Wag Magazine December 18

TRISH REGAN

Raising her voice for working mothers

ARTHUR ASHE

The legacy lives on

BECKONING PATH

A retreat for all times

CLAIRE MARIN Sustainable fare

JASON ROBERT BROWN Songs with meaning

INSPIRED

BY PHILANTHROPY

TONY GOLDWYN

His commitment is no act

JUDGED A

TOP

MAGAZINE

IN NEW YORK STATE 2014, 2015, 2016

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DECEMBER 2018 | WAGMAG.COM

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CONTENTS DECEMBER 201 8

12

44

16

48

The ties that bind

Give and take A different tune

Giving everyday women a voice

20

52

Inspiring the young to a better world

A haven for wellness

22

56

‘Reacting’ to Jason Robert Brown’s music

From playground to gym partners

26

60

30

64

34

66

36

76

38

78

Showing their true (Celtic) Colours

Global stories via art

Time to sip

‘A gentleman and a scholar and a patriot’

The F-word in diets – fiber

A family’s life on film

From Gilda, with love

Cool warrior on the court of activism

Building buzz

40

A stitch in time...

72

COVER STORY

Tony Goldwyn, Extraordinary everyman THIS PAGE:

Arthur Ashe Memorial on Monument Avenue in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, created by Richmond sculptor Paul DiPasquale and dedicated on July 10, 1996. Photograph by Raymond Arsenault, courtesy his new book “Arthur Ashe: A Life” (Simon & Schuster).

See story on page 36.

Holiday delights

82

Spreading the holiday love

I M P O R T A N T J E W E L R Y A T A U C T I O N . Experts in

30 specialty collecting areas; offering auction and appraisal services. Consignments invited. Contact: Katie Banser-Whittle 212.787.1113 or newyork@skinnerinc.com

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FEATURES H I G H LI G HTS

68

WAY Amarpali, mon amour

86

WHAT’S COLLECTIBLE? Man of metal

88

WARES Home for the holidays

90

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Stemming a biological ‘red tide’

94

WHERE ARE THE NOW? Burkelman on the Bowery

96

WHAT’S NEW? Three that give

98

WEAR Neiman Marcus: Gifts that give back

100

WANDERS Alpine nirvana

102

WANDERS New York (up)state of mind

106

WANDERS Holiday splurges

108

WANDERS Giving back to Mother Earth

114

WONDERFUL DINING Restaurant Week: a most wonderful time of year

116

WINE & DINE An outsider makes good

118

WELL The Orange Theory of everything fitness

120

WELL No butts about it

122

WELL Slow and steady wins the fitness race

124

PET OF THE MONTH ‘Whatever Lola wants’ …

126

PET PORTRAITS The power of a puppy

128

WHEN & WHERE Upcoming events

132

WATCH We’re out and about

144

WIT What do you want most from Santa this year?

22 38

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COVER STORY TRISH REGAN

Raising her voice for working mothers

ARTHUR ASHE

The legacy lives on

BECKONING PATH

A retreat for all times

CLAIRE MARIN Sustainable fare

JASON ROBERT BROWN Songs with meaning

INSPIRED

BY PHILANTHROPY

TONY GOLDWYN

His commitment is no act

JUDGED A

TOP

MAGAZINE

IN NEW YORK STATE 2014, 2015, 2016

WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE

DECEMBER 2018 | WAGMAG.COM

COVER: Tony Goldwyn, photographed at the Greenwich International Film Festival.

Photograph by John Rizzo.

See story on page 72.

94

108

114

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

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

MARKETING/EVENTS Tracey Vitale EVENTS COORDINATOR tvitale@westfairinc.com

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CIRCULATION Marcia Rudy CIRCULATION SALES marcia@westfairinc.com

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WHAT IS WAG?

Billy Losapio 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 914694-3600, ext. 3032 or email anne@westfairinc.com. Advertisements are subject to review by the publisher and acceptance for WAG does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service. WAG (Issn: 1931-6364) is published monthly and is owned and published by Westfair Communications Inc. Dee DelBello, CEO, dee@westfairinc.com

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COVER STORY: GEORGETTE GOUVEIA, PAGE 72

Oops!

We had a number of boo-boos in our November story on the Canell twins (“Doubles Team,” Page 64).

First, we misstated their job title. Jay and Neil co-head The Canell Group, under the exclusive umbrella J.P. Morgan Securities.

Then we proved that we are not ready to play lacrosse or football. Both played Division 1 lacrosse in college — Jay on defense, Neil on offense — at Lehigh University. When they played football, Neil was the quarterback, Jay the wide receiver. Our apologies to the Canells.

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WAGMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2018

EDITOR’S LETTER G EO R G E T T E G O U V E I A

WE CLOSE OUT OUR YEAR OF INSPIRATION with the annual giving issue — a subject that is more complex than it would seem. Generosity is a central tenet of all religions and ethical belief systems. And yet — as you’ll read in our opening essay — no one wants to be coerced into giving.

For a gift to mean anything, it must come from the heart with no strings attached.

Fortunately, there are many great-hearted people in this world and in this issue, including our cover subject, Tony Goldwyn.

This scion of Hollywood’s Goldwyn family — and star of the recent ABC hit “Scandal” — is the quintessence of easygoing kindness, whether he’s talking to fans or the press. And he extends that kindness to the world as an ambassador for Stand Up to Cancer and a spokesman for Americares, an international medical relief organization based in Stamford.

He leads what we think of as an allstar lineup of generosity — the late activist, athlete and Armonk resident Arthur Ashe, subject of Raymond Arsenault’s monumental new biography; Chelsea Clinton, who continues to exhort children to better the world and themselves in her new book; and Fox Business Network host Trish Regan, new to Fairfield County and Fox prime time but not to the business of mentoring working mothers.

There’s also Claire Marin, whose Catskill Provisions works to sustain the environment and local economies; Broadway composer Jason Robert Brown, who is devoted to The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence; Good Threads, a needlework company with a strong clientele here, empowering workers in Haiti to improve their lives; Fondation Valmont, drawing attention to the endangered gorilla and clean water nonprofit One Drop with a series of artworks by Valmont Group President Didier Guillon; the USTA Employee Green Committee, supporting the environment and Ronald McDonald House of the Greater Hudson Valley ; and Nudo Adopt, replenishing olive trees in the Italian countryside — to name a few.

Jeremy weighs in with the latest trend among hotels, airlines and their guests — “voluntourism” to nourish the planet we all travel. But sometimes it doesn’t take a village, just one person to help start a revolution (Phil’s story on Revolutionary

War patriot Haym Salomon) or transform a life (Jena’s piece on White Plains resident Laura Schroff, author of “An Invisible Thread.”)

Of course, people also give back through their work, which Emily Dickinson might’ve called their “letter to the world.” While the rest of us are kicking back at the end of the year, Darlene Love is giving holiday concerts through Jan. 31.

But she tells Gregg that she always makes time for her family at Christmas. Doug revels in the Celtic strains and “leg-stomping” rhythms of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island. Gina enjoys an international array of work at the Fairfield University Art Museum. Jena profiles William Dickerson, who recalls the troubled soul of his talented sister and a challenging time in the history of Yonkers in his new film, “No Alternative.”

Wilton designer Joanna Buchanan (Mary’s story) and Wares columnist Cami help you get ready for the holidays while Wanders columnist Barbara helps you plan your escape to the Finger Lakes and 1000 Islands region of New York state. Wonderful Dining columnist Aleesia takes you to Restaurant Week as well as the Alps where she has an epiphany about growing up, growing older and growing wise.

We have gifts galore courtesy of Wanders columnist Debbi as well as Neiman Marcus, whose annual fascinating fantasy gifts support its Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. You’re sure to find a little something for yourself as well. And, in that spirit, Meghan took one for the team and pushes herself to the limit at Orange Theory Fitness and Apex. I even got into the act, experiencing EMSCULPT-ing at Greenwich Medical Spa, which uses electromagnetic technology to simulate tens of thousands of sit-ups and squats. Yowza.

As I lay there getting our considerable “ass”ets spanked (sort of), I thought of all the fun assignments I’ve had for WAG, like the Masquerade Fete inaugurating the revamped Saks Shops at Greenwich.

(See our Watch pages.) Where else but at WAG could work and play tango so deliciously?

Editing WAG is the gift that keeps on giving.

May your season of giving back be merry and bright.

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ADVANCING CARE. HERE.

G GIVE AND TAKE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

RECENTLY, I RECEIVED A LETTER that floored me — so much so that I read it twice before I tore it into pieces.

It was a fundraising letter from an organization with which I’ve had a long association, demanding a $6,000 contribution. I can only suppose that the number was based not solely on my past generosity — which in no way approached $6,000 — but rather on my appearance and position as WAG editor-in-chief. But the letter — which had none of the savvy of “We hope you’ll be as supportive as you have in the past” or even a tiered contribution system — missed the true nature of giving, which is bound up with the sanctity of the

Pompeo Batoni’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son” (1773), oil on canvas.

Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna.

The painting is based on the biblical parable of forgiveness. But isn’t the story also a metaphor for the role of individual free will in generosity?

DECEMBER 2018

WAGMAG.COM

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individual giver. For anyone who has ever received or given a gift — particularly in this the season of giving — knows that a gift is as much about the giver as it is about the recipient.

Now what do I mean about the sanctity of the individual? To wit: You cannot “require” a gift from anyone. Yes, I know President John Adams said, “There are only two creatures of value on the face of the earth — those with the commitment and those who require the commitment of others.” But the corollary of that is that someone can — and probably will — refuse the commitment, Adams’ estimable opinion notwithstanding.

And yet, some seem not to understand this.

When I discussed the letter with other members of the group — assuming they, too, had received similar letters and would be at least sympathetic — I was floored a second time. They suggested I talk with the head of the organization.

But why should I? What I choose to do with my money is my own business. I felt like saying, “What are you, a bunch of sheep?”

Instead, since I’m a writer — and, as Nora Ephron (or more accurately, Nora Ephron’s mother) liked to say, “Everything is copy” — I decided to write about our misunderstanding of the role of the individual in giving. It has taken me back in my mind to a philosophy class in logic that I attended as a freshman at Trinity College in Washington, D.C. The professor, whose wife was a feminist, announced on the first day to the all-female assembly that women were illogical creatures.

That made me determined to ace the course, but it wasn’t easy. Indeed, he always got us with such tricky thought experiments as the one in which we had to save a city but could only do it by sacrificing someone else’s life. Seems a simple numbers game, right?

Except, the professor said, you can’t quantify life. One life isn’t worth more or less than another or 1,000 lives or 10 million. So you can’t sacrifice someone else’s life to save the city. You have to let the city go. That’s why Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was unwittingly correct when he said, “A single death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic.” I’m not suggesting “Uncle Joe” — as President Franklin D. Roosevelt slyly called him — was a champion of individual freedom. Far from it. But rather that a single death is as important as a million, because a million deaths is made up of one million single death.

Just as you can’t sacrifice someone else’s life,

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WAGMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2018

“LEND YOURSELF TO OTHERS, BUT GIVE YOURSELF TO YOURSELF.” — Michel de Montaigne

you can’t force someone to give you a gift — no matter how often you may hint. And you can’t require someone to give you as much or the same as he has given someone else. The Gospels contain two beautiful and beautifully confounding parables on this. The Prodigal Son is feted by his father on his return, leaving the loyal, elder son who has “never received so much as a young goat to celebrate with friends” considerably miffed. In a separate, vineyard parable, the workers hired late in the day receive the same pay as those who arrive early, angering the all-day laborers, who clearly didn’t have a collective bargaining agreement.

The parables are, of course, about Jesus calling the Gentiles as well as the Jews, God’s Chosen People, to his mission. But there is a practical, secular lesson here: Someone else’s property isn’t yours to bestow, even if you anticipate it as a potential inheritance from your parents.

Individualism trumps giving. That’s why when you encounter real sacrifice — a real gift of the self — it’s so precious and poignant. We all know O. Henry’s story “The Gift of the Magi” in which a poor husband and wife fulfill each other’s heart’s desire on Christmas, ironically rendering the gifts useless. She sells her long hair to buy a chain for the pocket watch he has sold to buy her a set of hair combs.

But hair grows back and the couple might one day have enough to buy another watch. Their gifts — which come from self-sacrifice and a true tribute to the other’s self — are an investment in their future together.

How much greater then is the sacrifice of your own life for those of your friends? In “The Thin Red Line” — Terrence Malick’s impressionistic film of James Jones’ novel about the Guadalcanal Campaign in World War II — the Christ-like Pvt. Witt (Jim Caviezel) draws the enemy Japanese away from his unit, ensuring the unit’s escape and his own death. It’s a conscious decision that Witt and his comrades do not debate: This is his gift to them — a gift of time. He will not take “no” for an answer.

Part of the beauty of a true gift is that the receiver understands and accepts it with a gratitude that does not deny the equality of either the recipient or the giver. Witt dies and his buddies honor him by burying his body before they depart their island locale for the next encounter.

This is perhaps the central tenet of all religions — the subjugation of the one for the good of the many. And yet, we are told, God gives us all free will. Maybe he shouldn’t have done that if he expected perfect obedience, no?

Or perhaps the God of all religions understands that without that free will, a gift has no meaning.

I will, of course, make a donation to the organization. That’s the price of belonging. Also a fortune cookie at the Chinese restaurant where I regularly write said: “Make a small donation. It’s the right thing to do.” (The universe speaks.)

But I also heed the words of the French Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne, who wrote: “Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself.”

T

A DIFFERENT TUNE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

THE LATE VIOLIN VIRTUOSO ISAAC STERN once told us that if you can sing or play Mozart, you can do anything.

To which Trish Regan attests. “It’s so true,” she says. Regan is perhaps best known as the only female host in TV’s coveted 8 p.m./EST slot since the October debut of “Trish Regan Primetime” on Fox Business Network. But she was once a lyric coloratura — so talented that she received a contract from Bremen Theatre in Germany, a country that knows a thing or two about composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

During her student days at the New England Conservatory in Boston, she says, “I sang all the ‘-ina,’ ‘-ana’ roles” — referring to opera shorthand for Mozart’s ingénues and maids, parts that require high, light, flexible voices. So when she began anchoring “Street Smart With Trish Regan”

Trish Regan, host of Fox Business Network’s “Trish Regan Primetime.”

Photographs courtesy Fox Business Network.

DECEMBER 2018

WAGMAG.COM

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Trish Regan speaks at Jefferson Awards Foundation 2016 National Ceremony on March 2, 2016, at Gotham Hall in New York City. Photograph by Craig Barritt/Getty Images.

on Bloomberg Television in 2010, she was nervous, but only briefly.

“I thought, ‘You got this.’ I didn’t have to sing, just speak — and in the English language, not Italian, French or German.”

Moreover, all the preparation that goes into classical singing — all the hours she spent as a Phillips Exeter Academy student, listening to recordings of soprano Renata Tebaldi and tenor Franco Corelli in the bedroom of her Hampton, New Hampshire, home, where she grew up the daughter of a journalist mother and a father who was an amateur jazz pianist — has brought her to this moment.

“Music taught me the importance of a work ethic and of an ensemble,” she says, a lesson she continues to apply now that she has made the shift from the afternoon to evening format. (Previously at Fox, she was the host of “The Intelligence Report With Trish Regan” at 2 p.m.)

Since “Primetime” comes on long after the stock market’s close, she says, “we take a far more macroeconomic view, looking for things fundamentally from a political and economic perspective. For example, this article will come out after the midterm elections, but how will the midterms affect the economy? The caravan (of migrants that recently made its way from Central America to the U.S. border) will have an important affect on trade with Honduras and Guatemala.”

This leads to the inevitable question about whether or not Fox’s conservative political slant determines what is essentially a business program.

“I’m my own person and I have my own views.

That’s what affects me most. I’m not influenced by what some opinion provider is doing.”

Regan is fond of quoting Neil Cavuto, senior vice 18

WAGMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2018

"MUSIC TAUGHT ME THE IMPORTANCE OF A WORK ETHIC AND OF AN ENSEMBLE" — Trish Regan

president, anchor and managing editor of business news for the Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network: “We’re not red. We’re not blue. We’re green.”

Perhaps its her Yankee roots — not Yankees roots, she’s a Red Sox fan — but Regan has always had an independent streak that has enabled her to make some tough choices. One was to forgo a professional singing career.

“It was a very hard decision,” she says. “Anyone who is set on one path and life and has to make that choice knows how challenging it can be. …I worked hard at it. I was good at it. But I didn’t love it.”

As her uncle, a Connecticut economics professor, advised her, “You have to weigh your opportunity costs” — what you might’ve gained had you chosen another alternative.

Making the choice more bittersweet: Regan received the opera contract at Bremen Theatre the day she got into Columbia University, where she ultimately majored in history.

Another fork in the road would soon present itself. While at Columbia, she got a job at Goldman Sachs analyzing emerging markets in Latin America.

She filed news reports every day, which she liked — so much so that when a full-time position there was in the offing, she had other ideas in mind. She thought of her mother’s career in print journalism and her own fifth-grade reports for the Hampton Union. Regan got an internship at NBC News. She had found her path, one that would take her from CBS in 2001 to CNBC to Bloomberg Television to Fox, which she joined in 2015.

Regan is still singing, if for a smaller audience.

Remembering her days performing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” particularly as Miss New Hampshire — she represented the state in the 1994 Miss America pageant — she made a recording of the National Anthem and “God Bless America” for her children, twin daughters and a son. The kids have helped inspire her to mentor women and mothers-to-be.

On girlboss.com, she recently wrote an impassioned op-ed about the need for mothers to bond with their newborns, something she regrets not doing more of. Regan took six weeks off after her daughters were born and only three after the birth of her son — not because she was pressured to cut her maternity leave short by CNBC and Bloomberg Television respectively — but because she put pressure on herself.

“What I now realize,” she wrote, “is that I was striving to prove something — to myself, to my bosses and perhaps even to my gender. As a kid I used to love wearing a T-shirt that read, ‘Anything boys can do, girls can do better.’

“But women should never be made to feel this way. We prove ourselves every day and don’t owe anyone any more proof. Women shouldn’t have to feel bad about taking time for themselves and for their families, if they choose that.”

It’s a viewpoint that Regan conveys to women — and — men on her team: Strive for a work-life balance. And she practices what she preaches. Though she misses the dinner hour with her family because of her time slot, she makes sure she has breakfast with the kids each morning and drives them to school — tag-teaming family responsibilities with her supportive husband, an investment banker, at their Fairfield County home. (“We love it here,” she says. “I don’t know why we didn’t move here sooner.”)

You might say that for Regan, it comes down to what another singer, Aretha Franklin, once sang — “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.” “I want the people I work with to know that they’re valued and I value their contribution to the world.”

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INSPIRING THE YOUNG TO A BETTER WORLD

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

W

hen Chelsea Clinton hit the road in 2015 with her first book, “It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!”, designed for ages 10 to 14, the question naturally occurred: What about their younger siblings?

“I’ve been spending time with young activists,” Clinton says. “I wanted to share their stories and answer their questions.”

What she found, however, was that younger children don’t have the same questions or concerns as older ones. For example, they’re interested in different animals than their older siblings are.

And so, her new book, “Start Now! You Can Make a Difference” (Philomel Books, $16.99, 126 pages), which is designed to motivate the 7- to 10-year-old set to improve the world in areas ranging from health to the environment to bullying.

Not that they need any motivation. In these pages, you’ll meet kids who will make you feel like a slacker. There’s 7-year-old Isiah, a Virginia boy who was so outraged by the clean water crisis in Flint that he was determined to donate drinking water to an elementary school in the Michigan city. Told the school had enough, he hit on a hand sanitizer campaign, raising enough money to donate a twoyear supply of hand sanitizer to every school and homeless shelter in Flint.

Pennsylvanians Roldan and Devin, 14 and 10 respectively, noticed that there were more mosquitoes in their hometown, in part because draining the local swimming pool each spring killed off the tadpoles that would eat the insects as mature frogs.

The brothers made aquariums to house 2,000 tadpoles, releasing them when grown. The result was an ecosystem rebalanced.

Katie, a third-grader in South Carolina, grew a cabbage so big it weighed as much as some first-graders. She donated it to a soup kitchen, then persuaded her school to start a vegetable garden.

That gave rise to Katie’s Krops, which now has 100 gardens in 33 states aiding the food-insecure.

For those of us who haven’t yet gotten the ball

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Chelsea Clinton recently appeared at Barnes & Noble Eastchester with her new book, “Start Now! You Can Make a Difference.” Courtesy the author.

rolling, Clinton offers historical examples, practical tips at the end of each chapter and fun facts.

(Did you know that blood circulating through our bodies travels 12,000 miles daily? That’s farther, she writes, than the distance between New York City and Antarctica.) Such tidbits are accompanied

by Siobhán Gallagher’s often whimsical drawings.

(We particularly like the one of dinosaurs lolling on a beach.)

The writing, too, is designed to draw young readers in.

“I think it’s important not to talk down to kids,” Clinton says, “to be respectful and accessible.”

“Respectful and accessible” are words that might be applied to Clinton herself. She is in conversation just as she appears on TV or on the campaign trail — at once poised and polished, breezy and warm (“Hi, it’s Chelsea”). And grateful: “Thank you” is a phrase that comes readily to her.

Surely, if there was ever anyone who understood the high-profile challenges of childhood, it is Clinton. She grew up before our eyes as the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State and U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first woman to be nominated by a major political party for president of the United States. The media was not always kind — kindness being a subject she tackles in “Start Now!” They scrutinized everything from her looks to the Clinton family dynamic. Small

wonder that when Barron Trump — the 12-year-old son of President Donald J. Trump — was criticized for wearing casual clothes last year, Clinton took to Twitter to defend him: “It’s high time the media and everyone leave Barron Trump alone and let him have the private childhood he deserves.”

Clinton emerged from her own youth with an armload of degrees — an undergraduate one from Stanford University, masters from Oxford and Columbia universities and a doctor of philosophy in international relations from Oxford — and an impressive résumé that has included stints at “NBC Nightly News,” the consulting firm McKinsey & Co., Avenue Capital Group and New York University.

She has brought the reporter’s and academic’s love of research to her career as a children’s author.

“I read a lot of nonfiction for this age group,” she says of the preparations for the book, “talked with a lot of kids and absorbed their language.”

Children are never far from her thoughts. A mother of two — Charlotte and Aidan, with husband Marc Mezvinsky, an investment banker — Clinton says she spends a great deal of time on early childhood and nutritional initiatives as vice chairman of the Clinton Foundation. But she also shares her mother’s passion for saving the endangered African elephant.

With five books under her belt — the others are “She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World,” “She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History” and, with Devi Sridhar, “Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why?” — Clinton has a couple of more in the pipeline, though it’s too early to discuss them, she says.

For her, writing begins with notes on paper. The actual writing and rewriting is done on computer.

Not for her a half hour here and there, though.

“I have to make time to write, to reflect and then to rewrite,” she says.

For more, visit penguinrandomhouse.com.

Follow Chelsea Clinton on Twitter @ChelseaClinton and on Facebook at facebook.com/ chelseaclinton.

Chelsea Clinton recently appeared at Barnes & Noble Eastchester with her new book, “START NOW! You Can Make a Difference.” Courtesy the author.

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R

‘REACTING’ TO JASON ROBERT BROWN’S MUSIC

BY GREGG SHAPIRO

THEATERGOERS WILL MOST LIKELY know the name of musical theater composer/ playwright and Ossining native Jason Robert Brown from his award-winning musicals “Parade,” “The Bridges of Madison County” and “The Last Five Years,” the last of which was made into a movie starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. Brown would like to see “Parade” — which he calls “a very cinematically designed experience” that represented a collaboration with director Hal Prince, writer Alfred Uhry and himself — make the leap to film, as well. He would also be “thrilled” if “13,” which “may actually get made into a movie” came to pass, in spite of its short run on Broadway.

Brown, who left Ossining at the age of 5 says his primary memories of the area involve

Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He became a Rockland County kid, where he lived until he went to college. A Manhattan resident, which “makes the most sense” for the work that he does, Brown hopes that “once the kids are out of school and things have slowed down a little bit,” he can “get back to a way of life that feels more like” the one in which he grew up. He points out that in the song “Anywhere But Here,” from his musical “Honeymoon In Vegas,” a woman sings about taking a train to Mount Kisco from which she glimpses a house with a swing set and thinks that’s the life she’s supposed to have. “I sometimes feel like her,” he adds. WAG recently spoke with Brown about his theater work, as well as his new album “How We React and How We Recover.”

“Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes,” your debut solo album, was released in 2005 and your second solo album “How We React and How We Recover” (Ghostlight) was recently released. After a 13-year span between albums, why was it now the right time for you to record a new one?

“The original plan, when ‘Someone Else’s Clothes’ came out, was to do an album every year, every two years, start a career as a singer/songwriter. I think two things happened. The first was that touring, which you have to do in order to get the album to sell, was taking me away from my family all the time. It was gratifying to do the concerts, but it was a lonely life on the road. I didn’t feel like it was a trade-off with which I was entirely comfortable.

“The second thing that happened was between the time that ‘Someone Else’s Clothes’ came out and now, I’ve had four shows on Broadway and they’ve taken up a lot more of my time than I had expected, which sounds stupid and naïve. I think I had assumed that I could pull off the singer/songwriter things around the shows. That proved not to be true. I could only handle having one career at a time, if I was also going to have a family and a life.”

Jason Robert Brown.

Photograph by Matthew Murphy.

Speaking of family, one of the distinguishing things about “How We React and How We Recover” is the way your daughters are referenced in the songs “Hope,” “A Song DECEMBER 2018

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About Your Gun” and “Hallowed Ground.”

“I think my daughters are very happy about it in the first place. The album is very much a sort of appraisal of my life at this point. So as much as my daughters show up on the album, my wife (songwriter Georgia Stitt) shows up on the album. Politics shows up on the album and my entire being at 47, 48 years old shows up on the album. That is the difference between this and the musical theater work. This is stuff that comes from inside me in a very direct way. I think of this work as much more autobiographical than, for example (the stage musical) ‘The Last Five Years,’ which everyone just assumes is me having taken dictation on my first marriage, which is not, in fact, the case.

“I think of this album as trying to translate my direct experience into song. When I have to sing as myself, it’s not any different than when I have to write for character. When I write for character, I have to embody the character. For me to write songs for myself, I have to be able to embody myself and put myself into song. Which is not true of (the song) ‘Melinda’ (laughs) but, other than that, I think in most cases of the album it’s pretty clearly me in there.”

“Hope,” which opens “How We React and How We Recover,” was recorded by Betty Buckley on her most recent live album.

Buckley has been singing and recording your songs for several years. What does it mean to you to have someone such as Buckley as a champion of your work?

“I think to have Betty Buckley as a champion of my work is thrilling and unexpected.

What’s amazing about Betty is when I first came to New York she was probably about the age I am now and she, unlike anyone else of her generation of performers, said, ‘This is the kind of material that I want to sing,’ and she took on (my song) ‘Stars and The Moon.’ She’s been singing my songs for more than 20 years now.

“It’s a real tribute to her — not so much, ‘Oh, what great taste she has’ — (but) that she wanted to explore material by newer writers — not just explore it, but really commit to it. You see that on the ‘Hope’ album. On the story-songs album before that, she does three of my songs. She’s always been a champion of a very specific kind of writer.

I guess I just fall into that box, which I’m very happy to do.”

Are there any new theatrical projects in the works that you would like to mention?

“There are always new theatrical works on the horizon. There’s nothing that I’m able to announce yet, because they’re all off a couple of years. I’m keeping my cards close to my vest until I know which one is in pole position. For the time being, I’ve got the album and I’ve got my concerts. Every month, I’m in residency at a club called SubCulture down in the Village. We’ve just done our 42nd concert there. Every month I have different guests who come and sing and make music with me. For almost four years now, that’s been one of the main creative outlets in my life. I’m excited that that’s going to keep going on, once a month throughout the new year. A lot of the songs on this album were actually born in that residency while I was there with my band, feeling the pressure to present new music. I also have an enormous commitment to The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.”

Jason Robert Brown performs monthly at SubCulture, at 45 Bleecker St. in Manhattan.

For more, visit subculturenewyork.com.

A longer version of this story is posted to wagmag.com

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SHOWING THEIR TRUE (CELTIC) COLOURS

BY DOUG PAULDING

I RECENTLY RETURNED FROM THE GREATEST MUSICAL FESTIVAL you’ve never heard of. Most everyone has heard of Newport Jazz Festival, which I attended for a couple of days in early August, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, on the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May. But Cape Breton Island and Nova Scotia have a fest, too.

They hosted Celtic Colours International Festival for nine days in early- to mid- October.

The festival began in 1997 and has quickly become an annual tradition for many, performers and attendees alike. It is intentionally set in early October to take advantage of autumn’s wonderful gift to Cape Breton. The terrain, the weather and the magnificent maple and birch

Photographs courtesy Celtic Colours International Festival.

foliage are outstanding. Even larch trees, a coneand needle-bearing tree, turns bright honey golden before needle drop each year.

I do have a Cape Breton connection. My grandfather was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and, as a toddler with his parents, moved to Plymouth, Massachusetts. Many of his relatives moved to Cape Breton. As an adult, he, his wife and their daughter, my mom, would drive for days on dirt roads to visit relatives regularly whenever they could. I visited a couple of times while in grade school in the late 1960s and a couple of times as an adult. It

would be difficult to find a more beautiful place on the planet, with the surrounding ocean and cliffs, mountains and lakes, rivers and trails and wildlife everywhere, along with charming coastal towns and small vibrant cities. But there is a darker side to the island. It can be a forbidding and harsh environment in the winter, as very northern Atlantic environments tend to be. But residents have supported themselves year-round by farming, fishing, mining, tourism, construction and making or repairing things.

When I visited in the ’60s, it was very insular.

There was little movement on or off of the island.

We could get maybe three TV channels if that. Every house had a large antique-looking radio. And most every house had, as a necessity, a musical instrument or two or three. The highland music of Ireland, Scotland and Cape Breton was typically a piano, a fiddle, a guitar, maybe an accordion and some bagpipes, known locally as pipes. To brighten the atmosphere, someone in the house would play something, another might join in, someone might dance a step or two and harsh environment be gone.

But the ’70s and ’80s led to a bit of an exodus of the younger generation seeking higher education, city life and jobs. A 1971 documentary called “The Vanishing Cape Breton Fiddler” became a local call to arms. The Rev. John Angus Rankin, known as Black Angus, began the Cape Breton Fiddlers’ Association to ignite more interest and reinvigorate passion in the craft. In 1973 Black Angus organized and hosted a concert, a renaissance of the fiddle, in the micro town of Glendale (a church and a community center, that’s it) with more than 130 fiddlers playing in unison. One of the evening concerts I attended was in the community center, where some of the Cape Breton Fiddlers’ Association, 40 strong, played each song note for note in unison.

This year’s Celtic Colours festival had a printed guide, also to be found online, to show all that is available. There were 49 concerts and cultural and educational learning environments all over the island. Want to try the fiddle? Accordion? Want to learn blacksmithing? Want to learn a few words of Gaelic? Want a guided hike into a semi-remote area? Tour a coal mine? Make an indigenous drum? Watch whales from a boat? Learn to square dance? Well, we did just that, among other things.

We attended the Celtic Music Interpretive Center on the west coast in the town of Judique for some inspired music and lunch. At one point our sweet, gray-haired waitress couldn’t take it anymore. She put down her note pad and tray and

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went to the front of the musicians and did a bit of step dancing. Then someone else stepped up, then another, then an Appalachian clogger stepped up and threw down his version of footwork.

Then they cleared the tables and chairs for a square set introduction. The piano player stood up and gave some square-dancing instruction and then we moved to regular square dancing, with him calling the moves. Square dancing is still a regular thing in Cape Breton. Nighttime Celtic club music often encourages square dancing. I had not square-danced since seventh grade when I hated it.

The teacher would put on a scratchy and crackling 45 rpm record, which talked us through the moves.

We did it in gym class where I much preferred soccer, dodgeball or football.

But at this Celtic center, we promenaded, partnered and corner danced and grand chained as instructed and I proved definitively that you do not need skill to have fun. I later asked Rosie MacKay, a relative of mine in Margaree Harbour on the west coast of Cape Breton, if square dancing was a regular part of their life. “Oh yes,” she said. “Most of my life, two or three times a week.”

The nightly concerts we attended were generally small-venue events. The bigger ones were high school auditorium- or gymnasium-size so throughout the festival there was not a bad seat in

the house. The smaller community center venues were close and intimate. The format for each show was similar, with different musicians, some formal bands and some more random collections of talent, playing some music. Then another assemblage of musicians would play a few, then they would take a short intermission. The second part of the show was more of the same followed by a finale with every musician of the evening participating for a final energetic piece, usually accompanied by some enthusiastic and highly skilled, though some less so, step dancing from the musicians.

Some songs would start slowly and sometimes stay that way. Others would start slowly and change

a few times, accompanied by audience hoots, to a manic level of excitement. Other songs were high energy from the start. Mairi Rankin, from one of the thoroughbred musical families there, played her first two fiddle notes of the evening and kicked off her heels. There was no toe tapping here. No heel thumping. This music tends to be high spirited and happy and nothing less than a full leg stomp will do, often with both legs. Mairi said between songs, “Celtic Colours is better than Christmas. It’s a homecoming of lifelong friends and musical associates. We have so much to catch up on.”

A longer version of this story is posted to wagmag.com

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G ‘A GENTLEMAN AND A SCHOLAR AND A PATRIOT’

BY PHIL HALL

MOST HISTORY BOOKS FOCUSING ON THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR offer in-depth consideration of the economic conflicts that helped fuel the break between England and its American colonies. Much less historical coverage is given to the financial challenges that the Americans faced in financing the conflict itself. War might be hell, but it isn’t cheap.

One of the behind-the-scenes heroes in helping to keep the American war effort afloat financially was Haym Salomon. For many years, his contribution to the revolution was either forgotten or marginalized. Even today, the depth of his work to bring about a free United States is underappreciated.

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Sketch of Haym Salomon that was used in the Heald Square Monument. Courtesy U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

Salomon was born in Lissa, Poland, in 1740. His family was descended from Sephardic (Spanish and Portuguese) Jews who were expelled from their homeland during the Inquisition. In his youth, he traveled across Europe and displayed a talent for absorbing languages. In 1772, he left Poland following the partition that divided the nation between Prussian and Russian occupation and eventually settled in New York City as the Revolutionary War was beginning to take root.

Although new to the American colonies, Salomon quickly gave allegiance to the fight against the British crown and became active in the New York Sons of Liberty. In 1776, he received a contract as a supplier for American troops stationed in central New York. In 1777, he married Rachel Franks, whose brother Isaac was a lieutenant colonel on

George Washington’s staff.

The British forces learned of Salomon’s activities in the Sons of Liberty and arrested him for espionage. However, Salomon’s captors felt he could be of service to them as a translator for the Hessian mercenaries imported from Germany to fight against the American forces. Salomon was released and agreed to communicate with the Hessians, although he disregarded the British messaging and encouraged the mercenaries to defect from their duties. Salomon also helped engineer the escape of several prisoners in British captivity.

However, the British were not as inefficient as Salomon might have imagined and he was arrested again in early 1778 and sentenced in a military trial to execution by hanging. But the resourceful Salomon hid some gold coins in his clothing during his captivity and bribed a guard, thus enabling an escape to Philadelphia, where he was joined by his wife and their newborn.

Salomon petitioned the Continental Congress in August 1778 for employment, noting his service to the patriots’ cause while in New York. The Continental Congress did not respond to his inquiries, so Salomon turned his focus on growing his own financial brokerage business.

By 1780, Salomon was drawn back to the cause of American independence by serving as a financial liaison with the French government and its military presence in the colonies. He gained appointments as broker to the French consul and treasurer of the French armed forces aiding Washington’s army. He also secured a spot as the fiscal agent to Chevalier de la Luzerne, the French minister to the nascent United States.

Salomon also worked with the Dutch and Spanish government representatives of the era in a similar position, mixing diplomacy and finance in order to cement ties between Old World kingdoms and the New World republic. In these roles, Salomon directed foreign funds into the Bank of North America, the financial institution founded

by Robert Morris, the superintendent of finance for the new American government. Without this input, the young nation would have been flat broke.

In the final stretch of the war, Washington found his army running on financial empty. Through a mix of fundraising and personal loans, Salomon provided more than $650,000 (approximately $10 billion in today’s money) to finance Washington’s military campaign. He also advanced funds to members of the Continental Congress — the same body that refused to employ him a few years earlier — and to several high-level federal officers who were not being paid by the new government for

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their services. Although these were loans, Salomon charged interest that was far below the market rates of the day, and he was in no rush to require repayment.

No less a figure than James Madison, the future author of the U.S. Constitution, was reliant on Salomon’s generosity during this period of colonial financial difficulty. “The kindness of our little friend in Front Street, near the coffeehouse, is a fund which will preserve me from extremities, but I never resort to it without great mortification, as he obstinately rejects all recompense,” Madison stated. “The price of money is so usurious that he thinks it ought to be extorted from none but those who aim at profitable speculations. To a necessitous delegate he gratuitously spares a supply out of his private stock.”

Salomon was also a prominent and proud figure within Philadelphia’s Jewish community. He was one of the original members of the Congregation Mickvé Israel of Philadelphia and the treasurer of a philanthropic Jewish organization that aided the destitute of all faiths. He also led an effort to force the Council of Censors of Pennsylvania to drop the oath that prevented non-Christians from holding political office and defended the Jewish community from scurrilous newspaper reports that

slandered all Jewish business people as being war profiteers.

Into the early 1780s, Salomon’s health began to give out. He contracted tuberculosis and died at the age of 44 in January 1785. At the time, he had not been repaid for his loans to the new American government, which left his widow and children deeply in debt. Efforts by his family in the 19th century to seek compensation were routinely ignored by Congress.

Recognition of Salomon’s efforts on behalf of the Revolutionary War was very slow in coming. A movement in 1893 to create a special Congressional Gold Medal honoring Salomon came to naught.

Congress got around to honoring Salomon in 1936 with a resolution to build a statue of him in Washington D.C., but funds were never appropriated and the project was forgotten. In 1943, the U.S. Navy named the Liberty Ship S.S. Haym Salomon in his honor.

In 1976, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring him as part of the bicentennial, which may have been the first time many Americans became aware of his work.

Outside of government, efforts to reclaim Salomon’s legacy percolated in the mid-20th century. In 1939, Warner Bros. produced the short film “Sons

of Liberty” starring Claude Rains as Salomon and Gale Sondergaard as his wife, Rachel. This film, directed by Michael Curtiz, won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (two-reeler). In 1941, best-selling author Howard Fast wrote the first biography on the patriot, “Haym Salomon, Son of Liberty.”

Subsequent biographies aimed at adult and young adult readers have since been published. Also in 1941, Chicago unveiled the Heald Square Monument, which featured Washington, Salomon and Robert Morris as equals in a planning conversation.

Salomon has also become the subject of a few amusing myths. For years, conspiracy theorists insisted the Star of David pattern on the Great Seal of the United States was a tribute to Salomon that was ordered by Washington. It was actually a constellation designed to create a symmetrical balance for the odd-numbered 13-star formation and had no religious symbolism. Another tale has Salomon interrupting a solemn Yom Kippur service to respond to a plea for funding by Washington. No such incident occurred.

Perhaps the most eloquent tribute to Salomon can be found at the base of the Heald Statue, with an inscription that reads: “Haym Salomon — Gentlemen, Scholar, Patriot. A banker whose only interest was the interest of his Country.”

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SAI NT L AU RE NT

A FAMILY'S LIFE ON FILM

BY JENA A. BUTTERFIELD

W

hen film director William Dickerson was growing up in Yonkers, he learned that life doesn’t always follow a script. So, he wrote one.

“This is the movie I always wanted to make,” he says of his coming-of-age film, “No Alternative,” which made its East Coast debut at Yonkers Film Festival (YoFiFest) in November.

To shoot the film, Dickerson had to return from Los Angeles with actor Harry Hamlin in tow, turn his parents’ dining room in Colonial Heights into a production office, filling his friend’s house with a bustling film crew and setting about Westchester County to capture the backdrop of his teen years circa 1994.

Dickerson’s characters — loosely based on his childhood friends — hang out in Bronxville, on Central Avenue and at Asbury Church in Crestwood overlooking the Bronx River Parkway.

“We scouted a few locations for schools,” says Dickerson, who attended St. Joseph School in Bronxville and Fordham Prep in the Bronx but, for the movie, shot at Riverside High School on Warburton Avenue.

“The location is breathtaking,” he says, “with great views down the (Hudson) river.” He also shot at the Bronxville Boy Scout Cabin, The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester and at a recording studio in Bridgeport.

The screenplay for “No Alternative” was adapted from Dickerson’s 2012 novel of the same name and deals with themes of mental illness, addiction and suicide. It is a music-driven film rooted in the early ’90s when the alternative rock counterculture spread east from a garage in Seattle.

In the aftermath of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain’s suicide, angst-y teens like Dickerson formed fledgling garage bands and the Grunge era took off. “I was 15 years old when I picked up a guitar.”

But Cobain’s death had another, more sinister effect. Suicide shot to the forefront of public consciousness. That’s where Dickerson’s story begins.

The specter of suicide hangs over several of his

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Harry Hamlin filming a scene in the Colonial Heights neighborhood of Yonkers. Photographs courtesy “No Alternative.”

characters. High school senior Thomas Harrison (played by Conor Proft) forms garage band Latterday Saints. “The band is loosely based on my band,” Dickerson says. “And the songs are our songs from 20 years ago.”

Thomas’ sister, Bridget (played by Michaela Cavazos), bucks against the garage-band trend and does something true to the real spirit of punk. “She embarks on this amateur rap career,” Dickerson says.

Bridget creates a persona of a local male gangster rapper, Bri Da B, and takes her show on the open mic circuit to places like Slave to The Grind in Bronxville.

The character is based loosely on Dickerson’s own sister, Briana, who assumed the same persona. “My sister is compelling,” Dickerson says.

In the film, Bri Da B takes the stage at Slave to the Grind armed with a tinny sounding synthesizer then rhymes and swears her way to mixed response. Her act was both a form of rebellion and — what Dickerson knows now — an outlet for her troubled mind.

“To recreate those scenes was emotionally trying,” he says. “It’s like a wound I willingly kept open.”

For the film, he says he wanted to shoot at the actual coffee shop but “the (village) of Bronxville wouldn’t allow it.” So, those scenes were shot in a Brooklyn loft. The owners of the coffee shop let them use their merchandise anyway. “We still call it Slave to the Grind. That’s where I used to hang out and where my sister hung out.”

Dickerson’s effort to destigmatize mental illness is

at the root of many of his choices for the film.

He purposefully didn’t give the character of Bridget a diagnosis. “In a more traditional movie they’ll say ‘this is the mental illness the character is suffering from,’ but the way it works with most people is that it takes a long time to be characterized as that illness,” he says. Dickerson’s own sister went 10 years without a proper diagnosis.

It is unclear in the film what part of Bridget is genius and what needs serious help. Dickerson wanted to portray how difficult it can be for family and friends to recognize the line between a nonconformity they admire and full-blown mental illness.

In another scene, one of the characters commits suicide but the motivation is not clear. “That’s how mental illness occurs in reality,” Dickerson says. “To think that every suicide adheres to the same fashion is wrong. Your mind demands an answer and a reason but you’ll never get that reason.”

When Dickerson wrote the book on which the film is based, he was trying to communicate the torture his family endured from his sister’s repeated suicide attempts. “I wanted to show her through this story (of ) how suicide could affect a family.” She died two years after the book was published.

Hamlin (“Mad Men,” “L.A. Law”) plays the father in the film, a character loosely based on Dickerson’s own father. The real Thomas Dickerson was a Yonkers stalwart who served in city, county and state government in various posts during a

critical time for Yonkers in the 1980s.

Most famously, he helped force compliance to a court order in favor of desegregation. It was a hard-fought battle for the city, depicted in HBO’s “Show Me a Hero.”

“I made the father more stern,” Dickerson says. “As teenagers, we begin to view our parents as the enemy.”

At some point, though, children grow up and former adversaries become friends. “My father loved the whole process so he was thrilled to be a part of the behind the scenes and he was very excited Harry Hamlin was playing him in the movie.”

At their family home in Colonial Heights, “Harry would sit where my dad sat (at the dinner table). I would sit in my chair,” Dickerson says.

Thomas Dickerson passed away in July and never saw the completed version. But he did see the trailer.

“I wanted him to see it on the big screen,” Dickerson says. “So, I kept encouraging him to wait.”

YoFiFest was a full-circle moment for Dickerson, who finally got to show the indie film on the big screen in his hometown. “It’s like home-court advantage in a way. But also, extremely nerve-racking.”

“Shooting in Yonkers was a great experience. Mayor (Mike) Spano really helped shepherd this film.”

“It’s a mountain that I had to climb …and I climbed it.”

Conor Proft as Thomas in a still from the indie film “No Alternative.”

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COOL WARRIOR ON THE COURT OF ACTIVISM

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

A

hero doesn’t choose the fight.

Rather, the fight chooses the hero, who then chooses to accept and engage it with grace and courage.

Arthur Ashe “was one of the great figures of the 20th century,” says Raymond Arsenault, author of a monumental new biography of the onetime Armonk resident who died at age 49 in 1993. Ashe was a man who saw his activism in the arenas of civil rights and AIDS awareness as more important than his athleticism and groundbreaking accomplishments on the tennis court. Today he serves as the spiritual father to Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James and Steph Curry.

Ashe had an Apollonian cool that stood in vivid contrast to the Dionysian fire of Muhammad Ali led some to label him unjustly as an Uncle Tom. “I have come to feel he was like (former President Barack) Obama, with a wry sense of humor and a certain self-protection,” says Arsenault, a leading civil rights historian who is the John Hope Franklin professor of Southern history at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg. “Friends have described him as cool, collected, a paragon of civility. He believed deeply in activism, pushing for social change.

But he hated emotionalism in public, believing that when people get emotional, they lose their way.”

Ashe’s reserve and intellectual rigor could make him a challenging interview, as this reporter found on several occasions. But the press also knew that amid the social turbulence of the 1960s through ’80s, you could always turn to him for clarity on the issues of the day. He was the steady tiller in the storm.

That role was partly the result of his genetic makeup, the dynamics of his family and the precariousness of growing up black in a Jim Crow South — specifically Richmond, Virginia, capital of the former Confederacy — that was about to see enormous changes.

At about the same time segregation was falling with the birth of the civil rights movement in the 1950s, Arsenault says, upwardly mobile

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Arthur Ashe serves to Orlando Bracamonte of Venezuela during a Davis Cup match, Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver, Colorado, Sept. 15, 1963. AP Images. All photographs courtesy Raymond Arsenault’s “Arthur Ashe: A Life” (Simon & Schuster).

Arthur Ashe talks with young fans in Soweto, South Africa, Nov. 23, 1973. Photograph by Gerry Cranham/Getty Images.

blacks were being ushered onto narrow avenues of white acceptability. They were seen as natural entertainers or athletes — in what Arsenault calls a “romantic racism” that was more insidious but no less dangerous than overt racism.

“Only a few athletes escaped that,” he says. “Arthur Ashe was one of them.”

A painstaking researcher, Arsenault paints a detailed portrait of the two rigid disciplinarians who were the architects of Ashe’s escape — his father, Arthur Sr., manager and security guard of Brook Field Park, Richmond’s largest black park; and Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Sr., who dedicated himself to developing black junior players at a kind of tennis boot camp and to desegregating the sport. In Ashe — who had learned the game at Brook Field from collegiate player Ron Charity — Johnson found a willing pupil, one who strove to compensate for his slight build by hitting 1,000 tennis balls daily before breakfast.

There was another, more poignant figure in Ashe’s early years — his tenderhearted mother, Mattie, who died amid the complications of her third pregnancy, leaving 6-year-old Arthur and baby brother Johnnie, an extroverted toddler, motherless. The trauma of

her death spurred the aloofness that would characterize Ashe in later years.

And yet, the reader can’t help but conclude that this remove — together with his natural athleticism and intellectual curiosity — contributed to Ashe’s trailblazing career in one of the most individualistic of sports.

He was not the first black athlete to succeed in it. That distinction goes to another Johnson protégé, Althea Gibson, who won 11 Grand Slam titles. But, Arsenault says, “she didn’t want to be a symbol.” Ashe, who became the first and only black man to win the US Open in 1968 — the year Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated — picked up the mantle.

A UCLA graduate and Army officer who headed the tennis program at West Point, Ashe was the first athlete to appear on CBS’ venerable newsmagazine “Face the Nation.” He wrote the three-volume “A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African-American Athlete” and was instrumental in the anti-apartheid movement, boycotting tournaments in racially divided South Africa after initially thinking he could engage that nation on integration by playing there.

Reviewing Arsenault’s book in The New York Times, Touré praised it as “a deep, detailed, thought-

ful chronicle of one of the country’s best and most important players,” adding, “I wanted to hear more, though, about Ashe’s game and what sort of player he was on the court.”

Arsenault — author of books on the Freedom Riders and contralto Marian Anderson — acknowledges that he approached his subject, over a nine-year period, from a civil rights perspective.

“I love tennis,” says Arsenault, a Sunday-morning doubles player “on the soft courts of the St. Petersburg Tennis Center,” “but the book is more about how Ashe used tennis as a platform.”

Still, there is much to consider in a career of firsts — first and only black man to date to win singles titles at the Australian and US Opens and at Wimbledon, where he electrified Jimmy Connors and the crowd in 1975; and the first black player and only black captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. Few fans will forget the moment in which a drenched, drained John McEnroe — having defeated Mats Wilander in a six and a halfhour 1982 Davis Cup quarterfinal match, thus ensuring America’s place in the semis and, as it turned out, the cup victory — collapsed in Ashe’s arms in tears.

“The Wilander match was one of the greatest moments in Ashe’s career,” Arsenault says. Even the stunning 1975 upset of Connors couldn’t compare, he adds, because for Ashe it was less about him winning as an individual and more about the success of team U.S.A. The two Davis Cup stalwarts were an odd couple — the cool Ashe, the fiery McEnroe, whose antics were not about gamesmanship, Arsenault says, but about the quest for tennis perfection.

“In the years since Arthur’s death, John has always been there” to support Ashe’s charitable interests as well as his legacy, which includes the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens.

But it was more than that: Each complemented the other. Indeed, in Ashe’s book “Days of Grace,” Arsenault notes, he wrote that he would’ve given anything to be McEnroe for 24 hours to know that kind of expressivity.

It was not his nature, though. And so when he was forced in 1992 by a forthcoming USA Today article to reveal he had AIDS — which he acquired in a tainted blood transfusion during heart bypass surgery in 1983 — he channeled his anger into AIDS awareness and other causes. Even as he was dying, he still took part in a protest outside the White House against the George H.W. Bush administration’s treatment of Haitian refugees.

Talking about Ashe’s contributions to the world, large and small, Arsenault asks: “Who does this?”

A hero who responds to the fight.

Raymond Arsenault’s “Arthur Ashe: A Life” (Simon & Schuster, 767 pages, $37.50) is available wherever books are sold. For more, visit The Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA and the Arthur Ashe Endowment for the Defeat of AIDS at arthurashe.ucla.edu.

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BUILDING BUZZ

BY GINA GOUVEIA

T

elling the stories of those who labor for the future health of the planet never gets old. Claire Marin, the founder and CEO of Catskill Provisions, is one of those fearless souls who left the corporate world behind to do just that, and she is leaving an impenetrable mark. Businesses like hers and other small-batch, craft product manufacturers are not in the game merely for financial remuneration. They share a driving passion for the land, their crops and the ecosystems they build in the process.

In Marin’s case, she formally established her business in 2010 with three lofty missions — to preserve environmental sustainability, support local economies and protect our pollinators. Speaking with her, I quickly discovered that she is not only tenacious and knowledgeable but as capable and hardworking as a queen bee. “I’ve always thought of the world as a hive. It suits my way of thinking about sharing and collaboration and makes sense to me,” she says.

And to think it all started with one beekeeping kit in 2003. Marin gifted it to her then partner and now, wife, Cathy, for purely selfish reasons, she told me. Her intention was to start an apiary at their country house in the town of Long Eddy in Sullivan County. One apiary led to another, and the raw, natural honey production that began as a hobby and for gift-giving, spawned the artisanal fine food and beverage company Catskill Provisions. Honey was the first product in its lineup, which now includes maple syrup, pancake mix, truffles, natural ketchup and even infused craft spirits.

Marin’s love of nature was heightened, she says, when her family lived on Ilhabela, literally “beautiful island,” an archipelago four miles off the coast of São Paulo in Brazil. Aged 10 when they moved there due to her father’s work, she said, “I remember that as a transformative time in my life — surrounded by the natural beauty of the island, the horses, the cows and the most incredible sunsets. It was like a dream. I was very fortunate to have lived there for four years.”

Marin said that she has reinvented herself three times professionally. Her first career was trading in oil commodities, developing relationship and

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xxxx Claire Marin. Photographs courtesy Catskill Provisions.

sales skills that enabled her long and successful “second act” in magazine publishing. These roles provided a strong foundation upon which to start a business, but it was Marin’s determination and sense of responsibility that created one with a social and environmental conscious. Her vision, simply stated, “to share the ways of health and sustainability.”

For the past eight years, she has been educating consumers about, among other things, reducing sugar consumption. A little raw honey goes a lot further as a sweetening agent and packs a far greater nutritional punch.

In early 2010, around the time that Marin left her associate publisher’s job at More magazine, she noticed the small-batch distillery movement gaining momentum in farming communities across New York, now a nationwide phenomenon. With honey at the core of Catskill Provisions’ product line, it served as the inspiration for its NY Honey Rye Whiskey, lightly infused with the nectar of the bees, mellowing the grain’s inherent sharpness. Adding just a bit of honey makes the whiskey more palatable and eliminates the need for sugary mixers. It naturally complements herbaceous, floral and fruity components, demonstrated by the wealth of recipes for deliciously sippable cocktails offered on the company’s website.

Barreling of the whiskey started in 2010 and sales launched in 2013. A successful newcomer to the scene, the brand has already earned major industry recognition, of which Marin is proud.

On the largely male-dominated turf — with some 1,700 craft distilleries in the United States — only a handful are owned and operated by women.

“Diversity makes everything better,” she said.

“If we could get more women into it, we could really improve things.” Speaking of the courage it took to turn that one jar of honey into a growing and sustainable company, Marin says that she speaks on many panels for women, advising, “You have to be nimble and have a very clear idea of your ultimate goal for a business, keeping it in sight at all times.”

(She spoke at Westfair Communications Women in Food, Beverage and Hospitality event in October.)

Marin is mastering the complex art and science of spirit production thoughtfully, after conducting exhaustive research in the field. Next year’s rollouts in the spirits line include NY Pollinator Gin, infused with botanicals, and NY Pollinator Vodka, both made from non-GMO corn, a crop abundant in upstate New York. The first phase of a new distillery housed in a converted barn on the Long Eddy property will be completed this winter. Next summer, Catskill Provisions will reveal its first-ever tasting room in an old firehouse building in nearby Callicoon.

The company has a manufacturing partner for some of its products, Glen Copack, a division of Glen Industries in the Finger Lakes region. This nonprofit is run by The Arc of Schuyler — one of 52

ARC chapters around the state — which provides job training and employment opportunities for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Having met her goal of injecting revenue into the small communities of the Catskills in Sullivan and Delaware counties, Marin is expanding into nearby Madison County. A range of 1 to 3 percent of sales is donated to organizations working to save our nation’s pollinators. Formerly underutilized workers and farmers are benefiting from her expansions.

When beekeeping came into her life, Marin, already fascinated with the myriad variety of pollinators, was keenly aware of their decreasing populations around the world.

“We’ve seen a pullback (in the decline),” she reports happily, “particularly in Europe where regulations went into effect banning nicotine-based pesticides, resulting in a significant decrease in bee deaths. From a rate of 47 percent, it’s down to 17 percent.” The rate of attrition in a hive should be closer to 10 percent, numbers not seen for decades, particularly in the U.S. Without the pollinators, our food chain is drastically compromised. According to the website for nonprofit Greenpeace, honeybees perform 80 percent of all pollination worldwide and are responsible for roughly one of every three bites of food we take. On her 32 acres in Long Eddy and throughout the farmland region of the state, Marin would like to see more development of wildflowers to benefit all the pollinators. To that

end, she has also started to plant milkweed — a food source for monarch butterflies — the syrup from which will be used for the forthcoming Wanderer Gin. Organizations that benefit from the sales of Catskill Provisions’ products such as the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and the Natural Resources Defense council (NRDC), among others, are lobbying for more stringent regulations on pesticides and promoting the leading preservation method at work today — restoring ecological farming that will improve pollination. With what she describes as a “view from 100 feet,” Marin is more than doing her part. Recently, she started a collaboration with a neighboring farmer and has just planted seven acres of rye, a hearty cover crop that helps mitigate field erosion and grows throughout the winter with harvest in early spring.

In parting, Marin suggested one last, but highly effective and effortless practice worth adopting for those with a lawn or yard that will help our pollinators. “Allow your dandelions, which most find to be a nuisance,” she says, “to stay on your property for just three to four days after they bloom before removing them, as they are the first ‘flower’ on which pollinators feed in the early days of spring.” This small action goes a long way in helping your local bees have a happy and productive season. No wonder, then, that the motto adopted by Catskill Provisions is “happy bees make better honey.”

For more, visit catskillprovisions.com.

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Stitchers for Good Threads, a philanthropic effort based in Haiti, earn up to five times the average wage for the area, allowing them to create a stable home life. Courtesy Good Threads.

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A STITCH IN TIME...

BY MARY SHUSTACK

T

he needlepoint belts, key chains and dog collars offered by Good Threads caught the eye of WAG’s editor in chief when she was attending The American Gold Cup at Old Salem Farm in North Salem this past September.

The story behind these distinctive, 100 percent hand-stitched designs held her attention even longer, especially when keeping this issue’s theme in mind.

Good Threads, it turns out, works side by side with the Joan Rose Foundation ( JRF) in Haiti to provide, as its handout card notes, employment to more than 150 men and women, donating a portion of each sale in the form of home-cooked meals to the children the foundation serves. One belt, for example, is equal to 15 meals.

Good Threads is often in WAG country, having previously exhibited at events held at Greenfield Hill Congregational Church in Fairfield, as well as at Fairfield University. In addition, it has exhibited at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport, Woodway Country Club in Darien (where it returns Dec. 6) and in November, at the Rooms with a View 2018 interior design show in Southport. Through Dec. 24, Good Threads will be participating in the Union Square Holiday Market in Manhattan.

WAG was able to connect with David Palmer, who co-founded Good Threads in 2013 with his brother, Tim. A cell call from Haiti gave a look into the organization that is fueled by philanthropy.

Good Threads, a social business, supports the work of the nonprofit JRF, named in honor of the Palmers’ grandmother and founded in 2010 in the Dominican Republic where it began serving a few dozen children by providing nutrition, education and more. David Palmer quickly realized that employment for the parents of the children served would only strengthen the chance for consistency for the children.

With the population of the children served continuing to grow, Palmer began to investigate the production of needlepoint belts as a viable form of employment for the parents. Working with his brother, who has now gone on to serve in the military, Palmer formally launched Good Threads.

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In 2015, due to unrest in the Dominican Republic, the foundation, Good Threads and its core families relocated to Jacmel, from where Palmer spoke with us.

He told us of growing up in suburban Detroit, going on to study political science in college and eventually ending up in the Dominican Republic.

He wasn’t, he shared, a “super-committed” student — “I just wanted to ski.”

Eventually, though, he settled down and began his path to giving back.

Working with the JRF, he realized that to make true progress, its reach had to go beyond the students it served.

“I look at it as an organism,” he said. “Poverty is a complex project.”

To make change, he said, “It has to be a multipronged approach.”

Good Threads helps families create income for their household, employing stitchers to create the needlepoint goods and paying them up to five times the average wage in Haiti for the work. As shared on its site, Good Threads also provides financial assistance for its employees’ emergency medical bills and other medical expenses, while the JRF provides funding for all of its children’s significant medical bills.

Palmer’s compassion extends beyond the workday. He and his wife have been caring for four children whose mother, a stitcher for the company, passed away. The adoption is set to be finalized soon,

Good Threads founder David Palmer and his family. Courtesy Courtney Frazee.

he said, adding that they look forward to bringing the family to visit the United States.

Today, the needlepoint products are sold online but also through events and retail outlets primarily in the Northeast, Midwest and deep South, Palmer said.

The company also offers custom work, “probably the biggest part of our business,” he added. Nautical flags can be customized, for example; hobbies or corporate logos can be incorporated into designs.

Dream Kitchens and Baths

Looking ahead, Palmer said he sometimes struggles with “trying to be different than other needlepoint outfits out there,” but realizes he’s not “reinventing the wheel.”

Good Threads, he said, is instead distinguished by what’s behind its products.

“I can look someone in the eye and tell them our story.”

For more, visit goodthreadsllc.com.

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THE TIES THAT BIND

BY JENA A. BUTTERFIELD

MAURICE MAZYCK HAS LIVED AN ACCOMPLISHED LIFE. He’s been research director for a college program called the Fatherhood Initiative, a spokesman for the Male Development Program at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, founder of his own construction firm and father to seven thriving children. But most impressive, you might argue, is that he’s been a survivor.

Against all odds, Mazyck survived a childhood of neglect, violence and poverty in a family fueled by drugs and chaos. But a desire for something more — and a chance encounter at a young age — helped Mazyck break free of the trap he was born into.

White Plains resident Laura Schroff is a former advertising executive who grew up in a family of six on Long Island then moved to Manhattan for a career-driven life working for companies such as Time Inc., Condé Nast, USA Today and People magazine.

Laura and Maurice on the 25th anniversary of their meeting. Courtesy “An Invisible Thread.”

Though Mazyck and Schroff lived a mere two blocks apart in 1986, their worlds could not have been more different.

Back then, 11-year-old Mazyck had an instinct to survive driven by the only constant in his life — hunger. That hunger often spurred him to panhandle on the busy sidewalks of Manhattan. On one of those occasions, he caught Schroff’s attention and the trajectory of his life changed forever.

“An Invisible Thread” (Simon & Schuster, 2011) — which Schroff wrote with Alex Tresniowski, a former senior writer for People magazine — is the true story of her encounter with Mazyck, their unlikely friendship and the difference one small act of kindness can make in a life. This coming May, the book will be adapted for young readers. It’s an inspirational story.

As Schroff made her way through a bustling midtown that day, Mazyck — homeless and hungry again — begged her for change.

She walked right on by.

Initially to Schroff, Mazyck seemed like “the kind of nuisance New Yorkers learn to tune out,” she wrote of their initial meeting. But, as she continued to walk away, her mind suddenly registered his young age and heartbreaking words: “I’m hungry,” he had said.

She stopped in her tracks. It was a turning point for both of them.

“Stopping was never part of the plan,” she writes.

But she felt compelled to return to the boy and feels now that she was driven by something unexplainable that bound them to each other, an invisible thread.

Schroff took Mazyck to McDonald’s. That day turned into every Monday. Soon, their weekly

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meetings led to more. In one of the book’s most touching moments, Schroff asked Mazyck if she might give him money for food every week. He told her he didn’t want her money but asked if she would mind packing him brown paper bag lunches for school. To Mazyck, kids who had brown paper bag lunches were loved. Bringing something homemade would show his schoolmates someone cared about him.

Moments like that enriched and defined both of their lives over the years, teaching Mazyck how to be a tender, responsible young man and Schroff how to be a nurturing, important presence to an impressionable child.

In the closing of the book, Mazyck said it best himself. “I know ‘An Invisible Thread’ is about an unusual friendship between two different people, but I think it is about much more than that. It is about a mother longing for a child and a child longing for a mother.”

That was in evidence at Schroff’s 50th birthday party at The Westchester Country Club in Rye. Mazyck delivered a heartfelt toast, telling her he believed God had sent him an angel.

While recounting Mazyck’s story in the book, Schroff weaves in pieces of her own. She writes about her father’s abuse as well as her brother’s and mother’s untimely deaths. Readers get the sense that Mazyck and Schroff really saved each other.

And, in saving each other, they made a connection we may all find if we just open our hearts and choose to be kind.

“An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-YearOld Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive and an Unlikely Meeting With Destiny” is available at amazon. com. For more, visit lauraschroff.com.

Laura Schroff and Maurice Mazyck in 1986.

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G GIVING EVERYDAY WOMEN A VOICE

BY MEGHAN MCSHARRY

IT’S BEEN PROVEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN: Women have more of a problem talking themselves up than the opposite sex. Even today, amid the ongoing #MeToo movement and with women rallying to support and empower one another, many women still hesitate to talk about the successes and achievements in their careers.

This Girl Can Run The World, a new digital community and editorial platform, hopes to change that. After graduating from Greenwich High School in 2013, Kitty Schur moved to Los Angeles and earned a degree in film and communication for entertainment from the University of Southern California. She began her career working for numerous female empowerment initiatives, which sparked her passion for promoting and supporting career-oriented women.

In today’s landscape, digital media have proven powerful tools. Nonetheless, it’s increasingly

difficult for the average person to break through the noise and gain recognition online and on social media. Most digital platforms catering to millennial women tend to focus on celebrities and influencers rather than giving “regular” women a voice. Schur notes that much of the digital content covering female empowerment was split between celebrating these influencer/entrepreneur types, or alternatively, focusing on survivors of sexual harassment.

“So here I was seeing women bonding in the face of adversity through movements such as Time’s Up and #MeToo and then, on the other side of the spectrum, I saw this rise of what I call the ‘hashtag bossbabe’ group, which was this novelization of this idea of being an influencer/women in business,” Schur said.

While women who have developed large followings through being influencers do deserve a place to speak about their experiences, an accessible place for everyday girls to tell their own stories was lacking.

“After a couple months of going to every female empowerment conference, panel and networking group, what became crystal clear to me was there was no company that was supporting women who were on the way,” Schur said.

“I realized that everyone who had attended the conferences and events I had gone to was sitting in the crowd for one reason,” which was that they wanted to join the conversation, but without being a part of that inner circle of influencers and celebrities.

They didn’t know how to have a voice, she says.

“They had thoughts and ideas and opinions and they were sitting there because they wanted to become part of this community and become part of the ‘women who work’ narrative.”

Designed to celebrate, educate and empower women of all ages who are on their way up in their respective careers, This Girl Can Run The World gives a voice to women who are not yet influencers, CEOs or executives, but rather everyday women who deserve recognition for the strides they’ve made in their lives, both personal and professional. They are the “girls” who can run the world, but aren’t quite there yet. The platform encourages women to speak up, tell their stories, legitimize their voices and use those voices to help other women.

“Social media is a game you have to play” in today’s world, Schur notes, adding,“I didn’t like the rules (of social media), so I decided to create This Girl Can Run The World as a community that would challenge them.”

“You can’t complain about the rules and players who are getting ahead in their careers if you just sit there with your head stuck in the sand. You have to take action. You have to be proactive.

“Having a meaningful digital footprint is essential in order to succeed in your career in 2018,” she says, regardless of what industry you’re in. “You have to be finding a way to translate some of your experience and expertise onto social to get ahead.”

This Girl Can Run The World helps women do

Kitty Schur.

Photographs courtesy This Girl Can Run The World.

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so by featuring people on the site. Since its late-September launch, a dozen women have already been profiled. The interviews feature a first-person story from each woman in which she explains her education, background and how she came to be in her current role. The women talk candidly about their role models, successes and struggles and advice for other women. Rather than coming from a person with seemingly unattainable success like an influencer, these people are real. They’re normal, professional women who, in many ways, remind us of ourselves.

Each woman receives additional publicity on This Girl Can Run The World’s social channels, which include an Instagram page curated with a combination of artfully edited and aesthetically pleasing images, quotes and photos of the newest “This Girl.” (The women are photographed in basic — yet effortlessly trendy — clothing in front of simple backgrounds for a cohesive theme.) Having already garnered thousands of followers, This Girl Can Run The World is on target to see tremendous growth in the following months and, in turn, help its girls continue building their own digital footprints.

Since launching, Schur has already seen tremendous interest in the company — so much so that the site will become membership based in 2019.

“The membership portal’s launch will enable so many more women to get involved with This Girl Can Run The World on a more accessible scale and will allow more women to reap the rewards of being part of this inspiring and well-connected com-

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Calamigos Ranch in Malibu was transformed into a rustic retreat to for the Sept. 29 party celebrating the official launch of This Girl Can Run The World.

munity,” she said. “I’m excited to start traveling and meeting more women by bringing This Girl events all throughout the country in 2019.”

Schur’s plans remind us that while we millennial women are the first generation to be mindful of our social media presence (and Google search results), we’re also the first generation that has the opportunity to write our own stories into history using digital

media. She hopes that This Girl Can Run The World will help facilitate this for women nationwide.

“More than anything, I hope This Girl Can Run The World will remind women anywhere that no matter what point they are at in life or in their career, they deserve to be heard and they should be celebrated.”

For more, visit thisgirlcanruntheworld.com.

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W A HAVEN FOR WELLNESS

BY LAURA JOSEPH MOGIL

AT THE END OF A LONG, WINDING DRIVEWAY leading to a secluded 27-acre lakefront property in Armonk stands a private home known as the Beckoning Path, a stunning, mid-century, 8,000-square-foot residence.

Beckoning Path was originally owned by Ted Nierenberg, who founded Dansk International Designs. The home was created in the 1960s by celebrated Dansk designer Jens Quistgaard and embodies a mid-century Scandinavian sensibility, incorporating wood imported from Denmark, vaulted ceilings, vast glass walls and a spiky copper roof.

In 2014, Jonathan Miller, an entrepreneur and media executive who previously headed AOL, bought the multimillion-dollar property. According to Leah Ervi of Leah Ervi Design in Hastings-on Hudson, Miller’s intent was to “transform the home into a multiuse space that

Beckoning Path in Armonk.

Photographs by Malcolm Brown.

could seamlessly embody different functions, specifically to host private wellness retreats for himself and like-minded family and friends.”

Miller hired Ervi, who has a background in Scandinavian design, to create a true sanctuary that is balanced by both organic and high-tech elements.

“The challenge was to celebrate the landscaping and views without choking the daylight or breaking up the expansive, original window wall. It was also important that the building would be configured as multiuse while still honoring the original spirit of the home and its natural surroundings.”

Ervi worked with Miller over the past nine months to create the lighting and furnishings for his home. “The goal was to light and highlight the architecture — the beautiful lines and geometry — without distracting from the view,” she says. “We wanted to make a statement with ambient lighting and to make sure our furnishings complemented the architecture and architectural materials.”

Together, Ervi and Miller envisioned a “movie set” approach in which furniture could be rolled in and out to accommodate the space based on its intended use and be folded and out of sight when needed. Easy access and limited storage space were critical to the furnishings.

Walking into the home, you first see the former living room, which has been converted into an expansive studio for Miller to practice Tai chi and qigong. Lining the walls are custom benches Ervi had fabricated from white oak (to match the interior walls). They are topped with sage velvet cushions, which can be taken to the floor and used for meditation purposes.

Inside the benches are bespoke wooden tables that you can pull out and assemble at various heights. Screens are attached to the back of the benches and can be pulled up to the ceiling and used to shade the sunlight. Also lining the room are portable light “pillars” made of steel, linen, Plexiglas, LED lights and battery packs.

Adjacent to the airy studio lies a sitting room, which can be converted into a bedroom. A Murphy bed has been fitted into the wall and there is a velvet modular couch in shades of blue and gray that can be “taken apart and moved around as desired for a variety of seating options,” Ervi says. A white board doubles as a room divider with the reverse side bearing a wooden carving of a Leonardo da Vinci knot.

Also in the sitting/bedroom are a series of hanging lanterns that she had custom made with blackened metal, linen and LED bulbs that can change color. “We have 16 of them throughout the home that can be hung at different heights to give the spaces an outdoor market feel,” Ervi says.

“The décor is very ‘set like’ in that the furnishings are convertible and that the design includes a component that manipulates daylight,” she adds.

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“The lamps and blinds can be used to create more or less light for filming purposes as well as staging a mood.”

Completing the first floor is an expansive dining room and gourmet kitchen. Downstairs, Miller converted three bedrooms and a playroom into a giant gym. He worked with New York City and Hudson-based BarlisWedlick Architects, which spent three years expanding the home and creating a 1,000-square-foot indoor swimming pool.

In addition, the property was also reconstructed to include four additional bedrooms, two changing rooms and a home theater on the lower level.

Well beyond adding these typical components of a wellness retreat, the team leveraged “passive home design,” a process that allows for an ultra energyefficient building.

According to Alan Barlis, owner and principal of BarlisWedlick, “From the first moment we visited the property, we were in awe of the beauty and uniqueness of the structure and gardens that Quistgaard designed with Nierenberg. We recreated what we imagined the designers would have done had they been tasked with updating the building.”

Barlis notes, “We worked very closely with Jon to help his vision for a personal wellness retreat come to life. He was involved in conceptualizing the ideal layout and flow of the updated building, and its

Interior of Beckoning Path.

connection to nature, which is the essence of the property.”

The beauty of the estate extends outside, where there are paths that meander around the 10-acre lake and lead to spots with benches for sitting or reflecting. Miller’s “collection” of hundreds of Japanese maples is sprinkled around the entire 27-acre property. Also featured are waterfalls; a 180-foot-

long reflexology path for walking barefoot; and a five elements garden with a focus on wood, metal, water, fire and earth. If that’s not enough, the carport has been turned into an outdoor gym where Miller can practice kung fu and other martial arts.

It’s truly a refuge for body and soul.

For more, visit leahervidesign.com and barliswedlick.com.

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FROM PLAYGROUND TO GYM PARTNERS STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH

BY MEGHAN MCSHARRY

ON A RECENT TRIP TO CROSS RIVER, I stepped through the front door of Apex Fitness; it smelled of a fresh coat of paint — and new beginnings.

Neat and tidy, the gym was preparing for its final inspection ahead of its opening. Co-owner John Swertfager greeted me and gave me a tour of the 4,000-square-foot fitness center. I quickly noted its size — bigger than many private gyms but smaller and more intimate than the typical fitness franchise.

We were joined by Skaz Gecaj, co-owner of Apex Fitness. His is an imposing frame, offset by a teddy bear-like demeanor. The two explained how their blood, sweat and tears had been poured into this new project.

John Swertfager, left, and Skaz Gecaj, owners of Apex Fitness.

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After opening up a personal training business in a 300-square-foot garage just across the street last year, the two quickly realized they were due for an expansion.

“It just exploded and we found we couldn’t work together (in that space),” said Swertfager, explaining that with multiple clients, from high school students looking to play college sports to older adults seeking to keep fit, there wasn’t nearly enough space to train without bumping elbows.

“We were like, ‘We have to expand.’”

And thus, Apex Fitness found its home at 20 N. Salem Road in Cross River. Swertfager and Gecaj, both with degrees in business, combined their educations and family backgrounds to begin this new venture. Gecaj, a first generation Albanian-American and first generation college student, knew about commercial real estate thanks to his father’s business. Swertfager’s family owns AIA Promotional Source, a marketing company also in Cross River. Between their business degrees and experience working for their respective family businesses, the pair had the perfect storm for creating a small business themselves.

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Not to mention their lifelong friendship.

Swertfager and Gecaj met as kindergartners at Increase Miller Elementary in Lewisboro. As the two largest kids in their class, they became fast friends — and it stayed that way. Both now 28, they have spent close to a quarter century by each other’s side.

“I’ve known him longer than I’ve been speaking English,” Gecaj said, which made Swertfager laugh.

The two attended John Jay High School, were teammates on the football team and trained together during the off season. Gecaj went on to start for four years on Pace University’s football team, while Swertfager played four years on the Long Island University baseball team. A few years since their graduation, the two are still dedicated athletes. Swertfager works part time alongside his father and brother as assistant coach of the varsity wrestling team at John Jay. Gecaj, on the other hand, has competed in power lifting and strongman competitions.

Much of the gym was set up by the co-owners themselves. They laid brick, poured concrete and did much of the heavy lifting. While

a series of roadblocks delayed the official opening, the pair hopes to have operations in full swing before the end of the year. With high-end, state-of-the-art equipment (including unique pieces like two ski ergs to simulate skiing indoors), a personal training studio (that doubles as a room for group classes) and men’s and women’s locker rooms, the fitness center is ready to accommodate all athletic skill levels.

Swertfager even has the New York Giants’ yoga instructor, Gwen Lawrence, to teach yoga classes to gym members.

Luckily for them, Swertfager, Gecaj, and Swertfager’s wife, Maddy Crabtree, have already racked up a dedicated clientele from their time in personal training. In almost two years of personal training, they had 10 clients commit to NCAA Division I athletic programs.

“We’re not even open yet and we already have 75 members,” Swertfager said. He explained that since many local gyms in the area have recently gone out of business, there is a new gap in the market they hope to fill.

For more, visit apexfitnesscr.com.

G GLOBAL STORIES VIA ART

BY GINA GOUVEIA

THOSE IN THE KNOW FLOCK TO COLLEGE CAMPUSES for intellectually stimulating and affordable events with significant content and entertainment value.

On my return to the campus of Fairfield University for my second visit in a month’s time, I was impressed to witness the scope of programming offered, not only to engage the college’s own constituents, but the community at large.

The Fairfield University Art Museum (FUAM), composed of the jewel-like Bellarmine Hall and modern Walsh Gallery, provides a vehicle for the presentation of its impressive permanent collection as well as robust rotating exhibits that resonate with a broad and diverse audience.

Established in 2010 as Bellarmine Museum of Art and originally funded with a National Endowment for Humanities grant, FUAM houses its own array of international artworks and antiquities. It also features original objects on loan from the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Penn Museum, Columbia and Princeton universities, Worcester Art Museum and the American Numismatic Society, says Carey Mack Weber, FUAM’s assistant director.

On view in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries are paintings by European and American masters and interesting groupings of Asian, African and pre-Columbian objects, including a lovely assortment of ancient coins. Of particular note are figures from China’s Tang Dynasty (circa 600-900) and Song Dynasty (10th through 13th centuries), considered by many art historians as a particularly prolific cultural period for China. All its permanent works and those on-loan are nicely catalogued on the museum’s website.

To commemorate the university’s 75th anniversary earlier this year, FUAM hosted a highly touted exhibit of artworks from the Roman Church of the Gesù, including several never before seen in the United States. A nod to the institution’s Jesuit heritage, the landmark exhibit featured Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s bust of Roberto Bellarmino, the institution’s patron saint, and more than 50 original treasures by Italian Baroque masters.

In addition to curating thoughtful exhibits, the museum serves the Fairfield community and beyond by offering admission to exhibits and attend other public events mostly free of charge. Students in the greater Bridgeport area are offered access, too, via complimentary half-day programs for grades K-12, including gallery activities, hands-on art workshops, lunch and transportation.

Michelle DiMarzo, the museum’s curator of education and academic engagement, is herself a Fairfield University graduate who went on to obtain her doctorate in art history from Temple University.

“We have ongoing partnerships with the Barnum School (fifth grade of a Turnaround Arts school for the underserved), Adam J. Lewis Academy (a pre-kindergarten) and the Classical Studies Magnet Academy, among others,” she told me.

Through the exhibits and programs, and with the support of community partners and alumni, FUAM is able to sustain its vibrant programming and foster its commitment to the arts. The museum engages in many cross promotions with partners in Fairfield County and participates in the Connecticut Art Trail, a unique alliance of 21 museums and historic sites across the state, of which Mack Weber serves as president. She told me that the

"His Majesty's Throne" by Mohamad Hafez. Images courtesy Fairfield University Art Museum.

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Represented in the current exhibition in Fairfield are the tableaux of Syrian buildings whose facades appear to have been stripped away, revealing scenes of a chaos left behind. Also featured are pieces from his “Baggage” series — refugee “stories” mounted in worn, vintage suitcases, some with audio, delivering sound bites of interviews with refugees from all over the world who have settled in the New Haven area. As Hafez describes it, his body of work has an educational component providing an opportunity for him to tell the story that the press does not and to humanize the large population of refugees.

Hafez creates his art with a passion that arose out of a strong sense of responsibility — one that sits directly upon his shoulders, he told the audience. This theme of responsibility surfaced more than once during his talk — the compulsion to acculturate these moving accounts through art is what drives and motivates him as an artist. Hafez believes that embracing diversity and fostering civil conversations can bring people together rather than pulling them apart. At the end of the day, he told us, “what draws us together, as a people, is much bigger than what divides us.”

For more, visit fairfield.edu/museum/ and ctarttrail.org.

organization sells an “Art Passport” at an attractive price, offering admittance and discounts for onetime use at each location over the course of a year.

Many programs at FUAM this fall — including “Collateral Damage,” an exhibit of work by Mohamad Hafez that’s on view through Dec. 15 in the Walsh Gallery at the Quick Center for the Arts — are doing much to heighten awareness of international refugees. Fitting, then, that this Syrian-born artist and U.S.-raised and educated architect, creates assemblages working with miniature-scaled, found objects to depict scenes of both construction and destruction in his native Damascus. Rounding out this exhibit are select works by two other contemporary Syrian artists — Hala el-Abed, a photographer and digital artist, and Waref Abu Quba, a filmmaker — which touch on themes of violence and loss surrounding the Syrian refugee crisis.

During the opening reception and talk, Hafez, whose studio is in New Haven, spoke of the cathartic process of creating his works — initially, as a way to bring to life architectural streetscapes — and then to demonstrate the havoc resulting from the Syrian Civil War, starting back in 2011. He experienced this tumult through accounts of family members and others who fled by sea after the outbreak, hastily leaving the destruction.

"Between Love and War" by Mohamad Hafez.

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TIME TO SIP

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

T

his is the story of a company that prides itself as much on its embrace of health, the environment and nonprofits as it does on its craftsmanship.

In other words, it’s generous to a tea, er, T. WAG first encountered Tea Forté when senior writer Mary Shustack wrote about the Maynard, Massachusetts-based brand — which is now carried in Bloomingdale’s White Plains — for our e-newsletter, WAG Weekly. Thanks to the company, we were able to sample an array of its 91 offerings in their distinctive bags. (More on this in a bit.) Thirty percent of the teas are herbal, with 65 of the blends available in loose tea canisters and 15 in one-pound pouches.

They have fabulous names like Apricot Amaretto, Blueberry Merlot and, our favorite and the herbal best seller, African Solstice — a red tea made from South Africa’s healthful rooibos (ROY-bus) herb. But poetic as these are, they would be nothing if not for the poetry in the taste — smooth and full-bodied — a testament to what the website says are ingredients that “represent less than one percent of all the teas available in the world.”

So imagine our delight when we met Barbara Beller, Tea Forté’s director of wholesale North America, at a tea party for the British clothing brand Hobbs at Bloomingdale’s White Plains that dovetailed with the retailer’s kickoff of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. After that, we knew we had to do more on the tea and connected, through Beller, with Niki Biszantz Vercollone, the company’s senior marketing manager, who filled us in on its past and future.

Tea Forté began in 2003 with Peter Hewitt, who as a student at Rhode Island School of Design did his senior thesis on building a better tea bag. Many bags are flat, preventing the tea leaves from unfurling, Vercollone says. Hewitt hit on the pyramid bag, made of food-safe, recyclable PET (polyethylene terephthalate) fibers and folded into shape without adhesives. Free of corn-derived PLA (polylactic acid), the pyramid bags are GMO- and gluten-free.

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Time for Tea Forté’s Warming Joy blends. Courtesy Tea Forté.

(They’re topped by little wire leaves that can hug your mug or peek out of Tea Forté’s special lidded cups, thus anchoring your bag.)

As these cups demonstrate, the company — which is owned today by JDE, a Dutch-based multinational hot beverages conglomerate — also charms with its tea ware, which includes the best-selling Kati cup, a double-walled tumbler with a stainless steel infuser and a lid that keeps your steeping tea warm or can serve as a tray for your infuser. (We love our cherry blossom Kati cup and matching teapot.) There are also little recessed square ceramic trays to hold your pyramid bags upright snuggly.

“What’s great about JDE is that it really respects the ethos of the company,” Vercollone says.

That ethos includes the nonprofit world. Tea Forté is the official tea of the James Beard Foundation, the culinary arts organization named for the late, transformative dean of American cook-

ing. Tea Forté is also planning to partner with the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx for what Vercollone calls a “floral, feminine” collection of new tea blends, tea ware and packaging in time for Mother’s Day. Meanwhile, it’s time to savor the spicy, wintry Warming Joy collection, which contains Raspberry Ganache, Rum Raisin Biscotti, Spiced Ginger Plum, Winter Chai and Ginger Snap. (Winter Chai is one of several Tea Forté chais, including Rooibus Raja, Ginger Guru and the trending Turmeric Tantra.)

Or you can take part in “High Tea With Cunard,” featuring the veteran cruise line, Dec. 11 at Bloomingdale’s flagship in Manhattan.

Tea Forté has also collaborated with mixologist Tenzin Samdo on a series of cocktails.

Whatever the blends or partnerships, Vercollone says the company will continue to “keep it clean and simple. That’s what Tea Forté is all about.”

For more, visit teaforte.com.

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THE F-WORD IN DIETS — FIBER

BY MEGHAN MCSHARRY

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU’VE EVER TRIED (AND FAILED) to lose weight for your New Year’s resolution.

Don’t worry, us too. More often than not, those weight-loss goals go out the window after a week or two of trying new diets and subscribing to a new gym membership, only to find our cravings for chocolate chip cookies and a full-time career holding us back from reaching our ideal weight.

But with 2019 just around the corner (and lots of holiday food before that), we’ve been exploring new ways to get in shape and we’ve finally found a new diet that seems promising.

WAG recently attended an event at The Collective, one of The Saks Shops at Greenwich, which featured Manhattan-based dietitian and best-selling author Tanya Zuckerbrot, the creator of “The F-Factor Diet.” As she entered the room, her slender frame accentuated by a trendy, tailored white suit, we never would have guessed she was in her, well, it’s not for us to give away

a lady’s age. But she looks younger than her years — perhaps due to her wildly popular diet plan that she says has helped her and thousands of others become the healthiest version of themselves.

Zuckerbrot’s F-Factor diet is based on fiber-rich nutrition. Rather than depriving yourself of your favorite foods, the F-Factor diet suggests supplementing your meals with fiber-rich foods — fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains. It’s something we need more of. The average American eats only 15 grams of fiber per day, when women really need 35 grams daily. Zuckerbrot recommends upping that number to 40 grams of fiber per day for maximum results.

Zuckerbrot knows from experience. After gaining the college “freshman 15,” Zuckerbrot completed the graduate nutrition program at New York University. She has garnered a clientele of many A-list celebrities and authored two best-selling books, “The F-Factor Diet” and “The Miracle Carb Diet.” If her credentials aren’t quite convincing enough for you to take the plunge and try the F-Factor diet, she also allows her clients to indulge in wine. We’re sold.

“Most diets are based on deprivation,” Zuckerbrot explained to wellness blog LivLight with Laurie Lloyd in a recent interview. F-Factor, however, is not.

Many normal diets, such as juice cleanses or other low-calorie fad diets, direct us to restrict our calorie intake. When consuming fewer calories, our metabolism actually slows down, making the most of each calorie we take in. And, as we all know (from those friends with frustratingly fast metabolisms who seem to eat whatever they want without gaining a pound), a slower metabolism means we burn fewer calories. But the addition of fiber-rich foods actually burns more calories because of the work it takes to try to break down fiber in the body. (It cannot be broken down, thereby passing through the body and adding no calories.) Still, it keeps us full longer, meaning you won’t feel as tempted to reach for that midnight snack.

Zuckerbrot labels the F-Factor diet as “liberating,” as it allows you to eat out at your favorite restaurants. (One client even told The New York Times she would call up Zuckerbrot, let her know which restaurant she was dining at, and Zuckerbrot would tell her exactly what fiber-full options she could have).

With a multitude of F-Factor-approved recipes on the diet’s dedicated website, we’re sure that this diet is one we will actually enjoy. Fiber-packed recipes for burgers, pancakes, cupcakes, pasta and more (even ice cream) look just like our restaurant favorites. Gone are the days of depressing salads and skipping breakfast. Zuckerbrot says breakfast is a necessity for boosting your metabolism, and the fact that there are so many fiber-filled recipes to work into our cooking schedules makes the diet seem that much more manageable.

For more, visit ffactor.com.

Tanya Zuckerbrot.

Courtesy Tanya Zuckerbrot.

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AMARPALI IS A FRANCO-AMERICAN country estate of the finest caliber, designed and executed by award-winning architect Dinyar Wadia in 2013. Set on three private acres on Lake Avenue in Greenwich, Amarpali is an exceptional, custom-designed 26-room residence boasting impressive public rooms and exterior entertaining spaces with extraordinary architectural detailing. Behind the Rockefeller-era stone walls and the gated entry with ivy-clad pillars, the classic oil and stone driveway winds you past century-old trees and sweeping lawns to a grand parking courtyard.

Amarpali’s impressive stone façade reflects the warm sunlight in an awe-inspiring pink hue beneath a handsome slate roof. Light abounds in this eight-bedroom smart home featuring 12 bathrooms and seven fireplaces. High ceilings, custom millwork and beautifully proportioned rooms encompass nearly 18,000 square feet of living space spread over four levels — all connected by an elevator and elegant back staircase.

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EXTRAORDINARY EVERYMAN

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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Tony Goldwyn speaking on behalf of Americares and (next page) boarding a plane for Americares and at the Greenwich International Film Festival. Photographs courtesy Americares.

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HE’S A SCION OF A HOLLYWOOD DYNASTY, an actor unafraid to venture to the dark side, whether he’s playing a money-laundering banker in “Ghost” or, most notably, a brilliant but psychologically damaged president of the United States in the recent ABC hit “Scandal.” Nor does he shy away from otherworldly characters, such as the voice of the gorilla-man Tarzan in the animated feature of the same name, astronaut Neil Armstrong in the HBO miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon” or a contemporary Jesus in the movie “Joshua.”

So when people meet Tony Goldwyn, one question keeps reoccurring: Why are you so normal?

He laughed. “Jane keeps my feet on the ground,” he told a Greenwich International Film Festival audience this past June — Jane being his wife, production designer Jane Michelle Musky. It was also Jane who suggested 23 years ago that he get involved

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with Americares, an international health relief organization founded in New Canaan — not far from where they were living at the time — by a couple responding to a Vietnam War-era disaster.

Goldwyn told the film festival audience that in 1975, an American plane crashed in the jungles of Vietnam, killing a third of the 243 orphans it was carrying.

“The U.S. government said, ‘There’s nothing we can do.’” But, Goldwyn added, that’s not what “Bob” said.

Bob was Robert C. Macauley, a paper broker in New Canaan. He and wife, Leila, mortgaged their house to bring the remaining children to the United States and Americares was born. Working with Pope John Paul II in 1981, Americares airlifted more than $3.2 million in aid to Poland, then under martial law. Today, the organization is the leading non-

profit provider of medical programs and supplies to those suffering the effects of natural catastrophes and poverty, delivering more than $500 million in goods and services to all 50 states and more than 90 countries. Be it Hurricane Michael or the recent Indonesian tsunami, Americares is there.

And so is Goldwyn, who is not like the kind of spokesman who shows up at n event, writes a check and enjoys a great party.

“At the end of the night of the (Americares) gala, you get on a plane to one of the countries Americares serves,” Goldwyn said, remembering a 2015 trip to Guatemala. “The model is that Americares works with local health workers. It’s had a long presence in Guatemala and it’s especially rewarding to see the local people doing the work.”

In the field or at a party, you encounter the same normal Tony Goldwyn.

“My daughter had a 20-minute conversation with him and she said to me afterward, ‘He’s just a dad,’” said Michael Nyenhuis, Americares’ president and CEO. Well, maybe not just a dad but definitely a dad of Anna — a TV writer who’s worked on the series “Supergirl” and Tessa, a New York actress — one who believes in the adage that “90 percent of anything is showing up” and advises parents to “listen to their kids and love them for who they are.”

His are the fourth-generation of a family that has cut a legendary swath in Hollywood. Tony’s paternal grandfather was Samuel Goldwyn, a pioneer in the film industry who produced such gems as “Wuthering Heights,” “The Little Foxes” and “The Best Years of Our Lives.” (Though he was the Goldwyn in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, or MGM as it is commonly known, Samuel Goldwyn was not involved in running that company, which had acquired one of his earlier ventures, along with its Leo the Lion logo.)

Tony’s maternal grandfather was playwright Sidney Howard, who won an Oscar for his script for “Gone With the Wind.” Tony’s father, Samuel Jr., followed in his father’s footsteps as a film producer whose credits included “Mystic Pizza,” “The Preacher’s Wife” and “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.”

Speaking of his family, Goldwyn told WAG, “I feel very privileged to be part of it.” Yet he remembered that his father cautioned his mother, the actress-artist Jennifer Howard, that “our kids will never be movie brats.” Goldwyn and his three siblings — his father would remarry and have two more children — were not raised in Hollywood. And Samuel Jr. did not want Tony to become an actor. Nonetheless, some of the siblings did go into the family business.

And, after attending Hamilton College, Brandeis University (from which he received a bachelor of fine arts degree) and the London Academy of Music

SO WHEN PEOPLE MEET TONY GOLDWYN, ONE QUESTION KEEPS REOCCURRING: WHY ARE YOU SO NORMAL?

& Dramatic Art, Tony said, “I became an actor and loved doing it.”

There was also, though, a pull toward directing and producing as he did with “A Walk on the Moon,” a sensitive story of a woman’s psychological awakening set against the backdrop of Woodstock and the moon landing in 1969.

“I found myself saying, ‘I’m going to try to be a director,’” he told the film festival audience. “I always wanted to produce and direct. And then ‘Scandal’ came along. Shonda Rhimes (creator of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and its sequel, ‘Private Practice’) called and said she wanted me to play the president of the United States. …It was too good to pass up.”

The series — which centered on Goldwyn’s president, a daddy’s boy with a roving eye and his adulterous relationship with his seemingly omnipotent fixer, played by Kerry Washington — quickly became a phenomenon, so much so that although it ended earlier this year after seven seasons, fans waited patiently for Goldwyn to sign their “Scandal”-ous magazines and peppered him with questions about the characters at the film festival. There was a conversational serve and volley between him and audience members that made it seem as if they were talking about family members. But then, he said, “the ‘Scandal’

family was really close.”

Goldwyn directed eight episodes of “Scandal” as well as WE.tv’s “The Divide,” a fictional treatment of the Innocence Project, which seeks to exonerate people wrongly convicted of crimes by using DNA evidence. In 2016, Goldwyn directed a public service announcement featuring Rhimes, Washington and actresses Viola Davis and Ellen Pompeo in support of Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid. An arts advocate, Goldwyn is also a past president of the

Creative Coalition, which focuses on industry and social concerns.

So might there be a public office in Goldwyn’s future? That remains unclear. But don’t look for him to disappear entirely behind the camera.

“I found there’s real power in being able to draw eyeballs,” he said. At the end of the day, however, he added, “you do your work and hope people want to see it.”

For more on Americares, visit Americares.org.

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FROM GILDA, WITH LOVE

BY JENA A. BUTTERFIELD

G

ilda Radner was sketch-comedy gold.

Leave it to Roseanne Roseannadanna to lift the spirits of everyone in a room on a late Saturday night. The character’s triangular-shaped helmet of black hair and vaguely ethnic voice — satirizing the moment in the 1970s when diversity came to TV news — made the first-ever member of “Saturday Night Live” stand out in a cast of legends.

On the “Weekend Update” segment, Radner’s chatty alter ego would rattle off a litany of complaints. But the comedian’s pluck and wit made her seem the epitome of good health. Even — maybe especially — when she croaked the catch phrase: “What are ya tryin’ to do, make me sick?!”

Tragically, she would repeat that line one day off set — in a bleak hospital room while battling a terminal cancer diagnosis. The question — delivered in the voice of Roseanne Roseannadanna, of course — was both a way to lighten the mood and a comment on how badly invasive treatments were making her feel.

Historically, cancer of varying types had plagued Radner’s family. Radner’s father died of it when it attacked his brain, her mother survived it when it at-

tacked her breast, but it was ovarian cancer that took her grandmother, aunt and a cousin, then claimed her life in 1989, at the age of 42.

Physically, the toll it took on Radner was devastating. But it was the loneliness of sickness that affected her most. Not until she found The Wellness Community in Santa Monica did she gain a foothold. It was that sense of community that made all the difference.

Following Radner’s death, her husband, comedy great Gene Wilder, felt compelled to create a place in her name where, as promised, no one would fight cancer alone. So, in 1995, he co-founded Gilda’s Club, a nonprofit cancer support community, with psychotherapist Joanna Bull and help from film critic Joel Siegel, actor Mandy Patinkin and several of Radner’s friends. Wilder understood too well how much the right mental outlook matters and wanted to create a place to provide good humor and hope in the face of trauma.

Gilda’s Club is a community organization for those battling cancer as well as for their loved ones.

It is a place where those in need are given free emotional and social support and free supplemental medical care in a home-like setting.

At the Westchester chapter, life abounds. “It’s hopping,” Marjorie Weintraub, director of major gifts for Gilda’s Club Westchester, says of the chapter in White Plains. “The place is always busy.”

“It’s a very upbeat place,” she adds. “Gilda Radner wanted a clubhouse feel. (She) never wanted anyone to be called patients. They’re members.” That ethos came from Radner’s comment that her illness was like a “membership to an elite club I’d rather not belong to.”

In 2009, Gilda’s Club merged with the original organization where Radner found solace, The Wellness Community. Together they became the Cancer

From left, Margo Boxer, teen ambassador, Gilda’s Club Westchester; Marjorie Weintraub, director of major gifts, Gilda’s Club Westchester; and Mia Bezos, teen ambassador, Gilda’s Club Westchester.

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Support Community. Once the two organizations joined, some branches across the nation changed their name from Gilda’s Club, but not in New York.

“It was her legacy,” Weintraub says. “We felt very strongly we needed to keep the name. She lived right here in Stamford with Gene Wilder.”

She emphasized that Gilda’s Club is not just for women and not just for ovarian cancer.

“It’s so much more,” she says. “It’s an all-encompassing type of service.”

Men, women, children and teens are served. Indeed, the organization has launched a new effort focusing on teens. “We’re in over 80 different schools,” Weintraub says.

Members can participate in networking groups, workshops, lectures and social events all with an emphasis on coping strategy. The current organization reaches more than 20,000 people annually across the country — 4,000 at its White Plains location alone, which also serves Fairfield and Rockland counties.

Meanwhile, a new documentary by filmmaker Lisa D’Apolito, “Love, Gilda,” gives us a window into Radner’s all-to-brief life. The feature-length film, which opened the Tribeca Film Festival this year, is a touching portrait of a comedic genius and her reckoning with fate. Audiences get to watch rare footage of Radner, hear newly found audiotapes and listen to comics such as Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy read her diary entries. There are interviews with Martin Short, Chevy Chase, musician Paul Shaffer and writer Alan Zweibel among others.

D’Apolito’s interest in Radner was sparked eight years ago when she directed several videos for Gilda’s Club. In September, Gilda’s Club Westchester joined forces with the Bedford Playhouse’s Clive Davis Arts Center to present a special screening of the film to a packed crowd.

“It’s a beautiful playhouse,” Weintraub says. “The whole community in Bedford came together.”

Before the premiere, village restaurants and other vendors donated to a cocktail reception that included drinks named after Radner’s famous characters.

Writer Zweibel (an executive producer of the film) and his wife, Robyn Blankman Zweibel, held a Q&A after the screening. “They were actually best friends,” Weintraub said of Radner and Alan Zweibel’s relationship. Their closeness in both work and life lent more insight to the crowd.

The event was one of four premiere screenings in partnership with Gilda’s Club. Others were held at the Greenwich Bowtie Cinemas, Pleasantville’s Jacob Burns Film Center and Avon Theater in Stamford. “(The event at the Playhouse) was a way to really showcase and say ‘Look, her legacy is right here — right in your own backyard,’” Weintraub says.

“We did a 90-second promo video,” she says, on behalf of Gilda’s Club. “It was a love letter to Gilda.

People thought it was part of the documentary. It was heartwarming, it was uplifting and a perfect teeoff for the show.”

And it ended with the message the club wants everyone to hear: That no one should face cancer alone.

For more visit gildasclubwestchester.org and bedfordplayhouse.org.

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H HOLIDAY DELIGHTS

BY MARY SHUSTACK

JOANNA BUCHANAN IS KNOWN FOR HER LUXURY DECORATIVE GOODS, designed in her Wilton studio and sold everywhere from Hoagland’s in Greenwich to Harrods in London.

Her products range from tabletop goods to cocktail accessories; from home goods such as candles and pillows to a bit of jewelry, for good measure.

Though she’s known for a sophisticated style that’s found throughout her collections — reflecting an understanding of color, texture and pattern honed over some 20 years in the fashion retail business — she does seem to excel in unique offerings for the festive season.

And that’s not surprising, as the brand traces its roots back to holiday designs. As Buchanan says on her website, “I have always believed that life should be decorated and joyful.”

Despite the hectic pace of this busy season, the designer took the time to answer some questions from WAG, which we share here:

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do … of stone, of design, of beadwork, of linings … It all matters when creating beautiful pieces. And I hope that there is a ‘lightness’ and yet ‘richness’ to our ‘look’… an eclectic take on traditional.

“I believe design should be considered and have a longevity to it. I am not a big believer in disposable. I think if you can make something beautiful, then why not? I don’t have a lot of ‘things’ but what I do have, I love.

“And trend is not super important … I very much work from instinct and like to pull from my visual memory. If that happens to be in sync with (what) the rest of the industry is doing… fantastic… but I try to keep those influences loose and not too specific.

“As one’s business develops, it’s hard not to be swayed by the ‘best-selling’ pieces and only go down that path … but I do like to try new ideas and new ‘looks’ based on instinct and feeling at the time … so hopefully the collections will always feel fresh.”

What are your key design influences — and how do they play out in your work?

“I find color and texture very inspiring. That really is a driving force. And my garden is always full of shapes and colors that I respond to. However, I am definitely not ‘rustic’ in my approach … and do like things to have a certain polish.

“I am also very inspired by vintage/heirloom jewelry pieces and by emerging techniques in jewelry.

It’s so exciting to see what is being done now and I like to marry the two.

“Our home is decorated in the way I see the collection and is very much an incubating space … If it works in the house then it belongs in the collection.”

Joanna Buchanan at work. Photographs courtesy Joanna Buchanan.

Even the most casual scrolling through your website reveals a creativity that flows throughout your work. Can you tell us first a bit about yourself — your background, training and how you came to this field?

“I grew up in Hong Kong … so from birth I was surrounded by a very different aesthetic to the West. From a very young age, I was making my own clothes and building and decorating houses for my collection of tiny stuffed bunnies. I loved to create, make and see product come to life and build environments. I went to design school for five years where I focused on fashion clothing … and worked in apparel and then fashion accessories for many years.

“When it came time to start my own business, I was really excited to start with Christmas ornaments … Sounds so random, but it was something that had such strong memories for me as a child. A feeling of heritage, family and tradition … I wanted to bring that to life in product. We have found that our customers

truly become ‘collectors’ of the brand. And I imagine our customers pulling out the same decorations year after year and remembering who gave them to them, which year … and any special memories about that particular holiday.

“I always believed I had something to offer in the world of home … so when it felt that the timing was right … I wanted to start a business that reflected all my thoughts and experiences.”

Your collections are so diverse, from holiday décor to tabletop goods, bar accessories to home accents (from pillows to candles to treasure boxes) and even jewelry and accessories.

No matter the piece, though, there is a definite sensibility. How would you sum up your approach and your “look”?

“Whilst my design philosophy is whimsical and colorful … quality is of paramount importance. I think that quality can be felt in every piece that we

For some, the holiday season is filled with stress … No one likes to give a gift that seems like it was chosen without thought. Are there some categories or specific items that really are the proverbial “crowd pleasers,” something you can give when you’re not sure what to get?

“I always think that I am a terrible gift giver … so I am trying to help people like me. I think the barware — especially the cocktail picks and bottle openers — are wonderful gifts. A lobster bottle opener is not something you would necessarily buy for yourself … but it’s so fun and when given as a hostess gift can be used immediately.

“I also think the Christmas ornaments make a wonderful gift. Again, can be popped right on the tree the moment they are given. I always remember the people who have given me ornaments.

“And if in doubt — a candle. Ours are super overthe-top with fabulous packaging and a jeweled bug on the lid. The vessel can be used afterwards for ‘bits and bobs’ or as a pen pot … so it does feel like it will last longer than the burn time.”

Can you share a bit about living — and working — in Wilton. What makes it special to you?

“We didn’t really know Wilton existed before we saw the house here. It’s such a lovely, low-key town

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… and the people are super chilled and friendly. We love having the outdoor space and garden and being so close to nature. We get so much joy from the birds and the critters and the changing seasons … It truly is beautiful at all times of the year.

“Working here is easy … I can be in the city for meetings and still be home to see the children for homework.”

And finally, does your family have its own favorite holiday tradition? And if so, can you share a few details?

“Whether we are in Wilton or at my mother’s in Norfolk, England, we like to have a small drinks party for close friends a couple of nights before Christmas. The season can get so hectic — and, in the midst of present-wrapping craziness, you (or at least I) can forget to connect with people — which is actually what is so lovely about the holidays.

“I think trying to focus on the people and not the presents is something we are trying to teach our children. A few thoughtfully curated gifts and time spent with those we love … perfect.

“But it’s really all about the food. I am not a wonderful cook but my one task for Christmas lunch is the bread sauce … and I make a big production of my only job. Kitchen has to be cleared … I need a sous chef … and several assistants … and then someone to remind me to take it off the stove.

“And, of course … we have to have our Christmas crackers at Christmas lunch. Everyone needs their paper hat for the food to taste REALLY good!!!”

For more, visit JoannaBuchanan.com.

Joanna Buchanan's designs help create a festive atmosphere.

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SPREADING THE HOLIDAY LOVE

BY GREGG SHAPIRO

POSSESSING ONE OF THE MOST instantly recognizable and powerful voices in contemporary pop music, 2011 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Darlene Love has a performance career that has lasted more than 60 years. From her early days in the vocal group The Blossoms and as one of Phil Spector’s vocalists, which resulted in a string of classic hit singles, to her appearances in the Tony Award-nominated jukebox musical “Leader of the Pack” in the 1980s — who can forget her dynamic performance of “River Deep-Mountain High” — and the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Feet From Stardom,” Love has never been far from earshot.

WAG spoke with Love about her music and the holidays in advance of her annual Christmas concerts, which include the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill.

Darlene, do you remember the first Christmas song that you can recall hearing from your childhood?

“Oh, my goodness. It was probably ‘Silent Night.’”

What was the first Christmas song you learned to sing?

“That would be ‘Joy To The World.’”

Do you have an all-time favorite traditional or religious Christmas song that you like to sing?

“I was brought up in church, so we sang a lot of Christmas songs. I think one of the songs that I really love is ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem.’”

That’s a beautiful song. Do you have an alltime favorite novelty Christmas song that you like to sing?

“Of course, ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).’”

That was an easy one.

“I think I probably sing that one more than any other because I sing it every Christmas now.”

In addition to the great music, Christmas also means that friends and family will be getting together for a feast. Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition?

“Something I’ve done for the last 25 years — no matter where I am — I always tell my agent and my manager, I do not work on Christmas. I don’t work the day before Christmas and I try not to work the day after Christmas. Sometimes you can’t help it, but I try to keep those three days open. We go over to my daughter’s house on Christmas Eve. She lives in Connecticut. We spend the night there. It’s amazing how it’s changed over the years. Now, we don’t have little children anymore. The kids are big. They’re grown.

“It’s hard to keep kids at home during Christmastime. The tradition we love, even if the kids don’t do it, me and my husband and my daughter and her husband, we wake up Christmas morning and we have breakfast and nobody gets to open their presents until after breakfast and after everybody is up.”

That’s a good rule.

“When the kids were little, they used to drive us crazy, because they went to bed early on Christmas Eve. The adults stayed up late, talking and laughing and reminiscing about old times and ‘here we are again.’ We wouldn’t go to bed before one or two o’clock in the morning. We were still asleep at nine in the morning, but the kids had been up since the crack of dawn.”

Your Christmas show has become an annual event. When did you realize that it would be a yearly occurrence?

“I never did a lot of Christmas shows. I did a few in the New York area, maybe New Jersey, but that’s as far as it got. Once I started doing the ‘Late Show with David Letterman,’ I started getting more calls to do Christmas shows. I did the first David Letterman show in 1986. By the time we got to the ’90s, I was all over the place doing Christmas shows. It dawned on me that nobody else was really doing Christmas shows. Even today, nobody is really doing Christmas Darlene Love.

Photograph by Christopher Logan.

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shows. What’s great about it is that David Letterman dubbed me ‘The Christmas Queen.’ Now, my calendar is so full from the beginning of November until the 31st of January doing Christmas shows.”

That’s amazing.

“I have to tell my audiences, ‘Christmas is over.

Today’s January the 31st. It’s time to put the Christmas show to sleep.’ I would tell them, ‘If I did ‘Christmas (Baby…)’ all year long, what would you have to look forward to at the end of the year?’ I used to stop doing it the first of January but my audiences have gotten so rowdy about that song, I said, `Okay, one more week’ and then I end up doing it until the end of the month.”

I’m glad you mentioned “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” It’s easily your most popular Christmas recording and was co-written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, two songwriters with Jewish backgrounds. Why do you think Jewish songwriters, who don’t necessarily celebrate Christmas, such as Irving Berlin, Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne, Mel Tormé and others, were so good at writing Christmas music?

“I think they had those songs in them. Maybe they didn’t believe in Christmas songs because they were Jewish, but I think it was something within them to write them. I ask people all the time, ‘Did you know that the greatest Christmas songs ever written were written by Jewish people?’ I think it was a gift that God put in them. Here we are, still singing these songs at Christmastime. I say, ‘It doesn’t matter what

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you are when it comes to Christmas.’”

While we’re on the subject, you provided the vocals for the hilarious Robert Smigel “Saturday Night Live” short “Christmastime For the Jews.” Did you ever think you’d live to see the day that you were a Claymation character?

“Never even thought about it. It’s amazing. When we did that song, I asked, ‘Is this going to be offensive?’ When you listen to the words, every word he wrote is true. While we’re having our Christmas in our homes, laughing and talking, they’re out in the streets having a ball.”

I understand that the character of backup singer Darlene Sweet, played by Cynthia Erivo in the movie “Bad Times at the El Royale,” is based on you. Have you seen the movie and what do you think about that character?

“We saw it by accident when me and my husband had our date night. We go to the movies and, even if there’s nothing playing that we know about, we just choose a movie. (Recently), without knowing anything about that movie, we thought it sounded pretty good from the title. We went to see it and I was blown away. I thought, ‘You know what? That’s me.’ My husband reminded me that back in January, my agent was approached about me, not being in the movie, but kind of shaping that character. I’d forgotten all about it. When she started singing ‘He’s A Rebel’, it dawned on me. Darlene Sweet is Darlene Love!”

When I saw you in concert in Fort Lauder-

dale in early 2018, I recognized one of your backing vocalists as Ula Hedwig, one of Bette Midler’s original Harlettes. As someone whose long history as a backing vocalist was presented in the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Feet from Stardom,” do you feel a responsibility to support other backup singers?

“I did and I do still do that. You don’t find out you’re the first one to do something until many years later. You don’t think about it because it’s a job.

We literally found out that (Love’s first group) The Blossoms were the first black background singers on records. We were the first. The singers that you saw in ‘20 Feet from Stardom,’ The Blossoms were responsible for them becoming a part of the background singers. You can’t help them today because singers are bringing in their own (background) singers. It’s becoming a lost art — starting as a background singer. The business has changed so. When we started, people didn’t use background singers.

They just used singers. After The Blossoms started, they actually asked for The Blossom (by name).

Then to turn around and make a movie about it. I can’t believe all this is happening.”

Darlene Love performs her “Love For The Holidays” show Dec. 5 at Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill. For more, visit paramounthudsonvalley.showare.com.

Love also performs Dec. 21 and 22 at Sony Hall, 235 W. 46th St. in Manhattan. For more, visit sonyhall.com.

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WHAT'S COLLECTIBLE?

MAN OF METAL

BY JENNIFER PITMAN

P

aul Evans (1931-87), along with George Nakashima and Harry Bertoia, is internationally recognized as one of the superstars of the postwar Delaware Valley American Craft Movement.

Today, Evans’ creations are among the brightest lights in the American furniture market, with the most valuable of his unique cabinets realizing nearly $400,000 at auction. And while Evans trained in the craft tradition, he was also a prolific commercial designer, creating furniture collections that were highly sought after in the 1960s and ’70s, trading regularly in the auction market today.

New Jersey-born Evans studied design and metalsmithing at the School for American Craftsmen (SAC) at Rochester Institute of Technology and the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. A brief tenure as a metalsmith at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, led in 1955 to a decade-long collaboration with the studio furniture designer Phillip Lloyd Powell. The two shared a showroom in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and worked both independently and collaboratively. It was Powell who encouraged Evans to apply his metalworking skills to furniture. Evans began to weld copper, iron and brass to create sculptures, a line of accessories (such as wood and brass menorahs) and furniture that incorporated wood and metal.

Over time, wood became a less prominent medium for this “carpenter in steel.” In Evans’ mid-’60s cabinets and screens, plywood bases were encased in sheets of copper or bronzed steel, which were then treated with colored pigments and patinated or darkened by a blowtorch. Finally, gold leaf and decorative elements were often added. Among the most striking and sought-after cabinets are those that feature polychromed compartments with welded elements, somewhat reminiscent of Louise Nevelson’s compartmentalized wall pieces.

Evans employed a number of trusted craftsmen to execute these works and over time this model expanded as his business grew. While he continued to produce studio pieces, he began in 1964 to work with Directional Furniture Co. in North Carolina. This successful arrangement

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Wall-mounted Directional Disc Bar by Paul Evans (1970), sold for $53,125.

Courtesy Rago.

lasted 15 years. At its peak in the mid-’70s, Evans’ firm grew to 88 employees, sending 150 to 200 pieces to New York twice weekly.

For Directional, Evans produced furniture lines that featured distinct metal finishes. In 1965, he introduced the sculpted bronze technique, best described as a Brutalist look that one might imagine equally well at home in an intergalactic interior. In sculpted bronze, a plywood carcass was built up and sculpted with a mixture of epoxy resin and sand to create a surface in bold relief. A pneumatic spray gun delivered a coating of bronze, resulting in furniture that was metallic in look, yet lightweight.

Evans’ Argente technique used welded aluminum, which was treated and etched to create areas of dark and light, a look wholly different from the matte finish typically associated with aluminum.

In the 1970s, Evans turned to reflective surfaces in his “Cityscape” series, using chrome and steel first in flat and later angled configurations — a look that was perfectly suited to the disco era. Other lines followed yearly — wood to contrast metal, lacquer and striped metal, poured concrete and stainless steel with suede.

After Evans’ arrangement with Directional Furniture ended in 1979, his work turned in another direction with “electronic furniture” — tables that changed heights, cabinets that rotated and

shelves that popped up and down. The venture was unsuccessful, and Evans was forced to close his business, only to die of a heart attack on his first day of his retirement.

His work subsequently fell completely from fashion but was rediscovered and promoted at the end of the last century. Evans has been the subject of several monographs, documentaries and a retrospective at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

My boss David Rago, who has been instrumental in bringing many Evans pieces to auction, says “right now there are more high points than low ones as Evans’ work, especially from his studio period, is attracting many European collectors. The heat is definitely more on the earlier studio work, though the Directional Furniture has its share of collectors as well.”

Directional pieces are commonly found at auction, selling in the hundreds to more than $50,000 for an exceptional wall-mounted Disc Bar in sculpted bronze. But it is his studio pieces that are catnip to designers and collectors — Lenny Kravitz, Diane von Furstenberg and Peter Brandt among them — and that often bring stratospheric results.

For further reading: “Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism” (2014), edited by Constance Kimmerle. Contact Jenny at jenny@ragoarts.com or 917-745-2730.

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WARES Add seasonal decorations to your décor — You don’t necessarily have to stick with traditional colors for your holiday décor. I love to use fresh branches and berries along with sparkling gold and silver decorations. Some years I bring in all white flowers; other years it’s all pinks and golds.

Seasonally scented candles add to the memories. You can also boil a pot of scented spices to bring that beautiful aroma of the holidays into your home. Baking a pie or cookies will do the trick, too.

Flowers, plants and bulbs are all wonderful additions — Buy tightly budded flowers a few days prior to give them time to be at peak blossom by your holiday evening. Start bulbs a few weeks before the holidays so they will bloom in time.

Decorate with lots of throws to cozy up in — People may be staying over and they may feel the winter chill. I always have several throws on hand to offer and I leave extra blankets and pillows in guest rooms. I even have a noise machine on hand for guests who need a little white noise to get a restful night’s sleep. (It’s a great device to drown out a snorer.).

Have games on hand to keep the festivities going — Our favorite is a game of charades that we

A beautifully set table and outdoor greenery mean so much at holiday time. Courtesy Cami Weinstein Designs.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

BY CAMI WEINSTEIN

T

he first chill in the air makes our thoughts turn to seasonal celebrations. Holidays are about family and friends gathering to claim traditions both old and new. As the days turn darker and we are inside longer, we tend to take stock of our surroundings.

Indoor work that we let go of during the summer are now pressing to be fixed as we prepare for guests, who will require fresh amenities.

Here are some tips for creating a warm welcoming home for the holidays.

Stock the bar — Take note of the libations that you have on hand and new ones you need to add.

At the start of the season we like to work on a signature drink to offer guests along with the standard

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favorites. We find most people like the idea of holiday drink to try. Hot ciders, toddies and spiked hot chocolates are a few of our favorites. Pick up holiday cocktail napkins and add some new serving pieces. Check your barware. Are you down to five wine glasses? Stock up on drink glasses. I like to have a minimum of 12 to 14 glasses on hand. I also love linen napkins and small cocktail plates that are easy to hold. Don’t forget to polish the silverware.

Check your table linens — I always have a few sets on hand. Things can inadvertently spill and I often host the holidays back to back. At the end of the evening, it makes it easy to clean everything up and then reset the table with fresh linens without worrying about washing, ironing and getting the same table linens back on the table for the next day’s celebrations.

play every New Year’s Eve. We set up teams and play after dinner until the ball drops. It keeps all of your guests on their toes. Once everyone gets past his initial trepidation, it is sure to become a traditional staple. Scrabble is another family favorite.

Keep it simple and stress-free — I often have clients go into a total panic wanting to completely redecorate a room three or four weeks prior to the holidays. If you want to redo your room or renovate your home, sometimes it’s best to wait until after the holidays. After the holidays everything slows down and you can take the time to concentrate on your project and not feel pressured to have the house ready for guests. Plus, let the rooms go through that extra little wear and tear before you redecorate. No one wants to be the one to spill a glass of red wine on a brand-new sofa or rug.

Give yourself plenty of time to prep for the holidays — Organize your menus and stock your pantry.

The last thing you want to do is to be so exhausted by the time the holidays are here that you don’t get the chance to enjoy them. Prepare some of the foods and bring in the rest. There are so many wonderful places to pick up prepared foods that it leaves you the extra time to decorate and relax to enjoy your family and guests. Holidays are really a time to slow down and appreciate others as you create memories that will last a lifetime.

Happy holidays.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

STEMMING A BIOLOGICAL ‘RED TIDE’

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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hose of you who are faithful readers of WAG magazine know that there are few more creative couples than Judith and Andrew Economos.

We first introduced you to the pair in the February 2013 WAG when we visited them in their fabulous Yonkers home, teeming with Judith’s paintings and sculptures and Andrew’s woodwork.

Its rich carvings and sculpture garden were a tribute to their teamwork.

After some 40 years in the home, the two

have returned to the place Andrew knew first — his hometown of Sarasota, Florida. There they’ve continued with their artistic endeavors, designing a new sculpture garden, renewing old acquaintances and encountering one familiar but always uninvited guest — the red algae that plague the Gulf Coast.

“It kills the fish,” Andrew says, “and produces noxious gases that cause people’s eyes and throats to burn. I first saw it in 1950 when it wiped out the natural sponge population before Dow (Chemical Co.) invented the synthetic sponge.

“This year has been particularly bad, with red

algae killing millions of fish and hurting tourism.”

Eradicating the algae is a daunting challenge, one that calls for Andrew’s entrepreneurial spirit. As we wrote of him in 2013, he “got in on the ground floor of computers and data analysis, heading up that effort for NBC before starting his own company, RCS (Radio Computing Services), which he sold to Clear Channel, which in turn was bought by Bain Capital.”

So we were hardly surprised to hear that he has recently created The Red Tide Institute, “to eliminate or mitigate” the destructive algae. The institute is working with Mote Ma-

rine Laboratory & Aquarium, also of Sarasota, whose president and CEO is Michael P. Crosby, a marine biologist with a long career in academia and the federal government. Andrew says Crosby has a marine biologist in mind to head the institute but any announcement at the present would be premature.

The institute and the lab are tasked with coming up with solutions to this longtime red menace, which has been given a boost, Andrew says, by the increasingly warm Gulf waters caused by climate change.

Japan has countered a different type of algae

using clay. Back in Westchester, Andrew used charcoal dust and barley to destroy the green algae he found in his pond. But he adds that it’s one thing to apply such remedies to a small area, quite another to think they’ll work when they’re spread by a plane 50 miles from the shore, the way California combats forest fires with water and flame-retardant chemicals.

“That’s my paradigm,” he says of the Californian approach. In following it, he and his team will be asking one question: “What is the most effective way to do this so we don’t kill the fish?”

For more, visit mote.org.

Left, artwork by Judith Economos. Photographs by Bob Rozycki; and above, Andrew and Judith Economos. Courtesy Andrew Economos.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

BURKELMAN ON THE BOWERY

BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI

K

evin Burke and David Kimelman are having a homecoming of sorts.

WAG is visiting the Hudson Valley couple in early November on the fourth day of business at the Burkelman home design and accessories shop on the Bowery in Manhattan.

The Cold Spring residents were longtime city dwellers, with this area a particular favorite — in fact, they even had their first date right around the corner from the shop.

“We’re East Village people,” says Burke with a laugh.

“Eastsiders,” Kimelman adds.

The city shop marks the second brickand-mortar incarnation of the brand, which launched as a website back in 2014. From the start, Burkelman has been a collaborative effort, drawing on Burke’s years as a creative executive in the fashion industry and Kimelman’s work in documentary and portrait photography.

The original shop continues to thrive in Cold Spring since opening in the summer of 2015 — first mentioned in a WAG story on Cold Spring shopping in spring 2016 followed by a full feature that summer.

Progress, it’s clear, continues.

“The main thing we’re doing is building a brand, so the form it takes reveals itself to us, ” says Kimelman.

“Though we’re solidly Hudson Valley,” he adds — noting he and Burke are raising their 4 ½-yearold twin boys in Cold Spring — a shop in the city was the next step.

The neighborhood was selected for its understated cool — or, as Kimelman adds, for being “very chic, sophisticated … a little quietly though. There’s newness, oldness … a dynamism.”

Landing in Manhattan was almost a given considering Burkelman’s reach from its northern flagship.

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Quirky lighting is a playful touch at Burkelman in Manhattan.

Above left: Kevin Burke, left, and David Kimelman have opened a second Burkelman. The home goods shop in Manhattan joins the original in Cold Spring; and right, stylish home accessories are a Burkelman trademark.

“We’ve seen people come up from the city to shop our rugs,” Burke says of Burkelman’s most successful offering. While many would make a day of it, having lunch in the Putnam County village after shopping Burkelman, they decided to offer their city-based customers a closer option.

And in true Burkelman tradition, a disco ball makes an appearance, adding that bit of funky glitz to the front window, inviting shoppers into the stylish surroundings filled with sophisticated selections.

“It’s all custom,” says Burke, pointing to contemporary glass display cases but also the sleek overall design. He notes he and Kimelman met B. Alex Miller, partner of the noted Taylor and Miller Architecture and Design firm, through Cold Spring and tapped the Brooklyn-based firm for the interior work.

When looking at potential spaces, they found many of the classic long-and-narrow retail options — “We would think this would be great for a jewelry store,” Burke says of places they scouted.

In the end, Burkelman NYC ended up being bigger, some 1,800 square feet versus 1,000 in Cold Spring.

As Kimelman says, “Originally, the plan was just like, ‘We’ll do a small version,’ but then it was like ‘Go big or go home.’”

Adds Burke with another laugh, “We do the

opposite of everything people do. I’m not sure if you noticed.”

Here, the shop unfolds gently from front to back, starting with entertaining and decorating, moving on to what Kimelman calls “our accessories moment,” and then to the home spa selections before ending up at the area devoted to that most popular category.

“People really know us for our rugs,” Burke emphasizes.

The new space has allowed for expanded offerings, particularly in fine jewelry. There are pieces featuring opals and pearls, which Burke notes are ideal, “for special events and gifting for the one that matters.”

There is also much more related to unwinding, such as robes created from handmade textiles from Turkey and a new category called flounce wear, “a term we invented, we think, shapeless, sizeless and easy to wear,” says Kimelman.

While decorative goods for one’s home remain a mainstay, Burkelman has also always been a place for gifts.

“People shop us for the gifts that matter,” Burke says. “We see it over and over again.”

Because of that, Burke and Kimelman are more than ready to share their holiday picks, already having selected the top-five options.

It’s no surprise they start with their signature candles, 100 percent soy wax, cotton wick and hand poured in New York. Developed over three

years and offering a burn time of some 60 hours, the affordable-luxury ($38) line is led by the signature That Hudson Valley Candle, a mix of fire, tobacco leaves and moss that evokes a winter fireplace or summer campfire.

“That’s what it all comes down to, what they smell like,” says Kimelman.

The second pick is the Opalescent Champagne Coupe. “It’s scalable to whatever you want to spend, (buy) two, eight, 20,” he adds.

Rounding out the picks are a marble cheese board with brass details; colorful sheepskin pelts ideal for the baby room, to throw over a chair or even for a dog bed; and the quirkiest little mouse lamps, white resin designs available in three whimsical poses and ideal as a nightlight.

All sum up the Burkelman approach.

“It’s beautiful, interesting products — but it’s fun,” Kimelman says.

Though these holiday picks can also be found online, Burke says some products — such as the unique jewelry and the newly arriving flounce wear — will be offered in-store only.

“Burkelman is all about coming in — see, touch, feel and smell.”

And savor.

Burkelman is at 332 Bowery (at Bond Street) in Manhattan; and at 101 Main St. in Cold Spring.

For more, visit shopburkelman.com.

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WHAT'S NEW?

THREE THAT GIVE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

W

AG wanted to bring to your attention three stories of organizations, two of which we’ve regularly featured and one new to us, that are giving back to the world in novel ways:

A GORILLA IN HIS MIDST Valmont has long been one of our favorite skincare and perfume lines, one that justifies the word luxe. But we didn’t realize just how deep ran the artistic talents of Didier Guillon, president of the Valmont Group and of the eponymous foundation.

Last year while visiting the Berlin Zoo with youngest daughter Valentine, he fell under the spell of Ivo, its star gorilla. Something in the animal’s magisterial air and monolithic stance reminded Guillon of Pablo Picasso’s cubism and he began to imagine another life for the sensational simian, one in which he would set himself free and step into the world of drawing, painting and sculpture.

Since Ivo couldn’t do that, Guillon did it for him, creating a series of 30 works — sketches and collages reminiscent of Piet Mondrian, a Murano glass bas-relief that reminds us of the jewel-colored masks that embellish Valmont’s five Storie Veneziane fragrances, metal sculptures that recall Auguste Rodin. These works also underscore the precarious situation of this land-dwelling mammal, which shares 98 percent of human DNA and is threatened by loss of habitat, poaching and disease.

In October, Valmont exhibited the works under the title “The Elegant Symmetry of the Gorilla,” with 100 percent of the proceeds from two editions of two of the works going to One Drop, an international nonprofit committed to bringing safe drinking water to communities in need. (Valmont also donated $10 for every product sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and the Spa Valmont at Hôtel Plaza Athénée — both in Manhattan — to One Drop during the months of October and November.)

Giving back has always been a core value of the Valmont Group.

Somehow we imagine Ivo would approve.

One of the works is on display at Valmont's new beauty counter at Saks Fifth Avenue's Man96

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xxxxx

Ivo at the Berlin Zoo. Images courtesy the Valmont Group.

hattan flagship and the other piece is on display at Spa Valmont at Hôtel Plaza Athénée, both in Manhattan. Each piece costs $1,000 and interested buyers can call Valmont at 646-861-3679 to purchase them. “The Elegant Symmetry of the Gorilla” will be shown in Munich Jan. 10Feb. 17, 2019; Ginza, Japan Oct. 1-7 and Berlin, Nov. 7-30. For more, visit, ?

LOVE ALL The United States Tennis Association in White Plains is dedicated not only to growing the game of tennis from local schoolchildren through the

professional ranks but to helping underserved youth through its foundation’s National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network.

Recently, The USTA Employee Green Committee visited the Ronald McDonald House of the Greater Hudson Valley at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla to donate 9,000 metal tops from tennis ball cans used at the 2018 US Open. Why the can tops? Ronald McDonald House trades them at local recycling centers for cash at the current market value. The money is used to offset the cost of staying at the house for families of traumatically injured and critically ill children. The 85 pounds of lids that the

Green Committee collected will cover the cost of a family’s stay for a week.

Last year, more than 2.2 million tabs covered the cost of more than 60 nights.

Meanwhile, the committee’s efforts keep it true to its environmentally friendly mission.

Talk about serving nothing but aces.

For more, visit usta.com.

Works by Didier Guillon inspired by Ivo.

PARENTING OLIVE TREES The new kid on the WAG block is London-based Nudo Adopt, featuring Italian olive oil with a twist.

Company director Katharine Doré was taken with the environmental inspiration behind Yorkshire artist Michelle Freemantle’s ceramic designs when she saw her work at a London gallery.

This led to cruets, bottles for serving oil at table, in the colors of Italy — yellow for its radiant sunshine, green for its lush countryside and blue for its midnight sea.

Now you can adopt an olive tree in one of the company’s eight groves either singly ($79) or through a $145 handmade pourer gift set.

All adoptive parents receive a certificate acknowledging their support of olive farmers and the Italian countryside.

And no naming the “kid” Oliver or Olivia.

For more, visit nudoadopt.com.

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

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

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WEAR

Gokyo, Nepal. Courtesy Neiman Marcus

NEIMAN MARCUS: GIFTS THAT GIVE BACK

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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eiman Marcus is the gift that keeps giving. Not only is the luxe retailer out with its Christmas Book, complete with new fantasy items, but The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation has pledged to support The Boys & Girls Club of America youth arts programs, which serve 4.3 million children through 4,300 clubs nationwide.

Neiman Marcus will be donating $750,000 over three years to the 43 clubs in areas where Neiman Marcus stores are located. The clubs include the Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle, thanks to the presence of Neiman Marcus Westchester in White Plains.

One way to contribute to the foundation is with a fantasy gift for you or a special someone (or two). How about 12? That’s how many the 74-foot solar-powered Serenity Yacht sleeps (including a crew of four). This is a state-of-the-art creation — the largest solar-powered yacht in the world — complete with an interior by Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing. He has included lots of closet space, because the yacht includes a shopping spree — all for a cool $7.1 million, $50,000 of which will go to Neiman Marcus’ foundation.

That is just the beginning of over the top. How about the top of the world? You’ll enjoy sunrise at base camp on Mount Everest as part of a “Wonders

& Wellness of the Indian Subcontinent Experience” that will have you “roughing it” in luxury lodges with wellness gurus and yogis, courtesy of bespoke travel purveyor Black Tomato. With your $630,000 purchase, the foundation will receive up to $45,000.

For others it will be “Mission Possible” as they get to play secret agent in Las Vegas on a three-day, two-night espionage adventure put together by The Invictus Experience. Best of all, you’ll be jumping out of planes, racing supercars and doing whatever else is required to fulfill the mission with veterans of the Special Operations Forces. We doubt that anyone will be disavowing this mission, particularly since the $315,000 price tag includes a $25,000 donation to the foundation and $5,000 donations to Mission Volant and Warfighter Made, serving vets and wounded warriors respectively.

One of our favorite fantasies features Sloane Stephens, 2017 US Open women’s singles champion, who graced WAG’s August cover and our US Open salute. For $555,000 you can attend the four Slams — the US, French and Australian Opens and Wimbledon — as Stephens’ guest, sitting in a VIP box, hitting with her and getting goodies signed by her. The price tag includes a $30,000 donation to the foundation.

Can’t do a fantasy? Neiman Marcus has more than 823 gifts, from a Melville Santa Beard Lollipop for $10 to a McLaren Ride on Car for kids for $395.

For more, visit neimanmarcus.com.

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

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WANDERS

The Forni glacier.

ALPINE NIRVANA STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH

BY ALEESIA FORNI

I

t’s unlikely that you’ve ever heard its name, but there’s a glacier situated within the Italian Alps called the Ghiacciaio dei Forni. This Forni Glacier is the largest valley glacier in Italy and is the focal point of the Ortles-Cevedale Group, a mountain range in the Central Alps. The Forni Glacier is in Stelvio National Park, the largest national park in Italy and one that is part of more than 1,500 square miles of protected environment across the Italian-Switzerland border.

The glacier also shares a name with me. My family first stumbled upon it a few years ago, when my aunt happened to notice it on a world map. When my parents, aunts and I decided to set off on a whirlwind European vacation, we knew the Forni Glacier would have to be one of our stops.

In English, the Italian word “forni” translates to “oven.” We’re told the round, cavernous glacier was given this name because of its resemblance to the kitchen appliance and not, to our disappointment, because it has anything to do with our ancestors.

Just a few miles from the glacier is Rifugio Forni, a quaint mountain hut that sits above the ski-resort town of Bormio. To reach Rifugio Forni, you must undertake a, frankly, terrifying drive up a curving one-

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lane road that runs along the side of the mountain.

We arrive at Rifugio Forni late one evening, exhausted both from a long day of traveling and from the venture up the mountain. (Did I mention there are no guardrails?)

Our host at the Rifugio speaks limited English but enough to scold us for being late for the evening meal. We realize at once that it’s a no-nonsense establishment. From then on, either we arrive on time for dinner or we go to bed hungry.

The Rifugio is filled with backpackers, many of whom are trekking their way across the Alps, this just one of many stops along their journey.

We, on the other hand, are not experienced mountain climbers. And while I had considered myself a good-enough hiker, trekking up an Alpine rock scramble is a bit different than climbing to the peak of Anthony’s Nose near Peekskill.

To reach the Forni Glacier, you must hike or drive up a rocky terrain to another mountain hut, Rifugio Branca. From there, you hike down to a stunning pool of water that reflects the peaks of the glacial mountains, creating a dual image that it’s impossible not to capture with your phone.

Then the climb begins — up a flat rock surface with no handholds to assist you, up against a trickling downstream current, where the path and waterway are one and the same.

My parents are behind me on this journey, and there are more than a few sections of our hike I’m sure they won’t be able to navigate.

It’s funny how there’s a point in time in your life where you seem to cease feeling like your parents’ child and more like their protector. I feel like I’m in the dead center of that transformation. I worry about my parents driving late at night. I get nervous about their health, yet I still call my dad when I have a flat tire, and my mom is my consistent go-to for

advice on everything from recipes to relationships.

Despite that, I find myself in an almost constant state of worry for them during our hike. “Are you sure you can make this?” and “Are you all right?” seem to be my two most overused phrases during the four-hour journey.

But as they have done so many times before, my parents surprise me. They take their time, they stick together, but they always make it. They dig their hiking sticks into the ground, keep moving forward, and I’m left proud and awestruck.

Reaching the glacier fills me with a sense of triumph, not only because this is a place we’ve dreamed of visiting for so long, but also because we made this journey together. We each bend down to touch its icy surface, taking photos of where our faces are plastered with sheer joy.

During the rest of our stay, we make other hikes around the nearby Alps, giving ourselves different views of the stunning peaks. We hike through cow fields, over rickety bridges and across mountainous landscapes. When our stay comes to an end, none of us is ready to go — both because we have so enjoyed our stay, but also because we have no desire to make the drive back down the one-lane roadway.

The experience of visiting this landmark with my parents and aunts is something that will be etched into my mind for the rest of my life, particularly as there’s another story about the Forni Glacier, one documented in the photos that sit along the walls of the entrance to Rifugio Forni. In the last few decades, the glacier has receded at an alarming pace, more than 2.5 kilometers from its maximum position, leaving experts unsure what the future holds for the stunning landmark.

Still, I hope one day to bring my own children to the glacier, where we can share similar experiences and make our own memories.

WANDERS

NEW YORK (UP)STATE OF MIND

BY BARBARA BARTON SLOANE

“A small town is a place where there’s no place to go where you shouldn’t.”

T

— Burt Bacharach

he sentiments of that quote may well be, but on my sojourn through the Finger Lakes and 1000 Islands regions of New York there were plenty of places to go exactly where I should — and what a rewarding experience they turned out to be in any season. From Watkins Glen to Clayton, and the many communities in between, I discovered some pretty nifty arts and crafts, delicious seasonal beverages (think hard cider), and antique treasures like the flower-filled glass globe that I found hidden under a pile of old posters.

My first stop was Watkins Glen, best described as that place where Mother Nature meets Main Street. We visited the lovely Harbor Hotel on Seneca Lake, recipient of USA Today’s “Ten Best Waterfront Hotels” award and AAA’s Four Diamond recognition. Situated amid vineyard-covered hillsides and peaceful hiking trails, the property is smack dab in the heart of the area’s renowned wine region. The town has been recognized by The New York Times as a “Best Place to Visit,” and Budget Travel called the Finger Lakes one of the “World’s Most Beautiful Wine Regions.” Replete with rich cultural experiences, this area boasts some important museums — the Corning Museum of Glass, The Rockwell Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate and the Arnot Art Museum, to name a few.

Equally delightful was my tour of Reisinger’s Apple Country, a family-owned orchard offering 20 varieties of apples for your picking pleasure and fine educational tours. Did you know that a medium apple is 80 calories or that apples are members of the rose family? Now I do. Then, something I’d been looking forward to — a tour and tasting at Lakewood Vineyards. Three generations of the Stamp family have worked together to produce wines excep-

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The Finger Lakes and 1000 Islands regions of New York in its autumnal glory. Courtesy Sloane Travel Photography.

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tional enough to be awarded “The Wine Family of the Year” by Vineyard & Winery Management magazine. I had an intimate guided tour of their wine-making process, the finale being a wine tasting with a large selection of superb local cheeses as accompaniment. My day ended back at the hotel with a dinner at the Blue Pointe Grill with tasty corn chowder and Chicken Milanese.

Next up was the quaint town of Clayton and the AAA four diamond-rated 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. This village, built on a peninsula, was settled in 1822 and is unique for its intact, cohesive collection of 19th- and early-20th century buildings. Clayton may be small, hovering at around 2,000 inhabitants, but its offerings are large. There’s an opera house, the Antique Boat Museum, Boldt Castle and the Boldt Yacht House and much more.

Let me tell you about the spectacular Antique Boat Museum. It is the premier freshwater nautical museum in North America with more than 300 unique, beautifully preserved vessels and thousands of artifacts. What fun it was to board La Duchesse, a two-story Gilded Age houseboat. Onboard I discovered every creature comfort imaginable, including a dining room with brass fireplace and Limoges china, a stateroom finished in the finest mahogany and bathrooms with clawfoot tubs and gold-rimmed sinks. As sun streamed into the cozy

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library, I began imagining what it must have been like to curl up here with a good book, the grand St. Lawrence flowing outside my window.

Crossing over the 1000 Islands Bridge, a grand apparition lay before my eyes — Boldt Castle, a turnof-the-century edifice rivaling those in Europe. Construction began in 1900 at the bidding of hotel magnate George C. Boldt as a tribute to his beloved wife, Louise. Designed as their summer home, alas it was not to be as she passed away suddenly just months before the completion of the castle. The story goes that he was so inconsolable at her death that he left the property and never returned.

So it remains for others to savor. I let my imagination run wild when I saw the elegant reception room with its potted palms and towering, floor-toceiling windows. Hmmm: I’m being greeted and asked to wait a moment till the lord of the manor is ready to greet me. Well, I can dream, can’t I? Dinner back at the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel marked a fitting end to my visit. Known as the famous shore dinner, this was a repast so special, I think I’ll remember it always. Created and inspired by local fishing guides, this traditional meal has been an integral part of fishing the river since 1872.

Here’s some of what it consists of — the catch of the day, bread, potatoes, fatback, corn on the cob, greens and Thousand Island dressing. The first course was a fatback sandwich. Yes, a sandwich made of just

fried fatback and onions. I was tempted to pass on this curious starter but glad I didn’t. The sandwich was so delicious I asked for seconds. Next came fried fish, potatoes and corn and the pièce de résistance, French toast. Get this: The deliciously battered bread is fried in the reused fatback grease. Voilà.

French toast like you’ve never had before — swoon-worthy. I’d like to mention that the event was accompanied by wines from Coyote Moon Vineyards, making this one happy experience, to be sure.

A special and significant event takes place every winter at the hotel. Todd Buchko, general manager, explains that “Twenty thousand pounds of ice are meticulously carved into spectacular ice sculptures, martini luges and drink bars. After enjoying the chilling experience on the patio, head inside to warm up with hors d’oeuvres, chili and chowder.” Perhaps the best thing about this happening is that a portion of the proceeds is donated to New York State Police assisting armed forces members at Fort Drum who are wounded or ill. Because of the hotel’s proximity to Fort Drum, Todd says, “Being local is what we wanted.” The “Fire & Ice” charity event takes place again Feb. 2-9 — a worthy, wonderful cause, not to be missed.

For more, visit watkinsglenharborhotel. com, 1000islandsharborhotel.com, abm.org, boldtcastle.com, CoyoteMoonVineyards.com, reisingersapplecountry.com and lakewoodvineyards.com.

“Sapori (Italian for “flavors”) is the newest and the fanciest restaurant to arrive on the outskirts of White Plains near the County Center.”

— New York Times

Lunch, Dinner, Private Wine Room, Outdoor Dining • Valet Parking 324 Central Ave, White Plains, NY • 914-684-8855 • saporiofwhiteplains.com

WANDERS

HOLIDAY SPLURGES

BY DEBBI K. KICKHAM

L

ike to travel in style or know someone who does? Here are a few suggestions for making the days merry and bright: Make a reservation — Montage Hotel & Resorts has created once-ina-lifetime experiences if money is no object. A Fly-Fishing Expedition to Remember ($40,000) at the Montage Deer Valley resort in Park City, Utah, includes a three-night stay for up to four guests in the Summit View Penthouse, private-jet flights and the fishing expedition.

Bask in the glitz and glamour at Montage Beverly Hills with Memories to Remember ($50,000). This includes a magazine-inspired photo shoot shot by celebrity photographer John Russo, hair and makeup, a three-night stay in the California Suite and much more. Montagehotels.com.

Put on The Ritz — Make a French fashion statement with a peach-colored Egyptian cotton robe from The Ritz Paris — you know, the former home of Coco Chanel. The robe is so hued because master hotelier César Ritz believed that the color made everyone’s complexion look rosy. Available from S-XXL, 200 Euros (about $228). ritzparisboutique.com.

Cocoon in comfort — With fringe taking center stage for 2019, the Kinross Fringe Trim Pullover takes you above the fray to deliver irresistibly cozy style in 100-percent cashmere. Sport it in black at the airport, and wear the white at night -- when you want to look like an angel. $385, kinrosscashmere.com, Darien Sport Shop, dariensport.com.

Find your sole mate — Sarah Flint — who counts Meghan Markle and Amal Clooney among her fans — designed her Travel Flat to wear with both jeans and dresses when you're on the road. Its open front and low-cut vamp flatter every foot. The jet-set shoe has model Cindy Crawford as both mentor and investor in the company. Buy a pair for your favorite gal pal — and one just for you. $375. SarahFlint.com.

Buy the bags made in Greenwich — Designer Peter Dooney (the founder of Dooney & Bourke), created Henry’s Leather Co. in his hometown. Handcrafted in Connecticut and in Florence, Italy, with Old World artisanal sensibility, these luxury handbags and accessories are drop-dead gorgeous. Large orange tote, $650. henrysleather.com. And while we’re on the subject of Dooney & Bourke…

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Montage Beverly Hills

Give Fido a fancy home — The Dooney & Bourke Alto Pet Carrier is made of beautiful Italian leather with rich matte finish, mesh side window and adjustable shoulder strap. $895. dooney.com.

Wear the world's most comfortable travel shirt — Fashion designer Danh Tran, who hates wearing dress shirts, has developed a man’s shirt that feels like a T shirt. With a special blend of long fiber, no-iron cotton, the shirts are called “Butter,” because they feel like just like butter. Incredible breathability, six-way stretch and an exclusive double-finished construction make you look like Friday night… but feel like Sunday morning. One of Danh’s first customers was former Los Angeles Lakers star Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest), who also disliked collared shirts, because he did not feel comfortable in them. He was so impressed that he invested in Butter Cloth as an equity partner and serves as the brand’s ambassador to the sports and celebrity world. “Shark Tank’s” Robert Herjavec also invested in the brand, just minutes after seeing the presentation on the TV show. $98-$118. Use PromoCode WAG10 for a 10 percent site-wide discount that expires Dec. 31. (Sale items not applicable.) buttercloth.com.

The eyes have it — Sunski shades let you buy frames according to face shape. Every pair comes with polarized lenses to protect from harsh glare.

Featherlight and in every chic combination imaginable, they carry a lifetime warranty. Price range: $48$89. store.sunski.com/ And speaking of Mr. Sun, you can use your smartphone in his direct rays, say, next time you're on Maui.

The FlipShade is a new smartphone accessory for iP-

hones that flips over to provide instant shade — and no squinting. $9.99. Amazon.com.

Go veggie — Live Ultimate is a luxury line of natural certified vegan skincare products featuring skin-brightening botanicals and healing herbal extracts. Try the Camu Advanced Youth Recovery Serum with hyaluronic acid ($55) and the Camu Complex Daily Moisturizer ($55) with proprietary Fruitscription blend, loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and probiotics. If you only buy one item, make it the luscious lemon/lime exfoliating cleanser ($32) — it will rock your world — wherever you are. liveultimate.com.

Discover a distinctive doughnut — Here’s something the world hasn’t seen before — a health-conscious doughnut that is ideal for girls and guys on the go. The doughnuts, from Dough Bar, pack 11 grams of protein, but just 150 calories and come in a plethora of popular flavors, including Nutella, Reese’s, red velvet and pumpkin pie, with a variety of homemade glazes. Stash ’em in your carry-on, gym bag, briefcase or car. Also available in gluten-free. $15.50 a box. doughbardoughnuts.com.

Try the gift-wrapping game-changer — The new Pop-Up Gift Box transforms the way you wrap gifts. One piece, two folds and ties in less than a minute. That's it! No tools needed — no scissors, no tape.

Ignite your creativity with ribbon, toppers, glitter and twists. Reuse up to 10 times. $9.95 for medium, $12.95 for large. Available at papyrusonline.com or at Papyrus in White Plains. Also at givesimply.com.

For more on Debbi, visit gorgeousglobetrotter. com and marketingauthor.com

E R OA R I N

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MUSCOOT

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105 Somerstown Turnpike, Katonah, NY (Corner of Rt. 100 and Rt. 35) www.muscoottavern.com 914 • 232 • 2800

WANDERS

A panoramic view of Six Senses Douro Valley. Courtesy Six Senses.

GIVING BACK TO MOTHER EARTH

BY JEREMY WAYNE

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was 10 years old when my parents took me on vacation to Ischia, the gorgeous but relatively sedate Mediterranean island that is to its glamorous neighbor, Capri, a little like laid-back Nantucket is to ritzier Martha’s Vineyard.

On our last starry evening, walking back to our hotel from an early dinner in town, we came across a mobile blood bank, set up by the local hospital. Without a word, my father peeled off from the family group and nipped inside, while my mother explained to me what a blood bank was and what my father was doing. When he emerged a few minutes later, I looked at him in a new way, part admiration and part disgust. I mean, who would willingly have a needle jabbed in to him and have his blood drawn? And in a yucky

foreign country, what’s more. I didn’t get it, not one bit. But my father’s explanation was typically gentle. “We’ve had such a lovely holiday,” he said, putting a reassuring arm round me, “and everyone in Ischia has been so kind, it’s the least we can do to say ‘thank you.’’’

In the forgetful way that parents have, he naturally failed to mention the taxi driver who had left us stranded on the far side of the island because we were five minutes late for the appointed rendezvous or the girl at the Kodak kiosk who shouted at us when my mother queried the inflated price of a roll of film. But in the face of clear good-heartedness, I decided to let these things go.

Forty years on, the idea of giving back when we travel is no longer confined to individual acts of kindness. Professionally organized, publicly embraced, it makes my father’s impromptu gesture

Ischia harbor view. Photograph by Natalia Barsukova.

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seem rather quaint, which is certainly not to belittle it. From little acorns of thoughtfulness grow mighty oaks of humanity. As the Bahais so wisely say, you can’t change the world but you can change yourself. And little by little, it seems we travelers are all changing for the better.

Start with the airlines. No one’s naïve enough to think that guilt over carbon emissions is going to stop us flying, but a small contribution — a fraction of the airfare we pay — can help to offset them. Delta, Jet Blue and British Airways are among the companies that offer carbon offset programs. Giving back to the environment, or at least, not contributing further to its destruction, is something we all now practice in our daily lives, sometimes because the law requires it or, better still, because it is something we want to do of our own free will.

On vacation, we all know the card that absolves housekeeping from having to change our bedsheets daily. And the hotel bedroom lights we all used to leave on — because we couldn’t be bothered to cross the room to switch them off, eroding natural resources over time often in countries that can ill afford them — are now responsibly turned off before we head for the elevator. And then, there’s plastic. Well if, like me, you can’t enjoy your piña colada in the sun without a straw, why not go the whole nine yards — since this is a luxury travel column, after all — and invest in a sterling silver one from Tiffany? It’s the answer to all your plastic straw needs. Just don’t leave it in the sand.

Like supermarkets, banks and Amazon, hotels themselves have realized that doing good is also good for business, a two-way street if you will.

These days, nearly every major hotel brand facilitates some way of “giving,” often to local communities. Marriott Rewards subscribers can donate points to the American Red Cross and UNICEF, among other noble charities, while Hilton Honors members can donate to virtually any charity of their choice through the Point Worthy program, which converts loyalty points to cash.

While great hotels have always been an integral part of their wider environment, creating jobs and developing local infrastructure, nowadays many luxury hotels have formalized the process of giving back. If you’re planning a trip to Portugal’s Douro Valley, for example, the luxury Six Senses Douro Valley hotel donates money from its water-bottling activities — it produces its own mineralized water on site — to the Bagos d’Ouro Association, to support underprivileged and disadvantaged children in the region. At Rosewood Mayakoba, one of the most sumptuous hotels in Playa del Carmen, Mexico (where the staff are so kind and generous of spirit that when you depart you miss them every bit as much as the luxury amenities,) guests are able to support the recently opened Centro Educativo Bilingüe Bet-el School, all through sustainable tourism.

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Elephant Nature Park, Thailand. Courtesy Remote Lands Travel Designers.

Ever wondered what happens to all that leftover soap in hotel bathrooms? Here in New York City and around the world, luxury brands like Hyatt, IHG and Mandarin Oriental join Marriott and Hilton in donating thousands of tons of soap a month to the Clean the World initiative, an organization that sanitizes and recycles bath products and then distributes them to the needy in more than 30 countries worldwide.

Luxury tour operators, too, are weighing in. Remote Lands, a bespoke operator focusing on Asia and offering everything from exclusive admission to historic sites to pool villas and private jets, is involved with numerous foundations concerned with education, architectural heritage and the arts. They highly encourage clients to take an active interest in their missions, which include Bhutan’s Tarayana Foundation (working for a happy and poverty-free Bhutan), looking after elephants in Thailand’s Elephant Nature Park and preserving Tibet’s cultural heritage through its Tibetan Village Project.

From an early age we’re taught that giving is better than receiving. But there are many ways of giving, not merely putting coins in a tin, writing checks or having a few dollars added to our bill at checkout. If you really want to connect, but with-

out necessarily forgoing your creature comforts, then luxury “voluntourism” one of the travel industry’s new buzzwords, is the way to go.

An organization that voluntourists should certainly know about is ME to WE, a pioneering, social enterprise cofounded by those inspirational Canadian brothers, the humanitarians Craig and Marc Kielburger. With departures from North America every week, ME to WE organizes incredible vacation trips to Ecuador, India and Kenya, where individuals, couples, small groups or families take part in sustainable development projects, such as conservation quests, working with children and local families and building schools. Staying in eco-friendly, five-star jungle lodges and tented camps — since no one said luxury and giving back were mutually exclusive — these immersive, horizon-expanding trips really are the experience of a lifetime.

As they say at ME to WE, “Meaningful travel is about being a part of something larger than yourself.”

In the age of the iPhone, insta-gratification and general self-absorption, that is something worth remembering. Happy travels in 2019, and happy giving back!

For more, visit sixsenses.com, rosewoodhotels. com, remotelands.com, cleantheworld.org and metowe.com.

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16ANDERSONROAD.COM Leslie McElwreath | (917) 539-3654

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Direct waterfront in Old Greenwich. Five bedroom, four bath Nantucket style shore colonial with spectacular views of Long Island Sound from every room.

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Colonial home with an award-winning kitchen & private backyard pool & tennis court. An exceptionally private and rare “mini resort” on 2.24 velvety acres.

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WONDERFUL DINING

RESTAURANT WEEK: A MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF YEAR STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS

BY ALEESIA FORNI

T

he change of seasons means a number of things in the Hudson Valley. Kids have headed back to school. The leaves are turning into crimson, burnt-orange and amber. And, most important for the foodies among us, it’s time once again for Hudson Valley

Restaurant Week.

During Restaurant Week, which is presented by The Valley Table magazine — the fall edition was offered Oct. 29-Nov. 11, while the next edition will be held March 11-24 — restaurants offer three-course, prix-fixe menus at $22.95 for lunch and $32.95 for dinner. It’s meant to boost business for local establishments following the summer months and give diners a chance to try out a new or different restaurants in the area.

“Hudson Valley Restaurant Week was launched 12 years ago with the goal of amplifying the voice of local restaurants and producers,” says Janet Crawshaw, publisher of The Valley Table. “The program influences participating restaurants and chefs to source their ingredients from local farms, winemakers, distillers, artisanal producers and purveyors.”

More than 200 restaurants participated in this year’s Restaurant Week from across the Hudson Valley region, with eateries in Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties.

Our first stop during the event was Brothers Fish and Chips, which first opened in Ossining as a takeout restaurant but expanded to a dining room in 2015.

The newer addition is sleek and inviting, with dark wooden tables and a large wine rack adding drama behind the bar.

For our first course, we nibbled on ceviche, a mixture of shrimp, mussels and calamari marinated with ginger and lime juice. Fish cakes were a favorite of the evening, served over an apple slaw and artfully

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Clockwise from top left: fish and chips entree at Brothers Fish and Chips; tartufo at 3 Westerly; and a burger served with cripsy waffle fries from 3 Westerly.

plated with sliced radishes. These crispy cakes were topped with a balsamic and honey Dijon reduction.

Fish and chips were an obvious choice for our main course, beer-battered and flaky, served with hand-cut fries and coleslaw. A side of homemade tartar sauce was a creamy delight and a perfect marriage for the fish.

A second entrée was seared octopus with purple mashed potatoes. I’d heard ravings about the octopus at Brothers, and this dish did not disappoint.

Desserts of coconut pie and homemade flan were another hit, both perfectly sweet and, again, artfully plated.

A few days later, we headed to another Ossining participant in Restaurant Week, the waterfront spot

3 Westerly Bar and Grill.

Starters ranged from a plate of spinach and artichoke dip to a generous helping of macaroni and cheese with applewood-smoked bacon and an herb panko crust. Other options included rice cakes with a spicy tuna tartare, fried calamari with sweet chili gastrique and a Caesar salad with shaved Parmigiano.

There was a range of options to choose from on our second-course menu, with the likes of panseared Atlantic salmon and chicken stuffed with house-ground sausage.

I selected the pizza entrée, topped with prosciutto, arugula and Mozzarella. My guest chose the sirloin burger — thick, juicy and topped with maple bacon,

grilled onions and aged cheddar.

Dessert was a true standout of the evening. Our favorite was a gooey chocolate cookie served in a cast iron skillet, topped with vanilla ice cream. There was also tartufo — a classic Italian dessert of vanilla and chocolate ice cream with a cherry center, coated in dark chocolate and finished with whipped cream.

Our Restaurant Week adventures would take us to other local spots, including Tauk Kitchen in Armonk and The Whitlock in Katonah before it concluded and while we may still have the holiday season to look forward to, in my opinion, Restaurant Week is also one of the most wonderful times of the year.

For more, visit valleytable.com/hvrw.

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WINE&DINE

AN OUTSIDER MAKES GOOD STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH

BY DOUG PAULDING

R

ecently, I was invited to a wine dinner with California consultant and winemaker George Bursick to discuss and taste his wines from Maxville Winery.

Usually I do a bit of research prior to a sit-down so I have some background. I didn’t get a chance to do that this time. One of my first questions was “Why have I not heard of Maxville before?”

George told me, “Because Maxville winery is recently built and brand new to the New York market.” Then George poured us a glass of his 2016 Sauvignon Blanc and began to tell the story of Maxville.

George is dynamic, charismatic, hearty, affable and fun. His stories are great and his laugh, contagious. And his story in the wine world is a bit unusual. He was studying botany and plant physiology and took an entry-level job at Beringer Vineyards, also in St. Helena, California. Most winemakers come to the career of wine through a family history or connection or an inherent fantasy of the product or the lifestyle. Beringer winemaker Myron Nightingale saw something in George and strongly urged him to complete his plant physiology degree and then study oenology at University of California at Davis, one of the few wine schools in the United States at the time. In the early 1970s in the U.S., wine lovers tended not to buy California wines. French, Italian and German wines were taken seriously and had centuries of experience and their wines were very good and affordable. California wines tended to be bulk made wines sold in big jugs for fast drinking or for religious ritualistic purposes.

With his plant physiology degree, George joined a class of 35 at UC Davis. Graduating in 1976 with oenology degrees, all 35 had jobs waiting for them and it is not an overstatement to say this class, with Paul Hobbs, David Ramey, Kathy Corison and Mike Martini among others, changed the wine world significantly for the better. I asked George, “With that cast of characters, you must have a story or two about your time there.” He said, “I was a couple of years older and ended up with the keys to the distillation

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George Bursick, executive winemaker of Maxville Winery.

room. After hours we would go in, without faculty, and taste spirits from the early years of the century.

That was a bonding experience.”

Virtually all the winemakers I have met agree that “great wine comes from great fruit.” His deep understanding about plants gives George a significant advantage. He took a job as vice president and winemaker at McDowell Valley Vineyards, then got recruited to help build the Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery from the ground up and make their wines. He put in more than two decades there where he won numerous awards for the wines, which allowed the place to expand and buy more acreage.

He then worked at J Vineyards & Winery to create luxury and iconic wines.

Eventually, George wanted to slow things down a bit and he began to step aside to expand his consulting business of helping others realize their wine world dreams. But then Travis Li, a wealthy Chinese mega barley producer, heard of George and his skills and his background. Li wanted to build a boutique, high-end winery from the ground up.

Property in Napa Valley proper is expensive and difficult to find. So they researched and tested soils around Chiles Valley, part of Napa and a recognized American Viticultural Area since 1999, although grapes have been planted there for many decades before that. Chiles Valley is nestled into the Vaca Mountains in the northeast side of Napa.

Before long they settled on a site that looked perfect and even had some small plots of long abandoned grape vines growing. The advice was to tear out these vines and start over. But with that plant

physiology degree, George decided to rehab and fertilize the vines and today these vines contribute to some of the Sauvignon Blanc blends. Chiles Valley has an altitude of 900 to 1,200 feet and is cooler than much of Napa. This allows for slow development of flavor and deep color while retaining natural acidity. The changing climate is likely to make the Chiles Valley even more attractive.

Maxville has about 100 acres planted in the noble varietals — Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Petite Verdot. And again, George’s background allowed for planting the right grape stock in the right soil. The 2016 Sauvignon Blanc sells for $30 and is floral, structured and perfumey, with balanced lemon citrus notes. Our next wine was the 2015 Maxville Cabernet Franc, showing dark cherry notes with an attractive spiciness and great aromatics. This wine is well-balanced and delicious. The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon was elegantly powerful with dark fruit, cedar, vanilla and dark pepper. And the 2015 Petite Sirah presented dark fruit and cinnamon with a textured, silky finish.

These reds retail around $60 but are well worth it. They are available in stores and restaurants as well as on MaxvilleLakeWines.com. Take a look at the site and go on a 53-second gorgeous video tour of what Li and George have created. I’m not sure when the last Napa startup wine company began but Maxville wines are new, wonderful and delicious. I would be happy to drink them now but cellaring a few for a few years should give a significant reward.

Write me at doug@dougpaulding.com.

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WELL

THE ORANGE THEORY OF EVERYTHING FITNESS

BY MEGHAN MCSHARRY

A

s I sit here typing this, my arms are sore as my fingers still manage to fly across the keyboard.

But it’s a good kind of sore — the kind that feels like your body recognizes the hard work you put into exercising the day before.

And that’s all thanks to Orange Theory Fitness — a trending fitness chain with several locations in Westchester and Fairfield counties.

When the editor — who took the class that was part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Bloomingdale’s White Plains — asked me to test out Orange Theory, I was a bit hesitant. I like to spend my weekends relaxing and getting errands done, which is typically my excuse for not working out as much as I used to.

I’ve never liked high intensity interval training workouts in the past, but Orange Theory markets itself as grounded in science, so I decided to take one for the team and signed up for a free introductory class.

I went to the White Plains studio on a quiet Sunday afternoon and immediately noted how sweat-soaked the class before me appeared to be. I was outfitted with a heart rate monitor and given the rundown on how the class would work. Staffers explained there were five zones — Zone 1, the gray zone for very light activity; Zone 2, the blue warm-up zone; Zone 3, challenging-but-doable in green, Zone 4, the Orange Effect (for which the studio is named) and Zone 5, the red zone signifying all-out effort. Each zone represents the exertion you’re putting into your workout coupled with the targeted heart rate for each zone.

The staff explained how much time should be spent in each zone and promised that if I was able to reach that amount of time, my body would continue burning fat hours after the exercise was done. That idea in itself was incentive enough, but the fact that the Orange Effect zone was designed to be challenging had me wondering if I was really ready for the workout.

My coach Ali Warshavsky led me into the studio before class started to explain the machines we would be using and blocked off a section for me, the only first-time attendee in that time slot. I was

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Orange Theory classes involve cardio and strength training. Clients use TRX suspension training to build strength. Photographs courtesy of Orange Theory White Plains.

to start on the rowing machine, as all first-timers do, which made me nervous. Despite my younger sister being a big rower at her New England boarding school, I had never really even sat on the machine for fear of having bad form or looking inexperienced at my own gym. Warshavsky, a young, energetic instructor, made me feel comfortable right away, which melted away my fears.

The 60 minutes began and I sat on the rower, using whatever leg muscles I have left over from my long gone days of high school sports to pull as hard as I could. “Good form,” Warshavsky told me, giving me some extra pep for the rest of the workout. After warming up on the rowing machine, we split into two groups, and I was in the first group to head to the floor workout.

We completed four rounds of a combination of sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups and squats, doing 11 repetitions of each exercise per round. The digestible amount of reps made it easier to get through, but after a round or two, I definitely started to feel the burn.

Once we were done with the floor, we headed to the treadmills and rowing machines again.

When I initially checked in, I let the studio know I struggle with tendinitis in my knees and that running isn’t really an option for me. So, when we went on the treadmills, Warshavsky explained that I could power walk on an incline as an alternative. For my particular class, we were to row a total of 2,000 meters, which could be split up if we so chose. I chose to row 1,000 meters at a time, split up by power walking.

As Warshavsky counted down our final minutes

Trainers are there to motivate and guide you along the way, no matter your skill level.

of class, I was consistently in Zone 5 as I gave all my effort to meet my 2,000-meter goal on the rowing machine. Once I hit that goal, I let out a sigh of relief.

As a nonrower, I felt pretty proud of myself.

Warshavsky led the group through a stretch to loosen up our muscles before sending us off. As I left, I reflected on how remarkably manageable the class had felt. I managed to get through each section without cursing my coach. For anyone looking to try a new type of full-body workout, Orange Theory is worth your time. The sheer number of repeat attendees made it clear to me that Orange Theory works — and is quite addicting.

Orange Theory Fitness White Plains is at 245 Mamaroneck Ave. Additional locations include Mamaroneck, Mount Kisco, Stamford and Norwalk. For more, visit orangetheoryfitness.com.

A LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS FINALIST

A quarterback's search for identity amid the brutal beauty of the NFL ORDER TODAY FROM AMAZON OR BARNES & NOBLE "The Penalty for Holding" is the second novel in Georgette Gouveia's book series "The Games Men Play," which is also the name of her blog exploring sports, culture and sex. thegamesmenplay.com

WELL

“Sleeping Hermaphroditus” (second century Roman copy of the Hellenistic original), Carrera marble. Musée du Louvre. For those who don’t have a marble hard butt, there’s EMSCULPT.

NO BUTTS ABOUT IT

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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’m lying on my tummy, getting my butt spanked.

Wait, that didn’t come out quite right.

This isn’t “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

I’m lying on my tummy getting my butt massaged intensely by what feels like rapid-fire fingers that then lift and squeeze the cheeks. This is periodically interrupted by some “spanking” — less rapid tapping to release the lactic acid so I don’t feel an after burn.

The things I do for this job.

I’m actually at Greenwich Medical Spa trying out the new EMSCULPT, which uses high-inten-

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sity, focused electromagnetic technology to increase muscle mass, thereby sculpting the tummy and lifting the butt.

At the spa, I’m greeted by medical assistant Danielle Reategui, who leads me to a room that looks like a cross between a spa treatment room and an exam room. There I remove my outer clothes and all my jewelry, don a robe that’s more of a terrycloth towel and read through all the medical questions, signing the consent form. I’m then introduced to aesthetic nurse practitioner Catherine Curtin, who straps a paddle to my tummy. I feel a series of intense vibrations followed by a periodic dip (or muscle contraction) and the ever-faithful tapping.

As I lie there, I learn how the treatment works.

For each body part — the stomach and the buttocks — you need four 30-minute sessions over the course of two weeks followed by two more sessions, then a maintenance follow-up every three months.

A half-hour is the equivalent of 20,000 sit-ups for the tummy or 20,000 squats for the butt. Since I have — had — a relatively flat stomach with most of my “junk in the trunk,” as the expression goes,

I decide to make the most of the complimentary treatment and go for some butt work. I have to admit I enjoy the vigorous butt massage more than the tummy work. As I rest my head on my arms, I marvel how much can be accomplished by doing nothing, courtesy of magnets designed by the great Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla.

(Wonder what he would think of this application.)

Such idle accomplishment is not without a price tag. The medical spa is currently offering the six treatments for $3,000, a 50-percent discount.

Afterward, I dress for an event, enjoy a hearty cup of white ambrosia tea, which tastes like warm bread, and draft this article. Meanwhile, my butt feels like I just completed a rigorous bike workout and I’m inspired to see if I can replicate the effects of the treatment the old-fashioned way.

Now if I divide 20,000 squats and 20,000 situps by 365 days….

EMSCULPT is not designed for menstruating women, as it will only heighten cramping, or for men and women with hip replacements. Check with your doctor before beginning any treatment. For more, visit greenwichmedicalspa.com.

WELL

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE FITNESS RACE

BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI

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t’s about that time of year again when many want to press the reset button on their health and wellness. I’ve been writing for WAG for several years now and around this time every year I have stressed that I will not be the fitness guy writing another “Bah Humbug, New Year, New You” article.

What I’d like to do this month is offer some practical, simple advice and go through some fundamentals to keep in mind as a certified Precision Nutrition Coach. Below are some basic guidelines that I use with clients.

• Do one thing at a time. Sounds simple and logical, but one of the biggest downfalls of individuals is putting too much on their plate. (See what I did there). Saying that you are going to start doing cardio three days a week, adding five servings of vegetables every day, cutting out all alcohol and starting with a personal trainer all sounds great.

But realistically this type of zero to 100 mentality very rarely works, or sticks. Pick just one thing that you can start with and nail it.

• Eat a variety of real, whole, unprocessed foods that add value to your body. Yes, the whole “organic” thing really matters, so if an item can stay on the shelf of a grocery counter for six months, it’s probably wise to stay away.

• Be consistent and “pretty good” every day, rather than alternating wildly between rigid or “perfect” eating and uncontrolled or chaotic eating. Life happens and gets in the way sometimes.

Just because the party you attend has an unlimited amount of alcohol and fried foods doesn’t mean you have to overindulge.

• Commit to doing a habit consistently for at least two weeks before making any changes, to determine how habits are working for you. Prove to yourself and your body that you can consistently do something for at least two weeks before adding something else on top of that. Change that lasts is change that is gradual.

• Your body reflects what you put into it (food, recovery) and take out of it (activity, stress). Yes, in a way we certainly are what we eat. You can tell how

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Giovanni Roselli maintains a laser-like focus when he works out, but he’s careful not to overload himself with goals. Courtesy Giovanni Roselli. someone eats just by how his or her skin looks. You can tell how mobile someone is by how they get up and down out of a chair.

• Make decisions based on data and close observation of yourself, not “rules” or someone else’s ideas.

It really doesn’t matter that a specific nutritional plan worked for a friend or family member. It may not work the same for you. Finding out what works for you comes with experimentation. Additionally, simply being truly mindful of how certain foods and activities make you feel can actually go a long way.

No reinventing of the wheel with any of these points above. That’s because at the end of the day simple is the best way to go. Once simple objectives are met and understood, then it is much easier to

move forward. Then you can start getting a little more complex and creative with things. The same can be said for running a business as well. For all us of, our body is our business, and you can’t switch to another company. All you can do is create the most realistic business plan possible for yourself, without getting overwhelmed. Remember: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

As my holiday gift to our beloved WAG readers, I’m offering complimentary access to my nutritional coaching and fitness program. Simply shoot me an email to Gio@GiovanniRoselli.com and I’ll be happy to answer any questions.

In good health, Giovanni.

The Gift of Caregiver Relief this Winter.

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anaging a loved one’s healthcare can be taxing and all-consuming, which is why it’s so important for caregivers to take time to rest, relax and rejuvenate. Waveny’s caregiver relief solutions can provide seniors and families with the help they need to make the most of this winter, together.

During the week, take advantage of our vibrant Adult Day Program with free local transportation for daytime peace of mind. Or, plan a getaway knowing overnight respite guests with Alzheimer’s and dementia can stay with us for as short as a week at The Village, our award-winning Assisted Living community. Our trusted care can even come to you – whether personalized assistance or just a helping hand – through Waveny’s home-based services. You can choose any combination of our services and programs to meet your unique needs and preferences.

Conveniently located in New Canaan, Waveny’s continuum of care flows fluidly within a single nonprofit organization, without any expensive buy-in fees or long-term commitments.

So if downsizing into a caring and compassionate independent or assisted living community is something you’re considering, winter is the perfect time to take advantage of a 3-month trial at either The Inn or The Village.

Discover more by dropping by, calling 203.594.5302 or visiting waveny.org.

PET OF THE MONTH

‘WHATEVER LOLA WANTS’…

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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ola is a happy, wiggly year-old pup who was rescued from a high-kill shelter. She will stay small full-grown and appears to be an Affenpinscher mix, which is pretty rare to see. Lola is outgoing and energetic so she'd love an active home with lots of playtime. Like the good-hearted siren of the same name in “Damn Yankees,” she's got personality to spare.

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

Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call 914-941-2896 or visit spca914.org.

Photograph by Sebastián Flores.

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InSiDe, He’S A WoLf

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BoRn To LoVe MeAt.

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PET PORTRAITS

"The Dogs of Christmas", left, makes a perfect holiday gift for any animal lover; and, right, the best thing Santa ever left under our tree, Westfair’s very own “Sollo" Claus.

Photograph by Robin Costello.

THE POWER OF A PUPPY

BY ROBIN COSTELLO

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ost of us have dreamed of finding a sweet, playful puppy under the tree on a bright Christmas morning. While few have had this wish come true, all of us can delight in finding W. Bruce Cameron’s “The Dogs of Christmas” (Macmillan Publishing Group, $11.99, 252 pages) in our stocking.

When an abandoned, pregnant dog and a box full of puppies are unexpectedly thrust into the life of a broken-hearted Josh Michaels, his world turns upside down. Seeking advice from a local shelter, he meets the beautiful Kerri, who helps him learn how to care for the pups and prepare them to be adopted. Soon the litter teaches Josh how to open his heart to life and love again.

He finds himself in love with Kerri and his beloved pack of puppies.

But with Christmas coming and the scheduled adoption date for the pups looming, Josh also finds himself in a quandary. He's not ready to give up his furry friends. At odds with Kerri over it, he struggles to solve this dilemma, finally learning, that sometimes the only way to hold on to love is to let go.

Cameron writes “Dogs are with us for such a short period of time. They are our best friends but we only have a decade, maybe a decade and a half and then they're gone. So, losing them is just part of the deal, something you have to learn to cope with.

But listen, I really, really believe that one of the lessons they teach us by loving us so intensely while they are here is that we need to celebrate life while we have it, that yes, everything ends and we have to move on but that while we are here, we should make sure we don't waste it, you know?”

A heart-warming holiday tale that explores the power of love, trust and a basket full of puppies.

WHEN & WHERE

THROUGH DEC. 8 Madelyn Jordon Fine Art presents “All Aflutter,” a solo exhibit of sculptural mixed-media paintings by artist Barbara Hirsch, who incorporates textural encaustic infused with oils to create repeating motifs that are inspired by nature. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 37 Popham Road, Scarsdale; 914-723-8738 madelynjordonfineart.com

THROUGH DEC. 22 Clay Holiday Annual Sale and Studio Tour, featuring hundreds of pieces of functional pottery and ceramic sculpture by local and nationally recognized artists.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, Clay Art Center, 40 Beech St., Port Chester; 914-937-2047. clayartcenter.org

THROUGH DEC. 31 The Fairfield Museum and History Center’s “Holiday Express Train Show” has become a beloved annual Fairfield County tradition. Train-themed items and other holiday gifts are on sale in the museum shop.

Events, including story times and candy house workshops, take place all month long. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, 370 Beach Road; 203-2591598. fairfieldhistory.org

"Mr. Dickens Tells 'A Christmas Carol'" at Lyndhurst Dec. 14-30. Courtesy M&M Productions.

The Schubert Club of Fairfield County presents the sixth annual Wendy Tisch Memorial Concert, featuring guest pianist George Li. 7:30 p.m., Greenwich Library’s Cole Auditorium, 101 W. Putnam Ave. brownpapertickets.com

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THROUGH JAN. 27

The Taghkanic Chorale presents “Rejoice: Music Both Ancient and Modern,” a joyful blend of music ranging from the masters of centuries past to works of recent greats of choral writing. 8 p.m. Dec. 1, United Methodist Church, 200 Columbus Ave., Valhalla, and 4 p.m. Dec 2, Trinity Church, 7 S. Highland Ave., Ossining; 914-4403596. tagkanicchorale.org

“Outrageous Ornament: Extreme Jewelry in the 21st Century,” an exhibit of provocative work by internationally renowned artists, who expand the boundaries of personal adornment. It features 50 experimental jewelry pieces made in various media. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.

Sundays, Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay St.; 914 232-9555. katonahmuseum.org

Enjoy jazz arrangements of holiday favorites and music from stage and film at the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras Pops Concert. 2 p.m., Fairfield University, Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 N. Benson Road; 203254-4010. gbyo.tix.com

DEC. 1 Smart Arts at Westchester Community College presents “David Seebach’s Merry Magic Holiday Show.” 8 p.m., Academic Arts Building Theatre, 75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla; 914-606-6262. sunywcc.edu/smartarts The opening reception for “Take the Time,” featuring the artwork of Sarah Chapman, Charles Hall and Michele Hubler at the Fairfield Public Library’s Kershner Gallery, will include a talk by the artists. 4:30 p.m., 1080 Old Post Road; 203-246-9065. fairfieldpubliclibrary.org

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DEC. 2

Tony Award-winning actor Ben Vereen performs “Steppin’ Out for the Holidays,” an evening of song and dance to celebrate the season. 4 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge Road; 203-438-5795. ridgefieldplayhouse.org

DEC. 4 The opening reception for an exhibit of paintings by Kristen Ambrosi and Katya Lebrijais, artists known for their hue-saturated pieces. 5 p.m., Gallery at Pearl, Longshore Restaurant & Bar, 260 Compo Road South, Westport; 203-557-6260. pearlatlongshore.com

DEC. 5 James W. Pardew, an American diplomat, international negotiator, military officer and former U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria, speaks on “The Balkans: Historic Powder Keg,” at the World Affairs Forum’s Ambassadors’ Roundtable Breakfast. 7 a.m., Stamford Yacht Club, 97 Ocean Drive West; 203-356-0340. worldaffairsforum.org “Cherish The Ladies: Celtic Christmas” — Cherish The Ladies has shared timeless Irish traditions with audiences worldwide for more than 30 years. In its Celtic Christmas program, the group puts its signature on classic carols in arrangements that highlight its Celtic instrumentation, harmonies and step dancing. 7:30 p.m., Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts, 5151 Park Ave., Fairfield; 203-371-7908. edgertoncenter.org

DEC. 6 “African Patterns, Paper and Paint” is a free collage workshop that celebrates African ceremonial textiles in honor of Kwanzaa. Children will paint individual paper pieces, using geometric and organic patterns that will be combined to create a large collaborative art piece. 3:30 p.m., Mount Vernon Public Library, 28 S. First Ave.; 914668-1840. mountvernonpubliclibrary.org ArtsWestchester’s “Gallery Nite Out: Holiday Networking Mixer” is a seasonal happy hour. This event will kick off the holiday season with a do-it-yourself holiday gift-making activity, cocktails, dancing and live music by DJ Claffmatic. 7 to 9:30 p.m., ArtsWestchester, 31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains; 914-428-4220. artsw.org

experience something real December 1 CMS of Lincoln Center Windstorm 1 Jazz at The Center: Joe Lovano plays Bernstein 2 Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia The Rainbow Fish 8 Orpheus Chamber Orchestra | Steven Isserlis, cello 9 Boston Brass Christmas Bells Are Swingin’ 14 The Rob Mathes Holiday Concert (also on Dec 15) 16 Westchester Philharmonic Winter Pops!

#PAC1819

January 19 Gina Chavez 26 CMS of Lincoln Center Esteemed Ensemble February 2 DIAVOLO: Architecture in Motion® 10 Westchester Philharmonic Friends and Family 16 Robin Spielberg March 2 CMS of Lincoln Center Hungarian Fire 10 Trusty Sidekick Theatre Company Shadow Play 16 Aspen Santa Fe Ballet 23 Portland Cello Project Homage to Radiohead 30 Jazz at The Center Spectacular with Cyrille Aimee April 7 Tiempo Libre 7 Westchester Philharmonic All-Beethoven Season Finale 20 The Triplets of Belleville 25 BODYTRAFFIC May 4 CMS of Lincoln Center Deeply Inspired 5 Daniel Kelly’s Rakonto: Student Voices

914.251.6200 www.artscenter.org

Pictured: Joe Lovano © Craig Lovell

LUCILLE WERLINICH, Chair of Purchase College Foundation

DEC. 8

Stepping Stones Brings Light to Learning

Violinist YooJin Jang will perform with Hoff-Barthelson Music School’s Festival Orchestra during its Young Masters Winter Concert. The program, led by conductor Jun Nakabayashi, will feature works by Schubert, Mendelssohn and Bizet.

7 p.m., Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 468 Rosedale Ave., White Plains; 914-723-1169. hbms.org

DEC. 9 Immerse yourself in the Christmas sound of four trumpets, two French horns, three trombones, one tuba, two percussionists, and a 4,026-pipe organ in a Brass and Organ Christmas Concert, featuring the New York Symphonic Brass and Jennifer Pascual. 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church of Stamford, 1101 Bedford St.; 203-324-9522. fishchurch.org

DEC. 14 through 30 “Mr. Dickens Tells ‘A Christmas Carol’” — Actor Michael Muldoon will recreate Charles Dickens’ own performances of his timeless novel “A Christmas Carol” amid the period splendor of Lyndhurst Mansion, which will be decorated for the holiday season. 7:30 to 9 p.m., 635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown; 914-631-4481. lyndhurst.org

spectacular show

A on the outside with illuminating science and art making on the inside.

Come experience our magical museum in a whole new light! steppingstonesmuseum.org/lights

DEC. 15 The dancers of the Norwalk Metropolitan Youth Ballet take you on a magical journey in their version of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” Both performances will be accompanied by a live orchestra, the Connecticut Chamber Players. 1 and 6 p.m., Fairfield University, Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 N. Benson Road; 203254-4010. quickcenter.fairfield.edu

DEC. 15 and 16 New England Ballet Company presents its 27th annual production of “The Nutcracker,” under the artistic direction of Victor Trevino. Noon and 5 p.m. Dec. 15, 1 p.m. Dec. 16, Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport; 800-4240160. theklein.org

Norwalk, CT

Stepping Stones Museum for Children

Memberships Make Great Gifts With membership, your family has access all year long for just the price of a few solo visits!

Learn about the Open Arms Membership Matching Campaign

GET ONE, GIVE ONE! steppingstonesmuseum.org

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DEC. 16 Westchester Philharmonic’s “Winter Pops!” will feature a performance by string trio Time for Three, led by Rachael Worby. The program for this annual celebration includes selections from the American Songbook and holiday favorites. 3 p.m., The Performing Arts Center, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase; 914-251-6200. artscenter.org Play With Your Food presents “Season’s Readings,” a laughter-filled literary afternoon of short stories and plays performed by professional actors in celebration of the holiday season. 4 p.m., The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Ave., Norwalk; 203-838-9799. lockwoodmathewsmansion.com Violinist Alexander Abayev will perform Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” with the Symphony of Westchester. The all-Baroque program also includes J.S. Bach’s “Air from Suite No. 3 in D major” and “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major.” 3 p.m., Iona College Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, 715 North Ave., New Rochelle; 914-654-4926. thesymphonyofwestchester.org

Presented by ArtsWestchester (artswestchester.org) and the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County (culturalalliancefc.org).

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A TRIBUTE TO HOPE

More than 350 attendees saluted Andrus at its 90th Anniversary Gala held Nov. 2 at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. This year’s honoree was Westchester County’s Levitt-Fuirst Associates. The gala raised more than $500,000 to benefit the agency’s numerous therapeutic programs, including the Horticulture Program and Hope Space, which give the children who participate the benefit of experiencing beauty every day.

1. Talaya Johnson-Murphy, Fiona Wilkes, Bryan Murphy, Juliana Fondacaro and Brianne Lynn 2. Hamlin Pakradooni, Barbara Pakradooni, Patricia Daye, Susan Guma, Nancy Spensley and Michael Spensley 3. Eric Osterman, Sophie Laird, Mark Alpert, Amanda Urena and Dan Lansen 4. Joe Pizzimenti, Ilanna Gibson and Eon Nichols 5. Ken Jenkins 6. Janet and Oliver Dirks 7. Lisa Ringus and Jennifer Pakradooni 8. Lindsay Jackson 9. Jason Schiciano and Ken Fuirst 10. Fiona Wilkes congratulates honoree Mary Graf

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HEAVEN ON HUDSON

On Oct. 11, several hundred guests gathered at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers to celebrate the opening of “Maya Lin: A River Is a Drawing,” an exhibit of site-specific works in various media that reflect the myriad moods of the Hudson and the need for conservation. The exhibit runs through Jan. 20. Photographs by Lynda Shenkman.

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Katherine Han and Miwako Tezuka Cristle Collins-Judd, Maya Lin and Mike Spano Richard Halevy, Brian Cray and Bill Mascetta Bonnie Bell-Curran, Jeff Roude and Mary Calvi Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Masha Turchinsky 16. India Wolf

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merry & bright

www.BlossomFlower.com 914.304.5376 877.458.1709

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CELEBRATING HHS

Some 450 guests attended the Hospital for Special Surgery’s annual Autumn Benefit on Oct. 26 at Guastavino’s in Manhattan, which raised more than $1.1 million for medical education. The event honored Mathias Bostrom, MD, with the Nancy Bischoff Mentor Award; Russell Warren, MD, with the Philip D. Wilson, Jr., MD, Teaching Award; and Peter Sculco, MD, with the Richard S. Laskin, MD, Young Attending Award. Photographs by Don Pollard.

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Karen Su, MD, and Edwin Su, MD Todd Albert, MD and Barbara Albert Han Jo Kim, MD and Regina Kim Jo Hannafin, MD and Russell Warren MD Bryan Kelly, MD and Lois Kelly Sandra L. Kozlowski, Barbara Albert and Mary Lee Shapiro 7. Peter Sculco, MD and Mathias Bostrom, MD 8. John Brisson 9. Samuel Taylor, MD and Jennifer Taylor

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OPENING A DOOR

Hope’s Door hosted its annual Fall Luncheon Oct. 19 at Scarsdale Golf Club in Hartsdale. This year the luncheon, which is held each October during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, celebrated Step Economic Empowerment Program.

The award-winning program fosters the selfsufficiency of survivors of domestic violence and helps survivors of abuse identify their barriers to financial independence and the steps they can take to overcome those barriers.

10. Liz Bracken-Thompson, Jennifer Ryan Safsel, Jean Marie Connolly, Stephanie Weston and Marsha Gordon 11. Mónica Martínez-Hess, Steven Crabbe and Gina Jackson 12. Jill Deitch, Liz Zimmerman, Blakely Brodbeck, Martha Kohn, Kristen Gizzi, Debra Kousouros Dan Schorr, Mónica Martínez-Hess, Julia Peloso-Barnes and Ken Marsolais 13. Margaret Wong, Amy Brown, CarlLa Horton, Janice Baio and Caitlin Hayles

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Call (914) 849 - MyMD to find the right doctor for your personalized needs.

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Eager Beaver Tree Service INTELLIGENT TREE CARE ARTISTIC DESIGN DETAIL ORIENTED LONG TERM PLANNING-IMMEDIATE RESULTS SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!

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203-966-6767

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NEW ROC FÊTE

The New Rochelle Council on the Arts kicked off its annual ArtsFest weekend with a fundraiser at Wykagyl Country Club on Oct. 18. The theme, “Spotlight Gala,” shone a light on New Rochelle’s role in the arts while celebrating New Rochelle residents who have made significant contributions to the arts through their professional and philanthropic lives.

The evening was emceed by TV and screen actor Chance Kelly and featured a special performance by rising star Jordan Cole as well as cocktails, a buffet dinner, a silent auction and dancing to DJ Ryan Vandal.

Photographs by Nick Carter.

1. Omar Kathwari, Nadia Samadani-Kathwari, Farida and Farooq Kathwari, Farah Kathwari-Van-Puyenbroeck and Robin Van-Puyenbroeck 2. Eva Sperling, Lynn Green and Chance Kelly 3. Mary and Will Bermingham, Theresa Kump Leghorn and Lynn Honeysett 4. Dianne Flagello and Laura Falb 5. Selena Evans and Margaret Chadwick 6. Jordan Cole

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A ‘PAWFECT’ EVENING

Many guests were “off the leash” at The RitzCarlton New York, Westchester in White Plains as the SPCA of Westchester celebrated its 16th annual “Top Hat and Cocktails Gala.” The “puparazzi” and more than 300 two-legged guests were on hand as several dozen well-behaved canines walked the red carpet like real movie stars. The fundraiser honored Megan McClellan Whitten and award recipients Club Fit and Ann Whitten. The evening — which included a live and silent auction, dancing, professional portraits and a canine ice cream bar — raised more than $250,000 for the no-kill shelter in Briarcliff Manor. The muchneeded funds went to support the more than 1,500 animals the shelter rescues each year.

7. Alex Vaccaro with Hunter 8. Barbara Kobren, Shannon Laukhuf and Deborah Klugman 9. Anthony Coppola and Ben DiNapoli with Reagan and Ellie 10. Lori Gill, MD, Joanne Julien, Gwen Sherman, MD, Larry Julien and Jennifer Miritello 11. Stephen Meringoff and Kim Charlton with Rufus, Dutch and Stormy

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AVAILABLE NOW: WAG'S OWN FITNESS GURU GIOVANNI ROSELLI'S COMPLETE ONLINE NUTRITION AND EXERCISE PROGRAM

SIGN U P TODAY !

Unlike many other "diet plans", this is NOT a set of "rules" or a "one-size-fits-all" prescription. In fact, it's not a prescription at all. It's a set of principles about how and why nutritional choices work. Principles such as: • Progressively building habits over a long period of time to promote confidence and long-term sustainability.

• Monitoring progress and adjusting behaviors as needed.

• Building consistency and repeatable systems for making good choices.

• Helping bodies function and perform their best, approaching change holistically; looking at all sides of a problem.

Nationally certified and recognized fitness trainer and Precision Nutrition coach.

• Mention this WAG Magazine ad and receive 20% OFF the program. As a thank you, veterans receive 50% OFF. • Daily nutritional habits and reminders guide you through your transformation.

• Workouts come complete with videos and modifications specific to the individual.

• At the end of the program, if not completely satisfied, you will receive a full refund.

Visit www.GiovanniRoselli.com for more info or contact him directly at Gio@GiovanniRoselli.com.

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ALMOST 100

United Hebrew of New Rochelle’s annual Autumn Celebration drew more than 200 friends, donors and health care partners to celebrate this center of comprehensive senior care on its 99th anniversary. This signature fundraiser for United Hebrew raised more than $265,000 to support its efforts to provide high-quality health-care services for more than 1,000 clients daily. The evening also honored leaders and businesses that aid the organization’s mission. Guests at the event, held at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle, enjoyed cocktails, conversation and fabulous food, along with evocative views of the Long Island Sound.

1. Linda Elizaitis, Scott Amrhein, Rita Mabli, Jim Staudt, Donald Duberstein and Daniel Reingold 2. Jennifer Kooney and Kristina Hendrickson 3. Peter and Roberta Tomback and Leonard Tanzer 4. Jeff Menkes

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UNITED WAY ON THE LINKS United Way’s “Day of Golf & Tennis” event, held on Oct. 9 at the Mount Kisco Country Club, raised more than $110,000 to help support the organization’s work with families living on the financial edge in Westchester and Putnam counties. Attendees enjoyed a day of sports, followed by a formal reception to recognize and celebrate this year’s honoree, John M. Flannery.

Photographs by Faith Ann Butcher.

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Alana Sweeny and John M. Flannery Frank and Beth Francese and Alana Sweeny Caroline, John and Susan Flannery David M. Yawman Drew Coburn and Mac Loffredo Jonathan Brickman, Jeff Herbert, Jim Matera and Philip DelleChiaie 11. Bryan Welsh and Matthew and Kathy Lyness

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MILLI TIME

Sponsored by Westfair Communications, the parent company of the Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals and WAG magazine, the Milli Awards serve as a way to recognize standout local young professionals ages 21 to 34. The winners at the fourth annual ceremony, held Nov. 13 at 1133 Westchester Ave. in White Plains, included Westfair art director Kelsie Mania. Photographs by Bob Rozycki.

1. Elmer Pacia, Sheila Pacia, Madelaine May Abille, Edith Abille and Mark Anthony Abille 2. Amanda Lippolis and Paul Lippolis 3. James McKenna and Kristen O’Keeffe 4. Jill Tavello and Britt Tavello Melitsanopoulos 5. Roxanne Lippolis and Ida Lippolis 6. Kenia Cruz and Doug Cruz 7. Amanda Paktinat and Richard Crabbe 8. Jason Lewis and Marla Lewis 9. Gail, Kelsie and Michael Mania 10. Tom Larkin, Rico Arocha, Emily Larkin and Lorraine Larkin 11. Yesher Larsen, Rebecca Ducharme, Tineke Larsen and Geoffrey Larsen 12. Jamie Kemp and Loren Kemp 13. Francesco Battaglia, Grace Battaglia, Francesco Battaglia Jr., Assunta Battaglia and Andrea Ruggiero 14. Mark Schepis and Vanessa Guzman 15. Ariella and Sony Arias 16. Megan Sullivan 17. Joan Moo Young and Oasis Day Spa

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ODDS-ON SUCCESS The 2018 Annual “Defying the Odds” scholarship dinner was held recently at The Westchester Country Club. The gala celebrated the success of the San Miguel Academy of Newburgh, a tuition-free, faith-based school for boys in the fifth through eighth grades. This year Westchester and Fairfield county notables including restauranteur Peter X. Kelly, members of the New York Football Giants’ Mara family, Chappaqua’s Frank Shiner and Vanessa William’s husband, Jim Skrip. Photographs

by Simon Feldman.

18. Guillermo Cruz, Henry Garcia, Peter and Rica Kelly and Byron Morales 19. Frank Shiner, Michael Sanchez, Anthony O’Gara and Jim Skrip 20. Standing: Byron Morales, Michael Milek, Francesco Dalessandro, Christie and Bob McKeon and John McDonnell seated: Dewilliams Carter, Sheila Mara, Ann and Tim Cacace, Susan McDonnell and Mary Meenan

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WATCH

FASHIONING A BREAST CANCER FIGHT More than 1,000 women (and a few good men) attended the Greenwich-based Breast Cancer Alliance’s annual Luncheon and Fashion Show at the Hyatt Regency Oct. 30. In a talk laced with literary references — she’s a great reader — WCBS-FM’s Patty Steele wove her own tale of survival, then interviewed her doctor, Elisa Port, chief of breast surgery and director of the Dubin Breast Center, with whom she learned to “let go and let trust.”

The delicious lunch of cold roasted chicken and autumnal vegetable salad, prepared by executive chef Brandon Drummond, was accompanied by a sherbet-colored décor that included raspberry, pink and orange gift shawls on every chair, and a show of flowing Akris fashions organized by longtime event sponsor Mitchells, the Greenwich Avenue retailer.

As always, though, the most moving moment came when a group of survivors strutted their stuff on the runway. Photographs by Elaine and ChiChi Ubiña.

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Molly Zola, Libby Zola, Emma Kelly and Lois Kelly Lauren and Christa Civitillo Susan and Kristen Thorkelson and Nancy Smith Amy Kappelman Johnson, MD, Nina Lindia and Lauren Schweibold Era Yoo, Susan Johnson, Mary and Kim Jeffery and Barbara Keefe David Greenspan, MD and Rachel Schneider Valerie Brutus, MD, Steve Lo, MD, Leah Bassin, MD, David Gruen, MD and Barbara Karr Patty Isen, Laura Broumand, Loren Taufield, Nancy Wall and Dee Hickey Connie Kurczewski, Emily Scalise, Kim Nichols, MD, and Katie French Laura Phillipps, Amy Golden, Merritt McConnell and Lauren Jones Dee Mayberry and Julie Thomas Jane Weitzman and Sue Delepine Yonni Wattenmaker and Susan Bevan April Larken Jaime Warner and Trish Shannon Sue, Kathy, Bill and Scott Mitchell Lynne Wheat and Sharon Phillips Patty Steele and Elisa Port, MD Ellen Richman and Valerie Gattinella Sally Pollak, Irene Ponce, Jill Coyle, Kathy Slocum and Carol Henderson Melanie Bloom, Julie Marcus, Hildergard Toth, MD and Lisa Walsh Ann Croll, Annie Amato and Didi McCormick Jane Batkin and Indra Nooyi EV Day and Lucy Day

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A GRAND MASQUERADE

To celebrate the completion of its main store, The Saks Shops at Greenwich took a page from Truman Capote’s 1966 black-and-white ball. Some 300 attendees of its “Masquerade Fete” on Oct. 26 donned black and/or white and colorful masks, as did the ballet dancers and stilt walkers who entertained.

Guests fondled designer wear while relishing sweet and savory bites, bubbly, specialty cocktails and a musical performance by pianist Chloe Flower amid a red rose-inspired décor from event designer Raul Àvila, who has overseen The Met Gala’s design since 2007.

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25. Eleni Henkel, Maria Whitman, Lynne Haven and Paul Rinaldi 26. Giovanna Miller, Anna Cappucci, Mary Young and Elisa Wilson 27. John Antonini and Elaine Ubiña 28. Liz and Chris O’Brien 29. Joe Gambino 30. Marc Metrick and Lauren Levison 31. Sofie Pocesta, Lori Kasowitz and Eliana Simonetti 32. Ramona Norton 33. Sue and Peter Carlson

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SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center held its 21st annual benefit recently at the Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club. Elisha Wiesel, son of Holocaust Survivor and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel, was the keynote speaker. The center presented the Bernard J. Rosensheim Courage to Care Award to Joseph E. Nyre, president of Iona College, and the Eugene M. & Emily Grant Spirit of Humanity Award to Mitchell Wm. Ostrove, board member and founder and CEO of the Ostrove Group. The center is a nonprofit serving Westchester, Fairfield and Putnam counties whose mission is to enhance an understanding of the Holocaust and the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect.

Photographs by Will Landin Photography.

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34. Joseph E. and Kelli Nyre and Carole and Mitchell Wm. Ostrove 35. Elisha Wiesel, Millie Jasper and Joseph Kaidanow

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WE WONDER:

WHAT DO YOU WANT MOST FROM SANTA THIS YE AR?

Connie Bergen student Long Island resident

Brian Cheng

blogger White Plains resident

Maria Deegan

Kyle Donnigan

“Well, I’m Jewish, but I wouldn’t mind getting a date for Hanukkah. Now that I think about it, that’d be even better than Christmas – eight days of dates.”

“I’d love it if Santa could bring me a new gaming computer. They’re expensive and go out of date faster than you’d think.”

“A new coat would be awesome. It’s getting way too cold for me out here, so if Santa could get me an extra thick, North Pole-quality winter coat I would greatly appreciate it.”

“I haven’t written a letter to Santa in years but this Christmas, I swear I’m going to leave a note out at home, just like when I was a kid, asking for a new president.”

Katie Freeman

school psychologist Brewster resident

graduate student Bronxville resident

translator Greenwich resident

“I wouldn’t mind getting something that I don’t necessarily need. I can take care of my expenses and bills, so to get a fun, almost silly, unexpected gift would be nice. Like the leg lamp from ‘A Christmas Story.’ That’s what I’m gonna go with as my answer. I’d like Santa to bring me the leg lamp from ‘A Christmas Story.’”

assistant teacher Yonkers resident

Teddy Jones

park ranger Briarcliff Manor resident

Cornelius Merill

Joe Schuman

Jillian Silverstein

“I’d love a new car. I’ve been driving my grandma’s 15-year-old Buick for years now, and it’s beginning to worry all my passengers.

I’m enjoying no one bugging me for rides anymore, but it would be nice to drive in something that doesn’t feel like a death trap.”

“A new hiking backpack would be a great gift. My current one isn’t waterproof and I do a lot of camping so it’s starting to smell a lot. I’d love to get a better-equipped, waterproof hiking backpack.”

“Some new strings for my cello would be really nice to get this year. Those thick strings are crazy expensive.

You wouldn’t believe the price if I told you. And, while he’s at it, maybe Santa could do a full setup on my cello, too. He is magic, right?”

“Well, besides the fact that I’m Jewish, I’m also an old man. So, I don’t really need a lot for myself anymore. I suppose I just want good health and success for my family. That would make me very happy.”

“I think we all want pretty similar things. For me, I think comfort is a big one. I know that’s sort of an ambiguous answer. Sorry to give you such a vague request, Santa.”

musician New York City resident

physician Yonkers resident

*Asked throughout central and northern Westchester County at various businesses.

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Wendy Fornette

WAGMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2018

graduate student Scarsdale resident