JAN-FEB 2022

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

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

LUXURY LIFESTYLE WITH PURPOSE

$20.00

YUAN YUAN TAN PRIMA BALLERINA CELEBRATES 25 YEARS WITH SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

PRESENTS

OLIVIA DECKER POWER OF MUSIC SERIES

Pasquale Esposito Celebrate Valentine’s Day Italian style with favorite love songs and Napa Valley wines

S U N D AY, F E B R U A R Y 1 3

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4PM

C AVA L L O P O I N T, S A U S A L I T O

UPCOMING CONCERTS: March 27 | 4pm Ryan Silverman Broadway star from The Phantom of the Opera and CHICAGO, in his signature cabaret show April 10 | 4pm Vanessa Benelli Mosell, piano DECCA recording artist and international soloist, presented in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute May 15 | 4pm Nia Imani Franklin Soprano, composer, & 2019 Miss America in a program of popular songs and original compositions

$75

D O N AT I O N

Celebrate Valentine’s Day in style with Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito in concert at Cavallo Point, the historic luxury resort nestled at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Pasquale and his virtuosic band will take the audience on a musical journey through Italy, Spain, and the Americas, showcasing romantic songs, opera arias and Broadway tunes, coupled with stories of love.

Join us for a reception before the concert featuring wines from Festival Napa Valley’s acclaimed Partner Wineries.

Keep the magic flowing with dinner afterwards at Cavallo Point’s romantic Murray Circle Restaurant. Or book an overnight stay at Cavallo Point Lodge.

For reservations, visit www.cavallopoint.com or call 888-651-2003 For tickets and more information: www.festivalnapavalley.org | 707-346-5052

California Lifestyle Collection Rare Waterfront Compound on Two Lots With Stunning Views

4 Beds | 5 Baths | 1 Half-Bath Featured in Architectural Digest, this world-class residence showcases panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, the entire city skyline of San Francisco, and Sausalito. This magnificent masterpiece in a dramatic setting on the most prestigious location is comprised of a ±8,131 sq .ft. home on a ±0.67 acre lot, featuring 4 bedrooms and 5.5 baths. This architectural work of art was designed by architect Charles Gwathmey, with spectacular outlooks from every corner of the expansive 4-level floor plan. The primarily vertical organization of this house takes advantage of its sloped site on the southern coast of Belvedere Island. The uppermost level contains a 3-car garage with glass doors, an elevator which descends to a courtyard, a detached one bedroom, one bath guesthouse and a spacious wine cellar. The remaining levels of the main house are situated between two large retaining walls, which follow the natural contours of the site and splay outwards towards the Bay. The house’s compact organization within the precinct formed by

Price Upon Request the retaining walls ensures privacy. An interior circular stair winds around an elevator and forms the cylindrical focal point of the house’s massing. A barrel-vaulted ceiling articulates the living and dining room at the entry level of the main house, and a large deck projects towards the Bay to extend the space into the landscape. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, a study and a two-story entertainment room occupy the intermediate floors, while a media room, a beautiful wet bar, a full bath with steam shower and sauna on the lowest level open onto a spacious outdoor terrace with a pool, whose “infinity edge” of water establishes a poetic connection to the Bay. The interior floors are limestone and wide plank, Bubinga wood and cabinets are lightly stained maple. The exterior is clad in gray stained cedar, with a curved standing seam zinc roof. All exterior windows, doors and decks are teak, all terraces are beige/gray flamed limestone pavers and the retaining walls are painted warm white stucco.

More photos and information can be found at: 445BelvedereAve.com

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

California Lifestyle Collection Magnificent St. Helena Wine Country Estate

7 Beds | 5 Baths | 1 Half-Bath | ±8 Acres This picturesque villa of nearly 10,000 square feet of living space is perched on its own promontory with panoramic views of vineyards, lush gardens, and Napa Valley. The custom-built Main Residence and Guest House boast quality finishes and high ceilings showcasing grand proportions and scale including 7 bedrooms, 6 baths, wine cellar, tasting room, a grand motor court, an 80 foot pool, outdoor kitchen with pizza oven, meandering gardens, koi ponds, stone terraces,

St. Helena, California

$17,500,000 vegetable gardens, flower gardens covering the sprawling grounds. The guest house has one bedroom and bath. The property has its own self-sustaining water source – a rarity in Napa Valley. Don’t miss the opportunity to own this breathtaking view property that is synonymous with the quintessential wine country lifestyle and only minutes away from the vibrant downtown St Helena.

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

California Lifestyle Collection Spectacular Belvedere View Home

Belvedere, California

4 Beds | 4 Baths | 1 Half-Bath | ±3,756 sq. ft. | ±1.26 Acres | Pool Situated at a magnificent near-tip location of Belvedere Island south side facing stunning world-class views, this mid-Century appx. 3,756 sq foot home on appx. 1.26 acre double lots features 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, pool, multiple terraces, living room with fireplace and 18+ feet high ceilings, opening onto terraces and gardens; library with fireplace and view deck, formal dining room with view deck, spacious French Country style kitchen, master bedroom with fireplace + 2 other bedrooms opening onto pool terrace and gardens, an entry floor bedroom with full bath for handicap access. The home and beautiful lush gardens all face the panoramic views from Bay Bridge, San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito to Mt. Tam. 2-car garage on street level. Large bay frontage is possible to build a boat dock subject

$15,000,000

to city and BCDC approval. The house was designed and built by architect John Lord King in 1962 for the current owner, the Morrison family. The adjacent lot was purchased in 1966. The house was the subject of an article “The House that Steel Built” for the extensive use of steel and concrete in the construction. It has also been featured in other articles, ads, and once in a TV mini series. The pool and surrounding stone terrace were completely redone in 2008. The landscaping is irrigated, includes lighting and was a highlight of the annual garden club tours for many years.

More photos and information can be found at: 443BelvedereAve.com

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

California Lifestyle Collection Magnificent Belvedere Island Italianate Villa

8 Beds | 6 Baths | 3 Half-Baths This stately 8 bedrooms, 6 full baths and 2 half baths, appx. 7,695 sq. ft.

Belvedere, California

$11,495,000 gardens bloom year-round. Large ceramic-tiled pool with automated

mansion is one of the most admired homes on Belvedere Island for its

cover, street-to-street lot, security system and ample spacious storage.

Italianate villa styling, spectacular views, extensive gardens and the

Three separate entrances and multiple living spaces can accommodate

gorgeous ceramic-tiled pool. It is located on the desirable warm side of

an au pair unit and an in-law unit, each with their own entrance. It is

the island with all-day sun. The residence was fully renovated in recent

walking distance to San Francisco Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht Club,

years, featuring a beautiful custom-designed kitchen with eat-in breakfast

downtown Tiburon’s restaurants, shops, ferry services and charming

area and eight rooms opening onto balconies with expansive bay views.

Belvedere Cove, reminiscent of Portofino, Italy. The home is designated

Generously sized master suite with separate his and her dressing/sitting

as an Historic Property by the City of Belvedere and enjoys a significant

areas, closets, bathrooms, and a steam shower. Two sunrooms, sauna,

property tax reduction.

wine cellar and 2-car garage plus adjacent carport. Extensive multi-level

Details and photos at 308GoldenGate.com

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

California Lifestyle Collection Magnificent Mansion Over Downtown Sausalito Bridgeway

7 Beds | 6 Baths | 1 Half-Bath

Sausalito, California

Offered at $22,500,000

Magnificent mansion over downtown Sausalito Bridgeway with ±10,783

Angel Island, Belvedere Island, Tiburon and East Bay. Extreme high

sq. ft., 7 bedroom, 6.5 baths on 0.7645 acre lot features Italian marble

quality custom built for current owner, construction took four years

floors, French painted ceilings, grand staircase, gourmet kitchen,

completed in 2000. Great Banana Belt weather protected from wind and

elevators to all floors, 4-car garage, pool with steam shower and sauna,

fog. Walking distance to downtown Sausalito’s Ferry, restaurants and

exercise room, spacious wine cellar, lush gardens, multiple terraces to

stores. This is a rare chance to own the finest home in Sausalito.

enjoy the panoramic views of entire San Francisco skyline, Bay Bridge,

Details and photos at 6BulkleySausalito.com

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

PUBLISHER’S Letter THIS ISSUE, WE GREET 2022 WITH NEW HOPE, NEW INSPIRATION, AND NEW opportunity. The last two years so unexpectedly became the most difficult two years in recent history. The COVID-19 pandemic brought us death, fear, uncertainty, confusion, discord, and increased violence and crime. During a year of worldwide lockdowns, our homes became our safest sanctuaries when travel was banned and schools, offices, stores, gyms/spas, restaurants, hotels, churches, and just about everything were closed. This created a huge demand for home purchases, and my real estate company has been insanely busy—almost $13 billion in sales.

But people need more than a home. The world needs healing, uniting, nurturing, and positive thinking. As a former classical singer during my school years and a music lover all my life, I believe music is a powerful tool to do all of these. Therefore, I made a $5 million pledge to Festival Napa Valley to produce the Olivia Decker Power of Music Series concerts in Marin, Napa, and other Bay Area locations featuring world class performers. Haute Living is sponsor of all concerts in this series.

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

We started with two test concerts on September 12 with world renowned tenor Michael Fabiano, while he was in town to perform Tosca at San Francisco Opera, and on October 20 with superstar violinist Ray Chen, while he was in town for a recital at San Francisco Symphony. Both concerts were well-received, and the proceeds were donated to ArtSmart and Festival Napa Valley programs for young artists.

We then officially debuted the series on December 12 at Cavallo Point Lodge with the Sing in the Holidays concert performed by San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows. The recap of this concert is on the Haute Event page.

If you have attended any of these concerts, I thank you for your support and invite you to join our upcoming Valentine’s concert with Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito who will sing romantic love songs on February 13. Information for upcoming concerts through May 2022 are on the front inside cover page of this issue.

Haute Living, San Francisco and I also sponsored four smashing Broadway musical concerts produced by www.BroadwayAndVine.Org. In this issue, we continue our focus on beauty, health and wellness, food and wine, arts, and local travel. We profiled local visionaries with their inspirational stories. On our cover is Yuan Yuan Tan, one of the world’s most renowned ballerinas celebrating her 25 years with San Francisco Ballet. I had the pleasure hosting the welcome party in Shanghai when San Francisco Ballet performed in China in 2015, and we celebrated Yuan Yuan’s 20th anniversary with SF Ballet. Tan’s success for 25 years is an amazing accomplishment, and she looks fabulous in all the outfits Louis Vuitton provided for this cover article.

We also profile art curator and consultant Heide Betz in “Artful Immersion” in which she shares her insights with Becca Hensley. We share the inside-out beauty secrets from the founder of Total Glow MD, Terrie Absher.

We also interviewed San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner Karen Clopton in “The Changemaker: Living Well by Doing Good” and introduce you Francesca Amfitheatrof, Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of jewelry and watches. Our Health & Wellness Ambassador, Lydia Graham, provided the must-read “A New Year and a New You in Balance.”

We were a media sponsor for 10 top charity events in 2019, and all of them were canceled in 2020. In this issue, we are delighted to have our Scene section again, reporting live fundraising events for De Young Museum, the Alzheimer’s Association, and San Francisco Opera Guild’s Evening on the Stage for which Haute Living is a media sponsor.

As I look forward to the New Year, I thank you for all your encouragement and support for our magazine’s efforts to make the world a better place, one issue at a time.

I wish you a safe, joyful, prosperous, and musical 2022!

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PUBLISHER Olivia Hsu Decker Olivia@HauteLivingSF.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Teresa Rodriguez Teresa@HauteLivingSF.com ART DIRECTOR Krisha Chhaganlal Krisha@HauteLivingSF.com DIGITAL EDITOR Laurie Jo Miller Farr Laurie@HauteLivingSF.com COPY EDITOR Karen M. Smith henhousepublishing@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jennifer Boden, Laurie Jo Miller Farr, Becca Hensley, Steph Keay, Fran Endicott Miller, Erin Hunt Moore, Robert Richards, Sharon Seto, and Carolyne Zinko.

ABOUT TOWN AMBASSADOR Aubrey Brewster HEALTH AND WELLNESS AMBASSADOR Lydia Graham LUXURY AUTO AMBASSADOR Tim Lappen TL@JMBM.com 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

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

Follow us @HauteLivingSF for your guide to all things haute

TABLE of CONTENTS

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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HAUTE CALENDAR

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16

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26

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COVER STORY 50

With an unprecedented 25-year tenure at San Francisco Ballet, Yuan Yuan Tan is a legend still going strong

HAUTE TRAVEL

HAUTE SHOPPING

58

For a world class vacation, stay in California and hit these destination places in San Diego.

HAUTE KITCHEN

62

Find your next snow-filled thrill at these five ski resorts.

HAUTE WINE

66

Treat the ones you love with the very best gifts.

Two generations of the Wong family celebrate food and tradition at Harborview Restaurant & Bar.

HAUTE HOTEL

From Spain to California, Marimar Torres establishes her own matrilineal wine dynasty.

HAUTE DRINKS

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HAUTE DINING

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Don’t like leafy green veggies? Try these drinks made with superfoods.

If every ingredient tells a story, imagine what dinner at Merchant Roots will tell you.

Not too far, sunny, warm, and practically perfect: there’s no better Valentine’s Day retreat than Garza Blanca.

HAUTE SCENES

Our holiday issue launched to great fanfare.

San Francisco Opera’s Evening on the Stage pays homage to generosity.

34

Meet the genius behind Louis Vuitton’s premier jewelry collections.

78

Part the Cloud gala draws big names and raises big money for charity.

38

Wine and charity come together with purpose at ONEHOPE.

79

The Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts opens with world class performances.

42

Accompany Maryles Casto from seeking a hole in the clouds to punching holes through the glass ceiling.

80

The De Young Museum launches its first On the Edge fundraiser.

81

Head to the sea at SF’s newest restaurant, Ula Mediterranean Dining & Cocktails.

46

Diversity and inclusion champion Karen Clopton advocates living well by doing good.

ON THE COVER:

PHOTOGRAPHER: VINCENT GOTTI PHOTOGRAPHER ASSISTANT: BRIAN HOYT EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: TERESA RODRIGUEZ HAIR & MAKEUP: NELLIE MUGANDA WARDROBE PROVIDED BY LOUIS VUITTON, CRUISE 2022 COLLECTION AND LOUIS VUITTON VOLT FINE JEWELRY ON LOCATION AT LE PETIT TRIANON, SAN FRANCISCO

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Haute Residence

The Stavrand offers the soothing ambiance of nature and luxury to heal body and mind.

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HAUTE PROFILE

Cover story

Haute Living, San Francisco | www.HauteLivingSF.com

Haute Event

TABLE of CONTENTS Haute Scene

Haute Drinks

Haute Profile

HAUTE EVENTS 82

Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf shows us how to combine world class golf, food, and giving.

Haute Art 84

From costumed actors to sugar skulls, Día De Los Muertos celebrates life and death.

86

New Olivia Decker Power of Music concert debuts with SFO’s Adler Fellows.

HAUTE BEAUTY 90

Total Glow MD helps your beauty shine inside and out.

HAUTE WELLNESS 94

Get 2022 off to a healthful start at any—or all—of these restorative destinations.

HAUTE ART

Haute Auto 98

A little here, a little there: decide what you like and start there when collecting art.

HAUTE RESIDENCE

102 Resort-like luxury, astounding views, and space: what more could you

want?

HAUTE SEAT

106 Where do the world’s best authors go for camaraderie and inspiration?

HAUTE AMBASSADOR

108 Lydia shows us how to reset ourselves amid continuing pandemic

measures and another round of New Year’s Resolutions.

110 Aubrey, San Francisco’s expert on caviar, shares his top picks for

“fishberry jam.”

114 Tim gets that racecar thrill in the Lamborghini Huracán STO, then

relaxes in the Mercedes-Maybach S580’s luxury.

9 Haute Dining

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S Letter AS I SIT HERE WRITING THIS LETTER, THE GLOSSY SHEEN of the new year seems to be lost in a haze of more crazy news about COVID variants and global uncertainty. It’s all a bit frustrating, and I am sure you agree. However, in moments like these, we deserve some time away from the troubling news and the dark shadows cast by this cruel pandemic. So, while we can’t change the gray forecasts, we can bring you a little sunshine within the pages of this magazine.

Our dedicated writers have worked hard to bring you articles that will inspire your day, take you on mini-vacations, and introduce you to some outstanding individuals.

In this issue, we celebrate prima ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan’s 25th anniversary with the San Francisco Ballet. I can’t imagine doing something as grueling as dancing en pointe for as long as she has.

What an incredible feat!

A few months ago, I had the rare opportunity to spend an afternoon with Francesca Amfitheatrof, the famed Artistic Director Watches and Jewelry at Louis Vuitton. Along with chatting about being mothers and world travelers, she showed me her jaw-dropping collections.

Francesca has personal relationships with the stones with which she works, and together, we held different pieces, letting the precious gems tell me their stories. Steph Keay wrote a fantastic article about Francesca and her fascinating life (page 34).

While the outside world might be a bit harsh, love still reigns. Becca Hensley showcases Valentine’s drool-worthy gifts this year (page 14). Readers who want to escape with their loves should read all about Garza Blanca Resort and Spa in Cabo, Mexico. They have taken romantic getaways to the next level (page 66). Finally, if you want to restart and recharge, we have the top seven wellness resorts for you on page 94.

Karen Wong of Harborview Restaurant & Bar shares a few family secret recipes with Sharon Seto on page 16. This is one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. Her family’s story is one of determination, hard work, and dedication. If you can’t travel to China, then join Karen and her family for a feast at Harborview. The place is always bustling, and with outdoor seating overlooking the Embarcadero, it is one of the best spots to dine in the city.

Our faithful publisher, Olivia Decker, has done a phenomenal job of community outreach and has launched of series of concerts in 2022 titled Olivia Decker Power of Music Series. We hope to meet you at one of the outdoor venues in the months to come. You can find all the details in the magazine as well as online at HauteLivingSF.com.

I always love hearing from our readers, so feel free to send me an email with your story ideas or comments to Teresa@HauteLivingSF.com. Also, follow us on instagram @HauteLivingSF. Wishing you all a bright 2022,

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

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

SAN FRANCISCO’S Contributors CAROLYNE ZINKO

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.

SHARON SETO

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.

ERIN HUNT MOORE

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 U.S. 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.

BECCA HENSLEY

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.

STEPH KEAY

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.

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.

JENNIFER BODEN

Jennifer is a freelance wine, food, and travel writer based in beautiful Sonoma County and has an extensive career in journalism.

She contributes to KRON 4 News San Francisco, ABC 10News San Diego, and others. Prior to her writing career, she worked for several network affiliates as a news anchor and executive producer.

She earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Arizona State University’s prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Events CALENDAR

BY LAURIE JO MILLER FARR

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

7–8 San Francisco Symphony | Film With Live Orchestra Watch the thrilling 1985 blockbuster, Back to the Future, with a live musical score by award-winning composer Alan Silversti. sfsymphony.org/BuyTickets/2021-22/back-to-the-future 11 through Feb. 6 Golden Gate Theatre | The Band’s Visit Winner of 10 Tony Awards® in 2018, one of only four musicals in Broadway history to win the unofficial Big Six for Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical. bit.ly/3HToi9b

The Art of Banksy

San Francisco’s most stylish event is the San Francisco Ballet’s Opening Night Gala.

From Banksy to Broadway musical hits, the winter cultural calendar is packed with art, music, and dance. And all that jazz ...

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JANUARY Through Feb. 27 The Art of Banksy | Palace of Fine Arts The largest touring exhibition of 100-plus authentic Banksy artworks, including “Flower Thrower,” “Rude Copper,” and “Girl with Balloon,” sourced from private collectors around the world. banksyexhibit.com/sanfrancisco

12 Bing Concert Hall at Stanford University | Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Branford Marsalis Back in the Bay Area for the first time since 2014, the conductorless ensemble is joined by celebrated saxophone virtuoso, three-time Grammy Award® winner Branford Marsalis. live.stanford.edu/calendar/january-2022 16 San Francisco Symphony | An Evening with Itzhak Perlman A program curated by Tony Award®-winning director Dan Sullivan, interweaves storytelling by Perlman and music-making with his longtime friend, pianist Rohan De Silva. bit.ly/3D4cgWB

PHOTO CREDITS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) © KYLE FLUBACKER; © MATTHEW MURPHY

11 through Sept. 4 Curran Theatre | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child The world’s most award-winning new play returns as a newly staged, one-show magical experience with spectacular spells, a race through time, and an epic battle to stop mysterious forces. bit.ly/314fgVY

Events CALENDAR 18 – 23 San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl’s story about the extraordinary chocolate maker, Willie Wonka, turned into a hit Broadway musical that delights all ages with pure imagination and incredible inventions. broadwaysanjose.com 20 – 23 Fort Mason Festival Pavilion | FOG Design+Art A preview gala on Jan. 19 benefits SFMOMA’s education and exhibition programs. Innovators Luncheon on Jan. 22 honors pioneering musical talent Linda Ronstadt. The four-day exhibition features 45 leading artists’ galleries and conversations in the FOG Theater. Fogfair.com 20 – 30 Oakland Restaurant Week Eat. Drink. Repeat. From neighborhood gems to food trucks to Michelin-starred dining, participating Oakland restaurants offer special menus for lunch and dinner. visitoakland.com 21 – 30 Napa Valley Restaurant Week Calling all foodies! This year’s event is bigger and better than ever; no preset prices, just 10 days of delicious dining across the valley’s five towns. visitnapavalley.com

PHOTO CREDITS: © JEREMY DANIEL; © JOAN MARCUS

21 – Feb. 13 A.C.T.’s Geary Theater | Freestyle Love Supreme Launching its U.S. tour, a critically acclaimed Broadway hit from the minds of longtime friends Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Bay Area artist Anthony Veneziale. The show pays homage to John Coltrane’s improvisational musical style.

Act-sf.org 24 Yoshi’s | Martin Barre of Jethro Tull Aqualung, the famous Jethro Tull album, celebrates 50 years since its release. Grammy Award®-winning Martin Barre, 43 years as the group’s lead guitarist, is on a worldwide tour. bit.ly/3G7VlVi 26 – 30 SFJAZZ Gala 2022 | Wynton Marsalis and Lincoln Center Orchestra Gala and After Party on Jan. 26 to honor the iconic trumpeter Wynton Marsalis with a Lifetime Achievement Award benefiting artistic and education programs at SFJAZZ. Programming follows for four consecutive nights. sfjazz.org

27 San Francisco Ballet | Opening Night Gala Hosted by the San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary, La Grande Fête marks the beginning of Helgi Tomasson’s final repertory season. San Francisco’s most stylish event features world premieres and a dinner with gala proceeds benefiting a wide range of artistic initiatives. sfballet.org/support-us/specialevents/opening-night-gala

FEBRUARY 2 Bing Concert Hall at Stanford University | Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Richard Egarr directs the Baroque masterpiece, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, in a performance in partnership with The Juilliard School’s Historical Performance program. live.stanford.edu/calendar/february-2022

23 Sweetwater Music Hall | Sonomusette Plays Piaf SonoMusette, featuring native Parisian singer Mimi Pirard, transports us to mid-1900s Paris via the evocative songs of the enchanting Edith Piaf, “The Little Sparrow.” sweetwatermusichall.com/event/ sonomusette-plays-piaf 28 SAP Center San Jose | Justin Bieber Grammy Award®-winning superstar Justin Bieber is on The Justice World Tour 2022, named for his global #1 album. sapcenter.com/events/detail/ justinbieber2022

Charlie and the Chocoalte Factory. William Goldsman as Charlie Bucket and Cody Garcia as Willy Wonka

2 and 5 Chase Center | Björk The featured production from this multidisciplinary artist is Cornucopia, an immersive, imaginative and intricate feast for the senses. chasecenter.com/ events/bjork-20220205 5 San Francisco Symphony | Lunar New Year Celebrate the Year of the Tiger at this vibrant event drawing upon Asian traditions, past and present.

Festival Reception is followed by a performance of Eastern and Western repertoire. bit.ly/3xwfsJz 13 San Francisco Ballet | Yuan Yuan Tan’s 25th Anniversary Dinner A reception, dinner and performance in honor of Principal Dancer Yuan Yuan Tan to celebrate a career with San Francisco Ballet spanning more than 25 years. Proceeds benefit a wide range of SF Ballet artistic initiatives. Palace Hotel. sfballet.org/support-us/special-events/yytandinner 17 – 20 Blue Note Napa | Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra Five-time Grammy Award® nominee, Liebert is one of the most successful instrumental artists of the past several decades, entertaining global audiences and releasing a catalog of 33 classic albums, including the best-selling instrumental acoustic guitar album of all time. bluenotenapa.com/event/ tw-artistinfo/Ottmar+Liebert

Freestyle Love Supreme

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HAUTE SHOPPING

GIFT GUIDE Charm Her With These Opulent Valentine's Day Options

BY BECCA HENSLEY

Stumped on what to wrap up for your one true love?

You can’t go wrong if you follow our lead.

CARTIER Nécessaires à Parfum Diabolo Fragrance Case

JACOB & CO DIAMOND Chandelier Earrings and Papillon Earrings Based in Geneva and New York, fine jewelry and watch house Jacob & Co has worldwide fans, including Jay Z and Madonna. Choose from either earring option to give the gift of romance, timeless elegance, and playful pursuit. The chandelier earrings feature 2.41 carats of rose cut diamonds and 6.12 carats of pavé set white diamonds in 18-carat white gold. From the Papillon Collection, butterfly-shaped, 18-carat white gold earrings boast 0.35 carats of citrine, 8.46 carats of rhodolite, and 5.86 carats of round cut diamonds with blue cathedral enamel wings and drop-in, 18-carat, white gold. jacobandco.com 14

HOUSE OF BO Fragrance Collection He’ll be among the first to wear the gender-neutral, eco-luxe, ultraniche fragrances from Miami-based, newly launched House of Bo. Each scent is inspired by the spirit of Mexico and the passion of its founders. Try woody, outdoorsy Espíratu, nostalgically fresh Agua de Santos, and infinitely sexy La Mar, depending on your mood. Workof-art-inspired bottles, each crowned with a hand-carved, marble top, ensure they’re as lovely to behold as to sniff. houseofbo.com, neimanmarcus.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JACOB AND CO; CARTIER; HOUSE OF BO

Emblems of Maison Cartier, a panther, a bellboy, and a red box each adorn this limited edition Nécessaire à Parfum which has a gloriously vintage feel and was created to be combined with 30-milliliter glass fragrance refills which slip into the case. Choose from an array of evocative Cartier scents. cartier.com

HAUTE SHOPPING VALENTINO Rhinestone Resort Bag She’ll sparkle with this showstopper, part of the Valentino Party Collection. Silver rhinestone Roman studs redefine this exquisite accessory, a deal for that long-awaited trip to St. Barts, dinner in Paris, or your next film release party. valentino.com

HARRY WINSTON Candy Ring Inspired by the 1950 cocktail soiree culture, Harry Winston’s collection of brilliantly hued, slightly whimsical, boldly statement-making cocktail rings combine extraordinary stones and promise drama.

This jaw-dropper features pink sapphires, rubies, and diamonds, set in platinum. Wear it to sip martinis on a rooftop terrace. harrywinston.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VALENTINO; HARRY WINSTON; GUCCI

GUCCI Handbag Always a crowd-pleaser, each Gucci bag reflects a mood. Ever on the “it-list," soft, supple, and exquisitely constructed, Gucci purses are more popular today than ever. Add this one, pink and softly detailed with a cherry motif, to her ever-growing collection. gucci.com

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HAUTE KITCHEN

Beautiful entry at Harborview Restaurant & Bar

IN CONVERSATION WITH SHARON SETO

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BY SHARON SETO | PHOTOS BY ROBERT RICHARDS

IAN NIAN KUAI LE! HAPPY NEW YEAR! GROWING up in a traditional Chinese home, the Lunar New Year is the most important time for “family.” No matter where one lives in the world, our family members travel back home to dine together on New Year’s Eve and stay with each other to celebrate for two weeks, visiting relatives and friends. It’s about reuniting and being a whole family.

As a young child, I looked forward to this holiday with excitement. Whether people visited our home or we visited others, I was given beautifully decorated red envelopes filled with lucky money. But my fondest memories were plates of auspicious food eaten during gatherings and the sense of togetherness around the table. Whether we dine during home visits or at restaurants, eating is a big part of celebrating the

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Chinese New Year. Food binds family and friends. My parents taught me that a family who eats together stays together.

Harborview Restaurant and Bar is all about family, operated by two generations working seamlessly together. It’s one of my favorite Chinese restaurants, constantly buzzing with happy, chattering diners enjoying delicious dishes, plate after plate. It gets extra busy during Chinese New Year festivities.

My friend, Karen Liu, is co-owner of Harborview Restaurant and Bar. She is also director of marketing and special events. Karen works alongside her father, Kinson Wong, and brother, Frank Wong. Her love for family and their restaurant is obvious. Karen’s energy to keep operations seamless at this popular restaurant amazes me! She credits her work ethic to her immigrant parents, who instilled hard work and perseverance into Karen as a child.

HAUTE KITCHEN Both her parents sought opportunity at “Gold Mountain” — Harborview’s cuisine. She loves to create joyful moments for people termed by the Chinese for the United States — in 1975. Through in her family’s restaurant and being a part of a lasting memory perseverance and hard work, Kinson and Emily Wong moved when her guests celebrate a milestone with them. She says, “At up from their first jobs as a kitchen helper and seamstress to the end of the day, it’s about the symbiotic relationship between operating a dim sum wholesale business. In 1985, Kinson Wong us and our guests. Being in the restaurant industry is demanding co-founded R&G Lounge in Chinatown and built it up for over 33 and has its challenges, but I am years. In 2018, the Wong family grabbed the opportunity to start driven to succeed with inspiration a large-scale dim sum and seafood restaurant at the Embarcadero DOES IT SPARK JOY? from my family and amazing team.”

Center: Harborview Restaurant & Bar. — KAREN WONG LIU With only a third grade education in China during the Cultural HL: Whenever my mind wanders Revolution, the Wongs had difficulty into food and recipes, it immediately navigating the U.S. business world, evokes fond memories of cooking but it has been a dream come true with my mother and grandmother: happy times of doing what we love, for Kinson Wong and now for his then eating it! My mom's famous daughter, who is following her Asian fried chicken or my po po's father’s footsteps. gai loong from her village. Now, my Karen grew up watching her kids carry on my mother's version parents and family cook at home of Chinese spaghetti. What is your and at the restaurant. Before the favorite family recipe and why? What restaurant, the Wong family made food takes you home? rows and rows of dim sum by hand KW: We grew up eating at the restaurant while listening to classic Chinese quite a bit, because our family worked "oldies" songs. These were Karen‘s together there; but at home, my mom fondest childhood memories, playing cooked a lot for us. She loved to make simple and healthy Chinese meals by in the dim sum kitchen while her steaming, such as steamed eggs or family made har gow (Cantonese steamed whole fish. My mom's way dumplings) and siu mais (steamed of cooking is "a little bit of this and pork and shrimp dumplings). a little bit of that" and never really Wontons were made at home where followed any recipes! To this day, there the Wongs held contests to see who is an ongoing joke in our family that my could eat the most. Karen confessed brother, Frank, loves steamed fish (but he she may have eaten somewhere in actually doesn’t), because we ate it too the range of 30 to 40 in one sitting! much growing up. Steamed fish always The Wong family used to dine at the reminds me of childhood, because my Karen Wong with her brother, Frank Wong former Harbor Village on weekends, mom gave us the cheeks, saying it's the best part of the fish. I didn't appreciate it and the place was quite busy. Now as a child; but, now reflecting on it, she really loved us to give us the she reflects that they have come full circle, being able to own and best. Fish in Chinese sounds like “yu,” a homonym for abundance or operate Harborview Restaurant & Bar at the same location. Liu prosperity. gets asked all the time if Harborview is related to or an offspring of Harbor Village. Nope!

HL: Lunar New Year is a time when food plays a big role in Harbor View Restaurant is a Wong family legacy realized. Long festivities. Cooking brings family together! What will be on ago, Kinson Wong’s vision was “to bring high quality, authentic your family's Chinese New Year table?

Cantonese Chinese cuisine to the people. With his work ethic and KW: My mom makes really awesome sweet chili garlic tiger prawns. tenacity, this dream became a reality,” Karen says.

It's a little sweet and savory and very delicious! Shrimp in Chinese Being a Certified KonMari Consultant, Karen focuses on things sounds like "ha," so it's symbolic of the sound of laughter, wishing that spark joy and letting go of things (and people) that don't. everyone lots of laughter throughout the year. Again, fish is symbolic of prosperity.

Each day, Karen is motivated to spark joy in her clientele through

"

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HAUTE KITCHEN

HL: Oh, please, I’d love you to share your mom’s recipe! Family is the utmost priority for me, and I was brought up pretty traditionally.

I believe customs keep the family unified for generations to come.

At our house, we traditionally stack plates of citrus fruits (leaves on, of course!) and embellish them with red envelopes for good luck, fill vases with quince, hang auspicious scrolls, ready "trays of togetherness" with nuts, candies, and seeds to serve visiting guests, etc. It’s pretty chaotic, but we love it. What happens at your house?

KW: Red envelopes! Lots of kids and lots of red envelopes filled with lucky money are passed and treasured. Our family celebrated Chinese New Year more than the typical Hallmark holidays—and also very practical like typical Chinese families. We have lots of citrus fruits and trays of turnip cake and sticky rice cake, kumquats, and peach blossom branches.

HL: What is your fondest childhood memory of Chinese New Year?

KW: Going to Chinatown and being scared by firecrackers! I used to hate firecrackers and now smile at the childhood memories when I used to climb on my parents because I was so scared of firecrackers.

HL: Uncle Kinson's background is pretty interesting. Tell us his story.

KW: My dad and mom were Chinese refugees to Hong Kong in the seventies during the Chinese cultural revolution. They were not allowed to go to school back then and learned to farm in the villages. In hopes of a better future, they traveled by foot and swam for days to arrive in Hong Kong. My dad got his first job in the kitchen from his uncle who had restaurants. My parents eventually came to the United States in 1975 and had no money, but they did have help from relatives to get settled.

My dad worked multiple jobs in Chinatown as a dim sum kitchen helper and in the peninsula, before eventually starting his own dim sum wholesale business in the tenderloin. Our family hand-made dim sum for many large Chinese restaurants in the bay area. I have fond memories growing up in the dim sum kitchen, watching my family make trays and trays of sticky rice, barbequed pork buns, shrimp ha gow dumplings, siu mai, and more. In 1985, an opportunity came up to open a restaurant in Chinatown, and that is how he founded R&G Lounge. After 33 years of passion and hard work, another opportunity was presented at the Embarcadero Center, now known Harborview Restaurant & Bar. It was his dream to open this restaurant in such a beautiful space within such an iconic part of San Francisco. We count our blessings every day for where we are now.

Besides our immediate family, we are incredibly grateful to our staff, customers, and business partners, all who have been extremely supportive. Before we opened our doors, there was definitely some skepticism, but we made it to our third anniversary which we were so very fortunate to have celebrated with our amazing team. Harborview's motto is teamwork! Teamwork makes the dream work!

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The fantastic team at Harborview Restaurant & Bar

HL: Working together as a family is special. What do you like about being together at work? Any challenges? Will your children follow you and your dad's footsteps in carrying on Kinson Wong's restaurant legacy? Any future business endeavors?

KW: Working together as a family is great, because we have the same passion for it. You have to love what you do! We each do what we are good at. For example, my dad is the CEO/general manager, because he has the most experience and he's the patriarch in our family. My brother, Frank, oversees the bar, and I am in charge of marketing and special events.

I love helping our customers plan special events for milestone birthdays, weddings, corporate cocktail parties, or just a nice gathering of friends or family. On the other hand, working together as a family also has challenges, because we may not always agree on things. We are multigenerational and also multicultural! Our parents' generation as immigrants and our generation as American-born can butt heads sometimes, but in the end, we are a family no matter what. Our parents worked hard to put us through college, because their hope was for us to not need to "struggle" in the restaurant business like they did. However, it is interesting that we have come full circle to end up in the restaurant business anyway! Our hope is our children will do something they are passionate about. Sometimes children follow in their parents' footsteps and sometimes they do not. Whatever path they take, it is theirs to choose.

HL: You must have witnessed and have plenty of stories to tell about your customers. Anything funny? Tell me a story.

KW: We love celebrating with our customers. When they tell us we have helped make their special event "perfect," is the greatest compliment of them all. Our customers come from all walks of life, and we love to see our customers "grow up," coming as kids and now parents and even grandparents over the last 36 years.

We have served celebrities and government officials, but meeting Anthony Bourdain was a very memorable experience for our family. He was not as "mean" as sometimes portrayed on camera. Michael Mina, also an idol of ours, was a regular customer back in the day. He and my dad had mutual respect for being restaurateurs in San Francisco. Now that Michael Mina has become more well-known, we have not seen him, but we will always treasure our friendship! During the presidential campaign, there was a social media buzz about Bernie Sanders and his mittens, so we jumped on the bandwagon and created a Bernie mitten meme as well, with my dad mimicking the “pouty” pose. Our dad was such a good sport!

HAUTE KITCHEN

Tiger Prawns with Sweet Chili and Garlic Sauce INGREDIENTS • 1 pound tiger prawns or large white prawns (headless, deveined, best with shell, but noshell optional) • 1 whole shallot • 2 cloves garlic Sauce: • 1 tablespoon water • 2 tablespoon mirin • 1 teaspoon sweet dark soy sauce • 2 tablespoon Thai sweet chili sauce • 1 tablespoon fish sauce • Feel free to adjust portions to taste.

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Clean and devein shrimp if needed. Rinse and pat completely dry.

2. Chop garlic and shallot and set aside.

3. Mix ingredients for sauce and set aside.

4. Heat canola oil in wok on high heat.

5. Brown each side until prawns are just becoming translucent. Do not overcook.

6. Remove prawns from wok.

7. Heat canola or vegetable oil in wok on lower heat.

8. Sauté shallots until translucent, then add garlic until brown.

9. Turn heat to low and add sauce mixture slowly to avoid burning.

10. Keep adding until prawns are well coated, liquid evaporates, and sauce is mostly gone.

11. Remove from heat, plate, and garnish with cilantro.

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HAUTE KITCHEN

Honey Barbecued Pork INGREDIENTS • 1 pound pork shoulder meat Marinade: • 1 teaspoon salt • 5 teaspoons sugar • 1 tablespoon chicken powder • 1 tablespoon barbecue pork sauce • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce • 2 cloves minced garlic • 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder • 1 tablespoon rose wine Mix well!

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Slice pork. Each slice should be the thickness of a thumb.

2. Rinse and drain in a sieve.

3. Coat in the pre-mixed marinade and marinate for about two hours.

4. Slide meat on to metal skewers.

5. Roast mean in the oven at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

6. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting for another 15 minutes until the surface color of barbecue is bright red, with a clear gravy dripping.

7. Coat the pork with honey or maltose and roast at 300 degrees until nicely colored..

Prosperity Toss Salad: Two Versions INGREDIENTS

For Home Cooks • Equal portions of any protein and vegetables to your liking!

Note: Protein traditionally is raw fish or salmon sashimi, but you can also use shredded chicken.

At Harborview: • Cooked shredded chicken or salmon sashimi or abalone • Vegetables, all shredded: lettuce, carrots, pickled garlic, turnip, scallions, beets, cilantro, nuts (optional) • Use any salad dressing or Harborview Dressing: Thai sweet chili sauce and plum sauce.

INSTRUCTIONS No cooking needed!

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This Chinese New Year dish is a lot of fun because, before you eat it, loved ones gather and toss the salad ingredients in the air.

The higher the toss, the greater the fortune!

HAUTE KITCHEN

Sticky Rice with Chinese Bacon & Sausage (4 servings)

INGREDIENTS • 2 tablespoons dried shrimp • 2 tablespoons Chinese cured sausage • 1 tablespoon Chinese cured bacon • Green onions • Cilantro • 1 egg • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce • 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce *Sauces can be adjusted to taste.

• 1 pound sticky rice • 1 tablespoon cooking oil (canola or vegetable)

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Rinse glutinous sticky rice and soak for 45 minutes.

2. Steam sticky rice in steamer for 45 minutes.

3. Allow sticky rice to cool. (Day-old rice is actually better for stirfrying.)

4. Dice shrimp, sausage, bacon, green onions, and cilantro into small pieces.

5. Heat wok with cooking oil on medium high heat.

6. Scramble egg and set aside.

7. Brown diced Chinese sausage, bacon and dried shrimp.

8. Add sticky rice to wok and stir fry until loosened.

9. Add soy sauces and oyster sauce. Season with chicken powder if desired.

10. After rice and ingredients are well mixed, add chopped green onions and scrambled egg.

11. Garnish with cilantro leaves for additional color.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIMAR ESTATE WINERY & VINEYARDS

HAUTE WINE

Marimar Estate Winery

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HAUTE WINE

FROM CATALONIA to CALIFORNIA MARIMAR TORRES' SLICE OF SPAIN IN SONOMA COUNTY

BY ERIN HUNT MOORE

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ESTLED IN THE BEAUTIFUL GREEN VALLEY AVA OF Sonoma County between Firestone and Occidental lies a stunning property evocative of Catalonia, Spain, transporting you well beyond the Russian River Valley. And with good reason: you have reached the vineyards and estate property of Barcelona-born Marimar Torres, fourth generation member of the Torres' Spanish winemaking dynasty and, since 1986, founder and CEO of her eponymous Marimar Estate Winery & Vineyards.

As a member of the Torres family, it is no surprise that Marimar got her start in the wine industry promoting her family’s brand, Bodegas Torres, a company founded in 1870. She traveled extensively throughout Europe and beyond as a key saleswoman and ambassador.

In 1975, she moved to California, where she continued to work as the export director and greatest ambassador for her family’s enterprise, successfully growing the company’s business volume and market share in the U.S. But Marimar was drawn to winemaking, which at the time in Spain was not considered a path suitable for women and one of which her father disapproved for her. Marimar and her father ultimately reached an agreement, and he helped invest in a property in Sonoma County.

That property became what is now an award-winning winery and home to Marimar and her daughter, Cristina, representing the fifth generation of the Torres winemaking family. Cristina joined Marimar Estate as Director of Sales & Marketing in 2020, working alongside her mother. This plan is noteworthy, given that within the Torres family, the business has traditionally been handed down from father to son for five generations. This will be the first time in the family’s history that the business has passed from mother to daughter.

We talked to Marimar and Cristina about the winery’s evolution, the Spanish hospitality at the very heart of the business, and several exciting plans ahead.

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HAUTE WINE

Marimar and Cristina Torres with their beloved dogs

HL: You had excellent instincts! How did you get things off the ground?

MT: Well, I bought the piece of land in Green Valley, and I had no idea what I was doing. In my world, winemaking, vineyard management, and the production side was for men. I could sell and market wine anywhere, but making decisions about planting vineyards was new to me. I asked my brother, Miguel, to come over and help. At the time, I think he wasn’t quite sure if I was serious and didn’t come immediately. When I decided to go ahead and plant and my brother saw that I was moving ahead, he came to help. In 1986, we began planting the Don Miguel Vineyard, an 81-acre site planted with 30 acres of Chardonnay and 30 acres of Pinot Noir. I later planted 20 acres of a 180-acre property with Pinot Noir, between Freestone and Occidental in the Sonoma Coast appellation. Late in the early 2000s, I began bringing Spanish varieties into the mix, planting Albariño and Tempranillo. All vineyards are planted in a high-density European style and are certified organic and biodynamic, as well as sustainable.

HL: With your home and winery, you’ve created a distinctly Catalonian ambiance and experience.

MT: Yes, guests will find an absolutely Spanish influence and sense of culture at my winery and estate property, especially Catalonian, as that is my home. All decorative elements and furniture in the winery and in my home on the estate are from Spain. I had an interior designer I know very well come from Spain to help me. He actually designed my debutante party in Spain. He came over, took notes, and sent a container from Spain filled with items for the winery. Later, I sent him details

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ONEHOPE co-founders in front of winery Transported to Spain. The stunning Catalan dining room at the Marimar Estate Winery

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIMAR ESTATE WINERY & VINEYARDS

HL: Marimar, tell us about your start. How did you land in Sonoma County from Spain, specifically the Green Valley AVA for your estate property? It wasn’t a known or established grape-growing region at that time.

MT: When I decided to start looking for a property, I looked all the way up north and south in California. I didn’t have a huge budget. My father had agreed to help with a certain investment. After a year and a half of searching, I zeroed in on two properties within my budget: 10 acres in Napa Valley and 56 acres in Green Valley, a sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley, Sonoma County. On the latter, there were no vineyards nearby. I recall my brother (my dear mentor) asking me if there were any vineyards around. When I responded no, his question was, “Well, how do you know if this is going to work?” My response was, “Well, it’s such a beautiful place!” And that it was and still is and has been a wonderful place to grow grapes and produce wines.

HAUTE WINE

The Marimar Estate experience. A classic wineflight on thepatio

Wines from Marimar Estate

about my home, and he sent over items from Catalonia: bed, bedcovers, cabinets, tables. I have loved being able to bring my Spanish heritage here to my California winery and home.

This is also why I wrote several books about Catalonian food, wine, and culture.

HL: What can visitors to Marimar Estate expect from their experience? Is there a unique Miramar experience?

CT: Yes, there absolutely is, and I would really describe that experience in two parts. First, walking into Spain. My mother described the physical environment, which is very Spanish, but that’s just a part of the experience. We share traditional tapas and food pairings from my mother’s cookbooks; we share the warmth of hospitality for which Spain is known. The second part of the experience is being welcomed into a family home.

Family has always been at the heart of our lives and business.

We want our guests to feel the sense of familiar warmth of a welcoming home, with Spanish inspiration, an oasis from which to enjoy the food and wine of Spain.

HL: What lies ahead for Marimar Estates? What are some exciting developments?

MT: One of the most exciting developments for me was having Cristina join me full-time in 2020. She has worked toward this for many years. After completing her undergraduate degree at Princeton and finishing her MBA at The Wharton School, she gained tremendous experience working at Jackson Family Wines. Now she is here by my side working as our director of sales and marketing. She is leading us much more deeply in the direction of impact and sustainability.

Our Torres family has always been very focused on climate change and our own footprint. We are solar powered, certified

organic, biodynamic, and sustainable here at Marimar Estate.

But through her leadership, Cristina is helping us take further steps through her involvement in the establishment of a global, industry-wide group called IWCA (International Wineries for Climate Action), dedicated to lowering the carbon footprint of the wine production industry, now with members across the globe from Yealands Estate in New Zealand to Symington in Portugal. We are proud to be members of a greater community doing our part to reduce carbon emissions and generate positive impact.

Related to our wines, we are building on our portfolio of Spanish wines. We’ve been successfully producing Albariño, Tempranillo, and as of last year, Godello, which is so beautiful!

In addition, we have a very special project in the works in collaboration with my family in Spain. My brother, Miguel of Bodegas Torres, launched a program to recuperate and restore pre-phylloxera varieties which we are calling ancestral varieties. He selected eight varieties to plant and produce. We brought three here to California. Stay tuned for more, but this is something very special and exciting for us!

CT: It’s been a challenging stretch of time for us all. I’m personally excited to work alongside my mother to grow the business and legacy she has created. We are beginning to slowly get back to intimate events for wine club members and visitors. We are focusing on new pairings and experiences at the winery, and we are doing exciting things out in the vineyards and cellar with a new production and cellar master who just joined us.

We’re excited about this new year!

For more information about Marimar Estates and its wines, visit www.marimarestate.com or follow up on social media, @MarimarEstate on Facebook (now Meta) and Instagram.

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HAUTE DRINKS

SWIG WELL THESE FUNCTIONAL BEVERAGE OPTIONS SUPPORT A HEALTHIER YOU IN ’22

PHOTO COURTESY OF POTION ADAPTOGENIC BREWS

BY BECCA HENSLEY

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Potion Adaptogenic Brews

HAUTE DRINKS

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F 2021 ENDED ON AN INDULGENT NOTE, THEN 2022’S prodigious, functional beverage trend can help support a healthier future you. A way to have your drink and be good to your body, too, these drinks, packed with superfoods, vitamins, herbs, amino acids, and/or probiotics, utilize non-traditional ingredients to nourish the body, even as they hydrate and satisfy. Ideal for those endeavoring to steer away from alcohol, sugar, and/or caffeine (or for those simply in search of refreshment), functional beverages come in a multitude of shapes, ingredients, flavors, and sizes. They may be sipped hot or cold, depending on the libation. They offer both immediate health effects and long-term benefits—just the ticket for clean living in the year to come. We’ve rounded up a must-have collection to fill your larder.

POTION ADAPTOGENIC BREWS

PHOTO COURTESY OF UPLIFT FLORAE

Austin-based Potion Adaptogenic Brews presents a range of moodchanging, ready-to-drink, organic beverages sold in stylish, 16-ounce, recyclable glass bottles. The founders drew from ancient healing wisdom, home remedies, and modern sensibilities to concoct their delicious, naturally sweet recipes and popular flavors which include: Cosmic Blueberry (inspired by the juicy, messy first bite of homemade blueberry pie): Mystic Hibiscus (like a superfood fruit punch), and Evolved Sweet Tea Lemonade (a melding of rich Assam tea with organic lemon juice, served up as a 21st century update to the beloved classic). More options are coming to market soon.

Producing healthy drinks with ancient superfoods, known as adaptogens, plants long integral to Ayurvedic and Chinese traditional medicine, Potion touts a mission to provide consumers with the opportunity to discover how these roots, herbs, mushrooms, and antioxidants can naturally regulate stress in their bodies and steer them, sip by sip, to a happier emotional middle ground. Key to all Potion’s blends are reishi mushrooms (used by Chinese healers for 2,000 years, and believed to fight cancer cells), chaga mushrooms (an arsenal of antioxidants that benefit immunity), astralagus root (with three active, disease-fighting compounds), and elderberry (an immune fortifier, heart protector, and stress mollifier). These thirst quenchers, further bolstered with lip-smacking fruit, teas, and herbs, not only evade illness and alleviate stress, but they also satisfy the senses. Available in select stores in California, Texas, and the East Coast. potionbrews.com

UPLIFT FLORAE “It feels good to feel good, and it feels good to do good,” says Phil Masiello about his vision for his sustainable, plant-based, adaptogenic, and memory-enhancing beverage line, Uplift Florae. The seed idea for the company came from Masiello’s own battle with weight.

Realizing his need for a protein powder without added fillers and

free from sugar and additives, he sought a nutritionist who helped him formulate a clean, delicious, affordable option incorporating a blend of digestible plant protein comprised of pea, pumpkin, and hemp seeds, totally different from anything on the grocery shelves.

The results spoke for themselves. Masiello knew he had to share his secret with the world. Going on to develop four more distinctive drink mixes, Masiello designed one for every mood. Hot Sexy Cocoa Adaptogen Blend, purported to be an elixir for better libido performance, is nearly calorie-free, boasts ginseng, and tastes like drinking fudge. Phyto-Superfood Green Drink, an herbaceous green libation, uses a patented red algae. Lean Bean Power Coffee, made with adaptogenic mushrooms and coffee, mimics a rich, barista-blended cup of Joe. Promoting digestion and reducing water retention, among other attributes, Tranqui-latte Bolden Milk, a creamy turmeric satisfier with classic chai flavors, also keeps inflammation at a bay.

In keeping with his plant-based preferences, Masiello also proudly acknowledges the environmentally conscious aspects of Uplift. Not only does each product offer healing ingredients for consumers, the sustainable packaging also contributes to lowering the company’s plastic footprint. The vegan products also reduce the carbon footprint. Currently available online for individual purchase, as a set, or via an optional subscription plan, Uplift can be purchased at getuplifted.com and amazon.com.

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HAUTE DRINKS SOUL FIXX KOMBUCHA The founders of Soul Fixx, a gastronomic kombucha company based in Healdsburg, have metaphysically philosophical underpinnings— just like the astonishingly flavored beverages they make. They tout synchronicity (the momentous collision of events that lead to a joyful new stage) and symbiosis (the seamless melding of two distinct species) as the loose and clever cornerstone to both their kombucha and their stellar working relationship.

Culinary Institute of America graduates, both veterans of storied French Laundry, Erik Fritz and Ruben Moreno drew from local food and wine culture to create elixirs sure to “fix”— and hydrate — the soul, while honoring Napa Valley’s quintessential artisan spirit.

Probiotic-packed, raw, and nourishing, Soul Fixx kombucha (a brewed, fermented, slightly bubbly tea) comes in three non-alcoholic flavors, each summoned from the founders’ world travels and their culinary backgrounds.

Choose Dry Ginger Hibiscus, with just five grams of sugar, naturally sweetened with a smidgen of star anise. Guava Cardamon, an ode to the founders’ Mexican roots, evokes a palpably fruity, southern Mexican spice. Tangerine Lemon Verbena channels the duo’s epicurean backgrounds via a complex blend of flavors: masculine citrus and wood tones pop with a ping of piquant Szechuan pepper.

They’ve just launched a line of hard kombucha as well.

Find Soul Fixx kombucha in a variety of North Bay stores. Pro tip: locals in the Sonoma County area who don’t wish to pay for shipping can stop by Soul Fixx’s brew site on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to pick up a case or arrange a drop with Erik Fritz at Erik@soulfixxkombucha.com | soulfixxelixirs.com

INDIRA TEA

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PHOTO COURTESY OF COURTESY OF SOULFIXX

Those who favor gin revere it for its heady blend of botanicals, usually juniper (an anti-inflammatory) complemented with any variety of antioxidant-rich herbs, berries, roots, or fruit. For imbibers craving a gin fix without the alcohol, Sonoma County’s Sipsong Spirits' founder and master distiller, Tara Jasper, offers up the prime solution: a tea conceived to echo the nuances of her own bright flagship spirit.

Thirteen botanicals combine to take gin-loving tastebuds to a new level, including unexpected additions to the classic combination: Moroccan orange, lavender, hibiscus, and tongue-tingling pink peppercorns. Sobering, festive, and refreshingly quaffable, looseleaf Indira Tea elevates the “mocktail” experience with its rosy hue and infinite possibilities. It begs to be sipped in a sun-dappled garden, croquet mallet in hand. Not just good for you, but also planetloving, Indira Tea has no sugars or sweeteners and comes packaged with optional chlorine-free paper tea bags. Available directly from Sipsongspirits.com.

SoulFixx

HAUTE DRINKS

Indira Tea

HOW TO MAKE INDIRA TEA’S “FIGHT LIKE A GIRL” 3-4 ounces Indira Tea • ½ ounces pomegranate grenadine • ½ ounces fresh lemon juice • 1-2 ounces Fever Tree light tonic water

PHOTO COURTESY OF INDIRA TEA

Shake gin, lemon, and grenadine with ice for 10 seconds, then add tonic. Add 10 to 15 fresh pomegranate seeds or a round slice of lemon and top with Fever Tree light tonic. Pour into a collins glass.

Pomegranate Grenadine • 16 ounces pomegranate juice • 16 ounces sugar • 2 ounces pomegranate molasses • 1 teaspoon orange flower water Heat pomegranate juice enough to melt sugar on the stovetop. Add sugar, molasses, and orange flower water, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Will keep in the refrigerator for one month.

Note: Do not use orange blossom water.

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An "everything" bagel meets an onion ring in one of Merchant Roots' strikingly plated courses

HAUTE DINING

RACONTEURS DE CUISINE Chef-owner Ryan Shelton and his team at Merchant Roots combine style and sustenance with a series of theme-driven, collective dining experiences.

BY STEPH KEAY

U

SUALLY WHEN I DINE AT A MICHELIN-STARRED appearance. The broth is a clarified tomato water that has restaurant, I don’t expect to be served a dish that been strained through a coffee filter, seasoned with pepper, appears to be stones served with water—but look a garlic, and smoked oil that rounds out the bright acidity of the little closer, and it turns out this amuse-bouche is, somehow, tomato. Representing the beginning of the “Stone Soup” story a grilled cheese and smoked tomato broth. It’s a playful and menu, it’s a feast for all senses. start to the latest dining experience at Merchant Roots, an The wonder continues with the next course, for which the unassuming boutique restaurant tucked into San Francisco’s diners are relocated inside Merchant Roots’ dining room. Like Fillmore district. Originally founded as an artisan food shop walking into the pages of a leatherbound tome, diners are before evolving into a fine dining destination, chef-owner immersed in a cozy setting that recalls a village of olden times: Ryan Shelton restructured the restaurant’s sheepskin-draped seats with wooden communal dining format in the wake of tables that encircle a flickering, indoorthe pandemic, relaunching as a collective safe fire. (Fun fact: the individual tables LIKE WALKING INTO THE dining experience in October 2021. were once Merchant Roots’ communal PAGES OF A LEATHERBOUND The first menu to be served in this new dining table to which Chef Shelton took an TOME, DINERS ARE format is the tale of “Stone Soup,” a culinary axe—a rather symbolic gesture of dining IMMERSED IN A COZY retelling of the classic European folk story together, yet apart.) Each course focuses SETTING THAT RECALLS A that highlights the moral imperative of on Chef Shelton’s interpretation of a single VILLAGE OF OLDEN TIMES: sharing. The 9-course culinary sojourn ingredient, served with an excerpt from the SHEEPSKIN-DRAPED SEATS begins in Merchant Roots’ outdoor parklet story delivered by the chef and his team.

WITH WOODEN TABLES THAT where diners gather around Chef Shelton.

(Merchant Roots has a core group of five ENCIRCLE A FLICKERING, He commences our journey by reading culinary artistes behind the recipe design INDOOR-SAFE FIRE. to us the beginning of the tale, in which and wine pairings.) a group of weary travelers enter a village. Their request Chef Shelton explains that one curious villager inquires for sustenance denied, the travelers go to a nearby stream about the “stone soup,” which the group explains is a and fill a pot with water, drop in a large stone, then place it wonderful broth made from a magic stone. Anticipating a over a fire. share, the villager donates a few carrots to the cause. The Now, back to the innocuous grilled cheese. What presents dish that accompanies this chapter is the “Heirloom Carrot as an ashen, vaguely cylindrical stone is pain de mie stuffed Fantasy,” a plate of raw carrot crudo, carrot hummus, and a with a blend of raclette, parmesan, and gruyère. Its exterior carrot soda bread topped with a creamy roasted carrot butter. is coated with a concoction of kaolin clay, red cabbage Next, a merchant comes by and provides some of his spices juice, and vegetable charcoal powder which, when toasted, to the “stone soup,” represented by a brioche spice-crusted creates a delicate shell that gives the bite its unbelievable endive—herbaceous and deeply savory all at once.

PHOTO CREDITS: © HARDY WILSON

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The story continues, and the series of plates keeps coming, including an onion-based course that marries a multitude of flavors. An “everything” bagel, composed of beer batter binding with thinly sliced onions, tricks the senses with its unusual texture: is it a bagel or is it an onion ring? It’s both. Baked then fried and finished with a dash of malt vinegar and “everything” spice, the ring sits atop dollops of smoked salmon cream cheese.

An onion salad surrounds the ring, a mouthwatering combination of charred and pickled pearl onions, shaved radish, malt vinegar foam, and fresh dill.

The village’s gardener donates aromatic vegetables to the soup, a line in the tale that manifests itself as a miso-glazed rock cod, finished with a pour of shiso lemongrass nage. It’s healing and restorative, especially enjoyed around the fire. As the evening progresses, we move into richer, earthy dishes (but first, a refreshing ginger sorbet palate cleanser). As the villagers in the story continue adding ingredients, such as potatoes, we enjoy an aerated potato beef bourguignon of silky whipped potatoes and red Burgundy-marinated beef short rib with just the perfect amount of caramelization on the edges for a hint of texture. It's a 3-day process that includes searing, sous vide preparation in tallow, followed by a second searing in the tallow for that lovely crisp just before the beef melts in your mouth.

A drizzle of herb oil and the tang of horseradish cream cheese cut through the richness.

Next comes a lovely sweet potato soufflé, combining bacon, maple, and pecan. I’m nearly ready to tap out, but then the pièce de résistance (if one must be chosen) begins to arrive. First, a tiny whisk—then, a small beaker of water. A deep bowl with a single “stone” set atop a bed of a curiously snowlike texture completes the mystery as Chef Shelton begins to lead the diners through the grand finale. We pick up the stone, drop it into the beaker on the count of three, and the stone dissolves—creating an aromatic carrot curry we’re instructed to pour over the snowy bowl.

The “snow”—what turns out to be spun sugar—melts away, magically revealing a crisp roasted pork belly underneath. The story culminates with this wondrous dish, which incorporates all the ingredients from the story: “Although the travelers have thus tricked the villagers into sharing their food with them—the magic of the stone may not have transformed water into a delicious soup—it softened the hearts of the cruel town and brought them kindness and conviviality.”

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The visually deceptive grilled cheese and smoked tomato broth

PHOTO CREDITS: © HARDY WILSON

HAUTE DINING

HAUTE DINING

A tribute to carrots in the "Heirloom Carrot Fantasy" course

Dessert is yet another miraculous “stone,” this time a pecan-embedded carrot cake enrobed in a shell of speckled cocoa butter and served with ginger ice cream, meringue mushrooms, and a “dirt” crumble of chocolate-sea-salt cookie to complete the tableau. Ribbons of carrot—the “gummy worms”—are braised in ginger and folded into the cookie crumble.

Reminiscent of a forest floor, there’s even a dew drop atop the “stone,” which turns out to be mint syrup.

Merchant Roots has successfully transformed its communal dining format to a theme-driven, experiential, fine dining destination that can be enjoyed both individually and collectively. The imaginative team of five is passionate about creating a comprehensive meal that integrates entertainment and the element of surprise with exceptional ingredients.

It’s not often you visit a restaurant that has you leaving with a rediscovered sense of childlike wonder.

It’s fitting, then, that the whimsical theme after “Stone Soup” wraps up in February is “Merchant Roots and the Chocolate Factory.” In the wise words of Willy Wonka himself, “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.”

One final "stone" concludes the whimsical menu

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PHOTO CREDIT: © ALIQUE

HAUTE PROFILE

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Francesca Amfitheatrof, artistic director of jewelry and watches for Louis Vuitton

HAUTE PROFILE

A CUT ABOVE the REST Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of jewelry and watches continues to inspire, with a collection celebrating the founder’s 200th birthday

BY STEPH KEAY

PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON

M

Bravery is a biography of the courageous Vuitton, one embedded OST PEOPLE WOULD BE INTIMIDATED BY THE prospect of coming into a brand as established as Louis with custom-cut diamonds, sugarloaf sapphires, emeralds, rubies, Vuitton and attempting to reimagine its iconic elements, and more precious gemstones. Consisting of 90 pieces, the but for Francesca Amfitheatrof, it was a perfect fit. Named Louis exquisitely crafted collection is a linear journey divided into nine Vuitton’s artistic director of jewelry separate chapters that trace the and watches in 2018, the innovative glittering milestones of Vuitton’s career designer is a natural-born storyteller from teenager to legendary trunk destined to trailblaze in the world of maker: La Constellation d’Hercule, design—her father was a bureau chief L’Élan Vital, L’Aventure, La Flèche, Le for Time Magazine, and her mother Mythe, La Passion, La Star du Nord, a fashion publicist who worked and Le Tumbler. for Valentino.

It took three years to source the A citizen of the world—born in Tokyo, incredibly rare gemstones featured with time spent in New York, Moscow, in the collection. One example is the and Rome—her storied life informs La Constellation d’Hercule necklace her stunning work. She studied at in the first chapter of Bravery, which the Chelsea College of Arts, Central pairs 11 tanzanites, 12 opals, and nine St. Martins, and the Royal College of tsavorites alongside LV Monogram Art, where she not only received her star-cut diamonds. “Louis Vuitton has master’s degree in silversmithing, but its own diamond cut which is the Holy Creation of Le Mythe necklace also met her mentor, Giovanni Corvaja, Grail of jewelry,” says Amfitheatrof.

La Constellation d'Hercule necklace the legendary alchemist jeweler. She “That’s an unbelievably different became the first female design director leading the jewelry team at feature from everyone else in the jewelry industry.”

Tiffany & Co., and her leadership continued at Louis Vuitton where The patented diamond cuts in La Constellation d’Hercule are her haute joaillerie collections have been highly praised, beginning a tribute to the monogram designed by Vuitton’s son, Georges, with the chainmail and armor-inspired Riders of the Knight collection and represent the starry sky above the Jura mountains in eastern in 2018, an intergalactic tale told in 2020’s Stellar Times, and now France where Vuitton was born on August 4, 1821. “One thousand Bravery, the newest collection celebrating the 200th anniversary of seven hundred gems in this collection were cut on the piece to the brand’s iconic founder. perfectly set into the model’s design. Every stone has its own story,”

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HAUTE PROFILE La Star du Nord ring and earrings

says Amfitheatrof. “Their richness of color and diverse origins are in themselves the tale of a journey.” The opals are magnificent, their visually stunning appearance attributed to the fact that they contain a hint of moisture, which fragments the stone and creates its multicolored effect.

Meanwhile, the La Passion necklace features a white gold lattice of 75 natural rubies of the same color and quality, rarely ever found in a single piece of jewelry, in addition to three red Mozambique cabochons of 5.03, 3.52, and 2.24 carats, plus a 3.29 carat LV star-cut diamond. It pays homage to the malletage that lined the interiors of the original trunks crafted by Vuitton.

La Star du Nord is the finale of the collection, which Amfitheatrof calls “the eternal North Star that is leading me and Louis Vuitton to infinite possibilities. It is a story to be continued.” The necklace encloses the “star,” the incredible achievement that is the LV Monogram star-cut diamond, in a 2-line structure inspired by the knot of the drawstring inside a Louis Vuitton suitcase. The diamond 36

La Star du Nord necklace

itself is a stunning 10.07 carats. The piece also features incredible versatility, hiding a feat of engineering that allows the stone to be removed and worn on a ring, with the knot sliding to cover the setting underneath once the stone has been removed.

The Bravery collection masterfully combines Louis Vuitton’s history with its future, celebrating its founder’s vision and values with the innovation that drives the brand’s evolution today. This kind of continuous innovation, ambition, and dedication to flawless craftmanship is what makes Amfitheatrof’s contributions to Louis Vuitton and the jewelry world so momentous. Her pieces tell complex stories—of both Maison Louis Vuitton and the rare gemstones used within the pieces—yet honor simplicity in their design. She creates jewelry for the modern Vuitton woman, whom she understands to be strong, independent, and adventurous, not unlike Amfitheatrof herself. “I think jewelry has real power,” she says. “It connects us to the sky and earth through gold and stones. I would like the women who wear Louis Vuitton Jewelry [to] feel powerful and feminine.”

PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON

La Passion bracelet and ring

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I THINK JEWELRY HAS REAL POWER. IT CONNECTS US TO THE SKY AND EARTH THROUGH GOLD AND STONES. I WOULD LIKE THE WOMEN WHO WEAR LOUIS VUITTON JEWELRY TO FEEL POWERFUL AND FEMININE. FR ANCESCA A MFITHEATROF

PHOTO CREDIT: © ALIQUE

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HAUTE PROFILE

POURING WITH A PURPOSE JAKE KLOBERDANZ OF NAPA’S NEWEST WINERY, ONEHOPE

BY LAURIE JO MILLER FARR

“

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ONEHOPE WINE

GREAT WINES IN A BEAUTIFUL SPACE ARE EXPECTED in Napa,” Jake Kloberdanz observes. On that promise, ONEHOPE certainly delivers. However, because this cofounder and CEO is a visionary, there’s so much more to the story. Napa’s newest winery is centered on creating a force for good by using wine as the catalyst for change and embracing a new way of thinking to nourish future generations to the tune of $8 million in donations so far.

“We’re just getting started,” says Kloberdanz.

ONEHOPE has planted a forest in Indonesia, built three schools in the developing world, funded 3 million meals for children in need, and provided clean drinking water for over 75,000 people. The brand has created a fast-growing community of nearly 10,000 cause entrepreneurs across the U.S. who organize local wine tasting events which earn 10 percent for a charity of the host’s choice. It’s no surprise that 99 percent of these hosts are women.

“In fact,” Kloberdanz notes, “I grew up around strong and empowered women, so it seems natural to be growing a company that empowers women to support their own families, while also supporting worthy causes in their communities.”

Jake Kloberdanz

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HAUTE PROFILE “My mother and grandmother were huge influences for me.

Helping my mother get consumer surveys in places like malls, movie theatres, and college campuses—that was her business— pushed me out of my comfort zone and made talking to strangers easier. My two sisters were key players in those years, too. When my childhood friend found out she had non-Hodgkins lymphoma, I vowed that I’d begin this cause-based, entrepreneurial journey. We started with a Chardonnay toward the fight against breast cancer, a Cabernet that supported children with autism, and a Merlot that helped with HIV and AIDS treatment. Now our platform allows anyone to raise money for the people and causes they care about.”

ONEHOPE recently opened a stunning winery and tasting room to welcome guests and members of their “20/20 Collective,” as well as athletes, musicians, philanthropists, and great visionaries, many of whom are proud investors in the winery. The fully sustainable winery—chock-full of numerous, beautiful spaces for tasting—is thoughtfully designed in a picturesque, valley floor setting on the west side of Highway 29 in Rutherford.

When every bottle supports a charitable cause, the foundation of the brand rings true and clear. Come for a visit to enjoy exceptional, award-winning ONEHOPE estate wines deeply rooted in purpose.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ONEHOPE WINE

Founded on the simple idea that giving back is good business, the pillars of ONEHOPE are solid. They give to organizations that provide access to four meaningful causes that make the world a better place: clean water, nutritious food, health services, and education resources.

To begin turning that vision into a reality nearly 15 years ago, Kloberdanz got started with a $10,000 loan from his mother, a Bay Area entrepreneur. “That seed money bought 168 cases of wine, a U-Haul truck to drive it from wine country to Southern California where I was living, and a storage unit for $89 a month,” he recalls. “In the beginning we were selling wine from the backs of our cars.”

In the second year, Kloberdanz raised an additional half-million dollars from investor number one, a remarkable accomplishment for someone with no capital to build a wine company, not to mention no history of building a brand or investment fundraising.

It’s no coincidence, Kloberdanz claims, that he shed his shyness (the humility remains) thanks to the confidence that came with being surrounded by so many talented and confident women, including his wife, Megan, three female co-founders, plus down-toearth superstar winemaker, Mari Wells Coyle.

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ONEHOPE co-founders in front of the winery

HAUTE PROFILE ABOUT ONEHOPE WINES

BY FRAN ENDICOTT MILLER

ONEHOPE and its good deeds are intrinsically linked to its vinous product. A striking, new, sustainably designed winemaking and wine tasting facility in Napa’s Rutherford District

by Backen-Gillam Architects casts a specific spotlight on the wines, each deserving of the plaudits afforded the brand’s humanitarian efforts.

Jake Kloberdanz, ONEHOPE winery founders

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OUR SERVICE ISN’T HOSTING WINE TASTINGS, IT’S BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER; AND OUR PRODUCT ISN’T WINE, IT’S HOPE ... ONEHOPE. — JAKE KLOBERDANZ

ONEHOPE wines are made from the finest grapes sourced from their own estate vineyard, preeminent local plots, and additional worldrenowned winemaking regions. Along with making the majority of ONEHOPE’s portfolio, winemaker Mari Wells Coyle collaborates with some of the most highly acclaimed families and winemakers in the industry, such as Robert Mondavi, Jr., and Oscar Renteria, in crafting the winery’s award-winning varietals. ONEHOPE’s wine portfolio has received numerous accolades from the most respected critics in the industry, including over 20 90-plus point ratings from the likes of Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and Robert Parker, as well as hundreds of medals from competitions around the world.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ONEHOPE WINE

Five varied collections provide consumers with choices. Fan favorites include the Iconic Collection’s Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon and Estate 8 Fumé Blanc, and the Reserve Collection’s Russian River Pinot Noir. These and others can be sampled in the To Kalon Vineyard-adjacent facility with stunning views of the Mayacamas Mountains. Featuring both formal and casual tasting areas, with seven tasting venues in all, the spectacular new winery is the perfect spot to enjoy small, seasonal bites paired with Coyle’s Reserve and Iconic Collections.

ONEHOPE Winery 8301 Saint Helena Highway Napa, CA 94558 winery@onehopewine.com

ONEHOPE Fume and Formage

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PHOTO CREDIT: © KATHLEEN HARRISON

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Maryles Casto, author of A Hole in the Clouds

HAUTE PROFILE

A MEMOIR Takes FLIGHT Maryles Casto’s A Hole In The Clouds charts a female founder’s success amid the titans of tech.

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO

PHOTO CREDITS: ©A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS

T

HE WORLD’S WEALTHIEST PEOPLE HAVE owned travel agency on the West Coast and the lengths she everything at their fingertips, so when they choose a went to in order to satisfy her demanding clients. At the same specific product or service, they typically head straight time, it’s the story of her life as an immigrant who worked as for the best. In the case of Bay Area jet-setters, that meant a flight attendant for Philippine Airlines and—with no college Maryles Casto, whose Casto Travel was the go-to travel degree or backing from investors—created a business that bureau for decades for became a $200 million discerning tech titans company and a Harvard who needed to book Business School case a trip for business or study. pleasure, from Apple’s For good measure, Steve Jobs to Oracle’s the book is liberally Larry Ellison to Intel’s sprinkled with lessons Andy Grove, among she learned along others. the way, as well as Long before “highanecdotes about the touch,” “family-friendly famous names she policies,” and “pivoting” served, from the time were buzzwords, she she hung up on Jobs gave her executive to the time she went to clients the white glove the Academy Awards Casto and the pilot of an F-16 in which she once flew treatment, allowed with Ellison to the mothers to bring unusual trip to London their children to the

by Apple co-founder workplace, and delved into new services and markets to Steve Wozniak. Part confessional and part homage to the thrive in both boom and bust times. greats with whom she worked, it’s a fun, fast read, perfect This under-the-radar overachiever has now penned a for budding entrepreneurs or anyone who’s ready to soak memoir, A Hole in the Clouds: From Flight Attendant to up advice from a savvy, over-70 businesswoman who Silicon Valley CEO (Silicon Valley Press), that’s a behind-thesplits her time between homes in San Francisco, Sausalito, scenes story of what it took to create the largest, privately San Jose, and Boston.

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Lisa Grotts, Mary Huss, John Grotts, Maryles Casto, John McCoy, and Larry Colton dine in Lake Como, Italy

Maryles Casto, Positano, Italy

LEFT PHOTOS COURTESY OF RANCHO LA PUERTA; PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARYLES CASTO RIGHTPHOTO PHOTOCREDIT: COURTESY OF MARYLES CASTO

Casto’s love of travel originated in childhood. She grew up on a sugar and coconut plantation, and as a child, her father took her up in the air in his small Piper airplane which he flew as a hobby. He assigned her a task to help take her mind off the occasional turbulence: asking her to look for “a hole in the clouds”—a path to smoother air. The jaunts instilled in her a sense of fearlessness. The phrase became a lifelong metaphor for seizing opportunity.

Raised by her parents to marry and become a socialite, at age 18 she rebelled and took a job at Philippine Airlines as a stewardess, as flight attendants were called in 1959.

Travel, she says, is a “classroom without walls.” She met and fell in love with a handsome American serviceman, and they married and settled down in California. The airline barred married women from being flight attendants, so she tried other careers. She writes that she flopped as an Avon lady and also as a gift wrapper at Macy’s during the holidays.

When a friend suggested she become a travel agent, she found her niche, and within a few years, opened her own agency.

Founded in Los Altos in the 1970s, Casto Travel expanded to 15 offices worldwide, including San Francisco and London.

It initially focused on corporate travel, then expanded to high-end personal travel.

Hospitality has always been key to her success. As a flight attendant, Casto recalls, “Every flight you take, passengers come in and they’re seated, and you try to figure out what they’ll be looking for. You start judging and analyzing. My antennae were up. Were the air vents open? Were the seats working? You learned to anticipate. If they asked you for something, you’d already lost the game.”

An entire chapter of the book is devoted to meeting the unusual needs of her clients. That included Apple co-founder Wozniak, who once asked her to book him on a 12-hour round trip to London so he could get out of the plane at Heathrow airport, test his new cell phone, and head right back to California. Her first contact with the other Apple co-founder occurred when Jobs called her from San Jose Airport, screaming into her ear. He’d arrived at the airport to find he was flying to the East Coast on an airplane smaller than he’d expected.

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PHOTO CREDITS, FROM TOP: ©GEORGE WEDDING; ©A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS

WE ALWAYS HEAR ABOUT THE MEN WHO BUILT COMPANIES IN SILICON VALLEY, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE WOMEN? I WROTE THIS BOOK TO TELL MY STORY. WE HELPED THE TECH INDUSTRY GROW, AND IT HELPED US GROW, TOO. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT SILICON VALLEY WAS LIKE AS IT WAS TAKING OFF — MARYLES CASTO

After unleashing his string of profanities, he demanded, “Why did you book me on this plane?”

“That’s the plane the airline uses for the flight you requested,” I replied.

That wasn’t the answer he wanted, so he continued ranting.

I didn’t need to waste my time listening to this, so I cut to the chase. “Do you want me to book you on a different flight?” I asked.

More raging: No, he didn’t want a different flight; he wanted this flight but with a different plane.

My God, I thought. I’m dealing with a tantruming child. I held the phone away from my ear, imagining what a sight he must have been to the people walking by in the terminal. Finally, I said, “I’ll tell you what, Steve, do you want me to book a private plane for you?”

That quieted him. “No,” he said. “I just—” I cut him off. “So why are you screaming?” That’s when I hung up on him. No one was going to abuse me like that.

One of the perks of being a travel agent was packing a suitcase and discovering new activities (bungee jumping, flying in an F-16, riding elephants) as well as novel places to unwind. As a world traveler, her favorite places to decompress in privacy are Wakaya Club & Spa, founded by David Gilmour of Fiji Water, in Fiji's Lomaiviti archipelago; Alphaland Balesin Island Club, Inc., a private island in the Philippines with an all-inclusive club that contains several different resorts themed to nations such as Greece, Bali, and Italy; and Rancho La Puerta in Mexico. A 30year repeat visitor of Rancho La Puerta, Casto recently purchased one of the new casitas being built on site and considers the resort her home away from home, because of the exceptional service, striking desert scenery, and serenity.

Although she sold most of Casto Travel to an Australian firm in 2019, retaining Casto Travel Philippines, Casto recently founded MVC Solutions which provides back-office IT, bookkeeping, and 24-hour call center support to other travel agencies.

As 2022 begins to unfold, here’s her advice as a risk-taker for those who may want to try something new. “It’s tempting to hold yourself back with thoughts like, ‘If I had the chance, I would …’” Casto says. “Instead, ask yourself, ‘When am I going to make it happen?’ You can overthink things. Just do it.”

Casto will appear in conversation with Elaine Petrocelli at 1 p.m. on Jan. 22 at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera.

For information, call (415) 927-0960 or go to bookpassage.com.

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HAUTE PROFILE

The Changemaker:

Living Well by Doing Good Conversation with San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner Karen Clopton

BY ERIN HUNT MOORE

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Karen Clopton

HAUTE PROFILE

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NCLUSIVITY. EQUITY. DIVERSITY. THESE POWERFUL words represent some of the most profound challenges and opportunities of our societal landscape and human experience. For San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner, Karen V. Clopton, these lie at the heart of a lifelong body of work, passion, and commitment.

An award-winning trailblazer in human and civil rights and a nationally recognized leader, speaker, and author in corporate, legal, and judicial ethics, Commissioner Clopton has made it her mission to tackle bias in highly regulated corporate and public environments. This passion has led her to drive policy and legal change to help organizations grow and redefine processes and procedures, based on emerging imperatives.

We spoke with Commissioner Clopton about the experiences that shaped and fueled her passion for advocacy, equal access, and corporate governance, what keeps her balanced, and what lies ahead for her.

HL: What and who inspired you to delve into a path of public service and advocacy?

KC: I was blessed to have very loving and supportive parents who raised me to always do my best and to give to my community. Coming from African American, Latin American, and European families has given me a deep understanding and empathy for people grappling with the cultural and socioeconomic issues impacting fairness in our society.

HL: Our nation continues to be deeply impacted by violence, inequality, racism. What can each of us do to contribute to positive change?

KC: All of us suffer from violence, income inequality, racism, and racial disparities. Our segregated society and stereotypical thinking hamper our ability as a nation to excel. There are four strategies we can all employ to change ourselves and our environment. First, we must educate ourselves about American history beyond the manufactured national myths, no matter how uncomfortable the truth.

Second, we must disrupt wherever we see reinforcement of racial concepts that have been entirely debunked by scientific advancement in DNA and the human genome sequencing. Third, we are responsible for reducing our carbon footprint, providing safe food, housing, and health care to all and educational opportunities for all children.

And fourth, we must intervene when we witness human rights violations: racism, police brutality, domestic violence, sexual harassment, human trafficking. We all must stand up.

HL: What are you most proud of in your work?

KC: I’m very proud of moving the anti-Black racism resolution, as a public health and human rights crisis in San Francisco, and that it was unanimously adopted in June 2020. We founded MegaBlackSF in March 2020, and I was humbled and blessed to seed the Black Wellness Fund at the San Francisco Foundation to help African American residents of the Bay Area. Our work with the president of the board of supervisors, Shaman Walton, has resulted in reallocation of $120 million in funds to address the needs of African Americans in San Francisco and the formation of an official reparations committee that will report to the board of supervisors, the mayor, and the Human Rights Commission.

HL: What has kept you inspired and balanced, not only with the intensity of your work, but also in current times?

KC: My daughters, Olivia and Julia, motivate me in every way to leave the world better than we find it. The “Buildings and Belonging: Mapping the African American Experience at Vassar College” (our alma mater) project is one example. I find balance by combining hospitality, art, and nature with all aspects of my life. While pandemic restrictions presented challenges, we put a tent in our backyard with heaters and celebrated major milestones and holidays there.

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ALL OF US SUFFER FROM VIOLENCE, INCOME INEQUALITY, RACISM, AND RACIAL DISPARITIES. OUR SEGREGATED SOCIETY AND STEREOTYPICAL THINKING HAMPER OUR ABILITY AS A NATION TO EXCEL. — KAREN CLOPTON HL: What’s on the horizon for you?

KC: My next act is to deepen my work serving on corporate boards utilizing my deep ESG expertise. I also have a book release ahead, Black and White and in Color: The Journey of Two American Families over Ten Generations and Ten Landmark US Supreme Court Decisions. The book is part memoir, part legal and social history, and part genealogical search for roots.

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HOMEWOOD, CALIFORNIA

WEST SHORE SPLIT LAKEFRONT

Beautifully updated lake view home with it’s own lakefront parcel w/permitted buoy, 2 HOA piers. Creative, fun improvements to this spacious home, including the conversion of space to create 2 new bedrooms and a wonderful media/game room that was once a wood-working shop. One bedroom with living room and bath can be locked off. Contemporary finishes reflect the owner’s love of art. Checkout the Primary suite’s shower! Great rental activity, has STR permit that can transfer. Nearby Homewood Resort. 6115WLake.com $3,950,000

TAHOE CITY, CALIFORNIA

GORGEOUS LAKEFRONT CONDO

Take a front row seat on the water with lawn-to-lake views. This large floor plan condominium features 4 spacious bedrooms, updated kitchen, master bath, interior doors, flooring, keyless entry, Nest thermostat and furnishings by Restoration Hardware. A rustic and modern design prevails with two lakeside decks with storage for water toys below. Extra facilities include an HOA pier, buoy field, tennis courts, pool and volleyball court, with lovely landscaped grounds and quick access to the legacy trail. $2,950,000

TRINKIE WATSON NV & CA BROKER | CIPS | CLHMS | CRS | LTG | GRI NV BS.1022 | CA 00326518

800 783 0722 twatson@chaseinternational.com LakeTahoeLuxuryEstates.com Tahoe City office: 531 North Lake Boulevard

THE LEADER IN LUXURY REAL ESTATE

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VISIT: CHASEINTERNATIONAL.COM

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIFORNIA

LUXURY LAKEFRONT LODGE

Lakefront living at its best with this beautifully built mountain log style home perched on the waters edge. This expertly crafted four bedroom, four bath home offers an open concept living area with vaulted ceilings and hand scraped logs accented throughout. The lake views are outstanding and allow the natural surroundings to fill the space. Full cedar wrapped siding with stone accents give the house a rustic feel with modern touches. The Lake Tahoe access is excellent with a private shared pier and boat lift, along with two moorings and access to a nearly private beach below the spacious deck overlooking Lake Tahoe. Schedule a tour of this beautiful estate and be mesmerized by the Lake Tahoe views. $6,500,000

FAWNE HAYES NV & CA REALTOR® CA 01491811 NV S.0176418

530 416 2272 fhayes@chaseinternational.com BuyLakeTahoeHomes.com

THE LEADER IN LUXURY REAL ESTATE

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VISIT: CHASEINTERNATIONAL.COM

COVER STORY

PHOTOGRAPHER: VINCENT GOTTI PHOTOGRAPHER ASSISTANT: BRIAN HOYT EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: TERESA RODRIGUEZ HAIR & MAKEUP: NELLIE MUGANDA WARDROBE PROVIDED BY LOUIS VUITTON, CRUISE 2022 COLLECTION AND LOUIS VUITTON VOLT FINE JEWELRY ON LOCATION AT LE PETIT TRIANON, SAN FRANCISCO To learn more about Le Petit Trianon, visit 3800washingtonstreet.com

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Setting

COVER STORY

the BARRE

One of the world’s most renowned ballet dancers and unofficial prima ballerina assoluta of America’s oldest professional ballet company celebrates over a quarter-century of being “en pointe.”

BY STEPH KEAY

Y

uan Yuan Tan may now be acclaimed worldwide for her perfect displays of complicated combinations, but when it came to becoming a ballet dancer, it was a stroke of luck that led to her career. While her mother, who once dreamed of being a ballerina, supported Tan’s dancing, her father disagreed, knowing careers in the field were often short-lived. “My father felt it would be better to become a lawyer, or an engineer like him. He thought, you can dance for fun, but not for a career.”

At the age of 10, Tan auditioned for the Shanghai Dance School, successfully competing against thousands to win a place at the academy, but her parents could not come to a consensus on whether she should enroll.

With time ticking down to decide, they tossed a coin—and her mother won.

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PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY OF DARIO SATTUI

COVER STORY

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COVER STORY

Today Tan—or YY, as her colleagues call her—is known as one of the premier ballerinas in the world, a history-making principal dancer at the storied institution of San Francisco Ballet (SFB), who will celebrate her 25th anniversary this season. Technically, she has been with the company for 27 years—her anniversary celebration, originally slated for April 2020, was rescheduled due to the pandemic. She is looking forward to finally celebrating this major achievement with her family and friends in February 2022, with an intimate dinner held at the Palace Hotel preceded by a matinee performance that will see Tan dancing in SFB Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson’s Caprice, a role that was created for her. With this milestone, Tan has held the position of a principal dancer longer than any other dancer in SFB’s history.

After graduating from Shanghai Dance School, Tan entered several ballet competitions and applied for scholarships, winning a spot at the John Cranko Schule in Stuttgart, Germany to train over three years. Her first major accolade was a gold medal in the junior division at the International Ballet Competition in Paris in 1992, a performance for which legendary ballerina Galina Ulanova awarded her a perfect score. Rather serendipitously, Tan’s first taste of ballet had been a television broadcast of Swan Lake starring Ulanova. Swan Lake later became Tan’s first major role at SFB: she landed the coveted role of Odette/ Odile in the 1998 season. She also received the Nijinsky Award in Japan the following year, the first time it had ever been awarded to a female dancer.

After witnessing her talent at a competition, Tomasson wrote Tan a letter, inviting her to perform as a guest artist at SFB’s Opening Night Gala in 1995. On the heels of finishing her first year at John Cranko Schule, Tan thought it was a one-off performance, intending to return to Stuttgart to complete her studies and then rise through the ranks beginning in the corps de ballet—but Tomasson had other plans. “After the gala, he said, ‘I think you fit into the company very well,’” Tan recalls. She didn’t speak English at the time, so Tomasson’s request was translated for her. He offered Tan a position with the company to start as a soloist, which would make her the youngest soloist at the company—as well as the first Asian soloist. She leaped at the opportunity.

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COVER STORY

Aside from adapting to the city—arriving at just 18 years old, with one suitcase—she was also faced with the difficult task of adapting her classical training in the Vaganova method to the very different style of American ballet. One of Tan’s most inspiring stories early on at SFB is her last-minute casting in Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto, which was performing the very next day. “Somebody got injured, and I had to learn [the ballet] overnight. It was mission impossible!” she laughs. In addition to the completely unfamiliar style of movement, the music was difficult to count in Chinese.

“But I made it happen and I did the performances. I believe in opportunity … and I was ready for the challenge. I think I gained Helgi’s trust, then he just gave me more and more opportunities to develop my artistry and let me grow.” Tan has since originated principal roles in Tomasson’s 7 for Eight, Chi-Lin, The Fifth Season, and Silver Ladders, as well as roles in works by notable choreographers such as Yuri Possokhov, Christopher Wheeldon, and Stanton Welch.

Tan was promoted to principal the following year, an appointment that made her the youngest principal dancer in the history of SFB, as well as the first Chinese dancer to achieve the ranking—a position she has held ever since.

Twenty-seven years is an incredibly long career in ballet, a field that demands much from the body, and a tenure almost unheard of. It can be attributed to her unwavering love of the art form and steadfast commitment to perfecting the steps, turns, lifts, and leaps that have made her such a tour de force onstage.

“I never lost love for this art form, even though there's a lot of difficulties and uncertainties,” says Tan. She has battled several injuries, including a severe hip injury for which doctors recommended surgery, but Tan declined due to the low success rate of making a full recovery, as it would potentially curtail her dancing career. As most ballet dancers do, she shapes her lifestyle around her career, attributing her health to proper nutrition, physical therapy, and a strong mindset that allows her to push through the many challenges of a ballet career, especially one as lengthy as hers. She is a perfectionist who also recognizes that it’s important to know when to rest.

“Sometimes you do have to listen to your body, to adjust your behavior, because we always want to do more and more.”

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COVER STORY The pandemic was an especially difficult time for all dancers, as it was difficult to stay in shape when it was uncertain when they could perform again. “I already had a long journey … and I’m still going strong, but when the pandemic hit, I was a little bit concerned. I was thinking, ‘What is next?’” She credits strength of mind, maintaining an optimistic attitude, and her support network for getting her through the last 21 months.

“I kept telling myself [not to] worry too much, because there's always a way when you have faith. The mind has a big impact in the whole universe. So, I believed that I [should] just keep going, make sure that I have positive energy, and talk to my parents and my good friends to get through these difficult times.” Thirty-four years after that fated flip of the coin, Tan’s parents now reside with her in San Francisco.

Tan returned to her homeland to perform with SFB for the first time in 2009, followed by a second tour in 2015 in which she starred in Tomasson’s full-length production of Giselle in Beijing—one of the many highlights of her career, she says. Her performances in Othello, The Little Mermaid, and as the Snow Queen in Tomasson’s The Nutcracker were also recorded and released on DVD, immortalizing Tan’s artistry and providing inspiration to young ballerinas everywhere—not unlike the way Ulanova once inspired Tan onscreen. As the first Chineseborn dancer to maintain a principal position in one of the top American ballet companies, she is only partway through establishing a legacy that will live on long after she retires from dancing (though she says she will continue to stick with the art form through choreography, production, and perhaps teaching). She has made an indelible mark on the ballet world with an ethereal grace and stage presence that has held the rapt attention of audiences internationally.

One of the reasons she is such a singular talent is her ability to unite the East and the West in her practice. Her Chinese side brings a certain sentimentality that comes through in the way she expresses herself through dance, an immaculate attention to detail that uses every movement to tell a story.

Each step, each gesture is laden with emotion, an added layer of complexity to the already exacting technique of the Western art form. But Tan also excels here, resolute in her ability to tackle choreographic challenges beyond simply nailing a step.

In the past, Tomasson never shied away from complicated movements, knowing full well her incredible capabilities. “I always think you can always make things better. Not just look better, but also meaningful for yourself—to press more deeper in the story or in the step,” she says.

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COVER STORY

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AND MAKE HER OWN STORY SHE HAS. SHE HAS BEEN CALLED “AUDREY HEPBURN EN POINTE” BY JOYCE MAYNARD, IMMORTALIZED BY MATTEL AS A “BARBIE ROLE MODEL,” AND EVEN HAD APRIL 9, 2018, RECOGNIZED AS “YUAN YUAN TAN DAY” BY FORMER SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR ED LEE. HOWEVER, MORE THAN SIMPLE STAR POWER SHINES THROUGH TAN’S MODEST, YET CONFIDENT, DEMEANOR.

When it comes to praise, many touch on Tan’s innate ability to meticulously transform into a great variety of demanding roles onstage, from the innocent white swan to the beguiling black swan, star-crossed lover Juliet to the heartsick little mermaid.

However, she also finds inspiration in dancing neoclassical pieces or contemporary works that don’t necessarily have a storyline: “You can make [your own] story.”

And make her own story she has. She has been called “Audrey Hepburn en pointe” by Joyce Maynard, immortalized by Mattel as a “Barbie role model,” and even had April 9, 2018, recognized as “Yuan Yuan Tan Day” by former San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. However, more than simple star power shines through Tan’s modest, yet confident, demeanor. There’s a foundation of incredible work ethic and a respect for ballet that have allowed her to not only master the movement, but also interpret its nuances through the scope of her own experiences, further elevating and expanding the art form—something that can rarely be said for a discipline as rigid and precise as ballet. Tan brings a true love of ballet, exceptional talent and dedication, and infinite wisdom to each of the roles she embodies—and in this way, her impact transcends far beyond the stage.

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COVER STORY

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HAUTE TRAVEL

SUNNY SAN DIEGO My trip to Fairmont Grand Del Mar, Balboa Park, Beaches, and Beyond There’s something refreshing about San Diego, with its diverse neighborhoods, world class beaches, and pristine weather. It’s one of California’s largest cities but seems so intimate. You can seemingly get from anywhere to anywhere else in 30 minutes or less.

The question is: Where would you like to go? The restaurants and night life in the Gaslamp and Little Italy? Hiking, whale watching, the museums, theater, and open spaces in Balboa Park?

Take your time, you don’t have to decide right now.

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Fairmont Grand Del Mar

PHOTO COURTESY OF FAIRMONT GRAND DEL MAR

BY JENNIFER BODEN

LUXURY AT THE FAIRMONT GRAND DEL MAR

7 Popular Attractions San Diego Tourism Authority Recommendations

1.

Balboa Park

2.

Old Town

3.

Mission Beach (Belmont Park)

4.

LEGOLAND California

5.

Seaport Village

6.

Birch Aquarium

7.

Cabrillo National Monument

PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF FAIRMONT GRAND DEL MAR; © JOANNE DIBONA

My first stop was the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, a great jumping-off point for all things San Diego. The resort is just a few miles from the beach at the southern end of what the locals call “north county.”

The Grand makes good use of its 400 acres. There’s an awardwinning golf course, tennis, Tuscan-inspired gardens, several heated pools, hiking, fitness centers, and a spa. After a day of activities, be sure to visit the clubhouse grill for lunch and enjoy a refreshing margarita or glass of white wine paired with their delicious tuna poke bowl. For breakfast or dinner, make a reservation at Amaya restaurant for California bistro cuisine in a glamorous Old World setting.

The resort features 249 rooms and suites. The standard rooms are already large at 500 square feet. If you need more space, there are a wide range of suites, from the 1,000-square-foot Prado to the 2,840-square-foot Presidential. All the rooms have terraces and tremendous views.

The Center for Wellbeing spa is a city unto itself with 11 treatment rooms. One of Forbes’ 5-star spas, the center offers a great selection of treatments, either combined or à la carte, including massages, mineral muds, herbs, and botanicals.

The Grand is literally immersed in nature. The Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve offers 4,100 acres for hiking, biking, and riding. By the way, if horseback riding is your passion (or you’re just curious to try), the resort features a complete equestrian center with a variety of lessons and programs for all riders.

Year-round golf on the beautiful courses of Fairmont Grand Del Mar

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HAUTE TRAVEL BEACHES, SHOPPING, DINING

Pendry Gaslamp Quarter

PHOTO CREDITS: © JOHN BAHU; COURTESY OF SAN DIEGO TOURISM AUTHORITY; COURTESY OF SAN DIEGO PADRES

There are more beaches than we can list in this article, including Torrey Pines State Beach, Coronado Beach, and Ocean Beach.

Naturally, you’ll want to visit La Jolla, with its restaurants, shops, and beaches. Take a surfing class at La Jolla Shores or snorkel, but don’t forget your wetsuit. The water can be pretty chilly.

Balboa Park

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HAUTE TRAVEL

Pendry San Diego

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PENDRY SAN DIEGO

URBAN OASIS AT PENDRY HOTEL If your tastes veer more toward cityscapes, I recommend a stay at Pendry San Diego, a new, modern, luxury hotel. Born into the lineage of Montage Hotels & Resorts, each Pendry expresses the spirit of its locale. Pendry San Diego is perfectly located in the Gaslamp Quarter, a short walk from San Diego Bay, the Convention Center, Petco Park, the USS Midway Museum, and the ferry to Coronado.

Pendry’s design is impressive—a beautiful balance between modern and traditional. The hotel has 317 guest rooms, including 36 suites.

During my visit, I stayed in a “Grand King” with a very comfy bed, living room, and separate bathtub and shower cabin. The room also featured an impressive wet bar for food and drinks, plus a separate desk area perfect for writing or working remotely.

The hotel also features a spa and a collection of restaurants and bars. Enjoy dinner at Pendry’s Lionfish, which offers modern coastal cuisine. You won’t want to miss the spacious Poolhouse Bar. Relax on a chaise lounge, order a signature cocktail, and soak up the dramatic city views. For brunch, grab a seat at Provisional Kitchen, an airy restaurant-marketplace hybrid where food is served from an open kitchen. Get cozy and start with their delicious coffee or tea and cinnamon roll beignets. For the next dish, I recommend their wood-fired breakfast pizza with bacon, aged pecorino, spinach, and over easy eggs.

Pendry San Diego Grand King Guest Room

For dining outside Pendry, visitors can easily find more choices within walking distance than you could experience in a month-long stay.

Downtown San Diego is a happening place; you’ll have plenty to do.

During baseball season, catch the Padres at Petco Park, acknowledged as one of the finest ballparks anywhere. Explore Balboa Park and the numerous museums, performing arts venues, gardens, trails, and many other attractions.

San Diego offers everything you could possibly want for a relaxing vacation: outdoor activities, restaurants, culture, history, sports. You name it.

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HAUTE TRAVEL

SNOW BOUND Tempting Round-the-World Ski Resorts for 2022

BY BECCA HENSLEY

There’s a comfort in routine. That may be why so many skiers return again and again each year to their favorite ski resorts. At our preferred winter wonderlands, we know the fastest way down the mountain with confidence and the best place for après ski fun. But, what if we took a chance and learned our way around a new mountain—or eight—in 2022? To lend a ski pole, we’ve collected a few of our favorite, less-traveled snowy slopes.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF SKI DUBAI

Ski Dubai

JAPAN

HAUTE TRAVEL

Choosing where to ski in Japan can be overwhelming. The islandabundant nation boasts more than 500 ski resorts of various sizes, scattered from northern Hokkaido to the Kyushu islands in the south. Why not combine your penchant to shred with your appetite for an unforgettable spa experience? In the Ishikawa Prefecture, part of Honshu Island, Japan’s largest isle, hot springs abound. So, strap your skies on at Hakusan Ichirino Ski Resort, accessible by bullet train from Tokyo, where a popular gondola delivers skiers and boarders to slopes with riveting views. An all-level resort, it offers a family-friendly kids’ park where children can sled, tube, ski, and board. After a day on the slopes, steep your tired body in the therapeutic mineral hot springs at Ichirino Kogen Hotel Roan, where open-air onsen baths, framed by a snow-dipped forest, finish your day.

DUBAI Hakusan Ski Resort

SERBIA Ski in and ski out in Serbia’s Kapaonik, a bucolically sited ski resort known for its plethora of sunny days and all-levels slopes. Beginners and low-intermediate skiers, in particular, will thrive on its easily navigated, tree-rimmed runs, considered some of southern Europe’s best for families. Channeling the region’s untrammeled, locally characteristic vibe, the newly opened Viceroy Kopaonik coddles with a sleek, mountain chic design conceived by world-renowned WATG and its interiors studio, Wimberly. At the hotel, floor-to-ceiling glass walls and open-air spaces, effusive with natural light, draw the terrain’s gravitas to the elegant indoors.

PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF HAKUSAN SKI RESORT; © VICEROY KAPAONIK

This is one for your indoor bucket list, even if you normally shun indoor activities. A fascinating and thoroughly amusing afternoon of skiing in urbane and desert-sited Dubai might sound surreal.

Nevertheless, parallel turns happen at the immense Mall of the Emirates, one of the largest shopping complexes in the world. There amid upscale stores, a section of the mall has been transformed into a bona fide, 5-acre ski resort, completely fabricated indoors to mimic a mountain in Switzerland. Reaching heights equal to a 5-story building, the indoor playground, complete with toboggan section and ice cave, welcomes skiers to shush down five slopes of diverse steepness, including the world’s first indoor black diamond run. Skis and jackets are provided, and tickets can be bought at any of the mall’s neighboring stores. Stay at Jumeirah’s Burj Al Arab, legendarily the world’s only 7-star hotel.

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Viceroy Kopaonik, Serbia

HAUTE TRAVEL

Villa Beluno, AKEN Collection Spirit

FRANCE Explore France’s most challenging and thrilling mountain sheers with U.S.-based Eleven Experience, an enthusiastic, experientially oriented hospitality group. Providing extreme, adrenaline-boosting outdoor adventures for well-heeled travelers, Eleven Experience owns and operates a bevy of characteristic adventure lodges, from chalets in Colorado to a refurbished sheep farm in Iceland, many as one-party rental vacation options. Each comes fully staffed, including with in-the-know, local, outdoor guides. In France, be enveloped into France’s Rhone Alps mountain culture at either of Eleven Experiences’ storybook properties: Château Pelerin and Château Hibou. The retreats specialize in heli skiing outings with unforgettable runs averaging 1,000-2,500 vertical meters.

ARGENTINA

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PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF VILLA BELUNO; COURTESY OF ELEVEN EXPERIENCE

When the chairlifts close in North America, snag an off-season powder fix in Bariloche, where skiing reigns from June to October.

One of South America’s most eye-catching villages, this sportsperson’s mecca, which anchors Argentina’s Lake District, exudes a Bavaria-meets-Patagonia vibe with its European Alps architecture and South American, wide-open landscapes. Zip up your parka to conquer captivating Cerro Cathedral Ski Resort’s 3,000 acres of matchless terrain, the largest accessed ski expanse in South America.

With 38 lifts, it has 3,150 feet of vertical drop and 75 miles of slopes, accentuated with inviting off-piste possibilities. Stay at Villa Beluno, AKEN Collection Spirit, set on the lake’s shore, a glamorous boutique hotel, just 12 miles from the resort.

Eleven Experience’s Chateâu Pelerin

CANADA In Canada’s far-flung Alberta, delve into more than 3,000 vertical feet of heart-pumping skiing and snowboarding in Jasper National Park at Marmot Basin. With 86 marked ski trails, open bowl skiing, and wide, groomed slopes, the retreat defines “winter hideaway.” Get cozy at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, an enclave which not only has classic guest rooms, but also romantic, well-appointed cabins tucked around the resort. Sign up for the Fairmont’s Jasper Ski for Free package which includes accommodation for two and ski lift tickets for Marmot Basin.

PENNSYLVANIA

UTAH Perhaps most skiers think of Park City or Alta first, but for a nostalgic, intimate take on a Utahn ski resort, cuddle up at Sundance Mountain Resort. Just an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City and carved into the colorful Wasatch Mountains, Sundance became the pet project of actor Robert Redford when he bought it more than five decades ago.

Succeeding as his vision for a sustainable retreat that would honor the arts, showcase history, and offer swathes of unspoiled nature to be shared by all, the year-round resort reigns supreme during ski season. Its 450 skiable acres with mixed terrain girds a variety of rustically opulent cabins, suites, and homes, not to mention chairlifts, a zip line, restaurants, a spa, and more.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FAIRMONT JASPER

There’s more to the verdant Poconos Mountains than heart-shaped bathtubs. Beginning with one ski run in the 1950s, Camelback Resort has burgeoned to proffer 39 ski trails and 166 acres of slopes.

They rise 900 vertical feet among forested Big Pocono State Park.

A highlight for kids of all ages, Camelback’s mind-bogglingly huge snow tubing park thrills with more than 40 breathtaking speed lanes.

Offering contemporary rooms and 1- and 2-bedroom suites and villas, Camelback’s laidback vibe, ski in/ski out access, and exclusive rates on lift and tubing tickets make this retreat a peerless option for a weekend away.

HAUTE TRAVEL

Fairmont Jasper

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HAUTE HOTEL

CABO LOVE Ditch the gifts this Valentine’s Day and share delicious moments at Garza Blanca Resort & Spa.

BY TERESA RODRIGUEZ

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARZA BLANCA RESORT & SPA LOS CABOS

T

HE WORLD HAS DRAMATICALLY SHIFTED SINCE THE pandemic, and one of the resounding changes we all experienced was the way we set our priorities. As a result, time has become a rare and treasured commodity that we cherish, especially time with our loved ones. So, it's no surprise that, while shiny baubles are lovely gifts, it's precious moments together that couples long to have now.

We searched for the best ways couples could express their love for one another: a romantic vacation was the top choice. When asking friends and family about what they wanted to do, there were some resounding winners. "We don't want to travel that far, and we want to arrive at a resort where we don't have to leave. That type of travel feels safe to us," shared a Haute Living reader. Another key feature couples wanted was someplace warm and friendly. "Sure, Valentine's Day is in the middle of winter. That's the reason we want to go somewhere warm."

Other readers let us know they wanted a resort that offered all the amenities they could dream of. "We want couple's massages and cooking classes, yoga, and private dining options. If we only have a few days alone together, we want to take advantage of it all."

So, we searched for a place that could offer all the things our readers wanted: a close-yet-warm place that offered a plethora of options for couples. What we uncovered was the wonderfully appointed resort and spa, Garza Blanca Resort & Spa in Los Cabos.

For starters, the flight from San Francisco International Airport to Cabo is just three hours. That means you can depart from SFO in the morning and be on the beach with a margarita by noon.

HAUTE HOTEL

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Sunset over one of eight heated pools at Garza Blanca

HAUTE HOTEL

Breakfast on the terrace overlooking the ocean

Couple's massage at Spa Imagine

68 Beach side lounges at Garza Blanca

Garza Blanca Resort & Spa is a chic, new property catering to those who truly appreciate style and design. The suites are impeccably adorned with the latest technology and luxuries.

My personal favorites were the state-of-the-art bidet toilet and the deep tub that came stocked with soothing bath products.

Since the resort also offers an all-inclusive component: you may choose to have all your meals and beverages covered in your daily resort fee. That means the well-stocked, full-size refrigerator in your suite is yours to enjoy endlessly. I must admit I did have fun treating myself to daily snacks of chips, candies, and nuts while sipping a cool beer on my patio every afternoon.

Garza Blanca's chefs pride themselves on the excellent selection of cuisines they prepare at the many restaurants on the property. With six different dining experiences, it's impossible to taste everything. My favorite was the bonein steak at Bocados Steak House and the Asian appetizers at Hiroshi. Book a romantic dinner on the beach for the couple who wants to experience the ultimate evening. This spectacular evening includes a 4-course menu with three options for each course, finishing with a decadent dessert.

Your table is set up with candles on the beach underneath string lights. The soft sound of the waves lapping on the shore and a starry sky serve as a beautiful backdrop to your exquisite meal. Arrive in time to watch the sunset and order a bottle of bubbly to make the start of your romantic evening extra special. Seriously, nothing could be better.

If you prefer to get hands-on with your food, we suggest the cooking classes. These culinary workshops are led by the chef-patrons of Garza Blanca's three signature restaurants:

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARZA BLANCA RESORT & SPA LOS CABOS

HAUTE HOTEL Hiroshi, Blanca Blue, and Bocados Steak House. The cooking classes are held at the Robata Bar every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 2:00 p.m. The chefs will teach you how to prepare a signature dish from each restaurant, each paired with a beverage tasting.

Of course, no romantic getaway is complete without a couple's massage. The spa offers various services for couples, including The Soul Connection and “Anahata” Couples Massage Ritual. Make sure to include the hydrotherapy circuit in your spa experience. Bask, sink, and float, while allowing your stresses to slip away one by one as you experience the hydrotherapy ritual which honors the healing and relaxing properties of water. Each hydrotherapy station is a fantastic way for your body to interact with water at different temperatures and pressures. This circuit was one of my favorite activities.

If you are more into exercising than exfoliating, the resort has an impressive list of activities. One of the most popular is the electric beach bicycle tour. Start your morning with an incredible bike ride on the beach with the glistening sea as your scenic backdrop. These specialty bikes have wide wheels built for handling sand terrain, so that you can ride right next to the waves on a soft, sandy beach. The best part is the electric motor does all the work for you. Other activities include Pilates, volleyball, dancing lessons, pickleball, and aqua fitness classes.

I must admit that one of my favorite activities was floating in the rooftop infinity pool with a signature cocktail. Staff were incredibly attentive, and the poolside meals were delicious.

I couldn't get enough of the freshly made ceviche and the espresso martinis.

What you will appreciate about Garza Blanca Resort & Spa is how each aspect of your stay is thoughtfully planned for you. Staff will be delighted to set up a private driver to meet you at the airport. At the time of printing, negative COVID results were required to re-enter the U.S., so the resort has a designated place onsite where you can be tested and receive your results quickly. All these wonderful extras can be managed for you by your private butler, who will greet you when you check in and text you throughout your stay to ensure you have everything you need, including dinner reservations and room service.

I am sure that your visit to Garza Blanca Resort & Spa will be on your top 10 list of places in Mexico, as it is for me. There was not one aspect of my visit that was out of place. Every encounter with the staff was fantastic, and my room was a modern-yet-cozy haven where I was so happy to return after a day of fun in the sun.

HAUTE HOTEL

Electric beach bicycle tour

Rooftop infinity pool

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HAUTE HOTEL

THE STAVRAND A Luxurious Redwood Retreat

BY ERIN HUNT MOORE

P

PHOTO CREDITS: © EMMA K. MORRIS

EACEFUL AND BUCOLIC, THE POPULAR RUSSIAN River town of Guerneville has been a beloved weekend and summer retreat destination for San Franciscans since the 19th century. Today, this Sonoma County enclave, nestled between wine country and the Pacific coastline, continues to be one of the most popular retreats for vacationers seeking “river time.” With the completion and opening of The Stavrand Russian River Valley, visitors to the region have a beautiful, new luxury destination.

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The Stavrand's beautiful indoor fireside dining room

HAUTE HOTEL

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A place to gather and unwind: The Stavrand's peaceful inner courtyard

HAUTE HOTEL A RE-ENVISIONED CLASSIC

PRIVATE, PEACEFUL, ACCESSIBLE

The Stavrand sits on the stunning site of the former Applewood Inn, set just outside of the center of Guerneville. Those familiar with the area will fondly remember the original, historic Spanish Colonial revival property. While there have been meticulous and thoughtful renovations designed for optimal comfort and guest experience, the new owners and design team (EDG Interior Design and Architecture) have worked to ensure many elements of the original property remain, including the historic Belden House, a registered Sonoma historic landmark dating from 1922 (the heart of the resort), and the nearly six acres of orchards, the pool, and the garden. The overall feeling is that of a warm, intimate boutique hotel, but with the level of amenities and service of a larger resort.

The new owners are no strangers to the hotel and hospitality arena.

The Stavrand was acquired by Emily Glick, who brings 14 years of experience with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, including more than six years at the helm of the Kimpton Buchanan Hotel in San Francisco. Stemming from a long line of hoteliers and travel agents, Glick renamed the newly renovated luxury retreat the Stavrand in homage to her late mother, Maribeth Stavrand, and grandparents, Grace and Erik Stavrand, who operated the Black Bear Lodge in Bolton Valley, Vermont.

Glick and her co-owners have overseen detailed steps to maintain and restore character-defining features throughout the property, conveying the historical significance of the Mediterranean Revival architecture by John Carl Warnecke, father of Carl Warnecke.

Says Glick, “We designed The Stavrand with a very specific vision that our guests would arrive and instantly decompress and reconnect to themselves, to each other, and to nature. This beautiful site inspires us every day, and we look forward to our guests experiencing the magic of these surroundings.”

The 21-room estate property sits on nearly six forested acres of orchards, organic gardens, and majestic groves of redwood trees, in addition to lush apple, quince, fig, apricot, pear, and plum trees. Most of the orchard trees date back to the 1920s and were planted by the property’s original owner, Guerneville banker Ralph “Rooster” Belden.

The interior and exterior palettes feature rich jewel tones and pops of primary colors inspired by period Mexican Talavera tiles that date back to the property’s century-old origins. The modern amenities, clean lines, and contemporary furnishings complement a collection of treasured antiques that have been part of the property for decades, giving The Stavrand a fresh yet authentic ambiance steeped in character and charm.

The main house on the property, Belden House, is the estate’s heart and soul, built in 1922 and thoughtfully renovated in 2021. Famed architect John Carl Warnecke designed this mansion as the country home of Ralph “Rooster” Belden who resided there with his wife and son. The design team worked around the massive hearth in the heart of the house, filling the house with a combination of both warm and chic touches—including custom, curated artwork, wallcoverings, and modern furnishings that beautifully balanced the inherited antiques on display.

Located next door and constructed decades later, the Cazadero building was completely reimagined during the renovation of its spacious (330 sq. ft.) rooms, including a new and luxurious look for all the bathrooms. Each room in Cazadero offers guests access to surrounding nature—some spaces giving the sense of being in a tree house under a canopy of redwoods. Many of Cazadero’s rooms feature some combination of gas fireplaces, freestanding soaking tubs, and outdoor cedar hot tubs with views of the open sky.

Nestled in the redwoods between wine country and the Sonoma Coast, THIS BEAUTIFUL SITE The Stavrand is ideally situated. For guests who want to stay and relax INSPIRES US EVERY DAY, AND WE LOOK on property, there are quite a range of both seasonal and year-round FORWARD TO OUR GUESTS EXPERIENCING activities from which to choose, THE MAGIC OF THESE including outdoor yoga, poolside lounging, spa treatments, outdoor SURROUNDINGS. lawn games, and floating on the — E M I LY G L I C K river in warmer months, In these winter months, the Stavrand provides guest experiences designed to keep guests cozy, including hot mulled cider during apéritif hour (with or without local bourbon), candlelight dinners fireside, s’mores and warm blankets for fireside desserts or late night snacks; access to a lending library; outdoor cedar hot tubs; and board games next to one of two woodburning fireplaces.

72 Soaking with a view: a newly renovated bathroom

PHOTO CREDITS: © EMMA K. MORRIS

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HAUTE HOTEL DINING AT THE STAVRAND: LOCAL INGREDIENTS AT THEIR BEST The artfully crafted culinary program at the Stavrand revolves around what’s local and seasonal, a style best expressed as farm-fresh California cuisine with ever-evolving menus showcasing the rich bounty of the hotel’s culinary garden and surrounding region. Guests are treated to an inclusive hot breakfast daily, featuring a range of inspired, fresh choices designed by the culinary team. At the nightly private chef experience (available exclusively to hotel guests), diners savor a meal that reflects The Stavrand chef’s latest inspirations, the day’s weather, and the ingredients peaking at the particular moment.

An “anytime” dining menu features rustic delights, such as paninis, charcuterie, and house-grown crudité. For a picnic lunch on the go, upscale Stavrand cooler totes are available for loan. Reserve a complimentary bicycle from the property, pack a lunch, and ride to the river or to Armstrong Wood to enjoy lunch under some of the oldest and most breathtaking redwoods in the area.

A BEAUTIFUL EVENT SETTING Al fresco dining under the redwoods

With its proximity to the Santa Rosa, including the airport and U.S. Highway 101, and in addition to beautiful vineyards, stunning redwood groves, the Russian River, and Pacific coast, The Stavrand is a wonderful location for corporate retreats, weddings, and other gatherings for up to 130 guests. With multiple event site options, including the Bower space at the highest point of the property to the orchards, apiary, and organic vegetable garden at the Chef’s Meadow, The Stavrand offers guests room to celebrate and roam.

The property has prioritized safety and sanitation protocols with COVID-19 still circulating.

Winter is the perfect time to explore The Stavrand. The hotel is offering winter rates beginning at $249 per night, with amazing amenities and offerings. For reservations and information, call (707) 869-9093 or visit www.thestavrand.com. The Stavrand Russian River Valley is located at 13555 Highway 116 in Guerneville in the heart of the Russian River Valley.

73 Breakfast is served: beautiful, locally sourced fare

Fresh from the garden: one of chef's seasonal inspirations

HAUTE SCENE

JCB No. 69 sparkling wine

Pernella Sommerville, Tonya Pitts, and Paula West

Sherene Melania, Lily Samii, Jean-Charles Boisset

HAUTE LIVING LAUNCH

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO | PHOTOS BY DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

Liam Mayclem, Sal Castaneda, Ashley Hamik, and Yelena Laudati

Stephanie Ng, Subhi Barakat, and Charles Baker III

WITH SOFT POPS, RELEASED CORKS SIGNALED THE PARTY had begun. The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco and winemaker JeanCharles Boisset served up bubbles and bites at the JCB Lounge and the hotel’s Parallel 37 restaurant for the kickoff of Haute Living, San Francisco’s November/December holiday issue.

Philanthropists Komal Shah, Karen Kubin, and Jane Mudge, real estate developer Mark Calvano, luxury real estate agent Joel Goodrich, and nearly 100 others enjoyed JCB No. 69 sparkling wine, poured by Boisset and team in the jewel box lounge. Meanwhile, Joel Costa, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, lavished an abundance of seafood on attendees: Pacific Northwest Dungeness crab with burnt bergamot; crab claws with shichimi oil and pickled

Lee Gregory, Christine Suppes, Karen Kubin, Jane Mudge, and Komal Shah

Patrick Brown and Chris Meza

Rosalina and Martin Lydster

Joel Costa of the Ritz-Carlton and Fran Miller.

scarlet turnips; oysters on ice with Meyer lemon mignonette and eggplant and dashi tempura. “Our food concept,” Costa said, “is fresh, local seafood and farm-fresh ingredients served in a unique San Francisco setting.” It takes a lot to impress Lee Gregory, executive vice president of McCalls Catering and Events, and the spread did.

“It’s always a real treat to enjoy these big, beautiful, and delicious seafood offerings, especially today, post-pandemic, when availability is limited and prices are high.” Author and fashion collector Christine Suppes enjoyed Boisset’s energy, noting, “He’s a force of nature—and France’s gift to California.” Jazz singer Paula West appreciated the evening’s warm intimacy. “We were all smiling, having a great time, and feeling grateful to see one another,” she said. “Oh—and then there’s the wine.”

Jean-Charles Boisset and Elisabeth Fullerton

Orkut Buyukkokten, Sharen Seto, and Pablo Fischer

Russell Martinelli and Danielle St. Germain-Gordon

Olivia Hsu Decker and Yuan Yuan Tan

Vasily Vein and Clara Shayevich

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Mark Calvano and Claudia Ross

HAUTE SCENE

Amarech Mendez performs Victoria Weatherford, San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock, and Karen Kubin

San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Peggy Hill

EVENING ON THE STAGE

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO | PHOTOS BY DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

FOR SHEER DRAMA, FEW PHILANTHROPIC DINNERS RIVAL the San Francisco Opera’s Evening on the Stage, held amid the setting of the company’s latest production. This year’s featured garden scenery from Cosi Fan Tutte, enhanced by Ideas events to create a bucolic background for the tribute to the family of the late Jeannik Mequet Littlefield, whose $35 million gift was in 2006 the largest ever by an individual to an American company. Her daughter, Denise Littlefield Sobel, recently contributed $200,000 to the company’s Diversity Equity Community Department. “Denise’s gift speaks to this moment in time and the cultural imperative of embracing diversity in the arts,” said Karen Kubin, who co-chaired the event with Victoria Weatherford. “We are profoundly grateful for her leadership, vision, and support.”

Nazan Orr, Paul Pelosi, and Afie Royo

A table setting

Mary and Bill Poland

An elegant dinner on the stage

Dr. Milt McColl and Christine Suppes

Ed Littlefield, Jr., playing the harp guitar in honor of his mother’s French heritage

San Francisco Opera Association President Keith Geeslin and Priscilla Geeslin

The evening included performances by Sobel’s brother, Ed Littlefied, Jr., playing French songs on a harp guitar in honor of his mother’s heritage, and 15-year-old Opera Scout Amarech Mendez, singing for the 250 guests. The distinguished audience included Matthew Shilvock, the Opera’s general director, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Dede Wilsey, Paul Pelosi, and Mary and Bill Poland, to name a few. Maryam Muduroglu, president of the Opera Guild, described J. Riccardo Benavides’ décor as “romantic and fabulous.”

It was, she said, a “perfect backdrop to honor the Littlefield family for their generosity over the years and to showcase our young star in the making, Amarech Mendez, who stole the show with her performance. She demonstrated our positive impact on the lives of so many students in the Bay Area—even during the pandemic.

Music does heal the soul.”

Lily Samii, Linda Kemper, David Gockley, and Sherene Melania

Jack Calhoun, Yurie Pascarella, Carl Pascarella, Dede Wilsey, Phoebe Campbell, and Thomas Campbell

Denise Littlefield Sobel accepts the award from Opera Guild President Maryam Muduroglu

Lisa Zabelle, events man Riccardo Benavides, and Allison Speer

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Barbara Brown and Ken McNeely

HAUTE SCENE

Andy Grammer entertains

Tented dinner under redwoods in Woodside

Ayesha and Steph Curry

PART THE CLOUD

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO | PHOTOS BY DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

MICHAELA “MIKEY” HOAG’S BIENNIAL PART THE CLOUD gala drew big names, including Steph Curry, Netflix founder Reed Hastings, and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, and raised big money: $33 million and counting for the Alzheimer’s Association research program. The total included pledges made for 2020’s event (postponed due to the pandemic) and for the rescheduled event held in October at a private home in Woodside. Tech mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates, who, like Hoag, had a parent afflicted by the disease, raised $10 million for the charity. Emceed

by CNBC’s TechCheck co-anchor Deirdre Bosa, the evening also featured a performance by singer Andy Grammer.

Reed Hastings and Vinod Khosla

Steve and Tina Bono

Dave Mooring, Lisa Mooring, Anne Lawler, and Ken Lawler

Event founder Michaela Hoag and co-chairs Heather Pietsch and Stephanie Harman

Lisa Goldman and Sako Fisher

Margot and Steve Kerr

HAUTE SCENE

Ute Bowes and David Stull, Conservatory president

Yo-Yo Ma and guests at the top of the Bowes Center

The new Ute and Wiliam K. Bowes, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts

CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC GALA 2021

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO | PHOTOS BY DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

THE WILLIAM K. BOWES, JR. FOUNDATION’S $46 MILLION gift to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2018 was among the largest donations ever made to an American music school. Three years later, here’s the scoop: The money helped fund the new, $200 million Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, a 170,000-square-foot, 12-story building with student housing, dining, classrooms, rehearsal and performance spaces, and a radio station all in one. At the gala, leading arts patrons were dazzled by the edifice and performances by world class musicians, including famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Virginia Foo and Timothy Foo, Conservatory board chairman

Bernard and Barbro Osher

Stanley and Helen Cheng

Qing Dong and Ellen Fong

Joshua Redman of SF JAZZ and Elliott Felson

HAUTE SCENE

Walter Hood, Kate Harbin Clammer, Allison Speer, Judy Chicago, Kevin Kwan, Jessica Moment, and Thomas Campbell, Fine Arts Museums director

Décor by Bronson van Wyck

ON THE EDGE

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO | PHOTOS BY DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzari and Susan Chokachi, CEO of Gucci Americas

THE NAME OF THE DE YOUNG MUSEUM’S NEW ANNUAL fundraiser, On the Edge, was chosen long before the pandemic caused the event, slated for 2020, to be postponed. Prescience? The gala, held in November, honored the museum’s 125th anniversary (belatedly), as well as pioneering feminist artist Judy Chicago and Oakland landscape designer Walter Hood, who created the museum’s gardens in 2005. Among the luminaries in attendance were Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger, Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan, and Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri, adding wattage to an already starry night. The event raised $1.8 million in its debut.

Clothier Sheri McMullen and Mary Beth Shimmon

Record producer Quincy Jones, Alexis Traina, and events man, Bronson van Wyck

Sobia Shaikh, Ali Fried, and Holly Peterson

Juliet de Baubigny, Vogue’s Hamish Bowles, and Denise Hale

Mike Krieger, John Atwater, and Diana Nelson

Bakari and Safiya Adams

HAUTE SCENE

Beth Schnitzer (Spritz), Jitu Somaya Honorary Consul General Mauritius, Raghu Shivaram (Spritz), Betty Yu (KPIX TV), Shirley Scott, and Bridget Cheng

Ula Dining & Cocktails proprietor, Krishan Miglani

DIVING IN Ula Mediterranean Dining & Cocktails

BY ROBERT RICHARDS | PHOTOS BY JEFFRY RAPOSAS

UNION SQUARE TOOK A SWIM TOWARD FABULOUS ON December 8, with the grand opening of the undersea-inspired Ula Mediterranean Dining & Cocktails at 450 Post Street in San Francisco. Ula is the latest project spearheaded by owner and CEO Krishan Migani, a 40-plus year veteran in the industry and founder of Banjara Hospitality, Inc. As with his first Union Square restaurant, Zingari Ristorante, Migani began with the belief in anchoring neighborhoods and benefiting communities. He has preserved the wondrous, aquatic-themed interior, originally designed by noted American restaurant designer Pat Kuleto for Ula’s famous predecessor, but with some adjustments. The new grand piano is, indeed, a nice touch.

Guests including KPIX’s Betty Yu dove into the seafoodfocused, Mediterranean menu created by Chef Ryan Simas, formerly of Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Los Angeles and Farallon in San Francisco.

Chef Robert Taylor and Chef Ryan Simas

Ula Dining & Cocktails Leadership Team. Neeraj Miglani, Krishan Miglani, Victor Vargas

The dinner setting for donors

Ula proprietor Krishan Miglani and Betty Yu, KPIXTV Reporter

Beth Schnitzer, Bryan Smith, Liz Nelson Madhu Ahuja, Sujata Joshi, Arti Miglani, and Facebook executive Rohini Rewari

Carolyn Tyler, Charles Baker III

Ribbon cutting

Ula Dining & Cocktails’ Victor Vargas and Union Square Alliance Executive Director Marisa Rodriguez.

HAUTE EVENT EVENTS

SUN, CHEFS, GOLF, AND GIVING 10th Annual Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf in Riviera Nayarit showcases the best on food and fundraising

BY TERESA RODRIGUEZ

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PHOTOS BY © TATYANA FILATOVA

T

HE 10TH ANNUAL PUNTA MITA GOURMET & GOLF guests were in for a great weekend lineup from world-famous chefs and golf pros. Along with swings and sips, guests enjoyed whale watching, fireworks, and live music in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit.

This year's recipient charity was the Lorena Ochoa Foundation.

Since 2007, the Foundation's mission has been to help La Barranca Educational Center, located in La Coronilla, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Guadalajara.

This year, the golf tournament hosted 140 players from around the world. In addition, 250 guests attended the opening evening and closing events, while the lunches and dinners were smaller, with 50 guests. As the leading lifestyle event in Mexico, Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf attracts new players and culinary talent from the four corners of the globe.

PHOTOS BY © TATYANA FILATOVA

HAUTE EVENTS

Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf gathered some of the world's best chefs, winemakers, and liquor masters. Punta Mita curated the participating chefs to come from various countries, allowing guests to savor in the world’s many different flavors.

Some of the famed chefs who gathered in Punta Mita included: American chef Diane Dimeo from her soon-to-be-launched restaurant in Kupuri; Thierry Blouet from Tuna Blanca; Argentine chef Juan Manuel Guizzo; vegan chef and wellness expert Leslie Durso; Japanese chef Yasuo Asai from his soon-to-be-launched Asai Cuisine Restaurant in Punta Mita; renowned chef Fernando Martínez from his restaurant in Mexico City, Migrante; Abraham Salum; Baja California's chef Alfredo Villanueva; dessert and pastry chef Sylvain; chef Galindo from Dos Catrinas; and chefs Sylvan Desboise, Andrew Ormsby, Sam Choy, Diane Dimeo, and Felipe Armenta.

Condé Nast Traveler voted the Riviera Nayarit and Punta Mita among the "Best Places to Visit" in 2021. This year, Punta Mita unveiled the restoration to Pacifico Golf Course, El Surf Club, and Punta Mita Rentals for more extended leisure stays.

Says Carl Emberson, head of marketing and operations, “Our tenth anniversary of Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf was a fantastic success merging gastronomic excellence with world class golf. A major highlight this year was the unveiling of the new-look Pacifico Golf Course. Mother Nature gave us perfect weather to host this special occasion of gathering the world’s best chefs, winemakers, and liquor masters from local and international levels. We strive to exceed our guests’ expectations every year and look forward to the eleventh edition in 2022. Viva Punta Mita!”

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HAUTE EVENT EVENTS

Members of Casa Círculo Cultural perform at the San Francisco Symphony's 14th annual Dia de los Muertos concert at Davies Symphony Hall

SYMPHONY AND SOUL ON DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

BY ROBERT RICHARDS | PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER M HOWARD

D

IA DE LOS MUERTOS, THE DAY OF THE DEAD, IS A singular holiday that asks us to reflect on and celebrate those loved ones who’ve passed. For 14 years (including once virtually), San Franciscans have gathered at Davies Symphony Hall to celebrate Dia de los Muertos with the San Francisco Symphony, the Latin community, and their neighbors.

This year, attendees encountered vibrant altars stationed across three levels of the orchestra lobby, each curated by Martha Rodríguez-Salazar and produced by a variety of local artists. Festooned and elegant catrines and catrinas wandered silently through the Hall, posing for photos while supplying an essential and unexpectedly reassuring closeness to mortality.

Those with a sweet tooth gathered round the candy skull makers, buying up the colorful sweets as quickly as the artisans

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could decorate them. On the upper floors, parents tended to flocks of children who made colorful paper flowers and masks, facilitated by The Mexican Museum.

Inside the Hall, celebrants were treated to an extravaganza conducted by Venezuelan rising star, Enluis Montes Olivar, whose natural and nuanced style infused the evening. The concert served up traditional Latin American music and culture with a chaser of contemporary rhythms and sounds by Flor Amargo's La Reina del Barrio, performed with the San Francisco Symphony and dancers from the Casa Círculo Cultural of Redwood City. Featured violinist Alexander Barantschik ignited the stage with a performance both poignant and precise and which served as a soaring homage to those loved ones whom attendees had gathered to remember.

HAUTE EVENTS The 2021 Día de los Muertos Concert was presented in partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission.

After the concert, mariachis escorted the audience to the opulent Green Room at the War Memorial Building for the first ever fiesta reception, dinner, and after party, a fundraising auction and benefit made possible by the San Francisco Symphony’s San Francisco League chair, Sharon Seto, her husband and presenting sponsor David Seto, and presenting sponsor Pamela Rummage Culp. The sold-out concert and dinner proceeds benefit the Symphony and its myriad community programs.

The San Francisco Symphony's family-friendly Día de los Muertos celebration included fun pre-concert activities such as paper flower and sugar skull mask making

Members of Casa Círculo Cultural perform at the San Francisco Symphony's 14th annual Día de los Muertos concert

David and Sharon Seto

Conductor Enluis Montes Olivar leads the San Francisco Symphony

Members of Casa Círculo Cultural dressed as catrines y catrinas

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HAUTE EVENT

FESTIVAL NAPA VALLEY PRESENTED

OLIVIA DECKER POWER OF MUSIC SERIES

BY OLIVIA DECKER

F

ESTIVAL NAPA VALLEY PRESENTED THE DEBUT Musicians Under 30.” She performed in Festival Napa Valley’s concert of the Olivia Decker Power of Music Series Sing 2021 production of Gianni Schicchi and was a featured soloist in the Holidays! on December 12 at the picturesque in the Festival’s closing night concert, Opera Under the Stars, Cavallo Point, the historic luxury resort nestled at the base of conducted by James Conlon. the Golden Gate Bridge.

Tenor Christopher Oglesby performed at San Francisco The joy-filled concert by San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows Opera as Dancaïre in Carmen, Benvolio in Roméo et Juliette featured a reception with outstanding wines from Dario Sattui’s and Edmondo in Manon Lescaut. In 2021, he made his role and Castello di Amorosa. Proceeds from the concert were dedicated company debut with West Edge Opera as Boris in Kát’a Kabanová. to Festival Napa Valley's Arts for All programs, including original An active soloist and recitalist, Oglesby has performed with the programming for youth and scholarships for talented young Utah Symphony, Dallas Puccini Society, and in the Schwabacher artists.

Recital Series at San Francisco Opera. He holds Bachelor of The festive holiday evening also celebrated composer Music degrees in vocal performance, choral education and and philanthropist Gordon Getty’s birthday and toasted the band education from Lee University, and a master’s degree in successful premiere of his vocal performance from the opera reimagined for film, University of North Texas. He Good-bye, Mr. Chips. is a recipient of the Richard F. Festival Napa Valley CEO Gold Career Grant.

Rick Walker welcomed Romanian-American soprano guests and thanked Olivia Esther Tonea has appeared Decker for her inspiration and in concert and recitals across generous support in creating North America and Europe.

San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow performers the Power of Music Series. A She was a first-place winner classically trained soprano of the New York Lyric Opera during her school years, Decker expressed that her support for National Vocal Competition, Hennings-Fischer Young Artist Festival Napa Valley stems from her strong belief in the power Competition, Dorothy Van Waynen Competition, and East Bay of music to heal and unite, inspiring all people to reach for and Opera League Competition. Tonea is a two-time recipient of the achieve their dreams.

Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National The concert featured 2021 Adler Fellows Simone McIntosh, Council Auditions, a scholarship recipient of the Holt Memorial Christopher Oglesby, Zhengyi Bai, and Esther Tonea, together Competition, and a Presser Scholar. She is also a winner of the with pianist Kseniia Polstiankina Barrad. The young artists Concerto Competitions at the University of Georgia and the San delighted guests with their performances of classics by Mozart Francisco Conservatory of Music. and Strauss, along with seasonal holiday favorites. Their talent Tenor Zhengyi Bai made his San Francisco Opera debut as and energy were sensational. Haute Living encourages you to Remendado in Carmen in 2019 and appeared as the dancing learn more about them so you can watch them flourish across master and lamplighter in Manon Lescaut. In the spring of 2021, international stages in the coming years. he performed in San Francisco Opera’s “Adlers at the Drive-In” Mezzo-soprano Simone McIntosh was the recipient of Festival concert which heralded the Opera’s return to live performance Napa Valley's 2021 Manetti Shrem Opera Prize. A graduate of and covered the role of Almaviva in The Barber of Seville. Born Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, the Vancouver and raised in the Shandong province of China, Bai began his native has received several distinguished awards, including the studies as a piano student and a collaborative pianist. He Wirth Vocal Prize, COC Ensemble Studio Competition, Ottawa completed his initial vocal training in Shandong and continued Choral Society New Discoveries Competition, and inclusion in his training at the University of Southern California and through the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “30 Hottest Classical San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship program.

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Pianist and coach Kseniia Polstiankina Barrad has won numerous prizes at international piano and chamber music competitions, including the Kyiv State Chamber Ensemble Competition in her native Ukraine, the International Competition for Young Pianists in Belgrade, and the Sergei Taneyev and the International Chamber Music Competition in Kaluga and St. Petersburg. In the United States, she was first prize winner in the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra Competition and a national finalist in the MTNA Young Artist Competition. As a collaborative pianist, Kseniia has worked with opera and vocal music organizations across the United States. She was a part of the music staff for San Francisco Opera’s productions of Carmen and Manon Lescaut.

HAUTE EVENTS

San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow performers

Kseniia Polstiankina Barrad, Esther Toney, Christopher Oglesby, Zhengyi Bai, Olivia Decker, and Mauro Aprile Zanetti.

Brian and Heidi Pay

UPCOMING CONCERTS Rita Castellucci, Rick Walker, and Olivia Decker

Simone McIntosh, Pepper Jackson, and Michael Jackson

Pasquale Esposito - That’s Amore!

Sunday, February 13 | 4pm Cavallo Point, Sausalito $75 per ticket at boxoffice@festivalnapavalley.org Celebrate Valentine's Day in style with tenor Pasquale Esposito in concert at Cavallo Point. Pasquale and his virtuosic band will perform romantic songs, opera arias and Broadway tunes. The concert will be paired with fine wines from Festival Napa Valley’s acclaimed Partner Wineries at a reception before concert.

Gordon Getty

March 27 | 4pm Ryan Silverman Broadway star from The Phantom of the Opera and CHICAGO, in his signature cabaret show

PHOTO CREDIT: © LISSA GIBBS

April 10 | 4pm Vanessa Benelli Mosell, piano DECCA recording artist and international soloist, presented in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute May 15 | 4pm Nia Imani Franklin Soprano, composer, and 2019 Miss America in a program of popular songs and original compositions Emily Charlson, Mark Herrera, Olivia Decker, and Antonio Castellucci

For tickets and information: www.festivalnapavalley.org | 707-346-5052 87

T h e F i n e s t Mo n t e c i t o & S a n t a B a r b a r a Ho m e s Presented by

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3 Bed + Office, 3 Full/2 Half Bath Main House • 1 Bed, 1 Bath Guest House • Detached Studio • Mountain Views ±1.17-AC • Stunning Details • Cathedral Ceilings • Indoor/Outdoor Living • Pool • Chicken Coop • Lavender Field © 2020 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHHS and the BHHS symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee

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HAUTE BEAUTY

INSIDE-OUT BEAUTY The Founder of Total Glow MD Shares her Secrets

BY BECCA HENSLEY

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PHOTO COURTESY OF TOTAL GLOW PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY OF WINE COUNTRY BOTANICALS

errie Absher’s beauty gleams from the inside out. With a passion for wellness and holistic beauty, the founder of Total Glow shares her decades of education and insider discoveries with her guests, a glitterati clientele, at her soughtafter skincare and wellness med spa in Menlo Park. Embracing the sentiment attributed to Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken,” this eschewer of trends and advocate for celebrating each person’s individual attributes deftly directs her guests to be the best they can be with every visit. Offering services that run the gamut from facials to injectables to body sculpting to IV therapy, Absher also utilizes her own line of custom-formulated products, including some instant-result sheet masks, specially produced in France, and Ayurvedic facial serums for different skin types and concerns.

But that’s not all. Absher, a highly trained esthetician, Ayurvedic master, and aromatherapist brings a unique East-meets-West perspective to Total Glow. Believing that “skincare requires attention to our whole body,” Absher’s technique relies on information from her clients about their diet, sleep, skin history, personal goals, and more to formulate the best program for each person. Exposed in childhood to and having deeply studied the wisdoms of the East and the West, she blends modalities to offer what she deems to be the most “effective and helpful combinations of the two approaches.”

Though currently the largest provider of HydraFacial, Omnilux, and Ballancer Pro in California, a Center of Excellence for EmSculpt, and already bustling, Total Glow has announced that it will soon grow to a luxurious 9,000 square feet. The spa will offer the same skincare philosophies with updated treatments and amenities, including a comprehensive wellness center with such options as a detox center, a Himalayan salt cave, yoga, and meditation, among others.

Terrie Absher

HAUTE BEAUTY

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOTAL GLOW

HL: You seamlessly blend East-meets-West. Tell us more.

TA: This philosophy of East and West is actually my heritage. I am half-Irish and half-Korean, and actually grew up in Korea and in Okinawa, Japan. My childhood was influenced first-hand by the Asian culture, which included skincare.

My mother and female relatives would spend over an hour after cleansing their skin, using multiple facial massage techniques. I remember being in awe of this nightly ritual and connecting it to my mother’s flawless beauty. This was an integral part of my own routine, since I was given my own personal skincare products as a young girl.

When I pursued skincare as a professional business, I was very excited to learn the newest and latest technological advances in skincare.

This introduction to a whole different approach to skincare became my main focus for a time.

Although I focused on becoming an expert in Western techniques, I always incorporated wellness into the conversation, as that was a particular passion of mine. It was clear that skincare required attention to the whole body.

After my graduation and credential from an Ayurveda program, I had no doubt about my vision to combine Eastern and Western ways to bring an entirely different level of optimum skincare.

HL: What are some things we can do, starting today, to ward off ageing in general?

TA: Skip sugar today—just start with today and maybe add another day. Eat your vegetables and take a walk. No need to be ambitious, just make a start. Move your body. We need to use it today, so it will work tomorrow. Stand up and try to touch your toes right now. How did you do? If you are stiff, do some gentle stretching: sign up for yoga or learn a few poses you can do today. Flexibility is completely related to staying young. If you aren’t flexible today, you will become increasingly more so. Work on your sleep habits. If you have a problem sleeping, learn how to create healthy sleep habits. Take a nap if you need it. Take care of your body from the surface to the inside, and you will be happily surprised when you notice your age doesn’t bother you.

Total Glow botox treatment

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Terrie Bee Well facial

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SUNLIGHT DESTROYS VITAMIN A IN YOUR SKIN, WHICH IS AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT FOR SKIN HEALTH. IT IS THIS DEFICIENCY THAT CREATES PHOTO-DAMAGE, WHICH IS THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF PREMATURE AGEING. — TERRIE ABSHER

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PHOTO COURTESY OF SPA AT CARNEROS

HL: What about for our skin?

TA: The very best step, other than sunscreen, is to use Environ’s fat form of vitamin A, which can be worn during the day to protect you from the ageing effects of sunlight. Sunlight destroys vitamin A in your skin, which is an essential ingredient for skin health. It is this deficiency that creates photo-damage, which is the primary cause of premature ageing. Secondly, think vitamins for the body and vitamins for the skin. Add in topical vitamin C and antioxidants, then you will have 80 percent of what your skin cells need to be healthy. The Omnilux Contour Mask is another great addition to up-level your skincare treatments and enhance the products you use at home.

Total Glow TriaWave treatment

HAUTE BEAUTY

Total Glow Gua Sha treamtent

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOTAL GLOW

HL: What are your top tips for a more beautiful 2022?

TA: Eat what is healthy for you—that’s different for each body type. Keep unhealthy habits balanced with healthy ones. It is true: moderation is key.

You will know that you are leaning too far in the unhealthy column when your skin, hair, and eyes lose their vibrancy.

Have a restful 2022. That means make time for downtime and sleep. That’s when the restoration process that renews our cells and systems happens. The internet has so much competing information that it’s difficult to know what’s up and what down, so take the time to see a professional skincare therapist.

Adopt a skincare regimen and stick to it.

Jumping around between different products can be very challenging for your skin, which is an organ that deserves respect. Skin sensitivity is really on the rise compared to when I first started in the industry. This is an important conversation to have with your skincare professional. Find someone in the industry who will tell you what is best for you as an individual. Let them sort through the overload of information and misinformation and guide you for a truly beautiful 2022. www.totalglow.com

Total Glow room

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SINGULAR PATAGONIA

HAUTE WELLNESS

94 at The Singular Patagonia, The Spa

HAUTE WELLNESS

Chablé Yucatán

Royal Mansour

CHABLÉ YUCATÁN, MEXICO Deep in the mystical Yucatán, this uncanny property embodies the earth’s highest degree of harmony—and it wants to convey that euphony to you. Amid the Mayan jungle’s expanse on 750 acres, Chablé deeply roots into ancestral traditions and nature’s largesse for its proffered cures. Its huge spa, the first-ever created on a sacred cenote, features luxurious cabins that hover above the water. With Mayan wisdom as its leading principle, the spa seeks to prompt physical and emotional shifts. Thoughtful therapists can recommend “journeys” based on the outcome you desire. Try the balancing and grounding Tree of Life Journey, based on the Mayan sacred symbol that represents duality.

ROYAL MANSOUR, MOROCCO Morocco itself always entices the senses. Up the ante at Royal Mansour, a splendorous palace within the walls of Marrakech’s old city, crafted by the expertise of more than 1,500 local artisans. Let yourself be mesmerized by its exotic, sanctum-like beauty and find your inner stillness and all the answers you seek. While the hotel’s pampering service makes for a peerless vacation, its 27,000-square-foot spa supports your transformational journey. In its ethereal sanctuary, provocatively shaped like a cosseting birdcage, enjoy just-launched, multi-day wellness retreats. Choose from Rebalance, Rejuvenation, or Immunity Boost, then add on courses, such as cooking and nutritional counsel led by the hotel’s Michelin-starred chefs. Some of the world’s finest spa brands—Intraceuticals, Subtle Energies, and Dr BurgenerSwitzerland—do their part for your inner glow.

KASIIYA PAPAGAYO COSTA RICAN ECO RETREAT, COSTA RICA PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF KASIIYA NEWTREE PAPAGAYO RANCH COSTA RICAN ECO RETREAT; COURTESY OF ROYAL MANSOUR; COURTESY OF CHABLÉ YUCATÁN

Rekindle your soul’s flame under the canopy of Costa Rica’s leafy rainforest, inspired by views of the tumultuous Pacific Ocean. This exhilarating glamping destination stretches more than 123 acres and holds only nine luxurious tented suites, each ensconced within its own bit of bio-diverse jungle. A spa cabin provides guests the chance to join yoga, meditation, and movement exercises inspired

by Capoeira martial arts. However, the coup de grâce is Yamuna, the resort’s own healer, who uses therapies from reiki to chakra clearing, as well as local plants, mud, and stones, to heal in the spa’s jungle-sited treatment rooms.

Kasiiya Papagayo Costa Rican Eco Retreat

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HAUTE WELLNESS

Chablé Yucatán

Royal Mansour

CHABLÉ YUCATÁN, MEXICO Deep in the mystical Yucatán, this uncanny property embodies the earth’s highest degree of harmony—and it wants to convey that euphony to you. Amid the Mayan jungle’s expanse on 750 acres, Chablé deeply roots into ancestral traditions and nature’s largesse for its proffered cures. Its huge spa, the first-ever created on a sacred cenote, features luxurious cabins that hover above the water. With Mayan wisdom as its leading principle, the spa seeks to prompt physical and emotional shifts. Thoughtful therapists can recommend “journeys” based on the outcome you desire. Try the balancing and grounding Tree of Life Journey, based on the Mayan sacred symbol that represents duality.

ROYAL MANSOUR, MOROCCO Morocco itself always entices the senses. Up the ante at Royal Mansour, a splendorous palace within the walls of Marrakech’s old city, crafted by the expertise of more than 1,500 local artisans. Let yourself be mesmerized by its exotic, sanctum-like beauty and find your inner stillness and all the answers you seek. While the hotel’s pampering service makes for a peerless vacation, its 27,000-square-foot spa supports your transformational journey. In its ethereal sanctuary, provocatively shaped like a cosseting birdcage, enjoy just-launched, multi-day wellness retreats. Choose from Rebalance, Rejuvenation, or Immunity Boost, then add on courses, such as cooking and nutritional counsel led by the hotel’s Michelin-starred chefs. Some of the world’s finest spa brands—Intraceuticals, Subtle Energies, and Dr BurgenerSwitzerland—do their part for your inner glow.

KASIIYA PAPAGAYO COSTA RICAN ECO RETREAT, COSTA RICA PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF KASIIYA NEWTREE PAPAGAYO RANCH COSTA RICAN ECO RETREAT; COURTESY OF ROYAL MANSOUR; COURTESY OF CHABLÉ YUCATÁN

Rekindle your soul’s flame under the canopy of Costa Rica’s leafy rainforest, inspired by views of the tumultuous Pacific Ocean. This exhilarating glamping destination stretches more than 123 acres and holds only nine luxurious tented suites, each ensconced within its own bit of bio-diverse jungle. A spa cabin provides guests the chance to join yoga, meditation, and movement exercises inspired

by Capoeira martial arts. However, the coup de grâce is Yamuna, the resort’s own healer, who uses therapies from reiki to chakra clearing, as well as local plants, mud, and stones, to heal in the spa’s jungle-sited treatment rooms.

Kasiiya Papagayo Costa Rican Eco Retreat

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ALILA VENTANA BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA Big Sur, with its intensely spiritual energy, works like a salve on your inner wounds—even when you didn’t think you were looking for a Band-Aid®. Low-key, on the rugged California coastline on U.S. Highway 1, beneth soaring redwood trees, the region historically has been a place to find yourself. To seek some eternal truths, try something new, or just to give yourself permission to unwind, head to the re-envisioned Ventana Big Sur. More luxurious than ever, with a mission to help guests find illumination through included programs— hikes, yoga, meditation—well-crafted outings meant to awaken reflection (think: a condor-watching safari), the inclusive resort supports transformational self-care on every level. Don’t miss an astrology reading, an unraveling massage within the poolside spa tents, or rumination beneath the “circle of redwoods,” a chapel-like site in the forest.

HAUTE WELLNESS

Spa tents at Ventana Big Sur

MANDARIN ORIENTAL, CANOUAN, SAINT VINCENT & THE GRENADINES Get away from it all to begin again at this intimate (26 suites and 13 villas), 1,200-acre playground, blessed with an opulent Robinson Crusoe vibe. Prompted by the pandemic’s ongoing impact on our lives, the paradisiacal resort has kicked off permanent spa wellness retreats in response to its lingering effects. Charged with building physical and mental strength simultaneously, its pluck-building programs of one, three, or five days, each customized to fortify coping mechanisms via activities from pranayama to kayaking, please as much as they heal. Ongoing visits by Oriental medicine specialists holistically address concerns, such as weight loss or smoking. Save time to linger in the hilltop spa itself, a haven of indigenously inspired treatments.

Canouan Spa

PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF VENTANA BIG SUR; COURTESY OF CANOUAN; COURTESY OFF CAL-A-VIE

CAL-A-VIE HEALTH SPA, CALIFORNIA Forget the cocktail. This salubrious destination health spa resort, just north of San Diego, redefines mixology with its Refresh & Renew program, meant to blend customized wellness options into your stay. Food as medicine, high energy strength building, and guided meditation combine to rejigger your habits and build the new you at this French Provençal-inspired retreat, anchored by California concepts of health and nutrition. Between wandering through the resort’s 500 private acres, pursue life-changing courses, such as Breath & Journal, Transforming Your Brain Through Fitness and Food, Overcoming Stress & Anxiety, and Finding Relaxation to Reduce Inflammation. Opt from Cal-a-Vie’s 3-, 4-, and 7-night spa vacation packages, inclusive of gourmet cuisine, more than 160 fitness classes, hiking, beauty and spa treatments, mind-body awareness programs, lectures, guest speakers, and accommodations.

Cal-a-Vie

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF HEIDE BETZ

HAUTE ART

Roman god Pan

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HAUTE ART

ARTFUL IMMERSION Heide Betz Shares Her Insights

BY BECCA HENSLEY

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allery owner, professor, art collector, art consultant, art expert, curator, writer, speaker of multiple languages, and beauty, Heide Van Doren Betz might well be called a Renaissance woman—an apt descriptor for an art maven. An authority on ancient art, Russian and Greek icons, Impressionist paintings, and sculpture, she’s been key in helping numerous museums and galleries around the globe build, boost, and interpret their collections. Perhaps best known for the Pankow Collections (a cache of personally collected Egyptian art and classical antiquities), she remains a stylish, affable presence at community events and a deified figure in the world art scene. We sat down with her beneath a painting for an absorbing conversation.

HL: You’ve studied in Germany, taught art history at the university level, founded galleries, exhibited private collections, collected art, and been forever curious in your pursuits. What experiences do you believe have had the biggest impact on who you are today?

HB: Going to museums, galleries, operas, concerts, and theater has had the biggest impact on me in my career and personal life. Art is the study of seeing and listening.

You can study as many names and dates and theories as you like, but you will only understand a work of art if you see it “in the raw.” I used to tell my students, “There is a history of art and then there is a history of photos.

Don’t confuse the two. Go see the real thing. By seeing, you learn to differentiate. There are nuances only the work in the flesh will reveal to you.”

Heide Betz

HL: What does an art consultant do? How does it work?

HB: An art consultant advises a client as to the best possible object for their prospective collection. I would suggest that a client first inform him or herself by doing research into the types of art that interest them. Visiting galleries and museums is a good way to familiarize oneself with artists’ works. The best collaboration happens when both parties are informed.

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HL: Who are your clients—companies, museums, individuals?

HB: I have worked primarily with private clients, some corporations, and museums. I curated several exhibitions for the Pankow Collections of ancient art and icons. I worked with the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany to bring the Pergamon Altar exhibition to Tokyo, New York, and San Francisco’s Legion of Honor.

HL: What should people look for when creating their personal art collections?

HB: Know what area of art interests you most and try to stick with one aspect of that. A specific focus makes for a very interesting collection. For example, if you like ancient art, you might want to focus on ancient portraits or Greek vases. Try to define your purpose. Do you wish to collect to make a statement about our time and the influences of art within this realm? Or is your purpose primarily decorative? Each intent involves a different approach. Know what you love and inform yourself.

There is a wealth of material available.

HL: What advice would you give someone looking to purchase their very first work?

HB: Most people know what they like: you know, realist versus abstract, old, new. “I know what I like.”

Begin with narrowing down your preferences, then get informed. Do research—so much is available online. As, I said: visit galleries and museums and look at as many works of art (in your category of preference) as possible. You may be surprised.

Egyptian life-sized bronze head of cat

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Early 16th century Holy Women at the Sepeulchre

HL: Art can be metaphor for life. It can teach us.

What object in your own collection can help us understand life?

HB: My collection has always been eclectic, contrary to my advice to new collectors to concentrate on one thing. I am drawn to ancient art. I see the relationships in art throughout history. One movement inspires another. So much in the world of art is related. Sometimes when I look at certain objects—a hand of Buddha, a Roman statue of Hygiea, a touching icon of the Holy Women at the Holy Sepulchre, a Valtat painting of bright red poppies, an abstract by Gustavo Rivera, a photograph of the building of the Berlin Wall by photojournalist Ray Scotty Morris—I am reminded that we are only caretakers in our journey of collecting and ownership.

I am inspired to spread the joy of art appreciation. I would love to know that I made a difference in that I helped people to see (yes, actually, really see) and appreciate works of art. It truly can be a life-altering experience HL: Do you believe that art makes us better as people?

Explain.

HB: Yes, mostly. If we allow a work of art into our heart and psyche, it can do wonders. Fine art will lift the spirit and give hope and joy. I often feel ecstatic when hearing an exceptional opera or musical piece. I can feel the same lift of spirit seeing a great exhibition or a great individual work that speaks to me. Art can be your cathedral and revive hope for you, hope in yourself, and hope in mankind. Communing with a great work of art is like saying a prayer. But, I think, sadly, there are some people who are miserable human beings: no amount of art will lift them out of their deprivation.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HEIDE BETZ

HL: How has San Francisco played a role in your career and your success?

HB: I love living in San Francisco with its vibrant music and arts scene. We have fabulous galleries and museums.

For at-home travel, we are only a few hours’ drive from beautiful Lake Tahoe, Carmel-by-the-Sea, the Monterrey Peninsula, and Santa Barbara. Then, then there is vibrant Southern California: Los Angeles has great cultural attractions, Malibu, the Getty Museums, and the ever warm and soothing desert cities. Also, my family and many friends are here in the Bay area. I think working someplace where you are content is key.

Detail of Poppies by Louis Valtat

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HAUTE RESIDENCE

GRAND VIEW ESTATE OVERLOOKS THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY

BY OLIVIA DECKER

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HIS MAGNIFICENT GRAND ESTATE OF approximately 11,200 square feet has stunning views of Bay Bridge, San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and Mt. Tam. It is sited on a double lot of approximately 1.2 acres amid lush gardens on the prestigious south side of Belvedere Island which offers the most exceptional setting in Northern California that brings phenomenal views to the forefront of the

living experience, all in a beautiful and very private resort setting. Rebuilt in 2008, this gated, contemporary style residence offers six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a 60-foot indoor pool, and entertainment area with multiple terraces to enjoy those world class views with two elevators and walkways connecting the levels and uniting indoor spaces with fabulous, landscaped gardens and sculptures.

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When you enter through the 2-story atrium main entrance, glass walls flood the space with natural light and welcome guests with breathtaking views. A tour through the house takes you to a cozy, top floor office with fireplace and French doors that open onto a garden and lawn which look out to the Golden Gate Bridge and City of San Francisco. Within the house, a majestic, formal living room with soaring ceilings, a wall of windows, fireplace, wet bar with temperaturecontrolled wine cellar, and outdoor terrace with panoramic views. Those stunning views continue to the dining room situated next to the spacious, open floor plan kitchen/family room/breakfast nook with fireplace and wall-to-wall glass 104

doors opening to a deck overlooking gardens and the San Francisco Bay. With an enormous, granite-topped center island and top-of-the-line appliances, this kitchen fulfills any chef's dream. An adjacent media room with half-bath and separate entry opens to the front courtyard. The master suite features sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, a fireplace, a deck, and an opulent bathroom exquisitely tiled in granite. Three more ensuite bedrooms located near the master suite are ideal for young children. A separate guest floor boasting two bedrooms and two baths, a sitting room with wet bar and kitchenette, and a terrace share those incredible views.

HAUTE RESIDENCE

The estate’s luxurious, resort-like amenities are as impressive as the residence, offering the versatility to retreat in serenity or entertain with lavish events. The spa floor features a 60-foot, indoor pool with steam room, sauna, two bathrooms, a gym, an entertaining kitchen with dining area, wall-to-wall glass folding doors opening onto an enormous terrace with a tiled spa fit for the entire family, and outdoor dining overlooking the exquisite gardens and various terraces with seating areas on spacious view decks. Ample parking is

available within the two gates, plus a 3-car garage and three parking stalls by garden entrance. This distinctive property offers a tranquil garden with mature trees and meandering paths through fragrant, native shrubs and flowers. Home to owls, hawks, and hummingbirds, the garden also affords sweeping views. This is a unique, modern estate that combines privacy, exclusivity, serenity, breathtaking views, lush gardens, and resort-like amenities in the most exclusive Belvedere location.

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HAUTE SEAT

Several hundred festival attendees enjoyed presentations by 30 authors at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn over three days

SONOMA VALLEY AS STAGE FOR WORLD CLASS AUTHORS Ginny & David Freeman, Founders, The Sonoma Valley Authors Festival

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ong before Sonoma Valley was a mecca for wine and food, the region was home to Jack London, one of the world’s greatest authors. He penned many of his most famous novels here. It feels fitting that this valley now hosts the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival, which attracts an array of world class authors for thoughtful discussions and presentations. This past August in its fourth year, the festival brought together hundreds

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of attendees at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa to hear a group of A-list authors, including Doris Kearns Goodwin, Isabel Allende, Amy Tan, Daniel James Brown, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Niall Ferguson, Dave Barry, Billy Collins, H.R. McMaster, Walter Isaacson, and more. We spoke with founders David and Ginny Freeman about their path to creating the festival and its impact on their community of all generations.

PHOTO CREDIT: © SCOTT CHERNIS

BY ERIN HUNT MOORE

HL: Tell us about the inspiration for the Sonoma Valley Author's Festival.

GF: There was definitely serendipity involved in the process. It actually all began with a gala event in San Francisco, where we and close friends bid on a Sun Valley condo. The only time we were able to schedule our visit was during the Sun Valley Author’s Festival there. Our first reaction was, “Uh, no, we want to have fun!” But we went and were amazed at the diversity of authors and genres.

We loved it.

Husband and wife team Ginny and David Freeman, co-founders of the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival After that, we continued to run into author events in places we were visiting: Pebble Beach, a short walk from our hotel, Rancho Mirage, and others. We were captivated. We had recently shifted to being full-time Sonoma Valley residents after dividing our THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS WE ARE time between our San Francisco home and a Sonoma base PROUD OF, BUT IT’S OUR STUDENT’S and were considering ways to contribute more deeply to DAY, WHICH WE ORCHESTRATE IN our community. We both grew up with a deep appreciation TANDEM WITH 10,000 DEGREES, THAT for books and storytelling through our parents and our own WE ARE MOST PROUD OF. experiences. Sonoma certainly had its share of food and wine events and already had a wonderful film festival. We followed HL: What are you most proud of when you look back over our instincts—and serendipity—and created this wonderful these past years since your first festival? event four years ago.

GF: There are so many things we are proud of, but it’s our Student’s Day, which we orchestrate in tandem with 10,000 HL: What helped to make this event a success for you?

Degrees, that we are most proud of. Through this program, DF: There are so many elements which have helped to make we have been able to facilitate interaction between Sonoma this event a success. But it was really research, clarity, and Valley students and our authors, including the handing out of relationships which have set us up well to succeed. We had books to all students present to enjoy. From this interaction, the benefit of attending other established events and were we have witnessed some truly remarkable, life-changing able to see which programs were best suited to our vision and exchanges. the Sonoma Valley community. For example: size. We wanted

PHOTO CREDIT: © SCOTT CHERNIS

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to keep our event smaller, allowing us to really curate an experience that felt connected, authentic, and accessible. And relationships. Once we had a well-vetted concept in hand, so many people stepped up to support us with introductions to the right partners to bring this to life. Having Elaine Petrocelli, founder and president of Book Passage, in our court gave us access to a range of really wonderful, top-notch authors, many of whom have returned with us. Our Student’s Day partner, 10,000 Degrees, a leader in the education equity movement, helped us create an impactful program for our students. Our venue partner, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, helped us create a well-organized and orchestrated event. And all of our amazing volunteers have helped the festival to come together beautifully!

HL: This year has remained challenging for many. You are graciously offering access to the event online for a limited time for those who want to experience the festival online. Tell us more.

DF: Yes, we want to be sure that folks unable to attend in person this year can still experience the wonderful author sessions from this year’s program. To that end, we are offering an allaccess virtual pass between October 23 through November 20, 2021, for $149, which includes two books from participating authors. The link for virtual passes is https://svauthorsfest. extendedsession.com/. You can follow us on Instagram @svauthorsfest and Facebook @svauthorsfestival for continued updates. We hope to see you online and next year! Thank you!

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HAUTE AMBASSADOR Health & Wellness

A NEW YEAR AND A NEW YOU IN BALANCE! How to create lasting resolutions this year

BY LYDIA GRAHAM

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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.

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ERE WE ARE, ONCE AGAIN RINGING IN another year. It’s time to make New Year’s resolutions, hit re-set, and craft your intentions for 2022.

That may sound well and good, but most New Year’s resolutions don’t make it past January, “according to 2018 data from Strava, a social network for athletes.

The company analyzed more than 31.5 million fitness records from its users and found that the second Friday in January is the fateful day when most of our annual commitments start to crumble.”

The only good news here is if you have failed previously at keeping your new goals, then you are not alone. This year, let’s improve your chances for success and make this a breakthrough year.

Achieving whole person wellness is an active and conscious process. It does not just happen. It takes persistence, focus, and a consistent plan throughout the year. Resolutions are deeply personal. Your destination will keep changing, regardless of how successful you may become externally. That is life.

As you think about this year’s resolutions, think longer term with actionable steps along the way—a combination of big picture thinking supported by tactical goals. Success requires both. Imagine crossing a river via stepping-stones. In the big picture, you know you want to reach the other side. In the short-term, the stepping-stones are how you are going to get there.

Each stepping-stone requires focus, or you will likely fall into the water and not reach the other side.

We truly are the architects of our lives, but taking time to self-focus too often comes last. Make yourself a priority—this is especially important for those distracted by family, lots of social demands, or a busy business.

Craft quiet time each day for reflection. You deserve it.

Schedule it if that’s what it takes.

We hear a lot about balance these days and the need for it. This year, consider making your overarching goal for 2022 to begin to create a more balanced life. But first, it is important to know exactly how balanced your life is right now and to determine where you should focus moving forward.

These five strategies can help you answer that question and set goals to help you achieve it: 1. TAKE INVENTORY. On a piece of paper, list the following seven areas in columns or draw them in a pie chart: Joy and Creativity; Purpose (career or how you spend your time); Building Your Community (social life and relationships); Wellness (physical activity, nutrition, sleep, etc.); Finances; Home Environment; and Spirituality.

For each area, give yourself a current score (1 being lowest and 10 as highest). (Keep this. You can refer to it throughout the year and reevaluate.

Tip: You can use a different color each time you recalibrate and note which color goes with which date.) When you finish with this entire exercise, put the document in a place where you can see it frequently.

Be brutally honest. What areas are currently working in your life: in other words, where do you feel satisfied, fulfilled, or even excited? Where does your life fall short? What areas are you ignoring or avoiding altogether? Let’s go through them right now (get out your pens).

This assessment will tell you where you need to focus to achieve balance. For example, you may want to focus on the areas with the lowest scores while continuing to nurture or maintain the ones where you are succeeding.

Just so we are on the same page, let’s take a closer look at each area: Here are suggestions to jumpstart your self-reflection and creative juices: Joy and Creativity: Many of you may not think much about this area, but how can we spread joy to others if we do not foster it in ourselves? What brings you joy? How do you have fun? Joy and expressing creativity come in many forms—an artistic endeavor, learning something new, making something with your hands, collecting, or even driving fast cars.

Whatever it is, be open and available for it. And, if it is not currently on your radar, then reflect and bring this area more into focus.

HAUTE AMBASSADOR Health & Wellness Purpose (how you spend your time, career, work): This area packs a big wallop, as it not only impacts our satisfaction with life, but also our health and longevity. As noted by the Blue Zones project, a “recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association has linked a strong sense of purpose with a lower risk of allcause mortality after age 50. They found that participants who had the lowest life-purpose scores were twice as likely to have died than those with the highest scores.”

Identifying one’s life purpose comes easily for some and much harder for others. It may change over time. So, if you are in touch with your life’s purpose, what more can you do to nourish it further and enact it? If you are still trying to identify it, then focus on exploring it and what activities you can undertake to do that. Make that exploration a fun and enjoyable process. Perhaps you can allot one or two hours a day for that? Or even 20 minutes? What would that exploration look like?

Building Your Community (social life and relationships): Loneliness kills—more than smoking, surprisingly. Being connected is key to our well-being.

Think how you could find deeper nurture in community and relationships, in the ones you already have, and new ones you might add. How can you nurture others (which in turn nurtures you)? How can you deepen or insert more enjoyment into your significant relationships? Are there rituals you want to create, perhaps something as simple as having a coffee together each morning or scheduling regular lunches with friends? Who and what activities or groups feed your soul?

Wellness (physical activity, nutrition, sleep, etc.): This is the most popular focus for New Year’s resolutions, the area everyone thinks about first and, unfortunately, where people tend to fail fast. This is largely because, rather than creating real lifestyle change, we often focus on quick fixes (e.g., losing 10 pounds) or make our resolutions too general (e.g., to get in better shape).

If you are one of those folks who needs a diet or cleansing routine to jumpstart you, that is fine; but, focus on what and how you can sustain that effort in the long term. For example, if you want to maintain or lose weight, can you reduce your carbs or alcohol intake? What does “better shape” mean?

Does that mean more cardio, more strength training, more mobility and flexibility training? While doing all of these would be ideal, what can you commit to realistically? For example, cardio three times a week? Strength training twice a week? Stretching 15 minutes each day? Increase from there.

Exercise is a funny thing. The more you do, the more you want to do; the less you do, the lower your motivation, unfortunately. For some folks, it helps to hire a trainer, coach, or nutritionist to kick-start or help them maintain.

Perhaps connect with a buddy? If you have trouble sleeping, what changes do you want to make to your sleep and wake routine?

Finances: Even if you are one of the lucky ones not having to worry about money in the day-to-day or long term, you are still not off the hook. Where are you procrastinating? Have you have been delaying on updating your estate plan, opening a donor-advised fund, reallocating your portfolio, expanding into real estate, taking a course or subscribing to (and reading) a particular newsletter to become a savvier investor or to better understand a particular asset class, or aligning your values more closely with your philanthropy?

Home Environment: Think about what can you do to make your home environment more comfortable, healthier, and nurturing? Are you bringing in more beauty or getting rid of clutter? Perhaps you’re making capital improvements, like remodeling, refreshing fixtures or paint, or upgrading furniture?

Or maybe you’re making your home environment healthier?

Spirituality: This is a highly personal area, but an important one. For those who prefer the path of organized religion, it could be deepening your involvement with your place of worship.

What would that look like: joining a prayer group, the choir, the committee for a sponsored initiative? For others, it could be practicing or learning a new meditation technique or deepening your current one. It could be simply spending more time in nature or taking 20 minutes each day for reflection or gratitude.

Or being of service to others.

Are you catching on?

2. ESTABLISH A BASELINE to delve a little deeper. What are you currently doing to nurture yourself in each area? Be specific and write it down. Are these activities working for you? If you are doing nothing, that is okay, but it is also noteworthy. Is there anything you’re currently doing that you want to drop or change?

3. WHAT NEW GOALS can you realistically add this year?

Remember, we are talking this year, not your lifetime. Create bite-sized, achievable goals—these are your stepping-stones.

You do not have to be superhuman. Do not over-commit: that just results in failure. It may be better to focus on a few key areas this year. Make it tangible by writing your commitments under each area you want to address.

When you finish steps one through three, put this document in a place where you will see it frequently.

4. CHECK IN AND MEASURE how you’re doing on a schedule that feels right and sustainable for you. Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly? What have you accomplished? What still needs to be done? Celebrate your successes: have fun with this and forgive transitory transgressions along the way. Do not dwell. Keep moving forward. Adapt your goals, if necessary.

5. GO BACK TO STEP ONE, then proceed again through step five.

Growth is a never-ending process.

Congratulations! You are on your way. You can do this! Wishing you a balanced and joyful 2022.

109

HAUTE AMBASSADOR Events About Town

Caviar Service, Aubrey’s Kaiseki Bloom Birthday, Neiman Marcus SF

110

AUBREY ABOUT TOWN ROMANTIC EATS: AUBREY'S TOP PICKS FOR CAVIAR

BY AUBREY BREWSTER

M

Y AFFINITY WITH CAVIAR GOES WAY BACK. The creamy and briny sensation, the ritual, the elegance, the accoutrements, everything—a food so perfect the French even have their own dish in which it’s served, and the name says it all: a presentoir, as if to be said that caviar should be presented.

One knows a celebration or a special time is to be had when the caviar is served, so what better way to kick off a romantic Valentine’s Day than caviar for two?

I always make sure to serve it in copious quantities at every event I host, presenting it to guests in a most memorable way. I fondly remember guests’ amusement when I served it in a giant sushi bune (boat) at my Japanese-themed “Kaiseki Bloom” birthday luncheon or in a grand gold punch bowl at my Southern, turn-of-the-

century, Georgia-themed “Mystique Savannah” luncheon, hosted at Neiman Marcus San Francisco’s posh Penthouse on 5.

I may be stating the obvious when I say that caviar is my all-time favorite snack. It’s often a running joke among friends when the waiter asks what I’m having. We could be at a barbecue ribs joint, and when a waiter asks what I’d like to order, there’s always that one smart aleck that yells, “He’ll have the barbecued osetra!” Yeah, those are my friends! I lovingly refer to it as “fishberry jam,” from a line from my favorite film, Auntie Mame (1958, Warner Bros., starring Rosalind Russell). I enjoy it more than I wish to confess! I’m often asked where the best places (or place) in San Francisco are to have caviar and I’m delighted to share with you my top picks!

PHOTO CREDITS: © DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

Aubrey Brewster, a bon vivant and man-abouttown, is a. product of his environment. His affinity for cooking, fashion, and entertaining was inherited from summer vacations shared in Charleston, West Virginia with his southern belle model-turned-hostess grandmother. It should come with no surprise that Brewster followed in his grandmother’s footsteps, with an inherent talent for hosting legendary parties. He is often listed among San Francisco’s best dressed. Aubrey is a San Francisco native, traveler, and food and lifestyle blogger (aubreyabouttown. com). He resides in San Francisco with his husband, Edward. Aubrey can be found enjoying afternoons lunching with friends at Neiman Marcus and some of San Francisco’s favorite haunts when not hosting or attending events.

GARY DANKO

Russian Osetra Caviar, The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus SF

THE ROTUNDA AT NEIMAN MARCUS SAN FRANCISCO

PHOTO CREDITS: © AUBREY ABOUT TOWN, HAUTE LIVING; (B0TTOM LEFT) © GARY DANKO

The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus is where I spend most afternoons; it’s my home away from home. One can usually find me holding court at my usual table where caviar and oysters and the burger (or whatever new delight chef is excited to share) is my usual lunch. I’ve consumed more caviar at Ro than any other place. “Ro” is the nickname I dubbed due to pure laziness when trying to text friends on the T9 keypad of my old Motorola flip phone back in the day. Hey, it was the nineties, and the iPhone was years away!

The Rotunda’s executive chef, Erik Harrelson, has curated a delectable selection of sustainably grown and farmed California caviar from The Caviar Company. I was honored (and most willing) when he asked me to help him narrow down his choices from a dozen varieties to the three he offers today: the royal white sturgeon (my go-to), Russian osetra, and the exquisite Imperial Gold osetra that I reserve for special occasions. Chef Erik offers traditional accoutrements (sieved hardboiled egg whites and yolks, crème fraîche, chives, capers, and his applaudable, buttery sourdough blinis—a tip of the hat to San Francisco) served in a chic Michael Aram coral presentoir. Try ordering it the “Aubrey way,” simply served with crème fraîche and chef’s ultrathin, house-made potato chips (made fresh daily). Newsflash … I’m at Ro noshing on some fishberry jam while typing this … shocker!

Greg Lopez, David Shimmon, Michael Bauer, Mary Beth Shimmon, Michael Murphy

I would guess that anyone who has been to Gary Danko in San Francisco would agree that it’s the quintessential place to go to impress. They don’t call it the “Gary Danko experience” for nothing.

Gary Danko is one of my absolute favorite restaurants to dine for dinner and a mainstay for celebrities, politicians, A-listers, and the like. It’s always on my list of places to recommend when asked where to go for dinner by out-of-towners. Whenever I mention that I am going there, often a gasp of excitement follows. It’s chic, elegant, and extremely romantic, with (hands down) some of the most exquisite cuisine (and one of the best wine selections) in town and one of my top picks for caviar. When I heard the news of their reopening after a pandemic-related closure, I (and other San Franciscans and fans worldwide) breathed a sigh of relief.

Gary Danko features both 3-course and 5-course menu selections and a tasting menu. If you desire all courses to be entrées, so be it; if you wish them to be all dessert, well, no judgment here. One of my all-time favorite, private, midweek, “me time” moments to unwind is to sneak out of the house and head over to GD around 9 p.m. when it’s less busy and there is ample room at the bar where I can chat it up with Gary Danko’s manager (and husband to Mr. Danko), the marvelous Greg Lopez. I like to order Golden osetra caviar, Gary Danko what I refer to as the 4-course late night supper (not to be confused with the 4-course option, but rather a 3-course selection with added caviar to start): the Maine lobster salad (avocado, fennel, citrus, quinoa, and mustard-tarragon vinaigrette), horseradish crusted salmon medallion (with dilled cucumbers and grain mustard sauce), and the filet of beef with soy-mustard glaze (and eggplant-shiitake marmalade, potato gratin, and haricot verts with pearl onions) is my lineup of choice—all beginning with an ounce of caviar!

Gary Danko offers a selection of three caviar varietals: the white sturgeon, Black Sea osetra, and the most indulgent of the three (and my favorite), the Imperial Gold osetra. The highlight of GD’s caviar service is their signature buckwheat blinis. Made fresh to order, the blinis are crisp and oh-so-buttery. Served with rich crème fraîche, 111

HAUTE AMBASSADOR Events About Town

Spruce Bartender, Geoffrey Saubolle, Beluga Vodka

Uni Crème Brûlée at 3rd Cousin

112 Caviar Service at Spruce

SPRUCE When I’m craving solitude and need an escape from the hustle of downtown life, a trek out to Spruce is a great way to enjoy a moment or two to myself.

Spruce may have one of the most eclectic selections available. It proudly offers caviar Perlita from the south of the Bordeaux region of France. This caviar has a softer and brinier experience and is sustainably farmed by Tsar Nicolai caviars with a selection of kaluga, golden osetra, and reserve. Flights of all three or a flight of four (including the French Perlita) are available to those who prefer an explorative approach.

Served on beautiful French Bernardaud écume porcelain presentoirs, Spruce’s caviar service includes creamy, French-style, soft-scrambled eggs, along with traditional blinis (gluten-free buckwheat blinis by request when available), and toasted brioche, with quenelles of crème fraîche and sea salt topped butter, minced shallots, and fresh chives. Bartender Geoffrey Saubolle suggests Beluga vodka, distilled especially for pairing with its namesake. For Valentine’s Day, Spruce is offering a chef-curated, multi-course table d’hôte menu. Reservation availability fills up fast, so be sure to make your romantic dinner plans early. I suggest using OpenTable to book your reservation, because, as I have learned first-hand (while calling to confirm their caviar names), they tend to get busy and the host who answered the phone can be (like spent caviar) quite salty.

TSAR NICOULAI CAVIAR CAFÉ AT THE FERRY BUILDING MARKETPLACE Back in the day, I would have been hard-pressed to miss an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, often having friends over for cocktails so we could laugh and/or share our Winfrey-inspired “ah-ha” moments together. My favorite daily ritual was to rush over to the Ferry Building’s marketplace and pick up a half-wheel of Mt. Tam triple cream brie from Cowgirl Creamery (which, sadly, has since closed the Ferry Building store, though the Mt. Tam brie is available at select cheese mongers and online at cowgirlcreamery.com), a fresh, small loaf of sweet ficelle (petite baguette) from the Acme Bread Company next door, and a generously sized jar of Tsar Nicoulai’s “Estate” caviar, then dashing along the 12-minute stint from the Ferry Building to our FiDi residence, so my pals and I could nosh while we all got our Oprah on. Sadly, that ended when The Oprah Winfrey Show went off the air and TNC’s Ferry Building location shuttered its doors.

Manager, Moises Perez, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Café

Although, unfortunately, Winfrey is still off the air, we San Franciscans (and visitors alike) rejoiced when the Tsar Nicoulai Café returned to its original spot (at space 16) across from the Acme Bread Company inside the San Francisco’s historic Ferry Building Marketplace. Founded in 1984, Tsar Nicoulai has been the premiere purveyor of fine, sustainable caviar to some of California’s chicest restaurants and on the tables of romantic Valentines dates, engagements, weddings, and other momentous celebrations. With

PHOTO CREDITS: © AUBREY ABOUT TOWN, HAUTE LIVING; © MICHELLE CHOU

they are truly heavenly. My usual accoutrement to fishberry jam is potato chips, but when it comes to these decadent buckwheat blinis, my will power is, well, powerless. GD continues to be a special place in my heart, and, like caviar, it’s a culinary treasure!

Special mention: While at Gary Danko this weekend, I ran into friends David and Mary Beth Shimmon, along with their friend and famed restaurant critic, Michael Bauer, and his husband, Michael Murphy. I mentioned that I was writing about my favorite spots in SF for caviar, and Michael Bauer raved about the uni crème brûlée (generously topped with kaluga caviar, trout roe, and yuzu tobiko) at Greg Lutes’ 3rd Cousin in Bernal Heights. When Bauer raves about a dish, it’s a call to action to check it out … and I did!

Absolutely scrumptious and worth a mention!

their newly reopened retail space, it’s just a fun excursion to the Ferry Building (or shop tsarnicoulai.com) to enjoy a variety of selections not found anywhere else, all while people watch from their casual bar seating.

I recently stopped by TNC and met with their new café manager, Moises Perez. I was delighted to learn that Tsar Nicoulai just had their roe harvest on November 6, now in its 8-week curing process and just in time for Valentine’s Day. Tsar Nicoulai offers an extensive variety of caviar, ranging from classic varietals like their Select, Reserve, and the coveted Crown Jewel, as well as a whimsical selection of infused roes such as Ginger Whitefish, Truffled Whitefish (marvelous topped on seafood linguine), and the Smoked Gold Pear Trout, which makes for a decadent bagel and cream cheese! And Tsar Nicoulai’s imported Greek caviars like the baerii (small black roe) and the golden osetra are available in TNC’s “The Traveler” sampler pack. Tsar Nicoulai offers all the traditional accoutrements to go and packs your caviar in a charming, reusable, insulated lunch box, making it a one-stop shop for all things caviar.

Aubrey’s Valentine's Heart-Shaped Ribeye for Two

PHOTO CREDITS: © AUBREY ABOUT TOWN, HAUTE LIVING

Carved tableside and made to share, this king of steaks is a sweet notion and a romantic expression for this Valentine's Day or any time you want to share your heart with the special person in your life.

INGREDIENTS • 1 2-pound ribeye steak (about 2-½ inches thick) • ¼ cup water or beef stock (or red wine) • 3 tablespoons butter • 1 tablespoon brandy or cognac • 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (optional) • 1 teaspoon olive oil • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • ½ teaspoon dried thyme • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Holding your hand flat over the surface of the ribeye steak, from the fat side (rounded side) carefully butterfly the ribeye towards the opposite side, being sure not to cut all the way through, leaving about a ¼ inch. You should now have two attached steaks forming a large heart-shaped ribeye steak.

2. Coat both sides with olive oil, rub both sides with minced garlic, then season with dried thyme and ground black pepper.

3. Place seasoned ribeye on a dinner plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour. Remove the seasoned ribeye from refrigerator about 10 minutes prior to cooking.

4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of butter to melt.

5. Season both sides of the ribeye with salt. (You want to season with salt right before cooking to avoid a tough steak.)

6. For medium-rare, cook the ribeye in butter for three minutes on the first side, using a spoon to baste the ribeye with the butter in the skillet. Flip the steak and cook another three minutes, basting with the butter as before.

7. Transfer the ribeye to a large plate, cover tightly with foil, and set aside.

8. Lower the heat to medium and carefully add the brandy or cognac, tilting the skillet away from you. Add ¼ cup water (or stock), scraping any brown bits (fond) from the bottom of the skillet. Simmer to reduce the liquid by half (about five minutes).

Stir in any liquids that have accumulated on the plate from the ribeye, add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan sauce, and stir until melted to thicken and silken the pan sauce.

Optional: for a refined sauce, strain through a sieve.

9. Carve the heart-shaped ribeye tableside and drizzle with the brandy pan sauce (or serve in a gravy boat on the side).

10. Serve the ribeye with a baked potato or my creamy, garlicky pecorino cheese and parsley noodles and steamed artichokes with curry aioli (both recipes are available at AubreyAboutTown.com).

113

HAUTE AMBASSADOR Auto

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

114

A race car for the street

BY TIM LAPPEN

F

AITHFUL READERS (QUICK SHOUT-OUT TO MY wife, Gail) may recall that I have experienced some great track time and street time with some of the top-performing cars around: Bugattis (several Veyron models and the Chiron), McLarens (including the Senna and P1), Pagani (Huayra), Aston Martins (Vanquish, DB11 AMR, Vantage V-12 S), hot rods (looking at you, Ring Brothers), and, of course a baker’s dozen of Lamborghini’s finest, from the Gallardo and Murciélago to the Huracán and Aventador. But after less than five minutes with the Lamborghini Huracán STO, I wondered, “From what alternate universe did this car arrive?”

Unlike the normal homologation, in which a manufacturer builds a limited number of “street” cars so that its race cars qualify for certain types of races, the STO feels like Lamborghini built just enough race cars to be sure that the STO street car would be a missle that goes right up to the line of what’s allowed on the road. And after I had some seat time with this monster, I found out that STO actually is shorthand for Super Trofeo Omologato—it actually is a road-adapted (“homologated”) version of the Huracán ST Evo, a GT racing car which provided the wildest Lamborghini track experience ever.

PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF LAMBORGHINI NORTH AMERICA

TIM LAPPEN

2021 LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN STO

Computer geeks talk about “wizzywig,” the pronunciation of “WYSIWYG,” meaning “What You See Is What You Get.” The STO is all about that, as it looks supersonic and it turns out to be even faster. Its stance and overall appearance clearly write checks that its engine and suspension can easily cash … and return lots of change.

Maybe the numbers will help explain this better.

• The 5.2-liter V-10 engine is naturally aspirated (no turbos or superchargers) and pumps out over 630 horsepower.

• Rear-wheel drive with 4-wheel steering makes the car feel shorter than it is, so it turns more rapidly.

• Torque vectoring by brake on all wheels helps slow one or more corners of the car to make it turn in to the corner quicker.

• Zero-to-60 in 3.0 seconds and a top speed of about 193 miles per hour.

• Aside from the above numbers, track times are much quicker than before, since the highly advanced aerodynamics use air to bolster traction by pressing down on one or more wheels, rather than adding weight to keep the car on the ground.

• Carbon-ceramic brakes like those used on Formula 1 cars, rarely used on road cars.

PHOTO CREDIT: © PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA

How does this play out in the real world? Very quickly! Climb into the cabin and be ensconced in a seat made to keep you in place, which is important when accelerating and cornering in the way that the STO can perform. Fire up the engine, and the first thing you notice is that sound. It’s all-performance all the time, and the sound perfectly portends the thrill coming soon—make that very soon.

HAUTE AMBASSADOR Auto

With a 7-speed dual clutch transmission, shifts are accomplished in milliseconds (pause to let that sink in), so the forward trajectory of this land-based missile seems seamless as it hurtles faster and faster forward. There’s no perceptible pause for a gear change, just constant thrust. I can’t actually say that it made me want to be a better man, but it did want me to keep accelerating (terrible excuse for speeding, I know). The STO is so effortlessly quick that it’s easy to forget that you’re not behind the wheel of the world’s best racing simulator and that reallooking scenery shooting by is IRL (in real life).

This new Huracán offers three new driving modes: STO, Trofeo, and Pioggia. The first option offers an allweather, easy “spirited” driving experience; the second one is for track use in wet and slippery conditions (I like to call this one “Bet the Farm”); and the third one is for maximum performance on a dry track. As you might expect, the modes adjust not only the transmission, but also the car’s suspension and other subsystems.

The base price of the STO is $327,838. “Mine” was “Nero Noctis” (very black) and the interior was “Nero Cosmus” (also very black). With a great set of options— like the dark chrome and carbon package ($8,600), a snorkel and rear wing ($8,500), a carbon rear diffuser ($8,500), the aforementioned sport seats ($7,200), and forged 20-inch wheels ($2,000)—the sticker price rose to $394,033. It’s hard to put a price on what this car delivers, though. For me, the sound and the performance alone are worth the price of admission.

115

HAUTE AMBASSADOR Auto

2021 MERCEDESMAYBACH S580 An opulent sedan with terrific performance

BY TIM LAPPEN

I feel a little like a schoolmarm here, with ruler at the ready, but I am compelled to start with the pronunciation of “Maybach.” Interestingly, the most common way to say it, among those who know the German language and German car history, seems to be “MY-bach,” even though it looks like “MAY-bach.” And I once met a member of the Maybach family who said that his branch (perhaps tired of mispronunciations) pronounced their name “MAY-bach.” So, there you have it. Or don’t. But it’s like they say about Brits and Americans: two nations separated by a common language.

Now that we’re on the same page (oh, well, close enough), let’s take a look at the car. Almost 20 years ago, Mercedes decided to create an upmarket sub-brand, perhaps to compete with the BMW/Rolls-Royce family of vehicles. However, that foray was not overly successful, and production stopped a few years later. Then, a couple of years ago, Mercedes brought back the name (it’s the last name of William Maybach, Mercedes’ chief designer in the early years), and the model profiled here is the Mercedes-Benz Maybach S580, 116

a high-end S-class (MB also offers a Mercedes-Maybach GLS, a very high-end SUV). With a price starting at $184,900, it’s certainly near the top of the S-class sedan price range, but the creature comforts available on this car—fully-reclining rear seats, wine refrigerator, special goblets, etc.—put the car in a class by itself. Its closest competitor would be a rolling palace. As expected, it drives like a dream, rides like a cloud, and coddles its occupants.

True, there are many similarities between the “regular” S-class and the Maybach version. They certainly resemble each other, though there are more flourishes and design changes on the Maybach. Notably, it has a longer wheel base, so the ride is somewhat smoother and the interior is more commodious. They share the same twin-turbo motor and its output—just under 500 horsepower—moves this 2-tonplus boulevardier from zero to 60 in 4.7 seconds. (If that’s not fast enough for you, order the V12 engine option.) Of course, having 516 pound-feet of torque, thanks in part to the car’s “EQ Boost” electric motor, is what makes that magic happen.

HAUTE AMBASSADOR Auto

PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF MERCEDES-BENZ NORTH AMERICA

“My” Maybach had a beautiful, duotone paint job: “Cirrus Silver” from just below the beltline on up, including the hood and top, and “Obsidian Black” below. Coupled with stylishly unique, chrome, disc-like wheels, the car has a really elegant stance and looks terrific (and imposing) from all angles. It looks much lusher than its S-class cousin.

The beauty continues inside where “mine” was clothed in “exclusive Maybach Black” leather, as sumptuous as it sounds. Offset by diamond-stitched, perforated seats, the interior trim is mostly soft-looking, low-luster silver metal, more like brushed sterling instead of chrome.

I really enjoyed my time with this car. It doesn’t pretend to be a sports car, but it’s quick and quite agile for its size.

It’s super quiet and extremely luxurious. With a base price of $184,900, it comes so well-appointed that mine “only” had $27,150 in options. Of those options, $14,500 was for the gorgeous 2-tone paint and $3,200 was for the champagne flutes which were necessary due to the $1,100 “beverage center console.” Don’t forget the “Executive Rear Seat Package,” though: for $6,000, you get two separate reclining rear passenger seats, each with an airplane-style folding table hidden beneath the inboard armrest of each and heated and cooled … cupholders.

I felt quite coddled in the Maybach and rightly so. The Mercedes engineers made certain that the ride quality, the quieted outside sound, the plush seating, the excellent cabin air conditioning, and even the goblets all join together to make one’s time in the S580, whether as passenger or driver, relaxing and enjoyable.

117

Nothing Compares.

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Pembroke House, Ocean Club Estates

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150 ft. beach, guest cottage, staff quarters. Beach club, golf, marina.

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Freehold, Private Island with 3 white sand beaches. 1,200 ft. runway

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California Lifestyle Collection Newly Renovated Belvedere Home

Belvedere, California

4 Beds | 3 Baths | Fully Renovated in 2020–2021 Perfectly nestled in a convenient cul-de-sac on Golden Gate Ave, this newly beautifully remodeled residence features an impeccable design and floor plan, while highlighting the majestic and serene Belvedere lagoon setting. Upon entering this 2 story home, you are warmly greeted by a charming foyer which provides convenient access to every part of the home. The high ceilings, recessed lighting, and walnut wide plank flooring, perfectly complement all of natural light from the vast amount of windows surrounding the open design. Marble kitchen and baths counters, Lutron controlled window coverings, crown moldings, designer tiling, A/C with back-up generator, high-end fixtures,

$4,480,000

recessed lighting, Sono sound system wired, a new foundation and roof are just a few of the luxurious enhancements. The chef’s kitchen features a Wolf 6-burner gas range, Calacatta marble island, coffee and beverage bar, all perfectly situated with a stunning view of the Belvedere lagoon. This wonderful private enclave is perfect for enjoying a contemporary lifestyle in one of the most desirable Belvedere locations within walking distance to Belvedere Park and children’s playground, two world class yacht clubs and downtown Tiburon’s dining, shopping attractions and Ferry services to San Francisco and Angel Island.

Additional photos and info at: 5GoldenGate.com

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

SAN FRANCISCO 2022 COLLECTION E N J O Y V IR T UAL TOURS OF SOME OF T H E M OST BEA U T I F U L P ROP ERT I ES I N T H E MA G I C A L C I TY -B Y -THE -B A Y W W W. J O E LG O O D R I C H .CO M

LE PETIT TRIANON - SAN FRANCISCO’S ARCHITECTURAL CROWN JEWEL | $19,800,000

ICONIC PACIFIC HEIGHTS GOLDEN GATE AND BAY VIEW MANSION | $18,500,000

GRAND-SCALE BUENA VISTA PARK MANSION WITH SKYLINE AND BAY VIEWS | $11,950,000

EXQUISITE RUSSIAN HILL ITALIANATE-STYLE VIEW VILLA | $11,500,000

ELEGANT COW HOLLOW GOLDEN GATE VIEW COMPOUND | $10,270,000

STARCHITECT-DESIGNED RESORT-LIKE SONOMA ESTATE & VINEYARD | $10,000,000

PARK AVENUE-STYLE GLAMOUR IN PACIFIC HEIGHTS| $8,250,000

SOPHISTICATED RUSSIAN HILL MID-CENTURY MODERN RESIDENCE | $5,700,000

SUPER-STYLISH SKY-HIGH PENTHOUSE WITH EXTRAORDINARY VIEWS | $3,998,000

MANHATTAN-STYLE VIEWS FROM SOUTH BEACH’S LUMINA | $3,685,000

BRIGHT AND AIRY GARDEN RESIDENCE AT NOB HILL’S CATHEDRAL TOWER | $1,650,000

GOLDEN GATE VIEW RESIDENCE AT NOB HILL’S CATHEDRAL TOWER| $739,000

W W W. J O E LG O O D R I CH .CO M | 415 . 3 0 8 . 818 4 | J O E L @ J O E LG O O D R I CH .CO M CALRE # 010 2 870 2 ©2021 COLDWELL BANKER REAL ESTATE LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COLDWELL BANKER® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK LICENSED TO COLDWELL BANKER REAL ESTATE LLC. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMPANY. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY. EACH COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE OFFICE IS OWNED

BY A SUBSIDIARY OF NRT LLC. REAL ESTATE AGENTS AFFILIATED WITH COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE ARE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR SALES ASSOCIATES AND ARE NOT EMPLOYEES OF COLDWELL BANKER REAL ESTATE LLC, COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE OR NRT LLC. CALBRE LICENSE #01908304.

California Lifestyle Collection Stunning World-Class Wine Country Retreat

5 Beds | 6 Baths | ±2,500 sq. ft. Interior | ±61 Acres This stunning world-class retreat is the epitome of the indoor-outdoor Napa Valley lifestyle. Designed by award-winning architect Howard Backen with sliding doors and screens that open completely to the surrounding gardens and views beyond, this residence and separate two-bedroom guest house are arranged as three separate zinc-roofed pavilions floating above semi-enclosed porches, a magnificent pool, and the surrounding landscaped gardens.

Featuring extraordinary materials and workmanship, brilliant designs and soaring high ceilings, this private compound is designed to capture magnificent views of nature. Sited at the edge of a ravine, this home is oriented to frame and command views across neighboring vineyards and a watershed of the Napa River. Inside the main pavilion, the boundaries between living room, kitchen, dining room and the surrounding terraces are blurred. The combination of openness and grand scale permits the home to feel at once expansive and yet comfortable for intimate entertaining. Radiant heating under the polished concrete floors provides year-round comfort. The flexible

Napa, California

$13,500,000

architectural layers of sliding glass, shutters, and screens serve to effortlessly control light, space, and temperature. Whether the walls of windows are open or closed, the calming architecture frames the natural and designed landscape.

Spread across ±61 acres of grounds, amenities include infinity-edge pool, spacious lawn, bocce court, two hot-tubs, olive grove, organic garden, stocked lake, fire pit, and outdoor kitchen with refrigerator, barbecue, and pizza oven.

The basement level features a large wine cellar as well as a gym, powder room, and catering kitchen. A separate machine building houses a backup generator and well equipment including reverse-osmosis water filter. This sublime place represents an artistic departure from the conventional and is one that truly must be experienced—it is one that might inspire great thoughts and play gracious host to many extraordinary events to come!

More photos and information can be found at: SodaCanyonEstate.com

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

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