Signed lower left, recto 22 x 29 in (55 9 x 73 7 cm )
Depiction of a natural Australian landscape
Courtesy of Drax Fine Art
F I N E A R T X d r
For more information, please contact Giavanna Mattera at giavanna@draxfineart com
Jacqueline Balassa
Drax Digest is published monthly by Drax Publishing, LLC.
To-go cups, 20-minute lunch breaks, plastic-laden wrapping, fast food, and artificial ingredients are just a few things plaguing our relationship with food in a world where profit takes precedence over health for corporations. Neon orange, coated with sugar and stuffed with artificial flavors—can we really call it food anymore?
Food is one of life’s greatest pleasures—the single greatest pleasure in my book, second only to perhaps sleep. Food is a beautiful community catalyst, attracting people from backgrounds, generations, ethnicities, orientations, values, and pasts. Not only is food glue of community and family, but it is also supposed to be a source of nourishment, wellness, and vitality. In the messy divorce between us and the food we eat, will we ever gain custody of our autonomy and right to healthy food that is safe for us, our bodies, children, and our families?
Publisher Editor
Featured Writer
Michael Ennis Eleonora Fogg
Julia Healey
Don’t hesitate to contact us with your ideas for future issues at eleonora@svvl.net!
Unfortunately, many families turn to these ”foods” out of necessity and lack access healthy alternatives. At Drax, we are doing our part to change that narrative. With many our entities actively working to provide people with safe, delicious, and nutrient-dense food, we also make a point of sharing our excess with local food banks and people in need.
In this issue, we bring you a fresh new summer recipe and some insights into development of collaborations between Bread Story, Burr Hall Farm, Wellness+ Studio, and the brand new Drax Marketplace on supplying our communities with healthy, fresh transitioning-to-organic produce, honey, artisanal French bread, and revitalizing tea.
I hope you enjoy this edition, perhaps while enjoying a Bread Story croissant and a mug Vitality tea with honey from Burr Hall Farm, and take the time to really taste and enjoy delicious food that fuels and nurtures our bodies. Until next month!
With love and light,
Residence, Genie (Mary) Burn
BUSINESSES
Bread Story + Drax Marketplace
Happy Bastille Day!
This year marks the 235th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison, kicking off what know today as the French Revolution This patriotic holiday is celebrated by the French along with many other major cities world Hosted by L’Alliance, New annual Bastille Day Parade fea performances, music, authentic Fren along with handcrafted goods and art This year, Bread Story and the ne Drax Marketplace joined in on comm the French National holiday, where th of their beloved breads and pastr street fair, which hosted over 30,000 p
we know today as the French Revolution This patriotic holiday is celebrated by the French, along with many other major cities around the world Hosted by L’Alliance, New York City’s annual Bastille Day Parade features live performances, music, authentic French cuisine, along with handcrafted goods and decorative art This year, Bread Story and the newly created Drax Marketplace joined in on commemorating the French National holiday, where they sold out of their beloved breads and pastries at the street fair, which hosted over 30,000 people.
Top: Assortment of Bread Story’s baked goods with the French flag. Bottom: Image of the Bread Story bakery display case
Burr Hall Farm
Squash, Tomatoes, Kale — Oh My!
It’s been quite a busy season over at Burr Hall Farm Crispy green kale, golden yellow summer squash, and a plethora of cherry and beefy tomatoes are making their debut as we approach peak harvest time The staff is working hard, but the bees are working harder. Over 1,000 pounds of dark knotw their debut as we approach peak harvest time The staff is working hard, but the bees are working harder Over 1,000 pounds of dark knotweed honey has been harvested and is ready to be jarred and packaged Did you know knotweed honey is perfect for cooking and baking? Knotweed, a plant that’s a part of the buckwheat family, brings a nutty, laidback, and versatile flavor to any recipe Next time you bake, instead of using sugar try swapping it for Burr Hall Farm’s honey It adds a more dimensional flavor to a dish while providing you with countless vitamins and minerals Soon enough, you can expect to see the introduction of the farm’s produce and recipe baskets, which feature inseason produce along with tried and true farm-to-table recipes Be on the lookout for our Challah Bread recipe basket; starring Breadstory’s homemade Challah bread, Burr Hall Farm’s honey, fresh chicken eggs, adorned with your choice of fruit. Or, opt for a basket filled with a variety of Burr Hall Farm’s fresh veggies and herbs, we’ll leave the rest up to you!
Top: Image featuring Bread Story’s goodies and food boxes.
Drax Fine Art
Jacqueline Balassa: A Differing View of the Land Down Under
Have you ever heard of contemporary landscape artist Jacqueline Balassa? Based in Sydney, Australia, Jacqueline works in the mediums of oil painting, gouache painting, and graphite pencil drawing Her love of European visual art and the respect she has for the natural environment is heavily influenced by her parents
Jacqueline combines her emotional responses with her observations of nature in her work, creating vibrant and unique landscape paintings and prints Balassa’s works are inspired by artists like Veneziano, Giotto, Duccio, and Picasso and the Early Italian Renaissance, particularly because they showcase a balance of real-world observation and the inner world of the imagination Jacqueline strives to achieve a similar balance in her own work. In her most recent series of paintings, Balassa found inspiration in the change of seasons and also in her personal garden, painting landscapes that reflect nature at certain times of the day and year
Her educational journey is more than impressive; Jacqueline has a Bachelor of Fine Art (painting), a Master of Art (painting), and a Master of Fine Art from the College of Fine Arts and the University of New South Wales She also studied at the Academia delle Belle Artes in Florence, Italy She has a long list of selected awards like the Highly Commended Prize at Waverley Art Prize as well as the Highly Commended in 1997, amongst many others.
Today, Jacqueline is primarily represented by the Art Atrium Gallery in Sydney, and her work is housed in numerous private and public collections, including Drax Fine Art
Featured Art: Depictions of varying Australian landscapes by Jacqueline Balassa.
The Suzanne von Liebig Institute had the pleasure of attending the Bloomberg Green Festival during Seattle’s annual climate week. The four-day program hosted discussion panels, conferences, and networking events with a variety of speakers who shared a passion for making the world a more sustainable place. The collective concern for our planet brought endless and unexpected perspectives on how climate change affects every one of us The festival welcomed government officials, neuroscientists, Michelin star chefs, as well as many other professionals to speak and share their views on sustainability
Politics and the 2024 presidential election was a topic brought up continuously throughout the week, for good reason. It was agreed upon that no matter who wins the election this year, the effects of politicizing sustainability are doing a disservice to us all. Looking at the bright side when it comes to discussing Earth’s warming climate is especially hard, but the Bloomberg Green Festival did a fantastic job balancing the good and the bad. Green energy, specifically solar energy, has reached heights in numbers over the past couple of years due to becoming more affordable and convenient, allowing people and businesses to save money and the Earth.
The Bloomberg Green Festival put on numerous networking events where members of the institute were able to meet with other participants and nonprofits, bringing out a sense of excitement for potential collaboration in the near future Inspiring things are blooming within the institute, and there’s more to come during NYC’s Climate Week in September Stay tuned!
Images of two differing panels from the Bloomberg Green Festival in Seattle, 2024
DRAX’SDREADFUL& OPERATICDEVELOPMENTS
Many exciting things are brewing for Drax Productions. We officially just engaged William Morris Agency (WME) to help us with OPERATIC, which looks behind the curtain of the Opera world a universe known yet mysteriously enigmatic to many. The creative production team is working tirelessly to create a captivating compilation of captured footage to present to networks, agents, and executives in the next month or so.
As OPERATIC gains some long-awaited momentum, Drax Production’s first movie shoot start date is fast approaching. The Dreadful, starring Sophie Turner and Kit Harington from the acclaimed series Game of Thrones, is set to begin filming in upstate New York and Cornwall, England in September of this year. Sophie and Kit are also rumored to be joined by Minnie Driver in a more and more starstudded cast.
Eleonora Fogg
Studio
Complete Wellness, In Complete Privacy
ething unlike a regular package At Wellness, your needs, whether a nsultation, they offer a est, a perfect and highly cle mass and body fat ent, the Wellness team tness plan that targets working on strength, or all of the above, Having the whole studio e of privacy and focus, nd self-consciousness at r strength training, you confident and assured dministers a recovery n and improving joint at the Wellness+ Studio leaves you feeling fully orted
Vitali-TEA
An Inside Scoop on Wellness+ Studio’s Famous Custom Tea Blend
It’s funny how many people consider herbalism pseudo-science when it is a practice that has survived thousands of years and, arguably, helped keep our species alive for this long The plants surrounding us often have the solutions for the things that ail us, and something as simple and comforting as a good tea can alleviate pain or support whatever wellness you need
A custom herbal blend including hibiscus, rose, and rosehips, Vitality is meant to support your wellness and, well, vitality Loaded with antioxidants, this tea can assist and support weight loss efforts, as well
well as reduce blood pressure and balance female hormones With their anti-inflammatory properties and high Vitamin C content, the herbs in this tea may also help build and maintain a strong immune system and potentially protect against the formation of cancer cells
With a beautiful, refreshing flavor, especially when served with fresh orange slices, Vitality is an excellent iced wellness boost while cooling off in this sweltering summer heat
Photo of the brewed Vitality Tea served at Wellness+ Studio
Eleonora Fogg
Denisa’s Desserts
Sicilian Lemon Spaghetti
by Christopher Varroux-Renaud
Makes 8 Servings
Craving a taste of the Mediterranean? This Sicilian Lemon Spaghetti is a perfect blend of bright citrus and rich flavors, transporting you straight to the sunny shores of Sicily Easy to prepare and bursting with freshness, it's a delightful dish that celebrates the simplicity of Italian cuisine
Whether you're hosting a dinner party or enjoying a quiet night in, this recipe promises to bring sunshine from our Chef Christopher’s kitchen to your table Buon appetito!
Ingredients:
1 lb spaghetti
4 TB olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 organic lemon
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp chili flakes or finely sliced chili
Directions:
2 TB capers
1 can anchovy filets
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1 cup of fresh parsley
1 In a hot pan, slightly toast the bread crumbs in olive oil on medium heat until golden
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Drain and reserve a cup of pasta water.
3. Heat the rest of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the whole anchovies, capers, minced garlic, and chilis, cooking till fragrant. Add the reserved pasta liquid and pasta to the pan and cook until the pasta fully absorbs the liquid and starts to slightly stick to the pan.
4.Add the zest and the juice of one lemon and parsley while tossing the pasta in the pan for the last 30 seconds.
5. Plate the pasta with the breadcrumbs, topping with a little extra parsley and lemon zest. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.
