Bethesda Magazine: July-August 2017

The BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

TRUMP EFFECT

Faces of Resistance

Local Journalists Covering the White House JULY/AUGUST 2017

JULY/AUGUST 2017

On

Q BY PETER CHANG | THE TRUMP EFFECT

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July/August 2017 | Volume 14 Issue 4

contents ON THE COVER 98 Q Up Chef Peter Chang lays it on the line with his new flagship restaurant in Bethesda

Coral snapper with red sauce

BY DAVID HAGEDORN

138 Survivor

149 Untying the Knot

158 Bethesda Interview

166 Write On

Clay Metro was 3 years old when he fell into a pool and nearly died. CPR saved his life, and now his mother is on a mission to keep kids safe in the water.

We asked Montgomery County family law attorneys who they’d hire to represent them in a divorce case. Here are the Bethesda area’s top divorce attorneys.

Olympic swimmer Jack Conger talks about growing up in Rockville, the advice he got from Michael Phelps, and that night at the gas station in Rio

The short stories and essays that took the top prizes in our annual writing competition

BY JULIE RASICOT

BY KIM ISAAC EISLER

COVER: Photo of Peter Chang by Michael Ventura 12 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

BY AMY REININK

PHOTO BY MICHAEL VENTURA

FEATURES

contents

From left to right: Maura Lynch, Amy Carroll Kathy Cowan and Valerye Strochak

The Trump effect 110 Faces of Resistance

122 Meet the ‘Enemy’

130 Lessons on the Truth

The Bethesda area is home to dozens of activist groups aiming to resist Donald Trump and to help elect more Democrats to office

Donald Trump called journalists the “enemy of the American people.”

For White House reporters who live in the Bethesda area, adjusting to the new reality hasn’t been easy.

How a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is combating “fake news” in Montgomery County schools and beyond

BY DINA ELBOGHDADY

BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN

14 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

BY DAVID FREY

PHOTO BY LIZ LYNCH; MAKEUP AND STYLING BY JACQUIE HANNAN

P. 110

W E ’ L L T R E AT YOU LIKE F A M I LY. . .

M AY B E E V E N BETTER

WE SELL THE MOST IMPORTANT HOME. YOURS. TM MD 301.463.7800 | DC 202.774.9800 | VA 703.270.0011 WYDLERBROTHERS.COM

contents

DEPARTMENTS 72 | HOMETOWN

22 | CONTRIBUTORS 28 | FROM OUR READERS

31

good life

art. festivals. culture. day trips. hidden gems.

183

home

40 | ARTS CALENDAR

186 | THE GREAT ESCAPE

Where to go, what to see

banter

people. politics. books. columns.

etc.

A Gaithersburg couple invites guests to the Dominican Republic

One-piece swimwear to suit your needs. Plus, one dog lover’s quest to create collars, canine beds and more

health

220 | BE WELL How a Bethesda teen with cochlear implants is navigating high school life

Former lawyers find a new career as sales associates at Bethesda’s Williams-Sonoma

BY APRIL WITT

279

283 | SHOP TALK

219

68 | SUBURBANOLOGY

260 | DINING GUIDE

198 | HOME SALES BY THE NUMBERS

58 | QUICK TAKES

New books by local authors, literary events and more

What’s happening on the local food scene

280 | WEDDINGS

Montgomery County voters by the numbers

62 | BOOK REPORT

254 | TABLE TALK

Chevy Chase empty nesters build a Cape Codstyle retreat to host their family in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

52 | FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING

News you may have missed

dine

Dig into summer with a two-layer blueberry cobbler

Entertaining essentials for your next alfresco affair

Can’t-miss arts events

253

258 | COOKING CLASS

184 | HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS

36 | BEST BETS

49

Bethesda’s Kevin Beverly is determined to help disadvantaged youths realize their ambitions

BY STEVE ROBERTS

296 | GET AWAY Your cheat sheet for a weekend away

298 | DRIVING RANGE

222 | FUN & GAMES At Fitness for Health in Rockville, trainer Marc Sickel turns therapy and exercise into entertainment for clients with special needs

Every July, Easton becomes a mecca for artists and art lovers

304 | OUTTAKES

230 | WELLNESS CALENDAR

AD SECTIONS PROFILES: WOMEN IN BUSINESS 77

LONG & FOSTER AD SECTION 177

COMPASS AD SECTION 195

16 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

SHOWCASE: LUXURY APARTMENTS, CONDOS & TOWNHOMES 207

ASK THE EXPERTS: SENIORS AND AGING 234

PRIVATE SCHOOL AD SECTION 288

PHOTO BY MORGAN HOWARTH

20 | TO OUR READERS

P. 186

Experienced Bankers. Exceptional Service.

Local Decision Makers to Help You Succeed.

L to R: H.L. Ward, Revere Bank, Senior EVP; Frank Connors, EYA, CFO/COO; Kenneth C. Cook, Revere Bank, Co-President and CEO

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EYA's banking partnership is critical to running our business. We have a strong level of trust and confidence in working with a local bank. At Revere Bank, you know the people and get the responsiveness you expect from your banker.

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GIVEAWAYS STARTING

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STARTING

AUGUST 1

❱❱ ONLINE EXTRAS Read short stories and essays by runners-up in our annual writing competition.

❱❱ ARCHIVES Explore past issues and stories using our searchable archives.

❱❱ SOCIAL SCENE Share photos from community events by emailing them to website@bethesdamagazine.com, and we’ll post them to our gallery page.

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to our readers

ON Q Q BY PETER CHANG, which debuted in Bethesda in May, has created quite a stir. Unfortunately, the stir on social media when the restaurant opened was about poor service, small portions and high prices. But Chang and his small army of employees seem to have shaken the opening jitters, and words of praise are starting to emerge from diners and critics alike.

Q is Chang’s 11th restaurant. But it’s different than the others. Way different.

Chang calls Q his flagship. It’s fine Chinese dining (with the ingredients and prices to boot). It’s authentic, not Americanized. And, according to our restaurant writer David Hagedorn, it is all done with a skill and a flair that make it unique and special.

In this issue, Hagedorn writes about Chang’s long personal journey to Bethesda, the chef’s motivation and vision for the restaurant, and the story behind many of his most compelling dishes. Hagedorn’s article begins on page 98.

WHEN MY SON SAM moved to Los Angeles in 2012, his employer gave him an earthquake survival kit: an energy bar, a bottle of water and a hard hat. For fun, Sam drew lightning bolts on the sides of the hard hat. I worried he was tempting the earthquake gods.

The survival kit, no matter how inadequate, wasn’t a bad idea. L.A. is due for a major quake—and the closer you are to the epicenter, the more likely you are to feel the effects.

We know that well here in Montgomery County. The election of Donald Trump as president last November was an earthquake of unprecedented proportions. Now, the almost daily aftershocks coming from the White House affect the county and its residents in ways I don’t think we yet comprehend.

Proximity matters for a couple of reasons. First, many local residents’ professional lives are tied to the U.S. government. There are some 48,000 federal employees who work in Montgomery County—and thousands more who commute to federal agencies downtown. Moreover, 20 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

countless other people work as journalists, lobbyists, attorneys and in other professions that are tied to national politics. Trump’s presidency has affected virtually every person in Montgomery County with a professional tie to the business of running our country.

Second, Montgomery County is one of the most liberal and overwhelmingly Democratic jurisdictions in the country.

(Marc Elrich, who has described himself in the past as a socialist, is seen as an early favorite to succeed Ike Leggett as county executive. Need I say more?) Voters here chose Hillary Clinton over Trump by more than a 3.5-to-1 ratio.

Trump has lodged himself into the psyche of many locals.

People check the news obsessively. They talk about him constantly. They are bewildered and afraid.

In this issue, we report on the Trump effect from several angles: on the hundreds (if not thousands) of local people, mostly women, who have organized to fight Trump; the journalists who live here and cover Trump; and the Bethesdabased nonprofit that is teaching students here and around the world how to discern what’s real—and what’s fake—online.

Our coverage begins on page 110.

Our stories—and our magazine—make no judgment about the merits of Trump’s policies and deportment. Bethesda Magazine is not a political magazine and never will be. But I thought it was important that we cover the defining issue of our time.

Please join the conversation about the Trump effect in the county on our Facebook page and in the comments section at the end of each story on BethesdaMagazine.com.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Bethesda Magazine. Please email me your thoughts at steve.hull@bethesdamagazine.com.

STEVE HULL Editor & Publisher

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contributors AMY REININK LIVES IN: Splits her time between Silver Spring and Saratoga Springs, New York

BE IN THE KNOW

IN THIS ISSUE: Interviewed and wrote about Rockville native and Olympic gold medalist Jack Conger, who in 2016 participated in what he hopes was his first of several Olympic Games. “As a former competitive swimmer who once had Olympic dreams, it was amazing speaking to someone who actually realized those aspirations.”

WHAT SHE DOES: Reinink is a freelance writer who covers health, fitness, travel and the outdoors for publications including The Washington Post, Runner’s World and Men’s Health.

MELANIE PADGETT POWERS LIVES IN: Silver Spring IN THIS ISSUE: Wrote about a family that adopted four sisters, and a fitness facility that helps people with special needs.

“My mom is a retired special education teacher, so it was particularly inspiring and rewarding to see how Fitness for Health improves the lives of kids and adults with special needs.”

SWIMMING ACHIEVEMENTS: Reinink has participated in a couple dozen openwater swims, including the 4.4-mile Great Chesapeake Bay Swim.

HER FAVORITE WAY TO SWIM TODAY: With her son, Henry, who was born in June 2016 and began infant swim classes in January. “An hour watching him discover the water, which has brought me so much joy, is better than the best day swimming on my own.”

WHAT SHE DOES: Powers is a freelance writer and editor, often profiling fascinating people or writing about health care. She has written for the American Optometric Association, Georgetown Business magazine and HR Magazine, among others.

BETHESDA MAGAZINE’S DAILY NEWS DISPATCH

MAGAZINE.COM

BEST TRAVEL ADVENTURE: Getting lost in Delhi, India, on her birthday after her rickshaw driver couldn’t keep up with the others in her writers’ tour group. “I had the driver stop at a huge traffic intersection where a policeman was directing traffic. I had to brainstorm how to find our group leader in such a huge city. Several other rickshaw drivers and pedestrians stopped to help the policeman and me figure out what to do, which was a warm welcome to my first day in India.”

22 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

COURTESY PHOTOS

BETHESDA

HOW SHE GOT HER START: In sixth grade, Powers took charge of her classroom newspaper and also won a young authors’ award for a semiautobiographical tale about her cat. She later earned her journalism degree and worked at small-town newspapers in her home state of Indiana.

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EDITORIAL EDITOR

Steve Hull DESIGN DIRECTOR

Maire McArdle MANAGING EDITOR

Rebecca Scherr SENIOR EDITOR

Cindy Rich ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Kathleen Seiler Neary DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR

Laura F. Goode DESIGNER

Jenny Ragone BETHESDA BEAT MANAGING EDITOR

Julie Rasicot BETHESDA BEAT WRITERS

Andrew Metcalf, Bethany Rodgers, Joe Zimmermann

Friendship Dermatology Specialists can help.

It’s no doggone fun being itchy and uncomfortable.

Many of our companions’ skin problems can be difficult to diagnose and manage. That’s why Friendship Hospital’s board-certified dermatologists, Dr. Darcie Kunder and Dr. Fiona Lee, receive referrals from veterinarians all over the East Coast.

WEB PRODUCER

Amélie F. Colwell RESTAURANT CRITIC

David Hagedorn CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Eugene L. Meyer, Louis Peck, Carole Sugarman COPY EDITORS

Sandra Fleishman, Steve Wilder EDITORIAL INTERN

Jeff Cirillo DESIGN INTERNS

Drs. Kunder and Lee received the highest-level training in this specialized field of medicine and taught at a premier veterinary college before joining the Friendship team. With great expertise and compassion, Drs. Kunder and Lee will properly diagnose and treat disorders of the skin, from flea allergies to autoimmune disease. They’ll give you the answers – and the relief – you and your companion need.

Call 202.363.7300 today to make your appointment with Dr. Kunder or Dr. Lee.

Bethesda Magazine is published six times a year by Kohanza Media Ventures, LLC. © 2009-2017 Letters to the editor: Please send letters (with your name, the town you live in and your daytime phone number) to letters@bethesdamagazine.com.

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Caralee Adams, Jennifer Barger, Stephanie Siegel Burke, James Michael Causey, Dina ElBoghdady, David Frey, Steve Goldstein, Christine Koubek, Nevin Martell, Laurie McClellan, Melanie Padgett Powers, Brian Patterson, Amy Reinink, Steve Roberts, Charlotte Safavi, Jennifer Sergent, Miranda S. Spivack, Bara Vaida, Mark Walston, Carolyn Weber, Kathleen Wheaton, April Witt Edgar Artiga, Anne Bentley, Skip Brown, Heather Fuentes, Erick Gibson, Lisa Helfert, Alice Kresse, Deb Lindsey, Liz Lynch, Laura Chase McGehee, David Owens, Amanda Smallwood, Drew Anthony Smith, Mary Ann Smith, Michael Ventura, Stacy Zarin-Goldberg

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24

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS

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THINK, LAUGH, CRY I really enjoyed reading the article “Being Delaney Dunigan” (May/June 2017). I was reminded of [basketball coach and broadcaster] Jim Valvano’s ESPY speech where he talks about three things we should do every day of our lives. If you’re moved to think, laugh and cry, if you experience those three emotions each day, you’ve had a full day.

The article provides the reader with a “full day.”

I think [writer] Cindy Rich captured the essence of Delaney and presented the facts in a way that allows the reader to make their own judgments.

I also think it really helps parents with children who are independent better understand that Delaney will rely and depend on support from parents, siblings and/or other support systems with a higher degree of need for the rest of her life. Planning for that is a big deal and pretty hard to comprehend if you don’t live it.

Jim Schmutz, president and CEO of Special Olympics Maryland A FARMER IN SILVER SPRING In regards to Carole Sugarman’s story, “Made in MoCo” (May/June 2017), Ms. Sugarman might want to look at the Charles Koiner farm in Silver Spring. Even though [Mitch] Berliner of Central Farm Markets doesn’t recall a single Montgomery County produce

28 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

farmer applying for a space in his markets in Bethesda or Rockville, Mr. Koiner, 96 years old (!), still farms…in Silver Spring and brings produce to the weekly Silver Spring FreshFarm Market on Saturdays.

Mona Ellis Silver Spring

BOOKS AND MORE I valued Politics and Prose [featured in “Brave New World” (May/June 2017)] when Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade ran the store. I am very grateful that Lissa Muscatine and Bradley Graham have expanded the store’s activities in many good ways and have continued the store’s tradition of providing wonderful contributions to the literary world. I wish them much success in the future. tonyhausner posted on BethesdaMagazine.com Please, please come to Bethesda, Politics and Prose! Bethesda is dying under the heavy boot of sterile development. We need you and will support you! wendytech posted on BethesdaMagazine.com Bethesda Magazine welcomes letters to the editor.

Please email letters@bethesdamagazine.com and include your name, the town you live in and your daytime phone number. Bethesda Magazine reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity.

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6/7/17 10:08 AM

art. festivals. culture. day trips. hidden gems.

good life

PHOTO BY EDGAR ARTIGA

GET MOVING THE BEAT BRINGS ALL kinds of people—some in spandex, some with backpacks on their way home from work, others with toddlers in strollers. They are drawn to the pulsating music coming from a stage in downtown Silver Spring where free outdoor Zumba classes are held on Tuesday nights in the summer.

No experience is required, but as the animated instructor from Washington Sports Clubs tells the crowd repeatedly, you must “smile!” It’s hard not to as you dance to highenergy music, following fitness moves that combine aerobic

steps and elements of hip-hop and salsa. Throughout the hour, there’s lots of clapping and shouting from participants in response to the music. As the class progresses, more people join in, sometimes only for a song or two. Others stand on the perimeter, watching the joy of the diverse community gathering—and smiling.

Zumba on the Plaza, Tuesdays 7-8 p.m., through Sept. 26, Fountain Plaza, 916 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring —Caralee Adams BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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PHOTO BY SKIP BROWN

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TAKE A WATER BREAK A TALL CENTER “FLOWER SHOWER” rains water down while spouts shoot water up from a colorful surface below, creating streams to wade in and jump over. Toddlers and preschoolers frolic while cooling off in the spray park at the recently revamped Takoma Playground in D.C., just over the District line.

“It’s a good place for a morning playdate,” says Katherine Pippert, who lives near the park and frequents it in the summer with her three children, ages 1, 4 and 6. “During the week it can be busy with camp groups, so it’s best to go earlier or later in the day.”

The compact recreation area also includes two fenced-in playgrounds and a small skateboard spot. There are restrooms on-site, and a shelter with several picnic tables— perfect for drying off and having a bite to eat before naptime or bedtime.

Takoma Playground, 300 Van Buren St. NW, Washington, D.C. The water sprays are on from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, Memorial Day through Labor Day. —Carolyn Weber

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BUILT INTO A BEAUTIFULLY landscaped hillside, the 18-hole Gaithersburg Miniature Golf Course leads golfers past artsy animal sculptures, rocky streams and a tiered waterfall.

While there are some hole-in-one opportunities (the putt under a penguin), aiming the ball through a lion statue’s legs, dodging water hazards and attempting a bank shot over a double bridge are all decidedly more challenging. One of the back nine holes features a steep downhill putt that’s a favorite with kids, who love following the ball down the slope. The course 34

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

is in the heart of 57-acre Bohrer Park—home to a skate park, picnic areas, walking trails and a water park—so it’s easy to expand a putt-putt outing into a full day of fun.

Gaithersburg Miniature Golf Course, Bohrer Park, 514 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, 301-258-6420, gaithersburgmd.gov/ about-gaithersburg/city-facilities/miniature-golf-course. Open daily through Sept. 1, $5-$7 per game.

—Christine Koubek

PHOTO BY HEATHER FUENTES

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BEST BETS

Our picks for the best things to see and do in July and August

BY STEPHANIE SIEGEL BURKE

July 12-Aug. 20

GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS

July 1

LET IT GLOW It’s two parties in one in Gaithersburg this summer as the city combines its annual Celebrate! Gaithersburg street festival with Independence Day fireworks.

SummerFest begins with a lawn party at Bohrer Park featuring live music, food trucks, beer tastings, a classic car show and kids activities, including inflatables.

It’s followed by a fireworks show and SummerGlo After Party, with glow-in-thedark giveaways, a DJ and vendors selling late-night snacks.

5-11:30 p.m., free, Bohrer Park, Gaithersburg, gaithersburgmd.gov

Noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and Saturday-Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. Friday, Common Ground Gallery, VisArts, Rockville, free, visartsatrockville.org

July 12-Sept. 9

SONGS OF SUMMER Strathmore may be nearby in North Bethesda, but its free summer concert series, Live from the Lawn, aims to take audiences on far-away musical journeys. Acts hail from the American South, South America and in between, and styles cover the musical map, including reggae, folk, country, funk and soul. Highlights include Fredericksburg, Virginia, country singer Karen Jonas (July 12), who blends Americana, folk, bluegrass and pop, and Femina (Aug. 2), an Argentine world music trio that puts on a theatrical performance and raps in Spanish. Washington, D.C., go-go band Team Familiar caps off the series with a Saturday concert on Sept. 9.

7 p.m. Wednesdays and Sept. 9, free, Gudelsky Gazebo at Strathmore, North Bethesda, strathmore.org

36 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

BAPTIZE COURTESY OF AARON OLDENBURG; LIVE FROM THE LAWN COURTESY OF STRATHMORE

A still shot from Baptize, one of Oldenburg’s video games

Aaron Oldenburg is a Baltimore artist and video game developer who creates abstract—often bizarre and unsettling—interactive experiences that combine his background in the Peace Corps with documentary techniques, history, game theory and magic. The idea is to confront players with challenging concepts as they explore and make decisions.

Some games are deceptively simple—for example, asking players to count bird chirps—while others are stunningly complex, such as “Cho-Am,” which is set inside the mind of a sleepwalker visiting Cambodian dictator Pol Pot’s cremation site. In Procedural Experience, Oldenburg’s exhibition at VisArts, a selection of his video games will rotate through the gallery for people to play, while others will be projected on screens. An opening reception and artist talk is set for July 21 from 7-9 p.m.

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good life

BEST BETS July 14

SHAKE IT UP Ruthie Rado as Julie in Oblivion

Michael Mwenso is a soulful vocalist and the charismatic front man of Michael Mwenso and The Shakes. Raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone and London, he was schooled in jazz and swing music from a young age. He began touring with a swing band at 13, playing trombone and piano, and, at 16, became a full-time professional musician. His band, consisting of a rotating cast of players, performs a blend of jazz and big band music, with a touch of New Orleans for good measure. The performers are serious about their music but put on an entertaining show with enough energy and spirit to delight any music lover.

8 p.m., $20-$30, Amp by Strathmore, North Bethesda, ampbystrathmore.com

July 13-Aug. 6

NEW RELIGION What are a couple of hipster liberal parents to do when their teenage daughter rebels by finding Jesus? That’s the question at the crux of Unexpected Stage Company’s production of Oblivion, a play by Carly Mensch, who has written for Weeds and Nurse Jackie, both Showtime series. Brooklynites Pam, an atheist, and Dixon, a non-practicing Jew, must come to terms with their daughter, Julie, after she tells them she’s checking out a college but really attends a religious retreat. Julie’s decision to become a Christian challenges her parents’ beliefs and open-mindedness. Unexpected Stage Company co-founder Christopher Goodrich directs the production, which stars local actors Zach Brewster-Geisz, Jonathan Frye, Ruthie Rado and Mindy Shaw. $10-$27.50, River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Bethesda, unexpectedstage.org

UNDER THE STARS

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Summer brings many outdoor movies series, but Bethesda Outdoor Movies is a favorite. The long-running tradition by the Bethesda Urban Partnership features five consecutive nights of films, each a different genre, in an urban setting. The lineup includes The Wizard of Oz (July 18), Field of Dreams (July 19), Dead Poets Society (July 20), Hidden Figures (July 21) and La La Land (July 22). The screening takes place in the middle of the street, at the corner of Norfolk and Auburn avenues, turning the intersection into an open-air cinema. Grab dinner at a nearby eatery first, and you’ve got a summertime twist on dinner and a movie.

9 p.m., free, Norfolk and Auburn avenues, bethesda.org

Aug. 19

THE BRITISH ARE COMING American music’s British Invasion started in 1964 with the rise of bands such as The Beatles and The Who. It inspired a second wave in the late ’60s and early ’70s. More than 40 local musicians, including Margot MacDonald and The VI-Kings, will play tunes from this period at A BandHouse Gigs Tribute to the British Invasion Part 2: 1967-73. Expect to hear music by The Kinks, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jethro Tull and more.

7:30 p.m., $22-$27, The Fillmore Silver Spring, fillmoresilverspring.com

38 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

OBLIVION PHOTO BY RACHEL ELLIS; MWENSO PHOTO COURTESY OF STRATHMORE

July 18-22

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FAR-OUT FUN AT THE FAIR Now in its 69th year, the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair returns Aug. 11-19 to the fairgrounds in Gaithersburg. One of the largest county fairs in the state, it’s known for farm animals, carnival rides, and the demolition derby and monster truck shows. Here are a few of its more unusual offerings:

CHICKEN POOP BINGO: Players buy squares on a grid where two chickens wander on a fenced-in board. Owners of the square where the first poop lands win a cash prize. Games take place throughout the week, with money raised going to the Montgomery County 4-H Poultry Club.

TOILET AND TOILET SEAT DECORATING CONTEST: Commodes become

COURTESY MONTGOMERY COUNTY AGRICULTURAL FAIR

works of art as contestants adorn either whole toilets or toilet seats to compete for ribbons and cash. Participants can use any material to design fair-themed or toilet-themed creations. Entries will be on display throughout the fair.

VEGGIE 500 RACES: Kids and families are invited to create vehicles out of cucumbers, carrots and other vegetables and then zoom them down a track Aug. 12, 2:30-4 p.m. Veggies, toothpicks and car bases with wheels are provided.

PRETTY ANIMAL CONTEST: 4-H kids and their animals dress up in matching costumes and parade before judges.

There are categories for sheep and swine; cows and goats; poultry; and dogs (check the website for dates and times). mcagfair.com ■

David B. Hurwitz

CFP®, CRPC®, CRPS®, RICP® Private Wealth Advisor Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP (with flame design) in the U.S. Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2016 Ameriprise Financial, Inc., All rights reserved.

6400 Goldsboro Road, Suite 550 Bethesda, MD 20817 Direct: (301) 263-8509 Email: david.b.hurwitz@ampf.com davidbhurwitz.com

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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good life arts & entertainment

CALENDAR COMPILED BY SANDRA FLEISHMAN

July 27 JOHN HAMMOND. The legendary bluesman shares songs and stories from his 50year career. 8 p.m. $30-$40. AMP by Strathmore, North Bethesda. 301-5815100, ampbystrathmore.com.

Aug. 11 JIM MORRISON CELEBRATION— FEATURING WILD CHILD. Wild Child mirrors the Doors’ concert experience of the 1960s. The band is dedicated to recreating a live Doors concert, with its lead singer, Dave Brock, drawing on 20 years of touring experience with his tribute group.

8 p.m. $17. The Fillmore, Silver Spring.

301-960-9999, fillmoresilverspring.com.

Aug. 12

Blues legend John Hammond performs on July 27 at AMP by Strathmore.

THE MAGPIE SALUTE. Following the 2015 breakup of The Black Crowes, one of its key players, Rich Robinson, has formed The Magpie Salute with two other former Crowes—guitarist Marc Ford and bassist Sven Pipien—and members of his own band. 9 p.m. $35. The Fillmore, Silver Spring. 301-960-9999, fillmoresilverspring.com.

Aug. 27 SUNDAY AFTERNOON CONCERT SERIES: DISTRICT5 WIND QUINTET. District5 specializes in new music and rewriting music arrangements for wind instruments.

2 p.m. Free. Glenview Mansion Conservatory, Rockville. 240-314-8660, rockvillemd.gov.

OUTDOOR CONCERTS

You bring the picnic fare, blankets and lowrise chairs; they provide the music. Concerts are free.

July 15 NRBQ. After 50 years, this iconic rock band is still “Ridin’ in My Car” with “Me and the Boys.” Among other hits, it could play “Ain’t It Alright” and “Green Lights.” 8 p.m. $30$40. AMP by Strathmore, North Bethesda.

301-581-5100, ampbystrathmore.com.

July 23 A TRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC OF MARVIN GAYE & TEDDY PENDERGRASS. The Brencore Allstars band pays homage to Washington, D.C.’s Motown genius Marvin Gaye and R&B soul giant Teddy Pendergrass. 7:30 p.m. $35$40. Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, Bethesda. 240-330-4500, bethesdabluesjazz.com.

40 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

Thursdays through Aug. 31 LUNCHTIME LOUNGE. Pop out of the office for a midday bite to eat and enjoy some jazz/pop (Mike Noonan, July 6); Motown/ pop (Bill Vaughan, July 13); pop/jazz (Invitation, July 20); light rock/pop (Replay, July 27); R&B/jazz (Linwood Battle Jr., Aug. 3); jazz/world (Peter Fields, Aug. 10); Caribbean/reggae (Wentworth Richardson, Aug. 17); jazz/pop (John Ware, Aug. 24);

COURTESY OF STRATHMORE

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good life

and pop/rock (Kara & Matty D, Aug. 31).

12:30-2:30 p.m. Fountain Plaza, Silver Spring. downtownsilverspring.com.

Thursdays through July 20 SUMMER CONCERT SERIES. Performers are Caz Gardiner Band (soulful rock and reggae, July 6), Chuggalug (rock/Top 40, July 13) and Joker’s Wild (swing, July 20).

6-8 p.m. Veterans Park, Bethesda. 301215-6660, bethesda.org.

Summer concerts are on Thursdays at Glen Echo Park through Aug. 31.

Thursdays through Aug. 31

Fridays through Sept. 1 FRIDAY NIGHT SUMMER CONCERT SERIES. Performers include: King Teddy (rockabilly/swing, July 7); Crazy in Stereo (pop rock, July 14); The Crawdaddies (zydeco/roots rock, July 21); Nelly’s Echo (pop rock/R&B, July 28): Dan Haas Band (rock, Aug. 4); Battery Lane Band (classic rock, Aug. 11); Kelly Bell Band (blues, Aug. 18); Justin Trawick and the Common Good (Americana, Aug. 25); and Matt Hutchinson (pop rock, Sept. 1).

7-9 p.m. Rockville Town Square, Rockville. rockvilletownsquare.com.

Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 30 RIO WASHINGTONIAN CENTER SUMMER CONCERT SERIES. Performers include: Quiet Fire (R&B/Motown, July 1); New Censation (Motown/rock/pop, July 7); 4 Star Combo (rockabilly/oldies, July 8); First Class (rock/pop/Motown, July 14); Route 66 (rock/pop/Motown, July 15); Diamond Alley (classic rock/Motown/pop, July 21); Gringo Jingo (Santana tribute/Latin, July 22); Sons of Pirates (Jimmy Buffettstyle, July 28); Joint Chiefs (classic rock/ Motown/pop, July 29); Ro Cube & Friends (R&B/funk/pop, Aug. 4); Mason Dixon (country rock, Aug. 5); Rock & Roll Relics (oldies, Aug. 11); Bobby & The Believers

(Motown/rock/pop, Aug. 12); Billy Vaughan (pop/R&B/rock, Aug. 18); Vol Azul (Latin, Aug. 19); Unity (reggae, Aug. 25); 49 Cent Dress (classic rock/pop, Aug. 26). 6-9 p.m. RIO Washingtonian Center, Gaithersburg. riowashingtonian.com.

Saturdays through Sept. 30

NANDO’S SPICY SATURDAY NIGHT CONCERTS. Scheduled performers include: Brian Cunningham Project (smooth jazz/R&B, July 1); Dual Rhythm (Afro-Latin jazz, July 8); Daniel Bennett & Friends (jazz/R&B, July 15); Distant Thunder (jazz/Latin, July 22); Evan, Ross & Stuart (folk, July 29); Everett Stora and the Clopper Road Band (country, Aug. 5); The Phalanx Project (R&B/pop/Neo Soul, Aug. 12); The Vurge (rock/pop/funk, Aug. 19); Jessie’s Gang (rock/pop/country, Aug. 26). 6:30-8:30 p.m. Fountain Plaza, Silver Spring. downtownsilverspring.com.

July 4, Aug. 11 and Sept. 8

TGIF DOWNTOWN STREET PARTY. DJ Damon spins family-friendly Top 40 tunes for listening and dancing, plus games with prizes such as movie tickets and gift cards to stores and restaurants. 6:308:30 p.m. Fountain Plaza, Silver Spring. downtownsilverspring.com.

THEATER Through July 2

HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED. Actor Eugene Lee brings to life the solo show by late Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. The play explores Wilson’s days

42 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

as a struggling young writer in Pittsburgh and how the neighborhood inspired his cycle of plays about the African-American experience. See website for times. $36$65. Round House Theatre, Bethesda.

240-644-1100, roundhousetheatre.org.

July 7-23 DIAL M FOR MURDER. The Arts Barn partners with Sandy Spring Theatre Group on the play that inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense classic. Recommended for ages 12 and older. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. $20, $12 for ages 14 and younger. The Arts Barn, Gaithersburg. 301-258-6394, gaithersburgmd.gov.

July 7-23 MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT. Rockville Musical Theatre presents its take on this musical version of the Monty Python and the Holy Grail film. The 2005 Broadway production—with King Arthur’s court, showgirls, killer rabbits and cows—won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Check website for times. F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, Rockville. $20-$22. 240-3148690, rockvillemd.gov/theatre.

July 14-30 BON VOYAGE! A HAPPENSTANCE ESCAPADE. Happenstance Theater—a professional company that makes and produces original, performer-created works—stages the comic misadventures of a group of 19th-century dreamers who meet on the way to Paris. 8 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays plus July 17 and 24; 7:30 p.m. July 20 and 27; 2 p.m.

COURTESY OF GLEN ECHO PARK

SUMMER CONCERTS AT GLEN ECHO PARK. Scheduled performers are: Mike Kamuf Little Big Band (jazz, July 6); Sweet Saludos (Latin American, July 13); Brendan Pelan (Irish and acoustic, July 20); U.S. Marine Band’s Free Country (contemporary country, July 27); Bollywood Brass DC (Aug. 3); Elikeh (Afropop, Aug. 10); Origem (Brazilian jazz, Aug. 17); U.S. Marine Band’s Dixieland Ensemble (Aug. 24); Tall in the Saddle Band (country rock, Aug. 31). 7:30 p.m. Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo. glenechopark.org/summerconcerts.

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good life King Street Gallery, Montgomery College Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, Silver Spring. cms.montgomerycollege.edu/artstpss/exhibitions.

Through Jan. 28 RONI HORN. The four-decade retrospective of the internationally known American multimedia artist fills the museum’s 9,000 square feet of gallery space. This is believed to be Horn’s first solo showing in the Washington, D.C., area. 10 a.m.3 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Free. Glenstone, Potomac. 301-983-5001, glenstone.org.

July 7 and Aug. 4 ART WALK IN THE PARK. See pottery, blown glass, carvings and other artwork during studio open houses and artist demonstrations throughout the park.

6-8 p.m. Free. Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo.

301-634-2222, glenechopark.org.

July 9-Aug. 18

Saturdays and Sundays. $26. Round House Theatre, Bethesda. 240-644-1100, roundhousetheatre.org.

July 19-Aug. 20 THURGOOD. In this one-man show, stage and TV actor Brian Anthony Wilson (the cynical but honest Det. Vernon Holley on HBO’s The Wire) plays Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who changed the face of American jurisprudence with his dedication to upholding civil rights.

Recommended for ages 13 and older.

Olney Theatre Center, Olney. $47-$70.

301-924-3400, olneytheatre.org.

Aug. 4-12 SPRING AWAKENING. The Arts Barn partners with Wildwood Summer Theatre on this rock musical based on Frank Wedekind’s play of the same name. It depicts a dozen young people “making their way through the thrilling, complicated and mysterious time of sexual awakening.”

Recommended for ages 15 and older.

8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; noon and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. $20, $15 for ages 15-22 with an ID; $12 for ages 14 and younger. The Arts Barn, Gaithersburg.

301-258-6394, gaithersburgmd.gov.

ART Through July 9 PRIVATE MOMENTS. Sandra Sedmak Engel uses encaustics and oils in paintings that offer an intimate glimpse into those moments when no one is watching. Noon6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Free. Waverly Street Gallery, Bethesda. 301-951-9441, waverlystreetgallery.com.

Through Aug. 27 BEST OF THE BEST II GAITHERSBURG ARTISTS EXHIBIT. A jury will select 21 pieces of art by Gaithersburg artists for the exhibit, which also includes works by Arts Barn resident artists and resident emeritus artists. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. The Activity Center at Bohrer Park, Gaithersburg. 301-258-6394, gaithersburgmd.gov.

Through Sept. 1 JURIED STUDENT EXHIBITION. The annual event showcases the best work of students in the Montgomery College Department of Visual Arts and Design over the past year. Works are displayed in galleries in and around the Cafritz Arts Center. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Free.

44 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

July 21-Aug. 20 NEXTGEN 4.0. VisArts’s Kaplan Gallery will present juried works by area artists ages 17-27 who have “little to no experience exhibiting…in a professional gallery.”

Gallery hours are noon-4 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday; noon8 p.m. Friday. Opening reception 7-9 p.m.

July 21. Free. VisArts, Rockville. 301-3158200, visartsatrockville.org.

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES Through July 23 THE WIZARD OF OZ. Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, this 45-minute Puppet Co. production has more adventures than the film, with a less scary witch. Recommended for children from pre-K to 6 years old. 10 and 11:30 a.m.

Thursdays and Fridays; 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. $12. The Puppet Co. Playhouse, Glen Echo. 301634-5380, thepuppetco.org.

COURTESY OF IMAGINATION STAGE

Ratón en Movimiento, a bilingual version of Mouse on the Move, plays at Imagination Stage through July 30. See page 46 for details.

GROUP SHOW. Featured artists are Brad Blair (ceramic creatures), Marleen Van den Neste (street photography), Jack Martinelli (new works) and Magdalena Bajll (photography: Doors of Tunisia).

Opening reception 1:30-3:30 p.m. July 9, with free concert of Billy Finch as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Johnny Cash and others. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday. Free. Glenview Mansion Art Gallery, Rockville. 240-3148682, rockvillemd.gov.

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RATÓN EN MOVIMIENTO. The new bilingual, interactive version of Mouse on the Move—about two adventurous mice—is performed in Spanish and English. Recommended for ages 1-5.

Children must be accompanied by a 13-year-old or older. 10 and 11:15 a.m.

Saturdays and Sundays. $14. Imagination Stage, Bethesda. 301-280-1660, imaginationstage.org.

Through Aug. 13 WONDERLAND: ALICE’S ROCK & ROLL ADVENTURE. Lewis Carroll’s irrational original has been translated to today’s times, with guitar-toting rock ’n’ roll musicians and fun lyrics. Recommended for ages 5 and older. 1:30 and 4 p.m.

Saturdays and Sundays; 10:30 a.m. most Tuesdays-Fridays. $12-$30. Imagination Stage, Bethesda. 301-280-1660, imaginationstage.org.

Through Aug. 14 JUNIE B. JONES IS NOT A CROOK. Based on the books by Barbara Park, this 60-minute show centers on what happens when Junie B. Jones loses her new mittens to “stealers” and has to investigate.

Recommended for all ages. Check website for dates and times. $19.50. Adventure Theatre MTC, Glen Echo. 301-634-2270, adventuretheatre-mtc.org.

Through Aug. 27 SUMMER TROLLEY PROGRAMS. The National Capital Trolley Museum offers “Civil War Streetcars” and “Gilded Age Streetcars” programs on Thursdays and Fridays, celebrating the beginning of streetcar service in the nation’s capital.

Check the website for details on trolley rides, movies and the regular noon5 p.m. museum offerings on Saturdays and Sundays. For instance, on Aug. 27, during regular hours, you can ride a trolley that entered service in August 1937. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. $7; $5 for children and seniors. National Capital Trolley Museum, Colesville. 301-384-6088, dctrolley.org.

July 6, 13, 20 and 27 BACKYARD THEATER. Scheduled performers for Strathmore’s annual series of outdoor family-friendly shows are: bilingual singer and musician Sonia De Los Santos (July 6); master magician The Amazing Max (July 13); Falu’s Bazaar, blending classical Indian music with American pop (July 20); and “kindie” rock band Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights

46 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

(July 27). 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. $8; free for 2 and younger. The Music Center at Strathmore, North Bethesda. 301-5815100, strathmore.org.

July 7 SKYWATCHING: SATURN. The Gaithersburg Community Museum is hosting a stargazing event (weather permitting) with a preview talk on Saturn and the Cassini mission by Ted Avraham, a NASA solar system ambassador. Check website for information on parking and using flashlights. 7:30-10:30 p.m. Free.

Observatory Park, Gaithersburg. 301-2586160, gaithersburgmd.gov.

July 27-Oct. 1 CIRCUS! The “Greatest Show on Strings” is 35 minutes of clowns, death-defying acrobats and a “menagerie of fauna from the farthest reaches of the globe.”

Recommended for children from pre-K to 6 years old. 10 and 11:30 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Saturdays and Sundays. $12. The Puppet Co. Playhouse, Glen Echo. 301-634-5380, thepuppetco.org.

Aug. 10-13 DISNEY’S THE LION KING JR. Kensington Arts Theatre Junior’s summer program, for students in grades 6-9, culminates in this production. Recommended for all ages. 8:15 p.m. Thursday-Sunday; 2 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday. $15. Kensington Town Hall, Kensington. 240-621-0528, katonline.org.

Aug. 21 SOLAR ECLIPSE EVENT. The Gaithersburg Community Museum is hosting an afternoon of solar-related activities and observations with safe solar viewers (weather permitting). Check website for information on parking. 1-4 p.m. Free.

Observatory Park, Gaithersburg. 301-2586160, gaithersburgmd.gov.

FESTIVALS/SEASONAL Through Sept. 17 WINGS OF FANCY LIVE BUTTERFLY & CATERPILLAR EXHIBIT. Hundreds of butterflies flit about as you walk through the exhibit and learn about metamorphosis and butterflies’ roles in an ecosystem. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $8, $5 ages 3-12; free for younger than 3. Brookside Gardens, Wheaton. 301-962-1400, montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/

brookside-gardens/wings-fancy-live-butterflycaterpillar-exhibit.

July 4 128TH ANNUAL INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION. Celebrate the Fourth of July with a parade in the morning, then live music and fireworks at night. Parade begins at 10 a.m. at Carroll and Ethan Allen avenues, Takoma Park. The evening program, at Takoma Park Middle School, begins at 7 p.m. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

Free. takomapark4th.org.

July 4 GERMANTOWN GLORY. Live music by Quiet Fire (rock/R&B/Motown) starts at 7 p.m. and fireworks begin at 9:15 p.m.

Free. South Germantown Recreational Park, Germantown. 240-777-0311, montgomerycountymd.gov/rec.

July 4 INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION. Live music by country guitarist Shane Gamble starts at 7 p.m. and fireworks begin at

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in four neighborhood parks: Toy Story (Montrose Park, Aug. 2); Sing (Fallsgrove Park, Aug. 9); The Sandlot (Woodley Gardens Park, Aug. 16); Zootopia (Calvin Park, Aug. 23). Films will begin at dusk.

Free. 240-314-8620, rockvillemd.gov.

9:15 p.m. Free. Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park, Rockville. rockvillemd.gov.

July 4 MID-COUNTY SPARKLES. Live music by Gringo Jingo (“The Ultimate Santana Tribute Band”) starts at 7:30 p.m. and fireworks begin at 9:15 p.m. Free. Albert Einstein High School, Kensington. 240777-0311, montgomerycountymd.gov/rec.

Aug. 11-19

MONTGOMERY COUNTY AGRICULTURAL FAIR. Fair hours are 3 p.m.-midnight Aug. 11; 10 a.m.-midnight Aug. 12-19. $10; free for children 11 and younger. Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Gaithersburg. 301-9623247, mcagfair.com.

Aug. 1 NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. The Rockville City Police Department invites Rockville families to an evening of community togetherness.

Residents are encouraged to turn on outdoor lights to send the message that neighborhoods are fighting crime. Some neighborhoods will host block parties with visits from Rockville officials and McGruff the Crime Dog. Free. For more information, contact Cpl. Ken Matney at 240-314-8922 or kmatney@rockvillemd.gov.

Aug. 2-23 MOVIES IN THE PARKS. The city of Rockville will host four outdoor movies

Aug. 24-26

COMCAST XFINITY OUTDOOR FILM FESTIVAL. Free flicks with pre-show activities and Ridgewells’ summer grill.

Movies are: Moana (Aug. 24), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Aug. 25) and The Lego Batman Movie (Aug. 26). Gates open at 7:30, films begin at dusk. Free.

Gudelsky Gazebo at Strathmore, Bethesda. strathmore.org. ■

To submit calendar items, or to see a complete listing, go to BethesdaMagazine.com.

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people. politics. current events. books. columns.

banter

GONE WITH THE WIND

16-year-old windsurfer Dominique Stater competes all over the world

PHOTO BY SKIP BROWN

BY CARALEE ADAMS

FOR MOST HIGH SCHOOL athletes, practice means a short walk to the track, field or gym. For Dominique Stater, it means boarding a plane to Florida.

The rising junior at Walt Whitman High School travels solo at least once a month to train at the Miami Yacht Club, where she’s the only female on the club’s nine-member windsurfing team. Windsurfing combines elements of sailing and surfing; athletes typically ride a 10-foot board with a sail powered by the wind.

Dominique, who has also windsurfed in France, Canada and Poland, finished eighth overall at an international competition in Cagliari, Italy, in 2015.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

49

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“It taught me that all the training I did paid off,” Dominique says of the world championship regatta, which lasted about a week and included a dozen individual races. Mapping out the course ahead of time, Dominique sailed to the right side in one race while her competitors went left, allowing her to catch the best wind and finish first.

Dominique will travel to Texas this summer for the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, and her performance there could help her qualify for the US Sailing Youth Worlds Team that competes in China in December. After that, she’ll be aiming for the 2018 Youth Olympics in Argentina, with a dream of making the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. “Dominique has very natural skills and broke through really fast on the international stage,” says Jerome Samson, president of US Windsurfing, a nonprofit organization that promotes the sport. “If Dominique 50

continues to be committed to the path she’s on, the sky is the limit. The US Sailing Youth Worlds Team is the natural pathway to the Olympic team, and going to the games is definitely within her reach.”

Dominique began windsurfing about four years ago when she lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where her father, Tim Stater, worked for the U.S. State Department. Her family lived in Nicaragua, Peru, Chile and Colombia before moving to Bethesda in 2015. She’d tried kitesurfing at 13, but the jumps involved were too dangerous for her parents’ liking, so her mother, Jacqueline Peacock, recommended windsurfing. Jacqueline has windsurfed as a pastime, and she and Tim have competed in catamaran sailing races. After a few windsurfing lessons, their daughter was hooked. “I really like the speed,” Dominique says. “You get a lot of adrenaline going when there is a lot of wind—it feels like you are flying

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

through the air.”

Dominique races in the Techno category, in which all competitors use the same size board and sail, typically competing for 45 minutes at a time.

They follow a path that zigzags among buoys far from shore—often 30 minutes into the ocean by boat. She’s crashed and broken a sail, but she’s never been injured. “It can be really scary,” she says.

To stay in shape, Dominique does high-intensity interval training workouts at Orangetheory Fitness in Potomac.

She plans to get another board to keep in Bethesda so she can windsurf on the Potomac River and maybe invite others, with hopes of the sport catching on in the D.C. area. “My friends here think it’s really cool and they all want to try it, but they say it’s hard,” Dominique says. After high school, she wants to attend the University of Miami so she’ll be a little closer to practice. n

COURTESY PHOTO

Dominique Stater, who trains in Miami, began windsurfing four years ago. “I really like the speed,” she says.

Coming up at

SUMMER

2017

Shows for Kids

Backyard Theater brings families together for shows that are educational, entertaining, and perfect for all ages! Thursday mornings in July.

SONIA DE LOS SANTOS July 6

THE AMAZING MAX July 13

FALU’S BAZAAR July 20

JOANIE LEEDS AND THE NIGHTLIGHTS July 27

More Outdoor Fun LIVE FROM THE LAWN

July 12–Sept 9 Free outdoor concerts by Karen Jonas, Akua Allrich, Team Familiar, and more!

COMCAST XFINITY OUTDOOR FILM FESTIVAL Aug 24–26 Three nights of free flicks benefitting the National Institutes of Health children’s charities.

In the Music Center THE PRINCESS BRIDE

AN INCONCEIVABLE EVENING WITH CARY ELWES Sept 16

THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY Sept 22

SERGIO MENDES Oct 19

LILA DOWNS Oct 20 Plus Yasmin Levy, Black Violin, The Chieftains, and many more!

Backyard Theater by Liz Lynch, Sonia De Los Santos by Quetzal Photography, Joanie Leeds and The Nightlights, Cary Elwes, Victoria Vox by Jim Saah

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Strathmore_BethesdaMag_JulyAug.indd 1

5/31/17 2:34 PM

banter

BY ADAM PAGNUCCO

FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING MOCO VOTERS BY THE NUMBERS

Montgomery County is home to almost a million people, but a relatively small number of them decide our local elections. They tend to be women, seniors and homeowners who vote regularly in Democratic primaries. Here’s a look at the county’s registered voters, by the numbers.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY REGISTERED VOTERS (April 2017)

Turnout rates among Democrats in the 2014 primary

660,318 TOTAL 23

%

04

Democ

42,692 The number of MoCo Democrats who voted in the 2006, 2010 and 2014 primaries, known as

19

18-29 70-79

x

x

127,851

Republ i

MoCo Democrats who did not vote in any of the 2006, 2010 or 2014 general elections

12

%

59 87 %

MoCo Super Democrats who live in Bethesda (10% of registered MoCo Democrats live in Bethesda.)

Registered MoCo Democrats and Super Democrats who are women

%

MoCo Super Democrats who live in single-family homes

Average age of registered MoCo Democrats

49

Average age of MoCo Super Democrats

64 INFOGRAPHICS BY AMANDA SMALLWOOD

6,4

s rat

18

Ages Ages

x

%

,4

38

48%

r t he

ns

%

95 O

120

59

3,4

ca

15

9%

SUPER

DEMOCRATs

DATA AS OF JANUARY 2015 UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

52

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

SOURCES: MARYLAND STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS

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banter

ONE FOR THE BOOKS A Rockville rabbi shifts gears with a trolley for young readers

IN FRONT OF CHEVY CHASE Elementary School, nine third-graders are poring over books inside a parked, light-filled trolley. Harry Potter, Nancy Drew, Hidden Figures and the Wimpy Kid are coming to life in their heads. “This place is soooo cool,” one after another says, pulling titles from the shelves. Proprietor Debbie Bodin Cohen smiles from the register.

Cohen, 49, maneuvers the 26-foot Story House, which debuted this spring, into and out of her Rockville driveway 54

and around the county. The rolling bookstore’s nearly 1,500 volumes for children and young adults are rearranged depending on where the trolley’s making an appearance: science fairs, synagogues, birthday parties, book festivals. Cohen talks of one day pairing with a food truck or one that sells coffee and rigging a canopy over a “patio” where customers could hang out. Like at a “real” bookstore.

An author of children’s books, Cohen grew up mainly in Columbia, Maryland,

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

with her head in the pages—the Little House series and A Wrinkle in Time were “huge influences.” It’s no surprise that owning a brick-and-mortar bookstore was her first idea. Having left full-time work as a rabbi “to do something different” (she has an interim stint leading Bethesda’s Congregation Beth Chai this year), Cohen looked around at area storefronts. Rents were too high, so someone suggested selling at book fairs instead. That would require a large vehicle, she thought.

PHOTOS BY SKIP BROWN

BY ELLEN RYAN

PHOTOS BY SKIP BROWN

Debbie Bodin Cohen’s Story House at Chevy Chase Elementary School

Cohen wanted something with windows, smaller than a recreational vehicle. In June and July 2016, she raised $20,000 through Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects. She turned to Craigslist and found a trolley that had made its way from the Eastern Shore to New York to Mississippi over two decades. Soon it was on a car transporter heading north again.

To become a mobile bookstore, the trolley needed a lot of work—from air

conditioning and a new steering column to new lighting and bookshelves. Daughter Arianna, 15, stained the bookshelves, and brothers Jesse, 9, and Ezra, 6, helped organize decorative tiles and accompanied Mom on frequent Home Depot runs. The kids offered ideas on everything from the spools of colorful ribbon over the cashier stand (for gift wrapping) to the cozy back bench (which seats three or four when not covered in book displays).

Cohen bought insurance, which allows for a 50-mile driving radius, and did two days of large-vehicle driver training.

She got Rockville and county business licenses. Then she started ordering books, with recommendations from her sons. Jesse suggested the Amulet series— “the big buzz in my classroom right now,” he says—plus Dork Diaries and the Magic Tree House series.

It’s strange having a trolley parked in the family driveway, Jesse says. Passersby

tend to stare and point. But he’s looking forward to a time when it will visit nearby Beall Elementary. “The kids at my school have a lot of cool things,” Jesse says. “Now I can show a cool thing, too.

I’ll have the biggest show-and-tell.”

At home, “my kids and I hang out in [the trolley] some evenings,” adds Cohen, a former director of congregational learning at Potomac’s Har Shalom.

“Arianna likes to do her homework in here. They say it’s like a clubhouse.”

The Cohens have long been surrounded by books. Husband David, an author, is an editor at Politico. Debbie’s ninth young-readers book is scheduled to be released in August (her books are occasionally for sale in The Story House), and she’s already talking about her next book idea. “The trolley doesn’t know it, but it’s had a lot of adventures,” she muses. Can a book-trolley book be far behind? n

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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caption

DATA DRIVEN How one Kensington resident is using technology to help prevent illness after precision medicine saved his own life

WHEN ERIC DISHMAN talks, he sounds more like a Silicon Valley executive than a leader in a government-led targeted medicine research program. He peppers his conversations with technology terms such as “big data,” “iterative platform development” and “interoperability.”

The 49-year-old Kensington resident works at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), heading up the new Precision Medicine Initiative’s All of Us Research Program. So far, Congress has authorized about $1.5 billion for the 10-year program that aims to collect biomedical information from about 1 million 56

Americans in order to better customize disease prevention and treatments.

If anyone had the experience to lead this project, it was Dishman, who was recruited by NIH Director Francis Collins. Says Dishman, “I had no plans to leave Portland [Oregon]. I loved my job [at Intel Corp.] and my farm. But at the same time, I thought I am one of the early prototype patients for precision medicine, and it saved my life.”

Dishman taught himself computer programming as a teenager in North Carolina, where, at 19, he was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. That’s when

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

his interest in technology melded with health. He met his wife, Ashley, during his time as a premed student at the University of North Carolina. They moved to Salt Lake City in 1992, and Dishman studied communication at the University of Utah. His interest in patient-doctor communication had become his passion. He soon was creating user-friendly health technologies at Interval Research Corp., a Palo Alto, California, think tank co-founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Then he led Intel’s health technology efforts for almost a decade.

While at Intel, he and Ashley moved to

PHOTO BY SKIP BROWN

BY BARA VAIDA

Portland and bought a farm.

By 2011, Dishman was dying of his kidney disease. After years of chemotherapy, the cancer had slowly spread from his left kidney to his right. He thought he was taking his last business trip as a leader of Intel’s health strategy and solutions group, meeting with a genome-sequencing company in San Diego. “I don’t mean to be overly sentimental,” he remembers telling a colleague on the trip, “but I have outlived [my kidney cancer], but not for much longer, and you won’t see me again.”

An executive in San Diego offered to map Dishman’s genes to demonstrate the company’s technology. Dishman sent some healthy and cancerous tissue to the company, which asked to not be identified in this article. Two weeks later he received two terabytes of data and delivered it to his team of cancer doctors.

Dishman’s doctors had never used a patient’s genome to determine a treatment plan. Within seven months, the team concluded that his body would respond to a pancreatic cancer drug.

By 2012 he was cancer-free and receiving a kidney transplant from a fellow Intel employee. “I said to my wife when I woke up [from the transplant] that I will spend the rest of my life trying to figure out how to make the kind of precision care that I had access to available to everybody,” Dishman says.

The nationwide rollout of the project, which President Barack Obama announced in 2015, is expected later this year. Dishman knows what he’s up against. There are the organizational, structural and technical challenges.

Then he’ll have to find a way to recruit participants who will submit their information to the NIH through mobile apps or NIH-designated health providers.

“By collecting this data at such a magnitude, we will get a glimpse and understanding of rare diseases, the impact of the environment, the impact of health disparities, that we never could before because the study size samples weren’t large enough,” Dishman says.

“We’ll learn how to design custom prevention strategies so that people will stay well and not get sick in the first place.” ■

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QUICK TAKES

News you may have missed

BY ANDREW METCALF, BETHANY RODGERS AND JOE ZIMMERMANN

STRESS RELIEF? Kensington Parkwood Elementary School Principal Barbara Liess decided earlier this year to try out a new trend to release tension through the destruction of furniture. She created a “smash space” where teachers could take a baseball bat to an old rocking chair on an outdoor loading dock. But the de-stressing tactic ended up raising the blood pressure of several parents, and Liess later announced she’s leaving her post for a job elsewhere in the public school system.

ONE-STOP SHOPPING Commuters passing through the GrosvenorStrathmore Metro station in May and June were greeted with the opportunity to buy fresh flowers, empañadas and handmade scarves a few days each week as part of a pilot pop-up shop program. Washington, D.C., developer Fivesquares and Metro signed up local businesses to sell their goods inside sections of an old 4000-series Metro car that had been sliced into kiosks.

LOCAL BUZZ

Capitalizing on pet owners’ infatuation with their furry friends, the Olde Towne Pet Resort in Rockville opened earlier this year to give local pooches a taste of the high life, offering amenities such as suites with flat-screen televisions. Dogs can unwind with a hot oil treatment or blueberry facial at the center’s spa, or indulge in a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving. The resort even offers personal shopping sprees that allow dogs to sniff out their favorite treats and toys in its boutique.

TECH BREAK A social studies teacher at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring had a 21st century challenge for his students this spring. Could they give up their smartphones for an entire week? Students each signed a contract committing to various levels of screen-time sacrifice.

Some people avoided video games or Snapchat, while others abstained from smartphone communication with anyone but their parents. Kevin Shindel says he started the experiment about seven years ago after learning that many teens wake up at night to text.

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ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY ANN SMITH

PAMPERED PETS

Cicadas came out four years earlier than expected this spring—thousands were spotted across the county starting in April. Some scientists speculated that the bugs were early risers from Brood X—the notorious “big brood” that brought trillions to the eastern United States in 2004. The insects typically lay dormant in the ground for 17 years, and this brood wasn’t due back until 2021.

According to some scientists, climate change may be playing a role in the acceleration.

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Finn and Alex Neilsen create a butterfly garden at a home in Northwest D.C.

DIGGING DEEP A father and son build a landscaping business in Bethesda

OVER THE PAST FOUR years, Alex Neilsen has taught himself how to dig a 60-foot-long French drain, install full irrigation systems, and transplant Yoshino cherry trees and Japanese maples. He’s the co-owner of Pineapple Landscaping—and he’s 17.

At 13, Alex knew his parents were struggling financially. His dad, Finn Neilsen, was facing debt after the two Domino’s franchises he owned in the Annapolis area started going into the red. That’s when Alex started Git-RDone, knocking on neighbors’ doors to 60

ask if he could do their lawns.

Suzanne Kelly lives about nine blocks from Alex’s home in the Westbrook neighborhood of Bethesda. She’s been a client for the past year and a half, and remembers when he climbed into a tree with a chain saw. She had reservations about his age, but his work ethic won her trust and her business.

Alex renamed the company Pineapple Landscaping last year after a suggestion from his uncle. Now, nearly 250 clients depend on him for everything from simple mowing to sod laying

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

and full lawn renovations, presenting challenges in scheduling and logistics for the rising senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. “[Potential clients] blow me off,” Alex says. “They don’t think I know how to do things. They only think I’ve got lawn mowing experience.” Alex took on his first commercial client, Western Market in Bethesda, three years ago.

That’s when his dad started to notice a change in his son.

“I could see that he was totally overwhelmed,” Finn says. He was dividing

PHOTO BY LIZ LYNCH

BY ALEXA EPITROPOULOS

PHOTO BY LIZ LYNCH

FAMILY LAW

his attention between classwork and fielding calls from clients. He was playing on the B-CC football team while managing his business. Projects were getting bigger, including one job from a property manager that required constant contact—even during school hours. That’s when Finn stepped in, making Home Depot runs and giving Alex rides to jobs.

Then Finn gave his son a challenge: If Alex got the company to 100 clients, he’d quit his job as a news director at WNAV in Annapolis and join his son full time. “We either had to shut it down or press ‘go,’ ” Finn says. Two months later, early last year, Alex delivered on the challenge and they became coowners and incorporated the business.

Finn’s wife, Inma, and daughter, Sara, 18, were uneasy at first because of the earlier financial issues, but Finn says he’s earning more money than he did in radio journalism. During the week, Finn tries to keep Alex’s workload to a minimum so he can focus on practices and homework. They work 12 to 13 hours on Saturdays and Sundays during the busy months in spring and summer. The company has up to seven employees on the payroll.

Father and son often disagree about Alex taking business calls at school.

Finn wants Alex to finish high school and have time to be a teenager. “We’re all learning. It’s uncharted territory,” Finn says.

Right now, Finn handles the company’s finances, prioritizing providing for his family, investing in equipment for the business and putting some money aside for Alex’s future. After high school, Alex wants to join the Air Force and eventually become an airline pilot—and he wants to keep 50 percent ownership of the company. But as the summer turns to fall and another school year approaches, customers can expect Alex to keep picking up the phone. “We’re out in the field every single day,” his dad says. “You’ll always talk to one of us.” ■

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BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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BOOK REPORT

Bethesda resident Andrew Gifford was 10 in 1985 when his family’s D.C. area-based ice cream business closed and his father vanished. The mystery was big local news. His father, who eventually resurfaced, died in 2007. Now 43, Andrew Gifford says he’s tired of being asked if he’s “Gifford of Gifford’s Ice Cream?” and having people go on about his parents and grandparents.

In We All Scream: The Fall of the Gifford’s Ice Cream Empire (Stillhouse Press, May 2017), Gifford— who works in the books department of the American Psychological Association—reveals the dark details of the ice cream company’s demise and his tragic experience as a child of abuse. “I hate to burst a bubble in these nice memories that people have, but I needed to speak up,” Gifford says.

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Paul Dickson has loved baseball since he went to his first Yankees game in 1944 at the age of 5.

The Garrett Park author has written 66 books, a dozen of which are about baseball, including The Dickson Baseball Dictionary. His latest, Leo Durocher: Baseball’s Prodigal Son (Bloomsbury, March 2017), is a biography about one of the game’s most controversial and flamboyant characters.

Durocher was a true sports celebrity, known for being combative and relentless in his quest to win while also a regular on the Hollywood social scene. “Durocher bridged these amazing eras in baseball—from Prohibition in the ’20s with the Yankees to the space age with the Houston Astros,” Dickson says. “He was involved in some of the biggest games and pennant tries in history.”

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

The world is getting to be a significantly better place, in large part because of the left’s accomplishments over the past 50 years, according to Ruy Teixeira.

In his new book, The Optimistic Leftist: Why the 21st Century Will Be Better Than You Think (St. Martin’s Press, March 2017), the Silver Spring resident writes that his historical analysis of American politics found that “pessimism is neither useful nor justified.”

Talking about things being bad is not a “program” and not productive, Teixeira says. Instead, the left should project a vision of how things should be in order to get voters excited about candidates. “You shouldn’t assume the more miserable people get, the more likely they will support the left—in fact, it’s exactly the reverse,” says Teixeira, who is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in D.C.

The Distance Home (Forge, May 2017) by Orly Konig is about friendship, trying to be accepted and overcoming heartache.

Main character Emma Metz returns to her hometown in Maryland following her father’s death. She faces guilt over past choices, tries to mend a friendship and rediscovers the healing power of riding horses (Konig says she drew from her experience at riding stables near Poolesville).

“Women will see bits of themselves in Emma. We all want others to like us,” says the Gaithersburg author. “To some extent we put our own needs on the back burner to accommodate what other people want of us.” This is a debut novel for Konig, who helped found the Women’s Fiction Writers Association in 2013 to provide networking, education and career support for its members.

ALL BOOK COVERS FILE PHOTOS

BY CARALEE ADAMS

What’s on your bedside table?

DR. KURT NEWMAN, PRESIDENT and CEO of Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., recently read The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster, 2014), a collection of biographies about scientists and creative people credited with technology breakthroughs.

“These people had a passion around their work and this single-minded desire to put everything all in to make things happen,” says Newman, a Bethesda resident.

Newman enjoyed how Isaacson explained innovation’s link to having an open mind and nurturing a collaborative environment where people’s ideas can collide to create something new. Newman

read the book while writing about his experiences helping parents navigate the complicated world of children’s medicine in Healing Children: A Surgeon’s Stories from the Frontiers of Pediatric Medicine (Viking, June 2017).

“Being CEO at a big hospital, we don’t want to stand pat. I, as a leader, need to encourage that kind of creativity and innovation,” says Newman, who has been a surgeon, chief of surgery and CEO during more than 30 years at Children’s. He is also a professor of surgery and pediatrics at The George Washington University. After reading The Innovators, Newman made sure his book focused on the research frontier to help parents get a sense of what discoveries for children are right around the corner.

Dr. Kur t New

man

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WHAT BETHESDA’S READING

LITERARY EVENTS CALENDAR July 22 PHILIP G. SMUCKER. The Alexandria, Virginia, writer and seasoned journalist’s new book is Riding With George: Sportsmanship & Chivalry in the Making of America’s First President. Before turning to George Washington, Smucker had written articles and books about Osama bin Laden and the war of ideas between America and the Muslim world.

He will discuss the book and sign copies. 3:30 p.m. Free.

Politics and Prose, Washington, D.C., 202-364-1919, politics-prose.com.

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1. Into the Water, Paula Hawkins 2. 16th Seduction (Women’s Murder Club Series, #16), James Patterson, Maxine Paetro

3. Into the Water, Paula Hawkins 4. Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman 5. Saints for All Occasions, J. Courtney Sullivan 6. Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders 7. 16th Seduction (Women’s Murder Club Series, #16), James Patterson, Maxine Paetro 8. Golden Prey (Lucas Davenport Series, #27), John Sandford 9. The Black Book, James Patterson, David Ellis

2. Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign, Jonathan Allen, Amie Parnes 3. This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America’s Middle Class, Elizabeth Warren 4. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, J.D. Vance 5. The American Spirit, David McCullough 6. Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…and Maybe the World, William H. McRaven

4. Golden Prey (Lucas Davenport Series, #27), John Sandford 5. Against All Odds, Danielle Steel 6. The Women in the Castle, Jessica Shattuck 7. Milk and Honey, Rupi Kaur 8. Since We Fell, Dennis Lehane 9. The Black Book, James Patterson, David Ellis 10. The Thirst (Harry Hole Series, #11), Jo Nesbo 1. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil deGrasse Tyson 2. Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resistance, and Finding Joy, Sheryl Sandberg, Adam Grant 3. Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign, Jonathan Allen, Amie Parnes 4. Democracy: Stories From the Long Road to Freedom, Condoleezza Rice 5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life, Mark Manson 6. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann 7. Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It, Charlamagne tha God

8. The Operator: Firing the Shots That Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years As a SEAL Team Warrior, Robert O’Neill

8. The Magnolia Story, Chip and Joanna Gaines, Mark Dagostino

10. Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success, Ivanka Trump

(Fiction and Nonfiction)

3. The Fix (Amos Decker Series, #3), David Baldacci

7. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil deGrasse Tyson

9. Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It, Charlamagne tha God

PAPERBACK

DAVID GOODRICH AND AARON HAMBURGER. Goodrich will read from A Hole in the Wind: A Climate Scientist’s Bicycle Journey Across the United States (Pegasus Books, June 2017). The book took shape in workshops at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda. Hamburger, a workshop leader, will read from his 2005 novel, Faith for Beginners. 2-4 p.m. Free. The Writer’s Center, Bethesda.

301-654-8664, writer.org.

Barnes & Noble NATIONWIDE/bn.com

2. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead

1. Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resistance, and Finding Joy, Sheryl Sandberg, Adam Grant

July 30

BN.COM

1. Anything Is Possible, Elizabeth Strout

10. Since We Fell, Dennis Lehane

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

David Goodrich

HARDCOVER FICTION

Barnes & Noble BETHESDA

DATA PROVIDED BY:

9. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, J.D. Vance 10. This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America’s Middle Class, Elizabeth Warren

1. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr

1. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood

2. Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly

2. The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware

3. A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman

3. Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly

4. The Nest, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

4. Milk and Honey, Rupi Kaur

5. The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware

5. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr

6. The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah

6. The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story, Diane Ackerman

7. Milk and Honey, Rupi Kaur 8. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood 9. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century, Timothy Snyder 10. The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, Peter Frankopan

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

7. A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman 8. The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah 9. In a Dark, Dark Wood, Ruth Ware 10. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, Jen Sincero

COURTESY OF THE WRITER’S CENTER

TOP-SELLING BOOKS as of May 16 at the Barnes & Noble Bethesda, compared with Barnes & Noble stores nationwide and at bn.com

banter

From left: Frankie, Angie, Katherine and Pamela make empañadas with their parents, Tim and Jennifer Pohlhaus, in their Bethesda home.

SISTER ACT

A Bethesda couple finds joy after their adoption process takes an unexpected turn

TIM POHLHAUS STANDS AT the kitchen counter, kneading masa, a corn flour dough used to make tortillas, in a glass bowl. His oldest daughter, Frankie, 13, holds a glass measuring cup of water.

She pours a bit of the water, which contains Latin spices, into the bowl as he continues to knead. “We’re getting there,” he tells her. “It’s got to be uniform.”

Angie, 11, has finished mashing avocados and mixing homemade guacamole.

“That’s my favorite thing [to make],” she says. Why? Frankie answers for her, quietly but giggly, “Because she likes to eat it!”

Two more glass bowls sit on the counter—Katherine, 10, has shredded the queso fresco in one, while the youngest child, Pamela, 9, has torn the cilantro into 66

small pieces in the other.

It’s Friday night, so the children, who attend North Bethesda Middle School and Ashburton Elementary School, have a little extra time to play with the new tortilla press. The girls’ mom, Jennifer Pohlhaus, arrives home around 5 p.m., an hour and a half after Tim, who greets the girls off the bus.

Just two and a half years ago, the children were living in an orphanage in Costa Rica. They were well taken care of and loved, Tim says, but growing up among a large group of kids created challenges. “They were rough with one another,” he says of the four sisters he and Jennifer adopted in 2015. One of the first lessons was: “We’re a family of

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

respect.” Hitting, hair-pulling, kicking were not tolerated.

Tim and Jennifer began the process to adopt when they lived in North Carolina around 2003, two years after they married, but multiple moves across the U.S. and obstacles with programs in Ethiopia and Burundi discouraged the couple, so they put things on hold. In 2014, Tim, Jennifer and their dog, Anouk, now 16, were living in their home in Bethesda, where the couple had moved for work.

Tim is employed by the Food and Drug Administration, and Jennifer co-owns a government consulting firm. That’s when they both received an email from an agency they were working with and a photo of four sisters in Costa Rica.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL VENTURA

BY MELANIE PADGETT POWERS

“This is what we think is God’s calling, for us to do this,” says Jennifer, who attends St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Rockville with her family. She remembers thinking, the girls need a home, and if we don’t do this, they might not leave the orphanage or they might get broken up.

The couple started learning Spanish (Tim for the first time, and Jennifer as a refresher from high school) and spoke with the girls on Skype for the next five months. They met in February 2015.

“We just all ran together and had a big hug. It didn’t really feel like it was real until then,” Jennifer says. The girls say they were shy and a little scared but excited to meet their new parents. For seven weeks, the family lived in a hotel in Costa Rica as they waited for the government to finalize the adoption. The girls spoke very little English, and Jennifer often became the translator.

Once in Maryland, the girls had two months before summer break. Vaccinated and assessed for their grade levels, the girls were paired with bilingual students who could help translate. That summer, as they ran around the neighborhood with other kids, they started to become fluent in English.

Tim, 41, and Jennifer, 40, encountered challenges that most parents of young children experience. To recognize good behavior, they created reward systems.

Stickers for kind and respectful actions.

Poker chips for doing chores, which could pay for “tablet time.” The systems worked for the most part—except when Angie didn’t seem to care if she earned tablet time.

That led to the color system, which could lead to a loss of privileges.

But on that Friday night, after making tortillas, the girls are well-behaved, holding hands around their dining room table.

It’s Katherine’s turn to say the blessing before the meal. Then Tim and Jennifer ask the girls to tell one story about their day. Pamela says she and other students had a “hot chocolate lunch.” Angie explains in great detail the fitness routine her class did. Frankie suddenly declares, “I want to be in a club.” When Tim asks which one, she giggles: “I don’t know.” n

MONICA GARCIA HARMS Principal

Family Law Attorney

DIVORCE: KEEPING CHILDREN IN THE FAMILY HOME

When parents decide to separate or divorce, the income that supported one household won’t support two. Families must prioritize. One of the first large expenses to evaluate is the family home. Should it be sold now, a few years from now, or can one spouse afford to retain ownership? The children’s best interests must be factored into this decision.

The need to maintain consistency and stability for the children is paramount during divorce or separation. The family home can offer a sense of stability. This is why a custodial parent may request to continue residing in the home with the children for a period of time following the divorce. The court considers a number of factors here, including: •

How old are the children and how long have they lived in the family home?

•

What is their connection to the neighborhood?

•

What financial impact does keeping the family home have?

•

What are the alternative housing opportunities?

It is important to consult with a knowledgeable attorney when contemplating separation or divorce. The early decisions you make will have long-term effects on your children and your finances.

25 West Middle Lane • Rockville, Maryland 20850 301-340-2020 • www.steinsperling.com Monica Garcia Harms co-chairs the Family Law department at Stein Sperling. Her thorough knowledge and understanding of her clients’ circumstances and needs distinguish her approach to the practice of family law. Monica represents clients in complex matters including divorce, contested custody, support and property allocation.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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banter | SUBURBANOLOGY

BY APRIL WITT

JUSTICE IS SERVED I NEVER THOUGHT MUCH about the lives of the sales associates at my local Williams-Sonoma. When someone on the other side of the counter seemed particularly expert in helping me find the right tool for a tricky kitchen task, I assumed— without asking—that the person might have worked in a restaurant or had some professional culinary training.

Then a sales associate at WilliamsSonoma in downtown Bethesda happened to mention to me that she was trained as a lawyer.

In fact, more than 25 percent of the sales associates at the upscale kitchen and home store in Bethesda (at least four out of 15) have law degrees. The ranks of lawyers selling $24.95 lemon squeezers and $1,999.95 espresso machines swell during holidays, when management brings in seasonal workers. Then the store might have six or seven lawyers wrapping gifts in the national chain’s signature dark boxes tied with grosgrain ribbon.

General Manager Travis Montgomery, 43, says he never set out to hire lawyers. It just happened. “If I had

to guess, it’s probably just some D.C. phenomenon,” he says, because highly educated people flock to the region. “I’ve heard that there are more Ph.D.s per capita in Bethesda than in Silicon Valley.”

That explanation left me wondering. Is there a link between the critical skills needed to make a legal case and those required to bake Instagram-ready tarts—or to advise a Williams-Sonoma customer on how to make one? Or maybe, I thought, the store’s lawyerladen staff is just one more aftershock of the 2008 recession that prompted many law firms to downsize. There are now more lawyers than there are jobs in the legal field. And while many law firms have downsized, food obsession, especially in privileged neighborhoods, is on the rise. I now know more young women who are dreaming of becoming food bloggers than going to law school.

A couple of the lawyers working at Williams-Sonoma are older and on their second career; one is a more recent law school graduate. One is a former lawyer for the federal government who trained

68 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

as a pastry chef.

“We all have our own stories and own journey on how we got here,” says Susan Morris, 62, of Chevy Chase.

Morris, a graduate of Georgetown Law, practiced communications law.

She loved the law, she says. She loved her firm. Then she had her first child. Urgent work calls didn’t stop just because it was 7 p.m., or because she had a baby daughter and her husband was traveling on business. Eventually the work life she loved seemed infeasible. So Morris quit. “The younger attorneys said, ‘We thought you had it all. We thought you could do it all.’ But it was just too much pressure on me,” Morris recalls.

Morris had a second child, did consulting work on the side for a while. She threw herself into volunteering through her church to help disadvantaged families. When her youngest child left for college, Morris says, “people asked me, ‘What are you going to do now?’ ” Morris is a passionate cook from a foodie family. Two brothers are chefs.

Feeding family and friends is one of her

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Former lawyers find a new career as sales associates at Bethesda’s Williams-Sonoma

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banter | SUBURBANOLOGY favorite ways to nurture. She enjoys the accoutrements of cooking and has a particular weakness for heavy copper pots.

So she took a part-time job at Williams-Sonoma at Mazza Gallerie in Upper Northwest D.C. She thought she’d stay a few weeks, just through the holidays. That was seven years ago. When Williams-Sonoma moved to Bethesda a year and a half ago, she went along. In addition to selling kitchen goods, she teaches children’s cooking classes at the store once or twice a month. She sometimes brings in a failed cupcake as a visual aid; she helps kids figure out why it sank in the center. “I have always looked forward to coming here—every single day,” Morris says. “It is so much fun. This place brings me so much joy…As my husband says: ‘This is Susan’s hobby.’ ” Sandy Bonner, also 62, an avid home cook and entertainer, worked for politicians on Capitol Hill after she graduated

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from law school. She eventually joined her husband, Jack, in their lobbying firm, Bonner & Associates. The couple recently rebranded the company as a public affairs firm called A2W—short for Advocacy to Win. Sandy still works part time for the firm, but she’s also discovering life’s next chapters. She and her husband sold the Potomac home where they’d lived for more than 30 years and raised their children. They rented in Georgetown for a year while Sandy launched a short-lived food and wine startup. They decided they like Bethesda better. They are renting an apartment on Bethesda Row while they look for a house to buy here.

Bonner walks across the street to go to work at Williams-Sonoma a few days a week. She was an accomplished cook and home entertainer when she started working at the store. She’s a better one now, she says. She’s learning from the

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more accomplished chefs on the store’s staff. “My children are grown,” she says. “I live to work. I don’t play cards. I don’t play golf. I like to work. I really like to learn.

And I can’t learn sitting in an apartment.”

One key lesson she’s learned about cooking is to avoid tackling a threecourse meal at the frenetic pace of a political advocate racing toward a key vote and working three phones at once. She slows down and relaxes. “It’s going to take eight minutes to brown an onion,” she says, shrugging. “So enjoy it. Don’t hurry. It’s what that great book Like Water for Chocolate says: The emotions of the chef are transmitted into the food. Slowing down makes the food taste better.”

Life, too, as it turns out, is better savored at a saner pace. Bonner is happy to have traded her suits and high heels for comfortable shoes, jeans and T-shirts.

But that doesn’t mean being a sales

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associate at Williams-Sonoma is all as chill as a $399.95 Breville Smart Scoop ice cream maker. For all the casual vibe of the elegantly homey shop, its lawyers-turnedsales associates haven’t entirely escaped the concept of billable hours. WilliamsSonoma keeps elaborate metrics on the performance of each member of its sales force. The company tracks, for instance, how many sales per hour each associate makes, says Montgomery, the general manager of the Bethesda store. Sales associates don’t work on commission. Still, Montgomery meets regularly with each sales associate to discuss their numbers.

As internet sales continue to grow, and many brick-and-mortar retailers falter, Williams-Sonoma tries to staff its store with associates who offer customers something they can’t get on Amazon: personalized expertise and instruction.

“I look for people who love the product and can sell the product,” Montgomery

says. “We have everything from sofas to really complex espresso machines here.

So somebody who is using our products at home and has an aptitude for using them has a real advantage.”

Customers bring in reminders of how chaotic modern life can feel. Internet commerce with free next-day or two-day shipping has altered customer expectations of what can be purchased in a hurry. It’s not unusual, Montgomery says, for a customer to rush into the Bethesda Williams-Sonoma store midafternoon to buy 12 place settings of china to use during a dinner party they are hosting that night.

Sales associates collect tales of customers on last-minute missions.

Someone who had just bought $120 of steamed crabs at the Bethesda Crab House stopped in on the way home because they realized they had no way to eat them; they didn’t own a mallet

or claw cracker. A young man who’d invited friends over to watch a game on TV—friends due to arrive in 15 minutes—rushed in to buy a can opener for the bean dip.

It’s not unusual for sales associates to assist customers they know from other parts of their life. At first, Bonner says, she’d flinch a little when someone who knew her as a suit-wearing dynamo hanging out with senators saw her with a name tag pinned to her shirt.

She laughs as she recounts how young people who grew up with her kids in Potomac see her in the store, do double takes and ask: “What are you doing here, Mrs. Bonner?”

These days she has a ready answer: “I’m having the time of my life.” n April Witt (april@aprilwitt.com) is a former Washington Post writer who lives in Bethesda.

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banter | HOMETOWN

BY STEVE ROBERTS

Kevin Beverly rides his bike about 200 miles a week.

GOING THE DISTANCE KEVIN BEVERLY GREW UP on Taylors Island, a tiny African-American community just off the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. “One of my most vivid memories,” he recalls, was an August day 50 years ago. “I came downstairs and my mom was in tears and she looked at me and said, ‘Your father has gone, you need to go to work.’ ” Early the next morning Kevin was picking tomatoes for a local farmer. He was 10 years old, and he’s been working ever since.

Today Beverly is the president of Social & Scientific Systems, a 500person company based in Silver Spring that works mainly for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), supporting clinical trials and collecting and analyzing medical data. But he has not forgotten his roots or his responsibilities.

“Having grown up in a place where there wasn’t a lot of opportunity, I had 72

tons of cousins who were just as smart, but they didn’t get off that island, and I think they could have contributed greatly,” he says. “If I can help any of those who need that lift, then I should.”

Beverly provides lifts for many young people. He currently serves on six boards, including the Montgomery County

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

Community Foundation, the Universities at Shady Grove, and CollegeTracks, a program that helps disadvantaged students in local high schools pursue their education. He’s a leader on almost all of them and Anna Hargrave, the executive director of the Community Foundation, says of Beverly, “he has a huge heart.”

PHOTO BY EDGAR ARTIGA

Bethesda’s Kevin Beverly is determined to help disadvantaged youths realize their ambitions

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banter | HOMETOWN

“Because he’s so humble,” she adds, “coupled with his tremendous passion, he’s able to inspire others to step up and get involved the way he has.”

Beverly’s contributions extend far beyond the county. He builds wooden boxes in his own workshop that house lending libraries in poor communities.

He supports an orphanage in Uganda and funds scholarships for graduates of his old high school.

The awards are named for his mother, Mildred, who imparted a lasting sense of obligation: “My mom’s words were always there. ‘When you get to a position where you can help, and you don’t, that will be the biggest disappointment I’ll ever have.’ I take those words and repeat them to myself.”

In the 1960s segregation was still the custom, if not the law, on the Eastern

Shore. Through fourth grade, Beverly attended an all-black one-room school and even in junior high his friends and cousins had few white classmates. But Kevin’s older brother Larry Ellis—who later became a four-star Army general— insisted he attend a largely white school in the city of Cambridge, 15 miles away.

He missed the first day of classes, however, because the driver of the “white bus” drove right past him and wouldn’t stop.

Once in school “I spent a lot of time in fights, because I was getting ganged,” Beverly recalls. His brother, who was away at college, gave him advice: “If you get one of them and beat the living crap out of him, the rest will leave you alone. I had to do it twice, but it did work.”

Kevin’s work ethic got him accepted to the University of Maryland, but his first

semester at College Park was “absolutely horrid.” He landed on academic probation and went home thinking to himself, “I can’t do this.”

During the Christmas holiday, he had an “epiphany,” thanks to a job on an oyster boat. He fell into the bay and after the crew hauled him back on board, he recalls: “There I was, freezing my butt off, and I said to myself, ‘I am never doing this again.’ That was it, that’s when I decided I just had to go back to school and work harder.”

He landed a part-time job delivering mail at the National Library of Medicine, on the NIH campus in Bethesda, and vastly improved the system’s efficiency.

The director’s secretary took notice and told her boss, “You ought to pay attention to this kid, he works hard.”

They did pay attention and hired him

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banter | HOMETOWN

full time after graduation. Over the following years Kevin cycled through a number of jobs, in and out of government, honing his skills as a technology geek who understood the movement of information and “could actually talk to people” as well. He joined his current company 15 years ago, but even as he rose to the top job he still made time for his hobbies: raising orchids, cooking oysters and crabs he imports from Taylors Island, and riding his bike about 200 miles a week.

As we talk, his hands are in constant motion, rolling and rubbing two plastic balls to increase his manual dexterity.

He tells the story of marrying his college girlfriend, Diane, who is white. The two were commuting from College Park to Bethesda by motorcycle on the Beltway— not a recipe for good health—so they

moved to a home on Northfield Road in the Greenwich Forest neighborhood of Bethesda. As an interracial couple, they say they’ve always felt welcome here, raising two sons who attended Walt Whitman High School and still living in the same house 35 years later.

“This county has embraced its diversity like none other in the region,” says Beverly. “Montgomery County is the only place I haven’t been stopped by the police and asked to get out of my car for no apparent reason. It’s happened to me in every other jurisdiction around here.

That’s why I live in Montgomery County.”

But his affection for his adopted home does not blind him to its flaws. “There are two counties in my mind,” he says. The “very white, very affluent county that has it all,” and the county of immigrant and minority families that remind him of his

cousins who never got off Taylors Island.

That’s the county he cares about most.

“There are poor children growing up around an enormous amount of wealth, they see it in their face every day, and I think they struggle with how to react and respond to that,” says Beverly. “Pride is an incredible thing. They can’t ask that white guy or white woman [for help] because they don’t know how to, but they’re comfortable asking me. If I can put myself in a position where they can ask me, then I should be in that position.

They have to see me do good things, see me work hard, see me achieve, and they have to realize they can too.” ■ Steve Roberts teaches politics and journalism at The George Washington University. Send suggestions for future columns to sroberts@gwu.edu.

[Nancy] is extremely “knowledgeable of the

Bethesda neighborhoods.

She is not pushy and will work on your terms.”

y c n a N shem Ha

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NancySellsHomes4U.com • nancy.hashem@cbmove.com Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage 4800 Montgomery Lane, #100, Bethesda, MD

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PROFILES

Women in Business

Women in Business

PROFILES

Despina M. Markogiannakis, DDS SMILES OF CHEVY CHASE What advice would you offer for women just starting out?

Find a healthy work-life balance and surround yourself with supportive people. You also need mentors. Coming out of dental school with perfect board scores, I thought I knew everything. But the moment you walk into private practice, you quickly realize there is much more to running your own practice than what is taught in school. Instead of pretending I knew everything, I surrounded myself with the best of the best in every part of dentistry to continue developing and be the best I can be. I feel very strongly that you are your own competition, especially in this industry.

What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

Helping people achieve their optimum oral health, whether it is walking someone through a step-by-step process, esthetically making patients feel confident with a smile, or just assuring them they will have their teeth in 30 years.

I have the unique opportunity to help people daily. I treat each patient as an individual and tailor their treatment plans to not only their oral health needs but where they are in their life. I never expect patients to fit into one box.

What is one thing your patients should know about you?

I am a perfectionist who is caring, compassionate and always motivated to be better. I value clear communication with patients to explain a diagnosis and treatment plan, both short- and long-term, to promote oral health. And I am passionate about what I get to do every day.

AWARDS “Top Dentist,” 2017, Washingtonian; “The Face of Smile Makeover,” 2017, Washingtonian

TONY LEWIS JR

“I treat each patient as an individual and tailor their treatment plans to not only their oral health needs but where they are in life. I never expect patients to fit into one box.”

5454 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 835 Bethesda, MD 20815 info@smilesofchevychase.com 301-652-0656 www.smilesofchevychase.com BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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PROFILES

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION (L-R) Leslie Fitzpatrick, Lori Silverman, Ying Chen, Lyn Moritt, Jamie Baraff, Margie Halem (center), Harrison Halem, Amy Gordon, Emily Moritt, Ashley Townsend, Lisa Frazier

Margie Halem MARGIE HALEM GROUP, LONG & FOSTER | CHRISTIES INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

What is the one thing that your clients should know about you?

I’m very hands-on and attentive. Everyone involved in a transaction is a priority. Every step of the way, I make sure that my clients understand the process and feel comfortable with all decisions. Whatever their price range, they receive my full attention and the highest level of service and professionalism.

How do you employ new technology to help your clients?

Networking is so important, particularly when you’re selling a home. We’re extremely tech-savvy, with listings and information. Our social media is at the forefront including Twitter, Instagram, blogs and Facebook advertising. Your listing will be on more than 400 websites. Additionally, we are well connected throughout the community with colleagues and past customers and clients.

What's changed for women in business, if anything, over your career?

When I started my career in real estate in the 1980s, I began at a woman-owned and operated Georgetown boutique. The owner was competent and strong, smart and tenacious. She taught me when I was just 22 years old, that in real estate, to earn respect from buyers, sellers and peers, I should always be compassionate and fair and stay true to my beliefs. She also taught me to speak up and have a voice in every transaction.

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“Although I have a team, I'm involved in all aspects of every transaction, which is unique for a top-producing agent.”

HONORS 2010-2017, “A Top Vote Getter” for Best Realtor, Best of Bethesda Readers’ Poll, Bethesda Magazine; 2015-2017, Best of Washington, Washingtonian; Top 1% agents nationwide; Long & Foster Top 100 Elite Performers; America's Best Real Estate Agents, Wall Street Journal and Real Trends

4650 East West Highway Bethesda, MD 20814 Direct: 301-775-4196 Office: 301-907-7600 Margie@lnf.com | MargieHalemGroup.com

COURTESY PHOTO

What is unique about your business?

Although I have a team, I'm involved in all aspects of every transaction, which is unique for a top-producing agent. There is sometimes the perception that high-producing agents with teams are too busy for the client’s personal needs. That's not the case with me. I personally negotiate every transaction as well as coordinate staging, decorating, repairs, photography and my client's personal marketing plan.

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Anne E. Grover PRINCIPAL, FAMILY LAW, JOSEPH GREENWALD & LAAKE, PA What is the biggest challenge facing female attorneys?

Unfortunately, we still walk a tightrope; we are often judged for being aggressive. It is a fine line to zealously represent clients and advocate strongly in court, while maintaining respect as a female attorney. I’ve learned the best way to overcome such issues is to somewhat ignore them. I’m very aggressive representing my clients, but don’t take things personally.

How do you employ new technology to help your clients?

Technology is a constantly evolving area and its impact on family law cases is astounding. I use technology in a multitude of ways, from searching out hidden funds to building easily followed trial exhibits. It’s my job to educate my clients on the do’s and don’ts. Many ask how social media can impact their family law cases and you’d be surprised at what information can be gleaned through metadata from a spouse’s electronics. People think that deleting information means it’s really gone. That’s far from the truth.

How would your clients describe you?

Some would say I’m understanding and sympathetic, others might describe me as a pit bull or shark. There’s no “one size fits all” in family law. Each client is different.

Their needs, situations, goals, temperaments and even the way they communicate differ. I’m able to adapt my style to ensure my clients and I are speaking the same language, so I can properly advise them. Divorce is difficult enough for people without feeling like they are not being heard.

As a family law attorney, helping my clients prevail in court or obtain an advantageous settlement is always my goal. It brings me the most satisfaction when I’m able to advocate for a client and beat the odds.

HILARY SCHWAB

“There’s no ‘one size fits all’ in family law…I’m able to adapt my style to ensure my clients and I are speaking the same language, so I can properly advise them.”

111 Rockville Pike, Suite 975 Rockville, MD 20850 240-399-7896 agrover@jgllaw.com www.jgllaw.com BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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Ellen Roberts, Jenny Riffle OWNERS, BROOK TAYLOR INTERIORS What makes you different than others in your profession?

Our perspective and collaborative approach. As a motherdaughter team we represent two generations and bring our collective skills, tastes, and experiences to our work.

We personally select everything for our large Bethesda Home Furnishings store, which is complete with a Designer Resource area. Here, customers get a visual and physical perspective of the designs they’re looking to bring into their own space—everything is at their fingertips. Whether shopping to take home same day or looking for more guidance and something custom, we offer it.

What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

Our clients’ happiness. Our design projects typically start with something our client loves and we build around that.

People put their trust in us, so we strive to take the intimidation out of the design process and help them navigate options to realize the full potential of their ideal design. We like knowing our clients’ priorities and needs are realized in the final outcome.

7833 Woodmont Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814 www.brooktaylorinteriors.com 80

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

COURTESY PHOTO

How did you get started in your present career?

Timing was a crucial part of the equation. Sewing started as a hobby for me and my four kids; I began using a sewing machine my mother gave me to make window treatments for our house. Soon, I was obsessing over fabrics and sewing grew into a passion and career. I opened my workroom in 1990 and it’s still going strong.

Jenny expressed an early interest in sewing and by age 8, was selling her pillows in our neighborhood. Once Jenny graduated with a degree in textile, apparel and merchandising with a minor in business, she joined our first home furnishing company. We opened Brook Taylor Interiors on our own in 2011.

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Women in Business

Clare Marino, Partner; Colline Hernandez-Ayala, Partner; Robin Menge, Associate; Rosana Torres, Associate GTM ARCHITECTS

“We like what we do and it shows in our work.”

What advice would you offer for women just starting out?

Find a career that you enjoy and freely share your experiences with other women.

Empower each other by asking questions, bouncing ideas off each other and building up those around you. Train yourself to look at every challenge, not as a problem, but as an opportunity to learn and to become better in what you do.

MICHAEL VENTURA

What is the biggest challenge in your job?

To balance creativity, time, constructability and budget for our projects and our clients.

We operate in a collaborative environment and uncover great ideas through teamwork.

Each project is different and we learn something new every day.

What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

We thrive on helping clients achieve their vision. This runs true throughout the commercial and residential studios in our firm. We are not here as architects and designers to tell our clients what they want. It is important to listen and to combine the client’s desire with our skill set to achieve successful projects for our clients. We take great pride that our project base is comprised of many repeat clients.

AWARDS/HONORS 2016 Pro-Remodeler Gold Design Award (Whole House Remodel); 2016 Pro-Remodeler Silver Design Award (Commercial Remodel); 2015 Peerless Award Preserving Rockville’s Heritage (Adaptive ReUse); 2015 ASID MD Design Excellence Award Honorable Mention (Commercial Design); 2014 AIA Excellence in Design Citation (Commercial Architecture)

7735 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD 20814 240-333-2000 www.gtmarchitects.com

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(L-R) Ilene Gordon, Julia Fortin, Shelley Green, Wendy Banner, Michelle Teichberg, Brooke Bassin, Paula Nesbitt, Gail Gordon

The Banner Team LONG & FOSTER | CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

What is the most significant change in real estate during your career?

This industry changes constantly, in many ways. For instance, while much of the focus lately has been on moving to closer-in locations, we are starting to see an uptick of prospects willing to move a little further out. The values right now in communities like Potomac are pretty phenomenal.

Another recent change that we've noticed is that buyer and seller expectations are more in line with each other. This is one of the reasons that this past year was a record year for us.

In terms of trends in building, we've seen an increased interest in having a bedroom option on the main level of a home. Elevators continue to be popular along with wireless smart home technologies.

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“We’re all independent and successful, but we also blend out collective knowledge and different skills for our clients.”

Bethesda Gateway Office 4650 East West Highway Bethesda, MD 20814 301-365-9090 Info@BannerTeam.com www.BannerTeam.com

COURTESY PHOTO

What makes you different than other real estate agents?

We have eight licensed agents on The Banner Team, collaborating and working closely on your specific needs. We're all independent and successful, but we also blend our collective knowledge and different skills for our clients. We're experts in Maryland, the District and Virginia, and have skills in areas like staging and remodeling. We all keep our eyes open for clients and meet weekly to review, and that synergy has proven really effective in matching buyers with listings as well as in finding sellers, too.

Another difference is that we began a Pay It Forward program in 2016, which donates a portion of every sale to a cause of our client's choice. We've supported 40 different charities so far—and counting.

PROFILES

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Women in Business

Ronnie Lapinsky Sax, CPM SENIOR PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR/SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/FINANCIAL ADVISOR, MORGAN STANLEY WEALTH MANAGEMENT

COURTESY PHOTO

What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

I didn’t pursue this career to become an industry leader or win awards. I love helping my clients—professionals, families, and business leaders—with their financial needs. I have been working with many of them for 40-plus years and, as of May 2017, advise on more than $225 million in assets. But I do take pride in having been part of this firm’s history and predecessor brands for more than 40 years, and the honors I’ve earned—most recently I ranked No. 97 in Forbes’ 2017 inaugural list of America’s Top 200 Women Wealth Advisors.

My comprehensive approach includes a detailed planning process and tailor-made investment solutions. I am committed to providing outstanding service and advice.

Through my extensive experience, I have developed a deep understanding of economics and the intricacies in equity and fixed income markets. My investment selection process involves fundamental investment tactics and macro-economic and geopolitical trends to identify the best investment opportunities.

What makes you different than others in your profession?

I was one of the first women to begin a career in financial services in the mid-1970s and learned what it takes to achieve personal and professional goals. I was 21 and found myself on Wall Street surrounded by a lot of smart people. I knew I had a lot to learn and, early on I was taught the value of mentorship. I not only had one mentor, but two. They are both still my mentors and became lifelong friends.

I believe every successful woman should have at least one mentee, if not two. One of my priorities is expanding the culture of mentorship not just at Morgan Stanley, but across all industries and sectors.

“My investment selection process involves fundamental investment tactics and macroeconomic and geopolitical trends to identify the best investment opportunities.”

Source: Forbes.com (February 2017). The ratings may not be representative of any one client’s experience nor is it indicative of the Financial Advisor’s future performance. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors pay a fee to Forbes.com in exchange for the rating.

Ronnie Lapinsky Sax is a Financial Advisor in Morgan Stanley’s Bethesda, MD office. Although Ronnie Lapinsky Sax has compensated Bethesda Magazine to have this advertisement featured in its publications, this is not a solicitation nor intended to provide individually tailored investment advice. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be suitable for all investors. The views expressed herein are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 1790302 5/17

7500 Old Georgetown Road, 10th floor Bethesda, MD 20814 301-657-6368 r.lapinskysax@morganstanley.com

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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Dr. Rachel Cohn OPTOMETRIST, WINK EYECARE BOUTIQUE

How do you employ new technology to help your patients?

Several new technologies have made a great impact in my work and patient care. The Optomap and OCT allows me to look at the retina without using dilating drops. The other, i.Scription, maps the eye and that information helps me write a perfect prescription, correcting many secondary sight problems such as difficulty with night vision.

1095 Seven Locks Road Potomac, MD 20854 301-545-1111 www.wink.net

TAMZIN B. SMITH PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

What made you decide to get into your line of work?

I’ve had poor eyesight since childhood. Optometry always interested me, so I followed that course of study. I'm also interested in fashion, and glasses have become super fun and stylish. So I combined my medical skills and fashion sense and opened Wink—my own optometry practice with a built in glasses boutique.

Clementina Perez-West, DDS NORTH BETHESDA DENTAL ASSOCIATES What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

Transforming a diseased mouth into a healthy one—which promotes overall wellness—and how it gives the patient such joy and confidence. Seeing firsthand the impact a healthy, beautiful smile can have on a person is very rewarding.

I am a third generation dentist; and was always drawn to the medical, artistic and social aspects of dentistry. My father touched the lives of so many in such a wonderful way that it inspired me to do the same.

What is unique about your business?

I often have aspiring dentists shadow in our practice to get a feel for the industry. I share with them one of the things I treasure most about my job— developing long-term relationships with our patients. It’s been wonderful treating patients from childhood to young adulthood and sharing in their joys and accomplishments along the way.

11400 Rockville Pike, Suite 509, Rockville, MD 20852 301-881-7646 | www.nbda.dentist 84

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

COURTESY PHOTO

AWARDS/HONORS 2016 Top General and Cosmetic Dentist, Leading Physicians of the World; 2013, 2015-16 Top Dentists, Washingtonian; 2014 Best of Rockville; 2015 Patients Choice Award; 2013-17 Member of the American Society of Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry.

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Susan Rodgers, RN PRESIDENT, CAPITAL CITY NURSES/ THE COTTAGE AT CURRY MANOR What is unique about your business?

My businesses uniquely concentrate on providing the best quality homecare and living assistance to elder citizens and their families. The Cottage at Curry Manor is our new refined residential assisted living community and Capital City Nurses HealthCare Services is our 30-year-old home care agency.

The Cottage sets the standard for assisted living residences. It offers a level of refinement and attention to detail that make residents and their families feel special while enjoying world-class care, fine furnishings, delicious fresh home cooked meals and an engaging calendar of events. Cottage staff—certified nursing assistants and certified medication technicians, with a delegating nurse and visiting physicians—treats residents and their families as they would their own loved ones. The caregiver-to-resident ratio exceeds that of larger assisted living facilities, ensuring extraordinary attention and responsiveness.

What is the one thing your clients should know about you?

Our signature description, “Refined Residential Living,” conveys our uniquely high status in the assisted living community. We love hearing visitors say, “Wow! Why didn’t I know about this place sooner?” For four-plus decades, our caregiver and homecare business has been recognized as a leading provider of private duty homecare in the Washington area. We pride ourselves on the high quality of our employees and caregivers, and offer continual training, wellness benefits and the opportunity to grow within our organization. The resulting tenure of our employees ranks at the top of the homecare industry.

What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

My professional achievements and continued ability to apply my education, training and 50 years of nursing experience in the senior community. I love helping seniors maintain control, continue to make their own dreams and have fun.

AWARDS/HONORS 2017 “Face of Residential Assisted Living,” Bethesda Magazine

HILARY SCHWAB

“The caregiver-to-resident ratio at The Cottage at Curry Manor exceeds that of larger assisted living facilities, ensuring extraordinary attention and responsiveness.”

6501 Curry Manor Court, Bethesda, MD 20817 301-365-2582 | www.thecottagehomes.com BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Maya Hyman LONG & FOSTER BETHESDA What makes you different than others in your profession?

I am willing to be completely honest. If you ask my opinion, I am going to tell you the truth. When going through this process, there is great value in having someone who tells it like it is. I am coming from the most caring, loving place possible, and I am realistic.

I want to be the agent I wish I had, which means I am going to have to say what needs to be said.

What is one thing your clients should know about you?

I am 100 percent on their side and will always advocate for them. I truly care about all of my clients and am super assertive on their behalf. My tag line is, “Real Estate for Life,” and that is the driving force behind how I run my business. It is not just about one transactional moment or convincing anyone of anything. I view real estate as an educational process.

I provide my clients with all the information they need to make the best, most informed, decisions for their family. I view it like being a matchmaker: I listen to my clients, understand what they need and help them find the right home.

7700 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 120 Bethesda, MD 20814 301-466-4677 Maya@MayaHyman.com 86

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LISA HELFERT

What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

The stories of families who moved out of a small house and now have space for everyone. Suddenly everyone is happier and healthier because they have more space and outdoor experiences. Or the couple who sells a large house and moves into the city and no longer has to shovel the driveway or tend to their garden. Being in the right home transforms peoples’ lives.

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Darla J. McClure PRINCIPAL STEIN SPERLING BENNETT DE JONG DRISCOLL PC What makes you different than others in your profession?

As a lawyer for business owners, I am dedicated to exceptional communications and responsiveness.

I do this with a very approachable attitude allowing me to make strong connections with my clients. We create an equal respect for each other. I make sure that my clients are always kept in the loop, personally return calls and e-mails quickly, and am accessible to them at any time—especially if there is an urgent need. I form a partnership with my clients, so we can build trust on both sides and create long-term relationships that encourage them to work with me from the start—before a problem might occur—so I can always help steer them in the right direction.

What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

Hearing that I have made a difference for my clients and their businesses provides me the greatest satisfaction.

My clients come to me for advice on all areas of their business, not just to review contracts or create solutions to problems. This gives me the greatest ability to make a positive difference. My clients are proud of what they do and I enjoy getting to know their businesses inside and out.

When they begin to feel like I am a part of their in-house executive team, I know that the connection we have created will allow me to provide the best possible counsel for them.

EDUCATION B.A. Towson University; J.D. University of Baltimore

TONY LEWIS JR

LISA HELFERT

“I form a partnership with my clients, so we can build trust on both sides and create long-term relationships that encourage them to work with me from the start—before a problem might occur—so I can always help steer them in the right direction.”

25 West Middle Lane Rockville, MD 20850 301-838-3284 dmcclure@steinsperling.com BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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Women in Business

PROFILES

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Clare S. Cahill; Business Manager Libby Dubner King; Executive Director WESTMORELAND CHILDREN’S CENTER What is the biggest challenge facing women in your business and how do you overcome it?

Attracting men into the female-dominated childcare industry—women comprise 95 percent of those working in the field—can be a challenge. But we have seen, firsthand, the positive effect male teachers have in our classrooms and, particularly, how well boys connect with them. With today’s modern family, some children may not have male figures in their lives. These early years represent a unique opportunity to influence children toward success and happiness in school, and men can, and should, play a vital role in that. We are encouraging and accepting that this is a great career path for men, too.

“Our goal is to provide the best preschool experience—we listen to our families’ wants and needs—and are proud of our excellent reputation.”

What is unique in your business?

We do not work directly in the class rooms, therefore we are able to connect with our families and their children in a special way. Our goal is to provide the best preschool experience—we listen to our families’ wants and needs—and are proud of our excellent reputation. When you’re part of the WCC community, you’re working with the whole team—us, site directors, teachers and staff. We develop long-term relationships; we are honored that parents who were once Libby’s students now bring their kids to us. That says a great deal about our school.

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5148 Massachusetts Ave. Bethesda, MD 20816 301-229-7161 www.wccbethesda.com

TONY LEWIS JR

What is a common misconception about women in business and how do you battle such stereotypes?

That leadership styles are gender-specific. Some perceive women as less assertive and more emotional. People have different approaches but we do not believe they are gender-specific. Our style is more inclusive—encouraging, collaborative and supportive.

We prefer to talk through problems and resolve issues through communication. Our method to problem solving builds teamwork among employees.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PROFILES

Women in Business

Tamara Kucik ASSOCIATE BROKER, GRI, REALTOR TAMARA KUCIK TEAM, W.C. & A.N. MILLER, A LONG AND FOSTER CO.

ADAM FREEDMAN

What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

The opportunity to be a trusted advisor and the one to shepherd people through the purchase or sale of their homes is very fulfilling. I know that buying or selling a home is never just about a house. Moving is a life stage. Families are often leaving behind meaningful memories but are excited to embark on a new adventure, and I love having a role in that.

I pride myself on providing a high level of customer service and truly advocate and want what is best for my clients, which I believe has lent itself to my loyal clientele— many often re-enlist when they are ready for a new home. I am very detail oriented and value the importance of truly getting to know my clients and understanding their wants and needs. From readying a home for sale to closing the transaction, I am there for the entire process to ensure everything runs smoothly and in a timely manner, for an overall positive experience.

What is unique about your business?

While there is definitely an element to our job of making sure that each transaction is financially sound and the best “deal” for our clients, this process is a very human experience. What helps us the most is that, while business savvy, no one on my team comes from a purely corporate background; we all come from people-oriented industries. I previously worked in marketing and customer service, which combined with my expertise in multi-tasking, made real estate a natural fit. Collectively, the team has experience in customer service, non-profits, teaching and parenting, which gives us a unique perspective when it comes to selling or buying a home.

“I pride myself on providing a high level of customer service and truly advocate and want what is best for my clients, which I believe has lent itself to my loyal clientele.”

AWARDS 2016 Best Real Estate Agents, Washingtonian; #1 Team, Company-wide; 2016 America’s Best Real Estate Agents, The Wall Street Journal and Real Trends.

5518 Connecticut Ave., NW Washington, DC 20015 tk@tamara4homes.com 202-966-1400

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Women in Business

PROFILES

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

P. Lindsay Parvis, Esquire Heather Collier, Esquire DRAGGA, HANNON & WILLS

111 Rockville Pike, Suite 1120 Rockville, MD 20850 301-340-9090 www.draggalaw.com

TONY LEWIS JR

What is one thing that your clients should know about you?

Our client relationships and representation are built on trust. We represent people going through the challenges of divorce, custody, child support and family matters. Trust that your confidences about your most private information and details of life will be kept confidential. Trust that we will represent your best interests, as you navigate one of life’s most difficult challenges. Trust that we will use our resources, experience and knowledge for creative and cost-effective solutions benefitting you, so you can look toward the future with confidence. And trust us with what matters most— your children and a secure emotional and financial future. We care about every client, and take seriously the importance of our client relationships built on strong communication, respect, and—most importantly—trust. Your family, Your future, Our focus.

Mary Farber SCULPT STUDIO What makes you different than others in your profession?

Two things: First, our workout is unique. This 50-minute total body conditioning class is performed on the patented MegaformerTM—designed to build lean muscle, which promotes fat loss without the added bulk—created

by Sebastien Lagree. We are the only licensed Lagree studio in Bethesda.

There is much scientific data supporting the effectiveness of this method.

Second, I am a Bethesda resident and care about this community. I wanted to share this amazing workout with my community. Our instructors are trained and certified. The results are amazing and seen quickly when committed. It’s truly transformative.

Our core-intensive workout combines strength, balance, muscle endurance and flexibility in each session—and helps to avoid injuries and eliminates aches and pains. Athletes use it for cross training that is soft on joints and intense on muscles. I love watching our client’s progress.

4900 Auburn Ave. | Bethesda, MD 20814 240-600-0730 | mary@sculptstudio.com www.sculptstudio.com 90

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HILARY SCHWAB

EDUCATION Comprehensive Pilates Apparatus and Mat Certification; Power Pilates Mat Certification, AFAA Group Fitness Certification; Lagree Fitness Method Certification; Schwinn/Reebok Cycling Certification; BeyondBarre Certification

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PROFILES

Women in Business

Sherry L. H. Maragh, MD, FAAD, FACS, FACMS SHADY GROVE DERMATOLOGY, LASER & VEIN CENTER What is the biggest challenge facing women in business and how have you overcome it?

Being a woman in business is very rewarding. It embodies a deep sense of perseverance, confidence and accomplishment. Although women have established an undeniable presence in the business world as leaders and entrepreneurs, there are still challenges and underlying stereotypes. We overcome them, every day, with our success.

In 2017, it is inexcusable that an issue such as unequal pay for women still exists; we work side by side and put in the same skill, hours and dedication to our workplace as our male counterparts. This must change.

ADAM FREEDMAN

What are some common misconceptions about women in business and how do you battle such stereotypes?

There are people in the business world who still believe that being wives, mothers and caregivers will hinder a woman’s dedication and ability to give 100 percent and be effective, reliable leaders. Every day we disprove this misconception by giving our all and excelling in our work efforts while still balancing the demands of a home life. A supportive network of family, friends and community makes this possible.

What advice would you offer for women just starting out?

Don't be intimidated by the process. With faith and commitment, anything is possible.

The reward is great! Seek advice from supportive men and women who are where you want to be. Never let your gender set limitations for you! As a wife and mother of three, I believe my role as a woman in business encourages and emboldens my daughters for their futures in business, while teaching my son to respect and appreciate women as equal partners. My husband's support in all my business endeavors has been invaluable.

“…I believe my role as a woman in business encourages and emboldens my daughters for their futures in business, while teaching my son to respect and appreciate women as equal partners.”

AWARDS/HONORS 2017 “Face of Cosmetic Dermatology,” Washingtonian; “Best Dermatologist,” “Best Vein Clinic,” “Best Doctor Experience,” PoshSeven “Best of Suburbia”; “Top Doctor,” Washingtonian; “Best Dermatologist” in the District of Columbia suburbs, I AM Modern.

14995 Shady Grove Road, Suite 150 Rockville, MD 20850 301-358-5919 www.maraghdermatology.com

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Women in Business

PROFILES

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Natalie Barat NATALIE BARAT DESIGN What advice would you offer to women just starting out?

To find and follow your passion, and choose to be happy and grateful daily.

My designs stay true to my personal philosophy and values; celebrating the uniqueness of life, which is rooted from protection, love and luck.

I handcraft all my pieces and my jewelry is made using recycled precious metals paired with conflict-free diamonds, fair-trade gemstones and eco-friendly products. It’s a great compliment when someone admires a piece of jewelry I’m wearing without knowing it’s my own handmade design. I am passionate about everything I do and all my pieces are made with love and gratitude, so I truly believe they come with a positive energy and vibe for the free spirit in you.

I am a Washington Guild of Goldsmiths board member/web master and have been in jewelry design for 20-plus years, but continue to evolve and learn about new trends and techniques.

240-893-1505 nb@NatalieBarat.com www.nataliebarat.com

TONY LEWIS JR

AWARDS Metals/Jewelry Award—Creative Crafts Council, 2015

Maria Cornelius, CFP® Jennifer MacLennan, CFP®, CPA Beth Venit, CFP® BURT WEALTH ADVISORS What is unique about your business?

At Burt Wealth Advisors we are particularly proud of the work we do to help women, in many cases women who are going through a life transition. We guide all clients through our unique “Growth Through Life™” process. This allows them to explore many aspects of their financial and investment goals. It also helps them bring a deeper meaning to their money. We believe the time we spend with our women clients to be the most valuable aspect of the relationship. We cultivate a deep connection with them to give peace of mind on their wealth, investment management and ultimate dreams and goals. We live by the belief that it doesn’t matter how much money you have, as anything is possible if you use and protect what you earn, and set achievable goals.

To see all award details with inclusion criteria and disclosures go to http://www.burtwealth.com/files/ Awards_List_Metrics_and_Reprint_Matrix_Detailed_version(9).PDF

6010 Executive Blvd., Suite 900, Rockville, MD 20852 301-770-9880 | www.burtwealth.com 92

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HILARY SCHWAB

FIRM AWARDS 2-time Top Financial Advisor, CNBC; 6-time Top Financial Expert, Washingtonian; 5-time Top Advisor, Worth magazine

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PROFILES

Women in Business

Shirley A. Olsen, MD GREGORY O. DICK, MD, FACS AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY What advice would you offer for women just starting out?

Be honest with yourself, establish protocols and stick to them. Helping people to find and bring out their beauty has always been my goal, although I had not defined it or realized it early on, progressing from being a model and designer to helping children as a pediatrician. I then discovered my true love as a laser, skin care and CoolSculpting specialist.

What makes you different than others in your profession?

As one of only a few physicians who directly performs all procedures, I am able to constantly assess the treatment while performing it and make immediate adjustments.

Tailoring your treatment this way ensures the best possible result. We purchase all upgrades to our systems as soon as they become available and keep our equipment up to date.

My partner, Gregory Dick MD, is a board certified plastic surgeon and we routinely consult with each other, adding an additional dimension to your possible treatment options.

What is the biggest challenge in the job?

To make sure I provide the best possible treatment plan and care, I attend many national meetings to investigate the latest procedures so that I can bring state of the art solutions to a patient’s particular issues. Whether it’s adopting new areas for fat freezing, such as under the chin or the upper arm, or expanding laser treatments to acne scars and wrinkles, rosacea, spot removal or hair reduction, I strive to help my patients be wise with their time and money.

Our principles are simple: If you look good we look good. If you are happy, we are happy.

COURTESY PHOTO

EDUCATION Stanford University, New York Medical College, Cornell University, New York Hospital

9711 Medical Center Drive, Suite 100 Rockville, MD 20850 301-251-2600 www.gregorydickmd.com BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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Women in Business

PROFILES

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Arlet Koseian-Beckham EXTENDYOGA What is the biggest challenge in your job?

Finding work-life balance. Being a “mompreneur” is challenging. Although I’m not always physically at work, my work brain is always “on.” Women are natural multi-taskers; you can be a great mother and business owner.

I build calls and meetings around naptime and many nights are spent on my computer after my 9-month-old goes to bed. It’s definitely a juggle, but if you’re passionate about what you do, you make it happen. My advice to new female entrepreneurs: Gather you’re A-Team. Chances are you’re wearing many hats, so you’ll need all the support you can get!

How did you get started in your current career?

A friend convinced me to take a free yoga class and something clicked. We live in a fast-paced society, yoga helps me—and hopefully our customers— slow down, de-stress, and find peace and clarity. I’m beyond grateful I've been able to make my hobby a career.

12106 Wilkins Ave., North Bethesda, MD 20852 301-881-3330 | www.extendYoga.com arlet@extendYoga.com

HEATHER FUENTES

EDUCATION B.A. University of Maryland; Registered Yoga Teacher; Registered Yoga School; Certified Green Business

Kris Feldman REALTOR, LONG & FOSTER | CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

Bethesda Gateway Office 4650 East West Highway Bethesda, MD 20814 Cell: 301-806-8240 | Office: 301-907-7600 KrisFeldman@LNF.com | www.kriscansell.com 94

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HEATHER FUENTES

What are the top five qualities to look for in a Realtor?

To have a successful transaction it's important that you look for specific things: 1: Experience and a successful track record that can be verified.

2: Knowledge not only of recent sales in a neighborhood, but of the neighborhood’s unique character. 3: Someone who’s developed strong relationships—with Realtors, builders, settlement attorneys and other professionals working in the industry. 4: Honesty. Someone who will tell you the truth—whether it’s in pricing a home or cautioning over-eager purchasers. 5: Someone who appreciates all the emotions that go into buying or selling a home—from the excitement of buying your first condominium, to the sadness of leaving a home you'd lived in for 30+ years. With all the digital marketing tools, buying or selling a home is still, at its core, a very personal event. I love making it easier—and fun—for people going through the process.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PROFILES

Michele Zavos & Eva N. Juncker PARTNERS, ZAVOS JUNCKER LAW GROUP

ADAM FREEDMAN

What makes you different than others in your profession?

We are a full-service family law firm, working with families from beginning—family conception and formation—to end of life planning and probate. We excel at creating outside-of-the-box, never-been-done-before, solutions to unique issues from LGBT family law, to third-party custody, to high net worth divorces. We love to problem solve; we do not get caught up in the type of case or, “What does the law say now?” And we don’t give up just because we are denied in the court room—Michele once spent three years working with the D.C. City Council to expand laws on parentage and divorce to better protect our clients.

Our special dynamic and skill set bring us a unique client base and that ties in to what we are most proud of: the unique decisions we’ve obtained. For instance, the landmark Port v. Cowan case, which established that Maryland must recognize marriages between samesex couples from other jurisdictions. We have had several first impression cases in D.C., including one of the first-ever recognitions of common law same sex marriage, nationwide.

What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

Winning, which means many things, and is not limited to the court room. We define winning as a happy client. Maybe it’s a strategic victory that saved someone significant funds. Or a negotiated result that saved a client emotional turmoil; or creating new law.

We are passionate about what we do; we love being lawyers. Our different styles and approaches complement each other. Our whole team works well together and we do work as a team on most cases—we’re always talking strategy to figure out what’s best for a client.

Women in Business

“We excel at creating outside-ofthe-box, never-been-done-before, solutions to unique issues from LGBT family law, to third-party custody, to high-net worth divorces.”

AWARDS Michele Zavos: Top Estate Planning Professional, Washingtonian; Angel in Adoption, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; 2013 Family Law Practitioner of the Year, Bar Association of Montgomery County; 2013 Top 25 Divorce Lawyers, Bethesda Magazine.

Eva N. Juncker: 2013 Top 25 Divorce Lawyers, Bethesda Magazine; 2011 Best LGBT Lawyers under 40, National LGBT Bar Association; 2008 Virginia Rising Star, Super Lawyer.

8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1500 Silver Spring, MD, 20910 301-562-8220 www.zavosjunckerlawgroup.com info@zavosjunckerlawgroup.com

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Women in Business

PROFILES

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Lisa Teitel Schlesinger PSYCHOANALYST AND LCSW-C What is your professional-educational background?

As a psychoanalyst, I have been helping patients with a variety of mental health issues for more than 20 years. I use psychoanalysis as an alternative to alleviate symptoms and struggles. My commitment to patients extends beyond my practice—I continue to learn in study groups, educate and engage the community. I write for publications, including Huff Post, to raise awareness of mental health issues, provide insight and be a resource.

EDUCATION Advanced Training, The Washington School of Psychiatry, The Washington Center for Psychoanalysis and The Contemporary Freudian Society; M.S.W. University of Maryland; B.S. American University 6917 Arlington Road, Suite 304, Bethesda, MD 20814 www.marylandpsychotherapist.com | Lisateiteltherapy@gmail.com 301-656-3927

HEATHER FUENTES

What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

Helping people gain insight into issues they were previously unaware of in relationships and within themselves. Being part of patients’ evolution, helping build strength and face challenges, is an honor. People often come to me after CBT and other modalities, still feeling overwhelmed and “stuck” in their lives. I have had great success with contemporary psychoanalysis and I am delighted when our work achieves long-lasting change.

Susan Fitzpatrick LONG & FOSTER | CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE What is the biggest challenge in your job?

Not allowing emotions to get in the way; they cloud the issues. But I truly care about my clients and am fiercely protective of them throughout the entire buying or selling process. Clients usually tell us how professional, competent and trustworthy we are, while making the process fun. We love to have fun through what can be a daunting process. And our relationships with clients continue long after a deal closes; we are in this together for the long run.

Bethesda Gateway Office 4650 East West Highway Bethesda, MD 20814 O: 301-907-7600 | C: 240-793-8523 www.thefitzpatrickgroup.com 96

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LISA HELFERT

What makes you different than others in your profession?

I continuously strive to be better. I go to conferences and read all the time, to stay at the forefront of the changing times and trends. Keeping up with the latest technology is vital. Most buyers use the internet to search for a home; having up-to-date information at your fingertips is a requirement with many of today’s buyers and sellers.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PROFILES

Women in Business

Stacia M. Krantz, DDS FALLSGROVE CENTER FOR DENTISTRY What has changed for women in business over your career?

It has become much more acceptable to be a business owner and mother or caretaker. The workplace and society are becoming more flexible and advances in technology enable us to balance these roles without as much judgment or negative connotation. We still have work to do, but we are on the right path.

My advice to women just starting out: Nothing replaces hard work, professionalism and being prepared. Always go above and beyond expectations and your job description, even if it is not your “dream job.” Actions and results are what really matter and doing so in an ethical and caring way, makes you a standout professional.

What is different about your business?

I believe our multidiscipline team approach to dentistry makes our practice unique, convenient and comprehensive.

Many times our entire team—restorative dentist, periodontist and orthodontist—meet and examine a patient during the same appointment. We discuss, as a group, the patient’s and our concerns and recommend treatment accordingly.

This level of communication is especially important during more complex treatment plans. It is my job to then be the “quarterback” of the case and make sure the patient is guided through the steps of treatment, stress free.

What is one thing your patients should know about you?

My staff and I approach each patient’s treatment as if they are family. We understand going to the dentist can be scary, and not atop peoples’ priority list, but we strive every day to provide a unique patient experience, treating each with respect and kindness. I love when treatment is over and a patient can’t stop smiling. That’s the best feeling in the world.

EDUCATION University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Honors Graduate; Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, General Practice Residency; Academy of General Dentistry, Mastership; American College of Dentist, Fellow; International College of Dentist, Fellow

DARREN HIGGINS

“I believe our multidiscipline team approach to dentistry makes our practice unique, convenient and comprehensive.”

14955 Shady Grove Road, Suite 200, Rockville, MD 20850 301-610-9909 | www.fallsgrovedentistry.com BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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Q

Up 98

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Chef Peter Chang lays it on the line with his new flagship restaurant in Bethesda

BY DAVID HAGEDORN PHOTOS BY MICHAEL VENTURA

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P

PETER CHANG IS unpacking crates of outdoor furniture on the patio of his new restaurant. Inside, furniture imported from China, including elm dining tables and chairs upholstered in taupe or jade leather, is in place throughout the 5,000-square-foot dining room, which seats 160. (The outside dining area accommodates 40.) Two enormous white Plexiglas LED chandeliers hang from the 25-foot ceiling. The walls, painted in soft gray and awaiting the delivery of commissioned artwork, are outlined with panels of intricately carved woodwork in rectangular patterns. Chinese red is confined to the entrance doors and small foyer. There, the large Chinese characters for qi and jian (“flag” and “ship”) hang on the wall, raised and backlit to command the customers’ attention as they cross the threshold. There are no dragons anywhere in Q by Peter Chang, by design.

In the 3,000-square-foot kitchen, cooks are toiling away. The opening had been scheduled for June 2, but once the restaurant passed inspection, Chang decided to put out the word on social media that Q would “soft open” on the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend, a notoriously busy and stressful time for restaurants, at 11 a.m. The restaurant served 355 meals on the first day and well over 200 the next.

It didn’t go smoothly. Initial Yelp reviews were mixed, and many diners complained about small portions and big prices. Regulars from Peter Chang

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Rockville compared Q to what they knew. Could they have been expected to know that the scallops Chang was using at Q were fresh, not frozen, and much more expensive? That the tenderloin cost Chang $18 a pound? Did it make a difference to them that meals were served in specially designed plates and bowls imported from China, or that there were 20 cooks to pay in the kitchen, or that the build-out cost more than $1 million?

Early on the Friday morning after the opening, Chang sits in the Q dining room, something clearly weighing on his mind. Of course he’s not happy with the Yelp comments, he says. No chef likes to read that customers are disappointed.

“French food, Italian food, they have even smaller portions and are charging more,” he says. “The red snapper—I cook it myself. I worked hard to cook that, and it takes a long time and comes with a lifetime of experience. Should that cost $20? This is not just about portions. Every dish is like a project. How to make the Mao pork more tender and have the right color. It’s not just braised pork belly. People say, ‘You have 10 restaurants. You should just have the same restaurant here as in Rockville and you’ll make a lot of money.’ Do you know how that makes me feel?”

He’s also distracted by something else.

He says something to Sammi Li, the restaurant’s public relations and marketing director, who’s translating for him. She lets out a gasp. “[His daughter], Lydia, was in a car accident this morning," Li

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explains. “That’s all he knows. He’s waiting to hear something about her.”

With that, Chang starts to cry.

“My family and I have suffered so much for the last 16 years. I can’t go to my motherland. I could live a good life without suffering now. I’m fine. Finer than most people. Why am I putting myself through this like this again? To be judged? We have been working so hard.

I can’t go home to see my family, my friends. All that for what? That I should have a flagship and keep the same menu and the same prices? That is not possible.”

He stares out the window for a few seconds and pulls himself together. “Maybe I am a very selfish man, putting my family through this and my colleagues and followers because Q is different and this is my dream. I am sorry about that, but I’m not going to stop.”

The phone rings with news about Lydia, 29, who had been hit by a car while out for a morning run near her Tenleytown apartment. She’s on her way to Sibley Memorial Hospital.

Chang and his wife, Lisa, go there in his black Mercedes-Benz ML350 SUV. They find out she’s badly shaken and bruised, but her injuries aren’t serious, and she’ll be able to return to work at the restaurant in a couple of days.

It was Lydia, his only child, who first encouraged Chang to take a leap of faith and create a restaurant different from his others. “We’re going to build this place from scratch,” she told her father. Q could be his masterpiece, she said.

caption

The dining room at Q by Peter Chang seats 160.

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CHILI PRAWNS

Butterflied prawns, steamed for six minutes and served with their heads and tails, are topped with tofu and a mound of chopped and zesty Thai red chilies, slivered snow peas, and chopped garlic.

“This dish goes deep to the culture,” Lydia Chang says.

“My father’s from Hubei province, north of Hunan province. In between them is Dongting Lake, the second largest in China.

Hubei means ‘north of the lake’ and Hunan ‘south of the lake.’

In the rainy season, you feel the dampness to the bone, and the Chinese believe that spicy foods steam the dampness out.”

QI JIAN MEANS FLAGSHIP. Merriam-Webster defines that as the ship in a fleet that carries the commanding admiral or the best and most important thing an organization owns or produces. In Chang’s case, it’s both. Q also stands for quality, says the chef. His goal at Q is to present a curated menu of strictly authentic, refined, homestyle dishes in a fine-dining setting that includes a proper cocktail bar and lounge area, chic furnishings, servers in uniforms imported from China, a wine list selected by Washington Post wine columnist Dave McIntyre, and a private dining room where he can host chef collaborations and tasting menu dinners that highlight different regions of China.

Chang, 54, began to make a name for himself in the United States after he left the Chinese Embassy in 2003, essentially defecting, and started working at restaurants in Northern Virginia, including China Star and China Gourmet in Fairfax and TemptAsian in Alexandria.

But as soon as food groupies and critics would begin spreading the word about Chang’s talent, he would disappear.

Myths soon grew up around Chang, 102

that he shunned the spotlight or was a demanding employee. In truth, fear of reprisal by the Chinese government and having a light shined on his legal status were overriding concerns.

The chef ’s wanderings took him to Atlanta, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Charlottesville, Virginia, where, in 2011, he teamed up with Gen Lee, also a restaurateur, and the two began building an empire that includes nine eateries throughout Virginia and one in Rockville. The formula for most of these places was to do as little to them as possible, open them quickly and offer a menu with upwards of 80 items, making concessions to American tastes by toning down the trademark spiciness of Sichuan food, subbing one protein for another if asked, and offering mundane items such as lo mein, vegetable spring rolls and General Tso’s chicken.

When a friend told Chang about the space in Bethesda at 4500 East West Highway, just off Wisconsin Avenue, he took one look and loved it, Lydia says.

“He knows right away if he wants a space or not. This was a good deal in a good location very close to D.C. He would

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never have been able to have a space this big in Washington for the price.” He signed a 10-year lease in July 2016.

Rather than open another version of Peter Chang Rockville, he’d offer authentic dishes that Americans haven’t seen in restaurants before.

THOUGH CHANG IS KNOWN for Sichuan cooking, he is from east of that province. He was born in 1963 in the small village of Siwang in Hubei province in east-central China. His father was a Chinese medicine doctor, an herbalist, who traveled on foot from village to village to treat patients, so he was rarely home. His mother worked the land. Peter was the oldest of three siblings.

“Growing up in that era, they were always hungry,” says Lydia, relaying the story her father is telling. “There was never enough food. Each household had to grow a certain amount of food and turn it over to the government in exchange for food stamps. My grandfather didn’t want his kids to be farmers, so he made them study. My grandmother did all the hard work, growing the crops, feeding the family. It fell to my father as the oldest

Air is blown under the skin to separate it from the flesh and aid crisping.

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Chang demonstrates his precision carving skills.

Ducks, dipped in boiling water and coated with malt sugar and vinegar, air dry.

Chang displays a roasted duck.

Chang places sliced duck breast in neat rows next to thin strips of cucumber and scallion.

“The skin is the most important part,” Chang says. “We never put it in the pancake. It is enjoyed separately.”

THE MAKING OF PEKING DUCK

“I’m not the best at everything, so I need people to help me,” Peter Chang says with a smile. So he hired Ying Situ, who won awards in China for the Guangdong-style roasting of meats, such as chicken, pork and duck, before moving to the United States seven years ago.

Whole ducks, which come from a farm in Pennsylvania, are soaked for four hours in water. Compressed air is then forced under the skin through a slit in the neck, blowing it up like a balloon. Separating the skin from the flesh aids in rendering out fat as the duck roasts, resulting in crispier skin. Situ then eviscerates the ducks, seasons the cavities with salt, sugar, five-spice powder and a secret blend of 10 medicinal Chinese herbs, sews them up and blanches them in boiling water for two minutes. Then the birds are coated with a syrup of malt sugar and white and red vinegar (to aid in skin caramelization), hung in the kitchen for an hour with a fan blowing on them, and then hung in the walk-in refrigerator overnight. Then they are roasted for 50 to 60 minutes, hanging, in the $23,000 German-made combination oven that Chang bought especially for their preparation.

The ducks are served with thin pancakes, julienned cucumbers and scallions, hoisin sauce, and sweet garlic sauce imbued with rose petal paste.

They must be sold within two hours of exiting the oven or the skin will be too soft. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” Situ says. “One master passes down the knowledge to one person in a generation, and that was me.”

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child to take care of the younger siblings because his father was never home, so there was this strong bond between his mother and him, especially in the preparation of the food.”

For as long as he can remember, Chang says, his priority was to study hard so he could leave the village. It was the only way out.

For college entrance exams in China at the time, high school students had to estimate how well they thought they would do and apply to schools they 104

thought they could get into. If they estimated too high, they’d have to wait a year to apply again. Chang underestimated his scores and wound up as a culinary major at what is now known as Wuhan Business College.

Cooking was not a revered profession in China, and Chang’s heart wasn’t in it at first. During the three-year curriculum (1981-1984) under the tutelage of master chef Zhiyuan Wang, Chang learned all about Chinese culinary history, the theory of regional Chinese

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cuisine, ingredients and cost analyses, restaurant service, cooking methodology and cutting skills. He practiced cutting on rolled-up newspapers, the only resource available to him that didn’t cost anything and didn’t waste food.

Chang graduated at the top of his class. The Hubei tourist bureau recruited the top students, and he nabbed a job working on a Yangtze River cruise ship, starting out as a prep cook and working under Hubei master chefs. It was during this 14-year stint on the ship that Chang

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CORAL SNAPPER WITH RED SAUCE

Hubei master chef Yucheng Lu taught Chang this dish on a Yangtze River cruise ship. “The chef was willing to teach me the dish because of my cutting skills. The whole thing to this dish is the way of cutting it, and you’ll never be able to make it without that skill,” Chang says. The trick is to cut very thin, bias-cut slices horizontally down the length of a skin-side-down fish fillet, making sure not to cut through the skin (similar to the way experts slice smoked salmon). Then the fish is turned 90 degrees and scored at quarter-inch intervals down to, but not through, the skin. Making a dozen cuts in both directions creates 144 fingers of flesh that resemble porcupine quills after being painstakingly dredged in cornstarch and deep-fried in a wok (the fillet must be held just at the surface of the oil at both ends with chopsticks). It’s served bathed in a vibrant orange sweet and sour sauce, with the fried head and tail in place, representing the beginning and the end. “The boss faces the entrance and the [fish] head faces him,” Chang explains. “And he pays the bill. In China, we never split checks.”

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SEAFOOD PEARLS

For this dish, balls of minced seafood are covered with sticky rice, steamed and served in a rich broth. Radiating from around the pile of golf ball-size ecru pearls dotted with goji berries, are steamed baby bok choy hearts with carved carrot slivers emerging from each, so they resemble birds. It seems like a simple dish, but it’s not. “The flounder, shrimp and scallops have to be chopped separately, to order,” Chang says. “The cutting technique is different for each one, and if you get the proportions wrong, they won’t hold together.” The broth, made from pork, chicken (old hens are a must for flavor), and Virginia ham, simmers for 30 hours.

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Q up

KUMQUAT BEEF

SUMMER SQUASH EMERALD NOODLES

“This is home-style cooking from where I grew up,” Peter Chang says. “You see these small, tiny oranges in the field there, so we made this dish all the time.

In the countryside, you don’t get beef to eat often. Beef is the most important animal to have on a farm for the work it does, so you only have beef from a really old animal or a dead one. It is very old meat, and you must cook it overnight to make it tender. Here, we can’t wait for the cow to die. We use good tenderloin.

We want the sauce to have fruit flavor, so we use kumquat juice in it and put one kumquat on top so you know what you’re tasting.”

“For me, this is real home-cooking style, but with a lot of techniques,” Chang says. “There is no salt in the dish.

Saltiness comes from a soy sauce I make from a blend of them that I flavor with green onions, herbs and five-spice powder and use for a lot of dishes. All the flavor comes from that sauce and the way the jalapeños are fried before adding the beef [tenderloin]. Chinese chives come from when spring ends and summer starts—a special time in China. Chives are very good for health in Chinese medicine.”

“Zucchini reminds me of my childhood.

Noodles were a luxury because they were expensive, and so they were extended to guests. We wouldn’t serve many noodles, but a lot of vegetables, so the dish was very earthy. Now we can serve a lot of noodles,” Chang says, smiling. Lisa Chang and her cooks make the noodles, coloring them with an extract of green vegetables.

was exposed to Sichuan cooking and became proficient at it. He also wrote articles on subjects like food history and technique; not for the money, he says, but to motivate him to stay on top of what was going on in the industry, and to share his knowledge.

Another one of his bosses on the ship was Hongying Zhang, now known as Lisa Chang, Peter’s wife.

“I had to train him,” Lisa remembers. “He had to bow to me. He was my apprentice, in charge of doing employee meals. But we wound up becoming a team.” Peter encouraged Lisa to pursue certification as a pastry chef, which she previously lacked the confidence to do.

After she earned her certification, she was ranked among the top 10 pastry chefs in Hubei province and took second place in Hubei’s pastry competition, an 106

SAUTÉED JALAPEÑO BEEF WITH CHINESE CHIVES

unusual feat for anyone, but particularly for a woman at that time.

Peter and Lisa married in 1987 (the government had approved the paperwork the year before), and Lydia was born a year later.

PROFICIENCY IN THE preparation and presentation of cold plates, an essential beginning to formal meals in China, is a hallmark of that country’s best chefs. In 1993, Chang won the gold medal in cold dishes in a competition the foreign ministry in Beijing hosted every four years, considered the food equivalent of the Olympics in China. Entrants had to prepare 10 dishes (three cold meat dishes, three cold vegetable dishes, a soup, two pastry dishes and a dessert) in 10 hours for a table of 10 judges. One of the cold dishes had to be done as an art display.

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Chang’s display mimicked shan shui, a style of brush and ink landscape painting.

In 1997, Chang got a job as a chef at the Taiwan Hotel. His cooking prowess garnered attention during his three-year tenure, and a government official who dined regularly at the hotel encouraged Chang to apply to take the exam to become an embassy chef. Chang’s score qualified him for the most prestigious assignment: the embassy in Washington, D.C., which also recruited Lisa as a pastry chef. They arrived in 2001 for a two-year stint. Lydia stayed with her grandmother and joined them a year later. Just before their time at the embassy was up, the family casually went for a walk one morning and never returned, leaving behind their passports and most of their belongings.

They wound up in Northern Virginia,

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Q up

Lisa, Peter and Lydia Chang at their new restaurant

and Peter started working at a restaurant called China Star in Fairfax.

Government officials would no doubt be unhappy, and they could make life difficult for their families in China.

Chang and his wife had no papers to allow them to live or work in the U.S., so they’d always have to be looking over their shoulders. They also had no Social Security numbers. (In 2010, Peter and Lisa Chang went to Los Angeles to consult with experts about their legal status, Lydia says. Under the terms of a negotiated status, they can legally live and work in the United States, but if they leave the country, they can’t return. The couple’s business dealings must be in the name of business partners or Lydia, who obtained a green card in 2014 and can apply for U.S. citizenship in 2019, which she plans to do.)

But Peter and Lisa believed the benefits of leaving the embassy outweighed the risks. “They wanted me to have a better education and a better life,” says Lydia, who graduated from W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax in 2006.

She received an associate degree from Northern Virginia Community College in 2008, a bachelor’s degree in business management from Kingston University London in 2012 and a master’s degree 108

in international business from King’s College London a year later. (The Chinese government issued Lydia travel documents that allowed her to return to China in 2008, where she applied for a Chinese passport and was granted one.)

“We saw opportunity,” adds her mother. “We were both trained chefs and there was no real Chinese food in the D.C. region. Only food in buffets and takeout. We saw a market for our food.”

In Q, the Changs also saw an opportunity to break Chinese cooking in America out of its strip mall confines and put it on the pedestal it deserved with uncompromised and authentic cooking.

They came around to the idea of opening a flagship after hosting a series of dinners for friends and regular customers, all of whom raved about dishes such as beef tenderloin with jalapeño peppers, wood ear mushrooms, Chinese chives, steamed prawns with Thai red chilies and tofu, and crispy whole red snapper with sweet and sour sauce, a more refined version of a tilapia dish found at many Peter Chang locations.

And then it clicked for Chang.

Making this move—going into a fancy 8,000-square-foot space, having a large and expensive cadre of managers and cooks, including chefs who are experts

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in Peking duck and dim sum preparation, investing in high-end equipment—was something he had to do all the way. In November, he and Lisa rented an apartment in Bethesda six blocks from Q. “Maybe there are other Chinese chefs out there starting out like I did,” Chang says. “They just need to make a living.

They don’t have the luxury to show Americans what real Chinese food is, so they have to make General Tso’s chicken.

I’m finally in a position to do more, and if I don’t do it, no one else will.”

Sammi Li sees something else behind this commitment. “Peter spent so much of his life running and hiding and trying to find a safe place for his family. He always wanted a place to settle down. Q gives him that. He’s putting all he has into this place for that reason, and to show all that he has learned. This is the culmination of 30 years of experience.”

The new menu features 40 items, 25 of which he has never served to the public.

Trademark dishes such as scallion bubble pancake, dry fried eggplant, crunchy cilantro fish rolls and cumin lamb chops remain, as do classics such as Chang’s superlative version of kung pao chicken, and his hot and numbing fish in clay pot with the telltale Sichuan “ma la” combination of Sichuan peppercorns and fiery dried tianjin chili peppers. A menu section titled “Ultimate Spicy Challenge” includes four- and five-pepper spicy dishes whose heat he will not adjust.

“Bringing Chinese fine dining into the United States is my mission,” Chang explains. “We are bringing up every level and spending a lot of money on it. If we didn’t do this, Americans would never understand our authentic cooking and all the skills and techniques it requires.

That’s not fair to our cuisine and our chefs.”

Q, Chang has decided, will be his masterpiece. The question is, will Americans get it? ■ David Hagedorn is the restaurant critic for Bethesda Magazine and co-author of the upcoming cookbook Rasika: Flavors of India (HarperCollins).

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THE TRUMP EFFECT

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Forward March members gather for a meeting in Bethesda.

Faces of Resistance The Bethesda area is home to dozens of activist groups aiming to resist Donald Trump and to help elect more Democrats to office

BY DINA ELBOGHDADY | PHOTOS BY LIZ LYNCH

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past the Trump International Hotel, and Strochak screamed in unison with other protesters—“This is what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!”—surprised by how visceral it felt, jarred by the pitch of her own voice.

That’s because Strochak, 56, never considered herself much of a political activist, just a reliable Democratic voter. Barack Obama inspired her so much that she helped raise money for his presidential campaigns. But during Hillary Clinton’s most recent White House bid, Strochak says she lapsed back into her usual complacent mode because she never expected Clinton would lose. After Trump’s victory, she felt like she’d dropped the ball, which is why she showed up at the Women’s March, to counteract the ensuing despair and depression. She wanted to voice her rage at what she characterized as Trump’s misogynistic views, his hate-mongering and his threats to repeal Obamacare.

Six hours later, homeward bound on the bus, Strochak didn’t want the day to end. She invited fellow marchers to dinner at her Bethesda home to swap stories, share photos and eat chili. Before three dozen of them reconvened, Strochak posted a photo to her Facebook page. In it she’s beaming, surrounded by friends, all of whom are wearing American flag hijabs; a group of Muslim women at the march had handed the head scarves to them. Strochak’s daughter, Sarah, a

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21-year-old college student, texted her a string of hand-clap emojis. After dinner, Strochak and her closest friends kept mulling over one question: “How can we keep this momentum going?” They agreed to meet again and discuss what they should do next.

Four days later in Bethesda they launched Forward March, one of thousands of anti-Trump activist groups that formed nationwide in the wake of the Women’s March. This surge in progressive activism has given rise to more than 140 groups within 20 miles of Bethesda, according to an online search tool created

by Indivisible, a resistance movement with several local chapters. In Montgomery County, many of the activist groups have organized under Indivisible’s banner. Others, like Forward March, are homegrown. The Bethesda group already has amassed nearly $20,000 in a single fundraiser to support Democrats running for Congress, and it has organized two phone banks on behalf of a Democratic candidate in Georgia. A six-person executive committee directs the group’s day-to-day operations with support from 40 members, about half of whom pay dues. Forward March has more than 400 Facebook members and about 80 subscribers to its group email list.

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, spoke at the Forward March fundraiser in April. He says he’s

WOMEN'S MARCH BUS PHOTO BY ANGELIKA STABLOW

T

THE MORNING OF JANUARY 21, after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president, four minibuses pulled out of Valerye Strochak’s Bethesda neighborhood, each with about a dozen of her friends onboard. They were bound for the Women’s March on Washington, just blocks from the Capitol. Posters conveying messages of compassion and defiance—“Love Thy Neighbor, No Exceptions” and “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance”—were propped between seats. Strochak settled in for the ride, pleased that she had stayed in town for the weekend. She’d considered traveling far away to avoid the inaugural fuss.

Then she learned about the march.

To Strochak, it didn’t matter that her busload of friends got separated from the larger group from Bethesda and that she couldn’t get cellphone service. She wasn’t annoyed that she couldn’t get anywhere near the main stage or that she couldn’t hear the celebrity speakers, not even on the large video screens. She didn’t even mind being stuck standing at the corner of 4th Street and Jefferson Drive SW for three hours, caught in a logjam of bodies waiting to march down Constitution Avenue. In the crush of people—their signs piercing the air and spontaneous chants erupting all around her—Strochak felt invigorated and even hopeful for the first time since the election. The marchers wound their way to Pennsylvania Avenue,

WOMEN'S MARCH BUS PHOTO BY ANGELIKA STABLOW

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From top left, clockwise: Kathy Cowan, Karen Bedell, Amy Carroll and Lauren Kline were among volunteers at Forward March’s first phone bank in March. They called voters in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District in an effort to help Democrat Jon Ossoff win the seat that had long been held by Republicans. Opposite: Many activist groups in the Bethesda area grew out of the Women’s March on Washington in January.

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From left: Valerye Strochak, Rosalie Grazzini and Nancy Schoenfeld were among the attendees at a Forward March board meeting and phone bank. Some attendees came from outside Forward March, a testament to the camaraderie that’s developed between the dozens of activist groups in Montgomery County.

been meeting with two or three local activist groups each week since the Women’s March. Some consist of just a few people on a neighborhood block.

Others have more than 100 members.

But one thing is certain, he says: “Donald Trump has awoken a tiger, and I don’t think it’s going back in its cage.”

ROUGHLY THREE DOZEN PEOPLE crammed into LuAnne Spurrell’s home in Bethesda for the first Forward March meeting. They sat on the floor, on counters, they stood where they could. The group didn’t have an official name (that would come a month later). All it had was a loosely crafted agenda and sheets of paper lining the foyer wall, each labeled with an issue. Those in attendance were asked to mark the ones of most relevance to them. Four emerged as focus areas: health care, the environment, civil rights and women’s rights.

Teams coalesced around each topic. “We were flying by the seat of our pants,” says Amy Carroll, a North Potomac resident and one of the group’s founders.

The handful of women who were most 114

heavily engaged in arranging the meeting and creating Forward March go way back. Most met when their children were in elementary school together about 17 years ago. They’d talk about their kids.

Rarely, if ever, did they discuss politics.

They came to learn a little something about fundraising only because they organized local “Rock for Barack” events in 2008 and 2012. At those events, each filled a niche. Strochak, a self-employed baker and baking instructor who runs a summer camp, handled the food. She did so again when Forward March hosted its April fundraiser.

Carroll, 54, owns a consulting firm that creates websites, logos and advertisements. For the Obama fundraisers, she created T-shirts, merchandise and posters. Her role evolved with Forward March to include handling the group’s social media accounts. In the week leading up to the Forward March fundraiser, Carroll devoted 30 hours to logistics.

She designed the banner and fliers.

She unpacked 300 T-shirts bearing the logo she designed and arranged them by size and style. She made sure there

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was a cash box and change, and credit card forms.

“When the core group got together again, we knew from experience that we could lead and make something happen.

Each of us brought strengths,” says Spurrell, one of the group’s founders. (Spurrell is an advertising account executive for Bethesda Magazine.) “What we didn’t know was how many more people felt the way we did and how many of them would be willing to be as engaged as we were.”

After the group chose the name Forward March and set up the Facebook group and an email list, a few people a day signed up to join. The requests to join kept coming, many of them from out of state, Carroll says. “People like to post comments and track what’s going on,” she says. “It makes you feel like you’re not alone in your frustration and outrage.”

As Forward March gained momentum, it didn’t take long before the group pivoted toward the midterm elections.

By the third meeting, most of the members realized that they needed to get more representation in Congress if they

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were to have any effect on the issues, says Strochak, who serves on the executive committee.

Another executive committee member, who asked not to be named, took the lead on the election front. She turned to a friend at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which is charged with helping to elect Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives. She also got in touch with Swing Left, an organization with a website that enables users to plug in ZIP codes and locate the nearest district in which a Republican won a House seat by a slim margin in the most recent election.

All her contacts told her that the House would be up for grabs next year and that Forward March should focus its efforts on flipping that chamber. Other advice: They should focus on only a few elections, avoid sitting idle for too long, and get people rolling so they don’t lose interest. And the group should take a look at Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, just north of Atlanta.

In that closely watched race, Democrat Jon Ossoff was just weeks away from duking it out with 11 Republican rivals in a special election. They were all vying for a vacant seat long held by the GOP. However, Trump had barely eked out a victory in that district, suggesting Ossoff had a decent shot at winning.

Helping Ossoff would be a good test run for Forward March, enabling its members to immediately spring into action.

Liz Cummings of Kensington remembers when the executive committee first flagged the Ossoff campaign. Having Forward March commit to a more active role in the elections cemented her confidence in the group’s future, she says.

“That’s when I thought: ‘Yup. This is going to work for me,’ ” says Cummings, 57, a retiree who has worked for several trade associations. “Instead of doing all the work ourselves, we were plugging into other resources that were out there.

We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel.

We were being efficient. Most of these

women work. They don’t have a lot of time, and they want to use the time they do have to produce a result.”

Plans quickly fell into place after that.

The group would organize a get-out-thevote phone bank for Ossoff in March. It would press forward with its plan to host a “Flip the House” fundraiser in April for the DCCC. Afterward, it would maybe turn its attention toward ousting a few Republican lawmakers.

As a Democrat in a solidly blue state, Cummings says the thought of reaching outside of Maryland to wrest control of the House away from the GOP energized her. “I’ve always thought we should target the coming elections,” she says. “To me, it is a direct line to sanity.”

MORE THAN TWO DOZEN volunteers show up with cellphones and laptops at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center in March. They’re gearing up for Forward March’s first phone bank, where they’ll engage in highly scripted conversations with voters in Georgia. They’re trying to make as many calls as possible and to identify likely Ossoff voters so his staffers can follow up on the ground.

Nancy Schoenfeld is fielding many of the questions from volunteers. “Should I tell them I’m calling from Bethesda?” Yes, if they ask. “What if they want to know his position on abortion?” Direct them to his website. “What if they want to volunteer?”

Again, the website. Schoenfeld, who had joined Forward March only two weeks earlier, had done the Ossoff campaign’s online training and coordinated the logistics. She’d never organized a phone bank before. She’d never been particularly active in politics, either. But after the election she was itching to engage in a group with a results-oriented agenda.

A week after the Women’s March, Schoenfeld invited about 35 people to her Bethesda home. Over bagels and coffee, they brainstormed about what they should do to keep pressure on the Trump administration. They decided to join forces with existing groups instead

Group Action GROUP ACTION

There are more than 140 progressive activist groups within 20 miles of Bethesda, many of which are listed at indivisibleguide. com. The groups vary in size, though all are part of a broader movement aimed at resisting President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Here are a few of the organizations in Montgomery County.

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FORWARD MARCH

forwardmarchdc.com Private Facebook Group: facebook.com/ groups/168195730341604 403 Facebook members Twitter: @ForwardMarchDC

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INDIVISIBLE MOCO

indivisiblemoco.org Private Facebook Group: facebook.com/ groups/1346262778729995 197 Facebook members Twitter: @IndivisibleMoCo

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INDIVISIBLE MONTGOMERY

indivisiblemontgomery.org Facebook: facebook.com/IndivisibleMCMD 794 Facebook followers Twitter: @IndivisibleMCMD

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J WALKERS ACTION GROUP

jwalkersactiongroup.org Email: JWalkers@JWalkersActionGroup.org

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MOCOWOMEN

sites.google.com/view/mocowomen/home Private Facebook Group: facebook.com/ groups/lisamocowomen 1,766 Facebook members Twitter: @MoCoWomen1

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ROCKVILLE RESISTANCE

rockvilleresistance.org Facebook: facebook.com/Rockville Resistance/ 38 Facebook followers Twitter: @rockresist

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TAKOMA PARK MOBILIZATION

tpmobilization.org Facebook: facebook.com/TPmobilization 1,340 Facebook followers Twitter: @TPmobilization Number of followers or members as of press time

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In April, Maura Lynch, above, introduced the featured speaker, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, at the “Flip the House” fundraiser (opposite).

Forward March raised nearly $20,000 for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at this event.

of forming a new one. Schoenfeld had just left her full-time job as a children’s health policy advocate, so she had time to spare. With a few friends, she vetted about 15 new organizations in Montgomery County and spoke to their leaders by phone. They narrowed the list to a half-dozen groups and attended their meetings. Then they whittled down their choices to three: Forward March, Rockville Resistance and Indivisible Montgomery. “Several of us joined Rockville Resistance or Forward March,” says Schoenfeld, who is now a real estate agent. “I’m involved with all three of them, and I act as a liaison between various groups.”

Once she was tapped to take charge of the phone bank, the biggest scramble 116

was finding a location. The campaign would electronically generate phone numbers and scripts for the volunteers, so everyone needed a laptop. They’d need a Wi-Fi connection to accommodate at least 25 people. “We didn’t want to turn anyone away,” Schoenfeld says.

Some at the phone bank prefer not to speak publicly about their role, given today’s highly charged political climate.

They don’t want to risk offending clients, bosses or co-workers who support Trump. Others want to participate but are government employees who are restricted by law from being involved in certain kinds of political activities. Many decide not to make calls because they’re still searching for their comfort zone in the activist arena.

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Shannon Turkewitz, who originally offered to host the phone bank at her Bethesda home, has come with food. She’s not dialing. It’s not that she doesn’t believe in the group’s “Flip the House” mandate, she says. It’s that she has a tough time envisioning herself engaging in a telephone conversation with people like her parents, staunch conservatives who raised a family in a rural Texas town outside San Antonio. “I was very nervous about it,” says Turkewitz, 47, a photographer and freelance editor. “It would be like calling my family and promoting something that my family would not want to hear.”

Turkewitz says she’s always leaned left and grew more liberal as she traveled abroad. She’s lived a quarter of her life outside the United States, and that’s

informed her political thinking, she says.

She earned a graduate degree in Russian studies from Georgetown University, and then worked in Prague, where she met her husband, a New York native. They moved to Bangkok and New Delhi for his job. In India, she remembers the rush of pride that engulfed her as she watched on television as Obama was being sworn in as president in January 2009. Just after he was elected, she and her husband were visiting family in Chicago and staying a few blocks from Obama’s residence.

“We walked there with our two elementary school-age kids and jumped up and down in the street like idiots,” she says. “That’s how happy we were.”

But her relationship with politics is complicated. Though she’s been a registered voter her entire adult life, she was not affiliated with a political party until last year. She registered as a Democrat so she could vote for Hillary Clinton in the primary. Until then, she says, officially identifying as a Democrat felt wrong, as if she was rejecting her family. Delving into issues that involve empowering women and protecting their reproductive rights is where she’s most in her element.

Carol Frensilli, a Bethesda resident, is hesitant about making calls, too, especially given her disdain for robocallers. Besides, she’s never swayed by anyone who calls or knocks on the door to pitch a candidate since she always knows who’ll be getting her vote. “But then I started thinking about it, and I realized that some people in Georgia may not even be aware that there’s an election or know who the candidates are,” says Frensilli, 56. “That pushed me to do it. I thought, so what?

I’ll make the call, and if they’re upset, they can hang up.”

Eli Gerber, a fellow Forward March member, says he understands why people might shy away from cold-calling strangers. When he volunteered for Hillary Clinton’s campaign last summer, BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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faces of resistance soon after graduating from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he was hesitant about dialing and knocking on doors. But he learned that small efforts on a daily basis pay off. In a two-month window, he and his fellow volunteers registered more than 6,000 people on campus. After the election, when he returned home to Rockville, a friend’s mother invited him to join Forward March. He is the only male on the group’s executive committee. At 23, he’s also the committee’s only millennial.

Arriving at the phone bank from his new job as a health policy researcher in Washington, D.C., Gerber scans the room and likes what he sees. “Getting 30 people in Bethesda to participate in a phone bank for a candidate in Georgia on a Wednesday night?” he says. “Now that’s success.” The phone bank was such a success that the group hosted another in April. In total, the volunteers called more

than 800 households and engaged nearly 200 voters in conversation. They left voicemail messages for hundreds more.

Many of the volunteers came from outside Forward March, a testament to the camaraderie that’s developed between the dozens of activist groups in Montgomery County. The groups aren’t merely coexisting. They’re swapping information and sharing resources.

Schoenfeld attends meetings, and reads and compiles “action items”—petitions to sign, town hall meetings to attend, or articles to read. She circulates these items to Forward March members and to more than 100 subscribers on an email group list she created. Schoenfeld, who can sometimes devote more than 10 hours a week to these tasks, consistently urges people to tackle one or two items a week.

“I just want to make action easy,” she says.

Many Forward March activists say a Democratic victory in Georgia would

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I didn’t do this to simply make huge pancakes or great burgers, I did it to invest and give back. To me, a community must take care of its own, and it’s no different here. We hire college kids, home for the summer when others frown on short term employees. We hire and give high school kids the skills to carry them through early adulthood and beyond because I believe in giving people chances and opportunities. I am also creating a hot breakfast program that is funded by the sale of our donuts and coffee which will provide the

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be a confidence booster. In April, Ossoff finished with 48 percent of the vote in the special election, just shy of the 50 percent plus one needed to declare an outright victory. At press time, he was set to face the top Republican vote-getter in a runoff election on June 20.

MARNIE KELLER, A SINGLE mother in Bethesda who regularly travels for her job, says she’d love to see Ossoff win now and Democrats recapture the House in 2018. “But I can’t get attached to a milestone of what success should look like,” she says. Instead, Keller is focused on doing what she can with her limited free time. She’s joined Forward March, donated money and tried to recruit others. “I know I’m helping move the needle somehow in a positive way,” says Keller, 51, the chief marketing officer of a Tennessee-based technology company.

Since coming to Washington, Keller

“most important meal of the day” to at-risk kids at several local high schools.

Community also means preserving the past, honoring the present and looking to the future.

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That’s why we serve Clement’s Bakers of Silver Spring Strawberry Shortcake. That’s why there are 1980’s and 90’s cassette tapes in the host stand. That’s why the donuts are fresh and hot, and the coffee is alway bottomless. That’s why you see the faces of Bethesda folks on the back of every menu!

Simply, I wanted to create a place to hang out at, a second home or office with better bottomless coffee:), - A warm, unpretentious place that feeds more than the stomach and connects us all.

Welcome to our Community!

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says she’s developed a deeper appreciation of the political process. As a college student, she got swept up in the Reagan revolution. In 1986, during her junior year, Keller landed an internship on the political action committee of thenVice President George H.W. Bush. She worked for him as a staff assistant after she graduated, and when he was inaugurated president in 1989, she continued to work for him in the West Wing office that acts as a liaison between the president and the cabinet agencies.

But then Keller had what she calls a “burning bush” experience one night while having a casual conversation about the Persian Gulf War with a stranger at a bar. “I remember him telling me: ‘You can’t work for war and peace at the same time,’ ” says Keller, a Connecticut native who grew up in a fiscally conservative but socially liberal Republican family.

“It rebooted my political belief system.

I thought, Maybe there’s a better way. I decided I wasn’t cut out for politics, and I wanted to do something else.”

At 26, after 3½ years in the Bush White House, she switched careers and entered the sales and marketing world.

Soon thereafter, when she moved from the District to Maryland, she registered as a Democrat. The switch happened organically, she says. “There wasn’t so much polarization back then,” she adds.

“You could go to a dinner party with Republicans and Democrats and you didn’t have a scarlet letter on your chest.

You weren’t afraid to say your party affiliation for fear of having your car keyed.”

Now, the system is broken, Keller says.

Trump played to the frustrations of bluecollar workers and masterfully crafted a message that Middle America could digest, she says. After Trump won, Keller quickly pushed aside her grief. “Democrats were just full of emotion and feeling

sorry for themselves and forlorn, and I started saying to myself: ‘No, get over it.

It’s OK to look at the past, but don’t stare at it. We just have to work smarter.’ ”

WHEN KATHY COWAN OF Kensington left the workforce for a six-year stretch to raise her children, she and her husband volunteered to monitor elections in several countries. In Guyana, she recalls watching people stand in line for up to eight hours in a blazing hot sugarcane field just to vote. Over time, she’s come to better appreciate the nature of democracy, “which is not an endgame in and of itself but an ongoing process that demands our constant attention,” she says, both at the federal level and in the states and localities, where politicians are groomed for higher office.

Cowan moved to Washington, D.C., in 1982 to work as an unpaid intern on Capitol Hill after graduating from

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faces of resistance Connecticut College. When a paying job opened on Walter Mondale’s presidential campaign, she jumped for it. After Mondale lost, Cowan worked briefly for the Democratic National Committee and then for a political direct mail firm.

The jobs that followed were all policyoriented, mostly geared toward helping children and families.

In trying to figure out the best use of her time in the activist realm today, Cowan, 57, decided against taking a leadership position in any of the progressive groups. Instead, she prefers to toggle among different tasks based on her most urgent priorities in any given week.

“What I’ve been able to do is focus when I need to, where I need to,” she says. “I can do that only because other women in leadership roles are putting in hours and hours to keep these groups running.”

Cowan belongs to Forward March and MoCoWomen, which focuses on elections and policies at all levels of

government. She and her friends are selling T-shirts online to raise money for causes they care about. She marches wherever she can—at the Women’s March, the March for Science, the march against Trump’s travel ban, and another supporting the LGBTQ community. That’s in addition to her full-time job as communications director at the National Association of School Psychologists. She devotes anywhere from one to seven hours a week to her causes, time that could be spent relaxing or with her husband and four grown children.

But Cowan says actively engaging feels necessary. There are many ways to gauge the long-term impact of this activism. In addition to Democratic gains come election time, she says, other metrics to consider include: Are more people voting? How many of them are showing up at city council or town hall meetings? Are they asking informed questions? Do the people running for

office look like their constituents? “If people make their voices heard not just on Election Day but at other important points in the democratic process, that would be success, too,” Cowan says.

Staying active can be overwhelming. That’s when Cowan reminds herself of the starfish story, which her rector shared with her church group during a mission trip to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. As the story goes, a little boy surrounded by thousands of sand-stranded starfish on the beach tosses one after another into the sea. An old man watching says: “You’ll never make a difference.” The boy tosses in another and says, “I made a difference for that one.” Cowan says she wears a starfish necklace from her husband every day, a reminder to keep forging ahead. n Dina ElBoghdady spent more than two decades as a journalist at several newspapers, most recently The Washington Post.

DULLES ROCKVILLE SPRINGFIELD

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THE TRUMP EFFECT

Meet the Glenn Thrush of The New York Times

BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN PHOTOS BY LIZ LYNCH

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e ‘Enemy’

Donald Trump called journalists the “enemy of the American people.” For White House reporters who live in the Bethesda area, adjusting to the new reality hasn’t been easy.

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O

ONE MORNING THIS PAST February, Olivier Knox, a veteran Washington reporter who covers the White House for Yahoo News, was driving his 11-year-old son to the YMCA. It was a few days after President Donald Trump referred to the news media as “the enemy of the American people” on Twitter. His son looked troubled. “Dad,” he asked, “is it true that Donald Trump called reporters his enemies?” Knox nodded yes. “Are you going to be safe at work?” the boy asked.

Upset, Knox tried to reassure his son.

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“It was a gut punch,” he recalls. “It was a really hard thing.”

Knox, along with some other journalists on the Washington and White House beat, lives in the Bethesda area and is both bemused and beleaguered by the nascent Trump administration. “It’s a fascinating time to be a journalist in Washington,” says NPR correspondent David Welna. “It’s kind of the best of times, worst of times. Best because it’s a great story. Worst because there’s a sense that journalism is under attack.”

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

This is not the first time a president has called out reporters as pariahs. President Richard Nixon famously kept a secret “enemies list.” Trump, by contrast, has made it a public crusade, using the press as a whipping boy. Echoing his boss, presidential adviser Stephen Bannon termed the mainstream media “the opposition party.” At a journalists party in March organized by Mary Louise Kelly of NPR, Trump’s antagonistic stance toward the press was the chief topic of conversation. “We were licking our wounds,” says

From left: Olivier Knox, Yahoo News; David Welna, NPR

Welna, a Bethesda resident who covers national security and has tangled with controversial Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka. Most everyone, Welna says, bore the label as “a badge of honor.”

The Trump administration is testing the Fourth Estate—an 18th century term applied to journalists to distinguish them from the clergy, the nobility and commoners. The White House briefing room is where traditional jousting between the president’s press secretary and reporters has become nastier, more pointed, more

personal. Individual reporters such as Glenn Thrush of The New York Times have been harangued by Trump spokesman Sean Spicer. And what regularly emanates from Spicer’s podium has factcheckers scrambling to confirm details.

Tension is thick among reporters in the seven rows of seats in the West Wing’s James S. Brady Press Briefing Room and the standing-room-only back-benchers.

“Every administration has grievances with the press. Few administrations, if ever, have so enthusiastically embraced the idea of treating the press as an adversary and as a monolithic unit,” says veteran political commentator George Will, who lives in Chevy Chase Village.

Will, who publicly divorced the Republican Party after Trump became its presumptive nominee and who termed the president’s Jan. 20 speech “the most dreadful inaugural address in history,” says Trump’s first three months in office were sheer “chaos.” That description is shared by many correspondents, who portray a White House riven by rivalries—chiefly between Bannon loyalists

and Trump’s son-in-law/senior adviser Jared Kushner—and characterized by a woefully understaffed government bureaucracy and ephemeral policies apparently written with an Etch A Sketch.

“This isn’t All the President’s Men,” says Thrush, referring to the book chronicling the Watergate scandal. “It’s Mad Max: Fury Road.”

TRUMP HAD HIS EYE on the Oval Office earlier than people may realize.

Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post broke the news that less than a week after Mitt Romney lost the 2012 election Trump signed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in which he asked for exclusive rights to use “Make America Great Again” for “political action committee services, namely, promoting public awareness of political issues and fundraising in the field of politics.”

Reporters agree that the long campaign revealed the go-to modus operandi of the future 45th president. Bethesda resident Todd Gillman covers the White

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Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post

House for The Dallas Morning News and recalls being at a Las Vegas rally before a Republican debate. “The level of vitriol he stirred up was really striking,” he says.

Much later, during a rally outside Detroit, Gillman was fascinated by Trump leading the anti-Hillary Clinton chant—“Lock her up, lock her up.” “I wondered if the people at the rally really took him literally, that they wanted her locked up.” After Gillman spoke to attendees, it turned out that, yes, that’s exactly what they wanted.

“It was a revelation to me,” he says.

Washington Post reporter Ashley Parker, who was employed by The New York Times during the campaign, notes that the press was used as a foil at the 126

rallies, but she’d never experienced “that level of mass hostility” in crowds before.

“By the end of the campaign, the [Trump] crowd was primed to boo and hiss as soon as we entered the hall,” the Bethesda resident says.

This hostility had some real-world consequences. The Washington Post ordered ramped up security measures at its headquarters, according to sources who were not authorized to speak on the record. After breaking stories about the fact and fiction of Trump’s charitable contributions, Post reporter David Fahrenthold—who won a Pulitzer Prize for the articles—was assigned a security consultant for the campaign and beyond.

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

Parker was in a small minority of journalists who believed Trump had a chance to win. Riding the Acela from New York to Washington, Parker was seated at a table facing a young Orthodox Jewish couple. The man, who had been reading the Torah, began discussing the campaign and said, “My father says this is how Hitler came to power.” Parker asked him who he planned to vote for. “Trump,” he replied. Says Parker: “So here was a guy with very real concerns about Trump but was still voting for him because he found the alternative so unpalatable.”

That such a divisive, bizarre campaign produced such a surprising result left many Americans bewildered. For

the press in Washington, D.C., Trump’s victory raised practical as well as policy questions. Would there be a pivot from candidate Trump to President Trump, a different persona from the freewheeling, polarizing, firebrand of the stump to a more mature, sober leader of the free world?

“THIS IS EXACTLY THE GUY we saw on the campaign,” Tumulty says. “This is it!”

The theory of Trump 2.0 was debunked on his first full day in office. On Saturday Jan. 21, the day after Trump was inaugurated, Spicer lambasted reporters for allegedly downsizing crowd estimates at the inauguration. “The tone was... hostile,” says Bethesda resident Jérome Cartillier of Agence France-Presse, “and unexpected. Most of us were speechless, flabbergasted.” Thrush adds, “And Spicer didn’t take any questions. That’s a violation of the rules of the place.” Thrush has been vocal about a lack of responsiveness; in mid-February he complained that he’d sent 14 emails to Spicer, the press secretary, without receiving a reply. Thrush, who lives in Kensington, even became a stock figure on Saturday Night Live skits lampooning Spicer. “I’m ambivalent about SNL,” Thrush says. “Sean chose to single me out, but our role is to hold the White House accountable.”

Correspondents say the most significant adjustment affecting their coverage is also what sets this administration apart from others: Government by tweet. Tumulty, who lives in Chevy Chase, describes one early morning in the first week of the new administration.

“I had just pulled my first cup of coffee at home and my cellphone vibrated with a blast email from the office,” she says.

“He’s awake,” the email read, “and he’s tweeting.”

Everyone had to adjust to the new metabolism of the news cycle. “Government by tweet is one of the many curveballs we’re dealing with,” says Gillman, who’s been covering the White House for 15 years. “If you’d told me a year ago that this is how the agenda is

From top: Todd Gillman of The Dallas Morning News and political commentator George Will

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Glen THrush and Jerome below From top: Jérome Cartillier, Agence France-Presse; Glenn Thrush, The New York Times, with John Gizzi (left) of Newsmax and Fred Lucas (right) of The Daily Signal

going to be set, policies will be made, I would not have believed it. On a practical level, it’s unlike anything I’ve done.”

“The level of activity is breathtaking,” Cartillier adds. “By the time you get in on a morning [Trump’s] already tweeted four times, [White House staffers] are cleaning up the tweets, then denying them, there’s an executive order and then 128

a photo op and then a briefing. You could have an army of reporters each writing a different interesting thing that happened today. He uses [Twitter] intensely, you have to watch it all the time. And he has said things in tweets that never happened or are all wrong—so it’s challenging.”

Several major newspapers have six or seven White House reporters. Parker,

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who attended Walt Whitman High School, is one of six White House reporters at the Post. Each week, one reporter goes where the president goes. A second reporter occupies the “hot seat”—up at 6 a.m. and looking for breaking news from Trump. Parker says Trump is more accessible in some ways than President Barack Obama—there are more photo opportunities, more audiences for the pool reporters. Thrush agrees, but adds that Trump “is more confrontational” in these settings. “The main takeaway from Trump’s presidency so far is his unerring instinct for self-preservation,” Thrush says, “which battles with his tendency toward self-expression.”

Another early hallmark of this administration is the whistle-blowing. “People have been leaking in a way they haven’t before,” Welna says. “I think it’s because people are alarmed by what’s coming out of the White House.” Officials sometimes leak when they feel they cannot effect change in other ways. For example, the Post’s ability to get nine current and former intelligence officials to confirm former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s contacts with the Russian

ambassador was rooted in concern over Flynn’s appointment.

Most of the correspondents interviewed for this article expressed surprise at the lingering disarray of the Trump administration: the unfilled positions; the off-the-cuff policy announcements (North Korea, Syria); the unsubstantiated allegations (Obama wiretapping); the deepening investigations into Russia’s role in the elections. “They’ve had a lot of unforced errors,” Parker says. “So when you have the usual tumult of governing and world events on top of things that could be entirely preventable, that’s when you have an administration that feels on the precipice.”

Perhaps as a way of diluting the power of the mainstream news media, Trump, via Spicer, has opened up the press briefing room to nontraditional questioners, such as Gateway Pundit, a conservative blog represented by 28-year-old artist

Lucian Wintrich. There’s also been the addition of the so-called “Skype seat,” which allows call-in questions from news organizations not physically present in Washington. Most correspondents say this is a fine idea in theory. In practice, however, the slot has been mainly filled, according to published accounts, by conservative talk show hosts rather than reporters. “The conservative outlets get disproportionate attention,” Cartillier says. “I don’t mind opening up the press room, but you need space for questions of substance.”

A corollary to this has been a rising fear that some reporters may be blackballed for their questioning. The White House Correspondents’ Association has been vigorous in defending reporters’ rights, but even some of the organization’s officers declined to speak for this article due to concerns about retribution.

Spicer tried very early to play the press

against itself by excluding some news organizations from informal briefings. It didn’t work, but there’s a lingering effect that has chilled the press corps—a risk of being left out of informal briefings.

The perceived need for self-censorship is worrisome to correspondents. “Journalists should keep doing their jobs—they shouldn’t be so sensitive,” Cartillier says.

“More than ever, good journalism is needed.”

Most of the area’s correspondents believe that Trump will continue pumping his mostly unfettered thoughts into the Twittersphere or any opportunity he has to project himself, and reporters will be left to sort the pieces that fit together.

“There’s only one star of this reality show,” Will says, “and it’s him.” ■ Steve Goldstein is a freelance writer and editor. To comment on this story, email comments@bethesdamagazine.com.

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THE TRUMP EFFECT

Bethesda resident Alan Miller, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, created the News Literacy Project to help students separate fact from fiction in the news they consume.

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Lessons on the

TRUTH

How a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is combating “fake news” in Montgomery County schools and beyond

BY DAVID FREY | PHOTO BY SKIP BROWN AS TEACHERS GATHERED in Washington, D.C., last December, just over three weeks after Donald Trump won the presidential election, “fake news” was on their minds. A month earlier, BuzzFeed had broken a story that teens in Macedonia were earning thousands of dollars a month in ad revenue by filling the internet with false pro-Trump stories that spread like an oil spill across social media.

As companies like Facebook and Google grappled with how to respond, the viral lies kept coming. On Sunday, Dec. 4, the closing day for these educators at the National Council for the Social Studies annual convention, fake news made real news again. Five miles from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, a North Carolina man fired a gun inside Comet Ping Pong in Upper Northwest D.C., claiming he was “self-investigating” a rumor that the

pizzeria was at the center of a bizarre child sex trafficking ring tied to Democratic Party leaders.

At the conference, Bethesda resident Alan Miller could tell that educators were focused on fake news like never before. In 2008, he established the News Literacy Project (NLP), a nonprofit dedicated to teaching middle and high school students to separate truth from fiction in what they saw and read. “Fake news” hadn’t entered the American lexicon. For the past few years, the organization had set up a booth at the conference, and while Miller had seen interest grow, he’d never seen this kind of enthusiasm.

“We had a lot of educators coming up to us and saying, ‘This is the most important thing we could be teaching right now,’ ” Miller recalls. By the end of the conference, NLP staffers had collected 108

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●

●

5W’s & 1H of Fake News WHO wrote the article?

Is there a byline or author?

●

WHAT is the publication?

Is it a credible or trusted news source?

●

WHERE do the sources inside come from?

Are they named? Are they legit? Are they absent?

●

WHEN was it published?

A missing date could raise a flag.

●

WHY did the writer create it?

What was the motivation?

Would you share it with someone?

●

HOW did it make you feel?

Angry? Excited? Any other strong emotions?

That could be another flag. Is it suspicious?

To what degree can you fix it?

Be a part of the solution. business cards from teachers wanting to be on the mailing list—far more than they’d ever collected in previous years.

“We’ve gone from being a voice in the wilderness to an answer to a prayer for many educators,” Miller says. “We were the antidote to fake news long before anybody coined that term. I do wish this problem was a little less urgent and that I looked a little less prescient, but we are where we are.”

LAUNCHED FROM MILLER’S Bethesda basement, the News Literacy Project started as a live, in-classroom program in Montgomery County and a handful of other locations. It has grown to include a 132

digital platform called “checkology” that has allowed it to reach more classrooms than it could have using live instructors. Since checkology’s launch last year, NLP has registered more than 6,300 educators teaching more than 950,000 students in all 50 states and 53 other countries. From public schools where most students qualify for free and reduced-price lunches to elite private schools, the virtual classroom program is taking off. NLP has a staff of eight, split among the Washington region, New York and Chicago, and an annual budget of $1.7 million. NLP also will be targeting adults through a campaign in partnership with Facebook later this year.

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Left: A graphic adapted from a News Literacy Project lesson. Above: Alan Miller in 2015 at Montgomery Blair High School.

Miller, 63, a native New Yorker, grew up in suburban Ridgewood, N.J., where he worked on his sixth-grade newspaper, launched a newspaper in his junior high and edited his high school paper. He worked as a state and county political reporter at the Times Union of Albany, N.Y., and as a political and state investigative reporter at The Record in Hackensack, N.J., before signing on with the Los Angeles Times. He was an investigative reporter in the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times, where he spent 21 of his 29 years as a journalist. He and colleague Kevin Sack won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for their investigation of a military aircraft nicknamed “The Widow Maker,” which had been linked to the deaths of 45 pilots.

It was a challenging time for journalism. The internet was hacking away at newspapers’ profits. Newsroom budgets were shrinking. Reporting staffs were dwindling. Meanwhile, Miller saw a “tsunami of information” pouring out of the web. He had watched his young daughter try to figure out what she should believe. Some of it was reliable.

Some wasn’t.

Miller’s daughter was a sixth-grader at Thomas W. Pyle Middle School in 2006 when he was invited to speak in front of 175 of her schoolmates about what he did for a living. The children seemed engaged, and Miller was moved. This is a long way from investigative reporting,

PHOTO BY JONI LUCAS SHAPIRO

●

he thought as he left the school, but if a lot of journalists came and brought their experiences to bear, it could be meaningful.

That evening, his daughter brought home 175 handwritten thank-you notes from her schoolmates. “I could see what had resonated and what had connected,” he says. Some students had seen a History Channel piece on his Pulitzer-winning investigation. Some said his presentation motivated them to read the newspaper. (“All of the newspaper,” one wrote, “not just the comics.”) Some said it inspired them to be writers. “I might even want to become a journalist,” one note read.

Maybe, Miller thought, it’s time for a career change.

Two weeks later he was speaking in front of an audience again. This time it was at his alma mater, Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. It was Miller’s 30-year class reunion and he was

on a panel about the future of journalism.

The moderator was another Wesleyan grad, Alberto Ibargüen, president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a prominent funder of journalism education. After the panel session, Ibargüen emailed Miller to thank him, and Miller shot back a reply. He wanted to bounce an idea off him. Could a program aimed at teaching young people about the news be successful?

That idea would put Miller in touch with Eric Newton, who was the foundation’s vice president for journalism at the time. The foundation had already started a program at Stony Brook University on Long Island to teach college students something it was calling “news literacy.” Over the next year and a half, Miller worked with Newton to craft a program to teach the same concepts to middle and high school students. When it was ready, Knight offered a $250,000

founding grant for Miller to start his new nonprofit.

In February 2008, Miller took a leave of absence from the Times. A new owner, the Tribune Co., had bought the newspaper and set about slashing the budget.

Fearing his days as an investigative reporter might be ending, he soon put in for a buyout instead. By July, the Times started cutting 150 newsroom jobs, and Miller was off on what he had come to see as a new journalistic mission.

“It felt like a second calling to me,” he says. “Everything since has only reinforced that sense.”

THIS PROJECT WASN’T supposed to be a glorified career day, and Miller knew he’d need more than talented journalists standing in front of classes.

He had no staff, no lesson plan and no experience in education when he turned to Alan Goodwin, the principal at Walt

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lessons on the truth KE REAL OR FA

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Whitman High School in Bethesda. “[Miller] explained the program, and I thought it was really helpful for students,” Goodwin says. “The emphasis was going to be on how do you know what news sources to trust? Who knew that that would be such a timely topic?”

Miller recalls Goodwin telling him:

“Make us your guinea pig.”

The program targeted grades six through 12 and a range of subject areas— social studies, history, government and English. Miller wanted to find out where it would work best—in the classroom, at after-school programs in the inner city, or in suburban schools. “We discovered

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that we could make it work in all these places,” he says. “It doesn’t mean that it has worked every single time.”

Miller learned along the way, evolving the lessons based on teacher and student feedback. For example, Miller says, “We found that we were not getting the impact we wanted on building appreciation for the watchdog role of journalism in a democracy, so we improved that lesson and moved the dial more on that front.”

Miller enlisted reporters, writers and editors who lived or grew up in the Bethesda area, including NBC News Channel reporter Tracie Potts, Sheryl Stolberg of The New York Times, and then-political analyst and editor at large for Time magazine Mark Halperin (a Whitman graduate).

NPR’s Daniel Zwerdling, a graduate of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring and a resident of Chevy Chase

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who put his kids through county schools, was among the first journalists to participate. An early-morning Whitman class impressed him with probing questions.

“Even back then, it was clear to anyone who was interested in facts that there were websites that had lies or distortions or partial facts, and then there were websites that had facts, and it was hard for people to tell them apart,” he says.

Still, the program was only accessible in the Washington area and New York.

By 2009, NLP had expanded to Chicago, but if the program was going to get into classrooms across the country, Miller realized he couldn’t rely on bringing in prominent journalists in person.

He’d have to use the same technologies he was helping students scrutinize.

IN 2012, NLP started a digital platform in Chicago, and then expanded it to New York and the D.C. region. In May 2016, NLP quietly released checkology,

a broader digital program that teachers anywhere could use. This virtual classroom platform was in place by the time of the 2016 election, and Miller’s work caught the attention of NPR, which aired a story in December on an Arlington school that was using checkology called “The Classroom Where Fake News Fails.”

It went viral—at least among some educators. Teachers started signing on to use checkology in China, Turkey, Mexico, Ukraine and across the United States.

An educator in Macedonia is signed up to use the platform, Miller says.

The attention brought unsolicited donations from all corners of the U.S. In the past, most donations came from people NLP staffers had courted. Suddenly, small donations—$20, $50—were pouring in from people NLP never contacted, from areas where it had never been active. One donor contributed $10,000. “Between the election and the end of the year we received over 200 of

these donations,” Miller says. “That essentially more than doubled the number of annual donations.”

NLP reached 25,000 students in the program’s first eight years, Miller says.

He’d hoped checkology would reach 100,000 students and every U.S. state in its first year. Because checkology is a free program, NLP measures checkology’s potential reach by the number of students that teachers who register for it say they teach. Today that number is about 950,000, including 3,400 in Montgomery County public schools, private schools, a church and other settings.

In the 2016-17 school year, 10 live classroom and after-school programs were in place, in schools including Montgomery Blair and others in D.C., Virginia and New York. As checkology expands, most of these programs are being phased out.

Vickie Adamson, who heads the English department at Montgomery Blair,

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lessons on the truth has incorporated elements of NLP in the curriculum of her journalism classes for several years, used the checkology platform and had working journalists— including Miller—speak to her students.

“When students say, ‘Hey, I can see myself doing that,’ I think that is where they connect,” Adamson says. “These top prizewinning, recognized journalists stand out in their field, and the students can see that right away when they come in. The students are just filled with so much awe and admiration.”

NLP’s core elements haven’t changed much since its early days, Miller says.

Instead of live speakers, a dozen working journalists and experts—from BuzzFeed and Bloomberg to The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal—teach the lessons virtually with videos and readings. They lead online lessons about topics such as fact-checking and algorithm-induced “filter bubbles,” and avoid using the phrase “fake news.”

Teachers can lead students through the exercises from start to finish or incorporate pieces of them into lesson plans.

Modules cover topics such as filtering news and information, exercising civic freedoms and navigating today’s information landscape. Students take quizzes, share their thoughts and earn badges as they progress.

NLP is about to extend its reach beyond kids. In January, Facebook announced a collaboration with the organization on a public service announcement (PSA) campaign that’s expected to appear this year in the news feeds of 8 million users. Using Facebook’s sophisticated algorithms, the campaign is targeting a very specific audience: adults over 40 who regularly use Facebook to consume and share dubious content. The PSAs will offer tips on distinguishing between fake stories and real journalism, and a quiz to test news literacy skills. In April, NLP joined

the News Integrity Initiative, a global consortium spearheaded by Facebook to improve trust in journalism.

“We’re trying to give [news consumers] resources to help them distinguish quality journalism from the spin, speculation and falsehood that are in today’s media ecosystem,” says Elis Estrada, who was the Washington program manager for NLP before leaving in April to work with a PBS NewsHour education program.

When people post to social media, they become creators, Estrada says, and that comes with responsibilities. “Everybody can be their own publisher these days, whether it’s Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook, and students have to be really careful about the information they’re sharing,” she says. “That’s how virtual rumors spread really quickly.” n David Frey lives in Gaithersburg and has written for Sunset magazine and other publications.

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IVOR Clay Metro was 3 years old when he fell into a pool and nearly died. CPR saved his life, and now his mother is on a mission to keep kids safe in the water.

BY JULIE RASICOT | PHOTOS BY SKIP BROWN

THE DAY WAS HEATING up that morning in Bethany Beach as Laura and Matt Metro tried to figure out when each could squeeze in a run.

They’d arrived a few days earlier from Potomac with their 3-year-old son, Clay, and 6-year-old daughter, Maison, to spend a week at Laura’s father’s house while he was on an Alaskan cruise.

Laura liked to take Champ, her dad’s Akita pit bull mix, with her on runs into town to burn off the dog’s excess energy.

The Metros consider themselves “water people”—they’re always at the pool or the beach, or boating and fishing on the Potomac River—and the June 2011 trip was one of many visits to Bethany to enjoy time with family and friends. Another couple had joined them at the beach house, and their two young daughters were playing with Clay and Maison. “Just go take the dog,” one of Laura and Matt’s friends suggested. “We’ll take the kids to the pool and we’ll see you in 45 minutes.”

Laura and Matt headed out, agreeing to meet everyone at the pool when they got back.

After their run, they were approaching the pool grounds in the middle of the development’s culde-sac when Maison ran frantically out of the entrance.

“I think Clay died!” she screamed. “I think Clay died!”

Hot and sweaty from her run, Laura couldn’t process what her daughter was saying. Then she heard her friend screaming, too, telling them to let go of the dog and “run, just run.”

Laura and Matt raced into the pool area and then toward the deep end, where Clay was lying on the deck. Matt’s close friend from high school was attempting CPR on the small boy after pulling him from the bottom of the pool. Their son was blue and lifeless.

NEARLY SIX YEARS LATER, Laura and Matt, both 42, are sitting in the sunroom of their Dutch colonial in March talking about the Saturday that changed their lives forever. For Laura, the details of the accident are as vivid as if it happened last week. Matt has chosen to let the memories fade, not wanting to relive the worst day of his life.

No one really knows how Clay ended up in the water, or how long he was there before he was discovered. There was no lifeguard on duty at the time. What Laura and Matt have pieced together is this: Clay most likely tripped over his towel and fell in as he walked along the deck from BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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the shallow end to the deep end of the L-shaped pool.

Doctors credit the CPR provided by the Metros’ friend with saving Clay’s life.

Now 9, he has no memory of the accident, only of waking up in a Delaware hospital surrounded by relatives and family friends. He says he doesn’t think about what happened, and easily parrots what he’s heard from his family when asked about it. “I slipped on a towel and I drowned,” he says.

Though it may seem hard to believe that no one noticed the boy as he fell in, Laura and Matt understand why. “You’re conditioned to hear splashes and things like that at a pool. You’re not going to notice if you hear something splash in a pool,” Laura explains. “And this is not like Jaws. You’re not flailing around. Literally, people and children, they fall in and they sink silently and that’s it. It’s a very, very silent, fast thing that occurs that often is just not noticed.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranks drowning fifth among the leading causes of death by unintentional injury in the U.S.; about 10 people die every day from drowning, and one in five are 14 or younger. More children ages 1 to 4 die from drowning than any other cause of death except birth defects. For every child who dies, another five receive emergency medical care. Clay was among the more than 50 percent of nonfatal drowning victims treated in emergency rooms whom the CDC says “require hospitalization or transfer for further care.” Victims can suffer “severe brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning.”

After the accident, Laura struggled to make sense of what had happened to her son. She began to research drowning and discovered how devastating it can be to families of those who die—and those who survive, like Clay did. The more she learned, the more she realized that drowning is “completely 100 percent 140

preventable.” She’d found her calling.

“We know the answer to this problem,” she says, whether it’s teaching kids to swim, improving pool safety or making sure people know CPR. Before Clay’s accident, she had planned to restart her marketing career; she now knew she would dedicate her life and skills to helping spread the word about water safety and what to do in an emergency.

“I felt like it was my duty because I was given the gift of Clay’s life,” she says.

“I just felt like this is my job. This is why this happened to me, and he survived so I could tell this story.”

The Metros and Laura’s father, Ron, who died in September at the age of 71, created The C.L.A.Y. Foundation in 2012 with a wide-ranging mission to advocate for swim instruction, CPR training, increased availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and yearround warm-water swimming facilities.

That first year, Laura attended the annual conference of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA), but she wasn’t sure if she belonged there because Clay had survived. Other families she met assured her that she did.

“Your son drowned and then he came back to life,” they told her.

Laura soon discovered that many other foundations were focused on aspects of prevention, such as improving pool safety and promoting the use of life jackets, and were mostly started by families who’d lost someone. With Laura as its driving force, The C.L.A.Y. Foundation became a founding member of Families United to Prevent Drowning, a group that represents several of those foundations. The families work together to make sure that people seeking information on a particular aspect of prevention are connected with the foundation that can provide the best resources. Laura handles social media for the group and has helped develop promotional materials, including a pack of glossy rectangular cards, each one sponsored by a family foundation and

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featuring the story of a loved one who drowned or survived a drowning.

Laura also got involved with the NDPA, later becoming a board member, and is now working with the International Code Council and the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals to get states to adopt better safety rules for pool construction, such as making sure children can’t be entrapped by pool drains.

Recognizing that she needed to narrow her mission, Laura rebranded The C.L.A.Y Foundation in 2015. Now known as CPR Party, the foundation has partnered with Gaithersburg-based Rescue One, an emergency and safety training company, to make CPR training easy, affordable and accessible by offering lessons during casual hourlong gatherings.

KNEELING ON A WHITE pillow, Clay leans over a training mannequin lying on the hardwood floor of the Metro family’s living room one afternoon this May. He carefully places his right palm flat on the center of the mannequin’s chest and covers it with his left palm, interlacing his fingers. Then he tries several times to press down firmly.

“I can’t do it,” he says, his shaggy mop of dirty-blond hair sliding back and forth with each motion. “It’s hard.”

His mom, who’s performing the same compressions on her own mannequin, urges him to try again. So does Rescue One instructor Lenora Carr, who suggests that singing a song with a strong beat can help create a rhythm for doing compressions. So they all begin singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” as the young boy presses down again and again.

Laura arranged the CPR training to demonstrate the mission of CPR Party.

Through its partnership with Rescue One, the group has held parties in homes and offices across the country, teaching hundreds the importance of knowing how to administer CPR and how to use an AED in an emergency. Though the foundation hopes to secure funding to offer free training, it currently charges

caption

With help from his mom, Laura, and Rescue One instructor Lenora Carr, Clay practices doing chest compressions on a training mannequin during a demonstration of a CPR Party at his family’s Potomac home.

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party hosts $300 to cover the cost of supplying a trained instructor and other expenses.

“Laura’s idea was that she’s very fortunate that Clay was resuscitated by somebody that took a chance at trying CPR, and that’s absolutely what saved Clay’s life—having somebody mechanically take care of what Clay couldn’t do on his own while help was on the way,” says Rescue One founder Jeremy Gruber, a former Montgomery County firefighter and paramedic. “She realized how many people don’t know what to do.”

Laura says she’s found that most people who attend a CPR Party feel empowered by their ability to help in an emergency after they learn the basic skills. “The thing I notice a lot is people don’t realize it was this burden they were carrying, and then when they’re done they’re like, ‘I am so glad I did that,’ ” she says. During the parties, instructors also talk about the different roles people can play in an emergency, such as calling 911 or ushering children or others away from the scene. “So you are not just training people in compressions, you are training people in first-aid response.”

As she watched her son learn CPR this spring, Laura realized that her life had, in a sense, come full circle.

Now a swimmer on the Bethesda Country Club team, Clay doesn’t remember the accident, only waking up in the hospital.

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“DADDY, LOOK AT CLAY,” the 4-year-old said, peering into the deep end that day in Bethany Beach. She’d gone to the side of the pool to dip her toes in. The little girl’s father—Matt’s friend—came over and saw Clay lying on the bottom, a towel at his side. Screaming for his wife, he dove into the water and pulled the boy out.

There was no lifeguard present when Clay fell in because Delaware law, like many other states, does not require private pools or those at motels, hotels and private camp grounds to provide one. (In Montgomery County, public pools are required to have a lifeguard, although the County Council is considering legislation that would allow hotels to operate their pools without providing a lifeguard as long as warning signs are posted and

there’s an emergency alert system.)

When Clay’s parents rushed into the pool area minutes later, Laura tried to perform her own version of CPR, but a bystander advised her to let her friend continue CPR instead—he was using a couple of fingers, rather than his palms, a method more suited to a young child.

As the couple tried to help Clay, their friend’s wife quickly ushered her two daughters and Maison away from the scene.

Paramedics from the Millville Volunteer Fire Co. arrived quickly and began their efforts to resuscitate Clay. Laura and Matt went into the pool house and sat on the floor in shock. On the pool deck outside, the minutes passed as the team quickly intubated Clay, performed CPR, and stuck IVs into his knees. Then Laura saw one of the paramedics throw up her arm in triumph, tears streaming down the woman’s face.

“They had his pulse back and they were breathing for him,” she says. Laura later learned that the woman had her own 3-year-old at home.

The paramedics packed Clay in ice—a form of hypothermia treatment that Laura calls a “Hail Mary” move—before placing him in an ambulance and racing to the fire station to wait for a helicopter to take him to a hospital. When the helicopter arrived, Laura and Matt were told that weight restrictions allowed only one of them to ride with Clay. They decided that Laura should go. As the helicopter prepared to take off, Matt and his friend jumped into Matt’s truck for the 21/2hour drive to Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. His friend was in tears.

“I’m so sorry,” he said.

“Don’t say that again,” Matt said. “I don’t want to have that conversation ever again. I want to say it right now, it’s not your fault. We’re gonna get through this.”

Things were moving so quickly that Laura didn’t really comprehend that she

was in a helicopter until she looked down through the clear floor of the cockpit and saw the ocean below. Sitting up front with the pilot, she was cut off from Clay and the paramedics working on him in the cabin behind her. Clutching her insurance card and Clay’s blanket, she suddenly realized that she could hear the paramedics talking urgently about her son through the headphones she’d been given.

“They said he was going into cardiac arrest. And I looked at the pilot and I said, ‘Can you turn these off?’ and then I said, ‘How long?’ He pointed to a clock, and there was like 14 minutes left until we landed,” she says.

Laura started thinking about walking into Clay’s room after he had died. No, she told herself. The last you heard they

us,” Laura says. After warming Clay’s body, doctors put him on a ventilator and into a medically induced coma to reduce the swelling that had begun in his brain. Then the waiting began.

ON THAT MARCH AFTERNOON, Clay returns home from playing with friends in a nearby creek. Bits of mud dot his long, baggy shorts and his sneakers as he walks into the family’s sunroom and heads for a chair upholstered in white fabric. Laura tries to stop him from sitting down.

“Will you go change your pants for me?” she says just before he plops onto the chair. “Clayton—I just cleaned that cover.”

A rising fourth-grader at Wayside Elementary School in Potomac, Clay is

In the U.S., about 10 people die every day from drowning, and one in five are 14 or younger. For every child who dies, another five receive emergency medical care after a nonfatal drowning. were keeping him alive. They were working on him.

“And then I had a moment where I wanted to jump. Because it was just too much,” Laura says. “And then I just said, ‘Just be where you are, as far as you know he is alive.’ I chanted to myself, ‘He’s going to be OK,’ the whole time until we landed.”

Matt kept checking his phone to see if Laura had landed at the hospital. He got a couple of calls from friends who’d already heard about Clay, including one who asked, “He’s going to be OK, right?”

“I don’t know,” Matt remembers saying.

When the helicopter landed at the hospital, a trauma team was waiting in the emergency room to whisk Clay away.

“It was a sea of people. The yellow robes, the blue gloves. And they like swarmed

like many boys his age: He loves sports, board games and riding his scooter.

He’s on the swim team at the Bethesda Country Club and is particularly fond of freestyle and breaststroke. “In meets, I usually do 31:45 [seconds],” he says proudly, recounting his 25-meter swimming time. “I can do a backflip.”

“He has no fear,” Matt says.

After the accident, two days passed before Laura and Matt knew whether Clay would wake up—and whether he’d still be the same outgoing little boy with the infectious smile. During that time, family and friends arrived from the Bethesda area. Laura’s best friend, Jenny Camps, had also been staying in Bethany that week. She and her husband, Jon, had a son the same age as Clay at the time and twin daughters the same age as Maison.

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Laura has helped develop promotional materials for Families United to Prevent Drowning, including a pack of glossy cards, each one sponsored by a family foundation and featuring the story of a loved one.

The two families were close—Clay and Maison called her “Aunt Jenny”—and had planned to get together for a barbecue. Camps was on the beach when she heard about the accident. When she got to the hospital, she saw Clay’s small body hooked up to tubes in the intensive care unit.

“I know it’s going to be OK,” she told Laura. “I don’t know why, but I know it’s going to be OK.” Laura’s dad, Ron, was at the top of the Space Needle in Seattle when he got the call with the news. He told Laura when he reached her that night that he wanted to fly home, but she told him to board 144

the cruise ship and pray there was no reason for him to rush home. Ron later told her that he went onto the ship’s deck that night and cried as he prayed: Whatever I’ve ever done, anything I’ve done, please just save this boy.

“My dad wasn’t really a God guy, and he was like, Kill me now, strike me dead.

Fix this,” Laura says. “And it was the same thing I felt.”

For the first 24 hours, doctors didn’t talk to Laura and Matt about Clay’s prognosis. Instead, they explained the steps they were taking in an effort to stabilize him. “What I remember is they managed our expectations to whatever the next

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procedure was going to be,” Laura says.

The couple received encouraging news when a CAT scan performed in the middle of the night showed no increase in swelling. Brain swelling wasn’t the only concern, however; tests showed Clay also had developed a methicillinresistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection from the pool water that he’d swallowed, and he had pneumonia. Clay was also wearing a neck brace because doctors didn’t know if he’d injured his neck when he fell into the pool.

By Monday, two days after the accident, Clay’s condition had stabilized enough that the doctors said they were going to reduce the flow of oxygen to test whether he could breathe without the ventilator. When doctors determined that he could breathe on his own and they could consider taking him off the ventilator, one of Clay’s nurses suggested the couple get some sleep at the hospital’s Ronald McDonald House. She wanted them rested when the doctors tried to wake Clay the next day.

“It was a good thing, too, because it sort of gave you permission to leave because I didn’t want to leave, ever,” Laura says.

Back at the hospital the next day, Laura and Matt had gone to the cafeteria to get something to eat when they got the call that Clay was waking up. The couple ran to his room, and friends joined them around the bed as he stirred.

Fear seized Laura as Clay looked around the room. “I don’t think he knows who we are,” she said.

Then Matt’s friend Adam spoke up.

“Clay, do you see Mommy?” he asked.

“He just looked right up at me,” Laura recalls.

Over the next few days, Clay became more aware as the medication gradually wore off. He ate and watched the Disney movie Finding Nemo on TV. He was moved out of the ICU, but quarantined in another room because of the MRSA infection. Having been asleep for three days, Clay couldn’t sit still in bed. “He was like a monkey, once he sort of got

COURTESY PHOTO

survivor

his legs about him,” Laura says.

As Clay improved, Laura and Matt’s worries shifted from whether he would live to whether his brain had been damaged when he was underwater. Doctors had begun testing him slowly and there had been good signs. For one test, they asked Clay to identify a group of objects.

“He called a spoon a fork and a knife a spoon or something, so they were like, he’s in the right area, but he’s mixing this up,” Laura says.

Laura and Matt were told that only time would tell whether the lack of oxygen would have residual effects. “The doctor said, ‘He knows who you are, he knows who he is. Is he going to have some learning issues in second grade?

He had a traumatic brain injury. What is that going to look like, I don’t know,’ ” Laura says.

Once Clay’s MRSA infection cleared up, he was outfitted with a heart monitor and cleared to leave the hospital. Laura and Matt took their son home to Potomac.

IN THE DAYS AND weeks after returning home, everyone was still in shock.

The enormity of how close Clay had come to dying would momentarily overwhelm Laura. She remembers thinking: How the hell am I going to ever let my kid out of my sight without being heavily medicated at all times?

A conscientious mother, she thought she’d been doing everything right. Even though Clay was just a few months past his third birthday, he’d already taken two semesters of swim lessons. “I definitely thought he would have been able to get himself to the side of the pool. I didn’t think he would fall in and just sink,” she says. “What I realized later was I didn’t know about the whole methodology of teaching people to float on their back.”

Just two weeks after the accident, the Metros decided to face their fears and go to the pool at the Bethesda Country Club, though Laura could barely stand to be there. News of Clay’s accident had made friends hypervigilant around the water. No longer did anyone “check out” BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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survivor

The Metros—Clay, Laura, Maison and Matt—consider themselves “water people.”

by socializing or using their phones when they were at the pool with their children, Jenny Camps says. And because of the family’s experience, friends now will hire a lifeguard when they hold pool parties.

Still, Laura says, lifeguards aren’t enough. Drowning deaths occur in guarded pools because lifeguards can get distracted or not see a child who’s fallen in or become trapped under a raft. “A lifeguard at the pool doesn’t mean you’re not watching your kids,” she says, suggesting that families designate people to take shifts watching children when they are in or near water. “It’s a very easy and 146

manageable way to make sure someone is watching—because accidents happen when everyone is watching and [yet] no one is watching.”

As Laura learned more about the victims of drownings, she discovered that Clay’s level of recovery was an anomaly.

She recalled that a doctor from the trauma team, amazed to hear how well Clay was doing, stopped by to visit after Clay woke up. “I had to come up,” he told Laura. “I didn’t think he was going to make it.”

Laura realized that there were many families dealing with the aftermath of

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

nonfatal drownings. In addition, she learned that medical care for the survivors amounts to $6.2 billion annually. The comment of the trauma doctor, coupled with Clay’s recovery, were what first spurred Laura to focus on CPR training when the family created The C.L.A.Y Foundation.

“The doctors could not explain Clay’s recovery. They were trying to put together the story, but the reality was he was on the bottom of the pool with the towel. So there was a certain amount of time that would have suggested that he would be having a much worse neurological outcome,” she says. “And in the end they said, ‘We can tell you he’s a miracle, but we don’t do that. It’s got to be the bystander CPR. That is the only thing that we can think of.’ ” That made Laura question why she didn’t know how to administer CPR and led her to focus her efforts on raising awareness about the lifesaving skill. “I consider myself a very safety-conscious mom,” she says, recalling that she once returned a car because the rear seat belts wouldn’t lock properly when she tried to install a child safety seat.

With Matt’s support, Laura has big plans for CPR Party, and she’s hoping to secure enough funding that she can one day draw a modest salary for her efforts.

“I want to be operating on a massive scale across the country,” she says.

ON AN OVERCAST AFTERNOON this May, Clay zips around a soccer field in Potomac, trying to steal the ball from a teammate during a practice for the Wayside Warriors, a team that his father helps coach. He seems to keep up easily with the other boys, and earns praise from his dad for quickly maneuvering the ball with his feet and kicking it to another player.

Clay’s skill on the soccer field and as a swimmer belies the fact that his brain and his body sometimes don’t work well together. In the years since the accident, problems with coordination have surfaced. “He falls all the time,” Matt

survivor says. When he comes over to play with Camps’ kids, she watches him closely.

“I get a little anxious,” she says.

Clay also has struggled in school. He started having trouble with reading in first grade, and tests have since shown that he is severely dyslexic, Laura says, which she and Matt believe is related to the accident. The family is working with Montgomery County Public Schools to get him the help he needs. “As we implement a more structured program for him, we’ll see if some things just frankly aren’t clicking,” she says. “In the end, that is what will determine exactly where he is deficient and how we can help him with that.”

Meanwhile, Maison, who saw Clay pulled from the pool and witnessed her parents’ fear and panic, struggled emotionally after the accident. Though she seemed OK that summer, it quickly became apparent that something was wrong when she started school at

Wayside that fall. “She struggled academically because they said she was basically unavailable to learn for the first half of first grade,” Laura says. Maison received therapy, and by third grade Laura and Matt had transferred her to the private Bullis School in Potomac, where she has settled in and is now thriving.

Thinking of the emotional toll and the amount of money the family has spent on such expenses as therapy, private school, medications and educational testing over the past six years, Laura wonders if there is an end in sight. She and Matt, who runs an executive search firm that serves the real estate industry, realize no one knows what the future will bring for Clay. But he’s alive, and that’s all that matters. “We try to do everything we can, we try to address everything we can,” she says. “We just have to hope for the best.”

As time passes, the memory of what happened doesn’t hit Laura as hard as

Two things in life that once gone, never come back.

Time and opportunity.

it did in those early years, when she would be suddenly overwhelmed with emotion while waiting for a traffic light to change. Still, the sound of a helicopter can be upsetting. “I don’t like seeing them,” she says.

Laura continues her advocacy by promoting CPR Party, speaking to pediatricians and other groups, and working with the NDPA. Some relatives have questioned her all-consuming dedication and whether it might be better to move on. But Laura is steadfast. She never wants anyone else to go through what her family did after Clay was pulled from the pool. “People don’t understand, but that’s what drives me,” she says. “It’s not all right. It’s not OK to experience that level of desperation and pain and fear.” ■ Julie Rasicot of Silver Spring is the managing editor of Bethesda Magazine’s online daily briefing, Bethesda Beat.

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JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

Untying the

KN T

The Bethesda area’s top divorce attorneys

BY KIM ISAAC EISLER

A CONFERENCE ROOM IN a Montgomery County law firm this May was full and tense: two attorneys, two warring clients and a mediator. The wife unleashed a tirade against her husband—not for infidelity or for ignoring the children, but for voting for Donald Trump. “Tensions are high,” says one of the attorneys who was there. “I think the Trump presidency puts a lot of people on edge at the get-go. I hear it from my clients all the time.”

The raw emotion that wanders from logic is real. And when an edgy attitude is matched by an economic recovery that has raised the value of homes in this area, making a split financially

feasible, the result can lead to more divorces.

In Montgomery County, there was a 19 percent increase in divorces granted in 2015 over the previous year, the most recent figure available from the Maryland Vital Statistics Annual Report.

The choice of an attorney can determine how a divorce plays out. There are different ways to find the best representation. The Bar Association of Montgomery County lists some 475 family law members. We contacted and interviewed about 50 family law practitioners to find out who they would choose if they were going through a divorce. Here are their recommendations:

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Top Divorce Lawyers MARINA BARANNIK Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell, D.C. 202-466-8960 | feldesmantucker.com

Marina Barannik, 58, works on cases that require a high degree of specialization—especially when families are in different countries where different laws come into play. Barannik, born in D.C. to Russian parents, graduated from the Moscow State University of International Relations and The George Washington University Law School.

Now a partner at one of the District’s elite family law firms, much of her work involves foreign nationals.

BIBI BERRY Paley Rothman, Bethesda 301-951-9335 | paleyrothman.com

A single mother, Bibi Berry, now 43, began her law career as a paralegal at Arnold & Porter in the District. While there, she enrolled at Georgetown University in 1997 and attended law school at night. “I’m often told by my peers that my hourly rate is too low, but I have resisted raising it too much because I do want my services to be as affordable as possible,” says Berry, who has 15 years of family law experience. Her hourly rate is $395.

DAVID BULITT Joseph Greenwald & Laake, Rockville 240-399-7888 | jgllaw.com

With four daughters and married for 30 years, David Bulitt, 56, is said to be best in cases where children are the main point of contention. A majority of his clients are women. In his initial interviews, 150

Bulitt might say: “Pretend you are Jeannie from the old I Dream of Jeannie show—if you could blink and make it happen, where do you want to be, what do you want…when the dust settles?”

Bulitt is the author of two published novels, one inspired by his pre-law life as a bartender.

GLENN COOPER Paley Rothman, Bethesda 301-951-9322 | paleyrothman.com

Glenn Cooper, 67, is the happy warrior of high-end Bethesda divorce law. His colorful courtroom style is occasionally irritating to opponents, but his record of positive results delights his clients. He is considered an expert in dividing up large stock portfolios. “My introductory conversation with a client is very realistic,” Cooper says. “I try to find out what are the issues—kids (custody and access), money (alimony or child support) and property. Each is different and involves a different kind of analysis.” Cooper’s hourly rate is $575.

JONATHAN DANA Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell, D.C. 202-466-8960 | feldesmantucker.com

Jonathan Dana is head of the family law group and managing partner at a law firm that has been around for 47 years. He now occupies the leadership role once held by legendary divorce doyenne Marna Tucker. At least half his cases are tried in Maryland courts. “By practicing in both jurisdictions, I learn things and export ideas that can be very helpful to my clients in the other jurisdiction,” he says.

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

Dana’s main focus is often on complex financial and family law cases involving high income and complicated assets.

LINDA DELANEY Delaney McKinney, Chevy Chase 301-913-5236 | delaneymckinney.com

Linda “Lin” Delaney, 57, promotes a core philosophical view: Children will not become pawns in a divorce. Delaney has been known to reject clients with what she considers unreasonable custody demands. “Most gratifying is getting families through the ordeal of separation and divorce with an opposing counsel committed to doing this work in a way that reduces conflict,” she says.

PATRICK DRAGGA Dragga Hannon Hessler & Wills, Rockville 301-340-9090 | draggalaw.com

Based on interviews and our survey, Pat Dragga, 66, remains one of the most popular and effective divorce lawyers in Rockville. His impressive roster of clients has included numerous professional basketball players and other athletes, such as former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. His rate of $525 may be intimidating, but younger partners, with $425-an-hour rates, also are available.

SUZY ECKSTEIN Oakley & Eckstein, Rockville 301-424-8081 | oakleyeckstein.com

Tutored by her father, the late well-known Maryland attorney Harvey A. Jacobs, Suzy Eckstein, 55, has reached the same

Marina Barannik respected status, in her own specialty of family law. “It was from him that I learned how important it is to work with other lawyers, and how much you can win by honoring your word.”

Her first half-hour is free, after that it’s $350 an hour.

DOROTHY FAIT Fait & DiLima, Rockville 301-251-0100 | fdfamilylaw.com

Dorothy “Doty” Fait, 68, has pounded the halls of the county courthouse for more than 30 years. Fait is a strong advocate for victims of domestic violence. She says her new book, Divorce in Maryland, “will hopefully keep people from getting misinformation on divorce from the internet.” In fact, her best piece of advice to divorcing spouses is “limit using social media; your words will come back to haunt you.”

DARRYL FELDMAN

COURTESY PHOTOS

Ain & Bank, D.C. 202-530-3325 | ainbanklaw.com

Darryl Feldman, 47, passed his CPA examination while attending law school. He’s managing partner of the family law group at one of the elite practices in the area. Its man in Maryland, Feldman is renowned for his acumen in complicated cases with financial tentacles. “In my cases,” he says, “I often ask [clients] if I were speaking to their spouse, what would they say about you? This often provides invaluable insight as to the issues in the marriage.”

David Bulitt

Darryl Feldman

JEFFREY GREENBLATT Joseph Greenwald & Laake, Rockville 240-399-7894 | jgllaw.com

For potential divorces heading toward war, clients choose Bronx-born Jeff Greenblatt, 69. Greenblatt has developed a following among those involved in “gray divorces,” which he defines as 50-plus. “I continue to vigorously represent my clients with aggressive and proactive steps,” he says. “I actually settle most of my cases, but not before some bloodshed.”

MONICA HARMS Stein Sperling Bennett De Jong Driscoll, Rockville 301-838-3230 | steinsperling.com

Californian Monica Harms, 40, supervised the Domestic Violence Assistance Project for the Montgomery County Circuit Court as a young lawyer. High conflict custody cases grind many lawyers into depression, but Harms simply considers it “her thing.” She has been involved in several highly emotional cases in which parents have taken children to other states. But custody is only a part of what she does well. “I represent what we call the ‘whole enchilada,’ ” she says.

HEATHER HOSTETTER Hostetter Strent, Bethesda 301-657-0010 | hostetterstrent.com

In our survey, Heather Hostetter, 46, was far and away the most recognized by her peers. In private practice since 2000, Hostetter was a public defender for five years before specializing in family law.

She has extensive experience working with abused women and abandoned children through the juvenile court system. Says a colleague: “Heather is a right-to-the-point kind of lawyer; she doesn’t waste anyone’s time and is very effective in getting her point across without being obnoxious.”

ANNE MARIE JACKSON Ain & Bank, D.C. 202-530-3351 | ainbanklaw.com

Anne Marie Jackson, 48, is known as an excellent litigator who can also go the less-confrontational collaborative route.

She has written and lectured on the rights of grandparents in divorce situations. Her advice to her clients: “If they feel like they need to write the scathing email to their soon-to-be former spouse, go ahead and write it, but send it to me— not the soon-to-be former spouse!”

MARJORIE JUST Offit Kurman, Bethesda 240-507-1700 | offitkurman.com

Clients can prepare for a meeting with Marjorie Just, 49, by reading her book, Divorce Decisions: Practical Ways to Protect Yourself, Your Children, and Your Wallet. Just has become the lawyer of choice for several prestigious downtown litigation firms, which rarely do divorce work on their own for fear of liability exposure. She has represented a number of clients in same-sex relationships, as well as people using assisted reproductive technology, which can involve sperm donor agreements. “With the legalization of same-sex marriage,

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top divorce lawyers

there are still minefields in dealing with the patchwork of laws that previously existed and currently exist,” Just says.

CARLOS LASTRA Paley Rothman, Bethesda 301-951-9371 | paleyrothman.com

Carlos Lastra, 49, comes to family law with a rich trial background as an assistant to then Dade County State Attorney Janet Reno. Lastra’s mastery of following a money trail of hidden financial assets sets him apart from even the most skilled litigators who practice family law. He’s fluent in Spanish and knows what is covered under various privacy acts, which can differ under federal and state law.

CHERYL NEW, JEFF LOWINGER New & Lowinger, Bethesda 301-907-7000 | snlfirm.com

Cheryl New, 55, is a smart-on-her-feet, confident litigator, and Jeff Lowinger, 59, is her numbers man. They usually work together on their cases, which often involve salacious internet intrigue, and much of what they do involves discovering emails, texts and online dating sites that reveal inappropriate relationships and shifting assets. “I see so many people continuously putting stupid things in writing,” she says. Together they are a dynamic team for high-end clients.

RONALD OGENS Offit Kurman, Bethesda 152

Carlos Lastra 240-507-1701 | offitkurman.com

Ron Ogens, 74, now commands 21 lawyers in this Bethesda-based family law practice. Ogens has a long and wellestablished reputation as a “stickler.” His consultation and hourly fee are $525 per hour, near the upper end of the scale.

“Being thorough, accurate and precise is not something that an attorney picks up just by being around others,” Ogens says. “We instill those characteristics in our attorneys.”

JOSEPH PARADISO Paradiso, Taub, Sinay, Owel & Kostecka, Bethesda 301-986-7900 | familylawattys.com

Joe Paradiso, 66, is one of the longtime practitioners of family law in Bethesda.

An inveterate chess and tennis player, Paradiso prides himself on developing a coherent strategy and carrying it out until the end of the case. “My goal in the initial conference is to obtain information to accurately assess the case, build a foundation for a successful attorney-client relationship and to present a strategy that, if implemented, will offer the best opportunity for a favorable outcome.”

LINDA RAVDIN Pasternak & Fidis, Bethesda 301-656-8850 | pasternakfidis.com

Linda Ravdin, 68, has made her specialty the writing and enforcement of prenuptial agreements, for which she

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

Darcy Shoop charges $750 per hour. She has literally written the book on the topic for the American Bar Association. Divorce queries are more likely to be directed to her partners, Anne White or Vicki Viramontes-LaFree. Ravdin says: “The trend toward prenups has been going on for some time, and shows no signs of slowing.”

DEBORAH REISER Lerch Early & Brewer, Bethesda 301-961-6094 | lerchearly.com

The process of “mediation” allows both sides to settle on one neutral facilitator.

The two sides usually split the cost. After 40 years in the family law business, no mediator is held in higher regard than Deborah Reiser, 65, a partner at Lerch Early & Brewer. “I am a huge fan of mediation,” Reiser says. “I recommend it in almost all my cases and I’m doing more and more mediating myself. It works.”

DARCY SHOOP Collaborative Practice Center of Montgomery County, Rockville 301-340-7950 | darcyshoop.com

Darcy Shoop, 57, is the poster lawyer for nonconfrontational settlement strategies. “When people ask for a consultation with me,” she says, “it’s because they don’t want to be in an expensive and unpleasant divorce.” She says her office space, by design, is intended to be “warm and comforting,” and have neither the

COURTESY PHOTOS

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top divorce lawyers

Rising Stars

Looking for the next generation of family lawyers? They are smart, eager, fresh and cost much less than their elders’ going rate of $450 an hour and up. Here are 10 of the best, under 40, as identified by their peers.

Erik Arena, 37, is described by colleagues as “fearless in the courtroom” and a formidable advocate. Dragga Hannon Hessler & Wills; 301-340-9090 Jessica Blumberg, 30, was a law clerk to Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Callahan. The youngest on this list, she is now climbing the ranks among the veterans at well-stocked Lerch Early & Brewer; 301-657-0742 Aindrea Conroy, 34, has clerked for federal and state judges, and is now being trained

by Jack Quinn, one of the best all-around attorneys in Maryland. Ethridge, Quinn, Kemp, McAuliffe, Rowan & Hartinger; 301-762-1696 Casey Weinberg Florance, 35, is often cited by colleagues for her skill and maturity.

Florance has co-chaired the New Practitioners Section of the Montgomery County bar. Stein Sperling Bennett De Jong Driscoll; 301-838-3318 Anne Grover, 38, is considered one of the toughest and most determined litigators among her peers. Joseph Greenwald & Laake; 240-399-7896 Sheila Kadagathur, 39, worked as a “Kids Expert” for Nickelodeon before attending law school at the University of Chicago. In family law, she’s become an advocate for children.

Hostetter Strent; 301-657-0010 Sarah Mancinelli, 35, is under the tutelage of Washington super lawyer Sanford Ain. She worked on behalf of Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, in his highly publicized divorce. Ain & Bank; 202-530-3355 Megan Rosan, 35, practiced her trial skills as a moot court champion while in law school at the University of Maryland. She has enhanced her reputation since with a formidable courtroom presence, peers say. Bulman, Dunie, Burke & Feld; 301-656-1177 Hope Stafford, 38, is a rare divorce lawyer with a degree in engineering from the University of Virginia. Delaney McKinney; 301-913-5236 Rebekah Sullivan, 33, has already negotiated a highly publicized settlement in the divorce of Kathleen Biden, former wife of Hunter Biden. Since 2011, she has practiced in Maryland for Kuder, Smollar, Friedman & Mihalik; 202-331-7522

$325-$625 per hour: The billable rate for divorce attorneys in Montgomery County look nor feel of a law office. Shoop has been instrumental in bringing the collaborative concept—which includes multidisciplinary professionals such as experts in mental health, finance and law—to Maryland.

HOWARD SOYPHER Paley Rothman, Bethesda 301-951-9333 | paleyrothman.com

After years of being viewed as the protégé to Bethesda super lawyer Glenn Cooper, Howard Soypher, 46, has shed the understudy role and is now given full credit by colleagues as a family law force on his own. Soypher is a notorious early riser, making himself available to clients by 7 a.m. Says a onetime courtroom opponent: “Howard’s mind is very quick and he scores points before the witness can fully appreciate what has just happened—by then it’s too late.”

SCOTT STRICKLER, GEOFFREY PLATNICK

Erik Arena 154

Sarah Mancinelli

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

Scott Strickler, 56, and Geoffrey Platnick, 48, are both master strategists.

Platnick, a strategy game lover, views the practice of family law much like a chess game and is often court-appointed to strictly represent children who are pawns in a divorce. Strickler delights in confounding opponents and admits that

COURTESY PHOTOS

Shulman Rogers, Potomac 301-230-5200 | shulmanrogers.com

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top divorce lawyers

Disqualified!

Geoff Platnick

he has handled divorces that have been planned as many as three years before clients left their spouses. “It is never too early to discuss strategies that other lawyers might not contemplate,” he says.

accomplishing quite a bit at that time,” she says. Weisberg favors collaborative and cooperative types of dispute resolution, especially when children are involved.

ROBIN TAUB Paradiso, Taub, Sinay, Owel & Kostecka, Bethesda 301-986-7900 | familylawattys.com

Robin Taub, 57, made her name by representing professional athletes, including former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. Her expertise is in the sensitive handling of difficult custody battles. A colleague says of Taub: “Robin is a personable, engaging and savvy mediator who very effectively employs these attributes to get the parties to ‘yes.’ ” A majority of her divorce practice is mediation or collaborative in nature, and she rarely goes to court anymore.

ELIZABETH J. WEISBERG Lerch Early & Brewer, Bethesda 301-657-0160 | lerchearly.com

Elizabeth Weisberg, 67, is among the dependable, professional veterans at this downtown Bethesda firm, which offers top estate and real estate attorneys as well as family law services. Weisberg will likely talk to a prospective client by phone before scheduling a more indepth meeting. “I do charge for the initial office meeting, since we are working and 156

ANNE WHITE Pasternak & Fidis, Bethesda 301-656-8850 | pasternakfidis.com

During the Jimmy Carter administration, Anne “Jan” White, 73, worked in the general counsel’s office at the Commerce Department, specializing in international trade. She switched to family law, she says, “to commit to a profession that helps people.” She adds: “I wanted to make a difference and I also knew that I had the capabilities to do so.”

MICHELE ZAVOS, EVA JUNCKER Zavos Juncker Law Group, Silver Spring 301-562-8220 | zavosjunckerlawgroup. com

For all matters LGBTQ, Michele Zavos, 65, has the longest and most established practice, working on behalf of clients’ marriages before they were legal. “There have been significant developments in third-party custody and visitation cases after the Maryland Court of Appeals reinstated the de facto parent doctrine,” she says. “Given the changing nature of families…this is very important.” Her law partner, Eva Juncker, 41, is the firm’s litigation head.

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

Kim Isaac Eisler is the author of four books about lawyers and has been writing about Washington-area divorce lawyers since 1990.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Scott Strickler

Nearly all divorce lawyers charge clients for an initial interview. A diminishing number offer a free half-hour consultation before starting the meter. Most charge their full hourly rate.

One reason: A Maryland State Bar Association rule states that once you have interviewed an attorney, and presumably revealed at least one significant secret, your spouse can’t hire that person. So theoretically, a spouse could go office to office and disqualify all the overly expensive or difficult attorneys that he or she might not want to have on the other side. Charging some fee discourages the practice, divorce lawyers say.

While the practice still occurs, it is not as big a problem as it was. “I just don’t think there are as many junkyard dogs [who you are trying to disqualify] as there [were] back when I first started,” says Jonathan Dana of Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell. He says he assumes the best when someone comes in for an interview, even if they have already interviewed a few other lawyers. “I think many potential clients are just smart consumers, and they want to see different styles and get multiple opinions before they settle on the one,” Dana says. n

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interview

NAME Jack Conger AGE 22 WHAT HE DOES Professional swimmer HOMETOWN Rockville

158

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

A CONVERSATION WITH

JACK CONGER The Olympic swimmer talks about growing up in Rockville, the advice he got from Michael Phelps, and that night at the gas station in Rio

BY AMY REININK | PHOTO BY DREW ANTHONY SMITH

JACK CONGER HAD JUST finished a workout at the U.S. Olympic swim team’s training camp in Atlanta last summer when teammate Ryan Lochte, someone Conger had looked up to for years, asked him to come sign autographs. “Dude, they don’t want my autograph,” Conger said.

“You’re an Olympian,” Lochte told him. “They do want your autograph.”

The two stayed late until the line of fans dwindled.

“He looked at me after the last person was gone and said, ‘I never leave someone out who wants an autograph—because this will never last, Jack,’ ” Conger says. “That has really stuck with me.”

For Conger, now 22, it was one of many surreal experiences that followed the moment he touched the wall at the 2016 Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska, realizing a dream he’d hatched as a kid growing up in Rockville. By placing third in the 200meter freestyle final, he earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic 800-meter freestyle relay team. “When I saw my mom, my dad and my sister [in the arena], it all really hit home,” he says. “I didn’t start crying until I saw my mom later that night at the hotel.”

Conger, who went on to earn a gold medal at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro by swimming in the semifinals of the freestyle relay and helping the U.S. qualify for the finals, became a competitive swimmer at age 9. At his neighborhood pool, Flower Valley in Rockville, he quickly began demolishing records in Montgomery County’s summer league. He was also a rising star in the region’s club swim team system, where he was a member of the Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club before following his coach, Sue Chen, to Machine Aquatics and then to the Nation’s Capital Swim Club. A 2013 graduate of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Conger was a three-time Washington Post All-Met Swimmer of the Year and broke a national high school record in the 100-yard butterfly. Swimming World Magazine

named him a “National High School Swimmer of the Year” in 2013.

Conger accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin (UT), where he helped lead the Longhorns to three consecutive NCAA men’s swimming and diving national championships, most recently in March. He made headlines last summer in Rio, but not for the reasons he’d hoped. It started during a night out with teammates Lochte, Gunnar Bentz and Jimmy Feigen. Lochte told reporters that he and the three other swimmers were the victims of a robbery at gunpoint that night, but a police investigation showed that security guards at a gas station stopped the swimmers after they urinated outside and damaged a poster.

The incident was covered by media outlets around the world, and commentators criticized the swimmers for drawing negative attention to Team USA. Conger, who admits to urinating in public and having too much to drink that night, maintains that he did nothing else wrong. According to media reports, police later said that he and Bentz were “witnesses to a crime.” Three days after the incident, Brazilian officials removed Conger and Bentz from a plane headed home and detained them overnight for questioning; they were on their way back to the U.S. the following evening. Later, the U.S. Olympic Committee suspended Conger, Feigen and Bentz for four months.

Lochte received a 10-month suspension, and he and Feigen both had to perform community service.

Conger, who will be a fifth-year senior at UT this fall, is no longer eligible to compete with his college team. He’s officially a professional swimmer, meaning he can seek endorsement deals and receive money to swim. He has his eyes on the summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020, where he hopes to compete in individual events and relays.

He shared his plans to get there, along with his Olympic memories, by phone from Austin.

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At the 2016 Olympic trials, Jack Conger celebrated with his University of Texas at Austin teammate Townley Haas after their 200-meter freestyle swim. They both made the Olympic team.

Do you have a favorite swimming memory from growing up?

My first cool swimming memory from when I was young is when I broke a 25-yard fly record at Tilden Woods Pool that was set by a swimmer who went to the Olympic trials. I didn’t know who he was, but my coaches were really excited. They said he was almost an Olympian. I’d already broken a bunch of little pool records, but it kind of opened my eyes to the idea that if I broke his record, maybe I could go to the Olympic trials, too. I’d always wanted to be an Olympian, but this was the kind of thing that really, really made me want to achieve that.

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Were there other moments when you got really serious about the Olympics?

I vividly remember watching the Olympic trials every night on the couch at home when I was 13. I remember seeing the [University of Texas] Longhorn caps on Brendan Hansen and Aaron Peirsol, and I told my mom I wanted one. She told me, ‘When you go to the Olympic trials, I’ll buy you one.’ The Olympics were in Beijing that year, and I would stay up until 2 a.m. to watch swimming. I watched all of Michael Phelps’ races, and was in shock at all he accomplished.

What are your favorite memories of growing up in Rockville?

We lived in Flower Valley, and I had four or five best friends who lived within walking distance. After school I’d always go to a friend’s house and we’d do our homework together, then go to baseball or basketball practice together or just hang out. I loved growing up in Rockville, and those friendships are a major

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

reason why. We’d all hang out at the Flower Valley pool, and we got called ‘pool rats’ a lot because we would just spend the entire summer there. They always get in touch with me after big meets, which means a lot to me.

When did swimming start to get really serious for you?

Coach Dave Kraft at RockvilleMontgomery Swim Club would have a goal meeting with his swimmers every year. When I was 13, my mom [and I] walked into the meeting and he said, ‘Look, you can be really good, but you have to train your ass off. You’re not the most talented swimmer out there, but if you’re the most hardworking, things will fall into line for you.’ We talked about Olympic aspirations. He was the one who got me to think about that.

In middle school I still played basketball, and after my last basketball game in seventh grade I said, ‘I’m done. I only want to swim. I want to go to the

COURTESY PHOTO

When and how did you start swimming?

We went to the Outer Banks in North Carolina every summer on a big family vacation. My mom was always afraid I’d fall off the dock and drown, so she put me in swim lessons when I was 5.

Olympics and I want to be a gold medalist.’ I showed up late to practice after that game, and I walked up to Dave and shook his hand and said, ‘I just played in the last basketball game of my life.’

Which other coaches had a big impact on you growing up?

I really have to credit Sue Chen, my club coach, who I still train with when I come back home, for me being the swimmer I am today. She means the world to me.

She coached me from age 14 to 18. I may have been good before, but it was under her that I became great. When I started with her in eighth grade, I was pretty lazy. The work ethic she allowed me to develop is what’s enabled me to succeed. She would tell me that I have a lot of talent, but that there will always be someone more talented. She would also tell me that since I’m not the biggest guy, I’d have to make up for that in training, and make sure I’m doing everything I can do so that when it’s time to race I never look back.

What would your normal day look like in high school?

It was horrible. On a typical day I’d wake up at 4:20 a.m., then go to practice from 4:45 a.m. to 6:15 a.m. I’d go to school all day, then go right to afternoon practice from 3:45 p.m. to 7 p.m. Then I’d go home, eat dinner and do my homework.

Or, if I didn’t have a lot of stuff to do, I’d hang out with my friends. High school was brutal and a grind for me.

How did you get through that time?

There were times when I’d think, Wow, this is a lot right now. I don’t know if I really want to do this. I don’t know if my body will allow me to keep doing this. I did have to sacrifice a lot of high school life. So I’d just have to keep asking myself what’s more important: enjoying myself and having fun in high school, or achieving my swimming goals. I had to learn at a young age that I had to make a choice.

My mom and dad and Sue helped me

Alumnus and Video Game Developer Establishes Scholarship Ashley Cheng is grateful for all his life lessons, including the one instilled in him by his grandparents about the value of a good education. They told him at an early age that he must go to college.

They also told him he would have to pay for it. Cheng began his education at Montgomery College and then transferred to the University of Maryland. He graduated with a degree in English literature—and a love of gaming.

Another life lesson instilled in Cheng by his grandparents was the importance of giving back. So when Ashley became a successful game developer in Montgomery County, he established the Ellen Lin Cheng Scholarship, in honor of his grandmother.

Ashley Cheng is providing others with the same educational opportunities he received by supporting the Montgomery College Foundation. You can be a “game changer” for our students, too.

montgomerycollege.edu/foundation Carol Rognrud Executive Director of the Montgomery College Foundation carol.rognrud@montgomerycollege.edu 240-567-7493 BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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realize that you may have to pay the price for having to grow up early, but that it can be very rewarding in the end.

They told me, ‘I’m not going to choose for you, but I want to remind you that the sacrifice will be worth it.’

Were there experiences that were tough to miss out on?

Yes. Beach Week, when seniors in Montgomery County traditionally go to the beach for a week with all their best friends. I really wanted to go. I knew my parents would let me go if I wanted to.

But I didn’t even ask Sue if I could go because I already knew the answer. She asked me about it that spring, and I told her that I didn’t ask because I figured she’d yell at me for asking. She said she probably would have. I told her that’s exactly why I didn’t ask.

Did you know as soon as you touched the wall at the Olympic trials that you were going to the Olympics?

Being a student of the sport, I knew they had always taken the top six finishers [in the 200-meter freestyle, for the 800meter freestyle relay]. And I knew that they have to take the top four. I can close my eyes and remember everything about that race. I was sitting in the ready room with my [University of Texas] teammate Townley Haas. I tend to take the ready room very seriously, but on that day, [we] were laughing and joking. I was seeded second or third, and he was seeded third or fourth, so we both had this feeling that we’d be all right. When I came off that last wall, I knew I was in third. I thought: You’ve made the Olympics. Let’s see if you can do it individually. I ran out of ground to do that. [Conger came in third, and only the top two finishers were selected to compete in the individual event.] But I knew as soon as I touched the wall that I’d made the Olympics. I was ecstatic. It was just a feeling of happiness, joy, and that all my hard work had just paid off.

I felt immediately that I was part of that elite group now.

What are your best memories from the Olympics?

My favorite part was spending five weeks at Olympic Training Camp before the Olympics. It was very, very exciting being able to unite as Team USA. The U.S. Olympic swim team is one of the most successful and watched teams in the Olympics, and in the world, so it’s actually really important that we get the team chemistry right. We have to take care of business, but that time is also for us to become friends and gel as a team.

Since I was a rookie, I really learned a lot. I could just sit at a table and listen to Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps and Nathan Adrian talk, and learn so much.

A lot of it was just about having confidence in our training. They would say, ‘You’re on this Olympic team for a reason—you don’t need advice from us.’

They all became friends over the course of the camp, and I text all of them to this day. It’s really cool becoming friends with some of the people I’ve looked up to since I was a kid.

When did you first meet Michael Phelps, and what was that like?

I first met him at 2015 nationals, after we both had really good 200-fly races.

We just kind of started talking on the awards stand about the Olympic trials and our aspirations. He gave me some really good advice that I really took to heart—he told me to just keep doing what I’m doing. Everyone tries to make changes the year of the Olympics. But he told me, ‘You’re getting faster, you’re getting stronger, so there’s no reason to change anything.’ It was really cool being his teammate and sharing that experience with him. But when you’re his teammate you have to show him the respect of not being starstruck by him anymore. You can’t ask him for pictures or autographs—he deserves the respect of being treated like a regular person.

I have to ask about the gas station incident. What was that like from BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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interview

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www.paulrossdpm.com 164

your perspective?

One thing I took away from it is that my mom always taught me that you can be guilty by association, and that it’s important to double-check and double-think the situations you put yourself in and the people you surround yourself with. It’s especially important for me now, because just by being associated with that incident, although I did nothing wrong and was innocent, it still reflected poorly on myself, my family, my university and my country. Having said all of that, I learned a lot about myself and who my real friends are as a result of that situation. It made me grow up a lot.

In terms of learning who my real friends are, I had tons of people texting me, but I noticed that a few people—my close friends—just texted, ‘I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but I just want to know that you’re OK.’ That meant a lot to me. In terms of what I learned about myself, there’s a Latin phrase, per aspera ad astra, that means ‘through the thorns and into the stars.’ To me, it means when things are really tough, keep digging deeper. Like in swimming, when you’re getting tired, you need to learn how to trick your mind to keep pushing through. In dealing with any kind of adversity, if you can dig deep and find the strength to keep going, it will make you a better, stronger person.

Did you ever think you’d be pulled off of your plane home to be questioned?

I didn’t really think about it at all. What I really want to do now is to focus on Tokyo 2020. I need to make sure I take care of business so that I can be remembered as Jack Conger, the amazing swimmer, not Jack Conger, the guy who got messed up in Rio. Do you ever get hassled or heckled about it?

My friends will joke about it from time to time, and it’s hilarious with them. But during the first few months I was back in Austin, I would notice people I didn’t know looking at me and talking about me.

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

I remember one particular instance in a restaurant when I’d been back in Austin for two days. I heard some people talking about it right next to me. I just left. I just didn’t want to deal with it. But it’s all over now. You live, you make mistakes, and hopefully you learn from them.

What are you studying in school, and what are your post-swimming aspirations?

I’m majoring in corporate communications with a minor in business, and I’d like to get into the public relations field whenever I retire. I’ve always been attracted to PR, and especially to crisis management, which is really funny because of what I went through last summer. But I like being under pressure and in the spotlight, and knowing that I can perform under that pressure. I like knowing that I can act fast and make quick decisions.

What’s next for you? Will you continue to train with your college team even though you won’t be competing at the collegiate level?

I’m still in school for one more year, and I’m still going to be swimming with my [UT] team because I think I’ve developed really well as a swimmer here. I’ve kept on getting faster and stronger, and I love my friends and family in Austin.

It just feels like the right place for me right now.

I’ll probably be feeling the change in September because I won’t be training for the NCAAs—I’ll be training for nationals, which I will hopefully qualify for. I’ll be looking at sponsors and agents, but that’s not priority. Right now I’m really focusing on meeting my goals, but also just being a kid and having fun swimming. Sure, as a pro it will be my job, but I’m pretty sure any pro swimmer would say that it’s not work because they love it so much. ■ Amy Reinink is a frequent contributor to the magazine who also writes for Men’s Health and other publications.

— Winston Churchill

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With its inaugural award, Cornerstone Montgomery honors the legacy of County Executive Isiah Leggett whose administration has supported individuals with behavioral health and co-occurring substance-use disorders.

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The short stories and essays that took the top prizes in our annual writing competition

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVID OWENS THE WINNERS OF THE 2017 short story and essay contests are an impressive group. Both of the adult winners are in their 20s, and the high school short story winner was the 2016 essay contest winner. This year, 100 adults and 41 high school students entered the short story contest, and 116 adults and 47 high school students entered the essay contest. The writers who placed in the contests, which were sponsored by Bethesda Magazine and the Bethesda Urban Partnership, were awarded cash prizes ranging from $50 to $500 at the Bethesda Literary Festival in April. The work of the first-place winners appears on the pages that follow.

Check out the runners-up at BethesdaMagazine.com and bethesda.org.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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Sara FranklinGillette LIVES IN: Bethesda AGE: 20 WHAT SHE DOES: A rising junior at William & Mary in Virginia, FranklinGillette is majoring in psychology with a minor in creative writing. “I work in the writing center, am involved with community service and am a research assistant in a psychology lab.”

HOW SHE GOT HER START: Encouraged by her mother, who worked as a freelance writer, Franklin-Gillette started taking writing more seriously in the creative writing program at William & Mary.

FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE: “Anywhere outside.”

FAVORITE AUTHOR: Kazuo Ishiguro

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The Quarry

BY SARA FRANKLIN-GILLETTE

“ONCE YOU SEE IT, you’re not going to want to sell it,” Cora said as she flicked the blinker and exited the highway.

“Once you see it, you’re going to realize that selling it is the right thing to do,” I retorted. “Turn left at the next street and then we’re almost there.”

My younger sister, Cora, guided the car onto the narrow side road. Hours before, we had left D.C., driving deep into a part of rural western Maryland that a month earlier I hadn’t even known existed. As we drove farther away from what we knew, the roads became more narrow and pothole-ridden.

“Leah, you’re going to see how special it is,” Cora said. “It meant something to him.”

“That doesn’t mean it has to mean something to us.” I studied the paper map with the route traced in red. “This is as far as we can drive. We have to walk from here.” The atmosphere changed as the car rolled to a stop at the side of the road. Cora gripped the wheel, her knuck-

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

les white. She stared at her lap, not lifting her eyes to what was beyond the window.

I felt like gravity had increased, pulling me down into my seat and keeping me inside the car. We were quiet; neither of us knew what to say now that we had arrived.

In May, two months before he died, our father bought a quarry—a rock quarry, abandoned, half mined and potentially worthless. He had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and we had not yet changed his power of attorney. Through his clouded thoughts, he believed his purchase would make us all rich.

When he told us of the purchase, our father said, “ ‘A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral,’ ” quoting Antoine de Saint Exupéry, our favorite author. He had always been literary. Even as his mind deteriorated, he remembered his favorite quotes, though not their contexts. As he

(continued on page 172)

SARA FRANKLIN-GILLETTE COURTESY PHOTO

ADULT SHORT STORY CONTEST WINNER

HIGH SCHOOL SHORT STORY CONTEST WINNER

Gray Worlds

Jack Kiyonaga

JACK KIYONAGA COURTESY PHOTO

BY JACK KIYONAGA

IT WAS GRAY AND cold, but I had my earbuds and insulated jacket. I liked the gray more anyway. Walking around Dupont Circle, I passed boutique coffee shops, cool bars, a misplaced Subway and a number of rather attractive women. My breath was cloudy, eyes watery, as I muttered Chance the Rapper lines to myself.

I had just exchanged some gray flannel pants. Off-the-rack pants don’t usually fit my lanky frame. Damn, those were some expensive pants. Lost in my own world, I strode down the escalator into the Metro.

Maybe it was due to the lifeless, opaque sky, but the Metro was filled with a grim, grungy light. I loaded my card and headed down to the platform. Let me tell you, Dupont Circle Metro at 2:30 p.m. is not very crowded. Soon though, I was not alone. Backlit, a figure approached. Tight black braids crossed his head like horns and trickled down to his shoulders. His voice was soft and smooth, as if he had been a musician at some point in life.

“Hey man, I’m going to Rockville, you

see, I just need a little bit.”

Ah, the age-old “just going to Rockville.” I had three dollars in my pocket.

“I really don’t have anything, but here, let me check.” I lamely drew a quarter from my pocket.

“Cool. Hey man, thank you, anything helps,” he said almost lyrically as he reached up a closed fist. I lightly bumped it with my own. As nonchalantly as possible, I meandered about 20 feet to my right and awaited my train. Racist?

Maybe. Practical, sure.

The train arrived with its usual melodramatic whining and screeching. I sat down on one of those nasty orange seats and pulled out The New Yorker. Yeah, I read The New Yorker for fun. The man with the horn braids got on the other end of the train. A kid that looked about my age sat across from me. He was white and wearing a white button shirt and black jeans, but was given away by an almost

LIVES IN: Chevy Chase HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated in June from Gonzaga College High School in D.C. AGE: 18 PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED IN: Bethesda Magazine as the winner of the 2016 high school essay contest FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE: “Next to my bed on the floor.”

FAVORITE AUTHOR: J.D. Salinger UP NEXT: Attending the University of Pennsylvania. “I rowed for the varsity crew team at Gonzaga and am looking forward to continuing writing and rowing at UPenn.”

(continued on page 174) BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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Stella Donovan LIVES IN: Rockville AGE: 26 WHAT SHE DOES: Book editor at NASW Press in Washington, D.C. HOW SHE GOT HER START: “I started dictating short stories to my mother when I was 3. She would fold the stories into little books for me to illustrate. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to hand her a real book that I’ve written.”

HER BACKGROUND: Donovan graduated from the University of Maryland, where she completed the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House program.

She is currently a member of the Rockville Writers’ Group.

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED IN: Stylus: A Journal of Literature and Art and Silver Spring Voice FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE: “On the Metro during my commute.”

FAVORITE AUTHORS: Virginia Woolf and Colm Tóibín UP NEXT: “I am working on my first novel.”

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Now Play

BY STELLA DONOVAN

MY UNCLE IS DYING, and I don’t know what to say to him. My family has flown across the country to spend one last Christmas by his side, and I’m avoiding him as if the cancer were contagious.

I am a coward. So little is being asked of me during this visit. I’m not expected to bathe my uncle, or give him injections, or monitor his symptoms for signs of deterioration. All I have to do is tell him now, while there’s still time, that I love him. But I feel incapable of confronting the inevitabilities that hover around him. I put the conversation off, hoping the right words will come. At 25, I know that I’m too old for this kind of paralysis.

A few days into the visit, my uncle corners me in the kitchen. To my surprise, he doesn’t want to discuss his prognosis or exchange pleasantries. He wants to talk about Mozart.

“I hear you’re working on the Sonata in C major,” he says, steering me toward the piano in the front room.

My uncle is the finest musician I know.

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

I’ve spent my whole life listening to his interpretations of Bach, Schubert, Haydn and all the other geniuses, wondering if I could achieve a fraction of his artistry in my own playing.

“When I was in college,” he begins, “everyone tried to make Mozart sound pretty. They all played jewelry-box Mozart. And this was the composer of Don Giovanni.”

His eyes fill as he says the name of the opera. Over the past year, the disease has hijacked his neurological functioning. His emotions are amplified and, at times, beyond his control.

“My teacher,” he continues after a moment, “said that he was hearing a lot of Mozart that sounded like Beethoven, and a lot of Mozart that sounded like Chopin, but not a lot of Mozart that sounded like Mozart. I spent a whole year studying that piece, note by note, trying to understand what he meant.”

(continued on page 176)

STELLA DONOVAN COURTESY PHOTO

ADULT ESSAY CONTEST WINNER

HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST WINNER

Where Are You From?

Nina Gautam

NINA GAUTAM COURTESY PHOTO

BY NINA GAUTAM

HOME. FOUR SMALL LETTERS yet the word has infinite meanings. On the first day of summer camp, cheesy icebreaker activities are always a go-to for counselors. This year, the question addressed to my group was “Where are you from?” Immediately, flashes of the yard in Uganda appeared in my head, the homemade swing in Tanzania, my bedroom in Maryland. When it was my turn to share, I hesitated, then quietly mumbled something about Bethesda as I was finally able to picture one complete house instead of fragments of rooms in multiple houses. That first night, I lay awake in the dorm for hours pondering the different answers I could have given, and if I had given the right answer.

In Uganda, my two best friends, the daughters of our housekeeper, taught me how to ride a bike in the red-dust road filled with potholes and broken glass, while I taught them how to type on the computer. We shared everything from clothes to forbidden after-

noon snacks to lice, intertwining lives so closely that our accents at the end of three years were not Lugandan, American or British, but a strange mixture of all three. I am from Uganda.

In Tanzania, I learned about the East African slave trade and the endangered species of the savanna, how to snorkel and pick up sea urchins without getting pricked, how to properly open a coconut, and how to use only two buckets of cold water to shower when the power was out.

I have numerous Tinga Tinga paintings, for which Dar es Salaam is famous, and a dhow wood bookshelf made from recycled local fishing boats. I am from Tanzania.

Here in Bethesda, my bedroom’s walls are purple, but the paint is barely visible behind all of the pictures and signs hanging up. I have our red diplomatic license plate from Uganda, beaded Swahili signs, and an Indian bedspread and tapestry that I got on one of many visits

LIVES IN: Bethesda HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated in May from Winston Churchill in Potomac AGE: 17 FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE: “Anywhere—setting does not matter.”

FAVORITE AUTHOR: John Green UP NEXT: Attending UCLA, where she plans to be on the premed track, majoring in human biology and society.

“I am looking forward to participating in research and studying abroad. I do plan to keep on writing, but only for myself.”

(continued on page 176) BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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3

THE QUARRY

GRAY WORLDS

(continued from page 173)

(continued from page 169)

his; her forehead crinkled. Even the way she bit her lip mirrored him exactly. For a moment, I almost felt like he was here, like he lived in her. Then Cora turned away.

“It means nothing,” I insisted, my voice louder than it needed to be. “He didn’t know what he was doing when he bought it. He may have never even been here.” As I gazed at the quarry, I realized that I was trying to reassure myself as well as convince her. “I’m sorry,” I said, turning away.

I sat down on the edge of the quarry. My feet hung into the abyss.

As we sat in silence, I at the top and she at the bottom, the temperature began to drop and the light changed. Shadows advanced and withdrew. They crept up the walls and slithered along the floor.

Pools of darkness joined the pools of water. The quarry breathed. The lowering sun projected Cora’s shadow across the rock, larger than life, like she wasn’t alone down there.

Then the sun set and the shadows vanished. In the sudden dark, the quarry looked flat and still. The rocks were no longer anything more than just that. The cathedral hadn’t just vanished; it had never existed.

“It’s just rocks, isn’t it?” Cora asked, her voice flat. Her question echoed in the dark, the disappointment in her voice magnified in each resounding echo.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” She stood up. “I’m ready to go. You can call the developer.” I nodded. Cora climbed back up to the top and, without a word, we retraced the path back to the car. As we drove away, I grew unsettled. The last image of the quarry, flat and dark, faded in my mind as the distance from it increased, and the memory of the dancing shadows grew stronger. The quarry means nothing, I repeated to myself. Rocks are just rocks.

But as we drove away, I felt as though I had left something behind. n

rebellious rhinestone encrusted hat, black earrings and a bad case of acne.

A few stops into our ride, a young man and woman shuffled onto the train, drained passengers on a joyless joyride. They had heavy eyes devoid of any expectation and wore ill-fitting sweatshirts of teams they had probably never cheered for. Their demeanors were tired and ashen, yet somehow focused. They locked eyes with each other, and before they even opened their mouths, I knew they had something to say.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” His pale gray eyes swept the car. “My fiancée is pregnant and we are starving. Please, anything helps. Any change, food, water. Please.”

The man with the devilish braids got up and walked over to them. They spoke in low voices for a minute. We locked eyes as he pulled out my quarter and held it up, not unlike the Eucharist.

“This man,” he said, pointing at me, “gave me this, and now I’m giving it to you.

Pass on what is good, what is beautiful.”

I still had my three dollars in my pocket and tried to press myself into the pukecolored seat. Damn it, I knew I couldn’t give these people any money without exposing myself as a fraud. If only I had been more generous with that man, he could have given this couple more.

The couple walked down the aisle toward me. The acne-faced kid sitting across from me slipped them 30 bucks in the most nonplus way possible. I was shocked. All I could do was nod my head as the couple came by. I tried to look back down at The New Yorker, but its words, its intellectual arguments supported by such glamorous tones and thoughtful verbiage, now seemed paper thin. What had just happened seemed so purposefully directed at me. I sat thinking for a few minutes, my article on Julian Assange folded across my lap. I dreamed of God. “You know she’s not pregnant.” The

174

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

kid with acne had a coarse voice, like sandpaper.

“What?”

“She’s not pregnant. They come through here every day.”

He had silvery tears on his cheeks. He had been crying.

“They don’t stop asking you until you pay them.” He sounded fragile.

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Are you new to D.C.? I ride this train every day.”

“No… I, I usually have practice.” He looked lonely as he gazed around the Metro car. My voice was quieter, more controlled than I would have liked. I wanted to shake him. To scream at him, “Why the fuck are you crying? Is it their pain you cannot take? Is it their lies and manipulation? Are you crying because you just gave in to their weekly toll?

You paid them off, simple as that, not to bother you anymore? Do you weep for me because I’m cynical, because I cannot ever, truly understand?”

I looked around at the empty car.

Distorted reflections melted by on the blacked out windows. We both got off at Bethesda, but didn’t say anything more or walk next to each other. I put my earbuds back in as I rejoined the placid world from which I had come. Chance the Rapper seemed too upbeat, I needed something contemplative. I settled on Nirvana.

To the cacophony of power chords and Kurt Cobain, I walked by Booeymonger, Starbucks and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School as I headed for home down East West Highway. Heart flushed, I re-spoke the words I had heard that day. My pace quickened. Desperate faces filled my mind. My inner turmoil must have shown on my physical appearance as a woman I passed shot me a concerned look. Unable to satisfy myself with worldly thoughts, I turned to the profound. I tried to think of Jesus on that Metro. Was he in the radical generosity of the braided-hair man? Or the desperate longing of the young couple? Or in the robust humanity of the acne kid?

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Or maybe all three. Regardless, I tried to ask him why he was crying, if I should be crying. And as I climbed to the top of my hill, as Kurt Cobain yelled about entertainers, as I felt shards of glass in my stomach, the questions finally became too much. So I accepted the gray and noticed that it had started to rain. n

NOW PLAY (continued from page 170) He sits down, places his hands on the keys, and launches into the sonata’s opening. For a few measures, the melody is bright and true. But then his left hand trips and his right hand loses its certainty.

The notes clash, and then stop entirely.

“My hands don’t play together anymore,” he tells me.

176

I marvel at the unique cruelty of his illness, which doesn’t even spare the music.

He lifts his fingers off of the keys, pauses, and looks at me.

“You don’t have to play Mozart the same way that everyone else does. That’s what I want to tell you about music.”

I realize that this is how we say goodbye. He doesn’t need me to talk. He just wants to encourage me one final time.

He stands up from the piano bench, gesturing for me to take his seat.

“Now play,” he says. n

WHERE ARE YOU FROM? (continued from page 171) to New Delhi, where my dad was born and raised. I learned how to ski and drive here, how to use a cash register and play

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

competitive volleyball. Here I see the other side of the scale, what comfort and abundance look like compared with the poverty of developing countries. I am also from Maryland.

After hours of lying awake on the first night of camp, I fell asleep with one conclusion. I don’t want to be a person who defines herself by the address of her current house. I see no borders; home cannot be confined to one address, one city, one country, one continent. I thrive on diversity and compassion, on new experiences and different perspectives. Whatever I end up doing in life, I hope I will be able to satiate this desire, because I am a mosaic of past experiences. In the future, I hope the question “Where are you from?” never fails to make me pause and reflect on the different pieces of the mosaic, of me. n

to Long & Foster | Christie’s exclusive “Showcase of Homes” As the home of the best-trained, best-equipped agents in the industry, we are positioned to provide unsurpassed service and expertise to today’s real estate clients from contract to closing and beyond. No matter what your real estate goals are, Long & Foster | Christie’s International Real Estate agents can help you take advantage of historic real estate opportunities.

Enjoy browsing the following pages, and when you’re ready to take the next step, we welcome you to contact one of our sales offices or expert sales associates.

1

#

In Bethesda In the Washington Metro Area In the Mid-Atlantic Region Private Residential Real Estate Company in the Country** Seller of Luxury Homes in the Mid-Atlantic Region

**Source: Information is based on data supplied MRIS and its member Association(s) of REALTORS, who are not responsible for its accuracy. Does not reflect all activity in the marketplace. January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. Information contained in this report is deemed reliable but not guaranteed, should be independently verified, and does not constitute an opinion of MRIS or Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. **by sales volume. ©2017 All rights reserved.

Bethesda WELCOME PAGE July-Aug.indd 2

6/9/17 12:32 PM

Bethesda Gateway Office Nearly $1.2 Billion in Sales for 2016

Potomac

$3,988,000

Breathtaking gated estate on 3 acres of gorgeous landscaped grounds with waterfalls, meditation gardens, sanctuary and chipping green. Six bedrooms, 10 baths, including first-floor master suite. Custom theater room, spectacular ballroom opening to beautiful rear patios.

Michael Matese 301.806.6829 Mike@MichaelMatese.com

Chevy Chase/Kenwood

$2,295,000

Potomac/Avenel

$2,100,000

Stately 6 bedroom, 4.5 bath brick home built in 1937.

Special features include hardwood floors, three fireplaces, detached two-car garage, slate roof and beautiful landscaped yard with Charleston boxwood garden.

Monica Mastal 202.607.4843 / Monica.Mastal@LNF.com Erin Corette 202.669.4377 /ecorette@aol.com

Stunning custom home is an entertainer’s dream! High ceilings, 5 bedrooms, 5.3 baths. Chef’s kitchen open to great room. Rec/billiard room and home theater. Backyard paradise features covered porch, fireplace, waterfall, pond and sport court!

Wendy Banner & Ilene Gordon 301.440.1060 The Banner Team / Ilene@BannerTeam.com

Sandy Spring/Olney

Chevy Chase

Bethesda $1,549,000 Gorgeous 4-finishedlevel end unit lives like a single family home! Open floor plan, 10-foot ceilings, new hardwoods, gourmet kitchen open to family room with fireplace.

Owner’s suite with sitting area. Media room, fitness room.

Corner lot with private patio. Two-car garage.

$1,495,000

Potomac

Rockville

$1,395,000

Grand Arts & Crafts cottage gutted to the bricks, rebuilt and expanded. All new in 2016: systems, windows, flooring, roof, landscaping, plus more. Deep, level backyard with brick patio. Rock Creek Park, playground, neighborhood shops just blocks away. A jewel. Owner-agent.

Joe Rubin 301.455.4371 / Joe.Rubin@LNF.com

G

IN

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Ilene Gordon 301.440.1060 / The Banner Team Ilene@BannerTeam.com

Fabulous 5 bedroom, 6 full bath custom home with 4-car garage on a pristine 2.3 acre lot. Wonderful features for entertaining including a center island kitchen, first-floor family room, movie room, and expansive patio with builtin bar and grill.

Marla Gruzin 301.922.9362 /Marla.Gruzin@LNF.com

ON

SO

$1,099,000

Pristine 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath Park Potomac condo featuring beautiful eat-in kitchen with island, gorgeous hardwoods, 2 patios and 2 parking spaces! Wonderful building amenities.

Across the street from shops and restaurants!

Donna Karpa & Sharon Owens 301.215.6907 Donna.Karpa@LNF.com

$975,000

Renovate or tear down in Luxmanor. Fabulous lot on culde-sac.

Kris Feldman 301.806.8240 Kris.Feldman@LNF.com

Gaithersburg

$959,000

Charming 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath Mitchell-Best Colonial in prestigious Kentlands community. Gleaming hardwood floors on first level, kitchen open to family room, library, separate dining room, 2-car garage, covered porch and flagstone patio.

Stephanie Walsh 301.602.2526/ StephanieSWalsh@aol.com

BethesdaGatewaySales.com | LongandFoster.com 4650 East West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland | 301.907.7600

Bethesda Gateway 2017 July-Aug.indd 1

6/9/17 12:10 PM

Bethesd

Bethesda Gateway Office Already More Than $570 Million Sold in 2017

Potomac

$1,999,000

Wesley Heights, D.C.

$1,929,000

Potomac Falls

$1,569,000

Gracious custom home on two idyllic acres with tiered patio and magnificent pool with spa. Expansive gourmet kitchen, great room with vaulted ceilings and stone fireplace, finished lower level. Pristine and beautiful.

Susan Fitzpatrick 240.793.8523 Sue@LNF.com

Lovely sun-filled Tudor on one of the most beautiful streets in DC. Top-of-the-line kitchen, family room with fireplace, dining room with cathedral ceilings, walkout lower level, gorgeous deck.

Ben Fazeli 202.253.2269 / Ben.Fazeli@LNF.com Roya Hakimzadeh 202.744.8985 / Roya@LNF.com

Sun-filled California contemporary on 2 acres overlooking Great Falls Nat’l Park! Open floor plan with exposed brick walls, 2-story wall of windows, 3 fireplaces, walkout lower level. Guest cottage with kitchen, pool and pool house!

Ilene Gordon 301.440.1060 / The Banner Team Ilene@BannerTeam.com

Bethesda

Potomac/Avenel

Bethesda

$1,250,000

This stunning new home boasts a stone and Hardiplank exterior, 9-foot ceilings, gourmet kitchen and great room with fireplace. A first-floor office, separate dining room, and large walk-in closets add functionality to elegance.

Jill Chodorov 202.390.9800 Jill.Chodorov@LNF.com

$1,129,000

$1,028,000

Pristine 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath brick rambler on private lot in Tulip Hill. Open floor plan features large family room with built-ins, main-level master with en suite bath, 3 fireplaces, walkout lower level and oversized rooms throughout, perfect for entertaining.

Michael Matese 301.806.6829 Mike@MichaelMatese.com

Bethesda

Olney

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IN

M CO

Former model home on 15th green of Avenel TPC golf course! Open floor plan, 4 finished levels, sunroom.

Owner’s suite with private balcony and golf course views!

Lower level rec room, wet bar, office. Private brick patio.

Community pool/tennis, minutes to Potomac Village.

Wendy Banner & Ilene Gordon 301.440.1060 The Banner Team / Ilene@BannerTeam.com

ON

SO

Bethesda

$799,000

Renovated, darling cape in Alta Vista. New kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, refinished hardwoods, and sunroom. Cute, cute, cute!

Kris Feldman 301.806.8240 Kris.Feldman@LNF.com

Please call for price!

Spacious 4-level split, beautifully maintained, in Stratton Woods. This home features 3 bedrooms, 3 full updated baths, eat-in kitchen with Quartz countertops, large family room with fireplace, and 3-season sunroom leading to deck and lush, landscaped yard.

Cathy Johnson 301.980.5242 / Cathy.Johnson@LNF.com

$579,000

Light-filled 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath Colonial on one of the largest lots in Hallowell. Large first-floor family room with fireplace, expansive living room, dining room with bay window, deep deck overlooking private flagstone patio and lovely treed yard.

Mary Bajwa 202.528.6867 / Mary.Bajwa@LNF.com

BethesdaGatewaySales.com | LongandFoster.com 4650 East West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland | 301.907.7600

12:10 PM

Bethesda Gateway 2017 July-Aug.indd 2

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Wendy Banner & The Banner Team www.BannerTeam.com

Potomac / Potomac Farm

$3,495,000

Potomac / Potomac Village

$2,450,000

Potomac / Potomac Falls

$2,395,000

Custom-built masterpiece offers unparalleled living from your own private oasis one minute from Potomac Village.

Sited on a professionally landscaped and privately gated 2+ acre lot, this home boasts rich finishes, grand entertaining spaces inside and out, complete with 6 bedrooms, 4 full baths and 2.5 baths and a 3-car garage!

Contemporary custom home with wood-beamed plus skylight cathedral/vaulted ceilings. Beautiful gourmet kitchen with stunning breakfast room. Features detached all-glass English conservatory including separate two-story exercise/studio/guest house and pool. Five car garage with additional all-glass car/motorcycle showroom.

PRICED TO SELL! Timeless estate built in ‘96 with awardwinning 2.68 acres with pool and waterfall! Updated chef’s kitchen, elegant main level library, master bedroom suite with sitting room. Finished 3rd floor, and amazing views!

Full walk-out lower level features wine cellar, game and rec areas. 6 bedrooms, 5 full and 2 half baths. 3-car garage.

Potomac / Greenbriar Preserve

Chevy Chase

Bethesda / Glen Echo Heights

$2,199,000

$2,175,000

$1,995,000

Beautiful home built by NV homes in 2006 on premium lot backing to conservation area! Featuring hardwood floors throughout the main level, and a gourmet kitchen with Viking appliances. You’ll love the main level library, owner’s suite and luxurious bath. Finished lower level with full walk-out.

NEW builder’s own dream home (2016), built by L5 Design & Build on professionally landscaped, usable lot with spacious fenced yard. Approximately 8,000 sq. ft. on four finished levels with an expansive gourmet kitchen, luxurious owner’s suite and a walk up lower level featuring a bonus room/gym and plenty of entertainment space.

BRAND NEW home by Rollingwood Builders is now staged!

Located on flat and usable lot with 6,900+ sq. ft. on 4 levels. The ideal floor plan features wide plank hardwood floors, expansive designer kitchen open to the family room, serene screened porch with a fireplace and more!

Immediate Delivery.

Bethesda/ Burning Tree

Potomac / River Oaks Farm

Potomac / Avenel

$1,890,000

$1,699,000

$1,495,000

Renovated and expanded home on rare lot featuring a stunning yard with pool, hot tub, firepit, an Ipe wood deck and flagstone patio. Features a gourmet kitchen with high ceilings open to family room, a main level bedroom suite, 5-6 bedrooms, 4.5 baths and a finished walk-out lower level.

Stately Colonial on quiet cul-de-sac just minutes from Potomac Village on serene landscaped grounds. Updated gourmet kitchen features sunny breakfast room with access to deck and sun room boasts walls of windows and cathedral ceilings with skylights and beautiful views of grounds. Six bedrooms, 4 full baths and 2 half baths.

Gorgeous home with outstanding view of the 7th tee of the TPC golf course and lake. Features 2-story great room, gourmet chef’s kitchen and private library. Full walk-out lower level includes a large family room, hardwood floors, a guest bedroom/office, 2 bathrooms and a wine cellar. Great opportunity and value for views and the home!

Potomac / Near Village

Darnestown / Spring Meadows

Potomac /Lake Potomac

$1,295,000

Stately brick Colonial with approximately 7,000 sq. ft. on three finished levels. Sited on gorgeous 1/2 acre lot with waterfall on quiet cul-de-sac just steps to Potomac Village.

Features spacious rooms, hardwood floors throughout, 6 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, updated kitchen with breakfast area, refreshed baths and a fully-finished walk-out lower level.

$ 1,285,000

Custom home situated on finished 2-acre lot. Professionally landscaped yard with plenty of entertainment featuring a fire pit, hot tub and more. Gourmet kitchen with top-ofthe-line appliances, center island and breakfast room overlooking the yard. Owner’s suite offers expansive walkin closet and luxurious bathroom. Must see!

$1,250,000

NEW PRICE! Custom-built brick home sited on a 2-acre lot featuring 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths on 3 finished levels.

Gourmet kitchen plus breakfast area with floor to ceiling windows offering fantastic views. Updated lower level offers a large rec room, game and exercise areas with fulllevel walkout to beautiful 40 x 20 pool and ample storage.

301.365.9090 | Wendy@BannerTeam.com 4650 East West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland | 301.907.7600

Wendy Banner 2017 july-aug.indd 1

6/12/17 11:52 AM

AllPoint

Miller Bethesda All Points Office #1 W.C. & A.N. Miller Realtors Office • A Top Long & Foster Office for 2016 4701 Sangamore Rd, Suite L1, Bethesda, Maryland | 301.229.4000 Call our Managing Broker, Susan Sanford, today to learn more about joining our award winning team!

KAT CONLEY

ANNE & LAURA EMMETT Anne: 301.466.2515 • Anne.Emmett@LNF.com Laura: 202.422.6374 • Laura.Emmett@LNF.com

301.943.3865 (C) • 301.229.4000 (O)

Award Winning Top Producer for 26 Years!

Licensed in DC, MD and VA Licensed since 1991 2011 Realty Alliance Award Recipient Top 5% of REALTORS®, North America #9 Overall in Bethesda “All Points” Office Call Kat for any of your real estate needs!

● ●

●

●

●

●

●

• Staging, marketing, and negotiation expert

Let my experience work for you!

Licensed in MD, DC & VA

ANDY ALDERDICE A 5th generation Washingtonian assisting many MD, DC and VA residents in the sale and/or purchase of their first and subsequent homes since 1994. Call her to schedule a private consultation.

301.466.5898 / 301.229.4000 andy4homes@gmail.com www.andy4homes.com

Phyllis Wiesenfelder 301.529.3896 • PhyllisW@LNF.com Bethesda Gateway Office 301.907.7600

AllPoints Top Half.indd 1

• SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist)

2016 TEAM OF THE YEAR FOR THE DC METRO REGION

Walsh.Richards@LongandFoster.com Licensed in DC, MD & VA

5415 Surrey Street, Chevy Chase

11:52 AM

• Realty Alliance Award Recipient, Top 5 Percent North America

Long & Foster Luxury Alliance members Anne & Laura call Bethesda home! Edgemoor & Sumner Neighborhood Residents & Experts!

Let us guide you through complex transactions to maximize profit and minimize stress

●

Results driven Native Washingtonian committed to finding you the perfect home.

Professional and personal level of service Over 45 years of diverse commercial and residential real estate experience to help you throughout the selling and buying process.

301.351.4517 • SCochran@LNF.com www.SCochran.com

Licensed in DC & MD

WALSH RICHARDS

301.706.3151

SHARRON COCHRAN

Darnestown

$1,699,000

This sprawling Darnestown estate features a main house with expansive main level master suite, elevator and pool, PLUS 2 separate guest houses, PLUS a 6-stall horse barn, all situated on over 10+ serene acres at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.

Wiesenfelder THE

GROUP Welcome to the Neighborhood

Stunningly renovated modern home in the Town of Somerset surrounded by a canopy of trees and fairy tale gardens. Designed by Balodemas Architects and winner of a NARI award, this exceptional residence boasts a magnificent interplay of steel, glass, and wood elements. There are soaring ceilings, walls-ofwindows, striking angles, clean lines, abundant natural light, and luxe finishes all integrated into a uniquely wonderful open floor plan. This distinctive home offers a high ceilinged entry, a dramatic loft style dining room, a spectacular gourmet kitchen, a living room with 12-foot ceilings and an impressive fireplace, a dazzling family room, two offices, and a garage. There are four bedrooms, four and one-half baths, including a sumptuous master suite. Within walking distance are the neighborhood pool, tennis courts, biking trails, and the Friendship Heights Metro.

Offered at $1,895,000.

6/9/17 12:30 PM

Top 1% of Long & Foster Agents in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Top-Producing Team Bethesda Gateway Office 301.907.7600

Bells Mill Estates Sondra Mulheron Pam Schiattareggia 301.785.9536 301.802.7796 smulheron@LNF.com pam.scat@LNF.com www.HomesbySondraandPam.com

Stunning 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath brick Colonial in sought-after neighborhood, meticulously maintained with updates throughout. Features include a two-story foyer, first-floor office, great room with stone fireplace, new hardwood floors on main level, large master suite with sitting room, fully finished lower level, deck with gazebo. Close to schools, shopping and dining.

10919 Lamplighter Lane, Potomac | Offered at $1,249,000

413 Nature Lane | Rockville | $1,195,000

Everywhere You Want To Be

6520 Hillmead Road | Bethesda | $1,175,000 R DE

UN N CO TR

Margie Halem Recognized by

T AC

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL as one of America’s Top Real Estate Agents

12508 Rolling Road | Potomac | $1,495,000

Left to Right: Leslie Fitzpatrick, Lori Silverman, Ying Chen, Lyn Moritt, Jamie Baraff, Margie Halem (center), Harrison Halem, Amy Gordon, Emily Moritt, Ashley Townsend, Lisa Frazier

301.775.4196 Licensed in MD | DC | VA • MargieHalem@LongandFoster.com Please view our listings at www.MargieHalemGroup.com.

#1 Billion Dollar Bethesda Gateway Office 301.907.7600 (O)

Bethesda Gateway Office | 4650 East West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland | 301.907.7600

July-Aug 2017-halfs.indd 1

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interior design. architecture. home sales.

PHOTO BY MORGAN HOWARTH

home

A Chevy Chase couple created a Rehoboth Beach retreat that overlooks a canal and wetlands.

For more, turn to page 186.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

183

home | HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS

1

2

GARDEN PARTY It’s summertime and the living is easy—or at least it should be. We’ve rounded up entertaining essentials that transform your yard or patio into a welcoming oasis.

1. TAKE COVER

2. GAME TIME

3. GLOW ON

Give your guests some shade with a big, bold, stripy umbrella. The Living Accents 9-foot market umbrella is made of polyester and is supported by a steel pole. It costs $59.99 at Strosniders in Bethesda (301-654-5688; strosniders.com).

Croquet, the king of lawn games, is a classic that anyone can play. This handsome wooden set, made in Maine, includes six mallets and balls, and all of the accessories. It tucks neatly into a sturdy nylon bag and is priced at $339, with the matching caddy stand sold separately for $169. The game is available at Orvis in Bethesda (301-652-3562; orvis.com).

Create a warm, festive atmosphere in the garden by stringing a simple strand of lights overhead. This version features vintage bulbs for an extra bit of charm. The Edison string lights are available in 10- or 30-light strands for $19.99 and $49.99 at World Market in Chevy Chase (202-244-8720; worldmarket.com).

184 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

ALL COURTESY PHOTOS

BY CAROLYN WEBER

3 5 4

6

4. RAISE A GLASS

5. KICK BACK

6. GET SERVED

A decorative drink dispenser is a welcome addition to an outdoor buffet table. This cylindrical glass container, with a rustic-chic iron stand, is for cold beverages and sells for $79. The stand, sold separately for $29.50, can also be paired with the curvy PB Classic drink dispenser ($59 to $79). Find them all at Pottery Barn in Bethesda (301-654-1598; potterybarn.com).

Nothing says summer relaxation like a good old-fashioned swing. Mount it on the porch or on a big tree in the yard. This one is made of solid teak, comes with stainless steel hardware and is available in two sizes—4 feet and 5 feet long—for $707 and $787 at Country Casual Teak in Gaithersburg (301-926-9195; countrycasualteak.com).

Decorative and shatterproof melamine plates are just right for outdoor entertaining. Le Cadeaux offers a variety of patterns, including the Havana collection, which features a flowery design in navy, white and turquoise. The 11-inch dinner plates sell for $17 each at The Blue House in Bethesda (301-656-6088; thebluehousebethesda.com).

Carolyn Weber lives in Silver Spring and frequently writes about architecture and home design.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

185

home

Louisa and Steve Hollman at their home in Chevy Chase

186

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO BY STACY ZARIN-GOLDBERG

The Great Escape Chevy Chase empty nesters build a Cape Cod-style retreat to host their family in Rehoboth Beach

BY CHARLOTTE SAFAVI

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

187

home A built-in window seat (not pictured) provides extra accommodations in the dining area adjacent to the kitchen. The big feature, however, is the accordion glass doors that open up the dining area and connect it to a screened-in dining porch with ipe decking.

PHOTO CREDIT

Though the white-painted trim on the façade is made of weather-resistant PVC, the siding and roof are cedar, which wears well and lends itself to the home’s architectural style. The two-story bay feature balances the tall turret with a central gambrel in between.

The house is raised on a stone foundation by 3 feet to meet the area’s flood zone requirements.

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JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOS BY MORGAN HOWARTH

W

WHEN LOOKING FOR AN easy beach getaway, Chevy Chase homeowners Louisa and Steve Hollman knew exactly where to drop anchor. Louisa had been going to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, every summer since 1974, when she was 12. When the couple had kids—they are now 28 and 25—they rented small apartments at the beach, and the little ones would sleep in their Pack ’n Plays in a hallway outside a bedroom. “I remember Max was born in July, and we took him a month later in August,” Louisa says.

In 2012, the couple bought a vacant lot on the banks of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal with the intention of building

a vacation home. One night shortly thereafter, Louisa was out for dinner at Wild Tomato in Cabin John, and she ran into Anthony Wilder, whose design firm Anthony Wilder Design/Build had worked for the Hollmans in the past. “I was so very excited about the new property, so I just blurted it out,” says Louisa, an executive at a nonprofit organization.

Soon Wilder was retained again—this time to help the Hollmans realize their vision for a summer retreat on a property overlooking some 5,000 acres of wetlands in Cape Henlopen State Park.

“The homeowners and my team bonded over the work of Robert A.M.

The kitchen features two islands—for food prep and casual meals—in fusion marble with blue veining. Other kitchen features include a graphic mosaic backsplash of jumping fish behind the range, and custom-built flat-paneled cabinetry with brushed nickel knobs and pulls. The peripheral backsplash is bricked crema marfil marble.

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Stern, who is renowned for his coastal homes and was the inspiration for this house,” says Wilder, who collaborated on the project with his architect Sean Mullin and kitchen and bath designer Shannon Kadwell, as well as with builder Randy Burton of Burton Builders in Lewes, Delaware.

After visiting the heavily wooded third-of-an-acre lot, they made architectural plans for a house that would be completed in 2014. They would build a five-bedroom, 51/2-bathroom, 4,200-square-foot Cape Cod-style summerhouse with cedar shingle siding, gambrel rooflines and even a 190

bell-shaped turret.

“It was important to me that you could walk up to the front door and see straight through the house to the water beyond,” says Steve, a D.C. lawyer and native Washingtonian who grew up vacationing along the Northeast seaboard. A columned porch leads to a front door flanked by windows, and the entry foyer spills onto an open plan main floor with floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors everywhere.

“When the house is opened up, there’s always a nice breeze in here,” Steve says of the connected living, kitchen and dining areas separated by

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

A stacked-stone fireplace and a coffered ceiling define the living area on the main level.

Furnishings are coastalinspired with nautical blue accents. Flooring throughout is wide plank white oak with a natural matte finish.

PHOTOS BY MORGAN HOWARTH

home

The floating staircase with wroughtiron railings and an oak handrail leads to the second-story master suite and three guest rooms, as well as to the upper family room and its large balcony outside. At the base of the stairs is a parquetry compass, pointing true north.

The house, which was positioned to take advantage of the views, is on the LewesRehoboth Canal. The rear of the home has double gambrels, creating a sense of symmetry, as well as porthole-window detailing that picks up the coastal theme. There are several upper balconies, as well as a long lower deck.

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custom-trimmed cased openings. “It’s so delightful having the canal right there, our little local roadway, with boats back and forth, and beyond that the birds in the wetlands and the sunsets.”

The views are unobstructed. An example is the floating staircase with oak treads on steel risers that’s set off to the left of the entry and leads upstairs. “To maximize the scenery, we built the house as a 20-foot ‘box’ from left to right, with appendages that come out of it. It was deliberately kept this way so that every room had a view, plus access to either a 192

private or public balcony,” says Mullin, the architect.

One of the appendages is the tall bell-shaped turret, which serves as a visual anchor of sorts and a welcome beacon to the home. On its first level, there is a mudroom; the second level has the master bathroom; and the third level holds a home office, with a 360degree panorama.

“It’s like a crow’s nest but enclosed,” Wilder says. “The views are serene and go on forever. You can see the wetlands as well as the ocean.”

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

The upstairs master suite (there is also a downstairs master suite) is tucked into one of the rear-facing gambrels, with exposed purlin beams overhead, as well as with custom built-ins and a platform bed, all painted in white. The porthole window is rimmed in white, which contrasts with the room’s periwinkle-blue paint. The master suite has a private balcony that includes an outdoor shower.

PHOTOS BY MORGAN HOWARTH

home

A thick sheet of blue-tinted glass fronts the master bathroom. The space also has double blue-based vanities with statuary gold marble counters. A circular mosaic “carpet” is set into a smallscale basket-weave pattern marble floor with blue insets.

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home

A guest bathroom has a shower/tub niche that can be closed off as needed, because the vanity/toilet area doubles as a powder room for the upper level family room.

The flooring is porcelain tile with turquoise glass insets, and the wood vanity is painted to match the same blue. Counters are cloud white quartz, and the sink is a Kohler in vapour green.

When it came to furnishing the house, Louisa says, “I wanted a peaceful, uncluttered, coastal-inspired interior that was also very livable, as we often have company, whether our kids and their friends or extended family.”

Though the Hollmans visit the house year-round on weekends, sometimes with another couple, it has become a summer magnet for the Hollman family. (At the height of the season, it comfortably sleeps 12.) Steve’s mother, a no-nonsense New Englander, allegedly said of the architectural plans, “Gosh, it’s very nice, but do you really need all that?” The comment contributed to the house being named Tout Cela, “All That” in French. n Charlotte Safavi is a freelance writer living in Alexandria, Virginia.

194

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOS BY MORGAN HOWARTH

A whimsical mosaic of flip-flops with a Greek key border sits at the side entrance to the mudroom on the first floor of the turret.

Compass is a licensed real estate brokerage that abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdraw without notice. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Compass is licensed as Compass Real Estate in DC and as Compass in Virginia and Maryland. 1232 31st St NW Washington, DC 20007 202.448.9002

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Compass is a licensed real estate brokerage that abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Compass is licensed as Compass Real Estate in DC and as Compass in Virginia and Maryland. 5471 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 300, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 - 301.298.1001

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Dana Rice Compass is a licensed real estate brokerage that abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Compass is licensed as Compass Real Estate in DC and as Compass in Virginia and Maryland. 5471 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 300, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 - 301.298.1001

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home | BY THE NUMBERS

Data provided by

APRIL’S MOST EXPENSIVE

at A peek rea’s f the a some o pensive x most e sold recently s house

HOME SALES SALE PRICE: SALE PRICE:

$3 million LIST PRICE: $3 MILLION

Address: 7021 Wilson Lane, Bethesda 20817 Days on Market: 2 Listing Agent: Shahab Nasrin, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Bedrooms: 8 Full/Half Baths: 9/2

$2.2 million LIST PRICE: $2.6 MILLION

Address: 11211 Marwood Hill Drive, Potomac 20854 Days on Market: 25 Listing Agent: Anne Killeen, Washington Fine Properties Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 7/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.2 million LIST PRICE: $2.3 MILLION

$2.6 million LIST PRICE: $2.6 MILLION

Address: 3309 Cummings Lane, Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 5 Listing Agent: Jennifer Knoll, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/2

$2.1 million LIST PRICE: $2 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

Address: 3342 Quesada St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20015 Days on Market: 6 Listing Agent: Anne-Marie Finnell, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

LIST PRICE: $2.3 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

$2.3 million Address: 4822 Derussey Parkway, Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 70 Listing Agent: Phyllis Wiesenfelder, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

198

SALE PRICE:

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

$2.1 million LIST PRICE: $2.1 MILLION

Address: 3206 Winnett Road, Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 211 Listing Agent: Cheryl Leahy, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

COURTESY PHOTOS

SALE PRICE:

Address: 6816 Delaware St., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 6 Listing Agent: Elizabeth Lavette, Washington Fine Properties Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/2

home | BY THE NUMBERS

SALE PRICE:

SALE PRICE:

SALE PRICE:

SALE PRICE:

LIST PRICE: $2.1 MILLION

LIST PRICE: $2 MILLION

LIST PRICE: $2.1 MILLION

LIST PRICE: $1.9 MILLION

Address: 4815 Wellington Drive, Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 121 Listing Agent: Aaron Jeweler, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

Address: 7730 Oldchester Road, Bethesda 20817 Days on Market: 147 Listing Agent: Greta Nicoletti, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

Address: 5408 41st St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20015 Days on Market: 133 Listing Agent: Barak Sky, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 4 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

Address: 11520 Front Field Lane, Potomac 20854 Days on Market: 9 Listing Agent: Lois Chelec, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 5/2

SALE PRICE:

SALE PRICE:

SALE PRICE:

SALE PRICE:

LIST PRICE: $2 MILLION

LIST PRICE: $2 MILLION

LIST PRICE: $2 MILLION

LIST PRICE: $1.9 MILLION

Address: 5619 Marengo Road, Bethesda 20816 Days on Market: 36 Listing Agent: Brian Maury, Maury Real Estate Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

Address: 5304 Brookeway Drive, Bethesda 20816 Days on Market: 372 Listing Agent: Hans Wydler, Wydler Brothers Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

Address: 9814 Hall Road, Potomac 20854 Days on Market: 99 Listing Agent: Marc Fleisher, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 6/3

Address: 8606 Ridge Road, Bethesda 20817 Days on Market: 3 Listing Agent: Carl Becker, Premier Properties Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 6/1

$2 million

$2 million

Selling

modern mASterPieCe

Edgemoor. Outstanding new home by Chase Builders with a beautifully scaled interior, 6 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, stunning backyard veranda rich in graceful southern charm, finished lower level, 2-car garage and elevator. $2,495,000 Eric Murtagh – 301.652.8971 Karen Kuchins – 301.275.2255

$2 million

$1.9 million

the

$1.9 million

$1.9 million

$1.9 million

AreA’S FineSt ProPertieS

lASting imPreSSion

Chevy Chase. Stunning 1910 Four Square with 4 levels, 6 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, redone kitchen, veranda, maple floors, sunroom, library, lower level rec room and wine cellar, spacious back yard, deck, picturesque landscaping.

Full of charm and period accents. $1,825,000 Laura McCaffrey - 301.641.4456

viSit uS BetheSdA/Chevy ChASe 7032 WiSConSin Avenue Chevy ChASe, md 20815 301.656.1800

200

$1.9 million

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

ClASSiC tudor

Town of Chevy Chase. Inviting well done English-style home, with 2016 renovation and addition, this deceptively large, delightful spaces, 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, inviting backyard, wonderful natural light and a 2-car garage. $1,525,000 Eric Murtagh – 301.652.8971 Karen Kuchins – 301.275.2255

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home | BY THE NUMBERS

SALE PRICE:

$1.8 million LIST PRICE: $2 MILLION

Address: 7003 Brookville Road, Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 29 Listing Agent: Marc Fleisher, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

Address: 7809 Winterberry Place, Bethesda 20817 Days on Market: 11 Listing Agent: Sondra Mulheron, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 7 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

$1.8 million LIST PRICE: $1.9 MILLION

Address: 6511 81st St., Cabin John 20818 Days on Market: 195 Listing Agent: Hans Wydler, Wydler Brothers Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

$1.6 million Address: 10318 Fleming Ave., Bethesda 20814 Days on Market: 123 Listing Agent: Michael Delp, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 6/1

$1.7 million LIST PRICE: $1.8 MILLION

Address: 8014 Glenbrook Road, Bethesda 20814 Days on Market: 36 Listing Agent: Lawrence Doyle, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 4 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

$1.6 million Address: 5512 Sonoma Road, Bethesda 20817 Days on Market: 0 Listing Agent: Jeremy Lichtenstein, RE/MAX Realty Services Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

$1.7 million LIST PRICE: $1.7 MILLION

Address: 3916 Virgilia St., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 11 Listing Agent: Elizabeth Lavette, Washington Fine Properties Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

$1.6 million Address: 4220 Everett St., Kensington 20895 Days on Market: 0 Listing Agent: Helen Trybus, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 2/1

$1.6 million LIST PRICE: $1.6 MILLION

202

SALE PRICE:

$1.5 million Address: 6904 Oakridge Ave., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 15 Listing Agent: Joseph Rubin, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 4 Full/Half Baths: 3/1

SALE PRICE:

$1.5 million Address: 8430 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda 20817 Days on Market: 158 Listing Agent: Lynda O’Dea, Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

SALE PRICE:

$1.5 million LIST PRICE: $1.5 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

$1.6 million LIST PRICE: $1.7 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

Address: 7115 Edgevale St., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 121 Listing Agent: Eric Murtagh, Evers & Company Real Estate Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

LIST PRICE: $1.6 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

LIST PRICE: $1.6 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

$1.5 million

LIST PRICE: $1.6 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

LIST PRICE: $1.6 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

SALE PRICE:

LIST PRICE: $1.7 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

LIST PRICE: $1.6 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

Charis Realty Group Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 6/0

Address: 8805 Mary Mead Court, Potomac 20854 Days on Market: 285 Listing Agent: Christine Issler,

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

Address: 5611 Lamar Road, Bethesda 20816 Days on Market: 58 Listing Agent: Laurie Muir, Wydler Brothers Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 5/0 Note: Some sale and list prices have been rounded off.

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If you’re thinking about moving, let’s talk! As one of the top-producing agents and most trusted advisors in the DC Metro area market, we provide first class, turnkey brokerage services where no attention to detail is spared. While extremely experienced in the resale market, we also have a specialized buying service for clients that are looking to custom build. Learn more at CarolynHomes.com!

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CarolynSappenfield-v6-Final.indd 2

6/2/17 10:46 AM

home | BY THE NUMBERS

REAL ESTATE TRENDS

BY ZIP CODE

APRIL 2016

APRIL 2017

20015 (Upper NW D.C.) Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

12 $1.2 Mil. 35 6 5 8

15 $1.4 Mil. 21 7 6 11

10 $1.5 Mil. 81 5 4 6

20814 (Bethesda) Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

21 $1.3 Mil. 39 10 9 11

21 $1.1 Mil. 88 9 11 11

20815 (Chevy Chase) Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

19 $1.4 Mil. 49 10 9 15

21 $1.5 Mil. 51 7 12 15

20816 (Bethesda) Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

16 $1.1 Mil. 53 8 7 8

21 $1.2 Mil. 41 8 10 14

48 $1.1 Mil. 66 13 30 24

39 $1.1 Mil. 50 15 17 18

20817 (Bethesda) Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

204

APRIL 2017

Number of Homes Sold 4 Average Sold Price $880,000 Average Days on Market 25 Above Asking Price 2 2 Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million 1

3 $1.2 Mil. 83 1 2 2

20818 (Cabin John) 12 $1.2 Mil. 44 9 3 7

20016 (Upper NW D.C.) Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

APRIL 2016

APRIL 2016

APRIL 2017

50 $1.1 Mil. 79 8 36 21

48 $1.1 Mil. 80 11 32 24

20854 (Potomac) Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

20832 (Olney)

20855 (Rockville)

Number of Homes Sold 13 19 Average Sold Price $502,838 $631,842 Average Days on Market 52 80 Above Asking Price 6 8 Below Asking Price 5 10 Sold Over $1 Million 0 1

Number of Homes Sold 8 18 Average Sold Price $494,869 $559,006 Average Days on Market 49 46 Above Asking Price 1 6 Below Asking Price 7 8 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

20850 (Rockville)

20877 (Gaithersburg)

Number of Homes Sold 25 19 Average Sold Price $697,085 $656,296 Average Days on Market 58 39 Above Asking Price 4 6 Below Asking Price 16 11 Sold Over $1 Million 5 3

Number of Homes Sold 4 8 Average Sold Price $348,750 $429,531 Average Days on Market 118 19 Above Asking Price 0 3 Below Asking Price 4 3 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

20851 (Rockville)

20878 (North Potomac/Gaithersburg)

Number of Homes Sold 16 19 Average Sold Price $363,480 $342,400 Average Days on Market 18 21 Above Asking Price 6 8 7 9 Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

Number of Homes Sold 35 37 Average Sold Price $734,661 $720,821 Average Days on Market 63 42 Above Asking Price 8 8 19 20 Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million 4 2

20852 (North Bethesda/Rockville)

20879 (Gaithersburg)

Number of Homes Sold 18 13 Average Sold Price $754,200 $668,415 Average Days on Market 49 19 Above Asking Price 4 6 Below Asking Price 10 2 Sold Over $1 Million 3 1

Number of Homes Sold 6 17 Average Sold Price $359,657 $442,641 Average Days on Market 43 32 Above Asking Price 2 5 Below Asking Price 3 10 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

20853 (Rockville)

20882 (Gaithersburg)

Number of Homes Sold 20 32 Average Sold Price $428,515 $476,750 Average Days on Market 35 24 Above Asking Price 8 11 Below Asking Price 9 14 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

Number of Homes Sold 14 16 Average Sold Price $499,457 $560,997 Average Days on Market 119 60 Above Asking Price 3 3 Below Asking Price 10 10 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

APRIL 2016

APRIL 2017

APRIL 2016

APRIL 2017

APRIL 2016

APRIL 2017

20886 (Gaithersburg)

20901 (Silver Spring)

20904 (Silver Spring)

Number of Homes Sold 11 9 Average Sold Price $451,291 $404,500 Average Days on Market 54 122 Above Asking Price 4 2 Below Asking Price 6 2 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

Number of Homes Sold 38 40 Average Sold Price $462,459 $494,228 Average Days on Market 47 32 Above Asking Price 12 18 Below Asking Price 18 13 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

Number of Homes Sold 28 31 Average Sold Price $456,821 $459,500 Average Days on Market 57 57 Above Asking Price 8 14 Below Asking Price 15 12 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

20895 (Kensington)

20902 (Silver Spring)

20905 (Silver Spring)

Number of Homes Sold 22 23 Average Sold Price $653,364 $635,674 Average Days on Market 29 31 Above Asking Price 9 7 Below Asking Price 10 12 Sold Over $1 Million 1 2

Number of Homes Sold 31 27 Average Sold Price $390,452 $409,332 Average Days on Market 55 39 Above Asking Price 9 9 Below Asking Price 13 11 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

Number of Homes Sold 12 13 Average Sold Price $502,179 $519,367 Average Days on Market 63 32 Above Asking Price 3 5 Below Asking Price 7 6 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

20896 (Garrett Park)

20903 (Silver Spring)

20906 (Silver Spring)

Number of Homes Sold 10 4 Average Sold Price $369,999 $440,250 Average Days on Market 47 36 Above Asking Price 3 1 Below Asking Price 4 1 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

Number of Homes Sold 27 36 Average Sold Price $376,899 $426,003 Average Days on Market 39 30 Above Asking Price 10 21 Below Asking Price 12 11 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

Number of Homes Sold 1 Average Sold Price $514,500 Average Days on Market 13 Above Asking Price 0 Below Asking Price 0 Sold Over $1 Million 0

1 $1.2 Mil. 42 0 1 1

Information courtesy of Bright MLS (formerly MRIS) as of May 15, 2017. Listing information should be independently verified. Reports reference data provided by ShowingTime, a showing management and market stats technology provider to the residential real estate industry. The Bright MLS (formerly MRIS) real estate service area spans 40,000 square miles throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. As a leading Multiple Listing Service (MLS), Bright serves approximately 85,000 real estate professionals who in turn serve more than 20 million consumers. To search homes, visit mrishomes.com. Note: These sales figures only include detached single-family homes. Some sales and list prices have been rounded off.

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BrookfieldDC.com/Elevator MHBR #408 | Prices, financing, availability, terms and incentives are subject to change without notice. Please see a Brookfield Residential Sales Manager for details.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

205

ENJOY LIFE. URBAN. LIVE URBAN

Urban living in the heart of Bethesda is the new trend. Step outside your condo for a Sunday Brunch, shop the farmer’s market, take a stroll, browse the bookstore and still have time to meet friends for dinner and a movie.

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Sales Gallery 7706 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814 301-747-3848 | TheStonehallLife.com

Duball, LLC, is one of the region’s leading real estate developers. In addition to Stonehall Bethesda, Duball is creating new condominium residences at Cheval Bethesda off of Old Georgetown Road and Fairmont Avenue. Previous successful projects include Lionsgate condominiums in Bethesda, Foxhall Ridge townhomes in Palisades and Rockville Town Center.

COURTESY OF STONEHALL

THE PROJECT: Stonehall Bethesda is building 46 elegant condominium residences just steps from NIH/Walter Reed and Medical Center Metro, at the corner of Battery Lane and Woodmont Avenue, blending modern design and timeless architecture. The first residents will be welcomed to move in summer of 2017.

These 2- and 3-bedroom homes feature upgraded kitchens, elegant and open living areas, and immaculately designed owner's suites. The Classic Collection on floors 1-5 is offered from $619,990, the Club Collection on floors 6-8 is offered from $1.7M and the Penthouse Collection has one residence remaining at $2.3M. Residents will enjoy access to the porte cochere and reserved on-site parking. They’ll work out at the state-of-the-art fitness center and gather with friends in the top-level club room. The rooftop terrace will be a peaceful retreat looking over the city below.

A front desk concierge will be available to residents, and a new Harris Teeter and Starbucks is located across the street.

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LUXURY CONDOS, APARTMENTS, TOWNHOMES

THE PALISADES OF BETHESDA APARTMENTS & PENTHOUSES BIO

4835 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814 301-725-4723 | thepalisadesapts.net

Since 1965, the name Southern Management has been synonymous with quality, service and value. Whereas other companies may simply manage or own their apartment communities, Southern Management does both – assuring the highest standards in the business. It’s what makes us the leader in apartment home living, and your first choice when searching for the perfect community.

Step inside The Palisades of Bethesda and you are immediately surrounded by indescribable luxury and charming sophistication. Boasting a premier location on the corner of Cordell and Woodmont avenues, this beautiful high-rise promises a living experience far exceeding expectations. With free concierge services and all utilities included, The Palisades provides a perfect blend of convenience, comfort and customer service. Residents of The Palisades enjoy luxury without comparison.

With sophisticated colors and contemporary wood and marble finishes, the lobby lounges and library resemble private clubs while the private fitness studio offers personal training in a windowed, spacious and bright facility – and no fees are charged for any of it. The Palisades is within walking distance of countless shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities, as well as the Bethesda and Medical Center/NIH Metro. These are just a few reasons The Palisades has established a reputation as one of the most coveted residential communities in the Metropolitan area.

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COURTESY OF PALISADES

THE PROJECT:

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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POTOMAC HIGHLANDS

COURTESY OF WINCHESTER-POTOMAC HIGHLANDS

BIO

New Home Gallery Address: 141 Bytham Ridge Lane, Potomac, MD 20854 240-517-1050 | WinchesterHomes.com/LuxuryTowns

Camberley by Winchester Homes is a line of exceptional luxury townhomes and single family homes offered by one of the MidAtlantic’s most respected homebuilders. A Camberley home includes added touches of elegance, style and functionality, elevating the lifestyle of those who choose to call it home.

THE PROJECT: Remarkable lifestyles are built upon extraordinary style and sophistication. That’s what home shoppers will discover at Potomac Highlands, a new luxury townhome community in Montgomery County. Above all else, you’ll find a home defined by open, flowing spaces and punctuated by the finest modern townhome designs. New homes in this distinguished community feature a two-car garage, a three-stop elevator and up to three bedrooms and 4,156 square feet of lavish living areas. Reward yourself with a low-maintenance lifestyle and exceptional access to all of Potomac’s most sought-after destinations, not to mention all the excitement in Bethesda and Washington, D.C.

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FLATS AT BETHESDA AVENUE

StonebridgeCarras is a real estate development and investment firm focused on creating exceptional places in the Greater Washington area.

StonebridgeCarras’ comprehensive expertise in real estate acquisition, finance, land entitlement, development and investment management enables us to navigate risks inherent in real estate while implementing innovative strategies to transform neighborhoods and generate lasting value.

THE PROJECT: The finishing touch on Bethesda is here—Flats at Bethesda Avenue. Discover apartment residences that offer a living experience that’s new and entirely distinctive. Our amenities—such as the sophisticated rooftop lounge, demonstration kitchen featuring guest chefs, naturally inspired courtyard with its quiet pathway to the Capital Crescent Trail and attentive concierge service—will have you feeling that you live in a private resort. With expansive, light-filled spaces, fine finishes, hardwood floors throughout and premium elfa® shelving, you’ll find our residences create a living environment that’s modern and refined. Here, in Bethesda’s most prime location, shopping, gourmet dining and entertainment are not only at your doorstep, they’re all right downstairs—including Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Paul Bakery, Chop’t, Silver, and PassionFish. We invite you to see our finely designed and spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom luxury apartment residences—and become part of a community unlike any other.

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COURTESY OF THE FLATS AT BETHESDA AVE.

BIO

7170 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, MD 20815 888-647-0476 | flatsatbethesdaavenue.com

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THE LAUREN RESIDENCES

BIO

4901 Hampden Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 301-508-9191 | LaurenBethesda.com

McWilliams|Ballard is a real estate sales and marketing firm specializing in new condominiums, townhomes and mixed-use communities. During its 20 year history, McWilliams|Ballard has worked in 13 states nationwide, creating partnerships with developers and builders to provide sales and marketing solutions from project inception to the final closed sale.

COURTESY OF THE LAUREN RESIDENCES

THE PROJECT: Located in an unrivaled Bethesda location, The Lauren Residences feature luxurious condominiums with floorplans ranging from 1,444 to over 6,000 SF featuring floor-to-ceiling windows providing abundant natural light, direct elevator access, premium appliances and millwork, and exquisite designer finishes throughout. This collection of exclusive residences has access to indulgent amenities including valet parking, day porter service, on-site concierge, lush rooftop terrace, fitness center, private wine storage, and resident lounge—making everyday luxuriously easy. Schedule your private appointment and discover how living at The Lauren puts the best of vibrant, urban living right outside your front door.

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BROOKES RIDGE

BIO

6450 Brookes Lane, Bethesda, MD Sales by Lindsay Reishman 202-818-8722 | brooksridge.com

Led by architect Sassan Gharai, SGA Companies has successfully blended traditional and modern elements into its design of Brookes Ridge. For the design of the front faรงade, SGA drew inspiration from the classic townhouses of Capitol Hill. In beautiful contrast, the interiors feature the best ideas of modern architecture.

Privately set atop a wooded Bethesda neighborhood, Brookes Ridge offers a new way to live in the Washington, DC area. Thoughtful design, sophisticated architecture and modern amenities merge to create a boutique community unlike any other. Brookes Ridge is a community of 11 town homes and one single-family manor home. The homes feature four bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms and are approximately 4,000 square feet. The homes have private elevators, two-car garages, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Potomac River and beyond, and expansive private roof decks. The homes feature the highest quality finishes, which stylistically vary between each home, including marble countertops, Sub Zero refrigerators and wine storage, Wolf appliances, radiant heated flooring in master bathrooms and stunning gas fireplaces.

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COURTESY OF BROOKS RIDGE

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HAMPDEN ROW

BIO

4915 Hampden Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 301-718-6353 | HampdenRow.com/Bethesda

Toll Brothers City Living® is the urban development division of Toll Brothers, Inc., the nation’s leading builder of luxury homes.

Toll Brothers City Living brings the same quality, value and service beloved by our luxury home buyers throughout the country to some of the most dynamic urban markets, including Bethesda.

COURTESY OF HAMPDEN ROW

THE PROJECT: Hampden Row blends classic and modern design that reflects and respects the traditional brick elegance of the neighborhood. Meticulous craftsmanship reveals itself at every turn—from the wrought-iron inspired lobby doors to the intricate railings of the private balconies. On a quiet corner with access to it all, Hampden Row is a sanctuary away from it all.

Inside, spacious residences of grand proportion and scale contribute to a remarkable sense of abundance. Oversized windows invite natural sunlight to flood the home, while wide-plank hardwood floors and architectural millwork deliver a look of timeless sophistication. The kitchens are a celebration of style boasting custom white cabinetry, quartz countertops and sleek appliances. And then there’s coveted outdoor space.

Terraces or balconies, available in many residences, are the perfect perches from which to let go and watch the world go by.

On-site decorated model residences are open to tour. Prices from the $500,000s to $4 million. Immediate move-in is available.

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CROWN

BIO

1000 Fields Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 301-424-4141 | Smarturbanliving.com

Living in Crown means vibrancy and tranquility. No compromise, just Smart Urban Living. Amenities include The Retreat clubhouse with a resort-style pool, tennis courts and an impressive climbing wall. Walking paths and green spaces connect the neighborhoods and the amenities. Steps away is Downtown Crown with a lively restaurant scene and a variety of shopping options including a fullservice Harris Teeter grocery store.

The innovative spirit of the neighborhood shines through with streets named after writers, scientists, musicians and artists. Homebuilders offer a multitude of unique floor plans for every lifestyle with superb features such as open concepts, gourmet kitchens, spa-inspired bathrooms, light-filled rooms and plenty of outdoor living space with roof-top terraces and balconies. A variety of expansive townhomes and award-winning single-family homes make up the streets of Crown West, while stacked townhomes and spacious flats and loft residences adorn Downtown Crown.

Crown, a master-planned community in the heart of Montgomery County, is located just off I-270, minutes from the Shady Grove Metro station.

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COURTESY OF CROWN

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2501 M STREET

BIO

2501 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20037 202-293-2501 | 2501M.com

The design and architecture team at 2501 M includes CORE Architecture & Design and HapstakDemetriou+, two firms with extensive experience in a wide range of building environments. Sales and marketing are led

by The Mayhood Company and the project is being developed by PRP Real Estate Investment of Washington.

COURTESY OF 2501 M STREET

THE PROJECT: 2501 M Street is a West End destination—a tranquil sanctuary in the midst of one of the District’s best neighborhoods. Featuring floor-toceiling windows and brilliant natural light, these condominium residences—which range from 1,020 to 2,200 square feet—sparkle with highend features including sleek cabinetry, the highest-quality stone, customized lighting and white oak flooring. Most residences have spacious balconies or terraces up to 450 square feet. Close to Georgetown and a variety of parks, the building offers 24-hour valet service, a landscaped rooftop terrace, state-of-the-art fitness center and yoga studio, and expansive spaces for entertaining. What’s more, the world-famous Nobu premieres at 2501 M in September 2017. From $758,000 to $3,098,000.

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CHEVAL

BIO

Sales Gallery 7706 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814 301-969-2722 | TheChevalLife.com

Duball, LLC, is one of the region’s leading real estate developers. In addition to Cheval Bethesda, Duball is creating new condominium residences at Stonehall Bethesda off of Woodmont Avenue and Battery Lane.

Previous successful projects include Lionsgate condominiums in Bethesda, Foxhall Ridge townhomes in Palisades and Rockville Town Center.

Cheval Bethesda is the building that every other condominium residence will look up to. At 17 stories, it becomes Bethesda’s tallest condominium offering exceptional views. Priced from the $700’s to $3.2 million, each residence features nearly floor-to-ceiling windows inviting abundant natural light.

The first Cheval Bethesda residents will move in late 2017. Those interested can register as a VIP and schedule a hardhat tour today.

With commercial space on the lower levels, residences begin on the sixth floor. The top five floors each feature four spacious corner penthouse-style residences averaging 2,200 square feet. On the 17th floor, penthouses include private rooftop terraces.

Every resident will have access to above-grade, windowed garage parking, 24/7 concierge services, a communal rooftop terrace, as well as a state-of- the-art fitness center, yoga studio and a club room.

Cheval Bethesda is the elevation of refinement. And it’s coming late 2017.

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COURTESY OF CHEVAL

THE PROJECT:

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930 ROSE BIO

11572 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda, MD 20852 301-288-5951 | 930RoseBethesda.com

McWilliams|Ballard is a real estate sales and marketing firm specializing in new condominiums, townhomes and mixed-use communities. During its 20 year history, McWilliams|Ballard has worked in 13 states nationwide, creating partnerships with developers and builders to provide sales and marketing solutions from project inception to the final closed sale.

COURTESY OF 930 ROSE

THE PROJECT: Presenting 930 Rose.

930 Rose is a brand new collection of condominium homes now selling at Pike & Rose. Located above the new Canopy Hotel by Hilton, condominium residences begin on the 11th floor and feature studio, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom floorplans, and a wide variety of finish and upgrade options available. Owners have access to a host of hotel services and amenities as well as easy access to the entire Pike & Rose community.

• 99 spacious, light-filled residences with balconies or terraces • Premium appliances, Italian cabinetry and luxe baths with cast-iron tubs • Á la carte access to hotel services and amenities, including valet laundry and dry cleaning, housekeeping, restaurant and bar discounts, and more • The freedom to be anywhere via convenient access to nearby Metro, Rockville Pike, I-270 and the Capital Beltway

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THE PEARL

BIO

180 High Park Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-587-3275 | liveatthepearl.com

The Tower Companies owns, develops and manages over 5 million square feet in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and was the first in the United States to build LEED® certified multi-family apartments. A green building leader, The Tower Companies has been recognized for its commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency by the U.S. Green Building Council, U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Discover brand new apartments that blur the line between inside and out. Deep in the heart of Silver Spring, at the edge of Rock Creek Park and a short walk to the Metro, you’ll find The Pearl—rare, beautiful and filled with light.

The Pearl features spacious apartments with floor-to-ceiling windows, luxurious finishes, walk-in closets and full-size washer-dryers in each residence. Enjoy world-class amenities including a two-story fitness center, a rooftop pool, a park with running trail, flexible workspaces and entertainment kitchen offering chef-prepared meals and cooking demonstrations. Every part of The Pearl is designed to be thoughtful and amazing.

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COURTESY OF THE PEARL

THE PROJECT:

fitness. wellness. medicine.

PHOTO BY LISA HELFERT

health

Filippo Raponi, 12, plays an active game at Fitness for Health, a therapeutic services and training center in Rockville.

For more, turn to page 222.

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health | BE WELL

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BY KATHLEEN SEILER NEARY

IN A HEARING WORLD

PHOTO BY EDGAR ARTIGA

How a Bethesda teen with cochlear implants is navigating high school life WHEN ONE OF SARINAH WAHL’S teachers at Walt Whitman High School is explaining a concept or giving details on homework, the teen listens, but not in the same way the other students do. A microphone worn by the teacher links to Sarinah’s cochlear implants— small devices that send sound to her brain through the auditory nerve. One-on-one in a quiet setting, Sarinah can hear pretty well with the implants, but it’s harder for her to capture a teacher’s voice in a room peppered with noise from other students. The rising senior sometimes asks classmates to snap photos of notes they’ve jotted down and text them to her, or to send her their typed notes. “They can type the information and all I have to do is just listen, because doing two things [at once] is hard for me,” she says.

Sarinah’s parents asked a doctor to check her hearing when she was 2 years old because they were concerned that she wasn’t talking.

They tried hearing aids, which helped a little, and at 4 she had cochlear implant surgery on her right side. At the time, doctors weren’t performing bilateral implant surgery, but research eventually supported it and Sarinah got an implant for her left ear nine years later. Her hearing aid-like attachments— which connect to the implants under the skin behind her ears—run on batteries, and she takes them off for sleeping, swimming or “[when] I don’t want to hear my parents,” the 18-year-old says with a laugh. Twice they’ve stopped working simultaneously. Both times she was playing tennis, which she decided to focus on after doctors advised her to stop playing soccer and other contact sports. “It was so weird because then I can’t hear the ball being hit...I don’t know how to process without noise—it was dead silent,” says Sarinah, who won a state championship in 2016 with her Whitman doubles partner.

Sarinah’s cochlear implants have helped her hear well enough to learn how to speak clearly. She’s always spoken and read lips, an approach known as oralism. “I never immersed myself into deaf culture,” she says. “I’ve been raised as a child in a hearing world.” She didn’t know any American Sign Language until she took a class during her junior year at Whitman. She had watched the TV series Switched at Birth, which features a deaf character, and it struck Sarinah that she should find out more about sign language.

While taking the class, she volunteered at an event at Gallaudet University in D.C., where almost everyone was signing. “It was a totally different experience,” she says.

The Bethesda resident describes herself as introverted and says group projects at school and being in certain settings can be challenging. “During lunchtime, surrounded by people, I want to be involved in the conversation, obviously, but it’s so noisy I can never really hear what they’re saying,” she says. “So most of the time I [just eat] my lunch quietly, and it’s really hard.”

Still, Sarinah’s found ways to build her confidence—she loves acting and has taken several years of classes at Imagination Stage.

The busy teen, whose course load last year included four Advanced Placement classes, devotes time to volunteer work and to helping coach younger tennis players. Her day-to-day life rarely includes interacting with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, but she feels a connection to the culture.

“Whenever I tell people that I’m deaf, they don’t really say, ‘Oh, but you can hear.’ They just accept it,” she says. “I had one person that said, ‘Can’t you also identify yourself as hard of hearing?’ But for me, I always identify myself as being deaf. It’s been part of me. It’s who I am.” n

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health

fun & Games At Fitness for Health in Rockville, trainer Marc Sickel turns therapy and exercise into entertainment for clients with special needs

BY MELANIE PADGETT POWERS PHOTOS BY LISA HELFERT

Marc Sickel (right) and 12-year-old Filippo Raponi

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f

FILIPPO RAPONI STEADIES HIS black New Balance sneakers with red laces on what looks like a miniature surfboard. It rocks slightly on invisible waves—side to side, front to back—as the 12-yearold watches for LED lights flashing from discs mounted on the wall in front of him.

His eyes dart back and forth, then he hits each blinking disc with his right hand while trying to maintain his balance.

“You’re doing a great job. I’m proud of you, buddy,” says Marc Sickel, founder and owner of Fitness for Health in Rockville. The therapeutic services and training center uses exergaming—fitness through the use of games—to help children and adults, especially those with special needs. Sickel, an athletic trainer, continues to praise the boy

throughout the five-minute session, and Filippo mimics him: “Yeah, buddy,” he says. The boy occasionally pauses and claps for himself while smiling. He turns back toward Sickel, 56, and holds up his hand, signaling for a high-five, all while continuing to balance. After the two slap palms, Filippo exclaims “thank you!” with a higher-pitched emphasis on the first word.

Filippo doesn’t realize that he’s exercising. He doesn’t know that he’s working on his low muscle tone and trying to improve his coordination. All he knows is that he’s having fun playing with his friend Marc. The sixth-grader at The Frost School in Rockville has fragile X syndrome, a genetic condition that causes intellectual disabilities and other

developmental delays. Filippo’s parents, Amelia Gotti and Paolo Raponi, who live in Potomac, first noticed their youngest son’s problems when he was a baby. “He was not crawling. He was not sitting properly,” Gotti says. After Filippo was diagnosed at 16 months, “it was a very long journey to find the right people.”

He didn’t start talking until he was 7; he now speaks in short phrases, not complete sentences.

When Filippo was about 3, another mom of a child with fragile X recommended Fitness for Health. Gotti was immediately impressed by the staff ’s patience with her son, who threw a temper tantrum on their first visit, and was surprised to hear Sickel say he wanted to meet with Filippo’s behavioral One room is set up like a laser maze with crisscrossing neon light beams, a la Mission Impossible.

Fitness for Health has 17 exergaming stations along with a rock wall and mini artificial turf field.

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Filippo Raponi, who was born with fragile X syndrome, has been coming to Fitness for Health for nine years.

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health

Lola Byron was diagnosed with a mild case of cerebral palsy as a child, but the illness rarely affected her until she started having trouble walking in her mid-50s. Now 73, the Bethesda resident comes in for training three days a week.

therapist. Sickel later helped connect Gotti with someone who advised her on potty-training Filippo, a process that took two years. Over time, Gotti noticed Sickel tweaking the games so he could work on Filippo’s colors, numbers and ABCs in addition to his motor skills.

Nine years after they started working together, Sickel still remembers the way Filippo tried to run away at first, how it took a lot of coaxing at each session just to get him inside. Now the boy can’t wait to arrive.

WHEN THE MOTHER OF a 21-yearold with a rare form of dwarfism asked Sickel to teach her daughter how to ride a bike, he broke it down into steps. First 226

the young woman needed to improve her balance, so Sickel had her stand on one foot, then on a wobbly board. Next she had to learn the motor skills involved.

She sat on a bike as Sickel held on to the back of it and explained to her that the faster she moved the pedals, the easier it would be to keep the bike upright. “Like a spinning top,” he said. Then he showed her how to shift her weight. Eventually, with Sickel’s help, she began to ride.

Then he let go.

“I can remember when her mom came out, and tears are rolling down her face,” says Sickel, a father of two. “It’s when you have moments like that that tell you ‘this is what it’s all about.’ So many times kids have the skills, but they don’t believe it.

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You gotta get them to believe it.”

Growing up, Sickel wasn’t confident in his own abilities. In elementary school, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a severe learning disability. “I was getting myself in trouble because I couldn’t sit still in the classroom,” he says. “Quite frankly, my level of hyperactivity would probably increase when things were very hard for me to understand.”

He estimates that he attended seven different elementary and middle schools in Montgomery County—at one point he was homeschooled for six months while his parents figured out where to send him next. Things got better at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda,

where Sickel took advantage of the peer tutoring program and improved academically. But when he tried out for the junior varsity football team, in the hopes of fitting in and making friends, he became even more frustrated with himself. “Just doing the drills was too hard,” says Sickel, who lives in Silver Spring with his wife, Melanie. “I was just not coordinated…and it only made me feel worse.”

When he was 16, Sickel asked the athletic director at Whitman if he could become an athletic trainer, and soon he was working with the football, baseball and basketball teams, learning how to evaluate and manage injuries. “I liked helping the athletes feel better and get back to where they were,” he says. “It was very nice because I really built a rapport with students I probably would not have known otherwise.”

Sickel attended West Virginia University for two years and set his sights on the school’s athletic trainer program, but when he applied at the end of his sophomore year, he didn’t get in. He started over at the University of Maryland—most of his college credits didn’t transfer—which offered an athletic trainer program that was more like an apprenticeship, he says. He was a trainer for the men’s football, lacrosse, soccer and track teams before graduating in 1986 with a degree in kinesiology.

After graduation, Sickel worked as an athletic trainer in a hospital wellness program, then at a community center and fitness center before taking a job at the Landon School in Bethesda. He built an athletic training business on the side, which the school allowed him to promote, and started to develop his own philosophy as a trainer. At the time, resistance parachutes for running were becoming popular among high-level athletes, and Sickel wondered if they would help kids have fun while they exercised. He invested in a few parachutes and strapped them to some of his young clients’ backs. The kids went farther—without complaining—and

laughed as they ran, so he began to brainstorm other ways to make fitness more enjoyable.

“I have you working on one thing, but I’m actually working on something else but you don’t even realize that—you actually think you’re playing a game,” he says. The Fitness for Health concept was born. After eight years at Landon, Sickel decided to focus on his business full time. In the mid-’90s, he leased his current space on Rockville Pike, across the street from the old White Flint Mall.

THE MAIN ROOM AT Fitness for Health has 17 exergaming stations and feels like a cross between a gym and an arcade. Flashing lights and beeping sounds come from large freestanding

per visit or purchase a package.) Other clients come in for weight management and wellness classes, or for the facility’s athletic performance development program, all of which utilize the exergaming concept. Exergaming can help improve reaction time, peripheral vision, balance, kinesthetic sense (what your body is doing in relation to things around you) and motor skills.

“We take a lot for granted, just even catching a ball or kicking a ball,” says Sickel, who often works with clients on motor planning tasks such as tying their shoes. His own daughter, Amanda, who also has ADHD, graduated from college with a degree in psychology and now works with children who have special needs. “Kids very low in motor [skills]

“So many times kids have the skills, but they don’t believe it,” Marc Sickel says. “You gotta get them to believe it.” and wall-mounted machines. The floor is made of recycled tires. There’s a rock wall, mini artificial turf field and a long, narrow trampoline. Doors open to reveal four smaller rooms that are games themselves: One is filled with a glowin-the-dark climbing wall; another is a dark room that can be set up like a laser maze with crisscrossing neon green light beams a la Mission Impossible. Another room has a light board for a floor.

Sickel and his staff—which includes occupational, speech and physical therapists—see clients ranging in age from 2½ to 91. Many have developmental disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome and ADHD, and take one-on-one sessions with the type of trainer or therapist they need. (There are no memberships to Fitness for Health; clients can pay

have low confidence, low self-esteem, and that leads to an incredible amount of stress,” Sickel says.

About 18 years ago, Ethan Ulanow’s parents, Les and Lori, decided to try exergaming at Fitness for Health to help their then-kindergartener, who struggled with extreme emotions that often showed up as anger. The youngster had seen specialist after specialist but never received an accurate diagnosis.

Ethan, now 22, describes himself as a “special needs poster child of the ’90s.”

He couldn’t control his behavior—at school, he would kick, throw pencils, scream and flip desks. “My parents were always my biggest advocates. They were always the ones looking for new programs, looking for new things,” he says.

But Ethan wanted nothing to do with

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health Fitness for Health. The first time he spotted the Trazer, an interactive gaming system similar to the Nintendo Wii, he hid behind the TV. “I was so terrified,” he says. “It was a new environment, and I did not like new things.”

Sickel sat on the floor near him. “It’s OK, bud, it’s OK,” Sickel said. “You can come out—we’re here to have fun.” Ethan spent his first 30-minute session hiding.

But after a few more visits he began to warm up to Sickel, and to the games.

After spending his days in school being told, “Don’t do this. Don’t climb on that.

Don’t touch that,” Fitness for Health became an outlet.

“Now you’re climbing on a climbing wall, you’re throwing balls at a light-up wall…you’re in an indoor batting cage,” says Ethan, who graduated from Winston Churchill High School in Potomac.

“Honestly, for a while I thought my parents were just paying for me to have fun.”

Being able to let out his stress helped improve his behavior and increase his activity level. But he still struggled at times. “It’s this magical thing,” he says.

“In my darkest of times, I would go to Fitness for Health and really feel like myself, and feel happy.”

For Ethan, it helped to know that his trainer understood what he was going through. Sickel had told him, as he often tells children who are frustrated or discouraged, that he himself had a learning disability. “Growing up, I wasn’t really skilled at sports,” Sickel said. “It took time, but don’t ever give up.” Last December Ethan received a degree in psychology from American University.

He’s currently earning a master’s degree in social work at Columbia University in New York, hoping to help kids like him.

WHEN LOLA BYRON, NOW 73, met Sickel three years ago, she looked around

at all the “kids games” and thought, This is baloney. The Bethesda resident didn’t hide her skepticism. Sickel chuckles, remembering her saying something like, “How are these toys going to help me?”

“I took that as a challenge,” he says.

Byron, who calls herself “an openminded skeptic,” began working with Sickel twice a week and quickly noticed a difference in herself. She’d been diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) as a child, but it was a mild case and rarely affected her. In her mid-50s, while on a European vacation with her husband, she started having trouble walking. “Then I began to notice all kinds of little things,” Byron says. Her balance was shaky, her energy and endurance were lower than usual.

It became hard to lift her legs, which would drag slightly. She fell a lot. She searched for someone who specialized in adults with CP—physicians, physical therapists, personal trainers—but

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nobody could help improve her balance and coordination. Years later, a doctor recommended Fitness for Health.

In one of Byron’s first sessions, Sickel had her walk on the trampoline. He and another staff member had to hold her, one on each side, so she wouldn’t fall. “Putting her in such an unstable environment shocks the system,” Sickel says. Byron also worked with the Trazer, walking in different directions as she followed a red dot. “What’s interesting is that the movement can be difficult, but if you are looking at a red dot in a square... you’re not really conscious of what your body is doing,” she says.

Byron soon walked the length of the trampoline without assistance. After about a year, she went up three flights of stairs at Fitness for Health without using the handrail. It had been decades since she’d walked up stairs unassisted.

She increased her sessions to three days

a week, working with different trainers, including Sickel. “I know I have CP; I know I’m aging,” she says. But Fitness for Health is keeping her strong and staving off severe symptoms—she’s no longer frustrated and worried about what her future holds. “I think it’s done a lot for me emotionally,” she says.

THROUGHOUT A 30-MINUTE session on a Friday night in March, Filippo can’t contain his excitement for what’s coming next. On Fridays, Fitness for Health contracts with ZamDance, a local program that leads a high-impact dance fitness class for kids and adults with special needs. Participants can pay a drop-in fee or buy a package of one-hour sessions.

Every minute or two during his session with Sickel, Filippo exclaims to anyone who will listen: “ZamDance!” Sickel replies each time, “Yeah, ZamDance,” and continues working with the boy, keeping

him on task. Filippo jumps up and down on the trampoline as Sickel tosses colored rings to him. After he catches a ring, the boy hops over to the same colored cone on the trampoline and places the ring on it. Later he tosses a 6-pound SandBell weight—a soft, neoprene weight filled with sand—into large tubes, depending on where a light flashes. He runs up a sloped and padded mat along the wall to snag letters of the alphabet.

Finally, ZamDance founder Jackie Zamora arrives and begins to set up.

Filippo stands patiently to the side, facing the same direction as Zamora, toward the handful of other awaiting dancers. The lights go off. Everyone glows in the dark, and a fast, loud beat emits throughout the room. “ZamDance!” Filippo exclaims. He begins to move his feet side to side. n Melanie Padgett Powers is a freelance writer and editor in Silver Spring.

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CALENDAR COMPILED BY SANDRA FLEISHMAN

Martin Luther King Jr. Park, Silver Spring. mcrrc.org.

Ongoing SUMMER STRIDERS. A 45-minute, selfdirected indoor walking program to music held during summer; participants get a free pedometer and progress tracking. 9:1510 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. Free. Holy Cross Hospital Senior Source Center, Silver Spring. 301-754-7000, holycrosshealth.org.

SCREENINGS/CLASSES/ WORKSHOPS Through Aug. 25

RUNNING/WALKING July 4 AUTISM SPEAKS 5K. Proceeds benefit Autism Speaks, which raises awareness about autism and funds research into its causes. 8 a.m.

A 1-mile walk begins at 8:10 a.m. $35-$45; $20 for ages 14 and younger. Potomac Library, Potomac. autismspeakswalk.org.

July 4 DCRRC AGE-HANDICAPPED 4-MILER. Older runners start early and younger runners start later in this race, which has about 20 start times. 8 a.m. $10; free for members of DC Road Runners Club. No on-site registration.

Carderock Recreation Area, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Potomac. dcroadrunners.org/sign-up/age-handicapped.

July 7 MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MILE. This is a track mile, run in heats. 7:30-9 p.m. $10 ages 18 and older; $5 younger than 18; free for members of Montgomery County Road Runners Club. Rockville High School, Rockville. mcrrc.org.

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July 15 ROCKVILLE ROTARY TWILIGHT RUNFEST. Proceeds benefit the Rockville Rotary Club Foundation, which distributes money to charities, the Ivymount School and other local organizations. The 5K race starts and ends at the Ivymount School; the festival and tot trots are at Cabin John Shopping Center. 6 p.m. festival opens and tot trots at Cabin John. 7 p.m. start for the 5K. Check the website for fees. Ivymount School, Rockville. rockvilletwilighter.org.

Aug. 4 GOING GREEN TRACK MEET. This is a track meet run in heats, plus ¼-mile and ½-mile runs for kids, and a relay race. Donations of used running shoes requested. 6:45-8:30 p.m. $10 ages 18 and older; $5 younger than 18; free for members of Montgomery County Road Runners Club. Rockville High School, Rockville. mcrrc.org.

Aug. 19 EASTERN COUNTY 8K AND FUN RUN. Dress in your favorite school’s team apparel for this low-key race. 7:30 a.m. $10 ages 18 and older; $5 younger than 18; free for members of Montgomery County Road Runners Club.

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

ZUMBA IN THE PARK. The city of Gaithersburg welcomes all ages to this family-friendly set of classes. 7-8 p.m. Fridays. (Class could be canceled at the last moment for bad weather.) Free. City Hall Concert Pavilion, Gaithersburg. 301-258-6350, gaithersburgmd.gov/calendars.

Through Aug. 29 YOGA IN THE PARK. Bring a yoga mat, towel or blanket. Beginners are welcome.

7-8 p.m. Tuesdays. No class July 4. (Class could be canceled at the last moment for bad weather.) Free. City Hall Concert Pavilion, Gaithersburg. 301-258-6350, gaithersburgmd.gov/calendars.

Through Sept. 27 YOGA ON THE PLAZA. Bring your yoga mat for this mixed-level vinyasa class. Presented

by Grace Studios. 7-7:45 p.m. Wednesdays.

Free. Fountain Plaza, Silver Spring. downtownsilverspring.com.

July 4 SPECIAL INDEPENDENCE DAY TOUR OF THE MEDICAL MUSEUM. The docent-led introductory tour highlights the changes in American medicine over the past 150 years, with a special focus on military medicine. 1 p.m. Free. National Museum of Health and Medicine, Silver Spring.

Reservations recommended. 301-319-3303, medicalmuseum.mil.

PHOTO BY KARIN ZEITVOGEL, COURTESY OF MCRRC

Midsummer Night’s Mile is July 7 in Rockville.

July 5 LOOK GOOD, FEEL BETTER. Women undergoing cancer treatments learn makeup techniques, wig care and other beauty tips.

6-8 p.m. Free. Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center Aquilino Cancer Center, Rockville. Registration required. 800-5425096, adventisthealthcare.com.

July 15

July 10-Aug. 23 STAY ACTIVE-MOVE. This multiweek class for seniors ages 55 and older offers regular moderate exercise to ease joint pain and stiffness and reduce inflammation from arthritis and related conditions. 1-2 p.m.

Mondays and Wednesdays. Free. Holy Cross Hospital Senior Source Center, Silver Spring.

301-754-8800, holycrosshealth.org.

July 11 CHAIR EXERCISE. A workout class for people with mobility issues, at a special introductory price. 1-2 p.m. $10. Holy Cross Hospital Senior Source Center, Silver Spring. 301-7548800, holycrosshealth.org.

July 14-Aug. 18 MINDFULNESS MEDITATION. In this sixweek session with a Suburban Hospital

PHOTO BY KARIN ZEITVOGEL, COURTESY OF MCRRC

Mindfulness Center instructor, participants will learn the basics of mindfulness meditation by focusing on posture, breathing and energy work. 11-11:45 a.m. Fridays. $50 for the session. Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, Bethesda.

Registration required. 301-896-3939, events. suburbanhospital.org.

5TH ANNUAL SPORTSFEST. The city of Gaithersburg’s SportsFest starts with a 1K fun run for those entering grades K-8. Then participants test their skills in baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball and track and field at challenge stations on the front lawn and inside the Activity Center at Bohrer Park. 8:30 a.m. to noon. Free. Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm, Gaithersburg. 301258-6350, gaithersburgmd.gov/calendars.

July 19 and Aug. 16 AARP SMART DRIVER CLASS. The one-day session is for drivers 50 and older who want to sharpen driving skills and learn defensive driving techniques. 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. $20 for either session; $15 for members of AARP. The instructor collects payments (check or money order). Holy Cross Hospital Senior

Source Center, Silver Spring. 301-754-8800, holycrosshealth.org.

Aug. 2-Oct. 4 HEALTHY CHOICES. A 10-week program for learning a non-diet lifestyle approach to weight management. A registered and licensed dietitian at Suburban Hospital will discuss how to achieve a healthy body through nutrition, exercise and behavioral skills. 7-8 p.m. Wednesdays. $145. Suburban Hospital, Bethesda.

Registration required. 301-896-3939, events.suburbanhospital.org.

Aug. 14 and 15 SAFE SITTER. Suburban Hospital offers training for 11- to 13-year-olds on the essentials of baby-sitting, including basic first aid and child care skills. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for each of these two classes. $105. BethesdaChevy Chase Regional Services Center, Bethesda. Registration required. 301-8963939, events.suburbanhospital.org.

Aug. 22 MEDICAL MUSEUM SCIENCE CAFÉ: “CHEMICAL WARFARE DURING WORLD WAR I.” Dr. Robin Cooke, an Australian pathologist,

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focus on the use of journaling techniques to address grief issues. No experience with journaling needed. Participants should attend both sessions. 6:30-8 p.m. Montgomery Hospice, Rockville. Registration required.

301-921-4400, montgomeryhospice.org.

will share his experiences reexamining poisonous gas specimens from World War I and looking for ways to reduce deaths from possible gas attacks in the future. 6-7 p.m. Free. National Museum of Health and Medicine, Silver Spring. 301-319-3303, medicalmuseum.mil.

July 13 and Aug. 10

SUPPORT GROUPS

PARKINSON’S DISEASE SUPPORT GROUP. For patients, caregivers and family members.

12:05-12:55 p.m. Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation, Silver Spring. 301-445-3191, adventisthealthcare.com.

Support groups are free unless otherwise noted.

July 4 and Aug. 1 BREAST CANCER SUPPORT GROUP. 6:30 p.m. Hope Connections for Cancer Support, Bethesda. 301-634-7500, hopeconnectionsforcancer.org.

July 15 and Aug. 19

DROP-IN DISCUSSION ABOUT GRIEF AND HEALING. For anyone mourning the death of a loved one. 1:30-3 p.m. Montgomery Hospice, Rockville. Registration required. 301-9214400, montgomeryhospice.org.

July 18 and Aug. 15 DROP-IN DISCUSSION ABOUT GRIEF AND HEALING. For anyone mourning the death of a loved one. 6:30-8 p.m. Montgomery Hospice, Rockville. Registration required. 301-9214400, montgomeryhospice.org.

July 11 and 18 JOURNALING AND GRIEF WORKSHOP MINISERIES. This two-session workshop will

DENTIST

FINDER

GYN CANCER SUPPORT GROUP. For patients and survivors. 6:30-8 p.m. Holy Cross Hospital Professional and Community Education Center, Silver Spring. 301-7549124, holycross.drsreferralservice.com/p-23ovarian-gyn-cancer-support-group.aspx.

Aug. 10 and 24 YOUNG ADULTS WITH CANCER SUPPORT GROUP. 6:30 p.m. Hope Connections for Cancer Support, Bethesda. 301-634-7500, hopeconnectionsforcancer.org.

Aug. 15, 22 and 29

THYROID CANCER SUPPORT GROUP. Open to all thyroid cancer survivors and their families.

10 a.m.-noon. Holy Cross Hospital private dining rooms, Silver Spring. 301-943-5419, holycross.drsreferralservice.com/p-33-thyroidcancer-support-group-thyca.aspx.

July 6 and Aug. 3, 29

July 19 and Aug. 16

BEYOND WORDS: EXPRESSING GRIEF THROUGH ART MAKING. This three-session group uses art making to give those who are grieving new ways to take care of themselves. The classes will also give participants opportunities to memorialize loved ones. No art experience needed. 6:308 p.m. Montgomery Hospice, Rockville.

Registration required. 301-921-4400, montgomeryhospice.org.

To submit calendar items, go to www.Bethesda Magazine.com. n

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Your Guide to Leading Dentists in the Bethesda Area COSMETIC DENTISTRY, DENTAL IMPLANTS

COSMETIC DENTISTRY, IMPLANT DENTISTRY

DR. MEDHAT R. GHANNAM

DR. DAVID V. MAZZA

Artisan Dental

5530 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 712 Chevy Chase, MD 20815 301-652-1100 www.artisandentist.com

Dental School: University of Maryland Dental School Expertise: Clinical excellence in Cosmetic, Sedation & Implant Dentistry, carefully anticipating every detail of your visit. We focus on giving our patients exceptional care and a positive experience beyond anything they have previously encountered.

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Mazza Center for Implant and Aesthetic Dentistry

4300 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 101 Bethesda, MD 20814 301-986-0025 www.mazzadental.info

Expertise: Chew and Smile like a Pro! Dr. Mazza is honored to provide you with state of the art dentistry including: Pain and Anxiety Free Dentistry with Sedation; Cosmetic Dentistry; Dental Implants; CEREC: One Appointment Crown, Veneer, Bridge; and Family Dentistry.

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Your Guide to Leading Dentists in the Bethesda Area

GENERAL DENTISTRY, COSMETIC DENTISTRY

GENERAL DENTISTRY, COSMETIC DENTISTRY

DR. CHERYL F. CALLAHAN

DR. STEVEN JANOWITZ

Cheryl F. Callahan, DDS and Associates

Steven Janowitz, DDS

15225 Shady Grove Road, Suite 301 Rockville, MD 20850 301-948-1212 www.cherylcallahandds.com

Dental School: University of Michigan Services Include: Cosmetic Dentistry, Whitening, Tooth Colored Fillings, Porcelain Veneers, Crowns, Inlays, Onlays, Nightguards, Invisalign, Implants, Pediatric Dentistry, Digital Impressions and X-rays

350 Fortune Terrace Rockville, MD 20854 301-279-2600 www.stevenjanowitzdds.com

Expertise: My goal is to provide exceptional dental care in a very comfortable setting, using modern technology and assisted by an experienced, highly skilled and compassionate staff that is like family. I am excited to come to work every day at my dream office.

GENERAL DENTISTRY, COSMETIC DENTISTRY

GENERAL DENTISTRY, COSMETIC DENTISTRY

DR. JASON A. COHEN

DR. JAY SAMUELS

Jason A. Cohen, D.D.S.

5530 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 560 Chevy Chase, MD 20815 301-656-1201 www.cosmeticdds.com

Dental School: University of Maryland Dental School Expertise: Treating Your Family Like Family. Our practice focuses on General, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry. Our goal is to preserve, protect and enhance your dental health by creating a caring and gentle atmosphere where the level of treatment is second to none.

Jay H. Samuels, DDS PA

11140 Rockville Pike, Suite 510 Rockville, MD 20852 301-881-4200 www.drjsamuels.com

Dental School: University of Maryland School of Dentistry Expertise: We are a full service general and cosmetic dental practice specializing in individual oral health care. Using the latest dental technology, we help our patients achieve the smiles of their dreams. We combine the Art and Science of Dentistry ... with a Smile!

GENERAL DENTISTRY, COSMETIC DENTISTRY

PERIODONTICS, DENTAL IMPLANTS

DR. JOHN J. HIGGINS

DR. ROY ESKOW

John J. Higgins, DDS PA

Bethesda Dental Implant Center

5648 Shields Drive Bethesda, MD 20817 301-530-8008 www.johnjhigginsdds.com

Dental School: Georgetown University Expertise: Provide patients with excellent care and health education in a contemporary and comfortable atmosphere

5626 Shields Drive Bethesda, MD 20817 301-493-6200 www.bethesdadentalimplantcenter.com

Dental School: University of Maryland School of Dentistry Expertise: We provide state of the art periodontal therapy in a comfortable and caring environment. 30 years experience in dental implant surgery, periodontics, oral medicine, dental sleep apnea.

Paramount is building a quality relationship with each and every patient.

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Seniors & Aging

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Seniors & Aging

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Russell Brown EXECUTIVE CHEF, BAYWOODS OF ANNAPOLIS

How is the community different from others that we are looking at today?

This year, BayWoods is celebrating its 14th year. We have a diverse group of people living here from various backgrounds, and they range in age from 67 to 99. With just 147 Independent Living Apartments, BayWoods of Annapolis has over 190 residents. Our healthcare center has just 47 rooms in assisted living and short-term rehab nursing care combined. We have large apartments and all have covered parking, too.

What sets us apart is that our residents have chosen to live here by the water on the Chesapeake Bay. They are all owners collectively, and we are resident-owned and resident-run, so their best interests are truly at heart in every single decision made here at BayWoods.

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7101 Bay Front Drive Annapolis, MD 21403 410-268-9222 Info@BayWoodsofAnnapolis.com www.BayWoodsofAnnapolis.com

ADAM FREEDMAN

What are some distinct advantages for seniors moving to BayWoods?

First of all, our location is second to none, directly on the Chesapeake Bay just outside historic Annapolis. Second, BayWoods is one of only two continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) that is a co-op in Maryland.

Our ownership structure is very distinctive, with residents also being cooperative owners of the property. This appeals to Baby Boomers who want to be involved with ownership and management of the community in which they live. There are also tax advantages that go along with our ownership structure.

In fact, BayWoods did so well last year that independent living residents had no fees in the month of December, which we declared as a fee holiday.

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Seniors & Aging

Kathleen Andreone PT, DPT REHABILITATION DIRECTOR, FIVE STAR PREMIER RESIDENCES

TONY LEWIS JR

What are some of the main rehabilitation issues for seniors?

Fall prevention is important. In addition to improving balance with different exercises, we also provide education for the patient and family. One of the tips that we provide includes making sure everything is within reach to eliminate the need for a stepstool.

The most common conditions requiring therapy include strokes, chronic pain, Parkinson’s, generalized weakness and orthopedic surgeries. I’ve had additional training in the treatment of neurological movement disorders including dystonia and Parkinson’s disease.

A program called LSVT BIG improves stability and strength through practicing large movements that help correct irregular movement patterns. With video analysis, usually on my smartphone, people see how they move normally and learn to apply normal movement to their everyday lives.

For many conditions and for general well being, people love our aquatics program. We keep the water at a therapeutic temperature of 88-90 degrees, and play music that enhances the exercises.

Can an individual who is not a resident of Five Star utilize your services?

Yes, everyone is welcome. Five Star offers the full complement of therapies, with occupational and speech therapy in addition to personal training available on site. Many community members come to Five Star for physical therapy and other services. With outpatient billing going to insurance and Medicare, we are just like any other rehab facility.

Our aquatic exercise class, which I teach every Thursday morning at 11, is free of cost and open to the community. It was designed to be a resource for people with Parkinson’s disease and is often an easy introduction to the Five Star experience.

8100 Connecticut Ave. Chevy Chase, MD 20815 301-907-8895 www.fivestarpremier-chevychase.com

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Seniors & Aging

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(L-R) Mary Mell, Executive Director, Kimkitta Cariah-Butler, Director of Woodlands, Janet Goldberg, Director of Highlands, Iris Pierce, Director of Groves

Kensington Park

What makes The Kensington teams extraordinary?

We believe that experience and credentials are important considerations when we assemble our teams, but we always look beyond impressive resumes and letters at the end of names. Certainly, we insist upon best-in-class expertise—and we refine competencies with routine professional training. However, our teams demonstrate skills beyond traditional employment criteria.

Whether a caregiver, housekeeper, concierge or cook, our team members have personalities that are diverse blends of compassion, patience, kindness and respect. They share our love for seniors and spirit to serve. Some of them are really funny, too, and let’s face it, humor is an excellent contributor to morale among residents and colleagues.

Our teams uphold The Kensington Promise: to love and care for your family as we do our own. This makes us exceptionally proud.

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3620 Littledale Road Kensington, MD 20895 301-946-7700 mmell@kensingtonsl.com www.kensingtonparkseniorliving.com

TONY LEWIS JR

What makes your memory care program distinctive?

We offer three levels of memory care, which enables us to address challenges that are unique to each stage of memory loss. The Kensington Club is ideal for residents who are coping with mild but frequent and obvious forgetfulness that has begun to interfere with daily life. Connections is suitable for residents who are experiencing early-to-middle-stage memory loss. Haven is best for residents who are struggling with middle-to-late-stage loss.

By working with strengths of the present, we preserve the highest quality of life possible, maximize comfort and relieve anxiety—always in fully secured environments that prevent unsafe wandering. Our seamless continuum, which includes comprehensive clinical care and “pocket programming,” helps us accommodate residents where they are, with a ready program of care for where they could be as memory fades.

Further, memory loss is a family affair. So we provide ongoing support to help families recognize the phases of disease progression and how to cope as each one unfolds.

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Seniors & Aging

The Casey Health Team CASEY HEALTH INSTITUTE

MICHAEL VENTURA

What can I expect as a senior patient at Casey Health?

As a senior patient at Casey Health, you can expect to receive compassionate, personalized care designed for your unique needs and goals. You can expect a welcoming and healing environment throughout each step of your healthcare experience. You can expect us to get to know you as a whole person and utilize the best of western medicine along with other healing modalities to care for you. Our top priority is getting you healthy, keeping you well and providing the support you need for life-long health, well-being and independence.

What makes Casey Health different from other primary care practices?

Casey Health values the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, and partners with you and your loved ones to provide you with the care, tools and support for your lasting health and wellness. We do this with a clinical team dedicated to meeting the needs of our senior population. This includes coordination of care, chronic illness prevention and management, and staff with expert knowledge of Medicare guidelines. Casey Health is committed to helping you achieve optimal health by making health care accessible and cost-effective.

800 S. Frederick Ave. Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Medical Offices: 301-664-6464 Wellness Center: 301-355-2030 info@caseyhealth.org www.caseyhealth.org

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Seniors & Aging

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Neal Kursban, President; Wendy Shapiro; Karin Martinez, Long-term Care Insurance Manager

Neal Kursban My parents have a long-term care insurance policy for home care but I’m unsure how to access its benefits. Can you help?

Yes, we can help. Long-term care insurance (LTCI) policies can be difficult to understand, and families are often faced with navigating their complex rules while caring for a loved one. In general, these policies reimburse for home care services that assist with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and transferring.

Since 1968, Family & Nursing Care has not only supported clients and their families with home care services, but also with getting reimbursed from long-term care insurers.

We’re unique in the industry by having a full-time LTCI Manager, Karin Martinez, a staunch client advocate and LTCI in-house expert. She says, “Clients have come to me frustrated, overwhelmed, and wanting to give up after trying to handle all the paperwork, the requirements, and the inevitable waiting involved in the claims reimbursement process. I know that our clients have spent their hard-earned money on these policies and rely on the care; this inspires me to support and encourage them to stay the course.”

She makes a call with every client and their LTCI company, helping ensure clients have a full understanding of their policy’s criteria, benefits and policyholder responsibilities. With experience and a strategic eye, Karin assesses each policy to ensure that insured individuals are reaping their full benefits, allowing family members to concentrate on their loved ones.

Family & Nursing Care’s assistance with reimbursement doesn’t end there. We also bill and receive reimbursement directly from the LTCI companies for clients of our Family & Nursing Care Select service. Assuming this financial risk and responsibility is something rarely done by home care agencies. We are proud to offer this service in addition to our top-tier home care services.

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962 Wayne Ave., Suite 500 Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-588-8200 www.familynursingcare.com

MICHAEL VENTURA

MICHAEL VENTURA

PRESIDENT, FAMILY & NURSING CARE

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Seniors & Aging

(L-R) Barbara C. Mulitz, Vice President Frederic G. Burke, Senior Vice President Cynthia G. Kuncl, Senior Vice President

Sandy Spring Trust

TONY LEWIS JR

What advice would you give to help older adults as they plan for retirement?

Successful aging is a participatory sport. Adults who plan now for their retirement years have the greatest chance of a successful and rewarding emotional and financial future.

Eat well, exercise often, socialize frequently and make sure your estate asset management succession plans are up to date. While no one likes to think about it, physical and mental decline can happen with or without a plan. It is always better to have one.

Knowing how your hard-earned assets will be managed—and who will manage them—is an important step toward a successful retirement.

Our professional team of attorneys, certified financial planners and wealth management experts provide a wide range of support services for older adults and their families.

As a part of the Sandy Spring Private Client Group, we take a holistic approach to meeting all our clients’ financial needs. Our Trust, Wealth Management and Private Banking experts seamlessly work together to deliver comprehensive and personalized strategies for each client to help them reach their goals.

Women have different retirement and investment concerns. What support do you provide to help women as they prepare for retirement?

We know that, for some time, women have been left out of the investment conversation.

We have been working very hard to change that. Through seminars, private meetings and community outreach, we are dedicated to supporting and providing women with the tools they need to make sound financial decisions. Our Wealth Management Team works together with women to support their unique investment needs, develop strategies to meet those needs and provide an understanding of the importance of sound estate and retirement planning. We help women help themselves and their families implement plans for a safer, financially sound future.

17801 Georgia Ave., Olney, MD 20832 301-774-8410 www.sandyspringbank.com/pcg

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Lynn A. Stewart REALTOR, W.C. & A.N. MILLER/LONG & FOSTER, CHRISTIE'S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

We may want to sell the house, but how do we get it ready after all this time?

We can “stage” your house to sell, making it as attractive as possible for potential buyers.

That process becomes pretty overwhelming with a house that's filled with accumulated things from decades of living and raising a family in it.

We have professional teams that make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible. Your house may need aesthetic touches like paint, floor refinishing and carpet cleaning. Furniture and other possessions can be moved, sold or donated. There may be repairs or landscaping needed. If you want to stay in the house, we can help with that goal in mind.

Contact me anytime with questions, or a free, no-obligation market analysis on your present property. I’ve helped many people resettle with great results.

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4701 Sangamore Road Bethesda, MD 20816 Cell: 301-580-4552 Office: 301-229-4000 Lynn@LynnStewartSells.com www.lynnstewartsells.com

HILARY SCHWAB

We’ve been here 40 years now. It's time for the next phase, but where to start?

You’re not alone! I work with many people like you who moved here, raised their families in our neighborhoods and are now looking for the next move—whether staying in their home, renovating or moving, and getting rid of accumulated stuff. I've lived for almost 30 years in Georgetown, Friendship Heights, Chevy Chase, and now Kenwood, so I know our neighborhoods well.

It takes a special person with the patience and expertise to help people who are trying to “age in place” or down-size. The process is a daunting task and most folks don’t have a clue as to where to start. I’m a premier Senior Real Estate Specialist and I can help with “right-sizing,” renovations, relocations, de-cluttering and more. Everyone is different, so we define your priorities and put together a customized plan to get you where you want to be.

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Residents Bunny & Steve Huebner MAPLEWOOD PARK PLACE

HEATHER FUENTES

How did you approach making this life-changing decision—to move to a retirement community with an active lifestyle and continuum of care for the future?

Having watched our grandparents and parents age, we knew staying in our home would eventually become physically difficult and isolating. We decided to age in a community that offered easy access to the metro area, continued social interaction and health care services, too.

It was important to move while we could manage the process and make decisions that best fit our needs. Some renovations allowed us to easily sell our home and we passed on some belongings to our children and grandchildren and created a family history for each item.

We quickly assimilated into Maplewood and went to work in our garden plots, sharing herbs and vegetables with our new friends. Each of us has joined committees such as Building & Facility, Library, Landscape and Budget. Maplewood also offers a variety of fitness classes as well as on-site Montgomery College courses. We like Maplewood’s afternoon and evening programs, and continue our volunteering outside of Maplewood, too.

Why did you decide to move to Maplewood Park Place?

We looked at a number of options. Our first requirement was to stay nearby and maintain allegiance to our cultural institutions. We chose Maplewood for the vibrant social life and activities that lure us out of our apartments. Also important is the delicious and abundant food. The professional sales team and excellent floorplans made our transition stress-free.

We learned that if we moved early while still healthy, rates for Assisted Living or Skilled Nursing would be about half the cost of market rates elsewhere. Those who move most successfully move before it's absolutely necessary, and reap the benefits of a very full life with new friends.

9707 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD 20814 301-530-0500 info@maplewoodparkplace.net www.maplewoodparkplace.com

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Courtney Malengo, APR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, NATIONAL LUTHERAN COMMUNITIES & SERVICES

2301 Research Blvd., Suite 310 Rockville, MD 20850 240-292-4516 | info@nationallutheran.org www.nationallutheran.org

COURTESY PHOTO

How do I know if a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) is right for me?

CCRCs allow seniors to enjoy retirement years without the hassle of home maintenance, while providing the security of health care services. National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS) believes all seniors should have the opportunity to live a fulfilling life, regardless of age or health concerns.

We focus on holistic wellness that covers physical, spiritual, social, intellectual and vocational dimensions. Each CCRC is different, so we encourage researching and touring various communities.

The key to evaluating retirement living options is to start early. Many people wait too long to move into a retirement community and often miss out on all the benefits they offer. When evaluating options, examine referrals from people you know, conduct several site visits and review the results of state surveys and inspections. Resources like the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (cms.gov), the Department of Health and Human Services (hhs.gov) and Maryland Health Care Commission (mhcc.gov) are invaluable.

Dr. Jason Gottschalk EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE VILLAGE AT ROCKVILLE– A NATIONAL LUTHERAN COMMUNITY

9701 Veirs Drive Rockville, MD 20850 301-812-4624 | info@thevillageatrockville.org www.thevillageatrockville.org 242

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COURTESY PHOTO

How is The Village at Rockville going to help meet the increasing demand for senior living with a growing aging population?

For 127 years, The Village at Rockville has prided itself on evolving with seniors as their needs change. Our community expanded from a 300-bed health care center to a full Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).

In order to meet the increasing demand as the aging population grows, we are embarking on an expansion project adding 130 independent living apartments to our campus. The Glenmere apartments will feature a range of floor plans, include first-class amenities, restaurants and a wellness center featuring a state-of-the-art indoor aquatics center. Additionally, residents will have access to holistic wellness services, life-long learning activities and the security of five-star-rated health care should they ever need it.

Currently, we are offering information sessions regarding the expansion, which you can RSVP for online or by phone.

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Christine L. Podles, MA, LNHA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INGLESIDE AT KING FARM Why is Ingleside at King Farm expanding?

We saw an increasing need on our campus for additional community amenities to support the active and dynamic lifestyles of our current and future residents. The market is certainly also expressing a demand, with a growing adult population. By 2030, 25 percent of the U.S. population will be over 60 years of age.* We are excited about our planned expansion, called Gardenside, which is scheduled to open in late 2019 or early 2020. The Gardenside addition will bring 125 stylish, independent living apartments, 32 private assisted living memory support suites and a Center for Healthy Living. Our vision for the Center for Healthy Living is based on our engaged living philosophy and on the six dimensions of wellness: physical, social, spiritual, occupational, emotional and intellectual.

What is a Center for Healthy Living?

Our Center for Healthy Living is a series of spaces that offer the infrastructure for programs and events that support continued engagement and opportunities for growth. It will be the lifestyle center of the community.

A day spa and salon, classrooms, state-of-the-art fitness center, exercise studio, coffee bar, art studio and meditation space are all planned. Beautifully landscaped outdoor spaces are being designed as well for gardening, grilling, and relaxation. Finally, a performing arts venue will host lectures, concerts, dances and other special events.

The innovative spirit and design of the Gardenside addition, coupled with our existing campus amenities and newly expanded dining venues ensures that Ingleside at King Farm is ideally positioned to continue its tradition of offering exceptional engaged living.

Ingleside at King Farm is expanding with the proposed building of 125 new independent living apartments, 32 private assisted living memory support suites, and a Center for Healthy Living subject to approval by the Maryland Department of Aging.

HILARY SCHWAB

*Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, Interim State Population Projections, 2005. Table compiled by the U.S. Administration on Aging. Data Source: File 2. Interim State Projections of Population for Five-Year Age Groups.

701 King Farm Blvd.

Rockville MD 20850 240-499-9019 www.inglesidekingfarm.org BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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Alex Petukhov, Partner, Wife Shannon & Daughter Julia BEST SENIOR CARE, LLC Who benefits from in-home care?

The simple answer “is” anyone benefits when they need assistance to function independently while still living at home. The more detailed answer is—the whole family benefits. Being a family owned and operated agency we know how one member's health can affect everyone.

Most of the time when seniors require help, the family steps up to help with meals, medical appointments, household tasks, errands, etc. This can put pressure on other family members, creating conflicts, frustration and a sense of being torn. From as little as a few hours a day to as much as 24 hours, Best Senior Care can help—without breaking the bank.

What kind of home assistance has the greatest impact on safety for seniors?

Our first step is assessing the home for safety. Preventing falls is a priority because seniors can be at enormous risk. It’s far less costly to get help early on rather than what might be round-the-clock care after something happens.

We also can help you assess your parents for dizziness and trouble standing smoothly.

Low blood pressure or unstable sugar levels can be a factor.

We address medication management, because it often surprises adult children when they discover their parents are forgetful about taking medicine. Another concern is nutrition, and our caregivers can shop for and prepare meals, making sure to cook extra for leftovers that can be reheated easily.

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17830 New Hampshire Ave, Suite 302 Ashton, MD 20861 301-717-2212 alex@bestseniorcare.us www.bestseniorcare.us

LISA HELFERT

Who are the aides you send out?

Our certified and licensed caregivers come from all over the world. We look for individuals with passion for their work. Additionally, we look for individuals with experience and deep family ties who are dependable, well spoken and outgoing. Our caregivers tend to have a more of a medical background as well, so they are able to respond to any sort of emergency with professionalism.

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Seniors & Aging

Dale Zazanis HOUSE MANAGER, COHEN-ROSEN HOUSE, MEMORY CARE ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY, CHARLES E. SMITH LIFE COMMUNITIES

MICHAEL VENTURA

A House Manager is unique in an assisted living residence. How is your job different from an Assisted Living Manager or Administrator?

I serve as a liaison between residents, families and team members, as well as manage day-to-day operations of our 18 suite homes for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of memory loss.

On any day, you can find me meeting with our staff physician, collaborating with family members, serving dinner or dancing with a resident. Each day is different and I’m privileged to be a part of our residents’ lives. They are wonderful people.

It is very satisfying to work in such a lovely environment specially designed for older adults with memory loss.

Cohen-Rosen House is unique in that we are one of the few memory care residences in the area with a team of geriatric nursing assistants, two full-time activity assistants, two full-time housekeepers, access to our on-staff physician and 24-hour nursing care including two registered nurses. We also have an assisted living manager and an administrator. Our innovative campus puts families at ease knowing their loved ones are receiving great care.

I am moved everyday by the relationships that we build with residents, families and colleagues. I love hearing their stories. I am proud to work in a positive, home-like environment that is so essential to our residents with memory impairment, and I invite everyone to come visit and experience what I see every day. I believe that our beautiful setting not only enhances residents’ lives, but helps family members to have meaningful and joyful visits.

Family members are very appreciative, which is gratifying. Said one: “Every person I have met, from the enthusiastic, caring administrators to the doctors, therapists, nursing staff, to every aide, maintenance worker and cleaning crew, treats the residents with kindness, courtesy, and respect.”

6121 Montrose Road Rockville, MD 20852 301-816-5052 www.cohen-rosen.org www.smithlifecommunities.org BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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Egons & Anda Plavnieks BRIGHT STAR HEALTH CARE

Why should I use an agency for home health care, rather than a private individual?

Many people use private individuals for home care to try to save money. This is not recommended, for many reasons. First, there’s no backup. If they get sick or have a family incident, you’re on your own. Second, over time, the private aide naturally develops a close relationship with the client, and it becomes difficult to criticize and even harder to dismiss them. Private caregivers do not have liability, disability or workers’ compensation insurance, and most don’t have health insurance. If they have an accident on the job, or if you find something missing, there is no recourse. You bear the financial responsibility. Lastly, they do not get professional supervision and direction from a registered nurse, as is required by state law for aides employed by agencies.

Bright Star aides have proper insurance, background checks, training and skills. If an aide doesn’t fulfill expectations, they are counseled or replaced.

10400 Connecticut Ave., Suite 512 Kensington, MD 20895 301-588-0859 www.brightstarcare.com 246

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HEATHER FUENTES

How can I convince my parent to accept inhome care?

It’s difficult for anyone to accept that they aren't able to live fully independently. We can share a few successful strategies. Try eliminating the caregiver nomenclature and position the caregiver as an assistant, friend or companion. Explain that your parent will be accepting help not only for their benefit, but also for your peace of mind.

If possible, do not talk about cost. Often seniors refuse help because they don’t want to spend the money, whether yours or theirs.

Ask your parent to give it a try. Once they see how helpful an aide can be, they’ll probably not only accept the service, you’ll hear no objection to adding to the schedule.

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Seniors & Aging

Susan Rodgers, RN

HILARY SCHWAB

PRESIDENT, CAPITAL CITY NURSES With so many choices for home care, how do you recommend researching the smart choice?

The research you do on the front end will pay off when care starts. I recommend paying close attention to three key issues: Quality of care, ease of setting up care and the company’s reputation. In researching quality of care, begin by asking friends who have worked with home care companies to share their experiences. You will likely hear the same company names pop up over and over. If the feedback about a company is consistently positive, add that company to your short list.

Look for companies with established histories and good reputations. Google home care companies in your area and visit their websites. Read online testimonials. If the reviews are overwhelmingly good, add that company to your short list, too. Take your list to your doctor, an Aging Life Care Manager and/or your local Senior Village office.

Ask them about how their preferred companies are different and what each does to make the home care relationship successful. Ask about vetting and hiring processes.

When you call the companies, determine if each is listening to your needs or just trying to set up care on their schedule. You may want to meet a representative face to face if that would help you feel more comfortable. Lastly, be sure arranging the care is not overly complicated. A good home care company ought to be able to set up care during one phone call. We certainly do that for people who call us with a need. Over the past 25 years, I have made sure Capital City Nurses hires and trains the best quality caregivers and makes starting care simple. That is how we earned a stellar reputation in the community, with medical professionals and with care managers.

8401 Connecticut Ave., Suite 1030 Chevy Chase, MD 20815 301-652-4344 www.capitalcitynurses.com

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Irene Cady-Harrington PRESIDENT, AT HOME CARE, INC.

15304 Spencerville Court Burtonsville, MD 20866 301-421-0200 www.athomecareinc.com

MICHAEL VENTURA

How do you choose the highest quality home health care agency?

While the best referrals come from social workers, care managers, doctors and an agency’s former or current clients, there are signs you can rely on when doing your research. Ask about longevity, not only how many years the agency itself has been in business, but how long do the caregivers tend to stay. We have been in business for four decades and our caregivers average 16 years with us. Also, you want caregivers who already have experience, not ones who are in training. Compare what different agency representatives say about background and criminal checks, and references.

Our process is detailed and time consuming, but I can sleep at night.

Of course, you should make sure the agency is licensed and respected.

An indication of business community respect and stability might be membership in a private care association like AIHCO (Association of Independent Health Care Owners) as well as the local Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau.

Susy Elder Murphy, BA, CMC OWNER, DEBRA LEVY ELDERCARE ASSOCIATES

11120 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 505 Silver Spring, MD 20904 301-593-5285 info@care-manager.com www.care-manager.com 248

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ADAM FREEDMAN

With all my responsibilities, I can’t find enough time to devote to my aging parents. How could an Aging Life Care™ Manager help?

We understand your quandary. You know you should accompany mom to the doctor, but how can you, without cutting back on needed hours at work? You want to do more to keep dad active, but your children need attention, too.

Our care managers will first visit with your parents and assess their needs, then discuss options for ongoing care management support. We can take mom and dad to doctor visits, communicate with their physicians, advocate on their behalf, and manage their medications. We can also connect you with other essential service providers, such as caregivers, companions and legal and financial advisors. Whatever living arrangements your parents may need —from independent living to a skilled nursing facility—we can help them find, and transition to, just the right place.

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Veena J. Alfred, Ph.D. Sensory Room, AlfredHouse Symphony ALFREDHOUSE ASSISTED LIVING INC. What sets AlfredHouse apart?

What sets us apart is our deeply held values. We believe the foundation of great assisted living care rests on generous numbers of trained and committed, direct-care staff. Our staffing ratio of one for every four residents and our ability to manage individuals with mental illnesses resulting from cognitive impairment, anxiety, depression and challenging behaviors is what sets us apart. Also, one fee covers all services, so there are no surprises each month.

AlfredHouse Assisted Living offers 25 years of boutique assisted living and eldercare. We provide compassionate and personalized care for loved ones who are experiencing aging cognitive challenges from dementia, Parkinson’s, and/or Alzheimer’s disease. We also serve those who need assisted living care, hospice or respite.

We provide simple love and support for a frail elderly person for all levels of care. We just opened our tenth residence, AlfredHouse Symphony, which integrates care for mental health and aging cognitive challenges.

When you’re looking for a memory care community, focus on one that provides Person Centered Care, as a beautiful hotel/resort-like community is not necessarily a good caregiving community.

LISA HELFERT

What features do you offer to stimulate or comfort residents?

Soothing and comforting colors, as well as large, sunlit spaces, patios, outside seating areas, large inviting windows filtering sunshine into common areas and bedrooms play important roles in stimulating and comforting residents. These are all important components of care at AlfredHouse.

The “Himalaya Club,” created by Dr. Alfred, introduces a unique and holistic approach to care that incorporates light, music, art, aroma, massage and hydrotherapy, to mention a few. It’s designed to promote and translate insights of the inner being of a person from the valleys to the summit tops, lifting one’s spirit from dark, deep lows to the highest peaks of the Himalayas

18100 Cashell Road Rockville, MD 20853 301-260-2080 www.AlfredHouse.com BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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Bill Gelfeld, Mary Ellen Jorgensen, Beth Wetzel & Shaun Underkoffler COMFORT HOME CARE, LLC

121 Congressional Lane, Suite 201 Rockville, MD 20852 301-984-1401 | Bill@ChooseComfortHome.com www.ChooseComfortHome.com

ADAM FREEDMAN

My mom has Alzheimer’s and I’m worried about her safety. What should I do?

Trying to keep a loved one with Alzheimer’s/dementia safe is an ever-changing task. When you think you have everything under control, another change can occur, presenting new risks. The experience can be overwhelming, time consuming and frustrating for family members.

Bringing an experienced partner into your loved one’s plan of care can help relieve your stress, while improving their care. People with dementia require very different approaches to care. In-home care can provide respite for family members while assisting with activities of daily living, nutritional support, medication reminders, household chores and more.

Our experienced team is thoroughly trained and certified in dementia and Alzheimer’s care by the Alzheimer’s Association. To help families understand the changing needs of their loved ones, we introduced “A Family Guide for InHome Dementia Care,” which can be downloaded for free at www.Choose ComfortHome.com.

Christy Andrus SALES COUNSELOR, RIDERWOOD

3140 Gracefield Road Silver Spring, MD 20904 1-800-610-1560 www.riderwoodcommunity.com 250

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COURTESY PHOTO

What should seniors look for when considering a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)?

The first step is to understand a CCRC. This type of community offers independent living, plus multiple levels of onsite care, such as assisted living, rehabilitation, long-term care, respite care, memory care and home care.

Next, determine what you want from retirement. Are you looking to travel? Meet new people? Volunteer? Then look for a community that’s large enough to offer a variety of clubs and activities, while retaining the warmth of a small town.

Residents of Riderwood often refer to the community as “a small town under one roof” for the wealth of amenities, including a pool, medical center and multiple restaurants—all connected through climate-controlled walkways.

If you wish to stay active and independent, while enjoying peace of mind for the future—a CCRC may be right for you.

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Seniors & Aging

(L-R) Rebecca Larrabee, LGSW; Mulunesh Kassaye, CNA; Michael Westerman, MD; Rabbi Yaffa-Shira Sultan; Tilahun Zergo, RN

Joy Sexton, RN, BSN DIRECTOR OF HOSPICE, JSSA

DARREN HIGGINS

When should I start considering end-of-life care for my loved one?

Because the goal of hospice is to improve quality of life for both the patient and their family, we find care is most effective when started sooner rather than later. Don’t wait until your loved one’s final days to reach out for the support that is so crucial at the end of life.

If you’re unsure, give JSSA’s hospice a call. You don’t even need a physician’s orders.

We’re a nonsectarian, nonprofit hospice guided by Jewish values of dignity, altruism and inclusivity, and our registered nurses are available seven days a week for a free evaluation of hospice eligibility. We’ll be happy to come to your loved one’s home for an informational visit.

Based on our findings, we’ll follow up with his or her primary care doctor. If the time is right for hospice, our interdisciplinary team will work with your loved one’s physician to collaborate on a care plan, which includes pain management, counseling, spiritual guidance and visits with trained volunteers.

Hospice is an entitlement program under Medicare, meaning there are no out-of-pocket expenses for these types of services. It’s also covered by Medicaid and most private insurance plans, so you don’t have to let financial concerns hold you back from making the call.

What happens if my loved one isn’t ready for hospice yet?

We know that individuals suffering from life-limiting illnesses can benefit from extra support, so JSSA offers a free at-home service called Transitions. This unique non-medical program is helmed by nurse coordinators who provide information about community resources, helping clients understand care options and choices.

Transitions also staffs specially trained volunteers offering companionship and emotional support during their weekly visits. Time together may be spent reading, playing games, listening to music, sharing stories and going on outings.

The Ina Kay Building at Fallsgrove 200 Wood Hill Road Rockville, MD 20850 301-816-2676 hospiceinfo@jssa.org www.jssa.org

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Henning Lorenzen, Director of Food and Beverage Quang Duong, Executive Chef FOX HILL

How much influence do the residents have in their dining options?

A tremendous amount! Chefs meet frequently with residents who become like family. We engage residents and their friends daily so we know their preferences, and we learned early on their desire for casual fare like burgers, artisan sandwiches and salads in addition to our formal menu. Bartenders serve spirits without an order being taken, chefs know who likes “medium-rare” or “al dente.” Residents feel comfortable making menu suggestions and often will place special orders. For catered events, our chefs collaborate with residents to create a menu for every special celebration.

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8300 Burdette Road Bethesda, MD 20817 301-968-1850 www.foxhillresidences.com

COURTESY PHOTO

How do you create a menu for over 300 people?

Keeping the menus fresh and interesting is the focus for an upscale retirement community like ours says Food and Beverage Director Henning Lorenzen. His broad experience as a chef at the Sydney Opera house in Australia, at the World Bank and Library of Congress as well as running his own restaurants, affords Lorenzen a unique perspective. Head Chef Quang is French trained, under Alain Ducasse, and served as executive chef at the RitzCarlton Georgetown before Fox Hill. His recipes are legendary.

A robust variety of tastes demand an entire menu change every two months. We have four distinct venues, from the Wintergarden Café to fine dining in the River Room. Residents enjoy fresh herbs from the garden and fresh fish and meats daily. Twice a week sushi lovers cherish the opportunity to taste these artful creations prepared by a visiting sushi chef. For those with a sweet tooth, we have a full-time pastry chef. Fox Hill also has a fully stocked wine cellar and the Kindred Spirits Bar remains open until the last toast of the night.

restaurants. cooking. food. drinks.

PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY

dine

Gaithersburg’s Finewine.com, which offers charcuterie and other munchies, sells beer and wine to-go and has a section where customers can eat, drink and hang out. Turn the page for more on this hot spot and three others.

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dine | TABLE TALK

BY DAVID HAGEDORN | PHOTOS BY DEB LINDSEY

ONE-STOP SIP AND SHOP ONE PERK OF Montgomery

County’s Department of Liquor Control laws is that stores selling beer and wine to-go are able to acquire a license that allows on- and off-premises consumption. Some stores have carved out seating and bar areas and serve food or allow you to bring it in or have it delivered. Customers can avoid restaurant prices on alcohol by grabbing a bottle of wine off the shelf and sipping on site. (County law also permits open bottles to-go if the bottle has been corked or capped.) These stores can be found throughout the county, but Gaithersburg seems to have really taken to the concept. Here are four to check out.

downtown crown Wine and Beer

Downtown Crown Wine and Beer

Beers & Cheers Too

303 Copley Place, 301-330-7010; downtowncrownwine.com

678 Quince Orchard Road, 301-947-4440; facebook.com/beersandcheerstoo

OPENED: 2014 THE VIBE: The store is one large room, but the bar and seating area are separate from wine and beer displays. Nice design touches include exposed brick and ceiling fans. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

Details of the 22 draft beers (such as amounts left in each keg) are on illuminated boards connected to the DigitalPour app. You can take home draft beer in 32-ounce or 64-ounce growlers, or in 32-ounce crowlers (sealed cans). There’s a carefully curated wine selection with 16 sold by the glass and several well-priced reserve wines offered in 3-ounce or 6.25-ounce pours using the Coravin system, which extracts wine without removing the cork. Tables fill up during happy hour, and the place is packed on Friday and Saturday nights.

THE MENU: Meat and cheese plates, olives, hummus and pita chips CAN YOU BRING IN FOOD? Yes WINE CORKAGE: $10 LIVE MUSIC: Every Saturday SEATS: 24, plus 15 at the bar; 40 outside

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OPENED: 2016 THE VIBE: This Quince Orchard Plaza hot spot is mostly beer-centric with 24 beers on tap (heavily favoring the Delmarva region and available in growlers) and four wines on tap. There’s a small, no-frills bar area with a mix of regular tables, high-tops and a communal high top.

The staff is friendly and knows most customers by name, a testament to the store’s loyal following.

THE MENU: Fare includes hot and cold subs on French baguettes baked daily, and empañadas made by a former Coast Guard chef who co-owner George Photinakis met when their kids went to school together. Empañada fillings include beef, chicken, Mexican chorizo, cheese pizza, lump crab, shrimp and apple.

CAN YOU BRING IN FOOD? No WINE CORKAGE: $6, which includes a cheese-and-cracker plate LIVE MUSIC: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

SEATS: 30 inside, 24 outside

beers & cheers Too

the wine harvest

finewine.com

finewine.com

PHOTO CREDIT

OPENED: 1999 THE VIBE: The atmosphere is nice here, with contemporary furniture, an area rug and a sculptural drop ceiling. This RIO Washingtonian Center store is wine-focused as its name suggests. There are no draft beers, but you’ll find a good selection of bottled craft beers from local brewers. The store is staffed with wine aficionados, and tastings on Fridays are popular. The wine menu features six reds, six rosés and six whites by the glass and half and full bottle, plus four sparklers and six dessert wines; a flight of four half-glasses is $20.

THE MENU: Light munchies—such as olives, cheese, charcuterie and hummus—are available.

CAN YOU BRING IN FOOD? Yes WINE CORKAGE: No fee for bottles over $25; corkage is $10 for bottles under $25, but the store has been waiving it for a year.

LIVE MUSIC: Occasionally SEATS: 24, plus five at the bar

the wine harvest

OPENED: 1999 (purchased by the current owners in 2002) THE VIBE: A Kentlands watering hole where regulars go to unwind with a glass of beer or wine, The Wine Harvest is small and cozy, with tables hidden in nooks made by stacked cases and displays of wine barrels topped with bottles. Five draft beers are offered, but wine is the star of the show. About 25 wines by the glass rotate monthly, and there are free tastings on Thursdays with discounts on those wines.

THE MENU: A full café menu is served, with a wide variety of sandwiches, cheese plates, salads and desserts.

CAN YOU BRING IN FOOD? No WINE CORKAGE: $7 LIVE MUSIC: The third Sunday of the month SEATS: 25, plus 10 at the bar; 20 outside (pet-friendly) 114 Market St., 301-869-4008; thewineharvest.com

20-A Grand Corner Ave., 301-987-5933, finewine.com

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Rolled ice cream—the sweet trend that made its way from its native Thailand to California, New York and finally the D.C. area—starts as a liquid and freezes before your eyes at Class 520, which opened near Rockville Town Square last year, and in Bethesda in May. Stand by the counter to watch your frozen dessert being made.

The process starts with an employee pouring an ice cream base into the center of a freezer unit topped with a 22-inch stainless steel circle, which is so cold that a thin layer of frost has formed on top.

As the ice cream freezes, she takes two stainless steel spatulas and scrapes it to form a smooth mass of semisoft ice cream. She kneads the heap with the spatulas and spreads it into a large, very thin rectangle, as if spreading mayo on a sandwich. Holding one spatula at an angle, she curls and rolls six spiraled cylinders the

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length of a cigarette and an inch wide and stands them up in an ice cream cup.

The ice cream base, made with milk, heavy cream, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla extract, comes in four flavors: vanilla, latte, Thai tea and green tea. They are the foundation of 13 menu items that each have add-ins (such as fresh fruit, graham crackers and Fruity Pebbles) worked into the ice cream as it’s freezing. You can also choose toppings from two dozen offerings. The texture of Thai ice cream is denser, and therefore icier and less silken, than high-quality American ice cream, but it is nevertheless satisfying, thanks in large part to the show—worth the $7.16 in Rockville or $7.70 in Bethesda.

Class 520, 5 Dawson Ave., Rockville, 301-637-9791; 4941 Elm St., Bethesda, 240-800-4902; class520icecream.com

PHOTO BY STACY ZARIN-GOLDBERG

THAI GAME

&

COMINGS GOINGS The California hot dog chain Dog Haus will open a Dog Haus Biergarten late this summer in the space formerly occupied by Parva Cocina & Tequila Bar on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda.

Chevy Chase resident Josh Grim, the CEO of Gusto Farm to Street—a fast-casual restaurant concept specializing in salads and oblong, fast-fired pizzas—announced plans to open in September in Westfield Montgomery mall. This will be the third location of the nascent, locally owned chainlet. The others are on Bethesda Row and in downtown Silver Spring.

Kabu, a Japanese steak house in Laurel, plans to open a second location this fall near Rockville Town Square, in the building that houses Choice Hotels International’s headquarters.

John Snedden, the owner of the D.C. area chainlet Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company, closed his Rockville location

in April. (The company’s three other locations are in Alexandria, Arlington and D.C.) Going into the Wintergreen Plaza space vacated by Rocklands will be the first Maryland outpost of The Halal Guys, which started in Manhattan as a food cart and is now an international fast-casual chain serving beef, chicken and falafel gyros and platters with ingredients that adhere to Islamic dietary specifications. (Halal means “permitted or lawful” in Arabic.)

The North Bethesda location of the BRIO Tuscan Grille chain closed in May. Noodles & Company, a national, fast-casual, noodle-based chain out of Colorado, closed two Bethesda locations in April, one on Elm Street and the other in Westfield Montgomery mall.

The company still maintains four other Montgomery County locations.

RECENTLY OPENED: Check out our Dining Guide for details on CSNY (Rockville), Lina’s Diner and Bar (Silver Spring), Q by Peter Chang (Bethesda) and World of Beer (Bethesda). n

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Berry Bliss Dig into summer with a two-layer treat

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BY BRIAN PATTERSON L’Academie de Cuisine | www.lacademie.com

2

5

Blueberry Cobbler DIFFICULTY LEVEL

ON THE CLOCK

SERVINGS

45 minutes

6

Ingredients BLUEBERRY BOTTOM 5 cups fresh blueberries

Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine all ingredients for the blueberry bottom in a large bowl.

Pinch of salt

3. Arrange the mixture in the bottom of an 11-by-7-inch glass baking dish, two 6-inch cast-iron skillets or several ramekin dishes.

4 tablespoons tapioca or cornstarch

4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

3/4 cup sugar

Juice and zest of 1 large lemon PASTRY TOPPING PHOTOS BY STACY ZARIN-GOLDBERG

6

5. Cut butter into dry ingredients with two knives or a dough scraper until the mixture resembles coarse meal (can be done in the bowl or on a flat surface).

31/2 cups White Lily all-purpose flour

6. Gently mix cream into dry ingredients. Do not overwork the dough.

1 tablespoon baking powder

7. Turn dough onto a floured work surface and pat to ½-inch thickness.

11/2 tablespoons sugar

8. Cut the dough into shapes consistent with the surface area of the baking dish(es) and place on blueberry bottom.

3/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons butter, cold 11/2 cups heavy cream, cold

9. Brush the top of the dough with beaten egg, then sprinkle with sugar.

1 egg beaten and strained

10. Pierce the dough with a sharp paring knife, spacing incisions 1 inch apart.

1/2 cup sugar (for sprinkling on top)

11. Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. n BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017 259

dine

DINING GUIDE

CHECK OUT THE ONLINE VERSION OF THE DINING GUIDE AT BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

BETHESDA 4935 BAR AND KITCHEN 4935 Cordell Ave., 301-951-4935, 4935barand kitchen.com. The restaurant offers a sleek, modern interior and a young chef-owner serving French and Indian fusion dishes such as spicy chicken confit and tandoori pork chops. The popular upstairs private party room is now called “The Loft at 4935.”

L D $$$

AJI-NIPPON 6937 Arlington Road, 301-654-0213. A calm oasis on a busy street, where chef Kazuo Honma serves patrons several kinds of sushi, sashimi, noodle soups, teriyaki and more. Try a dinner box, which includes an entrée, vegetables, California roll, tempura and rice. L D $$

ALATRI BROS. (EDITORS’ PICK) 4926 Cordell Ave., 301-718-6427, alatribros.com.

The folks behind Olazzo and Gringos & Mariachis bought Mia’s Pizzas and revamped it with a new name and décor. They kept the Naples-style pies that come from a wood-burning oven, but added small plates and healthy options. Sit in the cheery dining room with green, gray and white accents or under an umbrella on the patio.  L D $$

AMERICAN TAP ROOM 7278 Woodmont Ave., 301- 656-1366, americantap room.com. Here’s a classic grill menu featuring sliders, wings and craft beer. Entrées range from BBQ Glazed Meatloaf Dinner with whipped potatoes and green beans to the lighter Crabmeat Omelet. ❂  R L D $$

&PIZZA 7614 Old Georgetown Road, 240-800-4783, andpizza.com. Create your own designer pizza from a choice of three crusts, three cheeses and eight sauces or spreads. Toppings for the thin, crispy crusts range from the usual suspects to falafel crumbles, fig marsala and pineapple salsa. This location of the hip, fast-casual chain has limited seating. L D $

BACCHUS OF LEBANON 7945 Norfolk Ave., 301-657-1722, bacchusoflebanon.com. This friendly and elegant Lebanese staple has a large, sunny patio that beckons lunch and dinner patrons outside when the weather is good to try garlicky hummus, stuffed grape leaves, chicken kabobs, veal chops and dozens of small-plate dishes. ❂ L D $$

BANGKOK GARDEN 4906 St. Elmo Ave., 301-951-0670, bkkgarden. com. This real-deal, family-run Thai restaurant turns out authentic cuisine, including curries, soups and noodle dishes, in a dining room decorated with traditional statues of the gods. L D $

THE BARKING DOG 4723 Elm St., 301-654-0022, barkingdogbar.com.

A fun place for young adults, with drink specials nearly every night and bar food such as quesadillas and burgers. Salsa dancing on Tuesdays, trivia on

Wednesdays, karaoke on Thursdays and a DJ and dancing Fridays and Saturdays. ❂ L D $

Key

BARREL + CROW 4867 Cordell Ave., 240-800-3253, barrelandcrow. com. Contemporary regional and southern cuisine served in a comfortable setting with charcoal gray banquettes and elements of wood and brick. Menu highlights include Maryland crab beignets, shrimp and grits croquettes and Virginia trout. ❂ R L D

$$

BEEFSTEAK

Price designations are for a threecourse dinner for two including tip and tax, but excluding alcohol.

7101 Democracy Blvd. (Westfield Montgomery mall), 301-365-0608, beefsteakveggies.com. The fastcasual spot from chef José Andrés is heavily focused on seasonal vegetables for build-your-own bowls and salads (or pick one of their suggested combinations).

Toppings such as poached egg, chicken sausage and salt-cured salmon are also in the lineup. L D $

$ $$ $$$ $$$$ b  B R L D

BENIHANA 7935 Wisconsin Ave., 301-652-5391, benihana. com. Experience dinner-as-theater as the chef chops and cooks beef, chicken, vegetables and seafood tableside on the hibachi. This popular national chain serves sushi, too. The kids’ menu includes a California roll and hibachi chicken, steak and shrimp entrées. J L D $$

BETHESDA CRAB HOUSE 4958 Bethesda Ave., 301-652-3382, bethesdacrab house.net. In the same location since 1961, this casual, family-owned dining spot features jumbo lump crabcakes, oysters on the half shell and jumbo spiced shrimp. Extra large and jumbo-sized crabs available year-round; call ahead to reserve. ❂ L D $$

BETHESDA CURRY KITCHEN 4860 Cordell Ave., 301-656-0062, bethesda currykitchen.com. The restaurant offers lunch buffet and Southern Indian vegan specialties, served in a spare and casual setting. There are plenty of choices from the tandoor oven, as well as vegetarian, seafood and meat curries. L D $

BGR: THE BURGER JOINT 4827 Fairmont Ave., 301-358-6137, bgrtheburger joint.com. The burgers are good and the vibe is great at this frequently packed eatery next to Veterans Park. Try the veggie burger, made with a blend of brown rice, black beans, molasses and oats. ❂ J L D $

BISTRO LAZEEZ 8009 Norfolk Ave., 301-652-8222, bistrolazeez. com. Reasonably priced Mediterranean cuisine served in a small, attractive space. Don’t miss the grilled pita and the signature BLZ Chicken Medley, with a grilled, marinated chicken thigh, drumstick and wing basted in a zesty sauce. ❂JLD$

BISTRO PROVENCE (EDITORS’ PICK) 4933 Fairmont Ave., 301-656-7373, bistroprovence.org. Chef Yannick Cam brings his formidable experience to a casual French bistro with a lovely courtyard. The Dinner Bistro Fare,

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up to $50 $51-$100 $101-$150 $151+ Outdoor Dining Children’s Menu Breakfast Brunch Lunch Dinner

served daily from 5 to 6:30 p.m., offers a choice of appetizer, main course and dessert for $35. ❂ R L D $$$

BLACK’S BAR & KITCHEN (EDITORS’ PICK) 7750 Woodmont Ave., 301-652-5525, blacksbar andkitchen.com. Customers count on the impeccable use of fresh and local ingredients and enjoy dining on the expansive patio. The bar draws crowds for happy hour. ❂ R L D $$$

BOLD BITE 4903 Cordell Ave., 301-951-2653, boldbite.net.

Made-to-order hickory-smoked burgers, fried-chicken sandwiches, salads and milkshakes top the menu at this casual spot. A mix of barstools, booths and small tables offers 60 seats. J B L D $

BRICKSIDE FOOD & DRINK 4866 Cordell Ave., 301-312-6160, brickside bethesda.com. Prohibition-era drinks meet Italian bar bites and entrées. Dishes range from fried pork and waffles to short ribs. Try one of the colorfully named punches, which include Pink Murder Punch and Snow Cone Punch. ❂ R L D $$

CADDIES ON CORDELL 4922 Cordell Ave., 301-215-7730, caddieson cordell.com. Twentysomethings gather at this golfthemed spot to enjoy beer and wings specials in a casual, rowdy atmosphere that frequently spills onto the large patio. ❂ J R L D $

CAFÉ DELUXE 4910 Elm St., 301-656-3131, cafedeluxe.com. This local chain serves bistro-style American comfort food in a fun and noisy setting with wood fans and colorful, oversized European liquor posters. Menu options include burgers, entrées, four varieties of

RUTH’S BELIEVES IN LETTING THE

GOOD TIMES ROLL. SO NATURALLY, OUR BAR OPENS EARLY.

$9 SI ZZL E, SWI Z Z LE & S W I R L H A P P Y H O U R SUND AY– F RI DAY 4: 30– 7 PM

Bethesda • 301.652.7877 • 7315 Wisconsin Ave. Complimentary Valet, located at 4600 Elm St.

dine flatbread and mussels served three different ways. ❂ J R L D $$

CAVA MEZZE GRILL 4832 Bethesda Ave., 301-656-1772, cavagrill.com.

The guys from Cava restaurant have created a Greek version of Chipotle. Choose the meat, dip or spread for a pita, bowl or salad. Housemade juices and teas provide a healthful beverage option. ❂ L D $

CESCO OSTERIA 7401 Woodmont Ave., 301-654-8333, cesco-osteria.com. Longtime chef Francesco Ricchi turns out Tuscan specialties, including pizza, pasta and foccacia in a big, jazzy space. Stop by the restaurant’s Co2 Lounge for an artisan cocktail before dinner. ❂ L D $$

CHEF TONY’S 4926 St. Elmo Ave., 301-654-3737, cheftonys bethesda.com. Chef-owner Tony Marciante focuses on Mediterranean seafood tapas, offering dishes ranging from fish and seafood to chicken, steak and pasta. Desserts include Drunken Strawberries and Classic Creme Brulée. J R L D $$

CITY LIGHTS OF CHINA 4953 Bethesda Ave., 301-913-9501, bethesda citylights.com. Longtime Chinese eatery serves familiar Sichuan and Beijing fare, including six types of dumplings and seven handmade noodle dishes. Red walls and chocolate-colored booths give the place a sharp look. L D $$

COMMUNITY RESTAURANT & LOUNGE 7776 Norfolk Ave., 301-272-9050, communitybethesda.com. Mark Bucher, founder of the BGR burger and Medium Rare chains, describes Community as “a Miami Beach-Palm Beach coffee shop of the ’40s with American comfort classics” and a sophisticated cocktail menu. The expansive street-level space in the 7770 Norfolk luxury apartment building is filled with color and light—orange chairs, wood paneling, floor-to-ceiling windows. No time to sit down? A walk-up window sells coffee and doughnuts. ❂ J B L D $$

COOPER’S MILL 5151 Pooks Hill Road, 301-897-9400, coopersmillrestaurant.com/bethesda. The restaurant showcases a modern, stylish menu with stone-oven flatbreads, homemade tater tots and locally sourced produce. Local beers on draft and by the bottle, plus regional bourbon and gin.

Happy hour and private dining are offered.

B R L D $$

THE CORNER SLICE 7901 Norfolk Ave., 301-907-7542, thecornerslice. net. New York-style pizza, available by the slice or as a 20-inch pie. Specialty pizzas include the spinachartichoke white pie with ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan and the Buffalo Chicken Pie with blue cheese and hot sauce. ❂ L D $

CRAVE 7101 Democracy Blvd., Suite 1530 (Westfield Montgomery mall), 301-469-9600, cravebethesda. com. Minnesota-based chainlet offers an eclectic melting pot of American dishes, including bison burgers, lobster-and-shrimp flatbread and kogi beef tacos. The restaurant is also known for its extensive selection of wine and sushi. J L D $$

DAILY GRILL One Bethesda Metro Center, 301-656-6100, dailygrill.com. Everyone from families to expenseaccount lunchers can find something to like about

the big portions of fresh American fare, including chicken pot pie and jumbo lump crabcakes. ❂ J B R L D $$

DON POLLO 7007 Wisconsin Ave., 301-652-0001, donpollogroup.com. Juicy, spiced birds and reasonable prices make this Peruvian chicken eatery a go-to place any night of the week. Family meals that serve four or six people available.

LD$

DUCK DUCK GOOSE 7929 Norfolk Ave., 301-312-8837, ddgbethesda. com. Thirty-five-seat French brasserie owned by chef Ashish Alfred. Small plates include steak tartare, and squid ink spaghetti with Manila clams and Fresno chilies. Among the entrées, look for updates of French classics, such as dry-aged duck with Bing cherries, and halibut with scallop mousse and puff pastry. ❂ L D $$

FARYAB AFGHAN CUISINE 4917 Cordell Ave., 301-951-3484. After closing for more than a year, Faryab reopened in 2017 and serves well-prepared Afghani country food, including Afghanistan’s answer to Middle Eastern kabobs, vegetarian entrées and unique sautéed pumpkin dishes, in a whitewashed dining room with native art on the walls. D $$

FISH TACO 10305 Old Georgetown Road (Wildwood Shopping Center), 301-564-6000, fishtacoonline.com. This counter-service taqueria features a full roster of seafood as well as non-aquatic tacos, plus margaritas and other Mexican specialties. J L D$

FLANAGAN'S HARP & FIDDLE 4844 Cordell Ave., 301-951-0115, flanagansharp andfiddle.com. This stylish pub features live music several days a week, Tuesday night poker and Monday quiz nights. In addition to traditional stews and fried fish, Flanagan's offers smoked ribs, salmon and traditional Irish breakfast on weekends. ❂ J B L D $$

GARDEN GRILLE & BAR 7301 Waverly St. (Hilton Garden Inn), 301-6548111. Aside from a breakfast buffet featuring cooked-to-order omelets, waffles, fruit and more, the restaurant offers an extensive menu, from burgers to crabcakes, short ribs and pasta dishes.

J B D $$

GRAPESEED (EDITORS’ PICK) 4865 Cordell Ave., 301-986-9592, grapeseedbistro. com. Chef-owner Jeff Heineman, who develops each dish on the frequently updated menu to pair with a specific wine, also offers small plates. Charcuterie offerings include house-made and artisan meats.

L D $$$

GRINGOS & MARIACHIS (EDITORS’ PICK) 4928 Cordell Ave., 240-800-4266, gringosand mariachis.com. The owners of the popular Olazzo Italian restaurants in Bethesda and Silver Spring trade in the red sauce for salsa at this hip taqueria with edgy murals and plenty of tequila.

Voted “Best New Restaurant” by readers in 2015.

LD$

GUAPO’S RESTAURANT 8130 Wisconsin Ave., 301-656-0888, guapos restaurant.com. This outpost of a local chain has everything you’d expect: margaritas and chips galore, as well as a handful of daily specials served

262 JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

in festive Mexican surroundings. Perfect for families and dates. J R L D $

GUARDADO’S 4918 Del Ray Ave., 301-986-4920, guardados.com.

Chef-owner Nicolas Guardado, who trained at Jaleo, opened this hidden gem devoted to Latin-Spanish cooking in 2007 and has developed a following with tapas specialties like shrimp and sausage, stuffed red peppers and paella. J L D $

GUSTO FARM TO STREET 4733 Elm St., 240-396-6398, eatgusto.com. The fast-casual eatery aims to serve healthy fare, with a focus on pizzas and salads. The menu includes suggested combos but you can also build your own.

Pizza crust comes in cauliflower, whole grain or traditional, and house-made dressings top heirloom tomatoes, butternut squash and other salad items. ❂LD$

HANARO RESTAURANT & LOUNGE 7820 Norfolk Ave., 301-654-7851, hanarobethesda. com. The restaurant’s modern dark woods combined with a light-filled dining room brighten its corner location, and the menu includes sushi and Asian fusion main courses such as pad Thai and galbi (Korean ribs). The bar offers a daily happy hour. ❂ L D $$

HECKMAN’S DELICATESSEN & BAR 4914 Cordell Ave., 240-800-4879, heckmans deli.com. The deli features all the staples, plus a dinner menu with chicken-in-a-pot and stuffed cabbage. Menu offers long lists of ingredients to build your own salads, sandwiches and egg dishes.

Sweets include rugelach, black-and-white cookies and homemade cheesecake. ❂ J B L D $

HIMALAYAN HERITAGE 4925 Bethesda Ave., 301-654-1858, himalayan heritagedc.com. The menu includes North Indian, Nepali, Indo-Chinese and Tibetan cuisines, featuring momos (Nepalese dumplings), Indian takes on Chinese chow mein and a large selection of curry dishes. L D $

HOUSE OF FOONG LIN 4613 Willow Lane, 301-656-3427, foonglin.com.

The Chinese restaurant features Cantonese, Hunan and Sichuan cuisine, including chef’s recommendations, low-fat choices and lots of traditional noodle dishes. L D $$

HOUSE OF MILAE 4932 St. Elmo Ave., 301-654-1997. The Kang family, who own Milae Cleaners in Bethesda, bring simple Korean dishes to their first food foray. Chef “M&M” Kang prepares home-style fare such as bulgogi, galbi and bibimbap. The kids’ menu has one item: spaghetti, made from the recipe of owner Thomas Kang’s former college roommate’s mother.

JLD$

THE IRISH INN AT GLEN ECHO 6119 Tulane Ave., 301-229-6600, irishinnglenecho. com. This historic tavern has been a family home and a biker bar, but its incarnation as the Irish Inn has been delivering smiles and hearty food since 2003. Traditional Irish music on Monday nights and The 19th Street Band on every other Wednesday night, plus live jazz on Thursday nights. ❂ J R L D $$

JALEO (EDITORS’ PICK) 7271 Woodmont Ave., 301-913-0003, jaleo.com.

The restaurant that launched the American career of chef José Andrés and popularized Spanish tapas for a Washington, D.C., audience offers hot, cold, spicy

8PM The fun of trivia without knowing stuff

8PM Movies & a mini tap takeover

2-4-1 House Beers 3-CL

All Night Happy Hour

Social Sports Happy Hour

dine and creative small plates served with outstanding Spanish wines. Voted “Best Small Plates” by readers in 2017. ❂ R L D $$

JETTIES 4829 Fairmont Ave., 301-769-6844, jettiesdc. com. The only suburban location of the popular Nantucket-inspired sandwich shop, which has five restaurants in Northwest Washington, D.C. Aside from the signature Nobadeer sandwich (roasted turkey and stuffing with cranberry sauce and mayonnaise on sourdough), look for large salads and an innovative children’s menu. ❂ J L D $

KADHAI (EDITORS’ PICK) 7905 Norfolk Ave., 301-718-0121, kadhai.com.

This popular Indian restaurant formerly known as Haandi serves a variety of traditional chicken, lamb and seafood dishes, plus rice and vegetarian dishes and a selection of breads. An extensive lunch buffet is offered daily. ❂ L D $$

KAPNOS KOUZINA (EDITORS’ PICK) 4900 Hampden Lane, 301-986-8500, kapnos kouzina.com. This is chef Mike Isabella’s first foray into Maryland and the second outpost based on Kapnos, his D.C. restaurant that spotlights Greek spreads, salads, small plates and roasted meats.

Not to be missed are the pyde, puffed pillows of bread. They are best as spread-dipping vehicles; crusts for topped, pizza-like flatbreads; or sandwich casings for souvlakis. ❂ R L D $$

LA PANETTERIA 4921 Cordell Ave., 301-951-6433, lapanetteria. com. La Panetteria transports diners into a quaint Italian villa with its impeccable service and Old World atmosphere, serving such Southern and Northern Italian classic dishes as homemade spaghetti and veal scaloppine. L D $$

LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN 7140 Bethesda Lane, 301-913-2902; 10217 Old Georgetown Road (Wildwood Shopping Center), 240-752-8737, lepainquotidien.com. New Yorkbased Belgian-born bakery/restaurant chain with farmhouse vibe, featuring organic breads, European breakfast and dessert pastries, savory egg dishes, soups, Belgian open-faced sandwiches, entrée salads, wine and Belgian beer by the bottle. ❂ JBRLD$

LE VIEUX LOGIS 7925 Old Georgetown Road, 301-652-6816, levieuxlogisrestaurantmd.com. The colorful exterior will draw you into this family-run Bethesda institution, but classic French dishes such as Dover sole meunière and mussels in a white wine broth will keep you coming back. ❂ D $$$

LEBANESE TAVERNA 7141 Arlington Road, 301-951-8681, lebanese taverna.com. This branch of this long-lived local chain is an elegant spot for dipping puffy pita bread into hummus and baba ghanoush. The rest of the traditional Lebanese mezze are worth a try, too, as are the slow-cooked lamb dishes. Voted “Best Middle Eastern Restaurant” by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2016. ❂ J L D $$

LOUISIANA KITCHEN & BAYOU BAR 4907 Cordell Ave., 301-652-6945, louisiana bethesda.com. The popular Bethesda institution offers a Cajun- and Creole-style menu, complete with divine fried items. The pain perdou and beignets remain a great way to start a Sunday morning. B R L D $

LUKE’S LOBSTER 7129 Bethesda Lane, 301-718-1005, lukeslobster. com. This upscale carryout features authentic lobster, shrimp and crab rolls; the seafood is shipped directly from Maine. Try the Taste of Maine, which offers all three kinds of rolls, plus two crab claws.❂ L D $

MAKI BAR 6831 Wisconsin Ave. (Shops of Wisconsin), 301907-9888, makibarbethesda.com. This tiny 30-seat Japanese restaurant and sushi bar offers 60-plus kinds of maki rolls, categorized as Classic (tuna roll), Crunch Lover (spicy crunch California roll) and Signature (eel, avocado, tobiko, crab), along with sushi, sashimi, noodle bowls and rice-based entrées. L D $$

MAMMA LUCIA 4916 Elm St., 301-907-3399, mammalucia restaurants.com. New York-style pizza dripping with cheese and crowd-pleasing red sauce, and favorites like chicken Parmesan and linguini with clams draw the crowds to this local chain. Gluten-free options available. ❂ L D $$

MEDIUM RARE 4904 Fairmont Ave., 301-215-8739, mediumrare restaurant.com. A prix fixe menu that comes with bread, salad, steak and fries is the sole option at this small chain outpost (there are two Medium Rares in D.C.). Desserts cost extra. Weekend brunch also features a prix fixe menu. D $$

MOBY DICK HOUSE OF KABOB 7027 Wisconsin Ave., 301-654-1838, mobyskabob. com. This kabob takeout/eat-in mainstay was one of the first kabob places in the area. It makes its own pita bread. The menu includes a variety of salads and vegetarian sandwiches and platters. L D $

MODERN MARKET 4930 Elm St., 240-800-4733, modernmarket. com. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, this Bethesda Row eatery is part of a Denver-based chain. The focus is on seasonal, from-scratch fare and ingredients such as nitrate- and hormonefree bacon. Sandwiches, soups, salads and pizza dominate the menu. ❂ J B R L D $

MOMO CHICKEN & GRILL 4862 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, 240-483-0801, momofc.com. Skip the breasts, and head for the wings or drumsticks at Bethesda’s first Korean fried chicken spot. Options such as seafood pancakes, bulgogi and bibimbap are part of the extensive offerings, all served in a hip space with framed record albums gracing the walls. ❂ J L D $$

MON AMI GABI 7239 Woodmont Ave., 301-654-1234, monamigabi. com. Waiters serve bistro classics such as escargot, steak frites and profiteroles in a dark and boisterous spot that doesn’t feel like a chain. Voted “Best Place for a Couple’s Night Out” by readers in 2015. Live jazz Tuesday and Thursday nights. ❂ J R L D $$

MORTON’S, THE STEAKHOUSE 7400 Wisconsin Ave., 301-657-2650, mortons. com. An ultra-sophisticated steak house serving pricey, large portions of prime-aged beef and drinks.

The restaurant is known for a top-notch dinner experience but also offers lunch and a bar menu.

L D $$$

MUSSEL BAR & GRILLE 7262 Woodmont Ave., 301-215-7817, musselbar. com. Kensington resident and big-name chef Robert

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Wiedmaier serves his signature mussels, plus wood-fired tarts, salads and sandwiches. Wash them all down with a choice of 40 Belgian beers, a list that was voted “Best Craft Beer Selection” by readers in 2015. ❂ R L D $$

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE’S 10400 Old Georgetown Road, 240-316-4555, notyouraveragejoes.com. This Massachusettsbased chain’s moderately priced menu offers burgers, big salads and stone-hearth pizzas, plus entrées including Anything But Average Meatloaf. ❂ J L D $$

OAKVILLE GRILLE & WINE BAR (EDITORS’ PICK) 10257 Old Georgetown Road (Wildwood Shopping Center), 301-897-9100, oakvillewinebar.com. Fresh California food paired with a thoughtful wine list in an elegant, spare setting may not sound unique, but Oakville was one of the first in the area to do so, and continues to do it well. L D $$

OLAZZO (EDITORS’ PICK) 7921 Norfolk Ave., 301-654-9496, olazzo.com.

This well-priced, romantic restaurant is the place for couples seeking red-sauce classics at reasonable prices. Founded by brothers Riccardo and Roberto Pietrobono, it was voted “Best Italian Restaurant” by readers in 2016. ❂ L D $$

ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Store D, 301-986-0285, ophrestaurants.com. Try one of dozens of pancake dishes, as well as eggs and waffles galore.

JBL$

PASSAGE TO INDIA (EDITORS’ PICK) 4931 Cordell Ave., 301-656-3373, passagetoindia. info. Top-notch, pan-Indian fare by chef-owner Sudhir Seth, with everything from garlic naan to fish curry made to order. Voted “Best Indian Restaurant” by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2016. ❂ R L D $$

PASSIONFISH BETHESDA 7187 Woodmont Ave., 301-358-6116, passionfish bethesda.com. The second location of Passion Food Hospitality’s splashy seafood restaurant features stunning coastal-themed décor and an extensive menu of shellfish, caviar, sushi, chef’s specialties and fresh catches of the day. Voted “Best Happy Hour” by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2017.

J L D $$$

PAUL 4760 Bethesda Ave., 301-656-3285, paul-usa. com. Fifth-generation, family-owned French bakery becomes an international chain, with locations in close to 35 countries. Aside from breads and pastries, look for soups, sandwiches and quiche. ❂BLD$

PENANG MALAYSIAN & THAI CUISINE & BAR 4933 Bethesda Ave., 301-657-2878, penang maryland.com. At this Malaysian spot decorated with exotic dark woods and a thatched roof, spices run the gamut of Near and Far Eastern influence, and flavors include coconut, lemongrass, sesame and chili sauce. L D $$

PERSIMMON (EDITORS’ PICK) 7003 Wisconsin Ave., 301-654-9860, persimmon restaurant.com. Owners Damian and Stephanie Salvatore’s popular restaurant offers casual fare from salads to sandwiches to meat and seafood entrées in a bistro setting featuring a lively bar, cozy booths and bright paintings on the walls. ❂ R L D $$

POSITANO RISTORANTE ITALIANO

PINES OF ROME 4709 Hampden Lane, 301-657-8775. Local celebrities and families gather at this down-home Italian spot for traditional pasta, pizza, fish and seafood at prices that are easy on the wallet. The white pizza is a hit, and don’t forget the spaghetti and meatballs. L D $

PI PIZZERIA 7137 Wisconsin Ave., 240-800-3822, pi-pizza.com.

St. Louis-based chain serving thin-crust pizza and deep-dish cornmeal-crust pizza, the latter of which has a thick layer of tomato sauce on top. Customize your own or go for the specialty pies, such as the Southside classic deep pie with Berkshire sausage, mozzarella, onions, green peppers and mushrooms.

LD$

PIZZA TEMPO 8021 Wisconsin Ave., 240-497-0000, pizzatempo. us. Pizza with a twist, which includes toppings such as sujuk (Mediterranean beef sausage), pistachio mortadella and spicy beef franks, plus a wide selection of pides (boat-shaped pizzas). Salads, wraps, panini and entrées also available. Limited seating; delivery within about a 3-mile radius. L D$

4940-48 Fairmont Ave., 301-654-1717, epositano.com. An authentic Italian, family-run restaurant popular for private events, large and small. Colorful rooms are decorated with Italian landscapes, copper pots and hanging plants, and the outdoor patio is one of the most beautiful in the county. ❂ L D $$

PRALINE BAKERY & BISTRO 4611 Sangamore Road, 301-229-8180, praline-bakery.com. This sunny restaurant offers a tempting bakery takeout counter, full dining service and a patio. The food, which includes chicken pot pie and pralines, is French with an American accent. ❂ J B R L D $$

Q BY PETER CHANG (NEW) 4500 East West Highway, 240-800-3722, qbypeterchang.com. Notable chef Peter Chang’s high-end flagship restaurant offers traditional Chinese dishes in an attractive, modern space.

Peking duck, double-cooked pork belly and other authentic Sichuan cuisine are served, and some dishes are “ultimate spicy” for brave palates. ❂ J L D $$

RAKU (EDITORS’ PICK)

PIZZERIA DA MARCO (EDITORS’ PICK) 8008 Woodmont Ave., 301-654-6083, pizzeria damarco.net. Authentic Neapolitan pizzas fired in a 900-degree Italian brick oven range from the Siciliana with eggplant confit and black olives to the Solo Carne with sausage, pepperoni and salame.

Salads, antipasti and calzones available, too. ❂LD$

7240 Woodmont Ave., 301-718-8680, rakuasian dining.com. Voted “Best Restaurant in Bethesda” by the magazine’s readers in 2017, this casual restaurant has bamboo walls that do little to dampen the noise, but the menu satisfies with everything from sushi to kung pao chicken. ❂ L D $$

TWINS. TWO MORE REASONS WHY WE SHOULD SUPPORT JOEY, A HERO WOUNDED IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY. Will you help thank those who have answered the call?

REDWOOD RESTAURANT & BAR 7121 Bethesda Lane, 301-656-5515, redwood bethesda.com. The upscale wine bar features fresh, local food and California-centric wines. Redwood features a frequently changing menu and in-season farmers market dinners. ❂ J R L D $$

RICE PADDIES GRILL & PHO 4706 Bethesda Ave., 301-718-1862, ricepaddies grill.com. This cute copper-and-green eat-in/carryout makes quick work of Vietnamese favorites such as pork, beef and vegetable skewers infused with lemongrass and the classic beef noodle soup known as pho. L D $

ROCK BOTTOM RESTAURANT & BREWERY 7900 Norfolk Ave., 301-652-1311, rockbottom.com.

India Pale Ales and specialty dark brews are among the award-winning beers crafted in-house at this cavernous yet welcoming chain, which offers a vast menu. The burgers are the real deal. ❂ J L D $$

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE 7315 Wisconsin Ave., 301-652-7877, ruthschris. com. A dark and clubby feel makes this elegant chain popular with families as well as the happyhour crowd. Don’t skip the fresh seafood choices, which include Caribbean lobster tail and barbecued shrimp. D $$$

SALA THAI 4828 Cordell Ave., 301-654-4676, salathaidc. com. This Thai mainstay cooks the classics and offers diners a nearly panoramic view of Woodmont Avenue through huge, curved windows. Live jazz Friday and Saturday evenings. L D $$

“I’ll have two desserts and a Mimosa please.”

Start with a drink. Then add an appetizer and an entrée. Or two appetizers. Or an entrée and dessert.

Or two desserts.

It’s up to you.

Sundays – 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. $31

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dine SAPHIRE CAFÉ 7940 Wisconsin Ave., 301-986-9708. A relaxing spot for tasting everything from Maryland-style crab soup to Argentine skirt steak, Saphire pumps it up a notch on Friday and Saturday nights with drink specials and DJs. Tiki bar open Wednesdays through Saturdays. ❂ L D $

SATSUMA 8003 Norfolk Ave., 301-652-1400, satsumajp. com. Bethesda’s first yakiniku (Japanese barbecue) restaurant has built-in grills at each table. Diners select a cut—short rib, chuck rib, skirt or tongue— and prepare it themselves. There’s also an extensive sushi and sashimi menu, as well as interesting cooked dishes. L D $$

SHANGHAI BAO KITCHEN 7101 Democracy Blvd. (Westfield Montgomery mall), 301-365-8866, shanghaiveggies.com. A fast-casual concept offering steamed, then panfried buns (bao) with pork or vegetable fillings, and chicken or shrimp dumplings that share the bill with create-your-own rice noodle or garlic-rice bowls loaded up with veggies, proteins, toppings and sauces. L D $

SHANGHAI VILLAGE 4929 Bethesda Ave., 301-654-7788. Owner Kwok Chueng prides himself on personal attention and recognizing regulars who have been stopping in for his classic Chinese cooking for more than 25 years.

Order the secret recipe Mai Tai. L D $

SHANGRI-LA NEPALESE AND INDIAN CUISINE 7345-A Wisconsin Ave., 301-656-4444, shangrila bethesda.com. Northern Indian and Nepali specialties such as butter chicken and fresh flatbreads known as naan shine here. The extensive menu ranges from soups and salads to tandoori and kabobs.J L D $

SHARE WINE LOUNGE & SMALL PLATE BISTRO 8120 Wisconsin Ave. (DoubleTree Hotel), 301-652-2000, doubletreebethesda.com/dining. aspx. Share some buffalo chicken sliders or avocado bruschetta, or go for main courses ranging from Yankee pot roast to cedar plank-roasted salmon. B L D $$

SILVER 7150 Woodmont Ave., 301-652-9780, eatatsilver. com. Upscale, tonier version of the homegrown Silver Diner chain, with modern takes on American classics and an emphasis on healthy, local and organic ingredients. Sleek interior takes its cue from the 1920s. ❂ J B R L D $$

SMOKE BBQ BETHESDA 4858 Cordell Ave., 301-656-2011, smokebbq.com.

Pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked chicken, ribs and all the fixin’s, plus starters including smoked tomato soup and fried pickles served in a friendly, casual space. Delivery available for orders over $15. J L D $

SOUTH STREET STEAKS 4856 Cordell Ave., 301-215-8333, southstreet steaks.com. Even transplanted Philadelphians will admire the cheesesteaks at this local chain’s third location. The shop also offers chicken cheesesteaks, hoagies (that’s Philly-talk for cold subs) and sandwiches called “Phillinis,” a cross between “Philly” and “panini.” J L D $

STROMBOLI FAMILY RESTAURANT 7023 Wisconsin Ave., 301-986-1980, strombolis restaurant.com. In addition to a large selection of delectable hot Italian sandwiches called stromboli,

this proud family restaurant/carryout features pizzas, subs and pastas at reasonable prices. L D $

SUMA RESTAURANT AND BAR 4921 Bethesda Ave., 301-718-6378, suma bethesda.com. Seasonal modern American cooking from chef Gene Sohn, formerly of Mussel Bar & Grille. Dishes include spicy sesame soy wings, deviled eggs with goat cheese, and challah-crusted fried chicken. Also find pizza, including one with duck confit sausage and caramelized onions. The outdoor patio is spacious and inviting. ❂ R L D $$

SWEETGREEN 4831 Bethesda Ave.301-654-7336, sweetgreen. com. The sweetgreen fast-casual chain—with its focus on local and organic ingredients— concentrates on salads (devise your own, or pick from a list) and soups. Look for eco-friendly décor and a healthy sensibility. ❂ L D $

TAKO GRILL 4914 Hampden Lane (The Shoppes of Bethesda), 301-652-7030, takogrill.com. Longtime, popular sushi destination relocated to the space formerly occupied by Hinode Japanese Restaurant. Look for the same traditional sushi menu, plus some new options, such as griddle-cooked teppanyaki at lunch, and more varieties of yakitori at dinner. L D $$

TANDOORI NIGHTS 7236 Woodmont Ave., 301-656-4002, tandoorinightsbethesda.com. Located in the heart of downtown Bethesda, the restaurant serves traditional Indian fare ranging from tandoori chicken, marinated in yogurt and spices, to a biryani flavored with saffron, nuts and raisins. ❂ L D $$

TAPABAR (EDITORS’ PICK) 4901-A Norfolk Ave., 240-483-4004, tapabarbethesda.com. This small-plates spot shares a kitchen with its sister eatery, Bold Bite.

Find reasonably priced tapas—from tomato, garlic and olive oil on toasted bread for $2 to a smoked octopus dish for $12—alongside main entrées such as Spanish seafood risotto. R L D $$

TAPP’D BETHESDA 4915 St. Elmo Ave., 240-630-8120, tappdbethesda.com. Beer-centric gastropub offering 40-plus beers on tap, 100-plus bottles and beer flights. Food menu includes standard American fare: soups and salads, char-grilled wings, beer-battered onion rings, burgers, brats and mains such as crab cakes, barbecue ribs and beer-can chicken pot pie.

Top it off with a root beer float. ❂ J L D $$

TARA THAI 7101 Democracy Blvd. (Westfield Montgomery mall), 301-657-0488, tarathai.com. Thai cuisine goes high style at Bethesda Magazine readers’ pick for “Best Thai Restaurant” in 2016. With colorful murals of ocean creatures looking on, diners can try dishes ranging from mild to adventurous. L D $$

TASTEE DINER 7731 Woodmont Ave., 301-652-3970, tasteediner. com. For 80 years, this crowd-pleasing if slightly sagging spot has served up everything from breakfast to burgers to blue-plate specials such as steak and crab cakes to crowds of loyal customers.

Open 24 hours. J B L D $

TAYLOR GOURMET 7280 Woodmont Ave., 301-951-9001, taylorgourmet.com. The sandwich shop offers a menu of upscale takes on Philadelphia hoagies, sandwiches and salads made with top-notch ingredients. Check out the eggroll appetizer of

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mozzarella, provolone, hot capicola, Genoa salami, peppers and red onion. L D $

TIA QUETA 4839 Del Ray Ave., 301-654-4443, tiaqueta.com.

This longtime family and happy-hour favorite offers authentic Mexican food such as moles and fish dishes, as well as the usual Tex-Mex options. Menu includes American and Mexican beers. ❂ J L D $$

TOMMY JOE’S 7940 Norfolk Ave., 301-654-3801, tommyjoes. com. This Bethesda institution is now in the space formerly housing Urban Heights. The second-floor, window-filled corner location suits its sports bar persona, and the vast rooftop is ideal for outdoor drinking and snacking. Fare includes wings (Pohostyle, grilled and smoky, are a good option), burgers, crab cakes and ribs. Chunky brisket chili, on its own or on nachos, is a winner. ❂ L D $$

TRATTORIA SORRENTO (EDITORS’ PICK) 4930 Cordell Ave., 301-718-0344, trattoriasorrento. com. This family-run Italian favorite offers homemade pastas, baked eggplant and fresh fish dishes. Half-price bottles of wine on Wednesdays.

D $$

TYBER BIERHAUS 7525 Old Georgetown Road, 240-821-6830, tyberbierhausmd.com. Czech, German and Belgian brews served in an authentic beer-hall setting, furnished with the same benches as those used in the Hofbrau brewhouse in Munich. Pub menu features mussels, hearty sandwiches, schnitzel and goulash. R L D $$

UNCLE JULIO’S 4870 Bethesda Ave., 301-656-2981, unclejulios. com. Loud and large, this Tex-Mex eatery packs in families and revelers fueling up on fajitas, tacos and more. Kids love to watch the tortilla machine.

Voted “Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant” by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2017. ❂ J R L D $$

VILLAIN & SAINT 7141 Wisconsin Ave., 240-800-4700, villainand saint.com. Listen to live music while digging into salt-roasted beets or slow-smoked pork ribs at this hip bar, courtesy of chef Robert Wiedmaier’s RW Restaurant Group. Delightfully dated décor includes lava lamps and photos of late great rock stars.

The menu is divided into hearty dishes (villain) and vegetarian options (saint). ❂ R L D $$

VINO VOLO 7247 Woodmont Ave., 301-656-0916, vinovolobethesdarow.com. This wine bar and shop features a rustic café serving small plates, cheeses and cured meats, salads, sandwiches, pizza and a few entrées. For dessert, there’s bourbon bread pudding, gelato or sorbetto. ❂ L D $$

VÜK 4924 St. Elmo Ave., 301-652-8000, vukpinball. com. VÜK owner (and MOM’S Organic Market CEO) Scott Nash consulted restaurateur Mark Bucher for the only thing offered on the short menu of his Bethesda pinball arcade other than Trickling Springs Creamery’s soft-serve ice cream: thin-crust New York-style pizza and thick-crust Sicilian pizza sold by the slice or as whole pies: cheese, sausage, pepperoni and mushroom/onion. L D $

WILDWOOD ITALIAN CUISINE 10257 Old Georgetown Road (Wildwood Shopping Center), 301-493-9230, wildwooditaliancuisine. com. The eatery, owned by the adjacent Oakville Grille & Wine Bar, serves up thick-crusted Sicilian-

SAL’S ITALIAN KITCHEN (EDITORS’ PICK)

style pizza, pasta and entrées in a casual atmosphere. ❂ L D $$

WILDWOOD KITCHEN (EDITORS’ PICK) 10223 Old Georgetown Road (Wildwood Shopping Center), 301-571-1700, wildwoodkitchenrw.com.

Chef Robert Wiedmaier’s attractive neighborhood bistro serving fresh and light modern cuisine.

Entrées range from Amish chicken with a scallion potato cake to grilled Atlantic salmon with creamy polenta. L D $$

WILD TOMATO (EDITORS’ PICK)

WOODMONT GRILL (EDITORS’ PICK) 7715 Woodmont Ave., 301-656-9755, hillstone. com. Part of the Houston’s chain, the eatery offers such classics as spinach-and-artichoke dip and its famous burgers, but also house-baked breads, more exotic dishes, live jazz and a granite bar. ❂ L D $$$

WORLD OF BEER (NEW) 7200 Wisconsin Ave., 240-389-9317, worldofbeer. com. Craft beer-focused tavern chain offers 50 brews on tap rotating daily and hundreds of bottled options. Food is classic pub fare, including hamburgers, wings and bratwurst sandwiches, as well as flatbreads and salads. ❂ J R L D $

YAMAS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 4806 Rugby Ave., 301-312-8384, yamasgrill.com.

A friendly staff serves gyros, souvlaki, lemon chicken and other Greek specialties at this sunny café. Dinner entrées include Greek-style chicken and vegetarian mousaka. ❂ J L D $

YUZU 7345-B Wisconsin Ave., 301-656-5234, yuzu bethesda.com. Diners will find authentic Japanese dishes, including sushi, sashimi and cooked tofu, vegetable, tempura, meat and fish dishes, prepared by sushi chef and owner Yoshihisa Ota. L D $$

CABIN JOHN FISH TACO 7945 MacArthur Blvd., 301-229-0900, fishtacoonline.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂JLD$

Salon Central

7945 MacArthur Blvd., 240-802-2370, salsitalian kitchen.net. Persimmon and Wild Tomato owners Damian and Stephanie Salvatore replaced their Asian concept Indigo House with a return to their roots. Find traditional Italian fare, such as bruschetta, risotto balls, Caprese salad, meatball subs, fettuccine Alfredo, chicken cacciatore and shrimp scampi. ❂ L D $$ 7945 MacArthur Blvd., 301-229-0680, wildtomato restaurant.com. A family-friendly neighborhood restaurant from Persimmon owners Damian and Stephanie Salvatore, serving salads, sandwiches and pizza. Voted “Best Neighborhood Restaurant”

by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2017. ❂ J L D$

CHEVY CHASE ALFIO’S LA TRATTORIA 4515 Willard Ave., 301-657-9133, alfios.com.

This Northern Italian classic on the first floor of The Willoughby of Chevy Chase Condominium has been feeding families and casual diners for more than 30 years. Look for traditional pasta, veal and chicken dishes (plus pizza), served in an Old World environment. J L D $$

THE CAPITAL GRILLE 5310 Western Ave., 301-718-7812, capitalgrille. com. The upscale steak-house chain, known for its He-Man-sized portions and extensive wine list, is located in The Shops at Wisconsin Place.Entrées also include chicken, lamb chops, salmon and lobster. L D $$$$

CLYDE’S 5441 Wisconsin Ave., 301-951-9600, clydes. com. The popular restaurant features a frequently changing menu of American favorites and a collection of vintage airplanes and cars, as well as a model train running on a track around the ceiling. ❂ J R L D $$

FISH TACO 7015 Wisconsin Ave., 301-652-0010, fishtacoonline.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ J L D$

LA FERME (EDITORS’ PICK) 7101 Brookville Road, 301-986-5255, laferme restaurant.com. This charming Provence-style restaurant serving classic French cuisine is a popular choice for an intimate dinner. Cognac Le Bar at La Ferme, a bar within the restaurant, opened in fall 2016. The bar serves small plates, and cocktails include the French 75, with cognac, simple syrup, lemon juice and champagne. ❂ R L D $$$

LIA'S (EDITORS’ PICK) 4435 Willard Ave., 240-223-5427, chefgeoff.com.

Owner Geoff Tracy focuses on high-quality, low-fuss modern Italian-American fare at this modern space with a wine room. Pizzas, house-made pastas and fresh fish please business lunchers and dinner crowds. Voted “Best Restaurant in Chevy Chase”

by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2017. ❂ J R LD$

MANOLI CANOLI RESTAURANT 8540 Connecticut Ave., 301-951-1818, manolicanoli.com. Italian and Greek specialties abound at a fun family eatery that features a large prepared foods section, dishes made with olive oil from owner Stavros Manolakos’ family farm in Greece and homemade mozzarella on pizza and subs. ❂ J L D $

MEIWAH RESTAURANT 4457 Willard Ave., 301-652-9882, meiwah restaurant.com. This modern restaurant on the second floor of a Friendship Heights office building offers top-quality Chinese dishes that are hard to beat. There’s also a sushi bar with an extensive menu. A fountain sparkles on the outdoor patio. ❂ L D $$

POTOMAC PIZZA 19 Wisconsin Circle, 301-951-1127, potomac pizza.com. This cheery, casual dining room provides a break from the ultra-posh shopping surrounding it. In addition to pizza, subs and pastas are popular.

Beer and wine available. ❂ J L D $

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dine SUSHIKO (EDITORS’ PICK) 5455 Wisconsin Ave., 301-961-1644, sushiko restaurants.com. Known as one of the Washington, D.C., area’s most respected sushi restaurants, Sushiko offers a wide range of sushi and other dishes. Kōbō, a restaurant within the restaurant, allows eight people to dine on 12- to 15-course tasting menus. ❂ L D $$

TAVIRA 8401 Connecticut Ave., 301-652-8684, tavira restaurant.com. Fish stews and several versions of bacalhau (salted cod) figure prominently on the menu of this intriguing Portuguese restaurant, which manages to be charming and attractive despite its location in an office building basement. L D $$

GARRETT PARK BLACK MARKET BISTRO (EDITORS’ PICK) 4600 Waverly Ave., 301-933-3000, blackmarket restaurant.com. Sublime American bistro fare served in a restored Victorian building next to railroad tracks; the building once served as a general store and still houses a post office.

Entrées range from swordfish to a burger and pizza, including several vegetable options. ❂ J R L D

$$

KENSINGTON THE DISH & DRAM 10301 Kensington Parkway, 301-962-4046, thedishanddram.com. The owners of The Daily Dish in Silver Spring serve comfort food made with local ingredients in a 2,800-square-foot space in Kensington. Steak frites, Maryland crab soup, burgers and house-made desserts are on the menu.

J R L D $$

FRANKLY…PIZZA! 10417 Armory Ave., 301-832-1065, franklypizza. com. Owner Frank Linn turns out high-quality pizza in a rustic brick-and-mortar restaurant. The menu offers wood-fired pies topped with home-cured meats and tomato sauce made from an 80-year-old family recipe. Wines and homemade sodas served on tap, too. ❂ L D $

K TOWN BISTRO 3784 Howard Ave., 301-933-1211, ktownbistro. com. Try filet mignon, duck breast à l’orange, chicken marsala and other classic continental dishes from this family-run eatery owned by Gonzalo Barba, former longtime captain of the restaurant in the Watergate Hotel. L D $$

NORTH POTOMAC/ GAITHERSBURG &PIZZA 258 Crown Park Ave. (Downtown Crown), 240-4998447, andpizza.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ L D$

ASIA NINE 254 Crown Park Ave. (Downtown Crown), 301-3309997, asianinemd.com. Pan Asian restaurant with a first location in Washington, D.C.’s Penn Quarter offers dishes from Vietnam, China, Thailand and Japan. Specialties include grilled lamb chops

served with mango-soy coulis and miso honey duck breast drizzled with a sake butter sauce. R L D $$

ATHENS GRILL 9124 Rothbury Drive, 301-975-0757, athensgrill. com. This casual, friendly, family-run restaurant specializes in authentic Greek cooking, using recipes handed down through generations.

Specialties such as rotisserie chicken, chargrilled salmon with a lemon dill sauce and lamb kabobs are cooked on a hardwood grill. L D $

BARKING MAD CAFE 239 Spectrum Ave., 240-297-6230, barkingmad cafe.com. Cooking from a wood hearth and selecting vegetables, herbs and edible flowers from its aeroponic (grown in air/mist but without soil) organic garden, Barking Mad Cafe has a corner spot in Watkins Mill Town Center. Look for madefrom-scratch brunch, lunch and dinner sweets and savories, such as breakfast pizza, watermelon salad and farro salad. ❂ R L D $$

BONEFISH GRILL 82 Market St., 240-631-2401, bonefishgrill. com. While fresh fish cooked over a wood fire is the centerpiece of this upscale Florida chain, the steaks, crab cakes and specialty martinis make it a fun option for happy hour and those with hearty appetites. R L D $$

BUCA DI BEPPO 122 Kentlands Blvd., 301-947-7346, bucadibeppo. com. The Kentlands outpost of this national chain serves huge, family-style portions of Italian specialties from fresh breads to antipasti and pasta dishes amid a sea of Italian kitsch. Desserts include Italian Creme Cake and tiramisu.

J L D $$

COAL FIRE 116 Main St., 301-519-2625, coalfireonline.com.

Homemade crusts fired by coal and topped with your choice of toppings and three different sauces: classic, spicy and signature, which is slightly sweet with a hint of spice. Salads, sandwiches and pasta also available, plus a full bar. ❂ L D $

COASTAL FLATS 135 Crown Park Ave. (Downtown Crown), 301869-8800, greatamericanrestaurants.com. First Maryland locale for Great American Restaurants, a Fairfax-based chain. Seaside-inspired décor extends to the menu, which offers lobster and shrimp rolls, fried grouper and Key lime pie. Steaks, pasta and burgers also served. ❂ J R L D $$

COPPER CANYON GRILL 100 Boardwalk Place, 240-631-0003, ccgrill.com.

Large portions of American classics such as salads, ribs and rotisserie chicken prepared with seasonal ingredients at family-friendly prices are the bill of fare at this spacious and casual chain restaurant.

J L D $$

DOGFISH HEAD ALEHOUSE 800 W. Diamond Ave., 301-963-4847, dogfishale house.com. The first Maryland outpost of the popular Rehoboth Beach brewpub, the restaurant is packed with revelers and families clamoring for the Dogfish Head brews, burgers, pizzas and ribs.

Check out the burger of the week. ❂ J L D $$

DON POLLO 9083 Gaither Road, 301-990-0981, donpollogroup. com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ L D $

FIREBIRDS WOOD FIRED GRILL 390 Spectrum Ave., 301-284-1770, gaithersburg. firebirdsrestaurants.com. Part of a chain, this

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restaurant in the Watkins Mill Town Center cooks steaks and seafood over a wood-fired grill. Designed to look like a Colorado lodge, the eatery tends toward classic fare for entrées (surf-and-turf, salmon, burgers) and dessert (chocolate cake, Key lime pie, carrot cake). ❂ J L D $$

GROWLERS 227 E. Diamond Ave., 301-519-9400, growlers restaurant.com. This turn-of-the-century building in downtown Gaithersburg is now a brewpub with regular and seasonal house brews and a full menu, including pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and entrées such as Cajun rigatoni and steak frites. Live music Wednesday through Saturday. ❂ J R L D $

GUAPO’S RESTAURANT 9811 Washingtonian Blvd., L-17, 301-977-5655, guaposrestaurant.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂JRLD$

HERSHEY’S RESTAURANT & BAR 17030 Oakmont Ave., 301-948-9893, hersheysat thegrove.com. Fried chicken that tastes like it was made by an aproned elder is served up in a clapboard building constructed in 1889. Besides the fab fried chicken, Hershey’s serves up warm rolls, inexpensive prices and live music. ❂ J B R L D $$

INFERNO PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA (EDITORS’ PICK)

12207 Darnestown Road, 301-963-0115, inferno-pizzeria.com. Tony Conte, former executive chef of Washington, D.C.’s Oval Room, goes casual with his first restaurant, an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria offering sophisticated toppings such as shaved truffles and garlic confit. Cozy dining room seats 39, with a tiled, wood-burning pizza oven as the centerpiece. D $

IL PORTO RESTAURANT 245 Muddy Branch Road, 301-590-0735, ilporto restaurant.com. A classic red-sauce menu, elegant murals of Venice and an authentic thin-crust pizza are hallmarks of this friendly, unfussy Italian restaurant tucked in the Festival Shopping Center.

Fried calamari and the white pizza are among customer favorites. ❂ L D $

JOE’S CRAB SHACK 221 Rio Blvd., 301-947-4377, joescrabshack.com.

This is one of four Maryland locations of the chain, which offers blue crabs from April through August and other varieties year-round, as well as chicken and burgers for landlubbers. Popular with families and young couples. ❂ J L D $$

LE PALAIS 304 Main St., No. 100, 301-947-4051, restaurantlepalais.com. Chef-owner Joseph Zaka trips lightly through the dishes of Brittany and Burgundy, adding a modern twist here and there.

Entrées include duck pot-au-feu and cassolette of lamb. D $$$

THE MELTING POT 9021 Gaither Road, 301-519-3638, themeltingpot. com. There’s nothing like dipping bits of bread, vegetables and apples into a communal pot of hot cheese to get a date or a party started. The Melting Pot chain also offers wine, oil or broth to cook meat tableside and chocolate fondue for dessert. J D $$

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE’S 245 Kentlands Blvd., 240-477-1040, notyouraveragejoes.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ J L D $$

OLD TOWN POUR HOUSE 212 Ellington Blvd. (Downtown Crown), 301-9636281, oldtownpourhouse.com. One of the eateries from Chicago’s Bottleneck Management restaurant company, this place features more than 90 local and international brews on tap. Classic American cuisine is served in a setting with copper-inlaid bars and high ceilings. ❂ L D $$

PALADAR LATIN KITCHEN & RUM BAR 203 Crown Park Ave., 301-330-4400, paladarlatinkitchen.com. This Cleveland-based chain covers the spectrum of Latin cuisine, with dishes from Cuba, the Caribbean and Central and South America. From Brazil, there’s feijoada stew; from Cuba, ropa vieja; and from Jamaica, jerk chicken. Bar selections includes 50 varieties of rum, 15 tequilas and six types of mojitos. ❂ J R L D $$

POTOMAC VILLAGE DELI 625 Center Point Way, 301-299-5770, potomacvillagedeli.com. Traditional Jewish deli in the Kentlands, offering all-day breakfast and all the classics, from bagels, smoked fish, knishes, matzo ball soup, corned beef, pastrami and chopped liver to overstuffed combo sandwiches, Reubens, subs, wraps, burgers, salads, pizza and New York cheesecake. J B L D $$

QUINCY’S BAR & GRILLE 616 Quince Orchard Road, 301-869-8200, quincys bar.com. Energetic neighborhood pub with a sports bar atmosphere, Quincy’s also has an extensive menu with wings, pizza, build-your-own burgers and chicken sandwiches, plus entrées including Guinness-braised brisket. Live music is also a big draw. L D $

RED HOT & BLUE 16811 Crabbs Branch Way, 301-948-7333, redhotandblue.com. You’ll find generous portions of hickory-smoked barbecue, plus burgers, salads and wraps, and a Southern attitude at this chain popular for its office party takeout and its family-friendly, kitschy roadhouse décor. J L D $

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE 106 Crown Park Ave. (Downtown Crown), 301-9901926, ruthschris.com. See Bethesda listing.

D $$$

SARDI’S POLLO A LA BRASA 430 N. Frederick Ave., 301-977-3222, sardis chicken.com. Yes, there’s charbroiled chicken, but don’t miss the other Peruvian specialties, especially the ceviche and Salchipapas, a true Peruvian street food of thinly sliced pan-fried beef hot dogs mixed with french fries and served with condiments.

LD$

TANDOORI NIGHTS 106 Market St., 301-947-4007, tandoorinightsmd. com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ L D $

TARA THAI 9811 Washingtonian Blvd., L-9, 301-947-8330, tarathai.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ L D $$

TED’S BULLETIN 220 Ellington Blvd. (Downtown Crown), 301990-0600, tedsbulletin.com. First Maryland location of the modern diner chainlet from the folks at Matchbox Food Group. Boozy milkshakes, homemade pop tarts and the Cinnamon Roll As Big As Ya Head (served weekends only) are among the specialties. ❂ J B R L D $$

TED’S MONTANA GRILL 105 Ellington Blvd. (Downtown Crown), 301-3300777, tedsmontanagrill.com. First Maryland location of billionaire and bison rancher Ted Turner’s restaurant chain, which uses bison as the showpiece in a humongous selection of dishes, including burgers, meatloaf, nachos and chili.

Soups, salads, American classics and spiked milkshakes also available at this saloon-style eatery. ❂ J L D $$

THAI TANIUM 657 Center Point Way, 301-990-3699, thaitanium restaurant.com. Authentic Thai food laced with lots of chilies and garlic as hot as you like. Try one of the Thai street food dishes, such as roasted pork with Thai herbed sweet sauce and noodle soups. ❂ J LD$ TOMMY JOE’S 311 Kentlands Blvd., 301-569-4247, tommyjoes. com. This second branch of a popular Bethesda bar and restaurant offers bar food (burgers, salads) and entrées such as filet mignon. There’s a dance floor inside; the outdoor patio has 18 tables and a lounge area with a sofa. ❂ J L D $$

UNCLE JULIO’S 231 Rio Blvd. (RIO Washingtonian Center), 240-6322150, unclejulios.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ J R L D $$

VASILI'S KITCHEN 705 Center Point Way, 301-977-1011, vasilis kitchen.com. Tan and brown décor lends a cozy vibe to this 4,700-square-foot Kentlands restaurant.

The owners ran the popular Vasili’s Mediterranean Grill in another Kentlands location for more than a decade before closing it to focus on Vasili’s Kitchen.

The Mediterranean menu is heavy on seafood dishes. ❂ J D $$

THE WINE HARVEST, THE KENTLANDS 114 Market St., 301-869-4008, thewineharvest. com. Stop by this popular Cheers-like wine bar locally owned by the Meyrowitz family for a glass of wine or a Belgian beer. The menu includes salads, sandwiches and cheese plates. ❂ L D $

YOYOGI SUSHI 328 Main St., 301-963-0001. A no-nonsense neighborhood sushi place with bright fish tanks, it offers the familiar sushi, teriyaki, tempura dishes, plus seaweed salad, soup, green tea and red bean ice cream. L D $

ZIKI JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE 10009 Fields Road, 301-330-3868, zikisteakhouse. com. This large steak house on a busy corner charms patrons with its fountains, stone Buddhas and geisha mannequins. Food offerings include sushi, as well as meats cooked on a tableside hibachi. J L D $$

POTOMAC AMICI MIEI 1093 Seven Locks Road, 301-545-0966, amicimiei ristorante.com. Chef Davide Megna and manager/ partner Roberto Deias have created an upscale Italian neighborhood gathering place, with woodfired pizzas, homemade pastas and creative salads. ❂ R L D $$

ATTMAN’S DELICATESSEN 7913 Tuckerman Lane (Cabin John Shopping Center & Mall), 301-765-3354, cabinjohn.attmansdeli. com. This landmark Baltimore deli has run a second

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dine location in Potomac since 2013. The menu offers the same legendary corned beef, pastrami and other deli specialties. Third-generation owner Marc Attman is at the helm. J B L D $

BROOKLYN’S DELI & CATERING 1089 Seven Locks Road, 301-340-3354, brooklyns delimd.com. From chopped liver to chicken soup, Brooklyn’s serves all the deli specialties, plus more.

Think hot pastrami with cole slaw and Russian dressing on pumpernickel. ❂ J B L D $

ELEVATION BURGER 12525-D Park Potomac Ave., 301-838-4010, elevationburger.com. Fast-food burgers go organic and grass-fed at this Northern Virginia-founded chain. Veggie burgers, chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese and a BLT available, too. Shake flavors range from banana to Key lime and cheesecake. ❂LD$

GREGORIO’S TRATTORIA 7745 Tuckerman Lane (Cabin John Shopping Center & Mall), 301-296-6168, gregoriostrattoria.com.

Proprietor Greg Kahn aims to make everyone feel at home at this family-owned restaurant serving a hit parade of traditional Italian favorites, with all the familiar pasta, pizza, chicken, veal and seafood dishes; the gluten-free menu offers pizza, cheese ravioli and quinoa pastas. J L D $$

THE GRILLED OYSTER CO. (EDITORS’ PICK) 7943 Tuckerman Lane (Cabin John Shopping Center & Mall), 301-299-9888, thegrilledoyster company.com. This Chesapeake-style seafood eatery features small plates, salads, sandwiches and entrées. The sampler of four grilled oysters— with ingredients such as coconut rum and cucumber relish—showcases the namesake item. ❂ J R L D $$

HUNTER’S BAR AND GRILL 10123 River Road, 301-299-9300, thehuntersinn. com. At this Potomac institution and popular English hunt-themed spot, try a big salad or hamburger for lunch and a traditional pasta dish or filet mignon for dinner with the family. ❂ J R L D $$

LAHINCH TAVERN AND GRILL 7747 Tuckerman Lane (Cabin John Shopping Center & Mall), 240-499-8922, lahinchtavernandgrill.com.

The menu of this sister restaurant to The Irish Inn at Glen Echo commingles Irish standards (traditional sausage roll, shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, lamb stew) with fare such as Alaskan halibut.

Lahinch is a coastal town in Ireland’s County Clare.

J R L D $$$

LOCK 72 KITCHEN & BAR (EDITORS’ PICK) 10128 River Road, 301-299-0481, lock72.com.

Well-known chef Robert Wiedmaier’s RW Restaurant Group runs this upscale American pub (formerly called River Falls Tavern). Entrées include crab cakes, fish tacos, grilled bronzino, a New York strip steak and steak frites. ❂ R L D $$

MIX BAR AND GRILLE 9812 Falls Road, 301-299-3000, mixbarandgrille. com. This casual spot serves charcuterie and cheese plates, brick-oven flatbreads and other light fare. The space is modern and hip, with tall, white banquettes, Plexiglas chairs, five big-screen TVs, and a 20-seat bar. Look for lots of wines by the glass and beers on tap. L D $$

MOCO’S FOUNDING FARMERS 12505 Park Potomac Ave., 301-340-8783, wearefoundingfarmers.com. Farm-inspired fare in a modern and casual setting; this is the sister

restaurant to the phenomenally popular downtown D.C. Founding Farmers. Bethesda Magazine readers chose it as “Best Restaurant in Potomac,” "Best Bar" and "Best Brunch" in 2017. Try the warm cookies for dessert. ❂ B R L D $$

NORMANDIE FARM RESTAURANT 10710 Falls Road, 301-983-8838, popovers.com.

This fine-dining French restaurant, open since 1931, strives to preserve its classical heritage while embracing new traditions. Dinner entrées run from seafood to beef and lamb. The restaurant offers quick service, a casual café option and a violinist at afternoon tea. ❂ J R L D $$

O’DONNELL’S MARKET 1073 Seven Locks Road, 301-251-6355, odonnells market.com. This market, from the family that ran O’Donnell’s restaurants in Montgomery County for decades, features a 10-seat bar for lunch and happy hour (11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.). The menu includes a raw bar, salads and many O’Donnell’s classics, among them a lump-filled crab cake sandwich, salmon BLT, seafood bisque and crab gumbo. ❂ L$

OLD ANGLER’S INN 10801 MacArthur Blvd., 301-365-2425, oldanglers inn.com. Open since 1860 and known for its refined American food and beautiful fireplaces and grounds, it features live music on weekends.

Signature cocktails include hard cider sangria and a pumpkin pie martini. Voted “Best Outdoor Dining”

by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2017. ❂ R L D $$$

POTOMAC PIZZA 9812 Falls Road, 301-299-7700, potomacpizza. com. See Chevy Chase listing. J L D $

RENATO’S AT RIVER FALLS 10120 River Road, 301-365-1900, renatosatriver falls.net. The Italian restaurant offers fish dishes among its menu of pastas and classics such as penne with eggplant, and chicken parmigiana.

Traditional Italian desserts include tiramisu, profiteroles and cannolis. ❂ J L D $$

SUGO OSTERIA 12505 Park Potomac Ave., 240-386-8080, eatsugo. com. The Greek guys who own Cava Mezze and Cava Mezze Grill partner with Mamma Lucia restaurants to serve Italian small plates, meatballs, sliders, pizza and pasta. Chef specialities include blue crab gnocchi and charred octopus. ❂ R L D $$

TALLY-HO RESTAURANT 9923 Falls Road, 301-299-6825, tallyhorestaurant. com. A local fixture since 1968, the eatery serves an expansive diner-style menu with Greek and Italian specialties. Choose from options ranging from burgers and deli sandwiches to pizza, calzones and dinner entrées. ❂ J B L D $

THE WINE HARVEST 12525-B Park Potomac Ave., 240-314-0177, thewineharvest.com. See Gaithersburg listing. ❂LD$

ZOËS KITCHEN 12505 Park Potomac Ave., Suite 120, 240-3281022, zoeskitchen.com. The first Maryland outpost of a Birmingham, Alabama, fast-casual chain, Zoës features Mediterranean dishes such as kabobs, hummus and veggie pita pizzas. It specializes in takeout dinner for four for under $30. ❂JLD$

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ROCKVILLE/ NORTH BETHESDA A & J RESTAURANT (EDITORS’ PICK) 1319-C Rockville Pike, 301-251-7878, aj-restaurant. com. Northern dim sum is the specialty at this hard-to-find cash-only spot in the Woodmont Station shopping center. Warm-colored walls surround the crowd digging into thousand-layer pancakes and fresh tofu. R L D $

AL CARBÓN 200 Park Road, 301-738-0003, alcarbonrestaurant. com. Serving authentic Latin American fare across the street from the Rockville Metro station, this unassuming roadhouse has a loyal following for its arepas, empanadas, tapas and more. Try one of the natural juices including mango and tamarindo. ❂ BLD$

AMALFI RISTORANTE ITALIANO 12307 Wilkins Ave., 301-770-7888, amalfirockville. com. A family-run, red-sauce Italian restaurant with specialties including white pizza and lasagna. Lots of antipasti choices, too. The gazebo is a charming spot to dine during the summer.

J L D $$

AMINA THAI RESTAURANT 5065 Nicholson Lane, 301-770-9509. Pleasant and bright, Amina Thai is run by a husband-andwife team and bills itself as the first Muslim Thai restaurant in the area, using only halal meats and serving familiar Thai dishes. Chef’s specials include pineapple fried rice and grilled salmon. L D $

&PIZZA 11626 Old Georgetown Road (Pike & Rose), 240621-7016, andpizza.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂LD$

BOB'S SHANGHAI 66 305 N. Washington St., 301-251-6652. Dim sum and rice and noodle dishes are the specialties at this popular eatery offering Taiwanese, Shanghai and Sichuan cuisine. It’s also one of the area’s top destinations for soup dumplings, where you can even watch the chefs making them in a glassenclosed booth. R L D $

BOMBAY BISTRO 98 W. Montgomery Ave., 301-762-8798, bombaybistro.com. Bombay Bistro opened in 1991 as one of the first Indian restaurants in the area to combine high style, reasonable prices and a fresh take on traditional Indian, and it has been packed ever since. House specialties include tandoori lamb chops and shrimp and scallops masala. J L D $$

BONCHON CHICKEN 107 Gibbs St., Unit A (Rockville Town Square), 301637-9079, bonchon.com. International fried chicken franchise with Korean roots serves up wings, drumsticks and strips with soy-garlic or spicy hot garlic sauce, plus other traditional offerings such as bulgogi, bibimbap and scallion seafood pancakes.

LD$

CARLUCCIO’S CAFFE, RESTAURANT AND ITALIAN MARKET 11826 Trade St. (Pike & Rose), 240-669-4694, carlucciosusa.com. Part of a British chain, Carluccio’s occupies 4,600 square feet, offering full-service breakfast (pannetone French toast, eggs Benedict), lunch and dinner with a wide range of soups, antipasti, pastas, salads and entrées. There is also an onsite market for items such as salumi,

cheeses, salads and olive oil. ❂ J B R L D $$

CAVA MEZZE (EDITORS’ PICK) 9713 Traville Gateway Drive, 301-309-9090, cavamezze.com. The dark and elegant Cava offers small plates of everything from fried Greek cheese, octopus and orzo in cinnamon tomato sauce to crispy pork belly and macaroni and cheese. There are martini specials, too. ❂ R L D $$

CHINA BISTRO 755 Hungerford Drive, 301-294-0808. Extensive Chinese menu features many familiar favorites, but this is the place to go for dumplings. With tender dough wrappers and chock-full interiors, these beauties come 12 to an order and with 16 different filling choices. Fresh, uncooked dumplings are also available for carryout. L D $

CHUY’S 12266 Rockville Pike (Federal Plaza), 301-6032941, chuys.com. Drawing inspiration from New Mexico, Mexican border towns, the Rio Grande Valley and Texas’s deep south, Chuy’s is part of a family-friendly chain that serves up a Tex-Mex experience. Colorful food meets colorful décor, where “If you’ve seen one Chuy’s, you’ve seen one Chuy’s” rings true—eclectic collectibles give each location its own flare. Free chips are served out of a car trunk display. L D J $

CITY PERCH KITCHEN + BAR 11830 Grand Park Ave. (Pike & Rose), 301-2312310, cityperch.com. Located above the entrance to the iPic Theaters at Pike & Rose, City Perch offers creative, seasonal American cuisine in a rustic, inviting space. The menu includes raw-bar selections, small plates, shareable salads and entrée options such as grilled shrimp and Long Island duck. ❂ R L D $$$

CUBAN CORNER 825 Hungerford Drive, 301-279-0310, cubancornerrestaurant.com. Pork and empanadas shine at this small space brimming with ethnic pride (there’s a tribute wall to famous Cuban-Americans).

Don’t skip the Cuban coffee or the Cuban sandwich, a sub bursting with ham, pickles and tangy mustard.

LD$ CSNY PIZZA (NEW) 1020 Rockville Pike, 301-298-3650, csnypizza. wixisite.com/sneaksite. Carry out a New York-style pizza from this spot by the owners of Pizza CS. Their second Rockville location also offers six seats for guests to dine in, and serves whole pies, hot subs and pizza by the slice. L $

DEL FRISCO’S GRILLE 11800 Grand Park Ave. (Pike & Rose), 301-8810308, delfriscosgrille.com. This is the Texasbased chain’s second location in the area. Look for upscale takes on American comfort foods, such as filet mignon meatloaf and short rib stroganoff, plus trendy items such as kale and Brussels sprouts salad, deviled eggs, flatbreads and ahi tuna tacos.

Plenty of burgers, sandwiches and salads, too. ❂ R L D $$

DON POLLO 2206 Veirs Mill Road, 301-309-1608, donpollogroup.com. See Bethesda listing. L D $

EAST PEARL RESTAURANT 838-B Rockville Pike, 301-838-8663, eastpearl restaurant.com. Choose from many options of Hong Kong cuisine, including familiar dishes featuring chicken, beef, poultry, pork and even duck, as well as those for adventurous tastes. Try the soups

ranging from egg drop to seafood with bean curd.

LD$

EL MARIACHI RESTAURANT 765-D Rockville Pike, 301-738-7177, elmariachi rockville.com. Serving Tex-Mex and South American food in a bright, pleasant space made lively with colorful art. In addition to the usual enchiladas, tacos and burritos, look for Peruvian seafood and Cuban beef specialties. L D $

EL PATIO 5240 Randolph Road, 301-231-9225, elpatio international.com. This bustling café with pretty green umbrellas on the patio serves up the traditional meat-heavy dishes of Argentina, as well as pizzas and freshly made baked goods. Look for mouth-watering empanadas, beef tongue and sausage specialties. ❂ J B L D $

FAR EAST RESTAURANT 5055 Nicholson Lane, 301-881-5552, fareastrockvillemd.com. Owned and operated by the same family since 1974, this classic Chinese restaurant greets customers with two royal stone lions out front and sticks to the familiar ChineseAmerican basics. Check out the daily specials and dim sum menu. L D $$

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FINNEGAN’S WAKE IRISH PUB 100 Gibbs St. (Rockville Town Square), 301-3398267, finneganswakerockville.com. Irish pub with a nice selection of bourbons, whiskeys and Irish beers and a very limited bar menu offering such fare as bangers and mash, poutine (french fries, gravy and cheese curds), a chicken club sandwich, fish and chips, wings and a burger. L D $

FLOR DE LUNA 11417 Woodglen Drive, 240-242-4066, flordeluna md.com. Latin American fare includes tamales and lomo saltado (a stir-fry of beef and peppers) at this 75-seat restaurant near Whole Foods Market.

Tacos, nachos and quesadillas are also in the lineup. Finish off your meal with the tres leches (three milks) cake. ❂ J R L D $$

MD 355 at Watkins Mill Road, Gaithersburg

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FONTINA GRILLE 801 Pleasant Drive, 301-947-5400, fontinagrille. com. A trendy spot with its curvy maple bar and wood-burning pizza oven, Fontina Grille is a favorite gathering place for the King Farm neighborhood.

Pizza, pasta and salads are the main attractions.

Three-dollar pasta dishes available on Monday nights and half-price bottles of wine on Tuesdays. ❂ J R L D $$

GORDON BIERSCH

The Finest Fabrics and Custom Made Drapery & Upholstery Since 1942

200-A E. Middle Lane (Rockville Town Square), 301340-7159, gordonbiersch.com/restaurants. The national brewpub chain prides itself on house beers and friendly service. The shiny bar is boisterous, and the menu includes bar favorites with some barbecue and Asian touches, small plates, salads, pizza and flatbreads. J L D $$

GRAND FUSION CUISINE 350 East Fortune Terrace, 301-838-2862, grand fusionrestaurant.com. Diners will find something for everyone seeking a taste of the Asian continent, a full sushi bar, and Chinese, Malaysian and Singaporean specialties. Chef’s specials include Crispy Eggplant in Spicy Orange Sauce and Double Flavored Shrimp. ❂ L D $

HARD TIMES CAFÉ 1117 Nelson St., 301-294-9720, hardtimes.com.

Good American beer selections, hearty chili styles ranging from Cincinnati (cinnamon and tomato) to Texas (beef and hot peppers), and hefty salads and

12220 Wilkins Avenue Rockville, MD 20852 301-231-8998

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dine wings bring families to this Wild West-style saloon for lunch and dinner. L D $

HELEN’S 11120 Rockville Pike, 202-483-4444, helensonthe pike.com. Caterer Helen Wasserman serves her signature Asian-American fusion cooking at her 30-seat jewel box eatery (with two large outdoor patios), formerly Addie’s. Dumplings, cheese wontons with guacamole, salmon in phyllo, grilled lamb chops with herbed yogurt, and lump crab cake with shrimp sauce are highlights. ❂ J R L D $$

HINODE JAPANESE RESTAURANT 134 Congressional Lane, 301-816-2190, hinode restaurant.com. Serving traditional Japanese cuisine since 1992. All-you-can-eat lunch and weekend dinner buffet offers 40 types of sushi, 14 hot foods and a salad bar. Check out the patio with full bar service. L D $$

IL PIZZICO 15209 Frederick Road, 301-309-0610, ilpizzico. com. Setting aside the strip mall location and lack of pizza (il pizzico means “the pinch” in Italian), chef-owner Enzo Livia’s house-made pasta dishes, gracious service and extensive wine list of mainly Italian wines make even a weeknight meal feel special. L D $$

JOE’S NOODLE HOUSE 1488-C Rockville Pike, 301-881-5518, joesnoodlehouse.com. Chinese ex-pats and many other customers consider the Sichuan specialties (soft bean curd with spicy sauce and hot beef jerky) among the area’s best examples of gourmet Chinese cooking. L D $

LA BRASA LATIN CUISINE 12401 Parklawn Drive, 301-468-8850, labrasa rockville.com. A bold, yellow awning marks the unlikely industrial location of the popular La Brasa.

Customers rave about the rotisserie chicken, lomo saltado (Peruvian marinated steak), Salvadoran pupusas and Tres Leches. ❂ L D $

LA CANELA (EDITORS’ PICK) 141-D Gibbs St. (Rockville Town Square), 301-2511550, lacanelaperu.com. Sophisticated, modern Peruvian cooking shines in a regally furnished dining room in a yellow stucco building graced with curvy black ironwork. The menu includes artfully prepared seafood, pork, chicken and beef dishes. ❂ L D $

LA LIMEÑA RESTAURANT 765 Rockville Pike, 301-424-8066, lalimena restaurant.com. Diners can choose dishes such as beef hearts, tripe and homemade pastries in this tiny but well-appointed eatery. Desserts include passion fruit mousse and vanilla flan. And of course, there’s rotisserie chicken to go. L D $

LA TASCA 141 Gibbs St., Suite 305 (Rockville Town Square), 301-279-7011, latascausa.com. The Rockville location of this regional chain strives to keep things interesting with 45 tapas dishes and six kinds of paella, including Paella Mixta with chicken, shrimp, chorizo, scallops, mussels, squid and clams. ❂ R L D $$

LEBANESE TAVERNA CAFÉ 1605 Rockville Pike, 301-468-9086; 115 Gibbs St. (Rockville Town Square), 301-309-8681; lebanesetaverna.com. A casual and pleasant family spot for lunch or dinner after shopping on Rockville Pike, the café is a more casual offshoot of the local Lebanese Taverna chain, serving hummus, pita, falafel, chicken and lamb kabobs. J L D $

LIGHTHOUSE TOFU & BBQ 12710 Twinbrook Parkway, 301-881-1178. In addition to the numerous tofu dishes ranging from Mushroom Tofu Pot to Seafood Beef Tofu Pot, diners at this Korean stalwart can try barbecue, stirfried specialties and kimchee, the national dish of pickled cabbage. L D $

LITTLE DIPPER HOT POT HOUSE 101 Gibbs St. (Rockville Town Square), 301-6057321. An offshoot of an Asian restaurant in Virginia, this 90-seat restaurant serves individual fonduestyle meals. Pick a pot base (including miso and curry), the level of spiciness, the protein and the starch (either rice or noodles), and cook your food right at your table in a bowl of hot stock. J L D $$

MAMMA LUCIA 12274-M Rockville Pike, 301-770-4894; 14921-J Shady Grove Road, 301-762-8805; mammalucia restaurants.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ L D $$

MATCHBOX VINTAGE PIZZA BISTRO (EDITORS’ PICK)

1699 Rockville Pike, 301-816-0369, matchbox rockville.com. Look for mini-burgers, a “ginormous meatball” appetizer and thin-crusted pizza with toppings including herb-roasted chicken and portobella mushrooms or fire-roasted red peppers and Spanish onions served in a super-cool space in Congressional Plaza. ❂ J R L D $

MELLOW MUSHROOM 33-A Maryland Ave. (Rockville Town Square), 301294-2222, mellowmushroom.com. Bright retro décor adorns this 200-seat branch of the popular pizza chain, including a wall with more than 1,000 Coke bottles. The lineup: craft beers and over-thetop pies (including one with roasted red potatoes, bacon, caramelized onions, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, ranch dressing and sour cream). ❂JLD$

MICHAEL’S NOODLES 10038 Darnestown Road, 301-738-0370, michaels noodles.com. Extensive Taiwanese menu at this popular strip mall eatery includes dim sum, mixed noodle dishes, noodle soup and unusual specialties, such as Shredded Chicken with Jelly Fish and Stewed Pork Intestine and Duck Blood.

LD$

MI RANCHO 1488 Rockville Pike, 240-221-2636, miranchotexmexrestaurant.com. You’ll find a boisterous party atmosphere every night at a place where customers can count on standard Tex-Mex fare at good prices. The outdoor patio, strung with colorful lights, is the place to be in nice weather. ❂LD$

MISO FUSION CAFÉ 33-E Maryland Ave. (Rockville Town Square), 240-614-7580, misofusioncafe.com. This 65-seat Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant features: yakatori (grilled marinated skewers of chicken, beef, shrimp); ramen bowls; katsu (breaded, deep-fried cutlets) bowls with rice, vegetables, scallions and egg; chicken, beef or pork katsu stuffed with mozzarella cheese and other fillings; and Korean BBQ of chicken, sliced beef, teriyaki salmon and spicy pork belly. L D $

MOA 12300 Wilkins Ave., 301-881-8880, moakorean restaurant.weebly.com. A welcoming Korean restaurant in the midst of an industrial stretch.

Try the seafood pancake appetizer—a satisfying,

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crispy frittata bursting with squid, clams, shrimp and scallions. Dol Sot Bibimbap, a mix of rice, vegetables and protein in a hot pot, is a customer favorite. L D $

MODERN MARKET 1627 Rockville Pike (Congressional Plaza), 301603-2953, modernmarket.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ J B R L D $

MOSAIC CUISINE & CAFÉ 186 Halpine Road, 301-468-0682, mosaiccuisine. com. A diner with a soft European accent. Try the fresh Belgian waffles for breakfast. For those with hefty appetites, the waffle sandwiches are worth the trip, but don’t overlook the homemade soups or light dinner entrées. J B R L D $$

MYKONOS GRILL 121 Congressional Lane, 301-770-5999, mykonosgrill.com. An authentic Greek taverna with whitewashed walls with Mediterranean blue accents on a busy street, Mykonos Grill turns out legs of lamb and fresh seafood expected at any good Greek restaurant. ❂ L D $$

NAGOYA SUSHI 402 King Farm Blvd., Suite 130, 301-990-6778, nagoyasushimd.com. Cheery yellow walls decorated with shelves of Japanese knickknacks greet customers who come for the large selection of sushi at this unassuming sushi spot in King Farm.

L D $$

NANTUCKET’S REEF 9755 Traville Gateway Drive, Rockville, 301279-7333, nantucketsreef.com. This casual New England-style eatery offers a wide range of reasonably priced seafood dishes, including raw and baked oysters, stuffed cod, fried Ipswitch clams, seafood tacos, tuna and salmon salads, and lobster items. Signature cocktails are made with Nantucket Nectars juices. ❂ R L D $$

NICK’S CHOPHOUSE 700 King Farm Blvd., 301-926-8869, nickschop houserockville.com. Aged Angus beef cooked over an open fire is the specialty at this upscale spot, but seafood lovers can get their fill from big crab cakes. Signature steaks include slow-roasted prime rib weighing 10 to 32 ounces. Separate bar menu. ❂ L D $$

NIWANO HANA JAPANESE RESTAURANT 887 Rockville Pike, 301-294-0553, niwanohana. com. Clean Asian décor and elegant wooden screens greet diners at this friendly and busy sushi spot located in Wintergreen Plaza. There are the usual sushi rolls, plus creative options such as a Spicy Scallop Roll with mayonnaise and chili peppers, noodle dishes, teriyaki and yakitori. L D $$

ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE 12224 Rockville Pike, 301-468-0886, ophrestaurants.com. See Bethesda listing. J B L$

OWEN’S ORDINARY 11820 Trade St. (Pike & Rose), 301-2451226, owensordinarymd.com. This Americanstyle restaurant, barroom and beer garden from Neighborhood Restaurant Group boasts 50 rotating drafts and more than 150 types of bottled beer. The 175-seat restaurant serves salads, burgers, beef, pork and fondue entrées, and those looking to grab a drink can make the most of the space’s 60-seat beer garden. ❂ R L D $$

PALADAR LATIN KITCHEN & RUM BAR 11333 Woodglen Drive, 301-816-1100, paladarlatin kitchen.com. See Gaithersburg listing. ❂ J R L D $$

PETER CHANG (EDITORS’ PICK) 20-A Maryland Ave. (Rockville Town Square), 301838-9188, peterchangarlington.com. Chef Peter Chang’s Sichuan specialties are showcased in an apricot-walled dining space. Garnering a cult-like following over the years, Chang is best known for dishes such as dry-fried eggplant, crispy pork belly and duck in a stone pot. L D $$

PHO 75 771 Hungerford Drive, 301-309-8873. The restaurant is one of the Washington area’s favorite spots for the Vietnamese beef noodle soup known as pho. Soup can be customized with bean sprouts, Thai basil, chilies, lime, and hot and hoisin sauces.

Beverages include interesting options such as Iced Salty Pickled Lemon Juice. L D $

PHO 95 785-H Rockville Pike, 301-294-9391. Pho, the Vietnamese beef noodle soup, is king here. Other offerings include fat rice-paper rolls of shrimp, noodles and herbs with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce, Grilled Lemon Grass Chicken and Grilled Pork Chop and Shredded Pork Skin. L D $

PHO HOA BINH 11782 Parklawn Drive, 301-770-5576, phohoa. com. This pleasant pho restaurant offers the full gamut of variations on the beef noodle soup, plus about a dozen grilled entrées. The Adventurer’s Choice features “unusual” meats, including tendon, tripe and fatty flank. The Vietnamese iced coffee is divine. L D $

PHO NOM NOM 842 Rockville Pike, 301-610-0232, phonomnom. net. As the name suggests, the specialty is pho, but there are also grilled dishes, noodles and the Vietnamese sandwich known as banh mi. House specials include Vietnamese beef stew and pork and shrimp wontons. L D $

PHOLUSCIOUS VIETNAMESE GRILL 10048 Darnestown Road, 301-762-2226, pholuscious.com. This casual restaurant and bar is home to traditional Vietnamese cooking, with fresh ingredients, minimal use of oil and many herbs and vegetables. The menu features pho, noodle dishes, rice plates and lots of protein dishes. Beverages include bubble tea, smoothies, beer and wine.

L D $$

PIZZA CS 1596-B Rockville Pike, 240-833-8090, pizzacs.com.

Authentic Neapolitan pies are offered in a sub-shop atmosphere. Choose from a list of red and white pizza options, or build your own pie with herbs, cheeses, meats and vegetables. ❂ J L D $

POTOMAC PIZZA 9709 Traville Gateway Drive, 301-279-2234, potomacpizza.com. See Chevy Chase listing. ❂ JLD$

QUENCH 9712 Traville Gateway Drive, 301-424-8650, quenchnation.com. Urban bar scene in the suburbs, with unique cocktails and contemporary American cuisine. Lots of starter options to try, plus salads, entrées, sandwiches and burgers, and three Asian dishes including pad Thai. ❂ J R L D $$

QUINCY’S SOUTH BAR & GRILLE 11401 Woodglen Drive, 240-669-3270, quincys bar.com. See North Potomac/Gaithersburg listing. ❂LD$

ROLLS ‘N RICE 1701 Rockville Pike (Shops at Congressional Village), 301-770-4030, rollsnrice.com. This Asian café serves more than 25 varieties of rolls, from a volcano roll (spicy tuna, white fish, salmon, tomato, jalapeño, fish eggs and vegetables) to a Philadelphia Roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese and avocado). J L D $

Brunch

SADAF HALAL RESTAURANT 1327-K Rockville Pike, 301-424-4040. An elegant alternative to the run-of-the-mill kabob places dotting Rockville Pike, Sadaf is pristine, with lace curtains and glass mosaic tiles in front. In addition to kabobs, it offers Persian curries and fish dishes. ❂ JLD$

SAM CAFÉ & MARKET 844 Rockville Pike, 301-424-1600, samcafemarket. com. Fill up on the kitchen’s juicy skewered meats or interesting entrées, including pomegranate molasses stew and marinated grilled salmon, then have a gelato and check out the hookahs. ❂ LD$

SAMOVAR 201 N. Washington St. (Rockville Town Square), 240-671-9721, samovarrestaurant.com. Chicken Kiev, plov (a lamb-and-rice dish) and borscht are among the long list of Russian and central Asian dishes here. Infused vodkas and Russian and Ukrainian beers are available. A framed wolf pelt adorns one wall. J R L D $$

4901 A Fairmont AV, BETHESDA. FOR RESERVATIONS PLEASE CALL (240) 483-4004

SEASONS 52 (EDITORS’ PICK) 11414 Rockville Pike, 301-984-5252, seasons52. com. A fresh, seasonal menu featuring items under 475 calories. Choose from flatbreads including Blackened Steak & Blue Cheese and Grilled Garlic Pesto Chicken to entrée salads to meat and seafood dishes. Nightly piano music. ❂ L D $$

SEVEN SEAS 1776 E. Jefferson St., 301-770-5020, sevenseas restaurant.com. An elegant restaurant popular with politicians and local chefs and known for its fresh seafood and impeccable service. Specials include the paper hot pot, meals using ancient Chinese herbs and afternoon tea. Sushi, too. L D $

SHEBA RESTAURANT 5071 Nicholson Lane, 301-881-8882, sheba rockville.com. The menu features authentic Ethiopian cuisine with lots of vegetarian and vegan options. House specialties include Dulet Assa, chopped tilapia mixed with onion, garlic and jalapeño and served with a side of homemade cheese. L D $

SICHUAN JIN RIVER 410 Hungerford Drive, 240-403-7351, sichuanjin river.com. Customers find terrific Sichuan cuisine served in a no-frills setting. Take the plunge and try something new with the authentic Chinese menu, including 23 small cold plates. L D $

SILVER DINER 12276 Rockville Pike, 301-770-2828, silverdiner. com. Customers flock to this trendy diner that still offers tableside jukeboxes. The latest food trends (think quinoa coconut pancakes) share company on the enormous menu with diner staples such as meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

JBRLD$

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dine SPICE XING 100-B Gibbs St. (Rockville Town Square), 301-6100303, spicexing.com. Chef and owner Sudhir Seth, who also owns Bethesda’s Passage to India, serves up small plates and dishes that reflect the history of culinary influences on India. Try the all-you-can-eat lunchtime buffet. ❂ J R L D $$

STANFORD GRILL 2000 Tower Oaks Blvd., 240-582-1000, thestanford grill.com. From the Blueridge Restaurant Group, owner of Copper Canyon Grill restaurants, comes this 300-seat American eatery on the ground floor of an office building. Salads, burgers, steaks and seafood, plus sushi, with an eye toward high quality. ❂ R L D $$

STELLA BARRA PIZZERIA 11825 Grand Park Ave. (Pike & Rose), 301-7708609, stellabarra.com. Adjacent to its sister restaurant, Summer House Santa Monica, Stella Barra is an artisan pizzeria with a hip, urban vibe.

Look for crisp crusts with chewy centers topped with butternut squash and candied bacon or housemade pork sausage and fennel pollen. Italian wines available. ❂ R D $$

SUMMER HOUSE SANTA MONICA (EDITORS’ PICK)

11825 Grand Park Ave. (Pike & Rose), 301-8812381, summerhousesm.com. An airy, light and stunning space sets the scene for modern American cuisine with a West Coast sensibility. Fare includes salads, sushi, tacos, sandwiches and steak frites.

Do not miss the bakery counter. ❂ J R L D $$

SUPER BOWL NOODLE HOUSE 785 Rockville Pike, 301-738-0086, superbowl noodlehouse.com. Look for a large variety of Asian noodle dishes in super-size portions, plus a wide selection of appetizers. Also, bubble tea and desserts, including Sweet Taro Root Roll and Black Sugar Shaved Ice. ❂ L D $

SUSHI DAMO 36-G Maryland Ave. (Rockville Town Square), 301340-8010, sushidamo.com. A slice of New York sophistication, this elegant restaurant offers sushi à la carte or omakase, chef’s choice, plus beef and seafood entrées and an impressive sake list.

L D $$

SUSHI HOUSE JAPANESE RESTAURANT 1331-D Rockville Pike, 301-309-0043. A tiny, plain restaurant serving a large selection of fresh sushi, including sushi and sashimi combinations. Lunch specials for under $7. It’s popular, so be prepared to wait. L D $$

SUSHI OISHII 9706 Traville Gateway Drive, 301-251-1177, sushioishii.com. This charming sushi bar in the Traville Gateway Center offers friendly service and 24 specialty sushi rolls, bento boxes and a few grilled items, including beef, poultry and seafood teriyaki. L D $$

TAIPEI TOKYO 14921-D Shady Grove Road (Fallsgrove Village Center), 301-738-8813; 11510-A Rockville Pike, 301-881-8388; taipei-tokyo.net. These sister restaurants offer a sizable roster of Chinese, Japanese and Thai dishes. The Fallsgrove Village location is the younger and sleeker of the two, with full sit-down service. The older sister, opened in 1993, is more like a noodle shop/cafeteria.

L D $$

TARA ASIA 199-D E. Montgomery Ave., 301-315-8008, taraasiarestaurantrockville.com. A pan-Asian offshoot of the Tara Thai family, Tara Asia is dominated by a floor-to-ceiling mosaic and has an 82-item menu that spans the cuisine from Japan to Thailand and the tiny islands in between. L D $$

TARA THAI 12071 Rockville Pike, 301-231-9899, tarathai.com.

See Bethesda listing. ❂ L D $$

TEMARI CAFÉ 1043 Rockville Pike, 301-340-7720. Deep-fried oysters, classic rice balls, ramen noodle soup, sushi and sashimi and comic books to peruse while you await your order set this Japanese restaurant apart from the rest. L D $$

THAI FARM 800 King Farm Blvd., 301-258-8829, thaifarm restaurant.com. A tastefully modern dining room soaked in a soothing yellow light. The usual suspects are on the menu here, but chef’s suggestions include an intriguing broiled fish wrapped in banana leaf and stir-fried duck. L D $$

THAI PAVILION 29 Maryland Ave., Unit 308 (Rockville Town Square), 301-545-0244, thaipavilionrestaurant.com. The soaring ceilings decorated with red chandeliers shaped like giant, stationary spinning tops give the feel of a modern museum. When the menu says spicy, believe it. ❂ J L D $$

THAT’S AMORE 15201 Shady Grove Road, 240-268-0682, thatsamore.com. This local chain focuses on familystyle portions of classic Neapolitan dishes such as lasagna and chicken Parmesan in a more elegant setting than might be expected. Good for groups and large families. J L D $$

TOWER OAKS LODGE 2 Preserve Parkway, 301-294-0200, clydes.com/ tower. Here is Clyde’s version of a lodge in the mountains. Well-prepared food runs the gamut of American desires, from burgers to fish, plus a raw bar. Check out the twig sculpture spanning the ceiling of The Saranac Room. J R L D $$

TRAPEZARIA 11 N. Washington St., 301-339-8962, thetrapezaria. com. This down-to-earth and hospitable Greek/ Mediterranean restaurant serves top-notch and unfussy small plates and entrées. Choose among a variety of dips, vegetarian mezze, souvlaki, sausages and more-involved fish and lamb dishes.

Save room for the baklava. L D $$

URBAN BAR-B-QUE COMPANY 2007 Chapman Ave., 240-290-4827; 5566 Norbeck Road, 301-460-0050, urbanbbqco.com. Urban BarB-Que Company, a tiny joint run by a couple of local friends, has a winning formula and features fingerlicking ribs, burgers and wings, plus salads, chili and smothered fries. Staff is friendly, too. J L D $

VILLA MAYA 5532 Norbeck Road (Rock Creek Village Center), 301-460-1247. Here you’ll find all the traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex favorites from quesadillas to fajitas that are sure to please the whole family.

R L D $$

THE WOODSIDE DELI 4 N. Washington St., 301-444-4478, thewoodside deli.com. A second location of the venerable Silver Spring eatery and caterer that has been dishing up matzo ball soup since 1947. Choose from a wide

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selection of sandwiches, burgers and entrées. This one has a pickle bar. ❂ J B R L D $

WORLD OF BEER 196B East Montgomery Ave., 301-340-2915, worldofbeer.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ J R LD$

YEKTA 1488 Rockville Pike, 301-984-1190, yekta.com.

Persian cuisine, including a selection of beef, chicken and lamb kabobs, is served in a beautiful dining room. Try a dessert such as frozen noodle sorbet or saffron ice cream. Check out the adjacent market after polishing off your kebab. L D $$

YUAN FU VEGETARIAN 798 Rockville Pike, 301-762-5937, yuanfuvegetarian.com. From tea-smoked “duck” to kung pao “chicken,” the whole menu is meatless, made from Chinese vegetable products. There is a large selection of chef’s specials, including Pumpkin Chicken with Mushrooms in a hot pot and Baby Abalone in Tomato Sauce. L D $

SILVER SPRING 8407 KITCHEN BAR 8407 Ramsey Ave., 301-587-8407, 8407kb.com.

This sleek space across from the Silver Spring Metro prides itself on stellar service and fromscratch preparations, such as house-smoked salmon and home-cured charcuterie. Signature craft cocktails are a specialty. R L D $$

ADDIS ABABA 8233 Fenton St., 301-589-1400. Authentic Ethiopian-style vegetables and fiery meats are served atop spongy bread in communal bowls.

Traditional woven tables and a roof deck add to the ambience. There’s a weekday lunch buffet, too. ❂ RLD$

ALL SET RESTAURANT & BAR 8630 Fenton St., 301-495-8800, allsetrestaurant. com. American cuisine with a focus on New England specialties. Look for clams, oysters and lobster, plus crab cakes and rockfish, and beef and vegetarian options. The snazzy space is also the setting for clam bakes and fried chicken on Sunday nights. ❂ J R L D $$

AMINA THAI 8624 Colesville Road, 301-588-3588. See Rockville/North Bethesda listing. L D $

AZÚCAR RESTAURANT BAR & GRILL 14418 Layhill Road, 301-438-3293, azucarrestaurant.net. The name means sugar, and it fits: The colorful Salvadoran spot is decorated in bright purple and orange with Cubist-style paintings.

The pork-stuffed corn pupusas are stars. Also look for more elegant dinners, including fried whole trout.

L D $$

BETE ETHIOPIAN CUISINE 811 Roeder Road, 301-588-2225. Family-run Ethiopian restaurant with a modest dining room but some exemplary cooking. Don’t miss the vegetarian sampler, and in nice weather, opt for eating outside in the lovely, shaded back patio. ❂ J B L D $$

BIBIM 923 Sligo Ave., 301-565-2233, bibim923.com.

Korean fare is served in a charming, 65-seat neighborhood restaurant, with outdoor seating for 50. Start with scallion or kimchi pancakes and crunchy, lightly coated chicken wings, then go for the house specialty: bibimbap, an abundant meal-

in-a-bowl dish of rice, vegetables, fried egg, various protein add-ons and gochujang (red chili paste). Sip on a nice selection of bourbons and soju, Korea’s beloved distilled rice spirit. ❂ D $$

THE BIG GREEK CAFÉ 8223 Georgia Ave., 301-587-4733, biggreekcafe. com. Owned by the Marmaras brothers, whose family operated the decades-old Golden Flame restaurant, the café serves a hit parade of Greek specialties, including a top-notch chicken souvlaki pita. L D $

CAVA MEZZE GRILL 8515 Fenton St., 301-200-8666, cavagrill.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ L D $

THE CLASSICS (EDITORS’ PICK) 8606 Colesville Road, 301-588-7297, theclassicsdc.com. The restaurant features great steaks and seafood served without the pomp in a basic white dining room. Serious drinks and fresh seasonal American fare. Its less-formal bistro seating is first-come, first served. D $$

COPPER CANYON GRILL 928 Ellsworth Drive, 301-589-1330, ccgrill.com.

See Gaithersburg listing. ❂ J R L D $$

CRISFIELD SEAFOOD RESTAURANT 8012 Georgia Ave., 301-589-1306, crisfieldseafood.com. With its U-shaped counter and kitschy, oyster-plate-covered walls, this landmark seafood diner has customers lining up for the Eastern Shore specialties such as oysters and crabmeat-stuffed lobster that it has served since the 1940s. L D $$

CUBANO’S 1201 Fidler Lane, 301-563-4020, cubanos restaurant.com. The brightly colored tropical dining room and the authentic Cuban cooking evident in dishes such as ropa vieja (shredded beef in onions, peppers and garlic) and fried plantains keep customers coming back. ❂ L D $$

THE DAILY DISH 8301 Grubb Road, 301-588-6300, thedailydish restaurant.com. A neighborhood favorite serving seasonally inspired, locally sourced comfort food, including bar bites and brunch dishes. Full-service catering is available, too. ❂ J R L D $$

DENIZENS BREWING CO. (EDITORS’ PICK) 1115 East West Highway, 301-557-9818, denizens brewingco.com. The bright-orange building houses Montgomery County’s largest brewery, featuring core beers and seasonal offerings, along with drafts from other regional breweries. Menu of snacks, sandwiches and salads includes vegetarian options.

There is a large outdoor beer garden and indoor seating overlooking the brewery. ❂ D $

EGGSPECTATION 923 Ellsworth Drive, 301-585-1700, eggspectations.com. This Canadian import features fresh and creative egg plates in an elegant yet casual dining room complete with a fireplace and colorful Harlequin-themed art. It also serves great salads, dinners and dessert. ❂ B L D $$

EL AGUILA RESTAURANT 8649 16th St., 301-588-9063, elaguilarestaurant. com. A cheery bar and generous plates of TexMex favorites such as enchiladas and Salvadoran seafood soup make this eatery popular with families and others looking for a lively night out. ❂ L D $

EL GAVILAN 8805 Flower Ave., 301-587-4197, gavilanrestaurant.com. The walls are bright, the

music’s upbeat, the margaritas are fine and the service is friendly. The usual Tex-Mex fare is here, as well as Salvadoran specialties such as tasty cheese- or pork-filled pupusas. J L D $

EL GOLFO 8739 Flower Ave., 301-608-2121, elgolforestaurant. com. Friendly, home-style Latin service is the hallmark, as attested to by the many Salvadorans who stop in for lunch and dinner. Pupusas, soups and beef dishes such as carne asada as well as more adventurous choices can be found in the charming, raspberry-colored dining room. ❂ JRLD$

ETHIO EXPRESS GRILL 952 Sligo Ave., 301-844-5149, ethiogrill. com. Ethiopian food goes fast-casual in this counter service eatery that offers your choice of carbohydrate bases (i.e., injera, rice, pasta), plus grilled meats (or tofu), sauces and lots of vegetables (the spicy lentils and yellow split peas are especially good). L D $

FENTON CAFÉ 8311 Fenton St., 301-326-1841. An out-of-the-way crêperie serving 31 kinds of sweet crêpes and 16 varieties of savory crêpes. Savory versions range from cheese and ham to roasted eggplant with zucchini, bell pepper, sundried tomato, garlic and onion. B L D $

FIRE STATION 1 RESTAURANT & BREWING CO. 8131 Georgia Ave., 301-585-1370, firestation1. com. A historic firehouse made over as an eatery serves 21st-century pizza, sandwiches, meat, seafood and vegetarian entrées. Try the Cuban sandwich with seasoned pork, chipotle mayo, Dijon mustard, pickles and Swiss cheese on a ciabatta roll. L D $

THE GREEK PLACE 8417 Georgia Ave., 301-495-2912, thegreekplace. net. Here are big portions of better-than-average food at reasonable prices. The bifteki pita sandwich, a seasoned ground lamb and beef patty with tzatziki, tomatoes and red onions, is especially good. L D $

GUSTO FARM TO STREET 8512 Fenton St., 301-565-2800, eatgusto.com.

See Bethesda listing. ❂ J L D $

HEN QUARTER 919 Ellsworth Drive, 240-247-8969, henquarter. com. An outpost of a restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia, Hen Quarter focuses on Southern fare, such as shrimp and grits, and chicken and waffles. The space includes rustic décor and garage windows that roll back for open-air views of Downtown Silver Spring’s fountain. The bar pours 75 types of bourbon and other whiskeys, as well as craft beer and wine. ❂ J R L D $$

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ITALIAN KITCHEN 8201 Fenton St., 301-588-7800, italiankitchenmd. com. Casual, attractive pizzeria with bar seating also turns out homemade sandwiches, calzones, salads and pasta dishes. Pizza and paninis are top notch. L D $

JEWEL OF INDIA 10151 New Hampshire Ave., 301-408-2200, jewelofindiamd.com. Elegant décor and excellent northern Indian cuisine make this shopping center restaurant a real find. Diners will find a good selection of curries, and rice and biryani dishes.

L D $$

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dine KAO THAI 8650 Colesville Road, 301-495-1234, kaothai restaurant.com. This restaurant turns out top-notch curries, noodle dishes and vegetarian options, plus house specialties, such as Siam Salmon with Spicy Thai Basil Sauce and Thai Chili Tilapia. Dishes are cooked medium spicy. ❂ L D $$

LA CASITA PUPUSERIA & MARKET 8214 Piney Branch Road, 301-588-6656, lacasita pupusas.com. Homemade pupusas, tamales and other Salvadoran specialties are available, plus a full breakfast menu and a small selection of grocery items. B L D $

LA MALINCHE 8622 Colesville Road, 301-562-8622, lamalinche tapas.com. Diners will find an interesting selection of Spanish and Mexican tapas, plus a full Saturday and Sunday brunch featuring huevos rancheros, variations of tortillas Espanola and more. R L D

$$

LANGANO ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT 8305 Georgia Ave., 301-563-6700. Named for the popular Ethiopian vacation spot, Lake Langano, this longtime restaurant offers fine Ethiopian cuisine such as doro wat (spicy chicken stew) and tibs (stewed meat) in a cozy white- and red-accented dining room. Lunch specials on weekdays. L D $

LEBANESE TAVERNA CAFÉ 933 Ellsworth Drive, 301-588-1192, lebanese taverna.com. See Rockville listing. J L D $

LINA'S DINER AND BAR (NEW) 8402 Georgia Ave., 240-641-8061. The casual diner features a blend of American and Frenchinspired options, from frisée aux lardons (salad topped with bacon and egg) to double cheeseburgers. Eclectic, Bohemian décor adorns the walls of the dining room. J L D $$

LINCOLN’S BAR-B-QUE 931 Ellsworth Drive, 301-578-1660, lincolnsbbq. com. Next to the fountain in the heart of downtown Silver Spring, Lincoln’s serves up all manner of barbecue. While smoked meats are the headliners, you’ll also find a Frito pie appetizer—cheese, chili, jalapeños and onions on Frito chips—served in a cut-open Frito bag. To-go goods, including sauces and spices, are for sale here too. ❂ J L D $$

MAMMA LUCIA 1302 East West Highway, 301-562-0693, mammaluciarestaurants.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ L D $$

MANDALAY RESTAURANT & CAFÉ 930 Bonifant St., 301-585-0500, mandalay restaurantcafe.com. The modest dining room is packed most evenings with families and large groups who come for the Burmese food, a cross between Indian and Thai. L D $

MCGINTY’S PUBLIC HOUSE 911 Ellsworth Drive, 301-587-1270, mcgintys publichouse.com. Traditional Irish pub and restaurant features corned beef and cabbage, live music and dancing. Early-bird special, three-course menu for $15, from 5 to 7 p.m. ❂ J R L D $$

MI RANCHO 8701 Ramsey Ave., 301-588-4872, miranchotexmexrestaurant.com. See Rockville listing. ❂ L D $

MIX BAR AND GRILLE 8241 Georgia Ave., #200, 301-326-1333, mixbar andgrillesilverspring.com. Modern American bistro with an older sibling; similar menu, plus a selection of ceviche. See Potomac listing. ❂  R L D $$

MOD PIZZA 909 Ellsworth Drive, 240-485-1570, modpizza.com.

First Maryland location of this Bellevue, Washingtonbased chain offers design-your-own fast-casual pies (hence, Made on Demand, or MOD). Pizzas, cooked at 800 degrees for three minutes, can be topped with a choice of nearly 40 sauces, cheeses, meats, spices and veggies. ❂ L D $

MRS. K’S RESTAURANT 9201 Colesville Road, 301-589-3500, mrsks.com.

Here’s an elegant, antique-filled option for special occasions and brunch. This historic restaurant beckons a younger crowd with the Wine Press, a European-style wine bar downstairs, which has its own more casual menu. ❂ R L D $$$

NAINAI’S NOODLE & DUMPLING BAR 1200 East West Highway, 301-585-6678, nainaisnoodles.com. Sisters Joanne and Julie Liu serve homemade noodles and dumplings in this lovable fast-casual eatery that shares a kitchen with their Scion restaurant next door. Focus on the noodles, and bring a photo of your “Nainai” (grandmother in Chinese) to tack on the bulletin board. L D $

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE'S 8661 Colesville Road, 240-839-3400, notyouraveragejoes.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ J L D $$

OLAZZO (EDITORS’ PICK) 8235 Georgia Ave., 301-588-2540, olazzo.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ J L D $

ORIENTAL EAST RESTAURANT 1312 East West Highway, 301-608-0030, orientaleast.com. Be prepared to wait for a table and maneuver around carts filled with dumplings, noodles and spare ribs at this popular dim sum restaurant that caters to families and groups on weekends. L D $

PACCI’S NEAPOLITAN PIZZERIA (EDITORS’ PICK) 8113 Georgia Ave., 301-588-1011, paccispizzeria. com. This stylish eatery turns out top-notch pizzas from a wood-burning oven. Choose from red or white pizza selections, plus four kinds of calzones. ❂ JLD$

PACCI’S TRATTORIA & PASTICCERIA 6 Old Post Office Road, 301-588-0867, paccis trattoria.com. Diners will find a range of classic Italian dishes, including homemade meatballs and sausage, from the owner of Pacci’s Neapolitan Pizzeria, also in Silver Spring. L D $$

PARKWAY DELI & RESTAURANT 8317 Grubb Road, 301-587-1427, theparkway deli.com. Parkway features a bustling back dining room that makes this popular spot so much more than a deli. Longtime waitresses greet regular customers and kids with hugs during busy weekend breakfasts. All-you-can-eat pickle bar. ❂ B L D $

PETE’S NEW HAVEN STYLE APIZZA 962 Wayne Ave., 301-588-7383, petesapizza.com.

Sporting more stylish décor than its other locations, this Pete’s offers the same crunchy-crusted New Haven-style pizzas, plus pasta, panini and salads.

This branch is the only one so far to offer fried calamari. J L D $

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PHO HIEP HOA 921-G Ellsworth Drive, 301-588-5808, phohiephoa. com. Seventeen kinds of Vietnamese soup called pho can be customized to taste in this upbeat restaurant overlooking the action in the downtown area. ❂ L D $

SAMANTHA’S 631 University Blvd. East, 301-445-7300, samanthasrestaurante.com. This white-tablecloth, Latin-Salvadoran spot in an industrial neighborhood is popular because of its welcoming attitude toward families with young children. The steak and fish specialties are good. L D $$

SCION 1200 East West Highway, 301-585-8878, scionrestaurant.com. A contemporary American eatery from sisters Joanne and Julie Liu, who also own a popular Dupont Circle restaurant with the same name and Nainai’s Noodle & Dumpling Bar in Silver Spring. Look for everything from wasabi Caesar salad to crab Reuben to spicy yogurt chicken. J R L D $$

SERGIOS RISTORANTE ITALIANO 8727 Colesville Road, 301-585-1040. A classic red-sauce Italian restaurant that manages to feel special, with soothing wall murals and high-quality service, despite a basement location inside the DoubleTree Hotel. Ravioli with asparagus and cheese in a tarragon sauce is popular. L D $$

THE SOCIETY RESTAURANT & LOUNGE 8229 Georgia Ave., 301-565-8864, societyss. com. A sleek and modern atmosphere catering to a nightlife crowd, Society offers fare with a Caribbean accent. Check out the rooftop seating and daily drink specials, which include $25 beer buckets. ❂ L D $$

SUSHI JIN NEXT DOOR 8555 Fenton St., 301-608-0990, sushijinnextdoor. com. The eatery is spare, clean and modern, and offers terrific udon noodle soup and impeccable raw fish. Choose from 11 appetizers and seven soups and salads. L D $$

SWEETGREEN 8517 Georgia Ave., 301-244-5402, sweetgreen. com. See Bethesda listing. L D $

TASTEE DINER 8601 Cameron St., 301-589-8171, tasteediner. com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ J B L D $

TAYLOR GOURMET (NEW) 8535 Fenton St., 301-304-6283, taylorgourmet. com. See Bethesda listing. L D $

THAI AT SILVER SPRING 921-E Ellsworth Drive, 301-650-0666, thaiatsilver spring.com. The Americanized Thai food is second to the location, which is superb for people-watching on the street below. A modern and stylish dining room with a hip bar in bold colors and good service add to the appeal. ❂ L D $$

URBAN BAR-B-QUE COMPANY 10163 New Hampshire Ave., 301-434-7427, urban bbqco.com. See Rockville listing. L D $

URBAN BUTCHER (EDITORS’ PICK) 8226 Georgia Ave., 301-585-5800, urbanbutcher. com. Hip, eclectic setting is the backdrop for this New Age steak house, with its home-cured salamis, sausages and other charcuterie, plus meat dishes made from local animals of yesteryear breeds.

There’s a lounge, bar, meat curing room, retail counter and dining area. R D $$

FINE ITALIAN FOOD MADE FRESH DAILY

URBAN WINERY 949 Bonifant St., 301-585-4100, theurbanwinery. com. Silver Spring residents Damon and Georgia Callis open the first and only urban winery in the midAtlantic area. Tasting facility offers craft wines made with local and international grapes, and customers can even create their own wines (by appointment).

Light menu includes artisan cheese, charcuterie and smoked seafood platters, plus Greek mezze. D $

VEGETABLE GARDEN 3830 International Drive (Leisure World Plaza), 301598-6868, vegetablegarden.com. The popular vegan, vegetarian and macrobiotic Asian restaurant features a wide variety of eggplant and asparagus dishes, plus vegetarian “beef,” and “chicken” dishes often made with soy and wheat gluten. L D $$

VICINO RISTORANTE ITALIANO 959 Sligo Ave., 301-588-3372, vicinoitaliano.com.

A favorite neighborhood red-sauce joint that hasn’t changed in decades, Vicino features some fine seafood choices in addition to classic pasta dishes.

Families are welcome. ❂ L D $ $

THE WOODSIDE DELI 9329 Georgia Ave., 301-589-7055, thewoodside deli.com. See Rockville listing. J B L D $

UPPER NW D.C. AMERICAN CITY DINER 5532 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-244-1949, americancitydiner.com. Retro diner complete with blue-plate specials such as Salisbury steak and stuffed peppers; malts and egg creams. Diners can catch a classic movie free with dinner. ❂ J B L D$

ARUCOLA 5534 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-244-1555, arucola. com. The restaurant serves authentic Italian cuisine in a casual setting, with a changing menu that includes creative treatment of traditional dishes, homemade pasta and pizza from the wood-burning oven. ❂ L D $ $

BLUE 44 5507 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-362-2583, blue44dc.com. The menu features classic American favorites infused with the flavors of Italy and France, including ratatouille, pork schnitzel and bouillabaisse. ❂ J R L D $$

BUCK’S FISHING AND CAMPING 5031 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-364-0777, bucksfishingandcamping.com. Diners can enjoy a seasonal menu that changes daily, and offers hip takes on comfort food such as roast chicken (locally raised) in an artsy-chic setting. D $$$

CAFÉ OF INDIA 4909 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-244-1395, cafeofindiadc.com. Here’s a cute corner café with two levels of dining and an extensive menu that includes vegetarian and tandoori entrées, dosas, samosas, tikkas, curries and kabobs. ❂ L D $$

CHATTER 5247 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-362-8040, chatterdc. com. A group that includes Gary Williams, Maury Povich, Tony Kornheiser and Alan Bubes bought this neighborhood hangout in 2017 and renovated it while maintaining its Cheers-like atmostphere. It offers a full menu beyond bar food, including salads, steaks, seafood and sandwiches. ❂ R L D $$

COMET PING PONG (EDITORS’ PICK) 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-364-0404, cometpingpong.com. Landmark fun spot where you can play ping-pong or admire local art while you wait for your wood-fired pizza. Choose from over 30 toppings to design your own pie. ❂ R L D $

Catering available anytime for any occasion Private parties | Family style dinners | Opera Night

DECARLO’S RESTAURANT 4822 Yuma St. NW, 202-363-4220, decarlosrestaurant.com. This is a family-owned neighborhood staple, with a traditional Italian menu and upscale/casual atmosphere. Signature dishes include agnolotti, veal scallopini, broiled salmon and hand-made pasta. ❂ L D $$

GUAPO’S RESTAURANT

4865 Cordell Ave Bethesda 301-986-9592

4515 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-686-3588, guaposrestaurant.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ R L D $$

JAKE’S AMERICAN GRILLE 5018 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-966-5253, jakesdc. com. Burgers, steaks and sandwiches are served in a restaurant named after the owner’s grandfather, an accomplished Navy test engineer. Check out the Boiler Room, a sports bar in the basement.

J R L D $$

JETTIES 5632 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-364-2465, jettiesdc.com. See Bethesda listing. J L D $

LE CHAT NOIR 4907 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-244-2044, lechatnoirrestaurant.com. This cute, cozy neighborhood bistro is run by French restaurateurs, who cook traditional fare such as steak frites, bouillabaisse and braised lamb cheeks. R L D $$

LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN 4874 Massachusetts Ave. NW, 202-459-9141, lepainquotidien.com. See Bethesda listing. ❂ JBRLD$

LUNCHBOX 5535 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 018, 202-2443470, voltlunchbox.com. The Washington remake of chef Bryan Voltaggio’s defunct Frederick restaurant offers specialties including the Southern Banh Mi with crispy chicken and pickled vegetables, and B’More with pepper-crusted pit beef. L D $

MACON BISTRO & LARDER (EDITORS’ PICK) 5520 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-248-7807, macon bistro.com. Southern and French cuisine converge at this airy, charming restaurant in the historic Chevy Chase Arcade. Appetizers include raclette and fried green tomatoes, and steak frites is offered alongside short ribs with grits for main courses. ❂ R D $$

MAGGIANO’S LITTLE ITALY 5333 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-966-5500, maggianos.com. The restaurant features oldstyle Italian fare that’s a favorite for large groups and private celebrations. Check out the signature flatbreads and specialty pastas, including lobster carbonara. J R L D $$

MASALA ART (EDITORS’ PICK) 4441-B Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-362-4441, masalaartdc.com. Here is fine Indian dining featuring tandoor-oven specialties and masterful Indian spicing. Start off by choosing from a selection of nine breads and 17 appetizers. L D $$

MILLIE'S (NEW) 4866 Massachusetts Ave. NW, 202-733-5789, milliesdc.com. This eatery in the Spring Valley neighborhood may be from up north—it’s the second location of a popular Nantucket restaurant—but its

www.grapeseedbistro.com flavors are distinctly south-of-the-border. The menu offers coastal takes on tacos, quesadillas and salads that are as summery as the bright, nautical décor of the dining room. ❂ J R L D $$

PARTHENON RESTAURANT 5510 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-966-7600, parthenon-restaurant.com. This is a neighborhood eatery taken up a couple notches, with an extensive menu full of authentic selections familiar and exotic, including avgolemono (egg/lemon soup), tzatziki, moussaka, dolmades and souvlaki. ❂ L D $$

PETE’S NEW HAVEN STYLE APIZZA 4940 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-237-7383, petesapizza.com. See Silver Spring listing. ❂ JLD$

RANGE (EDITORS’ PICK) 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 201, 202-8038020, voltrange.com. Celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio’s extravaganza, featuring multiple open kitchens, seats 300 and offers an enormous wine list. L D $$$

SATAY CLUB ASIAN RESTAURANT AND BAR 4654 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-363-8888, asiansatayclub.com. The restaurant prides itself on providing a comfortable/casual setting with a menu that spans Japanese sushi, Chinese moo-shi vegetables, Thai curries and Vietnamese spring rolls. L D $

TANAD THAI 4912 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-966-0616, tanadthai cuisine.com. The extensive menu ranges from noodles, rice and curries to vegetarian entrées, and even a Thai lemonade cocktail. House specialties include pad Thai and Drunken Noodles. ❂ L D $$

TARA THAI 4849 Massachusetts Ave. NW, 202-363-4141, tarathai.com. See Gaithersburg listing. ❂ L D $$

TERASOL (EDITORS’ PICK) 5010 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-237-5555, terasolartisans.com. This charming French café offers soups, salads, quiches and a few entrées, along with jewelry and pottery from local artisans.

Live music on Fridays and Saturdays. ❂ B L D $

WAGSHAL’S RESTAURANT 4855 Massachusetts Ave. NW, 202-363-5698, wagshals.com. Longtime popular deli expands grocery and carryout section, and adds a casual sit-down restaurant in the Spring Valley Shopping Center. Same high-quality fare, including the overstuffed sandwiches. L D $ n

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SAVE THE DATE Sixth Annual Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame Tuesday, October 24, 2017 11:30am The Universities at Shady Grove Conference Center 9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD 20850

WHAT IS IT?

2017 HONOREES

The Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame (MCBHOF), co-founded by Grossberg Company LLP, CPAs and Revere Bank, successor to Monument Bank, is a celebration of individuals who have made a significant impact in the Montgomery County Business community.

The 2017 honorees are: Kevin Beverly, President & CEO, Social & Scientific Systems Norman Dreyfuss, Executive Vice President, IDI Group Terry Forde, President & CEO, Adventist HealthCare Cidalia Luis-Akbar, CEO & Owner, M. Luis Construction Co., Inc. Natalia Luis, COO & Owner, M. Luis Construction Co., Inc

WHY SUPPORT IT?

All net proceeds from the MCBHOF will benefit the scholarship programs at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG), the University System of Maryland’s regional education center that brings 80+ undergraduate and graduate degree programs from nine Maryland public universities directly to Montgomery County.

The same type of vision that led to the creation of USG in the fall of 2000 — to do something truly unique and extraordinary — is the type of vision our honorees all share.

PRESENTED BY

Sponsorships to honor these great individuals are available.

For more information or to register, visit our website: www.MCBusHallofFame.com, or contact Lenore Dustin at 301.571.1900 or lmd@grossberg.com

shopping. beauty. weddings. pets. travel. history.

PHOTO BY MARK SANDLIN

etc.

Every July, artists set up their supplies to paint in the outdoors during Plein Air Easton. For details on the festival, turn to page 298.

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etc.

WEDDINGS

Beach Bash A Gaithersburg couple’s wedding in the Dominican Republic gave guests an excuse to take a vacation

THE COUPLE: Teryn Hann, 27, grew up in Potomac and graduated from Winston Churchill High School and the University of Maryland. She’s an instructor at Zengo Cycle in Bethesda and Gaithersburg. Ray Megill, 31, grew up in Clark, New Jersey, graduated from the University of Maryland, and owns Performance Sport Systems, a company that trains lacrosse, baseball and softball players at its Gaithersburg facility. They live in the Kentlands in Gaithersburg.

HOW THEY MET: In 2009, while a sophomore in college, Teryn was dropping her younger brother off at lacrosse practice at Herbert Hoover Middle School. A coach Teryn knew introduced her to Ray, who was also coaching. After practice, Teryn asked her brother about his “cute lacrosse coach” and told him to pass her number along to Ray. At his next practice, her brother asked to borrow Ray’s phone, planning to enter Teryn’s number. “Only if you put in your sister’s number,” Ray told him.

THE FIRST DATE: They had dinner at Benihana in Bethesda and went bowling.

“I had to obviously let her win bowling,” Ray says. Teryn was smitten. “Older, handsome lacrosse player—I fell hard pretty quickly,” she says.

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THE NEXT STEP: In 2014, Ray wanted to ask Teryn’s father for his blessing to propose. “Every time I would ask her dad to grab a beer, five minutes later Teryn would call me up: ‘Hey, my dad just said we’re going to happy hour at Caddies,’ ” Ray says. “I’m like, how am I ever supposed to ask this guy the question if every time I invite him somewhere he invites Teryn?” One weekend when Teryn was out of town, Ray showed up at her parents’ house. While Teryn’s father was lighting a fire, Ray finally had a chance to ask. “The next thing you know, the fire alarms are going off,” Ray says. “He forgot to open the damper on the fireplace because he was so distracted.”

THE PROPOSAL: The following

weekend, the pair was driving home from the grand opening of Ray’s sports facility when he said he needed to stop at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac to pick up a ball bag one of his coaches had left there. (Ray had decided to propose at Hoover Middle School, where they first met, but didn’t want Teryn to catch on.) At the last minute, he told her the bag was actually at the Hoover field, and asked her to help him look. “She’s like, ‘No, it’s cold out—I’m not getting out of the car,’ ” Ray says. “We were literally arguing for two or three minutes.” He finally convinced her to come with him. “She’s walking around,

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

feet just stomping into the earth. Finally she turns to me and is like, ‘There’s no bag here,’ and I was right there when she turned, on a knee, and proposed to her.

She said yes and started crying a little bit.

A couple seconds later, she’s like, ‘Why are we here at Hoover?’ I’m like, you got to be kidding me—this is where we first met. Finally it all started clicking.”

THE WEDDING: Ray and Teryn were married on Feb. 13, 2016, in the Dominican Republic at Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa, which they found through DestinationWeddings.com. They had 84 guests. “A ballroom is just not us. It’s not our personalities,” Teryn says.

“We’re very chill and we love the beach.”

A MINI-VACATION: The Thursday

before the wedding, guests went on a catamaran cruise. On Friday, they golfed in the morning and went to a welcome party at night. The wedding was Saturday afternoon. “It was four or five days of straight fun with our closest family and friends,” Teryn says.

MAKING PLANS: Teryn chose a rustic theme, picked out the flowers and let the wedding coordinator at Dreams handle the rest. The wedding packages are designed for smaller groups, but the resort was able to accommodate the couple’s guest list.

MICHAEL BENNETT KRESS PHOTOGRAPHY

BY KATHLEEN SEILER NEARY

THE LOOK: Teryn wore a Wtoo by

Watters fit-and-flare dress with a geometric lace pattern, which she purchased at Love Couture Bridal in Potomac, and the resort’s hair-andmakeup artist did her styling.

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etc.

WEDDINGS

SAYING THEIR VOWS: A couple of

months before their destination wedding, Ray and Teryn were legally married in a small ceremony attended by family at a church in New Jersey. In the Dominican Republic, the couple had a laid-back

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20-minute ceremony on the beach, officiated by a friend. “We found love quotes and passages that described our love story, so our friend was able to incorporate those,” Teryn says. “He had everyone laughing, too.”

PARTY ON: “For our first dance, the resort surprised us with having firework sparklers next to the light-up dance floor,” Ray says. The couple extended the reception by an hour since everyone was having such a good time. “Most of Ray’s friends were macho CrossFit-ers or lacrosse players and all had their shirts off

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by the end of the night,” Teryn says.

THE PHOTOS: Though the resort package included a photographer, the couple flew in Bethesda photographer Michael Bennett Kress to document three days of wedding events. “I am very big on good-quality pictures,” Teryn says.

THE HONEYMOON: The couple waited

until their one-year anniversary in February and went on a two-week honeymoon to Napa and Hawaii. They hit wineries in Napa, and visited volcanoes and took surfing lessons in Hawaii. n

MICHAEL BENNETT KRESS PHOTOGRAPHY

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Communicating with the resort was difficult at times. “In the Washington, D.C., area there’s such a hustle and bustle and your email is cleaned out at the end of the day, and we get back to people in a very timely manner,” Teryn says.

“They’re not like that. They’re very much on island time.”

etc.

SHOP TALK

BY SARAH ZLOTNICK

Suit Yourself WITH ANYWHERE FROM

COURTESY PHOTO

25 to 50 swimsuit brands stocked year-round (a rarity for local retailers), Sylene in Chevy Chase has long been the area’s go-to spot for water wear. This summer, the style you’ll see everywhere is the one-piece.

“The one-piece speaks to a lot of different ages and body types,” says Sylene owner Cyla Weiner. “And designers are getting more creative with their cuts.”

Unfortunately, putting the bikini away doesn’t make the process of picking out a swimsuit any less daunting. Here, Weiner—a 42-year veteran of the swimwear and lingerie world—eases the pain with a few tips on finding your most flattering cut.

RUFFLING ABOUT $110 at J. Crew in Chevy Chase Pavilion, 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 202-537-3380, jcrew.com

MORE SUITS

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SHOP TALK

Show some skin

Designers are taking away fabric to flatter their customers’ figures. If you’d like your midsection to look smaller, try a suit with cutouts at either side of the waist.

Wishing you looked a little less hippy? The trick is to pick a suit that stops just above the hip bone. Though it seems counterintuitive, the more skin you show, the longer your legs will look, and the slimmer your hips will seem in comparison.

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KEYHOLE CHIC

$42.94 at Old Navy at Chevy Chase Pavilion, 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 202-2371091, oldnavy.com

Shop in a store

Buying a swimsuit is often like shopping for jeans— no one really enjoys it, so they procrastinate. “You just have to bite the bullet,” Weiner says. “But go somewhere you trust.”

Once you find a brand that fits well in-store, return to that brand when shopping online. “If you know a vendor looks nice on you, then many styles from that vendor will also look nice on you,” Weiner says. “And, in most instances, they’ll fit you the same.”

If you find yourself clicking “Add to Cart” without being familiar with the fit, Weiner recommends ordering a size up from your regular pant or dress size.

COURTESY PHOTOS

CUT IT OUT

$339 at Sylene by Marysia, 4407 S. Park Ave., Chevy Chase, 301-654-4200, sylenedc.com

TAKE THE PLUNGE

$322 at Sylene by Karla Colletto, 4407 S. Park Ave., Chevy Chase, 301-6544200, sylenedc.com

Find your color

Pinky nudes are a major fashion trend of the moment, but Weiner cautions against these shades for swimwear—appearing almost naked won’t do much for hiding problem areas. Neutrals that contrast with skin—think grays, hunter greens, and navies—are more universally flattering. In the nude family, Weiner loves dark chocolate browns and coppers on lighter skin.

HALTER EGO

$315 at Everything But Water by Kiini, Westfield Montgomery mall, Bethesda, 301-365-0954, everythingbutwater.com

Play with shades

Get some

support

GREEN WITH ENVY

$315 at Everything But Water

by Kiini, Westfield Montgomery mall, Bethesda, 301-365-0954, everythingbutwater.com

A built-in bra is often the key difference between looking frumpy and fit, so make sure your suit has underwire (most run true to bra size) or, at the very least, a shelf lining. “When your bust is lifted, it makes your waist look smaller,” Weiner says. “It makes everything else seem thinner and longer.”

Using light and dark shades is the best way to highlight—or downplay— different areas of the body. Opt for suits with lighter colors in areas you want to play up, and darker, solid hues in areas you’re hoping to minimize. An ombre suit that fades from dark on bottom to light on top can help make hips look smaller and your bust look bigger, for example.

Want to add curves to a straighter figure? “Get a suit that’s two-toned,” Weiner says. “An olive green suit with a beige waistband will give you more dimension in the waistline.” n

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SHOP TALK

MUST LOVE DOGS THE SIGNS ARE EVERYWHERE in Monica Dowling’s side hall colonial. A row of leashes in the foyer. Foot wipes and a jar of all-natural chicken jerky treats by the door. In the kitchen, a basket of dried cows’ ears and other chew toys. Dowling is a dog mom to two amber-hued vizslas named Baron and Booker.

“Baron is 7, and he’s my baby,” Dowling, 40, says of her oldest pet. She keeps a framed picture of him in her entryway from the day she brought him home. “We got him at 8 weeks old. He’s super sweet, has a thousand expressions, and I’m convinced he can read my mind.”

Dowling’s canine companions are the inspiration behind (and frequent models for) Gitli Goods, a company she runs from her Chevy Chase home that sells a luxe Americana-inspired line of collars, leashes and extra-large dog beds.

Originally from New Jersey and a former employee at the New York City corporate offices of Burberry, the British 286

luxury fashion house, Dowling followed then-boyfriend, now-husband Jim to D.C. in 2003. Six months later, the couple got engaged, and Dowling became creative services regional manager for Ralph Lauren, Double RL and Rugby Ralph Lauren brands across D.C., Maryland and Pennsylvania. She traveled from store to store to style interiors and merchandising displays.

But it was a trip to the Rose Bowl Flea Market in 2012 that laid the foundation for Gitli. She’d be missing Baron’s birthday and, feeling guilty, she wanted to make him a few gifts. Dowling scooped up some vintage belts for collars and a bolt of batik fabric she thought she might use to fashion a floor bed. The wheels started turning. She knew from shopping for her own pets that collars for large dogs were typically “studded or menacing-looking.” As her mind wandered to projects she’d worked on as a freelance interior designer, there was one thing that consistently clashed

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Gitli offerings include collars ($35-$58), leashes ($75-$85), dog beds ($185$195), vintage finds and more. Available at gitligoods.com. n

PHOTO BY LIZ LYNCH

Monica Dowling with her vizslas, Baron and Booker, in her Chevy Chase home

with the beautiful spaces she had created: grubby dog beds on the floor.

Could these presents for Baron solve a problem larger than her own?

Googling confirmed Dowling’s suspicions: There was a hole in the market when it came to stylish accessories for dogs weighing 40 pounds and up. Dowling set out to create her own in 2013.

Her first product line included five leather collars, two leashes and a few hypoallergenic fleece-and-denim dog beds. HarleyDavidson motorcycle jackets, trips to the National Museum of the American Indian (gitli is the Cherokee word for dog) and the Ralph Lauren Americana that Dowling spent so many years designing around became her inspirations. All of her products have Southwestern touches—think concha rivets, patina-ready leather, and geometric patterns in a palette of reds and oranges.

Dowling works with a small-scale manufacturer in Union City, New Jersey, to create limited runs of products using traditional embossing dyes and techniques. The leather in Gitli leashes comes from Horween Leather Co. in Chicago, one of the oldest tanneries in the United States. Her customizable oxidized ID tags are stamped and sanded by hand in South Carolina.

Though you won’t find any Gitli shops in Bethesda, business around the globe is growing. Online features in Vogue and GQ brought exposure early on, and Free People has been a regular wholesale customer since the first year. As Dowling looks to expand her line of beds and create new harnesses this fall, her rigorous—albeit unconventional—quality control procedures will remain the same.

“My dogs are my testers and my closest co-workers,” she says. “They are two feisty, active boys who like to run around outside and chase birds. If a product can withstand their wear and tear, then I know it’s [a] good quality product.”

Ready for a makeover?

WELCOME TO EVALASH AND NAIL LOUNGE. RENOWN CELEBRITY ARTIST Quyen has over 20 years of experience in the Beauty business and created her own Luxurious Lash holding 5 patents. Her line offers a variety of lengths, curl, and thickness—customized for every eyeshade. Our variety of services will blow you away.

MICROBLADING PERMANENT MAKEUP SCALP PIGMENTATION EYELASH EXTENSIONS EYEBROW EXTENSIONS LASH LIFT NAILS AND PEDICURE SPRAY TANNING MAKEUP

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EVALASHANDNAILLOUNGE.COM EVALASHHH EVALASHBYQUYEN 10225 Old Georgetown Road Suite A | Bethesda Maryland 20814 | 301-564-2927

EXPERIENCE THE SHOPS AT WILDWOOD

balducci’s • belina boutique • blanca flor silver jewelry • bluemercury buredo • chop’t • cvs • coco blanca • elizabeth arden red door spa evalash and nail lounge • fish taco • hadlee • irresistibles • le pain quotidien oakville grille & wine bar • pnc • red orchard • salon nader • sandy spring bank secrète fine jewelry • sequel • [solidcore] • south moon under • starbucks voorthuis opticians • wildwood italian cuisine • wildwood kitchen www.shopsatwildwood.com

old georgetown rd. & democracy blvd. in bethesda, md.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2016

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PRIVATE SCHOOLS SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Private Schools L

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Academy of the Holy Cross

9-12

Girls

Kensington, MD

500

19

11:1

The Auburn School

K-8

Co-ed

Silver Spring, MD

60

10

8:2

Barrie School

18 mos - Grade 12

Co-ed

Silver Spring, MD

310

16

Montessori 12:1, Prep 10:1

Beauvoir, National Cathedral Elementary School

PK-3

Co-ed

Washington, DC

392

20

7:1

Bullis School

K-12

Co-ed

Potomac, MD

845

15

7:1

Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School

JK-12

Co-ed

Rockville, MD

950

17

8:1

Diener School

special ed, K-6

Co-ed

Potomac, MD

40

8

3:1

Fusion Academy Rockville

6-12

Co-ed

Rockville, MD

Avg 50

1

1:1

Fusion Academy Washington, D.C.

6-12

Co-ed

Washington, DC

Avg 50

1

1:1

Geneva Day School

Age 2 - K

Co-ed

Potomac, MD

270

12-18

3:1

Green Acres School

Age 3 - Grade 8

Co-ed

North Bethesda, MD

250

10-12

5:1

Holton-Arms School

3-12

Girls

Bethesda, MD

665

15

6:1

McLean School

K-12

Co-ed

Potomac, MD

400

10

7:1

Nora School

9-12

Co-ed

Silver Spring, MD

70

8

5:1

Norwood School

PK-8

Co-ed

Bethesda, MD

440

10-12

6:1

The Primary Day School

PK-2

Co-ed

Bethesda, MD

125

16

6:1

Randolph-Macon Academy

6-12, post graduate

Co-ed

Front Royal, VA

330

13

8:1

The Siena School

4-12

Co-ed

Silver Spring, MD

122

10

10:1

Spring Valley Montessori Academy

Ages 2 - 5

Co-ed

Washington, DC

60

15

5:1

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

PS - 12

PS & PK: Co-ed Grades 1-12: Girls

Bethesda, MD

720

16

11:1

Washington Episcopal School

Age 3 - Grade 8

Co-ed

Bethesda, MD

280

14

6:1

Westmoreland Children's Center

Ages 2-11

Co-ed

Bethesda, MD

225

14

12:3

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JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

PRIVATE SCHOOLS SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Essential Information on

O ATI

22Independent Schools GES

S TION OU IGI FFILIA L E A •R

S) N ION NT TIO UIT TUDE T TUI 12 M T L S R O ES Y UA E US OW (5-DA NN RAD NIF •U •B •L •A G

•

Catholic

Y

N

Spanish, French, Latin

academyoftheholycross.org

301-942-2100

None

N

N

Spanish, Mandarin, ASL

theauburnschool.org

301-508-8048

None

N

Y

$17,500

$32,100

Spanish, French, Chinese, Independent Study

barrie.org

301-576-2800

Episcopal

N

N

$35,975

N/A

Spanish

beauvoirschool.org

202-537-6485

None

Y

Y

$32,500

$41,057

Spanish, French, Latin, Chinese

bullis.org

301-299-8500

Judaism

N

Y

$20,850

$17,070

Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic

cesjds.org

301-881-1400

None

N

N

please inquire

N/A

thedienerschool.org

301-299-4602

None

N

N

varies

varies

As needed

FusionRockville.com

866-904-4770

None

N

N

varies

varies

As needed

FusionWashDC.com

202-244-0639

None

N

N

$7,200

N/A

Spanish, Chinese

genevadayschool.org

301-340-7704

None

N

Y

$15,000 (Half day) $22,900 (Full day)

N/A

Spanish

greenacres.org

301-881-4100

None

Y

Y

$38,390

$40,150

Spanish, Chinese, Latin, French

holton-arms.edu

301-365-5300

None

Y

Y

$24,890

$44,675

Spanish, Latin, ASL

mcleanschool.org

240-395-0698

None

N

N

$29,500

$30,100

Spanish, Latin

nora-school.org

301-495-6672

None

Dress code

Y

$20,175

N/A

Spanish, French, Latin, Mandarin Chinese

norwoodschool.org

301-365-2595

None

N

N

$21,000

N/A

Spanish, French, Chinese

theprimarydayschool.org

301-365-4355

United Methodist Church

Y

N

$27,428

$36,156

Spanish, French, German

rma.edu

540-636-5484

None

N

N

$38,009

$39,812

Spanish

thesienaschool.org

301-244-3600

None

N

N

$10,900

springvalleymontessoriacademy.org

202-316-2200

Catholic

Y

Y

$26,100

$33,900

Spanish, French, Latin

stoneridgeschool.org

301-657-4322

Episcopal

Y

N

$10,695

$34,600

Spanish, French, Latin

w-e-s.org

301-652-7878

None

N

N

$16,650

N/A

wccbethesda.com

301-229-7161

$23,905

$23,905

UA

G LAN GN ERED I E FOR OFF

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BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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PRIVATE SCHOOLS

JOY AND MATH CAN BE USED IN THE SAME SENTENCE.

I am living the big and small moments of my life with courage and compassion.

I am a Lady of the Academy.

Beauvoir offers an extraordinary education designed for early learners.

Accepting applications in September for Pre-Kindergarten to Third Grade for the 2018-2019 school year. Please visit www.beauvoirschool. org for more information.

OR AN JOIN US F

SE OPEN HOU ber 5 Sunday, Novem p.m.

00 2: . m 10:00 a.

All-Girls, Grades 9-12 4920 Strathmore Ave, Kensington MD • 301.942.2100 w w w .A cAd e my O f T h e h O ly c r O s s . O r g

AHC Bethesda Magazine July 17.indd 1

3500 Woodley Road NW Washington, DC 20016 www.beauvoirschool.org

6/8/17 3:53 PM

Ages 2 thru kindergarten AM, PM & All Day Limited spaces available The value of an all-girls education begins with positive role models.

Contact us today for a personal tour!

Empowering leaders to serve with faith, intellect, and confidence.

www.stoneridgeschool.org Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for girls, Grades 1-12, with a co-educational Early Childhood Program serving infants through Kindergarten age, located in Bethesda, Maryland. Bus transportation available.

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301-340-7704

www.genevadayschool.org

PRIVATE SCHOOLS “McLean School has been nothing short of transformative for both our girls. Within weeks they went from dreading school to, literally, pulling me out the door for fear of being late!

They are both progressing in all their subjects and, more importantly to us, their self-confidence and resilience have grown in every facet of their being.”

K-12 College Preparatory School Supporting Bright Students’ Individual Learning Strengths and Challenges Contact us anytime! mcleanschool.org Potomac, Maryland 240.395.0698 admission@mcleanschool.org

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PRIVATE SCHOOLS Serving Students Kindergarten – 6th Grade with Learning Disabilities; Language and Sensory Processing Needs; Executive Functioning & Attention Issues; and Social Thinking Challenges

One child. A collaborative community. A world of difference.

www.ThePrimaryDaySchool.org

Find Your Voice We’ve Raised the Roof!

And We’re Expanding Enrollment

THE NORA SCHOOL Grades 9-12 Inclusive Nurturing College Prep www.nora-school.org

Serving students age 18 months through Grade 12

Limited Spaces Available for Fall 2017 barrie.org/apply 13500 Layhill Road Silver Spring, MD 20906 barrie.org • 301.576.2800 admission@barrie.org

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JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

spirit of

achievement

Washington Episcopal School students love to learn. They are challenged daily in a balanced, joyful environment that lets kids be kids. With teachers always instructing – from books, the latest technology, studios, hallways, and athletic fields – children reach new levels of achievement.

Our students stand out without burning out out.

COME AND SEE FOR YOURSELF:

Limited Openings Available for 2017-2018 Early Childhood Open House

Thursday, November 9, 2017 – 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Call 301-652-7878 to schedule a visit today!

WASHINGTON EPISCOPAL SCHOOL An independent, co-educational school for Nursery – Grade 8 5600 Little Falls Parkway, Bethesda, MD 20816 | www.w-e-s.org

Located about a mile from the DC line and 10 minutes from northern Virginia, off River Road

Dance Model UN National Spelling Bee Writing Economics Printmaking Sculpture Robotics Soccer Politics Astronomy Geo Bee Swimming Math Day Class Mayor Capstone Spanish Basketball Managem Challenge Accepted Poetry Marine Biology Government passionS discovered Martial Arts Photography Illustration Community Service National History Day Entrepreneurship Dance Ensemble Girl Up Experiential Education Track & Field

www.bullis.org Bullis School @BullisSchool Grades K–12 | Potomac, MD | (301) 299-8500

Come visit our school on October 29th at 1pm

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PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Here’s where student

potential becomes

actual.

Fusion Academy is a revolutionary, accredited private middle and high school where all classes are one-to-one: one student and one teacher per classroom. This allows scheduling to be flexible and for teachers to personalize curriculum and teaching styles for each student’s individual strengths, interests, and learning style.

Students may enroll full-time, take a class for credit, or utilize our tutoring services any time of the year.

Fusion Rockville 866.904.4770 FusionAcademy.com

Fusion Washington D.C. 202.244.0639

CHARLES E. SMITH JEWISH DAY SCHOOL

1981

Average combined SAT score of the Class of 2017, exceeding the top five Montgomery County Public Schools

8:1

Student-to-teacher ratio with an average class size of 17

CESJDS is a JK-12 pluralistic school that engages students in an exemplary and inspiring general and Jewish education.

SCHEDULE A TOUR!

Call 301.692.4870 or email admissions@cesjds.org.

41%

Of students in grades 6-12 participate in athletics

25

Elective courses offered, including Sculpture, Lower School (JK-5) Upper School (6-12) Coding, Robotics, 1901 E. Jefferson St. 11710 Hunters Lane Sports Medicine, and Rockville, MD Rockville, MD Intro to Guitar

www.rma.edu 294

540-636-5484

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

www.cesjds.org

/cesjdsconnect

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Who is a Holton girl?

Norwood Introduces Pre-K in 2017!

Our goals in pre-K are the same ones we have for all years at Norwood. To help children make great leaps forward. To prepare them for the learning to follow. To nurture the gifts they bring. To ensure that in the challenge of learning they find joy.

Voted Bethesda Magazine’s Best Private School for Music & Arts.

Apply now for grades PK-8

© Jeff Mauritzen

a Holton girl is someone who: Loves to learn Is eager to explore Might be an artist, athlete, scholar, or all three Works hard, yet knows how to have fun Hears our motto, “I will find a way or make one,” and thinks, yes, that’s me!

•

•

•

•

Sound like anybody you know?

Norwood School | PK-8 | Bethesda, MD www.norwoodschool.org | 301.841.2130 Norwood School’s child-centered program inspires confident, compassionate, independent, and creative thinkers who embrace lifelong learning.

Holton-Arms is an independent day school in Bethesda, Md., for girls in grades 3 through 12. www.holton-arms.edu

Rigor, redesigned.

Located in North Bethesda, in the heart of the Luxmanor neighborhood

Age 3-Grade 8

Experience the joy of learning

Join us for

Discovery Day!

Schedule a tour at our campus in North Bethesda www.greenacres.org | 301.881.4100 | Age 3–Grade 8 BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2017

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etc.

GET AWAY

BY CHRISTINE KOUBEK

PHILADELPHIA’S MUSEUM OF THE American Revolution, which opened in April, explores the challenges involved in creating the first modern democracy—both through the museum’s exhibits and the context they offer for Philadelphia’s historic landmarks, including Independence Hall. The museum’s theaters, artifacts and art tell the story of the American Revolution from its origins to victory, and its continuing relevance today.

You can see an elaborately decorated 1770s mug wishing “Liberty Forever” to the town of Boston, the first newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence, and George Washington’s headquarters tent, which is among the most iconic surviving artifacts from the Revolutionary War. One of the museum’s strengths is the diversity of voices it has captured. Immersive exhibits allow you to listen to members of the Oneida Indian Nation debate whether to support the American cause (the multimedia experience is inspired by historical sources), and to board a life-size replica of a privateer ship while listening to the soundscape of a wharf. The museum also has become home to William Trego’s iconic oil painting “The March to Valley Forge, December 19, 1777.”

Timed tickets are required and can be purchased online. $12-$19; free for children ages 5 and younger. 101 S. Third St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 877-740-1776; amrevmuseum.org.

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COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION; COURTESY OF BLUECADET

CELEBRATE YOUR INDEPENDENCE

DISCOVER A WATERFRONT GEM

COURTESY OF MARINA BAY HOTEL; COURTESY OF ANCHORED INN

CHINCOTEAGUE’S NEW COASTAL HAVEN CHINCOTEAGUE, THE CHARMING COASTAL island town that serves as a gateway for visiting world famous wild ponies at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the beach at Assateague Island National Seashore, now has a boutique hotel. Marina Bay Hotel & Suites opened in December and is hosting its first summer season along the Chincoteague Channel. While the closest beach is 5 miles away, the hotel’s outdoor features include a heated pool, fire pits, two private piers for fishing, crabbing or watching the sunset, and grills for cooking up the day’s catch. Inside, the lobby is decorated in ropes artfully strung from the ceiling and a floor-to-ceiling wall of nautical flags carved in wood. Thirty-seven of the 76 guest rooms have a balcony with water views. Restaurants, art galleries and quaint shops are a short walk away along Main Street. Two things for which Chincoteague is famous might inspire a visit this year: the 70th anniversary of the publication of Misty of Chincoteague (visit the Museum of Chincoteague Island for exhibits on Marguerite Henry’s book and a children’s film based on the novel), and the 45th annual Chincoteague Oyster Festival, which will be held in October (visit chincoteaguechamber.com).

OPENED LAST YEAR, Anchored Inn at Hidden Harbour Marina in Deale, Maryland, is a quick—less than an hour drive—escape from all things urban. Lounge by the pool, borrow a paddleboard or kayak, rent a pontoon boat, read a book on your balcony, or take a chartered fishing or crabbing trip. Fourteen of the inn’s 16 rooms have balconies overlooking the water. Chat up local boaters at the inn’s bar, and don’t miss South County Cafe, a nearby favorite, for big breakfasts or a deli lunch (try the crab dip). Many more restaurants can be found in Annapolis, a half-hour away. Or, exhaust the kids at nearby Chesapeake Beach Water Park and make your own barbecue for dinner. Picnic tables and grills are scattered around the inn’s waterfront backyard, home to a new tiki bar opening this summer.

Anchored Inn at Hidden Harbour Marina rates start at $149 per night, $50 extra for a pet-friendly room.

604 Cabana Blvd., Deale, Maryland; 410-867-9668, anchoredinndeale.com. n

Marina Bay Hotel & Suites rates start at $189 per night for standard rooms, breakfast buffet included. 3801 Main St., Chincoteague Island, Virginia; 757-336-3500, staymarinabay.com.

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etc.

DRIVING RANGE

Art in the Air IT’S A STEAMY JULY morning in Easton, Maryland, and nearly 200 artists at their easels are scattered throughout the town’s central four blocks. My eyes scan their half-finished canvases, looking for that perfect marriage of color and form, in subjects ranging from the historic stone church across the street to a colorful stretch of Federal-style storefronts. I scurry from one painter to the next, trying to imagine how each piece will look once it’s finished.

I won’t have to wait long to find out. All of the artists are painting en plein air (in the open air), as many of the Impressionists did. And they have only two hours to finish.

This timed event—known as the “Quick Draw” competition—marks the interactive climax of Plein Air Easton (PAE), a weeklong juried arts festival that’s been held in the Eastern 298

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

Shore town every summer since 2004. Not only are the artists racing against the clock, they’re also hustling to map out patterns of light and shadow before the sun’s angle shifts.

Adding to the excitement is the fact that onlookers like me can buy paintings in progress—a high-stakes gamble, given that no one has any idea how a final piece will ultimately turn out. Some of the more acclaimed painters, I’m told, have been known to close a sale even before brush touches canvas. But this event, unlike some of the others, is open to any artist (professional or amateur) who is willing to fork over the $10 entry fee.

Personally, I’m hoping to come away with a small masterpiece to enliven my own home.

I’ve got my eye on a sunny oil rendering of the orange umbrellas at a nearby sidewalk café. But

PHOTO BY MARK SANDLIN

Every July, Easton becomes a mecca for artists and art lovers BY AMY BRECOUNT WHITE

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etc.

The streets of Easton are filled with onlookers checking out artists’ works in progress during Plein Air Easton.

Opposite page, top right: Charles Newman, a recent art school graduate, asks for advice on which two landscapes he should enter in a competition at the festival.

alas, with 30 minutes to the finish line, that painting is snapped up by another buyer. Later on, its creator, John Caggiano, recounts the adrenaline rush he felt as he was painting it: “At the beginning, you’re just frantic. You try to relax, but you don’t know how it’s going to go until a quarter in.”

In retrospect, “I could have sold this painting six to eight times,” he adds, noting that the scene generated considerable interest. It sold for $750.

Oh well. There’s always next year.

PLEIN AIR EASTON WAS first established in an attempt to lure tourists to landlocked Easton during the dog days of summer. Since then, it’s grown to become the largest and most prestigious juried plein-air painting competition in the U.S., drawing more than 6,000 300

visitors annually. The core of the festivities centers on 58 juried artists (selected from an applicant pool of nearly 300 in 2016) working on location. Over the course of a week, each produces at least 11 paintings, all of which are for sale.

That includes a 6-by-8-inch gem for “Small Painting Sunday,” a last-day event featuring mimosas, Bloody Marys and live music, along with small (read: more affordable) works.

PAE’s painting marathon starts on a Monday, but my daughter, Sam, and I time our visit to coincide with the culminating events on the weekend. We arrive Friday morning, just in time to spy a few painters dashing into Easton’s Academy Art Museum with their canvases to meet the 11 a.m. competition deadline. At this point, they’ve spent the past four days painting outdoors in a perimeter that at first spanned the entire Delmarva Peninsula, but then narrowed to Talbot County and ultimately shrank to the even smaller radius of the Easton town limits. Charles Newman, a recent art school graduate from New Jersey, leans several of his

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

industrial landscapes against the fence and asks a festival volunteer for advice on which two he should enter.

In addition to those two competition pieces submitted for judging, each artist will show at least eight other works in The Armory next door (open to the public starting at 9 a.m. Saturday). Many restock as they sell, so it’s worth circling back for more than one look. Sam and I stop in and admire the lustrous works of Olena Babak, an artist based in Maine whose scenes capture the interplay of light and reflection where land meets water. “I have the biggest smile,” she tells us. “I am sleep-deprived, it’s very hot, and I’m having the best time ever.”

Later that afternoon we head over to the eponymous studio of local painter and gallery owner David Grafton to watch a painting demonstration. Grafton no longer competes in the PAE competition (“too hot, too long,” he says), but he likes to be on hand to offer veteran advice to participating artists, some of whom are his students. I’ve long been an admirer of his luminous rural landscapes and

PHOTO BY MARK SANDLIN

DRIVING RANGE

PLEIN AIR EASTON

TOP RIGHT PHOTO BY SAMANTHA JOAN WHITE; PHOTO BY MARK SANDLIN

PHOTO BY MARK SANDLIN

caption

quickly grab us seats in the front row. His clouds, in my opinion, rival those of the English master John Constable.

After completing roughly one-third of a moody sunset over a pond (using a photo for reference), Grafton turns to his audience. “I’m pretty tired,” he says. “Does anyone want to finish this for me?” Everyone laughs, but he repeats the question.

“You’re serious?” asks Sam (who paints for fun, and in her Advanced Placement art class). Grafton hands her a brush and coaches her as she hashes out a section of the canvas, following his acrylic blending technique. Of course, I had to buy that landscape, which now

hangs above our piano and makes me smile—partly because my daughter had a hand in it, and also because I can now say that we have a Grafton original.

THE BIG EVENT ON Friday evening is the Collectors’ Preview Party, a sellout soirée that offers the first peek at the competition exhibit in its entirety. At $250 a head, this is the setting in which the big winners are announced, and a must-see for any serious collector who hopes to snap up a prize-winning painting. In 2016, one painting sold every 45 seconds in the 90-minute period after the winners were unveiled, according

This year’s festival is July 17-23.

It’s run by the nonprofit Avalon Foundation, whose mission is to improve the quality of life in Easton and its environs. The Quick Draw is July 22, from 10 a.m. to noon, but check out the full schedule for other chances to chat with artists and buy paintings, including painting days in Oxford and Easton. New this year is an opportunity to paint side-byside with many of the PAE painters during the first “Nocturne Paint Out,” July 19, from 8 to 10 p.m. There’s also a special Quick Draw event for artists 18 and under that takes place July 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. pleinaireaston.com

RELATED EVENTS Art lovers also won’t want to miss the Local Color juried (by previous PAE winners) show and sale (July 21-23), featuring works by 42 mid-Atlantic artists on display at the Tidewater Inn, with pieces that are generally more affordable than those at PAE. Over PAE’s final weekend, an Artisans Market in Easton showcases artists working in other mediums, such as driftwood, glass and metal.

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etc.

DRIVING RANGE

DELECTABLE DINING Easton’s deep culinary offerings will set any foodie’s heart aflutter. Out of the Fire (outofthefire.com) offers sustainable fare with a Mediterranean flair and fabulous stone-baked pizzas. Sunflowers & Greens (sunflowersandgreens.com) serves inventive salads, wraps and desserts at lunchtime. Eating Easton offers threehour culinary tours on Saturdays ($59) that include behind-the-scenes looks and menu sampling at four Easton restaurants (eatingeaston.com). Rise Up Coffee Roasters (riseupcoffee.com), a small-batch, organic roaster in a refurbished former gas station, serves one of the best brews around. (I always bring a few bags home.)

302

Mad Eggs (in a food truck next to Rise Up) makes outstanding burritos and breakfast sandwiches.

Dwelling & Design (dwellinganddesign.com), whose sunny showroom and whimsical light fixtures will inspire you.

GALLERIES AND SHOPPING

WALKABLE LODGINGS

Galleries abound on Easton’s charming streets, including those owned by local artists David Grafton (graftonart.com) and Betty Huang (studiobartgallery.com); and one that represents PAE co-founder Nancy Tankersley (southstreetartgallery. com). From April through December, enjoy gallery openings on the first Friday of every month, from 5 to 8 p.m. Easton is also home to charming boutiques like Chef & Shower (chefandshower.com), a purveyor of clever kitchen and bath accessories, and

Centrally located, the Tidewater Inn (tidewaterinn.com) recently upgraded its rooms, as well as its Hunters’ Tavern, which includes a spacious and friendly bar area with tasty appetizers. The grand Colonial Revival Inn at 202 Dover (innat202dover. com) offers elegant rooms with a full breakfast, and the formal Peacock Restaurant, along with a garden to unwind in. The Bartlett Pear Inn (bartlettpearinn. com) features bright, minimalist rooms and includes breakfast.

JULY/AUGUST 2017 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

MAP ILLUSTRATION BY MARY ANN SMITH

IF YOU GO

to festival organizers. Among the offerings was an imposing work by Arkansas artist Jason Sacran (the 2015 grand-prize winner) priced at $12,000.

Even if you skip the collectors’ party, there are plenty of other casual opportunities to rub elbows with the artists. Gallery exhibits notwithstanding, we recognize painters in restaurants and in the lobby of the Tidewater Inn, and we are privy to more than a few live demos. During Sacran’s informative tutorial, we have fun listening to the banter as fellow artists encourage him to narrate the stroke and color choices for his harbor scene, explaining exactly what he’s doing and why, with a fair bit of good-natured ribbing.

The range of artistic styles and subject matter at PAE is impressive. I find myself equally drawn to the miniaturist landscapes of Crista Pisano and the pastel-toned waterscapes of Elise

Phillips. The 2016 grand prize was ultimately awarded to Easton-based painter Sara Linda Poly for “Origins,” an arboreal scene that depicts sunlight peeking through a deep wood.

“The level of talent and skill is so high that it pushes each artist to not only do their best, but to also go even further,” says Kirk Larsen, a New York artist who’s been coming to PAE since 2011. “Knowing that your compatriots are out there painting at any point that you’re not really drives the creative process.”

Braving the elements is also par for the course, and central to the character of the work. Artists must guard against sunburn and heat stroke (it is July, after all, with temperatures in the low 90s), and any number of flying pests. “One of the supporting inspirations is the heat itself,” Larsen says. “That atmospheric quality influences what we see. It makes for

delicious paintings and very tired nights.”

Over the course of a week, painters will inevitably encounter skies in every color, shape and form—from unrelenting sunshine to towering thunderclouds.

There’s definitely a festive tone in the air as the town (population about 17,000) embraces both the art and the artists.

Wandering through the historic Avalon Theatre (another exhibition venue), Sam and I marvel at works on display by past winners. Later, we nibble on cheese and crackers at several gallery open houses featuring both Delmarva and national painters. In Easton, there’s practically a gallery on every block, catering to a gamut of tastes and wallet sizes. n Local writer Amy Brecount White hopes to return to Plein Air Easton to watch her daughter paint at the Quick Draw competition one of these years.

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Monica Dowling, founder of Gitli Goods, which sells a luxe Americana-inspired line of collars, leashes and extra-large dog beds, with Booker, her high-energy vizsla.

Photographer Liz Lynch says, “It took some wrangling assistance from Monica’s husband, Jim, who stood behind me with treats and commands.” Turn to page 286 to read more about Dowling, her dogs and her Chevy Chase company.

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Get a taste of fall with butternut squash and crab soup. For our recipe, turn to page 314.

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