WAG Magazine July 2014

Martha Stewart Savors her Bedford life

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Julian Niccolini: A man for all (Four) Seasons Victoria Amory Spices it up Restoration Hardware Carves out a stylish Greenwich space Fortina and Sapori: Fine dining with an Italian accent Antonio Berardi Fashionable food for thought Chic Choices

July 2014 | wagmag.com

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Still full of life • 14 In China, you are as you eat • 16 A restaurant for all seasons • 18 Coach Farm, where they make the goat cheese • 22 The food shaman • 26 XOXO, Leslie • 28 Sipping sereni-tea • 30 The new old-school • 32 A full ‘Plate’ • 36 Effortless entertaining in a jar • 40 Ever more HIP • 46 an entertaining life • 49 anything but bare • 62 A Cook’s (and eater’s) tour • 63 this ain’t your dad’s appliance store • 68 Mariposa takes flight • 70

Julian Niccolini at The Four Seasons, with the Picasso stage curtain.

Photograph by John Rizzo.

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2014 Features

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In the 1956 film “The Girl Can’t Help It,” Jayne Mansfield plays the seemingly talentless trophy of a mobster, who wants to transform her into a singer so he hires an agent to create a career for her. What they don’t know is that Jayne’s character can sing. It’s just that what she really wants to do is – cook.

In the film’s funniest moment, the jealous mobster arrives in a huff at her apartment, thinking to catch her in an affair with the agent. And Jayne really is cheating but with a big, beautiful Thanksgiving dinner. So she scurries around, shoving the turkey into the closet and donning a negligee to suggest she’s been lounging around all day when in fact she’s been slaving over a hot stove.

When it comes to food, we can’t help it either. We can’t get enough of gastronomes, gourmets and gourmands, hostesses with the mostest, restaurants and recipes. So welcome to our annual food issue, which we’re calling “Power Foods” in this our power year.

Think power and food, think Martha Stewart, this month’s cover girl. The doyenne of domesticity couldn’t have been more gracious to Bob, Dan and Mary when they dropped in recently for cappuccinos and chocolates at her Bedford estate. Certainly, Stewart has always understood that food is as much about ambience and good company as it is about the meal itself. Another person who takes this approach is Spanish-born Greenwich resident Victoria Amory, who, as Patricia tells it, is on her way to becoming a condiment queen with her zesty, novel preparations.

Amory’s not the type who has to bond with the chicken in order to enjoy it. Food shaman Laura Parisi, on the other hand (Patricia again), thinks you need to have a profound relationship with what you eat and where it comes from.

Fine, some say, as long as others are doing the cooking. Well, have we got restaurants for you, beginning with the legendary Four Seasons in Manhattan and its master showman, Julian Niccolini. Closer to home, Ronni takes us on an odyssey through four great food communities – Norwalk, Westport, Dobbs Ferry and Port Chester – that continues with her portrait of Leslie Lampert and her Love eateries, including a planned bistro for the Chappaqua train station.

Jane takes us to Bareburger in Ridgefield and talks to chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, while Andrea hangs with the wild-andcrazy guys of Fortina in Armonk and breaks bread with WAG editorial adviser Billy Losapio at Sapori on the site of his

former, well-remembered Gregory’s.

We’re there, too, as Neiman Marcus inaugurates its new restaurant, Mariposa.

(Thank God it still has the popovers.)

Though for sheer wacky dining nothing tops Audrey’s tale of the out-of-control lazy Susan as she and her family vainly tried to enjoy delicacies in China.

Food being food, it requires the right dishes, the right tables and chairs. That’s where Mary’s visit to the HIPCHIK in Armonk comes in, along with our trip to the fab new Restoration Hardware in the old Greenwich post office. And whether you’re dining out or entertaining at home, you’ll need the right outfit. We knew just who’d have the recipe for that – Antonio Berardi, whose curves-clinging creations are part of Mary Jane Denzer’s luxurious new space near The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains.

Recipes: They’re what distinguish this food issue from our previous ones. You’ll find them throughout the book, with more on our website and in WAG Weekly, our e-newsletter.

Call it the Aunt Rita and Aunt Dottie effect. Last year when we wrote about Stanley Tucci on the July cover, they immediately went out and bought his cookbook so they could make some of the dishes he talked about.

So when you see my Aunt Rita and Aunt Dottie, thank them, will ya?

Georgette Gouveia is also the author of the new novel “Water Music,” the first in her series “The Games Men Play.” For more on the book, series and related blog, visit thegamesmenplay. com. n

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Still full of life

By Georgette Gouveia

Mia Brownell’s “Still Life With Double Double” (2006), oil on canvas. Courtesy the artist.

Brownell’s double double helixes of grapes, which reflect her background as the daughter of a sculptor and a biophysicist, are one instance of contemporary art breathing new (still) life into an ancient genre.

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Few genres are more popular with artists than the still life – for obvious reasons. When you’re starting out, struggling to master your craft and make ends meet, half a cantaloupe is not going to demand a model’s fee or get huffy if you ask for a certain pose. Nor is a peach going to exclaim, “You made me look fat.”

But the still life engages even the most successful of artists, because it offers challenges to painterly technique as well as a richness of iconography. Small wonder, then, that the still life has been with us since ancient times and continues to resonate today.

You gotta hand it to the ancient Egyptians, who believed you definitely can take it with you. Their depictions of succulent foods on tomb walls held the hope that these would become real in the afterlife to nourish the deceased. Their Greek counterparts were more interested in the craft of painting objects; the Romans, in using paintings of objects as a way to welcome people into their homes.

Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the still life was considered a less important genre than religious (Christian) painting and ultimately, history painting – a term that would come to embrace religious works, with Jesus as

the central figure in Western art, as well as allegorical, mythological and actual historical subjects. Indeed, the still life would never be the most important genre, particularly in the art of southern Europe, which is one of the reasons that women could excel in it. Since they had no access to art academies – and the nude figures that were key to artistic training – women had to content themselves with painting flowers and bowls of fruit.

But two things would happen in northern Europe during the Renaissance that would elevate the humbly domestic still life. One was the development of oil painting, which enabled artists like Jan van Eyck to depict objects with almost photographic clarity, thanks to the use of slow-drying pigments that could be mixed and layered. The other was the blending of Christian iconography with everyday objects. Half a millennium later, Freud would famously remark that sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar. But in the northern Renaissance and Baroque, a bowl of fruit became anything but a mere bowl of fruit.

Nowhere is this more dramatically conveyed than in the vanitas paintings, so named for the quote from Ecclesiastes 1:2: “Vanity of vanities… all is vanity.” These works would contain symbols of the good

life – a globe for travel and conquest, musical and writing instruments for accomplishment and entertainment, flowers, food and wine. But not so hidden among them would be a skull, an hourglass or another memento mori – or reminder that the things of this world are fleeting. So we had best be about the business of our immortal souls. (Note that the term “still life” is a translation from the German. In the Romance languages, the term translates as “dead nature.”)

You didn’t need a skull or hourglass in a still life, though, to remind you of this.

Sometimes the half-eaten or rotting food or a dead animal would do the trick. Even a still life burgeoning with food might be less an invitation to indulge than a warning about the moral consequences of overindulgence.

The 18th century said, “To hell with all that.” The rational Rococo saw the still life as decorative, with flowers better suited to the task than food. (Although there were some ravishing still lifes by the mid-18th century’s Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin and Anne Vallayer-Coster.) With the apotheosis of the history painting and its central figure, the male nude, at the turn of the 19th century, the still life was virtually eclipsed.

But if you wait long enough, a trend al-

ways returns with the tide. The rise of the bourgeoisie and the use of interior scenes in the Realist, Impressionist and Postimpressionist movements brought renewed interest in the still life. The artists of the 19th and 20th centuries gave the still life color and vigor even as Pablo Picasso and the other Cubists sought to deconstruct its elements at the 20th century’s dawn.

In that century – which was in many ways a summation of the ending millennium – the still life and/or its elements became sculptural (Marcel Duchamp), sexual (Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Weston) and 3-D (Jasper Johns); went native (Frida Kahlo) or Pop (Andy Warhol); or mixed things up (Roy Lichtenstein).

Today the still life has gone the way of all flesh – becoming digitized and Photoshopped. Yet its iconographic power remains intact. The work of New Rochellebased Mia Brownell (WAG, August, 2011), who teaches drawing and painting at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, melds the luscious realism of the Old Masters with commentary on the environmental and biological sciences.

(She is the daughter of a sculptor and a biophysicist.)

The still life hasn’t lost its punch. We’re still taking a bite out of its apples. n

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Peking Duck before the ceremonial carving.

Photograph from Lucy Lo’s “Chinese Cooking.”

In China, you are as you eat

By Audrey Ronning Topping

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Some people eat to live. But for the fortunate who live to eat, Chinese cuisine can be an adventure into a world of new flavors and delights. Chinese cookery, as a distinctive and unique culinary art, has been developed over the centuries as an extension of Chinese culture. Cooking is learned not only from studying a recipe but from attention to theory, by practice and care. In China, eating is a prime source of enjoyment and celebration. Good cuisine is considered a measure of civilization. Although chefs of great skill are prized throughout the world, nowhere is the Tai See Foo (chief chef) held in such importance as in China.

Every country and region has its own national or favorite food. China is divided into distinct schools of cooking – each distinguished by a variety of spices and sauces. The four most important are Beijing, Canton, Shanghai and Sichuan. By the time of Confucius in the late Zhou dynasty (770-256 B.C.), gastronomy had become a high art. The philosophy behind it was rooted in the “I Ching” and Chinese traditional medicine. Food was judged on color, aroma, taste and texture. A good meal was expected to balance the Four Natures (hot, warm, cool and cold) and the Five Tastes (pungent, sweet, sour, bitter and salty). The use of chopsticks as

eating tools necessitated that most food be prepared in bite-size pieces.

In later years, old Peking, now Beijing, became for Chinese food what Paris is for French food – the representative of a nation’s cuisine. There are hundreds of traditional Chinese dishes from different regional cuisines, but Peking Duck is feted as the national dish, especially in China’s capital. Unlike hamburgers or hot dogs in America, Peking Duck is not an ordinary everyday staple.

Roasted Peking Duck (see recipe) first appeared during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) but because of the huge expense and complexity of the preparation, it was limited to the imperial court menus. Poets and writers penned flowery odes to the dish while commoners drooled at this unobtainable food of the gods. For centuries this imperial fowl, unlike the traditional American Thanksgiving turkey, was the exclusive preserve of emperors, aristocrats and wealthy elite to be served only on special occasions.

Now Peking Duck exists for the masses, but it is not cheap and thus is still considered a gourmet delicacy.

Most tourists in Beijing make a beeline for the famous Quanjude, one of Beijing’s oldest restaurants specializing in duck. In the mid-1800s, its founder bribed a retired imperial chef for his coveted roast duck recipe and opened a street café to serve the renowned delicacy to eager, upwardly mobile, status-conscious diners. Quanjude expanded rapidly. The restaurant grew into a massive flagship, with seven noisy floors. But in the process the restaurant lost its appeal for those of us who prefer a finer ambience.

When I lived in China, before the Communists arrived in 1949 and during many recent visits as a journalist, my Chinese friends readily gave me advice concerning various food energies, called qi, which could be interpreted as food power. According to Alex Tan, a practitioner at the Straight Bamboo Chinese Medicine clinic in Beijing, there’s a big difference between how people in the West and people in the East describe food.

“Typically in the West,” Tan says, “they take a food, isolate it and break it down into component parts, such as fats, carbohydrates and calories. That food, tested in any laboratory in the world, would get the same exact results. In China, however, we look at a carrot, then eat a ton of carrots, and we describe what it does to us. It’s observation-based science.”

Dietary therapy, along with massage, herbal medicine, acupuncture and gigong exercise, are the five main pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to TCM theory, you can benefit by eating food containing seasonal energies. In China there are five, not four, seasons – spring, summer, late summer, autumn and winter, and each season corresponds to an element, an organ, a taste, a weather attribute and a process.

Sofia Du, a chef and nutritionist in Beijing, says, “Our bodies are designed to eat with the season. These foods are more beneficial, because they live in the same climate as you, and therefore, meet your body’s needs. So, even if I like passion fruit, for example, it’s not good for me because it is grown in the south and I am a northerner.”

In summer, one is advised to stay refreshed by eating more “cold” foods like melons, persimmons, pears and cucumbers. Most Chinese foods, especially dumplings, can be prepared in an infinite number of ways, but most recipes are rooted in theoretic dietary principles. In the cold winter months, foods “warm” in nature, such as red

meat and ginger root, can help the body combat the chill. It’s also the time for banquets and parties. Ice cold beer and all alcohol is considered “hot” because it heats us up internally.

Banquets are traditionally served on a round table with a large lazy Susan in the middle laden with a variety of appetizers. You could leisurely pluck a bite-size portion of food with your serving chopsticks before gently passing it around on the lazy Susan. The last time we were in China, in 2012, we journeyed to Chongqing in Sichuan province to celebrate my husband Seymour Topping’s 90th birthday with old friends and our adopted Chinese son, Peter Ronning. It was in late December and Christmas carols blared continuously from a loud speaker. At the flower-bedecked table, we were amazed – then horrified – to discover that the lazy Susan had been mechanized.

Shortly after we sat down, someone flicked a switch and the tantalizing dishes placed around it began twirling around at such a high speed that it was impossible to capture any food with our chopsticks before it whisked by us.

Chongqing is renowned for its delicious hot spicy foods and bold flavors, but we could only watch in mouth-watering frustration as the Sliced Hoisin Pork, Bean Curd, Spicy Chicken, Hot Turnips, smoked meats, spring rolls, seaweeds, chili peppers, ancient eggs, tree

Peking Roast Duck (Jing Ting Peking Ya) Ingredients: 4- to 6-pound duck 2 tablespoons molasses 1 to 2 bunches scallions (white part only) Hoisin sauce Chinese pancakes Preparation: Mix molasses with 1 tablespoon water.

Wash duck well, remove fat from cavity and dip in boiling water for five minutes.

Hang duck in airy spot half a day. Rub with molasses mixture and hang again, overnight.

Cooking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (optional). Place a rack over foil.

Place duck on rack and roast 90 minutes.

Raise oven temp to 425 and roast 15 to 20 minutes more.

Slit the scallion bulbs 2 inches down the stems, making a second 2-inch cut at right angles to the first cut.

Cover with ice-cold water until serving time.

To serve, slice off skin, cutting it into pieces 1-1/2 inches by 3 inches. Slice meat into bite-size pieces arranged with the skin.

Roll meat, sauce and scallions into Chinese pancakes, Chinese steamed bread or American bread.

fungus, deep fried celery with red pepper, hot-pickled cabbage, Facing Heaven pepper and a variety of herbs sailed by. Our grandson Torin tried slowing it down by force so we could stab a portion but to no avail. Disaster prevailed. The peaceful meal turned into a race against the not-so lazy Susan and no one could find the remote.

All decorum was thrown to the wind as it became a mat-

ter of survival. We all dived in. It was every man/woman/ child for him or her self.

We licked the platters clean and ended up playing the traditional finger game – where the loser, not the winner, gets to drink the red or hot rice wine. No one worried about the mess we left on the table, because it was a considered a good sign that we had enjoyed ourselves. n

17

A restaurant for all seasons

By Georgette Gouveia Photographs by John Rizzo

Julian Niccolini

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Julian Niccolini, the ebullient managing partner of The Four Seasons restaurant in midtown Manhattan, sets out three tastings of Armagnac, a rich amber-colored cousin of Cognac from Gascony in southwest France. One glass contains 25-year-old Armagnac; the second, 18-year-old; and the third, 15-year-old.

You sip the 25-year-old Armagnac first. Wow. It’s a good thing you’ve just had a superb lunch of savory asparagus soup with black morels, meaty crab croquettes that melted in your mouth and – a Four Seasons signature – luxurious vanilla bean soufflé.

Because that 25-year-old Armagnac packs a wallop.

The Armagnac, Niccolini says, “is a very romantic drink, a beverage for relaxing after dinner, very European.”

And how shrewd he is to bring it to the table as an introduction to The Four Seasons, which is, after all, on the first floor of the 38-story bronze and amber glass Seagram Building and so took its inspiration in part from liquor.

Originally intended to be a restaurant for the employees of the Canadian-based Seagram’s – once the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world – The Four Seasons was ultimately designed “to show off the connection between food and wine.”

“These people had the idea that food and wine go together,” Niccolini says. “And they were smart enough to know that if you drink, then you need to eat food as well.”

Indeed, long before “wine and dine,” “farm to table,” “seasonal cooking,” “locally sourced,” “healthy eating” and

A dessert at The Four Seasons features Valrhona cake with coffee custard, tiramisu ice cream, chocolate ganache.

all the other catchphrases that are so popular now in the food industry, there was The Four Seasons, which opened in 1959 at a cost of $4.5 million ($36.7 million today), one of the largest sums ever spent on a restaurant.

“It took Alice Waters until 1972 to become the queen of seasonal cooking,” Niccolini reminds you. “Farm to table?

Soon it will be cow to table.”

He is like that – straightforward but with great charm – which is a good way to describe the food at The Four Seasons. First off, the restaurant used the Japanese idea of the ephemeral world to introduce the concept of seasonal cuisine in America. Hence the name, the constantly changing menus and the ever-shifting views in the sedately sumptuous Pool Room, with its preserved cherry blossom trees standing like sentinels at the corners of the central, burbling pool in spring and palm trees taking over the duty in summer before giving way to Japanese maples in fall and

bare birches in winter. Niccolini scoffs at places that say they serve fresh tomatoes out of season. Now that the soft seasons are here, this Bedford resident is at Daisy Hill Farm in neighboring Mount Kisco buying 200 to 300 pounds at a clip for the restaurant.

You won’t find farm-raised salmon on the menu. And fish from California in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant meltdown that contaminated Pacific waters? Forget about it.

“One of the many reasons people have come here for more than 40 years and don’t put on any weight is that we use a limited amount of butter, and we don’t use heavy cream,” adds Niccolini, a trim, sharply handsome man who eats at the restaurant twice a day. “We use olive oil that is made only from olives with no fillers, unlike other olive oils.”

No doubt that’s why after a meal there you feel full and satisfied rather than heavy.

“The best thing is ‘Do not cheat,’” he says. “What we’re trying to do is cook food that is good for our clients.”

The Four Seasons (no relation to the hotel chain) is, of course, about a lot more than good eating. It’s about seeing and being seen – the essence of Modernism – in a landmark Modernist space. The rectangular glass building, perhaps the quintessence of the postwar International Style, was designed for Seagram’s owner Samuel Bronfman

by Mies van der Rohe; the restaurant by the architect’s protégé, Philip Johnson, whose many credits include Purchase

19

Julian and friends in the pool.

College’s Neuberger Museum of Art and his own glass home, now a New Canaan tourist attraction. Overseeing every aspect was Phyllis Lambert, Bronfman’s brilliant, uncompromising daughter.

Among the restaurant’s artistic treasures is Pablo Picasso’s 19-by-20-foot painting “Le Tricorne,” originally a backdrop for the 1920 Paris production of Leonide Massine’s ballet “The Three-Cornered Hat.” Believed to be the largest non-sculptural Picasso in the world, “Le Tricorne” depicts a colorful bullfight scene, which just about describes the controversy that erupted recently over plans to remove it. The fight pitted the RFR Holding Corp., which owns the building and says it needs to shore up the limestone wall behind it, against The New York Landmarks Conservancy, which owns the painting and says it could deteriorate if moved. This being New York, arts watchers have speculated that Aby Rosen, RFR co-founder, chair of the state Council on the Arts and a contemporary art collector, is really seeking to displace the Picasso for works by Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons.

Now all is happily resolved. The parties have agreed to send the Picasso to the New-York Historical Society, where it will go on display after being conserved.

Presently, the Picasso remains at The Four Seasons in a corridor called Picasso Alley the connects the masculine, French walnut-paneled Grill Room, where the captains of industry held sway “Mad Men”-style, giving rise to the term “power lunch”; and the lighter, airier Pool Room, the color of coffee-infused whipped cream, with chain curtains filtering the light. Traditionally, the Grill Room – still “the most powerful room in America today,” Niccolini says – is 20

the place for lunch and the Pool Room the place for dinner.

But we’re having lunch in the Pool Room and so are a lot of other people who barely notice when Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus walks in, preceded by bodyguards, and is seated poolside. (These are for the most part New Yorkers, after all, with many patrons being from Bedford and Pound Ridge, Niccolini adds. They’re not inclined to pop up like meerkats just to get a peek at the rich and famous. If they were, their heads would be bobbing all day to get a gander at the likes of everyone from Henry Kissinger, still a Four Seasons regular with an office nearby, to Johnny Depp.)

Whether you’re Johnny Depp or John Doe, you’ll find The Four Seasons’ service to be attentive, unobtrusive and thoroughly agreeable, as demonstrated by our captain, J. Stephen MacArthur.

“One of the most important things is charm, that plays a big part,” Niccolini says, “caring for the customers.”

He describes Alex von Bidder – the restaurant’s other managing partner and co-author with John Mariani of “The Four Seasons: A History of America’s Premier Restaurant” (Smithmark Publishers) – as “the main ingredient.”

As for himself, Niccolini says, “I’m in the people business.”

It is a trade he learned – along with foraging – at his parents’ “illegal restaurant” outside Lucca, the Etruscan city on the river Serchio in Tuscany. His mother would cook for everyone while his father – a poet who led Tuscany’s Resistance movement against the Fascists – would get everyone drinking. It was, more than one person has said, like something out of a Fellini movie.

After hotel school in Rome, Niccolini worked in Monte Carlo, then decided to brush up on his English in New

York, where a cousin was general manager of the St. Regis hotel. It was in Manhattan in the 1970s that he caught the eye of Paul Kovi, who with Tom Margittai had taken over ownership of The Four Seasons from Restaurant Associates. Kovi suggested that young Niccolini get experience in a French restaurant. Niccolini got a job at the now-defunct Palace restaurant – then the most expensive in the city – and moonlighted as assistant maitre d’ at La Maisonette, the St. Regis’ nightclub, where admirers of Mabel Mercer’s cabaret act included Ol’ Blue Eyes.

“When Frank Sinatra showed up, he’d give out $100 tips,” Niccolini remembers.

His next encounter with Kovi led to a job managing the Grill Room in 1977, building it into a powerhouse, and, as he says, “I’m still here.”

When he’s not “here” putting in 12-hour days, Niccolini is at home in Bedford with wife Lisa, Labradoodles Dutch and Betsy and rescue cats Bee and Lucky or checking out the local food scene. He likes the Saugatuck Craft Butchery in Westport, whose brisket, he says, makes the best hamburgers, as well as 42 The Restaurant atop The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains and chef-owner Anthony Goncalves.

Back at The Four Seasons, the times and menu may change but one thing never will and that is the restaurant’s philosophy of cooking and service.

“Honesty,” Niccolini says, “is the most important thing where food is concerned.”

For more or reservations, visit fourseasonsrestaurant. com. n

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Coach Farm, where they make the goat cheese

By Mark Lungariello

A couple of Coach Farm’s famous residents greet visitors.

Photograph courtesy of Best Cheese Corp.

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We walked into a barn and the room went quiet, as if the goats had been talking about us just before we came in. The goats of Coach Farm, where they make the goat cheese, lined up at their trough, their heads pointing our way, poking out between the arms of a gate that divides the areas of the barn: where the goats live, where people walk.

They stared in unison, attentively, as if we were on a stage, the curtain had just opened and the audience was waiting to be entertained. (I didn’t tell a joke, but with the benefit of hindsight, I could have tried this: Why do sheep need chiropractors but goats don’t? Goats don’t have baaaa-ck problems.)

Goats are, social, playful things closer to dogs than cows – some with beards or “wattles,” others without – stumps wagging wildly, running around, hopping on their hind legs to get your attention, doing their best to solicit petting from the opposable thumbs set.

There are 800 goats at Coach, only 25 of which are males. The property is in the Columbia County hamlet of Gallatinville, overlooking a set of grassy hills that could have been, and maybe were, the subject of an old Thomas Cole painting. The entire town where the farm is located has a human population of only 2,000.

The farm was founded by Miles and Lillian Cahn, who formerly owned the Coach Leatherware Co. in Manhattan and made Coach handbags a well-known and wellcoveted accessory. In 1985, the couple was in their 60s and bought the goat farm, up the Taconic State Parkway

The serene setting of the Coach Farm is what lured its famous founders from the concrete high rises of Manhattan.

Photograph courtesy of Best Cheese Corp.

about two hours outside of the city, to pursue the dream of a more quiet life. Miles Cahn wrote a book about his experiences, “The Perils and Pleasures of Domesticating Goat Cheese,” in which he joked that he was held hostage by the goats on the farm. He told an interviewer once that he and his wife worked so hard at the farm that they ended up visiting the city to find peace and quiet. The Cahns sold the leatherware company in the 1980s to Sara Lee, then sold the farm in 2007 to Best Cheese Corp.,

which owns it today.

When the farm began, there was not much of a demand for goat cheese but a market has emerged alongside the growth of the artisanal movement. Steve Margarites is president of Best Cheese, which also owns Parrano cheese and Dairy Dial. He said goat milk products are considered easier to digest than cow milk products which makes them popular with the health-conscious crowd.

“We attribute the growth of goat cheese to increased

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Triple Cream Infused Burger Ingredients: 1 pound of ground beef Salt and pepper to taste 1 6-ounce disc of Coach Farm’s Triple Cream cheese 1 package of fresh portobello mushrooms 1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced 1 package of your favorite burger buns Directions: Remove ground beef from refrigerator and set it on the counter so it can come up to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, combine your burger meat, salt, and pepper.

Using your hands, form six even-sized patties with the ground beef. (This is important because you are going to use two patties to form each burger).

Cut rind off of Coach Farm’s Triple cream, and cut into ½-inch cubes.

Place three to four Triple Cream cubes onto the center of three hamburger patties, taking care to leave room around the edges so you can seal the burgers on each side.

Seal the burgers by placing the remaining patties on top and pinching the edges around the filling. Set aside.

Heat medium pan on stove to medium heat. Add two tablespoons of butter, Portobello mushrooms, and thinly sliced Vidalia onion. Dust with salt and cook until desired tenderness.

Grill burgers on high heat for four to five minutes per side or until preferred.

Place infused burger on bun and top with mushroom and onion mixture.

Serve with your favorite chips or fries.

international travels as well as visual television programming shows that are focusing on healthier choices for cooking needs,” he said. Some marquee chefs have used Coach products in their dishes and the farm has appeared on network television – Katie Couric once milked a goat on the air. Celebrity chef Mario Batali, one of the farm’s top customers, is married to the Cahns’ daughter, Susi.

Of course, niche market or not, it all comes down to taste. It is the goats’ diet, mostly local alfalfa, that is most important to the eventual flavor of the Coach cheeses.

Goats aren’t disciplined grazers so controlling what they eat is key to limiting “background flavors” in their milk, cheesemakers say. At Coach, the animals have outdoor and indoor access but in the controlled environment only have access to foods chosen by their keepers.

The goats are French Alpines and are all born and bred on the farm (Coach sells many of the 100 pups born each year to other farms). They face the milking machine twice a day, getting to work once early in the morning before the sun rises and a second time late in the afternoon. They produce 7 pounds of milk per day on average and it takes about 10 pounds to make one pound of cheese. If there’s any doubt that a goat cheese farm is hard work, consider that cows on average produce 100 pounds of milk a day.

Transforming that goat milk into goat cheese is a scientific process overseen by Mark Newbold, a dairy chemist who spent six years working on research with Cornell University and who previously ran a dairy farm for several decades. Making cheese is a process that involves the precision of a chemist to produce a consistent flavor batch to batch. With a steady diet for the goats through all of the seasons, Newbold said the farm doesn’t see a decline in the amount of cheese it produces in the winter.

“We’re very careful,” he said. “It’s a clean and consistent process.”

The milk is pumped from the barn into the creamery, where it begins its transformation into cheese. At 2,800 pounds a load, the milk is poured into a pasteurization vat (as much as 25,000 pounds of milk is processed per week). The milk is then heated to 145 degrees during the From top: The sound a goat makes is called a bleat.

Here they show they are not camera shy. Most of the cheesemaking process is done by workers by hand, including cupping and patting the aged cheese. Vital to the flavor of the cheese is its freshness. Some of the Rawstruck cheese is cut and prepared for sale at a farmers market. The cheese is refrigerated while its flavor takes shape and its outer layer solidifies. Many of the products are wrapped by hand and sold fresh, ensuring they do not arrive at the table dry or overly brittle. Photographs courtesy of Best Cheese Corp. and by Mark Lungariello.

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process, which lasts about 30 minutes. It’s then cooled back down to 38 degrees, at which time cultures are added. Coach’s aged cheese has mold culture added, which will ultimately give it a sharper flavor and creates that bumpy, imperfect rind as an outer layer.

The cultures have to be added once cool, because at the higher temperature they would die from the heat. The

The goats are French Alpines and are all born and bred on the farm. They face the milking machine twice a day, getting to work once early in the morning before the sun rises and a second time late in the afternoon. batch ferments overnight before the whey is drained from the curd. It sits another day, with a coagulant added that is vegetable-based and GMO free.

The cheeses go out fresh, with a shelf life of about 10 days to three weeks for the hand-wrapped regular and aged cheeses, and as much as a four-month shelf life is expected for vacuum-sealed cheeses. The cheeses are sold in farmers markets and specialty stores, mostly in the Northeast region due to its freshness and short expectancy before it perishes.

Products include the fresh goat cheese, with a hint of a tart flavor and a consistency like cream cheese and the Rawstruck cheese, the farm’s only raw product which has that tart flavor that separates goat cheese from cow cheese.

Some of the more popular products are fruit-infused cheeses like one with fig in it. The sweet fig counteracts the tart cheese and is more accessible a product to those who may be taking their first steps into the world of goat milk.

The farm has also unveiled a Yo-Goat drinkable yogurt that comes in several flavors, popular with the healthyliving set and a more easily digestible ingredient for smoothies. Coach also produces a yogurt in the Greek style. Newbold said the farm uses an ultra-filtration system to remove liquid – which means the goat milk yogurt needs more milk to produce less yogurt. It’s a thicker, spoonable yogurt.

“You can stick a spoon in it and it won’t flop around,” he said.

For more, or to order direct, visit coachfarms.com. n

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The food shaman Laura Parisi feeds body and soul

By Patricia Espinosa Photographs by Nicola Parisi

Health coach and Reiki master Laura Parisi believes food is much more than a collection of calories and nutrients. It’s also about the emotional, relational and spiritual part that connects us to our bodies and to the world around us. By using food as a pathway to understanding and self-awareness, she says, we can begin to unearth our own instinctive and intuitive ways of healing.

“Shamans are the original medicine men of the earth,” Parisi says. “They have a deep understanding of the kingdoms – the mineral kingdom, the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom. They understand how to work with the energy and flow of things. They’re able to access that part of the instinctive intelligence that lives inside of each and every one of us.”

As a food shaman, Parisi helps clients explore the dynamic nature of their relationship with food, their bodies and their health. She believes that health can be attained and maintained through basic awareness of food and self, conscious eating and energy balance. By creating awareness of our habitual patterns and what triggers them, she says, we can begin to learn how to eat not from imitation, habit or theory, but in response to the voice of instinctive intelligence. Clearing those impressions that keep us tied to old patterns and behaviors allows us to affect change and make way for new impressions to be made.

Whether it’s counseling people one-on-one and in groups, offering guided seasonal market tours or interactive Rooted Angel cooking workshops, Parisi’s intention is to show people a different way of looking at food.

“I teach them about food – how to make healthy food taste great and its healing properties. A lot of it is teaching time management, because many people think it’s going to take them way too much time to do all of this when actually, if you put certain systems into place, it really doesn’t take that much time.”

Parisi guides clients to look beyond the nutrients food provides and also consider their energetic properties and how they relate to other things.

“If you look at how food grows, you have foods that grow down into the earth and foods that grow up out of the earth. “The food that grows down into the earth (is) gathering all the minerals of the earth. That’s a very grounded material and if we eat that particular food, it has that energetic effect on us. We can feel very grounded when we eat things like burdock root or beets or carrots or radishes.

“And the foods that are growing up out of the earth, like leafy greens, they’re breathing for the trees, they’re rich in chlorophyll. So eating those things will help us with our lung system, with breathing. We’re actually helping to oxygenate the cells in our body. So it just gives a bigger picture. It’s not just, ‘I’m eating kale, because everybody says it’s healthy for me.’”

There’s no shortage of diets available today, and if there 26

Swiss Chard Blueberry Salad with Lavender and Tarragon Ingredients: 1 extra large bunch of Swiss chard or seasonal green leaves, stems removed 1 cup blueberries ½ cup golden raisins 1 tablespoon chopped fresh lavender 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon ¼ cup unfiltered olive oil ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice Himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper to taste Preparation: Chop chard leaves into bite-size pieces and place into a large serving bowl.

Add lavender, tarragon, raisins, blueberries, olive oil and lemon juice. Toss well.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Serves 8)

were one that was right for everyone, we’d all be on it. So for that reason, she says, it becomes an individual process.

The process began for the Old Greenwich resident 25 years ago when she became pregnant with her daughter, Nicola.

“It began a deeper inner journey for me. It got me thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a life, this is a soul and what kind of food is he or she receiving from me, not only nutritionally, but what are my thoughts doing?’” Parisi recalls thinking.

It was then that she became keenly aware of energy and health. “Things were not separate any more. They were starting to come together in a deeper awareness.”

A desire to understand the science, energy and spiritual side of food led her to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in Manhattan where she earned her degree as a holistic health counselor. She describes the experience as “one of the most profound things I’d ever done not just for myself but for my family.”

Three years ago she and her husband, Bob, started a vegetable and herb garden in her backyard, because she wanted to understand and experience the process beyond simply growing tomatoes or basil in a container.

“This is food. It becomes me. It becomes all of us. It becomes your cells, your blood, your tissue and your organs. Food becomes your thoughts, because your brain is an organ. So you’re feeding all these different parts of you and I wanted to understand the process. Because there’s something about the energy of having your own food that you grew, that you bring in that’s so different.

Because you won’t find that in a packaged product.”

What’s different is that it evokes a feeling through all of our senses.

“You go through taste, smell, hearing, seeing, touch but it also gets to another sense, your sixth sense, which is intuition. So when you’re connected with something organic that’s growing, and it’s in your own space, you begin to get a sense of what these are all about. You can connect it to the seed of the plant, to the roots that go down. You can connect it to the stem that starts to come up and the first leaf that’s formed, to the flower of the plant and the seed that’s formed from that. All of those stages are in us as well. So I began to see this in relation to each thing, and that there’s an energy that comes from that.”

Passions begin to take root.

“I think the evolution of where we came from certainly shows you how things grow and develop, why you do what you do, and where your passions are leads you to a place of service.”

For Parisi, those passions where first cultivated as a young girl growing up in Southern California when she would take the bus every Saturday morning to her German grandmother’s home to learn how to sew and cook, two gifts passed down to her that would later become her life’s work.

“I learned how to make clothes for first my dolls, then my family. I became interested in fashion, in color and shape, but mostly, I loved to create, something that was really feeding my soul,” says the Fashion Institute of Technology graduate, who worked as a fashion designer in Manhattan for more than 18 years.

Today, Parisi continues to create not only as a cook and gardener but also as an accomplished ceramic artist.

There is more than one way to feed the soul.

For more, visit lauraparisi.com. n

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XOXO, Leslie

By Ronni Diamondstein

On a sunny spring afternoon, Leslie Lampert greets me with a bright smile at her restaurant, Café of Love, and we sit by the window of the très Français bistro on East Main Street in Mount Kisco. Lampert, the owner and executive chef, has a lot going on these days. In addition to her award winning farm-to-fork takeout shop, Ladle of Love, around the corner on South Moger Avenue, The Love Group includes Love on the Run, a catering business; Leslie Lampert Affairs, on-site catering at the Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem; and a plan for a new venue in Chappaqua at the historic train station, Love@10514 Commuter Bistro, which was approved by the Town of New Castle board in May. “I am over the moon and honored. We know Chappaqua and I are uniquely suited,” she says, referring to Ladle of Love’s presence at the Chappaqua Farmers Market.

“I am extremely careful where I bring the ‘love’ brand. I lived there for 24 years, raised a family there and commuted from that station.”

Lampert says the commuter bistro will be unique in that it will serve commuters and welcome residents. She has given much thought to what would be the best thing for the town. She calls Love@10514 Commuter Bistro a variation on Ladle that will be a healthful “grab and go,” and “grab and stay” for commuters, and at the same time, the rest of the town is invited as it seats 45 people. Her ultimate goal is to make the commuter experience excellent while she merges and cares for both the commuters and the community.

“We’re really excited for Love@10514 to open this summer,” says Rob Greenstein, supervisor for the Town of New Castle. “Leslie is a class act and we knew it would be a pleasure to work with her.”

How did Lampert become the force behind a successful culinary brand? The answer is simply her humanity, a deep facet of Lampert’s character, an instinctive desire to nurture and care for others.

First, though, she was an accomplished journalist, writing for Us and House Beautiful, reporting for The Boston Globe and serving as senior editor of Ladies’ Home Journal. Lampert had started to work from home in 1997 when her husband was diagnosed with cancer.

“Soups and stews were the only thing he could eat and cooking was cathartic and relaxing for me,” she says.

“When I could do nothing, I was nourishing my children. Little did I know I was setting the stage for my next career.”

Then she began to share her culinary creations with friends.

“After September 11th in 2001 I was driving over to a friend with food and in a spontaneous random act of kindness I saw some 9/11 first responders outside the Millwood Fire House and gave them some soup.”

Word about her soups and stews spread and she started 28

Above, Leslie Lampert’s signature Harvest Celebration soup. Left, Café of Love. Right, Leslie Lampert. Photographs by Rita Maas.

getting orders.

“I’d be on the ‘Today’ show in the morning talking about food and in the afternoon driving around with my hair in a ponytail delivering soup.”

Lampert decided that when she got up to 10 orders a week, she would open a shop. “Mount Kisco was being reimagined at that time and branches off South Moger were being developed. I found a small spot that I could afford and opened Ladle of Love 11 years ago.”

Two days before the opening, her husband of some 20 years left her. But despite his departure, Lampert did not give up and Ladle thrived. It started with soups and stews and is now offers full gourmet takeout. Soups and stews are still popular and her signature soup, Harvest Celebration, continues to be a best seller, Lampert says.

“It’s a mélange of butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, Granny Smith apples, water and a touch of butter. It’s finished with a bit of cream, maple syrup and a lot of love.”

Five years later it seemed the right time to open Café of Love which developed organically, pun intended, from the success of Ladle. The casual, charmingly decorated restaurant with its antiques and mismatched tables has understated European elegance, a testament to Lampert’s good taste and loving touches. But as with Ladle, Café opened under something of a dark cloud: The recession had just hit. But again, Lampert endured and she is

proud that she could keep 30 people employed.

Lampert writes all the recipes and menus herself.

“My kitchen turns it into a symphony. I’m not a line cook. The guys in the kitchen, chef de cuisine Hector Coronel and kitchen manager Mike Donnelly, are masterful at creating the dishes from the recipes and work with my dedicated staff, most of whom have been with me since I first opened.”

Menus change seasonally.

“We take local ingredients on a global adventure supporting local and extended local merchants. I’ve traveled a great deal and have a great respect for ethnic cuisines.”

The dishes reflect a microcosm of life and Lampert’s travels and take the café’s patrons to many places – the Far East, Mediterranean, India, France and Latin America.

At the end of your meal you receive your check in a passport, a nod to a transporting culinary experience.

“The party was always at my house,” Lampert says.

And when she explains why she has a luxuriously wide marble bar at the restaurant, she adds with a twinkle in her caramel-colored eyes that she is a “bar chick” and likes to encourage patrons to mingle with one another.

“I wanted to have a cool, excellent place you can come to locally in your jeans and feel like you are home.” She fondly refers to Justin Poltrack, bar manager, as “the gatekeeper of the night.”

The vivacious blonde doesn’t appear to take herself too

seriously, but Lampert says people would be surprised at how serious she and her team take the business of spreading the love.

“It looks like a party but we work countless hours of strategic planning meetings to make sure we’re doing business the best we can. When it’s Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we’re not with our families. And we’re there (at the café) on a Saturday night making sure someone else’s Saturday night is as perfect as it can be.”

Everyone is made to feel special by Lampert, from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to 9-year-old “foodie” Jordan Lubinsky, who wrote about Café of Love on her food blog, “Jordan’s Lunch Box,” during Restaurant Week this spring.

While you might think it’s only about love, honesty is another word that resonates with Lampert.

“Love stems from honesty. I’m not a saint, but I do believe in honest relationships.” Lampert values honesty in the food business.

“I care who is growing the food – where and how. I want to know the story behind the food and the people.”

And she adds, “I hope I’m known for dependability.”

Lampert appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2008 to talk about her transition from journalist to restaurateur. She doesn’t see her life now as reinvention.

“It’s another chapter. Each experience is a ferry to the next chapter,” Lampert says about her new career and the skills she has acquired throughout her life.

Her greatest inspirations are her children Elizabeth, 31; Amanda, 30; and Alex, 28. “They are remarkable and I

Café of Love Lobster-Corn Fritters with Tarragon Aioli Ingredients: One 1-pound lobster 1/3 cup fresh tarragon ½ cup mayonnaise Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup buttermilk 1 large egg, separated 1 ear of corn, kernels cut off cob 2 tablespoons minced chives 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted Vegetable oil

Preparation: In a large pot of boiling water, plunge lobster and cook until bright red, 5-6 minutes. Cool, remove meat, coarsely chop and refrigerate.

Chop tarragon and fold into mayo. Season with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve with fritters.

In large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In separate bowl, whisk buttermilk with egg yolk.

Add wet ingredients to dry, stir gently and fold in lobster, corn, chives and melted butter.

In another bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks and fold into batter.

Heat 2 inches of oil to 350 degrees in a shallow frying pan. Drop heaping tablespoon of batter into pan and fry, turning once, about 2 minutes.

Transfer golden fritters to paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt. Serve with tarragon mayonnaise (and lemon wedges).

am happy to report they’ve thrived.”

Lampert is most proud of what she has done for others.

“I’ve had an impactful life, starting with my children.”

She did this as a journalist and now she takes it to another plane, to the community and her employees.

“We all have to take care of each other. I have never said no to anyone who asked me for anything. Every month I’m asked for gift certificates for fundraisers; I’ve donated a cocktail party, a class. I support the Little League, synagogues and churches because I believe we’re

all in this together.”

Her philosophy is simple: “Nourish everyone and make a place where everyone who comes here feels they are important. Then you know you’ve made a difference.

That’s my raison d’être.”

Café of Love is at 38 E. Main St. in Mount Kisco.

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Sipping sereni-tea

By Georgette Gouveia

H

Photograph courtesy of Hastings Tea.

30

astings Tea – the cozy shop in White Plains – is a good example of creating what you desire.

Banker Joan Jia and trial lawyer Robert Peirce share a passion for each other and one thing more – a good cup of tea.

So the Hastings-on-Hudson couple looked around for places that served one.

But while bevvie-seekers have no trouble finding coffeehouses on every other corner, they find that teahouses are rarer in this country. (Worldwide, tea is more popular, particularly in Asia and the former Soviet Union.)

“We love tea,” Jia says, “and we wanted to find a place to serve tea instead of coffee.”

Jia and Peirce scoured WAG country before settling on a 750-square-foot shop on the first floor of a building across from City Center on Main Street.

“The idea was born while we were sitting in a diner in Hastings-on-Hudson lamenting the fact that we couldn’t find a good cup of tea,” Peirce says. Hence the name, Hastings Tea. Besides, it sounds so veddy British, doesn’t it?

But the shop, which just celebrated its first anniversary, has a cheery, modern American feel and Zen vibe – with its lime green walls and tables, black chairs, Chinese tea sets and other tea paraphernalia contained in brightly patterned oval boxes decorated with butterflies and exhortations like “Dream Big.” It’s such a comfortable and comforting atmosphere, but what really makes it so is not the décor, not even the tea, but the staff led by Jia and Peirce. On this particular day, the reporter is experiencing a sinus attack, and they are all soothing solicitousness with freshly brewed oolong tea served in a sparely elegant glass teapot that certainly helps to open up the sinuses.

Iron Goddess Oolong and the more intense Imperial Iron Goddess Oolong are two of the 20 loose teas Hastings Tea brews or sells, everything from English Breakfast Supreme and High Mountain Darjeeling to South Africa Rooibos, a robust red tea; Peony White Tea; Dragon Mao Feng Green Tea; and Jasmine Green Blossom. Most are organic, although fruit teas cannot be certified as such. And while

Hastings Tea doesn’t have decaffeinated tea, Peirce says, it does serve some caffeine-free teas. (Tea by dry weight actually has more caffeine than coffee, but once you brew it, a lot of tea’s caffeine is lost.

Decaf tea or coffee retains some caffeine.

Beverages that contain no caffeine are labeled “caffeine free.”)

In addition, there are signature drinks like Southern Sweet (black tea, lemon, mint and honey) and Green Tea Ginger Twist (green tea, ginger, honey) as well as the FrosTea Smoothie, your choice of black, oolong, green or herbal tea and a variety of summer fruits. And of course, there’s the ever-popular chai latte, made with chai, a heavily spiced Indian tea.

The menu also includes light fare and an assortment of scones, biscotti, blondies and brownies from Cathy’s Biscotti and Sweet Treats of White Plains.

The tea is served in cast iron or glass pots. Jia recommends serving strong teas like oolong and black teas in cast iron; green and herbal teas in glass. Ceramic teapots are good for any type of tea.

Certain tea leaves like oolong can be rebrewed; green tea, never, Jia says.

One way to drink tea is Chinese-style.

Place the leaves in the bottom of the cup, add hot water, cover to let the tea steep and drink, Jia says. As many people don’t like the tea leaves at play among their teeth, Jia says you can always use a tea infuser. Her shop includes glass cups with silver infusers and lids. When the tea is ready, you simply remove the lid and infuser and enjoy your cuppa.

So where does this leave those who need their jolt of java? Peirce says he understands that folks like to start their day with a cup of joe, then ease into tea in the afternoon. So the shop serves a variety of coffee drinks as well made with coffee by Maison Camus, the French-based Cognac company that is branching out. (Camus has an office in Harrison.)

So you see, coffee lovers: Hastings Tea loves you, too.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Hastings Tea is at 235 Main St. in White Plains. For more, call 914-428-1000 or visit hastingstea.com. n

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Kenny Balidemaj, or Dr. Branzino, debones tableside.

32

Branzino and tagliolini neri.

The new

old-school Fresh flavors, same favorites at Sapori Story and photographs by Andrea Kennedy

On White Plains’ Central Avenue, a two-story 1940s charmer rises among a proliferation of strip malls and car dealerships. Sundrenched yellow façade and white trim offer a hint of the good ol’ days. For 35 years, the spot was Gregory’s, serving authentic Italian to the who’s who of Westchester’s business and social scene, where owner Billy Losapio also served as patron saint of closing deals.

“I was a great arranger of people,” says

Losapio, an elegant man whose handshake is ironclad. “A lot of deals went down here that I was responsible for.”

Calling him a people person is like calling Babe Ruth a ballplayer. From politics to the Rat Pack, he ran in enough of the right crowds to rub elbows with the likes of Nelson A. Rockefeller and Frank Sinatra. Both dined at Gregory’s, plus legends like Dean Martin, Liza Minnelli and Bette Midler. But since shuttering Gregory’s in

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Make sure you descend the winding staircase to the left of the entrance for a seating in the downstairs grotto – a cozy cavern with velvet-decked ceilings and striking masonry arches that enclose dining booths. It’s also the wine cellar, which includes fine international and extensive Tuscan offerings.

2006 and with it one of the strongest legacies of local dining, any eatery attempting to reinvent the restaurant seemed doomed. The space saw four different restaurants in twice as many years try – and fail – to launch bistro concepts. Anything that wasn’t Gregory’s wouldn’t last. But all that could change with Sapori.

Celebrating its first anniversary next month, Sapori’s revival of traditional fine Italian dining and handshake hospitality is poised to give it staying power. And that comes from the godfather himself.

“Everything here is up to par,” says Losapio, who still owns the property. “I ask people, ‘How was the food? The service?’ And they say, ‘Impeccable, Billy. Just like when you were here.’”

Owners and brothers Sammy and Kenny Balidemaj, who both bring decades of experience in Italian fine dining, seem to have struck that solid balance of timeless favorites and refined aesthetic. A $2 million renovation (thanks to an owner in the interim) opened the first-floor ceiling to brighten the main dining room, which also leads to cozier alcoves and nooks for a more intimate experience. Make sure you descend the winding staircase to the left of the entrance for a seating in the downstairs grotto – a cozy cavern with velvet-decked ceilings and striking masonry arches that enclose dining booths. It’s also the wine cellar, which includes fine international and extensive Tuscan offerings.

Elegant plates leave the kitchen run by Chef Michael Mazzei, who earned a culinary master’s degree in Italy after graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. His menu reads like a greatest hits of an Italian gourmet – burrata, beef carpaccio and baked clams; house34

Sammy Balidemaj, Billy Losapio and Kenny Balidemaj.

made pastas; and refined meats like veal medallions, rack of lamb, pan-seared pork chop and pollo scarpariello. His roasted duck breast gets finished with apricot, dry cranberry and port wine reduction.

A favorite of our meal was the tagliolini neri – squid ink pasta mingling with shrimp, scallops and crab and bathed in a delicate pink Champagne sauce. There’s no skimp on portion size here, nor in the meatiness or abundance of seafood.

Branzino, though, is the specialty of the house and presented with much ceremony as Kenny expertly debones the whole fish tableside. To do the deed, I imagine

I’d need tweezers, knives and a magnifying glass – not to mention all 10 fingers.

Kenny just uses a fork and a spoon.

“They call me Doctor Branzino,” he says with a grin.

Smooth in taste and flaky in texture, the fish gets a spritz and garnish of lemon for a refreshing finish.

“I am so proud of these boys,” says Losapio.

There’s much to be proud of, particularly for the brothers – now poking fraternal workplace jabs among white tablecloths – who once lived in war-torn Montenegro.

“At home, we didn’t have many op-

tions – going to school every day and not knowing if you’re coming home,” says Sammy, the elder of the two. “Everyone’s dream was to get out of the country.”

Self-made restaurateurs – Sammy rose through the ranks of fine dining in Manhattan as Kenny helped helm the family restaurant back home – they’re pros in hospitality and operations, and they’re set for the long haul.

“We trust ourselves here,” says Kenny.

“We know what works.”

Sapori is at 324 Central Ave. in White Plains. For more, call 914-684-8855 or visit saporiofwhiteplains.com. n

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Blue Hill at Stone Barns’ Mountain Magic Tomatoes. Photograph by Susie Cushner.

A full ‘Plate’

By Jane K. Dove

Smoked Emmer Wheat, featured at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Photograph by Jen Munkvold.

36

“The Hudson River Valley is a great place to embrace the new way of thinking about producing and eating food that I call ‘The Third Plate,’” said Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of Blue Hill in the West Village of Manhattan and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, part of the nonprofit Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.

Barber’s book of the same name, several years in the making, has risen on best-seller lists since its publication May 19, striking a chord with those interested in a healthy diet based on the principles of sustainability and sensitivity to local producers of food.

The full title of the book, “The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food” (Penguin Press, 437 pages), reflects what Barber – a multiple James Beard Award winner and one of Time’s Most Influential People of 2009 – sees as the newest and best phase in the American way of eating. Although identified with the farm-to-table movement of the past decade, Barber said he had come to the realization that it didn’t do enough to have an important and lasting effect on our food system.

New way of eating

“The traditional American meal, ‘the first plate,’ typically consisted of a large piece of corn-fed beef, a starch and a vegetable,” he said. “Thanks to the burgeoning

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farm-to-table movement, many people began eating from the healthier ‘second plate.’ But this is still very similar to the first plate, even though the meat may be grass-fed and the vegetables local and organic. Neither the first nor the second plate supports the long-term productivity of the land.”

In his book, Barber calls for “the third plate,” a way of eating rooted in cooking with foods from whole local farms, using their vegetables, grains and livestock without “cherry-picking” certain ingredients and leaving the rest behind and unused.

“Even though my approach changes the plate from protein-centered to grain- and vegetable-centered, if you live in the Hudson River Valley, you should eat meat,” he said.

Barber believes our region is well suited to the production of meat and dairy products.

“They are part of the local landscape and what many local farmers produce,” he said. “These dairy and meat animals feed on some of the best grass in the world and there is no reason not to use them. Including beef in appropriate ways and portions supports the farmers of the Hudson River Valley.”

Barber said a “third plate” approach to a meal drawing from Hudson River Valley farms could involve the use of root vegetables, grains and a side portion of meat.

“This could be oxtail or beef shank instead of steak,” he said. “We need to get away from focusing only on certain cuts and use the whole animal, with appropriate amounts on the plate.”

Barber said the farm-to-table movement was important in refocusing on the proper use of food, but the time had come to think about using the whole farm.

“We need to think about all of crops in the entirety of the Hudson River Valley,” he said. “How can we support the local agricultural landscape and what it contains? Once we answer that question we will have true sustainability. We need to work on new patterns of eating. And the third plate in our area will be very different from the third plate in Florida, Oregon, Maine or California.”

Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Photograph by Ira Lippke.

Exploration

Although many of the ideas Barber shares in “The Third Plate” had their origin in his restaurants’ kitchens, his process of full discovery took him far afield. He explored alternatives of food production and cooking that maximize sustainability, nutrition and flavor.

In his book, Barber considers the traditional farming practices of the regions of many different countries, including Spain and the straits of Gibraltar, with that region’s reliance on fish. In upstate New York, Barber learned from a flourishing mixed-crop farm where innovative organic practices have revived the land and resurrected an industry. And in Washington State he worked with cutting-edge seedmen developing new varieties of grain in collaboration with local bakers, millers and maltmakers.

Returning to his discussion of the Hudson River Valley and its production of beef animals, Barber said that “eating meat here is defensible. Actually I will go so far as to say if you live here and you are a vegetarian who believes in sustainability, you’ve got some explaining to do. We should not be dictating one diet for the whole region. We need to develop a pattern of eating that instead supports the producers of food in the region.”

When asked if he believed his “third plate” approach was realistic, with diners asked to forgo their 12-ounce rib-eye steaks and onion rings, Barber said, “It’s the only way we 38

Blue Hill at Stone Barns “Vegetables on the Fence.” Photograph by Andre Baronowski.

can move forward. The way we are going now is not sustainable. Today’s diet does not support a healthy agriculture system. We need to learn to eat differently and explore other options that support our agricultural environment in its entirety. We do not need to be elitist about this when we select our foods. That’s cherry-picking. All of the products produced in a particular region need to be examined and embraced where appropriate.”

Barber said that all of his principles would go by the wayside if the food on his third plate was not delicious.

“Once that has been established we can move the principles from restaurants to home chefs and then out into the mainstream. This may take a generation or two but it can happen. We simply must think in terms of supporting what the land wants us to support.”

Dan Barber has a book tour, visiting New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Cleveland and Washington D.C., planned. For more, visit thethirdplate.com. n

“Today’s diet does not support a healthy agriculture system. We need to learn to eat differently and explore other options that support our agricultural environment in its entirety.”

— Dan Barber

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Effortless entertaining in a jar

By Patricia Espinosa Photographs courtesy of Victoria Amory

Victoria Amory

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Victoria Amory debuted her eponymous line of all-natural gourmet condiments and sauces in January at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, where she earned best-in-show in the condiment category for her Fine Herb Mayonnaise. She also gained the attention of more than 150 specialty gourmet markets that now carry her products, including Zabar’s, Tarry Market, DeCicco, Palmer’s Super Market, Mrs. Green’s Natural Market, Walter Stewart’s Market and the Lobster Bin. Last month, chef Rui Correia of Douro and Amory co-hosted a lunch of tapas and sangria at the Greenwich Avenue restaurant to introduce her delicious new sauces.

The Madrid-raised Amory, who now calls Greenwich home, first garnered a name for herself as a Palm Beach hostess. As an award-winning author, cook and television personality, she’s made sharing her secrets for Spanish hospitality in an elegant but casual way her life’s work.

In her latest venture, the arbiter of good taste brings Mediterranean and Spanish ingredients into her product line of nine artisanal condiments, including a Catalaninspired almond and garlic romesco sauce, an aged sherry vinegar, a roasted garlic-infused sherry ketchup and a red chili piri-piri sauce made with Chile de árbol peppers, each crafted to transform everyday dishes into a fun feast.

Because, she says, entertaining is not supposed to be stressful.

“What drives my brand is … You really don’t need to cook the chicken from scratch. Go to Whole Foods or Zabar’s or any store to get an already cooked, roasted chicken that’s amazing. You chop it up and put some really delicious sauce on it. You garnish it with some basil leaves and chopped tomatoes and you’ve got the most amazing chicken salad that you can imagine.

“That’s what I think it’s all about. And that’s what my recipes are like. They’re really easy. It’s not complicated,” she adds in a light accent that reveals her British-boarding school upbringing.

The passionate cook learned the art of gracious entertaining from her parents, the Count and Countess de la Maza, who entertained often at Arenales, the 6,000-acre working farm just outside of Seville that’s been in her family for generations. (In addition to growing olives and other crops and raising livestock, her family breeds horses and bulls for bullfighting.)

“So I think a lot of this casual but refined entertaining comes from my Spanish background. My parents entertained a lot. We always had people over and we were always included,” she says about her childhood.

That’s why when she entertains now she finds it much more fun to include people of all ages, like her three sons – Minot, Henry and William – and their friends.

“I’m totally all-inclusive. I think it’s more fun and much more entertaining,” Amory says.

It’s the experience of eating together that creates special memories.

“For me it’s not the technical aspect of it. It’s not about how many onions do I have to chop to make the chicken taste delicious. It’s really about a delicious chicken that happens on a beautiful table, that happens on a beautiful day, that happens with your friends. And it’s more the whole picture rather than the technical: How do you frappé a soufflé? It’s the whole experience and I think that those memories are sort of ambience memories in a way.”

Four years ago, Amory moved to Greenwich with her husband, Minot, and their three boys to be closer to her sons’ schools. The first year was spent settling into a new town and new schools, and so it wasn’t until the following year when one of the schools asked her to bring something for its market fair, that the idea for the sauces was hatched.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God! If I have to bring 100 brownies, I’ll have to commit suicide. It’s just not happening. It’s absolutely not happening,’” she recalls thinking.

After pondering what would be fun to make, she decided on sauces, because she says they are the basis for delicious meals.

“So I got all my pots out and I don’t know how many recipes, and cooked eight savory sauces based on old Spanish-Portuguese recipes that I knew. I put them in jars, put labels on them, took them to the school and they sold out in 10 minutes. I thought, light bulb, you know.”

Inspired by entrepreneurs like Ralph Lauren, who

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“What is it that we eat every single day?” she remembers asking herself. “And that’s condiments.”

Amory plans to expand her gourmet product line with things that will continue to help make entertaining easy and elevate everyday cooking into an effortless feast.

For more, visit victoriaamory.com. n

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RH puts its stamp on historic site

By Georgette Gouveia

The new RH Greenwich: The Gallery at the Historic Post Office shows what you can do when you repurpose a building with intelligence and taste.

The 23,000-square-foot space, which opened in May, offers a series of galleries on home design that weds classicism with modernism. The exterior of the 1917 building has been restored by Gary Friedman, Restoration Hardware chairman and CEO, in a continuing collaboration with Backen, Gillam & Kroeger Architects, one of Architectural Digest’s top100 design firms.

“Great architecture is at the core of our design ethos,” Friedman said in a written statement. “Our vision is to reclaim and restore the building’s original design, and then reimagine the space, making it once 42

again relevant and inspiring to the community.”

He has done that by continuing the classic, neoclassical elements – evident in the façade’s six 19-foot limestone Corinthian columns – inside. There, visitors enjoy a series of galleries in which spare, angular furnishings, with some overstuffed touches, meet graceful busts, antique maps, vintage clocks and birdcage and globe chandeliers.

As you sweep up the double grand staircase – note the custom-designed iron handrails inspired by the late Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa – you pause before a Dammann Frères Tea Atelier, which features offerings from a French company that dates from the time of Louis XIV. You select a tea to try and that first selec-

Images of the new Greenwich location courtesy Restoration Hardware.

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tion becomes the tea of the day for everyone to sample. How very civilized.

RH Greenwich isn’t all house. There’s plenty of garden, too. The 50-foot obelisk dedicated to those who served our nation in the Great War (World War I) remains the focal point of the triangular park that is the store’s entry. On the newly constructed second floor, visitors will find a rooftop park invisible from the street, in keeping with the exterior’s architectural integrity. From the 75-foot-long, skylit main room there, French doors open onto terraces graced with English boxwoods, Boston ivy and the gurgle of fountains.

Back downstairs on Greenwich Avenue, 44

the old post office loading dock has been reimagined as a European courtyard, with crushed granite, boxwood, white roses and hydrangeas bordered by mature Green Mountain sugar maples and Skyline Honeylocusts.

One thing hasn’t changed and that is the gracious service. Still, the store is a long way from the days when RH used to carry funky, nostalgic items. A very long way.

RH Greenwich is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. For more, call 203-552-1040. n

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Andrea Rosenberg has opened HIPCHIK Home in Armonk.

Inset on opposite page: This stylish serving piece that appears to be a handcrafted work in ceramic is actually sturdy Melamine.

46

Ever more HIP

HIPCHIK Home expands Andrea Rosenberg’s brand (and vision)

S

ince its start in 2011, the HIPCHIK brand has been devoted to edgy jewelry with an underlying elegance.

Launched in October of that year, Andrea Rosenberg’s line of Boho-chic necklaces and bracelets quickly developed a devoted following.

The one-of-a-kind creations featuring crystals, agate and rhinestones have become go-to accessories, scooped up by everyone from the savvy patrons of The Hampton Classic Horse Show to the fashionistas who seek out her work at the boutiques that count among Rosenberg’s 100-plus vendors.

What was started for fun soon became a passion that continues today.

“I breathe it,” she says. “I wake up, design and sell it.”

Rosenberg is all about the jewelry – and vice versa.

“Everybody kind of loves my label,”

By Mary Shustack Photographs by Bob Rozycki

she says on a recent morning. “I’m trying to trademark the name.”

And, she adds with a laugh, “People call me the HIPCHIK now.”

The bold approach typified by that signature jewelry has come home, so to speak, with the May 1 opening of HIPCHIK Home in the heart of Armonk’s shopping district.

Rosenberg, herself an Armonk resident, is in the midst of settling into the new venture designed to expand the HIPCHIK brand, a step that’s taking

the home décor-and-accessories route.

It has been a natural progression.

“Design is my passion. I’ve renovated three homes of my own, so this is my dream come true.”

But don’t think traditional napkin rings, staid pillows and nondescript utensils – this is the HIPCHIK’s store, after all.

As Rosenberg, who always has had an affinity for home design, says: “I have a classic taste, but I have a little edge.”

And even the most cursory glance

around the airy slip of a space makes that abundantly clear, from the tiniest detail.

Take the paper napkins, for example.

Yes, everyone’s seen “Keep Calm and Carry On” merchandise – but how about “Now Panic and Freak Out”?

Then there is the international flair offered up by a set of liqueur glasses that sport phrases ranging from “Salute” to “Cheers” to “Prost.”

There are slate boards you can write on with chalk, pointing you to the aged cheddar or the Brie.

“It could be a cheese platter, a coaster, a cutting board,” Rosenberg says. “It’s a good item.”

There’s a decanter with the most intricate silver-filigree pattern, a hammered bowl enlivened with leather handles and seemingly hefty ceramic serving pieces that actually turn out to be the most practical Melamine. Standard flatware has no place here. Instead the utilitar-

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47

Create a vignette with an edge, perching gold-lined bowls and plates atop a rough-hewn stone base.

ian objects are most artistic with acrylic handles in a rainbow of hues. Even the placemats are unique thanks to fanciful beading.

There are patterned glasses, Rosenberg’s most popular segment, and frames, coasters and candles, serving trays, vases and pillows.

Oh, the pillows. These sport phrases that have attitude to spare, from “Yes, dear” to “You’re right” to “Don’t tell Dad.” The white walls themselves even boast inspirational verse, ranging from “People know you for what you’ve done, not for what you plan to do” to “Life is a stage and you only get one performance, make it a good one.”

As Rosenberg explains: “I love quotes.

I’m very into quotes.”

Throughout HIPCHIK Home, there is a common thread, a definite point of view that clearly reflects Rosenberg and her sophisticated-with-an-edge approach.

It all, it must be said, comes naturally for Rosenberg.

“In my other life, I was a stylist,” she says.

Rosenberg grew up in Uruguay, then moved to Miami, where she attended fashion school and earned a degree in merchandising and design. She was in48

Watermelon Summer Salad Ingredients: Watermelon Arugula lettuce Feta cheese Strawberries Sliced almonds Red onion Hint of salt and pepper Balsamic vinaigrette Olive oil Preparation: Andrea Rosenberg uses this simple-and-easy recipe to create a light side for summer barbecues. Note: She is not precise with measurements, but instead judges based on how many people she’s serving and which particular flavor (be it the watermelon, the feta, etc.) that she’d like to highlight.

Ingredients can be cut to suit your style and combined together in a large bowl.

volved in the fashion industry in both Miami and New York.

“Merchandising was my forte,” she says.

And here, those skills are evident.

On a recent morning, Rosenberg seems to know most all the customers who steadily stream in to pick up a stylish birthday gift or lust over a work of art that commands four figures.

Since the first day, Rosenberg says, she has felt her customers connect with

what she’s doing here.

“People like funky and easy,” she says.

“That’s what I love.”

And Rosenberg works hard to ensure HIPCHIK Home retains its signature aesthetic.

“I go to trade shows, and I go online.

I just check and look,” she says of her constant search for inventory.

If she sees everyone has something, though, she knows it’s not for her.

“I hate copying. … I want people to

come here for different. That’s always been the motto with my necklaces.”

And now, that thought reflects this latest expansion of the HIPCHIK brand, summed up so perfectly by the words adorning yet another pillow – “Ready for whatever.”

HIPCHIK Home is at 381 Main St. in Armonk. For more, call 914-2734600 or visit facebook.com/hipchikhome. n

an

entertaining life

Martha Stewart in her former Westport home, Turkey Hill, as featured in her breakthrough 1982 book, “Entertaining.� Photograph courtesy Martha Stewart.

Martha Stewart checks in on a young dove.

For Martha Stewart, Bedford living is a good thing

By Mary Shustack Photographs by Bob Rozycki

I

f you’ve ever felt nervous when company’s coming, Martha Stewart assures you’re not alone.

“Everybody does,” she says. “It’s normal to feel a bit of stress when you’re entertaining.”

America’s domestic goddess shares that comforting thought, along with plenty more on home entertaining, cooking and decorating, on the afternoon she welcomes WAG into her Bedford home.

That the rainy-day visit is capped by an impromptu round of warm cappuccinos and decadent chocolates from Beverly Hills simply serves to underscore Stewart’s reputation as a charming hostess.

A study in contemporary grace, Stewart boasts not only a thoughtful manner and a flawless complexion but flat-out rocks skinny jeans and wedges as she continues with straightforward advice that touches on organizing, setting a menu and preparing things in advance.

“Don’t get too elaborate,” Stewart says. “People don’t care if it’s casual or fancy.”

In fact, sometimes casual wins out.

“Here, it’s pretty casual at night.”

And here is nestled into a working farm set on the sprawling property that Stewart considers her true home.

Stewart has settled into a chair in a well-appointed living room awash in the loveliest green hue, taking a breather following a morning series of photo shoots for upcoming issues of her namesake magazine, Martha Stewart Living.

50

It’s just another typically busy day for the lifestyle expert, who seems to always be on the go. On this day, she’s just back from a trip to Los Angeles and is soon off to China, “on business.”

The California trek found her again in the gossip columns, this time her chic leather pants earning praise.

That a visitor would know what she wore a few days earlier is no surprise. As Stewart says, there are always “some spies” out there.

“You can’t do anything,” she says with a laugh.

Indeed, that accepting attitude serves her well as she chats as easily about Rodeo Drive as about what’s brought us here today, a discussion of summer entertaining.

Her attitude and outlook are a big part of what made – and keep – Stewart such a fascinating public figure. The driven woman, who’s the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and an Emmy Award-winning television host, is equally known for her commitment to the ideals of what makes a home and how to entertain.

Though now an international figure, Stewart got her start back in New Jersey, first as a model. After college and a move to Westport with her then-husband, Andrew Stewart, her catering career blossomed first into a book and then far beyond. Her landmark “Entertaining” in 1982 kicked off a career that has taken her through various incarnations, encompassing even more books, her signature magazines, television and radio work, a popular blog and a branding of Martha Stewart products that span the lifestyle spectrum.

For Stewart, though, it all draws on the broad concept of home, and her home is welcoming on so many levels.

“I like it smaller like this,” she says of the property that includes a number of buildings and barns. The vistas seem endless, the vignettes equally charming, from gardens to cozy outbuildings.

“I live here,” she says, simply of her home of the past 11 years. “I felt so lucky to find 150 acres.”

Settling into Bedford was no accident.

“We’ve been coming to Bedford since I was first mar-

ried in the 1960s,” she says of the time visiting her sister.

“My husband and I gardened for them.”

The northern Westchester town held an allure.

“I love Bedford. I just like the feel of it.”

And here, Stewart isn’t cloistered, but participates in her community, as her conversation touches on nearby restaurants, garden centers and the movies.

She recalls a Sunday movie night with a friend when they were the only ones in the theater.

“That’s the nature of the country,” she says. But it was fine by her, a fun outing that ended with grilled cheese – “It was so good” – at the local diner.

Stewart, who also owns a place in Manhattan, is happiest in Westchester.

“I generally come here at night. I’m one of the few people who actually commutes from Bedford. I’d rather come home and see my animals.”

And keep an eye on her property, where her attention to detail is seen at every turn. Tasteful antiques dot the casually elegant rooms.

“We collected a lot. I have three houses full of treasures, and right now, I’m buying trees.”

While her antiques-buying days may have slowed, they are far from over.

“I go to all the antiques shows. If I see something that I have to have, of course, I’ll buy it.”

Most recently, this included a vintage airplane-themed swing for her grandchildren.

But Stewart isn’t all about possessions.

“I think editing is a good thing,” she says of what she feels is a growing trend. “I think people are editing their homes, and I’m so happy about that. I think they’re realizing that a few great objects are better than a lot of notso-great ones.”

Outdoors, the commitment to what is good continues.

“My equipment shed is filled with tree seedlings, hundreds, probably thousands,” she says of her work reforesting some 75 acres on her property, which she says were “badly, badly timbered by the previous owner.”

“I’m planting it back. It’s all for the future. The more we grow, the better it will all be.”

A neighbor, she shares, is also reforesting but opts to plant mature trees.

So, is Stewart more patient?

“I’m not in for the instant gratification,” she says with a laugh.

Stewart often opens her gates for charitable causes.

“I’m very interested in education, environmental endeavors, good food naturally grown.”

She mentions a recent garden tour and luncheon held for the board of the Central Park Conservancy.

And, she adds, “I entertain my friends, too.”

That can range from her expansive annual Easter celebration, complete with egg hunt, to the most casual weekend gathering.

“Sunday night is a good time to have people over for sandwiches and soup.”

Throughout, Stewart makes time for philanthropy including a cause dear to her heart, the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Hospital.

“I built that in my mother’s honor,” she says of the geriatric center that each year hosts a major fundraising gala that honors someone over age 65 who continues to have an effect on the public good.

Stewart is also a supporter of Hudson River parks and

Martha Stewart at the cappuccino maker in her Bedford kitchen.

51

is a fan of the High Line, the elevated railroad trackturned-park on Manhattan’s Lower West side.

“It’s wonderful. It really transforms downtown.”

And she’s keen to support greenery in urban settings.

“My daughter and her two babies live right on the river,” she adds.

For Stewart, her commitment to fresh food starts at home.

“I grow vegetables all year long, so that impacts my entertaining,” she says, noting everything from beets to tomatoes to rhubarb.

She’s “very careful” about what she eats (hence, those skinny jeans) and serves.

Good food, she says, transcends fads. Sure, everyone might be fixated on kale, but that doesn’t mean a good kale dish, such as a personal favorite of hers served at the Inn at Pound Ridge, can be dismissed simply for all the hype.

“The best kale salad is at Jean-Georges’ inn and not out of date at all.”

Serve what works, in whatever setting suits you.

In summertime, the possibilities expand.

“It’s so different because you’re not confined by a house,” Stewart says.

While she may entertain al fresco all year – last year, she had Christmas guests savoring Norwalk oysters over a fire pit – she knows summer means barbecue season for most.

While she loves a good hot dog, “I don’t like to do the typical hamburger-and-hot dog thing.”

Stewart prefers to serve steaks, grilled vegetable kebabs or even that traditional picnic favorite.

“My favorite outdoor thing is to make fried chicken,” she says, sharing her preparation secrets include first soaking the chicken in salt water and then buttermilk.

And no matter the locale, she’s always happy to serve up a crowd-pleaser that can cook up in some 40 minutes.

“One of my specialties is a giant paella. You can make it for 20, 40, 60, 100 in a giant pan.”

Summertime for Stewart often means travel, as it gets “a little hotter here” in Bedford. She’s often hosting at her other homes, in East Hampton, N.Y., and Maine.

“Maine is where I do most of my home entertaining,” she says.

“We climb in Acadia,” she says of the nearby national park, and after a long day it’s time for lobster or a traditional clambake on her oversize grill. Sometimes she serves on the water, taking guests out on her picnic boat.

But even Stewart admits that a hostess does need some down time, which is where breakfast and brunch come into play.

She says with a smile, “Once fed and say goodbye, you have the rest of the day.”

When back in Bedford with a day to herself, don’t expect to find Stewart curled up with a book, though.

“I’m outdoors from early morning til night,” she says.

Most all days here include horseback riding in the morning.

Stewart, of course, is a noted animal lover. Dogs Francesca – who “writes” a blog with Stewart’s other French Bulldog, Sharkey – and prize-winning show dog Genghis Khan, a Chow, are wandering about during our visit, with a cat spotted here and there.

“It’s the cats that are the bad guys,” Stewart says. The cats include “two old guys who are lovely and sleep all the time. I have two little babies that are just naughty.”

52

Easy Paella

Recipe and photograph courtesy Martha Stewart Note: You don’t need a paella pan to make this meal. Use a wide, shallow sauté pan with a lid.

If you are taking this dish to a party, reheat it covered; add water as needed.

Prep: 25 minutes.

Total time: 50 minutes.

Servings: 8.

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 (12 ounces) chicken sausage, sliced in 1/2-inch rounds 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice

1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth Coarse salt and ground pepper 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Directions: STEP 1: In a heavy 12-inch sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until just pink on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not overcook). Transfer to a plate.

STEP 2: Add remaining tablespoon oil and sausage to pan; cook over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and rice; cook, stirring to coat, until rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.

STEP 3: Stir in paprika, turmeric, tomatoes and broth, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

STEP 4: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed almost all liquid, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 1 minute. Stir in cooked shrimp; serve immediately.

WAG’s more adventurous cooks can check out wagmag.com for a second, more elaborate paella recipe from Martha Stewart.

And there are also birds.

“I have doves, and I have red canaries,” she says, stopping to check on her little creatures.

If you think Stewart has seen it all when it comes to cooking tools, think again.

“Today I used a new tool, an avocado slicer.”

Anything that solves a perennial kitchen problem is desired. “I’m always looking for the new way to peel eggs, to peel a garlic,” she says. “I probably have every good

gadget made. I look for that, and I design a lot of that.”

It all adds an ease when it’s time to get ready for a gathering.

“People love to eat and people love to be entertained. They love to see and experience new and different things, and I try to be one of the people who bring new and different – and delicious – things to my friends.”

Sometimes it’s the unexpected, such as a steamed artichoke filled with a cheese soufflé or a homemade ice cream enlivened with a zing of lemon curd. Sometimes it’s a traditional dish not had in years, such as the intricately made meat pie served to an elderly Moroccan guest who was as surprised as he was pleased.

“It felt so good,” Stewart says.

And that’s the power of food and entertaining, the way it can spark a memory – or make a new one.

As Stewart leads visitors into her kitchen, one senses this is the heart of her home. Despite the decidedly commercial equipment, it retains a homey feeling down to the classic farmhouse sink.

As she talks about that trip to California, which also included a stop at a farmers market, she steps up to make espresso drinks, joking that she’s now in Martha Stewart’s Cappuccino Corner.

Preparing cup after cup, she shares that others have sampled these same beverages.

“President and Mrs. Clinton came by one time for cappuccinos,” she says. “They loved it.”

Prompting the visit was a simple comment: “I told them I had a cappuccino maker, and they dropped by.”

Wouldn’t you? n

way

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entertaining

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Story by Houlihan Lawrence Photographs by Tim Lee ne of Mamaroneck’s most exceptional estate homes, this grand manor impresses with its award-winning redesign and tranquil setting overlooking the rolling landscape of the legendary Winged Foot golf course.

Enjoying a magnificent landscape with a showcase Wagner pool, this graceful 1920s residence was one of the great estate homes of the era and underwent a top-to-bottom transformation in 2008. After a master renovation and expansion, the home set a new standard for luxury living in the 21st century with stunning view-filled living spaces and a refreshing modern style perfectly orchestrated for the way we live today.

From its impressive silhouette and graceful stone porte cochere to the totally custom-finished interiors, the home displays the highest level of quality and aesthetics throughout its 8,000 square feet. Lofty ceilings (nearly 12 feet), lustrous hardwood floors, fine millwork, artisan tile, Waterworks fixtures, rich paneling and statuesque stone fireplaces exemplify the expert craftsmanship incorporated in virtually every room of the house.

Additional enhancements include exquisite windows and French doors, an elevator, an indoor/outdoor sound system, radiant heat and a back-up generator.

Memorable highlights begin in the two-story entrance 55

hall appointed with an original stone fireplace and refined living and dining rooms, each enjoying spectacular views.

A sunny office, a tour-de-force kitchen, a sunlit dining area and a mahogany-paneled family room anchored by a stone fireplace further distinguish the home, which also hosts inviting recreation spaces and generous private quarters.

The ultimate environment for both comfortable family living and elegant entertaining, this spectacular residence offers an idyllic blend of striking architecture, grand-scale living areas and impressive modern-day amenities in one of Westchester County’s most prized locales.

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• Recipient of the Pinnacle Award in 2008 for Best 56

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• 8,000 square feet, seven bedrooms and six baths and three powder rooms.

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• Minutes from town, schools, Long Island Sound and the rail station.

• Approximately 35 minutes to New York City.

For more information, contact France Mellet Tucker at Houlihan Lawrence’s Larchmont brokerage at 914318-4973. n

wear

The embraceable fashion of Berardi All photographs courtesy Antonio Berardi.

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Antonio Berardi – whose fashions are being featured in Mary Jane Denzer’s new store near The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains – is one designer who gives you food for thought.

His tough-tender couture – which accentuates the curves of the female body – references everything from the Roman Catholicism of his parents’ native Sicily to David Bowie. On his website, you’ll see a silhouette dress whose blue-and-white print of 3-D boxes echoes the trompe l’oeil effects of the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher. Indeed, trompe l’oeil is something of a Berardi specialty. In 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow created a sensation when she wore his “corset dress” – actually the design of a black lace corset on the front and back of a short white dress with spaghetti straps – to the premiere of her film “Two Lovers.”

The outfit was dubbed “Dress of the Year”

by Harper’s Bazaar in 2009.

Such looks embrace the female shape, so it’s no wonder that Berardi has in turn been embraced by such stars as Jessica Alba, Lily Allen, Victoria Beckham, Kate Beckinsale, Beyoncé

Knowles, Kim Cattrall, Monica Cruz, Bryce Dallas Howard, Fergie, Megan Fox, Anna Friel, Ashley Green, Blake Lively, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue, Julianne Moore, Amber Rose, Zoe Saldana, Kerry Washington, Naomi Watts, and Renée Zellweger. Minogue in particular has been a mainstay. She was the primary model for his first fashion week collection in London in 1995.

Berardi was actually born in Great Britain, to which his parents immigrated in the 1950s, and decided on a career in fashion at an early age. He graduated from the baccalaureate program at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, the University of the Arts London and was also for a time assistant to the designer John Galliano.

Though he has shown in Paris and Milan, Berardi is primarily based in London.

But fashionistas here needn’t hop across the pond, thanks to Denzer, who counts him among the exciting younger designers she likes to feature.

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For more, visit antonioberardi.com and maryjanedenzer.com. n 59

wear Bright shiny beads

By Georgette Gouveia

At the recent opening of Mariposa, Neiman Marcus’ new restaurant, Donna Lennon was on hand to showcase her versatile lariats and necklaces, double-strand bracelets and accompanying earrings, made of diamonds, pearls, onyx and a variety of semiprecious stones.

Lennon began making jewelry in 2013 after running Drawer Full of Lingerie and Closet Full of Linens in Boca Raton, Fla., for 28 years. She holds a master’s degree in business administration and finance from the University of Miami, where she taught in the business school for six years.

For more, visit dalennonjewelry.net. n

Yellow druzy quartz necklace with hematite and champagne diamond beads, $2,457. All images courtesy DA Lennon Jewelry.

60

From left, 34-inch white baroque Akoya pearls with champagne diamonds and tanzanite pendant, $3,003. Bone and champagne diamond carved elephant necklace with champagne diamond beads, $2,562. 36-inch graphite Akoya pearl lariat with champagne diamonds, $1,925. Cream, silver and tan baroque Akoya pearl necklace with XL champagne diamond lobster clasp and lace diamond beads, $2,375.

Tales of Two Cities: New York & Beijing

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May 3–August 31, 2014

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61

anything but bare

By Jane K. Dove Photograph by Bob Rozycki

From the first day it opened, Bareburger proved the old maxim, “Nothing succeeds like success.”

“We couldn’t believe it when people were lined up for dinner that very first evening,” said co-owner Chris Sturges.

“We had a waiting list from Day One and the customers keep on coming.”

Bareburger in Ridgefield appears to have hit a sweet spot, offering a varied menu of organic and all-natural foods emphasizing free-range burgers and an assortment of salads and sides. The food served at Bareburger is sophisticated but family-friendly.

The restaurant, first a vintage gas station and then a clothing store, opened for business in December 2013 after the old building stood empty for many years. Since then, highly favorable word-of-mouth combined with a menu that allows diners to customize their food choices, has made it one of Ridgefield’s most popular dining spots.

Sturges knows Ridgefield well. He was born and raised in the town, one of three offspring of parents who are also Ridgefield natives.

“I graduated from Ridgefield High School then went on to the University of Denver, getting a B.S. in economics in 2006,” he said. “I worked for an investment bank in Stamford but was not especially happy there. I was drawn to a more entrepreneurial experience. I wanted to be my own person with my own business.”

As luck would have it, a slightly older friend and fellow Ridgefield resident, Truitt Bell, knew of Sturges’ aspirations and was also acquainted with the founders of the original Bareburger, part of a small chain that started out in Queens several years ago.

“Truitt was the inspiration for bringing Bareburger to Ridgefield,” Sturges said. “He presented the idea of a partnership to me and we decided to join forces in 2012.”

The pair leased the brick-and-glass building that now houses Bareburger and started renovations in July of last year.

“We had a vision of maintaining the beauty of the original building while creating a comfortable restaurant interior,” Sturges said. “The high ceilings and big 62

windows give the space an airy feel and we kept to an open floor plan.”

Almost everything in the restaurant is built from sustainable and reclaimed material, using lots of wood for a rustic atmosphere. The ceilings are paneled with reclaimed tin siding from deconstructed barns and the gleaming central kitchen is within view of diners.

The business is set prominently in the center of Ridgefield’s business district, adjacent to the town’s historic district. “We are fortunate to be in an excellent corner location with good parking,” Sturges said. “We can seat 60 customers inside and another 25 or so

beef, turkey, chicken, lamb, wild boar, elk, bison or ostrich,” Sturges said. “Patties are also available in quinoa, black bean and portobello mushroom.”

Diners then move on to a choice of different buns; more than 20 possible veggie toppings; several cheeses; bacon; and a selection of sauces.

For those overwhelmed by the scores of different possible combinations, Bareburger offers a large selection of

Co-owner Chris Sturges.

on our covered patio.”

Bareburger’s menu features all organic and all-natural, free-range meats from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals, giving them robust, hearty flavors that Sturges said cannot come from animals raised in an industrial feedlot. The organically grown vegetables and fruits that accompany the meats also taste better, he added. “They are juicier, sweeter and riper.”

The Bareburger menu is organized to give customers the opportunity to create their very own special burger with toppings of their choosing.

“First, you choose a 6-ounce patty of

“pre-styled” burgers, from California to Maui Wowie and on to Big Blue Bacon, Mediterranean and Habanero Express, among others.

Salads, served in dinner-size portions, are equally varied and can be customized with additional meat and vegetable toppings. Side offerings are not to be missed, including delectable breaded onion rings.

Bareburger shakes draw rave reviews and are made from organic ice cream, organic milk and organic fruits. Flavors range from the traditional to the unusual, including peanut butter and raspberry.

The youngest diners are not forgotten, with Bareburger offering 2-ounce patties, chicken tenders, grilled cheese panini and the classic beef hot dog.

Sweets include a selection of cookies, carrot cake, chocolate cake and sundaes.

Responding to demand, Bareburger has recently added Saturday and Sunday brunch featuring French toast, buttermilk waffles, fried chicken and waffles and a selection of panini egg sandwiches.

Sturges said Bareburger’s menu and approach to providing the best possible customer service are always a work in progress.

“We are elated and excited by our success so far but know that we have to keep our customers happy and coming back. The positive response we have received deserves our attention and we take special care to hire and train the very best people we can find. We adhere to strict standards of meal preparation and service. Friendliness, courtesy and what I call the ‘core personality’ of our 40 employees are very important.”

Thanks to attention to detail, the Bareburger operation is running smoothly.

“I am the point person, here every day, but Truitt is a great business manager and a great extra set of eyes, ears and taste buds.”

Sturges said he is pleased that Bareburger’s approach to eating healthy has taken hold. “We are proud of our lean, antibiotic-free proteins and our fresh organic produce with no pesticides that comes from local and regional sources. It’s amazing how well-educated our clients are about the value of eating whole, healthy foods.”

In Sturges’ view, the entire Bareburger concept has fit perfectly into his hometown.

“Everything meshes,” he said. “We recycled a long vacant but valuable building and are offering wholesome food that is a benefit to the community. We are very pleased that the people have spoken with a resounding vote of approval.”

Bareburger is at 38 Danbury Road in Ridgefield. For more, call 203-4382273 or visit bareburger.com. n

Strada 18 apizza e vino. Photograph by Chuck Dorris. Strada 18’s Chopped salad of grilled salmon and brown rice. Photograph courtesy of Strada 18 apizza e vino.

Sugar & Olives. Inset, Sugar & Olives skillet asparagus with a duck egg, pork belly and ramps. Photographs courtesy Sugar & Olives.

A Cook’s (and eater’s) tour of four communities

By Ronni Diamondstein

Celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich once said, “Food, you know, tells us who we are, where we come from. It connects us, it expresses emotion. It expresses care, it expresses love.”

And food has become a national obsession. Every community has its share of great restaurants, snack shops and purveyors of all sorts of delicacies. Whet your appetite and take a look at four food communities and a sampling of great places for the gastronome in you to try.

Norwalk

Norwalk is known for its diversity. Restaurants in SoNo (South Norwalk) have a new vibe and add to the variety of ethnic cuisines.

Strada 18 apizza e vino 122 Washington St., South Norwalk, 203-853-4546, strada18.com Executive chef and partner David Raymer and his wife created their version of a highway pizza place in Italy after a honeymoon trip in northern Italy.

“We care and we are very serious about the food we serve,” he says. “We make

our own cheese, sausage and dough and are interested in serving authentic Italian dishes.” A mainstay in SoNo, Strada 18 is homey with friendly service and delicious lentil soup, pastas and specials.

Sugar & Olives 21½ Lois St., Norwalk, 203-454-3663, sugarandolives.com Jennifer Balin a former TV producer and single mom, has brought a new kind of food experience to Norwalk. “Sugar & Olives is devoted to serving wholesome, healthy and happy local food,” says Balin.

“I like to teach people about their food.”

And, she adds, “Knowing what you eat is important.” Hence her cooking classes. “If you give your child kale salad, he may not want it. But if he makes it himself, he’ll eat it.” She refers to her cuisine as farmto-family. Brunch is booming at Sugar & Olives, and Balin is delighted to have chef Jon Vaast, formerly of Westport’s renowned Dressing Room Restaurant, join her in the kitchen as co-executive chef.

Wondering about the name? Balin always has something sweet and something salty on hand.

leFarm. Photograph courtesy leFarm. Inset, leFarm’s Yellowfin tuna crudo. Photograph by Arik Bensimon.

Also try: The Spread 70 N. Main St., South Norwalk, 203-939-1111, thespreadsono.com A hip scene with a seasonally changing, eclectic and inventive menu.

Valencia Luncheria 164 Main St., Norwalk, 203-846-8009, valencialuncheria.com Venezuelan beach food reasonably priced – ceviche, empanadas, carne mechado and more.

Pontos Taverna 7 Isaac St., Norwalk, 203-354-7024, pontostaverna.com Authentic Greek cuisine, cozy atmosphere with great food and alongside the Garden Cinema.

Coromandel: Cuisine of India 86 Washington St., South Norwalk, 203-852-1213, coromandelcuisine.com Cuisine of India with regional specialties from the subcontinent.

Café Chocopologie 12 S. Main St., Norwalk, 203-854-4754, knipschildt.com Breakfast is served all day. A must for chocoholics.

Mama’s Boy Southern Table and Refuge 19 N. Water St., South Norwalk, 203-956-7171, mamasboyct.com Southern hospitality and charm with a little sass, featuring Southern food and a kids’ menu, too.

Westport

Lots of the creative energy in this tony town finds its way into some exciting dining experiences.

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The Whelk dining room. Photograph courtesy The Whelk.

leFarm 256 Post Road E., 203-557-3701, lefarmwestport.com leFarm epitomizes the farm-to-table approach. Bounty from local farms is meticulously sourced and simply prepared.

“We get the best ingredients we can and we know how to cook them – or not cook them,” says chef Arik Bensimon, who has the utmost respect for the ingredients and lets them speak for themselves. The menu changes daily with some carryovers from the weekend. Bensimon will pick some lettuce in a local garden and it will be part of a salad that evening. “We don’t have a signature dish. Every dish is driven from the ingredients that we get that day.”

Count on Bensimon’s creativity in the kitchen to offer an unforgettable repast.

Terrain Garden Café 561 Post Road E., 203-226-2732, shopterrain.com/westport-restaurant Local and organic fare in a beautiful setting that engages all five senses.

The Whelk 575 Riverside Ave., 203-557-0902, thewhelkwestport.com Bill Taibe of leFarm brings his local approach to seafood with an adventurous menu to this casual spot just above the Saugatuck River. Andrea Dinan, manager of operations at both The Whelk and leFarm, says: “The Whelk is meant to be a gathering place for the community to come together in a refined oyster bar setting and enjoy food and cocktails created using the best ingredients we can get our hands on.” Not to be missed.

Pink Sumo Sushi & Sake Café 4 Church Lane, 203-557-8080, pinksumoct.com Upscale Japanese restaurant serving a variety of original rolls and over 30 types of quality sake.

Also try: The Granola Bar of Westport 275 Post Road E., 203-349-5202, thegranolabarct.com Eat breakfast all day. Everything is made on the premises from scratch in this peanut-free environment.

Rive Bistro 299 Riverside Ave., 203-557-8049, rivebistro.com Comfortable, casual French dining with a river view.

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Splash Restaurant & Bar 260 Compo Road S., 203-454-7798, decarorestaurantgroup.com Breathtaking view of the Long Island Sound and seafood with an Asian accent.

Post 154 154 Post Road E., 203-454-0154, post154.com In Westport’s historical post office, a restaurant, bar and gathering place.

Many dishes have a Latin accent.

Dobbs Ferry

Visit this river town with its great views of the Hudson and a restaurant row in the making on Cedar Street.

The Parlor 14 Cedar St., 914-478-8200, theparlordf.com The Cookery 39 Chestnut St., 914-305-2336, thecookeryrestaurant.com David DiBari, the owner and chef of The Parlor and The Cookery, thinks outside the box. “We like to do some fun stuff,” says DiBari. “The secret is to be absolutely passionate about what you do.” Everything centers around the wood oven at The Parlor and you can cut your own pizza with scissors. Enjoy some wood-fired pizza from his mobile Dough Nation Pizza truck at farmers’

markets in other communities, too.

Also try: Half Moon 1 High St., 914-693-4130, halfmoonhudson.com Seafood and casual-yet-sophisticated American cuisine on the waterfront.

Cedar Street Grill 23 Cedar St., 914-674-0706. cedarstreetgrillny.com Cozy and welcoming Americanthemed fare and artisanal beer.

Piccola Trattoria 41 Cedar St., 914-674-8427, piccolany.com Authentic Italian restaurant familyowned since 1994.

Sushi Mike’s 146 Main St., 914-591-0054, sushimikes.com Japanese restaurant serving sushi in a friendly atmosphere.

Tomatillo: Farm to Taco 13 Cedar St., 914-478-2300, mexchester.com A “Mexchester,” original farm-to-table Mexican where you can build your own burrito.

Harper’s Restaurant & Bar 92 Main St., 914-693-2306, harpersonmain.com New American fare, contemporary food at a cozy farm-to-table tavern.

Port Chester

Port Chester has become a mecca for its wide variety of restaurants and food specialties, many set to a Latin beat.

Bartaco 1 Willet Ave., 914-937-8226, bartaco.com

Sometimes it is location, location, location. Set on the waterfront, Bartaco has thrived in Port Chester. “With its spacious interior and patio seating, the vibe is stylish yet relaxed and makes one feel like they’re on a ‘staycation,’” says Ria Rueda of the Barteca Restaurant Group. “We use healthy and fresh ingredients and have impressive beverages – craft cocktails, fresh-pressed juice and premium tequila.”

Tarry Lodge 18 Mill St., 914-939-3111, tarrylodge.com Tarry Lodge came to Port Chester with an A-List pedigree of restaurateurs. Joe Bastianich, Mario Batali, managing partner Nancy Selzer and chef Andy Nusser have brought their star power to this dynamic trattoria. “We designed the restaurant to be a mainstay in the neighborhood with a little something for everyone,” says Selzer. “It’s a beautiful space with great service and the best food with a price point for everyone.”

Tarry Lodge has been the go-to spot in Port Chester for more than 100 years and has a storied history and several reincarnations from speakeasy to family restaurant. Selzer says it was Bastianich’s vision that they be a part of the already established restaurant town. “We wanted to honor the history and to tip a hat to the tradition of restaurants in the neighborhood.”

Also try: Nessa 325 N. Main St., 914-939-0119, nessarestaurant.com Italian wine bar with small plates as well as full meals.

Sonora 179 Rectory St., 914-933-0200, sonorarestaurant.net Latin-influenced cuisine with signature dishes that include seafood paella and traditional tapas.

The Kneaded Bread 181 N. Main St., 914-937-9489, kneadedbread.com “Knead” we say more. Popular, near and far, for baked goods, soups and sandwiches, too.

Bartaco in Port Chester. Inset, Taco at Bartaco. Photographs by Amy Peck.

Pollo A La Brasa Misti Restaurant 110 N. Main St. 914-939-9437, polloalabrasamistirestaurant.com New York-Peruvian cuisine specializing in roasted chicken.

Paleteria Fernandez 33 N. Main St., 914-939-3694, paletasfernandez.com Mexican ice cream shop specializing in paleta, ice pops made from fresh fruits.

Arrosto 25 S. Regent St., 914-939-2727, arrostorestaurant.com Urban Italian cuisine that features grilled meats and seafood and Neapolitan wood-fired pizza.

Tarry Lodge. Inset, Guanciale Pizza with black truffles and sunny side egg.

Photographs courtesy Tarry Lodge.

Find select recipes on wagmag.com. n

PRINCE WILLIAM HAS PRINCE HARRY, SNOOPY HAS SPIKE – YOU KNOW, THE BAD-BOY BABY BRO WHO’S A CHUNK OF CHARM AND A TON OF TROUBLE. That’s what WAG Weekly is to WAG. In our e-newsletter, we let down our hair (and occasionally, our grammar) to take you behind behind-the-scenes of the hottest parties and events, offer our thoughts on the most controversial issues of the day, share what couldn’t be contained in our glossy pages and tell you what to do and where to go this weekend – all while whetting your appetite for the next issue.

If you can’t get enough of WAG — or you just want to get WAG unplugged — then you won’t want to miss WAG Weekly, coming to your tablet each Friday a.m.

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wonderful dining

But seriously , folks Fortina sweeps region with comedy, character, cuisine Story and photographs by Andrea Kennedy

I have a confession to make: I’m a little jealous of the guys at Fortina. In less than one year, owners Christian Petroni, John Nealon and Rob Krauss opened their dream Italian dining room in Armonk, made it a behemoth hit, saw chef Petroni cook at the James Beard House with some of the biggest names in local cuisine (making it one of the most raved about food events of spring) and announced two new Fortina locations. And they have a hell of a good time doing it.

“I wake up so happy about coming to work every day it should be illegal,” says Petroni in his best Bronx-born deadpan.

If I woke up and walked into Fortina every day, I’d be pretty thrilled myself.

Killer blistered pizza, Negronis on tap, fried meatballs and filthy rich burrata? Si, per favore! But the Fortina frontmen are winning at life for more than being daily witnesses to the tastes and aromas they serve up. They raise hospitality to a new dimension by cultivating for themselves, their crew and customers the convivial culture that’s the not-so-secret to their success.

Known by monikers CP, Jackets and Baby Gem (“like Baby Gem lettuce”), Petroni, Nealon and Krauss, a trifecta of tongue-in-cheek tomfoolery, defy rigid 66

front-of-house standards and treat everyone like a houseguest.

“We don’t look at this as much as our restaurant as much as we pretend it’s our living room,” says Nealon.

It’s not too far from the truth considering the guys are practically brothers.

Nealon and Krauss are best friends from high school. Nealon was GM to Petroni’s executive chef at Barcelona in Greenwich.

Petroni and Krauss share a bachelor pad.

And like any young, fun-loving buddies they have this comedic chemistry that hatches hilarity from the dining room floor to their Facebook page. Think videos of absurd dance parties with virtual robots and food glamour shots with lusty captions like “Hey pizza, maybe we should go someplace quiet” or “Affogato, I honestly have no desire to wear clothes around you.” They remind me of a culinary version of SNLspawned trio The Lonely Island.

“We never aim to sell on Facebook,”

says Nealon. “But do we get significant marketing for being silly? Sure.”

Cameos feature staff, a group of “likeminded professionals who get the way we think,” says Nealon. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

A palpable camaraderie permeates the floor, a byproduct of employing longtime friends and folks who are just plain friendly. Take the team who steer Fortina’s beverage program – Coby Blount of the burly beard who’s a house favorite; sweet Marita Nezaj, who doesn’t forget a face; and bartender Jill Rotanelli, who effortlessly draws a crowd.

More than simply nice (which can come off as stiff), they’re warm, lubricating even the most packed house with pleasantries and smiles along with their tempting libations. (Don’t miss their grapefruit-tinged summer darling The Bearded Lady.)

Also brewing their gregarious air is the team’s daily huddle, an hour of think-

tank, rally time which, considering their dynamic, could appear a lot like goofing off.

“We pay our whole front of the house staff – which is a lot of people – to be able to sit down in the dining room every day and not work for an hour,” says Petroni.

In his self-effacing way, he turns to Nealon when it hits him that most businessmen wouldn’t deem that the brightest move from a payroll perspective. But considering their rapid expansion, it’s evident their methods pay dividends.

Even design choices keep Fortina feeling personal and comfortable with just enough polish, like high-shine wall-towall wood and servers whose flannelled attire is casual while crisp. And in true living room form, the space is a reflection of its owners – massive chalk drawings by Nealon’s aunt, Deidre Mannix; a custommade outdoor “Vibe Table” (if you need to know the purpose, it’s not for you); a film reel of their favorites like “Tommy Boy,” “My Blue Heaven” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” that plays in the bar and dining room; and a mixtape of tunes piped in at a volume Nealon says Above, Margherita pizza getting all hot and whatnot. Inset, Burratta with arugala and English peas.

is fit for “maybe saying a couple words you’re not allowed to in church.”

And just as Italy inspires Petroni’s take on homestyle classics like pork braciole in Sunday sauce and burrata made by a Puglia native, the motherland also plays a big role in Fortina’s character and name. “La Fortina” is what Petroni’s family call a fortress on their property in Ponza, an island due west of Naples where Petroni spent his summer vacations with Uncle Louie.

If you’ve been to Fortina, you know Uncle Louie, too. He’s their now-iconic mascot – bespeckled and shirtless – whose photograph (shot by Petroni in Ponza) keeps him eternally sipping espresso above the kitchen. Ponza is also where Wes Anderson filmed “The Life Aquatic,” whose antihero Steve Zissou, played by Bill Murray, is captured in the dining room.

Laced with character, the space resonates its own special charisma much like the owners themselves. The outcome fits the bill whether you’re looking for the social scene, a family night or a go-to hangout.

“We don’t want to be the best restaurant, we want to be everybody’s favorite,” says Petroni. “The good food is almost icing on the cake.”

Ask 10 people their Fortina favorite and get 10 different answers. Pitting dish against incredible dish, the menu begs re-

142362_HPNSH_WAG.Magazine.Hive_9x6_F.indd 1

peat visits to work through each one while your inner creature of habit whispers “more burrata.”

The menu reads of Italian fineries like prime dry-aged bistecca fiorentina and plates like “gabagool” and the spicy “meat-ah-ball” thrown in the mix in case you weren’t already having fun. Dishes depart the kitchen impeccably thanks to Petroni – strapped with laurels including a win on “Chopped” (if you’re in to that sort of thing) – and wicked talented chef Jodi Bernhard.

“With us being a bunch of knuckleheads, it helps to have an adult in the building,” says Nealon. “Jodi is our rock.”

The kitchen stars two wood-burning ovens flame-licking every food group from indulgently unctuous marrow (served as antipasto or on the funghi pie) to the fresh catch, seasonal veggies and even pineapple for the rum-laden Holiday in Cambodia.

Then, of course, there’s the crispy Neapolitan-style pizza, whose ever-fickle dough formulation Petroni says “only managed to shave 10 years off my life to get right.” (Undisclosed details include the type of rare Italian flour they import and aging time.) Perched at tables on tomato cans, the pizzas rest at the ideal height for blissful nostrils to take in whiff after intoxicating whiff. Greatest hits include The Luigi Bianco, a beefed up

Rob Krauss, Christian Petroni and John Nealon at the James Beard House. Courtesy Fortina.

Photo credit Alan Watts/Men Who Dine.

white pizza with black truffle named for Petroni’s best friend and “pizza czar,” totes ma’goats that’s garlicky goat cheesy with caramelized onions, and the chili-zipped and honey-kissed tenderoni.

Pies are a main attraction though pastas also earn praise with distinct, delicious flavor combinations like spaghetti with sesame and lemon; pici with chili and smoked bacon; or paccheri with marble-sized veal meatballs in a béchamel “a la vodka” that gets finished in the flames.

Since there can never be too much of a good thing – when it comes to Fortina, I can’t help but over order – two new locations set to open in fall (Rye Brook) and

spring (Stamford) are bound to rev up the buzz well into the foreseeable future.

“It won’t be cookie-cutter by any means,” says Nealon, who says he’s most excited to “have this whole new restaurant to add talent to.”

What we don’t know: Which one of their “favorite chef friends” will (wo)man the new kitchens. What we do know: They will be called Fortina. They will rotate staff. They will be amazing.

Adds Nealon, “There is a strong chance there will be another Bill Murray in there.”

Fortina is at 17 Maple Ave. in Armonk. For more, call 914-273-0900 or visit fortinapizza.com. n

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6/12/14 11:37 AM

this ain’t your dad’s appliance store Curto’s evolves and expands

By Jane K. Dove

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From a small repair shop on Ashburton Avenue in downtown Yonkers to today’s brand-new luxury 8,000-square-foot “appliance playground” on Central Park Avenue, Curto’s Appliances has evolved continuously and successfully for nearly 70 years.

“After expanding in Yonkers and making a commitment to stay where we started, we opened our new showroom on May 5 and had a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Mike Spano on June 11,” said third-generation owner Jonathan Giannettino. “We have created a beautiful designer showroom where people can explore our products with no pressure.”

The new appliance store is among the largest showrooms in Westchester County and New York City and offers enormous displays of Viking, Sub-Zero and Wolf, Thermador, Liebherr and Bertazzoni-Italia, among other brands.

Curto’s Appliances was founded by Giannettino’s grandfather, Mario Curto, a World War II veteran and the son of Sicilian immigrants.

“My grandfather learned how to fix appliances in shop class at Soundview High School (in the Bronx) and when the war was over, he had a vision of GIs coming home, marrying, having families, buying homes and needing appliances.”

Curto opened the repair shop in 1947 on Ashburton Avenue and two years later, was joined by his brother, Joseph, an excellent salesman. The business grew and prospered and by the l980s had several stores in Westchester. The brothers decided to consolidate and by the early l990s everything was under one roof at 1900 Central Park Ave. But it was not all smooth sailing.

“By this time my father, Frank, had taken over the reins of Curto’s, but the competitive landscape had changed,” Giannettino said. “You had a much more challenging retail environment for appliances with the emergence of ‘big box’ stores like The Home Depot. I had established a career in the Internet industry and was doing quite well but decided to pitch in and help my parents.”

In 2003, Giannettino joined the family business and rolled up his sleeves, using his MBA and knowledge of the Internet and its vast marketing potential to good advantage.

“I established the first appliance website in Westchester and sales took off. Even though I was still getting offers in my field, I decided to stay with Curto’s. My

Jonathan Giannettino.

Photograph courtesy Curto’s Appliances.

marketing ideas drove sales upward and I created a video blog, ‘The Appliance Dude,’ which was tremendously successful and drew interest from all over the country. “‘The Appliance Dude’ was so successful that the CEO of Viking flew me in to Los Angeles to show my videos at the largest kitchen-and-bath showcase in the industry.”

By this time, Curto’s Appliances had completely outgrown its old quarters.

“We had to move because we simply needed more space,” Giannettino said.

“Friends and associates advised us to leave Yonkers and move to northern Westchester or Fairfield County, with their high demand for luxury appliances. But after talking to what I called my ‘Council of Elders,’ I decided to stay in Yonkers. Our DNA was forged in this town and that’s where I wanted to be.”

Curto’s Appliances moved to a familyowned building at 1966 Central Park Ave. and Giannettino created the appliance playground.

“I wanted a big, beautiful space where people can not only see a full array of appliances but can also be free to touch and feel them. I call them ‘live kitchens.’ The environment is a totally different animal.

It is dynamic and interactive and there are no high-pressure sales. Instead, I have information brokers who I like to call ‘trust agents.’ They give customers clear and honest information, the best possible prices and are there to explain and guide them to the best choices.”

In addition to his full line of appliances, Curto’s now carries HD TVs and SONOS HiFi music systems.

“I saw the demand and decided to fill it,” Giannettino said.

He is happy to have completed the first phase of his expansion and has more in mind, renovating another 3,000 square feet downstairs in the same building.

“I have to say that Curto’s Appliances is spot-on gorgeous,” he said. “It was designed to look high-end but the fourburner stoves are still here. We have all the basics in addition to complete luxury kitchen packages. Whether a customer wants to spend $500 or $5,000 on a stove, we have it.”

Giannettino said he is totally satisfied with his decision to join the family business.

“I have always looked at myself as something of a contrarian and the decision to leave the Internet world at the time I did was the right one. Curto’s has thrived, our location couldn’t be better, and I have many things planned for the future.”

One of these is cooking classes that Giannettino says he will be starting up in the fall.

“I plan to hold these in the evening and use my Sub-Zero kitchen and my Thermador kitchen,” he said.

“There will be a variety of different classes, including gluten-free baking; sushi; some ethnic cuisines, including southern Italian cooking, a tribute to my family heritage. I am also going to hold grilling classes with men in mind. All classes will be taught by professional chefs. The classes will help demystify some of our more sophisticated products and let people see how they work.”

Giannettino lives in Yonkers with his wife, Nicole, and their three children – Scarlett, 5; Alexander, 3; and Sienna, just 8 months. He said he is more than pleased with his decision to recommit to Yonkers.

“There are some very interesting seeds being planted here and we feel that this is the best place to be positioned moving forward. Staying in Yonkers was a strategic decision that has really paid off.”

For more, call 914-793-5600 or visit curtos.com; and check out Jonathan Giannettino’s video blog at appliancedude.com. n

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Mariposa, Neiman Marcus’ new bar and restaurant, takes flight

By Georgette Gouveia

Kevin Garvin, Neiman Marcus’ vice president of corporate food service.

Below, A rendering of the bar at Mariposa, the new restaurant in Neiman Marcus, The Westchester, White Plains. Photograph and image courtesy Neiman Marcus.

OK, first the answer to the question on everyone’s mind: Yes, the popovers with the strawberry butter are still there.

“That’s a signature of our brand,” says Kevin Garvin, Neiman Marcus’ vice president of corporate food service, who oversees 43 restaurants in 36 stores. “We have to have them, and White Plains makes the best.”

In almost every other way, though, the restaurant at Neiman Marcus, The Westchester has changed, thanks to a four-month, $1 million renovation.

Start with the name. The old restaurant was called Zodiac, with a décor featuring the 12 astrological signs. (One of the treats of going to the Zodiac was sitting under your birth sign or perhaps birth season.) But Neiman Marcus stopped building Zodiacs in the late 1990s.

(Garvin says he hopes one day to have only one left, the original in the flagship store in downtown Dallas.)

Enter Mariposa, Spanish for “butterfly,” the luxury store’s symbol, which swirls around the chandelier and flits on Zen-like screens in the bar.

Ah, yes, the bar. The Neiman Marcus restaurant used to be downstairs and when it moved upstairs, it had a bar that was later removed.

Now the swank, semicircular bar makes for an arresting entrance, with its animal-print stools and mocha colored backdrop.

“The story isn’t so much about getting rid of the Zodiac as it is about creating a bar and a place where people can meet and get a bite to eat,” says Garvin, who trained at The Culinary Institute of America.

Judging from the crowd at the opening reception, the plan is working.

“I love it. I think the renovation has revived it,” Megan Cook, an internal auditor at Odyssey Re and a Yonkers resident, says as she sips what she calls a “Lilly Pulitzer-style” strawberry margarita.

It’s one of the pink cocktails bartender Marco Tapia is mixing, along with the What to Wear (cranberry juice, vanilla vodka, Cointreau and Prosecco).

New décor and new cocktails go along with an intimate dining area that seats 86 with room for private parties and a seasonal menu that’s locally sourced whenever possible and announces its caloric count and nutritional values. Many of the entrées are gluten-free and/or part of Neiman Marcus’ Go Figure Cuisine for a Healthier Lifestyle (under 560 calories). A good example of an entrée that’s both is the Grilled Shrimp Salad with avocado, radish, carrot, quinoa, goat cheese and heirloom cherry tomatoes in a light, creamy white balsamic vinaigrette (340 calories).

Still, there are some that never change, like the Mandarin Orange Soufflé – Neiman Marcus’ classic chicken salad with seasonal fruit and the daily sweet bread (940 calories).

And then there are those popovers…

“Neiman Marcus Cooks” comes to bookstores Sept. 16. For more, visit neimanmarcus.com. n

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wanders

Continental cooking

By Cappy Devlin

View over Tuscan countryside near Porta Romana, Siena, Italy.

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T Elinor Griffith.

here’s no one better to give you a little “taste” of France than Elinor Griffith on one of her Griffith Gourmet tours.

“Pinch me,” said Brenda, a Florida doctor who loves to cook. “I can’t believe I’m actually here stirring things up in Julia Child’s kitchen.”

This past October marked the seventh year that Griffith organized a small group – six people in all, including a woman from Chappaqua and a mother and daughter from near Washington D.C. – to join her to cook in the South of France. They were in the quiet rolling hills above Cannes, away from all the glitz of that film-festival town, actually staying at – and cooking in – the former home of “The French Chef.”

“Soon we gathered at the stove to braise veal for our lunch, and put a flourless chocolate cake into the oven,” Griffith told me. “Around us, the yellow kitchen walls were covered with pegboards showcasing much of Julia’s batterie de cuisine, or the whisks and pots and pans necessary to make a gourmet meal. This charming kitchen was the very place where the beloved cook had written, along with her then next-door neighbor Simone Beck, much of ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2.’ And in some ways, our treasured experience was much like cooking in the Smithsonian, where Julia’s Boston kitchen is now on display, one of the museum’s most popular exhibits.”

Recently Griffith organized an exclusive cooking school run by Chef Kathie Alex. During free time in the afternoons, Griffith served as a guide and took the group to special places such as the Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa & Gardens near Nice, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Musée Picasso in Antibes and to the artsy medieval village of St. Paul de Vence.

For Griffith, these trips are all about connecting with one’s passions. She was an editor at Reader’s Digest, then headquartered in Chappaqua, and always dreamed of more time to travel to France, Italy and elsewhere, eating superb food, surrounded by fascinating people. Now she can share her passions with small groups of people across WAG country and around the world.

For a lucky few, Griffith has a few spots remaining for the Sept. 7-12 Griffith Gourmet’s culinary trip to Julia Child’s kitchen.

In spring 2015, you can enjoy these culinary adventures – “An Insider’s Taste of Paris” or “Viva Italia – the Don Alfonso 1890,” at the Relais & Châteaux property with a Michelin-starred kitchen on the Amalfi Coast.

For more, visit elinorgriffith.com, email Elinoragriffith@gmail.com or call 914-400-4754. n

Julia Child’s batterie de cuisine. Photographs courtesy Elinor Griffith.

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Vines on ruins in San Gimignano. Photograph by Serge Melki.

a ‘taste’ of Italy On cooking tours of Italy, the people are guests, not tourists. They discover the true Italy that so few fully experience. They live the passion for Italian country cooking and wine that is at the heart of life in Tuscany, Umbria, the Amalfi Coast, Barolo, and Sicily.

No matter where you go in Italy, you are sure to encounter fabulous meals.

Florence, Tuscany’s historic capital, however, offers its own creative ways to please your taste buds that will have you talking for years to come. The famous outdoor San Lorenzo Market, otherwise known as Mercato Centrale, will take your vacation to the next level with local food expertise and cooking classes.

You can take a small-group Italian cooking class in a private home, where

you’ll make a four-course Tuscan meal from the ingredients you’ve picked up with your chef and teacher at the market.

Or for an even more exclusive experience, you can go to a cooking class in a noble’s villa and on a farmers’ market tour with one of the best chefs in Florence.

Whether you’re a cooking enthusiast or a novice, this full-day cooking class will provide you with an opportunity to learn how to prepare bruschetta, fresh homemade pasta and the chef’s main course, accompanied with a selection of Chianti wines.

For more, visit Cappy’s Travel at 195 N. Bedford Road, Mount Kisco.

Call 914-241-0383 or email Cappy@travel-by-net.com. n

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wine

& dine

Sweet Low & Hudson Grille’s Daniel Low

Daniel Low of the Hudson Grille in White Plains with the wine he helped craft.

and the wine he helped create

By Doug Paulding

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Daniel Low, general manager and sommelier at Hudson Grille on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains, was one of eight influential somms across the country chosen to participate in the creation of Raymond’s 2011 Sommelier Selection wine.

These eight wine experts were flown to Napa where they met the Raymond team and immersed themselves in a weeklong orientation of Raymond vineyards and the region. They learned, on premises, about soil, grafting, leaf cover, sunlight influence, directional and altitudinal exposure and the effects these factors have on the grape.

The Raymond family established roots in Napa County in 1933, the same year our government wrote the 21st amendment ending Prohibition. The family bought some acreage and planted it with a variety of fruits and vegetables, including grapes. By 1970, California was in the process of becoming known as an ideal region for wine grape production, and the Raymond family began establishing and expanding vineyards and learning the intricate nuances of fine wine production.

In 2009, Jean-Charles Boisset purchased the Raymond holdings and set out to take the name to a more exalted place. The Boisset family was an established name in the wine industry with vineyards and wineries in Burgundy, Beaujolais, the Rhône Valley and the South of France. Several of their Raymond properties have achieved certified organic and biodynamic designations, no small feat. Their plantings are predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, with some lesser-known varietals used in blending. Today, Raymond has more than 300 acres of estate vineyards.

After the Sommelier Selection tutorial was complete, Low and the seven other participants formed four teams. Each twoperson team had wine samples from Raymond vineyards in Napa, Sonoma and Lake County. Each wine was quite different and each would contribute its unique flavor and textural profile. The task was to create a blend of these three distinct districts to make the best and most expressive wine. Each team experimented with the percentages and each contributed its winning blend. These four wines were then presented to Raymond’s director of winemaking, Stephanie Putnam, who

swirled, sniffed and tasted each blend until she chose a winner. That winning blend became the 2011 Sommelier Selection, a blend of 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 13 percent Merlot and 2 percent Cabernet Franc. Some 60,000 bottles were filled and labeled and are only available in restaurants, at an attractive price of $50.

This is the fourth vintage of this Sommelier Selection wine. Each year, beginning in 2008, Raymond has impaneled teams of eight to create this blend. I love the concept. The back label has a “peel here” tab which opens a small booklet.

There you will find a brief bio of each contributing sommelier along with a description of this concept and tasting notes. It remains to be seen if Raymond will be expanding this Sommelier Selection concept to other varietals. It would be quite easy to ship samples of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, for example, to notable somms around the country, have them blend and taste and email back their choice of percentages, and then have Putnam pick a winner. And each sommelier becomes a dynamic point-of-sale representative for the brand.

The wine is delicious and will satisfy most palates. Straightaway, it had a pleasant grapey fruitiness. It showed black currant flavors with a peppery backbone contributed by the oak influence. It had a velvety smoothness with a satisfying finish. This wine is big on the price-to-value scale. If you happen to dine at the Hudson Grille, you’re likely to meet Low. He will happily pour and discuss “his” wine and his Raymond experience with you.

Raymond produces wines up and down the price spectrum, ranging from $24 to north of $125 a bottle. If you’ve never been a winery wine-club member, it’s something to consider here. It’s free to join and wines of your choice and your pricing sweet spot automatically get shipped to your home or office at regular intervals.

Wines are discounted about 20 percent and there are other cool perks like VIP visits to the winery and email and phone access to winemaker Putnam, who is available to directly answer any questions.

For more, visit raymondvineyards. com or hudsongrilleny.com.

Write me at doug@dougpaulding. com. n

greenspace/ slovenia

where are they now?

Home by the sea Aussie marine artist Jilly Dyson drops anchor in Greenwich

By Georgette Gouveia Marine artist Jilly Dyson says she’s not one to put her palate before her palette. But her guests will never know. Drop by for a casual dinner at her new mid-19th century Greenwich home and you’ll be treated to a luscious repast of wine, cheese, bread, grilled salmon, a Greek salad and raspberries.

On Nov. 14 of last year, Dyson moved to America from Sydney, Australia, with one suitcase – and numerous canvases.

For most of us, the baggage would’ve been reversed – lots of luggage and one artwork, thank you very much.

But Dyson, whom WAG readers first met in our November 2012 “Choices Made” issue, is a passionate marine painter, one who must paint every day before the last of the silvery northern light slips from the sky.

“I love the silvery light of the Northern Hemisphere,” she says. “I love New York, the enthusiasm of the people, the warmth, the generosity, the energy.”

So Dyson – who exhibited and sold her work for 15 years in New York, particularly Katonah, and Connecticut – set about buying a house in Greenwich. She found one on her first day here.

It’s a charming gabled 1845 affair near the waterfront, with a mansard roof, garden and picket fence. You can imagine an old sea captain rambling up the steps from his wanderings. How fitting then that it should be purchased by a painter whose use of swirling impasto recalls Homer, Turner and Whistler.

The interior reveals the artist’s flair for spare but pointed decorating, with a few big statement pieces and an ocean palette. Dyson herself seems like a delicious creature risen from the sea, a naiad or mermaid perhaps, with long blond-white hair and eyes the color of misty waters. There’s a softness, a gentleness to those eyes, the fine features and the Aussie-accented voice. (Technically, she’s a Kiwi, having grown up on a coastal farm near the Bay of Islands in New Zealand, where she rode horses with her sister and reveled in

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the expanse of sea and sky and “the luscious smell of oil paints.”)

Wanderlust is in her DNA. Her great-grandfather was Capt. William Boyd, who brought settlers to New Zealand in the 1870s. Her brother wrote books on sailing.

As a young woman, she moved to Italy to haunt the great museums and found early success with her canvases.

On another recent day, over a long lunch at the Delamar Greenwich Harbor as the light begins to elude the day, Dyson talks about the role of luck and

fate. Her professional luck held until the terrorist attacks of 9/11 when the art market suddenly dried up.

Fate has had other challenges in store. Under the provisions of her new visa, she cannot sell any of her work and must return to Sydney twice a year.

Then on Feb. 6, she slipped on black ice on Field Point Road. She broke her right (painting) arm, which required surgery and pins and left her in a good deal of pain. To say nothing of the bill she paid, since her Australian insurance didn’t cover it.

Marine painter Jilly Dyson, from Down Under, outside her new Greenwich home.

Photograph by Nina Mennacher.

“It was a nightmare,” she says. But through it all, she has persisted and kept painting, taking her work in a more abstract direction, suggesting late Whistler and Monet.

“I can’t bear the thought of not living here,” she says. “You just have to believe in yourself and keep going.”

For more on Jilly Dyson’s work, email jillymarie.dyson@gmail.com. n

chic choices Gifts and new products ideal for any occasion compiled by mary shustack

ADD AN AMBER GLOW There’s an added excitement to any gathering when you realize your hosts have taken those extra steps to make you feel special.

They took out the good china, are using cloth napkins and the flowers on the table are clearly not from a last-minute supermarket grab. And if you were to walk into such a setting and also see Lalique crystal on the table – wow. You know your host not only has impeccable taste but that your presence is highly valued.

Create that welcoming atmosphere in your own home with selections from Lalique’s spring-summer collection. A number of the creations are available in an amber hue that adds another level of rich detail to your own entertaining. We suggest, clockwise from top left, the Avallon ($2,200) or the Ispahan ($5,000) vases or the Nemours bowl ($2,350). Your guests will thank you.

For more, visit lalique.com.

Photographs courtesy Lalique.

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chic choices NO MORE SAD LITTLE LUNCHES

All those tired of taking the same old, same old when it comes to bringing lunch from home, raise your hands. OK, you can all put them down now. We have a solution, in the form of a creative new book that has come to our attention. “Mason Jar Salads and More” by Julia Mirabella (Ulysses Press, $16.95) is a colorful celebration of “50 Layered Lunches to Grab & Go.” It seems like a simple premise – taking a basic Mason jar, using some smart layering techniques and creating time-saving, portion-controlled meals – but we admit it’s one we never thought of. Mirabella spotlights seasonal fare with selections including corn and blueberry salad; arugula, pine nut and Parmesan salad; and Greek salad with chickpeas. The book also offers recipes for heartier lunchtime fare, such as curry chicken salad and orecchiette and broccoli rabe, plus ideas for breakfasts, snacks and salad dressings. Bye bye, cafeteria.

For more, visit ulyssespress.com.

Photograph courtesy Ulysses Press.

Photograph courtesy T-fal OptiGrill.

NO SUN? NO PROBLEM Don’t let a rainy summer day interrupt your barbecue plans. The new T-fal OptiGrill ($179.99) allows you simply to move the party inside. Ease is on the menu with this product, which features a cooking sensor that automatically adjusts to the thickness of your food to get the perfect result. With a sleek, stainless-steel exterior, the compact unit is also easy to clean and store. Get those steaks ready.

For more, visit bedbathandbeyond.com.

CINEMATIC FARE… A SCREENING MOST DELICIOUS Movies that have a culinary thread running through them tend to be favorites. Think “Chocolat,” “Julie & Julia,” or “Big Night,” which starred WAG July 2013 cover guy Stanley Tucci. Well, we’re really looking forward to another, “The Hundred-Foot Journey.” Helen Mirren, a WAG favorite, stars as Mme. Mallory, the chilly chef-proprietress of a noted and so-very-classic French restaurant in a small village in the South of France.

Her world is turned upside down by the arrival of an Indian family, led by Papa (Om Puri) and his culinary-genius son, Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal). They are intent on opening the Maison Mumbai, yes, just feet away. We can only imagine the savory twists and turns. Directed by longtime Bedford resident Lasse Hallström and due in theaters Aug. 8, we think it’s something to add to our cinematic-culinary agenda – don’t you?

For more, visit dreamworksstudios.com.

Photograph courtesy DreamWorks.

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SWEET SUMMER DAYS Broomstick Sweetie’s specializes in seasonally inspired cakes, pies and confections – everything from wedding cakes to custom dessert tables complete with its signature layer cakes, trifles, cookies, cupcakes and bars. Nicole Brake, a Chappaqua resident, brought Broomstick Sweetie’s to Westchester when she relocated from Los Angeles two years ago, and her 6-year-old business has grown exponentially by word of mouth – pun intended. The retired ballet dancer began to use baking as her artistic expression. “Baking has been my creative outlet since I was a little girl. I love being part of someone’s special day because dessert is the grand finale to any event, and that is what people remember.” Loyal customers on both coasts eagerly await the month of October when Brake makes pumpkin fudge. Flavors rotate to eggnog, chocolate and white winter mint. Each ceramic pan is shrink wrapped and decorated, making it a great corporate gift, party favor or hostess present. Prices start at $18 for a ¾-pound tray and $50 for a party-size wedge. Nothing Brake makes is low calorie, but everything is made from scratch using the freshest ingredients, including seasonal fruits. Cakes are one-of-a-kind, with prices starting at $45 for an 8-inch, two-layer cake. Custom designs are also available.

For more, call 914-419-6487 or visit broomsticksweeties.com.

– Ronni Diamondstein Photograph courtesy Broomstick Sweetie’s.

Photographs courtesy Guarachi Family Wines.

WINE TO PAIR WITH GRILLED FOODS Summer and grilled foods go hand in hand. But what to serve alongside your steak, swordfish or veggie kebabs? Guarachi Family Wines, started in 2007 by TGIC Global Fine Wine Company founder Alex Guarachi, has several selections (and descriptions) to share. These include the Guarachi Family Wines Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($65), above left, said to be an elegant choice “with raspberry, currant, and cedary oak supported by firm yet silky tannins on the palate. The finish lingers showing more layers of balanced, perfumed fruit.” The Guarachi Family Gap’s Crown Wines Pinot Noir ($75), above right, is a top-scoring Pinot Noir that “exhibits bountiful fruit paired with oak-inspired spice that melts in your mouth and makes for an exceptional food wine with soft yet lively acidity.” And when summer eventually winds down — don’t worry, it’s not anytime soon — the company looks ahead to recommend an autumn wine, the Guarachi Family Wines Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($80), above center. This is a “top-rated, complex and layered expression of deliciously dark fruit intermingled with currant and raw cacao. Blackberry and cherry collide with hints of cola and espresso.” Cheers!

For more, visit tgicwine.com.

Photograph courtesy Savino.

EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR WINE When the meal is over but there’s still some wine left, a new glassware product is ready to come to the rescue. The Savino Connoisseur is designed to keep your wine fresh for up to a week. It’s an easy-to-use preservation system that basically helps you create a barrier between the wine and the oxygen, thwarting the oxidation process and extending the life of the wine.

Each Savino Connoisseur ($59.95) holds up to a full 750ml bottle at a height that fits most refrigerators. As the company tagline says, it’s all about having “Today’s Wine Tomorrow.”

For more, visit savinowine.com.

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chic choices

Photographs courtesy Teece Torre.

Photograph courtesy Luxor Linens.

THAT’S A WRAP There’s nothing like a long hot shower after a day at the beach or by the pool. Follow that freshening up by slipping into a luxurious robe. We suggest the Catalina Egyptian cotton terry luxury bathrobe (beginning at $179.98) from Luxor Linens. This plush choice is made in Turkey and offers spa-like luxury in a machine wash-and-dry style that becomes softer after each washing. It’s available in white, ivory and espresso in a unisex design. And for that special touch, remember all the robes can be monogrammed.

For more, visit luxorlinens.com.

SUBTLE-YET-STUNNING SUMMER STYLE Summertime dressing is usually more casual, more relaxed. And you want your jewelry to reflect that approach. You don’t want to go overboard. That’s what New Year’s Eve is for, right? We were recently introduced to Teece Torre jewelry, and it seems like the perfect accessory for summer’s sometimes balmy, sometimes breezy moments. We can picture Teece Torre bracelets, necklaces and earrings adding just the right touch to your outfit whether your destination is a relaxing Sunday brunch or a lively concert in the park. Owned by Patricia Caruso and operated out of her studio in Elizaville, N.Y., the line – which just marked its second anniversary – is named after a combination of Caruso’s nickname (“Teece”) and her grandmother’s maiden name. Working with high-quality precious and semi-precious gemstones, all work is handmade and strikes a lovely balance between the classic and modern. The Beatrice ($635) necklace, pictured top, features three 35-inch strands of braided black “diamond” spinel, finished with 3.5inch black spinel tassels. The Hollye bracelet ($1,600), pictured below, named after the woman who commissioned it, is 18 strands of Ethiopian black opal united with a stripe of Ethiopian white opal on a bed of tsavorite garnet.

For more, visit teecetorre.com.

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Photograph courtesy Shauns California.

FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT… For ladies, putting on a pair of stylish sunglasses can be a real confidence-booster. Come to think of it, that goes for the guys, as well. In the summer, when sunglasses are prevalent, we look for those brands with a little something extra. And we love the look of some of the latest styles from Shauns California, especially the glamorous cat-eye Ailsa ($305). Many of the styles are unisex, so possibilities are limitless, ranging from the geometric butterfly of the Esk ($250) to the more classic Lewis, pictured, ($260). What we like just as much as the look is the company’s commitment to good vision. Through its Give Sight program, for each pair sold, the company donates a pair of vision glasses and sponsors an eye exam for someone in need in a developing country. Find Shauns California locally at boutiques including Eye Designs of Westchester in Scarsdale.

For more, visit shaunscalifornia.com.

LEAFING OUT

ARBOR CARE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL

With

BY X. L. TREED

WESTCHESTER - FAIRFIELD

W

With the professionalism one would expect of a London concierge and the thorough working knowledge one would expect of a professor of entomology and plant pathology, Doug Paulding has turned Eager Beaver Tree service into the area’s premier tree and shrub care establishment. The freshly and artistically painted equipment adorned with whimsical beavers provides a friendly atmosphere.

And the current approach to reduced fat is epitomized

by Mr. Paulding. His labor force and equipment purchases are indicative of a no-fat approach to business. It is refreshing to call on anyone in the company, from pest control technicians to expert tree pruners to the ground crew, and be able to get intelligent answers. This is no accident.

Mr. Paulding is dedicated to providing and ensuring quality personnel. Every member of the team has attended the field and classroom seminars specifically tailored to their role. And what a team! It’s a pleasure to watch them work, reminiscent of a finely tuned athletic team. Each goes about his job with an enthusiasm and an anticipation of everything that needs to be done.

Start with the deep root liquid fertilizer as a first course.

The loosening of the soil and introduction of critical but depleted nutrients will snap your trees and shrubs out of their winter dormancy with exuberance and excitement for growth and anticipation of what’s to come.

The horticultural oil is not to be missed. Expertly prepared and presented, this early season approach to pest reduction will see to it that aphids, adelgids and scales are smothered under a thin layer of oil and neutralized. Monitoring and timing are essential for quality control and Eager Beaver Tree Service is committed to these procedures.

Other courses are further enhanced by their approach to pest control. It’s a pleasure to see pioneers such as Mr. Paulding using bio- and photodegradable materials.

Pests today are specifically targeted and controlled by bacteria, fungi and viruses that affect only the intended victim. Once again Eager Beaver’s expert, flawless timing sees to it that the homeowner can relax as the target pest is controlled. The broad spectrum, highly toxic approach of yesterday that is still employed by a shocking number of companies today will be changing due to regulations and consumer awareness. Until then call on Eager Beaver Tree Service.

The problems and fears generated by the deer tick need not prevent enjoyment of your property. Their technicians can reduce the tick population dramatically and reduce the threat of disease in an environemntally responsible way.

The pièce de résistance of Eager Beaver’s menu of services may well be expert tree pruning. Those who choose to skip it will have missed an extraordinary presentation. Grand old oaks are restored to their former glory by selective thinning and dead wood removal. Apple trees are delicately shaped into a flowering cascading waterfall. Overgrown and dense trees of all varieties can be thinned to allow dappled sunshine to brighten the atmosphere that has darkened with time. Properties can be further enhanced by a deft hand-pruning of the foundation plantings.

When Eager Beaver removes a tree, it’s an arboricultural tour de force. The effortless fluidity Mr. Paulding and company bring to your home will draw crowds and applause. His commitment to safety and cleanliness leaves everyone feeling contented and satisfied.

EXTRAORDINARY Serving Westchester and Fairfield 914-533-2255 | 203-869-3280 |

203-966-6767

www.eagerbeavertreeservice.com ATMOSPHERE: Professional and personable with scrupulous attention to detail. Carefully maintained equipment and impeccably trained personnel.

RECOMMENDED PROCEDURES: Being the owner of a small company, Mr. Paulding never has to “sell” to keep his crew busy. You can be sure all the recommendations are arboriculturally sound and will improve the host plant.

His knowledge and no pressure, soft-sell approach is a pleasure to experience.

PAYMENT METHOD: Check and cash. Steep discounts apply to pre-payment for seasonal pest control and fertilizing.

HOURS: Emergency service always in effect.

Otherwise reservations necessary.

when

& where THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14

SATURDAY, JULY 5

SATURDAY, JULY 12

“Mandy Greer: The Ecstatic Moment” – Greer creates visionary worlds she draws from mythology, fairy tales and the mundane and magical in everyday life. The sewing machine and crochet hook are her tools, fabric and objects of the natural world are her media. Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Ave., Yonkers; 914-963-4550, hrm.org.

Flung into the future by a bumbling sea witch, a crew of misfit pirates now has only one chance of returning home – performing its pirate epic onstage in “Pirates of the Hudson.” But when the script is torn asunder, these pirates-turned-actors are forced to improvise based on audience suggestions. Performances at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main St., Tarrytown; 914-631-3390, tarrytownmusichall.org.

Known for its unique jazz sound, the Glenn Miller Orchestra keeps the legacy of the legendary bandleader alive, playing an average of 300 live shows per year. 7:30 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge Road, Ridgefield; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

TUESDAY, JULY 1 Join Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson alumnae for “Sparkle for a Cause,” an evening of food, drinks, and fun, all supporting a worthy cause. Proceeds will be donated to the organization’s leadership programs. 6 p.m., Crabtree’s Kittle House, 11 Kittle Road, Chappaqua; 914-666-8044, girlscousthh.org.

SUNDAY, JULY 6 The opening of the Bruce Museum’s new exhibit, “Greenwich Collects: Wyeth, Italian Renaissance Drawings, Chinese Antiquities,” features three diverse collections and runs through Aug. 31. 1 p.m., 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich; 203-869-0376, brucemuseum.org.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2

MONDAY, JULY 7

Wednesday Morning Concert: July 4th Extravaganza – Start celebrating Independence Day early at Caramoor.

The festivities begin with The Bearcats playing Dixieland Jazz favorites, followed by a tour of the Rosen House and buffet lunch with the sound of live music to keep you in a celebratory mood. 11 a.m., Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-2321252, caramoor.org.

Monday at Muscoot Bird Walk continues, so bring binoculars and join the Saw Mill River Audubon’s Anne Swaim for a hike. Meet in the parking lot. 7:30 a.m., Muscoot Farm, 51 Route 100, Katonah; 914-864-7282, muscootfarm.org.

THURSDAY, JULY 3 Gather your family, pack a picnic and head over to the Kensico Dam Plaza for Kensico Dam Music Fest & Fireworks, an evening of celebration and patriotism in honor of America’s Independence Day. Festivities from 6 p.m. with fireworks at approximately 9:15. 1 Bronx River Parkway, Valhalla; 914-328-1542, parks.westchestergov. com.

FRIDAY, JULY 4 Celebrate the Fourth with “Pops, Patriots & Fireworks” at Caramoor. Curt Ebersole conducts the Westchester Symphonic Winds and teams with Broadway’s Ryan Silverman and alto saxophone soloist Lois Hicks-Wozniak for an evening of music and picnicking. 8 p.m., Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-5035, caramoor.org.

“Red, White, & Blue Scavenger Hunt” is a self-guided hunt at Beardsley Zoo that will challenge visitors to find all of the animals sporting patriotic colors (like red wolves, white swans and blue poison dart frogs) and many more.

9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 1875 Noble Ave., Bridgeport; 203-3946565, beardsleyzoo.org.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 “The Met: Live in HD Summer Encores 2014” presents Verdi’s “Otello,” a take on Shakespeare’s multilayered tale of jealousy, starring Johan Botha in the title role and Renée Fleming as his misjudged wife. 6 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge Road, Ridgefield; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org. (For other venues, metoperafamily.org)

THURSDAY, JULY 10 Festival Thursday Tea Special: “In the Garden of Sonic Delights” along with music by Benjamin Beilman and Andrew Tyson – Spend a relaxing afternoon enjoying a formal tea and concert on the Caramoor estate then cap the day by strolling the large-scale sound art exhibition. 2 p.m., Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-1252, caramoor.org.

THURSDAY, JULY 10 - SUNDAY, JULY 13 Greenwich Chamber Annual Sidewalk Sale – One of the premier shopping events on a street that has been compared to Rodeo Drive. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich; 203-869-3500, greenwichchamber. com.

FRIDAY, JULY 11 A founding member of the rock band Styx, Dennis DeYoung performs the band’s greatest hits from the 1970s to ’90s. 8 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge Road, Ridgefield; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

The Bridgeport Arts Fest is a one-day celebration of local artists and crafters, community organizations and performers. Enjoy live entertainment, activities, demonstrations and refreshments. This event is free of charge. 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., McLevy Green, Bank Street, Bridgeport; 203-337-2335, bridgeportarts.com.

SUNDAY, JULY 13 The duo Igudesman & Joo bring their classical music comedy act, “A Little NIGHTMARE Music,” to Caramoor. 4:30 p.m., Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-5035, caramoor.org.

MONDAY, JULY 14 Celebrate the summer with Westchester’s Ridge Hill at “Movie Mondays.” Come for a free, family-friendly showing of the popular children’s movie “Frozen” in Town Square under the stars. Be sure to bring your beach chairs or blankets. The movie will begin at sunset. 1 Ridge Hill Blvd., Yonkers; 914-207-2900, westchestersridgehill. com.

Have a ball at the Gilda’s Club Westchester 2014 Golf Invitational at Quaker Ridge Golf Club. Activities include brunch buffet, shotgun tournament, cocktails and a dinner reception. Registration starts at 11 a.m. For details, contact Gilda’s Club Westchester, 80 Maple Ave., White Plains; 914-644-8844, gildasclubwestchester.org.

TUESDAY, JULY 15 “Walk Among Live Butterflies” – Join the Greenburgh Nature Center for its annual live butterfly exhibit. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale; 914-7233470, greenburghnaturecenter.org.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 “The Met: Live in HD Summer Encores 2014” concludes with “The Enchanted Isle,” a pastiche featuring the music of artists including Handel, Vivaldi and Rameau. (For venues, visit metoperafamily.org.)

THURSDAY, JULY 17 & FRIDAY, JULY 18 Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – Frankie Valli, who came to fame in 1962 as the lead singer of the Four Seasons, is hotter than ever thanks to the success of the Tony Award-winning musical (and now movie) “Jersey Boys.”

8 p.m., The Capitol Theatre, 149 Westchester Ave., Port Chester; 914-937-4126, thecapitoltheatre.com.

FRIDAY, JULY 18 A tribute to the music of the Eagles, a band noted for its heartfelt ballads, rock anthems and vocal harmonies, is presented by “EagleMania.” 8 p.m., Paramount Theater Hudson Valley, 1008 Brown St., Peekskill; 914-7390039, paramounthudsonvalley.com.

SATURDAY, JULY 19 There is no specific theme required when creating the sand sculptures at “Sand Blast 2014.” Participants are encouraged to indulge their imaginations and enjoy the experience of creating art in the sand. Noon, Tod’s Point Beach, Tod’s Driftway, Greenwich; 203-862-6750, greenwichartscouncil.org.

SUNDAY, JULY 20 Bring your pooch to the New Rochelle Humane Society for the 14th annual Dog Wash, a day of pet pampering, nail clipping, microchipping, food and vendors. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 70 Portman Road, New Rochelle; 914-6322925, newrochellehumanesociety.org.

“Trunks and Travel” – Travel in the 19th century required much more than a one-piece carry-on rolling bag. In this Third Sunday Lecture offered by Mary Jeanne Bialas, hear about the intricacies of 19th-century travel and how the affluent lugged trunks all over Europe.

Lyndhurst, 635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown; 914-631-4481, lyndhurst.org.

FRIDAY, JULY 25 “Exoplanets: Worlds Beyond Our Reach” – Head to Stamford’s observatory for an exploration of the night sky, planets, stars and more. The presentation is followed by an invitation to view the night sky through a 22-inch telescope. 7:30 p.m., Stamford Museum & Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford; 203-322-1646, stamfordmuseum.org.

On this date, in 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon. That’s out of this world.

TUESDAY, JULY 22 National Circus Project offers up acrobatics, juggling acts, aerialists, clowns and hula-hoop artists. 11 a.m., The Palace Theatre, Stamford Center for the Arts, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford; 203-325-4466, stamfordcenterforthearts.org.

SATURDAY, JULY 26 Since winning the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition in 2010, Cécile McLorin Salvant has rapidly risen to the top of jazz presenters’ “must-have” lists. 8 p.m., Spanish Courtyard, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-1252, caramoor.org.

THURSDAY, JULY 24

SUNDAY, JULY 27

“Athleta and Eros” – Join WAG Editor Georgette Gouveia for a reading and book signing of her new novel “Water Music,” a story of four gay athletes and their rivalries in life and love, at Athleta in Scarsdale. Shop activewear, too, and savor light refreshments. 6:30 to 8 p.m. Athleta, 700 Post Road, Scarsdale. RSVP: 914-7230961, sue_wald@stores.gap.com.

The Royal Opera House: “Manon Lescaut” – This Puccini masterpiece – about a young woman’s rise and fall – makes a welcome return to Covent Garden after an absence of more than 20 years. 1 p.m., Showcase Cinema de Lux at Ridge Hill, 1 Ridge Hill Blvd., Yonkers; 914-2072900; westchestersridgehill.com.

“Still Life With Glass Bowl of Fruit and Vases” (63-79), fresco, from the House of Julia Felix in Pompeii, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

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well No (simple) carb-loading here

By Erika Schwartz, MD

I know, I know, we have pretty much had enough of diets and the never-ending, constantly contradictory advice we get from our loved ones and the media about how to lose those pesky pounds that make us look pudgy no matter how long or big the top we wear.

Unfortunately, America’s biggest problem is obesity, as my friend Dr. Oz told me during an interview I conducted with him for Newsmax TV recently, and he is right.

Unless we do something about it and do it fast, we will be getting fatter, sicker and more incapacitated than we ever have been as we age. Not exactly what we want in our era of technological advances.

We need to focus on how to get rid of this problem and the only way we can is by taking a look at ourselves first.

For those of you who have been reading my column – and I’d love to tell you how grateful I am you do – you know there has never been a column in which I don’t bring up eating habits, exercise, sleep and good patient/doctor relationships, so you know how passionate and vehement I am about staying fit and trim as we age.

But unfortunately too many of us succumb to the idea that we cannot lose the weight no matter what, that we are getting old. We get depressed and eventually give up.

Well, I must tell you without a doubt the only option to surviving aging and even enjoying it is to feel good. And the only way to feel good is to be as close to ideal body weight as possible, to exercise regularly (I don’t mean at a gym, I just mean move), to sleep seven to eight hours a night and to have great relationships that fulfill you. You notice drugs, surgeries and endless visits to a thousand doctors are not on the list of what will keep you healthy and enjoying your life.

I will now get off the soapbox and tell you that having lived with patients, personally experienced the variety of dietary recommendations and clicked on the “secret tip to shrink your pot belly in a week,” even though I don’t really need it, I am sure I pretty much have the answer when it comes to diets and what I would prefer to call eating habits.

Here you go: While you can slip in those little bad things once in a while, if you find balance and never go to extremes you will find yourself feeling great and at your ideal

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body weight to boot.

Our mortal enemy is not fat, but rather what nutritionists and integrative, prevention-focused physicians call simple carbohydrates (as opposed to complex carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables, which are good carbs).

Simple carbs include simple sugars and many things made up of simple sugars, such

It’s not about will power but the desire to stay and feel well.

Just slowly eliminate all these carbs from your diet, get your hormones balanced with bioidentical hormones, take the supplements that help you crave sugars (carbs) less, like alphalipoic acid, glutamine, omega-3 fish oils and vitamin D and see what happens.

as fructose, syrups, starches, fruit juices, alcohol, salad dressings, desserts and other prepared foods. They are mostly white foods like potatoes, pasta, rice, white breads and anything else made with white flour.

So how do you protect yourself from killer carbs?

You could read the labels on food packaging (but, as you’ve already figured out, the industry has learned to manipulate them so you don’t even know how much sugar is in your food).

So eliminate anything with labels, anything that you don’t find growing out of the soil or on the tree. As you get older, your body cannot process fish and meat the way it did when you were young so eliminating those and adding probiotics will help you feel better and lose the weight.

Now let’s be honest about alcohol, which comes under the umbrella of simple sug-

ars. I need not say more, because we live in a culture in which if you don’t drink you’re a pariah. Well, temper it then. Every drop of alcohol in your system, no matter what study comes out to claim it’s healthy for you, will turn into a spike in your blood sugar, a spike in your insulin level and the more these two fluctuate, the more your internal organs will erode and the quicker diseases of aging like diabetes, arthritis and hypertension will come in.

Be careful with the gluten-free trend. Low gluten doesn’t mean low sugar, low carbs.

It means a little less wheat. For now it has served to raise awareness that lower-carb diets work. But unless you had a small-bowel biopsy that proved you have celiac disease, you are just gluten-sensitive, which is what most of us are as we age because our bodies just get sick and tired of processing wheat products.

Then remember dairy, as in milk, cheese and pretty much all processed yogurt – except Greek yogurt that hasn’t been Americanized with some sweet stuff like granola or fruit. Dairy is also something we become sensitive to as we age. So it’s best to eliminate it from our diets.

The loss of hormones also leads to more sensitivity and more inability to process sugars, creating spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels and leaving you vulnerable to diabetes.

But all of this can be prevented. It’s all in your power. It’s not about will power but the desire to stay and feel well. Just slowly eliminate all these carbs from your diet, get your hormones balanced with bioidentical hormones, take the supplements that help you crave sugars (carbs) less, like alpha-lipoic acid, glutamine, omega-3 fish oils and vitamin D and see what happens.

Remember sugar substitutes only serve to confuse your body further, fool you into thinking that you are doing well and in fact poison your liver. If you start slowly, in a week you will have gotten rid of the cravings for sugar and as you move away from them, you will be healthier. You’ll feel better and get rid of the extra pounds without suffering.

Come to my side of the carb formula and just do it.

For more, email Dr. Erika at Erika@ drerika.com. n

Rocco DiSpirito

Friday, September 19th

Best Chef Battle Watch these chefs in a culinary battle!

Rocco DiSpirito, Graham Elliot, Franklin Becker, & Dave DiBari White Plains, NY

Graham Elliot

Saturday, September 20th

Grand Culinary Village, including BBQ/Grilling Plaza, Mrs. Greens Healthy Eating Pavilion, Food Trucks & Concert

Sunday, September 21st

Wilson & Son Jewelers Grand Tasting Village, Mrs. Greens Healthy Eating Pavilion Scarsdale, NY

Harbor Island Park, Mamaroneck, NY

Free admission Saturday & Sunday

Fully Tented for RAIN or SHINE

Scheduled to Appear Rocco DiSpirito Graham Elliot Jacques Torres Scotto Family (Fresco) Dan Amatuzzi & Nick Coleman (Eataly)

Presenting Sponsors

JJ Johnson (The Cecil) Kamal Grant (Sublime Doughnuts) Rafael Palomino (Palomino Restaurant) Dave DiBari (The Cookery) Sam Talbot (The Surf Lodge) Franklin Becker (Brasserie)

Media Partners

Beneficiaries

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FOR TICKETS & INFO

www.Sowefwf.com Jacques Torres

Facebook.com/SoWeFoodFest Twitter/Instagram @SoWeFoodFest

pet

portraits

Pet of the Month As the song from “Damn Yankees” says, “you gotta have heart.”

Or in this case, Heart, an 11-year-old Cocker Spaniel who’s had her share of heartache. (Haven’t we all, so we understand.)

Heart could stand to lose a few pounds as she came from a negligent home.

But she’s had a bit of a makeover (a bath and a haircut that she hearted) and she’s looking like a spring chicken to match her spry, spunky demeanor.

Heart loves going on walks (poor baby probably hadn’t seen the light of day in years) and enjoys sitting in the grass in the sun. She does well with most dogs but is timid around children so an adult-only home is ideal for her.

Heart’s always smiling and seems truly happy to get a second chance with a new family.

To meet Heart, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor.

Please note: The SPCA does not accept deposits, make appointments or reserve animals for adoption even if it has spoken about a particular dog or cat with you. It’s always first-come, first-served among applicants, pending approval. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call 914-941-2896 or visit spca914.org. n Martha Stewart at home in Bedford with her prize-winning show dog, Genghis Khan, a Chow. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

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watch ART, FOOD… FUN

ArtsWestchester’s downtown White Plains headquarters, which features both exhibition space and artist studios, was abuzz on a recent night for the organization’s annual ArtsBash celebration. The evening of “Food. Fun. Fabulous Art.” invited participants to head upwards then wander back down, floor by floor, to meet artists in their open studios. Along the way, there were samplings of savories and sweets served up by restaurants and other food-and-drink companies. Capping the night was the chance to explore “STEAM: STEM + Arts.” The exhibition, continuing through Aug. 16, is an outgrowth of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) movement to incorporate the arts in teaching creative thinking.

– Photographs by Bob Rozycki.

1. Thomas Abinanti, Tom Roach, Janet Langsam, Steven Otis and Kevin Plunkett 2. Doreen and Gilbert Bassin 3. Joe Cobbinah 4. Maddy and John Crabtree and Tiffany Hogan 5. Eddi Fleming and Jay Ungerman 6. Teresa Hobson 7. Nina Joung, Denise Proctor and Cherry Sydavong 8. Michelle Rella, Lea Banks, Alex Lombardo, Kathleen Reckling and Mary Alice Franklin 9. Marisa Thylstrup, Kevin Kubicki and Kerri Keane 10. Jackie Walker, Debra Stone and Kara Neal 1

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watch Dreaming of children’s health The Children’s Dream Foundation (CDF) recently held its annual “Supper at the Shore” at the Shenorock Shore Club in Rye. The Libman Family and Dr. Gustavo Stringel were honored this year for their longtime commitment to the care and welfare of children. The evening raised funds for CDF grants that provide specialized pediatric resources and preventative care programs to area hospitals and health care centers.

1. Barbara Moss, Mary-Louise Reid and Dr. Timothy Haydock 2. Gerry Holbrook and Donald Murphy 3. Meg and Raoul Rodriguez and Dr. Elizabeth and David Thompson 4. Dr. Bruce Roseman and Michael Stevens 5. Dr. Gustavo Stringel

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Ability Beyond, an organization which serves individuals with developmental disabilities in Connecticut and Westchester County, recently held its annual spring gala. This year’s event was themed “Safari… Our Journey Continues” and held at The Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury. The black-tie affair featured dinner, silent and live auctions, dancing and a performance by Nik & The Nice Guys. The event raised more than $825,000 to support Ability Beyond’s services, including employment training; cognitive and life skills instruction; clinical and therapeutic support; housing; and other programs.

Photographs by Eric LaCore Photography.

6. Kevin Cox, Brian Spearman and Maggie Fanning 7. Tom Fanning, Roy Young, Paul Hamilton, Meghann Smith and Greg Smith 8. Jack and Paula Walsh 9. Debbie Garcia and Neil Swanberg

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A Guiding Eyes’ twin bill It was a double dose of Eli Manning, quarterback of the New York Giants and host of Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s annual Blind Golf Classic.

First, Manning was on hand at Mulino’s in White Plains as Guiding Eyes announced the classic. And then he took part in the event at Mount Kisco Country Club and Fairview Country Club in Greenwich. To date, the classic has raised more than $8 million for the organization, which provides guide dogs for visually impaired and autistic individuals.

Photographs by John Vecchiolla.

1. Alex and Sarah Kooluris, Eli Manning, Wendy Aglietti and Thomas Panek along with Maple.

2. Gregg Watson, Jesse Rosenschein, Jennifer Hill, Eli Manning, Jodi Jones, Lexie Codespoti and John Kaminski along with Belinda, Nettles and Lulu.

3. Al Maiolo and Sue Dishart 4. Thomas Panek and Gus 5. Abbey Lanier and Thomas Panek along with Alexa and Gus 6. London Nielsen and Kenneth Theobalds

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Demme and Byrne at the Burns The New York Times’ critic Janet Maslin interviewed director Jonathan Demme and musician David Byrne after a screening of Demme’s “Stop Making Sense” at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. The 1984 concert film, featuring Byrne’s band the Talking Heads, was the opener of the “Something Wild: The Films of Jonathan Demme” series. A reception followed the screening.

Photographs by Ed Cody.

7. Janet Maslin and Jonathan Demme 8. David Byrne and Edie Demas 7

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watch For the kids and animals Some 300 guests gathered at The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx recently for Green Chimneys’ “The Rhythm of Success” spring gala. The event raised more than $250,000 for the nonprofit’s educational and animal-assisted therapy programs for children with special needs and for the care of the animals that support these services.

1. Bob Vetere, Di Ana Pisarri and Joe Whalen 2. Adriana Cutler and Michelle, Steve and Caroline Eickelbeck 3. Green Chimneys student with Hsiao-Li Pan and Dru Finley 4. Scott Buitekant, Paul Kupchok and Betsy Buitekant 5. Jay O. Sanders with Green Chimneys students 6. Lina and Richard Priore 7. Bob Vetere and gala guests 8. Kimberly Romano, Ashley Condina and Shanna-Kaye Mighty 1

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Teeing off for a good cause

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Recently, Abbott House hosted its 16th annual golf outing at Elmwood Country Club in White Plains. More than 85 players enjoyed getting out on the links under sunny skies, along with cocktails and dinner, awards, raffle prizes and great camaraderie – all for the good of the developmentally disabled, abused and neglected people served by Abbott House. Proceeds for the event totaled more than $75,000.

Photographs by Michael Campana.

9. James L. Kaufman, Gregory Mooney and Alan Wilensky 10. Stephen Gallo and Christa Puccio 11. Jared Levy, John Dadakis and Mitchell Gelkopf 12. Jim Pierson and Scott Richter

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Honoring Al and Dee More than 300 guests attended the Hudson River Museum’s annual gala, which this year honored Alfred DelBello, partner, DelBello, Donnellan, Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr L.L.P. and his wife, Dee DelBello, CEO of Westfair Communications Inc. The event, themed “Birds of a Feather,” featured catering by Susan Lawrence as well as silent and live auctions to benefit the museum’s exhibitions and programs.

Photos by Lynda Shenkman Curtis.

1. Dee DelBello, Eileen Price Farbman and Steven Farbman 2. Michael and Jayne Kaplowitz 3. Carol and Bruce Bernacchia 4. Gerard Curran and Andrea StewartCousins 5. Andrew and Florence Balint 6. Al DelBello, Kevin Plunkett and Dee DelBello 7. Eliot Engel 8. Michael Botwinick 9. Mike Spano and Jan Adelson 10. An attendee admires the exhibit 11. Cristina and Robert Weisz and Martin and Irene Ginsburg 12. Steven and Anne Halliwell and Warren Adelson

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watch Horsing around Marcia Spivak’s steel sculptures of horses capture their dynamic, muscular beauty. Recently, Spivak, subject of a profile in WAG’s April “Horse Power” issue, was honored at the Delamar Greenwich Harbor as part of the Greenwich spring rite, “Art on the Avenue.”

1. Marcia Spivak with one of her creations 2. Marcia Pflug, Nina Mennacher and Jilly Dyson 3. Cristina Kelleher and Olivia Calcagnini 4. Mimi Vandeusen, Renee Gold and Dee Cohen 5. Maureen Curry and Lory Kelsey

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WEDDING BELLES

art scene

Actress-singer Vanessa Williams was on hand for the May 18 opening reception of “Here Comes The Bride” at The Horace Greeley House in Chappaqua. The exhibition, which continues into mid-January at the New Castle Historical Society’s headquarters, includes wedding gowns from the society’s costume collection and those on loan from the organization’s friends. Williams, who grew up and lives locally, is pictured with her Vera Wang wedding gown.

Photograph courtesy the New Castle Historical Society.

The recent Westchester Biennial at The College of New Rochelle featured paintings, photography, sculpture, mixed media and works on paper created in the last two years. Notable were some large-scale paintings and use of multilayered digital prints, high gloss and resin.

Photographs courtesy of The College of New Rochelle.

6. Vanessa Williams

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7. Donald O’Brien-Russell and his family 8. Patricia Spergel and Katharine Dufault 9. Dianne Hebbert and Michelle Jammes

With a song in their hearts Holly Robinson Peete – actress, autism activist and philanthropist – was the featured speaker at a recent gala at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains benefitting Heartsong, an arts therapy program for those with special needs. The 2013 honoree, Mary Kowarick, served as the benefit chair along with her husband, Frederico.

WPLJ DJ Mike Allan was the master of ceremonies.

Photographs by Alan Weiss.

1. Gina and Greg Di Folco 2. Lorraine Zamora and Brian Allen 3. Steven and Susan Di Folco 4. Simone Bindela, Marion Anderson, Kim Brennan and Maura and Steven Gallucci 5. Carolina Hautle and Patrick Cicalo 6. Elizabeth Barnhard, David Katz and Kent and Adelaide Backlund 7. Holly Robinson Peete and Mary Kowarick 8. Lindsey Prange and DaQueen Monroe 9. Pamela Ullmann, Holly Robinson Peete and Allegra Themmen-Pigott 10. Thomas Abinanti 11. Steven Cho 12. William Diaz, Sara Sampaio and Patty and Juan Gonzalez 13. Charles Mangiaracina 14. Douglas Donohue, Steven and Maura Gallucci and David Kulsar

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watch Boys & Girls Club Some 450 people gathered in support of the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester (BGCNW) at its 20th annual Humanitarian Award Dinner recently. The gala included live and silent auctions, featuring such items as a five-course tasting menu for 10 at Crabtree’s Kittle House.

This year’s dinner raised more than $500,000, which will benefit the club’s scholarship initiative and educational programs, providing services to more than 1,700 youth members.

1. Stuart Marwell and R. Todd Rockefeller 2. Linda Mahon, Lee Manning-Vogelstein, Stuart Marwell and Lisa Shrewsberry 3. Marc Lener, Justique Carter, Cristy LopezDuarte, Akilah Figueroa and Yamarie Negron 4. Linda Cindrich, J. Michael Cindrich and Muffin Dowdle 5.Chris Scatterday

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Mariposa lands at Neiman’s Neiman Marcus at The Westchester in White Plains celebrated the opening of its swanky new bar and restaurant, Mariposa (Spanish for butterfly), with an assortment of pâtés and pink drinks, overseen by Kevin Garvin, Neiman’s vice president for corporate food service. It was also a chance for foodies and fashionistas alike to meet the store’s new general manager, Julie Gaynor. (See related story on Page 70.)

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6. Krystle and Ksusha strike a pose 7. Anne Wolf and Marco Tapia 8. Megan Cook enjoys a strawberry margarita and WAG. 9. Paul Vitale, Julie Gaynor and Matt Vitale 6

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A Tony evening Tony Bennett was the featured entertainment at the Hope’s Door annual spring gala, held at the Bushnell Theatre in Hartford. Tickets for the event, which included backstage passes and the chance to meet the star, garnered more than $105,000 for the charity, which raises funds to help end domestic violence and to empower victims to achieve safety, independence and healing from the trauma of abuse.

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10. Jeff and Martha Kohn, Tony Bennett and Jennifer Ryan Safsel and Paul Safsel.

Want to be in Watch? Send event photos, captions (identifying subjects from left to right) and a paragraph describing the event to rcostello@westfairinc.com.

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The wedding day is a glorious day, and emotions will be near the surface.

This is the atmosphere that I prefer to work in and how I create my best work.

John Rizzo Photography

10 Cedar Street Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522

(914) 231-9513 studio

(646) 221-6186 worldwide mobile

Email: john@jrizzophoto.com Weddings: www.jrizzophoto.com Photo Tours: www.johnrizzophoto.com Find us on Facebook - John Rizzo Photographer.

Published in Newsweek, New York Times, Bloomberg, Washington Post, & Los Angeles Times.

Has covered assignments in Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia,, Great Britain, India, Japan, Myanmar, Singapore, Sweden, & Tanzania.

wit wonders: What’s the one ‘treat’ you can’t live without?

calcagnini

cohen

curry

farhat

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gordon

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kniffen

pasternak

vandeusen

wilkins

“Dark chocolate. It’s bittersweet.”

“I think the one food I could not do without is – Olivia Calcagnini, cheese. I love the way it tastes.” sales manager, Delamar hotels, – Cristina Kelleher, Sleepy Hollow resident director of sales, Delamar hotels, Brooklyn resident “A vacation. That’s a good treat. I love to trav- “Raw almonds. I can’t get enough of them. I’m el. … Any place is a good place.” trying to beat my sugar addiction. It’s a great – Dee Cohen, chewy substitute.” real estate agent, Weston resident – Lory Kelsey, founder, Greenwich Matchmaker, “Coffee and an orange for breakfast. It’s my Greenwich resident favorite.”

– Maureen Curry, “Dark chocolate. It just tastes so good and it’s Realtor, Old Greenwich resident good for you. And I just adopted two cats. I couldn’t live without them.”

“I love a good Twizzler. I could probably live – Helene Kniffen, without it, but I wouldn’t be happy. And I also retired, Greenwich resident love my weekly manicure.”

– Sabria Farhat, “I couldn’t live without my dogs. They’re great, director of marketing and events, they’re beautiful. They don’t talk back to you, Greenwich Polo Club, Greenwich resident and they’re always happy to see you.”

– Ingrid Pasternak, “Music. … Wherever I am, I love to be surwith Nestlé Waters, Greenwich resident rounded by music.”

– Liz Garger, “A really good, deep massage.” chief institutional advancement officer, – Mimi Vandeusen, Music Conservatory of Westchester, Ossining resident retired, Westport resident “I can’t live without ice cream.”

“My favorite treat is coffee ice cream. It prob– Olga Gordon, ably goes back to when I was a girl. I liked cofretired, Greenwich resident fee, but I couldn’t have it. So my grandparents gave me coffee ice cream.”

– Cathy Wilkins, New Rochelle resident Compiled by Georgette Gouveia. Contact her at ggouveia@westfairinc.com.

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A Lifetime of Beautiful Smiles

For many families in Westchester, we’re the only dental office they’ve ever used. We’re proud of this fact. We believe the reason so many of our original patients bring their own children to us can be summed up in one word: trust. Advanced Dentistry of Westchester has been creating beautiful healthy smiles in Westchester County for more than 4 generations of patients.

Throughout the years, our patients have received top quality preventive and restorative treatments—all while enjoying the personal touch of a family dental practice offering the latest in advanced technology.

• Westchester Magazine “Top Dentists” 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 • Fellow of the International College of Dentists • Consumer Research Council List of “Top Cosmetic Dentists” • Listed in “Westchester’s Leading Plastic Surgeons and Cosmetic Dentists” • Professor of Esthetics NYU College of Dentistry • Dr. Sabrina Magid-Katz chosen by Westchester Magazine as one of the top 22 People to Watch in Westchester County & as a “Rising Star–Westchester’s 40 under 40” by the Business Council of Westchester

Kenneth S. Magid, DDS, FICD Sabrina Magid-Katz, DMD If you want to learn about the advanced technologies we use or the comments from our patients visit our web page at www.ADofW.com and visit us on

163 Halstead Avenue, Harrison, NY

914.835.0542