MARCH-APRIL 2021 FASHION ISSUE

S A N F R A N C I S C O | S I L I C O N VA L L E Y | M A R I N | N A PA | N O R T H E R N C A L I F O R N I A

M A R C H /A P R I L 2 0 2 1

LUXURY LIFESTYLE WITH PURPOSE

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THE FASHION ISSUE FROM CHANEL TO RODARTE, MEET THE WOMEN WHO INFLUENCE FASHION WITH INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY

NIA CALIFOR RTHERN APA | NO ARIN | N LLEY | M I C O N VA L I S | O NCISC SAN FRA

• +20,000 Highest valued homes in California • +2,800 High Value Private Jet Owners in USA • Private Jet FBOs in Selected Airports Nationwide • Luxury auto dealer showrooms • Leading Yacht Clubs in San Francisco Bay Area • Forbes list of billionaires • Top 2,000 corporate CEOs/owners in San Francisco, Silicon Valley & California • Luxury hotels in Northern California • Powerful websites on ISSUU.com, HauteLivingSF.com, and email marketing • Wall Street Journal list of top 250 luxury real estate agents in the USA • All events we sponsor and cover

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S A N F R A N C I S C O | S I L I C O N VA L L E Y | M A R I N | N A PA | N O R T H E R N C A L I F O R N I A

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ESTATES IDEAL FOR EXCLUSIVE INT ERVIEW WITH WES GO AND A SNEAK SHELTER-IN-PLACE PEAK OF THE LA RDON OF CAROLINA HERR TEST FASHION TRENDS FROM NEW YO RK FASH ENCHANTED WORLD OFION WE EK ESSENTIAL OILS

Wellness & Beauty Issue

SOPHIA LOREN $20.00

TO ADVERTISE OR SUBSCRIBE CONTACT: Olivia@HauteLivingSF.com

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Connecting our readers to your products and services

R/DECEM N OV E M B E

IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, LEGENDARY ACTRESS SOPHIA LOREN REVEALS HER SECRETS TO LIVING A LONG, HEALTHY, ACTIVE LIFE.

Makras Real Estate A local expert for all your real estate needs Victor Makras

1193 Church St. San Francisco, CA 94114 (415) 282-8400 | www.makrasrealestate.com DRE# 00555201

A TIMELESS AND GLAMOROUS SAN FRANCISCO ICON Behold the glamorous rebirth of 2698 Pacific, the star of the San Francisco Decorator Showcase in 2017. Twenty-eight of the best & brightest designers in San Francisco descended upon the 4 story ±11,000 sq foot mansion and transformed it from a stately handsome home into a dazzling, jaw-dropping icon; featuring eight+ bedrooms, six bathrooms, seven vehicle motor court, & full access elevator.

2698 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, California PacificHeightsEstate.com | $25,800,000

Herman Chan 415.787.3450 herman@sothebysrealty.com Lic.# 01988025

EXPECT PERFECTION. EXPERIENCE MORE. Set new standards. Soar to greater heights. Create an enduring legacy.

This isn’t an opportunity to purchase a home, it’s an invitation to engage in a lifestyle. This unparalleled signature estate, one of the area’s largest and most impressive, sprawls out over ±6.88 acres, featuring an astonishing ±22,451 square feet of living space tailored especially for your pleasure. Inspire your inner artist with the main residence, ±13,757 sq. ft. of visionary pinnacle-level luxury conceived as a showcase for the original owners’ museum-quality art collections.

3943 Happy Valley Road, Lafayette, California TheHappyValleyEstate.com | $25,000,000 Anton Danilovich 925.818.5749 anton@sothebysrealty.com Lic.# 01448984

Herman Chan 415.787.3450 herman@sothebysrealty.com Lic.# 01988025

R O F

E L SA

MAGNIFICENT ROCKY POINT BETWEEN CARMEL AND BIG SUR ON SCENIC CALIFORNIA COAST Offered at $8,000,000

ROCKY POINT IS LOCATED 10 MILES SOUTH OF CARMEL ALONG THE most scenic, beautiful stretch of Highway 1 between Carmel and Big Sur. It's currently zoned both residential and commercial with three apartments and the Rocky Point Restaurant on 2.5 acres of coastal land on the Pacific Ocean. The property is a perfect place to enjoy breathtaking views of the ocean and the iconic Bixby Bridge in Big Sur as you perch cliff-side on the spacious open deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Inside, sit by the cozy fireplace and enjoy the view through the panoramic windows as the ocean waves clash onto the rocks below and catch glimpses of playful seaotters, dolphins, seals, and whales as they migrate up and down the coast.

Opened in 1947 as a roadside lunch restaurant, Rocky Point quickly became a must-stop vista point on this most famous stretch of California Coastal Highway 1. In 2012, the current owner did an extensive renovation and reopened it in 2013. Its stunning views, magical ambiance, and undeniable romance impressed visitors from all over the world.

The 2.5-acre property is nestled on a gentle hill, situated on top of rocky cliffs, and above the crashing waves. Enjoy a completely unobstructed and dynamic upfront view of the ocean and dramatic coastline. Rocky

Point is truly a world-class, oceanfront property. Nothing exists between Rocky Point and the Pacific Ocean but your imagination and a profound sense of serenity. The magnificent view makes it a singular gem along the world-famous Monterey Peninsula coastline.

Rocky Point is only available for purchase once every few decades, and now is one of those moments. Rocky Point could become your luxury dream residence, a special sanctuary for your family compound in an unsurpassed setting. Or it could become a signature restaurant/ club lounge with a retail boutique for a savvy business owner. A few lucky couples have been blessed to tie the knot at Rocky Point for their dream destination weddings. Special events and corporate retreats have been dazzled by the location. With the mixed zoning, there are many opportunities: we leave it up to your imagination and subject to approval by the Coastal Commission and County of Monterey. The land, all the way to the ocean, the building itself, the existing restaurant, the special liquor license, the residential units on-site, and all fixtures and equipment are included in the price. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire this very rare property.

Photos and videos on www.RockyPointCarmel.com.

For details, please email Olivia Hsu Decker at Olivia.HsuDecker@SothebysRealty.com or text her at 415.720.5915. www.SanFranciscoFineHomes.com | DRE #00712080

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Publisher’s LETTER A YEAR AGO WHEN WE WORKED ON OUR FASHION ISSUE (MARCHApril 2020), our editor-in-chief, Teresa, and I were in New York covering the annual spring-summer New York Fashion Week. It was a fun trip filled with standing-room-only fashion shows and events, beautiful lunches, and iconic fashion industry leaders spotted in chic, bustling restaurants. What followed when we returned from New York was quite a different world. Teresa fell ill with COVID and struggled through her recovery. The nation canceled events, and the world went into lockdown. We pivoted our content from a luxury lifestyle focus to health and wellness, food and wine, virtual events, sanctuary-style, shelter-inplace homes, and COVID-19 research articles. Thankfully, we have your support.

Our new content, which we strived to improve every issue for the last 12 months, was well received.

After a challenging year, we hope our Spring 2021 issue heralds a return to a normal lifestyle. We hope this “Fashion Issue” rekindles your fashionable mood after not dressing up for any events, galas, and even a celebratory dinner around town. We hope you enjoy the spring-summer collections of Chanel and Rodarte, as well as Christian Lacroix’s new fabrics and their innovative approaches to design and sustainability in their fashion creativities.

OLIVIA HSU DECKER OWNER/PUBLISHER Olivia@HauteLivingSF.com www.HauteLivingSF.com Text 415.720.5915

As the Chinese saying goes, “Opportunities come out of a crisis.” Many positive changes did arise from the pandemic, such as working from our homes, improving our IT skills, and spending more time with our families. It has strengthened our focus on health and wellness and our attention to the air we breathe, as we all have our masks. In this issue, our ambassador, Lydia Graham, wrote the beginner’s guide to indoor air in the age of COVID. As Lydia wrote, “Honing our air quality IQ might just save your life and improve your health or the health of others,” and we might be able to dine indoors at restaurants and go to ballparks and concerts soon again!

I hope you also read our travel story on Iceland’s The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon, named one of the 25 wonders of the world by National Geographic. As soon as the travel ban is over, you might want to fly there for a much-needed geothermal spa retreat.

We hope you enjoy this issue, as our goal is to cheer you up with positive and inspiring stories. We appreciated all your support during the last 12 long months, and together we greet the spring season and a brighter 2021.

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Haute Living MAGAZINE PUBLISHER Olivia Hsu Decker Olivia@HauteLivingSF.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Teresa Rodriguez Teresa@HauteLivingSF.com ART DIRECTOR Krisha Chhaganlal Krisha@HauteLivingSF.com COPY EDITOR Karen M. Smith henhousepublishing@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Laurie Jo Miller Farr, Becca Hensley, Steph Keay, Fran Endicott Miller, Erin Hunt Moore, Charlene Peters, Sharon Seto, and Carolyne Zinko LUXURY AUTOS CONTRIBUTOR Tim Lappen TL@JMBM.com WINE COUNTRY AMBASSADOR Kelly E. Carter Kelly@KellyeCarter.com HEALTH AND WELLNESS AMBASSADOR Lydia Graham LIFE COACH AMBASSADOR Nina Clark Ericson, Ph.D. ninacericson@att.net SUBSCRIPTION AND DISTRIBUTION INQUIRIES Olivia Hsu Decker Olivia@HauteLivingSF.com AD SALES REPRESENTATIVE Cindy Pelland Cindy@HauteLivingSF.com ACCOUNTING Sarah Trissel Sarah@HauteLivingSF.com LEGAL Carl Lippenberger Carl@lippenbergerlaw.com

PHOTO CREDIT: ©DARIA KOBAYASHI RITCH

Haute Living San Francisco Visit us at www.HauteLivingSF.com

Follow us @HauteLivingSF for your guide to all things haute

Rodarte

TABLE of CONTENTS

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PUBLISHER’S LETTER

HAUTE FASHION 52

With thoughtful insight, SENREVE merges beauty and practicality in versatile handbags.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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HAUTE CALENDAR

56

Rock & Republic’s founder, Andréa Bernholtz, creates swimwear that’s high-fashion, flattering, and eco-friendly.

HAUTE SHOPPING

60

Rothys blends eco-friendly fabric and sustainability with chic, comfortable fashion.

64

Virginie Viard continues the legacy of haute couture at the house of Chanel.

Chefs David Barzelay and marketing and design CEO Claudia Ross share their at-home favorite dishes.

68

The Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte follow their shared dreams in fashion and film.

HAUTE DRINKS

76

First-generation American, San Francisco native, and real estate mogul, Victor Makras works to make his hometown a better place to live and work.

80

Trend-setting interior designer Jonathan Rachman speaks of “home” as a place of style and comfort.

84

Christine Suppes mixes fashion and California history in her new book, California Elegance.

As California opens up, so do premier performances and attractions.

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Andria Mitsakos’ eclectic style combines ancient elegance with exquisite craftsmanship for timeless style.

HAUTE KITCHEN 18

26

Join the champagne cult at Billecart-Salmon.

28

Elevate your happy hour with low-dose, all-natural cannabis beverages from Wunder.

HAUTE DINING 30

Bungalow Kitchen introduces a new “living room” concept in post-pandemic dining.

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Enjoy food and conversation to warm heart and soul with Chef Tanya Holland.

HAUTE HOTEL 38

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HAUTE SCENES 88

SF Ballet’s 88th season opener leaps into virtuoso, virtual performance.

90

Edible Schoolyard makes the connection between kids and food.

Forget about “swiss cheese” and embark upon a fascinating journey to the Swiss Alps for rare and wonderful Alpage cheese.

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M. H. DeYoung Memorial Museum connects kids with art and raises $450,000.

HAUTE TRAVEL

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SF Symphony celebrates Chinese New Year.

These villas offer the best of both worlds: homestyle living and unparalleled luxury in exotic locations.

Haute Living, San Francisco www.HauteLivingSF.com

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PROFILES

Pamper yourself in the luxurious fantasy of Iceland’s Blue Lagoon.

HAUTE CUISINE

CHANEL

HAUTE ART 94

Catalina Marin fuses native Chilean artisan craftsmanship with contemporary designs to comfort and soothe.

Haute Travel Dining Haute

Haute Cuisine

Michelle Hill

Haute Hotel

RODARTE

Haute Profile: Jonathon Rachman

HAUTE BEAUTY 98

MadeMen knows that even tough guys have tender skin.

102 Two cosmetic surgeons get in step on aesthetics, ethics, and exercise.

COVER RESIDENCE

104 Restored Marin County mansion offers by-gone glory and incredible

views.

HAUTE AUTO

108 Aston Martin’s Vantage and the Lotus Evora GT offer incredible,

if different, driving experiences with for speed, power, and fun.

HAUTE AMBASSADOR

112 Kelly shows there’s more to virtual wine tastings than wine.

114 Lydia connects health to the air we breathe.

116 Nina reminds us how to maintain or reinvigorate that

“happily ever after.”

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Editor-in-Chief ’s LETTER THE WORLD’S NOT COMPLETELY BACK TO NORMAL, YET STORES opening and restaurants serving outside offer reassuring glimmers of hope.

We’re all weary of shelter-in-place and social distancing forcing us to live and work apart from family, friends, and colleagues. It’s wonderful to see businesses starting to reemerge like the green stems of tulip bulbs planted deep into the earth’s damp soil.

Along with spring flowers, fashion is starting to bloom as well. We are ready to get out of our homes and exchange our drab sweats for some style and color. So, it is apropos that this spring issue showcases the magnificent spring/summer collections of Chanel and Rodarte. We chat with the innovators and designers of Rothy’s shoes and SENREVE handbags about their creative approaches to design and sustainability. We also spotlight a few designers, like Christian Lacroix, who are getting involved with the fabrics manufactured from recycled plastic bottles. We speak with Christine Suppes, a local fashion icon and author of the upcoming book, California Elegance: Portraits from the Final Frontier.

TERESA RODRIGUEZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Haute Living San Francisco Teresa@HauteLivingSF.com www.HauteLivingSF.com

If you’re not ready to jump on a plane just yet, take a virtual trip to Iceland’s famed Blue lagoon. Learn about the healing waters and dramatic landscapes of this rugged paradise. Or, if you prefer high altitude cheese tasting, you are going love “From Switzerland With Love” which takes you on an intimate tour of a few acclaimed Alp cheese makers. Reading this will impart a new appreciation for small-batch cheeses produced in this incredible part of the world. Come with us as we visit Chiloé Island, a tiny island off of Chile, and learn about how it inspired Sonoma County resident Catalina Marin to start Trekko, a line of beautifully crafted, artisanal products for your home. For more cultural variety and inspiration, we chat with Andria Mitsakos who created Anthologist, an online store that offers artisanal crafts inspired by Greek myths and the Grecian countryside.

PHOTO CREDIT: ©VINCENT GOTTI, HAIR AND MAKE UP BY NELLIE MUGANDA

As always, we hope you find some much-needed joy and inspiration in this issue. We wanted to highlight people and places that arouse our curiosity and get us excited about this new spring, where--just like the tulips--is starting to blossom. Here’s to looking forward to a great season.

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San Francisco’s CONTRIBUTORS CAROLYNE ZINKO

BECCA HENSLEY

SHARON SETO

ERIN HUNT MOORE

Carolyne Zinko has long kept her antennae on the high life. She is the former editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Silicon Valley magazine and, before that, was a San Francisco Chronicle reporter for 22 years, writing about everything from crime and court hearings to largerthan-life personalities and philanthropic leaders. She lives in Menlo Park with her husband, Dan Dieguez.

A bon vivant journalist who believes travel is the ultimate celebration of life awash with lessons waiting to be learned, widely-published, Texas-based Becca Hensley is travel editor for New Orleans Bride and editor-at-large for Insider’s Guide to Spas. In a career spanning three decades, she has contributed to scores of magazines and newspapers, including Architectural Digest, Elite Traveler, Global Traveler, Conde Nast Traveler, and the Houston Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @beccahensley.

A graduate of Golden Gate University and serial entrepreneur, Sharon loves the excitement and creativity of the business world and its people. Her addiction to business ventures began with the acquisition of the El Cid Building, site of the famous SF Jazz Mural. She has served as a board member, fundraiser, and event chair for nonprofit organizations, including the SF Symphony Board of Governors, City College of San Francisco Foundation Board, Red Cross Board, National Colorectal Cancer Alliance Board, SF Ballet, and Dress for Success.

A connector, storyteller, mission-driven communicator, and mom, Erin Hunt Moore lives with her family in beautiful Sonoma wine country.

A seasoned public relations and marketing consultant for over two decades, Erin has worked her PR magic for brands and companies on both US coasts and in Germany, where she studied international relations and languages. A veteran of the food and beverage world, she now focuses her energies on supporting women entrepreneurs and thought leaders, companies, and brands leading with a strong social impact ethos and non-profit organizations pioneering change in the world.

STEPH KEAY

CHARLENE PETERS

Steph Keay is a Canadian freelance and technical writer currently based in Silicon Valley. After completing her Bachelor of Commerce in her hometown of Calgary, Alberta, she spent a summer in Croatia assisting The Yacht Week with events management on the islands of Hvar and Vis. Formerly in PR/marketing, she has also placed stories for a variety of clients—including tech leaders, international artists, and acclaimed actors and musicians—with ABC, FOX, NBC, San Francisco Chronicle, The Mercury News, American Way, and others.

In her spare time, she enjoys adventuring, photography, and travel— all of which she documents on on her website, StephKeay.com.

LAURIE JO MILLER FARR

Laurie is a US/UK dual citizen and dedicated urbanite who loves walkable cities. As a San Francisco-based travel writer, she enjoys views from its crazy, signature hills following half-a-lifetime promoting her two hometowns—a couple of oh-so-flat places: New York City and London. Laurie’s byline is found in USA Today, CBS, Where Traveler, Haute Living, Epicure, Fast Company, Napa Valley Life Magazine, Food & Travel Magazine, Eater, Google Touring Bird, and other major media titles. She was awarded Yahoo Contributor of the Year and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers.

Quenching a thirst for the exotic and delicious, Charlene Peters is a long-time syndicated travel journalist who creatively writes about picturesque and palatable journeys. She loves to share luxurious travel and food experiences, as well as a recipe to connect the destination’s distinguishable dish. This is a time when many people are unable to travel, but through her book, Travel Makes Me Hungry, anyone can connect with the world … through food!

When she isn’t traveling, Charlene resides in St. Helena in the Napa Valley.

FRAN ENDICOTT MILLER

Fran Endicott Miller is a luxury-focused freelance feature writer for a variety of lifestyle publications and websites, editor-at-large for JustLuxe.com, and California editor for luxury travel concierge service Essentialist. Prior, she held positions in the fields of politics, television, and professional sports. She is proud to have established the Golden State Warriors’ first community relations department and programs. When not traveling, she can be found walking her Northern California neighborhood with her beloved golden retrievers Reggie and Nate.

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EventsCALENDAR

MARCH

Immersive Van Gogh

March is Women’s History Month, April is Down to Earth Month from the California Wine Institute, and wineries are once again open for outdoor tastings. All along the coast, it’s peak whale watching season.

Throughout the Bay Area from Mendocino to Monterey, we’re sharing curated Haute Happenings where we find them— virtual, in-person, or hybrid. (Note: events are subject to change or cancellation.)

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Limited Dates Usu-Zan at SingleThread in Collaboration with Ken Fulk A Hokkaido-inspired, 9-course dining experience is set outdoors in a heated, open tent environment that evokes a forest. Named for the small active volcano in a remote Japanese village, guests are transported. singlethreadfarms.com Throughout March Mechanics Institute CinemaLit Fridays are devoted to virtual screenings of films by Merchant Ivory Productions. March 5: Heat and Dust (1983); March 12: The Bostonians (1984); March 19: Maurice (1987); March 26: Howards End (1992). milibrary.org/events Throughout March and April Tanya’s Table Celebrity guests join chef/restaurateur/cookbook author Tanya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland in Season Two of a critically acclaimed podcast about food, culture, conversation.

Join Tanya with Ayesha Curry, Bonnie Raitt, Danny Glover, Lars Ulrich, Jonny Moseley, and more. apple.co/36MgtRM 4-24 San Francisco Ballet Wooden Dimes is Danielle Rowe’s first ballet, a world premiere created for SF Ballet’s repertory season. Set in the roaring ‘20s with art deco stylings, we follow Betty and Robert Fine whose love becomes jeopardized when Betty soars to stardom. Also, Symphony #9 and Swimmer. VIP party March 4 at 5:30 p.m., streaming access at 6 p.m. sfballet.org

6-11 Green Music Center, Sonoma State University Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents Winds from Different Lands. CMS Front Row: National is a high quality series of programs, expertly curated by co-Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han to celebrate chamber music at its finest. 3 p.m. bit.ly/3cju7zl 6 Truffle Shuffle and CADE Estate Learn how to create a gourmet meal of Wagyu truffle meatballs with spaghetti. Winemaker Danielle Cyrot discusses pairings of 2019 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc and 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Book ahead for ingredients and wine.

PlumpJackWinery.com 6-7 TEDxBerkeley In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events bringing people together to share a series of curated, 18-minute presentations. The theme this year for the virtual event is “Imagine If…?” tedxberkeley.org 7, 14, 21 and 29 San Francisco Opera | Opera Aficionado Women in Opera Panel: Opera vs. The Bechdel Test. Are two women talking about something other than a man? Moderator Cori Ellison and women opera professionals discuss opera’s most beloved stories and the changes needed to become more conscious storytellers. 1 p.m. Additional programs March 14: The Origins of the Female Operatic Voice; March 21: We’ve Come a Long Way, Ladies!: A Celebration of the 19th Amendment Through Song; March 29: Maestra to the Pit, Please: Women Conductors. sfopera.com/aficionado

PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY OF IMMERSIVE VAN GOGH

BY LAURIE JO MILLER FARR

SF Opera: Women Conductors, Eun Sun Kim in the pit

11 Truffle Shuffle Cooking Class Co-hosted with Gary Farrell Estate Sommeliers, meal kits provided for a 90-minute cooking class with Truffle Shuffle chefs.

Mac & cheese paired with single vineyard 2017 Olivet Lane Vineyard Chardonnay and 2017 Fort Ross Vineyard Pinot Noir. garyfarrellwinery.com 11 The Annual Arc Breakfast “Let’s Keep Going” is the theme for 2021—the 19th annual benefit for The Arc SF in its 70th year supporting a brighter, more equitable future for people with disabilities. A virtual breakfast has music, videos, tributes to inspire starting at 8:30 a.m. arcsfbreakfast.org 18 Immersive Van Gogh Opening day for the West Coast premiere at SVN West (formerly Fillmore West). Visually striking, a multi-sensory digitally projected art installation to “step inside,” the iconic masterpieces of postImpressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. Reservations required.

Extended through Sept. 6. Vangoghsf.com 24-28 Sonoma International Virtual Film Festival | SIFF SIFF’s 24th annual event features more than 100 films from 40+ countries, plus Q&A panels with talented artists. The festival’s Virtually Everything Pass includes year-round screenings on the last Saturday of each month. SonomaFilmFest.org

PHOTO CREDITS: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ©KRISTEN LOKEN (SF OPERA); ©ERIK TOMASSON; ©SMEETA MAHANTI; ©CORY WEAVER; ©MELANIA MAHONEY

26 & 27 Charles Krug Virtual Events Supporting the artists, chefs, performers, and entertainers without a place to practice their crafts. Scheduled events include wine shipped to your doorstep. Friday: Pizza Making with Chef Nash Cognetti of Pizzeria Tra Vigne at 5:30 p.m.; Saturday: Virtually Magical with Robert Strong at 6:00 p.m. CharlesKrug.com 27 Truffle Shuffle and PlumpJack Step-by-step for preparing fresh pappardelle pasta with creamy pomodoro and truffles. Winemaker Aaron Miller discusses gourmet pairings: 2019 PlumpJack Reserve Chardonnay and 2018 PlumpJack Merlot. Book ahead for ingredients, wines.

PlumpJackWinery.com Sonoma International Film Festival

APRIL

SF Ballet “Rubies”

1-21 San Francisco Ballet George Balanchine’s full-length masterpiece, inspired by displays at New York City jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, is made up of three separate ballets—Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds. Music by Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Streaming access available from 6 p.m. sfballet.org 6 Wallace Stegner Lecture with José Andrés Michelin-starred, James Beard Award-winning, SpanishAmerican chef, cookbook author, and humanitarian. In conversation with Jesse Ziff Cool, local food personality, author, Stanford lecturer, restaurateur. At 7 p.m. openspacetrust.org

Chef Tanya Holland

9 The Charles Krug Virtual Comedy Showcase Presented in partnership with The Laugh Cellars, supporting performers and entertainers without a place to practice their craft. All of the winery’s scheduled events include wine shipped to your doorstep. 6:30 p.m. CharlesKrug.com 12–15 SFMOMA Art Bash A special event, Art Bash is an art-filled fundraiser for the museum. Four days of virtual events are open to the public, from art-making to musical performances, and more. Sponsors attend an exciting art auction. SFMOMA.org

Women in Opera Panel

29 Cal Performances At Home Soprano Renée Fleming performs in the spring series originally booked for the live season. The program premiere livestream is at 7 p.m. and available to view on demand until July 28. calperformances.org/events

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California Lifestyle Collection Contemporary Masterpiece of Epic Proportions

8 Bedrooms | 9 Baths | 2 Half-Baths | ±12,109 sq. ft. | ±52 Acres Towering above Silicon Valley and Los Gatos hills, the Aztec Estate offers a pool with spa, a tennis court, ridge-top 360-degree panoramic views, incredible scale and unrivaled quality, all in one of the most exceptional settings in Northern California. Secluded in a private enclave at the end of a gated drive, the residence features soaring ceiling atrium, modern open floor plan, sweeping entertainment decks and sliding glass walls that bring phenomenal views to the forefront of the living experience. The main residence features superior quality and resortlike amenities throughout the extraordinary living space, linear designs, and prominent contemporary styling. Engineering and utilitarian elements play into the timeless design of George Foy, with materials like glass, stone, and steel used liberally in construction to showcase the natural beauty of this estate and the finest selection of materials and finishes, exquisite interior design and exterior landscape. The gourmet chef’s kitchen, with large center island and topof-the-line appliances, features large butler’s pantry, full size indoor grill, and over-sized custom glass windows. Secluded in its own private wing, the luxurious master suite is surrounded by sweeping panoramic views. An opulent marble bathroom boasts amazing ceiling heights and custom walk-in closets. With an

Los Gatos, California

$16,950,000

office space, oversized fireplace and sitting area, sliding doors lead to a sprawling outdoor lounge overlooking the pool below and sunset on the horizon. This gated estate offers total privacy, steel frame construction, wine cellar, billiards room with wet bar, two custom offices, and state-of-the-art technology. The estate’s resort-like grounds are as impressive as the residence, offering the versatility to retreat in serenity or entertain with lavish events. Features include an infinity pool, spa, tennis/basketball court, outdoor bar and grill, fire pit, manicured gardens, various terraces and seating areas, fountains, waterfall, and wrap-around decks with endless views. As seen on HGTV’s Extreme Homes, Forbes magazine and DuPont Registry, this stunning private enclave, just minutes from the heart of energetically charged Silicon Valley, maintains a retreat from the bustling lights below while sharing the neighborhood with several of Silicon Valley’s elites. Aztec Estate is truly a unique combination of privacy, serenity, panoramic views, and luxury amenities, all in a one-of-a-kind modern masterpiece.

Photos and video on: AztecEstateLosGatos.com

Olivia Hsu Decker | SanFranciscoFineHomes.com Cell: 415.720.5915 | Olivia@SanFranciscoFineHomes.com | Lic.# 00712080

California Lifestyle Collection Contemporary Masterpiece of Epic Proportions

Olivia Hsu Decker | SanFranciscoFineHomes.com Cell: 415.720.5915 | Olivia@SanFranciscoFineHomes.com | Lic.# 00712080

Los Gatos, California

BY BECCA HENSLEY

HauteSHOPPING

GREEK EFFECT This Online Shop Brings the Flea Market to You EXTRAORDINARY THINGS HAPPEN AROUND ANDRIA MITSAKOS. TAKE that time two years ago when we were preparing to head together to the canny island of Paros in Greece. I stood, sipping green juice in her treasure trove of a pied-a-terre in Athens, as we reunited and discussed what we might do at the villa we’d rented on the island where she now has a second home. I’d been enjoying the plethora of textures and colors that composed her interior (brass, textiles, ceramics, blown-glass, silks, blues, reds, yellows), an exuberant melding of hand-made, vintage, eccentric art, and curios, each exuding a certain energy, yet all working in concert to embody the art d’ vivre that defines Mitsakos. Suddenly, I turned, looked out the panoramic window, and gasped with awe. There was the Acropolis—seemingly close enough to touch—right there through her window, its presence akin to adding the final flower to a glorious bouquet. “I’m hopelessly in love with it,” she said, as if she’d placed it there herself. If she could have done so, she would have—that’s Andria Mitsakos.

With homes in Greece, having lived in places as diverse as Miami and New York, and exceedingly well traveled, Mitsakos might be best described as a collector of metaphor. I say that because she never shops conventionally, yet always seeks and finds artisan-made objects that encapsulate a specific sense of place. In the Caribbean, it might be rattan; in Bali, wood carvings; or, in Mexico, embroidered dresses. Of course, she has an excellent eye, gleaned from a childhood spent with miraculous women—like her mother, Stella, who took her along to consult with potters in Antigua or to ferret through jewelry markets in Boston. But, it’s more than having a practiced eye or good taste. Mitsakos seems to converse with these items and artisans on a soulful level. They’re as drawn to her as she is to them. They want to 16

be in her pocket, on her table, atop her head. In return, she offers them the respect they deserve.

Enter Anthologist, her most recent venture among others which range from handbag design to public relations to consulting on hotel interiors.

Launched this year during the pandemic in response to so many friends who bemoaned their inability to comb flea markets, visit ateliers, and travel, Anthologist is a new, online shopping archive. It celebrates “artisanal craft, cultural preservation, and folkloric style inspired by the myths of Greece’s islands and countrysides,” says Mitsakos. A cache of jewelry, home accessories, fashion, and more, it comprises both original, vintage pieces unearthed by Mitsakos over time, as well as handmade objects she designed, inspired by her quest to find remarkable things and to keep the legacies and skill sets of artists alive.

Andria Mitsakos’ most used mantra is: “You don’t need a lot of things, just special ones.” She attributes those words to her mother and lives it. She gives everything the gravitas it deserves. I remember that day in Athens when she quickly packed her bag for Paros. Her moves were intuitive as she pulled open drawers, drew scarves from a wardrobe, and unhooked necklaces from posts. Within seconds, she’d packed for a week. The bag, deftly filled, was the size of purse—and every item in it had a story. “That’s such an important part of fashion—the stories,” she says.

Whether a Greek goddess bracelet peppered with rubies, a beach-worthy basket handbag, a hand-hewn ceramic bowl, or a brass door knob beckons, Anthologist promises to offer you the “special” things to make your own stories.

Site-wide prices range from $25 to $3,500. Anthologist.com

PRODUCTS GODDESS BRACELET:

anthologist.com/shop/goddess-bracelet-2 The prototype for this bracelet was found by Mitsakos in a flea market. Representing female fertility, it is worn as part of traditional costumes in northern Greece. She recreates it in Athens for you with rubies and the magic of folklore.

Brass plated with 24-karat gold, accented with rubies.

Dimensions. Runs small, yet is flexible. $295 GODDESS BELT:

anthologist.com/shop/goddess-bracelet Mitsakos created her own belt from a vintage belt buckle found in a market in Athens. Tying her vintage scarves into dresses with it, she wore it around the island of Paros, drawing much attention. Others demanded ones for themselves, and the goddess belt, in the image of a traditional costume, was born.

White metal and faux snakeskin. $175 PARIAN BASKET BAG:

anthologist.com/shop/parian-basket-bag Woven on the island of Paros by local artisans, the baskets are hand-embellished by Andria. Each basket is tied with a leather cord, accented by vintage brass and glass beads, and punctuated by seashells found on Parian beaches. Custom bags made with your own seashells are possible. $75 SNAKE GODDESS KEY RING

anthologist.com/shop/minoan-key-ring In Minoan culture from the Greek island of Crete, the snake was the protector of the house. So, what better key ring to have? On one side is the Minoan snake goddess, and the opposite is the ancient octopus which not only represented protection, but also represented wealth and food in Minoan culture. Hand-cast brass using ancient methods and sand molds. $60

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANTHOLOGIST

PSARI CERAMIC BOWL

anthologist.com/shop/anthologist-ceramic-bowl-small-psari Created from designs commissioned by Mitsakos, Anthologist’s ceramics authentically utilize red clay and ancient methods. Each piece is hand-thrown and handpainted in an Athens workshop. The primitive design reflects psari, or fish. Dress them up or down. Food and dishwasher safe. $40

Andria Mitsakos

IN HER OWN WORDS Collect, don’t shop.

Confidence is the key component to any sense of style. If you’re not comfortable with yourself inside, you won’t show that to the outside world, regardless of what you wear.

When it comes to jewelry, there is nobody like Lalaounis, Greece’s homegrown Cartier. Helmed by the daughters of the late Ilias Lalaounis, their collections are always relevant and evoke a sense of timeless, Hellenic style.

I founded Anthologist to support cultural preservation. There are many trades such as foundry work (working with metals) that are simply nonexistent in many cultures, because the elder artisans haven’t been able to pass this trade down.

I grew up in a household of strong women who were all collectors. My mother, Stella, is still an active interior designer today, at the age of 80, and has always collected treasures.

I have an incredible obsession with vintage lingerie, and I’ve been wearing 1920s to 1980s nightgowns for over 25 years as dresses.

Antiques represent an elegant way of reusing and recycling, those tenets of sustainability.

They are an eco-conscious way of stylishly reusing items that already exist, plus it helps reduce furniture that goes to landfill and saves on energy spent on new production. On top of that, antiques are a tangible cultural legacy, which can be passed from generation to generation.

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BY SHARON SETO

HauteKITCHEN IN CONVERSATION WITH SHARON SETO HOPPY SPRING!

DAVID BARZELAY: LAZY BEAR It all started during law school at Georgetown University when a bright young man, David Barzelay, hit both the law books and the cookbooks with passion.

Chef David Barzelay channeled his self-taught, passion-driven culinary skills into a thriving underground dinner party that ultimately culminated in the opening of his two-Michelin-starred, San Francisco restaurant Lazy Bear.

While pursuing his education in law, Barzelay embraced his comfort in the kitchen and his passion for food by hosting dinner parties for his friends, dining at restaurants, poring over advanced cookbooks, investigating molecular gastronomy, researching new techniques, and running a hobby food blog. Living in San Francisco, the 2009 financial crisis left Barzelay with a long severance package and a driving passion to start anew.

Following a series of stages in the city’s top restaurants, he launched what quickly spiraled into the highest-rated, least-known underground restaurant in the Bay Area. He was soon serving upwards of 40 people per night, several nights each week, even creating a ticketed lottery system to meet demand. Recognizing the success of the 5-year-old, underground operation, Barzelay opened a permanent space to offer guests an enhanced fine dining experience while, still maintaining the unorthodox aspects of Lazy Bear’s original iteration.

Barzelay was named among Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs. Lazy Bear has been listed as one of Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants, San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 Restaurants, and a James Beard Awards semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. In late 2017, Barzelay and Nicolas Torres opened True Laurel, a bar-centered project in San Francisco recognized as one of Esquire’s Best Bars in America and a Chronicle Top 100 Restaurant. This year, Barzelay will partner with Lazy Bear’s former sous chef Matthew Kirk to open an allday restaurant and bake shop called Automat, a brick-and-mortar home for Kirk’s long-running pop-up of the same name.

Chefs in the kitchen

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PHOTO CREDIT: ©CANDIDA WOHLGEMUTH

GET READY TO MARCH FORWARD. It’s time to turn our backs on cold gray winter for a warmer season filled with brighter days. Sunny days make me spring into action! Like what? Guuurl, there’s a Bay Area lockdown! Well …

I’m digging out and filling a couple of picnic baskets with wine and crackers for that spur-of-the-moment park outing. To enjoy nice weather with lemon drops, my deck will be transformed into a “pretend” resort destination for moi. And, ugh, I will be doing a ton of purging. Spring, for me, symbolizes new beginnings and hope. Listen, the new baby birds are singing! Stop and smell those flowers blooming. Enjoy your loved ones! Spring has sprung, and we have two egg-ceptionally gifted chefs waiting for you: David Barzelay and Claudia Ross, so … let’s hop to it!

Lazy Bear Experience with Chef David Barzelay

Q&A HAUTE LIVING X DAVID BARZELAY

PHOTO CREDIT: ©FINCH PHOTOGRAPHY

HL: It's heartwarming to hear you have three little ones. What do you like doing with them when you aren’t working?

DB: Our family loves to go hiking or bike riding, to play outside, and generally to explore San Francisco and the Bay Area. I love to cook at home for my family as well. Many chefs hate cooking at home, but I love it. I do a lot of woodworking in my garage shop as well and am an avid consumer of literature.

HL: Whenever anyone cooks for me, I am extremely appreciative. It was such a treat when my parents prepared a meal for me. They sprinkled heaping cups of love into their dishes. Tell me, who cooks the meal that makes your heart sing? What dishes would they be? Why? DB: I grew up having incredible, humble, rustic cooking from my mother.

She grew up on a farm in North Florida, and I grew up in Tampa. We had home-cooked breakfast and dinner every day, even though my parents worked full-time. My dad is also a great cook, but he didn't do it as frequently. I was constantly in the kitchen with my mother growing up and cooking and eating were always big parts of family life. I love getting together with them and revisiting the family classics that my little brother and I loved when we were growing up: all kinds of fried gulf seafood or fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, roast chicken and gravy, pork roast with gravy. There was a fair bit of fried stuff and a fair bit of gravy.

HL: Any personal dreams for Lazy Bear?

DB: I hope that Lazy Bear has helped shake up the orthodoxy of fine dining, show the importance of a social experience, connect diners with the people making and growing the food they eat, and highlight the role of storytelling in cuisine.

HL: And you sure achieved that dream and continue to do so! Do you have any secret tips or advice for home chefs?

DB: There are a few very underutilized tools in the kitchen: instant-read thermometers, digital scales, even rubber spatulas. People think, for instance, that weighing out ingredients to be baked takes more time than using measuring cups and such. But that's not the case. They are just more practiced at using measuring cups. Once you're using to weighing out ingredients, it's at least as fast as the less precise way.

“I hope that Lazy Bear has helped shake up the orthodoxy of fine dining, show the importance of a social experience, connect diners with the people making and growing the food they eat, and highlight the role of storytelling in cuisine.” – David Barzelay 19

HauteKITCHEN Buttermilk Biscuits

HL: I'm so proud of your stewardship at Lazy Bear—from an attorney by trade to a Michelin-starred chef and restauranteur!

What's next in the short term and long term—restaurants, books, TV shows, and such?

DB: I probably should get around to writing the Lazy Bear book. In the meantime, I'm partnering on a new restaurant called Automat with a former Lazy Bear sou, Matt Kirk. He's been running Automat for about five years as a pop-up, and we're under construction on a brick-and-mortar space for a permanent Automat restaurant and bakery. That should open late this spring or early this summer. I have lots more concepts and ideas for restaurants that I'd love to open eventually. I'm always on the lookout for a good opportunity for our restaurant group and for our employees to grow.

HL: What is the grossest thing you ever ate?

DB: Poorly cleaned tripe is poopy; but if it's cleaned and prepared with expertise, effort, and detail, then it transforms into something that is ... still poopy. I'm willing to try anything, and there's nothing that I just refuse to eat. So, I have tried tripe many times, and will inevitably try it many more times, but none of those times has been pleasant.

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INGREDIENTS • 300 grams all-purpose flour (King Arthur works well) • 12 grams salt • 50 grams sugar • 15 grams baking powder • 2.5 grams baking soda • 80 grams butter, cold straight out of the refrigerator • 285 grams buttermilk

David Barzelay

“Here is a homefriendly recipe for the biscuits that we served in the Lazy Bear Den. I very much love eating these and make the biscuits at home all the time for my family as well.”

— David Barzelay

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Whisk dry ingredients together. Grate butter into dry ingredients using the coarse holes of a box grater, tossing regularly to make sure individual bits of butter stay separate.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, using the tines of a whisk or fork. Add buttermilk and stir until it comes together into one shaggy, but fully integrated piece, with no remaining dry flour bits. Ideally, refrigerate for 15 minutes before proceeding, but you can skip this in a pinch.

2. Dump dough onto a floured surface. Flatten the dough to 1½ inches thick, sprinkle the top liberally with flour, and flip the whole thing over. That flip will keep the dough from sticking to the table. Pat it down to 1 inch thick with floured hands, dusting the top with flour as well. Cut out biscuits, dipping the cutter into flour between each cut, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Re-form dough from scraps and repeat until all dough is used, but don't re-form more than twice.

3. Just before baking, brush tops of biscuits liberally with melted butter. Add a second sheet pan underneath to keep the bottoms of the biscuits from browning too quickly.

Bake at 450°F (232°C) until just golden brown on top and firm to the touch, about 12-15 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, brush them again with melted butter. Transfer to a plate or bowl and wrap with a clean, dry kitchen towel to keep them fresh and warm. Eat while still warm.

PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY OF CHEF DAVID BARZELAY

HL: Which celebrity chef have you not met yet but would like to some day? Why? DB: I've had the opportunity to meet most of the modern chefs who inspired me when I started getting serious about cooking, like Sean Brock, Wylie Dufresne, Paul Liebrandt, Grant Achatz, and Daniel Patterson. For me, one of the most inspiring chefs has been Jean-Louis Palladin. He was a champion of incredible, local produce, had a reverence for wild products, and was a big driver of the farm-to-table movement. His style combined high technique and presentation with satisfying and even comforting flavors.

And he was known for being an incredible host, with tons of energy and humor. It's easy for me to draw parallels between JeanLouis and what we try to do at Lazy Bear.

(Makes 8-10, depending on size)

City Ham

Biscuits with Ham

PHOTO CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK

Honey and Fermented Chile Butter INGREDIENTS • 450 grams butter fully tempered to room temperature • 50 grans fermented Tobago peppers (spicy) • 100 grams honey • 40 grams dry sherry • 20 grams champagne vinegar • 4 grams smoked paprika • 4 grams kochukaru • 4 grams salt • 2 grams finely ground MSG INSTRUCTIONS Blend everything together in a food processor. Serve at room temperature or store in the refrigerator. After a couple days, some syrupy liquid will start weeping out. You can bring it back together by tempering to room temperature and whisking.

INGREDIENTS • 1 picnic ham or pork shoulder, deboned • 3,000 grams water • 3,000 grams ice • 340 grans salt • 450 grams brown sugar • 50 grans pink curing salt • 18 grams star anise • 10 grams clove • 5 California bay leaves INSTRUCTIONS 1. Bring half of the water up to a boil with all remaining ingredients, except ham and ice. Once it reaches a boil, remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain and add remaining cold water, then add ice. Stir to melt ice. Once cold, add hams to brine and weight to keep submerged. Brine for 2 weeks, overhauling (moving around) every few days.

2. Once fully cured, remove hams from brine, pat dry, and leave in the refrigerator for a day or two to form a sticky pellicle before smoking.

Hot-smoke for a couple of hours, then chill. Vacuum seal and cook sous vide 5 hours at 180°F (82°C). Chill and let rest for at least a couple days before slicing.

3. Serve the biscuits with ham and honey fermented butter on a plate.

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HauteKITCHEN CLAUDIA ROSS This year, Claudia Ross celebrates 20 years as founder and CEO of Cross Marketing. She started her own marketing agency to integrate luxury brands and philanthropy. Having worked at Harper’s BAZAAR and Marie Claire for 10 years, Ross knew that this was a natural transition. With several entrepreneurial endeavors sprinkled throughout, the goal of success continues to evolve and inspire change within her. Humbly speaking, she conveyed her delighted that Cross Marketing survived the pitfalls of an ongoing pandemic and even expanded into design, an avenue that has always been a passion of hers. She explained that her first and most important project has been designing Ross Ranch in Calistoga. A true farm-to-table ranch and family vineyard, Ross Ranch was designed for entertainment and offers the luxury of providing for guests. As an amateur chef, Ross takes inspiration from the land and her heritage to cook frequently for family, friends, and guests.

Q&A HAUTE LIVING X CLAUDIA ROSS

HL: As an entrepreneur myself, there are times when surprising things happen, and I've got quite a few crazy stories. Tell me yours.

CR: I’ve been a serial entrepreneur and, to this day, my most successful venture has been Cross Marketing, established in 2006. Since the early 2000s, I’ve started a skincare company with actor/singer Vanessa Williams, called ReVitalistic Skincare; Lady Bug Jeans on QVC; Rose Ross, Estate Jewelry; and Stacia Ross. My latest and greatest adventure is now applying my design skills to clients and friends looking to update their dwellings. From beach houses, ski homes, and main residences, I’ve added my experience in orchestrating events to designing interiors.

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Claudia Ross at Ross Ranch

PHOTO CREDIT: DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

HL: You are a well-known, stylish, Bay Area publicist and your job requires patience, savvy, and creative skills to set a successful marketing program for your clients. What is one of your wackiest PR plans that worked?

CR: Probably when I worked with Macey Gray whom we hired to DJ for a super-exclusive event. Contractually, she wasn’t allowed to sing, or we would have to pay an exorbitant fine. After she took a long break to get high, she came back and started singing the rest of the set. I spent the rest of the evening trying to shush her. At the end, she was the one who ripped the contract. Another was trying to organize an event in Paris for Fashion Week. We hosted a multi-day event for international clients flying in. Needless to say, the demands were out of control from planning specific meals for jets, dogs, and individual seats on private charters to using my language converter to arrange all the plans in French. The seven years I took in French didn’t quite cut it.

Fresh Eggs and Produce at Ross Ranch

PHOTO CREDIT: DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

HL: I love that you are a philanthropist. What inspired you to get involved with Rafael House?

CR: At 25 in 1995, I was introduced to Raphael House by my mother-in-law.

Since that time, I have volunteered, chaired galas and fashion shows, and served on and chaired the Board for 25-plus years. I was also instrumental in rebranding the marketing platform to make RH more relevant to younger donors. Today, I don’t recognize the donors when I attend events: they’re young, vibrant, and passionate about Raphael House. We even have Aisha Curry, a favorite chef I admire.

HL: One of my dreams is to live in Europe so that I can explore and learn their traditions and cook food from the various cultures.

You are incredibly lucky! Where did you reside? Why and what did you like about living there?

CR: I’ve lived in Mexico, Italy, Latin America, the American Southwest, and all over California. My cultural background is a bit of a mosh pit, but when it comes to traditions, I always come back to the comfort food that my mother and grandmother cooked for me. Now that we own a ranch, we do everything we can to offer a farm-to-table experience at Ross Ranch. From home-grown vegetables to farm fresh eggs and cattle. (I don’t eat meat, but we have steers.) The only thing missing really is beans, the black variety, as we grow a mix of green beans.

“Achieving success can have its bitter moments, but today life has never been sweeter.” – Claudia Ross

HL: Tell me, what is a favorite meal you like to serve to your family?

CR: It’s about family style and an abundance of it! I love entertaining, and now that we have the barn to entertain, lunch or dinner can be up 50 for a sit-down or just the four of us. It’s always casual: kids are always welcome. Collecting eggs is always the kids’ task. As adults, we are tasked with drinking Ross Family Vineyards and celebrating life—before the pandemic that is.

HL: Where do your go-to recipes come from?

CR: My go-to recipes are all handed down to me from my mother and grandmother. It’s about family and using everything that we can grow.

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HauteKITCHEN

Deviled Eggs INGREDIENTS • 12 large eggs • 5 tablespoons mayonnaise • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard • 2 teaspoons white vinegar • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper • 2 tablespoons dried tarragon, • 1 whole beet (canned works, but dry beet thoroughly) • 1 carrot 24

INSTRUCTIONS: In a medium saucepan, cover eggs with water. Bring to a boil for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes. Drain eggs and run cold water over them until cool to touch. Peel and cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and transfer to a bowl. Mash with a fork, add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, white vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a desired tip (or use a quart size freezer bag by snipping a small hole in the bottom corner). Squeeze the mixture into the center of the eggs. Cut carrot into small slivers. Cut the beet into small ¼-inch cubes. Sprinkle dried tarragon over the egg yolk mixture. As garnish, place a cube of the red beet in the center of each egg and a sliver of carrot across the top. Serve immediately or chill up to 2 hours before serving.

PHOTO CREDIT: DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

Ross Ranch farm to table plates

Black Bean Salad

Poached Pears in Red Wine

Serves 6 - 8

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS • 2 cups black beans • 1 bunch radishes • ½ of an English cucumber • 1 bunch of green onions • 2 carrots • 2 lemons (or limes) • 3 stalks celery • 1 jalapeño pepper • ½ bunch of cilantro • 1 bell pepper (green, yellow, or red) • 1 teaspoon salt (or more if needed) • 1 teaspoon pepper • 1 teaspoon oregano • 1 teaspoon thyme • 1 teaspoon cumin • 5 tablespoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Wash and drain beans. (Make sure to remove small rocks and broken beans.) In a large pot, add the beans and about 12–14 cups of water. Boil for about 45 minutes at medium heat until beans are crunchy (not completely cooked, or the beans will be mushy). Remove from heat and place the beans in a strainer to discard water. Rinse beans in cold water so they will be clear and shiny. Place beans in a bowl and set aside.

2. Chop radishes, cucumbers, carrots, jalapeño, bell pepper, and celery into small ¼-inch pieces, chop cilantro, and add all to the bowl of beans. Add the juice of squeezed lemons (or limes), salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, cumin, and olive oil. Toss well so everything is mixed into the beans. (Add more salt, olive oil, and lemon or lime if needed.)

Deviled Eggs and Red Cabbage (Curtido)

Red Cabagge (Curtido)

PHOTO CREDIT: DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

Serves 6 - 8 INGREDIENTS • 3 large red beets • 1 pound bag of frozen petite mixed vegetables • 1 medium-size white cabbage • 1 teaspoon salt • ¼ teaspoon pepper • 3 bay leaves • ¼ teaspoon oregano • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley • ¼ teaspoon thyme • ¼ teaspoon sugar • 2 tablespoons vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Place beets in a pot with enough water to cover them and cook until done. (Save the liquid.) Let beets cool to touch, then peel and cut into small ¼-inch cubes. Set aside.

2. Place the liquid from the beets in a bowl and add salt, pepper, bay leaves, oregano, parsley, thyme, sugar, and vinegar. Set aside.

3. In water, boil the frozen vegetables for about 4 minutes.

Drain and set aside.

4. Shred cabbage and place in a non-plastic bowl. Boil 6 cups of water and pour the water over the cabbage. Leave the water in the bowl for about 10 minutes (just long enough for the cabbage to cook a little). Drain the water. To the cabbage, add the beets, boiled vegetables, and the liquid from the beets and toss. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS • 4 firm, medium-size pears with stems (Anjou, Bartlett, or Bosc) • 1 bottle of red wine (Merlot, Cabernet sauvignon, or any other blend of reds) • ½ cup sugar • 1 vanilla bean • 1 cinnamon stick • Peel of 1 orange • Peel of 1 lemon • 2 cloves • 1 star anise • 1 bay leaf • Mint leaves with a bit of stem for garnish INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Peel the pears gently without removing the stems. (Cut a bit off the bottom so they stand upright while cooking.) Put them in a deep saucepan and add the entire bottle of red wine, sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, orange and lemon peels, cloves, star anise, bay leaf, and just enough water to cover the pears. Cook pears at medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until a paring knife easily pierces the flesh. Remove saucepan from heat and let cool in red wine liquid. (If needed, rotate pears to make sure they are coated on all sides.)

2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a dish, and set aside.

3. Discard the vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, lemon and orange peels, cloves, star anise and bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce until large bubbles appear. Remove from heat.

4. When ready to serve, arrange pears stem side up on a platter or on individual plates and drizzle liquid over them. Insert stem of mint leaves next to the stem of the pear.

5. Serve at room temperature or cold. (If cold, place the pears and the liquid in the refrigerator until ready to serve.)

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HauteDRINKS

Billecart-Salmon cellar bottles

CHAMPAGNE CHAT Billecart-Salmon’s Owner Gives Us the Scoop PEOPLE WHO KNOW—KNOW. IF YOU DON’T know, you need to join the cult of Billecart-Salmon, a Champagne house we love so much that we’d prefer to keep the secret to ourselves. A mighty, 7-generations-old, family-owned maison, it makes some of the world’s most glamorous Champagne.

Add in some new releases when our world needs it most, and this gastronome’s favorite wine may well become your bubbly of choice.

Here’s what we discussed during our socially distanced tête-à-tête with Billecart-Salmon’s CEO, Mathieu Roland-Billecart.

HL: Being a seventh-generation family member, you must feel that wine or Champagne is in your blood. The family’s 200-year-old tradition reigns as a magnificent legacy. What are some things you learned from your forefathers?

MRB: Our passion is all about getting the best of two ecosystems: the natural ecosystem of vines and their surroundings and the human ecosystem composed of the people who work them and make the wine, our relationships with growers and clients, etc. It is about respect and a long-term 26

vision for quality and excellence. Our family motto is: “Give priority to quality, thrive for excellence.” I think that summarizes things quite well.

HL: As if it were a gift to the world’s population of oenophiles who are socially distancing at home, you’ve kindly brought to market three stunning new wines: Brut Nature, Les Rendezvous, and Vintage 2009 (which I sipped with glee on Inauguration Day). Just popping the corks makes long days as recluses feel more festive. Can you give us a description and some expert tasting notes for each?

MRB: Brut Nature is all about precision and sharpness. The blend is 40% Meunier, 30% Chardonnay, and 30% Pinot Noir. We use a significant proportion of reserve wines (55%), which enable us to have 10 harvests in this blend, thanks to the use of a solera system. It is aged four years and, obviously, made with no sugar added.

We use a liquor blend with top reserve wines from top grand cru to balance the wine without any sugar. Expect orchard fruits, fresh citrus, and pains au lait on the nose, with a well-balanced

and rounded palate and notes of white flesh fruits, lime trees, and almond cream.

Les Rendezvous No. 1 is completely different: 100% Meunier from a base harvest 2014 vinified entirely in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and purity of the fruitiness of Meunier.

The idea was to showcase one of our experiments with a 100% Meunier, so it is a tiny bottling. It was completely sold out in a few weeks. We will have to do a Les Rendezvous No 2. On the nose, you will find some lime and violet combined with the summery scents of freshly cut wheat fields (grain and straw), then a textured mouthfeel that blossoms into deeply delicious, fruity notes of white cherry, pear, and red currant. Finally, the finish is just as enjoyable, lengthening to notes of white pepper, with a pleasantly saline tartness.

Vintage 2009 is a blend of Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay from the harvest of 2009, with very low dosage. 2009 is quite a sunny and rich year, but the low dosage keeps the wine tight and sharp. It’s ready to enjoy now. On the nose, find intense fruit with citrusy and nutty notes, including grapefruit pulp, slivered almonds, and fresh pastry. On the palate, expect chestnut cream, fresh blueberries, and shortbread, emphasized by a delicate texture, but with a distinguished complexity. The persistent finale is crisply structured.

HL: Your wines are well known by gourmets for enhancing food. Michelin star chefs are known fans. If we were to have a Zoom tasting with our favorite fellow wine drinkers, what dishes would you propose we eat as we sample each of these wines?

MRB: Since we may not have a grand chef there cooking for us or be able to arrange a take away, let’s try to keep it simple: Brut Nature with oysters/seafood Brut Rosé with thinly sliced parma ham or with a fruity dessert Les Rendezvous No. 1 with veal or paté Vintage 2009 with poultry or fish Brut Sous Bois with comté cheese. (I love this pairing.)

Nicolas Francois on its own, after the meal, to celebrate life!

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BILLECART-SALMON

BY BECCA HENSLEY

Brut Nature

HL: Your rosé production dates back to the early 19th-century. Your Brut Rosé is legendary. Your wine is fresher and more elegant than most. How do you achieve that?

What makes it special?

MRB: We have been practicing our rosé blend for a very long time indeed, way before it became fashionable to make Champagne rosé. Our blend is Chardonnay dominant, and our red wine comes from old Pinot Noir vines that we vinify for purity and freshness instead of power and structure.

This cuvée shares the DNA of all our cuvées (finesse, elegance, and balance), but has its own personality of being fruity and very accessible, plus it’s fun to drink.

HL: Tell us about the role that Pinot Meunier plays in your champagne, which is somewhat unusual. How does it evoke your wine’s style and terroir.

MRB: Pinot Meunier is the largest component of our Brut Réserve. We think it provides some roundness and fruit to a wine when you combine it with our unique cold fermentation system.

For a long time, it was not popular, but an increasing number of Champagne winemakers now recognize that it can stand on its own and bring its unique personality to a cuvée as much as Chardonnay or Pinot Noir can.

Brut Rosé

Brut Sous Bois

HL: Where do you source your grapes and where is the Champagne made?

MRB: Over 90% of our grapes come from 20 kilometers around our estate in Mareuil sur Aÿ, in the heart of the premier and grand cru of Champagne. The balance of 10% comes from two other areas south of Champagne in Vitryat and Sezannais. We vinify it all on our estate and the second fermentation (when the bubbles come) is done in our cellars.

Billecart-Salmon garden

HL: Once the world travels again, can guests visit your vineyards and winery?

MRB: Yes, but they must book in advance, as we get a lot of demand. We try to accommodate small groups for tours of the estate, from the vineyard to the chai and cellars and, of course, a tasting at the end!

HL: Where can we purchase BillecartSalmon locally?

MRB: Billecart-Salmon can be purchased in many locations throughout the Bay Area, including D&M Wines and Liquors, K&L Wine Merchants, Premier Champagne in Hayward, and Vintage Wine Merchants in San Jose, among others.

Mathieu Roland

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BY ERIN HUNT MOORE

HauteDRINKS

Wunder lemon ginger spritz

DRINKING WITH WUNDER WITH ITS ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY, FRESH INGREDIENTS, SAVVY consumer palates, a seemingly endless pool of creative minds and entrepreneurs with start-up creds, and the proximity of an active investment community with an ever-present thirst for new trends and trendsetters, the Bay Area has emerged as a mecca in national food and beverage innovation. The current explosion of beverage trends spawned by the greater Bay Area attests to it as a hub of world class wine, craft spirits, beer, and cider producers.

The Bay Area also boasts a consumer base that skews comparatively more active and motivated by healthier lifestyle choices than many areas of the country. Even prior to pandemic realities changing how we socialize and influencing our lifestyle choices, the arrival and ensuing popularity of low- or non-alcoholic beverage brands marked a shift in drinking behavior. Many people just don’t want to drink as much, if any, alcohol at all for a variety of reasons ranging from health concerns and empty calories to taste preference to simply not wanting to deal with hangover headaches and sluggishness.

Enter cannabis-infused beverages and the Bay Area’s standout brand, Wunder. According to BDS Analytics and New Frontier Data, beverages are the fastest growing segment of the cannabis industry. Although legalized in California in 2019, cannabis is still shadowed by stigma, something which the overall industry is working to shift, especially those brands looking to appeal to a more mainstream, sophisticated consumer base in the finer “foodie” and beverage camp.

So, how does this work? In the case of Wunder, which launched in summer of 2020, the answer comes from creating an accessible, mindful brand experience. The brainchild of three Bay Area digital consumer, cannabis, and e-commerce industry veterans, Alexi Chialtas, Christian Peterson and Phil McGarr (Zynga, Warner Brothers, NorCal Cannabis, Man Crates), Wunder was really the answer to what they were looking for in their own lives. As busy professionals, with at least one father in the bunch, they were looking to create an alternative to alcohol that they could enjoy and unwind with.

“Our beverages are formulated for people to feel engaged and inspired, not sluggish or foggy,” states Wunder CEO and Co-founder Alexi Chialtas. “Truly low-dose, all-natural beverages with a quick onset speak to audiences looking for choices that are holistically better for them.”

Co-founder Phil McGarr purposefully left behind alcohol in 2020, though he does enjoy Wunder. “Not drinking actually made the year far easier for me than I anticipated,” he said. “Life is overwhelming in general, but last year was truly unprecedented. I chose to take time to pursue healing and meditation work, really being mindful about my life. Enjoying low-dose cannabis through Wunder was a perfect complement to everything else. It made me a great believer in the category.”

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Wunder drinks

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP) ©CHASE SATER; (BOTTOM) COURTESY OF WUNDER

The Elevated Happy Hour

Wunder founders Phil McGarr, Alexi Chialtas, Christian Peterson

The eye-catching branding, well-crafted sparkling flavor combinations, low dosing, and blend precision certainly make Wunder an appealing experience.

Packaged in vibrant, well-designed, pastel-toned, 8-ounce cans ($7) with enticing, all-natural, low-calorie flavor combinations (ranging from just 2535 calories per can) like Blood Orange Bliss, Lemon Ginger Lift, Watermelon Wave, and Grapefruit Hibiscus, these would be perfectly placed poolside and at an elegant brunch. And they are absolutely delicious, well-balanced, and refreshing.

It’s the extensively researched blend of cannabinoids that really sets this beverage line apart. Each can of Wunder is precisely dosed with a carefully considered blend of three cannabinoids: 2 milligrams of THC, 2 milligrams of Delta-8, and 4 milligrams of CBD. The addition of Delta-8 is important. It’s a cannabinoid known for its low psychoactive effects, as well as for promoting body relaxation and presence of mind, and it serves as an excellent equalizer in combination with THC and CBD. This is exactly the effect that Wunder founders were looking for: a beverage that would offer a more mindful alternative to alcohol, allowing consumers to feel a present, calm, relaxed sense of well-being.

How should you drink Wunder? Serve it chilled, straight from the can or over ice. All three flavors have been carefully crafted with real fruit juice and all-natural ingredients that combine with the cannabinoids to create easy, refreshing, effervescent beverages. You can also experiment on your own. Add a pretty garnish, more juice, or sparkling water for more spritz and to dilute a bit if you prefer. You can find recipe inspirations, information on where to purchase, and details about Wunder on their website at www.findwunder.com/find and on Instagram at @findwunder. Cheers to a Wunderful year ahead!

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP) ©PETE NGUYEN; (BOTTOM) ©CHRIS GREENWELL

Wunder blood orange bliss

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BY CHARLENE PETERS

HauteDINING Bungalow: second floor roof visual

MICHAEL MINA TAKES TIBURON TIBURON WILL SOON INTRODUCE A NEW CONCEPT IN SOCIALLY distant dining at a new restaurant opening with nationally acclaimed chef Michael Mina at the wheel. Slated to open this spring, Bungalow Kitchen is being touted as a “waterfront community clubhouse” at 5 Main Street.

Excitement for the project is especially elevated, as it brings together two longtime friends with a deep history of excellence and success in the restaurant and entertainment industries, not only here in California, but also in other major urban markets across the country.

Michael Mina began making a name for himself as a chef in the nineties.

In 1997, his AQUA restaurant in San Francisco soared to fame, and that same year he snagged a James Beard Award as Best Chef–Pacific. In 2002, he established The Mina Group, a restaurant management company, with retired millionaire tennis star André Agassi, and it has since grown to include close to 30 buzzy restaurants from coast to coast. In addition to eight Mina properties in downtown San Francisco, The Mina Group operates an assortment of popular eateries in Las Vegas (4), Hawaii (3), Arizona, Idaho,

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Oregon, Wyoming, Washington state, Florida, Washington, D.C., and Dubai.

Mina also wrote Michael Mina: The Cookbook along the way.

In a career spanning close to 25 years, Mina has won more accolades than this magazine has room to print (including a coveted Michelin star). In 2013, he was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious academy of “Who’s Who in Food and Beverage in America.” Impressive.

Mina’s partner for the Tiburon project and similar ones being planned for Long Beach and La Jolla is Brent Bolthouse, the LA-based founder of Bungalow Hospitality Group, with clubby restaurants in Santa Monica and Huntington Beach, where food service has previously been outsourced.

For close to 30 years, Bolthouse has been a nightlife entrepreneur, breakout reality TV deejay, and holds a large scale event, the annual Neon Carnival at Coachella, a 10-year-old musical phenomenon that’s located just 33 miles from Bolthouse’s childhood home of Joshua Tree. Neon is a curated, invitationonly event that’s been described as “a county fair for youth, with alcohol and deejays.”

ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE BUNGALOW KITCHEN TIBURON

Bungalow Kitchen to Open New Concept to the Post-Pandemic Dining Scene

Two years ago, Bolthouse and Mina purchased Guayama restaurant in Tiburon and began to cook up the idea for an innovative dining experience that would cater to the communal aspect of dining. In November 2020, the Tiburon Design Review Board approved the plans which were obviously shelved due to the continuation of the coronavirus. It’s a given that, post-pandemic, the urge to merge will resurface once we’re all vaccinated and the MinaBolthouse team will be ready.

“Our goal is to bring a warm and comforting place that will feel like an extension of the living room you always wanted,” said Mina. “We’re excited to collaborate on our first, brand new restaurant concept and to utilize Brent’s deep roots in the industry with the launch of the Bungalow Kitchen.”

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP) ©JERRITT CLARK; (BOTTOM) ©DAVID VARLEY

“Our goal is to bring a warm and comforting place that will feel like an extension of the living room you always wanted” – Michael Mina

Award-winning chef Michael Mina & hospitality veteran Brent Bolthouse

Short Rib 'Pop Tart'

Bolthouse added: “Bungalow Kitchen Tiburon has been in the works for quite some time; we’ve long wanted to re-create the striking and luxurious feel of an elegant, exclusive clubhouse on an accessible, community level.”

Tapped to design the new concept is internationally acclaimed, Swedish interior architect/designer Martin Brudnizki, principal of Martin Brudnizki Design Studio with offices in New York and London. Brudnizki’s genius was behind the 2018 reopening of Annabel’s, the legendary nightspot in London’s Mayfair district, among others which include the Bellagio and Park MGM in Las Vegas, The Beekman Hotel in New York City, Pink Mamma in Paris, and the Four Seasons Athens.

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HauteDINING Bungalow: first floor bar + social dining visual

ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE BUNGALOW KITCHEN TIBURON

Bungalow: second floor lounge visual

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Bungalow Kitchen Tiburon will spread across nearly 12,000 square feet on two levels, dwarfing the handful of existing restaurants in this town of 9,000.

On the main floor, the vibe will be relaxed and semi-residential. Amid loads of natural light and a cool palette of blues and pinks, the dining room will feature eclectic art and artisanal objects reminiscent of what one might have found in the homes of the bohemian artists who lived and worked in and around Tiburon in the early 1900s (many in floating domiciles). Finishing touches of brass and marble will give the space a chic, upscale edge. On the second floor, in addition to a billiard room, a sprawling pergola-roofed terrace with rattan furniture and tons of greenery will offer additional seating and views to die for. Since Tiburon is mostly surrounded by San Francisco Bay, the views over the water to the city of San Francisco virtually guarantee it’ll become an Instagram darling.

“The location really guided the design of the Bungalow Kitchen,” Brudnizki explained. “To help achieve this, we included a few residential accents throughout the scheme, layering in fabrics and artwork—all with a subtle nod

PHOTO CREDIT: ©DAVID VARLEY

California Cheese plate

to the Tiburon area’s well-documented, bohemian past.”

And the food? As you would expect from Michael Mina, it will showcase California cuisine utilizing the very freshest local and seasonal ingredients.

Menu items will include shellfish served chilled on ice or grilled over charcoal, and a “punch bowl” of crunchy garden vegetables with a gazpacho shooter and a trio of dipping sauces: Green Goddess, romesco, and lemon-poppyseed.

You’ll want to try Mina’s short rib “Pop-Tart” topped with crispy shallots and drizzled with sauce bordelaise, or one of several signature pizzas like Pizza Carbonara, an all-white pie with Yukon Gold potatoes layered with Pecorino Romano cheese and crispy guanciale and topped with a poached farm egg.

Last but far from least, diners at Bungalow Kitchen Tiburon can expect to see Mina’s must-have dish: a decadent lobster pot pie featuring a whole Maine lobster and assorted root vegetables swimming in truffled lobster bisque.

Classic (margaritas, mai tais) and creative cocktails, along with an extensive wine and beer list, will also be on offer. Details on the exact date of opening were not available at press time.

BY LAURIE JO MILLER FARR

HauteDINING

Chef Tanya Holland in the kitchen

CHEF TANYA HOLLAND IT’S QUITE CLEAR TO ALL WHO KNOW HER that Chef Tanya Holland is a dedicated culinary diplomat, a multimedia chef, a rare combination of classically French-trained, female, African American restaurateur, and cooking instructor.

One of the most powerful women in the food business, Chef Tanya Holland is a Renaissance woman.

The multi-talented author (The Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook and New Soul Cooking) and

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Michelin Bib award-winning chef/proprietor of Oakland’s Brown Sugar Kitchen is a member of the prestigious Les Dames d’Escoffier. She’s a linguist who holds a Grande Diplôme® from La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Burgundy and a degree in Russian language and literature from the University of Virginia. She’s also a television personality, appearing on national broadcasts such as “Iron Chef,” “Top Chef,” and the “TODAY Show,” also landing a 2020 series

for Tanya’s Kitchen Table on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network.

Her podcast, Tanya’s Table, has one of the most extraordinary lineups of guests in the history of cooking and conversation. Take note of these two skills ... naturally, Holland can do both at once. “I’ve been on a lot of cooking shows, and you do get used to talking, cameras.

It’s a skill you learn,” she says. “This is my life’s work and I’ve been doing it for 35 years.”

PHOTO CREDIT: ©SMEETA MAHANTI.

Cooking and Conversation, Love Letters Left on the Table

But it’s Tanya’s soulful Creole shrimp and grits, “infused with concentric layers of flavor,” as described in The New York Times, that’s known to really steal the show. Fans of the dish have expressed their approval in love letters left on the table at this comfort food mecca, tributes which Holland preserves in a file at home.

Joining Holland’s podcast series, Tanya’s Table, are high profile pals and “one degree of separation” friends from all walks of life with a “global San Francisco” connection. We were delighted to catch up with Holland to find out more, because as she admits, “Since I was little, I’ve always been a very ambitious girl. At the age of 10, I asked my dad if I could be president ... and yes, I mean POTUS. His answer may require another article.”

Q&A HAUTE LIVING X CHEF TANYA HOLLAND HL: Where did you learn to cook?

TH: Early exposure to work and cuisine from soup to nuts, I guess. Growing up in Rochester, New York, where my dad was an engineer at Eastman Kodak, my Southern-born parents were in a social gourmet cooking club with some friends. There were six couples, three Black and three white.

Wonderful recipes and dishes were exchanged, often based on the popular Time-Life book series found in many homes in the ’70s. There were exotic places to discover through food, and I was always attracted to the shared conversation, international aspects, foreign influences, and words—the overall protocol. So, it’s the social and the cultural aspects of food that appeal to me deeply, and years later, I was fortunate to travel, work, and study overseas and in great cities such as New York, Boston, and Paris.

Sweet Potato dinner rolls at Brown Sugar Kitchen

PHOTO CREDITS: (LEFT) ©CESAR RUBIO; (FOOD IMAGES ON RIGHT) COURTESY OF TANYA HOLLAND

HL: How, and why, did you go from studying language, arts, and literature to chef training in France?

TH: At college, I was surprised to realize that my roommates had no idea how to cook, so I found myself doing so and feeding people. I waited tables locally and eventually found that my larger world view meant shifting from a math, sciences, and engineering concentration to focusing on my elective in language studies. I landed on a choice between Russian and French, and probably settled on Russian because my father knew a little and I enjoyed it. Somehow, it just came easily to me.

Creole shrimp and grits

Tanya Holland's savory bread pudding

Brown Sugar Kitchen, Oakland

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HauteDINING HL: Your Creole shrimp and grits is so beloved that appreciative diners leave love letters for you. What's the secret ingredient?

TH: I’m naturally drawn to the food of my heritage, especially combined with my classical training. My mother is from northern Louisiana, where food traditions are quite different than in the southern part of the state. The first time I went to New Orleans, coming upon the combined Afro-French-Cajun-Creole culture and cuisine, was like a dream. In this vibrant town, I found, developed, and embellished recipes that are both comforting and delicious. The secret may be in the Worcestershire sauce and beer reduction.

And of course, in California, we have access to great fish and seafood; mine is always sourced from the certified Monterey Bay sustainable program.

TH: Yes, she is a foodie and so lovely to talk to. We’re continuing our conversations on the podcast. We initially met through a mutual friend and shared a meal when I learned about the big place that food and eating healthily has in her heart, soul food in particular. She lives in the Bay Area and has dined at Brown Sugar Kitchen with Taj Mahal, too.

Everyone is welcome when my special guest takes a seat at Tanya’s Table. To open the podcast this year, I began by hosting Ayesha Curry in mid-January followed by a podcast with actor Danny Glover. We were excited to have Phil Rosenthal who created the sitcom, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and is doing food shows like “I'll Have What Phil's Having” on PBS and “Somebody Feed Phil” on Netflix.

We’re having riveting discussions with diverse leading innovators and tastemakers: Lars Ulrich, the Metallica drummer, another Hall of Fame musician; Ericka Huggins, activist and former Black Panther; Alicia Garza, co-founder of the International Black Lives Matter movement;

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PHOTO CREDIT: ©ANNE-CLAIRE THIEULON DOLAN

HL: Tell us about your incredible guests for Tanya’s Table podcast. In Season One, you hosted Alice Waters and Danny Meyer, among others, and in Season Two, Bonnie Raitt, who’s an American icon and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Plus, she’s a foodie ... who knew?

Inside Brown Sugar Kitchen

Chef Elizabeth Falkner of “Iron Chef” fame; Jonny Moseley, the Olympic ski champion and TV host; Lizz Wright, R&B performer with a café in Chicago; Festus Ezeli, former Golden State Warrior; Chef Maneet Chauhan from “Chopped” on the Food Network; and James Beard Awardwinning chefs Edouardo Jordan and Karen Akunowicz. Season Two runs every Tuesday through April 20, 2021.

HL: What do you like best: cooking or conversation?

TH: Impossible to choose. In these conversations, we’re learning from some of the most interesting people in our culture today. I believe we have so much to learn from one another, and the more we know, the smarter, kinder, and more understanding we become. The world could certainly use a large dash of empathy right now, and my strength is to engage in many topics tethered by food and culture. Connecting with people over food relaxes everyone. It slows us down and triggers memories.

PHOTOCOURTESY CREDIT: ©CESAR RUBIO PHOTOS OF 25 LUSK; ©PHOTO CREDIT: ©ANNE-CLAIRE THIEULON DOLAN

“Although I’ve always heard, 'you can’t do, you can’t be,' I learned long ago not to listen to those voices.” – Chef Tanya Holland HL: In 2013, you were honored with a key to the city by Oakland's mayor. What door— actual or metaphorically speaking—would you like to unlock with it in 2021?

TH: Although I’ve always heard, “you can’t do, you can’t be,” I learned long ago not to listen to those voices. I accept that my truth makes some people uncomfortable. Because I have such high aspirations and I’m a great multi-tasker with lots of experience, I’ve forged my own path.

I have three essential things: drive, acumen, and capacity. The door I’d love to open next is labeled “Resources.”

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BY BECCA HENSLEY

HauteHOTEL

A guest enjoys private access to the lagoon

GEOTHERMAL GOODNESS Submerge at Iceland’s Top Hotel IT’S A GOOD THING THAT IT’S DARK. Or maybe it doesn’t matter, because a layer of gloopy, white silica mud covers every inch of my bikini-clad body. In truth, nobody could see my bare skin if they tried. I sit on a rocky ledge in a cave, part of a sprawling, subterranean, 5-star spa with other sludge-sheathed souls waiting to dry.

Just moments before, I had slathered myself with finely crushed, black-hued, volcanic rock, rubbing and scrubbing every inch to exfoliate in advance of the mud. My next step will be a shower, then a full body smear of rare, green algae. In the end, I’ll douse myself with ice cold water, put 38

a hydrating mask on my hair, don a bathrobe, and go about my business with visibly glowing skin. I’ve been partaking of this 45-minute, allincluded, self-treatment called The Ritual (which uses ingredients foraged and made onsite) every day of my stay at The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s premier hotel. I’m addicted.

Set amid the inky lava fields of southern Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, The Retreat reigns as an exquisite, design-centric resort, uniquely located on the shores of the storied Blue Lagoon, the nation’s top tourist destination named one of the 25 wonders of the world by

National Geographic. While most visitors to Iceland take a relaxing dip in the warm waters of the Blue Lagoon sometime during their stay, most schedule only a few hours at the mineral water complex before heading to points further afield in Iceland to hike, bike, and pose before waterfalls, Icelandic style. As an answer to the many tourists who longed for an overnight stay at the lagoon, The Retreat opened in 2018, adjacent to the Blue Lagoon facility. The swish hotel provides an upscale wellness hideaway with private access to the healing waters for discriminating travelers.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RETREAT AT THE BLUE LAGOON

Lagoons surround the lagoon complex

Though the hotel’s enclave, with its secluded decks and networks of canal-like lagoons, exudes tranquility, it provides guests another option as well—a swim-through door to the main Blue Lagoon, fun for those wishing to join the throngs.

Some Retreat guests choose to remain within the sheltered, more exclusive hotel portion, while others enjoy going back and forth between ambiances. I do a bit of both during my stay, as it is entertaining to splash around the popular Blue Lagoon, which brims with international travelers.

Still, I profoundly prefer the restorative dabbling I do at The Retreat, where I soak, spa, read, and float for hours, losing all sense of time and finding the balance I’d lost in the harried world of my real life. Ideal for women alone, romantic rendezvous, girls on a gadabout getaway, and traveling families looking for a swanky home base while exploring southern Iceland, The Retreat prevails as a place to slow down, recharge, seek wellness, and immerse in local culture all at once.

Common areas boast sleek interiors

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HauteHOTEL The subterranean spa and its self-care options (from mud smears to saunas), the in-water massages, and the various nooks and crannies of milky blue, nutrient-rich thermal water embody the curative spirit of The Retreat. The 62-room haven also happens to be a gourmet mecca. Its Michelin-listed restaurant, Moss, for example, puts out elevated Icelandic fare with spectacular flourish—think revolving 5- and 7-course menus with dishes such as beet salad with blue cheese “snow” or arctic char crudo served atop a sorrel and cucumber sauce and peppered with roe.

In the Spa Restaurant, where most munchers don bathrobes, sushi and salad rule the day— not to mention glasses of cold wine. I will miss breakfast most of all for its wholesome, purely Icelandic compositions—sweet bilberries, grainy homemade bread, creamy skyr, strong coffee, and beetroot juice.

Design buffs will appreciate The Retreat’s astonishing, experiential architecture (by Reykjavík-based Basalt Architects, with interiors and experience in collaboration with the Milanbased Design Group Italia), which manages to feel classically Nordic and contemporarily Italian all at once. Minimalistic, sleek lines, natural materials, lava walls and rooftops, and pervasive, panoramic windows combine to showcase the setting. Nature takes the lead and the building brings it indoors. The terrain—black lava as far as the eye can see; omnipresent patches of spongy moss; pools of mist-emitting, cornflower-colored thermal water leaking from ubiquitous crevices in the distance; rocky hills; and an immense violet sky—surround the resort as an ocean encircles an island. At night, in season, lucky visitors can look up from the outdoor decks, the lagoons, or through the windows to see the rolling greens and pinks of the jaw-dropping northern lights.

In the morning, standing in the window-walled yoga room as the sun rises feels like a spiritual act in itself.

All suites include access to the private lagoons, the spa’s many amenities, and the restaurants, but the top suite—the Lagoon Suite—has its own personal lagoon. That means you’d never have to leave your room to partake of the salubrious water, which research shows eliminates psoriasis, heals many skin conditions, hydrates, and brings deep relaxation and ease. While staying in might

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The yoga room invites the outdoors inside

VISITOR TIP

The sauna is ideal for meditation

The spa brims with subterranean nooks

sound dreamy, it would be a shame to not spend time in The Retreat’s various common areas, guest-only lagoons, spa, and restaurants, and you’d regret missing the variety of complimentary activities offered each day, such as a group hike to the top of a nearby mountain. In the end, you’ll find yourself, as I do, dependent on the lavafiltered, geothermal H2O. You won’t be able to get enough of its silky ministrations and warm, harmonic readjustments.

Biologist Wallace J. Nichols, author of Blue Mind, wrote: “Water quiets all the noise, all the distractions, and connects you to your own thoughts.” As a celebration of dramatic terrain and healing water, The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon ensures Nichols' words come true for every guest. He famously says, “I wish you water.” Well, I take that one step further. I wish you The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon. bluelagoon.com/accommodation/retreat-hotel

Fashionistas will love the gorgeous wool ponchos that hang in The Retreat’s closets for guests to use. They were created for the resort by renowned Icelandic brand Farmers Market exclusively for the Retreat and are available for purchase at the Retreat’s gift shop.

The Retreat is surrounded by blue lagoons and prodigious Icelandic terrain

A guest navigates the various private lagoons

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HauteCUISINE

Botchenalp is operated by the Amacher family, which makes Berner Alpkäse, pictured here in front of the beautiful waterfall on its Alp

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PHOTO CREDIT: ©SARAH MICHEL, WWW.BOESES-MUNGGI.CH

BY STEPH KEAY

FROM SWITZERLAND WITH LOVE Forget everything you thought you knew about Swiss cheese and journey with me to an altitude of 6,500 feet, where cheese is made over an open wood fire with tools delivered via helicopter.

WHEN I WAS 15, I FLIPPED THROUGH THE catalogue of a now-defunct kitchen supply store when an unfamiliar appliance caught my eye. Even the name was foreign: raclette. I stole away to my computer, devouring all I could about this fantastic looking device—a grill, outfitted with removable pans underneath to melt cheese. Although I was already a cheese aficionado by then, I had never heard of such a thing—and I was smitten. I went to the store that very day. Two decades later, I have many fond memories of introducing loved ones to the charming Swiss tradition.

Last year, I enjoyed raclette with my partner for Christmas, scraping golden, aromatic strands of cheesy goodness onto my plate alongside a veritable spread of cornichons, potatoes, and cured meats. Part Swiss, it was he who turned me onto L’Etivaz—the second time I’ve been surprised to be unfamiliar with something cheese-related. A rare Swiss AOP cheese, L’Etivaz is produced in a specific way in a specific region—similar to the AOC designation for Champagne or DOC for Parmigiano Reggiano.

I was told there was no way to purchase the cheese on our side of the pond, which is a surefire way to pique my curiosity and motivate me to track something down at any cost. Researching L’Etivaz one evening, I dove deep into its origins as an Alpage cheese—also known as Alpkäse—and a concept called transhumance at the heart of every Alpage cheese operation. A centuriesold tradition, transhumance is the migration of people and animals in accordance with the seasons. The results of this lifestyle on cheesemaking are simply divine, and these discoveries led me to Adopt-an-Alp, an extraordinary program founded by Swiss expat Caroline Hostettler.

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HauteCUISINE

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Botchenalp’s Botchenchnubel, a softer cheese that needs aging for just two weeks

Sepp Herger of Musenalp gathers wild hay, a dangerous endeavor involving hand-cutting grass in extreme areas of a mountain

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP) ©SARAH MICHEL, WWW.BOESES-MUNGGI.CH; (BOTTOM) ©ANDREA HERGER-GYSIN

THE MUNSTER INCIDENT It must be said that the term “Swiss cheese” is a bit of a misnomer, doing a disservice to the tremendous quality and varieties of cheese made in Switzerland by reducing it to the single image of a bastardized Emmentaler AOP—the pale, floppy, pre-packaged slices most people recall upon hearing the term. It was a thought similar to this that led Hostettler to found her company, Quality Cheese Inc., which imports high-end cheeses from Switzerland. Shortly after moving to the US, she was standing in line at a deli counter when a woman in front asked for Munster cheese “sliced real thin.” Accustomed to the Munster back home in Europe, which is soft with a washed rind, Hostettler wondered how this was possible. She spied the cheesemonger reaching for a large, semi-firm, rindless block—in other words, inauthentic and uninspired. "I thought, okay, I need better cheese in my life than this," she laughs, recounting the memory by phone. It was then and there that she resolved to bring real Swiss cheese to the US. Packing a cooler with 10 pounds of Sbrinz, Gruyère, and Emmentaler, Hostettler jetted off to five different cities to meet with some of the top chefs in the U.S. When she returned home two weeks later, orders were already awaiting on her fax machine.

As Hostettler grew closer with the farmers behind seasonally-produced Alpage cheeses, she developed a deep respect for their sacrifices which made this particular delicacy possible—namely, the burden of moving up the mountains with their families and herds in order to keep the tradition of transhumance alive.

In 2013, Hostettler founded Adopt-an-Alp as a way to unite Alp farmers in Switzerland with American cheese lovers, not only so they could taste the smallest-batch, traditionally produced, authentic Swiss cheeses, but also to understand and appreciate the lifestyle behind the production of Alpage cheeses.

Adopt-an-Alp began with six Alps and 14 US partners.

Last year, the program connected 32 Alps with more than 100 restaurants and retailers. Committed to buying a certain number of wheels per year, partners can select an Alp based on factors such as whether they make cheese with cow’s milk or goat’s milk, have a female cheesemaker, or even boast the “most loved” animals. Then Hostettler shares the everyday life of the farmers in an effort to help American cheesemongers understand the practice of transhumance. “I try to constantly communicate the situations they face that we are so [far removed] from,” she says.

Alexander Amacher forms the cheese, which is followed by regular flipping to ensure a uniform shape

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP) ©SARAH MICHEL, WWW.BOESES-MUNGGI.CH

Botchenalp cows Sereina and Kenia, best friends who have traveled together since birth. Unsurprisingly, it is one of the Alps with the “most loved” animals on Adopt-an-Alp’s roster

Last summer, Hostettler called a farmer to check in, and was told that the family’s oldest cow had rolled off a cliff in her sleep the previous evening. They had to put her down. “It was like they had lost one of their children—it was really, really hard,” Hostettler recalls.

She also encourages the farmers to show glimpses into their lives through photographs—whether it’s a still life of the dinner table, milking cows, or grandchildren picking wildflowers—which she posts on Adopt-anAlp’s blog. “It's sharing the moments, especially the visual ones, that is so strong. It really helps people understand the different world these people live in.

Some [of the farmers] are very shy—they're not used to being in the limelight. But it's satisfying because they see now that we want to do something to make them understood; to give them a voice.”

The farmers are also interested in what happens with their cheese, asking Hostettler what the chefs and shops do with the wheels they receive. “With [mutual] understanding, respect and value for each other can grow.” This, says Hostettler, is the most rewarding part of her work.

HIGHER STANDARDS Another record to set straight: “alpine style” cheeses are not equivalent to Alpage. The latter can be made only during summer, high up on a mountain where the environment is extraordinarily pure. “There are no influences such as pesticides or cars,” says Hostettler.

“Plus, only a very fit cow can go up, because the metabolism changes with the higher altitude.”

Alpage cheeses must also be 100% farmstead with no exceptions, whereas milk for “alpine style” cheeses is often a mixture of milk from different dairies brought in on a truck. “You cannot transport milk for Alpage cheese, so it's very organic and wholesome. You know exactly which animals gave the milk. There is complete transparency,” says Hostettler. The program is timely— right now, we care more than ever about the quality of ingredients and their origins, as seen in the nose-to-tail and farm-to-table movements. Alpage cheese, it seems, is the next Wagyu beef.

Another unique characteristic is that the taste of the milk itself changes each season due to factors such as rainfall and how long the snow remains on the meadows, along with the incredible biodiversity of an alpine meadow. Animals graze on 150 different grasses, flowers, and herbs compared to pastures further down, where it’s two handfuls at best, says Hostettler. “All of

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HauteCUISINE

CLOSING THE GAP Five years ago, Adopt-an-Alp began holding a contest for buyers to visit their adopted Alps in Switzerland—meeting the farmers, observing the cheesemaking, and touring their farms in the process. Despite the massive expenditure, Hostettler believes in the life-affirming power of these visits. “We had [one] big, tough guy coming from butchery originally. The whole week, he was so touched. When we parted that last morning, the first one who had tears in his eyes—and then all over his cheeks—was him. He said to us, 'This has changed my life. I hope, and I believe, that I'm going home as a better man, as a better husband, as a better father.'" Upon his return, Hostettler received a photo of home-cooked Älplermagronen—a traditional Swiss dish they had dined on during the trip—that he had shared with his family. “We're still in touch with him year-round.

That's the thing that makes you think, ‘Okay, it was worth every single thing. Sometimes you work late at night on those blogs, and updates, and lists ... and then you see it's worth it, because this person will, for the rest of his life, appreciate what these people do, and try to share it with his family, his children, and his customers.”

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A staff member at Matterhorn displays the restaurant’s raclette cheese, which is served alongside potatoes, pickled vegetables, and spices

Alp Arni-Schwand's decorations for alpabfahrt, an annual event in which the cows descend the Alps following the end of the transhumance season

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP) ©STEPH KEAY; (BOTTOM) ©IDA MÜLLER

these little influences are so powerful, and it’s reflected in the cheese.” She hopes that people will realize the value of Alpage cheese once they understand these special circumstances under which it is crafted. She even recalls one Alp that is only able to receive provisions such as fresh clothing and tools by helicopter. “This is made at an altitude where you have to hike up; everything's more complicated and cumbersome. People need to know that in order to be able to really appreciate those cheeses.”

The admiration is apparent in Hostettler’s voice as we discuss L’Etivaz, the Alpage cheese that led me to Adopt-an-Alp. Made in the eponymous village amid the Gruyère-producing region, she tells me that Gruyère producers tried to persuade L’Etivaz makers to give in and join them for decades, to no avail. L’Etivaz producers have continued to operate independently to this day, renouncing government subsidies by holding fast in their decision to do so. It’s a courageous stance to take when farmers over the years have given in to selling their milk to large corporations, which guarantees stable revenue in addition to avoiding the treacherous task of hiking and living in the mountains each summer. The L’Etivaz makers’ pride in their product and process strengthens Hostettler’s resolve to spread awareness of transhumance and to garner more support for the farmers carrying on the 8,000-year-old tradition.

Ursi and Heinrich Marti-Kamer make cheese on Berglialp, also an award-winning spa with whey baths overlooking the Sernftal valley

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP) GERBER/LOESCH (BOTTOM) ©STEPH KEAY

Matterhorn’s beef fondue, featuring spice-rubbed tenderloin cooked in a beef and red wine stock, and fondue moitié-moitié

Cheese buyer Omri Avraham of The Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley was one of the lucky winners of the contest in 2017.

He recalls: “We drove two hours southeast of Zurich, armed with a set of directions that read: ‘Just keep going up.’” Upon his arrival at Alp Heuboden, he met Fritz, a producer of Glarner Alpkäse—the newest AOP of Switzerland. During the summer, Fritz, his apprentice Sarah, 65 cows, 20 pigs, and 25 calves live at an altitude of 6,500 feet. Fritz’s wife Anna is responsible for brushing, washing, and flipping the cheese daily in order to ensure proper bacterial development. Avraham watched in awe as Fritz expertly crafted the cheese in a copper vat over a wood-burning fire. “The work is very physical and demanding, but [he] made it look luxurious and magical,” he says. Fritz has been making Glarner Alpkäse for 13 years—before him, it was his father, and before that, his grandfather. Avraham has such fond memories of the trip he purchased more wheels of Glarner Alpkäse this year.

Meanwhile, Matterhorn Restaurant & Bakery in San Francisco is after my own heart, serving raclette cheese from Alp Maran, as well as fondue moitié-moitié with Vacherin Fribourgeois from Steiners Hohberg—both sourced through Adopt-an-Alp. Natalie Horwath, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Jason, became enamored with fondue and raclette after living in Geneva, and reopened the long-standing restaurant in 2019 after taking over the lease from its previous owners. During the pandemic, they began offering take-home kits complete with burners and equipment. Their bakery offers a delicious assortment of pastries, including a smoked ham and cheese bun made with L'Etivaz, which Hostettler likens to Gruyère but attributes its singularity to the requirement that it be made over an open wood fire. (Once in a while, you’ll even spy a telltale speck of ash in the sea of yellow-ivory.) “It's one of those cheeses that many people don't even know the name of, but once they try it, they’re smitten.”

AT ITS HEART When Hostettler first started the program, potential buyers could not understand committing to a product they had not only never tasted, but would also have to wait an entire summer to receive. The second year, she had an epiphany: “The program is not just about selling something—it's advertising a lifestyle and a philosophy. Then, at the very end, comes a product.”

It turns out that Adopt-an-Alp is not so much a program about cheese as it is about people. It is about nurturing the connection with our food producers and expanding our awareness of different lifestyles, then deepening our appreciation for both.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Hostettler, we have the opportunity to savor these remarkable products—the culmination of generations making valiant choices to preserve tradition by prioritizing integrity over income, and heart over haste.

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BY BECCA HENSLEY

HauteTRAVEL

The residences at FS Anguilla have interiors by Kelly Wearstler

Five-Bedroom Beach Front Villa at Four Seasons Resorts & Residences Anguilla

Locking Down in Style

BY NOW YOU’VE FIGURED OUT SOCIAL DISTANCING. YOU’VE LEARNED to bake bread, studied new languages, and reconnected with childhood friends over Zoom. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need a break from the mundane. In fact, if you’re like us, you’re craving a change of setting. For those who want to continue to follow healthy protocols and still embrace the joys of travel, villas fit the bill. We’re particularly fond of standalone hideaways located among resort communities or hotel complexes, because they offer the coddling amenities—from room service to VIP concierge experiences— you expect on a vacation. Whether you plan to work, homeschool your children, or simply sip cocktails beside your personal plunge pool, we offer this list of stylish villas around the globe.

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Best known for its astonishing 33 perfect beaches, friendly Anguilla stands out as one of the Caribbean’s most elegant islands. On its northwest shore, the art-bedecked Four Seasons bestrides a point which overlooks two of the island’s top sandy crescents—one of which is Barnes Bay. There lies the hotel’s 5-bedroom Beachfront Villa, just steps from the water. With interiors by legendary celebrity designer Kelly Wearstler, the haven spans nearly 9,000-square feet, encompassing both indoor and outdoor living spaces.

Embodying Wearstler’s classic whimsy and swanky outlook, the villa presents a symphony of textures, from alabaster to heirloom woods. Elements, such as driftwood lamps and a book-matched marble floating bar, add uniqueness. A private pool, laundry room, gourmet kitchen, and devoted residential assistant make extended stays the stuff of dreams. $8,000 nightly. fourseasons.com/anguilla/accommodations/villas/five-bedroom-beachfrontvilla/

PHOTO CREDIT: ©CHRISTIAN HORAN FOR FOUR SEASONS ANGUILLA

VILLA LIFE

ANGUILLA

Su Casa at Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve PUERTO RICO

Caribbean beauty meets Old Spanish élan on tropical Puerto Rico, a United States territory. Home to waterfalls, rainforests, and beaches galore, the isle boasts one of the Caribbean’s finest eco-retreats on its remote western shores—Dorado Beach.

Opened in the 1950s by Laurance Rockefeller, the seaside estate, deeply entrenched in nature, was hewn from a former plantation. It offers abundant amenities from a world class spa and golf to top-notch restaurants. Its coup de grâs, Su Casa, an historic, 5-bedroom, 1920s-era mansion, provides a sanctum far from the madding crowd. Recently redesigned by renowned design firm Champalimaud and helmed by a personal embajador (ambassador), the villa pleases with two pools, a full kitchen, and a spa treatment room. Jaw-dropping views go without saying. $25,0000 nightly. www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/ puerto-rico/dorado-beach/roomssuites/residences/su-casa

Su Casa is an historic 1920's villa in Puerto Rico

Atitlan Suite at Casa Palopo A

Villa Palopó at Casa Palopó GUATEMALA

Glamorous Su Casa offers seclusion

PHOTO CREDITS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) COURTESY OF RITZ-CARLTON RESERVE; COURTESY OF CASA PALOPO; COURTESY OF CASA PALOPO; COURTESY OF RITZ-CARLTON RESERVE

The infinity pool at Casa Palopo invites repose

Take repose on the shores of glimmering Lake Atitlán under the spell of its three volcanoes at boutique Casa Palopó, Guatemala’s first and only Relais & Châteux member hotel. With nature’s bounty ever present, the region fascinates with its novel Mayan villages, 12 of them set on the lake’s rim. Muse over it all from your infinity pool and private terrace at 3-bedroom Villa Palopó, which also offers lake views from its oversized bathtubs. With a living room embellished with Guatemalan art and furnishings (ideal for tutoring your child or as a backdrop for your online meeting) and two helipads, the former home includes the services of a chef and butler. Don’t miss a meal at the hotel’s Restaurant 6.8 Palopó, acclaimed for its renditions of local fare. $1,198 nightly. casapalopo.com 49

HauteTRAVEL The Oceanfront Residence at Mauna Lani has two master suites

Oceanfront Residence at Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection HAWAII

Mauna Lani resort was once home to Hawaiian royalty

The Palms at Vomo Island FIJI

Enjoy a private island escape at Vomo

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The ultimate in exotic getaways, 255acre Vomo Island occupies prime Pacific real estate just off Viti Levu, Fiji's main island. A stronghold of barefoot chic with 32 villas, myriad, palm-edged nooks, sugary beaches, and two pools, the private island escape offers both tranquility and activity. Golf, scuba dive, volley on the tennis courts, fish, spa, or just hang out beneath the flowering trees.

There’s even a fully equipped Kids Village led by Baby Butlers. Have the entire island to yourself and achieve that longed-for Robinson Crusoe sense of seclusion. Move into The Palms, an ultra-modern, 4-bedroom, set-apart fantasy with a pool, kitchen, and personal beach. Starting from $5,500 per night. vomofiji.com

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP TWO IMAGES) COURTESY OF AUBERGE; (BOTTOM IMAGE) COURTESY OF VOMO

Heralded by the Hawaiians for its mana (prodigious spiritual energy), the Big Island wows with its black, green, and white sand beaches, volcano power, misty valleys, waterfalls, and ancient lava fields. Its resorts dot the Kohala coastline as emerald oases. One of them, Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection, is a past domain of Hawaiian kings and draws from Hawaiian culture in spirit and footprint. Its garden, royal fishponds, and coral reefs set a bygone mood. At the same time, its recent $200 million re-imagination and redo brings an air of contemporary opulence and coddling—such as its new permanent Goop store, the first in Hawaii. Choose the airy, 4,000-squarefoot Oceanfront Residence, a 2-master suite extravaganza with pool, gourmet kitchen, and dedicated guest experience manager who sees to your whims. $7,000 nightly. aubergeresorts.com/maunalani

Villa Luna in Scottsdale perches on a hill with desert views

Villa Norte or Villa Luna at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa SCOTTSDALE

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP IMAGE) COURTESY OF SANCTUARY RESORT; (BOTTOM IMAGES) COURTESY OF VOMO

Vomo offers a variety of villas on the beach

Kaleidoscopic sunsets, saguaro cacti, desert jeep rides, western flair, otherworldly desert landscapes, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, and a hip, small city vibe combine to make Scottsdale a coveted holiday hangout. One of its most sumptuous enclaves, Sanctuary, welcomes guests for discreet stays in seven architecturally distinctive villas that climb Camelback Mountain.

Conceived to fuse with nature, indulge in local mood, and portray views through panoramic windows, each offers something unique from game rooms to tennis courts. Choose Villa Norte for its southwestern décor and adobe styling (plus tennis court) and Villa Luna for its floor-to-ceiling glass walls and eye-popping vistas.

Personal butler and private vehicle available upon request, with all resort amenities included in your stay. $3,200 nightly. sanctuaryaz.com

Note: At this time, each destination allows visitors from the United States, but with different entry and exit requirements. Please check with the hotel for current information when booking.

With four bedrooms, The Palms has room for the whole family

51

BY FRAN ENDICOTT MILLER

HauteFASHION

SAN FRANCISCO-BASED SENREVE IS AN INTERNATIONAL SENSATION SENREVE IS A SAN FRANCISCO-BASED COMPANY, YET MY introduction to the luxury handbag brand took place in New York City.

As a guest at Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, I took notice of the beautifully crafted bags that were exhibited in display cases near the elevator bank and within the hotel’s Health & Wellness Floor boutique.

Structured yet feminine, compact yet roomy, the bags intrigued me and I surprised to learn that the company’s home base was in my own backyard.

I needed details, which were provided by Tara Cruz, the hotel’s senior director of spa and wellness.

“As a New Yorker, I’m often inspired by fashion seen on the city streets,” said Cruz, who, in addition to overseeing all health and wellness 52

programming at the iconic Tribeca hotel, selects and sources all items sold in the third-floor boutique. “I noticed a woman on the subway wearing the gorgeous SENREVE Maestra bag and asked her what it was. I travel between different Four Seasons properties and commute with my laptop and recognized this bag as a chic, convenient way to transport my necessities and my electronics. I immediately contacted the company to see how we could begin a partnership. For me, the bag exemplifies everything women like myself and our clients seek: functionality, versatility, fine craftsmanship, and fashion. It doesn’t hurt that the business is femaleowned, and the designers are very much involved in placement, direct-toconsumer usually, and are quite the visionaries. And I adore Coral!”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SENREVE

The wildly popular handbag brand, established locally by Coral Chung, has found a worldwide audience with many a celebrity sporting its styles.

Coral is Coral Chung, SENREVE’s founder and CEO. Cruz’s endorsement led me to seek out the San Francisco resident who, in 2016, founded her handbag company out of sheer necessity. The former strategy consultant, retail marketing specialist, and technology executive became frustrated with the choices available for smart and stylish transport of her personal belongings, so she created her own perfect bag. The result? SENREVE’s bestselling Maestra, both fashionable and functional, featuring eight interior compartments, including a padded laptop sleeve. It can be worn a multitude of ways, a hallmark feature of each of SENREVE’s varying styles.

Chung also forged her own path with the production and marketing of her product. SENREVE bags are meticulously handcrafted in Italy and Spain by artisans sought out personally

by Chung. Rather than partner with a larger retailer, Chung chose a direct-to-consumer route, collaborating with high impact influencers and small boutique vendors such as the Four Seasons. SENREVE products can also be found at select Neiman Marcus locations, as well as pop-ups in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai. The brand’s San Francisco flagship is located on Jackson Street, where the entire colorful line can be previewed by appointment.

It was my pleasure to connect with Chung, who took time out of her very busy schedule to answer my additional queries:

Coral Chung

SENREVE Maestra Bag

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP) COURTESY OF CORAL CHUNG; (MIDDLE) WENDY’S LOOK BOOK; (BOTTOM) PHOTO COURTESY OF FOUR SEASONS HOTEL NEW YORK DOWNTOWN

HL: What was the process for choosing your brand name?

CC: On a short flight from LAX to SFO, SENREVE came to me on a notebook in which I was scribbling. I was playing with different word combinations, because I wanted to create something that represented coexisting dichotomies and all the different facets of a modern woman’s lifestyle. It was also original and sounded elegant, so it became our brand name. I do some of my best thinking on a plane and in the shower!

HL: You created SENREVE out of a personal desire for a better, more functional handbag. What were/are the characteristics most important to you when designing a SENREVE bag?

Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, Health & Wellness Floor boutique display

CC: We have five brand pillars that underpin everything that we do from a design and product perspective: wit, innovation, freedom, empowerment, and elegance. The acronym is WIFEE. These characteristics tie closely with all the different features, nuances, and details of our products. For example, our products can be worn in many ways that give women the freedom to choose and the ability to be hands-free. We are constantly innovating and putting forward new products that were never before in the market, like the Maestra family of products, which really created the new luxury convertible bag category.

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HauteFASHION HL: Your whimsical logo is an octopus, symbolizing diversity, intelligence, insight, complexity, vision, and versatility: characteristics emulated by the typical SENREVE customer. How is that logo utilized in your branding?

CC: The octopus is a big part of our identity and is featured in many ways. We have the octopus logo embossed subtly in gold or silver on many of our leather goods. We also have octopus hardware, for example, on our new 100% shearling slippers. It’s a very distinctive part of our overall branding. We also recently launched our loyalty program called the Octopi Club with different status tiers ranging from “Rockstar” to “Legend” to “Icon.”

HL: How did you conduct your search for the Florentine artisans who make your bags?

CC: Prior to the pandemic, I traveled to Italy almost every other month. It took many months of searching around the globe to identify the perfect partner for us. I really fell in love with Florence, because it’s such an inspiring place for art and Western culture, the birthplace of the Renaissance. The artisans with whom we work are typically trained through apprenticeships and are proud masters of their crafts. That really shows through in the quality of all of our handbags.

HL: How do you decide with whom to work in partnerships, such as The Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown?

HL: Where is SENREVE most popular and what is your theory as to why?

CC: San Francisco is an important home base for us, because the Bay Area has a wonderfully diverse and supportive entrepreneurial community. Since our launch, we’ve expanded our presence globally, and some of our biggest markets are outside of the US, ranging from Singapore to London to Vancouver. SENREVE is popular in big cities around the world where women live busy, multi-faceted lifestyles and also have great appreciation for luxury, quality, and unique design.

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PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP) COURTESY OF SENREVE; (BOTTOM) THE PRIMPY SHEEP

CC: Since our launch, NYC has been an important place for us.

It’s our largest market in the US and the heart of the fashion community. We love the Four Seasons branding and their focus on customer experience, which attracts clientele that’s very much aligned with the SENREVE community. We also love the passionate and talented team at the Four Seasons in Tribeca NYC!

HL: SENREVE bags are frequently spotted on the arms of many celebrities. Can you name names?

HL: What are some of your favorite San Francisco restaurants, stores, and boutiques?

CC: There are so many celebrities who love our products, but I’m especially proud of having Lady Gaga share our tagline, “Don’t be a rockstar, be a legend,” on her social media right around when she organized the global concert for COVID-19 relief. Some of our earliest celebrity brand ambassadors include Selma Blair, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Gabrielle Union, Brie Larsen, Jessica Alba, Anna Kendrick, and Angelina Jolie. Many of them are authentically SENREVE in the sense that not only are they beautiful actresses, they’re also activists, young moms, and more. One story involved a celebrity getting a little impatient about being on our waitlist for so long because our iconic Maestra bag was sold out. I won’t divulge who that was.

CC: I really love the restaurants in SF, Saison and Angler being my two favorites. I also love Boba Guys and Anthony’s Cookies—best chocolate chip cookies ever. Jackson Street where SENREVE is located has a lot of great stores and boutiques like Aesop, Anine Bing, Isabel Marant, and Zimmerman.

HL: Do you have plans to take the brand beyond handbags?

CC: Yes, the ambition is for SENREVE to become an iconic, global, nextgeneration, luxury brand. We have introduced several new product categories that are high quality, versatile, and beautiful, including cashmere, shearling slippers, and candles.

HL: Which SENREVE style are you currently carrying?

CC: I love the new Mini Alunna; I have that in the pebbled chestnut. It’s really versatile and fits all my daily essentials. I wear it mostly as a crossbody, but sometimes as a backpack as well!

HL: You could live anywhere in the world. Why do you choose San Francisco as your home?

CC: If the weather is nice, I love going to Golden Gate Park or the Palace of Fine Arts in the morning. Brunch at Foreign Cinema is my favorite or dim sum in Chinatown. I think shopping in Jackson Square, Pacific Heights, and Union Square is fun as well. Coffee at Reveille, Sightglass, or Mazarine. My husband and daughter obsess over the Giants, so usually catching a ballgame during baseball season at Oracle Park is a must as well. Some of my favorite dinner places are actually in the Jackson Square area as well, including Kokkari and Cotogna.

“The ambition is for SENREVE to become an iconic, global, next-generation, luxury brand. We have introduced several new product categories that are high quality, versatile, and beautiful, including cashmere, shearling slippers, and candles.”

— Coral Chung

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SENREVE

CC: I love San Francisco because of the American entrepreneurial spirit, the many neighborhoods with European architecture, the unique history of the city, and the people.

HL: Describe your typical San Francisco weekend day.

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HauteFASHION

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SWIMINISTA

BY CHARLENE PETERS

Swiminista zig zag slimming two-piece

WATER BOTTLE TO BATHING SUIT Eco-conscious California designer parlays unique recycled-plastic swimwear into a collaboration with The House of Christian Lacroix.

Andrea Bernholtz

Andrea adjusts a bathing suit for a better fit

IF YOU WATCH "BLING EMPIRE", THE NEWEST NETFLIX REALITY SERIES focused on socialite Asian Angelenos, you might spot a cameo appearance

by Andréa Bernholtz in a birthday party scene. Hardly an emerging ingenue, Bernholtz is the co-founder of Rock & Republic, a luxury denim fashion line that’s become a celebrity favorite. She’s also CEO of Titan Industries, where she developed a line of high-fashion footwear.

Bernholtz’s busy career turned a corner when she started a family. Almost a decade ago, her focus shifted to seek a better work-life balance between raising her daughter and commuting between two homes in California and a home in Hawaii. She sold Rock & Republic and began to focus on homeschooling her daughter and building on her lifelong passion for improving our planet’s climate health. It was up to her to set a good example as a parent, so this “mom-preneur” was soon back in business, this time concentrating on post-consumer plastics used in, of all things, swimsuits.

The new venture is called Swiminista. If you haven’t heard of it yet, you will soon.

The fabric for this durable line of “problem-solving” swimwear, aimed at post-30 women but ridiculously flattering for all ages, is made from recycled plastic water bottles woven into ultra-strong nylon.

Recycled polyester is easier to create than one would assume. The simple process begins with collecting post-consumer waste, or recycled bottles.

The bottles are shredded, material dried, and transformed into reusable material, courtesy of a heated extruder. The long fibers are forced through tiny holes and then torn apart to use as material.

When you consider plastic bottles can take as much as 20 years to biodegrade, you’ll get a sense of just how hardy these swimsuits are; no disintegrating after one season like other brands. Even the boxes they’re packed in are compostable and recycled. Brilliant!

The inspiration for Swiminista occurred while Bernholtz was on vacation with female friends who complained their swimsuits fit poorly, fell apart, or were uncomfortable. Bernholtz knew they were right.

“When you’re in your 20s, a little bit of ‘pop out’ isn’t a big deal,” she said.

“But when you’re older, proper fit really matters.”

Bernholtz thought she had made a complete break from the clothing industry, so when a friend suggested she try her hand at designing swimwear, she insisted she was retired.

“I was really sucked back in ’cause I wanna create,” she said. “So I just started Frankenstein-ing my existing swimsuits and coming up with things and bringing them to seamstresses.”

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HauteFASHION From her days designing jeans at Rock & Republic, Bernholtz had knowledge of how to tweak a pattern to accomplish optimum fit. Could she transfer that know-how to better fitting swimwear? She began by tying elements within the fabric in a way that would flatter the figure.

Originally, Swiminista suits were designed for women in their thirties and forties, but Bernholtz soon realized the fit’s appeal for consumers both younger and older.

“I've got girls who are only 20 wearing it, and I've got women who are in their fifties and sixties wearing it,” she said. “It's all about confidence and self-love.”

The powerful, recycled nylon mesh used to create a one-piece bathing suit was only the beginning. She added adjustable push-up bra cups and clever tweaks like adding seams in the front and back that act as support while being visually slimming.

Not a fan of halter-top swimsuits that need to be tied so tightly they cause neck pain and headaches, Bernholtz created tops that adjust under the rib cage and crisscross over shoulders. It can also adjust to even out tan lines or for wearing a coverup. Another part of the problem-solving solutions inherent in Swiminista suits is eliminating the dreaded “side boob” and adjusting a look to work with various body types.

“I want to avoid the look like you’re wearing a sports bra or granny panties or something,” she said. “I wanted to keep it sexy; I want to keep it chic and feminine. As your body changes from day-to-day and week-to-week, these suits can change with you.”

Every innovation built into a Swiminista swimsuit is based on hundreds of hours spent in swimwear shops interviewing women about what they like and need in a bathing suit.

In 2020, Bernholtz’s Swiminista designs, sold online, caught the eye of Paris fashion house Christian Lacroix, and soon a collaboration was born.

Bernholtz had met the Lacroix team at a Paris fashion show during her Rock & Republic days and had astutely stayed in touch with them.

“I dig their prints,” she says. “They’re so cool, you know, and there’s just something timeless about them.”

Then she heard an industry tip: the company had begun to invite collaborations with designers. Bernholtz soon found herself booking a flight to Paris during Fashion Week and reached out to Lacroix CEO Nicolas Topiol, securing a meeting to present her ideas. She came out with a contract.

Speaking on behalf of The House of Christian Lacroix, Topiol said, “Partnering with Andréa and Swiminista on an upscale beachwear collection was a natural choice for us. Our relationship with her extends back to her innovative work on the Rock & Republic line. Now, her unique approach to swimwear with Swiminista provides a wonderful opportunity to combine her inclusive shapes with our rich prints.”

Bernholtz went home with a catalogue of Lacroix prints and found narrowing down her choices was almost overwhelming. Eventually, she selected a floral print, adding a single vertical seam to create a pleated effect.

“Vertical lines elongate you,” she explains, “so, suddenly they make you look better.”

58 The House of Christian Lacroix swimwear collaboration

Child swimsuit

Christian Lacroix two-piece with adjustable fit

The same is true for zigzagging, so Bernholtz searched the Lacroix catalog for prints that could be scaled properly, came in complementary colors, and would look good while swimming. Back in Paris, the Lacroix team was receptive.

“I'm super grateful to work with them, because their fabric prints on our nylon suits bring a whole new beautiful life to both their collection and our swimwear,” she said. “We took our bestselling suits and made them in a House of Christian Lacroix print.”

The collaborative collection is trending.

“My goal was to have a halter-looking top, for example, or halter-looking bathing suit which is so flattering to most women—but not have it tie around your neck” in a way to provoke pain. Plus, she says, “I like to adjust it for tan lines or for wearing a coverup underneath it.”

As a proponent for the elimination of “side boob” and call for adjusting to different body types, Andréa is all about problem solving.

And she loves the fact that the material holds up well in all elements.

Bernholtz admits to tossing her swimwear into the washer and dryer, typically a no-no. “I've been doing it with my leopard print suit and it still looks brand new—very durable.”

In homage to her daughter, Bernholtz recently launched a collection of Mommy & Me swimwear for children that includes her favorite leopard print design. The House of Christian Lacroix collection will soon follow.

When she isn’t working on new designs for Swiminista, Bernholtz volunteers for a variety of organizations working to protect the environment, such as Heal the Bay, Oceania, and The Galapagos Conservancy. She’s teaching her daughter her eco-conscious ways as well: the two often participate in beach cleanups, and at home they use cloth wipes instead of paper towels.

“You can use it like 150 times,” she boasts. “Every little bit helps.”

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BY FRAN ENDICOTT MILLER

HauteFASHION ROTHY’S MEETS THE CULTURAL MOMENT Rothy’s eye-catching, wear-all-day silhouettes ignite a fandom frenzy rarely found within the retail sector FEW RETAILERS BOAST A FOLLOWING OF FAITHFUL FANS AS ARDENT as those who love Rothy’s. Loyalists of the San Francisco-based shoe and accessories company regularly pledge their allegiance with postings to every social media platform. An Instagram search of #Rothys, for instance, reveals account after account created by those who highlight their latest purchases, share their wish lists, and engage each other in conversation about their favorite styles. There’s even a “Rothy’s in the Wild” account where fans post pictures of styles randomly spotted on city streets.

And Rothy’s takes note. “It’s a beautiful thing to have customers so involved with the brand,” said Erin Lowenberg, Rothy’s senior vice president of merchandising and product, who admits that the fandom has taken on a life of its own. She referenced the innumerable Facebook groups and hashtags devoted to the brand and recalled the group of women who filled a bus and rode for miles to celebrate the opening of the brand’s Washington, DC store, one of just a handful of its brick and mortar locations. (The others are located on hip and walkable streets in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston.) Lowenberg added, “We’ve got some passionate customers out there. Rothy’s make them happy, and who doesn’t need a little color in their life right now? We really listen to our customers, the selfproclaimed ‘Rothy’s Addicts.’ We are in constant innovation mode, trying to learn from our own growth, so it is a gift to have customers so involved with the brand.”

Rothy’s classic, yet eye-catching, wear-all-day footwear silhouettes (crisply named “The Point,” “The Loafer,” and “The Square”) are available in an everchanging assortment of colors and patterns, each knitted to shape with a soft, durable, and washable signature thread made of recycled plastic water bottles. The material is engagingly tactile. The Rothy’s playful, heritage-feel signet—a single symbol looped into itself without any breaks—symbolizes the company’s seamless construction of its products. Newly introduced handbags and accessories include highly versatile crossbody bags, totes, wallets, and pouches, each also knitted from a blend of the Rothy’s signature thread and ocean-bound marine plastic, the exclusive material that caught the eye of Seattle lifestyle blogger and marketing strategist Alex Tran. “I

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROTHY’S

discovered Rothy's when I saw one of their Facebook ads showing the transformation of a water bottle into thread and then into their shoes,” said Tran, an admitted ‘Rothy’s Addict’ who often blogs about the brand on her website, schimiggy.com, where her popular sizing guide post has helped to steer Rothy’s fans the world over. “I love that they are transforming singleuse plastics into wearables. This diverts millions of water bottles from entering and remaining in our landfills. I own and love the points, flats, and sandals. I wear my sandals all of the time.”

Frequent introduction of new product is central to Rothy’s popularity.

With more than 200 design patent applications granted or pending, the design team creates with purpose and intention. They're skilled in the art of balancing forward-looking trends with sustainable solutions and real-time customer insights.

Lowenberg drives the company’s creative direction, working with the product team to create chic styles that surprise and amuse. Her specialty lies in color and pattern development, resulting in Rothy’s signature, brightly hued collections. “We design for a customer who deeply appreciates an intersection of comfort, versatility, style, color, and sustainability,” said Lowenberg, whose more than 20 years of retail experience includes a decade at Gap Inc. and consulting roles with Patagonia and Old Navy.

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HauteFASHION She closely follows trends, from the high fashion catwalk to athletic and performance wear to home furnishings. She also relies on current events and intuition in forecasting what the customer most desires, such as the recently launched line of sustainably made handbags and totes. “I try to translate trends into products that are meaningful to our customers: items that are not only unexpected and delightful, but practical.”

“I found out about Rothy’s from a previous boss who used to wear them every day,” said regular customer Jackie Journick, New York City resident and account executive for Stirista. “They have so many different styles that are great for both workwear or casual wear, and they launch new silhouettes every few months. I really believe in their products and sustainability model.

The shoes are comfortable to wear all day, and the best part is that they’re machine washable, which is a game changer when living in and walking throughout the city.”

This past year, that hallmark feature—washability—proved to more than meet a societal moment. Little did founders Roth Martin and Stephen Hawthornthwaite know that, when they launched Rothy’s in 2016 in order to fill a fashion chasm, they’d one day also provide a cultural panacea.

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Instructed by pandemic authorities to wash and wash again, the ability to toss Rothy’s shoes into the washing machine assuaged many anxieties.

Martin and Hawthornthwaite’s initial motivation was to create a shoe that matched the comfort and stylishness of the “athleisure” trend. As leggings moved beyond the yoga studio and onto the street, they saw an opportunity.

Each left a job at the height of his career, with a vision to create a company that would both fuel their retail passion and allow them to do good in the world.

That good begins with the company’s commitment to sustainability. Rothy’s transforms recycled, eco-friendly materials into their products and takes pride in smart production practices, always with the goal of reaching zero waste. Their sustainable commitments span the entire product journey from materials to ownership and operation of their own sustainable production workshops to their use of 100 percent recyclable shoe boxes. Rothy’s combines the best of 3D knitting technology with handcrafted assembly, meaning their products are built to shape. This technique results in little waste, as opposed to traditional shoemaking methods in which patterns are cut from larger pieces of fabric and leftover materials are thrown out.

“From our innovative materials, like our knit-to-shape production method, we consider the environmental impact of everything we do and we strive to push the industry forward toward a more sustainable future,” said Lowenberg, who was friends with Martin and Hawthornthwaite long before she initially joined Rothy’s as a consultant. The duo hired her to develop inaugural products and to help get the ball rolling; but, just like Rothy’s customers, she, too, has become a Rothy’s Addict and can’t imagine working anywhere else. “It’s such a joy to be in a business in which we fully believe.”

Rothy’s shoes and accessories are available online at rothys.com and at five brick and mortar locations: Fillmore Street in San Francisco, Melrose Place in Los Angeles, Newbury Street in Boston, Bleecker Street in New York City, and M Street in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

“From our innovative materials, like our knitto-shape production method, we consider the environmental impact of everything we do. We strive to push the industry forward toward a more sustainable future.” — Erin Lowenberg 63

BY CHARLENE PETERS

HauteFASHION

MEET CHANEL’S NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, VIRGINIE VIARD

At Chanel’s 2020-21 Metiers d’art show

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHANEL

RUNWAY MOMENTS ARE THE KEYSTONE OF A DESIGNER’S SUCCESS. Just as Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld broke boundaries in the iconic fashion house, the newest creative director for the house of Chanel, Virginie Viard, is following suit to create re-imagined, timeless visions in the world of fashion.

Imagine the traits a designer must possess to take on the task of designing fashion worthy of the famed Chanel label. Creativity, yes. Determination, ditto. And relevance, certainly, as Chanel’s previous artistic director, Karl Lagerfeld, proved.

But Lagerfeld is gone, having died in February 2019, and a force of nature named Virginie Viard fills the void. She’s the first woman to hold the title of artistic director since the inimitable Jeanne Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel herself.

Viard worked alongside Lagerfeld since 1987, and he often referred to her as “my right arm … and my left arm.”

Viard introduced her first collection for Chanel in spring of 2019 with a fashion show inside the Gare de Lyon train station. Her distinctive take on “cruisewear” debuted in 2020.

Similarities between the advent of Coco Chanel’s career and Virginie Viard’s can be made: Coco grew up surrounded by nuns, began by designing women’s hats, and segued into the use of sensual jersey knits for dresses and skirts. Virginie was raised by physician parents, learned how to sew from her mother, with inspiration from grandparents who were silk manufacturers. Virginie produced an early clothing line using jersey knits under the name Nirvana.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHANEL

Here’s how her career path parallels—and departs from—that of the legendary Coco

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHANEL

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHANEL

Coco worked tirelessly to reach the pinnacle of the fashion world in her time, just as Virginie’s rise did not occur overnight. Coco was well known for her peculiarities and perfectionism, and it has been said by at least one Chanel brand ambassador that Virginie, too, has her own idiosyncrasies.

Since assuming the mantle of artistic director, Virginie has agreed to very few media interviews. She is clearly consumed with this opportunity to showcase her post-Lagerfeld vision for Chanel and is generally in a whirlwind of design meetings, showings, and studio work.

Last year, the Chanel team chose director Sofia Coppola to work on the sets of the Chanel 2019/20 Métiers d’art show and direct a behindthe-scenes video illustrating the new direction the House of Chanel was taking. The result was a fascinating, behind-the-scenes conversation with a surprisingly approachable Virginie Viard as she prepared to launch her fashion collection in a show at the Grand Palais, which can be viewed on YouTube.

THE MAKING OF VIRGINIE VIARD Born in 1962, Virginie grew up in a successful family. Her mother and father were doctors, and her grandparents were involved in the production of silk. Following studies in theater design, she served as a costume designer assistant to Dominique Borg. Together, the two women created costumes for Camille Claudel, a musical based on the real-life artist best known as Auguste Rodin’s tortured muse and lover.

In 1987, Virginie joined the House of Chanel as haute couture embroidery intern. Five years later, Karl Lagerfeld recruited her to work with him at Chloé. There, she worked with French actress Isabelle Yasmina Adjani to create costumes for a few mid-90s films that included Three Colors: Blue and Three Colors: White. A few years later, Virginie returned to Chanel, and in the year 2000, she found her place in its ready-to-wear division.

Viard describes her style as “flea market hits,” a boho style originally embraced by Lagerfeld at Chloé and taken in a fresh new direction. When asked by Coppola in the YouTube video what she believed her primary task was during Fashion Week, Viard calmly replied: “Sixty girls to dress.”

For the Chanel 2019/20 Métiers d’art show, all eyes were glued to Viard’s creations of off-the-shoulder, asymmetrical, ruffled print dresses and midriff revealing shirts. Heather pink tops, tweed skirts with front ruffles, flared and sequined capris, and chain belts with tiny purses swung with every stride.

Chanel’s 2020/21 Métiers d’art show was staged at Château Chenonceau, an over-the-top 16th century castle in the Loire Valley that’s been featured on numerous television specials, is visited by more than a million tourists annually, and is best known as the former home of Catherine de Medici.

Exquisitely styled models strutted through the castle’s hallways in classic Chanel tops with camelias at the lapel, paired with floor length skirts of blue floral batik. Of course, many outfits were capped with the identifiable CC, the most desired bling in any fashionista’s closet.

In 2021, Coco’s spirit lives on with a contemporary twist on some timehonored looks. Under Viard, pink leggings now enliven signatures like Chanel’s classic combination of black and white and frocks can sometimes be reminiscent of the nuns who first inspired Coco Chanel.

So, just how did Ms. Chanel become an icon? Read on.

Pink legging look at Chanel’s 2020-21 Metiers d’art show

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HauteFASHION Virginie Viard and team at the finale of the 2020-21 Metiers d art show

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PHOTOS BY ©JUERGEN TELLER

Chateau de Chenonceau

PHOTOS BY ©JUERGEN TELLER

THE MAKING OF COCO At the turn of the 20th century, when a woman’s place was most decidedly in the home, the ambition of Jeanne Gabrielle Chanel, later known as Coco, swam against society’s current.

She was born in Saumur, France, in 1883, to parents who didn’t marry until after she was born. Even after Jeanne’s sisters came along, her parents traveled the world like a pair of carefree teens, often leaving their young family in the care of virtual strangers. When their mother died, their father shipped the girls off to an orphanage within a convent. It was here that a pre-teen Jeanne took note of a style and coloration (black and white) that would influence her fashion designs forevermore. In fact, that string of pearls that became essential to the signature Chanel ensemble was based on the rosaries that dangled from the nun’s necklines.

At the convent, Jeanne was taught how to sew, and in the summertime, she was sent to visit an aunt who tutored her in the popular art of millinery.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHANEL

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHANEL

“At the turn of the 20th century, when a woman’s place was most decidedly in the home, the ambition of Jeanne Gabrielle Chanel, later known as Coco, swam against society’s current.”

By the age of 20, Jeanne had begun to develop a distinct sense of fashion style coupled with Parisian sensuality. That sense was honed to a diamond tip and would serve her well throughout her long and illustrious career.

But how on earth did this convent-raised Catholic girl come by her unusual nickname, Coco? Theories abound, but the one most likely is that Jeanne grew up and embraced her youthful “party years,” living in Moulins in central France and making money singing in a nightclub there. Her favorite tune was “Who’s Seen Coco in the Trocadero?” A second theory suggests that the name Coco referred to late night partying, often fueled by cocaine.

Whom to believe? Well, both tales add one more level of mystique to the woman who established the legendary House of Chanel.

She’d be pleased to know that the energy and talent of Virginie Viard is being put to use to extend that magic.

The latest Chanel collection, imagined 67 Viard

by Virginie

BY TERESA RODRIGUEZ

HauteFASHION

PHOTO CREDITS: RODARTE SPRING / SUMMER 2021 BY KATE AND LAURA MULLEAVY IMAGES SHOT BY: DARIA KOBAYASHI RITCH FEATURING: AYOBAMI OKEKUNLE CHLOE TANG FERNANDA OLIVEIRA LICETT MORILLO MONTERO NARIAH NICOLLE OLIVIA FORTE HAIR BY RACHEL LEE USING GHD MAKE UP BY UZO USING NARS COSMETICS STYLING BY SHIRLEY KURATA AND ASHLEY FURNIVAL PRODUCED BY CONNECT THE DOTS REAL FLORALS BY JOSEPH FREE

RODARTE Exclusive Interview with Northern Californian Sisters Rocking the Fashion Industry KATE AND LAURA MULLEAVY'S JOURNEY INTO THE world of fashion has been an unusual trip down a rabbit hole to a place even more surreal than Alice’s in Wonderland.

Stepping back in time, we learn that their grandfather was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, immigrated to California, and fell in love with a young lady from Rome. His last name was Rodarte, hence the name of their brand. The pair grew up in a closely knit family on the edge of an old growth forest in Aptos, near Santa Cruz. It was here that their father, a fifthgeneration Californian of Irish descent, enjoyed his life as a mushroom botanist, and their artistic Mexican-Italian mother took the girls to movies and taught them how to sew.

“The first thing I ever sewed was white overalls with red pockets and turtles on them. That was also the last thing I sewed until we created our first collection many years later” — Laura Mulleavy While Kate, a year older than Laura, studied art history at UC Berkeley, Laura planned on becoming a neuroradiologist.

They took one costume design class together in college and quit it two weeks into the course. Alas, Laura switched her major to English after accepting she could not endure calculus on a daily basis. After graduation, the sisters set a course to figure out what they wanted to do, including taking a year to study the horror film genre. In 2005, they designed 10 pieces that were mushroom-inspired and decided to take the collection to fashion week in New York. That collection landed them on the cover of WWD. From that moment on, it's been a wild ride.

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HauteFASHION Along with years of accolades and awards for their creativity--including their costume designs for the Black Swan--they ventured into the world of film making. In 2017, they wrote and directed Woodshock, a psychological thriller set in the redwoods and starring Kirsten Dunst as Theresa, a young woman struggling with a deep sense of loss and isolation caused by a confluence of regrettable events. “We set out to tell a story about the redwoods and what they make us feel, and we told a story kind of like a creation myth or rebirth about a character who could represent so much about the landscape,” says Laura.

The two sisters live together in Los Angeles and work, play, travel, and create as one. It is this closeness that has built and reinforced their superpowers. While solo designers can get burned out and emotionally discouraged by the whims of the fashion industry, the two of them have a unique ability to adapt. While one ebbs, the other flows: together they can balance their hectic schedules and sometimes overwhelming obligations. When asked about not being together during the design process, Kate shares: “It's like trying to play the piano without having a piano.”

For a brief moment, the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte took a break to chat with Haute Living about their lives, influences, and favorite things.

HL: How did two girls who graduated from Berkeley decide that they wanted a career in fashion?

K&L: At a young age, we were exposed to costume design. Our grandmother sang opera and our mother showed us early Hollywood films.

Through these mediums, we understood fashion. We realized how design was a means to tell a story, and after attending UC Berkeley where we studied art history and English literature, we realized that we wanted to take what we learned about analysis and apply it to fashion.

For our creative process, we look to be inspired—and keep our eyes open—for a seed of an idea to become relevant to our current state of mind. Once we have that feeling, we start constructing a visual narrative that we can develop within a collection. Often, nature plays a role in the development process.

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The latest Chanel collection, imagined 71 Viard

by Virginie

PHOTOSCREDITS: COURTESY OF CHANEL PHOTO RODARTE SPRING / SUMMER 2021 BY KATE AND LAURA MULLEAVY IMAGES SHOT BY: DARIA KOBAYASHI RITCH

PHOTOS BY ©JUERGEN TELLER

HauteFASHION

HL: You grew up in the Bay Area in Aptos. How did your childhood influence your fashion philosophy?

K&L: We have been inspired by California in many of our collections. This state has always brought so much creativity to our work. Color palettes, textures, narrative ideas all came from our growing up in Northern California and our choosing to stay in Los Angeles as we started Rodarte.

HL: Your mom is Italian-Mexican and your dad is Irish, correct? How does your family's heritage manifest in your work?

K&L: Growing up, our mother spent her summers in Mexico with her family. Our favorite stories of hers are from her time spent there. Our grandfather was from Zacatecas, Mexico and grandmother was from Rome, Italy. Both of her parents raised her to love art and craft and nature. Both cultures are incredible and affect the way the way that we create.

PHOTO RODARTE SPRING / SUMMER 2021 BY KATE AND LAURA MULLEAVY PHOTOSCREDITS: COURTESY OF CHANEL IMAGES SHOT BY: DARIA KOBAYASHI RITCH

HL: You two also wrote and directed the movie Woodshock.

How did that come to be?

K&L: We wrote Woodshock, in 2013, for our friend Kirsten Dunst.

We wanted to create a world that was reverential to the beautiful, old growth redwoods of Northern California. Having grown up among them, we felt our first film as directors and writers should be about exploring the natural world and an internal dreamscape.

HL: What kept you occupied this past year during the pandemic?

K&L: We spent much time going on walks, documenting nature and cooking. We watched films, picking up our Janus Collection box set and watching the Criterion Channel. We also worked on three collections for Rodarte.

HL: Are you working on new ventures beyond fashion?

K&L: Yes, we are, but all are confidential for the time being. We are also working on our next film.

HL: What do you enjoy doing outside of Rodarte?

K&L: We love to spend time with our friends. We love traveling to Big Sur and spending time in nature.

HL: For others striving to manifest their dreams—as you have—do you have some sage advice you can share?

K&L: We were told by Anna Wintour, after she saw our first collection, that what we did was personal and we should keep it that way. We have stayed true to this advice and our brand, Rodarte, is unique, because we share stories that are from us and our experiences and interests. We would pass along this advice to any young talent.

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PHOTOS BY ©JUERGEN TELLER

HauteFASHION

KATE:

Happiness is: Family I never leave home without: My iPhone My favorite beverage: Coffee I can't wait to get back to: Big Sur Pet? Our Westie, Teddy My favorite brand that's not Rodarte: Chanel LAURA:

Every woman should have: Chocolate My guilty pleasure is: To quote Fran Leibovitz, “I have no guilty pleasures, because pleasure never makes me feel guilty.”

My favorite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude My biggest influence in life: Film My go-to shoe is: A Chanel flat

PHOTO RODARTE SPRING / SUMMER 2021 BY KATE AND LAURA MULLEAVY PHOTOSCREDITS: COURTESY OF CHANEL IMAGES SHOT BY: DARIA KOBAYASHI RITCH

My favorite brand that's not Rodarte: Vintage YSL

“The Spring/Summer 21 collection is a reflection of the creative spirit and artistic interaction that we have shared as sisters over the years. This season we found inspiration in our creative process.

Having more time together allowed us to distill the codes of Rodarte and further expand them. Rodarte is about romance and dreaming, and our dynamic is the center of its creative spirit.”

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PHOTO CREDIT: ©MARY JEAN MURPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

PROFILE

76 Makras Victor

A Passion for Community and Advocacy

BY ERIN HUNT MOORE

As a prominent San Francisco real estate leader, champion of the arts, and philanthropist, Victor Makras is known to many in San Francisco. For more than 20 years, Makras has offered his time and voice to a significant number of associations, institutes, and commissions in and around the Bay Area, from the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS), a $32 million pension fund, to the San Francisco Police Commission, Friends of San Francisco City Planning (FOCP), the Carter Center, Books for the Barrios, and many more. What some may not be aware of is Makras’ own San Francisco story and background, which fuel his passion and motivation to support the city’s diverse communities, advocate on behalf of its youth, and make the city accessible and welcoming to all.

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PROFILE HL: You’ve been working in the city for many decades and are known and respected as a longtime leader in real estate. You have such an interesting story: tell us how you got your start.

VM: I was inspired to start a career in real estate at the young age of 18. I worked very hard, got my real estate license, and began reaching out to people. Well, it was not easy. Not everyone felt confident putting the sale of their home in the hands of an 18-year-old! Things often went well until I set up the in-person meetings and they opened the door to a very young man. I can say that I understand age discrimination.

I then pivoted slightly and began renting apartments at the same time to get experience and a few successes under my belt. I loved it. It was satisfying to bring people together, make those connections, and help people find a place to live. Everyone’s home is their palace. I have felt honored to help many people find their palaces. Decades later, my company manages some 3,000 apartments on behalf of owners and oversees roughly 400 buildings. I never plan to retire! I will always be interested in accomplishing more in my community and profession.

Farah and Victor Makras

Born to Greek immigrant parents in San Francisco, Makras’ first language was Greek. Having been taught that hard work and determination were the key to success, he began his real estate career at just 18 years of age. Much of his determination to help others stems from his great appreciation of and recognition for what he was able to accomplish and the opportunities afforded him as a result. With his wife Farah, he is the father of four, three sons and a daughter. The eldest has a family of his own, his two middle sons are in college, and his daughter will soon be following.

Makras shared with us his deep love and regard for San Francisco and the communities that fill this city with energy and vibrancy. We talked about the future ahead and some of his personal connections to the causes he supports and communities for which he advocates, as well as a few favorite destinations.

HL: You are truly a San Francisco original and a first-generation American. Tell us a bit about your own experience in the city.

VM: I was born to Greek parents in San Francisco. Both of my parents’ families came to San Francisco during WWII, within just a couple of years of each other, actually. My mother’s father worked with a company that sent him to the US for work and offered citizenship. Those were different times! All said, I’m not sure if that makes me first-generation San Franciscan/American or one-and-a-half or even second! We moved to Daly City when I was a child, but San Francisco was our community, where our church and so many friends were, so the city was where we spent much of our time.

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VM: In the immediate future, given the year that we’ve had, my hope and belief is for a smart recovery, which includes people getting vaccinated and being conscious of themselves and being protective of one’s neighbor. Ultimately, I believe that we will have a full recovery: in family, work, and school. If we get that, we will have community recovery, recovery of our arts and our city back in full blossom. San Francisco is truly one of the best places the world has to offer. We have world class hospitals, universities, food, banks, arts programs and offerings, and nearby Silicon Valley.

I would like to see the city more vibrant, business-friendly, accessible, and less regulated. Part of what makes San Francisco so beautiful (outside of the stunning natural beauty surrounding us), is that it is a city that welcomes all, creating wonderful diversity and energy. We are free-spirited here. Our neighborhoods and people flow from one neighborhood together.

Many people come to San Francisco with big dreams. Whether they come from a positive or negative world, they come for something better and bring with them so many ideas and talent. The city benefits from that as well, because these people also bring something better. We all share in that special and dynamic DNA.

“Everyone’s home is their palace.

I have felt honored to help many people find their palaces.”

— Victor Makras

PHOTO CREDITS: RENDERING IMAGES COURTESY OF CALVANO DEVELOPMENT; PHOTO CREDIT: ©DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY (BOTTOM RIGHT) ©JULIE WEBER

HL: What are your hopes for the future of the city? What kind of San Francisco would you like to see for the next generation?

HL: You have a legacy of involvement in the city as an advocate and proponent for positive change. What feels especially important now?

VM: Part of what motivates me to get involved is that government does not always feel friendly or easy for people to navigate. I’d like to make that an easier process for fellow residents. Even at a micro-level, I’ve found great satisfaction in assisting people in obtaining information and filling out forms. I’ve marveled at how complicated that can be. A recent personal example: I just tried to renew my driver’s license online and found it impossible. I spent hours trying and just couldn’t get it done. I know that when I do—and I will—I will make sure that I assist my mother and her friends with the process. I can only imagine how our elder generation feels trying to navigate these essential things. I’m determined to help others in our community feel more comfortable.

Also incredibly important is our youth: they are our future. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunities I’ve had and starting so young. I’ve worked hard, but there were paths available to me. There are organizations in our city that prioritize the education, training, and workforce integration for our youth. A wonderful example is the Booker T Washington Community Service Center. Their doors are open every single day to ensure that they are available to interact with and support the kids in the community. It used to be a gym. They now have a learning center and vocational training programs to help students and young people be better set up for success in their futures.

Other organizations doing important work for our youth are the Mission District Campus for City College, where I’ve spent years as an advisory board member, and the Asian Neighborhood Design Center.

The former helps with English language education and the latter helps teach young people to become architects, designers, and carpenters and offers apprenticeships, jobs, and union memberships. These organizations help young people get their lives together and connect with something they are happy doing.

Victor Makras

PHOTO CREDITS: ©DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

HL: What are some of your favorite places in San Francisco? Where do you go for Greek food as an aficionado?

VM: Valencia—the Valencia Corridor—is my favorite street. It encompasses nearly all of San Francisco, including some important neighborhoods of my life and that of my family. It’s incredibly walkable and moves well!

In terms of Greek restaurants, there is no second to Kokkari. They have truly mastered the art of Greek cooking. It doesn’t matter when you go, you will still have the same food. That consistency is what home cooking is. You always go back home for your favorite meal. Kokkari is that for me.

But above all, breaking bread with friends, exchanging ideas and life stories is everything to me, my wife, and family. I appreciate excellent food, flavors, culinary experiences, but it’s the fellowship of the experience and taking time for that which are the most important.

We are fortunate for the depths of friendships here and our life in this wonderful city. Tony Bennett gave us all a beautiful song of appreciation for this incredible city, and it couldn’t be truer!

The Makras'

79 Willie Brown, Victor Makras, Farah Makras, Mayor London Breed and Art Agnos

Jonathan Rachman at work

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PHOTO CREDIT: ©AUBRIE PICK

PROFILE

The designer loves to use bright colors in entertainment areas

A Creative Life

PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY OF JONATHAN RACHMAN

Jonathon Rachman Talks Fashion and Design

BY BECCA HENSLEY

He loves Hubert de Givenchy for his timeless, romantic design, Christian Dior for his elegant simplicity, and fabled artist and stage designer Oliver Messel for his versatility, multiple talents, and adaptability.

In a way, San Francisco’s Jonathan Rachman is the sum of all of his heroes and more. A multi-hyphened creative, interior designer, event planner to the elite, renowned dapper dresser, owner of Jonathan Rachman Designs, and maven of style and grace, Rachman now adds author to his repertoire with the release of his memoir, The Garlic Peanut Story. From floral designs for Marc Jacobs to work for the Four Seasons to countless homes in myriad global spots, he’s done it all. During the pandemic, he’s been busier than ever, not just writing, but re-imagining and renovating homes (“I believe this era has helped people to recognize how valuable it is to have a home that is highly customized to their needs,”) and reflecting on his life and the “power of love and forgiveness,” a major theme in his new book. We sat down to talk with him about his book, get his fashion tips, and discuss his design aesthetic.

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PROFILE HL: Let’s start with your book. In The Garlic Peanut Story you express gratitude for a sister whose love sustained you through a painful childhood in Indonesia. You felt you were born different and that took a toll. In this book, you pay homage to the many people who supported you with kindness and good counsel.

JR: You’ll learn a lot about me here. I believe in the power of love and forgiveness. Though my glamorous, peppy façade is real, beneath it was a sad, tortured, island boy. But, oh, how my life was saved by so, so many men and women.

Rachman designs interiors and redos around the world

Elegant simplicity is Rachman's calling card

HL: You don’t follow trends. Your acclaimed fashion sense is intuitive. One thing that drives it is the motivation to be considerate of others. For you, that means dressing appropriately for all events, whether on a flight or at the opera. Can you share some tips?

HL: Regarding interior design, you never received formal education, but rather trained in fashion and hospitality management in Switzerland. These two areas influence your self-proclaimed romantic style, a dedicated look of elegance and ease. Also, you love color, but you say it is very subjective. Can you explain that?

JR: Yes. For example, I personally love my bedroom to be more neutral, as I find bold and bright colors distracting when I want to relax. On the other hand, I absolutely love bold bright colors in my entertainment area (formal living or dining), and I prefer cool hues for my bathrooms, especially when I am designing in the tropical part of the world. Everyone is different!

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PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF JONATHAN RACHMAN

JR: I think it is important to be respectful no matter where you are—one must know how to dress for each place, event, and location. To be underdressed (or overdressed) can be a sign of disrespect. Chic and comfortable clothing is achievable. Layers are a favorite solution. Let me tell you about some of my favorites.

Go with Thom Browne, Sacoor Brothers, or El Ganso for crisp, tailored jackets made with comfortable materials. Choose Ermenegildo Zegna for the best, breathable outer coat. Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, and Petronio of Bergamo do wonderful white or gingham shirts for a dashing, everyday look. And don’t forget Tod's and Sacoor Brothers for driving shoes. They make them comfy and luxurious, yet comfortable— and so easy to change during "takeoff and landing" or from “slippers to socks.”

HL: What do you see happening in San Francisco homes in 2021? How did 2020 spur these changes?

JR: Because I never follow trends, I can only speak from my experience. In the 20 years of my design career, I have never been this busy in our firm. We have had so many requests in full renovations, expansions, or partial renovations, as well as clients acquiring more properties, at times simultaneously. I believe, because of the pandemic, people are realizing the value of customized homes.

HL: Do you think that interior design is a form of fashion?

JR: Yes, design, like fashion, has various levels of formality and complexity. In fashion, there is the haute couture, prêt-à-porter, streetwear, beachwear, etc. It is the same in interior design. A historical mansion in Paris has different architecture and style than a beach house in Bali or a penthouse in a London high-rise. Within the property itself, there must be a hierarchy—for example, the master suite must be fancier than the nursery or the guest room and so on. In consulting for fashion or design, as well, one must understand the level of fashion as well as interior design to achieve just the right “fashion” or interior for the individual or owner.

In fashion, there is the pattern, in interior design there is the floor and furniture plan: each will always guide us to the final result. As in fashion, interiors should be appropriate, too.

“Design, like fashion, has various levels of formality and complexity” — Jonathon Rachman Rachman's rooms often show influences of stage designer Oliver Messsel

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP) COURTESY OF JONATHAN RACHMAN; (BOTTOM) ©SUZANNA SCOTT

HL: What’s next for you?

"A Musing in April in Paris"

JR: My first monograph! A coffee table design book, published by Flammarions and co-authored and edited by the one and only Dean Rhys-Morgan, will be out the end of this year. I hope I can have launch parties globally next year. See you there!

HL: Where can we buy The Garlic Peanut Story? We can’t wait!

JR: You can get on Amazon and on the website. www.thegarlicpeanutstory.com www.amazon.com/Garlic-Peanut-Story-JonathanRachman/dp/9791173370 83

PROFILE

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Quinceañera clothing designer April Black Diamond, center, with models

STATE of GRACE Christine Suppes and Frederic Aranda spotlight the Golden State’s diversity and sublime beauty in their stunning new coffee table book, California Elegance

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO PHOTOS BY FREDERIC ARANDA

To say Christine Suppes knows something about beauty is an understatement. The Palo Alto haute couture collector gave the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco a major boost in 2018 by donating more than 500 of her own designer clothing ensembles to its collection. The gift was hailed by former museums director Max Hollein not only as the largest of its kind the museums had ever received, but also one that would rank its collections "as one of the outstanding costume collections in the country."

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PROFILE

Nikki Lasteto and Swami Chaitanya

Transgender rights activist Donna Personna

Salvation Mountain, Calipatria

Smuin Ballet's Celia Fushille and dancer

86 Denise Littlefield Sobel

National Parks Ranger Betty Reid Soskin

Her personal collection formed the basis for her first book, Electric Fashion (Skira, 2015) with London portrait photographer Frederic Aranda. Now, they have a second.

For four years, the pair traveled the state from Yreka to San Ysidro in search of inspiring figures, a quest that resulted in a glossy new book published in February, California Elegance: Portraits from the Final Frontier (Mondadori, 432 pages, $80).

“Being a native Californian, I wanted to share the story of my state, which I had come to realize was often underappreciated or misunderstood,” Suppes says. “It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of Hollywood and Silicon Valley without appreciating that these are two very real industries driving the state’s economy. But those are only two.” Other chapters focus on California agriculture, fashion, science, activism, and arts as well.

The cover is a riff (with permission from the Sun-Maid Growers of California) on the iconic Sun-Maid raisins girl, known the world over.

Of the 80 people photographed by Aranda and profiled by Suppes, 35 hail from the Bay Area. Familiar faces include Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Hollywood actor Kirsten Dunst, and fashion designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Los Angeles-based Rodarte.

Refreshingly, the book’s portraits cover a range of other transformative figures: transgender activist and former Cockettes performer Donna Personna; Sanjoy Som, research director of the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science at NASA Ames Research Center; and a group of “hotshots,” firefighters who fight wildfires with axes, not water, among many others.

“I have always believed that elegance is a state of mind,” says Suppes. “I am now sure that for me, elegance means diversity and generosity. In that spirit, we looked for Californians who were committed and passionate about what they were doing.

This is where we found the elegance.”

Aranda, whose work has appeared in Vogue, Esquire, and Vanity Fair among other publications, enumerates the project’s challenges this way: “Interminable traffic, natural disasters, inclement weather, and finally, a global pandemic.” As the Swiss-born artist clicked away at 100,000 frames, he became astonished by the depth of California’s diversity, from its people, culture, language, and food to its architecture, music, art, intellectual thought, terrain, ecosystems, and flora and fauna. Landscapes figure prominently amid the book’s 500 photos.

“All this diversity spells out freedom and the possibility to grow as human beings, not just tolerating each other, but actually engaging with how others see the world and growing together, innovating and discovering together.”

Entrepreneur Michelle Hill

“All this diversity spells out freedom and the possibility to grow as human beings, not just tolerating each other, but actually engaging with how others see the world and growing together, innovating and discovering together,” Aranda says. “I have traveled the world and increasingly realize that we should not take this kind of freedom for granted.

We celebrate this freedom on every page of California Elegance.”

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Farah Makras at her Marina home

HauteSCENE

Cavan Conley and Esteban Hernandez in New Thatcher.

Mary Beth Shimmon’s table at home

Jennifer Walske toasts the gala

Nikisha Fogo and Julian MacKay in the White Swan pas de deux from Helgi Tomasson’s Swan Lake

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET’S LEAP INTO THE NEW YEAR VIRTUAL BENEFIT FOR ITS 88TH SEASON OPENER, THE SAN FRANCISCO BALLET’S theme, “Leap Into The New Year,” was marvelously prescient. With large gatherings banned for public safety during the pandemic, the event leaped, unrehearsed, into a virtual gala to spectacular effect.

Nearly 500 patrons paid from $1,600 for a “table” of four to $25,000 for a “table” of 10 to watch the gala online via the Socio app. From their homes, guests gathered in small group Zoom meetings to toast their tablemates before switching to a pre-recorded show. Performances by dancers, who formed pods early last year and rehearsed in masks, were recorded on stage, with Nikisha Fogo and Julian Mackay making their company debuts.

Artistic director Helgi Tomasson, leading the virtual gala

The wine and caviar delivery at Mary Beth Shimmon’s home

PHOTO CREDITS: (CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP LEFT) COURTESY OF FARAH MAKRAS; ©SAN FRANCISCO BALLET; COURTESY OF JENNIFER WALSKE; ©SAN FRANCISCO BALLET; COURTESY OF MARY BETH SHIMMON; COURTESY OF SAN FRANCISCO BALLET; COURTESY OF MARY BETH SHIMMON

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO

PHOTO CREDITS: (CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP LEFT) ©LINDSAY GAUTHIER; COURTESY OF KOMAL SHAH; ©SAN FRANCISCO BALLET; COURTESY OF MCCALLS; COURTESY OF MARY BETH SHIMMON; COURTESY OF TIM WU; COURTESY OF SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

Sarah Van Patten in a still from the film production of Danielle Rowe’s Wooden Dimes

Komal Shah at her Atherton home

Misa Kuranaga and Angelo Greco in the pas de deux from Arthur Saint-Léon’s Coppélia

Caviar was part of some dinners by McCalls

Three of the pieces were recorded as short films, including the steamy “Mrs. Robinson,” based on the 1967 film The Graduate, (filmed at the Fairmont’s rooftop garden) with Joseph Walsh as Dustin Hoffman and Sarah Van Patten as the older woman. Close-up camera angles imparted a pulse-quickening intimacy for the home viewer.

Orchestra conductor Martin West led players in separate Zoom boxes in the national anthem, and McCalls Catering home-delivered gala dinners (caviar, short ribs) and wine by Rodney Strong for a celebratory touch. Artistic director Helgi Tomasson, who departs the company in 2022, welcomed guests, while soloist Madison Keesler emceed. The event’s $250,000 goal was eclipsed by more $750,000 raised, with guests watching from across the US and Europe. Could a virtual/live combo be part of the future? Stay tuned.

Eric Murphy and Tim Wu playfully riff on the gala’s theme

Mary Beth Shimmon at home

The San Francisco Ballet orchestra, led by Martin West

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BY CAROLYNE ZINKO

HauteSCENE

Fanny Singer and chef Alice Waters at home

Dorka Keehn

Author/filmmaker Natalie Baszile

EDIBLE SCHOOLYARD’S HOLIDAY PARTY

Board member Jonathan Moscone

Christiana and Kimbal Musk

A program note

Alice Waters, founder of the Edible Schoolyard Project, in her backyard

PHOTO CREDITS: CHRISTIANA AND KIMBAL MUSK PHOTO, COURTESY OF KIMBAL MUSK; ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

CHEF ALICE WATERS, FOUNDER OF THE EDIBLE SCHOOLYARD Project, which teaches children the connection between farming and eating, and board member Henrik Jones celebrated the holidays by co-hosting their first-ever online salon/year-end party for 35 guests across the country. While chatting about the nonprofit’s work and the formation of host committees for an April gala and Chez Panisse’s 50th anniversary in October, attendees indulged in Chez Panisse wine and food boxes shipped as far away as Maine.

“It felt like we were in one room,” said Waters, “filled with amazing people who truly believe in the power of food.”

Edible Schoolyard bounty

Executive Director Angela McKee Brown and Senior Teacher Griselda Cooney at the Edible Schoolyard

Board member Henrik Jones

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO

HauteSCENE

Hannah Freeman, teaching artist, via screenshot

Tallie

Vega M. and Orion M

DEYOUNGSTER’S ART PARTY IF NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION, THEN CALL Max Boyer Glynn and Mariana Gantus Wall’s retooling of the deYoungster’s Art Party a genius move. The M. H. deYoung Memorial Museum’s in-person event (prohibited during the pandemic) morphed into a week-long series of YouTube painting and sculpting tutorials, a hit with kids seeking fun at home. Some 375 patrons and sponsors Adobe and Kaiser Permanente purchased 1,575 art boxes ranging from $85 to $25,000 each and donated 50 more to underserved children. Some 1,200 boxes were donated to the community; a record $450,000 was raised.

Willow L. and Rex L.

PHOTO CREDITS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): COURTESY OF ANGELA TAFOYA; COURTESY OF DE YOUNG MUSEUM; COURTESY OF ERIN FEHER; BY GARY SEXTON; COURTESY OF ANGELA TAFOYA; BY GARY SEXTON; COURTESY OF MIRIAM NEWCOMER; COURTESY OF ALICIA LUND; COURTESY OF ERIN FEHER; CENTER IMAGE COURTESY OF DE YOUNG MUSEUM

Lucas S. and Liam S. with an Art Party box

Vega M. and Orion M.

Mural fragment (Bird with Shield and Spears, 6th century CE), via screenshot

91 Ella C. with Art Party box

Art box sent to participants

Tallie creates a painting

BY OLIVIA DECKER PHOTOS BY DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

HauteSCENE

Host Joan Chen

Ming Luke conducts SF Symphony musicians

SF SYMPHONY’S CHINESE NEW YEAR VIRTUAL CELEBRATION SF SYMPHONY’S CHINESE NEW YEAR VIRTUAL CELEBRATION for the Year of the Ox took place on Saturday, February 20. The Symphony’s annual celebration of the Lunar New Year, now in its twenty-first season and, for the first time, in a virtual format. Co-chaired

by Tiffany Chang and Nanci Nishimura, the elegant and colorful event celebrated with guests joining from throughout the states and abroad. A concert program of traditional folk music and works by Asian composers, musicians, and members of the San Francisco Symphony highlighted the event. The concert was accompanied by original video projections created by projection designer Adam Larsen and lighting by Luke Kritzeck. The concert of vibrant Asian traditions, past and present, has been popular in San Francisco Bay Area and a key fundraising event for San Francisco Symphony for over 20 years.

Hosted by acclaimed Bay Area actor-director Joan Chen, this season’s virtual program focused on themes coordinated with the Year of the Ox: prosperity, unity, and growth. Works featured on

Wenying Wu plays yangqin

Justin Chen, Victoria Chen, Sherry Chen, John Chen

Erhu player Tao Shi

the program include Chen Yi’s “Romance of Hsiao” and “Ch’in” from Romance and Dance, Zhou Long’s Chinese Folk Songs, Julian Yu’s “Flower Riddle,” and “Dry Boat Dance” from Chinese Folk Song Suite.

Also featured were Yao-Xing Chen’s “Gallop of Warhorses,” YuanKai Bao’s “Little Cabbage” from Chinese Sights and Sounds, and Wenying Wu’s arrangement of the traditional tune “Tajiks Festival.”

Performances featured conductor Ming Luke, Bay Area erhu player Tao Shi, yangqin player Wenying Wu, and pianist Samantha Cho. For an elevated experience, guests were invited to upgrade to a VIP sponsorship package. Sponsor benefits included access to an exclusive VIP virtual experience created by Blueprint Studios, featuring special guests and musical surprises before and immediately following the concert, and a themed “Spring Celebration Kit” by McCalls Catering, home-delivered to pair with the event. Sponsors of the Chinese New Year celebration support San Francisco Symphony’s myriad artistic, educational, and community programs and allow the Symphony to provide this virtual event free of charge and accessible to all. The event was made possible by presenting sponsors Margaret Liu Collins and Edward B. Collins and other generous supporters and partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission.

Co-chair Nanci Nishimura with Joseph Cotchett

93 Co-chair Nanci Nishmura and husband

Lily Lee, Margaret Liu Collins, Marina Tsang

HauteART

PHOTO CREDIT: ©GRETCHEN GAUSE

BY ERIN HUNT MOORE

94 Bedding from Treko's Kuk Collection

Catalina Marin of Treko

LIVING ART A Fusion of Modern Luxury and Time-honored, Handcrafted Tradition from Chile AMERICAN INTERIOR DESIGNER NATE BERKUS HAS SAID “YOUR HOME should tell a story of who you are and be a collection of what you love.” If there was ever a time to surround yourself with items that soothe your soul, create a beautiful, comforting ambience, and transport you to places and events that hold deep meaning and connections, it is now.

For Chile native and Sonoma County resident Catalina Marin, it’s the exquisite, traditional, handwoven designs of the women of Chiloé Island, a remote island off the southern coast of Chile, that bring her inspiration and speak to her heart. From countless visits to Chiloé as a child and young woman, Marin was taken with the work of its artisans, whose tradition of knitting, weaving, and dyeing using the wool of the island’s native Chilota sheep and its natural color resources dates back to the 16th century. Her passion for the island and its incredibly luxurious wool creations led her to create Treko (meaning “yarn of wool” in native dialect), a line of handcrafted, contemporary designs inspired by tradition. Through Treko, Marin is able to introduce truly unique, beautifully crafted, artisanal wool designs to homes in the US, while helping to preserve time-honored traditions and support the livelihoods of the craftswomen who keep this traditional weaving method alive. With more people interested in art and designs with authentic stories and a connection to a sense of place, Treko’s gorgeous pillows, throws, rugs, wall hangings, and recent tabletop designs and woven sculpture baskets have found their way into many hearts and homes in the greater Bay Area and beyond. We had the opportunity to chat with Marin about her connection to Chiloé, her journey to founding Treko, the importance of supporting and sustaining the work of artisans, and what’s new in her collection.

Pillows from Treko's Makun Collection

For the table. Treko's new Makun Collection offers rich woven place mats and textiles for the table

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HauteART

HL: When did that inspiration and passion evolve into Treko?

CM: It wasn’t a direct path. After getting my Master’s Degree in marketing in Santiago, I worked for a number of years at home, including in marketing with Coca-Cola and then at L’Oreal as Director of Marketing for Chile. When my husband’s work in the wine industry brought us to Healdsburg, I wanted to continue to work, but it was challenging to find work at or near the level which I was working at. We also had young children at the time, so that was definitely a focus for me. One day, my sister called me from Chiloé where she was visiting. She told me about the beautiful work she was seeing from the women we knew and sent me a photo of the most gorgeous throw. And that was it. I decided I was going to create my own path. I put her to work gathering samples, collecting names and contact information. As soon as I received that, I began organizing focus groups with designers and small, select consumer groups. I know what I like, but it isn’t the same for all! We started in 2016 and have been expanding since. We began selling through designers and select retailers and are now working on special projects with boutique hotels. Our line has grown. We started with pillows and throws and now offer rugs, wall décor, everything for the table, and sculptural baskets.

HL: Why only fabrics and designs from Chiloé and not from other regions in Chile?

CM: Chile is a long and diverse country, one very much defined by geography and geographic extremes. We have the coast (north and south), mountains, desert, vineyards, lush agricultural areas, and island clusters like Chiloé with colors, materials, and clothing traditions specific to each area. When I moved to the US, I noticed so many wonderful things from other places—Mexico, Peru, Guatemala—but not Chile, so that was definitely a priority for me as a Chilean. I also wanted to tell a deeper story beyond that of one country and broader culture.

It was important for me to embrace a specific region and honor the uniqueness of the craftsmanship and artisans of that region. Chiloé has held a special place in my heart and life, and its traditions are so 96

Palafitos, Chiloé's traditional raised houses in Castro, the capital of Province, in the Los Lagos Region, Chiloé

One of the many historic churches on the island, now protected UNESCO heritage sites

Pillows and duvet from Treko's Makun Collection

very unique to the island. They use natural wools from native sheep; they craft dyes from their natural environment—leaves, mosses, clay, avocado pits—they weave using their own traditional looms. There is a truly authentic sense of place in these creations and, through Treko, we can highlight these beautiful masterpieces and their origins. What these women are crafting are pieces of art. To be clear, I may suggest specific ideas and bring these items to the market, but Treko really is the craftswomen at the heart of each piece.

PHOTO CREDIT: ©GRETCHEN GAUSE

HL: Tell us about your connection to Chiloé and this rich community of artisans? What was your introduction?

CM: I have always loved the outdoors. I grew up doing a lot of backpacking and hiking around Chile and beyond—and Chiloé is a beloved destination for outdoor enthusiasts, famous for its breathtaking trails and protected parks and beaches. The island is super-remote and you can only reach it by boat. It is incredibly culturally rich, with many traditions around food, weaving, woodwork, fishing and with many festivities, especially during the summer months. It was during summer backpacking trips as a teenager that I fell in love with the island; its colors, the people, its rich history, and the beautiful architecture and church monuments, which are protected UNESCO world heritage sites. My family is very artistic, full of architects and designers. While I chose to study business, I was influenced by that artistic perspective and aesthetic and looked at the island and its artisans through that lens. But I never expected to create a business from that inspiration!

HL: How has this challenging past year impacted your business, and what have you learned?

CM: It was definitely stressful in the beginning. From one day to the next, it seemed as if everything stopped: events and shows were canceled; travel stopped; many retail stores didn’t have an online presence and were scrambling to catch up. Two months of nothing meant that I couldn’t keep my craftswomen busy—and this is their livelihood. I had two choices: just stop and put things on hold or use the time to keep creating. Those two months were critical for my business.

I called the island and said that we would continue to innovate, create new collections, and expand the line. During this time, we created sculptural baskets, samples for our first table line, two completely new collections, and produced stock for those collections. It was a big risk.

We worked hard and everything felt like a challenge. We had to move the weaving looms to each woman’s house. The shipping process was upside down and the delays were crazy, but we were able to get so much accomplished. I was able to use the time to create and update lifestyle photography and offer imagery to my retail clients as a service to help them build their online content. I would say that Treko has done well during this pandemic, especially after those first difficult months of adjusting and pivoting.

For me, personally, the space offered by these times has allowed me to innovate and think outside the box. I’ve been able to put 100 percent of my mind into creation, curation, and working on the business of the business. I’ve become more thoughtful. My sources of inspiration have shifted. Traditionally, I found inspiration through museums, galleries, historic sites, and travel. I worked with my artisans in person at least once or twice a year. When this pandemic started, I initially felt trapped, then I began to explore. I found sources of inspiration and delight in the tiny details of nature during hikes with my kids and visits to the Sonoma coast, from tones of color—greens, rusts, yellows—and the shapes of leaves and mosses. It’s been amazing to see how the mind shifts and grows in the toughest moments. Staying in one place can inspire you, as well. You never stop surprising yourself!

HL: Has there been a change in how your clients decorate, what items they ask for or choose?

CM: The concept of home has changed for us all, and I see that with my clients. Many of the people I work with have two houses and, in these times, both houses matter. They want every corner to feel special. We’re all spending much more time within our four walls, so there’s an even deeper level of thoughtfulness about how those walls and spaces look and feel. And I think we all want meaning and comfort!

HL: How do you like to decorate your home?

CM: I really love simple, comfortable lines and prefer noble materials, staying true to natural elements. This includes wool, of course! I love having wool everywhere. It takes me back to my roots and reminds me of home: it smells and feels like Chiloé, a place so dear to my heart. And it reminds me of the women I work with and who have learned their craft from generations of women artisans before them. There is such beauty in that.

HL: What can we expect to see ahead from Treko?

CM: We are working on innovative shapes and designs in our textures: more colors and vine-like textures. We are also looking at wrapping in different natural materials from the island, mixing wicker and wool, perhaps copper, which Chile makes. We are always creating and thinking about how to add the unique Chiloé stamp on our pieces.

HL: How can we find Treko designs?

CM: We are featured through select retail home stores and designers. For that list and more information, please visit us at www.trekochile.com/ buy. You can also find us on Instagram at @treko_wool.

Pillows and bedding from Treko's ÜÑÜ (ü-ñü) Collection

Woven wool place mat from Treko's Makun Collection

Sculptural woven baskets from Treko, their latest project

HL: Do you have a favorite item or design within your collection right now?

CM: That’s tough—a little like naming a favorite child! But I’m really loving one of our newest designs that we launched during COVID: our sculptural baskets. We wanted to use the beautiful wicker weaving techniques from the island, not to create typical baskets. The end result is gorgeous, nature-inspired sculptural forms like trees, tree trunks, and other natural shapes. These truly are pieces of art!

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BY BECCA HENSLEY

HauteBEAUTY

Skincare Gets Macho with MadeMen LET’S FACE IT. WHEN IT COMES TO SKIN CARE AND BEAUTY, MEN HAVE too long been the beast. Women’s products have dominated the beauty market for eons, leaving men to turn forlornly to that bar of generic soap, and maybe a slather of nondescript sunscreen. Even those wanting to pamper their epidermis often turned away, overwhelmed by the plethora of mysterious tonics, concoctions, creams, multiple layers, and complicated instructions.

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Enter MadeMan, an ingenious skincare line devoted to simplifying the process with a simple two-step program. Founded by serial entrepreneur and bitcoin investor, Jeremy Gardner, and made in the United States, MadeMan effectively aims to help men of all ages find the best version of themselves— but with ease. “We want to make skincare as easy as applying deodorant or brushing your teeth,” says Gardner.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MADEMAN

MASCULINE MUG CARE

THE STEPS: THE RESETTER

This sulfate-free, two-in-one cleanser and shave cream blends eucalyptus essential oil with soapbark, a natural foaming agent, to facilitate a smooth and gentle, but deep, cleansing. It leaves skin (and any facial hair) feeling soft, healthy, and hydrated. $60.

A Chat with MadeMan’s Jeremy Gardner

THE REFRESHER

This superhero facial solution moisturizes, protects against both pollution and digital light exposure, minimizes skin imperfections, and hinders pore size. Continued use improves texture and lumi-nosity, eradicates signs of aging, and lessens redness. Healing ingredients include vitamin C, Indian ginseng, and CBD. $85

HL: What made you decide that men needed a dedicated skincare regime?

JG: Men need skincare for the same reason women do: we all have faces! The skin is our largest organ and it's important to take care of it. Moreover, as I reached my mid-twenties, I came to the conclusion that my skin was not responding well to my "work hard, play hard" lifestyle. Naturally, I looked for a solution online, but to my surprise, all I could find were regimens with four or five steps. I could never manage to make them part of my routine. I discovered that most men were like me and didn’t take care of their skin. For them, I wanted to create a simplified, yet highly effective, solution for men's skin.

HL: CBD is one key ingredient. What does it do?

JG: Curative CBD can decrease puffiness and overall inflamma-tion, making it an ideal ingredient for morning and evening rituals.

WHERE TO BUY:

www.getmademan.com and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mademan

HL: Can women use these products?

JG: Many women have commented about the Refresher, but our products are made for men's tougher, thicker skin, which typically has higher collagen density. We have considered venturing into a simplified skincare solution for women, however.

Perhaps you will see “MadeMa’am” in the future.

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HauteBEAUTY

MORE PRODUCTS FOR MEN:

BULLSEYE

SNIFF

First formulated for men (but so beloved it became a gender-neutral product), Naeli Naturals has an entire line of clean skincare, from cleansers to moisturizers. To pamper the skin that frames your bright eyes, dab on the vitamin rich Anti-Aging Apple Stem Cell & Peptide Eye Cream which delivers a brightening slather full of hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and antioxidant extracts sure to promote natural collagen production.

Available at: naelinaturals.com. $29

Fragrance Wardrobe for Him is a snazzy packet of eight masculine fragrances to mix and match to your mood. From esteemed perfumers Maison Francis Kurkdjian, this collection includes such sensual olfactory stars as Baccarat Rouge 540. Fragrances are also available in larger sizes and candles for your home. Available at: franciskurkdjian. com or Neiman Marcus. $200

INNER BEAUTY

You eat well, but that’s not enough. Trust Lumity Life to optimize your mind, body, and performance via Morning and Night Men’s Supplements, a unique blend of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and essential nutrients that work round the clock. Test the product with a handy starter kit. Available at: LumityLife. com. $105

SQUEAKY CLEAN

Don’t expect to find commonly used fillers (like parabens, sulfates, phthalates, PEG compounds, and synthetic dyes and fragrances) in SELF/ish Skin products. Instead, this uber clean brand for men delves deeply into nature. They use plant remedies as old as time, amped up with modern science’s contemporary twist to tackle men’s specific skin composition. Think: sugar maple extract used as a naturally derived hydroxy acid. Try the facial scrub with ivory palm seed powder to brighten or the exfoliating pads, enriched with orange, witch hazel, and willowbank, to banish blackheads. Available at: SELFishSkin.com. Facial Cleanser $15. Exfoliating Pads $25 100

2100 JEFFERSON STREET San Francisco · Marina District Price Upon Request · 2100JeffersonSt.com

This City villa enjoys easily accessible outdoor wonders of San Francisco, where waterfront paths & parks offer the beauty of the Bay and the Golden Gate. Here is an extraordinary, 6000 sqft home set in a view that others observe from a distance —just a block from where yachts, the Marina Green, Crissy Field & the beach meet, yet close to the delights of the bistros, cafés and boutiques of Chestnut Street & Union Street.

A natural elegance defines this lightfilled home and its garden spaces.

Window-walled formal rooms—living

room, dining room and a two-story foyer—frame the central courtyard and offer fabulous entertainment space with views filtered through camellias and olive trees. The integrated design of archways, high windows and cathedral ceilings are enhanced by luxurious warm finishes of hardwood, Venetian plaster and travertine floors. Modern comforts and accents blend with the innate beauty to create a fresh feel in this airy 1927 Mediterranean. Facing south, the lawns of the Palace of Fine Arts, Maybeck’s 1915 masterpiece, feel like your front yard. Open the gate, cross the brick path and go down to the ducks & swans.

Experience the luxury of special spaces at home—lounge by a sculptured fire pit, BBQ on the patio or play ball. Indoors, come back to the open kitchen with family room, an elegant office that could become a home theater or the mirrored gym. Spectacular bedrooms with views, a stylish guest suite and a two-car garage complete this marvelous property.

K A R EN N ELSEN KarenN@compass.com 510.912.8681 DRE 01774094

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01527235. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are approximate.

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO

HauteBEAUTY

ABOUT FACE DRS. DAVID LIEBERMAN AND SACHIN Parikh run L&P Aesthetics, a medical spa, clinic, and surgical center in downtown Palo Alto. They also run together before work, typically completing the 4-mile loop at the Stanford Dish. To say they’re in step isn’t just a figure of speech—they’ve been in sync with their aesthetics and values since they were residents at Stanford Medical Center in the mid-2000s and for the decade they've been in practice together since 2011.

As the tech set’s go-to even before the pandemic hit, their business has spiked, thanks to the proliferation of work-fromhome Zoom meetings. Patients seek the removal of frown lines, sagging jowls, and hooded eyelids magnified by computer cameras. Additionally, on-the-go executives now have more time to recover in private while working at home. Looking younger than one’s age is a key to remaining relevant in Silicon Valley, dominated by workers in their twenties and thirties.

“The lighting and angle at which you’re looking at yourself highlights certain components of facial aging that you don’t necessarily see when you’re outdoors and catch your reflection in a building window,” says Lieberman. “If you’re staring down at your camera, you notice changes, especially with face and neck laxity. We’ve always been busy with face-lift and necklift surgery, but that’s been one of the big focuses in the pandemic for us.”

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Drs. David Lieberman and Sachin Parikh

PHOTO CREDIT: ©CRAIG LEE

Surgeons David Lieberman and Sachin Parikh make Silicon Valley Zoom-ready

PHOTO CREDITS: (TOP TWO) COURTESY OF DR. DAVID LIEBERMAN; (BEFORE AND AFTER IMAGES) COURTESY OF L&P AESTHETICS

“The lighting and angle at which you’re looking at yourself highlights certain components of facial aging that you don’t necessarily see when you’re outdoors and catch your reflection in a building window.” – David Lieberman

Dr. David Lieberman with a microtia patient

Dr. David Lieberman performing microtia surgery with HUGS Inc.

Before and after: rhinoplasty and fat transfer

Before and after: rhinoplasty and fat transfer side profile

Before and after: rhinoplasty

Before and after: L&P Signature face-lift and neck-lift

Before and after: L&P Signature face-lift and neck-lift

Before and after: hair transplant

To look 10 years younger on Zoom, here’s what’s on the L&P Aesthetics list: the L&P Signature Deep Plane face-lift and necklift to lift up muscle groups that sag under the skin (roughly $25,000); an eye-lift for youthful openness (about $12,000 for upper and lower lids); TRL laser resurfacing treatments to brighten and smooth the skin (anywhere from $6,500 to $7,500); a lip-lift targeting the upper lip to give fullness and a heart-shaped pout (on average, $7,000); and hair transplants for balding men (on average, $12,000), because ring lights used for Zoom meetings bounce off the scalp and makes hair look thinner that it really is. Rhinoplasties (nose jobs) are also up— not because of Zoom, but because patients have more time for at-home recovery, the doctors report. Actual prices will vary.

Lieberman, a Boston native, and Parikh, the Miami-born son of Indian immigrants, were both interested in science in their youth and found a higher calling in medicine. Along with cosmetic procedures, they also perform reconstructive surgery for skin cancer patients. For the past decade, Lieberman has volunteered his surgical skills with HUGS Foundation Inc., a nonprofit that helps children in Guatemala, Ecuador, and Vietnam with microtia, a birth defect causing underdeveloped ears.

Once the pandemic lifts, Parikh will join him in that cause.

Cosmetic plastic surgery, both doctors agree, is satisfying for both surgeon and patient for its ability to yield clients an important lift. “The more highlights you create in the beautiful structures of the face—like jawline, lips, cheekbones—and deemphasize aging signs of the face—like jowling, neck laxity, lower eyelid bags—the more confident people feel,” says Parikh.

“Especially in the Zoom reflection.”

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BY OLIVIA DECKER

HauteRESIDENCE

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IN 2005, KEN PAIGE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE

terrace. He also extended the elevator from the

grand foyer with a magnificent curving marble

garage floor to all levels, including the roof terrace.

staircase and an epic Tiffany dome crowning the

With all this renovation, the City of San

dramatic space. So, he bought the home. Although

Francisco Building Department required him to

the entrance was incredibly exquisite, the rest of

retrofit to seismic standards and add sprinklers

the house was a 30-bedroom boarding house in

to the entire house. Ornate cornices conceal the

total disrepair. Paige set out to restore this spacious

recently integrated structural steel beams. The

mansion to its original glory and prestige which it

well-appointed kitchen is equipped with high-

so richly deserved. The love and care he put into

tech appliances and thoughtful workspaces ready

the renovation transformed it into Alma Spreckels’

for cozy meals with your family or media-worthy

original vision of grace and beauty. Paige wanted

dinner parties. You can also enjoy the enormous

to make it “fit for a queen.”

roof deck complete with a 20-foot stainless steel

He demolished nearly everything, replacing and

kitchen/BBQ/bar area with views of the entire

upgrading every detail. He installed steel structural

Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. The

beams, all new plumbing, electrical, heating,

Paige family has enjoyed this home for 14 years,

fireplaces, windows and doors, flooring, and

hosting many large and small parties and charity

ceilings, while maintaining the original character.

events. The house has always been a happy and

He kept the bronze railings with their Romanian

festive place for get-togethers with the family and

eagle’s crests and added an extraordinary roof

grandchildren.

PHOTO CREDITS: ©JASON WELLS

MAJESTIC SAN FRANCISCO MANSION

This stunning Italianate mansion enjoys panoramic

seven en-suite bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, and

3-car garage, elevator, security system with cameras,

views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay,

three half-bathrooms, formal living room, formal

and two laundry facilities.The house and is wired

Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz Island, Marin Headlands,

dining room, reception hall, mezzanine, library,

for Wi-Fi, automatic drapery, and Lutron lighting

Fort Mason, Russian Hill, Coit Tower, city skyline and

fireplaces, eat-in kitchen, media room, family room,

throughout. It’s within distance to Union, Chestnut,

the East Bay hills. Exquisite architectural detailing is

wine room, au-pair quarters with kitchen, gym, four

and the Fillmore Streets, shopping district, prestigious

found throughout, including the spectacular grand

marble terraces, six cast bronze balconies, garden

schools, transportation, and has easy access to the

formal foyer, the white marble curving staircase,

with irrigation, gated driveway with parking plus

Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San Francisco.

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HauteRESIDENCE Designed and built in 1905 by James A. McCullough, this majestic Italianate villa of approximately 17,000 square feet has been fully renovated from the bottom floor to the rooftop terrace using the finest materials and craftsmanship to create the ultimate modern amenities and luxury living. Still, it retains the elegance and beauty of the classic era. This magnificent home was the entertainment house of Maude and Walker Graves, and their friend Alma Spreckles. It is said that the house, as evidenced by the Romanian eagle crests on all the bronze railings and dining room fireplace, was remodeled for Alma Spreckels’s anticipation of Marie, Queen of Romania, as house guest during the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Scott Street was the main gateway to the Exhibition and had the best view of the Tower of Jewels as well as the Palace of Fine Arts. The amazing European designs, finest craftsmanship and top quality materials are impossible to duplicate today. The home was fully renovated from 2005 and 2008, including structural steel beams, all systems, rooms, kitchens, baths, and modern technology. It was selected as the prestigious San Francisco Decorator Showcase in 2008.

For more photos and information, please visit: www.SanFranciscoShowcase2008.com Offered at $21,000,000

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107

BY TIM LAPPEN

TheHAUTE LISTAuto

ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE ROADSTER OKAY, LET’S START WITH A DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT COMPLETELY unbiased, as I have had three Astons of my own and loved them all.

However, the new Vantage is unlike any Aston I have experienced, including my former Vantage V-12 S. Aston’s crew have put a lot of thought into what the Vantage nameplate should represent, and they’ve been true to the mission, creating a sophisticated sports-touring car that does not sit by idly (although the sound at idle is very impressive). With a standard exhaust note that announces your arrival (and can scream your departure), it’s less Sean Connery and more Daniel Craig in its approach.

Stepping back a bit, what’s inside the box? My Aston for the week was in “Yellow Tang,” a color bright enough to attract bees (yes, it really did). With a black metallic and leather interior, the contrast was stunning.

The interior’s “Twill Gloss Carbon Fibre” added to the overall impact, as did yellow brake calipers behind 20-inch, gloss black, diamond-turned 108

wheels. The car was a visual delight.

But wait, there’s more! Start-up quickly awakens the beast within (and the neighbors, depending on departure time). Aston has long been aware that the aural pleasures of a throaty engine can deepen the experience for the driver as well as for car aficionados who appreciate a free-range beast. With more crackles and pops than you can shake a spoon at, the Vantage is, to me, one of the best-sounding cars on the road today.

Inside, the pleasures continue with leathers and (if optioned) aluminum tread plates, ventilated seats, the aforementioned carbon fiber trim inlay, and more. Spring for the “Premium Audio” and, when you’re not interested in just the exhaust sound, you’ll be treated to great music that can be presented in a way only a small cabin can provide. It’s like driving a very fast pair of Beats.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASTON MARTIN

Shaken and Stirred

A lifelong petrol-holic, mechanic (cars, motorcycles, boats), and automotive journalist since penning a column for his high school newspaper, internationally recognized attorney Tim Lappen is a partner at a major Los Angeles-based law firm, where he chairs the firm’s Family Office Group and its Luxury Home Group and is, of course, a member of its Motor Vehicle Group. He can be reached at tlappen@gmail.com or visit LifeInTheFastLane.org

The performance is impressive, too. With a 503 HP twin-turbo V-8 producing 505 lb-ft of torque, the power can move the 3,373-pound Vantage from 0-60 in 3.6 seconds and up to a top speed of 195 mph. But what sets the V8 Vantage apart from its V-12 Vantage AMR cousin is that the weight distribution is 50/50 (the car’s weight is equally distributed over the front and rear axles), which portends greater speed through the corners. I wasn’t able to spend some track time with the Vantage, but I have done so with earlier V8 Vantages and they’re quite impressive. There’s even a publicity shot from several years ago where a Vantage took to the air when cresting a small hill and it’s perfectly level, a foot or two off of the ground.

The Vantage currently is the least-expensive Aston (including even the DBX, Aston’s new SUV, which has a base price of $176,900 and which I will review in coming months). With a base price of $147,000 (the coupe base price is about $8,000 less), “my” Vantage convertible sported special paint; painted brake calipers; carbon fiber here, there and everywhere; beautiful, 20-inch wheels; the upgraded sound system; and more, which added to the end cost. The sticker on my Vantage Roadster was just under $204,000.

Not surprisingly, as an Aston Martin fan, I loved my week with this roadster.

The top was easy to flip up and drop down, and the looks and sound both were terrific. If you’re in the market for a luxury two-seater convertible that can work equally well around town and on road trips, there may be an Aston Martin in your future.

Your car, Mr. Bond.

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TheHAUTE LISTAuto

LOTUS EVORA GT

Expressing the true nature of the lotus Ponder for a moment why some cars are called “sports cars.” Some say it’s because they take after racing cars, which were used for sporting events.

Others say it’s because they were designed for one thing: driving with élan on twisty roads (as compared to “regular” cars which could be used for anything from grocery shopping to lumber yard runs to nights on the town).

I like to think that the moniker came from the concept that you had to be a “good sport” to drive one, given that their seats closely resembled the plushness of a beach sand chair, their ride was a chiropractor’s dream, and their windows were sometimes non-existent, other times snap-on plastic side curtains. And don’t get me started (pun intended) on their reliability.

However, they do harken back to that time when driving was a purely analog experience, without the industry (or the world) having an inkling of the concept of electronics or a digital interface, much less a CAN bus network. Some sports cars (like my older brother’s early sixties Sunbeam Alpine) came with a starter crank which one inserted through a hole in the front bumper to start the car if the electric starter didn’t work, a nice touch by the manufacturer and no doubt a testament to the car’s questionable electrical system.

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So where does that leave us today? Many cars which we might now designate as “sports cars” share little with their forebears. Not only do they have roll-up windows, but typically those are also electrically powered. The tops, which often were non-existent or modified umbrellas in the past, now mostly are automatic and oftentimes made of hard metal which folds into the trunk area. Electronics abound, from high-end sound systems to traction control devices and even launch-mode options.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOTUS

BY TIM LAPPEN

Into this fray jumps (and slides) the Lotus Evora GT, a car made for the pure driving enjoyment known in the past, when at its most basic, the experience required: 1) the car (engine, transmission, suspension, and seats, all wrapped in a body), 2) a driver and maybe a passenger, and 3) the road. Back to the future, as it were.

The Evora was great fun to drive, but let’s talk stats first. A V-6 supercharged 3,456 cc (210 cubic inch) motor is mid-mounted and runs through a 6-speed transmission (both manual and automatic transmissions are offered).

Pumping out 416 horses and 317 lb-ft of torque, the Evora GT puts them to good use in motivating a 3,104-pound car (a very low weight thanks to an aluminum extruded and bonded chassis and a composite body), hitting 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 188 mph. That power coupled with that low weight promised great things, and the Evora GT did not disappoint.

My initial reaction to the car was that it was pretty basic, but after a day’s time, that became its strong suit. I loved feeling like I was wearing the car—it’s really that responsive. It’s well sorted in that the acceleration, steering, brakes, and handling were all totally predictable and a ton (actually 1.5 tons) of fun.

The engine is eager and sounds terrific at the 7,000 rpm zone: sounds, feelings, driver feedback—these are all of the sensual elements at which the Evora GT excels. The car involves the driver in a very real sense; I rarely made phone calls from the car so as not to miss the symphony from the exhaust and even my texting was limited to times I was stopped by my desire to focus completely on the driving experience, replete with double-clutch downshifts which I had perfected in years gone by (and which hardly are needed anymore). By the second day of our time together, we were the best of friends. By the end of my one-week loan, I was asking if we could extend the time.

The base sticker price of “my” stick-shift GT was $96,950. Adding “Exige Orange Paint” at $5,900 and some extra dough for black brake calipers and a subwoofer and amp, it ran $105,795 (after destination charges, but less tax and license). As one writer noted, you won’t likely see many (or any) other Evora GTs at the local cars and coffee, and even that is a point in the car’s favor.

I’ve read that the lotus plant is the most spiritual plant on Earth and that its flower is associated with rebirth and spiritual enlightenment. That sounds a lot like my experience with the Evora GT in the hills and valleys of Southern California. Namaste!

111

BY KELLY E. CARTER

Haute HauteAMBASSADOR AMBASSADOR

Wine Wine Country Country

Michelle Baggett, Tom Wong, Henrik Poulsen, Bob Bath, Barrett Spiegel, Robin Baggett at Luau on the Lawn

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CREATIVE JUICES

backdrop may be vineyards and Pritchard Hill. The next month “I’M SO OVER VIRTUAL TASTINGS,” A FRIEND RECENTLY it may be the Alpha Omega front exterior with its landmark bemoaned when I brought up the subject. fountains. What wine lover doesn’t appreciate food and wine I know she isn’t alone. As soon as wineries in Napa Valley pairings? Therefore, there is always a culinary component with and Sonoma were forced to temporarily cease offering in-person tastings last March, virtual experiences became all the rage. It a notable chef giving a live demonstration. Well in advance of the live virtual tasting, participants also receive the chef’s recipe didn’t take long before wineAloha enthusiasts grew bored watching Polynesian dance troupe at Luau on the Lawn and a link to a YouTube video of the chef preparing the dish so a pre-recorded video of a winemaker sitting in a cellar talking about a wine. they can prepare the meal in advance if they so desire. And some people do!

Because I happen to work at a winery that loves to throw a party and is known for its events, I know from first-hand experience that virtual tastings Aloha Polynesian dance troupe at Luau on the Lawn don’t have to be humdrum. People are blown away when I tell them about all that takes place during an Alpha Omega live virtual tasting. After the first live virtual tasting was held indoors last April with Alpha Omega Winemaker Henrik Poulsen, Master Sommelier Bob Bath, and Virtual Ambassador Barrett Spiegel, vintner Michelle Baggett, known for her ingenuity, put on her creative thinking cap and called upon her talented events team to execute her ideas.

She innovatively designed a live virtual tasting program that brings the Rutherford estate to Alpha Omega fans every month.

The set shifts to different locations—always outdoors—at the winery. One month, the

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALPHA OMEGA

Imaginative Virtual Tastings Offer More than Wine

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALPHA OMEGA

Kelly E. Carter is the director of communications at Alpha Omega winery on Napa Valley’s Rutherford Bench. The former editor of “Haute Living San Francisco” previously enjoyed a lengthy, award-winning career in journalism writing about sports, entertainment, and luxury lifestyles for various media outlets.

Kelly co-authored New York Times bestseller “Come to Win: Business Leaders, Artists, Doctors, and Other Visionaries on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession” with Venus Williams and penned “The Dog Lover’s Guide to Travel” for National Geographic Books. She has traveled to more than 40 countries and territories on six continents and called Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Italy home. Visit Kelly at: www. kellyecarter.com

Stephen L. Durfee

There’s always a theme with an elaborate, beautifully decorated set and, often, entertainment. For the Luau on the Lawn live virtual tasting, Hawaiianborn Chef Tom Wong, a professor at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, flaunted his culinary skills by demonstrating how to make pan-seared Kona kampachi with braised luau-style Swiss chard, lomi tomato salsa, and roasted sweet potato. Sacramento’s Aloha Polynesia dance troupe performed a dance to each of the four wines tasted that day— and changed costumes for each dance—while two musicians played and sang. An outrigger canoe floated in the Alpha Omega pond. For the home participants, prizes in the form of wine were given to three winners in the best aloha apparel category and three winners in the best aloha table décor category. An impartial journalist who attended several virtual wine tastings put on by wineries around the country gave the Luau on the Lawn her “Best Fine Wine Party” Oscar. “Stage, sets, design, chefs, and entertainers were first-class and performed outdoors on the scenic winery property,” she wrote.

During the Harvest Celebration live virtual tasting, an insightful, narrated video showed harvest in action, from grape picking at night to the same fruit being processed on the Alpha Omega crush pad. For the Craft a Pizza Party with the V Foundation live virtual tasting, renowned Chef Nash Cognetti of Tre Posti in St. Helena demonstrated how to make a pie, while Michelle, her husband Robin Baggett, and others crafted their own unique pizzas for the cameras.

Every live virtual tasting experience sprinkles a few trivia questions pegged to the event’s theme, with the winners receiving wine. Because the events are interactive, participants are encouraged to ask questions of the virtual team, chefs, and vintners.

To those jaded wine lovers who shun virtual tasting experiences, I urge you to check out Alpha Omega’s calendar. Every other month features the two latest Wine Club wines—you don’t have to be a member to join in, but you will need the wines so you can sip along with the winemaker and his virtual team—with the alternating months showcasing three curated selections.

Regardless of whether tasting rooms are open to guests, virtual tastings are here to stay in Napa Valley and Sonoma. Alpha Omega sets the bar Nash Cognetti high with its live virtual tastings in 2020 and, in aiming to outdo itself this year, kicked off its 2021 calendar with a lively and memorable Mardi Gras is for Lovers live virtual tasting on February 13th. St. Patrick’s Day, National BBQ Month, Italy in Napa, Hispanic Heritage Month, and, back by popular demand, Luau on the Lawn are some of the themes slated for this year. Go to www.aowinery.com/ events for more information.

I hope to see you on Zoom for a live virtual tasting—or at the winery. Cheers!

Henrik Poulsen, Michelle Baggett, Robin Baggett, Barrett Spiegel, Matt Brain

113

BY LYDIA GRAHAM

Haute HauteAMBASSADOR AMBASSADOR

Health Health & Wellness & Wellness

THE AIR WE BREATHE A Beginner’s Primer to Indoor Air in the Age of COVID

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MORE THAN EVER, ESPECIALLY NOW DURING COVID, WE have become aware of the air we breathe. Developing and honing our air quality IQ might just save your life and improve your health or the health of others.

Of course, there’s nothing like trial by fire to focus our attention on something most of us probably never thought of before. In the past year, we have had plenty of wake-up calls, such as California’s forest fires, the impact of COVID, and—to top matters off—likely more consecutive hours indoors than ever before.

So, understanding indoor air quality and knowing what to look for when you visit your doctor or dentist, send your kids to school, shop, or dine in a restaurant should be at the top of the list when it comes to protecting your health. Armed with a little scientific knowledge, you can make more informed choices about where and how you move throughout your day, the places you frequent, and where and how you socialize.

Since outdoor air is at the behest of Mother Nature and beyond our control, let’s focus on indoor air which we can control. Although there are no standards (regulations) for indoor air as compared to outdoor air, we can introduce certain measures indoors within our homes, offices, businesses, and schools.

SAFETY VS. ACCEPTABLE RISK LEVEL First, let us agree on one thing: we are never going to be able to create a 100% “safe” environment. One can catch a cold, the ’flu, or COVID practically anywhere. Just like our ancestors before us, life as a human is about navigating and managing

risk. Each time you get into your car, there is a risk. So, achieving a risk-free environment defies the human condition. What we can strive for and achieve, however, is “an acceptable level of risk” or a risk we are comfortable taking. For example, many state governments have accepted outdoor dining (with other precautions in place such as social distancing observed) as an “acceptable level of risk.” No guarantees: it is not foolproof, but it is acceptable. So, if that is our new “standard,” it begs the question of how can indoor aerosol exposure be controlled and relative risks compared to that immediately outdoors, as well as at different occupancy levels?

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Mark Hernandez when he was visiting California to conduct a demonstration project at a restaurant to answer just that question. Dr. Hernandez, Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado, is one of the leading experts on indoor air and the control of airborne diseases such as COVID (https://www.colorado.edu/faculty/hernandez/).

He is responsible for helping the Denver Public School District find a pathway to reopening. His Environmental Microbiology and Toxicology Laboratory is currently studying the persistence of coronaviruses, particularly in their airborne state.

While breaking down air quality may seem a bit dry at first, understanding this important topic, especially during COVID (and into the future when that nasty ’flu season comes around), could not be more pressing. It is also the key to opening businesses, schools, and restaurants—essentially getting our life back. A little knowledge goes a long way, so hang in here with me.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MILA

Lydia is a passionate advocate of healthy living. She has launched and positioned many health and wellnessrelated companies, products, technologies and organizations receiving more than 100 awards nationally and internationally. Her focus in the health sector is specifically on life sciences, aging and longevity. She is a partner and investor in several recognized national brands.

She sits on the board of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging whose mission is to eliminate the threat of agerelated disease for today’s and future generations. It is the only independent research organization globally dedicated to extending the healthy years of life. Like the scientists at the Buck, Graham envisions it will be possible for people to enjoy life at 95 as much as at 25.

To support Buck’s mission, please visit www.buckinstitute.org.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MILA

The Mila: Smart. Quiet. And Cute (with namesake Mila)

EXACTLY, WHAT IS IN THE AIR? While air may be invisible to us except during obvious conditions like fires and pollution, to a scientist there is a lot happening. When we think of air, we immediately think of oxygen, but oxygen only comprises around 21%, and the rest is comprised of other gases such as nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, etc. and a whole host of other things that are not “gasses.” Exactly, what are those “other things?” Scientists refer to them as particulate matter (PM) or (bio)aerosols.

PM is composed of organic material (i.e., viruses including COVID, bacteria, molds, fungi, etc.) and inorganic material (such as dust or dirt).

Humans, ill or not, constantly shed microbes—not the most pleasant thing to think about. We leave part of us behind wherever we go. As occupancy density goes up in a room so does PM. Measuring PM and PM trends is a good indicator for the potential airborne microbial load (including viruses) in a home, office, store, school, or restaurant.

Particulate matter and carbon dioxide (CO2) are two of the most important indicators for assessing indoor air quality. The CO2 and volatile organic compound (VOC) levels in a room will indicate whether there is adequate fresh air flow introduced by ventilation, as CO2 will be high in a room without it or in a crowded room with many occupants exhaling (which also increases the [bio]aerosols and the potential viral load).

REDUCING POTENTIAL VIRAL (AEROSOL) EXPOSURE As PM rises in the indoor environment (and sometimes even outdoors when the air is still; wind can be your friend), so does the risk level for airborne virus exposure (colds, flus, etc.), not absolutely but relatively.

Potential viral PM exposure is impacted in three ways, and the good news is we can manage our exposure accordingly: Time: The longer the time you spend in a contained space or with someone, your risk increases.

Concentration: Closed environments or stagnant, concentrated air means (bio)aerosols become concentrated, too, and this can also increase your risk if virus is present.

Proximity: The closer you are to a person or to a (bio)aerosol source— from a sneeze or cough to persons talking loudly or breathing heavily from exercise—the higher the risk. Thus, the argument for appropriate distancing interventions.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WYND

SO, WHAT CAN WE DO? As Dr. Hernandez would say, “We must dilute, remove, and verify (bio) aerosol levels by introducing established engineering controls.” Spoken like a true engineer and scientist, right? Do not let the term “engineering controls” scare you. Of course, there is a range in costs, but overall, these are simple and relatively inexpensive to implement.

DILUTION OF (BIO)AEROSOLS Let us start with ventilation. Dr. Hernandez would correct me here: “purposeful ventilation and mixing the air (to create light turbulence) results in dilution of aerosols.” It is not just about opening all the windows and doors, although that can help, particularly if there is a breeze (wind is your friend).

What you want is air circulating, moving, and mixing. How to achieve that?

You need power to move outdoor air in and indoor air out, ideally striving for up to six air exchanges per hour (a medical clinic guideline) to make indoor air more comparable to outdoor air. The air exchange rate is the average amount of time needed to replace all the air in a space with fresh air. Power comes from the fan either inside an HVAC or other ventilation system or by

placing regular fans in your environment. WARNING: fans should be on low power and not be directional (i.e., never blowing directly on a table, person, etc.). Ceiling fans are best as warm air rises. Smaller oscillating fans can be placed in each corner of a room, but pointed toward the wall not out towards people. It is counterintuitive.

Pay attention as you frequent the places you or your family go: how good is the ventilation? Is the air being mixed or circulated? Notice when you dine outdoors: are at least three sides open? If tents and bubbles are closed structures, the air is stagnant and just sits there. Choose wisely.

REMOVAL OF (BIO)AEROSOLS: Here’s where filtration comes in: it’s critical. If possible, open dampers to increase outdoor air and upgrade existing HVAC systems with MERV 13 filters to increase recirculation rates and filter the recirculated air.

Add HEPA air purifiers (casually called spot HEPA filtration), but away from HVAC vents and windows and where appropriate, such as in restaurants, add portable tabletop purifiers. My favorites are the stylish MILA’s, WYND, and Austin Air Systems. It is not only about how many HEPA filters are in a space, but also their flow rates and where they are strategically located. For example, in a restaurant, they need to be placed between tables.

VERIFY (AIR QUALITY) Simply put, how do you know if your system is working? Monitor ventilation performance (CO2) and aerosol (PM) with the best available technology. Resources range from handheld to installed sensors or even services that come in and monitor. Monitors range in cost and quality. To verify temperature, humidity, CO2, VOC, and PM, for example, you can buy WYND Halo monitors for under $200. These can be connected to a webinterfaced dashboard for a modest monthly charge.

When the established engineering controls are in place indoors, PM levels can be controlled in response to increasing occupancy to match similar exposure levels experienced—and accepted—for outdoor dining. Remember, our goal is to make the exposure level of indoor air comparable to that of outdoor air.

SPREAD THE WORD! According to Dr. Hernandez, the winning formula for reducing exposure is “Mixing and Ventilation + Networked Filtration + Best Hygiene + Monitoring = ALRP.” In other words, risk that is as low as reasonably possible. It sounds very scientific, but even us lay folks can do this.

Recently, I have been in businesses obsessed with wiping down surfaces and using hand sanitizer, but still miss the single most important part of the equation: addressing their indoor air quality. Scientists have confirmed COVID spreads through the air; it can live in the air for hours without intervention. So, why aren’t we seeing more preventive measures? Many people and businesses just do not know.

But now you do, so spread the word. Make the effort to improve the air quality in your home, business, restaurant, or school to an “acceptable level of risk.” Then, take a deep breath—one you probably will not take for granted any time soon!

WYND App My Air Quality

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BY NINA ERICSON

HauteAMBASSADOR

Life Coach

Nina Clark Ericson, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist with a practice in Palo Alto. Dr. Clark Ericson helps people live more empowered, happier lives through psychotherapy, life coaching, dating coaching, and Equus Coaching (coaching with horses, not riding). Her areas of expertise include anxiety and depression, difficult life transitions, and emotional eating.

LOVE IS A VERB, SO GET TO WORK! ROM-COMS AND DISNEY MOVIES TELL THE STORY THAT once you meet “the one,” then the happily-ever-after comes. With no work. No challenges. Hah! Too many people expect that, once they find the right partner, the hard part is done.

As a dating coach to mostly divorced singles in their 40s and older, I review what happened in my clients’ failed marriages.

A significant percentage of my clients went into their first marriages thinking that, because they loved each other and they had so much in common, their marriages would be successful.

But the reality is it isn’t that easy.

In addition to my date coaching, I do couple’s therapy as a psychologist. One couple came to see me when the husband, 116

let’s call him John, realized that he had romantic feelings for a woman at work. John didn’t want to “wreck” his family. He still loved his wife and didn’t want to be a “part-time dad” to his four children. John told his wife, Sue, about his feelings for his coworker, and they started therapy. It was very clear that John and Sue loved each other and that their marriage had a strong foundation. It was also clear that John and Sue had grown apart.

John’s all-consuming career as a serial entrepreneur and Sue’s commitment to the busy lives of their four children led to the couple living almost separate lives. Below are the strategies that John and Sue had to learn and put into consistent practice to save their marriage.

PHOTO CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK

Seven Tips for Stronger Relationships

AVOID THESE COMMON RELATIONSHIP PITFALLS John Gottman Ph.D., widely considered the country’s foremost expert on marriage, calls these relationship mistakes “the four horsemen of the apocalypse.”

• Horseman One: Criticism. You are going to have complaints about your partner. Express your frustration in a simple, straightforward manner. For example, you can say “Please don’t look at your phone when I am telling you about my day.” However, if you add a negative opinion about your partner, for example “you never listen to me,” then you turn your complaint into criticism, and this has a negative effect on your interaction. Criticism is common, but try to keep it to a minimum.

• Horseman Two: Contempt. Eye-rolling, sneering, name-calling, and sarcasm are examples of contempt. Contempt implies that you are better than your partner; it is damaging to your bond and doesn’t lead to resolution of the conflict.

• Horseman Three: Defensiveness. Not taking responsibility for your contribution to a problem basically puts the blame on your partner, which adds fuel to the conflict, in essence saying, “You are the problem not me.”

THREE TIPS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR MARRIAGE 1. Stay connected by doing activities that you enjoy together. Think back to when you were dating—what did you love to do together?

Delicious dinners at the latest hot SF restaurant? Schedule a dinner date once a week, then have fun figuring out what restaurant to go to next. Winter weekends skiing in Tahoe? Get up there now— without the kids—and make sure you limit the amount of time that you talk about children, finances, household issues, or else you will feel more like business partners than romantic partners.

2. Practice appreciation. Our brains are wired to notice what is wrong around us, so that we can be safe. With your spouse, you need rewire your brain so that you notice the positive things: how they look great in an outfit, their calling you on the anniversary of the day you met, their getting you your favorite kombucha without you asking. Repeatedly remind yourself of the things you first found amazing about your partner. You will feel better noticing the positive, and your relationship will benefit greatly.

• Horseman Four: Stonewalling. Refusing to engage with your partner when a conflict occurs, for example by avoiding eye contact or verbal response, is stonewalling. This makes it impossible to resolve a conflict in a healthy manner.

The presence of one or more of the horsemen does not mean your marriage is over, but it does mean that you need to learn better relationship skills. Dr. Gottman’s book, The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work, is filled with practical exercises to help you improve marital communication. A couple’s therapist can also provide expert guidance in relationship skills.

John and Sue worked hard to change the ways they relate to each other and to strengthen their bond. They check in with me from time to time and report a much happier, more connected marriage. And John reports only having eyes for Sue.

3. Keep the fire burning. Sex is important! Schedule time for intimacy just like you do for exercise, meals, and almost everything else in your life. Sex expert Emily Nagoski also advises couples to focus on connecting, not just the big goal of intercourse. She suggests hugging and kissing, as “it reinforces the bond and the idea that you are safe and affectionate with this person,” which can ultimately lead to more intimacy, including sex.

Taking action on the above three tips will go a long way to strengthening your relationship. But you also need to keep certain actions, specifically communication blunders, out of your relationship.

Inquire about a complimentary coaching session by emailing nina@ninaclarkericson.com Dr. Ericson is grateful that the aforementioned clients have given her permission to tell their stories, without identifying details, with the hope of helping others.

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California Lifestyle Collection Stunning Golden Gate Bridge Views

4 Beds | 5 Baths | 3,303± sq. ft. | 7,819± sq. ft. lot Gorgeous views from every room! Prime location for views and privacy, this two-level home features vaulted ceilings in the spacious living room, walls of windows and doors looking out to the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco and Sausalito, with sliding glass doors opening onto spacious view decks, a private patio/garden with water feature and stone benches. All perfect for entertaining and indoor/outdoor living.

Belvedere, California

$4,150,000

The home’s upper level has generous living spaces, formal living and dining rooms, kitchen opening to family room, two bedrooms and two full baths. The lower level features the master suite with his/hers bathrooms and closets and a fourth bedroom (currently being used as an office) with full bath.

For more detailed information, please visit: 29Eucalyptus.com

Olivia Hsu Decker | SanFranciscoFineHomes.com Cell: 415.720.5915 | Olivia@SanFranciscoFineHomes.com | Lic.# 00712080

California Lifestyle Collection Stunning Golden Gate Bridge Views

Olivia Hsu Decker | SanFranciscoFineHomes.com Cell: 415.720.5915 | Olivia@SanFranciscoFineHomes.com | Lic.# 00712080

Belvedere, California

California Lifestyle Collection Magnificent Belvedere Compound

Belvedere, California

8 Beds | 6 Baths | ±4,451 sq. ft. | ±0.52 acre

$4,795,000

Located on the flat and wide private Buckeye Road, this ±4,451

flat and walking distance to downtown Tiburon, the ferry, the

sq. ft compound consists of a ±3,685 sq ft 6 bedroom, 4 baths

Belvedere park, the bike path and 2 world class yacht clubs.

main house with a ±400 sq ft carport and a ±766 sq ft. 2

Enjoy the large flat gated front garden and spacious back view

bedroom, 2 baths, kitchen and living room guests house with a

deck all with privacy. First time for sale since the main home

±360 sq ft 2-car garage. The lower floor of the main house has

was custom built in 1958, guests house was built later year and

two legal units for in-laws, nannies, offices or a rental apartment.

new roof and deck in 2015.

Located between Golden Gate Ave and Bayview overlooking

Photos, Matterport 3D Tour and floor plans are at:

Belvedere Lagoon, Tiburon and Angel Island, the site is mostly

10BuckeyeRoad.com

Olivia Hsu Decker | SanFranciscoFineHomes.com Cell: 415.720.5915 | Olivia@SanFranciscoFineHomes.com | Lic.# 00712080

California Lifestyle Collection Magnificent Belvedere Compound

Olivia Hsu Decker | SanFranciscoFineHomes.com Cell: 415.720.5915 | Olivia@SanFranciscoFineHomes.com | Lic.# 00712080

Belvedere, California

Maximize the value of your home.

For marketing programs, please contact: Olivia Hsu Decker, Co-Owner Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty 25 Offices Serving the San Francisco Bay Area Direct 415.435.1600 | Cell 415.720.5915 Olivia.HsuDecker@SothebysRealty.com