Dolce Vita Magazine Toronto Spring 2012

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publisher’s note

‘‘G

OING AROUND UNDER AN UMBRELLA INTERFERES WITH ONE’S LOOKING UP AT THE SKY. – Jerzy Kosinski

As

’’

I adjust to the dim lighting and soundproof interiors of Robert Mantella’s office at the Mantella Corporation, my eyes adapt to the richness and magnificence of an historic and architectural interior. I can’t help to smile at the fact that no verbal superlative could describe such a sight – not even past conversations with the company’s brand manager Sylvia Mantella could have prepared me for this day.

SPRING 2012 • Volume 16 • Issue 1 www.dolce.ca PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa • michelle@dolce.ca MANAGING EDITOR

Madeline Stephenson • madeline@dolce.ca DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & MARKETING

Angela Palmieri-Zerillo • angela@dolce.ca DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Susan Bhatia • susan@dolce.ca ART DEPARTMENT CO-FOUNDER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Fernando Zerillo • fernando@dolce.ca SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Christina Ban GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Amy Yang WEB PROJECT MANAGER

Steve Bruno EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

My sense of awe is further heightened once Robert, an individual who is passionate about something so unique, discloses that very few people are ever invited into his office. Here is a man who chooses to interact with the outside world through modern-day technology. He uses video surveillance to view his animals living at his Florida estate, all the while fascinated with the ancient texts of Charles Darwin. I do believe that Mantella carries out both his business and personal life with the same intense hunger he applies to understanding the British naturalist (see story on p. 24). Now that’s both refreshing and reflective of la dolce vita.

BEAUTY/HEALTH & TRAVEL EDITOR

Angela Palmieri-Zerillo FASHION & HOME DECOR EDITOR

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa SENIOR WRITER AND COPY EDITOR

Simona Panetta PROOFREADERS

Amy Bielby, Simona Panetta WRITERS

Michael Hill, Madeline Stephenson CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

A few days later, our crew found itself interviewing Nancy Pencer in her bright Windsor Arms penthouse suite. The social butterfly, who is reaching new heights in her campaign for brain cancer research, welcomed us with a warm personality that outshined her breathtaking view of Toronto’s skyline (see story on p. 52).

Mitchell Davis, Marc Porter, Glenn Pushelberg, George Yabu CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Tammy Burns, Tony Cammalleri, Carol Hansson, Irvina Lew, Newman Mallon, Taylor Sullivan, D.T., Richard Ravenhawke CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Bill Davidson, great-grandson to Arthur Davidson, best sums up the good life: “There’s the sense of the open road, the freedom. When you’re on a motorcycle, nature and your surroundings are exaggerated – the sights, the smells, the sounds – and that’s a great experience” (see story on p. 56).

Shannon Ross, Jesse Milns, Impulse Photography, Lukas Roth, Lucas Scarfone, Tom Sandler INTERNS

Gianluca Malatesta, Cassandra Tatone PUBLISHER

This issue is filled with individuals who refuse to live life in muted tones, and might not carry an umbrella when it’s calling for rain. Rather, they live a life animated with passion and – why not – a bit of exaggeration!

We hope you enjoy our spring issue of Dolce.

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

T: 905.264.6789 Toll Free: 1.888.68.DOLCE info@dolce.ca • www.dolce.ca OFFICE MANAGER & SENIOR ACCOUNTS MANAGER

Lina Posteraro OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Aleksandra Gorovic FRONT COVER

Robert Mantella Photo By Jesse Milns 6

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Like what you see .

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SPRING 2012 • Volume 16 • Issue 1 www.dolce.ca DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE • SPRING 2012 VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 1

Dolce Vita Magazine is published quarterly by Dolce Publishing Inc. 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30 Vaughan, Ont., L4H 3H9 T: 905.264.6789 • Toll-Free: 1.888.68.DOLCE F: 905.264.3787 • info@dolce.ca www.dolce.ca Publication Mail Agreement No. 40026675

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Dolce Publishing Inc. 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30 Vaughan, ON L4H 3H9 All rights reserved. Any reproduction is strictly prohibited without written consent from the publisher.

DISTRIBUTION & CIRCULATION

Dolce Vita Magazine reaches over 900,000 affluent readers annually through household distribution and newsstand sales across Canada and at all Barnes & Noble stores in the United States. Inquiries about where else Dolce Vita Magazine is available for sale should be directed to Transmedia Group Customer Service: 905.428.7541 The yearly subscription fee is $16.80. Send cheque or money order to Dolce Publishing Inc. 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30, Vaughan, Ont. Canada L4H 3H9 ISSN 1206-1778 NEXT ISSUE: SUMMER 2012

The opinions expressed in Dolce Vita Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or advertisers.

Dolce Publishing Inc. does not assume liability for content. The material in this magazine is intended for information purposes only and is no way intended to supersede professional advice.

We are proud to be a Canadian company that has successfully published magazines for the past 15 years without any government funding or financial assistance of programs to cover editorial costs. It has all been possible thanks to the wonderful support of our readers and advertisers.

Follow us at twitter.com/dolcemag This magazine is printed on Recycled Paper.

Up to

©2012 Dolce Publishing Inc. Printed in Canada 8

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AFTER GLOW

YORKVILLE’S NAVILLUS GALLERY HIGHLIGHTS THE WORK OF MARY CONOVER, GLORIA VANDERBILT AND MIKE SMALLEY IN A RADIANT EXHIBITION TITLED AFTER GLOW. WRITTEN BY TAYLOR SULLIVAN

Mary Conover, Untitled (2009), Archival pigment print, 34” x 43”.

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ccording to artist Mary Conover, landscapes are as much about human energy as physical place. “This series of abstract images of the ocean [was] taken in an area of St. Barths called The Windy Coast. It is the last untouched place on that island. It’s what the French pirates would have seen for the first time. The ocean is beating in – untamed, elemental. I’m trying to capture a force and presence beyond our comprehension,” says Conover, whose work is being exhibited in Toronto for the first time at the Navillus Gallery in a show titled After Glow.

Though she began her career as a fashion photographer and photojournalist for the International Herald Tribune and then Condé Nast, her recent photographs search for something wild and eternal within the landscape. To depict the intangible, Conover enlarges her photographs until the forms are unrecognizable. The effect is elegant and utterly minimalist. From boiling storms to the vastness of the desert, land and light evoke the human experience. Sometimes hot and exuding an unrestrained energy, other times cool and serene, her photographs challenge viewers to find themselves within the fervor of the landscape.

Raised in Virginia and Washington in the prominent family of Senator John Warner (noted for his marriage to Elizabeth Taylor), Conover learned to paint alongside her parents

Mary Conover, Al-Kimia (2010), Mixed media on canvas, 35” x 40”.

Mary Conover, The Windy Coast IV (2009), Archival pigment print, 34” x 43”.

on the coast of Cape Cod in the summer. Her grandfather, famed American art collector Paul Mellon, was also a scion of the Mellon banking family. Conover’s grandmother was a friend and pupil of Carl Jung. The psychologist’s theories on alchemy have influenced the way Conover approaches her art. Educated at the Philadelphia College of Art and the Corcoran School of Art, her artistic training has been broadened by extensive travel and an ongoing study of philosophy.

Navillus Gallery’s After Glow exhibition also features work by celebrated American designer Gloria Vanderbilt, as well as Canadian painter and former British advertising director Mike Smalley. The show captures these artists’ creative outpouring, in the wake of important lives and multi-faceted artistic careers. Their works are not only monumental but inspiring and charged with the Navillus Gallery at passion of lives fully lived.

110 Davenport Road www.navillusgallery.com in Yorkville.

After Glow is curated by Harvard and Cornell-educated Taylor Sullivan.

The gallery exhibits Canadian and International contemporary artists and is located at 110 Davenport in an elegant postmodernist building designed by L.A.-based architect Barton Myers. www.dolcemag.com

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Departments ON THE COVER

24 Survival of the Fittest: Property developer Robert Mantella hones his opposable thumb in a man-eat-man world

SUCCESS STORY

LUXURY R

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33 Objects ects of Desire: Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Alexander ander McQueen, and more 40 Bridalal Beginnings: Say ‘I Choo’

PHILANTHROPY

38 Coco Rocha for Senhoa: A supermodel’s modus operandi to end human trafficking in Cambodia 52 Pillar of Strength: Nancy Pencer puts mind over matter after losing her husband to brain cancer

30 The Modern Pluralist: Award-winning international designer Karim Rashid creates a new culture of contemporary 56 Bill Davidson: The revered history of an REAL ESTATE iconic motorcycle brand is reignited 62 A Tale of Two Trumps: A taste of the 66 Ballerina Tanya Howard is en pointe when Trump Hotel Collection it comes to reaching life’s full potential

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FASHION

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18 NordSouth Interiors makes its 23 Haves and Have Yachts: Sultry beachwear Toronto debut and the boats that get you there 34 Fearless Design: Guest editors 36 His Essentials: Nothing but blue skies George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg reveal ahead in men’s fashion their most daring projects 42 The Sheer Elegance of AltaRoma SS12 will take you from backyard parties to LIVING LA DOLCE VITA black-tie affairs 20 Surf, Sun and Splendour: Say aloha to Hawaii’s luxury soaked Turtle Bay Resort TTRAVEL 22 Find Bliss at The Ritz: A short flight to Floridian fancy 60 It’s smooth sailing for Maserati as the 6 auto brand sets a speed record at sea

FFOOD & WINE

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DESIGN

445 Impress your guests with Pusateri’s Spicy Pulled Porchetta and Rapine Sliders recipe 446 Guest editor Mitchell Davis lights the way through New York City’s covert culinary scene 448 The Perks of Being Scott Conant: A tête à tête with Scarpetta’s acclaimed chef

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After Glow: Navillus Gallery features the works of celebrated artists Mary Conover, Gloria Vanderbilt and Mike Smalley 2 Selling Celebrity: Christie’s auction house 28 reveals the true value of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor www.dolcemag.com

AUTOMOTIVE

58 The ins and outs of the Audi A8

BEAUTY

39 At First Blush: Spring 2012 revives romance

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

14 Dolce was There: Crystal Ball Gala, Gilda’s Club Toronto, Book Lover’s Ball and nd Ferrari of Ontario

IN EVERY ISSUE 6 12 12 64

Publisher’s Note Editor’s Note Guest Editors Horoscope: Look to the stars

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editor’s note

GUEST EDITORS

‘‘

Everyone has a story if you just take time to stop and listen to it.

– Amanda Lang

MADELINE STEPHENSON MANAGING EDITOR

’’

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hen I interviewed Amanda Lang for the fall issue of Dolce, her words resonated. “Everyone has a story if you just take time to stop and listen to it,” said CBC’s senior business correspondent.

That phrase walks with me through every open door and sits with me in every conversation; I believe it will carry me throughout my career. There’s so much beauty in working in a field that provokes dialogue and presents countless opportunities to listen and tell stories that otherwise might not be told. I think this spring issue is exemplary of this.

While many of the pages you flip through will reveal familiar faces, we hope they’re shown in different lights and told in different tones than those you may have already seen or heard. Whether it’s philanthropist Nancy Pencer’s strength after losing her husband to brain cancer, property developer Robert Mantella’s Darwinian business psychology, designer Karim Rashid’s contemporary sub-culture, or ballerina Tanya Howard’s strides to dissolve the monotony of the “everyday”, I believe we’ve taken the time to listen in this issue.

It might be the convenience store owner who sells you a newspaper every morning, the gas station attendant who wishes you luck each time you buy a lottery ticket or maybe even one of your co-workers in the cubicle next to you. This spring, let’s all take a second to read a page out of someone else’s book.

Madeline Stephenson Managing Editor 12

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hat does exclusivity mean to you? Does it suggest possessing a rare piece of jewelry once owned by an iconic Hollywood starlet? Is it having your home completely made-over by two of Canada’s most innovative designers? Or is it dining at a hush-hush establishment hidden in the recesses of a concrete jungle?

Whatever it may be, these guest editors have the tips, trinkets and tales to satisfy your need for exclusivity.

MARC PORTER ART Over his 22-year career, Marc Porter, chairman of Christie’s Americas, has seen plenty of pricy objects flow through the company’s various auction houses. But few rival the glamour of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor. This luxurious lineup was a record-setting sale, and Porter breaks down each spectacular piece of this actress’s coveted collection in “Christie’s Marc Porter on Elizabeth Taylor and the Value of Celebrity” (p. 28).

GEORGE YABU & GLENN PUSHELBERG DESIGN Taking a fearless stance when it comes to design, Canadian designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg are never afraid to let loose. From restaurants to hotels to homes, this dynamic duo must constantly adjust its strategy for the task at hand. In “Fearless Design” (p. 34), the pair unfurls adaptive tactics, letting us into the methodical minds of the founders of Yabu Pushelberg.

MITCHELL DAVIS FOOD Out of the most obscure corners of New York City’s dining scene emerges a new trend: the secret restaurant. Hidden behind an old English phone booth, masked by an abandoned construction site, and tucked at the back of a Japanese butcher shop, Mitchell Davis, executive vice-president of the James Beard Foundation, takes us to the most exclusive restaurants of the Big Apple’s newest culinary trend in “Psssst, The Secret’s In…” (p. 46).

MIAMI

INTERIORS MONTREAL

TORONTO

NORDSOUTH TORONTO

44 SHERBOURNE STREET TORONTO ON M5A 2P7 P: 416-366-1292 www.nordsouth.com

Like us on Facebook and secure your chance to attend the 1 year anniversary event. www.dolcemag.com

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Dolce was there

CRYSTAL BALL GALA

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he 25th anniversary of the Crystal Ball event left guests wonderstruck with sensory overload. The annual fundraiser for Reach for the Rainbow’s theme, UnExpect the Expected, proved to be true, with the event raising over $1.1 million dollars towards Reach for the Rainbow’s integrated programs for children and youth with disabilities across the province of Ontario. The evening was filled with performances by Lumina, Mystic Cube, Acrobasia, Mark Masri, Faith Chorale Choir, Signature and Alter Ego. Over 1,400 gala guests enjoyed a wonderful party and raised much-needed funds for the charity. www.reachfortherainbow.ca

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1. Chachi Sol, Maite Sutton and Bibiana Soria 2. Crystal Ball honorary chairs and RFTR founder Donna Trella 3. Paul Pellegrini, RFTR chairman of the board, president of Sussex Strategy Group 4. Jeffrey Purritt, president of Telus International, honorary patron 5. Mick Jagger impersonator starts it up 6. Susan Hay RFTR spokesperson, Global Toronto broadcaster 7. Byron Messier, Pravda Vodka House and ForStar Capital with Danielle Taylor 8. Ian and Laura Cunningham of Capital One 9. Rick and Lorene Reid of Tech Data with premier patron Aris Kaplanis and wife, Marsha 10. Ruth and Lindsay Duffield, president of Jaguar Land Rover Canada.

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ilda’s Club Greater Toronto’s 10th annual “It’s Always Something!” variety show raised $500,000 and dazzled guests with entertaining performances by top Canadian comics Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin and Martin Short. The night was anything but the latter star’s last name, with Russell Peters playing host and people such as Randy Bachman, Paul Shaffer and Jackie Richardson around to mingle with.

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Since its inception, the annual show has raised more than $3 million for Gilda’s Club, a cancer care centre that offers free social and emotional support programs for children, teens and adults living with cancer. The club is named after late Saturday Night Live comedian, Gilda Radner who died of Ovarian cancer in 1982. www.gildasclubtoronto.org

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1. Event co-chair Fred Levy and comedian Eugene Levy 2. Comedian Russell Peters with guests 3. Broadcast personalities Roger Ashby, Marilyn Denis and Brian Williams 4. Canadian comics Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara and Paul Shaffer 5. Shauna Daniels, Catherine O'Hara and Marni Sky 6. Canadian musician Randy Bachman 7. Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara 8. Ben Rutherford of The Keg Steakhouse and Bar with guest.

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1. Acclaimed authors Cha Charlotte Gray, Graeme Gibson and Margaret Atwood 2. Chief development officer of University Health Network Tennys Hanson and venture capitalist Kevin O'Leary 3. A model struts down the runway 4. Book Lover's BBall event committee member Susan Donlan and event chair Kerry Mitchell 5. Jeanne Beker and Haig Oundjian 6. Businessman Ashley Stevenson and president of Toronto Public Library Heath Rumball 7. Actor Zaib Shaikh and CBC vice president of English programming Kristine Stewart 8. The Book Lover's Ball offers chapters of entertainment 9. Assistant vice-president of Foundation Heather philanthro at Sun Life Financial Linda MacKenzie and Heather Rumball 10. Authors Lawrence Hill and Miranda Hill 11. Rebecca Cober 12. Anthony and Michelle Garber philanthropy 7

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Feb. 9, 2012, bibliophiles from across the GTA gathered for a night of food and fashion at the seventh annual Book Lover’s Ball at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York. With proceeds going towards improving the Toronto Public Library, guests dined with a plethora of famous authors, including Lawrence Hill, Margaret Atwood and Brad Smith. Those in attendance leafed through the minds of these renowned novelists, before enjoying a literary inspired fashion show orchestrated by top Canadian designers Lucian Matis, Adrian Wu, Laura Siegel, Sid Neigum, Klaxon Howl and Joeffer Caoc. www.bookloversball.ca

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PHOTOS BY TOM SANDLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Dolce Do o was there

BOOK LOVER’S BALL

SHEN YUN

A PAIR OF STALLIONS BREAK LOOSE Watch HD coverage of this event at www.citylifetv.ca 1

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1. Joe Wang, president of NTDTV Canada; Michelle Ren, Shen Yun lead dancer; Marilyn Field, president of DareArts Foundation. 2. Vera Stern, president of Toronto Harp Society; Robert Grant, managing Partner, Asquith Israel Merchant Bank; Janet Qi, director of culture and events at NTDTV. 3. Corban Hu, CEO of Caneast Communications; Robert Lowrey, owner of Robert Lowrey Piano Expert; Jason Loftus, emcee of VIP reception. 4. Joe Wang and Liang Chen, professor and associate dean, University of Toronto.

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PHOTOS BY LUCAS SCARFONE

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1. The Ferrari of Ontario dealership houses a wide range of Ferraris and was host to the 458 Spider and FF’s welcoming party.

2. Remo Ferri, president of Ferrari of Ontario, addresses the audience before unveiling stunning new rides.

3. The Ferrari 458 Spider in all its glory.

4. One auto enthusiast jumps behind the wheel of the 458 Spider.

5. Guests sip drinks, snap pictures and stare in amazement at the 458 Spider.

6. Menacing headlights and a mischievous grin give the FF's front-end a fierce visage.

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orontonians welcomed The Year of the Dragon with the beauty, colour and pageantry of the world-renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sony Centre. The January 12th opening night reception saw artistic, academic and business VIPs share their appreciation of Shen Yun and the excitement at meeting the artists. www.shenyun2012.com

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here are few sports car brands that can match the prestige, performance and beauty of a Ferrari. So when the latest one of these stallions is set to be released, only the most illustrious reception will do. That’s why when the Ferrari 458 Spider and FF were let loose on Canadian streets, Remo Ferri, president of Ferrari of Ontario, had to roll out a royal welcome.

On Feb. 15, 2012, Ferrari of Ontario held an intimate evening of cocktails and appetizers to greet these fabulous pieces of automotive engineering, and what a gathering it was. Guests ogled over the sexy curves and unforgettable styling of these four-wheeled beasts, mesmerized by their stunning esthetics. The 458 Spider, essentially a convertible 458 Italia, is as striking as it is powerful, and the FF (Ferrari Four) brings a new dimension to the premium sports car concept, offering a four-seated option for those who live life in the fast lane. Ferri’s dealership is only carrying a handful of these sleek roadsters, and the waiting list is already growing. Only a select few will be able to command these steeds. www.ferrari-of-ontario.com www.dolcemag.com

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© PETER A. SELLAR / PHOTOKLIK

Nordsouth booth at the Interior Design Show 2012.

Nordsouth Showroom in Toronto.

NORDSOUTH INTERIORS:

A DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE THE DEBUT OF NORDSOUTH INTERIORS TORONTO RECEIVES DOUBLE TAKES AT IDS 2012.

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very year, when the Interior Design Show (IDS) descends upon the city of Toronto, thousands of industry professionals and consumers acquaint themselves with businesses at the fore of design.

Booth exhibits boast inspiring techniques, home accessories and bursts of colour, piquing the interest of passersby. Perhaps it was the intrigue and mystery of a particular stand that attracted loyal and new patrons alike, as they neared the refreshingly bold, eclectic design contributions from NordSouth Interiors.

A feature wall fitted with mosaic, quartz, mirror tiles and an ecological fireplace introduced visitors to the design firm’s über-glamorous settings, which were further pronounced by a swanky dining table and chairs, sumptuously deep sofa and The Sasha, a suede bed with Swarovski crystals embedded in its headboard. “When people walked by, they saw something different, exciting; 18

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they saw something they’ve never seen before,” says Maja Bovan, an interior designer with NordSouth Interiors in Toronto.

Established in 1989, NordSouth has since transformed bland spaces into realms of grandeur. The Montrealbased design firm has bedecked both residential and commercial properties the world over, delivering its signature touch of eclectic design to high-profile clientele. Founded by expert interior designer Stéphane Fréchette, otherwise known as “The King of Eclectic,” and business partner Robert Sauvé, the company reflects an acute attentiveness to cities looking for something different and dramatic.

Since its beginnings, NordSouth has expanded to three international branches, landing in Toronto’s design scene last year with a splash. The company experienced a turning point after its decisive debut at IDS 2012, one in which secured the firm’s presence www.dolcemag.com

amongst local and multinational design practices. “NordSouth finds different styles – contemporary, modern and tradition – and is able to combine them into one design with different items, materials, furniture and styles,” explains Bovan. “We import chandeliers and furniture, accessories and sculptures from around the world, to produce exclusivity and diversity, as well as working with independent artists to ensure that every piece is one-of-a-kind,” she adds.

Clients are able to see, touch and bask in the glamorous, offbeat collection of NordSouth at its showroom in Toronto’s King Street East area. Whether buying a piece of artwork or renovating a room or your home, NordSouth turns the ordinary into extraordinary. www.nordsouth.com Visit the showroom, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday 44 Sherbourne St., Toronto 416.366.1292

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| HAWAII

Perched on the peak of Kawela Bay, Turtle Bay Resort is immersed in the majesty of Oahu’s North Shore, offering nearly eight kilometres of beach and world-class surfing.

Adjacent to the main hotel, these ocean villas are ideal for families and groups, providing multiple bedrooms, dining area and kitchen.

SURF, SUN AND SPLENDOUR Relish in the culture of Oahu’s fabled North Shore.

My

heart racing, my chest heaving, I collapse to the sand, defeated by the relentless waves of the mighty Pacific. My surfing instructor, Spencer, laughs and drags our boards away from the ebb and flow, reminding me that surfing isn’t mastered in a single session, especially on Hawaii’s legendary waves. Completely humbled, I smile at my feeble attempt, endure the scream of exhausted muscles, and revel in the fact that an afternoon at the spa is forthcoming.

It’s this equilibrium between exhilarating aquatic adventures and tranquil indulgences that make Turtle Bay Resort so special. Located at the tip of Kawela Bay on the fabled North Shore of Oahu, the third largest Hawaiian island, and recently finishing a rebranding that encapsulates the area’s surf culture, Turtle Bay stands before the majesty of the restless ocean on 840 acres of rural paradise.

As I return to the resort, my ego sore more than my body, I head down to the pool and post up on a strategically positioned set of bleachers and watch 20

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Top: Surrounded by palm trees and tropical vegetation, the pool area is a great spot to relax with a drink or watch local surfers take on the ocean’s rolling waves. Bottom: Thanks to the hotel’s propeller shape, the rooms at Turtle Bay grant breathtaking views of the ocean.

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WRITTEN BY MICHAEL HILL

the real masters – local surfers playfully tackling the surging waves. With an hour to kill, I sample the fish tacos at the seaside Hang Ten Bar & Grill, a light dish that will certainly be missed back in the Great White North.

Pampering time. Because of my challenging morning, Spa Luna’s staff recommends its popular pineapple pedicure, which, through gradations of warm coconut milk, honey, pineapple, Hawaiian salt and warm towels, rejuvenates and soothes the skin, leaving my once-aching legs feeling worlds better.

As the sun begins to set, I head to the room to change before dinner. Sitting on my ocean-view balcony – a luxury every room is afforded, thanks to the hotel’s shape – I enjoy an ice-cold bottle of Kona Big Wave Golden Ale, a slightly sweet and hoppy local beer, and watch the sky blush over the swelling sea, painting a picturesque scene to the soothing score of breaking waves.

For dinner, I head to 21 Degrees North.

Considered one of the top restaurants on the island, it is led by chef Armstrong, www.dolcemag.com

who insists on using fresh, natural ingredients from local farms. In the dimly lit, intimate setting, I start with the soft, slightly buttery diver scallops.

They’re served over a warm, earthy bean paste that adds a welcome base to the fishy flavour – delicious. For the main, I move to mouth-watering crab-crusted Hawaiian sea bass that melts with a mosaic of rich, perfectly balanced flavours. It’s a taste that sticks, and thankfully so. A light trio of crème brûlée is the perfect way to end the meal.

While the North Shore may be renowned for its world-class surfing, Turtle Bay affords an abundance of indulgences, amenities and activities that caters to all walks of life. And although my first attempt at hanging ten was, for lack of a better word, a failure, it was certainly an experience not to be missed. Thankfully, there was plenty of beach, sun and drink on hand to nurse my bruised ego – luxuries welcomed by the adventurous and laid-back alike. www.turtlebayresort.com

1 0 th A N N I V E R S A R Y SPRINGTIME IN PARIS

IN SUPPORT OF

CROHN’S, COLITIS, AND COLORECTAL CANCER

SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012 5:30 PM - 1:30 AM HILTON LAC-LEAMY

(613) 237-0190 INFO@SNOWFLAKEBALL.COM SNOWFLAKEBALL.COM

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| FLORIDA Ï It takes two to tapas.

From baked brie to monkfish piccata, the menu of Bites restaurant consists of over 40 delicious sharing dishes.

Lots to see and do: a birds-eye view of The Ritz-Carlton, Naples.

High-tea up high in the Naples Club Lounge.

FIND BLISS AT THE RITZ Sink your feet into the warm sands of time.

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here’s something particularly special about arriving at the Ritz-Carlton Naples. The long driveway. The Mediterranean-topped towers. The fountains. The Carrera marble. The ornate chandeliers, formal draperies and Persian carpets. The museum-quality artworks, especially the 18th and 19th century American and British oil paintings of the sporting life.

It’s grand. It’s luxe. And the recent remodels have added “casual” to its elegance. Now, doormen are dressed down in cobalt blue short sleeve shirts, black pants and running shoes. Within the soaring, window-walled lobby, there are new hardwood floors, lighter furnishings, blues and greens on the sea-shaded fabrics, and folks wearing 22

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flip-flops as often as business suits.

Rooms with balconies, views of the Gulf, Frette linens, robes and slippers, and up-to-the-minute lavish amenities are warmer, a bit more beachy.

Modernity has moved the British manor house décor into the 21st century.

The resort’s 20-acre home is studded with cypress, palm and mangrove trees, and faces the Gulf of Mexico on almost five kilometres of seashellstrewn beachfront. I parasailed for the first time here. Others kayak, paddle boat, sail a Hobie Cat; play tennis or swim in heated outdoor pools. Spa goers discover that within the 51,000 square-foot pleasure-pampering facility, with its steam rooms, saunas, aqua lounges and outdoor mineral www.dolcemag.com

pool, there are a multitude of authentic wellness and prevention treatments, plus a 24-7 fitness facility and =H20+, a spa cuisine café.

As for food, it delivers to Ritz standards.

There’s tea time and tapas and sushi.

At The Grill, a Forbes Four Star, AAA Four Diamond-rated restaurant, there are steaks and a selection of seafood.

There are cocktails, burgers and key lime pie at Gumbo Limbo bar, served with a sunset view.

For those who wish to leave the beach, there are many activities within a 16 km radius. The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort is accessible via hotel shuttle (about 5 km). Nearby, there are the Naples Zoo (about 10 km), the Naples Museum of Art, with a striking collection, and the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts (about 5 km). Fifth Avenue South and Third Street, in the ultra-chic, low-rise downtown Naples, is a destination where puppies are pushed in baby strollers and shoppers are lured to mom-and-pop shops, art galleries and restaurants.

It’s definitely a ritzy vacation destination. www.ritzcarlton.com/naples

Ï Trikini Intero Zanzibar With bright fabric and a symmetrical shape to highlight a woman’s curves, this one-piece swimsuit is both comfortable and fashionable. www.parah.com

HAVES AND HAVE YACHTS

Cranchi delivers form and function with its line of luxury yachts. Just add sunshine and water.

wear BIKINI

WRITTEN BY CAROL HANSSON

Ï Push Up Bond Girl This bikini is simple yet stylish with a stretch fabric belt and brace-style straps.

Available in B and C cups. www.parah.com

Å Costume Intero Body Chic and versatile with removable cups, this one-piece suit in a bold pattern has all the sex appeal of a bikini. www.parah.com

CRANCHI MEDITERRANEE 43HT This 45-foot yacht, perfect for 12 passengers, has teak flooring throughout.

The sophisticated, sleek and sumptuous Mediterranee 43HT has all the amenities of home, including a large fridge and freezer. www.cranchi.it

CRANCHI 58 FLY BRIDGE With a sun pad for three and a lounge for six, the 58 is ideal for basking in the sun. Over 60-feet of elegance and function in one package. www.cranchi.it

Ï Turquoise Floral bag Perfect for those lazy beach days, this turquoise floral bag can hold your favourite summer read, sunglasses and a snack. www.beachbunnyswimwear.com

Ë Bikini Push Up Zanzibar Turn heads with bright geometric patterns and a gathered brief bikini. www.parah.com

Å Young, Wild and nd Free Show off your tan n from top to bottom with gold and rhinestone hardware. Available ble in black and white. www.beachbunnyswimwear.com yswimwear.com

CRANCHI 32 PELICAN The 34-foot Pelican is a fisher’s dream, with oxygenated containers for bait and your catch. A teak swimming platform allows for relaxation and enjoyment after a full day of fishing. www.cranchi.it

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Robert Mantella, president and CEO of Mantella Corporation, surrounds himself with family photos, antique books, classical fixtures and ancient relics.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

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very day, the Earth turns, just like the billions upon billions of times it has before, always moving, always changing, shifting with each tick of the clock.

Evolving, even if only minutely, with each passing second. Empires rise and fall, mighty kings come and go, and great beasts that once ruled vast domains are but a flicker in history’s enduring flame. Those blinded by their assumed superiority vanish; those unable to adapt to changing landscapes fade into extinction. This is history’s lesson. This is life.

This is evolution. It’s a fact Robert Mantella, president and CEO of Mantella Corporation, is all too familiar with, and one he’s adapted to keep his family’s business alive, and thriving.

“I base a lot of decisions that I’ve made on evolution,” says the 49-year-old industrial property developer as he holds up a colourcoded list depicting his fallen competition – an “extinction list” cataloging the now deceased species from the dwindling genus of

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ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSE MILNS UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED

WRITTEN BY MICHAEL HILL

PHOTO BY SARAH MANTELLA

PHOTO BY SARAH MANTELLA

Antique doors from 17th century France welcome Mantella to the main room of his office, while deep mahogany falls under foot and lines the walls.

Top Right: Over 310 million years old, this fearsome fossil is from a massive armoured prehistoric fish known as a placoderm.

Middle Right: A sparkling chandelier hangs above the seating area of the office.

Fossils and books decorate the space, while an antique French painting rests over the fireplace.

Bottom Right: Mantella’s cufflinks, a custom-made gift from his wife, Sylvia, are a replica of Sahelanthropus tchadensis, a seven million year old skull that’s older than the human-chimpanzee divergence.

Bottom Left: The placoderm skull reflects in this charming and curvy mirror.

Mantella’s office also features this small museum, where various fossils are kept in glass cases. From a tyrannosaurus rex claw to a velociraptor skull, these relics date back millions of years.

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privately owned industrial real estate developers in Toronto. “These are all the family companies that have gone out of business in the last six years,” he says, pointing to each. “There’s no more left.”

These once-dominant entities were, in the past, all major players in the Toronto market. That is, until the pension funds swept in. At the turn of the century, these goliaths, with their unfathomably deep pockets, began boxing out small independents, buying land and building at an incredible rate. “We built maybe six million square-feet in 50 or 60 years,” says Mantella. “They [the pension funds] built 16 million square-feet in three years … They started institutionalizing the business.”

Mantella watched as the competition fell, as the mass extinction set in.

Changes had to be made, an evolution had to begin. His father, Paul, however, was still in command of the empire, and since its inception in 1946, Mantella Corp. followed a specific formula. He wasn’t about to change. “I have the utmost respect for my father,” says Mantella. “Until around 2006, he was extremely powerful. He ruled with an iron fist.” But in 2007, there was a moment of weakness. Due to personal issues, his father’s attention was elsewhere. In order to save the company, Mantella felt action was necessary. In a move of Shakespearean proportions, he took complete control of all legal decisions of the company and began implementing changes.

Selling several prime properties for substantial profits, partnering with pension funds on major land deals and starting Mantella Venture Partners, an early stage technology venture fund, Mantella has tapped into new streams of resources, staving off extinction and maintaining his business’s position as a major player in the market. “I don’t look at a family and decide that that’s the way it’s been and that’s the way it should be, and that’s the right way,” he says. “I decide what’s best for this company.”

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At the time, these moves were considered quite radical, risky even. It was unexplored territory and concerns were present. But after several early successes, it was clear Mantella’s vision was on the mark. One venture, for example, which paid dividends, was Pushlife, an app-building company that Mantella Venture Partners sold to Google for $25 million. “We’re never surprised by his ability to judge people and character,” says Duncan Hill, founding general partner at Mantella Venture Partners. “He finds people he can trust, puts trust in those people, and lets them do their job. We respect that a lot.”

In an industry governed by nepotism, and where image was of the utmost concern, Mantella’s attitude is an anomaly. But then again, the somewhat

The massive foot of a brachiosaurus, a gigantic, long-necked dinosaur from the late Jurassic period.

Roughly the size of a duck, this troodontid is linked to various avian species today.

“I’LL SPEND ONE WEEK TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY MARSUPIALS DEVELOPED THE LOCOMOTION METHOD THEY DID JUST BECAUSE IT BOTHERS ME, I HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT IT.”– Robert Mantella eccentric Mantella has never been like other property developers. His office, which is more library-museum than a typical place of work, is triple insulated to afford absolute silence as he works, preferably by candlelight. Ancient fossils, like a tyrannosaurus rex arm, velociraptor skull and an over 310 million-year-old head of a placoderm, a massive jawed monster fish, decorate his space. Deep mahogany bookshelves line the walls, all filled with modern texts and antique books on animal behavior, biology, and of course, evolution.

“I read a lot of factual literature on animals,” he says. “I’ll spend one week trying to understand why marsupials developed the locomotion method they did just because it bothers me, I have to know about it.”

Pulling out a weathered book on animals he was given for his first communion, Mantella explains how even as a child, he held a great affinity for wildlife. www.dolcemag.com

Industrial property developer Robert Mantella has taken the family business into new territory, with endeavours that include an early stage technology venture fund.

It wasn’t until his late 30s, however, that his fascination with evolution developed. He began reading the likes of Richard Dawkins, Louis Leakey, and naturally, Charles Darwin. He even has a first edition of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.

In the seating area of Mantella’s office, this roughly 20,000-year-old saber-toothed cat skull sits as a centrepiece with its jaws wide open – both fascinating and terrifying.

While the lessons of these texts shaped Mantella’s paradigm, it wasn’t until he met his wife, Sylvia, that he was able to evolve himself. “I had a lot of ideas,” he says, “but I had difficulties expressing them in a way that wouldn’t be considered radical.” She brought out a softer side in him, causing him to open up more, leaving behind his introverted ways. “If I wouldn’t have met her when I was 40, I think the company, within five years, would have been gone.”

“He’s methodical and brilliant in many ways,” says Sylvia, also the company’s brand manager. “Everything that he does is thought out like a chess player, and it’s seven or eight steps ahead … he’s made for what he does.”

Through Sylvia’s encouragement, Mantella ventured further into new realms, like philanthropy and wildlife preservation. In fact, Mantella credits her as the catalyst for converting their 20-acre Florida estate into a sanctuary for exotic, endangered and abused animals. From primates, such as Celebes macaques and gibbons, to timber wolves and zebras, the couple shelters over 100 animals on their property.

As he flips through pictures of the various animals on the property, he describes a time when they brought seven black swans to their reserve.

Every day, Sylvia would count their numbers, lamenting in the loss to lurking local predators. But Mantella would always remind her that they were breeding strong swans. “The swans that stay off the shore at night will teach their young,” he says. “If we end up with two swans, they’re going to be the toughest swans in Florida.” The population of their swans has grown back to seven – one more reminder of the power of evolution. www.mantella.ca www.dolcemag.com

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CHRISTIE’S MARC PORTER ON

ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND THE VALUE OF CELEBRITY

WRITTEN BY MARC PORTER

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hy is one diamond necklace worth $2 million, and another of the same carat weight, quality and craftsmanship worth $12 million? In one word: Glamour.

This winter, Christie’s was privileged to offer for sale perhaps the world’s most prestigious jewelry collection, The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor. The sale far surpassed our estimates, becoming the most valuable jewelry sale in auction history. In a single night, 80 of the film star’s most iconic jewels inspired fierce 28

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CHRISTIE’S HAS SOLD THE PROPERTY OF SUCH ILLUSTRIOUS COLLECTORS AS MARILYN MONROE, RUDOLPH NUREYEV, THE VIENNESE ROTHSCHILDS, HUBERT DE GIVENCHY AND YVES ST. LAURENT, AS WELL AS FIVE ROYAL AUCTIONS.

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bidding that drove many prices to more than 10 times their pre-sale estimates, finishing at nearly $116 million.

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umerous world auction records for jewelry were established, including a new record price for any pearl jewel, any emerald jewel and any Indian jewel. New record per-carat prices were established for an emerald, a ruby, a yellow diamond and for a colourless diamond. In addition, a record price was set for a pair of natural pearl ear pendants sold at auction.

Glamour, unlike mere celebrity, is one of those qualities that stubbornly resists definition. We all know it when we see it. Glamour isn’t automatically conferred by elegant clothes or expensive jewels.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2012

Glamour was once the exclusive province of royal and noble families, when in 1766, James Christie, our founder, entered the auction business. One of his first celebrity jewelry sales, in 1795, was the collection of Madame du Barry, former mistress of Louis XV. Since then, Christie’s has sold the property of such illustrious collectors as Marilyn Monroe, Rudolph Nureyev, the Viennese Rothschilds, Hubert de Givenchy and Yves St. Laurent, as well as five royal auctions.

GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE ELIZABETH TAYLOR WAS A TRUE ICON: AN INTERNATIONAL FILM STAR, A LOVING MOTHER TO FOUR CHILDREN, A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSWOMAN AND A PIONEERING ACTIVIST FOR HUMANITARIAN CAUSES, PARTICULARLY CARING FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV AND FUNDRAISING FOR AIDS RESEARCH.

Fame is not enough; we can all name celebrities who are well known for being unglamorous. That kind of celebrity doesn’t often inspire competitive bidding at the auction block.

Today, of course, there are many routes to celebrity, and red carpets galore for any star that wants to cultivate a glamorous reputation. But few celebrities earn the status of icon. Elizabeth Taylor was a true icon: an international film star, a loving mother to four children, a successful businesswoman and a pioneering activist for humanitarian causes, particularly caring for people with HIV and fundraising for AIDS research.

And, as her collection reveals, Ms. Taylor was also a true connoisseur, with an educated eye for the finest quality and craftsmanship in jewelry, in art and in fashion. She had an unspoken compact with the public – they wanted glamour and she never failed to deliver.

As a movie star from age 12, she never went out in public without looking like anything other than a Hollywood icon.

This historic sale, unlikely to be matched for years to come, is a fitting tribute to such an accomplished woman.

1. La Peregrina: The top lot of the sale was the legendary 16th century pearl, set in a diamond and ruby necklace Elizabeth Taylor commissioned from Cartier. It sold for $11,842,500, setting two world auction records. A gift from Richard Burton, who purchased it for $37,000 at auction in 1969, this remarkable natural pearl measures 203 grains in size, equivalent to 50 carats. In her book, My Love Affair with Jewelry, Taylor describes her panic when she noticed the pearl was missing one day. After searching all over the bedroom, she noticed one of her dogs playing with something: “I just casually opened the puppy’s mouth and inside was the most perfect pearl in the world. It was – thank God – not scratched.”

2. The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond: The spectacular D-colour, 33.19-carat diamond ring that the star wore virtually every day since receiving it as a gift from Richard Burton in 1968, fetched $8,818,500 against a pre-sale estimate of $2.5 – 3.5 million, and set a record price-per-carat for a colourless diamond. It sold to an Asian private collector in the room after a fierce bidding battle.

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3. The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch: By Bulgari, , the 23.46-carat rectangular-cut Colombian emerald jewel that was a gift from Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor on the occasion of their engagement in 1962, sold for $6,578,500 – setting both a new record price-per-carat for an emerald and a new record for any emerald jewel at auction.

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4. The Taj Mahal Diamond: An Indian diamond and jade pendant necklace with a later ruby and gold chain designed by Cartier, was a gift from Richard Burton on the occasion of Elizabeth Taylor’s 40th birthday. This historic heart-shaped diamond is inscribed with the name Nur Jahan, wife of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahangir, who gave it to his son, Shah Jahan (1592 – 1666). The young prince in turn gave it to his beloved wife, Mumtaz-i-Mahal, for whom he later commissioned the Taj Mahal monument, one of the seven wonders of the world. The necklace soared above its pre-sale estimate of $300,000 – 500,000, to achieve $8,818,500 – a record price for any Indian jewel at auction.

5. A Christian Dior Evening Gown of Silver-Encrusted Brocade: With matching Evening Bag, from 1968, was the top couture lot, realizing $362,500 in the Haute Couture Evening Sale. Elizabeth Taylor wore the dress to the annual ball hosted by Guy de Rothschild and his wife at their country home, Chateau de Ferrières, in Brie, France.

6. A Versace Beaded Evening Jacket, ‘The Face,’: Circa 1992 realized $128,500.

This jacket is beaded with rhinestone portraits of Elizabeth Taylor in her most famous roles, including Cleopatra. She wore this jacket when she spoke at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness, which featured a performance by the remaining members of the band Queen in 1992 at London’s Wembley Stadium.

www.dolcemag.com

Marc Porter Guest Art Editor As chairman of Christie’s Americas, Marc Porter leads the Top Client Program in the Americas and serves on the board of Christie’s. In his two decades, with the world’s leading art business, Porter has been instrumental in securing important collections, including The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor. Prior to joining Christie’s, he was associated with the New York law firm of Proskauer Rose Goetz & Mendelsohn. He also held positions with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the office of the general counsel of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. www.christies.com

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THE MODERN PLURALIST

OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, KARIM RASHID HAS USED HIS ULTRAMODERN ESTHETIC TO SHAPE OUR WORLD AND PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN.

Wearing an all-white ensemble, this coulorless attire is a sharp contrast to the generally flamboyant products and spaces Karim Rashid creates.

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PHOTO BY DI.BI.

WRITTEN BY MICHAEL HILL

It’s

Rashid’s work is the definition of ultramodern. This lounge area in Berlin’s Nhow Hotel, for example, is furnished with curvy couches and chairs, while a rippling pink ceiling protrudes in fluid shapes.

“There is no fear in designing,” says the Egyptian-born, Canadian-raised industrial designer. “My discipline is only to absorb everything I can about a particular subject, and then I sketch for hours developing ideas. My mind is full of information, and most importantly, my mind is obsessed with our contemporary life, with the moment, with the world around me, so the ideas are constantly flowing.”

Over the past 20 years, this stream of thought has poured over and into existence, actualizing in over 3,000 designs dispersed in over 40 countries around the globe. From water bottles and baby bottles to watches and high heels, Rashid’s boundless imagination has shaped all facets of our modern milieu. “I love when my ideas are materialized in the form of products that are accessible, high design and usable on a day-to-day basis,” says the 51-year-old.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUKAS ROTH

an unusual world, the one Karim Rashid occupies. It’s an environment comprising smooth, glossy plastics, bustling with seemingly nonsensical, free-flowing shapes and radiating with bold, vivid colours that defy conventional standards. It’s a surreal landscape that he envisions, but it’s also a contemporary one. It’s a world made to match our technologic existence; yet, it’s one where few boldly tread to such extremes.

A warm pink glow accents the oversized pink “n” that welcomes guests at the entrance of the Nhow Hotel.

While his progressive imagination charges towards the horizon of creativity, the roots of his eclectic mind can be traced back to his father. An abstract painter and set designer for both film and TV, his dad, Mahmoud, was constantly designing.

He would fashion and produce dresses for Rashid’s mother, Joyce, even crafting the furniture in their home. His father’s diverse pursuits provided prospective for young Rashid’s hungry mind. “He taught me that I could design anything and touch all aspects of our physical landscape.” It was this stimulating upbringing that nurtured Rashid’s intrigue with more renowned pluralists, such as Andy Warhol, Le Corbusier and Alexander Rodchenko.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUKAS ROTH

It’s not just innovative form that makes his creations stand out – they are also alive with extravagant colour. Rashid pushes each shade, hue and tone to its most radical, juxtaposing dramatic pigments in the most electrifying ways. “Colour is life,” he says, explaining how exploring these phenomena are his means of navigating our “emotions, psyche and spiritual being.” Pink – the colour he is most often seen sporting – for example, is what he describes as his super-optimistic white. “It is energetic, fulgent, engaging and a moxie to the masculine world that dominates our built landscape.”

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KARIM RASHID STUDIO RENDERING

Melding vivid plastics of ultramodern design with the natural greens of local vegetation, the rooftop pool of Miami’s MyBrickell Condo strike a balance between style and nature.

Pink, blue and gold line the walls and plastic fixtures of this highly stylized bar at the Nhow Hotel.

But Rashid’s past wasn’t always as lively as his effervescent present. He spent eight years in Toronto, designing products for the military and commercial enterprises like Black & Decker, before teaching design for 10 years at three universities. One of those positions was at the Rhode Island School of Design in the U.S. The establishment, however, did not accept his methods, and he was let go. “When I was fired I was told I was teaching ‘philosophy and theory’, not design,” he says. In 1996, Nike offered him a generous salary to lead a team in Portland, Oregon, but in a moment of existential realization, Rashid refused. It was either fall in with the crowd or blaze his own path.

The rest is history.

While some may criticize his work as too edgy or overly artistic, Rashid’s designs have earned him over 300 accolades, including multiple Interior Design Best of Year awards, several Red Dot distinctions, and a plethora of others, and that’s hard to dispute. He is just designing for a world that reflects our social, political, economical, technological and global culture. It’s a world we’re already living in. Rashid was just there first. www.karimrashid.com 32

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While Rashid’s designs are often bursting with striking shades, the Mybrickell condo in Miami is more reserved in its colour, but is still furnished with unconventionally shaped furniture.

KARIM RASHID STUDIO RENDERING

Like the iconic polymaths before him, Rashid eventually transitioned into other realms, specifically, designing spaces. Some of his more recent ultramodern work includes the University of Naples Metro Station, the Nhow Hotel in Berlin and the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada Flagship Store in New York.

But it’s Morimoto, a restaurant in Philadelphia that he designed in 2001, which holds a special place in his heart. “That was a turning point for me, because it was so successful that it really gave me the opportunity to design about 100 interiors since then.”

PHOTO BY LUKAS ROTH

IT IS ENERGETIC, FULGENT, ENGAGING AND A MOXIE TO THE MASCULINE WORLD THAT DOMINATES OUR BUILT LANDSCAPE.

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1. OPEN-HEARTED This simple and stunning wedding dress from Giadi Curti features detailed embroidery and silver highlights on the bodice. The multilayered tulle skirt creates an air of beauty and elegance. www.giadacurti.it 2. BAD TO THE BONE This hot pink scarf dotted with skulls makes a bold accessory for every outfit. Add some sophisticated punk with this silk chiffon scarf from Alexander McQueen. Available in other colours. www.alexandermcqueen.com 3. INNOSCENT Exotic yet subtle, this eau de parfum features the scent of oriental orange blossoms with light floral notes. It’s ideal for the couture-driven woman. www.robertocavalli.com 4. MORAL FABRIC Aswoon by Susan Woods. This wall piece uses recycled upholstery springs to showcase beauty in all things. Its maze of lines and curves is a conversation piece for every home. www.aswoon.com 5. IN GRAPE DEMAND Nina Ricci reaches for resort-chic, and delivers with this grape-coloured bouclé-satin jacquard and black lace dress. Spring 2012 beckons a mix of sexy nostalgia. www.net-a-porter.com 6. CELLING POINT Walk the airways with a stylishly dressed smartphone. This Charm Phone Case from Alexander McQueen features a crystal skull charm, exotic pattern and leather accents. www.alexandermcqueen.com

7. WHISK AWAY The Laddie 10 celebrates Bruichladdich’s 10-year anniversary of the distillery’s resurrection. With the famous sea breeze tang, purity and fruit, this whisky will be sure to please every palate. www.bruichladdich.com 8. MORNING GLORY With menu items that include bacon butties and breakfast croissants, Oliver & Bonacini’s Canteen is a wonderful spot for brunch. Bakery goods include freshly baked muffins and scones that can be topped off with a foaming cappuccino. www.oliverbonacini.com 9. HANDLE WITH CARE Cruise the seas in high style with this vintage top-handle duffle from Gucci. With a zip closure and an ID tag, your luggage will be easy to find and hard to forget. www.saksfifthavenue.com 10. ALL THAT GLITTERS Add some sparkle to your life with Gucci.

The Betty Metallic Python Peep-Toe sandals provide comfort with a leather lining and padded insole, yet demand attention with a gold python design. www.gucci.com 11. RAISE THE BAR The fluid motion and unconventional lines of this eye-catching seat from Michael Stolworthy adds eccentric flair to an evening of lighthearted cocktails. www.michael-stolworthy.com www.dolcemag.com

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The

first thing that comes to mind when we think of our industry is the ability to be fearless, otherwise, we are just going to be mediocre.

Sometimes designers get caught up in formulas, but there isn’t a formula in design. Each project requires its own strategy from its own perspective; some projects demand colour, and some demand pattern.

FEARLESS DESIGN WRITTEN BY GEORGE YABU AND GLENN PUSHELBERG

Midnight in Miami: db Bistro Moderne at the JW Marriott Hotel.

The Modern Honolulu, Waikiki luxury hotel.

Printemps Haussmann department store in Paris.

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With us, much of our vision comes from the location of the projects. For instance, when designing the db Bistro Moderne at the JW Marriott in Miami, we didn’t want the guests to feel like they were in the lobby; we wanted the guests to have a choice of experiencing a different culture, but still within the hotel.

In restaurant design, all must work together, that is the environment, the food, the culture, the staff and the service. Design is very important for it has to reinforce the whole. A great hotel restaurant, such as the db Bistro Moderne, should stand alone and not blend in. So much of the design was done in Parisian accents rather than sun-tropical art; yet the culture was still incorporated through the fresh and natural tones of the surrounding atmosphere. When it comes to the question of tailoring the design of the restaurant around the hotel, the answer is, we didn’t. The tones express what Miami is and that is why it’s a good fit.

It has intimacy and levels of detail, and it’s not a rushed experience. This is perfect because Miami is maturing and the restaurant fits within that maturity.

Another area of design that we focus on is within our hospitality division.

We believe there is a hotel model that is not fully explored yet, which is the conversion of public space to private space. The future of hotels will be taking the extra space within the lobby, check-in and all the segmentation of services, and putting it towards the design of rooms and private areas to give more luxury to those customers using the space. With The Modern Honolulu, it was important to create something that shows the location of

PHOTOGRAPHY OF DB BISTRO MODERNE AND THE MODERN HONOLULU BY EVAN DION / PHOTOGRAPHY OF PRINTEMPS HAUSSMANN BY RICHARD POWERS

George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, founders of design firm Yabu Pushelberg.

the hotel. As guests walk into the lobby, the first feature is the reception desk and surfboard installation, exemplifying the locality of Waikiki and inspiration of surfing. The opposite of the reception desk is the lobby bar, which has the same form, shapes and wood of the reception, ultimately creating the yin and yang in design.

One of our favourite features of the hotel is the design of Addiction Nightclub, with a 40,000 light bulb chandelier that was custom-designed. The nightclub was beautifully created through simplicity and clarity with a bar on one side and bleachers on the other. The symphony of all the parts came together to generate a unique custom space that is not overly designed. It’s important to cut down the segmentation for the customer to offer incredibly spacious rooms, meaning breaking down the typical hotel to create 800-square-feet rooms rather than 400-square-feet rooms. Another hotel trend is giving customers full options in what they would like to do while visiting the hotel, restaurant or destination.

Accessibility and ease are additional key essentials to look for in the next coming years in hotel development.

Sixty-five per cent of our work is dedicated to hospitality, whereas the remaining 35 per cent is split between residences and retail. One of our favourite retail projects was the renovation of Printemps Haussmann in Paris, France.

When envisioning the design, we wanted to combine Paris tradition with a fresh, contemporary environment for the historic Printemps department store, one that exudes a chic flavour in the eyes of visitors and an international influence in those of the Parisians’. The overall store plan was to replace the “department store” aspect with freshness and energy in subtle yet elegant ways. This exciting counterpoint of perceptions was unified by fine finishes and materials throughout; the retail spaces are conceived as a series of “rooms” like a large mansion, each with its own unique and identifiable character to create a residential ambience.

This helps to avoid commercial stereotypes and promote a relaxing atmosphere.

Throughout our years as interior designers, we have hit careerchanging projects. Now is an incredible time of opportunity, for interesting, challenging and stimulating projects are arising – and within reason. We are trying to embrace those opportunities while making sure we share and enjoy our time with friends.

Who are our ideal clients? Ourselves. It pushes us to work harder with our own projects. Best clients are informative and fair. Clients that challenge us give us more opportunity to work harder. Challenge gives us more dialect and dialogue, which ultimately creates for more vision and ideas toward the purpose and goals of a project.

SPRING / SUMMER R 2012 COLLECTIONS HAVE ARRIVED Keep your kids looking sharp and stylish this spring with these exclusive pieces from the latest Robert Cavalli line.

Check out our video on citylifeTV.ca C

7500 Martin Grove Road, Unit 8, Woodbridge, Ont. Monday – Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

905.264.7228 www.designerkidswear.ca

George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg Guest Design Editors For over 30 years, the award-winning design duo George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg has shaped the interiors of exclusive locals the world over. From Toronto to New York to Hong Kong, these icons of Canadian design continue to innovate with their lively approach and modern esthetics. www.yabupushelberg.com

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Spring is a time for new beginnings, and there is no better way to start than with a new wardrobe.

Just look to the sky for inspiration.

WRITTEN BY CAROL HANSSON

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1. DOT THE TIE

8. UP IN THE AIR

Tom Ford’s silk shirt and royal blue tie pair nicely with an ocean blue Wetherby jacket and pleated pants, while the polka-dot tie adds a pop of pattern. www.tomford.com

The Gucci travel bag is perfect for those weekend business trips, with double handles and a zipper to keep everything safe and secure. www.gucci.com

2. STEELING TIME

9. THE TIES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’

Keep time with the g-timeless watch from Gucci. The stainless steel case features a tachymeter scale on a black bezel, sapphire crystal and automatic chronograph movement. Water-resistant for up to 160 feet, this Swiss-made watch is not afraid of getting wet. www.gucci.com

Bright colourful ties from Kiton can spice up any suit, with variations of dark green and white plaid or squares in yellow, purple or green. www.kiton.it

3. BLUE SKIES AHEAD

A denim blue jacket by Etro, sky blue pants and white/blue shirt give a casual yet professional look. A navy scarf combines fashion and function. www.etro.com 4. STRONG POINT

Kiton’s pale blue suit jacket and pants are matched with a red, blue and white plaid shirt, creating an image of a man that’s ready for anything. www.kiton.it 5. WORK HARD, PLAY HARD

A striped blue and white shirt from Etro is topped with a light grey suit jacket outlined in black for a serious, playful and daring look. www.etro.com 6. I SEE LONDON, I SEE FRANCE …

David Beckham BodyWear Pajama cotton trousers are soft and comfortable. They come in grey or black and have an elastic drawstring waist and side pockets. dbcollaboration.hm.com 7. WHO’S THE BOSS?

A slate suit jacket and pleated pants from Hugo Boss make an impact for the ambitious businessman. The pale grey dress shirt and charcoal silk tie make an excellent backdrop, contrasting with the darker tones of suit for a look that will get you noticed. www.hugoboss.com

LUXURY ESPRESSO Improve your daily espresso intake with expert machines and accessories.

10. WEAR THE PANTS

Mint green and pale blue paired with bright green make for a refreshing change from the norm in this suit from Kiton. www.kiton.it 11. THE PRO

Black is back with this simple yet elegant suit from Hugo Boss.

A grey shirt and tie finishes the ideal look for every working professional. www.hugoboss.com 12. BLAZE A TRAIL

Royal purple and sunflower yellow combine to make this suit fresh and funky. A multicoloured tie and plaid shirt make a bold yet fashionable statement. www.etro.com

BREVILLE’S DUAL BOILER ESPRESSO MACHINE Breville’s Dual Boiler Espresso Machine will have you brewing like a barista in no time. As a high-quality home espresso machine, the Dual Boiler combines commercial features and performance for home use. The dedicated espresso boiler will deliver precise and stable water temperature for optimum flavour, and the separate steam boiler will let you make multiple espressos while texturizing milk. Enjoy a delicious beverage with Breville. www.breville.ca

13. BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL

The navy blue Wetherby jacket and midnight blue classic tailored double-pleated pant from Tom Ford come together to create a look that’s sophisticated and sexy. The jacket includes a lapel patch pocket for carrying those extra necessities. The shirt is also midnight blue, with a twillpointed classic collar French cuff.

A polka-dot pocket square and 18-karat cylinder stripe yellow gold cuff links worn with black crocodile john moccasins complete the carefree look. www.tomford.com 14. FREESTYLE

These Julipet swim trunks are perfect for a day in the water. www.julipet.it www.dolcemag.com

ILL ILLY LLY Y ART ART COL COLLEC COLLECTION LECTIO TION N CUP C P The Illy Art Collection Cup by Francesco Clemente combines bold patterns in red, blue and other contrasting colours to t artt you can d i k ffrom create drink a cup. www2.illy.com

BIALETTI TAZZONA NA The Bialetti Tazzona espresso maker is a conversation piece in itself, with its blackk coffee cup design. es The machine provides coffee-house quality,, all in the comfort of your kitchen. www.bialetti.it

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ROCHA

INTERVIEW BY MADELINE STEPHENSON

Swarovski crystal earrings: Phary by Coco Rocha for Senhoa (US$105).

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DV: A chance conversation at your wedding in France led to Coco Rocha for Senhoa, what connected you to this cause?

CR: Children will always have a huge place in my heart. While I certainly believe in charities that help people of all ages, I think children, and especially orphans, are by far the most deserving of our charity and our time. An adult can often times pick themselves up and out of a desperate situation, but children depend on us to survive. The children the Senhoa program helps are as young as four-years-old. Can you imagine being that age, sold into slavery sometimes by your own parents? These girls have escaped a nightmare existence and I am so proud of the work Senhoa is doing. Human trafficking is a dark and scary topic and I find it’s often very hard for us to deal with the realities and atrocities of sexual exploitation. It can get so depressing that people just want to ‘switch off.’

DV: Tell me about the Senhoa philosophy.

CR: It’s Senhoa’s goal to engage people on the issue of human trafficking in a different way. My jewelry line is just one way they are doing that. I love Senhoa’s mission. Rather than just look for a handout to fund these girls’ day-to-day expenses, Senhoa actually provides them with a way to make a life for themselves.

The younger girls are put into school www.dolcemag.com

SENHOA CAMPAIGN PHOTOGRAPH BY NIGEL BARKER

add flavour to your life

COCO

CANADIAN SUPERMODEL COCO ROCHA SENDS A CRYSTAL-CLEAR MESSAGE OF HOPE TO VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN CAMBODIA WITH HER SELF-DESIGNED CHARITABLE JEWELRY LINE, COCO ROCHA FOR SENHOA. and the girls 16 and older are offered a job making jewelry in a safe and secure environment, where they can gain economic independence.

DV: What changes would you like to see for young women growing up in Cambodia?

CR: Senhoa is a small group of 50-some girls in Cambodia who have been rescued from human trafficking. I know they hope to expand their program, but there are so many young women and men around the world, and even here in the Western world, who unfortunately live in that condition. I’d love to see a more open dialogue about the issue of human trafficking, not only in Cambodia but all around the world. We may not like to admit it, but it’s even a problem in countries like Canada and the U.S. DV: Can you elaborate on the meaning of Coco Rocha for Senhoa’s slogan: Accessorize your Conscience?

CR: Often times, when we treat ourselves to some beautiful purchase, we feel a little guilty [having] spent that money.

But with my Senhoa line, no one has a reason to feel bad for treating themselves or their loved one. All the money goes right back into this amazing program of helping and empowering women who really need it.

DV: Do you believe in altruism?

CR: Definitely! Being around charities like Senhoa and Lakay Pam, I’ve seen so many examples of people giving of their time and funds for no other reason than to improve the lives of those who they would ordinarily have no contact with. For all the horrible and bad things happening in the world, it’s comforting to know that there are those who want to and try to make things better. www.senhoa.org/cocorocha The Q & A with Coco Rocha continues online at www.dolcemag.com

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1. Unearthly Beauty Flower power is at its best. Use Guerlain Meteorites’ Cruel Gardenia pressed powder to lighten your complexion and give your face a soft subtle shimmer. This beautiful bloom is provided in the signature Meteorites Perles case. www.guerlain.com 2. True Colours Protect your hair colour for up to six weeks with Aveda. This treatment has 93 per cent natural ingredients, including green tea antioxidants to ward against harmful environments, and larch tree to seal in your colour. www.aveda.com 3. Kiss and Makeup This delicate pink lipstick has a light sparkle with a touch of gloss. The lightweight and creamy consistency blends sophistication with femininity, all in a lovely colour. Guerlain Rouge G Rose Barbare makes lips soft, smooth and kissable. www.guerlain.com 4. Seeing Eye-to-Eye Create enchanting, enthralling eyes. The Josie Maran Eye Shadow compact includes four complementary eye shadows and one shadow liner for a polished gaze. www.josiemarancosmetics.com 5. Bring May Flowers From the beginning notes to the final scent, Shalimar Initial perfume by Guerlain is an odyssey for the senses. The first breath of citrus becomes floral with iris, jasmine and rose; tonka bean and vanilla make the balance complete. www.guerlain.com

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BRIDAL

BEGINNINGS

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Something borrowed, something blue, start your day with something new!

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PHOTOS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11 BY IMPULSE PHOTOGRAPHY

1. LASTING LOVE Capture fond memories of your special day with images from Impulse Photography. www.impulsephotographyblog.com 2. HALL OF DREAMS Gather friends and family at Embassy Grand for a spectacular celebration. www.infinityeventgroup.ca 3. HAVE A SEAT Leave the legwork to the event décor experts: elegant dressings are key to setting the mood of your reception. www.haveaseat.ca 4. A PETAL FOR HER THOUGHTS Flowers capture the essence of a wedding; ensure your bouquet reflects your theme and personality. www.dizenniofloral.com 5. FACE-TO-FACE Ensure all eyes are on you with bridal makeup by Jackie Gideon. www.jackiegideon.com 6. TIERS OF JOY Bursting with freshness, St. Phillips Bakery’s custom-made wedding cakes are sinfully delicious and beautifully constructed. www.stphillipsbakery.com 7. YOUR MANE MAN It’s your day to shine! Pamper yourself with a Salon Daniel hairstyle. www.salondaniel.ca 8. DREAMSCAPES Decorate with D & D Floral Designs for a complete dream wedding. www.floraldesigns.ca 9. SAY I CHOO Add the finishing touch to your wedding gown with Jimmy Choo sandals. www.net-a-porter.com 10. SWEET DREAMS Cap off the perfect day with luxurious lingerie from Jenny Packham. www.net-a-porter.com 11. TRAIN OF THOUGHT With a sophisticated and glamorous Vera Wang gown, you’ll be the belle of the ball. www.verawang.com 12. SUIT YOURSELF Dress to impress with a bespoke suit from Pal Zileri. cerimonia.palzileri.com

“On the day when all eyes are on you, feeling con³dent and beautiful is something every bride deserves.

Whether your style is classic and traditional, bold and dramtic - it all starts with how your wedding dress makes you feel. And nothing else feels like a Studio Sposa gown.”

- Mary D’Aversa & Mariangela Muia, owners of Studio Sposa

Muscle meets masterpiece.

With its hand-built AMG 518 horsepower bi-turbo V8 engine and AMG sport tuned suspension, the all-new 2012 CLS 63 AMG is quickly out of sight – though never out of mind. Step inside and revel in the hand stitched Nappa leather upholstery, exquisite wood trim and the warm glow of ambient lighting. The all-new 2012 CLS-Class; the original

4-door coupe. Now also available with 4MATIC™ permanent all-wheel drive.1 Visit www.mbbarrie.com Serving our clients for over 30 years. Mercedes Benz Barrie Proud Recipient of the Prestigious Mercedes Benz Canada 2009, 2010, 2011, & 2012 Star Dealer of the Year Award.

© 2011 Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. 1Only available on the CLS 550 4MATIC™.

Mercedes-Benz Barrie, 2440 Doral Drive, (705) 728-1883, (416) 777-2616, mbbarrie.com

*No animals were harmed in the making of this campaign.

We e hav ve the to ools to help p you be eat the odds!

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10449 ISLINGTON AVE. KLEINBURG, ON | 905.893.8100

905.264.6789 • info@webdesignstore.ca

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Á What better way to count down until spring than with Bulgari’s quartz, 18-karat white gold and diamond encrusted watch.

The wait has never looked better. www.bulgari.com

THE SHEER

ELEGANCE OF ALTAROMA SS12 WRITTEN BY CASSANDRA TATONE W

Ï Welcome the new season not with rain boots and umbrellas, but with spring’s prettiest colours.

Dresses in pastel pinks and purples will take any day from showers to flowers. www.tonyward.net

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Ï Don’t be afraid to show off your dark side. While others might be sporting their LBDs, you’ll be drawing attention in this dazzling midnight number. www.tonyward.net

From backyard parties to black-tie affairs Á Warm your winter-worn hearts in fluorescent orange and champagne, a colour combination that sends us sizzling into the next season. www.gattinoni.com

Å A full skirt and barely-there top reveals some skin, but this soft shade keeps it sweet. Tony Ward’s spring collection toys with simple silhouettes, but keeps them looking fresh with playful cutouts and unexpected slits. www.tonyward.net

Á After a long and gloomy winter, bringing colour back into your wardrobe may seem like a difficult task. Start off small, but make a big impact with this Bulgari ring.

Amethyst, 18-karat gold and pavé diamonds will pave the way to sunnier days. www.bulgari.com

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Designers are sewing the seeds for fashion’s most floral season yet. Ë Tony Ward gets daring in his new collection by using spring’s trademark florals. This traditional silhouette is sexier than ever with mesh and sequins. www.tonyward.net Å In this Abed Mahfouz dress, you can be pretty in pink and stay within the decade. While the colour may take you back, the slimming silhouette will keep you looking fresh and modern. www.abedmahfouz.com

Left: Look sophisticated but modern.

The high necklace keeps the top conservative, but the combination of beads and lattice cutouts will make you glamorous, not stuffy. www.camillobona.it Right: Combining the sweetness of flowers with the sophistication of champagne, make this your chicest spring yet. www.gattinoni.com

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y c i p S

RECIPE BY CHEF TONY CAMMALLERI OF PUSATERI’S FINE FOODS

PULLED PORCHETTA AND RAPINE SLIDERS

Pull friends and family together with a revamped, trendy version of a classic Italian recipe.

SERVES 12

PULLED PORK DRY RUB 1 ½ tbsp fennel seed – ground ½ tbsp rosemary – ground 1 tsp chili flakes – crushed 1 tsp coriander – ground 1 tsp oregano – rubbed 1 tsp garlic powder – ground 1 piece pork butt Sea salt & cracked pepper (to taste) 2 cups white wine 4 cups water

1 Combine dry rub ingredients and marinate pork butt overnight 2 Season butt with salt and pepper then place in a roasting pan, along with wine and water 3 Bake covered at 325˚F for 2 ½ hours 4 Uncover and roast another 35 – 40 minutes 5 Allow pork to cool, then pull apart by hand into small strips 6 Strain remaining liquid and reduce in a pan until liquid resembles a gravy 7 Add this liquid to the pulled porchetta

PARMESAN PAN BRIOCHE BUNS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSE MILNS

12 pieces mini buns 2 tbsp butter – melted 2 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano

1 Brush tops of buns with butter and sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano 2 Bake at 375˚F for five minutes or until cheese is golden and melted 3 Let cool and serve with pulled porchetta and rapine dressing.

SPICY PEPPERONCINO WITH RAPINE DRESSING 1 cup sweet pepper – chopped 3 pieces hot chili pepper – cleaned and chopped, seeds removed ¼ cup tomatoes – diced and strained 1 cup rapine – pre-blanched, cooled and chopped 1 tsp sugar 1 tbsp white vinegar Salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp olive oil 1 piece garlic – chopped 2 tbsp onion – chopped

1 2 3 4

With olive oil, sauté onion, then garlic Add red peppers and chili and sauté 1 – 2 minutes Add tomato, sugar and vinegar, and cook on low for 10 – 15 minutes Add rapine and cook for 1 – 2 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.

Ther Th ere’e’e’ss a po er p rkk cra raze aze ze ggoioioing ngg on rir ght ghht no noww inn man anyy hiigghh-e h-e - nd reests au aura rant ra nts,s,s so we we’r’r’re re ma makikik ng a healt eaaltthy veerrsi rssiion wwititth mo m st of th the the fatt rreemo fa move vedd an ve and a ma and mariririna natititing na ting n sau auce cee fre ree ee of B BQ sau auce cess fo ce foun undd un inn t yp ypiciccal pululle lleed po pork rk rec ecipippes es.. We calalll iti a ppulululleleledd poorc rche hettttt a slslididider er.. We er We’rre ad We’r a diding ng a rap apinininee an andd sppiccy pe p pp pper eron er oncicicino n dreess no ssin sinng,g, annd a Pa Parm rmes rm esan es san an-c -cru ruustteedd brir oc oche h bunn for the he h fulu l exxpeeririen e ce en c.

– To T nyy Cam a ma mallllleerri,i, corpo orrpo p ra rate t che te heff at at Pus usat aterri’i’s’s FFiinee Foo at o ds www.pusateris.com | 416.785.9100 www.dolcemag.com

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PSSSST, THE SECRET’S IN ...

MANHATTAN RESTAURANTS AND BARS HAVE GONE UNDERCOVER

PHOTO BY KRISHNA DAYANIDHI

WRITTEN BY MITCHELL DAVIS

The mystique of the Beard House is brightest at night.

“IT’S NOT THAT THEY DON’T WANT YOU, IT’S JUST THAT THEY DON’T WANT TOO MANY OF YOU.” – Mitchell Davis

M

Chefs prepare oysters in the Beard House kitchen.

aybe it’s the logical next step now that the supper club and pop-up restaurant trends have played out. But the secret restaurant and bar is alive and well in the Big Apple. Shhh. Unpublished phone numbers, unmarked entrances – 46

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it’s like Prohibition all over again. Only this time, there’s no danger of a raid.

The fun is good, clean and delicious.

Premium Meats is a Japanese butcher shop by day, known for its rich Kobe beef and other specialties. But at night, patrons hungry for an unexpected www.dolcemag.com

dining experience walk down a hallway past the darkened shop and buzz themselves into Bohemian, a Japanese restaurant with a Mediterraneaninflected menu and an unpublished phone number. It’s not that they don’t want you, it’s just that they don’t want too many of you. The lounge seating

Renowned for his gastronomic ingenuity, the late James Andrew Beard's legacy lives on.

PHOTO BY KEN STEINHOFF

PHOTO BY MITZI MORRIS

PHOTO BY MITZI MORRIS

Menus for Beard House events are set by chefs months in advance.

UNDER-THE-TABLE ADDRESSES BOHEMIAN

and bright lighting make for an unusually authentic Japanese feeling, if only because of its eccentricity.

And the food – garlic shrimp, shiitake salad, tender duck breast, paper-thin slices of that ethereal Kobe beef – is delicious, too.

PHOTO BY DAVID VOGEL

PDT, short for “Please Don’t Tell,” has to be the most famous secret bar in the world (a recent world ranking of influential cocktail bars picked it as number 1.) It’s always been reservations-only, but getting one is just half the challenge. Then you have to find the place. First you walk into Crif Dogs, a divey East Village hot dog joint, and from there you enter an old English phone booth. Lift the receiver to buzz the hostess, and suddenly the back wall of the booth swings open to reveal

Beard House dining room.

master mixologist Jim Meehan’s den.

The cocktails are superb – they make their own bacon bourbon infusion. The thrill of being inside makes your drinks doubly satisfying – need we say more?

Hard to find for a different reason, the clubby restaurant Hudson Clearwater looks like an abandoned construction site when you arrive. That’s because the published address is on Hudson Street, but the real entrance is on Morton, where there is neither a number nor a sign, just a green door that leads to a garden in the back, through which you enter the restaurant. The payoff is the simple, satisfying American fare prepared by chef Wes Long. Think spice-rubbed pork tenderloin and gnocchi with kale and butter clams.

Of course, the best-kept secret in New York is the James Beard Foundation, where I work. In a small townhouse on a quiet, residential block of Greenwich Village, just about every night of the week some great chef from somewhere in the world is cooking a special dinner for 80 guests, and you could be one of them if you call and book in advance.

Why is everything so hush-hush? New Yorker’s love a good meal, but even more, they love to feel like they know something others don’t. The secret’s in and now it’s out. Spread the word. www.dolcemag.com

57 Great Jones Street Unpublished number, but if you go into the butcher shop, they might tell it to you

PDT 113 St. Mark’s Place T: 212. 614.0386

HUDSON CLEARWATER 447 Hudson Street T: 212.989.3255

JAMES BEARD HOUSE 167 W. 12th Street T: 212.675.4984

Mitchell Davis Guest Food Editor Mitchell Davis is the executive vice-president of the James Beard Foundation, a New York-based culinary arts organization dedicated to promoting American cuisine. Davis is a cookbook author and journalist, and hosts the weekly radio show Taste Matters on HeritageRadioNetwork.com. Beard Foundation events are open to everyone; simply visit www.jamesbeard.org to see who’s cooking what when.

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Chef-turned-entrepreneur Scott Conant enjoys an espresso at one of his restaurants, Scarpetta Toronto.

THE PERKS OF

BEING SCOTT CONANT WRITTEN BY SIMONA PANETTA / PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSE MILNS

S

cott Conant is standing in one of his restaurant kitchens, holding an empty espresso cup in one hand while deftly working a Lavazza Blue machine with the other. It doesn’t take very long for the strong, hot coffee to appear in a plentiful stream, the foam lapping the rim of his cup. He keeps it simple: no milk or cream, just a bit of sugar to temper the liquid’s bold taste. His cooking is cut from the same cloth. Preferring his ingredients to stand both independently and collectively, the concept abounds in

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his renowned spaghetti with tomato and basil and creamy polenta dishes. He leaves molecular cooking to someone else. “It comes from a lot of thinking, a lot of listening to [Bob] Dylan, a lot of red wine.”

The American chef is the owner of Toronto’s Scarpetta restaurant (located in the Thompson Hotel), a succession that began in New York and expanded to the cities of Miami Beach, Las Vegas and Beverly Hills from 2008 to 2010. A bit weary after a late night with his staff, Conant is in Toronto to attend TIFF’s Food on Film event before heading back to Manhattan, where he lives with his wife and daughter. For now, he satisfies his mid-morning need for caffeine as he makes his way through the restaurant’s dimly lit hallway in a sharp grey blazer and rugged appearance, one that can easily pass for

www.dolcemag.com

country singer Blake Shelton. He leads the way to a private event room, where a gorgeous table is set. Beyond rests the main dining area, where VIPs enjoy dinner on dark wood tables and booths that curve to form the letter S. “It’s a great feeling to walk in a room and see a balance of clientele, where there’s some older couples, younger couples or young women dining in groups – it’s the clientele that you want to have: diverse, with people open to trying new things.

And, it’s fun.”

Conant is no stranger to a well-heeled crowd. He recalls working at a famed New York City restaurant in the halcyon days of the ’90s, when legendary musicians and actors would dine on authentic Italian fare imported by restaurateur Tony May. “San Domenico really was a special restaurant. Everyone was going there. Madonna would come in sometimes by herself and just have pasta with her bodyguard … Sophia Loren and [Luciano] Pavarotti would show up late night after the shows; Al Pacino would be there. When Barbara Streisand was in the house, you knew it in the kitchen … I’m not sure that that level of celebrity exists in the same way.” Before working as the sous chef at San Domenico, he trained in pastry at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich during a time when the Berlin Wall had just come down and people stood agape at things they’d never laid sight on.

“People would look at products and say, ‘I’ve never seen a pineapple before.’

It was unbelievable to experience those things through their eyes,” says Conant, who now combines the tropical fruit in the coconut panna cotta dessert at Scarpetta Toronto. www.dolcemag.com

“IT’S A GREAT FEELING TO WALK IN A ROOM AND SEE A BALANCE OF CLIENTELE, WHERE THERE’S SOME OLDER COUPLES, YOUNGER COUPLES OR YOUNG WOMEN DINING IN GROUPS – IT’S THE CLIENTELE YOU WANT TO HAVE.” DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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Italian hometown in the province of Benevento, observing ingredients and culinary philosophies that are reflected in his modern approach to Italian food. Although she passed away when he was young, the confidence of his maternal grandmother still captivates him, with images of her making pasta as she entertained guests still dancing in his head. While he’s careful not to label himself as successful, his innate entrepreneurial abilities continue to keep flutes overflowing and appetites sated.

Leading a succession of restaurants, the host of 24 Hour Restaurant Battle and author of three cookbooks feels the heat.

“I feel more often than not that I’m under a microscope.”

The chef-turned-entrepreneur first shot to foodie fame in the early 2000s with high-end eateries L’Impero and Alto. But even delicious food and great reviews from New York’s most critical food columnists couldn’t keep him from forks in the road. Financially strapped, he would use his roommate’s share of rent to pay his staff. “Taking care of the people who make it happen: there’s nothing more important than that. If it means I get less, I get less, if it means I get an eviction letter on my apartment, I still get to do what I love every day.”

Conant relates to an idea brought about by chef Anthony Bordain, who likens the kitchen to a ship where cooks live as pirates that live up to a certain set of rules. The rent situation was decidedly his lowest point, one where he proved his loyalty to an industry he learned on his own. “I wasn’t the cook who came up working under David Bouley or Thomas Keller or Jean Georges …

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everything that I wanted to do, I wanted to make sure that it came from me, [that] it didn’t come from elsewhere, and if it did come from elsewhere, there was a filter that became mine, that way it’s inspired, it’s not exact. I’ve had people who’ve helped me, but I don’t think there is one person that I could put my successes on and say, ‘it’s because of this person,’” says Conant, who is also the owner of D.O.C.G Enoteca at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Of his days at San Domenico, owner Tony May, who now heads SD26, recalls the disposition of his former employee.

“Scott was a very aggressive, ambitious individual, and I think he’ll go a lot farther than where he is now.”

Born in Connecticut on Feb. 19, 1971, Conant’s earliest memories of food are rooted in his beginnings. He began cooking at 11 and attended the Culinary Institute of America at 18. He often returns to his mother’s www.dolcemag.com

It’s hard to decipher whether the caffeine has settled into his system or it’s just the energy emitted from a multitasking chef, but it seems as though Conant will at any moment spring from his chair for a round of push-ups. Author of two cookbooks (he’s currently working on his third, a guide for young chefs), host of 24 Hour Restaurant Battle (Food Network Canada) and recurrent judge on Chopped, he admittedly feels the everyday prickle of judgment himself. “I feel more often than not that I’m under a microscope.” He battles everyday scrutiny by doing what he does best: remaining acutely aware of his identity and faithful to the visions he sets forth for his restaurants.

“Soulfulness, the mood, the ambience, the textural things: these are really important to be able to do something that, at its very core – at its essence – is savouring things to the last bite. Hence the name ‘Scarpetta’ – the swipe on a plate what a piece of bread would do: fare la Scarpetta – I put that in place as a constant reminder that this is what it’s all about.” www.scottconant.com

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PHOTO BY SHANNON ROSS / MAKE-UP BY MAUREEN GREENSTEIN

Nancy Pencer, president of Pencer Brain Trust, in her Parisian-inspired Windsor Arms Hotel penthouse.

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www.dolcemag.com

NANCY PENCER

PILLAR OF STRENGTH:

From the top storey of the Windsor Arms Hotel to the peak of Princess Margaret Hospital, social butterfly Nancy Pencer reaches new heights in her campaign for brain cancer research.

WRITTEN BY MADELINE STEPHENSON

Against the backdrop of Toronto’s telling skyline, she reflects on the unorthodox first encounter that sparked a series of spontaneous events. The date was March 19, 1966, a week before her 19th birthday. “We met on a

PHOTO BY SHANNON ROSS

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ourteen years have passed since Nancy Pencer lost her husband. “I never thought that I would not grow old with him,” she says, just two days before the anniversary of Gerald Pencer’s death. Her eyes carefully hold tears captive, and as she pauses to swallow and take a deep breath, you can hear it. Sitting on a crème loveseat in the angelically white drawing room of her Windsor Arms Hotel penthouse, Pencer is surrounded by meaningful mementos that the former president and CEO of Cott Corporation left behind.

From Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris’s landscape pieces, to contemporary icon Alex Katz’s “Ruth”, Gerry’s revered works are now abstract displays of affection worth thousands of words. The most poignant perhaps, is a portrait of Andy Warhol by Canadian artist Philip Iverson, which hangs on a wall directly across from her.

For reasons she can’t explain, Pencer was drawn to the painting when she eyed it a charity auction in 2006.

After purchasing it, she was told that the artist had died a month earlier from brain cancer, an illness she’s become intimately familiar with since a form of it took her husband’s life and put her on a mission to carry out his legacy as president of The Gerry and Nancy Pencer Brain Trust.

blind double-date, except he was with my friend and I was with his friend, and we kind of hit it off and then that was it. Three months later we were engaged,” says the Montreal native. Gerry’s big dreams and bullish outlook towards business and life impressed Pencer, who had just graduated high school and was working at a doctor’s office as a nurse’s assistant at the time. “He always took risks and it was exciting to be with him …

[When] I met Gerry my whole world just changed and evolved, he was a very special man.”

Gerry’s roll-the-dice temperament took the pair and their three kids, Stacey, Holly and Clarke, from Montreal to Calgary, where he transformed a Honda dealership into Financial Trustco Capital Ltd., a $2 billion financial www.dolcemag.com

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PHOTO BY SHANNON ROSS

“I ALWAYS KNEW THAT GERRY WAS GOING TO BOUNCE BACK BECAUSE HE HAD A LOT OF CHALLENGES IN HIS LIFE BUSINESS WISE, AND HE JUST PICKED UP THE PIECES AND HE CARRIED ON.” – Nancy Pencer

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services firm that eventually brought the family to Toronto when the resounding sounds of fluid business signalled expansion. Risks are often rewarding, but not always, and in Gerry’s case, the stock market crash of 1987 forced him to step aside. “I always knew that Gerry was going to bounce back because he had a lot of challenges in his life business wise, and he just picked up the pieces and he carried on. When the stock market crashed, he really took it much harder than any other time, any other challenge, and it took him about a year to pull himself together and

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then he went into Cott, which was his father’s company.”

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t was at Cott that Gerry had some of his best and worst days. When he stepped in as chairman and CEO of the private label soft drink manufacturer in 1988, it was a little known company with a barely-there share price. He immediately began building relationships with retailers and remodelled it into a billion-dollar, internationally recognized brand. “He just took the company up and it was unbelievable,” says Pencer. She goes

on to recall the spring of 1997, when an ominous cloud suddenly overshadowed his triumphs in business. “He was in the middle of negotiating a multi-million dollar deal and he developed a seizure.

I was working at Cott at the time doing their HR work, and he came into my office and said, ‘Something is wrong, let’s go home.’” A few days later, he was diagnosed with grade IV glioblastoma multiforme, a malignant brain tumour that grows rapidly and would require awake-brain surgery, followed by intensive radiation treatment and chemotherapy. Pencer was stunned.

They returned home from the doctor’s office to break the news to the family.

“Everybody was kind of in shock and crying. His first words were: ‘Don’t feel sorry for me, I’ve had a wonderful life, I’ve lived 104 years in 52 years.’”

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hat the Pencer’s discovered through Gerry’s aggressive condition is that there wasn’t much information or support for patients with brain tumours. Their wealth was not a barometre of the care he’d receive in this arena, and their ability to travel anywhere in the world brought them right back to Toronto. “I went on the Internet a lot and, you know, I went on support groups and things like that, but really there was nowhere to go, to turn, and Gerry decided in his visionary way that whether he got better or whether he died he didn’t care, he was going to open a brain tumour centre at Princess Margaret Hospital,” she says, highlighting the $4 million pledge he made to fund The Gerry and Nancy Pencer Brain Tumor Centre. Though he didn’t live to see it open in November 1998, Gerry is survived by a legacy that has risen to become Canada’s largest, most active multidisciplinary centre for patients with brain tumours in the world, treating more than 150 people weekly. Through his role as the facility’s medical director, Gerry’s neuro oncologist Dr. Warren Mason has made groundbreaking contributions in his field, and has witnessed the profound impacts. “If he had been diagnosed with the same disease today, he would have had a different outcome. I know so. He was on the cusp, it was just before we made some very significant

breakthroughs … what he did has help us to contribute to really making a difference for people,” he says, from the 18th floor of Princess Margaret Hospital.

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erry’s end is where Pencer’s philanthropic journey began.

She immediately picked up where he left off, and has been vigorously fundraising for the centre through Pencer Brain Trust, a not-forprofit foundation aimed at improving quality of life for brain tumour patients.

“Nancy’s a lovely woman, she’s very kindhearted and she’s genuine,” says Dr. Mason, who saw Pencer yesterday at a board meeting. “Gerry died fourteen years ago this week and the family is as involved as ever,” he adds. It’s her responsibility, she says, to carry out his legacy. She does it the best way she knows how: generating a buzz, rallying supporters and throwing parties that increase awareness and consistently end up in the papers. It’s a role she wears well. “I’m the person who raises the money!” she says in response to her informal job description.

Pencer Brain Trust’s annual spring gala is considered one of the hottest tickets in Toronto, with guests and sponsors topping 1,000 and annual net-proceeds averaging $500,000. Each elaborate soiree has a distinct theme, from Circus to South Beach, and has raised more than $5 million in the last decade. Her relentless approach to fundraising is palpable, even in this very moment. “I want to plug that we’re having our event at Liberty Grand on May 30th. This year the theme is rock!” she unfalteringly says, of the imminent gala, which will feature rock icon Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Pencer’s golden hair and quintessential bangs pop against her dark Givenchy blazer, and her hot pink J Brand jeans somehow seem demure, more like a muted blue, when worn by such a vibrant personality. A personality precisely fit for the assured nature of fundraising.

The milky marble floors that cover Pencer’s apartment have been the platform of many public and private affairs that stretch across dozens of www.dolcemag.com

causes, including the much-written and raved about dinner she hosted in 2006 to raise money for The National Ballet of Canada’s production of Petrouchka. “We admire our mother’s grace, class and charm; her empathy toward others is also amazing,” says Holly Pencer-Bellman, who’s taken initiative as a Brain Trust officer, along with her sister, Stacey Cynamon. Robin Turack can attest to this. It was a tragic turn of events that brought the fellow fundraiser in contact with Pencer, which led to a deep connection. “I’ll never forget the day she picked up the phone to call me when my daughters Sydney and Sammi created the Blue Brain Bracelet to raise money for The Gerry and Nancy Pencer Brain Tumor Centre, where my late husband Fred was getting his treatment. Her empathy and compassion for our circumstances was so authentic,” says Turack, adding that Pencer was the first person to visit after her husband died and was often seen stacking 10 bracelets at a time on one wrist.

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week from now, Pencer will be taking a break to travel to India with her partner Michael Benjamin, president of Benjamin’s Park Memorial Chapel, who she was introduced to nearly nine years ago and connected with over both having lost their spouse. “I try and live in the moment, and that’s something that I’ve learned by going to India. It’s interesting that the people there, you know, there’s very poor and there’s middle-class, and the very poor, you can’t even feel sorry for them because they’re always smiling and they’re just happy with what they have and they don’t know any other way, so I’ve had a very spiritual experience every time I’ve gone there,” she says.

Before Gerry died, he wrote a memoir called The Ride of My Life, where he penned his journey post-diagnosis. “If my life has taught me anything, it’s that what may seem to be the worst tragedy or mistake can turn out to have positive implications,” he wrote. Pencer seems to have taken these words to heart. www.pencerbraintrust.com.

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BILL DAVIDSON

Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Harley-Davidson Museum takes guests on a ride through the past of one of the most iconic names in motorcycling.

AND THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON LEGACY

BILL DAVIDSON TAKES THE SCENIC ROUTE DOWN A ROAD HIS GREAT-GRANDFATHER PAVED. WRITTEN BY TAMMY BURNS WITH INTERVIEW FILES FROM MICHAEL HILL

arley-Davidson. It’s one of those iconic brands that needs little introduction, with its instantly recognizable black and orange logo that conjures up images of open roads, leather jackets and the blissful freedom of riding in the open breeze. Ask anyone who owns a Harley-Davidson, and they’ll likely tell you they own more than just a motorcycle – they own a lifestyle, an experience and the history of a brand that has been respected for more than a century. And that’s exactly the mood Bill Davidson wants to share with the world in his role as vice-president of the Harley-Davidson Museum and Factory Tours, a position he took on in 2010 after acting as the company’s vice-president of core customer marketing. “Whenever you throw a leg over the seat of a Harley-Davidson – whether it’s for one mile or 500 miles – that experience is going to bring you exhilaration,” says Davidson. “It’s just a phenomenal experience.”

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Davidson should know. After all, he’s the great-grandson of the company’s co-founder, Arthur Davidson, so you could say motorcycles are in his blood – although he admits that wasn’t always the case. “When I was growing up, I really didn’t know the connection,” he says. “I was surrounded constantly by motorcycles and I knew my dad and my grandfather and my uncle worked for Harley, but I didn’t really make the connection that my last name was on the tank of a very famous motorcycle.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY

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1 1 A varied collection of bikes flies off a large ramp at one of the museum’s many exhibits. 2 Bill Davidson, great-grandson of co-founder Arthur Davidson, and vice-president of the Harley-Davidson Museum and Factory Tours. 3 The four founders of Harley-Davidson, from left to right: Arthur Davidson, William Harley, Walter Davidson and William Davidson. 4 The four founders stand in front of the original Harley-Davidson workshop.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY ARCHIVES

But as Davidson grew, he became more enamoured with the motorcycle culture that is his family’s legacy and, by the time he was 14, he had decided he would one day join the world-renowned company that bears his name. He came on-board in 1984, and is now a Harley-Davidson aficionado himself, owning 13 motorcycles that are ready to ride at an instant. He sounds physically pained when asked which is his favourite, as a parent trying to choose his or her favourite child. “If I had to absolutely choose one, it would be my 1990 Fat Boy.” That passion shines through when Davidson talks about the museum as well, where he’s on a mission to convey that same sense of wonderment with Harley-Davidson fans around the world. “Our museum is a world-class treasure chest, filled with memorabilia that is truly depicting 109 years of an iconic brand,” he says. “It’s much more than a nostalgia trip for motorcycle enthusiasts or gear heads. It really provides a look into American history, art, pop culture – and many times like you’ve never seen it before.”

COPYRIGHT HARLEY-DAVIDSON

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“I DIDN’T REALLY MAKE THE CONNECTION THAT MY LAST NAME WAS ON THE TANK OF A VERY FAMOUS MOTORCYCLE.” – BILL DAVIDSON

The museum houses a vast collection of one-of-a-kind Harley-Davidson motorcycles, such as the famous Serial Number One – the first motorcycle www.dolcemag.com

the company produced. There’s also the world’s largest collection of unrestored Harley-Davidsons, each one exactly as it was the day it came off the assembly line, and customized bikes that Davidson says are more like works of art than vehicles. Plus, there’s Harley-Davidson memorabilia, including meeting notes and advertising brochures, posters and billboards dating back to the company’s humble turn-of-the-century beginnings. And that’s just a glimmer of the history that lives on; Davidson says the museum currently only has five per cent of what it owns on display, allowing for continually rotating exhibits.

But it’s more than the history that gets under the skin of HarleyDavidson fans, and it’s something that can’t be summed up in a museum. “There’s the sense of the open road, the freedom. When you’re on a motorcycle, nature and your surroundings are exaggerated – the sights, the smells, the sounds – and that’s a great experience to ride and see the wonderful scenery and beauty that we all have around us.” www.harley-davidson.com DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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hen it comes to naming heavy metal luxury rides, usually the big Mercedes S-Class, followed by the BMW 7-series, comes to mind. These two heavy hitters, especially the S-Class, have established themselves in the upper ranks as preferred choices in the prestige class. The Audi A8 usually comes after a slight pause. Why is that? Brand heritage, or perhaps lack of awareness?

It’s only lately that Audi has been making huge inroads into the luxury market, and now more so into the upper premium segments with the fabulous mid-engined R8 supercar and the A8 luxury flagship. Perhaps it was the overachieving “I want to play in the big leagues” VW Phaeton that tried to compete within the family that drew attention away from the wonderfully engineered A8. That’s another story altogether. The Audi A8 that was one 58

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WRITTEN BY D.T.

of the first to market with a hightech, lightweight, all-aluminum body structure that kept its weight within reasonable numbers. This was on the firstgeneration A8 launched in the mid-90s. Being constructed of aluminum brings benefits in The clean design of the A8’s V-8 engine may look reserved, but its acceleration, braking, cornering 372-horsepower will take you from 0 – 100 kilometres per hour in and fuel economy, not to under six seconds. mention engineering bragging rights. The downside is the high costs of material, assembly and four driven wheels with ease when the driver demands hard acceleration. development.

Audi lists the 0 – 100 kilometres New last year, the third-generation per hour acceleration time as a brisk Audi A8 boasts a highly sophisticated 5.7 seconds. This is impressive for platform with adaptive air suspension a large and heavy luxury sedan. and the renowned Quattro permanent Those who crave more performance all-wheel-drive system.

This can step up to the 12-cylinder A8 ensures all-weather capability and with its 6.3-litre engine putting out a handling performance. It also helps mind-boggling 500-hp. Acceleration to put the immense power from the times are now in the big leagues, 372-horsepower V-8 engine to the where the big Mercedes S63 and S65 www.dolcemag.com

PHOTOS BY AUDI OF AMERICA

AUDI A8

UNDERSTATED FULL-SIZE LUXURY IS THE AUDI A8’S ACE IN THE HOLE.

AMGs, Porsche Panameras and Aston Martin Rapides play. Its $172,000 price tag also ensures exclusivity.

While we’re getting ahead of ourselves with giddy performance numbers of the W-12 powered Audi A8, the mainstay model is the V-8-engined standard grade, which also carries a hefty $99,700 entry fee. Soon to be released will be a supercharged V-6-powered model that shares its engine with the mid-size A6 sedan.

When it comes to esthetics, the A8’s handsome and stylish body casts a strong street presence. The crisp lines and bold front grille is unmistakable Audi design, and ties the styling theme with the rest of the sedans in Audi’s vehicle lineup. An intriguing styling piece of the A8 is the optional full LED front headlamp design that looks sinister in appearance. When lit, the LEDs give the A8 a sophisticated, high-tech nighttime look that is the envy of its competitors. A choice of large diameter wheels, ranging from 19 – 20 inches in various attractive designs also helps to dress up the exterior.

It’s inside what truly counts. Even without all the fancy gadgets and conveniences, the cabin design earns top marks in esthetics. The styling of the dash, door panels, supple leather coverings and top-grade materials, especially the wood trim, is worth the price of entry. High attention to detail is worthy of close inspection, as the fit and finish is beyond reproach.

An interesting piece is the specially shaped gear lever handle in leather, chrome and aluminum. Seating, particularly for rear occupants, brings opulence to new heights as the comfort level is something to behold. If more rear seat legroom is needed, the A8 is also available as a long wheelbase model with an additional five inches of legroom. It’s the perfect isolation chamber to spend hours in, whether in gridlock traffic or long-distance road trips. A must-have feature is the available Bang and Olufsen premium sound system, which can pump up to 1,400 watts of audio power through its 19 speakers. Watching movies or listening to a DVD audio disc is an experience one won’t forget. Crisp, crystal-clear highs and groundpounding bass notes will never sound the same in other audio systems.

The menacing glare from the A8’s optional LED headlamps adds a welcomed element of aggression to its otherwise handsome design.

The full-size Audi A8 is definitely making its mark in the prestige arena, thanks to its sophistication in the areas of styling, technology, engineering and, especially, cabin design, which takes first-class travel to new heights.

GENERAL SPECS. AUDI

A8 FOUR-DOOR SEDAN

Engine: Transmission: Drive train: Acceleration, 0 – 100km/h: Fuel economy L/100km: Pricing:

372-hp 4.2-Litre V-8 8-speed Tiptronic Automatic Quattro permanent All-Wheel-Drive 5.7 / 4.4 sec (V-8 / W12 model) City / Hwy – 12.0 / 7.9 A8: $99,700 • A8 Premium model: $103,700 A8 L – Long wheelbase model: $106,700 • A8 W12: $172,000

www.dolcemag.com

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The Maserati races from Cadiz, Spain to San Salvador in the Bahamas.

MASERATI SETS SPEED RECORD AT SEA WRITTEN BY NEWMAN MALLON WITH INTERVIEW FILES FROM MICHAEL HILL

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or most, spending nearly 11 days at sea navigating choppy Atlantic waters in a 70-foot sailboat would feel like an eternity. The mere thought of it would likely bring butterflies to our stomachs. But for seasoned sailors like Giovanni Soldini and Brad Van Liew, nerves are never a question.

Along with six other crew members, they took to the high seas aboard the Maserati, a completely-overhauled 70-foot racing yacht (formerly known as the Ericsson 3 VO70), and established the first record for a monohull yacht sailing the 3,884-mile (just over 6,250-kilometre) trip from Cadiz, Spain to San Salvador island in the Bahamas, the route originally taken

by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

The Maserati boat is named after the automobile brand, which financially backs its missions.

Apprehension, solitude and loneliness were not a major concern for these hardened sailors. Contacting Dolce via the vessel’s satellite phone, Soldini, the skipper, explains how being in the middle of the ocean on a journey of this significance can really be rather pleasant. “Seven days at sea is not a problem for us and I’m out with friends so it’s very nice,” says the veteran seafarer, who’s also raced solo around the world multiple times.

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Sailing since he was a kid, skipper Giovanni Soldini takes the helm while watch leader Brad Van Liew acts as lookout.

The Maserati crew runs a tight ship.

Van Liew, one of two watch leaders, adds, “If you’re well-prepared and with people you trust, it can actually be quite enjoyable. You actually feel pretty special because you are seeing things that many people can’t see.

But when things start going bad or the weather is extraordinarily bad, then you start feeling isolated.” Like Soldini, Van Liew is no stranger to long ocean excursions, sailing around the world on his own three times.

While records on the route have previously been set by large trimarans, it’s never been done on a boat of this size. They finished the journey on Feb. 13, 2012, with a time set of 10 days, 23 hours, 9 minutes and 2 seconds. In comparison, it took Columbus about five weeks, although he also spent another four weeks in the Canary Islands due to calm winds, repairs and a refit.

Even though there was no record to beat, the crew was still serious about posting a competitive measure. “Our passion is to go as fast as possible,” says Soldini.

“If we can keep the boat in one piece,” says Van Liew, “I’d be surprised if this record didn’t stand for a considerable www.dolcemag.com

amount of time.” The weather had been quite favourable at the time of the call, and thanks to these conditions, Van Liew feels their time could possibly hold for a decade. Due to the logistics, expense of putting a team and boat together, and, because of weather and wind patterns, there’s only a brief window when a legitimate attempt could be made each year.

Van Liew explains the top speed for the boat is about 35 knots, and that they were able to push it to 33 knots at one point. “That’s about the point that things start to feel like they are going to explode,” he says. In fact, due to violent winds, one spinnaker sail did explode. Boris Herrmann, the second watch leader, had also cracked a rib when a large wave slammed him against a winch – both reminders of the ocean’s colossal power.

The Maserati and crew will also try to set two other records this year, one, a trip from Miami to New York, and the other, from New York to Cape Lizard in the United Kingdom. Along the way, they will attempt to beat the 24-hour speed record of 593.23 nautical miles, or an average of 24 knots per hour. maserati.soldini.it

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Custom real estate projects require personalized care and extreme attention to detail. That’s why the father/son developers of King Station have distinguished themselves by slowing down in a seemingly fast-paced market, concentrating solely on 15 clients a year in a development that will eventually consist of 83 luxury homes ranging in size from 3,000 – 6,000 sq. ft. “We don’t mass produce homes. The home is built for a very discerning buyer, someone who pays a little bit more attention to the detail and the construction process,” says Tony Pontiero, who works alongside his builder father, Walter Pontiero.

As a longtime resident of King City, Walter, who’s been creating custom homes and commercial structures for

Attention to detail is apparent in every home this father-son team produce.

Tony Pontiero and his father Walter Pontiero stand behind their latest project, King Station.

‘‘We don’t mass produce homes. The home is built for a very discerning buyer, someone who pays a little bit more attention to the detail and the construction process.’’

– Tony Pontiero

30 years, puts an emphasis on architecturally distinct character and high-quality materials and finishes (imported tiles, gourmet kitchens with custom cabinetry, granite, quartz, and more). King Station’s green, ravinebacking lots capture the charm of www.dolcemag.com

a community in close proximity to equestrian farms, golf courses, restaurants and transportation. “It’s just ourselves and our crews; it’s very personal. It’s a very different experience,” says Tony. www.kingstation.ca DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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A TALE OF

TWO TRUMPS

THE UNFORGETTABLE STOREYS OF A REAL-ESTATE SUPER BRAND UNVEIL CONTEMPORARY VISIONS OF LUXURY. one are the days of butlers and boudoirs – modern luxury has just moved in. With a vast portfolio of residential and retail projects that span the globe with big-city attention, the Trump brand arguably continues to emote luxury in all its forms. The Trump Hotel Collection, which includes locations in Toronto and New York City, is one of its latest works to dominate the skylines of cities searching for five-star luxury with downtown cool, juxtaposing its penchant for heights with interiors that parallel the location and community in which they reside. Replacing gold trimmings and diamonds with imported crystal and raw materials, the series of sumptuous stays redefine the telltale 62

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symbols of luxury: a concept real estate mogul Donald Trump has monopolized for years. This subdued approach to extravagance found at the Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto and Trump SoHo Hotel is spearheaded by his children, Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric – a generation of developers who relate to the needs of today’s modern customer. Along with sophisticated spaces that feel more home than hotel, properties such as Trump Toronto and Trump SoHo provide elegant valet service and the trademarked touch of the 24-hour Trump Attaché program, an unprecedented service that captures the preferences of each guest immediately and instinctively. The Trump devotion to reaching new heights is palpable in a field where real-estate super brands are few-and-far between. www.dolcemag.com

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL & TOWER TORONTO Toronto’s skyline now has a residential building to look up to – the highly anticipated Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto. Soaring to 60 storeys at the corners of Bay and Adelaide streets, the mixed-use skyscraper of steel stone and spire resonates luxury and business in Canada’s financial capital. “The Trump name is known for the best addresses … there is no better match at that specific location, and we’re very excited about it,” says general manager Mickael Damelincourt.

Catering to a wide range of clientele, which includes buyers from Canada and Europe, Trump Hotel offers 261 rooms and condo suites, with 118 private residences that sit above the hotel. According to Damelincourt, 80

PHOTO 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 TRUMP SOHO HOTEL CONDOMINIUM NEW YORK PHOTO 1, 4, 5, 9 TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL AND TOWER TORONTO

WRITTEN BY SIMONA PANETTA

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8 per cent of the hotel has been sold, and about 65 per cent of the residential units have been purchased. “You’re looking at people who are buying an address in Toronto. They are buying the hotel’s amenities, but on the other end, they want intimacy; they don’t want to be living in a hotel.” Services include a spa and fitness facility and saltwater infinity pool, steak and seafood at Stock Restaurant & Bar, and 12,000 squarefeet of meeting space. “The design is caviar and champagne, so you see a lot of brightness and darkness – it’s the people in the building that are going to bring the colour.” www.trumptoronto.ca TRUMP SOHO HOTEL CONDOMINIUM NEW YORK Journeying across the streets of New York’s second-most expensive zip code, I ask my cab driver if we’re anywhere near the Trump Hotel Soho. With fingers

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pointing upwards he says, “See that tall building there? That’s it.” Towering over the community of SoHo, a bohemian area in lower Manhattan known for its artistic soul, attic apartments and boutique shopping, the luxury skyscraper brings the outside in with loft-inspired designs and an earthy palette by Rockwell Group. A visit to The Trump at Spa reveals the city’s only luxury hammam experience, inspired by Ivanka Trump’s visits to Turkey. The cleansing ritual involves a heated marble stone, where I lay as a therapist detoxifies me with alternating splashes of cold and hot water, and bubble body wrap made with traditional soap.

Brimming with contemporary cool and celebrity guest stays, the condo-hotel houses 391 guest rooms and suites with Taschen books and Fendi Casa furnishings. Standing tall at 46 storeys, www.dolcemag.com

rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows offer a breathtaking landscape of iconic monuments, which include the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the Chrysler Building. “Sophistication, quality and luxury are the cornerstones of the Trump brand. At Trump SoHo, we envisioned a modern translation of these concepts,” says Ivanka, who, along with her brothers, executed the 2010 venture with building-owner Alex Sapir and development partner Bayrock Group LLC. With only 12 rooms per floor, the sleek, sexy Trump Soho affords an intimate, turnkey experience for international buyers.

“My father has worked very hard to build such a successful empire, and my brothers and I intend on continuing his work.” www.trumpsoho.com DOLCE VITA MAGAZINE

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63

horoscope

WRITTEN BY RICHARD RAVENHAWKE

Stars

ARIES

Tennis star Maria Sharapova turns 25 on April 19.

Mar 21 – Apr 19

Don’t let your past influence your future. Just like physical hoarding can clog our environment, emotional hoarding can block opportunities if we continue to carry what we no longer need. Temptation may surface, but in the end, it is you who holds the power. Let go of the past and all who are from it – it is time for a new dawn. second wind and give it one last sprint. It is time to believe in yourself.

TAURUS

Apr 20 – May 20 Choose your business opportunities wisely and think things through carefully. Will you choose the high road or the easiest avenue? Are you up for a bigger challenge which means more work? Or are you ready to take the road that is easier for a change? It is all a matter of perspective and what is important to you.

GEMINI

May 21 – Jun 20 Watch for a residential move or an issue surrounding property in the near future. There may be some unexpected changes or opportunities that come your way. Make sure you look at them each individually before making a final decision. Sometimes it’ too easy to jump at something that looks good on the outside.

CANCER

Jun 21 – Jul 21 It is time to rock the boat and shake things up a bit on the romantic scene. Meat and potatoes are good, but when indulged every day, they can get a little boring.

Add some spice, change up your recipe, or eat the dessert first for a change! Only you can create this change, but once you do, you will be rewarded in many ways.

LEO

Jul 22 – Aug 22 If you plan carefully and play your cards correctly over the next little while, you could be close to reaching your goal. It has been a long road, and all of your hard work is beginning to pay off – if you can just find your 64

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VIRGO Aug 23 – Sept 22 You have new helpers coming up to help you on your quest. There are also some old and existing eyes that are beginning to look on you with favour. You need to keep going on your present path and hold your head high. It always helps to know that we are showing ourselves in a good light to our peers and associates.

LIBRA

Sept 23 – Oct 22 It could be a time of alternative options, unexpected surprises and unplanned changes. If you keep your eyes open and your ears to the ground, all will work out well. It is not a time, however, to depend on the present path that may have seemed the obvious one to take. In the words of the late John Lennon: “Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans.”

SCORPIO

Oct 23 – Nov 21 There is light at the end of the tunnel regarding finance. You just need to be consistent and attentive to where everything is going. Slow and steady is what wins the race. We all remember the infamous story of the tortoise and the hare. Don’t be quick to jump ahead.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov 22 – Dec 21 There is a play in progress, and you are the star! It is time to believe in yourself and put your best foot www.dolcemag.com

forward. There may be opportunities coming your way that give you the chance you have been waiting for to really move ahead. Only you can make the final decision that will enable you to reach your full potential.

CAPRICORN

Dec 22 – Jan 19 A lot of your past struggles may now appear like they are slipping behind you, as you let go of the last strings that tie you to them. Move forward with new opportunities and people. Spice things up a bit and maybe plan a vacation while you are at it. It would be a good time to focus on romance and changes that are coming up on the home front.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 – Feb 18 It could be a time of harvesting. Lady Luck will be on your side if you take your time and play your cards right. There is a Sagittarius figure that may be able to offer some advice or assistance if you feel that you are at a crossroads, and it may be a good time to listen. Be decisive and all will work out in your favour.

PISCES

Feb 19 – Mar 20 Has it been all work and no play lately? Make time for a much-needed break from everything. Whether it’s a few days to hide from the world with a good book or a lengthy vacation, you need to rest and recoup your energies. Those around you will benefit from your input once you return.

Richard Ravenhawke 416.898.HAWK (4295) richardravenhawke@yahoo.com

PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS WHITESIDE FOR TAG HEUER

LOOKto the

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Unexpect the Expected . . .

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EN POINTE

WITH

TANYA HOWARD A BALLERINA’S

ANSWER TO BANALITY.

“What I love about the ballet world is it’s an escape. I would love for people to come and just not really see things the way they do – just sitting in traffic and seeing life go by – but just take a break from all of that and come to the ballet and see fantasy and love and sadness and desire and theatricality in a way that is so not everyday,” says Howard, first soloist with The National Ballet of Canada.

The idea of waking up every morning, slipping into intricately designed costumes day after day and performing in front of audiences that are in awe of your every move sound like a midsummer night’s dream come true. While Howard agrees that the craft she cultivated as a young 66

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IF YOU’RE “DOING

SOMETHING NEW, [YOU MAY] TEND TO GET A LITTLE NERVOUS, BUT YOU CAN CHANNEL THAT IN A GOOD WAY.

“

e’ve all been there. Compressed on a subway car, mourning over the morning news, late for work, again. The mundane, the banal, the ‘everyday.’ It’s everything Tanya Howard aims to eliminate with each mind-bending plié. And she does so with the poetic pull of a playwright whose stories she tells without making a peep.

PHOTO BY SIAN RICHARDS

WRITTEN BY MADELINE STEPHENSON

child growing up in South Africa is ultra-rewarding, she makes a strong point to liken the rhythms and fl ows of ballet to the tempos found in all vocations. “Personally, I think that’s what’s most shocking about our job, is how sort of structured it is in the same way that your job or my husband’s job would be. Things need to happen at a certain time, and your rapport, how you come dressed to the rehearsal, what your attitude would be walking into a meeting … there are lots of similarities,” she says.

Howard, whose been with The National Ballet of Canada for 13 years and is currently dancing in the company’s productions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Romeo and Juliet, places emphasis on how we get up after we fall. “I think how you recover in the moment is more what I would get upset about,” says Howard. “If you’re doing something new, [you may] tend to get a little nervous, but you can channel that in a good way and use that as excitement and to push yourself to rise to the occasion.” www.national.ballet.ca

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