WAG Magazine February 2020 by Westfair Business Journal

A palette filled with grace and kindness NICHOLAS KRISTOF & SHERYL WUDUNN Writers offer hope for social change THE RUSSIAN TEA ROOM Classic romance WHAT GEMS! Jewelry from David Howell to Jorge Adeler PETE AND KATE D. SPAIN Heartfelt designs JUDGED A

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IN NEW YORK STATE 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018

WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE FEBRUARY 2020 | WAGMAG.COM

Romantic visions

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CONTENTS FEB RUARY 2020

The eyes have it

To workers, with love

Make mine a double

Mindfulness

The gift of love

‘Everything’ and more

Russian diplomacy

The dance-fashion pas de deux

In love and war

Skin in the game

Genial host

A Viennese Valentine

COVER STORY Felicity Kostakis: Making an impression

THIS PAGE:

Detail of one of Felicity L. Kostakis’ “Furry Friends” paintings. Photograph by Bob Rozycki. See story on page 50.

E VERY OBJ ECT HAS A STORY

worth telling, worth find ing.

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FEATURES HIGHLIGHTS

FASHION

62 Fashion forward 64 Clip art 66 In the moment 68 A storied allure 72 Highbrow 74 Lip service 76 Queen of sole

HOME & DESIGN

78 Backcountry grandeur 82 An artist’s eye 86 Getting your house market-ready 88 A brand with heart 92 Nautical tokens of love

TRAVEL

94 Beyond ‘Casablanca’ 98 Romancing the winter 100 Traveling royally

FOOD & SPIRITS

102 Rosy outlook 104 A new challenge for vintners... 106 Heart warmer

HEALTH & FITNESS

108 A workout you must ‘resist’ 110 A doc who’s all heart 112 Have heart 114 The misunderstood disease 116 How to have a yummy tummy 118 Being ‘Best’

PET CARE

120 Eye of the Storm(i) 122 For love of animals and community

WHERE & WHEN 124 Upcoming events

WATCH

128 We’re out and about

WIT

136 Does love have its limits?

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IN NEW YORK STATE 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018

WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE

Romantic visions

COVER: Felicity Kostakis. Photograph by Bob Rozycki. See story on page 50.

FEBRUARY 2020 | WAGMAG.COM

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FEBRUARY 2020

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Dee DelBello

Dan Viteri

PUBLISHER dee@westfairinc.com

GROUP ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/CREATIVE dviteri@westfairinc.com

EDITORIAL Bob Rozycki MANAGING EDITOR bobr@westfairinc.com

Georgette Gouveia EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ggouveia@westfairinc.com Mary Shustack SENIOR WRITER/EDITOR mshustack@westfairinc.com

ART Sebastián Flores ART DIRECTOR sflores@westfairinc.com

Kelsie Mania ART DIRECTOR kmania@westfairinc.com

PHOTOGRAPHY Anthony Carboni, Sebastián Flores, Fatime Muriqi, John Rizzo, Bob Rozycki

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jena A. Butterfield, Olivia D'Amelio, Gina Gouveia, Phil Hall, Debbi K. Kickham, William D. Kickham, Doug Paulding, Jennifer Pitman, Giovanni Roselli, Bob Rozycki, Gregg Shapiro, Barbara Barton Sloane, Jeremy Wayne, Cami Weinstein, Katie Banser-Whittle

PRINT/DIGITAL SALES Anne Jordan Duffy ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/SALES anne@westfairinc.com Beth Emerich, Barbara Hanlon, Marcia Pflug ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

MARKETING/EVENTS Fatime Muriqi EVENTS & MARKETING DIRECTOR fmuriqi@westfairinc.com

Marcia Pflug SPONSORS DIRECTOR mpflug@wfpromote.com

Olivia D'Amelio EVENTS COORDINATOR odamelio@westfairinc.com

CIRCULATION Brianne Smith CIRCULATION SALES bsmith@westfairinc.com

Sylvia Sikoutris CIRCULATION MANAGER sylvia@westfairinc.com Robin Costello ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER rcostello@westfairinc.com

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FEBRUARY 2020

WHAT IS WAG?

Billy Losapio ADVISER

Irene Corsaro ADVISER

Some readers think WAG stands for “Westchester and Greenwich.” We certainly cover both. But mostly, a WAG is a wit and that’s how we think of ourselves, serving up piquant stories and photos to set your own tongues wagging.

HEADQUARTERS A division of Westfair Communications Inc., 701 Westchester Ave., White Plains, NY 10604 Telephone: 914-694-3600 | Facsimile: 914-694-3699 Website: wagmag.com | Email: ggouveia@westfairinc.com All news, comments, opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations in WAG are those of the authors and do not constitute opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations of the publication, its publisher and its editorial staff. No portion of WAG may be reproduced without permission.WAG is distributed at select locations, mailed directly and is available at $24 a year for home or office delivery. To subscribe, call 914-694-3600, ext. 3020. All advertising inquiries should be directed to Anne Jordan at 914-694-3600, ext. 3032 or email anne@westfairinc.com. Advertisements are subject to review by the publisher and acceptance for WAG does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service. WAG (Issn: 1931-6364) is published monthly and is owned and published by Westfair Communications Inc. Dee DelBello, CEO, dee@westfairinc.com

WAGGERS

T H E TA L E N T B E H I N D O U R PA G E S

ROBIN COSTELLO

OLIVIA D'AMELIO

PHIL HALL

DEBBI K. KICKHAM

WILLIAM D. KICKHAM

RAJNI MENON

FATIME MURIQI

DOUG PAULDING

JENNIFER PITMAN

JOHN RIZZO

GIOVANNI ROSELLI

BOB ROZYCKI

GREGG SHAPIRO

MARY SHUSTACK

BARBARA BARTON SLOANE

JEREMY WAYNE

CAMI WEINSTEIN

KATIE BANSER-WHITTLE

COVER STORY: GEORGETTE GOUVEIA, PAGE 50

OOPS! We had a couple – well, several – oopses in January WAG: In our story on Chloe Mendel (Page 61), we misstated the year Maison Atia was founded. It was 2017. In our story on “20 Travel Tips, Trips and Trends For 2020” (Page 92), we misspelled the website in number 15. It’s violetgrey.com. And in our piece on Armagnac, we misquoted Claire d Montesquiou, who actually said, “I don’t want to be the rustic cousin of Cognac.” And with that, we think we’ll pour ourselves a glass and take a breather.

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EDITOR’S LETTER BY GEORGET TE GOUVEIA

February’s “Romantic Visions” issue offers a delightful hodgepodge, as it’s our annual love/romance/sex/body issue – topics everyone relishes, right? What is particularly tantalizing about February is the way our topics overlap. Take sex, for instance (please). We have actual sex — well, not actual sex, but you know what we mean — in Phil’s eye-opening piece about male escort Bryan Knight who, failing to make a career of environmental science in the Great Recession, wound up as a New York City M4M (as in men for men) sex worker. And while it’s certainly not everyone’s cup of chamomile, it’s afforded Bryan a living and insight into human nature. But then we also have sex — as in the sexes — as we consider the female gaze, or perspective, in the arts, how it differs from the often-objectifying male gaze and why, oh, why it can’t seem to attract a male audience. (If it did, the estimable “Little Women” would’ve attracted more award nominations earlier this season though it did get six Oscar nods.) The male perspective, however, still dominates in culture with a small and capital “c.” It underlies the deterioration of the working class captured so hauntingly by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn in their timely new book “Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope.” The Westchester couple does an excellent job exploring the many ways society has failed the working class, as you’ll see in our story. But a less-considered underpinning of the book is the corrosive patriarchy that still has men as society’s primary breadwinners, and when that patriarchy fails — due to layoffs, substance abuse, early death — families and communities fall apart. Kristof is also well-known for his many New York Times columns on child abuse. It’s a subject close to the heart of Ronit Raphael, founding president of L. Raphael Geneve, whose spa services we first introduced you to in December WAG’s piece on The Four Seasons New York. Raphael is also the creator of the Global Army Against Child Abuse, dedicated to child protection through education and legislation. Child protection is also key to Kate D. and Pete Spain, whom Mary first introduced you to in 2016. Here she updates readers on the couple’s new eye heart hand rug collection, which are Good Weave-certified, meaning that no child labor is involved. The body gets its due, not only in our story on Raphael Beauty Spas but in Dr. Constance Chen’s take on the tummy tuck; Debbi’s piece on Piret Aava, the Port Chester-based “eyebrow doctor”; and our look at The Museum at FIT’s ravishing new “Ballerina: Fashion’s Modern Muse” show, plumbing the way the dance has shaped and reflected dressing from the 1930s to the ’80s. Meanwhile, romance is in the air in fashions at Mary Jane Denzer in White Plains; dazzling clip-on earrings from MJD and Neiman Marcus Westchester; Kristina Cavallo’s designer shoe collection, culled from Neiman’s and The Saks Shops at Greenwich; Rajni’s spicy Lobster Molee dish; Barbara’s snuggle-fest at Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid; and a memorable holiday feast at The Russian Tea Room, one of the most iconic, and intimate, restaurants in Manhattan.

WAGMAG.COM

FEBRUARY 2020

The author’s clip-ons, part of a suite made of 14-karat gold overlay, hand enameling, resin cabochon stones and glass crystals. Created by Ciner, the fashion jewelry maker, whose work is featured in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Photograph by Sebastián Flores.

But in February WAG, we’re also all heart. We explore the literal heart with cardiologists Jeffrey Green (Phil) and James Peacock(Jeremy) and the metaphoric one as well. There’s the love of art and women helping women that defines our cover subject, Old Greenwich painter Felicity Kostakis, who hails from Australia, now the scene of so much devastation that she is helping to right. The love of storytelling that has distinguished the career of former New York Times managing editor and longtime Wagger Seymour Topping. The love of music (Gregg’s interview with country queen Rosanne Cash.) The passion for tennis (our story on rising doubles player Nicole Melichar), a sport in which “love” means “zero.” But we know love is everything. Scarlett Lewis lost her 6-yearold son in the Newtown shooting. It didn’t stop her from founding the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, dedicated to ending school violence from “the inside out” (Jeremy again). We asked our Wits this month if love has any limits. Clearly, it doesn’t. A 2018 Folio Women in Media Award Winner, Georgette Gouveia is the author of the new “Burying the Dead,” “Daimon: A Novel of Alexander the Great” and “Seamless Sky” (JMS Books), as well as “The Penalty for Holding,” a 2018 Lambda Literary Award finalist (also JMS Books), and “Water Music” (Greenleaf Book Group). They’re part of her series of novels, “The Games Men Play,” also the name of the sports/culture blog she writes. For more, visit thegamesmenplay.com.

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WHAT'S TRENDING

WA G S P O T L I G H T S T H E N E W A N D N O T E W O R T H Y

A Carlo Moretti striped glass.

set a romantic table

Courtesy Artemest.

Artemest, the marketplace for luxury crafts made in Italy, has introduced a decidedly romantic tabletop collection designed exclusively for Artemest by noted Italian fashion designer Luisa Beccaria. Think delicate floral patterns and dreamy pastels interpreted in porcelain dining plates and glassware in shaded Empoli glass, as well as vases and tablecloths. “The collection combines the ethereal and fairytale flair of Luisa Beccaria’s creations with the mastery of Italian artisans,” says Ippolita Rostagno, Artemest co-founder and art director (and yes, the force behind Ippolita jewelry). For more, visit artemest.com.

a touch of glass Among the many things we enjoyed during a recent lunch at Bergdorf Goodman’s BG were the irregularly shaped, colored water glasses by Venetian Designer Carlo Moretti. $115. Call Bergdorf at 212-753-7300 or find them at farfetch.com.

Book cover. Courtesy Thames & Hudson

a woman in Vogue Courtesy Well Told Design.

reflections of artistry

Photograph by Antoine Bootz. Courtesy Ralph Pucci.

Ralph Pucci is presenting “Reflections,” the latest collection by French designer Patrick Naggar — and the artful furniture being showcased until May is bold and beautiful. We’re captivated by the “Speed desk,” its mold made by the same team that makes molds for McLaren racing cars. Created in an edition of 24, the desk features legs of solid aluminum and a top of silvered and lacquered resin ($91,080 retail). Talk about fast work. For more, visit ralphpucci.net.

Long before there was Anna Wintour, there was Jessica Daves, who served as Diana Vreeland’s direct predecessor as editor-inchief of Vogue. Something of an enigma in the fashion world, Daves nonetheless established the recognizable Vogue brand, mixing high and low culture in the Eisenhower-Kennedy years to capture a dynamic, still innocent time of transition. Now fashion historian Rebecca C. Tuite and Thames & Hudson have captured it and her in “1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years, 1952-1962” ($95, 256 pages). –Georgette Gouveia and Mary Shustack

WAGMAG.COM

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the have it BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Emma Watson in “Little Women,” Greta Gerwig’s 2019 cinematic retelling of the literary classic. Images courtesy Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Viewers of Greta Gerwig’s imaginative retelling of “Little Women” can be forgiven for thinking they’ve walked in on the middle or end of the film at its beginning.

WAGMAG.COM

FEBRUARY 2020

Gerwig has restructured Louisa May Alcott’s tale of four sisters coming of age in Civil War New England so that the past becomes a counterpoint to the present and you ultimately understand that all adulthood is a reaction to childhood. More than that, however, Gerwig has teased out the undercurrent of emotional and financial freedom that are very real themes in a story of poor girls who have little hope of attaining money unless they marry it — a fate that the writerly Jo, the most independent-minded of the March sisters, is determined to avoid. Yet you have to think that she — particularly as conceived by Gerwig and embodied by the passionate Saoirse Ronan — would be disheartened to learn that the film has what Vanity Fair calls “a little man problem.” While it has garnered wide acclaim, with a 95% rating on the aggregate movie website Rotten Tomatoes, it was shut out of the Screen Actors Guild Awards and earned only two Golden Globe nominations — for Ronan’s performance and Alexandre Desplat’s score. “Little Women” did much better with the Oscar nominations, earning nods for Best Picture, Best Actress (Ronan), Best Score, Best Supporting Actress (Florence Pugh), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ger-

wig) and Best Costume Design ( Jacqueline Durran.) But neither Gerwig nor any other woman director received a Best Director nomination. Nor is Gerwig’s film the only one by a woman director that has been ignored. Melissa Matsoukas’ “Queen & Slim,” about a Black Lives Matter moment, has been similarly overlooked. The press has taken note, putting awards committees on the defensive. “We don’t vote by gender,” says Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which awards the Globes. “We vote by film and accomplishment.” Still, “Little Women” producer Amy Pascal tells Vanity Fair that screenings for awards voters have skewed female 2 to 1, which begs the question, Why? Why do these films lack a broader appeal that would include more male viewers? Is it a question of the male gaze trumping the female one, and what is meant by the male gaze and the female gaze anyway? “The male gaze” is a term that feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey coined in 1975 to reflect the heterosexual male viewpoint that has been the default position in the visual and literary arts throughout cultural history, objectifying women, she said. “The female

gaze” is the more complex contemporary response to it. A gaze is about power, says Laura L. Vookles, chairwoman of the curatorial department at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers. In the #MeToo era, “the female gaze is taking back that power,” she adds. “But it’s not only about one thing.” Indeed, while some women writers and visual artists have portrayed men or male bodies for delectation, in the way that male artists have portrayed women for centuries, they have often done so for reasons that go beyond objectification. The still hot genre of malemale romance — stories of gay men in love, written by women — allows its mostly female readership to explore relationships in a way that affords them a safe escape, adventure and even thrill. Meanwhile, women artists have used the male body to plumb the sociopolitical issues of the day. In the recent “Go Figure: The Female Gaze” at Marymount Manhattan College’s Hewitt Gallery of Art, Alexandra Rubenstein’s butt clock paintings, featuring muscular male buttocks adorned with minute and second hands, played on both Playboy and women controlling their ticking biological clocks. The 11 women artists who were in that show are the heirs to painter Sylvia Sleigh, whose work in the 1970s amid a feminist wave placed male nudes in the positions of classic female nudes by male artists. Yet Sleigh’s male nudes have a directness and a nonchalance that is lacking in the female nudes of male artists. They remain personal, individual, relatable. They’re rarely, if ever, about just a beautiful body — or even a beautiful body at all. “Sylvia said that when it came to women portrayed as objects of desire, she didn’t have a problem with desire. She had a problem with objects,” Vookles says. Is the female gaze, then, more well-rounded, more relationship-oriented? Or do we see it that way, because we view women traditionally as nicer and kinder than men, the so-called “fairer sex”? “Women objectifying men has neither the power nor the menace of the male gaze,” Mallika Khanna writes on the Bitch Media site. That’s not only because women have for centuries lacked political and economic power but also because women can’t rape men whereas men can and do rape women. Still, we cannot discount the perspective the individual spectator brings to the male or female gaze, with all the presuppositions about male and female behavior that implies. Vookles tells the story of Sleigh’s “Invitation to a Voyage” (1979-99), the artist’s 20-foot panoramic painting of herself,

The March sisters as seen in the 2019 film “Little Women,” from left, Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh), Jo (Saoirse Ronan) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen).

her husband, art critic Lawrence Alloway, and others picnicking and posing along the banks of the Hudson River with Bannerman’s Castle in the background. Despite being an art historian, Vookles says she just assumed that Sleigh wanted to commemorate a gathering of friends she hosted in a riparian setting. Rather, however, the painter was seeking to reimagine Jean-Antoine Watteau’s 1717 oil painting “The Embarkation for Cythera” — a kind of bucolic party painting known as fête galante — from her own perspective. The origins of Sleigh’s work were not social but rather strictly business. Complicating the male and female gaze further is contemporary society’s fluid approach to gender and sexuality. What if you consider yourself neither male nor female? What if you’re gay or bisexual? Vookles points to the work of the late Weston resident Paul Cadmus, a print of whose “The Fleet’s In” (1934) is part of the museum’s collection. The painting offers a view of rowdy sailors, its homosexual overtones so unmistakable that the picture was removed from view at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. by assistant secretary of the Navy Henry L. Roosevelt. (He nonetheless kept it in his home until 1936.) The painting, now housed at Naval History and Heritage Command,

was the making of the artist, whose sensitive male nudes, for which his lovers often posed, celebrate the sensuality as well as sensuousness of the male body. Similarly, works in various media by Mickalene Thomas, an African-American lesbian, not only mimic great paintings in art history but portray black women as not-so-obscure objects of desire who are also powerful in their sexuality. In the end, however, the artistic imagination may transcend any male or female gaze. Some of the most commanding and poignant portrayals of women today are contained in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s creation of the Schuyler sisters for his “Hamilton.” The self-possessed Angelica, the spirited Peggy and especially the forbearing Eliza — who marries Hamilton, forgives his betrayal of her and carries on his legacy — come alive not only in the performances but in the way Miranda has written them. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more honest depiction of the desperate longing and terrible hope men feel in their pursuit of women than in Timothée Chalamet’s Laurie, the conflicted boy next door in “Little Women,” as written by Gerwig. In “Hamilton” and “Little Women,” the artistic gaze casts an eye on all that is candid and compassionate.

FEBRUARY 2020

WAGMAG.COM

To workers,

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI

When Nicholas D. Kristof was a child, he rode the Number 6 school bus with the five children of the Knapp family in Yamhill, Oregon — a farming community of golden wheat, Christmas trees and spreading orchards of apples, cherries and hazelnuts. The Knapps had been itinerant fruit pickers who managed to become homeowners through husband Gary’s union pipe-laying job and wife Dee’s work driving a tractor. Their bright brood — led by Kristof’s Yamhill Carlton High School classmate Farlan, “adept with his hands and smart, a natural engineer” — was on a trajectory to surpass preceding generations in education, with high school graduation and college in their sights. However, when Gary, an alcoholic wife beater, died at 39, the Knapps, like others in their community, found themselves falling off the tightrope of patriarchal, working-class America, in which any one problem — the loss of a breadwinner, usually the husband; a parent’s drug addiction — could send a family on a downward spiral of dropping out of school, un- or underemployment, substance abuse, mental illness, incarceration and early death. “I think back to my friend,” Kristof says of Farlan, a woodcarver and furniture maker whose drug and alcohol abuse led to liver failure. “Those five kids were all smart. But four out of five of them are dead. I wonder if I might’ve been like Farlan had our circumstances been reversed.” Instead, Kristof — the Chicago-born son of Portland State University professors, who grew up on a sheep and cherry farm — would go on to Harvard and Oxford universities, the latter as a Rhodes Scholar, and a career as a foreign correspondent and associate managing editor of The New York Times. In 1990, he and wife Sheryl WuDunn, who served as a foreign correspondent and business editor with The Times, became the first married couple to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism for their cov-

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FEBRUARY 2020

Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, a Westchester couple, are the parents of three children and five books. The latest book, “Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope,” is the subject of their March 11 talk at Scarsdale High School. 19 WAGMAG.COM

erage of the uprising in China’s Tiananmen Square. (He garnered a second Pulitzer in 2006 for his columns on war-torn Darfur, Sudan.) With WuDunn, who now works in finance and consulting, Kristof has written four books on the subjects of China and women’s rights. Their fifth, published last month by Alfred A. Knopf, considers what happened to their friends back in Yamhill and working-class people like them around the United States. “Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope” ($27.95, 304 pages) is a timely work and, thus an important one, given that the erosion of the American working class was a decisive factor in the 2016 presidential election and will undoubtedly play a role in the 2020 one as well. At its heart, the book offers a counterpoint between nature and nurture, personal responsibility and collective obligations. That counterpoint is central to the decline of the working class, they write. “One of the root causes was a change in the narrative that began in the 1970s,” says Kristof, a Westchester resident who will join WuDunn for a book talk at Scarsdale High School on March 11. “Everything was about personal responsibility and the idea that helping people would create dependency.” But aren’t people responsible for their own actions? Kristof acknowledges that “there are bad individual choices. What’s most important are the bad choices society has made.” Both he and WuDunn point to the lack of a safety net in the United States, noting that auto workers who were laid off in Ontario, Canada, during the Great Recession of 2008-09 made out better than their Detroit counterparts in large part because they retained their health benefits and had access to better job-retraining programs.

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“Ultimately, we need health care for all,” WuDunn says. Kristof agrees: “I would add that what’s important is universal health care. It’s less important if it’s single payer, as in Britain, or multiple payer, as in Germany.” Complicating the lack of health care and the deterioration of the working class is what WuDunn calls “a hostility toward labor unions,” which is often eclipsed by management in their battle for workers’ rights and benefits and have themselves made mistakes. The couple also sees a lack of education as crucial. “There is an anti-intellectualism that is permeating the country,” observes WuDunn, who holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and an M.P.A. from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. What we need, she adds, is early childhood education so that kids can get a jump on higher learning, as there is a great socioeconomic divide between those who have a bachelor’s degree and those who don’t. The only way this will happen, Kristof adds, is if we have a more egalitarian system so that poorer kids have the same access to quality education that wealthy kids do. For some, education will mean job retraining, the couple says. But that doesn’t mean we should undervalue the contributions workers have already made to society. We must, the couple adds, understand the part that lost jobs play in shaping identities. “President Trump did speak to (workers’) sense of despair” about the loss of both, Kristof adds, but then he undercut the narrative by cutting back their health care. Kristof and WuDunn paint a portrait of a country at a crossroads, one whose mediocre standings in education, life expectancy and psychological satisfaction do not justify its overconfidence. It is in many ways a grim picture. But the subtitle speaks of hope and there are shining moments, including the example of Mary Daly, a suburban St. Louis high school dropout, who, thanks to the helping hands of a guidance counselor and a college teacher named Betsy Bane, would earn a bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. in economics. Today she is president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, “one of the most powerful shapers of economic policy in the United States,” “Tightrope” quotes The Washington Post’s Heather Long as saying. Mentorship is the first of the book’s “Ten Steps You Can Take in the Next Ten Minutes to Make a Difference.” The others are sponsoring a child through Save the Children; getting involved with a nonprofit like Targeting Our People’s Priorities with Service, Provoking Hope and Women in Recovery; supporting early education for at-risk kids; becoming an advocate for a favorite cause; encouraging your book club or another group to tackle an issue; volunteering at a homeless shelter; discussing a taboo subject like mental health; and rewarding moral companies and punishing immoral ones with the power of the wallet. Finally, Kristof and WuDunn suggest making an individual difference. In this they are walking the talk, deciding to replace the failing cherry orchard on the family farm in Yamhill with cider apples and wine grapes that are already yielding job opportunities. “It’ll be a risk and an adventure,” they write, “but we’re also excited to create a pathway that just might help a community that we cherish.” Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s “Tightrope” talk and book signing at Scarsdale High School is set for 7 p.m. March 11. For more, visit penguinrandomhouse.com and kristoffarms.com.

ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD: Masterworks by Laurits Andersen Ring from SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark February 1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;May 24, 2020

This acclaimed exhibition is organized in collaboration with SMK, the national gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen, and AFSMK, American Friends of SMK AMERICAN FRIENDS OF SMK THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF DANMARK

Supported by

BRUCE MUSEUM

Greenwich, CT | www.brucemuseum.org FEBRUARY 2020

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diplomacy BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

In the hit 1982 comedy “Tootsie” — recently reincarnated as a Broadway musical — Dustin Hoffman stars as persnickety, perpetually out-of-work actor Michael Dorsey, who disguises himself as a Southern feminist actress, Dorothy Michaels, to land the role of what becomes a feisty hospital administrator, and breakout character, on a longrunning TV soap opera.

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Early on, Michael tries out his disguise on his long-suffering agent, George Fields (played by the movie’s director, Sydney Pollack), revealing his inner Michael through gritted teeth over lunch. “I begged you to get therapy,” George explodes, not immediately grasping the pecuniary reasons for Michael’s cross-dressing. But really, who needs therapy when you’re lunching, as they are, at The Russian Tea Room? The Art Deco-style Manhattan institution has been as much a part of movie New York as it has been of the everyday Big Apple since expat members of the Russian Imperial Ballet (now the Mariinsky Ballet) opened its doors in 1927. The tearoom figures in such other New York pictures as “Sweet Smell of Success,” “Manhattan,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Big” and “The Turning Point,” along with TV shows ranging from “Gossip Girls” to “Saturday Night Live.” Beryl Cook painted it. Jay McInerney wrote about it in his novel “Bright Lights, Big City.” And a host of celebrities and artists — including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Rudolf Nureyev, Woody Allen and Barbra Streisand — have dined there, which is not surprising when you consider that it’s but a couple of doors down from Carnegie Hall. (You know, practice, practice, practice.) Perhaps some of these luminaries even had their coats checked by Madonna, who worked there before she became, well, Madonna. If Yours Truly may humbly be permitted, the tearoom figures in a key scene in my new novel “Burying the Dead” (JMS Books), about a rising Russian tennis star who’s really an agent and assassin. I mean, where else could some of the characters possibly exchange vital information except over an elaborate lunch there that features beef Stroganoff and a 24-karat gold leaf parfait, right? Before you even get to the food, though, the restaurant has you at its décor. It’s all Russian red and green — which Vincent van Gogh said were the colors of passion. The studious, library green walls allow a collection of arresting paintings to pop. The red banquettes in turn allow for intimacy as well as enabling you to see and be seen — although in true discreet New York fashion you never feel intruded upon. The wait staff is

Bear Ballroom. Courtesy The Russian Tea Room. 23 FEBRUARY 2020 WAGMAG.COM

attentive without being obsequious. It’s the kind of place that’s perfect for friends and lovers, although multigenerational families dine there as well, as I discovered when I popped in for the tea room’s scrumptious version of the classic Waldorf salad — with grilled chicken and honey mustard dressing — while between interviews on 57th Street back in November. At the time, I mentioned to my charming, young, blond waiter — who looked just like one of the characters in my book — that the tea room played a part in one of my new novels and, before I knew it, I was writing about this for the collection of stories the restaurant maintains on its website and receiving a gracious invitation to return with a guest. So when my sister Jana gave me and our other sister, Wagger Gina Gouveia, tickets to a matinee performance of “Hamilton” as a Christmas present, The Russian Team Room seemed the natural choice for dinner. We began with a slightly dirty Martini for her — shaken, not stirred, straight up with olives — made with Hammer + Sickle, one of 44 vodkas the restaurant serves, which she pronounced “smooth”; and for me a Cosmonaut, the tea room’s iteration of a Cosmopolitan — “a wild bilberry and cranberry blast of Jewel of Russia Wild Berry accented with lime and cranberry,” as the menu crystallizes it. Gina is a real foodie, not only a connoisseur of hospitality but a superb cook (ah, the memories of her version of Rao’s lemon chicken, like buttah). So I took her savoring of the vodka- and dill-marinated salmon and house pickled herring appetizer — served with black bread, potato blini, and pickled vegetables — as high praise indeed. I, on the other hand, am an indifferent cook, except for a few dishes that include my butternut squash soup. I must, however, bow to the tearoom’s purée of fall squashes, with toasted pumpkin seeds, minus the duck confit. It was creamier than mine, with a just right blend of tartness and sweetness. Thinking of it now, I could dive into a vat of it. Staying with fish, Gina selected the pan-seared scallops, roasted squash and Brussels sprouts with pomegranate molasses, a favorite of hers. I had to go with the Stroganoff, red wine-braised beef short ribs with thick noodles, tossed in a creamy mushroom and black truffle cream sauce. The dish melted from the

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fork into my mouth. Mmmm. Being dairy-free, Gina opted for raspberry sorbet, rather than cherry ice cream and sauce, with her Chocolate Mi-Cuit cake with molten center. Naturally, I had to taste it and found the bittersweet raspberry gave the cake a pleasant kick. But, of course, I had to have the Czar’s Gold Parfait, with nougat cream, toasted almonds, chocolate sauce and edible 24-karat gold. (I skipped the caviar option). Not a traditional parfait, it was more like a delectable flying saucer of nougat cream surrounded by almonds and chocolate sauce and topped with the crinkly gold. It any event, it was certainly fitting treat for the little czarina in me. Along the way there was a second round of drinks and some warm, comforting rooibus chai, a South African red bush tea with Indian spices, served Russian style in a glass with a holder. For what is the point of being at the tearoom if you don’t have tea? After that, it was time for the powder room and the gift shop on the lower level. (The four floors include three devoted to private events — the second floor Bear Lounge, with its bear-shaped aquarium, parrot fishes and Fabergé egg tree; the third-floor Bear Ballroom, with its bear-accented glass walls and dancing bears chandeliers; and the fourth-floor Hearth Room, with its central fireplace and lit replica of Red Square.) I can never pass up a gift shop, and as I stared into the glittering cases of jewelry, lacquered eggs and nesting dolls, I couldn’t help but think that the tea room’s history was like those dolls — a story within a story within a story. The restaurant has passed from the hands of one developer to another, been closed, reopened, closed and reopened again. (At one point it even belonged to the United States Golf Association, which planned on turning it into a golf museum — gasp.) Over time, it has seen some changes. If Kobe beef hamburgers now mingle on the menu with borscht, well, perhaps that’s inevitable for a Russian-American restaurant. Standing in the bracing night afterward, waiting for our ride, my sister and I were both in high spirits — even as I giggled too long at something she said, no doubt the effect of the second Cosmonaut. Somehow I think Michael Dorsey would understand. For more, visit russiantearoomnyc.com.

in and BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

On Dec. 11, Seymour Topping — who with wife Audrey has been one of our beloved Waggers — turned 98. And while we all agree that no one deserves retirement more than this former foreign correspondent, foreign editor, deputy managing editor and managing editor of The New York Times — to say nothing of administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes and San Paolo professor emeritus of international journalism at Columbia University — he and Audrey are never far from our thoughts.

We wanted to look back at Top — as he is affectionately known — from the viewpoint of his long career as a foreign correspondent, particularly since he skillfully wove his love of storytelling in the hotspots with his love for Audrey, a photojournalist and filmmaker in her own right. Born in Harlem and raised in Queens and the Bronx, where he developed a love of polo, Top first encountered war as an infantry officer in the Pacific theater during World War II, after graduating from the University of Missouri School of Journalism with a B.A. in journalism. No sooner was the war over than Top was back in action, this time as a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press who would cover the fall of Nanking during the Chinese Civil War. But first romance was in the air as Top fell in love with Audrey — the daughter of Ambassador Chester Ronning, a senior Canadian diplomat in China; granddaughter of missionaries there and a student at Nanking University. It would blossom into a whirlwind of dinner dates and dancing, picnics and a rickshaw filled with roses before the real whirlwind blew in. Audrey, her mother and siblings would be evacuated to Tokyo and then head back to Canada, where she enrolled at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Unbeknown to her, Top was caught behind enemy lines as Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Army fled south, along with thousands of refugees, and the Communists advanced on Nanking, now a city on fire. Here Top picks up the story from a 2017 piece in WAG: “At 6 p.m., I picked up Bill Kuan, a Chinese reporter, who worked for the Agence France Presse. After inspecting the air-

Seymour Topping visits the Huaihai Memorial Museum in Xuzhou in 2009. To his left is the city’s mayor and to his right, his friend Li Xiguang, professor of history at Tsinghua. Photograph by Audrey Ronning Topping.

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Seymour and Audrey Topping at home in Scarsdale. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

fields, which we found wrecked, we headed for the Nanking Hotel to find the Peace Preservation Committee, appointed to hand over the city to the Communists to minimize damage in the takeover. Committee members said that they had made contact with the Communists and delegates would meet their advancing troops. “Hoping to meet the Communists I drove slowly toward the Northwest Gate at 3 a.m. Suddenly, I heard a command to halt. Two soldiers with rifles pointing at us emerged from the shrubbery beside the road. They were the point soldiers of the first column of Gen. Chen Yi’s Communist troops, ordered on forced march to enter Nanking. The officer, who was to meet the Peace Preservation Committee, questioned Kuan and me, then ordered us at gunpoint back into the city. “I drove my Jeep back into Nanking, past the burning Judicial Yuan to the city telegraph office. There Kuan and I flipped a coin to determine who would file first. Kuan won and sent a three-word flash: “Reds Take Nanking.” My 65-word dispatch followed. Immediately after my transmission, Communist troops cut the landline between Nanking and Shanghai. When Kuan’s dispatch reached the foreign desk in Paris, the editors waited for additional detail but radio transmission was out until morning. The de-

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lay denied Kuan a world beat and bestowed it on me. My dispatch went out immediately on the AP wires. Through the years, Chinese websites have carried a photograph of Mao Zedong reading the front page of a Peking newspaper, citing my dispatch on the Communist seizure of Nanking. “At first, I was imprisoned by the Communists, who thought my typewriter meant I was a spy. Two weeks later, I was freed and spent the next six months reporting from Communist-occupied Nanking. After Mao’s establishment of The People’s Republic of China, I flew to Audrey’s home in Camrose, Alberta, where we were married.” They didn’t stay there long. Hong Kong would become their base as they covered the new regime. Soon Top was assigned to cover the French Indochina War (1949-51), which again found the Toppings managing to continue family life amid conflict. They had honeymooned at Angkor Wat, Cambodia, and were expecting the first of their five daughters, Susan, in 1950 when trouble hit Saigon. The city, Top recalled in 2017, “was under direct attack not far from the (French military hospital). When Audrey was wheeled into the delivery room, you could hear the artillery fire and feel the hospital shake. The doctor who delivered Susan was also caring for the wounded and his scrubs were

stained with their blood. Audrey carried through in her usual courageous manner. After Susan was settled, she insisted I go back to the AP office to report on the battle, which was a critical turning point in the war.” John F. Kennedy, then a congressman, asked to see Top and congratulate him as a long-serving foreign correspondent, Audrey remembered. “He saw Susan and told me I had the calm look of a Modigliani portrait. I will never forget that.” After that, it was off to England on the diplomatic beat. The couple attended Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and weathered the birth of daughter number two, Karen, at Queen Mary’s Nursing Home during the infamous smog of 1952. (Queen Mary herself, Elizabeth’s grandmother, visited, presenting the baby with a teddy bear.) Though World War II was over, there were still rationing privations, which had Audrey worried about enough food for her babies, which would include daughter number three, Lesley, a year later. The family would soon feel the effects of the war in a starker way as Top covered a divided Germany from 1955 to ’58. There, daughter number four, Robin, was born in the American military hospital in West Berlin. Joining The New York Times, Top took his growing family off to the Soviet Union at the height of Cold War, including the beginnings of the space race and the Cuban Missile Crisis. (In 1983 as managing editor of The Times, he would interview Cuban President Fidel Castro over mojitos, daquiris and Chivas Regal, with Castro revealing his love for the novels of one of the island’s most famous sojourners, Ernest Hemingway.) In 1963, Top went back to Hong Kong, this time to cover the Vietnam War as The Times’ chief correspondent in Southeast Asia. Audrey — who had been working for NBC, producing a film on the Kremlin and writing 16 pieces for The New York Times Magazine — got a rare visa for Communist China to write for The Times during the Cultural Revolution. Top’s career at The Times continued to flourish and he was appointed foreign editor in 1966, followed by managing editor. The couple’s fifth daughter, Joanna, was born in l967 after the couple moved to Scarsdale, where they have remained ever since. Having seen much of war, Top has always known a thing or two about love, always crediting Audrey for his success: “Not only did she take wonderful care of our children and me in some very difficult circumstances but was a tremendous asset who made all the difference in my professional life.”

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BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

For Ronit Raphael, the beauty of the inner landscape is as important as that of the body.

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As founding president of L. Raphael Geneve, she has created a skincare system and group of spas worldwide to nourish the latter. But she also encourages mind and spirit through her Seven Foundations of Beauty, her Teen Program and her quest to end child abuse. We first encountered L. Raphael when we visited The Four Seasons New York for WAG’s December “Fascinating Rhythms” issue. Having had a superb spa adventure, we just had to meet the woman behind it. So when an opportunity arose to visit with Raphael at her Four Seasons locale, we leapt at it. And we were not disappointed. She is as warm as her employees and as uplifting as her treatments. Perhaps that’s because she believes in seven principles of beauty that unite mind, body and soul at her spas so that “beauty radiates from within.” They include medical testing for optimum health; nutrition; physical activity; age management through her treatments and skincare lines, tailored for men and women at different stages of life; noninvasive treatments to help enhance appearance and confidence; stress management; and leisure time. “This needs to be a philosophy of life,” she says. “People don’t take themselves seriously, and they don’t treat themselves well.” Even if you don’t have more than 15 minutes, take time for a walk, she adds. Raphael practices what she preaches — doing yoga, boxing and Krav Maga and walking when she can in a peripatetic lifestyle. She has spas in her native Israel at The Jaffa Hotel in Tel Aviv, the Hotel Martinez in Cannes and the Montage in Beverly Hills; the Beauty Lab in Almaty, Kazakhstan and the Temple of Beauty in her hometown of Geneva.

Raphael. Images courtesy 31 FEBRUARY 2020RonitWAGMAG.COM

L. Raphael Geneve.

“It’s very elegant, not too flashy,” Raphael says of the seven-floor townhouse, which has 20 treatment rooms, two consultation rooms, a yoga and Pilates studio, a bronzing room and a hair salon. L. Raphael also brings its private spa service to homes, offices and yachts in the United States, Australia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. As is the case with some luxury skincare lines, a skin problem offered the impetus for its beginnings. Raphael was an 18-yearold with minor acne when she tried a chemical peel that left her with seconddegree burns. But that only fueled her desire to find out everything she could about the science behind skincare. In 2003, she created L. Raphael, ultimately teaming with the late Meir Shinitzky, who served as chief scientist and head of research and development; Paolo Giacomoni, research and development expert; and Raphael Gumener, the organization’s chief medical officer. It was a case of skincare specialist, heal thyself. Today, Raphael says, her scars are very faint. There is certainly nothing visible to us as we chat with her. Given the company’s origins, it’s no wonder that Raphael, a mother of three, developed a teen program to help those at an age when body image becomes so important to develop healthy attitudes toward self-care. But her protection of the young doesn’t stop there. Noting that the United Nations reports that one out of every six children, some 220 million worldwide, are sexually abused each year, Raphael launched the Global Army Against Child Abuse in 2013, dedicating a minimum of one day a week to address the issue. The organization’s goals are to appoint a minister in each country responsible for the protection of children; implement compulsory educational programs on prevention and protection for first through 12th grades; develop complementary programs for parents, teachers and social workers; and legislate harder punishments for convicted rapists and abusers, especially family members of victims. To this end, she has partnered with organizations that specialize in child abuse research and prevention such as The Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse in Maryland and Child Lures Prevention in Vermont to create curric-

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ula for grades 1 through 12 globally and teamed with the Israeli Association of Rape Crisis Centers to create the animated short “Tom’s Secret,” so children won’t fear reporting abuse. When Raphael addressed the U.N. about this issue, she was surprised to discover that her youngest child, Serra Raphael Leitersdorf, who had accompanied her, was going to give a speech on the subject as well. “I was so proud of her,” Raphael says. At first, though, she had her reservations about one so young (13) addressing such an august body, but someone at the U.N. told her, “It’s good that young people stand up for their rights.” Raphael is helping them do just that. For more, visit l-raphael.com and toms-secret.com.

Ronit Raphael.

Hyatt Regency Greenwich is pleased to announce a full renovation of its 35,000-squarefoot meeting, pre-function and special event space. The renovation project is strategically designed to focus on isolated sections of meeting space at one time, in an effort to lessen disruption and continue business as usual for our groups in-house. The renovation project design – led by dash design, a leading NYC-based interior design firm is inspired by Greenwich’s old-world charm with its tree-lined streets, quaint buildings and proximity to the sea. Elements of traditional details will be combined with nautical references of sailcloth, elegant ship-building and rich woods with a color palette that will reflect the colors of the sea with deep blues, neutral greys and warm whites. A guestroom renovation – inspired by a similar design – will also take place and timing will be announced soon. 1800 East Putnam Avenue, Old Greenwich 203-637-1234 Greenwich.hyatt.com

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FEBRUARY 2020

Rosanne Cash. Photographs by Michael Lavine.

and more BY GREGG SHAPIRO

If you enjoy contemporary country female artists such as Kacey Musgraves and Brandi Carlile, you should thank Rosanne Cash.

The Grammy Award-winning daughter of Johnny Cash has been at the forefront of the modern country music scene since releasing her debut album in 1979, paving the way for others to follow in her path — a debt Ken Burns acknowledged by featuring her as a touchstone in his acclaimed “Country Music” series. Cash’s groundbreaking 1980s albums “Seven Year Ache” and “King’s Record Shop”, followed by her extraordinary 1990s output (including the album “Interiors”), as well as her 21st-century masterworks “Rules of Travel” and “Black Cadillac” have led her to where she is today. Her latest album, “She Remembers Everything” (Blue Note) — featuring the Grammy-nominated song “Crossing to Jerusalem”, co-written with her husband, John Leventhal — is another country-pop masterpiece, showcasing collaborations with Elvis Costello, Kris Kristofferson and Sam Phillips. Cash, who performs at The Ridgefield Playhouse this spring, was kind enough to answer a few questions before embarking on the latest leg of her concert tour. Rosanne, you co-wrote and sing the song “8 Gods of Harlem” with Elvis Costello and Kris Kristofferson on “She Remembers Everything.” What was it like for you to collaborate with them? “It was incredibly satisfying. I’ve been friends with Kris since I was a teenager, and Elvis for 25 years. On paper it wouldn’t have worked. (laughs) It didn’t seem like a natural collaboration. But it just came to me, I don’t know why. I was laying around one day and I thought about writing together. At first, I felt a little hesitant to ask them because, as I said, it didn’t seem to make sense, but they were both really into it. I had already written the first verse of ‘8 Gods of Harlem,’ and I asked them if they would be interested in writing their own verses, with each verse being part of the same theme about this gun violence that happened in Harlem to a young boy. They finished their verses and we recorded it in one day.” To my ears, “8 Gods of Harlem” sounds like one of the most political songs you’ve written and performed. We’re speaking on the day of the impeachment hearings and I was wondering if you consider yourself a political person or is that something new in your life?

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“I consider myself politically aware. That’s by design. I stay educated. But more than that, I consider myself a socially conscious person. I believe in democracy and civic participation. I marched last night here in New York. It was freezing rain, but there were thousands of people out there. I thought that if I felt as strongly as I do about the desecration of the Oval Office, then I had to get out and do my civic duty and participate.” Another standout collaboration on the album is the title track, which you co-wrote with Sam Phillips, who also provides harmony vocals. Please say something about how you came to work with Sam. “She and I have been friends for quite some time. We’ve known each other peripherally even longer than that. We have the same song publisher. He kept saying to both of us, ‘You two should really write a song together.’ It seemed like the right time. I wanted to write this particular song with a woman. It just made sense to me. I admire her songwriting so much that she seemed like an obvious choice.” The song “Rabbit Hole” is dedicated to two other songwriting contemporaries of yours, Joe Henry and Billy Bragg. What can you tell me about that dedication? “I was in a really difficult time of my life, recovering from brain surgery. Physically, I felt so bad. It happened that I had to do this, that I had committed to a year before at this festival in Germany that Joe Henry was curating. I was in a lot of pain. I couldn’t even deal with my own bag. I had to send my luggage on ahead of me. I got there and was so depressed. I walked into rehearsal on the first day and Joe and Billy were there. They were so loving and the music was so great. I felt my head lift up and I wrote that song and dedicated it to them.” That’s beautiful. “Thank you.” On your 2009 album “The List”, you sang a duet with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco on “Long Black Veil.” Is there a Wilco cover in your future? “What a good idea. I do love Wilco. Jeff’s song ‘Please Tell My Brother,’ oh, my God, that song just kills me. That might be an obvious choice.” Like his father, Tweedy’s son Spencer is also a musician, which made wonder if being a musical legacy yourself had any

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influence on whether you are encouraging or discouraging your own children when it comes to careers in music? “My son Jakob Leventhal is a musician. I honestly didn’t encourage or discourage him. I really believe in letting a kid show you who they are rather than trying to tell them who they are. It turned that he is a phenomenal musician and songwriter. I didn’t have much to do with that, unless there’s some DNA at work there.” As of now, you have a book of short stories (“Bodies of Water”) and a memoir (“Composed”) to your name. Are there more books in the works? “I’ve been thinking about that lately. A lot has happened in my life since I wrote my first memoir. Even when I was writing it, my editor said, ‘You should think about more than one volume of this.’ That’s kind of in the back of my mind. I have written some pieces that would probably be part of that. Other than that, I’ve written a lot of essays since the memoir came out, that’s been satisfying my urge to write prose.” Living in New York for as long as you have, do you ever feel the call of Broadway, the desire to write a Broadway musical? “I just did.” Really? “I wrote the lyrics. John Leventhal composed the music. John Weidman (“Pacific Overtures,” “Assassins,” “Big” and others), who’s this very experienced old Broadway hand, wrote the book. We’re in that position now of finding producers and finding a stage to workshop it. It’s a really long process to write for Broadway, much longer than I realized.”

I don’t think it’s any exaggeration to say that the current generation of 21st-century women in country — including Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini — owe you a debt of gratitude for paving the way for them. What do you think of this current generation of female country artists? “I really admire their confidence. I didn’t have as much confidence as they seem to when I was their age. I was still trying to figure out what I did best — who I was essentially, what best suited my voice and trying to get better as a songwriter. Maybe they feel that internally, but externally they seem so confident and powerful to me. It’s very inspiring, actually. I love Brandi Carlile. I think she’s phenomenal. She kind of embodies everything I was just talking about. She knows who she is, her voice is an extraordinary instrument that she uses in a really refined way. I just love her.” Themed music cruises are becoming increasingly popular. One such cruise — the fifth Outlaw Country Cruise, featuring Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Kris Kristofferson and others — set sail last month. How do you feel about cruises and could you ever see yourself being part of the lineup on such a cruise? “I could see myself being a part of such a lineup. Those are all people that I respect. But I can’t see myself doing a cruise. I just don’t like it. The whole idea of it makes me so nervous. I’m just not there. It’s not anything I can do.” Rosanne Cash performs April 16 at The Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge Road. For more, visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

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Maggie Norris Couture’s “Angelique” gold embroidered silk satin corset and aqua tulle skirt, (2012). Lent by Maribel Lieberman. Modeled by FEBRUARY Lauren38 Lovette.WAGMAG.COM Photograph by Isabel Magowan.2020

the pas de deux BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

When Serena Williams steps out on a tennis court dressed in one of her tutu outfits, she reminds us that ballet and fashion have had a reciprocal relationship dating from the art form’s origins in the Renaissance. Indeed, in the following Baroque period, France’s King Louis XIV would prove to be both a dazzling dancer and fashionisto, performing the role of Apollo and living up to his sobriquet as “the Sun King.” Now, a new exhibit plumbs the symbiosis between ballet’s central figure, the ballerina, and fashion designers in the half-century between the 1930s and ’80s. “Ballerina: Fashion’s Modern Muse,” at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology Feb. 11 through April 18, features some 90 objects from the museum and such institutions as the New York City Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of London and the Fashion Museum Bath, as well as from the collection of fashion editor Hamish Bowles, that consider the pas de deux between fashion and the dance. Certainly, fashion has drawn inspiration from the ballerina’s sylph-like figure as well as the corseted bodices; short, classical tutus; long, full tulle skirts popularized in the 19th century’s Romantic period; tights; leotards; ballet slippers; and beribboned toe shoes that have shown off that attenuated body. The exhibit includes spectacular gowns like Pierre Balmain’s ladylike painted white tulle debutante gown with painted “velvet” feathers from spring 1960 and Charles James’ deliciously diabolical black silk, synthetic net and satin evening gown from 1954, redolent of John Singer Sargent’s “Madame X.”

Anna Pavlova, costumed as “The Dying Swan,” from “Swan Lake” (1905). Photograph by Herman Mishkin. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

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Meanwhile, leotards and tights — the uniform of George Balanchine’s blackand-white neoclassical works for City Ballet like the groundbreaking “Agon” (1957) — get their due in the actionwear (knitted sweaters, legwarmers and wrap skirts) of Claire McCardell and ballet dancer-turned — designer Vera Maxwell, among others. And ballet slippers are the focal “pointe” of Christian Louboutin’s black patent leather “Fetish Ballerine” shoes (2014) and Victor de Souza’s clever black high-heel toe shoes. They along with a de Souza black ballerina dress are modeled by City Ballet principal Lauren Lovette in a photograph by Isabel Magowan. Lovette also models the “Angelique” gown by Maggie Norris Couture in another Magowan photo (2012). Both speak of the idea that while fashion has been influenced by dance, ballet has in turn been influenced by fashion. Perhaps nowhere is this more striking than in the clothes worn by Royal Ballet prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991), who was as gracious in appearance and manner as she was onstage. The show’s dozen or so selections from her estimable wardrobe reflect the sweep of time. In the

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postwar years, she was one of those Englishwomen — Princess Margaret was another — who looked to the demure romance of Parisian couture, particularly Christian Dior, whose fitted black “Daisy” suit and “Goeman” coat and strapless off-white silk-satin “Marigny” evening dress for Fonteyn echoed the ballerina silhouette. Her always-impeccable dancing would nonetheless be reinvigorated by her partnership with Soviet defector Rudolf Nureyev during the Swinging ’60s, and her Yves Saint Laurent mini shifts — abstracted, sequined or feathered — reflected that new spiritedness and freedom. The exhibit also includes the ballerina’s costume for her role as Princess Aurora in “The Sleeping Beauty,” originally designed by Oliver Messel in 1946. It, along with Cristóbal Balenciaga’s pink silk tulle and satin, silver-embroidered evening dress for fashion entrepreneur Hattie Carnegie (1950), informed Mark Happel’s reimagined white silk satin, synthetic net costumes for Balanchine’s “Symphony in C.” Proving that when it comes to ballet and fashion, it’s hard to know where one leaves off and the other begins. For more, visit fitnyc.edu.

From left: Pierre Balmain, painted white tulle debutante gown with painted velvet “feathers”, spring 1960. Lent by Hamish Bowles ©The Museum at FIT; Carolyne Roehm, gold metallic tulle and gold and pink lace evening dress and shoes, 1990. The Museum at FIT, Gift of Carolyne Roehm. ©The Museum at FIT; and Christian Louboutin, black patent leather “Fetish Ballerine” shoes, 2014. The Museum at FIT, Gift of Christian Louboutin. ©The Museum at FIT.

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42Sanders. WAGMAG.COM Robert Courtesy HRG. FEBRUARY 2020

BY JEREMY WAYNE

Robert Sanders is a man on the move, a busy man, a Westchester man, the founder and chairman of Hospitality Resource Group Inc. (HRG), a group of three companies – Event Solutions, Strategic Training Solutions and Allegis Communications – which integrate vertically to form a powerhouse of hospitality industry products in the tristate area and beyond. Sanders grew up in Chappaqua and is a standard-bearer for an industry he has loved since high school years, when he worked at the famous Vinny’s in Pleasantville. “I cut my teeth there, first as a cook and then as a chef, so that my first introduction to hospitality was definitely on the culinary side of things.” The University of South Carolina followed, with a business degree in hotel and restaurant management. He then went to work for Marriott for 17 years, starting in Hilton Head in 1983. “Oh boy,” he told me, when we caught up in a recent phone conversation and I pressed him on his early years in the industry. “Hilton Head in those days was very different from how it is now. There were just a few hotels, it was pretty much undeveloped. I worked for Marriott in Shipyard Plantation, a great experience. To be able to go into an environment like that, and a resort like that — it was amazing. I loved it!”

While hotels and resorts have evolved over the years, I wonder if hospitality, the art of hospitality, has changed in any measurable degree. Put another way, can hospitality actually be taught? “Aha,” he says, “a great question!” (Something the interviewer always wants to hear.) “I think the answer is yes, you can teach great hospitality.” He pauses for a moment. “However, I think the more successful folks in the industry have the innate ability to serve — to be helping others, to be selfless, to help other people have great experiences.” This is one of the things that Sanders especially loves about the industry, the sense of giving back. “I love to have people that I’m working with, whether it’s a simple interaction, an event, whatever it might be, to have them have a great experience.” But while he believes great hospitality can be taught, he is emphatic that hospitality is not for everybody. “You have to be willing to put yourself out there to see that people have a good experience. When I do an event, for example, and I’m told afterwards that the attendees had a great time, that makes me feel good, right? I like that!” But hospitality is only half the story. Sanders is extremely active in community affairs and serves on the board of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. (HVEDC), the leading economic development organization for the Hudson Valley region. But perhaps most importantly of all, there is the volunteerism and HRG’s work with nonprofits in Westchester County. “It’s something that’s very important to the entire company,” he says. “The company has to give back. We’re passionate about it.” Among other great causes, HRG is currently working with the Boys & Girls Club of

Mount Vernon and the Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle — two organizations HRG and Sanders personally feel very strongly about. “These two are very near and dear to us,” he says with great thoughtfulness, and you feel his sincerity and devotion to the cause. “Hospitality in general it needs to give back, it’s so, so important because there is such a lot of need out there.” Sanders’ two personal passions, he tells me, are education and children. “We are going to be opening up a foundation in a couple of years that will be addressing those two very specific areas of focus.” He says “we” and indeed his company’s track record in philanthropy and giving back is consummate, but I am reliably informed that it is Sanders himself who spearheads so much of the great work, although he is far too modest a man to ever acknowledge it. In April 1999, Sanders received the honor of being the first recipient of the American Red Cross Samuel J. Friedman Humanitarian Award. He also works with Bridges to Community, and has developed and led humanitarian efforts for business executives to travel to Nicaragua to build homes for families in need. While devoting so much of his professional and private time to enjoyment of others, I wonder how he himself relaxes — if he has time to do so. “I’m an avid sports person,” he says. “I play a lot of golf, a lot of tennis. I also have a boat on Lake Mahopac to get away and relax and do some fishing.” He loves anything outdoors, he says, anything in the sunshine. A reflection, no doubt, of the sunshine he and HRG bring to the lives of others. For more on Hospitality Resource Group, go to wwwhrginc.net.

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make mine a

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

We tend to think of tennis as an individual sport, with players relying on their inner strength as well their skills and talents as they battle all by their lonesome on one side of the court. Except in doubles. There they can rely on their partners — which has its advantages and challenges. Nicole Melichar knows all about both. The Czech-born American is currently ranked 20 in doubles, though she did reach a career-high ranking of 12 a year ago. In 2018, she saw career highlights at Wimbledon when she and Austria’s Alexander Peya won the mixed-doubles title, defeating Jamie Murray, former doubles world No. 1, and Victoria Azarenka, former singles world No. 1. That same Wimbledon, Melichar and Czech Květa Peschke made the finals, where they lost to fellow Czechs Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková. Melichar has now split with Peschke and is teaming with China’s Yifan “Julie” Xu, No. 8 in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings of doubles players. “You look for good chemistry, good complementarity,” Melichar says. “For example, I have a very good serve. So you pick a person who is a good volleyer and good at the net.” Melichar has also played singles, with less success. (She’s ranked No. 921 there.) She sees a clear distinction between both disciplines.

Nicole Melichar. Courtesy United States Tennis Association.

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“Doubles is a more technical and tactical game. The points are going to be shorter so you have to be more accurate with your shots. “Singles is a more physical game,” she adds, with more territory to cover. There are those who think that they are temperamentally different, with singles better suited to self-reliant players and doubles to more collegial ones. And indeed, while there have been great singles/ doubles players — Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe come to mind — many great single players are lackluster doubles players. Part of that has to do with practice and preparation. “You can’t just step on a court and expect to be a doubles player,” Melichar says. Just as singles and doubles differ, doubles differs from mixed doubles, she

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adds. “Most men have big serves and quick reactions, so any time they have a chance to put the ball away, you’re going to give it to them.” Growing up in Florida, to which her family immigrated when she was a baby, Melichar just wanted to play and emulate her sister, Jane, five years older. The kid sister did that and more. Today, her sister is an avocational player while Melichar is looking to crack the top 10, make the Olympic team and win more Slams. She’d also like to cultivate her friendship with Xu. “For me, it’s good to be friends, go to dinner occasionally, have lunch, go sightseeing. Some doubles teams like to keep it to business on court. But it’s good to have a friend, especially after a tough match.” For more, visit wtatennis.com.

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the

of love BY JEREMY WAYNE

If I have been expecting a smart little farmhouse with tasteful stenciling on the walls, Marimekko fabric on the rustic-chic chairs, scented candles on the coffee table and one of those clever imitation fires glowing warmly in the grate, I am in for a surprise. And yet, as I swing off a pleasant, if unremarkable, country lane in Newtown and turn into an entrance, trusting yet again a GPS system that invariably lets me down at every conceivable opportunity, I know instinctively on this occasion that I am in the right place. I know before two huge hounds approach my car with barely feigned uninterest; before I even spy the “Choose Love” sign on the barn door and venture down the muddy path, through a “garden” run to seed with weeds and jumble, and a cast-out bathtub in which nobody is ever likely to bathe again; before I reach the front door, that this is the house. Then the door opens and for the first time I meet Scarlett Lewis, the sunny mother of two, whose younger son, 6-year-old Jesse, was murdered, along with 19 other children and six adult staff on Dec. 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I am here to learn about the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, a nonprofit organization Scarlett started after the tragedy. You don’t need to break ice with Scarlett,

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because she wades right in. “When you lose a child, it’s like losing an appendage,” she says. Her voice is measured and calm, like a teacher bringing me up to speed. “It’s a part of you, so when that child dies, I imagine it’s like when you lose an arm or a leg.” And she explains about the phenomenon of phantom pain. “So, the pain is always there, but you just learn to live with it and even mobilize it into action, which is what I’ve tried to do.” She has mobilized it all right. Through her foundation’s Choose Love program, educators and their students have learned how to choose love in any circumstances, and become connected, resilient and empowered individuals. In just four years, the program

has reached more than 1.5 million children in all 50 states and is now in 90 countries worldwide. “What happened to Jesse was 100% preventable, and I knew that right away, intuitively. We all know that. And we know what to do. It’s just cultivating the courage within us to do it.” What were the first steps, I wonder? “Well it’s a choice, for sure, and when you have some skills and tools to start with, which I did, it helps.” Following in her father’s footsteps, Scarlett started her working life in merchant banking and municipal bond arbitrage, and speaking at meetings in small towns to a sometimes wary or fractious audience was great training. There were mental tools, too, equally important.

Scarlett Lewis. Photograph by Terry Lee Cafferty.

“I practiced being present with my family, to the point where we didn’t have a TV, we read every night together, we played board games around a table, looked at each other and talked. And I think that is the key to living your life with the fewest regrets, being present with your family and the ones you love.” Skills honed early have served her well. “I remember even at the firehouse ‘being present,’ when we were waiting to see what was going to happen with our kids. And that enabled me to be aware of the fact that my elder son, who was 12 years old and in lockdown in Newtown Middle School, in seventh grade — who texted me while I was waiting and asked If he could come and wait with me — that everything that I did was go-

ing to shape how he moved ahead in his life and how he handled difficulty, even tragedy, going forward. And I wanted to model for him what strength looked like.” This mother knows everything about strength, everything about courage. “And then after a few days, I came back to this house and I saw this,” Scarlett stands up and motions me to follow her. “It’s just right around the corner, and this is what directed me in my efforts — Jesse’s message of nurturing.” There, on a blackboard, now preserved behind acrylic, are three words which Jesse had written just days — a day, perhaps? — before he died. “Nurturing, healing, love” — three exceptionally powerful words given added poignancy by Jesse’s childlike misspellings. “It stopped me in my tracks and I knew immediately that if the shooter had been able to give and receive nurturing, healing love, the tragedy would never have happened.” So where did they come from, Jesse’s words? “People have asked me that for seven years. It’s not something a 6-year-old would normally say. They even asked me if I walked around saying those words, but that did not come out of my mouth.” We head back to the living room. No surface is uncovered, no wall space bare. It is two days after Christmas and the Christmas tree is glowing, weighed down with bells and baubles. Garlands crisscross the room and link the pictures while model Santas and Christmas ornaments fight for space. “That message was left for me,” Scarlett says. “I believe that was a spiritual awareness, which he had. That, not consciously, but spiritually, he knew that he didn’t have much time left, and he wanted to leave a message of comfort for his friends and family, but also as an inspiration for the world. And I knew I’d spread that message.” ( Jesse, it transpired, after just seeing his teacher shot, had urged other children to flee while the gunman took time to reload, thus saving many lives.) “When I heard he used his last few seconds on earth to try to save his friends, I was not surprised,” Scarlett said in an interview at the time. She says the message has been her guiding light, “a gift,” and she has shaped her entire foundation around those three words. “Love is what we’re all born with and it’s what life sometimes beats out of us through lessons and experiences.” She quotes the well-known adage: “Hurt people hurt people,” she says. “Forty-nine percent of our youth will have had some kind of mental illness by the time

they reach 18.” So, what, I ask her, is the antidote. “The opposite of anxiety is doing something.” She spends around three-quarters of her time traveling, across America and the world, showing schools and communities how they can Choose Love. The program is also proactive in cultivating a culture of safety in our schools, homes and communities. The stories and successes are legion and soul-stirring. Students in fifth through eighth grade at the Little Red School in Nogales, Arizona, have painted the front of their school with the Choose Love logo. Scarlett herself is just back from Bentonville, Arkansas, where they had already launched Choose Love. The mayor issued a proclamation, a choir performed, there was a procession of firetrucks and a marching band. Schools across the country are merging the Choose Love logo with their own school logos. In the Cheshire Correctional Institution in New Haven, where “lifers” are teaching the program to young inmates, prisoners collected $1,000 from their commissary accounts (no mean achievement when you have only a few cents a day to spare) to present to Scarlett to further the foundation’s work. “Choosing love,” says Scarlett, “is a way to take back our control.” But I want to know how ordinary people or, perhaps more important, damaged people, can start to choose love.” “It all starts with courage,” she explains. “Courage is like a muscle — we need to practice using it. It’s not about laying down your life kind of courage but it is about the courage to be kind, to be grateful, to forgive.” Although a practicing Christian herself, religion plays no designated role in the foundation. The program is nonreligious, nondenominational. Politics does not come into it either. “The issues we see are not political ones. Choosing Love is apolitical,” she says firmly. As we prepare to say goodbye, Scarlett walks me to the door. Shoes and boots litter a mudroom floor. Clutter reigns. Disorder takes on new meaning in the loving home of this extraordinary woman, this woman with the tidiest of minds. “I tried to clean up before you came,” she says, reading my thoughts, and I stifle an incredulous laugh as we walk toward my car. I ask if I can give her a hug and she says I can, giving me a warm squeeze back. Could she ever have imagined where life would take her, growing up in Illinois? “I always wanted to be editor of Vogue,” she smiles. For more, visit.jesselewischooselove.org.

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making an BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI

Felicity L. Kostakis 50

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Kostakis, in front of a self-portrait.

Felicity L. Kostakis had us at “Hello.” Or rather “G’day.” We first met the Australian-born Old Greenwich resident at the Bruce Museum’s 2019 “Art of Design” luncheon, for which she served as co-chairman. She greeted us, as she did other attendees — immediately, warmly. It’s the way Felicity engages you that sets her apart. She treats you as if you are the only other person in the room — asking questions, listening, reacting to your responses with her expressive face, offering you her own with an unvarnished compassion. That compassion is focused at the moment on her native land and the koalas that are among the victims of the wildfires there. (See sidebar.) She is a reminder of what the Dalai Lama once said about religion: “My religion is kindness.” And indeed an extra dollop of kindness is what she tries to instill, she says, into her two teenage sons. It was an impression that was reinforced by our next meeting, at The Fearless Angel Project’s “Dancing With the Angels” gala, hosted by project founder Izabela O’Brien, whom Felicity much admires for providing scholarships to autistic youngsters in need. “There are all these intelligent, successful women,” says Felicity, who is all about women helping women. They would prove to be the role models for the second act in her professional life.

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A clue to what that act would be came even before we discuss it over lunch at Neiman Marcus Westchester’s Mariposa restaurant. At the “Angels” gala, Felicity noticed something was amiss with our gray wrap as we struggled to compose ourselves for a photograph with the undulating verdure of the Greenwich Country Club in the backdrop. With a graceful gesture, she adjusted the wrap’s bow. That’s when it hit us: The woman has an eye. And, as it turned out, a talent that translates not only into her work with the Bruce but into teaching art to first through fourth graders after school at the Greenwich Academy and painting oils on canvas in her home studio. Her landscapes captivate. A footbridge offers an invitation to weeping willows and cherry blossoms in spring. A sailboat streaked with red sets off on a sea of the viewer’s dreams. Waves break on a shore. An equestrian and his charge are poised to take a hurdle. But it’s her soulful portraits of dogs that have proved a hit with the community. At the moment, she says, she’s working on a 4-by-4-foot painting of a Portuguese Water Dog. People want portraits of their pets, rather than their children, to hang over the fireplace, she observes. Growing up in Merrickville, a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, Australia, the daughter of Greek immigrants, Felicity loved art. But that was her older sister’s province, and “and you never want to do what your older sister is doing, especially if she’s great at it.” Besides, Felicity intuited that it would be hard to make a living as an artist, so she became an investment banker and moved to Dublin to work for the Bank of Ireland. It was the bank that transferred her to Greenwich. Here Denis Curran, then president of its North

HELP FOR AUSTRALIA We interviewed Felicity L. Kostakis at the end of last year, before the devastating wildfires hit her native Australia — and her. But this strong-minded Aussie is fighting back: “I have been in regular contact with an amazing animal hospital in New South Wales called The Koala Hospital, Port Macquarie. When I last spoke to them, they had more than 50 injured koalas and some are in critical condition. They are expecting more koalas each day due to the bushfires along the south coast of New South Wales and Victoria that are still creating havoc in the area. The scale of these fires is unprecedented. “Some animals, like koalas and kangaroos, are primarily killed directly by the fires. They are being incinerated in flames or choking on smoke. Nearly a third of all koalas in New South Wales have died and about a third of their habitat has been destroyed. “I am actively raising funds for this koala hospital. It is a nonprofit organization and all the funds will go to treat these beloved treasures that have nowhere to run. This animal hospital is also planning to build the very first koala breeding facility to make sure that wild koalas never become extinct. Eventually, these koalas will be released into Australia’s protected forests. “Here in Connecticut, I am continuing to teach children art but with an ‘Australiana’ theme. The kids are learning about these unique Aussie critters (koalas, wombats, kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas and more) as well as the value of giving back while creating their own masterpieces. My hope is that the children will produce art and write a heartfelt message to the incredible veterinarians and selfless volunteers. I will send all the artwork, letters and another check to the koala hospital, showing our appreciation for all their hard work.” For more, visit koalahospital.org.au.

One of Kostakis’ dog portraits.

American operations, was “like a father figure to me. The bank was like a family. They took care of me.” That would prove crucial when she developed an infection and wound up in Stamford Hospital. She met future husband Tim Yanoti, who’s in finance, on a blind date. “He’s kind, gracious, thoughtful,” she says. “We hit it off right away.” Needless to say, Felicity never had another blind date. Once the boys arrived, traveling for the Bank of Ireland nonstop was no longer an option and she turned to painting, studying with the late Enzo Russo, who in turn studied with Giorgio de Chirico and René Magritte, among the Surrealists de Chirico influenced. She also studied with Karen Spring, who urged Felicity to do a self-portrait after she suffered a miscarriage. “Karen said, ‘You have a hole in your heart.’” It’s not that art can make up for the loss of a child or any tragedy. But it can offer a way through, a means to express the pain. The portrait took Felicity two years to complete, she says, her eyes welling. She finds inspiration in the Impressionists — “so painterly, so expressive, each stroke effortless” — particularly Mary Cassatt, the only American to paint with the French Impressionists — and John Singer Sargent, an American expatriate contemporary of the French Impressionists whose work had much in common with the later, more muscular school of American Impressionism. “He had such bravado,” she says of his landscapes and more famous society portraits, “such deliberate strokes.” Teaching the next generation of artists and art admirers also excites her. “Children draw what they see, but they paint what they feel,” without the self-critical, self-editing filter of adults, she adds. It’s not just her students, but those of the Bruce Museum she wants to encourage. The museum’s current renovations call for it to double the number of children it can accommodate in visits and workshops each year, to around 50,000. “Some of these kids are getting on a bus and coming to the museum for the first time,” she says. “They’re getting to do art and express themselves. That’s wonderful, and I love it.” For more, visit felicitykostakis.com.

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Top hearT specialisTs made sure This busy grandmoTher didn’T miss a beaT. When she almost fainted following a short walk, Brenda knew something was seriously wrong. Her cardiologist sent her straight to the electrophysiology team at White Plains Hospital. Dr. Daniel Wang performed an innovative cardiac procedure that rewired Brenda’s heart so she could keep up with her active family. Don’t ignore your heart’s signals. Download a heart health assessment at exceptionaleveryday.org/cardiac or find a cardiologist by calling (914) 849-MyMD.

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Skin in the BY PHIL HALL

It is not uncommon for some people to attend college with one career path in mind, only to switch into a completely unrelated line of work after graduation. But perhaps that no one has ever had a more dramatic career switch than Bryan Knight, who graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2006 with a master’s in environmental science but went on to become one of the most prominent male escorts in the New York City M4M (men for men) sex worker trade. How did he go from Point A to Point XXX? Despite his advanced degree, Knight realized that his education was lacking in one key area. “I graduated and I did not know how to make people like me,” he recalls. “That was the one skill you either have or pick up, and I had to pick it up. So, when the recession started and environmental programs’ funding got cut, they either hired in-house or picked the people they liked. And I was neither. So, I spent two years looking for work in the way I was taught how, which was completely wrong.” However, his career as a sex worker began in a vaguely cathartic manner while he was still searching for environmental science opportunities. “I started doing (erotic massages) and I

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Bryan Knight. Photograph by Fatime Muriqi.

was so happy that I could pay bills,” he continues. “I didn’t mind doing it at all. I wanted to pay for my car and for my rent and be a contributing member of my household. So, it wasn’t hurting me, I got what I needed and people were happy — it was a perfect trifecta.” At 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, the blond and muscular Knight stands out from his skin trade competition. And his physical appearance quickly helped him to build a client base eager to explore role-playing at an average rate of $300 per hour. “I get asked for things related to what I look like and who I am,” he says. “What I look like is a big, strong giant, so, I get any fantasies you can relate with strength. And my personality is really down to earth, so I’ve gotten the big brother, sexy guidance counselor or camp counselor feel.”

Advertising his services through a variety of online sites, Knight built a client base of mostly middle- and upper-class men in the New York metro area. He has been flown out to California and Texas, and on occasion he has provided his brand of recreational therapy for couples and individuals in a gender transition phase. The latter offered him a lesson in adapting to the needs of an individual at a crucial life milestone. “I agreed to something not knowing how to do it,” he says about a transgender client. “But when I met her and got to know her as a person, I became more comfortable. Everything didn’t go perfectly, but they went a lot better than I expected — and she asked me out again, and I got better the next time and the time after that.” In another situation, Knight encoun-

tered a media mogul who offered simultaneous displays of extravagance and cheapness. “There was the CEO of a media network who hired 20 of us professionals to be with him on a private boat for an evening around New York City,” he says. “He was paying so much money, but he was so cheap with the snacks. He was paying at least 30-grand for men to entertain him, but all he provided was pretzels.” Within a few years in this industry, Knight found himself very much in demand, though at one point he was a bit too popular. “At the peak in 2011-12, I was easily getting 100 to 200 calls a week for my services, not to mention text messages and emails,” he laughs. “I had a personal assistant for a while helping me answering messages. I couldn’t field all of them, but I wanted to let them know I got their messages.” He also found his way into what could diplomatically be described as clothing-free cinema, although he is quick to note these works should be considered as

“scenes” rather than films or videos. Yet he admits surprise that he was recruited to be on camera. “I never had a body type that people would say was ‘classically porn,’” he says. “I’ve been in about 50 scenes in my entire performance career.” In recent years, the 35-year-old Knight has cut down on the number of calls he makes, relying on an established base of clients who value his attention while limiting the quantity of one-time inquiries. “I have people I trust and support me,” he says. “I want to spend more time with family and doing things for myself. I could work harder to get more money, but I want to spend Christmas with them and put down the phone for a couple of days at a time.” He also used his downtime from work to branch into publishing with a line of graphic novels under the Velvet Collar banner that dramatizes his work and the experiences of other men in the sex-work orbit. Two graphic novels, “Unhappy Endings” and “Rough Trade Secrets,” were re-

leased in 2017 and 2019, respectively, and a third titled “Performance Anxiety” is slated for this spring. Knight views these publications as a vehicle to show the emotional side of sex work. “People only hear the dirty details,” he says. “I want people to stop thinking those worst things are what define us.” While Knight’s family is aware of his work, members’ reactions have, predictably, varied: His father and two brothers prefer not to raise the subject, his mother recalled her past work as a nude dancer in a Times Square club and worries for his safety, and his husband of four years offers him reminders, including “don’t reduce people to dollar signs and don’t let your work rule your life.” Looking back on what he has accomplished, Knight believes he achieved the best of all worlds. “This job allows me to pay bills,” he says. “It’s great. I could do something that I love to do or I could do something that pays bills. The two crossing over together doesn’t happen too often.”

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FEBRUARY 2020

WAGMAG.COM

A Viennese

BY MARY SHUSTACK

No matter the season, the romance of the past is palpable at Neue Galerie New York.

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The Manhattan museum devoted to German and Austrian art created between 1890 and 1940 is an eternally elegant destination, appropriately housed in a 1913 Beaux-Arts mansion designed by Carrère and Hastings. Later this month, the Neue Galerie will once again turn its sophisticated spotlight on fin-de-siècle Vienna with the Feb. 20 opening of “Madame d’Ora.” It’s an exhibition devoted to the pioneering Austrian fashion and portrait photographer born Dora Kallmus (1881-1963), whose storied models ranged from Pablo Picasso to Josephine Baker to Colette. The Neue, in advance materials, calls d’Ora “the most acclaimed portraitist of fin-de-siècle Vienna” who would go on to create “one of the most stylish Art Deco studios in Paris in the 1920s.” Her groundbreaking work had a decidedly sensuous appeal, one that led Vassar College to mount what was billed as the largest exhibition of her work in America back in 1987, a sign of an appeal that endures today. This will be the largest museum retrospective ever presented in the United States on d’Ora, who was, by all accounts, “an unusual woman for her time.” The exhibition will feature sections devoted to the different periods of her life, taking visitors from her early years as the daughter of Jewish intellectuals in Vienna to her time as the premier society photographer and then, through her survival during the Holocaust. There will be more than 100 examples of her work, which we will see “is distinguished for its extreme elegance and utter depth and darkness.” During a time when photography was dominated by men, d’Ora was a groundbreaking force, carving out a 50-year career. Best known for her work as a portrait photographer of the elite, in society and the arts, she would also work in fashion. Her later work stands witness to her suffering and loss in the time after the Holocaust. D’Ora, raised in the creative and intellectual atmosphere of fin-de-siècle Vienna, traveled abroad with her parents and

Madame d’Ora (1881-1963) Pablo Picasso, ca. 1955 © Nachlass Madame d’Ora, Museum für Kunstund Gewerbe Hamburg. Images courtesy Neue Galerie New York. 59 FEBRUARY 2020 WAGMAG.COM

Left, Madame d’Ora (1881-1963) Gustav Klimt, 1907 ullstein bild collection — Madame d’Ora; and, right, Madame d’Ora (1881-1963) Actress Helene Jamrich with a hat by Zwieback, designed by the painter Rudolf Krieser, 1909. Private Collection.

governesses. On one of her journeys, she found herself intrigued by photography and at age 23, while visiting the Côte d’Azur, purchased her first camera, a Kodak box model. That simple action would spark a determination to make photography a profession — not a hobby — and she began to train. By May of 1906, she joined the commercial register as a professional, calling herself Madame d’Ora. She would take portraits of friends, going on to open her own studio — the first woman in Vienna to do so. An autumn 1909 exhibition of work received praise not only for d’Ora’s technique but for the luminaries who attended the exhibition. Over the course of her lifetime, d’Ora would photograph such artists as Baker, Colette, Gustav Klimt, Tamara de Lempicka and Picasso. Her commissions would also include members of the Habsburg family and Viennese aristocracy, the Rothschild family and others prominent in culture and politics. Associating with the avant-garde artists of her time, d’Ora would photograph members of the Expressionist dance movement and also work in fashion photography, capturing Wiener Werkstätte fashion models and the designer Emilie Flöge of the Schwestern Flöge salon wearing artistic reform dresses. Her work would be published in French Vogue for the first time in 1922, with d’Ora moving to Paris in 1925. She would shift her focus to fashion, becoming immersed in that world for the next decade. She was a friend of key figures, such as the French milliner Madame Agnès and the Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, as well as the top

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fashion magazine editors. She also began to accompany celebrities, from Cecil Beaton to Maurice Chevalier to Colette, helping create and cultivate their glamour. Her status only grew in Paris, until the Nazis seized control of the French capital in 1940, forcing her to close her studio and flee. D’Ora would spend the war years living quietly in southeast France though the war’s effect on her was devastating. Her sister Anna Kallmus, along with other family and friends, died in the Chełmno concentration camp. After the war, d’Ora would return to Paris, resuming her career though her perspective turned darker, a reflection of much personal loss. Around 1948, she began a series on displaced persons camps (refugee camps), which was commissioned by the United Nations and marked a departure from her earlier glamorous works. Again in the spotlight, she would chronicle the slaughterhouses of Paris in her final series, a reflection of being “fascinated by the suffering of voiceless creatures.” She would also continue to photograph her prominent clients, commissioned portraits that helped pay her bills. Among those commissions was The Sun King’s Party in 1953, a 2,000-guest costume party the Marquis de Cuevas organized to “raise morale.” A fully illustrated catalog will be published by Neue Galerie New York and Prestel to accompany the exhibition, which is organized by Neue Galerie New York. Monika Faber, director of the Photoinstitut Bonartes in Vienna, is the curator. Faber is a distinguished scholar and the former curator of photography at the Albertina in Vienna. She previously organized “Portraits of an Age: Photography in Germany and Austria, 1900-38” (2005) and “Heinrich Kuehn and His American Circle: Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen” (2012) for the Neue Galerie New York. Fernando Eguchi of the Neue Galerie designed the exhibition. “Madame D’Ora” will open Feb. 20 and continue through June 8 at Neue Galerie New York, 1048 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. For more, visit neuegalerie.org.

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FASHION FORWARD BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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For more than 35 years, Mary Jane Denzer (MJD) in White Plains has been the place for women to find that perfect dress for a special occasion — or an outfit that makes an ordinary day a memorable one. First with Denzer herself at the helm and now with Anastasia Cucinella and Debra O’Shea in charge, MJD offers fashionistas personalized service and an attention to detail that results in just the right look. Over the past few years, Cucinella and O’Shea have made MJD their own, as the elegant new website attests. We caught up with them before they headed off to Paris Fashion Week to get their thoughts on the year ahead in style: Mary Jane Denzer is known as the go-to place for special events. What are some of the trends you are seeing? “Black-tie is having a strong resurgence, with hosts requesting that their guests look fabulous and festive. We had one hostess recently who asked all of her friends to wear the most beautiful gown they own, including what they may have worn to their own events. We loved that. Why not have everyone get to repurpose a spectacular dress and look their very best again?” Are there any themes or venues that are trending? “Many parties and benefits are taking place in upscale but elegantly renovated rustic barns, modern industrial locations and rooftop spaces with fabulous views. When we are in the market, we take all of these things into consideration and purchase spectacular pieces with our clients’ venue needs in mind.” So there is no tendency to dress down for a big moment nowadays? “Not that we have experienced. The tendency to dress down seems to be on an everyday basis. Busy moms often pop in athleisure wear when they shop. They are juggling so many commitments and want to be comfortable by day. The fun is in creating a head-totoe transformation that will be loved by the wearer and will delight their guests.” What then are the most important things to consider in selecting an outfit for a memorable moment? “We are quite adept at knowing exactly what is appropriate for what venue, which is very important. A beautiful color that flatters the wearer is a must and, most significantly, finding a dress that is flattering, effortlessly chic yet important.”

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What can we look forward to for spring in dressing stylishly every day? “The first thing that ‘springs’ to mind is the refreshing mix of acid bright citrus colors. Think lemons, limes, apples and mangos. Florals continue, but polka dots and plaids mixed or on their own are also having a moment. Mid-calf, striped T-shirt dresses abound, and look for more volume in sleeves on dresses and tops. Pastel leather in soft shapes was also shown on many runways.” What about accessories? “Hoop earrings worn in pairs or singly, chokers made out of wood and shell, head wraps, colorful sunglasses, straw bags, big slouchy totes and the ubiquitous ‘flatform,’ a hybrid of a flat and a platform, were all trends we saw.” This piece will go to press right before you head off to the fall fashion shows in Europe. What can we anticipate from these? “That’s the joy of the anticipation. It’s always great fun to read the designers’ press notes to help understand what inspired them as the clothes walk the runway. The world’s best designers shop from many of the same fabric mills, so it’s really no coincidence when trends do emerge. It’s their individual interpretation that makes it exciting. We shall see.” Much has been written recently about the digital challenge to brick and mortar stores. Do you find that luxe stores are immune to this? “At our level of luxury, it does not affect us. Clients tell us all the time that have tried and failed and that they have a sea of boxes to return. They are desperate to see beautiful designs and quality and for the personal attention we offer. “Internet sales fail for several reasons, most of which are the same reasons we never buy from designers’ line sheets that are sent to us. Clothing must be seen, fabrics felt, color viewed in real time and ultimately tailored seamlessly to best flatter each woman’s unique figure. “In addition, the same clothes are everywhere. People come to MJD, because they know we are selecting the best of the best of what is being shown in New York and Paris. Even if we love something, we never buy more than one or two of a design. They are coming to us for something fabulous, often that can’t be found anywhere else, and they know they will find it.” What’s next for MJD? “We are tremendously excited about our new website. It has been a labor of love between us and our creative team for close to a year. We finally found a designer who understood our aesthetic to a T and had the ability to communicate Mary Jane Denzer’s history and future through photography and verse. A new decade begins. Look for us at mjdenzer.com and of course, we welcome you to come and visit.” A pair of J. Mendel gowns. Photographs by Henry Lopez. Courtesy Mary Jane Denzer.

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CLIP ART BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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We have a confession to make: We never pierced our ears. But we love earrings — the bigger and bolder, the better. What to do? Our solution has been to wear clip-ons. Yes, we know: Like Rita Hayworth’s spirited spinster in “You Were Never Lovelier,” we’re old-fashioned. Face it: Pierced ears are all the rage, with some cultures piercing a baby girl’s ears not long after she’s born. They are one with the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, although the ancients also used to loop earrings over the ears as well; one with Renaissance fashionistos — Shakespeare wore an earring; one with sailors who marked their rite of maritime passage (crossing the equator) with an earring. Pierced ears are so 1950s, when the trend re-emerged in the West, and yet fitting; hippie and hip; rocker and rocking. Still, they pose challenges — the possibility of infection, the inevitable droopy lobes with the passage of time, which can make even the most dazzling chandeliers less than perky. And so the demure, ladylike clip-on, famed for being seductively removed, just one, when a woman answers the phone — so much so that it was a plot point in an episode of the syndicated series “Murder, She Wrote,” as author-sleuth Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) ferreted out the killer by the kind of earrings she wore. Yet where to find good clip-ons? Fortunately, cultural organizations like The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store and luxe retailers still carry them. Among these is Mary Jane Denzer (MJD) in White Plains, but then the store’s stylish eponymous founder did not have pierced ears, notes Anastasia Cucinella, who now co-owns the store with Debra O’Shea. Who wears clip-ons? “People who want to make a big statement,” Cucinella says. And that’s because, you can add hardware when the whole lobe is supporting the earring as opposed to one delicate hole. Although O’Shea adds, “We are always careful when choosing clip-ons so that they are light and comfortable enough to wear for many hours. That's an art.” Clients of MJD are sure to make an artistic splash in Iradj Moini’s amethyst-citrine floral starbursts; Alexis Bittar’s sparely elegant Lucite creations; Angela Caputi’s colorful lacquered abstractions; Peracas’ organic designs; and Aurélie Bidermann’s leaves and butterflies. Not far from MJD, Neiman Marcus Westchester has a substantial array of clip-ons, bolstered by its online inventory. Among its spectacular offerings are beaded and silk tassel delights from Oscar de la Renta, which come in a variety of colors and ombré effects; Ranjana Khan’s fruited creations, such as her Les Framboises raspberry drop earrings of glass, plastic beads and Swarovski crystals; and Jose & Maria Barrera’s coin creations, surrounded by glass pearls, red cabochons and turquoise. Clip-ons have their issues, including tightness. You can loosen the tension by manipulating the nib, or center prong, on the back with a key-shaped tool like Clip Ease. And take care when wearing metals like nickel in the sun as their interaction can produce an ear eczema. With prudent selection, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t wear your clip-ons in stylish comfort — though we still like to slip one off with a toss of the head when we answer the phone. You know, for effect. For more, visit mjdenzer.com and neimanmarcus.com.

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José & María Barrera mixedagate clip-on earrings. $415 at neimanmarcus.com. Courtesy Neiman Marcus.

PRINT JOURNALISM: BECAUSE IT STILL MATTERS. westfaironline.com

IN THE MOMENT

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BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Jorge Adeler is a philosopherjeweler. From his perch in Great Falls, Virginia, which he says is “17 miles as the crow flies from the White House and 5 miles from CIA headquarters in Langley,” he creates jewelry sold in Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and independent boutiques that not only adorns the body but touches the soul. “My pieces are not statements of fashion but statements of emotion,” he says. The way he sees it, jewelry is like art or faith — something that is perhaps unnecessary to daily sustenance but that sustains the individual on a different plane, something that lasts. Such sustenance does not come cheap. But Adeler says when you explain to clients what it takes to source, authenticate and craft coins and stones, when you chronicle the origin story of the pieces they’re looking to buy, they understand a $5,000 — or more — price tag. And each Adeler creation is one-of-a-kind. “A designer has to make up his mind early on whether he wants to have massproduced appeal or one-of-a-kind appeal,” he says. “I’m more of a lone wolf.” Adeler’s work first caught our eye when we spied his antique coin jewelry — adorned in leather, 18-karat yellow and rose gold — in Neiman Marcus’ 2019 “Christmas Book.” The pieces, part of his “Gods & Heroes” Collection, were initially designed for men. He wears a ring with the eagle of the Roman legion — the eagle remaining an important symbol today as America’s national bird — as well as a bracelet with a coin depicting Alexander the Great. “I admire people who accomplish things out of sheer intelligence and courage,” Adeler says of the Greco-Macedonian conqueror of the Persian Empire. Though “Gods & Heroes” started out as a men’s line, 30 percent of its wearers are women, though they approach it differently. “The women are more interested in the design and beauty of the coins; the men, in the stories behind them.” The stories so intrigued Adeler that he traveled to Greece, Italy, Turkey, Israel and Jordan as well as to all the places where Spanish galleons, laden with treasure, were shipwrecked. And then he went to auction houses to authenticate his finds. “When I open a coin, it’s like I open a file to history,” he says. The coins and the rings, bracelets, necklaces and cufflinks in which they’re set are sculpted and irregular in shape, which is part of their allure. So are the stones — everything from pearls and opals to diamonds — that make up other collections.

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A big fan of Alexander the Great, Jorge Adeler designed this yellow gold and leather men’s bracelet using a coin of the Greco-Macedonian conqueror exclusively for Neiman Marcus’ 2019 “Christmas Book,” $7,960. Courtesy Neiman Marcus.

Adeler did not set out to be a designer. Growing up in Mar del Plata (“Sea of Silver”) in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, the young Jorge intended to follow in his artisanal family’s footsteps into the hotel and restaurant businesses. But a three-month stint at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., upon his arrival in America quickly convinced him that he did not inherit the hospitality-industry gene. Here the story takes on a Hollywoodesque quality. Armed with $198, which closed his bank account, and a $1,000 line of credit from Woolworth’s, Adeler persuaded a banker to give him a $600 loan to trade trinkets for imported stones. “I think he looked into my eyes and made a gut call,” Adeler says. It was, as it turns out, the right one. After five years and 19 trips abroad, he had 7½ tons of stones and 45,000 figurines covered in sawdust that he and his wife had to clean in their basement. “The sawdust was from a tree called ‘quebracho’ that produces a dye used to dye leather,” he says. “The sawdust mixed with rainwater and created a very intense liquid that permeated all the figurines, requiring immediate drying, otherwise the damage would be permanent.” Clearly, he needed a store, and he found one in Ocean City, Maryland, in 1976. There he hit on the idea of allowing clients to select from 5,000 amethysts, citrines, garnets and topazes and 220 pounds of silver settings that he would fashion into pieces as they waited. The DIY approach proved popular. “When they found something that matched, it was like a treasure hunt.” Four years later, he opened a second location in Great Falls in the days when it was still farm country and people arrived at his store on horses, shuttling back and fourth — Ocean City in summer, Great Falls in winter. He left Ocean City in 1995, though his daughters kept it going. Valentina is the gemologist and designer. “She designs better than me,” he says. Wendy is the marketer. In 2001, they all moved permanently to Great Falls, where they have a 6,000-square-foot store, studio and workshop. And there Adeler’s business and personal lives flow into each other. “As I talk with my customers, I’m having an experience,” he says. “I like to feel every moment I’m being myself.” For more, visit jorgeadeler.com.

A STORIED ALLURE BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI

FASHION FASHION WEAR

There’s something quite distinctive — and compelling — about the creations of David Howell & Company. But it’s more than the visual appeal of its popular designs, created in Bedford Hills and sold through museum shops, historic sites, botanical gardens, national parks and cultural attractions around the world. It’s the stories. Each pair of sophisticated (and sometimes playful) earrings has its own history, as do the bookmarks, pins, pendants and custom ornaments. Take the wrench-shaped earrings, for example, which are on the surface a quirky design. We learn, though, they are based on the story of Elizabeth Hawes, an outspoken American fashion designer who, in the 1940s, found herself working the night shift at an airplane factory. The “Wrenches for Wenches” earring design is based on Hawes’ book “Why Women Cry, or Wenches with Wrenches,” a chronicle of her unexpected wartime experience that found her serving as a union organizer, a champion of gender equality and a political activist. The design of another pair of David Howell & Company earrings is based on intricate, 1930s wroughtiron lamps decorating St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, while another spotlights architectural elements at The Chicago Stock Exchange. Still others depict everything from noted works of art to elk antlers, koi fish to ballerinas, birds to water lilies. Each carries a tale of inspiration, eloquently summarized in the designs’ distinctive packaging that makes the creations meaningful purchases that have been spotted everywhere from Lyndhurst in Tarrytown to Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison to the NewYork Historical Society Museum & Library in Manhattan. It’s as the company website sums up: “All of these pieces of art have voices, and we listen to them when we design. They are our inspiration.” These stories — along with the David Howell & Company’s own story — were brought further to life on a recent afternoon when WAG visited Howell, the company’s founder, president and artistic force. We met him at the Bedford Hills headquarters of his namesake firm, where both design and manufacturing is done onsite. For some 40 years, the company has been creating these museum-quality gifts, now sold worldwide from the Sydney Opera House in Australia to the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy in San Francisco, from the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation

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in Germany to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Highlights over the years included 2015 when David Howell & Company was chosen by the White House Historical Association to create the annual Christmas ornament honoring a past president, that year Calvin Coolidge. “We’ve done about 10,000 designs,” Howell said, giving a broad overview. “The stuff that sells well stays alive… We turn out about 100 new products a year.” Throughout the process, Howell takes patterns or details of notable works, turning them into designs in plated brass. Trade shows — when WAG visited he was preparing for shows first in Paris, then Manhattan — bring his work to the marketplace. In between would be a trip to Morocco, where Howell said he was looking forward to exploring Casablanca, noting the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher (1898-1972) was influenced by the Moroccan design motifs — and he was ready to be inspired himself. Indeed, a conversation with Howell might touch

topics ranging from Escher to Japanese culture, Tiffany stained glass to Cubist design. “We’ve had a lot of fun with these,” he said, as he walked us through the countless designs on display in anticipation of the New York show.

ENDURING INSPIRATIONS Rather than a walk down a city street, most of what sparks Howell creatively, he said, comes from works of art and architecture, “because they tend to be the original.” He likes nothing more than to go into a museum and hear the works calling to him, “saying, ‘Look at me.’” The availability of information online — on art, history and architecture — helps build an appreciative audience, he said, of diverse ages and backgrounds. “I’ve been mining that in a way.” Over the years, as his factory churns out piece after piece, Howell has seen many technological advances, with a pivotal step the ability to introduce color to the work. Keeping up with trends doesn’t mean changing

the basics, though. “I start with a pencil, and I do a little sketch, then I work on the computer,” he said of all the designs that begin with his hand. And that hand is always at the ready: “I carry a sketchbook with me.” It came in handy one afternoon in Oregon, when he was observing koi at the Portland Japanese Garden and sketched what would become another design. Howell said there are regional styles and tastes to keep in mind, from the Prairie style architecture favored in the Midwest to florals, especially magnolias, popular in the South. He often works with organizations and institutions to create custom work based on their collections or clientele. “You squeeze it the way it wants to go,” he said of the wealth of design inspirations that continue to flow. “Do I learn today? I still learn today.”

David Howell, in his namesake company’s Bedford Hills headquarters, offers a glimpse into his design process.

EARLY DAYS Howell, who grew up in Darien, was long fascinated

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by “making things” and would often take things apart to see how they work. He studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, though “I knew I was never going to be an architect.” He said not to malign the field but felt that, “Most people are cogs in a large machine.” Going his own way, Howell would spend some years in England, coming back to America at age 27. “I knew I wanted to make things, so I had an idea. I made these little airplane pins.” Finding success with them proved elusive, but it started him on a path that would become clear when met Joanne Lyman, who was then handling jewelry reproductions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was, he said, a time when museum shops were “just about to explode.” He would complete her design challenge — to create a proposal for a bookmark on a whirlwind schedule — and basically never looked back. “I got on a wave that’s been carrying me ever since.”

MOVING EVER FORWARD Along the way, Howell kept reinvesting in his business. He talks about a time long ago when he had $20,000 to invest. Would it be a stock that’s since proven to have soared? “I made the mistake of investing in myself,” he said with a laugh, though you sense he knows it was the right decision.

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As he continued to talk about the individual designs, he darted from one “wonderful story” to the next, sharing details of both design and inspiration. His work with parks, for example, yielded the creation of a pair of earrings based on elk antlers that would seem, perhaps, an acquired taste. “They’re pretty, and they’re popular,” he said. “Would I have ever thought that?” Keeping an eye on the future allows David Howell & Company to thrive. For the first time, the company took a booth at the recent holiday market in Bryant Park, selling directly to the public with great success. Howell manned the booth on Christmas Day, interacting with customers from around the world. He said he hopes those conversations and purchases will always remind the buyer or the recipient of that time in New York. Such a scenario is reflective of what seems to be Howell’s ultimate goal, of creating and selling work that truly has meaning. It’s not simply an eye-catching design but something with a story — and a real person — behind it. He said that it was perhaps some 150 years ago, if you had a ring, you likely not only knew who made it but had probably met and spoken with the jeweler. Today, he noted, often that connection is lost. But at David Howell & Company that spirit lives on. As Howell said of those who buy and wear his work, “I hope they’ll take away what I feel.” For more, visit davidhowell.com.

Earrings inspired by history, art, architecture, design – and sometimes, everyday objects – are a specialty of David Howell & Company. Above, from left, Splatters in Red, Silver & Black, which pays homage to the vision of artists including Jackson Pollock and Bill Jacklin; and Cook’s Tools, based on a 17th-century Italian etching.

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Photographs courtesy The Eyebrow Doctor.

HIGHBROW BY DEBBI K. KICKHAM

Meet Piret Aava, an A-lister’s answer to having the most beautiful brows ever. Piret, a native of Estonia, has offices in Manhattan and Port Chester and, with the touch of her magic microblading brush to your eyebrows, can take at least 10 years off of your face. She spent 40 minutes manicuring my thinning brows by applying specially formulated ink pigment in feathered strokes. She sculpted two perfect eye-opening arches on my forehead— and the thick, lush results were a gorgeous game-changer. We asked her a few questions: How many years have you been the Eyebrow Doctor? “I’ve been doing permanent makeup for five years and brows for 15 years.”

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Where did you get your start? “I started off as a makeup artist and an eyebrow specialist at Warren Tricomi salon in New York, and in Greenwich. I was a makeup artist at Next Artist, an agency for makeup artists. I am also a licensed aesthetician on top of it all.” What are some of your brow secrets? “I analyze your face and sketch on the brow with a pencil to fit your face. I choose the pigment color according to your brow and hair color, and custom blend it to match. Then I proceed to add hair strokes on your brow, mimicking your natural brow hairs. I try to give the most natural look possible. My whole concept is less is more. You can always add more with a pencil. I don’t like

overdone brows. I don’t follow brow trends because they change. I like to enhance natural beauty and not overdo it.” How long does the microblading last? “One to three years, depending on skin and lifestyle and products you use. Avoid anything that exfoliates your brows.” Who are some of the celebrities you’ve worked on? “Serena Williams, Debi Mazar, Malin Akerman, Veronica Webb.” On the day that I visited you, Rachael Ray’s show was coming into your studio to tape a segment with you. How did that go? “It went great. I did a brow makeover on someone who didn’t have any eyebrows at all. She loved the results. It really changed her face.” It’s amazing to me how brows have come to the forefront of beauty. “People finally realize how important brows are. They can change your entire appearance.” Who does your brows? “I get them done in California.”

Piret Aava, right, is the Port Chester-based “Eyebrow Doctor” who offers A-list microbladed eyebrows.

How much does it cost someone to have her brows microbladed in Port Chester? “$1,200. Monica is my employee who does the brows in Port Chester. I trained her and she’s been doing brows for about 15 years as well. We also do eyelash enhancement tattoo, which makes lashes appear thicker and lip blush, which is a sheer lip tattoo that is a sheer wash of color to make your lips appear more plump and youthful.” The Eyebrow Doctor is at 181 Westchester Ave., Suite 305 E., Port Chester. For more, visit eyebrowdoctor. com. And for more on Debbi, visit debbikickham.com.

FEBRUARY 2020

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Photographs courtesy Neiman Marcus Westchester.

LIP SERVICE

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“On a bad day, there is always lipstick,” Audrey Hepburn once said. And, in particular, red lipstick. With Valentine’s Day looming, we’ll be lacquering up — one with the ancient Sumerians but also Clara Bow, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and all the movie goddesses of today, including Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Priyanka Chopra, Kerry Washington, Kirsten Dunst, Kat Graham, Zoë Kravitz and Awkwafina, who rocked it on the Golden Globes’ red carpet. But why wait until V-Day to rouge that pucker? Here are some great lipsticks that will have you seeing red in the best possible way, above from left: • Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in 444 Gabrielle. • Dior Limited Edition Jewel Lipstick Couture Color with Lip Care in Red Smile. • Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet Lipstick in Four Hundred. Then display all your beauties on this fashionable lip tray by JR William. For more, visit neimanmarcus.com. — Fatime Muriqi

PURSEONALITY AUCTION Women are as unique as their purses...with their own style & personality. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to share your PURSE-onality with us! Show your Purse-onality by joining us in the fight against heart disease and stroke by donating a tax-deductible gift of a Purse-onality Auction item. These cleverly themed purses, bags, and totes will be auctioned off at the Westchester Go Red For Women Luncheon at the Hilton Westchester on Friday, April 3, 2020. Participate as an individual, showcasing your personality or business, or partner with friends, family, or coworkers to support a great cause in a fun and creative way. Put together a one-of-a-kind bag that reflects your personality, fill it with your favorite items and share our mission to raise awareness and funds that go directly toward life-saving research and education for women.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to include? What contents of your purse would reflect your personality? What are some of your favorite activities? Do you like movies or music? Do you enjoy going to the beach? How do you relax? Guidelines: Donated bags and contents should be new and full-sized. Deadlines: Signed commitment letters and bios are requested by the beginning of March. Purses will be needed in mid-March and can be dropped off at the Purse Drop off Party. Questions: Contact Jennifer Miller at (914) 806-0962 or jennifer.miller@heart.org.

WEAR

FASHION

QUEEN OF SOLE BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI

2015, 2018 and now 2020: Every few years, we catch up with shoe maven Kristina Cavallo, who has dedicated a room in her New Rochelle home to all things footwear. The collection has changed — adding pairs, new designers and shelving — but she remains as delightful as ever, tickled with her very specific celebrity. “Since the articles in WAG, I have had such a huge response on social media to everything regarding shoes. From meeting more designers to making some huge additions to my collection, I have been asked by so many people when they can see more pictures and articles about this closet. Apparently, shoe closets are becoming more of a women’s goal when they build their homes. The lighting and so many other factors come into play with this.”

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At the last minute, Kristina dropped everything she was doing to pose and answer questions for WAG. That’s why she’ll always be a “shoe”-in, in our book: Kristina, what’s new in your collection since we last talked? “…I have added some really cool pieces to my collection. I have also added some new designers to my room, which I love as well. Christian Louboutin will always be my favorite designer, and some of his latest pieces have been so creative. They include a completely adorned crystal hot pink pointy pump, which is new for 2020. I have also added some beautiful Gianvito Rossi sandals, which are huge this year in so many colors. Versace pink and silver pumps are amazing. I have also been in love with platform sneakers from Gucci and Stella McCartney. I also have added some beautiful pumps from Charlotte Olympia and Ruthie Davis. Some amazing crystal flats from Christian Louboutin have been added to the collection as well as some matching handbags.” With so many new additions, your shoe room must’ve needed an upgrade. “Yes, I have expanded my shoe room and added a few more shelves in the available corners to showcase

Kristina Cavallo. Makeup by Katrina D’Onofrio and hair by Senada.

some of the higher heels and sneakers. I have over 525 pairs at the moment, with the help of Stephanie Ramos from The Saks Shops at Greenwich, Devon Taylor from Saks Fifth Avenue and Andrea Frasca from Neiman Marcus Westchester in White Plains. They pick out styles for me as they all have the best eye for shoes.” But you have a good eye as well. What are the hot brands/ trends you’re noticing? “The brands that are major right now are Gianvito Rossi, Aquazzura, Ruthie Davis, Versace, Chanel and Christian Louboutin, of course, Gucci, with its major runway pieces, and Balenciaga. As far as trends, the platform sneaker has come full force with amazing styles, embellishments and colors. Also, pointy pumps and booties are huge for the last season and this upcoming one. Sandals from Gianvito Rossi in an array of color and fabrics are making a splash this season.” What pair will you be stepping out in for Valentine’s Day? “Depending on my plans, I will opt most likely for something red and bright, with a little bit of love in every step.” With all this talk of shoe business, we mustn’t forget you also have a day job. “Professionally, I am still at (Patrick J.) Cavallo Insurance as a co-owner with my amazing father. He has taught me everything about business, work ethic and ventures. You never know, maybe designing shoes might be something I work on next. But until then, I will continue wearing and idolizing all of these amazing designers.”

Kristina Cavallo with her Giuseppe Zanotti for Jennifer Lopez open-toe booties.

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HOME & DESIGN

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Undulating through Greenwich’s bucolic backcountry, North Street is home to many grand estates, including this recently renovated stone-andclapboard Georgian manor that’s perfectly situated on more than 4, level, landscaped acres. Nineteen beautifully proportioned, light-filled rooms with soaring ceilings, stunning architectural details and impeccable craftsmanship give the 14,172-square-foot house a feel that is at once airy and majestic. Both formal and family spaces — which include seven bedrooms, nine full bathrooms and one half-bath — have French doors leading to terraces, gardens and grounds. A delightful gourmet kitchen with a breakfast room is highlighted by a stone fireplace and wood-burning pizza oven adjacent to a spectacular two-story family room. The fabulous master suite includes a paneled study, two dressing rooms, two luxurious baths and an exercise room. The other six bedrooms with en-suite baths, the media room, a large wine cellar, an inviting pool and pool house and an all-weather tennis and sport court are only a few of the amenities of this remarkable estate, which is listed at $6.5 million. For more, contact Brad Hvolbeck at 203-940-0015 and 203-618-3110.

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HOME & DESIGN

AN ARTIST’S EYE BY MARY SHUSTACK

The cream, as they say, rises to the top. That concept was proven once again recently when information about The Vale London arrived at WAG amid the routine flood of emails. The introduction to the company launched by Melinda Marquardt in 2017 was intriguing from the start. A London-based artist who, we would learn, had worked in sales for an American textile company, she decided to create a business that would pair her education in fine art with her years of experience in sales. The Vale London would be dedicated to creating and providing textiles and wallpapers for the luxury interiors market. Once we saw the designs, we were hooked by her reinterpretation of the classics — first, the romantic patterns inspired by English gardens and then, the bolder work inspired by travel farther afield. All, we note, share her dedication to time-honored techniques that focus on fine hand drawings, lavish watercolors and what she calls the “lost art” of Asian marbling, the last being an approach shared with Venetian style. Soon after our first look, we reached out to Marquardt who graciously took time to tell us more about The Vale London, which has made its American debut. Please tell us a bit about your background and training. “Growing up in England, the school system allows you to concentrate on the subjects that you love from the age of 16. I chose textiles, fine art and business and never looked back. I attended university in upstate New York at Skidmore College and majored in fine art with a business minor. After graduation, I immediately got a job at Fabricut in New York City. I fell in love with textiles and worked my way up to sales manager of Europe and Russia. After seven years at Fabricut, I had the opportunity to design a pattern for the New York Botanical (Garden) collection with Vervain. I fell in love with textile design and decided to partner my education in fine art with my experience in the textile world. “In early 2014 I returned to London (after being promoted to the sales manager of EU/Russia) as I needed to be closer to my territory. I (now) house my design studio in my flat that I share with my pup, Milo.”

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The Lion Toile pattern from The Vale London. Photographs courtesy The Vale London.

Tell us about The Vale London — when it launched, what is its focus and the meaning of the name. “Named after the street I grew up on in London, The Vale’s first collection launched in September 2019. The majority of the collection was inspired by a trip that I took to Tanzania with my family. I am obsessed with African textiles and British colonial style. The Oakley collection is a modern twist on traditional and classic themes celebrating African textiles, plants and wildlife.”

Artist Melinda Marquardt, founder of The Vale London, in her studio.

Can you give us a glimpse into your process, walking us through one design, perhaps? Please share a bit about inspiration, development and the rewards of seeing a final product. “Sugarbush is my personal favorite in the collection, a gorgeous embroidered textile based on the wildflowers of Africa. I brought my trusty watercolor palette with me to an island off the coast of Tanzania and spent the week painting local plant life. On my return to London, I met with some excellent technicians, who artfully translated my paintings into an embroidered textile. Seeing the finished product was so rewarding for this pattern in particular because it shows off the benefits of collaborating with the finest mills and artisans.”

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What are your enduring inspirations — and how does contemporary life/ culture influence your process? “I talk a lot about inspiration from my travels, but I also pick up details in everyday life around London. I’m surrounded by beautiful architecture (and) find myself staring out the car window at the facades of gorgeous Georgian and Victorian buildings in juxtaposition to modern skyscrapers. The beauty is in the juxtaposition of aesthetics, and I think The Vale encompasses that balance of traditional with a modern twist.” How do you think being an artist as well as a designer distinguishes your work, from your approach and perspective to your goals? “The goal with all of my designs is to provide art for the home. I want every piece to show the hand of the artist and for the viewer to discover more details in work, the longer they look at it. Every brush stroke and ink stain of the original art is transferred unedited into the final product. As you look closely at each piece, you will discover another brushstroke you didn’t see before or the echo of a pencil mark that was erased. The story in the development of the design is there if you look closely.” And finally, what do you think about your work, from textiles to wallpapers, “going global.” What do you hope American customers connect with most — and what can we expect in 2020? “2020 is going to be an exciting year. Over the past three months, I’ve signed distribution deals with 15 road reps and 25 showrooms globally. I am excited for designers to get their hands on the product and see my textiles and wallpapers used in projects. I think American customers will appreciate the quality of the product. Every pattern in the collection is 100% natural and built to stand the test of time. In a world where sustainability is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, The Vale aims to provide a luxury and environmentally friendly product.” For more, visit thevalelondon.co.uk.

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FEBRUARY 2020

Melinda Marquardt’s inspiration board in her London studio.

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HOME & DESIGN

GETTING YOUR HOUSE MARKET-READY BY CAMI WEINSTEIN

The current residential real estate market in the tristate area currently favors buyers and not sellers. High prices and the reduction in SALT (state and local taxes) allowances, plus the cost to keep up homes, have caused most buyers to rethink where and how they want to live. To attract current buyers first and foremost your home needs to be in tip-top shape. Getting ready to sell your home can be overwhelming, especially if you have lived there for a long time Almost all of us have a way of collecting way too much stuff and are no longer able to see our homes through a stranger’s eyes. We let things go, ignoring chores that would otherwise force us to deal with repairs. Sometimes those small repairs become big repairs. Here are some tips to get your home in shape to attract today’s buyer. Potential buyers want to walk into a clean, cared-for home that is stylishly up to date. They want to be able to imagine themselves living in your space. If your décor is so far from current trends, then your home will look dated. Sometimes perfectly maintained but dated homes can still be a turnoff to potential buyers. If the last time you decorated was 20 years ago and you have done nothing to update your home since then, you need to do some refreshing. First declutter your home. Today’s thought on staging requires homeowners to eliminate virtually any sense of the homeowner. I don’t totally agree with that because if your home is updated, people are still curious about how a home could potentially look without being staged. However, keep fewer accessories out and get rid of an overflow of unwanted things. Organize your closets so it’s clear to potential buyers how much room is in your closets. Next up, repair or replace anything that is broken, from old screens to leaky faucets to appliances. A fresh coat of paint in a neutral trending color allows homebuyers to move in without having to immediately tackle painting. If your kitchens and bathrooms are dated and worn, that will be an immediate turnoff to buyers and you will pay a price at the negotiating table. A current trend is renovating kitchens and bathrooms a couple of years prior to selling. This allows the homeowner to renovate and enjoy the new spaces prior to selling and then selling at a top price. If you decide to renovate your kitchen, don’t skimp on the appliances. Today’s buyers want commercial appliances and top-of-the-line amenities in place and in good working order. The current trend in bathrooms is to create spa-like spaces. Whether you are traditional or modern, calm, clean-lined spaces are trending. There are so many stone and porcelain materials to choose from. If you decide to renovate, neutral and timeless is the way to go, with whites, grays and navy

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FEBRUARY 2020

always standing the test of time. Today’s buyers like everything to be done for them. First-time homebuyers are on-average older than boomers were when they first bought their homes. If they have small children, they are usually both working and commuting to jobs and they don’t have the time to work on home repairs. Often it’s costing them so much money to get the down payments together that there is not much left for repairs or even decorating. Older clients who are downsizing also want everything done for them. They have often been through years of maintaining large homes and properties and just want to pare down and enjoy life. Once a seller understands this, it makes it easier for him or her to figure out what it will take to get the home sold. Once you have decided to put your home on the market and have chosen a Realtor, have the agent come in and assess your home and point out any repairs or updates that will enhance your home to a potential buyer. Take the time to go over the suggestions and implement the changes before hitting the market. It behooves both the realtor and you to maximize your home’s market value. Or you can take stock of the suggestions and decide which repairs you want to make and what you are willing to take off the price because that is what happens in a buyer’s market. In any event, spring will soon be here. If you want to sell, it’s time to get your home ready for the spring market. For more, call 203-661-4700 or visit camidesigns.com.

A spa-like bath and up-to-date kitchen, above, enhance the resale value of a home.

IN THE WORST OF TIMES, THE BEST OF MEN.

A NOVEL FROM JMS BOOKS thegamesmenplay.com

FEBRUARY 2020

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

HOME & DESIGN

A BRAND WITH HEART BY MARY SHUSTACK

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FEBRUARY 2020

To hear — or more accurately see — what’s new with Kate D. Spain, simply walk into the Delamar Greenwich Harbor. That’s an easy way to check out eye heart hand — what’s billed as the “field-to-fiber-to-floor” rug collection from Spain — since two custom rugs from the collection were recently installed off the luxury hotel’s harborside lobby, working with interior designer Lisa Silver of Siver Contract Interiors in Stamford. Spain, savvy WAG readers may recall, is the designer behind the KD Spain brand, and Kate works hand-in-hand with her husband and business partner, Pete Spain. At the time WAG visited the Spains in Bridgeport for a September 2016 feature, we were dazzled by her natureinspired designs that peppered the couple’s home in the Black Rock section. Her work was translated onto everything from pillows to table runners, rugs to curtains and framed prints to plates.

From left: Custom rugs from the eye heart hand collection were recently installed in the harborside lobby at the Delamar Greenwich Harbor; and Pete and Kate Spain at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in Manhattan. Images courtesy Kate D. Spain.

She had been creating home goods since 2008. When we visited she had recently launched her namesake collection. Spain, who grew up in Mamaroneck and would eventually land at the Rhode Island School of Design to study graphics, took us into her home-based studio where we got a glimpse into her inspirations and methods that produced collaborations and products for retail giants from Target to Crate&Barrel and companies such as Bigelow Tea to Andrews McMeel Publishing. With Pete still handling the business side of things and Kate the design, the Spain effort seems stronger than ever, as we were pleased to hear in an update sent by Pete (of course). As he told us, through KD Spain, Kate continues to license her original graphic designs worldwide for an array of products. The heart of the update though was focused on rugs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; specifically, the news that Kate and Pete have developed the eye heart hand collection, which they proudly share has been well-received by shop owners, interior designers and customers since its introduction last year at the prestigious International Contemporary Furniture Fair. (Pete noted, as well, that the name can be styled

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eye heart hand to emphasize the integral importance of the “earth” in what they do). In that email update from the Spains, Kate shared how the latest effort began: “About five years back, I was licensing a design to a rug company. It was a best-selling rug. To our surprise, customer complaints and the return rate were very high. And so, we sent a sample to be lab tested. We discovered it wasn’t actually ‘New Zealand’ wool as the manufacture had claimed. We decided to step back, to prioritize transparency and to create an ethical rug-making process with a new team of our own.” The Spains detailed several reasons why these new rugs are connecting with customers: • No child labor. All rug making is done by GoodWeavecertified adult artisans. Celebrating 25 years in its mission to end child labor, Goodweave is an international leader in assuring against child, bonded or slave labor. Each eye heart hand rug bears the GoodWeave label. Pete participated on a panel about ethical supply chains at Grace Farms in New Canaan last spring to discuss this and how GoodWeave keeps child labor out of overseas manufacturing and improves education, health and labor conditions in manufacturing communities. • Extraordinary materials. The Spains source highland strong wool from one family farm on the South Island of New Zealand. Kate explains: “This wool is perfect for the rugs I design. Its natural whiteness and luster bring contrast to the colors and sheen to the texture. Its long staple makes the construction extremely durable, with minimal shedding, and

still so comfortable. Such beautiful wool is a product of the farmer’s commitment to the highest animal welfare standards, sustainable environmental management and to supporting native biodiversity.” • Scientific testing. The Spains assure that the specially selected wool is the only wool in their rugs. Throughout the process, the wool is randomly sampled in India and sent to Oritain in New Zealand for independent scientific traceability testing and verification. As Pete points out, “The Wools of New Zealand organization estimates that about 500 million pounds of counterfeit ‘New Zealand wool’ enter the global market each year. This has severely damaged the market price and hurt the farmers. And at the consumer level, how do we know what we’re really getting? For eye heart hand, we decided to remove all doubt. If an Oritain test comes back negative, then we don’t use that wool in our rugs. Sure it costs more, but it sets us apart.” And the finishing touch? Each eye heart hand rug is handnumbered and finished with a label hand-signed by the designer, the shepherd in New Zealand and by the rug maker in India. As Kate says, “It’s a real collaboration — from my drawing board, to the farm and the sheep, to the GoodWeave artisans.” As the Spains sum up their update, looking ever forward, “The eye heart hand collaboration is creating new collections of rugs and additional single-source handmade products that will continue to deliver original designs, luxury quality and proven provenance.” For more, visit eyehearthand.earth or kdspain.com.

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FEBRUARY 2020

WHAT’S NEW AGAIN

HOME & DESIGN

NAUTICAL TOKENS OF LOVE BY KATIE BANSER-WHITTLE

The origins of Valentine’s Day as an occasion for exchanging tokens of affection dates from at least the Middle Ages. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer mentioned Feb. 14 as a day for romance because it was widely believed to be the date when birds began to choose their mates. That sentimental tradition has continued to flourish. At first, Valentine’s Day was marked with handwritten notes and poems and the exchange of small keepsakes. The Victorian age gave fuller rein to the expression of romantic feelings. Colorful printed cards and more elaborate gifts became widespread. Among the most appealing examples of this new emotional openness are the shell mosaics known today as sailors’ valentines. Originally made mainly between the 1830s and 1900, these sentimental souvenirs are treasured survivors today. They are readily recognized by the materials, seashells less than ½ inch in size, and the size and shape of the finished items, generally 8 to 12 inches across in octagonal, glass-covered wooden frames a couple of inches deep. Most valentines were made in pairs, hinged together on one side. When the clasp was released, the case opened to reveal symmetrical patterns composed of dozens of small shells glued on a backing of

cotton batting. Often the design included a central motif such as a heart, anchor or compass rose, or a sentimental motto like “Forget Me Not” or “A Token of Affection.” Research has shown that these ingenious examples of folk art were rarely if ever made by the sailors themselves. Nor were they presented to sweethearts, wives or favorite female relatives on Valentine’s Day, unless the giver happened to arrive home in midFebruary. The true story behind sailors’ valentines is even more intriguing. The 19th century was an age of discovery. Science blossomed, natural history was all the rage and travel became easier. These trends combined to make collecting of all kinds popular and one favorite category was shell collecting. It even had a name — conchylomania. Some of these sandy souvenirs were used for hobby and decorative purposes, including combining them into mosaic-like geometric patterns. At the same time, large numbers of men were engaged in maritime occupations — whaling, fishing, trading and exploring. After a long period away from home, many seafarers wanted to return with colorful souvenirs for the women who had waited anxiously ashore. As far back as the 1600s, the West Indies island of Barbados was one of the most important ports of call in the busy

Sailor's Seashell Valentine, (late-19th century), Barbados. Estimate — $1,000-$1,500. Sold at Skinner Inc. for $8,813.

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Caribbean Sea. Merchant sailors, whalers and yachtsmen stopped to trade, sightsee and shop. One particularly popular store was Belgraves New Curiosity Shop in Bridgetown. Surviving newspaper advertisements for the business from the later 1800s feature “Marine Specimens and Native Manufactures in Fancy Work” as a tempting gift idea for last-minute shoppers who didn’t want (or dare) to return home empty-handed. In fact, the Belgrave brothers’ emporium met many of the same needs as today’s airport store. Just such a newspaper clipping was discovered in the 1960s by a restorer working on a sailor’s valentine. Further research made it clear that most of these shell creations were commercially made and purchased at Belgraves and similar shops. Many Barbados women were of English descent and familiar with designs for fancy needlework that could be adapted to working with tiny shells. They developed a thriving cottage industry making and selling these distinctive souvenirs. The island origin of the valentines is further proven by the fact that while there are hundreds of thousands of different species of shells, only about three dozen were used in sailors’ valentines. And those species are all native to the West Indies. Occasionally shells from other places, mainly Indonesia, are found in antique sailors valentines, but they are fairly rare exceptions. Those Indonesian shells were imported to America and Europe by a London-based entrepreneur whose family business eventually moved from shipping shells to transporting petroleum. The company name today is Shell Oil, the U.S.based wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell. The majority of valentine greetings today are purchased by women. The surviving sailors valentines are enduring and endearing reminders of the era when “A Token of Esteem” painstakingly worked in tiny seashells was a heartfelt gift from a returning seafarer. For more, contact Katie at kwhittle@ skinnerinc.com or 212-787-1114.

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BEYOND ‘CASABLANCA’ BY JEREMY WAYNE

WANDERS

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From the moment Rick Blaine put Ilsa Lund on the plane to Lisbon in “Casablanca,” Morocco’s main city and commercial hub seemed to go into terminal decline. Indeed, the only reason any serious traveler might have been to Casablanca recently was to the airport — en route to Marrakech or Fez. But after decades in seedy oblivion, Casa, as locals call it (and please get with the lingo), is suddenly hotting up. The 2 mile-long Corniche, or oceanfront drive, has been given a face-lift; the jaw-dropping Art Deco district, with more than 20 architecturally important movie theaters, is being painstakingly restored; and a new cultural center — The Grand Theatre of Casablanca, the largest in Africa with a concert hall, theater and vast retail space — is slated, after a long delay, to fully open this year. Last year, meanwhile, saw the inauguration of Morocco’s new TGV, or high-speed train service, which now whisks you from Casablanca up to Tangier, a distance of some 200 miles, in a little over two hours. And in the heart of the Casablanca action is the very swish new Four Seasons hotel, right on the ocean, with its 186 ergonomically perfect, cool white-and-taupe guest rooms, 30 suites the size of football pitches, a handsome pool with snap-to-it poolside service, a private beach with its own miniature sand dunes and a very beautiful spa for rhassoul clay wraps and Paris-brand Biologique Recherche skin treatments, exclusive to the hotel. In Mint, one of the hotel’s four restaurants, they do breakfast pastries the equal of anything in Paris, and in its fabulous fish restaurant, Bleu, you eat amazing Dakhla oysters and sashimi of just-caught Atlantic sea bream with a view of the breakers rolling in and the Point d’El Hank lighthouse. If Casablanca isn’t on your bucket list — and you could be completely forgiven if it wasn’t, because frankly who even knew? — it should be. Then again, Tangier is a contender. With a magnificent location at the very northwestern tip of Africa, where the Mediterranean meets the

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FEBRUARY 2020

Clockwise from above, sunset over Palais Amani, Fez. Courtesy Palais Amani; and dye packets in Tangier Medina and Casablanca view. Courtesy Jeremy Wayne.

Atlantic, Tangier was an international city between 1923 and 1952, administered by France, Spain and Great Britain, as louche as it was rundown and exotic, made infamous by its cast of ex-pat residents and returning writers and poets, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Paul Bowles and the notoriously indiscreet English playwright Joe Orton, among them. Kif and sex were cheap, and self-respecting people stayed away, much to the delight of the Beats and other nonconformists. And so Tangier was reviled by the former king of Morocco, Hassan ll, but his son, the rather more progressive king Mohammed VI, has taken a different view. Since 2010, he has personally promoted huge investment in Tangier, which has resulted in a new commercial port, clean beaches, a new airport terminal and increased tourism generally. Indeed, the town, with its ravishing medina (old quarter) and Casbah (where former resident, Barbara Hutton, famously had all the

medieval arches widened when she came to live here in the 1950s, so that her Rolls-Royce could more easily pass through) is looking positively spruce, and a clutch of new hotels and riyads (typical Moroccan townhouses) now cater to the most demanding tourists. The classiest hotel, located on Tangier’s classiest street, Rue de la Liberté, has long been El Minzah, founded 90 years ago by a British aristocrat, Lord Bute. And following a recent revamp, it still is. At El Minzah, fezwearing factotums greet you on arrival and the atmosphere is reassuringly upscale. The quality of the food in the hotel’s restaurant, El Korsan, is also well above hotel average in this neck of the woods, the whole experience heightened by tarbouched musicians playing heady gnoua music, while valiantly smiling at the same time. They’re joined nightly by belly dancers who lift that undulating ritual from what is often seen as purely titillating entertainment to an almost sublime art form. The Petit Socco (or “small souk”) at the center of Tangier’s medina, which not so very long ago crawled with hustlers, thieves and teenage prostitutes, is now so lickety-spit you could take your grandmother for dinner, without any fear of impropriety. In the corner of the square of the same name, the Palais Zahia, which was Tangier’s first bank, is now a 16-room hotel, the painstakingly restored building dating from 1903, complete with columns, frette-work, inlaid wood, marble and plasterwork. And yet another brilliant hotel choice in the city, is Nord-Pinus, a former pasha’s townhouse high up in the Casbah,

FEBRUARY 2020

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which owner Ann Igou has filled with furniture, collectibles and bibelots from around the world. It is staggeringly lovely. Some 250 miles and an easy four-hour drive from Tangier across the ravishing Morocco hinterland, Fez is the oldest fully intact medieval city in the world. But while Fez has it all in terms of magnificent city walls, ancient palaces and a labyrinthine medina bursting with color (and incredible shopping), what it has long lacked is a really tremendous luxury hotel. Well, now it has several, among them Palais Faraj, a former Arab-Moorish palace outside the medina, which boasts a swimming pool in its courtyard and a top-floor restaurant and lounge, where the Moroccan food is exceptional and the view is second to none. Replete with bar and library, exquisite furniture and wonderful art, this clubby, sophisticated palace hotel is the last word in sumptuous urban chic. In a perfect world I would check in for six months and write a book. In the imperfect world we inhabit, two or three nights will have to suffice.

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But save time, too, for Palais Amani. A 17thcentury palace situated by the main entrance to the medina, Amani — which is officially the largest riyad in the Fez medina — took four years to restore. It boasts carved plaster arches, zellij tilework, crimson rugs and fabulously rich upholstery, along with a vast central courtyard filled with orange trees (and the sounds of birds singing in them). Rooms here are the last word in comfort, from the handsome doubles to the luxurious suites, and service is so sweet and genuine it could make the most hard-bitten hotel guest weep. With joy, you understand. And forget Rick’s American Café in Casablanca. If you can tell me they mix a better Negroni anywhere between the Rif and the Atlas Mountains than in Palais Amani’s cozy bar, with its deep sofas and wonderful working fireplace, then I will eat my yellow babouches (Moroccan slippers). For more, visit fourseasons.com, leroyal. com, nordpinustanger.com, palais-zahia.com, palaisfaraj.com and palaisamani.com.

Guest Room at Palais Faraj, Fez. Courtesy Palais Faraj.

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WANDERS

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ROMANCING THE WINTER BY BARBARA BARTON SLOANE

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“There’s a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations.” — Washington Irving The charming village of Lake Placid is near the lake of the same name in New York state’s Adirondack Mountains. It’s known as a Winter Olympics venue (both the 1932 and 1980 Games were held here) and a hub for snow sports and other outdoor activities. There are 86 trails over 22 miles, three mountain peaks and, in the center of town, the snowy, sparkling Mirror Lake with a footpath around the entire shoreline. I took this pretty amble and wanted to shout: “Let it snow, let it snow.” Happily, it did. The impressive Adirondacks have the highest vertical drop on the East Coast, providing skiing and snowboarding for all skill classes and interests. At the Olympic Sports Complex, you can ski jump, bobsled ride or experience the Ausable Chasm and High Falls Gorge. You can mingle with the Wolves at the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge — a 50-acre realm of interpretive trails, rescued animals such as hawks,

owls, foxes, and bobcats — or be daring and run with the pack on a dogsled ride on the lake. Or how about a horse-drawn sleigh ride as you nestle under thick blankets to make this winter wonderland a reality? I chose careening around the lake on a sled pulled by a brace of spirited huskies — a memorable experience, to be sure. A GILDED AGE GETAWAY Tucked into these picturesque woodlands of the Adirondacks’ high peaks is the awe-inspiring Whiteface Lodge. Considered one of the best hotels of its kind in the country, the lodge sits in a 6-millionacre recreation area known as Adirondack Park, whose visitors have included poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post and assorted Vanderbilts. The lodge, a Forbes four-star, AAA Four-Diamond hotel, evokes the splendor of the late-19th century’s Gilded Age and the Great Camps. It includes three restaurants, a spa and 92 all-suite guest rooms, featuring hand-crafted furnishings and private cedar and mahogany balconies and terraces to take in the fresh mountain air. Some appealing elements in each room, especially welcome right now — heated slate floors, warm wood paneling and cast iron gas fireplaces. Once settled in, it was hard for me to tear myself away from this snug environment but the enchanting lodge beckoned. I had to explore. Especially as it was time for dinner at Kanu, the lodge’s fine dining establishment. I entered a towering three-story Great Room and was dazzled by its Great Camp splendor — elk, deer and moose heads mounted high on the walls, majestic chandeliers embellished with antlers, two blazing granite and stone fireplaces and, above it all, great hand-hewn log beams rendering this truly great room somehow cozy. I enjoyed a view into the bustling kitchen and a fine Adirondack-inspired repast. Named one of the top 100 spas in North America by Condé Nast Traveler, the Spa at Whiteface Lodge suggests the natural beauty and bounty of the Adirondacks with signature treatments that range from a Lodge Mud Wrap and an Apple Cider Masque and Massage to an Outdoorsman Facial. (Wimps need not apply.) I relaxed in the steam room and was quickly brought back to life with a challenging dip in the heated indoor/outdoor pool.

Holidays at Whiteface Lodge. Top, courtesy Whiteface Lodge; and, above, Sloane Travel Photography.

STARS FELL ON ADIRONDACKS One of the most enchanting features of Whiteface Lodge is its luxury lean-tos, unique to the Adirondacks and the epitome of rustic elegance. Inviting spots fitted out with sink-in-soft sofas and chairs, warm blankets, bright throw rugs and fire pits, the lean-tos are sheltered on three sides and open to star-gazing. In my case, open also to a lovely full moon, beaming down in all its magical glory. This special place, my friends, is dream-worthy and, if so inclined, downright romantic. Not to be missed. The property can accommodate year-round conferences, business retreats and social gatherings of up to 200 guests, with a dedicated staff expert in ensuring a seamless experience. Bowling, ice skating, golf — it’s all here at this truly four-season destination. In the village there are fun boutiques and, nearby, the Olympic Museum exhibits captivating memorabilia and artifacts. Whiteface Lodge — a cozy wooded retreat in winter, a cool, forested haven in summer — an exceptional place to visit anytime. As for me, I’m already planning my warm-weather return to one of those star-studded lean-tos — this time no need for blankets. I’ll have the romance of the place to keep me warm. For more, visit lakeplacid.com and thewhitefacelodge.com.

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TRAVELING ROYALLY BY DEBBI K. KICKHAM

WANDERS

TRAVEL

What globetrotter wouldn’t want a GlobeTrotter suitcase? Synonymous with great British design, Globe-Trotter is a luxury travel lifestyle brand producing gorgeous handcrafted luggage and leather collections. Established in 1897, GlobeTrotter handcrafts suitcases and travel accessories in Hertfordshire, England, with highly skilled artisans using original manufacturing methods and machinery that date from the Victorian era. Globe-Trotter products have been used by an enviable client list over the years from Capt. Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Winston Churchill to actors Daniel Craig and Eddie Redmayne and model Kate Moss. Collections are available to purchase online at Globe-trotter.com and in the Globe-Trotter flagship store, along with a bespoke service, at 35 Albemarle St., London. You can custom order your luggage in practically any color of the rainbow. And you can only imagine the bespoke luggage tags. A Globe-Trotter vanity case costs anywhere from $1,000 to $1,600. Bespoke bags are about three times the cost of an “off the rack” item you can purchase in the store. Oh yes, and the company produces luggage for Queen Elizabeth. On her honeymoon, the Queen used her GlobeTrotter suitcase — a favorite among the royal couple’s many wedding gifts —which she still uses today. Every Globe-Trotter suitcase is produced from a sheet of vulcanized fiberboard — a unique material invented in Britain during the 1850s that is as strong as leather, yet light as aluminum. A blunt-edge Victorian guillotine — you heard that right — cuts the fiberboard, using only the weight of the blade. Each panel is expertly molded into shape using a method patented by Globe-Trotter in 1901. Components and handles are attached by hand. Inspired by the 1970s jet set’s ski vacations to the snowy Alps, Globe-Trotter

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Globe-Trotter’s Safari Collection in ivory. Courtesy Globe-Trotter.

recently created the St. Moritz collection. It focuses on red, navy and ivory — colors selected in retro homage to the bright skiwear of the ’70s. Globe-Trotter’s iconic navy case is now embellished with a contrasting red handle and stitching details, while a new ivory case features striped external webbing straps in the trio of hues. The ivory case comes complete with a fun lining depicting skiers descending on the inside of the lid. GlobeTrotter has also introduced an amethyst color to its Deluxe collection. Matching the existing Deluxe offerings, each case boasts a high-gloss, metallic exterior and a plush interior lining. Inspired by the colors and hues of the gemstone, the collection ranges from a handbag-sized miniature case to a 33-inch suitcase, and will impart a regal air to anyone traveling with it.

KLM AT 100 In October, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines celebrated its 100th anniversary. Founded in 1919, KLM is the first commercial airline that is still flying under its original name. Ever since KLM’s first commercial flight, the company has set its sights on progress. One of its most innovative approaches, begun in 2009, is sustainable aviation fuel, which reduces the CO2 emissions from each flight by up to 85%. In 2011, it flew the first commercial flight on biofuel and, a year later, launched the Sustainable

Aviation Fuel Program for corporations. Today KLM uses 57 times more sustainable fuel than in 2011. In keeping with tradition, KLM marked its anniversary with the presentation of a new Delftware miniature house, a moment eagerly awaited by faithful collectors all over the world. This year’s miniature is a replica of Huis ten Bosch palace in The Hague, the home of King WillemAlexander and his family. The KLM Crown Lounge experience is also taking on new heights with the opening of Blue, the Crown Lounge’s new restaurant and bar. You can relax and unwind in this new space before departure or upon arrival at the Amsterdam Airport. Michelin-starred chef Joris Bijdendijk’s belief in the power of working with local and authentic ingredients infuses Blue’s menu. Only the best Dutch ingredients are used to create an authentic culinary journey at your table. In addition to the restaurant, you can also relax in the Blue bar, an elegant fusion of a coffee lounge and cocktail bar. Whether you want to kick-start your morning with a special blend of coffee beans or wind down with a cocktail made from one of the 300 local and international spirits, the Blue bar will deliver. Can you say Dutch treat?

BACK AT HOME I speak from experience when I say that traveling, by necessity, requires travelsized samples. I typically keep many of my cosmetics in a beauty case — which functions as an extra drawer — but I now have an even better solution. It’s an adorable, sassy and classy rose-gold mini refrigerator that was developed specifically to house beauty lotions and potions. The Fria Refrigerator is an adorable addition to your bathroom or walk-in closet, where it will house your traveling dream creams, facial rollers and masks. For example, serums with vitamin C typically need to be chilled. Here is a cool cooler that I’m juiced up about. The Fria Skincare Fridge is now available at vanityplanet.com and retails for $89.99. For more about Debbi, visit Debbikickham.com.

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WONDERFUL DINING

FOOD & SPIRITS

ROSY OUTLOOK BY JEREMY WAYNE

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It’s official: California has come to Westchester in the form of Maple & Rose, a clean, contemporary café just opened on the first floor of the tony Grand Street Lofts building on Mamaroneck Avenue. Between the school and the station, this cheerful café brims with light, with bonhomie and exudes an easy laidback charm. As for all those glass windows, it’s a veritable solarium on even the grayest winter day. Clean lines, hardwood floors and undressed teak tables and chairs are the look, a pot of orchids on a square central table adding some welcome color. Outside, a wide terrace sticks two figurative fingers at the traffic on Mamaroneck Avenue and is going to be a terrific place to dine come the warmer weather (or any time, under heat lamps). Open for breakfast and lunch daily and dinner every day except Monday and Tuesday, Maple & Rose’s short but well-thought-out menus tick all the boxes. At breakfast, avocado and Romanesco cauliflower are right on trend, while soft scrambled eggs sitting on wonderful sourdough toast with, say, smoked salmon and labneh, or — even more temptingly — truffle butter and

The menu changes regularly to highlight the best that each season has to offer.

pecorino, set you up for the day. If on the other hand, a shot of espresso on the hop is your thing, then head for the bar, where you can also pick up some top-flight breakfast patisserie, a flaky butter croissant or pain au chocolat, perhaps. At lunch and dinner, simple salads join the lineup, along with a carefully made orzo risotto, rendered rich with pecorino and winter truffles. My dinner companion raved about his roast chicken on a recent evening, buttery soft and served with Delicata squash and a punchy salsa verde. The short ribs — at $26, something of a bargain in my book — also draws plaudits. Launched last April by Matt Gorney, who lives in Eastchester, and his business partner Ryan Hart — the two met while they were both working at Chipotle — this is a first restaurant venture for both of them. The café is already popular with groups (a meeting of ex-pat British moms is in full swing the morning I look in for breakfast), while the quality of the produce and fairness of the pricing means Mason & Rose has started to attract customers from a wider radius. Service is informed and very obliging; a request for a

side order of prosciutto, to be stolen, magpie-style from another dish was brought without demur. To add to the fun, a selection of grocery items are for sale up front in the bar area, Katz’s vinegars, from California (naturally), or raw Sicilian olive oil, for example. The café also sells its own tote bag, along with linen tea towels and a selection of chunky tableware. Not everything in the garden’s Rose-y. Sit too near the door and a wintry blast can assault you. And the acoustics can be a little unsympathetic if a large group is sitting anywhere near. Otherwise Maple & Rose is a boon, a great addition to the somewhat stultified Mamaroneck dining scene. Situated next to the Dip-In car wash, plan it right and you can have your car washed while you enjoy breakfast or a lazy lunch. Then leave with a spring in your step, and head back to your vehicle. “Let me tell you it’s always cool, And the boss don’t mind sometimes if you act the fool.” A great spot and a great lyric. Thank you, Rose Royce. And thank you Maple & Rose. For reservations, visit maplerosecafe.com.

FEBRUARY 2020

Top, The dining room seats about 40 and features custom artwork by local artist, Jenn Lewis, of Harrison; and, above, exterior of Maple & Rose at the Grand Street Lofts in Mamaroneck.

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A NEW CHALLENGE FOR VINTNERS – GLOBAL WARMING STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG PAULDING

WINE & DINE

FOOD & SPIRITS

For many generations, the world of wine was a relatively staid, sedentary and uncreative place with the noteworthy wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rioja, Tuscany, Germany and the Douro River Valley producing the sought-after wines for the world. Most other regions produced wine for local consumption from grapes their grandparents planted and little of it moved far beyond their vines. Beginning around the discovery of the New World and the massive emigration that became the United States and Canada, winemakers travelled here with thoughts of plying their craft and dreams of partnering up or owning a winemaking operation. Croatianborn Mike Grgich (now of Grgich-Hills Winery) found a home in California and went to work. The Concannon and the Wente families both began operations in the late 1800s, along with a few others usually making sacramental or bulk wines for indiscriminate drinking and the kitchen. And so it was for a few more generations until the 1976 “Judgment of Paris” (also the title of a great book by George M. Taber) when a British wine store owner, Steven Spurrier, proposed a blind wine challenge pitting some famous red and white wines of France against some relatively unknown California wines. The rules were established favoring French wines. The tasting was to be in Paris and the judges all were French. No one expected any judging surprises but the American wines took first place in both reds and whites as well as six of the top 10 spots in each category. And it changed the wine world. Fifteen years later, the collapse of the Soviet Union encouraged wine producers to switch from quantity to quality grapes and wine, and many former Soviet bloc and nearby countries began making interesting wines of substance and elegance. Think Turkey, Hungary, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia and many other “new 104

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Spain’s Finca Villacreces winemaker Lluis Miquel Laso Roig is flanked by, from left, Mercedes Vazquez del Olmo, a Finca Villacreces wine tourism advocate, and Patricia Duran from the Ribera del Duero wine route office.

countries.” Many of these countries have an ancient wine history that was crushed by Soviet domination. They are now worthy and many are attractively priced. Grapes have become ubiquitous and now grow in all 50 U.S. states. There is so much information out there, from oenological schools, to libraries of wine books, to the internet, to professionals specializing in terroir who now know which specific geographical setting will support which specific grape for its most colorful expression. And from great grapes comes great wines. Often, remarkably enough, the wines of a region do have a symbiotic effect on the food culture, with the local wines and the regional cuisine complementing one another. Today, we are witnessing another nascent revolution in the industry. Global warming is changing grape growing and winemaking. Many established wine producers are looking northward to continue with the grapes they have grown to love. The Pacific Northwest, including over the border into British Columbia, is being eyed as the new Napa and is producing many lovely wines. Germany, long known as a bastion of white wine production, is now experimenting with growing red grapes, which previously did not ripen up enough in that country’s colder climate. On a recent trip to the Ribera del Duero region in Spain, we

visited one producer, Vinca Villacreces, immediately adjacent to Vega Sicilia, one of Spain’s best red wine producers. Vinca Villacreces makes great oak-aged red wines available at a fraction of the cost of Vega Sicilia and is looking ahead. It has planted an experiment station of many different grape types. The vines are now mature and producing, so Vega Sicilia is vinifying these grapes, oak aging and then bottling them unblended, to see which grapes are the best and most appropriate for the winery’s unique location when global warming inhibits growth of the its Tempranillo and Garnacha. For most fruit growers, global warming just means the bud set time is earlier and the harvest time is sooner and the fruit grows quicker. No big deal. But grapes need hang time on the vine of around 100 days for the grapes to develop elegance and nuance. Fast ripening, valley floor grapes are usually destined for table grapes or uninteresting table wines. This puts grape growers on the leading edge of global warming effects. Worldwide, they are all harvesting earlier. Northern producers often exposed to early or late frosts or hailstorms, each of which can devastate or destroy a crop. Most southerly producers are liking it for now but are thinking ahead a decade or two, tryng to make adjustments for survival. Global warming, left uncorrected or unaddressed the next couple of decades, will be dramatic in the wine world. I have never found climate change deniers in the world of wine, because they are living it and are seeing it in their daily experiences in the vineyard. New and different vineyard pests need to be handled. And some previous pests are now capable of producing an additional generation per year for growers to address. Warm weather molds and mildews can have a profound affect on grape vines, inhibiting bud, leaf and fruit growth. The five years from 2014 to 2018 are the five warmest years ever recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the 139 years NOAA has been recording global temperatures. The year now is 2020. Twenty in French is “vingt,” pronounced very similar to the French word for wine, “vin.” So 2020 is pronounced “vin-vin,” for Wine-Wine. We are at a crossroads for addressing this warming phenom. It’s time to address what everyone knows. Vingt-vingt is the year. For the sake of the world, let us move forward. Write me at doug@dougpaulding.com.

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LOBSTER MOLEE WITH STEAMED BASMATI RICE AND ROASTED CAULIFLOWER (SERVES 4) FOR THE LOBSTER MOLEE

WHAT’S COOKING?

FOOD & SPIRITS

INGREDIENTS: 5-6 lobster tails, shell removed and cut into bite-size pieces 2 tablespoons coriander powder 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 cup diced red onions 2 diced Roma tomatoes 1 1/2 cups coconut milk 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 teaspoons mustard seeds 3 tablespoons coconut oil 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt

HEART WARMER

Photograph by Aditya Menon.

DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat coconut oil in a pan and once hot, add mustard seeds and let the combination sputter. 2. Add red onions and sauté them until reddish brown. 3. Add minced garlic and stir for 20 seconds. 4. Add all spices – turmeric, salt, coriander and pepper – and stir for 30 seconds. 5. Add lemon juice and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes combine well with onions. 6. Check the salt at this point and add more if needed. Stir well to combine. Add lobster pieces and coconut milk. Stir well and then cover the pan. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until lobster is cooked through. Turn off heat and add chopped fresh cilantro leaves and mix well.

BY RAJNI MENON

FOR THE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we’re reminded that the way to a loved one’s heart is often through the stomach. Here’s a dish to warm both – my take on Lobster Molee, a variation on Meen Molee, one of the spicy dishes of south India. “Meen” in Malayalam means “fish.” It’s a curry with lots of green chilies and the juice from the tamarind tree fruit. Mostly seer fish is used for this curry, but any fish or shellfish can be substituted. The tamarind tree produces a podlike fruit with an edible paste inside. This paste is then mixed with water to produce tamarind juice. Adding this to any fish curry gives it a unique and tangy flavor. The fish curry is usually served with hot steamed rice or a lacy rice pancake called “appam.” Here I have substituted tomatoes and lemon juice, which are readily available, for tamarind. I have also changed the recipe so that you can easily try it out at home. Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. For more, visit creativerajni.com.

INGREDIENTS: 2 cups of bite-size cauliflower florets 2 tablespoons ghee 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. In a roasting pan add florets, salt, pepper and melted ghee and toss them to coat well. 3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes uncovered. 4. Serve with steamed basmati rice as directed.

LOVING CARE February, the month of “love,” is the perfect time for seniors and their families to review their living and care options. With that in mind, WAG offers this resource of leading senior living and care opportunities available throughout our region. Acquaint yourself with the professional services that touch on everything from housing needs to social programs, ranging from independent and assisted living facilities, as well as memory-care and skilled nursing options. Angels on Call Home Care 667 Stoneleigh Ave. Building A, Suite 302 Carmel, NY 10512 angelsoncallinc.com 845-628-2255

Brightview - Norwalk 162 New Canaan Ave Norwalk, CT 06850 brightviewseniorliving.com 203-989-4774

Sunrise - Brighton Gardens 59 Roxbury Road Stamford, CT 06902 sunriseseniorliving.com 203-322-2100

The Kensington 100 Maple Ave. White Plains, NY 10601 thekensingtonwhiteplains.com 914-390-0080

Brightview - Tarrytown 581 Old White Plains Road Tarrytown, NY 10591 brightviewseniorliving.com 914-368-6228

Sunrise - Fairfield 1571 Stratfield Road Fairfield, CT 06825 sunriseseniorliving.com 203-583-8005

The Knolls 55 Grasslands Road Valhalla, NY 10595 theknolls.org 914-461-4500

Atria - Briarcliff Manor 1025 Pleasantville Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10512 atriaseniorliving.com 914-401-4400

Broadview 6 International Drive Suite 120 Rye Brook, NY 10573 broadviewseniorliving.org 914-417-4201

Sunrise - Stamford 251 Turn of River Road Stamford, CT 06905 sunriseseniorliving.com 203-916-5409

The Mews 1/2 Bolling Place Greenwich, CT 06830 themewsingreenwich.org 203-869-9448

Atria – Ridgefield 55 Old Quarry Road Ridgefield, CT 06877 atriaseniorliving.com 203-295-4713

Brookdale 96 Danbury Road Wilton, CT 06897 brookdale.com 203-463-2342

Sunrise - Wilton 211 Danbury Road Wilton, CT 06897 sunriseseniorliving.com 203-583-8022

The Osborn 101 Theall Road Rye, NY 10580 914-925-8000 theosborn.org

Atria - Rye Brook 1200 King St. Rye Brook, NY 10573 atriaseniorliving.com 844-575-6149

Drum Hill Senior Living 90 Ringgold St. Peekskill, NY 10566 drumhillseniorliving.com 914-788-8860

Sunrise at Fleetwood 500 N. Columbus Ave. Mount Vernon, NY 10552 sunriseseniorliving.com 914-816-4498

The Residences at Selleck’s Woods 1 Parklands Drive Darien, CT 06820 residenceselleckswoods.com 203-424-2722

Atria - Stamford 77 Third St. Stamford, CT 06905 atriaseniorliving.com 844-627-2889

Five Star Premier Residences 537 Riverdale Ave. Yonkers, NY 10705 fivestarseniorliving.com 914-423-2200

Atria - Woodlands 1017 Saw Mill River Road Ardsley, NY 10502 atriaseniorliving.com 866-464-5748

Inspir 1802 Second Ave. New York, NY 10128 Inspirseniorliving.com 646-978-9040

Atria Darien 50 Ledge Road Darien, CT 06820 atriaseniorliving.com 866-468-7976

Kendal on Hudson 1010 Kendal Way Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 kohud.kendal.org 914-922-1000

Atria on the Hudson 321 N. Highland Ave. Ossining, NY 10562 atriaseniorliving.com 888-495-8982

Jancare 1538 New York Route 52, Suite H Fishkill, NY 12524 jancareprivatehealthservice.com 845-896-5300

Artis Senior Living 553 N. State Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 artisseniorliving.com 914-487-4743

Benchmark - Sturges Ridge of Fairfield 448 Mill Plain Road Fairfield, CT 06824 benchmarkseniorliving.com 203-689-0545 Benchmark at Ridgefield Crossings 640 Danbury Road Ridgefield, CT 06877 benchmarkseniorliving.com 203-872-6819 Braemar at Wallkill 21 Riverside Drive Middletown, NY 10941 braemarliving.com 845-695-5600

Maplewood Senior Living 1 Gorham Island Road Westport, CT 06880 maplewoodseniorliving.com 203-544-2994 The St. Regis Residences, Rye 120 Old Post Rd. Rye, NY 10580 914 305-1882 srresidencesrye.com Steps Home Care 3 Barker Ave. Suite 218 White Plains, NY 10601 stepshomecare.com 855-347-0289

Sunrise of Crestwood 65 Crisfield St. Yonkers, NY.10710 sunriseseniorliving.com 914-816-4485 Tappan Zee Manor 51 Mountainview Ave. Nyack, NY 10960 tzmanor.com 845-353-6100 The Bristal Assisted Living 90 Business Park Drive Armonk, NY 10504 and 305 North St. White Plains, NY 10605 thebristal.com 914-432-8200 The Chelsea at Greenburgh 715 Dobbs Ferry Road White Plains, NY 10607 chelseaseniorliving.com 914-275-0010 The Club at Briarcliff Manor 25 Scarborough Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 914-539-7372 theclubbcm.com The Greens at Cannondale & Wilton Meadows Rehabilitation 435 Danbury Road Wilton, CT 06897 thegreensatcannondale.com 203-761-1191

The Residences 14 Second St. Stamford, CT 06905 residencesummerstreet.com 203-803-4091 United Hebrew 391 Pelham Road New Rochelle, NY 10805 unitedhebrewgeriatric.org 914-632-2804 Visiting Nurse Services Westchester 360 Mamaroneck Ave. White Plains, NY 10605 VNS.org 914-682-1480 Wartburg 1 Wartburg Place Mount Vernon, NY 10552 wartburg.org 914-573-5569 Waveny LifeCare Network 3 Farm Road New Canaan, CT 06840 waveny.org 203-594-5200 Westchester Family Care 1 Depot Plaza Mamaroneck, NY 10543 westchesterfamilycare.com 914-223-8970

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Invented by Haakon A. Larsen, the Booty Builder Adjustable Loop Band in pink. Photograph courtesy of Booty Builder, the original hip thrust machine.

A WORKOUT YOU MUST ‘RESIST’ BY FATIME MURIQI

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A resistance band is one of the most convenient pieces of workout equipment you can own. It’s lightweight and versatile. While there are a bunch of ways to use this popular tool, a resistance band butt workout is an especially great idea for activating your glutes — which basically means getting them ready to work — and for “burnout”-style workouts, during which you’ll do high reps at a lower resistance. Many traditional exercises like squats and lunges can activate other muscles in your body as well, such as the quads. But these bands will have you whipped into shape by bikini season, right in your own home. For more, visit bootybuilder.com.

At The Kensington, we’ll remember what your loved ones are beginning to forget. Introducing the Connections and Haven Neighborhoods… If your mom was an amazing baker who loved yellow lilies or if your Dad was a decorated veteran who started out every day with strong, black coffee, we’ll be sure to know. We will acquaint ourselves with the meaningful details of your loved ones’ lives. Then, when memory fades, we will help them revisit the pleasure of past times, even if only moments. We will care for them-and you-as progressive memory loss occurs. The Kensington’s memory care programs are highly personalized. Two distinctive “neighborhoods” — Connections and Haven — feature support that accommodates residents with different degrees of memory loss. Connections residents are in the early to middle stages of dementias. They can independently engage in activities that give purpose to each day. Haven residents are in the middle to late stages of dementia. They need a higher level of clinical assistance and soothing care that increases comfort and reduces agitation. Here at The Kensington, loving professionals honor the past but “meet residents where they are” now. By making the most of their strengths, they make today as joyful as possible.

100 Maple Avenue • White Plains, NY 10601 • 914-390-0080 www.TheKensingtonWhitePlains.com

A DOC WHO’S ALL HEART

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY PHIL HALL Jeffrey Green, founder of The Heart Center in Stamford.

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Jeffrey Green never intended to be a business owner and never had any formal business management training. But he has gotten to the “heart” of the matter, merging the parallel tracks of entrepreneurship and cardiology at The Heart Center in Stamford, celebrating its second year of operations in April. The Delaware native — who received a B.A. in psychology from American University in Washington, D.C., in 1994 and his M.D. from New York Medical College in Valhalla in 1998 — is in a sense a Bronx guy, completing seven years in his medical and cardiology training at Montefiore Medical Center. There he was both invigorated and challenged by the urban setting. “I love the Bronx,” he says. “In medical training, you’re exposed to a lot no matter where you are. In the Bronx, you’re exposed to everything. I was exposed to things I’ve never seen. We would see people in the Bronx coming in with things like leprosy. I was in the emergency room at Lincoln Hospital and there was a guy with leprosy. There was also Chagas disease and things that are not native to this area. It was more of a melting pot there than it is here, and people were coming in who did not have medical attention since they were young.” While still in training, Green had a girlfriend who lived in Westport and whose father was a cardiologist in Stamford. That girlfriend became his wife and Green became part of her father’s practice.

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“I started out in private practice with my father-in-law, Dr. Richard Landesman,” he says. “He had practiced cardiology for about 35 years. There were three of us, including my brother-inlaw, Dr. Keith Landesman, and we had a nice practice that we built based on good customer service. We started to grow and added a couple of doctors.” In 2011, Stamford Health was in the process of creating a cardiology-focused group and approached Green and the Landesmans about integrating their practice into this new entity. The three men joined the Stamford Health staff in 2011, but seven years later Green began to re-evaluate his professional path. “I had to make a choice on what I wanted to do in my career,” he says. “I realized the first seven years in my practice were more fulfilling and I felt I was more of a doctor than I was while employed in big corporate medicine. So, I decided that I would be better off and my patients would be better off if I went back into private practice.” Still, Green didn’t completely close the door on Stamford Health. “I am still on the hospital staff,” he adds. “I go around the hospital every day. I love the hospital and respect my colleagues there. It is a great place and I think we built a great cardiovascular institute at the hospital. And I am still a part of that but as an independent affiliate rather than as an employee.” Although working with his father-in-law gave Green firsthand knowledge on running a medical practice, being his own boss required input from a startup consultant and a staff to help with accounts and billing. One aspect of his new practice that was an essential was being located at a facility with a large parking lot. “That was the number one thing I was looking for when I was looking for space,” he says. “There is a lot of space in Stamford and the parking is a huge thing. My father-in-law told me that many years ago: If people don’t have parking, they’re not going to want to come back.” Unlike other startups that need to seek out new clients, Green was able to tap into his existing patient base to transfer to The Heart Center. His peers in the medical field also played a key role in his launch “I also talked to a lot of local physicians. Most of my patient base is from people referring patients to me, like primary care doctors and word of mouth. I spoke to these providers and spent a lot of time in their offices telling them what I was planning to do,” he says. “I also made a website and went on Facebook. My social media skills are very poor and my kids are trying to help me with that.” Today, Green has a patient database of more than 1,500, ranging in age from early teens to early centenarians. One key lesson of business that Green learned was not to do the hard sell on potential patients. “Different personalities match with different individuals,” he says. “People come in to interview me, and I have patients who met me once or twice and then went to find another doctor. Most doctors come out of training and they know the medicine and science. But that is the last thing that people are looking for when they are interviewing doctors. When we used to hire in our practice, where they went to school and did their training was at the bottom of the list. We would ask, ‘Is this the kind of person I would trust my patients with?’ Patients need to feel they can call on me at any time.” The Heart Center is at 215 Stillwater Ave. in Stamford. For more, visit heartcenterct.com.

LIVING LONGER, LIVING BETTER: THESE SENIORS HAVE THE RIGHT RECIPE The taste and smell of food can have powerful meaning for seniors. Cooking and eating trigger memories, strengthen connections with others, and provide cognitive and physical stimulation. And that’s a recipe for an enriching activity at United Hebrew of New Rochelle. At United Hebrew’s skilled nursing home, residents chop, slice, and dice ingredients, assist in cooking, and enjoy a communal meal followed by dessert during a monthly cooking club. Taco bar anyone? Vegetable soup? You bet! Led by Udo Schneider, Chef and Director of Food and Nutrition Services, and Carrie Deppong, Director of Therapeutic Recreation, the sessions are, well, sizzling. “Once the smells and sounds of cooking fill the air, everyone comes alive,” says Deppong. “It’s just magical.“ PASTA SPARKS MEMORIES — AND OH, THE SCONES! At United Hebrew’s Willow Towers Assisted Living, Executive Chef David Shakin leads cooking activities. There, residents knead dough for scones, operate the pasta-making machine, and prepare healthy snacks. Cooking sparks conversations about family recipes from the past, best meals ever had, and favorite people to cook for. “Food brings people together; it sparks memories

and starts conversations,” says Shakin, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America. “It helps our seniors reminisce about their past, and it stimulates their senses.” Food is connected with intense emotions and feelings of love, enjoyment, family, and holidays, notes Deppong. “Cooking offers an opportunity for our residents to connect, to get creative, and feel independent.” COOKING UP COMPANIONSHIP Several research studies have shown a strong correlation between social interaction and health and well-being among older adults. Whereas social isolation may have significant adverse effects for older adults, staying socially active has been linked to better cognitive function, good emotional health, better physical health and increased longevity. United Hebrew of New Rochelle designs its activity programs to have an enriching effect on all who participate, according to Rita Mabli, United Hebrew’s President/CEO. “Cooking is just one of the many therapeutic activities offered to seniors in our nursing home, assisted living, and memory care communities,” she notes. “Our residents enjoy an array of recreational, cultural, and social activities, all designed to make life more enjoyable.”

In addition to cooking, residents may partake in music and dance therapy, exercise classes, current events discussions, entertainment, cards, board and “brain” games, live music, art classes, history lectures, book clubs, and much, much more. “We know that the benefits of staying socially active and engaged will last far into the future for our residents,” says Mabli. “Through our activities, residents make friends. They bond. They stay connected to others. That helps them feel a sense of purpose and a true sense of belonging. And that’s our goal.” Learn more about United Hebrew of New Rochelle’s campus! Call 914-632-2804, visit www. uhgc.org, or take a tour at 391 Pelham Road in New Rochelle.

Preserving feisty and independent personalities for over 100 years.

A Campus of Comprehensive Care. Take a Tour Today. Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Willow Towers Assisted Living Willow Gardens Memory Care Certified Home Health Agency Meadow Lane and Soundview Senior Apartments

www.uhgc.org 914-632-2804

HAVE HEART BY JEREMY WAYNE

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There is a drawing of a cat, a rather attractively whiskered cat, on the whiteboard that takes up an entire wall in the administrative office of James Peacock, M.D. in White Plains Hospital, and it says “Meow” as it appears to launch into space. The cat, however, has nothing to do with cardiology, which is Peacock’s specialty. It was drawn by his 10-year-old daughter when she and her 7-year-old sister recently came to the hospital with their dad, and he was tasked with finding them things to do to entertain themselves. He has not had the heart — no pun intended — to erase the drawing, nor his younger daughter’s rocket ship on the far side of the whiteboard. Which is why the drawings remain there, inspired by a trip the family recently made to NASA, nestled among the medical jargon and strategic planning charts relating to Peacock’s working day at the hospital. Specializing in electrophysiology, which is the electrical branch of cardiology, Peacock earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemical sciences at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville-Tennessee, before going on to obtain an advanced master’s degree in patient oriented research from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in Manhattan. Expressed in the vernacular, the guy is no dummy and, judging by his daughters’ precision art, the apples are clearly not falling far from the tree. One thing Peacock’s impressive, if rather dry, résumé won’t tell you however, is that here is an extremely modest man, dedicated to his work and to better health care in the community generally. So, while he valued his position as CMO at NewYork-Presbyterian, where he found himself spending about four-fifths of his time on the administrative side and only 20% practising his beloved electro-physiology, he leapt at the opportunity when he received an offer to come to White Plains Hospital nearly a year ago.

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James Peacock, M.D. Courtesy White Plains Hospital.

“Number one, I had wanted to be a doctor ever since I was 5 years old,” he says. “I just knew that that was my calling. I never wanted to do anything else.” His father was a scientist and with two grandparents both battling lung cancer, he found himself inspired by what he could see physicians were able to do. “I worked a long time to get here. And I was longing to see more patients, even as I was doing this administrative work.” At White Plains Hospital he has been able to do just that, and has “reset his balance,” to see more patients, while cutting down on the administrative side, although that still falls within his remit. He also had a unique opportunity to build an electrophysiology program from the ground up, since no such program existed at the hospital before. Second, the Chappaqua resident saw coming to White Plains as an opportunity to serve his community. Working at White Plains, he says, has a different feel to working in the city. “People (in Westchester) have a sense of community. It really is neighbor treating neighbor. Just talk to the nurses and the rest of the staff that work within the hospital. Most of them live around this area and they feel like I do. They want to treat our community, and that’s a great sense of joy that comes in.” He finds joy, too, in the medical advances of recent decades. “It’s just incredible what we are able to provide now, even compared to 20 years ago.” He tells patients that for their heart health there are a few things that they need to do but it really falls into what he describes as two buckets. “(The first is) things that you do at home — for yourself, and the second is that you have access to good quality health care.” In the first bucket, he explains, are three lifestyle changes we can make at home — no doctor, no specialist necessary. And the first of the three changes, is diet. “I once heard a chef say — and it made a lot of sense to me,

and so I tell it to my patients — that when you go to the grocery store, stay around the perimeter.” The perimeter is where the fruits, the dairy, the meats are, whereas all the stuff in the middle is the processed foods — canned, boxed and salted. And then there is exercise, where the recommendation is for 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. (I gulp as he says this.) Peacock recommends finding something you like doing that’s relatively active, and not to think of it as exercise, and to take time out of your day to do it. “If you enjoy hiking or jogging — there are beautiful parks all around Westchester. There are also beautiful golf courses. And, if you are able, then carry your own bag.” I ask him if walking counts and he says it absolutely does. “Anything which gets you from sitting to moving around is helpful.” And whatever level you’re at, he advises, add some intensity. “In other words, if you’re a light walker, become a fast walker. If you’re a fast walker, start to jog.” He makes it sound easy, and really it is. The last of the lifestyle changes is emotional well-being. “I bring this back to hiking,” he says. “For example, if you’re hiking somewhere beautiful, just take 30 minutes to just be in the moment, to enjoy nature, that’s an important piece as well.” The second bucket is access to great health care, which he says White Plains Hospital offers. But even the roles of the hospital and the doctor/patient relationship are changing as technology steps in to assist, with a whole range of products coming out in terms of what you can do to monitor your heart health unaided. “Apple Watch, Fitbit, activity trackers — if you look at the money spent on these consumer products, there is an appetite for people to want to do these things,” Peacock says. You can now get an EKG on a consumer device, while, under the care of a cardiologist, you can have your heart monitored 24/7, without going near a doctor’s office. From a drawer, Peacock takes out a tiny object, half the size of a memory stick. Implanted in the patient’s chest, the Linq device records data from the heart continuously, immediately flagging any abnormalities requiring expeditious attention as well as sending a daily report to the physician via a monitoring center. Progress indeed, these devices improve quality of life as well as saving lives. I’ll drink to that, I think, as I pop the stick — a parting gift from Peacock — in to my pocket, although “drink” is probably not wholly appropriate to the situation. On refection, I’ll take a 30-minute walk instead. For more, visit wphospital.org.

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THE MISUNDERSTOOD DISEASE BY SMRITI DESHMUKH, M.D. The statistics are staggering: According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. And heart disease and stroke cause one in three deaths among women each year — more than all cancers combined. Yet heart disease continues to be considered a “mostly male health issue.” Because of this misconception, women who are experiencing signs of a heart attack often don’t seek the immediate, life-saving care they need. In fact, it is common for women to wait more than six hours after first feeling the symptoms of a heart attack before going to the ER. Often, they believe they are experiencing nonlife-threatening conditions like acid reflux, the flu or normal aging. Every February, the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” initiative helps raise awareness of women’s heart health. This initiative is a great catalyst for women to make heart health a priority. As a cardiologist, I’d encourage women to think about their heart health, and the heart health of the women they love, as the actions you take now could save your life.

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS

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We’ve all seen the crushing left-sided chest pain of a heart attack that’s dramatized on TV. It’s important to know, though, that women don’t experience heart attack symptoms the same way men do. Women can feel chest pain, but more often will feel a little chest tightness or some weakness, shortness of breath or pain anywhere in the upper body, like the back of the neck or jaw. Indeed, chest pain is absent in 43% of women having a heart attack. Women, particularly older diabetic women, tend to have more vague symptoms that make it difficult to tell what exactly is going on. These symptoms could be as common as

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weakness or fatigue. This is a primary reason why women delay seeking treatment or calling 911 and why there is sometimes a delay in doing an EKG or cardiology consultation for women. It is important for women to know the signs and to seek help immediately for any troubling symptoms.

GET SCREENED As women, we know to schedule regular mammograms, but we continue to lag behind men in getting screened for heart disease. According to the AHA, almost two-thirds (64%) of women who die suddenly from coronary heart disease exhibit no previous symptoms. This is why physicians and cardiologists stress the importance of regular cardiac screening for women.

LOWER YOUR RISK Lifestyle changes can profoundly affect heart health in women. According to the AHA, nearly 80% of cardiac events can be prevented, yet cardiovascular diseases continue to be a woman’s greatest health threat. To help combat this threat, the following recommendations should be considered: • Get moving: We recommend 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week— that’s 30 minutes, five days a week. Anything that gets you moving counts, so walk, take the stairs or park far away and walk to the store. Then, as your body is able to accept a higher level of activity, move more. Exercise also helps with stress. • Avoid sitting for long periods: A sedentary lifestyle is dangerous for overall health. If you’re sitting at your desk all day, set a timer every hour as a reminder to get up and get moving. • Adjust your diet: When you start exercising, the endorphin release will make you motivated to make better food choices. Avoid processed foods and stick to natural, whole foods. We recommend a Mediterranean diet for optimal heart health. • Get annual checkups: Regular checkups should start at age 40 or sooner if you have a family history

Smriti Deshmukh, M.D. Courtesy White Plains Hospital.

of diseases. Once you know your numbers, your doctor can better guide you on how to reduce your chances of having a heart attack. • Stop smoking: According to the AHA, smoking increases the risk of heart disease and stroke by two to four times. Also, women who smoke have a 25% higher risk of developing heart disease as compared to men who smoke. Discuss a smoking cessation plan with your doctor and kick the smoking habit. While it’s frightening to know that someone dies of a heart attack every 42 seconds, this statistic is something our team of highly skilled cardiologists and heart health specialists are working hard to reverse. Relying on evidencebased research, and using the most advanced equipment and techniques, we are able to provide world-class cardiovascular care to women and men here in Westchester County, without them having to go too far from home. Make February your month to get heart healthy. Know the symptoms of heart disease, get screened and practice prevention. As women, we’re so used to taking care of others, but this month, let’s commit to taking better care of ourselves. Smriti Deshmukh, M.D., is the director of echocardiography at White Plains Hospital and is board certified in cardiology, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. Contact her at 914849-7180.

HOW TO HAVE A YUMMY TUMMY BY CONSTANCE M. CHEN, M.D.

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In an era of “selfies” and social media postings, many people are self-conscious about appearance — a major reason why bodycontouring procedures are becoming more popular. The best way to improve abdominal shape is via diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle. However, patients who are still unhappy with the shape of their abdomen despite already being at or near their ideal body weight can consult with an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon. He or she can help patients determine whether procedures such as a tummy tuck, liposuction or a combination may be able to help enhance their appearance. Liposuction is designed for removal of excess fat deposits and is most successfully performed on young fit patients with good skin elasticity. It can also be a useful adjunct to help finesse results of other body contouring procedures by smoothing out and sculpting targeted areas to look more naturally proportionate. For patients with excess skin or stretch marks, however, a more extensive surgical procedure, such as an abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck, will most likely be needed. Stretch marks are a sign that the dermis has been damaged and the skin has lost its elasticity in that area. Exercise cannot force the skin to revert to its original shape. Many people increase in abdominal girth as they age. In particular, the abdomen of a pregnant woman stretches enormously to accommodate a growing new life. If the skin is overstretched, it cannot snap back to its original form. Since liposuction does not involve removing skin, a patient

Alexandros of Antioch’s Aphrodite of Melos, otherwise known as the Venus de Milo (130-100 B.C.) marble. Musée du Louvre. She offers a standard of beauty that includes a flat but shapely torso. 116

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who has saggy skin and undergoes abdominal liposuction will not achieve an optimal cosmetic result. In fact, the procedure may only make the area look worse. An abdominoplasty not only removes unneeded skin, it can smooth the tummy “bulge” that develops in some patients, primarily women, by correcting and tightening abdominal muscles that have thinned, separated and weakened — a condition called rectus diastasis. This makes it difficult for a patient to lift objects and may cause lower back pain, weakened pelvic alignment and altered posture. A study published in a 2018 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reinforces the idea that abdominoplasty is not simply cosmetic. According to the study’s authors, tummy-tuck surgery with abdominal-muscle repair can reduce back pain and urinary incontinence in women after their child-bearing years. Meanwhile, earlier studies tout the benefits of lipoabdominoplasty — a combination of tummy tuck and liposuction — to enhance cosmetic results and minimize surgical trauma to tissues. With lipoabdominoplasty, surgeons perform both abdominoplasty and liposuction to eliminate loose skin and excess fat deposits. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports tummy tucks are among the top five cosmetic surgical procedures in the United States, with more than 130,000 of them performed in 2018. Liposuction procedures exceed 250,500, but this total includes removal of fat from areas of the body other than just abdomen, such as hips, thighs, buttocks and neck. But, back to “selfies.” Not only does the right surgical approach improve personal appearance and correct physical problems. For some people it can also offer psychological benefits, including enhanced self-image, self-esteem and perceived quality of life. In the August 2019 issue of the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, a study of 38 patients who had undergone aesthetic liposuction found improved emotional stability, reduced anxiety and higher satisfaction with their life and general state of health when compared to their preoperative state. Sometimes, patients practice healthier lifestyles following a tummy tuck or a liposuction because they want to maintain their new “look” by avoiding future weight gain. To those who are potential candidates for cosmetic surgery, I offer these tips: • Don’t consider cosmetic surgery as an alternative to exercise and healthy eating for weight reduction. • Understand the risks, including infection and permanent scarring, associated with any surgical procedure. • Know that cosmetic surgery like liposuction can permanently eliminate fat deposits from targeted areas but not stop one’s ability overall to gain weight. • Delay a tummy tuck if another pregnancy is possible in your future. Whether liposuction, tummy tuck or both, the end goal is to feel good about what you see when looking in a mirror. Ultimately, however, surgery is limited in what it can accomplish. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the key to both inner and outer beauty. Constance M. Chen, M.D., is a New York City-based, boardcertified plastic surgeon with expertise in the use of innovative natural techniques to optimize medical and cosmetic outcomes for women undergoing breast reconstruction. She operates out of Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and is clinical assistant professor of surgery (plastic surgery) at Weill Cornell Medical College and clinical assistant professor of surgery (plastic surgery) at Tulane University School of Medicine. For more, visit constancemchenmd.com.

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Unlike many other "diet plans", this is NOT a set of "rules" or a "one-size-fits-all" prescription. In fact, it's not a prescription at all. It's a set of principles about how and why nutritional choices work. Principles such as: • Progressively building habits over a long period of time to promote confidence and long-term sustainability. • Monitoring progress and adjusting behaviors as needed. • Building consistency and repeatable systems for making good choices. • Helping bodies function and perform their best, approaching change holistically; looking at all sides of a problem.

Nationally certified and recognized fitness trainer and Precision Nutrition coach. • Mention this WAG Magazine ad and receive 20% OFF the program. As a thank you, veterans receive 50% OFF. • Daily nutritional habits and reminders guide you through your transformation. • Workouts come complete with videos and modifications specific to the individual. • At the end of the program, if not completely satisfied, you will receive a full refund. Visit www.GiovanniRoselli.com for more info or contact him directly at Gio@GiovanniRoselli.com.

BEING ‘BEST’ BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI

Anthony Renna cut his teeth in the fitness industry at Equinox in Scarsdale many years ago. He later went on to develop one of the country’s first facilities dedicated to golf fitness, Five Iron Fitness, back in 2008 in White Plains. With the success of this business, another business blossomed — an educational platform to help those in the fitness industry. Most recently, his book, “Be Like the Best — A Guide to Reaching the Top of the Fitness Profession,” debuted. Anthony chose 50 top fitness professionals from across the country to provide their insight on how to succeed in the industry. I was fortunate enough to be on the list. I recently sat down with Anthony to discuss the book:

HEALTH & FITNESS

What inspired you to write “Be Like the Best”? “Being in the fitness profession for 15 years and witnessing so many trainers come and go really bothered me. The industry was losing so many amazing people who do so much to help people change their lives. According to some of the industry research, there is a 40% turnover rate in the first year. Trainers are well-intentioned but because of the nature of the profession (long hours, split shifts and low pay), being a trainer can lead to burnout. But it’s not only the profession’s fault. Too many people are drifting without any clear path or vision about their future. That’s like driving to somewhere across country without a GPS. You just drive around and hope you run into your destination. That’s not the best plan. A few years back, I made it my mission to help fitness professionals achieve success and make an impact in the world.’Be Like the Best’ is one way that I am helping them get on that path.”

WELL

Were there any common themes among the people you featured? “First, the best of the best have a clear vision of where they are going, the impact they want to make and the legacy they want to leave. It’s their ‘life roadmap’ and it’s one of the things that separate them from the pack. Second, they all had some kind of a goal-setting process — as informal as just writing them down and not even looking at them to really a formal process of setting, reviewing and adjusting. This is more of their ‘daily roadmap.’ Third, they all understand the impact that they are making on people’s lives. Part of the problem with average trainers is that they really don’t see how important they can be in someone’s life. We all want to live with purpose. Understanding that impact is a game changer. The last one is that they all worked their butts off to get where they are. There are no shortcuts.”

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Giovanni Roselli and Anthony Renna. Courtesy Roselli Health & Fitness.

What would be your advice to fitness enthusiasts based on the book? “Set specific goals quarterly that will challenge you. Don’t just say, ‘I want to lose weight.’ It has to be specific and challenging. It should read, ‘I will lose 10 pounds and 5 body-fat percentage points by March 31.’ It has to be a little out of your reach to make it exciting. Make a list of three to five reasons why you want to achieve the goal and put it somewhere you will see it frequently. This will help you get through the tough times. Celebrate when you get there. When you set the goal, plan the celebration. ‘I will celebrate by going to my favorite restaurant.’ Make it something you really want and don’t reward yourself if you don’t make it. Save it for the next goal but don’t beat yourself up over it if you don’t achieve it.” What would be your advice to people in any field based on the book? “My advice for people in any industry is to be intentional about the process of designing your life. I love the Abe Lincoln quote, ‘The best way to predict the future is to create it.’ If you start to figure out and write down what you want your legacy in life to be, what you want your life to look like and what your core values are, it will lead to developing goals that will put you on a path to the life you want to live. There’s a famous 1979 Harvard MBA study on goal setting that when asked ‘Have you set written goals and created a plan for their attainment?’ only 3% of the class had both written goals and concrete plans. Ten years later, that 3% was making 10 times as much as the rest of the class. Get a notebook or planner and write it all down and review it constantly. It’s why I developed a workbook as a companion guide to ‘Be Like the Best.’ It’s that important.” For more information on Anthony and his book, visit continuefit.com. Reach Giovanni on Twitter @GiovanniRoselli and at his website, GiovanniRoselli.com.

CELEBRATING LIFE, LOVE, & THE POWER OF FLOWERS SINCE 1925 4th Generation, Locally Grown & Locally Owned

www.BlossomFlower.com 914.304.5376

PET OF THE MONTH

PET CARE

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EYE OF THE STORM(I) PHOTOGRAPH BY SEBASTIĂ N FLORES

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Her coloring suggests a storm cloud ready to burst. But this Stormi is a real social butterfly, with butterfly ears to match. The 3-month-old Australian Shepherd/Wire Terrier mix was rescued from a high-kill shelter, along with her siblings. She is a uniquelooking pup and those big ears just make you smile. Stormi loves playing with her toys and being around people. She is energetic, so an active person or family would be ideal. Stormi is such a great pup, though, that whoever adopts her is going to get a wonderful new best friend. To meet Stormi, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor. Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. 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.

A Floral Workshop Series: Bring home a beautiful, sustainable arrangement created by YOU! Enjoy evenings of conservation discussion over wine, appetizers and floral design sessions at Westmoreland Sanctuary.

We d n e s d a y, M a r c h 1 1 , 2 0 2 0 “ Early Spring Color ”

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We d n e s d a y, D e c e m b e r 9 , 2 0 2 0 “ Re-Imagined Wreaths ”

S p e c i a l E v e n t s T BA

Workshop Location: 260 Chestnut Ridge Rd. Mount Kisco, NY 10549 Phone: (914) 666-8448

To register, please visit www.westmorelandsanctuary.org Special thanks to our sponsors:

FEBRUARY 2020

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FOR LOVE OF ANIMALS AND COMMUNITY BY ROBIN COSTELLO

PET PORTRAITS

PET CARE

The SPCA of Westchester has been going through growing pains of late. This altruistic organization, one of the oldest humane societies in our country, has been located on the same 3-acre site at 590 N. State St. in Briarcliff Manor since its inception in 1883. The no-kill shelter cares for more than 4,000 animals each year. However, it has been operating in buildings that date from the 1960s. For decades, the shelter has concentrated its resources directly on animal care, leaving less for the upkeep of the deteriorating site. The dedicated staff and more than 400 volunteers work 365 days a year to keep the operation and facilities going. Undeniably, they have done so much with so little for so many for far too long. The time has come for them to create a new home, a haven for all the animals that pass through their doors. For the past few years, they have been dreaming, planning and fundraising for a new state-of-the-art animal care campus. Architects have drawn up plans for a beautiful, efficient new 27,000-square- foot facility (within the current footprint) that will be a warm, welcoming place for both two- and four-legged visitors. A new SPCA will provide for modern, comfortable habitats for the dogs and cats, indoor meet-and-greet areas for potential adopters, a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic, training and humane education centers and much more, as outlined below: Some of the plans include: • Nearly double the space in usable square footage, thereby significantly increasing the number of animals that can be rescued; • 77 indoor dog habitats for increased comfort, as most dogs are currently kept outside; • Outdoor day pens for dogs’ enrichment and exercise; • Space for 97 cats and kittens with 4-story “kitty condos” and a kitten nursery; • Five cage-free “cattery” areas to replicate home-like environments; • Six meet-and-greet rooms for the public to interact with dogs and cats, to promote bonding and adoption; • “Cat and Dog-of-the-Day” areas to spotlight special pets up for adoption; • Special room for exotic animals; • Increased holding and communal areas for humane law enforcement animal seizures; • A veterinary hospital with two exam rooms, a modern surgical suite, X-ray room for treating injured animals and a comfortable waiting room to make pets feel at ease; • Increased isolation areas to help pets heal faster; • A grooming room; • A large multipurpose room to allow for indoor dog playgroups and training classes; • A special space for meetings, workshops, education and training sessions;

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Photographs courtesy SPCA of Westchester, which works with WAG’s Pet of the Month.

• Classrooms for visiting school children participating in humane education presentations; and • Dedicated indoor space for the popular Camp Critter children’s day camp. With a new building, the SPCA will be able to do more for the community — not just for the animals that get saved and adopted there. To date, the SPCA has raised more than $8 million, through the generous support of friends in Westchester County and beyond with its Animal Resource Restore Rebuild Capital Campaign. However, in order to break ground on construction, an additional $1.1 million dollars is needed. We don’t need to tell you that the SPCA is carrying on not only the work of animals but of two great humanitarians. It was Martin Luther King Jr. who said, “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake.” And Mahatma Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” For more, visit spca914.org.

I FEEL SO POWERLESS. WE HAVE TO WATCH HER EVERY MINUTE. I FEEL SO POWERLESS. FAMILY AND FRIENDS STOPPED COMING AROUND. WE HAVE TO WATCH HER EVERY MINUTE. HE KEEPS SAYING: “THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH ME.” FAMILY AND FRIENDS STOPPED COMING AROUND. IT’S DESTROYING OUR FAMILY. HE KEEPS SAYING: “THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH ME.” I FEEL SO GUILTY WE HAVE TO MOVE HER INTO A HOME. IT’S DESTROYING OUR FAMILY. SOSO HARD TO WE CARE FOR IIT’S FEEL GUILTY HAVE TOSOMEONE MOVE HERWHO’S INTO A MEAN HOME.TO YOU. HE HIDES THINGS ALLFOR THESOMEONE TIME. IT’S SO HARD TO CARE WHO’S MEAN TO YOU. I’M HIDES GRIEVING THEALL LOSS SOMEONE WHO’S STILL ALIVE. HE THINGS THEOF TIME. WEGRIEVING DON’T EVEN WHERE TO START. I’M THEKNOW LOSS OF SOMEONE WHO’S STILL ALIVE.

LIVING WITH FTD IS HARD. LIVING FTD IS HARD. LIVINGWITH WITHOUT HELP IS HARDER. WE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START.

LIVING WITHOUT HELP IS WHO HARDER. THERE’S COMFORT IN FINDING OTHERS UNDERSTAND. THERE’S COMFORT WHOIT. UNDERSTAND. WE FINALLY FOUNDINAFINDING DOCTOROTHERS WHO GETS WE FINALLY FOUND A DOCTOR GETS IT. I GOT SO MUCH ADVICE FROMWHO OTHER CAREGIVERS. IUNDERSTANDING GOT SO MUCH ADVICE FROM OTHER CAREGIVERS. MORE HELPS ME DEAL WITH HER SYMPTOMS. UNDERSTANDING MOREMADE HELPSITME DEAL WITH HER SYMPTOMS. SEEING THAT OTHERS THROUGH, I KNEW I COULD TOO. SEEING THATHIM OTHERS MADE IT THROUGH, I KNEW I COULD TOO. WE HONOR BY ADVOCATING FOR A CURE. WE HONOR HIM BY ADVOCATING FOR A CURE. NOW I’M BETTER AT ASKING FOR HELP. NOW I’M BETTER AT ASKING FOR HELP. NO MATTER HOW BAD IT GETS, WE KNOW WE’RE NOT ALONE. NO MATTER HOW BAD IT GETS, WE KNOW WE’RE NOT ALONE. It can feel so isolating and confusing from the start: Just getting a diagnosis of FTD takes 3.6 years on average. Butand no confusing family facing should ever haveato face it alone, with It can feel so isolating fromFTD the start: Just getting diagnosis of FTDand takes 3.6your help, we’re working make sure thatFTD no one does. years on average. Buttono family facing should ever have to face it alone, and with your help, we’re working to make sure that no one does. The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) is dedicated to a world without

The for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) dedicated to today. a worldChoose without to FTD,Association and to providing help and support for those living withisthis disease FTD, and to providing help and support for those living with this disease today. Choose to bring hope to our families: www.theAFTD.org/learnmore bring hope to our families: www.theAFTD.org/learnmore

WAG

WHERE & WHEN

Feb. 1 through 15 Arc Stages presents Rajiv Joseph’s “Animals Out of Paper,” a comedic, poignant play about the collision of mismatched people and the complicated ways people hurt, heal and love. When a world-renowned origami artist opens her studio to a teenage prodigy and his teacher, she discovers that life and love can't be arranged neatly. Times vary, 47 Wheeler Ave., Pleasantville; 914-747-6206, arcstages. org.

Feb. 1 through March 22 “Good Morning” is an exhibition of one-of-akind handmade coffee- and tea-inspired vessels. This is the first of four themed exhibitions for 2020 that will explore the meaning of family and the elements that make a home. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays, Clay Art Center, 40 Beech St., Port Chester; 914-937-2047, clayartcenter.org.

Feb. 1 Irvington Town Hall Theater presents the inaugural Irvington Folk Festival. The festival will offer performances by internationally touring and emerging artists, including The Dustbowl Revival, Joe Crookston, Nora Brown and more. This event will also include special VIP workshops and Q&A sessions. 7 to 11 p.m., 85 Main St.; 914-591-6602, irvingtontheater.com. Join curator Michelle Black Smith of the exhibit, “We Are Artists Everyone: the Bridgeport Art Center in Action, 1970-1986,” for a tour and discussion of the art center and its role in the National Black Arts Movement. 11 a.m., Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library, 925 Broad St.; 203-576-7400, bridgeportpubliclibrary.org. Following a five-month construction project, the Bruce Museum is reopening its newly expanded main art gallery with a major international exhibition, “On the Edge of the World: Masterworks by Laurits Andersen Ring from SMK — the National Gallery of Denmark,” on view through May 24. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays-Sundays, One Museum Drive, Greenwich; 203-869-0376, brucemuseum.org.

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“At the French Windows. The Artist’s Wife,” (1897), from “On the Edge of the World: Masterworks by Laurits Andersen Ring from SMK – the National Gallery of Denmark,” opening Feb. 1 at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich.

Feb. 2 Yonkers Philharmonic presents the sixth annual Beethoven Festival. Chin Kim will open the concert with a performance of Beethoven’s only Violin Concerto. 3 p.m., Saunders Trade High School, 183 Palmer Road, Yonkers; 571310-7060.

Feb. 3 Hear Reginald Dwayne Betts — poet, essayist, national spokesperson for the Campaign for Youth Justice and author of “Felon,” a collection of poems — speak about the effects of mass incarceration on American society. 6:30 p.m., Ferguson Library Main Branch, 1 Public Library Plaza, Stamford; 203 351-8231, fergusonlibrary.org.

“Frederick Douglass: An American Slave,” a oneman play about one of the prominent leaders of the abolitionist movement, features Bridgeport native Tenisi Davis. The performances are followed by a Q&A with Davis, author Daniel S. Campagna, director Maureen Hamill, historian Christine Kinealy, and collector of slave artifacts Craig Kelly. 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., The Klein Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport; 800-424-0160, theklein.org.

Feb. 6 and 7

Feb. 6

A multidisciplinary artist, Mélanie Demers founded her dance company, MAYDAY, in 2007 in Montreal to explore the link between the poetic and the political. A 2019-20 Quick Center artist in residence, she presents “Animal Triste,” her examination of the human condition in four chapters with four dancers. 8 p.m., Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield. University, 1073 N. Benson Road; 203254-4010; quickcenter.fairfield.edu

The Greenwich Art Society offers an opening reception for “The Nude Figure as Abstract Composition,” recent paintings by Nancy W. McFarland that explore “the magnificent geometry, design, surface texture, varying light dynamics and surprise abstract shapes” of the human body. 6 p.m., 299 Greenwich Ave.; 203629-1533, greenwichartsociety.org.

Axial Theatre presents its sixth annual Twisted Valentines Festival, featuring eight one-act plays that examine joy, despair, love and everything in-between. Times vary, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Pleasantville; 914-286-7680, axialtheatre.org.

Feb. 7 through 16

Experience Something Real TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW

MARCH 1 The Very Hungry Caterpillar 6 It Gets Better 14 CMS of Lincoln Center 14 Ballet Folclórico Nacional de México 15 A Cappella Live! 20 Mariachi Los Camperos 22 Treehouse Shakers: The Boy Who Grew Flowers 27 Black Violin 28 Doug Varone and Dancers APRIL 18 RUBBERBAND: Ever So Slightly 19 Westchester Philharmonic 25 CMS of Lincoln Center MAY 2 Gravity and Other Myths: A Simple Space 5 Tania Pérez-Salas Compañía de Danza

914.251.6200 www.artscenter.org LUCILLE WERLINICH, Chair of Purchase College Foundation

FEBRUARY 8 Orpheus Chamber Orchestra 8 Villalobos Brothers 9 Westchester Philharmonic 14 Paul Taylor Dance Company 15 The Manhattan Transfer 23 MUMMENSCHANZ: you & me 28 Air Play

Feb. 13 Poet Jericho Brown, a Guggenheim Fellow and American Book Award winner, holds a poetry masterclass workshop in the afternoon and a reading, discussion and book signing of his latest book, “Tradition,” in the evening. Masterclass 1 p.m., Reading 7 p.m., Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main St., Ridgefield 203-438-4519, shop.aldrichart.org

Feb. 14 Tarrytown Music Hall presents “Chopin, Champagne and Chocolate,” a Valentine’s Day celebration with Carnegie Hall pianist Katya Grineva and cellist Byron Duckwall, who will perform romantic pieces by Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy. 7 p.m., 13 Main St., 914-631-3390, tarrytownmusichall.org.

Cellist Matt Haimovitz performs Feb. 29 at MoCA Westport.

Feb. 8 The Hudson River Museum presents a spoken word workshop in honor of Black History Month. Yonkers-based poet Marcus John will perform with instrumentation. Audiences will also create their own compositions that celebrate prominent African-Americans in U.S. history. The event will be followed by a book signing. 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., 511 Warburton Ave., Yonkers; hrm.org. The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College will host The Villalobos Brothers for a performance of contemporary Mexican music. The trio’s original compositions blend elements of jazz, rock, classical music and Mexican folk to deliver a message of love, brotherhood and social justice. 8 p.m., 735 Anderson Hill Road; 914-251-6200, artscenter.org.

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with New Paradigm Theatre, presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” in concert, in an adaptation created by David Ives for the 2006 Carnegie Hall benefit performance. Includes pre-concert and intermission receptions. 7:30 p.m., Norwalk Concert Hall, 125 East Ave.; 203-956-6771, norwalksymphony.org.

Feb. 9 New Rochelle Public Library will celebrate African-American music roots with a screening of two documentaries. “The Last of the First” is a film that chronicles the last of the first generation of Swing musicians performing in the U.S. “Say Amen, Somebody” is a documentary that explores 20th-century American gospel music. 1:15 to 4:30 p.m., 1 Library Plaza, New Rochelle; 914-632-7878, nrpl.org.

Feb. 11 Called the best singing band in the world by late Eagles founder Glenn Frey, Little River Band, above, enjoyed huge chart successes through the 1970s and ’80s with songs such as “Reminiscing,” “Lady” and “Lonesome Loser.” 8 p.m., Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford; 203-325-4466, palacestamford.org.

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Join the fun at the Bedford Playhouse for the “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” Quote-Along. The cult classic Monty Python film is February’s installment for “Laugh Out Loud” (and “quote” out loud!) — a new monthly series featuring some of the funniest cult and fan-favorite comedies of the 1970’s, ’80s and ’90s. 7:30 pm., 633 Old Post Road; 914-234-6704; bedfordplayhouse.org.

Songwriter David Friedman shares stories from his latest book, "How They Met: True Stories of the Power of Serendipity in Finding Lasting Love,” along with his music, performed by Broadway and cabaret performers Corinne Broadbent, Mary McNulty, Kenneth Gartman and Ben Roseberry with David Friedman at the piano. 8 p.m., B.J. Ryan’s Magnolia Room, 57 Main St., Norwalk; 203-864-6964, bjryansmagnoliaroom.com.

Feb. 22 and 23 The Stamford Symphony Orchestra toasts Beethoven on his 250th Birthday year with a performance of The “Coriolan” Overture, the Violin Concerto, with soloist Pamela Frank, and Symphony No. 7. Michael Stern, music director designate, returns to lead the orchestra. Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m., Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St.; 203-325-1407, stamfordsymphony.org.

Feb. 29 ArtsWestchester presents “Performing Families,” an evening of music, dance and conversation. In celebration of Black History Month, the event will feature four family ensembles that will perform and discuss the meaning of kinship, tradition and the arts. 7 to 9:30 p.m., 31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains; 914-428-4220, artsw.org. Cellist Matt Haimovitz performs at 8 p.m., MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike; 203-222-7070, mocawestport.org.

Presented by ArtsWestchester (artswestchester.org) and The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County(culturalalliancefc.org/FCBuzz-events).

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WATCH

HSS SOIRÉE

The Hospital for Special Surgery hosted its annual autumn benefit at Guastavino’s in Manhattan to celebrate excellence in medical education. The event, attended by more than 400, recognized Dr. Matthew M. Roberts, with the Nancy Bischoff Mentor Award; Dr. Samuel A. Taylor, with the Richard S. Laskin. Young Attending Award; and Dr. David S. Wellman, with the Philip D. Wilson Jr., Teaching Award. Photographs by Don Pollard and Ryan Brown. Dr. Bryan Kelly, Chris Kreider and Louis Shapiro Dr. Andrew Pearle, Robert Yaffa, Tammi Schneider and Katherine Pearle Dr. Andrew Grose and Gina Lamparella Miriam and Dr. Roger Widmann Dr. David Altchek Bill Cowher, Veronica Stigeler, Dr. Edwin Su and Dr. Karen Su Dana Ranawat, Sandra Kozlowski, Anne Altchek, Lois Kelly and Andrea Ranawat Dr. Samuel Taylor, Dr. Matthew Roberts, and Dr. David Wellman Dr. Danyal Nawabi and Sanam Lakhani Dr. Karen Sutton, Gregg Wysocki, Dr. Andrew Sama and Liza Sama Drs. Harvinder Sandhu, Steven Haas, and David Wellman Drs. Sravisht Iyer and Steven McAnany

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WATCH

NOT-SO-SECRET SANTAS Connecticut Trailers & Powersports and Bolton Motors, both located in Bolton, shared the warmth of the holidays with local families in need by donating a trailer full of winter clothing and toys. The two businesses partnered with their local state police department to host the fifth annual “Stuff A Trailer” charity winter clothing and toy collection. More than 55 coats, along with hundreds of toys and other clothin,g were donated just in time for the troopers to distribute the donations to local families in need and to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center before the holidays.

Sebastian Nesci and Gary Bergeron

‘TASTE’FULLY DONE The Arc Westchester Foundation raised more than $440,000 at its 16th annual “A Matter of Taste” fundraiser. Some 400 guests attended the event, which was held at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. The evening featured food and drink from more than 20 culinary and beverage participants from around Westchester County. This year’s event celebrated the organization's 70th anniversary of providing innovative programs and supports to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Courtesy Eric Vitale Photography.

Ruedi Laager and Nancy Patota Cynthia Ferguson and Anne Nehrbauer Tibi Guzmán, Elaine Masket and Daniel Molino The Kurzer family

AND THEY’RE OFF Participants in the Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator Program were among those attending an orientation session as they begin a prestigious six-month training and mentorship program for aspiring entrepreneurs in life sciences and health care technology fields. The event, held in Manhattan Dec. 16, included a presentation by the program director Mary Howard and remarks by Westchester County Office of Economic Development director Bridget Gibbons.

Mousa Ahmadi, Parsa Mirhaji, Deborah Novick, Mary Howard, Bridget Gibbons, Katya Sverdlov, Eugenia Steingold and Jeanette Mahoney

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Our WAG-savvy sales team will assist you in optimizing your message to captivate and capture your audience. Contact them at 914-358-0746.

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ANNE JORDAN DUFFY

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WE WONDER: DOES LOVE HAVE ITS LIMITS?

Hannah Goldstone

Keona Shepard assistant teacher Stamford resident

engineering industrial lead Stamford resident

Warda Hasin

Jason Samuel

Sarah Weissmann

“Yes, love has its limits. Love has so many meanings and one has to define their own meaning of love. I think love is based on trust and compromise and that can have limits.”

“Love has no limits. It’s the only thing that cannot be determined by boundaries. The only thing that matters is that you LOVE yourself because sometimes we don’t love ourselves enough.”

“Love does have limits; it goes only as far as you can go for yourself. Knowing the limit to love is honoring your boundaries and your inner-self.”

“When there’s someone or something you love so much, but it causes you pain at certain points, you must let it go. Love does have its limits.”

“I think love only has limits if you create them. Love is a word that can take on so many meanings and each person experiences it differently.”

Liza Fahey

Nick Santora

inclusion camp director Stamford resident

136

day camp director Stamford resident

assistant camp director Stamford resident

student Stamford resident

student Mount Kisco resident

team manager at Keller Williams White Plains resident

Shelly Sideman

Camilla Gonzalez

Mark Speranza

“Love is something that everyone wants to experience but I think that it does have its limits. Love is not necessarily the determining factor in relationships and it’s up to you to find out what your limits are, but the most important thing is to learn to love yourself.”

“I think I would say that there’s a sense of maturity and responsibility that comes with being in love and really loving someone means that you root for them even when your limits are tested. In other words, people have their limits regarding what is acceptable and what is not in a loving relationship, but love blurs those boundaries and people are more willing to forgive because of it.”

“There is no real limit to the power of love. Love is what can drive a single parent with three kids to be able to put food on the table, pay bills and try to provide a better life for his or her family. A seemingly impossible task becomes a ‘no matter what’ when love is in the mix.”

“The simple answer is YES. If you are experiencing genuine, healthy, authentic love not only with a spouse, your friends, but most importantly yourself, then limits to protect your peace, your soul and your surroundings have to be created and expressed. Without limits, unhealthy habits and acceptance of others’ wrongdoings become a norm creating an imbalance in your own personal growth. If you don’t create the boundaries that are needed in order to experience love, toxic love becomes all you know.”

“While love does have its limits — those limits can be exceeding broad. On only a second date I agreed to consider changing my religion to match that of my date. Sounds crazy? Perhaps- but I made a gut decision... In May 2020 we celebrate 30 years of marriage and I made the right decision by believing in love and following my heart.”

WAGMAG.COM

FEBRUARY 2020

director of operations Bronx resident

marketing director Edgemont resident

WAG Magazine February 2020

Articles inside

For love of animals and community

Have heart

Upcoming events

Heart warmer

A doc who’s all heart

Nautical tokens of love

Highbrow

Lip service

Backcountry grandeur

Clip art

An artist’s eye

In the moment

Fashion forward

Queen of sole