AE Vol.3 Issue 10- Preview

A me rican Es s e nc e

American Essence

OCTOBER 2023

FO R E V E RYO N E W H O LOV E S T H I S CO U N T RY

Singing America’s Stories Trace Adkins uses the power of music to honor the heroes walking among us: veterans OCTOBER 2023

Reba McEntire’s Ranching Roots The country music star looks back at the childhood memories and lessons that shaped her

Chef Boyardee How a potato peeler from Italy ended up feeding the U.S. Army

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This page is n in the p Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

—THOMAS EDISON

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Hot air balloons fly over Sedona, Ariz., at sunset.

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History

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50 | Pioneering Canned Cuisine Chef Boyardee’s Italian sauces became a national sensation in the late 1920s. What was so special?

54 | Wheel in the Sky Visitors to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition were awed by the size of George Ferris’s Wheel.

58 | A Brilliant Invention Today, we take the light bulb for granted, but developing it took a long and painstaking process.

60 | America’s Great Trailblazer Jedediah Smith led the first group of men overland from the east to California.

Contents First Look 10 | Silver Screen Getaways Book your next stay in a hotel from your favorite film.

Features 12 | A Newly Crowned Champion Josef Newgarden shares the lessons he’s learned through trying for the Indy 500 race 11 times before finally winning this year.

16 | Somewhere in America, He Sings On Multi-platinum singer Trace Adkins believes in the goodness of our country. To him, veterans are heroes.

22 | Good as Gold Despite a debilitating fall, Lindsey Jacobellis became the most decorated snowboard cross athlete of all time.

28 | Canoeing Across America Neal Moore tells us about his trip across America by canoe; what he discovered will restore our faith in our country.

32 | Be Your Best Self How to set yourself up for success.

38 | Cowboy Business A model for how cattle-raising in the 21st century can support ranchers’ livelihoods while respecting nature.

44 | Capturing the Beauty of Wildlife Joel Sartore sees wildlife from a unique vantage point: through his photographer’s lens.

64 | Son of Liberty Mordecai Sheftall went into prison and debt to help young America.

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School Development Group, Inc.

Arts & Letters

Lifestyle

70 | The Honorable Revolutionary Historian and podcaster Mike Duncan discusses the Marquis de Lafayette’s role in two revolutions.

88 | From Bulb to Bloom A Dutch-American tulip empire shares tips for beautiful backyard blooms.

74 | Book Recommendation T.J. Johnston’s compelling “Lockett and the Devil’s Path” highlights how the Spencer rifle aided the Civil War’s Union Army.

76 | Family Roots A reader shares about a unique opportunity he had to honor his father, who served in the Marines during World War II. 78 | Why I Love America Reader Kristyne Hrdina Moulton reflects on her family’s escape from communist Czechoslovakia.

80 | Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage House The Greek Revival-style mansion that our seventh president called home from 1804 until his death in 1845.

94 | Sunday Routine How fitness trainer Brianna Joye gears up for her local walking club turned worldwide phenomenon.

96 | Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (and Work Hard) Growing up on her family ranch, country star Reba McEntire learned the power of hope.

104 | A Different Kind of Library Bonnie Anderson’s home library harbors around 33,000 volumes of children’s literature.

112 | Better Metabolism, Better You Best-selling author and Harvard researcher Dr. William Li on improving metabolism for a healthier life.

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Editor’s Note Dear Readers, It’s easy to look at accomplished people and admire how effortlessly good they are at what they do. But the road to success is most often circuitous, with plenty of pauses, detours, and failures along the way.

Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden has plenty to teach us about perseverance, after winning the race on his 12th try (page 12), while Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Jacobellis (page 22) faced the demons of self-doubt before finding the strength to believe in herself again.

We Americans have a tradition of putting our fame to good use after achieving success. Country music star Trace Adkins, for example, often speaks up to bring attention to veterans nationwide (page 16).

Closer to home (perhaps in your kitchen cabinet), who would have imagined that a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli has so much history behind it? Founder Ettore Boiardi, a 16-year-old immigrant from Italy, went on to become a successful entrepreneur and help feed the U.S. Army during World War II (page 50).

In this issue, we also introduce an Arts & Letters section, where you’ll find interviews with authors, book reviews, and personal perspectives (page 69).

As always, we welcome your feedback! Please let us know what topics or people you’d be interested in learning about. We’d love to hear from you.

Editor-In-Chief Editor@AmericanEssence.net

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Your personal story of faith and family.

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OCTOBER 2023 | VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 10

American Essence FO R E V E RYO N E W H O LOV E S T H I S CO U N T RY

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Social Calendar

A Story in Pictures Etched by Light: Photogravures from the Collection, 1840–1940 Washington, D.C. Oct. 15, 2023–Feb 4, 2024 A new exhibit at the National Gallery of Art follows the first 100 years of photogravure, a method of printing multiple copies of a photograph in ink with rich, beautiful results. The works of Peter Henry Emerson, Alfred Stieglitz, Man Ray, and others demonstrate the influence of the process on the art of photography. NGA.gov Ahoy, Matey!

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Oct. 25–29 The largest in-water boat show in the world, FLIBS boasts over 1,300 boats from runabouts to mega-yachts, plus 1,000 marine manufacturers and vendors offering boating tech, gear and accessories, nautical clothing, art, great food, and music, all spread over seven locations. FLIBS.com

TOP SPEED United States Grand Prix 2023 Austin, Texas Oct. 20–22

Circuit of the Americas was built in 2012 to attract the biggest names in motorsports—and it did.

F1’s weekend-long celebration of speed and sound features can’t-

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miss racing action, electrifying performances from international superstars, amusement rides, culinary experiences, and more.

It all leads up to Sunday, when top racers vie for the win as they complete 56 heart-pounding laps of the 3-mile racetrack.

Formula1.com

TREASURE HUNT Round Top Antiques Fair Carmine, Texas Oct. 14–28

For two weeks in October, antique lovers flock to Round Top, Texas (pop. 90), for the largest antique show of its kind in the country, hoping to find one-of-a-kind fine art, jewelry, furnishings, and more. Nearly 100 venues set up in barns, tents, and hayfields along 11 miles of Texas State Highway 237.

RoundTopTexasAntiques.com 8

Equestrian Excellence Washington International Horse Show Annapolis, Md., Oct. 23–29 Started in 1958, this has grown into an elite event attended by presidents with actionpacked show jumping, hunt teams, equitation (the art of horsemanship!), adorable Shetland pony races, and the World Cup qualifying President’s Cup Grand Prix. WIHS.org

Fall Antics West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta Tualatin, Ore., Oct. 22 Just when you think you’ve seen everything, enter this quirky regatta, which is exactly what it sounds like: enthusiastic costumed racers piloting a gaggle of gigantic gourds through a watercourse on Tualatin Lake at the Commons. Sip craft beers and nibble on wood-fired pizza while cheering for your favorite 1,000-pound vessel, provided by the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers. TualatinOregon.gov/ pumpkinregatta AMERI CAN ESSE NCE

Culture Shortlist

‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ When Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) travel from the East Coast to a small Western town to pay their respects to deceased friend Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), he reveals both tragic and triumphant events that took place 25 years earlier.

Helmed by legendary director John Ford, this celebrated Western is a hauntingly beautiful work of cinematic

poetry. It features pitch-perfect performances by its star-studded cast and a memorable story that will stay with you long after the ending credits roll. It’s a true masterclass in filmmaking and an all-time favorite for many.

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Director: John Ford Starring: James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles Released: 1962 Streaming: DirecTV, Vudu

‘Dunmore’s War: Last Conflict of America’s Colonial Era’ Obscured by the American Revolution, Dunmore’s War, fought in 1774, was important.

The Shawnee defeat by Virginia pacified the central and southernwestern frontier, allowing Colonists to prepare for the fight for independence. Glenn F. Williams’s book unravels the tangled threads leading to a complex war. The author lets facts speak for themselves.

Publisher: Westholme Publishing, 2017 Hardcover: 393 pages

‘Miss Virginia’

needed legislation, she must overcome opposition from D.C.’s Virginia Walden Ford campaigns congresswoman, who works against to bring greater educational her constituents’ interests. Ford’s choice to Washington, D.C., chief ally is crusty conservative Rep. students trapped in underCliff Williams. While based on a true performing but well-funded story, it’s more inspirational than public schools. To pass desperately accurate. (TV-14; 1h 42m)

Director: JR.J. Daniel Hanna Starring: Uzo Aduba, Matthew Modine, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Released: 2019 Streaming: Tubi, BET Plus ISSU E 10 | O CTO BE R 2 0 2 3

‘Master Slave Husband Wife’ Ilyon Woo’s history is also a poignant love story about the unbelievably brave journey of Ellen and William Craft, a married couple who instigated a clever ruse in December 1848. After a life of enslavement in Georgia, they sought their freedom in Pennsylvania. Light-skinned, she posed as an invalid man, while her husband served as her slave.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2023 Hardcover: 416 pages 9

Features | Athletes

The Race of His Life Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden teaches us a lesson about perseverance, winning the race on the 12th try WRITTEN BY

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eing a professional adrenaline junkie requires a cool head, according to Josef Newgarden, the newest Indy 500 champion.

The open-wheel car racer had run the race 11 times prior, and he said the only difference between the 11th and 12th times was the fact that, as this latest attempt drew to a close, he saw he had the opportunity to fight for the finish, and he did.

“I think you just have to be prepared for the opportunity to win the race,” said Mr. Newgarden, who has been racing the IndyCar Series for 12 years and joined Team Penske in 2017. There was a tremendous moment of recognition, he acknowledged, but the very next weekend, they had a race in Detroit—the Indy 500 is only the sixth race of the season, after all.

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is the premier race of the top-level IndyCar (American

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Catherine Yang

open-wheeled car) race series. Traditionally, 33 drivers speed around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 200 laps on Memorial Day weekend with nearly 300,000 spectators and crew packed into the space. “It’s the Super Bowl of our sport, if you will,” Mr. Newgarden explained. And the energy there is palpable.

“It’s really a sight to behold.” His first race, he felt engulfed in something extraordinary.

“I remember feeling in awe of what the event represented and the magnitude of it, it’s really what you feel, the enormity of what the Indianapolis 500 is. That always sticks with you—certainly the first one, but all the way up to my 12th.”

The energy of the crowd so inspired Mr. Newgarden that moments after winning, he took off through a hole in the fence to spend the first moments of victory with fans before returning to the traditional ceremonies.

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Josef Newgarden emerges victorious from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Ind., May 28, 2023.

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Hard Work and Belief For Mr. Newgarden, the word success brings to mind the idea of hard work.

Mr. Newgarden grew up watching racing on TV, introduced to it by his father and grandfather, both great fans of the sport.

From as early as he can remember, Mr. Newgarden said he begged his father for a kart, and it wasn’t until he was 13 that his father relented. Professional go-karts are far from the amusement park vehicles that come to mind for most. They are used for racing and look like smaller versions of Indy cars.

Mr. Newgarden played other sports, like baseball and basketball, but he had a passion for racing that far exceeded a hobby.

The family lived in Tennessee and traveled weekly to Indianapolis in order to compete. “[My father is] certainly someone who has the belief of: If we’re going to try to pursue something, we’re going to pursue it to the very end,” Mr. Newgarden said.

He modeled the ability of being able to stay positive and motivated no matter the external circumstances, and it would prove invaluable for Mr. Newgarden. Between ages 16 and 17, Mr. Newgarden was out of school regularly for competitions, wondering if he would be able to make it professionally.

Many, many other aspiring racers have this story, he added, dealing with the constant struggle of securing sponsorships and planning the next move. At times, it was demoralizing and demotivating. But his father’s steady approach taught him the art of “great perseverance.”

“He was the ultimate believer that we could do anything or figure any situation out. You have to be realistic but you also have to have that unwavering belief that you can continue to work hard and figure any situation out, or any challenge out,” Mr. Newgarden said. If there was no sponsorship, maybe it meant passing on the immediate race and putting together a business plan for the next. There was always a path forward.

“That, to me, is the biggest gift that you can give to someone who’s young,” he said.

Mr. Newgarden and his wife welcomed their

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LEFT Mr. Newgarden (#2 Team Penske Chevrolet) and other drivers in a tight race during the NTT IndyCar Series at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, April 2023.

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Mr. Newgarden said his team is comprised of 80 to 100 people working to optimize his race car.

newborn son last year, and he looks forward to imparting the same gifts and lessons that his father taught him.

Race day on May 28, 2023, was much the same. The win was the result of steady, hard work, Mr. Newgarden said, and brilliant teamwork.

The Perfect Race “I’m a very competitive person, it really drives my life and I have to be competing at something,” said Mr. Newgarden. A driver has to enter each race believing in the opportunity to win, he said, but the Indy 500 is a kind of exception.

“It’s the hardest race to put together. Even if you were a great driver on the day, or you have the fastest car on the day, it just does not guarantee a victory. There’s just so much that has to go right,” Mr. Newgarden said. The Indy 500 is a race you may never win. “I know a lot of drivers that probably deserved to win the race that never won it.”

Understanding that is freeing, in a way.

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From the outside, racing may seem like a solo sport—much of the attention falls on the driver. In reality, Mr. Newgarden said, it’s not so different from football or a high-achieving company.

“There’s a whole team that is built around optimizing that race car and making it as fast as possible and trying to execute a perfect race,” he said. “I love that. I love the engineering that goes into it, the team dynamic. …

We’ll have 80 to 100 people there across the month working on three cars, and we’re all pulling in the same direction.”

All races are team-intensive, but none so much as the Indy 500. Everyone has to execute perfectly down to fractions of seconds, and there are numerous variables beyond the control of any one person. “I’ve got to be perfect on that day, but if we’re not perfect as a team, we just will not win the race. It takes a big effort from everybody,” Mr. Newgarden said.

“It’s impossible to do almost anything in this world alone,” he said. •

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A Tribute to Our Heroes

Trace Adkins’s colorful life paved the way toward a multi-platinum music career. Now, he uses his platform to honor military veterans WRITTEN BY

Kenneth LaFave

Personalities | Features

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omewhere in America, Trace Adkins is singing. Over the airwaves, through the internet, live and in person, or in the heads of millions of fans, his songs tell the stories of the land.

He sings: There ain't no good news on the 6 o’clock news these days, But don’t you get down, take a look around, It’s all over the place.

It could be Carolina, could be California, There’s a dirt road class with a shirt on their back; If you ask, they’ll put it right on ya.

They say the world is endin’, But from where I’m standin’, there’s still a jug to share, Couple bucks to spare, still got a prayer, Somewhere in America, Somewhere in America.

Trace Adkins is a prolific artist, having recorded 12 studio albums and six greatest hits albums.

The song, titled “Somewhere in America,” from Mr. Adkins’s 2021 double album “The Way I Wanna Go,” is an anthem to the endurance of ordinary men and women in the face of upheaval.

“For me, it was a message of hope. With all the insanity we seem to be exposed to on a daily basis, there’s still good common-sense people out there doing the right thing, helping a neighbor out when they need help, giving you the shirt off their back if you need it,” said Mr. Adkins by phone from his home in Nashville.

Though you can’t tell from their outer appearance, there are heroes among those common-sense folk: our country’s military veterans. “I believe the word hero gets thrown round too often, but these veterans are actually heroes, and if you have the chance to associate with heroes, you should do that. Maybe some of it will rub off on you.”

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Honoring the Military A lot of it must have rubbed off on Mr. Adkins by now. Over the years, the 61-yearold country music star has devoted a great deal of time and energy to military and veteran causes. Through the United Service Organizations (USO), he has performed for troops around the globe. In 2010, he formed

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an association with the Wounded Warrior Project, and today he advocates for better veteran health care and higher compensation for military personnel. “It’s probably the most important thing I do. It’s been the greatest privilege of my career to be associated with these men and women. I don’t see that ending anytime soon,” he said.

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performs onstage during the Wounded Warrior Project Courage Awards & Benefit Dinner at Gotham Hall in New York City, 2018.

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“​ Just the other night, I was out to dinner and a veteran went out of his way to thank me.

I always feel strange when that happens.

I want to say, ‘No, thank you.’”

—TRACE ADKINS, COUNTRY STAR

The devotion flows both ways. Once, on a USO tour in Afghanistan, a fan came up to Mr. Adkins and raised his arm to show a tattoo of one of Mr. Adkins’s lyrics. “Just the other night, I was out to dinner and a veteran went out of his way to thank me. I always feel strange when that happens. I want to say, ‘No, thank you.’”

For Veteran’s Day 2023, Mr. Adkins encourages all Americans to “at least be

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aware” of veterans. As he sang in his 2021 song “Empty Chair,” veterans don’t talk about themselves or cut a high profile. They don’t brag about their service. Sometimes it’s hard to know them. “But if you see a guy and he’s unmistakably a vet, give him a pat on the back or a kind word. It means a lot. If you want to go further than that, get involved in veterans organizations. But at least be aware.”

RIGHT Mr. Adkins shakes hands with a Marine prior to a football game at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., 2019.

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Reaching New Heights After a career-debilitating fall, Lindsey Jacobellis had to find the courage to forgive herself.

Along the way, she found self-acceptance—and Olympic gold WRITTEN BY

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Dustin Bass

ports, like life, can be unforgiving. If anyone in the world of sports knows what that is like, it would be Lindsey Jacobellis.

Ms. Jacobellis is the most decorated snowboard cross athlete of all time (snowboard cross is a competition involving going downhill among turns and jumps). Her longevity and continued success is a testament to her work ethic and her natural talent. But, as is too often the case in the world of public opinion, a single misstep that accounted for mere milliseconds has long been the haunting taunt of her career.

In 2006, during the snowboard cross event at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, Ms. Jacobellis had a commanding lead over the three other contestants. The speed and turns had thrown two off the track, and Swiss snowboarder Tanja Frieden lagged behind in second. But in the second to last jump, only seconds from the finish line, the inexplicable happened.

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Ms. Jacobellis grabbed her board to perform a move called a method. It is a relatively simple and common trick. But she hadn’t planned for it. It was muscle memory taking over, and she fell. As reliable and absolutely necessary as muscle memory is in sports, in that moment, it failed her.

“I spent a lot of time in therapy trying to find out the root cause of what really happened, and I couldn’t come up with anything other than it was that lapse in judgment— just dropping the ball, whatever sports metaphor there is,” Ms. Jacobellis said in an interview. “It was just something that happened that I can’t actually look back and understand why.” At the time, the general consensus in the sports world was that it was showboating gone horribly wrong. But for anyone with a keen eye, it appeared as if she tried to restrain the move while performing it: a decisive moment filled with indecision.

For athletes competing at the highest levels—and one cannot reach higher than the

Lindsey Jacobellis performs a jump while snowboarding in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.

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Athletes | Features

Olympics—a misstep, an injury, a malfunction can leave a searing mark that may never heal. When that mark is self-inflicted, the healing process becomes even more difficult. These are traumatic moments that leave athletes haunted by what-ifs. Ms. Jacobellis, then 20 years old, was not given a moment to gather her thoughts. Reeling from the disaster, trying to understand the moment while still in it, she was bombarded by journalists with probing questions.

“I had media training, and they want you to be articulate and to make sure you are representing your country well and are being a good sport,” she recalled. “So I’m proceeding through this procession of one after another.

You’re trying to be a good sport while at the same time trying to understand what actually happened. [In those interviews,] you can see that I’m sort of all over the place. I was not giving a different excuse, but a different response with each interview, which only opened me up for more ridicule.”

In her new book scheduled for release in October, entitled “Unforgiving,” Ms. Jacobellis documents her journey of self-discovery following the incident. The adjective accurately defines the sport, and in many ways, defines Ms. Jacobellis’s 16-year period. “Snowboard cross is an unforgiving sport. It keeps you honest, and it keeps you guessing, and it keeps you striving,” she wrote in the book.

For many, “redemption” might seem fitting, but she said that word was never considered as a potential title for her book. “Redemption.

It’s not about that. It was never about that,” she said. “At the core, I kept doing it because I was a competitor, not because I was seeking redemption. It wasn’t about proving anything to anyone. It was about me not giving up on myself.”

LEFT Ms. Jacobellis during the snowboard cross medal ceremony at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Dealing With the Ridicule The ridicule was not fair, nor was it shortlived. As the years progressed and Ms. Jacobellis continued to compete, and even win, the critics rarely provided much room between the present moment and 2006. The critics weren’t always only sports commen-

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tators. “There was a time from 2006 till 2010 where my mother did all of my fan mail.

There were a lot of people still excited about writing to me and wanting an autograph, but there was also hate mail,” she said. “My mom would save the really nice ones and tell me, ‘Read this. You are still an inspiration and you are still striving and competing to go to another Olympics.’ She would throw the bad ones away and not tell me.”

Coming back from various injuries, some potentially career-ending, she competed in the next four Olympics. Over the course of those 16 years between Torino and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, her dominance in the sport of snowboarding, specifically snowboard cross, continued. She was a 10-time X Games gold medalist, a 31-time World Cup gold medalist, a six-time World Champion, a five-time Olympian, and an Olympic silver medalist.

To reach the heights that Ms. Jacobellis has reached, one must dedicate oneself wholeheartedly to the sport without hesitation. With an undaunted will and passion, she proved, not so much to others, like the critics and naysayers, but to herself that she could still compete and win.

“It is difficult for someone to understand what an athlete goes through—the setbacks and the frustrations. People don’t see how we work out and train behind the scenes.

They only see the Instagram moments when you’re pushing that personal best on the squat rack, or you’re crushing it in your cardio or your hurdles; but they’re not showing those in-between times where you’ve been struggling to meet those goals, and failing to meet those goals, and yet you’re still pushing,” Ms. Jacobellis said.

Confronting Her Story As the years progressed and Ms. Jacobellis continued to dominate the sport, she was approached with the suggestion of writing a book to tell her story. For certain, having her story constantly told through the perspective of other people was an irritant, but the timing for writing something herself never

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“I wasn’t done snowboarding,” she said. “It didn’t make sense to write my story when I’m still living my story.”

Part of that story had less to do with competing against others and more to do with competing against herself. Her body no doubt continued to suffer physical damage, but she had also suffered emotional damage, which was a hurdle she had to overcome, not for the sake of her career, but for her own well-being.

For years, she tried to move past 2006.

By focusing on the next race, perhaps she could position herself far enough from that haunting moment and people would ignore those swirling ghosts. But as each passing Olympics ended with her missing the gold, she knew the damage had to be addressed.

“Time helps, but that’s not necessarily the only cure,” she said in reference to the adage that time heals all wounds. “For me, time

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was not proving itself. I did need time, but I also needed something else.” That “something else” took place during those moments when no one was watching. When the cameras weren’t rolling. When a social media post wasn’t even a consideration. This is when Ms. Jacobellis dealt with the most important thing.

“When I started working with my mental coach, it really helped me unpack the emotions,” she recalled. “As a competitor, you are trying to separate yourself from emotion because you are focusing on the task at hand.

That was also hindering my growth because I wasn’t appreciating that I was having some kind of reaction and I needed to understand that fully. I struggled with a lot of mixed emotions,” she said. She was reminded of what her mother once told her: “‘Sometimes we don’t understand why certain things happen, and it doesn’t become obvious until years down the road.’”

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Ms. Jacobellis in the lead, during the FIS Snowboard World Championships held in Utah, 2019.

FAR RIGHT

Ms. Jacobellis crosses the finish line to win the gold medal during the women’s snowboard cross event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

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Never Giving Up Ms. Jacobellis eventually found a new perspective to the moment that had defined her.

That perspective came from a drive that had been instilled in her from childhood.

“I had been taught not to give up. I wanted to fight through my setbacks to see what I could accomplish because I owed it to myself not to give up,” she said. She realized that the 2006 incident was what allowed her to grow.

“It led me to all these other incredible people, other opportunities, and to be this inspirational voice now. Sometimes it’s so hard to see in the moment—when that moment goes completely wrong—to appreciate what growth could come from that moment,” she said. But she realized her path toward acceptance and forgiveness had become “so much of the core of who I’ve become as an athlete and as an individual.”

Her perseverance in both the sport and life has paid off. In 2022, at the Beijing Winter Olympics, she accomplished her crowning achievement: taking gold in the snowboard cross.

“There are so many things that could go wrong that it makes it even more exciting when it finally comes together and goes right,” she said. Throughout her career, there were times when she wanted to give up the sport. “It would come down to, I’m a competitor. I love doing this. I love what it feels like when it finally comes together. In Beijing, everything finally aligned for me.”

Beijing was her fifth Olympics and, at 37, may possibly be her last. For those on the outside looking in, it may have seemed like a legacy-defining moment. But that was for those who had only followed her, and defined her, according to her Olympic career, instead of a lifetime of high achievements and perseverance under the sport’s constant grind. More importantly, for Ms. Jacobellis, winning gold had no longer become a necessity.

“I had the attitude going into Beijing that if I didn’t medal, I would be okay,” she said.

“The journey was about finding out who I truly was, and not just about getting that golden moment.”

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The Golden Moment When she did get that golden moment, she used the turn that competitors take up the hill after a race as a moment to reflect. She said it wasn’t just a victory lap, but a moment for her to process what had just transpired, before meeting the press—something she didn’t get to do in 2006.

Ms. Jacobellis shared that she chose to finally write a book about her journey, not because of what took place in 2006 or in 2022, but rather what took place in between those years. She wrote it because she knows that unforgiving moments can happen to athletes who strive for greatness. Indeed, those moments can happen to anyone.

“It only takes a moment of being distracted to completely derail you,” she said. “I want anyone else struggling with setbacks to know that they need to understand those moments and find a way to work through them and find a path to forgiveness.” •

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Features | The Wild West

A New Way of Ranching

Ranchlands reimagines how the cattle-raising business can be sustainable for the land, animals, and people WRITTEN BY

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Eric Lucas

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The Wild West | Features

I

t’s easy to take a long view from Colorado’s Chico Basin Ranch.

Thirty miles northwest, the 14,115foot Pikes Peak glows white with a leftover heavy winter coat of snow, towering above Colorado Springs, the nearest city, about 20 miles away. Due south about 100 miles, the legendary twin volcanic prominences of the Spanish Peaks anchor the skyline, made famous almost a century ago by Western author Zane Grey. To the east, a limitless horizon stretches a thousand miles from this quiet vale in a broad valley, on the westernmost verge of the Great Plains.

On a sunny, 65-degree morning, it’s a blissful place to just be present in the here and now.

But focus a bit and you might also glimpse the future. In a land where pioneers of many kinds have established new ways for centuries, the managers at Chico Basin are pioneering what they believe is a more thoughtful, respectful, and productive way to operate a High Plains ranch, relying on old methods (raising cattle) and 21st-century adaptations such as opening the ranch to birdwatchers from nearby cities.

A New Model of Ranching Look beneath the waist-high cholla cactus and you’ll see buffalo grass that has been lightly grazed on. The low-growing, protein-rich plant once sustained 50 million bison on the Great Plains, and it now sustains Chico Basin’s herd of 2,000 Beefmaster mother cows—a somewhat modest herd size for the ranch’s 87,000 acres.

LEFT A cowboy herds cattle at the Chico Basin Ranch.

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Look past the cholla and you might see birdwatchers trundling by in an electric SUV, on the lookout for meadowlarks, prairie falcons, black-crowned night herons, burrowing owls, and the other 350 or so species that have been sighted here. Avian fans pay a modest daily fee or an annual pass to the ranch, which entitles them to cruise the property to practice their hobby.

Watch above the cholla and you’ll see ranch guests going by on paint horses and quarter horses as they head out to help ranch hands conduct daily chores. They’ll repair fences, move and sort cattle, and even take part in calf brandings. In the evening, they might cast a line for bass or bluegill in the five small lakes on the property.

Wander inside one of the numerous side buildings at ranch headquarters and you’ll find two artisans tooling leather goods for sale under the ranch’s brand banner, ranging from belts to bags to bracelets. On a weekend, the ranch might host retreats and workshops on

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topics ranging from spiritual growth to cooking to fiber dyeing.

All these supplemental income programs allow Chico Basin, and Ranchlands—the family company that manages Chico Basin as well as an assortment of other ranch properties from Texas to Wyoming—to use the land sparingly and make sure its core business, cattle-raising, imposes a light footprint on this sturdy but still perishable landscape. Among other things, ancillary income streams help Ranchlands managers adjust cattle operations to environmental exigencies such as drought.

Ordinarily, cattle-raising represents about half of Chico Basin’s revenue.

Other cash streams also enable practices such as grazing exclusion zones that have brought back native plants like cottonwoods, bulrushes, and willows to Chico Basin’s water courses and lakes. And that brings birds, which bring birdwatchers, and so on, in steadily broadening circles.

“What’s best for the land is also what’s best

ABOVE Workers at

the leathershop at Chico Basin.

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ABOVE A birdwatcher

measures and bands a bird for identification purposes.

ABOVE RIGHT

Chico Basin is home to more than 350 bird species, attracting many birdwatchers to visit.

for the business, and vice versa,” declared Tess Leach, business development manager for Chico Basin and Ranchlands. But Leach, daughter of Ranchlands founder Duke Phillips III, and the company at large see even further than just good business. They believe that exposing non-farm Americans to this portion of the nation’s agricultural community helps broaden their understanding of the entire food system, and of a shrinking but still strong way of life that is an American icon.

Thank Zane Grey and John Wayne for that, sure, but birdwatchers?

“Our open-gate policy enables many things,” said Ms. Leach, expressing a philosophy most private ranchers would not adopt. “It’s a great way to help break down the barriers between urban and rural communities in the U.S.” Opening Up the Ranch Gates Ranchlands opened its gates when it bid to manage the property more than 20 years ago. The ranch represents about a half-dozen

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once-separate private parcels now owned by the Colorado State Land Board; Ranchlands operates it under contract, as it does the 100,000-acre Zapata Ranch in Colorado’s scenic, high-elevation San Luis Valley, a property owned by The Nature Conservancy. Both locations practice similar strategies to achieve fiscally viable conservation, although Zapata focuses more on its 2,000 bison than on cattle and offers lodging in a 15-room, 1920s-style, deeply atmospheric log house set amid towering cottonwoods. Chico Basin guests stay in a more typical ranch bunkhouse, an updated version of what used to be called a “line shack.”

Now, Ranchlands is embarking on a new program that old-line ranchers a century ago would have found wifty, to say the least: membership. In what? The Ranchlands Collective, an organization best described as a lifestyle affinity auxiliary, resembling similar groups at enterprises ranging from estate vineyards to rock bands to motorcycle companies.

Ranchlands members pay fees ranging from

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History | Chefs

Chef Boyardee’s Recipe for Success Ettore Boiardi, who came to America at 16, popularized Italian cooking nationwide through his culinary skills and entrepreneurial savvy WRITTEN BY

Dean George

M

illions of Americans, young and old, recognize the smiling visage displayed on his canned Italian dishes, but Ettore Boiardi, aka Hector Boyardee, was more than a commercial food entrepreneur.

He was also a renowned chef and an Italian American patriot of World War II, and he can arguably be credited for popularizing Italian cuisine in America.

Until Boiardi’s arrival, most Americans had never experienced Italian food, but the young chef quickly won over palates everywhere he went. His impact was not bad for someone with little money or formal education, who immigrated to the United States at age 16 with nothing more than ambition and a love of food.

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Chefs | History

Resort in West Virginia, Boiardi accepted a position as the head chef at Cleveland’s Hotel Winton.

His reputation and culinary talents quickly spread, and in 1924 he capitalized on these by opening his own restaurant, Il Giardino d’Italia, or “The Garden of Italy.” Il Giardino d’Italia took Cleveland by storm, and soon lines of customers were waiting around the block to dine at East 9th Street and Woodland. Customers were so impressed by his tantalizing Italian dishes that soon many of them were begging him for recipes and asking to take home his popular spaghetti sauce.

ABOVE A colorized

portrait of Boyardee from “Ettore Boiardi: Chef Boyardee Manufacturer,” 2015,

by Sheila Griffin Llanas.

A Food Prodigy Eleven-year-old Boiardi began in 1908 peeling potatoes and taking out the trash at La Croce Bianca, a local restaurant in his hometown of Piacenza, Italy. In his early teen years, he started honing his craft while working with renowned chefs in Paris and London. On May 9, 1914, at age 16, he immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island to join his brother Mario in the kitchen of New York’s prestigious Plaza Hotel. Boiardi’s other brother Paolo was maître d’hôtel there.

A year later, Boiardi’s career as a cook began when he became the head chef at the Plaza.

Reportedly self-conscious about his age, he grew a mustache to appear older and retained it his whole life. After working at the Plaza and splitting time at the historic Greenbrier

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The Godfather of Carryout The kindhearted chef was eager to satisfy his customers’ requests for spaghetti sauce samples, filling used milk bottles with his sauce and giving them away. Soon, though, the demand was so great that he began charging customers for the homemade sauce, but he also included uncooked pasta, grated Parmesan cheese and instructions on how to cook, heat, and assemble the meal as part of a make-at-home spaghetti kit.

Eventually, Boiardi was making more money preparing his takeout meal packages than he was from his restaurant. This presented the savvy chef food for thought on how to further use his cooking and entrepreneurial talents.

Two of Boiardi’s loyal customers at his Cleveland restaurant were Max and Eva Weiner. The Weiners owned a chain of grocery stores, and they helped Boiardi develop a process for canning his sauce and procured widespread distribution through their wholesale partners. To meet rising demand, in 1928 Boiardi and his brothers opened a processing plant in Cleveland, the Chef Boiardi Food Company. In an effort to help customers more easily pronounce his name, it was also around this time that Chef Boiardi changed the spelling of his surname to Boyardee.

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History | Chefs

When the largest grocery retailer at the time, A&P, agreed to carry their product, the sauce became a national hit.

When the largest grocery retailer at the time, A&P, agreed to carry their product, the sauce became a national hit. Soon, the company was processing 20,000 tons of tomatoes a season. It also became the largest mushroom producer in the nation and the largest importer of Parmesan cheese and olive oil.

The company’s first product was a pre-packaged spaghetti dinner that included a large jar of sauce. The package was advertised to cost just 15 cents a serving. Later, the company expanded the sauce into three flavors: the original marinara, meatless mushroom, and a spicy Neapolitan.

Tomatoes, Troop Rations, a Gold Star The Boiardi brothers knew how important quality tomatoes were to their sauces, and after outgrowing their space in Cleveland, in 1936 the decision was made to move the company’s processing to Milton, Pennsylvania.

Not only was the soil and climate better for growing flavorful tomatoes, but the company enlisted the aid of local farmers in the Keystone State to meet its rising demand and exacting standards. The move was a win-win in that it provided farmers an income and employed local citizens at the production facility midway through the Great Depression.

By the time America began sending troops into World War II, the Chef Boyardee brand was nationally known and enjoyed by millions.

Subsequently, the military quickly contracted with the brand to provide canned rations for the U.S. Army. Overnight, the Milton production facility was operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to meet its commercial and military obligations. At its peak, the Milton plant had a full plate, employing approximately 5,000 employees and producing 250,000 cans a day.

During this time, the Chef Boyardee Company was also actively involved in patriotic marches and civic activities with banners displaying slogans like “Keep ’em flying! Keep ’em rolling! Keep ’em well-fed!” Chef Boiardi was honored after the war’s conclusion with the highest honor awarded to a civilian in support of the country’s military—the Gold Star.

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Chefs | History

FAR LEFT Vintage ravioli ad from the January 1947 edition of Ladies’ Home Journal.

LEFT With the construction of a mushroom plant in Milton, Pa., Chef Boyardee Company became the largest mushroom producer in the nation during the 1950s.

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BELOW A bushel of tomatoes, grown in the fertile grounds near the Susquehanna River, arrives at the Milton facility awaiting Boyardee’s inspection.

Post-War Changes Following World War II’s end and no longer needing to feed an army, Boiardi was faced with the prospect of mass layoffs. The affable chef had a recipe for that predicament, too.

In 1946, he sold the company that he and his brothers founded 18 years earlier to American Home Products, a huge food conglomerate, for $6 million, enabling his loyal employees to keep their jobs.

Boiardi remained as a consultant and spokesperson with American Home Products until 1978. Today, his beaming smile is still seen on Chef Boyardee labels of Italian foods ranging from spaghetti and meatballs to ravioli, lasagna, and pizza.

Ettore Boiardi is a prime example of an immigrant who came to America for freedom and opportunity, and who left the country better off because of his talent, his passion, and his belief in America’s greatness. •

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Arts & Letters | Author Profiles

The Liberty-Loving Aristocrat Author Mike Duncan shares his expertise on the Marquis de Lafayette, who was drawn to American ideals WRITTEN BY

Dustin Bass

W

hen Mike Duncan was researching for his “Revolutions” podcast, he began to notice a familiar name: Marquis de Lafayette. The trans-Atlantic revolutions of America, France, and South America either directly or indirectly involved the wealthy French aristocrat. He was either on the front lines of battle, such as in America and France, or behind the scenes in the form of correspondence letters. Lafayette was a product of the Old World

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On the Author A political history podcaster, Mike Duncan’s interest in history grew from a childhood fascination with Roman civilization.

who sailed to fight for the New World and eventually returned home in hopes of instituting the new into the old.

Mr. Duncan, a product of the old method of transferring information in the form of books, was one of the first to enter into the new world of podcasting. His podcasts “The History of Rome” and “Revolutions” are two of the most successful hisOn the Book tory podcasts on record. But he ‘‘Hero of soon returned to the old world in Two Worlds’’ writing his own books: the first, explores “The Storm Before the Storm: The Lafayette’s ideals and Beginning of the End of the Roman popularity.

Republic,” and the second, “Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution.”

His first book was based on the research conducted for “The History of Rome” podcast. When asked by his publicist what his next project would be, he decided to take a subject from his “Revolutions” podcast, and the one subject that seemed to be a constant was Lafayette.

“Lafayette turned into an unofficial mascot of the show,” Mr. Duncan said. “The second season was on the American Revolution, and I knew I needed to pay a little extra attention to some of the people who I knew were

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Author Profiles | Arts & Letters

going to show up in the French Revolution.

For example, Thomas Paine is a major player in the American Revolution and then he shows up in the French Revolution. Then Lafayette shows up, this 19-year-old kicking it around with [George] Washington. When I moved over to the French Revolution, I was quite surprised to find how big of a role he played.”

During an interview on “The Sons of History” podcast, Mr. Duncan said that he had always been under the impression that Lafayette had played a minor role in the French Revolution. As he researched, he discovered that during the first years of the Revolution, the young French aristocrat was one of the leading voices.

Coming to the New World As Mr. Duncan notes, Lafayette was one of the wealthiest men in his country and was part of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s inner circle. Rubbing shoulders with the wealthy and powerful, however, presented the hereditary monarchy in a light that left Lafayette less than impressed.

Though he grew up separate from the commoners, when he arrived on the shores of the recently declared United States he was met with the full power and brilliance of the common man.

“He meets people like Alexander Hamilton, who is clearly a military and financial genius, who was a bastard from a colony out in the middle of nowhere, and has risen on the strength of his own talent and merit. He meets Henry Knox, who was just selling books before the war, and is now leading the American artillery in the Continental Army,” Mr. Duncan said. “He’s running into people who are commoners, who are coming from nowhere. But because of their intelligence and talent and wit and courage are accomplishing something that, really, they have no business accomplishing, which is breaking away from the British Empire.

“He walks away from all of this believing

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Lafayette was drawn to what would soon be known as America’s founding principles.

that hereditary aristocracy is for the birds.

If you want to actually have a country or a kingdom or a republic run well, you need to open up the offices and leadership positions to people of talent, where what you do matters quite a bit more than who you are or who your parents were.”

Arguably the most important aspect of Lafayette’s experience during the American Revolution was witnessing a people’s desire for self-government and freedom. It was not about power, but rather liberty. This aspect of the

ABOVE

“Gilbert Motier, the Marquis De La Fayette, as a Lieutenant General, 1791” by JosephDésiré Court, 1834.

Oil on canvas. Palace of Versailles, France.

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My Family Roots

Coming Full Circle A defense engineer finds a unique way to honor his father’s contribution to this country WRITTEN BY

Armand Aguirre

M

y one-week vacation in 2003 had been wonderful, but now it was time to get back to work. Returning to my engineering job at Raytheon on Monday morning, I could visualize the dozens of emails awaiting my attention, having intentionally ignored them all during my absence.

As I worked my way down to the final messages, one jumped out at me. It announced that today was the last day to compete for a free, three-day trip for two to attend the christening of the LPD-17, the first hull of a new U.S. Navy ship class.

For the last six years, I had been a member of the system integration design team for the new Amphibious Transport Dock ships that the Navy would use to carry Marines to conflicts throughout the world for the next 40 to 50 years. To win the tickets for this trip, all I had to do was submit an essay explaining why I should attend the christening of the LPD-17. The five winning essays would be chosen by a committee of program managers.

It suddenly struck me that attending this event with my father, Henry Aguirre, would be a perfect gift and tribute to a young World War II Marine who had been transported long ago on a troop carrier ship to fight in the South and Central Pacific for three years. I decided to spend my lunch hour describing what could be the almost ethereal connection from my father, World War II, and me to the LPD-17 and back to my father, if we were allowed to attend the christening. I was fortunate enough to win one of the coveted trips, and my father eagerly agreed to accompany me to New Orleans for the ceremony.

At the ceremony, I could see that my father was very proud, not only of me and my accomplishments in getting us to that event, but also of his own service in defense of our country more than 60 years before; once a Marine, always a Marine.

As an added bonus for my father, this being a Marine troop carrier vessel, the principal address was given by the then-commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Michael W. Hagee, who, before making his prepared remarks, took a few moments to honor any veterans in the audience. Working chronologically, he asked any World War I veterans to stand and be honored. There were none. Next was World War II, and my father proudly rose along with a handful of others as everyone applauded. I don’t know who felt more pride: my father for being called to attention by the commandant of the Marine Corps, or me for my father, but it was truly the thrill of a lifetime for both of us.

A few weeks after returning home, my mother told me that my father, upon returning home, had been “on cloud nine” for days while describing the entire trip.

Although he passed away in 2014, I am happy to have been able to include him in my career and to honor him in a small way.

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This short episode represented the culmination of the influence that my father had always had on me. Throughout my life, he never stopped encouraging, supporting, and pushing me to always do my best to take advantage of all the opportunities this great country offers. His greatest hope was that his children would have better lives than that which he had experienced.

It was my father’s influence that I tried to capture in my winning essay. Below is an excerpt from the essay I wrote: ‘Why I Should Attend The LPD-17 Christening Event’ Armand Aguirre – 3/10/03 My father had the dubious luck to be born in 1923. Like millions of other young American boys, he couldn’t have known that he would turn 18 at the brink of the world’s largest war. As a young man of Mexican heritage, his horizons had not extended much beyond picking crops in the farm fields and, after his family had moved to the city, surviving in the Barrio. World War II exposed the new Marine to a world that he had only heard and read about—a world where a man could advance out of the cycle of poverty by sheer determination and hard work. And even then, he could identify the key to it all: education. Having dropped out of high school to help support his family, he realized that not all of his dreams might be possible for himself, but if he ever had a son…

I had the good fortune to be that son who benefited from the wisdom of that young Marine; an insight gained in observing how men with an education had more opportunities and options in life. Such men commanded respect and confidence. Their lives were full of possibilities. This was the mantra that I grew up hearing and believing. How could I not believe? My father, after all, was my father and my hero!

It is ironic that the son has found himself playing a key role in the design of the LPD-17 networking infrastructure on the modern version of the transport that carried his father overseas to fight the Japanese in the South and Central Pacific so long ago. Allowing that father and son to watch the birth of this new fighting ship together would complete the circle that started more than 60 years ago, a circle that continues to spiral on with my own son and grandchildren, who could very well serve someday on an LPD-class ship. •

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Is there a family member who has positively impacted your life? American Essence invites you to share about your family roots and the lessons passed down from generation to generation.

We welcome you to send your submission to: Editor@AmericanEssenceMag.com

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Tulip Time For beautiful blooms come spring, the time to plant is now—with tips from the family behind North America’s biggest tulip grower WRITTEN BY

The five-acre display garden is but a fraction of the hundreds of acres the Roozen family maintains.

Eric Lucas

S

pring is coming.

Even though it’s early fall, now is the time to think about the premier icon of spring, the floral harbinger recognized around the world as a vernal signpost—the tulip. Showy, vivid, distinctive, and reliable, tulips are simple to grow.

But not necessarily easy.

“Plant them in October, dig the bulbs back up in June,” explained Brent Roozen, third-generation descendant of the man who became America’s tulip tycoon after founding what is now North America’s biggest tulip grower. The Roozen family fields grow around 30 million tulip bulbs, as well as millions of daffodils, irises, and lilies.

Standing by one of his family’s display fields on a warm, midsummer day in Washington’s Skagit Valley, an hour

north of Seattle, Mr. Roozen grinned wryly at the way the field illustrates the seasonal rhythm of tulip-growing: It’s acres of bare, beige dirt. There are no flowers, no plants, not a green growing frond of anything, because every bulb in what was a red-and-white-and-yellow tapestry two months ago has been dug up, hauled away, sorted, and boxed, and is curing in massive warehouses several hundred yards south of here.

Twenty miles distant, the still-snow-draped peaks of the Cascade Range illustrate the winter/spring precipitation deluge of the temperate maritime climate that makes this area so ideal for tulips: buckets of rain and snow from October to May, then four months of warm, dry conditions. That resembles the climate in the foothills of the mountains of Turkey, where tulips originated centuries ago.

Lifestyle | Gardening

LEFT The Roozen family.

BELOW LEFT

Company founder William Roozen with his wife, Helen.

Deep Roots The Roozens have been growing tulips here since Brent’s grandfather William emigrated from the Netherlands to the United States in 1947, bringing with him a family history of tulip growing that dates back to the 1700s.

Holland is famously the home of humanity’s first market bubble mania, when a single tulip bulb was briefly worth as much as a mansion in Amsterdam in the 1600s. Then the price collapsed, and investors lost their shirts—but not their bulbs, and tulip production remains a mainstay of Dutch enterprise. A small influx of Dutch emigrants seeking new farm territory after World War II brought the trade to the Skagit Valley, and William Roozen was among them.

William’s descendants have built a thriving business that consists of the growing

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Gardening | Lifestyle

The Dreamer.

The Amazing Parrot.

Vaya con Dios.

Menton.

In the Garden:

How to Grow the Icons of Spring Plant, wait, watch, unplant. Tulip growing is that simple.

First domesticated in the mountain foothills of Turkey centuries ago, modern tulips still bear the horticultural preferences of their Ottoman ancestors. You could lose your life for taking one of the emperor’s bulbs from his Istanbul garden; today, if you ignore protocols, you may just lose your tulip bulbs.

The key is the calendar. While tulips have a broad range geographically—they are grown in climates from Alaska to Texas in the United States—their horticultural requirements are quite specific everywhere: winter chill, cool spring moisture, followed by early summer drying and curing. Across most of the non-tropical Northern Hemisphere, following the tulip’s calendar inherently meets its horticultural requirements.

Buying Choose the varieties you want (there are many hundreds); make sure you order them in late summer; and remember, the larger the bulb, the larger the flower (big bulbs are 15 to 20 centimeters), though smaller bulbs can produce nice blooms, too.

Planting Get the bulbs in the ground in mid-October.

Tulip bulbs never go fully dormant, so they

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deteriorate if not planted in autumn. “If you take 100 good stored bulbs in October, if they aren’t planted, by December you’ll have 90, and at the end of January it’ll just be 50 if they’re still above ground,” Brent Roozen explains.

Plant 4 to 6 inches deep, depending on the bulb size, close together (2 inches apart) for mass color effect or farther apart for cutting.

Since they are in the ground over the winter, no watering is needed unless you are in an exceptionally arid location. Fertilizer is not needed, either, unless you have very poor soil.

Unplanting After they’re done blooming in the first sunny days of April into May, let the bulbs cure underground in the drying ground of late spring, dig them up when the plant foliage disappears, and store them in a box in the garage until the cycle begins again next October. “We know it’s a lot to ask our customers to dig up every tulip every summer,” Mr. Roozen concedes. So why not just leave them in the ground? That’s fine only if they are not in a bed with other plants that you’ll water through the summer, which can rot your tulip bulbs while helping other plants thrive.

Digging and storing bulbs is a bit of work, but gardening is a hands-on endeavor, and the result is one of nature’s premier flowers.

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operation, Washington Bulb Co.; a five-acre display garden, RoozenGaarde, created by William’s daughter Bernadette in 1985; and a fresh-flower shipping enterprise that sends tulips, lilies, and other cut flowers far and wide year-round.

The family farms about 2,000 acres; this year, 180 acres of that will be devoted to 150 (among more than 3,000) varieties of tulips, while daffodils, barley, wheat, and fallow-field crops such as clover occupy the rest.

RoozenGaarde seems like a huge expanse to the tens of thousands of visitors who admire its colorful-quilt fields arrayed in April against the Cascades, but it’s actually just a tiny fraction of the whole.

During peak season in spring, the company employs 300 workers, of whom about a dozen are Roozen family members. Despite the vast size of its operations, the family adheres to some old-school flower agriculture strategies. Bulbs (yes, the many millions) are inspected by hand on sorting lines, and the Roozens have so far resisted the ag industry’s migration to sorting and grading by robotic scanners. Nor do the Roozens farm out their planting and harvest functions to third-party companies, as do many massive bulb growers in Holland.

“Growing up, I never thought for a single second that I would be growing tulips during my adult lifetime,” Mr. Roozen said. “And then I was asked to help out for a season, which turned into a year, which turned into my adult life, and now I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Ironically, “Roozen” in Dutch means roses.

“Roses are nice,” Mr. Roozen said. “But I’ll stick with my professional title: tulip grower.”

An honorable title indeed, one that heightens the beauty of life on this planet.

“It’s amazing the joy the tulips bring just by being there for us to admire,” added Cindy Verge, executive director of the Skagit Tulip Festival. “Tulips are things of beauty, and they don’t ask anything of us except appreciation.” •

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FAR ABOVE Company founder William Roozen with his son, Leo, in the tulip fields, during the 1950s.

ABOVE Leo Roozen, now the company president, with his grandson in the fields, summer 2023.

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Tiptoe Through These Tulips: not included preview.

Where to See the Blooms Next Spring

RoozenGaarde, Mount Vernon, Wash.

The display garden here, which features daffodils along with tulips, is at its peak in April, depending on the spring weather. As the locus of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, the back roads leading to the gardens draw thousands of admirers in thousands of cars every day during bloom time; the festival sees up to 400,000 visitors. It’s best to come on a weekday if you can. RoozenGaarde’s store is open year-round, and other flowers such as dahlias are on display through the summer and fall. Tulips.com

ABOVE Tulips

in bloom at RoozenGaarde, the crown jewel of Washington’s Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

Tulip Town, Mount Vernon, Wash.

Skagit’s other major tulip grower is, while substantial, notably smaller than its big neighbor, allowing a less crowded, more intimate visit that can, among other things, include guided tours. Its founder and long-time owner, Dutch immigrant Anthony Goede, retired a few years ago and sold it to several local residents who are endeavoring to maintain its low-key character. TulipTown.com

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Veldheer’s, Holland, Mich.

Vern Veldheer started growing tulips as a hobby in 1950; the business has since grown to become the focal point of Holland’s mid-April to mid-May Tulip Time festival. Veldheer.com Texas Tulips, Pilot Point, Texas Located just outside Dallas, this farm illustrates the geographic range in which tulips can thrive. Founded by a Dutch couple who farmed for decades in Holland before moving to Texas, its blooms are early by tulip standards—March—but just as appealing as at farms much farther north. Texas-Tulips.com Holland Ridge Farms, Cream Ridge, N.J. The Jansen family’s tulip roots go back a century in the Netherlands, though the farm here is relatively new, opened in 2018. Its 300 acres of tulips hold millions of flowers, and April is the best month, during which a U-pick operation allows visitors to cut their own flowers.

HollandRidgeFarms.com

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A cowgirl at heart, singer and actress Reba McEntire shows off her custom boot closet.

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Personalities | Lifestyle

The Making of a

Country Music Queen In an excerpt from her new book, ‘Not That Fancy,’ Reba McEntire reflects on how growing up on the family ranch prepared her for her path to stardom WRITTEN BY

Reba McEntire

S

ome would say the McEntires are land that Uncle Dale, Mama’s brother, owned. a very set-in-their-ways, stubborn, That gave Daddy enough space to expand his hardheaded bunch of people. But I ranch with more cattle. It was the start he think that hardheadedness is what needed. A few years later, in 1957, Daddy and got Daddy to where he was, Mama were able to buy a much Grandpap to where he was, and bigger plot of land in Chockie, his father, Pap, to where he was. so he moved the family and Some might say it wasn’t all all the cattle over there. Not that far—but it was much furexactly the land of milk and ther than where they started! honey, but little by little, he was None of us McEntires came moving on up. from money, but each generaLand in Chockie was only tion’s been a little more pros$6.40 an acre, and there was perous than the one before it. good reason for that! A lot of My daddy, Clark, was deterneighbors called it “sorry land,” mined to make a better life for and they warned Daddy not himself than the one he’d been to buy it. It was rocky, hilly, handed. Like Grandpap before and didn’t grow much except ABOVE “Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, him, Daddy had the rodeo bug. briars and scrub brush, but Eating, and Dusting Off Your He knew that rodeo couldn’t he saw something no one else Boots” by Reba McEntire pay all the bills, but it sure saw in that “sorry land.” He (Harper Celebrate, 2023). helped get him started. turned a profit selling timber to Take, for instance, one time when Daddy the paper mill and rocks to the architects in won a roping competition. The prize was a Dallas. Then he struck gas. new car and 500 dollars cash. He gave it all to That sorry land turned out to be worth Mama and sent her to swap it for 80 acres of more than anyone realized.

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This page is n in the p Daddy liked the rodeos, but he loved ranchmy classes, I loaded 30 fifty-pound sacks of ing. Rodeoing and selling timber, rocks, and feed into my pickup truck and fed the 300 natural gas all helped in the progression of head of cattle. our ranch. Daddy had to travel to compete in Not quite the college experience everybody rodeos, but he wanted to be home on the ranch. else had!

But ranch life is not an easy life.

I didn’t really know anything else though. I Maintaining the land and cattle takes time, had started pitching in before I could even sit and you can’t skip a day just because you’re in a saddle. I don’t remember exactly the first worn out. Working the land was a whole fam- time I was on a horse, but it feels like I was ily affair. The only time you wouldn’t find us born riding. Us kids spent a lot of time roundkids helping out was when we were in school. ing up cattle. It was rough country, and often I thought that going to college would give me we’d have to ride through brush and briars a break. Nope. I was wrong. Daddy had leased taller than we were on the off chance we’d find some land halfway between home and the even one lonely steer. There was always more Southeastern Oklahoma State University in work than hands to do it. We got cattle in the Durant, Oklahoma. So every other day, after spring, straightened them up, and shipped

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ABOVE

Reba McEntire (center) rides on the family ranch in Chockie, Okla., alongside her parents and siblings Susie, Alice, and Pake, while filming the “Reba: Starting Over” CBSTV special in 1995.

FAR RIGHT

Ms. McEntire’s grandfather, John McEntire, competes at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyo., 1934.

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them off to the feed lots in the fall.

Daddy always had a plan to get the job done.

Problem was, he wasn’t the best at relaying his plan to the rest of us. He was usually looking the other direction or doing three things at once when he was giving us our instructions for the day. Most of the time, we only got a quarter of what he was trying to tell us. We always looked to Grandpap for an interpretation. I’m sure glad we had him to help us out!

The most important thing about helping out on the ranch was getting in line, doing your part, and following instructions. If our instructions were to sit at a gate until Daddy returned, under no circumstances were we going to abandon our posts. You sat at that gate until Daddy came back and told you that you could leave. It could be several hours, but that didn’t matter. Hot or cold, rain or shine, you stayed glued to your saddle.

It was out there in those hills that I first learned that the work is in the waiting.

Fast-forward 15 years, when I got into the music business. I knew less than nothing about how it all worked. I thought that once your record got on the radio, you got a tour bus and a big ol’ check. You’d made it. You were a big star. Wrong!

I remember being so excited when I heard my debut single playing on our staticky, old radio for the very first time. Mama, Susie, and I were all sitting on the floor, crying with joy, thinking, “This is it.”

But then—not much happened. No fancy tour bus or big royalty check appeared. I felt pretty sure that God had called me to the dream of singing, but much like my daddy giving me instructions up in the hills, it felt like I had only gotten a fourth of what God said, and I knew I needed to wait for more information. So just like I learned as a kid, I stayed patient. And I kept working.

From hearing that first song on the radio, I spent the next seven years traveling around, playing everywhere I could, living on greasy burgers and corn dogs at truck stops and county fairs from Los Angeles to Boston— seven years of performing at fairs, rodeos, and honkytonks, singing over bar brawls, tractor-pull competitions, and bull sales. Seven years of patience before I had a real hit, “Can’t Even Get the Blues,” in January 1983.

Even with that hit, the first time I headlined my own show, in 1984, only 800 people showed up, and I actually lost money. I had to write a check to get out of town because I didn’t sell enough tickets. And I thought, “Welcome to the big time!” I sure did appreciate the few who did show up, though!

Thank God for that McEntire determination.

Hot or cold, rain or shine, you stayed glued to your saddle.

It was out there in those hills that I first learned that the work is in the waiting.

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When it came my turn to be a parent, I was determined to teach my son, Shelby, how important hard work is too, but I didn’t need to worry. From an early age, Shelby was a very determined young man. He has a great work ethic. When it came time for him to start his own career, he put his nose to the grindstone. When Shelby told me he wanted to be a race car driver, I wanted to help but had no clue where to start. If there had been a “Racing for Dummies” book, I would have bought 10. I asked anyone I could think of for information, but no one I knew had much advice to give. Scott Borchetta, head of Big Machine Records and a former race car driver himself, told me to buy him a go-kart. But Shelby already had a go-kart! So, we bought Shelby a membership to the Skip Barber Racing School. It’s a school that teaches kids the

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Lifestyle | Personalities

racing business, and it allowed him to race in as many races as possible. You have to pay your dues in racing, just like you do in the rodeo and music businesses.

Shelby raced in the Southern and the Western series.

He drove eight to nine races a day for three days every weekend. I gave him my airline miles and hotel points from years of touring, and he flew on Southwest and stayed in the cheapest motels to make the most of it.

Funny part was, he was too young to rent a car, so he had to get a taxi or bum a ride to the track.

Shelby could have followed his daddy’s, Narvel Blackstock’s, footsteps into music management, but he chose to chart his own course. He’s now into real estate and developing property. You don’t think your kids listen to half of what you tell them, but Shelby did. I’m so proud of him. He’s kind and confident and is building a life that he’s proud of and that makes him happy. And he still wants me to be a big part of that. I am so grateful.

Most of what you hope for in this life takes time and some old-fashioned stick-to-itiveness. None of us in the McEntire family were overnight successes.

From generation to generation, we just keep learning, dreaming, and working hard.

One thing I’m sure of: Good things won’t come if you give up and go home. • Taken from the chapter “A Lot of Hope and Hard Work” from “Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots” by Reba McEntire. Copyright 2023 by Reba McEntire. Used with permission from Harper Celebrate.

ABOVE Ms. McEntire with her son, Shelby, at the race car track.

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Mama’s Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipes by Reba McEntire

It would tickle Mama to know that she inspired a sandwich in my restaurant. I love that her tradition lives on. And with fresh-made pimento cheese, it’s even more special. At the restaurant, we prefer to grate blocks of cheese to avoid the additives used to prevent clumping in pre-shredded cheese. For this recipe, it’s especially important.

Prep Time: 20 minutes Inactive Time: 1 hour Makes 1 sandwich • 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened • 2 slices sourdough bread • 1 tablespoon Miracle Whip • 1/2 cup Reba’s Place Pimento Cheese (recipe follows) • 2 thick slices heirloom or beefsteak tomato

Set a skillet or griddle over medium heat.

Spread the butter onto one side of each slice of bread.

Grill the bread, buttered side down, until golden brown and crispy. Flip the bread to lightly toast the dry side, then transfer to a cutting board.

Allow the bread to cool for 1 minute, then spread the dry, toasted sides with Miracle Whip. Place the Reba’s Place Pimento Cheese onto one of the slices and gently spread it into an even layer.

Top with the tomato slices, and close with the other slice of bread.

Cut the sandwich in half and serve.

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Reba’s Place Pimento Cheese Makes about 3 cups of cheese for 6 sandwiches • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (1/2 bar) • 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I love Duke’s) • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce • 1 teaspoon hot sauce (like Crystal) • 1 teaspoon paprika • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic • 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion • 1 cup (about 4 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded • 1 cup (about 4 ounces) pepper jack cheese, shredded • 1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimento peppers, drained • Kosher salt, to taste • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Dijon, Worcestershire, hot sauce, paprika, garlic, and onion in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.

Fold in the shredded cheeses and pimentos with a rubber spatula until combined.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

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Lifestyle | Recipes

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Fried Green Tomato Slices We top burgers at Reba’s Place with these crisp, warm, traditional Southern delights. But I like them alongside a big ol’ bowl of pinto beans and cornbread as well.

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings • 1 quart peanut oil (or vegetable oil), for frying • 4 large green tomatoes (very firm), sliced 1/2-inch thick • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided • 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided • 2 egg whites • 1 tablespoon water • 1/2 cup masa harina (also called “corn masa”

or “corn flour”) • 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, divided • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic • 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt • 1/2 cup Reba’s Place Pimento Cheese, for serving • 1/2 cup spicy chow chow relish, for serving • 2 chives, finely chopped, for garnish

Attach a thermometer to the side of a large Dutch oven and add the peanut oil. Heat the oil to 350°F and maintain the temperature within a range of 25°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set a cooling rack on top of a third baking sheet and place it next to the Dutch oven.

While oil is preheating, arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on a cutting board and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Place 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow bowl.

Whisk to combine. In a second bowl, whisk together the egg whites and water until lightly frothy. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, masa harina, cornmeal, Parmesan, 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning, garlic, onion, celery salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a third shallow bowl. Whisk to combine.

Pat the tomatoes dry with a few sheets of paper towels. Dredge a slice in the flour mixture, flipping to coat both sides. Submerge the

slice in the egg whites. Allow the excess to drip back into the bowl, then transfer to the cornmeal mixture. Press gently to adhere the breading and flip to coat both sides. Transfer the tomato slice to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining slices.

Fry the tomato slices 4 at a time until deeply golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.

Carefully lift them from the oil using a deep fryer skimmer and transfer to the cooling rack. Sprinkle immediately with a bit of Cajun seasoning. Repeat with the remaining tomato slices.

To serve, arrange the fried green tomatoes on a serving plate and spoon pimento cheese and spicy chow chow relish over the top. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately.

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Recipes taken from “Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots”

by Reba McEntire. Copyright 2023 by Reba McEntire.

Used with permission from Harper Celebrate.

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Food as Medicine Dr. William Li, an expert on metabolism, tells us what’s on his menu, and how we can cook healthier meals, too WRITTEN BY

Annie Wu

Dinner varies every night. I design meals around fresh produce I find at the grocery store or market, and usually sauté or roast them with a little extra virgin olive oil. I enjoy legumes like white beans or edamame for healthy protein and fiber. I’ll use different herbs—like thyme, oregano, or parsley—and spices ABOVE Dr. William Li’s are added depending on the latest book, recipe. I am an omnivore and “Eat to Beat Your Diet” love cooking, but my non-plant (Balance, March 2023). proteins are minimal and could be chicken (thighs), fish, shrimp, or shellfish. I tend to cook Mediterranean or Asian-style depending on my mood. All the ingredients I use contain metabolism-activating bioactives.

We hope you enjoyed the first few pages of American Essence.

D

r. William Li is here to tell you that you can eat well on the path to living longer. The Harvard-trained doctor and researcher’s new book, “Eat to Beat Your Diet,” reveals how eating metabolism-boosting foods can help us maintain the same level of metabolism even as we age (and lose excess body fat while at it). We asked Dr. Li what’s on his menu, and for his recommendations on preparing healthier meals.

To read the complete publication, What are some common foods that are typisubscribeAE: today at cally billed as healthy but actually aren’t good for our

americanessence.net

American Essence: Could you give us a breakdown of what a typical breakfast/lunch/dinner consists of for you?

Dr. Li: Breakfast, I usually skip (though I’ll have a small cup of espresso, and sometimes a small piece of fruit).

I extend my overnight (intermittent) fasting period from after dinner the night before to lunch time the next day, which is usually between noon and 1 p.m.

I usually eat dinner between 7 to 8 p.m. So that translates into 16 hours of intermittent fasting.

Lunch is a small portion of leftovers from the night before, which is often roasted or sautéed vegetables, reheated in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, and I might add some boneless chicken thigh or a tin of sardines. I might add a little double-concentrated tomato paste to the pan in order to up the umami.

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AE: What is some metabolism-boosting fall produce that we can incorporate into our diet?

Dr. Li: I suggest the following fall seasonal foods: Apples—whole or baked Mushrooms—sautéed with extra virgin olive oil and chopped garlic and parsley Red onions—pickled with apple cider vinegar White bean soup with thyme

metabolism? What are the alternatives to these foods?

Dr. Li: Not so good: Flavored yogurt with a layer of fruit jelly containing added sugar A better alternative: Plain Greek yogurt with fresh seasonal fruit and honey Not so good: Coffee with flavoring and sweeteners, especially the drive-through kind Better alternative: Straight-up black coffee, preferably made from organically grown beans for more bioactives AE: Are there certain cooking methods that are better for the body’s metabolism? Any tips for readers looking to make the most out of their favorite foods?

Dr. Li: As a general rule, sautéeing in a healthy oil like extra virgin olive oil, or baking or stewing, are the healthiest ways to cook. Steaming is always healthy, and a number of Asian recipes use this technique. If you are going to grill, consider using a fresh fruit marinade to protect against some of the damaging chemicals that a grill can produce. Avoid deep frying. •

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“Falun Gong is, in my judgement, the single greatest spiritual movement in Asia today. There’s nothing that begins to compare with it in courage and importance.”

—Mark Palmer FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR

“What made Falun Gong stand out from other qigong exercises and meditation practices was a moral system—compassion, truthfulness, and forbearance— unmistakably Buddhist in origin.”

—Arthur Waldron L AUDER PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

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Zhuan Falun, the main text of the spiritual practice Falun Dafa, was a national bestseller in China in the 1990s, and has since been translated into over 40 languages. Find out why it has captured the hearts and ISSU E 10 | O CTO BE R 2 0 2 3 minds of tens of millions of people in over 100 countries worldwide!

Scan the QR code with your phone camera to open our website, or visit: 51 FaYuanBooks.com

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