No. 026 | May 2025

DIGEST

DRAX ISSUE 26

MAY 2025

THE SPRING ISSUE

PARTY GALLERY //

KOREAN VEGETABLE PANCAKES

Denisa’s Desserts B Y

D E N I S A

B A T I S T A

Jacqueline Balassa (1954 - present) Gorge with Waterhole| 2003 Oil on board| Wooden frame 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.

d r X FINE ART For more information, please contact Giavanna Mattera at giavanna@draxfineart.com.

DIGEST

DRAX CONTENTS

ISSUE 26

MAY 2025

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FROM THE EDITOR

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PARTY GALLERY

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STORIES

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Coffee at Bread Story

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Acupuncture at Wellness+ Studio

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KOREAN VEGETABLE PANCAKES

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FROM THE EDITOR From having a small fire at our home base at 969 on 5th Avenue (everyone safe and unharmed besides one unfortunate fake palm tree, but let’s face it, fake plants kind of deserve it) to missing pets, sometimes we feel like characters in a wholesome, murderless Agatha Christie novel. We just hope the author has had her fun and puts down the pen (or closes her ChatGPT window) and gives us the time to breathe.

We kindly request a decade, Ms. ChatGPT Christie.

This issue rejoices in the gentle breezes, the deliciously rejuvenating company of those we love and get to have in our lives. Enjoy some updates, company content, and a delightful gallery of stunning photographs collected from Mrs. von Liebig’s 95th birthday soiree where everyone dressed in their Kentucky Derby-inspired Sunday best on a Saturday to celebrate the incredible founder and inspiration of it all.

As the issues move forward, I would love nothing more than to hear what you would like to see in following issues. How can we make them better?

How can we involve you, our readers, more?

As the delicate flowers of the cherry blossom trees lining my home of Roosevelt Island begin to fall away, their season is always way too short, I can’t help but contemplate the beauty of these cycles, however fleeting they may be. We at Drax are going through what seems like a never-ending array of these cycles: trials and tribulations we only tolerate due to the hopeful notion of a rebirth into a better and brighter version of who we are. It is these moments of contrast that teach us what truly matters, all that we have to be grateful for, and the kind of things and world we want to create.

However, they also serve as a reminder of the fragility and impermanence of our circumstances and our world.

Spring is a seasonal renaissance, a time when life feels alive again. Flowers bloom in colorful bursts, one giving way to another, until everyone has had their turn and surrenders to the steadiness of summer. Funny how the season correlates to the inner seasons here at the Drax Group.

Thank you for being a part of our ever-growing story and family.

Until next month!

With love, light, and gratitude,

Eleonora Fogg EDITOR-IN-CHIEF eleonora@svvl.net

Publisher

Editor-In-Chief

Michael Ennis

Eleonora Fogg

Drax Digest is published monthly by Drax Publishing, LLC. Don’t hesitate to contact us with your ideas for future issues at eleonora@svvl.net!

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PARTY GALLERY

95 & GETTING YOUNGER On April 5th, the Drax Group team celebrated an incredible milestone in Mrs. von Liebig’s legacy: her 95th birthday. Team members from Virginia, Florida, and even Paris and Zürich joined us! Accompanied by beautiful piano music and surrounded by stunning flower bouquets, we spent the evening relishing each other’s company and honoring Mrs. Everyone dressed the part. Ladies wore fancy hats and spring-like floral-laced dresses, while men wore dapper suits. Chef Christopher Varroux Renaud curated a sophisticated menu with tea-time-inspired bites. Our very own Denisa Batista once again outdid herself with her stunning and decadent delicacies, crafting dulce de leche cake, mango cheesecake, passionfruit parfaits, edible flower pots, and ice cream-free popsicles, all of which were almost too pretty to eat.

Almost ;) Once again, happiest of birthdays, Mrs. von Liebig. May we be blessed to spend many more in your light!

The Drax Team

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BREAD STORY Have you ever wondered where Bread Story gets its coffee?

Well, it all started with a friendship: Johan met Yann nine years ago when Yann first began baking in New York. The friends simultaneously began to pursue their passions, watching their dreams come to fruition side by side and eventually converge as Coperaco and BreadStory came together in the timeless pairing of coffee and pastries.

Johan grew up in the small town of SaintQuentin-la-Poterie in the South of France where his father had the only cafe in town.

Growing up in a world of agriculture, Johan wanted nothing more than to be a farmer, but amid his agronomy studies, his mother pleaded that he seek education in America for a chance at a better life than that of a French farmer.

As a student in the U.S., Johan worked as a barista which sparked his love for coffee, but it wasn’t until a life-changing backpacking trip to South America’s coffee farms that Johan deeply fell in love. The rainforests, trees, and farmers gave birth to a vision of creating a farm-to-table coffee company with “a foot in the farm and a hand in the kitchen.”

Since his two years of studying coffee in Italy, Johan’s startup has grown into the largest coffee roaster in New York, with his own coffee farm in Nicaragua — coffee trees dispersed throughout beautiful, exotic rainforest.

Blending unique, balanced flavors, whether the acidity of Nicaragua or the caramel of Kenya, is an art that Johan is honored to share with BreadStory in the perfect marriage between coffee and bread.

~ A Brief Story of Coffee | A Bread Story written by Eleonora Fogg

WELLNESS+ STUDIO

What Is Full-Body Acupuncture—and Can It Help You Feel Better?

The Top Health Benefits of Full-Body Acupuncture Great for Pain Relief This is the #1 reason people try acupuncture—and for good reason.

Studies show it helps with chronic back and neck pain, headaches and migraines, arthritis and joint pain, fibromyalgia, etc. An extensive study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that acupuncture worked better than a placebo for chronic pain, and the results lasted for a long time.

Acupuncture has existed for thousands of years, but in recent decades, it’s gone from being an “alternative” to a trusted tool in many people’s health and wellness routines. While some use it to ease back pain or stress, a growing number are turning to full-body acupuncture to feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Better Sleep, Lower Stress, and Mood Boost Acupuncture helps regulate the nervous system and reduce overthinking, making falling and staying asleep easier. One study showed that people who received acupuncture slept longer and woke up less often at night. It’s also been shown to lower stress hormones like cortisol, improve anxiety and depression symptoms, and increase feel-good chemicals like serotonin and endorphins.

Unlike local acupuncture (which involves treating a specific area, such as a neck or knee), full-body acupuncture involves placing hair-thin needles in different regions across the whole body, from head to toe, in a single session. The idea is to help your entire system reset and rebalance.

Want to Try It? This approach is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which teaches that energy (called “Qi”) flows through channels in the body. When this energy becomes blocked, one might experience pain, fatigue, anxiety, or other symptoms. Acupuncture is believed to restore that flow.

If you’re looking for a natural, holistic way to feel better in your body, acupuncture is worth considering. Whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, burnout, or want to feel more balanced, acupuncture offers a gentle but powerful way to support your overall wellbeing.

But even if you don’t buy into the energy explanation, modern research supports many of acupuncture’s effects, including fundamental changes in how the brain, nerves, and immune system work. fundamental

Try this ancient practice in a beautiful, safe environment at Wellness+ Studio with New York City’s best licensed acupuncturists.

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High-end floral designs in Sandy Hook, Connecticut info@floraldesignsbymelissa.com |203.994.3571

Recipe by Christopher Varroux-Renaud Makes 4 Servings

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Korean Vegetable Pancakes

Ingrédients: FOR THE PANCAKES: 4 green onions cut into 1-inch pieces ⅓ cup leeks, sliced finely, 1 inch long ½ cup of zucchini matchsticks 3 ounces of finely sliced onions ⅓ cup of carrot matchsticks 1 fresh mushroom, sliced ¾ cup of all-purpose flour Salt and pepper 1 egg ½ cup of cold water FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE: 1 TB of soy sauce 2 tsp of white vinegar 1 tsp of sesame oil 1 TB of sugar 1 tsp of sriracha or gochugaru paste

Directions: 1. Add the dipping sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well. Reserve in a ramekin.

2. To make the pancake batter, crack the egg in a bowl, add the flour, water, salt, and pepper, whisking until smooth.

3. Add all the sliced vegetables to the batter and stir gently until fully coated. Season well.

4. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, with a tablespoon of vegetable oil coating it fully.

5. Add batter to the skillet and spread it out. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the batter for about 4 minutes. Once the sides of the pancake should turn slightly crunchy, flip it over. Cook for another 3 minutes until light golden brown.

Repeat the process until the batter is done.

6. Slice the pancakes and serve with the dipping sauce on the side. Top the pancakes with some sesame seeds, extra sliced scallions and a few sprigs of cilantro.

7. Enjoy :)

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NOW AVAILABLE AT BREAD STORY - WWW.BREAD-STORY.COM