advice would you give yourself?

LM: To hold on. It’s been such a crazy, fun ride that there isn’t much that I would change. I would also tell myself to enjoy the moment. Oftentimes, I spend too much time looking to the future and not enjoying the moment.

AR: What would you tell someone who feels that their efforts at giving back aren’t “big enough” and therefore don’t matter?

LM: I would say that they need to stop comparing themselves to others. Every small act of service means something to someone. They are a success and are making a difference, even if it’s in that one person’s life at that moment in time. When I built my first bed, I wasn’t thinking I was going to start and run the world’s largest bed-building charity. I just wanted to help a few children in my own community.

AR: This work can get overwhelming. How do you take care of your mental health?

LM: I teach our chapter presidents that although this is fun and fulfilling work, it can be addictive and all-consuming and to be sure that you keep and maintain a balanced life. I forget that myself sometimes. Again, stopping to smell the roses is still excellent advice. And it’s OK to disconnect once in a while. I have the best wife in the world and she continues to teach me the value of the moment and to enjoy the now and let the future come as it may.

AR: It’s clear what SHP does for the children it serves. What has this work done for you?

LM: I ask this question all the time on my Humans Helping Humans podcast. It has literally changed my life, my purpose and my heart. There isn’t a day that I don’t think about how I can better our mission, reach more kiddos and support our volunteers. I think it’s provided me the purpose in life that I was missing and passion I feel I have had bottled up inside.

AR: How can someone get involved with Sleep in Heavenly Peace?

LM: There are a few ways. By visiting shpbeds.org, anyone can donate money to their favorite chapter, learn how to become a chapter president and serve the kids in their own hometown. Or help us raise awareness to the pandemic that is child bedlessness. By reaching out to us or to your local chapter president, you’ll feel the joy of service and the blessings of making a difference in the world. shpbeds.org Adam Rosante hosts the podcast Season of Giving; find it on seasonofgiving.org

Sleep in Heavenly Peace provides beds for families in need.

Summer Opulence Available to Rent

Bridgehampton. An amazing oceanfront experience awaits with this magnificent ode to Hampton beachfront living available for various time frames off season and Summer 2023. The ultimate in luxury, this modern edifice offers an unparalleled experience along 125’ of pristine oceanfront within more than 11,000 SF of luxurious living space. With 10 bedrooms along with 11 full and 2 half baths, a privileged renter will be able to share their good fortune with family and favored friends who will enjoy areas flowing seamlessly among indoor and outdoor spaces. With spacious interiors under soaring 12’ ceilings, a floating cantilevered staircase and elevator service all levels as stunning panoramic ocean views are captured equally from outdoor decks and interior living spaces as the first floor includes a lounge, pool living room with TV, dining and kitchenette, large screening room, 6 en-suite guest bedrooms and laundry room. Outdoors, 3,450 sq. ft. of deck embrace a 18’ x 50’ heated Gunite pool, separate spa, outdoor living room pavilion, 350+/- sq. ft. pool house with steam shower, an outdoor grill and dining area. Upstairs the open eat in kitchen with separate butler’s prep area overseas the living room as well as the dining room, all looking seaward through a 10’ high continuous glass wall. Begin and end your days in the palatial 1,200+/- sq. ft. primary suite with dual bathrooms. Two additional en-suite bedrooms are also found on this level along with another private screening room. Outside the 1,200+/- SF outdoor terrace offers dining and gas grill as well as couches surrounding 2 fire pits. The concept of the roof deck has been redefined as 2,900+/- sq. ft. of space awaits on top with retractable pergolas, additional couches with fire pits, hot tub, outdoor bar with 2 serving stations and 10’ dining table. The lower level offers home gym, golf simulator and game room. A private path meanders to the white sandy beach. Contact us today to discuss this consummate oceanfront experience.

Co-Exclusive. Any Month Winter $300K | Two Weeks July 1st - Labor Day $600K | Sept 9th - 30th $600K

NUMEROLOGY

A by-the-numbers look at the life of Academy Award-winning actor Brad Pitt, whose 1920s Hollywood drama, Babylon, is released on December 23.

��63

The year Brad Pitt was born, on December 18, in Oklahoma.

Pitt topped the list of People’s Sexiest Men Alive twice, in1996 and 2000.

Pitt is the winner of two Academy Awards: in 2014, he scored an Oscar for coproducing Best Picture 12 Years a Slave, and in 2020 as Best Supporting Actor in Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood He has been nominated for five other Academy Awards.

1988

The Dark Side of the Sun (1988) saw Pitt in his first starring role in a feature film.

In 2011, Pitt and Jolie featured on Forbes’ list of the Highest Paid Celebrity Couples with a combined annual income of $50 million.

55

In June 1996, Pitt donated $100,000 to the Discovery Center, a children’s learning museum in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri.

The eldest of three, Pitt has two younger siblings: Doug Pitt and Julie Pitt Neal.

Pitt has starred in over 55 films and television shows. He has also worked as a producer and executive producer on 37 projects.

Pitt has six children with former partner Angelina Jolie.

2003

The year the Maddox Jolie Program, now called the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, was created to help with humanitarian crises in Cambodia.

“Equality, absolutely, that’s what defines us. It’s what makes us great.”

Palm Beach Sag Harbor www.viacoquina.com