WAG Magazine - November 2020 by Westfair Business Journal

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IN NEW YORK STATE WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE NOVEMBER 2020 | WAGMAG.COM

2014, 2015, 2016 2018, 2019

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The Damascus Set

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CONTENTS N OVEM B ER 2020

14 A moment of thanksgiving 18 Witnesses to ‘the story of the century’ 22 Living his truth 24 On the virtue of patience 28 And justice for all 32 ‘PathWay’ to opportunity 36 Checking in, gratefully 40 Gimme ‘Shelter’ 44 Foundation with a sweet tooth 46 Mentoring and beyond 62 ‘Toast’ of the town

COVER STORY THIS PAGE: Eric Ripert. Photograph by Nigel Parry. NOVEMBER 2020 2 WAGMAG.COM

David Standridge: Shipshape fare

FEATURES HIGHLIGHTS

HOME & DESIGN 54 Colonial grace in a modern setting 58 Home for the Covid holidays 60 From chintz to chinoiserie Around the horn (of plenty) FOOD & SPIRITS 66 A tale of two charitable chefs 72 ‘Curry’ing fall’s favor 70 Champagne is eternal

FASHION & BEAUTY 74 A peek into Pookie & Sebastian 76 Creativity on Hampton Road 78 Luxury on wheels

TRAVEL 80 Over the river and through the (luxe) woods 84 Your ‘om’ away from home 86 Skinny dipping and more in Grenada HEALTH & WELLNESS 90 The need for balance PET CARE 92 Wonderful Walnut 94 Five tips for dog adoption WHEN & WHERE 96 November, thankfully WITS We wonder: In a miserable year, what are you grateful for?

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IN NEW YORK STATE WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE NOVEMBER 2020 | WAGMAG.COM

2014, 2015, 2016 2018, 2019

COVER: David Standridge. Photographs courtesy The Shipwright’s Daughter / Whaler’s Inn.

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

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

Dee DelBello

Dan Viteri

PUBLISHER dee@westfairinc.com

EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/CREATIVE dviteri@westfairinc.com

EDITORIAL Bob Rozycki MANAGING EDITOR bobr@westfairinc.com

Georgette Gouveia EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ggouveia@westfairinc.com

ART Sarafina Pavlak GRAPHIC DESIGNER spavlak@westfairinc.com COVER STORY PHIL HALL PAGE 48

PHOTOGRAPHY John Rizzo, Bob Rozycki

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Gina Gouveia, Phil Hall, Debbi K. Kickham, Doug Paulding, Giovanni Roselli, Bob Rozycki, Gregg Shapiro, Barbara Barton Sloane, Jeremy Wayne, Cami Weinstein, Katie Banser-Whittle

PRINT/DIGITAL SALES GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

DEBBI K. KICKHAM

Anne Jordan Duffy ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/SALES anne@westfairinc.com

WILLIAM D. KICKHAM

Barbara Hanlon, Marcia Pflug, Heather Sari Monachelli ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

MARKETING/EVENTS RAJNI MENON

FATIME MURIQI

DOUG PAULDING

Fatime Muriqi EVENTS & MARKETING DIRECTOR fmuriqi@westfairinc.com

Marcia Pflug SPONSORS DIRECTOR mpflug@wfpromote.com

CIRCULATION Sylvia Sikoutris CIRCULATION MANAGER sylvia@westfairinc.com

JOHN RIZZO

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Billy Losapio ADVISER

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WHAT IS WAG? GREGG SHAPIRO

CAMI WEINSTEIN

BARBARA BARTON SLOANE JEREMY WAYNE

KATIE BANSER-WHITTLE

Irene Corsaro ADVISER

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

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

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EDITOR’S LETTER BY GEORGET TE GOUVEIA

IN A MISERABLE YEAR, THANKSGIVING WITH A SMALL AND CAPITAL T WOULD SEEM TO BE THE LAST THING ON ANYONE’S MIND (UNLESS YOU’RE OUR HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST, WARES COLUMNIST CAMI).

And yet, we have found that gratitude — the subject of our November issue and the first of all virtues, according to the Roman statesman Cicero — is in inverse proportion to adversity. The more people suffer, the more grateful they seem to be. And that’s a good thing, say psychologists, who’ve been studying gratitude seriously since the beginning of this century. They’ve found that people who are grateful for what they have are healthier and more content. (See our opening essay.) In this issue, you’ll meet people who are grateful for their circumstances as well as organizations we’re grateful for. David Standridge of The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic (Phil’s cover story) is a Michelin-starred chef who is grateful to find a wonderful, challenging new gig outside New York City. But this isn’t about dumping on New York City, a heroic, glamorous place — one of the greatest megacities in history — that has weathered revolution, bombings, burnings, riots, depressions and numerous plagues. Indeed, while Standridge was looking for a change to a suburban environment, others have been trickling back to the Big Apple, taking advantage of better deals. Meanwhile, others have never left. (See Jeremy’s stories on philanthropic New York City hotels and equally charitable chefs Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin and Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster.) In November WAG, we’re grateful for businesses and people like these and for nonprofits like Yonkers’ Greyston Foundation ( Jeremy again) and the YWCA of White Plains & Central Westchester, which fight for justice for all. We’re thankful for Connections Mentoring, which hasn’t forgotten at-risk youth in the metro area, particularly at The Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry, who are vulnerable to falling through the cracks in hard times. We’re grateful for doctors like Sherlita and Robert Amler who are respectively on the frontlines of the war against the coronavirus and training new doctors for the fight of our lives. And we’re thankful for organiza-

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

Several years ago, my sister Jana gave me a Gratitude Ball for Christmas. You write down what you’re grateful for on one of the accompanying slips of paper and place it in the ball, made by Henrietta Glass in Rhode Island. I still have plenty of slips of paper to go. For more, visit elsiekaye.com.

tions like the Lymphoma Research Foundation, which remind us that we mustn’t neglect other diseases that can trip people up at this time without proper treatments and research. We’re grateful for our beloved Waggers, who each month not only respond to the challenges of our themes but balance serious issues with more light-hearted fare. Debbi heads to Miraval Berskshires Resort & Spa while adding another great item to our What’s Trending column. Barbara goes skinny-dipping and snorkeling among some unusual sea sculptures in Grenada. Katie offers a cornucopia of treasures, some of which might be hiding in your own homes. Rajni serves up a lentil curry perfect for fall weather. And Doug explores why Champagne is eternal. We’re thankful for the words of wisdom they report and impart — Gio on the need for balance in life; Phil on the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the virtue of patience, a tested quality in tough times; Gregg on novelist David Leavitt and the importance of the tangible in our ephemeral, wired age; and new Wagger Richard Cross on tips for handling your newly adopted dog, a big trend in the coronavirus era. We’re thankful as well for our readers, subscribers and advertisers, particularly those who bring us such provocative stories and grace our Wits’

page. (See Fatime’s compilation.) But we’re also grateful to the people, places and things we’ve lost this year. While we’ll never forget lost loved ones, there are those who hold we must let go of material things that we no longer have — everything from a job and a home to a ring that had sentimental value. And yet, we cannot let go until we acknowledge that loss, its meaning for our lives and the suffering it has caused. Only then can we be free. So in this year like no other, we are grateful to all that we have lost — and for all that remains. A 2020 YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester Visionary Award winner and a 2018 Folio Women in Media Award Winner, Georgette Gouveia is the author of “Burying the Dead,” “Daimon: A Novel of Alexander the Great” and "Seamless Sky" (JMS Books), as well as “The Penalty for Holding,” a 2018 Lambda Literary Award finalist (JMS Books), and “Water Music” (Greenleaf Book Group). They’re part of her series of novels, “The Games Men Play,” also the name of the sports/ culture blog she writes. Her short story “The Glass Door,” about love in the time of the coronavirus, was recently published by JMS. Read WAG’s serialization of “Seamless Sky” here. For more, visit thegamesmenplay.com.

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HOLD THE MARTINIS Businessman Chris Blackwell – perhaps bestknown as the founder of Island Records – has been connected to James Bond since childhood when he’d lunch at the Jamaican home of Bond author Ian Fleming, now Blackwell’s Goldeneye Hotel and Resort in Oracabessa. He also served as a location scout on the first Bond movie, “Dr. No” (1962). So it’s no surprise Blackwell 007, a limited that Blackwell is set to edition fine Jamaican rum, unveil a new rum this is licensed to thrill. Courtesy month that celebrates his Blackwell Rum. long relationship with everyone’s favorite spy. Blackwell 007 ($45, 700 ml) is, according to Spiritedzine.com, a “rich and fragrant cane sugar rum aged in American oak barrels, and both column and pot stills are used in its production.” The limited edition bottle carries some intrigue of its own, via a QR code on the label that enables Blackwell himself to share music, recipes and more. What could be better with the latest 007 flick, “No Time to Die” set to be released in the United States Nov. 20? “James Bond has been a big part of my life,” Blackwell was quoted as saying on Spiritedzine. “It was a pleasure working alongside the ‘No Time To Die’ production team in Jamaica, providing our iconic rum for the set in James Bond’s house, which has made this very special relationship come full circle.” For more, visit blackwellrum.com. – edited by Georgette Gouveia.

JON JOSEF SHOES: THEY REIGN IN SPAIN If you’re seeking a pair of stylish and inimitable European shoes, look no further than Jon Josef. This luxury brand is famous for beautiful shoes made in Spain – but sold at a fraction of the high prices you’d find for comparable quality. “Our quality/price ratio is unparalleled,” Josef told me in an exclusive interview for WAG. Whereas the competition would sell gorgeous leather shoes for anywhere from $300 to $900 a pair, Josef’s price points start at around $145 and range to about $200. The company buys its leathers and raw materials from Argentina and Africa, but they are made softer, pigmented and “finished” in Spain at the factory in Elda. One of the best sellers is the Gatsby smoking slipper, a beauty that can come adorned with a wide array of designs, including my favorite, the ornamented royal crest. Shipping and exchanges 12

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

TIFFANY CELEBRATES ELSA PERETTI We’ve always adored Elsa Peretti’s designs for Tiffany & Co., from her iconic open heart series to her sculptural bean motifs to her chandelier mesh earrings. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of her Bone cuff, a limited number of Peretti pieces have been reissued and are making the grand tour. (The first North American stop outside of Manhattan was Tiffany Greenwich.) The collection is comprised of Elsa Peretti Mesh, Silk and Cabochon ring creations that reflect her worldly travels and poetic sense of beauty. Prices range from $2,800 to $125,000. Echoing her deep affinity for Elsa Peretti's Mesh triangle nature, exclusive carved stone Bone cuff necklace in 18-karat yellow gold styles—available in sterling silver with with a tumbled bead emerald, black jade, sterling silver with turquoise available in three sizes ranging and 18-karat yellow gold with green jade— from 5 to 7.99 carats. are launching in conjunction with the new collection. The Mesh designs were inspired by Peretti’s trip to Jaipur, India in 1974. With them she signaled a shift in how women wore jewelry, elevating sterling silver and making diamonds and 18-karat gold more casual. One of the highlights of the latest collection is a Mesh necklace in 18-karat yellow gold with 66 round brilliant diamonds totaling 3.72 carats. The Elsa Peretti Mesh diamond collar is intricately woven to flow and drape like fabric around the body’s contours. The Mesh necklaces in 18-karat yellow gold with an emerald tumbled bead (ranging from five carats to more than 16) showcases Peretti’s passion for unique stones. The collection also includes hand-selected and extremely rare Keshi Pearls, a testament to her creative process and enduring style. The Elsa Peretti Mesh large necklace in sterling silver with two rare Tahitian Keshi pearls (more than five grams each), as well as the pendant with South Sea Keshi pearls (more than 4.5 grams) in silk net exhibit her attention to detail and love for organic shapes. All we can add is that we can’t wait to see them. For more, visit tiffany.com. – edited by Georgette Gouveia.

Jon Josef's elegant Gatsby Emblem flats will easily go from blue jeans to ball gowns. Courtesy Jon Josef.

are also free, so it’s a no-brainer to have your feet look beautiful. Jon Josef shoes are a stylish complement to your blue jeans or ball gowns. For more, visit jonjosef.com. — Debbi K. Kickham.

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t n e m o m A e u r of t g n i v i g s k n a th G RGETTE BY GEO

OUVEIA

AS WE LOOK BACK ON THE YEAR 2020, THE WORD “GRATITUDE” MAY NOT BE THE FIRST TO SPRING TO MIND. (INDEED, A FEW UNPRINTABLE ONES MIGHT NUDGE IT OUT IN THE RACE FOR FIRST PLACE.) BUT PERHAPS IT SHOULD BE. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT THE MOST GRATEFUL PEOPLE ARE AMONG THE MOST UNFORTUNATE. IF THAT’S THE CASE, THEN 2020 HAS ALREADY PRODUCED A CORNUCOPIA OF THANKSGIVING.

A 1925 recreation of Jenna Augusta Brownscombe's earlier 1914 painting of the “First Thanksgiving at Plymouth,’” which omits the Plains Indian headdresses that were criticized as historically inaccurate in her 1914 version. Today, the painting would be criticized for marginalizing the Native Americans. (In both works, they are secondary to the main action.) National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Gratitude is unusual in that way. It has little to do with life’s blessings, which is not to say that people who are gifted — be it with brains, talent, character, beauty, wealth, fame, family, possessions — are unmindful or ungrateful. But rather gratitude is less about what you have — or lack — than what you are. It comes from the same Latin root as the word “grace” — gratus — meaning “pleasing, thankful.” And it rhymes with another word that is key to its meaning — attitude. Gratitude is about an appreciative attitude for life’s blessings big and small, for the disappointments and failures that turn out to be blessings in disguise and yes, even for suffering and death. In that sense, 2020 should be seeing a groundswell of gratitude. But how can that be? People who gripe nowadays — something that is particularly easy to do in a divisive, digital culture — have legitimate complaints about the loss of life, health and employment, the rending of the social fabric as it were, in the time of corona. Still, grati-

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

A gravestone. An American flag. And “merci” – the French word for “thank you” – at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Remember to reach out to our vets on Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11.

tude lays a gentle finger on the arm and with another to the lips says, “Shsh. Not so.” I remember attending the funeral of a friend who died in the prime of life of kidney cancer. At the back of the church, his family had placed a journal in which he had been encouraged to record everything he was grateful for each day. In a weak, spidery hand, he had written “Grateful for the sun” in one entry. It was fittingly poignant, we all agreed, that a dying man should be thankful for another sunrise. And yet, perhaps what we failed to see was that he was straining for the light. Gratitude keeps us straining for the light. No doubt that’s why it’s at the heart of all the world’s religions, with the high Christian sects — Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican — centering on the Eucharist, the commemoration of the Last Supper, a word that comes from the Greek meaning “thanksgiving.” The Pilgrims, Anglican dissenters, held what is perhaps the most famous Thanksgiving — though by no means the first in the so-called New World — at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621, with about 50 settlers and 90 Native Americans. It was actually more of a harvest festival than a Thanksgiving feast, with the Pilgrims’ first real Thanksgiving following two year later in gratitude to God for an abundant rainfall that yielded a greater harvest. This year, Thanksgiving will be an undoubtedly different affair with a virtual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, crowd-less football games and vacant chairs around the dinner table — for which we should nonetheless be thankful, psychologists say. They began studying gratitude in 2000 and, after a number of studies, have concluded that not only are grateful people happier and more satisfied with their lives, but they look to return their gratitude and pay it forward. This is not the same thing as indebtedness, which implies an element of obligation and requirement. Rather, gratitude is indebtedness repaid with joy. I think of a moment a couple of months ago when

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

the shop that employed my hairdresser closed for good. The employees included my former hairdresser, who had left and returned and who happened to encounter me there on one of the lowest days of my life 11 years ago. I had lost my job, and I was caring for my beloved aunt, who was dying. Not exactly a moment of high gratitude, but my former hairdresser reminded me that all this was merely a cocoon from which I would emerge as a butterfly. Things did work out exactly as she said, but now here she was in a cocoon, encased in the shock and sadness of losing a job she had grown up in. Despite seeing this, I left the shop without more than a passing goodbye. But as I ran other errands, I thought the better of it and

headed back, only to encounter her in the parking lot. I reminded her that 11 years before on very bad day, she had spoken words of comfort and inspiration. And now, I said as I slipped a tip into her pocketbook, I wanted to do the same. Your life may not get easier, I said, but it will get better. Then we both started to cry and she, a compulsive hugger, hugged my back, so we wouldn’t be face-to-face. I left her feeling strangely content. “That was a debt you owed her,” my uncle said to me on the phone later than night. But it was more than that. It was a moment to say simply “thank you” — which I realized were all the words you need in blessing and farewell.

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Robert and Sherlita Amler, both M.D.s. Pediatricians whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had long, distinguished careers in public service and academia, the pair have played complementary roles in the current health crisis. Photographs courtesy the Amlers.

o t s e s s e n t i W y r o t ‘th e s tu r y’ n e c e of t h RG BY GEO

WHEN WE INTERVIEWED ROBERT AND SHERLITA AMLER, BOTH M.D.S, IN 2014, THE EBOLA VIRUS WAS ON THE COUPLE’S – AND EVERYONE ELSE’S – MIND. Today, we wish we had only that experience to contend with. The 2014 Ebola virus outbreak resulted in 11 cases in the United States, with two deaths. As of press time in October, there have been 9.2 million cases of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which causes Covid-19, and 230,383 deaths in the United States. With 4% of the world’s population, the U.S. has more than 20% of its deaths. The coronavirus is not only the story of 2020, “it will be the story of this century,” says Sherlita, commissioner of health for Westchester County. She has, as her husband notes, been on the frontlines of the battle in Westchester since Feb. 2 when President Donald J. Trump placed travel restrictions on flights to and from China, where the virus originated, and later that month on Iran, then a hotspot. The restrictions, however, allowed Americans who had traveled to

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China within the last two weeks of January to return to the U.S. Non-U.S. citizens with immediate family here as well as permanent residents who had been to China in those weeks were similarly exempted. Soon, Sherlita was working on quarantining, housing and testing some of these individuals, ramping up PPE (personal protective equipment) for health care workers and contending with only the second case of the virus in New York, which occurred in March in New Rochelle. “The numbers snowballed,” she recalls. “How do you isolate patients? How do you test? We were trying to keep people as safe as we could and prevent exposure. And we’ve been largely successful.” With a population of 967,506, Westchester has had 40.202 coronavirus cases resulting in 1,461 deaths. The infection rate is below 2%. (With a population of 943,332, neighboring Fairfield County has had 23,090 cases of the virus and 1,433 deaths. The infection rate is a little more than 1%.) “All the counties through the region are tied together,” says Robert, who has had a complementary role in the virus as vice president, dean and professor at New

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

York Medical College in Valhalla. As such, the questions for him have been “how do you send medical students and dental students into rooms with patients with Covid? How do you keep them aware? The answers are exquisite attention to detail and not just education but training. This is how you wear a mask. This is how you put on a face shield and take it off. This is true of HIV and staph infections. You do it in a supervised setting. It’s like learning to drive.” Robert credits “the world-class faculty” of the medical college and the affiliated Touro College of Dental Medicine with helping the students prepare. He and Sherlita are complements personally as well as professionally. He is an ebullient New Yorker, with a shout-out to The Bronx High School of Science, an alma mater along with Dartmouth College, who immediately puts us at our ease by noticing our backdrop of bookshelves, de rigueur for Zoom meetings nowadays, and relating the story of a friend whose shelves brimmed with books from the library that still bore Dewey Decimal Call System numbers and letters. (The friend forgot to return some but bought others.) Sherlita is more reserved but no less articulate, a skill honed, she told us in 2014, by a life on the move with her military family. The two share a great deal, not the least of which is a blended family of six children with eight grandchildren. Both are pediatricians by training. And both have had distinguished careers in both public and private service. Robert, who joined New York Medical College in 2005, serves as dean of its School of Health Sciences and Practice and Institute of Public Health and vice president for government affairs. He is also professor of public health, pediatrics and environmental health science. Previously, he was regional health administrator and regional commanding officer of emergency response for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, on active duty; and chief medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Sherlita is now in her ninth year as commissioner of health for Westchester. Prior to that, Sherlita was Putnam County’s commissioner of health from 2004 until 2011 and a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry in Atlanta. She is also a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at New York Medical College and a distin-

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guished lecturer and senior fellow at the Center for Disaster Medicine at the school. In their years of public service, they have worked for both Democratic and Republican administrations. Asked about Trump’s handling of the virus — which many rate as ranging from a mixed bag to a disaster — the Amlers mostly deflect, with Robert noting that there is always an element of politics in public health. “The biggest problem in public health is messaging,” Sherlita says. You have to put yourself in other people’s places, she adds, to find Robert and granddaughters (from left) Juliet, Ivy, Aria, Madeline. the message that will convey health risks and disease prevention to them. This has been particularly challenging with the coronavirus, a new, highly contagious disease for which there is no cure, yet, and for which some are asymptomatic. When it comes to the virus, Robert says, “there’s a missing page in the manual.” New information is being added all the time, which compounds the frustration. At first masks were thought to be ineffective. Now they are one of the most important weapons — along with social distancing, limiting exposure to large groups and hand washing — that the public has in its arsenal in preventing the illness, Sherlita says. Still, there are those who see no reason to arm themselves. “We’re all human Sherlita and granddaughter Juliet. beings,” Robert says, “and we’re all guilty of being human beings” — which means being optimistic about our chances of approved for early or limited use, accordavoiding or surviving the virus. And if you ing to The New York Times’ Coronavirus don’t know anyone who’s been affected by Vaccine Tracker. it, then you might not think it’s as big of a “You never appreciate public health deal. until you need it,” Sherlita says. But it is caThe Amlers are optimistic about the vipable of great achievements. She points to John Snow, M.D., one of the fathers of modrus, though not falsely so. Robert notes the ern epidemiology, who was able to locate elimination of smallpox, the containment the source of an 1854 cholera outbreak in of polio and the eradication — almost — of London to a water pump, thus proving the the measles. Even HIV-AIDS, he adds, has disease was water- and not air-borne and become a chronic disease and not the quelling an epidemic. There’s no telling automatic death sentence it was in the what more we will learn about the coro1980s when it was first widely reported. navirus. These bode well for effective treatment In the meantime, the way to prevent a for the coronavirus. Meanwhile, he says, second wave here is “to have people take the race to the top is well on for preventive it seriously,” she says. “We must stay on vaccines. There are 36 in phase I of clinical course.” trials, 14 in phase 2, 11 in phase 3 and six

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David Rabadi is the author of the new “How I Lost My Mind and Found Myself.” Courtesy the author.

g n i v Li h t u r t s i h RGE BY GEO

TTE GOU

VEIA

IN MAY OF 2009, DAVID RABADI DECIDED TO HEAD TO EXIT 5 ON THE CROSS COUNTY PARKWAY IN YONKERS – BY WALKING ON THE MEDIAN. “I wasn’t trying to commit suicide,” he says. “I wanted to make a statement about gay Arabs and being true to myself and not living a double life.” Nevertheless, Rabadi, who had just come out and is bipolar, was handcuffed and taken to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla where he spent three days. Embarrassed by an episode that was picked up by News12 Westchester and other media, Rabadi thought his psychotic breakdown was an adverse reaction to Adderall, which a doctor prescribed him as an appetite suppressant. (He wanted to lose 10 pounds.) But after a couple more episodes, Rabadi was diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder, in which the manic episodes are extreme enough to have the patient hospitalized. Complicating the diagnosis was the Jordanian Rabadi’s decision to come out — a decision that would mean death if he were in the Middle East. Or, as Rabadi likes to put it, “The sentence for being gay and Arab is death - even when the sentence is self-inflicted.”

And yet, the abject pain of being mentally ill and rejected, even brutalized, for being gay in a stringent society led him to become an advocate for mental health, with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the LGBTQ community. It also led him to write the new memoir “How I Lost My Mind and Found Myself” (Austin Macauley, 217 pages, $23). Growing up in Yonkers, Rabadi says, “I knew at a young age that I liked boys.” But being gay was frowned on in his family, so Rabadi suppressed it and dated girls. Yet even then the objects of his desires were always male, never female. “I wish I could go back and tell my teenage self not to be afraid to come out then instead of waiting until the age of 30.” When it finally happened, “my parents were very scared,” Rabadi says. “My father said, ‘You can’t be gay. There are no gay Arabs.’ He wanted me to go to Jordan. My parents thought this was all related to my psychiatric diagnosis.” It took his mother a couple of years to

come around. She said, “You’ve convinced me. I love you, but I live with your father, and he’s never going to accept you.” Nevertheless, Rabadi sees his family, including his father. He feels his father accepts him but cannot verbalize it. “Men try to suppress their feelings,” Rabadi says. While he was angry about the situation, he says he learned that though life doesn’t necessarily get easier, it can get better. Today, he says, “I’m in a much better place.” He’s “single but happy,” writing about fashion, entertainment and life’s journey for Splashmags.com. Through the National Alliance for Mental Health’s “In Our Own Voice” program, he shares his story. He also volunteers with the nonprofit Westchester Disabled On the Move, helping others navigate the health-care world. What his experience has taught him — what he shares with others — is that “you have more life to live when you live your own truth.” David Rabadi’s “How I lost My Mind and Found Myself” is also available in paperback for $13.95 and as an e-book for $3.99. For more, visit davidrabadi.com.

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

e u t r i v e h t O n a tie n c e of p BY PHIL

ONE OF THE MOST PROVOCATIVE YET PLAYFUL DESCRIPTIONS OF PRAYER EVER OFFERED WAS BY ROWAN WILLIAMS, THE WELSH ANGLICAN THEOLOGIAN WHO SERVED AS ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY FROM 2002 TO 2012. WILLIAMS FAMOUSLY COMPARED PRAYER TO BIRD-WATCHING, AS BOTH ENDEAVORS REQUIRE ENDLESS PATIENCE AND STILLNESS WHILE IN PURSUIT OF AN OFTEN-ELUSIVE GOAL.

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Williams acknowledged patience and stillness are rarely seen as virtues nowadays, especially in a digitally driven society where almost everyone has an activist opinion to share on social media soapboxes. However, in a Sept. 20 Zoom lecture offered to the parishioners of Christ Church Greenwich, Williams insisted patience and crusading are not antithetical. “There's no big gulf between what the Christian tradition calls contemplation and action – no big gulf between prayer and activism,” said Williams, who became Baron Williams of Oystermouth after being elevated to the House of Lords in 2013. “We act so that the world will change into something slightly better, reflecting the will of God. Of course, we need to take the risks and accept the disciplines of transforming action. And that is an intrinsic part of our Christian discipleship. “But without the stillness,” he added, “without the dimension of careful watching, that action can suddenly become more and more anxious, hectic and paradoxical – and at the end of the day, self-serving. We need to step back to see a situation for what it is, a person for who they are, before we rush in with our activists’ solution. And that's very hard, especially in a culture where

Rowan Williams. Courtesy the National Assembly of 25Wales. NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

instant reaction negative or positive, usually on Twitter, is so much a part of how we see our lives.” For Williams, the balance between stillness and activity can be traced to the example offered through the Gospels. “That's what we see in Jesus, the Jesus who spends long solitary nights simply breathing in the gift of his father and who then goes out to act in a way that makes an unexpected, life-giving difference,” Williams observed. “If we can, ourselves, enter into something of that eternal rhythm, immersing ourselves in the silence and mystery of God's love, being pushed further out by the very depth of that love into making a difference in the world, then our discipleship will indeed be authentic and true.” During his 10 years as the spiritual leader of the Church of England, Williams sought to build bridges with other faith. He was the first Archbishop of Canterbury to attend a papal funeral following the 2010 death of Pope John Paul II and spoke forcefully against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. His efforts to redefine the roles of women and openly gay men in Anglican leadership were initially considered controversial by many but are now widely seen as the first serious effort to bring the church into a 21st century concept of inclusion. He also spoke forcefully against the Iraq War, openly criticizing Prime Minister Tony Blair’s decision to have British forces join the President George W. Bush’s invasion and occupation. In his presentation, Williams acknowledged that the commitment to activism comes with great risks. He cited Matthew 16:24: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me’” – as an example, noting that Jesus was not referring to a hypothetical burden. “For that age, the cross wasn't just a metaphor for the religious ideals,” he explained. “It was a real, immediate, horrifying risk. It was the way criminals died. You have to take a risk – a risk that others won't understand – or, maybe, even worse, that people will not just not understand but hate.” And yet, Williams noted, that is where contemplative patience can bring order to chaotic emotions when the danger of activism becomes overwhelming. “Don't panic,” he continued. “Stay faithful, stay rooted. Because on the far

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

Rowan Williams. Photograph by Scott Gunn / Creative Commons.

side of all this, what you're rooted in is the truth of God's love – a truth which doesn't depend on majority votes, which doesn't depend on success.” But Williams stressed that contemplative patience is not the same thing as intellectual passivity. “On the contrary, the disciples in the Gospels certainly asked questions,” he stated. “And especially in Mark's Gospel, they frequently asked rather stupid questions, which is very encouraging for the rest of us. They asked questions, they challenged, they don't hold back. The disciples are not just sheep-like and passive. But the first thing they're invited to do is to come and see, to be witnesses of, as we might put it, what it is that's coming through or pushing up in the life of Jesus – something that is beginning in the world.” For his own example, Williams admitted to be able to “keep a substantial time of physical stillness” after insight from Buddhist friends on using his body to adjust breath control for achieving physical and emotional serenity. “Every morning, that's where I start,” he said. “That's what I try to do to orient

myself for the day that's coming. And like a lot of people, I will use a simple phrase to hold my mind to do what I'm doing. Like so many of these Orthodox Church, I will say, ‘Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ And just say that, as I breathe out every time, not necessarily saying it on my lips, but thinking those words, letting them come in a steady rhythm.” While Williams acknowledged that this is not always the easiest of tasks, with distractions frequently interrupting concentration and doubts leaving a residue on your resolution, he insisted maintaining patience will ultimately offer the greatest payoff imaginable. “The Gospels suggest spotting where the kingdom is breaking through is something that needs quite a lot of skill in being quiet and watching,” he said. “I've said quite often that it's a little bit like bird-watching: Something wonderful is about to flash across your visual field. You don't quite know when. But if you're fidgeting, fussing and making noise, quietly focus on the landscape. And slowly, you see something opening up.”

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And justice for all BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

WE BEGIN OUR CONVERSATION WITH MARIA L. IMPERIAL AND ARIANA L. QUIÑONES OF THE YWCA OF WHITE PLAINS & CENTRAL WESTCHESTER WITH A DISCUSSION OF PRONOUNS. IMPERIAL’S ARE “SHE” AND “HER.” QUIÑONES’ ARE “THEY” AND “THEM.” IN OTHER WORDS, IF WE WERE QUOTING THE TWO IN THIS ARTICLE AND DIDN’T WANT TO USE THE LAST NAMES OVER AND OVER, WE WOULD SAY OF IMPERIAL, “SHE SAYS.” BUT WE WOULD SAY OF QUIÑONES, “THEY SAY.”

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“Language is powerful,” says Imperial, the Y’s CEO. To which we would add, language both creates and reflects society, constantly changing with it. Imperial’s and Quiñones’ use of specific pronouns not only says something about individual identity. It also mirrors a gender-neutral organization that in seeking empowerment for women and racial justice strives to expand its history and provide peace, freedom and dignity for all. “Most people think we’re a pool or a gym,” Imperial says. And to a certain extent the Y is, continuing to offer fitness activities online during the pandemic. Founded in 1929 by The Woman’s Club of White Plains to provide a safe, secure space and lunch for working women as well as programs for these women and girls, the YWCA of White Plains & Central Westchester added racial justice to its platform in 1947 under the leadership of Dorothy Height, Imperial says. The year represented a seismic shift in the fight for American racial equality: Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, playing second base for the Brooklyn Dodgers. (A year later, President Harry S. Truman desegregated the armed forces.) “In order for all women to be free, you have to ad-

Maria Imperial (top), CEO of the YWCA of White Plains & Central Westchester. Ariana L. Quiñones (bottom), next gen and racial justice coordinator of the YWCA of White Plains & Central Westchester. Courtesy the YWCA of White Plains & Central Westchester.

dress racism,” Imperial says. The Y strives to mitigate inequality in a number of ways. It is the only provider of supportive housing for low-income women in Westchester County and the largest in New York state — “supportive” referring to services such as case management, benefits and food assistance for 193 women. It operates Sisters’ Village, featuring a clothing closet, food pantry and a computer lab for the underserved. (Clothing donations are on hold right now, because of the coronavirus restrictions.) The Y has created an innovative new program called E4 (education, employment, economic mobility and empowerment) to provide mentoring, help with résumé writing and information on finding jobs. There’s the Y Leadership Program for female high school and college students; the Reading to End Racism book club, which in October discussed Ibram X. Kendi’s “How To Be An Anti-Racist”; and Courageous Conversations’ Common Ground series on how to build an anti-racist community, a partnership with the League of Women Voters of White Plains and the White Plains Public Library. “Racial justice bleeds through all we do,” says Quiñones, the Y’s next gen and racial justice coordinator. These are just some of the Y’s programs and services, which have been challenged in the pandemic. The Y saw its annual operating budget slashed 25% from $8 million to $6 million as many programs shifted to online and fees dried up. (Fees from programs and membership account for 70% of the budget, Imperial says.) Signature events like April’s consciousness-raising Stand Against Racism, which Quiñones says the Y was ramping up for in March as the pandemic struck New York with a vengeance, had to be retooled quickly for online participation. “It takes time to observe what is working in the virtual world and what is not,” Quiñones says. Throughout the pandemic, the women’s residence has continued to operate, as has childcare. Indeed, throughout the worst of the virus here, the Y had been the county host for essential workers needing childcare, converting the fitness center to a Learning Lab to continue helping White Plains’ youngsters kindergarten through eighth grade with remote education. The lab also provides these kids with breakfast and lunch. All of this, Imperial adds, is expensive, particularly when you add PPE for staff. (The Y has 220 staffers, 180 of whom have been furloughed, and 50 volunteers. Imperial says she is slowly bringing the furloughed staffers back.) Still, there is much to be thankful for — the Y’s first $100,000 gift and the forthcoming Center for Racial Equity, which will offer workshops, conversations, resource materials and leadership development. Training sessions start in January, underscoring the Y’s mission to educate and teach others to do so as well. For more, visit ywcawpcw.org.

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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’ y a W h t y t a i ‘P or tu n p p o to REM BY JE

JOE KENNER GREETS ME AT THE DOOR OF THE GREYSTON FOUNDATION’S YONKERS HQ LIKE A HOTEL MANAGER WELCOMING BACK AN ESPECIALLY VALUED GUEST, OR A PASTOR RECEIVING A LONG-ABSENT, ESTEEMED PARISHIONER. TRUTH IS, I’VE NEVER MET THE GUY BEFORE, BUT THAT DOESN’T SUPRESS JOE’S INNATE ENTHUSIASM.

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YNE Y WA

I’m barely inside the door before he ushers me into a conference room — a classroom by any other name, reconfigured for Covid with fewer desks and Perspex screens between them — to talk me through Greyston’s PathWay training programs, its pioneering Open Hiring policy and, well, the whole Greyston story, actually. Founded by Zen master Bernie Glassman in 1982, Greyston is a social justice enterprise that supports the disenfranchised and those who ordinarily face rejection, by teaching various job skills and offering real job opportunities. And in addressing poverty head-on, Greyston benefits individual lives and communities. No background checks are made; no questions are asked. “If you want to work, we’ll train you,” says Joe, intoning it almost like a mantra. Greyston offers employment and no-cost development programs entirely free of charge to anyone in need, which means battling against systemic inequities and advocating for a level playing field for all, regardless of their pasts. At the Greyston Bakery, the original core concern, a workforce of around 65 people produces 40,000 pounds of baked goods every day, for companies like Whole Foods and Ben & Jerry’s, giving a whole new meaning to the expression “flour power.” Back in the conference classroom, an associate spies Joe and rushes over to show him examples of the new certificates, hot off the press, which will be awarded to program graduates. These certificates, or “proclama-

Joe Kenner. Courtesy Greyston. NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

tions,” are beautifully designed, but their worth is far greater than their swirls and curlicues, representing as they do a genuine, nationally recognized qualification — and therefore a passport to a job. “For a lot of people,” says Joe, “this is the first time in their life that someone has really celebrated them.” PathWay courses usually run two weeks. As long as you will commit to attending from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, explains Joe, then anyone can join, regardless of age or circumstances. And, if after starting, participants find they can’t continue, for whatever reason, then that’s not a problem. “We don’t judge you on the way in and we don’t judge you on the way out,” he elaborates. “Just come back and start again when you’re ready.” But stay the short course — security guard training, say, or building and construction trades safety, or certification from the National Retail Federation — and your chances of walking out of Greyston and into job will soar. Everything comes with a credential that graduates can take anywhere. “Just give somebody an opportunity. That’s all they need,” Joe reiterates. Certificates duly admired, we move to the back of the large foyer and sit down to continue talking. Joe, sunny and smiling behind his Greyston-branded mask I sense, looks youthful and spiffy in a navy suit and a pale-blue and white candy-striped shirt. He first came to the nonprofit sector after 15 years on Wall Street, working with names like Chubb Insurance, Lehman Brothers and PepsiCo, serving out his time in corporate America. Then he bailed, acutely aware of the need to “give back.” He was appointed deputy commissioner, Department of Social Services for Westchester County in 2014, before coming to Greyston, in 2018, as vice president of programs and partnerships. Then, eight months ago, he slipped into the CEO’s shoes. Born in Sleepy Hollow (“North Tarrytown, as we called it then,”) now living in Port Chester (where he is a former trustee and deputy mayor of the village,) Kenner is a graduate of Williams College, of the University of Oxford and of Pace University. He is a practicing Christian. All of which serves him in his role at the helm of Greyston. What’s next for the organization? “My goal is to see Open Hiring replicated wherever we can. We just need to continue to tell the story but tell the story with compelling data.” (Open Hiring, capitalized, and as promulgated by Greyston, is a registered trade name.) A regional hub, in Rochester, New York, is already offering Open Hiring through CleanCraft, a cleaning company owned by Greyston board member, Ty

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

Altagracia Garcia at work, Greyston Bakery. Photograph by Olivia Halligan.

Hookway, and other companies and major businesses in Vermont, Pennsylvania and California have joined the march. The Body Shop, whose American headquarters is in North Carolina, has extended opportunities to 500 people, implementing Open Hiring in its retail stores across the U.S.A. and Canada this season. As a result, productivity “has gone through the roof.” And it’s not just national, but international. “We work with a foundation called “Start” in the Netherlands, who are taking a similar approach to us,” Joe says, adding that “13 different companies in Amsterdam are doing Open Hiring as we speak, ranging from manufacturers to bakers.” Wherever Open Hiring is practised, local nonprofits are needed to provide all of the necessary support services. These, it quickly becomes clear, are key, because you can’t begin to train and employ people without addressing all sorts of wider issues, such as housing, health, childcare, drug dependency, parole — all of the challenges, whatever they might be, that could prevent a willing applicant or employee from showing up for work. In Yonkers, Joe says, the Westchester Jewish Community Services organization (WJCS) has proved a terrific nonprofit support partner. As for the compelling data, “we’re unlocking a lot of economic potential.” His mission is to prove that Open Hiring means higher profitability and massive savings in public assistance money (emergency housing, hunger alleviation, correctional costs and

the like,) while the income that’s generated will at some point be taxable. This all contributes to a healthy economy, a total winwin situation for the employer, the state, the community and most important, the individual. “It works. We know it works,” Joe adds, “because Greyston has been doing it for 40 years.” And with that the interview is over, though not, I hope, my association with this compassionate, forward-thinking and ever so gracious Greyston CEO.

A VIRTUAL FEAST Best-selling author, founder of The Chef Jeff Project Relaunch, and someone who embodies Greyston’s mission, Las Vegas celebrity chef Jeff Henderson is hosting a virtual holiday cooking demonstration to benefit Greyston’s PathMaking programs. You’re invited to tune in on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. when Chef Jeff will introduce you to his family’s traditional cornbread dressing as well as a delicious dessert featuring Greyston brownies and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream — two treats that are even better together. He’ll also share his thoughts on eating well, giving thanks, and supporting Greyston’s tireless efforts to build a more inclusive economy, one person and one job at a time. For more, visit greyston.org. To shop Greyston Bakery’s amazing brownies online, visit greystonbakery.com.

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1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, exterior. Courtesy 1 Hotels.

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

C h ec k i n g i n, g r a t ef u l l y BY JEREM Y

IN NEW YORK CITY, RESTAURANTS ARE SERVING INDOORS ONCE AGAIN, MUSEUMS ARE SLOWLY RAISING THEIR SHUTTERS AND THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY IS IN A STAGED REOPENING – SURELY A BELLWETHER OF BETTER TIMES TO COME.

WAYNE

And while many of the city’s celebrated, big-name luxury hotels remain closed, because tourists have not yet returned in sufficient numbers, others are cautiously starting to open their doors. With the holidays just around the corner, this is traditionally the busiest time of year for the hospitality industry and establishments are desperately hoping to salvage what they can from the wreck of 2020. If you’re facing the holidays at home, unable or unwilling to travel far afield this year, why not consider a city break? Goodness knows, the city needs you. And in return, with all due caution exercised, it will give you something that it never could before — space. Space to walk, space to breathe, even space when standing on line — since you will be socially distanced, naturally. Gratitude is a two-way street and your custom will be appreciated as never before. Even before the pandemic, many hotels were giving back, thinking about the wider community along with their guests. Now comes your opportunity to give your valuable business to a hotel, or hotel group, with a sense of civic responsibility. What goes around comes around, after all.

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

The Blond at 11 Howard. Courtesy 11 Howard.

You might start with Marriott. This is currently the largest hotel group in the world, the operator of luxury brands including Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis and Luxury Collection. Working with humanitarian relief agencies like the American Red Cross, Children’s Miracle Network and World Central Kitchen, as well as sustainable foundations worldwide, this behemoth has certainly embraced giving back, and bucks spent at Marriott establishments can filter down to benefit all manner of good causes. Rates at its luxury Manhattan properties, like the JW Marriott Essex House on Central Park South, or Le Meridien, are something of a steal right now, while at the budget end, Marriott’s too-cool-for school Moxy brand (with four Manhattan hotels and counting) has rooms going in its Chelsea locale — entered Narnia-like through a flower shop — for little more than $100. Rude not to, as the saying goes. Marriott guests can also contribute to the group’s affiliated charities directly, by donating their Bonvoy loyalty program points, a truly generous thing to do in the season of giving back. Saving money while doing good is always an appealing proposition. “The future of the world and the future of hospitality are one and the same,” says the prescient Barry Sternlicht, co-founder of Starwood Capital Group and one of the most gifted, forward-thinking hoteliers on the domestic and international stage.

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I wrote about his terrific property, 1 Hotel South Beach, wagmag.com/cool-comfort/ in these pages last year, but 1 Hotels have properties right here in New York also. 1 Hotel Central Park and 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge are currently open, and both extend excellent Covid protocols, such as sanitizing guest luggage using UV technology on arrival, and keeping rooms unoccupied for a minimum of 24 hours between guests. What’s more, 1 Hotels’ commitment to environmentally responsible hospitality is utterly in earnest and goes far beyond virtue signalling. In other words, these guys are determined to make a difference, as evidenced by their partnerships with associations like the National Defenses Resource Council (NRDC,) Oceanic Global and E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), the last an organization founded on the principal that what is good for the environment is good for the economy. Add to this their work with City Meals on Wheels (serving the homebound elderly in New York), the New York Restoration Project — creating and maintaining beautiful public spaces in New York City — and the Central Park Conservancy, and you’ll surely agree that staying at a 1 Hotel has benefits. Having regard for the planet and doing good locally, while simultaneously having fun and enjoying the perks of a stylish city hotel are now entirely compatible. Although currently closed, one further

property to tell you about is the exceptional 11 Howard, a luxury hotel in SoHo, whose guiding principal is “Conscious Hospitality.” No empty slogan, this caption describes how every aspect of the hotel — from concept to design to how it conducts its daily business — has been sensitively thought out, going beyond the usual considerations of turning a profit. Partnering with concerns such as Thrive Market and Lauren Bush’s FEED initiative, and engaging with Conscious Commerce to ensuring that goods offered in the hotel are “consciously” conceived, this good ethical practice spreads out to the wider community. And in more pragmatic terms, for all reservations made directly with the hotel, a portion of the rate is donated to charity. Of course, all of this would count not a jot if the saintly hotel in question were not an oasis of comfort, with good accommodations, a great restaurant and bar and attentive service, but happily 11 Howard has all of the above. Simpatico staff — check. Exceptional Danish minimalist design — check. Wonderful restaurant (that would be Le Coucou,) and cool, clubby bar (that would be The Blond) — check. The hotel is an object lesson in good taste and good living. And it should go straight into your contacts for places to stay or recommend to visitors to New York, when it reopens — with luck — in the spring. For more, visit marriott.com, 1hotels. com and 11howard.com.

Master’s Degree in Business Administration Majoring in Finance from Fordham University with over 25 years in the industry, I offer you a seasoned professional who is competent to assist you in all your financial concerns. I am extremely focused on meeting the needs of my clients and endeavor to treat everyone I work with, as I would a member of my own family. By utilizing my education and experience in financial matters, I strive to help my clients achieve their personal goals and dreams. In my spare time, I enjoy tennis and other sports, exercise, movies, travel, meeting new people and furthering my knowledge on a variety of subjects. Robert J. Rosenberg, CFP®

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NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

Gimme ‘Shelter’ BY GREGG SHAPIRO

NOW, MORE THAN EVER, WE NEED A REASON TO LAUGH. FORTUNATELY, WRITER DAVID LEAVITT HAS RETURNED WITH HIS FIRST NOVEL IN SEVEN YEARS. A THOROUGHLY MODERN COMEDY OF MANNERS, “SHELTER IN PLACE” (BLOOMSBURY,$27, 384 PAGES) IS BOTH ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS OF THE YEAR AS WELL AS THE MOST HUMOROUS. SET IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, LEAVITT INTRODUCES US TO HIS FABULOUS AND EXPANSIVE CAST OF CHARACTERS, INCLUDING HUSBAND AND WIFE BRUCE AND EVA, EVA’S BEST GAL-PAL MIN, INTERIOR DECORATOR JAKE, EVA AND BRUCE’S ANTAGONISTIC NEIGHBOR ALEC, BRUCE’S SECRETARY KATHY AND JAKE’S MENTOR PABLO, JUST TO MENTION A FEW. EVA AND BRUCE ARE THE NOVEL’S NUCLEUS, AROUND WHICH THE OTHER CHARACTERS REVOLVE. SHE IS SO DESPERATE TO GET AWAY FOLLOWING THE CRUSHING DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE ELECTION THAT SHE IS WILLING TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY FOR VENICE. BRUCE, A FINANCIAL MASTERMIND, IS WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO KEEP HER HAPPY. LEAVITT, RECOVERING FROM AN UNEXPECTED HOSPITALIZATION FOR AN APPENDECTOMY, WAS GENEROUS ENOUGH TO TAKE TIME OUT OF HIS CONVALESCENCE TO ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BOOK:

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David, did you know when you first started writing your new novel “Shelter in Place” that it would take such a humorous direction?

“Various people have told me they have found it really funny. I think it’s revealing of me that I thought of it as a comedy, but I never realized it was actually funny. I was actually happy to hear that.”

I’m glad you said that because I’ve been describing “Shelter in Place” to people as a 21st century comedy of manners on par with predecessors such as Noel Coward and Joe Keenan.

“Oh, Joe Keenan. I'm so glad you mentioned him. I loved those books. He wrote those great novels ‘Putting On the Ritz’ and ‘Blue Heaven.’ They were among the funniest books I have read. Then when he went to the dark side — Hollywood -- and he was writing for “Frasier,” I had a little bit of correspondence with him in which I think I said that I hoped he would write more books. It's so funny that you mentioned him. Noel Coward was absolutely on my mind, but I must have had Joe Keenan in my subconscious. You're a very good reader. I had not put that together.”

The cover of David Leavitt's new novel, "Shelter in Place." Courtesy Bloomsbury.

Did the inspired and timely title of the novel come before or after the pandemic?

“It came in November. I cannot claim credit for it. We had been having a very hard time with the title and it was my editor, Anton Mueller at Bloomsbury (who suggested it). He and I were having a lot of conversations about the fact that all the titles I was coming up with had to do with time. We both felt that the title needed to be about place. One day he called me up and said, ‘I have an idea for a title. I don't know what you're going to think of it,’ and he said ‘Shelter In Place.’ At that point, back in November I associated that with earthquake drills. I loved it and I thought it was a great title. There was a little bit of a hesitancy on the part of the marketing people — this is hilarious — that readers would not be familiar enough with the phrase. Little did any of us even begin to know. I think it was a bit of prescience, not on my part, on his part.”

David Leavitt. Photograph copyright Basso Cannarsa.

In addition to the political themes threaded throughout the book, there are various insights into the world of interior decorating and decorators. Can you please say something about your interest in design and interiors and how much research was involved?

“I have always been sort of a touristic aficionado of interior design. The World of Interiors is my favorite magazine in the world. In fact, this summer, the postal issues and the delays in getting my issue from England have been a minor cause of stress. I’d always been very interested in interior decoration. My husband has a really good eye. He has that ability to take two or three things that I wouldn't recognize as going together and see how they go together. My interest evolved through two sources. I was doing a lot of research at a certain point on Jean-Michel Frank. He was a French furniture designer and interior decorator whose heyday was the ’20s and ‘30s. He was a cousin of Anne Frank’s. He lived in Paris. Now, his furniture is enormously expensive. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé had a bunch of (his) pieces. “He had a very tragic life. He suffered from acute depression. He eventually left Paris in 1940 — all of this material mostly ended up in my novel “The Two Hotel Francforts.” He couldn't get a visa to the States, so he went initially to Buenos Aires and had a brief career there. Then went to New York. He had an American lover who had essentially ended the relationship, and he was pursuing him. Jean-Michel Frank ended up committing suicide in March of 1941. “Through my fascination with Jean-Michel Frank and his extraordinary story, I

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

met a guy named Mitchell Owens who was then at Elle Décor and has now been, maybe for the last 10 years, at Architectural Digest. Mitch became a close friend of mine and my sort of window into the world of interior decorating and shelter magazines and all that. I was in regular touch with him. I would see him sometimes when I went up to New York. I was interested in the subject from a couple of perspectives. One was the whole question of where do you draw the line between an art and a trade. Which is something writers think about as well. It's a much more complicated question when your art is one that requires rich clients. I had some fragments, dating back to as far as 2009, about the relationship between interior decorators, most of whom are gay males, and their clients, who are mostly women, and the sort of strange psychology and the sense of almost a second marriage.”

A codependent relationship.

“Exactly. In its earlier incarnations, the novel was in first person, Jake was the narrator, and it was very much focused on that. As it evolved, and it evolved because of the election of Trump, I always knew it was going to have to take place after a Republican election. Originally, I thought maybe after the Reagan election, then maybe after Bush two in 2000. But finally I realized this idea of wanting to flee and create a kind of a jewel box panic room in another country. I was thinking about Trump. I was obviously projecting all my own fears. That led me into the difficult question of how to write about the impact of politics on contemporary life without the book either becoming incredibly depressing or a kind of ‘political novel,’ which isn't what I wanted it to be. It gradually seemed to me that the way to do it was comedy.”

You said something earlier about being a magazine reader and magazine publishing is sweetly skewered in the book, never

tency. Whether it's good or not is another question, but at least it's consistent.”

Dogs are also very much a part of the cast of characters, Bruce and Eva’s Bedlington Terriers Caspar, Isabel and Ralphie, and Alec’s Sparky. Do you consider yourself to be a dog person?

“Oh, totally. I have a Bedlington Terrier. I only have one. But those three dogs are based on my dog, who is the same breed. I don't ever want to write another novel that does not have a dog in it. “

Writers also don’t escape the wrath of some of the characters. Does Lydia Davis know she’s a character in the book?

“I haven't told her. I don't know her very well. That reading was actually based on a reading by my friend Rachel Cusk that was at Greenlight Books. I attended that reading, so a lot of the detail for that scene came from Rachel’s reading. But I have heard Lydia read. I suppose what I was mostly interested in doing there was sending some nonliterary people to hear a sort of super-literary, super-refined writer whose audience is almost exclusively other writers. The idea of having someone like Bruce, who doesn't really know very much, hearing Lydia Davis, seemed to me to have a lot of comic potential. One of my favorite lines is Bruce's description of her stories being like things you hear people saying into their cell phones on the subway. That was an opportunity for me to create some comedy. At the same time, I don't think there's anything in it that Lydia would be offended by.”

more so than when Min begins a sentence “When I was at Mademoiselle …” or “When I was at Town & Country…” Do you think magazine readers are affected by the revolving door of writers and editors?

“The only magazines I subscribe to, aside from the London Review of Books, which is the outlier, are Architectural Digest, AD as it’s now called, and I get The World of Interiors and… House & Garden. I have been comparing, every month, the size of the issues. Britain still has a thriving print magazine industry as evidenced by the fact that their issues remain pretty thick. If you look at Architectural Digest, the most recent issues, they are like 50 pages.”

It’s that thin now?

“They’re so thin. All the priority at Condé Nast, from what I’m being told, is being shifted to the websites and the online material. I think the print magazine, even in areas where beautiful images are very important, is a dying medium in the Unit-

ed States. Maybe it'll revive. I think it's very sad that that's happening. But at the same time I think there is a real ferocious belief in print. I agree with that. Now that Netflix has the power to pull movies or episodes of shows (out of rotation), I'm grateful that I have my old DVDs. I can imagine a future where if everything is electronic there's no permanent record that can be consulted, like in an archive. “Also, it's just a reflection of my own experience. I know so many Mins. It seems to me, in the magazine industry, particularly when it was doing better, nobody ever kept a job for very long. Inevitably, when a magazine got a new editor, if you paid attention to the masthead you would see, ‘Oh, that was the former editor of X.’ I think editors determine the tone or the voice of the magazine. One reason I think “The New Yorker” is the exception to the rule is because it's had so few editors. David Remnick's been there forever, so there's a certain consis-

“Shelter in Place” is extremely cinematic. If there was a movie version, who would you like to see as Jake, Eva, Bruce and Min?

“Oddly enough for me, I haven't thought about it that much. Off the top of my head, I’m thinking Nicole Kidman could be a good Eva. But I really do need to think about that. It's funny, because I usually cast my novels, but I haven’t with this one. That that will be something for me to do during my convalescence.”

For many authors, book tours appear to be on hold for the near future. Do you have plans for virtual events?

“I'm doing a number of them. They haven't been scheduled yet. I know I'm doing one at Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi. I'm doing one at a bookstore in San Francisco and one in Saint Paul. There should be more, including one in New York, as we continue. I keep meaning to put it on my own website, but it was one of the many things that I was completely waylaid from doing by this unexpected descent into the weirdness of hospitals in the age of Covid.” For more, visit davidleavittwriter.com.

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

n o i t a d n Fou with a h t oo t t e swe E BY GEORG

WHEN IT COMES TO DISEASES, LYMPHOMA DOES NOT HAVE THE NOTORIETY OF LUNG, BREAST AND EVEN COLON CANCER. “Many people don’t recognize or focus on lymphoma,” says Meghan Gutierrez, CEO of the Lymphoma Research Foundation, even though “they’re a million people living with it. “It’s the most common blood cancer in adults and the third most common cancer in children. There are 100 different subtypes. Some are curable. Some have no cure. Some can go into remission with treatment. It’s a complex disease, which is why we work so hard to raise funds for research.” That complexity may be lost this year amid the dominance of coronavirus news. Indeed, the medical community now fears that cancer diagnoses and treatments may have been at risk in the last few months as the pandemic crested in our area, making doctor and hospital visits a challenge. But as a patient reminded Gutierrez earlier this year: “Lymphoma doesn’t read the newspapers.” Patients, however, do. “And they’re worried,” she says. “Should they visit the doctor? Can they maintain their nutrition? We’re seeing a 100% increase in requests to the helpline….” The good news, Gutierrez adds, is that “our donors and corporations have really stepped up to the plate.” The organization, which raises money for research and offers financial assistance to patients in need, drew awareness recently with its Light it Red campaign, in which individuals wore red, and structures throughout North America, such as the Helmsley Building in Manhattan, were lit

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red to mark September as Blood Cancer Awareness Month and Sept. 15 as World Lymphoma Day. On Sept. 30, the foundation held its 25th anniversary gala, “Finding a Cure Starts With You,” virtually, raising $800,000. Then from Oct. 22 through 25, the foundation hosted its North American Educational Forum on Lymphoma, also online, to share information on available treatments, patient support concerns, clinical trials and advances in research. The foundation’s latest endeavor should tickle the taste buds. LRF is partnering with Sweet Loren’s for The Great Bake, an online bake sale in which you can use Sweet Loren’s natural cookie dough — the No. 1 brand of its kind in the country, found in 1,200 supermarkets — to bake goodies to sell to family and friends. Proceeds go to help LRF. For Sweet Loren’s founder Loren Brill, the foundation is “a perfect fit.” In her 20s, she suffered from Hodgkin’s disease — one of three main categories of lymphoma, the others being non-Hodgkin and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma — but fortunately went into remission. It was for her a life-altering moment that required a new approach to nutrition. “I felt it was so important to eat clean,” she says, “but I still had a sweet tooth.” The result was a cookie dough made of non-GMO, gluten-free, plant-based ingredients in four flavors -- oatmeal cranberry, chocolate chunk, sugar (Gutierrez’s favorite) and fudgy brownie. (There’s also an edible cookie dough in birthday cake and chocolate chunk for those who can’t wait for the tasty treats to come out of the oven.) So it’s a question of using dough to make dough. Sounds like a sweet deal. Contact the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s helpline at 800-500-9976. For more, visit lymphoma.org/ great bake and sweetlorens.com.

MINI PUMPKIN PIE BITES

INGREDIENTS • 2 packages Sweet Loren’s Sugar Cookie Dough • 1 12-ounce can pure pumpkin purée • 1 ¼ cup coconut milk, almond milk or other milk of choice • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 2 large eggs • ¾ cup cane sugar • Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS • Preheat oven to 325°F and thaw cookie dough at room temperature so it becomes soft to touch. • Fill two 24-count mini cupcake pans with mini muffin liners. (You can skip this step if using a silicone pan.) Lightly grease the inside of the muffin liners to ensure easy removal of the pie bites. • Break each cookie dough portion into 2 pieces and press one piece into the bottom and sides of each muffin tin. Repeat with remaining cookie dough until all 24 muffin spaces are filled with dough. • Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until cookies have risen and edges are lightly golden. Cool pan for at least 10 minutes. If the sides of each cookie aren’t flat, press down lightly with the back of a spoon. • Meanwhile, make the pumpkin pie filling by combining the pumpkin purée, milk, cinnamon, eggs, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk until completely combined. • Spoon about 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie filling into each mini sugar cookie cup, or until it reaches the top of the cookie cup. • Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until pumpkin pie filling is set. • Refrigerate the pumpkin pie cups for up to 2 hours, then pop each mini pie out of the pan before serving.

(top) Loren Brill, founder of Sweet Loren’s. Courtesy Sweet Loren’s. (bottom) Meghan Gutierrez, CEO of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. Courtesy the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

g n i r o t n e M a nd d n o be y RGET BY GEO

IT STARTED WITH ONE PERSON SITTING ON A BENCH WITH A CELL PHONE. BUT IF IT’S THE RIGHT PERSON, WITH THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS, DREAMS CAN COME TRUE. Paul Muratore, then a Briarcliff Manor resident, was CEO and president of Talent Partners, a Manhattan-based advertising and talent agency. “I had the pleasure of working with fun, crazy, kooky people,” he says – and doing very well indeed, so much so that he sold the business in 2015 for an undisclosed sum that set him up for life. But for Muratore, it was never really about early retirement. Since 1985, he has been mentoring youth at The Children’s Village, a Dobbs Ferry residential organization founded in 1851 that is designed to help at-risk youngsters to become vibrant citizens through education, job/career training and, perhaps most important, relationships with adult role models. When he sold Talent Partners, Muratore, who now lives in Manhattan, knew exactly what he was going to do. “I took my network of relationships and put it into Connections Mentoring,” he says.

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The four-year-old nonprofit pairs screened mentors with underserved young people (ages 15 to 25) from The Children’s Village as well as Westchester County- and New York City-based agencies, affecting some 91 young lives to date by offering them a window onto a world beyond the limited one they have known. Muratore has challenged one mentee to take the first step to realizing a dream of being a lawyer by finishing high school. He’s taken others to a SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) event, where they rubbed elbows with singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams, and to a journal writing class at New York University, inspiring them to tell their own stories. In an aspirational organization of four staffers and many volunteers, Muratore is not alone. Joseph Fergus, managing director of marketing for Oaktree Capital Management, has been working with mentee TJ for three years. “Joe’s our rock star,” Muratore says of Fergus, who was recently named a Mentor of the Year by MENTOR New York. “But really we have 90 Joes, men and women of various ages and backgrounds.” To hear Fergus tell it, the relationship he has forged with TJ has been mutually

beneficial. “I’ve tried to do things with him that help him see a potential path forward,” Fergus says. He and the Navy-minded TJ took in an Army-Navy game together and toured the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, meeting with current and retired officers. “He got to see people and set some goals for himself,” Fergus says. “Most important, though, was taking that first step – graduation from high school. When he graduated, I had tears in my eyes….These kids don’t come from the rosiest of backgrounds. For me, this has been hugely rewarding.” The coronavirus has, not surprisingly, heaped one more hurdle onto the lives of these young people. “It’s been very challenging, yes, in many ways,” says Lia Schwartz, Connections Mentoring’s executive director and an Ossining resident. “But one of the encouraging things has been how flexible and creative the mentors are in coping. Think of the isolation the virus has caused and add that these kids are not at home or with their families.” Mentors have sent bags of groceries to their mentees to help keep them focused. “The thing about the groceries is that all

From left: Paul Muratore, Lia Schwartz and Joseph Fergus, all of Connections Mentoring. Courtesy Connections Mentoring.

of us come from fortunate lives and we’re stressed,” Muratore says. Imagine, then, those with less resources. The care packages mean that food is one less thing the mentees have to worry about. Man, however, does not live by pizza alone. Muratore has also been playing video games with a mentee online. Fergus, who lives in Manhattan, and TJ have also connected on the internet, reading a book about one of TJ’s heroes, Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers legend who was killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 of this year. “The first thing he said to me after it happened was, ‘Did you hear about Kobe?’” Fergus remembers. The need that young people have to share the bad times and the good with a trusted adult is only growing, Schwartz says. While Connections Mentoring has started to accept younger kids, she says, the organization doesn’t want to grow too fast. Instead it is concentrating on raising $250,000 now to stay at its current service level and $350,000 per year going forward. It is specifically looking for family foundations or grant organizations for multiple years of support. “We can’t take every kid,” Muratore acknowledges. “But then not every kid wants to be part of this.” For those who do, Connections Mentoring is there for the long haul. Recently, TJ, who has had to move around a lot in his young life, asked Fergus, “How long will you be my mentor?” Fergus’ reply sums up the organization’s philosophy: “As long as you’ll have me.” For more, visit connectionsmentor.org

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

Sh ipsh ape fa re BY PHIL HALL

WHEN DAVID STANDRIDGE RECEIVED AN INVITATION TO BECOME THE EXECUTIVE CHEF OF THE SHIPWRIGHT’S DAUGHTER, A FINE NEW RESTAURANT LOCATED IN THE HISTORIC WHALER’S INN IN DOWNTOWN MYSTIC, IT SEEMED THAT HE WAS IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME. “I WORKED IN NEW YORK CITY FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS AT MANY RESTAURANTS,” RECALLS STANDRIDGE, WHO EARNED TWO MICHELIN STARS WORKING WITH THE FRENCH CULINARY ICON JOEL ROBUCHON. “I ALWAYS DESCRIBED NEW YORK CITY AS KIND OF A TREADMILL – AND I FELT LIKE, ALL OF A SUDDEN, THAT THE TREADMILL WAS GETTING AHEAD OF ME. SO, IT WAS TIME TO LOOK ELSEWHERE.”

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David Standridge. Photographs courtesy The Shipwright’s Daughter / Whaler’s Inn.

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

Swordfish Holiday Roast Style With Roasted Kyoto Carrots and Root Vegetable Pinwheels BY CHEF DAVID STANDRIDGE

EQUIPMENT LIST • Shallow roasting pan large enough to hold swordfish and vegetables • Food processor • Vegetable sheeter or sheeter attachment for KitchenAid mixer (optional)

INGREDIENTS For the swordfish • 2-pound piece of swordfish loin on the bone (extra credit with fin attached) • 2 cups kosher salt • 1 cup brown sugar • 1 pound butter, unsalted • 3 bunches parsley, picked • 4 cloves garlic • 1 cup plain bread crumbs • 2 teaspoons kosher salt For the sauce • ½ cup canola oil • 1 pound swordfish bones, chopped in small pieces • 4 tablespoons butter • 5 sprigs thyme • 1 head garlic • 2 to 3 cups soy sauce • 2 to 3 cups red wine vinegar • ½ cup heavy cream For the root vegetables • 16 baby Kyoto carrots (organic preferred) • 4 medium beets • 4 small heads celery root • 3 large sweet potatoes • 4 medium kohlrabi • 3 tablespoons butter unsalted • 1 bunch rosemary • 1 bunch thyme • 1 head garlic • 4 tablespoons canola oil • Salt and pepper

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This is a fun holiday treatment for swordfish. Local swordfish is in season in the fall and available at a high quality. If you are lucky, you can get your hands on a “pumpkin” sword, which is orange in color from eating a diet high in red shrimp. Ask for rod- and reel-caught swordfish as opposed to long-line caught. A couple of notes on the recipe: If you don’t want to get a vegetable sheeter, just peel the roots and cut into large rounds. The sauce is an extra step and a really fun technique to learn, but this roast is delicious with or without.

METHOD Place swordfish in on a non reactive dish (glass, ceramic, stainless steel). Combine 2 cups salt and 1 cup brown sugar and cover swordfish with the mixture in a thick layer. Allow to cure for 30 minutes. Rinse swordfish under cold water and pat dry. Reserve in fridge. In a food processor, combine softened butter, parsley, garlic, breadcrumbs and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Roll the mixture between two pieces of parchment paper with a rolling pin until about 1/8-inch thick. Refrigerate until cold. Cut the cold herb crust into the size of the swordfish and peel off the top layer of parchment. Press the crust onto the swordfish and remove the parchment. Reserve in fridge. In a hot heavy-bottomed skillet, add enough canola oil to cover the bottom of the skillet and sear the swordfish bones until golden brown on all sides. Add butter, thyme and garlic and continue to brown until butter is golden brown. Drain the fat and add equal amounts soy sauce and red wine vinegar. Simmer for 1 hour. Strain out the liquid and reduce until only ¼ of the liquid is still left. Add cream and simmer until sauce consistency. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Following instructions on sheeter, sheet out the beets, celery root, sweet potato, and kohlrabi, then roll the sheet into tight rolls and tie with butcher’s twine. Season the rolls liberally with salt and pepper. In a hot pan, sear the rolls until golden brown on both sides. Add butter, herbs and garlic and baste until butter is brown. Remove and reserve. Toss the carrots in canola oil, salt and pepper. Place the swordfish in a shallow roasting pan and arrange the vegetable spirals and the carrots around the fish. Roast at 500 degrees F for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 325 and roast until internal temperature is 120 degrees F (about 40 minutes, depending on oven and size of swordfish). Allow to rest 10 minutes, then slice and serve. (Serves 4 to 6)

David Standridge at the stove with his Swordfish Holiday Roast. Photographs courtesy The Shipwright’s Daughter / Whaler’s Inn.

Standridge was familiar with the Connecticut resort town from childhood sailing voyages on the Long Island Sound and, in the summer of 2019, he found himself in Mystic with his wife at a birthday party. A connection made at the party brought Standridge to the attention of the Whaler’s Inn management and, within a few weeks, he was tapped to helm this new endeavor. “It just was a perfect fit for us,” he adds. “And we're just so happy to be away from the city.” Standridge’s arrival in Mystic was a new peak in a career that had its beginnings in a considerably less sophisticated environment. “My initial culinary experience was at a place called Action Park in New Jersey, where I grew up,” he says. “It's the world's most dangerous waterpark — there's a documentary out about it — and I worked in a terrible cafeteria kitchen when I was a teenager. And the food was bad. But the fun was in the camaraderie of the kitchen pace, and it was interesting for me.” Standridge’s original focus in the hospitality trade was in bartending — he happily recalls a gig in Manhattan’s West Village “making cocktails for Lou Reed every night” — but he eventually realized his future was in the kitchen rather than behind the bar. “I had that epiphany and I moved to Texas, of all places and went to a very small French culinary school, Culinary Institute Lenotre, where it was basically three students and the chef,” he continues. “From there, I was a cook of the Four Seasons in Houston, and then I moved back to New York — as I have always done in the past every time I've tried to leave. Joel Robuchon was opening his first restaurant in the U.S. at that time, and it was just a once in a lifetime opportunity to work for the master, so I took it.” After working with Robuchon, Standridge took the helm at the popular farm-to-table restaurant Market Table in the West Village, and he later created the health-focused menu concept at Café Clover, Clover Grocer and The Maidstone hotel in East Hampton. The Shipwright’s Daughter was being readied for a spring 2020 opening when the coronavirus disrupted the world, forcing Standridge to improvise a different debut. “We didn't want to open a fine dining restaurant in a parking lot, so we opened an upscale lobster shack instead,” he says. Today, Connecticut’s restaurants can pursue indoor dining (albeit with reduced seating capacity), and Standridge reports The Shipwright’s Daughter has been “super lucky” in attracting diners since its June opening. A key strategy to building a loyal

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

following, according to Standridge, is “trying to have enough on our menu that is very diverse, where people can have a lot of different dining experiences.” The chef is focused on seasonal ingredients, with an emphasis on locally sourced items from regional farms and off the New England coast. “In New York, farm-to-table is really a 200mile radius of New York,” he says. “With farmto-table in Mystic, the fish is coming right from the docks and the farms are just miles from the restaurant. We try to focus on taking the best of what all of our local producers have and fleshing it out on the menu.” Standridge also emphasizes sustainability in his ingredients, especially in the seafood. He laments that many chefs only use a relatively small portion of the fish and discard sections that could easily be incorporated into a meal. As an example, he cites one of his creations, bigeye tuna blood sausage. “When we get a whole tuna or loin of tuna, there's always this big blood line on it,” he says. “That's dark meat that's very full of tuna blood, and no one really eats it in this country. But in Japan, they might braise it or confit it and put it into ramen noodle dish. I ground it up and made a sausage out of it that's heavily flavored with chili paste, fennel seed and coriander. And then I take it back and we make a traditional Bolognese sauce for pasta. And it's really delicious.” Looking ahead to the year-end holidays, Standridge is planning a new spin on the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a traditional Italian-American celebration for Christmas Eve. “I don't know if I have them all ready to go yet, but we're definitely going do a New England-style,” he says. “We'll do a really great chowder and bring in some squid. But we really won't know until November what people are catching, so it's kind of a little experimental.” Standridge acknowledges there are still challenges for The Shipwright’s Daughter to overcome — most notably, luring many people back into restaurants while Covid-19 persists. Nonetheless, he is appreciative for the opportunity to bring his skills to Connecticut’s dining scene. “I'm grateful to have a place to go, where I can work and do the thing that I love to do the most,” he says, “and just try to make special food and give people good experiences.” And there is still one challenge that he still working on — making a fan of his son, who is just shy of 2 years old. “My son doesn't like my cooking,” he says with a laugh. “It's very humbling when you put like a nice plate of food in front of him and he just looks at it, picks up the plate and dumps it on the floor.” The Shipwright’s Daughter is 20 E. Main St. For more, call 860-536-7605 or visit shipwrightsdaughter.com.

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

Tuna Bolognese INGREDIENTS • 1 pound dry Rigatoni (or 2 pounds fresh) For the tuna blood sausage • 1 pound tuna bloodline and scraps (Your fishmonger will have this but be surprised you are asking for it.) • 1 teaspoon fennel seed, ground • ½ cup chili paste (1 part each ancho, passilla and chipotle), or 3 tablespoons chili powder • 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger • 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic For the sauce • 2 28-ounce cans whole peeled imported Italian tomatoes • 1 small can tomato paste • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped • ¼ cup grapeseed oil • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil • ¼ cup basil, chopped • ¼ cup parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Tuna Bolognese. Photographs courtesy The Shipwright’s Daughter / Whaler’s Inn.

Grind the tuna bloodline and scraps in a meat grinder. Mix in all the spices and refrigerate overnight. Heat a large sauce pot (something with a heavy bottom, about 9-inches diameter) until very hot. Add the grapeseed oil and wait until just starting to smoke. Sear the ground tuna all at once and stir/scrape the bottom of the pan until it is all seared (about 3 minutes). Remove tuna and refrigerate. Add olive oil to pan and sauté onions and garlic until translucent. Add tomato paste and stir until oil is absorbed and then released back. Add canned tomatoes, then fill each can with water and add to pot. (The water allows the tomatoes to cook for a longer time, which helps the tomatoes break down.) Simmer, stirring every 15 minutes, until reduced by 1/3 (about 40 minutes to 1 hour) Add the tuna back to the sauce and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped basil and parsley. Boil some water in a large pot, season generously with kosher salt (until it tastes like the ocean). Add rigatoni and cook to al dente. Strain and top/toss with tuna Bolognese. Top with more fresh herbs. Serves 4.

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COLONIAL GRACE IN A MODERN SETTING PRESENTED BY SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

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Bordered by conservation land and handsome stone walls, this pristinely maintained Colonial on Old Mill Road provides much coveted privacy and peaceful green space just a short ride from the Merritt Parkway, Westchester County Airport or New York City. There is much to enjoy both inside and outside the 11,214-square-foot house, from the gourmet kitchen with marble countertops and sunny family room to the flagstone patio and sweeping deck with treetop views â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a picture perfect backdrop for all your entertaining. Four levels of living space boast high ceilings, custom millwork, oversized windows and mahogany floors. All six bedrooms are ensuite, with the primary bedroom having two bathrooms and two walk-in closets. (In total there are 11 bathrooms â&#x20AC;&#x201D; eight full baths and three half baths.) A heated three-car garage and a powerful generator, too, are among the many amenities of this $4,695,000 turnkey estate that nonetheless suggests the traditional grace of another era. For more, contact Ellie Sullivan at 845-304-8630 or 203-869-4343.

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BY KATIE BANSER-WHITTLE

November, the month of Thanksgiving, is the traditional time to remind ourselves of how much we have to be grateful for. And just in time, too. Gratitude is a much more beneficial emotion than the uncertainty and anxiety we’ve often felt during recent dramatic events. The fall season is harvest time, universally celebrated with ceremonies and symbols of gratitude for nature’s abundance. One of most enduring and time-honored of these symbols is the cornucopia, or horn of plenty. This familiar image has deep historical roots. In Europe and Asia, big hornshaped baskets were commonly used for gathering produce and nuts. The strong, lightweight containers could be worn over the back or around the waist, leaving the laborer’s hands free to gather the foods that would provide nourishment through the lean months. Classical mythology wove memorable stories around the cornucopia as a symbol of abundance and nourishment. In one popular tale, Zeus, king of the gods and lord of the sky, had a divine goat as a nursemaid when he was an infant. The playful tot, not knowing his own strength, accidentally broke off one of her horns. That horn henceforth had the magical power of providing unlimited nourishment. Ever since, the cornucopia has symbolized abundance and the gratitude it inspires. Artisans and artists have lavishly employed the horn of plenty in almost every area of the fine and decorative arts and in a wide array of materials. (It’s even a motif in contemporary fantasy literature, featuring in Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” series and in “The Hunger

A Renaissance Revival gold and hard-stone cameo pendant, centering a full-relief hard-stone carving of a classical goddess, with foil-back emerald, sapphires, pearl drops, grotesque and cornucopia motifs and counter enamel. Sold for $5,228 at Skinner Inc.

Games” books and movie.) Closer to home, the dining room is intimately associated with the concept of plenty, and the cornucopia is a frequent presence there. Chairs and benches display stenciled representations. Federal period sideboards and wine cellars are often embellished with inlays of the same motif. Three-dimensional cornucopias in ceramic, glass and metal are a recurrent feature of dining room décor. Prominent there are candelabra in the form of a graceful figure holding a horn of plenty from which the candle cups grow. Examples abound in Majolica, Meissen, Wedgwood, Minton and more. Also popular are ceramic wall pockets to hold the flowers and greenery that are part of harvest plenty. And silver and glass tabletop ornamental cornucopias offer nuts and sweets to nourish both eye and body. Textiles afford ample opportunity to display the horn of plenty. Seventeenth-century quillwork, 18 th-century crewel embroider, and 19 th-century hooked rugs and woven coverlets all attest to the enduring

appeal of the symbol of bounty. Because of their association with classical mythology, cornucopias are a regular motif in Renaissance jewelry and that of the Renaissance Revival in the mid- to late-19th century. Admired for their graceful shape and symbolic association with all forms of wealth, horns of plenty are often incorporated into pendants and brooches. A close look around our homes, in public spaces and in works of art will reveal the cornucopia embellishing a wide array of objects. It’s found on the frames of paintings and mirrors and on the state seals of Idaho and North Carolina. It adorns possessions both homely and high style, from a scrimshaw busk made by a whaler to an elegant Edwardian diamond-and-platinum magnifying glass. Gratitude for nature’s gifts is the heart of Thanksgiving. Now is a perfect time to think about all we have to be grateful for as we admire some of the many artistic expressions of the ancient but always contemporary symbol of abundance. For more, contact Katie at kwhittle@ skinnerinc.com or212-787-1114.

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HOME FOR THE COVID HOLIDAYS BY CAMI WEINSTEIN

This year itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a very different Thanksgiving for everyone. Having trudged through the past eight to nine months of the pandemic with no end in sight, we are starting to navigate what Thanksgiving and the ensuing holidays will look like for all of us this year. Our Thanksgiving normally consists of five families, their children and now spouses and grandbabies making for a wonderful, 30-plus person holiday. This year a gathering of that size will be too large for us to celebrate safely. Although we are all sad that such a large gathering will not be possible, we are breaking into much smaller immediate family groups that I am sure will include a temperature check. (Should we add a Covid questionnaire?) These more intimate holidays will still be wonderful, just different. If the past months have taught us anything it is that family and friends and their well-being are more important than ever and though distance may keep us apart we are closer than ever. Favorite traditions will be restructured and some will change. The important thing is to be open to these new twists. Some things will remain the same for us. I am still cooking our favorite dishes and desserts. Our table will still be set using plates and silverware handed down from family. There will still be flowers on my tables and pumpkins and gourds displayed both inside and out. There will be some sense of normalcy. This sense of normalcy helps

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

to keep us together and helps ensure that our traditions will continue. We are nesting more than ever. Our homes have become our refuge and many of us are spending all of our time there. Many families are leaving New York City and establishing their families in the burbs. Young families are looking for space for their children to have some room. Our homes have become our workspaces, our gym spaces, our places of remote learning. Everyone is starting to rethink how we are living in our homes and how we want to live in them â&#x20AC;&#x201D; dividing our home into zones so we can gather together and also have

Cami says, you can still celebrate safely with family and friends â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just differently.

some privacy for work and school. This pandemic is changing how we want to live in our homes. Open concept layouts in both home and offices are changing back to more specific divisions of space. Home offices now require space for more than one worker. We are looking to carve out space where our children can set up for schoolwork.

No one wants to be jammed into one area of our homes. As much as it is often fun to hang out together and watch a movie or play games together, we are also finding we need privacy with everyone being home 24/7. Business calls and Zoom meetings require concentration, and having kids and pets in the background is distracting. The trend of having a desk area in the kitchen is over. Take that space and create a pantry, which is more useful especially since we are all cooking at home and need to put those extra ingredients somewhere. Built-in desk areas for homework in

a separate quiet part of the house are becoming essential. Consider creating a workspace in a room above the garage or converting an area of a finished basement into an office that can provide a quiet area to concentrate. If you have a separate formal living room, use it, perhaps converting that space into a more casual, second family room. Add a TV so your family can have choices about where and what they want to watch. Or maybe you want that room to remain a quieter reading area or a place for conversation. Use all the rooms in your home and make them flexible to fill your needs. To ensure your home

stays tidy with everyone living in such close quarters, provide lots of storage, either with built-in cabinetry or with furniture that has plenty of storage space in it. Uncluttering your space allows for calmness within a boisterous family. As the holidays draw closer and some of our traditions change, remember to embrace the new ones we are creating. They may become part of our traditions, too. Appreciate all that we have and reflect on all that we are thankful for. My best wishes for a Happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving. For more, call 203-661-4700 or visit camidesigns.com.

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FROM CHINTZ TO CHINOISERIE BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Perhaps it’s because we’re spending more time at home, but we’re definitely in a moment in which people are feathering their nests with more rather than less. And that’s good news for the return of Bassett McNab. Best-known for the elegant florals, evocative chinoiserie and delicate toiles that adorned many homes in the 20th century, the brand has been relaunched this season under the new ownership of Stout Textiles after a 20-year hiatus from collection introductions. The 2019 acquisition and subsequent relaunch combine two Philadelphia family brands that are rich in textile history. (Charles Stout was one of four partners in the 1908 firm of Bassett McNab & Co. Today, the third and fourth generations of his family are actively involved in Stout Textiles.) Led by creative director and industry veteran Anne Hahn-Waddell, the Bassett McNab Fall Collection consists of seven distinct patterns, each offered in three to six colorways with 25 supporting woven fabrics. “Sifting through the archive images was like paging through an old, dusty high school yearbook,” Hahn-Waddell says. “I remember so many of the patterns — some with dated color combinations so outrageous I had to

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

A cornucopia of patterns from relauched Bassett McNab.

smile. The archives definitely had a unique Bassett McNab voice that, with some editing, I knew would be relevant. Honoring the original brand voice while updating the new patterns resulted in a fresh, classically modern American style, following in the legacy of design greats like Elsie de Wolfe, David Hicks and Dorothy Draper, who all pioneered a brighter, lighter and more streamlined style still celebrated today.” The new Bassett McNab collection is marked by reimagined chinoiserie, traditional ikats (tie-dyed patterned textiles), subtle textures, garden florals and classic trellis fretwork. Their palette embraces shades of watery

blue and teal, desert corals with soft pinks, woodland neutrals and a few saturated grays and navies. The designs, a company spokeswoman says, marry approachability with style and sophistication. “The mission at Bassett McNab is to empower designers to create timeless interiors by offering fabrics of an uncompromising quality,” says John Greenawalt, vice president of Operations. “While Covid pushed back our original relaunch timeline, we’re now launching the first collection exactly one year after the acquisition. It feels quite serendipitous.” For more, visit BassettMcNab.com.

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FOOD & SPIRITS

Molly Healey at the counter. Photographs by Stacy Bass. NOVEMBER 2020 62 WAGMAG.COM

‘TOAST’ OF THE TOWN BY JEREMY WAYNE

Sourdough Stole My Heart.

A new café in tony Westport, Manna Toast, is doing brisk business with its heavenly sourdough toast sandwiches and original salads. I recently met up with two of the co-owners, Stacy Bass wagmag.com/thru-the-lens-brightly/ and Molly Healey, for an in-person, outside table interview at the café on the wettest day in Westport since records began. Here is an edited version of our conversation:

What’s the back story here? Who does the café belong to?

Molly: “So, I’ve been cooking for years. I met Stacy at a party for her book launch “Gardens at First Light,” with Judy Ostrow, Athome Books, 2015) wagmag.com/gardensatfirstlight/ and I started cooking for her and her family. I was their private chef for about five or six years and then we all went into business together.”

Stacy: “The restaurant is co-owned between Molly, myself and my sisterin-law, Yvette Waldman, and it’s really been quite an adventure to do this during Covid. We signed our leases in February and when we discovered what was coming we obviously had to figure out how to make a business open with something that was so uncharted. We started to do deliveries, family meal kits. Then, when we opened the café in July, it created a nice surge of interest because people had tasted the food and knew what they were going to get.”

But you’re serving inside at the moment? Molly: “We are. We have socially distanced partitions up and we’ve adapted to the environment we’re now subject to.”

And how is it working out?

Stacy: “This is actually a pretty good turnout for a rainy day. What I would say is that on a beautiful day, all these tables are taken, including these picnic tables, which we would never have had the opportunity to fill other than that they closed off the street.” Molly: “We’ve been very blessed with the street closing down. We’re very grateful for that. It’s allowed us to make the front a lot bigger than we ever thought it was going to be.”

The street just closed during Covid?

Stacy: “Yes, it’s been closed for a few months and they hope it to keep it [permanently] closed.” It will be interesting to see what it will be like as the weather gets colder. Everywhere has this amazing European, café-like feel at the moment. Stacy: “Exactly.”

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

And you seem to have a love affair with sourdough.

Molly: “Sourdough stole my heart. It’s just the best bread ever made. And when you find a special bakery, like Wave Hill in Norwalk, that does it right, then those are the people we want to work with.” Stacy: “And we also offer all of the toppings. If you don’t eat gluten, or if you don’t like bread, you can get (the toppings) on a sweet potato base or on greens.”

Tell me about the cashew mozz (a menu item). Molly: “Cashew mozzarella. Our cashew cheeses are homemade. We make them every week.”

Manna Toast at dusk.

Tell me about your distinct menu and style.

Molly: “I like to cook a certain way, to put it mildly. I’ve always dreamed of opening a restaurant. I wanted to create something with a chef-driven concept.”

Ah, what does that mean, a “chef-driven concept”? I always wonder, Aren’t all restaurants chef driven?

Molly: “Well it’s not fast food, but it’s where people can come for a quick bite, where ingredients matter, where we source the best. But it’s not ‘build your own sandwich,’ like, ‘I’ll take some lettuce here, some tomato there….’” Stacy: “It’s chef-conceived, like it would be in a fine restaurant — even though we consider this fast casual, upscale fast casual, where people are getting the benefit of Molly’s expertise. In the short time since we’ve been open, people are like, “What’s Molly’s fall take going to be on the French toast?” Molly: “Do you want to mention the avocado toast?” Stacy: “We don’t do avocado toast here, mainly because of the food miles it takes to get here. It’s also really popular and you go to a lot of places to get it, so we kind of want to stay away from that and have options that you don’t normally think of when you’re ordering toast.”

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

Molly: “It’s a totally new concept. Nobody has a toast restaurant so we….” Stacy: “I think we like to think of it as ‘elevated’ toast…. And what’s been gratifying for Molly, and from a business standpoint as well, is that the customers are gaga. Not, ‘Oh, that was great,’ but ‘I’m obsessed. I’m addicted.’” Molly: “We have people coming back twice a day.”

What’s the best seller? What flies off the menu?

Molly: “Cauliflower hash is our number-one seller. The burrata (with kale and hoagie peppers) and the humus (with roasted vegetables, cucumber salad and tahini) follow closely behind it. We’re (essentially) plant based but we have some animal products. The milk is from a local dairy in New York and unpasteurized. Our eggs are farm fresh. All the cheeses we use are local and don’t have rennet in them. We have meatless meatballs that we make out of mushrooms, beets and walnuts. We try to give people hearty meals so it doesn’t feel like just another vegan restaurant.” Stacy: “But if you’re vegan, there’s lots and lots of things you can eat.”

And people across the board come and eat here? All ages?

Stacy: “Kids, adults, men, women, the elderly. Like, men who think they are just carnivores. Everybody. And every week is getting better. We have a 20 to 30 percent increase of customers very week.”

Well you’ve certainly been very brave, so onwards and upwards. I wish you all the luck.

Stacy: “I mean, honestly, most people, when they heard we were doing this, were like, are you crazy? But the stars aligned and we weren’t going to let Covid derail it.”

Some final thoughts?

Stacy: “In November, we’re starting our version of Local Love. We’re going to be partnering with different charities each month, starting with Pink Aid, which is a Westport-born organization which does incredible work supporting breast cancer patients, everything from providing meals to covering utility bills to paying their rent to literally picking them up and taking them to their treatment. We’re hoping it will be a nice way of giving back to the community.” Molly: “We’ve adapted to the world we live in now. We know we can get through a lot and we’re just really, really grateful.” Stacy: “The world is upside down right now, but perhaps we can hang on to a little bit of joy.” Manna Café is at 29 Church Lane. For more, visit mannatoast.com.

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FOOD & SPIRITS

A TALE OF TWO CHARITABLE CHEFS STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY WAYNE

Eric Ripert. Photograph by Nigel Parry.

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

The last time I saw Paris — oh, but let’s not get into all that schmaltzy stuff. France is off limits, so let’s just move on instead to Manhattan’s Le Bernardin, which, starting the beginning of November, will be reopening its doors to dinner guests, Tuesday to Saturday. Hurrah! Le Bernardin — with four New York Times stars held over four consecutive visits and three Michelin stars (the maximum) retained annually over 24 years — was New York City’s first non-Greek fish restaurant and, all these years later, it is still the most elegant, tony fish joint in town. The menu changes subtly with the seasons but since the core component is fish — the fleshiest, glossiest, most sparkly eyed and freshly caught — perhaps only beady-eyed diners will catch the modifications. The cuisine here owes everything to skillful prep and aesthetic presentation and absolutely nothing to flashiness, fad or pointless reworking. Indeed, dishes at Le Bernardin, where the menu conveys the message in beguilingly minimalistic headings — “almost raw,” “barely touched,” “lightly cooked” — and where the most elaborate sauce, if that’s what the fish in question calls out for, might be no more than a drop of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, show such respect for the product, elevate eating to such a degree, that — coupled with balletic service — you leave this restaurant walking on air. On the prix fixe menu, you might find oysters, tuna tartare with sea urchin, wonderful Dover sole with a soy and lime emulsion, cuttlefish or pan-roasted monkfish with those wonderful Catalan noodles, called fideos. As if to emphasize Le Bernardin’s well-developed sense of noblesse oblige, there is even a filet mignon, should you or any one of your party dislike fish, for whatever reason. The wine list is a thing of beauty for any wine lover, with some welcome finds in the lower reaches. One thing is certain: No matter what you choose to eat or drink, you will not take a wrong step. Perhaps, though, when all’s said and done, when the last petit-four has been joyfully popped into your mouth and the last drop of Sauternes has been drained, the most remarkable thing about Le Bernardin is Eric Ripert. Not in fact a Parisian but from Antibes in the

South of France, along with co-owner and founder Maguy Le Coze, Ripert has, without ego, without tantrums, but simply with sheer, unadulterated class, worn the chef’s whites for the last quarter-century. As many will know, with his tanned, sculpted visage and shock of white hair, this man is also a veritable Adonis, but his inner beauty shines even brighter. A quiet philanthropist, Ripert is the chair of City Harvest, New York’s pioneering food rescue program, and he is always at the head of the line to help in any crisis — and goodness knows New York City has seen enough of them in recent years. No one has done more than this man to feed the hungry, sustain the first responders and speak up for the undernourished. Another great chef to admire is Marcus Samuelsson. From a small farming village without roads in Ethiopia, where he was born, to Sweden, where he was adopted and raised, to cooking at White House state dinners, he has never lost the common touch, not so much rising through the ranks as making ranks of his own, quashing boundaries, crossing continents, making light of obstacles, always putting others first. (See his PBS series, “No Passport Required.”) pbs.org/food/shows/nopassport-required/ At the start of the pandemic, Samuelsson turned his flagship Harlem restaurant, Red Rooster, into a community food hub, for locals in need. Now, happily, indoor dining has been restored, and the Rooster is currently serving dinner daily, with lunch or brunch Fridays through Sundays. The restaurant takes as its starting point the roots of American cuisine, reworks it, jazzes it up with culinary rhinestones and finally sends it boldly, brashly out onto the restaurant floor. A typical dinner here — not that dinner at the high-octane Red Rooster is ever typical — might be devilled eggs with crispy onions, bucatini pasta with crab, shrimp and lobster, or shrimp and grits with okra stew and chorizo. The YEP! Chicken & Waffle appetizer — much copied, never cloned — which I had on my last visit before lockdown, is a wonderful dish, comprising fried chicken smothered in maple hot sauce. It’s clucking brilliant. Drinks, too, are worth more than a

Marcus Samuelsson. Photograph by Angela Bankhead.

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

Le Bernardin, interior. Photograph by Danny Krieger.

Red Rooster Harlem, exterior. Courtesy Red Rooster, Harlem.

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

mention at Red Rooster, which offers a reasonably-priced wine list and clean, carefully-made cocktails, like the ginbased Juju Woman and the scotch-based Harlem Mule. Who, after all, doesn’t need a pick-me-up these days? (And the restaurant is only an eight-minute stroll from the Harlem-125th Street station, should you want to leave the wagon at home and ride Metro-North instead.) It’s no mean feat to reopen your city restaurant in the time of Covid and, sadly, many of Red Rooster’s siblings, including its basement supper club, Ginny’s, along with outposts in London, Montreal (at the Four Seasons Hotel) and Bermuda, are currently closed. But with luck they will all reopen in time and the energetic, charismatic, indefatigable Samuelsson in the meantime seems as busy as ever. His philanthropic endeavors continue apace. Like Ripert, he works with City Harvest, while other charitable concerns include Food Bank for New York City and UNICEF. And, under the umbrella of Newark Working Kitchens, Samuelsson’s local B&P restaurant has helped deliver more than half a million meals to those in need in Newark, New Jersey. Talk about giving back. These men wrote the book — one that eats as well as it reads. For more, visit lebernardin.com and redroosterharlem.com.

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CHAMPAGNE IS ETERNAL BY DOUG PAULDING

WINE & DINE

FOOD & SPIRITS

I know we’re moving into the holiday seasons and these occasions call for bubbly, especially Champagne. I always have a bottle of Champagne in my fridge ready for any special event, a welcome visitor or just because. Champagne has so long linked itself to celebratory events such as weddings and sports championships that people tend to forget that Champagne can be opened and served for any event, from the profound to the profane. Maison Lanson was one of the early Champagne houses and was founded in 1760. Today it is celebrating 260 years of uninterrupted sparkling production and remains one of those Champagne houses dedicated to production, purity and pricing that works. In 1984, I served Lanson Black Label Brut at my wedding. Perfect August day, beautiful outdoor ceremony, capped and accented by the giddy pop of Lanson Champagne. It ushered in toasts, food, hugs and kisses, friends and family and dancing and then more Lanson bubbles. I think it was the fresh, fruity and refreshing Lanson Champagne that fueled the revelry until the wee hours. I recently had the great honor of receiving three different labels of Lanson to participate in a Zoom presentation hosted by Jennifer O’Flanagan, founder of Feast public relations firm, and Hervé Dantan, chef de cave, or head winemaker, at Maison Lanson. Hervé is the son of a grape grower and winemaker in the Champagne region. He grew up

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in the local vineyards and witnessed, and then participated in, all aspects of Champagne production, from vine to wine glass. Taking winemaking to the next plateau, he was schooled and employed in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace and, eventually, California where he learned and traded stories and secrets with winemakers and growers of various regions and different grapes. Hervé then returned to Champagne where he took a position at another Champagne

production house for a couple decades. Then Lanson came calling and he accepted the challenge. Maison Lanson is revolutionizing its operation while remaining loyal to the purity of mission that made it. The house’s belief that “Everything comes from the soil” has served it well. Lanson owns 57 hectares (140 acres) of planted vines and has contracts to purchase grapes from many grand cru and premier cru growers. In Champagne,

Hervé Dantan

Hervé Dantan, chef de Cave of Maison Lanson, celebrating 260 years of making Champagne.

by decree, vineyard rows need to be spaced appropriately, vine yields are carefully restricted and all harvesting is done by hand. Lanson has just completed a sparkling visitors’ center where wine lovers are welcomed, educated and entertained with a vineyard, a winery and a cellar tour. It is the only Champagne house with views across its vineyards to the famous cathedral in Reims that inspired artists like Claude Monet. Lanson is also moving toward organic,

biodynamic and sustainable viticulture in general and in particular with the Lanson Green Label, made exclusively with organic grapes. French winemakers historically have given little information on their labels. Producer, region and vintage typically have been all they give you. Lanson gives much info on the back label to help consumers, including grape types by percentage, number of individual wines in the blend, amount of grand and premier crus (high quality

wines) in the blend, oak aging times, amount of sugar added prior to bottling, harvest dates and disgorgement date. All of this will give knowledgeable consumers a better fit for their desires. Lanson has 10 labels in its repertoire, and they produce three million bottles each year. We first tasted the Lanson Black Label Champagne, and it is still lovely, showing gorgeous citrus, vibrant freshness and light toast with a pleasant, gripping acidity holding it all together. We then tasted the pink-labeled Rosé, using Pinot Noir dominance, with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. It was fruity, refreshing and smooth, showing strawberry and tart tangerine without tannic interference. And lastly we tasted the newly released Green Label, Lanson’s first organic wine. Showing pure flavors of citrusy grapes, pear and peach balanced with a stony minerality, it was balanced, beautiful and environmentally friendly. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is known for saying “The only thing that is constant is change.” Well, over the years my marriage changed, as each of us began pursuing disparate interests, hers in academia and mine in my work and athletics. But one thing I learned this past weekend: My love of Lanson is eternal. Find some Lanson for any event. Have it on hand. It’s appropriate for anything. Write me at doug@dougpaulding. com.

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

WHAT’S COOKING?

FOOD & SPIRITS

RAJ’S LENTIL CURRY

Photograph by Aditya Menon.

‘CURRY’ING FALL’S FAVOR BY RAJNI MENON Creamy lentils has always been a part of Indian cuisine. There are a variety of lentils cooked in various methods. Here’s my take on a lentil dish that I cook on a busy day. It’s quick and super delicious. This can be had as a soup on a crisp fall day as well.

INGREDIENTS: 2 tablespoons coconut oil 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds 2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped 2 to 3 jalapeño peppers, sliced thin 1 teaspoon butter 1/2 cup Roma tomatoes, chopped 1 cup red onions, chopped 1/2 cup yellow split pigeon peas lentils or yellow moong beans METHOD: 1. Pressure-cook the lentils with 3 cups of water until soft. Set aside. 2. Heat a deep pan and add coconut oil to it. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. 3. Add in cumin seeds and jalapeños and sauté for 10 seconds. 4. Add in the chopped red onions. Sauté until light brown. 5. Add in salt, turmeric, red chili powder and stir for 5 seconds. 6. Add in chopped tomatoes and stir well. Cover and cook until the tomatoes are soft and well combined with the onions. 7. Now add the cooked lentils to the onion tomato mixture and add water if needed. Mix well. Cover and cook until it boils. 8. Add in chopped fresh cilantro leaves and serve hot with rice or flat bread. For more, visit creativerajni.com.

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

TRATTORIA 632

Restaurants in Westchester County change plans but not dreams amidst the pandemic.... The very popular family eatery, Trattoria 632 is excited to welcome back their loyal diners and greet new ones as they open for indoor and outdoor dining on their new patio. Delivery and take-out of their full, extensive menu is also available. Patrons can rest assured that Trattoria 632 has taken every measure and precaution to ensure a delectable and safe dining experience. Nonna Marieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homemade cakes and pies are no exception! She is serving her famous carrot cake and original cheesecake recipes and Trattoria 632 is delighted to see their customers smiling again!

632 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577 914-481-5811 trattoria632 .com

WEAR

FASHION & BEAUTY

A PEEK INTO POOKIE & SEBASTIAN BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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At a time when many businesses are contracting, women’s clothing and accessories boutique Pookie & Sebastian is expanding. With locations in Scarsdale, Roslyn and Huntington on Long Island and Boca Raton, Florida, owner Kevin Matuszak, who founded the Manhattan-based company 22 years ago, plans to open a location in the Big Apple next March, along with another store whose where and when is still to be determined. It’s an audacious move but one that owes itself to timing and reputation. “As you know, New York City was hit incredibly hard by the virus,” he says. But with the virus contained — although by no means eliminated — residents who fled are beginning to trickle back, lured, The New York Times noted recently, by good deals in housing. Matuszak is betting not only on that but on consumer loyalty. “We’ve been fortunate with our product mix and our accessible price point. We’re now into our third generation of customers. That has allowed us to stay afloat.” Matuszak credits that loyalty to a mix of his own goods, such as sweaters, and other private labels as well as service. (In Scarsdale, he says, “Quiana (Thomas) and Rosanna (Cannon) aren’t sales associates. They’re stylists.”) The clothing — offset by the store’s pink and floral décor — is casually chic with flowing lines. The accessories are fun and eye-catching. We purchased two wide belts, which are hard to find — one a silver-gray that anticipates winter; the other a creamy, tawny raffia type that transitions easily from spring to summer to fall. (We also couldn’t resist some cream-colored, lace shoe liners that we like to show off with sandals, as the warm weather will return some day. Sigh.) Unlike men’s clothing, which he says is “pretty standard,” women’s clothing is “forever changing. There’s always something new — a new trend, a new color. I love the ongoing changes.” This season, look for gold-ball beaded bracelets in 14-karat gold and tie-dyed and camouflage clothes, adds Matuszak, who got his start as a New York City account executive for the women’s clothing line French Connection before

going out on his own in upstate New York and then opening his first Pookie & Sebastian on 77th Street in Manhattan. That boutique was named after his two Yorkshire terriers — “an uptown Yorkie who fell in love with a downtown Yorkie.” Alas, they and that store are gone now. (Today Matuszak makes his home in the city with a Boxer named Madison.) But their spirit lives on in a boutique that rises to the challenge of offering quality stuff in an intimate setting. Pookie & Sebastian is at 34 E. Parkway in Scarsdale. For more, call 914-723-4396 or visit pookieandsebastian.com.

Pookie & Sebastian in Scarsdale features a mix of casually elegant women’s clothing and accessories. Courtesy Pookie & Sebastian.

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WEAR

FASHION & BEAUTY 76

CREATIVITY ON HAMPTON ROAD BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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Lisa E. Davis and Bruce Kirchofer, founders of Texas-based Hampton Road Designs, sign their brand story “with gratitude,” a gratefulness for a way to express their passion for textiles, design and making things. In 2016, Lisa, a lawyer, was reflecting on the loss of her father and the subsequent need for her mother to move out of the big family home on Hampton Road in Austin, when her thoughts turned to her beloved Longhorns, who had implemented a clear bag policy for their football games. Lisa and Bruce, also a big Longhorn fan, took up the challenge to create a clear bag that was more than just a game day accessory. After many trips to New York, London and Mexico — as well as, their site says, the sewing machine shop — they launched Hampton Road Designs in July of 2018. Now their shoulder bags, guitar straps for purses, cases and hair ties are in more than 100 retailers nationwide. “Whether you’re looking for a new everyday purse, an elegant party clutch or a clear bag… Hampton Road Designs provides high-quality customizable leather, silk, and vinyl products with unmatched attention to detail and vintage beauty,” a spokeswoman says. “All of Hampton Road’s products are manufactured by women-owned businesses. The leather bags are handmade in Mexico by personally selected artisans and the silk products are handmade by a veteran-owned business in San Antonio.” Prices for the bags range from $219 to $345. For more, visit hamptonroaddesigns.com.

Bagging quality — a selection of Hampton Road purses. Courtesy Hampton Road Designs.

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FASHION & BEAUTY 78

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

LV by Appointment’s interior. Photographs courtesy Louis Vuitton / Paul Warchol.

LUXURY ON WHEELS BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

LV by Appointment at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York.

What happens when clients don’t feel comfortable shopping in stores? Why, the store comes to them. Witness LV by Appointment, a fully staffed, capsule store that has been making the rounds of the metro area in a first for the format. Expect to find women’s and men’s ready to wear, fragrances and such accessories as shoes, jewelry and watches. There are, of course, leather goods and travel items as well since Louis Vuitton founded the company in 1854 with the idea of exploring the art of travel. New collections and rare pieces make this a customizable experience – right outside your door. For more, visit louisvuitton.com.

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE (LUXE) WOODS BY JEREMY WAYNE

WANDERS

TRAVEL

If you’re still undecided where to spend the holidays in this extraordinary year, if social ‘bubbles’ are going to oblige you to exclude extended family and friends from your own table or prevent you from visiting theirs this November, then why not call it quits and think of a Thanksgiving vacation instead? True, New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo is urging us to hold off unnecessary or nonessential travel as we go to press, but Connecticut and New Jersey still form a “safe” partnership with New York. In short, we can travel among these states. Massachusetts is permissible too without quarantining upon return, but may require more caution. So, let’s keep it nice and local. At the ‘refreshed’ Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Connecticut, instead of tiptoeing around Covid, as if it were the nasty thing it undoubtedly is, they have embraced it. Well, metaphorically speaking, that is. Encouraging those who are now working from home to work from Mayflower instead, their smart “Work, Learn and Play in Connecticut” program provides a dedicated business concierge to help you with your office admin and tech needs, as well as tutoring for your older kids. (And for any kids reading this, believe me, if ya gotta do schoolwork, there’s no better place to do it than at the Mayflower.) A childcare service, meanwhile, will take care of

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your younger ones, when you go off and do whatever it is you want to do when your working day is through (or before it has even begun.) At Mayflower, that might be anything from hiking the trails, to therapies in the hotel’s world-class, 20,000-square-foot spa — one of the very best in the Northeast — to cocktail classes with the bar team or parlor games in the renovated parlor. Add a celebrity chef, April Bloomfield, of New York restaurant The Breslin fame (see this month’s Wonderful Dining,) who is now the Mayflower’s Chef-in-Residence, and the Mayflower’s Thanksgiving Feast should be an especially swell affair. Expect a traditional three-course menu with “all the trimmings,” as well as appealing options for non-turkey eaters. Chefs with big city Michelin stars to their name now decamping to the country seems to be a thing right now. Up at Blantyre in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, a hotel that I wrote about at length in Wanders last year, wagmag.com/ ah-back-to-blantyre/ internationally acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud’s threemonth pop-up, which was due to end in October, has been extended through the end of February 2021. The holidays, which have always been wonderfully atmospheric at this storied, Gilded Age property, will now have an added dimension — food that absolutely sings. It will be complemented with wines from Blantyre’s renowned cellar — more than 8,000 bottles at the last count. Oh, and one more thing to add.

Style and comfort at Troutbeck. Photograph by Paul Barbera.

Lobby at the Mayflower Inn & Spa. Courtesy Auberge Resorts.

Blantyre has recently scrapped its “no children under 16” rule, and now welcomes children from the age of 8. That’s a very good thing in my view, showing younger guests that there is fun to be had in beautiful surroundings. (And not to put too fine a point on it, but I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen young children in expensive hotels behaving infinitely better than their parents.)

How safe are hotels exactly? Only you can decide your comfort zone. What I will say is that all the hotels I have looked at for this month’s Wanders have adopted the strictest Covid protocols, while still managing to retain the elements of luxury and escapism that any upscale hotel stay should include. If you like to be beside the seaside, even out of season — and personally I very much do — head down to Cape

Garden shed at Blackberry Farm. Courtesy Blackberry Farm. NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

Congress Hall, Cape May. Courtesy Cape May Resorts.

The bar at Troutbeck. Photograph by Paul Barbera.

The Conservatory at Blantyre. Courtesy Dani Fine Photography.

May, New Jersey’s southernmost point, this month. Congress Hall, an impossibly grand, ocean-facing hotel which has recently celebrated its 200th birthday, stakes its claim as the oldest resort in America, but it is bang up to date with its Covid protocols. UV-light technology for sanitizing, air purifiers in public rooms and enhanced HVAC cleaning systems show this hotelier — like the rest on this page — is taking its responsibilities seriously. Plus, those cobweb-clearing sea breezes also play their part. Thanksgiving dinner is à la carte at Congress Hall, which suits many diners and I’m particularly taken with the website, which happily announces:

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Guest room at Blackberry Farm. Courtesy Blackberry Farm.

“Children under 4 are free.” (It’s not every day you see restaurants giving away children.) Without any inconvenience to guests and barely any interruption of service, the most stringent protocols are followed, too, at Troutbeck, the stylishly restored, historic property with strong literary associations in Amenia, New York. Just seven minutes from Wassaic,

the last stop on Metro-North’s Harlem Line (the hotel will pick you up in its swish X7-Series BMW,) Troutbeck feels like the country house you wish you had — laidback, understated, never showy but supremely comfortable. Log fires blaze in the living room and library, with the sound of cocktails being shaken at the bar — always the best sort of background music. And although currently open to hotel residents only, with the arrival of Gabe McMackin, of Michelin-starred The Finch in Brooklyn as new executive chef, the food at Troutbeck — honest, authentic, of the land but not fancified, is better than ever. There’ll be much to be thankful for at Troutbeck this holiday season — if you can work the trick of a reservation. From the Lower Hudson Valley, it takes roughly 12 hours to drive to Blackberry Farm, the celebrated Relais & Châteaux property in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, where a butcher, a baker, a forager and a cheesemaker all work together with a great chef to create one of the most exciting culinary experiences in all of North America. Once upon a time, any time before March this year in fact, I would have thought twice about driving such a distance when a direct flight from New York down to Knoxville takes less than two hours. But along with Covid has come the need to adapt. My own time clock has been recalibrated and I find myself enjoying driving long distances — relaxed, unwound, unmasked. I won’t be visiting Blackberry this month of course, because Tennessee is a restricted state and besides, the hotel is fully booked over Thanksgiving for — wait for this — the next two years. But I do hope to return one day soon. As they say down on the farm, and it’s worth remembering any time of the year, not just at holiday time: “We’ll handle all the details while you reflect on all your reasons to be thankful.” For more, visit blackberryfarm. com, aubergeresorts.com/mayflower, blantyre.com, caperesorts.com/ congress-hall and troutbeck.com.

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

YOUR ‘OM’ AWAY FROM HOME BY DEBBI K. KICKHAM

WANDERS

TRAVEL

I could write an entire article here just about the bed. The bed that I just experienced at the luxe Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spa in Lenox, Massachusetts, a Hyatt property, was so comfortable that I’m dreaming about it when I’m awake. Here’s what sets it apart: It has a lovely down comforter, but underneath is a secret weapon — a down featherbed that sits atop the mattress. The comforter ($1,825) is Swiss batiste filled with Hungarian down, and the featherbed ($1,200) is filled with down and cotton ticking that prevents the feathers from mixing with the down. (You can buy the set online.) Translation: Your sleep in this unique Miraval bed will be beyond the best. The only other place in the world where I’ve experienced such a bed was at a posh resort in Germany — and I’ve been travel writing for 30 years. I just sank into it and slept like a baby. I’m wildly impressed that Miraval has such an inimitable bed for all of its guests. It’s no wonder that it’s Oprah’s favorite spa. Just opened a few weeks ago, Miraval is already a hit — and, I don’t need to tell you, a true luxury in these unprecedented times. It’s dedicated to offering authentic wellness experiences that support your mental, physical and spiritual well-being, and that has never been more important. There you can find solace, tranquility and respite while you recenter yourself to stay grounded and to be inspired. Each day affords an opportunity to be renewed, excited, challenged and nurtured. I say bring it on. My recent stay included a wonderful session with Annie Kay, an award-winning author, nutritionist and dietician. The class I took with her was on Mindful Lifestyle Transformation, in which she explained

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

Debbi with her new rubber-ducky pal at Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spa.

how to use a mantra in meditation. Applying a great analogy, she said, “Mantra shakes up your ‘snow globe’ and the snowflakes inside. We can make the snow land in a little different place, to change your energy field.” She explained how yoga often uses Sanskrit words like “om,” meaning “creation,” as a way to focus the mind and the breath. Yoga, she said, “is a dance of doing and being….A mantra is gorgeous energy medicine.” I loved every minute with her and look forward to reading her book, “Every Bite Is Divine,” which was a finalist for three national book awards. I also spent a lot of time in the Life in Balance culinary kitchen, where the chickpea-chocolate chip cookies were fantastic. It was great fun to watch Program Chef Adrian Bennett showcase a plant-based barbecue. One of his creations was making seared cauliflower “steaks” in a simple soy sauce. His “Just Cook For Me” class was informative and deeply delicious. I’m still salivating over the quinoa “meatballs” in a tomato sauce. In fact, one couple was so impressed by the presentation that they booked a second “Just Cook For Me” on the spot, for the very next day. Miraval has that effect on you. I also heard raves from two guests, who had experienced a sound energy healing that they said was the absolute best part of their trip. No matter where you are in consciousness, Miraval has well-being activities for you, from mala-making (a mala is Tibet’s answer to the rosary) to Chinese astrology, to even hatchet-

throwing, where you learn to combine breath, focus and intention. There’s also an entire wealth of fitness activities, from hiking to kayaking, yoga and Happy Hips, a unique-to-Miraval offering created at the Arizona Miraval property. Also wonderful — the little yellow rubber duckies you find around the resort, which are outfitted with a spa robe and hair wrapped in a towel! The posh pamperings at Miraval are equally terrific. I experienced a Tulsi rose facial that featured locally harvested flowers and herbs, resulting in a luscious farm-to-face session. But I absolutely thrilled to the Manuka honey pedicure I received from Bridget, whose warm, sunny personality shone through. All of the staffers at Miraval wear name tags that also include a word that describes themselves. Bridget’s was “creative,” but she really should have the word “ebullient,” as she just exuded optimism and charm. My experience with her was a highlight. My stay ended with another class by Annie, a Holistic Metabolic Tune-Up, where I learned that food is medicine, and that eating more fruits and vegetables, and a Mediterranean diet, is really the only way to go. The “magic bullet,” Annie stressed, is movement, especially strength training. “Motion is the lotion,” she explained — and I was on board for all of it. So I have a new mantra, but for now, let me simply chant, “Miraval is marvelous.” How did I ever live without it? For more, visit miravalresorts.com.

Been avoiding seeing your orthopedic specialist? Maybe it’s time to stop putting it off. At Yale New Haven Health, we’ve instituted a comprehensive 10-step safety program in all of our facilities to ensure that everything is clean, safe, and ready to treat you at a moment’s notice. There’s never been a better time to take advantage of our world-class medical expertise in the presence of new, world-class safety measures. greenwichhospital.org

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

SKINNY DIPPING AND MORE IN GRENADA BY BARBARA BARTON SLOANE

WANDERS

TRAVEL

Skinny dipping? Here? How is that possible? I’ve just checked into Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada and now a staff member is showing me to my room (OK, villa). Using a key, she opens the first of two doors and I find myself in a mini courtyard with a shimmering turquoise pool, a patio, a shaded sitting area and steps leading up to my lodgings. Private, concealed, a Caribbean secret garden — and for the duration of my stay — all mine. In this sunny, clandestine enclave (pre-Covid) with or sans bathing suit, pool, here I come. When safe to do so, put some spice in your life. Some islands, like people, luxuriate in their privacy. They lack no social graces and enjoy playing host to visitors, but they’re also comfortable being left alone. This, in many ways, is Grenada. The island’s character results, in part, from being a land of plenty — fishing nets heavy with tuna, mackerel and grouper and volcanic soil so rich that crops seem to spring from the soil as if by magic. Grenada’s interior is lush and mountainous. Waterfalls cascade into sparkling swim-holes and monkeys gorge on papaya and bananas. Spices? Oh yes. The island is chock-a-block with nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, saffron, cinnamon, clove and allspice growing wild on verdant hillsides. All this has resulted in Grenada remaining unchanged for centuries. Because Grenada lies just below the

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southern edge of the hurricane belt, it had not experienced a major storm in more than half a century. Then, several years ago, all that changed. Hurricane Ivan touched down here with such strength and intensity that, within a day, 37 people were dead and almost all of the country lay in shambles. We’re thankful that today when you visit, there’s nothing to suggest that Grenada is still struggling. Indeed, it looks totally unaffected. Homes are once more intact, hotels are repaired and those towering twin palms that covered the island are still there — having bowed to the hurricane’s force and survived. And the Spice Island Beach Resort? Seventy-five percent of it was destroyed. However, Royston O. Hopkin, the resort’s owner, was undaunted. He embarked on a most ambitious project — to oversee the rebirth of his property and make this once outstanding hideaway even more splendid than before. The $12 million dollar rebuilding project opened with accommodations consisting of 64 luxury suites and 34 beachfront units. Janissa’s Spa and Fitness Center has a new 5,600-square-foot home and there’s the Nutmeg Pod, an activity center for kids. Condé Nast named the resort the best in the Caribbean, and it is considered one of the supreme honeymoon resorts in the world. Not to put too fine a point on it, Hopkin himself has received numerous awards, including from Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of St. Michael and St. George and a knighthood. Hopkin explains his mission: “…to meld poetry and modernity into a resort that perfectly blends into its environment

Grand Anse Beach. Courtesy Spice Island Beach Resort.

whilst offering all the luxuries of one of the world’s finest resorts.” He has succeeded royally. UNDERWATER SURPRISES Grenada is a superior Caribbean island for snorkeling and one particular reason sets it apart from all others, The Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park. This collection of contemporary art created by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor is the first of its kind in the world. The artist’s aim was to engage local people with the underwater environment that surrounds them, using works that are derived from life casts of the local

Spice Island Beach Resort.

community. Ranging from solitary individuals to a ring of children holding hands, facing into the oceanic currents, the cement figures sit on the ocean floor. Needless to say, viewing this sculpture while snorkeling is one of the highlights of my visit. Aquanauts is the dive company that makes this adventure possible with knowledgeable, caring instructors who love explaining the oceanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fragile ecosystem. RAIN, RAIN, DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T GO AWAY A visit to the Grand Etang Lake and Forest Reserve is spectacular. This is a popular area in Grenada for hiking and

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

trekking in the rainforest high up in the mountains of the island's interior. Amid elfin woodlands on the slopes of the reserve's central mountains is Grand Etang Lake, which fills the crater of one of the island's extinct volcanoes. Although we had monsoon conditions for most of our excursion, we were still able to wander around Concord Waterfall as it cascaded into the azure pools below. The landscape is lush and fertile, so considering that the almost daily deluge, which lasts just a short time, is largely responsible for this luxuriant beauty, we now looked out of our rain-streaked van windows with grateful and welcoming hearts. FOR THE BIRDS A hop, skip and a jump across the road from the Spice Island Beach Resort is the Blue Horizons Garden Resort, owned by Arnold Hopkin, Sir Royston’s brother, who manages his property with equally skilled stewardship. This is a family-friendly resort providing free babysitting and a compelling attraction: Kids eat free. This is a Green Globe benchmarked property that has an aviary for tropical birds, including the Violet-Eared Dove, Grenada’s national bird. This tiny creature was almost brought to extinction during the ravages of the hurricane, but thanks to a protection program that the resort has in place, it made a comeback. We dined one evening with Arnold Hopkin at his gourmet restaurant, La Belle Creole, as he pointed out the various dove nests he cares for on the restaurant’s terrace. SUNRISE, SUNSET There was no better way to end this Grenadian idyll than with a sunset Champagne cruise. We sipped bubbly and savored the sunset as we sailed along the coast of St. George (Grenada’s capital). Happily the sun cooperated, coloring the sky in hues of gold, pink and finally in silver as it bid us adieu. Grenada is a land of plenty and its very self-sufficiency has kept it largely untouched, hurricanes or no. Its endless views of the sea, the lone fisherman walking along, swinging his catch, the smell of chicken sizzling on barbecues — it’s all here. Residents say that Grenada is the Caribbean’s best-kept secret. Perhaps that explains why this island’s harmonious melody goes on and on…. For more, visit grenadagrenadines. com and spiceislandbeachresort.com.

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

The Moliniere Underwater Sculpture Park.

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

NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

THE NEED FOR BALANCE BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI

“Where there is too much, something is missing.” — humorist Leo Rosten

WELL

HEALTH & FITNESS

Fitness does not always equal health. This statement may seem a bit puzzling to some, but everything comes at a cost, even high fitness levels. What could end up happening is that health is sacrificed to gain fitness and performance, trying to optimize one at the cost of another. Let’s look at some examples: • When close to 1,500 Norwegian group exercise instructors were surveyed, 57% disclosed dealing with musculoskeletal and/or joint injury or pain. For these full-time instructors, they could be teaching very intense classes 20 to 30 times a week. Imagine how tired you are from taking a few a week • Excessive endurance training athletes may have five times increased risk of atrial fibrillation. You can be fit from a cardio perspective but not healthy from a cardio perspective. You can literally run yourself to death. • Bodybuilders have a higher mortality rate than the average person. Take a look at bodybuilders in their 50s and over. How are they moving? How many injuries are they complaining about? • There has been a large increase in number of shoulder and elbow injuries in youth baseball and softball. Is playing a sport year-round doing more harm than good? • About 80% of injuries in golf are due to overuse. How many golf and tennis enthusiasts talk about how much of a

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

The author before the cameras. Courtesy Roselli Health & Fitness.

wreck their bodies are? • There has been a 35% increase in overuse injuries at the gym over the last six years. Getting tired and getting sore not equate to progress. The individual should be treated based on the goal and readiness. For example, there are countless stories of those who haven’t been to the gym in a long time and decide to take a high intensity class. They can’t walk for days, it inhibits anything they want to do in exercise, they probably don’t feel like exercising and they tear up their body.

we want a muscle to grow, then we need to take it to a certain point (a point that it hasn’t reached before) so then it can repair and become stronger for the future. I know many strength and conditioning coaches who do an excellent job of preparing their athletes for the rigors of their particular sports while also allowing them not to get overworked ramping up for a season or competition and then complementing their training in the offseason and preseason. Whatever endeavor we engage in requires variety to promote sustainable outcomes.

SPECIFICITY AND OVERLOAD Two major training principles that I often remind my clients and students of are specificity and overload. The law of specificity states that the more I do something, the better (more efficient) I should be at it. This applies to just about anything in life. Think about the first time that you tried to do something completely new and how over time your body (and brain) adapted to it and improved. In many ways this is good, right? Don’t we want to get more efficient at something, especially when it comes to exercise? However, if we continue doing the same things repetitively over and over, then the body will become so efficient that there will no longer be a training effect. On the other hand, if we do something different all the time, then our body will not be good at anything. It will simply be good at doing a lot of things in a mediocre way at best. The overload principle states that to make progress we must be challenged. If

THERE MUST BE BALANCE Variety and repetition lie on a spectrum. Too much repetition, whether in postures or movements, leads to decay in the body. “Too much” comes at a consequence to our musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, mental/emotional, neural and even gut health. We need variety to optimize our health and performance. However, too much variety doesn’t allow the body to adapt to specific needs. The problem we must solve is how to introduce variety in a structured way so we can achieve specific outcomes while also creating resiliency and sustainability. This is where having an experienced health coach with you provides just the right blend of both structure and variety. This is a topic that obviously runs very deep, so feel free to email me at Gio@ GiovanniRoselli.com for any comments or questions. If there was ever a time to have balance in our lives, it’s now.

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PET OF THE MONTH

PET CARE

Walnut has clearly mastered the head tilt. Courtesy SPCA.

WONDERFUL WALNUT

He’s an adorable, young mix with a name that captures his big brown eyes (though not the “aw”-inspiring head tilt.) Walnut’s just a happy-go-lucky guy in love with everybody. And wouldn’t you know it? Everyone’s in love with him. Walnut just needs a little training as he tends to jump up to say “hello.” But he can’t help it. He’s just a big goofball who wants to say “hi” to everyone he meets. With a little guidance he will surely become a perfect gentleman — though never one who will lose his joie de vivre. To learn more about Walnut and/or set up a meet and greet, visit spca914.org. WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

A WRITER TRYING TO OUTPACE HER PAST A DELIVERY MAN ON THE FRONTLINES AND THE GLASS DOOR THAT DIVIDES YET CONNECTS THEM

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FROM WAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EDITOR COMES A BRIEF TALE OF LOVE AND LOSS IN THE TIME OF CORONA THEGAMESMENPLAY.COM NOVEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

Pet adoption is rewarding and trending. The first few days, however, can be tricky.

bringing your new dog home. • Garden security. Check fences and hedges for gaps, as many dogs are inquisitive and will quickly find escape routes.

FIVE TIPS FOR DOG ADOPTION BY RICHARD CROSS

Adopting a dog is a wonderful experience. What could be more exciting than adding a loving new member to your family? (It’s certainly become a big trend in the coronavirus era, as pets help you to destress and focus on what’s important.) Those first few days are often more difficult than new owners expect, though. Being adopted can be stressful for dogs, even if they are happy to have a home. There’s also a natural period of acclimatization for both you and your pet. To help make the initial period as smooth as possible, here are five tips for dog adoption.

PET PORTRAITS

PET CARE

1. Don’t overwhelm your dog. Moving into a new home is stressful for any dog. There are new smells, different people and everything is unfamiliar. While it’s important to start forming a bond with new pets, you also don’t want to overwhelm them during those first few days. Start by creating a quiet and secluded place for your dog to rest. An open and covered crate can be brilliant for this, although not all dogs take to them immediately. A soft and supportive bed in a quiet corner can work, too. Make a rule that dogs are never disturbed in their safe space. It’s important that your pets know there is somewhere to retreat when they need a break. While giving lots of love is essential, new dogs need lots of calming downtime. This is 94

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

particularly important if there are children in the house. Make sure you mix love and games with quiet time. On a related note, it’s best to avoid visitors during the first few days. While your friends and family will be desperate to meet your pet, this adds more of stress to your dog’s acclimatization period. 2. Make sure your home is safe. The average home contains many potential dangers for dogs. Your new pet won’t understand boundaries, so it’s important to thoroughly dog-proof your house. Some of the most common dangers include: • Cleaning Chemicals. All cleaning chemicals should be kept in a locked cupboard. Many of these contain highly toxic substances. • Medication and herbal remedies. Eating prescription and over-thecounter medication is the most common way for a dog to be poisoned. Keep medications and supplements in a place your dog can’t access. • Human foods. A variety of human foods are toxic if eaten by dogs. These include grapes, chocolate, garlic, onions and avocados. Xylitol, the artificial sweetener, is also highly toxic. • Electric cables. The modern home is filled with cables, which can be a chew target for some dogs. Make sure all cables are either hidden or protected with a cover. • Toxic houseplants. Aloe, jade, sago and other common houseplants are dangerous if ingested by a dog. Identify and check the safety of all plants before

3. Pay close attention to advice given by the shelter. Shelters build up profiles of all their dogs through tests and observation. This allows staff to identify potential behavioural issues, such as food possessiveness, separation anxiety and suitability for re-homing with other dogs. Make sure you pay close attention to this advice. If the shelter tells you that the dog shows signs of toy possessiveness, for example, then don’t try to grab a toy from the dog’s mouth. And if the dog is nervous around children, don’t invite small kids for a meet during the settling-in period. Keep in mind that behavioural issues are often amplified when a dog is anxious. Don’t attempt to “test” your dog. Just give your pet time to adapt to a new environment. 4. Don’t leave your dog home alone. One of the most common mistakes is leaving an adopted dog alone too soon. While you want to give your new pet space, leaving the dog “home alone” can lead to stress, separation anxiety and destructiveness. For this reason, it’s important that there is always someone at home during the first few days — even if that means you need to take some time off from work. Clear your calendar during this time, as the initial period is vital for bonding with your new pet. Once your dog has settled in and is more relaxed, you can gradually build up alone time. Start with just a few minutes and increase the time until the dog is happy to be alone for 20 to 30 minutes. It’s a good idea to record your dog to check for signs of stress. When the dog can cope with 30 minutes alone, it’s probably safe to leave for longer periods. No dog should be left for more than a few hours at a time though. 5. Be patient — This is just the beginning of your new life together. Richard Cross is the editor of TheDogClinic.com. Reach him at richardcross@thedogclinic.com.

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WHEN & WHERE THROUGH NOV. 15 ACT of Connecticut presents “The Last Five Years,” chronicling the five-year relationship between two New Yorkers. With book, music and lyrics by Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown, this 90-minute musical has captured audiences around the world since 2001. In-person and livestream tickets available. 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m., Sundays. 36 Old Quarry Road, Ridgefield; 475-215-5497, actofct.org THROUGH JAN. 3 Hudson River Museum presents “Women To The Fore,” an exhibit that focuses on the rich diversity and range of expression in a group of artists working in painting, drawing, print, photography, collage and sculpture. The installation will gather and compare works from different eras and media and will include interpretations that stems from the artists’ own words. Noon to 5 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays, 511 Warburton Ave., Yonkers; 914-963-4550, hrm.org THROUGH JAN. 24 Katonah Museum of Art presents “Hands & Earth: Perspectives on Japanese Contemporary Ceramics,” an exhibit of 41 works by some of Japan’s most notable artists. The display also provides a comprehensive survey of Japan’s ceramic tradition over the past 80 years, from the Mingei Folk Craft Movement of the 1930s to contemporary ceramic sculpture. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, Noon to 5 p.m., Sundays, 134 Jay Street - Route 22; 914-232-9555, katonahmuseum.org NOV. 2 THROUGH NOV. 1, 2021 The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum presents the third in a three-episode podcast series in the radio play genre, featuring vignettes on a range of Connecticut historical figures as well as sociopolitical issues. “How Worried Should We Be? Hitler on Trial at Ridgefield High, 1934” recreates this trial, offering a snapshot of teenage and educational life in Ridgefield in the 1930s, and questioning how we responded to emerging fascism. 203438-4519, thealdrich.org

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

Nov. 12 — “Short Cuts,” the annual two-part presentation of a selection of short films presented by The Westport Library. Photograph by by Ashley Eakin.

NOV. 5 THROUGH DEC. 5 The 35th annual American Artisan Show returns to benefit the Wilton Historical Society. More than 20 highly skilled artisans from across the country will present their hand-crafted contemporary and traditional designs in an easy to use online shopping venue. Art, fine jewelry, pottery, leather goods, Nantucket-style baskets, candles, Windsor chairs, tavern signs, floor cloths, photography and much more will be available for purchase. 203-762-7257, wiltonhistorical.org

series’ website. The clarinetist will be spotlighted in Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A, K. 581, Bassi’s “Concert Fantasia on Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’” and Ellington’s “Clarinet Lament.” 914-861-5080, friendsofmusicconcerts.org

NOV. 7 THROUGH 11 Friends of Music Concerts will continue its fall series of online chamber music performances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The November program will include a virtual performance by David Shifrin, which will be available on the concert

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum celebrates election year with a “Virtual First Ladies Tea,” featuring a talk by Lisa M. Burns, “The Media’s Fascination With First Ladies,” a hat contest with prizes and a silent auction. 2 p.m. 203-838-9799, lockwoodmathewsmansion.com

NOV. 8 India Center of Westchester presents a Diwali Virtual Shopping Spree. The event will allow local vendors and artists to showcase and discuss their products from their own shops or home. 11 a.m., indiacenter.us

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WHEN & WHERE NOV. 11 The Open MINDS Institute at Fairfield University’s Quick Center for the Arts presents a virtual master class by Erik Novoa, “Opera: Who Cares? And Why Should We.” Opera has captivated its audiences for more than 400 years, because it has presented the essence of humanity — complex emotions overlaid with social interactions. This master class will examine the history of opera and its social significance and connect opera to healing moments during the pandemic and to civil rights issues that permeate our current consciousness. 203-254-4010, thequicklive.com NOV. 12 Join The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum’s exhibitions director Richard Klein and senior curator Amy SmithStewart in this virtual gallery tour, as they delve into artist Frank Stella’s decades-long career using the star motif through the current exhibition “Frank Stella’s Stars, a Survey.” 6:30 p.m. 203438-4519, thealdrich.org. Rye Arts Center presents an in-person paint night out for adults. Participants will enjoy an evening of self-expression through paint while being encouraged to work at their own pace and in their own style. 6:15 to 9 p.m., 51 Milton Road, Rye; 914-967-0700, ryeartscenter.org “Short Cuts,” the annual two-part presentation of a selection of short films drawn from the Tribeca Film Festival and South by Southwest continues virtually, presented by The Westport Library. The second program of specially selected (and often award-winning) films will be followed by a livestreamed discussion among several filmmakers and producer Nancy Diamond. 7 p.m. 203-293-8729, jibproductions.org. NOV. 14 The Ridgefield Guild of Artists opens its holiday-themed exhibit “The Art of Giving” in its gallery and online. Works presented are by member artists, inspired by the theme of the “gift of art.” Registration is required, with a maxiumum of six people per time slot) 34 Halpin Lane, Ridgefield; 203-4388863, rgoa.org.

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

Through Jan. 3 – Julia Santos Solomon’s “Caribbean Thoughts Mashup” (2019), digital print on metal, at the Hudson River Museum. Courtesy the artist.

NOV. 15 The Greater Bridgeport American Guild of Organists presents Michael Kaminski, playing the recently restored 1979 M.P. Moeller - 2013 A. ThompsonAllen III/47 rank pipe organ in the 750-seat, Neo-gothic Cathedral of St. Augustine in Bridgeport. 6 p.m. 399 Washington Ave.; 203-291-9746, greaterbridgeportago.org NOV. 18 Tarrytown Music Hall’s livestreamed “Night In With the Music Hall” series continues with Swedish singer and songwriter Matilda Lindell performing her blend of Nordic melancholy and American country-pop. 6 p.m., tarrytownmusichall.org NOV. 21 Artswestchester will host a Virtual Maskquerade Gala, during which the organization will salute Entergy for its legacy of support for the arts. Along with Entergy, the event will honor Kenneth Jenkins, Kevin J. Plunkett and Jeffrey P.

Haydon for their leadership in the cultural community. The evening will include a special guest performance by legendary jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, who will also deliver a personal message on the importance of the arts. 6 p.m., 914-428-4220, artsw.org Celebrate Livingston Taylor’s 70th Birthday — on his actual birthday — with a birthday concert at the Ridgefield Playhouse at 40% capacity. Brother of James, Livingston recorded his first record at the age of 18 and has continued to create well-crafted, introspective and original songs that have earned him listeners worldwide. For more than 30 years, he has also been a faculty member at the Berklee College of Music where he is a professor of voice. 80 E. Ridge Road; 203-4385795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org Presented by ArtsWestchester (artswestchester.org) and the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County (culturalalliancefc.org./FCBuzz-events.)

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WE WONDER:

IN A DRE ADFUL YE AR , WHAT ARE YOU MOST GR ATEFUL FOR? “Covid-19 started off being incredibly scary for us – so much uncertainty. A friend of mine in London started texting me funny memes and videos each morning. Some were absolutely hysterical – spoofing US and UK versions of the pandemic. He continued week after week, month after month – so much so that I couldn’t wait to wake up and check my phone for these morning doses of relief. Looking back now, and aside from my daughters, it was one of the only things that got me through the pandemic. I am most grateful for friendships and the gift of human connection that can happen anywhere in this world no matter what the planet is going through. Thank you, Raoul.”

“First and foremost, I'm so thankful for my health and the health of my loved ones. I'm thankful for the supportive community (Fairfield/Westchester County) that I am fortunate enough to live, work and play in. I'm thankful for my small business and nonprofit clients, professional colleagues and the incredible media outlets that have been so supportive of so many organizations in our area during this time. Lastly, I am thankful for being able to grow personally and professionally throughout this year, find the silver lining in each day and remain positive and patient as our country and planet work towards the future."

SARAH BAMFORD

SARAH GARGANO

communications strategist at Hybrid Media Greenwich resident

president & CEO of Sarah Gargano Communications New York City resident

“In a dreadful year, I am grateful for many blessings, but perhaps most grateful for the opportunity to work at home with my daughter, Samantha, whose job search for a position with a PR or marketing firm in Manhattan came to an abrupt halt with the pandemic. We have lived the definition of quality time and know that we would never have had this chance without the virus.

“In what has been labeled “the year of dread,” I am most thankful for being more present and not taking one minute for granted. Seeing the silver linings, appreciating them and making a difference for those less fortunate is how I will ride out 2020.”

JORDANA HOLOVACH

RISA HOAG

consultant Rye resident

president of GMG Public Relations Nanuet resident

“In this exceptional and devastating year, I am especially thankful for the opportunity to engage in anti-racism work, helping our Westchester community take important steps to eliminate racism and empower women. This mission, my YWCA colleagues and the embrace of our community at large help me to navigate the pain, despair and anger that we are all experiencing. I am grateful to be learning more every day. In this way, a dreadful year is one of growth. I count on the support of family and friends, and I am ever mindful of the importance of reaching out to help others.”

"In 2020, I'm so grateful for my family and loved ones, my health, gainful employment and the hope for a better year ahead. This year has been tough for all, and I’m looking forward to saying farewell to 2020."

SHIN-JUNG HONG

senior vice president, Nicholas & Lence Communications New York City resident

AMY PALMAN PRICE

chief development officer, YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester Queens resident

"I’m thankful for an amazing community that has embraced Goosefeather with open arms. In a short period of time and during a pandemic, (the community) has welcomed us into their family. I’m thankful for a staff that is more a family than employees. I’m thankful for my wife, Agnes Talde, who is my rock and partner in food and in life. I’m thankful for the health of my family and work family."

DALE TABLE

owner of Goosefeather Fort Lee, New Jersey, resident

100

WAGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2020

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WAG Magazine - November 2020

Articles inside

PathWay’ to opportunity

Foundation with a sweet tooth

Living his truth

On the virtue of patience

And justice for all