WAG APRIL 2017

HILARIA BALDWIN In balanced stride

ANNABELLE GUNDLACH Polo prowess

JUDITH LEIBER

Handbag menagerie

MAGICAL PUPPETS ‘Circus 1903’

MONTEPICAZA Fashion gallops into Greenwich

NURTURING ORPHAN ELEPHANTS

exploring animal inspirations

MANYA & ROUMEN Jeweled creature creations

WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE

APRIL 2017 | WAGMAG.COM

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CONTENTS APR I L 2017

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42

‘Cat’ty… that singular species

Furry friends

46

16

Of puppies and purses

Keeping animals safe down on the farm

50

20

Animals, the real gems

Bye bye, Bao Bao

52

22

Fashioning a new era

Changing courses

54

26

Hot off the runway, for your stable of studs

‘Circus 1903’

30

56

32

58

Saddle up for Old Salem Farm

Life’s a real circus

Sunday at the circus with Georges

Paul Shaffer is ready for his next gig

34

60

The circus, in its Somers beginning

Son shine

36

62

38

64

The digital animal dominates

Birds of a brilliant feather

More Deco dazzlers

Special care

66

68

COVER STORY

HILARIA BALDWIN, ‘LIVING CLEARLY’

The big day preserved in mini mementos

This page Charlie Chaplin in “The Tramp” (1915). ©2015 The Estate of Susan Herbert. From her book “Cats Galore: A Compendium of Cultured Cats” (Thames & Hudson, 2015).

FEATURES H I G H LI G HTS

72

WAY Letting nature into a majestic Greenwich home

76

WEAR Modern jewerly, age-old techniques

78

WEAR Tying a memorable 'Knot'

80

WARES Walk on the mild side when using animal prints

82

WEAR ’Tis a gift to be simple

84

WANDERS World zoos – and hotels for their two-legged visitors

88

WANDERS March of the adorable penguins

94

WONDERFUL DINING Hearty cuisine

96

WINE & DINE When it comes to wine, like father, like son

98

WHETTING THE APPETITE Jackie Ruby’s Zucchini Pizza Bites

100

WHAT’S NEW Greenwich says ‘bienvenidos’ to sportswear line

102

WHERE ARE THE NOW? Polo star rides to 'Fame'

104

WEAR A walk on the (bejeweled) wild side

106

WELL Bringing home baby…to your four-legged child

108

WELL The eight habits of happy

110

WELL Pets enhance a healthy lifestyle

112

PET OF THE MONTH Tia mia

113

PET PORTRAITS Once more with feeling

116

WHEN & WHERE Upcoming events

120

WATCH We’re out and about

136

WIT Are you a nature lover or a culture vulture?

COVER:

Hilaria Baldwin strikes a pose – a yoga pose, that is.

See story on page 68.

Photograph by Justin Steele.

72

88 78

COVER STORY

104

84

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EDITORIAL Georgette Gouveia EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ggouveia@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0761 Mary Shustack SENIOR WRITER

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PHOTOGRAPHY Anthony Carboni, Sebastian Flores, John Rizzo

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ryan Deffenbaugh, Jane K. Dove, Aleesia Forni, Phil Hall, Debbi K. Kickham, Jane Morgan, Doug Paulding, Danielle Renda, Giovanni Roselli, Bob Rozycki, Gregg Shapiro, Brian Toohey, Seymour Topping, Jeremy Wayne

Peter Katz COPY EDITOR

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Susan Barbash, Lisa Cash, Barbara Hanlon, Marcia Pflug, Patrice Sullivan ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Rebecca Freeman EVENTS MANAGER dbrody@westfarinc.com | 914-358-0757

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WHAT IS WAG?

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., 3 Westchester Park Drive, White Plains, NY 10604 Telephone: 914-358-0746 | Facsimile: 914-694-3699 Website: wagmag.com | Email: ggouveia@westfairinc.com

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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 914694-3600, 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

Today was another milestone for Patty and our team of cancer experts.

Twelve years cancer-free. Patty Ferris and Dr. Green, her oncologist, have been through a lot together. From Patty’s diagnosis of breast cancer to her mastectomy, chemo, and many, many follow-up visits. At the White Plains Hospital Center for Cancer Care, every patient’s battle with cancer is our battle, too. And our partnership with Montefiore Health System gives our patients access to breakthrough clinical trials right here in White Plains. It’s this commitment to delivering exceptional care every day that has kept Patty cancer-free for all these years.

Watch her story at exceptionaleveryday.org/survivor

A M E M B E R O F T H E M O N T E F I O R E H E A LT H S Y S T E M

WAGGERS

TH E TALENT B EH I N D TH IS IS SU E

COVER STORY, PG.68 DANIELLE RENDA

ROBIN COSTELLO

RYAN DEFFENBAUGH

JANE DOVE

ALEESIA FORNI

DEBBI K. KICKHAM

DAYNA M. KURTZ

DOUG PAULDING

JOHN RIZZO

GIOVANNI ROSELLI

GREGG SHAPIRO

MARY SHUSTACK

BRIAN TOOHEY

AUDREY TOPPING

SEYMOUR TOPPING

JEREMY WAYNE

NEW WAGGERS WAG partners with the Purchase College Community Reporting Initiative, whose members are contributing this spring to WAG Wit. The Initiative provides trained students with the opportunity to write for local and regional publications under the guidance of Pulitzer Prize winner Brian Kates, a visiting assistant professor of journalism. Its members include:

CURTIS BRODNER

ETHAN GRESKO

JEFFREY CABRERA

ELLIE HOUGHTALING

ARIELLE YOUNG

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CHRIS GITNER

MARIA VALLE

This morning, a lung cancer patient got a fighting advantage - an entire team of highly-skilled surgeons.

We put everything we have into a patient’s fight against lung cancer - that includes a team approach to surgery. When multiple, highly-trained surgeons collaborate in the operating room, they can perform complex surgeries even more effectively. At White Plains Hospital, we’ve built an award-winning lung cancer program, delivering life-saving procedures and an exceptional patient experience, every day.

Assess your risk at exceptionaleveryday.org/lung

A M E M B E R O F T H E M O N T E F I O R E H E A LT H S Y S T E M

EDITOR'S LETTER GEORGETTE GOUVEIA Welcome to our popular annual animal issue, for which we’ve rounded up the usual suspects, with our signature twists.

Our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities enable us to keep our quality high and our prices low.

• Home Office & Mudroom Areas • Entertainment Centers • Bookcases • Pantries • Garage Systems QUA • Accessories LI

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Featured in This Old House Magazine!

Factory Direct!

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We salute Greenwich Polo Club with a story on Annabelle Gundlach, who’s seen the equestrian world from both sides now — as a show jumper-turned-polo player who’ll be in action at the club this season. We look at the burgeoning social scene at Old Salem Farm’s Spring Horse Shows. And we explore all creatures great (in Audrey’s story on the beloved panda Bao Bao) and small (Christine’s take on the birds of Kenya).

But we wouldn’t be WAG if we didn’t play with our theme. Fashionistas step into the ring as accessories take a walk on the wild side in Tiffany’s latest Blue Book Collection, Mary’s profile of Cold Spring jeweler Manya & Roumen and her stories on classic Judith Leiber minaudières at the Museum of Arts and Design and exquisite Art Deco objets at Cooper Hewitt.

Jena Butterfield — an alumna of our sister publications, the Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals — joins us with a look at Montepicaza, the Spanish-flavored sportswear shop in Greenwich (as well as a trending piece on mini keepsakes for brides, courtesy of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures in Hastings-on-Hudson). And Danielle corrals some men’s designers for another trend piece with the help of Neiman Marcus Westchester.

Our other subtheme concerns the circus, which has undergone a controversial transition with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus set to close next month. (The 146-year-old institution retired the last of its elephants in 2016.) Ryan takes us to where the American circus began — at Hachaliah Bailey’s historic Elephant Hotel in Somers, while Mary explores part of the circus’ present and future in “Circus 1903” at Madison Square Garden, which brings together the producers of “The Illusionists” with the puppeteers of “War Horse.”

Jane D. introduces us to Kannon Skoyles, a 4-year-old Waccabuc resident who appears in “The Greatest Showman,” starring Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum. And we spend a Sunday afternoon at the circus with Georges in “Seurat’s

Angela Caputi’s animal-print earrings at Mary Jane Denzer in White Plains – seen here with a touch of springlike lime – say “rrrrrrrr.”

Photograph by John Rizzo.

Circus Sideshow” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This month WAG photographer John Rizzo puts his pen as well as his lens to work on an essay about the orphaned baby elephants rehabilitated at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust; in Kenya. (I myself am an aunt to one of these adorable little guys, Ndotto, thanks to my sister Gina “adopting” him.)

We’re not always kind to our fourlegged friends. But The Trust; Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York, home to more than 500 rescued farm animals (Jane D.’s story); and the SPCA in Briarcliff Manor, which brings us Pet of the Month, are also doing their best to redress this.

So, too, in her way is wellness goddess Hilaria Baldwin, wife of Alec and our cover subject. As Danielle discovered when she did yoga with Hilaria at Bloomingdale’s White Plains — part of the promotion of her new book, “The Living Clearly Method” — Hilaria infuses everything she does with a goddess-like protectiveness.

If we show that concern to ourselves and other human beings, well, maybe it will radiate out to all of creation.

Georgette Gouveia is the author of “Water Music” (Greenleaf Book Group) and “The Penalty for Holding” (Less Than Three Press, May 10). They’re part of her series of novels, “The Games Men Play,” also the name of the sports/culture blog she writes at thegamesmenplay.com. Readers may find weekly installments of her novel “Seamless Sky” on wattpad.com.

Tonight, access to exceptional heart specialists kept Roger’s love of music alive.

When Roger Zeitel walked into White Plains Hospital’s emergency room, he had no idea he was having a heart attack.

He was quickly taken to the cardiac catheterization lab where Director of Interventional Cardiology, Dr. Mark Greenberg, discovered two coronary blockages and a failing heart valve.

Dr. Greenberg was able to immediately call on his long-time colleague, Dr. Robert Michler, Surgeon-in-Chief at Montefiore, who performed lifesaving open heart surgery at Montefiore.

The White Plains Hospital and Montefiore Health System partnership ensured that Roger is back to doing what he loves headlining the local music scene with his bandmates.

Check your heart risks at exceptionaleveryday.org/heart

A M E M B E R O F T H E M O N T E F I O R E H E A LT H S Y S T E M

‘CAT’TY THAT SINGULAR SPECIES, FROM ANCIENT EGYPT TO ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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“Oh, he don’t belong to nobody.

Cats don’t belong to nobody. He just rooms with me.”

— John Wayne to Kim Darby in “True Grit”

After Jan Vermeer, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (circa 1665). ©2015 The Estate of Susan Herbert. From her book “Cats Galore: A Compendium of Cultured Cats” (Thames & Hudson, 2015), offering a feline interpretation of many of the world’s great artworks. The catnipped company also publishes companion “Cats in Arts” notebooks and notecards.

The recent Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show featured an addition that gave show-dog owners — something of a high-maintenance breed themselves — paws, er, pause. Cats — drats.

The kitties, in true feline fashion, couldn’t have cared less. As summed up by a New York Times story appropriately titled “Dog Show? Whatever,” the cats — representing The International Cat Association, sort of — “gazed witheringly on the efforts of their human and canine compatriots. Oh, to be a cat and be above it all.”

Perhaps it is this singular self-possession that explains part of our enduring fascination with them.

Cats are the second most popular pets in the United States — after a kitty fave, freshwater fish.

The remaining appeal can surely be attributed to an adaptability that would’ve stunned Darwin.

As explored in “The Story of Cats” — a mesmerizing two-part miniseries that aired recently on PBS’ “Nature” — cats rose from a common ancestor in the forests of Asia some 10 to 15 million years ago before conquering Africa with an unmatched dexterity, power and sensory acuity. Their names are legendary, even if their numbers are no longer legion — the lion; the clouded, snow and African leopard; the Siberian and Bengal tiger; the cheetah. But the lesser-known serval, caracal and sand cats are just as absorbing in their ability to survive and thrive in an array of environments.

From Asia, cats crossed into North America to become the top predator. There are 13 species of these big cats in the Americas, including the jaguar, the mountain lion, the ocelot, the Canada lynx and the margay. Experts think that about 10,000 years ago in the Near East, some wildcats, acting on the curiosity for which their genus is famous, followed the vermin that followed the farmer’s grain. That was the beginning of the domesticated cat, which now numbers more than 40 species, from the Abyssinian to the Turkish Van. But as any cat companion — “owner” is too strong a word — will tell you, “domesticated” is a relative term for these creatures in thrall to the night.

Unlike dogs, cats retain a fluid relationship with their ancestry that enables them to walk on the wild side any time they want. Indeed, not for nothing is the word “cat” often preceded by “wild” (scores of high school and college teams) or “alley” (the charming 1960s cartoon series “Top Cat”) or followed by “burglar” (as gracefully embodied

by Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch A WAGMAG.COM

APRIL 2017

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Thief”). Perhaps because of the shadowy side of their nature, cats are often chosen by witches to be their familiars in casting spells (as in the 1958 romantic comedy “Bell, Book and Candle”).

Blame it on the anthropomorphizing ancient Egyptians, who mummified and buried their revered felines. The Egyptians had some 16 feline gods and goddesses, including the protective fertility goddess Bastet, who started out as a lioness deity but became a cat or cat-headed goddess over time.

In the new paperback edition of “The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt” (Thames & Hudson, $26.95, 256 pages), author Richard Wilkinson records the impressions of the Greek historian Herodotus, who observed that the festival of Bastet was the most elaborate religious feast in ancient Egypt, one given to unbridled revels.

Cat amulets and litters of kittens were hot New Year’s gifts, and Bastet’s name was inscribed on New Year’s flasks as a way of warding off evil.

Given this ingrained divinity, is it any wonder that cats always appear to be turning up their noses at something — Remember finicky Morris in the 9Lives cat food commercial? — or someone. Despite the sociability of lions, an exception to the rule among felids, and the sentimentalizing of the species in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s mega-musical — Do you think any self-respecting cat would buy a ticket to “Cats”? — felines are perceived to be deliciously independent, aloof and even downright selfish. They are creatures of place as opposed to their rivals, dogs, which are people animals. Witness Garfield, the lasagna-loving ultimate fat cat who delights in tormenting his clueless owner and his equally knuckleheaded Beagle, Odie, and making catty comments about them. And yet: When Odie managed to get himself thrown into the pound in one episode, Garfield got his tubby tabby body down there to join his shivering sidekick and warm him through the night.

Nowhere is the cat as metaphor for love among the singular more thoroughly explored than in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” in which Truman Capote’s elusive party girl, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn, of course), finds a kindred soul in her cat, called Cat: “Poor cat. Poor slob. Poor slob without a name.

The way I see it I haven't got the right to give him one. We don't belong to each other. We just took up one day by the river. I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is but I know what it is like. It's like Tiffany's.”

Fleeing love in the form of sympathetic writer Paul Varjack (George Peppard), Holly releases Cat, only to go after him and Paul in the rain. As “Moon River” swells on the soundtrack, the three reunite in what looks like the beginning of a happy family.

Holly discovers what cat people will tell you they have always known: Cats are loving and lovable creatures, just in their own inimitable way.

And if there’s hope for them, well, then, there’s hope for us, too.

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After George Seurat, “Bathers at Asnières” (1884). ©2015 The Estate of Susan Herbert.

After Leonardo da Vinci, “Mona Lisa” (1503–6). ©2015 The Estate of Susan Herbert.

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KEEPING ANIMALS SAFE DOWN ON THE

FARM

BY JANE K. DOVE

A drive through the bucolic Finger Lakes region of upstate New York reveals beautiful vistas of rolling hills and fields dotted with spacious farms, tidy outbuildings and peacefully grazing farm animals in well-kept pastures.

This is the good side of raising farm animals. But there is another, darker side, one of animals living in cruel and inhumane conditions that do not bear describing here.

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Farm Sanctuary was founded in 1986 by Gene Baur and Lorri Houston as an animal protection organization to advocate for mistreated farm animals. Originally started in the backyard of a row house in Delaware, it eventually moved to Watkins Glen in the Finger Lakes region as the first largescale shelter specifically for farm animals. Most were being raised for meat.

Today, Farm Sanctuary houses more than 500 cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits, goats, chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys on 175 acres. Since its founding, the organization has expanded to two other sites, a 300-acre sanctuary in Orland, California, and a third near Los Angeles.

Farm Sanctuary is currently working with animal rights supporters Jon and Tracey Stewart — he of “The Daily Show” fame — to open a farm and education center next year in Colts Neck, New Jersey.

The nonprofit boasts more than half a million members and supporters nationwide, including Alec Baldwin, Ellen DeGeneres, Natalie Portman and Ryan Gosling, among other celebrities.

FOUNDER’S MISSION Baur started Farm Sanctuary not only to help end cruelty to farm animals but to change the way society views and treats them. According to Farm Sanctuary spokeswoman Meredith Turner-Smith, he has been hailed as “the conscience of the food movement” by Time magazine and was recently selected by Oprah Winfrey to join her Super Soul 100 dream team of “100 awakened leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity.”

“Gene was a pioneer in undercover investigations and instrumental in passing the first U.S. laws to ban inhumane factory farming practices,” Turner-Smith says. “Since 1986, he has traveled extensively, campaigning to raise awareness about the abuses of animal ‘agriculture’ and our cheap food system.”

Baur has written two national best-selling books — “Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food” and “Living the Farm Sanctuary Life: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Mindfully, Living Longer and Feeling Better Every Day.” He has a master’s degree in agriculture and economics from Cornell University and is a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has been a vegan since 1985 and recently started competing in marathons and triathlons, including an Ironman competition, to demonstrate the benefits of plant-based eating.

VISITING FARM SANCTUARY The Watkins Glen sanctuary is the largest of the three operations run by the group. In an ideal world, there would be no need for farm sanctuaries because there would be no factory farms or stockyards. Farm animals would be free to roam in their pastures, sleep in the sun, birth their offspring and live out their lives. Unfortunately, the inhumane abuse and warehousing of millions of farm animals every day is largely off the radar screens of the general public.

The Watkins Glen Farm Sanctuary had 6,400 visitors last year, and Michelle Waffner, director of visitor experience, says many people who came had their eyes opened for the first time to what it means to be a farm animal, for better or worse.

“Starting in May, we offer visitor days featuring guid-

At Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York, rescued sheep roam free.

Courtesy Farm Sanctuary.

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ed tours and the chance to interact with our farm animals,” she says. “Last year we even rescued two donkeys.”

Waffner adds that visitors can take the one-hour tour, go to the Visitor Center and then are free to walk the well-kept grounds. “Our staff will escort them into our many barns and outbuildings to meet animals we have selected because they like to interact with people. We put the needs and personalities of the animals first. Many of them just love the attention they get from our visitors.”

All of the animals are free to go outdoors into large pastures once they have spent enough time inside.

The cruel confinement and unsanitary conditions of a factory farm becomes a thing of the past for them.

“One thing that surprises our visitors who are not familiar with farm animals is they see they actually have personalities,” Waffner says. “People are usually quite shocked to hear of the horrible conditions they came from and amazed at how they have recovered under our care.”

To help celebrate the lives of rescued animals and to provide special accommodations for visitors, Farm Sanctuary has built three Tiny Houses on the Watkins Glen property. The houses are about 380 square feet in size and contain a queen size bed; futon; kitchenette; TV with DVD player; bathroom with shower; washer and dryer; Wi-Fi; and inside and outside sitting areas.

Each house is named after special members

Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur with Meg. Courtesy Farm Sanctuary.

of the Farm Sanctuary family — Marjorie the goat; Amy the sheep; and Turpentine the turkey. Each Tiny House includes the personal story and photos of the namesake animal.

Amy the sheep was found locked in a dark barn with 47 other sheep, emaciated and dehydrated, with no access to food or water. Farm Sanctuary was able to secure their release before it was too late. Despite her cruel past, Amy has come to trust

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again. She is one of many sheep at the sanctuary that, if you are quiet and patient, will happily approach you for a good pat.

Marjorie the goat was left with her herd to fend for themselves for weeks. When Farm Sanctuary came to the rescue, they were in desperate need of food and veterinary care. Marjorie was pregnant and gave birth to her son, Gabriel, at Farm Sanctuary, where she has had the chance to raise him in peace and safety for the rest of their lives.

Turpentine the turkey lived on a farm where he was being raised for Thanksgiving dinner. As luck would have it, a Farm Sanctuary supporter lived next door and became friends with him, gobbling back and forth through his fence.

The friendship became Turpentine’s saving grace when the farmer experienced a change of heart and released him to the Sanctuary. Turpentine immediately “learned the ropes” and became a Sanctuary leader, following caregivers and keeping tabs on anything of interest. His personality has made him an outstanding ambassador for turkeys, leaving a trail of smiling humans wherever he goes.

Farm Sanctuary holds special events during the year and the first, the Pignic, is scheduled for June 3.

Despite the name, it will feature a vegan menu along with time with the animals, tours, crafts and games for the kids. Advance reservations are required for housing and events.

For more, visit farmsanctuary.org.

BYE BYE, BAO BAO

BY AUDREY RONNING TOPPING

A

After six days of goodbye events, including a dumpling party and heart-shaped ice cake feedings, the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai — along with Dennis W. Kelly, director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute in Washington D.C. — joined numerous fans Feb. 21 in bidding an emotional farewell to the beloved giant panda Bao Bao, the aptly named “Precious Treasure” who was born in the U.S. of parents on loan from China.

For the past three years, the adorable toddler has been the favorite attraction in the capital. But all good things must end and, per an agreement with China, panda offspring must return to their ancestral homeland to make more pandas.

“Today is bittersweet,” Kelly said. “We’ve watched Bao Bao grow up during the past three years and she has charmed people from all over the world with her independent and playful personality. This is another milestone in our 45-year history of research to care for and help save the giant panda and its native habitat.”

Ambassador Tiankai called Bao Bao the “second Chinese Ambassador,” and an envoy of China-U.S. friendship. “Because it is very difficult for giant pandas to breed naturally,” he said, “Chinese and Americans have been working on breeding

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Bao Bao up a tree – delightfully so – at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in 2014.

them through artificial insemination.”

Her Excellency Bao Bao got the royal treatment all the way. She was coaxed into a padded, custom-made travelling crate and towed out of the panda enclosure by a forklift with panda ears and a tail. Her crate was finally elevated into the aircraft, a panda-decaled “FedEx Panda Express” 777, emblazoned with an image of a giant panda crunching bamboo. Precious Treasure was accompanied by a veterinarian and her keeper, Marty Dearie, along with 55 pounds of bamboo, two pounds of apples, two bags of leaf eater biscuits, two pounds of sweet potatoes, 10 gallons of water and some sugar cane. The flight crew members respectfully wore “FedEx Panda Team” T-shirts.

Thus China’s national icon flew to her ancestral

homeland to begin the next chapter of her life.

After a 16-hour nonstop flight from Washington, Bao Bao landed safely in Chengdu, in Suchuan province, and was transported to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda’s Dujiangyan base in the adjoining mountains, where she will eventually join a breeding program.

Curious Bao Bao emerged from her crate looking rather confused and was escorted into a luxurious 1,100-square-foot enclosure, with indoor and outdoor play areas offering rubber balls and tire swings. She was heartily welcomed by her new attendants and accepted a branch of bamboo. Panda expert Li Desheng in a news release said, “Once Bao Bao completes a month of quarantine… I will welcome everyone to see her.”

Every care was taken to make her feel at home.

Her Smithsonian keeper, Dearie, will stay with Bao Bao until she adjusts to China. He will help her adapt to local bamboo and steamed bread made from corn, soybeans, rice and eggs. Since she only understands commands in English, he is taking Mandarin lessons.

Bao Bao is the 11th “overseas panda” to return to China. The Smithsonian’s first two pandas, LingLing and Hsing-Hsing, were gifted by China’s Chairman Mao Zedong to the American people to commemorate President Richard Nixon’s trip to China in 1972. Since then, giant pandas have become China’s unofficial national mascot. Animal lovers are smitten by the furry black-and-white creatures with black eye-patches that resemble teddy bears.

Baby pandas cry like human infants. Nursing mothers gently caress their suckling infants with an agile forepaw. The giant panda is the only bearlike animal with a thumb like ours, which gives them a prehensile skill rivaling that of a primate.

After severing a stalk of crisp umbrella bamboo with one mighty crunch, they use their thumbs to peel it open adroitly before licking it like a child savoring an ice cream cone.

Giant pandas seem to exude a spiritual power that enchants all who gaze on them. For centuries, the Chinese have held them in special

... THANKS TO PUBLIC AWARENESS AND AMBASSADORS LIKE BAO BAO, THE GIANT PANDA WAS REMOVED FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE’S LIST OF ENDANGERED SPECIES IN SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR.

esteem. Ancient emperors kept them as pets, believing they were endowed with mystical powers capable of warding off natural disasters and evil spirits. Their black-and-white patterns symbolize the two great Chinese forces of separation and unity that constitute and balance the universe, the yin and yang, black and white, dark and light, moon and sun, death and life. For centuries, peasants have considered them lucky

charms or even divine and have refrained from killing the pandas that entered their fields or raided their beehives.

Unfortunately, this mystical appeal may not be enough to save them. The species has been at extreme risk of extinction because of poachers and human activity shrinking their habitat. For centuries the slow-moving pandas were hunted for their prized fur. Deforestation and pollution drove their numbers down.

But thanks to public awareness and ambassadors like Bao Bao, the giant panda was removed from the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of endangered species in September of last year. The Union cited the wild panda’s population jump from 1,596 in 2004 to 1,864 in 2014, an increase of 17 percent. However, the Chinese government warned that the panda’s status was still serious because its natural habitats have been splintered by human and natural causes. Bao Bao will join 200 other pandas that live in captivity in an effort to save the wild giant pandas. Pan Pan, the world’s oldest captive male panda, died at 31. He sired 132 offspring.

Bao Bao is gone, but the National Zoo still features her brother, Bei Bei, age 1, and their parents, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang. She will miss her family.

Just as we will miss her.

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CHANGING COURSES FROM SHOW JUMPER TO POLO PATRONA

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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Annabelle Gundlach got interested in polo when she bought a stable of studs — Kris Kampsen, Brandon Phillips and Nic Roldan.

Wait, that didn’t come out right. Gundlach bought five days of polo with the guys for her and her friends in 2013.

Two years later, Gundlach was playing full time.

Last year, she formed her own team, named after her Postage Stamp Farm in Wellington, Florida, home of American polo and the Winter Equestrian Festival. She is the patrona of the Postage Stamp Farm team, which fans will see in action again this summer at Greenwich Polo Club.

Or, as she puts it with a laugh, “I’m the boss.”

Gundlach is breezy and open-hearted in conversation, very much a woman who can hold her own in what is still a man’s world, although she says “there are a lot of women in polo.” She points to Sunny Hale, a pioneer in the sport, who died recently of cancer.

Maureen Brennan is patrona of the Goose Creek team. And WAG has written about the aggressive play of Dawn Jones, wife of actor Tommy Lee Jones, at the 2013 Sentabale Royal Salute Polo Cup at Greenwich Polo, which saw her take the MVP in a field that included Prince Harry and Nacho Figueras.

But being a woman among men — and a growing number of women — is precisely what Gundlach likes about the sport.

“It’s one of the few sports where amateurs and professionals play together and one of the few sports where men and women play together.

“Show jumping is much more of an individual sport. You can compete as a team, but it’s still mostly you and your horse out there in the ring.”

If there was ever anyone to compare show jumping’s yin to polo’s yang, it’s Gundlach. Growing up in Ridgefield, Gundlach started competing as a show jumper at age 10 and was on the A circuit two years later.

“The horses — all of this is because of the horses.

They are the most amazing animals. Every horse has a different personality.”

At Postage Stamp Farm in Wellington — the 10acre spread she bought in 2012 — she maintains a 20-stall show barn for her retired show horses and her children’s horses. (She has two daughters, who ride.) She also leases out stalls. (The polo ponies are housed at another facility.)

Gundlach’s avocations — she worked in asset management on Wall Street and is still a private portfolio manager — have given her a unique perspective on horses and two very different equestrian sports. She’s ridden mares, geldings and stallions and is fond of the adage: “You ask a mare. You tell a gelding. And you discuss it with a stallion.”

While stallions have a temperamental reputation, they can be quite gentlemanly, she says, particularly if they’ve never been bred.

Annabelle Gundlach.

Photograph by ChiChi Ubiña.

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As for the transition from show jumping to polo, it’s been a challenge, she says, in ways you might not realize.

“If you look at show jumping, the bodies of the riders are very precise. There’s not a lot of movement so that you can show off the horse and become one with the horse. In polo, you’re turning and maneuvering,” Gundlach adds of a game in which two teams of four are covering 10 acres on 1,000-pound animals at 35 miles an hour. So she had to overcome the superb carriage she was taught as a show jumper to be loose enough muscularly to play on a polo field.

“Women don’t have the physical strength that men have,” she says in terms of wacking the ball.

The late Sunny Hale was a 10-goaler among women but a 5-goaler among men. (Polo players can have a handicap ranging from minus-2 to 10, with the combined handicaps of the players determining tournament and club play. So there is 40-goal polo in Argentina, 26-goal polo in Wellington and 20-goal polo at Greenwich Polo, the only American club to play 20-goal polo in the summer.)

On the other hand, “many polo players have taken it up later in life,” says Gundlach, whose handicap is 0. They don’t necessarily have her riding skills and her finesse, which she brings to the field, along with a competitive spirit honed on the Street.

Playing the No. 1 position — ”there are times when

YOU ASK A MARE. YOU TELL A GELDING. AND YOU DISCUSS IT WITH A STALLION. — Horse Adage

your job is to cover the other players and times when you’re positioned ahead of the other team’s pack” — and relishing its defensive opportunities, Gundlach set her sights on a big dream, playing center stage at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.

To get there, she and her Postage Farm team would have to play Greenwich Polo Club.

“Growing up in Ridgefield and New York City, I had never been to Greenwich Polo. When we got there (last year) it was like ‘Oh, my God, Holy Cow.’” Gundlach and her team reveled in the beauty,

the facilities, the camaraderie — even the club’s slower turf, due to the kind of grass used. And while her team finished out of the money in three tournaments — the Monty Waterbury Cup, the Butler Handicap and the East Coast Open — Greenwich Polo was a springboard for bigger things. Postage Stamp Farm came from behind to win the Palm Restaurant Invitational at Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington in October.

Then on New Year’s Day, Gundlach’s dream came true as her team took on Villa Del Lago Modere in the Herbie Pennell Cup at the International Polo Club. Steadied by 2017 Hall of Fame inductee Mariano Aguerre (see story on Page 102), Postage Stamp stayed in the mix before a respectable 12-9 loss. For Gundlach, being chased down the field by Hilario Ulloa and playing alongside Aguerre, his White Birch teammate at Greenwich Polo, made the day all the more memorable.

“That was such a special honor to have him join our team,” she says. “He’s really a master. He gets the most out of every player and he really wants the best for the sport. That’s what makes him special.”

As for Gundlach, she never loses sight of her amateur status. It’s what keeps her humble — and what keeps her having fun.

For more, visit @theofficialpostagestampfarm or @annabellegundy on Instagram.

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‘CIRCUS 1903’ A DIFFERENT KIND OF ANIMAL

BY MARY SHUSTACK

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Step right up, ladies and gentlemen. There’s a new kind of circus coming to town.

Sophisticated puppetry has created the largest-ever performing African elephant, as featured in “Circus 1903 – The Golden Age of Circus!” The production is in residence in Manhattan this month. Photographs by Mark Turner, courtesy “Circus 1903 – The Golden Age of Circus!”

The producers of the world’s biggest magic show, “The Illusionists,” have teamed up with the award-winning puppeteers from “War Horse” to present “Circus 1903 — The Golden Age of Circus!,” Its premier tour is about to put down stakes in Manhattan for an April 5 through 16 run at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

It’s no secret that the traditional spectacle under the big tent has been falling ever more out of favor. Animal-rights activists have long derided these traveling shows’ use of animals in their acts.

And in January, Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, the producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, announced that Ringling, the most famous circus of them all, would conclude its nearly 150-year run.

“After much evaluation and deliberation, my family and I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will hold its final performances in May of this year,” he said in a statement posted to the circus website. “Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop. This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company.”

The time seems ideal, then, for a production such as “Circus 1903,” which describes itself as “a very unique show in that it takes aspects of the traditional circus but puts a fresh, innovative and more humane spin on them.”

The show, a two-hour production designed for all ages, is billed as a “turn-of-the-century spectacular” having “all the thrill and daredevil entertainment one would expect from the circus, with an exciting new twist.”

And it is a real twist, one sure to please animal lovers.

Sophisticated puppetry from London-based Significant Object introduces the largest-ever performing African elephant and her baby into the ring. The state-of-the-art puppets anchor the show, as the storyline follows the mother elephant teaching her calf the “tricks of the trade.”

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Mervyn Millar, director of Significant Object, says in a behind-the-scenes video, “We’ve taken a lot of inspiration from the ‘War Horse’ puppets, and the sculpture and the art of designing a puppet. It’s about creating something that triggers those… those recognitions in the audience.

It’s got to feel like an elephant more than it’s got to look like an elephant.”

And, he continues, the experience offers something more.

“That job of imagining an elephant happens somewhere between the puppeteers onstage and the audience in the auditorium. The first thing you think when you see it is, you say ‘That’s an elephant.’ The second thing you think is it’s a bit magical.”

And that magic continues throughout the production, which is designed as a celebration of performers from around the world, including strong men, contortionists, acrobats, musicians, knife throwers, high-wire daredevils and more.

Simon Painter, Tim Lawson and MagicSpace Entertainment have produced the show. Painter and Lawson have created “Le Grand Cirque,” “Le Noir,” “Cirque Adrenaline” and “The Illusionists,” taking the shows to more than 250 cities around the world, as well as Broadway. They have also presented “A Chorus Line,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Fiddler on the Roof” throughout Australia. MagicSpace Entertainment has been producing and presenting national tours, Broadway shows, concerts and museum exhibits worldwide for more than 35 years, including “The Illusionists — Witness the Impossible.”

“Circus 1903 — The Golden Age of Circus!” has been designed by scenic artist Todd Ivins, with a set taking the audience to an “extraordinary and decadent circus tent.” The first act is set in front of the circus with trucks, props and rigging, while Act 2 features the tent, flagpoles and rigging being raised into the roof of the theater.

Further adding to the period feel are recreations of original turn-of-the-century circus costumes designed by Angela Aaron and a soundtrack — adding the appropriate accents to the thrills and danger — composed by Evan Jolly.

“Circus 1903 — The Golden Age of Circus!” will be in residence April 5-16 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.

Show times vary. For more, visit circus1903. com or theateratmsg.com.

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“Circus 1903 – The Golden Age of Circus!” offers a state-of-the-art interpretation of the traditional attraction.

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LIFE’S A REAL

CIRCUS

BY JANE K. DOVE PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN RIZZO

It all started with an unexpected tap on the shoulder.

Jason Skoyles was out shopping with his son, Kannon, now age 4, in a Whole Foods supermarket in Yonkers, when talent agent Anna Estrada stopped him in the aisle to ask about the possibility of Kannon doing modeling.

“The thought had never crossed my mind, but I took her card and we continued the conversation two days later. It was all new to me. I provided her with some photos of Kannon and my younger son, Penn, who was also with us that day.”

TAKING THE PLUNGE

Estrada liked what she saw in Kannon — a handsome, happy child with two big dimples framing an ear-to-ear smile — and quickly drew up a contract with her agency, TTA Model & Talent Management Inc. After discussing things with his wife, Sarah, Jason decided to take the plunge and signed on.

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Kannon Skoyles

“We talked about a couple of possible assignments with Anna and then just three days later, she called us about Kannon possibly playing the role of Tom Thumb, the midget and circus fixture, in the movie ‘The Greatest Showman,’ starring Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron.”

The Skoyleses, who live in Waccabuc, were surprised by the suddenness of everything, but Jason agreed to bring Kannon to the huge Brooklyn Navy Yard movie studios the following day, Oct. 15, for what was described as “an interview” with Hugh Jackman.

“This was an amazing leapfrog jump over the entire agonizing casting call process,” Jason says. “It was only six days from the Whole Foods encounter to the meeting with Hugh Jackman.

“The Greatest Showman,” an original musical, tells the story of Phineas Taylor “P.T.” Barnum (1810-91), America’s first family-entertainment entrepreneur.

Barnum, a native of Bethel, Connecticut, was also the onetime mayor of Bridgeport, a state legislator and a philanthropist. He created the first three-ring circus — what became the traveling Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus, an American institution. Directed by Michael Gracey, the movie is scheduled for release Dec. 25.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

When Jason arrived on the busy set, he says he was nervous about what might happen. “I had prepared for the meeting with Hugh Jackman by showing Kannon some photos of him, and the initial meeting went quickly and well. We were vying with two other youngsters, who were there with their families and had probably been through a much longer process of auditions and elimination. But Kannon got the nod.”

Jason says he had misgivings about how Kannon would cope with the studio, but he did “extraordinarily well.”

The first scene with Jackman last December proved to be the only bump in the road.

“All he had to do was walk a straight line to Hugh and stand there while Hugh had lines with another character,” Jason says.

But rather than walk the line, Kannon was distracted by the boom microphone, continually pointing to it and seeing it in his mind as a “kitty” he wanted to play with. “Cute at first, but creating panic after a while,” Jason says. “But after six takes, we got the shot that was needed.”

Jason says he found a way to allay any anxieties Kannon might experience while on the set. “I told Kannon we were going for a ride on a spaceship to calm any nerves he might have about all of chaos and action on the set. It worked.

“There was no dialogue (for Kannon) to cope with but often he would draw applause from the crew,” Jason adds. “I was very proud of him.”

Jason says he was happy Kannon had the opportunity to get a start in the movie industry at such a young age. “It was very strange to get his W-2 a few weeks ago. I have been able to fit in Kannon’s ‘job’ with my career at a publishing company, taking the lead while Sarah, a critical care nurse, is working very hard towards her nurse practitioner license.”

Jason says he and Sarah are going to pursue more movie work for Kannon in the future.

“After the ‘hand of fate’ touched us at Whole Foods, we loved the experience and are looking forward to what’s next,” he adds.

“Work on the Barnum movie continues and Anna Estrada, our agent at TTA Modeling, has booked some modeling jobs for Kannon and our family. At this point, we are open to anything, expecting nothing and are just happy to be a part of it all.”

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SUNDAY AT THE CIRCUS WITH GEORGES

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

G

Georges Seurat, the late-19th century French painter, is best-known for two things — his Pointillist or dot technique and its ultimate expression, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.”

That 1884-86 oil on canvas, which hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago, and its creator’s brief life are the subject of the 1984 Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical, “Sunday in the Park With George,” now an acclaimed Broadway revival starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

But Seurat’s “Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque)” (1888) “is the most haunting and enigmatic painting of this major artist’s short career,” writes Richard Thomson, author of the catalog accompanying “Seurat’s Circus Sideshow,” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan through May 29.

It was, as the introductory text panel explains, the first of six important figure paintings by the artist to portray popular urban entertainment in a nighttime setting. In showcasing this jewel from its collection, The Met — which staged a spectacular Seurat retrospective in 1992 — has created a thoughtful exhibit that not only honors Seurat but captures the gritty endurance of the circus at a time in our culture when its traditions have been transformed.

The son of a wealthy speculator, Seurat was born in Paris where he studied at the École Municipale de Sculpture et Dessin near the family home and then at the prestigious École des Beaux Arts. All his life, he would be a study in contrasts himself, at once passionate and precise, a seeming paradox

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Georges Seurat.

that would feed and would in turn be fed by his training and subsequent work. The Met show includes Charles Simon Pradier’s “Tu Marcellus Eris,” an 1832 neoclassical etching and engraving after that master of line and chiaroscuro, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, whom Seurat copied.

But he was also drawn to the dynamic palette of Eugène Delacroix’s dramatic canvases. Line and color would come together in a subject that fascinated Seurat and the other French painters of the 19th- century’s close — Parisian playtime, which included thronging to the circus.

Seurat captured the center ring in his 1891 work “The Circus,” in which a bareback rider, balancing on one foot, comes perilously close to falling off, her flying red hair flaming atop her head. The surrounding ringmaster, tumblers, musicians and spectators are rendered in primary colors — red, blue and yellow — that meld and yet remain distinct.

He was, of course, not the first to depict what would become known as “the greatest show on earth.” The Met exhibit includes several 1865-66 drawings by the caricaturist Honoré Daumier, whom the later generation admired for his antibourgeois sentiments. One of these mixed media drawings, “Saltimbanques” — from the Italian for circus performers, saltimbanco, meaning “one who jumps on a bench” — offers a brilliant distillation of circus life in four figures. As the father, in clown attire, focuses on beating a drum to attract a distant crowd at another event, the older son puffs out his chest, the mother hangs her head in despair and the younger son plays in the dirt, oblivious to the family’s desperation. Anyone who has ever tried to sell something — indeed anyone with a shred of compassion and insight — will rec-

ognize Daumier’s exploration of four attitudes toward the human condition.

“Circus Sideshow” — an exhibit you can practically smell — does a wonderful job of crystallizing the perseverance of the late 19th-century circus performer amid an atmosphere that was at times tawdry, usually raucous and downright exhausting.

For spectators, however, it was catnip. They, like Seurat, thronged to the Cirque Corvi, which played Paris as part of the annual post-Easter Gingerbread Fair, featuring the delectable pain d’épice in assorted fantastical forms that included real and imaginary gingerbread animals. The fair was staged at the former Barrière du Trône, where Louis XIV and his queen, Maria Theresa of Spain, entered the city in 1660 as newlyweds. In Seurat’s day, it had been redesigned as the place de la Nation, a circular hub from which radiated roads and boulevards to mirror the more upscale Place de l’Etoile to the west.

People from all walks of life crowded the fair and the circus. But Seurat chose to focus instead on a group of sideshow, or parade, musicians, particularly a trombonist, who helped reel in the audiences. In the spring of 1887, he created a number of Conté crayon drawings, using his Pointillist technique. For the painting, he also drew on Divisionism, or chromoluminarism, in which colors remain distinct so that the eye “mixes” them optically. A yellow circle might surround a green one. A red dot might be juxtaposed with a blue one. But you only notice this up close, along with a purplish blue border of dots that serves as an inner frame.

What you see when you step back is a trombonist in a traditional conical hat and leggings performing on a stand while bowler-hatted brass and wind players back him up to the left. A gentleman at right takes it all in as another man, hands on his lapels, looks up at him. The painting is bordered by gaslights atop, a skeletal tree to the left, a group of chatting spectators at bottom and another group climbing the stairs to the box office at right. The marriage of sharply drawn figures and shimmering color creates an effect at once of heightened reality and heightened unreality.

“Circus Sideshow” was exhibited at the fourth Salon des Indépendants in 1888, sold from the artist’s estate in 1900 — years after his death at age 31 of undetermined causes — and became part of the first exhibit at The Museum of Modern Art in 1929.

Three years later, it was purchased by Singer Sewing Machine Co. heir Stephen C. Clark, older brother of Clark Art Institute co-founder Sterling.

In 1960, Stephen Clark bequeathed “Circus Sideshow” to The Met, where it continues to haunt.

“The overall effect of the painting is at once subtle and ambiguous,” Thomson writes, “on the one hand warm and indistinct, on the other ordered and hieratic. For out of the ordinariness of his fellow citizens at a fairground Seurat conjured a night scene of exquisitely measured mystery.”

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THE CIRCUS, IN ITS SOMERS BEGINNING

BY RYAN DEFFENBAUGH

A

After 146 years, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus will perform “The Greatest Show on Earth” for the final time in May. While dwindling ticket sales and controversy over its use of performance animals pushed the show out of favor in this century, the circus will always have a prominent place in the history of American entertainment.

Part of that history can be traced to the town of Somers, which is considered the “cradle of the American circus.” It was in Somers that a local man launched the first touring exotic animal shows with his elephant. The story has become a huge part of the town’s lore and identity.

“The elephant is inextricable from Somers,” says Grace Zimmerman, one of the volunteers who run the Somers Historical Society. A simple look around town proves her point. There’s an elephant on most town signs, and athletes at Somers High School suit up as the Tuskers.

Even the town hall is a monument to Somers’ long history with the elephant. Somers’ offices are housed in a historic brick building marked “Elephant Hotel,” with a small elephant statue mounted in the yard in front of it. (The building is also home to the historical society.) Confused travelers have even wandered into Town Hall from time to time looking for a room, Zimmerman says.

It’s on the third floor where that history is explained. There, the Museum of the Early American Circus tells the story of local farmer Hachaliah (that’s

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The symbol of the Elephant Hotel in Somers, now the town hall. Photograph by John Rizzo.

Heck-a-LIE-uh) Bailey — a distant relative of James Bailey of Barnum & Bailey fame — who purchased an imported African elephant, Old Bet, at an auction in 1805. She was just the second elephant known to have been imported to the young country. Bailey may have thought the massive animal could be useful on the farm. Instead, Old Bet quickly grabbed the attention of neighbors, and Bailey learned there was a market for simply offering a peek at the animal.

Thus the traveling menagerie was born. Bailey marched Old Bet through Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties, charging 25 cents admission to curious people for the chance to see a live elephant for the first time.

He soon expanded his territory, traveling by night to avoid giving away shows. Old Bet, however, met a tragic end. While traveling through Maine in 1812, the elephant was shot and killed by a local named Daniel Davis, who was apparently angered that farmers were spending their money on seeing the animal, according to a history in the town’s application for National Historic Landmark status. This happened again with another elephant Hachaliah imported in 1826, Little Bet, who was shot and killed in Rhode Island.

As a memorial to his elephants, Bailey broke ground on a piece of land he purchased in Somers for $1,250. Sometime between 1820 and 1825, he finished a brick stagecoach inn and named it the Elephant Hotel, according to the town’s historic landmark application. He erected a small granite elephant on top of a pole in front of the building.

Both are still there today, though the statue was replaced in the 1920s after it had rotted.

Soon the hotel became a center of activity for the menagerie business, which would later combine with acrobatic acts to form the modern circus. In 1835, a group of menagerie owners met in the hotel to draft the incorporation documents of the Zoological Institute, which for a short time had a near monopoly on the animal show business.

The hotel would later house Farmers and Drovers Bank, the second bank in the history of Westchester. A 2,000-pound safe still sits open in the town clerk’s office today. The town purchased the building in 1927 and converted it to serve as its offices. The building was awarded National Historic Landmark status in 2005.

In the third-floor museum, a series of displays highlights Somers connections to the early circus industry. The museum features 19th-century advertising posters, menagerie inventories and other items from the period. You can also check out examples of the Somers “cradle of the American circus” stamp, which was created after an intense lobbying campaign in the 1960s. The museum even includes a full miniature replica of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus in 1919. Its thousands of pieces were mostly handmade by Dr. Hugh Grant Rowell, a circus scholar and collector who donated his collection to the Somers Historical Society. The massive collection matches the typical set-up the circus employed that year, giving you a bird's-eye view of the vast scale of “The Greatest Show on Earth,” inside the very building that helped set the foundation for it.

The museum opens to the public 2 to 4 p.m.

Thursdays and by appointment. For more, visit somershistoricalsoc.org.

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BIRDS OF A BRILLIANT FEATHER STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRISTINE NEGRONI

F

For the past two decades I’ve had a passion for things that fly. As well I should: Writing about aviation is how I make my living. I can tell a Boeing 737 from any other airliner by the shape of the tail. I recognize a Piaggio Avanti turboprop by the sound of its two engines long before its characteristic canard-type design (forward wing) comes into view.

How birds arrived on my radar screen is not so clear, but on a trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama, I took a bike tour of Gulf State Park with the editor of the magazine of the American Birding Association, Ted Floyd.

It was then that a passing interest settled in to roost.

As we pedaled along, I was captivated by a beautiful gray blue Northern mockingbird and a loggerhead shrike perched at the top of a long dead tree.

Shortly after that, a bald eagle flew so close overhead I could actually feel the pressure of the air being pushed down by its massive wings.

My second impression, however, was not about the birds, it was about the birder. Ted could recognize each song, including different calls made by the same bird. He could identify birds by shape and by location. If he was bothered by my constant questions, he kept it to himself.

Until that trip, I was content to sit in my home office, binoculars at the ready, and watch the goldfinches picking the remains from my dying echinacea flowers or the blue jays splashing in the birdbath. I harbor an affection for — but no real knowledge of — nature and wildlife.

Last February, however, before leaving for assignment in Kenya, I grabbed the binoculars off my

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Christine Negroni looks for birds with guide Eric Ole Kalama of the Elephant Garden Safari in Amboseli National Park, Rift Valley, Kenya.

desk and stuck them in my bag. The possibility of seeing lions, rhinos and giraffes, not to mention all the airplanes at Nairobi’s international airport, was on my mind. Then again, perhaps I’d see some interesting birds, too.

I have to chuckle at my ignorance. Lord knows Ted had a good laugh. When I wrote from Kenya’s Amboseli National Park to tell him, “There’s so much more in Kenya than the big five,” he replied with a gentle ho-hum: “It's like discovering that New York has many buildings or that the ocean is deep or that outer space is cold and dark.”

An aviation aficionado who assumed the most interesting things in the skies had motors, I was the accidental tourist at the ultimate birding destination.

Visitors to Amboseli at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro are largely drawn to the park’s large resident population of elephants. But during my visit, I was fortunate to have a guide whose first love is birds.

Eric Ole Kalama grew up in a Maasai village in Amboseli tending the family cows, which pasture in the park during the day and are herded home at night to the safety of predator-proof pens.

“I would sit in the fields but watch the birds,” he told me of his long days with the cattle. “Always I wanted to know more about them.”

Kalama’s first job outside his tribe was at the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. There, program director

A bee-eater eats not only bees but wasps and hornets as well.

Cynthia Moss noticed his interest in birds and gave him his first bird book, reinforcing his long affection for the area’s largest and smallest residents. Eric now has his own touring company, Elephant Garden Safari.

As Ted had been in Alabama, Eric was the perfect guide for a fledgling birder in Africa. He indulged my enthusiasm for the brilliant, iridescent, blue-backed, red-breasted superb starling, which, judging from its ubiquitousness and appetite for garbage, must be something like the pigeon of Kenya.

Eric had a way of knowing which birds I wanted to see again and again so that each morning as we left the camp, he would stop the jeep so we could admire the white bellied go-away bird perched in the tree just outside the gate. Then we’d scan the nearby trees, often finding its mate.

My companions on the trip were less-than-enthusiastic about all the stops we made to gaze skyward, and I got that.

The big five checklist (elephant, lion, leopard, Cape buffalo and rhinoceros ) does not include birds. But Eric was politely oblivious to their impatience.

Early the first morning after spending a glorious few hours watching hundreds of elephants making their daily foray into the swamp for mud baths, we spied a large steppe eagle pacing the ground. Eric explained it was searching the tall grass for nests to rob for breakfast. Above, a nervous blacksmith lapwing repeatedly charged at the predator, to no avail. All this high drama was not diminished by the reduction in the size of the animals we were observing.

We saw so many birds, I must confess, that some of those I conscientiously added to the list in my notebook have faded from my memory. A Google image search shows me that the speckled mousebird is stunning, with a golden tuft and elegant tail. How could I have forgotten actually seeing it? And then I’m thankful that Eric stopped so many times to revisit the plodding secretary bird, the gray-crowned crane, Von der Decken’s hornbill and the pygmy falcon because they are firmly imprinted in my memory now.

It is worth noting then that of all the wonderful wildlife I saw on my trip to Kenya, the bird I remember best is the one I saw just once and from a great distance. Looking for it had come at the suggestion of Katie Rees, an American who represents the Kenya Tourism Board in New York, and so is naturally a frequent visitor. On a previous trip, she’d glimpsed a lilac-breasted roller and remembered its blue, turquoise, olive and lavender palette. She said this was the bird I needed to see to make my visit complete.

On one of my last days in the park, Eric drove no more than a mile, and then, as if prearranged, stopped the jeep and put his binoculars to his eyes. “There,” he said pointing at the top branch of a tree about 50 yards away.

Perfectly illuminated by the afternoon sun and contrasted against the dead branch on which it was perched was this 14-inch beauty. As much as I appreciated the sight, I knew then that the magic was about more than the bird. It was also about the moment that seemed to have been summoned by the strength of our desire.

My interest in birds is fast becoming a passion while presenting a dilemma: Where should I look the next time I’m outdoors and an airplane and a bird fly by?

Christine Negroni is an aviation and travel writer and ABC News consultant. Order her book “The Crash Detectives: Investigating the World’s Most Mysterious Air Disasters” (Penguin, 2016) at amazon.com.

Third Annual Hudson Valley Regional Dementia Conference 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thursday, May 18, 2017 The DoubleTree by Hilton, Tarrytown

A full-day conference for people diagnosed in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and their families, caregivers, professionals who provide support and services and Spanish-speaking caregivers.

Featuring keynote speakers Dr. Peter Rabins, co-author of “The 36-Hour Day” and co-director of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Mary Sano, Ph.D., director of the Alzheimer Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Register online AlzDementiaConference.org Call 800.272.3900 or 914.253.6860 WAGMAG.COM

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SPECIAL CARE STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN RIZZO

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In the center of the bustling city of Nairobi, Kenya, stands Nairobi National Park and, within the park, a special place, affectionately called the Nursery.

Nighty night at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Nursery for orphaned baby elephants.

It’s an orphanage that treats baby elephants as if they were human babies — maybe even better — with each cared for by one person, who sleeps with the orphan each night on a simple plywood bed raised 3 feet off the ground and built into the walls of each stall. (In earlier times, I was told, the caregivers slept on the ground with the elephants.)

The caregivers’ titles are either elephant keeper or project manager. Most of them are in their 30s.

They are part of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and its Orphan’s Project, which we touched on in November WAG and which is today the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world.

Elephants arrive at The Trust — which Daphne Sheldrick created in honor of her late husband, the naturalist and founding warden of Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park — for different reasons. Most often, poachers have killed the mother and family for their ivory. Elephant society is comprised of bonded female units, which stay together for life. A baby cannot survive for the first two years of life without its mother’s milk and, for the next three years, eats a diet of vegetation with some milk from its mother.

When a calf is orphaned, its chances of survival are, therefore, slim. Although the family will do its best to raise and care for it, without sufficient milk from another lactating female, it will become weak and inevitably be left behind, a final decision of the ruling matriarch, whose primary duty is the survival of the herd. In 30 years, the African elephant population has dwindled from three million to under 250,000.

Now with help from local people who report animals in distress, a rescue team can arrive promptly, oftentimes with a helicopter, for quick transport to Nairobi.

During a Nursery visit, our anticipation builds until the elephants parade out in single file, each announced by name. One baby, Luggard, had been shot in the leg. His mother was also shot and had to be euthanized due to the severity of her wounds. Luggard survived the ordeal, but he will never walk normally again. However, even with an obvious limp, he keeps up with the others. And with the help of the Orphan’s Project, he’s been doing well. He instantly becomes our favorite.

Luggard is one of more than 150 infant elephants that The Trust has successfully hand-raised. Generally, the babies will remain at the center until they are 3 years old and sometimes longer, depending on their personalities and under what circumstances they first arrived. When they are deemed ready to be independent again and can recall what it was like to live in the wild, they are released into Tsavo — the WAGMAG.COM

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only park large enough to accommodate sizeable herds in perpetuity.

The Trust is not only saving baby elephants (and baby rhinos and hippos), however. It’s transforming the way Kenyans think about the four-legged creatures in their midst. One of the personal caregivers at the orphanage is a Samburu man. After years spent working with elephants at The Trust, he now understands their value and is eager to tell his fellow tribesmen.

As a tribesman, he was raised to see elephants and other wild animals as threats to livestock and the Samburu way of life. Today, new orders of protection for the elephants combined with drought and human encroachment on elephant land have created complex and controversial conflicts between the conservation of elephant populations and preservation of human life among the Samburu.

The Orphan’s Project can transform you as well (as it did us). For an annual fee of $50, you can select the orphan you want to help and you will be given monthly updates on how your baby is doing. All proceeds go toward improving the orphans’ care.

To foster online or for more information, visit sheldrickwildlifetrust.org.

John Rizzo is a WAG staff photographer who offers group tours to Africa to see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, the tribes of the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, wildlife safaris in Kenya and Tanzania, and the Gerewol Festival in Niger. For more, visit.johnrizzophoto.com.

An elephant keeper and his young charge.

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FURRY FRIENDS

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS BY SEBASTIAN FLORES

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Alpaca at Dee DelBello's Rock Laurel Farm in Waccabuc.

By now it’s clear that we at WAG adore all creatures great and small. But we have a particularly soft spot in our hearts for the alpaca —which is near and dear to our publisher and creative director, Dee DelBello.

After Jan Vermeer, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (circa 1665). ©2015 The Estate of Susan Herbert

Dee has been raising alpaca at her Rock Laurel Farm in Waccabuc since 2005. Next month she launches a new alpaca venture named Herde de Ferme, a manufacturing company that will feature accessories for home and personal use — all woven by artisans in Peru using sheared fleece.

“We also use fur pelts from alpaca that have died in the Andes,” she says. For this reason, the Herde de Ferme products are friendly fur. No animal is ever harmed in making this product.

Adds Dee: “We’ll be featuring everything from incredible whisper-thin, hand-woven scarves to luxurious natural-colored fur throws.”

Alpaca and fashion are a natural twosome. Alpaca is as soft as cashmere, warmer and more durable than wool and comes in an unprecedented variety of natural colors — roughly 24. No wonder it’s so highly prized.

Chalk that up, too, to its rarity. The currency and source of wardrobe for the royal Incas, alpaca have been raised in high elevations in the Andes since the days of the conquistadors, limiting room for the herd’s growth. Export of live alpaca, once illegal, is still restricted. Alpaca from Chile and Bolivia have been in the United States only since 1984 and from Peru since 1993. Dee has 25 Peruvian alpaca, all of the Huacaya (wa KA ya), variety, which has a fluffy fleece. The other kind, Suri, is noted for silken dreadlocks.

Descended from vicuña and possessed of a gentle temperament, alpaca are the perfect houseguests as farm animals go. At 3 feet tall at the shoulder and weighing in at 100 to 200 pounds, they’re more compact than the animal they’re often confused with — the llama. (Llamas, unlike alpaca, are used as beasts of burden and are not prized for their coats.)

Alpaca are also environmentally friendly, grazing on grasses without pulling up plant roots or tearing up the ground. They dine on free-choice hay and grain, require little water and use only one spot in their pasture for a privy.

Their only ungentlemanly and unladylike habit is one of spitting and that only comes into play, Dee says, when a pregnant alpaca wants to tell an amorous male to “get lost.”

With a lifespan of up to 20 years, these sexy camelids are active reproductively for two-thirds WAGMAG.COM

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of their lives. A female can breed at 15 to 18 months; a male, at 3 years. One whiff of a male and a female is good to go. The resulting single baby, or cria, takes almost a year to produce.

In October 2015 WAG, we told you about a cria on Dee’s farm, AllyBee, who was born with displaced kneecaps that made it impossible for her to stand and nurse, much less walk. (Without her mother’s milk, containing valuable antibodies, AllyBee was particularly susceptible to a possibly fatal infection.)

Thanks to the surgery and therapy provided by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, Massachusetts, AllyBee made a successful recovery — captured in a charming YouTube video that shows Ally going through her paces, in a cart, with ropes attached to her hind legs, turning her proud head from side to side like the fighter she is.

“They were wonderful,” Dee says of Dr. Daniela Bedenice and her team. “They really saved that little one.”

Today, AllyBee is not so little. She has filled out to take her place with the other alpaca in the Herde de Ferme.

For more, visit herdedeferme.com beginning in May.

AllyBee was born with displaced kneecaps. Look at her now.

RIVERSIDE ART AUCTION Live Auction Saturday, May 13, 2017

40 works by HV artists offered New this year: online pre-bidding for select artists Viewing and reception 3:30pm Live Auction 5:00pm Auctioneer: Nicholas D. Lowry President, Swann Galleries, NYC Appraiser, Antiques Roadshow

Silent Auction Through May 21, 2017 80 works by HV artists offered

Garrison’s Landing in Garrison, NY MTA Hudson Line, Garrison stop

garrisonartcenter.org 845-424-3960 44

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Auctioneer Nicholas Lowry. Photo by Sheila Feren.

OF PUPPIES AND

PURSES

BY MARY SHUSTACK

A greyhound clasp tops a stately bag fashioned out of alligator.

It’s a singular, sleek and decidedly luxurious statement — and yet another design that could only come from the imagination of Judith Leiber.

After all, her handbag creations have included countless odes, often sparkly, to dogs and cats, pigs and fish, tigers and frogs, birds, horses, dolphins, seals, peacocks and most every other member of the animal kingdom.

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Illustration of Judith Leiber animal-themed minaudières featuring photographs by Gary Mamay. Courtesy of the Leiber Collection.

And this month, the noted designer — who spent some 65 years in the fashion and accessories industry — is celebrated in a “maker” exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design.

“Judith Leiber: Crafting a New York Story” opens April 4 at the Manhattan museum, paying homage to Leiber as craftswoman, designer and businesswoman.

The show has been curated to trace her rise from a handbag apprentice in pre-World War II Budapest through her becoming an industry icon with bags that became favorites of first ladies and those who walk the red carpet. So often recognized for her minaudières, Leiber will also be celebrated through broader explorations of her craftsmanship, influences and outlook.

The exhibition will include selections that span the history of Judith Leiber Handbags, founded in 1963 in New York, and continue through 2004, when she designed her last bag.

The show is curated by MAD’s Assistant Curator Samantha De Tillio, with the support of Curatorial Assistant and Project Manager Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy.

De Tillio answers a few questions for WAG in advance of the show’s opening. Following is a portion of the exchange; see wagmag.com for the complete interview:

MAD has such a strong tradition of spotlighting the makers and their processes. What drew the museum to Judith Leiber and her work?

“MAD is a very artist-focused institution and we are committed to continuously telling their stories. Judith fits very well within the greater mission of the institution and she and her work are particularly suited for an exhibition here.

When considering the best of the handbag industry in the last century, certainly Judith’s name would be included. Her training in Europe generally, and Budapest, Hungary, specifically provided her with a skill set that surpassed those of United States-trained industry professionals. (In Budapest the craft was learned from apprenticeship through mastery and an individual — Judith in this case — would learn the skills to make a handbag from design to completion, while in the U.S. the industry used skill division and craftspeople learned one particular part of the trade and continued to do that one piece, collaborating with many craftspeople to make one handbag). This ability to create a handbag from start to finish was combined with Judith’s own commitment to using the highest quality of materials and hand-craftsmanship throughout the course of her career, resulting in handbags of a quality that surpassed any others made at the time.

Judith’s personal story and the showing of her work is also quite timely. 1) The Museum is hosting a full spring season entitled ‘The Art and Craft of Getting Dressed,’ a series of three exhibitions this spring that embrace craftsmanship, cultural commentary and critical thinking in fashion practices — from the couture to the conceptual — across multiple generations. 2) In this current state of politicization it’s important — being a New York City institution — to celebrate the creative and economic contributions of the immigrant community, of which Judith is a part.”

How did you select what to feature?

“One of my main objectives with the exhibition was to show the great breadth and variety of Judith’s work. She is best known for her Swarovski-encrusted minaudières,

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tells the story of a strong woman who against many odds, including the Second World War, created a business where she is respected and internationally known…. I think people who already know her work will be interested in the show and, as I stated…I hope they will be able to take away something new from seeing the great variety of her work. Visitors interested in fashion certainly will have something to take away. The exhibition is one of three exhibitions opening in our spring season devoted to issues of fashion.

“I think the exhibition will appeal to others who are attracted to Judith’s story as an immigrant entrepreneur. Particularly during these increasingly politicized times, it’s important to remember the importance of immigrants and immigrant businesses to the fabric of New York.”

but the variety of the designs she made over the course of her career (over 3,500 designs just during the lifetime of her company Judith Leiber Handbags) is impressive. The work includes leather day bags, intricate Art Deco hardware, the use of textiles from around the world, materials as varied as Lucite and carved ebony and, of course, her famed minaudières.

“I decided to take a biographical approach to the exhibition, using Judith — the designer, craftswoman and businesswoman/entrepreneur — as the central column out from which all the other exhibition themes spiral. She as a person and her story infiltrates each of the gallery spaces, while we’re exploring themes such as the history of the handbag, the gendered nature of handbag use, the minaudière as carried by first ladies, influence of the arts, etc.

Touching on our issue’s animal theme, can you comment on how/why Leiber included animals and animal-themed prints in her work?

“I think one of the influences Judith has had on the handbag industry is the allowance for humor and whimsy to infiltrate her designs. As her minaudières became more popular and well-known, she expanded the range of designs she created to include flora and fauna, books, a range of Chinese and Japanese influences (the Leibers collect Chinese porcelains and Japanese woodblock prints), works that reference the performing arts and bags made for specific individuals that reference their own interests.

Judith Leiber. Courtesy Judith Leiber.

Finally, can you share your thoughts on Judith Leiber’s enduring importance?

“Her animal bags are part of this grouping. When speaking with Judith about her range of influences, she said she gets her ideas from everywhere (her husband is an avid gardener, thus sparking her fruit and vegetable bags), and took more of a why not approach to creating such whimsical animal designs.

“For all the reasons I’ve stated… I think it’s important that Judith’s contribution to the field be recorded and remembered. She broke the mold of what a handbag could be in terms of form and material, but also personality. You can see the longevity of her influence in any handbags that are decorated with rhinestones.”

“Judith Leiber: Crafting a New York Story” opens April 4 and continues through Aug. 6 at the Museum of Arts and Design, at 2 Columbus Circle in Manhattan. For more, visit madmuseum.org.

Who do you think the exhibition will appeal to — and why?

“In making this exhibition I really wanted it to appeal to a wide variety of audiences and have numerous entry points. At its core the exhibition

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ANIMALS, THE REAL GEMS

BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY MANYA & ROUMEN

M

Most any weekday will find jewelry designer Manya Tessler working away in Cold Spring, her cat and two dogs keeping her company.

It’s no accident she’s surrounded by this trio — as well as dozens of animal images featured in the artwork, decorative objects, field guides and scrapbooks dotted throughout her home-based studio.

On the afternoon of a recent interview, Tessler is not only adorned with a bold chameleon ring and serene dove-themed earrings of her own design but she’s even wearing slippers sporting a bee-themed pattern.

It’s all part of a lifelong fascination with animals.

“I love just how pure they are,” Tessler says, pointing to her dog Raya. “She’s not hiding anything. You know exactly how they feel.”

It was only natural, then, that Tessler was drawn to the animal kingdom — everything from birds to whales, fish to deer, lions to mice and more — as endless inspiration for the strikingly singular Manya & Roumen precious jewelry she creates and sells in partnership with her husband, Roumen Vragov.

CHARMED FROM THE START A Philadelphia native, Tessler studied fine art, focusing on printmaking and illustration and, after undergraduate work at Wesleyan University, earned an MFA at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.

A world traveler who spent a few years living in Japan, Tessler would write and illustrate “Yuki’s Ride Home,” a children’s book published in 2008

by Bloomsbury.

But perhaps foreshadowing her future in jewelry, Tessler says she was always “much more comfort-

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Rings by Manya & Roumen. From top: Mouse ring photograph by Hap Sakwa; and Snail ring photograph by Chris Trayer.

able in the 3-D world,” even drawn to embellished works and woodcuts in printmaking.

When Tessler was engaged to marry Vragov, a Bulgarian-born academic, her transition to jewelry began on a most romantic note. She took a jewelry course at the 92nd Street Y, studying with noted teacher Alan Brodsky so she could create their wedding rings.

“He treated us like professionals,” she says.

The work gained notice. “People started to ask us about the jewelry, to purchase the jewelry.”

Testing the industry waters in 2009, the newly formed company — “I think Roumen registered the company on Valentine’s Day,” Tessler says with a smile — not only exhibited at the Jewelers Association trade show but walked away with the Mort Abelson Award, which recognizes the new designer of the year.

Suddenly, it was all about the jewelry and a steady growth found the couple eventually settling into the Hudson Valley some three years ago.

For two of those years, they owned and operated Open Concept, a gallery on Cold Spring’s Main Street that showcased not only Manya & Roumen designs but also a selection of accessories by contemporary artists.

It was an ideal way to meet customers and cultivate a following of those who appreciated the “energy of a piece.”

It’s what makes work created by artists so unique, she says.

“You can feel the purity of their intention and the love of what they do.”

Tessler says that while the gallery had loyal customers, the area’s growing appeal as a hiking destination wasn’t proving an ideal fit.

“People weren’t coming up here with the intention of buying high-end jewelry,” she says.

And, she adds, “we bought outright from the artists” instead of showcasing on commission, which made the economics difficult to sustain.

THE ARTISTIC PROCESS For now, the focus is back on creating, with work in the studio going hand in hand with production trips to the city.

“We make each piece, custom, from scratch,” Tessler says.

Research ranges from something as simple as observing a bird in flight to consulting those field guides to flipping through a fashion magazine.

She pulls out a scrapbook-style volume and settles on a particular page featuring a snippet from a clothing ad.

“I wasn’t attracted to the clothes at all but to the cockatoo,” she says.

She will also do a bit of a scientific study of an animal’s bone structure or movement to accurately capture its traits.

Her sketching, she emphasizes, is done by hand.

“Working in 3-D, it’s like I’m really there. When I’m in front of a computer, there’s a screen there.”

She carves each design in a rich purple wax, using

the venerable lost-wax technique.

Once her part is done, Tessler takes her carvings to the city to have a mold made.

“I love the colors of the injectable wax,” she says, showing off the elements from which the metal pieces will be cast. “Aren’t they great? It’s like neon.”

From these, the design is cast in metal and the far-from-casual finishing process begins.

“I’m not a fan of those pendants (where) you can see the back hollowed out. To me it looks… cheesy,” she says.

Indeed, the creations of Manya & Roumen are multidimensional with attention to detail paid to every surface, inside and out.

The company has developed a trusted network of casters, stone setters and polishers drawn from what she says is a very small world.

“You get to know them and they understand your vision.”

They need not only to relate to her design but also her stone choice.

Rings by Manya & Roumen. From top, Cockatoo ring photograph by Quinn Chandler; and Goldfish ring photograph by Chris Trayer.

Tessler will open a simple, old-fashioned tin to reveal a collection of little plastic bags.

“Here are really beautiful stones I’ve collected over the years,” she says, handing over a bag and urging us to let its contents fill our palm with a rainbow of hues.

Tessler’s imagination is often sparked by the colors of the stones, from watermelon tourmaline to tanzanite, from rubies to a piece of clear quartz flecked with “probably pyrite.”

One might end up in a design of birds “drinking from a fountain or a puddle. I like creating stories.”

THEIR OWN STORY These days, Tessler says she and Vragov are focused on the future and sustaining a business where artistry comes first.

“The last couple of years we saw a lot of changes happening… People were more concerned with price than materials or backstory.”

Vragov, a teacher specializing in computer information and economics, handles the business concerns of the company.

“I’m lucky to have Roumen because the business side,” she pauses, dropping her voice to a whisper, “doesn’t interest me.”

Instead, she is all about creating the work.

“It’s what I enjoy, envisioning the piece and carving,” she says. “I love wax. … Wax is really soft, approachable and forgiving.”

So it’s no surprise to find her happy in the studio, her rescue cat named Petunia nestled into a little bed inches from her jewelry bench. The dogs — the rescue mixed-breed Raya (“It means ‘paradise’ in Bulgarian. Roumen’s mother named her.”) and the spunky Pomeranian-Papillon mix named Rhonda (her original owner had to surrender her when moving to a new home) — scamper at her feet.

With a website, custom orders and work showcased in a New Jersey gallery, Diana Vincent Jewelry Designs in Lambertville, Tessler and Vragov continue to carve out their niche.

They are adapting to the ever-changing market — “I’m working on some more earrings and necklaces,” Tessler says — to broaden their reach, but some things are not going to change.

“We like that it’s made in New York. That’s something that we’re really proud of.”

The company, Tessler adds, also remains committed to donating a portion of its proceeds to animaland nature-related causes.

Customers of Manya & Roumen traditionally, she says, are “mostly artists or people in the arts” who get what they are doing.

“I know there is a certain level of practicality to what some people like,” she says. Yes, for every one who’s told her a particular ring can’t be worn with gloves, for example, there are those who understand and appreciate the Manya & Roumen vision.

As Tessler says, “They have to have a certain level of open-mindedness to begin with to be drawn to our work.”

For more, visit manyaandroumen.com.

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FASHIONING A NEW ERA

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

F

For more than 35 years, Mary Jane Denzer has been a high-end retail anchor in White Plains, first on East Post Road, then on the corner of Mamaroneck and Maple avenues and, since August 2014, on Renaissance Square in a sleek, gray-and-white, 5,000-square-foot space near The Ritz-Carlton New York, Westchester.

Like any self-respecting fashionista, however, the store keeps evolving. Its latest chapter finds two new owners at the helm — Anastasia Cucinella, Denzer’s longtime right-hand woman, and Debra O’Shea, who for 16 years was the women’s personal shopper at Richards in Greenwich and served as a fashion columnist for WAG as Diva Debbi.

They follow in the well-heeled footsteps of a woman who was a cultural icon to Westchester. (It was Denzer who arranged the stunning Oscar de la Renta runway show fundraiser for White Plains Hospital’s 120th anniversary gala in 2013.) But she was also a mentor, lifesaver and friend to both women.

“She used to help me when I had a fashion emergency,” O’Shea remembers. “Mary Jane was always gracious. She’d say, ‘Come down. Take what you need.’”

When Denzer discovered she had pancreatic cancer — two months after opening her dream store on Renaissance Square — she met with O’Shea and asked her if she would be interested in continuing her legacy. At the time, O’Shea says, it didn’t feel right.

Nor was it the right moment after Denzer passed away (in December of 2015) and her family decided

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Anastasia Cucinella in Erdem and Debra O’Shea in Paula Hian, partners in Mary Jane Denzer. Photograph by John Rizzo.

to keep the business going.

The turnkey, O’Shea says, came when the family determined that the best way to carry on what Denzer started was to sell the business to her and Cucinella.

“I worked for her 13 years — 10 full time and three part time when I had my twin girls,” Cucinella says.

“She taught me everything I know….But she was not just a mentor. She was my friend.” As was Denzer’s faithful Papillon, Bodhi, whom Cucinella describes as “a frustrated salesman.” (Readers will be happy to know that the feisty Bodhi is now happily ensconced in the home of the woman who took care of him during Denzer’s buying trips, though, Cucinella adds, he still comes into the shop, perhaps to work with select clientele.)

She remembers Denzer as the consummate saleswoman and stylist: “She would find the dress that would look perfect on you and then she would tell you why it looks perfect.”

WAG observes that tradition on a bustling morning that serves as a harbinger of the soft seasons.

While the phone hums, Cucinella and O’Shea attend to a customer interested in an evening gown, a client who intends to be a quietly elegant mother of the groom in a sleeveless mauve Elie Saab gown with velvet trim and a low-back effect and another who tries on a swingy electric-blue cocktail number.

As the pair consult, you’re beguiled by an array

of creations from day- to evening-wear that stand at color-coordinated attention amid cases and vitrines of equally enticing accessories, such as the fetching lime and animal print clip-ons by Angela Caputi, a designer they planned to meet with during a recent trip to Paris. (See photograph on Page 10.) Though the two women complement each other — O’Shea in Paula Hian with a look that says “glamorous Greenwich”; Cucinella, an Isabella Rossellini type in Erdem — they are on the same page when it comes to buying. During New York Fashion Week, they both thought, Why buy sleeveless and cover it with a shrug when you can wear the ever-flattering three-quarter sleeves?

They’re a trend, along with the color pink and citrus shades, O’Shea says. For fall, think florals, velvets and embellishments. And always high-low dresses, with a cocktail length in the front that sweeps to a ball-gown finish for a ’50s flair. (Think Kirsten Dunst in Christian Dior at the Oscars.)

Some things, however, remain classic, including the Denzer mix of well-known and new designers — Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, Tony Ward, Alex Teih, Monique Lhuillier and in-house designer Neil Bieff, among them. And the Denzer approach to salesmanship.

“As Mary Jane used to say,” Cucinella recalls, “Don’t just make a sale. Make the right one.”

For more, visit maryjanedenzer.com.

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HOT OFF THE RUNWAY, FOR YOUR STABLE OF STUDS

BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY NEIMAN MARCUS

M

Men’s fashion salutes our armed forces this season with snappy, military-inspired looks.

Elsewhere, check in with checkered print and discover that yellow’s not so mellow:

MILITARY

There’s no better way to be functional and fashionable than with a fresh look that nonetheless pays tribute to times past. Showcased by the likes of Dries van Noten, Givenchy and Valentino, this martial plan embraces everything from classic utility pants to loose-fitting tunics and Army-style trousers. For those colder April mornings, the bomber jacket offers a stylish solution, with unusual renditions by Saint Laurent, Givenchy and Marc Jacobs. Subtle details include the use of earth tones — namely olive green and crème — as well as camouflage prints and khaki. Comple-

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The Dot-Print Silk Tie

by Charvet, $245.

menting accessories include Doc Martens, the combat boot and the backpack, a multipurpose option that’s proven popular this year, with styles

by Louis Vuitton, Prada and Royce, mentioned in February WAG. For your closet: The Short Field Coat in olive by Tom Ford, a utility jacket with a funnel neckline, side entry pockets and a zip and welt pocket at the chest, $2,890.

The Camouflage Leather Backpack by a.testoni, (right) a backpack with solid-grained calf leather trim, golden hardware and padded, adjustable shoulder straps, $1,690.

A Pixel, Camo Print, Short-Sleeve Woven Shirt in olive, featuring a spread collar with a buffalo horn-button front, yoked back shoulders and chest flap pockets, $595.

CHECKERED PRINTS

Plaids and checkered patterns offer a sharp contrast — a theme of this season — to any monochromatic ensemble. The most trending is the traditional checkerboard — signature of Vans’ slip-on sneaker, the pattern’s original claim to fame in 1977 — a motif of skate culture deemed by Vogue

as this year’s “most unmissable marking.” But additional renditions including gingham, hound’stooth and windowpane, which are equally chic, featured by designers Facetasm, MSGM and, of course, Fendi. Pair the bold pattern with a bold color for an alternative look.

For your closet: Elwood X25 Princes of Wales Check 3D Tapered Jeans in black, white and red

by G-Star, jeans in hound’s-tooth print, featuring a slim fit and tapered leg with a five-pocket style, $170.

FELLOWS IN YELLOW

The color of menswear this season is yellow — but it sure isn’t mellow. All shades go, with greater emphasis on yellow-green and acidic looks, as well as rich mustards, ambers and gold — as spotted in styles by Hermès, Haider Ackerman and Alexander McQueen. Downplay the bright hue for daytime by pairing with a neutral — like white, navy or charcoal — or use as an accent to complement a dark-colored suit.

For your closet: The Dot-Print Silk Tie by Charvet, $245.

For more, visit neimanmarcus.com.

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SADDLE UP FOR OLD SALEM FARM

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

T

The Spring Horse Shows at Old Salem Farm — which return to the rolling verdure of North Salem May 9 through 21 — afford locals a splendid opportunity to see world-class riders, including members of the U.S. Olympic team, in international competitions.

And the camaraderie, food and shopping aren’t bad, either.

“A lot of what people like about horse shows and the competition is the social aspect,” says Chelsea Dwinell, the Farm’s marketing and sponsorship coordinator, who’s been riding since age 4 and whose best friends are riders she’s known her whole life.

“It’s family friendly and it’s nice to relax when you’re done riding at the end of the day.”

Indeed, you can picnic hillside, stroll along with the pooch and kids, kibitz with merchants, artists and veterinarians or hobnob in the signature two-tier VIP tent, which will host an evening party for the first time May 14, Dwinell says. For the second year in a row, Brewster-based Clock Tower Grill will have a pop-up restaurant upstairs in the majestic Main Barn, overlooking an indoor ring, along with an outdoor stand that will take its place amid jewelry, clothing, saddle and photography vendors.

Still, it’s all in service of the competition — hunter, jumper and equitation events in all classes, junior and adult, amateur and professional. (For new fans, hunter competitions are the equine version of the artistic score in figure skating, purely subjective, while jumper events are all about equine athleticism with the horse making the fewest mistakes in the least amount of time win-

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Canadian rider Adrienne Iverson preparing to compete on the Grand Prix Field during the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows.

Photograph by Lindsay Brock for Jump Media.

ning. Equitation events also are about artistry, but they focus on the rider’s form.)

Highlights include the $15,000 Old Salem Farm Speed Derby, a $5,000 Equitation Challenge and a jumper competition culminating with the $50,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix in the first week. The second week offers a $10,000 international hunter derby and three grand prix events with the $130,000 Empire State Grand Prix closing out the show on May 21.

Old Salem Farm — rated one of the best equestrian competition venues by the North American Riders Group from 2011 through 2015 and home of that fall classic, the American Gold Cup — will

also present a 25 jumper division for riders making the transition into the grand prix ranks from junior competition. A $5,000 Grooms’ Class will honor the grooms of the horses, and $5,000 leading rider awards will be presented in both hunter and jumper divisions.

Adds Dwinell: “If you’re into horses — or you’re not into horses — there’s something for everyone.”

The 2017 Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows will kick off May 7 with the popular Welcome Day, featuring hunter and jumper competition, including the Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program. For more, call 914-669-5610 or visit oldsalemfarm.net.

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PAUL SHAFFER IS READY FOR HIS NEXT GIG

BY PHIL HALL

F

For four decades, Paul Shaffer was as much of a fixture of the twilight hours as the moon and the stars. From 1975 to 1980, he was a prominent band member and featured player with the original “Saturday Night Live” cast, plumbing sketch comedy gold with his wonderfully wicked imitations of pop music impresario Don Kirshner. In 1982, he teamed with up-and-coming funnyman David Letterman, serving as musical director and sidekick on the groundbreaking NBC program “Late Night with David Letterman.” In 1993, Shaffer followed Letterman to CBS to continue with his musical and raconteur support on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and stayed with the program until its 2015 signoff.

Now, Shaffer is ready for his next challenge.

Starting in April and running into July, he will undertake a North American tour — the first of his career — with The World’s Most Dangerous Band, the original NBC-era Letterman musical ensemble, in support of their new album titled (what else?) “Paul Shaffer & The World’s Most Dangerous Band.” One of those stops will be at The Ridgefield Playhouse on May 6.

For Shaffer, the transition from late-night TV studios to live music venues is a welcome change of pace, and he expresses no regrets about being away from the cameras.

“There’s nothing like it,” Shaffer said about TV. “We had such a fabulous run and a fabulous time.

But you can’t have all the fun. You need to step aside and let others have fun.”

Shaffer is also pleased to see the new “Saturday Night Live” episodes commanding a kind of influence that the program has not seen in many years.

“All of us are impressed at how long it has gone on

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Paul Shaffer (front and center) and The World's Most Dangerous Band. Courtesy The Ridgefield Playhouse.

and not run out of steam,” he said, adding that he usually catches the show’s current headline-grabbing antics after they transpire. “I flip by the show, but not regularly. I am not much of a watcher of late- night TV. But I keep up with it on the net.”

However, Shaffer’s schedule does not afford him much time for leisurely viewing. His tour kicks off April 1 at The Clemens Center in Elmira, New York, before swinging into Ridgefield.

“This particular stop is great for me because I go to The Ridgefield Playhouse all of the time,” the Bedford resident said, adding that he has occasionally made surprise guest appearances on the Ridgefield stage — most recently last August during a Loretta Lynn concert.

For the Ridgefield performance, Shaffer is bringing another music icon onstage with him.

“Our special guest is the great Valerie Simpson.

She wrote so many Motown classics and taught me about soul music when I was in college. And, of course, she sang with Nickolas Ashford as the duo Ashford and Simpson. She’s a marvelous singer and I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

And what can the Ridgefield audience expect from Shaffer? “A show has to be more than a series of songs,” he explained. “I have so many stories of people I idolized as a kid that I got to work with.

This will be the culmination of years of learning.”

Indeed, Shaffer’s career stretched far beyond his beloved late-night TV hijinks. Born in Ontario, he first gained attention when composer Stephen Schwartz invited him to be the musical director for the 1972 Toronto production of “Godspell,” starring Victor Garber as Jesus (a role he repeated in the 1973 film version) and a supporting cast of then-unknown comedy performers that included Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas and Eugene Levy. Schwartz brought Shaffer to Broadway in 1974 as the orchestra pianist for “The Magic Show,” starring illusionist Doug Henning. Following his “Saturday Night Live” and Letterman fame, Shaffer became a ubiquitous presence in many films and television productions,

most notably as the world’s worst music promoter in the cult film favorite “This is Spinal Tap” and as the voice of Hermes in Disney’s animated feature “Hercules.” And, as “Seinfeld” fans know, Shaffer famously failed to return a 1989 phone call from Jerry Seinfeld to discuss playing the George Costanza role in the series’ pilot episode.

But if sitcom immortality eluded him, Shaffer’s music career compensated with such achievements as co-writing the dance music classic “It’s Raining Men” and playing keyboards on The Honeydrippers’ 1984 No. 1 “Sea of Love.” Oddly, the new “Paul Shaffer & The World’s Most Dangerous Band” is only his third album — and the last one came out in 1993. For this go-round, Shaffer promised an eclectic lineup.

“The new album plays like a variety show,” he stated. “We have a number of special guests including Shaggy, the great Jamaican toasting rapper, and Bill Murray drops by to do some singing on ‘Happy Street.’ We have covers of some classic tunes, and we also whipped up a few original things.”

However, there is a major caveat in Shaffer’s touring: The shows will be two or three gigs per week spread out liberally across each month. No road warrior, he.

“It is not that kind of a tour with a bus,” he said.

“I tried a bus once and I don’t know how they do it.

We are structuring the shows close to each of the places where we’re performing.”

In between his gigs, Shaffer plans to enjoy quality time with his wife Cathy, his children Victoria and Will, and their pet family.

“We have two wonderful dogs, both half-Labs and both rescue dogs,” he said. “We got them when the kids were young. Our son also has bunny in his room and that gets to go outside in summer. Our daughter has two dogs of her own — a Chihuahua mix and a huge Alsatian Shepard — and when she brings them all, all the dogs get along.”

Chez Shaffer, it’s raining pets.

For tickets and more on Paul Shaffer’s Ridgefield gig, visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

SON SHINE

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT RECONNECTS WITH HIS ROOTS

BY GREGG SHAPIRO

S

Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright’s Hudson Valley roots run deep. His father, singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III (of “Dead Skunk” fame), grew up in Bedford. Rufus’ mother, the late Kate McGarrigle, was also a singer-songwriter and one half of the acclaimed Canadian musical duo Kate and Anna McGarrigle (of “Heart Like a Wheel” renown).

That musical tree has sprouted a new branch: Wainwright, his husband and Lorca Cohen (daughter of the late Leonard) are parents of a daughter, Viva. In addition to nurturing this talented family tree, Wainwright has received praise and earned a devoted following for his pop music studio recordings, concert appearances and operas. For his most recent album, 2016’s “Take All My Loves” (Deutsche Grammophon), Wainwright set nine Shakespeare sonnets to music.

Here he discusses his upcoming gig at Tarrytown Music Hall: We know there’s no way of knowing, but what do you think the Bard would have thought of your “Take All My Loves” album?

(Laughs) “There really is no way of knowing. We don’t even know if he’s a he for that matter. There’s so little that’s understood about him as a person. What I would say is that I think he would be intrigued by the project, only because within his play, and within the sonnets, there’s such a variety of atmosphere.

Whether it’s comedy or tragedy or hatred or love, there’s such a wide range of emotions. I think that in my album there’s such a wide range of musical styles. He would have at least liked one of the songs, because I think they’re all so different. For him to dis-

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Rufus Wainwright. Photograph by Matthew Welch.

miss the whole thing would be impossible.”

What was involved in the process of selecting performing collaborators for the project, including Helena Bonham Carter, Florence Welch and William Shatner?

“It was all very different. Florence Welch was a longtime candidate that we had to hunt down and carve out space with, because she is very occupied.

In the end, she was incredibly gracious and it was wonderful working with her. Some of the other people — like Helena Bonham Carter and Carrie Fisher, who is sadly departed — they’re friends of mine and they were either in London or L.A. when I was making the record. I casually called them up and asked them if they wanted to pop over to the studio. Oftentimes we went over to see them as well. A lot of the people who recited poems were just around, which is definitely a sign of the glamorous life that I lead (laughs).”

Speaking of glamour, we wonder if you have any interest in writing a movie musical?

“Oh, yes. I’ve harbored that dream for arguably 35 years, since I was a kid and got into Judy Garland movies and Gene Kelly and stuff like that.”

Is there one in the works?

“Certainly now that ‘La La Land’ did so well and we’re entering a possible wave of movie musicals, there’s definitely been a lot of interest. I’d be a fool not to embark on that kind of project, considering

my music and how theatrical it is.”

The current challenging political environment makes me think of your song “Going to a Town,” which I find to be one of your most political compositions. Are you finding inspirations for more such songs in the age of Trump?

“Let me just say that I’m writing an opera now about the Emperor Hadrian. There are certain songs that I’ve written that relate to the age of Trump, some of which I’d like to release as soon as possible to get them out there and have people helped by them.

But, in terms of writing the opera, what’s going on now is more akin to an operatic tale. It’s so dramatic and frightening and overbearing. It’s definitely hooking into all of my artistic pursuits. It’s scary, but on the other hand, inspiring.”

In addition to the opera, what other current or upcoming projects are you most excited about?

They’re doing my first opera, ‘Prima Donna,’ in Paris in June. That’s a triumph for me. The opera is in French and takes place in Paris, so that will be a real homecoming of sorts. I’m also still working a lot with my sisters, singing with them whenever I can, doing a lot of family music.

There’s always something going on.”

Rufus Wainwright performs at 8 p.m. April 20 at Tarrytown Music Hall. Tickets range from $38 to $78. For more, visit tarrytownmusichall.org.

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899): Impressionist Master Final weeks – don’t miss it!

Alfred Sisley (French, 1839–1899) Une Cour a Chaville, 1879 Oil on canvas Private Collection

The exhibition was organized by the Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut and Culturespaces, France.

®

BRUCE MUSEUM

Florence Gould Foundation David T. Langrock Foundation The Malcolm Hewitt Wiener Foundation Robert Lehman Foundation

| Greenwich, CT | www.brucemuseum.org

THE DIGITAL ANIMAL DOMINATES

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

M

Michael Bruno — the self-styled “serial entrepreneur” behind 1stdibs, Tuxedo Hudson Co., Housepad App and Art-Design-Carta — collects animals, as objects.

“I have all these animals all over the place in our house,” said the Larchmont native of his Tuxedo Park home.

Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger — co-owner, creative director and global ambassador of Judith Leiber and wife of Tommy — collects vintage clothes.

(And added that the ’80s are back so get out your shoulder pads.)

Veronica Swanson Beard — who with her sister-in-law Veronica Miele Beard is the designer and co-founder of, yes, the Veronica Beard fashion brand — is a self-confessed “hoarder with a very extensive collection of small vases for all my

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Rachel Vaisman, Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, Michael Bruno, Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard.

Photograph by Kathleen Godbold. Courtesy Moffly Media.

flowers. I can’t buy enough.”

For Rachel Vaisman — senior director at The RealReal luxury consignment website — collecting is all about “small dinosaurs and Disney princesses.”

(She has three children under the age of 5.)

That brought back memories for new media entrepreneur Lesley Jane Seymour, founder of coveyclub.com: “My kids had 1,000 beheaded Barbies. I feel your pain.”

All joking aside, the witty panelists for the Bruce Museum’s fourth annual “Art of Design” fundraiser, held March 2 at Greenwich County Club, along with moderator Seymour, shed light on a variety of personal collections, inspirations and experiences. But one thing they all agreed on was the 800-pound digital gorilla in the room.

(Indeed the panel might’ve been called the “Art of the Web.”) Today, it’s all about the net and, particularly, Instagram, the photo-sharing app whose growth has outpaced that of its parent company, Facebook.

“I’m fascinated by Instagram,” said Hilfiger, who’ll be redoing the Judith Leiber website. “I’m focusing on the new techniques, because everything’s moving so quickly that you have to try if not get ahead then at least stay with (technology).

“Apple inspires me a lot. Steve Jobs made the computer sexy. He convinced everyone that they needed a laptop and a cell phone.”

Such sexiness has translated, of course, into

eyeballs and dollars. For the last Tommy Hilfiger show, Dee said, they used It Girl Gigi Hadid — who has 26 million Instagram followers — as the main model. That’s worth more than all the advertising in the fashion magazines combined, she added.

Such thoughts are a stab to the heart of Seymour, the onetime editor-in-chief of virtually every women’s magazine (More, Marie Claire, Redbook and YM). She was also beauty director of Glamour and senior editor at Vogue.

“It’s heartbreaking but the sad truth is print is too expensive,” she said. “It’s all about advertising.

Once the advertisers realized they no longer had to go through the door and kiss the butts of editors, they abandoned ship.”

But the digital relationship to the modern world is a complex one. We live in a visual culture but not necessarily a visually literate one that can “read” the paintings that make up the ravishing Alfred Sisley exhibit at the Bruce, for instance.

There is a vast deal of difference between seeing an artwork online and discovering it in an art catalog or in the flesh — murmured some of the 200 attendees. (Peter C. Sutton, the Bruce’s Susan E. Lynch executive director, described the audience as a “voluble group.”)

Then, too, in an age that is all about “telling it like it is,” reality TV and the search for the authentic — about half the audience raised their hands when asked if they’d rather have an experience in-

stead of stuff — the internet offers only a virtual experience.

“Women want to go to a store and they want to touch the product,” says Veronica S. Beard, whose Veronica Beard brand exists as a brick-and-mortar Madison Avenue shop as well as an online business.

“And we get to see them come in,” said Veronica M. Beard, who collects “wacko world trips.” “We want to know all about them,” Veronica S. added.

That need for a personal relationship may be one reason that Bruno said: “There’s a lot of luxury online but it’s not making money. Venture capitalists aren’t interested, and raising money is difficult. You have to spend a lot of money to get customers.” He pointed to Nasty Gal, the millennially-minded e-commerce site that filed for bankruptcy in November while it restructures.

The RealReal is, however, an example of luxury online that is working. But then, the self-styled “largest authenticated consignment website” has 50 managers picking up more than 40,000 luxe items each month from private consignors. The personal touch is important.

So while Bruno has the trade-exclusive site Art-Design-Carta, he’s also creating The Gateway to The Hudson Valley, a project along the Route 17 Corridor between Sloatsburg and Tuxedo that includes two boutique hotels devoted to cycling and hiking respectively and eateries in which students from The Culinary Institute of America will work alongside Tuxedo Hudson Co. chefs.

Said Bruno: “It’s all about creating an experience.”

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MORE DECO DAZZLERS

BY MARY SHUSTACK

O

Our last issue, an exploration of design, included an advance look at “The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s.”

Opening April 7 at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in Manhattan, it promises to be on many a must-see list.

But Deco fans will want to note that a companion show also opens at Cooper Hewitt that day, a dazzling gem — pun intended — called “Jeweled Splendors of the Art Deco Era: the Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan Collection.”

The exhibition will feature more than 100 examples of luxury cigarette and vanity cases, compacts, clocks and other objects in the Carnegie Mansion’s Teak Room, an exotic beauty itself. The pieces will represent the intricate work being done during the period of 1910 to 1938 by the premier jewelry houses of Europe and America, including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Lacloche Frères, Boucheron and Bulgari.

And fitting right into this issue’s theme, the show will feature a number of designs depicting animals, from the sleek panther pacing across a vanity case from Cartier to the horse and bird on another case, this one produced by Lacloche Frères.

As Caroline Baumann, Cooper Hewitt’s director, says in advancing the show, “A collection with a rich and storied history, these magnificent works represent the foremost craftsmanship of their era.

With exotic motifs exquisitely formed with the finest jewels, metals and precious stones, these boxes, timepieces and jewelry also are virtuosic demonstrations of artistic expressivity and mastery of ancient techniques. Concurrently on view in association with ‘The Jazz Age: American Style in

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From left: Panther Vanity Case, 1925; Produced by Cartier (Paris, France); Rubies, mother-of-pearl, turquoise, onyx, diamonds, gold, platinum; 10.2 × 4.4 × 1.8 cm (4 in. × 1 3/4 in. × 11/16 in.); and Imperial Guardian Lion Mystery Clock, 1929; Produced by Maurice Couet (French, 1885-1963) for Cartier (Paris, France); Carved nephrite, enamel, gold, cabochon emeralds, cabochon rubies, carved citrine, rose-cut diamonds, carved coral, pearls, platinum; 17 × 9.3 × 16.2 cm (6 11/16 × 3 11/16 × 6 3/8 in.)

Photographs by Doug Rosa. Courtesy Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

A COLLECTION WITH A RICH AND STORIED HISTORY, THESE MAGNIFICENT WORKS REPRESENT THE FOREMOST CRAFTSMANSHIP OF THEIR ERA. — Caroline Baumann

the 1920s,’ this exhibition offers an unprecedented opportunity to see these objects in the context of the dramatic societal and technological changes impacting the world during this pivotal moment in early modern history.”

“Jeweled Splendor” draws from the personal gifts Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan (1933—2003) gave

to his wife, Catherine (b. 1938). Born in Paris, Prince Sadruddin was the son of Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan and Princess Andrée Aga Khan.

Dedicated to public service, he spent nearly 40 years at the United Nations, including a position as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1966 to 1978. In addition to his humanitarian work, Prince Sadruddin was passionate about art, culture and environmental issues.

Those with a keen interest in the subject will also want to invest in “Jeweled Splendors of the Art Deco Era: The Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan Collection” ($75, hardcover, 256 pages), which will be published April 11 by Thames & Hudson. It’s a stunning companion that offers the chance to explore the collection further and makes quite an elegant keepsake.

In the foreword, Princess Catherine Aga Khan, the original (and lucky) recipient of these beauties, writes fondly of the more than 100 objects in the collection: “Each had a personality of its own and each was more richly colored and imaginative than the last.”

Those visiting the exhibition — or savoring the book — will no doubt agree with her sentiment.

For more, visit cooperhewitt.org or thamesandhudsonusa.com.

THE BIG DAY PRESERVED IN MINI MEMENTOS

BY JENA A. BUTTERFIELD PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN RIZZO

T

The bride’s wedding dress is a strapless confection of lace and tulle with a fitted bodice and a flowing train that’s been painstakingly stitched and detailed just for her by an artisan in Italy.

Yet unlike every other bride on the planet, she doesn’t care about the fit.

That’s because the dress in question is a miniature replica of her original wedding gown, gifted to her by her mother in what could be considered the ultimate keepsake memory of a bride’s special day.

“It’s textured and gorgeous,” gushes Darren Thomas Scala of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, admiring the tiny dress from the outside of its display case.

The dress has been thoughtfully positioned by Scala next to a miniature version of the bride’s redsoled Christian Louboutin heels. The shoes (made by a second artist in Italy) are leather with a sculpted wood heel and metal buckles. A replica of the bride’s tightly bound flower bouquet lies nearby. It’s been created by a third artist in Spain and is comprised of 800 individually applied paper petals.

It’s a poetic vignette, lit from above, that showcases a meticulous approach. “There are artists out there making beautiful pieces,” says Scala, admiring the quality of the work and explaining that each artist has his own expertise. Scala’s job is to pull everything together to create a moment that is frozen in time.

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MyTrueSo includes such miniature bridal keepsakes as a bride’s Christian Louboutin shoes.

“I bill myself as a curator,” he says as we walk around his shop in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson.

Brooklyn-born Scala opened his shop in late-2014 amid an influx of city transplants, who brought with them a market for all things artisanal. The growing hipster population in Hastings is a demographic ripe for the miniature medium, which covers everything from tiny food to mini mid-century modern houses.

“People are beginning to realize that a miniature can be anything from a cute and cheerful dollhouse to fine art and everything in between,” Scala says.

Scala’s retail shop is tucked away from the street at Moviehouse Mews, where the screen used to be when it was the Hastings movie theater. The shop includes a gallery exhibiting miniature work from a rotating cast of global artisans as well as interactive workshop space. His vision for the future of this once stagnant art has placed him at the forefront of its revival.

Perhaps the most striking example of a miniature entering the mainstream comes via a recent Instagram post by Mindy Kaling. The actress, who was given the gift of a “Mindy Project” set replicated in miniature, complimented it in the post. Scala collaborated with artist Michael Yurkovic to create the media-generating piece.

“My whole objective is to promote the miniatures world,” says Scala, who has a marketing background. “And what better way than to con-

MY WHOLE OBJECTIVE IS TO PROMOTE THE MINIATURES WORLD. — Darren Scala

nect it to an important event.”

Enter MyTrueSo, Scala’s recent effort to preserve a bride’s keepsakes in the most memorable way.

The name MyTrueSo is a play on the French word trousseau, meaning an assortment of things (clothes, household linens etc.) that a bride collects for her marriage. In Scala’s version, a bride can preserve the objects that made her wedding unique by having them created in miniature by artists around the

world — the dress, jewelry, shoes, flowers, cake and lingerie, among them.

For the dressmaking process, material can be used from the actual garment or artists can work from a photograph. “The dress would be ideal,” says Scala. “Because the artist can get to that higher level of detail.”

But he emphasizes that it’s not necessary. “That’s where artistry comes in,” he says. It’s possible to create the illusion of perfection using materials that are not from the original. Plus, photographs can be ideal if you want to keep the miniature a secret from the bride.

Scala suggests bridal parties can band together to give it as a collective gift. “It’s unique and custom and reflects a bride’s signature style,” Scala says. “And who doesn’t want that reflected back to them as a gift?”

After launching MyTrueSo at a recent bridal event, Scala says interested participants wondered if the miniature keepsake could be transferred to other big life events like, say, the birth of a baby. “Yes,” answers Scala emphatically. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

If you’re a bride-to-be, or someone who loves her, MyTrueSo may be the bespoke gift you’ll be buzzing about. In the bridal industry, news travels fast.

It’s a small world, after all.

For more, visit dthomasfineminiatures.com.

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‘LIVING CLEARLY’ WITH HILARIA BALDWIN

BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPHS BY JUSTIN STEELE

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Hilaria Baldwin always finds moments of Zen throughout her day, no matter the setting.

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Yoga has helped Hilaria Baldwin to achieve spiritual, emotional, mental and physical balance.

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Hilaria Baldwin is a woman of many facets. Yoga instructor.

“Extra” TV correspondent.

Proudly amused mother of three.

Wife of Alec, aka President Trump on “SNL.” But perhaps the role that best describes her — and encompasses all the others — is wellness goddess.

Indeed, as she puts 130 yogis through a high energy class that flows from aerobics to downward- and up-dog poses, she sports a workout T emblazed with the legend, “Goddess Vibes.” And like many a goddess, there is something fiercely maternal about her.

“Close your eyes,” she says as the class sinks blissfully into relaxation pose. “There’s nothing you need to see. I will protect you.”

You come to in a euphoric mood. But then, there’s something profoundly liberating about practicing yoga amid the accessories departments of Bloomingdale’s White Plains — all those cat, cobra and bug asanas mingling with denim platforms, gladiator sandals and Kate Spade handbags.

After a taste of the classes offered at Baldwin’s Manhattan-based studio, Yoga Vida, participants get a different kind of taste — of satisfying fruit and vegetable smoothies made from recipes in her new book, “The Living Clearly Method: 5 Principles for a Fit Body, Healthy Mind & Joyful Life.” For the former dancer, yoga serves a physical purpose, but more important, it offers an opportunity for emotional, mental and spiritual growth and balance. “’The Living Clearly Method’ is a set of five principles — perspective, breathing, grounding, balance and letting go — and through these, I’ve found that — for me and for other students that I teach — that we can get to a place that we’re a lot more present in life,” she says. “We can be living clearly, so we can live life as it’s happening.”

Her message comes from experience. Dividing her childhood between Spain and the United States, Baldwin began studying dance at age 2 and, by 13, she was competing in Latin ballroom dance competitions throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. She went on to study dance and art history at New York University.

However, despite her successes, the demanding schedule took a toll on Baldwin, who had been fighting a long battle with anorexia and bulimia.

“I could have told you that it was silly,” she says.

“I could have told you that I should have eaten better and known how to eat well. But it was so much a part of my body in terms of what I did that it became muscle memory. And it became addiction.”

Her wakeup came in 2009, shortly after she co-founded Yoga Vida. As the result of a bad fall, Baldwin’s leg bone completely severed from her hip. The yearlong recovery was challenging for the dancer-turned-yogi, who was suddenly confined to a wheelchair for three months after living a life of

Hilaria Baldwin with hubby Alec, their daughter, Carmen, and their younger son, Leonardo Ángel.

THE MORE MOMENTS I COULD GET ‘INTO,’ THE MORE CAPABLE I WAS OF CHANGING MY PATH AND CHANGING MY BEHAVIOR. — Hilaria Baldwin

rigorous movement. But it was this experience that spurred her desire to adapt a new mindset and, consequentially, a new way of life.

“I was somebody who really had to get knocked over to get the message,” Baldwin says. “I had a lot of time to think — almost like getting a timeout when you’re a kid — and I saw what resulted from going, going, going, going, going and not listening to myself and not taking care of my body. I never, ever wanted to do it again. That was my wakeup call.”

This new perspective gave her an acute awareness of her mind, body and soul, which she implemented by following the five principles in her book.

Perspective, she says, is the ability to “see what’s going on in the situation instead of having blinders on.” Breathing is the power to “breathe through a situation,” as “we have the tendency to hold our breath.” Grounding is the notion that “once you feel your body touching the floor, you move into the present moment. When you think about tomorrow,” she says, “your body will stress into the reac-

tion by going into the future.” Balance is achieved by asking, “Where’s my center and how can I juggle all of the different things that I have to juggle? How can I find the place that really serves me?” And Letting Go entails questions, such as, “What do I have to hold onto? Can I say ‘no’ to somebody, even though that might disappoint them?”

These five principles, coupled with Baldwin’s yoga practice, allowed her to overcome her greatest challenges. And, with her book, she strives to help others overcome theirs.

“The more moments I could get ‘into,’ the more capable I was of changing my path,” she says. “And changing my behavior.”

And if Baldwin, a businesswoman and busy mom of three — Carmen, age 3, Rafael, 20 months, and Leonardo Ángel, 6 months — can make time for Zen, anyone can.

She begins each day with asking herself: “How can I find moments throughout the day that remind me to take care of myself?

“It might be only 30 seconds there, five minutes here and five minutes there,” she says. “Doing it throughout the day and constantly checking in, even if that means just for a few seconds, that’s what it’s all about.”

As Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu would say: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step.” And for the pathway to wellness, Baldwin suggests this first step is listening to your body.

“Am I hungry? Am I tired? Am I happy? Does my significant other make me happy? Do my friends make me happy? Does my job make me happy? All of that has to do with checking in and asking, ‘How do I feel?’”

And, of course, incorporating some movement — like yoga, perhaps.

“All of us need a little yoga to get through these years,” she says, laughing.

Baldwin’s book is available for purchase at Barnes and Noble or on Amazon.com.

For more about Yoga Vida, visit yogavida.com.

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LETTING NATURE INTO A MAJESTIC

GREENWICH HOME

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PRESENTED BY SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

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Traditional, baronial splendor characterizes this custom-built Georgian Colonial on Vineyard Lane in central Greenwich.

Architect Boris Baranovich has incorporated his classic English style and sophistication into every aspect of this home. A grand two-story entry sweeps you into the step-down living room, with its carved marble fireplace; mahogany paneled library with its coffered ceiling; and elegant dining room. Ten- to 12-foot ceilings throughout enhance each of the first-floor public rooms, including a delightful solarium, whose French doors, opening onto a flagstone terrace, set the tone for an estate that lets nature in at every turn. It’s the perfect spot for a cup of tea prepared in the chestnut gourmet kitchen, which flows into a butler's pantry and breakfast room adjacent to the family room.

Upstairs in this 10,600-square-foot, $7,895,000 property, the master suite boasts an inviting study that overlooks 3 manicured acres, with flora in a pink-purple palette. There are five additional bedrooms here, three of which have new marble ensuite bathrooms. (The house has seven bedrooms and five full and three half-baths in all.)

The walk-out lower level contains a 2,000-bottle wine cellar, a home theater and a billiards room, 74

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while the expansive third floor has an exercise room, office and cedar storage.

A staff apartment over the garage and a new pool complete the outdoor scene with one thing more — a charming dollhouse, caressed by rhododendrons, which adds a touch of whimsy.

For more, contact Karen Coxe at Karen.coxe@ sothebyshomes.com or 203-561-2754, 203-8694343; or Roxana Bowgen at Roxana.bowgen@ sothebyshomes.com or 203-983-3812.

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Exquisite 7 BR Riverside Colonial in mint condition. Fabulous kitchen/family space spans the

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sothebyshomes.com/greenwich

Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo areregistered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are notemployees of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Equal Housing Opportunity.

WEAR

MODERN JEWELRY, AGE-OLD TECHNIQUES

BY DANIELLE RENDA

T

There’s something to be said about fine Italian jewelry.

Known for acute attention to detail, impressive structure and the sensational use of precious metals — namely gold — the country's jewelry has been admired since the days of ancient Rome.

This reputation stems from an early dedication to craftsmanship, preserved over the years by jewelry giants like Pomellato, Roberto Coin, Bulgari and Buccellati.

And it’s a skill that luxury jewelry designer Vendorafa pairs with a modern approach.

Founded in 1951 by Mario Lombardi in Valenza — and currently owned by Daniela Lombardi, Mario’s daughter — Vendorafa’s designs embody passion, emotion and sophistication to complement a woman’s unique, timeless beauty. By combining age-old techniques with new perspectives, its contemporary collection proves reminiscent of traditional, handmade Italian jewelry.

“We use all of the manufacturing processes that an artisan goldsmith uses,” says Massino Zerbini, president of Opera Trading Luxury, a distribution company representing Italian jewelry brands in the United States. “That’s why our jewelry is created using several techniques, from

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An 18-karat, rose-gold seahorse pin by Vendorafa, featuring a handmade, hammered and embossed finish, adorned with champagne diamonds, $5,800.

A sculptural, handmade, hammered bangle in 18-karat gold, $36,000.

An 18-karat, rose-gold ring adorned with sapphires in shades of yellow, deep pink and blue with brown and white diamonds accenting the pistils, $12,000.

the investment casting, to sampling to create big volumes, to embossing and chiseling.”

Inspired by the flora of the land and sea, Vendorafa uses precious metals, primarily gold, to recreate and enhance the delicate shapes and fine points of flowers and leaves.

“We take our inspiration from nature, because we think the perfect shape of a flower or a leaf of flora from the sea must be celebrated and enhanced using precious metals,” he says.

The result includes such collections as the “Fiori,” 18-karat yellow and pink gold rings adorned with colored gemstones, suggesting dewdrops atop the flower’s petals, with white diamonds accenting the pistils ($12,000); “Il Mare,” a celebration of the sea featuring an 18-karat, rose gold, handmade, seahorse pin ($5,800) and seashell earrings ($8,900), both adorned with champagne diamonds; and “Elissi,” an 18-karat rose and white gold necklace enhanced with brown diamonds, reminiscent of the most hypnotic lunar eclipse ($20,500).

In addition to nature, however, Vendorafa looks to small elements in the outside world as muses.

“Our inspiration comes from a vibe,” Zerbini says. “It may be an architectural detail, the draperies of a haute couture dress, a paint color or a

sculpture. Everything that affects our emotions during the day can be translated into jewelry.”

But regardless of the creation or its muse, Vendorafa uses gold as the focal point with precious metals as the accents — a signature of classic Italian jewelry. Its collections offer a range of items, including necklaces, bracelets, bangles, rings, earrings, pins, cufflinks and buckles, with the most popular options, including long necklaces (referred to by the French word, “sautoir”) and earrings.

Though no matter the piece, the goal is to create exclusive accessories that underscore a woman’s natural loveliness.

“This woman is looking for emotional jewelry to enhance her emotional beauty,” Zerbini says of the woman who wears Vendorafa. “The woman who’s wearing a statement piece is sensitive and alert toward the world around her.”

And, according to Zerbini, the jewelry should offer a creation that harmonizes with the depth and breadth of a woman’s life.

“Luxury is no longer defined by richness and opulence,” he says, “but by the capability to have items, which recall a unique sensation or experience.”

Vendorafa is available at Neiman Marcus Westchester. For more, visit neimanmarcus. com or vendorafa.net.

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WEAR

TYING A MEMORABLE ‘KNOT’

BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN VITERI

U

Unusual accessories define General Knot & Co. The Bedford-based company creates eclectic neckties — among other products — that make statements about individuality and vintage wear.

Each piece is carefully crafted using internationally sourced fabrics, some of which date from nearly a century ago.

After working for Ralph Lauren, Original Penguin, Tommy Hilfiger and Levi’s, Andrew and Ann Payne, husband and wife, founded their niche company in 2010 with a specific vision in mind. These menswear veterans wanted to offer high-quality accessories that were both eco-friendly and inimitable, while incorporating their appreciation for rare fabrics.

“In menswear, fabric — vintage fabric, especially — has always been a thing,” Andrew says. “So we decided to collect fabrics.”

“And we wanted to do something that used fabric that already existed, was sustainable and make the products here,” Ann says of their Vermont factory.

The couple gave WAG a tour of their at-home workspace, which features a collection of pristinely organized and folded fabrics in every color, pattern and print, gathered from all over the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Ukraine and Japan. Stored alongside inspiration boards and textile books, their workstation doubles as a journey through fashion history.

“All of our customers get very excited about having something that’s different from everybody 78

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Ties and fabrics by General Knot & Co.

ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS GET VERY EXCITED ABOUT HAVING SOMETHING THAT’S DIFFERENT FROM EVERYBODY ELSE. — Ann Payne

else,” Ann says.

“And they want to know the provenance of it,” Andrew adds. “The story that comes along with it is really just as important.”

With the help of international collectors, the couple sources most of the fabric from estate sales and closed textile mills. But sometimes, the materials are found in less likely places, like the Parisian flea market that provided the Paynes with a 1930s Provençal fabric.

“One of the cool things about vintage fabric is that it’s been held from projects, like something that someone’s great grandmother never started,” says Andrew. “And only the good stuff gets saved. People don’t save the ordinary.”

So you won’t ever catch them using refurbished dishtowels or recycled T-shirts, Andrew jokes. The company only uses fabric intended for other projects but was either leftover or unused entirely.

“A lot of people ask that question, ‘So, this tie, was it a dress or something before?’ Because they know that it’s made from really, really, really old fabric,” Andrew says. “We would never cut anything out of a used garment. We want to make sure this is pristine and (the fabric) was wrapped up for years. We want

to know where it came from.”

But since the fabrics they prefer aren’t being manufactured today, there’s a restricted inventory of material.

Therefore, each product is a limited edition and the collections that are currently available will likely be unavailable in coming weeks, or even days. However, a similar fabric from a similar time period may surface at any time.

“We call our customers ‘collectors,’ because they save all the tags and they remember every piece,” Andrew says with a smile.

For each product, the company includes information about how many others exist of its kind, as well as historical tidbits about the fabric.

“If we can get 12 ties out of a fabric, (the tag) will say one of 12, or two of 12, so that people actually know what they’re getting,” Ann says.

But if there’s one thing that General Knot & Co. is more committed to than fabrics, it’s their clients. The company will work directly with their customers for custom projects, whether it’s for a wedding, engagement, or simply work attire. And they’re certainly no strangers to “crisis orders,” Andrew says, chuckling, which he describes as frantic, last-minute requests that they’ll always try to fulfill.

“We are trying to make things,” Ann says, “that people will pass down.”

In addition to ties, General Knot & Co. offers totes, travel bags, clutches, men’s scarves and laptop sleeves, with plans underway for women’s totes and scarves. For more, visit generalknot.com.

WESTCHESTER’S LARGEST COIN, CURRENCY AND GOLD DEALER Neil S. Berman

Author of Coin Collecting for Dummies and “The Investor’s Guide to United States Coins”

We buy your Gold, Silver, Jewelry, Diamonds & Watches Visit us at; Mt. Kisco Gold & Silver 139 E. Main Street, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549 914-244-9500 www.bermanbuyscollectables.com Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday 10am-6pm (Closed Sunday /Monday)

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WARES

WALK ON THE MILD SIDE WHEN USING ANIMAL PRINTS

BY JANE MORGAN

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“What becomes a legend most?” asks that timeless ad for Blackglama furs. While real fur has fallen out of favor, faux fur textiles and animal prints are just as on-trend and ubiquitous in the interior design world as they are in fashion. Animal prints connote power and status — overmuch luxury brimming with decadence. Lusty and voluptuous, animal prints flex their muscles in a room, commanding immediate attention. It’s how we focus this attention that determines which spaces look exciting and which spaces descend into the realm of ginsoaked glamour gone too far. Think Jackie Collins or Siegfried & Roy. Please don’t take a walk on the wild side. Keep it minimal. In order to strike a modern chord, animal prints need to sidestep category completely. They must be used as an evocative accent or they will go from hot to not in the blink of an eye. Animal prints are timeless and work beautifully with both traditional as well as contemporary décor. They can even function as neutrals. When executed with aplomb, an interior using animal prints can shine

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Animal prints are on trend. Courtesy Jane Morgan.

as a daring and confident personal statement and a testament to measured risk-taking. You can afford to be bold if you follow a few simple guidelines: Firstly, never cover more than two surfaces in any room with an animal print. Conservatives would even say one would suffice. Two matching accent chairs, check. Two throw pillows, check.

One ottoman, yes. An entire sofa, not on your life.

I’m saying don’t do it. Just trust me on this.

COLOR Some of the most popular animal prints are zebra, giraffe, alligator, leopard, cowhide and tiger. Do not use animal prints that are rendered in cold colors such as blue and pink because animal hides are intrinsically warm-toned. Don’t venture far from the original if you don’t want to get kitschy.

Zebra, on the other hand, can handle a bright white palette. Use a low-contrast, tone-on-tone print for a subtler look. It’s also best to limit yourself to one type of animal pattern (for example, all zebra or all leopard) in the same room.

SCALE Large prints are best used on furniture and throw rugs. Smaller prints are best on textiles and accessories.

ACCESSORIES Believe it or not, Betsey Johnson, the fashion designer, has put her signature print of zebra stripes

with alternating zippers on Kleenex tissue boxes.

When I saw these at the drabbest of local supermarkets, I grabbed them immediately. I say it’s worth the extra dollar to brighten up your landscape, especially when you have a cold.

Animal-patterned throw pillows are classics and will never go out of style. Be sure to get a throw in a different fabric like a knit or something woven so it won’t compete for attention. Do not be tempted to use a matching throw.

There are many kinds of accessories that make brilliant use of their real estate — placemats, coasters and anything in the tabletop category.

Don’t ever install animal-print curtains. Any conceivable reason defies good taste.

RUGS As accent pieces go, these are fabulous. A throw rug in the shape of a hide with a pattern on it can really go almost anywhere because it won’t take over. It adds interest, focus and just the right amount of bling. They even come in solid neutral colors for pattern-shy people. Locate them under a desk in an office, under a coffee table in a living room or in a nook in the corner under an accent chair. I would advise against using the pattern in wall-to-wall carpeting as too much of a good thing.

You don’t have to be a legend or a diva to pull it off. I think Bette Midler would approve.

For more, visit janemorganinteriordesign.com.

HANDCRAFTED WITH LOVE INTO A TRUE MASTERPIECE

A true masterpiece! Built in 2010 - not your typical new construction.

Situated on two building lots offering endless possibilities. This one of a kind, state of the art home is filled with amazing hand-carved wood details: coffered ceilings, tigerwood floors, two fireplaces, is a showpiece is ideal for entertaining. An large chef's kitchen, a 90 ft. stone patio with views of the immaculate property featuring a 12ft waterfall, two small ponds and rose bushes gifted from the NY Botanical Garden.

A mahogany elevator gives access to all three levels and two Master Suites, both with balconies overlooking the gorgeous property. The walk out lower level, also great for entertaing, includes a Mediterranean wine cellar, and three car heated garage. Located in the desirable Beech Hill area of Scarsdale, less than half of a mile to the village and Metro North only 22 miles from Midtown.

WEAR

’TIS A GIFT TO BE SIMPLE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

H

Handmade soaps and goat-milk products may be trendy, but Elizabeth Sanders — creator of a fast-growing line of both — is anything but.

Sanders is the entrepreneur behind Horse O Peace raw goat-milk soaps and Healthy Pets goat-milk shampoo soaps for dogs and cats. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina, resident has been featured in The New York Times, on ABC’s Tampa, Florida, affiliate and on radio stations throughout the Midwest. But she’s no beauty diva.

Sanders grew up in Minnesota, where she was born, and northern Wisconsin, where she followed the Dunkard Brethren, a community of Plain People similar to the Mennonites and Amish. On the family farm, she wore a kerchief and long dress and lived a simple life as she trained horses as hardy workers and gentle companions for children. Sanders even served as a handler in equine therapy for disabled youngsters.

“Our parents instilled in us that if we can help others, we do it,” she says.

Still, the rigors of wintry farm life and horse training began to take a toll on her hands. That’s

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Photographs by Nick Sanders and courtesy Horse O Peace.

OUR PARENTS INSTILLED IN US THAT IF WE CAN HELP OTHERS, WE DO IT. — Elizabeth Sanders

when she began making goat-milk soap to heal the cracks and chapped look. (The secret was using 100 percent goat-milk in the formula — no water, which tends to dry the skin.) Thus Horse O Peace was born, playing in its name on the farmer’s expression “a horse a piece up the road” to describe the ride to town.

Sanders didn’t remain a follower of the Brethren. While the hard work and simplicity appealed to her, she says she found little room for herself as an independent, entrepreneurial woman.

Sanders married Nick, a nonmember who today handles the design, website and operational support of her brand, which is sourced from North Carolina farms. Sanders home-schools the couple’s four boys, ages 1 to 5, bakes and donates cookies for a men’s rehabilitation center and sends out free soap to any orders with a U.S. military address.

Proving that you can take Sanders out of the Plain People but you can’t take plain generosity out of Sanders.

For more, visit horseopeace.com.

Twin Lakes Farm

T

win Lakes Farm is Westchester’s largest diverse equestrian center, offering both boarding and a robust riding academy. The riding academy starts at age 6 with private lessons before moving up to groups; adults ride daily and take advantage of the 8pm adults-only classes.

For the more serious equestrian, Twin Lakes Farm offers Drill Teams, Interscholastic Teams, Horseshowing, and Summer Leasing while also offering year round boarding.

Camp is coeducational and runs 8:30am to 4:30pm all summer and includes riding, camp activities and the very popular Horseshow.

Set on two campuses each has its own indoor arena, 55 stalls each, lighted outdoor arenas, paddocks with hay feeders, heated tack rooms and wash stalls.

The North Barn is home to the Riding Academy, Drill Team and Therapeutic Riding Program while also hosting the interscholastic (IEA) shows and schooling shows. The South Barn houses the boarders and show team while hosting nine USEF shows each year.

Whether it’s children’s lessons, adult lessons, riding teams, showing competitively or recreational riding there is something for everyone at Twin Lakes Farm which is why we are:

“Where Westchester Learns To Ride!”

©

960 CALIFORNIA ROAD, BRONXVILLE • 914-961-2192 • WWW.TWINLAKESFARM.COM A FACILITY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER PARKS, RECREATION & CONSERVATION

Riverdale Stables ABOUT THE FARM:

Riverdale Stables is the premier riding facility in the 5 boroughs of New York, offering lessons year round at all levels.

The facility boasts over 80 stalls, indoor, and outdoor wash stalls, many turnout paddocks, a large indoor arena, along with four lighted outdoor rings-including grass hunt course!

WHAT SETS RIVERDALE APART?

Riverdale Stables is a one of a kind place. We are an equestrian oasis tucked away in the corner of Van Cortlandt Park with open green grazing space, indoor and outdoor arenas turn out paddocks, and a barn with heated tack rooms and updated stalls. We are mass-transit accessible-minutes from the bus and Subways. Riverdale Stables prides itself on offering programs for the riders of New York City who do not own horses but want the hands-on opportunities of riding and learning about proper horse care. We have afterschool programs, Therapeutic Riding, Interscholastic Teams combined with camp and lessons for all levels of riders-from novice to our show team.

Riverdale Stables …

“Where New York City Learns To Ride!”© 6394 BROADWAY BRONX, NY 10471 (718) 548-4848 WWW.RIVERDALESTABLES.COM

WANDERS

WORLD ZOOS — AND HOTELS FOR THEIR TWOLEGGED VISITORS

BY JEREMY WAYNE

The Palace Restaurant at the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem.

Courtesy the Waldorf Astoria.

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Although my wife thinks I’m a clown, I’ve never been that keen on the circus. But show me a zoo — a good zoo — and I’m happy.

Not only is the zoo in Bristol, England, the fifth oldest in the world — established in 1836 — it also happens to be next to my former high school. As teenagers working in the school’s Stone Library, we students were routinely interrupted by the roar of lions, the scream of monkeys and the bark of seals.

Once, during an important exam, I looked up from my desk in the school’s Tribe Building and found myself eyeball to eyeball with a giraffe — through a window, of course. Perhaps that’s when my love of zoos started to develop, in tandem with my love of exotic travel, that is.

Bristol is a fascinating city, once one of Britain’s great ports and home to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. It also has some good hotels these days, worth a visit in their own right. Minutes away from the zoo — and, by definition, my high school; and please don’t mention my name in those parts if you know what’s good for you — is the thoroughly charming Number Thirty-Eight Clifton, a beautiful 10-bedroom Georgian townhouse, sympathetic of scale and run with great attention to detail, as grand as it is cozy. In the center of town, meanwhile, Hotel du Vin, one of an national chain, offers clubby, urban chic in a setting that references the city’s rich historical association with the wine, port and sherry trade. If only these two hotels had been around in my day — although on second thought, if they had, I’d have gotten even less work done than I actually did. No kidding.

In the last 20 years, zoos everywhere have upped their game: In all responsible zoos, preservation, conservation and education are now generally considered key, and the best ones are excellent practitioners of these disciplines.

Last May, I wrote about the hidden gardens of Jerusalem for WAG. I was back in the Holy City recently and decided to revisit another of my favorites, Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo (aka the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens). Although no longer devoted entirely to animals mentioned in the Hebrew Bible — many of which are now extinct, or even unidentifiable by dint of translation — the zoo is now wellknown for its work with endangered species. If you thought you’d missed your chances of ever seeing a Syrian brown bear, Nubian ibex or North African addax (white antelope), you must wend your way to Jerusalem, where these endangered species have been conserved at the zoo and are now flourishing.

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terrace. The Waldorf, opened in 2015, is far and away the most luxurious hotel in a city that these days doesn’t want for good hotels. It has history (the building was the former HQ of the British Mandate in Palestine), it has glamour, and, as close to my heart as any zoo, it has The Palace Restaurant.

Under the baton of Chef Itzik Barak, The Palace’s seven-course tasting menu might include the exceptional “Seven Species,” a dish that pays homage to the herbs, grains and pulses mentioned in the Bible, along with slow-cook veal cheeks and a richly caramelized duck breast. Please don’t mention this to any zoo animals.

A little closer to home, Florida often seems awash with zoos and animal parks. One I have been meaning to get to for some time, but only discovered on a recent trip, is the relatively modest Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, which bills itself as a “coastal and marine and environmental experience.” This place is terrific. Aside from preserving marine life, it educates locals and visitors alike in how to care for marine ecology. Not the least of the work is rescuing injured turtles within a five-mile span of beaches, surely God’s own work. In fact, anyone who knows the Florida coast will be familiar with turtle conservation and what a great job Gumbo Limbo and other organizations like it are doing.

A mere mile south of Gumbo, the Boca Raton Resort makes any trip to Florida a joy. I’m a longtime fan of this historic property, established in 1926 — and not least because its attractive bungalow rooms are pet-friendly. Clap paws for that.

At the Boca Resort, it seems as if every blade of grass has been cut with a nail scissors, so perfectly manicured is it. Its vast and lush gardens and grounds are a haven for birds and, when it comes to facilities, the Boca Resort leaves other resorts standing. From its exquisite guest rooms, many of them traditional but with a bit of Positano dash, to its gorgeously appointed swimming pools, tennis courts and world class spa, Andalusian courtyards and kids’ FlowRider Flow House, not only does the Boca Resort have it all, but to put it crudely it offers — has always offered — a big bang for your buck.

And I haven’t even mentioned its bars and restaurants, 15 I think at the latest count, including the ritzy Blue (at the top of the famous, pink Tower building) and the thoroughly authentic Tuscan restaurant, Luca, overlooking Lake Boca Raton. I have no problem saying that I don’t know of any resort in Florida — or anywhere else for that matter — which has such varied and sophisticated food offerings. You could eat your way around the Boca Raton Resort and its oceanfront sister property, the Boca Beach Club, for an entire month and never get bored. Nor, believe me, would your pooch.

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Staircase at Waldorf Astoria, Jerusalem. Courtesy the Waldorf Astoria.

EXPERTISE IN ALL PRICE RANGES

COUNTRY RETREAT | $2,695,000 | WEB ID: 0068394

CONNECTICUT CLASSIC | $2,500,000 | WEB ID: 0068370

The Classic Colonial with a picturesque, 2-acre setting was thoughtfully restored, expanded

Privately located on a cul-de-sac near schools and shopping. Two terraces overlooking

& updated with a new roof, cedar shingles and fresh interior design. Two-story barn & pool.

beautiful grounds. 5-br, large living room & family room both with fireplaces.

Steve Archino | 203.618.3144

Alice Duff | 203.618.3132

TWO OWENOKE WAY | $2,350,000 | WEB: 0068395

OLD GREENWICH PERFECTION | $1,895,000 | WEB: 0068397

A stylish four bedroom, 2.1 bathroom center hall colonial renovated and expanded in

Move right in and enjoy the wonderful lifestyle of this conveniently located home, South of the

the heart of Riverside. Enjoy a private, level yard with expansive stone terrace.

Village, Old Greenwich. Completely restored, renovated and designed for modern living.

Leslie McElwreath | 917.539.3654

Amy Rabenhorst | 203.550.7230

65 SUMMIT ROAD | $1,850,000 | WEB: 0068406

EXPANDED CAPE | $1,375,000 | WEB: 0068404

Recently expanded and renovated, this light filled 5 bedroom, 3 bath home in Riverside

On a quiet cul-de-sac near a park w/ tennis courts & beach. Flexible floorplan allows for in-law

offers a spacious open floorplan. Abundant light, new windows, roof, and central a/c.

suite. Entertaining spaces w/ 2 family rooms, large dining room & living room with fireplace.

Daphne Lamsvelt-Pol | 203.391.4846

Alice Duff | 203.618.3132

GREENWICH BROKERAGE | 203.869.4343 One Pickwick Plaza | Greenwich, CT 06830

sothebyshomes.com/greenwich

Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo areregistered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are notemployees of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Equal Housing Opportunity.

WANDERS

MARCH OF THE ADORABLE

PENGUINS

BY DEBBI K. AND WILLIAM D. KICKHAM

There’s nothing like Crystal Cruises, especially when you’re visiting Antarctica. We recently sailed on the Crystal Serenity, where we had the opportunity to visit the Falkland Islands — and the furry flightless birds that call this area home.

We booked a shore excursion through Crystal Cruises and we knew we were in for a treat. Our tender took us to Port Stanley, the Falklands capital, where there were Land Rovers waiting to bring us to Murrell Farm. We spent a half-hour in these vehicles — over rough terrain — until we came at last to the area where hundreds of penguins awaited us. Thank goodness we had packed parkas. The weather was cold and the wind was fierce.

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Meeting the charming penguins in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, was a delightful experience despite the wind and the cold. Photograph by William D. Kickham.

We were taken to see Gentoo penguins, which thrive on Murrell Farm’s 10,000 acres. The operators use skilled sheepdogs and quad bikes to work the land. The farm produces its own bread and butter and still uses hand-cut peat to heat the house.

Travelers can walk fairly close to the penguins, but there is a definite line that people cannot cross, in order to give the penguins protection and privacy. That, however, did not stop some of these charismatic, waddling birds from waking up from their naps and crossing the line over to us. We spent an hour at this site, marveling at the spectacle of the penguins coming right up to us and basically saying, “Hello.” They were absolutely adorable as they fluffed out their feathers, and displayed their orange feet.

“Gentoo penguins are very prevalent in this part of the world,” said Michael DiSpezio, a marine biologist from Falmouth, Massachusetts, who was a guest enrichment lecturer on our Crystal Cruise.

DiSpezio has written some 100 science textbooks and offered us fascinating insights into all-thingspenguins and, for that matter, all-things-geography, during the course of our Antarctic cruise. (Besides lecturing on scores of cruises, he has hosted more than three dozen programs on the National Geographic Channel.)

“Penguins are flightless birds that, through evolution, have lost their ability to fly through the air, but do fly through water by beating their wings as they propel themselves through the water, like other Antarctic creatures. They live in groups called rookeries and have a layer of insulation called blubber,” he said.

The long-tailed Gentoo penguin is most closely associated with the Adélie penguin and the Chinstrap penguin.

DiSpezio noted that in the past, Adelie penguins were most commonly found on the Antarctic Peninsula, but now the entire area is more common to the Chinstrap species because of warming temperatures. “This is the evidence,” he said, “which scientists use to support their views of global warming…. There’s definitely been a shift in the population.”

While we were in the Antarctic in February, we learned that temperatures back on the East Coast were in the 70s — no doubt more evidence of global warming. Later that week, at a spectacular brunch on board the ship, the chefs created little penguins made of hard-boiled eggs, with grapes for faces and watermelon seeds for feet, standing on “icebergs” made of cucumbers. Making us fall in love with penguins even more. Charmed by them? You bet.

For more on Debbi, visit GorgeousGlobetrotter.com and MarketingAuthor.com.

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HORSEPOWER

Honor the Past ~ Celebrate the Present ~ Build the Future

Horsepower might mean the power a single horse exerts in pulling something. But in today's parlance, it's so much more.

We celebrate the power, beauty and metaphor of all things equine.

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Weekend 35th Annual Pegasus Horse Show Opening of Michele Arnhold Education Center

May 19-20, 2017 ~ Join Us! pegasustr.org/transformations

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RayCatena.com “You take care

of your family, your work, your life – we’ll take care of your car.” Ray Catena

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MINI of Westchester Ray Catena® Dealership Group

543 Tarrytown Road, White Plains, NY 914-831-6600 MINIOFWESTCHESTER.COM

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WONDERFUL DINING

HEARTY CUISINE

A RICH HISTORY AND COZY SETTING AT HORSE & HOUND STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS

BY ALEESIA FORNI

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Walk through the doors of the Horse & Hound Inn, situated along one of the many winding roads in bucolic South Salem, and you may feel transported to a simpler time.

Predating the American Revolution, the building was originally constructed as a homestead, though its earliest records in 1749 describe it as an inn. From there, the building served a variety of purposes — as a schoolhouse, a gin-and-rum mill and a stagecoach stop. According to owners Susan and Silvano Vales, the adjoining rear building was used both as a blacksmith shop and a rest area for horses making the journey along the Old Post Road from New York to Danbury.

Today, photos documenting the history of the centuries-old landmark at 94 Spring St. line the walls of the long-standing building, chronicling the changing scene. Antiques sit along shelves and within wooden cabinets dotting the eatery’s interior. Large windows and fresh flowers lend the restaurant an Old World charm.

“It almost feels like you’re coming into someone’s home,” the restaurant’s manager, Steve Rosenschein, tells us. “That’s what we hope it feels like.”

A space on the left side of the historic building serves as a pub — a common meeting place for

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The restaurant’s primarily wooden interior is enhanced by fresh flowers and candlelight.

From top: Eye-catching pork osso bucco is served with creamy mashed potatoes and julienned vegetables. Filet mignon is a highlight of the meal, expertly cooked and covered in a sweet sauce. Juicy slices of well-seasoned duck breast are pan-roasted and served rare.

locals — and frequently plays host to concerts, or “pub sessions.” During the warmer months, guests can take up seats on the restaurant’s outdoor patio, while children run freely in the open yard below.

Moving to the dining room, Steve shows us to a seat near the cozy fireplace. A basket of warm rolls is soon served with an aesthetically pleasing bowl of olive oil and garlic cloves. Creamy baked brie follows and is wrapped in a flaky filo dough that pairs perfectly with sliced apples and crackers.

Crisp calamari is lightly breaded and served with a sweet marinara for dipping. Butternut squash ravioli is a standout, slightly sweet and covered with a creamy sage sauce.

Our main course begins with a Belgian endive salad, a recommendation from our host. Slightly bitter endives are balanced by a smattering of apples and sun-dried cranberries that mingle with crumbled blue cheese and chopped walnuts, all tossed in a house-made balsamic vinaigrette.

Juicy cuts of duck are expertly pan-roasted and served rare, drizzled in a Grand Marnier sauce, over creamy mashed potatoes and with julienned squash, zucchini and carrots. An entree of chicken marsala features a roasted, French-cut chicken breast slathered in a traditional Marsala sauce and paired with a side of mixed greens. While the chicken is both juicy and well-seasoned, the sauce lacks an essential sweetness, leaving the dish somewhat underwhelming.

Sue, who is both the establishment’s owner and chef, gives us glimpses of the evening’s specials, which range from pork osso bucco, with an onion thyme glaze and an apple chutney, to a stemmed glass of seafood salad. We settle on an entrée of filet mignon, a decision that proves divine. The thick but tender cut of meat — “I feel like I don’t need a knife,” my guest remarks as he slices a portion — and the sweet cream sauce are nothing short of perfection.

Dessert always proves to be one of the more difficult decisions for us. Do we want rich and creamy?

Or simple and tart? Perhaps salty and sweet? We share our dilemma with our host, who goes on to describe one of the restaurant’s more popular evening-enders: Imagine all the goodies you’ve collected during an evening spent trick-or-treating, then mash them up and mix them together.

Who could say “no” to that?

Steve’s description did not mislead. We’re presented with a slice of whipped chocolate mousse atop a crumbed Oreo crust, garnished with crushed Reese’s cups. Delightfully rich, we finish our sweet treat in record time, choosing to pair our dessert with an Irish coffee, another recommendation from our helpful host, served in a stemmed glass and topped with lightly whipped cream.

After acquiring more than two centuries of rich history, Horse & Hound continues to offer a comfortable, tasty stop for both travelers and locals alike.

For more, visit thehorseandhoundinn.com.

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WINE & DINE

WHEN IT COMES TO WINE, LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH

BY DOUG PAULDING

R

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with winemakers Aurelio Montes Sr. and Jr. It was a special occasion.

Aurelio, the elder, was born in Santiago, Chile, and educated there with an agronomy degree. He is an active man, enjoying sailing, skiing, golfing and flying both planes and helicopters. He helped usher in Chilean wines, from base-level bulk to boutique style, inspirationally made, quality wines that could stand up to (or exceed) many of the famous wines of the world. Aurelio the junior, was also born in Santiago and also studied agronomy with a big emphasis on winemaking. He enjoys endurance racing and skydiving. (I kiddingly asked him if his interest in parachuting had anything to do with any lack of confidence in Senior’s flying abilities.) When he was a teenager, father and son went to the Napa Valley to see what a fully established wine region looks like and what it has to offer. This trip “lit the fire” in Junior and he traveled extensively throughout the wine regions of the world to pick up what he could from grape growers and winemakers internationally.

Aurelio the elder was thrilled when Junior joined the Montes Wines team. He studied the soil of their vineyards with Pedro Parra, a PhD in terroir and quite possibly (probably) the world’s

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From left, Aurelio Montes Sr. and Jr. in Manhattan recently.

leading expert on the influence soil and rock composition and weather conditions have on the final product. Junior and Parra traveled over the Andes to Argentina to research some vineyard plots for the family. Excited about their finds, the family bought, developed and then named their new operation Kaiken winery.

In New York City, father and son addressed a small gathering of media folks with a PowerPoint presentation illustrating both wineries and their massive vineyard holdings. The wines in front of us were paired to compare father’s wine from Chile to son’s wine in Argentina and each would explain what they were trying to accomplish with each wine. Both of the Monteses are gregarious with near perfect English, a passion for life and a disposition toward social and ecological beneficence, including donations to developing local libraries and scholarships and moving toward biodynamic and organic vineyard and winery practices.

Chile’s vineyards have a maritime atmosphere while Argentina’s are totally continental, which creates, by necessity, a different style and approach to their management. The wines we tasted are all available in the New York metro market and are priced from $20 to $249 for the Montes Taita, composed of 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 percent mystery, that is, Winemaker’s Secret Choice. Both of their Chardonnays showed a love-

ly, silky mouthfeel with Junior’s offering a bit more sharply pleasant citrus.

Kaiken’s Cabernet Sauvignon Ultra was mostly Cab with a touch of Malbec. Junior told us “In Argentina, we don’t get the spiciness of Chile.” The wine had a forward oakiness with dark cherry and hints of licorice. Senior’s wine was 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and, he adds, “10 percent Merlot for femininity.” It showed dark cherry fruit, fresh leather and black pepper.

We then tasted a Malbec from each of them.

The Montes Alpha offered dark fruit, blackberry and spice. The Kaiken Ultra showed a lovely, silky mouthfeel that lingered with blackberry and pepper influence. The wines were getting better and more expensive. Said Senior: “In Chile, I wanted to prove I could make a Bordeaux blend as good, or better, than in Bordeaux.”

We tasted three vintages of Montes flagship wine Taita, 2007, 2009 and 2010. These wines each spend two years in French oak and then four years in bottle prior to release. Each shows varying amounts of inky dark fruit and concentrated spiciness with a full mouthfeel. Obviously, this is a special occasion wine for most of us, but all along the father’s and son’s inventories, everything was worthy and over-delivered for the price.

Hmmm: Could be a great Father’s Day gift.

Write doug at doug@dougpaulding.com.

Proprietor, Bobby Epstein of the legendary Muscoot Tavern in Katonah, invites you to experience his newest restaurant—

Kisco River Eatery Come in and savor the fresh raw bar and our impressive variety of steak, pasta, chicken and seafood selections in our warm and cozy atmosphere.

Gather • Eat • Drink.

Lunch & Dinner 7 days a week Sunday Brunch 11-3 Happy Hour Daily from 3-6 222 East Main Street • Mount Kisco, NY 10549 914 • 218 • 3877 info@Kiscoriver.com www.kiscoriver.com Free Parking Around Back

WHETTING THE APPETITE

BY JACQUELINE RUBY

Photograph by Sebastian Flores

PIZZA, WITHOUT THE CRUST (AND THE GUILT) No need to order pizza pie, when you can make these “pizzas.”

On a low-carb diet? These zucchini bites hit the spot. I recently made them for Super Bowl Sunday. I turned around and the entire tray was gone.

Your family and friends will love them, especially your gluten-free guests.

For more, contact the Saucy Realtor at jacquelineruby@hotmail.com.

Tableware courtesy Casafina.

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ZUCCHINI PIZZA BITES INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

• • • • • •

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

• Place zucchini on baking sheet and brush with olive oil.

• Bake 5 minutes.

• Take out zucchini and spoon a thin layer of sauce onto each slice and top with mozzarella.

• Sprinkle dried oregano and pepper on top and bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

• Serve immediately.

3 large zucchini sliced into ¼-inch rounds 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella 1/3 cup marinara sauce Pepper to taste 1 teaspoon dried oregano 2 tablespoons olive oil

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WHAT'S NEW

GREENWICH SAYS ‘BIENVENIDOS’ TO SPORTSWEAR LINE

BY JENA A. BUTTERFIELD PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN RIZZO

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On a recent late-winter day that was unseasonably caliente, Greenwich Avenue bustled with shortsleeved shoppers outside the newly opened Montepicaza, the first U.S. outpost of the most recognized fashion brand in Spain.

Inside the shop, owner Ellen Christian-Reid stood amid a curated collection of sportswear staples and polo wear that included transitional items in anticipation of the changing seasons.

“Though there are really only two seasons in Spain,” she quipped.

Christian-Reid believes she has finally found a brand with the blend of craftsmanship and effortlessness that is the trademark of the Greenwich community. “(The clothes at Montepicaza) project a level of polish and luxury that accompany a preppy and fun, country club lifestyle,” she said, “but with an artisanal flair.”

Quilted blazers in blues, purples, greens and reds have that sought-after European fit and the kind of tailoring found in more expensive brands.

Christian-Reid held up a garment for closer inspection. “There is a ton of detail on the blazers for women,” she said, admiring the craftsmanship.

Vespa-patterned elbow patches were whimsically juxtaposed with a more traditional plaid.

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Montepicaza’s Ellen Christian-Reid in her Greenwich Avenue store.

A burgundy scarf patterned with Fiat 500s from Montepicaza’s coordinating label, Mar de Polo, draped the shoulder of a mannequin by the door.

Both were playful gestures that denoted the brand’s European perspective — as did the quality of the accessories.

“Their bag is prettier than my Prada purse,” exclaimed Christian-Reid, running her hand over the leather. “It’s just not as heavy or expensive.”

After a career in retail, marketing and fundraising, Christian-Reid decided to follow her dream and open her own retail shop. She found the perfect match to her vision when business partner

Victor del Cerro, a dear friend from her university days in Spain, introduced her to Oscar Bermudez, founder of Montepicaza.

Bermudez also had a dream — to revitalize Spain’s artisanal textile industry, a lofty venture in an age where most manufacturers base their production in Asia. Bermudez’s business model worked. Eighteen years, 40 stores and 120 multimarket locations later and all of Montepicaza’s clothes are still made and tailored by artisans in Spain.

Once she saw the clothes, Christian-Reid knew Greenwich would be the ideal place to open the first Montepicaza location in the country. Future

The interior of Montepicaza.

plans include expanding the brand to Southampton, Nantucket, Newport, Boston and Palm Beach, relevant markets for a sportswear brand that has been compared to Polo’s Black Label.

Marble floors run throughout the space at 371 Greenwich Ave. and the distinctive horse-patterned wallpaper, which also adorns Montepicaza shops throughout Spain, is a nod to the founder’s love of polo. (Bermudez sponsors two polo teams and one of the biggest equestrian events in the industry, SICAB, the International PRE Horse Trade Fair).

That equestrian influence can be found in Montepicaza’s riding pants and, of course, polo shirts.

“The polo shirts are so well-made,” Christian-Reid said. “(Bermudez) is just a masterful cutter.”

The only items not manufactured in Spain are the colorful belts. “They’re made in Argentina,” she added. “That’s because a lot of (Bermudez’s) polo players are Argentinian and they show up with these cool belts. Everyone wanted them.”

After flying to Spain and meeting with Bermudez in the summer of last year, Christian-Reid walked away with both the distribution rights and the online piece of the business. Her U.S. website will be the first to sell Montepicaza.

After long lease negotiations (she signed the day before Thanksgiving) Christian-Reid scrambled to outfit the space for her Dec. 15 grand opening.

“We opened with metal racks,” she said, gesturing to the wall where her built-ins have finally been completed.

Montepicaza is now ready to offer its classic Spanish fashion — with a few tweaks. “Europeans love merino wool but here, if it’s not cashmere, it won’t sell,” Christian-Reid said with a confident knowledge of her market. “I’m a shopper. I instinctively know quality.”

Next up will be Montepicaza’s summer line.

Look for bathing suits, pencil skirts and little cotton dresses with patterns reminiscent of Lily Pulitzer, “decidedly classic with a twist,” Christian-Reid said.

She is especially excited about the array of women’s summer shoes. “There are these amazing little skimmers with sparkles.”

But her shoppers shouldn’t dawdle if something catches their eye. There is only one of each size for every item. So, “If you like it and it fits you, buy it,” she said. “It’s a guileless way of doing what luxe brands do when trying to create a lot of demand.”

In Montepicaza’s case, it’s not artificial.

“Bermudez is constantly creating,” Christian-Reid said. “He’s so prolific. He designs something, makes it and is on to the next thing.”

But if you didn’t get there quick enough, no problemo. “If you missed out on something,” she added, “just wait until you see what comes next.”

For more, visit montepicazaUSA.com.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

POLO STAR RIDES TO 'FAME'

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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If you ask Mariano Aguerre, one of the world’s finest polo players, which athletes he has admired in other sports, the April 2015 WAG cover subject answers without hesitation — Michael Jordan.

Indeed, during the years that His Airness led the stampeding Chicago Bulls, the Argentine Aguerre was as much a fan as any Chicagoan.

“I admired everything about him,” he says, “his demeanor on the court, his attitude, the way he handled the pressure. Like Roger Federer. These guys are gracious in defeat and great when they win.”

Aguerre would also watch the hall of fame inductions in various sports. “And I would think, ‘One day.’”

That day arrived Feb. 17 as Aguerre, a star for Team White Birch at Greenwich Polo Club, was inducted into the Museum of Polo’s Hall of Fame in Lake Worth, Florida. Club founder and White Birch patron Peter M. Brant and wife Stephanie Seymour were among those on hand for the honors, along with Aguerre’s wife, Tatiana, and their four children — Sophie, Lola, Carmen and Antonio.

“It shocked me a little bit but in a good way,” Aguerre says from Wellington, Florida, home of

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Mariano Aguerre with the Perry Cup after the White Birch team won the 2016 East Coast Open at Greenwich Polo Club.

Photograph by ChiChi Ubiña.

American polo and the Winter Equestrian Festival, “because of the tremendous honor it was and considering the names of all the greats who’ve been inducted.”

With grooms, trainers and many friends from Argentina in attendance, “it was overwhelming,” he adds, “a highlight of my life.”

He is like that, as humble and soft-spoken as he is great, a 10-goaler (out of a possible 10) in a sport that requires power and agility as you travel 35 miles per hour on a 1,000-pound animal. Aguerre, who grew up on a farm outside Buenos Aires, acquired that power and agility under the tutelage of Gonzalo Pieres Sr., a transcendent player and Tatiana’s father.

(The Pieres family is to polo what the Kennedys have been to politics. Aguerre’s brothers-in-law Facundo, Gonzalo Jr. and Nicolas are ranked Nos. 2, 5 and 7 respectively on the World Polo Tour.)

At 16, Aguerre came to the United States to play

for White Birch. He’s been playing for the team ever since at the commanding No. 3 position.

When he isn’t competing, Aguerre likes to fish along the northern and southern coasts of his native Argentina. But polo is never far from his thoughts.

He and Nick Manifold, another Greenwich Polo mainstay, own Los Machitos, “a huge breeding operation” in the Argentine town of Veinticinco de Mayo, which was named for the country’s national day. And Aguerre nurtures the young players of the “Team USPA” program.

Having won the Argentine Open nine times, the U.S. Polo Association Gold Cup eight times, the C.V. Whitney Cup six times, the Hurlingham Open five times and the U.S. Polo Open Championship twice, there doesn’t seem to be much for Aguerre to accomplish. But then, he’s not one to set long-term goals.

“I play the cards in my hand,” he says.

It’s been a winning hand indeed.

Ridgefield, CT pproached via a circular drive, stands the stately colonial home originally owned by playwright Eugene O’Neill. Thoughtfully renovated, this 7 BR, 3.4 bath home was the inspiration for O’Neills play “Desire under the Elms”. Historic highlights include 9 ft ceilings, 7 fireplaces, maple floors, a grand entry w/double staircase, French doors, & large windows overlooking the bucolic setting. The recently added addition includes a mudrm, lndry rm, & bonus rm over the 2 car attached garage. Sited on 16 park like acres of rolling lawns, meadows, a sylvan pond, & specimen plantings. Close proximity to the North Salem Bridle trails is an equestrian enthusiast’s dream. The barn has 2 stalls, 4 bay garage, & a 1,348 sq.ft. office. Completing the outdoor amenities include a salt water pool, flagstone terrace, & a covered side porch. Subdivision possibilities! MLS# 4642150 Price:$3,695,000

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North Salem, NY

ictorian built in 2000 w/great details feels of old house renovation. Newly refurbished rooms w/ open floor plan combining the top-of -the -line kitchen, living & dining rooms. Mahogany Library w/ Fplce. Grand Master Suite: BR, sitting room w/Fplce & wet bar, master bath, walk-in closet. 3 additional Family BR’s each w/own Bath. L.L. Plyrm. w/Bath. 3 Stall Barn, Tack, Wash Stall & grass Paddock.

On historic Baxter Rd one of the most beautiful roads in Westchester. Walking distance to 150 Ac. of Conservation Land w/Trails & open fields for riding. 1 BR, 1 Bth Apt. over garage w/own entry or access from house. Wrap-a-around Porches. 3 Car heated gar.

Views! New roof, freshly painted interior & exterior, updated AC/ heating & electrical system. This house could not be duplicated for the price.

MLS#: 4706431 Price: $2,250,000

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ountry Estate w/inspiring views & glorious space for gatherings. High ceilings, exposed beams, custom millwork, wide plank hardwood floors, floor to ceiling windows. Gourmet Kitchen w/sitting area & fplce. Formal D/R. Fabulous Stone fplce. & Full Size Bar. Game Room. Office. 5 BR, 4 ½ Baths w/a 1st floor Master. Rooms flow into the Outdoor Landscape of multiple Stone Patios, Outdoor BBQ, Gunite Pool, Tennis Court & Basketball Court on over 8 Acres. 2,758 additional sq. ft. of Finished Lower Level provides a Playroom, Fitness Room, Guest suite& access to patio & pool. Generator. Adjoining 11.3 ACRE parcel available to purchase separately. MLS#4652365 Price: $1,999,000

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North Salem, NY

harming 4 Br, 3 Bath Farmhouse on 5.2 pastoral acres. Ideally situated across from the 4700 +acre Pound Ridge Reservation. Famous for its’ miles of riding and hiking trails, it is an equestrian and hiker’s dream. The house includes hardwood floors, new country kitchen, DR, & living room with fireplace.

These are just a few features that distinguish this inviting home. The horse component part of this property is comprised of a beautiful, new 5 stall barn with wash stall, tack room, PR, & office. Six paddocks, round pen & a riding field finish this special property! This unique farmette is offered at $1,729,000.

Pound Ridge, NY

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WEAR

A WALK ON THE (BEJEWELED) WILD SIDE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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Recent Blue Book Collections, which Tiffany & Co. unveils to the public each April, have mirrored the enchantment of the sea and its creatures in waves of gemstones, silvery scales and luscious pearls.

This year, however, the luxe jeweler’s creative forces have turned inland to explore “The Art of the Wild.”

It’s a tough job, but someone had to do it. Someone had to travel to a remote tropical island for nature immersion. The members of the Tiffany design team used the fauna and flora they observed to test the limits of what gems and their minds can do.

“We continuously push the boundaries of craftsmanship and innovation in every way,” Melvyn Kirtley, chief gemologist and vice president of high jewelry, says in a statement. “Every single year we’re looking for different ways to produce pieces that are so technically complicated, they seem almost impossible. But this is where we make the impossible happen.”

An example that takes flight — show-stopping bird brooches that evoke the texture and arcing movement of our fine, feathered friends in gems that are custom-cut and mapped in much the way a painter blends colors.

Gem-kissed frond motifs, berry designs of orange spessartites and rubellites, cascading diamonds, leafy earrings crowned by perfect Tahitian pearls, bouquets of ombré stones — all these await Blue Book devotees.

Only one thought remains: May we tag along on the design team’s next journey?

For more, visit tiffany.com.

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Bird brooch in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold with colored gemstones and yellow and white diamonds from the 2017 Blue Book Collection, “The Art of the Wild.”

Price upon request. Courtesy Tiffany & Co.

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

LIVING WITH FTD IS HARD. LIVING WITHOUT HELP IS HARDER. THERE’S COMFORT IN FINDING OTHERS WHO UNDERSTAND. WE FINALLY FOUND A DOCTOR WHO GETS IT. I GOT SO MUCH ADVICE FROM OTHER CAREGIVERS. UNDERSTANDING MORE HELPS ME DEAL WITH HER SYMPTOMS. SEEING THAT OTHERS MADE IT THROUGH, I KNEW I COULD TOO. WE HONOR HIM BY ADVOCATING FOR A CURE. NOW I’M BETTER AT ASKING FOR HELP. 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. But no family facing FTD 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 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

WELL

BRINGING HOME BABY…TO YOUR FOUR-LEGGED CHILD

BY DAYNA M. KURTZ

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We all know the dog is a man’s best friend, but what happens when “best friend” meets new baby? For some couples, the first children are of the canine or feline persuasion. I was a mother of two domestic shorthairs at the time I brought my newborn son home from the hospital. I will never forget the ways in which my two cats greeted me. Walking across the threshold, my son cradled in my arms, both cats stared me down in the way that cats do. Sitting on the couch, one cat jumped up beside me, sniffed my son’s head and promptly began to purr — a resounding sign of approval. The other? He ran under the bed and didn’t come out for hours.

Bringing home a baby presents a wealth of changes for you, and it can affect the life of your first “baby,” too. How Fido or Fluffy reacts to your bundle of joy depends on many factors — personality, breed and whether the animal is accustomed to babies, among them. Ultimately, you can never be 100-percent sure how things will play out until your baby is home with you and your pet. However, there are a number of steps you can take, both before and after baby comes home, to help prepare your first child to meet your second: • If you haven’t already spayed or neutered your pet, the time to do so is before baby arrives.

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Dogs and cats that have been spayed are less aggressive and, therefore, less likely to scratch or bite when your future toddler inevitably tugs on that tail. These animals also typically have fewer health issues, which means fewer trips to the vet for you, and a happier pet overall.

• Before your pooch meets his new sibling in person, give him a blanket with your babe’s scent. This can help him become familiar with the new family member. Let your dog take a sniff or two and follow it up with his favorite treat and a good head scratch.

• Cats are especially sensitive to sound. Help them acclimate to the cacophony of infant sounds by inviting over a mom friend and her

Best buds – Dayna M. Kurtz’s two children.

newborn. If you’re the first of your friends to have a baby, check out YouTube for some videos of crying babies and play them on repeat. You may wind up with a headache, but your cat will be better for it.

• It’s a good idea to train your pet to tolerate a nail trim anyhow, but especially important with a baby on the way. Cats are usually more tolerant of nail-trimming if you introduce them to the practice when they are kittens. If you have an older cat that is unwilling to sit for a trim, there are adhesives you can buy that slip over the nails and can be replaced periodically as the nails grow out. Declawing is painful for a cat. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) states: “Onychectomy [declawing] is an amputation and should be regarded as a major surgery. [It] should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents an above normal health risk for its owner(s).”

• Unless you have a home birth, chances are you’re going to be gone for awhile, which means your pet will be especially eager to see you upon your return. Dog owners will do well to give their K-9 kid an opportunity to expel some of that excitement before the main event. Have your partner, a friend or other family member greet your dog first. If your dog is especially attached

Are you

HOW FIDO OR FLUFFY REACTS TO YOUR BUNDLE OF JOY DEPENDS ON MANY FACTORS — PERSONALITY, BREED AND WHETHER THE ANIMAL IS ACCUSTOMED TO BABIES, AMONG THEM.

to you, have someone else hold the baby outside while you calmly and lovingly reconnect with your dog. When you decide to introduce your dog to your baby, it’s a good idea to have another human helper on hand and to leash your dog for the initial meet and greet. Your cat may appreciate a more subdued experience. Take a few moments to say “hello” again in a calm, quiet setting

before bringing in baby.

• You should be clear about whose toys belong to whom. Separate the cat and dog toys from your baby’s toys and keep them so. Your pet needs to understand that he is not allowed to play with the baby’s rattle. Similarly, your baby shouldn’t have access to your cat’s catnip cigar or your dog’s chew-toys either. I’m all in favor of learning to share, but the lesson is better reserved for person-to-person not person-to-pet.

• Babies should always be placed on their backs when it’s time for bed, as this position makes it easier for them to breathe (until they are old enough to turn themselves over). Dogs and cats should be kept out of the nursery. Avoid a well-intended cuddle from turning tragic.

Ideally, your baby and your pet will get on splendidly. The cat that purred at my son’s arrival continues to be his best bud. My other cat, sadly, was not able to adjust to the new kid on the block. Rightly concerned about our newborn’s safety, we had to find our feline child a home that made things safer for him and our baby. It was necessary, and it was hard, as so many important parenting decisions can be. If you need help, speak with your veterinarian about a referral to a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT) or applied animal behaviorist (CAAB).

For more, visit daynamkurtz.com.

for a Celebration????

Follow us at handsupforhaiti.org - email us at events@handsupforhaiti.org WAGMAG.COM

APRIL 2017

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WELL

THE EIGHT HABITS OF HAPPY (HINT: THEY INCLUDE PETS)

BY DEBBIE PALMER, MD PHOTOGRAPH

BY CLASSIC KIDS GREENWICH

I

I’ve read so much about what makes happy people happy — and the things they do on a daily basis that make them so joyful. What I know is this: Being cheerful is contagious — for you (you want to be happy more and more) and for everyone else around you. (It’s hard not to smile when someone else smiles at you.)

It also brings a natural radiance and beauty to your face that can’t be mimicked by any skin creams or treatments. Happy people are beautiful people.

This is what I call truly natural beauty.

Here, then, are the habits of happy people. Try them. They’re contagious.

Smile. Smiling makes you happy on the inside. It lights up your face — and makes others happy to be around you. There’s a natural beauty in those who smile a lot.

Appreciate the simple things in the every day. Big victories and events shouldn’t be the focus in life. It’s the small victories and pleasures that we also should be finding joy in. Many times these small things are around us every day. They’re not something to be gotten or achieved or bought. If we stop chasing happiness, we will realize that opportunities for fun and meaningfulness are all around us.

This is why I love this quote from Frederick Keonig: “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

See the glass as half full. As hard as it is to look at life from the bright side, doing so will make you

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happier. In fact, being positive has been linked to a healthier heart, too.

Take time to relax. The happiest people are those who take regular breaks from daily stress.

Whether it be regular meditation, yoga, exercise, daily walks or even just taking time for yourself to do something you enjoy, taking a break from the grind will make you happier.

Be resilient. Knowing how to get back on track when life doesn’t go according to plans is key to happy people’s cheerfulness.

Do good — for others and for the world. The sense of helping others and the world at large gives happy people what’s been called a “helper’s high” — and seems to help protect them against depression.

Cultivate your spiritual side. Spirituality gives you a sense that there’s something greater in the world than just you. This is a humbling way to think — and seems to help happy people shrug off the notso-great things that happen in life. Cultivating spirituality has also been shown to be good for your health.

One study found that a sense of spirituality can help reduce depression and nurture hope.

Spend time with other people. Happy people are those who have strong social ties and close family and friends. Very simply, the more social you are, the happier you’ll be.

Pets help make people happy, too, because they provide meaningful social support. In one study, pet owners were found to have higher self-esteem, felt less lonely, were less fearful and were more

socially outgoing — all factors that can make one less stressful and happier. These same pet owners had a greater sense of belongingness, meaningful existence. and control over their lives. I can see this firsthand in my own life. My two dogs, Lexington and Madison, are integral parts of our family life.

They add so much daily pleasure and love — and make our family smile and laugh.

But excluding everything else, just making it a habit to count your blessings on a daily basis can help make you happier. Make a list if you have to, every day, of the five to 10 things that bring you happiness. You might just find your outlook shifting — for the better.

Excerpted from “Beyond Beauty: Proven Secrets to Age Well, Look 10 Years Younger, and Live a Truly Happy, Healthy, Long Life” by Dr. Debbie Palmer and Valerie Latona. © 2016 Reprinted with permission.

Debbie Palmer, MD, medical director of Dermatology Associates of New York in Harrison and creator of the skincare line Replere, is a leader in the fields of topical and oral antioxidants and their ability to protect and repair damage caused by free radical production. She graduated summa cum laude from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and completed her residency in dermatology at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

Palmer holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two young children.

MITZVAHS

WELL

PETS ENHANCE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE “I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from a silent companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.” — Doris Day

BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI

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We’ve always heard that dogs are man’s best friend.

What is often overlooked is that animals provide many health benefits. Recently, I sat down with Dr. Randi Haberkorn, who has been a veterinarian since 1989 and practices in southern Westchester, to talk about those benefits.

What drew you to this career?

“From the time I was a teenager, I knew I wanted to follow this career path. I loved animals and I loved medicine. In addition, I also enjoy getting to know clients and witnessing the human-animal bond. Growing up, we always had a multitude of pets — dogs, cats and small rodents.”

What are the mental and physical benefits to owning a pet?

“There are many health benefits to having pets.

It encourages people to get outside and exercise if people walk their dogs regularly, and there are benefits to being outdoors as well as to exercising.

It has been shown that exercising outdoors is more beneficial than exercising indoors, so there are benefits to getting fresh air.

“For children, getting a pet can strengthen their

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A Rough Collie, perhaps awaiting its master, is one of the many kinds of pets that contribute to human health. Photograph by Marco Verch.

immune system and lower their chances of developing allergies later in life. Having a pet improves heart health by lowering your chances of having a heart attack and reducing blood pressure. If someone has already had a heart attack, they recover quicker when they have a pet. In addition, having a pet can be an excellent icebreaker, especially in places like New York City, where there are a lot of pets and people.

“Additionally, no matter how depressed a person is, when you come home to a pet that's happy to see you every time you walk through the door, you can't remain sad. Before my children leave for school or go to bed at night, they stroke and kiss each dog good night or goodbye.”

Has your relationship with animals helped your own physical health and wellness?

“I currently have four dogs — two Miniature Poodles, one Standard Poodle and one Black Russian Terrier. I walk the dogs three miles each day during the week and my husband walks them on the weekend. Once or twice a month, I take the dogs on an eight-mile loop hike. I love hiking be-

cause it gives me an opportunity to be outdoors for an extended period of time alone with the dogs and nature. During the week, I rarely see other people on the path, so it's a great opportunity to be alone with my thoughts. It's also a great cardiovascular workout because there are many undulating hills, where my heart rate gets elevated for sustained periods of time.

“When the dogs realize we are going hiking because they see my backpack, they can't contain their enthusiasm. They start barking and jumping and only settle down when they get in the car. They are so familiar with the hike that when we get close to the parking lot, they start getting excited again.”

What have you observed from pet owners in regards to physical activity?

“Most of my clients take their dogs on regular walks, which help people get outdoors and moving. For the elderly, it's great to have a pet to care for because it keeps them moving and it gives them purpose in life.”

Reach Giovanni on Twitter @ GiovanniRoselli and his website, GiovanniRoselli.com.

PET OF THE MONTH

TIA MIA

If you're looking for a loving, smiling face to greet you when you wake up, when you go to sleep and every hour in between, you might be looking for Tia. This 7-year-old Hound/ Shepherd mix is a happy, honey of a girl who loves tennis balls and time with her people more than anything.

Her ideal home is a nice suburb with a big yard where she won't be around a lot of other dogs. She's not a big fan of them and just wants all your attention for herself. Because she's a big girl, older children (age 12 and up) would be a good fit for her.

Email shelter@spca914.org for more information on Tia.

THE SPCA, A HISTORY

The SPCA of Westchester was founded in 1883 by Ossining resident Mary Dusenberry after she observed horses being mercilessly whipped and beaten as they trudged up nearby hills to deliver heavy burdens of coal. Originally affiliated with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the SPCA incorporated independently of the ASPCA in the early 1920s. The SPCA of Westchester is still located on its original site, making it one of the oldest landholders in Briarcliff Manor.

The SPCA’s mission is to save homeless, abused and abandoned animals and to protect animals from cruelty and neglect through education and enforcement of humane laws. The SPCA of Westchester not only serves as the sole cruelty prevention and intervention agency for Westchester County but is also the only organization providing the comprehensive services of a spay/neuter clinic, a shelter (with a capacity for more than 100 dogs and 125 cats) and adoption and community outreach programs, including pet therapy and humane education.

The SPCA is recognized as a “no-kill” shelter as it never euthanizes an animal except in cases of terminal illness, extreme aggression or the inability to maintain a reasonable quality of life in a shelter environment.

No matter how long it may take, the SPCA is committed to caring for all adoptable animals until a loving, new home can be found.

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.

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PET PORTRAITS

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING The SPCA never gives up on its pooches and kitties — and neither do we. Three All-Stars featured in WAG last year are still waiting for happy homes, so what do you say, people?

Once again, we present Trevor, Leah and Maggie.

For Trevor (January 2016) — as with the Billy Joel song — “It’s A Matter of Trust.” This adorable German Shepherd mix, who was rescued from a high-kill shelter, has a big heart (to go with his big ears, which give him character). But he’s still shy with new people and new surroundings. Trevor warms up greatly once he knows the person and then becomes very affectionate. He loves going on walks and playing with other dogs. The SPCA of Westchester would prefer he go to a home with another dog as it gives him confidence.

When it comes to people, Leah (February 2016), a 5-year-old American Bulldog mix, is all heart.

And body. This sporty kinda gal would revel in finding an active person or family to call her own. She can't get enough playtime in the yard. And if you've got a tennis ball, she's an especially happy girl.

Leah has lived in a home before, so she's got the whole house training and crate training thing down pat. She’s also lived with children before.

While she isn’t a big fan of other four-legged critters, Leah is the biggest mush the two-legged variety could ask for. And she’ll give you a big lick across your face to prove it.

Location, location, location. The SPCA took in the petite Pit Bull mix Maggie (June 2016) in the hopes of giving her more visibility than she had in a shelter down South. Sadly, Maggie has lived in a shelter since she was practically a puppy. The 4-year-old is a total mush-ball, who loves people and kids — enjoying a good romp in the yard, playing toys or just sunbathing. Maggie also walks well on her leash and knows her commands.

Her only issue is she doesn’t care for other dogs.

But she’s perfect for the single-pet owner, as she is a well-mannered, easygoing dog.

To meet Trevor, Leah and Maggie, 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.

From top, Trevor, Leah and Maggie. Photographs by Bob Rozycki.

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Inside every cat lives the spirit of the wild.

And a love for meat.

BLUE Wilderness is made with more of the chicken, duck or salmon cats love.

©2017 Blue Buffalo Co., Ltd.

All cats are descendants of the lynx, which means they share many similar traits – including a love for meat. That’s why we created BLUE Wilderness.® Made with the finest natural ingredients, BLUE Wilderness is formulated with a higher concentration of the chicken, duck or salmon cats love. And BLUE Wilderness has none of the grains that contain gluten.

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Through June 3 WHEN & WHERE

On view at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Ave., Norwalk; 203-838-9799, lockwoodmathewsmansion.com

April 6 through 23 Through April 4 “Mythologies, Fragments, Fiction” — Nathan Lewis connects world mythology with Shakespeare, religious texts and post-apocalyptic literature in this exhibit. The Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, 96 Bedford St., Stamford; 888-861-6791, flalvarezgallery.com

Through April 30 The Loft Artists Gallery presents “Off The Wall,” a solo exhibit of paintings and drawings by Princess Cureton, whose work combines painting and relief sculpting on canvas and paper, lifting the figure off the surface. 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, LAA Gallery, 575 Pacific St., Stamford; 203-247-2027, loftartists.com

Through May 14 “Canvas And Cast” presents 35 paintings and seven sculptures from the Bruce Museum’s growing collection, celebrating longtime favorites and many recent acquisitions and representing significant moments in art history from the 16th through 20th centuries. 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich; 203-869-0376, brucemuseum.org

Through May 21

Water is the star of artist Frances Ashforth’s compelling exhibit of monotypes, “Water + Words,” at the New Canaan Library’s Curtis Gallery, 151 Main St.; 203594-5000, newcanaanlibrary.org

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Venture out for a rare close-up of eight historic lighthouses on western Long Island Sound. The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk offers Lighthouse Cruises aboard the Aquarium’s new hybrid-electric research vessel, R/V Spirit of the Sound. 10 N. Water St.; 203852-0700, maritimeaquarium.org

April 1 and 2 Axial Theatre presents “Glass Ceiling Breakers,” a festival that celebrates women playwrights and directors in seven original one-act plays. The plays range from farce to fantasy and tackle themes as diverse as spiritual salvation and workplace brutality. Times vary, 8 Sunnyside Ave., Pleasantville; 914-286-7680, axialtheatre.org

April 5 ArtsWestchester recognizes stars of the local arts community with its annual Arts Award Luncheon. Honorees include Lucille Werlinich, chair, Purchase College Foundation; Downtown Music at Grace; WESTHAB; the Katonah Museum of Art’s Himmel Award and Lecture; Songcatchers Inc.; artist Marion Archer; and The Scarsdale Adult School. 11:30 a.m., Brae Burn Country Club, 39 Brae Burn Drive, Purchase; 914-428-4220, artsw.org 

From vows taken in magnificent settings to cuttingedge images that redefine rituals and boundaries, the exhibit “Right Angle Bliss” features six up-andcoming as well as award-winning photographers who highlight today’s diversity of cultures and customs in wedding ceremonies throughout the United States.

The Schoolhouse Theater presents “Mask of the Jaguar King,” a play that tells the story of an American archaeologist who is stranded at the site of a Mayan Temple with a dangerous guerrilla revolutionary intent on stealing priceless ancient artifacts. 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, 3 Owens Road, Croton Falls; 914-277-8477, schoolhousetheater. org

April 6 “Media and Politics: The Impact on Our Democracy” Forum. Today, 24/7 cable channels, broadcast media and social media have changed the way we receive the news, often making it hard to separate fact from fiction. The forum will address this issue and the effect it had on the 2016 presidential election and elections moving forward, both local and national. 7 p.m., Chappaqua Library Theater, 195 S. Greeley Ave.; 914238-7959, lwvnewcastle.org

April 7 The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College presents country singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash.

The show will celebrate Cash’s three-time Grammy Award-winning album, “The River & the Thread,” a collection of original songs that reconnect her to the American South. 8 p.m., 735 Anderson Hill Road; 914251-6200, artscenter.org

April 8 and 9

Join the Stamford Symphony for Eckart Preu’s final performances as he takes us to the northernmost point of Europe where we will experience the Northern Lights through music. Featuring pieces by Sibelius and Grieg. 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Palace Theater, 61 Atlantic St.; 203-325-1407, stamfordsymphony.org

THE SCHOOLHOUSE THEATER & ARTS CENTER MASK OF THE JAGUAR KING April 6 - April 23 Thursdays through Sundays

L.O.V.E.R. June 8 - June 25 Thursdays through Sundays

3 Owens Rd, North Salem, N.Y.10560 Email: schoolhousetheater@gmail.com (914) 277-8477

Announcing Two World

LoHud Comedy SAT. APRIL @ 29 @ 8 PM

My Romantic Education: Love Songs with Laurel Massé SUN. APRIL 30 @ 3 PM

TIX : www.schoolhousetheater.org We are in Croton Falls, Exit 8 off I-684

Premier Theatrical Performances!

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April 11 through July 15

and Jethro Tull, and his shows are peppered with anecdotes and histories. 7:45 p.m., Fairfield Theatre Company-Stage One, 70 Sanford St.; 203-319-1404, fairfieldtheatre.org

April 21 Hands up for Haiti holds its “Up, Above and Beyond” awards gala, honoring four volunteers and the programs they champion — maternal-infant health, fighting malnutrition, hypertension screening and treatment and a clean water project. 6:30 p.m., Whippoorwill Country Club, 150 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk; handsupforhaiti.org

April 22

ArtsWestchester presents “From the Streets,” an exhibit that follows graffiti’s stylistic evolution from the 1980s youth subculture in the Bronx to prominence in the global art scene. There’s an opening reception 4 p.m. April 8 with the curators and artists. Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, 31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains; 914-4284220, artsw.org

April 13 Best-selling author Sebastian Junger will talk about his latest book, “Tribe.” Junger, best-known for “The Perfect Storm,” describes “Tribe” as being “about what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty and belonging and the eternal human quest for meaning.” 7 p.m., The Chappaqua Library,195 S. Greeley Ave.; 914-238-4779, chappaqualibrary.org

April 15

Remarkable STEAM, in partnership with the Westport Library, presents the sixth annual Maker Faire Westport. Every year, it attracts thousands of tech enthusiasts, craftsmen, educators, artists, hobbyists, engineers, scientists, food artisans and commercial exhibitors. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Green; 203-291-4800, westportlibrary.org  New Castle Historical Society offers an Antiques Appraisal Day, featuring expert appraisers from the Rago Arts and Auction Center and a lecture by Sebastian Clarke on “Tales from ‘Antiques Road Show.’” 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Horace Greeley House, 100 King St., Chappaqua; 914-238-4666, newcastlehs.org

April 22 and 23 RiverArts presents its 24th annual Studio Tour Weekend, a multi-village event that features more than 70 local artists. Visitors will meet and engage with artists in their workspaces — industrial lofts, home studios, pop-up installations and galleries. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 414 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson; 914-412-5120, riverarts.org

April 22 through 30 More than 80 artists from Europe, Asia, North and South America and the UK will participate in Browngrotta Arts’ 30th anniversary exhibit, “Still Crazy After All These Years.” The event will feature wall pieces, art textiles and indoor and outdoor sculptures. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 276 Ridgefield Road, Wilton; 203-834-0623, browngrotta.com

April 23 The Hudson Valley Writers’ Center invites audiences to an evening with three poets — Rachel Hadas, Sar-

Singer-songwriter Livingston Taylor has performed alongside the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Jimmy Buffett

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ah Plimpton and Andrés Cerpa Hadas. Rachel Hadas will read her most recent poetry. Plimpton and Andrés Cerpa Hadas will read poetry from their forthcoming collections. 4:30 p.m., 300 Riverside Drive, Sleepy Hollow; 914-332-5953, writerscenter.org

April 25 Purchase College Conservatory of Music presents a concert in celebration of the great jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald on what would have been her 100th birthday. The concert features the Purchase Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece big band, in selections from every era.

7 p.m., 735 Anderson Hill Road; 914-451-6700, purchase.edu/music

April 26 and 27 Join Play With Your Food’s lunchtime theater series at Greenwich Arts Council for a catered gourmet lunch followed by three thought-provoking one-act play readings by both award-winning and emerging playwrights. Followed by a talk with the director and professional cast. Noon, Greenwich Arts Council, 299 Greenwich Ave.; 203-293-8729, jibproductions.org

April 29 The Chappaqua Orchestra (TCO) presents a Children’s Book Festival Story Concert, which includes the symphonic fairy tale, “Peter and the Wolf,” with narration by WQXR radio host Elliott Forrest. TCO’s conductor, Michael Shapiro, will also premiere an original work, “The Babbling Orchestra.” 4 p.m., Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, 480 Bedford Road; 845-842-0010, chappaquaorchestra.org

April 30 Laurel Massé is a founding member of the multi-Grammy Award-winning group The Manhattan Transfer and has also been honored with the MAC Lifetime Achievement Award (2004) as well as The Bistro Award for best jazz vocalist (2009). Guitarist Mark Dziuba accompanies her as she performs classics from The Great American Songbook. 3 p.m.

The Schoolhouse Theater, 3 Owens Road, North Salem; 914-277-8477, schoolhouse theater.org

Presented by ArtsWestchester and the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County.

For more, visit artswestchester.org and culturalalliancefc.org.

PAUL SHAFFER &

THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE for movies and the performing arts

The World’s Most Dangerous Band

Non-profit 501 (c) (3)

Featuring Valerie Simpson

MAY 6 MAY

april

6 Jon Cleary

Special Guest Jamie McLean Band

8 Ethan Bortnick

16 year old phenom as seen on PBS!

14 Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles 17 Under the Streetlamp

ft. Cast Members from Broadway’s Jersey Boys

9 Gary Gulman

18 Paul Anka: Celebrating 60 Years of Hits - His Way

13 Ricky Nelson Remembered

19 Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stones Show

19 Squirrel Nut Zippers and Ozomatli United Together Tour

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21 Del & Dawg featuring Del McCoury & David Grisman

24 Delta Rae 26 American Idol Winner Nick Fradiani

From Last Comic Standing

Starring Matthew & Gunnar Nelson

22 Peter Wolf & The Midnight Travelers

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Tony Award Winner

Ben Vereen

27 Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra

Seven time Grammy Award Winner

31 Pink Martini

Special Guest Tom Hambridge

JUNE

Buddy Guy

With Singer China Forbes

26 Indigo Girls

2 Paula Poundstone

MAY

5 The B-52s

4 Comedian Kevin Nealon 5 The Everly Brothers Experience

Featuring The Zmed Brothers

9 The Tenors

The thrilling vocal group as seen on PBS!

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Guitar Legend

Robben Ford

Special Guests Bjössi Thor with Mackenzie Wasner

12 Christopher Cross

6 Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue 11 Ramsey Lewis 16 Comedian Tom Papa 21 The Airplane Family and Live Dead ’69 22 The Marshall Tucker Band Special Guest Stolen Rhodes

27 The Gipsy Kings

203.438.5795 • RIDGEFIELDPLAYHOUSE.ORG

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WESTFAIR’S OSCAR NIGHT More than 350 members of the business community turned out on Mardi Gras for Westfair Communication Inc.’s own version of the Oscars — the Family-Owned Business Awards. Guests enjoyed hearty fare, including penne alla vodka and deli delights from Ben’s before bagpiper Howard Heller, playing the poignant “The Minstrel Boy,” led the winning business owners through the sweeping atrium of 1133 Westchester Ave. in White Plains to begin the presentation.

Douglas Howard Wade Jr., president of Wade’s Dairy, offered the keynote. The winners were Accurate Lock & Hardware, Admiral Real Estate Services, Atlantic Westchester, ATP Group, Bow Tie Cinemas, The Briarcliff Manor, Darien Sport Shop, Devine Bros. Inc., The Dowling Group, Empire City Casino, Empress Emergency Medical Services, Faust Harrison Pianos, Garden Catering, Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, Gregory Sahagian & Son Awning Co. Inc., Hampford Research Inc., JP McHale Pest Management Inc., LGI Forensic Engineering P.C., Mike Risko Music, Nejame & Sons, The Plastic Factory, Prestige Industrial Finishing Co., The Royal Closet, Santa Energy, Walter’s Hot Dogs and William Raveis Real Estate. And not one was announced by mistake.

Photographs by John Rizzo.

1. Matthew, Miriam, Melody and Mike Risko 2. Michelle Massimi and Aja Romain 3. Mike Minerva, Daryn Baia, Scott Holand, Hanan Cohen and Matt, Michael, and Dan Minerva 4. Lorraine and Latalya Morrison 5. Gayle Worthington, Carl Tooker and Amy Kane 6. Jonathan Demarco and Jake Fay 7. Irena Portenko 8. Christine Sand, Gene-Christian Baca, Christine Warrington and Katharine Woodward 9. Brittany Nejame and Justin Machado 10. Evelyn Torres, Brian Mittman and Milica Kilibarda 11. Nancy Westington and Donna and Mark Zanin 12. Omar Hawthorne, Paul Fernandes, John Riley and Daren Hawthorne 13. Naomi A. Scharkopf and Lynn Bagliebter

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FEI-FEI DONG APRIL 23 3PM

APRIL 2 3PM

HYPNOTIC DAVID BRASS SEDARIS 8 ENSEMBLE APRIL 8PM

APRIL 1 8PM

THE ORCHESTRA NOW

APRIL 29 8PM

JOANNA GLEASON APRIL 27 8PM

JAZZ AT THE CENTER

ROSANNE CASH

HEDDA GABLER

APRIL 30 3PM MAY 6 CHAMBER 5 PM MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER

APRIL 7 8PM

MAY 6 8PM

TWELFTH NIGHT BILL T. JONES ARNIE ZANE COMPANY THANK YOU

MAY 13 8 PM

For event details & tickets, call 914-251-6200 or visit The Hannah & Walter Shmerler Endowed Fund

WWW.ARTSCENTER.ORG

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WESTFAIR’S OSCAR NIGHT, CONTINUED 14. Standing left to right: Mike Minerva, Empress EMS; Sean Dowling, The Dowling Group; Frank Carpenteri Jr., Garden Catering; JP McHale, JP McHale Pest Management; Doug Wade, Wade’s Dairy; Gregory Sahagian, Gregory Sahagian & Son Awnings Inc.; Ramona Wade, Wade’s Dairy; Kate Hampford Donahue, Hampford Research; Lowell Hawthorne, Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill; Sara Faust, Faust Harrison Pianos; Mike Risko, Mike Risko Music; Christine Warrington, Walter’s Hot Dogs; Kelby Edwards, Pivot Financial Solutions; Bud Hammer, Atlantic Westchester; Perry DiNapoli, The Briarcliff Manor; Geri Corrigan, Darien Sport Shop; Ike Rivera, Bow Tie Cinemas; Peter Russell, Santa Energy; and Chris Raveis, William Raveis Real Estate.

Kneeling left to right: Steven Pietropaolo, LGI Forensic Engineering; Tom Devine, Devine Bros.; Anthony Nejame, Nejame & Sons; and Reed Salvatore, Accurate Lock & Hardware 15. Allan Badey and Mark Fagan 16. Bill Conron, Pavlova Shah, Deborah Charlemagne and April Lasher 17. Louis Cicillini, Louis Fitzgerald, Kevin Kennedy and Ryan Flynn 18. Bill Purcell, Thomas Santa, Michael and Ralph Proto and James Osso 19. Eduardo Missura, Andrea Lawson and Armand Frusciante 20. John Hampford Jr., Kathy Richardson, Kate Donahue, Jennifer Ricciardo, Celeste Butler and Randy Dieckman 21. John Flynn, Steven Cole, Jim Bernitt and Joe and Steve Pietropaolo 22. Charity Kelly, Matthew Portnoy and Kathy and Kenneth Meccia

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EVERYTHING WE DO IS BUILT AROUND MAKING YOUR WEDDING A SUCCESS! TO BOOK YOUR EVENT OR FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT OUR WEDDING AND EVENTS SPECIALISTS 914-821-1377 66 HALE AVENUE, WHITE PLAINS NY WWW.CPWESTCHESTER.COM

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‘WYETH WONDERLAND’

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More than 200 guests attended the opening of the exhibition “Wyeth Wonderland” at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, where the photographs of Joséphine Douet and the watercolors of Andrew Wyeth are on view through May 14. The exhibition celebrates Douet’s photographic journey through Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, the hometown that Wyeth made famous in his paintings.

1. Chas Carter and Cynthia Round 2. Mary Calvi, Marsha Turchinsky and Mike Spano 3. Lara Turchinsky, Merantine Hens, Theresa Lai and Kathryn Selig-Brown 4. Marie Murray and Barbara MacDonald 5. Kevin Kenan, Shelley Mayer, Michael Sabatino and Ron Werdann 6. Karen and Susannne Tumelty 7. Shawn Gorman and Illona Fabian 8. Joséphine Douet 9. Andrea Stewart-Cousins 10. Jan Adelson

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The Italian Center of Stamford is the ideal venue for all of your events!

GALAS FUNDRAISERS TRADESHOWS PICNICS Outdoor Tented Picnic Space Banquet Rooms

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CARING AND SHARING Recently, more than 50 business leaders and associates from companies that support Volunteer New York! throughout the year gathered for a celebratory networking reception. The event, hosted by TD Bank in Rye, celebrated the 67th anniversary of Volunteer New York! and encouraged its business supporters to recognize the value of working together. Photographs by Paul Schneiderman.

1. Joseph Solimine Jr., Jeannine Foxx, Cindy Ostsrager and Markham F. Rollins III 2. Dave Ritacco and Jeanette Gisbert 3. Ed Forbes, George Troyano and Traci Bauer 4. Sonia Montano, Jalissa Alvarez and Hazel Anchia 5. Haina Just-Michael and Brittany Croci 6. Michael Welling and Marissa Weidner 7. Sarp Kayalar and Lucas Zhengh 8. Lisa Stewart and Felix Tapia 9. Kristin Turco and Ellen Wilkinson 10. Ted Kesten and Lisa Pine 11. Michael Grossman and Bob Matluck 12. Joseph Ali, Alisa Kesten and Rob Cordero 13. Jane Solnick and Adam Kintish 14. Monique Haywood and Joanne Taylor

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Mission

The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary® will reflect Catherine’s compassion for animals by providing adoptive services for companion animals, refuge for farm animals, and native wildlife rescue and release services.

The Sanctuary will: ~Provide state of the art care for animals ~Offer innovative educational programs to the community

Vision Here, creatures, great and small, will know that they are safe and humans are kind…

Here, children will know compassion & see their own innate beauty reflected in the eyes of a lamb, a deer, a

kitten…

Here, we will show the world how peace begins~ Through respect, love and kindness for all living beings

Here, we will heal together

CVHFoundation.org | (866) 620-8640

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A BIG BLOWOUT Drybar, the national blow dry bar specializing in just blowouts (no cuts, no colors), recently had a grand opening of its newest shop in White Plains – the first in Westchester. The new location features Drybar’s signature design, including custom Italian chairs, tufted fabric walls, marble bars with built-in phone docking stations and flat screens featuring cult favorite chick flicks. Photographs by Buzz Creators Inc.

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1. Drybar opens its doors to the public.

2. Tom Roach and Colleen Margiloff 3. Clients receiving blowouts from Drybar stylists

KIDDING AROUND On a snowy Sunday at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, Westchester Philharmonic fans of all ages gathered to hear soprano Julia Bullock in a program featuring Mozart, Stravinsky, Gershwin and Bernstein, led by principal conductor Ted Sperling. Youngsters in attendance enjoyed a pre-concert “Instrument Petting Zoo” with Phil musicians as well as free concert tickets.

Photographs by Louis Vaccaro.

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4. Julia Bullock performs with the Westchester Philharmonic.

5. Ted Sperling 6. Young concertgoers explored violins, cellos and percussion at the pre-concert “Instrument Petting Zoo.” 7. David Tobey instructs a young concertgoer at the pre-concert “Instrument Petting Zoo.”

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DARE TO PAIR VAL’S HELPS YOU DISCOVER

THE PERFECT COMPLIMENT FOR ANY MEAL! Val’s Putnam Wines and Liquors ships to you, your clients, or family and friends

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A combination of two (2) of our favorite wines at $34.98

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TASTING NOTES: Refreshing, clean with elegant citrus tones. A great sparkling wine to help celebrate!

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International Wines, Spirits and Beers Free Wine Tastings on Friday and Saturday Daily Sales and Specials Corporate and Client Gifting Programs Event Planning Services

TASTING NOTES: Beautiful Super Tuscan packed with flavor and freshness.

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Classes, Seminars and Tutorials Private In-Home Tastings and Classes Free Delivery Service (inquire) Wine Cellar and Collecting Consultation We Buy Your Older Wines and Spirits

VAL’S TIP OF THE MONTH — LIKE SPICY FOOD? TRY A REISLING!

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WATCH

YANKEE DOODLE DANDY Long-time New York Yankees fan Patrick Flannery of Valhalla was the winner of a one-of-a-kind, autographed “ride-on” Yankees car designed for a raffle to benefit Food Bank for Westchester — the leading hunger-relief organization in the county.

The customized electric car for kids — designed

by John Iodice, owner of Riemann Auto Body in White Plains — was signed by Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, Masahiro Tanaka and other Yanks past and present. Food Bank for Westchester raised nearly $3,300 from the raffle.

1. Leslie Gordon and Patrick Flannery

CELEBRATING CATHERINE Four days after Matt and Jenny Hubbard were honored at Westfair’s Family-Owned Business Awards, they were flown out to San Diego. There, the Helen Woodward Animal Center recognized them for creating The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary to honor their daughter, one of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newton, Connecticut, The Hubbards knew there would be no better way to honor her life than by spreading love and kindness to animals, which was something Catherine cared deeply about in her 6 years.

Jenny Mezzapelle, senior marketing manager at Blue Buffalo, which partners with the center, was on hand for both events: “They are two of the most incredible people I’ve ever had the honor of meeting and I am so happy to see them get recognized for their incredible mission to honor their daughter and support animals big and small.”

2. Jenny Mezzapelle and Jenny and Matt Hubbard

DINING IN WESTCHESTER

Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino recently joined Janet Crawshaw, Benjamin Prelvukaj and Benjamin Sinanaj, owners of Benjamin Steakhouse, to kick off Hudson Valley Restaurant Week (HVRW) for Spring 2017. To launch the event, the county executive plated the “Astorino Sirloin” at the steakhouse. Hudson Valley Restaurant Week celebrates top restaurants, both wellknown establishments and new spots, giving diners the opportunity to enjoy exceptional fare at an approachable price point.

3. Janet Crawshaw, Robert P. Astorino, Benjamin Prelvukaj and Benjamin Sinanaj

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Eager Beaver Tree Service INTELLIGENT TREE CARE ARTISTIC DESIGN DETAIL ORIENTED LONG TERM PLANNING-IMMEDIATE RESULTS SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!

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

203-966-6767

www.eagerbeavertreeservice.com Doug Paulding | Dpupatree@aol.com

AN EVENING OF INSPIRATION

Save the Date April 19, 2017 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Sheraton Stamford Hotel Dinner & Drinks Provided

To learn more about The Center and its mission, please visit www.thecenter-ct.org.

Women Empowering Women is a yearly event where industry-leading women from diverse backgrounds share stories of personal and professional growth.

Several distinguished panelists will speak about the unique challenges facing women of today, as well as their own successes. It will be an evening of inspiration, networking, and empowerment; all for a great cause!

100% of all proceeds from the event go to The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education. Serving lower Fairfield County since 1979, the mission of The Center is to provide counseling and support services to victims of sexual assault and to eliminate sexual violence through community-wide education programs.

For more information on this event, or for sponsorship opportunities, please contact The Center at info@thecenter-ct.org or by phone, (203) 348-9346.

The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education

KENYA, TANZANIA, ETHIOPIA & RWANDA TOURS Exceptional Camps & Lodges | Authentic Experiences | Private tours for groups and families with children

LIONS, LEOPARDS, ELEPHANTS, GIRAFFES, RHINOS, WILDEBEESTS, CHEETAHS AND MORE See the Great Migration, Mountain Gorillas, the Maasai, & Tribes of the Omo Valley

All packages include photography lessons | John Rizzo is the tour leader, has worked on 6 continents & winner of two Arts Alive Grants, 2013 &2016

John Rizzo Photography | 405 Tarrytown Rd. Suite 1302, White Plains, NY 10607 | (646) 221-6186 worldwide mobile | www.johnrizzophoto.com

WAGVERTISERS APR I L 2017

1133 Café - 40 techniquecatering.com

Danbury Chamber of Commerce – 48 danburychamber.com

Kisco River Eatery - 97 kiscoriver.com

Royal Regency Hotel - 49 royalregencyhotelny.com

AFTD - 105 theaftd.org/learnmore

Eager Beaver Tree Service - 131 eagerbeavertreeservice.com

Lawton Adams Construction Corp – 55 lawtonadams.com

All about the Dress – 6 allabouthedressny.com

Ethan Allen Hotel - 18 ethanallenhotel.com

Luxe Luxury Labels – 29 facebook.com/luxeluxurylabels

Saybrook Point Inn – Inside Front Cover saybrook.com

Alzheimer’s Association – 37 alzDementiaConference.org

Emelin Theatre – 135 emelin.org

Miller Motor Cars – 93 millermotorcars.com

ArtsWestchester – 48 artsw.org/artsbash

Engel and Völkers – Inside Back Cover engelvoelkers.com

Montepicaza – 19 montepicazausa.com

Audi Danbury- 41 audidanbury.com

Euphoria Kitchen & Bath - 63 euphoriakitchens.com

Muscoot Tavern – 99 muscoottavern.com

Sothebys International Realty – 57, 75, 87 sothebyshomes.com/greenwich

Neil S. Berman - 79 bermanbuyscollectables.com

Garrison Art Center - 44 garrisonartcenter.org

ONS - 45 onsmd.com

Sportime Camps – 21 sportimecamps.com/lisle

Blue Buffalo – 114, 115 bluebuffalo.com

Lia Grasso – 81 elliman.com

Pegasus Therapeutic Riding - 90 pegasustr.org/transformations

Stickley Audi & Co. - 5 stickleyaudi.com

BMW of Westchester - 92 westchesterbmw.com

Greenwich International Film Festival - 65 greenwichfilm.org

Penny Pincher - 101 pennypincherboutique.com

Twin Lakes Farm – 83 twinlakesfarm.com

Pepe Infiniti – 91 pepeinfiniti.com

Val’s Putnam Wines and Liquors - 129 valsputnamwines.com

Prutting and Company – 59 prutting.com

Vincent & Whittemore - 103 vinwhit.com

The Performing Arts Center - 121 artscenter.org

Westchester Medical Center - 15 westchestermedicalcenter.com

R&M Woodrow Jewelers - 1 woodrowjewelers.com

Westchester Philharmonic - 63 westchesterphil.org

Ridgefield Playhouse – 119 ridgefieldplayhouse.org

White Plains Hospital – 7, 9, 11 wphospital.org

John Rizzo Photography - 133 johnrizzophoto.com

Women Empowering Women - 132 thecenter-ct.org

Briggs House Antiques– 24 brigsshouse.com Bruce Museum – 61 brucemuseum.org C.V. Rich Mansion – 109 cvrich.com Casafina – 25 casafinagifts.com Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary – 127 cvhfoundation.org City Perch Kitchen & Bar - 3 cityperch.com Crowne Plaza - 123 cpwestchester.com

Greenwich Medical Spa - 53 greenwichmedicalspa.com Greenwich Polo Club – 33 greenwichpoloclub.com Greenwich Boat Show – 67 greenwichboatshow.com Gregory Sahagian & Son Awnings, Inc. - 77 gssawnings.com Hands Up for Haiti - 107 handsupforhaiti.org Italian Center of Stamford – 125 banquets.italiancenter.org Jefferson Valley Mall - 35 jeffersonvalleymall.com

Schoolhouse Theater - 117 schoolhousetheater.org Skin Center Advanced Medical Aesthetics – Back Cover, 111 bestskincenter.com

Royal Closet - 10 royalcloset.com

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

SUSAN BARBASH

LISA CASH

ANNE JORDAN DUFFY

BARBARA HANLON

MARCIA PFLUG

PATRICE SULLIVAN

WE WONDER:

WIT

ARE YOU A NATURE LOVER OR A CULTURE VULTURE?*

Spencer Barback

Christopher Docimo

Partner, Citrin Cooperman, Greenburgh resident

“Culture vulture. I go to ballet, museums. Culture is something I enjoy.”

Kim Myers

director of social media, William Raveis Real Estate, New York City resident

Employee, Gregory Sahagian and Son Awnings, Hartsdale resident

“I would say culture vulture. I enjoy pop culture, trivia and stuff like that. I do like nature as well, though.”

“I’m a nature lover. I spend my free time fishing. The Sound is a great place to be and there are lots of beautiful lakes in Westchester.”

Irena Portenko

Allison Rosenbaum

Concert pianist and instructor with Music Conservatory of Westchester, Dobbs Ferry resident

“I live in New York City but love being outside in nature that’s not Central Park.”

Byron Duncan

Investment advisor, Dowling Group, Greenwich resident

“If you split me in two, I could be both. I make music in its essence. It is part of the culture, inspired by nature.”

Social media manager, Buzz Creators, Stamford resident

“Culture vulture. It’s natural growing up so close to New York City.”

Rich Hendey

Senior director, Houlihan-Parnes Realtors LLC, Mamaroneck resident

“Nature lover. Culture vultures annoy me….

You can’t even compare the two.”

Kelly Sand,

Larchmont Pharmacy, Larchmont resident

“Nature lover. I’m from Colorado originally.

We like to live a little more outdoors there.”

Stephanie Melowsky PSCB Bank vice-president, White Plains resident

“I love anything to do with fresh air and the outdoors.”

WAGMAG.COM

APRIL 2017

“Nature lover. I’m an avid hiker. I love to ski when global warming isn’t impinging on our environment.”

Scott Santa

Michael Spencer

“Nature lover, because I grew up in the woods of Redding and love the woods.”

“I’m a nature lover. I live in the northern suburbs and have small kids. It pushes you in that direction.”

Santa Energy Corp., Redding resident

*Asked at Westfair Communications Inc.’s Family-Owned Business Awards 2017, held Feb. 28 at 1133 Westchester Ave. in White Plains.

136

Eddie Monroy

Sales director, Strategy Leaders, Fairfield County resident

TD Bank vice president, White Plains resident